 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Solar energy |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | Philip Wolfe |
| Defunct | 21 December 2011 |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Reyad Fezzani (CEO) |
| Parent | BP |
| Subsidiaries | Tata BP Solar |
| Website | www |
BP Solar was a manufacturer and installer of photovoltaic solar cells headquartered in Madrid, Spain, with production facilities in Frederick, MD, India and the People's Republic of China. [1] [2] It was a subsidiary of BP.
In 1981, BP acquired initially 50% of Lucas Energy Systems which became Lucas BP Solar Systems. [3] The company became wholly owned by BP in the mid-1980s. [4] When BP merged with Amoco in 1998 it acquired Amoco's 50% stake in Solarex. [5] In 1999 it acquired Enron's stake in Solarex and consolidated its PV divisions into a new subsidiary named BP Solarex. [6] In that year the company became the world's leading PV producer. [7] In 2001 the division renamed itself BP Solar. [8]
BP Solar and Indian firm Tata Power established Tata BP Solar, a joint venture company, in 1989. [9] The company began commercial operations in 1991 by establishing its first manufacturing unit with a production capacity of 3 MW in India. [10] [9] BP Solar exited the joint venture in 2012, and Tata BP Solar became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tata Group. [11]
In 2004, the R&D part of BP Solar was sold to the UK's National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec). In 2013, it became Solar Capture Technologies. [12] In 2010, it closed down the factory at Frederick, Maryland. [13] BP Solar closed on 21 December 2011 when BP announced its departure from the solar energy business. [14] [15]
PV power plants using BP solar modules include:
BP Solar had many projects and co-operative activities in developing countries, including supplying power to 36,000 homes in rural Indonesia, installing 1000 solar devices to provide power to 400 remote villages in the Philippines, and setting up a rural electrification scheme in Malaysia to provide power to 30,000 remote homes in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. [17] In the mid-1980s BP installed Solar power for Microwave repeater stations across Sierra Leone in support of a telecommunications network restoration.[ citation needed ]
BP Solar (with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation — CSIRO) was also involved in the commercialization of a long-life deep cycle lead acid battery, which is well suited to the storage of electricity for renewable remote area power systems (RAPS). This GreenGel battery, and CSIRO's new battery charging procedures, will reduce capacity loss and premature failure sometimes encountered with existing battery technology. A significant component of the project will be the establishment of an innovative manufacturing process to enable the production of these advanced batteries at an internationally competitive price, facilitating a major export market. [18]
Tata Power Company Limited is an Indian electric utility and electricity generation company based in Mumbai, India and is part of the Tata Group. With an installed electricity generation capacity of 14,707 MW out of which 5847 MW is from Non-Conventional(Green Energy) sources rest from thermal, making it India's largest integrated power company. In February 2017, Tata Power became the first Indian company to ship over 1 GW solar modules.
Many countries and territories have installed significant solar power capacity into their electrical grids to supplement or provide an alternative to conventional energy sources. Solar power plants use one of two technologies:
Hybrid power are combinations between different technologies to produce power.
Solar power is a major contributor to electricity supply in Australia. As of September 2024, Australia's over 3.92 million solar PV installations had a combined capacity of 37.8 GW photovoltaic (PV) solar power. In 2019, 59 solar PV projects with a combined capacity of 2,881 MW were either under construction, constructed or due to start construction having reached financial closure. Solar accounted for 12.4% of Australia's total electrical energy production in 2021.
Spain is one of the first countries to deploy large-scale solar photovoltaics, and is the world leader in concentrated solar power (CSP) production.
Renewable energy in Australia is mainly based on biomass, solar, wind, and hydro generation. Over a third of electricity is generated from renewables, and is increasing, with a target to phase out coal power before 2040. Wind energy and rooftop solar have particularly grown since 2010. The growth has been stimulated by government energy policy in order to limit the rate of climate change in Australia that has been brought about by the use of fossil fuels. Pros and cons of various types of renewable energy are being investigated, and more recently there have been trials of green hydrogen and wave power.
Solar power in India is an essential source of renewable energy and electricity generation in India. Since the early 2000s, India has increased its solar power significantly with the help of various government initiatives and rapid awareness about the importance of renewable energy and sustainability in the society. In order to decrease carbon dioxide emissions, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, with coal being the primary source of electricity for the nation at present, bolster employment, economy and make India energy independent by making self-reliant on renewable energy, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy was formed in 1982 to look after the country's activities to promote these goals. These collaborative efforts, along with global cooperation with the help of International Solar Alliance (ISA) since 2015 for promoting solar energy worldwide while also taking care of India, have made India one of the world's fastest adopters of solar power, making it the third-largest producer of solar power globally as of 2024, after China and the United States.
For solar power, South Asia has the ideal combination of both high solar insolation and a high density of potential customers.
Historically, the main applications of solar energy technologies in Canada have been non-electric active solar system applications for space heating, water heating and drying crops and lumber. In 2001, there were more than 12,000 residential solar water heating systems and 300 commercial/ industrial solar hot water systems in use. These systems presently comprise a small fraction of Canada's energy use, but some government studies suggest they could make up as much as five percent of the country's energy needs by the year 2025.
Between 1992 and 2023, the worldwide usage of photovoltaics (PV) increased exponentially. During this period, it evolved from a niche market of small-scale applications to a mainstream electricity source. From 2016-2022 it has seen an annual capacity and production growth rate of around 26%- doubling approximately every three years.
EDF Renewables is a wholly owned subsidiary of the French utility EDF Group, specializing in renewable energy production. As an integrated operator, the Group develops and finances the construction of renewable energy facilities, and manages operations and maintenance for its own account and for third parties.
Tata Power Solar Systems Limited, formerly Tata BP Solar, is an Indian company that specialises in solar energy services. The company manufactures solar modules, solar cells, and other solar products, and provides EPC services for solar power projects.
Enel Green Power S.p.A. is an Italian multinational renewable energy corporation, headquartered in Rome. The company was formed as a subsidiary of the power generation firm Enel in December 2008. It has operations in five continents generating energy from solar, geothermal, wind and hydropower sources. As of 2024, it manages a capacity of 63,8 GW, with an annual production of 75.95 TWh and has over 1300 plants worldwide.
Canadian Solar Inc. is a global renewable energy company. Headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, the company manufactures solar PV modules, provides battery energy storage solutions and develops utility-scale solar power and battery energy storage projects.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to solar energy:
Solar power in Chile is an increasingly important source of energy. Total installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity in Chile reached 8.36 GW in 2023. Solar energy provided 19.9% of national electricity generation in Chile in 2023, compared to less than 0.1% in 2013.
The Welspun Solar MP project is a 151 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station built in Bhagwanpura village, just south of Diken, Jawad tehsil of Neemuch district, Madhya Pradesh state, in central India.
The CIAL Solar Power Project is a 50 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station built at Cochin International Airport, India, by the company Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL). Cochin International Airport became the first fully solar powered airport in the world with the commissioning the plant.
KPI Green Energy Limited is a solar power company based in Surat, Gujarat. Established in 2008, it is part of the KP Group. The company generates and supplies electricity from solar power projects under the brand name Solarism.
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