UK - Elite Home & Solar

Solar Energy

Market for hybrid power plants in Europe still in the starting blocks

March 20, 2025 ryansheehanrts

Combining solar and wind parks with large battery storage systems at a single location, known as co-location, offers many advantages. For example, the risks for the operators of the renewable energy generation plants are reduced by diversifying revenues, protecting against price cannibalization and shifting generation or feed-in to the evening hours. The economic efficiency of battery storage can be increased by cost savings due to a common grid connection point and a faster grid connection. Advantages for the power supply arise from fewer grid bottlenecks, avoided curtailment of plants and better utilization of scarce grid resources.

So far only small market share for hybrid systems

However, the market for renewable co-location projects in Europe is only just beginning. According to Aurora Energy Research, solar and wind farms with an installed capacity of almost 1.2 gigawatts (GW) were in operation across Europe in 2023, combined with large-scale battery storage. PV plus battery storage was the frontrunner here with 724 megawatts (MW), while onshore wind power plus battery storage was at 475 MW. According to SolarPower Europe, of the 0.8 GW of large-scale battery storage systems with a capacity of 1.1 gigawatt-hours (GWh) installed in Germany between 2021 and 2023, 11 percent were combined with renewable energy plants, primarily solar parks. In the UK, 12 percent of wind and solar farms were combined with battery storage or electrolysers, according to an April 2024 report by industry association Renewable UK.

Download now for free: Our new hybrid special

However, experts and industry representatives are seeing a significant increase in demand for large-scale battery storage and co-location projects. In Germany, project developers have currently submitted grid connection requests for 161 GW of battery storage capacity, which is a hundred times more than the 1.6 GW currently installed. SolarPower Europe also predicts strong growth in large-scale battery storage in its “European Market Outlook for Battery Storage 2024-2028”. According to a medium scenario, the total installed battery storage capacity is expected to climb to 78 GWh, double the 2023 figure (35.8 GWh).

Growing interest in co-location projects

In a “high scenario”, installed battery capacity in Europe is expected to grow to 135 GWh by 2028. Large batteries, especially grid storage (so-called utility-scale storage), will dominate. Their share of newly installed capacity is expected to rise to 45% by 2028, more than doubling from 2023 (21 percent). As a result, interest in co-location projects is also growing, according to analysts such as Jannik Carl and Eva Zimmermann from Aurora Energy Research. Almost all large-scale PV projects are now combined with battery storage, says Stefan Müller, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the EPC Enerparc.

Co-located solar park for a resilient grid completed in Sweden

Valerii Lazarev, Projects Bankability Manager at WElink Energy, sees negative electricity prices (at peak times), bottlenecks and high costs for grid access as important drivers for co-location projects. EPCs could benefit from the hybridization of existing solar projects by flattening the production curve and delivering energy on demand and thus at higher prices. And this with comparatively low investment costs because there is no need to set up a new, expensive grid connection.

Largest hybrid plant in Portugal

The international developer, based in Ireland, is currently in the process of expanding a 219 MW solar park in Vaquieros (southern Portugal), which was commissioned at the end of 2021, in several phases into a co-location facility with a capacity of over 1 terawatt-hour, according to Lazarev. Initially, the existing 219 MW of PV capacity will be increased by a further 50 MW, followed by the construction of a 165 MW wind farm and then a 100 MW/400 MWh battery storage facility. Construction is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2025 and should be completed by the end of 2027.

How to combine agri-PV with wind power and storage?

Europe’s largest co-location power plant is currently being built by the Spanish energy producer Endesa, also in Portugal (Pego, province of Santarém). The plan is to combine a 365 MW PV plant, a wind farm with 264 MW and a 168 MW battery storage facility. In addition, a 500-kilowatt (kW) electrolyzer will be installed to produce green hydrogen using surplus energy that the battery storage system cannot absorb.

Further cost decline an important driver

The continued decline in costs, particularly for photovoltaics and battery storage, is also an important driver for more co-location projects. According to a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in July 2024, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of solar parks in Germany is between 4.1 and 6.9 euro cents/kWh. When combining ground-mounted PV systems and battery storage, the LCOE is 6.0 to 10.8 cents/KWh.

