Vol.1 No.1, May - Jul 2019
India Takes To
SOLAR-POWERED DESALINATION
Solar Power
‘COW’
Helps Children
GO SOLAR AND SAVE
On Your Electricity Bill
Interview with Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Shaari
Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association Shares Its Insights RM 10 / USD 5
1 www.asia-solarpv.com ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
2 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
3 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
CONTENTS 8
15
< ADVANCECON,
< MALAYSIA CAN
KUMPULAN SEMESTA TO EXPLORE SOLAR ENERGY OPPORTUNITY
GENERATE MORE ELECTRICITY IF ALL ROOFS USE SOLAR PANELS
22
< BRISBANE WELCOMES AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST AIRPORT PV INSTALLATION
25 < INDIA TAKES TO SOLAR-POWERED DESALINATION
27 < SOLAR POWER ‘COW’ HELPS CHILDREN
28
< WORLD’S BIGGEST FLOATING SOLAR FARM SEEN DRIVING THAI GREEN PUSH 4 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
32
< SOLAR INSTALLATIONS IN US NOW EXCEED 2 MILLION AND COULD DOUBLE BY 2023, NEW FIGURES SHOW
35 < RESEARCHERS HAVE FOUND A WAY TO MAKE ORGANIC SOLAR CELLS MORE ROBUST
46
< GO SOLAR AND SAVE ON YOUR ELECTRICITY BILL
42
< AN INTERVIEW WITH PROF. DR. SULAIMAN SHAARI.
ASIAN PHOTOVOLTAIC INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION SHARES ITS INSIGHTS
56
< SNEC 13TH (2019) INTERNATIONAL PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER GENERATION AND SMART ENERGY EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE
52
< MASTER SOLAR POWER
5 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
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6 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
Susan Tricia Editor
Warmest greetings to the readers of Asia Solar + PV Magazine! We are delighted to present to you our Asia Solar + PV magazine that covers the development on local, regional and international scene on solar industry. Solar industries have seen ups and downs across the globe from countries that have put major effort to practice sustainable living. From India joining the nations using PV to produce drinking water after a 10,000-liters-per-day solar-powered desalination plant was set up to United States reaching 2 million cumulative solar installations in February of this year. Not to forget South Korean solar firm Yolk has designed a cow-shaped solar power station for schools to children from poor families in sub-Saharan Africa. Do not miss our exclusive interview with the leading figure of solar photovoltaic industry in Malaysia, Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Shaari from Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA). Flip on to the Cover Story section to read more on the award winner from the Ministry of Science, Innovations and Technology Malaysia, 2013 has to say regarding the challenges faced by the solar photovoltaic organizations, two major trends for PV modules and APVIA’s plan on the electrical waste management. They’ve also shared with us their view regarding the growth of solar photovoltaic industry across Asia. On behalf of the editorial team, I thank you for your massive support for our newly launched magazine. We have received a lot of inquiries throughout the process and we are beyond grateful. Stay in touch with us on www.asia-solarpv.com for more update.
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7
ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
ORGANIZATION NEWS
Advancecon, Kumpulan Semesta to Explore
Solar Energy Opportunity “This new collaboration with KSSB is meant to explore opportunities in the solar energy industry as Malaysia embraces renewable energy. We believe that Advancecon’s current expertise as a specialist in infrastructure works would be a plus point in our bid for the proposed solar project,” said Datuk Phum Ang Kia, group chief executive officer at Advancecon. He added this marks a new step for Advancecon to develop a source of recurring income to complement the group’s core business in earthworks and civil engineering.
E
arthworks and civil engineering services provider Advancecon Holdings Bhd has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB) to explore opportunities in the solar energy industry in Malaysia, particularly the Large Scale Solar Project 3 initiated by the Energy Commission. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia today, Advancecon said this MoU is to express the desire to combine resources and expertise to pursue opportunities in relation to the ownership of solar photovoltaic system in respect of the solar project. “Subject to Advancecon being successful in its bid for the project, Advancecon will appoint KSSB as the project’s consultant, whereby KSSB’s primary role is to identify and secure suitable land to serve as the location of the project,” said Advancecon in a separate statement.
8 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
Source: www.theedgemarkets.com
ORGANIZATION NEWS
CYPARK TO BID FOR 100MW SOLAR PROJECT UNDER SCHEME
C
ypark Resources Bhd will submit its bid for the largest solar energy capacity allowed for each player under the RM2bil large-scale solar three (LSS3) scheme, a move that is expected to contribute an annual revenue of RM50mil to RM60mil if the group qualifies for the tender. According to Cypark group chief executive officer Datuk Daud Ahmad, the company plans to bid for a capacity of 100 megawatt (MW) under LSS3. Cypark is in the final stages of finalising its bid prior to submission. He said the potential revenue from the LSS3 project would be “a significant boost” to the group’s future top line. For context, Cypark recorded a total revenue of RM337.88mil in the financial year ended Oct 31, 2018. “As the renewable energy (RE) leader in Malaysia, Cypark considers itself the cost leader in the RE segment. We are also wellpositioned to successfully tender for the RE project.” Cypark had won two solar farm projects under the previous LSS1 scheme and they are currently under construction. Under the second round of the LSS scheme, the company had clinched three more projects. Earlier this year, it was reported that the competitive bidding process for LSS3 would be open for a six-month period until August. Under the LSS3 scheme, the government will tender out a solar energy capacity of between one MW and 100MW, with a target aggregate capacity of 500MW in Peninsular Malaysia.
The projects are in addition to ongoing LSS projects to produce 958MW of electricity between the end of this year and 2020. On the status of Cypark’s wasteto-energy (WTE) plant, Daud said it is expected to be completed and commissioned in June this year. “The WTE plant will start contributing to our revenue from June upon completion. On a fullyear basis, we are expecting about RM80mil in revenue from the plant.
Daud: Our plant uses one of the world’s best technologies in the WTE scene.
“We have spent about RM500mil for the development of the WTE plant. It will be an important component of our business since it will deliver a stable recurring income for the group,” he said. Cypark’s WTE plant, which is located in Ladang Tanah Merah, Negeri Sembilan, is the first of its kind in Malaysia. This facility will be able to produce 25MW of power from handling solid waste disposal and has the ability to increase capacity in the future. “Our plant uses one of the world’s best technologies in the WTE scene. In fact, the technology is provided by Hitachi Zosen, which has built the most number of WTE plants in the world,” he said. Moving forward, Daud remained optimistic that Cypark would be able to continue recording double-digit revenue growth, given the government’s increased push for RE initiatives. The company’s RE business segment is expected to become the dominant revenue contributor. Currently, Cypark’s order book is valued at about RM600mil, with most of the contracts from the group’s environment engineering segment. Tender book-wise, Daud said the company has bid for over RM1bil in contract value and more than 90% of the projects are based in Malaysia.
Source: www.thestar.com.my
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ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
ORGANIZATION NEWS
Green Energy Options Similar to the PV panels provided by GSparx are solar roof tiles, a premium alternative that is actually a roof with solar thin film built in.
Umar explaining to Works Minister Baru Bian (second from right) how the solar roof tiles work.
Business development chief Umar Ridzuan Hawari of Tenaga Switchgear said: “This provides two functions – the usual protection against external environmental elements while also generating power.” Umar added that the tiles are packaged with a home energy storage system – a liquid-based battery system like the voltage-regulated lead acid battery which is safer and will not heat up much.
enaga Nasional Berhad (TNB)’s green solutions were showcased at the recent Asean Super Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Show at the Malaysian International Trade and Exhibitions Centre (Mitec) in Kuala Lumpur.
Another green subsidiary is TNB Engineering Corporation Sdn Bhd (TNEC) which concentrates on the district cooling system as well as large-scale solar farm setup. Acting head of Project Development and Implementation, Rizuan Eusoff, said: “Basically our major businesses are district cooling systems plants and large-scale solar installation.
Featuring some of its subsidiaries’ sustainable and renewable businesses, one of them was GSparx Sdn Bhd – a green energy solution provider that offers end-to-end solutions with zeroupfront investments from its clients. It offers consultation, installation, maintenance, and monitoring at no cost at all.
“District cooling plants, like the one at KLIA2, is a centralised air conditioning plant that supplies chilled water to the whole KLIA2 airport development. A district cooling plant with thermal energy storages is able to reduce the electricity cost compared to conventional plant.”
According to head of marketing Nor Ziha Zainol Abidin, GSparx’s present focus is on solar PV rooftops, while future business plans may include battery storage solutions and more.
TNEC provides the full range of services related to DCS, from initial concept or business viability studies to the investment, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, project financing, ownership as well as comprehensive operations and maintenance.
T
“We have packages for residential as well as for commercial and industrial premises. We also work with housing developers to make their units solar-ready,” she said. Customers with bills higher than RM600 could experience savings even after paying for the solar system. For customers with lower bills, savings could be enjoyed immediately with cash or outright purchase option. Simple payback for such customers could be between nine and 12 years. Nor Ziha said payment packages include cash payment, credit card, via leasing (where property owners own the system after paying a fixed monthly amount for some years), via a bank loan or by GSparx’s solar power purchase agreement (SPPA). Details are on www.gsparx.com, or email to enquiry@gsparx.com. 10 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
A district cooling plant with
He added that the company thermal energy storage is able to has completed the construction reduce electricity cost,’ said Rizuan of two large scale solar farms last year, the 50MWac capacity TNB Sepang Solar in Kuala Langat, Selangor, and the 29MWac capacity Leader Solar Energy in Sungai Petani, Kedah. A new 30MWac solar farm in Bukit Selambau, Kedah, is under construction and shall be completed by mid-2020.
Source: www.thestar.com
ORGANIZATION NEWS
Bentley Motors Builds the UK’s Largest Solar-Powered Car Port
B
entley motors has announced this week that it will be taking a more sustainable approach to manufacturing. The luxury car firm is celebrating its centenary year by ensuring that 100% of the electricity used in its factory headquarters in Crewe, is solar or green energy approved. By installing 10,000 solar panels that generate 2.7 Megawatts of power, Bentley are aiming to reduce their levels of CO2 by 3,300 tonnes per year. The new installation announced on 1st May is a significant investment for the car firm, covering 1,378 car parking spaces, or the equivalent to spanning across two football pitches. Having already installed a substantial 20,815 solar panels on the factory roof Bentley headquarters, Crewe – Bentley Motors in 2013, Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe now cumulatively generate 7.7 megawatts of solar energy. Bentley now proudly claims to have installed the UK’s largest ever solar-powered car port. Bentley’s Member of the Board for Manufacturing, Peter Bosch, commented: “We continue to focus on new initiatives that reinforce our commitment to the environment, whether this is introducing alternative powertrain technologies in future models, or our award-winning work to reduce the environmental impact of our factory.
Rolls Royce factory, South Downs - Rolls Royce
“This solar installation is another example of how we can make our factory more sustainable by using technological innovation. This helps us produce extraordinary cars with responsiblysourced materials in an efficient manner, while continually striving to reduce the company’s environmental impact.” You’ll be pleased to know that Bentley is not the only luxury car manufacturer taking sustainability more seriously. The RollsRoyce factory, set in the heart of the South Downs National Park, was also created to have as little impact on the environment as possible. Designer Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, known for his involvement with the Eden Project in Cornwall, considers sustainability in every detail of his work - from the construction materials and methods, to the landscaping and production processes. In light of the UK government’s official advisers urging the country to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, both Bentley and Rolls-Royce are certainly accelerating in the right direction towards this target. Source: www.euronews.com
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ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
ORGANIZATION NEWS
PV every day: Ikea’s Solstrale panels are coming home. Image: Ikea
IKEA to Begin the Sale of Solar Modules in Sweden
B
y 2025, the furniture giant plans to offer solar panels worldwide at its stores. The company is in negotiation with potential partners and a supplier for the sale of PV panels in Sweden, which is planned to start in the autumn. IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, will begin the sale of its “Solstrale” PV modules in its domestic market after the summer. The Swedish multinational said it intends to benefit from the lessons learnt from its sales of solar panels in Germany – where it has encountered problems with a consumer watchdog – and from Italy, Belgium, Holland and Poland. “The positive development of recent years, not least with simplified regulations and better profitability, has meant that the conditions for investing in solar panels in Sweden today are very good,” said Jonas Carlehed, sustainability manager for Ikea Group in Sweden. The Swedish government has improved regulations for solar in the past two years and has increased the budget for rooftop PV rebates several times.
