Sandra Enkhardt – pv magazine USA

Meyer Burger set to begin production at U.S. module factory

Sandra Enkhardt — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 13:00:18 +0000

The relocation of the photovoltaic manufacturer's core business from Germany to the USA is taking shape. Production of heterojunction solar modules is starting and financing for a new cell plant is progressing.

From pv magazine Germany

Meyer Burger’s new plant in Goodyear in Arizona passed the factory audit according to UL test standards without any deviations, and production can begin.

The solar cells required for module production have been delivered from the German site in Thalheim to the U.S. plant for some time now. This will continue to be the case in the future to ensure the ramp-up in the USA, Meyer Burger added.

In addition to the module factory, Meyer Burger also plans to build a cell factory in Colorado. It is not yet entirely clear when this will be able to start production. This depends on the conclusion of the 45X financing. The due diligence of a major U.S. bank on monetization in accordance with Article 45X of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has been completed and negotiations on the loan agreements are currently underway.

Meyer Burger says it is aiming to complete the deal and make the payment by the middle of the third quarter. At this time, the payment of export financing by a German bank for the construction of photovoltaic production in the U.S. is also expected. The photovoltaic company has also submitted the final application for the loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to finance the cell factory. This is currently still being reviewed, says Meyer Burger.

In addition, a commercial agreement has already been negotiated with a U.S. industrial and technology group and a term sheet for a possible investment in Meyer Burger has been exchanged. This strategic cooperation would enable Meyer Burger to manufacture solar modules in the U.S. with an ever-increasing proportion of domestic components.

Meyer Burger has already signed several contracts with EPC companies and energy suppliers for the purchase of its solar modules manufactured in the U.S.. Now another purchase contract for up to 600 megawatts per year has been added with a large energy company from the U.S.. Delivery has been agreed for three years from 2026 with an extension option for two years. The agreement is to take effect when the financing of the solar cell plant in Colorado Springs is completed, Meyer Burger said.

Meyer Burger shut down its module plant in Freiberg, Saxony , in April after there was no agreement within the federal government on resilience measures for German and European photovoltaic manufacturers .

ITRPV says solar module prices fell 50% in 2023

Sandra Enkhardt — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 15:20:38 +0000

The new edition of the International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaic (ITRPV), published this week, reveals that the world’s installed PV capacity reached 1.6 TW at the end of last year. The learning curve, which reflects average module prices relative to cumulative shipments, is 24.9% for the period from 1976 to 2023.

German engineering association VDMA has published the annual ITRPV report, now in its 15th edition. The report reveals that module shipments hit a record high of 502 GW in 2023, with cumulative installed PV capacity rising to around 1,610 GW throughout the world.

Last year’s growth was fueled by a steep 50% drop in panel prices, with a learning curve of 24.9% over the 1976-2023 period. This curve reflects technological progress and market conditions. The report also highlights the dominance of crystalline silicon PV technology, comprising 97% of the market, while thin-film technologies hold the remaining share. Monocrystalline wafers have ousted multicrystalline ones entirely from the market, with no mass production remaining for the latter, according to ITRPV.

This year, analysts expect n-type wafers to outperform p-type materials and reach a market share of 69% by the end of the year. In terms of cell technologies, n-type TOPCon will replace the previous market leader, p-type PERC, which will continue to lose market share, with heterojunction and back contact cells following this trend. Analysts expect mass production of tandem silicon solar cells in 2027, according to ITRPV.

The roadmap shows that bifacial solar cells will hold a 90% market share this year and throughout the next decade. However, for bifacial solar modules, the market share is only around 63%, suggesting a high level of integration of bifacial solar cells into monofacial module configurations.

ITRPV also focuses on efforts to reduce material consumption, including thinner wafers, less silver use through fine-line printing, and copper-containing metallization. Analysts expect increased throughput in solar factories over the next decade. Copper interconnections will remain dominant for cell-cell and string connections at the module level.

Manufacturers are increasingly favoring larger wafer formats like M10 182 mm and rectangular formats like M10R and G12R, while smaller formats like M6 with 166 mm² are losing market share and may soon disappear. Even larger sizes than G12 with 210 square millimeters are expected soon.

In module sizes, products ranging from 1.8 m² to 2.0 m² will dominate the rooftop segment, while modules from 2.5 m² to 3.0 m² lead the PV power plant market. Most new factories planned for this year have a nominal capacity of at least 5 GW, enabling economies of scale. However, smaller factories below 1 GW of capacity still serve niche applications and local markets.

SMA to build 3.5 GW inverter factory in U.S.

Sandra Enkhardt — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 14:15:46 +0000

SMA Solar Technology AG says it will open a new 3.5 GW inverter factory at an unspecified location in the United States in 2025. The German manufacturer is currently talking with several U.S. states and potential partners to select the best production site.

From pv magazine Germany

German inverter maker SMA Solar Technology AG plans to build an inverter factory at an unspecified location in the United States.

The company said the new manufacturing facility will use production equipment that was originally intended for its production site in Thalheim, Germany.

The factory will likely be operational in 2025 and will have an annual capacity of 3.5 GW.

Discussions are currently underway “with several federal states and potential partners to find the most strategically advantageous production location and the right approach,” the company said, noting that up to 200 new jobs will be created in the first three years.

“The U.S. is a key market for SMA, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) offers an extraordinary opportunity for long-term growth,” said CEO Jürgen Reinert. “With this step, we will significantly strengthen our market share in the USA and set the course for SMA’s future growth.”

SMA is also pushing ahead with capacity expansion in Germany, where it plans to reach 40 GW. It said it wants to produce solutions for large PV projects and storage systems from 2025 at its Niestetal site, for use in global markets.

Imec integrates silicon heterojunction solar cells into curved surfaces

Sandra Enkhardt — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 16:29:04 +0000

Imec has successfully integrated silicon heterojunction PV cells into curved surfaces, resulting in a 6% efficiency increase compared to passivated emitter and rear contact half cells. The cells are suitable for applications in vehicle-integrated and building-integrated photovoltaics.

From pv magazine global

Belgian research center Imec is working with research and industrial partners to integrate silicon heterojunction solar cells into curved glass to create solar products that could be used for vehicle-integrated photovoltaics (VIPV), as well as for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) systems.

Solar roofs in cars currently generate limited output due to space constraints, typically adding only a few kilometers of extra range.

Imec researchers designed glass solar modules with a proprietary ‘multi-wire’ connection technology, utilizing silicon heterojunction-based solar cells and a low-temperature process up to 180 C. This innovative architecture provides flexibility in the electrical design, maximizing space usage with minimal additional materials and lower costs.

The Imec researchers used a multi-wire configuration, connecting solar cell circuits in parallel to maximize energy production on curved surfaces. This innovative interconnection, along with optical coatings, increased efficiency and minimized heating of solar cells and vehicle cabins.

In addition, they automated the previously manual production process of the multi-wire connecting films, enabling the cost-effective transfer of innovations to glass solar modules.

“Further upscaling is absolutely necessary,” said Jonathan Govaerts, project coordinator and lead researcher at Imec. “But what makes this project so unique is its proof of concept for a wide range of applications. The flexibility of the multi-wire connection for integrating solar cells on different surfaces and in different configurations is impressive.”

The Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is financially backing the SNRoof project. The consortium consisted of the industrial partners AGP eGlass, IPTE Factory Automation, Arkema France Sa and Michiels Group.

Fraunhofer ISE unveils 15.8%-efficient organic solar cell

Sandra Enkhardt — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 13:00:21 +0000

Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE has achieved a world record efficiency for organic cells at the lab level. It now aims to bring the PV technology to market maturity.

From pv magazine Germany

Researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and the Materials Research Center FMF at the University of Freiburg have set a new world record for organic photovoltaics. They achieved an efficiency of 15.8% for a 1 cm2 organic solar cell by using an anti-reflection coating that absorbs more light in the photoactive layer of the cell and thus generates a higher current.

The thin-film system required for the coating was developed by the researchers at Fraunhofer ISE. The efficiencies of organic solar are still rather low compared to conventional crystalline silicon cells, although they can also be produced cheaply. Researchers around the world are still working on improving their efficiency and scalability.

“We achieved the improvement in the record-breaking solar cell to a large extent by using an anti-reflection coating, which absorbs more light in the photoactive layer of the cell and thus generates a higher current,” explained Uli Würfel, head of the organic and perovskite PV department at Fraunhofer ISE.

The thin-film system required for the coating was developed by the researchers at Fraunhofer ISE. At the same time, the research center also developed electrodes for semi-transparent organic solar cells using this coating process. These consist of a photoactive, organic layer applied to a back electrode that lets visible light through and at the same time reflects near-infrared light back into the cell, according to Würfel.

New performance guarantee for photovoltaic power plants from Raicoon

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 18:22:43 +0000

Based on an AI-supported platform, the Austrian company promises automated operation of photovoltaic systems in which all errors are detected and error alarms are excluded. Munich Re secures the guarantee.

Raicoon now offers a new performance guarantee for photovoltaic systems. It is based on the Austrian company’s autonomous operations center (AOC), an AI-powered SaaS platform. According to the company, this allows the operation of photovoltaic systems to be completely automated. According to Raicoon, the platform detects all measurable errors and eliminates false alarms.

The performance guarantee promise is also backed by Munich Re. According to Raicoon, it is the first solution in the industry with a 100% error detection guarantee without false alarms for existing photovoltaic systems, says CEO Ralf Tschanun. Should the platform trigger a false alarm, Raicoon will compensate 100% for the damage. Munich Re’s insurance product compensates Raicoon for the liabilities to customers resulting from this guarantee. Raicoon reports that it enables photovoltaic system operators could thus invest in the AI-supported technology without risk.

Raicoon and Munich Re expect the new performance guarantee to accelerate the energy transition as a result of the increase in efficiency and profitability. The company has begun pilot programs in the U.S.

Ikea bets on Meyer Burger’s heterojunction solar modules

Sandra Enkhardt — Wed, 03 May 2023 13:56:36 +0000

Between 2025 and 2029, the investment company of the Swedish furniture group will purchase solar modules produced in the U.S. by the Swiss photovoltaic manufacturer. The agreement is the basis for Meyer Burger to increase annual production capacity at its Arizona site to around 2 GW.

From pv magazine Germany

Swedish furniture provider Ikea announced it will rely on Meyer Burger‘s heterojunction solar modules for its own panel offer in the future.

The group’s investment arm, Ingka Investments, concluded a four-year supply agreement with the Swiss photovoltaic manufacturer for solar modules manufactured at Meyer Burger’s U.S. plant in Goodyear, Arizona, to be shipped between 2025 and 2029.

The agreement is one of two contracts that prompted Meyer Burger to increase annual production capacity at the U.S. plant from 1.6 GW to 2 GW. Ingka Investments will ensure a substantial annual advance payment to enable Meyer Burger to procure and finance machinery as well as raw materials for solar module production.

The two companies did not disclose the financial and quantitative terms of the deal. “We are very pleased to be working with Ingka Investments, who will support us with the rapid ramp-up of our production in the USA through this off-take agreement,” said Daniel Menzel, COO of Meyer Burger.

Ikea parent company Ingka Holding unveiled in March a plan to invest €340 million ($375.1 million) to acquire seven solar parks under development by Enerparc in Germany and Spain. At the time, the furniture giant also said it wanted to refresh the Solstrale offer for residential PV applications, which was launched in 2019.

Ikea is currently active in the PV sector in Sweden, France, Australia, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland and the United Kingdom.

Ikea is also trying to cover its own electricity needs with renewable energy. Its goal is to become climate-neutral throughout the world by 2030.

U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board rules in favor of Q Cells in patent dispute with REC

Sandra Enkhardt — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 19:23:37 +0000

The Board issued a favorable decision for Hanwha Q Cells over REC Solar’s patent claims. The court has ruled that the contested claims of REC’s U.S. patent were not patentable. The decision is similar to those in courts in China and Europe, according to Q Cells.

