Renewable Energy

[nanning]

I will not stop respecting you and your lifestyle choices.

And I will not stop respecting you either oren .

If you felt a personal attack then I have mixed up addressing you and all people like you. It really rattles my cage if richer people dismiss the helpless and innocent poor. It has the hallmarks of colonial supremacy and very low morality.

I respect you, but, I do not respect your lifestyle (I assume it is high energy and high consumption). Not in the current reality. I can't. I can understand why other people keep living that way, but for a highly intelligent and well informed human like you I don't understand. I expect more.

But I will stop this conversation here.

Me too, thanks. In this way it is not working.

I think there are misunderstandings by both of us, and I have to say that parts of your posts made me a bit angry. My emotions must've shone through in my response even though I still don't read it like that. Sorry.

[Sciguy]

With all of the bad news at the Federal Government level, it's easy to overlook the progress that is being made in the transition to a carbon free economy.  With renewables being cheaper than fossil fuels, "green-washing" has given way to lowering costs by going green.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/business/energy-environment/rooftop-solar-panels-retailers.html

At a time when the federal government is increasingly stepping away from addressing issues like sustainability and climate change, corporate America is stepping up. Retail giants from Target to Walmart to Amazon; and tech titans from Apple to Google to Facebook, are taking action to respond because it’s good for business and good for corporate image. For many consumers, addressing core issues like climate change and sustainability go hand-in-hand with attracting their business.

Going green has never looked so good — or cost so little. Solar power is almost 90 percent cheaper than it was 10 years ago and wind power is about 70 percent cheaper, said Gregory Wetstone, president and chief executive of the American Council on Renewable Energy, a nonprofit that promotes the transition to renewable power. That explains why companies in the United States purchased three times as much power generated from solar and wind energy in 2018 than they did the year before.

“Every aspect of retailing’s machine is going to be modernized and ultimately energized green,” said Marshal Cohen, chief retail industry analyst at The NPD Group, a research and consulting specialist. This green evolution not only applies to energy use, but everything from packaging to fuel consumption during delivery, he said. “Retailers will chase greenness to be viewed as part of their DNA.”

This has left many of the world’s biggest companies falling all over themselves to embrace solar power, wind power and other renewables. But over the past decade, major retailers like Target and Walmart, who use vast quantities of energy in their stores, have gone from sticking a toe in the water to diving in headfirst.

I think that many of the posters on this site who embrace a negative outlook on the growth of renewables are under-estimating the pace of the transition.  They think that the current deployment rates, which involve decisions made when renewables cost more than fossil fuel energy, can be used to forecast the future.

But new investments being made now will have to take into account that it's cheaper to build new renewable power plants (or slap a bunch of solar panels on a roof) than it is to buy power from an operating fossil fuel plant.  That means that the only limit on how fast fossil fuels will be phased out is how quickly new wind and solar plants can be built.

That's not hopium, that's economics.

[Sciguy]

Another utility releases plans to shut down coal plants and replace them with wind and solar backed up by battery storage.

https://cleantechnica.com/2019/10/08/pacificorp-plans-shift-from-coal-to-renewables-storage/

The Yakima Herald reports that PacifiCorp derives 56% of its electricity from coal-fired plants, a statistic that has made it a target for criticism by environmental groups. Now, however, the company says it is embarking on a plan to close two-thirds of those emission-spewing beasts by 2030 and most of the rest by 2038 and replace them with wind and solar coupled with battery storage. Renewables “are simply more cost-effective to meet our customer needs,” said Rick Link, a PacifiCorp vice president, during a conference call with reporters.

During that time period, the utility company plans to invest billions of dollars in wind, solar, and battery storage. Here are the details of the PacifiCorp plan as reported by Green Tech Media.
3,000 megawatts of new solar in Utah paired with 635 megawatts of battery storage, phased in between 2020 and 2037
1,415 megawatts of new solar in Wyoming paired with 354 megawatts of battery storage, phased in between 2024 and 2038
1,075 megawatts of new solar in Oregon paired with 244 megawatts of battery storage, phased in between 2020 and 2033
814 megawatts of new solar in Washington paired with 204 megawatts of battery storage, phased in between 2024 and 2036.

Rick Link insists shutting down the coal-fired power plants on a tighter timeline would risk a shortage of supply that could force the utility to purchase electricity on the spot market, which could be very expensive. The likelihood of that happening increases if other western utility companies also shut down their coal plants ahead of schedule.

The only reason for not shutting down the coal plants sooner is that there aren't enough renewable plants yet!

[vox_mundi]

Proposals Would Dam Little Colorado River for Hydropower
https://phys.org/news/2019-10-colorado-river-hydropower.html

Pumped Hydro Storage LLC is seeking approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for preliminary permits to study the sites east of Grand Canyon National Park over three years. None of it will move forward without permission from the Navajo Nation.

Navajo President Jonathan Nez said he's been briefed by tribal economic development officials about the proposals to create four reservoirs—two of which would be directly on the Little Colorado River—but hasn't talked with anyone from Pumped Hydro Storage.

The largest of the reservoirs would be northeast of Grand Canyon National Park with a smaller reservoir to the south. Together, they'd store more than 30,000 acre-feet of water and produce 3,200 megawatts of energy sent to an existing switchyard near the Navajo community of Cameron

The hydropower industry is seeing a renewed interest as states increasingly turn to wind and solar, and they need a way to supplement energy when the sun's not shining and the wind's not blowing. Most energy storage comes from pumped storage projects, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The Little Colorado River has some limits of its own. It doesn't flow year-round and can carry heavy sediment during the spring runoff and monsoon season, which could choke up dams. The endangered humpback chub also spawns in the Little Colorado River where the water is warmer than in the mainstem Colorado River.

... Hopi Vice Chairman Clark Tenakhongva said he first heard about the proposal for dams on social media, and it kept him up most of the night.

"They've done enough damage with the big Colorado River, yet something like this proposed is just mind-blowing," he said. "We just closed one segment of what they say is harm to the environment. This is more harm."

