Germany solar meets nearly Half of country's weekend power demand

German solar power plants fed a whopping 22 gigawatts GW of power per hour into the national grid on Friday and Saturday, 26/5/2012, at midday hours, setting a new record by meeting nearly half of the country’s weekend power demand.



Photo: Inhabitat

After the Fukushima disaster, Japan opted to shut down all of its nuclear power stations and Germany followed suit after considerable public pressure. This seems to have paved the way for greater investment in solar energy projects.

The Renewable Energy Industry (IWR) in Muenster announced that Saturday’s solar energy generation met nearly 50% of the nation’s midday electricity needs. This was EQUAL to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity.

Germany’s solar power industry has always been a world leader, but since the the country closed eight nuclear power plants after the Japanese disaster and announced they would be shutting down the remaining nine by 2022, pressure to find alternative energy has mounted. This includes renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass.

By meeting a third of its electricity needs on a work day and nearly half on Saturday when factories and offices were closed, Germany’s solar power industry has broken all previous records. Speaking to Reuters, Norbert Allnoch, director of the IWR said: ”Never before anywhere has a country produced as much photovoltaic electricity. Germany came close to the 22 GW mark a few times in recent weeks. But this was the first time we made it over.”

“This shows Germany is capable of meeting a large share of its electricity needs with solar power,” Allnoch said. “It also shows Germany can do with fewer coal-burning power plants, gas-burning plants and nuclear plants.”


Learn from the leader

By receiving government-mandated Feed-in Tariff support for renewables, Germany has became a world leader in renewable energy. Currently the country gets about 20% of its overall annual electricity from renewable sources and has nearly as much installed solar power generation capacity as the rest of the world combined.

Like most other European countries, it is aiming to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2020, but at this rate it is the country most likely to actually follow through.

For the record, Malaysia pledged to reduce greenhouse gases by 40% of 2005 levels by the year 2020, subject to assistance from developed countries.

Reference: Inhabitat

Solar PV Powers the 2014 World Cup in Brazil

That's right.

The Brazilian government is working toward embedding solar modules and other sustainable technologies to its stadiums for the upcoming football World Cup

At the start of 2012, 10 of the 12 host venues for the 2014 World Cup had applied for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) status. A world-wide recognition promoted by a US-based Green Building Council. That means installation of the Building Integrated Photo Voltaic (BIPV) on the roofs of the stadiums.

The ten venues are Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Cuiabá, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Natal, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador. The most famous of all will be Mané Garrincha stadium in the capital Brasília, which organisers hope will become the first football stadium in the world to achieve LEED Platinum status, the highest level attainable.

Enjoy the view of Mane Garrincha Stadium, Brasilia:

 All photos are belong to worldcup2014directory. Visit them for more info on other stadiums.

Industry figures predict that solar panels embedded in roofing could become a standard feature of stadia in the near future as the new wave of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) gains credibility in the world of big money sports.

Much attention has been given to Qatar’s plans for state-of-the-art solar stadiums that helped the Gulf state win the right to host the 2022 World Cup. The Brazilian government announced in September 2011 that all 12 tournament stadiums would be expected to achieve a minimum sustainability standard.

For Mane Garrincha Stadium

Renovation works are due for completion in December 2012 and the roof of tensioned canvas will feature an array of PV panels with capacity to generate 2.5 MWp. This is sufficient to generate at least 50% of the stadium’s energy needs during peak periods, while at other times excess energy will be fed into the national grid.

Report says that the construction costs could eventually surpass R$900 million (US$486 million), up from the R$688 million ($372 million) official estimate. However, drop in operating and maintenance costs will result in annual savings of around R$7 million ($3.78 million) after completion, and it will provide a legacy for 50 years or more.

Other venues

1. The revamped Maracanã stadium in Rio is to have a ring of solar panels on its roof.
2. The Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto will have a roof with up to 1.5 MWp of solar panels.
3. The Pituaçu Stadium in Salvador, which will be one of the training venues, will have a 403kWp solar PV system on its roof.
4. The Pernambuco Arena in Recife will will feature solar heating to supply energy to the changing rooms, toilets and kitchens.

Soon, other stadiums will reveal solar energy plans soon, as well.

In comparison, in 2009 Taiwan inaugurated the world’s first 100% solar-powered stadium, featuring 8,844 panels which generate 1.14 GWh annually. Surplus energy from ‘Dragon Stadium’ is sold by the Taiwanese government.

