renewables

Grids continue to be a thorn in the side of European renewables as long connection queues and exorbitant fees risk stymying the clean energy transition. In this exclusive discussion from Large Scale Solar Europe 2021, we hear how grid operators are adapting to the demands of clean power generators.

Portuguese grid operator Redes Energéticas Nacionais has said it will invest more than €900 million (US$1.1 billion) by 2024 in technologies and improvements to the electricity network to support the country’s green energy transition.

Having been hailed as the new king of electricity markets, Liam Stoker charts solar’s journey up until this point, explores how it has earned the crown and poses the question: what next for PV?

France’s grid operator RTE has warned of tighter than forecast power supply margins, with delays to renewables development in the country expected to exacerbate a shortfall of nuclear generation.

Solar assets in Texas have continued to generate despite the weather, but policy remains a hurdle to them aiding the grid

Oil and gas major Shell has said it will spend between US$2 billion and US$3 billion on renewables and energy solutions annually to help it attain net zero status by 2050.

US President Joe Biden has appointed Richard Glick, a commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), as the body’s new chairman.

Official figures from China’s National Energy Administration reveal more than 48GW of solar PV was installed in the country last year.

As the proliferation of grid-scale renewables accelerates, capacity on national grids is diminishing just as quickly, leading to harder to find and ever-costlier connection agreements. Liam Stoker assesses some of the alternative options grid operators are exploring to extortionate grid upgrades.

The amount of non-hydro renewables such as solar in Africa is likely to remain below 10% in 2030, although there are significant regional differences.