Walmart to install up to 400 more solar PV systems over the next four years

Projects built under this latest announcement build on Walmart's installation of 105 MW of solar PV to date in 260 locations. SunEdison and SolarCity will install the systems.

On Friday, Walmart announced that is has concluded a request for proposals and has accepted bids from SunEdison and SolarCity to install as many as 400 new solar PV systems on its facilities over the next four years.

The company did not say what capacity this will represent, but estimates that the PV systems will meet 10-30% of the energy needs of the facilities where they will be installed.

If 400 are built and they average the same size as Walmart's existing fleet of PV, the new installations will total around 160 MW. Walmart currently has 260 operational PV plants at its stores, representing 105 MW of installed PV capacity.

solar PV systems

This makes Walmart, the world's largest retailer, also the largest corporate user of PV in the United States. The company boasts more than double the installed PV versus its closest competitor.

SolarCity has installed more than 200 of those PV systems, in less than four years. 13 of these systems also feature energy storage, and SolarCity will be installing another 10 energy storage projects in this new round, which will feature 200 kW/400 kWh battery systems.

Walmart has been praised for its leading role in PV adoption by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). However, the family which owns a majority share in Walmart has come under fire for donating large sums to organizations that are trying to repeal renewable energy policies.

A report by the Institute for Local Self Reliance published in October found that the Walton Family, which also owns 30% of First Solar, has donated more than $4.5 million to organizations that have led and/or initiated attempts to roll back state renewable energy mandates since 2010.

Home-grown UK solar to be cheaper than gas

The United Kingdom's Solar Trade Association (STA) on Wednesday published a new analysis showing that the cost of generating electricity from a typical 10 MW solar farm in the U.K. is set to fall faster than previously expected over the next 15 years.

The report, Cost Reduction Potential of Large-scale Solar PV, is based on a survey of the STA's member companies and their cost forecasts between now and 2030.

UK solar soon to be cheaper than gas

The report finds that as long as the government provides stable policy support, it will be cheaper to generate electricity from solar than by burning gas as soon as 2018.

"A lot of people still don't realize just how close solar is to being competitive with gas-fired power generation," said STA CEO Paul Barwell. "U.K. solar is on its way to becoming subsidy-free, but it is critical we maintain stable government policy that supports grid connected utility-scale solar as opposed to fossil fuel power stations."

In addition, the study shows that solar will be cheaper than the wholesale price of electricity at some point between 2025 and 2028. The cost of generating electricity from gas, on the other hand, is forecast to increase in real terms over the next 15 years, and will always be more expensive than wholesale power, the STA points out.

The results show that the cost of building a large-scale solar farm is set to go down faster than currently estimated by the government due to a growing solar supply chain in Britain as well as falling global prices for solar panels and inverters.

Greater ambitions supported by lower costs

The analysis follows a recent report from the London-based Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) on the macroeconomic benefits for the U.K. from investing in solar, which showed that the country could provide enough electricity to supply 15% of its electricity demand by 2030, supporting almost 50,000 jobs. Big solar arrays alone could add more than £25 billion to U.K. economic output, according to the report.

The global solar market is forecast to be worth over £78 billion ($134 billion) by 2020, making it a key emerging technology market.

The STA stresses, however, that the U.K. government intends to close the country's current Renewables Obligation subsidy scheme for solar farms bigger than 5 MW (about 25 acres), which will slow the falling cost of generating solar electricity on a large scale.

"It is clear that it makes political and economic sense for the government to back large-scale solar, with the sector's track record in creating jobs, and producing ever cheaper zero carbon power," Barwell added. "This report makes that case even more strongly – our updated costs forecast shows that solar is even cheaper than we thought. We just need one final push from government to get solar to being subsidy-free. A home grown solution to Britain's energy crisis.

"It is in the interests of both energy bill payers and the planet to maintain stable support for good quality large-scale solar farms. If we invest now – and make sure the new Contracts for Difference support scheme works for solar – this technology could in ten years' time be bringing down energy bills."

