Australia’s electricity operator has warned of a shortfall in generation and reduced power reserves on the horizon.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has called for further investment in the country’s energy portfolio as retiring coal plants are replaced by intermittent renewables, leaving the grid with less back-up capacity.

AEMO has said this increases the chances of supply interruption and load shedding.

It added the federal government should target 1GW of strategic reserves in the states most at risk – Victoria and South Australia.

CEO of the Clean Energy Council, Kane Thornton, said the shortfall in generation was due a decade of indecisiveness and debate leading to a “policy vacuum”.

He added: “The AEMO report revealed that the new projects added to the system under the renewable energy target will help to improve reliability over the next few years.

“We need to accept that the energy system is in transition and long term policy is now essential to ensure private investment in the most efficient new energy technology and solutions.”

Waste toilet paper could be used to generate low carbon energy at a similar cost to residential solar power.

That’s according to researchers from the University of Amsterdam, who say the novel method of generation could simultaneously tackle the problems of overflowing landfills and dependency on fossil fuels.

On average, each European citizens produce up to 14 kilogrammes of the potential feedstock each year.

Waste toilet paper is a rich source of carbon, made up of around 80% cellulose – this cellulose is turned into a green gas which is then converted to power using fuel cells.

Researchers call it the “ultimate waste recycling concept” as people pay to have it taken away and it is a continually available resource, unlike intermittent renewables.

Digitising coal and gas-fired power plants could cut operating costs by 27% and slash global emissions from power generation by 5% before 2025.

That’s according to a new report from technology and consultancy firm Capgemini, which suggests increased digital investments by power plant owners will create significant generation efficiency gains.

Over the past five years, the 200 global utilities surveyed have invested an average of $330 million (£243m) in digitising their power plants – continued investments will see one in five power plants going fully digital by 2025.

By that time, individual plants are expected to save an average of $21 million (£15.5m) each year.

As the price of renewable energy continues to fall, these savings will enable organisations with gas and coal-fired plants to remain competitive and make them better equipped to keep up with clean power targets.

Perry Stoneman, Global Head of the Energy & Utilities sector at Capgemini, said: “Firms which choose to embrace the digital future of power production now will gain a greater competitive advantage, lower production costs and boost their brand reputation.”

Implementing new emissions rules proposed by the EU could have significant unintended consequences for the global transition to a clean energy system.

That’s according to a new report from industry group EURELECTRIC, which has looked into the effects of limiting pollution from generators participating in capacity mechanisms.

The EU law would block electricity producers whose carbon discharges exceed 550 of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour, a level that would exclude coal from the system.

The group claims this could backfire and risk making decarbonisation significantly more expensive.

It adds the intended green effects of this measure will be negligible as the electricity sector’s emissions are already capped under the Emissions Trading System.

It claims the move would force existing plants into early retirement – these plants would then need to be replaced by new conventional power facilities to provide essential baseload.

This could lead to additional costs of up to €50 billion (£44bn) between 2020 and 2040 and would lock countries into more polluting forms of energy, for example a 40% increase in gas consumption in the power sector.

The report warns this would divert investments worth €20 billion (17.6bn) away from renewables and other clean technologies.

An energy networks group has launched its first consultation to accelerate and improve low carbon innovations.

The Energy Networks Association (ENA) says businesses managing such systems need to evolve so new technologies such as renewable generation, electric vehicles and battery storage units can be delivered.

The group suggests input from the widest range of stakeholders is crucial to developing successful innovation strategies and to identify and successfully address all of the issues and uncertainty.

The first step of the consultation seeks views on these challenges facing the networks, as identified by companies.

The ENA claims in recent years, the UK has established itself as a world leader in smart grid technology through the innovation projects led by network operators.

David Smith, CEO at ENA, said: “Continued support for innovation across the electricity and gas networks is vital to building on the success already seen in encouraging network companies to bring forward innovative projects and embed a culture of innovation within their organisations.

“This has already led to significant advances in the application of new technologies and techniques and delivered significant benefits for current and future consumers.”

A new load sharing device being trialled in the UK could save customers up to £8 million and free up around 95MW of additional network capacity.

