Solar Energy Archives - Page 4 of 24

The Power of Solar System Maintenance

December 30, 2025 jrobinson

– Installation Is Not the Asset

As climate change drives longer rainy seasons and more frequent, intense storm events, true energy security can no longer be defined solely by system capacity or component quality.

Instead, it is shaped by the quality of ongoing maintenance, the rigor of system oversight, and the strength of the partnership with a solar provider operating a reputable, active maintenance program.

Hurricane Melissa offered a compelling, real-world demonstration of this reality.

While the storm tested infrastructure across the island, it revealed a clear distinction between solar systems that merely existed and those that were actively managed, professionally maintained, and operationally prepared.

Proactive system maintenance underpins resilience, reliability, and long-term return on investment. When paired with a reputable company operating an insurance-approved maintenance program, solar systems evolve from static installations into dynamic energy security assets.

A Partnership for Energy Security

At SolarBuzz, we recognize that energy resilience is not achieved in isolation, but rather through an ongoing partnership with our clients, in which our technical team ensures that equipment condition, system settings, and operational performance remain aligned with evolving environmental conditions and grid realities.

Clients whose systems were under active maintenance prior to Hurricane Melissa benefited from continuous online monitoring, remote system support, proactive adjustment of system settings informed by weather tracking, guidance on maximizing system readiness ahead of landfall, and field visits where required.

These coordinated efforts translated directly into greater continuity of power during and after the storm, even as grid restoration lagged across entire regions.

This partnership model reframes system maintenance from a reactive service into a strategic discipline. It ensures batteries are protected from harmful discharge cycles and that system configurations are proactively optimized to preserve performance and asset lifespan, while also securing dependable backup power when it matters most.

Viewed through this lens, maintenance also functions as a form of asset governance, safeguarding system performance, financial value, and operational intent over the life of the investment.

Risk Management Through Regular System Maintenance

Regular maintenance plays a pivotal role in safeguarding system performance under normal operating conditions.

Routine professional servicing enables early fault detection, supports warranty and insurance compliance, and extends the productive life of high-value components, particularly batteries.

Environmental factors such as dust, salt, and debris can quietly erode energy output by as much as 20% if left unaddressed. When unchecked, minor issues can compound into costly failures, often at the most inopportune times.

Remote monitoring further strengthens this advantage by allowing performance anomalies to be identified and corrected before they escalate into outages or irreversible damage.

Securing Your Power

Hurricane Melissa reinforced a fundamental reality that real energy resilience lies not in the installation of a system, but in its continuous and disciplined maintenance.

At SolarBuzz, our clients experienced uninterrupted power supply from systems that withstood hurricane-force winds, supported by wind-load engineered designs, code-compliant installations, and consistent system management delivered through our maintenance program and responsive technical team.

In keeping with our value statement, the maintenance of our clients’ solar systems is treated as a direct extension of our engineering practice.

Our maintenance program is a data-driven, standards-based approach designed to preserve energy independence, protect financial investment, and ensure that systems perform reliably when national infrastructure is most vulnerable.

As Jamaica enters an era of increasingly severe weather events, proactive system maintenance stands as one of the most powerful tools for safeguarding assets, securing continuity of supply, and maintaining control over the energy future.

Deidre Wedderburn is the Client Relations Manager at SolarBuzz, dedicated to building long-term partnerships and delivering a top-tier client experience (deidre@solarbuzzjamaica.com).

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Renewable energy project approvals hit record high in GB in 2025, data shows

December 30, 2025 jrobinson

Applications to build battery storage drive boom as offshore wind projects given go-ahead jump sevenfold year on year

A record number of renewable energy projects were given the go-ahead in Great Britain in 2025, after planning approvals almost doubled year on year, according to an analysis.

The energy capacity of new battery, wind, and solar projects that received approval climbed to 45GW this year, 96% higher than in 2024, according to data from Cornwall Insight.

The boom was driven by applications to build new battery storage, which almost doubled to 28.6GW this year from 14.9GW in 2024. Planning approvals for offshore wind developments jumped more than sevenfold to 9.9GW from 1.3GW last year.

Planning approvals for battery, wind and solar power have risen by more than 400% over the past five years.

The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said: “After years of delay and underinvestment, this government is keeping its promise to take back control of Britain’s energy with clean homegrown power.

“Every project we approve, every investment we make is about getting the country off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets, protecting households and lowering bills for good.”

The record-breaking surge in planning approvals signals real momentum in the UK’s energy transition, according to Robin Clarke, a senior analyst at Cornwall Insight, but many could still face delays starting up.

“On paper, the UK’s renewables pipeline has never looked stronger,” he said. “But approvals don’t generate electricity, and we urgently need to move from ambition to actual delivery of these projects. Too much capacity is still stuck in queues or waiting on grid upgrades. Grid bottlenecks remain one of the biggest risks to turning today’s approvals into tomorrow’s power.”

Although approvals have accelerated, the pace of projects starting up has lagged behind, largely as a result of long construction timelines and grid connection delays, according to Cornwall.

Many projects have been stuck in a “first come, first served” connections queue, but recent reforms to remove “zombie projects” from the queue and shift to a “first ready, first needed, first connected” approach is expected to clear some of the bottlenecks and quicken the pace of Britain’s renewable energy buildout.

