EQ Magazine March 2019 Edition

Volume #11 | Issue #3 | March 2019 | Rs.5/- | Page-1

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I N T E R N AT I O N A L | India’s Oldest & Leading Solar Media Group |

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CONT EN T

VOLUME 11 Issue # 03

Disclaimer,Limitations of Liability While every efforts has been made to ensure the high quality and accuracy of EQ international and all our authors research articles with the greatest of care and attention ,we make no warranty concerning its content,and the magazine is provided on an>> as is <<basis.EQ international contains advertising and third –party contents.EQ International is not liable for any third- party content or error,omission or inaccuracy in any advertising material ,nor is it responsible for the availability of external web sites or their contents

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india Guj Govt eyes 2.20 lakh crore investment in renewable energy

31 solar projects Adani Green Energy arm bags 390 MWac hybrid renewable project

40 energy storage

Lithium-air batteries may power future cars, houses: Study

50 PV Manufacturing

Meyer Burger divests its wafering business to Precision Surfacing Solutions

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The data and information presented in this magazine is provided for informational purpose only.neither EQ INTERNATINAL ,Its affiliates,Information providers nor content providers shall have any liability for investment decisions based up on or the results obtained from the information provided. Nothing contained in this magazine should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sale any securities. The facts and opinions stated in this magazine do not constitute an offer on the part of EQ International for the sale or purchase of any securities, nor any such offer intended or implied Restriction on use The material in this magazine is protected by international copyright and trademark laws. You may not modify,copy,reproduce,republish,post,transmit,or distribute any part of the magazine in any way.you may only use material for your personall,NonCommercial use, provided you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices. want to use material for any non-personel,non commercial purpose,you need written permission from EQ International.

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electric vehicle Blu Smart Mobility Invests $10mln to accelerate adoption of sustainable shared electric mobility

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16 24 Business & finance

india Pranav R Mehta becomes first Indian to Head Global Solar Council

ADB Invests $20 Million in AC Energy Climate Bond to Finance Regional Clean Energy Projects

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inverter Ingeteam closes 2018 with a total supply of 3.85 GW in PV inverters

55 electric vehicle

Hubbali-Dharwad Smart City’s green mobility corridor project bags Rs 80cr funding

59 technology

technology GoodWe’s Acceleratorto Grid ParityVersatile 80kW String Inverters

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1366 Technologies and Hanwha Q CELLS Partner on World’s First Factory to Feature Direct Wafer® Manufacturing Process

Products

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KACO new energy presents storage system with new hybrid inverter

EQ NEWS Pg. 08-57 PRODUCTS Pg. 74 distributed solar India Project Update: Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Program

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Goldi Solar Pvt. Ltd. (formerly Goldi Green Technologies Pvt Ltd)is one of the leading solar PV module manufacturing companies with an annual manufacturing capacity of500MW and subsequently aiming to scale it up to 1GW sooner. The company is ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and OHSAS 18001:2007 certified. Goldi Solar modules undergo all stringent quality tests at reputed third-party laboratories, along with being certified for PID resistance. The company has also acquired BIS certification for its modules. Recent change of name from “Goldi Green Technologies Pvt Ltd” to “Goldi Solar Pvt Ltd” has enabled the company to consolidate its operations & production.

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INDIA

HyET Solar eyes manufacturing 300 MW solar panels in India

Govt cuts timeline for completing solar projects by 6 months The power ministry has compressed timelines for executing solar power projects by six months to 15 months for those in solar parks and to 18 months for the plants elsewhere, to expedite capacity installations of the clean energy source in the country.

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India has set an ambitious target of having 100 GW of solar energy by 2022. The country has about 26 GW of solar energy capacities, including rooftop solar.

The government has set a target of bidding out 34 GW capacities the current financial year and 30 GW in 2019-20.The projects that are being set up in solar park shall be commissioned within 15 months from the date of execution of the power purchase agreement (PPA), while for the projects being installed elsewhere, the timeline is within 18 months, according to the latest amendments in solar projects bidding guidelines.Earlier, the deadline for execution of solar power projects outside a solar park with a capacity of 250 MW and above was 24 months. This project-completion timeline was 21 months for the projects in the solar park.The guidelines also provide that any delay beyond the scheduled commissioning period shall involve penalties on the solar power generator, as detailed out in PPA.Industry body Solar Power Developers Association (SPDA) stated in a recent submission to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy: “In case of CTU (central transmission utility)-connected projects, which are outside solar park, the commissioning timeline shall be minimum 24 months from execution of PPA.” The government has set a target for installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, which includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from biomass and 5 GW from small hydro power projects.According to Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), a cumulative renewable energy capacity of 73.35 GW had been installed in the country till October 31, 2018, with 21.55 GW under various stages of installation and 25.21 GW in various stages of bidding.To achieve the remaining target of 101.65 GW, an investment of about Rs 5.12 lakh crore has been estimated.

Dutch foldable solar panel-maker HyET Solar BV seeks to Make In India and is eyeing partnerships with existing solar panel makers and a polymer-maker, commercial director of the company Pieter Veltman said.

Since 99% of these solar panel sheets are polymer, it makes business sense for an existing polymer-maker like Reliance (Industries) to get into this business,he told ET. Here to attend the Vibrant Gujarat 2019, he will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Department of Energy and Petrochemicals, Gujarat government with an intend to set up a manufacturing facility for solar fabrication here. The state would facilitate the company to obtain permissions, registrations, approvals, clearances from departments concerned, it was disclosed The company currently manufactures 5 MW solar panels and hopes to do 300 MW in India in near future. It will entail an investment of 200 mn Euros, he said.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes

Source: PTI

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INDIA

TN solar energy policy for 2019 sets 9,000 MW as target The Tamil Nadu government unveiled a new solar energy policy 2019 that aims at generating 9,000 MW for the state by 2022.

January spot power price rises 4 per cent to Rs 3.33 per unit With trading of 3,281 Million Units (MU) of electricity, the volume in the day-ahead-market increased 7 per cent on month-on-month basis. Average spot power price at the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) rose 4 per cent to Rs 3.33 per unit in January compared to the year-ago period.

“The average Market Clearing Price (MCP) at Rs 3.33 per unit registered 4 per cent increase (in January) over Rs 3.20 per unit in same month last year (January 2018),” an IEX statement said.

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ith trading of 3,281 Million Units (MU) of electricity, the volume in the day-ahead-market increased 7 per cent on month-on-month basis, while the fall was 3 per cent on year-on-year basis. On a daily average basis, around 106 MUs were traded. The exchange said the market clearing price and volume in January remained almost same as that in December 2018, mainly on account of winter and subdued demand for power, especially in the northern states. On a daily average basis, 686 participants traded in the market during January. As per statistics from the National Load Dispatch Centre, the all India peak demand touched 162 GW on January 18, an increase of 4 per cent increase over peak demand recorded in January 2018. On all India basis, the energy supplied in January stood at 103 Billion Units. It is a rise of 3 per cent compared to 100.7 BU last year. The electricity market at IEX — the day-ahead-market and term-ahead-market — traded 3,383 MU in January this year. This is an increase of 7 per cent over 3,156 MUs traded in December 2018 and at almost par with 3,427 MU traded in January 2018. A total of 6,44,443 Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) were traded on January 30. Out of them, there were 5,47,166 non-solar and 97,277 solar certificates.

“The trading session saw an increase of 254 per cent Y-o-Y (Yearon-Year) basis and 68 per cent M-o-M (Month-on-Month) basis since several captive entities as well as the distribution companies took measures to fulfil their RPO obligation,” the statement said. The price for non-solar RECs went up to Rs 1,500 apiece while that of solar REC price increased to Rs 1,750. “In fiscal 201819 (year to date) IEX has cumulatively traded 6,961,717 RECs over 6,859,296 traded in the same period last year,” it added Source: PTI

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Chief Minister K Palaniswami had announced in June 2018 that a similar policy released in 2012 would be upgraded by combining the Vision 2023 document released by former late chief minister J Jayalalithaa and also the target set by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of 9,000 MW installed capacity. According to the new policy, Vision Tamil Nadu 2023 document includes a solar energy target of 5,000 MW. o meet the Vision Tamil Nadu 2023 and MNRE 2022 target, substantial solar energy capacity addition was required, it said. Following the experience gained from implementation of Tamil Nadu solar energy policy 2012, the Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Policy 2019 was created and it provides an inclusive policy framework promoting both utility and consumer category solar energy generation through various enabling mechanisms. By achieving the target, Tamil Nadu would be an international climate leader for emerging economies by 2023. The policy would be applicable to projects, programmes and installations relating to solar photovoltaic energy and thermal energy and to both utility and consumer categories.

Of the total 9,000 MW, 40 per cent would be earmarked for consumer category solar energy systems.

The government would review the implementation of the policy every year to evaluate the actual results against policy objectives.At a function held in the Secretariat, Palaniswami released the solar energy policy 2019 document the first copy of which was received by Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise P Thangamani. According to the energy department policy note, the installed capacity of solar energy as on March 31, 2018 was 2,034.25 MW. Source: PTI

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INDIA

Guj Govt eyes 2.20 lakh crore investment in renewable By 2022, we intend to produce 22,922 mw of elecenergy tricity through solar and wind, which will be around 54 per cent of total power production of the state.In the long run, our push will be on renewable energy rather than conventional electricity generation, the senior minister said.

The Gujarat government is eyeing cumulative investment of Rs 2,20,000 crore during the next 10 years in the renewable energy sector, said state Energy Minister Saurabh Patel.

While an investment of Rs 1,00,000 crore is expected in the next three years in solar and wind power generation projects, another Rs 1,20,000 crore would be invested by private players in ‘hybrid parks’, wherein both wind and solar projects can come up at the same location, said Patel. Under their three-year plan for the renewable energy sector, the state government intends to generate 10,000 mega watt(mw) through solar energy and 5,000 mw through wind energy, Patel told reporters Some of the major projects envisaged for the next three years include a 5,000 mw solar park at Dholera and 1,000 mw wind energy project near Pipavav port, where windmills will be installed in the sea near the port.

We have planned to attract an investment of Rs 1,00,000 crore in the next three years in these projects.At present, renewable energy production in Gujarat stands at 7,645 mw, that is 28 per cent of total power production of the state,said Patel.

To attract new players in this sector, Patel said the wastelands located near 66kv substations all over Gujarat will also be alloted for solar power generation.We have already identified 50 such sub-stations, around which, land is available.As per estimates, 3,000 mw of electricity can be generated through solar parks built on those tracts of land, he said. Under the recently launched ‘wind-solar hybrid power policy – 2018’, aiming to make optimum utilisation of the land and grid, the Gujarat government aims to generate 30,000 mw of electricity with an investment of Rs 1,20,000 crore in the next 10 years, Patel said.

Under the policy, a developer of a solar project can use the same land for setting up wind power projects and vice-versa.

We will give land to developer on 40-year lease.

Our aim is to generate 30,000 mw of power in the next 10 years.This will attract an investment of Rs 1,20,000 crore.The government will only provide land on rent. All the investment will be done by private players, said Patel.

Source: PTI

ROOFTOP WALKWAY SOLUTIONS SOLAR ROOFTOP MODULE MOUNTING STRUCTURE

“Our latest area of development has been the MMS for Solar Rooftop Projects. Solar PV Panel mounting support system is a critical cost bound product.

We have optimally designed Aluminium support brackets used to mount PV panels on solar rooftop."

ALUMINIUM GRATINGS

INDIA

Pranav R Mehta becomes first Indian to Head Global Solar Council A visionary in the field of Solar Energy and the chairman of National Solar Energy Federation, Shri Pranav R Mehta, has taken over as the president of Global Solar Council (GSC) from January 1, 2019. The GSC has its headquarters in Washington D.C., USA.

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he Global Solar Council (GSC) was launched on December 6, 2015, following the historic United Nations Climate Change Conference (UN COP 21). The GSC came into being as International Coalition of more than 30 nations, utilising maximum solar energy, decided to harness the renewable energy for the greater good.Mr Mehta has been invited by over 15 countries in the last two years to share his vision and experience in India’s impressive solar growth. The visionary started his solar journey way back in 2006 when India was at Zero Megawatts solar capacity and is credited with having played a catalytic and pivotal role in opinion building, emphasis and awareness about the importance of solar energy, integrating the efforts of all solar energy stakeholders including government and private sector as well as the intellectual inputs.India is placed amongst the Top 5 solar players in the world and is third largest solar market. But the suave and low profile attributes the credit to the political will and leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and in equal measure to solar industry players and all stakeholders including the government.

India’s impressive growth would not have been complete without Prime Minister and his government’s enabling policies, role of proactive bureaucracy and significant contribution of solar industry players in terms of capital investment, technology deployment, employment generation, skill development, innovative financing and above all, achieving cost reduction, opines Mehta, who is well known for his work in the area of sustainable development and outgoing environmental and social concerns.

Recognising his contributions to the solar sector across the world, Pranav Mehta who has been keeping the Indian flag flying high in the solar arena, has been conferred with the ‘Visionary Disruptor Award’ by Solar Future, which he will be receiving on 15th January, 2019 at the sidelines of World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking about GSC’s future plans, Pranav R Mehta stated, My heart goes out to the energy have-nots. Moreover, solar energy has a vast potential for poverty alleviation. We at Global Solar Council will thus strive to achieve not only growth but spread of solar energy globally and reach out to those who have no access to energy. To this end we will – together with and in consultation with ISA, IRENA, World Governments and like-minded positive organizations – strive to achieve 1.0 Trillion Mini Grids ensuring decentralized energy, 1.0 Trillion Solar Homes, and 10.0 million jobs by 2030. Of course, we will aim at 1.0 million of each of the above items and then scale it up deploying new storage and other technologies.

Source: ANI

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INDIA

Goa govt notifies solar energy policy

The Goa government has notified the Solar Energy Policy to promote unconventional electricity generation in the coastal state. The policy, which was notified, came into force with immediate effect.

As per the policy, the consumer and the producer of solar power will be entitled to avail benefit in the form of 50 per cent subsidy from the state government, a senior official said.

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he policy also provides for penalty equal to five per cent of the value of energy committed every day, if power producer fails to complete and commission the project within the given deadline, he said. It mentions that technological improvements have made generation of solar energy economically viable and would lead to reduction in expenditure of the state for purchase of conventional power from the grid. Under the policy, the government will provide 50 per cent subsidy, including 30 per cent share from the Centre, for the capital cost or the benchmark cost provided by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) or cost arrived through tendering process by the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA).

Source: PTI

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Kusum Scheme to Promote Use of Solar Energy Among Farmers Under Considration: Shri R. K. Singh The Government is formulating a Scheme ‘Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM)’ which inter-alia aims to promote use of solar energy among the farmers.

The proposed scheme provides for: Setting up of grid-connected renewable power plants each of 500KW to 2 MW in the rural area; Installation of standalone off-grid solar water pumps to fulfil irrigation needs of farmers not connected to grid;and Solarization of existing grid-connected agriculture pumps to make farmers independent of grid supply and also sell surplus solar power generated to Discom and get extraincome.

The Scheme is under consideration of the Government and therefore, detailed provisions are yet to be finalized.

This was informed by Minister of State (I/C) for New and Renewable Energy and Power Shri R. K Singh in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

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INDIA

Cabinet approves Phase-II of Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme for achieving cumulative capacity of 40,000 MW from Rooftop Solar Projects by the year 2022 Cabinet approves Phase-II of Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme for achieving cumulative capacity of 40,000 MW from Rooftop Solar Projects by the year 2022

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he Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for the Phase-II of Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme for achieving cumulative capacity of 40,000 MW from Rooftop Solar (RTS) Projects by the year 2022.

The programme will be implemented with total central financial support of Rs.11,814 crore.

In the Phase-II Programme Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for the residential sector has been restructured with availability of 40% CFA for RTS systems up to 3 kW capacity and 20% for RTS system capacity beyond 3 kW and up to 10 kW. For Group Housing Societies/Residential Welfare Associations (GHS/RAW), CFA will be limited to 20% for RTS plants for supply of power to common facilities, however, the capacity eligible for CFA for GHS/RAW will be limited to 10 kW per house with maximum total capacity upto 500 kWp, inclusive of RTS put in individual houses in the GHS/RWA. CFA under residential category will be provided for 4000 MW capacity and the same will be provided on the basis of benchmark cost or tender cost, which is lower. Central financial support will not be available for other category i.e., institutional, educational, social, government, commercial, industrial, etc. Under PhaseII Programme, focus will be on increased involvement of DISCOMs. Performance based incentives will be provided to DISCOMs based on RTS capacity achieved in a financial year (i.e. 1st April to 31st March every year till the duration of the scheme) over and above the base capacity i.e. cumulative capacity achieved at the end of previous financial year.

The incentive to DISCOMs will be as follows:

S.No.

Parameter

Incentive

1

For installed capacity achieved upto 10% over and above of installed base capacity* within a financial year.

No incentive

2

For installed capacity achieved above 10% and up to 15% over and above of installed based capacity* within a financial year.

5% of the applicable cost** for capacity achieve above 10% of the installed base capacity.

3

For installed capacity achieved beyond 15% over and above of installed based capacity* within one financial year.

5% of the applicable cost** for capacity achieve above 10% and up to 15% of the installed base capacity PLUS 10% of the applicable cost** for capacity achieved beyond 15% of the installed base capacity.

*Installed base capacity shall mean the cumulative RTS capacity installed within the jurisdiction of DISCOMs at the end of previous financial year. This will include total RTS capacity installed under Residential, Institutional, Social Government, PSU, Statutory/Autonomous bodies, Private Commercial, Industrial Sectors etc. ** Applicable cost is the applicable benchmark cost of MNRE for the state/UT for mid-range RTS capacity of above 10 kW and upto 100 kW or lowest of the costs discovered in the tenders for that State/UT in that year, whichever is lower. DISCOMs and its local offices shall be the nodal points for implementation of the programme. Since, DISCOMs are required to incur additional expenditure for implementation of scheme in terms of additional man-power, creating infrastructure, capacity building, awareness, etc. It is approved to compensate them by providing performance linked incentives. These incentives will be provided to enable DISCOMs to create an enabling ecosystem for expeditious implementation of RTS programme in their area. The incentives to the DISCOMs will be available only for initial capacity addtion of 18,000 MW under the scheme.The Programmes will have substantial environmental impact in terms of savings of CO2 emission. Considering average energy generation of 1.5 million units per MW, it is expected that addition of 38 GW solar rooftop plants under Phase-II by year 2022 will result in CO2 emission reduction of about 45.6 tonnes per year. The programme has directed employment potential. Besides increasing self-employment the approval is likely to generate employment opportunity equivalent to 9.39 lakh job years for skilled and unskilled workers for addition of 38GW capacity under Phase-II of the scheme by the year 2022.

INDIA

Cabinet approves launch Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Honâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved launch of Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan with the objective of providing financial and water security to farmers.

The proposed scheme consists of three components: Component-A: 10,000 MW of Decentralized Ground Mounted Grid Connected Renewable Power Plants.

Component-B: Installation of 17.50 lakh standalone Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps.

Component-C: Solarisation of 10 Lakh Grid-connected Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps.

A

ll three components combined, the scheme aims to add a solar capacity of 25,750 MW by 2022. The total central financial support provided under the scheme would be Rs. 34,422 crore.The Component-A and Component-C will be implemented on pilot mode for 1000 MW capacity and one lakh grid connected agriculture pumps respectively and thereafter, will be scale-up on success of pilot run. Component-B will be implemented in full-fledged manner.Under Component A, Renewable power plants of capacity 500 KW to 2 MW will be setup by individual farmers/ cooperatives/panchayats /farmer producer organisations (FPO) on their barren or cultivable lands. The power generated will be purchased by the DISCOMs at Feed in tariffs determined by respective SERC.

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The scheme will open a stable and continuous source of income to the rural land owners. Performance Based Incentives @ Rs. 0.40 per unit for five years to be provided to DISCOMs.Under Component B, individual farmers will be supported to install standalone solar pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP. Solar PV capacity in kW equal to the pump capacity in HP is allowed under the scheme.Under Component C of the scheme, individual farmers will be supported to solarise pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP. Solar PV capacity up to two times of pump capacity in kW is allowed under the scheme. The farmer will be able to use the generated energy to meet the irrigation needs and the excess available energy will be sold to DISCOM. This will help to create an avenue for extra income to the farmers, and for the States to meet their RPO targets.For both Component-B and Component-C, central financial assistance (CFA) of 30% of the benchmark cost or the tender cost, whichever is lower, will be provided. The State Government will give a subsidy of 30%; and the remaining 40% will be provided by the farmer. Bank finance may be made available for meeting 30% of the cost. The remaining 10% will be provided by the farmer. Higher CFA of 50% will be provided for North Eastern States, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep and A&N Islands.The Scheme will have substantial environmental impact in terms of savings of CO2 emissions. All three components of the Scheme combined together are likely to result in saving of about 27 million tonnes of CO2 emission per annum. Further, Component-B of the Scheme on standalone solar pumps may result in saving of 1.2 billion liters of diesel per annum and associated savings in the foreign exchange due to reduction of import of crude oil.The scheme has direct employment potential. Besides increasing self-employment the proposal is likely to generate employment opportunity equivalent to 6.31 lakh job years for skilled and unskilled workers.

