Sun & Wind Energy October 2010

The Magazine for Renewable Energies

ISSN 1861-2741 74714

www.sunwindenergy.com

9,50 € • International issue

10/2010

2010 World map d Solar cell aonducers module pr

Mass production and vertical integration Photovoltaics

Photovoltaics

Solar Thermal

Wind Energy

New cell concept for more efficiency

The right formula for solar fluids

Market report: Germany

Editorial

Subdued optimism

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f the EU PVSEC in Valencia goes as a glob­ al mood barometer for the photovoltaics sector – and the high number of Asian and US American companies clearly shows the high worldwide importance that the event is credited with – then this year the glass ­pane of the barometer was misted up. On the one hand there have been new installation and manufacturing records in every new quar­ terly report since mid-2009, but on the other there is the latent uncertainty about how things are going to continue in the coming ­year. Germany has definitely been the driving force this year, which has accelerated the PV train to top speed, but the latest degression, and the next one coming on 1st January 2011, is now applying the brakes. This will be even more the case if the rumours of a capping of the German market harden, a move which is apparently being discussed in Berlin should PV growth in the first six months once again be higher than expected. Reduced monetary yields for operators on the one hand, and slower growth in new PV markets on the other, may bring forth worry lines on the foreheads of some CEOs. And in conversations it may also have been perfectly clear to all concerned that in 12 months’ time not all exhibitors will be appearing again at the PVSEC in Hamburg. But it was also quite clear that this expectation of casualties from the coming market consolidation never includ­ ed one’s own company. This is not surprising. But why was it so often possible to feel the ­efforts being made to demonstrate optimism? How certain are the companies ­really that they will not also be affected by the expected mar­ ket consolidation? And where can such a cer­ tainty be coming from when it can be seen that even some former stock market favourites are now struggling for their existence and take­ over rumours are running wild?

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

The photovoltaics market is one of the most dynamic markets there is. According to the PV Status Report of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, which was presented in Valencia, in the second quarter of 2010 alone, € 26.101 billion was invested in photovoltaics worldwide. But the PV market is still being driven by political frameworks. Thus, although an EU study on development in the 12 new member coun­ tries, plus Croatia and Turkey, states that – due not least to their having joined the EU – the cumulative installed capacity in these countries has risen from 63 to 485 MW, 84 % of this can be solely put down to the attrac­ tive feed-in tariff conditions in the Czech ­Republic. The inability to plan the development of new markets stands side by side with the equally unforeseeable development of the competition and of cost structures. But if you add together the capacities of wafer produc­ tion technology that have newly gone onto the order books of suppliers this year – and from Chinese customers especially – then it looks as if there will be an over-production of wafers in the not too distant future, with ac­ companying price pressures at the level of cells and modules. Grid parity could thus, in some countries, finally bring about the end of dependence on political decision-making more quickly than expected. Companies too will then finally be facing the full rules of the market and will have to play by these as well – for good or for bad.

Dr. Volker Buddensiek Editor-in-chief [email protected]

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Table of contentS

EU PVSEC: Adiós Valencia



Photo: Wilhelm Breuer

The photovoltaic conference in Valencia should have been one big celebration, seeing as this year parts of southern Europe achieved grid parity for the first time ever. But instead, the trade fair will be remembered by exhib­ itors predominantly on account of its poor or­ ganisation and numerous slip ups. The event organiser WIP has already accepted responsi­ bility for the debacle and will not be returning to the Valencia exhibition grounds again.

Page 112

PV World Map 2010: The battle for supremacy

­

Photo: Bärbel Epp

This year’s S&WE world map shows nearly 500 production sites for solar cells and modules worldwide. While the manufacturers of solar cells and crystalline modules are already following a clear path in direction of mass production, the thin-film producers have to deal with dropping silicon ­prices and the lower levels of efficiency. CI(G)S technology could soon ­become a serious competition for the successful CdTe modules.

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Despite a very good financial support policy in sev­ eral states, the US-American market is growing slower than expected. The difficult economic situ­ ation is one crucial factor in market growth lagging behind expectations, albeit not the only one: cheap energy prices causing long pay back times are another. The three states of Hawaii, California and New York compete for the lead in solar thermal support policies, which takes each of them on a very different path. 

Page 54 Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photo: Bernd Wüstneck/dpa

Country Special South Korea: Hoping for stability South Korea is currently considered to be a rather difficult market for renewable energies and, in particular, the PV market has ex­ perienced a period of cooling down after the boom of 2008. By 2012, the government plans to change over the feed-in tariff ­system to the Renewable Portfolio Standard. However, so far, the details of the system are still open.



Page 48

Photo: SolarWorld AG

How stable are monopiles?

Review

6 International news 18 PV Rome: a perfect spot for doing business 22 Solar district heating in Alberta, Canada 26 Saudi Arabia: solar heat for the oil state 28 Pedalling for peace and new energies 30 The threat of metal scarcity 34 Expo Shanghai: “Better City, Better Life” 38 First communal water house in South Africa 42 South African REFITs: a promising start 46 Incentive schemes worldwide 216 International fairs

Country Special 48 South Korea: hoping for stability

Solar thermal

54 US market: the second big chance 68 UN initiative: interview with Nigel Cotton 72 Solar fluids: it must keep circulating 82 Poland: training courses for installers 84 The world’s largest SHC system 86 Absorber tubes: bend, punch and braze 90 System concepts without buffer tanks 98 Planned cities: solar pilot project in Iran 102 Solar thermal products

CSP 104 TÜV Workshop: looking for standards

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

On a number of monopile support structures in Euro­ pean offshore wind farms, transition pieces have slipped several centimetres downward, taking the towers with them. Furthermore, doubts have been raised about their long-term stability – cyclical loads change the sea bed.



Solar Energy 108 Glass suppliers in India

Photovoltaics

112 EU PVSEC says goodbye to Valencia 116 World map of cell and module producers 130 Manufacturing execution systems 138 Schott Solar presents new cell 142 Interview with Dr. Winfried Hoffmann 148 Preview of Solar Power International 154 Mexico: impulses for the domestic market 158 Tradeshow season in Taiwan 164 Thermography: heat reveals faults 172 System technology: integrated solutions



176 US market: American ups and downs 182 German market: still room for growth 190 Drive train concepts: growing diversity 192 Multi-megawatt turbines: next generation 198 Foundations: how stable are monopiles? 201 Safety at work: a legally grey area 204 Service & maintenance: electronic problems 207 Rescue at heady height

Page 198



Department 218 Directory 226 Preview and imprint = manufacturing technology feature

Wind energy

BioENERGY 210 Renaissance of district heating in the US 214 Experts met at 10th Pellets Industry Forum

Photo: Smethport

District heating in the US District heating networks are not necessarily sustainable and environmentally friendly. In the US, Americans are now rediscovering such networks. In combination with biomass power plants they could become a part of the energy revolution Americans, with their wealth of forests, are striving for.  Page 210

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Review

International NEWS

Biggest solar illumination project in Turkey completed

International

NEWS On September 19th the first ceremony after 90 years was held in the solar illuminated Akdamar Church.  Photo: Ezinç

The solar components manufacturer Ezinç completed the biggest Turkish solar illumination project in Van, Anatolia. The new solar system is used to illuminate the historic ­Armenian Akdamar Church, which was built in the 10th century. The solar system replaces an old diesel generator. The financial payback time of the solar illumination system is about 3 years, based on an annual production of 25.000 kWh. The city Van has the 3rd highest solar irradiation in Turkey.

Large solar cells with more than 19 % efficiency At the 25th EU PVSEC the Belgian rethe solar cell industry. The Cu-based front-side search centre IMEC presented several metallization is a step towards higher sustainabililarge-area silicon solar cells with an efficiency ty and lower cost, substituting Ag with Cu in future of above 19 %. Two types of cells were realized, industrial production of crystalline silicon solar namely with Ag-screenprinted contacts and cells”, said Joachim John, Team Manager Industrial plated Cu contacts. Efficiencies of cells with Solar Cells at IMEC. screenprinted contacts were up to 19.1 % The results were achieved within Imec’s silicon whereas 19.4 % were obtained with Cu-plated solar cell industrial affiliation programme (IIAP), a contacts. According to IMEC, these efficiencies multi-partner R&D programme that explores and were obtained thanks to several factors, among develops advanced process techothers a combination of improved texturization nologies aiming at a sharp reand optimized firing conditions. The results duction in silicon use whilst were achieved on 148 cm2 large and 170 µm increasing cell efficiency. thin cells proving the industrial viability of the process. “The fact that such efficiencies can be obtained by metallization schemes based on IMEC’s Cu-plated screenprinted Ag contacts enables compatibility large-area silicon with present industrial metallization practice in solar cell Photo: IMEC

Italy revises its feed-in tariffs Italy has revised its support of photovoltaics and reduced the feed-in tariff. The support is defined in the so-called Conto ­Energia III, according to which the tariff will be decreased in 2011 in three four-monthly steps. In 2012 and 2013 the tariff is to be reduced by a further 6 % each year. The feed-in tariff for new rooftop installations that join the grid in the first third of the year ranges from 33.3 €-ct/kWh (for rooftop systems over 5 MW) to 40.2 €-ct/kWh (for rooftop systems of up to 3 kW). All other systems which are not installed on a roof are covered by a general tariff, which, like the roof tariff, differentiates between the smaller and larger classes. The smallest class will get a tariff of 36.2 €-ct/kWh if hooked up in the first third of the year, while the largest class will get 29.7 €-ct/kWh. The adjustment for roof-integrated systems is relatively modest. It is to be fixed at one level for the whole year, but the size classes will be newly classified, however. The class of systems of up to 3 kW is to be merged into the class of up to ­ 20 kW. The size of the market for non-­ integrated systems has initially been capped at 3,000 MW; for BIPV systems the cap is at 200 MW. If the market volume exceeds there will be a period of grace of 14 months during which the support will continue. In 2009, photovoltaic capacity totalling 711 MW was installed in Italy.

EPIA launches the European Photovoltaic Observatory The European Photovoltaic Industry Association announced that it advocates sustainable policies with the goal of keeping the PV industry and market on an ­accelerated, yet sustainable growth path.­ According to a press release, EPIA has decided to launch the “European Photovoltaic Observatory”. Based on the analysis of existing policies in an increasing number of key countries in Europe, the observatory is believed to identify beneficial conditions for market development and best practices for sustainable

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development of PV, promoting market transparency and harmonisation across Europe at the same time. The photovoltaic observatory is structured around three main recommendations: sustainable support schemes, streamlined administrative procedures and efficient grid connection processes. The observatory also provides an analysis of grid access conditions, of the possibility to transmit and distribute the produced electricity and of specific legal requirements related to the grid connection.

While PV still requires political support in order to sustainably reach full cost competitiveness with traditional energy sources, the photovoltaic observatory represents “an essential instrument to advise national and European decision makers for the successful implementation of their support policies” said Ingmar Wilhelm, President of EPIA. The observatory was launched at the 25th EU PVSEC in Valencia, Spain, this week. The observatory report is now available on the EPIA website at: www. epia.org/publications/epia-publications.html

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Yields as secure as the gold in Fort Knox. Since 1936, the United States government has safely stored its gold at Fort Knox. Gold has been a dependable investment for centuries. Wise investors today put their money in PV. So it’s only natural that Fort Knox is equipped with a PV plant. No wonder the security experts have chosen inverters by KACO new energy. But watch out: Some would even steal for maximum PV yields. We say why bother when you can simply buy a KACO inverter. They are the safest investment around. Ask a dealer today! KACO new energy. We turn passion into power.

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Review

International NEWS

Abener and Teyma to build 100 MW CSP plant in Abu Dhabi A consortium of the two Spanish firms Abener and Teyma has been awarded with the construction of the 100 MW parabolic trough plant Shams 1 in Abu Dhabi. Both companies will jointly execute the project with a 50 % stake each. The earth work on the plant site already started in July this year. The plant will be made up by 768

parabolic trough collectors spread over a ­surface of 300 hectares. Because of the dry climate in the region the power plant will be cooled with an air condensator. Both companies have already built solar thermal power plants. They built two natural gas/CSP hybrid plants (ISCC) in North Africa and the Solucar Platform near Seville in Spain.

KSP to build 5 MW CSP plant in Hawaii Keahole Solar Power (KSP) from Hawaii, USA, signed a lease agreement for land in Kalaeola. The land will be used to build the 5 MW micro CSP power plant Kalaeola Solar One. The plant will use parabolic trough technology. It also will have a thermal storage that enables the plant to operate during cloudy weather and at night for 2 hours, that will be used to balance weather fluctu­ ations and for shift production during the night time. The project is expected to break ground late 2010 and is estimated for completion by the 3rd quarter of 2011. Keahole Solar Power inaugurated Hawaii’s first CSP plant two years ago. The facility is located on the Big Island of Hawaii and has a nominal power output of 2 MW and also a heat storage for 2 hours. At that time the company was known under the name Sopogy, which sold off most of its ownership in KSP to private equity investors. Sopogy is now a technology provider and supplied the collectors and systems used at the Keahole project. KSP on the other hand is the project developer and EPC of record. Keahole Solar Power’s goal is to develop 30 MW of solar power in Hawaii by 2015. According to Darren Kimura, Chairman of the Board of Directors, “KSP has a very deep pipeline of projects” but can’t give more details to the public for now.

The first CSP plant in Hawaii, Holaniku at Keahole Point, was developed by Keahole Solar Power in 2009. Photo: KSP

The consortium was awarded with the e­ ngineering, procurement and construction (EPC) in May 2010 following an international tender floated by Masdar. Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s future energy company and leads a development consortium with Total and Abengoa Solar for the Shams 1 project.

First CSP power plants in 20 years licensed in California Between the end of August and the end of September the California Energy Commission approved the construction of three big CSP projects. The first was the Beacon Solar Energy Project on August 25, which is the first solar thermal power project permitted in California in 20 years. In a unanimous vote, the Energy Commission adopted the presiding member’s Karen Douglas proposed decision (PMPD) to approve the project. The Beacon Solar Energy Project is a 250 MW parabolic trough CSP power plant. On September 8 the 250 MW Abengoa Mojave Solar Project was approved followed by the approval of the 1,000 MW Blythe and the 370 MW Ivanpah project. The last CSP power plants that were approved in California were Luz Solar Electric Generating Systems SEGS IX and SEGS X in February 1990. Currently, the energy commission has issued proposed decisions that recommend the approval of more than 2,800 MW of CSP power plants. In the next few weeks the final decisions are expected for the 250 MW Genesis Solar Energy project and the 709 MW Imperial Valley project. This last project was submitted as a 1,000 MW project, but the energy commission prefers a smaller dimension to reduce impacts on the local ­environment, land use and visual resources. The projects are divided in 3 of 4 known CSP technologies. Most of them use parabolic trough technology, like the Beacon project. The Ivanpah project will be built using tower technology, where thousands of Heliostat mirrors focus the solar light onto a central receiver. The Imperial Valley project is planned to be constructed with about 28,000 solar dish Stirling systems, where a parabolic mirror focuses the light on a Stirling machine. The only technology that is not considered in any application is the linear Fresnel approach.

73 % thermal efficiency on SkyTrough collector The aluminium based parabolic trough collector of the US based solar power company SkyFuel achieved a thermal efficiency of 73 %. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) measured 73 % of the incoming solar irradiation is converted to

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heat. The value combines an optical efficiency test of the collector with a heat loss test of the receiver. The 73 % represent the overall efficiency at a temperature of 350 °C within the receiver, which is mounted in the focal line of the

mirror. The higher the temperature gets, the greater are the heat losses and the efficiency gets down. In current parabolic trough power plants, the temperature of the heat transfer fluid has to stay below 400 °C, because the synthetic oil decomposes at this temperature.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Review

International NEWS

Solimpeks opens new factory The Turkish manufacturer of solar thermal products Solimpeks has opened a new factory for the production of thermosiphonic systems and storage tanks. The production line has a capacity of 6,000 tanks per year and is located near Solimpeks’ old facility in Turkey. The thermosiphonic systems are produced in two different sizes with a 200 or a 300 litres polyurethane tank. The new tanks are maintenance free and do not use a magnesium anode. Since the production already began mid-June, first new products were sold in Turkey, Chile, Lebanon, Portugal and Spain. All in all Solimpeks is exporting products to 60 countries.

Solimpeks promises that its thermosiphonic systems are maintenance free. They do not need a ­magnesium anode. The tank can be hidden behind the collector. Graphic: Solimpeks

Micro-Concentrator cooling demonstration Industrial rooftop solar solutions company Chromasun announced that it has partnered with solar thermal technology integration company SunWater Solar to deploy California’s first ­Micro-Concentrator (MCT) solar cooling demonstration at Santa Clara University (SCU). The lightweight, low profile MCT module is a utilityscale collector packaged for roof deployment. The technology is designed to offset summertime peak loads by utilizing solar energy for commercial and industrial cooling needs. A demonstration system was recently installed and commissioned at SCU as part of the school’s solar-powered house, which won third place at the US ­Department of Energy’s 2007 Solar Decathlon. The Chromasun MCT is a flat-panel solar thermal collector that can achieve a concentration of 25 times the sun using lightweight, highly reflective aluminium mirrors from Alanod-Solar. These mirrors pivot in unison to follow the sun. Solar energy is collected from the mirrors by a selectively coated stainless steel receiver type that can generate temperatures up to 200 °C. The entire system is enclosed with a sealed canopy to protect against the elements. It has no external moving parts and is mounted on the same racking systems as conventional flat-panel solar thermal collectors.

Best efficiency scores for new perforated glazed air collector Canadian Enerconcept Technologies’ new perforated glazed air collector Lubi Wall reached a performance factor of 1.18 by the CSA classification. A perfor­ mance factor by CSA is more than a marketing advantage for a company. It is considered when calculating the level of the incentives granted by the EcoEnergy for Renew­ able Heat programme, which runs until March 2011. The level of support is determined by multiplying the incentive rate, which depends on the technology group and the location of the installed system, with the collector area and the performance factor. The commercial, industrial and institutional sectors are eligible for the Renewable Heat programme. The score of 1.18 is the highest on the market so far. The Lubi wall consists of a transparent, perforated polycarbonate cover, which can be delivered in many different sizes and is mounted in front of the wall with standard building components. It combines the benefits of multiple perforations to the high transmissivity of polycarbonate. The product is also offered as a roof-mounted system under the name of Luba GL and with a score of 1.10. In comparison, the closed air collectors by German air collector manufacturer Grammer Solar reached 0.93 for the internal and 1.00 for the external version of the system.

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Chromasun MCT Module on SCU 2007 Solar Decathlon House Photo: Chromasun

PAW LP establishes sales team After the foundation of its US subsidiary in late 2009, German-based PAW assembled a strong sales team for the North American market. The US sales unit will be headed by Joseph Waskiewicz. The office of PAW’s North American subsidiary PAW LP, located in Webster, Massachusetts, began operations earlier this year. Leaving the initial development phase behind, the local team will intensify sales activities to strengthen PAW’s position in the market and distribute its components for solar thermal and hydronic systems. In order to cater to the demands of customers in the US and Canada, the US branch will work closely with the R&D and sales units at the headquarters in Germany. Responsibility for product development and technical support will remain with Lars Bergmann, who has already been the driving force behind the market entry.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Review

International NEWS The 3 MW turbine Eco 100 has a rotor diameter of 100 m and is especially suitable for middle and high wind speeds.  Photo: Alstom

Alstom expands Whitelee The French industrial group Alstom has won a contract worth more than ­­ € 200 million to expand the current largest European onshore wind farm, Whitelee in Scotland. The 322 MW wind farm near Glasgow, which was put into operation in 2009, will be expanded by 217 MW. To achieve this, Alstom will erect 69 of its 3 MW turbines of type Eco 100 and six units of type Eco 74 with a capacity of 1.67 MW each. The customer and operator of the wind farm is Scottish Power ­Renewables.