Britain’s energy system operator pulled the plug on hundreds of electricity generation projects earlier this month to clear a huge backlog that had stopped many “shovel-ready” schemes from connecting to the power grid.

More than half of the energy projects in the queue will be removed to make way for about £40bn-worth of schemes considered the most likely to help meet the government’s goal to build a virtually zero-carbon power system by 2030.

Britain’s growing renewables industry may also have accelerated in 2025 as developers rush to get their projects over the line before tougher rules over which projects can connect to the grid, and upcoming local elections that could create uncertainty over future renewable energy planning policies.

Clarke said: “The recent grid connection reforms are a significant step forward, and should help clear some of the backlog, but they won’t solve everything. We need faster decisions, more investment in the grid, and real collaboration between government, regulators and industry. Without that, these record numbers risk becoming just another statistic.”

Cornwall added that the rapid expansion of renewable projects would also mean the UK must reinforce and build out its electricity grid at scale.

“The current infrastructure was never designed for such high volumes of intermittent generation and storage, so investment in grid flexibility, transmission upgrades, and smart technologies will be critical to ensure these projects can deliver power where and when it’s needed,” it said.

The Guardian

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Our Energy Systems Should Reflect Who We Are: Resilient

December 27, 2025 jrobinson

Editor’s Note: Our clients and systems were referenced in a recent New York Times article examining the impact of Hurricane Melissa and how rooftop solar systems performed during and after the storm. Readers who wish to view the article may do so using the link below.

👉 Read the New York Times article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/climate/jamaica-hurricane-solar-power.html

Resilience is not a foreign concept in Jamaica. For generations, Jamaicans have navigated environmental uncertainty and economic constraint with ingenuity, perseverance, and resolve. From small business owners reopening their doors after floodwaters recede, to households restoring order and routine in the aftermath of storms, adaptability is not merely a response – it is our defining trait.

As climate change accelerates and extreme weather events intensify, hurricanes of Melissa’s magnitude are no longer exceptional. In this reality, resilience can no longer rely solely on human determination.

Our capacity to recover must be reinforced by infrastructure, particularly energy systems, that are designed to endure disruption and enable swift recovery. Jamaica’s solar and energy storage systems must deliver continuity, reliability, and stability precisely when communities need them most.

Resilience requires energy systems built to perform under pressure.

Systems That Stand When It Matters Most

In recent storms, a quiet yet consequential shift has been unfolding across the island. Properly designed solar energy systems have emerged as a cornerstone of resilience, supporting not only individual households but entire communities. Installed solar capacity has expanded from less than 1.4 megawatts in 2015 to nearly 65 megawatts by 2024, now accounting for approximately ten percent of Jamaica’s electricity mix.

Beyond capacity figures, solar has revealed a deeper dimension of resilience. When engineered correctly and installed to rigorous standards, these systems become anchors of care and solidarity.

Homes that retain power after a storm often evolve into community lifelines and spaces where neighbours gather to charge devices, preserve food, access information, and reconnect with loved ones. In these moments, resilience transcends technology; it becomes collective.

Post-Melissa reporting in a recent New York Times article underscored this reality. Properly mounted solar panels largely withstood hurricane-force winds, maintained uninterrupted power supply throughout the storm, and enabled households to remain operational while serving as points of support for their communities. The article, After Jamaica’s Disastrous Storm, Solar Power Is a Bright Spot, featuring SolarBuzz clients in Treasure Beach and Kingston, highlights how rooftop solar systems, when done right, deliver continuity of power and meaningful community benefit.

One featured client, Jennifer Hue of Treasure Beach, experienced flooding and property damage during the hurricane, yet her rooftop solar system remained fully operational. While the grid failed, her home stayed powered, allowing neighbours to charge phones, preserve food, and maintain vital communication.

Similarly, Twila-Mae Logan of Kingston was able to use her solar-equipped home as a hub for food storage and family support during the outage.

At SolarBuzz, we view solar not as a lifestyle enhancement, but as essential infrastructure that is central to household safety, economic stability, and energy independence.

These featured systems did not endure by chance. They performed as designed because they were engineered for Jamaica’s environmental realities and installed to standards capable of withstanding hurricane-force winds and extreme conditions.

Breaking the Cycle of Darkness

Despite this progress, access to resilient solar and storage systems remains uneven. While declining global equipment costs, government incentives such as the solar tax credit, financing mechanisms, and net billing policies should, in theory, make solar more attainable, local bureaucratic barriers continue to impede adoption.

Lengthy approval timelines, complex banking and net billing requirements, and lingering policy ambiguity place resilient energy solutions beyond the reach of many Jamaicans. However, climate realities demand the opposite approach.

Reducing dependence on long, vulnerable transmission lines and decentralising power generation directly at the point of use is no longer optional; it is imperative.

Incentive frameworks must therefore be clear, accessible, and free from protracted delays or cost-intensive administrative requirements.

Competitive financing from major banks, including the ability to integrate solar systems into new mortgages, is essential to broadening access to properly designed solar and battery solutions.

As Caribbean leaders continue to call for greater international support to address climate impacts the region played little role in creating, local action must demonstrate clarity, urgency, and execution.

Jamaicans deserve a straightforward, efficient, and affordable pathway to resilient solar adoption, alongside continued investment in strengthening the national grid.