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

Redington India Limited – Solar Equipment Group completes supply of 11 MW Solar PV Panels Solar Equipment group of Redington India Limited, one of the largest Solar PV Distribution Company in INDIA has recently completed supply of 11 MW Solar PV Modules for a prestigious project in South India.

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edington is a Multi brand distributor of Solar PV Panels distributing Tier-1 brands like REC, LONGI and TRINA brands of Solar Panels. Recently Redington Solar launched value added products like Solar BOS Kit, Solar MICRO INVERTER Kit and Solar PV ON GRID Kits to support the growing Solar Rooftop market Source: redington.co.in

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

Adani Green Energy loss widens to Rs 118.74 cr in Q3 Adani Green Energy’s net loss widened to Rs 118.74 crore in the December 2018 quarter compared to the year-ago period, owing to higher expenses such as borrowing cost and depreciation. Its consolidated net loss was Rs 13.98 crore in the quarter ended on December 31, 2017, the company said in a statement.

Tesla to Buy Energy Storage Firm Maxwell Tech at $4.75 a Share Musk sees supercapacitor technology as key to future of EVs. Maxwell poised to be Tesla’s fifth acquisition in four years.

The purchase price of $4.75 a share, announced by Maxwell in a statement, amounts to about a 55 percent premium to the target’s closing price on Feb. 1. Tesla is always looking for potential acquisitions that support its mission, a spokesman said.

For Tesla, the small acquisition gives the electric-car maker a short-term energy storage technology that its Chief Executive Officer Musk has called a key to the future of electric cars. Maxwell’s lithium-ion capacitors may assist with faster charging capability, said Theo O’Neill, an analyst at Ascendiant Capital Markets. Maxwell “has struggled for decades to find a way into the automotive market,” O’Neill said in an email. Noting the company’s stock traded above $40 in 1999 and closed a little over $3, he called it “a great deal for longsuffering Maxwell shareholders.”

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esla shares dropped as much as 3.3 percent and were down 1 percent to $309.09 as of 9:58 a.m. in New York. Maxwell surged as much as 52 percent — a record jump — to the highest since Aug. 1. Tesla’s decision to pay for the small deal in stock underscores the need for the company to conserve cash. The carmaker has about $3.7 billion on its balance sheet and has a $920 million convertible bond that matures March 1. This is Tesla’s fifth acquisition since 2015. In addition to buying SolarCity Corp., the solar panel installer that was partly owned by Musk and run by his cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive, Tesla has bought small technology and engineering firms to improve its electric cars and manufacturing capabilities.

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he firm’s total income in the third quarter of the current financial year rose to Rs 470.94 crore, compared with Rs 456.21 crore a year ago. The company’s finance costs rose to Rs 277.46 crore in the quarter from Rs 100.23 crore in the year-ago period.

Depreciation also increased to Rs 270.19 crore, against Rs 133.45 crore in October-December 2017.

The company said mark-to-market losses of Rs 12.87 crore on the contracts, which qualify as cash flow hedge, have been recognised in the Cash Flow Hedge Reserve Account at the end of the quarter. To hedge the foreign currency and interest rate exposure on external commercial borrowings, the Group has entered into various derivative contracts. During April-December, the consolidated net loss of the firm widened to Rs 380.97 crore from a loss of Rs 94.69 crore a year ago. The company had reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 137.51 crore in 2017-18.

Adani Green Energy Chairman Gautam Adani said: “We are moving towards the path of the government’s 2030 Vision of reducing dependence on imports for fossil fuel needs and developing solar power as a prime source of energy.”

Jayant Parimal, chief executive officer of Adani Green Energy, said: “The Interim Budget will further strengthen our endeavours in the renewable energy sector and we shall accelerate our pace to meet the country’s demand of energy through renewable energy.”

With assistance by Joe Ryan, Dana Hull, and Chris Martin Source: bloomberg

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Source: PTI

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

GIC, ADIA to power Greenko again with $550m cheque

The company is installing three new projects in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra by 2021.

The company is installing three new projects in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra by 2021.

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overeign wealth funds GIC Holdings Pte Ltd of Singapore and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) are investing $550 million of fresh primary capital in Greenko, India’s largest renewable energy firm.

This will be the third round of capital infusion by the two, making the Hyderabadbased company the biggest recipient of foreign capital in the clean energy space in the country, said several people with knowledge of the matter. After this, the two principal sponsors of the company would have put a total $2 billion in the 13-year-old company, with GIC, the largest shareholder with a 60% stake, alone infusing $1.4 billion. With $3.2 billion of debt, Greenko’s enterprise valuation will swell to $5.2 billion.

Set up in 2006 by first-generation entrepreneurs Mahesh Kolli and Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty, Greenko will end fiscal 2019 with 4.8 GW of operational renewable assets across wind, solar, hydroelectric power in 13 states and an expected Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) of $500 million. The founders own a quarter of Greenko, and ADIA, the remaining 15%. Greenko and ADIA declined to comment. GIC did not respond to ET’s questionnaire. The funds will be used primarily toward Greenko’s new initiatives such as building another 5 GW integrated renewables for round-the-clock supply through energy storage contracts.

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STRATEGIC SHIFT This is part of Greenko’s pivot from a generation-focussed company to a more holistic solutions provider striving to feed peak grid demand through clean energy sources. In India, with increase in renewable energy supply from a variety of new sources, existing grid infrastructure cannot absorb more than 15% of supply. Coal, the dominant source of power in the country, cannot satisfy demand that peaks in summer.Renewable supply also remains unpredictable, being dependent on the vagaries of nature.In most countries in the west, gas acts as a cushion. But the lack of domestic supplies robs Indian utilities of this flexibility. Greenko plans to use solar power to cater to peak demand during 6-10 am. Solar energy generated during non-peak hours between exismid-day and evening will be used to pump water into reservoirs. That will be release 6-11 pm to generate energy to supply to the national or state power grids. Globally, around 100 GW of energy is generated this way but the method is primarily meant for nuclear energy load management in developed markets in Europe. In Australia, following recent blackouts, Elon Musk-led Tesla has been involved in a 100 MW battery storage facility that may see the installation of its Powerwall 2 batteries and solar panels on up to 50,000 homes by the summer of 2022. The Powerpack system will charge up when demand and electricity rates are low and discharge when they are high. But while Tesla is looking at a 1-hour storage duration, Greenko is looking at eight hours.

For a company that has grown through acquisitions, the focus on greenfield and storage will be unique, said industry observers as the government maintains its 200 GW target for green energy supply in the country.

Last year alone, Greenko spent close to $1 billion to acquire Orange and Skeiron Renewable Energy Pvt, a private company belonging to SuzlonNSE 17.57 % promoter Tulsi Tanti’s family. It had also sought to acquire Anil Ambani’s Mumbai distribution business for $2.1 billion.

In an earlier interaction with ET, Greenko CEO Chalamalasetty said it was “aiming for 20 GW of storagebased energy contracts and our future capex is focussed on that.”

Source: economictimes.indiatimes

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

ADB Invests $20 Million in AC Energy Climate Bond to Finance Regional Clean Energy Projects The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has invested $20 million in the maiden climate bond issuance of AC Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ayala Corporation in the Philippines. This landmark public listing will be the first Climate Bond Initiative (CBI) certified US dollar climate bond in Southeast Asia listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

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DB is an anchor investor in the 10-year tranche, contributing to a total issue volume of $410 million. Proceeds of the bonds will finance renewable energy projects in the Asia and Pacific region, including Viet Nam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. This climate bond will be used to support AC Energy’s plans to establish and expand a regional presence in the development of clean energy projects in accordance with environmental best practice.

We believe that this green bond issuance offers investors a compelling alternative to traditional investments and will help promote financing of clean energy projects by the private sector across the region, said AC Energy President and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Eric Francia. “ADB’s support was invaluable to ensure that the bonds comply with CBI standards and we believe that this will demonstrate our commitment to meeting the highest environmental and safeguard standards."

This climate bond will help the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meet its target of drawing 23% of the region’s energy mix from modern, clean, and sustainable renewable sources by 2025, said Director General of ADB’s Private Sector Operations Department Mr. Michael Barrow.

“AC Energy aspires to be a regional leader in renewable energy, and ADB is delighted to support the Ayala Group in this effort by anchoring this investment and crowding in other institutional investors.”

AC Energy has over 1.8 gigawatts (GW) of attributable capacity (in operation and under construction) as of the end of 2018. The climate bond proceeds will contribute towards AC Energy’s target of 5 GW of attributable renewable energy capacity by 2025 across the region. In 2018, AC Energy generated 2,800 GW hours of attributable energy, 48% of which was drawn from renewable sources.

This is ADB’s third climate bond project and its first publicly listed climate bond. In December 2018, ADB invested 5 billion Thai baht in B.Grimm Power Public Company Limited’s maiden 5-year and 7-year climate bonds—the country’s first certified climate bond. In 2016, ADB also extended a guarantee to support an issuance for the Tiwi and Makban geothermal power projects in the Philippines—the first climate bond in Asia. This investment is in line with ADB’s new Strategy 2030, which mandates that at least 75% of the number of ADB’s committed operations support climate change mitigation and adaptation by 2030, with climate finance from its own resources reaching $80 billion over 2019–2030. ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members—48 of which are from the region.

Source: adb.org

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

Thyssenkrupp inks pact with Babcock & Wilcox for renewable energy tech It signed an exclusive licence agreement with Babcock & Wilcox Vølund A/S (B&W Vølund), Denmark in this regard.

Thyssenkrupp Industries India said it has inked a pact with Babcock & Wilcox for renewable energy technology for India and neighbouring countries that would help reduce pollution.The agreement has been signed for B&W Enterprises Inc’s water-cooled vibrating grate technology for biomass boilers for India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan, it said in a statement.

It signed an exclusive licence agreement with Babcock & Wilcox Vølund A/S (B&W Vølund), Denmark in this regard.The company is part of the Industrial Solutions business area of thyssenkrupp.

Burning of crop waste in the field has been one of the primary reasons for pollution in northern India during winter. Through this agreement…we will be able to find a sustainable solution to this issue by utilising this crop waste for clean energy generation, Vivek Bhatia, CEO and MD of thyssenkrupp Industries said.

The water-cooled vibrating grate technology for biomass boilers can address various biomass fuels, even those with high alkali and chlorine content, he added.

Source: PTI

Fitch assigns BB (EXP) rating to ReNew Power’s US bonds issue Fitch Ratings has assigned an expected rating of ‘BB (EXP)’ to the proposed US dollar fund raising of ReNew RG II, which is a restricted group of subsidiaries owned by ReNew Power Ltd. The rating of the proposed notes reflects the credit profile of the restricted group of eight entities with an operating capacity of 636 MW in solar (56 per cent) and wind (44 per cent) power generation in India. The proposed US dollar notes represent joint and several obligations of the eight operating entities, Fitch Ratings said in a statement here.

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eNew RG II plans to use the proceeds from the proposed notes mainly to refinance existing debt at the operating entities within the restricted group.The rating benefits from restrictions on cash outflow and on additional indebtedness of the restricted group and reflects the restricted group’s diversified portfolio of operating solar and wind power assets and an improving financial profile.“ReNew RG II’s credit is supported by structural enhancements to the notes. It would issue US dollar notes directly from the asset-owning entities and the transaction structure includes a static pool of fully operational assets with no additional indebtedness permitted except for working capital.

The proposed notes will be secured by a pledge of at least 51 per cent equity share in each of the operating entities and substantially all of the assets in the operating entities. The security to the notes is shared on a pari passu basis with Indian rupee lenders, if any, at the operating entities, Fitch said.

The proposed notes also include a six-month interest service reserve account (ISRA) and restrictions on cash outflows.

The cash outflows are constrained by a minimum debtservice coverage ratio (DSCR) to be achieved in light of the amortising nature of rupee debt and the receipt of interest income on proposed advances to be extended to the parent out of the proposed note proceeds.All assets of the restricted group are fully operational with over one-third of capacity operating for more than two years and almost all projects operating for more than a year.The majority is solar capacity (354 MW), which has lower yield volatility and seasonal variation arising from weather conditions (relative to other renewable energy sources), and is therefore likely to result in relatively stable cash flows.The restricted group consists of 10 projects diversified among five Indian states, though two of the projects constitute 38 per cent of the total capacity, leading to some concentration risks.

Source: PTI

BUSINESS & FINANCE

Dalma Capital and Exergy Capital establish first Shariacompliant investment fund for global energy transition Exergy Capital, an advanced energy investment firm, and Dalma Capital Management, a prominent alternative investment fund accelerator in the Dubai International Financial Centre, have established the world’s first Sharia-compliant investment strategy to develop the infrastructure and technology required to reshape the energy value chain.

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he investment strategy seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns by investing in real assets, infrastructure and companies which have developed innovative technologies, products and services throughout the energy value chain, predominantly in Europe. It pursues a private equity style investment strategy generating capital gains for investors and focusing on uncrowded niches in the energy and interconnected sectors.

The current global energy transition is driving an “inevitable geopolitical shift” and creating “unique opportunities not seen in generations,” according to Dr. Erich Becker, Founder and Managing Partner of London-based Exergy. Exergy is backed by Winton Group, a global investment management and data science company.

Dr. Becker observes: “The global energy transition is underway and affecting the entire energy value chain from energy firms, their providers, suppliers and financiers, to end-users. The drivers include the need to decarbonise, as well as mounting pressures on and an increasing appetite for electrification and digitisation.“The next few years of the transition are critical. Investors will need to understand the unique opportunities as they are unlikely to come around again.”

Zachary Cefaratti, CEO at Dalma Capital, explains: “Investing in energy of the future provides a hedge to fossil fuel economies, benefiting investors in the Middle East and beyond who are either directly or indirectly exposed to the conventional energy value chain.He continues: “The ESG Investment thesis [environmental, social and governance] is well aligned with Sharia principles – together with Dalma Capital’s Islamic Window this will provide the first Sharia and ESG Compliant Energy Transition Private Equity structure globally.”

Source: priorconsultancy.co.uk

ReNew Power secures OPIC debt funding of up to USD 350 mn Clean energy producer ReNew Power said it has secured fresh debt financing of up to USD 350 million from the US government’s development finance institution Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).

This follows an earlier round of financing when OPIC had granted a loan of USD 250 million to ReNew Power in March 2016, a company statement said.The funds will be utilised by ReNew Power to support construction of new wind and solar power plants in India, the company added.

Sumant Sinha, Chairman and MD of ReNew Power, said, “We are happy that OPIC has once again reposed its trust in ReNew Power and our vision to transform India’s energy landscape”.

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OPIC President and CEO Ray W Washburne said, “Investment in new and reliable energy will help India diversify its power generation, which is critical in order to meet growing energy demand and sustain economic growth”.

Source: PTI

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

PTC Financial Services partners UKCI, DFID for India’s first green fund PFS separately raised a loan of Rs 1,000 crore from SBI for a 10-year tenure, linked to the marginal cost of funds-based lending rate

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TC Financial Services (PFS) is setting up India’s first infrastructure development debt fund, solely for renewable energy projects, in partnership with UK Climate Investments LLP (UKCI) and Department for International Development (DFID), UK. The company has raised Rs 400 crore from State Bank of India under the credit enhancement scheme, enabling it to raise bonds worth Rs 2,000 crore.

Singh said the cost of funding will be lower in RIDF compared to rates at which PFS usually raises money. At present, 62 per cent of PFS’ portfolio comprises renewable energy projects, while its exposure to the conventional power sector will come down to 5 per cent by the middle of next year. “Our thermal power exposure is 17 per cent of our portfolio, which we aim to bring down to 9 per cent this fiscal. Two of the stressed assets, Prayagraj and SKS Energy, will get resolved,” he said.

PFS separately raised a loan of Rs 1,000 crore from SBI for a 10-year tenure, linked to the marginal cost of funds-based lending rate.

It had last gone for a domestic bond issue in 2012, when it came up with an infrastructure bond under section 80CCF of the Income Tax Act that allowed exemption for investment in these bonds.The Renewable Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) will be set up with an initial corpus of Rs 500 crore and managed by a separate company.

RIDF will do debt financing for renewable projects that are commissioned and operational for one year, Pawan Singh, managing director and chief executive of PFS, told Business Standard.

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In renewables, Singh said they were lending to leading firms including ReNew Power, Azure Power, Mytrah Energy, ACME Group, Greenko, and Hero Futures, among others. The firm has also started lending to power transmission projects, the latest being of Adani Power Transmission and Sterlite Power.PFS expects the renewable sector to show robust growth. The RIDF is a step to tap the growing sector. He said the fund will likely get the Reserve Bank of India’s clearance by March, and they may float it in the market by May. “We aim to grow 20-25 per cent in the next fiscal, both in terms of size and bottom line,” he said.

With the pipeline of projects in conventional power drying up, PFS had, over the last few years, diversified its portfolio.It has close to eight hybrid annuity model road projects, and is looking to finance sewage treatment plants and the Ganga cleaning initiative. It also plans to finance electric vehicle infrastructure.

Source: business-standard

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SOLAR PROJECTS

Vikram Solar Commissions 18.5 kW Solar Power Plant for Century Ply (India) Limited

Sobhandeb unveils rooftop solar power plant at Vidyut Bhavan

Vikram Solar, one of India’s leading module manufacturer and a prominent rooftop solar & EPC solutions provider, commissioned a rooftop solar plant for Century Ply (India) Limited (CPIL) at the company’s new headquarter in Taratala, Kolkata, India. The solar plant has a capacity of 18.5 kW.

State Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay inaugurated a grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic power plant at the Vidyut Bhavan

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he project is spread across 160 sq meters and 57 nos. of 325 Wp smart modules and a 15 kW delta inverter were used in the project. The solar plant will have an annual energy yield of 26.13 MWh/Year and expected to offset 13 tonnes of CO2 per year. For this project, Vikram Solar has used its optimizer integrated smart Solivo modules. Solivo modules can harvest more power through Module-Level Power Tracking technology, where each module can be optimized to decrease the effect of shading, soiling or mismatch loss. With facilities like “Rapid Shutdown” and “Smart Ready”, Solivo smart modules can offer 30% more yield, increased reliability, lower O&M costs, increased safety, and remote monitoring, making solar projects highly reliable. This is the second solar rooftop project for CPIL that Vikram Solar has executed since 2018.

Ms. Neha Agrawal, Head of Corporate Strategy, Vikram Solar, shared on the occasion, “We are glad to again be a part of Century Ply (India) Limited’s solar drive. And, this testifies our resolve at maintaining and improving quality, performance, and customer centricity. For their new rooftop project, in addition to power generation, they also wanted to analyse their power usage and optimize the same. We offered them our Solivo Smart Modules which have app-based monitoring and controlling system with integrated junction box containing enhanced electronics for Power Optimization, safety and longer string design. Looking at the benefits of these enhanced functionalities, Century Ply decided to go ahead with Solivo Modules.”

The solar plant installed on the roof top will be able to generate 30KW of energy, which is a significant boost to the renewable energy sector of the state. The project will prove to be beneficial for the power department in the long run, said the Power minister. “Many solar power projects have come up in past seven years after the Mamata Banerjee government came to power. The roof top project is an important addition to state schemes. Installation of new projects is not enough we have to also look into the maintenance projects. I therefore urge the department officials to carry out proper maintenance of existing projects,” Chattopadhyay said after inaugurating the project.

The minister said some power projects that came to a grinding halt due to various reasons have been started again following Chief Minister’s intervention. He said the power department had also been exploring new avenues in the tidal energy sector.

Vikram Solar is spearheading India’s solar revolution with 950 MW EPC capacity portfolio including commissioned and under execution, Rooftop and Ground mounted projects. The company currently has a Rooftop portfolio of 62 MW (Commissioned + Under execution) and has delivered green energy solutions to Government entities such as- ISRO, IOCL, SBI, WBSEDCL, and AAI. The client list in private sector includes- SL Group, Century Ply, KBL, Keventers Agro, UAL Industries and Anmol Biscuits, etc.

Source: conceptpr

The state government has adopted a plan for harnessing power from different sources of renewable energy by the end of 12 and 13 five year plans, respectively. In the declared renewable energy policy ‘Co-generation and generation of electricity from renewable energy resources’ the government has emphasised participation of the public and the private sector and also on the grid-connected renewable energy projects. Some new solar photovoltaic are also coming up in different parts of the state. For example, 10 MW solar PV power plants at Kadlagora, Manbazar block I, at an estimated cost of Rs 60 crore. The plant is expected to be commissioned by the end of October this year. A 6 MW solar PV power project is coming up at Atna, Purulia, at a cost of Rs 35 crore.