Test site planned in Denmark for 250 m high turbines In northwest Denmark a testing site for up to 7 wind turbines with a height of up to 250 m is being built. The idea is that turbines installed at this height should one day reach rated capacities of 15 to 20 MW. The 4 km long test site at Østerild is also to have several masts of 150 m installed and two of 250 m to enable meteorological measurements to be made. The Østerild test site is to be in addition to the Høvsøre test site in western Denmark, at which wind turbines of up to 160 m may be installed. The test sites complement each other in that they are in topographically very different regions. While the Høvsøre site is very flat, at least two of the seven testing spots in Østerild are in a wooded environment. Wind turbine manufacturers can buy or lease a testing spot and erect their turbines there. Then, a mass of measurements will be made on these in partnership with researchers at the Danish research institute Risø DTU. In advance of this a consortium led by Risø DTU is to develop a new system for feeding the generated electricity into the grid. It is to be dimensioned so that 7 turbines with a capacity of 16 MW each can feed into the 150 kV grid. It will also make sure that turbine tests do not endanger the electricity grid in any way.

Innovative design for 10 MW offshore turbine The 10 MW Aerogenerator X turbine is aimed at being an alternative to conventional horizontal axis turbines especially where material fatigue is concerned. 

Graphic: Wind Power Limited and Grimshaw

The British company Wind Power Limited has published a new design for a 10 MW offshore wind turbine. The Aerogenerator X turbine differs from conventional wind turbines in that it is a vertical axis type and not a horizontal axis one. This reduces the weight over a conventional design with the same capacity by about half. The weight is one of the biggest problems when larger wind turbines are being developed. Apart from the weight, the mechanical stresses should also be reduced as the rotor blades rotate around a vertical axis. On a conventional turbine the weight of the rotor blades has a varying effect on the main structure depending on the blade positions. The result is quickly fluctuating stresses with up to 20 cycles per minute, which puts high demands on the materials and thus increases the costs. The development of the Aerogenerator design originally began in 2005. The design now presented comes from an 18-month feasibility study called Project Nova (Novel Offshore Vertical Axis). Wind Power Limited has also recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the international engineering consultancy Arup in order to help successfully move the development of the Aerogenerator X forward.

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Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Review

International NEWS

New biomass plant from straw combustion Acciona Energia has grid connected its second biomass plant from straw combustion in Spain, at Briviesca (province of Burgos). The facility, in which the Ente Regional de la Energía (EREN) – a public regional energy entity – participates with 15 % of the capital, has meant an investment of € 50 million. According to Acciona, it strengthens its status as the main Spanish benchmark in the use of herbaceous agricultural waste for the production of electricity through this plant. The 16 MW plant at Briviesca will burn around 102,000 metric tons of straw a year to produce around 128 million kWh of clean, renewable energy, equivalent to the consumption of around 40,000 homes. This will avoid the emission of 123,000 tons of CO2 from conventional coal-fired power stations, with a cleaning effect on the atmosphere equivalent to 6 million trees through the process of photosynthesis. Acciona Energia has carried out the development, engineering and construction of the plant and will operate it under its ownership. It has guaranteed the supply of raw material – mainly from Burgos and Palencia provinces – through medium- and long-term supply contracts with over 100 farmers and 38 companies based in Castilla y Leon. The plant has already fed its first kilowatts into the grid, as part of a trial phase prior to fullscale production that will last three months. Acciona has another 16 MW biomass plant at a very advanced stage of construction, located at Miajadas in the province of Cáceres. It will be put into operation in the last quarter of this year.

Withdrawal from coal power in Ontario By 2014, the province of Ontario, Canada, will have completely withdrawn from coal power. This is a done deal. Already today, coal power is at the lowest level for 40 years and is 70 % less than in 2003. In order to achieve the target of 0 % coal, the next step is to convert the coal-fired power station in Atikokan to biomass. The Ontario Power Authority has been given the contract to buy the plant from the current owner Ontario Power Generation (OPG), and then to convert it. This will take around three years, after which the power station will produce 150 million kWh of electricity annually. Hydroelectric plants are another possible way to replace the coal-fired power stations in the province.

Whisky biofuel to power cars At the Edinburgh Napier University researchers developed a new biofuel that is made of whisky byproducts. It uses the two main by-products of the malt whisky production “pot ale” and “draff”. Pot ale is the liquid from the copper stills while draff comes from the spent grains. The product of the used process is butanol, which can be used as

At the Edinburgh Napier University researchers developed a new biofuel that is made of whisky by-products. Photo: dpa

f­ uel. Butanol is a well known candidate for biofuels of the third generation, since it contains about 30 % more energy than commonly used ethanol. Unlike Ethanol it also can be used by ordinary cars without the need for modifications. Additionally it can be used as a starting material for many important chemicals such as acetone. The project was funded with ­ £ 260,000 by the Scottish Enterprise’s “Proof of Concept” programme. The raw material for this process is widespread in Scotland. The £ 4 billion whisky industry in Scotland produces 1,600 million litres of pot ale and 187,000 tons of draff per year.

Pilot-scale facility for renewable motor fuel opened in Sweden Swedish biofirm Chemrec AB held an opening ceremony for the completion of its 500,000-gallonper-year bio dimethyl ether (BioDME) pilot facility. The facility within the company’s development unit is located at the Smurfit Kappa paper mill in Pitea, Sweden. Bio dimethyl ether can be used as fuel for heavy road transports. The project broke ground in August 2009. “An important milestone was achieved today bringing BioDME closer to commercial deployment not only for the European Union but for the global biofuel market,” said Kyriakos Maniatis, Energy Technologies and ­Research Coordinator at DG Energy of the European Commission. According to Chemrec, the overall scope of the pilot project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of producing ­BioDME from forest residues. “The process towards building an industrial

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scale plant at the Domsjö specialty cellulose mill in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, has also advanced with bulding the demonstration facility”, said Max Jönsson, Chemrec CEO. The global market potential for BioDME is approximately 30 million tons of diesel equivalents per year, estimates the company. Participants in the project include Swedish automaker Volvo, Swedish fuels company Preem, French oil and gas giant Total, and auto parts company Delphi. The Energy Technology Center, a local research institute, is also involved in the project. BioDME produced from the new pilot plant will be used in 14 of Volvo’s specialty converted trucks using Delphi’s fuel injectors to test the use of DME as a transportation fuel. The fuel will be delivered to service stations built by Preem in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Pitea.

Inaugurated bio dimethyl ether demonstration facility of Chemrec AB produces fuel for heavy road transports.  Photo: Chemrec AB

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Review

International NEWS

Loan guarantee for 20 MW flywheel energy storage Beacon Power Corporation, a US based provider of energy storage systems, has finalized a US$ 43 million loan guarantee by the US Department of Energy (DOE) for a 20 MW flywheel energy storage plant. The plant is currently under construction in Stephentown, New York, and is expected to be fully operational by the end of the first quarter of 2011. The first 4 MW of the plant will be operational by the end of this year. Once finished, the Stephentown plant will be able to provide 10 % of New York’s total frequency regulation capacity on a typical day. The total cost of the plant is US$ 69 million, about US$ 55 million of which are directly for equipment and facility costs. Beacon’s equity contribution of US$ 26 million is in place and consists of a combination of cash, in-kind assets and other eligible project costs. This plant is one of a total of three 20 MW plants Beacon Power is currently building. In flywheel energy storage plants energy is saved in times of energy overcapacity in the public grid. The energy is saved due to transformation of electrical energy into kinetic energy. This energy is saved as kinetic energy in a matrix of flywheels. In times of energy shortage the stored energy is injected back into the grid, to maintain a proper electric frequency of 60 Hz.

Construction site in Stephentown: Beacon Solar builds a 20 MW flywheel energy storage plant. Photo: Beacon Power Corporation

International trade fair for Solar Energy in the Benelux

Gent - Belgium

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Germany passes on its knowledge On August 30 the new seminar series Transfer ­Renewable Energy & Efficiency (TREE) begins at the Berlin Renewables Academy. The aim is to educate politically and economically relevant stakeholders about renewable energies. This should set the foundations for setting up ecologically sound energy supplies in the participants’ home countries. In the current seminar series there are ministry employees and “multipliers” from 57 countries taking part. Within the framework of the stipendiary program, eleven seminars with various technological themes, legal issues and online courses are being offered. The participants will learn which technologies are best-suited to which locations, how the political frameworks can be most efficiently designed, and which financial mechanisms can be used. A further seven seminars are to be held in South Africa, Mexico, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and India on the subjects of “Solar thermal power plants” and “Project finance for renewable energies”. Further information: www.tree-project.de

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Solar Incubator programme in the US The American Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are jointly seeking applications for a new DOE support programme aiming to advance the commercialisation of solar energy technologies. This project, called Solar Incubator, is to give small companies the chance to improve their innovation potential through working together with the NREL and other DOE labs. The programme is especially aimed at collaborations which have the potential to reduce the costs of solar electricity and to spread solar technology more widely. The projects are to be split into two categories. Tier 1 projects will receive a maximum of US$ 1 million over a 12-month period. They are to concentrate on innovative PV module technologies and to move them along to the prototype stage. Tier 2 projects will receive up to US$ 4 million over an 18month period. These projects are to reduce the time that it takes to transfer technologies from the lab and pre-commercial prototype stages to the level of pilot projects and industrial manufacturing. Companies interested in these may acquire more information on how to apply from the NREL website: 

www.nrel.gov

Decision-makers from 57 countries are taking part in the TREE seminar series. Photo: TREE

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Review

pv rome

A perfect spot for doing business For the participants of the trade show PV Rome, the official presentation of the new solar incentive that will be in effect until the end of 2013 was not the hottest issue. They quickly turned to what was actually on their minds when coming to Rome: signing deals.

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t’s incredible, but every time we come to the smaller trade show in Rome, we end up signing more deals than during the industry’s major exhibition in Verona”, says Bruno Lombardi, Managing Director at Phoenix Solar Italy. In the opinion of Lombardi, PV Rome is a small but remarkable trade show, organized by Italians for Italians. On top of that, the atmosphere was quite relaxed, which means ideal for doing business.

Some market participants close more deals during the smaller trade show PV Rome than during the industry’s major exhibi­ tion Solarexpo in Verona. 

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Photo: Europressedienst

2010: The year of open space systems “Of course, everybody is now quite pleased with what we have”, says Federico Brucciani, Spokesman of the Italian PV industry association “Gruppo Imprese Fotovoltaiche Italiane” (GIFI). While the industry representatives had no doubts that the new Conto Energia

would be passed, the developments in other countries such as France or the Czech Republic where the promotion of solar electricity was suddenly scaled back had left one or the other market participant with an uneasy feeling. With the official presentation of Conto Energia III and the positive past trends in mind, Italy’s PV sector is now looking at a bright future. “We can already say that 2010 is the year of large-scale open space systems”, says Brucciani. Italy’s highvoltage grid operator Terna has announced that open space systems with a capacity of 500 MW will be connected to the grid by the end of the year. “This is more than in any other year before”, says Brucciani. “However, the situation is not surprising taking into account the high returns of a full 10 % in this market segment.” In the opinion of Brucciani, the newly installed capacities in the large-scale open space segment will begin to drop again by the next year. “We are looking at a record year in this segment that will not be achieved so soon again.” When it comes to the new capacities for 2010, the trade show visitors seemed to have no disagreement. “In Italy, the newly installed capacities are expected to reach an overall 1,500 MW in 2010”, says Alex Sorokin, Director, InterEnergy Consulting. “However, as regards the cap of 3,000 MW under the new Conto Energia, I already see problems arising for the next year.”

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Review

pv rome Attractive industrial rooftops If we observe the market, there is a clear trend that becomes visible, says Brucciani. “What had already started by last year has by now grown into a highly dynamic development”, says the GIFI spokesman. “The trend is towards installing PV systems on industrial halls.” Solon Italy has been one of the first to go into that direction. “Last year, we already received an order to build a 12 MW rooftop system on a building of the logistics company Interporto in Padua”, says Emiliano Pizzini, Financial Services and Controlling, Solon Italy. By now, the system is already connected to the grid. “Next, we were asked to raise the system’s capacity to 15 MW, which is what we are currently working on.” There are many reasons why the installation of PV systems on industrial halls is highly attractive, says Pizzini. On the one hand, obtaining a construction license for such a system requires less time and paperwork. “This is due to the fact that there is already a building established on the premise”, says Pizzini. But the system also benefits from the grid connection on site. This luxury is not available when installing large-scale open space systems. Finally, the majority of industrial halls are located in Northern Italy, which is the part of the country where the power grid is stable and allows for the connection of further megawatt systems.

Too many cooks spoil the broth

The installation of PV systems on industrial halls is becoming increasingly popular in Italy. 

Photo: Solon

Besides the realization of rooftop installations, Solon also focuses on the development of open space systems. “We were recently awarded a tender announced through Terna. In the scope of the tender, we will be realizing projects with a total capacity of 12 MW”, says Pizzini. The project development for PV systems

meanwhile accounts for 70 % of the company’s business operations. “In the last year, our activities in this segment had reached only 50 % while the other 50 % of our business concerned module sales.” At the same time, the projects are getting increasingly larger. While Solon had realized projects in the size of 100 to 500 kW in the last year, the installations are meanwhile between 500 kW and several megawatts. “But we generally prefer projects with one megawatt and only one investor. In these cases, the project development requires about one month for the contract negotiations and another for the bank consultations.” Too many cooks – or investors – spoil the broth and can often cause significant delays in the realization of the project. When it comes to the financing of projects, Solon often cooperates with the banks Intesa or UniCredit. “Something that is getting increasingly popular in ­Italy is the leasing of projects. It’s a model that is fast and one that can be flexibly applied”, says the financial expert at Solon. The current development is seen in a very positive light. Solon’s development essentially reflects the trends within the Italian solar sector of the past year, says Pizzini. “While we were still affected by the global economic and financing crisis at the end of the first half of 2009, we are now experiencing the exact opposite.” The order books are filling up to a degree that the employees at Solon are left with almost no time to breathe. “While our staff consisted of 150 employees in our plant in Carmignano di Brenta in July 2009, we are now already looking at a number of 250”, says Pizzini. In general ­Solon is very pleased with the new Conto Energia in Italy. “Due to the fact that the incentive favours small-scale systems with a capacity of up to 5 MW against largescale open space systems, the law is playing into our hands. This is exactly the system class that we are increasingly offering to our customers.” Conto Energia III, which introduces only moderate cuts compared to other incentive schemes around ­Europe and offers investment security until the year 2013 has led to a lot of self-confidence in the sector. The market is buzzing and already leading to first ­bottlenecks. Modules and installers for large-scale systems are beginning to get scarcer. Also the Italian module manufacturers are feeling the squeeze. ­Solon’s production line that has an annual production capacity of 100 MW is currently used by only 60 % due to the lack of materials. Meanwhile, the first voices are already warning of a market overheating and a bubble that could collapse in the next few years leading to dramatic consequences. However, for now, the Italian PV engine is running smoothly and still makes it unlikely that the module prices will drop in the nearer future. Markus Grunwald

Further information: Gruppo Imprese Fotovoltaiche Italiane: www.gifi-fv.it InterEnergy International Consulting: www.interenergy.it Phoenix Solar: www.phoenixsolar.it Solon: www.solon.it

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Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Review

Solar community

Drake Landing in the winter. The solar heat captured by 800 solar panels on top of the garage roofs in summer is stored in a borehole field. Photo: SAIC

Solar district heating in a winter cold region The Drake Landing Solar Community in the province of Alberta is the first solar community in North America. It receives at least 80 % of its domestic heat from the sun.

T

he Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC) is a Canadian master planned neighbourhood in the town of Okotoks in the Canadian province of Alberta, some 50 km from Calgary, which has successfully integrated Canadian energy-efficient technologies with solar energy. Pilot projects like this one are not common in North America and DLSC is the first with these characteristics. The community is heated by a district system designed to store abundant solar energy underground during the summer months and distribute the energy to each home for space heating needs in the winter. The project was conceived by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), a federal depart-

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ment of the government of Canada, in collaboration with SAIC, an American scientific, engineering, and technology applications company. Starting in the spring of 2005, the solar community was built with the help of a large team drawn from both the public and the private sectors. Solar energy began to flow into the borehole thermal energy storage system as of sunrise on June 21 2007, and construction of the community’s 52 homes was completed in August 2007.

Storing the summer heat in the ground Each home in the development is connected to the others by a system of solar thermal

collectors. The collectors are filled with a water-glycol mixture to prevent freezing during winter. The roofs of the garages in the subdivision hold arrays with a total of 800 solar collectors which provide domestic heat for the community. Solar panels are also on every home’s roof, producing about 60 % of the domestic hot water. The remainder of the water is heated with conventional natural gas. During the summer, the solar thermal collectors reach their full thermal capacity of approx. 1.5 MW on an average summer day. A community power station pumps the water-glycol solution through the closed system of collectors and to a grid of holes bored into the earth, known as “the borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) system”. Each borehole is 37 m deep and fitted with grouted U-shaped pipes which radiate the collected solar heat into the ground and warm the subterranean soil. The system itself is insulated on top to retain heat during the winter.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Review

Solar Community

Although there is some loss, the heated subsoil remains warm through the winter. Over the summer, the system heats up to about 80 °C as the sun-heated water circulates through it. The power station runs on conventional electric power, but has PV cells on its roof and batteries to power the system in the event of an outage. In the power station there are two large, short-term storage tanks. Each tank holds around 120,000 litres. When heat is needed, hot water from one of the two tanks circulates through the district heating loop, which supplies each of the homes. Inside the homes, heat is distributed through specially designed heat exchangers. If heat from the solar collectors in winter is insufficient to send the warm water to the district heating loop at an appropriate temperature for heating, it is diverted to the BTES for a boost of additional heat stored from the summer. After delivering heat to the homes, cooled water returns to the power station’s other storage tank. In winter the average temperature in Okotoks is between -10 and -20 °C, but southern Alberta receives a lot of sunshine in the winter and this contributes to space heating through short-term thermal energy storage. By early 2008, the homes in the Drake Landing Solar Community received about 80 %­ of their heat in the winter from solar energy collected during the summer. The remaining percentage is supplied by conventional natural gas. By 2011, the solar fraction for heating should approach 90 %, and soon thereafter 100 % in an average year. Moreover, the homes were built with the highest thermal rating for Canadian homes, which is 30 % more energy efficient than typical homes, at a cost of just about 10 % higher than for a normal house. Each home was designed with low-impact landscaping using locally manufactured materials, a practice that supports local business and reduces traffic emissions. Each unit has the following characteristics: • Upgraded insulation and vapour barrier systems that eliminate drafts and allow for balanced space heating and cooling throughout the home • Lumber certified and produced by sustainably harvested sources • Engineered joist and load bearing components which are stronger, more structurally stable and were produced using sustainable manufacturing practices • Recycled materials in the drywall • Upgraded window systems that add to the superior insulation of the home • An advanced basement air gap wrap to

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The collectors are installed on the south side of the garage roofs.  Photo: Drake Solar Community/Wong

drain water away from the foundation and prevent moisture build-up • Upgraded roofing material with longer warranties “In the long run,” said SAIC Canada’s Bill Wong, project manager for the Drake Landing Solar Community and manager of SAIC Canada’s Renewable Energy and Climate Change Programme, “homeowners may be protected from crazy escalations in the price of natural gas. They may be seeing a cost of living increase of maybe 2 or 3 % per year for the simple maintenance of the system. With aging population on a fixed income, that’s going to be an important factor for the marketplace.”

