SolarQuarter March Issue 2019

MEGA EXPO SPECIAL

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Volume 09. l Issue 3

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March 2019

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IN CONVERSATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS SolarQuarter Tender Tracker

Mr. Pradeep Chauhan, Country ManagerIndian Subcontinent, Solarpack

Auction Results- SECI Rajasthan 750MW Solar PV

12

“Solarpack Is Very Keen To Be Part Of The Development In Floating Solar & Energy Storage System Auctions.”

Mr. Manoj Gupta, Vice President- Solar Business (India & Asia ), Fortum India

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“The solar market in India looks very promising with lots of growth potential.”

Regulatory Frameworks For Promoting Resource Efficiency: Cases From United Kingdom and US

14

Cover Story “What Are The Next Growth Market For Indian Solar Sector?”

Next

27

Growth Market

SolarQuarter Factsheet Top Global PV Industry Trends 2019

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Company Feature: 31 Mapping Resource Efficient Practices Along The Solar PV Value Chain

 Sanelite Solar - Sanelite Solar Modules Are Now Bis

Certified!!! ...........................................................................................25

....24-25  Goldi Solar - Goldi Solar Manufactures Solar PV Modules

With Unmatched Quality, Using Poly & Mono Crystalline Solar Cells ......................................................................................................26

 Spark Solar - Our Difference Comes Through In The Quality

Of Our Product ..................................................................................28

 Risen Energy - Risen Energy Wins The National Enterprise

Technology Center ...........................................................................29

33

 Waaree Energies - 1500V Solar DC System Voltage: Is The

Time Ripe? .........................................................................................30

ADVERTISERS INDEX 2

1

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27

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For Advertising Enquiries : Meghna Sharma, meghna@firstviewgroup.com, +91 8850563096

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For Subscription Enquiries : Kunal Varma, kunal@firstviewgroup.com, +91 88505 70273

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India News

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M Narendra Modi Inaugurates Surat Municipal Corporation Solar Plant Developed By Waaree Energies

The Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, today inaugurated a number of Solar Power Plants in Surat, with a collective capacity of 1 MW, by Waaree Energies, the preferred sustainability partner to Indian corporates.

The Solar power plants are located at various locations in the city, which include three water distribution plants and 18 municipal schools, and cumulatively account for 1 MW of energy generation. With the latest addition of the plants, the Surat Municipal Corporation has become the first Municipal Corporation in the country which is not dependent on any electricity company for water distribution. The electricity generated through the solar power plants will be used for the city’s water works, water distribution centre, and water treatment plant. This propels Waaree Energies as a partner to the smart city of Surat in its journey towards achieving its energy demands through renewable energy.

Waaree Energies is the Turnkey Engineering Procurement and Construction partner for the project, besides also extending its acclaimed maintenance and operation services for 10 years. The plants are expected to generate close to 1.20 Mega Units, which will result in an electricity cost saving of around INR 6 Lakhs per month. The power plants are located across Magob Water Distribution Station, Simada Water Treatment Plant, and Udhna Water Distribution Station. With this transition to solar power, the plant at Udhna is witness to a reduction of 29% on its existing electricity consumption, while Simada has

But a caveat is needed here. There are many ways to cope with the looming BoP problem.

There are short-term solutions, long-term, and more sustainable solutions. But if a solution can meet the short-term requirement and unleashes long-term benefits, that would be wonderful. That is what this article explores.

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ndia Launches 3.6 Gigawatt Tenders Across Solar, Hybrid, Storage Technologies

The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has issued new net metering guidelines for solar rooftop consumers as part of its Solar Policy 2019.

Tamil Nadu, the fifth largest solar market in India as of 2018, announced the state’s solar policy earlier this year with a goal of 9 GW in solar installations by 2023 between utilityscale and distributed generation projects. The state has targeted 40 percent (3.6 GW) of installations to come from the consumer category (residential rooftop and small-scale solar installations). The net-metering mechanism was one of the key proposals included in the solar policy that is expected to help the state achieve its installation goals.

This new order applies to all new applicants from the eligible consumer category. Existing consumers under the net metering program will not be covered under this order.

Under the new program, an eligible consumer can install the maximum capacity of solar rooftop up to 100 percent of his contracted demand with the distribution licensee.

seen a reduction of 21%, and Magob of 23%. Being India’s largest Solar PV manufacturer,

Eligible consumers will also have to install two meters under the solar net feed-in program.

Waaree Energies has also contributed 2,925 Waaree Poly crystalline solar modules to the

First is for measuring solar power generation and the second is to measure import and

power plants. The project design was approved by TERI and was completed in record 50

export of energy. Both the meters will have to be installed at the same location where the

days by Waaree, across all 18 sites.

existing meter for recording the consumption of energy is installed.

Installation of solar generation meter is to help DISCOMs with demand forecasting, along

M

irai Kikai To Commence Dry-Cleaning Robot Operation At Bhadla Solar Park, Rajasthan

Mirai Kikai, a Japan-based robotics startup, has successfully commenced the trial operation of its dry-cleaning robots at Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan, one of the largest mega solar projects in India. For the next 2-month of test period from February 2019, the pilot model of Mirai Kikai’s Type 2 autonomous dry-cleaning robots will run across the RattanIndia’s 70MW solar panels wiping out dusts and fine sands from the surface.

Solar power’s dilemma: loss from soiling or costs for cleaning? Developers and operators

with the calculation of total solar generation in the state. The cost of new meters provided for the net feed-in program, installation and testing charges will have to be borne by the eligible consumers. However, DISCOMs will procure, test and install the meters. The consumer will also have an option of procuring and supplying the meters.

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ew Net Metering Guidelines For Rooftop Solar Consumers In Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has issued new net metering

of the 2,000MW mega solar park have faced the problem of sand piling on and covering

guidelines for solar rooftop consumers as part of its Solar Policy 2019.

panels, or “soiling loss”, as soon as the power plants came in operation. In worst cases,

Tamil Nadu, the fifth largest solar market in India as of 2018, announced the state’s solar

soils aggravate generation efficiency by more than 10% in a month, according to the

policy earlier this year with a goal of 9 GW in solar installations by 2023 between utility-

Mirai Kikai’s own research. Many plants adopted manual wet cleaning, which undermined

scale and distributed generation projects. The state has targeted 40 percent (3.6 GW) of

profitability as the result of higher water and labor cost. Some machinery solutions have

installations to come from the consumer category (residential rooftop and small-scale

been considered as alternatives, but huge capex to install one machine per each array

solar installations). The net-metering mechanism was one of the key proposals included in

have bottlenecked many solar plants to make decisions. “Our customers say that solar

the solar policy that is expected to help the state achieve its installation goals.

plants are suffering from developing costs already; we don’t want to pour more money on top of that,” says Mr. Yamao, the Global Sales Manager of Mirai Kikai.

Mirai Kikai’s lightweight smart robot offers an affordable solution.Mirai Kikai’s Type 2 is specially designed to dry-clean maximum 4MW panels per robot that autonomously drives within an array at 4m width. The portable 60kg robot requires only two people to stand by and move it from one array to another, when it finishes operation at one array. “The solution reduces not only the water cost but also concerns over large capex investment because our robots do more work with less,” says Mr. Yamao. “Many of our customers find our semi-automated solution a huge relief because it doesn’t require large numbers of fixtures to be installed onto their panels. Immediate adoption and financial impact enabled by strong robotic algorithm is our strengths.”

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Trade Crisis Looms For India, And How The Sun & Waste Can Prevent It

Within the next three months, a new government will gather the reins of power. Once again, government officials will try and resume work on economic issues that have been put on the backburner. Unfortunately, elections tend to have this impact. Overall, the tamasha is so compelling that innocent bystanders are sucked in to watch the acrobatics, all the while trying to make sense of the events being played out.

Three issues will immediately grip the attention of policymakers. The first will be jobs. India needs them urgently.

The second will be the worsening financial situation – especially when it comes to banks.

They have been buffeted by loan waivers on one hand, while on the other they have been pressured to give away imprudent loans. Despite war cries against corruption, there is enough evidence that suggests the old corrupt ways continue. Bank managements continue to be arm-twisted to bail out airlines and favour industrialists.

The third challenge will be to find out ways in which the worsening balance of payments (BoP) situation can be remedied.

This new order applies to all new applicants from the eligible consumer category. Existing consumers under the net metering program will not be covered under this order.

Under the new program, an eligible consumer can install the maximum capacity of solar rooftop up to 100 percent of his contracted demand with the distribution licensee.

Eligible consumers will also have to install two meters under the solar net feed-in program.

First is for measuring solar power generation and the second is to measure import and export of energy. Both the meters will have to be installed at the same location where the existing meter for recording the consumption of energy is installed.

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ndian Government Issues 2 Gigawatt Solar Tender For Self Use

The Indian government has issued the first tranche of the 12-gigawatt self-use solar power tenders as it looks to support Indian manufacturers of solar cells and modules. The selfconsumption of power generated from these power plants shall be achieved through government-owned public sector companies.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) recently issued a tender inviting project developers to set up 2 gigawatts of solar power capacity. The projects can be set up anywhere in the country with the power being procured by companies owned by the central government.

These public sector companies will be able to procure the generated directly or through power distribution utilities. In either case, the final cost of electricity procured shall not exceed Rs 3.50/kWh (5.06¢/kWh) which is quote cheaper than the price of electricity these companies procure through other means. Project developers will bid for capital cost support required to set up the projects. The maximum bid allowed is Rs 7 million (~US$100,550) per megawatt. The tender also mandates participating project developers to use only Indian-made solar cells and solar modules. This clause has been added in order to support the Indian manufacturers which are financially struggling for several years despite the sharp rise in operational solar power capacity in the country.

This article is an attempt to suggest how the third objective can be achieved, and in doing so, how the first objective could be addressed.

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Asia News

U

zbekistan’s First Competitively Tendered Solar Project Receives Global Interest

This project will be the first phase of a larger government initiative to generate up to 1 GW of new solar energy, helping the country reduce dependence on gas and increase its share of renewable energy in the energy mix.

Uzbekenergo, a state-owned national power utility, issued the request for qualifications for the project on February 1, 2019, and received submissions from 23 companies from around the world, including from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

“The tremendous interest and the sheer number of companies demonstrate strong investor interest in Uzbekistan. This is a testimony to the strong commitment by the government of Uzbekistan to increasing private sector participation in the country through an open, competitive, and transparent process that is generating confidence in the country’s infrastructure program and will result in better value for the country,” said Wiebke Schloemer, IFC Regional Director for Central Asia and Europe.

As a transaction adviser, IFC is helping Uzbekenergo and Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade design and tender Uzbekistan’s first competitively tendered solar power project. A lack of competition carries the risk of higher power tariffs for countries and slower development of projects. By structuring a transparent and competitive tender, Uzbekenergo will be assured of getting the most competitive power prices from private companies, helping set a benchmark for solar power prices in the country.

“The number of companies interested in Uzbekistan’s first competitively tendered solar project is a strong indication that the government’s decision to develop this project in a competitive and transparent manner has been well received by investors,” said Georgi Petrov, IFC PPP Regional Manager. “This project is helping lay the foundation for greater investor confidence and investment in the country.”

The world’s first floating solar plant was built in Japan, in Aichi Prefecture in central Honshu.

The country’s many inland lakes and reservoirs are now home to 73 of the world’s 100 largest floating solar plants and account for half of those plants’ 246 megawatts of solar capacity.

Hyogo Prefecture in southern Honshu has almost 40,000 lakes and already hosts nearly half the floating solar capacity of the world’s 100 largest plants. Many plants are small scale, helping the region to kick-start the move to distributed local power generation which the World Economic Forum has identified as the key to transforming the world’s power supply.

The biggest Japanese floating solar plant sits behind the Yamakura Dam at Ichihara in Chiba Prefecture. It covers 18 hectares, can power nearly 5,000 homes and is saving more than 8,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.

S

olar Power Lighting Up Homes In Myanmar

Of the 630 million people who live in Southeast Asia, over 100 million do not have access to electricity. They live, as the phase goes, “off-the-grid,” a plight that is even more acute in Myanmar, where, according to some estimates, 70 percent of the population has no electricity. Providing them with energy access is not as simple as just extending the electrical grid from small towns to remote villages. For one, development costs are significantly higher in remote areas. One recent study estimates this cost at an astounding US$266 (K404,000) to US$2100 per household. Even for the region’s largest energy companies, the extremely high costs of electrifying remote rural areas are a major roadblock to development.

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embcorp Looking To Supply YCH Group’s Warehouses In Asia With Solar Power

Another issue compounding the problem for utility companies is the substantial time

Sembcorp Industries on Friday (March 22) said it is working with YCH Group on supplying its warehouses across Asia with solar power, as it announced the completion of a rooftop solar farm at YCH’s Supply Chain City flagship building.

poorest citizens of a country. Often lacking both steady incomes and financial literacy, they

Sembcorp will now look to power other YCH facilities with solar energy in countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, it said in a filing with the Singapore Exchange .

region’s least-developed communities, the electrical grid is truly a luxury. These villagers

Said Robert Yap, executive chairman of logistics group YCH: “The inauguration of the solar energy system with Sembcorp marks a new milestone in YCH efforts to build on our green initiatives. We look forward to collaborating with them and leverage their smart solar energy system to power our warehouses across the region.”

Mr Koh Chiap Khiong, Sembcorp’s head of Singapore, South-east Asia and China (Energy), said: “With the successful completion of the solar energy system at Supply Chain City, we are

needed to realise a return on this type of investment. Villagers who live off-grid are the will prioritise their most immediate needs first. A mother deciding between buying rice for her family or paying for energy access, will almost certainly chose the former. For the have gone without electricity before, and they can go without it again.

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alaysian Factory Gets New Solar Tech According to a recent report, a Massachusetts-based tech firm announced that

it is partnering with the manufacturer of photovoltaic solar cells which has a factory in Malaysia. This move makes the factory the first one to produce its proprietary solar wafers.

pleased to partner YCH in helping them to provide their clients a solution which instantly

The wafer manufacturer originally planned to open a plant in the U.S., after receiving US$17

cuts their carbon footprint and gives them cheaper electricity.”

million in grants from the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop its technology and a

The completed 2.8 megawatt peak solar farm for Supply Chain City is owned and operated

US$150 million loan guarantee “to build innovative, new manufacturing facilities.” That

by Sembcorp. Under a long-term contact, the farm will provide energy for the two million square foot building and its tenants, with surplus power being channelled to the grid.