12 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
IKEA said it is in negotiations with potential suppliers and partners for the Solstrale offer in Sweden. Finding the right partner may help the retailer avoid issues such as those encountered in Germany, where consumer association Verbraucherzentrale NRW said Ikea’s advertising campaign to promote its solar offer was misleading as it did not sufficiently outline the different roles played by Ikea and its partner Solarcentury Microgen (Germany) GmbH. Ambitious plans In its statement, Ikea added it is planning to expand Solstrale sales to all its markets by 2025. “We want to help our customers to produce their own renewable energy at home which is good both for the climate and the wallet,” the company said. IKEA also sells PV modules in Switzerland and the U.K. In a recent interview with Signe Antvorskov Krag – global development leader for IKEA’S Home Solar business – pv magazine editor Becky Beetz discussed the flat-pack furniture retailer’s PV business model.
Source: www.pv-magazine.com
ORGANIZATION NEWS
Panasonic makes solar cells at this plant in Malaysia
Panasonic Sells Solar Factory in Malaysia to
New Chinese R&D Ally
P
anasonic will sell a Malaysian subsidiary that manufacturers solar panels to Chinese company GS-Solar, its new partner in a research venture, the Japanese electronics group said Thursday.
The sale of Panasonic Energy Malaysia, which operates a factory in Kedah northwest of Kuala Lumpur, is set to conclude in November for an undisclosed amount. The move forms part of Panasonicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to stem the bleeding in its solar business, which has lost money since fiscal 2016 as Japanese prices of solar energy fall, slowing investment in new capacity. The Osaka-based company seeks to restore the segment to profitability as early as fiscal 2021. Panasonic and GS-Solar, based in Fujian Province, agreed on a partnership Thursday in which they share know-how on high conversion efficiency solar cells. The two companies plan to form a joint venture in Japan to conduct research and development.
Panasonic will maintain its solar cell production bases in Japan and the U.S. Restructuring costs will weigh on Panasonicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s earnings in the current fiscal year. The company, which partners with electriccar maker Tesla on battery production, said Thursday it expects group net profit to fall 30% to 200 billion yen ($1.82 billion) for the year ending March 2020. Under a three-year plan announced the same day, Panasonic will seek to cut 100 billion yen in fixed costs by the year ending in March 2022. Steps include withdrawing from money-losing business lines. Sales for the current fiscal year are forecast to decline 1% to 7.9 trillion yen, while operating profit is projected to drop 27% to 300 billion yen. The estimates would give Panasonic its first decline in both sales and profit in three years. Source: asia.nikkei.com
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ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
ORGANIZATION NEWS
BGMC International Eyes Malaysia’s Third
Large-Scale Solar PV Tender
F
resh from winning a concession to build a 30mw large-scale solar photovoltaic (LSSPV) plant in Kuala Muda, Kedah, BGMC International Ltd — a Hong Kong-listed Malaysiabased construction firm — is preparing to bid for the government’s third round of tenders for LSSPV plants with a target aggregate capacity of 500mw. Companies have until August to submit their bids. This is in line with the group’s plans to beef up its recurring revenue stream by expanding its concession business through more public-private partnership projects, says BGMC CEO Datuk Michael Teh Kok Lee. BGMC was among the companies that won the LSSPV2 tender to build solar plants in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Labuan for commercial operation in 2019/20. BGMC is to construct a 30mw LSSPV plant in Kuala Muda, which is slated for commercial operation by Sept 30 next year. It has also signed an agreement with Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) that obligates the national utility company to buy the energy generated by the facility for 21 years. Teh says in the upcoming round of tenders, BGMC will propose to develop a plant with a larger production capacity than the 30mw plant it will build in Kuala Muda, adding that it makes more financial sense. Based on its experience from the first project, when BGMC tried to obtain financing for the construction of the 30mw plant, the group found that banks were hesitant to hand out term loans of this size.
14 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
“(For the construction of a 30mw plant), the banks will say that it is too much for a term loan. But if you go to the bond market, they will tell you the amount is too small. Because of our close relationship with our bankers, we have managed to arrange financing for the project. So, in LSSPV3, we will bid to construct solar plant with a larger production capacity,” he tells The Edge. Teh is the second largest single shareholder in BGMC, with a 19.1% stake, after its chairman and executive director Tan Sri Barry Goh Ming Choon, who holds a 48% stake. It is understood that BGMC is planning a 50mw LSSPV plant project, which will cost RM300 million to RM400 million to build. Teh declined to reveal details of its proposal except to say that the plant’s capacity will be lower than 100mw. “The project must also achieve certain investment criteria for us, such as return on investment and profit margin before we submit our bid proposal.”
What BGMC has going for it is that it has secured the land to build the LSSPV plants. “We bought land in Kuala Muda in 2017. While it is not sufficient for a LSSPV3 plant, we can expand by acquiring the neighbouring land. We believe we have a fair chance of winning based on the experience that we picked up with LSSPV2,” says Teh. Apart from its newly won LSSPV2 concession, BGMC has one other concession with the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Dengkil campus to provide asset management services for 20 years from November 2015. “We have about 17 years to go. The outstanding imputed interest income for the concession segment yet to be recognised stood at RM829.7 million as at Sept 30, 2018, while the outstanding contract value for the maintenance services segment was RM184 million. “This will generate stable income for the group going forward, as opposed to our construction contracts that are subject to the cyclical nature of the business. (Hypothetically), if today, we decide that we will do away with the construction business, we can survive because we have recurring income from the UiTM and LSSPV2 projects for the next 21 years,” Teh says. He sees promising prospects in new concession projects as Malaysia has set a target for 20% of the country’s electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2025, from 2% currently. This means about 3,991mw of new energy capacity will be required. “This is doable,” he says. Teh also notes that more new power plants will be built as the existing coal- and gas-fired plants will gradually be retired. “Most of the first-generation power purchase agreements (PPAs) were signed in 1996 and a PPA would typically last 21 years. So, most are due to expire soon. As new capacity is installed, solar, hydro and biomass power plants will come into play.” Still, its construction services division will remain the group’s bread and butter although the concession segment has become an important contributor in the last few years. The construction services division contributed 97.6% or RM502.7 million of the group’s total revenue of RM515.1 million for the financial year ended Sept 30, 2018 (FY2018). Teh says as at Sept 30, 2018, the group’s outstanding order book stood at RM1.4 billion, which will keep it busy for the next 24 months. “The outstanding order book is at record high and we are not running it down as actively as before. That is because most of our ongoing projects are still in the structural stage of progress,” he explains.
BGMC’s ongoing projects are D’Pristine Medini in Johor, the Sky Seputeh and Bangsar 61 in Kuala Lumpur, Setia Spice Hotel in Penang and the TNB worker’s quarters in Kuala Berang, Terengganu. Amid the slowdown in the construction sector, the group saw a drop in its order book replenishment in terms of value last year. It bagged 26 new contracts worth a combined RM537.6 million compared with 23 new projects with a total value of RM792.6 million in FY2017. “Year to date, we have secured new contracts worth RM516 million. We hope that in the next couple of months, we can get a few more to maintain a high order book record,” says Teh. He adds that the group is open to collaborations, partnerships, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions in the construction segment “if they give us a competitive advantage”. “Going forward, technology will play a big role in the construction industry. If we can acquire certain technology or pioneers (in certain construction technologies), we will do it.” Third profit warning from BGMC BGMC issued its third consecutive profit warning to investors on March 28, ahead of the earnings announcement for the six months ended March 31, 2019 (1HFY2019) on May 29. In a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange, BGMC says it expects to record a net loss in 1HFY2019 compared with a net profit of RM13.6 million a year ago. It attributes the expected turnaround from net profit to net loss to a “substantial decrease in the revenue and consolidated profit due to, among others, the fact that most of the group’s projects are still in the early and intermediate stage of progress”. BGMC also blames the expected net loss on additional costs allocated to all the projects due to the reintroduction of the Sales and Services Tax on Sept 1, last year, which led to higher costs for certain materials used for its projects.
Source: www.theedgemarkets.com
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ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
ORGANIZATION NEWS
JAKS Inks MoU to Acquire
Solar Power Plant in Vietnam
J
AKS Resources Bhd has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vietnam-based Licogi 13 to acquire a power plant project, and for future joint ventures for other solar and wind energy projects.
The firm added that in the event the sale and purchase agreement is not inked between the parties on or before June 30 (or such later date as both parties may mutually agree on), the MoU shall lapse.
In a filing with the stock exchange yesterday, JAKS said the MoU was to acquire the Lig-Quang Tri Solar Power Project (LQT) that will come into operation at the end of June 2019 in the central province of Quang Tri, Vietnam.
However, JAKS did not disclose the power plant’s acquisition price, saying only that the consideration will be subjected to negotiations between the parties.
It said the plant has a total capacity of 49.5mw and an average generation of 67.960mw per year. JAKS said the power purchase agreement for LQT was executed on Oct 23, 2018 and that this project has a lifetime of 50 years. “Presently the plant is completed and awaiting connection to the national grid,” it said.
16 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
Source: www.theedgemarkets.com
ORGANIZATION NEWS
Pestech Plans to Work as
Joint Contractor with Solar Energy Firm
P
estech International Bhd proposes to work together with solar energy investment company Atlantic Blue Sdn Bhd as joint contractors.
This is in the event Pestech secures the bid for the Large Scale Solar Photovoltaic Plants for Peninsular Malaysia (LSS 3 Project), it said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia. The group said its wholly-owned subsidiary Pestech Sdn Bhd has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Atlantic Blue for collaboration as joint contractors to undertake the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning (EPCC) works for the LSS 3 Project. Atlantic Blue specialises in large-scale solar farming and the provision of best-value solar photovoltaic solutions.
In the event of a successful bidding, both Pestech and Atlantic Blue intend to explore the possibility of complementing each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core competencies, technical capabilities and references to cooperate in together undertaking the EPCC works for the project. On March 15, Pestech inked an MoU with Japanese renewable energy power plant developer RS Renewable KK for a potential joint investment in the bidding for the LSS 3 Project. These partnerships were established on news that the government would undertake an open tender for the third round of the 500 megawatts large scale solar projects, which comes to a total value of RM2 billion. The project was initiated by Putrajaya so that Malaysia could move away from its dependency on fossil fuels, with the aim of achieving a target of 20% of energy production from renewable sources by 2025.
Source: www.theedgemarkets.com
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ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
INDUSTRY NEWS
MALAYSIA CAN GENERATE MORE ELECTRICITY IF ALL ROOFS USE SOLAR PANELS
M
alaysia can generate 1.4 times more electricity if all the roofs in Peninsular Malaysia are fitted with solar panels, compared with the conventional electricity generation of fossil fuel burning.
Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said there are over 4.12 million buildings with solar rooftop potential in the peninsula. If all these buildings are fitted with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, it can generate a whopping 34,194 megawatt (MW) of electricity at any one time, she said. In comparison, the current total electricity production in Malaysia is an average of 24,000 MW at any one time. “If we equip our roofs with solar, we can potentially produce more than the total electricity generated in Malaysia,” Yeo said. Currently, only 2% of Malaysia’s electricity is generated by renewable energy sources, as the nation’s energy generation is still highly dependent on limited fossil fuel resources such as oil, coal or natural gas. In the race to increase the nation’s renewable energy mix from 2% to 20% by 2030, the Ministry is targeting commercial and industrial buildings to go solar and be early adopters of the revised Net Energy Metering (NEM) scheme. Yeo said the NEM offers those who opt for solar energy lower tariffs, tax incentives, solar leasing programmes, and reduced electricity bills through the one-on-one offset, where every 1kWh exported to the grid will be offset against 1kWh consumed from the grid. Yeo said the Ministry has allocated a 2019 NEM quota of 500 MW, with 450 MW allocated for commercial and industrial buildings, and the remaining 50 MW for residential buildings. She said the revised NEM scheme has seen a positive response as there was an increase in NEM take-up rate this year. “As of May 2019, a total of 16.6 MW of NEM has been approved in the first four months of 2019, compared with approved capacity of 18.24 MW in 2018,” she said. Yeo made the comments during the launch of the NEM calculator available on the SEDA website. 18 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
With the calculator, SMEs and residents can calculate the potential monthly savings from generating solar energy, the upfront cost needed, the simple payback period, and the environmental impact. The SEDA website also has a directory of 110 registered solar PV service providers and 27 solar PV investors who will carry out the solar leasing programmes. Those who wish to purchase solar PV systems can contact PV service providers for a quotation while those who prefer to lease it, or pay only for the electricity generated by the systems through the power purchase agreement, can contact solar PV investors. Yeo said the government, through the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, is also offering SMEs a green investment tax allowance and income tax exemption for the purchase of solar PV systems. Source: www.thestar.com
INDUSTRY NEWS
COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY OWNERS URGED TO EXPLORE SOLAR TECH
O
wners of commercial and industrial buildings, especially small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) have been urged to explore the feasibility of installing solar panels on roofs to reduce electricity bills and enjoy incentives offered by the government. Such incentives include green investment tax allowance and the Green Technology Financing Scheme (GTFS), but many are still unaware of them, said Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) Yeo Bee Yin today. Yeo was speaking to the media at the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Malaysia in Putrajaya where she launched the new SEDA Malaysia website which features a renewable energy microsite and a Net Energy Metering (NEM) calculator. “A lot of people still don’t know these incentives, so that is why we are launching the NEM calculator and microsite [to raise the awareness]. “These incentives are especially attractive for SMEs which have factories with big roof. We want to promote the awareness among SMEs so that people will come and explore,” she said. According to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, 100% green investment tax allowance is offered on qualifying capital expenditure incurred on green technology assets, which includes solar panels until 2020. Meanwhile, under the GTFS, a fund of RM2 billion (announced in Budget 2019) will be made available at selected commercial banks to subsidise the interest cost incurred by the investment into green technology by 2% for the first five years.
“It is a very good investment for some of the people [who own buildings] with the right roof structure. To tackle the issues of capital investment, we have green financing schemes and tax allowances to facilitate and catalyse growth in the adoption of rooftop solar among commercial and industrial [building owners]. “SMEs are more vulnerable to a lot of things. So I hope this will help them to manage their electricity cost better. But big companies are also encouraged to participate in and enjoy these incentives by the government,” she elaborated. Yeo explained that it would be more feasible for solar panel service providers to focus on commercial and industrial buildings before they go into the residential segment as the former offers better economies of scale. “Commercial and industrial [buildings] have a bigger roof [compared to residential houses]. Our solar panel players today are still very small and would not be able to go house by house because each house is only [able to install] a few kilowatt (kW) [of solar panels] whereas for commercial and industrial [buildings], we are looking at 500kW and above,” she said. Nevertheless, residential property owners are also encourage to participate in the NEM scheme, she added. The total quota allocated for NEM is 500 megawatt (MW), of which 50MW and 450MW are allocated for the domestic and non-domestic segments (comprising commercial, industrial and agriculture), respectively. According to SEDA Malaysia, about 36.64MW and 3.17MW have been taken up in the domestic and non-domestic segments to date, respectively. Source: www.theedgemarkets.com
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INDUSTRY NEWS
TNB Continues to Play Active Role in Renewable Energy and expanding our retail self-generation platform. “We also reviewed our international RE strategy, resulting in a decision to focus on growing our assets in five selected locations, namely, Turkey, India, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Asean region,” TNB said. To step up its international presence, TNB is currently exploring collaboration opportunities with several experienced partners with established footprints in these key markets. For the financial year ended Dec 31, 2018, TNB’s total installed RE capacity increased by 70.88MW to a total of 332MW, boosted by its acquisitions in the UK and the commissioning of a 50MW large-scale solar in Sepang. “We are looking to expand our domestic generation capacity to fuel the nation’s economic trajectory, while continuously building our international generation capacity in selected strategic markets,” TNB said in its Integrated Annual Report 2018.
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nderscored by Tenaga Nasional Bhd’s (TNB) aspiration to be the Asean leader in renewables, the group is actively diversifying into energy sources that are able to meet the needs of the future in a sustainable, reliable and affordable manner. “We are looking to expand our domestic generation capacity to fuel the nation’s economic trajectory, while continuously building our international generation capacity in selected strategic markets,” TNB said in its Integrated Annual Report 2018. TNB explained that its priorities for future generation sources were focused on growing its renewable capacity, expansion of capacity into selected international strategic markets with strong growth prospects and improving the performance of the existing generation fleet, with the aim to position TNB as a renewables leader in the Asean region. The government has also set a target to grow renewables’ proportion of the total generation capacity mix from 2% currently to 20% by 2025. “Under TRe, we intensified efforts in progressing our three-pronged RE strategy by capturing growth opportunities in utility-scale RE assets, small-scale RE assets,
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It acquired an 80% equity interest in two RE companies in the UK, namely, GVO Wind Ltd and Bluemerang Capital Ltd, providing the group with a generation equity of 20.88MW. While TNB sees conventional assets as being relatively more economical in the short term, it recognises the need to invest in renewables to help address climate change issues, as well as to prepare for gradual depletion of carbon-based fuels. “TNB’s target is to grow our renewable capacity to 1,700MW domestically and internationally by 2025,” it said. GSPARX Sdn Bhd, a fully owned subsidiary of TRe, provides solar PV system for residential customers, through cash and leasing options. To date, some 1.3MWp worth of RE contracts have been confirmed under GSPARX. “We partnered with the Malaysian Green Technology Corp with a target to install up to 10,000 charging stations nationwide. “We also adopted the green energy programme to drive RE utilisation and energy efficiency for the Senai-Desaru Expressway, together with the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology and concessionaire Senai-Desaru Expressway Bhd,” TNB said. In addition, TNB is expected to complete the 30MW LSS in Bukit Selambau, Kedah in late 2020. All these efforts are part of TNB’s plan to become one of the world’s top ten utilities by market capitalisation by 2025. Source: www.thestar.com
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Brisbane Welcomes Australia’s Largest Airport PV Installation An aerial picture showing the project. Image: Nearmap
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ith a capacity of 5.725 MW, the solar array spread across Brisbane Airport is Australia’s largest commercial and industrial PV system to be installed at an airport site.
Reflecting a global trend in which airports around the world are looking to reduce their carbon footprint, Brisbane Airport has switched on a 5.725MW solar PV installation. While it has been operational since end of 2018, the system has now reached practical completion including all approvals from authorities, as announced by the local EPC contractor, Epho Commercial Solar Power, which developed the project in collaboration with Shakra Energy. A total of 20,937 solar panels used in this project were spread across six sites at the airport with some mounted on the ground and others on rooftops. Chinese module manufacturer Trina Solar provided the panels for five of the six sites. “If you lay the 20,937 solar panels flat, they take up more than twice the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground,” says Axel La Toison, Senior Project Manager at Epho. “Brisbane Airport is the most challenging project we have done, but it puts us in good stead for other airport and large commercial & industrial solar projects in future as we have experience dealing with the various authorities.”
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The challenges were reflected in the number of stakeholders and their unique requirements with regards to: safety and security, height restrictions, aesthetics, etc. Since commercial airports have restricted areas, bringing in equipment and personnel was also no easy job. But, one of the most demanding aspects was the amount of cabling involved. “At Brisbane Airport, we installed over 200km of cables and built many substations to ensure the electrical infrastructure was suitable,” says La Toison. One of the unique requirements that airports have is for the solar panels to have minimal glare. That is why Epho has chosen Trina as the main module supplier and its Honey TSM-PD05 panels, which have an anti-glare coating. “Solar energy is very worthwhile for airports, because adopting solar is in line with the worldwide push, by organizations such as Airports Council International, to reduce airports’ carbon footprint,” Trina Solar country sales manager, Govind Kant, said. “Airports can reduce their dependence on the electricity grid considerably because they generally have a lot of land and rooftop space where solar panels can be installed.” On top of that, airports’ energy consumption peaks during the day coinciding with the peak output from solar arrays. Announcing its $11 million investment last year, Brisbane Airport calculated that once fully operational, the solar installation will account for 18% of Brisbane Airport Corporation’s direct electricity consumption or 6% of the total airport consumption. Source: www.pv-magazine-australia.com
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
China’s Solar Industry Expected to Become Subsidy-Free By 2021
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ndustry insiders believe China’s solar industry will become subsidy-free in a few years as the country tries to revitalize its photovoltaic sector after the government announced a plan to scale back its central subsidy system last year, China Daily reported Thursday. China’s solar industry is expected to transition toward a subsidy-free market as early as 2021, according to the newspaper, citing an analysis of China’s solar industry published by Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory. The Chinese government has outlined a series of policies this year, looking to remove the hurdles that have been preventing the escalation of subsidy-free photovoltaic projects in the world’s biggest solar power market, the paper reported. China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) announced plans in April to drive the development of new subsidy-free solar projects through policy support, hoping new projects
will be developed without the need for governmental subsidies, which it believed will steer the market in a new direction toward zero-subsidy renewables, according to the report. According to the NEA, subsidy-free pilot projects commissioned by 2020 can enjoy 20-year power purchase agreements with fixed prices and top dispatch priority, guaranteed by grid companies. The generation of solar power posted faster year-on-year growth, at 12.9 percent, in the first quarter of 2019, against the backdrop that China’s power generation climbs 4.2 percent yearon-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Chinese photovoltaic companies have been motivated to seek more overseas opportunities in recent years, especially in countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, Lin Boqiang, director of the China centre for energy economics research at Xiamen University, was quoted as saying by the paper. Source: www.xinhuanet.com
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Koza1983 / Wikimedia
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Saudi Arabia and Dubai Investing Heavily in Solar-Powered Future
audi Arabia and Dubai are preparing for a post-fossil fuel world by investing heavily in new solar power technologies. Saudi Arabia and Dubai are building advanced solar power systems that they hope will be a major part of the two countries’ move to diversify its energy sector over the next decade.
Concentrated Solar Power According to a new report in Arab News, Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in a new solar power plan that it hopes will help it transition away from over-reliance on oil in the decades ahead. The centrepiece of this plan is concentrated solar power (CSP), a solar power technology that has gained a lot of traction over the past few years without as much press as the more wellknown solar power technologies, like photovoltaic (PV) cells. The key difference is that instead of using photons from sunlight and converting them into direct current, as photovoltaic panels do, CSP systems use the heat generated by sunlight to convert water into steam, which is used to turn a turbine and generate electricity. In a CSP system, sunlight is reflected off an array of mirrors angled so as to reflect sunlight up to a receiver at the top of a tower. Inside the receiver, a circuit of water is piped in from 24 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
below and is converted into steam. This steam is then used to power a turbine, condensed back into water, and fed back into the tower to begin the process all over again. “It’s a completely different technology [than PV] because you have to do a heat exchange and (use) steam turbines, a process that makes it more expensive than solar PV,” said Abdulhameed Al-Muhaidib, director of asset management at Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power. “The main benefit is storage because you can store heat, while in panels you can’t and lithium batteries are still expensive.” “But for the first time,” he adds, “the price for the new CSP technology has gone under double digits, reaching 7.3 cents per kilowatt hour.” Meanwhile, A CSP project in neighbouring Dubai is under construction that will feature a 260-meter solar tower and it is expected to provide 320,000 residents with power generated from a renewable resource 24-hours a day, preventing 1.6 million tons of carbon emissions annually. When the project is completed, it is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 6.5 million tons annually. “The solar park will produce 5,000 MW by 2030,” said Saeed Al-Tayer, managing director and CEO of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. “The project will cover an area of 44 sq km and achieve several world records, including the world’s lowest CSP cost of electricity, the tallest solar tower in the world, and the largest thermal storage capacity allowing for round-theclock energy availability.” Source: interestingengineering.com
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
India Takes to Solar-Powered Desalination It Slakes a Village Though the Tamil Nadu plant is being touted as the first in the country, Rajasthan-based non-profit the Barefoot College installed a solar-powered desalination plant for voluntary organization Mnathan in Kotri village that has been operational since 2006. That project dispenses 500 litres of safe drinking water every day.