From pv magazine Germany

In a review process initiated by Hanwha Solutions, the parent of Hanwha Q Cells, the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board declared on Dec. 9 that all contested claims of REC Solar’s U.S. patent No. 10,749,060 (Patent 060) are not patentable. It determined that the challenged REC Solar patent claims are directed to a well-known arrangement of solar components within a solar module, and fail to satisfy the requirements of patentability.

REC challenged Hanwha Solutions in a patent infringement lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware in 2020. The court’s judges suspended the dispute for the duration of the inter partes review procedure. In early January, the deadline was extended again.

Q Cells said in a statement that the U.S. decision follows similar rulings in relation to REC Solar’s global patents. Last year, the Beijing Intellectual Property Court and European Patent Office issued favorable rulings for Hanwha Solutions over a Chinese patent, 201480038577.X, and a European patent, EP3017520. The two patents are related to REC Solar’s 060 patent. However, REC Solar declined to comment when contacted by pv magazine.

In March 2019, Hanwha Q Cells filed patent infringement complaints in Germany against Jinko Solar and REC Group, and followed this with a similar lawsuit against Longi Solar. The complaints claimed that the companies had unlawfully included Q Cells’ patented passivation technology in their own products. In June 2020, the Düsseldorf regional court determined that the three defendants had infringed upon the German part of the patent. The appeal process is still ongoing.

Hanwha Q Cells has also filed patent-related complaints in France, the Netherlands, and the United States. The U.S. Court of Appeals has determined that the complaint over the disputed patent was invalid. The European Patent Office, meanwhile, confirmed the validity of the passivation tech patent in June 2020, with only minor changes.

Global solar capacity additions hit 268 GW in 2022: BNEF

Sandra Enkhardt — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 16:59:16 +0000

BloombergNEF solar analyst Jenny Chase says 268 GW of new solar capacity came online in 2022, with annual installations expected to hit 315 GW in 2023.

From pv magazine global

pv magazine: How did the global market for PV installations develop in 2022?

Jenny Chase: We have been surprised by the strong build in China, especially for residential and commercial – we initially expected 99 GW new build in China this year and have upped that to 126 GW (DC). Our current estimate for the year’s build is 268 GW (DC). Europe has bought a lot of modules – well over 72 GW – though we expect it has only installed around 42 GW, so there is considerable inventory.

What were the biggest surprises for you this year?

How high polysilicon and module prices have remained right up to the end of the year, indicating strong buying activity counteracting the effect of increased supply. We were also surprised the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed in the United States. The incentives in the law are very generous.

Will a shortage of components affect the development of global PV markets?

It’s still not as easy as it could be to get transformers and inverters, and module prices must continue to fall. But these are not major bottlenecks.

What price development do you expect in the coming year?

We expect the polysilicon price to fall from the current $35/kg to $10-$15/kg next year, and free-on-board (FOB) module prices to $0.22/W in markets without major trade barriers.

How will the expansion figures develop in 2023 throughout the world – especially in Europe?

We expect 316 GW new build worldwide, and 48 GW in Europe next year.

Solar tiles connected to an air heat pump

Sandra Enkhardt — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 15:29:24 +0000

Germany’s Paxos is currently testing the solar tile in a testing facility connected to an air heat pump. The panel can provide heat and electricity at the same time, while also improving the heat pump’s coefficient of performance by around 25%.

From pv magazine Germany

Germany’s Paxos has partnered with the TH Köln University of Applied Sciences to develop a solar roof tile that could be used to generate electricity and heat at the same time.

The photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) tile’s appearance barely differs from conventional roof tiles, which could make them attractive for homeowners. Paxos and TH Köln fabricated a tile prototype to test its temperature, walkability, high resistance to environmental influences, and safety. They also analyzed the glass to minimize optical losses through reflection or scattering.

They tested the prototype in a testing facility equipped with microinverters and an air heat pump.

“Thanks to the adjustments we made to the actual roof tile, the physical properties and also the energy yield have been significantly improved. The system was thus ready for continuous use under real conditions,” explained Christian Dick, project manager at TH Köln.

The solar system preheats air for the coupled air heat pump.

Image: Costa Belibasakis/TH Köln

Performance tests started under real conditions in October. The system shows comparable values in terms of electrical performance as a reference system with conventional, elevated solar modules.

“An air duct for cooling the solar cells was integrated into the solar roof tile, which improves the working point, just like the rear ventilation in conventional systems,” Dick said. “Our data shows that correspondingly comparable electrical performance is to be expected. According to him, initial data also showed an increase in the coefficient of performance of the heat pump by around a quarter, depending on the heat requirement and the prevailing weather conditions.

TH Köln said the results show that the solar roof tile can also make a contribution to the heating supply of a building, increasing the overall efficiency of the system.

“Many roof areas in Germany are not used to generate energy – this would be an important building block for the success of the energy transition,” said Julian Münzberg, a project manager at Paxos. “We would like to create an offer for the listed building and for people who have previously avoided solar because of the optics.”

Paxos has already sold the patents for the solar roof tile to an undisclosed photovoltaic manufacturer. It will take over series production. Paxos is also behind the PV roof tile that Meyer Burger will sell and is currently putting it into series production.

Meyer Burger secures $255.2 million to scale up production capacity to 3 GW

Sandra Enkhardt — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 13:38:12 +0000

Swiss PV manufacturer Meyer Burger says it wants to rapidly expand its production of heterojunction solar cells and modules, following its recent supply agreement with U.S. project developer DE Shaw Renewable Investments.

From pv magazine Germany

Meyer Burger Technology AG has revealed plans to raise CHF 250 million ($255.2 million) via an ordinary capital increase, by issuing new subscription rights. It aims to use the funds to rapidly expand production to 3 GW, and is set to vote on the plan at its extraordinary general meeting on Oct. 28.

The Switzerland-based solar module manufacturer recently sealed a supply agreement with U.S. project developer DE Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI). The agreement states that Meyer Burger will supply 3.75 GW to 5 GW of heterojunction solar modules to DESRI over a period of five years from 2024. The contract includes a fixed basic price, with a possible adjustment to wafer prices.

The company’s board mainly wants to finance the planned expansion of production capacity for its solar cells and modules. The CHF 250 million will support the expansion of heterojunction cell production in Thalheim, Germany, and the development of module production at the company’s U.S. site in Arizona.

More than 40,000 square meters of additional space will be available in Thalheim for the new cell production facilities. And the company expects the first module deliveries from its Arizona plant to start in mid-2024.

The company is also hoping to benefit from political momentum. Europe’s Fit for 55 package and REPowerEU Plan, as well as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, could help to drive the development of the solar industry. Meyer Burger believes it is positioned to benefit these trends, as it is one of the few established PV cell and module manufacturers with production outside of Asia.

Meyer Burger is targeting around 3 GW of new annual production capacity by the end of 2024, including 1.4 GW of module production capacity in Freiberg, Germany. In the USA, the expansion of around 1 GW of module production capacity is planned. While Meyer Burger focuses more on the sale of heterojunction modules for rooftop systems in Europe, in the United States, it is focusing on the large-scale segment.

In Freiberg, the company now has an annual production capacity of 400 MW and is ramping up its second production line. The ramp-up started as planned in September and after completion, 1 GW of production capacity will be available. Additional expansion to 1.4 GW has already started.

A case for residential solar sharing

Sandra Enkhardt — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 12:44:32 +0000

Technische Universität München researchers have run a series of tests to investigate the growing share of rooftop PV in Germany. They found that the sale and purchase of electricity between households could reduce consumption peaks and prevent grid bottlenecks.

From pv magazine Germany

In the town of Dietfurt, Germany, Technische Universität München (TUM) simulated the energy system of the future for a period of six months. Seven households were involved in the “BASE.V” project, which tested electricity trading between neighbors.

The project was designed to investigate what would happen in the power grid if the number of households that produce their own electricity with PV systems, storage and electric cars continues to increase in the future. The results show that the purchase and sale of electricity can reduce consumption peaks and avoid grid bottlenecks when there is an economic incentive. In other words, grid stability benefits from smart energy management.

The industrial partner for the research project, which was funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, was German battery provider Sonnen. It equipped the seven test households in Bavaria with PV systems, batteries and electric cars with charging stations. The participants could then buy or sell the electricity via a central peer-to-peer trading platform. The individual trading orders were executed via “smart contracts,” which were processed via a blockchain run by German automation solutions specialist Moxa.

“The special requirements of a field experiment have confirmed the easy remote maintenance capability of our IoT platform. Not a single change required an on-site visit from our experts,” said Martin Jenkner, project manager for Moxa Europe. “We were able to remotely manage any update we wanted to the gateway throughout the trial.”

The successful pilot test was also an important indicator for the involved network operators.

“More than 350,000 decentralized generation systems are already feeding into the regional power grid of Bayernwerk Netz GmbH. In addition to the increasing number of decentralized photovoltaic systems on the generator side, there are more and more heat pumps and electric cars on the consumer side,” said Stefan Bergermeier, a project manager for Bayernwerk Netz. “Together with a high level of simultaneous consumption and generation, this represents a major challenge for the local grid.”

The project showed that incentives-based, neighborhood electricity trading complemented the necessary grid expansion in a sensible manner.

“Peer-to-peer trade between households is not a dream of the future, but can be implemented today with the technical possibilities,” said Susan Käppeler, country manager for Sonnen DACH. “Both in terms of storage options and intelligent control. In order to make such solutions accessible to people, we need a digital energy infrastructure in which smart meters are the absolute basic requirement.”

Industrial process for ‘mobile’ solar module recycling

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 12:30:01 +0000

German company Flaxres has developed an industrial process to recycle PV modules, and has begun operating a pilot facility at its new site where 10 tons of solar modules can be recycled daily. Flaxres plans to make equipment based on this facility available to international customers.

From pv magazine global

Flaxres says it has transferred its proprietary technology to an industrial process, and is bringing its pilot solar panel recycling system to market.

The basis for the breakthrough was a successfully completed mass test with the recycling of 7.5 tons of solar modules in the “Flaxthor” production plant, it added. According to Flaxres, more than 200 kg of silicon and 4 kg of silver were recovered, as well as 4.9 tons of glass of the highest quality. The site in Dresden has a potential recycling capacity of more than 1,000 tons per year.

The new site serves purely as a development location, a Flaxres spokesperson told pv magazine. There, the pilot production plant with a maximum capacity of 10 tons per day will be operated to test new and optimized process steps for full automation. The company its pilot plant achieves a cycle time of 10 seconds per module.

Based on this prototype, Flaxres wants to develop mobile equipment that will fit into a shipping container and be rented to customers, he said. “A full-scale stationary plant is rather counterproductive. The issuance of the operating license is advised for the end of 2022,” the Flaxres spokesman added. The plan, he said, is to begin constructing these new “Flaxthor” plants in 2024, and to have them available to customers by 2025.

According to the Flaxres spokesperson, several contracts have already been signed with customers operating internationally. “However, the plants will not be sold, but only leased on a monthly basis with our personnel.” He also said that 100% of the total recycling capacity of the five new plants has already been allocated for 2024.

The plants are suitable for both crystalline and thin-film modules, and can process modules with damaged glass panes. All modules are separated into their main components with a low energy input. The materials recovered are of high quality due to the separation process developed and can thus enable a genuine recycling economy. The company does not rely on chemicals for its recycling process, it added.

The quantities of solar modules generated annually for recycling are still rather small. By 2030, however, a quantity of around 400,000 tons of these solar modules is expected for Germany alone, according to Flaxres. This corresponds to a number of about 20 million individual modules, and many companies and researchers are working on efficient recycling processes.

Study confirms rule of thumb that PV inverters should run without faults for around 15 years

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 13:30:39 +0000

A new study by Bern University of Applied Sciences shows that the performance of most PV inverters and power optimizers remains optimal for up to 15 years. The inverters considered came mainly from the manufacturers Fronius, Sputnik, and SMA and most of the power optimizers examined came from Solaredge.

