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ď Ź

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KPCL

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06

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Thane Mumbai

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Coastal Projects Limited Chitradurga, Molakalmur, Murudi

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Zamil New Delhi Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd.

Maharashtra

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/// $(, *+)& * -+

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M & B SwithchGear Pvt. Ltd.

PV

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MP TRADECO

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Tamil Nadu Noel Media & Advertising Pvt Ltd

PV

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Sivaganga

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MW 5

Kutagulla

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20

Anantapur

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PV

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5

Anantapur

Cccl Infrastructure Limited

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50

Anantapur

Sujana Towers Limited

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Mayiladuthurai

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PV

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Akr Construction Limited

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Pcs Premier Energy Pvt Ltd

PV

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West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation Limited

1

1 1 1

Asansol

Solar Cell ď Ž Manufacturers

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Raipur

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PV

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Mahasamund

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Abacus Holdings Private Limited

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PV

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S N Mohanty

PV

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Cuttack

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Karnataka - ď Ź Emmvee Photovoltaic Power Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore HHV Solar Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore Tata Bp Solar India Bangalore Conergy Energy Systems India Bangalore Kotak Urja Pvt Ltd Bangalore Q.Cell Systems India Pvt Ltd Bangalore Microsun Solar Tech Pvt Ltd Bangalore Rashmi Industries Bangalore Maharashtra - ď Ź Green Brilliance Photonix Solar Pvt. Ltd. Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. PLG Power Limited Banbury Solar Chemtrols Solar Deityfuel Energy Pvt Ltd Waaree Energies Pvt Ltd Kirloskar Integrated Technologies Ltd SCHOTT Glass India Pvt. Ltd. Rajasthan - ď Ź Ajit Solar Pvt. Ltd. Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Ltd

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48 Solar Cities ď ľ ď ľAndhra Pradesh-Vijayawada ď ľAssam-Guwahati,Jorhat ď ľArunachal Pradesh- Itanagar ď ľChandigarh-Chandigarh ď ľChhattisgarh-Bilaspur, Raipur ď ľGujarat-Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Surat ď ľGoa-Panji City ď ľHaryanaGurgaon, Faridabad ď ľHimachal Pradesh-Shimla, Hamirpur ď ľKarnatakaMysore, Hubli-Dharwad ď ľKerala-Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi ď ľMaharashtra-Nagpur, Thane, Kalyan-Dombiwali, Aurangabad, Nanded, Shirdi ď ľMadhya Pradesh-Indore,Gwalior,Bhopal,Rewa ď ľManipur-Imphal ď ľMizoram-Aizawl ď ľNagaland-Kohima,Dimapur ď ľOrissa- Bhubaneswar ď ľPunjab-Amritsar, Ludhiana, SAS Nagar (Mohali) ď ľRajasthanAjmer, Jaipur, Jodhpur ď ľTamil Nadu-Coimbatore ď ľTripura-Agartala ď ľUttrakhand-Dehradun,Haridwar&Rishikesh, Chamoli-Gopeshwar ď ľUttar Pradesh-Agra,Moradabad ď ľWest Bengal-Howrah.

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Technical Associates Ltd

L A

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Madhya Pradesh

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Dante Energy Pvt. Ltd.

Your PV specialist for Grid connect and Off-grid PV systems.

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Sahibabad

pur ď ľ Ajmer

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ď ľ Hamirpur

ď ľ

). ' *4 3 4

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

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EDITORIAL What is the future of Solar Photovoltaics India saw record $10.3bn clean energy investment in 2011. This was the highest growth figure of any significant economy in the world. The large growth was driven by a seven-fold increase in funding for grid-connected solar projects: from $0.6bn in 2010 to $4.2bn in 2011.

The world-wide solar photovoltaic (PV) market continued to grow in 2011 even in the midst of financial and economic crisis, with new grid-connected PV capacities rising by 27.7 GW and propelling the global PV capacity from 39.7 GW at the end of 2010 to 67.4 GW at the end of 2011. Almost 21 GW of this growth occurred in Europe. Italy was the No.1 market with installations reaching 9 GW, followed by Germany which installed 7.5 GW out of which 4 GW was added in Q4,2011. Germany PV Capacity scheduled for 2022 could already be reached in late 2015. Total installed PV capacity world-wide reached 67.4 GW at the end of 2011. Next in the list are China 2 GW, USA 1.6 GW, France 1.5 GW, Japan 1.1 GW. PV is now, after hydro and wind power, the third most important renewable energy source in terms of globally installed capacity.

There are continuous advancement towards Cost Reduction, Technological Innovation and aggressive pricing from Chinese Manufacturers.

The average price of Chinese Tier-2 crystalline PV modules fell to $0.96 per watt in January 2012, according to the latest PV module pricing report from IMS Research. Annualized price declines (ignoring seasonality) slowed to 22% in January, having exceeded 50% in December, as incentive levels were reduced in a number of major PV markets at the end of 2011. Highly competitive pricing from Chinese Tier-2 manufacturers has continued into 2012 according to the new report, and the average crystalline PV module price from these suppliers declined twice as quickly as the total market in January dropping to $0.96/W. Although many spot prices were offered below this in recent months, this is the first time that the global average price had fallen below this industry milestone. Prices as low as $0.80/W (~€0.60/W) were recorded for Chinese Tier-2 module suppliers in January, typically for large orders from German distributors.

A new survey of more than 400 buyers of PV inverters has revealed a growing acceptance of Chinese products, with close to 30% of respondents indicating they were of acceptable quality.The growth of the China inverter market during the next four years will boost the country’s standing in the worldwide solar inverter space. China last year had only a 3 percent share of global PV inverter shipments, compared to 42 percent for Germany, 22 percent for Italy, 7 percent for the Czech Republic, 6 percent for the United States and Japan, and 4 percent for France. By 2015, however, China will account for 13 percent of the market a substantial increase.

Meanwhile the American Manufacturers continue to suffer at the cost of aggressive Chinese manufacturers. The NREL presentation, “Solar PV Manufacturing Cost Analysis: U.S. Competitiveness in a Global Industry,” concludes that Chinese producers have an inherent cost advantage of no greater than 1 percent, compared with U.S. producers. However, when trans-ocean shipping costs are counted, Chinese producers face a 5 percent cost disadvantage, according to the analysis (slide 26). “Massive government subsidies,” the government says, sponsor the Chinese industrial drive to export about 95 percent of domestic production, a campaign that has already seized 55 percent of global market share, according to NREL (slides eight and 20).

Technology advancement continues in Thin Films. Oerlikon Solar presented its 2nd generation ThinFab at the World Future Energy Summit 2012 (WFES) in Abu Dhabi.The new design reduces capital expenditure (Capex) by 23 % to just $ 1/Wp including engineering support and performance guarantees. The production line enables customers to produce high-quality thin film silicon modules for costs of around $ 0.5/Wp (€ 0.35/Wp), a record in the solar industry. Oerlikon Solar also announced a new record thin film silicon cell. At 12.5 %, the efficiency of this lab cell is 1.7 percentage points higher than the large scale production modules of the 2nd generation ThinFabTM (an increase of 16 %).First Solar, Inc. recently announced it set a new world record for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) solar module efficiency, achieving 14.4 percent total area efficiency.Alta Devices Solar Panel Receives NREL Verification Of 23.5% Efficiency.

With this we present the January/February 2012 Edition of EQ International Magazine. I hope you enjoy reading the same.

Anand Gupta Editor & CEO

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CONTENTS Dhananjay Nandedkar

SOLAR ENERGY 38

Rasna Marketing Services LLP - 1 MW Solar PV Plant by Chemtrols Solar

SOLAR ENERGY 42

REFULOG速 - A Modern Way To Monitoring Your PV System

Eq Business & Financial News RENEWABLE ENERGY 56

Spring Contacts - Reliable Alternative To Critical Solder Contacts

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PV MANFUACTURING 28

Kynar速 PVDF for Photovoltaic Applications - Trusted and Proven Performance

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Evasa- The Superior EvaBased Encapsulant Material For The Photovoltaic Industry

SOLAR ENERGY

over image) To help boost the efficiency of solar inverters, MiniSKiiP power ics modules boast a very low thermal impedance

Rasika Gokhale Athawale

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36

Clean Energy Production Through Innovative Technology

RENEWABLE ENERGY 52

Can Electricity Regulators compel Distribution Utilities to be Energy Efficient?

Future And Scope Of Renewable Energy Resources In India

WIND ENERGY 63

Emerging Environmental Markets in India

69

Case Study: Sourcing of Overhead Transmission Line Conductor for Power Major, Suzlon

INTERVIEW 73 Manu Puri

SMART GRID 76

Creating Smarter Grids For An Energy Efficient World

The Benefits of a Balanced Approach to Lubricant Formulation

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INTERNATIONAL

2 0 G W o f P V PV Module Prices Increased by 7% in December, but M a n u f a c t u r i n g Expected to fall 4% in January – IMS RESEARCH Equipment To Be Strong demand during the year-end rally saw installers buying PV modules from distributors at inflated prices. The survey found that installers were desperate to secure supply and Replaced By 2016 Aging equipment requiring upgrade or complete replacement represents the biggest opportunity currently and this is where the majority of equipment revenues will come from in 2012. The research report found that this could provide a 20 GW opportunity for equipment suppliers, generating some $25 billion in revenues over the next four years. Senior Research Director Tim Dawson comments: “IMS Research has estimated that there is between 2.5 and 4 GW of existing manufacturing capacity that requires upgrade in 2012, and this figure will steadily ramp-up over the coming few years. Companies wishing to remain competitive and take the opportunity to gain market share, will be forced to invest in new equipment.”

Conflicting Reports On PV Inverter Market In 2011 PV Inverter Market Achieves Record Shipments in 2011 – IMS research The PV inverter market achieved a new record in 2011 with shipments exceeding 26 GW for the first time according to preliminary results from IMS Research. The research firm found that inverter shipments grew by more than 15% in 2011, despite the huge inventory overhang from the year before, with more than 8 GW shipped in the last quarter of the year.

Solar Inverter Market Hits Speed Bump in 2011 – iSuppli Shipments of PV inverters last year fell to the equivalent of 23.4 gigawatts (GW), down 1 percent from 23.6 GW in 2010, according to an IHS iSuppli PV Inverter Market Tracker report from information and analysis provider IHS (NYSE: IHS). The decline in shipments last year was accompanied by a large 15 percent drop in revenue, down to €4.4 billion ($6.1 billion) because of a sharp decline in average selling prices. Prices plunged a steep 14 percent during the year much worse than earlier forecasts predicting only a 10 percent contraction.

8 EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

complete installations before incentive levels were reduced, particularly in Germany where 3 GW of installations were connected in December alone. However, the survey also found that price increases were only temporary and both module suppliers and buyers expect price drops again in January. Q4’s strong spike in demand offered manufacturers muchneeded relief from the intense price pressure that blighted them for much of 2011“A strong pick-up in demand came late in the year in many countries, most notably Germany which installed over 4 GW in Q4’11.

Solar photovoltaic market continues to grow in Europe and around the world The world-wide solar photovoltaic (PV) market continued to grow in 2011 even in the midst of financial and economic crisis, with new grid-connected PV capacities rising by 27.7 GW and propelling the global PV capacity from 39.7 GW at the end of 2010 to 67.4 GW at the end of 2011. Almost 21 GW of this growth occurred in Europe.The number of markets reaching more than 1 GW of additional capacity during 2011 rose from 3 to 6. In 2010 the top 3 markets were Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic; in 2011 Italy leads the ranks and Germany, China, the USA, France and Japan follow, each with over 1 GW of new capacity. Those are among the key findings of EPIA’s new “Market Report 2011”, which assesses PV’s development in all major markets around the world. Europe still accounts for the predominant share of the global PV market, the report finds, with 75% of all new capacity in 2011.Among the key statistics of the report: • Total installed PV capacity world-wide reached 67.4 GW at the end of 2011. PV is now, after hydro and wind power, the third most important renewable energy source in terms of globally installed capacity. • The growth rate of PV during 2011 reached 70%, an outstanding level among all renewable technologies. • The total energy output of the world’s PV capacity run over a calendar year is equal to some 80 billion kWh. This energy volume is sufficient to cover the annual power supply needs of over 20 million households in the world. • In Europe, over 50 GW of PV systems were installed at the end of 2011.

With growing contributions from Southern European countries, the average load factor of this capacity is increasing and willproduce over 60 billion kWh on an annual basis, enough energy to supply over 15 million European households.

CIGS Solar Market to Nearly Double to $2.35 Billion and 2.3 Gigawatts in 2015 Lux researchers positioned CIGS developers using the Lux Innovation Grid, based on their Technical Value and Business Execution, with companies that are strong on both axes reaching the “Dominant” quadrant – and also assessed each company’s maturity, providing an overall “Lux Take.” Among their conclusions: • Solar Frontier is a clear winner.

Solar Frontier is a clear winner, with a solid position in the “Dominant” quadrant – and was the only firm to earn a “Strong Positive” take. With inroads into new and emerging markets such as India, where it is selling over 30 MW of panels, Solar Frontier excels in overall execution. • Global Solar, Avancis and Solibro are likely to consolidate. The three companies are likely to emerge as bankable players. Global Solar has demonstrated slow but steady progress and is currently selling its PowerFLEX Technology, a shingle product, to Dow. Still, to succeed it needs to adopt a less conservative approach. Avancis has a joint venture with Hyundai Heavy Industries for CIGS module production in Asia. As for Solibro it will need to quickly and independently strengthen its financial position to succeed. • Stion, Miasole and Nuvosun can emerge as champions. All three are “Dominant” with the potential to emerge as early champions in this technology. However, their success will depend on capacity utilization and ramp-up, customer relationships, strategic partnerships and consistent execution in terms of their module costs, yield and module efficiency. • ISET, Flisom and AQT can be acquisition targets. All three are “High Potential” companies – firms with strong technical value but weaker business execution scores – and have assets that make them prized acquisition targets.

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A d a n i G r o u p Mahindra Solar commissions a 5 MW solar power plant in Rajasthanunder Phase1 Commissions – Batch 1 of JNNSM 40MW SOLAR PV plant in Kutch, Gujarat.

The project was amongst first few to deploy Adani plans to expand the capacity of this plant to 100MW. The Company has commissioned plant in record time of 150 days starting from foundation stone laying to electricity generation. The solar power plant is using PV Technology and has over 400000 solar PV modulesmounted on 21,600 structures which are erected on 130,000 foundations.The power generated from this solar plant will be evacuated through a 66 KV line linked to a substation in Netra located 20KMs away from the project site.

single axis tracker and achieve non-recourse financing, demonstrating the confidence of the banking sector in the solar industry.The EPC was undertaken inhouse by Mahindra EPC in record time of 100 days.

Presiding over the launch ceremony in Mumbai, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Hon’ble Union Cabinet Minister for New and Renewable Energy said “The New & Renewable Energy Ministry recognizes the important role Solar Energy plays for our country’s energy security. Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra said “We aim to be one of the top 3 companies in this industry. Along with their partner Kiran Energy, they have already won 50 MW of solar projects in JNNSM Phase 1B. “This plant has created over 200 new jobs in the region giving local employment and helping social inclusiveness.”, said Mr. Vish Palekar, Business Head, Cleantech Ventures, Mahindra Partners.

Tata Power signs the share purchase agreement to acquire 51% BP Alternative Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) passes Energy Holdings equity in Solar Tariff Orders on 27-01-2012 Underwriters Laboratories (UL) opens Energy Efficiency Testing Laboratory at Manesar, Tata BP Solar On completion of transaction, Tata Power will own 100% of the company.pproval as required from the Reserve Bank of India will need to be obtained before the transaction is completed. The transaction will also entail a change in control in the Company and hence the approval of The Competition Commission of India (CCI) will be required for completing this transaction.Tata Power and BP have agreed that the Company will continue to enjoy access to certain BP technology until 2013.Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Anil Sardana Tata Power said “We are happy to acquire higher equity in Tata BP Solar.

Tata Power successfully ties up the financing for its 25 MW Solar Project in Mithapur, Gujarat Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited has successfully tied up the entire debt requirement through a consortium of domestic lenders, namely State Bank of India and Export Import Bank of India with SBI Capital Markets Limited acting as the sole financial advisor and arranger.

The project of approximately Rs.365 crores is being funded through a debt equity mix of 70:30. The project financing comprises of equity of Rs.110 crores and Rupee Term Loans of Rs. 255 crores.

10 EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

Gurgaon

The independent laboratory will provide energy efficiency and performance testing for Indian manufacturers in line with the Star labeling program of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India.The 18,000-sqft.-lab the first in India equipped with state-of-the-art testing, verification, design and product development facilities - will help manufacturers in the LED lighting and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) industries develop and test energy-efficient, betterperforming and safer products.The lab’s facilities are in line with the Standards and Labeling Program of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. The USD 2.2 million-lab will test lighting products; consumer goods such as domestic refrigerators and washing machines; and electronic equipment including computers and colour televisions. Further, UL has built the first commercial refrigeration system testing facility - including capabilities to test open-deck chillers for energy efficiency - in the lab. The availability of these facilities in India will reduce manufacturers’ cost and time to market considerably.

SunEdison commissions 5MW plant in Rajasthan he plant was inaugurated by Shri Farooq Abdullah, Honourable Minister for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Shri Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of the state of Rajasthan, in a ceremony marked by inspiring speeches by the eminent ministers, and Pashupathy Gopalan, Managing Director, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Operations, SunEdison.The plant, set up under the JNNSM, is spread over a sprawling 44 acres and uses thin-film PV technology.

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India Wall Str eet Journal Reportsthat Indian Government to Set Up Solar Firm According to Wall Street Journal India is setting up a company with initial capital of 20 billion rupees ($405.6 million) to build federal solar projects and help the country reach a target of 20 gigawatts of solar energy capacity by 2022, a top government official said. “A dedicated company will ensure that we meet our targets effectively,” Renewable Secretary Gireesh B. Pradhan said in a recent interview. He said the company--Solar Energy Corp. of India--will gradually take over responsibility for federal solar projects from NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd., an arm of India’s largest power producer NTPC Ltd. “Also, simultaneously, we are working to infuse more capital in our renewable financing company [the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency],” Mr. Pradhan said. He said the new solar company will also help finalize funding of solar projects.The financing company now has total reserves of about 13 billion rupees, with about half of this provided by the government.

& EQBusiness Financial News India saw record $10.3bn clean energy investment in 2011 Clean energy investments in India reached $10.3bn in 2011, some 52% higher than the $6.8bn invested in 2010. This was the highest growth figure of any significant economy in the world.The large growth was driven by a seven-fold increase in funding for gridconnected solar projects: from $0.6bn in 2010 to $4.2bn in 2011. Solar almost reached the same level of investments as wind, which totalled $4.6bn.Asset financing for utilityscale projects remains the main type of clean energy investment in India, with $9.5bn in 2011.Venture capital and private equity investment also made a strong comeback with $425m invested in 2011, more than four times the 2010 figure. Wind and solar project developers such as Mytrah Energy India and Kiran Energy Solar Power succeeded in doing deals. The only major type of investment that fell in 2011 was equity-raising via the public markets. Only $201m was raised compared to a record $735m in 2010 when the Indian stock market was at its all-time high.The wind sector added a record 2,827MW of capacity in 2011 compared with 2,140MW in 2010. This kept India at the third rank globally in terms of new installations, behind China and the US. Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates that 2,500MW to 3,200MW of wind capacity could be added in 2012.

Michael Liebreich, chief executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said: “India’s record performance in 2011, and the momentum it is carrying into 2012, is one of the bright spots in the clean energy firmament.

Moser Baer’s PV business adopts MIST technology to upgrade its PV cell efficiency to 21% to meet current industry challenges Moser Baer’s PV business adopts MIST (Metal and Intrinsic layer Semiconductor Technology) to upgrade its PV cell efficiency to 21% to meet the current industry challenges. This will help the company achieve global competitiveness and provide long term sustainability to the business.

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

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1.0 MW Photo CSE investigation exposes corporate malpractice in V o l t a i c C e l l prestigious and much needed NSM basedSolar Power plant One company takes it all installed at Priyadharsini In July 2010, the Union ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) had issued Jur ala Hydro Electric guidelines for the selection of solar power projects. According to these, the ministry will Project by APGENCO was accept only one application for one 5 MW solar PV project “per Company, including its commissioned on 29th, Parent, Affiliate or Ultimate Parent or any Group Company…”. In the case of solar thermal projects, the guidelines specify “total capacity of solar thermal projects to be allocated December, 2011. to a Company… shall be limited to 100 MW”.

This project was allocated to APGENCO under the JNNSM Phase - I programme by IREDA Government of India.

The total project cost is Rs.12.8 Crores and the designed Annual energyis 1.4MU The power will be fed in to the 11KV system of CPDCL at Gadwal, Mahaboob Nagar Dist.

As per the guidelines of JNNSM Phase-I Rs.17.91 / unit will be paid for the power generated from the this plant. (Rs.5.50 /Unit

by CPDCL and Rs.12.41 / Unit by IREDA, Govt. of India.)

ADB, Reliance Power to Develop India’s Largest Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant ADB is providing a long-term loan of up to $48 million to finance the 40 megawatt (MW) Dahanu Solar Power Project located in Jaisalmer district in the western state of Rajasthan.Reliance Infrastructure Limited, a leading private distribution company, will buy the electricity under a long term power purchase agreement to fulfill its renewable purchase obligations set by India’s electricity regulators – the first time for a fully private sector transaction in solar power.The Export Import Bank of the United States is also providing funding for the project that is expected to cost around $147 million.

Siemens wins steam turbine orders for solar thermal power plants in India The steam turbines of type SST-700 are intended for the Godawari, Abhijeet and Diwakar & KVK parabolic trough power plants. The parabolic trough power plants Godawari owned by Godawari Green Energy Ltd. and Abhijeet owned by Corporate Ispat Alloys Ltd. are each rated 50 MW. The third customer, Lanco Solar Energy, has ordered a steam turbine and generator rated at 100 MW, complete with auxiliary systems for each of the two units of the Diwakar & KVK parabolic trough power plant.

12 EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

CSE and Down To Earth’s investigations have revealed that these guidelines were blatantly flouted by LANCO Infratech. This company floated front companies and grabbed no less than nine projects worth 235 MW. This is about 40 per cent of the 620 MW worth of projects auctioned by the government during the first batch of the first phase of the Solar Mission.Based on the guaranteed feed-in tariff being paid to solar projects in the first phase, the company will get assured revenue of Rs 13,000 crore from these projects over a period of 25 years, says CSE. In the winning bids for solar thermal projects, LANCO’s name appears only in the case of Diwakar Solar Projects, which has bagged a 100 MW solar thermal contract. Another LANCO subsidiary, Khaya Solar Projects, appears on the approved list of 5 MW solar PV project proponents.But on investigation, CSE found that seven more companies had direct links with LANCO some have LANCO employees and their family members as directors, while others have strong commercial ties to the company.

LANCO’s own annual report indicates that all the seven are firmly in its control.

All seven companies had Rs 1 lakh or Rs 10 lakh in equity, no assets or reserves from the past; all were created for the bidding process; all companies increased their authorized amount of shares and then issued preference shares on the same day (December 31, 2010); the shares did not go to LANCO directly, but show up in its annual report. Then all LANCO and front companies bid for the PV projects in a unified fashion, quoting similar tariffs with 5 paise jump between each bid.The DPR of all projects are almost identical word for word, page by page. Even the land that has been agreements for the legally distinct and differently owned projects has been signed by one person a LANCO employee.Says Chandra Bhushan, CSE’s deputy director general and head of its renewable energy team: “LANCO has bought compulsorily convertible preference shares of the front companies that will give it guaranteed ownership in future. This helps the company bypass the Mission guidelines.”

What is the government’s response to this?