Some 8,000 solar panels are expected to generate over 3,400 megawatt hours of green power annually, which is enough to power more than 770 four-room HDB flats for a year.

B

right Future For Floating Solar Panels In South-East Asia

loan guarantee ultimately went unused. The Malaysia plant, which is owned by the with the company that manufactures photovoltaic solar cells and uses the firm’s technology, will sit next to the cell manufacturer’s cell and module manufacturing site in Cyberjaya, as part of a non-exclusive supply partnership. The tech firm’s “direct wafer” process is unique because it significantly reduces the waste associated with cutting panels from silicon ingots. Instead, the process melts silicon into a molten bath to produce wafers. The

Solar power companies in South-east Asia that are competing for land with agriculture,

company says its product costs less than half the price of conventional wafers, which make

industry and expanding populations have found an innovative alternative - to put floating

up a significant portion of cell costs, because the process wastes little polysilicon. Early on,

panels in lakes, dams, reservoirs and the sea. Earlier this week, state utility Electricity

the tech firm stated its mission as making solar power cost-competitive with coal.

Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) said it would submit a proposal for a 45MW floating solar plant in the Sirindhorn dam in the country’s north-east. Egat plans to invest in about 16 such projects across nine dams in the country, deputy governor Thepparat Theppitak told reporters. Elsewhere in the region, Singapore is developing one of the world’s largest offshore floating solar systems in the Strait of Johor to the north of the island. “In land-scarce countries like Singapore, the widespread use of PV (photovoltaic) systems is hindered by space constraints and limited roof space,” said Mr Frank Phuan, chief executive of Sunseap Group, which is building the system. The platform has to be “more robust” than systems

International collaboration is a top goal for Malaysia as it works to push it’s Industry 4.0 agenda. According to it’s Industry 4WRD Policy, notes that the overarching philosophy behind this Policy is A-C-T – Attract, Create and Transform.

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orld’s Biggest Floating Solar Farm Seen Driving Thai Green Push

in reservoirs or lakes to withstand tougher conditions on the open sea, and to overcome

Thailand plans to build the world’s largest floating solar farms to power Southeast Asia’s

barnacles that may grow on it, he added.

second-largest economy and to boost the country’s share of clean energy.

It was also difficult to find a spot in the sea that was not frequented by shipping vessels,

State-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand will float 16 solar farms with a combined

he said. This will help to avoid about 1.5 million kilogrammes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions a year, equivalent to the impact of taking almost 320 cars off the road, said Sembcorp. It will also enhance the sustainability of Supply Chain City, already a BCA

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

Green Mark (Platinum) and US Green Building Council LEED Platinum certified building, the

more than double the size of the world’s largest floating system now and the venture dwarfs

company added.

the 1.3 gigawatts of generation installed globally as of October.

H

ow Japan Became The World Leader In Floating Solar Power

How do you increase your solar energy output when you need all your land for agriculture and for housing? Answer: take to the water. That’s just what they are doing in Japan.

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The plan represents an ambitious bet for Thailand on floating solar, which tends to be more expensive than the ground-mounted 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.

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Global News

A

ustralia’s Plunging Wind, Solar, Storage Costs Stun Fossil Fuel Industry

D

epartment of Energy Announces $130 Million for EarlyStage Solar Research Project

This week the federal Coalition government decided to dump 90 per cent of the coal

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $130 million for new research

projects that had been submitted to its big underwriting program, and chose instead a

to advance early-stage solar technologies. These projects will help to achieve affordable

shortlist dominated by renewables backed by battery storage and pumped hydro, and

and reliable energy to enhance America’s economic growth and energy security.

some gas and just one coal upgrade.

“Solar is an integral part of the Administration’s ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy,” said

The choice may have been driven more by politics than economics, given the project

U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. “This cutting-edge, early stage research & development

developers were asked for only a broad outline of their proposal and there is an election

will work in concert with other innovative technologies to provide affordable, efficient, and

just a few weeks away.

But when the final detailed tenders come in later this year – assuming the program survives the upcoming election campaign – the economic case for favouring renewables and storage projects should be crystal clear, if the latest numbers from global analysts BloombergNEF are anything to go by.

The stunning fall in the costs of wind, solar and storage – estimated on a global scale – has already put the fossil fuel industry on notice, as we reported earlier this week.

Now, we can publish the BloombergNEF cost estimates for Australia, and they reveal an even more devastating outcome for the fossil fuel industry and their cheer leaders in politics and the media

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lobal Solar Installations Reached 104 Gigawatts In 2018 Global solar installations increased by around 5% in 2018 and reached 104.1 gigawatts

(GW) according to new figures released by SolarPower Europe released at the SolarPower Summit in Brussels on Wednesday, further putting the lie to previous estimates that 2018 solar installations had failed to reach the same level as last year.

The year 2018 will go down in the solar industry as one of high hopes, bitter realities, and confused numbers. Without rehashing the year once again, in short, there were big expectations that not only would the global solar industry finally break the 100 GW barrier but that it would smash it. These expectations came crashing down, however, when China rewrote its plans for solar in 2018 in May. Come the New Year, every analyst and their solar-loving dog got to work crunching their particular data sets to determine how much solar was installed in 2018, and the resulting numbers were confusing, at best. The PV Market Alliance predicted at least 98 GW was installed in 2018, Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables stated that 2018’s “modest deployment increase … wasn’t enough to crest the 100 gigwatt mark,” while Bloomberg New Energy Finance concluded that 2018 installations reached as high as 109 GW (and could expand in 2019 to as much as 141 GW).

F

lorida Utility Plans World’s Largest Battery Combined With Solar

The 409MW battery will be the largest of many energy storage systems and solar plants to be rolled out across Florida.

Major US utility Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is planning to build the world’s largest battery energy storage system adjacent to an existing solar power plant, with plans to roll out multiple other storage systems across the state.

With the key proposed battery standing at 409MW capacity, the Florida energy company claims it will be four times larger than the largest battery currently operating worldwide.

Furthermore, the system will help reduce fossil fuel usage and thereby accelerate the decommissioning of two neighbouring, 1970s-era natural gas power units.

The FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center will be powered by an existing PV plant in Parrish, Manatee County, and capable of distributing 900MWh of electricity. It will start serving customers in 2021, with the batteries being used particularly during peak demand periods,

reliable energy to the American people.”

This funding program targets five research areas: photovoltaics (PV), concentrating solarthermal power (CSP), soft costs reduction, innovations in manufacturing, and solar systems integration. These projects will make solar energy more affordable, reliable, and secure, while working to boost domestic solar manufacturing, reduce red tape, and make PV more resilient to cyberattack.

C

anada Announces First Unsubsidised Solar Parks The Canadian province of Alberta has announced two unsubsidised solar parks with

a combined capacity of 57 megawatt peak (MWp). German renewable energy company Innogy SE, a subsidiary of RWE has taken the final investment decision (FID) for the two solar parks. The planned investment is in the mid double-digit million euro range. The projects were developed by the Canadian company Solar Krafte Utilities and the project rights have been transferred to Innogy in February 2019. Prairie Sunlight projects will be Canada’s first photovoltaic (PV) plants developed without public subsidy or procurement.

The two large-scale solar farms Hull (Prairie Sunlight II, 30 MWp) and Vauxhall (Prairie Sunlight III, 27 MWp) will be located in Southern Alberta, near the town of Vauxhall. According to current plans, construction for both projects could begin in Q2 2019. It is anticipated that commercial operations will begin by the end of 2019. After full commissioning, the solar plants will produce enough green energy to supply the equivalent of around 12,500 Alberta homes.

I

n Germany, Solar-Powered Homes Are Really Catching On This story was originally published by Yale Environment 360 and is reproduced here as

part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Stefan Paris is a 55-year-old radiologist living in Berlin’s outer suburbs. He, his partner, and their three-year-old daughter share a snug, two-story house with a pool. The Parises, who are expecting a second child, are neither wealthy nor environmental firebrands. Yet the couple opted to spend $36,000 for a home solar system consisting of 26 solar panels, freshly installed on the roof this month, and a smart battery—about the size of a small refrigerator—parked in the cellar.

On sunny days, the photovoltaic panels supply all of the Paris household’s electricity needs and charge their hybrid car’s electric battery too. Once these basics are covered, the rooftop-generated power feeds into the stationary battery until it’s full—primed for nighttime energy demand and cloudy days. Then, when the battery is topped off, the unit’s digital control system automatically redirects any excess energy into Berlin’s power grid, for which the Parises will be compensated by the local grid operator. “They convinced me it would pay off in 10 years,” explains Paris, referring to Enerix, a Bavaria-based retailer offering solar systems and installation services. “After that, most of our electricity won’t cost us anything.”

thereby reducing the requirement for electricity from other power plants. It will be able

Race Is On To Build The World’s Biggest Solar-Storage Plant

to provide energy the equivalent of 329,000 homes for a period of two hours, saving FPL

Last year, a company won a contract to build a 65-megawatt solar and battery farm in

customers more than US$100 million in the process

Arizona. A month later, the Saudis came out with a $200 billion plan to build the world’s

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biggest battery-backed solar farm by 2030. Then a firm proposed a nearly 500-megawatt

lobal Solar Energy Releases New 1-m Solar Panel For Off-Grid & Mobile Applications

solar-storage site in Texas’s oil patch. The race to build the biggest solar-battery plant

Global Solar Energy has released a new form-factor of its flexible PowerFLEX+ solar panel,

Energy Inc., which said Thursday that it’ll build a project in Florida that will claim the title

the FG-M1 55-W panel. At 1 m x 0.5 m, the new FG-M1 is designed to fit applications such

of the largest solar-powered battery in the world. The 409-megawatt battery will be added

as off-grid, mobile, marine and RV installations.

to an existing 74.5-megawatt solar plant on the west coast of the state near Tampa, a

Specially designed for rugged off-grid applications, the lightweight, flexible PV modules

company statement shows. The project would be four times larger than any other battery

use CIGS thin-film technology and no glass. Over-the-road truckers and trucking companies

system in operation. It’s all a testament to how powerful of a combination solar and storage

can use the FG-M1 to keep battery banks charged for use during downtime, and to provide

has become. Batteries and renewable energy paired together are now threatening the

additional power for onboard electronics, lift gates, APUs and climate control systems to

economics of fossil fuel-fired power plants around the world. A BloombergNEF analysis

keep drivers safe and comfortable while parked. The FG-M1 panels can keep GPS and

issued this week showed storage is now, for the first time, the cheapest option for meeting

telematic tracking devices on tractors and trailers operating during extended periods of

peak power demand in some cases. “As the price of battery and solar technology continue

downtime, and allowing for more efficient fleet management.

to fall and as we learn how to optimize this technology in multiple ways to best serve our

Global Solar Energy’s new panel is ideal for keeping batteries charged on RVs, toy haulers

customers, we are going to be seeing more battery technology throughout our system,’’

or boats while in storage. The 55-W FG-M1 is designed for use with virtually all 12-volt

NextEra spokeswoman Alys Daly said in an interview.

is officially on. And the latest to join the competition is renewable energy giant NextEra

charge controllers and battery types to maintain the ideal charge, giving increased battery life.

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In Conversation

“Solarpack Is Very Keen To Be Part Of The Development In Floating Solar & Energy Storage System Auctions.”

Mr. Pradeep Chauhan, Country Manager- Indian Subcontinent, Solarpack

2018 has been volatile. Can you give us your insight on the highs & lows of the company? What are your plans for 2019?

largest & fastest growing market globally specially after 2015-16.

2018 has been a marvelous year for Solarpack globally, Solarpack Corporacion Technologica,

interest from global investors and suppliers, itself is a testimony of the stability & potential.

SA has been listed in Spanish Stock Exchange in 2018, in India, company was successful in

I am quite optimistic about the future growth of Indian Solar Industry based on the fact

winning 95MWac of Solar PV Projects for 25years PPA to be set up in 5 talukas of Karnataka

that Solar Photovoltaic Energy has achieved level playing field compared to all other form

State through competitive auction process.

of electricity generation eg. Coal, Gas, Nuclear Wind, Biomass, Geo-thermal, Solar Thermal.

However, volatility in the Indian Solar Sector is still an element to consider for future

Many factors favors Solar Photovoltaic Energy over others such as scalability, quick

investments, due to various factors like imposition of Safeguard Duty on import of solar

implementation time, environmental, economics of scale and productions, logistics.

cells & modules, unforeseen deprecation of currency, cancellation of auctions in light of low

On the policy front, Center & State Governments are trying to formulate policies as per

tariff expectations by off takers few examples in SECI, Gujarat, UP and Maharashtra. These persistent risks in the market is keeping us in observing situation and has made us even more selective when it comes to decide on which further auctions we should participate.

We have seen year on year growth over 8GW average in last three years, which has seen

the need of various segments like rooftop solar, Opex & Capex model, Wind Solar Hybrid, Solar with Storage, Regulations for Forecasting & Scheduling for Wind & Solar energy generation plants, Wheeling & Banking. Almost all the states have come out with their Solar

However, we believe that these uncertainties will not have impact in long term market

Policies in recent years, however, there have been flaws & areas of improvements, specifically

growth, Solarpack remains committed to Indian market and firmly believes that India will

differences in state Solar policies. I have observed that even though most of the states have

stay as one of the top markets in terms of scale for at least in next 5 to 7years for Solar Energy

in place their solar policies, yet the implementation varies from state to state. More focused

Development. Solarpack plans to acquire & develop a significant amount of MW in Utility & Open access market for high credit worthiness C&I customers in 2019 and enhancing current portfolio from two-fold in next two to three years.

After solar sector achieving the status of lowest tariff energy source in India, industry looks to move towards newer technologies like Energy Storage System (ESS), Floating Solar, Wind Solar Hybrid for more stable power in the overall energy mix, we intend to work in new technology areas in recent future as well.

In my opinion, last year growth for the industry was hampered mostly because investigation by DTGR & imposition of Safeguard Duty and cancellation of auctions, but Indian Government is focused on achieving 100GW target, shall be able to achieve substantially in the utility segment.

In order to achieve 100GW target, State Regulatory Policies on Renewable Energy must be aligned with the National Mission, reducing complexity in obtaining approval & clearances for utility segment, relax open access approval for C&I segment shall also be a big boost.