[Bruce Steele]

Nanning, So I just bought two powerwalls, $22,500 with about ten back in rebates, someday ,hopefully but out of pocket 22 grand. Someday it will be a lot cheaper but the bottom line is solar and batteries are expensive! 
 Hopefully better cheaper technology will make solar / renewables accessible to more people but there has to be someone paying top dollar to facilitate the transition. The transition away from fossil fuels.
I won’t live forever and if i’m Really lucky the farm will run on solar long after i’m gone.

[TerryM]

Bruce
Will your new system be enough to get you through PG&E's announced shutdown?
Terry

[Bruce Steele]

Terry, I don’t think we are going to be affected by this blackout but if PG&E does shut down power I can run for weeks without grid power. When the grid goes down the powerwall shuts down the grid but still takes power from my solar panels so I have solar power during the daylight and powerwall for nighttime. I know what my big power demands are and I can avoid the air conditioner or the electric cloths drier if I have to. If the grid goes down and I don’t use the power from my solar then the powerwall will shut down the solar panels.
 I guess I will see how everything works if and when the grid goes down.
 

[TerryM]

Bruce
Glad that you won't need to test the system in an actual blackout. I'm also relieved that California apparently won't be facing the "brown outs" so prevalent when Enron was playing games with power. The brown outs we experienced in Nevada were blowing AC compressors and refrigeration systems so rapidly that at times I needed to order replacement parts from out of state - and deliveries took some time. Very bad news for anyone with inventory that needed to be kept frozen or chilled.


You've mentioned your AC draw on more than one occasion. Is there any possibility that you could switch to a modern evaporative cooler system? Some now add a stage and rather than increasing the living space humidity, they chill water and the chilled water is pumped through a coil that takes the place of an evaporator coil in an AC system. These require far less energy than AC systems and work anywhere that high humidity isn't a problem.
Another possibility is adding an evaporative pre-cooler to the condenser coil on your AC, this can drop your wattage draw by ~20-25% on a hot day and extend the life of your compressor.


Heating season is just about upon us, so you've months to decide what, if anything, makes sense.
Terry

[Bruce Steele]

Terry, The A/C is twenty years old and I didn’t need a Tesla app to tell me it needs replacing but I had the pressure checked a couple years ago and it was still holding the original charge. So we limp along. I would like to have it properly drained when the time comes. R-22
 We close vents in rooms we don’t use and close doors to keep the cooler air in the living room & office. It is rare to see 100F days so really not a big issue. Windows and our normal breeze work most of the time. Manufactured home, no bueno.
 If you have a name for a good evaporator cooler let me know. Our water is really hard so I might need a big rainwater tank to keep the evaporator from turning into a stalagmite .
 
The pressure pump for my domestic water might be replaced with an elevated tank and gravity for some uses,like stock water. I put sleeping bags on my freezers for extra insulation. And I haven’t gone after all the fantom small draws , how many clocks does one need... 

[Sigmetnow]

Home solar provider Sunrun Inc. said hundreds of customers were spared from recent planned shutoffs because of their solar panels and batteries -- and it expects that to number to be in the thousands after this week’s blackout.

California’s Blackout Becomes a Selling Point for Back-Up Power
https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2019-10-09/california-s-blackout-becomes-a-selling-point-for-back-up-power

[TerryM]

Bruce
At twenty years there are a few things that can help to extend it's life. In no particular order:


Oil all motors - 3 drops for each bearing - repeat yearly
Oil the squirrel cage bearings and replace the drive belt if equipped - repeat yearly, or as needed with the belt.
A "Zoom Spout Oiler" is easy to use & has the correct oil


Clean fan & squirrel cage. Strong degreaser & stiff brush. Getting each vane of the squirrel cage clean is important.


Carefully clean both coils, then buy an electrostatic filter & wash it every month that the AC is in operation.


Replace all motor capacitors - once every ten years.
Capacitance is printed on each piece, most look something like a short roll of nickels


Install a "hard start kit" for compressor - once every ten years
You'll need the compressor make & model
Consists of a Start Capacitor, Run Capacitor & relay & should come with instructions


Pull the breaker before working on the unit. Short out the compressor capacitors, they bite.


A 20F split is what you want between the return air & a vent, if it's lower your charge may be low, if it's higher your evap coil & or fan are dirty (or you've a very old, very dirty filter)


If an HVAC supplier won't sell to you try Grangers, their catalogue has everything you need.


It's cheaper to replace the capacitors than to buy a quality tool to check them.
A cheap "fin comb" can straighten crushed coils.
If you've a decent Amp-Probe you can check your compressor for excessive draw, but the hard start kit will probably keep it running properly for years.


If your system hasn't leaked in twenty years it's not likely to start now.
I've seen 40+ year old systems operating in Las Vegas heat that ran perfectly. Capacitors do break down after extended use & when they go they take the motor with them - same with the larger capacitors on the compressor.


The above probably won't make your unit work better, just longer.


Graingers used to carry evap. coolers, though I don't recall the brand. Hard water requires that you drain a portion of it more or less constantly. A "Tee" fitting off the pump is the usual solution. When the pads get crapped up they need to be replaced, but they should last for one season.


You don't need to wait for late spring to set up your AC.
Have Funn!!
Terry

[Sigmetnow]

Home solar provider Sunrun Inc. said hundreds of customers were spared from recent planned shutoffs because of their solar panels and batteries -- and it expects that to number to be in the thousands after this week’s blackout.
California’s Blackout Becomes a Selling Point for Back-Up Power
https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2019-10-09/california-s-blackout-becomes-a-selling-point-for-back-up-power

Tesla Superchargers will have Powerpacks to help with outages, says Elon Musk
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-superchargers-will-have-powerpacks-to-help-with-outages-says-elon-musk/
Tesla is also adding solar to their supercharger stations “as fast as possible.”

[Sigmetnow]

“In the 18th century, Nantucket was the energy capital of the world. Ships departed the island, sailing to distant seas, hunting right whales for their oil.

On Tuesday, Nantucket is adding another page to the history books, as officials unveil a new energy source for the island: a giant battery. The battery will serve as backup for two insulated cables that run from Cape Cod to Nantucket, carrying the electric lifeblood that makes modern life on this timeless island possible.”

