What difference does policy make? Craig Morris says that a comparison of the low prices for installed solar arrays in Germany with more expensive arrays in the US is a good way to start answering that question.
All posts tagged: Solar
The future of energy leaning towards decentralization
Tesla’s announcement of batteries for power storage caused a lot of turmoil last week. Kartikeya Singh analyses the significance of the product for the power market and sees it as part of a global trend towards energy decentralization.
What Germany’s energy transition means for the United States
Germany has been a pioneer in pushing for a renewable energy revolution, making the technologies globally competitive with conventional energy. Now, Germany is passing the baton to countries such as the United States which is increasingly taking over the clean energy race. Rebecca Bertram takes a look.
The solar price revolution
Solar power is rapidly becoming the cheapest source of electricity available in many regions of the world. It will help limit climate change, allow the electrification of remote areas and democratize energy production, as Klaus Töpfer explains.
The most carbon-efficient year ever for America’s power industry?
It’s been 60 years in the making and it’s finally here: America’s power generation fleet has changed so much since the 1950s, and especially over the last decade, that the amount of carbon emitted per megawatt-hour of electricity produced has dropped to its lowest point in recorded history. Gavin Purchas reports.
Can solar be the backbone of India’s energy system by 2035?
Around 70% of India’s power comes from coal, less than 1% from solar. Will that change in the next 20 years? Can solar become the new backbone of the Indian energy system? Tobias Engelmeier thinks there is a good possibility that it will and presents us with a thought experiment.
German grid passed the #SolarEclipse stress test
On March 20th, Germany experienced a partial solar eclipse that put its grid to an unprecedented test. Our experts tweeted live from Germany while the German grid stayed stable and provided proof it was ready for the future.
“One power plant per company”
The 1985 book entitled The Energiewende is possible not only described the problems that the energy transition faces, but also proposed some solutions. Craig Morris describes them.
How is Germany integrating and balancing renewable energy today?
With renewables providing 30% of Germany’s electriticy demand, the power market needs to adapt. In the following article, author Eric Martinot provides detailed insight into technical and regulatory changes that allowed the German grid to remain highly reliable.
German government announces new rules for solar
As requested by Brussels, Germany is taking the first steps to switch from feed-in tariffs to a system of reverse auctions by 2017. This year, the first rounds will be held for photovoltaics. Craig Morris investigates.