For Jamaica, resilience now means empowering homeowners to invest confidently in high-quality solar and storage systems designed to withstand hurricane-force winds and deliver long-term energy security.

Deidre Wedderburn is the Client Relations Manager at SolarBuzz, dedicated to building long-term partnerships and delivering top-tier client experience (deidre@solarbuzzjamaica.com).

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Spain’s commitment to renewable energy may be in doubt

December 23, 2025 jrobinson

On the edge of the sleepy town of Figueruelas, a single, vast wind turbine spins around, casting its shadow over the buildings nearby.

It’s a reminder of the importance of renewable electricity in this windswept area of Aragón, in north-eastern Spain, whose plains are host to many of the country’s wind and solar energy farms.

Figueruela’s status as a symbol of Spain’s green transition has been further boosted recently, as work starts nearby on the construction of a vast factory that will produce batteries for electric vehicles.

Chinese firm CATL and the Netherlands-based Stellantis are investing a combined €4bn ($4.7bn; £3.5bn) in the facility. Yao Jing, China’s ambassador in Spain, described it as “one of the biggest Chinese investments Europe has ever seen”.

Luis Bertol Moreno, mayor of the town, says the area was a logical choice for the project.

“We’re in Aragón, where there’s wind all year round, there are lots of hours of sunshine, and we are surrounded by wind turbines and solar panels,” he says.

“Those [energy sources] will be crucial in generating electricity for the new factory, and I understand that was the key reason for building it here in Figueruelas.”

The factory can be seen as vindication of Spain’s energy model, which prioritises renewable sources. In 2017, renewables contributed just a third of Spain’s electricity production, but last year they represented 57%.

By 2030, the government wants them to contribute 81% of electricity output.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez summarised his government’s approach as he delivered a riposte to US President Donald Trump’s pro-fossil fuel “Dig, baby, dig” slogan. “Green, baby, green,” said the Socialist, as he pointed to the benefits of renewable energy.

However, in recent months, Spain’s all-in commitment to renewables has come under scrutiny. This was in great part due to an 28 April blackout that left homes, businesses, government buildings, public transport, schools and universities in the dark across Spain and neighbouring Portugal for several hours.

With the government unable to offer a full explanation for the outage, the country’s energy mix became a fiercely-debated political issue. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative opposition, accused the government of “fanaticism” in pursuing its green agenda, suggesting that an over-reliance on renewables might have caused the incident.

Feijóo and others on the right advocated a rethink of the national energy model.

The fact that, a week before the blackout, solar generation in mainland Spain registered a record 61.5% of the electricity mix has fuelled such claims.

Yet the government and national grid operator Red Eléctrica have both denied that the outage was linked to the preponderance of renewable energy sources in Spain.

“We have operated the system with higher renewable rates [previously] with no effect on the security of the system,” says Concha Sánchez, head of operations for Red Eléctrica. “Definitely it’s not a question of the rate of renewables at that moment.”

Ms Sánchez said the blackout was caused by a combination of issues, including an “unknown event” in the system moments before, which saw anomalous voltage oscillations.

However, Red Eléctrica and the government are still awaiting reports on the incident that they hope will determine the exact cause. A cyber-attack has repeatedly been ruled out.

Meanwhile, since April, Spain’s electricity mix has been modified somewhat, with greater reliance on natural gas, reinforcing the notion that the country is at an energy crossroads.

Spain’s nuclear industry, which currently contributes around 20% of national electricity, has been particularly vocal since the blackout, pushing back against government plans to close the country’s five nuclear plants between 2027 and 2035.

With many European countries undergoing a nuclear renaissance, the planned closures make Spain something of an outlier. The companies that own the Almaraz plant in south-western Spain, due to be the first to shut down, have requested a three-year extension to its life until 2030. That request is currently under consideration.

Ignacio Araluce, president of Foro Nuclear, an association that represents the industry, says Spain is the only country in the world that is scheduling the closure of nuclear plants that are in operation. He believes nuclear energy provides stability while being compatible with the green energy transition.

“It’s prudent to have a mix of renewables and nuclear energy,” he says.

Mr Araluce praises renewable sources because they only require natural elements to generate electricity, but points out that they are not able to operate around the clock or when weather is unfavourable.

“How can you produce energy in those hours when the renewables are not producing?” he asks. The answer, he added, is “with a source like nuclear, that is not producing CO2, that is producing all hours of the year”.

The political opposition is staunchly opposed to the nuclear shut-down. The far-right Vox, criticising what it saw as a lack of explanation by the government for the April blackout, recently described nuclear power as “a crucial source of stability”.

Ms Sánchez acknowledges that there is room for improvement for Spain’s electricity model, pointing to the Iberian peninsula’s relative isolation from the European grid compared to most of its EU neighbours. She also sees storage as an issue.

“While we have taken a good path when it comes to renewable installation, we cannot say the same regarding storage,” she says. “We need to foster storage installation.”

Spain’s political panorama adds an element of uncertainty to its energy future. The Socialist-led coalition has been mired in corruption scandals and its parliamentary majority appears to have collapsed in recent weeks, raising the possibility of a snap election in the coming months.

A right-wing government, which polls suggest would be the likely outcome, would almost certainly place less emphasis on renewables and advocate a partial return to more traditional energy sources.

