| From: Eric | 8/2/2024 3:35:40 PM | | | | | | Aerosols from wildfires slash North American solar production
Throughout July, smoke from wildfires in Canada and the US West Coast significantly impacted irradiance across North America, while Hurricane Beryl and upper atmospheric conditions delivered unstable cloud cover across the central and eastern United States.
August 2, 2024 SOLCAST
Image: Solcast
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From pv magazine Global
Throughout July, smoke from wildfires in Canada and the US West Coast significantly impacted irradiance across North America, while Hurricane Beryl and upper atmospheric conditions delivered unstable cloud cover across the central and eastern United States.
Analysis using the Solcast API shows that the combined effects of reduced clearsky irradiance from smoke-related aerosols and cloud cover led to irradiance levels as low as 80% of long-term July averages along the Gulf Coast, East Coast, and the Midwest. In contrast, stable atmospheric conditions on the West Coast resulted in increased irradiance, extending across the Rockies as far as West Texas.
Whilst the fires raged, atmospheric aerosols have blown east and south, across the continent. Aerosols impact irradiance by scattering and absorbing radiation in the atmosphere, and reduce solar generation even on a day with no clouds. Peak ‘aerosol optical depth’, a measure of the impact of aerosols on irradiance, shows where the aerosol impact was strongest, and that smoke impacted all of the continent.
The below analysis of clearsky irradiance (a measure of irradiance before cloud or other weather phenomena) down up to 20% in some regions of Canada close to the fires, shows the large areas impacted as the smoke spreads through the atmosphere. Whilst in a normal month the impact of clouds and weather is much higher than that of aerosols, the intensity of this impact across July is reflected in the clearsky irradiance and the overall GHI.
In addition to the fires, a strong upper-atmosphere dipole created clear and stable conditions on the West Coast and unstable, cloudy conditions on the East Coast. This led to irradiance levels 10-20% above long-term averages in parts of British Columbia, Washington State, California, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Western Texas. While these clear conditions exacerbated the wildfires, prevailing westerly winds prevented the smoke from significantly impacting these states. Conversely, the same atmospheric conditions led to instability on the East Coast, reducing irradiance in the Carolinas, Virginia, and parts of New England. Hurricane Beryl further affected irradiance, casting a large shadow over the Gulf Coast and South-East early in the month.
Solcast produces these figures by tracking clouds and aerosols at 1-2km resolution globally, using satellite data and proprietary AI/ML algorithms. This data is used to drive irradiance models, enabling Solcast to calculate irradiance at high resolution, with typical bias of less than 2%, and also cloud-tracking forecasts. This data is used by more than 300 companies managing over 150GW of solar assets globally.
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| From: Savant | 8/2/2024 4:48:05 PM | | | | | | Coating magic elevates solar panel power to a 31% efficiency milestone The researchers have developed a strategy for surface passivation that allows the surface defects of the perovskite layer to be smoothed out.
A new coating of special organic molecules can pave the way for a new generation of solar panels, according to the researchers.
According to the researchers, this coating can increase the efficiency of monolithic tandem cells made of silicon and perovskite, while also lowering their cost as they are made of standard silicon wafers.
A Chinese team headed by Prof. Kai Yao carried out the research at Nanchang University, Suzhou Maxwell Technologies, the CNPC Tubular Goods Research Institute (Shaanxi), the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Wuhan University of Technology, and Fudan University (Shanghai).
New coating removes solar panel defects, boosts efficiency to 31% (interestingengineering.com) |
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| From: Sam | 8/5/2024 2:26:57 PM | | | | | | This seems nuts to me. Are they also going to curtail tax credits to other foreign firms that build factories and employ people in the US? E.g., foreign auto makers? Semiconductor firms?
Bill aims to cut 45X tax credits for Chinese solar makers
While the lucrative tax credits has attracted clean energy manufacturers from around the world to build factories in the U.S., the fact that many of the new manufacturing facilities are from Chinese companies has created a controversy that this new bill aims to solve.
August 1, 2024 Anne Fischer
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced the American Tax Dollars for American Solar Manufacturing Act, aiming to prevent Chinese solar module manufacturers from claiming subsidies for their American factories.
The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, offers manufacturing 45 X tax credits for solar components made in America. While the lucrative tax credits have been attracting clean energy manufacturers worldwide to build factories in the U.S., the fact that some of the new manufacturing facilities are from Chinese companies has created a controversy that this new bill aims to solve.