The solar-powered reverse osmosis plant set up by the Barefoot College in Rajasthan’s Jhag village. Image: Barefoot College
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10,000-liters-per-day plant in Tamil Nadu offers hope for powering clean water without fossil fuels. However, researchers warn the technology is difficult to scale up because PV panels take up so much space.
India has joined the nations using PV to produce drinking water after a 10,000-liters-per-day solar-powered desalination plant was set up at the Vivekananda Memorial in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. The plant was developed by a team from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) and the Ministry of Earth Sciences funded the Rs1.22 crore ($175,000) experimental project. “It requires about 15 kV power a day to function,” said A Mani, of the refrigeration and air-conditioning laboratory at IIT-M’s department of mechanical engineering. “We have installed panels that each generate around 324 W. Since the plant is entirely solar powered, it can be operated only during the day, i.e. for six to seven hours between 9am and 4pm. The generated power, converted from DC to AC through an inverter, is stored in 14 batteries to provide 30-minute power backup.” M A Atmanand, director of the National Institute of Ocean Technology which gave technical assistance for the project, believes solar desalination has significant prospects in coastal areas. However, researchers say scaling up the technology to generate 10 million litres per day or more could be technically challenging as PV panels require a lot of space.
“So far, Barefoot has installed six solar desal plants across Rajasthan,” said Dadi Jaswanth, program coordinator of the Barefoot College’s water department. “The plant in Kotri was functioning well until November last year. We are trying to get funds to revive it and hopefully it will start running again in a few months.”
Solar-powered desalination could address freshwater shortages in India. In 2014, MIT’s Natasha Wright and Amos Winter suggested using electro dialysis powered by solar panels to provide enough clean drinking water to supply the needs of a typical Indian village.
The Need for an Alternative The researchers arrived at their conclusion after weeks of field research in India reviewing established technologies. According to Wright and Winter, the factors that favoured solar-powered electro dialysis included relatively low levels of salinity — ranging from 500 to 3,000 mg/litre, compared with seawater levels of around 35,000 mg/l — and a lack of electrical power. For on-grid locations, the team found reverse-osmosis plants could be economically viable. In January, The Hague-headquartered Elemental Water Makers announced it had developed the world’s first solarpowered reverse osmosis desalination process without batteries which works 24 hours a day. Desalination began in the 1950s in the Middle East, with thermal technology driven by fossil fuel energy. Today, almost 150 countries desalinate seawater using fossil fuels. With 16,000 desalination plants worldwide and an expected 15% rise in desalination demand as the world warms, a policy to drive solar desalination is sorely needed. Source: www.pv-magazine.com
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Netherlands Will Soon to Be Home to
Europe’s Largest Floating Solar PV Project
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utch solar developer GroenLeven has announced that it is building a 48 megawatt (MW) floating solar PV project on an old sand extraction site in the Netherlands which, upon completion, will be one of the largest in the world, and the largest in Europe. The new floating solar park will be built at the Zuidplas in Sellingerbeetse, in the country’s northeast, at an old sand extraction site owned by Kremer Zand en Grind, one of Europe’s leading sand and gravel extracting companies. The electricity generated from the new 48 MW floating solar project will be delivered to Kremer Zand en Grind for its local operations, and being built on an old sand extraction pond opens the door for further development of solar on sand extraction sites. GroenLeven expects that the new project will deliver the equivalent electricity necessary for powering around 13,000 households and fulfils the company’s existing philosophy of creating solar projects that fulfil a dual function — such as installing solar on rooftops, parking places, landfills, and industrial sites.
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Kremer Zand en Grind is also using this new project as a catalyst to relocate a classifying installation for sand extraction located in the Noordplas and a drying installation currently located in Emmen to an industrial park in nearby Groningen-Zuid, to better optimize the company’s electricity usage by bringing the beneficiaries of this new floating solar park closer to hand.
Additionally, Kremer Zand en Grind is also converting its drying installation from gas-fired to an electric dryer, removing a huge amount of gas from its energy mix each year. Further, by co-locating facilities the company will also reduce transport via pipeline of the sand from its extraction site, minimizing disruption to the local communities. It is also believed that other industries in the surrounding area may benefit from the floating solar project.
Source: cleantechnica.com
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
SOLAR POWER ‘COW’ HELPS CHILDREN
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hildren from poor families in subSaharan Africa have been able to swap cleaning up cowpats for lessons thanks to a solar power project that rewards parents for sending them to school. South Korean solar firm Yolk has designed a cowshaped solar power station for schools that can be used to charge power banks for families while their children are in class. The design references the fact that many children are removed from school in order to care for their family’s cattle. “The kids could not come to school because of the cows and now they can come to school because of a cow - but it’s a solar cow,” SungUn Chang, the chief executive of Yolk said. Many poor families require children to stay at home and help with household tasks. “The parent is the key man - so all of this is about how we persuade parents to send their kids to school,” said Chang. She began researching how the company could help tackle child labour and said she quickly realised they had to offer a “tangible” incentive to families. “If the value is similar or more, then they’re willing to send their children to school rather than the workplace,” she said. As a solar company, energy was an obvious solution - and power is also an expensive commodity in developing countries. Many rural homes are not connected to the grid, meaning that households may have to walk several hours to reach a charging shop and pay to charge devices such as phones.
‘Solar cow’ charging stations are installed in schools and pupils are given a milk-bottle-shaped power bank which they plug into to charge if they attend class and take home at the end of the school day to provide households with electricity. Each milk bottle contains about a dollar’s worth of electricity - a significant asset for the poorest families - and it can also be connected to a bulb fitting to provide up to 10 hours’ of light. The first solar cow was set up in Pokot, Kenya, in July 2018, and Chang said it has resulted in children attending classes more regularly. Yolk plans to establish several more in Tanzania with funding from the South Korean International Cooperation Agency, a governmental aid and development agency. “This can create a really big impact,” said Chang. “When you solve problems like child labour it requires a lot of money - but because we use solar energy, the power of nature in a creative way, it can be a lot easier.”
Source: www.thestar.com
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
WORLD’S BIGGEST FLOATING SOLAR FARM SEEN DRIVING THAI GREEN PUSH
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hailand plans to build the world’s largest floating solar farms to power Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy and to boost the country’s share of clean energy.
State-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand will float 16 solar farms with a combined capacity of more than 2.7 gigawatts in nine of its hydroelectric dam reservoirs by 2037, said Thepparat Theppitak, a deputy governor with the utility. Several of the proposed projects are more than double the size of the world’s largest floating system now and the venture dwarfs the 1.3 gigawatts of generation installed globally as of October. The plan represents an ambitious bet for Thailand on floating solar, which tends to be more expensive than the groundmounted units that dominate the sector. If EGAT builds all its proposed projects, the company says floating solar will account for one tenth of the country’s clean energy sources, compared to just 1 percent of global solar capacity by 2050, according to BloombergNEF. “As the cost of solar equipment comes down, many developers are looking at water with grid connection,” said Jenny Chase, head of solar analysis for BloombergNEF in London. “This seems to be a great combination of long-term and well-structured planning, with individual projects identified already.”
The bidding for the first floating solar project will begin in two months and will be open to international companies, Thepparat said, with the budget set at 2 billion baht ($63 million) for a 45 megawatt farm at Sirindhorn Dam in northeast Thailand. That plant is expected to come online next year. Floating systems are considered about 18 percent more expensive than land-based ones because of the need for floats, moorings, and more resilient electrical components, according to the World Bank. However, the projects bypass land use in forests and farmlands and water can also help to cool the solar panels, increasing the efficiency by 10 percent, Thepparat said.
Locating the plants at existing hydropower reservoirs means the utility won’t need to spend as much on infrastructure tying it into the grid and the system will improve the overall output of the hydropower plants, according to Thepparat. In the future, the company will also use lithium-ion batteries to store electricity produced by the floating plants.
Eight of EGAT’s 16 planned floating plants would be larger than what is now the world’s biggest, a 150-megawatt system floating above a collapsed coal mine in China.
Thailand has been moving towards generating more electricity from renewable sources in recent years. It has set the goal that renewable energy will make up 27 percent of overall capacity by 2037, according to its latest power development plan.
”The hydro and solar power will be working in synergy in this project and using our existing assets and resources,” Thepparat said in an interview on Monday at EGAT’s head office near Bangkok. “We have studied and planned this project very carefully.”
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Thailand’s biggest will be the 325-MW farm at Sirikit Dam in northern Thailand, scheduled to be completed in 2035.
Source: www.thestar.com
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Solar Cell Recycling Beckons
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ocal companies are keen on investment in solar panel recycling plants under the flagship Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) scheme to capitalise on growth of solar panel installation in Thailand.
Recycling facilities for solar panels are in demand as usage of panels on rooftops, farms, households, factories and buildings skyrockets, with prices of installation falling as the panels become cheaper. Solar panels contain many different silicon cells – thin film solar cells and crystalline silicon solar cells -- as well as cadmium telluride, which is needed for recycling. The industrial works department projects the volume of solar panels expiring in 5-10 years will reach 5000,000 tonner or 18 million solar panels.
Mr Thongchai said there will be 10 strategic areas across the country allotted as recycling zones for solar panels. According to the department, Thailand has 450 solar power generation projects. Most projects are located in central and north-eastern provinces. “We forecast the country needs 100 recycling plants to support the expiry of solar panels,” said Mr Thongchai. He said the department has cooperated with the Energy Ministry to allocate a government budget of 20 million baht to support a study of each investor for the recycling facilities. “It is the first time Thailand is preparing recycling facilities of solar panels after the government supported solar power generation,” said Mr Thongchai The energy ministry said companies and industrial operators have installed solar panels generating 8,600 megawatts as of 2018, some of 15% of the country’s power generation 56,034MW. Capacity from this platform grew nearly 300% from 3,200MW in 2017. The new version of the national power development plan 2018-37 has set new solar power capacity at 12,725MW by 2037.
Solar panels typically last 20 years. Thongchai Chawalitpichaet, directorgeneral of the department, said the pilot location for solar panel recycling plants will be in Chachoengsao, as some local investors have prepared budgets and land plots there. “They would like to invest in these facilities, but investors are calling for the government to support their investments with incentives and privileges,” he said. The department is in talks with many state agencies and related organisations to push forward such plants.
Workers are installing solar panels as roofs in parking lots. Thailand needs recycling facilities to support widespread use of solar panels. Chanat Katanyu
Source: www.bangkokpost.com
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
New Delhi Considers New Solar Tender
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ndia is considering a new tender to develop solar power equipment manufacturing that doesn’t include a requirement to also generate electricity, a move aimed at sparking investor interest, according to people with knowledge of the plan. In addition to separating manufacturing of solar cells and modules from generation, the government may also offer some form of financial aid, said the people, asking not to be identified as the information isn’t public. There has been little interest from solar equipment makers in the previous manufacturing tenders, a hurdle to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious plans of building 100 gigawatts of solar power capacity by 2022.
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India has been struggling to spur its nascent domestic manufacturing industry, which the government estimates can currently only meet just 15% of the country’s annual needs. The nation has been seeking to boost its capabilities through both manufacturing tenders as well as a safeguard duty on cheaper Chinese imports. India’s efforts to develop its own solar equipment industry will be challenged by both domestic policies and overseas competition, according to BloombergNEF analyst Rohit Gadre. “A delinked manufacturing tender will not work unless it provides an assured long-term demand for domestic modules,” Gadre said. As well, “Indian photovoltaic module production will not be able to compete globally on its own as China has already built economies of scale and a strong supply chain.”
Source: www.thestar.com
MINISTRY OF ENERGY, GREEN TECHNOLOGY AND WATER (KeTTHA)
48
Sustainable Energy Malaysia | Volume 1 Issue 1
Energy Commission
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Solar Installations in US Now Exceed 2 Million and Could
A utility scale solar farm located near Adelanto CA in the Mojave desert. Steve Proehl | Corbis Documentary | Getty Images
• California was responsible for 51 percent of the first million installations and 43 percent of the second million.
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here are now over 2 million solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in the U.S., according to new figures. The 2 million mark comes three years after installations hit 1 million, a figure it took the industry 40 years to reach.