But in the meantime, Spain’s renewable transition continues.

And for Figueruelas, in Aragón, that means not just cheap, clean energy, but investment. The town’s population, of just 1,000, is due to increase dramatically, with 2,000 Chinese workers scheduled to arrive to help build the new battery plant, which is expected to create up to 35,000 indirect jobs once it starts operating.

“These kinds of investments revitalise the area, they revitalise the construction sector, hostelry,” says local man Manuel Martín. “And the energy is free – it just depends on the sun and the wind.”

BBC

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Japan to back clean-energy users with $1.3 billion in investment subsidies

December 23, 2025 jrobinson

TOKYO, Dec 23 (Reuters) – Japan plans to provide 210 billion yen ($1.34 billion) to help companies that are using clean power to fund investments, in a push to boost demand for renewable energy and spur growth in regional areas, a government official said late on Monday.

The subsidies are designed to help the country, the world’s fifth-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, reach its clean energy targets and reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels after facing setbacks on wind and solar projects.

The scheme will provide funds over five years starting in fiscal 2026, said Juntaro Shimizu, director of the Green Transformation (GX) policy group at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Companies that rely entirely on decarbonised electricity and contribute to regions where the power is generated will be eligible for subsidies covering up to half of their capital expenditure, he said. Data centre operators meeting the same criteria will also qualify.

The government plans to begin soliciting applications from eligible businesses next fiscal year.

Japan wants renewables to account for up to 50% of its electricity mix by fiscal 2040, with nuclear power supplying another 20%, up from 22.9% renewables and 8.5% nuclear in fiscal 2023.

Progress toward the renewable energy goal has slowed as offshore wind projects, seen as crucial to achieving the target, have faced surging costs, while large-scale solar farms have stalled due to local opposition.

The new support measures form part of Japan’s “GX 2040 vision,” a national strategy integrating decarbonisation and industrial policy approved by the Cabinet earlier this year, seeking to promote the energy transition and economic growth.

As part of the framework, the government will establish a “GX Strategy Region” system to create new industrial clusters in areas with decarbonised power sources.

Local governments and companies will jointly draw up plans, with the national government selecting regions and providing support through subsidies and regulatory reforms. Applications from local governments are expected to open later this fiscal year, Shimizu said.

Reuters

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After Jamaica’s Disastrous Storm, Solar Power Is a Bright Spot

December 23, 2025 jrobinson

People with rooftop solar panels got their power back almost immediately. The ‘entire neighbourhood benefits’, one resident said.

The morning after Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica, Jennifer Hue, a retired tax auditor living close to hard-hit Treasure Beach, woke up to devastation. Her mango, breadfruit and papaya trees were lost, their tops snapped off by 180-mile-per-hour winds. There was water everywhere.

But her roof was intact, and just as importantly, so were the solar panels she had installed two years ago. Most of her neighbors didn’t have electricity. But she did.

Neighbors began stopping by to charge their phones, to take a cool drink from the refrigerator, to message loved ones to let them know they were safe. Ms. Hue is still hosting a cousin and his mother, as well as two medical students from the local university, whose accommodations were damaged.

“The wind was like a tornado, and water came through every crevice,” Ms. Hue said. “But we didn’t lose any solar panels, and the next morning, the sun was shining bright and early,” she said. “We had our power back.”

A small but vibrant market for rooftop solar panels in Jamaica has long been seen as a promising way to wean the nation off imported fossil fuels. The country is reliant on oil and gas from abroad for its power plants, which not only is polluting but also makes Jamaica’s electricity some of the priciest in the world per kilowatt-hour.

But now, solar power is also seen as a way for Jamaica and other nations in one of the world’s most hurricane-prone regions to become more resilient to ever-intensifying storms.

Rooftop solar has grown significantly in Jamaica over the past decade, from less than 1.4 megawatts in 2015 to nearly 65 megawatts in 2023, a significant amount for a small island, experts say. Overall, solar and other forms of renewable energy made up about 10 percent of Jamaica’s power generation in 2023.

The hope is that growth will start to cut down on Jamaica’s dependence on imported oil and liquefied natural gas, which is shipped in tankers to the island nation, at a time when ports, refineries, power plants and transmission lines are becoming vulnerable to extreme weather worsened by a warming planet.

Wide swaths of the country remain without electricity after Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as a Category 5 storm last week, killing at least 32 people and destroying an untold number of buildings and homes. “You’re talking about restoring a very lengthy, complex and expensive infrastructure,” said David Gumbs, an expert on energy in the Caribbean at the Rocky Mountain Institute and the former chief executive of the Anguilla Electricity Company.

“With solar, you maintain some ability to continue generating electricity” without relying on hundreds of miles of damaged power lines, he said. “And in the Caribbean context, when the hurricane passes, if I have rooftop solar and batteries and if I can keep my refrigerator running, my entire neighborhood benefits.”

The solar panels must survive the high winds, of course. Jason Robinson, who runs Solar Buzz, an installer based in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, has been surveying the damage this week, navigating roads on the west side of the island strewed with downed trees and power lines. “With nearly 200 mile-per-hour winds, you’re in the universe’s hands,” Mr. Robinson said.

But so far, none of his nearly 300 clients have reported extensive damage, he said. Panels installed flat against the roof, in particular, fared well. Some rooftop solar owners have taken to removing their panels ahead of strong winds. Many were already back online.