The bill was introduced by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bill Cassidy (D-LA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Rick Scott (D-FL), seeks to protect U.S. solar manufacturing by removing the tax incentives for Chinese companies and from other “foreign entities of interest” would not be able to receive the 45X tax credits.
“By reshoring the solar supply chain, we can bolster solar manufacturing in the U.S. and ensure our country is not dependent on China for a technology that was invented here and accounted for half of our new grid energy additions last year, said Mike Carr, Executive Director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America (SEMA) Coalition.
The Defend Solar USA Alliance also supports the new legislation. The Alliance said in a release that while the 45X tax credit has contributed to the largest investments in factory production in nearly 100 years, it’s estimated that Chinese-controlled companies could collect more than $100 billion in federal tax credits. These credits, the Alliance contends, were “designed to support U.S. clean-energy manufacturers”.
“We shouldn’t be in the business of rewarding China at the expense of our domestic solar industry,” said U.S. Army General John Adams (ret.), and Board Member of the Defend Solar USA Alliance. “The bipartisan bill would ensure that Americans’ taxpayer dollars stay right here at home rather than help subsidize a foreign government’s efforts to put domestic manufacturers out of work. By building a successful domestic solar industry, the U.S. can break from its reliance on foreign energy sources, strengthen our supply chain and reduce our vulnerability to geopolitical conflicts.”
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| From: Eric | 8/5/2024 7:47:49 PM | | | | | | 450 MW of BESS planned for Scottish Highlands in three projects
In the north of Scotland, multiple new BESS projects are under consideration by the local council, two at up to 200 MW, along with a 49.9 MW project.
August 5, 2024 Tristan Rayner
An artist's impression of the proposed Opdenergy BESS in Scotland.
Image: Opdenergy
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From ess-news
The Highland Council, a local government body in northern Scotland that includes the famous Highlands region, is considering several new large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESSs) in the region, which could add as much as 450 MW of storage capacity.
The Highlands are dominated by wind farms and hydroelectric schemes, with proposed BESS projects set to add to additional sustainable infrastructure to the region.
Three main projects from developers are under consideration, with the authority submitting notifications of its plans to its North Planning Applications Committee:
- Near Mey, Caithness: A facility with up to 200MW capacity, located on open, flat land, and developed by Field Rigifa Limited, a subsidiary of Field, a London-based developer.
- Near Garve, Wester Ross: Another facility with up to 200MW capacity, to be located at an existing substation, and developed by Field Corriemollie Ltd, a subsidiary of Field.
- Near Forss, Thurso: A smaller facility with 49.9MW capacity, chosen for its proximity to the Forss Business & Energy Park, and developed by Forss Energy Storage Limited.
No details specifying the energy capacity in MWh were provided.
These projects will serve as part of the council’s broader initiative, announced last year, to explore generating and storing its own power, and would assist in meeting climate change targets set by the Scottish and UK governments. The committee will meet on August 7th to consider the matters.
In recent weeks, renewable energy company Opdenergy also announced an initial proposal to build a 49.9MW BESS in the Highlands, with a planning application to the Highland Council estimated for the end of 2024.
Previously, two massive BESS projects in Scotland were given planning permission, including a 1 GW/2 GWh Rawhills Energy Storage facility in Coalburn, south of Glasgow, and a 500 MW/1,000 MWh Devilla Energy Storage site in Fife, north of Edinburgh.
50 MW threshold change proposed
In much of the UK, energy storage and energy generation projects under 50 MW can be approved by a standard local planning process, while projects above 50 MW are classified as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) and require a more complex consent process. This has seen the clustering of generation and storage projects at 49. 9 MW, under the 50 MW limit.
In England over the past week, NSIP thresholds are currently under review with new proposed thresholds for solar set at 150MW to prevent market distortions. This may eventually lead to changes in Scotland, which has its separate thresholds.
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| From: Eric | 8/5/2024 7:50:20 PM | | | | | | Projects & Applications
Energy storage as a service gets underway near Bondi Beach, Australia
Australian distribution company Ausgrid has delivered its first community battery that can offer energy storage as a service for households, as part of a roll-out of as many as 400 community batteries to deliver between 1 GW to 2 GW of storage.
