EQ Magazine September 2018 Part C

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

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CONT EN T

VOLUME 10 Issue # 9

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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ENERGY STORAGE

Future of batteries – Winner takes all?

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PV MANUFACTURING

Gluing Instead Of Soldering New teamtechnik stringer connects high-effciency HJT cells

28 PV MANUFACTURING Solar developers ask government to rethink on manufacturing...

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30 BUSINESS & FINANCE

LONGi Solar’s Export to India Reaches an Apex ...

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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,Non-Commercial use, provided you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices.If you want to use material for any non-personel,non commercial purpose,you need written permission from EQ International.

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INDIA

INDIA

Solar roof top power can generate 3 lakh jobs in six cities of UP: CEED

Delhi to generate over 2,000 MW of solar energy by 2025

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44

INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW

WITH MR. JAMES HOU

WITH MR. DAVID ZHONG

Vice President/CTO, Sineng Electric

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ELECTRIC VEHICLE

INTERVIEW

WITH MR. JIANFEI LI

Sales Head for South & East Asia, GoodWe

Transformation of rural ecosystems: Potential impact of...

48 Director, Shenzhen Sofarsolar

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BUSINESS & FINANCE Tata Power-Welspun deal : Cyrus Mistry didn’t follow...

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TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY

Chennai-based Swelect partners with US company to produce water...

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ENERGY STORAGE Production of indigenous li-ion battery launched

Airbus unveils pioneering solarpowered drone

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SOLAR PROJECTS

Australian Consulate General inaugrates Solar Power system in Mumbai

Roof top solar plants of 24075 kw set up in Punjab by...

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Tata Power to develop 250 MW Solar Project in Karnataka

EQ NEWS Pg. 07-33

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SOLAR PROJECTS

SOLAR PROJECTS

PRODUCTS Pg. 76-77 EQ

September -Part C 2018

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INDIA

‘DMRC to get green power from Rewa solar plant in two months’ The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will start getting green power from the Madhya Pradesh-based Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Ltd (RUMSL) in the next two months, the first project in the country to supply power to an inter-state open access customer.

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he 750MW project in Rewa district, spread over an area of 1,590 acres, is among the largest single-site solar power plants in the world. The DMRC had signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the RUMSL to get green power from the latter to run its trains in the national capital.

Madhya Pradesh Renewable Energy Principal Secretary Manu Srivastava told PTI that the DMRC would get around 25 per cent of the total power generated by the RUMSL, which would meet around 90 per cent power demand of the DMRC. “The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will get green power from the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Ltd (RUMS) within the next two months,” Srivastava said.

He said the RUMSL has started generating 10 MW power from July 6 this year. “The project is estimated to meet 90 per cent of the daily electricity demand of the DMRC. Besides, it would save Rs 1,400 crore of Delhi Metro in the next 25 years,” Srivastava added. He said the DMRC would pay around Rs 3.67 for per unit of solar power, including the transmission charge. The DMRC is currently buying power at Rs 7 per unit. Presently, the Delhi Metro has network of about 288 Km with 208 stations which has now crossed the boundaries of Delhi to reach Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana. The MP Power Management Company Ltd, which supplies power to the state discoms, will get 76 per cent of the power produced from the Rewa solar power plant, while the DMRC will benefit from the remaining 24 per cent.

Speaking about the operational status of the RUMSL, the top officer said that major works at the plant have been completed while fixing of solar panels is going on. He said RUMSL will go full steam by this year-end. “RUMSL is the joint venture between the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam (MPUVN) which has roped in private players in setting up the plant,” said Srivastava who is also the managing director of MPUVN. Under the plant, three units of 250 MW each will produce a unit of green energy for less than Rs three, he added.

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Essel Infraprojects launches 1st Waste to Energy plant in Nagpur Essel Infraprojects Limited (EIL), a part ofSubhash Chandra-led diversified Essel conglomerate and country’slargest integrated player in infrastructure, utilities, green andsmart city space, launched its first waste to energy (WtE) plant atNagpur in Maharashtra by performing ‘bhoomipujan’ of the plant. Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari, stateChief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and New & Renewable Energy MinisterChandrashekhar Bawankule graced the occasion.

“We thank Mr Gadkari, Mr Fadnavis and Mr Bawankule for theirgracious presence on the occasion of ground-breaking ceremony of solid waste treatment plant at Nagpur. This will be a catalyst toprovide cleaner air, water for citizens,” Mr Chandra, Essel Groupchairman, said.

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IL has successfully commenced its state-ofthe-art WtE andcollection & transportation (C&T) projects and operations in Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Amritsar (Punjab). Nagpur Solid Waste Processing and Management Private Limited(NSWPMPL), a company incorporated by EIL, will develop the projectby investing Rs 218.80 crore. Once the project is functional, itwill treat 800 tonnes of total 1,100 tonnes of waste generated in city.

The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) will provide Rs 70 crore to NSWPMPL as viability gap funding for execution under Swachh BharatMission. NSWPMPL will develop the project in two years followed byoperation and maintenance for 13 years.

The tipping charges of Rs225 per tonne will be paid by NMC, which will increase by 4.5 percent every year, it was stated.

Source: UNI

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INDIA

Solar roof top power can generate 3 lakh jobs in six cities of UP: CEED

Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) has claimed that Uttar Pradesh has a great potential of solar rooftop power in six cities and it can generate 3 lakh jobs in the state.

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EED releasing its report “Uttar Pradesh: Uncovering Solar Rooftop Potential in Urban Cities” claimed that by using just only 11 per cent of the built up area in six major cities could generate 11.4 Gigawatt or 11.400 MW of power. The report, while exploring the rooftop solar potential of six major cities – Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Meerut, Allahabad and Gorakhpur, suggests that the installation of solar rooftop up to its potential in these cities can generate 3 lakh jobs in the state.

Talking to reporters about the findings of the report, CEED’s Program Director Abhishek Pratap said here that solar rooftop has a game-changing potential to completely revitalise the development landscape with improved power supply, massive capital infusion and significant rise in job creation.

“The 11.4 GW of solar rooftop potential just in these six cities can bring Rs 570 billion investment in the solar energy sector in Uttar Pradesh alone, thus creating a ripple effect in employment generation with a possibility of 3 lakh jobs in next five years along with an expansive upliftment of manufacturing, assembling and service sectors in the solar industry,” he said while adding that “solar rooftop not only fuels investment and jobs, but also brings inclusive development by building sustainable energy infrastructure and maintaining healthy ecosystem’’.

UP government has already set up an ambitious target of generating 10,700 MW of solar power by the end of 2022. The target set for solar rooftop systems is 4,300 MW. CEED’s report reveals that about one-third of this target can be achieved by merely exploiting the potential of these six major cities. It also charts a sustainable and viable roadmap to make the cities of UP powered through solar energy.

“As these cities have well established urban residential settlements and overall infrastructure, their potential lies largely in the residential sector, followed by public/semipublic buildings and government buildings.

With an overall solar suitable roof area of only 98.75 sq. km out of the total cities area of 5,958 sq. km, a total of 11.4 GW of solar power can be generated,” the report said.

Among these cities, Lucknow (3187 MW) has the maximum potential, followed by Kanpur (3010 MW) and Agra (1986 MW), whereas Gorakhpur (833 MW) has the lowest solar rooftop potential. The potential of the other two cities

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studied in the report – Allahabad and Meerut – are 1577 MW and 900 MW respectively.

However, due to the existing grid curtailment factor as per State net-metering guidelines and the power demand, 1674 MW can be immediately installed in these cities before year 2025. Out of these six cities, Lucknow can accommodate 725 MW, while Kanpur and Agra can accommodate 250 MW and 144 MW respectively. Allahabad can shelter 140 MW while Meerut and Gorakhpur can house 335 MW and 80 MW of solar rooftop power.

Recently, the UP Government made solar rooftop mandatory for all Government buildings and asked its departments to explore the uses of solar energy for catering their energy requirements. Anand Prabu Pathanjali, Manager – Clean Energy at CEED said, “For catalyzing energy transformation in the state, Government buildings offer best options with bundling of projects which help in reducing the cost. With solar price going down and reaching grid parity, industrial and commercial consumers should also be encouraged to adopt solar with even more enthusiasm as it helps in reducing their operation expenditure.

Source: UNI

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INDIA

First tender for 1,000-mw solar capacity in DSIR likely in August The first tender for the 1,000-megawatt (mw) solar capacity in the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) in Gujarat is likely to be issued, a senior official has said.

“This is going to be the largest singlelocation ultra mega solar park of 5,000 mw in the country. We are hopeful of inviting bids for the first 1,000 mw in the next one month,” Dholera Industrial City Development Corporation (DICDC) managing director Jai Prakash Shivahare said at a select media interaction here over the weekend. He further said the greenfield project is expected to generate more than 20,000 jobs.

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ujarat Power (GPCL), Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam (GUVNL) and Gujarat Electric Transmission Corporation (GETCO) along with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) are implementing the project.

Gujarat principal secretary to the chief minister, MK Das, said the state expects good response for the bids. “After we decided to go slow on the solar power capacity addition due to higher costs, we are now getting back to it in a big way. Also now that the prices have come down, we want to take advantage of this market,” he said. “We expect very good response as the capacity we are offering is massive, which will not only give economies of scale to the developers, but also benefit from the development happening in the Dholera region .

Meanwhile, a 200-mw wind park has also been planned in Dholera, which would attract an additional investment to the tune of Rs 1,400 crore.

Delhi to generate over 2,000 MW of solar energy by 2025 With an aim to generate more than 2,000 MW of solar energy in the national capital by 2025, the Delhi government is laying out a comprehensive roadmap to encourage adoption of rooftop solar projects by the residential sector.

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n order to achieve this goal and understand the opportunities and challenges in aggregating the consumer demand, the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Management Centre (EE&REM), Delhi’s Department of Power, organised a consultation workshop ‘Rooftop Solar Demand Aggregation Program for Domestic Consumers’. The workshop, supported by the SUPRABHA (Sustainable Partnerships for Rooftop Solar Acceleration in Bharat), a World Bank-SBI Rooftop SolarTechnical Assistance (TA) Programme discussed the opportunities and challenges faced by Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) developers in setting up solar rooftop projects in the city.

In his address, Power Minister Satyendar Jain said: “It is the endeavour of the Delhi Government to promote the use of renewable energy by all sectors.

“The residential sector is a key component in an urban setup like Delhi and we are exploring ways and means to make it easy for this sector to adopt rooftop solar. The RESCO model enables this by minimising capital expenditure for homeowners and RWAs. The Delhi Government’s aim is to generate 1000 MW by 2020 and 2000 MW by 2025 through Rooftop Solar Installations.”

Source: IANS

Source: PTI

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INDIA

HERC announces a combined order for multiple matters Haryana Electricity regulatory commission recently announced an order on multiple matters including Suo Motu for amendment and/or modification of HERC (Terms and Conditions of Determination of Tariff from Renewable Energy Sources, Renewable Purchase Obligation and Renewable Energy Certificate) Regulations, 2010 and its subsequent amendments (hereinafter referred to as RE Regulations, 2010).

The Commission invited views and comments from the stakeholders and answered to them individually. The order also talks about the following:

Suo-Moto proceedings on RPO compliance If an Obligated entity fails to

comply with the obligation to purchase the required percentage of power from renewable energy sources or the renewable energy certificates, it shall also be liable for penalty as may be decided by the Commission under section 142 of the Act. Provided that in case of genuine difficulty in complying with the renewable purchase obligation because of the limited availability of renewable energy or non-availability of certificates, the obligated entity can approach the Commission for relaxation or carry forward of compliance requirement to the next year. However, in normal circumstances, the renewable purchase obligation shall not be waived off. Provided further that where the Commission has consented in writing on an application made by the obligated entity to carry forward of compliance requirement, the provision of regulation 58 (1) of these regulations or the provision of section 142 of the Act shall not be invoked.

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he petition filed by Amplus seeking implementation of exemption or waiver of wheeling charges, crosssubsidy charges, transmission and distribution charges and surcharge for ground-mounted and rooftop solar power projects Waivers/concessions shall be applicable till the aggregate installed capacity of 500MW of Solar PV Plants in the State is achieved, where after the Commission shall review the provision of waivers/concessions taking into account the financial impact on the Distribution Licensees. the Haryana Distribution Licensees seeking a relaxation of Renewable Purchase Obligation.

The Commission has considered the above submissions and is of the considered view that, after considerable deliberation, the RPO targets have been fixed.

Further, even the Discoms have raised the issue of these targets being on the higher side. Further, it has been submitted by the Discoms / HPPC procurement of RE power in the peak hours will not only add to the demand-supply gap but also add to the surplus and backing down of cheaper conventional power putting an avoidable financial burden on the electricity consumers of Haryana. Hence, the Commission finds no reason to change the RPO targets as appearing in the draft Regulations as the same in the considered view of the Commission attempts to balance the interest of all the stakeholders.

Source: reconnectenergy

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SOLAR PROJECTS

NABARD sanctions over Rs 735 cr for solar, irrigation projects in Bengal The financial institution said the grid connected solar power projects would generate 88.61 MU of green energy per annum

Australian Consulate General inaugrates Solar Power system in Mumbai Cheshire Homes India-Mumbai which was established in 1955 by Group Captain Leonard Cheshire got Rooftop 30 KW capacity Solar Power System at Andheri East branch in Mumbai which is funded by the Australian Consulate General Mumbai, under the Direct Aid Programme (DAP) for the year 2017-18 covered under the project “Leveraging Renewable and Sustainable Energy”.

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heshire Homes looks after different initiatives like in-house generation of organic manure through waste recycling, organic vegetable garden and promoting plastic-free environment by producing cloth / fabric bags for housing societies in Andheri East. The function was attended by Mr. Tim Hall, Vice Consul, Australian Consulate , Mumbai, Dr. Bakul Mehta, Sherley Singh, P M John Chairman of Cheshire Homes and divyang (disable) kids and their families. Kids performed on Bollywood songs on this occasion .

Source: UNI

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NABARD said it has sanctioned Rs 735.53 crore in the first quarter of the current fiscal under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for West Bengal for facilitating the execution of 86 projects. They include six solar power, one medium irrigation, five minor irrigation and 12 flood protection projects, besides 57 projects for the widening and strengthening of roads and five rural bridges, according to a statement.

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ccording to the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the entire loan amount was provided to the state at a concessional rate.Elaborating on the projects, the financial institution said the grid connected solar power projects would generate 88.61 MU of green energy per annum.

The work on the irrigation projects is expected to benefit 11,554 hectares of land besides addressing the problems of water wastage in the upstream areas, seepage loss, deposition of silt and insufficient height of canal, which have been resulting in erratic and short supply of water in the command area. The flood protection measures were aimed at addressing the erosion of river banks and about 155 villages would benefit, it claimed. The widening and strengthening of 57 roads would facilitate 352.81 km in 14 districts and this would help the farmers to access agro inputs and markets for their agricultural produce along with other facilities. Rural bridges would lead to saving of 82 km distance, the statement added.

Source: IANS

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SOLAR PROJECTS

Roof top solar plants of 24075 kw set up in Punjab by 1105 beneficiaries: Kangar • Low Cost Power by Roof Top Solar Systems • Roof Top Solar Plants of 24075 KW have been set up in the State by 1105 beneficiaries • 1KW to 1 MW power can power be generated by the roof top solar plants Punjab Energy Development Agency(PEDA) is trying hard to provide affordable power to the people. The Roof Top Net Metering Solar Project run by the department is being appreciated a lot by the people.

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Giving the information, the Minister of Power and Renewable Energy, Mr. Gurpreet Singh Kangar said that Roof Top Net Metering Solar System leads to a huge reduction in electricity bill and power can be used according to one’s requirement. The Roof Top Solar System is a solar photovoltaic power system installed in vacant area or on the roof of the consumer’s pemises and generates electricity from the sunlight.

NET Metering and Technical Standard Policy was released in 2014 to encourage Roof Top Solar Power Generation in Punjab.

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e said that under this scheme in 2017-18, about 250 beneficiaries and till date 1105 beneficiaries have installed roof top solar plants of 24075 kW. Besides, about 3000 KW Roof Top Solar Plants are under construction. If the solar plant is installed at 80 percent of the section load then the electricity bill of the consumer is reduced by 80 percent.

Mr. Kangar said that energy is a means of progress.

Due to the increase in population, industry and business, the energy requirement is increasing day by day.

With this, the sources of energy such as diesel, coal and petrol are depleting fast and they will not be able to meet the energy needs for long; we have to adopt new and renewable methods to meet the growing energy needs.

So, in the current scenario, we should make full use of solar energy.

He told that the consumers can install them on houses roofs, vacant land, factories, government, semi government, local body offices, business locations, institutes, domestic complexes etc. ranging from one kilowatt to one Mega Watt plant. According to the capacity of Roof Top Net Metering Solar system, the consumer can make personal use of solar power and can forward additional electricity to the grid of PSPCL. It also facilitates the banking of energy. If the net metering is done by PSPCL then the consumer can give additional power to PSPCL which can be used later by the consumer as saved/ banked energy. The amount of collected/saved energy is reflected in the next bill. On the basis of the retail supply rate which is approved by PSPCL, the energy bill is prepared keeping in account for the total energy imported / exported by the consumer.

PEDA CEO Narinder Pal Singh Randhawa said that Punjab has a reservoir of solar power which can be used as electricity to illuminate our homes and lanes.

The advantage of solar systems is that they can be installed in less time and their daily maintenance is little.

In comparison to the other systems, this system is environment is friendly and once it is installed, it generates electricity throughout the day. Consumers who wish to install Solar Roof Top Projects should approach PEDA so that approval can be obtained as per the prescribed conditions and directions from the MNRE. GoI gives 30 percent capital subsidy on installation of SPV system.

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SOLAR PROJECTS

ACME Bags 300 MW Solar Power Project in 1000 MW of UPNEDA Solar bid By winning this 300 MW solar project, ACME portfolio will exceed 5 GWp Solar PV Portfolio across India with an operational capacity of 1.7 GWp and 2.8 GWp solar projects at different stages of development.

ACME won 300 MW Solar PV capacity in the reverse auction held on 10.07.2018 invited by UPNEDA.

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ttar Pradesh New & Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) invited solar tenders with cumulative capacity of 1000 MW of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) projects to be executed across the state. Total 13 companies have shown interest with the aggregated capacity of 1870 MW. ACME bided for the highest capacity of 300 MW. ACME won the bid with the highest 300 MW solar PV capacity in a highly competitive reverse auction held yesterday at a tariff of INR 3.54/ unit for 150 MW & 3.55 per unit for another 150 MW solar capacity.

Source: acme.in

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;With consistently offering most competitive tariff and highest solar power generation; ACME has become the leader in solar power generation in India. This has entrusted a huge responsibility on us to chart the future ahead in solar power in India. I am confident that with this addition of 300MW capacity, ACME will strive to achieve highest efficiency in solar power generation and strengthen its partnership with the Government in building a strong nation & economy said Shri Manoj Kumar Upadhyay, Founder and Chairman ACME Group.

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Solar tariffs once again hit all-time low of Rs 2.44 a unit at SECI auction The tariff had fallen to Rs 2.44 per unit only once before, in a SECI auction for projects at the Bhadla Solar Park in May 2017, but had been climbing significantly in subsequent auctions

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olar power tariffs touched Rs 2.44 per unit once more, the lowest they have ever reached, in the latest 2000 MW auction conducted by Solar Corporation of India (SECI). Acme Solar, one of the biggest domestic solar developers, with around 875 MW of commissioned solar projects, won 600 MW with this bid. The tariff had fallen to Rs 2.44 per unit only once before, in a SECI auction for projects at the Bhadla Solar Park in May 2017, but had been climbing significantly in subsequent auctions, the highest reached being Rs 2.94 to Rs 3.54 per unit in an 860 MW auction across different talukas of Karnataka, held by the Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd (KREDL) in February this year. Other auctions by Gujarat, Maharashtra and NTPC too have seen winning tariffs of well over Rs 2.50 per unit.

The other winners at the auction were Shapoorji Pallonji, which won 250 MW bidding Rs 2.52 per unit, along with Azure Power, Hero Solar and Mahindra Susten, all three of which bid Rs 2.53 per unit. While Azure Power won 600 MW, Hero and Mahindra got 250 MW each. The remaining 50 MW was awarded to Mahoba Solar at Rs 2.54 per unit. All 2000 MW of projects will be connected directly to the Inter State Transmission System (ISTS).

Industry sources attributed the sharp fall to developments in China, from which around 80% of the solar panels and modules used in Indian solar projects are imported. In end-May, the Chinese government stopped approving further solar projects and cut subsidies for its solar developers, as it felt the sector was expanding too fast. With local demand falling, Chinese solar manufacturers have no choice but to export, leading to a weakening of prices. India accounted for 30.9% of China’s solar exports in 2017, according to the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products. Solar tariffs had been rising for the past year due to two main reasons – the rising cost of solar panels from China, and the possibility of safeguard duty being imposed on Chinese solar imports ever since domestic manufacturers complained to the Director General, Safeguards that Chinese imports were seriously hurting their industry. However, domestic manufacturers do not have the capacity to meet India’s solar equipment requirements, sparked by its ambitious programme of achieving 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022. A decision on safeguard duty is expected shortly. But the trend of rising Chinese panel prices has clearly been dramatically reversed.

ACME bags 600 MW Solar Power Project at SECI 2 GW Interstate Transmission System (ISTS) Solar bid at a tariff of 2.44/unit

By winning this 600 MW solar project, ACME portfolio will exceed 3.8 GWp Solar PV Portfolio across India with an operational capacity of 1.7 GWp and 2.1 GWp solar projects at different stages of development.

ACME bags 600 MW Solar PV capacity in the reverse auction held invited

by SECI for 2000 MW solar power tender.

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olar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) invited solar tenders with cumulative capacity of 2000 MW to be executed at any location in India. Total 8 companies qualified for the tender with aggregated capacity of 2950 MW. ACME and Azure have bided for the highest capacity of 600 MW each. ACME won the bid in a highly competitive reverse auction held yesterday at a tariff of INR 2.44 /unit. The second best tariff offered was 2.52 /unit for 250 MW.

