Author: Arnes Biogradlija

McAusland & Turner will be providing marine warranty and consulting services to Vestas, which will deliver the 100 megawatt Astana wind project, Kazakhstan’s first onshore wind farm. Delivery of the first components will begin via the Caspian Sea in June this year and, when completed, the approximately $250 million wind farm will provide electricity to 10.000 households, effectively reducing fossil fuel use. “We have worked closely with Vestas Wind Systems for a number of years and have continued to provide a global presence of experts throughout the current Covid-19 Pandemic as wind projects continue. This new contract demonstrates the faith…

Seraphim Solar System has rolled out its latest product, the 158 high efficiency shingled module. The new 158 shingled module can generate more power with higher efficiency ratings. By cutting the 158.75mm cells into 6 pieces and replacing the traditional ribbon with electrical conductive adhesive, the new 158 shingled module can have a maximum efficiency of 20.81 percent, with its module power reaching up to 440W. Solar panel efficiency measures how much of the sun’s energy a certain panel can convert into usable electricity. The energy is converted by capturing the electrical current generated when sunshine interacts with silicon or…

APA Group has received $1.1 million in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to construct a modular demonstration plant for sustainable methane production at its Wallumbilla Gas hub near Roma in Queensland. The demonstration plant ‘power to gas’ would generate about 620 kilograms of hydrogen each year, turning it into 74 gigajoules of methane which can then be pumped across the East Coast Gas Grid into APA’s natural gas pipelines. Renewable methane may be used to decarbonize the current gas infrastructure in Australia, including gas transmission and distribution networks and supply chains for exports. APA has partnered with Southern…

Scatec Solar and partners have grid connected and started commercial operations of the 54 MW Boguslav project in the Kyiv region, Ukraine. “We are pleased to complete our second project in Ukraine for less than ten months after closing the financing. The Boguslav solar plant will lead to the abatement of more than 24,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and contribute to growing the share of renewable energy in the country.”Raymond Carlsen, CEO of Scatec Solar. The project is realized under Ukraine’s Feed-in-Tariff scheme and is expected to deliver about 61 GWh per year.  The Boguslav plant will be providing clean energy for up…

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has reported $1.71 million in funding to BP Australia to determine the viability of building a production facility for renewable hydrogen and ammonia in Geraldton, Western Australia. GHD Advisory will assist BP in delivering the $4.42 million feasibility study that will explore renewable hydrogen output using electrolysis. BP will use grid-connected power and procure renewable energy through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) under this study. Renewable hydrogen would then be used to generate renewable ammonia, instead of natural gas. The research would deliver results to better understand the technological and financial consequences of a fully…

GlobalData analysis has reported that the Swiss solar photovoltaic market is on the verge of suffering a slump in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Switzerland has offered to increase financial support by another $47 million through rebates to offset this threat and support residential and commercial rooftop solar. This means that the solar PV rebate program would provide about $387.6 million. This attempt is in line with stopping any potential solar market collapse due to the pandemic. After hydropower and nuclear power, solar PV installations form the third major source of energy in Switzerland. “In 2018, the Swiss Photovoltaic Association,…

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) has appointed Matthew Finn as commercial director. Finn will focus on moving forward the organization’s long-term growth leading on the commercial activities of EMEC, bringing its unique sector expertise and knowledge to the position. For the past 14 years Finn has worked in the ocean energy sector, helping to raise more than £250 million in support for a number of low carbon projects. He successfully built up a long-term project portfolio for the company in his previous position as EMEC’s commercial manager including flagship projects such as FORESEA, OceanDEMO and the £28 million ReFLEX…

ORE Catapult, in collaboration with the KTN, G+, and Workboat Association, is seeking a rapid solution to increase the physical separation of offshore wind turbine technicians during small vessel transit. A new innovation call seeking a solution to increase the physical separation of technicians in the confined spaces of offshore crew transfer vessels (CTVs) during the Covid-19 pandemic was launched on 7 May, aimed at enhancing the safety of the staff needed to continue traveling to conduct wind farm inspection, maintenance, and repair. Due to Covid-19, social distancing steps force some operators to restrict CTV operations to a maximum of…

Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has advised Tayan Energy Investment (Tayan) on the purchase of two Italian photovoltaic solar plants with a total installed capacity of 55 MW from developer Limes Renewable Energy (Limes). Tayan is a joint venture between Shanghai Electric and Eland. Limes is a leading developer of solar projects both in Italy and internationally. The WFW Italy Corporate team advising Tayan was led by partner and WFW Italy head Eugenio Tranchino, working closely with partner Tiziana Manenti, for due diligence activity, and counsel Luca Sfrecola, for assistance on corporate matters. They were assisted by associates Gianluca Di Stefano, Anthony Bellacci, Giovanni Benedetto, Antimo Nersita and Francesco Vanzaghi.

With its shallow, warm waters, smaller average wave heights, and close proximity to existing offshore oil and gas infrastructure, the Gulf of Mexico presents many advantages for offshore wind. However, unique conditions in the Gulf of Mexico introduce new technology challenges such as hurricane exposure, lower winds, and softer soils that will require offshore wind technology be adapted to not only survive these conditions, but also to demonstrate cost competitiveness in regional electric markets. Now, two recent studies conducted by NREL and funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have yielded promising results for the future of offshore…