Add batteries for electrolyzer viability
Cheaper electricity is a key component of hydrogen production, as the cost of electrolysis is largely dictated by electricity prices. One solution to achieving cheaper electricity when hydrogen electrolysis is coupled with renewable energy generation is through batteries. But is the cost reduction sufficient? Mehrdad Aghamohamadi, a researcher for Cornwall Insight Australia, investigates.
Reducing financial risks
Derisking solar investments and providing confidence in the long-term reliability of PV project components can help accelerate global renewable energy investment. The established track record of PV warranty insurance provides an example of how innovative insurance products can help provide investor confidence and perform this vital role, argues Prentiss Darden, who heads up business development operations in North America for Munich Re Green Tech Solutions.
Certify and verify for sustainability
Environmental credentials are becoming important for PV modules, putting the spotlight on the ways in which sustainability claims can be verified, qualified and trusted. Solar can’t continue to rely on zero emissions during generation as its only green tick, but the certification and labeling of PV modules is improving, as is the outlook for higher standards, reports Tristan Rayner.
On a mission
Europe is on a mission to establish itself as a key manufacturing base for batteries. Over the past six years, ambitious plans have been announced to achieve this goal, with the latest predictions suggesting that 35 gigafactories will be operational by 2035. Becky Beetz maps the progress.
California’s fight to save rooftop solar
Grid experts, environmental organizations, labor groups, and working people are fighting against a proposal to limit California’s net metering policy for rooftop solar, which has been maligned as a “tax on the sun.”
Big battery breach
In September 2021, not long after a fire at the Victorian Big Battery made international headlines, Neoen’s original “Big Battery” – the Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia – was sued by the Australian Energy Regulator for failing to provide all of the frequency control ancillary services it had agreed to offer. The case is now before Australia’s Federal Court, where the judgement could set an important precedent for network operations in Australia, as well as the transition to large-scale batteries.
The great EU solar manufacturing reset
“We need to bring manufacturing back to Europe and the [European] Commission is willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen,” EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said at the opening of SolarPower Summit 2022. Her words rocketed around the solar community, boosting share prices and invigorating the European solar industrial mission, writes SolarPower Europe CEO Walburga Hemetsberger, as she lays out the actions needed for solar-power EU energy independence.
The art of sizing
The ideal size for a battery system depends on the user’s goals. However, with regard to optimizing self-consumption, some calculation programs recommend systems that are too large, explains HTW Berlin. Here, we provide expert tips on the design and interpretation of storage system dimensions seen in pv magazine’s market overview. The outdoor trend discernible in this data is also worthy of further investigation.
No silver bullet
Despite its faults and shortcomings, the EU’s Taxonomy Regulation is expected to support the energy transition and help redirect capital flows to renewables and green assets. Andreas Walstad examines how the taxonomy sets out criteria for technologies to be labeled green and environmentally sustainable in a bid to provide investors with a classification system that boosts clarity, accountability, and predictability.
pv magazine test: July 2022 results
We are pleased to present the next batch of energy yield results from the outdoor test field in Xi’an, China. We also look at additional analysis from George Touloupas, the senior director technology and quality at CEA.