“With consistently offering most competitive tariff and highest solar power generation; ACME has become the leader in solar power generation in India. This has entrusted a huge responsibility on us to chart the future ahead in solar power in India. I am confident that with this addition of 600MW capacity, ACME will strive to achieve highest efficiency in solar power generation and strengthen its partnership with the Government in building a strong nation & economy said Shri Manoj Kumar Upadhyay, Founder and Chairman ACME Group.

Source: reuters

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SOLAR PROJECTS

Tata Power to develop 250 MW Solar Project in Karnataka Tata Power, India’s largest integrated power company, announced that Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL), the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, has received a Letter of Award from Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) to develop 250 MW (50 MW x 5 Nos) of solar projects located in state’s Tumkur district at Karnataka.

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Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd commissions 614 kWp solar rooftop order for BPCL Refinery, Mumbai Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd (G&B) is pleased to announce commissioning of 614 kW solar rooftop order from M/s Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) installed in their Mumbai Refinery unit.

he projects will be set up at the Pavagada Solar Park in Tumkur district at Karnataka and the energy will be supplied to the State Discoms under a Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), valid for a period of 25 years. The Company has won this capacity in a bid at a tariff of INR 2.85/kWH announced by KREDL during April 2018. The projects will be commissioned within 12 months from the date of signing of the PPA.

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Speaking on this achievement, Mr. Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD, Tata Power, said, “We are proud to announce that we have been awarded the 250 MW Solar Project in Karnataka, and thankful to the Government of Karnataka and the officials at KREDL for this opportunity. We are delighted to contribute towards the realisation of our country’s commitment towards clean and green energy through solar power generation.”

“We are pleased to announce our win in Karnataka and with this, we continue to demonstrate our strong project development, engineering and execution capabilities. This is an important milestone in our endeavour to generate 35-40 per cent of Tata Power’s total generation capacity from clean energy sources. Pavagada Solar Park has provided us a unique opportunity to enhance our generation capacities in the same location and post development we will have the optimisation advantage of operating more than 400 MW AC power from Pavagada. Establishment of solar project in this area will improve the revenue to the Govt. and enables Pavagada to be one of the pioneers in Solar park in the entire Country.” said Mr. Ashish Khanna, President-Renewables, Tata Power.

The 250 MW solar project is the largest capacity won by the company in a bid so far. The plant is expected to annually offset approximately 578631 tCO2e per year. TPREL has an operation capacity of 675 MW making it a key player in the renewable energy space. 1.6% of their total annual consumption will be met with this project.

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as one of the prestigious and challenging project done by G&B in recent times considering refinery unit which is generally restricted area for execution. With this order, G&B has expanded their portfolio to Maharatna PSU. BPCL management appreciated hard efforts put in by G&B team to complete installation within time with utmost safety & highest quality standards. The whole project is spread across 13 different locations.

This was also the largest rooftop solar project for BPCL in Mumbai region. With successful commissioning of this project, G&B is all geared up for future endeavours of BPCL. Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd commissions 614 kWp solar rooftop order for BPCL Refinery, Mumbai Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd (G&B) is pleased to announce commissioning of 614 kW solar rooftop order from M/s Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) installed in their Mumbai Refinery unit. This was one of the prestigious and challenging project done by G&B in recent times considering refinery unit which is generally restricted area for execution.

Mr. Raghavendra Mirji, Associate Vice President & Head – Power Infrastructure & Renewable Energy vertical, said that the company is presently executing more than 3 MW of roof top projects in Maharashtra and around 5 MW in other states. This unique project 614 kWp roof top project will add another feather in the cap of Godrej & Boyce and demonstrates its execution capabilities in solar field.

G&B plans to play a larger role as an EPC contractor for both On-Grid and Off-Grid solar power generation.

Being driven by the focus on sustainability, reliability, values, G&B intends to enhance its presence in the sphere of Renewable Energy and will focus on various green initiatives aimed at reducing the carbon footprint.

Source: godrej

Source: adfactorspr

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SOLAR PROJECTS

Amazon India to install solar power panels in more fulfillment centres Amazon India has announced a new initiative to generate clean energy through installation of solar panels on the rooftops of its fulfillment centres and sortation sites in India.

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urrently, Amazon India has already installed 1,000 kilowatt (KW) of solar power panels at its fulfillment centre in Hyderabad. In addition to the installation at Hyderabad, the company has installed 600 KW of solar power panels at its fulfillment centre in Jamalpur, Haryana.

The company plans to further deploy largescale solar panel systems on rooftops of an additional five fulfillment centres and two sortation sites located in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chennai, while further expanding existing capacity in Delhi.

With this deployment, by the end of 2018, Amazon India will be able to generate solar energy close to 8,000 KW. Source: cnbcnews.in

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TECHNOLOGY

Imec Beats Silicon PV with 27.1 Percent Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Imec, the world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics, energy and digital technology, within the partnership of EnergyVille, announced a record result for its 4-terminal Perovskite/silicon tandem photovoltaic cell. With a power conversion efficiency of 27.1 percent, the new imec tandem cell beats the most efficient standalone silicon solar cell. Further careful engineering of the Perovskite material will bring efficiencies over 30% in reach.

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erovskite microcrystals are a promising material system to make high-performance thin-film solar cells. They can be processed into thin, light, semitransparent modules that can achieve a high power conversion efficiency, are inexpensive to produce, and have a high absorption efficiency for sunlight. Because they can be made semitransparent, perovskite solar cells and modules can also be used on top of silicon solar cells. When the Perovskite is carefully engineered, the absorbance in the Perovskite minimizes the thermal losses that occur in the silicon cell. As a result, a Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell can potentially reach power conversion efficiencies above 30 percent. Imec’s new record tandem cell uses a 0.13 cm² spin-coated Perovskite cell developed within our Solliance cooperation stacked on top of a 4 cm² industrial interdigitated back-contact (IBC) silicon cell in a 4-terminal configuration, which is known to have a higher annual energy yield compared to a 2-terminal configuration. Additionally, scaling up the tandem device by using a 4 cm 2 perovskite module on a 4 cm 2I BC silicon cell, a tandem efficiency of 25.3% was achieved, surpassing the stand-alone efficiency of the silicon cell.

Manoj Jaysankar, doctoral researcher at imec/EnergyVille, adds: “We have been working on this tandem technology for two years now, and the biggest difference with previous versions is in the engineering and processing of the Perovskite absorber, tuning its bandgap to optimize the efficiency for tandem configuration with silicon.”

“Adding Perovskite on top of industrial silicon PV may prove to be the most cost-effective approach to further improve the efficiency of photovoltaics,” concludes Tom Aernouts, group leader for thin-film photovoltaics at imec/EnergyVille. “Therefore, we invite all companies in the PV value chain that are looking into higher efficiencies, to partner with us and explore this promising path.”

Source: imec-int

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NTPC defers 2,000 MW solar auction over developers’ concerns about safeguard duty State-run NTPC Ltd deferred a tender for 2,000 megawatts (MW) solar power by a week as local companies started to feel the effect of a safeguard duty on solar cell and module imports from China and Malaysia, said two people aware of the development.

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he postponement of reverse auction

by India’s largest power generation utility was triggered by concerns among pre-qualified bidders on the impact of the safeguard duty on their financial models. The solar developers had submitted technical bids to participate in the reverse auction ahead of the imposition of the safeguard duty on 30 July. To be sure, this is the second time that the auction has been deferred.

“This is the first interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected solar auction by NTPC that has now been deferred to 14 August over safeguard duty concerns which will impact tariff to the tune of around 35-40 paise per unit,” said one of the two people cited above, requesting anonymity.

India achieved a record low solar power tariff of Rs.2.44 per unit in May 2017. Earlier last month, tariffs again touched Rs.2.44 per unit in an auction conducted by state-run Solar Energy Corp. of India.

“Representation was made to NTPC to defer the auction given the uncertainty introduced by the safeguard duty,” said the chief executive officer of a New Delhi-based company that prequalified to bid for the auction, who requested anonymity.

With modules making up nearly 60% of a solar power project’s total cost, a majority of Indian developers have placed orders with Chinese manufacturers because of their competitive pricing. When contacted, an NTPC spokesperson declined comment. For China’s solar module manufacturing capacity, estimated to be around 70 gigawatts (GW) per year, the major markets are the US, India and China itself.

“We have given one-week extension because certain formalities need to be completed internally.

It was earlier deferred as well when there was no issue of safeguard duty,” said a senior NTPC executive, seeking anonymity.

Source: livemint

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TECHNOLOGY

Airbus unveils pioneering solar-powered drone The project was presented at Britain’s Farnborough airshow, where Airbus revealed that the Zephyr S took off on July 11 for its maiden flight from Arizona in the United States. European air giant Airbus today unveiled a solar-powered drone called Zephyr that will fly at a high altitude and fulfil the same functions as a satellite.

AVANCIS restarts production facility in South Korea. Production start of CIGS Premium Module Factory scheduled for 2019.

AVANCIS, German manufacturer of premium thin-film modules, celebrated in a festive ceremony the reopening of its CIGS PV factory in Ochang, South Korea. The ceremony of the symbolic start of production was held with company representatives from AVANCIS KOREA, AVANCIS Germany and the President of its parent company CNBM, Prof. Peng Shou, as well as government representatives from the Korean province of Chungbuk.

“This maiden flight of the Zephyr S aims to prove and demonstrate the aircraft capabilities,” Airbus said in a statement. The High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) has a wingspan of 25 metres and weighs less than 25 kilogrammes. It can fly at an altitude of 21,000 metres above the weather and conventional air traffic. Another model planned, the Zephyr T, would have a wingspan of 33 metres.

“The only civil aircraft that used to fly at the altitude was Concorde,” as well as the military reconnaissance U2 and SR-71 Blackbird planes, Airbus said. The plan is for the drones to fly for three months in the stratosphere, with a descent that would last around 30 hours.

Zephyr “is a mix between a satellite and a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) with the capabilities of a satellite and the flexibility of a UAV,” Jana Rosenmann, head of the drones division at Airbus, told AFP. The drone is equipped with battery technology that saves energy during the day, releasing it at night. Seven models are planned to be produced in 2018 and seven more in 2019, Rosenmann said.

The drones will have both military and civilian applications, including maritime surveillance, border patrol missions and forest fire detection. Britain’s defence ministry is the first customer.

Airbus said it intended to collaborate closely with regulatory authorities around the world in the absence of international rules on such drone flights.

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n 2012, AVANCIS had completed the 100 MW factories in South Korea, but did not ramp-up. After a careful examination, the conditions for the former joint venture Hyundai-Avancis had been assessed as not optimal. Last year, the South Korean government targeted to cover 20% of the country’s total electrical energy production from renewable energy sources by 2030 predicting an undeniable growth of the PV market in South Korea. All the more, Oliver Just, CEO of AVANCIS, is now looking forward to the reopening of AVANCIS KOREA.

“We have worked hard and long to get back to our factory in South Korea,” said Oliver Just, CEO of AVANCIS. “Of course, this does not work without a forward-thinking and strong parent company like CNBM. The decisive factor was and still is in times of overcapacities and price declines in PV modules, we are nevertheless experiencing an increasing demand for our aesthetic premium modules in the solar façade sector worldwide. With the return of AVANCIS KOREA, we have the opportunity to manufacture and market our high-quality CIGS modules for Korea and the Asian market. This is a very important milestone for us.”

Ramp-up of the production All preparatory measures are in full swing for the start of production at AVANCIS KOREA. As part of the update actions, the general overhaul of the equipment and HR hiring process will be completed by end of 2018, ramping of production is scheduled for first half of 2019.

Source: avancis.de

Source: PTI

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Risen Energy insures its core competitiveness with mass production of the industry’s first 370W bifacial PERC double glass module Risen Energy Co., Ltd., one of the leading PV solutions providers in China, recently announced that the company has made a major breakthrough in the mass production of its 370W bifacial PERC double glass module.

With the new technology, the company has grown the annual capacity of the module to some 800MW. The product has become the first of its kind to be put into mass production.

Chennai-based Swelect partners with US company to produce water from solar energy Chennai-based Swelect Energy Systems, a solar technology solutions provider, has partnered with Zero Mass Water, a US-based company, to install and sell hydropanels that can be used to produce water from solar energy.

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he company spent nearly six months completing the development of the bifacial PERC double glass module, a module that features the unique double glass and frame structure. In addition to a highly improved moisture barrier, a common problem in double glass modules, the frame design significantly enhances the module’s compressive strength by providing protection, allowing for more convenient installment and substantially reduced incidence of micro-cracking. During the R&D process for the module, one of the challenges was to create a model that could support the most updated designs and the combination of glass and frame. In addition, the biggest challenge in mass production of the module was to enhance the lamination process in order to ensure higher quality and a better appearance. The bifacial PERC double glass module is expected to increase power generation by between 7 and to 30 percent, with the amount of boost dependent on the environment where the module is installed, generally adding at least one percent additional income to the return on investment for any project in which it is deployed. China General Nuclear Power Group, one of the four smaller yet influential power generation companies in China, has recognized the advantages of the technology and entered into a 20MW cooperation agreement with Risen Energy.

As China’s PV market matures, efficient and high-quality products will continue to gain popularity in the industry, while the mass production of Risen Energy’s bifacial PERC double glass module will fully meet the demand for highpower modules in China. Looking ahead, availability of the highly efficient module will eventually be extended to international markets. Driven by the changes in government policies, the PV industry has accelerated the pace of grid parity, forcing industry players to engage in upgrades of their equipment. PV module-related new technologies and products as well as new models for PV power stations will bring solar-provided electricity to grid parity from a technical perspective and insure a high income for partners.

Risen Energy has successfully broken technical barriers this time and will continue to further expand the production capacity of the bifacial PERC double glass module in due course. With a corporate philosophy that allows each of its employees to “dare to think, dare to do and everything becomes possible”, the company fully expects to remain competitive no matter what changes appear to roil the market environment.

Source: Risen Energy Co., Ltd

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One unit, which costs Rs 2 lakh (approx), could produce up to five litre of water per day, said Robert Bartrop – executive vicepresident, Global Business, ZMW. “The company has global customers in 15 countries, including the US and Australia, and the panels will be made exclusively available in south India through Swelect.

The company will make installations in north India as well,” he added.

“Solar is beyond photovoltaic and thermal, it has now forayed into water production. Swelect brings Source hydropanels – which is a renewable way of getting drinking water. Two panels can take care of the water needs of four people,” said R Chellapan, MD, Swelect.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES

PowerGrid to commission 1st commercial e-vehicle fast charger

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e further said that the company is in talks with Gurugram metro rail and Chennai metro rail to install its fast chargers at their train stations to give a boost to the e-vehicles initiative in the country. The CMD “We have tied up with the Hyderabad was of the view that the public sector has Metro. We will commission our first comto push e-vehicle initiative in the country mercial fast (direct current) charger at one by providing supportive infrastructure of the metro rail stations in Hyderabad,” till the time it is a big hit among the PowerGridNSE -1.77 % Chairman and Man- private sector players. About the green energy transmission infrastructure being aging Director I S Jha told reporters on the occasion of the release of a book ‘Renewable developed by PowerGrid, he said the company has already completed many Energy Technology’, co-authored by him. transmission links and the transmission infrastructure development is way ahead Jha said the company is in talks with Hyderabad Metro to install fast chargers of clean energy project development.

He said the green energy transmission at its 24 stations in the city, which can infrastructure is in place much before charge an e-vehicle in about an hour coming up of renewable energy generaand top up half charged batteries in 15 tion projects in the country. to 20 minutes.

State-run transmission utility Power Grid Corp will commission by the first week of July its first commercial e-vehicle fast charger at one of the metro rail stations in Hyderabad.

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Talking about high voltage direct current (HVDC) lines, he said Champa to Kurukshetra HVDC line would be operational by the end of this year while the company will try to commission Raigarh to Pugalur HVDC by April 2019 against its deadline of 2020.

Power Minister R K Singh after launching the book, said, “Renewable energy technology covers in depth renewable energy generation technologies and challenges associated with grid integration of renewables and their solutions. Seasoned professionals as well as young student community interested in the domain of renewable energy will greatly benefit from this book, which is written by qualified persons both from industry and academics working in this field.”

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Transformation of rural ecosystems: Potential impact of renewable energy and electric vehicle convergence

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“With rapidly evolving technologies and business models, there is need to adopt new and fundamentally different pathways to provide clean, cost-effective, and efficient mobility services” said Arvind Panagariya the former Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog in a 2017 report titled India Leaps Ahead: Transformative mobility solutions for all. anagriya’s statement above touches on two intriguing themes, evolving business models and adopting new pathways to provide clean mobility. The statement assumes greater importance in the wake of India’s clean energy movement, supported by the government’s target of achieving 175 GW of renewable energy (100 GW of this from solar sources) by 2022 and ending dependence on fossil-fuel driven passenger transport by 2030. The multipronged effort indicates a promising future for the urban centres, however, the convergence of solar energy and electric vehicles may have the potential to have an even deeper impact on the development of rural geographies.

September -Part C 2018

If we take a step back to reflect, the challenges associated with improving the condition of rural mobility and viability of solar mini-grids may find a common solution through the advent of electric vehicles (EVs) in the rural areas. Although, the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) was launched in 2013 to promote hybrid and EV’s in India, Indian cities got introduced to EV’s with the launch of 2-seater mini passenger vehicle, REVA in 2001 and electric “rickshaws” in 2008.

While most of the EV development efforts till now have been geared towards the four-wheeler passenger segment, a new category of EV’s is emerging, including two and three wheelers, mini-vans that can cater to the demand of the rural markets. The charging infrastructure for these EV’s present a high potential option as a productive load for the mini-grids. Furthermore, mini-grid developers can themselves support the deployment of such vehicles through rental models and create alternate livelihood opportunities for rural entrepreneurs. It will however be important to assess the cost-benefit for a rural entrepreneur to operate an electric vehicle, but with the pace of improvement in technology and declining costs, it is poised to rapidly become more profitable.

Such models can also help in attracting investments in the mini-grid sector from EV manufacturers looking to expand into the rural markets. In fact, enabling last mile mobility has the potential to open a completely new partnership ecosystem for mini grid developers. This can include rural supply chain owners such as the FMCG players and healthcare solution providers who may use the EV’s powered by local mini-grids to reach the most remote rural regions. Moreover, these interventions can seamlessly dovetail with the incentive schemes for rural livelihoods and EV’s.

Overall, there is enough merit for mini-grid developers to implement a pilot with EV’s and possibly prove a tenable case for rural hubs actually being the first to be transformed through the solar and electric vehicle movement.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes

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India Expo Centre

18-20 Sep. REI 2018 Huawei Booth: 3.61

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PV MANUFACTURING

Risks involved in setting up of power projects and venturing into manufacturing of equipment are not comparable either, as the power sector is highly regulated while manufacturing business is largely market driven, Solar Power Developers Association (SPDA) has said in a letter to power minister R K Singh.

Solar developers ask government to rethink on manufacturing-linked tenders Solar project developers have requested the government to reconsider the proposed large scale, manufacturing-linked solar power tenders, saying it would compel them to foray into equipment manufacturing, which is a completely different business requiring different skillsets.

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olar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) had earlier this year floated a 5 GW manufacturing tender linked with 10 GW power purchase agreement, as part of a government plan to revive the ailing solar manufacturing industry in the country. The technical bid for the tender was supposed to open later this month, but it has been postponed to third week of August, as the developers’ have expressed their concerns in the pre-bid meeting. Government officials, however, said the concerns of developers are unfounded as they are free to form a consortium with manufacturers of solar equipment to participate in the tender.

“Developers are free to tie up with manufacturers if they do not have the expertise in manufacturing,” a senior government official said. “SECI will make appropriate changes to the bid only if the concerns of developers are found to be valid,” the official said on the condition of anonymity.

Around 90% of the solar equipment used in the country is imported, and the government is planning manufacturing-linked tenders of up to 20 GW size to beef up local manufacturing of solar components. Industry watchers said developers and manufacturers will need to find a common ground to form any consortium.

“Given both the businesses are exposed to different kinds of risks, it is important that the risks and rewards are equitably balanced between the two parties,” said an industry executive who requested not to be identified.

“It is being perceived that, by linking PPA (power purchase agreement) with solar equipment manufacturing, government is compelling them (independent power producers, or IPPs) to get into manufacturing — which is cause of concern for most developers,” said SPDA whose members include industry bigwigs such as ReNew Power, Avaada Power, Acme Solar, Green Infra, Azure Power, SPRNG Energy, and Hero Future Energies. “Members of SPDA have expressed their reluctance in venturing in solar manufacturing,” it said.

ET reviewed a copy of the letter sent earlier this week.

Developers further argued that while power generation is perceived as low-medium risk given assured revenue, solar manufacturing is riskier given higher exposure to market, faster obsolescence of technology and need for continuous investment in R&D to stay competitive. All this could pose added challenge to IPPs with inadequate manufacturing experience in accessing project financing.

“Solar IPPs are being exposed to high degree of risk, which may not be in their interests and also not in the best interest of the country,” SPDA said in its letter to the minister. SPDA suggested that the developers could be charged a certain amount in future bids to create a solar equipment manufacturing fund, which could be disbursed as capital subsidy to help attract “credible and serious players” to invest in manufacturing facilities.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes

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PV MANUFACTURING

India lost 2 lakh jobs due to dumping of Chinese solar panels: Parliament Panel India was one of the major exporters of solar products between 2006-2011 before China started dumping their products at the cost of Indian manufacturers. Dumping of Chinese solar panels in India, once a major exporter of the product, is estimated to have cost 2 lakh jobs, a parliamentary panel said and asked the commerce department to properly implement its probing arm DGAD’s suggestions on cheap imports from China.

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xpressing shock at the job loss estimates it quoted, the panel strongly recommended resolution of problem of poor implementation of the findings of the Directorate General of Antidumping and Allied Duties on dumping of Chinese goods as also subsidies they get.

These observations have been made

by Parliament Standing Committee on Commerce in its report on impact of Chinese goods on Indian industry. It is disheartening to note that India was one of the major exporters of solar products between 2006-2011 before China started dumping their products at the cost of Indian manufacturers.

The RCEP bloc comprises 10 Asean group members (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam) and their six FTA partners – India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. India’s trade deficit with China increased to USD 63.12 billion in 2017-18, from USD 51.11 billion in 2016-17.