A model for future projects The solar collectors for DLSC were manufactured by Enerworks, a Canadian solar company which, when the project started, had developed a new type of solar thermal collector that managed to increase efficiency at a competitive cost. The key factor that en­ abled the project to get underway was a strong local commitment from the town of Okotoks, as well as strong local partnerships with land developers and home builders. To be economically and financially sustainable, a much larger community needs to be involved. The purpose of the project was to show people that comfort during long, cold winters can be achieved at competitive prices using solar energy, while and at the same time combating climate change. This, as fossil fuel prices continue to rise, even in Canada where gas and oil prices are still lower than in Europe. Through a comprehensive, long-term performance monitoring programme SAIC wants to gain insights which will allow it to

develop its capacity to replicate this technology, adding further enhancements and integrating other technologies into future communities. Drake Landing has been honoured with several awards, including the Emerald Award for Climate Change from the Alberta Emerald Foundation and the Gold Award from the International Awards for Liveable Communities programme. In addition, all 52 three-bedroom homes in the development were sold long before the project was complete. Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen ­Harper, in a show of Canadian government support to sustainable energy technologies, praised the project as the greenest in Canada last year at the International Environmental Technology Trade Show and Conference in Quebec. The solar energy and district heating system alone cost some 5 million Canadian dollars (CAD), most of which came from federal and provincial clean energy funding agencies. Contributions also came from project partners. According to Billy Wong, if the project were to be replicated, it could be done for perhaps under CAD 4 million thanks to lessons learned during the first goround. The system is now owned by a not-forprofit local company (Drake Landing Company) formed by the four local project partners. If the system continues to perform as expected, Calgary utility company ATCO Gas will take over the system starting in 2013. Cristina Barbero

Further information: www.saic.com/feature/energy/solar.html www.dlsc.ca

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Review

Saudi Arabia

Solar heat for the oil state The world’s biggest solar thermal plant is being constructed in the world’s No. 1 oil exporting country. It will provide heat for a women’s University in Saudi Arabia.

T

he world’s largest solar thermal plant will only be a small part of a big project. And for most people who hear about it for the first time, it is an even bigger surprise. The solar plant will have a collector surface of more than 36,000 m2. That is almost twice as much than the current world leader – a district heating plant in Denmark. But despite its huge area and its 300 m3 storage tank, the solar plant will only be able to provide one fourth of the energy the Princess Noura University for Women in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh will need for hot water and space heating. Saudi Arabia’s king Abdullah named the university after his aunt princess Noura, the sister of the founder of Saudi Arabia. It will be the first women-only state university in Saudi Arabia. Most of today’s universities have separate campuses for women and some do not allow women at all. According to current statistics, the majority of students in Saudi Arabia today are female. As a contrast, the Princess Noura University in the southern suburbs of Riyadh will be a city of women: 40,000 female students, lecturers and other staff will live, learn and work at the

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Artist’s image of the Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh 

Photos (2): MEI

13 faculties on the 8 km2 campus. The university will even have its own hospital. Although construction will take until the end of 2011, in Arab web blogs women are enthusiastic about the project and are already discussing whether they will apply. Another Saudi web site says that more than 40,000 women have applied for the 218 administrative and technical jobs on the campus, which were already announced last year. Both the university and the solar plant are part of a slow change that is taking place in Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah is said to be a moderate reformer in many ways. In terms of energy that means that oil has been the main source of wealth for Saudi Arabia and it will be in the near future too. For Saudi citizens, energy is almost free of charge. The Saudi population is increasing rapidly and the energy consumption is growing even faster. Saudi Arabia is one the few countries in the world that uses oil to generate electricity in power plants. The abundance of oil is the reason why solar energy has not played a role until now, although it is at least just as abundant. Whether it is for cooling, for desalination or for water heating – until now, there has been no point in exchanging running systems for solar systems. “It will never pay back economically,” says Ennis Rimawi. Rimawi is the Chairman of Millennium Energy Industries (MEI), which is by his own account the biggest engineering company for solar thermal systems in the Gulf region. But despite the country’s richness in oil the Saudi government is well aware that it is only the export of fossil fuels that brings money into the country. That makes the rising domestic energy consump-

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

tion a critical issue. “There are projections that say if energy consumption keeps developing like now for 20 years, they will not be able to export oil and gas anymore,” says Rimawi. Another reason for the state’s interest in solar is that the Saudi Arabian government sees an economic chance in becoming a materials provider for the world’s solar industry. Among other projects, MEI did the engineering for the solar plant that will help in heating the Princess Noura University. “In showcase projects like this, King Abdullah gives his personal input on the concept. The actual client was the Ministry of Finance and the consulting was done by Dar Al-Handaseh, a consulting company from the MENA region. But for sure the consultant was given a direction to use innovative and advanced technologies,” says Rimawi. He is convinced that his company got the assignment because of its experience in building complex solar systems. “We are able to advise our customer as a neutral system integrator,” he says. That includes the selection of adequate components. The whole system has to work reliably in the tough desert climate, with high temperatures that can stress the collectors during stagnation periods and with harsh winds blowing the sand over the solar field. For the collectors, Millennium Energy opted for the Austrian manufacturer GREENoneTEC, who installed a new production line for large collectors to meet the tight deadline. The collectors that will provide the heat for the university have an area of 10 m2 each. GREENoneTEC has modified the mounting system so it can resist the high wind speeds in the desert and more collectors can be fitted into the same area. Since May, and at the collector manufacturing at GREENoneTEC alone, 21 people have been working in a three-shift roster at the relevant collector assembly line. At Millennium Energy, about 15 engineers are engaged in this project. Altogether, about 4,000 people are working on the construction site. Whilst construction work on the university will continue until the end of 2011, the solar plant is scheduled to start test operation at the end of this year. Princess Noura University is drawing a lot of attention from bloggers from the MENA region and news websites from around the world, although the solar plant is only being mentioned on some websites specialized in construction and renewable energies. But both have in common that most people would not expect something like them in Saudi Arabia. Hopefully, more surprises will follow.  Eva Augsten

Ennis Rimawi is the Chairman of Millennium Energy Industries, the company that did the engineering for the world’s largest solar plant.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Review

initiatives

Pedalling for peace and new energies An international group of peace activists has cycled from Paris to Moscow for the fifth time to promote international understanding and renewable energies.

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At the S&WE headquarters in Bielefeld, Germany  Photo: Patrizia Bünemann

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small group of cyclists, comprising around 25 people, makes its way through Moscow’s traffic chaos and smog. Six of them have ­covered a distance of around 4,400 km. They have cycled from Paris to Moscow to campaign for peace and renewable energies. Fortunately the forest fires around the Russian capital are now under control and fortunately the cyclists have a police escort – otherwise they would have struggled to overcome the 20 ­kilometres of multi-lane highways stretching across the city from Victory Square to Red Square. There they are welcomed by around 40 people. “Our fan club,” says Konni Schmidt, the organiser of the peace tour. Most of them are participants from previous years. The tour ends with a concert in Red Square. This year the peace cyclists hardly had any money for promotional purposes. The group was therefore comparatively small. Two years ago, the police specially closed off an eight-lane highway in Moscow for the 80 cyclists. Only very rarely came so many cyclists together this year. For example in Minsk, where around 100 people welcomed the peace cyclists at the edge of the city and accompanied them as far as the city centre. “The smaller the place, the greater the reception,” says Konni Schmidt. For example in the Russian town of ­Rudnya: there, around 70 citizens awaited the cyclists in the auditorium of the spa hotel in order to surprise them with a full evening of entertainment. In Smolensk, children decorated the marketplace with colourful chalk pictures on the theme of peace. The group of cyclists is a mixed bunch. A 72-yearold Russian physicist, who was once involved in the development of the hydrogen bomb, is cycling alongside a baker and peace activist from Austria. The communication in German, English and Russian is not always easy, but with hands and feet and a lot of patience it always works out. However, you have to be fairly fit in order to cope with the daily stages between 80 and 130 km. Most participants only join the group for a few

Dimitri Nuss did the complete tour in 2010 for the second time.  Photo: Konni Schmidt days. As the organiser, Schmidt counted almost 100 registered people in total. “We had mostly 30 to 40 ­people from Paris to Berlin, and around 25 afterwards,” he reports. Each participant pays a daily contribution for food and accommodation. The group is nevertheless dependent on support – both financial and pay in kind.

A visit to SUN & WIND ENERGY For the first time, this year one of the cyclists’ destinations en route was the publishing house BVA Bielefelder Verlag in Bielefeld, Germany. BVA publishes not only the SUN & WIND ENERGY and SONNE WIND & WÄRME magazines but it is also one of the largest specialist publishing houses for cycling magazines, as publisher Bernhard von Schubert emphasised as he greeted the guests. Furthermore, S&WE’s editor-in-chief, Volker Buddensiek, is one of the patrons of the peace tour. “The use of renewable energy sources is not only about securing our energy supplies in the long term. Above all, it is also a prerequisite for peaceful coexistence – not just between peoples but peaceful coexistence between mankind and nature,“ he emphasised. A stop in Bielefeld is also planned for 2011. However, next year the route will run slightly differently: to mark the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the tour will pass the site of the disaster. The cyclists will start on July 1 in Verdun and reach their final destination in Minsk on August 14. Eva Augsten, Volker Buddensiek

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E®XBLENDU EX BAYFL BAY A FL AY IT BAYPREG BAYTEC ® is more! The truth statement is impressively ® ® of this ®FLEX ® FLEX ® byFLEX ®AY ®AY BAYFLEX BAY B A AY FLEX BAYFLEX BAY B A AY FLEX BAYFLEX BAY B A AY BAYFLEX BAY B A AY BAYFLEX BAY B A AY BAYFLEX BAY B A FLEX BAYFLEX BAY B A FLEX X BAYDUR BAYFILL BAYFIT BAYTEC BAYTH ® ® The frames ® ® BAYFLEX ® BAYMER ® BAYPREG ®for solar panels. of these modules are equipped with integrated seals and anchoring elements ® ® ® ® ® ® ® X BAY BAYFLEX Aunbeatable AY FLEX EVULKOLLAN EX X BAY BAYFLEX A FLEX AY E®X BAYDUR EX BAYFLEX BAY A FLEX AY E®Xpanels EX BAYFLEX BAY Arequire AY FLEX Eno EX XBAYFIT BAYFLEX BAY A FLEX AY E®X BAY EX BAYFLEX A FLEX AY E®X BAY EX BAYFL A BA AY FL MULTITEC BAYFILL BAYTEC BAYFLEX ® ® speed of ® installation. SOLON additional underlay sheeting, aluminum ® ® solar ® ® ®B ® B ® BAYFLEX BAY B A AY FLEX BAYFLEX BAY B A AY FLEX BAYFLEX BAY B A AY FLEX BAYFLEX BAY B A AY FLEX BAYFLEX BAY B A AY FLEX BAYFLEX BAY A AY FLEX BAYFLEX BAY A AY FLEX X AYTEC BLENDUR BAYSAFE MULTITEC VULKOLLAN BAYDUR BAYFILL ® ® ® love the ® design, while ® ® ® rails or mounting clips. Architects esthetic property owners appreciate the fact that ® ® ® ® ® ® X BAYFLEX BAY AtheyFLEX AY FL BAYTHERM FL BAYFLEX BAY A FLEX AY FL BAYTEC FL BAYFLEX BAY A AY F®L BLENDUR FL FLEX BAYFLEX BAY A FLEX AY F®L OurBAYSAFE FL BAYFLEX BAY A FLEX AY F®Lis the FL BAYFL BAY A FL AY F®L AYPREG MULTITEC VULKOL ® a complete, and solution. contribution Bayfl exX ®®have ® ®long-lasting ®Xcost-effective ® ®BAY ®polyurethane ® B AYFLEX A AY FLEX E EX X BAYFLEX BAY A AY FLEX E EX X BAYFLEX BAY A AY FLEX E EX BAYFLEX BAY A AY FLEX E EX X BAYFLEX BAY A AY FLEX E EX X BAYFLEX A AY FLEX E EX BAYFLEX BAY A AY FLEX E EX X AYTEC BAYPREG BAYTEC BLENDUR ® ®BAYFLEX ®® BAYMER ®and ® BAYTHERM ®information ®local ® B system for the fl exible, UV-resistant weatherproofed frame. 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Review

metal scarcity

Experts warn that metals significant for the transition to green energy will become scarce. What are the causes of scarcity and which metals are involved? And how about solutions?

A threat to

sustainable energy? The biggest indium resources – an important raw material for the production of CIGS modules – are found in zinc ores, especially in sphalerite.  Photo: Wikipedia

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ou want to go on the path to a green future? That path starts at a mine,” says rare metal expert Jack Lifton, co-founder and Director of Technology Metals Research LLC, based in the United States. Wind turbines, solar panels, the transport and storage of green energy: they can only exist thanks to many different metals. Problem is, metals such as neodymium, tellurium, cobalt, gallium, germanium, indium, silver, copper, tin, nickel and zinc, are becoming scarce. René Kleijn, an industrial ecologist at Leiden University in the Netherlands, has investigated indium reserves: they are just big enough to contribute to about 1 % of all future solar cells (based on a scenario that by 2050 around 1000 EJ – Exajoule, 1 EJ = 1018 J – will be produced via solar energy).

Base metal

By-product

copper lead nickel zinc bauxite

tellurium, selenium, silver, germanium, cobalt indium, tellurium, germanium, silver cobalt, platinum, palladium indium, silver, cadmium, gallium, germanium gallium

Although demand for indium is growing fast, the increase in production is not, since indium is a byproduct of zinc and lead. Around 0.028 kg indium can be recovered from 1 ton zinc ore. In between 2003 and 2006, the price of indium rose from US$ 100 to US$ 900, but mining companies hardly steeped up their production. “There is no economic driver for increasing the production of by-products since these companies earn so much more money with mining the base metal,” says Lifton. This goes for many of the metals needed for green energy, such as gallium, tellurium, cadmium, germanium and cobalt which are used in thin film solar cells, fibre optics (the basis of a smart grid), fuel cells, permanent magnets and lithium-ion batteries.

Unspecific data on reserves Lately, various experts have been warning that the base metals of most by-products are also becoming scarce. Analysis of the United States Geological ­Survey data on reserves show that metals such as copper, nickel, zinc, and lead will be depleted in

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Review

metal scarcity ­ verdrup. For copper, lead and nickel, the timescale S is somewhat less narrow: within 100 years. When asked what would happen to these time frames when the whole world population starts to consume at the level of an average US citizen, ­Sverdrup says that would cut them by one third. „That would be real scary.“

Growing demand

The production of permanent magnet alloys for wind turbine generators are dependent on neodym reserves.  Photo: Pixelio.de

about 30 years. But this is a heavily debated topic. Some experts say the data on reserves is incomplete as it is expensive to prove the reserves because it requires the drilling and testing of ore for extraction rates. Others, such as Ugo Bardi from the University of Florence, and André Diederen, senior researcher at the Dutch technological institute TNO, claim that „mining of metals will be affected by peak oil“. In their opinion, resources cannot be turned into reserves because energy will be too expensive. There are three different ways to define the amount of a metal that is available: the reserves (the quantities that can be extracted economically), the reserve base (that subset of resources that is proven) and the resources (based on the amount of particles in the Earth’s crust). However, research on the reserve base is showing an equally grim picture, according to Harald ­Sverdrup from the University of Lund, Sweden, who compared several databases with each other. „Zinc will become scarce within 30 years,“ confirms

Solutions •

• • • •

•

More research on this topic, including scenarios with a partial transition to green energy, the incorporation of 25 % energy loss (created by turning electricity into hydrogen and back again), the life-cycle perspective of metals, the storage of energy, and the environmental impacts of mining (e.g. exhaust of CO2). Consumption of fewer products, only many more people want to lead a Western life style. Setting priorities in the use of critical metals: how much indium are we going to use for e.g. LCD screens and how much for solar panels? Enhancing the design of products to create a longer life span and to make them easier to repair, to reuse and to recycle. Increasing recycling rates by solving problems created by dissipative use, difficulties in obtaining scrap, the lack of information about the quality of recycled materials and about who is buying and selling. Substitution of critical metals by more abundant metals.

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„It is often said that 600 million of us now enjoy the fruits of our high technology civilization and that 6 billion are waiting in the wings to join the party,“ comments Lifton in one of his analysis. „Only, there is no way to bring the world’s production of metals (and energy) to 10 times that of 2008.“ Hence there is a growing attention for the location of resources, and which countries have access to them. An example: rare earth metals have become the indispensable ingredients in permanent magnets, which are needed for the latest generation of direct drive wind turbines. But China has a production monopoly of 95 % on these metals and is restricting its export quotas ­every year. „A goal of the next two Chinese five-year plans, to be completed in 2020, is to have 330 GW of wind-turbine-generated electricity by that time,“ according to Lifton, who got hold of this information at the annual Rare Earth Summit in Beijing. This would take 59,000 tonnes of neodymium – each 1.5 MW wind turbine generator will require one tonne of rare earth permanent magnet alloy, which contains 28 % neodymium. The equivalent of three years’ production of neodymium at the rate it was mined in 2008. „Neodymium is a show stopper for direct-drive wind turbines,“ concludes Kleijn in his latest research wherein he has calculated how many metals are needed to make a full transition to sustainable energy in the year 2050. The market share of these wind turbines will be limited due to insufficient production. The same goes for platinum in electrolysis and fuel cells. Also, if electricity is chosen as a carrier, the amount of copper that would be needed is equivalent to 57 times the current annual world production. In the case of an energy system that is almost fully based on hydrogen, the pipelines to transport this would have to be made of stainless steel, which would cost almost half the reserve base of nickel. „If the transition to green energy will take place in a short time, there will be an enormous peak in the demand for metals,“ comments Kleijn. „We need to address this problem, apart from the issue whether reserves of metals are going to be depleted or not.“ Lydia Heida Further information: Jack Lifton: www.techmetalsresearch.com René Kleijn: http://cml.leiden.edu André Diederen: www.tno.nl Ugo Bardi: http://ugobardi.blogspot.com Harald Sverdrup: www2.chemeng.lth.se

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

July 12–14, 2011 North America’s Premier Exhibition and Conference for the Solar Industry Moscone Center, San Francisco

800 Exhibitors 1,600 Conference Attendees 22,000 Visitors Co-located with

www.intersolar.us

Review

EXPO SHanghai

“Better City,

Better Life” Unusual shapes at the Shanghai EXPO: the UK ­pavilion Photos (2): Thomas Kiefer

That is the motto of the world EXPO currently underway in Shanghai. That also gives renewable energies a special role at the EXPO.

T

he People’s Republic is banking on alterna­tive energy and wants to use the EXPO in Shang­ hai as a jumping off point toward sustain­ ability. China’s first offshore wind farm, which sup­ plies power to the EXPO grounds, went into opera­ tion in the spring. In addition, organizers have in­ stalled PV systems with a total capacity of 4.6 MW, along with numerous solar arrays on the country pa­ vilions. The event’s buildings, anticipated to attract some 70 million visitors during the hot Shanghai summer, are cooled using river water and require no electricity.