Biggest Battery In New England Is Unveiled In Nantucket
https://www.wbur.org/earthwhile/2019/10/08/nantucket-energy-storage-lithium-ion-giant-battery

Tesla's grid-scalable battery is supporting this popular East Coast island destination with power
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-powerpack-nantucket-massachusetts-backup-power/

[Sciguy]

The linked article on coal's decline in the southeastern US has some interesting predictions for the growth of solar in the region.

http://ieefa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Coal-Fired-Generation-in-Freefall-Across-SE-US_October-2019.pdf

The ready availability of low-cost natural gas has led to a freefall in coal generation across the region over the past 10 years that has outpaced even the national drop in coal-fired generation. This, despite the fact that the area is home to companies such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, Southern Company and Duke Energy—three of the traditionally most coal-reliant utilities in the country. The decline is also noteworthy because the region’s utilities are still vertically integrated—controlling generation and transmission—and thus largely shielded from economic pressures like those in fast-changing markets like Texas and the PJM Interconnection,2 where more competitive generation resources often have an easier route to the market.

This is just the opening act in what is essentially a two-stage transition that will further erode coal’s generation market share in the region over the next five years and beyond—a trend that in several of the states affected could lead to the zeroing out of coal generation. The second act will be driven by solar, which, while still a modest contributor to regional electric output, is poised to grow substantially through the 2020s.
The region has 13.1 gigawatts of installed solar capacity, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and more than two-thirds of that total is in just two states, North Carolina and Florida. But significant growth is on the horizon. SEIA sees an additional 21.5GW of solar coming online in the region by 2024,3 an outlook that may be already out-of-date given recent utility and state announcements that are likely to expand the total.

[Sciguy]

While the coal industry is looking to Vietnam to at least postpone its decline, Vietnam is going to renewables instead.

http://www.ipsnews.net/2019/09/qa-vietnam-went-zero-hero-developing-solar-projects-countries-can-climate-change/

In a country like Vietnam, for instance, last year our story was that Vietnam was the country with the largest number of new coal fire power plants. They were going to build 25 new coal fire plants. And then the government came out with a new policy – [companies] get offered a [tariff] for large-scale solar.

Vietnam had a target to reach 4.5GW of solar then by 2025. This is a lot if you have nothing.
The target was to be reached by 2025, and to everybody’s surprise they reached that on the 1st of July this year.

From nothing to 4.5GW — and not plans, not ideas but projects that are already built and connected to the grid.

https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnam-develops-renewable-energy/160585.vnp

Hanoi (VNA) – Since 2017, the Vietnamese Government has issued a number of priority policies to develop renewable energy to boost production and attract domestic and foreign investment, heard a workshop in Hanoi on September 17.

As a result, in just two years, the proportion of renewable energy in the national electricity structure has increased rapidly to more than 9 percent with wind power and solar power being the two main sources.

https://www.aseaneconomist.com/vietnam-looks-to-solar-to-fill-energy-void/

Vietnam looks to solar to fill energy void
By Taylor McDonald -2019-09-24

Vietnam is looking to renewable energy solutions to solve a growing power shortfall which is intensified by the dispute with Beijing over oil and gas reserves in the South China Sea.

[rboyd]

India’s solar and wind boom is fizzling - MIT Tech Review

Strong arm government actions (such as stopping paying suppliers to get lower prices) and too aggressive cuts in tariffs endanger India's plans for 175GW of renewable capacity by 2022 - could end up as low as 104GW. The problem when the state is highly corrupt and unpredictable.

The background: India had aimed to install 175 gigawatts of renewable generation by 2022, a central policy plank for the recently reelected Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But the Mumbai rating agency CRISIL now predicts the country is going to miss those goals. The S&P-owned firm expects India will only reach 104 gigawatts by 2022, coming up more than 40% short, it said in a recent report.

What’s happening? The report notes that the state of Andhra Pradesh simply stopped paying developers, despite long-term power purchase contracts, in a strong-arm effort to force developers to slash rates. Meanwhile, the state-owned distribution companies have pushed down prices for proposed projects to the point where they’re often not financially viable.

These and related actions have chilled investment, stalled projects, and discouraged developers from bidding for new ones. In the last fiscal year, more than a quarter of state or federal auctions for new projects “received no or lukewarm bids.”

https://www.technologyreview.com/f/614539/indias-solar-and-wind-boom-is-fizzling/

The underlying report:

https://www.crisil.com/en/home/our-analysis/reports/2019/10/return-to-uncertainty.html

[Sciguy]

India’s solar and wind boom is fizzling - MIT Tech Review

Strong arm government actions (such as stopping paying suppliers to get lower prices) and too aggressive cuts in tariffs endanger India's plans for 175GW of renewable capacity by 2022 - could end up as low as 104GW. The problem when the state is highly corrupt and unpredictable.

The background: India had aimed to install 175 gigawatts of renewable generation by 2022, a central policy plank for the recently reelected Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But the Mumbai rating agency CRISIL now predicts the country is going to miss those goals. The S&P-owned firm expects India will only reach 104 gigawatts by 2022, coming up more than 40% short, it said in a recent report.

What’s happening? The report notes that the state of Andhra Pradesh simply stopped paying developers, despite long-term power purchase contracts, in a strong-arm effort to force developers to slash rates. Meanwhile, the state-owned distribution companies have pushed down prices for proposed projects to the point where they’re often not financially viable.

These and related actions have chilled investment, stalled projects, and discouraged developers from bidding for new ones. In the last fiscal year, more than a quarter of state or federal auctions for new projects “received no or lukewarm bids.”

https://www.technologyreview.com/f/614539/indias-solar-and-wind-boom-is-fizzling/

The underlying report:

https://www.crisil.com/en/home/our-analysis/reports/2019/10/return-to-uncertainty.html

Yes, India is known for that type of behavior.  It effects all projects, not just energy and in the energy sector, not just renewables.

