solar – Renewable Brief

Neoen developing 440 MWp solar farm in NSW, Australia

Header image courtesy of Neoen

New South Wales in Australia is adding 440 MWp solar capacity through Neoen, which has signaled the beginning of the farm’s construction, as reported by ReNews. The project, known as the Culcairn Solar Farm, is located in Wiradjuri country and will come online in 2026.

The solar farm will be among the largest in NSW and incorporate a 100 MW battery storage component at a later date. It will be Neoen’s second largest globally, after the 460 MWp Western Downs Green Power Hub solar farm in Queensland.

While the majority of the power from Culcairn will be sold on a PPA basis, it will power 160,000 homes. The construction will create more than 400 employment positions, with seven full-time employees needed to keep it running.

Neoen is targeting 10 GW solar capacity in Australia by 2030. It increased its portfolio in the Down Under by 25% to 3.75 GW this year alone.

Neoen Australia chief executive Louis de Sambucy said, “Culcairn is an essential project for Neoen in NSW and in Australia, and we are proud to have been awarded an LTESA contract.

“We have developed a strong pipeline of wind, solar and battery storage projects in NSW designed to help accelerate the State’s energy transition, as it moves towards halving emissions by 2030.”

Greece opening first solar/storage tender next year

Header image courtesy of Reuters

Greece is preparing to open tenders for solar-energy storage projects next year, according to reports by Renewables Now. The European country is expected to conclude plans by the end of 2023, for a February 2024 launch.

Unofficial reports claim Greece is parceling off between 200 MW and 300 MW of solar capacity in auctions. They will form a part of a 2 GW of solar project target with behind-the-meter energy storage components. The auctions come with mandatory battery storage capacity development.

The Greek government has decided to focus on battery energy storage in this round of auctions to bolster the grid by reducing renewable energy curtailment.

Greece recorded 11.3 GW of renewable energy capacity as of the end of June 2023. Solar took the lion’s share, with 5.8 GW capacity.

Amazon boasts renewable energy portfolio that can power 6.7 million homes in the US

Header image courtesy of Amazon

Amazon has presented its latest sustainability scorecard, and the numbers are impressive. The online retail giant boasts renewable energy projects that can power 6.7 million US homes.

The company has invested in 78 new renewable energy projects this year alone, comprising solar and wind, in 26 countries and 21 states in the US. These include its first such project in South Korea.

In total, Amazon has 479 wind and solar projects globally, which can produce more than 71,900 GWh per annum. The American company has directly and indirectly contributed $12 billion in investment in the global economy since 2014 through renewable energy. It generated 39,000 full-time equivalent jobs last year alone.

Amazon aims to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2025. It is converting a coal mine site from a brownfield to a solar farm in Maryland, US, and has announced a wind energy project in South Korea that will create about 2,400 jobs during construction.

“Amazon’s investments in solar and wind projects are helping power our operations, while also providing new sources of clean energy to the grid, spurring economic growth, and supporting jobs in the communities where our customers live and work,” said Adam Selipsky, CEO of AWS. “More than 90% of our operations were powered by renewables last year, but we’re not done. We’re focused on continuing to find innovative ways to bring new projects online, address grid constraints, and work with policymakers to mitigate the impacts of climate change, all of which is helping Amazon move closer to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2025.”

Saudi Arabia opens bid for 3.7 GW of solar projects

The Arabian kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced the opening of bidding for four solar projects totaling 3.7 GW, as reported by Renewables Now.

According to the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC), developers can now enter into the running for the four solar projects, part of the 5th round of Saudi Arabia’s National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP).

The biggest project of the lot is located in Al Sadawi in the Eastern Province, with a capacity of 2 GW. The Hail Region will host the 1 GW Al Mas’a farm, while Al Henakiyh 2 (Al Madinah Region) and Rabigh 2 (Makkah Region) will host 400 MW and 300 MW farms, respectively. This new bidding comes after Saudi Arabia’s major electricity buyer agreed to offtake deals for the 1,100 MW Al Henakiyah and 400 MW Tabarjal farms.

Ørsted marks entry into the UK solar market with 740 MW farm

Ørsted is setting up its first solar project in the UK in partnership with PS Renewables. The site, which will include battery storage in Nottinghamshire, will generate 740 MW.

The Danish firm aims to bring the One Earth farm online by 2030, when it expects to reach 17.5 GW of onshore renewable energy capacity globally. It currently has over 5.7 GW of onshore from the US to Europe. Ørsted will submit a development consent application in 2025.

One Earth will be one of the biggest solar farms in the UK, powering up to 200,000 homes.

Ørsted controls 420 MW of onshore wind in the UK and Ireland. It has revealed another solar farm in Ballinrea, Ireland, after buying up the Garreenleen (160 MW) solar project in the same country.

Kieran White, Ørsted’s SVP of onshore in Europe, said: “With a strong Irish onshore portfolio already in place, we are delighted to begin our journey in the UK solar market with PS Renewables, who have been successfully delivering large-scale solar projects for more than a decade.”

Matt Hazell, co-owner of PS Renewables, said: “The One Earth Solar Farm stands to make an important contribution to the national decarbonisation effort. Our expertise in solar energy and Ørsted’s renewables track record make this a compelling project.”

Largest solar farm on Isle of Wight set for approval

Header image courtesy of Google

Isle of Wight’s largest solar farm, the Sunny Oaks Renewable Energy Park, has received a recommendation for approval, as the BBC reports. The farm will produce enough electricity to supply more than 5,000 homes.

According to campaigners, the 27-hectare facility will industrialize the countryside and take six months to build. Approval could be granted as soon as tomorrow, Tuesday.

The farm will produce about 20 MWh of electricity annually and be operational for 40 years. It will connect to the Wootton Common substation.

The facility will have a battery energy storage system across the road.

Opposing residents, however, argue that the project by Ridge Clean Energy will create a visual impact, generate noise, worsen flood risk, result in biodiversity loss, and project glint and glare into surrounding homes. However, planning officers praise its economic, social, and environmental benefits.

Major renewable energy news this week

Header image courtesy of Lloyd Thornton/Shutterstock

Amprion starts on 8 GW offshore power link in Germany

Germany’s transmission system operator Amprion has begun planning the Windader West energy corridor, which will connect up to 8GW of offshore wind energy to the North Rhine-Westphalia state. The first 2 GW connection is expected in 2032.

Amprion starts on 8 GW offshore power link in Germany

Kenya Power solicits bids for boosting rural electricity with solar mini-grids

DP Energy and SBM planning 400 MW floating wind farm for Nova Scotia, Canada

Solar drives renewable investment to $358 billion in H1 2023

Consortium planning 5 GW wind farm for Australia

Europe added 2.1 GW of offshore wind energy in H1 2023

Mainstream and Ocean Winds expand floating wind JV in Scotland

Germany auctions off 1.67 GW solar energy amid unprecedented interest

Siemens opening 800 MW/year solar inverter factory in the US

Greece’s renewables crossed 11 GW in June

US fixes Gulf of Mexico wind power auction on Aug 29

Work starts on £2.4bn UK-German interconnector

ACWA Power signs MoU for 10 GW wind project in Egypt

Chile’s Enel largest solar plant becomes operational

Madagascar opens bidding for two solar parks of 210 MW combined