
Long-duration energy storage
Faced with this week’s gloomy report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a climate-conscious citizen could fall into existential despair — or lean harder into the battle to curb climate change.
I’d urge the latter, as there’s reason for optimism. The remarkable progress we’ve made in the last 10 years in solar power and other forms of renewable energy means that we can do far better in the coming decade. Effective energy and carbon policy could actually be enacted in the U.S. this year in a rare window of political opportunity.
While advanced technologies such as nuclear fusion, profitable fuel cells, long-duration energy storage and carbon capture merit deep investigation and resources, practicality dictates that we deploy and finance today’s solar, wind, lithium-ion batteries and transmission technology at an emergency pace.
Jenny Chase and the BloombergNEF analysis crew calculate that we need massive numbers to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by midcentury.
It's okay, we just have to change everything.
— Jenny Chase (@solar_chase) July 21, 2021
Sound daunting? Let Chase reassure you.
It's okay, we just have to change everything.
— Jenny Chase (@solar_chase) July 21, 2021
Here are 10 examples of how things are changing.
China’s solar numbers are already in the right ballpark. China could install up to 65 gigawatts of solar this year, driven by a demand for distributed solar. Average solar deployment could reach 90 gigawatts annually in the years approaching 2025, according to projections from the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, as reported in PV Tech.
Speaking of distributed solar, Chinese inverter builder Sungrow will supply equipment for a 120-megawatt rooftop solar project that could be the largest rooftop solar project in the world. Located in Jining in China’s Shandong province, the project will see solar modules installed across 43 rooftops.
The solar module wattage race continues: Risen Energy will supply 540-watt and 545-watt bifacial solar modules to renewable energy developer Doral for Mammoth North, a 480-megawatt solar energy project in Indiana, and the first phase of the 1.65-gigawatt Mammoth project being developed by Doral. The project is scheduled to be interconnected to the grid in 2023 under a power-purchase agreement with AEP Energy Partners.
Installed solar capacity in the U.S. has now topped 100 gigawatts, according to research from consultancy Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Solar and renewable power developers are raising capital and deploying solar at an unprecedented clip in the usual and not-so-usual states.
Some of the world’s biggest companies will be purchasing power from Louisiana’s biggest solar project.
McDonald’s and eBay intend to buy electricity from the 345-megawatt, $300 million Ventress Solar project, located 30 miles northwest of Baton Rouge in Pointe Coupee Parish. The solar farm is developed, owned and operated by Lightsource bp.
“It brings the largest economic development project to the area in thirty years, with minimal impact on our infrastructure,” said Major Thibaut, Pointe Coupee Parish president, in a release.
With 191 megawatts installed, Louisiana ranks 38th for solar deployed in the U.S., according to SEIA. But despite those low rankings, proportionately Louisiana has more solar in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods than any other state, according to data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Much of that is due to one company, PosiGen, whose solar and efficiency business focuses on communities in these income brackets.
The California Independent System Operator, which manages California’s electricity grid, has almost 80 gigawatts of solar in its interconnection queue, according to reports. Last year, CAISO had 68 gigawatts of solar capacity in its queue. Not everything in the queue gets built — the completion rate usually amounts to about 30 percent — but nevertheless, it’s an encouraging total.
As Canary Media reported this week, California has just become the first state in the U.S. to pass building codes to make all-electric heating and appliances the default choice for newly built homes. It’s a win for advocates of limiting natural-gas use in California’s buildings — and a potential precedent for other states to follow.
In addition to the legislation on natural gas, California regulators voted to mandate that builders include solar power and battery storage in commercial buildings such as grocery stores, high-rise multifamily buildings, offices, financial institutions, retail stores, schools, warehouses, auditoriums, convention centers, hotels, motels, medical offices, restaurants and theaters.
The commercial solar mandate would add 280 megawatts of solar annually, according to estimates from the California Energy Commission. The commission enacted a residential solar mandate last year.
Chinese companies currently dominate the solar industry and supply chain.
As noted in our first Solar High Roller column, the Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act, sponsored by U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia (D), would create a tax credit for domestic solar production. A number of U.S. solar manufacturing projects would be helped by the tax credit.
Australia has more than 370 large-scale solar assets, which cumulatively amount to 8.4 gigawatts of capacity at or beyond financial close, according to Rystad. In May 2021, large-scale solar photovoltaic generation exceeded gas generation for the first time. BeyondtheBurn is a photographic showcase of some of the solar farms powering Australia.
(Lead image courtesy of Swinerton)
Eric Wesoff is the editorial director at Canary Media.
Long-duration energy storage