It will also be commissioned within October this year.

Some other such projects are going to be set up in Raniganj, Asansol and Birbhum district as well.

Source: millenniumpost.in

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SOLAR PROJECTS

BHEL wins Largest order for Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) Plants Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has won an order for setting up 129 MW Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) power plants in Telangana from Singareni Collieries Company Limited.

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ignificantly, valued at Rs.565 Crore, this is the largest SPV power plant order won by BHEL till date.The plants are to be set up at four locations in Telangana - Ramagundam (50MW), Yellandu (39 MW), Manuguru (30 MW) and Pegadapally (10 MW), on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis. With this order,BHEL’s solar portfolio has risen to more than 710 MW.BHEL has more than three decades of expertise in solar photovoltaic products and services backed by a dedicated R&D setup.

BHEL is one of the very few companies in India, having established capability in major segments of the PV value chain viz., solar cells, PV modules and power conditioning units and systems. BHEL has significantly contributed to the ‘Make in India’ initiative of

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GoI and various initiatives for developing and promoting renewable energy based products and services on a sustained basis. The company has also enhanced its state-of-the-art manufacturing lines of solar cells and solar modules. In addition to this, BHEL is assembling space-grade solar panels using highefficiency cells at its Electronic Systems Division, Bengaluru. In addition to solar photovoltaic products, BHEL offers complete EPC solutions from concept to commissioning for both off-grid and grid-interactive SPV power plants in various parts of the country including Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

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SOLAR PROJECTS

Orb Energy fosters rural economy with rooftop solar systems for cold storage companies in Byadgi, the chilli processing hub in Karnataka The cost of electricity is reduced by one-third, with annual savings of up to INR 5.5 lakhs and payback in just 4 years

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rb Energy (“Orb”) announced that it has successfully installed and commissioned two 80 kilowatt rooftop solar systems – for both Kedarnath Cold Storage and Prayag Cold Storage in Byadgi, Haveri district, Karnataka. On average, each of these rooftop solar systems will generate over 1.5 lakh units per annum of its own clean electricity, helping to reduce the cost of running a cold storage facility.

Cold storage providers play a crucial role in India’s rural economy. They help minimize post-harvest losses and ensure farmers earn more money. We are extremely pleased that Orb’s rooftop solar system is helping cold storage providers significantly reduce their electricity costs, and bring efficiencies into the food supply chain. said Damian Miller, Orb’s Chief Executive Officer.

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Karnataka is the third leading chilli producing state in India, and Byadgi chilli is a popular variety of red chilli named after the town Byadgi, located in Haveri district. Both Kedarnath and Prayag Cold Storage each with a capacity of storing 2,400 metric tons of chilli, play a major role in minimizing post-harvest losses.

Our goal is to retain our market share by providing cold storage services at a competitive price. One of the ways to achieve this is to bring down our electricity costs and also support green energy. Thanks to Orb, we currently expect to produce an average of approximately 400 units of clean solar electricity per day, expecting to save up to INR 5.5 lakhs per annum in electricity costs with payback in just 4 years. said Mr. Vinay S Patil, Proprietor, Kedarnath Cold Storage and Mr. Srinivas Betageri, Managing Partner, Prayag Cold Storage.

Orb is a vertically integrated provider of rooftop solar solutions, that manufactures its own range of solar panels in Bangalore, India and provides a unique in-house finance for SMEs who want to own their own rooftop solar system.

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SOLAR PROJECTS

Adani Green Energy arm bags 390 MWac hybrid renewable project Adani Green Energy said its arm Mahoba Solar (UP) Private Ltd has bagged a 390 MWac capacity hybrid renewable energy project.

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he Solar Energy Corporation of India had floated the tender for the project. The project is expected to have a solar generation capacity of 360 MWac and wind generation capacity of 100 MWac, it said in a BSE filing. With this order, Adani Green Energy’s portfolio of renewable generation capacity in India stands at 4.16 GWac with 1.97 GWac operational projects and the rest 2.19 GWac in development stage. The company’s another arm Adani Renewable Energy (KA) Ltd commissioned 12 MWac wind power project on February 4 in Gujarat, it said.

Source: PTI

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Vikram Solar commissions 200 MW solar project for APGENCO Vikram Solar, one of India’s leading module manufacturer and solar EPC player, commissioned a 200 MW solar power project for Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (APGENCO) that will power nearly 1,50,000 homes once connected to the grid. The plant, situated in district Anatapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, is segregated into 2 blocks of 100 MW each for better management and higher efficiency.

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he project is spread across 1000 acres (500 acres each for 100 MW) of undulated rocky terrain, and power will be evacuated at 33 KV level in 2 pooling substations of 33/220 KV capacity, which will further evacuate power to 220/400 KV main substation. In the project, a total of 8,48,680 modules, ranging from 320 wp to 330 wp were installed. The project is expected to produce 446 MU energy annually and will reduce 210 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions in a year. Vikram Solar will also carry out Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of the plant for a period of 5 years from the date of commissioning.

Mr. Kuldeep Jain, COO- EPC, Vikram Solar, shared on the occasion, “At Vikram Solar, we have always been focused towards building capacities to increase our contribution in the Indian solar revolution. We faced many challenges during the execution of this project. Undulated land required boulders/rocks to be excavated from the site. Multiple and yet careful execution of blasting required to reach the desired trench depth for cable placement, and non-availability of natural earth material for back filling presented engineering challenges. On the other hand, confusion surrounding GST rate applicability impacted cash flows, and implementation of Safeguard delayed delivery of modules. However, meticulous planning and strategy development in engineering and operations helped us in successfully completing the project with an average installation of around 4 MW per day. This is quite a proud moment for us and we hope that this would be just the beginning of a fruitful association between Vikram Solar and APGENCO.” Source: conceptpr

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SOLAR PROJECTS

Waaree Installs Solar Plant in Leh – HIAL University Waaree Energies, India’s largest solar PV manufacturer, unveiled its 25 KW rooftop solar project at Himalayan Institute of Alternatives (HIAL).

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he project is done by Waaree Energies under its CSR programme and is part of its ongoing efforts to bring the current wave of solar revolution to Ladakh. HIAL has established its position as a renowned institute in the region, founded by the visionary Sonam Wangchuk. HIAL is expected to save close to INR 2 lakh per year. The installation of this project is of critical importance as solar power brings much needed respite to the people of Ladakh, since the region is cut off from the Kashmir valley for the most of winter.

The project has installation of 20 KW Waaree 325 Wp modules, which will help meet the power requirements of the campus, whereas the 5 KW Merlin – Flexible modules will power the Greenhouse shelter. Waaree Energies not only donated the panels, but also ensured their implementation and commissioning. The local climatic conditions, especially during the cold winters, make it imperative to have solutions that ensure self-sustainability within the region with respect to energy. Solar power presents the optimal option as Leh enjoys clear skies with a high irradiation.

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Commenting on the occasion, Sunil Rathi, Director, Waaree Energies said, The project is further to our commitment of making energy, especially solar, accessible to all. We have installed our indigenous systems at 1250 + Households, which are yielding over 210,000 litres as output. As we were looking at associating with organisations and individuals who are working towards bettering the society, HIAL became the natural choice.

It was a pleasure to associate with a dynamic person like Sonam and HIAL.

Sonam Wangchuk said, Waaree Energies was our preferred choice when we decided to transition to solar energy at HIAL. We were well aware of Waaree’s long standing excellence in quality and service, and have firsthand seen their products and solutions. My inclination towards innovation found the perfect fitment with Waaree Energies, and we hope this is the start of a long association with them.

Sonam Wangchuk, who was recently awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award, is an engineer and renowned education reformist from Ladakh. The founder of SECMOL and the Ice Stupas, he was the inspiration behind Amir Khan’s character in the Hindi film 3 Idiots, propelling his efforts in Ladakh to the public eye.

Source: waaree

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distributed solar

India Project Update: Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Program The World Bank recently conducted its fourth Implementation Support Mission for the $625 million Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar Project.

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he Project supports the Government of India’s increasing shift to renewable energy by financing the installation of at least 400 MW of Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic (GCRSPV) units across India.

Project Approved: 13-May-2016; Effective: 28Sep-2016; Closing: 30-Nov-2021 Commitment Amount: $625 million Disbursed: 38%

Project Context: Over 200 million people in India do not have access to electricity, and those who do, continue to face frequent disruptions. Power shortages also affect economic output, with many industries and manufacturers relying on expensive and polluting diesel generators for back-up power supply. Installing solar PV units on rooftops would be a cleaner and cheaper energy solution for these consumers.Until recently it was difficult to find affordable financing for this new market segment. The World Bank’s Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar PV Project seeks to make discounted, long tenor finance easily available for both the suppliers of these solar PV units as well as consumers wishing to install them.The Project is being implemented by the State Bank of India (SBI), which has, with the help of the World Bank Group, developed new credit instruments for this segment.

The new financing is helping drive down the cost of installing these rooftop units for consumers wishing to switch to renewable energy. With this new lending, users are not only able to generate clean, reliable energy for their own use, but are also able to feed surplus electricity into the national grid.

Photo: World Bank

Progress: The SBI has, up to 31 December 2018, approved credit of around $123 million which will allow more than 235 MW of solar rooftop capacity to be added to the grid. This is in addition to 62 MW already being generated through rooftop units installed by several large enterprises. These include large industrial units (Yamaha Motors, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd etc), transport utilities (Gurgaon Rapid Metro), and institutions (NOIDA Expo, Ashoka University, Fortis Hospital etc).

Next Steps: Despite progress so far, many more consumers will need to make the switch to solar PV if the country is to meet its ambitious target of generating 40 GW energy from this segment by 2022. World Bank and SBI officials agreed on the following actions to be met by end

March 2018 so as to increase the uptake of rooftop solar units: Accelerate three large projects amounting to $178.19 million which have been approved by SBI but are not yet operational.

SBI to streamline internal processes regulating the flow of finance to meet feedback from clients.

Engage a non-banking finance correspondent to deepen the reach of the program and include small and medium enterprises across the country.

Source: worldbank.org

Govt medical colleges in MP to be powered by solar energy Government medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh will tap solar power to meet their electricity requirement, a move which will result in savings of Rs 12 crore in the very first year of implementation.

An MOU in this regard was inked in the presence of state New and Renewable Energy Minister Harsh Yadav and Medical Education Minister Vijay Laxmi Sadho, a public relations department official said. Under the MoU, solar power plants will be set up on the rooftops of state-run medical colleges to meet their electricity needs. The MoU covers government medical colleges in Bhopal, Rewa, Indore, Jabalpur, Chhindwara, Shivpuri, Vidisha, Ratlam, Shahdol, Khandwa, Shahdol, Gwalior, Datia and Sagar in two phases under the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) scheme.

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These colleges will get environment-friendly green power at the quarter of existing rate at Rs 1.63 per unit.

A private company, Tepsol Solar Power Ventures Pvt Ltd, is installing these plants under a 25-year agreement with the government, the official added. In the first year of implementation of the project, a sum of Rs 12 crore will be saved, while during the entire 25 years of the agreement, the government will save around Rs 300 crore, he added.

The scheme is being implemented in Madhya Pradesh with the help of the World Bank and the International Solar Alliance.

Source: PTI

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featured

Germany Sees Solar Installations Spike to Nearly 3GW in 2018 Germany’s solar sector came roaring back last year. But the country is still off track for its renewable energy commitments. Germany’s solar market witnessed its strongest growth in half a decade during 2018, adding almost 3 gigawatts of capacity, according to industry figures.

The German solar association Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft (BSW) said the 2018 figures represented a 68 percent increase over those for the previous year. The capacity additions mean there are now 46 gigawatts of solar power installed across the country.

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his makes Germany the fourth-largest PV market in the world. Germany ranks behind China, which has 174 gigawatts of solar capacity, the U.S., which has 63 gigawatts, and Japan, which has 60 gigawatts, the Associated Press reported.

Tom Heggarty, senior solar analyst at Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, said much of the growth in 2018 was from commercial and industrial energy consumers. Along with residential PV system owners, these companies benefit from feed-in tariffs for solar energy, he said.

Germany’s Renewable Energy Sources Act, or Erneuerbare Energie Gesetz, allows for up to 52 gigawatts of distributed generation capacity. Beyond this level, which Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables expects will be breached in 2022, the outlook for distributed solar is unclear.

The market is likely to contract thereafter, said Heggarty.

Upward momentum Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables expects between 3.3 gigawatts and 4.1 gigawatts of solar to be installed per year in 2021 and 2022, compared to an annual average of around 1.6 gigawatts between 2014 and 2018.

The upward momentum in Germany’s solar market is being helped by significant reductions in the cost of technology. Global PV module prices fell by around 30 percent between 2017 and 2018. On top of this, the last year saw the removal of minimum import price duties on Chinese modules imported into the European Union.

This means the economics of PV in Europe now “look very attractive,” said Heggarty.

In high-irradiation markets such as Spain and Italy, the plummeting cost of solar has already led to the emergence of subsidy-free projects. Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables predicts other European markets will follow suit in 2019.Germany hasn’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, predominantly because developers already have a healthy pipeline of auction projects to bid for. But there are signs subsidy-free solar won’t be long in coming to the market.

Energie Baden-Württemberg (EnBW), one of Germany’s four largest utilities, has already announced a 175-megawatt subsidy-free project, said Heggarty.

“Projects bid into the auctions must be between 750 kilowatts and 10 megawatts in size,” he noted.“You will be able to achieve economies of scale and potentially deliver at a lower cost outside of the auction program by developing much larger projects than this, which is what EnBW is looking to achieve here,” he said.

Germany struggles to meet 2020 commitments

Compensating for nuclear and coal

These changes are of little consequence to the utility-scale solar sector, which is driven by auctions. Around 600 megawatts of utility-scale generation has been auctioned off in Germany in each of the last two years, along with 400 megawatts of joint onshore wind and solar capacity that has mostly gone to PV.

BSW, the trade body, believes Germany needs to develop another 7.5 gigawatts of solar if the country is to compensate for the phasing out of nuclear by 2022 and coal by 2038.

But these volumes will be dwarfed by upcoming auctions as Germany struggles to meet its 2020 commitments for renewable energy generation. Ironically for the country that invented Energiewende, Germany looks likely to miss a European Union-mandated target of 18 percent renewable energy supply by 2020, said Heggarty. As part of its course-correction plans, the administration has mandated a series of extraordinary auctions for a total of 4 gigawatts of solar and onshore wind over the next two years. This will provide a boost to the German solar PV market, Heggarty commented.

The country also plans to switch off its nuclear plants by 2022 and is considering a proposal to stop burning coal for electricity by 2038. In theory, these measures could provide a significant boost to the German solar market too.

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To reach the climate goals and to close the electricity gap of the phase-out of coal and nuclear power in Germany, we need to triple the PV market, said BSW spokesperson Christian Hallerberg.

That is feasible because solar parks already generate power today for around 5 cents [6 U.S. cents] per kilowatt-hour in Germany, and costs are further declining, he said.

Source: greentechmedia

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BREAKING – CCEA approves proposal for setting up 12,000 MW grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Projects The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy’s proposal for implementation of the Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Scheme Phase-llfor setting up 12,000 MW grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Projects, by the Government Producers with Viability Gap Funding (VGF) support of Rs. 8,580 crore for self-use or use by Government or Government entities, both Central and State Governments.

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he 12,000 MW or more capacity of grid connected solar power projects will be set up by the Government Producers in 4 years period, i.e. 2019-20 to 2022-23, as per the terms and conditions specified in Government Producer Scheme. The Scheme will mandate use of both solar photovoltaic (SPV) cells and modules manufactured domestically as per specifications and testing requirements fixed by MNRE. With the implementation of the above mentioned Scheme, 12,000 MW or more of grid connected solar PV power projects would be set up by Government Producers in 4 years i.e. 201920 to 2022-23, thereby creating investment of about Rs. 48,000 crores.

The Scheme will also help in giving a push to “Make-in-lndia” by encouraging Government Producers to procure solar cells and modules from domestic manufacturers. The Scheme will create sufficient demand for domestically produced solar PV cells and modules for next 3 to 4 years.The proposal for setting up 12,000 MW Solar Power Projects will provide direct employment to around 60,000 persons for about one year in pre-commissioning activities/ construction phase and around 18,000 persons for about 25 years in the operation and maintenance period. In addition, more than 1,20,000 additional employment opportunities will be created for the local population by way of involvement in setting up of Solar Power Projects and also in manufacturing of domestically produced cells and modules.

China blocks new solar power projects amid overcapacity fears China’s National Energy Administration declared a “red alert” making use of a warning system designed to improve the “rhythm” of construction China’s energy regulator will block new solar power projects in far western Gansu, Xinjiang and Tibet this year after the regions reached their capacity limits, it said in a notice.

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hina’s National Energy Administration (NEA) declared a “red alert” in the three regions, making use of a warning system designed to improve the “rhythm” of construction and prevent new plants from standing idle because they were unable to gain access to the power grid. The system allows regulators to declar “red alerts” for regions where too many new projects have been built and where transmission capacity is insufficient. Gansu and Xinjiang, rich in wind and solar resources but relatively remote, have been subject to repeated restrictions since the alert system was launched in 2016. This is the first time capacity has been blocked in Tibet.

China has been trying to take action against a problem known in the industry as “curtailment”, in which a renewable energy plant is unable to operate at full capacity because of oversupply or transmission failings. Solar power curtailment rates in China fell more than two percentage points to 3 percent last year, but the rate remained at 10 percent in Gansu and 16 percent in Xinjiang. China built 44.3 gigawatts (GW) of new solar capacity last year, down from a record 53 GW in 2017. The government blocked new subsidised projects last year amid concerns about overcapacity and a $20 billion payment backlog. ($1 = 6.7711 yuan).

Source: in.reuters

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featured The major’s vision for natural gas is closer to McKinsey’s. BP forecasts that renewables will take a bite out of generation from coal, nuclear and hydro power. Natural gas will maintain a flat 20 percent share of power generation. The evolving transition scenario also predicts that energy-related carbon dioxide emissions grow nearly 10 percent by 2040. Though both BP and McKinsey lay out scenarios in which the role for renewables grows in the global power landscape, the extent to which renewables penetrate the market varies greatly between the two forecasts. The divergence between the scenarios shows that, even as oil and gas majors have publicly recognized the energy transition, their view remains out of step with many projections of what the future will look like. The International Energy Agency, for instance, forecasts renewable energy resources will make up 40 percent of the global power mix by 2040, up from around 25 percent.

BP jumped back into the renewable energy market in 2017 when it acquired a 43 percent stake in solar developer Lightsource Renewable Energy, which rebranded as Lightsource BP.

BP and McKinsey Agree Renewables to Be the Dominant Power Source by 2040, Diverge on Numbers How much of the global power mix will come from renewables in future?

Opinions differ.

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Consulting company McKinsey & Company and global oil major British Petroleum both recently released 2019 outlooks for the global energy sector, and though both forecast that renewables will grow markedly in the coming years, the results present sharply divergent understandings of just how much. McKinsey projects renewables will account for more than 50 percent of global power generation by 2035, while BP’s forecast puts renewables at just about 30 percent of power in 2040. In McKinsey’s case, renewables will grow to 75 percent of generation by 2050. The forecast shows gas generation peaking around 2035. Through that year, according to McKinsey, gas is the only fossil fuel for which demand will grow in the long term. It accounts for a little over 22 percent of primary energy demand by midcentury. Analysts project peak oil in the early 2030s. BP’s picture of the future looks quite different. Its “evolving transition scenario,” which assumes that policies, technology and cultural pressures will continue to evolve at a speed consistent with their current trajectory, finds that two-thirds of new power generation will come from renewables in the next couple of decades. But renewables reach just 30 percent share in the global power sector by 2040, even as they overtake coal to become the biggest source of power globally.

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Last year, BP invested in EV charging company Freewire. And earlier this month the company said it would expand its corporate reporting to show how its strategy aligns with the Paris climate goals.

Some of its peers in the oil and gas sector, like Royal Dutch Shell, have also doubled down on commitments to clean energy. This week Shell acquired energy storage company sonnen, which it had invested in previously, and became a minority shareholder in wind power company Makani. The moves tail several others, including Shell's acquisition of charging company Greenlots in January and a partnership on a bundled energy service with Sparkfund and GridPoint announced in November. The investments, taken with BP’s outlook, indicate majors are at least interested in clean energy. But they’re still spending just a small portion of their total portfolios on the sector and maintaining a focus on their core businesses. Others, like McKinsey, are betting that the oil and gas business will take a bigger hit than the majors may expect.

Source: BP

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As renewables soar, BP sees China hitting brakes on energy growth Global demand for renewable power will soar at an unprecedented pace over the coming decades, BP said in a benchmark report, while China’s energy growth is seen sharply decelerating as its economic expansion slows.

EMISSIONS RISING

Still, China is set to remain the largest energy consumer by a long stretch into 2040 although India should overtake it in terms of demand growth beginning in the next decade, the British oil and gas giant said in its 2019 Energy Outlook.

