Source: cleanenergynews.ihsmarkit.com
The Spanish government's strategy to cope with high energy prices will see floating PV installed in reservoirs connected to hydropower dams.
The idea was hidden within a package of measures shielding Spain's economy from the impacts of war in Ukraine amid high fuel costs leading to protests. It was put out for a public samráði open until 7 April, which may mean potential changes to the proposed royal decree.
Seeking to build floating PV plants on dammed reservoirs, the government wants to pass a regulation to determine what conditions must be included in licensing and 25-year concessions to run the PV plants, sagði Spain's energy transition ministry, MITECO.
Spánn hefur um 100 ríkisuppistöðulón-, þar sem náttúruleg vatnshlot eins og ár eru talin opinber eign.
Up to three floating PV farms per reservoir could be combined with each hydropower dam to increase its overall capacity and optimize its use. "These plants will also have higher energy efficiency than terrestrial systems thanks to the cooling effects of the water and the reduction in the presence of dust," said MITECO.
Spain intends to use new floating PV plants towards meeting the aim of 74 percent renewables within power generation by 2030, laid down in its Lög um loftslagsbreytingar og orkuskipti.
However, Spain may need more time to develop the novel scheme than is available in the current energy crisis. "Spain's plan to create a framework for installing solar panels on public dams would contribute to an accelerated uptake of such installations and enable an even greater deployment of PV in Spain," said SP Global Commodity Insights' Research and Analysis Manager, Solar and Clean Energy Technology, Josefin Berg.
"However, it is likely to take a while to roll out the new scheme and develop the projects, so this new framework will not be a near-term solution for Spain's electricity challenges," she said.
MITECO also intends to study the evolution of floating solar technology, as the concept is still new in the country. "Few countries have to date put in place legislation to specifically address floating PV," said Berg.
Kína leiðir í fljótandi PV
Fljótandi PV hefur tilhneigingu til að vera dýrt og hefur jafnan fallið í skuggann af tækni eins og jörð- og þak- sólarorku.
While Spain is Europe's second-largest market for traditional PV with 3.8 GW installed last year, it is looking to regulate and expand its floating PV sector for the first time.
Kína er þegar vel í forystu. Gjaldskrárstyrkir-í-í Kína ýttu undir þróun um 1,2 GW af fljótandi sólarorku, meira en helmingi af heildarafkastagetu 2,2 GW árið 2020, að því er fram kemur í skýrslu SP Global Commodity Insights. .
Last year, Huaneng Power International (HPI) launched a 320 MW floating PV facility in China's Shandong province, currently the world's largest.
Fram til ársins 2025 mun vöxtur í fljótandi PV vera undir forystu Indlands, Suður-Kóreu, Víetnams og meginlands Kína, sem samanlagt er spáð 56 prósent af öllum mannvirkjum. Í Indónesíu er verktaki nú að byggja hið stórfellda 2,2 GW fljótandi PV verkefni við Duriangkang lónið.
The Netherlands had the most floating PV capacity in Europe in 2020 and France is home Europe's largest floating solar plant, developer Akuo Energy's 17 MW O'MEGA1 project.
Renewables to relieve Spain's electricity crisis
The Framkvæmdastjórn Evrópusambandsins gerir ráð fyrir svæðisbundnu jarðgasi shortages caused by the war in Ukraine adding to the costs EU consumers face.
Under more pressure after struggling with high electricity and gas costs for most of last year, Spain and Portugal gained an "Iberian exception" to EU rules that forbid adjusting power prices at a meeting on 25 March.
Spain has some of the highest electricity prices in the EU (on average €0.22/kWh) according to research from the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
The package of policies in The National Response Plan approved this week by the Council of Ministers provides relief for the "most impacted sectors and vulnerable groups."
In the proposed package, Spain plans to spend €16 billion (17.69 billion) to cope with Ukraine-war-related energy market shocks while it promises aid for refugees, boosts cybersecurity, doles out loan guarantees for distressed businesses and financial support for agriculture.
Spain also offered a €1.4 billion subsidy to lower fuel costs for the transportation sector, after truck drivers in the country went on nationwide strikes over fuel costs.
Aiming to tackle high energy bills, Spain's government wants to tweak energy costs in ways that "prevent an inflationary spiral" and has suspended certain power taxes, lowered grid fees for energy-intensive industries, and offered financial support for sectors that use more gas.
Endurnýjanlegar rafstöðvar munu geta selt raforku sína utan heildsölumarkaðarins frá og með 1. janúar 2023 til að stækka ódýrt afl sem er í boði fyrir heimilin.
Verið er að undirbúa leiðslur fyrir endurnýjanlegar lofttegundir, þar á meðal vetni, og netfyrirtæki verða að leyfa að 10 prósent af netgetu verði úthlutað til 7 GW stækkunar á sólarkerfi neytenda og iðnaðarþaks.