Large battery storage systems in Europe are all the rage

Should battery prices fall to the predicted levels of 180 to 700 euros/KWh by 2045, the ISE even expects production costs for ground-mounted PV battery systems to be between 3.1 and 5.0 cents. By comparison, the production costs for fossil fuel power plants are significantly higher today: brown coal power plants cost 15.1 to 25.7 cents, hard coal power plants 17.3 to 29.3 cents, combined cycle power plants 10.9 to 18.1 cents and flexible gas power plants 15.4 to 32.6 cents per kilowatt hour. Nuclear power plants are between 13.6 and 49.0 cents/kWh.

Reduce construction and operation costs by 50 %

According to Aurora Energy Research, the actual increases in profitability (IRRs) that can currently be achieved by combining a solar power plant with a battery storage system in key European markets are in the range of one to just over two percent. The IRRs of individual solar parks were compared with those that are combined with a battery storage system.

Podcast: Prospects and pitfalls for investments in solar and large battery projects

RenewableUK points out the high potential cost advantages of co-location projects if regulatory barriers are removed and approvals are simplified. Combining PV projects with battery storage at the same grid connection point could reduce construction and operating costs by 50 percent. In addition, a more flexible energy system with the integration of storage in the UK would save 16.7 billion pounds (19.8 billion euros) in electricity system costs annually by 2050, which would also benefit electricity customers.

Complexity and regulation as obstacles

There are various reasons why co-location projects are often unable to fully exploit their potential cost advantages in practice and why the number of projects implemented is only gradually picking up speed. “In addition to regulatory issues, this combination of technologies is extremely complex in terms of structure and commercialization. Business models must be considered individually and, depending on local parameters, a single project can often be more attractive than a co-location project,” says Philipp Kraemer, Director Strategic Growth & Digitization at CCE.

Solar Investors Guide: Storage systems to revolutionize the grid

In Germany, for example, the so-called exclusivity principle of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) has so far slowed down the economic viability of solar and wind farms combined with battery storage. It states that EEG-subsidized plants may only be charged with green electricity and not with gray electricity (from the grid) throughout the year, otherwise the EEG plant status or the subsidy will be lost. This severely limits a profitable, flexible operation of the storage system in co-location with a solar or wind farm for shifting the feed-in to high-price hours and for providing balancing energy (during which grid electricity is also charged).

UK, Ireland and Italy already further ahead

According to the solar package I, it should be possible to change the operating mode every two months from June 2025, and to charge the storage system from the grid and the renewable energy system in parallel from June 2026. However, Aurora analyst Zimmermann fears delays in the regulation coming into force in Germany, because the Federal Network Agency, which is responsible for the regulation, has not yet decided on a measurement concept. Other European countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy, which allow flexible operation of co-location systems, are already further ahead in this respect, says Zimmermann.

Expert analysis: Battery storage as a business model for PV

Intersolar Europe, which is taking place this year from May 7-9, offers a comprehensive overview of the latest products, technologies and solutions, as well as the major trends in the field of PV hybrid power plants. At the accompanying Intersolar Europe Conference, there will be a session in English from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, titled “Hybrid PV Power Plants II: Strategies for Matching Energy Generation & Power Demand.” On Thursday, May 8, the topic of hybrid power plants will be the subject of a session in English at the Intersolar Forum (Hall A3, Booth A3.150) from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. (hcn)

Source link

Solar Energy

Trinasolar starts deliveries for integrated project

March 13, 2025 ryansheehanrts

Trinasolar has started deliveries for a co-located solar and energy storage project at Sandon Brook in Essex, UK. Owned and led by global renewable energy company, Low Carbon, it is Trinasolar’s first project to combine the company’s modules, mounting structures and energy storage systems at the same site, all with solutions from Trinasolar.

UK: Europe‘s largest battery facility goes into operation

Trinasolar will provide almost 80,000 of its n-type dual-glass bifacial Vertex N solar PV modules with up to 700W output power, which will be mounted on more than 1,100 of the company’s FixOrigin fixed-tilt mounting structures. For the battery energy storage system (BESS), Trina Storage will deliver the integrated full AC system including 36 Elementa cabinets, for a total of 70MWh of storage capacity, in support of the site’s arbitrage and ancillary service capabilities.