However, even with the corruption involved, India has made good progress on building renewables.

https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/can-india-achieve-175-gw-of-renewable-energy-by-end-of-fy22/story/384202.html

Can India achieve 175 GW of renewable energy by end of FY22?
With only 23 GW of renewable power capacity left to bid, India is confident that the target of installing 175 GW of renewable power capacity will be met

Anilesh S Mahajan        Last Updated: October 11, 2019  | 21:10 IST

In a statement issued a day before the two day power ministers' summit at Tent City, Narmada in Gujarat, the MNRE spokesperson said, as of end-September, India has an installed renewable energy capacity of 82,580 MW and another 31,150 MW is at various stages of installation. By the first quarter of 2021, India would have installed more than 113 GW of renewable power capacity. It further stated that 39 GW of renewable power capacity is at various stages of bidding which would be installed by September 2021. With only 23 GW of renewable power capacity left to bid, India is confident that the target of installing 175 GW of renewable power capacity will be met.

Meanwhile, India has overbuilt coal power plants and many sit idled, in part due to the increase in wind and solar projects.

https://thewire.in/energy/has-growth-in-electricity-from-coal-stopped-in-its-tracks

Has Growth in Electricity from Coal Stopped in Its Tracks?
Structural and short-term factors have brought India’s half-century rise in coal-fired power to a halt, at least for now.

Energy
10/Oct/2019

Conventional thinking represented by the BP Energy Outlook or the International Energy Association’s forecast suggests that India’s thirst for electricity requires ever more coal.
   
But coal’s continuous rise has ground to at least a temporary halt.

As of this week, at just after the halfway point of FY’20, India has  generated less electricity from coal (and lignite – brown coal) than in the same period a year ago, while overall electricity production grew by 2.9%.

Data from the National Load Despatch Centre run by the Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) showed that this crossover took place on October 9th, with 2019-20’s cumulative coal generation dipping to just over 500 GWh less than the equivalent period in 2018/19.

One factor eating into coal’s share is the continued rise of renewable energy, especially solar.  Though still a modest contributor, and itself suffering from an investment dip and push-back by DISCOMS seeking lower tariffs (notably Andhra Pradesh), renewable energy has maintained generation growth and now provides just over 9% of India’s electricity on an annualised basis.  The Indian Electricity Grid Code 2010 requires discoms  to purchase renewable energy when available, which has the effect of squeezing out conventional power unless there is sufficient demand.

Will coal resume its upward march? A return to higher economic growth would be a necessary condition, and some of the temporary factors such as hydro’s recovery may stall or even reverse. In addition, periodic coal supply interruptions, such as that from late September’s Coal India strike or last week’s inundation of Chhattisgarh’s Dipka mine by the Lilagar river, may not recur. 

Even so, the coal power sector still faces barriers of excess capacity, decreasing competitiveness and massive new costs when air pollution controls finally take effect. Then there are constraints from uncertain cooling water availability.  These factors will hinder coal’s outlook whether or not the renewed global focus on climate change bolsters India’s ambition to curtail carbon emissions with enhanced goals and new policies.

No wonder, then, that the optimistic forecasts from BP and the IEA, which make broad statistical projections at the expense of taking a more fine-grained perspective, have been joined recently by far more measured commentary and analysis about coal’s place in India’s electricity future.

[Sciguy]

State and local requirements as well as corporate PPAs are driving large increases in projections for growth of solar in the US Midwest in the next decade.

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2019/10/11/fitch-predicts-solar-development-in-the-midwest-the-likes-of-which-has-never-been-seen/

The Midwest’s solar future will be unlike anything seen before
Fitch Solutions Marco Research has boldly predicted the region will be a main driver towards the 100 GW of solar power capacity expected to hit the U.S. over the next 10 years. The procurement [sic] will be led by city and utility commitments to renewable energy, the falling costs of solar and the continued expansion of popular community solar programs.

October 11, 2019 Tim Sylvia

Chief among those bold predictions, Fitch states that it expects the region to contribute heavily to the 100 GW of solar power capacity expected to come to the United States over the next 10 years. This astronomical, gargantuan, whichever word of scope you use to describe, prediction is supported mainly by the region’s large proposed solar project pipeline, with a total potential added capacity of a smidge under 79 GWac that are registered within the MISO, SPP and PJM generation interconnection queues – the grid operators that cover the region.

Fitch expects that this unprecedented development will be driven by the strengthened renewable energy targets of Midwest states, cities and utilities. Chiefly among these targets, Fitch references Wisconsin’s 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050 goal, the 100% renewable electricity pledges made by Chicago, IL and Madison, WI, DTE and Xcel’s plans for carbon neutrality by 2050 and the litany of renewable energy-based requests for proposals sweeping the region.

Strangely, the report doesn’t address the trend of large corporations increasingly adopting renewable generations to fulfill their power needs. The report, however, also attributes the projected growth to year-ver [sic]-year improvements in the technologies associated with solar projects, the evert [sic]-falling costs of developing and installing solar and the expanding adoption of community solar initiatives in the region.

[Sciguy]

Vietnam isn't the only country that has gone from negligible to significant renewable electricity generation in a short time.  Argentina started a program in 2016 that is now greatly increasing the share of electricity generated from renewables.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2019/10/15/argentina-may-be-the-hottest-renewable-energy-market-you-havent-heard-of-can-it-spur-a-global-boom/#6ca3129eeb2d

Oct 15, 2019, 07:20am
Argentina May Be the Hottest Renewable Energy Market You Haven’t Heard Of. Can It Spur a Global Boom?

 
Silvio Marcacci

An innovative approach unlocked Argentina’s renewable energy market, making it “the most interesting in the world” in just three years. And now, the approach could open the door to billions in renewable investment in developing nations worldwide.

From 2016 through 2019, Argentina’s government awarded contracts for 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy capacity, helping make wind and solar the country’s cheapest unsubsidized sources of energy. Roughly 5 GW of this capacity is already either in operation or under construction, attracting nearly $7.5 billion in new investment and creating more than 11,000 new jobs.

When fully operational, these projects will push renewables to 18% of Argentina’s total power supply – a breakthrough considering they were at just 1.8% before 2016 – and could avoid more than 2 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over the next 20 years. 

Argentina’s renewable energy boom created wide-ranging economic and climate benefits. According to the Secretariat of Energy, renewable energy project prices fell by a factor of five from around $240/MWh in 2015 to $50-$60/MWh in 2016-2019, making wind and solar the country’s cheapest unsubsidized sources of energy. Nine new manufacturing plants were built in the country, creating 11,000 new project development and equipment manufacturing jobs.

