Percepto, an autonomous inspection company by industrial robotics, has completed a proof-of-concept (POC) with the Electric Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) for the monitoring of a 250-acre floating solar farm, one of the largest of its kind in the world.

The size of 70 soccer fields and located 350 meters from the nearest shoreline, the solar farm is on the Sirindhorn dam basin in Southeastern Thailand, consisting of seven sections floating on buoys. Partnering with Top Engineering Corp., a Thai drone consultancy and equipment provider, Percepto AIM software and Percepto Air drone-in-a-box will enable autonomous routine inspections of panels and other equipment to ensure proper operation and detect anomalies before they turn into bigger issues.

Joining Thailand’s electrical grid last October, the $34 million project reflects the country’s push to achieve carbon neutral status by 2050 with 145,000 solar panels harnessing power from the sun during the day and converting energy from flowing water at night. The country is seeking to use more renewable energy sources and reduce its reliance on natural gas, the current largest source for electricity generation.

Given the solar farm’s size and distance from land, equipment inspection and maintenance are cumbersome. Without drones, inspection staff would need to access the panel by boat to manually review the panels or go offshore to simply launch a drone that could provide visual inspection. Inspectors also face obstacles due to weather conditions such as extreme heat, rain and fog. Percepto drone-in-box is a robust system that was the first to pass Level 5 hurricane testing at wind speeds of up to 155 mph, and sturdy enough to handle the heat and humidity of Thailand’s tropical climate.

Percepto’s automated drones will provide regular operations and maintenance reports; map the location of the panel; and perform inspections of substations, transformers, floating fences and solar floaters which hold the panel above water. When an anomaly is detected, workers can know the exact problem, and where it is located. While one person must be in the vicinity of the panel for regulatory reasons, the inspection can be conducted remotely from Bangkok, more than 600 km away from the dam.

“We are very excited to partner with EGAT and Top Engineering Corporation on this unique and environmentally sustainable electricity project,” says Dor Abuhasira, Percepto’s co-founder and CEO. “Autonomous drones are strengthening the sustainable positioning of renewable energy facilities to achieve global climate targets. With Percepto drones, solar farms such as EGAT can be consistently monitored and inspected regardless of their size or location to further unleash the potential of renewable energy sources.”

“This project illustrates the breadth of our unique capabilities as countries explore innovative solutions in their push to reduce their reliance on traditional energy sources,” adds Ehud Ollech, head of business development and partnerships. “We’re looking forward to full drone deployment and working with EGAT and Top Engineering to leverage the many benefits of our platform.”

“Percepto drones will dramatically improve the consistency at which the panel provides customers with electricity, how quickly repairs are made, and the safety level of our employees,” states EGAT’s chief of Fuel Business Development Department at Chanapan Kongnam. “Rather than sending out staff to inspect the panel, we will deploy inspections much more frequently than could be achieved manually. Staff are only sent out when repairs are necessary, and they will know the nature of the problem and where it will be located to spend as little time on the water as possible.”

“We applaud Thailand for its innovation and commitment to developing sustainable energy sources,” comments Kornnarong Tungfung, the top engineering managing director. “By deploying autonomous drones powered by AI technology, Thai solar farms will be continuously observed for a variety of factors to ensure they consistently generate electricity for the people of Thailand.”

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Hawaii Governor David Ige visiting the plant during a 11 August inauguration event. Image: Governor David Ige via Twitter.

Clearway Energy Group has brought online the first ever utility-scale solar-plus-storage project on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu.

Installation of solar PV modules and batteries was completed ahead of schedule at the US$140 million project, the developer and independent power producer (IPP) said last week as its announced commissioning of the Mililani Solar I plant.

The power plant combines 39MW of solar PV with 39MW/159MWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) technology. Clearway signed 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) in 2018 for Mililani Solar I and Waiawa Solar, a separate 36MW PV, 36MW/144MWh BESS project also on O’ahu.

Construction on both plants began in April 2021, Energy-Storage.news reported at the time, with Moss Solar, the solar division of infrastructure company Moss hired as construction contractor.

Wärtsilä Energy supplied the battery storage. In July, the Finnish energy storage system integrator and manufacturer announced its involvement in both Clearway’s O’ahu projects, as well as three projects for the developer in California.

Together the Clearway projects will see Wärtsilä supply 500MW/2,000MWh of BESS. The three California plants are all solar-plus-storage too, with one a retrofit to an existing solar plant and two new-build solar farms located adjacently at the site of two retired fossil fuel plants in the state’s San Bernadino County. Those plants are scheduled to come online next year.