34

“The EXPO grounds is a huge experimentation field intended to show how energy consumption can be massively reduced through the use of solar ener­ gy, natural wind flow, cooling water from the Huang­ pu, and geothermal heat,” says EXPO Head Planner Zhiqiang Wu. But it does not stop at experimentation. The experience gained at the EXPO with alternative energy will be applied to all of China. The country ­already has 200 cities with populations exceeding a million residents; currently, 40 % of China’s popula­ tion lives in cities. According to planners in Beijing, 70 % of the nation’s population will live in cities by 2040. Some 450 million residents will settle in urban areas which have yet to be built. By comparison, some 500 million people live in the EU’s 27 different countries. In order to solve this existential question of future urbanisation, the city government of Shang­ hai has reinvented the EXPO. First off, there are large themed pavilions. In addition, there is an Urban Best

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Review

EXPO SHanghai

Head planner Zhiqiang Wu (third from right): “The EXPO is the world’s largest experimentation field for environmentally friendly urban planning.” Practices Area, in which for the first time ever at a world expo countries present alternative energy con­ cepts in low-energy houses. There are also the well known World EXPO pavilions from different countries, organisations, and companies. The energy concept of the EXPO is based on energy conservation and alternative energy. Part of the energy is supplied by China’s first offshore wind turbines. The Dongdaqiao offshore wind farm consists of 34 three MW turbines. The Chinese turbine manufacturers relied on foreign companies for the design of the turbines. ­Switzerland’s Wintec Systems AG provided the plans for the Donghai offshore facility. Indeed, the Chinese relied on European technology for many of the system components. “We directly supply control and monitor­ ing modules to our OEM partners via this design,” says Reiner Waffenschmitt, General Manager of Bachmann electronic Technical Services (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Shanghai relies on public transportation International guests can still visit the EXPO in Shanghai until the end of October. By the time the World EXPO wraps up, some 70 million visitors will have been there – around 400,000 people a day for a half year. The EXPO and the redesign of Shanghai had a price tag of some US$ 45 billion – twice the cost of the Olympic Games in Beijing. There is hardly any space for car parks. Five new subway lines were built. “It took London 150 years to build its approximately 400 kilometre sub­ way system; we needed 15 years for the same distance,” says head planner ­Zhiqiang Wu. The decision not to build car parks not only spared 20,000 people re­ settlement, the use of public transportation also saves a great deal of energy.

Chinese companies also demonstrate examples of future energy concepts in their corporate pavilions. On particularly hot summer days, more than half of all en­ ergy consumed in Shanghai and southern China is used for cooling in the tropical temperatures. That of­ fers an especially great conservation potential through better insulation and low-power air conditioners. Cool­ ing at the EXPO is accomplished for the most part with non-electric air conditioners, using a concept devel­ oped by Chinese air conditioner manufacturer Broad Air-Conditioning Co. Ltd., which cuts power consump­ tion and reduces CO2 emissions by some 80 %. At the same time, this process is designed to improve indoor air quality. Broad is a corporate global partner of the EXPO, along with other international companies, such as China Telecom, Siemens, GM and Coca-Cola. “For Broad, sustainable construction is a har­ mony between ecological, social, and economic as­ pects,” explains Zhang Yue, Chairman of Broad Air Conditioning. “A building, like the nearby Hamburg pavilion with walls a half meter thick requires a great deal of material.” “The sustainability of this technique is question­ able. In construction, we have to generate a complete energy balance, which includes the energy balance of the materials, as well as that consumed in construc­ tion,” Zhang explains. “Furthermore, it is of little use if nobody in China can afford the buildings. Our Broad pavilion is about a tenth of the cost per square metre of the Hamburg Pavilion,” Zhang calculates. An im­ pressive time-lapse film shows how the five-storey building was constructed in just 24 hours. Conservation and avoidance are the basis of the cooling concept implemented on the EXPO grounds by China’s largest cooling system manufacturer. The cooling system uses river water and direct heat ex­ change. The cooling energy is distributed to 22 largescale energy centres throughout the 800,000 m2 ­EXPO grounds. The gas-powered system uses no electricity. “That saves us 40,000 tons of CO2. It would take 4 million trees to absorb that much of the gas,” says Zhang. Sustainability is not limited to the EXPO grounds, however – its reach extends to the entire city of Shanghai. Within just a few years more than 400 km of subway lines have been built to limit individual traffic. Above ground lines are fitted with solar pan­ els. A building-integrated photovoltaic system has been commissioned at the newly built Shanghai rail station, Hongqiao. The 6.68 MW system is capable of producing 6.3 million KWh of power annually. “Such projects, and the EXPO, demonstrate ­China’s efforts in the struggle to contain CO2 emis­ sions. By 2020 we want to reduce CO2 emissions, measured against economic output, by a further 40 to 45 %,” explains Yu Hailong, General Manager of the China Energy Conservation and Environmental ­Protection Group (CECEP), which completed the solar project. Judging from China’s development over the past ten years, this target will likely be exceeded. Thomas Kiefer

36

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Review

Communal water house

One efficient circuit In Jansenville, a small town in South Africa, an international project team has built the country’s first communal water house. It supplies more than 500 people with clean water and now serves as an example of best practice.

L Water houses like the one in the South African municipality of Ikwezi can considerably enhance the efficiency of water and energy utilisation in poor rural communities.  Photos (3): Grammer Solar

38

ike in many other African regions, a clean water supply is one of the most urgent issues in Jan­ senville, a small town in the municipality of ­Ikwezi, South Africa. Consequently, a German–South African technology cooperation has made a first step by implementing a communal water house (CWH) which serves more than 500 people in the township. The CWH comprises of facilities for laundry, sanita­ tion, and communal services in a communication cen­ tre. It utilises several sustainable technologies which are integrated in an innovative way, including water recycling for high-quality service water, water heat­ ing using solar thermal energy, solar air conditioning and solar water pumping, and modern sanitation. The estimated water demand in the village, situated 130  km north-west of Nelson Mandela Bay, in the ­Eastern Cape, is 20 m³ per day if 40 % of the households are utilising the water supply for drin­ king, cooking, sanitation and hand washing, 35 % for laundry and 25 % for showering or bathing.

Core air collector unit In April 2009 a “solar air system” was installed on the CWH in cooperation with one of the leading South ­African solar water heater providers, Solar Heat ­Exchanger, and the German solar water heater com­ pany Grammer Solar. The autonomous system had been chosen because of the simplicity of its ventila­ tion system and hot water production. The core piece of the system is a self-sufficient air collector, de­ signed by collector manufacturer Grammer Solar. According to Siegfried Schröpf, CEO of Grammer Solar, the 72 m² air collector system consists of two independent systems with 36 m² of collector surface each, consisting of 4 Twinsolar SLK Grammer Solar Air collectors. Each system heats water passing through an air-water heat exchanger with storage of 1,500 ­litres. The first system is used for hot shower water, whereas the second one is used for hot water utilisation for the sinks. Integrated photovoltaic mod­ ules deliver the energy requirements for the system, which operates ventilators, pumps, and controllers. The maximum thermal output of the system is 38 kW and the maximum power of the photovoltaic modules is 500 W, with a maximum airflow of 1,400 m³/h. Grammer Solar explains that the common operat­ ing mode of the Solar Air system is that outdoor air is blown through the Twinsolar collectors by means of a ventilator. The air is heated and pipes convey the

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

warm air into the building to supply ventilation and covers from 20 % to 40 % of the heating require­ ments. The heat provided can also be diverted into a closed circuit which runs through an air-water heat exchanger. The integrated differential regula­ tor shifts automatically between the two operating modes by sending a signal to the motorised valve. The entire system is incorporated into the socalled Grammer SolarBox. The components of the system are designed to cover heating requirements, which are generally higher than usual hot water re­ quirements; the system can therefore cover 70 % of the building’s hot water requirements. A huge ad­ vantage of the system is that there is no liquid circu­ lating across the roof through the system, which prevents issues such as overheat­ ing and corrosion of the system. After a year of operating experi­ ence a very positive conclusion can be drawn. The self-sufficient system has proved consistence in operation and maintenance. In a presentation by Grammer Solar it says: “In the first year of operation there were no major problems and after the initial test phase, regular use started in mid 2009 and has produced suffi­ cient hot water for the residents so far.” Furthermore, in the first year of operation the simulated solar cover­ age of 80 % has been exceeded and an intensive utilisation can thus be achieved.

Work of many hands The project, which was planned and developed by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in cooperation with the South African National Research Founda­ tion, was started in July 2006. Konrad Soyez, professor at the University of Potsdam, Germany, says: “From 2008 onwards, German and South African partners were involved in the project to build the CWH.” He also ex­ plains that all partners covered 50 % of their own costs, with the rest paid by the BMBF; and the South African National Research Foundation con­ tributed ZAR (South African rand) 1 million (€ 0.11 million). Meticulous scientific research was conducted to certify that the correct technologies were used and an on-site evaluation was completed to validate the per­ formance of the installed systems un­ der practical conditions. The initiator and one of the main participants in the project was the University of Potsdam in Germany,

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

who searched in a public tender for a solar thermal company which was capable of handling such a project. A willing partner was found in Grammer So­ lar. To ensure success of the implementation of the project, a South African solar water heater company which knew about the country and the climatic condi­ tions had to be taken on board. Solar Heat Exchang­ ers was the appropriate choice for the project; it in­ stalled the solar equipment and since project com­ pletion has been the general dealer for Grammer So­ lar Air systems in South Africa. Pontos GmbH, a specialist for dual use of drink­ ing water and intelligent combinations of grey water recycling and heat recovery, and a subsidiary of the German Hansgrohe AG, was an additional partner in

Review

Communal water house

Hygienic standards have ­improved due to the new sanitary facilities.

the project and responsible for the grey water treat­ ment in the water house. The system works as fol­ lows: fresh water feeds the hot water storage tanks for use in the showers and sinks, which both feed in­ to the Pontos treatment plant. Subsequently, the grey water is cleaned and treated, then fed into a hot wa­ ter storage tank used by the laundry’s hot and cold water points. The dirty grey water from the laundry runs into a further treatment unit, after which it is fed to the toilets for flushing. The black toilet water runs directly into the municipal sewage system.

The kids from Ikwezi are happy to have hot water with which to wash their hands before supper.

Considerably improved water services The CWH offers improved water services due to a re­ duction in the amount of water requirements by a fac­ tor of two to three. This implies that two to three times more people can be served by the same amount of water, giving a considerable longer lifespan for bore­ holes as well as reduced demands on pipes and de­ vices. The CWH thus increases the living standards of the residents by improving the social standards. Less water needs to be delivered to the households, the laundry is more efficient with reduced costs, and hy­ gienic standards have increased due to having hot showers and warm rooms. Furthermore, the project ensures improved education through a communica­ tion centre in the CWH, and has been good for em­ ployment with jobs created for the construction and maintenance of the plant.

Serving as a best-practice project The CWH was established to demonstrate the use of a communal water house in areas where water is scarce. “South Africa was chosen because it had the best conditions to implement such a project, and to enhance the commercialisation of sustainable tech­ nologies in cooperation with South African partners in such countries is a big advantage,” says Soyez. To support the residents, a water house committee of five women was selected to ensure a perfect running of the CWH. For maintenance procedures a sanitary engineer was appointed and trained to support fur­ ther developments of CWHs and other maintenance teams in South Africa. Hanna Schober Further information: Grammer Solar: www.grammer-solar.com Solar Heat Exchangers: www.solarheat.co.za www.communal-waterhouse.net

40

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Review

South African REFits

Turbines of German manu­ facturer Fuhrländer – in one of South Africa’s two wind farms.  Photo: Fuhrländer

A promising start There is a huge potential for solar and other renewable energies in South Africa, and the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFIT) programme that is currently taking shape is a first step to benefit from it.

S

outh Africa is blessed with excellent wind and solar resources, yet 530 million Africans have no access to electricity. Coal has been the do­ minating source of electricity in South Africa for the past decades. The energy crisis within the last ­years and the tremendous need of further, more diversified energy generation capacity changed the point of view of the government. A target of 10,000 GWh of re­ REFIT phase I, March 26, 2009 newable energy by 2013 is Technology Size constraints [MW] REFIT [R/kWh] set in place to reduce the Wind ≥20 1.25 carbon footprint. The new form of energy production is Small hydro 1 ≤ x ≤ 10 0.94 not planned to be undertak­ Landfill gas ≥1 0.90 en by state owned monopo­ Concentrated solar list Eskom, but rather by en­ ≥ 20 2.10 with 6 hours storage couraging new founded in­ 1 South African Rand (R) = 0.142 US$ Source: NERSA

42

dependent private power producers (IPPs) to sell their electricity to the existing grid with motivation to generate jobs, prevent the state-owned Eskom from dominating the renewable energy sector besides the conventional energy generation, bring some more dynamics to the energy market and be less depen­ dent on coal. At this stage Eskom shall be appointed as the single buyer of power from IPPs. By the end of 2010 an Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO) for the provision of electricity is to be established that shall not be part of Eskom. It was widely regard­ ed as crucial to mitigate Eskom’s dominant position in comparison to the IPPs which feel that the current mode set up by Eskom as the single buyer of power generated by IPPs was a constraint to investment. The ISMO is to buy electricity from both Eskom and power producers for distribution. The goal is to cre­ ate a level playing field between Eskom and the IPPs to avoid situations whereby the IPPs have to negoti­ ate price agreements with the market leader. The new ISMO model is used extensively in countries where the private sector contributes to power gener­ ation, i.e. Australia and Norway. The ISMO would

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

probably need to be capitalized by the government and backed by a state guarantee. In February 2010, a 20 year Inte­ grated Resource Plan (IRP) for new generation capacity was created in South Africa. The IRP includes guide­ lines what kind of energy sources shall be used and to which intent. Currently a second IRP2010 is draft­ ed to outline the anticipated power generation mix for the next 20 years – a period for which South Africa probably needs to double its in­ stalled capacity to 80,000 MW. Re­ newable energy assumptions for the future capacity include: 500 MW of wind in 2013 and 1,000 MW per year thereafter, 500 MW of CSP per year from 2018 and 100 MW of PV per year from 2018. Interestingly, National Energy Regulation South Africa (NERSA) ex­ cluded from the definition of bio­ mass projects utilizing pulp and pa­ per or sugar bagasse as well as projects based on mill water from in­ dustrial processes, and classified such projects as cogeneration, which are currently not included in the REFIT. Furthermore NERSA ap­ proved not yet to include CPV at this stage due to its high costs.

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Prescribed criteria to obtain feed-in tariffs At present, South Africa’s Renewa­ ble Energy Feed-in Tarrifs (REFIT) programme is taking shape. Projects that will be connected to the grid have to comply with the relevant law and interconnection standards. It is crucial to potential investors and de­ velopers to understand how projects will be selected for the REFIT pro­ gramme. In South Africa REFIT projects may not be selected on a first come and first served basis or through a bidding process but in­ stead applicants will be evaluated and ranked on the basis of pre­ scribed criteria – pursued by ­NERSA. The highest obtainable score is 100 points and the various criteria weigh differently. Several disquali­ fying criteria were established in or­ der to ensure that the minimum re­ quirements are met. The proposals that meet these and score the high­ est points will enter into a PPA with

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

CCH Congress Centre and International Fair Hamburg, Germany Conference 5 - 9 September 2011 Exhibition 5 - 8 September 2011 [email protected] www.photovoltaic-conference.com

Review

South African REFits

REFIT phase II, October 29, 2009

the buyer (still Eskom) and are en­ titled to receive regulated tariffs, Technology Size constraints [MW] REFIT [R/kWh] based on the particular genera­ tion – providing that the project CSP trough without ≥ 20 3.14 storage obtains a generation license by Large-scale grid con­ NERSA. The IPP has to accept the ≥1 3.94 nected PV systems standardized PPA constitutional­ Biomass solid ≥1 1.18 ly. Hereby the IPP can earn up to ≥1 0.96 Biogas 10 points. CSP tower with storage The gate keeping criteria for ≥ 20 2.31 of 6 hours per day qualifying renewable energy tech­  Source: NERSA nologies under REFIT is compli­ ance with the IRP (7 points). The list of disqualifying matters set out by NERSA in­ cludes the compliance with legislation in respect of the historically disadvantaged individuals (max. 8 points). In other words: in order to qualify as a Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) com­ pany the project sponsor must score at least one point each on black ownership (min. 10 %), black management (min. 20 %), black skilled personnel (min. 20 %) and black female management (min. 1 %), or in total minimum 4 points. Proposals that do not meet the minimum requirements for BBBEE will be disqualified. NERSA has also determined certain size criteria to fulfill; otherwise the project will not obtain a li­ cense. The minimum size constraints are given in the two tables regarding the REFIT phases and a maxi­ mum of 5 points will be given due to fulfillment. The applicants furthermore need to score points on the criteria that the plant location will stabilize the grid, mitigate transmission losses and uses pre­ ferred technologies that contribute to local econom­ In the shadow of the impres­ ic development. The main factors that will be consid­ sive Table Mountain on South ered include geographical location of the facility as Africa’s west coast, the wind well as the electrical characteristics such as fault opportunities are good and not contribution. Preference will be given to the projects only appreciated by sailors and with higher power output that contribute to the volt­ yachtsmen.  Photo: Lothar Henke

44

age and reactive power control and the reduction of the loss factor at the closest load center. Projects that will deliver energy at points of the system with no or limited requirement for downstream and up­ stream upgrade of the distribution infrastructure will receive priority. In total 15 points can be awarded. One of the overarching objectives of the rules for selection of projects under the REFIT programme is to support the socio-economic development. In that context the proposed projects will be assessed in terms of the contribution of the technology to em­ ployment and local development. A measurement of the impact of the technology on the employment will be the jobs creations per MW – a maximum of 10 points can be awarded. Further 15 points can be scored if the planned IPP project is viable. Focusing on the environmental issues, projects with advanced environmental im­ pact approvals can be given a score up to 10. IPP ap­ plicants with the funding already in place will obtain another 10 points and for projects which can be com­ missioned in the shortest time another 10 points can be given. Projects that have met the minimum criteria and achieved the highest scores in terms of the evalua­ tion mix will receive priority in the award of a PPA and generation under the REFIT programme. While ­NERSA is stated in the guidelines as being responsible for the administration of the REFIT programme, the se­ lection of the preferred IPP is not in their hands but has been divested to the System Operator. It is cur­ rently unknown whether there will be a maximum limit on generation capacity, be it in terms of overall capacity or in terms of particular renewable energy technologies. Optimistically the complete framework could be in place by the end of 2010. Florian Brandt

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Review

Incentive Schemes

Selected countries with new incentive schemes GDP = Gross Domestic Product PV = Photovoltaics ST = Solar Thermal 

Malta

Source: National institutions

GDP: US$ 9.833 billion (2009) Population: 405,165 (2010) Area: 316 km² Cumulative installed capacity: PV: 1.5 MW (2009) ST: 40,860 m² Wind: n/a Source: National Institutions

Portugal GDP: US$ 227.7 billion (2009) Population: 10,707,924 (2009) Area: 92,090 km² Cumulative installed capacity: PV: 103 MW (2009) ST: 493,340 m² Wind: 3,535 MW (2009) 

+++

Malta

+++

The Maltese government has announced the introduction of feed-in tariffs for solar power. The tariff rates reach 25 €-ct/kWh for households and 20 €-ct/kWh for installations in businesses and commercial places. Residents of the Maltese island of Gozo even benefit from a higher tariff of 28 €-ct/ kWh produced. The tariffs are guaranteed over a period of eight years for households and seven years for businesses. New installations will be capped at an upper limit of 7.5 MW in the first year. Families who have pre-installed PV on their premises on the current net metering system have an option to join the feed-in tariff system. Furthermore, the residents of the island of Gozo can benefit from a bonus of € 560 when ­installing solar water heaters.

+++

Israel

+++

Israel’s Public Utilities Authority has announced a new initiative aimed at boosting the volume of solar power produced in the country. The step was preceded by Israel’s National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau saying that 10 % of the country’s energy needs would come from renewable energy sources by the year 2020. Israel’s incentive scheme makes only a limited amount of subsidies available for the purchasing of solar electricity. Since solar power is gaining in popularity in Israel, the authority

46

Source: National Institutions

Incentive sc plans to lower the price paid per kWh from 2.04 shekels (42 €-ct) to 1.55 shekels (32 €-ct) with the aim of increasing the overall volume of solar power that can be afforded from the funds in the existing scheme.