Global energy-related carbon emissions hit a historic high of 32.5 gigatons in 2017, after being flat for three years, due to increased energy demand and the slowing of energy efficiency improvements, the International Energy Agency said last year.

China’s energy demand rose by 5.9 percent over the past 20 years, but is set to grow by only 1 percent by 2040 as its economy shifts from energyintensive industries to services and as Beijing introduces stricter rules on air pollution.BP revised down its forecast of China’s energy demand by 7 percent from last year’s report, “reflecting the pace at which China is adjusting to a more sustainable pattern of economic growth”.Under BP’s base-case Evolving Transition scenario, global energy demand will increase by around one third by 2040, driven by rapidly expanding middle classes in Asia.

The unprecedented growth in renewables is, however, not sufficient to meet U.N.-backed targets set under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to curb carbon emissions in order to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, he added.

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RENEWABLES EXPLOSION Renewables are expected to be the fastest-growing energy source with an annual gain of 7.1 percent, accounting for half the growth in global energy. Their share in primary energy is seen rising from 4 percent to around 15 percent by 2040.Compared with the level in last year’s report, BP raised by 9 percent its 2040 forecast of demand for renewable power such as solar and wind.

Renewables and natural gas, the least-polluting fossil fuel, will account for 85 percent of the growth in energy demand.

Renewables will penetrate the energy system quicker than any other fuel ever, BP Chief Economist Spencer Dale told reporters before the release of the report.

Solar power will increase by a factor of 10 by 2040 and wind by a factor of five under BP’s basic scenario.While the share of oil in world energy demand rose from 1 percent to 10 over 45 years in the early 20th century, renewables are set to reach the same share over 25 years, Dale said.

In a world struggling to tackle climate change by curbing greenhouse gas emissions and to bring billions of people out of poverty, demand for electricity is set to account for around three quarters of the growth in energy.

Under the Evolving Transition scenario, carbon emissions will grow by 10 percent by 2040, much faster than in the past.

OIL DEMAND BP expects oil demand to plateau at around 108 million barrels per day (bpd) by the mid-2030s, amid growth in electric vehicles and higher engine efficiency. Transportation continues to be the main driver of growth in oil consumption, with its share remaining stable at around 55 percent by 2040. Demand for transport services will almost double by 2040, but gains of nearly 50 percent in engine efficiency for cars and trucks mean energy consumed by the sector should grow by only 20 percent. Oil used to produce plastics is the largest source of demand growth over the period, increasing by 7 million bpd to 22 million bpd. The growth in oil supply will initially come from rapidly expanding U.S. shale production, which BP expects will grow by 6 million bpd over the next 10 years, peaking at 10.5 million bpd in the late 2020s. As U.S. shale output declines, production from members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will take the lead.

TRADE WARS BP warned that an escalation in trade disputes could significantly reduce energy demand due to slowing economic growth.

A 6 percent reduction in global gross domestic product in the period to 2040 versus BP’s base-case scenario would lead to a 4 percent decline in energy demand, it said.

Lower demand and slowing energy trade flows would have the biggest impact on oil and gas exporting countries such as Russia and the United States, BP said.

Source: reuters

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Energy storage

Lithium-air batteries may power future cars, houses: Study Lithium-air batteries, which run on ambient oxygen, may be a sustainable and environment-friendly way to store energy and power electric vehicles, houses, and industries of the future, scientists say.

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urrent lithium ion battery technology will probably not be able to handle the coming decades’ huge demand for energy. It is estimated that by 2050, electricity will make up 50 per cent of the world’s energy mix.Today, that rate is 18 per cent. However, installed capacity for renewable energy production is expected to increase fourfold.

This will require batteries that are more efficient, cheaper and environmentally friendly.According to researchers from University of Campinas in Brazil, one of the alternatives being studied today in many parts of the world is the lithium-air battery.

The lithium-air battery, currently functioning only on a laboratory scale, uses ambient oxygen as a reagent. The battery stores additional energy through an electrochemical reaction that results in the formation of lithium oxide.

There is a lot of talk today about electric cars. Some European countries are also thinking about banning combustion engines, said Rubens Maciel Filho, a professor at the University of Campinas.

In addition, renewable sources like solar energy need batteries to store what is generated during the day through solar radiation, said Filho.“It is a sustainable way to store electrical energy. With advances, it can support numerous discharge/charge cycles. It has great potential for use in transportation, in light and heavy vehicles alike. It can also work in electric power distribution networks,” he said.

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However, turning experiments into commercially viable products involves understanding the fundamentals of the electrochemical reactions that occur in the process.

It also requires the development of new materials that allow us to leverage desirable reactions and minimise or avoid undesirable ones, said Maciel, director of the New Energy Innovation Center (CINE).

Maciel said that some of the phenomena need to be observed in operando, or in other words, in real time.

More efficient batteries are particularly important in a scenario in which the use of solar energy is expected to increase. Peak solar radiation during the day will require the need for efficient storage of energy so it can be drawn upon at night.

Source: PTI

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Energy storage

AES and Mitsubishi Corporation Collaborate with Tata Power-DDL to Power Up South Asia’s Largest Grid-Scale Energy Storage System in India 10 MW energy storage system at Tata Power-DDL’s Rohini Substation to provide better peak load management, system flexibility and reliability to more than 2 million consumers

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ata Power, The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) and Mitsubishi Corporation inaugurated India’s first grid-scale battery-based energy storage system in Rohini, Delhi.

The 10 megawatt (MW), 10 megawatt-hour (MWh) gridconnected system, owned

by AES and Mitsubishi Corporation will pave the path for wider adoption of grid-scale energy storage technology across India. Fluence, a marketleading supplier of energy storage technology jointly owned by Siemens and AES, supplied its state-of-the-art Advancion technology for the project.Battery-based energy storage enables electricity to be stored and then delivered within milliseconds, reducing instability of the electric grid and enabling more energy to be captured and delivered on demand. India has the ambitious vision of installing 225 GW of renewable energy generation by 2022. Battery-based energy storage provides the flexibility and agility to better integrate intermittent solar and wind energy resources into India’s electric grid and ensure high-quality power for consumers.This 10 MW project is located at a Rohini, Delhi substation operated by Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL) and will provide grid stabilization, better peak load management, add system flexibility, enhance reliability and protect critical facilities for 2 million consumers served

by Tata Power-DDL. Fast-ramping energy storage like the Delhi system can be built in a matter of months to provide critical flexibility to whereever needed on India’s grid. In comparison, older technologies such as pumped hydroelectric energy storage can take years to build and are highly dependent on geographical locations.

Battery-based energy storage also uses no water and produces no emissions.

Tata Power’s collaboration with AES and Mitsubishi is one of the significant milestones in the Indian power sector, said Mr. Praveer Sinha, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Power. “Grid-scale energy storage will pave the way for ancillary market services, power quality management, effective renewable integration and peak load management of Indian grids.”

At Tata Power-DDL, we continually strive to integrate new technologies for strengthening our network to provide reliable and quality power supply to our consumers, said Mr. Sanjay Banga, CEO of Tata Power-DDL. “This, India’s first grid scale battery based storage system, will address our key challenges in the areas of peak load management, system flexibility, frequency regulation and reliability of the network.”

AES and Mitsubishi partnered together on the 10 MW / 10 MWh system to accelerate the adoption of battery-based energy storage technology in India.

Battery-based energy storage has an essential role to play in helping India realize its vision for a more sustainable energy future, said Andrés Gluski, AES President and Chief Executive Officer. “AES has been committed to delivering safe, reliable and affordable power in India for the last 27 years and we’re proud to bring the country’s first major gridscale energy storage solution online and open the market for the use of battery storage technology in India.”

Integrating solar and wind power with storage can increase renewable resources’ value by providing firm, predictable blocks of energy, much in the same way as traditional methods of generation.

We are honored to work alongside Tata Power, Tata Power-DDL, and AES in inaugurating this historic project, said Tsunehiro Makabe, General Manager of Mitsubishi Corporation’s Environmental Energy Business Department. “As South Asia’s largest grid-scale energy storage system, we are confident that it will play a key role in enhancing the flexibility and reliability of India’s power grid.”

Fluence is proud to support Tata Power-DDL in their efforts to continuously improve their network by adopting new technologies such as Fluence’s Advancion energy storage platform, said Stephen Coughlin, CEO of Fluence. “This historic project is a major step forward and will showcase the valuable role energy storage will play in enabling India to achieve its sustainable energy goals.” Fluence brings to the project more than a decade of experience deploying and operating grid-scale battery-based energy storage projects, with over 730 MW deployed or contracted around the world.

Source: blog.fluenceenergy

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Energy storage

Lithium-ion batteries: in the fast lane An accelerating need from transport is expected to drive demand for lithium-ion batteries during the coming years. Felix Maire and Roman Kramarchuk of S&P Global Platts Analytics outline the issues around the technology, as well as the sourcing and substitution of key metals.

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oth the transportation and power industry have been facing significant changes, driven by a combination of policy and technological factors, and S&P Global Platts Analytics sees lithium-ion batteries playing an instrumental role in these transformations.

When it comes to batteries, there have been and will continue to be synergies of power storage and transport sector battery technology. In the power sector, large deployments of wind and solar photovoltaics will increase the need for storage to manage their intermittency. Recently, the US has seen several RFPs in which developers have bid projects combining solar PV assets and lithium-ion batteries – a trend discussed recently in S&P Global Platts Analytics’ U.S. Power Storage Outlook. Because of the often-siloed nature of the energy sector, there is a need for some perspective regarding the relative size and importance of the sectors. The fact is that energy sector applications of batteries are and will continue to be dominated by uptake in the transport sector (see chart, above).

Intuitively, this should not be surprising, as batteries provide for the full energy transport needs of an electric vehicle, but they only play a supporting role to other generating sources in the power sector.

Globally, there is currently only 2−4 GWh of lithium battery storage installed in the power sector, according to the International Energy Agency, whereas batteries in electric vehicles account for 140 GWh. The right-hand side of the chart gives a sense of the relative size of battery demand under some strong battery storage penetration scenarios. On the transport side, assuming 25% of light-duty vehicles in the US were EVs (with a 60 kWh battery) this would imply 3,100 GWh of battery needs. On the power side, assuming 25% of all US households installed home batteries (sized at 13.5 kWh), the total need would be <500 GWh. This is about the same level of battery needs under a scenario in which 25% of US natural gas fired peaking generation plants are replaced with a combination of solar and storage.

As can be seen, the potential on the power side is clearly much smaller in scale – and the power sector can also choose from a wider range of nonlithium ion alternatives.

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The role of transport The electrification of the transport sector is seen as a potential solution to reduce local air pollution and potentially also greenhouse gas emissions (depending on factors such as the carbon intensity of the power sector). Developments in battery technology have been critical to this. Research on lithium-ion batteries began in the 1970s. In 1991, Sony commercialized the first lithium-ion battery to increase the battery capacity of its video recording devices. However, it took much longer for the transport sector to adopt lithium-ion batteries, despite its ability to store much more electricity by unit of weight or volume than older technologies. Early EV designs from the 1960s relied mostly on nickel-cadmium batteries. And for a while, lithium- ion batteries were too expensive to be used in transportation applications while nickel-cadmium (NiCd) or nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries were too heavy to provide EVs with adequate ranges. In contrast, electric hybrid vehicles needed less battery capacity and were able to utilize the relatively inexpensive NiMH batteries. The earliest Toyota Prius hybrid had a battery capacity of less than 1 kWh, while the Tesla Model 3 houses a 75 kWh battery.While EV sales are increasing, they remain a small fraction of new car sales and the total vehicle fleet. EVs will account for 2.5% of total 2018 passenger vehicle sales, according to the latest S&P Global Platts Analytics Electric Vehicle Sales & Policy Scorecard. Cost will be a key determinant of further uptake.

The purchase price of EVs is expected to remain higher than that of gasoline or diesel vehicles, largely due to the high cost of batteries. S&P Global Platts Analytics modelling indicates that savings in the costs of fuel and maintenance will not be sufficient to make EVs competitive on a totalcost-of-ownership basis for a while. However, we do expect further EV cost reductions and technology improvements over time. We estimate that passenger EV sales will continue to accelerate, reaching 24 million in annual sales in 2030. This fast ramp-up of EV sales will significantly raise demand for raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel. Development of new mines and intermediate conversion and processing plants takes time, raising concerns that supply will not be able to keep up with demand, and that shortages will raise battery prices and slow down the price competitiveness and uptake of EVs.

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Energy storage

Material world Materials currently account for nearly 50% of the total battery cost, among which cobalt, lithium, nickel and graphite are the most expensive, accounting for 30% of total cost. Process and chemistry improvements and pack engineering advances will lower battery prices, all else being equal. In turn, the battery cost exposure to metal price risks will increase as these key raw materials account for a larger share of the battery price.How this ramp-up in demand for metals plays out will depend in part on developments in battery chemistries.

The industry has developed a wide range of lithiumion battery types, varying in capacity, chemistries and performance. There is no commercially available ideal lithium-ion chemistry suitable for all applications. The choice of chemistry is typically a trade-off between energy density, power density, safety, life and cost requirements, and the metal needs vary.Energy density is critical for the electrification of transportation. Within the industry, the concept of “range anxiety” has been widely discussed as one of the factors limiting customers’ interest for EVs. Increasing battery capacity is the primary option for increasing vehicle range. However, as there is a limit to how much battery capacity can be installed due to vehicle space and weight limits, high energy density is key to achieving long-range EVs.In addition, the feasibility of heavy-duty vehicle electrification will partly depend on future increases in energy density. Electrifying long-range heavy-duty trucks with current lithium-ion batteries would shrink the amount of goods trucks can transport over long distances.

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However, energy-dense chemistries are also the ones that use expensive raw materials, such as cobalt. While some early EVs sold outside China relied on low-energy density batteries – for instance, the first Nissan Leaf used the cobalt-free lithium-ion manganese oxide (LMO) chemistry – automakers use high energy density batteries in their latest EV models to achieve higher vehicle ranges. Tesla has been the main proponent of the lithium nickel aluminum cobalt oxide cathode (NCA). Other manufacturers use the lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) chemistry.Since 2016, prices for cobalt traded on the London Metal Exchange more than quadrupled to reach a peak of $95,500/mt in March 2018.

Similarly, the price of lithium carbonate more than doubled since 2016, but has been decreasing recently. Since the launch of S&P Global Platts battery-grade lithium carbonate assessment on May 4, the seaborne price has fallen significantly from its opening assessment of $18,000/mt.Longer range EVs use the NMC and NCA chemistries, which favour the use of lithium hydroxide instead of lithium carbonate. Despite the growing demand, prices for lithium hydroxide have been dropping recently, highlighting ample lithium supply. - Indeed, concerns over lithium supply have shifted towards concerns about lithium conversion capacity, which is needed to upgrade raw material to the carbonate and hydroxide needed in batteries. Lithium spodumene and brine volumes continue to come to the market in ever-increasing numbers from Australia, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and China. While Chinese brine and spodumene is largely seen as lower quality it can be upgraded to battery-grade quality. Weakening S&P Global Platts batterygrade lithium carbonate assessments for the seaborne as well as Chinese domestic market suggest easing concerns over near-term supply, with all four assessments down from where they were assessed when first launched.

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Energy storage Ensuring a steady supply Automakers have tried, with varying success, to lock-in raw material supply of cobalt and lithium. Earlier this year, Gangfeng signed a deal with LG Chem to supply lithium for the period 2019−2025 and signed a contract with Tesla for a two-year supply, with an option for three additional years. However, Volkswagen failed last year to secure long-term cobalt supply after asking for 10year contracts. Cobalt also faces a concentration risk, as most of the production and reserves are located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. On the contrary, lithium reserves are more widely spread, but Chile and Australia account for almost 80% of 2017 production.It is important to note that there is currently no real alternative to lithium for the batteries used in the transport sector.

While the battery industry is using different forms of lithium − lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide − the need for lithium is relatively comparable among all the different lithium-ion battery chemistries. Finding a good replacement would not be an easy task for the industry. By 2025, S&P Global Platts Analytics expects a 10-fold increase in lithium demand from passenger EVs. Technology development will be instrumental in reducing cobalt exposure. Battery manufacturers are partly replacing cobalt with nickel in new batteries to reduce cobalt needs and increase energy density. The battery of the first BMW i3 used the NMC 3:3:3 chemistry (with three parts nickel, three parts cobalt and three parts manganese). A doubling of cobalt prices would lead to a 13% increase in battery cost for this chemistry.

However, the industry is moving towards the NMC 6:2:2 (with six parts nickel, two parts cobalt and two parts manganese). This would cut the cobalt need, limiting the battery price increase to 8% if cobalt prices double.

Research is ongoing to further reduce cobalt content in batteries, and possibly even to eliminate it. The industry expects the commercialization of the NMC 8:1:1 within the next few years, though safety concerns due to lower cobalt content may delay this.While several companies are working on cobalt-free chemistries, technology advances generally take a long time in the battery space, as time is measured in decades. Cobalt provides stability to lithium-ion batteries and is difficult to remove completely while keeping high energy density. New technologies, such as solid-state batteries, may decrease the need for cobalt, but are still many years away from mass commercialization. New cobalt supply will still be needed in the interim, as the scale of the expected growth in EVs will outpace such technological developments.Finally, battery recycling will become a critical topic, as EVs reach new segments and take up an increasing share of new vehicle sales. It is likely that governments will play a key role in supporting recycling driven by waste and sustainability concerns, as well as the risk of raw material scarcity.

Automotive manufacturers typically guarantee batteries for 100,000 miles or eight years, but batteries’ capacity degrades with use and they ultimately need to be replaced. There are increasing discussions about the second use of batteries, with some OEMs investigating the reuse of EV batteries for power storage applications.

Source: plattsinsight

AES sees $50 billion opportunity in Indian energy storage

We think India is going to be a big market for energy storage, CEO of AES Andres Gluski said.

India is presenting a potential investment opportunity of $50 billion in battery storage facilities that could help integrate renewable energy into the grid, replace polluting diesel-fueled power and boost electric mobility, the head of American energy firm AES Corp. said.

We think India is going to be a big market for energy storage, Chief Executive Officer Andres Gluski said in an interview.He spoke after AES completed the country’s first 10-megawatt battery-storage system to support the grid in national capital New Delhi.

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India’s goal to build 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2022 is seen as a big opportunity by AES to use battery storage to integrate fluctuating green power into the grid, as well as replacing diesel-fueled power plants.

Source: bloomberg

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Energy storage

LG Chem Will Invest KRW 1.2 Trillion to Expand Its Battery Plants in Nanjing South Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LG Chem announced that it will invest KRW 1.2 trillion (USD 1.07 billion) to expand its two battery production plants located in the Chinese city of Nanjing.

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he initiation of this capacity expansion program is in response to the rising demand in China for powertrain batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) and cylindrical batteries used in various electronic products.The Korea Herald, an English-language newspaper published in Seoul, reported in its coverage of the announcement that LG Chem has divided the investment into two parts. Around KRW 600 billion will be spent on raising the production of EV batteries.

The remaining amount will be used to raise the production of cylindrical batteries for digital devices and other applications, including electric bicycles, electric scooters, and wireless vacuum cleaners. B3 Intelligence, a research firm cited by LG Chem in its announcement, forecasts that the global demand for cylindrical batteries will total around 6 billion units this year.

-be able to compete on a better footing in China as the country begins phasing out subsidies for domestic battery manufacturers.

With better products at lower prices, Korean suppliers are confident that they can capture more orders from Chinese EV manufacturers. Besides LG Chem, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation are now ramping up investments in China as well.

An article published last December on just-auto.com, a website for auto industry news, said that LG Chem anticipates that its EV battery business will turn a profit for the first time in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Energy storage

SK Innovation’s EV Battery Production to Grow Ten-fold by 2022

Shell buys German solar battery maker sonnen Sonnen, which has 40,000 battery systems worldwide and in 2017 had sales of $73 million, is the German market leader in home storage batteries and has expanded into electric vehicle charging systems

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oyal Dutch Shell has agreed to buy German residential solar battery maker sonnen, as the oil and gas major expands its electricity business in its bid for a bigger role in the global transition to low-carbon energy.Sonnen, which has 40,000 battery systems worldwide and in 2017 had sales of 65 million euros ($73 million), is the German market leader in home storage batteries and has expanded into electric vehicle charging systems.

Regulatory approval and completion of the transaction, involving Shell New Energies, was expected in the first quarter of 2019, a sonnen spokesman said, without giving a value. Sonnen would continue to operate from the Bavarian town of Wildpoldsried and its top management would stay on, he said.