“As long as you install to code, and your roof stays on, you have a chance of surviving extremely long power outages,” Mr. Robinson said. “Resiliency is becoming even more important than lowering your bill.”

Solar panels remain beyond the reach of many Jamaicans, but prices are falling rapidly as Chinese gear floods into the market. In recent years the Jamaican government has also started providing a solar income-tax credit, and banks have begun to offer more financing. Jamaica’s electric utility also now compensates solar households for excess electricity they put back into the grid.

That’s helping Jamaica make progress toward its goal of generating 50 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Annabelle Todd manages an oceanfront guest villa on Treasure Beach, where two dozen panels and battery storage were installed two-and-a-half years ago. The panels survived, apart from one that was punctured by flying debris. She had electricity and air-conditioning the morning after the storm, much to the envy of her neighbors.

The system wasn’t cheap, costing about $30,000. But it has virtually eliminated electricity bills that used to top $1,000 a month, because her guests “would run that A.C. morning and noon and night,” she said. “Honestly, we could pay it off in two, three years,” she said.

More than that, not losing power has been a relief, she said. It’s the second year in a row that the seaside community, known for its black sand beaches, has been ravaged by a hurricane.

“Now everyone who runs villas here wants solar. I already see solar suppliers driving up and down Treasure Beach,” Ms. Todd said. “They got hit two years in a row, and they’re not going to fool around anymore.”

Twila-Mae Logan, deputy executive director of the University of the West Indies’ business school, spent about $20,000 to install panels at her Kingston home two years ago. The capital was spared the worst of Hurricane Melissa, but even then, her neighborhood lost power, making her home one of the few with electricity. Ahead of the storm, her brother and her niece rushed to her home to store food in her freezer so it wouldn’t spoil.

“We’re a third-world country and our government is significantly under-resourced, but I really do think our government has put some fair degree of priority behind solar,” she said. “Most people would go solar, save for the expense.”

Leaders across the Caribbean have demanded more financial assistance from the world’s rich countries to help Jamaica contend with the consequences of climate change. Caribbean island nations will suffer the most from climate change, despite being least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the world, they say. The International Monetary Fund says the region requires about $100 billion in economic investment to build resilience to climate-fueled disasters.

Ms. Hue, the retired tax auditor, doesn’t expect to quickly make back the tens of thousands of dollars she paid for her solar panels in 2023. But “it was never about that,” she said. “It was about having very reliable power, and having peace of mind.”

“We were just fortunate to have the sun out the next morning,” she said.

The New York Times

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Keir Starmer prepares to miss key green target in effort to keep energy bills down

October 23, 2025 jrobinson

Keir Starmer prepares to miss key green target in effort to keep energy bills down

Ministers are considering dropping one of their central green pledges in an effort to keep energy bills down, sources have told the Guardian.

Government insiders say Keir Starmer is prepared to miss his own target of removing almost all fossil fuels from the UK’s electricity supply by 2030 if doing so proves much more expensive than building gas power instead.

The issue will come to a head within weeks as Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, decides how much renewable energy to commission for the next few years. Allies say Miliband is willing to buy less than experts say is needed to hit the 2030 target, if paying for them would push energy bills much higher than their current levels.

Concern is growing in Downing Street that the cost of living is fuelling the rise of Reform UK, which leads national polls and is predicted to take the Welsh Senedd seat of Caerphilly in a byelection this week.

One government insider said: “There is a choice about what price you’re willing to pay for the next [renewables] auction round, which is key to hitting 2030. If it comes to a choice between hitting the target and overpaying, or missing it and keeping costs down, we will miss it.”

Officials pointed to comments Miliband made last week, when he told an energy industry conference: “We won’t buy at any price. And if specific technologies aren’t competitive, we will look elsewhere. We will take the long-term decisions to secure the right amount of capacity at the right price for the country.”

Starmer committed to hitting the clean power target last year in his “plan for change”. The prime minister said at the time the plan would “make Britain a clean energy superpower and accelerate to net zero”.

Experts say that hitting the target would require Miliband to commission a record 8 gigawatts of new electricity generation at the current auction round. The government sets subsidy levels by asking renewable companies to bid and then commissioning whichever projects promise the cheapest clean energy.

The energy secretary is in talks with Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, about how much to spend on the commissioning round.

But energy industry insiders say high interest rates and the sheer amount of electricity that needs to be commissioned is likely to push prices beyond what it would cost to build the equivalent amount of gas power.

Dieter Helm, professor of economic policy at the University of Oxford, said Miliband was “deluded” if he thought he could bring down energy bills by pushing for clean power by 2030. “The reality is that net zero by 2030 is expensive and that by dashing flat-out towards it, the result will be even higher costs. The price is not coming down; it is going up.”

The state-owned energy system operator, NESO, which runs the electricity grid, recently warned: “With a short and shrinking window of time, pace must be the primary goal. However, this cannot come at the expense of public consent or excessive cost as that would mean the clean power objective would be self-defeating.”

report published on Thursday by the Tony Blair Institute argues the government should drop the 2030 target altogether while sticking to the longer-term net zero commitment.

Tone Langengen, the report’s author, said: “Launched in the middle of the gas crisis and in a low-interest environment, Clean Power 2030 was right for its time, but circumstances have changed.”