From pv magazine Germany

Researchers at Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) are currently investigating the durability and performance of PV inverters and power optimizers from a total of 1,280 PV systems located in Switzerland.

In their survey, the researchers considered the type of power electronics, the year the PV system was commissioned and the year the first energy-related fault occurred. Their evaluation revealed an average time until the first energy-related error occurred. “The results of all the inverters and power optimizers examined show that over 50 percent of the power electronics do not show any yield-relevant errors up to the age of 15,” the researchers wrote in their preliminary findings.

The data also showed that lifespans depend on various factors. For example, more powerful PV inverters have shorter service lives, while the power optimizers considered individually lasted the longest. However, it should be noted that the overall reliability of a PV system increases with a smaller number of electronic power components.

The Swiss scientists further found that outdoor power electronics are more susceptible to interference than indoor PV inverters and power optimizers. At the same time, they discovered that the first fault occurs earlier in PV systems with inverters with power optimizers than in systems that do not have power optimizers. The service life of the devices also varies depending on the manufacturer.

The researchers specified, however, that the validity of their results is limited, as it is a non-representative cross-section of the power electronics used in rooftop systems in Switzerland or Europe. The PV inverters considered came mainly from the manufacturers Fronius, Sputnik, and SMA and most of the power optimizers examined came from Solaredge.

The causes of the failures and defects have not yet been precisely recorded. In general, the failure of a power optimizer usually results in a lower loss of yield in a PV system rather than the failure of an inverter. Nevertheless, both defects were rated in the same in the evaluation. A fundamental distinction should also be made in that defective power optimizers are usually replaced, while defective inverters are repaired.

Despite the limited extent of their work, the BFH researchers did dare to draw a conclusion on their previous data. They believe, in fact, that the “the rule of thumb that inverters should run without faults for around 15 years” is confirmed by their findings. The research project will run until the end of 2025 and the investigation will be repeated in the future and extended to other systems.

Tigo Energy files patent lawsuit against SMA Solar in the US

Sandra Enkhardt — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 14:11:04 +0000

The lawsuit is related to six alleged infringement claims regarding the US patents owned by Tigo Energy.

From pv magazine global

US-based power optimizer manufacturer Tigo Energy has filed a patent lawsuit against SMA Solar Technology America LLC, the US unit of German PV inverter maker SMA, at the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.

The lawsuit is related to six alleged infringement claims regarding the US patents 8,823,218, 8,933,321, 9,584,021, 9,966,848, 10,256,770, and 10,333,405.

“The complaint is focused on various systems and methods used in module-level rapid shutdown units that are attached to photovoltaic panels,” Tige Energy said in a statement released, noting that the complaint alleges that SMA and some of its suppliers copied Tigo innovations included in Tigo Flex MLPE solutions, which comply with rapid shutdown requirements of the NFPA 70 – the US National Electrical Code (NEC).

“This is not about all SMA’s units worldwide, but exclusively about SMA America LLC,” a spokesperson from the German inverter maker told pv magazine.” The company does not want to comment on the details of an ongoing legal dispute, but points out that the US Patent Office had previously launched an investigation into some of the Tigo patents related to the new lawsuit.

The SunSpec Alliance, a US group of energy industry participants pursuing standards for Distributed Energy Resource (DER), had previously challenged the validity of two of Tigo Energy’s patents in July 2021. It applied to the US Patent Office for an inter partes review (IPR).

SunSpec’s filings challenged the validity of certain claims in US Patent Nos. 8,933,321 and 10,256,770, which also appear in the lawsuit against SMA’s US subsidiary, and in which Tigo previously alleged patent infringements against APsystems. Tigo has claimed that these patents are relevant to the SunSpec Rapid Shutdown specification. However, SunSpec considers this allegation to be “unsubstantiated and inaccurate” and decided to file the IPR filings to defend itself against Tigo’s allegations.

The US Patent and Trademark Office began the process of reviewing and reexamining the patentability of Tigo’s ‘321 and ‘770 patents in late January. A hearing is planned for this November.

Start-up unveils 3.6 kWh portable battery for independent power supply

Sandra Enkhardt — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 13:15:41 +0000

The system can be expanded to a capacity of up to 25 kW, and its creator is using a Kickstarter platform to raise R&D money.

From pv magazine Global

Start-up EcoFlow presented its latest portable battery, for which it started a crowdfunding campaign on its Kickstarter platform.

According to the California-based company, the EcoFlow Delta Pro system can be expanded to a capacity of up to 25 kWh and can be fully charged in less than two hours. The device is claimed to be the first battery in the industry that can be linked to multiple energy sources. The emergency power consumption of an average family can be covered for a week with one charge, according to the manufacturer.

The basic version of the portable battery has a capacity of 3.6 kWh, which can be increased to 10.8 kWh by coupling two additional batteries, the company said. By linking it with other smart home products, the capacity can be increased to 12.5 kWh or 25 kWh, making the storage system an emergency power solution or suitable for an independent power supply.

EcoFlow names photovoltaics, wind power and gas as possible charging sources for its product. With the right accessories, the possible uses could be expanded and the home battery could be linked to several power sources and the power supply controlled.

In addition, charging of electric vehicles with up to 3,000 W is supported via the charging station, the EcoFlow Smart Home Panel, or via a 230 V socket. The input power can be increased to up to 6,000 W if the EcoFlow Delta Pro is connected to a “smart extra battery” and is additionally charged with a photovoltaic system and a “smart generator,” according to the company.

EcoFlow specified the original AC output power is 3,600 W, which can be expanded to 7,200 W. Then the battery could also be used to supply devices such as refrigerators or air conditioning systems with electricity.

Longi releases statement on patent dispute with Hanwha Q-Cells

Sandra Enkhardt — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 13:00:29 +0000

The Chinese photovoltaic manufacturer said the recent invalidation procedure for its patent at the Chinese Patent Office’s examination and invalidity department is only an administrative examination procedure that only examines whether or not the authorized Chinese patent complies with patent law requirements.

In mid-November, South Korea-based solar manufacturer Hanwha Q-Cells had announced that the Chinese Patent Office’s examination and invalidity department (CNIPA) had rejected nullity proceedings against two of its patents, related to high-efficiency silicon solar cells, filed by Chinese PV panel maker Longi. At the time, the Korean company claimed victory in the proceedings and said it was seeing a good chance of being successful in proceedings before the European Patent Office.

In a statement issued today, Longi has taken a stand against Hanwha Q Cells’ claims. It explained that it filed its request to examine the validity of the Korean manufacturer’s two patents at the CNIPA between July and August and that in November the CNIPA declared the two patents partially invalid. According to the Chinese manufacturer, however, the invalidation procedure in the CNIPA is an administrative examination procedure that only examines whether or not the authorized Chinese patent complies with patent law requirements. “Such a procedure is not a lawsuit and does not incorporate any judgment or decision on whether a patent has been infringed,” Longi stated. “In addition, the preliminary opinion of the European Patent Office, published on October 21, 2020, stated that claims on the patent in dispute do not fulfill several legal validity requirements.”

Longi did not explain the consequences of this preliminary decision and emphasized that there was no patent infringement litigation or lawsuit for patent infringement between Longi and Hanwha Q-Cells in China, adding that the technologies applied in its existing and future products are quite different to those of the patent in dispute. “However, Longi will continue to file an invalidation procedure against the remaining claims on the above patents, in order to prevent the potential initiation of unnecessary patent infringement lawsuits by Hanwha Q-Cells,” the Chinese company stated.

Hanwha Q-Cells sued Longi as well as Jinkosolar and REC last year in Germany, the USA and Australia for possible infringement of its patents. This was rejected in the USA. In the first instance, however, the judges at the Düsseldorf Regional Court decided in favor of Hanwha Q-Cells. However, appeal procedures are now ongoing. The South Korean module manufacturer, with German roots, recently announced that it wanted to expand the patent lawsuits against its competitors to other countries – including France and Spain.

Hanwha Q-Cells sued three competitors in March 2019 – Jinkosolar, REC Solar and Longi Solar itself – for patent infringement in Germany at the Düsseldorf Regional Court, for the European equivalent of one of the two patents now confirmed by the Chinese Patent Office (‘971, equivalent European patent EP 2 220 689).

The judges ruled in favor of Hanwha Q-Cells in the first instance in Germany, in June. In October 2020, Hanwha Q-Cells moved to enforce the decision against Jinko Solar, which it claims has failed to comply.

Inverter builder SMA swings to profit in first three quarters of 2020, grows despite pandemic

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 15:15:32 +0000

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the photovoltaic inverter maker grew its revenue compared to the previous year.

From pv magazine Germany

SMA Solar Technology was able to increase sales of its photovoltaic inverters from 7.5 GW in the first three quarters of 2019 to 10.7 GW in the first three quarters of 2020. At the same time, sales increased by 23%, to $916 million.

SMA improved its operating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), which rose year-on-year from $30.7 million to $48.5 million, and swung the company from a loss of $13 million to a profit of $10.6 million.

According to SMA, the equity ratio was 43% and net liquidity was $229.6 million at the end of September.

The company’s management board confirmed its forecast for the full fiscal year — SMA expects to increase sales to between $1.1 billion and $1.3 billion. EBITDA is expected to be between $59.1 million and $94.7 million.

“We are monitoring the development of the corona [virus] crisis very closely so that we can continue to react quickly at any time. The management board continues to assume that SMA will achieve its sales and earnings forecast in the current fiscal year, ”said SMA management board spokesman Jürgen Reinert. “In the long term, we see great potential for SMA in the global restructuring of the economy towards more sustainability and, ultimately, climate neutrality.”

Politicians in Germany, Reinert went on to say, should use the reform of the EEG to accelerate the urgently needed growth of photovoltaics. “The promotion of self-consumption of inexpensive and clean solar energy by residential and commercial users plays a central role.”

Oxford PV’s German perovskite solar module plant backed by Brandenburg state with $10 million

Sandra Enkhardt — Sun, 15 Nov 2020 16:38:07 +0000

Oxford PV is currently building a manufacturing facility for its silicon perovskite tandem solar cells in Brandenburg an der Havel.

From pv magazine Germany

Oxford Photovoltaics Germany GmbH, the German unit of UK-based solar module manufacturer Oxford PV, is currently investing around $52 million in the construction of its factory in Brandenburg an der Havel, in the eastern German region of Brandenburg. The state Ministry of Economics in Potsdam is funding the project with $10 million.

“I am delighted that Oxford Photovoltaics has brought the solar technology developed by the company itself to market maturity and that it will soon start with industrial series production here in Brandenburg,” said Brandenburg Minister for Economic Affairs Jörg Steinbach. “The decision by Oxford PV to expand the production facility in Hohenstücke is a clear commitment to our community.”

Oxford PV is currently building a manufacturing facility in Brandenburg an der Havel for its efficient silicon perovskite tandem solar cells. The photovoltaic manufacturer acquired the Bosch factory in 2017 and has since operated a pilot line to bring its technology to market maturity.

Mass production is scheduled to start in the middle of next year, as CEO Frank Averdung recently told pv magazine. The production facility will initially have a capacity of 125 MW. The photovoltaic company wants to expand production by 2024 and then produce its efficient tandem cells on a gigawatt scale.

50-kW solar facade financed by PPA

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 14:00:36 +0000

A 50 kW PV system is being built on the facade of a radiology center near Marburg’s main train station. The Marburg municipal utilities and the Sonneninitiative association have concluded a PPA that ensures the long-term financing of the project.

From pv magazine Germany

When we think of power purchase agreements (PPAs), we usually think of large solar power plants. However, the model can also work on a small scale.

Marburg’s municipal power utility, Stadtwerke Marburg, wants to demonstrate this with the facade of the local radiology center at Marburg’s main train station. It will be equipped with a 50-kW photovoltaic facade, made possible by a long-term PPA between the Sonneninitiative association and the Marburg utility.