Now, Argentina’s success could go global with the assistance of a Climate Breakthrough Project award to Undersecretary Kind, who is adapting the RenovAr model to other emerging economies through the Global Renewable Energy Mass Adoption Program (GREENMAP).

GREENMAP intends to create renewable energy markets in countries with underdeveloped renewable energy resources and longstanding financial barriers arising from political or economic instability. By setting up standardized tool kits and credit enhancement instruments, model contracts, established eligibility criteria, and international funding guarantees, GREENMAP aims to attract renewable energy investment and reduce project prices.

The upside could be massive, says Undersecretary Kind: 75 GW of new renewable energy capacity, $110 billion in new greenfield investment, and 3 gigatons avoided CO2 emissions within the next 20 years. GREENMAP is targeting at least 15 countries where dependence on fossil fuel imports has reduced energy access, increased energy prices, and pushed up greenhouse gas emissions, while worsening economic and environmental conditions.

[TerryM]

From 2016 through 2019, Argentina’s government awarded contracts for 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy capacity, helping make wind and solar the country’s cheapest unsubsidized sources of energy. Roughly 5 GW of this capacity is already either in operation or under construction, attracting nearly $7.5 billion in new investment and creating more than 11,000 new jobs.

How is it "unsubsidized" when the government is footing the bill?
Terry

[gerontocrat]

From 2016 through 2019, Argentina’s government awarded contracts for 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy capacity, helping make wind and solar the country’s cheapest unsubsidized sources of energy. Roughly 5 GW of this capacity is already either in operation or under construction, attracting nearly $7.5 billion in new investment and creating more than 11,000 new jobs.

How is it "unsubsidized" when the government is footing the bill?
Terry

Because the income from selling the juice to Joe Public should recoup the capital cost exactly as a private sector mob invest capital to generate revenue. The proof (or not) will be in the pudding a few years down the line.

[Sciguy]

From 2016 through 2019, Argentina’s government awarded contracts for 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy capacity, helping make wind and solar the country’s cheapest unsubsidized sources of energy. Roughly 5 GW of this capacity is already either in operation or under construction, attracting nearly $7.5 billion in new investment and creating more than 11,000 new jobs.

How is it "unsubsidized" when the government is footing the bill?
Terry

Isn't it socialism when Government owns the means of production?  Does that mean that all socialist enterprises are subsidized?

[Yuha]

From 2016 through 2019, Argentina’s government awarded contracts for 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy capacity, helping make wind and solar the country’s cheapest unsubsidized sources of energy. Roughly 5 GW of this capacity is already either in operation or under construction, attracting nearly $7.5 billion in new investment and creating more than 11,000 new jobs.

How is it "unsubsidized" when the government is footing the bill?
Terry

I don't know what the case is here, but there may have been an auction or an other form of competition and the contracts were awarded to the lowest bidders. Then the prices would have been determined by free market competition, not by the government.

[Sebastian Jones]

From 2016 through 2019, Argentina’s government awarded contracts for 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy capacity, helping make wind and solar the country’s cheapest unsubsidized sources of energy. Roughly 5 GW of this capacity is already either in operation or under construction, attracting nearly $7.5 billion in new investment and creating more than 11,000 new jobs.

How is it "unsubsidized" when the government is footing the bill?
Terry

Isn't it socialism when Government owns the means of production?  Does that mean that all socialist enterprises are subsidized?

No. The government would not own the means of production, it is buying the electricity from whoever owns the means of production. If that is socialism....Good grief!
Somewhat off topic anyway!

[NeilT]

From 2016 through 2019, Argentina’s government awarded contracts for 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy capacity, helping make wind and solar the country’s cheapest unsubsidized sources of energy. Roughly 5 GW of this capacity is already either in operation or under construction, attracting nearly $7.5 billion in new investment and creating more than 11,000 new jobs.

How is it "unsubsidized" when the government is footing the bill?
Terry

Terry, the Government is not really footing the bill, the people are out of their taxes. This is one of the roles of government, to levy taxes and produce infrastructure that people, on their own, can't.

However Argentina is a special case.  The economy is falling apart,the peso$ has collapsed and the country needs to generate power that doesn't come with an import price tag.

Holding Argentina up as an example of anything, other than the fact that renewables are available to every county, with a ulittle investment, doesn't really work.  There are other forces at play in the economy.

[Sciguy]

Here's a link to an interesting article about how renewables are being built to replace a coal power plant powering a large still mill in Colorado.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/opinion/solar-colorado-steel-mill.html

As I watched recently, the great arc furnace at one of the nation’s most storied steel mills was sucking in more electrical power than any other machine in Colorado, produced in part at a plant a few miles away that burns Wyoming coal by the ton.

But the electrical supply for the mill is changing.

A huge solar farm, one of the largest in the country, is to be built here on the grounds of the Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel mill. In addition to producing power for the giant mill, the farm, Bighorn Solar, will supply homes and businesses across Colorado. So far as I can tell, Evraz Rocky Mountain will be the first steel mill in the world that can claim to be powered largely by solar energy.

There is a caveat: The mill operates 24 hours a day and solar panels do not, of course. Over the course of a year the solar farm is expected to produce electricity roughly equal to 95 percent of the mill’s annual demand. On sunny days, excess power will be sold to the Colorado grid, but at night the mill will draw power from the grid, which still includes a good bit of fossil energy.

But that is getting fixed, too. Xcel Energy, the utility that supplies the Pueblo mill with electricity, has made one of the most ambitious commitments in the country to clean up its system. Luckily, about the time solar panels are going dark, strong winds whip up across the plains of eastern Colorado, where wind turbines will turn it into power.

Alice Jackson, who runs the Colorado division of Xcel, told me that at certain hours during the night, wind farms can supply as much as 70 percent of the power on the state grid, and that is likely to be true more and more often as the company signs contracts with new wind farms.

Why would a steel mill install a solar power plant next door? The company cares about going green, certainly, but this is also about money.

We do not know the exact price the company will pay for its solar power — that is a secret under Colorado law — but we do know that the cost of large-scale solar farms has plummeted. To improve its finances, Evraz seems to be locking in low-cost power for the long term.