The institute has been criticised for its founder’s links to the fossil fuel industry, but its reports are taken seriously in Downing Street, which is staffed by several of its former employees.

Some officials in Downing Street and the Treasury want the prime minister to publicly drop the 2030 target in a sign to both voters and the energy industry that he is not willing to let bills rise, having previously promised to bring them down by £300.

Starmer is resisting this, and is instead understood to be willing to simply miss the target rather than openly disown it. One government aide said: “The prime minister made this the centrepiece of one of his missions. He is not going to drop it now.”

Another insider said: “It would be really silly to amend the target publicly – even if we accept the higher risk it won’t be met.”

Green experts also warn that ditching the target – either quietly or publicly – would reduce business confidence.

Jess Ralston, an energy analyst at the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, said: “Renewables provided around half of our electricity last year, and we have the world’s second largest market for offshore wind. Drastic policy changes could jeopardise that investment and those jobs, like we have seen in the US.”

Allies of Miliband insist that even if he does not commission the full 8GW of power in January, there will be other ways to make sure the electricity grid is almost entirely carbon free by 2030. They include building more batteries and encouraging people to use less electricity at peak times in order to reduce the amount of new capacity that needs to be built.

However, industry insiders say the 2030 target would be almost unachievable without the extra renewable power they say needs to be commissioned in January. One said: “There are other ways to make the sums add up, but unless you get close to 8GW of new power in this round, you’re very unlikely to hit the 2030 target.”

A government spokesperson said: “The government is fully committed to delivering clean power by 2030 because it is how we deliver a system that can bring down bills for consumers.”

The Guardian

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Hopes rise for green economy boom at Africa Climate Summit

September 24, 2025 jrobinson

Renewables are thriving, with Africa breaking solar energy records – but action is needed to plug financing gap

The first signs of a takeoff of Africa’s green economy are raising hopes that a transformation of the continent’s fortunes may be under way, driven by solar power and an increase in low-carbon investment.

African leaders are meeting this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the Africa Climate Summit, a precursor to the global UN Cop30 in November. They will call for an increase in support from rich countries for Africa’s green resurgence, without which they will warn it could be fragile and spread unevenly.

Richard Muyungi, the climate envoy and adviser to the president of Tanzania, said: “Africa is ready to be part of [the global fight to stave off climate breakdown] provided we are supported with finance, technology and capacity-building.

“There has been an increase of investments in some areas but Africa still needs a lot of financing to be able to be part of the global solution, and to address the challenges we are facing.”

Green energy is booming in Africa, with 20 countries breaking records for imports of solar panels in the 12 months to June. According to the thinktank Ember, imports of photovoltaic equipment from China rose by 60% over the past year, from 9GW in 2024 to 15GW of capacity, with a tripling of imports to countries outside South Africa.

Though the increase is impressive, it is from a low base. Africa, which boasts the greatest potential for solar power, has lagged far behind other countries in installations. Only 4% of global solar generation last year was in Africa, and in 2023, the International Energy Agency reported that Belgium had as many solar panels as the entire continent.

“There is a glimmer of light [in the increased investment] but this is still quite meagre compared to other continents in the global south,” Muyungi said.

Last year’s imported panels would add about 5% to current electricity generation capacity in 16 countries, according to Ember, but the need remains vast. About 600 million people in Africa lack access to electricity, and about a billion have only firewood or dirty fuels for cooking. Women and girls are worst affected.

Melaku Yirga, the regional director for Africa at Mercy Corps, a humanitarian organisation, said: “Renewable energy is not only Africa’s greatest opportunity, it is also an urgent necessity. Renewable power enables everything from irrigation and food storage to early-warning systems, healthcare and livelihoods.”

While recent increases in renewable energy investment were welcome, Yirga said the public sector and overseas aid were still vital.

“Africa has no shortage of ambition in renewable energy, but without stronger international finance and the right incentives, the private sector will remain on the sidelines and adaptation goals will go unmet,” he said.

“Private sector financing must be met with public commitments, and funding must also be long-term and reliable – short grants rarely achieve full impact, as meaningful engagement with governments and communities takes time and requires significant upfront investment.”

Reductions in overseas aid from rich countries are causing consternation among African governments, many of which are blighted by record debt burdens, exacerbated by the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and recent interest rate rises.

Macky Sall, the former president of Senegal, said: “The drop in official development assistance fundamentally changes the climate calculus. Where does that leave Africa, if we can no longer count on our partners’ promises?

“The costs of the climate crisis have fallen most heavily on Africa. We are not the cause. We are not only footing the largest bill – we are also seeing the cheques to stem the damage cancelled.”

Private sector companies will put cash into renewable energy, but few will help Africa adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis, which are already being felt in the form of droughts, floods and crop failures. Investment to build resilience – such as water storage systems, better infrastructure and new farming techniques – is lacking.

A report published at the summit on Monday showed that while Africa needed at least $70bn a year to adapt to the effects of the climate crisis, and possibly much more, only $15bn was provided in adaptation finance to the continent in 2023.

Without urgent action to address that vast financing gap, Africa’s future costs from climate impacts will balloon, wiping out a fifth of GDP by 2050.

Patrick Verkooijen, the chief executive of the Global Center on Adaptation thinktank, says rich countries must increase their finance for adaptation in Africa, which is responsible for only 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions while bearing the brunt of climate breakdown.