Stadtwerke Marburg will finance the costs for the PPA through the sale of solar power to the radiological practice in the building. The practice has a very high power consumption due to its equipment.

The photovoltaic facade system doesn’t just deliver electricity, but is also architecturally attractive. The entire south-east and south-west facade will be equipped with custom-made monocrystalline solar modules. The architectural office a.p.l. – architects plaehn and lüdemann from Hanover designed the project.

The project aims to show how all available surfaces can be used in the future to generate power in the city — without disrupting urban aesthetics.

The construction of the photovoltaic facade system is expected to take place in the winter months, with completion planned in the spring.

Agrivoltaic project with vertically mounted bifacial panels goes online in Germany

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 17:30:43 +0000

The 4.1 MW array, developed by Next2Sun, was constricted with roughly 11,000 bifacial panels, provided by Chinese manufacturer Jolywood.

German solar developer Next2Sun will inaugurate an agrivoltaic project next week in Donaueschingen-Aasen, in the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg.

The 4.1 MW solar project spans around 14 hectares. It was built with roughly 11,000 n-type PERT bifacial solar modules, with 380 W of power, provided by Chinese manufacturer Jolywood. They were vertically installed on 5,800 racks over the past few months.

“Due to the performance advantages and, in particular, the higher rear side efficiency, we expect the use of heterojunction modules in future projects, such as those offered by Meyer Burger,” Next2Sun managing director Sascha Krause-Tünker told pv magazine.

The participation of Meyer Burger CEO Gunter Erfurt in the upcoming opening ceremony is one indication that this might happen. Radovan Kopecek of ISC Konstanz and Baden-Württemberg Minister-President Winfried Kretschmanns will also attend the ceremony.

Meyer Burger is currently building a heterojunction cell production facility in Bitterfeld and a module production facility in the former Solarworld plant in Freiberg. The first modules should roll off the production line in the middle of next year.

Next2Sun said the expected annual yield from the plant is around 4,850 MWh per year. Electricity will be fed into the grid and remunerated at an average price of just under €0.06/kWh. The project was built under the German tender scheme for solar projects over 750 kW in size, Krause-Tünker said.

The company also has other agrivoltaic projects in its pipeline. It is currently planning new systems with its partners under Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz subsidies and as large high-voltage projects with power purchase agreements, Krause-Tünker said. The next EEG project is expected to go online in the third quarter of 2021.

First image of Tesla’s German Gigafactory unveiled, with rooftop PV to boot

Sandra Enkhardt — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 16:30:43 +0000

Tesla boss Elon Musk has published the first image of the planned Gigafactory in Grünheide, near Berlin, in eastern Germany.

From pv magazine Germany.

Tesla boss Elon Musk has published an image of the planned Gigafactory in Grünheide, near Berlin in eastern Germany. The picture, published on Musk’s Twitter account, shows a rendering of the new factory, which includes the deployment of a rooftop solar installation.

In previous days, doubts had been raised about the fact that the electric car manufacturer had not indicated the presence of the PV system in its approval application. It has since been pointed out that such information is not required by German authorities at the project’s current stage of planning.

This week, the Office for the Environment in Brandenburg – the state surrounding the German capital – granted a permit for groundworks on the facility to begin. Clearing of trees in the area had already been allowed, despite the ongoing environmental assessment.

Brandenburg’s Environment Agency has also granted permission for foundation and structural work, as well as the establishment of private traffic areas on the site. According to the authority, Tesla had applied for this approval on June 8 and all the bodies involved have now given approval.

The entire approval process for the factory should be finalized in the autumn.

The site will be the U.S. electric car manufacturer’s first Gigafactory in Europe. It plans to produce up to 500,000 units per year of its Model 3 and Model Y variants, and future models, at the location near Berlin. Manufacturing activities are slated to begin in mid-2021, with at least 12,000 jobs to be created.

The world added .115 terawatts of solar power in 2019 for a cumulative .629 terawatts

Sandra Enkhardt — Fri, 01 May 2020 00:23:38 +0000

IEA PVPS report: Global solar demand increased by 12% in 2019 compared to 2018 -- but that was BC. According to the report, photovoltaics provided just under 3% of global electricity needs in 2019.

From pv magazine Germany

Last year, the world added 114.9 GW of photovoltaic systems, the third year in a row that figure has been over 100 GW, according to the just published preliminary IEA PVPS report “Snapshot of Global PV Markets 2020.”

That’s a 12% increase over the previous year and brings the world’s cumulative photovoltaic peak output to 629 GW as of the end of 2019.

At 30.1 GW in 2019, China was still by far the largest photovoltaic market in the world, but that market declined for the third year in a row.

Continental divide

By continent, The IEA PVPS report places the EU in second place with a total of 16 GW of new photovoltaic systems. The U.S. was in third place with a newly installed PV output of 13.3 GW, ahead of India with 9.9 GW and Japan with 7 GW. Vietnam followed with 4.8 GW, Spain with 4.4 GW and Germany with 3.9 GW. The top 10 is rounded out by Australia, Ukraine and South Korea with more than 3 GW each in 2019

Asia holds the continental lead with 57 percent of the world market — as countries such as South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia have compensated for the market declines in China and India.

The U.S. remains the largest market in North and South America, followed by Brazil which added 2 GW and Mexico with 1 GW.

Spain made a comeback to lead the EU with 4.4 GW, followed by Germany at 3.9 GW, with the Netherlands adding 2.4 GW of new solar equipment, and France adding 900 MW. The report notes an increase of around 600 MW for Italy and 544 MW for Belgium.

Outside the EU, there were also positive developments, particularly in Eastern European countries. Ukraine saw demand of 3.5 GW, Hungary installed 900 MW and Poland energized 800 MW. Europe as a whole had a global share of around 18% of new solar.

Cumulatively

In the ranking for most installed photovoltaics, China leads, by a lot, with 204.7 GW — followed by the U.S. with 75.9 GW and Japan with 63 GW. Germany is in fourth place with 49.2 GW, followed by India with 42.8 GW and Italy with 20.8 GW.

IEA PVPS specifies the cumulative installed photovoltaic output in the EU at 131.7 GW.

The report sees falling storage prices, the spread of EVs and commercial green hydrogen as drivers of solar growth. According to the research, the contribution of photovoltaics to global electricity needs is just under 3%.

The IEA PVPS report can be downloaded here.

Huawei, Sungrow and SMA dominate global inverter market

Sandra Enkhardt — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:15:34 +0000

Analysis from Wood Mackenzie shows global inverter demand grew 18% last year. The ten largest inverter suppliers accounted for 76% of the global trade.

The global solar inverter market grew 18% in 2019, according to new data from U.S.-owned analyst Wood Mackenzie.

The WoodMac analysts said two trends were critical: U.S. demand ahead of the reduction in the solar Investment Tax Credit at the end of last year and a rise in demand for the retrofitting of products in operational solar plants.

Asia-Pacific is still the center of global demand although the market declined slightly last year, according to WoodMac.

Chinese manufacturer Huawei led the field with the top three manufacturers unchanged for five years. Chinese rival Sungrow had the second biggest slice of the market again, ahead of German outfit SMA. U.S. company Power Electronics claimed fourth position thanks to dominance in its domestic market, even if it lost U.S. market share to Sungrow during the year, according to the WoodMac analysts.

Italian inverter maker Fimer enjoyed the biggest growth, climbing to fifth after it took over the solar inverter business of Swiss company ABB.

The big five surrendered only 1% of their stranglehold on the global market to claim 56% of business. WoodMac said the 10 biggest inverter makers accounted for 76% of global trade.

Trina’s new solar module confirmed at 515.8 W output, roadmap set for 600 W

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 15:16:11 +0000

Trina Solar has been manufacturing its 500 W modules for a month now and plans to increase module output to more than 600 W in the future.

From pv magazine Germany

An independent test by Germany’s TÜV Rheinland has confirmed a power output of 515.8 W for Trina’s new Vertex PV module series. “It passed the IEC test for photovoltaic modules from TÜV Rheinland and received both certification according to the performance standard IEC 61215 for PV modules and the safety standard IEC 61730 for PV modules,” said the Chinese module maker on Monday.

Trina launched the 500 W module at the end of February. In mid-March, following the start of commercial production, the company announced its first order, with the first high-performance modules going to Sri Lanka.

The PERC monocrystalline bifacial solar module series consists of Duomax V panels with glass-glass structures, while the Tallmax V features a glass-backsheet frame.

The modules are based on large-format 210-millimeter silicon wafers, third-party solar cells, multi-bus bars and monocrystalline PERC cell technology. Trina claims to have created an innovative cell design combining advanced third-party devices, a non-destructive cutting process and high packing density.

“Trina Solar’s Vertex module has passed the comprehensive and rigorous test by TÜV Rheinland with industry-leading output reaching 515.8W,” said Chris Zou, vice president of solar services, TÜV Rheinland Greater China.

“With the development and improvement of the industry chain, especially the improvement in glass supply capacity, adding another column of cells to the existing five-column layout design can increase the Vertex module’s power output to more than 600 W,” said Trina’s vice general manager and EVP, Yin Rongfang, adding, “Furthermore, with PERC+ cell conversion efficiency anticipated to surpass 24%, combined with other factors such as the optimization in module design, improvements in load capacity as well as downstream installation, the Vertex modules’ power output will continue to increase.”

According to Trina, compared to conventional 410 W bifacial modules, the Duomax V in particular can reduce balance of system costs for large scale PV projects by 6% to 8%, and the levelized cost of electricity generated by such facilities by 3% to 4%. The company calculated this for a solar PV power plant in the Chinese province of Heilongjiang, but did not specify its size.

Test results of the vertex module from TÜV Rheinland Graphics: Trina Solar

Europe can be 60% powered by solar before 2050

Sandra Enkhardt — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 03:50:23 +0000

Perhaps it is not surprising a report co-produced by Europe’s solar industry places PV at the heart of a zero-carbon, mid-century energy system on the continent. However, the study does flesh out two out of three scenarios in which becoming carbon-neutral by 2050, or even 2040, could be possible.

from pv magazine Germany

A report from Solarpower Europe and the Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT), “100% Renewable Europe: How to make Europe’s energy system climate neutral before 2050” is the first study to model a fully renewable path to achieving climate neutrality for the European energy system by the middle of the century.

Three transformation paths with different levels of ambition are compared and the finding is: a less ambitious path is more expensive for European society and its economy.

In the so-called “leadership scenario,” 100% renewable energy will be reached as early as 2040.
The cheapest 100% renewable scenario, considering the cumulative costs, is the “moderate scenario” which reaches the 100% goal by 2050.
In the “laggard scenario,” the authors assume a share of 62 percent renewable energies by 2050, with which Europe would neither achieve climate neutrality nor achieve its Paris climate goals.

A central component of the study and the first two scenarios is that solar’s share of electrical generation will grow to 60 percent in Europe by 2050 and that starting in 2030, solar energy will become the main pillar of the energy system. Wind power is an important pillar and will remain the leading renewable energy source through 2030. With the increasing share of photovoltaics and wind power, a further expansion of storage, especially after 2030, is of enormous importance. In addition, green hydrogen is essential for sector coupling and climate neutrality in Europe, although development in this sector will only start to pick up in 2030.

According to the authors, greenhouse gas emissions in Europe can be reduced to zero by 2040 in the “leadership scenario” compared to 1990. In the second renewable scenario, the goal would be reached by 2050. In the “laggard” scenario, on the other hand, the study sees a 53 percent decline in GHGs by 2030. Around 800 million tons of CO2 would still be emitted in Europe in 2050.

“Following the publication of the European climate law, six member states asked the European Commission to include a 100% renewable energy scenario in the Commission’s energy and climate projections for 2050,” said Luxembourg Minister of Energy Claude Turmes. The study shows the advantages of such a 100% renewable energy path. At the same time, the European energy system could be made more resilient, according to Turmes.