Nothing should be agreed to at the cost of our industrial health,” the panel said. Further noting that tariff barrier is an important tool to counter dumping of Chinese goods, it said: “The government tariff protection must also be accompanied with production subsidy or incentives which can be a match to Chinese assistance so that our domestic production gets a real boost.”

On pharmaceutical industry, the report said that it is high time that India’s dependency on Chinese bulk drugs has reduced drastically. “Such a strategic product cannot be left at the mercy of China as it impacts the nation’s health security,” it said. To protect textiles sector, the report suggested hike in customs duty on garment imports. It also said that all zero duty access that have been provided on imports of garments into India should be made subject to sourcing of raw materials from India.Commenting on the firecracker industry, it called for prohibiting import of hazardous Chinese firecrackers.

“Presently, the exports from India have been decimated and brought to a standstill,” the report said, adding that the government must take strong note of such dumping. Immediate trade remedial measures need to be deployed to protect the domestic solar industry, it said.

“The anti-dumping framework also suffers with lax implementation. The unscrupulous elements are able to import the Chinese goods by circumventing the goods put under anti-dumping framework through misclassification of products,” it added.

On steel sector, the report stated that nothing has been done to revise or rationalize the anti-dumping duty imposed. It recommended that the steel industry, in consultation with DGAD, look into this matter on an urgent basis and make the anti-dumping duties realistic and effective to ward-off any adverse consequences of dumping of Chinese steel goods in the country. The report also said there are concerns about the mega trade deal — Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), of which India and China are participants along with 14 other countries.

It suggested following caution during the negotiations and asked the government to calibrate its approach in such kind of agreement.

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LONGi Solar’s Export to India Reaches an Apex in JanuaryMay 2018

BNEF: Corporate procurement already at record volumes in 2018

Corporations have purchased 7.2GW of clean energy so far in 2018, already surpassing last year’s record 5.4GW, according to Bloomberg NEF’s 2H Corporate Energy Market Outlook published

Some of the key findings from the report include: 4.2GW, or 60%, of global corporate energy procurement has come from the United States, already establishing a record year.

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ew industries are entering the market, including telecommunications and manufacturing. Companies are increasingly working with utilities in regulated markets through special programs known as green tariffs. At the same time, companies are leveraging aggregation models to pool their electricity demand together, which has opened the door for smaller companies to buy renewable energy.

acebook has been the largest corporate buyer thus far in 2018, purchasing over 1.1GW of clean energy. AT&T is the second largest buyer with 820MW, and aluminum manufacturers Norsk Hydro and Alcoa follow with 667MW and 524MW, respectively.

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he current 140 RE100 signatories consume an estimated 184TWh of electricity cumulatively. In order to meet their renewable energy targets by 2030, BNEF estimates they will need to purchase an additional 197TWh of clean energy. If this were to be met entirely with PPAs, it could catalyze an additional 100GW of solar and wind build globally.

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record 2018 is also year for corporate procurement in Europe. Companies have purchased 1.6GW of clean energy this year, up from 1.1GW in 2017. Aluminium manufacturers Norsk Hydro and Alcoa Corp make up 75% of this activity, signing deals in Norway and Sweden. These companies are primarily motivated by the opportunity to lock into a fixed, long-term price for clean energy, rather than sustainability initiatives.

According to a report of ETEnergyWorld on July 1, a senior Indian official revealed that “India will auction 40 GW of renewable energy projects comprising 30 GW solar and 10 GW wind per year for the next 10 years till 2028.”

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n recent years, India has become the third largest PV market besides China and the United States. India’s newly installed PV capacity was about 9GW in fiscal year 2017, and is planned to reach up to 11GW in fiscal year 2018, an increase of 2GW year-on-year. At present, LONGi Solar is actively developing the Indian PV market, and systematically rolling out the industrial deployment, making the Indian market a pivotal link in LONGi’s global strategy. LONGi Solar has supplied monocrystalline modules to a number of 100MW-level PV power stations in India. According to the customs export data, from January to May 2018, LONGi Solar ranks No.1 in terms of module shipment to India, demonstrating that the company’s high-efficiency, high-reliability and high-yield products have been acclaimed by the Indian PV market. It is a consensus that India is a PV market with huge potential, and as a regional market, India is also becoming more and more important to China’s PV industry. On this basis, LONGi Solar has utilized advanced PERC monocrystalline technology to quickly enter the Indian market and carry out effective deployment, accelerate local implementation of high-efficiency capacities steadily, and promote the market share of efficient monocrystalline modules in India continuously.

Source: Bloomberg NEF

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

France’s Engie appoints Rothschild to find a buyer for Indian solar biz

French energy firm Engie SA, one of the largest foreign investors in India’s solar power space, has mandated Rothschild to find a buyer for picking up a significant stake in its Indian solar business.

NTPC inks Rs 1,500 crore Term Loan with HDFC Bank

Engie confirms the appointment of Rothschild in the search for a potential partner for long-term growth in the solar business, said Malcolm Wrigley, country manager, India for Engie, in an emailed response. However, an external spokesperson for Rothschild said: “We do not comment on market speculations.” “The precise form of the transaction is not fixed, except that we are not seeking to sell a majority. So, it is not possible to place a value. A broad field of potential partners are being considered, and the key criteria is long-term commitment to the market and growth.”

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ngie’s move comes at a time when financing at the lowest cost has become key to success, given the record low tariffs. India had achieved solar power tariffs of ₹2.44 per unit in May 2017. Earlier this month, it again touched ₹2.44 per unit in an auction conducted by state-run Solar Energy Corp. of India. This assumes greater significance, given that the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) on Monday recommended levying a safeguard duty for two years on solar cells and modules imported from China and Malaysia. Such a duty may impact tariffs for the ongoing solar bids. Engie plans to set up two gigawatts (GW) capacity in India by 2019 and has an 810 megawatt (MW) solar portfolio through its subsidiary Solairedirect. It also has a wind power generation capacity of 80 MW. Mint had reported on 19 March about Engie’s plans to sell a stake in Solairedirect, which has been actively bidding for projects in India.

“Engie is looking at growth capital,” said the head of a solar power firm aware of the company’s plans, requesting anonymity.

The Indian clean energy space has witnessed increased consolidation in recent times. Last month, Finland’s state-controlled power utility Fortum Oyj had signed an agreement to sell a 54% stake of its solar power unit in India to UK Climate Investments (40%) and Elite Alfred Berg (14%).

Greenko had also agreed to buy Orange Renewable from Singapore’s AT Capital Group at an enterprise value of $1 billion.

Subhash Chandra’s Essel Infraprojects Ltd has mandated Investec to find a buyer for its solar business, while diversified conglomerate Shapoorji Pallonji Group is in talks to sell a stake in its solar power project portfolio.

With a presence in around 70 countries, Engie owns power, gas and energy services businesses. It has been active in India for the past 20 years. After selling its Meenakshi Energy coal-fired thermal plant in Andhra Pradesh in November 2016 to India Power Corp. Ltd, Engie had sought to exit all coal-fired projects. It has been actively eyeing the Indian clean energy space since then. India’s clean energy space witnessed growing investor interest since the National Democratic Alliance government announced its plans to add 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity by 2022. Other overseas green energy firms and funds active in India are SBG Cleantech, a joint venture between Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp., India’s Bharti Enterprises Ltd and Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology Group; Actis Llp; Italy’s Enel; Singapore’s Sembcorp; and Saudi Arabia’s Alfanar. Recently, a joint venture between Engie SA and Dubai-based private equity firm Abraaj Group to build a 1,000 MW wind power platform, fell through.

Source: asianews

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NTPC, India’s largest power generating company, has signed term loan agreement for Rs. 1,500 crore with HDFC Bank Limited on 10th July, 2018 for its various projects.

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he loan has a door-todoor tenure of 15 years and will be utilised to part finance the capital expenditure of NTPC and has been extended at an interest rate linked to 3-months Marginal Cost of funds based Lending rate (MCLR) of the bank.

The loan agreement was signed was signed in the presence of Shri A. K. Gautam, General Manager (Finance), NTPC, ShriRaveesh Bhatia, Regional Head, Corporate Banking, North, HDFC Bank Ltd., and Shri K. Sreekant, Director (Finance), NTPC Ltd. The proceeds of the facility will be utilized to finance capital expenditure on the company’s ongoing and new projects, and in the renovation and modernization of stations.

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Tata Power-Welspun deal : Cyrus Mistry didn’t follow protocol, says NCLT Cyrus P Mistry did not follow the requisite protocol on matters of critical interests to Tata Trusts, the majority shareholder of Tata Sons, the Mumbai Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) said in its order.

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istry did not call for a board meeting of Tata Sons prior to Tata Power’s Rs 90-billion deal with Welspun, even as he sent the papers to the directors. This was in contravention of Article 121 A of Tata Sons’ Articles of Association. Tata Power had announced on June 12, 2016 that it would acquire Welspun in a Rs 92.49-billion deal and completed the process in September. JM Financial acted as the exclusive transaction adviser to Tata Power on the deal.

According to the Article, any matter affecting the shareholding of Tata Trusts in the holding company needs to be discussed by the board before any of the group companies decides in favour of making an investment exceeding Rs 1 billion. This is particularly applicable to those decisions that are not part of the annual business plan.

“Such issue should have come before the board of Tata Sons prior to Tata Power Company taking a decision to acquire such a project, because it is Tata Sons that has to provide debt to finance acquisition,” the order said.

It pointed out that though the papers were sent to the nominee of Tata Trusts on Tata Son’s board, Mistry did not hold any board meeting before Tata Power Company signed the documents in respect to Welspun transaction on June 12, 2016 itself.

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In his petition to the NCLT, Mistry had alleged excessive interference of Tata Trusts. In his shareholder missive, Mistry had accused Ratan Tata and Noshir Soonawala of taking the veto rights of the trust-nominated directors as their entitlement to dictate to these directors how Tata Sons should conduct itself.

“On looking at this transaction, it is evident that Tata Sons did not hold the board meeting before Tata Power Co proceeded with the transaction on 12.6.16. Let alone exercising the powers under Article 121-A, when substantial investment to such acquisition was to be made by Tata Sons,” according to the order. It was evident that the approval was really a “fait accompli as stated by the answering respondents because they could not express anything except approving the acquisition, since TPCL had already signed papers over the acquisition of Welspun on 12.6.16 itself.”

The order also justifies Tata Trusts’ nominee directors Nitin Nohria and Vijay Singh speaking to Ratan Tata before giving their go-ahead on the resolution.

“Can giving such direction to the Trusts’ nominee directors to proceed with resolution amounts to interference with the affairs of the company?” said the order. It added that since Mistry went ahead with the proposal without seeking consent of the Trusts or its nominee directors, his action was “prejudicial to the interest of the company.”

Sequencing (of events) was less critical as long as the decision taken was a right one, said Amit Tandon, founder and managing director at Institutional Investment Advisory Services (IiAS).

For all the controversy over the deal within the boardroom, the Welspun buyout has been a big booster for Tata Power’s renewable business. The after-tax profit of Tata Power’s renewable portfolio jumped to Rs 720 million in the January-March quarter of 2017-18 against Rs 140 million a year ago, mainly due to refinancing of loans in acquired assets of Welspun Renewables. The company said the after-tax profit of its renewable portfolio was affected by lower fixed cost absorption in newly commissioned projects under stabilisation.

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

REC Silicon ASA – Solar Trade Dispute with China Forces Layoffs REC Silicon will execute a layoff affecting nearly 40% of its current workforce in Moses Lake, Washington.

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his layoff will impact approximately 100 employees across the company and is a direct result of the on-going solar trade dispute between China and the United States. Due to this on-going trade dispute, the company has not been able to access its critical market in China since 2014. This has caused successive reductions in REC Silicon’s operations in the United States.

REC Silicon has decided to reduce its production at Moses Lake to approximately 25% of total production capacity.

This decision is in response to the solar trade dispute between China and the United States and reduced demand for solar grade polysilicon. The actions taken will help maintain the company’s liquidity, its ability to meet financial obligations, and maintain REC Silicon’s capability to resume manufacturing operations when access to China’s polysilicon markets is restored. REC Silicon’s management regrets today’s lay-off of our highly-skilled colleagues. We have done all we can to avoid today’s action, but we have no choice while the China market remains closed. It is a tremendous injustice that the hard-working Americans, who have made REC Silicon the polysilicon industry’s technology leader and one of the most competitive producers in the world are now losing their jobs. REC Silicon can out-compete its foreign rivals, and we can do it from our manufacturing locations here in the United States. We simply need fair access to the China market.

REC Silicon invested $1.7 Billion to construct a state of the art, cost leading solar grade polysilicon production facility in Moses Lake, Washington in 2010. At its peak in 2011, REC Silicon generated $1 Billion in annual revenues from its operations in the United States and provided approximately 900 high paying jobs. Approximately 95% of REC Silicon’s revenues are generated from sales in markets outside the United States. As a consequence of the on-going solar trade dispute with China, REC Silicon has executed successive layoffs to preserve its operations in the United States. After the layoff today, the company will continue to employ approximately 400 people at its facilities in Moses Lake, Washington and Butte, Montana.

As a direct result of the solar trade dispute, REC Silicon’s workforce has declined by a total of 500 jobs since 2011.

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During the same period, the company’s revenues have declined by over 70% to $272 Million in 2017.

REC Silicon’s fluid bed reactor (FBR) production facility in Moses Lake, Washington produces the lowest unsubsidized cost solar polysilicon in the world. Because REC Silicon employs a highly cost competitive manufacturing technology, the company’s products are competitive without trade protection. President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer committed to pursue a resolution of the AD/CVD measures imposed by the Government of China on U.S. polysilicon. There has not been a resolution nor any re-opening of the China market to REC Silicon. It is now absolutely urgent that the U.S. Government takes steps to re-open the China market for U.S. polysilicon production to avoid further job losses, avoid the loss of U.S. technology leadership, to preserve this important part of the solar energy supply chain in the United States, to allow REC Silicon to re-start production, and most importantly allow us to re-hire our skilled and dedicated workers. REC Silicon’s markets for semiconductor grade polysilicon and silicon gas products have not been impacted by the solar trade dispute. REC Silicon’s operations in Butte, Montana will continue to support these markets.

REC Silicon currently has approximately $42 Million in cash deposits and expects to report approximately $58 Million in revenues for the second quarter of 2018.

Second quarter FBR production is expected to be 2,040 MT or 240 MT below the guidance on April 26, 2018.

The results for the company’s semiconductor segment and silicon gas sales are expected to be near guidance.

Current market conditions will negatively impact the company’s profitability and credit risk exposure. REC Silicon expects to recognize additional impairments to inventories, accounts receivable, and fixed assets in its second quarter earnings release on July 19, 2018.

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

Safeguard duty could jeopardise solar mission Solar Power Developers Association (SPDA) has sought exemption of safeguard duty on solar equipment for ongoing project. The duty will not only put the ongoing projects in risk but also will kill thousands of job created, mostly in rural India, from the down-stream activities of solar power generation including the manufacturing sector.

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SPDA president Vineet Mittal told Telangana, “We have sought exemption of safeguard duty on solar equipment for ongoing projects.

We are pleading the government to keep solar equipment out of the purview of the proposed safeguard duty, particularly for ongoing projects. Safeguard duty is adding uncertainty in solar generation.”

Indian companies had been primarily assembling the cells after they were imported. They will be outplaced by overseas companies if the duty is imposed both in terms of efficiency and cost. It will make the assembling costly.” in a letter to Commerce Secretary, who is also Chairperson of the Standing Board on Safeguards, on July 18, 2018, the SPDA said, such recommendations on safeguard could jeopardise availability of low cost energy to the consumers, making the investments of more than Rs 1 lakh crore unviable. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), in its recent report, has recommended imposition of safeguard duty on imports of solar cells/modules into India for a period of two years.

India imports upto 70 per cent of solar modules and panels at present, mostly from China, Taiwan and Malaysia. The SPDA pleaded to the board to protect ongoing solar energy projects (wherever bids concluded) with complete exemptions from the imposition of any safeguard duty. According to the association, the viability of around 27,000 MW projects involving the investment of more than Rs 1 lakh crore is at stake as the cost of these projects will be additionally burdened by 20 per cent with present recommendations on safeguard. As a result, entire solar mission will lose its objective endangering thousands of jobs, many interdependent micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) catering their goods and services to this sector and finally turning these projects into NPAs (bad loans), he noted. He added, “India currently has 21 GW installed capacity. The country has set an ambitious target to achieve 100 GW of solar energy generation by 2022, meaning there needs to be an addition of 79 GW capacity. The government has planned to auction 60 GW solar energy projects by March 2020 to achieve the target. India’s solar energy consumption is still not on par with the world average, as its power per capita stands at just one-third of the global average” The SPDA pointed out that their submissions are not regarding appropriateness of the duty or its quantum rather about its applicability or treatment of this duty on the ongoing projects which have been allocated at the tariffs discovered under the competitive bidding process.The industry body also said that it is likely that dis tribution companies (discoms) will not take the burden of increased tariff and would certainly oppose any such pass-through in the tribunals and courts. Moreover, it said that the discoms will not purchase solar power as soon as the tariff increases above Rs 3 per kWh on account of safeguard duty.

Source: telanganatoday

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Greenko’s 1550 MW renewable energy project cleared The State government approved the proposal of Greenko Energies Private Limited (GEPL) for the establishment of India’s largest Integrated Renewable Energy Project (IREP) at Pinnapuram village in Panyam mandal of Kurnool district.

The project comprises 1000 MW solar and 550 MW wind energy plants and 1200 MW standalone pumped storage facility. A G.O was issued to that effect on behalf of Principal Secretary (Infrastructure, Energy and Investment) Ajay Jain.

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s per the G.O, the government has also approved the allocation of 1 tmcft of water on a non-consumptive basis from Gorakallu reservoir as per the industrial water supply guidelines subject to guidelines issued by the Irrigation Department, recognition as a Mega Industrial Project (to facilitate single window clearances and facilitation) and allotment and alienation of 4766.28 acres of land to GEPL on outright sale basis as per the latest market value to be fixed by Revenue Department.

The project is to be completed within four years failing which the land has to be returned to the government. The G.O. stated that the government of A.P. targeted to create 18000 MW of renewable energy capacity by 202122 comprising 10000 MW solar and 8000 MW wind. With the promotion measures initiated by the State government, the share of renewable energy in total power consumption has reached 18% during 2017-18. GEPL said that the project would create 15,000 jobs and 3,000 after construction and result in a fresh investment of ₹15,000 crore in the State. The power will be evacuated through Power Grid Corporation of India network. MoU for this project was signed by the GEPL with Government of A.P. at the CII Partnership Summit-2018 held in Vizag.

Source: thehindu

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

‘Zombie’ power plants: A financial time-bomb that may torpedo Indian banks Government seems intent on abandoning good ideas for dealing with the country’s banking crisis and encouraging bad ones. Perhaps that shouldn’t be surprising, given that the bureaucrats don’t yet seem to have grappled with the real nature of the problem.

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he latest terrible proposal for dealing with the bad loans weighing down India’s state-owned banks, which control more than two-thirds of deposits, is to create a “bad bank” an assetmanagement company that would take stressed assets off their balance sheets.

Naturally, the scheme emerged from a committee made up of the heads of India’s nationalized banks. Ownership of the new company would be shared between banks and private investors. It would have to raise at least Rs 1 trillion (about $14.5 billion) for an alternative investment fund from various pools of capital in the private sector. Why so much? Because the company will have to act as a market maker for stressed assets that nobody wants, picking up 15 percent of an agreed-upon floor price.

This is the real issue. There are already quite a few private-sector asset-management companies lurking around now that India has finally instituted a real insolvency code.

The problem isn’t that they don’t have enough money, it’s that not enough of the stressed assets being put on sale look good enough to buy. The most intractable bad loans, the ones the bad bank is meant to deal with, are concentrated in one sector: power. In particular, Indian thermal plants are struggling. A parliamentary subcommittee estimated earlier this year that 34,000 megawatts-worth of capacity is in trouble. Either nobody has signed up to buy power from these plants, rendering them unprofitable, or they don’t have access to subsidized coal.

An industry association thinks that the real number is closer to 50,000 megawatts, in the same ballpark as all the capacity added in the past five years of feverish plant-building. Others have provided even higher estimates. This is a significant proportion of India’s total power generation capacity and, at perhaps Rs 4 trillion, a sizeable fraction of the banks’ balance sheets.India isn’t alone. In several countries, analysts are beginning to wonder if “stranded assets” in particular, thermal capacity left behind in the shift to renewables or to more efficient generation threaten to create systemic stress for the financial system. One estimate suggests that European financial institutions alone, including pension funds, have more than 1 trillion euros of exposure to fossil-fuel companies and projects, and even a smooth transition to a lowcarbon economy might involve losses of 400 billion euros. Worse, it isn’t always certain who’s exposed to what degree the exact circumstances in which sudden crises can take hold. In the US, meanwhile, coal companies are returning to the leveraged-loan market with a vengeance; fossil-fuel assets already made up a third of that market in 2015.

In India, renewable energy now looks competitive with “zombie” thermal power plants in terms of cost, while new plants require government subsidies and favorable administrative decisions that bureaucrats are reluctant to provide. In addition, provincial power utilities are chronically in the red because of their inability to force end-users of electricity to pay up.

Even if they recover, and more and more Indians get access to electricity, a decent proportion of the investment in the sector is going to go into renewables or clean coal. Those stressed assets that have been or are likely to be rehabilitated seem to be in sectors like steel, where recovering domestic demand in India (and some handy antidumping tariffs targeted at China) have convinced some investors to take a punt on a plant or two. By contrast, there are no takers for plants, like one $38 billion white elephant in Jharkhand, that were only profitable if the government subsidized their coal. Private Indian power plants are in any case operating at only 55 percent of capacity; who would want to risk setting up another one?

The transition to a lower-carbon economy is a reality, even for countries like India where coal will still be the bedrock of power generation for decades to come and even if renewable energy is still unreliable for base-load power. Given that this transition is real and happening, policymakers around the world must understand that carbon-based assets are a financial time-bomb. In India, they look like they might torpedo the banking sector; elsewhere, they will pose other major threats to financial stability. It’s time for regulators to get serious about the knock-on effects of the world’s fight against climate change.