The numbers, from Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), were released Thursday. Solar power can be harnessed in several ways, including through photovoltaic and concentrated solar power systems. Photovoltaic refers to a way of directly converting light from the sun into electricity. California was responsible for 51 percent of the first million installations and 43 percent of the second million, the SEIA said. It explained that this reduction was “in large part” down to a residential sector that was both growing and “rapidly diversifying across state markets.” 32 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
• Other states including Texas, Rhode Island, Florida, Utah and Maryland have helped to drive growth. Other states including Texas, Rhode Island, Florida, Utah and Maryland had helped to drive growth, the SEIA added. Abigail Ross-Hopper, the CEO of the SEIA, said that the organization believed “that the 2020s will be the decade that solar becomes the dominant new form of energy generation.” For its part, Wood Mackenzie is forecasting that installations will reach 3 million in 2021 and 4 million in 2023. “According to our latest forecasts, by 2024 there will be, on average, one solar installation per minute,” Michelle Davis, senior solar analyst at Wood Mackenzie, said in a statement Thursday. “That’s up from one installation every 10 minutes in 2010.” Looking at the bigger picture, the U.S. Energy Information Administration says it expects renewable sources, excluding hydropower, will provide around 11% of electricity generation this year, rising to 13% in 2020.
Source: www.cnbc.com
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Thousands of Women Entrepreneurs are
Selling Solar Powered Tech to Homes in Rural India
“One thing we need to understand about rural customers of rural households is their life is extremely challenging,” Ajaita Shah, the founder and CEO of Frontier Markets, told CNBC’s Sustainable Energy.
Key Points
“They don’t have access to infrastructure, they don’t have access to electricity they don’t have access to water, they have health crises,” Shah added.
• For many people across the world, the inability to access or pay for energy is a pressing issue that makes life challenging. • In India, Frontier Markets wants to broaden rural communities’ access to clean sources of energy using what it describes as an entrepreneurial model.
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ith just the flick of a switch most of us can enjoy instant light and heat without a second thought.
The company trains women to sell solar power solutions to rural communities. The women, dubbed Solar Sahelis, have generated $2 million in income through the sale of products like clean cookstoves, renewable energy appliances and solar home systems. They report to a program manager, trained by Frontier Markets, who is based at a local non-governmental organization’s office and oversees between 20 to 30 Sahelis.
Yet for many people across the world, the inability to access or pay for energy is a pressing issue that makes life far more challenging. The International Energy Agency (IEA) defines energy poverty as a “lack of access to modern energy services.”
“We found an opportunity to really bring women into the value chain in a way that did not exist before,” Shah said. “We also learned that 70 percent of our users were women,” she added.“So when you’re understanding the burden of electricity and you’re starting to think about who is the best to connect with that it became women.”
The IEA defines such services as “household access to electricity and to clean cooking facilities”, the latter referring to fuels and stoves that do not generate damaging air pollution within homes. In 2017, almost 2.7 billion people around the world lacked access to clean cooking facilities, while 992 million did not have access to electricity, according to the IEA.
One Solar Saheli is responsible for one village, which covers roughly 100 homes. “When I approach a new customer, I explain the benefits of all our products to them,” said Sahuni Begum, a Solar Saheli.
In India, Frontier Markets, which was founded in 2011, wants to broaden rural communities’ access to clean sources of energy using what it describes as an entrepreneurial model.
“Sometimes people understand immediately, they know about Frontier Markets and the work we do,” she added. “But if it’s a new customer who doesn’t know about us, I demonstrate all the products to them.”
Source: www.cnbc.com
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TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT NEWS
Belgian Scientists Develop Solar
Hydrogen Panel
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he innovation is said to be able to produce 250 litres of hydrogen per day and can convert sunlight and water vapour from the air directly into hydrogen gas with an efficiency of 15%. A research team from Belgium’s KU Leuven university claims to have created a hydrogen panel which can convert 15% of sunlight into hydrogen gas. “Sunlight is part of the picture of course, and our panel does look like a solar panel but we prefer to call it a hydrogen panel,” the researchers said. The team said the panel, which integrates solar energy capture and hydrogen production in one device, can produce 250 litres of hydrogen gas from moisture in the air per day. “Even desert air has enough water vapour in it, so you can apply this process anywhere,” the researchers said. The KU Leuven team said production of hydrogen using the panel is more efficient than conventional methods of making the gas. Some 20 panels of the kind, said the scientists, could power and heat a well-insulated house with a heat pump all winter. However, the researchers would not be drawn on the costs associated with their process, and said: “We’ve submitted several patent applications. As long as these are still pending it’s way too risky to give details. That’s also why we’ve barely published anything.”
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The scientists claim to have developed a carbon neutral power to gas technology. Image: Roy Luck/Flickr
Water Management The scientists claim they were able to overcome water management issues by creating a technology that can deal with temperatures that can reach 50-70 degrees Celsius in the panel and by setting up a system that works in heavy rain and low humidity. “Our system produces hydrogen gas in a carbon-neutral way: we take water vapour out of the air, use it to produce energy, and at the end of the cycle it’s water vapour again,” the group added. The scientists stressed the panel is a long way off commercial production and said it will be further tested on a small scale over two years to detect and fix any remaining flaws and “to turn it into a solid commercial product”.
Source: www.pv-magazine.com
TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT NEWS
Plants use photosynthesis to convert sunshine to energy; solar panels transform sunlight into electrical power using photovoltaics. Pxhere cco public domain
Researchers Have Found a Way to
Make Organic Solar Cells More Robust
O
rganic solar cells have several advantages over their traditional silicon counterparts. But they are highly susceptible to damage from moisture, oxygen and light.
Researchers have now worked out how to make these nextgeneration cells more resistant to harsh environmental variables, bringing them closer to wide scale commercialization.
Current attempts to address the vulnerability of organic solar cells involve encapsulating them, a costly process that makes them heavier and less efficient. Instead, André Taylor, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at New York University, U.S., and team used a tape-stripping process akin to leg waxing to selectively remove electron-accepting molecules from the solar cells’ surface. The organic cells’ active layer is a mixture of the conjugated fullerene derivative Phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and the more robust conjugated polymer, poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). The researchers adhered tape to the top photoactive layer of the cell then applied heat and pressure. When the film dropped back to room temperature, they slowly removed the tape, leaving only six percent of the PCBM acceptor components. This allowed primarily non-reactive organic polymers to be exposed, thereby protecting the cells from oxidation by water and oxygen. The modified solar units survived 10,000 cycles of bending and immersion in water.
Source: www.forbes.com
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ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT NEWS
Snow Nanogenerator Would Allow Solar Panels to Generate Energy on Wintry Days
U
S researchers have invented a nanogenerator that could one day be added to solar panels to keep them producing energy when covered in snow.
The team, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), designed the snow-powered tiny device to take advantage of the energy-producing potential of snow. They call their invention a snow-based triboelectric nanogenerator, or snow TENG. It will generate energy by making use of static electricity.
Device would generate electricity from snow The snow TENG is made of silicone, a material that has a negative charge. Snow is positively charged, so when they come into contact, they exchange electrons and produce energy. “Snow is already charged, so we thought, why not bring another material with the opposite charge and extract the charge to create electricity?” said chemistry and biochemistry researcher Maher El-Kady, a member of the team and a co-author on the report they have published in the journal Nano Energy. Although the snow TENG only produces small amounts of electricity, the team says that one day it could be useful as a complementary technology in solar panels. Snowfall generally 36 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
disrupts the functioning of solar panels, since even when the sun does emerge on grey wintry days, it can’t reach the device. With snow TENG built in, a continuous power supply could be possible.
Snow TENG could be used for fitness tracking More immediately, they envisage the snow TENG being used in fitness tracking. The device is self-powered, so it could make a good wearable device for athletes in snow sports. It can also act as a weather station, collecting data on how much snow is falling and in what direction, as well as the direction and speed of the wind. “It’s a very clever device,” said Richard Kaner, a senior researcher on the team who is also among the world’s most cited scholars. “The device can work in remote areas because it provides its own power and does not need batteries.” The snow TENG is small, flexible and inexpensive to produce. Its thin silicone layer is attached to an electrode to capture the charge. Kaner, El-Kady and their colleagues have form when it comes to energy-harvesting devices. In 2017 they created a solarpowered device that produces both energy and fuel, and this year they made a self-extinguishing motion sensor and power generator for firefighters. Solar panels are an important source of renewable energy and integrated into many new buildings. A recent Space10 project called SolarVille showed how communities could combine solar panels with blockchain technology to create a neighbour-toneighbour trading scheme.
Snow TENG could be used to generate electricity and for fitness tracking. Image courtesy of UCLA Source: www.dezeen.com
TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT NEWS
T
he back-contact solar cell is said to have a conversion efficiency of around 7%. According to researchers, the cell design includes the removal of expensive transparent conductive oxides.
A research team from the University of Sheffield and U.K. storage and energy generation tech provider Power Roll Limited claims to have developed a new 3D back contact solar cell based on a surface embossed with micro grooves the width of a human hair. The cell was created by coating opposing walls of micro grooves with different electrical contacts then filling the grooves with a solution-processable semiconductor, the researchers said. This kind of cell architecture, they claim, can be made with fewer production processes than traditional flat structure based silicon cells, and can be manufactured with other materials than silicon.
> Commercial Aim Power Roll said working mini-module demonstrators of the cell had already been produced and it will increase efforts to bring the technology into commercial production. Professor David Lidzey, from the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Sheffield, said: “The devices we have demonstrated with Power Roll have a promising efficiency whereby 7% of sunlight power falling onto a single photovoltaic micro groove device is directly converted to electrical power – this is already around a third of what the best performing but [most] expensive solar cells produce today.”
UK Scientists Build
The architecture of the new cell is also said to have the potential to reduce optical losses within the device while removing expensive transparent conductive oxides.
New 3D Solar Architecture
“Solar modules produced using this design will weigh only a fraction of an equivalent-power conventional solar module, which could benefit less developed and off grid areas of the world where it is not viable to transport heavy solar panels, as well as [having] a wide range of other applications,” said the scientists behind the innovation in a statement issued to publicize their research.
On its website, Power Roll says its cell technology is five times cheaper to manufacture than silicon PV cells, 10% cheaper than other flexible devices and 40% cheaper to transport and install. The company also claims the device has low capital requirements, with production capacity costing 10 times less than silicon PV, and that its payback period is less than half that of silicon PV.
The new cell could make a difference to the bottom line if it reaches commercial production. Image: Howard Lake/Flickr Source: www.pv-magazine.com
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ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT NEWS
Marrying Two Types of Solar Cells Draws
More Power From the Sun thin, powerfully light-absorbing layer. Most perovskites are best at absorbing blue light, so they must be paired with other materials to snag the full solar spectrum.
Silicon solar cells could get a boost in electrical output with a coating of perovskite materials. Lena Ason / Alamy Stock Photo
T
he promising solar cell materials called perovskites need a partner. Researchers marry a layer of perovskite, which absorbs high-energy blue photons in sunlight, with standard silicon, which gobbles up lower-energy light. In theory, such tandem cells should deliver a double dose of power, with electricity coming from both layers. But building two complete solar cells, one atop the other, adds cost and other challenges. Last week, a team reported advancing a potentially simpler, cheaper way to make a tandem.
The solar industry is racing to commercialize perovskites by placing them atop conventional silicon modules, which discard much of the energy in bluer light photons, releasing it as heat rather than electric current. But in addition to the expense of adding device layers, manufacturers must also grapple with practical challenges such as designing tandems so the amount of current coming out of each cell is the same. If they don’t, the overall current is limited by the weaker of the two cells.
> A Perfect Match A new tandem solar cell design uses a perovskite layer (pink), which absorbs energy from blue and purple photons and reemits it as near-infrared (near-IR) photons. Along with other colors of light, these photons are absorbed by a silicon (gray) solar cell and converted to electricity.