+ Victoria (Australia) + The Australian state of Victoria is strengthening its support for large-scale solar power plants. The introduction of a new feed-in tariff for large-scale solar projects is ­expected to give a significant impetus in the segment. One target of the Victorian

government is to generate a total of 500 GWh of solar power in 2014. According to Premier John Brumby, the government also plans to invest in raising the total amount of installed solar capacities. One such project is the construction of a solar power plant worth a total of AUD 450 million (€ 324.9 million), which is expected to receive subsidies in the range of AUD 50 million (€ 36 million) from the government. By 2020, Victoria plans to deliver 5 % of the state’s energy capacity from solar projects. Small-scale PV plants and other renewable energy technologies are already promoted through the state’s Premium and Standard Feed-in Tariff scheme.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Israel GDP: US$ 194.8 billion (2009) Population: 7,233,701 (2009) Area: 22,072 km² Cumulative installed capacity: PV: 14 MW (2009?) ST: 280,500 m² (2008) Wind: 8 MW (2009) Source: National Institutions/AEE Intec

Victoria (Australia) GDP: US$ 195.2 billion (2009) Population: 5,427,700 (2009) Area: 237,629 km² Cumulative installed capacity: PV: 43 MW (2009) ST: n/a Wind: 428 MW (2009)

Bangladesh GDP: US$ 95 billion (2009) Population: 156,050,883 (2010) Area: 143,998 km² Cumulative installed capacity: PV: 4 MW (2009) ST: n/a Wind: 0.9 MW (2009 

Source: National Institutions

Source: National Institutions

hemes worldwide +++ Bangladesh +++ The Central Bank of Bangladesh plans to strongly support lending for the renewable energy sector by 2011. Green projects will be favored with loans in order to further spur the development of clean energies in Bangladesh. The new incentive supports particularly small to medium-sized businesses. Bangladesh has been faced with annual increases in the energy demand of between 8 and 10 % while the country has been drastically short of electricity. ­Creating an efficient energy supply and ­expanding renewable energies is therefore

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

considered a key target in Bangladesh’s energy policy. The share of renewable ­energies in the country’s total electricity production is expected to increase from about 4 % (at the end of 2009) to 10 % by the year 2020.

+++ Portugal +++ The Portuguese government has ­announced the discontinuation of the ­funding for the solar thermal incentive programme “Medida Solar Térmico” (MST) that had given a strong impetus to the market

over the past years. The decision caught market analysts by surprise as the government had announced in February that the 2009 funds had not been fully exhausted and that the remaining sum of € 50 million would go into the state solar budget for 2010. In the future, solar thermal systems will be promoted by means of a programme for small and medium-sized businesses that is equipped with a budget of € 9.5 ­million as well as through public investments in the context of Portugal’s strategy for energy efficiency.



Markus Grunwald

47

Country Special

South Korea

Hoping for stability The Korea-based company KD Solar has announced an expansion of its production capacities before the end of the year. However, the company’s products are mostly exported to foreign markets. Photo: KD Solar

South Korea is currently considered to be a rather difficult market for renewable energies and, in particular, the PV market has experienced a period of cooling down after the boom of 2008. By 2012, the government plans to change over the feed-in tariff system to the Renewable Portfolio Standard.

I

n 2008, Korea had ranked as the world’s ninth-­­­ largest ­energy consumer. While, in 1980, the ­total primary consumption had arrived at 43.9 ­million tons of oil equivalent (toe), the demand had already in­ creased fivefold to 240.8 million toe by 2008. Renew­ able energies had covered 5.9 million toe of that amount. Korea is almost entirely dependent on energy imports, which resulted in costs of US$ 141.4 billion for the government in 2009. Even though renewable energies continue to be a niche technology in the Asian republic, their contribution has increased notably since the introduction of the feed-in tariffs in 2002. Between 2005 and 2008, which means in the course of three years, the installed PV capacity had increased by twenty times to 284.3 MW. In the same period of time, the installed wind capacity had risen from 129.9 MW to 436.9 MW. By the year

48

2020, Korea targets to cover a share of 11 % of the total energy consumption from green sources. Various government programs have already been introduced to promote the utilization of renewable energy, among them the “Test-Period Deployment Subsidy Program” that focuses on new technologies and supports the market entry with up to 80 % of the installation costs. Up to 50 % of the total costs for commercialized technologies and equipment can be claimed through the government “General Deployment Subsidy Program”. However, the effects of the economic crisis were severely felt in 2009. With a total of approx. 14 billion South Korean Won (KRW, US$ 11,630,861), the subsidies provided by the Korean government remained drastically below the level of the four previous years that had arrived at between KRW 21 billion (US$ 17,446,292) and about KRW 36 billion (approx.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

US$ 30,000,000). The regional governments provide subsidies for enhancing the infrastructure of local energy utilization and promote solar PV installations. In 2009, the government launched its “1 Million Green Homes” program, which promotes the utilization of renewable energy in the residential segment and partially covers the installation costs. Investors and manufacturers of fully commercialized systems also benefit from low-interest loans that reach up to 90 % of the investment independent of the technology form. The greatest impetus has come from the introduction of the feed-in tariffs (compare table on page 50) that had already undergone several revisions – but it’s exactly these tariffs that are now under debate. Being financed over the state budget, the government has been considering replacing the feed-in tariff system with a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) by 2012. According to the RPS obligation, the operator of an energy system with a capacity above 500 MW is required to produce a specified fraction of electricity supply from renewable sources. In the first year, this share will arrive at 2 % and will then be gradually increased to 10 % until 2022. The annual rates are determined by the Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy. Until the RPS policy is in effect, a Renew­ able Portfolio Agreement (RPA) between the government and nine energy-related public organizations has been established to regulate the voluntary investment in new and renewable energies.

Cooling down of the PV market Many representatives from the PV industry still have doubts about the current plans. For them, the situation on the market has become increasingly difficult. After the feed-in tariffs had led to a boom and made South Korea number four in the list of largest PV countries in 2008, the introduction of a cap had cooled down the market already by the following year. The new road map: “500 MW by 2011”. “With only 2 MW left, the capacities are close to exhausted. In 2011, we will see a blank space and the installation of new capacities will then continue to be possible only under the new RPA policy”, says Bernd Lohmeyer, CEO of system dealer and wholesaler Krannich Solar Korea.

Key figures for South Korea Capital

Seoul

Population

48.6 million

GPD per capita

17,175 US$ (2009)

Global radiation

1,300 to 1,600 kWh/(m²a)

Primary enery sources (2008)

oil: 41.6 % coal: 27.4 % LNG: 14.8 % nuclear: 13.5 % hydro: 0.5 % others: 2.2 %

Installed capacities (2009) PV: Wind: Solar thermal:

347 MW 360 MW 1.5 million m²

LNG = liquefied natural gas Source: KEMCO, Germany Trade & Invest, Vestas

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

VERONA EXHIBITION CENTRE, ITALY MAY 4-6, 2011 12th EDITION

Country Special

South Korea

South Korea’s profession­ als enjoy a good reputation among many foreign companies. They are often highly qualified. 

Clear restrictions on the amount of annual capacities are also posed by the RPA. According to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the capacity envisaged for the year 2012 ranges at 120 MW, followed by 140 MW in 2016 and 200 MW in 2020. However, the cap is not the only restriction the industry is confronting. In spring 2009, the Korean government passed a new rule that requires grid-connected systems to be completed within a maximum of three months after receiving the grid-connection license, which is a prerequisite for the realization and the financing of projects. Especially, the latter is a frequent cause of delays. “Loans are difficult to obtain. If a loan is approved, the interest rates are usually around 6.5 to 7 %, which is due to the fact that the banks are often not familiar with PV”, says Lohmeyer. Market experts confirm that the behaviour of the Korean credit institutes is rather conservative. Many industry participants expect that the market will shift into the direction of rooftop systems in course of the next years. Experience shows that these systems are well received by the public, says Lohmeyer. Things look different when it comes to South ­Korea as a production location. Tax incentive and designated “Free Economic Zones” provide favourable conditions for foreign players and make the country attractive for the manufacturing industry. On top of that, Korea offers a modern infrastructure and experts frequently emphasize the high qualification of workers and professionals. However, the majority of products are sold on the export markets. In a joint

below 50 MW 72.73 KRW/kWh SMP + 10

venture with the Korean SolarPark Engineering Co. Ltd., the Germany-based company SolarWorld AG, for example, operates a 300 MW plant in the city of Jeonju. But there are also domestic manufacturers. One of them is KD Solar. The Korean company currently has an annual production capacity of 80 MW. “By the end of the year, our capacities will be raised to 120 MW, although mainly for the export markets”, explains Gene N. H. Lee, Deputy General Manager at KD Solar. According to Korea’s Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the annual solar module production capacities have been increasing from about 350 MW to 1 GW and are expected to further expand to 1.65 GW in 2010. The situation looks similar in the solar cell sector. LG ­Electronics and Samsung Electronics both recently entered the manufacturing segment. Since January 2010, LG has been producing crystalline modules with an annual capacity of 120 MW but is already announcing a massive expansion for the next few years. The company’s two production lines were supplied by the Germany-based turnkey-expert Centrotherm ­Photovoltaics AG, which has meanwhile also established a subsidiary in South Korea as well as a thinfilm pilot project in Yangsan, Gyeongsang Province. In September 2009, Samsung Electronics entered the manufacturing of solar cells with a capacity of 30 MW, which will be expanded to 130 MW by 2011. One thing that the market participants generally agree on is that South Korea serves as a favourable starting point for an expansion into other Asian markets.

below 150 kW

Offshore projects on the rise?

Photo: SolarWorld AG

Feed-in tariffs PV feed-in tariffs since 1st January 2010 Duration

30 kW to 200 kW

up to 30 kW

200 kW to 1 MW

1 MW to 3 MW

above 3 MW

15 years

566.95 KRW/kWh

541.42 KRW/kWh

510.77 KRW/kWh

485.23 KRW/kWh

408.62 KRW/kWh

20 years

514.34 KRW/kWh

491.17 KRW/kWh

463.37 KRW/kWh

440.20 KRW/kWh

370.70 KRW/kWh

15 years

606.64 KRW/kWh

579.32 KRW/kWh

546.52 KRW/kWh

20 years

550.34 KRW/kWh

525.55 KRW/kWh

495.81 KRW/kWh

General

BIPV

Feed-in tariffs for various kinds of renewable energy Power source

Capacity

Wind power

above 10 kW

Bioenergy LFG

Biogas Ligneous biomass

Fixed price

Fluctuating price

103.04 KRW/kWh

Remarks Decremental rate 2 %*

below 50 MW 68.07 KRW/kWh SMP + 5 below 20 MW 74.99 KRW/kWh SMP + 10

85.71 KRW/kWh SMP + 15

below 50 MW 68.99 KRW/kWh SMP + 5

SMP = system marginal price - price paid by the energy utilities; *FITs for wind energy are subject to an annual degression of 2 %.; LFG = landfill gas; ligneous biomass = biomass from wood Source: KEMCO, Photo: Vestas

50

Korea is also attractive to turbines manufacturers – and others that are becoming active in the area. Especially,

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Korea’s shipbuilders are taking the first steps into that direction, which is mainly due to the decreasing demand for vessels. In the last year, Hyundai Heavy ­Industries Co. Ltd. inaugurated a new factory, which will also produce turbines. In addition, the company announced the construction of a 200 MW park in South Korea. In a joint venture with the state-owned energy utility Korea Southern Power Co. and a number of ­other companies, Hyundai plans to invest a volume of about KRW 500 billion (approx. US$ 446 million) into the project by 2012. Similarly, the shipbuilder ­Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. announced the completion of a 500 MW turbine factory on Geoje Island, on the southern coast of South Korea, in August. According to KEMCO (Korea Energy Management Corporation), the number of wind companies active in the country has redoubled from twelve to twenty-four between the years 2004 and 2009. However, the financial crisis has also led to a decrease of the annual turnover by 17 % as against the last year. For 2010, KEMCO expects that the revenues will again increase significantly. According to current government plans, the wind sector is expected to arrive at an annual growth rate of 18.1 % and reach a capacity of 7.3 GW by 2030. However, onshore projects face countless barriers. According to a market participant who prefers to remain anonymous, the current feed-in tariff arrives at only 103.04 KRW/kWh (0.088 US$/kWh), which remains below the market price paid out for electricity and prevents the system from working

properly. Other subsidies are not available – except for wind parks operated by the regional governments. But there exist a range of other problems, experts say. Finding suitable locations for the realization of projects is still difficult and the slow licensing procedures in South Korea pose their own challenges. ­Nevertheless, the RPS finds wide approval – as long as the policy is well-drafted. Many hope that the system will bring stability for the long term. According to Germany Trade & Invest, the fact that public acceptance for onshore wind is still often low in Korea has led the government to increasingly focus on the offshore segment. In October 2009, the Province of South Jeolla and a number of 26 companies signed a declaration of intent over the installations of systems with a total capacity of more than 5 GW. Significantly more than half of these wind turbines will concern the offshore sector. In Shinan, South Jeolla Province, offshore wind farms with a capacity of 200 MW are currently under planning for 2014. The project will be headed by Dongkuk S & C. In Taean, another offshore project realized by ­Hydrogen Power with a capacity of 100 MW is scheduled for completion by 2014.

Bioenergy villages for Korea With a share of close to 7.3 % in the total renewable energy mix, bio materials are Korea’s third-largest renewable energy source. On the first two places range

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Country Special

This 208 kW open space system installed by system dealer and wholesaler Krannich Solar Korea lies somewhat hidden by the dense green of the mountain forests. 

Photo: Krannich Solar Korea

52

South Korea energy made from waste products and hydropower. According to the “Third National NRE Basic Plan”, the annual growth rate for bioenergy is envisaged to reach 14.6 %. By 2030, the government expects the energy form to contribute a share of 31.4 % to the renewable energy mix. This means that bioenergy could climb to position two just behind waste energy. The number of companies entering the segment is already increasing: according to KEMCO, from six in 2004 to 32 in the last year. In 2008, the South Korean government had launched a future-oriented policy under the title “Low Carbon Green Growth”. Part of the scheme is the rural development program “Low Carbon Bioenergy Village”. Until 2012, various test projects will be realized and administered by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security (MOPAS). MOPAS will build two projects until 2012. The first is the Wallarm-Li project in the city of Gongju, Chungnam Province, which was already launched in January 2010 and is scheduled to phase out by the end of 2011. The second project is currently still in the planning phase and expected to commence by the beginning of 2011. Expert Adviser Dr. In Su Choi says: “These two projects are of enormous importance. If they are successful, a number of 600 of these bio energy villages will follow in South Korea by 2020. Of course, there is also opposition. Some residents fear that the biogas systems could produce bad odours. Or they are simply opposed to change. Others clearly position themselves in favour of the project.” The energy systems will consist of a biogas system and a woodchip burner. Whether a local heating network will be feasible is an issue that MOPAS will have to address. Korea’s bioenergy villages will mainly be run on bio and food waste from the residential and commercial segment or livestock waste and sewage sludge. The projects are receiving support from a recently introduced government decree that bans the depositing of food waste through the ocean dumping method starting with 2012.

Solar thermal requires restructuring Solar water heating still finds very little use. In 2009, only 13 solar thermal companies were active in Korea. According to Germany Trade & Invest KEMCO estimates that almost 110,000 m² had been installed in 2009. This means more than a doubling of capacity within one year. The total capacity increased to over 1.5 million m². According to the “Third National NRE Basic Plan”, the share of solar thermal in the total renewable energy mix is targeted to increase to 5.7 % by 2030. But this would require an annual growth of about 20 % and a radical restructuring of the market. However, government subsidies are already avail­ able. Residents interested in solar thermal can benefit from the “General Deployment Subsidy Program” that covers up to 50 % of the installation costs. Subsidies are also offered through the “1 Million Green Homes” program that promotes solar thermal installations in the residential segment. By 2009, the incentive had promoted a solar thermal surface of 64,459 m². In addition, the “NRE Mandatory Use for Public Buildings” requires new public buildings with a surface of more than 3,000 m² to use 5 % for the installation of renewable energy systems. However, the percentage of building managers that decide on solar thermal is small. While public institutions had invested KRW 142.56 billion (about US$ 118,000,000) into PV and KRW 87.04 billion (approx. US$ 72,000,000) into geothermal based on the law in 2009, the investment into solar heating and cooling had arrived at ­only KRW 7 billion (approx. US$ 5,815,000). Solar thermal obviously is still no technology of first choice in Korea.  Rebecca Raspe

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Advertorial

TecnoSun Solar Systems

Company Profile

Facing the sun on two axes TecnoSun Solar Systems AG (TSS AG) of the southern German district of Neumarkt/Upper Palatinate was founded in April 2010 and specialises in solar tracking systems. With innovative technology, the firm’s eight employees strive for highly efficient use of solar energy. TecnoSun has just launched its patented dual-axis EcoChamp ST 3000 system. The developers’ motto is: down with costs, up with returns!

T

he prevalent view among professionals until now has been that dual axis systems were inefficient for the Central European latitudes – costs were too high to justify the added yields. The EcoChamp ST 3000 system is the technological ­response to this prejudice. After all, with its 2-axis ­tracking system, TSS AG has been unique in the world in its approach. The system is affordable, innovative, solid, versatile, and ensures maximum yield. The EcoChamp ST 3000 en­ ables dual-axis solar module tracking, for both groundmounted and standard flat roof systems.

Impressive concept The concept of the new product not only impressed CEO Peter Fischer, but other solar professionals as well. The TSS AG business plan was among the finalists in the well known Northern Bavarian Business Plan competition. Within a brief period, the company attracted investors, who were also impressed by the product and ensured solid financing. Development and optimisation of the EcoChamp ST 3000 thus went quickly. From TÜV, which is still in progress, to wind tunnel testing and materials modifi-

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photos (2): TecnoSun Solar Systems

cations, the system underwent extensive testing resulting in a product which is now available and ready for mass production. The company presented its prototype at Intersolar 2010. Interest from around the world was huge and confirmed TSS AG’s intent to quickly focus, not only on the German, but on the global market. In the middle term, TSS will be active at key locations worldwide. Further developments are nearly complete. An offgrid solution and a future-proof system for masscharging of electric vehicles – called Parkload – are planned. TSS is taking an innovative approach to these developments as well. In 2010 the company plans to sell only tracker systems installed by certified companies. By 2011 TSS AG will increasingly sell turnkey systems from a single source.

Light, compact, and inexpensive TSS tracking has a number of benefits. Added to the excellent cost-benefit ratio is variable installation and quick assembly. Independent studies have shown a yield optimisation of 25 to 40 %. The system’s light weight and low profile keeps installation and transport costs very low. Systems integrate harmoniously into the landscape and take up little space – just 20 m2/kWp. Its light weight makes the system suit­ able for flat roofs. Depending on soil conditions, the trackers do not need expensive and complicated foundations for ground-mounted systems. PV system designers unfortunately often forget about system outages due to snow. TSS AG has also developed a solution to this problem. A special setting makes it possible to dump snow off of the panels, increasing the efficiency of the system. The product is not only designed for big investors. Also end customers and private investors are in mind. TSS AG itself takes on projects of 33 kWp and up. In the middle to long term, TecnoSun Solar Systems AG plans to establish itself as the leading provider of tracking systems on the market. The competent team will be expanded significantly next year, growing the company and allowing it to be present in all of the world’s key markets in the middle to long term.