SolarWorld and Enphase as global micro inverter supplier agree technology partnership

Global module manufacturer, SolarWorld, and micro inverter manufacturer,Germany's SolarWorld has formalized Enphase Energy as the supplier of micro inverter systems for its custom-engineered system solutions in the United States and across both companies' worldwide distribution networks.

The two companies will also be looking at providing bespoke solutions for each others’ products, to be made available across the world, sharing market knowledge and experience, according to a statement released by the pair.

Micro Inverter

Enphase, the world's largest provider of micro inverters (which convert direct electrical current to alternating current to enable most applications of solar electric power), and SolarWorld have also agreed to engage in close collaboration in developing new solar technologies and products.

"Enphase has worked closely with SolarWorld for several years, and the companies have built a strong, growing business together in collaboration with SolarWorld's extensive U.S. channels," said Jeff Loebbaka, Enphase senior vice president of global sales, marketing and support. "This new agreement promises to open new regional market and product opportunities around the world for both companies."

Enphase last 发month launched an integrated energy management system and an AC storage solution at the Solar Power International trade show in Las Vegas. The products will be available for residential and commercial PV systems next year.

SolarWorld, meanwhile, announced in October that it was investing $10 million to expand PV cell and module capacities at its factory in the U.S. state of Oregon, including the addition of a PV module line to increase its capacity from 380 MW to 530 MW, as well as converting 100 MW of its PV cell production to passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) technology.

The British did not welcome the solar farm

UK Minister for Energy and Climate Amber Rudd recently publicly admitted that the British did not welcome the solar farm. Prior to this, the British environmental protection bureau ElizabethTruss also publicly stated that she does not want Britain's farm is wasted solar farm, solar farm will become barren British farms.




Rudd is not optimistic about the reason why is because the solar farm, she hopes to install rooftop solar power plant to serve the British way, she said: "The British are not welcome solar farms, in our opinion, solar power equipment should be installed in the building and residential roofs, rather than the scenic countryside. the vast bucolic is the pride of the British, we should protect the UK environment. "Rudd's view is not something new, but she is the first openly British politician to express this point of view.

As early as 2013, the British government announced priority rooftop solar installation rather than terrestrial solar farm. Although the government has recently begun to shift support measures relatively large-scale solar power projects, but only those generating capacity of less than 5MW of renewable energy programs enough grid.

Distributed Energy China needs all the roof armed

This year, the introduction of national photovoltaic New Deal, the distributed funds that existed before the financial support is not in place, the subsidy mechanism is imperfect, weak management industry, application urgent need to improve the market environment and other issues one by one to give to relieve effectively resolve the construction of distributed PV difficulties roof, financing, grid access, management and electricity trading experience for domestic photovoltaic applications development to create a good environment for development.

Notification made use of waste land, barren hills and slopes, agricultural greenhouses, beaches, ponds, lakes and other land resource construction of photovoltaic power generation projects in the 35 kV and below voltage connected to the grid (project capacity not exceeding 20MW) and the electricity transformer stations and outlets in the area consumptive, perform local PV power plant benchmark price policy, referring to distributed power grid enterprises through the 'green channel' to provide efficient and convenient access.

Implementation of the measure will promote the construction of China's agricultural distributed photovoltaic greenhouses, aquaculture, beaches and other projects, because the scale agricultural projects basically in between the roof and the floor of photovoltaic power plants, investors are mostly concerned about electricity prices, electricity sales, and the size of the problem (can use a large area, the capacity is too small is not conducive to project benefits). The new policy in the voltage levels of access, electricity sales, electricity and capacity and other aspects of a new breakthrough will help improve investor enthusiasm.

Deal of distributed PV, is the national introduction of a quite pragmatic and can effectively solve the problem of good policy. This time the intention notice promulgated by the state, not only showed firm determination to vigorously promote the development of distributed PV, but also an important measure to solve the problem of promoting development.

Distributed PV roof is a major frontier for China to develop solar PV to implement the New Deal, it must be "armed all the roof."