By
David Carroll
Aug 05, 2024
Distributed
Projects & Applications
A community battery installation in Bondi Beach, Australia, rated at 160 kW / 412 kWh. | Image: Plus ES
Ausgrid has delivered a ninth community battery to residential customers commissioning a 160 kW / 412 kWh battery near Bondi Beach in Sydney, designed to soak up consumer-generated solar and help stabilise the local grid.
The battery is part of the Community Batteries for Household Solar Program run by the Australian government, aiming to store excess solar power generated from residential rooftops, while offering reliability, voltage control, reverse power flows, and energy resilience in the face of natural disasters via localalized batteries.
The Bondi battery, which also includes an electric vehicle charger, is the first from Ausgrid to offer an energy storage as a service (ESaaS) retail plan. Ausgrid Chief Executive Officer Marc England said this marks a “step change” in the evolution of community batteries.
“ESaaS allows multiple eligible customers to use community batteries in a similar way to a household battery but without the upfront costs,” he said.
“It’s a fundamental shift in one of the ways in which we’re engaging customers in this, because what this allows us to do is to pass through to them a lower grid charge for the customers in this area when they engage them in their electricity, and that’s a step change in how this industry works.”
England said enabling customers to store electricity locally reduced their reliability on the wider grid and could also help apply downward pressure on energy prices.
“Eligible customers in the vicinity of Ausgrid’s community batteries use the network less and therefore pay less in network charges, potentially saving them hundreds of dollars per year,” he said.
The company publishes maps of where eligible customers must be located to use each community battery, which depends on how the local distribution network is laid out, with proximity also key.
Ausgrid said the ESaaS retail plan will be offered in collaboration with retailers Energy Australia and Origin under a trial tariff and is available to all eligible residential customers connected to any Ausgrid community battery on an opt-in basis.
“This approach can deliver cost savings for consumers, improve grid reliability, facilitate greater integration of renewable energy and support home electrification,” ? Ausgrid said.
From pv magazine Australia
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| From: Eric | 8/5/2024 8:20:46 PM | | | | | | $500 billion into solar in 2024
The International Energy Agency projects that solar will attract more investment than all other electricity generation sources combined. Global energy spending is set to surpass $3 trillion for the first time this year.
August 5, 2024 John Fitzgerald Weaver
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The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that investment in solar photovoltaics will exceed $500 billion in 2024, surpassing the combined investment in all other electricity generation sources.
According to the World Energy Investment 2024 report from the IEA, total energy spending, including fuels and infrastructure, will exceed $3 trillion for the first time this year. Of that, $2 trillion will be directed toward clean energy technologies.
Clean energy technology investments are rising globally, with China leading the way, but significant increases in spending are evident across all continents. Overall, investment in renewable electricity generation is expected to reach a moderate $770 billion.
The $770 billion figure is considered “moderate” because the precipitous drop in solar panel prices has slowed the dollar increase in solar investment, even as capacity continues to grow rapidly. The chart above shows that more money is going into solar than all other forms of generation combined, reaching $500 billion in 2024.
The IEA notes that in 2023, each dollar invested in wind and solar PV yielded 2.5 times more energy output than a dollar spent on the same technologies a decade ago.
Globally, fossil fuel generation investments are projected to reach $80 billion for new generation facilities, with coal investment falling by 30% and gas decreasing by 8% compared to 2023 levels. The largest portion of the overall $3 trillion will be spent on fuel purchases, nearly $1.1 trillion, with only a small single-digit percentage going to low-emission fuels.
Investment in wind is expected to reach $200 billion, nuclear could touch $80 billion, which is double its 2018 investments. Battery storage is projected to reach $50 billion.
Private household investment in energy doubled from 9% of the total in 2015 to 18% at the end of 2023, driven largely by spending on rooftop solar, building efficiency, and electric vehicles. Since 2016, households have accounted for “40% of the increase in investment in clean energy spending,” which the IEA says is the largest share by far. Advanced economies saw 60% of their growth coming from private decisions, bolstered by strong policy support.
The moderating effect of falling hardware prices for solar panels, energy storage, and, to a lesser extent, wind turbines, has significantly offset the increased cost of capital.
Even with increased capital costs, and while hardware manufacturers face financial challenges, renewable projects themselves are seeing improved profitability. The IEA reports that returns on investment capital increased by one-third in 2023 compared to the previous year, due to the declining costs of hardware. The decrease in solar module prices on its own has lowered the projected levelized cost of electricity for solar power facilities by 5%, with energy storage projects experiencing even greater payback improvements due to their own price collapses.