Contact: TecnoSun Solar Systems AG Eggenstr. 17 92318 Neumarkt/Upper Palatinate Germany Phone +49 9181 297203 - 0 Fax: +49 9181 297203 - 90 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.tecnosunsolar.com

53

Solar thermal

US MArket

big

The second chance

Despite a very good financial support policy in several states, the US-American market is growing slower than expected. The difficult economic situation is one crucial factor in market growth lagging behind expectations, albeit not the only one: cheap energy prices causing long pay back times are another. The three states of Hawaii, California and New York compete for the lead in solar thermal support policies, which takes each of them on a very different path. 54

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Networking in front of the skyline of San Francisco: the “Summer­ fest” of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA) during the Intersolar North Ameri­ ca in California in July was attend­ ed by 90 % professionals from the PV sector and only a small number of solar thermal specialists. It is a good example of the relationship between the two renewable solar technologies: PV currently attracts much more attention in the States.  Photos (7): Bärbel Epp

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

55

Solar thermal

US MArket

T

he United States of America are home to 300 million people, who have a high water consumption and live in 88 million single-family houses. This means that all these families possess an individual roof space, which sees a lot of sunshine every day. In fact, these would be ideal conditions for the use of solar thermal technology. Therefore, it ­comes quite as a surprise that the market for solar hot water systems is still a very small one: around 25,000 solar water heaters were installed in the en­ tire country in 2009, a significantly smaller number than the around 8 million electric or gas water heat­ ers sold in the same year. A journey this July to the ­Intersolar North America in California, the state which claims to have taken the lead in renewable energy policies in the US, allowed some insights into the difficult situation of the US-American solar heating and cooling market.

One market, four protagonists Has accompanied the solar sector for 30 years: Sue Kateley, Executive Director of the Califor­ nia Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), spoke at both forums at the Intersolar North America: in the large hall accommodating the photo­ voltaic sessions, as well as at the small workshops for solar thermal professionals. 

Photo: Solar Promotion

If you talk with US-American professionals, you can easily divide them into two different groups depending on their view of the market: the first group has personal experiences with the crash of the solar thermal market in 1985 as professionals in the sector; the second one are the newcomers , who entered the market after 2006 when it started picking up again. The first group is excited about today’s second big chance to develop a professional and sustainable solar heating market. For the others, this segment is just “a tough business”, which has its big potentials, as well as great difficulties.

“We were once the leaders in this business”

ation,” Kateley said at the Intersolar North America in San Francisco in July. During the workshop about the California Solar Initiative (CSI), the Executive Director reminded local installers and planners: “Job No. 1 is the customers’ satisfaction. We have to make sure that quality has the priority. We have to be proud of the systems we install”. Kateley then referred to the big marketing budget of US$ 35 million that is part of the CSI. “If we start rolling out the US$ 35 million, we should see greater interest in solar water heating.” “We were once the leaders in this business,” ­Kimia Mizany, Solar Depot’s Director of Business ­Development, recalled and meant the state of California. Her parents founded the Californian wholesaler more than 30 years ago, in 1979, and named it Solar Depot after the famous Do-It-Yourself chain Home Depot, which, today, has more than 3,000 stores nationwide. Mizany sees the “solar thermal renaissance” in the new incentive program in California. “We do not have enough trained workers and we have to educate the building inspectors in California,” she argued during the workshop about the CSI. Her parents sold their firm to Itochu, one of the biggest corporations in Japan, in June 2007. “We needed to grow,” the Director of Business Development explained the company’s start into a new area. Solar Depot has now formed a solar thermal division and taken its business beyond the borders of California.

“There is a big need for modernization of water heaters” Less emotional sounds a market analysis by stakeholders which entered the sector during the last two

Representing the first group is Sue Kateley, who worked for a solar contracting business, which installed solar water heaters more than 30 years ago. After the government stopped the tax credits at the end of 1984, she left the sector, worked 20 years with the California Energy Commission and returned to the solar market in 2007 as the Executive Director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association ­(CALSEIA). For her, it was as if “starting from ground zero again to rebuild the solar thermal market” when the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) launched its solar water heater pilot project in San ­Diego in the summer of 2007. “It is thanks to the CCSE that the technology got a new reputation and appreci-

56

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Solar thermal

Kimia Mizany, Director of Business Development from solar system supplier Solar Depot, sees the “solar thermal renaissance” coming.

US MArket or three years. One of them is Mike Parker: the Vice President ­Marketing & Strategic Planning at A.O. Smith was responsible for the launch of the first solar thermal tanks in April 2007. His company claims to cover 50 % of the water heater business, which would mean annual sales of around 4 million units and make A.O. Smith by far the biggest water heater manufacturer in the US. “The traditional hot water boilers, which are out there, are not very efficient. There is a big need for modernization,” Parker revealed one of two reasons for entering the solar thermal market, during a panel discussion at the Intersolar North America Conference. The second one: a severe price pressure in the hot water heater market. Hence, “we can make higher margins by selling solar water heaters,” said Parker. The Vice President noted that the people in the states are nowadays more aware of environmental issues, which in turn has led them to ask for more efficient hot water systems.

“California is a tough market”

“We can make higher margins with selling solar water h­ eaters,” Mike Parker, Vice President Marketing & Strategic Planning at A.O. Smith, argued during the panel discussion at the Intersolar North America (second from the right). Photo: Solar Promotion

58

Paul Outram is another representative of the second group. The licensed professional mechanical engineer joined Sunearth three years ago, and is now its General Manager. Before that, he was running a tea factory in Malawi in South East Africa: “California is a tough market. Natural gas is very cheap and there are high subsidies for solar PV.” And: short payback times are an important argument for home owners in California. In fact, he considers them to be the most important market hurdle. The background: 90 % of the households in California use natural gas to heat their hot water, which costs them around US$ 20 to 60 per month, depending on the number of persons in the household. This leads to long pay-back times

when purchasing a solar water heater, which costs around US$ 7,000 compared to US$ 1,000 for an electric or gas water heater (both figures already include the installation of the system). Because of the great upfront costs, Outram is convinced that the market is not going to grow significantly in 2010 – maybe at “5 to 10 percent”. But what about 2008, during which the solar heating and cooling market doubled in the US? “This was an un­ usual situation,” the General Manager of Sunearth replies and states three reasons, which supported market growth back then: first of all, the federal tax credits were scheduled to run out at the end of 2008, which meant that many customers ordered before the end of that year. Also, the energy prices were extremely high and people still had money back then to take out a mortgage on their houses.

Crucial support policy is made on the state level The stakeholders of the US solar thermal sector are still waiting for the big breakthrough. When asked why it has not happened yet, the following barriers are mentioned the most: lack of trained installers, lack of awareness for the opportunities of solar thermal technology, other and cheaper energy sources and long payback times. As was mentioned above, it has become clear that the federal tax credits of 30 % are not enough to overcome the great price gap between gas or electric water heaters on the one hand and solar water heaters on the other. Crucial support policy is therefore made on a state level. During the last 15 years, the state of Hawaii was the showcase for such a successful support scenario: the state itself granted a 35 % tax credit and the utilities an additional subsidy. Together with the federal tax credits, which have been available since 2006, these grants covered around 70 % of the investment costs of a solar hot water system. It meant that a solar water heater would pay back within two to three years. The result: a quarter of all single-family houses in Hawaii now heat their hot water with the sun. In the summer of 2008, the state government then passed a law to mandate solar water heaters in newly constructed buildings. After the regulations came into effect on 1 January 2010, Mark Duda, President of the Hawaii

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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US MArket Solar Energy Association (HSEA), was able to present the first results in San Francisco in July (see table). However, in the first half of 2010, every fifth building permit for a new single-family house in the state of Hawaii still included a tankless gas water heater. Where does that relatively high number come from? “In fact, Hawaii did not actually mandate solar thermal systems for residential water heating, we merely approved it as one option among many,” ­Richard Reed, President of Hawaiian wholesale distributor Inter-Island Solar ­Supply, said. “The problem is that the only non-renewable option – synthetic gas – is the one developers prefer, because it’s the cheapest.”

Hawaii: mixed results six months after Solar Mandate effective Duda explained the role of the housing developers under the new regulation of Act 204. If they want to build homes utilizing, instead of solar thermal, one of the other technologies – tankless gas, photovoltaics or wind – to heat water, their building permit has to include a form, on which an architect or engineer approved the respective technology for the building (variance request). This has led some architects or engineers who oppose solar thermal to specialize in providing such approvals to the building industry. Ac-

Sunearth – the now largest manufacturer of glazed collectors in the US

US Technology: the Integral Collector ­Storage (ICS) still has a permanent place in the product portfolio of Sunearth. The black-painted copper tubes are incorpo­ rated into the collector casing and make one panel as heavy as 88 kg (400 lb).

Spraying black paint on the absorber: ­no­body in the company can do that better than Dwight Berg, who has more than 20 years of experience in spraying.

Sunearth, which was founded in California in 1978, has become the largest manufacturer of glazed collectors in the United States, with a market share of around 30 %. This has been mainly due to its strong sales position in Hawaii, the largest solar thermal market of any US-American state. The liaison with Hawaii can be explained from the history of company: today’s owner of the company, Cully Judd, was also its major client more than 30 years ago. Judd started his business as a solar thermal system distributor in Hawaii in 1974 and bought his collectors from the mainland, first from the company Acro, which went bankrupt after the crash in1985. In the same year, Sunearth, a solar thermal distributor from Northern California, bought Acro’s assets and continued with manufacturing collectors. Despite some technical upgrades, the machinery of today’s factory is more than 30 years old.

60

In the late 1980s, the original owners of Sunearth ran into financial difficulties and Judd invested more and more money into his supplier, until one day he decided to take over the entire company and become a collector manufacturer himself. This was in the year 1992. In 2003, Judd built a new facility with offices, production area, a training centre, a testing area, an exhibition space and a storage facility, and all in a very energy-­ efficient design: natural daylight, T-5 lighting fixtures, electric forklifts and a 175 kW photovoltaic system on the roof have made Sunearth essentially a net-zero operation.

Judd also bought an automated fullplate ultrasonic welding machine from the Greek manufacturer Item, which is thought to start serial production at the end of the year, when the SRCC certificates for the new collectors are ready. In 2007, today’s General Manager Paul Outram started to build up a new sales team to improve the distribution network all across the US. The latest gain from these increased sales activities has been the partnership with Rheem in May 2009. The boiler manufacturer purchases Sunearth collectors for its pumped solar thermal systems called Solpak.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

cording to data collected by Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, one single architect was responsible for nearly 60 % (72 out of a total of 121) of all variance requests submitted in Hawaii County. Nevertheless, the table below shows very promising results for Honolulu on the main Island of Oahu and for the island of Maui, where virtually all building permits in the last six months included a solar water heater system. It seems that contractors in these regions are serious about the benefits their customers can gain by using solar to heat their water. Reed thinks there are still other difficulties with the obligation. He emphasizes that, “The mandate removes the post-installation inspections that the solar industry fought hard to establish.” Prior to the mandate, virtually all solar water heating systems in the state had to pass a 100-point inspection by an independent third-party inspector, in order to qualify for a rate-payer rebate. How this will affect the market in the long run has not yet been clear to stakeholders. Only that: the high standards of the utility program developed in close cooperation with Hawaii’s solar industry have been one of the major success factors of the strong solar thermal market in Hawaii over the last 15 years.

California: reasons for a slow start “The California Solar Initiative – Solar Thermal is a great program, but nobody knows about it”. This comment by a participant of the CSI workshop at the Intersolar North America summarizes the situation well. By September 2010, only 47 home owners had applied for the CSI rebate state-wide, according to Katrina Phruksukarn, Program Manager at the Californian Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE), one of the four administrators of the program. By the same date, 164 installers had registered with the program. To be Island

Permit with a tankless gas water heater

Total number of ­single-family build­ ing permits issued

Share of tankless gas water heaters

Oahu

11

403

2.7 %

Kauai

71

106

67.0 %

Maui

1

92

1.1 %

Hawaii

121

331

36.6 %

Total in the State of Hawaii

204

932

21.9 %

eligible for installing rebated systems, contractors have to take part in a one-day workshop, which tells you all about, “how to apply for the subsidy, but not how to install a solar thermal system,” explains Phruksukarn. Since 1 May, homeowners can apply for a performance-based rebate on their solar water heater at

View of the production hall: the Sunearth factory and the adjacent storage facility in Fontana, California, provide enough room for the company to grow significantly.

Number of permits for single family homes with tankless gas water heaters among the total number of permits issued in the first six months of 2010. Christy Imata from the Hawaii Solar Energy Association gathered the figures from Hawaii’s county-level building departments and from the state’s Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism for a presentation at the Inter­ solar North America conference in July 2010. Note: data for Maui until 31 May 2010, data for Oahu and others until 30 Source: Hawaii Solar Energy Association June 2010.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

61

Solar thermal

US MArket one of the state’s major gas utilities – Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison Company or Southern California Gas Company – as well as the CCSE. Customers then receive a rebate of around US$ 1,500 if they used gas for heating the water and US$ 1,000 if they used electricity. Together with the federal tax credits of 30 %, this adds up to around 50 % of the investment costs, which is less than in the State of Hawaii, in which retrofitting is subsidized with 70 % of the investment costs. Nevertheless, it is not the only reason for why the CSI - Solar Thermal program is off to a slow start:

• The second important barrier is the lack of awareness among the general public about solar thermal technology and the program. In many cases, solar is seen as a synonym for photovoltaics, which California has been subsidising for the last three years. But there is also something good to be reported: the CSI Solar Thermal program includes a budget of US$ 35 million for market facilitation efforts over the next eight years. This money will be spent on a marketing campaign for solar thermal technology and the incentive program. • Third: the commercial part of the program did not

“22 solar cooling systems in North America by the end of 2009”

“A coordinated effort is needed to develop the solar thermal market in North America,” Lucio Mesquita, Head of Thermosol Consul­ ting in Canada, said during his presentation about “Solar Cooling in North America”, held in San Francisco.  Photo: Thermosol Consulting Air-conditioning is ubiquitous in the United States: there are 81 million units installed in residential houses and 3.6 million in commercial buildings. However, Lucio Mesquita, Head of Thermosol Consulting in Canada could only identify 22 solar cooling systems by the end of 2009 in his study carried out on

62

behalf of Task 38 under the Solar Heating and Cooling Program (SHC) of the International Energy Agency. California leads the state ranking with its seven installations, followed by Arizona with 5 and Florida with 2. The majority of the identified projects in North ­America work with single-effect absorption chillers (17 installations). The consultant also listed the factors preventing present market growth in his presentation at the Intersolar North America: low energy prices, high initial costs and lack of knowledge. Mesquita thinks that a support program is necessary – even a small one would help. “We badly need to join forces and form a working group,” Mesquita emphasizes. The group’s objectives would be to create and share information and knowledge about solar cooling technology with designers and engineers. The mechanical engineer has already heard about a solar cooling system, which had to be removed because of technical deficiencies and quality problems. Currently there are two new US-American chiller manufacturers, which already installed or will install their first projects in 2010: the first one is the New Jersey-based company AIL Research, which developed a heat-driven

l­ iquid-desiccant air conditioner. The second one is Power Partners from the state of Georgia, which is about to realize its first projects with an adsorption chiller with silica gel, based on the Nishiyodo technology. “In cooperation with Vanir Energy, we have recently completed an 80TR chiller for a solar cooling project at the Parris Island Marine Corp Training Base in South Carolina that should be commissioned in October,” Tom Lopp, Vice President of Marketing for Power Partners, announced. A 30TR Eco-Max adsorption chiller was shipped to the Sustainable Technologies Center at Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico and is planned to come into operation during the 4th quarter of 2010. Further information: [email protected] http://www.ailr.com http://www.eco-maxchillers.com

First project with the liquid-desiccant air conditioner developed by AIL Research: The demonstration project with vacuum tube collectors from Viessmann has been cooling the buildings of the Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida, since February 2010.  Photo: AIL Research

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Had to pass a 100-point inspection by an inde­ pendent third-party inspector: each solar water heater, which was to profit from the utility rebate programme in the State of Hawaii had to be checked. In January 2010, the mandate removed the postin­stallation inspections for solar water heaters in newly constructed buildings. Photo: Inter-Island Solar Supply

start as planned on 1 June. “There are still some regulations to be discussed and we expect the multifamily and commercial program to launch on 3 ­October,” announced Phruksukarn. One still unclear issue concerns the type of monitoring required for larger solar thermal systems. • And last but not least, applying for the building permit is a challenging task. “There are 900 different building departments in California,” Sue Kateley, CALSEIA’s Executive Director, points out. “The permit requirements vary and not all of the local departments publish their requirements online, so you have to go there personally to find out what is required”. Kateley added that local permit fees should also impact the economics of solar water heating systems. A US$ 1,000 permit fee for a US$ 7,000 solar water heating system has proportionally a greater impact than a US$ 1,000 permit fee on a US$ 100,000 photovoltaic system.

New York State: on the fast lane The state of New York at the east coast of the United States is several years behind its two rivals far west regarding public discussions about support mecha-

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Solar thermal

US MArket

News ticker about other major solar thermal states in the US The Florida Legislature did not appropriate any funding during the 2010 Regular Session for the Solar Rebate Program and the program was to end on June 30, 2010. However, the state of Florida did receive another US$ 14.4 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which was disbursed during the 2009-2010 fiscal year. “This still left a backlog of 54 ­million US dollars, representing over 15,000 applications,” Bruce Kershner, Executive Director of the Florida Solar Energy ­Industries Association (FlaSEIA), points out. Very recently, another US$ 13.8 million was left over from other energy projects and the state energy office approved it to be spent for subsidising solar technology. ­FlaSEIA believes that this action will provide credibility for future incentive programs. Nevertheless, there are still US$ 40 million missing. “We tried very hard to get away from funding the solar rebate program through general revenues and move towards a rate-payer-based financing, but we did not succeed,” says Kershner. The reason: the Florida Legislature was not ready to place the burden on rate-payers by subsidising the rebate program through a public benefit fund.  www.flaseia.org Louisiana has the best solar tax credits for home owners in the United States. Since 2007, residential customers have profited from both a 50 % tax credit of the state of Louisiana and a federal tax credit of 30 %. “We are looking at payback times for solar water heaters between three and four years, depending on whether people used electricity or gas to heat up the water,” Jeff Shaw,

owner and President of installation and training company Gulf South Solar in Louisiana and Director of the Louisiana Solar Energy Society (LSES), explains. “Despite the very good frame conditions, the market is picking up slowly”. When asked why, Shaw replies: “People are hard to change, there are still significant upfront costs and most people have access to natural gas, which is cheap and plentiful here”. And the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? “It made everybody more aware of the environment, but we did not feel an increase in the business because of that,” says Shaw. According to the business owner, Gulf South Solar is the major installer for solar thermal systems in the state of Louisiana – having been in the business for eight years: “Today, we sell around 40 solar water heaters per year, whereas it was just a few systems before the tax credits were implemented.” Photovoltaics, however, is still dominating his business. www.lses.org 120

  

www.the-mrea.org http://www.we-energies.com http://www.focusonenergy.com/renewable

Number of subsidised, residential systems Number of subsidised, commercial systems

100 80 60 40 20 0 2003

2004

2005

nisms for solar thermal technology. However, with the current speed of the political process, the state is about to take a leading position in the solar thermal sector as well. In October 2009, around 130 stakeholders teamed up to form The Solar Energy Consortium (TSEC), which was to develop a state-wide solar vision and an action plan to realize it. In May 2010, the consortium published the New York Solar Thermal Roadmap with very ambitious targets: • The installed solar thermal capacity is to increase from today’s total of 8 MW (11,400 m2) to 2 GW (28.6 million m2) by 2020. This corresponds to an annual growth rate of 57 %. • By 2020, the annual number of installations is thought to reach 83,000 systems, whereas in 2010, an estimated number of 500 solar thermal systems is going to be installed state-wide.

64

Wisconsin’s solar thermal market profits from the incentive program Focus on ­Energy, which grants a maximum of 25 % of the investment costs for residential or commercial systems and a maximum of 35 % for solar thermal systems at non-profit and governmental bodies. The commercial sector in particular is growing constantly (see diagram below). The Focus on Energy statistics of 2009 show that of the 42 commercial solar thermal systems, 18 were installed in multifamily houses, 13 in schools and governmental bodies, 6 in healthcare facilities and 5 in hospitality institutions. From the 104 residential systems which received funding by Focus on Energy in 2009, 40 % (43 systems) were combi systems supplying hot water or pool/space heating. 18 residential installations included vacuum tube collectors.