“Europe [and other countries] will shoot themselves in the foot if they defund ODA [official development assistance],” he said. “African leaders will see it as a stab in the back.”

While Africa is behind in climate adaptation, its riches are increasingly sought after by China and the rest of the rich world.

Africa has some of the biggest deposits of “critical minerals” – elements vital to building renewable energy components. Cobalt, lithium, copper, nickel, rare earths and other minerals are abundant in parts of Africa, which has spurred a global scramble for the resources.

Human rights abuses have soared in some mining areas, with child labour and the exploitation of adult workers, particularly women, in places such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Africa’s under-resourced public sector is struggling to contain the damage and ensure resource extraction is done responsibly, without causing environmental devastation and in a way that benefits local people.

Africa also abounds in gas, with reserves of the fossil fuel that have scarcely been tapped in some countries. Muyungi insisted they must be allowed to exploit those resources, despite the impact on the climate crisis. “We do not envisage anything to stop us using gas – we need it for our development,” he said.

For rich countries to tackle the climate crisis, Africa’s assistance will be essential. If global north governments fail to address the continent’s needs, they will feel the impact. Roughly 60% of Africa’s population is under 25, a “youthquake” that could spur development or, if poorly handled, will be felt around the world.

Abay Yimere, a scholar at the Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University in the US, said: “If the climate crisis is not tackled in Africa, that will be a problem for migration. If we do not provide them with jobs, and adapt to climate change, the impact will be huge and not controllable. The global north should look at this from their own national perspectives and see where their interest lies.”

This article was amended on 9 September 2025. An earlier version measured imports of solar panels from China in megawatts; this should have said gigawatts.

The Guardian

Energy Saving News Solar Energy solar panels sustainable development

Solar Panels that fit on your Balcony or Deck are Gaining Traction in the US

September 24, 2025 jrobinson

When Terrence Dwyer received a knock on his door and a flyer for a solar panel system small enough to fit on his deck, he was quickly sold. Solar systems that plug into regular wall outlets have been popular in Europe for years and are gaining traction in the U.S. for their affordability and simple installation.

“We thought absolutely, let’s do this right away,” said Dwyer, who lives in Oakland, California.

These small-scale solar systems could become attractive to more homeowners now that President Donald Trump’s sweeping budget-and-policy package will scrap residential rooftop solar tax credits and may shift interest to cheaper alternatives. Even before the GOP bill passed, manufacturers of the smaller systems known as plug-in or balcony solar were seeing increased demand and other positive signs such as a new Utah law streamlining regulations for homeowners to buy and install them. The systems about the size of a door haven’t been as widely adopted in the U.S. as in Europe because of lack of awareness, patchwork utility rules and limited availability.

The $2,000 plug-in solar system installed on Dwyer’s backyard deck in March consists of two 400 watt panels, an inverter, a smart meter and a circuit breaker. It saves him around $35 per month on his power bill because he is consuming less energy from the grid, but he said reducing his carbon footprint was his primary motivation.

“We like the environmental benefits of solar and wanted to engage with solar in some fashion,” Dwyer said.

Had Dwyer opted for rooftop solar, he would have paid $20,000 for the system and $30,000 to upgrade his roof to support the panels.

Installing a plug-in solar system requires some homework. What power companies let customers do with energy-generating equipment varies, which is why prospective purchasers should check their utility’s policies first. Building permits might be required depending on the municipality. Some systems can be self-installed, while others may require an electrician. For example, some kits have meters that must be wired into a home’s circuit breaker.

Removing hurdles for plug-in solar

Dwyer bought his system from Bright Saver, a nonprofit company in California that advocates for plug-in solar. In addition to the type Dwyer bought, the company also offers a smaller model costing $399 that recently sold out in six days.

“The interest and demand have been overwhelming,” said Cora Stryker, a founder of Bright Saver. “It is clear that we are hitting a nerve — many Americans have wanted solar for a long time but have not had an option that is feasible and affordable for them until now.”

Kevin Chou, another founder of Bright Saver, said wider adoption of the systems in the U.S. has been hindered by utility policies that create uncertainty about whether they’re allowed and a lack of state and local policies to make clear what rules apply.

Some utilities contacted by The Associated Press say plug-in solar systems require the same interconnection applications as rooftop panels that send electricity back to the wider network. But Steven Hegedus, an electrical engineering professor at University of Delaware, said he doesn’t understand why a utility would need to require an interconnection agreement for plug-in solar because, unlike rooftop systems, they are designed to prevent energy from flowing to the grid.

Still, if in doubt, a customer should follow their utility’s policy.

During the early days of plug-in solar’s growth, some opposition from utilities is likely since customers are buying less energy, said Robert Cudd, a research analyst at the California Center for Sustainable Communities at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“Utilities really prefer everyone being a predictable and generous consumer of the electricity they sell,” Cudd said.

This year, Utah enacted a novel law supporting plug-in solar by exempting certain small-scale systems from interconnection agreements and establishing safety requirements such as being certified by a nationally recognized testing organization such as Underwriters Laboratories. It appears to be the only state that’s passed legislation supporting plug-in solar, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Republican state Rep. Raymond Ward, who sponsored the legislation, said the smaller systems allow people to better manage where their energy comes from and what they pay.