“Solar energy will generate more than 60% of European electricity by 2050. However, this must go hand-in-hand with a high degree of electrification and sector integration, which is essential for achieving a 100% renewable and integrated energy system,” said Michael Schmela, executive advisor and head of market intelligence at Solarpower Europe. It also proposes that starting in 2030, renewable hydrogen will contribute to the decarbonization of the heating and transport sector and will become the second most important energy source in Europe — behind photovoltaics.

The report also makes various demands on politicians to implement one of the ambitious renewable scenarios. The administrative and financial prerequisites would have to be created to enable photovoltaics and wind power to grow in the terawatt range.

“As a first step, the EU should legally set the goal of climate neutrality and review the EU’s greenhouse gas target for 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement of 1.5 degrees Celsius,” said Aurélie Beauvais, political director of Solarpower Europe. Priority should be given to the expansion of photovoltaics and wind power in the electricity sector by 2030. This would pave the way for the development of low-cost hydrogen solutions from 2030. “We also call for the establishment of a committee to implement the ‘Clean Energy Package Implementation Body’ to remove the legal and administrative framework that remains the main obstacle to the use of photovoltaics and renewable energies in Europe,” added Beauvais .

Green hydrogen and the switch to a secure, ‘climate-friendly’ gas-based energy supply

Sandra Enkhardt — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 19:33:06 +0000

German industrial giants Uniper and Siemens are working together to advance the use of green hydrogen and replace conventional, gas-fired hydrogen production plants.

From pv magazine Germany.

Siemens and the Uniper fossil fuels business spun out of German energy giant E.on have been working together for years and have announced a cooperation agreement aimed at decarbonizing power generation and driving sector coupling.

Part of the newly-announced initiative will focus on the production and use of green hydrogen.

The partners will assess what proportion of Uniper’s natural gas assets could host hydrogen produced using renewable electricity. Uniper plans to shutter or repurpose its coal-fired power fleet within five years as part of a bid for climate-neutral power generation by 2035 and is examining the role green hydrogen can play, not least by supplanting natural gas. Siemens Gas and Power will provide technical support.

Brownfield sites

A planned series of “brownfield transformation” projects will decarbonize coal-fired power plants and reduce the carbon footprint of Uniper’s gas-facilities. The integration of energy storage into the green hydrogen loop is envisioned.

Siemens can establish power-to-gas infrastructure to decarbonize electricity and heat generation from renewables or natural gas, as well as green hydrogen electrolysis technology.

Uniper already generates green hydrogen at German power-to-gas plants built in Falkenhagen in 2013 and in Hamburg at a facility constructed two years later. The company, which was spun out of E.on in 2016, also participates in the “cross-sector real laboratories” program funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics in order to bring down the cost of green hydrogen.

“After the coal phase-out and the switch to a secure, gas-based energy supply, the use of climate-friendly gas is a big step towards the success of the energy transition,” said Uniper chief executive Andreas Schierenbeck.

Gold-colored PV panels for balcony solar systems

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 05:00:21 +0000

German manufacturer a2-solar has supplied 240 solar panels for the renovation of an old building in Bern, Switzerland. The modules, which are being integrated into 96 balconies, feature different transparency options and color variations.

From pv magazine Germany

Over the past few months, Swiss Renova has been renovating a multifamily structure dating back to 1963, in line with the passive housing standard. The Swiss construction company paid particular attention to sustainability and energy efficiency, with Balco Balkonkonstruktionen integrating 240 special solar modules into the building’s 96 balconies.

The modules, which offer different levels of transparency and come in several colors, were supplied by German panel manufacturer a2-solar. The company said that it adjusted the glass and embedding foils according to the client’s preferences.

The modules meet all the guidelines of Switzerland’s Energy Saving Ordinance, as well as the aesthetic and architectural requirements of the building, the company claims. The monocrystalline solar modules were installed below the balconies. The distance between the cells and the edges of the modules was kept to a minimum, a2-solar said. The front sides of the modules were made with structured glass and dot grids, in combination with gray embedding film, to give the PV elements a golden color, the company added.

The solar modules offer a combined output of 46 kW. They are expected to generate up to 30,000 kWh of solar power per year, with all electricity to be used by the building for self-consumption purposes.

A2-solar said it specially designed the panels with Swiss Renova at the client’s request. Balco Balkonkonstruktionen then integrated them into the balconies. The prefabricated balcony elements could be assembled as complete systems during the renovation process, making the system particularly suitable for building renovations, the German company claimed.

image: Balco Balkonkonstruktionen GmbH

Analyst expects recovery for PV and storage supply chains

Sandra Enkhardt — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 17:26:53 +0000

Analyst Wood Mackenzie expects solar demand to decline but predicts the market will recover, with the prospects for the energy transition remaining intact.

Business intelligence firm Wood Mackenzie says the COVID-19 outbreak will jeopardize solar project completion in the short term, affect supply chains to various degrees and potentially erode demand for PV.

However, “Asian-dominant supply chains for solar and energy storage are in the process of rebounding after contractions in February,” the analyst stated, adding: “Near-term development activity and local logistics in leading European and North American markets are expected to outweigh lingering supply issues.”

The wind power industry will suffer more from the COVID-19 coronavirus because its production and logistics supply chains are closer to its European and North American markets than those of solar, according to WoodMac. Europe and North America appear to be braced for the worst effects of the outbreak in contrast to China, where there are signs of a potential recovery.

EV setback

The impact of the virus in China, however, is expected to have driven sharp falls in electric vehicle (EV) sales there in January and February.

“Long-term fundamentals remain strong but gigafactory facilities are likely to be delayed and fledgling EV manufacturers could face bankruptcy,” said WoodMac.

That could mean more battery cells become available for residential battery storage systems although the situation remains fluid, according to the analyst.

The chief threat to solar and energy storage demand, said WoodMac, is the depth and duration of any decline in deployment which would occur if the temporary hit to the global financial system caused by COVID-19 becomes a more entrenched recession, as many economists are warning it could.

Emissions

It is not only renewables that will suffer in the short-term, according to WoodMac.

“European gas generators will bear the brunt of demand loss where, despite low LNG prices, a carbon price decline bolstering coal, and supply swings from variable renewables generation during the relatively productive spring period will be a significant determinant of gas demand,” stated the analyst.

Woodmac expects global CO₂ emissions to decline this year as a result of the economic standstill being experienced worldwide and said it believes the prospects for the energy transition remain intact.

BNEF lowers 2020 global PV outlook due to coronavirus concerns

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 11:00:30 +0000

Many solar factories in China are starting to resume production, suggesting that concerns about supplies of PV components could soon begin to ease. Nevertheless, the temporary standstill will have an impact on the global solar market, as the implementation of some projects will probably be postponed until next year.

From pv magazine global

BloombergNEF (BNEF) published its outlook for the PV industry on Thursday, as the world braces for a global economic downturn due to the coronavirus outbreak. But while stocks and oil prices are already falling, the full extent of the unfolding crisis is still not clear.

BNEF reports that production of PV components is starting to resume in China. This could alleviate pressure on supplies of key components and equipment. However, there will be shortages in the short term.

The current situation in China has shown that the value chain for renewable energy needs to be regionally diversified, says BNEF. More production facilities are also needed in Asia, Europe and the United States – especially for batteries.

“We are currently more concerned about demand,” BNEF said.

The Chinese government has already pushed some PV projects that had been planned for this year into 2021. BNEF has therefore also reduced its expectations for newly installed PV capacity in 2020. It expects developers to install between 108 GW and 143 GW of new solar capacity this year. This contrasts sharply with the forecast that BNEF issued in February for annual global PV capacity additions of 121 GW to 152 GW.

BNEF’s revised forecast suggests that the global PV market could be poised for a significant contraction this year.

Hanergy subsidiary Solibro Hi-Tech is liquidated

Sandra Enkhardt — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 13:00:16 +0000

No potential investor could be found to take over the thin-film solar business. Insolvency proceedings started a few days ago and the business operations of the CIGS thin-film company were finally halted.

From pv magazine Germany

The business operations of Solibro Hi-Tech, a Hanergy company, were finally ceased as insolvency proceedings began. All employees were given notice.

A spokesperson for the insolvency administrator Henning Schorisch from the law firm hww hermann wienberg wilhelm provided this information to pv magazine on Monday.

Solibro joins Alta Devices, Global Solar Energy and MiaSolé on the roster of thin-film solar companies acquired and later shut down by Hanergy.

Last month, the Stendal insolvency court opened regular insolvency proceedings for the CIGS thin-film module firm, which belongs to the Chinese conglomerate Hanergy. Schorisch had tried to develop a reorganization plan during the preliminary bankruptcy, but was unsuccessful.

“An M&A process was set up by the administrator during the preliminary administration, but was unfortunately unsuccessful,” said the spokesperson.

Due to the lack of investor interest and the termination of all employees, the photovoltaic company is effectively and irrevocably shut down.

The public announcement of the insolvency proceedings indicate that creditors can register their claims with the insolvency administrator until March 16. The court convened a meeting of creditors on March 31.

Germany’s electricity generation was 60% renewable in February — with wind power replacing lignite usage

Sandra Enkhardt — Sat, 07 Mar 2020 21:00:15 +0000

Wind power generated 45.8% of German electricity in February. Solar power contributed 4.2%, while lignite usage hit a new low.

From pv magazine Germany

There were “many new records in February,” according to tweets from Bruno Burger of Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, after evaluating Germany’s net electricity generation for the month.

The first record: On a monthly basis, renewable energies accounted for more than 60% of the electricity mix that comes from the socket. According to preliminary data, Burger determined renewables had a 61.2% share (see graphic).

The next record: Wind achieved a share of more than 45% for the first time. According to Burger, it was 45.8% — or 20.8 terawatt-hours. Photovoltaic systems generated 4.2% of Germany’s electrical power. Biomass reached a share of around 8.3% and hydropower was 3%.

“The high proportion of renewable energy in February shows that the energy transition is technically feasible and that transmission system operators are able to stabilize the network and guarantee security of supply — even with high proportions of renewable energies,” said Burger.

But there was another record, which is also due to the high feed-in of wind power. At 11%, the share of lignite in net electricity generation was smaller than ever.

“In February, wind power replaced more than 50% of lignite power. This saved around 5 million tons of CO2 in lignite alone, ”explains Burger.

“Due to the low average day-ahead exchange prices for electricity of just $24.34/megawatt-hour, the generation of electricity from lignite was not profitable — since the CO2 certificates for lignite cost an average of around $28.22/megawatt-hour,” the Freiburg scientist noted.

It’s easy to observe the continuing “fuel switch” that started last year – away from coal and towards gas. The share of hard coal-fired power plants was 5.6% according to the evaluation. Gas power plants accounted for 10.2% of net electricity generation and nuclear power plants contributed 11.5%.

Tesla can continue to cut trees for German ‘gigafactory’

Sandra Enkhardt — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 16:21:12 +0000

Tesla has secured approval from the Berlin-Brandenburg administrative court to start clearing 91 hectares of forest for its first European “gigafactory,” which is scheduled to start operations in summer 2021.

From p v magazine Germany

The Higher Administrative Court for Berlin-Brandenburg ruled on Thursday evening that Tesla can continue to clear land for its new “gigafactory” in Grünheide, Germany.

The judges rejected requests from German environmental associations Grüne Liga Brandenburg and Vereins für Landschaftspflege und Artenschutz in Bavaria to block construction. The court stated that the company had met all legal requirements to work on the site.

The environmental assessment procedure for the gigafactory in Grünheide is still ongoing, however, with a final decision expected in March. That said, the judges ruled that the company can start clearing trees at the planned factory site.

Tesla had to suspend work at the site last week following an initial administrative court decision. The company had already secured approval to buy a 300-hectare site in Grünheide at the end of January, but the final purchase price is still unclear.