That’s according to UK Power Networks (UKPN), which says it could be used to allow more renewable energy to feed into local electricity grids.

Known as Power Guardian, the tool could help power more than 45,000 homes without the need to build any additional cables and substations or dig up any roads.

The device will be trialled on a circuit near Colchester where three overhead lines run between two substations.

One line is shorter than the other two which means it currently carries more load, while the other two lines have a reasonable amount of spare capacity.

The £2.4 million project will enable the power flowing across the three lines to be balanced.

Ian Cameron, Head of Innovation at UK Power Networks said: “The connection of distributed generation is vital as we move towards a low carbon economy.

“This project will trial innovative solutions to ensure we make the best use of our infrastructure.”

Solar capacity increased by 50% in 2016, faster than the growth of any other energy source.

China accounted for almost half of this expansion, according to new statistics from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The organisation says China’s renewable growth is largely driven by concerns about air pollution and ambitious capacity targets.

Boosted by the strong solar market, renewables made up almost two-thirds of new power capacity around the world last year, with almost 165GW coming online.

By 2022, renewable electricity capacity is expected to increase by a further 43%, with generation reaching more than 8,000 terawatt hours – equivalent to the total power consumption of China, India and Germany combined.

Dr Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the IEA, said: “We see renewables growing by about 1,000 GW by 2022, which equals about half of the current global capacity in coal power, which took 80 years to build.

“What we are witnessing is the birth of a new era in solar. We expect that solar capacity growth will be higher than any other renewable technology through 2022.”

A Dutch solar manufacturer claims it has become the first to offer a kilowatt hours (kWh) performance guarantee of its energy systems.

Autarco is promising its customers cash compensation at a predetermined price per kWh if the electricity generated by its panels doesn’t match up to expectations.

The firm says it is offering the service because it believes its components, software and monitoring solutions significantly reduce the risk of underperformance.

Installers use the firm’s software to find the best location for panels and work out how much energy can be generated.

After the installation and registration of the equipment, Autarco monitors performance from a distance to ensure it matches forecasts.

The guarantee is backed by insurer Lloyd’s of London, which said: “We have carried out rigid tests on all technology of Autarco in other to be absolutely certain that all risks are well covered by them.

“It is a unique insurance, which we could not issue until now, since no other market player has been able to do this.”

Outdated policies are blocking development of onshore wind, the cheapest new electricity generation technology in Britain.

That’s the claim from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), which suggests this could result in £1 billion of knock-on impacts over the next five years for consumer bills, climate change goals and businesses.

The organisation suggests electricity from 1GW of new onshore wind farms would cost £30 million per year less than obtaining the same power from new offshore wind and £100 million less than from new nuclear or biomass facilities.

The report finds Britain is set to fall to bottom place amongst comparable EU nations in terms of wind farm efficiency without investments in new technology.

Richard Black, Director of the ECIU, said: “The effective ban on the cheapest form of new power generation looks increasingly perverse.

“For a government committed to making energy cheaper, this risks not only locking people into higher bills but also runs contrary to its aim of having the lowest energy costs in Europe.”

The US wind industry is booming, with a record 29.6GW under construction and in advanced development as of the end of this year’s third quarter.

That’s according to a new report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), which suggests the renewable technology is increasingly winning the business of major utilities and big brands, which see it as an affordable, clean and reliable form of generation.

Wind power’s year-over-year construction and advanced development activity in the US is up 27% in 2017.

Utility-owned projects include American Electric Power’s 2GW Wind Catcher project in Oklahoma, Alliant Energy’s 500MW New Wind II project in Iowa and Xcel Energy’s 300MW Dakota Range projects.

Fortune 500 companies such as Target and General Motors are also driving demand – the report suggests they believe the low, stable price of wind makes business sense and can help cost-effectively meet sustainability goals.

Tom Kiernan, the CEO of AWEA, said: “Wind power’s value to investors, utilities and corporate purchasers is clear: fixed-cost clean energy at competitive prices.

“The high level of wind under construction and in advanced development shows we are on track to deliver 10% of America’s electricity by 2020, along with $85 billion (£64.5bn) in economic activity and 50,000 new jobs.”