Germany has 1.5 million solar systems whose subsidised sales tariffs are due to be phased out in coming years. By acquiring batteries, householders can store home-produced power and use it for themselves or sell it to the grid.Shell, the world’s second largest listed oil and gas producer, has accelerated investment in renewable energy and power markets, betting on a rapid rise in electricity demand due to electric vehicle use and a switch to cleaner energy sources.It has acquired vehicle charging technologies, solar power producers and retail energy supplier First Utility. Shell injected cash into sonnen last year to help it grow.Sonnen’s existing investors, including GE Ventures and European private equity investors, will be bought out.

South Korea-based SK Innovation expects a great outlook for electric vehicles and plans to massively increase production of EV batteries by a factor of 10 before 2022, to 55 GWh.

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ccording to Reuters, SK Group’s cash cow (SK Hynix) recently has experienced a falling demand of memory chip, so the Group Chairman Chey Tae-won shifted his focus to EV batteries. Chey announced that since the end of 2017, the Group has invested in 3 billion USD to build new battery plants in China, Hungary and the United States.On December 26, at the company’s plant in Seosan, a senior manager of SK Innovation expressed that the firm predicts battery business will break even and begin to make profits by 2020.

Kim Tae-hyeon, a head of SK Innovation’s battery business team, pointed out that the company’s annual battery production will be boosted from the current 4.7 GWh to 55 GWh in 2022.For now, South Korean EV batteries are not qualified for subsidies in China. After China phases out subsidies, SK Innovation’s competitiveness will outshine that of its Chinese rivals. In this way, it predicts an optimistic outlook for China’s battery demand.Lee Du-beom of the company’s battery team noted that the policy-stimulated EV demand will raise EV battery demand. Global car makers will need to buy batteries from foreign battery manufacturers.SK Innovation is an EV battery supplier for German automakers Volkswagen and Daimler. Daimler planned to purchase 20 billion Euros (23 billion USD) worth of batteries by 2030 because it would make massive hybrid and electric vehicles. Daimler did not specify its future suppliers. As for its current battery suppliers, they are Korean SK Innovation, LG Chem and Chinese CATL. Source: energytrend

Source: reuters

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inverter

Delta PV Inverters Achieve Rapid Shutdown with Tigo’s UL Certification Tigo Energy, Inc., pioneer of the smart modular Flex MLPE, announced the new Underwriter Laboratories (UL) certification of its TS4 Platform Rapid Shutdown Systems (RSS) with Delta Group, a global leader in power and thermal management solutions.

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he Delta inverters listed below were successfully certified with Tigo’s RSS solutions: TS4-F (Fire Safety), TS4-O (Optimization), and TS4-L (Long String).

Tigo is currently shipping with Delta and more tier one certified inverter manufacturing partners throughout the U.S. Contact Tigo for more information about RSS for integrated or retrofitted PV installations.This UL certification is part of Tigo’s multivendor initiative providing customers with the advantages of reliable, safe, and cost-effective solutions. The use of Tigo smart modules and high efficiency inverters allows design flexibility for installers to comply with National Electric Code (NEC) 2017 690.12 RSS regulations. Tigo has also been internationally recognized as the only module-level power electronic vendor with UL-certified RSS with PV module manufacturers. To learn more about Tigo’s RSS solutions, join Tigo’s online NABCEP-accredited trainings.

The following Delta inverters are newly UL-listed as a Rapid Shutdown System with Tigo’s TS4 units:

TS4-F (Fire Safety)

The most cost-effective RSS solution with SunSpec-defined power-line communication.

M36U

M60U

M42U

M80U

TS4-O (Optimization) and TS4-L (Long Strings) The only UL-certified multivendor RSS in the U.S. solar market also include additional features like optimization and long string designs.

M4-TL-US

M5-TL-US

M6-TL-US

M8-TL-US

Tigo is currently taking orders – for price and delivery of RSS UL-certified TS4 products.

Source: Business Wire

inverter

PV-inverter and smart-meter suppliers race to develop and launch digital energy solutions

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PV-inverter and smart-meter suppliers race to develop and launch digital energy solutions- By Cormac Gilligan, research and analysis manager, solar and energy storage, IHS Markit

Highlights In recent years, smart meter and photovoltaic (PV) inverter suppliers involved in the new energy transition have been rapidly developing new internet of things (IoT) software platforms to create new revenue sources.

Within smart metering, a key indicator for IoT adoption is advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) – over 80 percent of the communicating meters forecast to be shipped in 2019 will be enabled with AMI solutions.

More than 11 million PV inverters will be shipped in 2019 alone, most will be connected to a software platform and controlled by the inverter companies.

Analysis Fundamental to new initiatives to develop IoT software platforms is the creation of a new energy ecosystem. In this ecosystem, complimentary components all work seamlessly together, so the energy generated, consumed and billed can be implemented effortlessly for residential and commercial owners. Examples of these components include electric vehicles (EVs), smart home appliances, heating and cooling systems, smart meters, and solar and battery energy storage systems Traditionally, solar inverters and smart meters have been considered disparate and not interconnected. However, in the new digitalized energy world, software platforms are unlocking what were once siloed and separate components.Solar inverter suppliers have been developing their own proprietary in-house IoT software platforms to sell solar and energy storage hardware and digital services to commercial business chains, large utilities and other non-traditional customers with access to thousands of homeowners.Smart meter suppliers in recent years have been similarly strategically diversifying their portfolios from hardware vendors, in order to become service providers. As hardware prices declined rapidly in recent years, PV inverter makers, smart meter manufacturers and other cleantech energy hardware suppliers have been rapidly pivoting their businesses to provide IoT energy solutions.The four fundamental pillars for an IoT strategy are the following: connect, collect, compute and create. Businesses connect devices, that collect data for computation analysis to create unique solutions. For many smart-meter and PV-inverter suppliers, the first two pillars have been in progress for years, but the next stage of their growth will focus on data computation and the creation of new business opportunities.

Growing installed base of smart meters and inverters creates new business solutions The data gained from IoT enables the creation of more complex applications. One example is condition monitoring, which is the process of monitoring the condition and health of a device or system. This monitoring allows for the continuous automated assessment of products and relevant infrastructure, which can highlight any potential issues or the need for repairs. These insights allow for planned maintenance and a reduction in energy supply downtime.SolarEdge and other suppliers boast a large installed base of inverters in certain utility areas

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and can add battery energy storage systems to their PV systems. Recently, these suppliers have been piloting virtual power plants (VPPs), which allow utilities companies to potentially aggregate multiple residential-PV and energy-storage systems and use the homeowners’ batteries to store or export electricity, to help balance the grid and reduce electricity production volatility. While this VPP concept is still in its infancy, it could be an additional revenue source for PV inverter suppliers in the future.

Availability of smart hardware to aid utilities roll-out of IoT solutions To truly gain a holistic view of what is happening in this new energy landscape, utility companies need to shift from a singular product-grouping view to a total-system view of the new energy ecosystem.

Doing so vastly increases the amount and depth of data available for more complex solutions under their control, such as condition monitoring, asset health management, additional renewables penetration and battery energy-storage systems.However, with this increased amount of data, companies need change their business model, if they want to survive in such a data-heavy environment. Smart meter and inverter suppliers that evolve from ‘product-only’ to ‘system view and services’ increase their range of utilities and other potential clients.In recent years, SMA and other PV inverter suppliers have been developing platform systems where the inverters are the brains of the new energy system. Doing so allows battery systems, EV charging and heating and cooling systems, and other hardware components to be controlled seamlessly, which helps homeowners and commercial customers reduce energy consumption. ABB and other industrial players have produced software platforms that can help utilities manage distributed energy resources, like renewables and battery-energy storage.The desire for services within smart metering is predominantly focused on “meter-to-cash” billing automation.

IHS Markit estimates $56.9 billion will be spent on meter-to-cash focused solutions globally between 2019 and 2023. Yet, IoT also opens many more revenue streams, as metering data can be used with the VPP and to ensure power quality, fault analysis, health and condition monitoring.

Competitive landscape begins to blur This business-model evolution has blurred the competitive landscape, as former competitors can suddenly become partners or even clients. In addition, IT providers, platform operators, and other entirely new competitors are stepping into the IoT in energy environment. For example, Huawei is a leading solar inverter supplier, but in the coming years it may partner with other solar-inverter or smart-meter suppliers as 5G is rolled-out, enabling utilities to handle more data and transfer it faster.

Source: ihsmarkit

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Ingeteam closes 2018 with a total supply of 3.85 GW in PV inverters

This all-time high figure almost triples the company’s former best record, achieved in 2017.

Ingeteam’s products were supplied to more than twenty countries in all five continents.

Ingeteam maintains its global leadership position in the provision of Operation & Maintenance services to energy generation plants.

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ngeteam’s solar business unit, dedicated to the design and manufacture of solar inverters for PV installations, closed 2018 with a total of 3,850 MW supplied throughout the world.

This figure is a historic high for the company, whose former best record was 1.44 GW, achieved in 2017.In 2018, the key markets in which the company has grown its solar business are the Middle East region, Mexico, Australia, Spain, North Africa and France. However, the products sold last year, all of which were designed and manufactured at the company’sfacilities in northern Spain, were supplied to more than twenty countries in all five continents.

José Luis González, Sales Director of the Ingeteam Solar Photovoltaic Area, emphasised that “we expect to consolidate our position in the markets in which we are most active and well-established, yet without losing sight of any new opportunities that may arise in other countries with good growth prospects.”

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The company has an extensive product portfolio, ranging from string inverters, directed at residential, commercial and industrial systems, up to central inverters, directed at large-scale plants rated at hundreds of megawatts. In fact, in 2018 Ingeteam supplied its PV inverters to eleven plants whose rated capacity is either equal to or greater than 100 MW. In this group of large-scale solar plants, particular mention should be made of the largest PV plant in Europe (500 MWp) and the largest in the world (1,177 MWp).According to some estimates, the total of photovoltaic inverters supplied by Ingeteam in 2018 would be able to generate enough energy as to satisfy the demand of around two million households.

Energy storage Energy storage is a key sector for Ingeteam, where the company is positioning itself for the considerable development expected in the short and medium term for systems of this type, both at a residential level and also on a large scale. In fact, Ingeteam is marketing its battery converters for both segments and, in 2018, the company supplied this equipment primarily for hybrid systems that combine PV generation with energy storage. Sales were principally made to countries such as the United States, Spain, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil.

Global leader in the provision of Operation & Maintenance Services Furthermore, the company has achieved a new annual record for maintained power, exceeding 12 GW of renewable power across the globe, of which 4.4 GW correspond to solar power in more than 500 PV plants. This means that Ingeteam Service is currently securing its global leadership position as an ISP (Independent Service Provider) of operation and maintenance services at energy generation plants.

Source: Ingeteam

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Meyer Burger divests its wafering business to Precision Surfacing Solutions Meyer Burger Technology Ltd (SIX Swiss Exchange: MBTN) announced that it will sell its photovoltaic and specialised materials (e.g. semiconductor and sapphire glass industries) wafering equipment and service business to Precision Surfacing Solutions (PSS) (formerly Lapmaster Wolters Ltd), a global supplier of equipment and services for surface enhancement technology.

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s part of the transaction, significant parts of Meyer Burger’s current production facilities in Thun as well as around 100 employees involved in the wafering technology portfolio in Thun and the relevant service locations worldwide will also be transferred to PSS. Completion of the contract is subject to standard closing conditions. The closing of the transaction is expected to be completed towards the end of the first quarter of 2019. The agreed purchase price is CHF 50 million in cash, which represents approximately one times net sales of the wafering equipment business. The contract also includes an earn-out component based on certain revenue levels in 2019.

Both Meyer Burger and PSS view the transaction as an important strategic milestone, which will further strengthen two global technology leaders.

PSS is a recognized industry leader in the development of technology to produce micron accuracy surface finishes. Under its Lapmaster, Peter Wolters, ELB, Micron, Aba, REFORM, Barnes and Kehren brands, PSS has a proven history of successfully developing cost effective processing solutions for the lapping, polishing, fine grinding, brush deburring, creep feed grinding, bore honing, double disc grinding, buffing through an expanding network of sales and services offices located throughout the world. PSS is headquartered in Mt. Prospect, IL/USA, employing over 900 people across 13 manufacturing facilities on three continents. For more information, visit www.precision-surface.com

Hans Brändle, CEO of Meyer Burger: “Although Meyer Burger grew from its roots in the wafering industry, our main focus today is on PV cell coating and module connection technologies. As the new owner of our wafering portfolio and with its presence in the semiconductor industry, PSS is ideally positioned to fully maximize the synergies with our wafering technologies. I am very pleased that with PSS as the new owner, we have found a solution that is advantageous for both parties while at the same time securing both jobs and technology know-how in Thun.”

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Brian Nelson, President & CEO of PSS: “The acquisition of Meyer Burger’s wafering technology portfolio will further enable us to strengthen and grow our activities in our key markets. We look forward to maximizing the synergies together with a strong local team and utilizing the potential to relocate additional production activities to the manufacturing location in Thun.”

PSS intends to use the know-how of Meyer Burger’s local workforce and to continue product development as well as manufacturing activities in non-PV wafering applications in Thun, where it has entered into a long-term rental agreement with Meyer Burger. Production activities for photovoltaic wafering will remain in China. PSS will further maintain global service support for all current and future wafering customers worldwide. PSS will take over around 70 employees at its Thun location and around an additional 30 globally. The Thun manufacturing location, which is owned by Meyer Burger, is now fully occupied and includes long-term leasing contracts with Precision Surfacing Solutions as well as with 3S Solar Plus AG. Meyer Burger’s strategic focus on Heterojunction, SWCT™, next generation cell/ module technologies. Meyer Burger will further concentrate its strategic focus on the existing cell/module technologies business, especially its successful Heterojunction and SmartWire Connection Technology (SWCT™), and on promising next generation cell/module technologies.

Source: meyerburger

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PV MANUFACTURING

UL Issues World’s First IEC CB 2016 Certification for Solar PV Modules to India Customer Premier Solar UL, a leading global safety science company, announced that it completed solar photovoltaic (PV) module testing and certification for its India-based customer Premier Solar as per the latest International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards.

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his is the first certificate of its kind issued in the world following the revision of the IEC Standards in 2016. This IEC certification enables Premier Solar to access markets in Latin America, Europe and Africa, where adoption of the standards is critical to increase market penetration. The new IEC standards – IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 – were revised in March 2016 to reflect the emerging requirements of the solar industry in the face of evolving technology and dramatic variations in climatic and other environmental conditions around the world.

The latest edition of the standards differs from its predecessor in multiple ways, signaling changes in the test procedure, sequence, duration and methodology for evaluating structural safety and performance of solar modules manufactured with crystalline silicon and other thin-film technology.

For instance, the new standards call for an increase in cycle time from 15 days to 120 days to account for the rising UV radiation in the atmosphere. IEC has also introduced a requirement that classifies PV modules as per their ability to perform at varying degrees for outdoor pollution to better assess panel damage. Finally, the criteria for visual inspection are more stringent in the 2016 revision as are the requirements for functioning safely at higher voltages.

Commenting on the accreditation, Mr. Suresh Sugavanam, UL’s vice president and managing director for South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa said, “With over 40 years of expertise in the solar field, UL leads the market in catering to the sector.

As one of the earliest organisations accredited by the IEC, we have been at the forefront of expanding our capabilities and expertise to service our customers for meeting the changing requirements.

Compliance with IEC standards are imperative to gain increased market share around the globe. India has a significant share of PV module manufacturers in India who cater to the global market and they can gain competitive advantage by partnering with us to gain the IEC certification to ensure wider market entry and faster time to market.”

Mr. Surender Pal Singh Saluja, Chairman of Premier Solar said, “We are proud to have partnered with UL for IEC 61216:2016 certification for solar-panels. As one of the pioneers in Indian PV Industry since 1995, Premier Solar has always given the highest priority to quality of products churned out from our state-of-the-art automated manufacturing facilities.

We believe in partnering with reputed, accredited and trusted testing partner is the need of the hour to ensure our products adhere to the IEC standards and is endorsed by a globally reputed testing and certification body. This certification opens up avenues of opportunities for us in over 50 countries.”

Source: webershandwick

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RESEARCH & ANALYSIS The biggest solar projects financed included the 800MW NOORm Midelt PV and solar thermal portfolio in Morocco, at an estimated $2.4 billion, and the 709MW NLC Tangedco PV plant in India, at a cost of about $500 million. India is one of the countries with the lowest capital costs per megawatt for photovoltaic plants.Offshore wind was a major recipient of clean energy investment last year, attracting $25.7 billion, up 14% on the previous year. Some of the projects financed were in Europe, led by the 950MW Moray Firth East array in the North Sea, at an estimated $3.3 billion, but there were also 13 Chinese offshore wind farms starting construction, for a total of some $11.4 billion.

CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT EXCEEDED $300 BILLION ONCE AGAIN IN 2018 Solar commitments declined 24% in dollar terms even though there was record new photovoltaic capacity added, breaking 100GW barrier for the first time

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lobal clean energy investment[1] totaled $332.1 billion in 2018, down 8% on 2017.

Last year was the fifth in a row in which investment exceeded the $300 billion mark, according to authoritative figures from research company BloombergNEF (BNEF).

There were sharp contrasts between clean energy sectors in terms of the change in dollar investment last year. Wind investment rose 3% to $128.6 billion, with offshore wind having its second-highest year. Money committed to smart meter rollouts and electric vehicle company financings also increased.However, the most striking shifts were in solar. Overall investment in that sector dropped 24% to $130.8 billion. Part of this reduction was due to sharply declining capital costs. BNEF’s global benchmark for the cost of installing a megawatt of photovoltaic capacity fell 12% in 2018 as manufacturers slashed selling prices in the face of a glut of PV modules on the world market.That surplus was aggravated by a sharp change in policy in China in mid-year. The government acted to cool that country’s solar boom by restricting access for new projects to its feed-in tariff. The result of this, combined with lower unit costs, was that Chinese solar investment plunged 53% to $40.4 billion in 2018.

Jenny Chase, head of solar analysis at BNEF, commented: 2018 was certainly a difficult year for many solar manufacturers, and for developers in China. However, we estimate that global PV installations increased from 99GW in 2017 to approximately 109GW in 2018, as other countries took advantage of the technology’s fiercely improved competitiveness.

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David Hostert, head of wind analysis at BNEF, said: The balance of activity in offshore is tilting. Countries such as the U.K. and Germany pioneered this industry and will remain important, but China is taking over as the biggest market and new locations such as Taiwan and the U.S. East Coast are seeing strong interest from developers.

Onshore wind saw $100.8 billion of new asset finance globally last year, up 2%, with the biggest projects reaching go-ahead including the 706MW Enel Green Power South Africa portfolio, at an estimated $1.4 billion, and the Xcel Rush Creek installation in the U.S., at $1 billion for 600MW.Among other renewable energy sectors, investment in biomass and waste-to-energy rose 18% to $6.3 billion, while that in biofuels rallied 47% to $3 billion. Geothermal was up 10% at $1.8 billion, small hydro down 50% at $1.7 billion and marine up 16% at $180 million. Total investment in utility-scale renewable energy projects and small-scale solar systems worldwide was down 13% year-on-year at $256.5 billion, although the gigawatt capacity added increased.Other categories of investment showed mixed trends in 2018.

Corporate research and development spending slipped 6% to $20.9 billion, while government R&D rose 4% to $15 billion. There was a 20% increase in public markets investment in specialist clean energy companies, to $10.5 billion, with the biggest initial public offerings including $1.2 billion for Chinese electric vehicle company NIO, $852 million for Chinese electric car battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology, and $808 million for French solar developer Neoen.Global venture capital and private equity investment jumped 127% to $9.2 billion, the highest since 2010. The biggest deals were $1.1 billion of expansion capital for U.S. smart window maker View, and $795 million for Chinese electric vehicle firm Youxia Motors. In fact, there were no fewer than eight VC/PE financings of Chinese EV specialist companies in 2018, totaling some $3.3 billion.Looking at the 2018 clean energy investment numbers by country, China was again the clear leader, but its total of $100.1 billion was down 32% on 2017’s record figure because of the plunge in the value of solar commitments.

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RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

Jon Moore, chief executive of BNEF, commented: Once again, the actions of China are playing a major role in the dynamics of the energy transition, helping to drive down solar costs, grow the offshore wind and EV markets and lift venture capital and private equity investment.

Some of the historical totals for clean energy investment in previous years have been revised in this round, to take account of new information on projects and deals. This is true, for instance, of the 2017 figure. The up-to-date numbers for total investment are: $61.7 billion in 2004, $88 billion in 2005, $129.2 billion in 2006, $182.2 billion in 2007, $205.2 billion in 2008, $206.8 billion in 2009, $276.1 billion in 2010, $324 billion in 2011, $290.7 billion in 2012, $268.6 billion in 2013, $321.3 billion in 2014, $360.3 billion in 2015, $330.1 billion in 2016, $361.7 billion in 2017, and $332.1 billion in 2018.