High compatibilty and optimisation of components ensured

The single-source nature of the project means high compatibility and optimisation of components is ensured, maximizing consistent performance throughout. When completed, the project will have a solar PV generation capacity of 49.9MW. Sandon Brook is one of four Low Carbon sites in the UK where Trina Storage has provided BESS capabilities, making up a total of 190 MWh in storage capacity.

UK: Large solar PV and storage co-location site in Birmingham operational

Justin Thesiger, Managing Director of Global Supply Chain at Low Carbon, said: “We are delighted to see the Sandon Brook project begin to take shape, and further strengthen our partnership with Trinasolar.

Benefits in terms of functionality

“Delivering a combined solar and storage project such as this one is ambitious in its scope, but the fact we can source all core elements of the system from Trinasolar is a major benefit. We look forward to working with the company on similar holistic projects in the future as we look to play a key role in tackling climate change.”

Scotland: 100 MWh storage project of Trina Storage, Clarke and Temporis

Gonzalo de la Viña, President Europe at Trinasolar, added: “We are proud to see our company’s philosophy of implementing integrated smart energy solutions being put into practice in our region. We strongly believe projects of this type are the future of the solar industry given the benefits they bring in terms of functionality and compatibility, and are enthusiastic to see the difference it will make to the local community once completed. (hcn)

Source link

Solar Energy

£733 million fundraising exceeds expectations

March 12, 2025 ryansheehanrts

NextPower UK ESG (NPUK) is a vital cog in the UK’s Clean Power 2030 ambitions of delivering energy security and decreasing the country’s carbon output through increasing the amount of domestic green power production. The Fund provides investors attractive returns through stable cash flows from a carefully selected portfolio of new-build utility-scale solar PV assets in the UK with long-term contracted revenue streams. The fund made its first distribution to investors in September 2023 just 13 months after its launch.

NextPower UK ESG achieves another fundraising close exceeding target by 30%

The cornerstone investor into NPUK was the National Wealth Fund, contributing £250 million on a match-funding basis to drive private capital into new build renewables in the UK. NEC welcomed several new investors into NPUK over the fundraising period, including several local government pension pools, alongside international investors looking to access and capture the attractive growth landscape for new build solar PV in the UK through a specialist investment manager.

400 MW operating solar capacity in 2025

To date, NPUK has already deployed over 70% of its committed capital from investors and has recently acquired its fifteenth asset, raising NPUK’s portfolio capacity to 731MW. NPUK currently has 249MW of operating solar assets in the UK, including Llanwern solar farm, the UK’s largest operating solar asset.

UK: Europe‘s largest battery facility goes into operation

NPUK has a further 482MW of solar and energy storage projects in construction or ready-to-build, alongside further near-term acquisitions in its pipeline. The fund continues to make rapid progress in bringing online additional new-build solar and is on track to achieve over 400 MW of operating capacity this year. NPUK is expected to exceed 1GW of capacity when fully deployed, contributing significant progress towards Clean Power 2030 ambitions of trebling UK solar capacity in the coming five years.

UK attractive market for utility-scale solar

Michael Bonte-Friedheim, Group CEO and Founding Partner of NextEnergy Group , commented: “NextPower UK has been another success story for NextEnergy Capital and the wider NextEnergy Group in the backdrop of a difficult global fundraising environment. We raised £733 million and reached a final close nearly 50% higher than the fund’s initial target of £500 million.

NextPower UK clearly demonstrates the demand from investors for this type of strategy, run by a specialist investment manager with a significant track record of capital deployment into high-quality assets. I would like to thank both our existing and new investors across NextEnergy for their continued support and loyalty and in particular, thank our institutional and pension fund investors who committed to NextPower UK.

UK: Large solar PV and storage co-location site in Birmingham operational

The UK remains an attractive and deep market to deploy utility-scale solar and there is a significant opportunity through the UK’s clean energy ambitions for investors to capture this growth with the right execution partners. In anticipation of this, NextEnergy Capital (NEC) will be launching a new follow-on strategy, NextEnergy UK II, early this summer.”