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| From: Eric | 8/5/2024 9:09:20 PM | | | | | | Goldman Sachs invests $440 million in renewable independent power producer
The strategic investment in BrightNight will support the development of utility, commercial, and industrial solar and energy storage projects.
August 5, 2024 Ryan Kennedy
The Mount Signal solar facility, developed by BrightNight, LLC and 8minute Solar Energy.
Image: 8minute Solar Energy
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Goldman Sachs announced it has invested $440 million under its Alternatives fund in BrightNight, a renewable power company providing solutions to utility, commercial, and industrial customers.
BofA Securities, Inc. and PJT Partners acted as financial advisors to BrightNight. Jefferies LLC acted as sole financial advisor and Weil, Gotshal & Manges served as legal counsel to Goldman Sachs Alternatives. The transaction is expected to close this September.
The funds are expected to help BrightNight advance its five-year business plan and execute a 31 GW renewable power portfolio. A proprietary AI software program, PowerAlpha is used to support the management of the company’s portfolio.
“We have quickly established a large and differentiated portfolio in high-demand growth markets seeking decarbonizing renewable energy solutions to meet growing load and reliability needs,” said BrightNight chairman and chief executive officer Martin Hermann.
Goldman Sachs said the two entities share a joint ambition to build a leading renewable independent power producer (IPP). The investor said it will provide long-term capital backing and leverage relationships in the sector to support BrightNight.
“Demand for renewable energy continues to benefit from strong secular energy transition tailwinds, including substantial corporate decarbonization goals and both federal and state-level policy support,” said Teresa Mattamouros, managing director in Infrastructure at Goldman Sachs Alternatives. “We have been impressed by BrightNight’s unique development approach, focusing on markets with attractive commercial dynamics and targeting high-value interconnection positions.”
Along with Goldman Sachs, investor Global Infrastructure Partners will continue its existing capital commitments to fund construction equity needs and will also maintain its minority equity interests.
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| From: Eric | 8/6/2024 3:40:08 PM | | | | | | 
Image credit: Ember
Renewables Displace Fossil Fuels On EU Electrical Grid — Ember Report
4 hours ago
Steve Hanley 7 Comments
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Ember is a nonprofit based in Europe with a mission to promote a safe climate powered by clean electricity. In a report dated July 30, 2024, it celebrates a milestone for the European Union electrical grid. In the introduction to the report, Ember said, “Fossil generation continues to fall in the EU, even as demand rebounds. Wind and solar rise to new highs, reaching a share of 30% of EU electricity generation and overtaking fossil fuels for the first time.” The achievement has been ?“a long time coming,” said Euan Graham, electricity and data analyst at Ember and primary author of the report.
While renewable energy has been growing steadily in the EU for years, that trend kicked into overdrive when Russia invaded Ukraine and disrupted the region’s supply of fossil gas. Energy prices climbed so high following the invasion that electricity demand in the region fell in 2022 and 2023. That pullback hurt fossil fuel generation most of all.
Demand is rebounding this year, rising by 0.7% over the first six months, Canary Media reports, and yet fossil fuel generation has continued to fall. Coal generation dropped by 24% and methane by 14% compared to the same period last year. It’s the first time gas and coal generation have declined in the EU without energy demand also trending downward, the report notes.
The EU’s shift toward solar and wind is also due in part to recently passed permitting reforms which have allowed renewables to be built and brought online much faster. ?“That was the main bottleneck for deploying renewables a few years ago, and it’s in the process of being solved,” said Chris Wright, climate strategy advisor at Ember.
Ember Charts The Rise Of Renewables
In the first half of the year, solar generation expanded by 20% compared to the first half of 2023, while wind generation ticked up by 9.5%, according to Ember. Hydro power also grew by 21%, and combined with solar and wind, the three renewable sources generated half of the EU’s electricity during the period — a jump from the record set last year of 44%.
Emissions from the power sector have declined in turn, falling by nearly one third compared to the first half of 2022 — an even larger decline than during the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the progress, the report emphasizes that plenty of barriers — such as grid capacity constraints — must be overcome to allow renewables to grow fast enough to deal with the climate crisis.