CSE investigators point out that LANCO could pull this off because neither the ministry, nor the NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (which is responsible for the contracting, buying and selling of solar power), have a mechanism to monitor the activities of companies that win a contract. The two agencies do not even provide the details of the projects and company addresses.While the MNRE has been at pains to explain how it has warned companies at fault, CSE’s efforts to get information have been stonewalled by both the ministry and NTPC. An RTI application to the ministry was forwarded to the NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam, which refused to give out the information on the ground that it was not in “public interest”.

Solar Mission too important to be made a victim to bureaucratic bungling “Not in public interest?” asks Chandra Bhushan. “The Mission’s 20,000 MW target will cost Rs 2 lakh crore of public money between 2012 and 2047. It is the world’s most expensive solar energy programme being funded by public money.

Abound Solar and Solarsis Announce Commissioning of 1MW Solar Plant in Andhra Pradesh, India This project was commissioned under the RPSSGP Scheme administered by IREDA under the JNNSM

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Lanco strongly CSE responds to the weak and unsubstantiated defence objects to all the put forward by LANCO and NVVN to its investigation on allegations levelled by CSE the solar scam We would like to place our strong objection regarding their report, as the allegations were not crosschecked with the company and were wrongly perceived. To set the record straight, the clarifications are: a. Lanco Group has equity participation in few of the companies that have won the National Solar Mission projects in 2010 b.

Equity participation of Lanco is within the permissible level allowed and is in line with the RFP documents, and these facts were also reported in Lanco Infratech Limited Annual Report. There is no illegality involved as reported by CSE,

c. This information has already been submitted to NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) officially. d. It is important to note that the bidders who Lanco supported were able to bid at one of the lowest tariffs as Lanco provided them the latest technology and complete EPC solutions for the projects, e.

As the power purchase agreement (PPA) for these projects are for a period of 25 years, Lanco’s equity participation in these projects also brings confidence to the bidder to use our technology and EPC solutions in arriving at such a competitive tariff, Lanco has been developing a number of solar projects and has been at the forefront in its commitment to develop and promote renewable energy in India.

LANCO Infratech has issued a statement that it has “serious objections” to CSE’s allegations on how it has illegally cornered large parts of the projects under the National Solar Energy Mission.

Interestingly, LANCO has not denied the allegations. It has also accepted that it has ‘supported’ the bidders, and that it has “equity participation within the permissible level”.

However, the fact that is missed is that CSE’s investigation has blown the cover on the nature of this “support”.

The support of LANCO to the seven companies goes beyond ‘equity’ participation. In fact, LANCO, through its employees and their children, has gained controlling interest in these companies. CSE’s investigations reveal that LANCO controls 99 per cent of the seven companies through compulsorily convertible preference shares -- in two companies, it actually controls all the shares through their employees or their relatives.

According to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE), the controlling shareholding of the company that has won the bid should not change for one year after commissioning of the project. But CSE’s fact-finding clearly shows that the companies have changed hands and are now fully (99 per cent) controlled by LANCO. This is a clear violation of the guidelines.

CSE is even more appalled with the response of NTPC Vidyut Vypar Nigam Limited (NVVN). NVVN was non-transparent and still remains non-transparent. Its response shows that it is preparing to do a major cover-up of the scam.

It has still not put any information about these companies in the public domain. It is indeed strange that even basic information like the addresses of companies that have been awarded projects, has not been made available. It is clear that the addresses remain unavailable because these companies either do not exist or have ceased to exist. This is also what was found by CSE researchers when they visited registered offices of the companies.We demand that NVVM and the ministry (MNRE) put all information including who controls these companies, in public domain.At the same time, we welcome the statement made by the Ministry of new and renewable energy to investigate this matter further. We hope this will really lead to a clean energy source with clean companies.

NTPC signs PPA for 50 MW Solar PV with MP NTPC has Signed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with MP Tradeco on in Bhopal , for supply of power from 50 MW Solar PV Power Plant to be set up at Rajgarh in the State of Madhya Pradesh on 28th December.

Expected to be commissioned by the year 2013 the Union Minister, MNRE and 50 MW solar power from Rajgarh Solar PV shall be Chief Minister, Rajasthan bundled with unallocated power from upcoming coal inaugurates Moser Baer’s based stations of NTPC by Government of India.

5 MW solar farm at village Tinwari, Tehsil - Osian, DisttPower-One Installs 25MW of PV Inverters in One of the Jodhpur, Rajasthan Largest Solar Projects in India This project is completed under migration scheme of JNNSM launched during 2010 as a part of the first batch of projects.The solar farm has used Amorphous Silicon Thin Film modules.The indigenously produced modules are best-in-class, each measuring 5.7 sq meters, delivering 380 watt per module.

The project has 13,300 modules installed with the capacity to produce 5 MW. 14 EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

Financed by the State Bank of India, this aggressive program features 25MW of PowerOne’s unique central modular inverters in Gujarat, India. The project developer is Visual Percept Solar Projects Pvt Ltd. A total of 73 units of AURORA® PVI-330.0-TL indoor inverters have been installed along with Medium Voltage switch gears and transformers, to properly meet GETCO directive for energy injection in the transmission network. The entire project is sited in an area of 50 hectares covered by more than 100,000 polycrystalline solar panels.

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SOLARCON

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Asia-Pacific

New Global Cus tomer Survey Reveals Increasing Acceptance of Chinese PV Inverters

Seda Malaysia : Release of fit quota and further regulation on feed-in tariff applications for solar pv to ensure fairer share of pie

A new survey of more than 400 buyers of PV inverters has revealed a growing acceptance of Chinese products, with close to 30% of respondents indicating they were of acceptable quality, according to IMS Research. The recent survey, conducted in Q4 last year also revealed however that customers also wanted increased reliability, functionality and yields, with more than half prepared to pay a premium for a 1% yield gain.Whilst there was very strong brand preference for Western suppliers of inverters, with SMA Solar Technology confirmed as clear leader, many customers indicated that they trusted Chinese brands too, with customers in Italy and the UK being the most accepting.Despite this, the survey found that most customers still prefer Western inverter suppliers and had several demands for better products.

SEDA Malaysia has also capped the applications for solar PV for different categories to ensure a fairer share of the pie. The applications under individual category which is primarily meant for residential applications are now limited to 12 kW each and multiple applications for the same installed site is not permitted. The cap on non-individual applications for small PV systems is fixed at 500 kW while the earlier cap of 5 MW on non-individual applications for large PV systems is maintained.

The on-going trend of building large installations using three-phase string inverters was also evident from the survey and more than 70% of respondents indicated they would consider using a string inverter in PV systems over 750kW in size. In fact, more than 30% said they would use string inverters to build MW-sized projects.

Report claims 50% of Chinese solar firms have ceased production Approximately half of China’s PV manufacturing firms have ceased production, according to a report on the Chinese newspaper Guangzhou Daily and as cited by Digitimes. Chronic oversupply and massive price drops would appear to have nudged the lower-performing Chinabased manufacturers over the edge, with the solar energy division of CSG Holding’s research suggesting that half have stopped production, around 30% are at half their production capability and 20% are at pains to maintain their current levels of production.

Data collected by Digitimes Research imply that tier-1 solar companies are the only ones that are able to claim capacity utilization rates above 80% for the first half of 2011.

Furthermore, Chinese manufacturers are said to be facing high charges as a result of JinkoSolar’s recent fluoride spill. The charges are being implemented in an effort to prevent

SUNGEN delivered 26MWp of silicon Thin Film panel to India In 2011, SUNGEN received orders to supplied its a-Si thin film panel for two solar farm projects in India, with total capacity of 26MWp. The two solar farms are located in Haryana and Gujarat respectively. The total 26MWp orders are all delivered and the solar farms are scheduled to start operation by Q1 of 2012.By 2012, SUNGEN will offer tandem modules with a-Si as a top cell and µc-Si as a bottom cell which can produce up to 160W per module.

Dubai readies for 1,000MW Solar Park; first 10MW phase expected by 2013 Chinese Tier-2 PV Module Prices Fall Below $1/W in According to a report by Gulf News, Prime January, But Price Cuts Slow Minister and VP of the UAE His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, advised the start of a Dh12 billion solar project,which upon completion will produce 1,000MW of solar power. The Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will be operated by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority with the first phase of the project, 10MW of solar power, slated to be completed by 2013.With its initiative, the government is looking to bring different sources of energy into play and has set a renewable energy target of 1% by 2020, 5% by 2030, with most of the energy coming from solar installations.

16 EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

The average price of Chinese Tier-2 crystalline PV modules fell to $0.96 per watt in January 2012, according to the latest PV module pricing report from IMS Research. Annualized price declines (ignoring seasonality) slowed to 22% in January, having exceeded 50% in December, as incentive levels were reduced in a number of major PV markets at the end of 2011.Highly competitive pricing from Chinese Tier-2 manufacturers has continued into 2012 according to the new report, and the average crystalline PV module price from these suppliers declined twice as quickly as the total market in January dropping to $0.96/W. Although many spot prices were offered below this in recent months, this is the first time that the global average price had fallen below this industry milestone. Prices as low as $0.80/W (~€0.60/W) were recorded for Chinese Tier-2 module suppliers in January, typically for large orders from German distributors.

“Having enjoyed less price pressure than manufacturers in December ahead of FiT cuts in major markets, distributors’ prices were found to have declined faster than manufacturers’ prices in January. However, the average distributor price for Chinese Tier-2 crystalline prices still remained 25% higher than manufacturer pricing.”

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EUROPE

G e r m a n P V Spanish Government suspends FIT’s ins t a ll a tions It is intended to temporarily suspend a payment system which entails costs which are too in 2011 even high for the electricity system and lead to a continuously rising tariff deficit. higher than in record year This measure will not threaten the security of the supply or compliance with the European 2010; 3 GW installed in Union’s renewable energy targets.

Procedures to pre-allocate payment will be temporarily suspended and financial incentives December Last year photovoltaic (PV) systems with a total capacity of approximately 7,500 megawatts (MW) have been installed in Germany, the German federal grid agency estimates based on a preliminary analysis of data reported. New PV installations slightly surpassed the figures of the record year 2010 with a total of 7,400 MW. “In December alone, new PV systems were reported with a total capacity of 3,000 MW - a new maximum figure, which is about 40 percent of the new overall capacity reported in 2011,” said Matthias Kurth, President of the German federal grid agency. 4,150 MW added in Q4, 2011; Maximum FiT degression of 15 percent most likely in July.With a newly installed capacity of 3,350 MW in the first three quarters of 2012 FiT would decrease by 24% in January 2013. The installation figures of October (approx. 490 MW), November (660 MW) and December 2011 (3,000 MW) are also basis for the calculation of the FiT degression to become effective on January 1st, 2013, that depends on the reports in the period October 2011 to September 2012. Due to first conclusions of the grid agency the mere 4,150 MW installed in the last quarter of 2011 would lead to a degression of 12 percent. The maximum possible degression of 24 percent would be reached, if 3,350 MW will be reported within the next nine months.German PV capacity scheduled for 2022 could already be reached in late 2015

SCHOTT Solar achieves 19.7 percent efficiency with a silver-free solar cell The backside is passivated using PERC technology and aluminum screen printing.

This new type of cell achieved an efficiency of almost 20 percent on industrial wafer size 156 mm x 156 mm. Fraunhofer ISE confirmed this value in a measurement commissioned by SCHOTT Solar on December 8, 2011.Just recently, SCHOTT Solar was able to achieve efficiency of 18 percent in the research project Las VeGaS while using nickel-copper plating on the front side of a multicrystalline cell. At the same time, this new cell concept contains also PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact), the backside passivation technique used in the record monocrystalline cell as published recently.

18 EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

for new electricity production plants based on cogeneration, renewable energy and waste will also be halted temporarily.

This will not affect facilities which are already operational or already pre-registered.

Given the economic crisis and the situation of the electrical system, which carries a high rate and growing deficit that threatens its sustainability, the Council of Ministers today approved a Royal Decree to temporarily suspend the pre-allocation procedures renewable and delete, also temporarily, the economic incentives for new production of electricity from renewable energy sources, waste and cogeneration.

The measure will affect those facilities that have not yet been entered in the register of earmarking special regime on the date of entry into force of Royal Decree Law as well as for ordinary regime installations the date of entry into force of the rule had no official authorization by the Directorate General for Energy Policy and Mines.The suspension will affect the special regime technologies, ie wind, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, cogeneration, biomass, biogas, small hydro and waste, as well as ordinary regime installations comparable to the technology covered by the scheme special.

The rule is not retroactive, ie not affect the facilities already in place, already authorized for premiums nor the facilities already listed in the records of pre-allocation.In addition, those facilities that were not pending enrolled in pre-registration at the time of entry into force of the rule, have the possibility to withdraw its application for registration of earmarking, in which case they will return in full the collateral deposited . In addition, the guarantees will be returned to those facilities enrolled in the pre-registrations that within two months after the entry into force of the rule, choose not to carry out the execution of the installation.

Oerlikon Solar’s 2nd generation ThinFabTM presented at WFES,Abu Dhabi delivers 23 % investment cost reduction and 17 % higher capacity The new design reduces capital expenditure (Capex) by 23 % to just $ 1/Wp including engineering support and performance guarantees. The production line enables customers to produce high-quality thin film silicon modules for costs of around $ 0.5/Wp (€ 0.35/Wp), a record in the solar industry.

Oerlikon Solar also announced a new record thin film silicon cell today. At 12.5 %, the efficiency of this lab cell is 1.7 percentage points higher than the large scale production modules of the 2nd generation ThinFabTM (an increase of 16 %) and clearly demonstrates the potential of Oerlikon Solar’s thin film silicon technology.The 2nd generation ThinFabTM, announced on December 19, 2011, is available in the market as of today. In addition to lower Capex requirements and the lowest module production costs, the upgraded ThinFab™ provides customers with a guaranteed average module efficiency of 10.8 % (154 Wp) – an increase of 8 % – and a 17 % higher output capacity compared with the 1st generation.The new record cell with 12.5 % efficiency was developed in cooperation with leading specialty glass manufacturer Corning Incorporated. Oerlikon Solar set the previous record in September 2010 when it developed a champion cell delivering 11.9 % efficiency.

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AMERICA

N R E L First Solar Sets Another World Record for CdTe Solar PV S t u d y Efficiency First Solar, Inc. recently Shatters announced it set a new world Myth of China’s Inherent record for cadmium-telluride Advantage in Solar

research presentation from the National

(CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) solar module efficiency, achieving 14.4 percent total area efficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) confirmed the record, which eclipsed the prior record of 13.4 percent, which also was set by First Solar.

Renewable Energy Laboratory, posted on

Alta Devices Solar Panel Receives NREL Verification Of 23.5% Efficiency

the NREL website today. The presentation

This new panel uses the same technology as the company announced last summer, which achieved record solar cell conversion efficiencies resulting from key technical breakthroughs in harnessing the high efficiency of gallium arsenide (GaAs) in cost–effective ways. Alta chose to focus on GaAs because of its intrinsic efficiency advantages as well as its ability to generate electricity at high temperatures and in low light..To that end, though GaAs is known for being expensive to produce, Alta has invented a manufacturing technique that enables extremely thin layers of GaAs that are a fraction of the thickness of earlier GaAs solar cells. Alta’s cells are about one micron thick; for comparison, a human hair is approximately 40 microns thick. In utilizing very thin devices that have the highest energy density possible, the cost of the material needed in Alta panels remains low and the potential costs of an entire solar energy system based on Alta’s technology could be dramatically reduced.

The Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM), a group of seven U.S. solar manufacturers representing more than 150 employers of more than 14,650 workers, is heralding a revised

concludes Chinese production of crystalline silicon solar technology for the U.S. market costs more than U.S. production for the domestic market, when the costs of shipping are included.CASM contends the findings validate its position that the Chinese solar-manufacturing industry enjoys no cost advantage in solar production costs but, rather, benefits from a governmentunderwritten export campaign to injure competition from U.S. manufacturers. At least 12 U.S. manufacturers have suffered layoffs, plant shutdowns or bankruptcies over the past two years. The coalition supports petitions that SolarWorld filed Oct. 19 to seek anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duties on Chinese imports.The NREL presentation, “Solar PV Manufacturing Cost Analysis: U.S. Competitiveness in a Global Industry,” concludes that Chinese producers have an inherent cost advantage of no greater than 1 percent, compared with U.S. producers.

However, when trans-ocean shipping costs are counted, Chinese producers face a 5 percent cost disadvantage, according to the analysis (slide 26).On Dec. 2, the ITC issued a unanimous preliminary determination that Chinese trade practices are harming the U.S. domestic solar manufacturing industry. The next step in the trade case will be Commerce’s March 2 preliminary anti-subsidy determination. On March 27, Commerce is scheduled to make its preliminary anti-dumping determination on whether to impose duties to offset the effects of Chinese import pricing at artificially low prices.

20 EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

Alta Devices Solar Panel Receives NREL Verification Of 23.5% Efficiency This new panel uses the same technology as the company announced last summer, which achieved record solar cell conversion efficiencies resulting from key technical breakthroughs in harnessing the high efficiency of gallium arsenide (GaAs) in cost–effective ways. Alta chose to focus on GaAs because of its intrinsic efficiency advantages as well as its ability to generate electricity at high temperatures and in low light..To that end, though GaAs is known for being expensive to produce, Alta has invented a manufacturing technique that enables extremely thin layers of GaAs that are a fraction of the thickness of earlier GaAs solar cells. Alta’s cells are about one micron thick; for comparison, a human hair is approximately 40 microns thick. In utilizing very thin devices that have the highest energy density possible, the cost of the material needed in Alta panels remains low and the potential costs of an entire solar energy system based on Alta’s technology could be dramatically reduced.

Trina Solar Announces Complete Large Rooftop Solar Solution for North American Customers This new design service comes online as Trina Solar also announces the availability of its high performance 60-cell, up to 260 Watt Honey module series for North America.

Laboratory tests, confirmed by TUV Rheinland in September 2011, demonstrated that a 60 Honey cell module set a world record for multicrystalline module power by reaching a 274 Watt peak.Compared to industry standard 230 Watt modules, a typical flat rooftop system using comparably sized 260 Wp Honey modules could produce over 18 percent more electricity per year from the same roof area.

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Creating An Economic Tipping Point In The PV Market Chris Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien is Head of Market Development for Oerlikon Solar, and is based in Washington, DC. Oerlikon Solar is a global supplier of advanced manufacturing equipment and manufacturing lines for low-cost thin film silicon solar PV modules. Chris has held senior management positions with leading solar PV and other energy companies and trade associations for over 20 years. He holds an engineering degree from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford University.

22Â

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

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A

midst the reported doom and gloom

and far efficient turnkey manufacturing line,

High Energy Output – Thin film

of the photovoltaic market is the

India being in a sunbelt region with strong

technologies offer a significant advantage

alignment of multiple advanced

policy initiatives and government support, is

in the actual amount of electricity produced,

manufacturing processes and technologies

in a comfortable position to take advantage

particularly in high temperature conditions, as

that will create a fundamental tipping point

of the transformational turnkey solutions

a result of the low temperature coefficients.

to dramatically shift the market’s economic

that have been developed by the market

For example, amorphous thin film silicon has a

model toward reproducible and sustainable

leaders.

temperature coefficient that is approximately

profitability.

In the past few years, the slowing of

50 percent lower than conventional

The Case for Turnkey

near-term demand growth in subsidy-driven markets coupled with excessive investment in large-scale crystalline PV manufacturing has driven module prices to levels approaching or below $1.00 per Watt. While this drop has had the positive effect of making PV more affordable, manufacturing cost reductions have not kept pace with declining

Notable market advances typically result from a combination of individual and diverse accomplishments applied to multiple fronts.

Among the more critical individual advances that are being orchestrated to deliver a unified and fundamental improvement to the PV market are:

crystalline modules, and can deliver 5 percent to 10 percent more electricity at a high temperature than comparably rated crystalline modules. This high temperature performance advantage aids in enabling thin film turnkey customers to deliver the lowest levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), especially in emerging markets in sunbelt regions like India.

prices, resulting in shrinking margins. This

•

Lowering the cost of production

margin squeeze has caused significant

•

Higher performance design

•

Increased reliability

•

Reduced capex

•

Highly scalable platform

uncertainty, there are market leaders and

•

Low environmental footprint

innovators who are creating transformational

Customers who invest in competitive

humidity and high voltage, and customers

turnkey manufacturing solutions can face

benefit from the results showing that new

a challenging and shifting PV market with

and advanced module designs out-perform

greater confidence and less risk and be

both crystalline and traditional thin film

aligned for a more solid long-term competitive

technologies by a factor of several times.

position. Some of the key competitive

Standardization of manufacturing processes

advantages of the latest generation of

also enables customers to accelerate their

turnkey solutions are outlined below.

commercial sales during the ramp-up period

financial stress in the manufacturing sector, including bankruptcies and idled plants, and these factors have created a volatile and unstable market for investors. Fortunately, for every market that is facing economic

solutions. These solutions have the potential to reset industry economics, supply needed stability and clarify direction. In the PV space, these leaders are combining innovative next-generation hardware with hands-on, real-world experience and real-time, on-site support. This end-to-end turnkey solution enables customers to reach a tipping point where they enjoy a renewed competitive advantage as well as profitable and sustainable business growth.

The turnkey approach is getting fresh attention in India’s competitive and fastchanging market environment. In the past few years, the country has seen considerable investments in plant infrastructure and equipment tools by solar manufacturers.

The country’s new solar mission policy seeking 20GW of solar installations on its turf by 2022 and 1 GW in its first phase has emphasized the capacity building of the domestic manufacturers.It has led to the mushrooming of several new players in this domain who are determined to push cell manufacturing in India to the next level.

While the world is witnessing significant market advances in creating an economical

High Reliability – Another advantage of the bundled turnkey manufacturing solution is that it enables customers to leverage the experience and investment of the technology provider in optimizing the long term reliability of the modules. Technology providers conduct rigorous in-house stresstesting under grueling conditions such as high

Low ProductionCost – Turnkey

by leveraging “master certificates” provided

manufacturing lines are now able to deliver

to the technology provider from leading

substantially improved cost performance,

module certification laboratories (e.g. TÜV

enabling customers to produce thin film PV

Rheinland). This can significantly influence

modules for a cost of just $0.5 per Watt.

investors’ time to positive cash flow and

This figure is 22 percent lower than similar

return on their investment.

turnkey solutions of just one to two years ago, demonstrating just how quickly technology is evolving to meet challenging market conditions.

Improved Deposition – There has been considerable innovation and improvement to the Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) tools and processes that

India, as a price conscious market,

are the “heart” of turnkey manufacturing

can take a benefit of this lower cost of

lines for thin film silicon. While this tool

production to ramp up the solar uptake in

already makes possible a cell thickness that

the country. This lower cost of production

is 99 percent thinner than a standard silicon

enables thin film silicon to more aggressively

PV cell, leading turnkey technology providers

compete directly with other technologies

have gone further, improving layer uniformity

and allows investors to plan on and achieve

to increase efficiency and reducing the layer

a profitable and sustainable business even

thickness by an additional 50 percent to

as market prices for PV modules continue

reduce material costs and increase equipment

to decrease.

throughput and productivity.

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

23

this technology does not rely on materials that are in limited supply.

Low Environmental Footprint – The use of toxic compounds is a potential concern for current and future PV markets, and thin film silicon turnkey fab investors have an advantage in this area. Micromorph thin film silicon can be produced without the use of any toxic elements or compounds in its construction, eliminating the risk of future market barriers caused by changing environmental policies that may threaten other PV technologies. In addition to this generic advantage for thin film silicon technology, the latest generation turnkey manufacturing solutions have an additional edge. Due to the enhanced equipment productivity, the “energy payback” for PV module production using the latest generation turnkey manufacturing lines for thin film silicon is less than one year, a best in class figure in the PV industry, and an indicator of the low carbon footprint that is enabled by the latest generation turnkey lines.