UK Infrastructure Bank helps catalyse NextEnergy Capital’s solar fund

Stuart Nivison, Head of Portfolio Management at the National Wealth Fund, said: “Our cornerstone investment in NextPower UK was our first deal to leverage this scale of additional independent investment, and it is exciting to see their success story play out through this milestone fundraise. Today’s announcement perfectly demonstrates the impact our investments can have. Catalytic capital deployed by the National Wealth Fund going forward can help mobilise institutional investment into clean energy projects across the UK, driving growth and providing greater capacity to power homes and businesses.” (hcn)

Source link

Solar Energy

Fundraising closed with £733 milion exceeding target by 50%

March 12, 2025 ryansheehanrts

NPUK is a vital cog in the UK’s Clean Power 2030 ambitions of delivering energy security and decreasing the country’s carbon output through increasing the amount of domestic green power production. The Fund provides investors attractive returns through generating stable cash flows from a carefully selected portfolio of new-build utility-scale solar PV assets in the UK with long-term contracted revenue streams. The Fund made its first distribution to investors in September 2023, just 13 months after the Fund’s launch.

NextPower UK ESG achieves another fundraising close exceeding target by 30%

The National Wealth Fund was the cornerstone investor into NPUK, investing £250 million on a match-funding basis to drive private capital into new build renewables in the UK. NEC welcomed several new investors into NPUK over the fundraising period, including several local government pension pools, alongside international investors looking to access and capture the attractive growth landscape for new build solar PV in the UK through a specialist investment manager.

400 MW operating solar capacity in 2025

To date, NPUK has already deployed over 70% of its committed capital from investors and has recently acquired its fifteenth asset, raising NPUK’s portfolio capacity to 731MW. NPUK now has 249MW of operating solar assets in the UK, including Llanwern solar farm, the UK’s largest operating solar asset.

UK: Europe‘s largest battery facility goes into operation

NPUK has a further 482MW of solar and energy storage projects in construction or ready-to-build, alongside further near-term acquisitions in its pipeline. The Fund continues to make rapid progress in bringing online additional new-build solar and is on track to achieve over 400 MW of operating capacity this year. NPUK is expected to exceed 1GW of capacity when fully deployed, contributing significant progress towards Clean Power 2030 ambitions of trebling UK solar capacity in the coming five years.

UK attractive market for utility-scale solar

Michael Bonte-Friedheim, Group CEO and Founding Partner of NextEnergy Group, commented: “NextPower UK has been another success story for NextEnergy Capital and the wider NextEnergy Group in the backdrop of a difficult global fundraising environment. We raised £733 million and reached a final close nearly 50% higher than the Fund’s initial target of £500 million.

UK: Large solar PV and storage co-location site in Birmingham operational

The UK remains an attractive and deep market to deploy utility-scale solar and there is a significant opportunity through the UK’s clean energy ambitions for investors to capture this growth with the right execution partners. In anticipation of this, NextEnergy Capital will be launching a new follow-on strategy, NextEnergy UK II, early this summer.”

UK Infrastructure Bank helps catalyse NextEnergy Capital’s solar fund

Source link

Solar Energy

Europe`s largest battery facility goes into operation

March 11, 2025 ryansheehanrts

Alongside a medium-voltage solution including battery inverters, SMA delivered innovative grid-forming solutions for the flagship project that will help facilitate the seamless integration and safeguard the stability of renewable energy into the Scottish power grid.

The Blackhillock battery storage system was constructed by Wärtsilä for the operator Zenobē and is launching in two phases. Phase 1 comprises of 200MW, followed by a further 100MW in 2026, totalling 300MW/600MWh.

Solar Investor’s Guide: Large storage systems

“With our innovative energy storage solutions, we are setting new standards and laying the foundation for a clean and sustainable energy future,” said Florian Bechtold, Executive Vice President of Large-Scale and Project Solutions at SMA. Our grid-forming battery inverters ensure the provision of short-circuit level and inertia, therefore safeguarding grid stability. We deeply appreciate the collaboration and shared vision of our trusted partners Zenobē and Wärtsilä.”