The U.S. electric car manufacturer plans to produce up to 500,000 units of its Model 3 and Model Y variants and future models per year at the planned location near Berlin. It aims to officially begin manufacturing activities its first European gigafactory in mid-2021 and plans to create at least 6,000 jobs.

Germany added almost 4 GW of PV in 2019

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 05:30:46 +0000

The German network operator reported approximately 339 MW of new solar in December. New installations for 2019 exceeded new capacity additions in 2018 by more than 1 GW.

from pv magazine global

Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has reported that 339.4 MW of new PV was installed in the country in December.

Solar projects that were installed outside of Germany’s tender scheme for PV projects above 750 kW in size accounted for about 215 MW of the monthly total. Around 195 MW was taken up by rooftop arrays below 750 KW in size, while small solar parks with the same size threshold accounted for the remaining 25 MW.

In 2019, newly installed PV capacity reached 3.94 GW, which means that the country saw its installed PV power increase by around 1 GW compared to 2018, when annual PV additions hit 2.96 GW.

Overall, Germany’s cumulative solar capacity reached 49.78 GW at the end of 2019. This leaves a good 2.2 GW remaining until the government’s 52 GW cap for solar subsidies is reached.

Given the strong development seen throughout the second half of last year, the current feed-in tariffs for PV systems up to 750 kW in size will be reduced by up to 1.4% for the February through April period, the Bundesnetzagentur said. In February, the FITs for rooftop PV systems will range from $0.082/kWh and $0.11/kWh, depending on the size of the project. For other systems up to 100 kW in size, there will be a tariff of $0.074/kWh.

Tesla approves purchase contract for European Gigafactory, just outside of Berlin

Sandra Enkhardt — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 14:00:22 +0000

Tesla, California's pioneering EV builder, will acquire a 700-acre site near Berlin for its first large-scale EV factory. The purchase price has not been finalized. Some local folk are protesting the approval process.

From pv magazine Germany

Tesla has approved a purchase agreement for the approximately 700-acre property on which the U.S. company’s first gigafactory in Europe is to be built, following the approval of the finance committee of the Brandenburg state parliament.

Progress for the proposed factory has made a decisive step forward, Brandenburg government spokesman Florian Engels said on Sunday.

The property is located near Berlin, right off the motorway, and is being sold by the state forestry company. The contract currently provides for a purchase price of approximately $45 million, a figure determined internally in an expert report. However, a second independent report has been commissioned and the result should be available at the end of this month.

The state of Brandenburg has already initiated the environmental impact assessment for the project, with a decision expected in the spring. In addition, according to the state government, the area is being examined for unexploded U.S. ordnance from World War II.

Over the weekend, there were demonstrations by supporters as well as opponents of the planned Gigafactory plans in the town of Grünheide. According to media reports, the opponents are not against the establishment of the plant in principle, but are concerned that it will be built in a designated drinking water protection area. They also criticize the speed with which the plans for construction are being approved.

Tesla plans to produce up to 500,000 EVs comprised of the Model 3, the Model Y and future models at its Grünheide location. The Californian carmaker plans to officially start up operations in mid-2021. At least 6,000 jobs are to be created in the plant, and another 4,000 jobs could be added as part of an expansion.

More thin-film solar carnage: Hanergy subsidiary Solibro Hi-Tech declares insolvency

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 11:00:42 +0000

Insolvency proceedings have been underway for Solibro GmbH since late summer, and business operations have long been suspended. This week another Hanergy subsidiary, Solibro Hi-Tech, has also declared insolvency.

Another Hanergy-owned thin-film solar company is in the process of closing down.

Solibro, which used a batch co-evaporation process for its CIGS-based solar production, joins Alta Devices, MiaSole and Global Solar Energy as part of the Hanergy thin-film solar disaster.

A German court opened insolvency proceedings for Solibro Hi-Tech GmbH on Friday, with attorney Henning Schorisch chosen to serve as the preliminary administrator.

Schorisch informed employees about the proceedings on Friday. He reportedly said that employees’ wages would be secured for a period of three months via funds provided for the insolvency proceedings.

Salaries have not yet been paid for December, pv magazine has learned. The company, which is a unit of Hanergy Thin Film Power Group, ordered a two-week shutdown over the Christmas and New Year period. Management control of Solibro Hi-Tech GmbH is currently in the hands of Kai-Ye Fung, who has officially filed for insolvency, according to a company announcement.

Solibro GmbH applied for insolvency in August 2019, with Schorisch also serving as provisional administrator. At the time, Hanergy t0ld pv magazine that it had not held a stake in Solibro GmbH since December 2015, but acknowledged that it owned parts of two subcontractors, Solibro Hi Tech GmbH and Solibro Research.

However, Hanergy still claims on its European website that Solibro is a Hanergy group company. In addition, there are a number of other links between Hanergy and Solibro GmbH – even for periods after December 2015.

Solibro GmbH halted business operations after the opening of the regular insolvency proceedings in November. A restructuring proposal failed because shareholders only provided a small portion of the promised funds.

A number of Hanergy companies have encountered difficulties in recent weeks. The group’s U.S.-based Alta Devices unit, for example, recently laid off 250 employees without warning and appears to be in serious financial difficulty.

Huawei faces three more Solaredge lawsuits

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 16:00:32 +0000

Inverter manufacturer Solaredge has filed three additional patent infringement lawsuits against its competitor, Huawei, in China. This comes after three similar legal actions against Huawei that had been undertaken by Solaredge in Germany last summer. While Huawei has decided not to comment on the matter, the Chinese manufacturer revealed that it had filed three patent litigation claims against Solaredge at a Chinese court this May.

Israel-based inverter manufacturer Solaredge Technologies, Inc. has filed three additional lawsuits for patent infringement against competitor Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., at the Regional Courts of Jinan and Shenzhen in China.

Solaredge claims that Huawei has made unauthorized use of its HD-Wave inverter technology and is now asking for damages and an injunction. “We will continue to take legal action against Huawei and others to protect our assets,” the company said in a released statement.

The new lawsuits follow the filing of similar legal actions undertaken by Solaredge in Germany against Huawei’s German business unit Huawei Technologies Düsseldorf GmbH and its local distributor Wattkraft Solar GmbH last summer.

Initially Solaredge had filed a lawsuit with the Regional Court of Mannheim, asserting the use of patented technology from Solaredge’s DC optimized inverter technology. A month later the company filed two additional proceedings at the same court, alleging that Huawei had infringed on two more of its patents. At the time, the claimant said that it intended to prevent Huawei from selling any multi-level inverter that infringed upon its protected inverter technology to the German market.

Huawei’s response and three more lawsuits revealed

Huawei told pv magazine that it was not yet notified of the new lawsuits nor is the company aware of the specific litigation content and, for this reason, the company will not comment on the new lawsuits. “Huawei will proactively respond to the lawsuit by requesting patent invalidation involved in the case as well as providing strong non-infringement defense to defend Huawei’s legitimate rights and interests,” the Chinese manufacturer stated. “No matter what the final outcome of the case, it will not affect Huawei’s business operations in Germany or other countries.”

The company also revealed that in May 2019 it had officially submitted three patent litigation files against Solaredge to the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court in China, alleging that Solaredge violated Huawei’s patents for inverter voltage adjustment and optimizer control solutions. “Huawei requested the court to order Solaredge’s wholly-owned subsidiaries located in Shanghai and Guangzhou, as well as Solaredge’s largest original equipment manufacturer Jabil Circuit (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd., to immediately cease patent infringement including but not limited to manufacturing, using, selling, and offering for sale products involved in the infringement and to compensate Huawei for economic losses,” the company further explained.

Huawei believes that the European and Chinese legal system will eventually give a fair conclusion to all of these proceedings.

Lego owner moves into U.S. solar

Sandra Enkhardt — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:35:51 +0000

An investment firm owned by the family behind Lego has bought a majority stake in solar asset owner Enerparc’s U.S. business. Enerparc's management team will maintain a minority interest.

Kirkbi A/S, which owns the Lego Group, will soon take a majority stake in the U.S. subsidiary of German solar company Enerparc. The two companies said they signed an agreement on Friday, without disclosing the financial terms of the deal.

Kirkbi is an investment firm owned by the wealthy Kristiansen family in Denmark. It holds a a 75% majority stake in Lego.

Its acquisition of a majority stake in Enerparc marks a milestone for the Danish group’s long-term investment strategy. Kirkbi has previously invested in offshore wind farms and in 2017 achieved the goal of supplying the Lego Group with 100% renewable electricity. Kirkbi claims to be seeking attractive, long-term investments in renewable energy, as well as the corporate and commercial real estate sectors.

“The majority stake in Enerparc gives Kirkbi… the unique opportunity to bring solar power to more Americans,” said Thomas Lau Schleicher, the Danish group’s chief investment officer.

The companies did not disclose the size of Kirkbi’s majority stake and did not reveal when the transaction would be completed. However, there are no more regulatory approvals needed, a Kirkbi spokesperson told pv magazine, while also confirming that the deal will be the company’s first major solar investment. So far, Kirkbi has only invested in smaller PV installations. The minority stake will remain in the hands of Enerparc’s management team, the Kirkbi spokesperson added.

Enerparc’s U.S. subsidiary was founded in 2012 and currently owns more than 100 MW of solar plants. With the entry of Kirkbi, Enerparc is confident that it will be able to continue its growth strategy in the U.S. market, said Enerparc CEO Florent Abadie.

Translated from German by Emiliano Bellini

Hanwha Q-Cells sues to keep Jinko, Longi and REC Group out of the U.S. market

Sandra Enkhardt — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 14:55:13 +0000

The Korean/German solar manufacturer has filed patent infringement lawsuits against the three companies in the United States, and is seeking to bar them from importing solar products for the U.S. market. Hanwha Q Cells claims its three rivals have used its patented solar cell passivation technology to increase the performance of their products.

Korean solar module maker Hanwha Q-Cells has filed patent infringement lawsuits against Chinese panel manufacturers Jinko Solar and Longi Solar, as well as REC Group, which manufacturers in Singapore (not be confused with REC Solar, the C&I solar developer).

In a statement, the Korean manufacturer said it filed lawsuits against Jinko Solar and REC Group with Germany’s Düsseldorf regional court and against all three rivals with the U.S. International Trade Commission (US ITC) and the U.S. District Court in Delaware

The lawsuit in Germany was filed by the Korean group’s Hanwha Q-Cells GmbH unit on Tuesday and the move has been confirmed to pv magazine by the court. In the United States, legal action was triggered by the Hanwha Q Cells & Advanced Materials Corp. and Hanwha Q Cells USA Inc. units of the module maker.

Hanwha Q Cells claims its competitors utilized its patented Q.ANTUM passivation technology to increase the efficiency and performance of their solar cells. With the patent infringement lawsuit, Hanwha Q Cells is looking to prevent Jinko Solar and REC Group from importing the products to Germany and JinkoSolar, REC and LONGi from importing into the United States, the company said.

“If we are successful in our claims in the ITC and U.S. federal court, and in Germany, the courts would issue orders that would prohibit the defendants from importing and selling the infringing products in the U.S. and Germany,” Hanwha said.

The U.S. lawsuits

Hanwha Q Cells said the U.S. lawsuits relate to the unlawful import and sale of solar products that infringe Hanwha Q Cells’ U.S. Patent No. 9,893,215 – “the 215 patent”.

Through the U.S. ITC filing, Hanwha is seeking an exclusion order to halt the importation of infringing products and a permanent cease and desist order to stop the respondents from importing, marketing and selling those products in the U.S. The filing with the District Court of Delaware is seeking damages and to issue injunctions that prohibit the defendants from infringing the patented technology.