What kind of challenges have you faced as an EPC player, when it comes to acquiring projects in India.

Solarpack has started, its business activities in Indian market in 2015 through investments after winning 80MWac projects in State of Telangana though competitive bidding process.

The EPC segment is very competitive due to the number of players and pricing pressures.

shall be given by MNRE on the monitoring & implementation of the JNNSM and state solar mission in tandem.

I expect from Center & State policy makers to align the basic provisions in their scheme and state energy regulations must give their concurrance to such provision to avoid any conflicting situation, which is evident in the current situation. Bottomline my assessment is Government must put in place a uniform structure across center and states.

One of the improvement area is to effectively establish single window clearance mechanism for approval & clearances of the projects awarded, investors generally face difficulties for obtaining the permits from various state bodies.

What do you have to say about the recent Indian Budget. Was it able to address all pending concerns from its last budget for this industry?

The interim budget has allocated Rs 3,004.90 crore for development of solar power projects next financial year (2019-20) including both grid-interactive and off-grid and decentralized categories. This is a mere 1 per cent increase over the likely expenditure of Rs 2,969 crore for solar projects this fiscal.

In our opinion, budget hasn’t been encouraging enough to support various areas like research & development, capacity building, policy reforms, domestic manufacturing of solar

We intended to establish a pipeline of projects under development in the country and provide for them the best in class EPC, O&M and Asset Management services.

Some of the challenges an overseas EPC player faces is the scarcity of high-quality resources, risk of cost overrun due to local factors beyond the control of EPC contractor as in any other market, over crowded market and competition with many smaller players and lenders

“Looking at the progress so far in Solar Industry since the inception of JNNSM in

insistence of looking at track record in Indian Market and overlooking global experience.

2010 with a target of 20GW by 2022, which

Furthermore, India is a very price sensitive market predominantly driven by lowest price

further was revised to 100GW by 2022 in

approach, which may sometimes lower the bar of quality standards. Solarpack’s cost efficient and quality approach to its with own developed and built assets is the best proof in case we decided to acquire EPC business for specific customers and offer other services to quality focused customers.

In my view, the present EPC players are much focused on the traditional designs & construction philosophy, which is more manual and labor intensive, industry shall look forward to use innovative designs of solar plants for better monitoring & control through

June 2015, i see that country has achieved a outstanding growth till end of 2018 and has become one of the largest & fastest growing market globally specially after 2015-16.”

use of automation, for construction use of advance machines & equipment allows faster construction must be use to avoid delays & ensure faster completions of projects with higher safety standards and improve quality of constructions.

As the size of project has increased and to be constructed within PPA timelines of 12 or 13month is very important that new methods shall be used which will have cost advantage and timelines in sight.

Are you content with the progress of the Indian solar industry and the new policies being introduced by both state and central government? What more would you like to expect from the government policies?

Looking at the progress so far in Solar Industry since the inception of JNNSM in 2010 with a target of 20GW by 2022, which further was revised to 100GW by 2022 in June 2015, i see

“Solarpack has started, its business activities in Indian market in 2015 through investments after winning 80MWac projects in State of Telangana though competitive bidding process. The EPC segment is very competitive due to the number of players and pricing pressures.”

that country has achieved a outstanding growth till end of 2018 and has become one of the

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Solar Quarter • March 2019 15

In Conversation panels & cells need assistance for country to develop in-house capacity and makes industry

Further, Solarpack with its Indian Subsidiary for investment “Ekialde Solar Pvt. Ltd” listed

a sustainable and lucrative enough for Make in India program.

in New Delhi has participated in Karnataka state for approx. 135MWac capacity projects at

Though the scale of implementation would still be increasing which is more driven from

different locations in early 2018, after the successful award of five (5) projects totaling to

the opportunities and cost reduction from global perspective and need of cost-effective

95MWac a/133MWdc, we have been progressing in development of these projects and very

electricity in country like India which has huge unmet/suppressed demand in the grid.

close to starting construction activities.

Also, budget should have allocation for adoption of newer technology support like floating

Both Telangana & Karnataka are among the top states and progressive for renewable energy

solar, solar with storage and wind solar hybrid.

capacity addition, we have been exploring other opportunities in Solar rich states and would

Do you think more companies will now enter the market as the economics improve? Will further investments by large strategic investors and global power firms etc. will bring about change in the industry?

good solar energy potential.

Global Investors have shown huge interest in Indian renewable sector due to scale and size

Further we also are very keen to be part of the development in Floating Solar & Energy

of the auctions, various investment funds & groups have taken up large size project and

Storage System auctions, in additional to offering energy sale to Commercial & Industrial off

portfolios from the secondary market in last couple of years. Though this shows the capacity

takers through open access mechanism.

like to expand our operations in next two years in most of the favorable policy states having So far we have not been active in Solar park based or Interstate transmission system (ISTS) based auctions, however we plan to be an active player in auctions with high credit rating off takers auctions.

available in the Indian renewable sector to absorb such huge investments, it is important to reduce risk perception for international investors with capital strength to extend their tenures in the country. Strong competition is also a barrier of entry for international developers who are keen to enter into market.

In the interest of the Industry, it is important to attract developers with investment plans for medium to long term view of the market, for which it is important to avoid uncertainties.

Solarpack has succeeded since 2015 with moderate scale investments and looks forward for a longer horizon to be a fair play developer in Indian Solar Industry.

Solarpack has grabbed 2 contracts in India, one of which is 133 MWp in Karnataka. How has the progress been?

We have been successful in Telangana & Karnataka in winning Solar projects since 2016 by winning 6 project in Telangana state for 80MWac/104MWdc capacity, which has become

“Though the scale of implementation would still be increasing which is more driven from the opportunities and cost reduction from global perspective and need of costeffective electricity in country like India which has huge unmet/suppressed demand in the grid.”

operational now.

“The solar market in India looks very promising with lots of growth potential.”

Mr. Manoj Gupta, Vice President- Solar Business (India & Asia ), Fortum India

How do you feel about the progress of the Indian solar industry and the new policies being introduced by both state and central government?

in India. How is the Indian solar industry different from other countries?

Solar power in India is a fast-developing industry. The solar market in India looks very

both Indian and MNC’s, the tender process and transparency in conducting the bidding.

promising and lots of growth potential. MNRE is also trying to address various challenges

The Government of India has been successful in this regard since the announcement of

related to the industry like Power Evacuation under ISTS scheme by making SECI as a

National Solar Mission program. There is a clear transparency in each and every stage

Nodal agency and the land issue by incentivizing state with a recurring annual income of

of the process whether it is a central level bidding through SECI or NTPC or state level

2 paisa per unit of electricity generated on the land parcel allotted by the state agencies

bids. The 2nd criterion is easy execution of the project ie availability of land and Power

to the solar power developer.

Evacuation system on time. This is still a challenging area for the developers to execute

As a Solar Developer, the first criterion of investment is policy for all i.e. favourable to

the project. Even if, there are lots of tender under the Solar park scheme but still there are

What do you have to say about the recent Indian Budget. Was it able to address all pending concerns from its last budget for this industry?

This year’s interim budget by the Hon Minister Piyush Goyal was indicative of the government’s vision of inclusive growth for India. Fortum India appreciates the government’s focus on clean and renewable energy sources. We especially applaud the steps taken in the past years by Government of India, for improving the investor’s sentiments and helping company like Fortum to bring investment in India and to increase the usage of bio fuels, as that solves many critical issues, like saving foreign exchange, waste management and providing domestic & clean energy sources. As Fortum India, increases its presence in India in partnership to building and operating a bio-refinery with Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) and Chempolis, we look to support the country in its

various delays in handing over of clear title of land and timely availability of Evacuation system which is affecting the delay in execution of the project and ultimately affecting the profitability of business. The 3rd and last criterion is uninterrupted feeding of solar electricity to grid and timely payment by the counter party. Here also , I don’t see much of the challenges except some delay but sometime you need support from MNRE or DISCOM. Compared to other countries, India has a very clear focus on achieving 100 GW by 2022 and also making this whole sector subsidy free. The solar tariff has already achieved the Grid parity in India in a very short span of 10 years. Another step forward is that the government has now come out with a new vision of 300 GW by 2030. It means, a longterm clear visibility for the solar developers/investors.

for 2030 paving a way for Electric Vehicles with renewables becoming a major source of

You are also active in EV space in India. What do you think is the future of RE & EV in our country? Will it progress hand in hand?

energy supply. The aim to have 30% Electric vehicles in India will surely boost the economy

There is a clear interplay between EV adoption and solar power installation. While solar

and put us on the world map. Together with the government, we at Fortum, look forward

power would provide the green power to operate the charging station, EV shall bring

to work collaboratively by contributing towards technology and provide smart solutions

in much needed flexibility to manage the variable load in the system. Further, increased

to support India in its journey and make it an energy reliant country.

adoption of EV means improved battery technology at affordable price. This will have

path to sustainable development. Lastly, we wish to highlight the governments’ vision

simultaneous impact on adoption of storage in solar plant as well. This way we can say EV

What kind of challenges have you faced as a Solar Developer

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and Solar would supplement to each other’s large-scale adoption.

Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••March March2019 2019 16

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Solar Quarter • March 2019 17

RESEARCH

T T T T

ENDER TRACKER

Auction Results - SECI Rajasthan 750 MW Solar PV

ENDER TRACKER ENDER TRACKER Auction Results - SECI- Rajasthan 750 MW PV PV Auction Results SECI Rajasthan 750Solar MW Solar ENDER TRACKER

Tariff (INR/kWh) v/s Bid Capacity (MW)

RESEARCH RESEARCH

Tariff (INR/kWh) v/s Bid v/s Capacity (MW) Tariff (INR/kWh) Bid Capacity (MW) Auction

Results - SECI Rajasthan 750 MW Solar PV

Tariff (INR/kWh) v/s Bid Capacity (MW)

Bid Capacity (MW)

Bid Capacity (MW)

Bid Capacity (MW)

Bid Capacity (MW)

RESEARCH

Auction Bidders

Auction Bidders Auction Bidders

Auction Bidders

Bidders

Fortum Solar

Bid Capacity

Quoted Tariff

250

2.48

(MW)

(INR / kWh)

Key Highlights

Palimarwar Bidders QuotedQuoted Tariff Tariff BiddersSolar House(LNBBid Capacity Bid Capacity Key Highlights KeyTender Highlights RFS Issuance Group) (INR / kWh) (MW) (INR / kWh) (MW) 2.48 Tariff Bidders Bid40Capacity Quoted Key Highlights Acme Solar

(MW) 250

FortumSitara Solar Fortum Solar 250 Solar Energy (UPC 250 Fortum Solar Renewables) 250100 Palimarwar Solar House(LNB Palimarwar Solar House(LNB Palimarwar Solar House(LNB 40 Group) Group) 40 Renew Power 110 Group) 40 Acme Solar Acme Solar Azure Power 250 100 250 Acme Solar 250 Sitara Solar Energy (UPC Sitara Solar Energy (UPC Mahindra Susten 200 Sitara Solar Energy Renewables) Renewables) (UPC 100 100 Renewables) 100120 Rays Power Infra Renew Power Renew Power 110 110 Renew Power 110 Green Infra Wind Energy Azure Power 100 200 Azure Power 100 (SEMBCORP) Azure Power 100

(INR / kWh) 2.48

2.48 2.48 2.482.48 2.48 2.49 2.48 2.48 2.48 2.50 2.48 2.48 2.51 2.48 2.48 2.482.52 2.49 2.49 2.49 2.50 2.56 2.50 2.50

MahindraMahindra Susten Susten Mahindra Susten

200 200 200 MARCH

2.51 2.51 2.51 APRIL

Rays Power Infra Power RaysRays Power InfraInfra

120120 120

2.52 2.52 2.52

GreenGreen Infra Wind Energy Green Wind Energy InfraInfra Wind Energy (SEMBCORP) (SEMBCORP) 200200 200 (SEMBCORP)

2.56 2.56 2.56

:

August 2018

E-Auction

:

Tendered Capacity

:

750 MW

Over-Subscription

:

1620 MW

TenderNo. RFS : August Tender RFS Issuance August OfIssuance Winning Bidders : : 5 2018 (Five) 2018 Tender RFS Issuance : August 2018 E-Auction : : February 2019 E-Auction : February 2019 Lowest Tariff @INR 2.48 / kWh E-Auction : February 2019 Tendered CapacityCapacity : 750 Tendered MW PPA : : MW 25750 Years Tendered Capacity : 750 MW Over-Subscription : 1620 Over-Subscription 1620 MWState, India Procurer : : MW Rajasthan Over-Subscription : 1620 MW No. OfTotal Winning Bidders : 5 :(Five) No. State Of Winning Bidders : 255Years (Five) Cumulative Capacity No. Of Winning Bidders : 5 (Five) Lowest Tariff : @INR / kWh Lowest Tariff : 2.48 @INR 2.48 / kWh Lowest Tariff : @INR 2.48 / kWh PPA : 25 Years PPA : 25 Years PPA : 25 Years Procurer : Rajasthan Rajasthan State, India Procurer : Rajasthan State, India JULY AUGUST MAY Procurer : State, India JUNE

For Customised Research Reports, Contact:

Total Cumulative CapacityCapacity 25Years Years Total State Cumulative : 25 Years TotalState State Cumulative : : 99209 25 VipulCapacity Gulati : m: +91 17193 | e: vipul@firstviewgroup.com Researched & Compiled By: Nitin Raikar, AVP- Market Research & Insights, SolarQuarter

Disclaimer: "The information contained is collated from data credible and reliable,JULY APRIL APRIL& compiled MARCH JULY MARCH herein MAY MAYsources considered JUNE APRIL MARCH JULY MAY JUNE JUNE but its accuracy and completeness are not warranted, nor are the opinions and analyses which are based upon it."

Disclaimer: information contained herein is collated & compiled fromdata data sources considered credible and reliable, Disclaimer: "The"The information contained herein is herein collated & compiled from sources credible and reliable, Disclaimer: "The information contained is collated & compiled from data considered sources considered credible and reliable, but its accuracy and completeness are not warranted, nor are the opinions and analyses which are based upon it." but its accuracy and completeness are not warranted, nor are the and analyses which arewhich basedare upon it." upon it." but its accuracy and completeness are not warranted, noropinions are the opinions and analyses based

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February 2019

AUGUST AUGUST AUGUST www.solarquarter.com

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Solar Quarter • March 2019 18

CSAD/SQ/0319

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Solar Quarter • March 2019 21

Cover Story

“What Are The Next Growth Market For Indian Solar Sector?”

