洞察力 2023年6月30日

对太阳持怀疑态度的人感到愤怒

If you’ve noticed a recent escalation in anti-solar rhetoric, you’re not alone.

A range of voices have questioned whether the UK should be championing the sometimes unpredictable form of 能源 generation.

下面是Mitie能源市场研究经理, 艾伦·怀特菲尔德, 让我们仔细看看这场激烈辩论背后的问题.

一排排黑色的太阳能电池板

The benefits of solar 能源 have been called into question by a vocal minority – but is t在这里 any substance to their claims?

作为一个在能源行业工作的人, 他对太阳能特别感兴趣, I wanted to investigate whether any of the accusations stand up to scrutiny.

让我们来看看他们都说了些什么……

在太阳能游行上下雨

One of the main criticisms focuses on our beloved and rather changeable British weather.

怀疑论者声称，因为这里不能保证阳光充足, solar panels don’t perform at optimum levels and are t在这里fore a waste of time. 事实上, they also correctly point out that the efficiency of solar panels reduces in particularly hot weather. 类似的, they say because t在这里 isn’t always sufficient wind to keep turbines turning, 追求风力发电没有什么意义.

其他批评人士则更进一步, implying that solar and wind power generation are little more than an expensive joke, 或者不计后果地浪费大家的钱.

An MP recently made no secret of his views during the June heatwave, 微博: “The UK has had to start coal fired generators during this heatwave because the sun is too strong and solar panels have had to be taken offline.”

这种负面的叙述甚至被媒体引用. 去年 《澳博国际官网》 报道称:“天气太热，太阳能电池板无法使用.” 英国《澳博官方网站》 ran with: “Solar panels are LESS efficient in high temperatures despite increased sunlight.”

让我们对这件事有所了解

那么，到底发生了什么呢?

根据 英国太阳能协会，太阳能性能确实下降了0.温度在25℃以上每上升一度，就会有34%. 然而, the longer days and clearer skies mean solar power generation is still far greater during the summer – even when efficiency falls.

不相信? 请看下面的表格, which shows the UK produced much more solar power in June 2023 compared to last year, 尽管最近气温很高.

Line graph showing that power from solar sources remain steady in rising temperatures
Sources: Reuters Refinitiv; Met Office; National Grid; Mitie Energy

But what about the coal-fired power stations mentioned by the MP? Why were they needed to back up solar and wind power generation?

主要有三个原因.

首先, exceptionally low winds meant 能源 output from wind farms was below normal for the time of year.

其次, 6月的热浪导致空调使用量增加, 推动电力需求高于正常水平, 也就是说需要另一种能量来源.

第三, t在这里 was an unexpectedly lower power supply from other supplementary sources, 这意味着晚上的需求超过了供应.

太阳在地平线上

It’s important to note that all of the above issues will be addressed in the next few years. 毕竟, the UK government has committed to generating all electricity from clean sources by 2035 as a key step to reaching net zero by 2050. Success will depend on developing solutions to reduce the impact of variable renewable 能源 generation, 这些将包括:

  • Promoting more battery storage on solar sites to make sure surplus 能源 generated during the day is used during non-daylight hours.
  • Developing projects that use solar and wind power to create storable carbon-neutral hydrogen, which in turn can be used to create electricity when renewable generation is low.
  • Promoting 能源 usage in periods of abundant renewable 能源 production, 例如, 为电动汽车充电或使用高能耗家用电器.
  • 在需求方面鼓励灵活性, removing the need for back-up coal or gas generation when renewable 能源 generation is low.

这就是结果. Despite all the anti-solar claims, in most cases the logic is simple. 在白天, 即使是阴天或酷热的天气, 太阳能提供了电力，否则将来自昂贵的, 基于化石燃料的能源. Fluctuating 能源 generation in no way undermines the value of solar power.

太阳能电池板场

按太阳能“开”按钮

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