“Europe has these things. You can go buy them and they work and people want them. There is no reason why we shouldn’t have them here in the United States,” Ward said.

Bright Saver says they are lobbying other states for similar legislation.

Alexis Abramson, dean of the University of Columbia Climate School, also applauded Utah’s move.

“We actually need more localities, more states putting in allowances for this type of equipment,” she said.

Plug-in solar availability and savings potential

Some questions remain about how much customers could save. Severin Borenstein, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, said the cost of some portable solar systems in the U.S. would make it hard for customers to come out ahead on their utility bills over the time they own them. He estimates the price of a $2,000 system in the U.S. works out to paying about $0.20 a kilowatt-hour over a 25-year period, which only saves people money if they have high utility costs. By comparison, Borenstein said the cost of systems sold in Europe, typically around $600, is equivalent to paying about $0.05 or $0.06 per kilowatt-hour over 25 years.

Baltimore resident Craig Keenan said saving money was only part of why he installed one of the smaller Bright Saver models on his balcony in July.

“I’m interested in renewable energy because the amount of carbon emissions that we produce as a species is very, very unsustainable for our world,” he said.

He said he expects the system will save him about $40 per year on utility bills, so it would take him about 10 years to recoup the cost of the kit.

Keenan, a mechanical engineer, said installation took him 10 to 15 minutes.

“I think anyone can install this,” he said. “It’s not complicated. It doesn’t require a technical degree.”

Other companies selling plug-in solar kits include Texas-based Craftstrom. It has sold about 2,000 systems in the U.S. since 2021, mostly in California, Texas and Florida. The company’s basic kits contain a solar panel that can fit in a backyard or other sunny space, along with equipment to maintain and regulate the flow of energy including an inverter and smart meter.

Kenneth Hutchings, Craftstrom’s chief revenue officer, said their U.S. sales rose this year even before the passage of the GOP tax bill, and he expects demand for plug-in solar to increase further as federal rooftop solar credits expire.

The company advises customers to notify their power company before installation, but it has “never had any pushback from any utility,” said Michael Scherer, one of the founders of Craftstrom.

China-based EcoFlow plans to begin selling plug-in solar systems in Utah and expand to other states if supportive legislation is passed, said Ryan Oliver, a company spokesperson.

“This is an example of where technology is sort of ahead of the regulators,” Oliver said, adding: “As this rolls out to more of a nationwide product, we expect it will become more mainstream as people understand it better.”

The Associated Press

Alternative Energy News Solar Energy solar panels

Solar panels in space ‘could provide 80% of Europe’s renewable energy by 2050’

September 1, 2025 jrobinson

Researchers also suggest system could resolve problems with irregular and weather-dependent Earth-based supply.

Solar panels in space could cut Europe’s terrestrial renewable energy needs by 80% by 2050, a study has found.

Using a detailed computer model of the continent’s future power grid, the researchers found that a system of space-based panels designed by Nasa could reduce the cost of the whole European power system by as much as 15%. It could also cut battery use by more than two-thirds.

The study, led by researchers at King’s College London, is the first to assess the possible impact of space solar energy on Europe. The space-based solar power (SBSP) panels that yielded the positive results uses a heliostat design. The design, which the system imitates, uses mirror-like reflectors to collect sunlight in orbit. The sunlight is then transmitted to stations on Earth and converted to electricity before it is delivered to an energy grid.

The computer model of the continent’s power grid spans 33 countries, and simulates electricity demand, generation and storage to identify the lowest-cost option to meet Europe’s electricity needs.

When the researchers integrated the SBSP concept into the model based on Nasa’s predictions of its potential energy capacity, results showed that it could replace as much as 80% of Europe’s land-based renewable energy.

Land-based renewable energy is irregular and weather-dependent, complicating reliable supply, and comes at varying costs, the researchers point out. SBSPs could be an alternative centralised energy resource that operates above the atmosphere with continuous gigawatt-scale power.

The authors note that the modelling does not account for potential impacts from space-specific challenges such as orbital congestion, transmission interruptions or beaming variability, which could influence SBSP reliability and operational performance.

Nor could the potential cost-effectiveness of SBSP be realised until 2050 because building, launching and maintaining it would be too expensive unless technological growth reduces its costs.

Dr Wei He, a senior lecturer at KCL’s engineering department and lead author of the study, which is published in Joule, said: “There are some risks to consider, such as how the satellite in space could have too many solar panels. Could it cause collisions or be damaged by debris in space?”

Despite those risks, Wei believes the research shows that SBSP has the potential to help countries in achieving net zero. “Renewable energy to replace fossil fuels is the most important action we are taking as humans. Space-based solar power is a potential technology and can provide continuous solar power as a renewable energy source,” he said.

Japan is already developing SBSP and integrating it into its space and net-zero strategy, Wei said.

Europe could follow suit, the paper suggests, mentioning the continent’s longstanding tradition of multinational cooperation of cross-border electricity exchange and satellite ventures under the European Space Agency.

The authors believe Europe could leverage its multinational cooperation to develop and operate a centralised SBSP infrastructure. In doing so, it could create a continent-scale solution to provide stable, baseload-scale renewable supply, reducing the continent’s reliance on gas-fired power.

“Now is the time,” Wei said.

The Guardian

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