AS Published on Monday 5 July 2021 - n° 369 - Categories:Thread of the Week
Le Fil de la Semaine n°369 of 5 July
FRANCE
A conversion that does not go unnoticed
Known for his stance in favour of centralised energy and a uniform price throughout France, the president of the Commission de Régulation de l'Energie has made a welcome change of heart. He advocates the development of renewable energies, a certain disengagement of the State in favour of private negotiations of energy supply contracts. While he seemed intractable and fixed on the principles of the Republic, he is now in favour of renewable energies!
The CRE wants to see increased development of renewable energy and the use of PPAs
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PHOTOVOLTAIC IN THE WORLD :
New figures confirm the interest of RE over other fuels
Almost half of the world's population benefits from renewable energy that is cheaper than fossil fuels. And that's by 2020. Only the rising price of silicon will have an effect on the price of panels. This effect will be limited on the price of new renewable energy generators. They will remain more attractive than natural gas power plants.
BloombergNEF's study on panels
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Pressure from environmentalists is constant, with new demands every year to raise targets in the name of climate change
The European Commission is preparing to strengthen targets for the contribution of renewables to the national energy mix, tighten greenhouse gas emission reductions, and raise the price of carbon to force polluting users to change their behaviour. Until now, raising the targets had no consequences. With the indictment of states that are not doing enough for the climate, raising the targets becomes perilous! Unless the price of carbon suits everyone!
New EU directives for renewable electricity and green hydrogen
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STORAGE :
Can we use the principle of hydroelectricity when we are near a sea or a lake by using the Archimedes principle?
We know the storage by raising a liquid on a mountain which, by releasing this liquid, creates electricity. This is the principle of hydroelectricity. Energy is obtained when it is needed.
How can this principle be applied to places without mountains? To islands? To shores? By using the pressure of the water on any body that is sunken (Archimedes' principle). It would be enough to use the excess energy to sink a body into the water to a depth of 300 metres so that the energy used is returned when needed. This energy conservation lasts much longer than the four-hour backup of a lithium battery.
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HYDROGEN :
Hydrogen is non-polluting, but it will only be available in the long term and if the cost of energy is low enough. The other is available now but emits greenhouse gases. They do not have the same time frame. They can also coexist by mixing hydrogen in natural gas pipelines, or when the start-up of hydrogen production is too small and still unprofitable. Natural gas pipelines will be gradually adapted to hydrogen ...
Is it better to rely on green hydrogen or liquefied natural gas?
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PHOTOVOLTAIC MANUFACTURERS:
The widespread presentation of N-type panels at the SNEC show is encouraging professionals to bet on this technology
It was enough that the progress in the efficiency of P-type cells seemed to have reached a plateau for the design offices to start analysing the potential of N-type technology. They presented panels with these cells at the SNEC trade fair. As the whole industry presented such panels, each manufacturer is obliged to push the technology and offer N-type panels to customers. Since the obstacle was the low production levels, which did not allow the cost of manufacturing to be amortised, the almost widespread adoption of N cells in the industry will make it possible to increase production rates and reduce the cost of specialised equipment. The movement has begun. The machines will be ordered in 2021 and 2022, and production will start on a large scale. The end of P-cell production is now in sight.
The rate of adoption of N-cells will be faster than previously thought
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While panel efficiencies are only increasing by a few tenths, the announcement of panels with significantly higher efficiencies makes one dream
As if to prepare for the future or to entice users, many manufacturers announce cells with 30% efficiency. However, it often takes ten years or so between the announcement and the market launch. In the meantime, these efficiencies make people dream and give them hope that the increase in efficiency will be regular and sustainable.
Several companies are announcing high efficiency cells:
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JinkoSolar has information that the public does not have. For the company, the situation is difficult and the future uncertain
The company has been under media pressure over the past few days, splitting its announcements into pieces as if to prepare the public for a very bad second quarter financial result. For the first time in many years, the company is planning not to install all the production facilities announced
JinkoSolar lowers capacity expansion plans for 2021
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MISCELLANEOUS:
For the first time in 2020, there were more TWh of RE in Europe than TWh from fossil fuels
For the past 15 years, the direction of renewable energy production has been steadily increasing; at the same time, energy production from fossil fuels has been decreasing due to the decommissioning of coal and oil-fired power plants. At some point, the curves must cross. This happened in 2020 in Europe. Is this movement only due to this long-term trend or to the effects of the pandemic, which reduced energy consumption from fossil fuels?
For the first time in Europe, RE production has exceeded fossil fuel production
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