Figure 1: Global new investment in clean energy

The U.S. was the second-biggest investing country, at $64.2 billion, up 12%. Developers have been rushing to finance wind and solar projects in order to take advantage of tax credit incentives, before these expire early next decade. There has also been a boom, in both the U.S. and Europe, in the construction of projects benefitting from power purchase agreements signed by big corporations such as Facebook and Google. Europe saw clean energy investment leap 27% to $74.5 billion, helped by the financing of five offshore wind projects in the billion-dollarplus category. There was also a sharp recovery in the Spanish solar market, helped by heavily reduced costs, and a continuation of the build-out of large wind farms in Sweden and Norway offering low-cost electricity to industrial consumers.

Other countries and territories investing in excess of $2 billion in clean energy in 2018 were: Japan at $27.2 billion, down 16% India at $11.1 billion, down 21% Germany at $10.5 billion, down 32% The U.K. at $10.4 billion, up 1% Australia at $9.5 billion, up 6% Spain at $7.8 billion, up sevenfold Netherlands at $5.6 billion, up 60% Sweden at $5.5 billion, up 37% France at $5.3 billion, up 7% South Korea at $5 billion, up 74% South Africa at $4.2 billion, up 40-fold Mexico at $3.8 billion, down 38% Vietnam at $3.3 billion, up 18-fold Denmark at $3.2 billion, up fivefold Belgium at $2.9 billion, up fourfold Italy at $2.8 billion, up 11% Morocco at $2.8 billion, up 13-fold Taiwan at $2.4 billion, up 134% Ukraine at $2.4 billion, up 15-fold Canada at $2.2 billion, down 34% Turkey at $2.2 billion, down 5% Norway at $2 billion, no change

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Figure 2: New wind and solar PV capacity added worldwide

Source: BloombergNEF

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES

SolarEdge to Enter E-Mobility Market with Acquisition of S.M.R.E. Spa SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. (“SolarEdge”) (NASDAQ: SEDG), a global leader in smart energy, announced - the entry into a definitive agreement to acquire S.M.R.E Spa (“SMRE”). Headquartered in Italy, SMRE provides innovative integrated powertrain technology and electronics for electric vehicles.

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ounded in 1999 and traded on the Italian AIM (SMR.MI), SMRE has three business units: e-mobility, automated production machines and telematics software. The company has more than fifteen years of experience developing end-to-end emobility solutions for electric and hybrid vehicles used in motorcycles, commercial vehicles and trucks. These solutions include innovative high-performing powertrains with e-motor, motor drive, gearbox, battery, BMS, chargers, Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) and software for electric vehicles.With governments and automotive manufacturers committed to the electrification of transportation, the global market for electric vehicles is expected by industry experts to increase from approximately one million EVs in 2018 to approximately 20 million annually in 2030, with a CAGR of 30.6% from 2015 and until 2030.

The acquisition of SMRE is another step in executing our strategy of sustainable growth by addressing an additional fast growing and technologically synergetic market while diversifying into new fields outside the solar arena, stated Guy Sella, CEO, Chairman and Founder of SolarEdge. SMRE’s innovative technology and experienced, successful team provides SolarEdge with fast-track access to the high-growth e-mobility market. We believe that combining SMRE’s vast experience and full powertrain technology with SolarEdge’s innovative power and battery technology, proven operational excellence and global reach, positions us to become a market leader in this important market.

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SMRE built a strong team that has developed products addressing the current and future needs of the e-mobility market, stated Samuele Mazzini, CEO, Chairman and Founder of SMRE. SMRE’s expertise together with SolarEdge’s successful business track record, R&D capabilities and innovative power electronics will favorably position us in the global transition to e-mobility.

The initial acquisition entails a purchase from the founder and an additional two stockholders of approximately 51% of the outstanding shares of SMRE pursuant to a standard share purchase agreement, for an aggregate investment of approximately $77 million, with 50% to be paid in cash and the remaining 50% to be paid in shares of SolarEdge common stock. The transaction is expected to close in the coming weeks and will be followed by a mandatory tender offer in which SolarEdge intends to offer to purchase in an all cash transaction, subject to regulatory reviews and approvals, the remaining outstanding ordinary shares of SMRE, that are currently listed on the Italian AIM stock exchange, with the goal of SMRE becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of SolarEdge.This initial acquisition is expected to reduce SolarEdge’s cash balance by approximately $39 million, which will be reflected in the first quarter cash flow and involve the issuance of approximately 1.1 million shares of SolarEdge common stock. From a financial perspective, the contribution of SMRE to SolarEdge’s revenues in the first quarter is expected to be minimal and the effect on non GAAP EPS is expected to be ($0.01)-($0.03) as a result of the additional shares issuance and the results of SMRE operations.

Further information on this acquisition will be provided in the fourth quarter 2018 earnings release call.

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Hubbali-Dharwad Smart City’s green mobility corridor project bags Rs 80cr funding The Hubballi-Dharwad Smart City in Karnataka will get a funding of Rs 80 crore for its proposed ‘Green Mobility Corridor’ project that has won the CITIIS challenge, according to the Urban Affairs Ministry.

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he Centre had announced a new Cities Investment To Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) challenge to identify top projects in 15 of the 100 selected smart cities, which will then receive an additional funding of Rs 80 crore each.From Karnataka, Davanagere and Hubbali-Dharwad Smart Cities participated in the CITIIS challenge. However, the proposal on ‘Green Mobility Corridor’ submitted by the Hubbali-Dharwad Smart City was selected for the additional funding.

I am happy to inform you that the following project (Green Mobility Corridor) has been selected from your state for funding under the CITIIS challenge, the Urban Affairs Ministry said in a letter to the Karnataka government.

The proposed project got selected under the sustainable mobility category, said Hubballi-Dharwad Smart City Limited (HDSCL) Managing Director Hephsiba Rani Korlapati.

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The project, estimated to cost total Rs 130 crore, aims to build a dedicated cycle corridor for over 18 km along the waterfront and on either sides of drainage.

The project addresses the issues of public health, safe transportation, sanitation, rejuvenation of public spaces, waterfront development and most of all sustainable mobility through development of non-motorised transport, the HDSCL MD said.

The new funding will be financed by a 100 million euro loan from the French government’s international development agency L’Agence Fran aise de D veloppement (AFD).There are total seven cities in Karnataka which are part of Smart City Mission.Smart cities is one of the biggest central government financed urban development schemes.

Source: PTI

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Magenta Power joins hands with Mahindra Susten (a part of Mahindra Group) for its Solar Projects in India Magenta Power, a pioneer in renewable energy solutions and EV charging infrastructure space in India announces its collaboration with “Mahindra Susten” a part of Mahindra Group and a reputed brand in sustainable infrastructure and Renewable Energy, to provide diversified services within the renewable energy and clean tech space in India.

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he partnership aims to conceptualize solutions most suitable for the Indian market requirements.

Within the framework of this collaboration, Magenta Power and Mahindra Susten (CnI division) will jointly work towards developing technological solutions and rooftop solar power installations for clean energy adoption.

We are absolutely delighted about the prospect of working with Mahindra Susten, which is a renowned solar power solutions provider. We believe that this will add tremendous value for our customers, resulting in unmatched product quality at very competitive costs. Overall, our association with the leading technology providers, reinforces our positioning in the Indian Solar Space says Mr. Maxson Lewis, Managing Director- Magenta Power.

Mr. Rakesh Singh, CEO of Solar business at Mahindra Susten said Mahindra Susten has done projects in the Kilowatt, Megawatt scale with inbuilt capacity of more than 1 Gigawatts in India & KSA. However, we believe that rooftop solar is the growth driver in India with 2.7 Gigawatt of capacity planned purely in the rooftop segment. To drive that growth initiative, we were looking for the right partners to improve our reach and our ability to serve our customers. We are happy to partner with Magenta Power whose business spirit and passion for clean energy solutions is synchronous with that of Mahindra Susten. We are jointly working on multiple initiatives with focus on key states in India which are in the forefront of Solar initiatives in India. We are sure this partnership is going to put in overdrive the adoption of rooftop solar not only for our respective companies but for our country as a whole.

The team is jointly working on innovative solutions including some ‘firsts in India’, trying to solve challenges unique to the solar power space in India and more announcements can be expected from this partnership.Magenta Power aims at pushing the limits of technology by investing in allied innovations in the near future. Very recently under the Magenta EV business unit, the brand has set up EV Charging stations at HPCL Staff Colony (Mumbai) supporting green energy. Extending the same, Magenta has also outfitted EV Corridor between Mumbai – Pune Expressway, Bangalore and Hyderabad.Mahindra Susten has more than 1.7 Gigawatts of commissioned Solar projects with another 1.5 Gigawatt capacity addition already under progress. With innovative solution like India’s first Mobile PV Testing Lab, Mahindra Susten is pushing the case for easier adoption of renewable energy.

Source: synapsepr.co.in

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case study

Azuri unveils custom 32-inch pay-as-you-go solar satellite TV system for off-grid Africa Azuri Technologies, a leader in affordable pay-as-you-go solar technology, unveiled its new 32-inch solar satellite TV system specially designed and customised for off-grid customers in Africa.

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he 32-inch Azuri TV is the latest product release from the company which already has in its product portfolio a 24-inch solar satellite TV. Azuri was the first pay-as-you-go company back in 2016 to integrate solar TV with satellite entertainment in one affordable package for households without access to mains electricity. Azuri’s 32-inch TV Solar Home System comes with 4 high brightness LED lights, mobile phone charging and a rechargeable torch and radio.

More than 60 satellite TV channels and 20 plus radio channels complete the package. To ensure durability and to meet the conditions of rural environments, the TV features Azuri ToughScreenTM technology, designed to resist accidental damage during normal use in the home. The 32-inch AzuriTV will initially be launched in Kenya at only KSh129 per day. The company plans to launch the new TV in other markets across Sub-Saharan Africa later in the year. Kenya has around 10 million households, yet only around 3.9 million households have TV.

Azuri CEO Simon Bransfield-Garth said there are three obstacles preventing rural off-grid consumers from watching TV – access to power, service coverage and the high up-front cost of the installation. AzuriTV addresses all three by providing affordable TV, anytime, anywhere. “Azuri’s vision is one that sees a level playing field where all consumers have the ability to benefit from modern products and services, regardless of where they live,” said Simon Bransfield-Garth.

“Solar TV provides a range of important social benefits including access to news and information and unprecedented connectivity for people without access to power,” he added.

According to the Efficiency for Access Coalition, a coalition to accelerate global energy access through energy-efficient appliances, televisions are the second most desired off-grid appliance, with only solar lighting ranking more highly. In a survey of Azuri customers, 98% customers said they felt more aware of local and international news while 92% of customers said watching television programs in their preferred language had improved their communications skills. 60% of customers reported seeing their children improve reading, writing and speaking skills since installing an Azuri solar TV. Educational entertainment, such as the popular farming programme Shamba Shape-up in Kenya and Tanzania can also help rural customers learn and adapt new practices on their farms to improve production and income. Azuri’s payas-you-go solar lighting and TV products require customers to make small weekly payments via mobile money to unlock the system’s power. Using this easy payment service, customers are able to access a wide range of modern digital capabilities and services including micro-insurance and media content.

Source: azuri-technologies

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technology

INNOVATION: ‘Inkjet’ solar panels poised to revolutionize green energy That sustainability dream is today one step closer to becoming a reality thanks to Polish physicist and businesswoman Olga Malinkiewicz. What if one day all buildings could be equipped with windows and facades that satisfy the structure’s every energy need, whether rain or shine?

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hat sustainability dream is today one step closer to becoming a reality thanks to Polish physicist and businesswoman Olga Malinkiewicz. The 36-year-old has developed a novel inkjet processing method for perovskites — a new generation of cheaper solar cells — that makes it possible to produce solar panels under lower temperatures, thus sharply reducing costs. Indeed, perovskite technology is on track to revolutionise access to solar power for all, given its surprising physical properties, some experts say.

In our opinion, perovskite solar cells have the potential to address the world energy poverty,” said Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin, a professor at Switzerland’s Federal Institue of Technology Lausanne, an institution on the cutting-edge of solar energy research.

Solar panels coated with the mineral are light, flexible, efficient, inexpensive and come in varying hues and degrees of transparency. They can easily be fixed to almost any surface — be it laptop, car, drone, spacecraft or building — to produce electricity, including in the shade or indoors. Though the excitement is new, perovskite has been known to science since at least the 1830s, when it was first identified by German mineralogist Gustav Rose while prospecting in the Ural mountains and named after Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski. In the following decades, synthesising the atomic structure of perovskite became easier.

But it was not until 2009 that Japanese researcher Tsutomu Miyasaka discovered that perovskites can be used to form photovoltaic solar cells. – ‘Bull’s eye’ – Initially the process was complicated and required ultra high temperatures, so only materials that could withstand extreme heat — like glass — could be coated with perovskite cells.

This is where Malinkiewicz comes in. In 2013, while still a PhD student at the University of Valencia in Spain, she figured out a way to coat flexible foil with perovskites using an evaporation method.

Later, she developed an inkjet printing procedure that lowered production costs enough to make mass production economically feasible.

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It also inked a licencing partnership with Saule in December for the exclusive right to incorporate the company’s solar cell technology in its projects in Europe, the United States and Canada.

“Perovskite technology is bringing us closer to the goal of energy self-sufficient buildings,” said Adam Targowski, sustainability manager at Skanska. “Perovskites have proven successful even on surfaces that receive little sunlight. We can apply them pretty much everywhere,” he told AFP. “More or less transparent, the panels also respond to design requirements. Thanks to their flexibility and varying tints, there’s no need to add any extra architectural elements.” A standard panel of around 1.3 square metres, at a projected cost of 50 euros ($57), would supply a day’s worth of energy to an office workstation, according to current estimates.

Malinkiewicz insists that the initial cost of her products will be comparable to conventional solar panels. Perovskite technology is also being tested on a hotel in Japan, near the city of Nagasaki.

Plans are also afoot for the pilot production of perovskite panels in Valais, Switzerland and in Germany under the wings of the Oxford Photovoltaics venture. “The potential of the technology is clearly enormous,” Assaad Razzouk, the CEO of Singapore-based Sindicatum Rewable Energy, a developer and operator of clean energy projects in Asia, told AFP. “Just think of all the buildings one could retrofit worldwide!”

Source: AFP

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TECHNOLOGY

1366 Technologies and Hanwha Q CELLS Partner on World’s First Factory to Feature Direct Wafer® Manufacturing Process

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With Scaling Effort Underway, Technical Collaboration Continues and 1366 Technologies Plots Path to Less Than $0.20 Wafer per Piece

ilicon wafer manufacturer 1366 Technologies together with its strategic partners, Hanwha Q CELLS Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. and parent company Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd. (together, “Hanwha Q CELLS”), formally announced their scaling plans for the groundbreaking Direct Wafer® technology. The plans underscore 1366 Technologies and Hanwha Q CELLS’ shared commitment to realizing dramatic Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) reductions for their customers and to advancing the economic strength of the solar industry.As a result of the ongoing collaboration between 1366 Technologies and Hanwha Q CELLS, the world’s first production factory to feature the Direct Wafer manufacturing process (the “Direct Wafer Factory”) is near completion. The Direct Wafer Factory, located in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, is situated next to Hanwha Q CELLS’ existing cell and module manufacturing facilities and will produce Direct Wafer products to directly supply their cell and module production lines. The Direct Wafer Factory is expected to ramp no later than Q3 2019 and – provided that the initial footprint meets key performance criteria – has the potential to become the cornerstone for a multi-GW-scale production facility.

At the heart of Hanwha Q CELLS’ global leadership is the pursuit of innovation and the exploration of new methods and technologies that can deliver the most value to our customers, said Ji Weon (Daniel) Jeong, CTO of Hanwha Q CELLS. He continued that, “In line with this commitment to customer value, Direct Wafer technology will innovate the manufacturing process and, as a result, the quality of the products manufactured.”

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Also this year, 1366 Technologies, in response to the rapid wafer price decline, made a strategic decision to accelerate the development of “3D Wafers” – thin wafers with thick borders – and is continuously producing 3D Wafer products in its Bedford demonstration facility. While standard wafers grown from the melt are compelling on their own, the invention of a wafer that is thinner than the standard 180 microns in certain controlled regions, but retains strong and robust edges to be used in conventional, or nearly conventional, photovoltaic applications has significant implications for the industry. It provides manufacturers with a solution to reduce silicon usage without compromising existing standards or quality and makes it possible to realize industry advancements in cell architecture or module features. Most importantly, the 3D Wafer capabilities of the Direct Wafer process will further reduce silicon utilization to less than 1.5g/W to create a cost position unattainable with conventional ingot-based production technologies.

The past year has been filled with extraordinary accomplishments. We have moved rapidly to fill the void in a wafer manufacturing industry that leaves little room for innovation and ignores the strategic potential of the solar cell’s most expensive component, said Frank van Mierlo, CEO, 1366 Technologies. “We are thrilled to take this next step with Hanwha Q CELLS. It is a major milestone in a partnership already recognized for its numerous achievements.”

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technology

Doublet module– The magic of two!

With the widespread adaptation of solar energy in early 21st century, it was clear that solar photovoltaic (PV) shall be the next big source of energy in world’s energy mix. While its advantages were obvious, the global energy market started seeking out a more superior PV module. Efforts were made in almost all the field, right from adopting the more efficient solar cell already developed in labs, using glass with an ARC coating, enhancing backsheet or improving the properties of encapsulant.

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ther than upgrading the bill of material (BOM) of a solar PV panel, sincere efforts were made in upgrading the electrical equipment’s which directly and/or indirectly upgraded the overall output from the solar plant. While all these changes were being implemented, the design or construction of a solar module remained more or less the same i.e. 60 or 72 full cells interconnected in series with each other (Figure 1 left side). However with a deeper technological drive to obtain more power output the available resources, a simple yet and a novel design upgradation in the design of solar module was developed.

The upgraded design of the solar PV module utilized half cut cells instead of full cells. Further these half cut cells were not all inter-connected in series but a set of series connected half cut cells were interconnected in parallel with other. To simply, the doublet module (Figure 1 on right) consist two module of half cut cell connected in parallel with each other. With such novel arrangement the final output of such module remains almost the same thus making the module being installed without making significant changes to the plant’s balance of system. However, other than this, the doublet modules have numerous advantages which are mentioned as below.

Traditional full cell module (on left) and half cut cell based Doublet module (on right)by Waaree Energies

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TECHNOLOGY

Significant reduction in resistive losses The current output from a solar cell is dependent on the number of light particles (photons) falling on it which further depends on the area of the cell. Thus increasing the area of cell directly increases the current output of solar cell. The doublet module uses half cut cell which directly halves the current output from the cell. Halving the current from the cell has a significant effect on the resistive losses of the module. The resistive power loss is directly proportional to the squareof the currentflowing through(or generated by) the cells. Halving the current reduces the resistive losses of the module by one fourth (refer Figure 2). Primarily this reduction in resistive losses directly reduces the nominal moduleoperating temperature (NMOT) (NMOT denotes the operational temperature of the module when under operation in the field). Further, such decrease in the resistive losses directly leads to an increase of efficiency of module by around 1%. Additionally, such gain is improved significantly with increase in irradiance as the current output of the module is directly proportional to the irradiance.

Advantages of enhanced design The constructional changes of the half cut cell based doublet modules are numerous. Firstly as mentioned above, the doublet module have significant reduction in resistive losses. Further the doublet module has increased open area when compared to the traditional module. This allows more light to be reflected into the module from the backsheet which enables enhanced power generation from the module. Further the compared to the traditional module, the exited electrons in the doublet module have to travel almost half the distance before they are connected at the module’s junction box (JB). Comparing to traditional module, the electron faces less resistance which further increases the power output of the module (refer toFigure 3). Further such constructional change also enables the module to perform better in shade which is explained in the next section.

Resistive losses in doublet module

Better performance in shade The solar modules are installed in such a way that their generation is not hampered by shadow at any point of time. However within its lifetime of 25 years, there may be times when a module or the string experiences shadow. Such shadow may be due to many reasons such as expansion of nearby building, shadow due to nearby trees, bird shit, cloudy atmospheric conditions etc. which may be temporary, for few days or even permanent. Shadow even if on any cell(s) in the string hampers the generation of the string and hence the solar module. Longer exposures to shadow causes hotspots and thus the modules are fitted with reverse protection bypass diodes(read our blog on “Mismatch in Solar Cells & Modules” for further information). Considering normal operation, both the traditional and doublet module produces the desired power output. Let us now consider that the lower half of solar module is in shadow. All the strings of the traditional module are under performing and hence all the 3 bypass diodes of the module are activated resulting in zero power output from the module. In case of doublet module, the bypass diode is in between the two strings of upper and lower half of module. While the lower half is under shadow, the upper half of the module is continuously generating power.Hence, none of the bypass diode is activated and the module generates half of its rated power.