Applying Advances Simultaneously Gives Turnkey Solutions LongTerm Value

Light Trapping Module Design – Another

Moreover, this capex figure for turnkey

example of the innovation embedded in the

manufacturing lines includes not just the

latest-generation turnkey manufacturing

equipment and technology license, but also

As with any end-to-end manufacturing

solutions for thin film silicon is further

includes total-line performance guarantees

solution, the overall value does not lie in the

improvement to the equipment and

and covers the full cost of critical on-site

benefits from individual features but from

processes used to deposit the front and

engineering and process integration support

their unified advantage being applied as a

back electric contact layers, improving the

by vendor engineers. On-site support ensures

whole. With a comprehensive end-to-end

light-trapping performance and at the same

that the advanced fab is ramped up smoothly

manufacturing solution, turnkey environments

time dramatically increasing throughput

and quickly to accelerate commercialization

can be designed to include guaranteed overall

and equipment productivity. The result is

and return on investment and provides

factory throughput targets as well as average

significantly increased module efficiency along

significant risk-reduction to customers.

module power levels. Additionally, market

with providing customers with a competitive cost advantage due to greater flexibility in glass procurement as there are no constraints to the use of pre-coated glass.

Unlimited Scalability – Another factor that helps to reduce investor risk is that the latest generation turnkey manufacturing

leaders that offer an on-site engineering team with experience and know-how gained from ramping numerous other fabs around

lines are engineered with the future in mind.

the world can provide assurance on the ramp-

Reduced Capex – While the reduction

Technology providers continue to invest heavily

up schedule to avoid costly start-up delays

of module production costs is a fundamental

in further product and process technology

and other financial risks.

pillar of any forward market movement in

improvements, and the latest generation

the PV industry, significant advances are

turnkey fabs are designed to enable these

also being made to lower the capex costs

future improvements to be incorporated

for turnkey manufacturing solutions for thin

smoothly. Longer term, investors in thin film

film silicon. The latest generation turnkey

silicon turnkey manufacturing lines can take

solutions are now available for a capex cost

comfort in the fact that this technology is

of $1.00 per Watt, 20 percent lower than

scalable to meet the projected future market

the cost of prior generation turnkey lines.

growth for solar energy. The supply chain for

24

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

In addition to providing a competitive solution for today’s markets, turnkey fabs also offer the potential for even further improvement over time. Vendors with a long history of leadership are able to demonstrate their technological progress and market momentum. Their advances are often fueled by many years (if not decades) of investment

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

25

and innovation. Leading technology providers

incentive levels due to fiscal and trade

at PV module market prices of $1.00 per

have been able to achieve dramatic

concerns.

Watt or lower. Furthermore, the turnkey

improvements through continuous investment in R&D innovation – e.g. a reduction of production costs by more than 50 percent over the last four years, turnkey throughput increases by more than 100 percent and module efficiencies increasing by almost 25 percent. These trends drive competitiveness for today’s and tomorrow’s markets and are dramatically contributing to the market momentum the PV industry needs.

At the same time, the rush to follow previous generation technologies and invest in similar large-scale crystalline PV manufacturing plants over the past two years has added to the dramatic collapse in PV module prices and unsustainable profit margin pressure for many if not most of the crystalline PV industry. Module prices are expected to remain low at $1.00 per Watt or less so the margin pressure will remain intense for companies throughout the PV

Beyond the Economic Tipping Point to Sustainable Profitability

supply chain. All this paints a gloomy picture only if the brush that is used represents the status quo.

Much like experiencing an earthquake,

Advances by long-term market leaders

the PV manufacturing industry is still feeling

indicate new and compelling solutions to

the unsettling results from its shifting

these challenging market conditions. The

landscape due to the mismatch between

latest generation of turnkey manufacturing

manufacturing capacity and market demand.

solutions enable customers to produce modules

The PV landscape is still quaking as near-

for just $0.5 per Watt, a performance level

term demand growth slows and policymakers

that allows companies to achieve sustainable

in regional markets around the world reduce

and profitable business performance even

26

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

manufacturing line model reduces investor risk significantly and positions turnkey customers to capitalize on even further significant cost reductions in the years ahead as technology providers continue to invest in more advanced module and manufacturing equipment technology innovations. Turnkey manufacturing solutions provide a solution for today’s stressful market conditions and provide a long-term platform for growth and further technology performance improvements to ensure future competitiveness as the market landscape restabilizes at new and sustainable price levels.

nnn

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P V M A N UFA CT URI N G

Ron Partridge

Viral Vora

Sr. Business Development Engineer Arkema Inc.

Arkema India

Kynar® PVDF for Photovoltaic Applications - Trusted and Proven Performance With the advent of new patented Kynar® PVDF films from Arkema, the key performance attributes of PVF can be achieved and improved in many cases with the use of a Kynar® film layer.

Polyvinylidene fluoride, or PVDF is a highly non-reactive and pure thermoplastic fluoropolymer with repeating vinylidene difluoride units as follows –(CH2CF2)n–. Thus it contains approximately double the number of carbon-fluorine bonds as compared with PVF polymer. It is the high bond strength of the carbon-fluorine bond that makes fluoropolymers unique in terms of their long-lasting performance and chemical resistance. To achieve the longest term performance, fluoropolymers as a class of materials will provide trusted and proven long term protection.

C

r ys t alline PV modules are traditionally comprised of a multilayer construction as shown

below.

The glass, encapsulant materials and backsheet laminate provide a complete packaging solution to protect the sensitive silicon cells and wiring from damage and degradation.

The purpose of the glass frontsheet is to provide a long lasting, durable and impact resistant layer to protect the fragile crystalline PV cells from damage. Similarly, the backsheet construction must protect the silicon cells and wiring from environmental

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

stresses and ensure electrical insulation and safety.

Stresses such as UV radiation, oxygen, humidity, salt, sand, and atmospheric pollution, can easily compromise many materials used in backsheet constructions. Damage to the glass frontsheet or degradation of the backsheet can lead to premature module failure and safety issues. While IEC and UL standards provide for minimum performance levels, their requirements are not stringent

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enough to predict >25 years longevity and safe reliable performance of solar panels.

These standards do not and cannot take into account all of the possible sources of materials degradation including pollution and acid rain.

For over 25 years, PVF (polyvinyl fluoride) film has been used to protect the backside of photovoltaic modules from UV exposure and moisture. Polyvinyl fluoride is a thermoplastic fluoropolymer with repeating vinyl fluoride units –(CH2CHF)n–. PVF film protected backsheets are well accepted by the photovoltaic industry to be able to provide sufficient protection of the PET film used in many backsheet constructions.

A New Level of Backsheet Protection With the advent of new patented Kynar® PVDF films from Arkema, the key performance attributes of PVF can be achieved and improved in many cases with the use of a Kynar® film layer. Polyvinylidene fluoride, or PVDF is a highly non-reactive and pure thermoplastic fluoropolymer with repeating vinylidene difluoride units as follows –(CH2CF2)n–. Thus it contains approximately double the number of carbon-fluorine bonds as compared with PVF polymer. It is the high bond strength of the carbon-fluorine bond that makes fluoropolymers unique in terms of their long-lasting performance and chemical resistance. To achieve the longest term performance, fluoropolymers as a class of materials will provide trusted and proven long term protection.

Temperature •

High Thermal Stability

•

High Dirt Shedding

•

Anti-graffiti Protection

Kynar® PVDF Trusted and Proven Performance In the architectural metals market, Kynar 500® based licensed coatings have been used for over 40 years and are well recognized by architects as one of the worlds most weather resistance coatings technologies. The performance of these coatings is a result of the chemical properties of Kynar® PVDF polymer. These coatings will completely resist UV degradation, will inherently resist soiling and will not support mold and mildew growth.

In the photograph below, metal panels were coated with Kynar® 500 coatings and placed south facing at a 45 degree angle in South Florida as early as 1967. The panel area above the black line is covered by a flap preventing exposure and area below the line is exposed to the environment. These panels have not been washed by human hands to improve appearance. The exposed area of these panels look the same as the covered area. These Kynar 500® based coatings show no signs of; chalking, fading, mildew or dirt pick-up. The 40 year performance is a direct result of the chemical structure of Kynar® PVDF polymer. Kynar® PVDF film is expected to achieve a similar performance level.

The performance properties of Kynar® PVDF polymer are characterized as follows: •

Resistant to Sunlight Degradation

•

Resistant to Most Chemicals and Solvents

•

High Abrasion Resistance

•

Does not Support Fungus or Bacteria Growth

•

Low Permeation to Most Gases and Liquids

•

High Dielectric Strength & Volume Resistivity

•

Low Flame Characteristics

•

High Mechanical Strength at Elevated

and

Smoke

Continuous films offer the advantage of being flexible, uniform in thickness and will not flake and peel over the normal life of the module.

Backsheet Purpose and Constructions The PV backsheet is designed to act as an electrical insulator and to protect the inner

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components of the module, specifically the photovoltaic cells and electrical components from external stresses. In order to accomplish this, the solar backsheet must be a robust construction, typically a three layer laminate, and have high dielectric properties.

PET clad with Kynar® backsheet structure (KPK); it is the most robust.

The role of PET is to provide electrical insulation and cut through resistance. It’s a good insulator but lacks weathering resistance, therefore PET must be protected by a truly long lasting material.

Kynar® PVDF is inherently resistant to UV degradation and no special additives are required. In addition, the Kynar® film used for these applications is completely UV blocking and therefore protects the underlying adhesive system and the PET itself from UV damage.

While fluoropolymer film protected backsheets are the most commonly used backsheets used by module manufacturers today, alternative constructions have been introduced which utilize materials of construction that are not well known to be good weather resistant polymers.

In order to compare and highlight the performance advantages of Kynar® PVDF film over PVF film or other backsheet products, Arkema has conducted an accelerated weathering program using QUV-A (340 Nm and 1.55 irradiance) and QUV-B (313nm and 0.89 irradiance) methods to show the effects of exposure time on gloss levels. Examining gloss levels is one good way to look at what is happening on the surface of the material over time with UV exposure. Many materials will begin to chalk on the surface as the polymer from which it is made degrades, this results in a loss of gloss. Chalking is not a desirable outcome because it shows that the material is beginning to degrade and could lead to premature failure of the backsheet.

The following gloss retention graphs compare the most trusted fluoropolymer film materials like Kynar® PVDF and PVF vs. polyester and polyamide based EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

29

backsheets. Because both PVDF and PVF are fluoropolymer materials and generally accepted as being the best in weathering performance, more aggressive accelerated QUV methods are needed to compare and contrast both of these film materials. Arkema has conducted for many years accelerated weathering testing called QUV-B, these tests are more severe than QUV-A because of the shorter wavelength employed (313 nm). These results clearly show with the less intense QUV - A method that Kynar® PVDF and PVF film are similar in terms of gloss retention. However, PVF film shows a large change in gloss under QUV-B conditions.

Polyester and Polyamide based backsheets show very poor performance with either method. In fact, with either method, the PET and polyamide materials are completely degraded at the surface in less than 1500 hrs of exposure.

These changes in materials properties

Severe degradation of materials can also be seen by evaluating the changes in mechanical properties due to QUV exposure.

The following graph clearly shows how Kynar based backsheet (KPK) is not changing and the other backsheet types exhibit significant loss of mechanical properties over time.

Thus it is clear that whether you are evaluating gloss retention, microscopic surface details or mechanical properties, that Kynar® PVDF fi l m based backsheets will p r ov i d e t h e b e s t ove r a l l resist ance to UV degradation.

Since the purpose of the backsheet is to provide electrical insulation and protect the cells and wiring, Kynar® protected backsheets will help to maintain safe reliable energy production over the 25+ years that modules are expected to produce electricity.

Why use component materials that have no proven durability, when Kynar® PVDF is the name you can trust for long term performance?

Backsheet Additional Stresses In addition to damage due to UV radiation, PV modules must resist stresses of high temperature, thermal cycling, freeze thaw and chemical pollution.

Depending on varied and unknown environmental conditions, PV modules may become very hot for extended periods of time, which can shorten the lifetime of many polymeric insulating materials. To assess

can also be seen by examining the surface of these backsheets using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

The following photos compare the surface before and after exposure to QUV-B. These photos clearly show that the Kynar® film surface KPK is not changing while there are clear signs of erosion with the PVF film after about 5500 hrs. However in as little as 1000-2000 hrs, the PET and polyamide backsheets have significantly degraded. As mentioned earlier, it is the chemical structure and high fluorine content of Kynar® PVDF film that provides superior UV resistance.

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long-term resistance of materials to thermal degradation, Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) – an organization that conducts certification testing of electrical appliances - requires that a relative thermal index test (RTI) be conducted on backsheet materials of construction. In comparison to other fluoropolymers and most other materials, PVDF has much greater oxidative and thermal stability. The graph below shows the comparative thermal stability of Kynar® PVDF film and PVF film. Kynar® PVDF is extremely stable and shows little signs of change in mechanical strength. The final RTI rating given by UL is 140 deg C for mechanical properties. However, it is clear from the graph that Kynar mechanical properties are even stable at 160 deg C.

Again, fluoropolymers and in particular Kynar® PVDF has extreme resistance to most chemicals and solvents. Kynar®PVDF is used in the chemical process industry because if it’s excellent resistance to many chemicals.

The following is just a short list: •

Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4)

•

Ozone

•

Salt Water

•

Chlorine

•

Hydrocarbons

•

Peroxides

•

Hydrochloric Acid (HCL)

•

Chlorobenzene

•

Iodine

performance under an unknown variety of environmental stresses from UV radiation to high temperatures to atmospheric pollution.

Safe, reliable and long term electricity production can be achieved provided that careful choices of component materials are made. While standards provide minimum levels of protection and performance, the details matter when deciding what component materials to choose. While solar panels have been in existence for a very long time, their rapid use and growth has only occurred in the last few years. Driven by the high cost of fossil fuels and concern over global warming, PV power technology provides for a green solution but only if modules can produce safe and reliable electricity for very long periods of time. For solar power to continue to grow as it strides towards grid parity with other energy production systems, premature failure could create negative views of solar power and thus stall the rise in consumer acceptance. Because it can take greater than 10 years to see the outcome of materials choices today, module makers must ensure that the best materials of construction are used.

Biography for Ron Partridge, Arkema Inc.

When a solar panel is manufactured, the module maker cannot know where a module will ultimately be installed or under what extreme conditions the module will have to endure for 25-40 years. While IEC and UL standards provide minimum performance and safety requirements, these standards cannot take into account every environmental stress seen by a solar panel. Since a module maker cannot predict where a module will be used, module design must consider more than meeting the minimum standards.

Other environmental stresses like chemical pollution can have dramatic and long lasting effects on materials of construction.

Areas in the world where there is heavy industry, coal fired power plants, and other atmospheric chemical pollution can damage many materials. These environmental stresses along with UV radiation, moisture, heat and dirt and debris causing mechanical abrasion can create a “severe mixture of stresses” that may cause premature failure of solar panels.

•

Sodium Hypochlorite (Bleach)

•

Methanol

Mr. Ron Partridge Sr. Business Development Engineer

•

Methyl Chloroform

Arkema Inc.

•

Acetic Acid

While not all of these chemicals will be present in the atmosphere, pollutants like sulfur dioxide leading to sulfuric acid, ozone, chlorine and methane can be present and at levels that add to the environmental stresses seen by a PV module. Also, some EVA encapsulant materials may liberate acetic acid which can attack some backsheet materials of construction. Since Kynar® PVDF is resistant to acetic acid, two sided KPK protection is recommended for backsheet designs.

Conclusion Overall, module makers must select component materials of construction that have proven and trusted long lasting

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Ron Partridge is a Business Development Engineer in the Fluoropolymers Business unit at Arkema. Ron is responsible for Kynar® PVDF film and materials development for the Photovoltaic, Aviation, Transportation and Industrial Markets. He has roughly 28 years experience in the polymer industry in sales, business development, technical service and R&D. He has worked for Arkema for the last eight years.

He received his BS degree in Chemistry and Materials Science from The State University of New York in 1984.

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P V M A N UFA CT URI N G

Eclipse Metallization Line by DEK iNETest Technologies India Pvt. Limited

O

f all the sustainable sources of alternative energy needed to power the globe, solar has the brightest future. Today’s silicon solar cells are needed in abundance, and that’s the challenge for manufacturers around the world looking to compete in this rapidly growing sector.

DEK has been active in solar cell manufacturing technology for over 30 years. Our process expertise extends back to photovoltaic thick film technology, while the precision screen printing processes we deploy today in our solar cell metallization solutions were honed in demanding semiconductor packaging applications.

Why Precision Matters Printing conventional conductor patterns onto crystalline silicon wafers doesn’t push the boundaries for any modern screen printer.

But then the end products don’t push the boundaries for energy efficiency either. New processes that reduce shadowing of the cell 32

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

surface boost cell efficiency, and these demand special applications capability and absolute print precision. That precision comes as standard with DEK Solar platforms. With advanced process technologies like selective emitter and print-on-print, the intrinsic robustness, ±12.5 micron accuracy and sixsigma repeatability of DEK’s solar printers counts. When printing fine line conductors and higher aspect ratios for optimum conductivity and low contact resistance to the cell surface, the ability to print with precision, again and again, is critical to yield. Similarly, handling ever thinner wafers at increasing throughput rates with breakage less than 0.3% with 150 micron wafers is another key measure that impacts productivity. The new range of DEK Solar platforms delivers flawlessly with its accuracy, precision handling and high throughput characteristics.

Eclipse: Modular and Scalable to FutureProof Productivity

A highly flexible, modular platform concept is the cornerstone of Eclipse. An abundance of high performance options offer unprecedented user choice. With an Eclipse metallization line, manufacturers choose the performance they need today, confident of easy scalability to meet demand tomorrow.

Eclipse features a series of fieldretrofittable process modules that allow manufacturers to scale production from 1200 to 2400 or 3600 wafers per hour, as demand dictates. In its smallest configuration, the Eclipse 1200, a single print head operates at six-sigma accuracies, delivering handling and process functionality that maximizes yields at throughputs of 1200 wph.

Scaling up to 2400 or 3600 wph, the user simply deploys additional print head and loader modules. Here, Eclipse extends the end-of-line productivity benefit beyond higher throughput – multiple print heads operate independently in parallel to all but eliminate downtime. If one printer halts for attention, the others continue to print.

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With the Eclipse platform, manufacturers can plan an easy, nondisruptive and costeffective scale-up path. An Eclipse line can be configured with spacer modules for future capacity. Spacer modules feature conveyors, and are simply replaced on-site with slave printer and loader modules that link to the existing master modules, boosting throughput capability and eliminating changes to factory plant and utility supplies.

Highest Throughput, Accuracy & Yield While Eclipse’s six-sigma repeatability is far ahead of current solar cell metallization requirements, the platform’s accuracy is imperative for demanding technologies like print-on-print.

On the production floor, resolute productivity is the target for the Eclipse platform. The intrinsic repeatability that comes from ±12.5 micron accuracy and 2 Cpk capability is vital to confidently process finer lines and print twice or more with absolute repeatability to create higher aspect ratio conductors.

To safeguard the high yields manufacturers expect, Eclipse features a pioneering perforated belted platen that cuts breakage to less than 0.2%, even with wafers of 120 microns. Wafers are transported to the print area and anchored using vacuum hold-down. The belt also self-cleans, using dynamic contamination control to remove particulates and present a clean surface.

To fully exploit the platform’s accuracy, twin cameras precisely align wafers using edge detection for standard printing or fiducials for intricate processes like printonprint.

Coupled with print speeds up to 600mm per second and innovative zero-edge contact handling, Eclipse guarantees exceptional output. Such productivity, modularity and field-scalability – backed by worldwide service teams and 24/7 spare parts availability – make the Eclipse platform the ideal choice for manufacturers chasing demanding production targets today and into the future.

PV1200: The Most Compact Metallization Line

The PV1200 line from DEK is a complete, turnkey metallization solution for commercial solar-cell production.

Combining the class-leading PVP1200 screen printer with purpose-designed loader/ unloader, buffering, inspection and wafer flipping solutions, the PV1200 is perfectly balanced to operate at optimal throughput while ensuring maximum yield and minimum waste.

One key to cost effectiveness is that the entire PV1200 line is exceptionally compact and easy to access. With production floor real estate a major factor in total operational cost, a powerful system that takes up minimal space presents a strong competitive advantage.

At the core of the PV1200 line, the PVP1200 printer offers ±12.5 micron accuracy, 2 Cpk capability, 1200 wafers per hour throughput and advanced automated features for accuracy and repeatability.

Built on DEK’s proven platform expertise in demanding surface mount electronics and semiconductor packaging, the PVP1200 printer offers the same robust engineering and modularity, coupled with precision handling and conveyoring capabilities.

With fully incorporated drying equipment, an ability to integrate directly with other photovoltaic production processes, a compact footprint and modular platform philosophy, the PV1200 provides the foundation for DEK’s new generation of solar cell metallization solutions.

Excellence in Platform & Screens Manufacturing All DEK Solar printer platforms are designed and built in our modern, efficient, ISO9000 accredited manufacturing sites in the UK, augmented by precision emulsion screens production featuring a Class 10,000 clean room.

“As a pioneer of lean manufacturing in the advanced capital equipment sector, DEK has redefined customer expectations in all screen printing applications across the world.

In an industry more used to equipment lead times of months, DEK aims to deliver its solar platform products in just weeks. By also manufacturing precision emulsions screens critical to accuracy and solar cell yield, and designed specifically for DEK printers, the company adds an extra dimension to its full line solutions that’s hard to match.”

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P V M A N UFA CT URI N G

Evasa- The Superior Eva-Based Encapsulant Material For The Photovoltaic Industry Evasa, Spain

S

ince the first photovoltaic module was developed in the 60s for the

space satellites a race for improving photovoltaic module’s yield, performance and durability has been opened. Of course one of the main factors in panel developing has been and still is, the developing of solar cells with a high yield. The first cells had yields of 6%, but now yields of even 19% have been reached. Besides that there is another key factor for developing photovoltaic modules: their durability.

In the world of PV, what mankind endeavors to make permanent, Mother Nature strives to destroy. Combine intense UV and brutal temperature together with wind and water in all its fury, and you have a formidable adversary working hard to destroy your modules. There, encapsulants play a fundamental role in order to withstand climate inclemency.

Crystalline photovoltaic modules have a sandwich structure as shown in the figure:

A good encapsulation is essential for ensuring module’s durability. Encapsulant faults could lead to moisture penetration in the module and consequently to corrosion and cells deterioration, discoloration, delamination, bubbles, etc. A good encapsulant must be resistant to UV irradiation and temperature changes, during its life a photovoltaic module has to withstand temperatures below 0ºC in winter and reach temperatures above 80ºC in summer.

Over the years different encapsulants have been used, among others silicones, thermoplastics or PVB but undoubtedly 34

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

GLASS / FRONTSHEET

SOLAR CELLS

ENCAPSULANT ENCAPSULANT BACKSHEET

EVA- based encapsulant is the most common.

•

Damp Heat: to determine the ability of the module to withstand the effects of long-term penetration of humidity – test temperature 85ºC, relative humidity 85%, test duration 1000h.

•

UV preconditioning test: to precondition the module with ultra violet (UV) irradiation of 15 kWh/m2 in the wavelength range between 280 nm and 400 nm.

•

Thermal cycling 50: to determine the ability of the module to withstand thermal mismatch, fatigue and other stresses caused by repeated changes of temperature – test temperature between -40 ºC and 85 ºC, cycle time 6 hours.

•

Humidity Freeze: to determine the ability of the module to withstand the effects of high temperature and humidity followed by sub-zero temperatures – test temperature 85 ºC, relative humidity 85% (ca 20 hours), followed by temperatures to -40 ºC, number of cycles 10.

•

Determination of gel content of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) by solving extraction and gravimetry. Five test samples are cut out of the test material and tested separately. The result is given as an average and standard deviation.