More carrots for you to Go Green

[News clipping from Daily Express, 8th June 2011]

You read that correct, it's more carrots and less sticks for you to go green.

In case you missed this piece of news, in brief, it talks about the government's plan to enable you to get financing so that you can generate extra income through installation of solar PV at home.


In summary:

Standard houses require average : 3kWp to 4kWp
Cost of solar power per kWp       : RM15,000
Thus, each house need about     : RM45,000 to RM60,000

It did not give further details but from my conversation with a couple of industry players, one can get up to 90% financing, which means down payment of only RM4,500 to RM6,000. Furthermore, the cost per kWp of solar PV is decreasing rapidly in tandem with technological advancement. In fact, according to one system integrator, as of today (June 2011) the cost per kWp is already down to RM14,000.

Implementation may not be that fast as application will only be open to the public in 3Q and possibly implemented in 4Q of this year.

I mentioned 'less stick' earlier on, let me explain. Application to install solar PV at home is on quota and first-come-first-served basis. Let's assume you successfully get the allocated power aggregate for this year's implementation. Terms and Conditions states that you MUST install your system this year as indicated in the agreement. In case you decide not to install, you will not get 'caned', you merely pass the opportunity to someone else.

If you decide to 'pass' this opportunity to someone else, you've missed on the opportunity to generate extra income while sitting doing essentially nothing.

If you feel like reading, view the full story here by Bernama.

Green fund to finance Renewable Energy

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[Solar panels integrated into the building - Image courtesy of BIPV Inc.]

I caught this late (this was in the news on April 6, 2011) but it still is a good read and it should give anyone a heads up of what is in store for those willing to adopt things early.

To sum it up, it stated that, a typical residential house requires 4kW of power which costs RM60,000 to install.

Of this:

• the consumers pays RM6,000 (10%), and
• loan from a bank of 90%

Monthly income generated: RM696.00
Monthly bank repayment : RM456.00
Thus, Net cash earned : RM240.00

Consider a 3.5% p.a. flat interest rate (as in motor vehicle hire purchase) and we are talking about repayment period of 15 years. Fifteen years may sound too long but we are not exactly forking out a single cent from our pocket. Instead, there is an income stream. The guaranteed feed-in period by the utility company is 21 years.

"Dear Sir, because you deserve it we've committed ourself to credit into your bank account an amount of RM240 per month for the first fifteen years, and RM696 per month for the next six years. Thereafter, we shall leave it entirely to you to do anything you see fit to the equipment and fittings related to the generation of electricity installed at your home." Yours truly, SESB.

How does that sound? Aha, that's just rang a bell in you hasn't it - something that's too good to be true must have a catch somewhere. That's for our next discussion.

For me, I'm going nuts in excitement but the residence I'm currently living in is not exactly mine and there is nothing much to pursue. Will definitely chase this goose once mine is ready in the near future.

Install a 6kW BIPV and generate RM1,000 per month. I can live with that.


Read the Online news here. But if you hate site hopping, here is the excerp:

PETALING JAYA: A renewable energy fund will be established to finance the higher rates that Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) will be paying for renewable energy that will be sold into the electricity grid. This is according to information provided to industry players by the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry.

The soon-to-be-passed Renewable Energy (RE) Act 2010, which has already been passed by the Dewan Rakyat this week, will enable individuals and companies to sell electricity generated from renewable resources to TNB. The Act will facilitate a feed-in-tariff (FiT) mechanism whereby higher rates will be paid for renewable energy.

It is learnt that under the FiT, TNB will pay between 23 sen and 123 sen per kWh, depending on the type of RE power generated. (The current rate TNB pays traditional power producers is 21 sen per kWh.)

It is also learnt that the fund will be established and administered by Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Seda) to manage the FiT mechanism. The Government would have to subsidise the cost to TNB, either directly via subsidies or via the RM1.5bil Green Technology Fund,” he said, adding that in any case, the implementation of FiT would be neutral to TNB.

Not to be confused with the renewable energy fund being set up by the RE Act, the Green Technology Fund is a RM1.5bil fund that the Government set up last year as a funding scheme to encourage companies, especially in the energy, water and waste management industries, to use green technology.

However, he said, the entry level for solar photovoltaic (PV) could be very high.

“Some RM3.5mil to RM4.5mil investment would be needed to produce 1MW of solar electricity,” Eng said, adding that there were other challenges, such as land, to produce RE.

