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Solar power surpasses coal in EU for first time

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Solar power surpasses coal in EU for first time


Solar power surpasses coal in EU for first time

by AFP Staff Writers

Paris (AFP) Jan 23, 2025






Solar overtook coal in the European Union’s electricity production in 2024, with the share of renewables rising to almost half the bloc’s power sector, according to a report released Thursday.

Gas generation, meanwhile, declined for the fifth year in a row and fossil-fuelled power dipped to a “historic low”, climate think tank Ember said in its European Electricity Review 2025.

“The European Green Deal has delivered a deep and rapid transformation of the EU power sector,” the think tank said.

“Solar remained the EU’s fastest-growing power source in 2024, rising above coal for the first time. Wind power remained the EU’s second-largest power source, above gas and below nuclear.”

Overall, strong growth in solar and wind have boosted the share of renewables to 47 percent, up from 34 percent in 2019.

Fossil fuels have fallen from 39 to 29 percent.

“A surge in wind and solar generation is the main reason for declining fossil generation. Without wind and solar capacity added since 2019, the EU would have imported 92 billion cubic metres more of fossil gas and 55 million tonnes more of hard coal, costing EUR59 billion,” the report said.

According to Ember, these trends are widespread across Europe, with solar power progressing in all EU countries.

More than half have now either eliminated coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, or reduced its share to less than five percent of their energy mix.

“Fossil fuels are losing their grip on EU energy,” said Chris Rosslowe, lead author of the report.

“At the start of the European Green Deal in 2019, few thought the EU’s energy transition would be where it is today: wind and solar are relegating coal to the margins and pushing gas into decline.”

– Battery storage –

But Rosslowe cautioned much work remains.

“We need to accelerate our efforts, particularly in the wind power sector,” he said.

Europe’s electricity system will also need to increase its storage capacity to make the most of renewable energies, which are by definition intermittent, he added.

In 2024, plentiful solar energy helped drive down prices in the middle of the day, sometimes even resulting in “negative or zero price hours” due to an overabundance of supply compared to demand.

“A readily available solution is a battery co-located with a solar plant. This gives solar power producers more control over the prices they receive and helps them avoid selling for low prices in the middle of the day,” the report said.

The think tank suggested consumers could reduce their bills by shifting usage to periods of abundance (smart electrification), while battery operators could earn revenue from buying power when prices are low and selling it back when demand peaks.

Batteries have advanced significantly in recent years, with installed capacity across the EU doubling to 16 GW in 2023, compared with 8 GW in 2022, according to Ember.

But this capacity is concentrated in just a small number of countries: 70 percent of existing batteries were located in Germany and Italy at the end of 2023.

“More storage and demand flexibility is needed to sustain growth and for consumers to reap the full benefits of abundant solar,” Ember said.

“After a challenging few years for the wind power sector, additions are set to grow, but not by enough to hit EU targets. Closing this gap will require continued policy implementation and political support, such that the rate of additions between now and 2030 is more than double that of recent years.”

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The next-generation solar cell is fully recyclable

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The next-generation solar cell is fully recyclable


The next-generation solar cell is fully recyclable

by Robert Schreiber

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 18, 2025






Researchers at Linkoping University have developed a groundbreaking method for recycling all components of a perovskite solar cell without the use of hazardous solvents. The process ensures that recycled solar cells maintain the same efficiency as newly manufactured ones, marking a significant step toward sustainable solar technology. The primary solvent used in this method is water, offering an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional recycling processes.

With the anticipated surge in electricity demand due to the expansion of artificial intelligence and the electrification of transportation, sustainable energy sources must advance to prevent further environmental impact. Solar power has long been considered a viable renewable energy source, with silicon-based panels dominating the market for over three decades. However, as first-generation silicon panels reach the end of their lifespan, waste management poses a major challenge.



“There is currently no effective technology to handle the waste from silicon solar panels. As a result, outdated panels are being discarded in landfills, leading to vast amounts of electronic waste,” explained Xun Xiao, postdoctoral researcher at Linkoping University’s Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (IFM).



Feng Gao, a professor of optoelectronics at the same department, emphasized the importance of considering recyclability in emerging solar technologies: “If we don’t have a recycling solution in place, perhaps we shouldn’t introduce new solar cell technologies to the market.”



Perovskite solar cells are among the most promising alternatives for next-generation solar technology. These cells are lightweight, flexible, and transparent, making them suitable for various surfaces, including windows. Additionally, they achieve energy conversion efficiencies of up to 25 percent, rivaling silicon-based solar cells.



“Many companies are eager to commercialize perovskite solar cells, but we must ensure that they do not contribute to landfill waste. Our project introduces a method where all components of perovskite solar cells can be reused without sacrificing performance,” said Niansheng Xu, postdoctoral researcher at Linkoping University.