[Sigmetnow]

Strong wind power in the US Midwest today means wholesale prices are below zero

When there’s an overabundance of solar or wind, grid operators send prices plunging to negative levels — a signal to generators that they need to take supplies offline so they don’t overload transmission lines.

On Friday, wind output surged to as much as 17,264 megawatts across the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) — a grid that stretches from North Dakota to Texas. That’s more than 60% of the region’s power.

Power prices fell below negative $10 a megawatt-hour for much of the region. ...

https://electrek.co/2019/10/18/us-midwest-winds-power-trading-below-zero/

[Sigmetnow]

Assaad Razzouk (@AssaadRazzouk) 10/19/19, 5:03 AM
Dubai MBR Solar Park: Evolution of solar costs

2015: Phase 1, 200MW, 5.85 c/kWh
2015: Phase 2, 200MW, 5.6 c/kWh
2016: Phase 3, 800MW, 2.99 c/kWh
2018: Phase 4, 250MW, 2.4 c/kWh
2019: Phase 5, 900MW, 1.69 c/ kWh

That’s down 71% in 5 years

Fossil fuel power is so 20th century

https://twitter.com/assaadrazzouk/status/1185481680544550914
Photo below.

[gerontocrat]

Strong wind power in the US Midwest today means wholesale prices are below zero

When there’s an overabundance of solar or wind, grid operators send prices plunging to negative levels — a signal to generators that they need to take supplies offline so they don’t overload transmission lines.

On Friday, wind output surged to as much as 17,264 megawatts across the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) — a grid that stretches from North Dakota to Texas. That’s more than 60% of the region’s power.

Power prices fell below negative $10 a megawatt-hour for much of the region. ...

https://electrek.co/2019/10/18/us-midwest-winds-power-trading-below-zero/

And if there were some really big batteries there , the owner would be paid to charge them up and make money when demand becomes greater than supply again. No-brainer.

[rboyd]

Renewables emit the gas the highest warming potential - SF6!

23,000 greater warming impact than CO2 and lasts for a 1000 years in the atmosphere. Looks like its not that great an offset to the saved GHG emissions, but still annoying.

Sulphur hexafluoride, or SF6, is widely used in the electrical industry to prevent short circuits and accidents.

Levels are rising as an unintended consequence of the green energy boom ... Cheap and non-flammable, SF6 is a colourless, odourless, synthetic gas. It makes a hugely effective insulating material for medium and high-voltage electrical installations. It is widely used across the industry, from large power stations to wind turbines to electrical sub-stations in towns and cities. It prevents electrical accidents and fires.

However, the significant downside to using the gas is that it has the highest global warming potential of any known substance. It is 23,500 times more warming than carbon dioxide (CO2). Just one kilogram of SF6 warms the Earth to the same extent as 24 people flying London to New York return. It also persists in the atmosphere for a long time, warming the Earth for at least 1,000 years.

Where once large coal-fired power stations brought energy to millions, the drive to combat climate change means they are now being replaced by mixed sources of power including wind, solar and gas. This has resulted in many more connections to the electricity grid, and a rise in the number of electrical switches and circuit breakers that are needed to prevent serious accidents. Collectively, these safety devices are called switchgear. The vast majority use SF6 gas to quench arcs and stop short circuits.

"As renewable projects are getting bigger and bigger, we have had to use it within wind turbines specifically," said Costa Pirgousis, an engineer with Scottish Power Renewables on its new East Anglia wind farm, which doesn't use SF6 in turbines. "As we are putting in more and more turbines, we need more and more switchgear and, as a result, more SF6 is being introduced into big turbines off shore. "It's been proven for years and we know how it works, and as a result it is very reliable and very low maintenance for us offshore."

Concentrations in the atmosphere are very small right now, just a fraction of the amount of CO2 in the air. However, the global installed base of SF6 is expected to grow by 75% by 2030.
Another concern is that SF6 is a synthetic gas and isn't absorbed or destroyed naturally. It will all have to be replaced and destroyed to limit the impact on the climate.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49567197

[Sigmetnow]

California
PG&E Head Says To Expect Rolling Blackouts For The Next 10 Years

  ...
The CEO of Pacific Gas & Electric, Bill Johnson, appeared before the California Public Utilities Commission last week and told the regulators the state will likely see blackouts for another 10 years, according to a report by NPR. He told the commissioners the company is trying to reduce the chances of wildfires by trimming more trees and using technology to target smaller areas of the grid when fire dangers require power outages. But it could take 10 years before such outages are “really ratcheted down significantly.”

Johnson insists the outages, which he calls Public Safety Power Shutoff events, were necessary to insure safety in the face of seasonally high winds that can damage power lines and lead to wildfires. “We recognize the hardship that the recent PSPS event caused for millions of people and want to continue working with all key shareholders to lessen this burden going forward,” Johnson wrote in a letter to the PUC prior to the hearing. “At the same time, we ask our customers, their families, and our local and state leaders to keep in mind that statistic that matters most: there were no catastrophic wildfires.”

The Takeaway
So what should we learn from this? Several things. One is that people insist on living in places where perhaps they shouldn’t. That applies not only to those who cherish the view from a wooded hillside but also to those who wish to live in coastal areas that are subject to damage from storms and rising sea levels. PG&E may have been remiss in maintaining its transmission wires, but as a public utility it has an obligation to provide electricity to all communities, even if they are situated in areas prone to forest fires.

Second, there could be no clearer signal that the utility grid as presently constituted is an antiquated concept that could use a serious rethink. A big part of that reassessment might involve more distributed renewables, more rooftop solar systems, and more microgrids with battery storage instead of the current model that puts most generating facilities in the center with distribution spokes radiating out in all directions.

Third, as a warming planet continues to experience massive drought conditions, the old ways of doing things just won’t work any more and new ways that account for a changing environment will need to be found.

One thing that seems likely is that demand for rooftop solar and behind the meter storage will skyrocket as more homeowners and small business proprietors experience the shock of waking up to find their power has been shut off. More demand should lead to lower prices, which could benefit us all.

https://cleantechnica.com/2019/10/21/pge-head-says-to-expect-rolling-blackouts-for-the-next-10-years/

[nanning]

^^
I feel for all the poor people experiencing black-out's without the means to buy rooftop solar or energy storage. Anyone else think about your country's money-poor brothers and sisters? What can they do?
Please take all humans in consideration when talking about solutions. Otherwise... is it a solution? Or a pipe dream?

