grid

Australia’s chief scientist Dr Alan Finkel has delivered his major energy review to the Australian government recommending various changes that will impact the solar PV sector.

China added 7.21GW of solar PV in the first quarter of the year, roughly 70MW compared to the same quarter last year, according to figures from China’s National Energy Administration (NEA).

In a major energy strategy upheaval, the South Australian government is providing significant funding to support energy storage projects, starting with a 100MW grid-connected battery that will be the largest in the country.

New research predicts the energy storage market in Germany will increase 11-fold in the next five years, with the residential market buoyed by declining feed-in tariffs, high electricity prices and €30 million in subsidies, while the primary reserve market boosts activity within the utilities sector.

The non-profit, clean energy education group, formerly known as the Solar Electric Power Association, recently changed its name to the Smart Electric Power Alliance. Along with the name change, the company has realigned its core objectives, seeking no longer to focus on “solar in a vacuum” but on the evolution of solar within a network of other technologies and incentives.

Using PV, wind and CSP, a ‘Supergrid’ interconnecting North Africa and Europe could take both regions close to 100% renewable energy by 2050, but would require political will and ambitious market design, an expert at Fraunhofer ISE has said.

2015 was a landmark year for the Indian solar industry, with the 100GW by 2022 target approved and a significant ramp up of deployment. Bridge to India's Jyoti Gulia discusses the challenges ahead regarding project delays, transmission infrastructure and financing.