Although perovskite solar cells have a shorter lifespan than their silicon counterparts, it is crucial to develop an efficient and environmentally friendly recycling process. Additionally, these cells contain a small amount of lead, essential for high efficiency but requiring proper handling to prevent environmental contamination. In many parts of the world, manufacturers are legally obligated to recycle end-of-life solar cells sustainably.



Existing recycling methods for perovskite solar cells often rely on dimethylformamide, a toxic and potentially carcinogenic solvent commonly found in paint removers. The Linkoping researchers have devised an innovative approach that replaces this hazardous chemical with water, significantly reducing environmental risks. This method enables the recovery of high-quality perovskite materials from the water-based solution.



“We can recover every component-the glass covers, electrodes, perovskite layers, and charge transport layers,” Xiao added.



The next phase of research will focus on scaling up this process for industrial applications. In the long term, scientists believe that perovskite solar cells will become a key component of the global energy transition, particularly as supporting infrastructure and supply chains evolve.




Research Report:Aqueous based recycling of perovskite photovoltaics


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Machine Learning Enhances Solar Power Forecast Accuracy

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Machine Learning Enhances Solar Power Forecast Accuracy


Machine Learning Enhances Solar Power Forecast Accuracy

by Simon Mansfield

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 18, 2025






As solar power becomes a more significant component of the global energy grid, improving the accuracy of photovoltaic (PV) generation forecasts is crucial for balancing supply and demand. A recent study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences examines how machine learning and statistical techniques can enhance these predictions by refining errors in weather models.

Since PV forecasting depends heavily on weather predictions, inaccuracies in meteorological models can impact power output estimates. Researchers from the Institute of Statistics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology investigated ways to improve forecast precision through post-processing techniques. Their study evaluated three methods: adjusting weather forecasts before inputting them into PV models, refining solar power predictions after processing, and leveraging machine learning to predict solar power directly from weather data.



“Weather forecasts aren’t perfect, and those errors get carried into solar power predictions,” explained Nina Horat, lead author of the study. “By tweaking the forecasts at different stages, we can significantly improve how well we predict solar energy production.”



The study found that applying post-processing techniques to power predictions, rather than weather forecasts, yielded the most significant improvements. While machine learning models generally outperformed conventional statistical methods, their advantage was marginal in this case, likely due to the constraints of the available input data. Researchers also highlighted the importance of including time-of-day information in models to enhance forecast accuracy.



“One of our biggest takeaways was just how important the time of day is,” said Sebastian Lerch, corresponding author of the study. “We saw major improvements when we trained separate models for each hour of the day or fed time directly into the algorithms.”



A particularly promising approach involves bypassing traditional PV models altogether by using machine learning algorithms to predict solar power directly from weather data. This technique eliminates the need for detailed knowledge of a solar plant’s configuration, relying instead on historical weather and performance data for training.



The findings pave the way for further advancements in machine learning-based forecasting, including the integration of additional weather variables and the application of these methods across multiple solar installations. As renewable energy adoption accelerates, improving solar power forecasting will be key to maintaining grid stability and efficiency.



Research Report:Improving Model Chain Approaches for Probabilistic Solar Energy Forecasting through Post-processing and Machine Learning


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China to further shrink renewables subsidies in market reform push

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China to further shrink renewables subsidies in market reform push


China to further shrink renewables subsidies in market reform push

by AFP Staff Writers

Shanghai (AFP) Feb 9, 2025






China’s top economic planner said on Sunday it would reduce some renewable energy subsidies in reforms intended to open the booming sector to market forces.

China has sought to scale back government support for renewable energy companies in recent years as the sector reaches critical mass.

It installed a record amount of renewable energy last year and has already surpassed a target to have at least 1,200 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity installed by 2030.

New clean energy projects completed after June 1 must sell electricity at rates determined by the market rather than at preferential rates previously used to support China’s energy transition, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in a statement.

The NDRC urged energy producers to “push forward clean energy’s participation in market transactions”.

The commission also said it “encourages electricity providers and electricity buyers to sign multi-year purchase agreements and pre-emptively manage market risks”.

Beijing invested more than $50 billion in new solar supply capacity from 2011 to 2022, according to the International Energy Agency.

It has built almost twice as much wind and solar capacity as every other country combined, according to research published last year.

However, China’s grid is struggling to keep up.

Renewable supply is increasingly being blocked to prevent the grid from becoming overwhelmed, a process known as curtailment.

Beijing has rolled out a series of measures over the past decade aimed at weaning renewable energy providers off state financial support.

It ended subsidies for new solar power stations and onshore wind power projects in 2021.

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