2006 

2007

2008

2009

Source: Focus on Energy

• A combination of federal tax credits and incentives should create a five-year payback time for each targeted fuel source (electricity, oil and natural gas) • And by the same year, the sector will have created 24,000 new jobs and increased annual revenues from currently US$ 5 million to US$ 600 million. According to TSEC, rebating and marketing will need a total of US$ 160 million during the 10-year ­period. And where should these funds come from? The roadmap itself is rather vague at that point. However, Ron Kamen, President of the New York Solar ­Energy Industries Association and one of the initiators of the TSEC, had clear ideas about how to finance the budget in his presentation at the Intersolar North America in San Francisco in July: • The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) should make available a budget of US$ 2 million for marketing measures.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Solar thermal

US MArket

Working at one of the adminis­ trators of the California Solar Initiative: Katrina Phruksu­ karn, Solar Water Heating Pro­ gram Manager at the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE). • The utilities should invest US$ 4.3 million annually in the framework of the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) of New York until the end of 2015. • The New York City Economic Development Corp. should start a rebate program covering 30 % of the investment costs up to a maximum of US$ 50,000.

• The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) should subsidise the exchange of 70,000 electric hot water boilers. LIPA is currently offering rebates for the installation of photovoltaic systems. It seems that of the financing measures listed above, the RPS subsidy scheme by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will be the first to be launched. “A subsidy program for residential solar water heaters will start on 1 October 2010 and will run until the end of December 2015,” James Reis, Program Manager of Building Performance and Alternative Technologies at NYSERDA, confirms. NYSERDA is responsible to administer the funds, which they have been collecting via the electricity bills of individual clients – residential and commercial – in the service areas of investor-owned utilities since 2005. US$ 25.8 million were allocated for rebating 13,000 solar water heaters and solar combi systems in households, in which the hot water and the rooms are heated with electricity. According to Reis, the level of incentive will be calculated based on the electricity savings estimated by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) for the latitude of the State of New York. NYSERDA pays US$ 0.75 for each kWh of electricity saved in the first year. This grant can be combined with federal and state tax credits. “We are trying to pay about 40 percent of the remaining cost of the system after the federal tax credits of 30 percent and

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66

30.08.2010 14:04:18

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

the state tax credits of 25 percent have been applied,” explains Reis. “According to our estimate, the 0.75 US dollars per kilowatt hour incentive will be about 2,000 US dollars per system, based on a system cost of 8,000 US dollars to 10,000 US dollars.” Besides the three above-mentioned states of Hawaii, California and New York, there are a dozen other states which push solar thermal technology more or less successfully – among them Louisiana, Florida and Wisconsin (see news ticker on page 64). And, despite all that very promising news from the state level, solar heating and cooling technology has still a long way to go in a country which has still not fully recuperated from the impact of the last financial crisis.

Long Island Power Authority (Lipa): http://www.energybychoice.com New York City Economic Development Corp: www.nycedc.com

Bärbel Epp Further information: California California Public Utilities Commission: www.cpuc.ca.gov California Energy Commission: www.energy.ca.gov California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA): www.calseia.org California Solar Initiative: www.gosolarcalifornia.org Hawaii Hawaiian Solar Energy Association: www.hsea.org New York The Solar Energy Consortium (TSEC): www.thesolarec.org New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA): www.nyseia.org

Solar Power International Solar thermal will also be a topic at the Solar ­Power International Conference and Expo (SPI), taking place in Los Angeles, California from ­October 12 to 14. For more detailed information please see page 148.

Well-attended: the workshop about the California Solar Initi­ ative (CSI) Thermal Program at the Intersolar North Ameri­ ca, which was held in San ­Francisco in the middle of July

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Solar thermal

UN initiative

“Solar thermal needs to make a

bigger noise” 68

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Commercialisation and market development of solar heating and cooling in six threshold countries is the goal of a United Nations initiative. SUN & WIND ENERGY talked to Nigel Cotton, one of the founders of the website www.solarthermalworld.org, about the framework conditions for developing solar thermal markets.

T

he web portal www.solarthermalworld.org, operational since the beginning of 2009, was created in the framework of the Global Solar Water Heating Market Transformation and Strengthening Initiative. This is a United Nations (UN) initiative managed by the United Nations Development ­Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the International Copper Association (ICA). The initiative was launched to accelerate the commercialisation and market development of solar heating and cooling in six countries: Albania, Chile, Mexico, India, Lebanon and Algeria. The proposed objective is to facilitate the installation of at least 1 million m2 of new collector area in each country. S&WE: Why use the sun first? Nigel Cotton: It came from a discussion with Uwe Trenkner, the former General Secretary of ESTIF, over lunch. Essentially we need to change the mind set about solar thermal. It’s not the last thing we should do to help the European energy mix become less carbon dependent, but the first! Why would you use high exergy fuel to make high energy electricity only to convert it into hot water often at relatively low temperatures? For me, “use the sun first” and then use the high energy sources. The bigger message is that the solar thermal industry needs to make a bigger noise, speed up its adoption and provide greater contribution to the heating and cooling energy demand around the world. Many of the renewable solutions are based on the sun’s energy either directly (photovoltaics, solar thermal) or indirectly (wind, ­biomass) so the message can carry solar thermal together with others. S&WE: UNDP/UNEP and ICA seems an unusual partnership for the development of the solar heating and cooling market. How did this collaboration start? Cotton: I was active in ESTIF from the beginning and had the pleasure to work with the President Ole ­Pilgaard, the General Secretary Raffaele Piria and the Chairman of the Advisory Council Teun Bokhoven, all of whom put huge amounts of efforts to build one voice for the European solar thermal industry. In 2003

I became the Chairman of the Advisory Council of ­ESTIF. In 2005, thanks to the hard work of Harald Drück (ITW), Werner Weiss (AEE Intec), Gerhard StryiHipp (BSW-Solar at that time), Teun Bokhoven (Zen ­Renewables) and Volker Wittwer (ISE Freiburg) the ­European Solar Thermal Technology Platform was initiated now known as the Renewable Heating & ­Cooling European Technology Platform (RHC-ETP). During this period I had been involved with many of the above mentioned persons in getting solar thermal onto the agenda at the International Conference for Renewable Energies 2004 in Bonn, Germany. I held think tanks on the RES–H Directive and had lobbied with the European parliamentarian Mechtild Rothe which later became part of the Energy Package and the 20 % renewable energy target in the European ­Union by 2020 we know today. As a Nigel Cotton result of this experience I was works for the International Copper Associa­ asked by the International tion, based at the European Copper Institute Copper Association (ICA) to liin Brussels. He has a background in marketing aise with the United Nations. and is currently the Chairman of the Advisory

Board for the European Solar Thermal Industry S&WE: And how about the inFederation (ESTIF), Member of the Board of volvement of the International the Renewable Heating & Cooling European Copper Association in the reTechnology Platform (RHC-ETP) and advisor to newable energy sector? the United Nation. Cotton: This is fairly straight forward: whenever you try to move away from a fossil fuel based economy, you tend to look to technology solutions. Any time there is a technology solution there is an opportunity for copper. Copper carries energy in the form of heat, electricity or fluids. Copper is found in heat exchangers for biomass, electrical generators for wind and connector strip for photovoltaic and tube and sheet for solar thermal. The copper industry has fortunately recognized the role and benefit to society and encouraged the ICA to partner with global organizations, to help enable the take up of renewable and energy efficiency. The ICA currently works on slum electrification, energy efficient street lighting, ­energy efficiency improvements in motors, electricity from biomass and solar thermal within the Global Solar Water Heating Project (GSWHP).

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69

Solar thermal

UN initiative S&WE: GSWHP aims at facilitating the installation of at least 1 million m2 of new collector area in six countries worldwide. Which successful instruments for developing solar thermal markets do you believe in? Cotton: I believe in the combination of industry, academia and government coming together and providing a stable platform for the development of the market. Experience shows us that a multi-channel approach is required. The so-called five pillars: awareness raising, standards and certification, finance and incentives, policy and regulations as well as training and education. A case in point is India where the GSWHP is providing the input across these categories and others for the development of the market.

“Developing markets is long term and therefore the stakeholders must commit to multi-year pro­ grammes.“  Photos (2): International Copper Association

S&WE: We have seen in France, Spain and Portugal that national targets for the solar thermal sector were not reached because the market develops slower than expected! How can you avoid that the same will happen to the targets set by the GSWHP? Cotton: Developing markets is long term and therefore the stakeholders must commit to multi-year programmes. The avoidance of stop and go policies is paramount to the successful build up of the market. Industry visions and government visions must come together and the key pillars need to be in place as far as possible simultaneously. It is also crucial that the real drivers for change are identified early in the process. It maybe energy shortage or reliance on imports, or high energy costs or even a large population of early adopters, which ever way the key driver for the market needs to be established. S&WE: Albania, Chile or India seem to have not too much in common in terms of climate, economical condition and solar market situation. What can the countries learn from one another? Cotton: For me the picture is similar in the approach, I still consider that the five pillars are key to success and the difference between the countries is only the

A unique forum for solar thermal professionals worldwide The website www.solarthermalworld.org was created two years ago to provide an open source knowledge centre for the development of solar thermal markets worldwide. The web portal currently gathers around 1,300 news articles and documents providing latest updates, news and background information on the development of the international solar heating and cooling sector. These can be searched using the filter on the left hand side of the website, which narrows the information down by region, market sectors or key pillars for market success such as: awareness raising; certification; finance and incentives; policy; standards; training & education. A tutorial video is available on the website ­(http://www.solarthermalworld.org/node/446), which explains in detail the different search options available. In addition, solarthermalworld.org includes as well a calendar of events, a database of incentive programmes, a directory of companies and associations and it also issues a monthly newsletter that can be subscribed free of charge. The website has an average of 15,000 unique visitors and 51,000 visits per month. www.solarthermalworld.org

70

amount of effort one has to place on each pillar. Where testing and certification is already acceptable it is likely that awareness raising about the certificate is still required. Awareness raising without a supply chain is equally insufficient for a market to succeed. If the supply chain does not have a well trained installer base, then the product is not sold properly, does not meet expectations and damage is done to the reputation of the market before it is even mature. Countries can also benefit from sharing experience on financing mechanisms and incentives, money tends to be an international language. S&WE: What made you launch the website www.solarthermalworld.org? Cotton: I wanted to start an open source knowledge centre for the development of solar thermal such that one of the target markets under the UN programme could benefit or an independent government recognizing the need to develop a domestic market. Also the industry wanted to go to a particular market where it can find high quality information on market preparations. In the end the website ­­ www.solarthermalworld.org was set up as one of the key components of the GSWHP, to develop a webbased knowledge management system, from where you can find case studies, best practices, research documents and any relevant information that would help you develop your own national solar water heating and cooling market. Today the website is open to anyone who is interested in developing a solar thermal market. S&WE: With more than 1,300 news and documents uploaded it is not easy to find things. How do you help the user to navigate in this database? Cotton: There is indeed a lot of information available on the website, but the website also provides different search tools to ensure that the viewer finds the information he is looking for as quickly as possible. We have developed a tutorial video, available on the website, which explains in detail the different search options available on the website. And there is a google search linked to 16 externally vetted sites for solar thermal. S&WE: Officially the Global Solar Thermal Energy Council (GSTEC) runs the website www.solarthermalworld.org. But it is not really ­established yet as a global association. What are your long term objectives with GSTEC? Cotton: I would like the industry and interested partners to become part of GSTEC. If you have noticed there are now a number of global associations for renewables emerging, for instance the global wind energy council. It is time for the solar thermal industry to provide a global voice. We have a number of letters of interest committing to develop the organization and I expect we will achieve this when the large global players start to recognize the need. The interview was conducted by Bärbel Epp.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Solar thermal

Solar fluids

It must keep

circulating

Cartoon: Michael Hüter



The basic components of heat transfer fluids for solar circuits differ only to a small extent. Apart from water, they contain glycols, which ensure frost protection. But for the anticorrosion additives each manufacturer has its own recipe. 72

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

T

hese are hard times for solar thermal energy. The markets are stagnating. This is also being felt by the manufacturers of heat transfer fluids for solar thermal systems. In a survey conducted by SUN & WIND ENERGY in August, the majority of the manufacturers said they expected substantial sales reductions for this year. Only one company predicted that it would sell a greater quantity of heat transfer fluid in 2010 than in the previous year. The situation is aggravated further by the fact that the price of the basic constituent glycol has increased considerably in the last few months. Most antifreeze solutions for solar thermal systems are based on the non-toxic chemical propylene glycol (see table on pages 78 and 79), which is approved as a food additive in the EU. Some of them are mixtures of propylene glycol with higher-boiling-point glycols. Under the product name Antifrogen Sol HT, the Swiss company Clariant International Ltd also offers a product that consists only of higher-boiling-point glycols. In the last few years, the solar thermal market has become more and more international. Only five years ago, the German heat transfer fluid manufacturers stated that export did not have any significance for them. In the meantime, exports have increased in importance for most companies. The German Tyforop Chemie GmbH, the market leader in Central Europe, achieves about 15 % of its turnover in other Euro­pean countries. Now, the company wants to enter new markets in Asia and North America. But not only German chemical companies are active in the field of heat transfer media. Clariant has already been mentioned. The company has its primary markets in Europe, but it also supplies customers in Asia and North America. The British company ­Sentinel Performance Solutions Ltd. sells its new product R100 primarily in Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy. The company wants to expand its sales in the countries of Eastern Europe. Belgium is the home country of the company Arteco NV/SA, which produces aqueous cooling brines under the product name Zitrec. These include Zitrec LC, which is suitable as a heat carrier for solar installations. In Germany, these products are distributed by the company Fragol Schmierstoff GmbH+Co.KG from Mülheim. Fragol ­also sells its own product Fragoltherm (previously ­Ucotherm) on the market. The American chemical giant Dow Chemical has also produced a propylene glycol based heat transfer fluid under the name Dowcal 20 for many years. But solar thermal installations do not seem to be an attractive field of business. Neither the Hamburg-based company Nordmann Rassmann, which sells Dowcal in Germany, nor Univar Europe, which is a Dow sales partner in Europe, were willing or able to respond to the S&WE enquiry. The German company Wittig Umweltchemie GmbH did not want to take part in this S&WE overview either. The company’s General Manager Dirk Wittig said to S&WE that he was not interested in small customers and therefore did not want

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Solar thermal

Test set for Tyfocor LS: the pH test strip is used to determine the pH during system mainte­ nance. The areometer serves to measure the density, which indicates whether the glycol concentration is sufficient for frost protection.

Solar fluids

to appear in the overview. One should best order a 24 ton tanker load from Wittig. Nevertheless, we have listed the Wittig product Glysofor Solar in the table, but only with the properties that can be found on the Wittig website. Five years ago, people argued against export on the grounds that the transport was not worthwhile. But heat transfer fluids need not necessarily be shipped around the globe by the ton. An alternative model is partnerships with local companies, which can produce the heat transfer fluid on-site. Clariant

has another strategy. In order to help the customer save transport and packaging costs, the company intends to introduce a new product to the market, the heat carrier Antifrogen Sol HT Conc.: it is a concentrate from which Antifrogen Sol HT can be made by adding water. Using tap water, the new concentrate can also be diluted on-site to the desired antifreeze concentration. Fragol also offers concentrates. Gernot Krakat of Fragol’s heat transfer fluid sales department says that water of normal hardness can be used for their products. In the process of preparing solar fluids using the product Tyfocor L, it is not primarily the lime but rather the chloride concentration that limits the utilization of water. “Water up to a chloride concentration of 100 ppm can be used with our concentrates, but distilled or fully desalinated water is better”, says Frank Hillerns, who is in charge of product development at Tyforop. Nowadays, most products are ready-for-use mixtures of the glycols and water. This makes on-site mixing unnecessary, which in turn makes the installation easier for the tradesman and eliminates the ­issue of preparing the correct mixture as a potential source of trouble.

What matters is the formula Glycol and water alone do not make a heat transfer fluid for solar thermal systems, since this mixture is highly corrosive. In order to make the product usable

From the canister to the con­ tainer: Tyforop offers a wide ­range of purpose-specific ­products and package sizes.  Photos (5): Tyforop

74

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

for the solar circuit, one has to mix in stabilizers and additives preventing corrosion. Nowadays, chemistry provides a wide range of different substance classes serving as corrosion inhibitors. Depending on their composition, these cocktails protect the metals in the solar circuit. In the case of Clariant’s Antifrogen Sol HT, the inhibitors are optimized for copper, brass and steel, but also for cast aluminium and soft solder. In order to improve the materials compatibility of the fluids, Clariant is in the process of developing new inhibitors. Achim Stankowiak: “At present, new additives are being tested, and if they are found suitable, they will be used in our formulas.” Despite all the skills of inhibitor chemistry, one substance is impossible to use: zinc and zinc-coated materials are not stable in glycolic media. Wittig Umweltchemie leaves the choice of corrosion inhibitor to its customers. “One has to consider the mix of materials very precisely”, says Dirk Wittig. This can be done in a general approach, but it can also be optimized for the customer’s individual solar system. To this end, Wittig has more than 100 inhibitor formulas available. The customer can choose from these, but he has to satisfy himself as to whether the anticorrosion effect is sufficient for his needs.

Aluminium protection is a topic again The well-tried Tyfocor L from Tyforop also provides good protection for aluminium, in addition to protecting the typical solar circuit materials copper, brass and steel. Its basic development dates back to the time when roll-bond absorbers were still used. In the case of Tyfocor LS, which was developed in 1998 especially for vacuum tube collectors, Tyforop omitted those inhibitors with the special purpose of protecting aluminium. In the meantime, roll-bond absorbers made of aluminium have become a hot topic again. At this year’s Intersolar, the Norwegian aluminium group Norsk Hydro ASA presented a prototype that will soon be ready for the market. In Germany, researchers at Ingolstadt University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the company Citrin Solar Energie- und Umwelttechnik GmbH are developing a bionic rollbond absorber with flow characteristics imitating fractal structures in nature. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg, Germany, is also working on such an absorber. The companies TiSUN GmbH from Söll in Austria and Tyforop are taking part in the project. The researchers have also studied heat transfer media. In measurements at a stagnation temperature of 200 °C, Tyfocor L turned out to be a suitable heat carrier, because the test revealed a low level of material degradation. Even after 100 days, the aluminium concentration in the fluid remained below 5 mg/L. Tyforop is currently working on improving the inhibitors: “We are at the end of the development phase for various products to be used in aluminium collectors”, reports Frank Hillerns. When asked about

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

TYFO for your solar installation! Solar fluids for all thermal solar installations. ● High-quality antifreezing and anti-corrosion fluids for flat-plate and vacuum-tube-systems ● Corrosion resistant - protection against deposition ● Environmentally compatible, non-toxic, biodegradable ● Supplied as concentrate or ready mixed ● Proven in thousands of installations Brine for heat pump systems

Your heat transfer medium specialist since 1975.

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75

Solar thermal

Solar fluids

How can the glycol concentration be measured?

the most important current trend, he says “the compatibility with aluminium components”. The reason for this is not only that roll-bond absorbers are coming back, but also that traditional absorbers, in which the absorber sheet is welded to a tube register, will soon be equipped with aluminium tubes.