The Hawaii plants’ only application will be solar load-shifting, Wärtsilä Energy VP of energy storage and optimisation Andy Tang told this site in a recent interview. The four-hour duration batteries will store energy generated during the day to help mitigate evening and night-time electricity use and kick into play to ease the utility’s period of solar ramp down each day.

For Clearway’s projects, Wärtsilä installed its own GridSolve Quantum BESS solution, as it does for all its grid-scale battery projects. GridSolv Quantum includes the GEMS Digital Energy Platform energy management system (EMS) and is equipped with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells.

Wärtsilä GridSolve Quantum BESS equipment at the project. Image: Governor David Ige via Twitter.

O’ahu has been home to Hawaii’s only coal power plant, which is in the process of being taken out of service and being replaced with solar and batteries. Hawaii is also targeting 100% renewable energy by 2045 and is already one of the highest solar adopters per capita in the US, particularly for residential rooftop PV.

Since HECO signed the renewable energy PPAs in 2018 which Clearway’s projects were among, the utility has undertaken a couple of procurements through Requests for Proposals (RfPs) to contract for about 5GWh of battery storage, alongside solar PV.

Energy-Storage.news reported earlier this month as AES Corporation broke ground on two more large-scale solar-plus-storage plants in the state, one a 60MW PV plant with 240MWh BESS on Maui and the other a 30MW PV plant with 120MWh BESS on Hawaii Island.

Clearway commissioned three previous solar PV-only projects in Hawaii in 2019, two on O’ahu and one on Hawaii Island. When both new solar-plus-storage plants are online, the company’s installed PV base in the state will total 185MW.   

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Daniel Cruise

Lium LLC, an energy market research firm for institutional users, has launched a new data product for tracking utility-scale solar projects called solarSAT. The new intelligence product tracks in real-time the development of every large-scale U.S. solar project through satellite imagery.

Investors and corporate management teams can use this product to drill down on each large-scale solar project in development. Project-specific data includes ground-breaking dates (firstDIRT), panel deliveries, installation, market share, completion progress and other milestones.

“As an alternative to anecdotes, lagging data, and guesswork, our data science team developed solarSAT to digest thousands of satellite images on hundreds of project locations,” says Daniel Cruise, partner at Lium Research. “With this product, we are hoping to change the way participants make investment decisions in solar.”

Lium solarSAT data is aggregated into various datasets and monthly summary products. Investors can access real-time, carpet-level intelligence on solar growth.

“Early users of solarSAT are enjoying higher conviction on their market theses, gaining business development advantages, and are surprised less often. They know what’s coming and from who and where before the rest of the market thanks to this product,” continues Cruise.

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A site map of the project. Image: Dudek/BLM/NextEra/Desert Sunlight.

A 230MW battery energy storage system (BESS) from NextEra Energy Resources, part of a large solar-plus-storage project, has come online in California.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which manages the land on which the 94-acre project is located in Riverside County, announced the start of commercial operations on the Desert Sunlight Battery Energy Storage System yesterday (16 August).

The 230MW BESS project adjoins the existing Desert Sunlight Solar Farm and will store renewable energy generated by the Farm and shift it to peak demand hours.

In a document approving the project in November last year, BLM said the project developer was Sunlight Storage, LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, which appears to have been very quiet on the project.

An SEC filing from the Fortune 500 company, referring to the project as the Sunlight Storage Facility, said it is a 230MW/920MWh system. A four-hour duration is a requirement for projects in California to provide energy to utilities through Resource Adequacy, the framework by which grid operator CAISO ensures supply can meet demand, and the main revenue stream for BESS projects.

The project’s commissioning is good news for the state after something of a slowdown in BESS deployments in the lead-up to the peak summer season, when the heightened risk of wildfires can also threaten grid reliability and increase the chance of outages.

As of the end of July, CAISO had 3,334MW of grid-scale BESS in commercial operation according to its official data (which can be changed retrospectively if a unit’s commercial operation date is announced significantly after the fact).

It is not clear if these figures include the Desert Sunlight BESS, which it might do if it is announcing its commercial operation late, for example. Assuming not, this brings the BESS count in California to nearly 3,600MW. If Ameresco’s 537.5MW/2,150MWh projects for utility SCE had not been delayed, as reported by Energy-Storage.news, the figure may have been over 4,000MW by now, the grid operator’s stated aim.