Scotland is on track for a record year of renewable generation.

Its clean output in the first three quarters of 2017 was 19% greater than the same period in 2016 and 10% greater than in 2015, which is the previous record year.

Clean power delivered the equivalent of 54% of Scotland’s gross electricity consumption in 2016 and accounted for a record 42.9% of total Scottish electricity generation.

The nation generated nearly a quarter of the UK’s renewable electricity in 2016 and continued to be a strong net exporter of power.

Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “A low carbon economy is not just a practical way forward and renewable energy affects a very large share of our greenhouse gas emissions but Scotland’s clean, green energy resources are now playing an increasingly crucial role in the security of Scotland’s energy supply.”

Earlier this week Scotland set a target to produce at least half of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.

Armenia is hoping to reduce its energy dependence on Russia by tapping into solar energy.

A new policy paper released by the country’s government suggests with few fossil fuel resources available and its one nuclear power plant nearing the end of its operational life, Armenia is banking on renewables to reduce its dependence on Russia, which accounts for nearly 83% of gas imports.

Ministers say solar is particularly suitable because the country is much sunnier than most of Europe.

The report claims within four years, up to 8% of the country’s energy needs will be provided by renewables and estimates potential solar capacity alone at up to 3,000MW.

This would be enough to meet domestic demand and could even make the nation a net exporter of electricity.

So far, three solar power plants with capacity of 1MW each have been built, with seven more due to be put into place across the country by the end of 2018.

Renewable energy provided a third of Germany’s electricity this year.

That’s according to the Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), which has published its preliminary calculations for 2017.

Clean power’s proportion of the mix, up from 29% in 2016, is partially due to wind energy becoming the third largest electricity source, surpassing natural gas and nuclear energy.

The BDEW says the share of coal in the country’s electricity generation mix fell from 40.3% in 2016 to 37% in 2017 as six coal-fired power plants were shut down.

However, it warned if policymakers do not invest drastically in renewable generation and low-emission natural gas plants, the phasing out of coal and lignite power plants will create a shortage of available energy in 2023.

Stefan Kapferer, Chairman of the BDEW, said: “The figures show impressively that there is already an accelerated shift in power generation from carbon dioxide-intensive to low-carbon and almost carbon dioxide-free energy sources.”

“The energy industry is clearly on course with regard to energy and climate targets: our industry is able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40% by 2020 compared to 1990.”

More than 36% of Germany’s gross electricity consumption in 2017 is expected to have come from renewables.

That’s according to the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the German Federal Association of Energy and Water Management (BDEW), which estimates clean sources generated nearly 217 billion kWh over the year.

This is a significant improvement on 2016, when renewable sources delivered 188 billion kWh, covering 31.6% of consumption.

Offshore wind power is expected to see a year-on-year increase of 49% to 18.3 billion kWh, with onshore wind likely to see a 31% year-on-year increase, up from 66.3 billion kWh in 2016.

Onshore wind accounts for more than 40% of the electricity generated by renewables over the period.

Biomass comes in second with close to 24% of the clean mix, followed by solar at around 18%.

Stefan Kapferer, Chairman of BDEW’s General Executive Management Board, said: “Renewables have already surpassed the federal government’s target for 2020, which calls for their share of gross electricity consumption to arrive at 35%. That is good news for climate protection.”

Amazon has installed a 965kW solar system on the rooftop of its new logistics centre in Italy.

Developer Enerray says the clean electricity produced at the site in Passo Corese will be used to power the facility’s operations, delivering an annual rate of return over 20 years of 11.4% for a discounted net value of around €8.3 million (£7.3m).

The array is made up of 3,200 solar modules, with all of its energy to be consumed onsite.

It is expected to deliver a return on investment in only 5.5 years.

Enerray says the building’s multi-level structure is well suited to the deployment of solar panels, allowing for high levels of generation.

Michele Scandellari, CEO of Seci Energia, Enerray’s parent company, said: “It’s an important acknowledgment of Italian professionalism and of our company in the photovoltaic sector.

“The logistics center located in Rieti province is the result of massive investments in innovation and technology made by this global e-commerce giant and we are so proud to be seen as the Italian company up to this challenging task.”