Source: bloomberg

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

ADB Sells €600 Million 7-Year Green Bond to Spur Climate Financing ZNShine Solar Wins Bid to Supply PV Modules to India’s BHEL ZNShine Solar, a leading global photovoltaic (PV) solutions supplier on China’s National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ), has won the bid to provide 37.5MW of PV modules to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), India’s largest power generation equipment manufacturer.

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he deal makes ZNShine Solar the first overseas module supplier to win contract with BHEL. It also represents a critical step for ZNShine Solar as it moves to expand its presence in the India market. The reason that ZNShine was able to stand out among many local competitors during the bidding is owing to its high-quality products, customized local services, as well as ZNShine’s newly developed graphene-coating (nano technology) solar modules. Graphene-coating technology has self-cleaning property. According to the contract ,10% of the shipment will be graphene-coating solar panel and all deliveries will be made by October.

“Thanks to our winning of the BHEL project, we can introduce our graphene-coating modules to the global market. It is what we are most proud of,” said Qian Li, Marketing Director at ZNShine Solar. “The Indian PV market there has been growing rapidly in recent years, we are targeting its potential and huge demand. As of June, our total shipments to India have reached to approximately 1GW, making ZNShine one of this market’s major suppliers of PV modules. We are also planning to build with our local partner an integrated production line there that includes silicon wafer, cells and modules.”

The graphene module is considered to be very important for India as the country suffers from dust storms, which may result in the burden of cleaning and maintenance at power plants with high labor costs. Nowadays, PV modules require manual work to clean the surface, this may cause PV cell crack or residual water stains on the module surface. ZNShine Solar’s selfcleaning graphene modules will make the cleaning much easier while reducing the operational costs. In addition, graphenecoating modules maximize the light transmittance (94.3%), which increase the power output by 0.5% to 1%.

In addition to BHEL, ZNShine Solar has built long term relationship with a range of renowned companies in India, some deals will also include graphene self-cleaning modules.

Source: ZNShine Solar

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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised €600 million to help finance climate change mitigation and adaptation projects with the issue of a 7-year green bond.

Since the inaugural US dollar denominated green issue in 2015, ADB has steadily expanded its green bond offerings, having pioneered the dualtranche format for supranational green bonds in 2016 and issuing its maiden green Indian rupee-linked bond in 2017, said ADB Treasurer Mr. Pierre Van Peteghem. “We are very pleased to accommodate the strong demand for our green bonds from euro investors with last night’s offering, which allowed us to both tighten price guidance while increasing the issue size for our first euro denominated benchmark green bond.”

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roceeds of the green bond will support low-carbon and climate resilient projects funded through ADB’s ordinary capital resources and used in its nonconcessional operations. In July 2017, ADB adopted its Climate Change Operational Framework 2017–2030.

The framework strengthens ADB’s support to its member countries in meeting their climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Financing—including nationally determined contributions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

ADB’s financing of climate mitigation and adaptation reached a record $4.5 billion in 2017, a 21% increase from the previous year.

ADB is now in position to achieve its $6 billion annual climate financing target by 2020. Out of the $6 billion, $4 billion will be dedicated to mitigation through scaling up support for renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transport, and building smart cities, while $2 billion will be for adaptation through more resilient infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture, and better preparation for climate-related disasters.

The 7-year bond has an issue size of €600 million, a coupon rate of 0.35% per annum payable annually and a maturity date of 16 July 2025. It was priced at 99.924% to yield 43 basis points over the DBR 0.5% February 2025. The transactions were lead-managed by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citi, and Credit Agricole CIB. The issue achieved strong primary market distribution with nearly 90% placed in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); and 10% placed in Asia. By investor type, 39% of the bonds went to central banks and official institutions; 12% to banks; and 48% to fund managers, insurance, pension funds, and others. ADB plans to raise around $23 billion from the capital markets in 2018.

Source: adb.org

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

Bright Solar Tapping Markets Through IPO to Raise Rs. 19.44 Cr Incorporated in 2010, Gujarat based Bright Solar Limited is a company engaged in assembling of DC/AC Solar Pumps and Solar Pump Systems under the registered brand name of “PUMPMAN”, “BRIGHT SOLAR”, and “BRIGHT SOLAR WATER PUMP”.

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he company is also engaged in EPC contracts of Solar Photovoltaic Water pumps which include supplying, installing and commissioning of the pump system along with comprehensive maintenance contract for a specific period of 1-5 years. In solar pump system, it has a wide range of products like DC Solar Pump, Solar Pump Inverter, and AC Solar Pump. In the year 2017-18, the company started providing consultancy services for acquiring projects and tender bidding after identifying the competent client on the tender to tender basis. In addition, the company has been awarded water supply, sewerage, and infra project in its service portfolio. Bright Solar is in the process of acquiring a land admeasuring area of 18,209 sq mts at Kheda, Gujarat and on which the company is planning to set up a manufacturing unit for Solar PV modules/panels. The Company has already executed an agreement to sell for the acquisition of land. It is also planning to set up a water treatment plant assembling unit at Patna (Bihar).

The company has on hand orders in the book amounting to Rs. 97 cr. The pre IPO placement of the shares was made at the same rate as of the IPO which is Rs. 36/share, approx. aggregation of the amount gained was Rs. 3 cr.

To sum up, Bright Solar is into assembling of DC/AC Solar Pumps and Solar Pump Systems, EPC contracts of Solar Photovoltaic Water pumps, consulting of Projects and tenders, Water supply and Sewerages Infra Project. The company is planning to commence Solar Module manufacturing and water treatment plant assembling Unit. The Promoter of the Company is Mr. Piyushkumar Thumar.

To part finance its plans for acquisition of land including stamping and registration for proposed solar PV Modules/ panels manufacturing project, working capital and general corpus fund needs, BSL is coming out with a maiden IPO of 5400000 equity shares of Rs. 10 each with a fixed price of Rs. 36 per share to mobilize Rs. 19.44 cr. The issue opens for subscription on 26.06.18 and will close on 29.06.18.

Minimum application is to be made for 3000 shares and in multiples thereon, thereafter. Post allotment, shares will be listed on NSE SME Emerge. The issue is solely lead managed by Swastika Investment Ltd. Alankit Assignments Ltd. is the registrar to the issue. Issue constitutes 26.47% of the post issue paid-up capital of the company. On performance front, for last four fiscals BSL has posted turnover/ net profits of Rs. 28.46 cr. / Rs. 0.54 cr. (FY14), Rs. 47.84 cr. / Rs. 1.97 cr. (FY15), Rs. 15.47 cr. / Rs. 0.71 cr. (FY16) and Rs. 18.13 cr. / Rs. 1.71 cr. (FY17). For first 10 months ended on 31.01.18 of FY18, it has earned a net profit of Rs. 5.35 cr. on a turnover of Rs. 28.27 cr. For last three fiscals it has reported an average EPS of Rs. 0.97 and an average RoNW of 19.08%. The issue is priced at a P/BV of 3.47 on the basis of its NAV of Rs. 10.36 as on 31.01.18 and at a P/BV of 2.10 on the basis of post issue NAV of Rs. 17.14.

Company asking price is at a P/E of around 11.

PXIL SUCCESSFULLY CONDUCTS 86th MONTHLY REC TRADING SESSION AND ACHIEVES MARKET SHARE OF 51% DURING THE SESSION IN SOLAR RECs PXIL SUCCESSFULLY CONDUCTS 86th MONTHLY REC TRADING SESSION AND ACHIEVES MARKET SHARE OF 51% DURING THE SESSION IN SOLAR RECs.

Auction Date: June 27, 2018 Particular

Solar RECs

Non-Solar RECs issued after 01.04.2017

Non –Solar RECs issued prior to 01.04.2017

Total Sell Offer (nos.)

16,34,392

89,676

20,000

304,331

254,391

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Market Clearing Price (Rs. / Certificate)

1,000

1,050

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Market Cleared Volume (nos.)

304,331

82,154

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Total Buy Bid (nos.)

PXIL successfully conducted REC trading for the month of June 2018, the trading happened under the backdrop of Hon’ble Supreme Court order dt. 14.05.2018 and directions received from Hon’ble CERC vide letter dt.

28.05.2018 as under:

• • •

Trading in Solar RECs shall be carried out in accordance with CERC order dt. 30.03.2017 in petition no 2/SM/2017.

For non-Solar RECs issued on or after 01.04.2017 trading shall be carried out in accordance with CERC order dt. 30.03.2017 in petition no 2/SM/2017.

For non-Solar RECs issued prior to 01.04.2017 trading shall be carried out with a condition to deposit the difference between the earlier floor price of (Rs. 1,500/ MWh) and the floor price (Rs. 1,000/MWh) as determined vide CERC order dt. 30.03.2017 in petition no 2/SM/2017.

The directives (a) and (b) were covered under Session ID REC2706201801 and directive (c) was covered under Session ID REC2706201802. PXIL attained market share of 51% in Solar segment, nearly 3.86 lacs RECs were cleared leading to overall market share of 43%. Prior to today’s auction more than 19.7 lacs non-Solar RECs and 44.2 lacs Solar RECs were available in the market for trade. During today’s session, market participants submitted bids at different price points within the applicable price band. PXIL is thankful to all the market participants for overwhelmingly supporting the exchange platform in this segment and requests the market participants to provide such support in all the Products.

Source: businesswireindia

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Source: powerexindia

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Energy storage

Arthur D. Little Predicts Innovative Next-Generation Lithium-ion Technology Will Triumph in the Future Battery Market Arthur D. Little (ADL) released a new study, “Future of batteries: Winner takes all?” Based on extensive market analysis, the report examines the current enormous level of activity in the sector, which has seen existing and new players invest over $13.7 billion over the last two years.

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t predicts future trends that will meet growing needs in areas such as electric vehicles (EVs), renewable power solutions and consumer electronics. It aims to help players across the ecosystem build effective strategies that unlock value and market position. The report predicts the battery market will become a $90 billion-plus sector by 2025, and that new innovations, such as solidstate electrolyte lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, will replace existing battery technologies over the long-term.

This is thanks to improved performance and innovation delivery combined with consumer pull and willingness to pay for better solutions.

Despite the current investment frenzy from various players, including the automotive, technology, consumer goods, utilities and chemicals sectors, either entering the market or expanding their offerings, the report predicts that the risks of failure are high. Companies that successfully build complex innovation ecosystems, working with a range of partners and backed by significant intellectual property, have the greatest chance of winning and maintaining market share.

Michaël Kolk, Partner and Head of ADL’s Global Chemicals Practice, explains: “Battery technology is undergoing the biggest disruption in its 150-plus-year history, driven by the need for better solutions in areas such as electric vehicles and renewable power. However, companies need to beware of the risks, as well as the huge potential of the market, if they are to emerge victorious in the future.”

The report explains that innovation, in terms of both new technologies and process transformation, is vital to bring down costs. Kurt Baes, Partner, Energy & Manufacturing, further comments: “We estimate that to make EVs competitive with internal combustion engine vehicles, EV battery-pack prices need to fall to $100/kWh. Currently, the lowest cost estimates are in the $190–$250/kWh range. Equally, for energy grids, battery prices need to drop by 50 percent in order to switch back-up from gas-fired units to battery storage. This potential is providing enormous opportunities.“

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Production of indigenous li-ion battery launched Commercial production of indigenously developed lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries that can bring down the cost of various cell-powered systems, including electric vehicles, was launched.

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he technology, developed by scientists at CSIR-Central Electro Chemical Research Institute in Karaikudi, was taken up for commercial production by Bengaluru-based Raasi Solar. The company is planning to produce rechargeable batteries for storage of solar energy and to power electric vehicles.

Inaugurating the lithium-ion cells production and a demonstration plant at a function at CSIR Madras Complex in Taramani, Governor Banwarilal Purohit said using indigenous batteries could go a long way in driving the country’s plan to achieve 100% electric vehicle sale by 2030.

“Since the cost of the battery accounts for about a third of the total purchase price of an electric vehicle today, driving down battery costs could be a key element of long-term success for India’s automotive sector,” he said.

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Energy storage

BioSolar Identifies Market Opportunity for Reducing Costs of Lithium-ion Batteries BioSolar, Inc. (OTCQB:BSRC)(“BioSolar” or the “Company”), a developer of breakthrough energy storage technology and materials, today commented on the market demand for cost effective battery components, as prices for commonly used materials and minerals continue to skyrocket.

R Raasi chairman C Narasimhan said lithium, the basic compound used for making li-ion batteries, is currently imported. But these batteries are more efficient and durable than lead acid batteries. “A lead acid battery used in an e-rickshaw costs about Rs 7,000. These batteries must be changed once in six months. But a lithium ion which costs around Rs 30,000 can last for nearly eight years,” he said.

With the indigenous battery, Narasimhan said his company has plans to build a bus that can run up to 500km at a speed of 150kmph on a single charge and develop a flash charging system where vehicles can get charged on the go. Besides the 1GW plant, Narasimhan said a 300mw battery assembling plant, a cell manufacturing plant and a lithium recycling plant will be setup in Krishnagiri.

CSIR-CECRI director Vijayamohan K Pillai said his laboratory is working with National Metallurgical Laboratory and Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology on developing lithium recycling technology.

“All batteries currently being used are imported from countries like China. Once we indigenise, it will bring down the cost. For manufacturers, they can produce more vehicles at a lesser cost and export it,” said B C Datta, vice-president, corporate affairs, Hyundai Motors India. Datta added that Hyundai has plans to introduce fuel cell cars in India next year.

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ecent reports state that the price of lithium has soared by more than 300% in the past two years, cobalt by 129% over the past year, and nickel reaching a two-year high.

The price for these components is driven by the tremendous demand for electric vehicles, one reflected by automaker BMW’s recent announcement to award a contract worth over $1.16 billion to Chinese lithium-ion battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL).

To combat the rising costs of battery components, BioSolar has continued its development of a silicon anode additive material technology suitable for high-growth industries such as electric vehicles and consumer electronics. Recently, the Company partnered with Ferroglobe, a global leader in the supply of silicon metal, to jointly develop and market silicon anode materials incorporating BioSolar’s silicon additive technology, potentially demonstrating commercial viability of the product.

“We believe that a low cost, high capacity lithium-ion battery component would have an immediate impact on several industries experiencing high-growth but facing constraints in mineral availability, which in turn impacts manufacturing costs and ultimately the price for the end user,” said Dr. David Lee, Chief Executive Officer of BioSolar. “To be successful, BioSolar’s Si anode material technology must prove it is commercially viable, representing a solution that would bring down costs for companies building electric vehicles and personal electronics technologies that depend on widespread adoption from consumers.”

The industry standard for Si anode components remains Si nano-particles, despite the difficulty of manufacturing raw Si nano-particle materials which remains a costly challenge. By contrast, Si micro-particles are easier to manufacture at a significantly lower cost. Unfortunately, anodes made from Si micro-particles are more prone to damage during battery charging and discharging due to volume expansion, thus not yet commercially viable. BioSolar’s innovative additive technology is designed to solve this problem by increasing capacity while simultaneously reducing cost.

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INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW WITH

Mr.James Hou Sales Head for South & East Asia

GoodWe Power Supply Technology Co.Ltd

EQ: How much Inverters have you supplied to India till now, what is the target/expectation in 2018 2019 JH : Inverters supplied to India by now: 120MW Target in 2018-2019: 500MW

EQ: What according to you is the current opportunities, biggest challenges, in Indian Solar Market.

JH : Thanks to the technology development in these years, we are happy to see that solar energy is well accepted and applied globally with cost reduction of whole system, especially falling price of PV modules.

As one of the major PV markets, Indian Market installed close to 9.5 GW Solar Projects in last year.

GoodWe can offer a comprehensive portfolio of products and solutions for residential, commercial and utility scale PV systems. And MT Series inverters (5070kW) are most suitable for Indian C&I solar market,

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which can be successfully deployed on large scale commercial rooftops and ground-mounted solar PV systemsand can help further reduce installation costs while its power boost function provides higher yield and a faster ROI. However, when many PV manufacturers have been flooding in India, a vicious price war between manufacturers has cut margins to the bone which will disrupt the healthy development of PV industry as well as provide opportunities for low-cost inferior products.

GoodWeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s philosophy is to always create win-win partnerships by identifying and integrating the most advanced components and techniques available while offering an unparalleled after-sales service.

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INTERVIEW

EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022

JH: With significant growth of our supplying to Indian market, we are very aware of the importance of providing most satisfying service to win long-term business. We have set up our Indian office in Mumbai and till today have built up a local team of 10 people mainly for service, and there are more to join.

EQ: Kindly comment of Energy Storage as a game changer, its technology, cost trends… etc…

JH : Besides offering a comprehensive portfolio of string inverters and solutions for residential, commercial and utility scale PV systems, GoodWe is committed to research and manufacturing of energy storage solutions and smart energy management system. Energy storage technologies are a game changer for energy market, offering the prospects of greatly increased flexibility, reliability and efficiency in the delivery of power to consumers.With the development of relevant technologies and the price declining of batteries, energy storage will complement the accelerated deployment of renewable energy in its various forms.

The residential energy storage solutions from GoodWe give customers control of their power, by giving them choice and flexibility over how they use the electricity grid. By storing excess power during off-peak hours, when electricity costs are at their lowest, clean energy can be enjoyed during peak times while benefitting from a reduction in monthly costs. In addition, the battery storage system provides critical back-up power during grid outages or blackouts.

GoodWe has recently launched its brand-new ET Series three-phase high voltage energy storage inverter for both households and commercial applications. The series is the most compact and lightweight inverter in the market with maximum efficiency of 98.3%, equipped with Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), backup overloading, AC charging functions and open-protocol EMS communication system.

The GoodWe ES & EM series bi-directional energy storage inverters can be used for both on-grid and off-grid PV systems. During the day, the PV array generates electricity which can cover loads, be fed into the grid or charge the battery. Once the sun goes down, customers can start using their stored solar power. Batteries can be charged using cheap overnight electricity or with solar during the day. The GoodWe SBP Series is an AC coupled, cost-efficient, battery back-up solution that can work alongside any gridtied string inverter for both single and three-phase energy storage systems. GoodWe SBP provides an uninterruptible power supply to inductive loads such as air conditioners or refrigerators.

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EQ: Currently 10GW + Solar Projects are in the offing, Whats your plan to Capture this opportunity.

JH : Technological innovation and a strict quality control are GoodWe’s main core competences. With an in-house R&D team of 200 employees and two global research centres, GoodWe can offer a comprehensive portfolio of products and solutions for residential, commercial and utility-scale PV systems, ensuring that performance and quality go hand-in-hand across the entire range. Only the most reliable and prominent components are selected for the inverters after rigorous testing. Samples of incoming raw materials are inspected and defective components are rejected along with their entire batch. In addition, all GoodWe inverters pass an aging test at 50ºC in a high humidity, sealed room for 6 hours to simulate extreme temperature conditions and ensure their maximum performance without degradation. All GoodWe inverter series are IP65 waterproof and dustproof for indoor or outdoor mounting.

EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar Inverters 6 MW Mangalur India Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited JH : With a total capacity of 6.063 MWp, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited has successfully commissioned largest solar power project in a refinery site. The solar power project is spread across 34 roof tops within the refinery premises comprising both RCC and sloping sheet steel roofs. “These solar plants generate more than 24,000 units per day amounting to more than 8.8 million units per annum.”

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September -Part C 2018

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INTERVIEW

EQ: What is the size of your ompany in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future xpansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures, JH : Our current production capacity of solar inverters is 10GW per year. GoodWe’s revenue in 2017 is $200 million with an average monthly sales volume of 30,000 pieces, which increased 100% compared with 2016. According to the report about global inverter shipments from IHS Markit, the leading source of information, insight and analytics in critical areas, GoodWe ranked 8th in the 2017 World PV inverter market and secures top 10 World PV Inverter Market in 2018 Q1.

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INTERVIEW EQ: What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future?

JH : PAST: Netherlands Australia Turkey China KOREA PRESENT: India, China, Europe,Latin America, FUTURE: India, China, Europe, Latin America, North America, Southeast Asia

EQ: Explain various guarantees, warrantees, insurance, certifications, test results, performance report of your inverters JH : VDE: VDE proved that GoodWe inverters have more than 10 years lifespan. TUV:GoodWe distinguished with TÜV Rheinland All Quality Matters Award for three consecutive years CHUBB: GoodWe bought Commercial Errors Or Omissions Liability Insurance from CHUBB for its solar inverters

EQ: Kindly highlight your product, technology & company USP’s, distinctive advantages etc…

JH : Secure a Faster ROI with GoodWe MT Series Apart from offering a more competitive price, the new MT series inverters are able to provide a continuous maximum AC output power overload of 15% thanks to its boost function, which offers customers a faster return on investment. GoodWe MT Series features a more compact design with less than 20% volume and lighter weight compared to other conventional models, which greatly simplifies installation and commissioning, saving time and costs. It also supports 95mm2 aluminum cables instead of 75mm2 copper cables, which saves investment for AC cables. With capacities of 50 kW and 60 kW, the new transformerless, three-phase GoodWe MT series grid-tied inverters are equipped with four MPP Trackers ensuring that the outputs of connected modules are able to generate the highest yields even in different PV installation conditions, 5% output up compared with the string inverters with one MPP tracker on the market.

Moreover, the start voltage is 200V, much lower than 600V of other products, which makes our inverter start up earlier to generate more power with longer working time. Even on the rainy days, the inverter can still work normally because of the low start voltage. GoodWe ET Series Delivers Independence and Non-Stop Energy - GoodWe has recently launched its brand-new ET Series three-phase high voltage energy storage inverter for both households and commercial applications. The series is the most compact and lightweight inverter in the market with maximum efficiency of 98.3%, equipped with Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), backup overloading, AC charging functions and open-protocol EMS communication system.Covering a power range of 5 kW, 8 kW and 10 kW, the ET Series allows 30% DC oversizing to fully maximize yield during extreme hot and cold weather and features a wide battery voltage range of 180 – 550 V to ensure customers flexibility choices and compatibility with different type of lithium battery. Furthermore, it features UPS to inductive loads such as air conditioners or refrigerators with an automatic switchover time of less than 10 milliseconds, providing grid-tied savings when the grid is up and off-grid independence and security when it is down or compromised. Not only that, GoodWe ET allows backup overloading up to 100%, which allows quick restart for inductive load such as A/C while it will not cause harm to any electrical appliances. The inverter is also in-built with open-protocol EMS communication system as it ensures interconnections between grid companies and batteries to dispatch electricity freely.