Solar Investors Guide #4: Long-term storage with iron flow technology

The SMA Grid Forming solution will provide a stability service consisting of 116MVA of short circuit level contribution and 370MWs of inertia. This meets the challenge of the growing number of renewable power plants and the decommissioning of conventional power plants. SMA also supplied critical components for the project, including 62 medium-voltage power stations equipped with Sunny Central Storage battery inverters.

Zenobē

The large-scale storage system is part of the UK’s Pathfinder program.

The plant was designed with the help of SMA to be meticulously optimized to deliver the best balance of performance and cost and has successfully completed the first of its kind compliance process for the new Great Britain grid connection requirements (grid code 0137), including grid forming requirements. This solution, integrating hardware, software, and engineering services has successfully demonstrated that it fulfils all the specifications of the British grid operator National Energy System Operator (NESO).

Background: Blackhillock large-scale battery storage

Blackhillock is currently Europe’s largest transmission-grid-connected battery storage system. By facilitating greater integration of wind energy into the power grid, the project is expected to save around 2.3 million tons of CO₂ emissions over the next 15 years.

UK: Large solar PV and storage co-location site in Birmingham operational

Through efficient storage and demand-based redistribution of excess renewable energy, energy waste and dependence on fossil fuels will be reduced. The large-scale storage system is part of the UK’s Pathfinder program, which aims to address stability issues in the transmission grid. SMA, Zenobē and Wärtsilä will also work together in 2025 to implement the Kilmarnock storage project as part of the Pathfinder program. (hcn)

Source link

Solar Energy

Europe`s largest battery system put in operation

March 11, 2025 ryansheehanrts

In addition to the medium-voltage solution including battery inverters, SMA has delivered innovative grid-forming solutions to the flagship project. These enable the seamless integration of renewable energy into the Scottish power grid and ensure its stability.

The Blackhillock battery storage system was built by Wärtsilä for the operator Zenobē and is launching in two phases. Phase 1 comprises of 200MW, followed by a further 100MW in 2026, making a total of 300MW/600MWh.

Solar Investor’s Guide: Large storage systems

Solar Investors Guide #4: Long-term storage with iron flow technology

Zenobē

The large-scale storage system is part of the UK’s Pathfinder program.

Background: Blackhillock large-scale battery storage

UK: Large solar PV and storage co-location site in Birmingham operational

Source link

Solar Energy

New study highlights potential of UK agri-PV

March 7, 2025 ryansheehanrts

A study by the University of Sheffield shows that the combination of photovoltaics and agriculture can contribute to achieving the energy transition targets in the UK without losing agricultural land. This would also be in line with the government’s requirements for the expansion of large solar power plants. This is because London wants to drive forward the expansion of ground-mounted solar installations throughout the UK in order to achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2050.

Farmers fear loss of land

However, this does not meet well with farmers. They fear the loss of high-quality farmland, which in turn would have an impact on food production and the cost of living. In addition, the solar installations would have a visual impact on the landscape. For this reason, researchers at the University of Sheffield have focussed on agri-PV.

Don’t miss any important information about the solar energy transition in agriculture! Simply subscribe to our free newsletter.

Coverage potential of the area increased

In their study, the researchers demonstrate that the use of agri-PV enables the simultaneous cultivation of food or livestock farming as well as the production of solar power. This is because the area under or between the rows of modules can still be used for agricultural purposes. As a result, agri-PV enables higher coverage potential on the area than the separate operation of solar systems and agriculture on different areas.

PV from field and barn: Our special for the dual harvest on farms

It can also reconcile government targets for solar roll-out with agriculture. „Our research identifies the areas in the UK where this technology can be most effectively deployed, both to mitigate land use conflicts and deliver the UK’s energy needs,“ explains Sue Hartley, Professor at the University of Sheffield and co-author of the study.

Favourite regions identified

Regions suitable for the effective deployment of agri-PV include Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire and the wider East and South East of England. The researchers looked at various factors that are necessary for dual utilisation. In these areas, several factors contribute to this suitability. These include the availability of flat land, the extent of existing agricultural use, the grid connectivity and the prevalence of solar radiation.

