P50 & P90 simplified: Two figures, all investors should understand, to build a reliable business plan when investing in wind assets

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Co-authors : Perrine Bugeat & Ypatios Moysiadis – This article was written by its authors on behalf of Greensolver and was first published in the company’s blog 

When you invest in wind energy assets, whether they are new or you acquire them on the secondary market you should be aware of two key figures which are critical for your forecasting and business plan assumptions; these are P50 and P90.

One of the critical risks when investing in the wind energy sector is the inconsistency of the wind resource compared to the forecast. No one can predict the wind right. Energy yield assessment studies are performed by wind experts to provide the Net Yield and exceedance probability figures, to mitigate that risk

This article aims to simplify the terms and explain in plain English the difference between all the jargon, helping you to select the most appropriate figure when creating your revenue forecast and business model.

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Key solar O&M contract elements, asset owners, should adopt to improve their overall asset performance

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Operation & Maintenance (O&M) is an integral of the critical services provided in any generating asset. Despite the significant drop in operational expenditure, the prices have been stabilised, and the services industry seems to follow the cycle of consolidation in the hope of reaching a critical scale. Part of the ongoing improvement that the industry is implementing is the adaptation of standardised processes and best practise guidelines which can help towards more efficient services and create a level competitive field for service providers in the industry.

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How can we define Sustainability?

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Accelerated by the financial meltdown at the end of the previous decade, a growing demand for safe and cheap energy generation and the increased demand for green products and services by aware, informed consumers, the craze over sustainability is just as difficult to grasp as a hieroglyph. Looking at the extreme weather phenomena and the natural disasters over the last few years and also everything that comes out of the international Climate Change conferences COP21 and COP 24 it makes you wonder, is there a word more used and less understood than the S-word?

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How to identify, solar panel backsheet failure and actions that asset owners should take to protect their investment?

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Co-authors : Ypatios Moysiadis & David Roissé – This article was written by its authors on behalf of Greensolver and was first published in the company’s blog 

Will backsheet of your solar panels ruin your solar asset?

Will the backsheet of your solar panels ruin your solar asset? A less known defect could occur on your solar panels: the backsheet degradation. Less visible than other well-known defects as hot spots, PIID, diodes failure, corrosion, delamination or cell cracks, but with similar consequences: accelerated performance degradation and ultimately failure of solar panels, thus affecting the LCOE.

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Can Disruptive Innovation and Start-ups provide the new “Miracles” tackling Climate Change?

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Climate Change is a Fact. The world has just begun to understand and feel the magnitude of the damage caused in economic, social and environmental terms.

Unfortunately the time of the Prophets are long gone. No one can really predict the impact that climate change will have in our lives. Nobody can predict how the rise in temperature from greenhouse gases and the changes in weather patterns and precipitation will affect different areas in the world. There are many unknown variables and much to learn about the effect of climate change in agriculture production, economic activities and our health. Furthermore we need to ask ourselves whether the consequences of climate change or the threat of them can cause far worse problems and even violence.

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A brief take on Intersolar Europe 2018…. – First signs of a maturing market

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I haven’t missed an Intersolar exhibition in Munich since 2012. It is very interesting to see how the exhibition reflects the psychology and the trends of the market.

From the boom times and the rush to build parks driven by subsidies and incentives, to the rise of batteries and now to a market with signs of maturity.

This year I had the opportunity to see the exhibition and take sample of the market as an independent professional and not through corporate filters. I am pleased to admit that signs are very encouraging.

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Renewable Energy Trends: Immature Necessity or a Speculative Bubble​?

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2015: the year of records for Renewable Energy! According to the UN global investments in Renewable Energy Systems came at a staggering $285.9 billion dollars! The total installed capacity increased by 8.3% (that’s 152GW!) and for the first time, the gross new installed capacity in solar and wind surpassed the new installed capacity from fossil fuels.

Moreover, within 2015 the developing countries in comparison with the developed ones, have invested more capital into renewables. In total Asia increased its investments by 12% with Europe and North America by 6%

Finally, the global installed capacity of Renewable Energy Assets has surpassed the installed energy assets based on Fossil Fuel.

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