EQ: What will be the cost, technology trends in solar inverters Smarter and moreuserfriendly JH : Higher powerdensity Easy installation Good service, monitoring and accessional software benefits lower O&M cost Finally, push the connection to grid at an equal price to be achieved sooner together with PV modules and accessory equipment.

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September -Part C 2018

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INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW WITH

Mr.Jianfei Li Vice President/CTO Sineng Electric Co., Ltd.

EQ: World Market Scener io including China and its im pact on pricing and availabilit y of modules in 2018-2019. Expect ed Pricing & Availability in 2018 ?

JL : China has a new polic y for its PV project and the installatio n will be about 30GW this year, which is much less than 50GW+ of last year. The po licy will have an impact on the pr icing of PV modules globally. The PV modul price will be decreasing 5~ e 6 rupees per watt in 2018 as estimated.

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INTERVIEW

EQ: How much Inverters have you supplied to India till now, what is the target/expectation in 2018-2019

JL: We have supplied more than 130MW inverter to India till now. Our target is 1GW inverter installation for India market in 2018-2019.

EQ: Please share your Road Maps – Pricing, Technology etc…

EQ: Currently 10GW + Solar Projects are in the offing, Whats your plan to Capture this opportunity.

JL : The currently 10GW+ solar projects are good opportunity for our company. We will focus on the utility PV project for its largest market share in the 10GW+ projects. We have 2.5MW and 3.125MW outdoor inverter for the utility project. Both inverters are high capacity and competitive in India market.

We have string inverters of 3kW to 60kW for the rooftop projects which also have a good share in the 10GW+ projects.

EQ: What according to you is the current opportunities, biggest challenges, in Indian Solar Market.

JL : As one leading PV inverter company, Sineng always makes technology innovation to decreasing the inverter cost. It has all kinds of inverter solutions, including central inverter, central distributed inverter and string inverter, with capacity ranging from 3kW to 3.125MW. Sineng develops bigger and bigger central inverter for the India PV market. It launched 1.25MW in 2016 and 2.5MW in 2017. This year 3.125MW outdoor inverter is launched for India market.

Besides large capacity central inverter, Sineng has central distributed solution, which is the unique product for PV market. It is the central inverter with distributed multi-MPPTs combiner box, which has the features of string inverter with multi-MPPTs, I-V curve scanning and string level monitoring. However the BOS is lower than central and string inverters and suitable for application in large scale solar power plant.

JL: The Indian Solar market steady increases recent years and has a good policy which is a good opportunity for us. Sineng has a full range of central inverter, central distributed inverter and string inverter. All these inverters are high quality and reliability. It We has have factory and production line in Banglore, which will ensure delivery time. We also have a strong local service team for maintenance and support the costumer project.

One of the challenge for us is that India market is changing rapidly , so many inverter companies are coming into India, and so many new techniques and products changing so quickly, this also requires us to quick reponse to the market.

EQ: Upcoming & Trending Opportunities with Bifacial , PERC, Wind-Solar Hybrid, Floating Solar etc…

EQ: Aggressive Bidding despite of many challenges enlisted above, what is your view/opinion

JL: Bifacial PV module will be used more and more in the PV plant in the future for its 30% power generation higher than normal module. However the price of Bifacial PV module is much higher than normal module at the moment, which will limit its wide application, especially in India market where the price of bidding electricity is very low. As the price of Bifacial module decreasing, it will has a huge market after next year.

Wind-Solar hybrid has many applications globally. However, the application is limited by the climate. The solution is used a lot in location where the wind resource is good. There are several floating solar projects in some countries and the technology is gradually mature. The project saves land cost. However the floating project need high construction cost and has higher technical requirement for anti-corrosion, water proof and stable floating requirement. The prospect is uncertain.

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JL: Many international inverter companies enter to India PV market and the competition becomes more heavier than before. The inverter high quality, lower price and good after service are the most important factors for all customers. Sineng will provide the best product for India market.

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September -Part C 2018

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INTERVIEW

EQ: The recent aggressive bidding by various developers keeping Solar Tariffs in the price range of Rs.2.44-3.3 per kWh in various Solar Tenders…Whats your view on the viability, Costs & timeline pressures, Resource Challenges (Materials, ManPower, Execution, Grid Connection, Land Possession) etc…

JL: The bidding price is becoming lower and lower due to the heavy competition. The EPC has confidence on the ROI based on their research. As the price of PV module and inverter is lower and the efficiency and block size are improved day by day, the EPC can make profits even at lower bidding price.

EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar Inverters

JL : Azure power applied 1MW Sineng central distri -buted inverter for their PV project. The PV project uses different capacity PV modules and the mismatch problem is heavy. As the central distributed has multi-MPPTs function which effectively reduces the mismatch problem. The power yield data from this PV plant shows the central distributed solution has 52% more power generation than central inverter.

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission JL: Sineng was established in 2009 and has a total shipment of 20GW till now. We ranked global no. 5 in terms of inverter shipment in 2017 according to GTM. Our vision is to bring inverter technology development and serve clients with the best products.

EQ: What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures,

JL: Sineng has 10GW in-house manufacturing capacity in China and 2GW in India. We can enlarge our capacity up to 18GW as per demand. Sineng will set foot to more overseas countries like Middle East, Europe, South America, South east Asia, Afica etc.

EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022 JL: 100GW is a quite ambitious plan which can attract global manufacturers and investors to settle in India.

Solar industry is developing very well and working towards the 100GW target.

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EQ: Briefly describe the various technologies and its suitable applications such as Central Inverter, String, Micro Inverter, 1500V, Outdoor, Container solutions etc..

JL : The various technologies should be applied according to local conditions. Central inverter are mainly used for utility PV plant because system cost is lower and O&M is easier, also the power yield is almost same as ground is flat. Both container solution and outdoor solution are used a lot for utility PV plant.

However the outdoor inverter is better at the locations of harsh environment with heavy corrosion of dessert, where higher IP protection is required. String inverters are normally used for commercial or industrial rooftop projects where the project capacity is small and complex direction requiring Multi-MPPTs. Micro inverters are normally used for small residential rooftop. As the price of Micro inverters is a little high, there are not widely used at the moment.

EQ: Technology road map in terms of 1500V , micro inverters, upcoming game changes technologies

JL: Sineng develops 1500V of central, central distributed and string inverter. Currently, the central inverter is 1.25MW indoor, 2.5MW container solution and 3.125MW outdoor solution. It will develop 4MW and 5MW outdoor inverter in the next two years. The 1500V string inverter is under development and will be available next year.

As Bifacial modules are the trend for the PV module, Sineng is developing inverters to match the Bifacial modules with its unique central distributed inverter which has multi-MPPT function.

EQ: Kindly comment of Energy Storage as a game changer, its technology, cost trends… etc…

JL: Energy storage is a must for the future new energy because the energy can be stored and steady output which is ideal solution of the new energy. As the solar power is not stable and can’t be stored, some PV projects set the standard that the PV plant needs to install energy storage system. The energy storage system plays an important role as more and more new energy installation.

There are DC energy storage solution and AC energy storage solution for PV plant. The DC energy adopts DC/ DC technology which is convenient, economic and high efficiency for PV plant. The AC storage solution adopts DC/ AC technology with grid support function, which is used mainly for large scale storage system.

As the price of battery is very high and investors can’t get reasonable ROI, the energy storage system is not used a lot for the new energy projects. When the price is decreasing to profitable level, the energy storage will be used in large amount.

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INTERVIEW

EQ: What are your plans for Manufacturing set up in India, the opportunities and challenges in manufacturing in India JL: We have established our manufacturing plant in Bangalore with 2GW manufacturing capacity.

The opportunity is we can get more local supplied components which can make our inverter cost competitive and meet fast delivery demand. The challenge is the local supply chain is not mature presently so we also have to take much raw material from China as well.

EQ: What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future JL: China, India, Middle-east, Vietnam, Korea

EQ: Explain various guarantees, warrantees, insurance, certifications, test results, performance report of your inverters JL: Our inverters have all the third party certificates needed for the India market, including IEC62109, IEC61683, IEC61727, IEC62116, IEC60068, IEC50530, CEA etc… All the tests are carried out under the harsh conditions, which make sure the application in harsh environment like high temperature and humidity in India.

EQ: Kindly highlight your product, technology & company USP’s, distinctive advantages etc…

JL: Sineng Electric provides customers with of power & electronic products and solutions including gridconnected photovoltaic (PV) inverter, operation and maintenance of PV power plant, development of PV power plant, power quality control, energy storage bidirectional converter and new energy automobiles charging. Sineng Electric is a leading equipment manufacturer and solution provider in power and related industries, with its business scope covering power generation, power supply and power distribution system.As one of the leading inverter manufacturers in the world, Sineng has acquired fortune 500 company’s solar division and integrated their advanced experience in inverter technology that has contributed to Sineng becoming top 5 solar inverter manufacturer globally. In order to providing proactive services and competitive solutions, Sineng localized solar inverter manufacturing and service in Bangalore, which effectively maximize service availability and product performance. Featuring one of the widest portfolios of solar inverters ranging from single- and three-phase string inverters up to MW central inverters and central distributed inverters (MultiMPPT) makes Sineng inverter suitable for the small residential photovoltaic systems right up to multi-MW solar power plants.

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EQ: Do you also bring financing solutions for your customers ?

JL: Not yet. Sineng provides inverters, energy storage system to customers as of now.

EQ: Please share information of some new orders in hand.

JL: 25MW Tata power, 50MW NLC, 50MW Sterling Wilson

EQ: What are the trends in new manufacturing technology equipment, materials, processes, innovations etc…

JL: The central inverter adopts traditional production line which is semi-artificial for assemble line, because its bigger size and bigger component like reactor, IGBT, ACB. Also the wire connecting is complex for machine.

The materials control and process control are electronic flow.

The string inverter will be full automatic production including assemble line and testing line, for its compact size and small components is easy to realize automatic manufacturing.

EQ: Whats your commitment towards the solar sector in India

JL: Sineng has established local manufacturing plant, local sales team, local service team and 130MW installation in India till now. India will be Sineng’s main market and Sineng will keep focusing on India.

EQ: What will be the cost, technology trends in solar inverters

JL: Central inverter capacity will become bigger which can save BOS cost. Multiple MPPT will be popular as it can increase power generation for some special application site. Cost will gradually come down.

EQ: Are the developers betting on Modules/EPC Prices or Interest Rates ?

JL: Developers are betting on modules price mainly as they already seen the dramatic drop in modules. Interest rate are more or less fixed unless some big change from investors.

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INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW WITH

Mr.David Zhong Director, Shenzhen Sofarsolar Co. Ltd.

EQ: World Market Scenerio including China and its impact on pricing and availability of modules in 2018-2019. Expected Pricing & Availability in 2018?

DZ: In 2018, we will decrease 5-10% of the price for each module.

EQ: Currently 10GW + Solar Projects are in the offing, What’s your plan to Capture this opportunity.

DZ: we will focus on rooftop projects, which are most in Gujarat, MH and RJ. We will attend more conferences to meet customers closely and do more advertisements. Exhibition also is important to us.

EQ: What according to you is the current opportunities, biggest challenges, in Indian Solar Market.

EQ: How much Inverters have you supplied to India till now, what is the target/expectation in 2018-2019 DZ: We have already delivered 60MW inverters in India since the end of 2016.

Our target in 2018 is 100MW.

EQ: Please share your Road Maps – Pricing, Technology etc…

DZ: Our hybrid inverters 3-6kW will be available soon. And 2nd generation of

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20-36kW on-grid inverters will be ready in Sep. Besides, 80-100kW on-grid inverter samples will also be ready in Q3.

New technology: IV curve scanning will be available for all three phase inverters in Q3.

EQ: Upcoming & Trending Opportunities with Bifacial, PERC, Wind-Solar Hybrid, Floating Solar etc…

DZ: We will put more resources on Hybrid inverters in next 2-3 years.

DZ: Indian PV market is increasing in a rapid speed. There are many opportunities for manufacturers, distributors and EPCs. The challenge is this is also a competitive market. Price is very import. Quality, service and brand are also necessary.

EQ: Expectations from Indian Government Budget next year?

DZ: SOFARSOLAR: This is what we also want to know.

EQ: Aggressive Bidding despite of many challenges enlisted above, what is your view/opinion

DZ: more requirements are being added into documents from tenders. String inverters are being used for more commercial projects.

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INTERVIEW

EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your Inverters in India in various geographic locations, customer feedback.

EQ: Briefly describe the various technologies and its suitable applications such as Central Inverter, String, Micro Inverter, 1500V, Outdoor, Container solutions etc..

DZ: Perfect! As good as SMA!

DZ: We are focusing on string inverters and hybrid inverters.

We will develop 1500V inverters in 2019.

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission

EQ: How much is your R&D budget as % of your sales / profits

DZ: SOFARSOLAR:SofarSolar is Top 5 string inverter manufacture in China, who has specializing in R&D, manufacturing, marketing and service of solar PV inverters from 1kw to 70kw as well as other solutions for solar storage etc for many years. It is one of the subsidiaries of SOFAR Group which is the largest supplier in GPS industry with good reputation and support from Chinese local government.The company set foot in renewable energy since its inception in 2007.

Directors: Tom Xu, the President of Sofar Group. David Zhong, vice-presidet of Shenzhen Sofarsolar Co., Ltd Promoters: Shenzhen Sofarsolar Co., Ltd Vision& mission: to build a renewable energy

EQ: What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures, DZ: Production Capacity: 4GW/year

DZ: >8%.

EQ: What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future DZ: China, Australia, Italy, UK, India.

EQ: Technology road map in terms of 1500V, micro inverters, upcoming game changes technologies

DZ: 1500V string inverters in 2019, three phase hybrid inverters in 2019

EQ: Explain various guarantees, warrantees, insurance, certifications, test results, performance report of your inverters

DZ: Warranty: the first company who offers 7 years warranty in India Certifications: equipped with required IEC certificates, EN61000, VDE0126, IP65 etc.

EQ: Kindly highlight your product, technology & company USP’s, distinctive advantages etc…

DZ: top 5 Chinese string inverter manufacture.

Advantages: More reliability

Use higher voltage level capacitor.

Support four uni-polar output relays. (reliable, effective heat dissipation, longer life) External inductor to lower temperature.

Wider MPPT voltage range

EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022

DZ: We hope to get 10-15% of inverter market by 2022.

EQ: What are your plans for Manufacturing set up in India, the opportunities and challenges in manufacturing in India

Higher efficiency

Use “T” type three level topology. (Efficiency increases ≥0.2%)

Safer

All types of inverters have leakage current detection components.

Use professional solar AC connectors as output.

Anti-reverse power controller for 1-70kW GFCI detecting.

More Convenience

All information is available on a 4-inch screen.

Four buttons give easy operation.

Better monitoring

RS485/WiFi/GPRS/Ethernet Local data is recorded in SD card for 25 years. (for 3 phase inverters) IV curve shadow scanning for panel fault detecting.

Better appearance

Die-casting housings.

Go through anti-corrosion and anti-rust protection processes.

Warranty

7 years

DZ: We will consider about it in 2019

EQ: What will be the cost, technology trends in solar inverters?

DZ: support 1500V input voltage, PLC communication.

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September -Part C 2018

53

PV MANUFACTURING

GLUING INSTEAD OF SOLDERING. New teamtechnik stringer connects high-effciency HJT cells

TEAMTECHNIK, Specialist And German Production Systems Manufacturer, Has Been Building Powerful Stringers That Solder Solar Cells And Produce High-Value Solar Cell Strings In Three-Shift Operation Since 2004.

More Than 700 Stringers, With An Annual Production Capacity Of Over 25 Gwp, Have Already Been Sold, And Have Been Installed At The Production Facilities Of Leading Solar Module Manufacturers Around The World. Its Highly Dependable Output And Top-Quality Soldering Output Have Made Teamtechnik The Technology Leader In This Solar Technology Segment.

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Teamtechnik's Stringer Tt1600 Eca Reliably Connects Hjt Cells Using Adhesive Technology In Series Production

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he STRINGER TT1600 ECA uses new adhesive technology to manufacture solar cell strings from bifacial HJT (heterojunction) cells.

Until now, this adhesive technology could only be used in manual processes, and for small unit volumes. teamtechnik's STRINGER TT1600 ECA now makes secure, automated series production a reality: The production system connects HJT cells with LCRs (lightcapturing ribbons) at a cycle rate of 2.25 seconds. The company has already sold several machines for this new technology.

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PV MANUFACTURING

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n 2017, teamtechnik presented the world's most compact, yet fastest, stringer production system at the SNEC trade fair in Shanghai: the STRINGER TT4200 GIGA. This world-beating stringer achieves an extraordinarily high performance of 145 MWp, making teamtechnik the leader in the market for top-quality stringer systems with high output.

The company has been finding ways to process new cell types, such as highoutput HJT cells or BC (back contact) cells, for years. teamtechnik's engineers spent this time researching new technologies for joining these cell types using processes with short cycle times and reliable process technology. The challenges involved were considerable: it is impossible to join powerful HJT cells using existing soldering technology, because the performance of the sensitive HJT cells degrades when they are exposed to excessively high temperatures.

This also increases the risk of micro-cracks.

The solution is an innovative gluing process which replaces the soldering of cells, and has been automated by teamtechnik, in the STRINGER TT1600 ECA. In the stringer name, ECA is the abbreviation for "electrically conductive adhesive". In this process, a conductive glue is applied to both sides of the cells, using the screen-printing process.

LCRs (for example) are then positioned accurately over the solar cells, so that the cells can be connected to form a string. This is then cured at temperatures of around 160 ÂşC, entirely on the string transport. In this system, the patented hold-down device technology, used in all teamtechnik stringers, contributes towards ensuring that the ribbon position is extremely accurate.

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ECA processes with long-term reliability

STRINGER TT1600 ECA applying adhesive using screen-printing

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he ECA technology, now proven in many applications, reduces the thermal and mechanical stress on the sensitive HJT cells. This results in high string quality and extremely powerful solar modules designed for a long service life.

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he STRINGER TT1600 ECA is the first stringer with adhesive technology developed to meet the needs of high-speed manufacture. Trials carried out in collaboration with leading European research institutes, such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Carinthian Tech Research AG (CTR) also confirmed excellent results with regard to long module service life and efficiency. Tests were also carried out aimed at reducing silver consumption across the entire process. This is helping to make the process more cost-effective.

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luing offers definite benefits over the soldering process: in contrast to the classic soldering process, which requires process temperatures of up to 230 ºC, temperatures in the gluing process do not need to exceed 150 – 180 ºC. This not only reduces the risk of microcracks, but also enables sensitive cell types, and extremely thin cells such as 100 μm cells, to be processed with structured ribbons. An additional benefit: The front face of the cells requires no busbars, so less silver is used, cutting costs. In addition, lead-free ribbons can be used with the gluing method. This is a benefit that will gain in significance in future. An example is the European Union's RoHS2 Directive. The RoHS2 Directive includes a provision to restrict the use of certain dangerous materials, such as lead, in electrical and electronic devices. This regulation currently does not apply to solar modules.

However, if this regulation is extended to include solar modules in the future, new lead-free processes will be necessary. Adhesive technology, used in combination with the STRINGER TT1600 ECA, already makes lead-free production of solar modules possible today .

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he adhesive technology used on the ECA stringer also makes suction extraction systems, which are necessary to remove soldering fumes when soldering processes are in use, a thing of the past.

MAJOR ORDER FROM SOUTHERN ITALY FOR SERIES PRODUCTION WITH HIGH UNIT VOLUMES The STRINGER TT1600 ECA is based on the same successful process platform as all other teamtechnik stringers. These systems prove themselves world-wide in 24/7 production every day. The ECA stringer is also designed for reliable series production with high unit volumes.

An Italian solar module manufacturer recently gave teamtechnik an order for several gluing stringers.

This solar module manufacturer has chosen highly efficient HJT cells for its solar parks. Searching for a suitable partner for joining its HJT cells, the solar module manufacturer selected teamtechnik, the stringer specialist, because tests for these cells had produced the best results, in the run-up to selection. Together with its client, teamtechnik tested the cells on one ECA stringer in its own test laboratory. To achieve the required high performance, optimal combinations of materials were evaluated and defined during the testing.

The international teamtechnik Group, with its committed service engineers, ensures that production systems can be installed and commissioned quickly and smoothly, with short lead times. The company also offers complete systems to its customers: stringers plus robot positioning on glass panel. It also ensures that processes are set up to perfectly match to the high performance of the stringers.

Teamtechnik Group's Headquarters, Freiberg, Germany 56

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PV MANUFACTURING

Mr. Chandrasekhara

Director ,Four-C-Tron

Practice of Standardization in BOMs for solar module

KEY FOR QUALITY AND COST REDUCTION www.EQMagPro.com

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Cells : In the beginning - it was mono round, mono square, pseudo square then multi

PV

module is made of cells ,EVA,Backsheet,Inte rconnects, glass, junction box and Al frame.

Let us see what standardization means for these materials from my experience in solar industry for more than 30 years in providing turnkey module production lines and materials.

Wafers : Semiconductor industry which uses mono wafers has long established SEMI standards which define every parameter of wafer right from 4" to 12" and this is Universal standard for semiconductor fabs. The entire fab equipment - from front end to backend are designed to handle SEMI standard wafers. Though the geometry of devices has shrunk the standards for wafer remain unique. For solar cells, mono or multiwafers is base material. Mono wafers were used in the beginning for solar PV modules with 4'' dia and later 125 mm square, 156mm square and now 156.75 mm has been accepted as standard for both mono and multi-wafer.