The BLM is the US government body responsible for administering federal lands, a key figure in approving projects located within its portfolio. Recent significant solar-plus-storage projects it has waived through include a 250MW project by Revolve Renewable Power and a 500MW project by Oberon Solar, both covered by our sister site PV Tech.

The agency is also encouraging projects to be built on its land, most recently issuing a solicitation for utility-scale solar projects on 90,000 acres of public land across Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.

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A render of Kontrolmatic’s US gigafactory, planned to start production in 2024. Image: Kontrolmatic Technologies/Pomega Energy Storage Technologies.

Turkish group Kontrolmatik Technologies has increased the output of its planned energy storage-focused gigafactory in the US by 50%, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which Joe Biden signed into law yesterday.

The company announced plans earlier in 2022 to build a lithium-ion battery factory in the US specifically for the utility and industrial-scale stationary energy storage sectors, with 280-305 Ah range lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.

It expects to pick a site within a month and for the facility to start production in 2024, according to an announcement authored by Kontrolmatic’s USA CEO Bahadir Yekti who cited the passing of the IRA yesterday as a major factor in the decision to increase its planned capacity from 2GW to 3GWh.

“Amid the strong support and incentives provided by the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act forthe domestic production of batteries, we were motivated and encouraged to revise our initial businessplans for the factory and increase our US factory’s capacity to 3 GWh. We have also begun planningfor our second US factory as we begin the construction of our first,” he said.

The historic bill provides tax incentives for siting battery and energy storage system production within the US and, most significantly, introduces an investment tax credit (ITC) for standalone energy storage which can reduce the capital cost of equipment for downstream projects by 30% or more.

Kontrolmatik is primarily an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services group active in the energy, mining, industrial process and transportation sectors, and provides turnkey energy storage system (ESS) solutions.

It is also building a new LFP gigafactory on home soil, as previously reported by Energy-Storage.news, which will add to existing ESS assembly and lithium-ion battery production facilities.

Its gigafactory projects, including the US site, are being lead by subsidiary Pomega Energy Storage Technologies. Overall, the company expects to have 12GWh of annual production capacity by 2030 across four gigafactory locations – two in the US and two in Turkey.

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A UK battery project from developer Eelpower, with which SUSI Partners has a JV. Image: Eelpower.

Sustainable infrastructure investment fund manager SUSI Partners has acquired a portfolio of 10 ready-to-build battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in Texas, US.

The Switzerland-headquartered group has jointly acquired the 100MW portfolio with SMT Energy, a developer, owner and operator of utility-scale energy storage and renewable energy projects. Each BESS in the portfolio will be 10MW output.

SMT Energy CEO and founder John Switzer said his company was able to take the projects from ideation to shovel-ready status in just over a year. The pair will own and operate the portfolio in South Texas, which will play into the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) wholesale power market on a merchant basis.

“The vision was to own and operate a fully merchant, front-of-the-meter energy storage portfolio in Texas, and it took the right partner to appreciate our concept,” Switzer said.

Texas and in particular the ERCOT service area which covers about 80% of the state, has become a hotbed for battery storage development.

That’s a consequence of various conditions, including the open competitive structure of the wholesale market, the growth of solar and wind requiring more storage to mitigate their variable generation profiles and latterly the lack of planning margins leading to projected shortfalls in electricity supply at critical times such as summer peaks and unexpected winter storms.

Starting just a couple of years ago, various developers began planting their flags in ERCOT territory with smaller projects of up to 10MW, with projects of 9.9MW or lower benefitting from a quicker regulatory approval process. But as developers gain more experience and prove out the economic case with those projects, they have tended to move onto bigger systems. It will be interesting if the SUSI-SMT partnership is at the early stages of such a play.

The projects in the portfolio are targeted for commissioning in the first half of 2023.

In a Guest Blog for this site last month, the CEO and founder of a new developer wrote about the compelling social, environmental, technical and economic dimensions to drivers for battery storage in Texas.

“[Texas] could see unsafe decreases in solar power of over 20,000MW or 30% of total supply during sunset if its solar queue is fully built out. This evolution, combined with thermal retirements, current and potential increasing regional carbon prices, and incredible load growth, add significant uncertainty and volatility to the markets,” Spearmint Energy founder and CEO Andrew Waranch wrote, just a couple of weeks before his company announced the acquisition of its first, 150MW, project in the state.