“Hanwha Q Cells engaged several prominent law firms to undertake an analysis of the respondents’ products,” the company added. “That careful analysis has provided the basis for our claims that the respondents are using technology covered under our 215 patent in their products without a license agreement, and are therefore infringing Hanwha Q Cells’ intellectual property rights. We do not tolerate infringement of our intellectual property rights, and we will vigorously defend our technology.”

Last week, Hanwha Q Cells opened a 1.7 GW module manufacturing facility in Dalton, Georgia. “The United States is a very important market for Hanwha Q Cells, which is why the company is making a significant investment to build its assembly capabilities, enlarge its footprint and contribute to the strength of the U.S. economy,” the company said.

The lawsuit in Germany

As for the legal action filed in Germany, Hanwha said that relates to patent EP 2 220 689, awarded to the manufacturer in 2014 and which is valid until 2028, the company added. The patent is valid in several countries including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain.

Since 2012, Hanwha – a Korean PV manufacturer with German roots – has been using the patent passivation technology for its Qantum solar cells, of which more than 2.5 billion have been produced. “To keep up with Hanwha Q Cells’ competitive edge, the companies sued are alleged to have made use of our patented passivation technology for at least the past year,” the company said. “Our priority was to thoroughly analyze the technology used by competitors, assess whether it is covered by the patent and build a sound and precise claim based on this research.”

Siemens wants to take over Kaco

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 13:52:58 +0000

After announcing its entry into residential storage a week ago, the Munich-based multinational has now unveiled a plan to acquire inverter manufacturer Kaco. Siemens has not provided details about the value of the transaction.

From pv magazine Germany

German industrial conglomerate Siemens has confirmed it is planning to acquire inverter manufacturer Kaco New Energy GmbH but has not provided details of the value of what would be a costly acquisition.

The proposed transaction would include Kaco’s inverter business but would leave out the German manufacturer’s project development and engineering, procurement and construction arms. Germany’s antitrust authorities will examine the proposed deal, which Siemens said it expects to conclude by July.

Kaco’s inverter portfolio ranges from small residential applications to large-scale PV power plant products. The Neckarsulm-based inverter maker has a strong focus on string inverters for PV and storage applications, with capacities of up to 1,500 V and cutting edge semiconductor technology. Kaco also has silicon carbide-based inverters considered next-gen technology.

Siemens is already active in the market, having resumed production of its central inverters in India in December 2017.

Boosting Siemens’ inverter knowhow

“We are pleased to have found a buyer, with Siemens, in which we see our technological knowhow excellently reflected,” said Kaco managing partner Ralf Hofmann. “Embedded in a strong group of companies, Kaco New Energy is well prepared for the challenges of the coming years.”

For Siemens, the acquisition would provide access to the latest technologies, as board member Cedrik Neike explained, adding Kaco’s complementary power electronics portfolio would enable it to extend its technological leadership in high-growth business areas such as distributed energy systems.

The acquisition would also open up new segments at the interface of the electricity grid with buildings.

Siemens announced its entry into the PV home storage market only days ago, with products already for sale in Germany and planned for launch in Austria soon. The price for the entry-level model is just under €5,000 (US$5,700), as product manager Stefan Bucher told pv magazine.

Shell moves to acquire Sonnen

Sandra Enkhardt — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 15:49:29 +0000

In May, oil giant Shell invested in battery maker sonnen. Now the 112-year-old company wants to fully acquire the business.

This article was first published on pv magazine Germany.

Almost nine months after investing in storage company sonnen, oil major Shell wants to take over the business.

The German competition authority’s approval for the transaction is pending and sonnen said it believes approval will be granted next month.

The companies agreed not to disclose details of the agreement, as sonnen founder and CEO Christoph Ostermann told pv magazine. He did, however, confirm all shares held by sonnen investors will transfer to Shell New Energy and added the sonnen brand will be retained.

Ostermann said no management changes were planned as part of the acquisition and said Shell’s interest in his company was a reaffirmation of the good work it has done in recent years, adding: “It is always nice when such work is recognized.”

The sonnen CEO said Shell New Energies would be a “perfect strategic partner” to help his company expand in a dynamic market. “Especially with regards to the internationalization of our business and up-scaling of our production, Shell will be a strong partner to have our back, that allows us to operate swiftly,” Ostermann said.

Global expansion

In recent months, sonnen has positioned itself well in the United States and Australia and Ostermann said expansion into Africa, Latin America and Asia would interest the company.

Shell offers a global presence and had supported sonnen in auditing battery cell manufacturing. Purchasing conditions for battery cells would also be expected to improve for sonnen with a strong partner such as Shell.

Competition in the residential storage market has increased globally. Sonnen competes with big brands including BYD and LG, said Ostermann, and continuing to do so would only be possible with a financially strong partner. Shell’s subsidiaries also offer opportunities for new business and markets, said the sonnen founder, citing charging infrastructure as an example.

After Shell’s entry as an investor, both parties closed ranks to find they were pursuing similar visions. Shell has increased its efforts in renewable energy and unlocked more capital in the sector. The historic Anglo-Dutch company will include sonnen’s products in its portfolio and market them with immediate effect.

Tesla begins construction of Shanghai gigafactory

Sandra Enkhardt — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 14:59:43 +0000

The EV and battery maker wants to start production of its Model 3 for the Chinese market by the end of the year. Next year, according to high-profile CEO Elon Musk, mass production of electric cars will start there, and this is expected to include their batteries as well.

As the United States and China resume fraught negotiations on trade issues, Tesla has begun building a new manufacturing facility for its electric cars in Shanghai. And as Tesla’s gigafactories feature battery manufacturing as a core aspect, this factory is expected to make lithium-ion batteries as well – although the company has said nothing about this aspect including the capacity that is expected.

The electric vehicle (EV) maker had asked U.S. President Donald Trump not to apply a special duty of 25% to its Chinese-made onboard computer for the company’s new Model 3. President Trump responded by imposing tariffs on Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to slap counter duties on U.S. imports.

The first hints we got of the new factory is when Shanghai authorities announced that Tesla had secured land for the factory in the October. The factory is Tesla’s first outside the United States. On Monday, the foundation stone for the new production plant was laid in the presence of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong.

Musk announced on Twitter that he expects construction to be completed in the summer and production of the Model 3 to start by the end of the year. According to Musk only the lower-priced models 3 and Y will be made at the Shanghai factory, and these vehicles will be sold in China. Higher priced models will continue to be produced in the United States, including those intended for the global market.

According to Bloomberg, Tesla’s new factory will cost around $5 billion. With a planning stage that stretched to four years behind it, the city government in Shanghai said the factory is the largest foreign investment ever made in its territory.

PV Info Link expects solar demand to reach 112 GW in 2019

Sandra Enkhardt — Sat, 01 Dec 2018 13:00:12 +0000

That would mean a market increase of around 25% on this year. Demand is predicted to become particularly strong in the second half of the year, with renewed market growth coming from India and the USA.

From the pv magazine Germany website

The decision to rein in PV subsidies in China at the end of May means the rate of new PV capacity installation will decline on a global level this year, according to PV Info Link analysts, who expect around 88 GW of new capacity.

At the same time, the Beijing policy change led to a reduction in spot market prices of around 30% along the PV value chain. For 2019, however, the analysts expect a significant increase in demand, with module sales estimated at around 112 GW. The reasons are the upgrading of China’s solar targets up to 2020, and renewed market growth in India and the USA.

In addition, PV Info Link expects 16 countries worldwide will achieve an increase of more than 1 GW in installed capacity next year. In Europe, the nations in question will be Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands and Ukraine.

China’s share of installed global PV capacity, which stood at more than half the world market last year, is gradually decreasing. PV Info Link expects the world’s biggest solar market to account for 39% of global capacity this year and 38% next year. The share held by EU member states of the global solar module market is expected to increase from 11% to 12%, and is expected to be accompanied by an increase in capacity in Europe, from 9.5 GW to around 13.5 GW.

Increasing concentration among manufacturers

The analysts identified five trends for 2019. They expect increased consolidation among manufacturers, with the largest polysilicon makers – especially those based in western China – expanding rapidly, and at the expense of smaller peers, because of their ability to reduce costs. It is a development that will also adversely affect leading overseas manufacturers, according to PV Info Link.

Many small wafer manufacturers are also likely to disappear, and consolidation of the mono wafer market will follow a similar pattern.

For multicrystalline wafer vendors though, analysts see lower price differences, meaning consolidation will be slower and PV Info Link says many such manufacturers could return to the market when demand picks up again next year.

For cell manufacturers, the analysts see clear advantages for the big players, but producers with slower cost reductions are likely to be marginalized.

Mono PERC in the ascendancy

With the help of China’s quality-focused Top Runner Program, the production and efficiency of mono PERC products has further advanced and PV Info Link predicts such products will finally have the upper hand this year, with mono PERC’s market share to increase from 28% to 46%.

If, as expected, mono PERC products reach 310 W – 35 W more than multicrystalline modules – next year, more global manufacturers will turn to the technology. Thinner wafers that reduce costs and increase cell efficiency will exacerbate the trend, and a new round of the Top Runner program could strengthen the attractiveness of p-type mono-products.

PV manufacturers are also expected to continue the trend, seen this year, of using larger wafers and modules, with 160 μm thickness mono wafers increasingly used.

Next level in cell and module technologies

This year, many conventional mono producers switched to mono PERC. Next year, according to PV Info Link, selective emitters will become the standard equipment. A breakthrough in Topcon technology and p-type mono cells is expected in the near future, and module technologies are expected to increase efficiency further.

In the second half of this year, half-cells are already expected to have prevailed, ensuring more manufacturers make the switch in 2019. Multi-busbar technology is also expected to make further advances, although analysts do not see such products becoming mainstream until after 2020.

Progress towards bifacial modules, however, continues to be slow, despite the small costs for manufacturers to adopt the technology. Most bifacial modules are likely to be delivered in China, with overseas customers making the change further down the line, according to PV Info Link.

Strong surge in demand in the second half

For the first six months of next year, analysts expect weak demand, with PV Info Link citing three reasons. Firstly, the Chinese New Year falls in the first quarter and secondly, only a small proportion of projects from the Top Runner program will be completed during the first half.

The third reason is that countries with normally high demand in the first quarter – such as India, Japan and Australia – are likely to see a less spectacular than usual increase.

As a result, analysts predict a further price fall by the middle of next year, with the lowest prices in April.

By contrast, strong new construction is expected in the second half, which could lead to regional supply bottlenecks. Demand is expected to reach at least 32 GW in each of the third and fourth quarters, with mono products likely to account for 60% of that market. This could also lead to bottlenecks in the supply of polysilicon and monocrystalline wafers.

Overall, however, the solar industry will then return to higher prosperity, according to PV Info Link.

Translated from German by Emiliano Bellini

IEA versus the reality of solar PV

Sandra Enkhardt — Wed, 21 Nov 2018 13:52:15 +0000

In the recently released World Energy Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) foresees a steady decline in the global expansion of PV to 2035. In response, Dutch researcher Auke Hoekstra has updated his graphic, IEA versus reality in solar PV.

Last week, the IEA published its World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2018. Even in its low ball scenario, it imagines that installed solar PV capacity will overtake that of all other forms of energy apart from gas by 2040. Which, if you ignore the predicted continued dominance of oil, coal and gas, is good news.

That is until you look at its baseline scenario – the New Policy Scenario – where the agency predicts that between now and 2035, PV demand will steadily decline, with just 90 GW of new capacity being installed annually by this date. It is, at least, expected to resume growth again after this point in time.

The IEA has been guilty of consistently low-balling solar, and renewables, growth. This led Auke Hoekstra, Senior Advisor in Electric Mobility at the Eindhoven University of Technology in January to take the agency to task for getting solar projections wrong year after year (see graphic).

Following the release of its latest report, Hoekstra has now updated his graphic, “IEA versus reality in solar PV” (see main picture), which clearly demonstrates that the IEA still does not understand (or refuses to see) how the global PV market works.

He asks: “Do these guys ever learn?”