[Archimid]

What can they do?

Wait until prices are low enough. The more rich and middle-class people buy these systems, the cheaper they will become.

  If we are talking about homeowners living in poverty, once these systems become so good that they become part of the house like water heaters the initial cost of the system will be included in the mortgage.

 If we are talking about renters or people that live in government housing, once again the problem is on the people owning the housing, wether it is government, corporation or other not so poor people.

That is precisely the reason I cheer for Tesla with all my heart. If they succeed the chances that I, a relatively poor person, can achieve energy independence increase exponentially. Once energy is secured the most important layer of security against climate change is covered.

CO2 benefits are just the cherry on top.

[nanning]

Thank you for your constructive view Archimid.

If we are talking about homeowners living in poverty, once these systems become so good that they become part of the house like water heaters the initial cost of the system will be included in the mortgage.

How long does that take? How many years for it to take effect? Will all houses be like that?
What can poor people do next year to prepare for the backouts? Buy candles? How do they cook their food? The fridge?

To add: I don't think you are very rich Archimid but you are centainly not poor (from what you have written on the asif). Living in Puerto Rico, I suspect that you must be aware of real poor people.

[Sigmetnow]

How long does that take? How many years for it to take effect? Will all houses be like that?
What can poor people do next year to prepare for the backouts? Buy candles? How do they cook their food? The fridge?

Easy.
- Propane stoves and refrigerators.  Oil lamps.  A huge selection is available for campers and Recreational Vehicles at a wide price range.

The “poor” in Africa are switching to solar ovens:
Solar Move Africa
https://solarmoveafrica.com/

Solar Cookers International - Aid for Africa
https://www.aidforafrica.org/member-charities/solar-cookers-international/

The tech is widely available, and it’s affordable.  What’s new is making it sustainable. 
Even the rich won’t all have batteries and solar by next year.

[TerryM]

<snipped>

- Propane stoves and refrigerators.  Oil lamps.  A huge selection is available for campers and Recreational Vehicles at a wide price range.

<snipped>

Propane refrigerators are enormously inefficient, and isn't the object to get away from fossil fuels?


In California using gas, or propane for home lighting has been illegal for decades, again it's just not an efficient use of energy. Household fires and death by asphyxiation are a common byproducts.


The less affluent will simply do without, even as they become even less affluent.
Terry

[TerryM]

I understand why PG&E is forced to do what they are doing. That said it's a huge burden on all of their customers.


Many of us lived through the blackouts and brownouts that made Enron such a big player in the energy markets. Is another company now planning to profit from these locally devastating blackouts?


What will the backlash look like when only the wealthy have refrigerators and freezers while their neighbor's children swelter without even a cool drink to relieve the heat? Solar panels are large and fragile - besides there won't be any streetlights to scare away vandals.


Terry

[Sigmetnow]

Africa

These Gigantic Solar-Powered Refrigerators Help Eliminate Food Waste

“We are home to the largest tomato production belt in west Africa, yet farmers are losing more than 50% of their crops due to lack of cold storage. So we came up with solar-powered, walk-in cold rooms which can extend the life of food up to 21 days, and my goal is to push these hubs to all developing countries.” Ikegwuonu told The Guardian.

With help from the German Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, the solar-powered refrigerators use powerful batteries that when fully charged, have the ability to run a unit for up to three days without sunlight, increasing a ColdHubs’ ability to thrive in even the most overcast of locations.
...
Using cheap and readily-available insulated panels, these solar-powered walk-in cold rooms provide a temperate place for farmers to store their vegetables, fruits, and other perishable foods. Using a “flexible pay-as-you-store subscription” to sustain the stations, farmers can stash away their produce neatly in the reusable crates, dramatically increasing shelf life from two days to 21 days. ...

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/coldhubs-solar-powered-refrigerators/

[Archimid]

How long does that take? How many years for it to take effect? Will all houses be like that?

If humanity decides to do this? Inside a decade every new building should have some sort of energy independence, and retrofits will be common. The grid should still exist but power distribution should be very different.

What can poor people do next year to prepare for the backouts? Buy candles? How do they cook their food? The fridge?

1. For lights, rechargeable flashlights provide some light for little money. Candles are inefficient and dangerous.

2. For food preservation in the refrigerator, they should freeze as many water bottles as possible before the blackouts. This ice will keep the food cold for longer. But the cold won't make it past 48 hours during hot days. Energy independence is needed for secured refrigeration.

After Maria a popular item was a "solar refrigerator kit", basically a few solar panels, a few lead batteries, inverters, and switches. This is enough to power the refrigerator, lights and other small appliances.  But a few thousand dollars are out of reach of what I would call poor people.

3. For cooking, small propane stoves can be very cheap and they work perfectly fine.

[KiwiGriff]

I use an inverter fridge running on solar . It uses less than 0.8kwh a day .
It only requires around 500 watts of panels and  200 amp hours x 12 v of storage @ 37 south.
You could supply such a set up for less than one thousand usd per household complete.
Sufficient Refrigeration for a family of six as well as running LED lighting .
The more insulation you build into the fridge the less power it needs. Many domestic fridges are to lightly insulated.
 

[nanning]

Thanks for the suggestions and ideas .
Suppose these poor people in the USA don't own a house. Will their landlords be happy with modifications?

A personal situation:
Living in a 2nd floor apartment with a south facing balcony (at 53N) sized 3m x 1m60. Would it be possible for me to put up some solar panels on the balcony?
Past september the balcony doesn't receive direct sunlight because of high oak trees. Well, until the leaves are gone but then the sun is quite low and our weather is mostly clouds.

How large do you think the panels must be for generating 500W in this situation?
Would I have to bypass the grid connection or is extra hardware and a fiat from the landlord required?

I guess $1000 can be split over several poor households if they cooperate in blackouts. One has to open their house for sharing the fridge space and perhaps cooking. Could be fun if you don't have stressful jobs.