Texas is currently one of the two leading states for US energy storage deployment, together with California.

Meanwhile, SUSI Partners has a track record of investments in projects and technologies across the clean energy transition spectrum.

It is also noted for its involvement in the energy storage sector, having acquired a 340MWh behind-the-meter battery portfolio in Los Angeles, California, in 2019, invested in various large-scale commercial and industrial (C&I) battery projects in Ontario, Canada prior to that, and also formed a joint venture (JV) with UK developer Eelpower to build out a 1GW project pipeline in that country’s utility-scale battery storage market. That JV recently acquired a 150MW UK development portfolio.

SUSI Partners said that the SMT deal is its second in the US battery storage market after the California transaction, as well as being the first investment for SETF, a new energy transition fund it has launched. SUSI Partners manages funds with around €1.7 billion (US$1.73 billion) commitments from institutional investors.

“Having successfully finalised the deployment of our dedicated energy storage fund last year, this investment through our equity energy transition fund continues our commitment to battery storage as an important enabler of renewables integration,” SUSI Partners head of equity investments Richard Braakenburg said.

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President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, 16 August 2022. Image: President Biden via Twitter.

US President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act yesterday, bringing with it tax incentives and other measures widely expected to significantly boost prospects for energy storage deployment.

“The Inflation Reduction Act invests US$369 billion to take the most aggressive action ever — ever, ever, ever — in confronting the climate crisis and strengthening our economic — our energy security,” Biden said.

The legislation was readied for Biden’s signature at a speed which took many by surprise, from the announcement of compromises being reached by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at the end of July, to its quick passing in the Senate and then the House of Representatives in just over a fortnight.

Its investment in energy security and climate change mitigation targets a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) levels by 2030, supporting electric vehicles (EVs), energy efficiency and building electrification, wind, solar PV, green hydrogen, battery storage and other technologies.

Most directly relevant to the downstream energy storage industry is the introduction of an investment tax credit (ITC) for standalone energy storage. That can lower the capital cost of equipment by about 30%, although under some prevailing conditions it will be more or less, depending on, for example, use of local unionised labour.

It also unties developers from pursuing a disproportionately high percentage of solar-plus-storage hybrid projects, since prior to the act, batteries were eligible for the ITC, but only if they charged directly from the solar for at least 70% of every year in operation. The industry has campaigned for the standalone ITC for many years.

For the upstream battery and energy storage system value chains, there are also tax incentives for siting production within the US, as there are for wind and solar PV equipment manufacturers that source components or make their products domestically.

There are also 10-year extensions to existing wind and solar ITCs along with new or extended clean energy production tax credits (PTCs) and the ITC for solar goes up from 26% to 30%, while the standalone storage ITC will also be in place for the next decade.

There are also provisions that community solar installations where at least 50% of customers live in low to moderate income communities can prevail of an extra 20% ITC, and an extra 10% ITC for projects built with at least 40% domestic content, rising to a 55% threshold in 2027.

Interconnection costs are also included in ITC-eligible project costs.

Incentives will scale down by small increments every couple of years but could be further extended if targeted emissions reductions are not achieved in that timeframe.

As might be expected, many companies and commentators across the industry had plenty to say on the act becoming law with the stroke of Biden’s pen. Here are a few of their comments:

American Clean Power Association

National trade association representing clean energy companies, since last year merged with the national Energy Storage Association

“This does for climate change and clean energy what the creation of Social Security did for America’s senior citizens. This law will put millions more Americans to work, ensure clean, renewable and reliable domestic energy is powering every American home, and save American consumers money.   

For our industry, it’s the starting gun for a period of regulatory certainty which will triple the size of the US clean energy industry and generate over US$900 billion in economic activity through construction of new clean energy projects,” Heather Zichal, CEO.

Stem Inc

Provider of standalone storage and solar-plus-storage solutions to behind-the-meter commercial and industrial (C&I) and distributed front-of-meter market segments

“…we view the investments in clean energy within the Inflation Reduction Act as transformational for our country, the energy industry, and our company as we continue to accelerate the clean energy transition.

For customers deploying energy storage and solar, the most significant parts of the bill are tax credits for clean electricity investment and production. We anticipate that these incentives will increase investment certainty and make adoption more affordable in existing and new energy markets,” John Carrington, CEO

LDES Council

Trade association representing technology providers and large end-users for long-duration energy storage (LDES)

“The passing of the landmark Inflation Reduction Act is a critical win for long-duration energy storage technologies. This historical act enables energy storage to accelerate to the scale we need by levelling the playing field for all types of storage. LDES improves grid reliability, resiliency, and flexibility around renewable energy sources like wind and solar, and has the ability to standalone [sic] and contribute increased stability to the grid,” Julia Souder, executive director.