For the IEA, it seems that exponential PV growth, which the industry has witnessed in recent years, is impossible. Perhaps next year, it will finally get the message, although not many have faith that the agency will fundamentally change its scenarios away from conventional fuels. Meaning we can already look forward to next year’s graphic from Hoekstra.

China to file WTO complaint over Section 201 duties

Sandra Enkhardt — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 13:28:49 +0000

China’s Ministry of Commerce is arguing that the 30% import duties on solar products from China and other nations do not comply with WTO rules. The Chinese government added that its solar industry could be seriously damaged.

China’s Ministry of Commerce intends to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the 30% import tariffs imposed by the United States on imported solar products, including those from China, according to a Chinese government spokesman on Tuesday. However, on Wednesday morning no official complaint document from China had been published on the WTO website.

The Chinese government has asserted that the protection measures imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump at the beginning of this year under Section 201 do not comply with international WTO rules. The duties are also harming the interests of the Chinese economy, said the spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing.

In addition to protective measures against imported PV products, China claims the U.S. has provided support for the domestic production of components for renewable energies and solar PV. The country’s economy has thus gained an “unfair competitive advantage and damaged the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese renewable energy companies,” the spokesman said.

With the introduction of tariffs, the United States has “heavily distorted” the international PV market and “seriously damaged” China’s trade interests, they said. Therefore, the country now wants to reach a dispute settlement at the WTO. China called on the United States to take concrete action to reinstate WTO rules, the Ministry of Commerce spokesman said.

It is important to note that the global nature of these tariffs affects production in Southeast Asia, where many Chinese PV makers have set up factories to avoid previous rounds of anti-dumping and countervailing duties.

At the end of January, the United States decided to impose tariffs on nearly all imported PV modules and solar cells. This was preceded by a Section 201 petition from Suniva, which Solarworld Americas subsequently joined. Under the ruling, these duties will be gradually reduced over the next four years. Exceptions apply to some countries, and the United States is allowing the first 2.5 GW of cells to be imported without customs duties.

Since then, the trade conflict has deepened, particularly between the United States and China. For example, Trump has announced further tariffs on Chinese solar cells and modules, as well as inverters.

Schletter acquisition could save North Carolina factory

Sandra Enkhardt — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 14:55:31 +0000

The company's U.S. subsidiary is part of the purchasing agreement, which appears to come just in time as the factory in Shelby was running out of funds to operate.

Schletter’s acquisition has been successfully completed by Golden Square Capital. The company announced the transfer of its business operations and shares to the new investor in a closing last week. Already in late June, in an interview with pv magazine at the Smarter E tradeshow in Munich, CEO Tom Graf disclosed that the banks involved had accepted the purchasing agreement.

“The closing marks the successful finish of our financial recovery,” says Graf. “Free from financial dead wood and under the umbrella of an economically strong partner, we can now get off to a flying start at the markets, and most importantly start investing.”

Schletter’s U.S. subsidiary is also part of the purchasing agreement. “A respective transition will follow in the U.S., where we are near closing of chapter-11 proceedings,” the company states. U.S. bankruptcy courts approved the sale of Schletter Inc. on July 3, with the consent of the company’s secured creditors.

This appears to have happened just in time for Schletter Inc. and factory in Shelby, North Carolina. Court documents indicate that the company was out of cash and would need to cease operations shortly if the sale was not approved. The documents also note that there was not time to confirm a Chapter 11 restructuring plan before finalizing the sale.

The new investor, which is a subsidiary of the Avenue Capital Group, provided assets in the two-digit million range for the relaunch of the global company. Accordingly, Schletter will allocate these funds for product development and its entrance to markets in Asia and the Americas.

At the tradeshow in Munich, Schletter presented a new tracking system for PV arrays. Graf sees particularly good sales opportunities for these systems in the United States, Australia and the Middle East.

The purchasing agreement between Schletter and Golden Square Capital was brokered and disclosed by mid-June. Before the deal, the German company announced it would commence insolvency proceedings under self-administration to achieve its financial recovery. This process started in March this year.

Recom’s acquisition of Jabil lines could lead to a U.S. solar factory

Sandra Enkhardt — Tue, 03 Jul 2018 17:11:09 +0000

The PV module manufacturer started negotiations with Jabil after the United States introduced duties on solar imports. Recom plans to restart manufacturing activities with Jabil’s 700 MW production equipment in the first quarter of 2019. Where exactly this will take place has not been disclosed yet.

About half a year ago, solar module maker Jabil surprisingly closed its OEM module production in Poland, which was considered one of the most competitive in Europe.

Now a successor has been found. European PV maker Recom has bought the machinery of the Polish factory of Jabil, CEO Hamlet Tunyan told pv magazine. “We started negotiations after the ITC decision on Petition Section 201 in the United States,” he said.

Recom’s expansion strategy envisages a series of measures that the PV manufacturer wants to use to address the restrictions on the U.S. market. “We are expanding our production portfolio to respond to our customers’ needs in both the United States and Europe,” Tunyan said. He declined comment on the financial details of the agreement with Jabil.

“We plan to restart production in the first quarter of 2019 – with the total capacity of 700 MW,” the Recom CEO further explained. In the future, the company plans to produce highly efficient monocrystalline, polycrystalline, bifacial and half-cell modules.

Tunyan stated that where the production equipment from Jabil will be located in the future has not yet been disclosed. However, the modules that will be produced with Jabil’s equipment will be mainly distributed in the solar markets of the United States and Europe, which opens up the possibility of U.S. manufacturing.

The Chinese Government’s decision to reduce its domestic PV expansion by a third this year has had no influence on the decision and business of Recom, Tunyan said. Recom currently has 1.5 GW of annual production capacity, with plants in Italy, France and Asia. In addition, the company is active as an independent electricity provider and has a pipeline of PV projects in the United States, Germany, Hungary, France, Poland and Ukraine.

Jabil decided in February to close its factory in northern Poland. The U.S.-based contract manufacturer explained that “there was not enough current and future demand to secure the sustainable future of Kwidzyn’s solar business.”

Monocrystalline solar prices fall

Sandra Enkhardt — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 15:00:45 +0000

The latest figures from Taiwanese analytics firm PVInsights shows that prices for monocrystalline solar PV products have fallen sharply in a week-on-week comparison. The price drops for wafers were particularly strong.

During The Smarter E last week, there was a lot of speculation and some fresh numbers about how the prices for modules, cells, wafers and silicon will evolve.

As pv magazine has learned, prices for multicrystalline PV products in particular have caved recently. Today, PVInsights has also provided an update which shows that the prices for monocrystalline products have also fallen sharply in the past few days.

Price erosion is particularly strong for monocrystalline wafers, which are manufactured mostly in China. According to research by PVInsights, the spot market price in China for these products was between $0.432 and $0.434 per piece – a decline of 11% and nearly 12%, respectively, within a week.

Spot market prices for monocrystalline PERC solar cells have also fallen in recent days. Here, prices dropped around 8.5% to $0.172 per watt. Concurrently, prices for other types of solar cells continue to fall, dropping between 2% and 6%.

At the module level, PVInsights shows that multicrystalline products continue to experience greater pressure. The average price of multicrystalline solar modules, for example, continued to decline by nearly 3%, to $0.27 per watt, with prices ranging from $0.24 to $0.41 per watt.

The average spot market prices for monocrystalline solar modules, meanwhile, fell by almost 2% to $0.352 per watt, ranging from $0.31 to $0.55 per watt; and the prices for thin film modules and high efficiency multicrystalline modules are currently moving between the two ranges.

Polysilicon prices are being similarly affected. Average costs are now around $11.29 per kilogram, while the lowest spot market prices for polysilicon reported by PVInsights are $9.85 per kilogram.

These declines could have wide-ranging consequences globally, both upstream and downstream. The fall in prices could affect the expansion plans of LONGi, the world’s largest monocrystalline ingot and wafer maker, and could put pressure on U.S. module makers including First Solar who are now competing with lower-cost Chinese products.

Downstream, the fall in prices is expected to drive more solar development.

Solar trade dispute: U.S. agrees to consultation w/ Korea, EU, China, Malaysia & Thailand

Sandra Enkhardt — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 18:09:22 +0000

Through the consultation, the United States aims to settle the dispute over the 30% import tariffs introduced under Section 201.

The U.S. has responded to a request from the EU, China, Malaysia and Thailand to enter into joint consultations on the import tariffs for PV products.

At the end of January, U.S. President Donald Trump set tariffs of 30% for imports of PV products into the United States under Section 201. Monday’s WTO release shows that the Trump Administration has now accepted the request submitted to the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) by the EU, China, Malaysia and Thailand, to join the consultations already underway with Korea.

Thailand also submitted its own request to the WTO last Thursday, regarding the willingness of the United States to consult with those countries on the protectionist measures for the domestic solar industry. All of these nations are strongly affected as exporters.

In its letter, the Thai delegation argues that U.S. action was not in line with the GATT 1994 and Safeguards Agreement. According to these rules, as an “exporter with a substantial interest”, Thailand should have had an adequate opportunity for consultation before the import tariffs were issued.

At the end of January, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced Trump’s decision to introduce duties in the Section 201 petition. Tariffs will be applied to the import of solar cells and modules into the country over the next four years.

These start at 30% and will be progressively lowered to 15%. Solar cell imports totaling 2.5 GW per year are exempt from the duties.

As part of the announcement, the United States said it was ready to discuss long-term solutions with interested parties. Subsequently, several countries filed complaints with the WTO seeking an amicable solution to the safeguard duties, as did the European Union.

Section 301

Most recently, a new round of IT-related tariffs could make it even more expensive for any manufacturers planning to import cells from China for module production in the U.S.

On June 15, the U.S. Trade Representative included a list of another 284 product lines to the 818 it has approved for duties under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The new products include solar cell and module imports under 8541.40.60. This means that these cells and modules are among the products that will go to review, and if approved will be subject to 25% tariffs.

Sonnen secures $70 million from Shell for US, Aus expansion

Sandra Enkhardt — Wed, 23 May 2018 13:16:50 +0000

The battery integrator has already began to draw on the funds as it continues to expand its market presence in the United States and in Australia. Shell Ventures is now a major sonnen investor and and the companies have agreed to future cooperation.

In its latest financing round, sonnen has secured €60 million ($70 million) of capital from a group of investors led by Shell Ventures. The British-Dutch oil company is now an active stakeholder in sonnen, as was announced on Wednesday. All previously existing investors contributed to the round.

According to sonnen, the capital is earmarked to pursue plans to expand in the United States and Australian markets.

Sonnen has indicated that it has also signed an agreement regarding future cooperation with the renewable energy section of Shell Ventures. The two companies say that they aim to identify and exploit synergies.

In an interview with pv magazine, sonnen’s Chief Global Sales & Marketing Officer Philipp Schröder said that the two companies will integrate Shell Ventures’ EV-charging solution into sonnen’s virtual power plant (VPP). This is despite sonnen having already developed and launched its own EV charging solution. Schröder notes that the sonnen VPP solution was intentionally designed to be technologically agnostic.

The second important aspect of sonnen’s cooperation with Shell Venture is the latter company’s solid global footing. Leveraging this, sonnen seeks to expand its market share in the regions in which it is already active. These include the United States and Australia, in which sonnen launched its sonnenCommunity last year.

The precise distribution among the different investors was not disclosed. However, upon request sonnen confirmed that Shell Ventures provided the largest portion of capital under the investment round. Schröder says that it is also an important signal that all previously existing investors, such as GE Ventures, Envision and E-Capital contributed to the round.

Aside from the sonnenCommunity, the German Company has launched several pilot projects in cooperation with transmission and distribution grid operators. The projects are setting up trials for the provision of grid services through aggregating distributed PV-hybrid systems. sonnen reports that it is particularly focused on the provision of grid services, along with the VPP.

In recent years, sonnen has secured roughly $210 million in capital across several funding rounds.