A normal house needs 4KW while the capital required is about RM60,000. However, with FiT, consumers need to pay only 10%, or RM6,000, while the rest will be borne as a loan from a bank. The monthly income generated from the 4KW will be RM696 and the monthly repayment is RM456 to the bank, thus earning consumers a net cash of RM240 per month,” Ahmad said.

More Incentives for Renewable Energy

[Picture from Google]

Firstly, my apologies for the slight mis-information in my previous article "Generate electricity at home and earn money".

In that article I stated "SESB will pay you up to RM1.75/unit for all “net” kWh your solar system feed-back to SESB grid"

Not so.

I met with Ungku Abdul Rahman (the Director of Power Technologies Sdn Bhd) a couple of days back and he mentioned that SESB will pay you the whole amount of energy produced at home and not the "net" kWH fed-back to their grid. Power Technologies S/B is one of the active turnkey Contractors for implementation of solar power systems in Malaysia. They are based in Shah Alam, Selangor.

What this means is that SESB will still bill you for the amount of energy consumed but at the same time pays you for whatever amount of energy generated by your home Solar System. This, according to him is the net effect of the recently enacted Renewable Energy (RE) Act 2010.

If you read my previous article, you might be pleasantly surprised that what you read in this updated article is a betterment of that information.

For example (previous figures re-used):

If your Solar System produced 200kWh this month and your energy consumption is 150kWH,

• SESB bills you : RM20.40 (40kWH x RM0.24, 110kWH x RM0.18)
• FIT, you get : RM350 (200kWH x RM1.75) RM1.75 is the max possible FIT rate.
• Your INCOME = RM329.60 (RM350.00 - RM20.40)

Of course you'll still need to service your bank loan, so, this "Income" is not net yet. I mentioned bank loan as you are eligible to take up financing from any of the commercial bank around for setting up of the residential solar system.

The initial capital expenditure looks daunting but taking into account the government incentive, the bank financing, the return of investment, the guaranteed 21 years of FIT, it really is worth looking into.

FIT: feed-in tariff

Dont' you think Malaysia is committed to its pledge to reduce the carbon emission to help mother earth live another day?

Generate electricity at home and earn money

Ever thought of running your home appliances without worrying about your utility bill? Really, in Malaysia? Isn't that the familiar catch line of a spam mail? Is it possible?

Short answer: Yes. It is possible.


Long answer:

Our monthly bill is about RM180 to RM250 monthly, depending on how energy-wise we are on a particular month. I would like to trim that to, say RM30 to RM50 or even zero without having to switch of my fridge, air-conditioners, and other energy guzzling equipment.

This is very much possible with the enactment of the Renewable Energy (RE) Act 2010. According to the RE Bill 2010, residential homes that produce solar energy could earn up to RM1.75 per kWh of electricity produced. Dewan Rakyat has approved the bill earlier this month and once it is enacted  (hopefully next month) it becomes a law. Let me explain.

1 kWh of electricity is 1 Unit of energy consumed as stated in our SESB bills. We are paying a tiered rates for domestic tariff, i.e. RM0.24/unit for the first 40 kWh and RM0.16/unit for the next 160 kWh, and RM0.28/unit for the remainder. If you are to install Solar PV System on your rooftop, SESB will pay you up to RM1.75/unit for the “net” kWh your solar system feed-back to SESB grid. Apparently not the "net kWh", read the Update HERE. (Kindly disregard the following example and explanation)

Interesting? For me, it is.

I say “net” as the energy that is fed back to the grid is the difference between energy that is produced by your home Solar PV System and the energy consumed by your home. Don’t worry about how it’s computed; SESB’s meter will do it for you.

Example:
If your Solar System produced 200kWh this month and your energy consumption is 150kWh then SESB owes you RM87.50 (50kWh x RM1.75). That is an income. But if your energy consumption is 220kWh then you’ll be billed RM4.80 (20kWh x RM0.24, tiered).

Without the Solar PV system, you pay SESB RM27.20 (150kWh x 0.24 & 0.16, tiered) and RM40.80 (220kWh x 0.24 & 0.16 & 0.28, tiered) respectively for the above cases.

For a complete electricity tariff check the SESB Tariff Structure and Rates.

The feed-in tariff works by giving you income when you feed in electricity to the power supplier (SESB) grid and only charge you when you consume more than what your Solar Power system produce.

This tariff is applicable if your Solar Power system is generating up to maximum of 4kWp. The 4kWp refers to the size of the solar power system and in most cases is sufficient to power up a semi-detached house. For installation of bigger than 4kWp, the feed-in tariff is slightly lower.