Next

Growth Market Mr. Honey Raza CSO Ginlong (Solis) India Indian Solar market fraternity is positive for FY 2019, by 2040 energy demand is expected to reach around 15000TWhr for India. Good tender and project closures seems to be the good start for the first quarter. Top four Key drivers for moving forward shall be - Grid Integration, Forecasting of Power, Financing and credits and Honouring the high tariff PPAs done in past few years by Discoms.

Efficiency Program and Use of alternate / clean fuel.

Demand side management initiative by power ministry is set to stabilise the grid systems at localized district level. Distributed Solar integration is increasing the deployment aggressively which need stable and optimized grid at local level.

The installation of solar in India is reaching 1MW installation every hour but the declining

Government initiatives like Saubhagya Scheme – Connecting the last mile connectivity is expected to have Solar as one of the most important collaborators. Grid and off grid shall have a participation with conventional source and ceasing with involution. GOI is endorsing 12000INR Crores direct support out of 16000INR crores total requirement.

PPA rates shall be the concern. Lowest PPA achieved last year was around 2.44INR

Green Corridors part two shall be the base towards evacuation of renewable generated power targeting states like AP, MP, Raj, and Guj. Total investment is expected to be around 43000INR Crores.

be the significant in increasing the attractiveness of Solar projects. The road beyond this

Major four verticals like Renewable Capacity addition, National Mobility Plan, Energy

2022.

and expected to improve this year. This is supported by developing the centralized development of Solar Parks, acceptability of open access by sponsorship of states in giving transmission and wheeling charges. Central financial assistance and incentive would still 28GW achieved last year in 2018 is still to be in momentum and anticipated to reach 30GW this year. Year on year average 23GW is required to accomplish the target of 100GW till

Mr. S. Balaguru Chief Technology Officer Avant-Garde

Bi-facial modules with single axis trackers & surface preparation Prelude: ‘Use both sides of Paper’ – this quote is now relevant for PV Modules too!

Renewed interest in bifacial modules with the advent of p-PERC modules from Tier-1 manufacturers in the last couple of years has prompted tracker manufacturers to capitalize the advantage to improve their share in the Industry. On application front, surface preparation for Albedo (measure of irradiance reflected from surface) improvement to extract maximum yield from the system is greatly explored by the users.

Bifacial Modules: Bifacial modules are not new, but TIME has come for this technology only now to get into commercial scale! Though variants like HET & PERT have better bifaciality (ability for rear side gain) upto about 90% with no LID loss and intrinsically bifacial n-type cells, p-PERC variant (about 70-80% bifaciality) is likely to dominate the market owing to the entry of more Tier-1 manufacturers by adopting little changes (like rear contact grid) over the well proven PERC technology with double glass arrangement, that comes with marginal additional cost over the conventional modules.

Single Axis Trackers: Fall of modules prices in the last 2-4 years was not helping the cause of single axis trackers, even in tropical zones. But, the arrival of bifacial modules in new avatar is looking to enthuse the tracker industry.

Rear shadow avoidance is readily achieved for trackers with two modules in portrait

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arrangement. Even the trackers with two modules in landscape with end supported modules is an interesting option offered by a few tracker suppliers, but this requires detailed study from wind load perspective & concurrence from module suppliers.

Modern day trackers with additional logics for back tracking, using diffuse light sensors and site gradient adjustments, will also help in improving yield.

Surface Preparation: Success of bifacial technology depends greatly on ground Albedo improvement. Among the various options of Albedo improvement, one promising option in terms of viability is to use surface sheets like the ones used extensively in farming sector.

Ground Albedo, which is typically in 15-20% range could be improved upto about 50% by using proper mulching films or woven sheets, with a plan to replace them periodically.

Such surface covering arrangement will even help in reducing O&M cost, as this would prevent weed growth and also help in reducing soiling of the modules.

To Wrap-Up: Combining the bifacial technology with trackers & surface preparation could achieve incremental yield upto 30% (in the tropical zone using modules with better bifaciality & rightly sized inverters) over the corresponding fixed tilt configuration. Of course, one would factor out incremental cost of this system over fixed tilt arrangement and the project implementation duration. Field performance data from the earlier installations as well as the pilot plant data are being closely monitored by several developers and EPC companies to validate the benefit – mainly to evaluate the uncertainties involved. Industry eagerly awaits the bankability to be established for bifacial systems & hopefully this will be the next growth market for Indian Solar Sector!

Solar Quarter • March 2019 22 Solar Quarter • February 2019 22

Cover Story Mr. V. D. Sanghavi Managing Director Aarvi Encon Limited

The Indian solar sector has seen several growth initiatives over

stations and airports as well, which would make for effective use of solar. Guwahati became

the last couple of years, with the government’s 100 GW solar

India’s first solar-powered railway station in 2018, a move that will reportedly help the

target announcement for 2022 being the most prominent of

railway network save over INR 67 lakhs per year on bills.

the lot. As a result, a number of different avenues have opened

Targeted initiatives

up for those involved in the solar sector. Solar accounted for 50% of new power capacity generated in 2018. According to a report by Bridge to India, new solar power installations will reach close to 14 GW in 2019, which is 50% higher than what was added in 2018. The addition of this new capacity will take India’s total installed solar capacity to 38 GW. Let us take a look at the prospects of the solar sector in India’s overall power blueprint and which segments will receive maximum ‘sunshine’ over the coming yearsLarge scale government projects Amongst the largest and most accessible, but leased utilised areas for solar energy are desert lands. Deserts in India such as the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, and the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat amongst others have thousands of sq. km of combined wasteland area, a fraction of which would be sufficient to produce 220 to 450 GW from both solar and wind generation, according to recent reports. The government already has a plan for Desert Power India 2050, and Rajasthan has one of the largest solar parks in the country.

Additionally, the Gujarat government has announced its plans to set up a 100 MW Solar Photovoltaic (PV) project over the canals of the Narmada River. The Canal Solar Power Project aims to install solar panels on top of the 19,000 km stretch of canals in the state to generate electricity across the state.

Public Infrastructure

Micro and mini grids will help with solar expansion in the country, especially in rural areas which do not have access or infrastructure for large solar grids. The Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA) was launched in 2017 with an aim to electrify households in the country in rural as well as urban areas that were willing to switch over to solar power. Initiatives like these have spread awareness about the benefits of switching to solar power, but there is still scope for improvements in the implementation.

While some projects tend to be smaller in scale, they meet the immediate electricity needs of the areas they are addressing. They can help solve issues to do with acquiring land and subsidised electricity rates for the agricultural sector. For example, in Madhya Pradesh, the state is engaging in demand-based aggregation in order to lower the costs of rooftop solar power, and has introduced solar pumps for farmers.

India is making a conscious shift, not just with solar power, but to increase renewable energy implementation on a whole. Apart from the many solar power initiatives, the government has also made a shift to following Euro VI norms for fuel, leading oil refineries in India to adopt Bharat Stage VI fuels. This is one of the cleanest forms of fuel, which will help reduce harmful emissions from industries, machinery and vehicles. Several PSUs are taking up projects to revamp their refineries to function according to the new standards. Through the adoption of such norms, and additional changes in policies by the government to

Apart from large scale government projects, rooftop solar installations are the fastest

align with strict quality and environmental benefits, several ideas and large-scale solar

annually growing form of solar power frameworks. Commercial and industrial organisations

plans can be brought to life in the near future. India’s power structure is being reimagined

are finding that rooftop solar is an effective way to tackle the issue of high electricity rates.

to bring the renewables to the forefront, thereby benefitting communities, the nation and

This kind of implementation would apply to using solar panels over stadiums, railway

the ecology, collectively.

Mr. Nitin Sharma Vice President & Head- Solar & Energy Storage Raychem RPG, India

“Energy Storage plays a very significant role in this development.

As environment now officially gets into the mainstream politics and people agenda, as

The move is clearly towards round-the-clock dispatchable firm

seen during the ongoing election fever in the largest democracy in the world, it will just

renewable energy.”

be a matter of time when significant regulatory and procedural shifts will impact new

The global megatrend is clearly towards renewable energy. Though, last year was

business opportunities.

challenging world over for all players in Solar and Wind segments, the move is clearly

All these point towards continued shift and focus towards growing market for renewable

towards round the clock dispatchable firm renewable energy. Energy storage plays a very

energy. Energy storage is one such segment that will further enhance adoption of solar

significant role in this development. After a few initial hick-ups, energy storage adoption

power. Major industrial and commercial establishments had limited adoption of solar

is showing uptrend globally, as well as, showing signs of growing in India. LCOE of energy

power, but with maturing energy storage technology and declining price points, we

storage systems or renewable energy + energy storage systems have declined significantly

should expect growth in rooftop and open access projects for commercial and industrial

in the past two years. This is a combination of technology updates and building scale,

customers.

especially with electric vehicles that is showing signs of becoming main stream in the next

Transportation is a key segment of the economy and decarbonization of this sector

few years.

presents significant opportunities in the near term. This includes fleet management, city

Global megatrend combined with environment protection, will gain further significant

transportation, railways, airports etc. De-carbonization will include adoption of electric

traction. Even after adopting several means to reduce carbon emission, 2018 was the year

vehicles, significant investment into EV charging infrastructure and access of power using

with highest emission of carbon in history. Decarbonization of energy and transportation

renewable energy. So, there is development of interesting opportunities at the cross

will have far reaching impact on how people live and consume. Industries are also under

section of renewable power, electric vehicle and charging infrastructure.

going changes to control their direct emission along with Level-2 and level-3 impact to

Despite, not so great last year for the complete sector, there is enough excitement and

the environment.

exuberance in the sector to drive next growth wave in coming years.

Mr. Brijesh Prajapati Managing Director- India Sofar Solar

In Indian solar market expecting big projection in coming year

energy capacity to 175 GW by the year 2022 which includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW

after last years slowdown & uncertainties due to some policy

from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydropower. The government

& project, PPA. Coming year expected more than 10-12GW

needs to be more concentrate on the end user’s requirement & support their ability for

in rooftop & Medium - large scale projects. Its also dependent on most awaited election

solar market development, net-metering confusion/clarification, subsidy provision. BIS

year 2019 is coming here in next couple of months and all eyes are on the Budget on

Certification proposal has been welcomed by the solar industry & It’s likely to also attract

new government policy about the how much solar projection in coming years & work

more investment & development from Domestic and international manufactures. It will

completion with government policy. The Government has up-scaled the target of renewable

be create more employment in the market & also come with MAKE IN INDIA Concepts.

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Solar Quarter • March 2019 23 Solar Quarter • February 2019 23

Company News

L

S

ONGi Solar becomes world’s largest module manufacturer with latest expansion

OLARPOWER EUROPE SIGNS COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH NATIONAL SOLAR ENERGY FEDERATION OF INDIA

Solar Module Super League’ (SMSL) member LONGi Solar, a subsidiary of the world’s

SolarPower Europe and the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) have signed

largest monocrystalline wafer producer, LONGi Green Energy, will shortly have exceeded

a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation and explore new

13GW of module assembly production capacity after a new 5GW plant ramps in 2019.

business opportunities for solar companies in the European and Indian solar market.

The SMSL member has officially opened its latest 5GW high-efficiency monocrystalline module factory in Chuzhou, Anhui, China at a cost of US$328 million. Construction had started in May, 2018, while the 2.5GW Phase 1 project is being commissioned the second phase expansion is expected to come online in the next few months.

According to PV Tech’s on-going analysis of global capacity expansion announcements,

“India is one of the world’s fastest growing markets, expected to surpass 25 gigawatts of cumulative capacity in 2018. Many SolarPower Europe members are already active or highly interested in entering the Indian market, thus, it is the perfect moment to launch a close cooperation with NSEFI. We look forward to exchanging knowledge and best practices to

Longi Solar’s total nameplate module assembly capacity should exceed 13GW in 2019, the

benefit both the European and Indian solar industry,” said Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO

highest amongst solar module manufacturers, including leading SMSL member JinkoSolar,

of SolarPower Europe.

which is expected to have around 12.9GW of nameplate module capacity in 2019.

SolarPower Europe and NSEFI have identified Operation & Maintenance (O&M), installation

LONGi Solar’s latest assembly plant is said to be fully automated and equipped with

quality,digitalisation and storage as key areas of cooperation.

leading-edge equipment that will produce its Hi-MO3 bifacial mono half-cut PERC module and other next-generation products.

Li Wenxue, President of LONGi Solar, said, “In 2019, our company identified a gap between fast-growing global orders and our high-efficiency cell and module capacities. LONGi

Pranav Mehta, Chairman of NSEFI added: “We are delighted to sign this MOU and agreement of cooperation with one of the world’s leading solar organizations, SolarPower Europe – with the legacy of late Dr.Hermann Sheer especially in the areas of Technology

Chuzhou factory will greatly narrow this gap. Besides manufacturing, the factory will also

transfer, ensuring the quality of the products, O&M best practices, capacity building

facilitate the transformation of technological and technical achievements to the mass

and thus strengthening the cooperation to explore new business opportunities for our

production of new products.”

respective members, in the backdrop of the large Indian market with the national target

LONGi Solar recently announced plans to build a 1GW monocrystalline solar cell

of achieving 100 GW solar capacity. We have always learnt from the European countries

manufacturing plant in Kuching, Malaysia at a cost of US$125.5 million. The company

during our journey so far, with India achieving a place amongst the top 5 countries globally”

already owns and operates 500MW monocrysalline solar cell and 500MW of module assembly production at the industrial park in Kuching.

Parent company, LONGi Green Energy had recently announced plans to invest approximately US$773 million in expanding monocrystalline ingot and wafer capacity at three sites in

said Pranav R Mehta Chairman National Solar Energy Federation of India(NSEFI) – who is also the Chairman of the Global Solar Council, headquartered in Washington DC, USA.” “We are already in advanced discussions with SolarPower Europe for creating the Indian

China, taking nameplate capacity to 38GW in 2019.

edition of Best practices guidelines for O&M document and are also closely working with

LONGi Green Energy has reiterated plans to expand monocrystalline silicon ingot and wafer

SPE to ideate a program for promoting women participation and employment in solar

capacity to 45GW by the end of 2020. LONGi accounted for 38% of global monocrystalline

energy in India through capacity building and training platforms,” further added Chairman

silicon wafer capacity in 2018.