UK: Large solar PV and storage co-location site in Birmingham operational

Little research on agri-PV in the UK to date

With their study, the scientists want to defuse the debates on land use policy and inform farmers about the possibilities of the combination. The aim is to support the development of domestic agri-PV. „ Research on agrivoltaics is extensive in mainland Europe, but very little has been done in the UK,” says Richard Randle-Boggis, explaining the need for the new study.

Expert analysis: Key challenges and opportunities for the European renewable energy market

Next step is field trials

He is responsible for agri-PV research at the University of Sheffield. „Our next step should be field experiments to test the performance of the systems, investigate different designs with different crops and better understand the perspectives of local communities and other stakeholders,” emphasises Richard Randle-Boggis. „After all, the loss of farmland is typically a major reason communities oppose solar park development in their local areas,“ he says. „Our research takes a leading step in demonstrating where solar parks could be developed alongside agricultural activities so that farmland is not lost.

The study „The spatial potential for agrivoltaics to address energy-agriculture land use conflicts in Great Britain“, which also involved scientists from the Norwegian industrial research institute SINTEF, has been published in the journal Science Direct.

Source link

Solar Energy

Electric car sales reach record high

March 5, 2025 ryansheehanrts

This rapid growth is being driven by major investments from car manufacturers, with Volkswagen, Peugeot, Mini, and Renault all recording triple-digit percentage increases in EV sales compared to February 2024. The number of electric Minis registered skyrocketed from just 82 last February to over 1,300 this year, thanks to improvements in range and affordability.

At the same time, sales of petrol and diesel cars continue to decline, with petrol registrations falling by 34.5% year-on-year and diesel down 13.2%. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are also gaining traction, now accounting for 31.38% of the market—up from 25.90% last year.

UK’s Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Policy on Track

Under the UK’s Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, carmakers are required to meet a 28% BEV sales target this year. However, New AutoMotive’s analysis suggests that compliance can be achieved with closer to 23% EV sales, thanks to policy flexibilities that allow manufacturers to partially offset targets with cleaner hybrid and petrol models.

Thriving in a new electric driven world

This policy has successfully encouraged strong investment in EV technology, with manufacturers expanding their electric line-ups and making zero-emission vehicles more accessible to UK buyers. However, any sudden changes to the mandate could put this progress at risk.

Looking Ahead

With February’s record-breaking sales, the UK’s EV market is on track for another strong year, reinforcing the country’s position as a leader in the transition to cleaner transport. New AutoMotive urges policymakers to provide certainty and stability for manufacturers and consumers by maintaining the ambitious ZEV mandate targets.

Ben Nelmes, CEO of New AutoMotive: “Motorists are voting with their feet, with one in four confident enough to make the switch to an electric car in February.
“The latest figures show that the UK’s policies to encourage electric vehicle adoption are working. Ministers should stay the course and give businesses and consumers the certainty they need to invest in an electric future. Carmakers have invested billions in bringing EVs to market, and the UK’s energy sector is investing billions in charge points, creating jobs in every nation and region of the UK. Now is the time to build on this momentum, not slow down.

E-car boom in Norway

James Court, Public Policy Director at Octopus Electric Vehicles: “It’s no surprise that we’ve seen another bumper month for EVs. The proof is in the pudding – UK drivers love the tech, the drive, the money savings from EVs. Our research showed that over 90% of drivers don’t go back once they’ve made the switch to electric. The UK must double down now and stick with coherent, consistent, policy that positions us as a world leader for cleaner, more affordable, driving.”

Save billions with bidirectional charging

Ginny Buckley, the chief executive of Electrifying, the electric car advice site: “February’s sales figures prove that an increasing number of buyers are becoming aware of the financial benefits of switching to an electric car. In today’s economy, where every pound counts, the recent EVUK Cost of Driving Electric report revealed that the savings EV drivers enjoy over their ownership mean that making the switch is not only environmentally responsible, but also financially astute.”