Ember predicts solar and wind will continue their momentum in the coming months. Nearly 62 gigawatts of solar capacity and 16 gigawatts of wind capacity are expected to be installed in the EU this year, according to forecasts from SolarPower Europe and Wind Europe, setting the two power sources up to continue to exceed fossil fuel generation through at least the first half of 2025. In other words, ?“It’s very likely that that is a kind of permanent shift in the EU’s electricity mix,” Graham said.
The Ember report says the first half of 2024 shows that the EU’s electricity transition is in full swing, as wind and solar grew fast enough to outpace demand growth and push fossil fuels out of the mix. The EU’s swift action to reduce dependency on fossil fuels was evident as new wind and solar capacity came online, marking a permanent structural change. However, sustaining the EU’s electricity transition at this pace will require dedicated policy focus to ease barriers to wind and solar integration. Adequate support on grid connections and other enablers of swift development will be needed to ensure that economic, security and climate benefits are delivered across Europe.
Fossil Generation Plummets  Image credit: Ember
The first half of the year shows fossil generation’s narrowing role in the power sector and gains for renewables that are beyond temporary variations in conditions, the report continues. “We are witnessing a historic shift and it is happening rapidly. If Member States can keep up momentum on wind and solar deployment then freedom from fossil power reliance will truly start to come into view,” says Chris Rosslowe, a senior energy and climate data analyst at Ember.
Coal generation dropped steeply, the Ember report shows, with a 24% fall compared to the same period last year (-39 TWh). This was more than half of the 71 TWh fall in fossil generation. Methane gas generation fell by 14% (-29 TWh). This follows sizeable falls in the previous year: in the first six months of 2023, coal fell by 21% (-45 TWh) and methane gas by 16% (-39 TWh). Over 75% of the fall in fossil generation came from just five Member States, driven by the EU’s largest power sectors. The largest decline was in Germany, where fossil generation fell by 19 TWh (-16%). Coal supplied 20% of Germany’s electricity in the first half of 2024, down from 26% in the same period in 2023.
Weather played a role in reducing the demand for electricity in the EU this winter. Demand likely would have risen further if not for a warmer than average winter in many EU countries, which lowered electricity demand for heating. Without the impact of mild winter weather, demand would have increased by an estimated 2.1%, aligning with the IEA’s forecast that EU electricity demand will increase by an average of 2.3% per year between 2024 and 2026.
Across the EU, solar generation increased by 21% (+25 TWh) compared to the first six months of 2023, while wind generation rose by 9% (+20 TWh). Almost half of the growth in wind generation came from just two countries –Germany (+5.5TWh, +8.4%) and the Netherlands (+4.6 TWh, +35%). The growth in solar is more widespread, with strong capacity additions leading to large generation increases across the EU, including in Germany (+4.5 TWh, +14%), Spain (+2.7 TWh, +13%), Italy (+2.6 TWh, +17%) and Poland (+2.4 TWh, +37%). Relative growth was even faster in other countries with Hungary’s solar generation increasing 49% (+1.5 TWh) in the first half of 2024 as compared to the same period in 2023.
The Ember report points out that nuclear power generation increased during the first half of 2024 in France, where some nuclear facilities that had been taken offline for maintenance and repairs were reactivated. That was offset somewhat by Germany’s decision to shutter the last of its nuclear generating facilities at the end of 2023. Overall, the share of electricity from nuclear sources increased compared to the same period in 2023.
Hydro power also increased in the first half of 2024. After years impacted by severe drought, Europe experienced higher than average rainfall in the first half of 2024. As a result, hydro generation rebounded by 21% (+33 TWh) to reach the highest output since 2018. Some Member States saw particularly large upticks in hydro output. Italy increased by 56% (+8.5 TWh), France by 35% (+9.3 TWh), Spain by 54% (+6.9 TWh) and Portugal by 69% (+3.5 TWh). Overall, hydro generation was 15% higher in the EU than the average generation in January-June over the
last 5 years.
EU Emissions From Electricity Generation Tumble
As fossil fuels fell and wind and solar continued to grow, power sector emissions dropped by 17% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year. This follows a similarly large fall of 18% between January and June of 2023. As a result, emissions in the first half of the year are now nearly a third (-31%) lower than in the first half of 2022, an unprecedented decline over such a short period. This decline is even larger than the fall seen over the same periods in 2020 and 2018, which reflected the impact on demand from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Compared to the first half of 2017, emissions from the EU power sector are now down 44%. That is an enormous reduction that speaks to the power of renewables to address the continuing challenges posed by an overheating planet.