To give you an idea of how much you’d need to invest, a 1kWp system would cost you RM15,000 to set up, so, for a fairly sufficient capacity of 4kWp system for your bungalow you will need to fork out RM60,000 or perhaps slightly lower. Source: The Star Online

A bit expensive but the Bill has a provision for a guaranteed income for the next 21 years from the date of signing the agreement with your local power producers, such as TNB, SESB or SESCO. That is long enough a payback period and perhaps even outlast the lifespan of the solar panels.

Let’s hope the cost to install solar panels for residential homes drops dramatically when more people start adopting, plus declining cost of the technology.

It interests me and I may seriously consider this when the incentive is rolled out fully.


Further readings:

1) Higher income for home solar energy – The Star
2) Malaysia to start Feed-In Tariff (FIT) for Renewable Energy by 2011 - GK Sdn Bhd

Tax incentive for Renewable Energies?

Malaysia may have a law to help spur the development of renewable energy, reports Business Times. It says that the Ministry concerned has consulted TNB to get the power producer's input on the matter. If this happen then it would be a big step for Malaysia to embrace green technologies.

Malaysia is considered to be one of the major players in SE Asian nations in terms of renewable energy, but industry development wise, we are behind Thailand. Thailand has more renewable power connected to the country's power grid and this is where the Law (should there be any law enacted soon) can boost green energy in Malaysia.

According to TNB's renewal energy unit, Malaysia has about 67MW of power from renewable sources connected to the grid, while Thailand probably has about 10 times more.

Another South East Asian nation, the Philippines, have enacted its own RE law designed to expand the supply of electricity from RE sources in the country. The Philippines ways of doing it include:

Power plants using RE sources get income tax exemption for the first 7 years of operation.

Electricity generated from renewable sources receives preferential feed-in.

Targets 60% of its energy demand to be covered with its own RE resources by 2010.

Amazing! Malaysia should take cue of this and move fast. Do it big and do it now, or it will remain as just talk and dream.

Please take some time to further read here.

Hybrid Solar-Diesel Power - Part I

If in March 2009, someone by the name of En Hamid (a deservedly Sabahan Hero) showed to the world that one does not need to have a certificate to build a hydro-power generator, this time Tambunan came to light again with the commissioning of a hybrid solar power-diesel generator in mid-June 2009 at one of the remote villages.
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Suitable for places at remote locations, this system supply electricity continuously during wet and rainy seasons. The term hybrid refers to a system in which two or more supplies from different energy sources are integrated to supply electricity to the same demand.
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Schematic diagram of a hybrid PV solar-diesel power generator

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Simply put, an array of PV panels is installed side by side with a diesel power generator and the operations is controlled via centralised control panel manually. The system can be upgraded such that the changeover from solar power supply to starting up of diesel power generator takes place automatically.

Storage batteries are used to store energy harnessed through the PV panels during sunny days. During wet season, whereby PV panels could not 'collect' sufficient energy so meet night time energy requirement, the diesel power generator would kick in and take over the job.
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Pretty simple isn't it? The big question is determination. I did not put "cost" as the stumbling block as cost can be relative, depending on the focus and determination of the government to alleviate the situation of our rural folks.

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What is the cost then, you may ask. Okay, take a village of about 30 household which would require about 30kW (capped at 1kW/household) of total load. You are talking about RM700k to RM800k for a complete system. Take into consideration import taxes and other regulatory payments which can be discounted for government initiative, we may be looking at half of that cost??
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Subsidised Solar Power?

This may sound too good to be true but while you are reading this, the Government is already subsidising the cost of installing energy producing solar panel (Photovoltaic, PV). In my earlier writings the Government has given the first tier of subsidy through Suria 1000 initiative by Pusat Tenaga Malaysia.

The second tier is to push through a set of Acts that would "force" the utilities to buy excess power produced by the BIPV participants at 4 to 6 times their selling price. Fingers crossed, let's hope this will be passed in the Parliament soon.

A glimpse at the perks that the one can get from the subsidy:

Household power requirement: 4kWh (urban)
Cost to install 4.2kWp of BIPV: RM100,000
Govt subsidy (Suria1000): RM50,000 (50% of the total capital)

Govt will spend RM5bil in subsidy if it is to target 100,000 household with BIPV installed and that is a mere 0.4% of the population. There goes our stimulus package of RM5 billion. Pass the proposed Bill and our Government could fork out another RM80 to RM100mil monthly to pay up the claims from Utilities.