Mehta.

G

G

rowatt Receives All Quality Matters Award by TÜV Rheinland for MAX 80kW

inlong (Solis) listed as a Public Company on Shenzhen Stock Exchange

On March 21-22, the “All Quality Matters” Award Ceremony & Solar Congress 2019 hosted

Ginlong (Solis) Technologies (Stock Code: 300763) landed on Shenzhen Stock Exchange

by TÜV Rheinland was held in Suzhou. At this top solar stage, Growatt MAX series 80kW

on March 19,2019.

inverter won the Award of PV Inverter for Commercial Use with excellent quality and high functionality, ranking first of commercial inverters. At the event, MAX is the only C&I inverter that has won this honor.

Quality, the Accelerator of Technological Innovation Since its foundation, Growatt has treated quality as the basis for the survival and development of the company. With our belief in quality and innovation, we have established a strict quality control system of five quality engineering projects: design engineering, component engineering, testing engineering, reliability engineering, and manufacturing

Ginlong (Solis) now is the world only stock listed company with the main business in string inverter area. Till today, the company stock value is over 4 billion RMB and still keep growing, which gives us the strong support for continuous healthy growth with Ginlong(Solis) clients.

Ginlong (Solis) Technologies is publicly offering 20 million shares, including 20 million IPO shares offered at 26.64 yuan per share and raising funds of 533 million yuan. The post-public-offering share capital of Ginlong (Solis) Technologies is 79.999952 million in

engineering. For each new product, it requires hundreds of verifications and various long-

total. Ginlong (Solis) Technologies principally engages in the research and development,

term tests to simulate the real harsh environment; the components are carefully selected,

production, sale and service of distributed PV system core unit groups string inverter. In

and the key components adopted are all top brands. With internal standards higher than

2018, its operating income reached 831 million yuan with the net profit of 118.0641 million

national standards, industry standards, and international standards, we provide quality

yuan.

products to consumers around the world.

Founded in 2005, Ginlong (Solis) has grown to be a leading high-level technical research

Leading C&I Sector, Setting a New Benchmark

and development team, many of whom are experts in the field. In the process of R &

With a number of innovative technologies, the MAX series of PV inverters surpass other

D and product industrialization, Ginlong (Solis) already has many domestic and foreign

brand inverters in the TUV test in efficiency, electric power quality, output capability and

authorized patents along with continually pioneering new technologies and has become

environmental adaptability are fully won in the TUV test.

High efficiency: The highest efficiency is over 99%, and China’s weighted efficiency is over 98%. High power quality: current harmonics of 1.12%, far below the 5% standard of the inverter. Strong output capability: MAX can output at 1.1 times, which can increase the PV input capacity and support high efficient and bifacial modules. Environmental adaptability: Even in a high temperature of 60 degrees, MAX can still operate at its full capacity.

The MAX 60-100KTL3 LV/MV series of PV inverters improve the power generation

the technological pioneer in the industry. Ginlong (Solis)’s products have been exported to more than 80 countries in the world. Since its establishment, the company has adhered to the global layout and independent brand strategy, taking product reliability and performance advantage as its core competitiveness. The top ten customers of Ginlong (Solis) are mostly from Asia, Europe, America, Oceania and other countries and regions, and has accumulated advantages of brand and market.

efficiency, environmental adaptability and O&M monitoring capabilities of photovoltaic

Through this listing, Ginlong (Solis) will further expand the market and push brand “Solis”

systems, and have been recognized by global consumers with outstanding performance.

to more countries.

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Solar 24 Solar Quarter Quarter •• March March 2019 2019 24

Company Feature

Incremental Innovation & Unfaltering Customer Service Are Our Core Competencies Founded in 1963, ‘elmex’ is one of India’s leading manufacturers of Terminal Blocks and a pioneer in the Electrical Wire Termination Technology. Founder-Chairman J D Ray’s vision to develop indigenous technology led to the conception of India’s first manufacturing facility for Din Rail Mounted Terminal Blocks. Since then, ‘elmex’ has been continuously reinventing technology, bringing innovations to the industry and developing breakthrough products and solutions.

Vision Statement

Automatic Injection Moulding Machines, Ultrasonic Welding and Wave-Soldering Machines, Computerized Multi-forming Machine, Pitch-Control Auto-Tapping and Internal Thread Rolling Machine etc.

Quality Assurance Apart from being a market leader in electrical wire termination technology, ‘elmex’ is trusted globally for its effective solutions and innovations across industries. elmex’s

“To be a trusted brand in low voltage segment by providing solutions for control, protection and switchgear applications.”

manufacturing plants are ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certified. Operations are

Mission Statement

testing laboratory for conducting the tests as per international specifications with a

“To leverage the trusted brand for enhancing customer satisfaction through product, process and people.”

certified Quality Management System.

Solutions for Solar Photovoltaic

�Solutions for EPC / Rooftop / Project Developers

The enormous growth in the Indian solar industry is helping open the way to a cleaner and more sustainable energy resource. Catering to the growing need of renewable energy resources ‘elmex’ has extended its domain knowledge in Termination Technology to develop product range suitable for Photovoltaic applications with indigenous design & development. ‘elmex’ has developed a comprehensive range of quality products and reliable solutions for the Solar PV Industry such as PV Junction Boxes (2-Rail, 3-Rail & 4-Rail), Straight Connectors, Panel Connectors, Branch Connectors, Over Moulded Wire Harnesses, Inline fuse Connectors, Branch Inline Fuse Connectors, DC Fuse Terminal Blocks (for Combiner Box/DC Distribution Box) which are used for termination to transfer DC energy from PV module to final output. ‘elmex’ PV product range conforms to international standards namely EN 50521/ IEC 62852 for Connectors & EN 50548/ IEC 62790 for Junction Boxes & IEC 60269 for Fuse Terminals.

Manufacturing Excellence ‘elmex’ understands that to produce new-age products, new-age equipments and technology are needed and so over the years, ‘elmex’ has been continuously updating its infrastructure. Today, it is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery for tooling and manufacturing such as CNC Wire Cut Machines, CNC EDM Drill, Micro Processor based

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supported by fully computerized design and development of products with an in-house

Our extensive product line caters to below mentioned Solar PV Applications

PV Straight Connectors (1000V / 1500V), PV Branch Connectors (1000V / 1500V), PV Straight Inline Fuse Connectors (1000V), PV Branch Inline Fuse Connectors (1000V), Over Moulded Wire Harnesses (1000V) �Solutions for System Integrators / Inverters PV Panel Connectors (1000V / 1500V), PV Fuse Terminal Blocks (1000V / 1500V) Terminal Blocks �Solutions for PV Panels / Module Manufactures PV Solar 2-Rail Junction Box, PV Solar 3-Rail Junction Box, PV Solar 4-Rail Junction Box ‘elmex’ has installed more than 3 million connectors at 200+ sites across India. With more than 150 distributors nationwide & field engineers present in all major cities across India, ‘elmex’ provides a 24 x 7 support to its wide customer base.

For more details about our products please visit our website: www.elmex.net or write to us at solar@elmex.net

Solar 25 Solar Quarter Quarter •• March March 2019 2019 25

Company Feature

Incremental Innovation & Unfaltering Customer Service Are Our Core Competencies Established in 2005, Ginlong (Solis) Technologies (Stock Code: 300763.SZ) is one of the

With new 4G series inverter, R&D has focused on the real field challenges, such are

oldest and largest PV string inverter companies in the world. Combining unmatched

supporting to bad grid network, easy toinstall, light weight for easy handling. Some of the

experience in over 80 countries. Ginlong (Solis) has strong leadership positions in the

key feature of 4G series are as followed.

world’s fastest growing solar markets, with 3.5 GW annual production capacities. The

� Low start up voltage

company offers One-Stop-Shop, Bankable and Reliable PV string inverter solutions selling under the Ginlong (Solis) brand. Ginlong (Solis) Inverters are listed on the Approved

� Wide Mppt operating window

Vendor Lists of leading banks and financing institutes around the World. Third party

� Low THDi<1.5%

inverter qualification testing was completed by DNV GL.

� High switching frequency

Ginlong (Solis) is ranked by GTM Research in the Global Top 5 for both single phase and

� Integrated export power management (EPM)

three phase inverters. Ginlong (Solis) inverter products have an outstanding field record in the India, since introducing the product line to the India in 2016. Ginlong (Solis) India is

� Optional AFCI (Arc fault circuit interrupter) complied as per NEC guideline

headquartered in Mumbai, warehoused in Mumbai, offers Solis training programs and live,

� Future ready with DRM function

local technical support nationwide. Ginlong won the prestige EUPD Top Brand PV Inverter

The other is for company:

Brand award in 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019.

� One of oldest and largest string inverter manufacturers in the world since 2005

Strategy

� 3.5GW Capability Inverter manufacturer,

We expect to add another 600MW to 700MW in coming 2 years. We target to ship more

� Global Top 5 for both single phase and three phase inverters by GTM,

then 1GW of inverter supplies by end of 2020.

� World first string inverter passed DNL-GL reliability testing

Business Concept

Service Pledge

Product and service

since 2016 Ginlong has started the operations in India and we understand Indian customer

� We can supply full series string inverter from 700W to 125kW.

requirement and considering that we have taken all necessary step to meet the customer

� Global Service and Support Infrastructure (Combining unmatched experience in over

requirements , in terms of quick service support, local service stock points, so Ginlong has

80 countries. � Ginlong (Solis) offers One-Stop-Shop, Bankable and Reliable PV string inverter solutions selling under the Ginlong (Solis) brand, for solar projects from 1kW to 100MW. Business Competitiveness Business includes two parts. The most important competitiveness is for products:

spread their service network across the country having HQ in Mumbai with telephonic service support setup, and local service person stationed in Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, to reach out to customer site with less time span to address customer problems.

Customers & Projects

Location: APWD,Prothrapur,India

Location: Govt. JNV School, Chouldhari, India

Capacity: 100KW

Capacity: 80KW

Inverter: Solis-50K

Inverter: Solis-50K, Solis-30K

Location: Saksham School, Brukshadad, India

Location: Police training school, Prothrapar, A_N,

Capacity: 120KW

Port Blair, India

Inverter: Solis-50K, Solis-20K

Capacity: 70KW

Fig 1: Production base of Ginlong (Solis)

Fig 2: Global service of Ginlong (Solis)

Inverter: Solis-50K, Solis-3P20K-4G

Fig 3: Ginlong (Solis) Inverters

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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••March March2019 2019 26

Company Feature

Sanelite Solar Modules Are Now Bis Certified!!!

Sanelite Solar, a leading manufacturer of high quality solar PV modules, recently got its PV Modules BIS certified.

Sanelite Solar, a green initiative from Sanelite Group, is a pivotal company in the area of renewable energy providing end-to-end solar PV solutions from manufacturing solar PV modules to solar EPC installations. The company carries with it many years of experience in solar industry and a strong financial background from Sanelite Group.

Last year, the Ministry of Renewable Energy (MNRE), with a view to ensure quality of solar PV equipment, notified “Solar Photovoltaic, Systems, Devices and Components Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2017.” This order made it mandatory for any manufacturer, involved in manufacturing, storing for sale, selling or distributing crystalline silicon terrestrial PV modules (Si wafer based), thin-film terrestrial PV modules (a-Si, CiGs and CdTe), PV module (Si wafer and Thin film), power converters for use in PV power system, utility—interconnected PV inverters, storage battery, to obtain registration for concerned Indian Standards as specified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Subsequently recently, the MNRE has issued a memorandum concerning the importance of following BIS certification when it comes to quality of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules.

According to the memorandum, “The lenders involved in financing solar PV power projects must insist for BIS certification regarding quality of solar modules and not whether the supply of solar modules is from the Bloomberg Tier-I List.” Prior to the implementation of the BIS certification as a compulsory requirement there was no uniform and standard means to ascertain the quality of the modules supplied in India. Therefore, the Bloomberg Tier-I List was followed as recognized standards by the lenders.

With the approval of Bureau of Indian Standards, Sanelite Solar now confirms with it consistent showcase of quality products. Being one of the first few companies who are BIS certified, the company now stands in front line of the PV manufacturing space in India.

The company is a leading manufacturer of premium solar PV modules. The PV portfolio spans from capacity 40Wp to 335Wp to various customizations for different applications.

The state-of-the art production line is carefully designed ultra-modern line with high efficiency automatic laminator and auto-tabber & stringer machines.

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Being a channel partner of GEDA and MNRE and with growing market of domestic solar rooftop in the state of Gujarat, the company channelized the efforts through one-of-itskind franchisee network. Over past 3 years, Sanelite has grown its franchisee network in Gujarat to more than 25 in numbers, and it’s still growing. In a similar way, for channelizing the sale of PV modules and other products, the company is expanding its dealership network to reach the farthest corners of the country. The dealer network shall be utilized for the sale of some innovative products like Solar DIY kits for Solar Rooftops and Solar Pumps in addition to our high-efficiency PV modules.

Solar Solar Quarter Quarter •• March March 2019 2019 27

Company Feature

Goldi Solar Manufactures Solar PV Modules With Unmatched Quality, Using Poly & Mono Crystalline Solar Cells Introduction � Having commenced operations in 2011 with a small capacity, today Goldi Solar Pvt Ltd (Formerly Goldi Green Technologies Pvt Ltd) has evolved into a world class solar PV module manufacturer with a 500MW annual capacity. � The company made a modest start with a manual manufacturing line, and rapidly upgraded over to a fully automatic and robotic plant within a short span of two years. � Over the course of its journey, it has received many accolades and awards for outstanding contribution to the solar industry. � With a team comprising of more than five hundred employees, a major chunk of its workforce comprises of youth from the tribal belt of South Gujarat. Goldi has been instrumental in transforming these youth by training them to handle state-of-the-art machinery and shaping them into industry-ready professionals.

What The Company Does: Goldi Solar Pvt Ltd is a leading solar PV module manufacturing company. The company offers solar panels with Mono and Poly crystalline cells. Besides solar panels, the company has also made in-roads in EPC services with more than 2000 plus satisfied customers to its credit.