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square with dimension from 100/101mm, 125/126mm, and 156 mm/156.75 mm and recently one company is manufacturing black silicon cells of 160.5 mm. As automation was introduced to interconnect cells from 2BB,3 BB for certain period 4 BB, 5 BB and 6 BB cells emerged which changed the width of interconnecting ribbon and hence the Tabber /stringer manufacturers to incorporate these changes making earlier machines obsolete. By the time Indian companies settle with 5 BB or 6 BB stringers, multi-wire connection with 12 or 16 wires will head up! As cell dimension is standard now, why not bus bar width in the front and number of pads and its width in the back(still some cells at back has continuous bus bars) be standardized by cell manufacturers so that ribbon width gets more or less standard to avoid buildup of different width inventory due to different vendors of cells.

EVA : Though the resin and EVA film has not changed much for last 25 years but

there has been change in texture and thickness. Initially the thickness was 0.5 mm but now majority of module manufacturer use 0.45 mm thick EVA. Again some are trying to use Front and back EVA with different thickness. This will end up in extra inventory. However, the width of EVA keeps varying by 5 to 10mm than optimum width, which has implication on overall module price.

Backsheet : The backbone of module is white backsheet to provide insulation, prevent

moisture ingression. In early years Tedlar/Polyester/Tedlar (TPT) was the 3 layer backsheet material with 350 microns thick which has withstood the weather for more than 25 years proving TPT is best backsheet. As Tedlar was expensive and monopoly of Du Pont, Kynar was introduced by Arkema to replace Tedlar and M/s Krempel, leading backsheet manufacturer with 25 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; history in PV industry introduced KPK as alternative to TPT. But many new entrants are bringing in new materials with one or 2 layer instead of proven 3-layer laminate with different process viz., extrusionand coating to bring down the price to be competitive. But these new materials though certified under lab condition have to prove against natural harsh environment compared to proven TPT and KPK. Here again standard is missing about what exactly the composition should be and individual layer thickness and width. Not much data is generated to qualify the performance of new back sheets in the field.

Ribbon : It is the critical material which connects each cell to make string and finally

connect the junction box. The ribbon width keeps varying with increasing bus bars on the cells. This again increases the inventory depending on 4 BB or 5 BB cells. Again is it 60/40 Tin/Lead or 62/36/2 -Tin/Lead/Silver? Whynotone width commonto 4BB or 5BB and composition with 2% silver be set as standard? This will minimize inventory and adaptability to any supplier of cells and ribbon.

Junction box : As regard to connecting cable and diodes in Junction box there is a kind of acceptable standard as far as electrical parameters are concerned.

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Glass : Transmittivity of AR coated glass is

>93.5% and thickness of 3.2 mm and 4.0 mm is commonly used. But in case of 72 cell module, though 4 mm glass is recommended still many module manufacturers use 3.2 mm thick glass to cut cost. Each module manufacturer specifies width and length differently which again makes supplier of glass to customize the order and this will increase cost. When the cell size is almost standardized to 156.75 mm, why not glass dimension be standardized for 60 cells, 72 cells or 96 cells module? Standard size in glass helps in further saving of EVA, backsheet and Al frame as width and length of these 3 material is decided based on glass width and length.

This is the hidden secret of cumulative saving upto 2 to 3%.

Aluminium frame : Again what is the width and height

of frame? Each manufacturer has his own design/drawing though Aluminium grade is same. If the height of frame is standardized with respect to 3.2 mm and 4 mm glass it will be more cost effective in packing and transportation.

Solar modules : When you study various manufacturers' datasheet on modules, though the cells are of 156.75 mm with varying efficiency, the module dimension is different with each manufacturer.

Four-C-Tron took up a study of about 30 leading Indian module manufacturers and 10 Chinese module manufacturers (who supply modules in India) with reference to module sizes of 60 cell and 72 cells. This study revealed large variation in dimension of Indian modules compared to uniform and minimum variation in Chinese modules which is surprising.

As 60 cell module production is slowly replaced by 72 cell module which is getting popular with EPC and roof top projects, 72 cell module was considered for deciding its optimum dimension.First, spacing between cells should be minimum 2 mm during tabbing and 2 mm spacing between the string during layup.

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Thus the optimum cell matrix boundary will be 1903 mm in length and 950.5 mm in width with cell size of 156.75 mm. Taking this as reference, dimension of glass has to be fixed. A fixed dimension of glass will make big difference ie., each glass manufacturer produces same size, stock and sell to any module manufacturers at very competitive price as it is a standard size inventory and delivery will be fast. Setting standard size of glass alsohelps in optimizing the dimension of EVA, backsheet and Al frame in the chain. During the study, it is observed that there was variation in length and width amongst manufacturers. In case of Indian modules variation in length was upto 22mm vs 5 mm by Chinese modules and in width it was 12 mm vs 1 mm respectively. This reflects lack of standardization during design and engineering, which result in increased cost of production and wastage of material.Surprisingly all the 10 Chinese companies studied showed narrow band in dimension ie., 5 mm in length and 1 mm in width. It is also observed that Indian module channel height was either 35 /42/ 45 mm whereas Chinese company standard is 40 mm except one company which used 35 mm height channel for both 60 and 72 cell module. Many Indian module manufacturers use 3.2 mm glass for 72 cell module (same thickness for 60 cell modules) instead of 4 mm which is theoretically and from design perspective not advisable.

So who is responsible for module quality and standardization?

- Design / standards engineers?

Module manufacturers? Testing and certification agency?Neither MNRE nor BISlooked into the above aspectin setting the standards for module dimension. From our study of prevailing dimensional variations in module size and to bring in some standardization in manufacturing, it is suggested BIS to fix the overall dimension of modules for 72 mm as: length 1958 +/-2 mm, width 991+/- 1 mm and in case of 60 cell module 1642+/-2 mm and width 991+/-1 mm respectively. Now BIS insisting on BIS certification for Indian modules and standardizing the sizes for 60 and 72 cell modules will result in

saving of module materials at GW level production besides at inspection, packing, logistics, transportation stages etc., leading to healthy competition amongst module manufacturers and trading at uniformpricing of module/watt.Further, Standardization in module size will benefit EPC contractors and roof top installers too in installation as their design can be streamlined, saving in real estate area, mounting structure, hardware and replacement of modules of any supplier during maintenance and life expectancy of module. This aspect has been overlooked.

Existing Test houses and certifying agencies like UL and TUV labs with long lead time for certification is depriving “in time” certification and recertification by nearly 170Indian module manufacturers. If solar mission is government vision with 100 GW target, then why not Government fund at least 5 centers of existing 14 centers of ERTLs/ETDCs which has ready infrastructure and manpower. These labs were earlier funded under GTZ, Germany program and all the labs are equipped with test chambers and qualified test engineers. Presently many of these test houses facility is underutilized and revamping them to test solar modules to BIS standards will be a wise and cost effective move and bring down the lead time and the certification charges. Further the staff of these labs can be deployed for periodic validation of module manufacturers and also power plant validation which in turn will generate income for these labs.The author has also written to The Director General of STQC and BIS to interact jointly with MNRE and National Solar Energy Centreon the above proposal.

(Note: The author with 13 years’ experience inDefenceorganizations dealing with Standardization, Inspection and QC of equipment and components and 35 years in PV industry in wafer manufacturing and setting up Spire turnkey module lines and supplying modulematerials is ready of offer free service in upgrading the STQC labs and marketing their certification service to PV industry)

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featured

Quality Requirements & Acceptance Procedure For Imported Crystalline Silicon Solar Pv Modules

AUTHOR :

Mr. G.V. Subramanyam Senior General Manager Plant Operations, Photovoltaics Hinduja Renewables

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The quality control of solar PV modules has become a key factor with many GW of ground mount installations happening every year in India. Most of the modules for use in India are imported, crystalline silicon make and therefore the PV module acceptance procedure becomes important. A solar PV module is an assembly of solar cells along with other materials like glass, EVA and backsheet to name a few.

The production of solar PV modules is a highthroughput production process. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solar cell technologies are able to give higher efficiencies and the continuous improvement journey is ongoing.

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he physical and chemical interaction of a crystalline silicon solar cell and the various other materials used in its processing like (i) acids & alkali, (ii) Phosphorous dopant in the form of POCl3, (iii) special gases viz., Silane & Ammonia, (iv) metallization pastes like silver and aluminumis a complex process driven by the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s irradiance, the associated heat and the weather conditions that may range from extreme cold to extreme heat and also the presence of moderate to high humidity conditions. Even in the absence of manufacturing faults, these facts cause changes of the physical and chemical properties due to ageing, and, as a consequence, also of the electrical properties of a solar cell, leading to what is normally called as degradation by design. At an assembly level there is another set of materialsthat come into play further in the form of (a) tempered glass for better light capturing apart from being a superstrate;(b) copper ribbon for carrying current;(c) encapsulant material EVA for providing good optical coupling between glass and the solar cells, excellent adhesion & good resistance to UV; (d) backsheet material acting as a substrate and providing electrical insulation and excellent resistance to UV and protection from harsh weather conditions.

Manufacturing faults add to those sources of degradation. For example, improper encapsulation while laminating the solar module may result in moisture ingress after a couple of years, thus leading to internal corrosion and other effects that degrade the solar module.

Poor handling practices during assembly of the solar PV module result in micro cracks that are not visible to the naked eye but can be seen in electro luminescence (EL) images. It is seen that such micro cracks can have serious impact on the long-term performance of the solar module. Another major problemseen is a buyer of solar PV modules opting for any backsheet material that have not been proven in the field though they would have passed the IEC tests, a Tedlar/Polyester/Tedlar (TPT) or a Kynar/Polyester/Kynar (KPK) is considered as a proven and durable product as compared to the newer varieties that are being marketed as cheaper alternatives. The new back sheet materials being manufactured with coating/Polyester/coating are unproven from a long term stability point of view. The fact that the emerging markets for solar PV are in countries such as India, the degradation of the glass surface due to sand is an important issue for the reliability. As a consequence, there is a need for proper inspection that combines available information from plant or factory audits, surprise production line inspection, 3rd party quality assessmentsand sample audits at the time of delivery and finally upon receipt of the solar PV modules.

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Module Quality at the time of Purchase:

D

uring the module supply agreement stage the following needs to be addressed: What is the exact module type sold and is the right data sheet being provided? Do certificates obtained against the solar PV module being supplied valid? For solar PV plants in India especially, have the modules been tested or queued for BIS certification. Regarding the quality tests and certificates obtained in this regard, say, if a company claims its modules to be PID free then we have to ask whether is it backed by no claims so far on account of PID or not.

A detailed bill of materials (BOM) is also needed and this BOM should match with the module submitted for testing with TUV and BIS. An important document to be asked for is a Constructional Data Form (CDF);this gives listing of the approved critical components, and the suppliers that manufacture them. It’s possible for a solar module manufacturer to switch suppliers; reasons for the switch can come from utilizing a lower priced component but supposed to be of same qualityor simply a supplier going out of business.

Ensuring Module Quality by Manufacturer’s Facility Audits: When the contract has been agreed between the buyer and the supplier,plant or factory audits are mandatory. This can be carried out by an accredited 3rd party agency that does an excellent job.

The module manufacturer will have many factories from where the goods of the same type will get manufactured and it is important to rate which facility is better for sourcing the modules. The many points that get covered during factory audits are: facility standard, QMS in place, Organization chart, Incoming material inspection and acceptance documents, new vendor qualification procedures, records of in-process checks, design & drawing documents, receiving and storing of raw materials records and procedures, packing and storing of finished goods, traceability records,dispatch process documentsformal meetings and interviews with key plant people at supervisory and executive level. It is important to quantify these findings by way of a radar or spider web diagram/ chart whereparameters (around 8-10)are graded. The parameters can be chosen as incoming inspection, storage, cell tabbing and stringing, lay-up of strings, 1st EL inspection, lamination process as per design parameters, JBox fixing, framing, module curing, 2nd EL inspection, IV testing, packing and shipping. The radar chart done during factory audits before the start of actual production of the product being ordered gives a chance to focus on relatively weak areas during actual production.

For the classification of defects as major and minor here are few examples. Improper storage of glasses and EVA with respect to storage conditions comes under major defects, while the use of a raw material by not following First in First out (FIFO) provided all the material stock is within expiry date is a minor defect.

These can easily come out during the factory audit.

Whatever be the reason for change, it doesn’t mean the buyer should accept unapproved part substitutions. Ideally, the manufacturer will submit many different items from many different suppliers for their initial part/product testing with the testing agency ( say TUV or BIS ) so that they have a large pool of approved suppliers to choose from..A product is only as good as the sum of its parts is a well know adage. The role of BIS in helping certifying the modules coming to India as per BOM (CDF) is commendable.

Module Quality at the time of Manufacturing:

D

uring actual production, few of the things that the buyer will have to do is to monitor the process in detail and make notes, starting with auto tabber & stringer, workmanship quality in layup, the 1st EL check and interpretation given by operators, lamination process including the temperature profile, process capability and maintenance records of the laminator, technicians using the right material as per the BOM, curing time of modules after framing, the 2nd EL check , IV testing, cell breakage, module rework percentage and finally percent electrical failures. During production inspection, if the sample modules drawn

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shows up with rework of cells in many modules then it is a major defect as the reworked modules indicate that doubtful cells have crept in or good cells are subject to severe mechanical stresses. Similarly if an operator is not able to answer convincingly on how he carries out the IV testing and interprets, then too it is a major defect. In another case an operator may be seen using a frame with a minor scratch or label fixing at the end of the production may not be exactly in a place where it is intended to be; then these can be classified as minor defects. How many modules to draw for inspection depend on many things – production lot, defect category into

major and minor and production lot for the full order or for the day or for shift ? A statistical sampling plan can be followed and if the buyer’s production is spread over a week, then the inspector or the buyer’s representative visits the factory during any time of a shift unannounced and draws samples based on a sampling plan.

For example if a production lot for inspection is takenas 1000 pc by the inspector then this lot quantity falls between 501 – 1200 as per acceptable quality limit (AQL) table. For this lot quantity the sample size going by general inspection level II comes to 80 pieces.On the 80 pieces we can apply AQL0.4, 0.65, 1.0 or 2.5.

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featured By adopting AQL 0.4, it means that no major defect is allowed in this lot but 1 minor defect can be present.

With 0.65 only 1 major defect and 2 minor defects are allowed. If it exceeds, then the lot gets rejected.

With AQL of 1.0 only 2 major defects and 3 minor defects are allowed.

With 2.5 the major defects can be 5 and minor defects cannot exceed 7.

However with any AQL plan, no critical defect can be allowed. Critical defects are like a module manufacturer has used a backsheet rated for 1000 V whereas the requirement was for 1500 V or many modules are having a cut thereby compromising the functionality. The examples of major and minor have already been described above.

Note: 1) AQL 2.5 means the buyer considers as acceptable quality limit (AQL) a defect rate of 2.5% of the lot quantity under consideration (here the lot quantity is 1000 pieces).AQL 0.4 means a defect rate of 0.4% of the lot quantity under consideration is accepted.

2) It is recommended to define different acceptable quality limit (AQL) for each defect type: critical, major, minor.Critical defect should always be kept at zero

Third Party Testing: Testing of few modules (less than 6 numbers) using 3rd party agency like TUV also needs to be considered. The external testing agency (TUV) will take the modules from the production lot and subject them for specific testing likewet insulation, mechanical loading, weak light or low light conditions andPID as per IEC standards. Finally after installation of modules and just

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before commissioning the developer has to check jointly in the presence of module supplier representative for cell cracks coming on account of improper packaging and transportation. The Module Supply Agreement contract should cover the problems arising in modules on account of packing & transportation which the supplier has to compensate.

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Characteristic measurement of PV systems

DIPL.-ING. KLAUS M. SCHULTE Managing Director of the measuring instruments manufacturer PV-Engineering GmbH in Iserlohn, Germany.

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hotovoltaic systems generally do not contain serviceable elements, which is one of the main advances of the PV technology in relation to other technologies. Nevertheless several technical problems can guide to less energy yield and subsequently to a loss of money. That is why PV systems needs frequent monitoring and checks, beginning with the check of the feed-in over alarms generated by inverters up to online monitoring systems. Additionally a visual inspection should be done frequently, which may show surface pollution, damages or for example birds droppings (which may reduce the power of the module significantly!).

Several standards like the EN 62446 specifies necessary measurements for the technical documentation of a newly build or already working PV installation.

At least if a loss of energy yield is detected, the reason for this misbehaviour has to be detected urgently. Different instruments allow the inspection of different attributes of the PV generator: thermal imaging cameras can show regions with higher (hot spot) or lower temperatures, where these temperature differences may be the result of technical problems in the module under test. Electro-luminescence cameras are able to show defects in the structure of the PV cells very clearly.

But none of these both methods allow the determination of the Peak Power (which is the maximum power under Standard Test Conditions) of the modules under test, which is relevant for claims since this value is warranted at the sales date.

That is why it is so important to check the real installed Peak Power directly after installation and each time you are in doubt. Ideal is the check at the installed generator, since every dismounting/ mounting of modules cost a lot of time, money and includes the risk of damages to the modules.

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fter the measurement of the IV-curve of the PV generator (module, string or even array) the curve tracers series PVPM returns the following values: short circuit current Isc, open circuit voltage Voc, the complete characteristic of the generator (that means its behaviour under load between short circuit and open circuit), the current maximum power (which is not the peak power!), the measured temperatures and the irradiance.

Based on these values the PVPM device uses our patented methods to calculate the values estimated at STC (1000W/m2, 25°C, AM1.5): currents, voltages, the peak power, the internal series resistance Rs, the internal parallel resistance Rp, and some more.

The comparison from measured and estimated values (data sheet) gives a quick picture of the performance as well as possible problems of the PV generator.

• • • • •

low peak power, low fill factor low currents low voltages high series resistance (connector/cabling problems), mostly combined with low peak power irregular shape of the IV-curve (mismatch, partial shading, pollution)

The PVPM carries out the measurements very fast (between 20ms and 1s), so that a fluently process in the measurement of big PV fields is given. PVPM devices for up to 1000Vdc and up to 100Adc (for special purposes) are available.

While using this technology a check of the PV generator is done quick and with high accuracy on site.

This measurement approach can be found in-depth in the book „Photovoltaik Engineering - Handbuch für Planung, Entwicklung und Anwendung“, Andreas Wagner, Springer Verlag, ISBN 978-3-540-30732-7.

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Properly prepare measurement

As for a complete IV-characteristic measurement the PV generator also will be shorted, it must be disconnected from any load or inverter before measuring (otherwise the measurement would short-circuit as well the input of the inverter, which will result in danger and serious damage). On the other hand the short-circuiting of a PV generator, even over a longer period of time, is possible without damage for the PV generator.

One of the elements that decide about the accuracy of the results is the irradiance reference sensor. The standard describes a reference cell, that behaves spectral identical to the module under test. That is why we prefer calibrated reference cells, that are build like a small module, with solar glass cover, EVA embedding and Tedlar back surface. The cell has to be the same material as the module (for example a monocrystalline sensor for a mono-crystalline module). This set-up will behave like the tested module in nearly every detail and allows good precision of the results.

As explained above, the irradiance sensor is essential for the accuracy of the STC calculations. Unfortunately these kind of sensors are not available for every technology. Additionally such sensors for thin-film modules, would show (more or less) the same dynamic behavior as their "big brothers" – no favourable conditions for a calibrated reference.

Hint: even a regular PV module can be used as a sensor in special cases. The irradiance sensor is attached before the characteristics measurement directly beside or next to the PV modules. Theoretically it is conceivable to align the sensor at a different location (in the yard) with the same angles (azimuth and elevation) to the sun as the modules. But since the sensor receives not only direct irradiation but as well diffuse light, the result of the irradiation measurement will depend on the ambiance: a green lawn or a white gravel pit will reflect different portions of light... This potential source of error should be considered!

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There is no "Standard Watt-Peak"

What can the measurement fulfil?

Speaking of accuracy: the accuracy of performance measurements are quite limited in photovoltaics. The “Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt PTB” in Braunschweig, the highest instance for this kind of technology, is able to calibrate for example crystalline single cells with an accuracy of slightly better than 1%. Every authority depending on these results will have unavoidable less accuracy. In the laboratory of TÜV Rheinland in Cologne an accuracy of 3% for crystalline modules is reached with a still high technical overhead. On-site measurements under natural sunlight can reach an accuracy of about 5%. A high-accuracy "Standard Watt Peak", comparable to the “Standard Meter” in Paris for the length, does unfortunately not exist for PV technology.

It has already been mentioned, that the appropriate generator power, converted to STC conditions (peak power) can be compared directly with the manufacturer's data. It is clear to read, whether the PV generator reaches the required performance. A second result of the IV-curve measurement (with e.g. a device PVPM1000CX) is the internal series resistance. This value indicates whether the resistances of wiring, plugs, etc. existing in the PV generator are within the range of tolerable values. If this error appears in the results, it can be eliminated and the correctness subsequently confirmed by a quick new measurement of the characteristic curve - additional power losses are avoided. A measurement of the series internal resistance is possible only with instruments of the type PVPM (patented method).

The process of measuring in detail The IV-characteristic measurements requires sunny, stable weather with a sufficient irradiance in the plane of the modules to be measured. The standard responsible for these measurements (IEC 60904) requests an irradiation of at least 800W/m2. According to our own studies irradiances of 500-600W/m2 are already suitable to carry out a performance check. To force the PV generator into the various areas of its IV-characteristic, a controlled transistor is used for small power sources (cell or single module). The use of capacitors has prevailed at higher power (strings or arrays): the capacitor is discharged before the measurement, then the PV generator will charge the capacitor. The maximum current of the generator, the short-circuit current, will flow now briefly into the empty capacitor, the voltage is near 0V. While charging the capacitor, the voltage rises and the current decreases until, with full charged capacitor, no more current will flow - the open-circuit voltage is reached. During this process, many current-voltage points are measured by the meter. This can be represented immediately as diagram on the graphical display.

Since this process of charging is very smooth you can measure as well module types with high capacity.

The speed of measurement plays an important role for the accuracy. On the one hand the IV-curve should be recorded in shortest possible time, so that fluctuations in ambient conditions have only a limited impact on the result, on the other side, the characteristic may be distorted if the measurement runs too quickly: many (mostly thin-film) modules have a more or less high capacity, and exactly this capacity "bends" the IV-curve at too short measuring times. Inspection time should be significantly more than 10 ms for a single module for this reason to obtain a precise and reliable characteristic.

Unfortunately, this requires a large load capacitor, which inevitably affects the dimensions of the instrument.