Say, rural households only require half of the average urban households consumption. The amount can benefit less than 0.8% of the population. By and far this technology is reachable only to the privileged few because no average income individual will be able to come out with RM50k to pay for their electricity bills 15 to 20 years in advance.

The current subsidy structure, apparently, only benefits the rich; not even the middle income group can afford this. It is felt that, the Government can actually setup an integrated BIPV or even a dedicated PV structure for a group or groups of household in the rural areas, make the people pay a bit of monthly fee and maintain the system for continuous supply without costly maintenance.

By the same calculation RM2mil can supply electricity to 40 households (limited to 2kW per household), this will provide sufficient power supply for basic necessities such as lightings, fans and small sized refrigerator. All in all, RM3mil should be sufficient for a the whole village of 40 households. This can just be another SPNB project by the Government.

If it can be done in the case of building low-cost houses foo the hardcore poor, where participant pay somewhat RM140/month, it can also be implemented for electrifying the remote villages. It is returning the investment, in a long run.
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Solar Power Part II

By virtue of its name, Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) refers to solar power system that is integrated to the building structure that forms part of the building itself. In most cases the roofing.

I have mentioned in my earlier posting "Solar Power, a Viable Option?", that under Suria 1000 programme, the public get a rare opportunity of generating their own solar power. Called BIPV system, the Government give discount of up to 75% of the capital price. Meaning, you come out with 25% of the capital and the remaining 75% is from the Government. There is a catch though - you have to bid for the system.

The higher you bid (i.e. the higher amount that you are willing to contribute to the capital) the higher the chances of you getting it.

Main issues concerning the BIPV are:

1) Solar panels or the PV modules (60% - 62% of total price)
2) Inverter (8% - 10%)
3) Mounting structures (varies depending on complexity, estd 18%)
4) Electrical works and others (10%)

1. PV modules are normally rated at standard wattage, e.g. 175Wp (Watt-peak). Thus, in order to install a 3.5kWp BIPV system, you will need 20 units of PV.
2. Inverter refers to a module that converts DC to AC power. In the case of grid connected system, the inverter needs to be fed back to the local utility, e.g. SESB grid.
3. As PV modules do not exactly act as roof, they need to be installed on mounting structures, preferably SS, above the roof.
4. Depending on space, the PV modules can be connected in series, parallel or combination of both. Total power generated is the number of modules multiplied by the PV power rating.

Other issues that you need to consider upon installing BIPV are close monitoring of the system performance for a certain period and maintenance of the PV modules, although experience showed this to be minimal.

Malaysian Standards, MS 1837: 2005 provides guidelines for installation of grid connected PV system.

Solar Power a Viable Option?

As long as there is sunshine, there is energy to be harnessed.

It is possible to power the world with solar energy - that was what came out as answer to a curious question posed to the speakers during the two-day International Energy Agency Task-1 meeting at Kinabalu Hyatt Regency in March 2009.

Technical competence is there and apart from the cost, there is nothing that can hinder the full utilisation of this technology. Ahmad Hardi Haris of energy centre Malaysia compared this to the cost of generating electrical power using coal-fired plant:

Cost per kilowatt:
coal-fired plant - RM3,000 to 4,000
PhotoVoltaic - RM25,000 (RM27k-30k in 2007)

RM25k is equivalent to 10 years of electricity bills of RM210 per month. Wow! no kidding, this is no doubt very expensive, but with the right approach from both the government and power utility companies (TNB/SESB), it is a viable option.

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Why so?

Firstly, at the moment there is an incentive program by the government through PTM (Malaysia Energy Centre) called Suria 1000, whereby the government gives the public rebates of up to 75% to make it more affordable to install a BIPV system in their homes.

Secondly, implementation of the Feed-in Tariffs. If such Act on Feed-in Tariffs is to be enacted, utility (e.g SESB) will pay Feed-in Tariffs to households and commercial solar service providers between 4 to 6 times their selling price. Then utility will recover this amount from the Government.

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Interesting, although it will still be beyond reach of the Malaysian masses; at least for the time being. Consider this: for a medium sized semi-detach or bungalow, typical power requirement is 4kW which means RM100,000 is needed to fund the BIPV systems. Minus say, 50% subsidy/bidding and you still need to pay like RM50,000 upfront for your 20 years of energy consumption. Oppssss!!

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A simple, small PV solar power (not BIPV) used to power up public phones in the interior of Sabah

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Note the 3 units of Mitsubishi Electric solar modules to "collect" power from the sun and transmit it to the inverter.