EVA- based encapsulants are valued by their high light transmission, mechanical and isolation properties and durability (it is the only encapsulant that has proven its durability in installations for over 20 years), and all at a lower cost than other materials.

To ensure module quality different standards have been developed, such as IEC 61215 - Crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules - Design qualification and type approval, designed to simulate/accelerate the natural conditions that tend to destroy PV products in the field.

EVASA (ENCAPSULANTES DE VALOR AÑADIDO, S.A.) is a young and innovative company from Europe, specialized in encapsulant material -brand name: SOLARCAP- for the photovoltaic industry.

The company has a capacity of 1 GW and will have 2 GW in 2012.

At EVASA, years of investigation and testing have proven the long-term viability of our products. Our work and our search for quality, has made us the first EVAmanufacturer in the world to obtain the letter of conformity from the TUV Rheinland for our products. This implies that the following tests have been made:

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Determination of adhesion to glass.

•

•

Determination of adhesion of EVA foils to glass by measuring the tensile strength. The result is given as tensile strength.

Determination of light transmission of EVA foils by UV/VIS absorption measurement. The result is given as UV/VIS absorption.

•

Determination of photo-thermal stability

•

Determination of creep by measurement of length differences before and after thermal treatment. The result is given as a percent of length difference.

Quality has always been one of the priorities for EVASA: The results obtained from the tests clearly show that the encapsulant material has the adequate characteristics and behavior to be used in solar panel production. Do not forget that the encapsulant material supposes only 2% of the costs but could affect the quality of the remaining 98%.

In addition to that, EVASA also received the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications: On the 20th of September 2011, the certifying body AENOR awarded the ISO9001 to EVASA, which proofs the implementation of a Quality Management System within

an ambitious and dynamic plan to reach operational excellence.

Because of the concern for environmental issues EVASA received at the same time the certification which corresponds to the implementation of an Environmental Management System: ISO 14001.

This system allows the control of the environmental impact of the production and to maintain at the same time a permanent and effective control to continuously improve the performance.

These years of investigation and development have lead to a superior EVA- film with –among othersthe following characteristics: •

Materials´ properties are ULcertified

•

Letter of conformity TÜV Rheinland for the materials´ properties

•

Zero shrinkage

•

The best adhesion in the sector

•

Short lead time

•

9 months of shelf life

•

Short lamination times

•

Personalized customer service through our Indian partner Khanna Exim

•

Best photothermal stability

•

Light transmissions greater than

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90%.

•

Can be laminated to various materials such as non-woven fiberglass scrim, TPE (Tedlar/Polyester/EVA), TPT (Tedlar/ Polyester/Tedlar).

•

Capacity in 2011: 1GW, in 2012: 2 GW

These excellent characteristics apply to all encapsulant, Standard Cure, Fast Cure and of course Ultra Fast Cure.

At EVASA EVA turns into the perfect encapsulant, protecting your solar panel and improving its efficiency and durability.

Conclusion: Since the first production of solar modules EVA-based encapsulants have proven to be an excellent choice for the protection of the module and to ensure the efficiency of it. Just as continuous investigation has lead to much higher yields in solar cells, investigations have also lead to much more efficient encapsulant material, but as always, there is always room for improvement.

At the in-house laboratory of EVASA, experts will continue to investigate, develop and improve the encapsulant material further to always offer the most superior and best performing encapsulant material on the market.

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SO L A R ENERGY

Clean Energy Production Through Innovative Technology Joachim Kruger, Solarlite GmbH

The Kanchanaburi project – plugged to the sun - is the first commercial solar thermal parabolic trough power plant based on Direct Steam Generation in the world. The operating concept of Direct Steam Generation uses water instead of expensive, toxic and flammable thermal oil. This makes the plant more environmentally friendly and guarantees attractive prices through significantly reduced investment costs.The power plant has a capacity of 5 MW and is located at Huaykrachao in Kanchanaburi Province in Thailand. The power plant is producing electricity into the public grid since fall of 2011 and is performing above expectations.

O

n 29 th of November 2011, ThaiSolar Energy Co., Ltd., owner and operator, opened the first of some 15 planned solar power plants in Thailand, built with Solarlite’s globally unique technology. Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister, YongyuthWichaidit, spoke at the press conference at the Maleenont Tower in Bangkok. The presence of YongyutWichaidit and Minister of Energy, PichaiNaripthapan, shows the significance of this project for Thailand’s energy policy.

Renewable energy at a reasonable price, environmentally friendly and almost everywhere available – this is the longterm vision of Solarlite. The Kanchanaburi project is a major step on this way. The aim is to reduce emissions and to fulfill the responsibility for the next generation.

Kanchanaburi makes clear that its technology is a marketable and mature solution for CO2 free energy production.

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The Kanchanaburi project reduces CO2 emissions compared to oil by 964 t/aand to coal by 1258 t/a.

The Kanchanaburi “TSE 1” Power Plant keyfacts: Electrical power: 5 MWe Thermal output: 19 MWth Temperature: 330 °C Pressure: 30 bara Power Block efficiency: 26.4% Solar field land area: 110.000 m² Total annual electricity production: 9 MWel/h/ a

Description of the technology With the Kanchanaburi project a new phase in the development of solar technology

has been reached. The Project is unique in the world in different ways.

Newly developed parabolic trough (SL 4600) - The basic element of the Solarlite 4600 collector is the composite panel. The combination of the light weight composite and slender steel structure allows for a reduced specific weight compared to the competitors’ trough. The construction of the composite substrate allows usage of thin glass mirrors which reflect up to 95 % of the Direct Normal Irradiation(DNI) onto the absorber pipe positioned at the focal point of the parabolic mirror. Solarlite reduces the total investment costs compared to traditional parabolic trough technology by double-digit percentage points and therefore guarantees attractive prices as well as a reliable source of energy.

The Solarlite Direct Steam Generation (DSG) concept is based on the combination

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of the recirculation and the injection cooling concepts for generating superheated steam.

That way, steam is continuously reintroduced into the water cycle so that the pressure remains stable. The advantage of combining these two concepts is the better controllability of the process parameters even during fluctuating DNI conditions. The recirculation mode ensures that the receivers in the evaporator solar field are well cooled and the system pressure is maintained. The injection cooling concept enables better temperature control of the super heated steam delivered to the turbine. This combination results in a better controllability of the temperature and pressure of the superheated steam leaving the solar field to the turbine.

Solarlite has tested the DSG concept successfully in three pilot projects in Thailand and Germany. The company is the first and only company worldwide to have implemented the technology commercially.

In a joint research project known as “Duke” that is supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Solarlite GmbH and the German Aerospace Centre are testing a new version of Direct Steam Generation that will make it possible to cut energy costs even more.

The solar field aperture area for TSE 1 was calculated based on the turbine’s nominal and part load efficiencies and the solar resource available at the site. Based on the Solarlite 4600 collectors’ dimension the total number of segments and number of rows were calculated. The number of collectors forming the evaporator and super-heater loop and thus the choice of the loop lengths are based on the following criteria: •

Maximum temperature difference in the receiver pipe accordingthe German boiler code to ensure sufficient cooling of the absorber metal surface

Direct Steam Generation offers significant advantages:

•

Minimum massflow to be ensured in each loop for safety and control reasons

Because the technology uses water instead of the commonly used thermaloil as a heat transfer fluid, components such as heat exchangers are not needed. But most importantly, Direct Steam Generation allows higher operating temperatures of up to 500°C, in contrast to the 395°C made possible using thermal oil. For that reason, parabolic trough plants are more efficient and thus better performers in the long run. Not to mention, these power plants are especially environmentally-friendly because they do not require thermal oil, an expensive and dangerous component in limited supply.

Additionally, Direct Steam Generation allows a reduction of the total investment costs and levelized electricity costs. The elimination of mechanical components makes the solar field design simplerand reducesthermal losses.The Direct SteamGeneration concept requires a single-circuit. All other heat transfer fluids e.g. thermaloil or molten salt need a dualcircuit system.

•

Minimum pressure losses within a loop

“Direct Steam Generation needs a complex instrumentation and control system to stabilize and maintain the pressure and temperature. TSE 1 has an operating temperature of 330°C with a pressure of 30 bars. But we are already working on developing this technology further. Our current project, the TSE 2 power plant, willoperate at a temperature of 400°C with 40 bars,” says Joachim Krüger, CEO of Solarlite GmbH.

The solar field in Kanchanaburi consists of several evaporator and superheater loops. Due to the fluctuating irradiation conditions over the day and the year, the plant is regularly operated in part load. The evaporator solar field is located on the left side of the plot. The wet steam generated from the evaporator solar field is taken to the steam drum located in the solar field balance of plant. The separated steam is then taken to the superheating part of the solar field located on the right side of the plot.

Financial facts The power plant meets the financial requirements to allow investors attractive returns under the Thai feed-in tariff law introduced under the Very Small Power Producer (VSPP) regulations. The law limits the capacity to 10 MW electrical and fixes the feed-in tariff as an adder of 8 baht/ kWh for the next 10 years on top of the free market price.

Social and local impact The Kanchanaburi Project has a high social and local impact. The operating concept shows the way to make energy production more environmentally friendly and nearly

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CO2 free. Using water instead of thermal oil has never been applied in commercial parabolic trough projects. Most of the CSP companies prefer the traditional thermal oil because of the process management risk to stabilize pressure and temperature.With the objective of CO2 free and sustainable energy production Solarlite made the decision to focus on Direct Steam Generation. In addition, Solarlite guarantees a high social and local impact in project countries such as Thailand. The business model of Solarlite integrates a production joint venture with a local partner in Thailand, and has thus successfully established a production facility.

In 2010, a Solarlite subsidiary was founded and has so far created more than 150 local jobs. This has a significant influence on the local business. On top of direct job creation, the decentralized energy production allows offering electricity in rural regions without grid connection. Since electricity is essential for economic and productivity growth,flexible and decentralized energy production systems could be the solution for rural regions without connection to the grid. Especially sunny regions will benefit and increase the local living standards and conditions. Lastly, the Kanchanaburi project will help to open minds in target markets for renewable energy and sustainable and environmentally friendly energy production.The project can be replicated in all sunny regions with high direct solar radiation. Kanchanaburi shows that also small and mid-sized solutions for energy production are economical.

Technology advantages: • •

• • • • •

•

More environmentally friendly power production The concept is also highly suitable for rural regions without any grid connection The option of stand-alone power production A reductionof the total investment costs up to 25 % has already been reached Reasonable and attractive electricity prices Cost savings in transport and maintenance by the light weight technology The option of cogeneration with other fossil and renewable energies is highly efficient Residual heat can be used for process steam production, absorption cooling and desalination

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

37

SO L A R ENERGY

Rasna Marketing Services LLP - 1 MW Solar PV Plant

by Chemtrols Solar

Dhananjay Nandedkar, AVP- Projects, Chemtrols Solar Pvt. Ltd.

C

hemtrols Solar has commissioned and synchronized with the grid, a 1 MW Solar PV Power Plant on 31st December 2011 at Patdi, District Surendranagar in Gujarat. The project developer is Rasna Marketing Services LLP. The project was done with technical collaboration from Phoenix of Germany, Chemtrols Solar’s partner in India, and one of the World’s largest System Integrators.

This plant is executed under the Gujarat Solar Policy Phase II. As per the guidelines and PPA, GUVNL will pay Rs. 15 /unit for first 12 years and Rs. 5/unit for next 13 years for the power generated from this plant.

The plant built with world class components consisting of First Solar Cd-Te frameless modules of 75Wp and SMA string inverters 17000 TL, and Compact Sub Station from Siemens for electrical interconnection at 11 KV. Rasna Marketing Services has also awarded Chemtrols Solar a 5 year Comprehensive O&M Contract for the plant.

In the balance and unused area there are plans for farming of low-rise crops. In addition 38

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

to being a potential revenue source, this also helps in cooling the area and controlling dust locally, both of which will ensure better generation from the Solar Panels.

special module mounting clamps and spring nuts.

•

Module interconnection, cable harness to interconnect the strings, cable lying, inverter installation and its wiring were the steps undertaken which completed the DC side of the work

•

The data monitoring system using SMA web box was Set-Up

•

The weather monitoring station using Sunny Sensor box which monitors parameters viz. solar insolation, ambient temperature, module temperature and wind speed was installed.

•

Earthing of MMS and all AC components was carried to avoid any leakage current and potential shock hazard

•

Installation of LT panel and compact substation with all AC underground wiring

•

Testing of strings and all components

Project phases: •

After receiving the barren land; fencing of entire plant was most essential for protecting the goods and plant as the area has many wild animals viz. Blue bull, wild boar.

•

The Engineering design and drawings of the plant were prepared.

•

The land clearing, levelling and foundation marking was carried out

•

The foundation augering was a challenge due to soil condition and heavy rainfall in the area.

•

A two step module mounting structure (MMS) was designed. The base of MMS is in foundation with mounting bolts to adjust the tilt angle. The bolts are placed on PCC and supported with RCC above ground level.

•

MMS was made up of HDG steel.

•

Modules are installed on strut rail with

The entire project from the start of the civil work to commissioning of the plant took just 4 months.

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

39

threshold of start and hence start generating much earlier than a Central Inverter

Success Story: T h e reason for the timely commissioning and the high quality of work are 3-fold: a) Strong Project Management & Execution processes b) Identifying quality supplier partners who ensured timely delivery c) Experienced & qualified execution team

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

The plant has been an enormous success as it has achieved almost 25% higher generation and Performance Ratios as compare to target generation in the first month of operation (see graph).

The reasons for the superior performance can be enumerated as follows: 1) Usage of World Class & Proven components in the plant (First Solar, SMA, Siemens) 2) High Quality Design & Engineering which a.

Maximized efficiency by the usage of string inverters, individual inverters have a much lower

b.

Ensured zero losses due to shadowing and minimized losses

c.

Reducing cabling losses to the extent possible by following a compact layout

3) Robust & Quality Construction and ensuring that the tilt angles where constant across various tables 4) Reducing Auxiliary Power Consumption to the extent possible by using Solar Street Lights across the periphery of the plant 5) During O&M, the modules are cleaned twice a week ensuring that they perform at their peak levels Chemtrols Solar, part of the 36 year old Chemtrols Group, has now established itself as a reliable & quality EPC services provider for PV power plants, and plans to execute projects to the tune of 25 MW in the year 2012.

Chemtrols Solar also offers various Off-Grid solutions fo r Rooftops, Telecom Towers, Off-Shore Platforms, P i p e l i n e s ( Fo r Cathodic Protection & Te l e m e t r y ) and Rural Village Electrification.

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

41

SO L A R ENERGY

REFULOG® - A Modern Way To Monitoring Your PV System Mukund Shendge, Chetan Deolekar, Amitabha Mallik - Refu Solar Electronics Pvt Ltd

Any photovoltaic (PV) power plant which is designed with the desired performance benchmark has to meet minimum expected performance levels to achieve effectiveness in its operations.

Achievement of the benchmark performance will only ensure desired returns on the investment.

The key performance benchmarks usually which are contractual obligations are assessed in terms of expected energy yield or evaluation of performance ratio of the PV plant at regular intervals. Several performance benchmarks set in the various EPC and maintenance contracts ensures mitigation of performance and operational risk of the PV power projects. Hence, Monitoring and analysis of the electrical performance of PV plant is vital for plant owners and operators / maintenance contractors.

REFULOG® BASIC – General Information

Figure 1 shows simple arrangement for REFUSOL® Inverter communication with REFULOG® using Ethernet. However, it is also possible to connect all the inverters to the local network via RS485 or optionally through REFUconnect ‘a wireless networking device’.

REFULOG® a web-based internet portal www.refulog.de offers a user-friendly solution to monitor PV plant data. This article focuses on addressing the benefits of using innovative ‘REFULOG® BASIC’ a remote monitoring solution offered to the PV plants which uses REFUSOL® PV grid inverter.

REFULOG® BASIC is a web based monitoring portal for PV power plant that allows us to make comprehensive evaluations and comparisons of key performance parameters of PV power plants. These key parameters those are crucial for the plant performance need continuous attention; e.g. comparisons of statistical yield capacity, output power, plant efficiency, temperature of the device, CO2 reduction and many more.

REFULOG® is an internet based monitoring portal established by REFUSOL® 42

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

Figure 1: Communication via Ethernet

dedicated to its customers. It just requires an internet connection to access PV power plant’s information from any part of the world. REFUSOL® inverters are integrated with data-logger and Ethernet protocol which helps analysis and configuration of the PV power plant anytime, worldwide.

Irrespective of the mode of communication selected, data transmission using internet to the REFULOG® is possible through router and Ethernet line. Plant and inverter data received on REFU server is displayed on REFULOG® web portal. User can easily access REFULOG® portal using unique login ID and a password.

REFULOG® BASIC offers following facilities to the user: n Configuration of the plant and sub-plants with integration of inverter is possible.

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MiniSKiiP

®

3-level

Highest current density: 4.9 A/cm2 Current / footprint in A/cm²

4.2 A / cm2 3.0 A / cm2 Modules with screw connection

Modules with press pin connection

4.9 A / cm2 MiniSKiiP® spring contacts

Highest current density with 4.9 A/cm2 75 A – 200 A @ 650 V blocking voltage For compact solar inverter and UPS up to 85 kVA 15 million MiniSKiiP ® modules in application Saving production costs with one screw mounting

Compact inverter design No space-consuming bus bar connections Spring contacts allow easy PCP routing No Pin-Through-Hole element

Australia +61 3-85 61 56 00 Brasil +55 11-41 86 95 00 Cesko +420 37 80 51 400 China +852 34 26 33 66 Deutschland +49 911-65 59-0 España +34 9 36 33 58 90 France +33 1-30 86 80 00 12+43 1-58 43 63 65 80 India +91 222 76 28 600 Italia +39 06-9 11 42 41 Japan +81 68 95 13 96 Korea +82 32-3 46 28 30 Mexico +52 55-53 00 11EQ 51 INTERNATIONAL Nederland +31 55-5January/February 29 52 95 Österreich Polska +48 22-6 15 79 84 Russia +7 38 33 55 58 69 Schweiz +41 44-9 14 13 33 Slovensko +421 3 37 97 03 05 Suid-Afrika +27 12-3 45 60 60 Suomi +358 9-7 74 38 80 Sverige +46 8-59 4768 50 Türkiye +90 21 6-688 32 88 United Kingdom +44 19 92-58 46 77 USA +1 603-8 83 81 02 sales.skd@semikron.com www.semikron.com

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Additional details such as location of the plant, plant specific data and photo of the plant can be added. n Display of current parameters: Overall yield, Day yield, AC/DC output, AC/DC voltage, AC/DC current, AC frequency, device/inverter temperature, module temperature etc. n Display of plant and inverters in a clearly arranged manner to facilitate easy comparison. n Display of data in Graphical and Tabular format. n User management – facilitates providing additional access rights. n Multi-lingual capability. n Overview of plant location on interactive map. n No additional data-logger is required. n Generation of various email notifications and error notification facility. n Ideal performance monitoring facility.

Apart from the above facilities REFULOG® remote monitoring tool allows user a unique monitoring and supervision capability which in turn helps individual user in decision making and taking corrective actions if required. Following are the main users of the REFULOG® portal:

a)

b)

Figure 2: Plant detail (illustration) - statistics

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

Owner of the plant

plant for selected plant location and technology.

•

Fault Message - In REFULOG® we can also see the different errors of the inverters on error message page. It shows different errors occurred along with the status of inverter on occurrence of error, refer figure 3 below showing typical error message received from an inverter WR03 configured under some plant.

REFULOG® allows the user to generate the daily report for the plant; these reports are delivered to on the registered email ID of the owner at specified time of the day. The monitoring configuration allows the user to turn on and off email notification for errors and daily reports. This function facilitates owner of the plant to keep track of the plant performance on regular basis. Various system generated reports such as timely ‘energy generation reports’ and ‘fault Figure 3: Sample error massage for inverter messages’ helps owner The simple and user-friendly REFULOG® to identify and understand about the plant monitoring portal is now available to use with performance. smartphone like iPhone and android phones.

Following are few important checks With REFULOG® app users can monitor those essentially helps owner to track the their system more easily than ever with his performance of the PV plant promptly: smart phone.

•

Plant operator / maintenance contractor

Plant operators are responsible for day to day operation and hence for the performance of PV power plant. It is very important for PV plant operator to keep close track on whole plant performance to maintain the desired performance level. It is equally important to maintain the maximum uptime for entire

44

facility during sunshine hours. Monitoring the plant parameter on continuous basis will enable plant operator to measure the plant performance, device maintenance strategy for the PV plant.

•

Data transmission check - System will generate message if inverter in the plant does not send data for more than 3 hours or all inverters do not send the data for more than 24 hours. This alert will help take necessary corrective action.

Ideal performance check - System will generate message if the performance of inverter exceeds maximum admitted deviation. Usually deviation from ideal perform ance is considered at 5% and is compared for preset time interval of suitable duration e.g. 3 hr.

• S t a t i s t i c a l energy forecast reports will enable monthly generation figures for the plant.

This will help to analyze typical seasonal generation pattern of PV power

REFULOG® BASIC – Key highlights REFULOG® BASIC is a user-friendly solution designed which helps tracking the status of PV solar plants using nothing but an internet browser and connection to the internet. Various features and facilities offered within the REFULOG® web portal makes monitoring and supervision of the plant easier for the user. The key benefits are highlighted as below: n It helps evaluate performance of your PV plant. Performance comparison of different plants and inverters is also possible. n Remote monitoring of the plant provides owner flexibility to monitor plant data. n It provides a cost effective monitoring solution as no additional data-logger is required for data transmission. Multiple login and access to the plant information is also possible.

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

45

REN EWA BL E ENERGY

eProcurement To Revitalize Power Utilities Mr. Tapas Chakraborty , Head – Business Development & Service Delivery, (eProcurement arm of mjunction services limited)

P

ower industry, one of the major growth vehicles of Indian economy, is fast ramping up its capacity with the support of liberalized Government policies and consolidation of industrial authorities.

Big corporate houses like Adani, Jindal, Tata Power and Suzlon are launching new projects and expanding their distribution capabilities significantly. The PSU majors are also not left behind in the race as they rapidly scale up their distribution procedures. The organizations have realized that the conventional procedures call for a switch to innovative eProcurement methods to achieve the desired outcome.

The power utility companies take recourse to eSourcing for protecting their bottom line by reducing procurement cost and maximizing efficiency.

However, sensitized organizations increasingly realize that automating a procurement process where the buyer, supplier, financial institutions are disfranchised is not a sustainable proposition. The fundamental inefficiencies in an organization’s e‐procurement system can only be addressed by streamlining relationships that already exists. Therefore the emergence of Internet as a fast & inexpensive communicator

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

has seen an explosive growth in the B2B marketplace.

Achieving the full potential of e‐procurement requires a move towards a neutral model that integrates procurement and payments into a single environment for all users; buyers, suppliers & related people.

It should be shifted from closed system to fully open network which is totally scalable & fully secured as well as integrating crossfunctional groups in the organization and establishing direct linkage with the Project

of the conventional purchasing process. buyjunction has often played the role of its facilitator, helping to streamline needs and offer reduced cycle time of operation to procure the material.

In any manual mode of negotiation, the existing vendors associated with the organization for a long period of time tend to create dependence which is difficult for the purchaser to ignore. However, the online negotiating platform assists the purchaser to overlook any such dependence.