Stryten Energy

US-based provider of vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) solutions

“Stryten Energy welcomes this legislation’s long-term, standalone energy storage investment tax credits and its ten-year runway, which will help our customers incorporate medium and long-duration energy storage such as VFRB batteries into their operations more economically than before.

Leveraging domestic VFRB technology and other long-term energy storage solutions will enable reliable access to clean power and help the U.S. achieve energy security as it transitions to a clean energy economy,” Tim Vargo, CEO.

KORE Power

Manufacturer of battery cells, racks and complete systems, serving the energy storage system (ESS) and electric mobility infrastructure sectors

“The clean energy provisions in the Act prioritise scaling the domestic clean energy ecosystem, renewing our focus on raw material production and manufacturing, and catalysing the maturation of the nation’s domestic supply chain. It will position domestic suppliers to meet the demands of decarbonisation in the energy and transportation sectors.

As a lithium-ion battery cell manufacturer building a gigafactory outside Phoenix, we look forward to accelerating the growth of an end-to-end battery supply chain by delivering American IP built by American workers with recyclable North American materials to power e-mobility and energy storage solutions.

As a partner to suppliers, end users, and recyclers, we are most excited that the Act will expand access to the jobs needed to realize these goals and will rapidly expand the benefits that modern electrification and energy storage offer our economy, our customers and communities,” Lyndsay Gorrill, CEO.

Signatures on a page that many have said herald a new era for clean energy. Image: White House via Twitter.

International Zinc Association

Trade association representing zinc production and related companies, including a subsidiary trade group, Zinc Battery Initiative

“The International Zinc Association (IZA) applauds the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 for bringing critical focus and funding to the cleantech space. This unprecedented climate legislation will promote the production of critical minerals required for batteries as well as the manufacture and purchase of energy storage, such as rechargeable zinc batteries. IZA members are proud to provide safe, sustainable options for the energy storage industries, an essential part of the clean energy transition,” Andrew Green, executive director.

Center for Sustainable Energy

National clean energy non-profit group

“These tax credits and incentives will spur increased manufacturing and adoption of clean technologies by all Americans, including people with low and moderate incomes and communities that have borne the brunt of pollution. We’re investing in climate solutions – including energy-efficient, all-electric homes; rooftop solar; energy storage; and electric vehicles,” Lawrence Goldenhersh, president.

Howden

Provider of mission-critical air and gas handling products

“The very generous tax credits, up to US$3/kg for 10 years, will make the renewable H2 produced in the US the cheapest form of hydrogen in the world.

“There is no doubt that this step will accelerate progress in the global hydrogen market, and more and more countries and organisations will now start speeding up their plans to become major players in this growing sector,” Salah Mahdy, global director of renewable hydrogen.

No doubt, there will be much more to follow on this topic…

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Ardi Arian

Renewable America’s first phase of its West Tambo Clean Power solar project was selected by the City of San José to provide clean electricity for San José Clean Energy’s (SJCE) Solar Access program. The 2.5 MW DC facility in Merced County will provide carbon-free electricity over the course of a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with SJCE. The project is expected to come online in April 2023.

“Thanks to San José Clean Energy, local solar power projects such as those under development by Renewable America will directly benefit residents in disadvantaged communities,” says Renewable America CEO, Ardi Arian. “Through the Solar Access program and Renewable America’s collaboration with SJCE, residents can opt into renewable energy even if they cannot put solar panels on a rooftop.”

SJCE launched its Solar Access program in the fall of 2021 to connect these customers with off-site solar energy at a 20% discount on electric generation and delivery charges. Eligible SJCE customers are those that meet certain income qualifications and live in a disadvantaged community designated by the state. These areas are disproportionately impacted by environmental and socioeconomic burdens such as poverty, air pollution or other environmental factors which contribute to asthma.

“SJCE is thrilled that local companies like Renewable America are developing solar energy resources for residents who need it most,” states Lori Mitchell, director of San José’s Community Energy Department, which operates SJCE. “Our transition to a clean energy future can only be considered successful if it includes customers from all socioeconomic backgrounds.”