Strategy Vision Statement: Developing backward integration capacities through the entire solar cell manufacturing process, foraying into EV charging equipment, and being leading developers of solar power parks with a focus on delivering quality along with creating value in a sustainable manner.

Mission Statement: Implementing technological innovation as a driving force to resolve global energy challenges by delivering energy to all in an efficient manner and at an affordable cost.

Business Concept Company’s Products & Services Goldi Solar manufactures solar PV modules with unmatched quality, using Poly & Mono crystalline solar cells in the range up to 380Wp. Besides regular modules, the company also offers Mono PERC modules, 1500V system modules and cut-cell modules.

With an in-house team of highly experienced engineers with technical expertise, Goldi Solar develops the most cost effective and energy efficient solar power plants. Client satisfaction being on the top of its priority list, the company’s EPC services are the ‘best value for money’ investment.

500MW state-of-the-art PV module mfg. capacity at Surat - Gujarat state

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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••March March2019 2019 28

Industry Insights

Regulatory Frameworks For Promoting Resource Efficiency: Cases From United Kingdom and US Policy Interventions across the solar PV value chain Policy plays an extremely important role in regulating, incentivizing, and promoting resource efficiency for various sectors and PV sector is no different. India has one of the largest renewable capacity expansion programmes in the world. While it is a significant step towards meeting its NDC target, there are challenges faced by the sector that needs solutions with regard to tariff discovery, grid integration, storage, and human resources. Issues associated with material requirement is often ignored. Under the ‘Make in India’ initiatives making panels may get affected due to issues on solar PV material availability at affordable prices.

Further, issues related to end of life management of Solar PVs and battery modules would be critical. An integrated assessment covering material flow analysis and end of life management for better management of wastes are important areas for policy intervention.

The following section presents initiatives taken in other parts of the world on developing guidelines and policies for promoting resource efficiency in the solar PV sector with a primary focus towards the end of life management of PV modules.

defined and classified as hazardous waste, a condition to be met by failing the Toxicity Characteristics Leach Procedure test (TCLP test), however most panels usually pass TLCP and are therefore not subject to RCRA. Hazardous waste can be further subdivided into characteristic hazardous waste and listed hazardous waste. Listed hazardous wastes are wastes from manufacturing and industrial processes or wastes that are generated from discarded commercial products. Wastes exhibiting the properties of ignitability, corrosiveness, reactivity or toxicity are known as characteristic wastes.80 End of life panels don’t fall in the category of listed hazardous waste and are therefore processed based on the characteristic hazardous waste method. An assessment is done to see whether in a waste sample the contaminants present exceed the regulatory levels or not.

Different states within US can have separate leaching processes. Provisions for voluntary collection and recycling have been made available by different PV industry stakeholders. (e.g- PV CYCLE USA).

Credits: Greening the Solar PV value chain, © European Union, 2018

Case of United Kingdom The market for solar PVs is relatively young.

Voluntary producer initiatives, recycling & take back systems prevailed in UK before the WEEE directives were implemented. According to UK legislation a producer is defined as - A UK manufacturer who sells PV panels under his/her self-owned brand.

- Imports PV panels to UK markets - UK businesses selling panels that are manufactured or imported by some third party but sold under their brand name.

The producers have to register in a producer compliance scheme and have to submit details of products being sent to households and non-household markets.

Financing Schemes Requirements for financing under the UK legislation differs from that under the EU WEEE directives. ● Producers need to fund the collection of household panels based on their share in the market. ● Producers are also responsible for financing the collection and recycling of non-household panels if they are replaced simultaneously by newer ones. An additional requirement has also been incorporated for installers to become a part of a distributor takeback system.

First level treatment of panels (including registering of volumes collected) has to be done within UK. The next stage of treatment occurs abroad. Due to the absence of high value treatment facilities in the UK, waste can be exported to other member states of the European Union, provided those facilities fulfill the UK treatment requirements.

Case of US End-of-life treatment of solar PV products is governed by the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and various local state policies. As a prerequisite to be governed

by RCRA, solar panels must be

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Solar Quarter • March 2019 29

Company Feature

The Spark Solar Standard- Our Commitment To Quality At Spark Solar, we think about solar energy all day long. We live and breathe it. We

� Failure Modes and Effects Analysis: FMEA allows us to identify and prevent potential

contemplate how it can power every aspect of our lives. And through our experience,

failure modes within a product or system. FMEA is especially integral to the design of

we’ve come to believe:

our products, introducing new technologies and the selection of raw materials. � Statistical Process Control: SPC ensures our advanced manufacturing equipment and

All Solar is not Created Equal Our energy is different because we’re different. Our experience, knowledge and trusted

processes consistently produce the highest levels of quality—24/7. We collect multiple

partnerships have helped create widest solar module technology portfolio. We have a

data points continuously, then analyze the information to ensure that our processes

vision to be the most admired and preferred partner in solar PV industry and we have the

stay within tightly controlled parameters.

experience to make it happen. Our difference comes through in the quality of our product.

In fact, we’ve built numerous quality steps into every stage of our product development and manufacturing. We call this proprietary quality process The Spark Solar Standard.

� Manufacturing Execution System: Combined with our advanced statistical process control, MES enables us to precisely determine a module’s power level, adding assurance that the power rating on the nameplate is what the module will produce.

The Spark Solar Standard

Only through careful application of this stringent process do our products meet The Spark

It’s not just a quality-assurance program. The Spark Solar Standard elevates solar to a

Solar Standard.

standard unmatched by many other solar company. Throughout every stage, we hold our products, our partners and ourselves to rigorous benchmarks.

Beginning with product development, our team keeps a constant eye on real-world conditions and how they affect our panels’ performance. Our R&D group adheres to

Keen Eyes – Incoming Material Inspection Spark Solar maintains high-quality standards for all materials used in our products. Our

testing guidelines that far exceed industry requirements. We apply stringent manufacturing

suppliers undergo a stringent selection process. We have quality assurance agreements

controls. All of the materials we use in our products come from suppliers proven to deliver

with each Spark Solar supplier, who must provide documented proof of manufacturing

first-rate quality. We use a highly automated

quality and environmental standards.

process to produce unparalleled precision in

We even go so far as auditing our

assembly.

suppliers’ factories to ensure our high standards are met. Inspections

“Every Spark Solar system begins and ends with the highest levels of quality control, including stringent product management, extensive research and development and rigorous component selection.”

by experienced technicians further examine every component that arrives at our production plant. Only the highest quality, most flawless materials enter the production cycle.

Rigorous selection Our quest for quality doesn’t end with production. Before one of our solar panels leaves our facility, we perform electroluminescence

measurement

and a final visual check by our experienced technicians.

PRODUCT

RESEARCH &

SUPPLIER

MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT

MANAGEMENT

Then we perform random product checks: We measure and recheck the lengths and

Benchmarking

�

Sample Inspection

�

Selection

widths of the solar panels and re-affirm perfect insulation. Only then can a Spark Solar

Market Analysis

�

Long-term testing

�

Performance

�

Product design

Material Qualification

assessment

panel begin its journey to the customer.

�

�

Material Certification

�

Failure mode and

� �

effect analysis

�

Quality-assurance

agreement

WE TEST, TEST AND TEST AGAIN

�

Audits

To deliver the industry’s most reliable panels

�

Incoming goods

Solar panels are exposed to extreme conditions over many years, including strong

inspection

sunshine, high temperatures, biting frost, heavy storms, dense snow loads, blowing sand, desert-like conditions and tropical humidity. We take our solar panels to their limits so that

PRODUCTION

our customers can be assured of maximum returns on their investments.

Our specialists thoroughly test materials, prototypes and finished solar panels to determine

QA – Quality Assurance TPM- Total Productive Maintenance

performance. Then we test even further. Our test requirements go way beyond those defined by the most international standards, and these tests are repeated multiple times.

IGI – Incoming Goods Inspection

Every solar panel must satisfy our strict performance and safety criteria—with no

Six Sigma – Process Optimisation

exceptions. This is the Spark Solar standard for quality.

SPC– Statistical Process Control

Here are a few examples of how quality sets Spark Solar apart: � Research and Development: This is where our dreams for a new solar panel or technology

Mr. Ashok Jakhotia Founder and Chairman Spark Solar

begin—always with quality front and center. Recently Spark Solar unveiled advanced 6 Bus bar solar panels.

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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••March March2019 2019 30

Company Feature

Risen Energy Wins The National Enterprise Technology Center Recently China National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Finance, Customs Head Office, jointly released the list of all national enterprise technology centers (the 25th session). The ranking list is targeted towards hightech enterprises who are competent in comprehensive competitiveness, technological innovation, and industrial leadership. Risen Energy Co., Ltd (Hereinafter as Risen Energy) outperformed numerous high-tech enterprises from all over the country and became a member of this valuable ranking.

Risen Energy’s inclusion to this list is unsurprising. Partner with the world-class research institutes such as Chinese Academy of Sciences and Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT), US, Risen Energy has made remarkable advancements in solar technology developments.

In Sept. of 2017, Risen Energy’s high-efficiency twin-cell poly-silicon modules obtained China’s Top Runner Tier 1 Certification, signifying that their technology leadership is recognized by the national authoritative bodies.

Risen Energy is the world’s first PV manufacturer to achieve the GW–scale mass production

It is known that the ranked National Enterprise Technology Center will enjoy relevant tax

for bifacial AlOx passivated PERC technology. In Nov. 2018, Risen Energy’s bifacial AlOx

preferential policy according to state regulations.

passivated PERC modules realized an average cell efficiency of 22.19%, with the maximum production line efficiency up to 22.51%. Also, Risen Energy is the first PV manufacturer to accomplish mass production of 370W PERC bifacial dual-glass modules for “China Top Runner” projects.

Recently, Risen Energy’s JÄGER HP 72-cell module conversion efficiency reached up to

About Risen Energy Risen Energy Co., Ltd. was founded in 1986 and listed as a Chinese public company (Stock Code: 300118) in 2010. Risen Energy is one of the pioneers in solar industry and has committed to this industry as an R&D expert, an integrated manufacturer from wafers to modules, a manufacturer of off-grid systems, and also an investor, developer and an

21%, and this rewrites the world record of PERC module conversion efficiency in Jan 2019.

EPC of PV projects. Aiming to deliver green energy worldwide, Risen Energy is developing

Hong WANG, President of Risen Energy commented, “Technological innovation has

internationally with offices and sales networks in China, Germany, Australia, Mexico, India,

always been the key driver for Risen Energy’development. We are determined to seize the

Japan, USA and others. After years of efforts, it has reached a module production capacity

opportunity of the recent industrial technology generation change and to take the lead in

of 8.6GW. While growing rapidly, Risen Energy keeps a stable pace with an average debt

new technology development and applications. Utilizing the national research platform,

ratio at around 50% from 2011 to 2018.

working with our partners to deliver more values to our customers is our ultimate goal.”

Life Cycle Stages For PV The 3R principle and the circular economy framework can be used in the case of PV panels.

The order of preference in terms of waste management options is as follows- Reduce,

IDENTIFY SOLAR PROBLEMS THERMALLY

Reuse and Recycle. Figure 3.8 presents the different life cycle stages and opportunities of the use of 3R principle across the value chain.

Reduce: There has been ongoing research for finding substitutes for and/or reducing the use of certain components of PV panels that are commonly used.

Reuse: Defective panels are usually returned to the producer for inspection and repair.

Quality tests such as wet leakage test etc. are conducted to recover materials of value from the recycled panels. In case repairs are required and feasible, then new frames maybe attached, along with new junction boxes, diodes, plugs and sockets etc. Repaired panels can be sold again as replacements or sold as second hand items at a price lower than the

FLIR thermal camera helps to:

market price.

• Prevent failure before it happens • Increase revenue • Increase lifetime & functionality of solar panels

Recycle: Panels that cannot be repaired or reused are dismantled and sent to treatment facilities for further processing. Due to the low volumes of PV waste in global markets,

The FLIR T640 thermal imaging camera is the perfect tool for solar panel inspections.

there hasn’t been much incentive to have separate PV recycling plants. The panels are processed in general recycling centers for material recovery. At this stage it is possible that some higher value components are not fully recovered. ● Recycling of crystalline silicon PV panels: The panels are first disassembled into the following components- aluminium frame, conductors, cell recovery and glass structure.

The aluminium frame and the conductor is shredded via a shredding mill and then sorted

Quality assurance and failure-free operation of the solar panels is a prerequisite for efficient power generation, long life, and a high return on the investment. To ensure this failure free operation, FLIR offers a fast, simple and reliable method to evaluate a solar panel’s performance during the production process and after the panel installation. FLIR thermal imaging cameras help scanning solar panels during normal operation and detect anomalies quickly within a short time frame.

and refined to reach a certain purity level. The cells are sent to the wafer production while

This hot spot within one solar cell indicates physical damage within the cell.

the glass is sent for recycling. The recycled materials can then be used to build new panels

With thermal imaging complete panels can be inspected in one view. Anomalies in the solar panels clearly show up in these thermal images

Images for illustrative purposes only.

that have the same output as the original panel. (McKeown 2014)

For more details, please call us on: +91-11-4560 3555 or write to us at flirindia@flir.com.hk FLIR Systems India Pvt. Ltd. 1111, D Mall, Netaji Subhash Place, Pitampura, New Delhi – 110034 | Fax: +91-11-4721 2006

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Credits: Greening the Solar PV value chain, © European Union, 2018

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m

FLIR Solar Ad New 4.9x8 inches.indd 1

08/08/18 5:51 PM31 Solar Quarter • March 2019

Company Feature

1500V Solar DC System Voltage: Is The Time Ripe?

A technology to sustain requires adequate support from the government. While this was

1. Susceptibility to Potential Induced Degradation (PID) increases: Potential Induced

the case with solar energy before, the market dynamics has changed a lot now. With the

Degradation (PID) as we explained you in our previous blog “What’s and why’s of PID!”

evolvement of cost competent market, optimizing every component of the solar power

is one of the cause of failure of PV modules. It has been observed that PID is primarily

plant is important to ensure developers sustainability and profitability. System voltage is

affected by system voltage. With increase in system voltage to 1500V, it has been estimated

one such area where optimization has been at steady pace. The initial solar plants were

that the effect of PID on the module (connected at the negative end of the string) may

designed at 600V DC system voltage. However, once the drive of cost reduction had begun

increase. While there are materials for module (primarily EVA & cell) already in market

designers/developers started looking for more novel ideas to keep their profit margins balanced. One such idea was to increase system voltage to 1000V (from the previous 600V systems) citing its various benefits. A similar idea has been in rounds for quite a few time now i.e. to further increase system voltage to 1500V (Figure 1) from the existing 1000V. With modernization of various components, this shift may seem easy in few countries only.