Management Groups or Production Teams

buyjunction assists a utility power

pave way for a seamless execution of

company to find a set of vendors who are

workflow across the value chain.

accustomed to the item and produces them

Operating in eProcurement domain, buyjunction, a business unit of mjunction services limited, examines solutions that would help purchasing become more strategic in indirect spend, stresses on demand aggregation and finds out the right vendor to meet objective. It implements e‐procurement application across different organizations as a decentralized industry standard, web‐based

according to the buyer expectation. They are then brought to an online platform to give their best rates, often for an annual commitment. The vendors are well conversant with this platform as they give regular offers on this for similar contracts of other clients too. By using this platform, they are also able to slash the expenses they would otherwise incur in meeting new clients.

tender ordering system that would allow end

With eSourcing, the primary benefit

users to order commodities online instead

is the centralization of procurement

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for the utility company who operates in

the ground work properly.

multiple locations. This brings in demand

The tangible benefits of eProcurement applications:

aggregation benefit. Quality and proven vendors in fact are geared up for catering

Sl. No

Benefits

to enhanced demand. Locating these vendors

1

Increasing the existing BJ enables the entire existing vendor base of a vendor base particular client onto this new platform. High importance is given to training, handholding and making each vendor user friendly towards the application. BJ’s also uses expertise to source new vendors.

2

Reduction in errors due to the elimination of manual re-keying of buying data

Initially the RFQ is the primary key wherein all information resides in the database & specific information is used up in stages till comparative statement (CS). From Purchase Order (PO) & beyond, the PO becomes the primary key for all functions post PO.

3

Reduced Cycle Time

This happens primarily because BJ’s solution is a 24X7 application & adheres to Anytime-AnywhereComputing where all kinds of geographic & time boundaries are eliminated

4

Near elimination of paper Non reliance on conventional methods and fax processes

5

Improved relations with vendors, who have benefited from reduced transaction costs and improved efficiency

6

Elimination of distance

and negotiating with them is a challenge which e-commerce likes to address. Vendors located in various geographical locations and often in different time zones receive faster updates as a result of the online connectivity.

Increased participation in online bidding process as a result, not only reduces the cost of procurement but it also brings in fair play in the procurement process.

The benefit of eProcurement is more visible in cases of urgent breakdown. In such cases, most of the utility companies would like to give more priority to availability of the items instead of working out a better deal with the vendors. In manual system, they might negotiate with one or two vendors, who are found to be the right suppliers after evaluation. But being aware of the urgent need, the vendors might stick to a premium, leading to inflated expense at the utility’s end as compared to his budget. Avoiding such a scenario is possible if all requisite goods and services which the producer might need

7

in a year for breakdown are accounted at the beginning of the year and a competitive vendor base is kept ready. At the time of

8

breakdown, the negotiation happens online in a very short time with a larger set of vendors

where timely delivery is the essence of the

Automated emails notification during RFQ publish, 3 days prior to Bid Submission, PO publish, Inspection schedules & Payment Information. Therefore vendor’s information is available at the click of a button.

All kinds of Geographic Limits are eliminated.

Speed is the order of the day. Transparency is achieved with security. Hence the vendor satisfaction Minimize c a r t e l quotient goes up. Reduction in cartel unlocks the hidden money and ensures fair market price is formation achieved in a win-win deal with suppliers where all are pitted uniformly on a level playing field.

P r o m o t i n g transparency

9

Adherence to all central Through ISO 270001 DC, Compliance to IT Act government purchase 2000, CVC Guidelines & STQC Standards etc. policies & guidelines

10

D e p l oyin g Pr oj e c t All project milestones are effectively captured Management and monitored to ensure realization of contractual benefits and it also enables distant experts and stakeholders to collaborate online

who are willing to grab the order and this leads to better price discovery in a situation

How it has made a difference

contract. The primary challenge here is the compilation of historical data to find the best set of vendors and this is an enormous task for the buyer. buyjunction offers a helping hand by carrying out this activity themselves in many cases.

Further, eProcurement has also turned out to be a cost-effective alternative for the utility companies who want to settle their annual rate contracts in advance without offering any commitment of lifting. buyjunction has been able to streamline these needs and offer reduced cycle time in settling these customized contracts by doing

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47

REN EWA BL E ENERGY

Expected Trends for the Renewable Energy Industry in 2012 Ravi Yadav, Global Data

1

1.1

Expected Trends for the Renewable Energy Industry in 2012 Summary

The global renewable industry has seen rapid growth backed by stong policy support.

Global renewable energy annual capacity grew from 64.6 GW in 2010 to 75.4 GW in 2011, and annual capacity for 2012 is expected to be 79.8 GW. Wind is the most prominent renewable technology and has contributed more than 50% of the annual capacity additions in the year 2010 and 2011.

Solar PV ranks second in terms of capacity

addition. The chart below shows the global renewable annual installations.

The renewable industry is going through a lot of changes, many of which have been greatly influenced by the economic downturn.

In this article, we examine some of the key trends expected to influence the global renewable market in the future.

2

Expected Trends for the Renewable Energy Industry in 2012

2.1 China Solar Industry to Witness Record Installations GlobalData estimates that the Chinese solar industry will achieve unprecedented growth in 2012, adding more than 2.8 GW to its capacity thanks to two developments: the 12th Five Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development 2011-15 and the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) scheme.

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

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China only had 893 MW of solar installed capacity at the end of 2010 and is expected to have gained an additional 1.7 GW in 2011, becoming one of the top four PV markets after occupying seventh place in 2010. The country is expected to surpass the US in 2012 to become third largest PV market in the world, based on annual installed capacity. According to the 12th five year plan, the targets for solar installed capacity are expected to be set at 15 GW by 2015 and 50 GW by 2020.

Under the plan, China is promoting the development of smaller-scale distributed solar projects in populated areas. This will attract private small and medium enterprises to the installation market, as large players will focus upon bigger projects.

The US wind market witnessed a 31% increase and installed 6,810 MW in 2011. As shown in the graph below, capacity additions in the last quarter were quite high, a trend which has been consistent for quite some time now. California, Illinois and Iowa were the top states in capacity additions in 2011.

There are around 8,300 MW of wind projects that are currently under production. In 2012, the installations are expected to be higher.

The country is expected to add around 8.8 GW in 2012. Current growth is largely driven

by PTC benefit, but this is set to expire at the end of 2012.

Moreover, federal-level RPS looks a remote possibility as of now. It is expected that any encouraging developments in policy front may only happen after second half of 2013. Under these circumstances, annual installations in 2013 will see a sharp dip. The following chart depicts the impact of PTC expiration on annual wind capacity. As quite evident from the chart, PTC has played an important role in the development of the industry and its expiry will be deterrent to the growth of the industry.

Policy uncertainty and lack of financing are the major challenges the industry is facing.

Most of the renewable energy developments are either driven by state renewable energy mandates or the American Recovery and

2.3 France Hydro Concession Renewal to See Entry of New Players

In another development, China also announced the introduction of FITs in August 2011, which set the minimum prices grid operators must pay at 15 cents/kWh. This is also expected to be paired with the clean energy quotas to be maintained by grid operators, and is aimed at guaranteeing market demand for the solar power produced.

Installation growth may also be positive for the domestic companies facing issues related to weakened demand in Europe and over capacity build-up. Stock prices of Chinese solar companies, like those of their peers, have plummeted in the last four to five months. However, strong growth in domestic installations may bring something to cheer about for the Chinese solar companies.

2.2 Surge in the US Wind Installations Due to the Expiry of Production Tax Credit (PTC)

Reinvestment Act (ARRA). However, treasury grants expired in December 2011 and PTC is set to expire by December 2012. The lack of political consensus suggests that it is highly unlikely that PTC will be extended.

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The renewal of operation concessions for hydroelectric plants has been an important concern in the European electricity market.

Operation concessions are traditionally managed by state-owned electricity companies, and are governed by rigid legal systems that can lack transparency. Many national markets in Europe show a dominance of state-owned utilities in the electricity industry, which impedes the development of effective competition. In the recent past, the European Union (EU) has adopted some measures to ensure that concession renewal process facilitates transparency and should be done through competitive bidding. The European Commission (EC) has challenged the concession renewal approach of France and Italy, where the preference was given to existing license holders when renewing the concessions. There are number of hydro plants coming up for renewal in France. It is expected that they will follow

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

49Â

a structured concession renewal procedure.

These procedural changes should facilitate the creation of a more level playing field and greater transparency which in turn will lead to competitiveness and more efficient operation of hydroelectric plants.

France is an important market for hydropower. Hydroelectricity accounts for some nine percent of the total installed capacity of France. More than 80% of hydroelectric capacity of France is operated by state-owned utility Electricité de France (EDF). France’s annual hydroelectric generation is some 68,000 GWh. One fifth of installed production is to be put out to tender by 2020. Further capacity will be put out from 2020 to 2030. Some 11,500 MW of capacity is up for renewal in th 2012 to 2030 e period and could theoretically change ownership. Under the earlier procedure, EDF had a preference right when concessions came for renewal.

This system ensured that existing holders retain their concessions for an indefinite period, since when a concession expires they may if they wish invoke preference to secure the concession for a further period. A system of this kind distorts the selection procedure

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

by interfering with the equal treatment of different economic operators. In recent years, the market has gradually opened up to new players, from France and abroad. When it comes to the renewal of hydropower licenses, all the historically dominant players will now lose their preferential rights, and the French energy market will be undergoing major changes.

2.4 Trade Disputes To Continue Until 2010, globally the focus was to install more renewable installations. Only a few counties, notably China, were taking inititatives to build a robust supply chain.

However, from 2010, more countries have started taking the initiative to promote the supply chain with an aim of promoting local

manufacturing jobs. As depicted in the table below, the renewable energy industry is jobintensive and promotes local employement.

In order to boost local jobs, governments have incentivized local manufacturing, which has hurt foreign companies and led to arguments regarding free trade occurring within the World Trade Organization, with allegations being put forward to different countries. Some of the notable incidents were: •

Japan complained to the WTO about Ontario’s FIT programs

•

US challenge to China’s wind power equipment subsidies

•

US wind trade coalition petition for review of Chinese and Vietnamese tower manufacturers

This trend is expected to continue in the current year also.

Table 3: Average Employement Over Lifespan of Project Govertments worldwide are taking measures to Energy Source Project average situmulate economy by Solar PV 0.87 promoting local jobs.

Wind 0.17 This will result in either Biomass 0.21 announcements of new Source: GlobalData and World Resource Institute incentives or filing of Note: Jobs per gigawatt hour of power produced fresh allegations to

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ensure that their companies get a fair chance to compete on the global markets.

2.5 Declining Valuation of Solar Companies May Lead to Consolidation in the Sector In 2011, the oversupply of PV modules, high inventory levels and availability of cheaper Chinese modules forced price competition in PV market. This competition, along with financial uncertainty, has eroded margins of PV module companies. With inventory levels expected to remain high in 2012, PV companieswill have to operate at lower capacity utilization levels and will remain under pressure. In such a scenario, the 2011 trend of capacity closures, bankruptcy or acquisitions is expected to continue in 2012.

Moreover, the production capacities of PV equipment in high-cost regions such as US, Europe will continue to shut down owing to competition from low-cost Chinese destinations. This will result in further consolidation of PV production base in China.

2.6 Chinese Wind Turbine Manufacturers Start Making Inroads in the Export Market Chinese companies have had limited success in the export markets. They have received only a few contracts so far from foreign countries. The list below shows some of the contacts signed by Chinese companies in foreign countries: •

Mainstream Renewable Power Ltd. and Sinovel, to deliver 1,000 MW of wind projects in Ireland by 2016

•

Shanghai Electric and India’s KSK Energy, to supply 250 MW wind turbines

•

Goldwind’s order from Mainstream Renewable Power for the supply of 106.5 MW wind turbines

•

Greek power producer PPC’s contract with Sinovel for supply of 233-300 MW wind turbines This trend is due to multiple issues.

Firstly, Chinese companies have been too occupied in meeting the domestic demand; secondly, protectionist measures and quality issues have plagued their entry into the US, Europe and other markets. However, this year Chinese companies are expected to make rapid strides in developing their export portfolio. Chinese companies are planning to target the gorwing Indian market along with upcoming markets such as Vietnam.

2.7 Offshore Wind Growth to Continue The European wind offshore industry added 866 MW in 2011. Further, there are around 2,375 MW of projects under construction which will add critical mass to the industry. The UK has been pioneer in the development of the offshore wind industry.

In 2012, Germany is also expected to substantially increase its capacity in offshore wind, as are Denmark and Sweden. Similarly, China has also announced its ambitious plans for the development of offshore wind farms.

2.9 Policy Support in Developed Economies to Remain Uncertain Amidst the precarious financial conditions, it is expected that policy support for renewable energy development in developed economies will remain uncertain. FIT cuts in Europe, and the expiration of PTC are two examples where a lack of political will is evident. Furthermore, climate talks have not been as effective as hoped in boosting the renewable sector. The way forward for the industry will be cost reductions so that the industry becomes self sustainable.

Moreover, reserve bidding and generationbased incentives are expected to be the major policy measures in the future.

3

Disclaimer

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

2.8 Equipment Pricing to Continue Declining Trend Wind turbine prices are expected to continue their downward trend. Similarly, solar modules are also expected to see a further decline in prices. The price decline is due to the inventory pile-up, emergence of low cost manufacturing hubs such as China, and economies of scale. It is important to note that declining equipment prices will have a positive impact on installations because the cost of electricity produced from wind and solar will decline. This will make wind and solar more cost competitive as comapared to conventional sources such as coal, gas and nuclear. In fact, in Brazil, wind power plants have attracted lower cost bids than gas-powered power plants. However, from manufacturers’ point of view, the decline in equipment prices is not a good sign. The manufactueres (both in wind and solar) are already facing challenges due to lower profit margins. This is expected to remain unchanged in 2012 as industry dynamics will promote lower equipment prices and rising raw material prices will ensure that the margins remain under pressure.

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recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, GlobalData.

The facts of this report are believed to be correct at the time of publication but cannot be guaranteed. Please note that the findings, conclusions and recommendations that GlobalData delivers will be based on information gathered in good faith from both primary and secondary sources, whose accuracy we are not always in a position to guarantee. As such GlobalData can accept no liability whatsoever for actions taken based on any information that may subsequently prove to be incorrect.

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

51

REN EWA BL E ENERGY

A

s policymakers and the power

gap in the country will continue and further

industry become increasingly aware

increase over the decade. As India continues

of the potential of renewable power

to grow at 7-10% annually, industrial growth

in aiding the move towards greater energy

coupled with the burgeoning middle class

security, the share of renewables in India’s

population and its growing aspirations will

power mix is likely to increase.

help continue to drive energy demand, which will lead to the energy deficit.

Record growth Not only this, India has been considered as an ideal destination for investment by renewable energy equipment manufacturers as well as service providers. As per a recent report by the Pew Charitable Trust, India’s renewable energy segment attracted almost $4 billion worth of private investments in the power sector, ranking the country tenth on this count amongst the G-20 countries.

In fact the country overshot its installation target by 100 percent just two years after the “Power for All” policy was framed. In March 2007, India had 10.2 GW of renewable energy which more than doubled by the end of 2011, to over 22 GW accounting for 11% of India’s power generation capacity.

However, despite the tremendous growth, there is huge untapped potential. The current capacity represents less than one-fourth of the estimated potential of over 84,776 MW. Solar potential alone is estimated to be about 100 GW, compared to the current installed capacity of about 30 MW.

Key Investment Drivers It is interesting to know that the clean

Challenges The initial challenges facing renewable energy in India have largely been overcome.

The generation has become cheaper, efficient and scalable. However, the companies operating in the Renewable Energy segment needs to continuously innovate and educate

Apart from this a slew of initiatives and policies launched by the government have helped provide the necessary boost to clean energy, across wind, solar, hydro and bio. The 12th Five-Year Plan aims to install 18.5GW of renewable energy. The NACCC (National Action Plan on Climate Change) has been a major driver for promoting renewable energy to mitigate climate change due to emissions.

Another major contributor to investment in the Renewable Energy sector is the JNNSM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission) targeting a phased achievement of 20,000 MW of solar power capacity by 2022. Even

to increase efficiencies and further bring down per-unit costs.

Also the power generated through renewable energy is considered as sporadic and difficult to predict. Then there are technical and financial challenges. Indian Power distributors are becoming a major hurdle in in the growth of renewables. There is a need for grid modernization to withstand more large-scale connected projects. Also, power distribution companies are the main buyers of renewable power and their financial health is deteriorating rapidly.

in Wind, the MNRE (Ministry of New &

Inflation, high interest rates and other

renewable Energy) favours extending GBI

factors stand in the way of growth, too. But

(Generation-based Incentive) that rewards

the $4.2 billion India invested in solar in 2011

wind power producers for the amount of

is reassuring for this relatively new sector.

electricity produced.

Despite these challenges, the combination

On the regulatory front too there have been several enabling developments. The central regulator has issued directions for the pricing of major renewable energy

of policy support, regulatory incentives and the energy-deficit scenario are expected to be key factors that will continue to drive growth of the renewable sector.

sources. The laying down of some key tariff

Also, the government needs to play an

parameters such as economic life, capital

active role to create an enabling ecosystem

cost, return on equity and operation and

for promoting newer business models,

maintenance is an impetus towards ensuring

technical as well as market innovations as

fair economic pricing of grid-connected

well as for promoting R&D and technology-

renewable generation.

led innovation.

energy investment in India jumped 52

The notification of the renewable energy

percent to $10.3 billion in the year 2011.

certificate (REC) was another development

So what are the key investment drivers for

for the sector which provided an avenue for

Firstly, the threats of climate change

clean energy investment in the region? They

renewable energy generators to enhance

imperatively demands renewable energy

include rising energy demand and untapped

their returns through trading of RECs. In

share in the total energy generation and

potential; rural electrification program that

fact, the trading of RECs has been initiated by

consumption to be increased substantially.

aims to power 100,000 villages by 2012;

both the exchanges in the country. As per the

This will help lead towards sustainability of

energy security and concerns over carbon

ICRA report on India’s wind energy sector,

energy and environment system. Therefore

footprint and pollution levels. Today, India

more and more new wind-based projects are

the scope for Renewable Energy sector in

has 288 million people living without

likely expected to take the REC route instead

India is immense.

electricity access, according to a November

of the preferential tariff route. Even the

2011 International Energy Agency report.

revised Indian Electricity Grid Code, 2012 is

This means that the energy supply demand

expected to facilitate wind and solar power capacity addition.

52

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

Future & Scope

Secondly, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, has set up specific targets for the renewable energy sector. The

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Future And Scope Of Renewable Energy Resources In India Alstom

All across the world, the need to support burgeoning populations and development while limiting adverse impacts on the environment and achieving the economies of scale has begun driving a paradigm shift in policy and investment. Developed nations like the USA, UK, Germany, France and Japan and the all other developing nations are taking initiatives to tap the potential of renewable energy sources. This is why, India, while striving to bridge its energy deficit is necessarily increasing its share of clean, sustainable new and renewable energy sources.

India is the 4th largest country with installed power generation capacity in renewable energy. This means that the country has tremendous potential and needs to harness energy from such sources.

The chief sources of Renewable energy in India are Wind, Solar, Hydro, Biomass/Biomass, Bio-Fuel and conversion of waste to energy. But there is huge potential in Ocean and Tidal Energy too.

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

53Â

policy framework suggests that renewable

FY 2011. The credit agency, has said that

energy will contribute 10 per cent of the

this increase could be attributed to higher

total power generation capacity which in

demand from the IPP segment, which in turn

turn will have a 4 to 5 per cent share in

was driven by improving regulatory clarity in

the electricity mix. Hence it is imperative

the sector with the introduction of renewable

that the growth in renewable energy sector

portfolio obligation (RPO) and renewable

will take place at a much faster pace than

energy certificate (REC) regulations. This

the traditional ones. Further, the research

capacity addition, according to ICRA, is

and development subsidy instituted by the

projected to grow at a rate of about 15%

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy will

which is expected to lead to total wind energy

definitely give the impetus to the growth of

capacity of 52,000 MW by FY 2020.

the sector. Apart from this the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is encouraging private / foreign direct investment in order to tap renewable energy sources and provide fiscal and financial incentives under a wide range of programs being implemented in a phased manner.

contributes about 2,790 MW. Each of these factors in itself and in combination presents new opportunities and challenges for the sector in India. With the continued support from the Government and investor bullishness on the sector, the renewable sector is bound to reach higher levels of adoption and significance for Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national grid and energy mix.

Combating climate change is truly

The Hydro power too has taken giant strides in the recent past. India is endowed with rich hydropower potential; it ranks fifth in the world in terms of usable potential.

However, less than 25% has been developed or taken up for development. Currently, the total installed capacity from small hydro

a global issue and one that all sectors of government, industry and the community at large must address. As 40% of the CO2 emission emanates from the power generation sector and the global electricity demand is expected to massively increase by 2030, the power industry must take a leadership position and play a key role in significantly

Currently, the Renewable Energy sector

power projects (less than 25 MW is) 2953

is undergoing significant changes, as it moves

MW and 914 MW of power projects are under

ahead in playing a significant role in the

development. Thus hydropower is one of the

energy security for the country. India already

potential sources for meeting the growing

has a strong base in R&D in all areas of

energy needs of the country. A judicial mix

To conclude, the present energy crisis

renewable energy but in future in order to

of hydropower in the energy portfolio can

situation demands a focal shift from fossil fuel

manage the complexity of variable power

also contribute to energy security, reduction

driven energy generation system to various

generation through smart grids, there is a

of greenhouse gas emissions, meeting the

forms of renewable energy based systems.

need to focus on technology led R&D and

peak demand and also increased flexibility

As it has already been observed that the

superlative innovation. Also as mentioned,

in grid operation. The Government of India

renewable energy sector has the potential to

our policy framework- Generation Based

is, therefore, giving special emphasis to

create employment opportunities at different

Incentives for wind power projects, solar

accelerated hydropower development in its

levels, and if the policy makers, government

specific Renewable Purchase Obligations,

power development plans.

agencies and private sector focus on capacity

tradable Renewable Energy Certificates- is extremely renewable friendly and supportive.

Grid-connected renewables capacity in India stood at 22 GW, comprising 11% of total power generation in the country in 2011.

Also to give the necessary support and boost to the biomass based generation, the government is looking at forming a National Bio Energy Mission to push sustainable development of the renewable energy sector.

The future looks bright for Solar too. The

70% of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population lives in rural areas

Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission

and has limited access to the grid electricity.

(JNNSM) envisages a capacity addition of

This mission can create much needed

20,000 MW of grid solar power by 2022. In

opportunities for generation and distribution

fact enthused by the success of the first phase

of biomass based electricity where grid

the government has scaled up the second

electricity supply is not possible, feasible or

phase (2013 -17) target from 3,000MW to

a low quality one. It is estimated that the

9,000MW and is mulling fresh incentives

total surplus biomass availability in India is

for potential investors. Even in wind the

around 150 million tonnes having capacity

latest ICRA report looks very positive. ICRA

to generate 16 GW of power. Currently,

expects wind based capacity addition to touch

total installed power generation capacity

2800 MW during the current FY 2012, an

of India is around 1,76,990 MW. As per the

upward revision of nearly 451 MW from

latest statistics published by MNRE, biomass

the high of 2,349 MW that was added in

based power including bagasse cogeneration

54Â

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

reducing its emissions.

Conclusion

building with regard to manpower training and the overall infrastructure development it will definitely be a game-changer for the Renewable energy sector in India. This will definitely help in achieving overall industrial and economic growth apart from mitigating the impact of climate change.

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INTEGRATING THE POWER SECTOR

Conference & Exhibition 12 – 14 June 2012 KoelnMesse, Cologne, Germany

Now in its 20th year, PPOWER-GEN Europe, along with Renewable Energy World Europe and Nuclear Power Europe, offers the largest and most comprehensive conference and exhibition for the European electricity and power technology sector.

Information exchange

UK, Italy, France, Greece, Turkey and Benelux: Gilbert Weir Jnr. T: +44 1992 656 617 E: exhibitpge@pennwell.com

POWER-GEN Europe, along with Renewable Energy World Europe and Nuclear Power Europe is the place for the cross-pollination of ideas and best practice among the world’s leading power industry professionals from each end of the power generation spectrum.