Development of solar energy for China to "armed all the roof."

As the world's largest solar market, China is promoting the more factories, schools, and even the greenhouse roof-mounted solar panels, in order to achieve a historic climate agreement reached with the United States in its objectives.

China hopes this year to install up to 8 GW of small-scale photovoltaic systems, more than 10 times its total installed capacity last year. By the end of 2013, China has the capacity of 20 GW of solar power, the equivalent of 20 nuclear reactors. Most of them are from remote areas of the construction of large-scale solar power plants.

But now policymakers are promoting the use of small-scale power generation system, built on the side away from the electricity closer places. Traditionally, resulting in a remote area power grid bottlenecks would consume a large amount of transmission resources, and small power generation system area does not have this problem. This will help China from polluting thermal power as soon as possible.


This also means that the solar roof system will be more commonly used. China National Energy Board in September introduced a policy to promote small-scale solar energy, they also have the potential to request local governments looking to install rooftop power plants and small ground station address. This would include those with large commercial and industrial building roof, as well as public buildings, such as railway stations, airport terminals, and so on.

SunEdison and TerraForm Power buy First Wind

SunEdison and its yieldco subsidiary TerraForm Power have signed a definitive agreement to purchase First Wind. This will bring SunEdison into the wind development market, but also brings additional solar PV projects, as First Wind began developing PV in 2013.

The company says that this will double its total addressable market, providing 6.4 GW of project development opportunities, as well as increasing its backlog. As a result the company has raised its 2015 installation guidance from 1.6-1.8 GW to 2.1-2.3 GW.

Among the projects that SunEdison will acquire with the First Wind purchase are the Four Brothers PV projects in the state of Utah, representing 320 MW-AC. These were awarded power purchase agreements with a local utility under a federal law requiring the purchase of electricity from renewable energy projects if it is below a utility's “avoided cost”.

For TerraForm Power, the acquisition will supply 503 MW of operating wind plants and 18 MW of PV plants, increasing its portfolio to over 1.3 GW. The company will also gain 1.6 GW of call right projects, doubling its capacity to 3.2 GW.

The total cost of the transaction will be $2.4 billion, including 1.9 billion in up-front costs and a $510 million earn-out. SunEdison and TerraForm Power have secured US$2.4 billion in bridge funding for the transaction, as well as $1.5 billion in non-recourse capital from six banks and an infrastructure lender to fund growth.

Following regulatory approvals, The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2015.

SPI Solar to acquire 168 MW of PV projects from TBEA

Vertically integrated PV company Solar Power Inc. has announced this week that its subsidiary, SPI Solar, is to acquire 168 MW of PV projects from Chinese solar system and machinery maker TBEA Sunoasis, which is a subsidiary of TBEA Co., Ltd.

The deal, conducted as a definitive equity interest purchase agreement, includes a range of near-complete solar plants located in the Chinese provinces of Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Xinjiang Region, and Qinghai.

Final purchase completion date is penciled in for March 31, 2015, but both parties expect some of the projects to be connected to the grid before the end of 2014. SPI Solar chairman Xiaofeng Peng remarked that the acquisition bolsters an important strategic partnership for the two companies and China’s wider solar industry, which he says is "rapidly expanding across the country" thanks to "collaborations with key players".

Jianxin Zhang, TBEA Sunoasis’s general manager, added: "We are very pleased to partner with SPI Solar in developing this prominent portfolio of solar projects. SPI has established itself as a premier developer of solar projects in China."

Last month, SPI Solar struck a larger agreement with renewable energy company GD Solar that sees the Californian company enjoy first-refusal on GD Solar's ongoing PV projects in China. In total, the deal could add as much as 1.5 GW of PV capacity to SPI's Chinese portfolio between now and 2017.

This week's acquisition of TBEA's projects follows shortly after SPI also agreed to purchase 65 MW of solar projects in Inner Mongolia that have been developed by Guodian Nailuen, for which SPI paid $101.3 million.