The team’s perovskite converts light instead of generating current, transforming blue photons to near-infrared (near-IR) photons, which the silicon cell below then turns into electricity. The researchers say the design could boost the efficiency of silicon solar cells by nearly 20%. If it does, it could be key to realizing the promise of perovskites, a class of compounds that share a crystal structure and are made from common elements such as lead, bromine, and chlorine. “This is one of the most exciting results I’ve seen in a long time,” says Michael McGehee, a perovskite expert at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. “The boost in efficiency they are claiming is very significant.” Silicon solar cell–makers, a $30 billion a year industry in 2016, grasp at every tenth of a percentage point gain in efficiency. Silicon dominates the solar industry not because it’s the best solar converter, but because it’s serviceable and relatively cheap. Still, manufacturers must use expensive clean rooms to purify and prepare it. Perovskites, in contrast, are easy to coax into a 38 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
Two years ago, researchers led by electrical engineer Hongwei Song at Jilin University in Changchun, China, reported a way around these challenges. By sprinkling a small amount of the rare earth metal ytterbium into a standard cesium- and leadbased perovskite, they found they could build a perovskite tandem with a different, simpler architecture. Like conventional perovskites, the ytterbium-doped version absorbs blue photons, energizing electrons in the material. But these electrons aren’t turned into current. Instead, they immediately pass their energy to the ytterbium atoms, which re-emit virtually all of it as near-
IR light. Most of these photons zip into the silicon cell below, which absorbs nearly all their energy and efficiently converts it to electricity, losing very little as heat. “For solar energy conversion, this combination of materials is almost exactly what you want,” says Daniel Gamelin, a chemist at the University of Washington in Seattle. The perovskites Song’s team created were nanoparticles, however, which are hard to lay down uniformly on a silicon cell. The challenge is acute with the best-performing commercial cells, in which silicon is topped with a protective layer of glass that is intentionally roughened. The miniature glass mountains help light enter the cell instead of reflecting off its top surface, but the perovskite nanoparticles don’t always form an even layer on the rough surface. At last week’s American Chemical Society meeting here, Gamelin reported that he and his colleagues have solved this problem. They used a common solar cell–growing technique known as vacuum deposition to create thin, smooth layers of ytterbium-doped perovskite on roughly 14-centimeter silicon solar cells. The technique coats the miniature glass mountain range with an even perovskite film. Source: www.sciencemag.org
In the resulting tandem, nearly all the blue light absorbed by the perovskite is converted to near-IR photons, Gamelin reported. As a result, he predicts, topping a high-end silicon cell with the ytterbium perovskite should enable it to convert 32.2% of the energy it absorbs as sunlight into electricity, up from 27%—a 19.2% boost. Gamelin’s team is doing experiments now to confirm those predictions. “I am a little sceptical of the numbers,” McGehee says. But even a fraction of that increase “would be a big deal,” he says. Michael Graetzel, a photovoltaic expert at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, agrees. But he says practical concerns such as emitted near-IR photons escaping may limit gains to less than 10%. Last month, Gamelin and his colleagues launched a start up, BlueDot, to commercialize the technology. They have plenty of competition. Perovskite start-ups such as Oxford PV in the United Kingdom and Saule Technologies in Warsaw are already field testing their perovskite-silicon tandems or preparing to do so. But BlueDot hopes to leapfrog the other companies, because its simpler tandem design should enable standard silicon solar cell manufacturers to integrate perovskites into their manufacturing lines more easily—and get perovskites onto the roofs of the world.
15 - 16 Oct 2019 / Ho Chi Minh City
Increasing Solar & Wind Power Capacity in Vietnam! KEY HIGHLIGHTS
• RE-Electrify Vietnam – Strategy for Solar + Wind Development & EVN’s Role • Updates on National Support, Tariff Structure & Corresponding Bankability of Solar & Wind PPAs • Regional Outlook on Solar + Wind Opportunities; Economics & Vietnam’s Advantage • Case Studies of Successful Projects in Vietnam & Asia • Utility-Scale Solar Farms – Sustaining the Heartbeat? • Rooftop Solar Power – A Game Changer for Vietnam? • Wind Energy Potential in Vietnam – Onshore, Nearshore (InterTidal), Offshore? • Supply Chain Development for Offshore Wind in Vietnam • Perspectives from Developers + Investors + Lenders • LCOE & RE-Competitiveness in Vietnam • Grid Connection & Key Constraints • Potential for Energy Storage in Vietnam Renewables?
YOU WILL NETWORK WITH Local & International Power Companies, Government & Regulators, IPPs, Renewable Energy Project Developers, EPC, Solar Panels & Equipment/Technologies Providers, Wind Turbines & Equipment / Technologies Providers, Energy Storage Solution Providers, Transmission & Delivery Advisors, Financial Institutions, Investors & Project Financiers, Legal Consultants SPONSOR OR BOOK YOUR EXHIBITION SPACE This event is an excellent platform to promote your organization to influential players & investors in the industry. Talk to us for sponsorship packages or book your exhibition space now! Contact fiona@cmtsp.com.sg
TO REGISTER Online : www.cmtevents.com Email: huiyan@cmtsp.com.sg Tel: +65 6346 9113 39 Fax: +65 6345 5928
ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT NEWS
T
Arctech Unveils New Single-Axis Tracker he device, conceived for large scale solar, is said to solve the instability issues associated with the two-modules-inportrait structure and to have the largest south-north slope seen in the tracker industry.
Chinese PV tracker manufacturer Arctech has unveiled the SkySmart-2, a single-axis tracker for utility scale solar projects which is said to solve the instability issues associated with a twomodules-in-portrait set-up consisting of panels mounted in two rows and vertically oriented.
Arctech is making big claims about its latest product. Image: Arctech
Arctech says the tracker design, with four driving – fixed – points and two-stage worm gears, provides increased stability due to stronger resistance to difficult weather conditions, particularly strong winds. The Kunshan-based manufacturer said the SkySmart-2’s 20% south-north slope – equivalent to 11.3 degrees – is the largest ever seen in the tracker industry.
Lower costs claim
The structure was described as compatible with 1500 V fourstring systems, bifacial panels and all commercially available PV modules. Arctech added, it also requires fewer foundations. “If 370 Wp modules are installed on a row, only 202 foundations will be used for 1 MW; if 420 Wp modules are installed on a row, only 178 foundations will be used for 1 MW,” the company said.
The Lora wireless radio frequency technology, with a range of around 8 km and low electricity consumption, is used for plant monitoring. That technology, the company added, can keep the signal stable under various climate conditions. The new tracker is at the final stage of internal testing and is set to enter the global market shortly, Arctech added.
Arctech claims installation and operations and maintenance costs for the SkySmart-2 are also lower than rival trackers, as the new model relies on only one motor and controller and all worm gears are connected through a mechanical synchronizing shaft.
Source: www.pv-magazine-australia.com
SPONSOR OR BOOK YOUR EXHIBITION SPACE
This event is an excellent platform to promote your organization to influential players & investors in the industry. Talk to us for sponsorship packages or book your exhibition space now! Contact fiona@cmtsp.com.sg
Register Me Send sponsorship details
Exhibitor Speaker
Name Position Company Email Address Tel
“Engie, J-Power to collaborate on offshore wind” ~ Renewables Now, Sept 2018
Fax
TO REGISTER
Online: Email: Fax: Tel:
www.cmtevents.com hafizah@cmtsp.com.sg (65) 6345 5928 (65) 6346 9218
CORPORATE SPONSORS
“Japanese utilities buy into vast offshore wind farm in UK” ~ Nikkei Asian Review, Aug 2018
visit www.cmtevents.com/aboutevent.aspx?ev=190507& ASIA SOLARPlease + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL Program details published herein are confirmed as at 21/03/2019. for latest information on speakers & topics.
• Constructing a successful offshore wind partnership in Japan • Pilot case studies experiences & lesson from Taiwan & Europe
“Japanese corporation adds to offshore wind portfolio” ~ Offshore Wind Journal, Aug 2018
• Offshore wind project risk, mitigation & insurance
“Japan eyes loosening restrictions on wind power to boost output” ~ The Japan Times, Aug 2018
YOU WILL NETWORK WITH
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• Offshore wind opportunities in Japan & regulator’s perspectives
“Equinor bets on offshore wind as European oil firms push green agenda… It is also opening an office in Japan to position for potential offshore wind tenders there.” ~ Reuters, Aug 2018
“Japan’s Tepco Sees Hydro and Offshore Wind as a ‘Core Business’” ~ Greentech Media, Aug 2018
ORGANISED BY
Key highlights of the agenda
Executives, Directors & Managers from: • Developers & Operators • PCs & Contractors • Supply Chain & Logistics • Finance & Legal • Government • Consultants 2019
• Financing climate & funding options/strategies for offshore wind projects • Creating the supply chain – needs & opportunities • Offshore wind technologies for the Japanese environment
Confirmed Speakers from • • • • • • •
Wood Mackenzie Baker & McKenzie Ørsted RENOVA Inc. Nagasaki Prefectural Government Eiger Law Northland Power
• Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners • Development Bank Of Japan Inc. • Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking • The Carbon Trust • Equinor ASA • EOLFI
TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT NEWS
Ford Transit Smart Energy Electric Concept Extends Range Through Solar and Heat Systems impact on driving range when it comes to minibuses. That’s because they require significantly more energy to create a comfortable temperature for passengers, compared to goods transport vehicles and passenger cars.
Smart Solutions for Extending Range To deal with this challenge, the all-electric Transit Smart Energy Concept features energy-saving and energy-generating innovations such as solar panels and powertrain heat recovery systems. For example, an innovative heat pump utilizes waste heat from the drivetrain components, the outside air, and the air within the cabin to reduce heating system energy usage by up to 65 percent.
E
arlier this month, Ford announced that an all-electric Transit van would be coming in 2021.
At the GoFurther event in Amsterdam, the automaker showed two electric Transits: a camouflaged model and the Transit All-Electric Smart Energy Concept. At the time, Ford didn’t say much about the latter but now the automaker is back with more details on the electric minibus study. For starters, the battery-electric Transit Smart Energy Concept is more than a design study, it’s used “to trial technologies that could help maximize the driving range of future electrified vehicles.” Ford chose the 10-seater minibus format as it represents the toughest challenge for maximizing range. Research shows that a traditional heating system can reduce electric vehicle range by up to 50 percent in cold weather and it has an even greater
Ford says this equates to extending the driving range by 20 percent. The minibus concept is also fitted with six solar panels on the roof that charge a 12-volt battery for powering seat heating, cabin lighting, and on-board electrical systems. Other energysaving measures include ventilated double-glazed windows, as well as insulated rear floor and roof that further reduce cabin heat loss. Developed by engineers at Ford’s Merkenich Technical Center in Germany, the one-off vehicle uses a Transit chassis fitted with the same battery-electric drivetrain technology as the StreetScooter Work XL commercial vehicle. This gives the Transit Smart Energy Concept a driving range of 150 km (93 miles) from a 4-hour charge. Ford will begin road-trials with the Transit Smart Energy Concept later this year after completing wind-tunnel tests. Source: www.carscoops.com
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ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
COVER STORY
ASIAN PHOTOVOLTAIC INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION SHARES ITS INSIGHTS In an exclusive interview with our editor.
General Background of Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Shaari Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Shaari has been involved in photovoltaic (PV) system applications development and talent cultivation since many years. As a leading figure in this field in Malaysia and the region, he represented Malaysia at international activities such as: IEA PVPS, IEC, and APEC EWG 14 2015A project. He has given services to the government and industry in research, consultancy and expert advice in various forms, including local and international companies. Besides, he has also been the chief trainer-examiner for several PV systems training programmes in Malaysia and ASEAN, and has provided expert services on PV systems design, training, evaluation, tender documents, proposals and post-project evaluations for grid-connected (GC) and off-grid (OG) PV systems. Prof. Sulaiman is the chairman of the national working group for Malaysian Standards (MS) on PV as well member of the Technical Committee on Renewable Energy. For his contributions, he was given an award by the Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA) 2015 and an award from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations, Malaysia 2013. Prof. Sulaiman is regularly engaged as evaluator and referee for the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy and PV related project proposals and funding, energy audits, organizing seminars/workshops, judging of competitions and reviewing technical journal papers. He has won several excellent service awards as well as medals for PV related products in international exhibitions, written, presented and published many books on solar PV technology and physics, journals, conferences, etc. Prof. Sulaiman is now Secretary General of the APVIA from 2019-2021 and is Vice President II of the Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association (MPIA) since 2017. He now teaches as a Professor at the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
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> Some of the publications where Prof. Sulaiman was heavily involved in ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
> Delivering APVIA keynote address at the International Solar Conference 2019 organised by the Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association (MPIA).