For country like India lot of shortcomings needs adequate thinking and appropriate action

which are anti-PID, using such higher voltage systems are expected to have a susceptible effect on solar modules.

2. Safety: One of the important concerns while implementing 1500V system is the requirement of improved protection devices. These additional up gradation are required in the following components:

before such shift is made. This blog aims to explain its readers on both advantages and

a. modules – as higher voltages may cause arcing when under maintenance leading to

shortcomings of 1500V system. Additionally it would also inform its readers on the way

major safety hazard

ahead for Indian market for such system. Before delving into the shortcomings of a 1500V

b. combiner boxes – due to increase in no. of modules per combiner box

system, let us first understand their advantages. The advantages of using higher voltage

c. inverter – due to change in its input voltage (i.e. 1500V)

DC system (1500V here) are as follows:

d. transformer – due to change in output voltage of inverter (500 – 680V when compared to 1000V inverter 300 – 400V) Additionally,

while

handling

such high voltages, it is also Figure 1: A typical arrangement of solar modules in 1500V plant (Source: PVTECH)

Figure 2: A typical 1000V system (Source: Google images)

1. Reduced strings of solar modules: The first and foremost advantage of 1500V system

important Figure 3: Effect of PID on modules connected in a typical string Electroluminescence (EL) image (Source: Waaree Energies)

safety

that

appropriate

equipment

and/or

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used to curb the risk of safety hazard.

is that we reduce number of strings. Let us take a typical example. The currently available

1500V systems currently are only

typical solar modules have voltage rating between 36 to 37 Volts. Thus in order to form a

beneficial at utility scale power

string of 1000V, we would need close to 27 modules in series (Figure 2) when compared to

plant systems and not on rooftop

42 modules for 1500V system (Figure 1). Thus for a power plant keeping its power output

scales. However it is poised that

fixed, we get less number of strings for 1500V. Advantage of this reduction is that we need less DC combiner boxes and thus maintenance and hence the fault detection of such

with increasing awareness and

system becomes much easier. Additionally the cable length required for interconnection

further reduction of cost in

will decrease with decreasing number of strings.

conjunction with availability of

2. Reduced DC cable losses: Energy losses while generation have always been a concern for solar power plants operators. Out of the possible losses (temperature loss, irradiance

Figure 4: Projected adaptability of 1500V system (Source: ITRPV)

material, 1500V systems shall experience meteoric rise. 1500V

loss, etc.) in the power plant, only a few of them are controllable such as DC cable losses.

system would see an increased

DC cable losses are generally associated with the current flowing through the cable in form

market penetration of around 95% in the next decade. Thus it is important for India that

of heat. More the current flowing through the cable more is the heat lost and vice versa.

an early adaptability and the necessary infrastructure up gradation are done in order to be

With an increase of 50% in voltage (from 1000 to 1500V), the current flowing through the

prepared for the next technical shift.

cable would decrease for given power which would lead to a significant decrease in DC

Waaree Energies had understood this market trend and have already launched 1500V

losses. Additionally with decrease in array cable length (as mentioned above) the overall

compatible modules and inverter. They are tested rigorously in order to ensure they

resistance of the cable decreases (see formulae below). This further reduced the DC power

perform optimally when under operation.

loss.

Resistance = Resistivity x Length of wire /Area of wire & Power Loss due to heat = (Current)2 x (Resistance)

Let us all pledge to make solar energy the primary source of energy in the near future.

3. Reduced Capital cost: The third and most important advantage is that a fair reduction in capital cost can be achieved by using 1500V system. This can be attributed to multiple facts like: a. Reduction in number of strings which leads to reduction in number of Module Mounting Structure (MMS) b. Reduction in array cable length c. Reduction in number of DC combiner boxes/ junction boxes With such advantages, 1500V system sure looks like an attractive technological shift.

-Mr. Sunil Rathi

However there are still few concerns which are to be addressed before we shift to such

Director- Sales and Marketing

systems. They are as below:

Waaree Energies ltd

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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••March March2019 2019 32 32

Globally Solar Energy is rapidly being absorbed as a key alternative energy technology by many countries in its sustainable energy architecture and year on year the forecasts have been very optimistic from a capacity build up perspective. According to data from IRENA, the Global cumulative installed capacity in 2017 was ~398 GW (roughly corresponding to 2% of Global power capacity) and provisional estimates from BNEF indicate that 109 GW was added in the year 2018 taking the cumulative to over 500 GW which is enough to supply ~3% of global electricity demand. There have been a number of factors responsible for the growth of Solar sector over a period of time, but pricing remains the most important driving factor. Globally Module prices have fallen, and Inverter pricing has also been on a down-hill. Other growth accelerators include rapid globalization, focus on distributed energy systems, positive Policy and Regulatory imperatives, participation by Large Corporations and Financial Institutions, Climate Change imperatives and so on.

Against this background, it would be pertinent to ascertain how the year 2019 will pan out for the sector. We would like to reproduce the Key trends of 2019 authored by leading energy research consultants and global information providers – Wood Mackenzie and IHS Markit. Their forecast is tabulated to the right:

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Researched & Compiled By: Nitin Raikar, AVP- Market Research & Insights, SolarQuarter w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m

Solar Quarter • March 2019 33

Industry Insights

Mapping Resource Efficient Practices Along The Solar PV Value Chain Introduction

“Twin peak” Cell Technology

The PV sector has the potential to create unprecedented opportunities for resource savings

Renewable Energy Corporation (REC), a Norwegian company, has developed a ‘twin peak’

along the value chain. Process innovation will reduce primary demand of resources. Further

technology that helps in delivering a power boost to the panel. There are 4-5 key elements

efficient recovery of wastes generated at different stages of the life cycle and recycling can

related to their invention that we would like to highlight here along with their benefits.

help in material security for the sector. Before India becomes a leading manufacturing hub

1. A new wafer production technology has enabled REC’s “twin peak” cells to have a

of solar PVs, it is extremely important that an ecosystem is developed that can promote efficiency across the life cycle stages. Apart from improved product design and process re-engineering and a business model that can promote reverse logistics of end of life solar

greater surface area to capture sunlight (greater the surface area of the module that is exposed to sunlight, higher the output that the module will produce30). The cells are cut into two pieces (“half cut cells”) that helps reduce internal resistance. They are connected in strings and the panel is laid out in a “two twin” section, with identical number of cells

PVs for efficient material recovery supported by a conducive policy framework is the need

connected in a series. Splitting of the cell into two pieces helps reduce the internal current

of the hour that will further enhance establishing such an ecosystem in place. The various

and thereby reduces the power loss. Since power loss is equal to the square of the current

stages involved in the life cycle of solar panels include the following:

flow, the loss is cut by a factor of 4.

1.1. “Fill factor” which is an indicator of cell quality, increases with the reduction in the aforementioned losses. With improved cell quality and reduced resistance, up to 6 Wp (Watt peak capacity) of additional power can be generated from a 60 cell panel.

1.2. When a standard module is placed in a portrait orientation, shading of a single row of cells renders the power generation from the panel to be 0. With its unique layout, the REC panels, under the same conditions can generate at least 50 percent of the output.

In the sections that follow, we look at some of the best practices that have been adopted, for attaining resource efficiency across the PV value chain.

Design Stage The way the panels are designed is of particular importance, as it plays a central role in how the degraded components of the panel are repaired, refurbished, remanufactured or dismantled, or for extending the use life. In case of a standard module, the cells are connected electrically in a series and then assembled into a module. Suitable power output is ensured by a junction box. The components of the module are attached to each other through lamination and soldering. Thus, any potential recycling involves destructive processes (such as shredding), resulting in inefficient recycling and recovery of contaminated materials that cannot be reused for further purposes. Keeping in mind

2. Thin rectangular strips of copper or aluminium, placed between the cells that conduct electricity are called bus bars34. Most solar cell designs incorporate 3 bus bars on the cell35. REC’s solar cells make use of 5 bus bars, which helps reduce the distance travelled by the electrons to reach the ribbon. This facilitates faster electron flow and improves panel reliability. Results of the stringent quality control test conducted by REC suggest that panels having 5 bus bars are more durable (particularly in the mechanical load and thermal cycling tests).

the need for easy dismantling of the panels at the end of life stage, the panel has to be designed in such a way that:

3. A standard junction box consists of bypass diodes and connection options for

� Any additional damage to the panel in the course of dismantling, collection or transport

linking the panel to the rest

is minimized.

of the system. REC twin peak

� Easy recovery of valuable materials like silver, copper, aluminium etc.

products make use of a split

� Labelling for possible product recyclability, content of recycled materials.

(Adapted from IRENA 2016)

junction box, wherein the functions are split between 3 small boxes. This split junction box makes use of lesser metallization, reduces internal resistance and also takes up lesser space. The space thus

Improved Design For Better Dismantling Apollan Solar has designed a module called New Industrial Cell Encapsulation (NICE) that facilitates easy dismantling. The technology adopted makes use of pressure contacts to

freed up allows greater spacing between the cells which in turn increases the internal reflection of light from the back sheet to the cell surface.

interconnect the cells rather than soldering them together. Instead of using EVA (Ethyl

4. A standard cell consists of a base and an emitter, both made of silicon but having

Vinyl Acetate) like encapsulation (as is the case with standard modules), NICE modules

different electrical properties. An electrical field is generated where the two layers (base

make use of Poly-Isobutylene (PIB) sealing, that acts as a barrier against moisture ingress.

and emitter) meet and that pulls negatively charged electrons into the emitter. Depending

A ‘pick and place’ system is used for placing the module cells and contacts in a series on

on the wavelength of the light that enters the cell, electrons are generated at different

the rear glass. A sealant material is applied along the perimeter of the glass and the front

levels of the cell structure. They are generated at the front of the cell in case of light with

glass is placed on top. For creating the under pressure, the module is pressed under partial

shorter wavelength (blue light). For longer wavelengths (red light), electrons are generated

vacuum and neutral gas. In the end, a junction box is placed and a secondary sealant is

at the back of the cell and at times may pass through the wafer without creation of any

applied. Once the modules reach their end of life, they can be opened and disassembled

current.

into their components (glass sheets, copper wires, cells). This enables higher recovery of

4.1. Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (PERC) technology, is a new cell structure that has been

the materials. Also the NICE module can be reopened and components not functioning

developed by REC, which improves the light capture and optimizes cell performance. A

properly due to degradation during operation or due to manufacturing defects, can

conventional solar cell has an aluminum metallized layer, which is connected to the rear

be repaired or replaced. For the purpose of monitoring malfunctioning or degraded

of the cell. PERC technology coats the back of the cell with a dielectric layer that has small

components, efforts are being made to develop a ‘cell doctor’, that is a fully automated

holes made with the help of a laser. An aluminum metallization layer is added on top of

system, that can identify defects in a finished cell and repair the ones that can be repaired.

this and contact with the silicon wafers occurs only through the laser made holes.

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Solar 34 Solar Quarter Quarter ••March March 2019 2019 34

Industry Insights production of pure argon gas is costly. A Cleantech company by the name of Gas Recovery and Recycling Limited (GR2L), specializes in recovery, purification and recycling of purge gases that are utilized in photovoltaics, microelectronics and material processing industry sectors. They have developed a technique for recycling argon gas (as well as other purge gases such as xenon and helium) , wherein the recovered gas has a 99.9999 purity level.

The method being used is based on a chemical looping combustion process. “ArgonØ”, the product developed by GR2L, recycles more than ninety five percent of the furnace exhaust gas, while removing thousands of ppm of contaminants.

3.3.1.1.2 Reusing crucibles Molten silicon feedstock is contained in crucibles. Given the fact that silicon reacts with everything at high temperatures, there are limited crucible materials that fulfill the purity requirement for manufacturers. Thirty percent of the cost of converting silicon feedstock into as grown ingots is contributed by silica crucibles. Used crucibles are sent to landfills.

STEULER has come up with a concept for reusable silicon nitride crucibles. SINTEF has investigated the technical potential of these crucibles for crystallization of multi crystalline silicon. At present, a single silicon nitride crucible can be used for five consecutive crystallization runs. The quality of the silicon so obtained is similar to what is obtained from standard silicon crucibles.

In case of PERC cells, the dielectric layer acts as a reflector for any light that passes through

Secondary applications include ceramic or glass industry, horticulture, building industry,

the wafer without generating any current. Between blue light and red light, it is the latter

silicon production etc.

that is harder to absorb by the earth’s atmosphere. Cells that can capture more red light

3.3.1.2 Cutting and wafering of silicon ingots59

are more powerful. Even during weak light conditions, the reflective properties of PERC

Once crystallization is complete, the bottom, top and side parts are removed before

technology help in increased absorption of red light, which facilitate higher production, improvement in cell efficiency and augmentation of overall energy yield.

cutting the ingot into blocks. The ingot blocks are then wafered. In the process of cutting, a significant amount of silicon is lost. Nearly half of the silicon that one started with,

3.2.3 Upgradeable solar energy system: “40 Year Solar”

goes into the coolant used for sawing the silicon wafers. Recycling of kerf loss (loss of

U.S. based Solergy has developed upgradeable solar energy system, “40 Year Upgradable

silicon in the form of sub-micron powder) will help in reducing polysilicon consumption

Solar”, that can generate power at a cost of $0.01/kWh. The system makes use of High

and waste generation. Garbo has patented its silicon recycling process which is knows to

Concentrating Photovoltaic (HCPV) technology. Compared to the standard PV module,

remove contaminations and bring purity level of silicon to 99.999%. The purified silicon

Solergy’s 40 Year generates forty percent more power per installed kW, as it uses

so obtained is dried and packed under vacuum for getting a stable silicon powder. This

multi-junction cells (cells having more than one p-n junction), having higher efficiency.

powder has to go through a high temperature oxygen degassing process before it is used

Upgradation of the cells helps increase the service life to 40-50 years, as compared to a

in producing solar ingots and cells.

standard module that has a service life of only 25 years. A longer service life in addition to upgradable design, implies that one can benefit fully from any technological improvement

Credits: Greening the Solar PV value chain, © European Union, 2018

that comes about, without having to worry about the current technology becoming obsolete43. The design of the module is such that direct cell upgradation can take place in the field and at a low cost.