The Renewable America team is leading project development, financing, construction and ongoing operation of the solar energy facility. This development process focuses on minimizing any environmental damage while producing low-cost renewable energy. For example, the project is planned to include the integration of pollinator-friendly vegetation to benefit the surrounding ecosystem. Furthermore, the project investment is aimed at improving public health, quality of life, and economic opportunity for local residents – including those from disadvantaged communities. At the same time, energy production will offset the need for carbon-based electricity, reducing pollution that causes climate change.

The West Tambo Clean Power project that will serve SJCE is a part of Renewable America’s pipeline of 255 MW of solar energy capacity and 590 MWh of energy storage. The company works closely with multiple Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) like Marin Clean Energy, Redwood Coast Energy Authority and others across California to provide local, affordable renewable energy.

“We are thrilled to partner with CCAs across California to make clean energy affordable and accessible for their members,” adds Arian. “We applaud the City of San José for their leadership in this sustainable initiative.”

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Meyer Burger has signed a binding supply agreement for silicon wafers with the Norwegian manufacturer Norwegian Crystals. The polysilicon used to manufacture the wafers is of European and U.S. origin. Due to Meyer Burger’s proprietary heterojunction/SmartWire technology used in solar cell and solar module production, the wafers can be thinner than those used in mainstream products.

As a result, and due to the primary energy used for the production of the polysilicon and silicon monocrystals (e.g. hydroelectric power from Norway), the European wafers have a particularly low carbon footprint and Meyer Burger’s solar modules now aim to set a new benchmark. The parties are in ongoing discussions about an expansion of the wafer supplies for the coming years and along Meyer Burger’s planned growth. 

“With the delivery of first quantities of wafers from European production, Meyer Burger closes the last gap in the strategic re-establishment of a European supply chain for the production of solar cells and solar modules,” says Daniel Menzel, COO at Meyer Burger. “Nevertheless, Meyer Burger will continue to balance the benefits of global supply chains, but with clear and unambiguous requirements for social, ecological and economic sustainability.”

Meyer Burger has already focused on re-establishing resilient supply chains since its strategy shift in 2020. As part of its global multi-sourcing strategy, the company sources key components, such as solar glass, foils, cell connectors, chemicals and process gases used for solar cell and solar module production already partly in Europe. The company continuously monitors the strategic independence of its supply chains and always adjusts them in such a way that, as far as possible, no undesired dependencies affect the ongoing production process and the planned expansion and growth of the company.

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U.S. electricity generation from renewable sources, such as hydropower, wind and solar, accounted for 20% of electricity generation both in 2020 and in 2021. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects that share to increase to 22% in 2022 and to 24% in 2023 as more generating capacity from wind and solar come online and other generation sources, such as coal and nuclear, are retired.

EIA publishes short-term forecasts for five renewable energy sources: conventional hydropower, wind, solar, biomass and geothermal. They base their forecasts for 2022 annual values on their monthly historical survey data through May and forecasts for June through December.

Forecasts in EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook show how they expect 11 electricity markets in the United States will generate electricity. The two regions with the largest shares of renewable electricity generation during 2021 were the Northwest, where renewables accounted for half of the region’s electricity generation, and California, where renewables accounted for 44% of regional electricity generation. Both of these regions’ hydropower resources were constrained by droughts in 2021, but they still increased their renewable shares of electricity generation.

The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) region has had the most growth in the renewable share of electricity generation over the past decade, largely due to wind generation. In 2013, 13% of the region’s electricity generation came from renewables. That share increased to 40% in 2021, and EIA expects it to rise to 44% in 2022.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, has also increased its renewable share, from 10% in 2013 to 32% in 2022. ERCOT is the only electricity market region where the renewable electricity share has transitioned from less than the U.S. average to more than the U.S. average from 2013 to present. Both SPP and ERCOT have added substantial generating capacity from wind turbines. Earlier this year, output from wind turbines in SPP and ERCOT contributed to wind becoming the second-highest source of electricity generation on a single day (March 29). The share of electricity generation from renewable sources is lowest in three regions along the U.S. East Coast: the PJM Interconnection in the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast (SERC Reliability Corp.), and the Florida Reliability Coordinating Council.

In each of these regions, EIA expects the renewable share of electricity generation to remain below half of the national average through 2023. Natural gas and nuclear sources provide most of the electricity generation in the Southeast and Florida. In PJM, the prevalent generation sources have been natural gas and coal.

Image: “Solar/sky” by Mountain/Ash is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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