North America: Bridgett Morgan T: +1 918-549-0473 E: exhibitpge@pennwell.com

Flexible solutions Technology development is being geared toward providing flexible solutions that enable integration of variable renewables and conventional power and these solutions are now being brought to market

Asia, Middle East, Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland: Kelvin Marlow T: +44 1992 656 610 E: exhibitpge@pennwell.com

Seeing the big picture POWER-GEN Europe, Renewable Energy World Europe and Nuclear Power Europe are events where power industry professionals can appreciate the big picture and truly engage with the direction that the industry is heading. No other conference and exhibition brings together these now essential partners in the harmonization of Europe’s energy future.

Russia and CIS Natalia Gaisenok T: +7 499 271 93 39 F: +7 499 271 93 39 E: nataliag@pennwell.com

For the latest information please visit these websites:

www.powergeneurope.com www.renewableenergyworld-europe.com www.nuclearpower-europe.com Owned and Produced by:

Presented by:

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Supported by:

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

55

REN EWA BL E ENERGY

Power Module For Powerful Applications

Spring Contacts - Reliable Alternative To Critical Solder Contacts

Efficient, Flexible And Environmentally Compatible Daniel Seng, Product Manager, SEMIKRON Elektronik

The photovoltaic sector is currently experiencing an uninterrupted period of growth. In 2006, sales of solar thermal installations in Europe went up by more than 35%, taking the total solar thermal capacity to around 1,900 Megawatt (MW). The international Solar Energy demand has grown at about 25% per annum over the past 15 years. More and more new electronic circuits and chip technologies are now being used in solar inverters to increase the efficiency rate of inverters and, consequently, overall system efficiency.

The consequence for power electronic modules: they have to be efficient, flexible and environmentally compatible at the same time.

56Â

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

Fig. 1 (cover image) To help boost the efficiency of solar inverters, MiniSKiiP power electronics modules boast a very low thermal impedance

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T

o help ensure that solar thermal inverters are highly efficient, MiniSKiiP power modules have a very low thermal impedance. This helps improve power dissipation and ultimately means that the power circuitry is utilised more effectively. A solar inverter featuring MiniSKiiP came out top in tests carried out

by Germany’s consumer watchdog Stiftung Warentest and achieves an efficiency rate of up to 95.6 % - and still uses standard silicon IGBT and diode chips. (Fig. 1)

the inverter is in operation. These factors are vital even in the assembly stage. With MiniSKiiP modules, the power switches, PCB and heat sink are connected in one step. The power circuitry is not soldered onto the PCB, as in other modules, but is connected using SEMIKRON’s patent-protected pressurecontact technology, which is based on spring connections between the driver board and the power module instead of rigid solder connections. As a result, demanding and time-consuming soldering processes can be

stress that can occur when the inverter is in operation is reduced thanks to the moving contacts, guaranteeing long-lasting and safe electrical connection. This can also be seen in long-term applications where the module has been used in decentralised drives, mounted directly onto the motor. Today, more than 300 million of these springs are in use and have proven their reliability – in full compliance with the RoHS directive, of course.

Nowadays, other companies are also trying their hand at using solder-free

Fig. 2 Cross section of a mounted MiniSkiiP module with spring contact technology

The MiniSKiiP module boasts a high degree of integration on a minimum of space.

A complete Converter Inverter Brake circuit configuration (CIB) with a chip rating of 100A and blocking voltage of 1200V is integrated into a compact MiniSKiiP 3 case (59 mm x 82 mm) (Fig. 2). MiniSKiiP modules also feature an unusually flexible interface. The power and auxiliary terminals can be positioned nearly anywhere on the surface of the module. This flexibility is also possible inside the module, due to the many different circuits in the same case.

Efficiency and environment al compatibility are not only important once

done away with in the production of the inverter. Thermally or mechanically induced

connection technology for modules in this power class. In press-fit technology, for

Fig. 3 Solder pin versus spring contact

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

57

example, the load connectors are fitted into existing holes on the PCB, meaning that soldering is avoided entirely here. One shortcoming of this techniology is the fact that soldering or bonding is still needed to connect the terminals to the DCB. With the spring contact technology used in MiniSKiiP, by way of contrast, this would not be necessary.

(Fig. 3). And the less soldering needed in the production of power modules, the less the impact on the environment. (Fig 4)

In addition, the thermal paste layer is

MiniSKiiP modules are designed for

spread optimally and has the ideal thickness,

600V and 1200V chip off-state voltages

resulting in better thermal performance and

and predominantly feature Trench IGBT

increasing the lifetime and durability of the

technology in combination with SEMIKRON

power electronic module.

CAL diode.

The fact that the customer can choose

In the 1200V range, the latest Trench

between two different covers for the MiniSKiiP

IGBT4 technology is used in combination

module also offers the customer greater

with the CAL I 4 diode. These chips may

flexibility in terms on PCB layout. Depending

be used for a junction temperature of up

on the final application requirements, a flat

to 175°C.

cover is available for very compact designs

Due to this chip combination and the 25°C increase in junction temperature, better inverter performance is possible than in previous technologies with the same chip rating. Power dissipation is also reduced by around 20% in comparison to the predecessor generation, making the complete inverter much more effective overall.

In addition to the CIB configuration, standard modules are also available in standard inverter topology, non-controlled rectifiers with brake chopper, as well as halfcontrolled rectifiers with brake chopper.

Fig. 4 Temperature cycling of spring contact and solder pin

To further simplify the customers’ processes, we now offer our customers the option of ordering MiniSKiiP modules with a pre-printed thermal paste layer (Fig. 5).

The thermal paste layer is applied in a highly automated printing process. The customer can then do away with this sensitive and time-consuming step in his final assembly process – a clear time and cost advantage.

or a cover with space for individual SMD components on its underside. As MiniSKiiP modules featuring spring contacts require no through contacts on the PCB, SMD Table 1 Power rating and topologies of components can be easily placed onto the the MiniSKiiP power module.

PCB. This allows for ultra low inductive PCB designs, which can boost the overall efficiency of the complete converter.

For solar inverters purpose-designed modules in two-phase semiconductor topology with 600V and 1200V IGBT’s are available. With many different possible spring arrangements, an extremely flexible layout is possible. This means that the chips can be optimally arranged in the module and inverter efficiency consequently further increased owing to very low-loss switching.

These modules can also be equipped with SiC diodes instead of CAL diodes. This can once again boost the overall efficiency of the complete solar inverter. In short, with the right combination of innovative circuit topology and innovative case you have the optimum module for solar applications, designed to minimize power losses.

Fig. 5 MiniSKiiP module with thermal paste layer

58

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

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59

REN EWA BL E ENERGY

India : 3815 MW Grid Connected Renewable Capacity Added During 2011 Anand Gupta, Editor-EQ International

High lights of the year 2011 t

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has intensified the deployment of various renewable energy technologies in the country for grid connected power

t

Major Achievements in 2011

The Mission aims at adding 20,000 MW solar power capacity in the country by 2022. Implementation of the Phase – I of the Mission started during the year. One of the

The Year 2011 has seen a significant

target areas is promotion of grid-connected solar power in a big way with the objective

In the recent competitive solar tariff

in the renewable energy sector. The wind

to bring cost of solar power generation to

bidding, the tariff quoted are 50% less

energy sector picked up momentum again

grid parity levels. In this year 180 MW of

than they were when the Jawaharlal

by adding over 2800 MW capacity resulting

grid-connected solar power projects have

Nehru National Solar Mission was

in grid-connected renewable power capacity

been commissioned in the country and this

launched just two years ago.

crossed the 22,000 MW milestone which is

figure will cross 400 MW by the end of this

about 11% of the total power generation

financial year. Projects totaling 350 MW

capacity of the country. During the year grid-

have been allotted in batch-II of phase–I in

connected solar power plants crossing the 100

December,2011 through competitive bidding.

MW milestone. In fact, SPV power plants

The tariff quoted are amongst lowest tariffs

of over 180 MW were set up in the country.

anywhere in the World with an average

Over 1000 remote villages were electrified

Rs.8.77 per kWh and a bid lowest of Rs.7.49

through renewable energy systems during this

per kWh. If compared with the tariffs of over

year. Over 50 MW off-grid installations were

Rs.18 per kWh at the start of the Mission,

completed. Another initiative of the Ministry

this is a reduction of more than 50%.

Renewable power is now being provide energy access to the remote, inaccessible and difficult areas of the country. During 2011 around 965 villages have been covered with solar lights and 30 villages have been covered with biomass gasifiers.

The Ministry has undertaken an intensive exercise during the year to review its programmes through various working groups set up for preparation of the

60

from renewable during the 12th Plan.

Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission

growth with a number of new initiatives

extensively propagated and used to

t

capacity addition of about 30,000 MW

in rural areas.

generation and to improve energy access t

12th Plan. The Ministry is envisaging a

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

was to launch a comprehensive project to popularize renewable energy systems in the Ladakh

The Ministry is giving special focus on research in solar energy. 36 R&D projects in solar thermal and photovoltaic technologies

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A capacity addition of

generation Programme is implemented

3815 MW have been achieved

with the main objective of promoting

during 2011 from various

technologies for optimum use of countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

renewable energy sources. This

biomass resources for grid power generation

includes 2827 MW from wind,

and maximizing power generation from

310 MW from small hydro,

bagasse produced in sugar mills. During

498 MW from biomass and

2011 a capacity of 498 MW have been

180 MW from solar energy.

added. The cumulative biomass power/

With this, the total installed

bagasse cogeneration based power capacity

capacity from renewable has

has reached 3056 MW.

reached 22,447 MW.

the Ministry has continued the existing

Wind power is the fastest growing renewable energy option today. A total capacity of 15,880 MW of wind power has been installed in the country.

The progress during the current year has been very good. A

During the year

scheme with two modification related to (a) Cogeneration projects through Build, Own, Operate, Transfer (BOOT) model in cooperative sugar mill (b) Boiler upgradation of cogeneration projects in cooperative sugar mills. A target of 2600 MW is proposed for the 12th Plan period.

capacity of around 2827 MW has been installed during the year. It is expected that it will touch around 3500 MW upto March,2012. It would are under implementation. A Centre for Solar Thermal Research has been set up at IIT Rajasthan, Jodhpur. Under R&D Projects sponsored to industries in publicprivate partnership mode, a 30 ton Solar air conditioning system using concentrating parabolic troughs and triple effect vapor

be a significant improvement as compared to figures of 1485, 1565 and 2350 MW in 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 respectively. As per the recommendations of Working Group for 12th Plan, a target of 15,000 MW has been proposed for 12th Plan.

absorption machine has been developed

The Small hydro power programme in

and demonstrated at Solar Energy Centre,

India is now by and large private investment

MNRE. It is a stand-alone system for day

driven. 24 States have announced their

time use and can take care of intermittent

policies to invite private sector to set up SHP

clouds through small storage. The system

projects. Since SHP projects have reasonably

once tested for its satisfactory performance,

good economic viability, a number of financial

could be useful for offices and institutions

institutions and banks are ready to finance

working during day time when solar radiation

these projects. Accordingly, a major part of

is also available. In another project, a

capacity addition and exploitation of SHP

State of the Art fully automatically tracked

potential in future is expected from private

paraboloid dish of 90 sq. m. area has also

sector projects. With a capacity addition of

been developed and demonstrated at Solar

310 MW during 2011, the total installed

Energy Centre. The dish is expected to find

capacity from SHP projects is 3210 MW.

good opportunity in industries for processed

The Ministry is also focusing on developing

heat applications as it is installed on a pillar

micro hydel projects and watermills for

and the space below dish could be utilized

electrification of remote areas. As per the

for other purposes.

recommendations of Working Group for 12th Plan, a target of 2,100 MW has been

Grid Connected Renewable Power

proposed for 12th Plan.

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The Biomass Power and Bagasse Co-

Off - Grid Renewable Energy applications Energy Access: Renewable power is now being extensively propagated and used to provide energy access to the remote, inaccessible and difficult areas of the country.

Lakhs of solar lights, solar water heating systems ,biogas plants have been installed in the country and so far over 9000 remote villages have been illuminated through solar photovoltaic systems and biomass gasifiers Biomass Gasifier: During the year, the Ministry has promoted multifaceted Biomass Gasifier with a view to utilize locally available surplus biomass resources such as rice husk, corn cab & stalks, arhar stalks, cotton stalks, small wood chips, other agro-residues available in surplus to meet the unmet demand of electricity for villages for lighting, water pumping and micro enterprises. In addition, it is promoting small biomass gasifier and combustion based power plants up to 2 MW capacities connected at the tail end of grid and captive power and thermal applications in rice mills and other industries. The Ministry is focusing on promoting rice husk based gasifier projects for decentralized and distributed power generation to provide unmet demand of electricity in villages.

During 2011, about 70 remote villages/ EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

61Â

hamlets of Bihar in District East Champaran,

extension is found not feasible by the State

incorporated in the two-year ITI syllabus.

West Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi

Governments and hence are not covered under

Course material for this has been developed

benefited by installation of about 25 rice husk

the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna.

and faculty of it is now being trained. In

based gasifier systems for distributed power

The programme is implemented in States by

addition, State Renewable Energy Agencies

generation based on a sustainable model.

the State notified implementing agencies.

are being supported to organize short-

In addition, about 120 rice husk gasifier

During the current year, 836 remote villages

term training programmes for installation,

systems are under installation in various

and hamlets have been completed.

operation and maintenance and repair of

villages of Bihar. In addition, about 30 rice mills have installed rice husk gasifier systems retrofitted with existing diesel generating sets saving about 13 lakh liters of diesel annually and installation are underway in about 60 rice mills in different States.

During the year, biomass gasifier based tail end grid connected projects of 1.20 MW in Gujarat and 500 kW in Tamil Nadu have been successfully installed.

Electrification/illumination of border Villages of Arunachal Pradesh: Implementation of the project for electrification/ illumination of border Villages of Arunachal Pradesh further progressed and

renewable energy systems in such places where intensive RE programme are being implemented. Renewable Energy Chairs have been established in IIT Roorkee and IIT Kharagpur.

out of 1058 villages, 726 villages have been

National Solar Science Fellowship

illuminated / electrified. These include, 523

Programme has been launched and process

villages, where all households have been

for selection for the National Solar Science

provided with solar home lighting systems

Fellows initiated. These efforts, while

and balance villages are given electricity

generating pool of trained manpower at all

Biogas : The National Biogas and

from small / micro hydel projects. Further,

levels, will also create a system, under which

Manure Management Programme of the

work in 107 new micro/ small hydro projects

the ensuing requirement of qualified and

Ministry mainly caters to setting up of family

is in progress. The project is being monitored

trained personnel will be met in future. Solar

type biogas plants for meeting the cooking

by a Steering committee and is targeted to

Energy Centre of the Ministry in collaboration

energy needs in rural areas of the country.

be completed by March, 2012.

with the Ministry of External Affairs has

During the year, about 45000 family type biogas plants have been installed. With this the cumulative installation of 4.44 million family type biogas plants, about 35.70% of the estimated potential has been realized so far. Apart from setting up family type biogas plants, the Ministry started a new initiative for demonstration of Integrated Technology package in entrepreneurial mode on medium size mixed feed Biogas-Fertilizer Plants (BGFP) for generation, purification/ enrichment, bottling and piped distribution of biogas. 21 such projects with aggregate capacity of 37016 cum/day have been sanctioned, out of which 2 BGFP projects have been commissioned. Under Biogas based Distributed/Grid Power Generation Programme (BPGP) so far 158 projects have been commissioned with a total installed capacity of about 2 MW. Remote Village Electrification: The Ministry is implementing Remote Village Electrification Programme for providing financial support for lighting/basic electrification through various renewable sources, to those remote unelectrified census villages and unelectrified hamlets of electrified census villages where grid

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

Ladakh Renewable Energy Initiative: The Ministry has initiated the implementation

been providing training to participants from different developing countries.

of a Rs. 473 crore Special Project for the Ladakh region for large scale use of renewable energy systems in order to provide energy access and minimize use of diesel in the most difficult part of the country and thereby open the doors for coverage of other similar areas. Solar PV lights and solar water heating systems have been intensively promoted in the last one year and 28 villages and 78 institutions in the district stand covered through solar power plants with over 90% house hold coverage. 930 households are using solar water heaters even at sub-zero temperature for their hot water needs. Over 1800 green houses have also been constructed for growing vegetables.

Human Resource Development: In view of rapid growth of renewable energy sector in the country, Ministry has initiated the process to institutionalize the renewable energy education in the country to enable the existing educational institutions to introduce courses related to renewable energy in their regular curriculum. With this initiation, solar street lights, solar hot water systems and small hydro have already been

Renewable Energy and Climate Change: Renewable energy is central to climate change mitigation efforts. Broad estimates indicate that mitigation from existing renewable energy portfolio is equivalent to around 4-5% of total energy related emissions in the country. Further, the vast market potential and well-developed industrial, financing and business infrastructure, has made India a favorable destination for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, with renewable energy projects having the major share. National renewable energy plans offer ample opportunity for CDM projects and technological innovations.

India had 727 registered CDM projects, which is around 21% of worldwide registered projects. With 520 projects, renewable constitute around 72% Indian CDM registered projects. Within renewable, wind has the maximum number of 225 projects followed by hydro 82 and 6 for solar energy. nnn

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Dr. P. Ram Babu Chief Executive Officer, General Carbon Advisory Services

1. Markets and Environment A silent liberalization process in India covering energy and environment sectors, has escaped attention of the media and

economists, markets have demonstrated

reduction projects. The HFC 23 projects

success by the end of 1990s in controlling

of Gujarat Fluorochemicals, SRF, Navin

sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions in the US and

Fluorine and Chemplast Sanmar Ltd and

more recently, in Green House Gas (GHG)

Waste Heat Recovery projects of JSW

emissions across the EU. Today markets are

Steel and the consequent CDM cash flows

being promoted as part of the solution to

amounting to up to USD 1 billion by 2008,

the business. Spurred by success of carbon

an ever-increasing range of environmental

has glued the treasury, finance, strategy and

markets, some incentives, subsidies etc and

and social problems, including over fishing,

environment functions of many businesses to

command and control approaches are giving

urban sprawl, global climate change and

Carbon markets.

way to markets.

by promotion of renewable energy and

Markets can help reduce the cost of achieving environmental goals and move resource usage rights to those that value

energy efficiency as well as corporate social responsibility.

invisible hand does not magically materialize to provide clean air, mitigate global warming

The carbon markets have drawn

or even ensure the best use of fresh water.

significant interest in India. From the

It is now well recognized that environment

beginning of 2005 until late 2007, during

markets can be operationalized only when

the operation of the first phase of European

the rights to be transacted are intentionally

Union Emissions Trading Scheme, the

and carefully defined and allocated.

corporate world in India, has taken significant

After being promoted for decades by

propagation of carbon markets, government has begun thinking of attempting similar instruments in other sectors too. During the

2 India and Environment Markets

them the most. However, Adam Smithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Following from the interest and

interest in Carbon markets and GHG emission

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last two years, a silent liberalization covering energy and environment sectors in India, has escaped attention of the media and the business. The Renewable Energy Certificates Market is no longer a concept in India. Six trading sessions on the last Wednesday of each month, beginning March 2011, on the two energy exchanges in India- Indian Exchange and Power Exchange India Ltd.

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

63Â

RENEWA BL E EN ERG Y

Emerging Environmental Markets in India

have already been concluded.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s initiative Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) is under implementation and the trades of Energy Efficiency Certificates will not be far away. In the mean time, Ministry of Environment and Forests has begun Design and Piloting of trading dust emissions in the states of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Recall that Shri Salman Khurshid, a few years ago, said that the CSR credits could also be traded, though the proposal is not off the ground yet.

A challenge to successful operation

achieved and exceeded, and total abatement

of the environment market is that an

costs have been significantly less than what

institution (typically the government) will

they would have been in the absence of the

certify the validity and transferability of the

trading provisions. Trading volume increased

property rights. In addition to defining the

over the life of the programme and the robust

rights and obligations associated with the

market resulted in an estimated cost savings

permit, the overseeing agency must monitor

of up to $1 billion annually, compared with

compliance. But if this agency which morphed

the cost of command-and-control regulatory

into a “market maker” very recently from

alternatives, representing a 30-50% cost

“command and control” culture continues to

savings.

over restrict the trade, the system fails.

The proposed Performance-Achieve-

from this trading program, when compared

Trade (PAT) programme in India, wherein

to previous not so successful environment

energy efficiency performances of entities are

market experiments:

expected to be traded, is a case of planned

It is pertinent to analyze and determine

evolution from regulatory to flexible Energy

what makes such markets succeed or fail

Efficiency Performance Credits trade. It

when government of India and governments

is important to exercise very well planned

in many other Asian countries are planning

graduation program to ensure that it does

new market instruments for energy and

not meet a similar fate as that of Fox River

environment sectors.

programme.

3 Early experiment in Environment Market

4 SO2 Allowance Trading and Lessons Learned

In a classical environment commodity

The following are major lessons learned

•

Permit trading is likely to work best where there are wide differences in

market situation, rights to emit pollutants,

During Phase I, of this programme,

use of resources or obligations would be

emissions allowances were assigned to

distributed to stakeholders or be auctioned.

SO2-emissions-intensive generating units

Market negotiations between potential permit

at 110 power plants operated by 61 electric

buyers and sellers would occur and result in

utilities, located largely at coal-fired power

the reallocation of these permits across the

plants east of the Mississippi River in USA.

stakeholders. In the textbook version of such

After the 1st of January 1995, these utilities

a program, permits /obligations equal to the

could emit SO2 only if they had adequate

cap/target are distributed to the polluters.

allowances to cover their emissions. The US

Finally, a market develops in which the sellers

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

are those firms with relatively low abatement

allocated each unit, a specified number of

costs end up reducing emissions by more than

allowances each year related to its share

pollutants in the receiving airshed or

what is initially required of them. Buyers are

of heat input during the baseline period

watershed, the more attractive will

those with relatively high abatement costs

(1985-87) and bonus allowances available

be a tradable emission permit system,

who end up reducing emissions by less than

under a variety of special provisions. Cost-

relative to a conventional uniform

initially required.

effectiveness was promoted by permitting

standard. Otherwise, the definition of

One of the earliest applications involved

allowance holders to transfer their permits

permit/credit will become complex.

markets for water pollution on the Fox River

among one another and bank them for later

in Wisconsin. However, significant barriers to

use. Under Phase II of the program, which

free or in an auction, rather than setting

market trades arose because of the difficulty

began on the 1st of January 2000, almost all

targets to settle the accounts at the end

in obtaining clearances from regulatory

electric power generating units were brought

of accounting period as envisaged in our

authority for trades and the persistent

within the system. Some units were exempted

PAT and REC schemes.

concerns about “hot spots” which are high

to compensate for potential restrictions on

concentrations of the pollutants found

growth and to reward units that were already

transaction costs are low, and the SO2

locally. In the end, the Fox River program,

unusually clean.

experiment shows that if properly

established in 1981, did not give rise to a

This program performed successfully.

single trade during the first 14 years of its

Targeted emissions reductions have been

the cost of abating emissions.

•

•

•

The greater the degree of mixing of

The allowances are given apriori, either

Tradable permits will work best when

designed, private markets will tend to render such costs minimal.

existence.

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

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The importance of having accurate data and good communications is essential for an effective market. When the EU system was established, data on actual emissions—installation by installation—were not available which resulted in facilities receiving allowances based on their estimated emissions. As a result, no one was quite sure how restrictive the cap would turn out to be. This uncertainty pushed up prices until April 2006, when the first verified emissions reports came in. Actual emissions were far lower than expected, allowances were plentiful, and the carbon price fell by half within a week. Communication of information among the market participants has improved, and prices for allowances bought ahead for •

The regulatory system that defines and

Allowances are traded by facilities in 27

certifies the tradable commodity has

independent nations that form a loose federal

to be credible and flexible and banking

union and differ widely in per capita income,

brings in further flexibility.

market experience, institutional background, and other features.