Quentin Willson, Founder FairCharge, EVUK advisory board member: “In February EVs continued to be the fastest growing fuel type, up 37% on last year, and now at their highest market share of 25.6%. Petrol sales are down 34% and the steep decline in diesel sales continues with a barely measurable market share. The most significant number is that combined EV and Hybrid sales were almost double those of petrol sales, showing that consumers are buying more low and zero tailpipe emission cars than ever before. This demonstrates a clear change in buying behaviours towards Hybrid and EV power trains and away from combustion.” (hcn)

Source link

Solar Energy

Solar roof for the historic York Minster

January 31, 2025 ryansheehanrts

The 184 particularly durable Solarwatt ‘Panel vision’ solar modules on the roof of the South Quire will generate almost 70,000 kilowatt hours of clean solar energy annually, enough to supply around 40 average households in England. This corresponds to about a third of the York Minster’s energy consumption and reduces the church’s annual CO2 emissions by 13 tonnes. The solar installation is part of the Chapter of York Minster’s wider plan to make the cathedral self-sufficient in renewable energy and future-proof the building. Further projects are already in the pipeline.

A sustainable solution to preserve history

Alex McCallion, head of building at York Minster, says: ‘If we can do it, anyone can, because our climate is changing. We are experiencing this first hand as we take care of this very precious building.’ He adds that the use of solar energy in the cathedral shows ‘how historic buildings can use renewable energy solutions without compromising their heritage.’ Extreme weather caused by climate change also poses a major threat to York Minster. Prolonged heavy rainfall has accelerated the deterioration of the stone and caused movement in the listed building, raising concerns about its preservation.

Join our free webinar about planning and design of large PV rooftops, February 12

The highly efficient Solarwatt Panel vision double-glazed modules installed by ACT on site have a very small carbon footprint, which is 50 per cent smaller than that of conventional modules. Other reasons for York Minster’s decision in favour of the modules were durability, performance and safety. The Solarwatt modules meet the required safety standards of the highest fire protection class (IEC Class A), making them ideal for use on a centuries-old cathedral roof. They are also designed to withstand extreme weather conditions and mechanical stresses without any problems.

Also see: Norman Foster Solar Award for church renovation in Switzerland

‘We are honoured to have been selected for this significant installation at York Minster. Our team has worked diligently to ensure the project meets and exceeds the highest standards of safety and efficiency,’ says Nicola Newby, Operations Director at Associated Clean Technologies Ltd. Neal Goddard, Managing Director of Solarwatt UK & Ireland, adds: ’Solarwatt is proud to be part of this transformative installation alongside our expert partner ACT, who have done an incredible job. The York Minster solar installation is a great example of heritage preservation through sustainable innovation.’ (hcn)

Source link

Solar Energy

Key challenges and opportunities for the European renewable energy market

January 17, 2025 ryansheehanrts

The renewable energy landscape in Europe faced several notable challenges in 2024, highlighting the complexities of transitioning to a cleaner energy future. Here are some of the key hurdles energy producers, investors and purchasers had to face:

Underinvestment in energy storage and grid infrastructure

While renewable electricity generation has surged, investment in the supporting infrastructure has lagged behind: Energy Storage: Europe currently has around 8 GW of installed battery storage capacity, while the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that 200 GW will be needed by 2030 to support the grid.

Also see: Expert analysis – How to approach battery energy storage systems in Europe

Grid modernization: More than 150 critical grid reinforcement projects, requiring €180 billion in investment, have been identified to handle the demands of a renewables-heavy energy system. Without these investments, the clean energy transition risks bottlenecks in system reliability.

Resource shortage: In many countries, the large upgrade requirements cause a shortage of engineering and skilled labour resource, which means that even where the investments are being made, significant bottlenecks in the execution and delivery of the modernization programmes might cause multi-year delays. This also applies to some extent to component supply.

Geopolitical and global market dynamics

Energy security risks: Continued geopolitical tensions, including conflicts in the Middle East and Russia-Ukraine, underscore vulnerabilities in energy security.

Government support and limited project availability: Generous government incentives in markets such as the UK, Italy, and France have made renewable projects increasingly competitive. In the UK we saw record-breaking auctions for Contract-for-Difference (CfD) support awarded 9.6 GW, but this has strained the pipeline for private buyers, potentially increasing PPA prices. In Italy oversubscription in agrivoltaics auctions (700 MW over capacity) signals strong demand but also heightened competition for project access.

As a result, buyers and developers are navigating a landscape of reduced project availability, rising PPA prices, and fierce competition against public auctions.