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Shadings are frequent At PV generators, a frequent problem in the performance loss due to (partially) shading of modules/strings. Circumstances and shading effects are sometimes hardly to notice with the naked eye and are therefore easily overlooked. But even small shaded areas can lead to significant performance and loss of earnings. Shadow effects are very easy to identify in a measured IV-characteristic. The "bump" in the IV-curve immediately suggests this problem. Of course a technical problem of the module can produce the same shape of the IV-curve.

If only one module is affected, and if this module is not found immediately, a little trick can help: cover one module completely with something like a cardboard box and make an IV-curve measurement. If the right module was covered the error will disappear from the IV-curve (because the covered module does not produce power and thus will not affect the IV-curve).

The measurement of I V characteristic is a meaningful instrument to assess the state of the PV generator and allows, compared to the thermal imaging, the determination of power losses, as well as a quantitative evaluation of errors in the generator.

The summary for the practitioner: A fast error detection is the most important requirement for a quick troubleshooting. And an early detection of generator defects facilitate warranty processing.

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FEATURED

INDIA RATINGS PROPOSED Amendments in Electricity Rules Bring in High Regulatory Uncertainty in Group Captive Business Proposed amendments in Electricity Rules 2005 relating to group captive plants have the potential to reduce the flexibility and competitive advantages enjoyed by the renewable energy players operating under the group captive model, says India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra). The recommended compulsory equity contribution clause will add to the cash flow pressure on captive users and the recovery of equity investments would be protracted depending on the savings on the power bill.

By : Ind-Ra

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FEATURED

P

roposed amendments in Electricity Rules 2005 relating to group captive plants have the potential to reduce the flexibility and competitive advantages enjoyed by the renewable energy players operating under the group captive model, says India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra). The recommended compulsory equity contribution clause will add to the cash flow pressure on captive users and the recovery of equity investments would be protracted depending on the savings on the power bill. Also, the opportunity cost of capital investments would be weighed by captive users before deployment.

In the current regime, the savings on power bill benefit the users from the time of power drawal without major capital investments. The draft amendment notified on 22 May 2018, if implemented, will lead to renewable group captive companies (RE-GCCs) struggling to sign strong power purchase agreements (PPAs; with meaningful termination and event of default clauses), find ways to manage consumers’ 26% ownership in them and customer retention at the cost of profitability.

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Genesis of Group Captive Plants: Group captive plants have been majorly set up by heavy industries to ensure a reliable power supply for own consumption. However, some RE-GCCs have been majorly setting up wind capacities to sell to multiple third-party consumers.

Ind-Ra believes that the proposed regulations are in the context of new projects in the group captive model, which are essentially selling in the short/medium-term mode. India’s power supply capacity is more than sufficient to meet the demand, apparent from the plant load factors of thermal power plants remaining at about 60%.

The average realisations of REGCCs were in the range of INR4.56/kWh over FY16-FY18, depending on the location and capacity for sale. The customers save about INR0.5-0.75/kWh when purchasing from RE-GCCs. Conventional group captive plants (Con-GCCs, involving thermal, diesel generation plants) are generally owned by a customer or by any group company of the customer. Majority of Con-GCCs are likely to remain unaffected, if the draft amendment is implemented.

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FEATURED

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tringent Rules on Equity Ownership : Consumers need to own a minimum 26%

of shareholding in RE-GCCs in proportion to the electricity consumed. The proposed amendment mandates captive consumers to hold at least 26% of the equity base of 30% of the capital employed in the form of equity share capital with voting rights (excluding preference/equity share capital with differential voting rights). Existing rules for recognising a group captive company involves ownership accounted by way of number of shares and this has generally been achieved by RE-GCCs by issuing another class of shares/through shallow

equity investments with limited voting rights. The requirement for bringing in the equity in proportion of project cost/capital employed will be onerous as it involves a high upfront commitment. Also, agreements with consumers may become complex as the rights of RE-GCCs (including dividend, board representation, etc) as effective shareholders need to be addressed. According to Ind-Raâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s calculations, equity investments by customers could be recovered in two years if a saving of INR1/kWh is offered

by GCCs under the assumptions that plant load factor is 20% and capital cost is INR55 million/MW and customers invest 26% of the equity base.

RECOVERY OF INITIAL INVESTMENTS AT INR1/KWH SAVINGS Period by which customer will recover equity investment

First Year

Capital cost range (INR million) 38

39-55

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been already deployed, will rework their equity and shareholding structure by the time the draft amendment is implemented.

imit on Number of Changes in Ownership by Consumers is Highly Restrictive: Ind-Ra has observed that customers of

stipulates that if the share holding pattern among the shareholding held by customers changes more than twice a year, then group captive status will stand revoked from the date of third change till the end of the year. Further, without the group captive status, benefits such as banking, waiver of cross-subsidy and additional surcharge may fall off. If RE-GCCs need to find consumers who can be retained for long, then pricing may need to be highly competitive.

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ncrease in Allowed Variation in Consumption is Positive: Customers need to consume

not less than 51% of the electricity generated, determined on an annual basis, in proportion to their share in the ownership of a power plant within a variation not exceeding 10%, according to existing rules. The draft amendment proposes a variation of 15%, which gives RE-GCC the ability to manage the sale of energy among various consumers. According to the amendment, the leeway for variation may

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onversion from IPP to CGP: CThe

proposed amendments specifies that any generating station setup as an independent power project (IPP) shall not be considered for benefits of a CGP except under certain limited circumstances such as not availing any IPP benefits, lack of long-term PPAs etc. The draft amendments provide that the appropriate regulatory commission shall certify a power plant as a CGP, based on its annual statement of generation and consumption and other such details. However, it is not clear if power plants initially set up as IPPs, but later con-

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It remains to be seen how certain existing captive generating plant (CGP) which are already commissioned, with alternate structures on capitalisation, where project capital and equity have

RE-GCCs change year on year, as the industry is quite competitive and the customers have options among RE-GCCs and they can also switch back to the distribution utility. RE-GCCs need to manage the churn in customers and change in demand among the customers. However, the draft amendment

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be up to 30% for renewable plants, with approval of state government and electricity regulatory commission. If the proportion of consumption is not complied with, captive status may be lost and the benefit for all customers will be affected. For RE-GCCs, banked power that is redeemed for consumption for use by captive users will be included to determine the aggregate electricity consumption on an annual basis.

The banked energy can be redeemed within the same financial year. verted to CGPs (before notification of the amendments) will be considered as a CGP under the new rules unless specifically permitted by the appropriate commission.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have a significant amount of RE-GCCs contributed by industries setting up their own wind turbines and even private players favouring these two states for setting up capacity under the RE-GCC model. Tamil Nadu, which has 70% of the wind capacity (5,500MW) operating in GCC model, might have to restructure their share-holding pattern before, if the rules are implemented.

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Product Report

REFUsol 100K The next generation of solar string inverters

• • • •

High design flexibility Best serviceability Maximum power density Minimized BOS costs

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ith maximum power density, REFU’s next generation inverter family combines compatibility, installation flexibility, serviceability and connectivity in a revolutionary design.

Vertical, horizontal and pole mounting is made possible by the new design of the REFU's next generation inverter platform which is super flexible. The ConnectionBox and PowerUnit can be delivered individually in separate shipments. The ConnectionBox can be installed during cable work, and the PowerUnit just before commissioning thereby optimizing your investment and project cash flow.

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COMPATIBILITY: This inverter can be connected to any grid voltage between 200 and 460 VAC, offering maximum power between 48 and 100 kVA. INSTALLATION FLEXIBILITY: The inverter can be mounted in a vertical or horizontal position as demanded on site. The roomy ConnectionBox is available with either fused direct string connections for decentralized designs, or with single DC input for centralized designs.

SERVICEABILITY: The PowerUnit can be quickly detached from the ConnectionBox for trouble-shooting and measurements without disconnecting the power cables on the DC or AC side.

CONNECTIVITY: The inverter can be commissioned via the REFU App (available for iOS and Android) which connects seamlessly via Bluetooth® to the inverter. The integrated, fail-safe Ethernet daisy chain (alternatively RS485) allows cost efficient high-speed monitoring without special accessories. Each inverter can be individually connected to the REFUlog portal for remote monitoring, configuration and updates.

Install and wire the ConnectionBox.

2

Hang in PowerUnit before commissioning.

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Energy storage

Future of batteries – Winner takes all?

Understanding the fast-evolving battery market

B

attery technologies are an essential catalyst to unlock growth and new advances in sectors such as electric vehicles (EVs), electronic devices and battery energy storage (BES) for renewable energy. The increasing reliance on battery storage is driving enormous demand – overall, battery applications are expected to become a $90 billionplus market by 2025, up from $60 billion in 2015. This is driving unprecedented growth in battery supply, from a wide range of existing – and new – players. However, current technologies are not enough to unleash the full potential of applications such as power, renewable energy, consumer electronics, and mobility. Innovation is required to drive a step-change in performance and price for subsidy-free, mass-market adoption of products such as EVs. For example, Arthur D. Little estimates based on industry expert assessments, that to make EVs price-competitive with vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICEs) on an unsubsidized basis, EV battery packs need to fall to a cost of $100/kWh. Currently, lowest-cost estimates are in the range of $190–$250/kWh. The same is true for energy grids – for regions with high renewable penetration, such as Texas (where wind covers roughly 25 percent of demand), battery prices need to drop by 50 percent in order to switch back-up from gas-fired units to battery storage.

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The future size of markets and their importance to overall trends such as mobility, renewable energy and digitalization are shown by the multi-billion-dollar investments that have been announced across the ecosystem. These come from existing battery manufacturers, vehicle makers, chemicals companies, energy suppliers and others, with many businesses moving outside their traditional comfort zones.

The last two years have seen over $13.7 billion of battery-related investments and acquisitions. This frenzy of spending has seen many organizations move beyond their traditional specialisms. For example, Total acquired battery manufacturer Saft, home appliance company Dyson bought disruptive technology start-up Sakti3 as part of its planned $1.4 billion battery investment, and Tesla announced a “gigafactory” to produce batteries for EVs and energy storage in conjunction with Panasonic.

Due to these investments the world is seeing a rapid build-up of vast and intricate ecosystems of existing and new players. Patent filings have increased threefold since 2010 – particularly in the area of joint filings, often between organizations in very different sectors. Examples include research institutions, companies developing battery technology, and businesses using

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Energy storage battery technology within applications, such as automotive, electronic devices and utilities. Players in the market therefore need to manage their way through these complex ecosystems if they are to thrive in the market.

(the previous leader) is predicted to continue for five to 10 years. We expect that a similar time frame will drive the introduction of next-generation solid-state batteries.

Players in the market must therefore take a long-term view and, at the same time, ensure they are focusing on the right technologies and business models for their organizational success.

Although the large influx of investments signals an attractive and growing market, new entrants should beware, as there are considerable risks. These differ dependent on their positions within the value chain:

There is no “God Battery” We believe that no single technology will dominate the industry at large. Each of the five key battery storage markets (described in detail in Chapter 2) has very different requirements on factors such as power density, capacity, cycle lifetime, energy density, capital cost, charging time, reliability and safety.

Winning solutions remain unclear, and success will require a combination of next-generation innovation and improvements to current technologies to meet evolving needs. Each technology has intrinsic limitations to their technical and economic windows of operations, whereby extending one performance feature (energy density, say) quickly goes at the expense of others (such as safety or costs). Existing technologies, such as lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, have seen rapid improvements in performance and cost due to a combination of greater economies of scale and research and development. However, there are still burning unmet needs to be solved. Next-generation technologies are required to deliver a step-change in performance of key battery characteristics. Much of the development in this area is being led by ambitious start-ups, working in both the Li-ion market (such as on silica anodes, solid-state electrolytes and advanced cathodes) and in alternative technologies, such as flow and zinc-air batteries.

For component suppliers reliant on scarce metals such as cobalt, there are considerable risks in securing these raw materials. Additionally, the race for an ever-more powerful battery is continuously raising component performance, resulting in innovative new chemistry which could make current technology obsolete. But despite these risks, the component space offers attractive financial returns, generally yielding 10–30 percent EBIT margins.

Due to overcapacity among battery cell manufacturers and their desire to lock in automotive OEMs on longterm contracts, margins have been squeezed. Not only has significant additional capacity been announced and built, but battery plants are of much greater scale, depressing prices ever further. Together with the need for “big battery” manufacturers to form early, strong partnerships with automotive companies, this pushes gross margins down to zero and below in the hope that greater rewards can be reaped later on. Bosch’s recent decision to abandon electric-vehicle battery manufacturing (while maintaining its position in other parts of the value chain) underscores the challenges facing players in an increasingly crowded batterymanufacturing market.

Besides value chain-specific risks, an overarching hurdle is that the battery industry is extremely conservative. There are long development cycles across every step of the value chain. This implies long payback periods and slow scale-up for those interested in entering the market.

So, amid all the announcements and investments, which technologies will triumph, and which players will prosper?

This study aims to inform those within the battery technology ecosystem, and help them set their strategies and unlock value moving forward. It focuses on battery components and cells, rather than battery packs, which will be covered in Arthur D. Little’s next report. The analysis and insight in this study leverage Arthur D. Little’s extensive engagements and one-on-one discussions with leading industry players, academia and start-ups.

Not since the first rechargeable battery was invented back in 1859 has there been so much focus on battery technology.

Yet, so far, return on this investment has been slight, demonstrating that caution is required from both incumbents and newcomers. Many new technologies are still in their infancy, and there is likely to be a significant time overlap between technologies entering the mainstream and their final replacement of incumbents. For example, Li-ion batteries currently dominate the automotive battery market. Despite this, production of NiMH batteries

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Energy storage Battery applications – different needs, different solutions

T

he global battery market is made up of multiple applications of battery technologies with slightly different needs and requirements, which leads to each being best served by specific technologies. Next-generation innovation will impact each of these applications in different ways, serving currently unmet needs and helping improve performance. The five major battery applications that comprise the bulk of the battery market are:

Starter, lighting & ignition (SLI) batteries for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles Electric vehicles (xEV) Electronic devices (ED) Stationary battery energy storage (BES) Other (aviation, drones, power tools, etc.)

By analyzing the specifics of these applications we can understand the drivers of battery R&D and outline predictions on future trends.

1. Starter, lighting & ignition (SLI) This is the oldest (and still largest) application area. An SLI battery is used in every conventional vehicle with an internal combustion engine (ICE), and serves to start and ignite the engine, as well as to provide electricity to the rest of the car when the engine is not running. Starting an engine requires very large currents for a short period – up to 300 amperes for only a few seconds. In comparison, a washing machine only requires 10 amperes. This makes power density a key requirement for such batteries. Additionally, it needs to be able to operate reliably across a wide range of temperatures and environments, while recent advances in “start-and-stop” systems, in which the engine shuts off automatically when waiting for a traffic light, are also placing an increasing burden on the cycle lifetime of SLI batteries.

large and the impact of a thermal runaway (battery meltdown) can be severe. Cycle lifetime is also of more importance than in PHEVs and EVs, as the buses are charged at least daily. In the case of buses for which fast charging is required, they can be fully charged multiple times a day, which makes cycle lifetime even more important.

3. Electronic devices Batteries for electronic devices are used mainly within laptops and mobile phones, as well as for tablets, ereaders and other devices. All these applications have similar requirements, with volumetric energy density by far the most important. They need to provide the largestpossible amount of energy in the most compact form.

As most applications have low drain, power density is typically not an issue. Battery costs are relatively small in comparison to the end product, and as the willingness to pay for high-performance batteries is generally high, cost is of secondary importance.

4. Stationary battery energy storage (BES) Stationary battery energy storage (BES) is a vital part of smoothing the supply and demand around power generated from wind and solar sources. Essentially, it ensures that electricity from renewables can be stored for use when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun shining. Also, it ensures that peaks in consumption can be absorbed and backup is provided without having to temporarily rely on fossil fuel power plants (such as diesel generators).

2. Electric vehicles (xEVs) The fast-growing xEV market is made up of major groups of EVs, each with a distinct set of requirements: hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), full electric vehicles (EVs) and commercial electric vehicles (CEVs). HEVs are conventional ICE vehicles for which the propulsion systems are combined with smaller electromotors driven by batteries, which are commonly charged by regenerative braking. The smaller relative capacity of the batteries makes energydensity and capital cost less relevant. However, as the battery is charged and discharged frequently and powerfully through braking, it has to have a high power density, extremely short charging time, and long cycle lifetime, which requires thousands of cycles. Compared to HEVs, a PHEV has a battery that can also be charged by plugging into an external electricity source.

These batteries typically have much larger capacity, enabling the vehicle to drive fully electric for short distances.

This leads to requirements for lower capital cost and better energy density, while power density and cycle lifetime are of less concern. “Full” EVs no longer have ICEs, and thus require much larger batteries to deliver sufficient range for drivers, which makes capital cost and energy density their most important needs. EVs also require batteries with high reliability (as the vehicle can no longer fall back on the ICE) and good cycle lifetimes of around 1,000 cycles, which enable them to last for the same mileage as the rest of the car components. Commercial EVs such as e-buses typically have increased safety needs as the battery systems are

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Arthur D. Little extensively covered BES in its previous report, “Battery storage: Still too early?”, which identified multiple types of operating models for batteries in energystorage applications, including at grid scale and for residential storage, in which it can be linked to wind turbines and rooftop solar panels. Based on their needs from batteries, these operating models can be divided across two axes: 1) frequency of discharge and 2) length of discharge. The applications and key needs of each quadrant are shown in Table 2. One interesting example of this is Italian electricity transmission operator Terna, which is combining multiple technologies for different applications: high-energy (longdischarge) technologies for congestion avoidance in its mainland grid, and high-power, lower-frequency technologies to secure uninterrupted power supply on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.

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Energy storage

5. Others Many other applications exist, with their own sets of needs, e.g., drones, power tools, electric scooters, electric bikes, aviation, fork lifts. As they have a minor market share, they are not considered in this overview.

Next-generation technologies on the horizon Li-ion batteries have improved dramatically over the past 25 years, enabling improved performance in consumer electronics and the introduction of new applications such as drones and EVs. However, to accelerate these and other applications, new innovation is vital – a step-change in performance is required.

As table 3 below demonstrates, there are still major unmet needs in each application – such as:

Cost, reliability and charging time for EVs. Cycle lifetime and cost for high-frequency stationary battery energy storage.

Safety across multiple applications.

A lot is happening in next-generation technologies. A host of battery technologies using alternative materials are being developed by ambitious start-ups, while there is increasing innovation within the Li-ion space primarily focusing on three areas: silica anodes, advanced cathodes and solid-state electrolytes.

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Silica has higher energy capacity than graphite, the normal material for anodes. This is leading to it being blended through graphite anodes, with the aim of eventually moving towards full silica anodes. These can offer theoretical increases in energy density of up to 40 percent. However, for this to happen, issues in cycle lifetime have to be overcome, in which the anode pulverizes itself upon its 300 percent volume expansion while charging. Ongoing innovations use only minor silica concentrations, limiting potential density increases to 10–20 percent. Many advanced-cathode chemistries exist that have higher energy capacities and voltages, such as lithium nickel manganese oxide (LNMO). These high-voltage cathode materials are currently facing issues with the liquid electrolyte used in common battery systems, which breaks down at voltages above 4.5 V. The third and strongest contender for innovation is a solid-state electrolyte.

This replaces the current electrolyte system that is made of organic solvents, dissolved lithium salts and polyolefin separators by one thin, ion-conducting membrane. It is often seen as one of the technologies with the most disruptive potential inside li-ion, unlocking the use of new cell components and delivering four benefits:

1. A solid-state electrolyte makes the safe use of pure lithium anodes possible, readily increasing the energy density of a cell by 40 percent.

2. It unlocks new types of cathodes. The oxide-based solidstate electrolyte no longer breaks down at 4.5 V, allowing the use of 5 V cathodes and further increasing the energy density by 10 percent.

3. It enables a new class of conversion cathodes such as sulfur and oxygen, enabling even larger potential increases in energy density. Lithium-sulfur systems have long been produced by companies such as Sion power; however, they suffer from cycling issues due to polysulfides shuttling through the separator to the anode. This is one of the many possible problems that solid-state electrolytes may solve.

4. Improved battery safety – perhaps the largest benefit.

Using a solid material instead of a flammable liquid lectrolyte prevents the formation of dendrites (lithium slivers living in the electrolyte that can cause internal battery short circuits, which lead to meltdowns) and makes electrolyte leakage impossible (avoiding potential self-ignition). Increased cell simplicity might potentially also lead to decreased costs. Given that safety is one of the primary priorities of virtually all big players, even a slightly higher initial cost of this new technology might be worth their investment.

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Energy storage 1. The current generation of Li-ion prevails

Likelihood: medium probability This scenario assumes a situation similar to that which happened in solar panels – the prevalence of one single technology. As with solar, massive investments in huge manufacturing facilities will further lower the costs of currentgeneration Li-ion technologies. At these price levels, other existing technologies will not be able to compete, while new innovations will not be able to cross the technological valley of death. Therefore, current Li-ion will become the technology of choice for the majority of manufacturers due to its good balance of technical properties and price. However, even despite the huge increase in production capacity of the current Li-ion technology, we do not see this scenario as very likely, for two reasons:

Given these factors, it is no surprise that the perceived benefits of solid-state electrolytes are of large interest to battery manufacturers as well as users. This is demonstrated by the large amount of well-funded start-ups, investment activity, M&As, and research work/patent filings. Examples include:

Recent ~$100m acquisitions of the start-ups Seeo and Sakti3 by Bosch and Dyson, respectively.

News from companies including Samsung, Toyota and Bosch, which claim they will be able to produce solidstate batteries before 2020.

Several ~$100m start-ups active in solid-state, with prominent VC and CVC investors including Khosla Ventures (into QuantumScape, Sakti3, Seeo), Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers (into QuantumScape, Ionic Materials), General Motors and Volkswagen.

Increased research activity and patent filing by large corporates (880 filings in 2015 alone).

Which companies will be the winners in next-generation battery technology?