5. EU Allowance Trading and Lessons Learned The European design was based on lessons from the US : •

Early failed efforts in the US due over regulation of the market.

•

The success of SO2 trading due to flexibility and transparency.

use in 2008 have been far less erratic.

The processes of allocating emissions allowances are going to be contentious. Some people have argued that the EU method of allocating free allowances to polluting

The second phase of EUETS is

facilities is morally wrong. But an emissions-

successfully operating at present with minor

control policy is more likely to succeed if

modifications and a third phase of operation

those most affected i.e. the current polluters

is already planned. The successful European experience shows that the economic effects—

are given some assets along with the liabilities they are being asked to assume.

in a macro economic sense—have not been large. Changes have occurred in certain industries, but the notion that the carbon price would wreck the overall economy is clearly

6 Conclusion Successful operation and deliverance of ‘target achievement’ of “SO2” markets

In 2000, leaders in the EU realized

disproved for the European system, which

that they would not be able to meet their

for a long time had a high price compared to

obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, which

two decades at an economic cost lower than

what was expected. Even though reducing

would take effect in 2008, without taking

anticipated , clearly demonstrates that the

emissions was not the primary focus of the

market is an effective tool for addressing

Phase I trial, carbon reductions were in

environmental concerns. It delivers reduction

fact achieved, with minimal macroeconomic

in the cost of achieving environmental targets

impact.

by appropriate resource/ task allocations

action. Previous attempts to impose a carbon tax had failed, therefore despite their earlier opposition to the cap-and-trade approach; they set up the first phase of their EU trading system covering 2005 to 2007. Their goal was not so much to achieve significant emissions reductions in these years as it was to get the system up and running by the beginning of the first Kyoto period.

Today, the EU ETS is far larger than either of the US programs that are operating.

It covers 11,000 installations while the US sulfur dioxide programme covers only 3,000. The value of these allowances is $80 billion as opposed to $4 billion of the US SO2 programme. Perhaps the most striking feature of this is that the EU ETS operates internationally through a linking directive.

Permitting “banking and borrowing” will make a cap-and-trade system work more efficiently. Within the three-year period of the EU ETS, facilities can bank (save some of this year’s allowance for use next year) or borrow (use some of next year’s allowances now and not have them available next year).

During the first three years, many facilities took advantage of the opportunity to trade across time. But they always produced the necessary allowances within the required

and “EU Allowance” markets over the last

and innovation. While the regulator has to exercise maximum caution in designing the caps, banking/linking rules etc, over regulation such as excessive control in defining and certifying the tradable commodity and restriction on trades such as the timing and nature of the trade, can make the market ineffective. While it is welcome that the Governments in Asia are quite enthusiastic in establishing environment markets, they are advised not to over look the lessons from the past.

time period. Concerns that facilities would postpone their obligations indefinitely have proved unwarranted.

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WI N D ENERGY

Impact of Grid Fault on Wind Energy Converters and Its Fault Ride-Through Capability Umashankar S1, Kothari D P2, Vijayakumar D1 1School of Electrical Engineering, VIT University, Vellore, Tamilnadu 2Director General, Raisoni Group of Institutions, Nagpur, MH India

T

he Last ten years has seen a rapid growth in wind power generation which is now a significant source of electrical power in many parts of the world.

As a consequence, grid codes now usually require wind turbines to remain connected during grid faults in order to provide the support needed by the system after the fault is cleared. Wind turbines must withstand the voltage disturbance caused by the fault. Most large wind turbines are of the variable-speed type, which permits maximum power tracking without resorting to fast pitch control. A common configuration is the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) with a partially (25%) rated converter connected between the rotor windings and the grid. The speed typically varies by Âą30% around the synchronous speed. While a saving is made on the size 66Â

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

Fig. 1. Types of faults in the transmission system source[1]

of the power electronic converter, it is known that a DFIG experiences inherent difficulties to ride through a grid fault due to the high voltage that can be induced in the rotor circuit. Furthermore, the mechanical slip-ring/brush-gear arrangement causes reliability concerns. A few manufacturers

have therefore adopted an alternative configuration where a fully rated converter is connected direct-in-line between a cage induction or permanent-magnet generator and the grid, as shown in the following figure.

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The active rectifier on the generator side sets the torque demand according to the speed to achieve maximum turbine power and is usually based on the technologies developed in drive control. The inverter output is then controlled to maintain the dc-link voltage at a constant value. In some circumstances, it may be necessary to restrict the inverter power output, e.g., during fault or abnormal operating conditions. In such circumstances, cross coupling may have to be introduced between the rectifier and inverter control to maintain the power balance. In the steady state, the inverter power follows the output of the peak power tracker if the conversion losses are ignored. Although other control strategies are possible, the work presented here is based on effect of the grid faults on the wind converters.

In principle, a fully rated direct-in-line converter can ride through any grid fault, whether it is symmetrical or asymmetrical.

This is because the three-phase output voltages can be independently controlled, provided that the converter switching frequency is adequately high. The inverter often works on current control where the reference current is determined by the real and reactive powers on the grid side and the dc-link voltage level. Calculation of the current demand is usually carried out with respect to the grid voltage. If the three-phase voltages form a space vector that has constant amplitude and rotates at constant speed, then the current demand will be constant in the same rotating reference frame, As a result, good dynamic performance can be achieved by the controller. However, during an unbalanced fault, the grid voltage contains a significant negative-phase-sequence component, ausing the derived current reference to be time variant. It is difficult for the actual current to follow this demand. Consequently, the power on the dc side of the inverter will have a significant second order harmonic due to the modulating interactions between the positive- and negative-phase-sequence components of the voltage and current on the ac side. Industrial experience has shown that the harmonic power associated with asymmetrical grid faults cannot be easily absorbed by the limited dc-link capacitors which are ideally located in the nacelle on the top of the turbine tower. Without significant energy storage on the dc link, the acceptable negative-phase-sequence component in the

grid voltage is very modest, which is on the order of 2%â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5%. The harmonic power or current caused by the unbalanced three phase network should be constrained by means of control.

In principle, a fully rated direct-in-line converter can ride through any grid fault, whether it is symmetrical or asymmetrical.

This is because the three-phase output voltages can be independently controlled, provided that the converter switching frequency is adequately high. The inverter often works on current control where the reference current is determined by the real and reactive powers on the grid side and the dc-link voltage level. Calculation of the current demand is usually carried out with respect to the grid voltage. If the three-phase voltages form a space vector that has constant amplitude and rotates at constant speed, then the current demand will be constant in the same rotating reference frame, As a result, good dynamic performance can be achieved by the controller. However, during an unbalanced fault, the grid voltage contains a significant negative-phase-sequence component, causing the derived current reference to be time variant. It is difficult for the actual current to follow this demand. Consequently, the power on the dc side of the inverter will have a significant second order harmonic due to the modulating interactions between the positive- and negative-phase-sequence components of the voltage and current on the ac side. Industrial experience has shown that the harmonic power associated with asymmetrical grid faults cannot be easily absorbed by the limited dc-link capacitors which are ideally located in the nacelle on the

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top of the turbine tower. Without significant energy storage on the dc link, the acceptable negative-phase-sequence component in the grid voltage is very modest, which is on the order of 2%â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5%. The harmonic power or current caused by the unbalanced three phase network should be constrained by means of control.

GRID REQUIREMENTS AND GRID FAULTS: Wind turbines connected to the grid are frequently subjected to grid faults. Initially, when the installed wind power capacity was not very high, wind turbines and wind farms were disconnected from the grid when a grid fault occurred. Today, the requirements for wind turbines have changed, i.e. they are required to remain connected during grid faults and, furthermore, to provide active support to the grid .In that respect, all existing grid codes require fault ridethrough capabilities for wind turbines.

An overview of the national grid codes in several countries is provided in the reports and a summary of the fault ride-trough requirements is given in Table 1.

Some of the national grid codes, e.g. Denmark and Ireland, have different requirements for distribution networks as well as for transmission networks, while most of the national grid codes focus only on the transmission network. The voltage profiles are defined in terms of the depth of the voltage drop and the clearance time.

One can easily observe that there is a significant span in the fault ride-through

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requirements in different countries. For example, the fault duration varies from 100 msec (in Denmark) to 625 msec (in Ireland, USA and Canada). On the other hand, the Danish grid code requires wind turbines to be able to withstand consecutive faults. The voltage sag values vary from 25% of the rated voltage in the Point of

Common Coupling (PCC), in Denmark and Ireland, down to 0% in Germany. Moreover,

electrical networks and they are characterized by a change in the voltage magnitude and by their duration, i.e. they can have time duration from milliseconds up to hours.

In statistics regarding the grid faults in different countries are presented and analysed. The grid faults, per year, in the transmission system for the Nordic countries

(Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) are presented in Fig. 1.

faults per year for the period 2000-2005 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are located in the overheads lines. Actually, in this period, the number of faults located in cables is less than 2.5% of the total number of faults.

Most of the grid faults in the 132 kV overhead lines in the Nordic countries are asymmetric, i.e. single phase fault type, as presented in Fig. 2. Nevertheless, preliminary simulation results indicate that the way the asymmetric affect the wind turbines depend strongly on the connection of the transformer windings. They may not have a big impact on the mechanical structure of the wind turbine.

The same preliminary simulation results show that symmetric (three phase) faults can potentially have biggest impact on the mechanical part, producing high torque oscillations in the drive-train and a high stress in the gear-box. The worst case scenario seems to be the case in which the symmetric fault occurs at lower wind speeds and hence low driving torque, when the generator goes into motoring mode of operation.

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a reactive current injection up to 100% during the fault is required, in the German and the Spanish grid code.

Fig. 2. Types and Frequency of different fault types on 132kV overheads line source[1]

Grid faults are events occurring in the

Notice that, excepting Norway, the most

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WI ND ENERG Y

Case Study: Sourcing of Overhead Transmission Line Conductor for Power Major, Suzlon

T

his power major involved in erection and commissioning of Wind Power Plants requires to lay overhead transmission lines from its plants that need to be mounted with electrical conductors. mjunction, in its strategic engagement with the client was assigned the project of sourcing the conductors from the most reliable sources to fetch the best optimized deal in the prevailing market.

Coverage: 15 Markets located in 6 states as below

•

Longer Delivery Lead Times and Schedule Non-Adherence that impacted the project timelines.

Project Overview: Items to be sourced: •

ACSR Dog

•

ACSR Panther

•

AL-59 Dog

•

AL-59 Panther

Projected Spend: For H2 FY12 – INR 42.18 Crores on Landed Cost basis

Item-wise Distribution of Projected Spend:

Internal aggregation of the requirements across the sites was done by the client and was provided to mjunction as per the suggested approach.

Challenges & Objective as Client’s Expectation

Expectations: The expectations from this project were high as the client indicated a host of benefits to be yielded as an outcome of this project taken up by mjunction. The important ones were related to:

•

Client had lesser number sources who were all large players.

1. Better realization of Price (Over LPP), Payment Terms, Delivery Lead Time to sustain the Fast Track project’s timelines

•

Probable cartelization among the incumbents.

2. Better Quality of Products & Supply Sources

•

Limited awareness among the client’s Procurement group about the product.

3. Introduce stringent Vendor Evaluation Criteria

•

Prior issues Conformance.

4. Deploy & Sustain a Risk Mitigation Mechanism- Supply risk

Challenges:

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with

Quality

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

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5. Ensure Transparency in Negotiation Mechanism 6. Creating level playing field amongst the existing suppliers of client and the newly developed sources encompassing the large players and mid-range manufacturers.

information / prices of the conductors to be sourced and update the client accordingly, if prices are available in the public domain.

Our Solution Approach •

Due diligence was conducted by mjunction Category Experts to identify the potential sources on the mapped capabilities.

•

Stringent validation criteria were introduced for selection of shortlisted vendors based on the following parameters:

2. Train / educate vendors about the electronic media/ software that mjunction would use for conducting sourcing of goods and services and e-sourcing events / bidding process.

3. Provide all necessary clarifications to vendors on behalf of the client. Obtain all clarifications from vendors as deemed fit and essential for conduct of sourcing events. Obtain all written confirmation from vendors as called for in Request for Quotation (RFQ) specification / documents.

4. Devise lotting strategy and segregate the markets for the negotiation 5. Define online bidding rules, conduct on line bid & generate report.

Recommendation of vendor with price confirmation from vendor.

6. mjunction shall ensure that there is no cartel formation & there should be maximum / wide participation of vendors to get competitive & best prices with best quality of goods.

7. mjunction shall conduct sourcing events as per the schedule mutually agreed upon with the client. Any change in the schedule by mjunction shall be informed to the client & shall be approved.

8. The performance of mjunction shall be monitored as per points below. mjunction shall submit a performance report to the client on negotiated savings obtaining final quotation from the suppliers as per final bid; design the procurement process for consistency & repeatability.

Process capability improvement

b.

Consistency & repeatability.

10. mjunction will attempt to gather market 70

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

o

Total Installed Manufacturing C a p a c i t y fo r A l u m i n i u m Conductors

o

Actual Production of conductors for the past 3 financial year

o

In-house testing facility & List of Testing Equipment

o

Type Test Approval Reports (As received from various testing agencies)

o

No. and Location of manufacturing plants

o

Annual Sales Turn Over for the Last Financial Year

o

List of Major Customers

o

Quality Certification if any

o

Copy of the last Audited Balance Sheet

•

Supportings were made mandatory wherever applicable and the credentials were scrutinized rigorously to ensure qualification.

•

All drawings and technical data sheets were collected for review by the client’s Technology Selection Group.

•

Appropriate weightage was assigned to each of these criteria and a comprehensive scoring was obtained.

•

The final list of 3 qualifying vendors were put up for the client’s approval and all were approved for participation

•

9. mjunction will ensure Electrical Conductors procurement process will be a a.

•

The RFQ was devised in consultation with the client and was floated to all the 9 qualifying vendors that included both existing and new sources.

•

15 distinct lots were formed based on the site-wise projection given by the client

•

It was ensured through religious liaison with the vendors to obtain acceptance of the RFQ Terms & Conditions about Delivery Schedules, Order Distribution, and Selection of Market & Payment Terms etc.

•

Final Award of Contract was linked to Site Tours & Inspection of the winning bidders.

Vendor Sourcing:

Scope of Work 1. Prioritize/finalize the schedule of sourcing of Conductors in consultation with concerned segment of procurement division

Best Deal negotiation

2 more suppliers later recommended by the client were also put through the same validation process to ensure the level playing field is established.

•

Extensive training was imparted to all the participating bidders to ensure effectiveness.

•

Online Sealed Bids were solicited to capture the Market Feel and arrive at the Start Bid Price for negotiation.

•

Dynamic Bidding ensued in all the markets among the 6 participating vendors.

Outcome : 1. All suppliers were equated at a level playing field and the unique approach yielded an identifiable savings of INR 86.80 Lacs.

2. The vendor validation criteria introduced by mjunction has now been institutionalized across the relevant item categories procured by the client.

3. Operating Cash Flow was improved due to changes in Payment Terms from the traditional 90 Days of LC to 90 Days Open Credit <3 of the 9 vendors selected initially backed out during negotiation event indicating non-acceptance.

However, adequate number of sources were persuaded to accept this term to ensure the Best Deal> 4. Paved avenues to unlock savings for the metals used in the manufacturing of ACSR & AL59 conductors In comparison with Market Index of H1 with H2 of the FY’11-12 to ascertain a TCO approach in future.

5. Learning was documented for using in subsequent events of similar capacity

RFQ, Lotting & Strategy Formulation: •

Negotiation:

A uniform Price Basis was finalized for

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T RA NSMI SSI O N & D I ST RI B UT I O N

Can Electricity Regulators compel Distribution Utilities to be Energy Efficient?

The Big Dilemma or pure greed?

Rasika Gokhale Athawale

Distribution Utilities or Companies (Discoms) are in the business of energy supply. Therefore any action which leads to reduction in sales would not find favor with these companies. This is precisely the reason why the Discoms have so far put minimal efforts in devising and implementing energy efficiency programs or what is also otherwise referred to as Demand Side Management (DSM) measures.

One of the common arguments put forward to stir up utilities’ interest is that investment in energy efficiency measures is beneficial for them as well, since it helps to shave the peak load. This in turn saves the utility from expensive peak load power purchases.

H

owever the tariff regulations, issued by most of the Indian State Electricity Regulatory Commissions, which allow all ‘power purchase cost’ as a pass-through - negates this argument.

power purchase requirement. To top it all,

There is no disincentive for the utility to exceed its projected quantum of short-term power purchase and pay steep prices for purchasing power during peak times. In the past some of the distribution utilities have burdened the consumers with high power purchase costs – amounts which could have easily justified any energy efficiency measure, and could have lead to reduction of peak

Under such circumstances how can the

an absence of retail competition worsens the situation further as the consumers have no choice but to continue being supplied by the inefficient utility.

regulators compel utilities to implement energy efficiency programs?

Energy Efficiency Purchase Obligation can be a Regulatory lever In May 2010, the Forum of Indian Regulators had issued a model DSM

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Regulation which was based upon the draft prepared by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

The Forum of Indian Regulators had also approved the Regulated Multi-state DSM Program, which is aimed to promote longterm utility based DSM initiatives.

Since then the model regulation has been adopted by many state regulators to issue their own DSM Implementation Framework Regulations. These regulations provide for the process to be followed by a utility in preparing its DSM programs and getting them approved from the regulatory commission. The regulation also talks EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

71

about the funding methodology and system for monitoring and evaluation. However these regulations are silent on the penalty mechanism in case the utilities are not able to meet the DSM targets set for them.

Further the Government of India has approved the National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE), which is one out of the eight missions planned under the National Action Plan on Climate Change.

Under this initiative the GoI is all set to create one of the worlds’ largest energy saving certificate trading platform by mid of the year 2012 – the market is expected to be USD 3 billion per year. The idea is to set energy efficiency targets for the identified users, which comprise of energy intensive industries such as oil refineries, steel plant, paper mills etc.

in place. These include UK, Italy, Denmark, Belgium (Flanders Region), France, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Energy Efficiency Obligations are popular in the US too, where individual states have their own set targets referred to as Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERSs). In Australia, the Victorian Government has had announced to introduce a Victorian Energy Efficiency Target, which would require energy retailers with more than 5000 Victorian customers to surrender white certificates proportional to their share of the Victorian energy market.

energy usage information they have and the economies of scale they can bring in terms of procurement and execution. At the same time absence of encouraging regulatory guidelines and tariff setting rules can hinder them to take actions. Nevertheless energy efficiency should be an important and high priority agenda and newer innovative mechanisms are atleast a worth try.

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Is there a possibility that the above two initiatives could be clubbed whereby the Discoms are made a part of this mission and the regulators can perform the monitoring and evaluation task?

A mechanism for Energy Efficiency Purchase Obligation (EEPO) can be worked out, which could be conceptually similar to the Renewable Purchase Obligation (whereby a utility has to meet part of its power purchases through renewable sources of power).

Energy Efficiency Obligation entails a legal obligation on the power retailers or distributors to promote and stimulate investments in programs which will result in savings of energy for the end users. In lieu of the efforts put in and the resultant effect, the utility is awarded energy saving credits, popularly known as White Certificates. One of the benefits of an EEPO mechanism over the traditional ones is that it leads to low-cost solutions as the utilities will try their best to devise and choose only those programs which could give highest results at the lowest costs.

Another advantage of EEPO will be further boost to the ESCOs (Energy Saving Companies) Industry thereby creating more jobs. ESCOs are companies which devise and implement energy efficiency projects and trade the generated white certificates with the utilities. Small and Medium Enterprises can effectively make use of this opportunity to serve as ESCOs. This market based mechanism is fairly popular in the Europe where seven countries have energy efficiency obligation mechanism 72

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

Source: World Energy Council

The table below provides a brief snapshot of the energy efficiency obligation targets, costs and penalty structure for some of the countries.

EEPO has largely been a successful initiative till date. Most notable is the success achieved in Denmark, where over the past 30 years the country’s energy consumption has been almost static even with a moderate economic growth of the country – phenomenon often termed as ‘Danish Miracle’. In the Italian market the White Certificate Program results have outpaced the initial targets.

During the period 2005 – 2009, as against a target of 6.5 million toe, the actual energy saving achieved was 6.7 million toe.

The UK has gone a step ahead and has introduced the Community Energy Savings Programs (CESP) which has placed energy saving obligation on the generators as well.

Way Forward

About the Author Bio: Rasika is the Founder of MindCrunch, a boutique business outsourcing and advisory firm which aims to assist the SME sector. In the past while working with Management Consulting firms KPMG and PwC, she has advised clients on business plans, market entry and growth strategies, competition analysis and PPP structuring. She regularly writes for business magazines such as SME World and Business Review India.

It cannot be denied that utilities are often best placed to deliver energy efficiency programs, given the amount of end user

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I N V ERV I EW

The Benefits of a Balanced Approach to Lubricant Formulation Dr. Angela Galiano-Roth,

Industrial Lubricants Technology program leader, ExxonMobil Research & Engineering

Today, manufacturing companies are under significant pressure to maximize productivity and stay ahead of their competition. While at the same time, these companies are also seeking new ways to enhance their overall energy efficiency, reduce energy costs, and demonstrate to their partners and customers that they are committed to sustainable practices.

To help strike this operating balance, companies are assessing many promising avenues, including evaluating and improving equipment performance and reliability with the use of high-performance, synthetic lubricants.

Below, Dr. Angela Galiano-Roth, Industrial Lubricants Technology program leader, ExxonMobil Research & Engineering, provides insights into the latest lubricants trends for industrial equipment.

Dr. Galiano-Roth shares how advances in equipment design have resulted in companies relying more on synthetic oils to help enhance performance, and discusses the benefits of ExxonMobil’s “balanced approach” to lubricant formulation.

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

73

EQ : What do you see as the key challenges faced by industrial companies today?

Galiano-Roth: Increasing global competition and maintaining an edge on your competitors are paramount concerns in today’s global manufacturing marketplace.

That’s why, in every market we serve, ExxonMobil focuses steadfastly to ensure that we remain at the forefront of lubrication technology, so that we can help our customers achieve their operational goals.

By so doing, we can offer our customers advanced technology and the highest level of application expertise and be sure that our Mobil-branded industrial lubricants consistently deliver exceptional performance.

Combined, these help enable them to maximize their productivity and stay ahead of their competitors.

Along with increased global competition, manufacturing companies must also deal with the maintenance challenges that are often associated with today’s industrial machinery.

many turn to our Mobil SHC branded

Finally, we follow in-service testing

synthetic lubricants to help maximize the

protocols to validate the performance of

performance and durability of their critical

our candidate in field demonstrations.

equipment.

Throughout the entire process, we

EQ: How does ExxonMobil approach its process of developing the right lubricants for its customers’ needs?

Galiano-Roth: The traditional method of lubricant manufacturing centers on blending conventional base stock with an off-the-shelf additive package to create a product that will meet basic industry specifications.

collaborate with equipment manufacturers and our customers to ensure that we optimize the performance of our lubricants so they are ready to take on both the specific lubrication requirements of today’s industrial machinery and the operational challenges of a manufacturing plant.

Only after successful completion of all of these testing protocols will we designate a lubricant fit to become part of our Mobil

As a company that helped pioneer synthetic lubricant technology, ExxonMobil devotes significant resources to product research and development. We use an advanced, scientifically engineered formulation approach that helps leverage the company’s leading technology and application

SHC family.

That’s why we don’t develop lubricants with the sole purpose of being able to claim a high number in terms of energy efficiency, or any other single attribute.

And, that’s why we continue to embrace our proven balanced formulation approach,

expertise.