[KiwiGriff]

2 sq meters of panel  is about 250watts. They need to be in direct unshaded sun light to generate power. Even a small amount of shadow across a panel cuts the power produced a lot more than you would think. At your latitude you would need more panels than 500 Watts in winter . At 37 south I get around 10 hours of sunlight in winter you would only get around 7 1/2 hours.
Your panels should be at about the same angle from horizontal as your latitude and point due south in the northern hemisphere.
To have an independent basic off grid system You will need panels,solar charge controller MPPT is better, deep cycle  battery,  Inverter from battery voltage to your domestic supply voltage large enough to run your load , wire, fuses,
 Inverter fridge is important as they use less energy to run than an older domestic electric fridge or 12 volt camping fridges . https://medium.com/@socialarzooo/inverter-refrigerator-vs-conventional-refrigerator-25be0c9d7e94
This web site seems to cover the basics reasonable well as a starting point .
 https://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-OFF-GRID-SOLAR-SYSTEM/

You are smart enough to do some research your self. Some random on a blog even a KiwiGriff is never the best source for reliable information.
       

[oren]

Without knowing much on the subject, I would guess a solar system needs to go on your roof and the building owner/s should put it there. Putting such a system on a small balcony and connecting it to your electricity system would not be cost effective and could be dangerous.

[gerontocrat]

California Wildfires & after utility Pacific Gas and Electric shut off power

Lots & lots of articles about lots more people thinking of buying batteries as back-up, especially since PG&E are saying maybe another 10 years of switching off power until they get their grid sorted.

Key quote from article in attached link...

Many homeowners are now going the extra step to install battery systems, which enable a house with solar panels to power itself for a time if the electricity grid goes out. (Without such batteries, solar panels can only provide electricity while the grid is running).

Is this because of the terms of contract with the utility, and/or the way the solar is hooked up?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/after-pg-e-blackouts-california-homeowners-move-to-solar-and-batteries/

A growing niche
Nationwide, fewer than 1 in 10 households who install solar power will also install a battery. But some installers in California have reported a sixfold increase in that rate. Sunrun, the country's largest solar installer, told CBS News that 25% of its California customers last year opted to add battery storage, with that figure rising to 60% in parts of Southern California.

A better grid?
While batteries and solar systems still rely on the power grid, they also make it more resilient by reducing the amount of energy that homes pull from legacy utilities and make transmission lines less likely to spark.

ps: Bloomberg reminded me that ....
California Prepares for a Huge Solar Boom
Bloomberg-22 Oct 2019
Starting in 2020, California will become the first U.S. state to require almost all new homes to draw some power from the sun. The solar ...

[Archimid]

Is this because of the terms of contract with the utility, and/or the way the solar is hooked up?

My understanding is that it is a technical problem. Solar energy from the panels is too variable to rely on it for large loads relative to the capacity of the panels. I believe there exist inverters that can provide some power without batteries, but they only reduce the variability problem. Starting the refrigerator motor on a rainy day will probably damage your device.

Batteries fill that gap very nicely.


 To KiwiGriff's point, each Powerwall has 13.5kWh of usable power. That's a heck of a lot of power for many households. Small homes and apartments can easily get away with far fewer energy requirements if they only need to power the refrigerator, especially if good refrigerator discipline is kept.

[Archimid]

Would it be possible for me to put up some solar panels on the balcony?

That is entirely up to your landlord.

How large do you think the panels must be for generating 500W in this situation?

Probably larger than would comfortably fit on your balcony. But let's say the landlord has foresight and decides to sell to his tenants back up power for their refrigerators and lights. Then the rooftop of your apartment coupled with wind, batteries and very efficient refrigerators and lights should provide you the back up you need to keep your food from spoiling and your toes from hitting the side of the door at 3 in the morning.

I guess $1000 can be split over several poor households if they cooperate in blackouts. One has to open their house for sharing the fridge space and perhaps cooking. It could be fun if you don't have stressful jobs.

In my experience, under emergency situations, cooperation starts spontaneously and it goes viral. I hear that competition is the same way but in the opposite direction.

[Sigmetnow]

New IEA report.  Fire away.

IEA on Twitter: "By 2024, we forecast that 8 countries will produce over 30% of their electricity from wind & solar PV, up from 4 today.

More:  https://www.iea.org/renewables2019/power/

https://mobile.twitter.com/iea/status/1186572796807266305
Nice rolling bar chart gif at the Twitter link.   Spoiler: Demark is on top.

[Sigmetnow]

As gerontocrat’s link above mentions, you don’t need thousands of dollars to buy a system — you can lease it, often for less than your monthly electric bill. 

Some solar companies also let homeowners lease a solar-and-battery system instead of buying it outright. That means users can start paying a lower monthly bill instantly, rather than waiting years for a $15,000 investment to pay off.  

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/after-pg-e-blackouts-california-homeowners-move-to-solar-and-batteries/

Tesla guarantees you will save money with solar!

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 10/11/19, 9:16 PM
V important: pure solar subscription is guaranteed to be a net money-maker for the homeowner or Tesla will take the panels back. Adding Powerwall negatively affects economics, but gives homeowner power protection in event of a blackout.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1182827425551380482
- Allows homeowner potential to go completely off grid

https://www.tesla.com/energy/design

[oren]

Is this because of the terms of contract with the utility, and/or the way the solar is hooked up?

My understanding is that it is a technical problem. Solar energy from the panels is too variable to rely on it for large loads relative to the capacity of the panels. I believe there exist inverters that can provide some power without batteries, but they only reduce the variability problem. Starting the refrigerator motor on a rainy day will probably damage your device.

Batteries fill that gap very nicely.

I think there is another issue. If the solar panels are connected directly to the grid (for feeding back electricity), when the grid is down there is a danger if the panels power it from the home end. Utility employees could get hurt when they work on the infrastructure.
I think that if some kind of automatic cutoff switch is installed, it is possible to continue powering the home when the grid is down.

[Archimid]

Oren, I may have the rare opportunity to correct you. The transfer switch is an almost trivial component of an on-grid solar installation. If the panels are on the grid, they can be safely cut off from the grid with a simple switch. So I don't think grid protection has anything to do with why panels are not used directly.