Qualifications and Certifications Received by Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Shaari Academic
Institution
Ph.D. (Photovoltaics) M.S. (Physics) B.S. (Physics)
De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom University of Missouri, Kansas City, United States of America Kansas State University, Manhattan, United States of America
Competency Certificate
Awarding Body
Photovoltaics
Renewables Academy (RENAC) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany
Photovoltaics
Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA), Malaysia
Photovoltaics & Other Renewable Energies
New Energy Development Organisation (NEDO), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan
Photovoltaics
Global Sustainable Energy Solutions (GSES), Australia and Institute of Sustainable Power (ISP)
> Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Shaari, Secretary General of Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA)
> With Mayor, Chairman of Council and VIP at Daegu, South Korea
1. What are APVIA’s roles and contributions to the photovoltaic industry in Asia? The APVIA is a non-profit self-regulatory organisation, founded in 2008. Its establishment was approved in 2009 by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore. The head office is in Singapore, with offices in Shanghai, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Membership comprises photovoltaic (PV) related enterprises, scientific institutes and related organisations in Asian countries under the principle of voluntary enrolment, serving all members. The role, aims and contributions of the APVIA are: • To encourage technological and economic information exchange such as conference, bulletin and email blast; • To facilitate members’ contact with governments and societies, especially in Asian countries; • To accelerate progress in upgrading and popularizing PV technology; • To promote economic development; and • To provide services to members.
> Part of training facility on PV competency at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) in use for the ASEAN region.
The direct benefits of joining the APVIA are: • Get first-hand information on market statistics, latest products and services training and join pool of service providers; • Have a role in developing technology standards and guidelines; • Get updated on accredited and credible programmes and certificates; • Share developments of technologies and publications; • Develop and strengthen networks across Asia and beyond, via joint seminars, forums with involvement and visibility at world platforms. 43 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
COVER STORY
> Conducting training of PV system design and installation on rooftop. Conducting training of PV system design and installation on rooftop.
2. What are the major challenges faced by the solar photovoltaic organizations in Asia? How APVIA assists them to overcome these issues? a) Generally, the major challenges may be clustered as follows:
4. One of the APVIA missions is to integrate high quality educational resources in the Asia-Pacific region to meet multi-layer professional talent. Could you share with us what are APVIA’s plans regarding this matter?
i) Support from local industry players: i.e. need to have strong trust, support and commitment by the industry players in one’s own country; ii) Appreciation by local governments: i.e. the local associations need the trust and synergy from their governments so the industry can move in sync with the country’s agenda; iii) International recognition and relations: i.e. there needs to be improved activities at the regional and inter- regional levels that are in unison with each other in terms of promoting high quality PV products and services.
a) In the long term, APVIA plans to introduce a competency programme, recognised internationally at the various levels. b) APVIA also recognises talent cultivation and presents awards to prime-movers in this area. c) Moving towards this, APVIA will be conducting a set of courses and workshops, that will be launched at the up- coming event, in June 2019, at SNEC, Shanghai, China. Details about this will be published in APVIA portal very soon. See: http://www.apvia.org/homeTest aspx?categoryPK=bb10c851-876f-4014-af9a0a750b8e8175
b) APVIA assists them by proactive engagement, e.g. introducing, promoting and increasing visibility at events, organisations, networks and links.
5. How does APVIA plan to expand their global influence and develop potential members?
3. As I understand, there are currently two major trends for PV modules which are Floating Solar and Energy Digitalization. Can you share more about it and what are the benefits of these two trends to the industry? a) The Floating Solar (FS) System application is now fast catching up in many regions of the world. FS is the new big thing in solar at the moment and in the very immediate future. b) The situation with energy digitalisation (ED) can be likened to an ‘avalanche’ in this present era with PV subscribing to ED, this is poised to become a ‘tsunami’ in the new age of modern energy management. This concept is actually already implemented in pilot regimes by various economies around the world at different stages, popularly called ‘smart grid (SG) technology. PV is just a part of the SG technology, in the new era of ED. 44 44
ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
APVIA uses proactive engagement, e.g. introducing, promoting and increasing visibility at events, organisations, networks and links.
6. Solar industry is growing robustly nowadays, is there any necessary plan or enhancement needed on the electrical waste management? This is one of the issues that must be given due respect and attention to. Looking at the statistics now and the projection in the near future, it is urgent that an effective and workable plan that is acceptable by the stakeholders be worked on now. Ironically, the implementation of such plans and execution of the activities should have been done sometime ago.
7. What is APVIA view on the growth of solar photovoltaic industry across Asia?
Solar PV is the way to go, now and forever. ‘Have sun, will have fun’.
45 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
DID YOU KNOW?
Go Solar and Save
On Your Electricity Bill
Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are no strangers to us today as they have become more and more commonly used in buildings around the world. Sustainability and lower electricity bill charges are the main reasons more building owners are embracing solar energy and technology. For individual homeowners, the most attractive draw is probably the cost reduction in electricity usage, which can be quite significant in the long term. But is solar energy a worthy
investment in Malaysia? What are the steps to getting one’s home “solar energised”?
The NEM scheme Currently, the Malaysian government offers the Net Energy Metering (NEM) scheme to calculate the billing of electricity for people who have solar PV panels on the roof of their buildings in Peninsular Malaysia. The NEM is a solar PV implementation mechanism that is executed by the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC), regulated by the EnergyCommission (EC), and implemented by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Malaysia. Under NEM, users will consume the electricity generated from solar energy first and then sell back any excess solar-generated energy to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) to offset the electricity that their premises have consumed from the grid at the end of the month, SEDA Malaysia CEO Dr. Sanjayan Velautham tells EdgeProp.my. A homeowner who generates more electricity than the household can consume is allowed to roll over the excess electricity to be used for a maximum of 24 months. Since Jan 1, 2019, the NEM has been enhanced by MESTECC and excessive solar-generated energy will be sold back to TNB on a “one-to-one” offset basis that follows the TNB tiered tariff rates, instead of a displacement cost of 31 sen per kilowatt hour (kWh) previously. 46 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
DID YOU KNOW?
Notably, the selling price for excess solar energy will be calculated according to TNB’s tiered tariff rates and eventually, one will only need to pay the differential sum, explains Sanjayan. “In your bill, you will first use the solar energy that you produce in your home, and if your solar panel is producing more than is required for use, [the excess electricity] will be sent out [to the grid] and the meter will capture how many kW is going out. And when you don’t have [sufficient solar energy] - especially at night - you will start importing from the grid,” he adds. For example (see sample bill), if you have imported 650kWh of electricity from TNB and exported 172kWh of excessive solar energy that you have generated in a month, your net payable amount will be RM168.85 after deducting the value of the energy that you have sold to TNB.
NEM’s take-up picking up NEM was introduced in 2016 with a quota allocation of 500 megawatts (MW) up to 2020 for qualified applicants to adopt the use of solar PV system. Of the 500MW, 50MW is allocated for domestic customers or residential buildings. The balance is allocated for nondomestic customers, which consist of commercial, industrial and agriculture properties. Sanjayan says the uptake for NEM was slow before the scheme was enhanced by MESTECC recently as the displaced price of selling excess solar energy to TNB had deterred people from taking it up. However, thanks to the implementation of the “one-to-one” offset concept, the uptake of the NEM scheme has gained momentum since the beginning of 2019, he adds. Data from SEDA Malaysia shows that only about 21.77MW were taken up from 2016 to 2018, of which 17.07MW were approved for last year. In comparison, for 2019, as at May 15 this year, some 17.97MW of quota have already been taken up surpassing the full year figure for 2018. There are also some 0.08MW approved by the agency which are expected to be commissioned in 2020, making the total uptake for NEM since 2016 to total about 39.82MW up till May 15 this year. “We have seen a much higher uptake for NEM from the industry and domestic [customers] since January this year and we hope to continue this trend,” says Sanjayan.
One of the issues that is hindering the uptake of NEM, he adds, is the low awareness among the public. To tackle that, SEDA Malaysia has embarked on several initiatives to help potential solar PV system applicants to understand the application process better including the setting up of a new website which features a renewable energy microsite and an NEM calculator. “In our website, we have put up an infographic that users can interact with [for details on NEM and solar PV purchasing options]. There is also a calculator which can tell you the size of solar panel that you may want to put in your house, how much you can save and the payback period,” offers Sanjayan.
Benefits of having solar PV panels When you have solar panels installed in your house, one of the benefits that you can enjoy is energy savings that could potentially range from 54% to 87% depending on the amount of energy used and the rooftop size, according to GSPARX Sdn Bhd. GSPARX is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TNB as well as a registered solar PV investor under SEDA Malaysia. For domestic customers, it offers standard solar PV installation sizes that range from 2kW to 12kW with prices from RM4,500 to RM8,500 per kW. Producing your own energy could also act as a hedge against the potential hike in conventional electricity tariffs in future. “When you put a solar panel on your house, you are a ‘prosumer’, which means you produce and consume the electricity from your solar panel. 47 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
DID YOU KNOW?
“In general, payback period for solar panels is about six years and with a lifespan of approximately 20 years long, one will enjoy the full benefits of the solar panel after the payback period,” says Sanjayan. It may cost a little bit more for one to adopt the solar technology now, but it will be worth it in the long term, he adds. Some may be concerned about the cost of having solar panels, but Sanjayan says there are many purchasing options being offered by solar players in today’s market while the prices for solar PV panels have been going down over the past few years. According to him, the most commonly used panel — polycrystalline solar PV panel — is now averaging at about RM4,500 per kW in Malaysia, about 62% lower than in 2011.
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Besides using cash, credit card or taking up a personal loan to purchase these panels from a service provider, one can also opt for leasing options that may not require an upfront fee, such as solar power purchase agreements (PPA) and solar leasing programme offers by investors. “[The process] is quite easy. Just go to SEDA’s website and there is a list of registered solar PV service providers and investors. You should call up about two or three of them and choose the package that suits you best,” he says.
DID YOU KNOW?
The service provider or investor will assist the applicant, who has to be a registered TNB customer and not blacklisted by TNB, to apply for the NEM, and install the solar panels and the NEM meter. “We advise people to use the service providers and investors who have registered with us because they are already certified by us. They have been verified by us and thus we know the business exists,” he continues. Currently, there are about 110 solar PV service providers and 27 solar PV investors registered with SEDA Malaysia. While it is worth noting that NEM is open to landed homes, such as terraced houses, semi-dees and bungalows, it is also available for non-landed properties on certain conditions. For non-landed stratified buildings like apartments and condominiums, the NEM is only applicable to the management body, i.e. Joint Management Body or Management Corporation and the electricity that is generated from the solar panels can only be used for the common areas, Sanjayan notes. To get it done, the management body will need to work out a plan and apply for the NEM with a service provider or investor before entering into an agreement under its name, he adds. “What would be logical [for a stratified building] is to cover your common area with solar energy, so that you don’t charge the owners [so much], which in turn benefits them,” he elaborates.
P2P solar energy trading platform in the pipeline The government is mulling the introduction of a virtual peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading platform that allows solar prosumers and electrical consumers to trade excess solar energy. SEDA Malaysia CEO Dr. Sanjayan Velautham says the platform, which will utilise block chain technology, is part of the upcoming Renewable Energy Transition Roadmap (RETR) 2035 that aims to raise renewable energy share in the national power mix to 20% by 2025.