Egypt plans to add 20GW of electrical generation capacity to its grid in the next two years.

Media reports from national news suggest the total capacity of conventional power plants in the country now totals 37.9GW, in addition to 890MW of renewable energy.

By 2020, the plan is expected to add 20.1GW to the country’s energy capacity, to reach a total of 58.GW.

Around 34.4GW of this will come from high-efficiency combined cycle stations.

As much as 7GW of wind power is also expected to be added by 2022, as well as 2.8GW from solar power plants.

It is expected that starting from the next financial year, network loads will be covered mainly by the combined cycle stations, hydropower and renewable energy, resulting in 20% fuel savings.

A boom in Chinese solar energy led global clean energy investments across 2017.

That’s the verdict from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), which says this jump over-shadowed other shifts, such as rising investment in Australia and Mexico and declines in Japan, the UK and Germany.

The total figure reached $333.5 billion (£241.4bn) last year, up 3% from 2016 and only 7% short of the record figure of $360.3 billion (£261bn) reached in 2015.

Solar investment globally amounted to $160.8 billion (£117bn), up 18% on the previous year.

More than half of this amount was spent in China, to install an estimated 53GW of PV capacity, up from 30GW in 2016.

Jon Moore, Chief Executive of BNEF, said: “The 2017 total is all the more remarkable when you consider that capital costs for the leading technology – solar – continue to fall sharply.

“Typical utility-scale PV systems were about 25% cheaper per megawatt last year than they were two years earlier.”

 
British wind power output topped 10GW for the first time this week thanks to this winter’s breezy weather.

That’s according to new statistics from Drax Electric Insights, which shows generation hit a record high of 13.5GW yesterday, having broken the 10GW milestone earlier in the week.

At certain points, wind power alone was supplying up to 42% of the UK’s electricity demand.

The UK renewables sector broke a series of records last year as the volume and effectiveness of clean energy sources on the grid increased.

Dr Jonathan Marshall, Energy Analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said: “Breaking short-term output records on top of monthly and annual figures clearly shows that wind is now a major part of the UK electricity mix and will continue to be in the future.

“Claims that the grid would be unable to handle 5%, 10% or 20% wind power have been shown to be well wide of the mark.”

The share of energy generated by low carbon power sources in the UK increased to a record high of 54.4% in the third quarter (Q3) of 2017.

That’s according to new government data, which shows this increased from 50.2% the same period the year before, as a result of increased generation from renewables.

Clean energy’s share of electricity generation was nearly a third in 2017 Q3, up 4.6% on the same time the previous year.

Total electricity generated fell 2.2% from 76.1TWh to 74.4TWh as gas and coal dropped 4.5% to a record low share of 42%.

Nuclear remained a significant component at 24.4%, down very slightly from last year.

Final consumption of electricity during the third quarter of 2017 was 68.1TWh, 1.9% lower than in the same period the year before.

Renewables are expected to become cheaper than fossil fuels by 2020.

European wind, solar and biomass generation overtook coal for the first time in 2017, with much of this progress being driven by the UK.

That’s according to a new report from the Sandbag and Agora Energiewende think tanks, which are based in the UK and Germany respectively.

The study shows as recently as five years ago, coal generation was more than twice that of wind, solar and biomass.

It also highlights Germany and the UK together contributed as much as 56% of Europe’s growth in renewables in the past three years, playing a significant role in decarbonisation efforts.

The UK increased its share of wind, solar and biomass from 8% in 2010 to 28% last year.

Out of the increase in Europe’s renewable generation, the UK was responsible for 19% of the rise from 2011 to 2014, and more than a fifth of the rise from 2014 to 2017.

In terms of the kinds of renewables being installed across the continent, the report shows there is a bias in favour of wind, which increased by 19% in 2017, due to good weather conditions and high volumes of investment into wind farms.

This helped pick up the slack from falling biomass figures but also crowded out solar, which was responsible for just 14% of the renewables growth in the last three years.

Dave Jones, Report Author and Sandbag European Power and Coal Analyst, said: “EU renewables has been increasingly reliant on the success story of wind in the Germany, UK and Denmark, which has been inspiring. But other countries need to do more.”