The path travelled by exited electron in traditional module (on left) and doublet module (on right)

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technology

Traditional Module

Doublet Module

Advantages of using split junction box A junction box (JB) houses electrical interconnection within the string of the module. It also houses bypass diode(s) (reverse biased) which protects the module from generating hotspot in case of shadow. A typical split type JB consists of three separate boxes collecting current from separate strings. This primarily leads to better dissipation of heat from the JB. Further the split type junction boxes have reduced cable length at their output i.e. around 0.5 meter from the 1.2 meter cable length of traditional JB. Also as discussed in previous section, the doublet module keeps performing even when in shade. This enables the bypass to be less active as compared to traditional modules.

This could overall enhance the life of the bypass diode and further the solar module.

Effect of shadow on traditional and doublet module

Waaree Energies have understood the advantages of half cut cell module and have introduced their half cut based doublet module both in mono/multi crystalline and PERC based solar cells. With the given advancements in solar module technology, we believe that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time when the end customer gets the maximum energy output. Additionally, our stringent quality checks also ensures that the reliability of the module is not compromised at any stage in manufacturing or when performing in the field.

Author Mr. Sunil Rathi A typical split type JB

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Director- Sales and Marketing Waaree Energies ltd

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TECHNOLOGY

GoodWe’s Acceleratorto Grid Parity-Versatile 80kW String Inverters Following the development of photovoltaic technology, the speed of grid parity has been increasingly accelerating, and we have been pushed into what is so-called the “era of high-efficiency”. GoodWe is launching its newest products, the GW80KBF-MT (for bi-facial modules) and the GW80KHVMT (for large-scale ground-mounted PV plants), two new 80kW smart solar inverters actively contributing to grid parity.

The inverters haveadopted leading topology and an innovative inverter control technology which contributesthe maximumefficiencyup to 99% and the Europe efficiency to 98.5% respectively.Electricity from PV modules is converted with a decreased loss, greatly increasing power generation capabilities and serving users a higher return on investments. The 80KW MT features 50% DC oversizing, a maximum DC input of 120kW, allowing connections with more PV modules. It also supports 10% AC overloading, increasing power generation by up to 10% and helping the user achieve higher returns.Also, the start-up voltage of these two models is only 200V, and the working voltage of the MPPT ranges from 200-1000V. From the very early hours of the morning till the dead of the night, long operational hours ensure abundant amount of power for usage. Since Bi-facial module technology has become a way to effectively improve the overall conversion efficiency, more and more of photovoltaic systems are beginning to use this method in their applications. The GW80KBF-MTallows a maximum string input current of 13A, can adapt to large currents brought about by bi-facial and double-glass modules, significantly increasing power generation. Furthermore, GoodWe engineers realize the integrated design based on performance and reliability of mechanical component. These two inverters surprise people with their adaptability to extreme climates. They can withstand a wide range of temperatures from -300C to 600C, go 4000 meters above sea level and its biggest standout fact is capability to operate at full load at 50 degree Celsius.With a completely waterproof solid casing made from aluminum-magnesium alloy in addition to an IP65 protection grade, the new MT inverters are able to adapt to any kind of climate. A smart fan with the highest IP68 protection gradeallows strong heat dissipation and ensures a long product lifespan. Most importantly, the DC bus capacitors assembled inside the equipment are all film capacitors that lasts three times longer than electrolytic capacitors. The output filters capacitor uses capacitors with sustainable and reliable operational standards at 850C and 85% humidity.

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GoodWe also agrees entirely on a common currency that operation and maintenance is one of the most important part in managing a solar system. The 80kW inverters weigh just 72kg, very small in size and have high power density, preserving GoodWe’s strength in quality control and easy transport and installation.Considering it’s not uncommon for PV strings to be connected incorrectly, the new products include the DC reverse connection alarm function. Accurate and specific to every string right down to the smallest detail, the inverters are both smart and safe. They both integrate special type II surge protection modules for DC, AC and communication terminals of the invertersfor a better-roundedlightning protection.

The inverterscansupportstring-level monitoring andwork with USB, RS485, PLC, Wi-Fi and GPRS, a total of 5 communication methods that you can choose to monitor your PV plants. It especially supports PLC communication, saving money spent on cables and construction. Power generation data can achieve breakpoint transmissions, ensuring complete and reliable data.

And both models can precisely locate faulty strings using smart detection, while the GW80KHV-MT is also equipped with an IV curve scanning function to send its diagnosis to the power station directly, enabling immediate detection and location of the faulty string, reducing power loss as well as the pressure of existing maintenance. GoodWe is becoming one of the leading companies in global solar market, after many years of painstaking research, continuously achieving innovative breakthroughs in the world of inverter technology. Once the new MT inverters hit the market, its highly-efficient, intelligent, flexible, safe and reliable nature, in addition to convenient operational and maintenance usage will make it your best choice.

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Image courtesy: Google images: The Independent. independent.co.uk

Advent of the

EVs

We have now very much brushed up our knowledge about EVS in the previous issues. Now letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s discuss the potential of EVs to replace ICEs (Internal Combustion Engines), their benefits, implementation challenges and solutions. Many countries around the world, along with India, have pledged to totally scrap out all vehicles running on fossil fuels to be replaced with EVs in a course of a few years. The first step in realizing this dream would be to educate the masses and create an awareness about the financial and social benefits of using an EV. Along with the same, the government should build confidence in the general public by framing favourable policies and encouraging investment in the supporting infrastructure which is an essential back-bone of EVs.

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Financial and Social benefits An EV is very much economical compared to an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine). On an average, an EV can save up to seven times on fuel costs. An EV practically has no maintenance costs as it has minimal parts compared to an ICE. No clutch, nogears and no petrol or diesel engine. Besides, EVs are subsidized by the government’s FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles) scheme under which incentives up to Rs 25,000/- are offered for electric scooters and motorcycles, up to Rs. 61,000/- for three wheelers and up to Rs. 1,38,000/- for electric cars. Reduced harmful exhaust emissions will lead to better air quality which will lead to less health problems caused by pollution.

In terms of safety, EVs have a lower centre of gravity due to which they are less likely to roll over. EVs also have a lower risk of major fires or explosions. When you prefer to drive an EV in lieu of an ICE, you are contributing your bit towards the environment, you are supporting the fight against climate change and you are reducing your carbon footprint.

Besides, you are also helping in reducing the country’s oil import bill.

Changeover to EVs – A changeover of the mindset Driving an EV is not the same as driving a petrol or diesel car. In conventional fossil fuel powered cars, when you run out of fuel you go to the gas station for a re-fuel which will take five minutes. In case of an EV, when your car’s batteries are depleted, you have to get your car batteries charged at an EV charging station or at your home or work place. This usually takes from 30 minutes to five hours depending on the type of charger (More on this in the next write up). It is almost the same as charging your mobile phone. An EV owner will have to plan his schedule accordingly to charge his vehicle, but most EV users usually charge their vehicles at home in the evening after the end of the days work. Generally public charging stations are used when in transit on highways.

Challenges As people are generally bound to charge their EVs in the evenings when they come back home from work, there is a possibility that this may lead to a significant spike in evening peak loads at the local level. These hot spots will generally be concentrated around residential premises. Are our utility companies ready to take on the extra load? If not, what is the next best alternative? Another major challenge would be the developmentof supporting infrastructure by way of installing sufficient charging stations at multiple points in the cities as well as on highways. This will require huge capital investments.Besides, will the government act with agility in giving permissions, doing away with red tape and make this procedure simpler, avoiding cumbersome permissions and paper work? A major hurdle about an EV is the prohibitive battery replacement costs. Battery costs will have to come down and efficiencies and power capacity will have to increase.

Solutions EV manufacturers can incentivise EV owners for delaying charging during peak load conditions. For e.g. BMW’s i3 EV owners were signed up for an 18-month program where the participants received alerts through a smart phone app asking them to delay charging of their EV. When accepted, the software allows BMW to halt the charging remotely. Participants were paid incentives based on the number of times they accepted charging delays. Energy companies can tie up with EV manufacturers to develop a system where EV owners would be allowed to operate as individual ‘energy hubs’ which would enable them to draw, store and return electricity to the grid, thus, balancing grid overloads. Electricity regulators can even design effective rate structures to shift EV charging times using demand response wherein discoms may offer attractive time-of-day tariff to promote off-peak charging.

Electricity regulators can play a proactive role in promotion of EVs wherein they can mandate Discoms to invest in EV charging infrastructure. The ministry of power under the Government of India has laid down guidelines and standards for charging infrastructure to-

-enable faster adoption of EVs in India by ensuring safe, reliable, accessible and affordable charging infrastructure and eco-system.Setting up of Public Charging Stations (PCS) has been announced as a de-licensed activity and any individual/entity is free to set up public charging stations by following the standards and protocols laid down by the government. Any person wanting to set up a PCS can apply for connectivity and he will be provided with power supply connectivity on a priority basis by the distribution company licensee.

Battery costs have come down drastically since the past few years and are expected to halve due to a growing battery manufacturing industry with significant economies of scale. With the government sending out the right signals and making ambitious announcements and looking at the future potential of EVs, battery manufacturing companies are readying themselves to meet the coming demand with more enhanced capacities at competitive prices. EVs are set to bring in a major disruption in the automobile industry and the change is just over the horizon.

Article courtesy: Goldi Solar Pvt. Ltd.

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distributed solar

Solar for Healthcare : Solar power is a fundamental choice for healthcare sector — not only because solar energy helps reduce air pollution and makes the world a cleaner, healthier and better place. Hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, testing laboratories all use a large amount of electricity. Running medical equipment such as scanners etc uses a large amount of electricity and some of these facilities run 24×7 with air conditioning making their utility bills touch the sky. For such reasons installing a solar energy system is a great way to reduce electricity bills and improve their overall efficiencies.

Most of these centres are also eligible for subsidies or tax benefits.

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nce a solar PV panel system is installed, you will start saving money that would otherwise be spent on electric bills, while protecting your facility from utility price fluctuations. Depending on your location and how you choose to fund your solar project, you can lock in to low electricity rates for over 25 years or more and possibly eliminate your entire electric bill too. Your savings from solar in return can be used to make operational improvements, purchase new equipment or simply operate more efficiently. Hospitals that utilize renewable energy stand out from their peers for their commitment to community health and environmental stewardship.

Choosing alternate energy can reduce a hospital’s carbon emissions and have a positive effect on environmental health. Solar also helps you in achieving green building certifications and an enhanced reputation. More and more hospitals are going solar today than ever before because of the affordable costs and huge benefits. We are extremely proud of our new project at Mahaveer Cancer Hospital, Jaipur. Healthcare is an energy-intensive industry and hospitals have large spaces such as rooftop, parking lot canopies etc to install solar panels. And healthcare buildings are only growing and likely to meet the needs of an aging population with a growing average life expectancy. We have converted the boring car parking shade into a tech looking canopy called carport. Going solar the cool way, providing enormous benefits to the hospital and the environment. While a typical carport or patio cover provides shading and is undoubtedly a value-add for a home or automobile owner, its one-dimensional simplicity is a missed opportunity. If you’re a PV fanatic following emerging technologies in the solar industry, you may have already spotted the solar industry’s solution: solar canopies, also known as solar carports. Solar carports are overhead canopies built to cover parking areas, and are distinct from panels installed onto a preexisting carport structure. Solar carports have many things in common with ground mount solar panels, which are angled panel modules installed on the ground rather than on a rooftop. With the 120KW Solar panel (Carport) installation the hospital is going to save upto 13 lacs annually on their electricity bills, which in turn give them enormous amount of savings to progress and facilitate better qualities, contribute better than ever in the health care sector. At SolarMaxx, we make solar panels that are designed, built, and proven to perform. But most top-tier, large-scale solar panel manufacturers – including us – operate on very similar production lines. So, what makes one company’s panel better or worse than all the rest? It’s all about the raw material used. And the quality of panels with their structural integrity and rigidity. Our frames go through a comprehensive qualification process known as “static and dynamic mechanical load testing” where we bend our modules in every direction. We ensure to protect the panel from environmental elements and maintain structural integrity in adverse conditions.

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Coming to the right inverter our ABB solar inverters provide the best support system. Theses inverters have a life of 25 years.

The ABB solar inverter utilizes over 40 years of experience and advances in inverter and power converter technology. Their onestop-shop, sun-to-socket portfolio gives you the widest choice in the industry. And it’s backed by a comprehensive package of communication, monitoring and control solutions and comprehensive services. The commitment to economic efficiency gives you and your customers better value. It also produces higher power output and optimized Levelized Costs of Electricity and plant productivity. Having a proper solar power output from your system requires efficient equipment and a number of other factors to support your systems effectiveness. Too much shade, dirt, damaged parts etc can cause a system to generate less electricity than it is capable of.

Therefore, it is important to carefully watch your solar panel production closely so that you can identify issues as and when your system is not performing as its best. A Remote Solar Monitoring System is capable of analysing energy consumption and generation, optimising energy usage, various performance parameters, supervise the functioning and progress of the components of a solar power plant. Apart from showing energy consumption and generation data, monitoring systems also offer many tools to help you understand your solar setup. Remote monitoring softwares can also help detect problems and defects with panel strings, and recommend repairs to your setup. Our solar panel manufacturing process is defined by world-class technology and professional workmanship. We utilize the highest-quality materials to ensure that our solar panels will generate value for decades to come.

Going solar can reduce your company’s energy costs, and have a major impact on your bottom line. We manufacture high-quality, reliable solar panels for homes, large commercial buildings and power plants. SolarMaxx solar panels are sealed, weatherproof and highly durable. Our PV modules come with the ability to withstand high levels of ultraviolet radiations & moisture. Our manufacturing unit at Jaipur is capable of producing both mono and poly crystalline modules from 40Wp to 325Wp and above. SolarMaxx Solar PV panels offer enhanced performance and produce more than 80% of rated power under STC even after 25 years of operation.

Our PV modules deliver efficient performance in high temperature conditions in the desert due to the improved temperature coefficient. They are compact in size and have been designed to deliver enhanced output and efficiency. Highly durable with its new reinforced frame design, SolarMaxx Solar PV modules can endure a front load of up to 5400 Pa, and a rear load of up to 2400 Pa. Our automated quality manufacturing makes them resistant to sand dust too. SolarMaxx as a company provides you quality solar solutions right from the product to do the services and hence, Always insist on SolarMaxx solar panels and benefit with the perks that come along.

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opinion

Is power truly

democratic?

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There are some points about solar PV technology that instantly endear us to the idea. Most of us have been dependent on supply of grid power throughout our life. I remember even about 5-10 years back daily power failure in a place like Mumbai was the norm. Every home had an inverter especially considering the oppressive heat in the city. I remember seeing a lot of ads with Sachin Tendulkar and Navjot Sidhu peddling inverters as the panacea for all the ills related to power. Cut to the present. Solar power has grown from a meagre 3.7 GW in 2015 to an impressive 25.2 GW in 2018. A lot of capacity has got added in the areas of conventional thermal power as well.

India’s thermal power capacity grew to 222.9 GW in 2018, 88% of which came from coal while the rest came from diesel and gas. With a total installed capacity of 349.3 GW of power in India, in 2018, India was declared as a power surplus country. I always say that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If we were to scratch the surface of the power surplus argument, we would get a deeper understanding of the issue. There are 2 mistakes that we are making while claiming surplus power:

his is like saying that if I miss my aim by 1 foot to the right once and 1 foot to the left next, on an average I am an ace shooter. In the power sector, the biggest problem is of the reach. Many people do not get any power due to the absence of a grid everywhere. Not necessarily. I could very easily mean that we are consuming less than we ought to, if we are to be a truly fast-growing economy. Here are some numbers. The average per capita consumption of electricity in India is 1122 kWh/year. This ranks at 143 out of 219 countries on the list, which is quite astounding for one the worlds largest growing economies. In fact, we are just above Iraq which comes in at 144.Even if we are to ignore exceptions like Iceland (50613 kWh/capita/annum) due to cold weather, we should be looking at countries like Taiwan which is consuming 10,632 kWh. In a nutshell, with the burgeoning middle class and rising aspirations, the power consumption is going only one way i.e. steeply upwards. So let us not kid ourselves to believe the surplus electricity bogey. So, when solar power started gaining prominence about 4 - 5 years ago, a lot of investment came in form of massive solar farms with states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh leading the way. These were essentially the companies with deep pockets in the form of either MNCs or large Indian business houses. This exponential growth and capacity addition came at a cost. As any economist would tell you, subsidy as a temporary measure is fine. But it is definitely not sustainable in the long run as anongoing business model. The aggressive bidding in the solar power sector led to prices at which they were selling to be driven down to levels of Rs 2.60/- and lower. The cost of generation is probably above Rs.3/-. So in no time all the subsidy benefits were frittered away by the producers. This has led to the investment in the solar farm segment coming down to a trickle. Around late 2017, with increased awareness of solar and renewable energy, the momentum started to pick up in the rooftop segment. This is where the consumer and the EPC company both saw a lot of value. The consumer was seeing benefits as compared to his existing power purchase price (Rs.8/- to 18/-) while the EPC company was able to show value to the consumer and also keep a reasonable margin for himself.

This was a huge step in the direction of democratizing power. Consumers have started taking control of the production of the power they need. However, there are still speed bumps in the form of complicated and long processes for permission from the power distributor (in case of net metering). These were mostly a result of ignorance on the part of the power companies rather than reluctance. With increasing awareness, the necessity of speed money to move things along has started going up. The real challenge to the growth of the grid tied power sector comes from the red tape. This has been frustrating consumers and EPC companies alike and continues to be a speed bump.

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True democracy in the future: A true democracy would mean that an individual is in a position to produce all the power that is required for his home. He doesn’t have to depend on the power distributor for his requirement. This is a concept that would be impossible to implement in large cities and towns primarily due to the lack of space. However, this has the potential to be a reality in the rural areas. A large part of achieving true democracy depends on battery technology and community aggregation. Larger storage capacity and lowering costs of batteries are a critical element of off-grid solutions. We may have these technologies coming into the solar space primarily due to the development of the electric vehicles sector. On the other hand, there has been a conscious effort in the rural sector by the residents to create micro-grids with shared costs and shared benefits creating economies of scale. As an EPC company, you would need to reinvent your business models and ways of thinking to move away from ‘project thinking’ to ‘product thinking’. Productizing your offerings and thinking about how you can get it across to your customers in the shortest time possible and provide maximum value would be the key.The 4P’s of marketing is a concept that doesn’t come easily to EPC companies. But that will be your new reality either to adapt or to perish.

Author Mr. Arun Rao

Director - Marketing Magenta Power Pvt. Ltd.

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PV MANUFACTURING

Towards Developing a Standard for Testing Bifacial PV Modules: Single-Side versus Double-Side Illumination Method I-V Measurements Under Different Irradiances and Temperatures Abstract â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The industrial production of bifacial solar photovoltaic modules is becoming more and more cost-effective in recent years. For this reason, the development of an agreed international standard test that provides the guidelines to measure the current-voltage characteristics of bifacial modules, especially under standard test conditions, is of utmost importance. In order to contribute to the international norm, the goal of this research is to compare the two main bifacial indoor testing methods under several irradiance and temperature conditions, combining a flash simulator and a steady-state simulator. Among other insights, the results successfully quantify the offset in maximum power measurements between methods, as well as the difference in the determination of temperature coefficients.

INTTRODUCTION

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ue to technological advancements regarding bifacial modules, including enhanced energy output gain and reduced costs associated to extra processing steps, it is becoming more and more attractive for the industry to invest in this market. Currently, some companies already manufacture and sell commercial bifacial PV modules, for instance Panasonic, SolarWorld and LG, among others. Additionally, it is expected that bifacial modules will represent a 25% of the market share in 10 years [2]. Thus, the development of an agreed international standard test method that allows to compare the quality of different bifacial cells and modules becomes more and more demanded by the PV community. The main goal of such standard is to describe how to measure and report the current-voltage characteristics of a module with both sides being illuminated simultaneously with an irradiance GF for the front and GR for the rear. owever, if only one solar simulator is available, the front side shall be illuminated with an equivalent irradiance, abbreviated as GE, greater than GF and that compensates for the absence of GR. GE is calculated using the short-circuit bifaciality coefficient, which is the ratio between the short-circuit current generated by the module when illuminated at Standard Test Conditions (STC) on the rear side compared to the front side. In order to prevent any undesired reflection on the non-illuminated side, a black anti-reflective cover is placed behind the module, intimately or as close as possible. This method is referred in this report as single-side method and it is represented in Figure. Finally, when a double simulator indoor testing setup is available, the bifacial module can be simultaneously illuminated in front and rear side with GF and GR, respectively, and thus its current-voltage characteristics under bifacial operation can be measured and reported. This method is referred in this report as doubleside method, and it is represented in Figure.

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Previous works by Deline et al., have validated singleside method current-voltage measurements, by comparing the maximum power measurements with outdoor experimental setup data [3]. The research of Deline et al., shows that the single-side method overestimates the maximum power proportionally to the rear irradiance, approximately 1% per each 100 W/m2 of rear irradiance. Additionally, a comparison between current-voltage measurements employing the doubleside method and the single-side method has not yet been assessed in literature. The goal of this paper is to perform such comparison at STC as well as under different temperature and irradiance conditions in order to account and quantify for any possible divergences on the electrical parameters that both methods might yield between themselves. As a necessary step, an assessment of the bifaciality coefficients through the different conditions is also carried out.