Sanjayan: We are still working on the details. Many countries have started to test it, such as Thailand, Australia and Singapore. So hopefully next year, Malaysia will have a platform to test it. (Photo by Low Yen Yeing/ EdgeProp.my)
Through the P2P platform, he says solar panel users can sell their excess electricity to anyone in the system, including those who don’t have solar panels but want to buy green energy. The buyer or seller would only need to pay a certain amount to TNB to use the company’s infrastructure to complete the electricity transmission – just like driving a car on the highway and paying the toll for using the road, he explains. Similar to the Open Electricity Market in Singapore, the P2P platform will be an open market as opposed to the current regulated situation where TNB buys the excessive electricity from solar panel users, he adds. “Within the roadmap, one of the objectives is to study the strategies of this P2P platform. With that, we have already engaged many meetings [with TNB, Energy Commission and the energy sector of MESTECC],” offers Sanjayan. A task force has been formed to look into the set-up of the platform, and pilot runs are expected to be conducted sometime next year to test how it works within the regulatory framework, before it becomes fully operational. Nevertheless, Sanjayan says the government is still working on the details and nothing is cast in stone at the moment. “We are still working on the details. Many countries have started to test it, such as Thailand, Australia and Singapore. So hopefully next year, Malaysia will have a platform to test it. The aim is to bring prices down and thus benefit consumers and people who don’t have solar panels but want to have cheaper green energy,” he points out. “During the pilot run, we are going to have a sandbox of a small area within a certain radius to test this kind of trading to [examine] the way it works and how to ensure the security,” he adds. Source: www.edgeprop.my 49 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019
EVENT HIGHLIGHT
PV GUANGZHOU 2019 Date : August 16th-18th, 2019 Venue : China Import & Export Fair Complex (Area A), Guangzhou, China Official Website : http://www.pvguangzhou.com/ Organizer (company) : Guangdong Grandeur International Exhibition Group Frequency : Annual
C
hina Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) recently predicts that after 531 new policies, though China’s PV market won’t be able to keep up its once-exponential growth, it still holds the world’s No.1 position and emerging industry strong players are to be expected for the market’s wholesome development.
PV GUANGZHOU 2019 is a chance for the PV community to gather together and rethink the industry’s development path under 531 new policies! Without subsidies, how will household PV break through? And when will the era of PV grid parity truly arrive? All questions need to be answered in today China’s PV industry! Distributed PV in Guangdong has ushered in an unstoppable development boom since the launch of ‘Golden Sun’ pilot project and the government’s encouragement of building-integrated photovoltaic. How to seize your chances in this PV Gold Rush? Come and find the answer!
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EVENT HIGHLIGHT
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EVENT HIGHLIGHT
Mastering Solar Power Date : 8 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 11 July 2019 Venue : Singapore Official Website : http://www.infocusinternational.com/solar
Overview A comprehensive, up-to-date and business-focused roadmap to success in delivering solar power growth, today and tomorrow. Attendees will leave with a good understanding of the key factors from an integrated, multidisciplinary and commercial viewpoint, including: target market analysis, economic competitiveness, channels-to-market, financing influences and risk, project development processes, best practices and emerging technologies. The course schedule includes group work time to apply the learning and illustrate the key project development considerations by discussing, developing and quantifying an initial business proposal for a solar PV power plant. To do so, the attendees will utilize energy yield, financial and other simple calculations, along with the chance to debate the key planning and market environment considerations. In keeping with the business-focused theme of the course, these illustrative exercises are designed to provide timeefficient clarification of the key course takeaways. It is aimed at commercially-focused business developers and investors. Therefore, it is accessible to non-experts and it is not designed to replicate the complex or in-depth detailed planning undertaken - over much longer periods - by engineers and technical teams.
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Benefits of Attending - Speak the language of solar energy: terminology and concepts explained with clarity and relevance - Understand the key variables in determining the economics of solar PV projects - Review current and emerging market opportunities for solar PV including integrations such as energy storage - Learn and discuss how financial returns and risks arise in PV projects - Be able to converse with project partners, suppliers, investors, policymakers and other stakeholders - Know what to look for during the evaluation of PV project opportunities - Identify key investment and project performance risks - Learn how to analyze and critique current and emerging business models
EVENT HIGHLIGHT
Topic Highlights with Case Studies
Who Should Attend
>Day 1:
This course is ideal if: - You are working within the power sector in a commercial or business development role. You need a clear explanation and multi-faceted understanding on how PV projects are developed with the reason and how they succeed (or fail), including how market and technology changes are driving new innovation opportunities along with new competitive risks
- The Essential Elements of a Successful Solar Power Project - Valuing Solar Power in Wholesale Electricity Markets and the Energy Mix - Selling Utility-Scale Solar Electricity: the Growing Channel- to-Market Options - Markets and Opportunities for Distributed and Captive Solar Power
>Day 2:
- Technology and Performance Trends in Solar Power - Understanding Weather Risk for Solar Energy - Project Planning Group Work Exercise: Annual Energy Potential - Project Planning Group Work Exercise: System Components & Performance
>Day 3:
- Solar Power Project Development and Delivery - Dispatchable Solar Power Projects (and the Value of Storage) - Integrated Solar Power Projects, Including Micro grids - Project Planning Group Work Exercise: Development Opportunities & Risks
>Day 4:
- Financing Solar Power Projects - Project Planning Group Work Exercise: Competitive Bidding - Project Planning Group Work Exercise: Summary Presentation - The Future of Solar: New Value-Chain Opportunities & Competition
- You are from the investment, policy or professional services community. You need to embrace the inevitable growth of solar energy and intend to gain an independent perspective on the economic environment in which these projects operate including the development, operational and business risks that most matter to them.
Including but not limited to: - Investors, including commercial and development banks, venture capital and private equity - Power generation companies, utilities and IPPs - Policy makers and policy advisors - Transmission/Distribution system operators - Commercial services suppliers (law, insurance etc.) - Equipment vendors & EPC contractors - Large energy users and electricity buyers
Teaching Methodology The agenda will combine presented materials with plenty of opportunities for Q&A, interactive discussions and the use of quantitative models to illustrate the key learning points. Current market examples and data are utilized wherever helpful.
Course Certificate Upon the successful completion of this course, you will receive a Certificate of Completion bearing the signatures from both the Course Director and the Course Organizer. This certificate will testify your endeavor and serve towards your professional advancement. To register/enquire, please contact: Abigail Harris Organizer (company) : Infocus International Group Tel : +65 6325 0215 | Email : abigail [at] infocusinternational [dot] com Official Website : http://www.infocusinternational.com/solar
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EVENT HIGHLIGHT
Date : 5 – 7 August 2019 Venue : Singapore Official Website:
Electricity Economics in Changing Electricity Markets “The new economics of power markets in a low-carbon world”
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http://www.infocusinternational.com/electricityeconomics
Overview Are you ready for the new challenges & opportunities as power markets around the world evolve? This is an essential core knowledge course for those involved in the business or regulation of the power industry. It leads you through a clear, accessible and thorough examination of the economics of power generation, from power plant cost influences to end-customer prices. It contextualizes this analysis with key consideration of industry drivers and trends, including increasingly liberalized and competitive markets, evolving policy support and management frameworks, the growth and integration of renewable power sources, and the restructuring of power systems towards more decentralized operations.
A highly interactive presentation style allows for plenty of Q&A and time to discuss the issues from multiple stakeholder perspectives; including power plant owners, investors, policymakers and energy customers. This course is an essential primer for those seeking to navigate successful business routes through transitioning electricity systems.
Benefits of Attending - Clear, independent and business-focused introduction - Language designed for non-experts; particularly senior executives, policymakers & investment decision-makers - Core knowledge building, including up-to-the-minute examples from markets around the world - Interactive discussion of key market and economic variables - Quantification of key issues using simple numerical calculations, real data and Excel-based tools
EVENT HIGHLIGHT
We will examine these key questions:
Agenda Summary
- Which variables drive the economics of electricity generation? - How do generation costs combine with other factors to produce end-use electricity prices? - How are current technology & system trends impacting electricity costs and prices? - What are policymakers doing to keep costs down? - Who are the key stakeholders and influencers on electricity economics? - What are the value-chain impacts of market liberalization and competition? - How are solar and wind power (and other low-carbon options) changing market environments? - And many more!
>Day 1: Economic & Market Fundamentals
Who Should Attend - Power generators, utilities and IPPs - Investors, including commercial and development banks, venture capital and private equity - Policymakers and policy advisors - Transmission / Distribution system operators (grid) - Power system vendors & EPC contractors - Large electricity users - Commercial services suppliers (law, insurance etc.)
Teaching Methodology The agenda will combine presented materials with plenty of opportunity for Q&A, interactive discussions, and the use of quantitative models and calculations to illustrate key learning points. Current market examples, trends, news and data are utilised wherever helpful to illustrate the learning. It is important to note that market intelligence and examples are continuously updated and refreshed before every course, and so not always reflected in detail in the pre-published agenda.
- The Cost Structure and Returns of Electricity Generation - Investors, Bankability and Project Financing - Key Metrics and Clarity in Defining Electricity Costs, Prices and Value Propositions - INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION: Electricity Market Stakeholders
>Day 2: Electricity Pricing & Market Disruption - Markets and Energy Prices - Putting a Value on Capacity - Electricity System Disruption - INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION: A Full-System View of Electricity Pricing
>Day 3: Competition, Innovation, Investment and the Customer - Business Case & Project Financing Issues for New Power Infrastructure - Selling Electricity in Competitive Environments - A Review of Growing and Emerging Challenges (and Opportunities) - INTERACTIVE SUMMARY & DISCUSSION: Electricity Policy in a Low-Carbon World
Course Certificate Upon the successful completion of this course, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. This certificate will testify your endeavour and serve towards your professional advancement.
To register/enquire, please contact: Abigail Harris Organizer (company) : Infocus International Group Tel : +65 6325 0215 | Email : abigail [at] infocusinternational [dot] com Official Website : http://www.infocusinternational.com/electricityeconomics
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EVENT HIGHLIGHT
SNEC 13th (2019) International Photovoltaic Power Generation and Smart Energy Exhibition & Conference
S
NEC (2019) PV POWER EXPO will be held from June 4 - 6 in Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC). It was initiated by Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA), Chinese Renewable Energy Society (CRES), Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association (CREIA), Shanghai Federation of Economic Organizations (SFEO), Shanghai Science & Technology Development and Exchange Center (SSTDEC), Shanghai New Energy Industry Association (SNEIA) and jointly organized by 19 international associations and organizations including Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). As the most professional PV exhibition, SNEC showcases PV manufacturing facilities, materials, PV cells, PV application products & modules, and PV project and system, covering every section of the whole PV industry chain. SNEC has become the biggest international PV tradeshow with incomparable influence in China, in Asia and even in the world. The SNEC Conference consists of various programs incorporating different topics, covering the market trends of
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PV industry, collaboration and development strategies, policy directions of different countries, advanced industry technologies, PV finance and investment, etc. It is an opportunity that you can’t miss to stay up to date on the technology and market, present your results to the community, and network with industrial experts, scholars and entrepreneurs and colleagues. We are looking forward to the worldwide PV industry friends gathering at Shanghai, China. From the industry’s viewpoint, let us take pulse of the PV power market of China, Asia, and the world, so as to guide the innovative development of the PV industry! Hope all of us meet at Shanghai, on June 4-6, 2019! If you are interested in knowing more about SNEC2019 PV Power Expo, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Contact Person :James Jiang (Sales Manager) Email :james.jiang@snec.org.cn Mobile/Wechat :+86-13651766051 Skype :james1689695 QQ :471393554
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ADVERTISER INDEX PAGE 7 51 59 OBC 40 21 45 57 31 39
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Electronics Manufacturing Expo Asia 2019 www.emaxasia.com th www.pvguangzhou.com 11 Guangzhou International Solar Photovoltaic Exhibition 2019 International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition www.igem.my & Conference Malaysia Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association (MPIA) www.mpia.org.my Solar National Roadshow 2019 OWP Japan Offshore Wind Power 2019 www.cmtevents.com Powertrends 2019 www.powertrends.leverageinternational.com REC India www.recindia.com SNEC PV Power Expo 2019 www.snec.org.cn59 Sustainable Energy Development Authority www.seda.gov.my 2nd Vietnam Renewables www.cmtevents.com
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THE BIGGEST FLAGSHIP EVENT ORGANISED ANNUALLY BY THE MINISTRY OF ENERGY, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE (MESTECC)
9 - 11 october 2019 | kuala lumpur convention centre, malaysia
TH
ANNIVERSARY
INNOVATING SUSTAINABILITY 59 ASIA SOLAR + PV MAGAZINE | MAY - JUL 2019 tel: 03-89210800| email: igemgroup@greentechmalaysia.my | WWW.IGEM.MY
Join us at 5 locations for a one stop center experience at Solar National Roadshow 2019
FREE ENTRANCE Limited to 200 seats only. Register now at: http://bit.ly/solarroadshow
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