The “40 year solar” includes: � Glass concentrating lenses � Upgradeable, hermetically sealed modules � Secondary alignment that ensure 0.1degree sun tracking accuracy � A tracker structure that operates in a variety of challenging climatic conditions (including during 200 km/hr winds).

Solergy CPV maintains a high power generation level that allows it to deliver energy when it is most required. This is of particular importance during times of peak demand (late afternoon or early evening), when traditional PV output begins to drop. Apart from generating electricity, solar CPV can cogenerate heat as well, at no extra cost. A heat exchanger is attached to the tracker pillar that allows transfer of heat towards the required application (e.g.-hot water). The option to use the cogenerated heat can be activated as and when the need arises. This avoids wastage of the co-generated heat.

3.3 Process and Product stage While there are recent developments in improved process and product manufacturing stages, specific improved process related information are not available in the public domain. However, there are selected research studies that have analysed efficiency potential for several processes based input materials that are used for producing silicon panels. The ‘Eco Solar’ based project under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program, have assessed improvement in input consumption of materials like silicon feedstock, silver, aluminium, cadmium, pure argon gas etc. In this section we discuss the benefits thus achieved through the exercise.

3.3.1 Eco Solar Project The project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program. The main aim is reducing the consumption of raw materials used in the production of solar cells and reducing the carbon footprint of the modules. The vision behind the project is based on the idea of minimizing the number of resources used, reusing and recycling raw materials.

3.3.1.1 Crystallization of Silicon feedstock Crystallization is usually done either via Directional Solidification or through Czochralski crystallization. Eco Solar has identified two areas where carbon footprint can be reduced.

These are – reusing argon purge gas and reusing crucibles.

3.3.1.1.1 Argon gas recovery Pure argon gas is used for removing contaminants during crystallization of ingots. Even though argon is abundantly available in the earth atmosphere,

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Solar 35 Solar Quarter Quarter ••March March 2019 2019 35

Technology News

S

S

What powers the device you’re using?

China could be the first to deploy s-CO2 in

Electricity, obviously. But where did that come

CSP.

from? Two thirds of the electricity used in the

The world’s initial Concentrated SolarPower

United States comes from power plants fueled by fossil fuels — coal, oil or natural gas.

(CSP) plants continue to use the legacy steam cycles of conventional thermal plants. But

Solar energy produces just 1.3 percent of the electricity. Yet energy from the sun could

steam cycle is a mature technology with temperature-based efficiency limits, hampering

easily power our every need if it could be stored for use when the sun doesn’t shine

the potential to raise efficiency and lower costs. Consequently, international researchers

(such as at night). Researchers in Sweden now think they might have a way to do just

have investigated a new power cycle, a closed loop supercritical carbon dioxide cycle

that.

(s-CO2).

As a chemical engineer, Kasper Moth-Poulsen uses chemistry and physics to design

Marking the first time s-CO2 cycle will be tested in an operating CSP plant, starting

solutions to problems. He works at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg,

this month, the French utility company EDF will partner with Chinese CSP technology

Sweden. He teamed up with other researchers in Sweden and Spain to tackle the problem

manufacturer Shouhang to convert a demonstration CSP plant built three years ago at the

of storing energy from the sun. Their solution: Store that energy inside the bonds of

Gobi Desert solar park at Dunhuang from steam cycle to an s-CO2 power block.

molecules that have been suspended in a liquid.

“The way that people approach risk in China is different; I think they are more open for

hape-shifting chemical is key to new solar battery

Molecules consist of two or more atoms. Those atoms share electrons through bonds that hold them together.

Different types of molecules have distinct 3-D shapes. For example, methane is shaped like a three-sided pyramid called a tetrahedron (Teh-tra-HE-drun). Other molecules have different shapes. Adding energy to a molecule can alter its shape. New bonds may now form between its atoms — ones that may hold different amounts of energy. When a molecule later absorbs energy, that energy can become trapped within those new bonds.

That’s the key to the new solar-energy battery.

houhang and EDF to Test s-CO2 Cycle in Concentrated Solar Power

such innovation. They don’t trust so much the modeling work; so they build it. It’s quite sad that today it’s easier to do such projects in China than in a western country, but it makes working in China very exciting,” commented Yann Le-Moullec, EDF Chief Engineer in China R&D. Le-Moullec, who announced the study-Retrofit of Dunhuang 10MW molten salt plant with a high temperature supercritical CO2 cycle at the Annual SolarPACES Conference 2018 in Morocco, is now working in China to implement the EDF collaboration with Shouhang, which built the 10MW plant to be used in the demonstration and was among the first to complete a 100MW tower CSP project in China’s first batch of demonstration projects.

Using bonds inside a molecule to store solar energy isn’t new. Moth-Poulsen’s group

After ten years in renewable energy R&D at EDF in France, then in China, Le-Moullec

had been working on that for years. But the molecules it initially worked with contained

is now starting a two-year evaluation of its feasibility and the readiness of equipment

a rare and pricey metal called ruthenium (Roo-THEE-nee-um). The researchers needed

suppliers in China and abroad. “With a lot of completely novel technology, suppliers might

a less costly alternative.

be eager to offer us some equipment, but the selection of which supplier we trust and how to qualify them, is our first issue at the moment,” he pointed out.

H

ow Technology Can Pave The Future Of Our Roadways

S

olar farms in space could be renewable energy’s next frontier As the green energy revolution accelerates, solar farms have become a familiar sight across the nation and around the world. But China is

taking solar power to a whole new level. The nation has announced plans to put a solar power station in orbit by 2050, a feat that would make it the first nation to harness the sun’s energy in space and beam it to Earth.

Since the sun always shines in space, space-based solar power is seen as a uniquely reliable source of renewable energy.

“You don’t have to deal with the day and night cycle, and you don’t have to deal with clouds or seasons, so you end up having eight to nine times more power available to you,” said Ali Hajimiri, a professor of electrical engineering at the California Institute of Technology and director of the university’s Space Solar Power Project.

Of course, developing the hardware needed to capture and transmit the solar power, and launching the system into space, will be difficult and costly. But China is moving forward: The nation is building a test facility in the southwestern city of Chongqing to determine the best way to transmit solar power from orbit to the ground, the China Daily reported.

Revisiting an old idea The idea of using space-based solar power as a reliable source of renewable energy isn’t new. It emerged in the 1970s, but research stalled largely because the technological demands were thought to be too complex. But with advances in wireless transmission and improvements in the design and efficiency of photovoltaic cells, that seems to be

By most reports, by 2020 there will be 10 million semi and fully autonomous cars on the road.

And according to Stanford Magazine, by 2030, passenger vehicles will drop to 44 million down from 247 million in 2020.

Dr. Andrew Dubner, Business Leader, 3M Connected Roads says that with an anticipated fleet change that could take decades, roads will need to accommodate both human and machine navigated vehicles.

“Existing safety materials on roadways today in the form of lane markings and traffic signs help safely guide drivers through visual cues such as shape, color and retroreflective properties for nighttime driving,” said Dubner. “But these same materials can be optimized for machine navigation, as well.”

Dubner says that having the right technology on the road surface is critical for the effective and efficient performance of machine vision systems, especially in challenging weather and light conditions such as rain at night.

Many vehicles on the road today are equipped with advanced driver assistance (ADAS) technology, such as lane-keep assist or lane departure warning. In 2016, 5,281,385 cars (30%) had blind spot detection. These safety features use machine vision or cameras to ‘see’ the roadway, similar to how the human eye sees the road.

“The machine vision technology of vehicles with lane departure warning systems are looking for consistently visible lane markings with contrast from the road surface. Lane markings need wet reflective technology to remain visible in the rain and have long-term

changing.

durability [..],” said Dubner.

“We’re seeing a bit of a resurgence now, and it’s probably because the ability to make

“For automated vehicle systems, one of the most important features on the roadway is

this happen is there, thanks to new technologies,” said John Mankins, a physicist who

pavement markings which can provide uniform and consistent visual performance at all

spearheaded NASA efforts in the field in the 1990s before the space agency abandoned

times,” said Dubner. “These lane marking features can help provide improved detection

the research.

Population growth may be another factor driving the renewed interest in space-based solar power, according to Mankins. With the world population expected to swell to 9 billion by 2050, experts say it could become a key way to meet global energy demands —

and long-term effectiveness of ADAS technologies,” added Dubner.

“We are currently developing pavement markings designed to help enable these machine vision systems to better see the roadway, including features such wet retro-reflectivity,

particularly in Japan, northern Europe and other parts of the world that aren’t especially

enhanced contrast (white or yellow material with black edges), and durability for longer-

sunny.

lasting presence on the roads,” added Dubner.

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Solar Quarter • February 2019 36 Solar Quarter • March 2019 36

Technology News

N

A

Insolight’s pre-production modules set a new

Rare is the tech story whose main development

efficiency standard of 29% for commercial

is decidedly low-tech – but not impossible.

solar panels. Results were validated by the

Rather than a fancy atomic clock or rat cyborgs,

Solar Energy Institute of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (IES-UPM), setting the

for instance, this tech story deals with buckets of rocks and water. Well, solar panels too,

stage for large-scale industrialization. For more information see the IDTechEx report

but that’s not the cool new part.

on Distributed Generation: Minigrid Microgrid Zero Emission 2018-2038.

Insolight is

Today, at a meeting of the American Physical Society, Colgate University physicist Beth

taking a whole new approach to creating high-efficiency solar modules for the rooftop

Parks described a new way to wring even more energy from a solar panel — a major

market. Its patented optical system concentrates light onto an array of tiny space-grade

development for people with no access to reliable power, such as those in developing

multi-junction photovoltaic cells. While today’s rooftop standard modules typically

countries or folks who live off-the-grid. Rather than install the panel in a stationary

show an efficiency of 17-19%, Insolight’s pre-production module has been validated

position, Parks helped come up with a rotating frame that allows the panel to follow the

at an impressive 29% by IES-UPM, two years after a first record on a lab prototype.

sun as it traverses the sky.

The Swiss company based at the EPFL Innovation Park has taken a decisive step

Buckets of Fun

towards industrialization with its first pre-production full-size series, cost-effective and

Here’s where that high-tech equipment comes in. Rather than use motorized components,

Better Solar Panel Through Buckets of Water, Rocks

ext-gen rooftop solar panels achieve record efficiency

compatible with existing assembly equipment.

Parks’s solar panel rig moves thanks to the power of gravity, using a bucket of rocks and

During the past 15 years, the average efficiency of commercial PV panel has increased

a bucket of water. The former, a stationary weight, hangs off the west side of the rig.

by only 3.5%. As conventional technologies are slowly reaching their maturity, new

Counterbalancing it, on the east side, is the water — but, this bucket has a leak in it.

approaches are needed. “For the rooftop market, the real challenge is not only to increase

When it’s heavier, in the morning, it outweighs the rocks, so the solar panel points east,

efficiency but to do so in a way that combines cost-effectiveness, ease of installation and

toward the sun. In the evening, after leaking all day, the bucket is lighter than the rocks, so

durability,” says Laurent Coulot, CEO of Insolight.

the panel points westward, toward the sun. And in between, Parks got the panel to roughly

In order to reach such high efficiency, Insolight uses a unique design. The panel’s

follow the sun from east to west by controlling the rate of leaking water (a phenomenon

protective glass embeds a grid of lenses which concentrate light by several hundred

familiar to any calculus student).

times. Under this optical layer, direct sunlight is focused on an array of high-performance

It’s the kind of idea that’s so simple, it really works. Over 20 random days of testing, the

space-grade solar cells.

bucket-powered solar cell collected 32 percent more energy than a stationary setup

To follow the sun’s movement, the cell array shifts horizontally by only a few millimeters

nearby. That’s nearly a third more energy, all thanks to a couple of buckets!

each day. The whole system is encased in a slim module, similar to standard solar panels,

Solar Panel Power

which keeps mechanical parts protected. Insolight’s product has the same form factor

Parks came up with the idea, and tested it, during a year in in Uganda, where she worked

and appearance as standard panels and can be easily mounted in the industry-standard

with students at the Mbarara University of Science and Technology. They were careful to

configurations, on rooftops or on the ground.

make the frame itself simple enough for local welders anywhere in the world to create.

N

ew tech promises to ‘fix the voltage problem’ and open the C&I and VPP solar floodgates There is enormous latent opportunity for electricity to be generated from solar systems atop the vast roof space of Australia’s

commercial and industrial zones but so far only property owners who use a lot of energy are investing. No business manager would back a shift to solar only to be told their surplus energy would be blocked by the local network as it guards against voltage irregularities. But Brisbane-based renewable energy technology company Planet Ark Power is operating a dynamic voltage management solution that allows full solar export – and enables lower-priced power purchase agreements as no solar energy is wasted.

“To radically increase the amount of renewables the grid can handle you need to fix the voltage problem, and that voltage problem is starting to pop up all over the place,” Planet Ark Power executive director Richard Romanowski tells EcoGeneration. “We fix the voltage problem from behind the meter, at no cost to the grid.”

Planet Ark’s “clean energy as a service” business model operates a 340kW solar system with 300kWh of storage at a Toyota dealership in Ipswich which the client says has been “cash flow positive from day one”.

What works in Queensland should be good anywhere else in the world, of course, and the Planet Ark Power technology has been nominated as one of three in the Intelligent Grids,

chandan@firstviewgroup.com

Platforms & Cyber Security category at the Startup Energy Transition (SET) Awards, held in Germany in April. The awards are facilitated by the German Energy-Agency in cooperation with the World Energy Council. This year 450 applications were received from 80 countries.

What’s in the box An extra gadget in a PV system that makes sure exported energy doesn’t pushed up

chandan@firstviewgroup.com

voltage in the grid will be a boon for networks – who get to offset capital and operating expenditure – and will enable a market for very large virtual power plants operated by sites where storage is installed. One scenario, Romanowski says, is an owner who wants to monetise, say, the 15% of generation from a 50kW system that is surplus to load at times of peak generation. “We can put up our magic black box and export that energy into the grid safely,” just like the owner of a residential system already can, he says.

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