The research company BloombergNEF (BNEF) opened a recent article with the following sentences: “Solar PV and onshore wind are now the cheapest sources of new-build generation for at least two-thirds of the global population.” And they continued in the same paragraph: “Battery storage is now the cheapest new-build technology for peaking purposes (up to two-hours of discharge duration) in gas-importing regions, like Europe, China or Japan.”.
Reading BNEF’s research it confirmed our own views that a major structural change in our energy system is happening. The International Energy Agency (IEA) in a separate article not only emphasised the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic has created the largest shock to the global energy system in more than seven decades, but is also observing a major shift towards low-carbon sources of electricity. IEA states in a recent message: “low-carbon sources are set to extend their lead this year to reach 40% of global electricity generation”.
Affordable battery storage will significantly enhance the integration of decentralised sustainable energy generation on a large scale, providing nice benefits to individual households and businesses.
Very interesting reports and news facts and hence we recommend you to read the following:
In an article published today, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) states:
“In 2019, electricity production from renewable sources amounted to 21.8 billion kilowatt hours (kWh), in 2018 this was 18.5 billion kWh. Windmills had the largest share of this, at 49 percent, but this has fallen compared to 2018 (54 percent). Biomass accounted for 26 percent, solar power for 24 percent of renewable energy production. Renewable electricity production accounted for 18 percent of electricity consumption in the Netherlands in 2019, compared to 15 percent in 2018. ”
CBS further concludes:
“40 percent more solar power through more solar panels. The production of electricity with solar panels increased from 3.7 billion kWh in 2018 to 5.2 billion kWh in 2019. That is an increase of more than 40 percent, which is directly related to the increase in the installed capacity of solar panels. The total capacity of solar panels grew by approximately 2 400 megawatts in 2019, and is estimated at 6 900 megawatts. The largest part of this increase (70 percent, or 1 700 megawatt) is due to new, large installations on roofs of buildings and on the ground. ”
On Friday, October 25, an event was held in Groningen (NL) with the theme “Doing Things Together”. The event was organised by the new Energy Commons Institute, and was hosted by the Centre for Vocational Training “Leerbouwen”. More than 150 attendees saw different organisations sharing their knowledge and experiences, in interactive sessions, with respect to sustainable solutions in the build environment.
NB. Leerbouwen has been established for people with and without distance to the labour market. In close cooperation with the business community, municipalities, UWV, Werk in Zicht and employment agencies, they provide customised training courses.
According to IEA, energy storage deployment reached a record level in 2018, nearly doubling from 2017. Read more ….
Year 2018 was another record-breaking year for global electric car sales (1.98 million), raising total global stock to 5.12 million, according to IEA analyses. Sales increased 68% in 2018…. Read more ….
A very interesting Energy Technology RD&D Budget Database by the IEA allows users to track trends in spending by energy technologies in IEA countries back to 1977. Read more …..
According to Dutch CBS: Natural gas revenues from gas extraction in NL amount to nearly 417 billion euros. Read more ….
According to Dutch CBS: in 2018, renewable energy sources accounted for 7.4 percent of total Dutch energy consumption, up from 6.6 percent one year previously.
Solar energy consumption (for electricity and heat) increased by 40 percent. The use of energy from wind only increased by 4 percent (mainly due to onshore wind capacity). Read more ….
IEA mentions: “The use of competitive auctions has accelerated cost reductions for renewable technologies, such as solar PV, onshore wind and offshore wind, establishing price benchmarks that are recognised worldwide. However, these prices cannot be consistently followed, as each country and technology has different resource potentials, financing conditions and auction designs”.
In her article, the IEA further states: “overall trends show that recent bid prices for onshore wind and solar PV technologies for projects to be commissioned by 2023 range from USD 20 per megawatt hour (MWh) to USD 50/MWh. This corresponds to a 45-50% reduction in contract price for both technologies from 2017 to 2022/23; for offshore wind, the decline is almost two-thirds. It must be noted, however, that these auction prices are based on just a small portion of the total capacity to be commissioned under competitively determined remuneration schemes in the main-case forecast, so average prices may change with the announcement of new auctions. In addition, announced contract prices need to be verified as project delivery schedules and final costs may differ.”
According to ING analysts: with the transition to a low carbon economy, wind and solar investments could total USD 13 trillion up to 2050 as power demand doubles. Read more ….
Dutch Climate agreement | 1 billion extra investments needed in the electricity grid for solar energy in the Northern part of the Netherlands An article in Solar magazine, with the above-mentioned “headline”, published March 13, 2019, does something to us.
QUOTE “If the growth of solar energy continues, an extra 1 billion must be invested in the electricity grid in the north of the Netherlands to connect solar panels. This is apparent from the calculation of the Climate Agreement.
The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) and the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) conclude this in the report “Effects of draft Climate Agreement”. This report contains the calculation of the effects of the Draft Climate Agreement that was presented in December. The network costs have been mapped by TenneT and the 3 largest regional network operators Stedin, Enexis and Liander. This is based on assumptions about the interpretation of the production of renewable energy and the development of demand that are aligned with the PBL. “It has been taken into account that extra investments of around 1 billion euros in the high-voltage network are required if solar PV in the Northern Netherlands grows to a capacity of 3 to 4 gigawatts,” the PBL writes. “From 3 to 4 gigawatt peak solar PV in the Northern Netherlands, extra transport capacity is needed on the extra high-voltage network (EHS), which means that investments will be around 1 billion euros higher.” UNQUOTE
It has been known for quite some time that we need to increase our investments in our infrastructure. The writer of this blog who, as former director/CEO of KEMA and former CEO of Ecofys, has quite some knowledge of these subjects, wonders why our joint predictive capacity has not resulted in timely actions. We have the knowledge and therefore must be able as a society to choose and implement smart solutions in time.
On the other hand, this issue gives room for great alternatives, such as Storage! After all, flexibility and therefore storage is essential in the energy transition. For that reason, a related company, EnShared, is a member of the Flexiblepower Alliance Network.
NVDE: ECN study: Climate agreement can create more than 70,000 jobs
Interesting article; read more …..
CPB: Calculation of draft Climate Agreement
The recent calculation of the draft Climate Agreement by the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) shows the implications of the existing climate policy and the various plans that the government wants to take towards 2030.
According to the calculation, the desired CO2 reduction will not be achieved with the existing plans, the industry is lagging behind in climate terms and especially the low income groups are affected in their wallets. The Cabinet responded by announcing that the energy tax increase will be reversed from 2020 and by establishing a (yet to be determined) “CO2 tax” for companies. Read more ….
![GWEC [April 3, 2019]: Global Wind Report forecasts over 300 GW capacity to be added in next 5 years](https://www.aarten-es.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/MA_ENG-670x300.jpg "GWEC [April 3, 2019]: Global Wind Report forecasts over 300 GW capacity to be added in next 5 years")