While there is extremely high potential demand for battery technologies in emerging markets such as EV and BES, the over-riding driver for success is cost. This has led to a concentrated focus on bringing down the costs of Li-ion batteries, such as by scaling up manufacturing, which has brought down prices further than many analysts expected. Lowering Li-ion prices is a double-edged sword. It helps meet existing demand, but lengthens the commercialization time of new technologies, as they have to reduce costs further in order to cross the “valley of death” (the time between the R&D stage and becoming commercially cost-competitive with current technologies). In turn, this potentially holds back the longerterm innovation that battery-driven markets require. Based on its analysis, Arthur D. Little predicts that one of three possible scenarios will dominate the mid-term battery technology industry:

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Batteries have very diverse applications: certain niche applications for which the willingness to pay is high (such as electronic devices) will drive new technological innovations, and these could later spread to mass-market applications.

Further cost reduction will require performance improvements: the recent massive manufacturing scale-up has significantly reduced production costs. To further reduce costs, the focus needs to shift to improving the performance of batteries to make them cheaper on a cost/kWh basis. This cannot come from incremental development, but requires a step-change.

2. A new Li-ion generation emerges Likelihood: highest probability Essentially, the current generation of lithium-ion technology will keep its dominant position, but eventually, next-generation Li-ion technology will attract sufficient investment to make it a viable alternative. We believe this scenario is most likely for three reasons:

The current generation of Li-ion technology is hitting its theoretical limits.

The development of EVs and consumer electronics are creating further “pull” for better solutions that could be potentially addressed by technologies early in the development pipeline.

Applications such as high-end consumer electronics provide attractive markets with their willingness to pay for higher performance, enabling next-generation Li-ion to establish itself before targeting mass-market applications.

The hottest candidate, the solid-state electrolyte Li-ion battery, will need to surpass multiple challenges besides finding a safe pathway through the cost valley of death. Even when solid-state batteries enter the market in niche applications, current lithiumion batteries will most likely be produced to cater for the bulk of applications for another 10–15 years. We expect solid-state electrolyte batteries to start in highend consumer electronics, in which the willingness to pay for increased energy density is relatively high and development cycles relatively short. Thereafter, the technology will gradually spread to the majority of other applications, such as EV and grid storage, for which development cycles are typically much longer due to stricter requirements around cycle and shelf lifetime. Alternative technologies, such as flow and zinc-air batteries, will only occupy certain niche applications with very specific requirements. In the energy sector, a range of other technologies will coexist, depending on the application and driven by the less strict requirements on size and space for stationary systems.

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Energy storage 3. Unforeseen technology steals the show Likelihood: medium probability This scenario assumes a situation similar to that which happened in solar panels – the prevalence of one single technology. As with solar, massive investments in huge manufacturing facilities will further lower the costs of currentgeneration Li-ion technologies. At these price levels, other existing technologies will not be able to compete, while new innovations will not be able to cross the technological valley of death. Therefore, current Li-ion will become the technology of choice for the majority of manufacturers due to its good balance of technical properties and price. However, even despite the huge increase in production capacity of the current Li-ion technology, we do not see this scenario as very likely, for two reasons: As of now, there is no truly viable battery technology with sufficient potential to replace currently dominant Li-ion batteries across all applications. Lithium is the lightest metal around, with the lowest electrochemical reduction potential, making it clearly the most suitable charge carrier for high-performance batteries. Only in grid-storage applications do low-performance and lowcost technologies have potential applications.

In EVs, no other battery type stands a chance, which makes only hydrogen fuel cells the only long term threat.

However, some of the much-touted (and heavily investedin) next-generation technologies will fail to live up to expectations.

Every part of the ecosystem and value chain faces different risks and opportunities. The ecosystem can be broadly broken down into companies that are providers of materials and technology (e.g., chemicals companies, cell and pack manufacturers) and those that are users of battery energy storage (such as automotive OEMs, electronics firms and utilities). And while there are already many established players in both categories, the enormous growth promise of the battery market will remain a strong magnet to new entrants – which will generally have more options but also a longer road ahead than current players.

Where does it leave each one of these groups? Figure 8 below provides an overview of our recommended high-level strategies:

For all companies in the battery space, three generic highlevel strategies are of key importance:

The impact for current and future battery players As our report shows, the battery technology market will remain highly dynamic, delivering both major rewards and large-scale risks over the coming years:

Tomorrow’s winning innovators should benefit from continued, ongoing growth and have the potential to create tremendous value. However, high entry barriers in currentgeneration Li-ion markets will prove almost insurmountable to new entrants, while some consolidation among established players seems likely.

Next-generation technologies show major promise. Despite some industry skepticism, we believe that over time they will eventually replace some, if not all, current-generation Li-ion batteries.

Improved battery technology performance, especially in areas such as cost and energy density, will make batteries suitable for mainstream applications (such as in cars, cordless devices and grid storage) and in new, high-end uses (e.g., in aviation and military).

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Managing IP is becoming more important than ever, and not just in protecting licenses to operate. Cross-licensing and copatent ownership are on the rise, and industry convergence is bringing together companies with very different IP maturity and capacity, such as traditional chemical companies, automotive OEMs and connectivity players. (See Arthur D. Little’s Prism article, “IP management 4.0”.)

Success relies on defining an innovation ecosystem strategy with key research partners, keeping it updated and pursuing it decisively.

As with any other breakthrough technology, there is always a distinct chance that companies bet on the wrong horse. There is no easy way out on this one but creating a portfolio of options along strategic “competence platforms” is usually a good idea. And last but not least, companies need to ensure that they have the stamina and appetite for risk to continue to do what it takes to win.

In addition, there are strategic requirements that depend on the strategic importance of batteries for the business, and of the position in the value chain. We distinguish four company situations:

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Energy storage A. Providers with emerging or optional interests Given the innate conservatism of the battery market, it is futile to enter by offering current-generation technology.

Companies are unlikely to switch suppliers unless there is a really good reason to do so (e.g., a price or performance impact of +10 percent). Instead, these new entrants should focus on investing in next-generation technologies. As these are expected to be costly at first, building a strong position will generally start in a niche in which the relative willingness to pay is high for highperformanceproducts. Good examples include Bosch and Dyson, which are directly stepping into advanced solid-state batteries expected to be used in highend applications. Other options are skipping Li-ion technology completely and launching into other promising technologies such as flow batteries, as witnessed in the cases of Foxconn and Jabil.

B. Providers with established or locked-in interests Those already active in the battery field should focus on two main themes – relentlessly reducing costs in current-generation technology while innovating by looking for disruptive technology. Many in the industry believe that current-generation lithiumion battery is the only feasible technology and no challengers will emerge soon. This feeling has grown thanks to the failure of other battery chemistries (e.g., the sodium-ion battery Aquion) and insufficient breakthroughs in the area of solid-state technology, despite years of focus and investment. While we agree that most other battery chemistries have limited full-scope market impact, we do believe that next-generation solid-statelithium-ion batteries are closer than many industry experts believe. This should be of concern to any established player in the battery field – they should understand strategic scenarios that would allow them to extract maximum value from these new technology trends.

Reference section – battery technology in detail Following the invention of the first rechargeable battery over 150 years ago, research has led to the wide range of technologies that are now used today. However, each technology has its own strengths and weaknesses – product/technology designers therefore need to choose wisely for their particular applications. Before discussing each technology, it is important to understand key terms:

A battery pack consists of battery cells (as you would find in your TV remote control) and a battery management system, which regulates.

A battery cell consists of multiple components, such as electrolyte fluids and electrodes, which can differ in chemistry, yielding different battery characteristics.

This report focuses on battery components and cells.

C. Users with emerging or optional interests Battery performance is continually improving, while costs are becoming ever lower, on both a capital-cost and a levelizedcost basis. This unlocks many new opportunities in a wide variety of applications. Obvious examples include grid storage and EVs, which are gradually becoming cost-competitive with alternatives. However, less obvious examples also exist, such as garden tools shifting from traditional petrol engines to batteries and drones suddenly becoming feasible. Companies should be aware of how a “perfect battery” can impact their businesses and monitor battery price and performance characteristics to see when the tipping point has been reached. Active monitoring is vital, as battery price developments continue to exceed industry expectations year after year.

D. Users with established or locked-in interests For current users, closely monitoring the evolution of battery characteristics is also of concern. Evolution in current lithium-ion technology is already supplanting other technologies, as it is happening to sodium-sulfur batteries in grid storage. To remain competitive, these users should keep abreast of current battery evolution, and actively invest in next-generation knowledge stakes (know-how, patents, etc.). When the time comes, they should be prepared for next-generation activity, ensuring that they have strong bargaining power when the time comes to secure the best partnerships and supplier contracts.

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To shed more light upon the complex battery space, Arthur D. Little has developed a framework consisting of seven key performance indicators (Table 4). Arthur D. Little uses this framework to assess the different technologies that currently exist, and to show where the burning unmet needs lie from the application perspective.

1. Lead-acid batteries The grandfather of rechargeable batteries, lead-acid batteries, was the first rechargeable batteries ever made.

While their technology is outdated, they have stood the test of time and are still one of the most widely used types today. Their popularity is due to their low capital cost and ability to operate efficiently even at low temperatures, which often trumps their low energy densities and low cycle lifetimes. There are two main families of lead-acid batteries. The flooded type has optimal capital cost, dropping as low as $60/kWh for large systems, which is less than one-third of the current capital cost of the lithium batteries used in most EVs. However, its downsides are its low cycle life, low charging rate and maintenance requirements, in which the battery has to be topped up with water to remain “flooded”. The second family, sealed batteries, applies a slightly more advanced design that does not require topping up with water. This eliminates maintenance costs and increases cycle lifetime, but doubles capital costs.

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Energy storage 2. Lithium-ion Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have gained enormous attention in the past decade. While already commercialized in 1991, constant marginal improvements in cost and performance over the past 25 years have unlocked a host of new applications, making breaking news related to batteries a common sight. The rapid decline in costs is mainly the result of two underlying drivers:

1. Massive increase in scale across all steps of the manufacturing value chain.

2. Increase in performance of cells, making new cells cheaper on a cost/kWh basis The constant search for more powerful battery components has now led to a wide breed of Li-ion battery compositions. While a perfect battery still remains a work in progress, different variants of the battery’s three main components (anode, cathode, and electrolyte system, Figure 9) lead to specific strengths and weaknesses. In current systems, the cathode limits the power, while the charging is limited by the anode.

Securing a steady cobalt supply is paramount Cobalt, a scarce metal produced as a small-scale byproduct of copper mining, is giving headaches to battery manufacturers. Its production nature makes its pricedemand relationship highly inelastic, and on top of that, more than half of global supply lies in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a country with infamous for political instability and a long history of violent domestic disputes.

Cathode chemistry Current Li-ion batteries are commonly classified by their cathode chemistry. Five solutions are currently available: LCO (lithium cobalt oxide) is the most mature cathode chemistry, which made the commercialization of Li-ion possible. It produces cells with the highest volumetric energy density, but with a downside of low power density and low cycling ability. Cost is proving to be an ever larger issue, as the cathode is entirely made of cobalt. Current innovation efforts are focused on squeezing the last drops out of the battery’s performance by increasing the voltage and energy capacity of the material. Arthur D. Little believes that unless a better alternative comes around (such as solidstate batteries with new cathode types, see below), this technology will remain the cathode of choice in consumer electronics for two reasons: it has the highest volumetric energy density, and willingness to pay is generally higher in these applications.

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LFP (lithium-iron phosphate) batteries take a different approach. The cathode is made out of more abundant iron and phosphate, leading to a lower raw material cost. However, cells produced with LFP have low energy density due to LFP’s inherent low voltage and low energy capacity, eventually making it a more expensive cell when measured on a cost/kWh basis. The cathode material is still favored for its rigid olivine structure, which gives the material its extremely high power and high cycle lifetime. This technology is already very near its maximal theoretical performance, giving little room for further improvements besides cost cutting. The cheap LFP production path of using rotary kilns has dramatically grown the Chinese battery industry. Now that other technologies are evolving, higher-performance materials are gradually replacing LFP in applications such as EVs, leaving the market flooded with an overcapacity of cheap LFP. In contrast, high-performance LFP, commonly produced by hydrothermal methods, will maintain a strong position in applications requiring high power (e.g., HEVs and power tools) or high cycle life (CEVs, grid storage).

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Energy storage

NCA (lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide) is a high-energy cathode material. The current focus is to increase the nickel content further, resulting in higher energy density and simultaneously reducing cobalt usage, effectively bringing down the cost/kWh in two ways. NCA is primarily used by Tesla, while all other EV makers use NCM. (See next bullet point.) That dates back to when Tesla produced its first Roadster (2005). It needed a cheap, high-energydensity cell, and at the time, NCA as the only option, as NCM would not be commercialized until 2009. Tesla is most likely to keep using NCA in its current development cycle, as it is accustomed to using it in a supplied cylindrical cell format provided by Panasonic. However, Tesla has already switched to NCM for energy-storage applications, hinting that a future switch for EVs could soon take place.

LMO (lithium manganese oxide) is similar to LFP, as it can deliver high power and lacks energy density, but is two to three times cheaper. The main issue that prevents its mass adoption is its low stability, as demonstrated by Nissan’s recent shift away from using the technology due to continued battery malfunctions.

NCM (lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide) is a diverse material dependent on the stoichiometric balance between the nickel, cobalt and manganese. An even ratio (called NCM 1-1-1) is suitable for high-power applications, while higher nickel contents (5-3-2 or 6-2-2) provide higher energy density and simultaneously reduce dependence on cobalt.

These are two important reasons the industry is trying to commercialize the nickel-rich NCM 8-1-1 – major producers were expecting to have the first solutions to market early 2018. NCM will remain the cathode material of choice for nearly all EV manufacturers (besides Tesla) until superior 5V cathode materials can be used. Even then, NCM will continue to be used for another five to seven years due to the automotive industry’s long and conservative development cycles. NCM will also be the occasional choice in other applications, such as energy storage, HEVs and e-buses.

This short overview is not exhaustive. Besides the technologies mentioned above, different manufacturers are testing and pushing other solutions, such as pure nickel LNO (lithium nickel oxide) cathodes, manganese-rich NCMs and a host of 5V cathode materials including LNMO (spinel type lithium nickel manganese oxide).

Anode chemistry Carbon-based anodes have been favored since the first commercialization of Li-ion batteries, as they are cheap and have high energy capacity and low voltage versus lithium ions. Multiple subcategories of carbon-based cathodes bring different trade-offs: amorphous carbon has slightly lower energy density but higher charging power when compared to graphite, while silica composites have higher energy but suffer from lower cycle lifetime due to the large volume expansion of silica upon charging.

Currently, carbon-based anodes are the mainstream technology, and we do not expect them to be replaced in the near future, until disruptive technologies such as pure lithium and pure silica anodes are commercialized. The current major focus and challenge of carbon-anodes R&D is increasing the silica content while maintaining cycle life.

LTO (lithium titanate oxide) anodes can charge extremely fast, enabling a battery cell to reach full charge in five minutes. On the downside, the anode is expensive and has low energy capacity and high voltage versus lithium ions, resulting in a low voltage cell with low energy density and extremely high capital costs on a $/kWh basis. Its high cycle lifetime, however, can partly compensate for this on a costper- cycle basis.

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Energy storage

Electrolyte chemistry

The last part of the battery is the electrolyte system. This facilitates the transport of lithium ions from the anode to the cathode. Typically, the transport medium is made of organic solvents with dissolved lithium salts, with a polyolefin membrane between the electrodes (the separator). The separator is a critical element defining the safety of the battery, as it prevents dendrites (metal slivers) from growing from the anode to the cathode.

When the separator breaks down, these dendrites form an internal bridge between the electrodes, which shorts the circuit, followed by a thermal runaway (an irreversible meltdown). This makes the separator the Achilles’ heel of every battery – one that led, for example, to the $5bn recall of illions of Samsung Note smartphones in 2016.

3. Others Besides the major lead-acid and Liion battery types, other technologies are either currently used on a large scale or expected to take significant market share in the future. Flow batteries are an emerging technology that provides an xceptional lifetime of up to 100,000 cycles. This is more than adequate for their typical application of bulk storage systems, which are designed for an average of two charging cycles per day over a lifetime of 20 years, totaling ~15,000 required cycles. Flow batteries have two distinct categories – pure flow batteries with all active components stored separately from the cell, and hybrid flow batteries, in which one of the active materials is stored inside the cell. There are further differences based on the types of flow or materials used. Currently, the most mature technologies within pure flow batteries is the vanadium-redox flow battery (VRFB) and the zinc-bromine flow battery (ZBFB) within the hybrid flow category. While similar in cost, VRFB has a longer cycle life and higher relative energy efficiency.

ZBFB technology has higher cell voltage and energy density, but at the cost of high self-discharge rates (up to 33 percent per day) and the risk of dendrite formation.

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In general, as flow batteries mechanically pump around highly acidic anode and cathode solutions, they have two drawbacks: 1. Decreased round-trip efficiency 2. Increased need for maintenance Due to the extremely low energy density (lower than leadacid), the systems can only be used for stationary purposes. The technology is still in its early stages of maturity, and large manufacturing companies such as Foxconn, Flextronics, and Jabil have only very recently entered the market through partnerships with innovative pioneers. The manufacturing scale-up provided by these players could bring costs down fast enough to unlock a competitive position in the battery energy storage (BES) market.

Sodium sulfur technology’s high power and energy density, combined with high cycle life, made it one of the most popular large-scale battery storage systems in the past. These characteristics often forgave the operating costs of ~10–20 percent of initial capex p.a. required to keep the system at its 300–350°C operating temperatures. Today it is rapidly losing market share to Lithium-ion, as it struggles to keep up with the massive decreases currently being seen in Li-ion costs.

Nickel-based batteries, once favored for their safety, power and energy, have been replaced by Li-ion batteries in most applications. Originally both Toyota and Boeing invested heavily in using nickel-based batteries for the Prius and older version of the 787, but both companies have now switched to Li-ion-based technologies.

Many other battery technologies exist, which are based on other charge carriers such as sodium-ion, magnesium-ion, zinc, and aluminum. All of these materials are abundant and cheap, but in order to become a viable market option, the technologies need to be able to cross the treacherously deep valley of death – scaling these technologies to competitive levels as currently found in Li-ion requires investments of hundreds of millions of dollars.

These low-cost chemistries generally only appeal to the bulk energy storage market, in which cost is the one and only driver (as opposed to the expensive, highperformance chemistries that can occupy niche areas in the market). This makes manufacturing scale a necessity, a risk fewer and fewer investors are ready to make after a history of bankruptcies in this area. A recent example is Aquion, a sodium-ion-based battery start-up, which went bankrupt after receiving $190m of funding. With proven technological capabilities and first large-scale orders delivered to its customers, it pulled the plug due to the massive cost reductions in Li-ion. One possible candidate with sufficient potential to give Li-ion a run for its money is zinc-air technology. Multiple start-ups such as EoS and ZAF Energy Systems are raising millions from venture capitalists, starting pilots with larger utilities such as Con Ed and Engie, and claim to be able to reduce the cost down to $95/kWh by 2020.

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GoodWe Launches 70 kW MT Series for Utility Projects

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GoodWe is now rolling out its new compact70 kW MT series inverter GW70KHV-MTfor utility projects with high output voltage of 500V and maximum efficiency of 99%,which includes four MPP trackers and a wide input voltage rangeto ensure design flexibility and compatibility withhigh-output PV panels.Since GoodWe launched its MT series string inverter last year, 950MW have been supplied to global commercial rooftops.

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he new 70kW inverter features power line communication (PLC) which is suitable for ground-mounted solar plants.String level current monitoring is also available for measuring each PV generatorstring current and detecting defective string current.With capacity of 70 kW, the new transformerless, three-phase GoodWe MT series grid-tied inverter is equipped with four MPP Trackers ensuring that the outputs of connected modules are able to generate the highest

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yields even in different PV installation conditions, 5% more output compared with the string inverters with one MPP tracker on the market.

The inverter also brings power density to unprecedented levels with only 60kg and less than 20% volume compared to other conventional models, which greatly simplifies installation and commissioning, saving time and costs. Moreover, itis able to provide 30% DC input oversizing and a continuous maximum AC output power overload of 15%

thanks to its boost function, which offers customers a faster return on investment.

Compared with equivalent competitor products, the new GoodWe 70kW MT series inverter is the most compact and lightweight inverter in the market with the maximum efficiency of 99%.Equipped with antiPID function, input reverse polarity protection and SPD on both DC&AC terminals, the new MT series maximizes profits for utility projects in the most effective and secure way.

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Compact and Powerful: GoodWe ET Series Delivers Independence and Non-Stop Energy!

GoodWe has recently launched its brandnew ET Series three-phase high voltage energy storage inverter for both households and commercial applications. The series is the most compact and lightweight inverter in the market with maximum efficiency of 98.3%, equipped with Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), backup overloading, AC charging functions and open-protocol EMS communication system.

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Covering a power range of 5 kW, 8 kW and 10 kW, the ET Series allows 30% DC oversizing to fully maximize yield during extreme hot and cold weather and features a wide batteryvoltage range of 180 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 550 V to ensure customers flexibility choices and compatibility with different type of lithium battery. Furthermore, it features UPS to inductive loads such as air conditioners or refrigerators with an automatic switch over time of less than 10 milliseconds, providing grid-tied savings when the grid is up and off-grid independence and security when it is down or compromised.

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hen installing ET Series, battery will not be damaged by accidental swap of the positive and negative polarity which help to ensures safety battery installation. Not only that, GoodWe ET allows backup overloading up to 100%, which allows quick restart for inductive load such as A/C while it will not cause harm to any electrical appliances.

The inverter is also in-built with open-protocol EMS communication system as it ensures interconnections between grid companies and batteries to dispatch electricity freely.

Besides, new GoodWe ET series storage inverter ismanufactured to be very compact with dimensions of 415*516*160 mm and lightweight(25kg)which makes it easier for installation and maintenance both indoors and outdoors.

Thanks to its cooling technology design using natural convection, the inverterruns reliably with quiet

operation(<30dB) and a long-life span.It is also equipped with AC charging function whereas alternative current is able to charge the battery even when the inverter has not met its maximum performance.

The brand new GoodWe ET Series is a three-phase high voltage energy storage inverter that provides enhanced energy independence and maximizes self-consumption through export limit feature and time of use shifts for reduced electric bills.

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