Renewable Energy & Solar Industry News – 2nd Edition

Welcome to the second edition of our round-up of news in the renewable and solar energy industry.

As experts in solar farm security, we keep up to date with industry news, and developments including new solar sites, renewable energy projects, and more.

Over the past few years, we’ve installed and upgraded various security systems at solar farms and other renewable energy sites across the UK.

Every month, we will be sourcing and curating a range of solar and renewable industry news.

If you missed the last edition, you can find it here.

Renewable Energy & Solar Industry News Round-Up – February 2021

In this edition, we cover a range of topics including industry market leaders increasing their solar capacity, new planned electric car charging forecourts, diversification among oil companies and more.

Let’s start the February edition.

 

‘We’re Here to Stay’: Big New Solar Swoop By BP Venture As Oil Giant Piles On Capacity

Lightsource BP has bought almost a gigawatt more solar capacity in Spain, a key market for the developer co-owned by the UK oil supermajor.

Lightsource BP acquired an 845MW portfolio from local developer Iberia Solar, bringing its total under development or in construction in Spain to 2.25GW. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Kareen Boutonnat, CEO of Europe and international at Lightsource BP, said: “This deal brings our total acquisitions to almost 2GW in 2021 alone.

“This is a clear demonstration that we came here to stay, and we are in an outstanding position to consolidate our foothold in Spain even further this year.”

You can read the full article here –  ‘We’re here to stay’: Big new solar swoop by BP venture as oil giant piles on capacity.

Good Energy Signs PPA for Two Solar Farms on Brownfield Land in Flintshire

UK green supplier Good Energy has signed a new subsidy-free agreement for two solar farms in Wales.

The two sites – Flint Landfill and Crumps Yard – are being developed by ENGIE on land owned by Flintshire County Council.

Cumulatively the sites have a capacity of 3.5MW from 9,000 400W panels across the two.

Solar power will be vital in driving forward the UK’s “transition to clean, green energy and tackle climate change,” said UK energy minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP.

“Good Energy’s innovative solar project not only champions independent renewables, but will help create new green jobs across Flintshire, supporting our ambitions to build back greener and eliminate our contribution to climate change.”

You can read the original article here – UK green supplier Good Energy has signed a new subsidy-free agreement for two solar farms in Wales.

Good Energy signs PPA for two solar farms on brownfield land in Flintshire https://t.co/dxt0VfVkO6 #solar

— Solar Power Portal (@SolarPowerPort) February 26, 2021

View the original tweet here.

 

Why Oil Giants are Swapping Oil Rigs for Offshore Windfarms

The world’s biggest oil companies are no stranger to UK waters. However, by the end of the decade, they will be running more offshore wind turbines than oil rigs.

BP has already made a splash with a record-breaking bid to build two giant wind farms in the Irish Sea.

The company beat established renewable energy players by offering to pay the Crown Estate £900m a year to develop the sites, more than 15 times the price paid for similar deals in the past.

Bernard Looney, the chief executive of BP, said the winning bid, announced earlier this week, marked the company’s entry into one of the world’s best offshore wind markets.

“This is both important progress towards BP’s transformation into an integrated energy company as well as a significant next step in our long history in the UK,” Looney added.

You can read the full article here – Why oil giants are swapping oil rigs for offshore windfarms.

Why oil giants are swapping oil rigs for offshore windfarms https://t.co/7KufhvrUKA

— Guardian news (@guardiannews) February 10, 2021

You can view the original post on Twitter here

Empowering Sustainable Energy With Decentralisation

The energy system is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, fuelled by factors such as technological developments, geopolitical shifts and environmental concerns.

According to the World Economic Forum, decentralisation is one of the key trends that will accelerate the transition to sustainable energy supply.

Decentralisation is often referred to as ‘energy democracy’. This is beacuse it aims to increase popular participation while advancing renewables as the new source of energy.

Here Matthew Stone, chairman at energy decentralisation experts Nextgen Nano, explains why decentralisation will transform the energy sector.

You can read the full article here  – Empowering sustainable energy with decentralisation.

Matthew Stone of @nextgen_nano describes empowering sustainable energy with decentralisation #energymanagement https://t.co/ZrIAYDefjs

— Energy Manager Magazine (@PSEnergyManager) February 3, 2021

You can read the full article on Twitter here.

 

Gatwick Airport Electric Vehicle Charging Forecourt Plan

GATWICK could soon be the first airport in the country to have a charging forecourt for electric cars.

The forecourt – the electric equivalent of a petrol station – would have charging points for 36 elective vehicles (EV).

It would be topped by a hub containing a cafe, lounge, shop and possibly a children’s play area.

You can read the full article here –  Gatwick Airport electric vehicle charging forecourt plan

Solar Farm Security – Services and Case Studies

As mentioned at the top of this article, Safeguard Systems are experts in the field of solar site protection and security.

For more information on the solar site security services, we offer click here.

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