Looking ahead: opportunities and growth potential for 2025

Addressing these challenges requires greater investment in energy storage and grid infrastructure, along with proactive strategies to mitigate pricing and geopolitical risks. But there are also already growth opportunities visible both from a structural and a geographical perspective. These include:

Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (PPA)

We see a consolidation in Corporate PPA (Physical and Virtual) as most of them are increasingly prioritizing renewable energy sourcing to meet sustainability goals. Also, Hybrid PPAs (solar + BESS or solar + wind) have emerged this year and it is expected to further increase in 2025, offering enhanced grid reliability and optimized revenue streams, reducing shaping cost. Across key markets in Europe, a significant pipeline of hybrid assets is ready to take if contractual arrangements can make the financial model bankable.

Also see: Expert analysis – The three strongest solar energy trends in 2025

Corporate buyers, particularly in the tech and manufacturing sectors, are showing the greatest interest in renewable energy. These industries are driven by decarbonization commitments and cost predictability through long-term PPAs. Additionally, utilities and grid operators are investing in energy storage to enhance grid stability and integrate intermittent renewable sources effectively.

Multi-buyer, cross border and hydrogen PPA

Multi-buyer PPAs will also grow in 2025 as sellers are trying to standardize and simplify the contract structure. This structure entails an efficient way to mitigate the purchasers’ credit risk in a PPA. Typically, there is has the financial strength and credit rating to balance out non-investment grade corporates.

Cross-border PPAs are also expected to grow in the next year. This structure is mainly driven by Guarantees of Origin considerations and the search for a competitive PPA price.

Co-location projects

Co-location projects e.g. combining solar plants and storage becoming crucial as they enable better utilization of grid connections, reduced costs, and optimized energy dispatch. Solar plants with integrated storage can mitigate intermittency issues, participate in ancillary services, and maximize revenue through peak shaving and arbitrage opportunities. Econergy’s response to these developments is a drive to expand our co-location developments, aiming to add BESS to existing solar developments where possible.

Geographical growth markets in Europe

As Econergy experiences continued growth in demand across Europe, we anticipate robust expansion in Italy, Romania, and Poland in 2025.

In Italy the updated PNIEC targets and the FER-X mechanism provide solid incentives for renewable energy projects. However, competitive and accessible frameworks for energy storage are critical to enhancing grid reliability and supporting Italy’s ambitious energy transition goals.

Also see: SolarPower Europe report – EU solar market with only weak growth

Romania has a significant pipeline of solar and storage projects, positioning it as a key growth region, bolstered by favorable policy measures and market demand. In Poland the ongoing transition from coal is driving the need for clean energy solutions, with opportunities for both solar and storage projects to gain momentum.

The UK will remain a key market for storage and PPAs due to a mature PPA ecosystem and robust opportunities in the energy storage market.

Specific trends and hurdles in project financing and asset management

A shift towards long-term, flexible financing mechanisms is becoming increasingly prominent, with asset management adopting digitalization and AI-driven tools for performance monitoring and predictive maintenance. These advancements are improving operational efficiency and reducing costs.

Also see: Romania – Econenergy secures financing for large-scale solar projects

Project financing trends differ by market, country, and revenue type (e.g., PPA, CfD). A significant trend is the reduced availability of funding for merchant solar PV projects in Europe, often coupled with lower leverage due to declining electricity price forecasts. However, this challenge is partially offset by the current reduction of key interest rates, which eases financial pressures.

Additional information about Econergy can be found here

Key hurdles include regulatory uncertainty, lengthy permitting processes, and grid connection bottlenecks. For technology providers, scaling production to meet rising demand and innovating cost-effective solutions are ongoing challenges. Addressing these hurdles requires:

– Policymakers to streamline permitting processes and establish clear, stable regulations.

– Grid operators to invest in infrastructure upgrades and enhance grid connection processes.

– Technology providers to focus on scalable, efficient solutions and collaborate with planners to tailor innovations to market needs.

These trends highlight the need for adaptable financing strategies tailored to specific market conditions. Technology integration and sustainable practices must be emphasized to drive project success and maintain construction surge. (Wolf Dietrich/hcn)

Source link

1 2