EXPERIMENTAL METHOD

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or this research, two different types of solar simulators are used separately during the singleside method and jointly during the double-side method, as pictured in Figure. Although the same kind of simulator can be used, in this paper two different types are employed, a steady-state simulator LASS,

by Eternal Sun, and a flash simulator SPI-SUN 3500, by Spire Solar.

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PV MANUFACTURING

- Model of the setup employed for double-side method. LASS is placed on top and SPI−SUN3500SLP on bottom The measurements under single-side method, due to the necessity of determining the bifaciality of a module before being able to test it employing the single-side method, can be separated in three major steps, illustrated in Figure. Firstly, the rear side of a bifacial module is electrically characterized at STC conditions, while placing a black antireflective cover on the non-illuminated side. Secondly, the module is flipped and the same procedure is followed on the front side.

Hence, the bifaciality coefficients of the module can be determined applying Equation (1), where X represents the desired electrical parameter VOC, ISC, PMPP and FF. Finally, employing the same setup as in the second step, the module is irradiated on the front side under GE, which is determined using the calculated X  and the values of the desired GF and GR, as shown in from Equation .

For performance prediction purposes, at least three measurements under different GE, calculated from keeping GF constant and modifying GR, shall be performed.

Afterwards, the maximum power PMPP of the module is reported as a function of GR. Therefore, the expected power output of the bifacial module operating at the selected GF and under any GR can be found by extrapolating the reported values. Afterwards, the same steps are repeated at different temperatures.

Finally, double-side method measurements are carried out under the same GF and GR and temperatures employed during the single-side method.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

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ll the bifaciality coefficients of the module appear to be constant through different irradiance levels and temperatures, as seen in Figure. Short-circuit bifaciality is below unity due to lower spectral response from the rear side compared to the front, and thus smaller current is generated. Consequently FF  is above one as less resistive losses are generated. Open-

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PV MANUFACTURING Circuit voltage is equivalent for measurements on both sides, showing that the observed differences in current generation do not affect it, as it mostly depends on temperature. Figure shows that doubleside method measurements tend to measure a short circuit-current above single-side method (pink) and which increases proportionally to the irradiance. This might be due to the reflections between the surfaces of the simulators, which do not appear on the single-side method. This of course has an impact on the FF, which decreases due to greater resistive losses as irradiance increases. However, the power output for both methods varies at the same rate, maintaining the initial 10W offset along different intensities. To compare several combinations of single and double-side method measurements versus temperature, the electrical parameters are normalized and thus the temperature coefficients found. Figure 6 shows that short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage and maximum power coefficients slightly deviate between methods, being the maximum deviation for temperature power coefficient of 0.02%, which is one order of magnitude below typical values for c-Si modules. This uniformity difference might be consequence of the difference in heating between methods.

CONCLUSIONS

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t has been experimentally demonstrated that bifaciality coefficients remain constant through irradiance and temperatur thus making it not required to measure them in other conditions than STC. Additionally, it is shown that PMAX measurements for both methods can be related at any intensity by adjusting certain offset due to reflections. Finally, effect of module heating uniformity difference between methods has to be taken into account when measuring at high temperatures. This paper has satisfactorily shown the relation between single and double-side method current-voltage measurements under different conditions of irradiance and temperatures, which can contribute to the future bifacial standard. As next step for the standard, we recommend further research on bifaciality differences of inline modules to determine the single-side method suitability in manufacturing environments.

AUTHORS Stefan Roest, Witek Nawara, and Elias Garcia Goma

Eternal Sun Group, Den Haag, Zuid-Holland, 2491 BK, The Netherlands

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Blu Smart Mobility Invests $10mln to accelerate adoption of sustainable shared electric mobility About Blu Smart Shofr Blu Smart has launched its Blu Smart Shofr - ride sharing platform on 14th Jan 2019 – with 70 Blu Smart Electric Cars. Blu Smart will add 400 Electric Cars by March 2019. Blu Smart's intelligent and innovative electric ride-sharing platform allows passengers headed in the same direction matched with a single Blu Smart Shofr electric car.

Passengers can request rides through Blu Smart Shofr mobile app and web platform and Blu Smart Shofr's sophisticated algorithm instantly finds a vehicle that best matches the passenger's route, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips without detours. Blu Smart will use the world's best technology platform that has powered millions of smart - connected - shared rides globally.

Sustainability Impact The new mobility paradigm is shared, connected and electric.

Adopting an all electric mobility approach will reduce India's energy demand by 64% and carbon emissions by 37%. The use of shared charging infrastructure and shared electric mobility will reduce India's dependence on oil imports and will result in savings of $60bln annually by 2030, as highlighted in the recent report by NITI Aayog, India and Rocky Mountain Institute, U.S.

Founders and Funding Blu Smart was cofounded by Anmol Singh Jaggi, Dr Uma Kant, Punit K Goyal, Kiran Patil and Puneet Singh Jaggi in Oct 2018. The team brings on board stellar experience in accelerating the adoption of sustainable energy in India in the last 10 years and are now committed to accelerate the adoption of sustainable transportation. Blu Smart has raised initial funding of $15mln from Gensol Group which has developed, built, designed and engineered 16GW+ of solar projects globally. Blu Smart will raise $100mln+ in 2019 to scale the smart mobility platform and the smart charging platform. Gensol has a team of 900+ engineers and has operations across 13 countries globally.

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Blu Smart Charging Blu Smart Charge will build 60+ Blu Smart Charge Stations in Delhi NCR by June 2019.

Our public smart fast charging network will expand to 500+ by Dec 2019 and 2500+ in 2020. Customers can pre-book the charging time slots and pay seamlessly through the Blu Smart Charge mobile app and web platform. Blu Smart Charge stations will accelerate the adoption of smart electric mobility in India. Blu Smart Charge Stations will charge electric cars in mere minutes with its charging range of 15KW to 50KW. Blu Smart Charge will raise $100mln in 2019 and aims to add 10,000 Blu Smart Charge Stations by 2025.

Blu Smart Charge's technology will comply with Bureau of Indian Standards (Bharat Charge), Combined Charging System (CCS) and Charge de Move (CHAdeMO)

Blu Smart – Technology Blu Smart's intelligent ride sharing platform - Blu Smart Shofr will operate in Delhi NCR with 400 Blu Smart cars by March 2019. Blu Smart Shofr will offer a very high user experience to customers with its seamless technology offerings - On-Demand, Scheduled, Real Time Tracking, NO Surge Pricing, Short wait time, NO Cancellation/ NO denial of service from Blu Smart, Hassle Free Online payment, Automated rider matching and demand balancing, Dynamic Pricing with smart algorithms (more the pooling lesser the price for each customer).

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Opinion

Techno-Commercial Savings through Integration of Energy Efficiency & Solar Energy Abstract — Climate change is a genuine and biggest ecological challenge in modern era.

The rapid change in climate is affecting the world adversely and creating imbalance in ecosystem. As we all know, day to day human activities such as - burning of hydrocarbon fuels, deforestation, rapid industrialization growth, degradation of natural resources, increasing traffic, dumping of industrial waste into water bodies are the main root causes of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere. Besides deteriorating environment, climate change is adversely effecting human’s life too. Looking into this matter, there is an urgent need to reduce the carbon footprints for sustainable environment.

This article is intended to provide the efficient methodology for a prosumer to save energy bills and reduce the carbon footprints focussing on industrial as well as commercial buildings in India; where energy consumption is huge. The approach integrates Energy Audit and Renewable Energy (RE) sources (like solar energy or other) to make buildings sustainable and energy efficient. Energy auditing helps to understand energy consumption pattern and thus, excess leakage of energy can be minimized by utilization of efficient techniques. Similarly, integration of renewable energy reduces dependency on conventional energy with cleaner and cheaper electricity. The analysis has been carried out in grain processing industry with contract demand of 875 kVA shows overall annual energy savings and monetary savings of 22.32% and annual GHG emission reduction is 396 tCO2/ MWh by integrating efficient techniques.

Keywords: Solar Energy, Energy Saving, Commercial Savings Energy Efficiency, Sustainable, Renewable energy, Climate Change, Carbon Footprints, Clean Energy, Green House Gas

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Opinion

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Introduction - Knowing the fact that India is having fastest growing economy, requires huge amount of energy to fulfil its growth objectives and targets. India is having total estimated population of 1.35 billion as of 2018 which makes it 2nd most populated country in the world. During 2017-18, India faced energy shortage of 0.7% while peak shortage was found to be 2% during the same period. As per the Environment performance index report 2018, India ranks 177 out of 180 Countries3, indicating sluggish progress towards the air quality improvement. Coal, oil and gas constitute the main energy sources in our country. As on 31st August, 2018, the total installed capacity in India is 344.68 GW out of which coal leads with 196 GW followed by Renewable Energy (RE) sources (70.64 GW), Hydro (45.45 GW), Gas (24.86 GW), Nuclear (6.78 GW) and Diesel (0.83 GW)4. In 2017, the CO2 emission of India was steepened by an estimated rate of 4.6%, which is a big root of concern for ecosystem. India, being the fourth largest CO2 emitter in the world, there is an urgency to develop some strategies by which the greenhouse gases can be sequestrated rapidly from the atmosphere.

Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s promise under the Paris Agreement is to shrink the carbon footprints of its country by 33-35% by 2030, compared to 2005 emission levels5. The annual mean temperature for the period 1901-2015 over India has shown a significant increasing trend of 0.63oC per 100 years. This has led to changes in the climate, including exacerbated extreme weather events. In order to reduce the carbon footprints in the country, stringent methodology has to be adopted by industrial & commercial segments such as replacing petrol/diesel vehicles from electric vehicles, development of green belts, integration of renewable energy, adoption of energy efficiency measures in industrial sector or both which has been evaluated in this article.

Indian Energy Outlook

According to the annual report 2016-17 of MNRE, the renewable energy potential of India is estimated to be 900 GW which is comprised of 102 GW Wind (at 80 metre mast height), 20 GW Small Hydro, 25 GW Bio Energy and 750 GW Solar Power, assuming 3% wasteland is made available. India is progressively adopting renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency measures in industrial sector to cater its growing energy demand. The total renewable energy generation during 2016-17 was 204,182 GWh which has been increased upto 227, 973 GWh during 201718. The renewable energy generation parting during 2016-17 and 2017-18 is shown in below mentioned graph6.

Analysis & Results The article presents the steps by step evaluation of energy savings as well as monetary savings in monthly electricity bills by conducting energy audit in grain processing industry having contract demand of 875 kVA followed by integration with rooftop solar energy.

1) Energy Savings by Utilization of Effective Energy Audit

The energy consumption in industrial sector is increased drastically in last 5 years in India.

During 2017-18, the industrial sector accounts for 41.48% of the total electricity consumption.

The plan wise growth of electricity consumption in India in industrial sector is indicated in below mentioned figure7: -

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Integration of renewable energy and adoption of energy efficiency measures in industrial sectors play a major role to reduce the carbon footprints in India. An energy cost reduction study was performed in grain processing industry to improve the overall efficiency of the plant leading to sustainable growth path. The industry was having a contract demand of 875 kVA. After performing the detailed energy audit study in grain processing industry, following Energy Conservation Measures (ECM) were obtained: -

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Opinion > Saving through reduction of Compressed Air Line Pressure by 1kg/cm2; > Replacement of 36W FTL by 18W LED within plant premises and save electrical energy; > Replacement of 40W FTL by 18W LED within plant premises and save electrical energy; > Replacement of 18W FTL by 9W LED within plant premises and Save Energy; > Replace existing V-Belts of all Atta Chakki Motors with energy efficient link V-Belt; > Minimise distribution loss by installing Static Capacitor at load end; > Replacement of existing Atta Chakki Motors with Energy Efficient Motors; > Savings through installation of Lighting Energy Saver for existing lighting system; > Savings through installation of Lighting Energy Saver for proposed LED lights; > Installation of VFD for HP Fan in packing section;

The specific energy consumption of industry was 96 kWh/MT. After adopting above energy saving measures in industry, the specific energy consumption was reduced drastically to 77 kWh/MT i.e. by 19.8% and savings in energy is 435584 kWh, which leads to huge monetary savings of about INR 35.12 Lacs.

The adoption of above energy conservation measures in industry improve the overall specific energy consumption and also, on the other hand, there is a significant monetary savings. Apart from reduction in demand and energy consumption, which will be directly benefiting the industry, there would be additional benefits through reduction of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions leading to environmental improvement.

With Grid Emission Factor being 0.82 tCO2/MWh, the corresponding annual GHG emission reduction is 358 tCO2.

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2) Integration Energy Saving with Rooftop Solar PV Plant In addition, the industry has unoccupied roof which can be utilized for the installation of solar rooftop PV plant.

The roof has an unused area of 250 square meters and the annual solar average daily radiation at site is 4.46 kWh/ sq. m / day. The rooftop site is ideal to install 30 kW solar PV system and the expected annual generation from solar plant is 46800 kWh. Thus, after installation of solar PV system and adoption of energy conservation measures, the specific energy consumption of the unit has been significantly reduced to 74 kWh/MT i.e. by 23%. The corresponding annual GHG emission savings from the solar PV installation is arrived to be 38 tCO2. Knowing the fact that pre energy audit, annual electricity consumption of industry was 2160828 kWh where energy was supplied by State Discom at tariff of INR 7.06/kWh. Post applying energy efficient techniques as mentioned above, savings in annual consumption found to be 435584 kWh, leading to reduced energy requirement of 1725244 kWh and monetary saving of INR 35.12 Lacs. Thereafter on integration of 30kW rooftop PV solar in industry, 46800 kWh will be supplied by solar PV plant for captive consumption. Hence, only 1678444 kWh of energy will be required to be imported from grid/DISCOM at defined tariff, leading to overall monetary savings of INR 38.42 lacs. The implementation of above energy efficient techniques & solar plant set up required initial investment of about INR 32 Lacs with cumulative payback period of 0.83 years where payback period from energy audit is 6 months and 3.6 years from solar pv plant.

Thus, integration of renewable energy and adoption of energy efficiency measures in industry have multiple environmental, economic and energy benefits. Embracing both measures together in industry not only increase the reliability of the electric grid but also reduce dependence on foreign sources of fossil fuel and thus enhance energy security. The measures also support Indian government to reduce the air pollution.

Conclusion Various researches and study have shown that there is a continuous rise in the pollution level of urban cities which has adversely affected human life. The poor air quality in urban areas leads to reduced life span and comfort of people residing in these areas. Numerous policies are being instigated by various countries to curtail harmful emissions and control global warming.

Energy Audit should become mandatory in all industries and people should come forward to contribute towards the sustainable growth of nation through integrating renewable energy in their premises, adoption of electric vehicles, establishment of green corridors etc.

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Authors

Aayush Rastogi

Consultant (Strategic Consulting), Gensol Engineering Private Limited, Ahmedabad, India

Payal Saxena

Assistant Manager (Strategic Consulting), Gensol Engineering Private Limited, Ahmedabad, India

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Energy Storage

How energy storage is becoming mainstream for India Energy storage is today the only way to reduce our carbon footprint, and become a country reliant on clean energy!

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In the last few years, India has been making huge strides in transitioning to renewable energy, and is today, one of the top 10 countries in the world utilising solar power. However, there is still potential that remains untapped, and to make renewable energy a successful source to answer all power needs, it is important to have a means to store the surplus power generated. This is because non-conventional energy sources, like Solar, Wind, and Hydro, among others, do not have a constant production. For instance, while it might not be possible to harness the power of the sun at night, with energy storage solutions, one can use the stored energy, based on the requirement, irrespective of whether the power is being generated at the time or not. In fact, energy storage is today the only way to reduce our carbon footprint, and become a country reliant on clean energy!

urrently, there is a severe lack of utility scale energy storage solutions across the sector. While developments are in place, the implementation needs to be quick and efficient. It was only recently that renewable energy achieved certain economies of scale, leading to them becoming comparatively affordable and accessible. This has made it possible to consider renewable energy as a viable option, and has led to the development of a wide range of supporting infrastructure, including investments in robust energy storage solutions. It has also been possible, in large part, due to the innovative technology now available to companies in the storage space, and the development of cutting edge solutions and batteries. With the Government aiming for 100% electrification of households under SAUBHAGYA (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana), coupled with the growing demand for non-conventional sources to power energy needs, the need is urgent. However, as we, as a nation, take an expedited growth path towards the elimination of power deficiency and transition to renewable energy, not having a system to store the energy generated on the grid presents a huge barrier. In addition to that, most grids in the country are thermalfed. The hesitation to transition is based on the fluctuations that are seen in the output, making direct grid connectivity an area of concern. While during the day, there is a balance, the usage witnesses a peak during evening. Energy storage solutions or batteries provide the option for the requisite linear output that can address many of these challenges. 2018 remains a turning point with respect to energy storage and when conversations around it becoming mainstream. Globally, nations are accepting and understanding the importance of energy storage solutions and incorporating it in energy tenders. In the United States, experts have shared that in the next 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4 years, all tenders pertaining to renewable energy will have mandatory clauses regarding energy storage.

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This was an important step towards taking initiatives for the deployment of large scale solutions. Looking towards India, recently, there were reports of SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India) ensuring its tender for renewable projects in Lakshadweep, to include energy storage, based on guidelines set by MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy). With growing traction in the floating solar and electric vehicle segments, the focus on energy storage solutions has increased many fold, as a result of which, it has moved beyond traditional segments. The success of the EV segment, especially, relies mostly on an efficient energy storage solution. This has led to both traditional battery companies and new entrants realising the potential of aligning their focus towards developing Lithium-ion batteries that can provide the requisite push. The evolving technological landscape of the energy sector has made energy storage a reality for solar power. Considerable developments in the domain have also led to several major players including energy storage in their IPP projects, or extending their offerings towards making e-mobility a reality. This, in turn, has had a resulting effect on the capacity to expand its reach and realise its potential. To make it a reality, the industry needs the support of the Government, through subsidies and schemes that will make energy storage accessible and affordable. Today, it is imperative to develop energy storage as a focussed revenue generating segment of India Inc., which is balancing economic output with sustainability, and taking India forward, towards a greener tomorrow.

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KACO new energy presents storage system with new hybrid inverter A hybrid inverter is the link between solar PV system and batteries in order to use self-generated solar energy as effectively as possible. KACO new energy is now launching its first hybrid inverter onto the market and is offering it together with the battery and mains disconnector as a system from a single source.

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ACO new energy presents its hybrid inverter for the first time at a trade fair in Germany at the Energy Storage Europe in DĂźsseldorf. With the acquisition of the storage provider Energy Depot last autumn, the German PV pioneer secured the marketready technology. The inverter is now available as blueplanet hybrid 10.0 TL3. It is aimed at operators of residential and small commercial solar PV systems who want to combine the advantages of solar energy with power storage.

Efficient use of solar energy The blueplanet hybrid 10.0 TL3 is the control center of the solar-powered energy storage system: It provides connections for battery, PV system and public power grid. Several batteries can be connected to the hybrid inverter â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even as a retrofit. In this way, it can always be adapted to the energy demand. The new hybrid inverter provides threephase grid feeding and compensates

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for fluctuations in consumption within 100 milliseconds. When it feeds electricity into the grid, it achieves an efficiency of 98 percent, and a high 97 percent when charging and discharging the batteries.

In addition, the inverter has excellent partial load characteristics.

From inverter to storage system KACO new energy offers the blueplanet hybrid 10.0 TL3 together with battery and mains disconnector as a complete package under the name blueplanet hy-store. It is the only storage system on the market that can also set up a three-phase stand-alone grid with a full ten kilowatts of power. The next development stage envisages automatic island switching to enable reliable emergency power operation. This functionality is to be implemented by a software update. The blueplanet hybrid 10.0 TL3 has an integrated energy management system. It enables the reliable compensation of consumers and the limitation of the maximum grid feed-in. These functions can be extended with the OpenEMS developed by Fenecon GmbH. This allows various functions to be implemented for monitoring or for controlling other components.

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MARCH 2019

83Â

R.N.I. No. MPBIL/2013/50966 | DT OF PUBLICATION 20 MARCH 2019 | POSTAL REGD. No. MP/IDC/1435/2019-2021

17kW 20kW 25kW

50kW 60kW 70kW 80kW

25kW 30kW 36kW

30% DC Input Oversizing Ratio

15% AC Output Overloading Ratio

String Level Current Monitoring

Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupter

Power Line Communication

Max Efficiency 99%

www.goodwe.com

1202, G-Square Business Park, Sector 30A, Opp. Sanpada Railway Stn., Vashi, Navi Mumbai- 400703 T: +91 (0) 2249746788 sales@goodwe.com service.in@goodwe.com