We call this ExxonMobil’s Balanced Formulation Approach.

so that we can provide our customers with the advanced lubricants they need to help maximize productivity and enhance the life

This comprehensive process enables us

Over the past 10 to 15 years,

to develop lubricants that deliver exceptional

manufacturers have developed equipment

performance across all critical areas for

that is more compact and efficient and

each application – such as oxidative stability,

delivers high load capacity with a smaller

component wear protection, corrosion control,

footprint than ever before. Although these

filterability, shear stability and extreme

newer units deliver better performance and

temperature performance.

of their critical equipment.

EQ: You mentioned energy efficiency. How important is it now for your lubricants not only to deliver exceptional performance, but also energy efficiency benefits?

increased productivity, they can be more

From the start, our scientists select

difficult to maintain, as they typically run

advanced technology base stocks and carefully

Galiano-Roth: Energy efficiency is a

hotter and faster than their predecessors

design additive systems to complement the

key issue for companies in the manufacturing

– putting more stress on a smaller volume

excellent lubrication properties of these

of lubricant.

base fluids.

That’s why so much of today’s industrial equipment requires high-performance oils and greases that can deliver extended protection, like our technology-leading Mobil SHC line of industrial synthetic lubricants.

Today’s successful companies view preventive and predictive maintenance and high performance lubricants as investments to help ensure long-term success.

We then put our technology-driven lubricant candidate through a comprehensive range of industry standard laboratory tests.

Some lubricant development programs would end here.

At ExxonMobil Research & Engineering, we supplement industry standard testing with our full-scale, industrial equipment rig tests.

These proprietary rig tests are designed

They recognize that conventional,

to stress the lubricant candidate under

mineral-based lubricants are limited in their

conditions that are even more demanding

capabilities, especially when compared to

than it is likely to experience in severe

advanced technology synthetics. As a result,

operating environments.

74

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

sector. Obviously, from an operating and financial perspective, reducing energy usage can have a positive impact on a company’s bottom line.

Also, minimizing energy consumption can help companies demonstrate to their partners and customers that they are committed to sustainable practices.

I am proud to say that the latest additions to our flagship Mobil SHC line of synthetic industrial lubricants not only deliver exceptional, long-lasting performance and protection, they also feature valuable energy efficiency benefits.

The latest additions to our Mobil SHC

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family include the next generation of our

program is another vital component of a

popular Mobil SHC 600 Series of synthetic,

successful preventative maintenance plan.

circulating lubricants, and the Mobil SHC Gear Series, a family of supreme performance synthetic, industrial gear oils.

In controlled laboratory gearbox testing and statistically validated field tests

An ideal solution for companies that

energy savings of up to 3.6 percent when compared with conventional oils.

Establishing representative sampling points and intervals

l

Identifying subtle trends that

want to enhance their oil analysis monitoring

could contribute to sub-optimal

in an efficient and cost-effective way is

performance

ExxonMobil’s proprietary Signum Oil Analysis Program.

at customer locations, these Mobil SHC synthetic lubricants were shown to deliver

l

l

Documenting recommendations and confirmation of benefits achieved through

A state-of-the-art, web-based oil analysis

reduced unscheduled downtime, machine

program, Signum Oil Analysis is specifically

replacement parts, oil consumption, and

tailored to monitor the condition of in-service

labor costs

oil and equipment components, based on

l

Conducting on-site training to create

Based on these exceptional results, these

leading equipment builder specifications,

lubrication awareness

oils have earned ExxonMobil Lubricants and

international standards, and our application

Petroleum Specialties Company’s official

expertise.

By leveraging Signum Oil Analysis

designation for “Energy Efficient” industrial lubricants. They will now feature ExxonMobil Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties Company’s proprietary “Energy Efficiency” logo on product packaging.

This Energy Efficiency logo is a visible statement that users can easily recognise and be confident that they are purchasing and

with the application expertise of our

Signum Oil Analysis enables us to take

engineers, plant managers and maintenance

oil analysis to the next level, making it easier

professionals always have, at their fingertips,

for maintenance professionals to ensure the

a wealth of valuable information that can

long life and productivity of the equipment.

help them make informed maintenance

Our engineers work closely with

decisions. nnn

customers to create a turnkey program through:

using ExxonMobil’s potentially energy-saving industrial lubricant technology.

With the outstanding balanced performance and additional energy efficiency benefits that Mobil SHC Gear and Mobil SHC 600 lubricants deliver, we can help our customers maximize their productivity and bring them closer to achieving their sustainability goals.

EQ: In addition to choosing the right lubricants, what are some of the other key components of a successful, preventative maintenance program?

Galiano-Roth: I cannot overemphasize that choosing the correct lubricants is the most fundamental component of a successful, preventative maintenance program.

To help our customers with this process, we recently introduced Looble, our, advanced online industrial lubricant selector. Looble is a user-friendly tool that delivers targeted Mobil-branded lubricant recommendations, based upon users’ specific industries, equipment and application conditions.

About the Author: Angela Galiano-Roth has worked for ExxonMobil Research and Engineering for more than 20 years, applying her world-class expertise in lubricant base stock and additive technologies to the development of industrial lubricants under the Mobil SHC and Mobil Industrial Lubricants brands..

As Industrial Lubricant Technology program leader, in ExxonMobil’s Products Research and Technology Department, Dr. Galiano-Roth is responsible for the development, testing and support of the company’s industry-leading, industrial lubricants.

Dr. Galiano-Roth holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Cornell University and is a member of The Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers, American Chemical Society and American Gear Manufacturers Association.

She has also authored numerous technical publications that highlight the benefits of synthetic lubricants and gear technology; and is an inventor for 12 lubricant-technology patents or applications.

Beyond selecting the optimum lubricant, implementing a comprehensive oil analysis

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EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

75

SMA RT GRI D

Creating Smarter Grids For An Energy Efficient World Manu Puri, General Manager – Energy Utilities, IBM Global Business Services,

and India/

The demand for electricity is increasing tremendously across the globe. As we witness rapid urbanization, industrialization, and associated lifestyle change, the need for electric supply will surge. The electricity generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, as it stands today has been built over the last 100 years. Although newer power plants are being built, new transmission lines are being laid and new customers are being added to the electricity distribution network, but the power distribution infrastructure calls for a huge revamp, as it is reeling under ageing assets.

In India this is highlighted by the fact that, most of the Indian distribution utilities are still suffering from AT & C (Aggregate Technical and Commercial) losses in the range of 25% to 30%. In addition the peak load shortage on an average is also at 8% to 10%.

W

ith all the inefficiencies plus

the power produced”. The decisions that we

to it, is critical for a more energy-efficient

the growth and ever shrinking

take and the work that we do in the next 5

world. Smart grids connect the power

resources to generate power

to 10 years will decide how we will use our

generators, distributors and consumers to

with the increasing level of carbon footprint,

electricity network for the next 100 years.

ensure end consumer gets reliable power.

puts a question to us that “will we continue to use and manage electricity the same way we have been doing for the last few decades or will we try to change the way we manage 76

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

Hence, creating a smart grid, an electricity network that can intelligently integrate the actions of all users connected

This also means that the power generator and distributor needs complete information about the consumer on an, as much as possible, real time

www.EQMagLive.com

Components of a Smart Grid To give a high level view of the establishment of a smart grid, it is the end to

a.

Technology

b.

People,

c.

Process

challenges on the electrical distribution; hence the government efforts are also concentrated on making the power distribution side smart, rather than the generation side. Efforts in this direction have been in terms of APDRP, R-APDRP Part A and B, mainly concentrating to make the base infrastructure stronger so that smart grid technologies can be implemented.

In a distribution utility, decisions need to be made at various levels to select the best technology that should be used. As all the levels need to be enabled to interact with each other, all these decisions need to be taken holistically and any one step cannot precede the other.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first take up the business applications layer. At the business applications layer, the organization needs to see what business applications are already available with the organization,

end connectivity of generator and distributor to end customer. The picture given below lists

for example an organization may

Technology

down the various stages at which a utility network needs to be monitored.

Elaborating the definition given above, the components of the smart grid can mainly

have an ERP already implemented. So if you have an ERP implemented you may

Technology is the most integral and

want to align the business presentation and

challenging part of a smart grid infrastructure,

reporting as per your ERP reporting. There

but thankfully a lot of work has already been

are some ERPs that come with a MDM

done on technology of smart grids.

(Meter Data Management) integrated and

be divided in three parts:

In the Indian context, there are larger

for some you may have to take a third party MDM. Which one an organization takes, is a decision an organization needs to take completely based on the organization objectives and the goals it wants to achieve from a smart grid implementation. Along with the business applications, the organization also needs to keep in mind the database the organization has. Ideally organizations try to maintain the same database across applications.

The main reason being the, integration of devices. The integration of devices points to the decisions that need to be made around the System Integration Platform and network devices. The decisions on System Integration and Network Devices are important

www.EQMagLive.com

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

77Â

as these decisions form the backbone of

or are also given by independent software

end process design needs to be documented.

the entire smart grid infrastructure. The

providers.

The entire organization needs to be aligned

decisions on these also need to be taken, taking into account the current infrastructure so as to ensure that any new infrastructure coming in can seamlessly integrate with the current infrastructure. Besides the current infrastructure, it also needs to be seen what the communication backbone that is being established is.

At the bottom of the value chain of a smart gird, although one of the most important The role of HAN is to control appliances at home or at the customer’s end. HAN is a device attached to the meter which gives a

Challenges in Implementation of Smart Grid

detailed display to a customer on the usage and usage patterns of electricity. Through the HAN a utility can control the customer’s

depend on the kind of area that is being

home appliances like air conditioning, heating

covered and the demographic landscape of

equipment etc.

implemented on a thinly populated area, the

smart grid technologies.

devise is the HAN (home area networks).

This communication backbone will

the area. In case the smart grid is being

towards the same motive of implementing

Although there are many benefits in implementing a smart grid project, there are also some challenges that need to be dealt with: a. Initial capital investment. The current

People

infrastructure may need a major capital

technologies maybe different and in case it

Although technology is an important

investment to implement the smart grid

is being implemented on a thickly populated

and core part of a smart grid framework, but

technologies, for example the meters.

area the technology maybe different. The

we also need to remember that with these

Hence an organization needs to be

communication technology is also dependent

changes and automations there would be

judicious while taking decisions for a

on the kind and mix of customer. In case

huge change made in the way people interact

smart grid implementation.

of C & I (Commercial and Industrial)

with, and work at a utility. There maybe a

customers, the technology maybe different

different way meter readings are taken. If

needs to be in place, so that the data flow

and for residential customers the technology

the network becomes self healing, it may lead

is seamless. As part of communication

maybe different. Even in case of high usage,

to an automatic detection of faults. Due to

infrastructure the meter communication

residential will be different than a low usage

all these changes, the people currently doing

protocol needs to be uniform.

customer.

these jobs will have to be retrained or given

Moving to the components which are

different jobs.

b.

c.

A Robust communication infrastructure

A utility needs to realistically calculate the ROI of a smart grid project and may

used to give data to the communication

The way a utility deals with a customer

devices, so that the same can be transferred to

may change. There maybe a whole new set

the servers for analysis. To capture this data,

of customer complaints that may have to be

devices such as smart meters and sensors

dealt with and to cater to them a different

need to be established at the customer’s end.

kind of staff maybe required. Hence a smart

Smart meters are one of the most important

grid project needs to be clubbed with huge

device of the entire smart grid chain, so the

change management initiative. There needs

decision on the smart meter needs to be taken

to be a proper stakeholder communication

judiciously. The organization needs to know

designed, which also needs to take the

what is the data and analysis they need to do

regulator into confidence.

and what are the gains they are targeting.

The stakeholders, which are the

Based on the answers to these questions,

employees, customers and regulators need

the smart meter needs to be selected. As it

to be convinced that there is merit in doing

stands today, smart meters also call for the

the project and the project will benefit the

largest investment in terms of the smart grid

end customer. However before a utility takes

framework, hence all parameters need to be

up a smart grid project, the role and issues of

evaluated before installing smart meters,

everyone concerned needs to be well thought

however efforts are being made to bring

through so that problems do not arise at the

down the costs of smart meters.

time of implementation.

start with a limited pilot and then go for roll outs on the entire territory.

Conclusion With the natural resources declining and global population increasing, it is critical that we adopt technologies that are sophisticated, efficient, and future ready. Organizations across the world need to move towards smart grid technologies – sooner or later. While there may be challenges involved, if planned well it would be a landmark project for the utility, which will forever change the way a utility functions and bring in huge efficiencies and gains to the organization, and the planet at large.

nnn

Along with the smart meters, decision also needs to be made on, MDM (Meter Data management) and MDAS (Meter Data Acquisition Systems) so that the data generated from meters can be acquired and analysed. MDM and MDAS are software that are provided by meter manufacturers 78

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

Processes Along with the technology advancement, the process documentation within the utility organization also needs to change. Based on the extent of implementation, the end to

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CONFERENCE & EVENTS India Sustainability Conclave 2012 Date: 01-03 Mar, 2012 Place: New Delhi Organiser: FICCI Tel.: 91-11-2348 7443 Email: environment@ficci.com Web.: www.ficci.com

Thin Film Solar Summit Europe Date: 05-06 Mar, 2012 Place: Berlin Organiser: PV Insider Tel.: 44 (0) 20 7375 7156 Email: max@pv-insider.com Web.: www.pv-insider.com/thinfilmeu/index.php

Deeper Water offshore Wind Date: 7-Mar, 2012 Place: London Organiser: Global Insight Conferences Tel.: 44 (0)20 7953 4016 Email: info@offshorewindconference.com Web.: http://www.offshorewindconference.com/

RENERGY 2012 Date: 12-13 Mar, 2012 Place: Chennai Organiser: Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency Tel.: 91 - 98413 48117 Email: teda@renergy2012.com Web.: http://www.renergy2012.com/

CSP India Today 2012 Date: 14-15 Mar, 2012 Place: New Delhi Organiser: CSP Today Tel.: 44 (0) 20 7375 7556 Email: bea@csptoday.com Web.: http://www.csptoday.com/india/index.php

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Wind Power 2012 PV America 2012 Date: 19-21 Mar, 2012 Place: San Jose,CA Organiser: Solar Energy Industry Association Tel.: 202-595-1144 Email: lcohen@solarenergytradeshows.com Web.: http://www.pvamericaexpo.com/index.html

Date: 27-28 Mar, 2012 Place: Johannesburg Organiser: Terrapinn Tel.: 27 (0) 11 463 6001 Email: enquiry.za@terrapinn.com Web.: www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/wind-power-

africa/index.stm

Solarcon China 2012 Date: 20-22 Mar, 2012 Place: Shanghai Organiser: Semi Tel.: 86 21 5027 0909 Email: exie@semi.org Web.: http://www.semi.org.cn/solarconchina/en/

7th Asia Solar PV Industry Exinbition 2012 Date: 21-23 Mar, 2012 Place: Shanghai Organiser: Shanghai AiExpo Exhibition Services

Co., Ltd Tel.: 86-21-65929965 36411666 Email: info@aiexpo.com.cn Web.: http://www.asiasolar.cc/en/index.asp

International Green Energy Expo Korea Date: 28-30 Mar, 2012 Place: Korea Organiser: EXCO, Korea Energy News Tel.: 82-53-601-5371 Email: energy@excodaegu.co.kr Web.: www.energyexpo.co.kr/eng/

PV Power Plants - EU 2012 Date: 29-30 Mar, 2012 Place: Austria Organiser: Solar Praxis Tel.: 49 (0)30 72 62 96-310 Email: anika.sperling@solarpraxis.de Web.: http://www.solarpraxis.de/en/conferences/

pv-power-plants-eu-2012/general-information/

Photovoltaidc Fab Manager Forum 2012

Qatar Alternative Energy Investor Summit

Date: 25-27 Mar, 2012 Place: Berlin Organiser: PV Group Tel.: 49 30 3030 80770 K174 Email: sraithel@semi.org Web.: http://www.pvgroup.org/Events/p040664

Date: 02-03 April, 2012 Place: Qatar Organiser: Naseba Tel.: 971 4367 1376 Email: register@qaeis.com Web.: http://www.qaeis.com/

EE Global 2012 Date: 27-29 Mar, 2012 Place: Florida Organiser: Alliance To Save Energy Tel.: 408.395.0059 Email: pturner@firstoptionevents.com Web.: http://www.eeglobalforum.org/index.html

EWEA 2012 Date: 16-19 April, 2012 Place: Denmark Organiser: EWEA Tel.: 32 2 213 18 60 Email: events@ewea.org Web.: http://events.ewea.org/annual2012/

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CONFERENCE & EVENTS Power Gen India & Central Asia /Renewable Energy World 2012 Date: 19-21 April, 2012 Place: New Delhi Organiser: PennWell Corporation,Inter Ads Exhibi-

tions Pvt Ltd Tel.: 44 (0)1992 656 610, 91 124 452 4508 Email: avnish-seth@interadsindia.com Web.: http://www.power-genindia.com/index.html

Indian Solar Investment & Technology Summit & Exhibition 2012 Date: 19-20 April, 2012 Place: Ahmedabad Organiser: Solar Media Tel.: 44 20 7871 0123 Email: gnair@solarmedia.co.uk

Solar Expo Date: 09-11 May, 2012 Place: Italy Organiser: Expoenergie Tel.: 39 0439 84 98 55 Email: brouxp@solarexpo.com Web.: www.solarexpo.com/SE/EN/

World Renewable Energy Forum Solar Date: 13-18 May, 2012 Place: Colorado Organiser: American Solar Energy Society Inc Tel.: 720.420.7939 Email: khotchkiss@ases.org Web.: ases.org/index.php?option=com_content&vie

w=article&id=18&Itemid=147

Genera 2012 Date: 23-25 May, 2012 Place: Madrid Organiser: IFEMA Tel.: 34 91 722 57 22 Email: nuria.ochagavia@ifema.es Web.: www.ifema.es

2nd CSP Plant Optimisation conference EU Date: 31-May-1 June Place: Spain Organiser: CSP Today Tel.: 44 (0) 20 7375 7248 Email: matt@csptoday.com Web.: http://www.csptoday.com/optimisationeu-

rope/index.shtml

Solar Power Mexico Hannover Messe 2012 Date: 23-27 April, 2012 Place: Hannover Organiser: Deutsche Messe Tel.: 49 511 89-31158 Email: Web : http://www.hannovermesse.de/home

3rd Renewable Energy Technology Congress 2012 Date: 25-27 April, 2012 Place: New Delhi Organiser: Energy And Enviroment Foundation Tel.: 91-11-24538318 Email: punit.nagi@wretc.in Web.: http://www.wretc.in/index.aspx

T & D Outage Management America 2012 Date: 25-27 April, 2012 Place: USA Organiser: Eventful Power Ltd Tel.: 44 (0)20 8452 7268 Email: info@eventfulpower.com Web.: http://www.eventfulpower.com/

Date: 15-16 May, 2012 Place: Mexico Organiser: Green Power Conferences Tel.: 44 (0)20 3355 4205 Email: james.brady@greenpowerconferences.com Web : http://www.greenpowerconferences.com/

Wind Power Mexico Date: 15-16 May, 2012 Place: Mexico Organiser: Green Power Conferences Tel.: 44 (0)207 099 0600 Email: info@greenpowerconferences.com Web : http://www.greenpowerconferences.com/

6th SENEC PV Expo 2012 Date: 16-18 May, 2012 Place: Shanghai Organiser: Follow Me International Exhibition Ltd. Tel.: 86-21-64276991 Email: info@snec.org.cn Web.: http://www.snec.org.cn/lt111e.asp

Power Gen Europe

Date: 12-14 June Place: Cologne Organiser: Penn well Tel.: 44 1992 656 617 Email: exhibitpge@pennwell.com Web.: http://www.powergeneurope.com/index.html

Inter solar Europe

Date: 13-14 June Place: Munich Organiser: Solar Promotion GmbH Tel.: 49 7231 58598-0 Email: steffen@intersolar.in Web.: http://www.intersolar.de/en/intersolar.html

20th European Biomass Conference & Exibition 2012

Date: 18-22 Jun Place: Italy Organiser: WIP-Renewable Energies ,ETA-Florence

Renewable Energies Tel.: 49 89 720 12 765, 39 055 500 22 80 Email: biomass.conference@wip-munich.de Web.: www.conference-biomass.com/ Welcome.404.0.html

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82

EQ INTERNATIONAL January/February 12

"

www.EQMagLive.com

EQ International Editorial Programme 2012 Editorial Features

Issue 11 January/ February 2012

Planned Bonus Distribution 3rd International Wind Conference & Exhibition WE 20 by 20-20

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Solar PV

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Solar Thermal

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Solar Inverter & BOS

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Track & Mounting Structures

PV Korea, 2012

Korea

15-17 Feb, 2012

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Solar Manufacturing

PV Expo, 2012

Tokyo

29 Feb-2 Mar, 2012

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Smart Grid & Metering

PV America, 2012

Sanjose

19-21 Mar, 2012

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Wind Energy In India

7th Asia Solar PV Industry Exhibition, 2012

Shanghai

21-23 Mar, 2012

International Green Energy Expo, 2012

Korea

28-30 Mar, 2012

Coimbatore

5-7 Feb, 2012

Enter Tech World Expo

Mumbai

8-11 Feb, 2012

2nd International Power Transmission Expo

Mumbai

9-11 Feb, 2012

EQ Solar Map of India 2nd Edition 2012 12 March/ April 2012

13 May/June 2012

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Engines & Turbines Waste to Energy Cogeneration & Trigeneration Combine Cycle Power Plant Carbon Capture & Storages IT in Power Biomass & Biofules Solar Power In India Solar PV (Markets & Technologies) CPV Solar Manufacturing Technology Solar Invertor & BOS Trackers & Mounting Structures Solar PV Farms Solar Thermal

Power Gen India & Central Asia / Renewable Energy New Delhi World, 2012 Hannover Messe Hanover

23-27 April, 2012

3rd Renewable Energy Technology Congress, 2012

25-27 April, 2012

New Delhi

19-21 April, 2012

Solar Expo, 2012

Italy

09-11 May, 2012

World Renewable Energy Forum, Solar, 2012

Colorado

13-18 May, 2012

6th SNEC PV Expo, 2012

Shanghai

16-18 May, 2012

Genera, 2012

Madrid

23-25 May, 2012

Power Gen Europe

Cologne

12-13 June, 2012

InterSolar, 2012

Europe

13-15 June, 2012

InterSolar, 2012

USA

10-12 July, 2012

EQ Indian Companies Energy Directory 2012 14 July/ August 2012

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15 September/ October 2012

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16 November/ December 2012

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Solar Manufacturing in India Geothermal Energy & Heatpumps Wind Energy in India Energy Efficiency Smart Grid & Metering Automation & Control Systems Hybrid Power Plants

Renewable Energy In India Solar PV & CSP Plants In India Solar Manufacturing Invertors & BOS Trackers & Mounting Structures Metering & Smart Grid Automation & Control Systems Bio Energy, Biomass, Biofuels Solar Energy In India Wind Power Waste To Energy Energy Effeciency Hybrid Power Plants Power Plant Optimization

SolarCon, India, 2012

Bangalore

01-03 Sep, 2012

PV Rome Mediterranean, 2012

Italy

05-07 Sep, 2012

Electronica & Productronica India, 2012

Bangalore

11-13 Sep, 2012

Solar Power International, 2012

USA

10-13 Sep, 2012

27 EUPV SEC, 2012

Hamburg

24-28 Sep, 2012

PV Taiwan, 2012

Taiwan

03-05 Oct, 2012

EnerSolar+2012

Italy

24-26 Oct 2012

India Electricity, 2012

New Delhi

2012

6th Renewable Energy India Expo, 2012

Greater Noida

07-09 Nov, 2012

InterSolar India, 2012

Mumbai

06-08 Nov, 2012

Wind Power India , 2012

Chennai

28-30 Nov, 2012

World Future Energy Summit, 2013

Abu Dhabi

2013

Cansia Event 2012