The Takeaway
More electricity from renewables and less from fossil fuels is always welcome news. But as the Ember report points out, the transformation of the EU’s electricity system has been swift over recent years. The first half of 2024 in particular has seen almost unprecedented falls in fossil generation despite demand growing. Renewable energy has played a vital role in alleviating high power prices in the EU, but sustaining the pace of this transition will not be an easy feat. It will require dedicated policy action and implementation to ease barriers to future wind and solar deployment.
In other words, the job is not over and probably never will be until all electricity on Earth is made from renewable energy resources. That’s a scenario that sends a chill wind through the C Suites of fossil fuel companies, but it is absolutely essential if humans are to continue inhabiting the Earth for decades, centuries, and millennia to come.
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| From: Eric | 8/7/2024 1:33:20 PM | | | | | | The windfall contract that will underpin the cost of building Australia’s biggest battery project
First stage of Neoen’s Collie battery under construction. Image: Neoen.
Giles Parkinson
Aug 7, 2024
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Details have emerged of the windfall capacity contract that will underpin Australia’s biggest battery storage project, the Collie battery being built by France’s Neoen near a soon-to-be-shuttered coal fired power plant in Western Australia.
Neoen has proven to be the most successful renewable and storage developer in Australia, largely because of its unmatched ability to win key tenders and contracts offered by state governments and the Australian Energy Market Operator over the last decade.
In April, Neoen revealed its latest success was in a W.A. tender designed to help absorb and store the state’s excess solar in the middle of the day and feed it back into the grid in the evening peaks when it is needed most.
AEMO has recently released the details of that tender result, which shows that Neoen will be paid $591,000 per megawatt per year for the 300 megawatts (MW) of battery capacity subject to the contract.
That translates into $177 million a year. The contract, issued under the NCESS program designed to flatten the state’s solar duck, will last for just two years, but the $354 million Neoen will pocket from the contract will be sufficient to meet a significant part of the capital costs.
The Collie battery will be built over two stages and will be sized at a total of 560 MW and 2,240 MWh, making it the biggest in the country, ahead of a nearby 500 MW, 2000 MWh battery being built by Synergy, and the 275 MW, 2200 MWh Richmond Valley to be built by Ark Energy in NSW.
The first 219 MW, 867 MWh stage of Neoen’s Collie battery was one of at least three battery projects contracted last year to help flatten the solar duck, and which caused a big boost to the company’s forecast revenues and profits for fiscal year 2025.
The second stage, to be sized at 341 MW and 1363 MWh – bigger than the contracted amount – will receive the NCESS capacity payments from October 1, 2025 to October, 2027, and have not yet been reflected in the company’s revenue and profit forecasts.
Neoen has contracted Tesla to supply its Megapack battery product for both the Collie battery stages, and will likely represent a contract worth at least $1.2 billion, based on recent advertised Tesla Megapack prices. Total construction costs will be higher than that.
Together, the two Collie batteries owned by Neoen and Synergy will be able to provide up to 40 per cent of the average demand in the SWIS, and will play a key role – along with other batteries at Kwinana and Wagerup – in soaking up excess solar in the middle of the day, and discharging into the evening peaks.
And Neoen’s Collie battery may get even bigger. It has development approval for a total of 1,000 MW and 4,000 MWh of battery storage, and Neoen will surely have its eyes set – as will others – on a new storage tender in W.A. launched under the guise of the federal government’s Capacity Investment Scheme.
That tender, initially sized at 500 MW and 2,000 MWh, could be expanded, depending on the market response and offer.
Neoen’s multiple wins in government and AEMO tenders include the three stages of the Hornsdale wind farms in South Australia through the ACT government, and with the Hornsdale battery, the Victoria Big Battery and the Capital battery (again through the ACT).
It is also building the Western Downs battery next to the newly completed 400 MW solar farm of the same name in Queensland, and is building the Blyth battery in South Australia, which will help provide a “baseload renewables” contract to BHP’s giant Olympic Dam mine.
Blyth will be delivering that contract with the Goyder South wind farm, which will be the biggest in South Australia and which was another winner of a long term power deal with the ACT government.
“It’s a market in which there is no guaranteed profitability,” Neoen CEO Xavier Barbaro said at a recent analyst briefing when asked about the company’s success. “You still have to be creative to reinvent yourself.”
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