Glycomat

Do not take too much water

This plastic instrument determines the density of the solution. It must be set for propylene glycol. The advantages: cheap, nearly unbreakable The disadvantages: limited precision, the possibility of an incorrect measurement is fairly high

Areometer The density can be measured more precisely using an areo­ meter. The device is made of glass and is calibrated for an individual fluid. The advantages: quite cheap, very precise The disadvantages: breakage risk, a fairly high amount of fluid is necessary

The ready-to-use mixtures as well as the minimum concentrations that the manufacturers recommend for their concentrates are designed to provide frost protection down to a temperature of –30 °C or below (see table). With that figure, one is on the safe side in Central Europe. In Siberia, however, one might get into trouble. True, in terms of solar thermal energy utilization, Russia is still rather insignificant, but that might change. Anyhow, the Tyforop product range already includes the Tyfocor LS ­Arctic, a ready-to-use product that stands up to the cold continental climate in Eastern Europe and freezes only when temperatures drop to –47 °C. Of course, it is possible in principle to further dilute the ready-to-use mixtures in order to save fluid. This is a common practice in regions where only slight frosts occur at worst and where no powerful antifreeze is needed. But beware: when the fluid is diluted, so are, of course, the inhibitors. Below the minimum concentration of the concentrate, the anticorrosion effect is no longer guaranteed. “In order to make sure that the contained anticorrosion agents are fully effective, the Glysofor Solar concentration must be at least 20 Vol.%”, says the Wittig data­ sheet, for example. “This provides frost protection down to –8 °C.” Obviously, Wittig attaches importance to a particularly wide temperature range. Of course, this implies that the inhibitor concentration is higher than necessary at a lower level of dilution. That certainly does not do any harm. But since not all the inhibitors are as non-toxic as the glycols used, it is not optimal either. Tyforop takes a different ap-

Refractometer This instrument is used to determine the refractive index. It is suitable for any (also nonsolar) mixtures. Advantages: very precise, easy to use, a drip is enough Disadvantage: fairly expensive

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Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

proach. The company from Hamburg offers Tyfocor LS Mediterraneo, a product that has been optimized for –10 °C right from the beginning. But also in the choice of the inhibitors, one can pay attention to the potential environmental hazard. In the case of the Pro Kühlsole products, all the inhibitors contained are classified into the German water endangering class (WGK) 1, i.e. they have a low water-endangering potential. The glycols themselves are also classified as WGK1.

Acidity needs to be neutralized In addition to the corrosion inhibitors, a heat transfer fluid for solar installations also needs to contain an acid buffer. Glycols react with oxygen, producing organic acids. The warmer the medium, the more rapidly this chemical reaction goes on. And since the temperature inside solar installations can easily rise above 200 °C in a stagnation phase, oxidation is unavoidable. The consequence is that the pH drops into the acid range, and the fluid corrodes metal surfaces despite the inhibitor additives. In order to prevent this from happening, a buffer is added to the fluid that has the task of neutralizing the acid molecules. The so-called “reserve alkalinity” indicates the buffer capacity. When the temperature in the collectors reaches 200 °C or more, the heat transfer fluid evaporates completely. But some inhibitors do not evaporate. Instead, they crystallize on the tube surface and are exposed to the high stagnation temperatures for a prolonged period. They then undergo thermal decomposition. The decomposition residues can narrow the tube cross-section, and of course the anticorrosive effect is reduced. In the case of well-draining collector arrays, the vapour presses the liquid-state fluid out of the array very quickly. This means that crystallization can hardly occur. But trouble can arise in the case of poorly draining collector arrays with larger quantities of fluid needing to evaporate before only vapour is left in the collector. Co-evaporating inhibitors are the better choice. These are usually liquid additives. Quite a number of products contain only such inhibitors. For vacuum tube systems, which reach up to 300 °C in the case of stagnation, most manufacturers recommend such products. Michael Kaiser, the Technical Manager of Pro Kühlsole GmbH, sees a trend towards co-evaporating inhibitors. Under conditions of great heat, the glycol decomposition process can also go beyond acid formation. What occurs then is chemical cracking processes, which break down the molecule into highly reactive parts. These react with each other to form insoluble tar-like substances. This decomposition is easily recognized by the dark colour that the affected heat transfer fluid takes on. In order to meet the requirements for a heat transfer fluid with optimized corrosion protection and improved thermal stability, Clariant has launched ­Antifrogen Sol HT on the basis of higher-boiling-point

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Solar thermal

Solar fluids

Overview of heat transfer fluids for solar thermal installations Minimum Maximum Form of temperature temperature delivery 5

Density [g/cm3] 1

Heat conductivity [W/mK] 1

Product name Antifrogen Sol HT

higher-boiling-point glycols VTC and FPC

green

-28 °C

200 °C

ready to use

approx. 1.082 approx. 0.36

Clariant

Antifrogen Sol (VP 1981)

higher-boiling-point glycols VTC and FPC and propylene glycol

green

-34 °C

180 °C

ready to use

approx. 1.065 approx. 0.39

Antifrogen VP 1991 6

higher-boiling-point glycols VTC and FPC and propylene glycol

green

-59 °C

180 °C

concentrate

approx. 1.082 approx. 0.20

Fragoltherm W-PGA

propylene glycol

FPC

colourless

-30 °C

180 °C

concentrate (30-fold)

1.037 2

0.390 2

Fragoltherm W-VR

propylene glycol

VTC

pink

n/a

260 °C

ready to use

1.032

0.412

1.039

0.420

Fragol

Antifreeze agent

Suitable collector Colour types 3

Manufacturer

Zitrec F

propylene glycol

FPC

colourless

-35 °C

180 °C

concentrate (30-fold)

Pro Kühlsole

Pekasolar 50

propylene glycol

VTC and FPC

colourless

-28 °C

200 °C

ready to use

1.042

0.400

Sentinel

R100

propylene glycol

VTC and FPC

bright blue

-25 °C

up to 200 °C ready to use

1.040

n/a

Tyfocor L

propylene glycol

FPC

according to cus­ tomer preference

-50 °C

170 °C 4

concentrate (40-fold)

1.038 2

0.385 2

Tyfocor HTL

propylene glycol and higher glycols

VTC (FPC)

blue-green

-35 °C

170 °C 4

ready to use

1.054

0.385

Tyfocor LS

propylene glycol

VTC (FPC)

red fluorescent

-28 °C

170 °C 4

ready to use

1.034

0.413

Tyfocor LS Arctic

propylene glycol

VTC (FPC)

red fluorescent

-47 °C

170 °C 4

ready to use

1.039

0.344

Tyfocor LS ­Mediterraneo

propylene glycol

VTC (FPC)

red fluorescent

-10 °C

170 °C 4

ready to use

1.020

0.468

Tyfocor G-LS

propylene glycol

VTC (FPC)

violet

-28 °C

170 °C 4

ready to use

1.034

0.413

Glysofor Solar

propylene glycol and higher glycols

n/a

green

-59 °C

n/a

concentrate (20-fold)

n/a

n/a

Glysofor Solar AF

propylene glycol and higher glycols

VTC and FPC

yellow

-28 °C

n/a

ready to use

1.030

0.365

Tyforop

Wittig ­Umweltchemie

Most heat transfer media are ready-to-use mixtures. This saves work for the installer and ensures frost protection. 

Source: Manufacturers’ information

Sentinel Solutions offers its R100 in 10 and 20 litre canisters. 

Photo: Sentinel Solutions

78

glycols. The glycols used here are less prone to thermal decomposition than propylene glycol. This is indicated by experiments in which Achim Stankowiak, the Applied Technology Manager Engineering & Aviation, has exposed various solar heat transfer fluids to temperatures of 230 °C and 270 °C. Furthermore, even after a three-day heat treatment at 230 °C, Antifrogen Sol HT showed hardly any changes in its corrosiveness, which is determined in the so-called ASTM D 1384 test. The polypropylene-based fluids that were studied in this context, how­ ever, showed a substantially increased level of metal removal. During periods of stagnation, only the small proportion of the heat transfer medium that is in the vapour phase is exposed to temperatures above 200  °C. Thus, the conditions to which Stankowiak exposed the heat transfer fluids were quite rough indeed. Nonetheless, he says: “We are convinced that our ­Antifrogen Sol HT meets the increased requirements of solar thermal installations best”.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Viscosity [mm2/s] 1

Refractive index

Inhibitors

pH 1

Reserve alkalinity [ml 0.1 N HCl]

Mixable with other Package sizes [litres] products

Water endangering class

approx. 7.4

approx. 1.401

solid and liquid

approx. 9

approx. 3 to 4

yes 9

all common package sizes

1

approx. 7.2

approx. 1.396

solid and liquid

approx. 8

>3

yes 9

all common package sizes

1

approx. 5.5

approx. 1.445

solid and liquid

approx. 10

>6

n/a

all common package sizes

1

4.33 2

1.3801 2

n/a

7.5 to 8.5 2

11 to 13 2

yes 10

5 / 10 / 20 / 25 / 200 / 1,000 / fuel tank truck 7

1

approx. 5.0

approx. 1.382

n/a

9 to 10.5

> 20

no

10 / 25

1

20 / 210 / 1,000 / fuel tank truck

1

11

Website

www.clariant.com

www.fragol.de

4.4

approx. 1.378

n/a

9.2

5

yes

6.0

approx. 1.382

liquid

9

6

no

10 / 20 / 30 / 60 / 200 / 1,000 / 1 fuel tank truck 7

www.prokuehlsole.de

5.0

1.380 to 1.384

n/a

8.35

7.7

no

10 / 20

1

www.sentinel-solutions.net

5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 60 / 200 / 1,000 / bulk

1

3.5 to 4.5 2

1.3801 2

solid

7.5 to 8.5 2

>52

not recom­ mended

6.0 to 8.0

1.3942

solid

7.5 to 8.5

>9

no

5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 60 / 200 / 1,000 / bulk

1

4.5 to 5.5

approx. 1.382

liquid

9.0 to 10.5

> 20

with Tyfocor G-LS

5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 60 / 200 / 1,000 / bulk

1 1

7.0 to 8.0

approx. 1.393

liquid

9.0 to 10.5

> 25

no

5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 60 / 200 / 1,000 / bulk

2.0 to 3.0

approx. 1.361

liquid

9.0 to 10.5

> 12

no

5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 60 / 200 / 1,000 / bulk

1

4.5 to 5.5

approx. 1.382

liquid

9.0 to 10.5

> 20

with Tyfocor LS

5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 60 / 200 / 1,000 / bulk

1

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

30 / 220 / 1,000 / 24,000 8

1

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

30 / 220 / 1000 / 24,000 8

1

www.tyfo.de

www.glysofor.de

1 at 20 °C; 2 at a usage concentration of 40 Vol%; 3 FPC = flat plate collector, VTC = vacuum tube collector; 4 maximum constant load temperature, short-term load up to 200°C possible; 5 in brackets the

minimum usage concentration [Vol. %]; 6 concentrate for preparation of Antifrogen Sol (VP 1981); 7 5 to 30 L in a can, 60 and 200 L in a barrel, 1,000 L in an IBC container, larger quantities in a bulk container; 8 24 tons in a fuel tank truck; 9 tested only with Tyfocor LS; 10 mixable with most propylene-glycol-based products; 11 but loses approval in this case

Frank Hillerns contradicts that higher-boilingpoint glycols are more resistant to thermal decomposition: “We do not think so.” For a long time already, Tyforop has offered Tyfocor HTL, a product containing a high fraction of higher-boiling-point glycols. But ­Tyforop could not achieve a substantial improvement in stability in this way. There are just limits to thermal resistance, Hillerns says. Today, Tyforop produces HTL primarily for customers who want to use it to refill systems that are 10 or 12 years old, because HTL, like most Tyforop products, must not be mixed with other heat carriers (see table). “No customer is pleased to hear that he has to replace his intact heat transfer fluid because the product is no longer available”, says Hillerns. For the same reason, Tyforop also continues to offer ­G-LS, which is a special anti-corrosion agent for glass and which the company developed for Schott vacuum tubes. Today, there is no longer a market for this medium, but if vacuum tube systems in which the medium circulates directly in the glass tubes, according to the Chinese example, spread more widely in Europe, Tyforop would have the appropriate medium up its sleeve. In one regard, Frank Hillerns and Achim Stankowiak agree, however: there is a trend towards heat transfer fluids with higher long-term stability.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Correct installation is important The developers’ effort is one thing, the accurate work of the installer is another – and decisive for the fluid’s life. Of course, the system should be designed in such a way that stagnation is avoided as far as possible. The expansion vessel must be so big that the entire fluid from the collectors can evaporate in the case of stagnation. Beyond that, cleanness is all-important. Prior to filling, the installer has to thoroughly flush the system with a suitable flushing medium in order to remove any metal chips, solder and other contaminants. Metals are especially critical since they have a catalytic effect. This means that they accelerate the decomposition of the heat transfer medium. A frequent mistake made is leaving some of the flushing fluid, and thus some of the dirt, in the system. In this case, there is not only a risk of unnecessarily rapid decomposition; it can also dilute the glycol down to a level that limits frost protection. Accurate filling is important, too: if fewer air bubbles arise in the filling process, less oxygen that can oxidize the fluid enters the system. Therefore, special filling devices should be preferred to the simple garden pump. Furthermore, collectors should not lie around on the roof unfilled and with no pipe connections for a prolonged time.

79

Solar thermal

Solar fluids Frank Hillerns warns of the extreme case: if tube collectors are exposed to the blazing summer sun, and open to the air, copper scale forms. If, contrary to the installation manual, the installer then fills the fluid not under cloud cover or in the morning or evening but during sunshine, the lifespan is drastically reduced.

“Oil change” for the solar thermal system Using the filling unit Solar­ Flush from Sentinel Solutions, which is equipped with a dry self-priming pump, the instal­ ler can correctly flush, fill and ventilate the system. 

Photo: Sentinel Solutions

Since it is in the chemical nature of the heat transfer fluid to age in the course of time, its condition has to be regularly checked. Investigations carried out by ­Tyforop have revealed a life of 5 to 12 years for ­Tyfocor LS in flat plate collectors and of 3 years in vacuum tube collectors, depending on the load on the system. “We recommend regular checks of the solar fluid, which can be performed by the solar installer, for

example together with the annual maintenance of the oil-fired or gas-fired heating system”, says Hillerns. He knows of many solar installation companies that stick to this cycle. What should be done? The first step after taking a sample is the visual examination: a dark colour and a pungent smell indicate intense ageing. After that, the glycol concentration is measured (see box). Does the concentration correspond to the rated value? Has too much water been added, or has some of the water evaporated through leaks, thereby increasing the glycol concentration to an unacceptable level? The installer should also measure the concentration on the occasion of initial filling in order to be sure that the frost protection level is correct and to rule out that the wrong fluid has been filled by mistake. The third step is pH measurement using a test strip. When the pH has dropped below 7 and the result of the visual examination is negative, it is time for a fluid change, corresponding to the oil change in a car. If the concentration is not correct, but the glycol is alright, the installer can, theoretically, also refill or dilute. But changing the fluid is usually easier. If the examination does not yield a clear result, an exchange is also recommendable. In the case of larger collector arrays, it can be worthwhile investigating the medium in the laboratory in order to determine the remaining reserve alkalinity. Clariant offers such examinations to its customers free of charge. If the tradesman observes all these steps, there are no obstacles to a long life of the solar thermal system. Jens-Peter Meyer

What has to be considered in the context of heat transfer fluids? • choose the proper dimensions for the expansion vessel • flush the system thoroughly prior to filling, remove the flushing solution completely and add the heat transfer fluid quickly • avoid air bubbles in the system • do not expose unfilled collectors to air on the roof for a prolonged period • fill the system in the morning, in the evening or when the sky is cloudy • check glycol concentration • do not mix fluids from different manufacturers without consulting ­them first • wash away any splashes using a lot of water • protect the eyes with safety goggles, use chemical-resistant gloves ­(nitrile rubber) in order to protect your hands • check the fluid annually: visual examination, concentration determination, pH measurement • exchange fluid completely if pH is below 7

80

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Solar thermal

Poland

Practice makes perfect

Training courses for solar thermal installers are scarce in Poland. Some institutions and companies, however, set a good example. Viessmann operates five training centres in Poland, at which course participants can familiarize themselves with all the boiler models of the manufacturer.

A

ccording to the European Parliament directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of renewable energy sources, each EU member country is obliged to implement a national system of training and certification by the end of 2012, and the process of certification should be clearly defined. “Therefore training should consist of theoretical and practical

Inside the training room of the Viessmann Academy. Small group sizes are aimed at increasing interaction.  Photos (2): Viessmann

82

parts, and each training course should be completed with an examination and the issuance of an appro­ priate certification”, says Michal Kwasiborski from the Institute for Renewable Energy (IEO) in Poland. Unfortunately, there are no official solar thermal training programmes in Poland in accordance with di­ rective 2009/28/EC. According to Aneta Wiecka from the IEO, there is only general legal provision concern­ ing installers, for example chapter two of the Building Law from 1994 or the decree of the Minister of Econ­ omy from 2003 concerning the qualification of install­ ers, especially electricians, not explicitly solar install­ ers. In practice, each manufacturer carries out solar training on the basis of its own programme and there­ by awards licenses to its solar thermal plumbers. The general schemes of solar thermal training pro­ grammes are similar, but the details of the content differ. The activities managed by the Polish Corpora­ tion of Sanitary, Heating, Gas and Air Conditioning Technology (SGGiK) are important, but make up a very small proportion of all solar training. It is anticipated that this situation will not change in the near future. “Prepared in June 2009 by the ­Ministry of Economy, the National Renewable Energy Action Plan does not contain any detailed information about certified training courses for installers of re­ newable energy sources in Poland according to the new RES directive. So far it is not clear who/which au­ thority will be the body responsible for the certifica­ tion of training courses”, says Aneta Wiecka.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Viessmann on site for a long time Nevertheless, the German manufacturer Viessmann has been offering theoretical and practical training in Poland for sever­ al years – in a long-term training pro­ gramme known as the “Viessmann ­Academy”. Viessmann has five training centres in Poland, where around 6,000 people are trained annually. Of the six training courses in 2010, one is limited to small solar installations. In addition to the standard training, there are also ex­ tra training courses organized, including practical training on existing facilities – such as installations of solar collectors on roofs. Furthermore, Viessmann offers training tours to Germany. Some of the basic training courses are jointly funded by national and EU programmes. The completion of the training ends with re­ ceiving appropriate certificates. The trainees only have to pay 20 % of the training costs, the rest is covered by the EU. They can take part in training for in­ stallers, traders or designers. “Each training course focuses on the specific recipient. During the courses the train­ ees can practise directly at the place of action, for example in the boiler room”, explains Aneta Wiecka. “Each group is limited to a maximum of 15 to 18 partic­ ipants so everyone has the most benefit from the programme.” Lifelong learning for installers with a wide scope is also offered by the ­Viessmann-driven College of Modern Heating Technologies with a programme of training approved by the Ministry of National Education (MEN). It is the only college in Poland and worldwide which is led by a company in the heating indus­ try. The college course takes two years, and after passing the examinations the participants become engineers of new heating systems.

Promising approaches, little continuity There are one-day training courses for in­ stallers as well. The first experience of a pilot series has been gained by the ­Mazovian Energy Agency (MAE). „The training courses were carried out as part of the statutory tasks of the Energy Agen­ cy“, explained Włodzimierz Pomierny, MAE expert during the „Third Solar ­Thermal Industry Forum 2010“ in May in Niepolomice, southern Poland. “The courses were planned for installers of so­

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

lar thermal collectors. The workshops re­ lated to the seminars for producers and suppliers of various renewable technolo­ gies, combined with exhibitions and the possibility of establishing contacts with end users.” There is, however, a prob­ lem: “The Mazovian Energy Agency will not continue the training courses. The outcome and evaluation of the first one was not encouraging”, said Aneta Wiecka when asked about the latest news. “The one-day training programme was too far from the requirements of the new RES di­ rective.” But another project showed the po­ tential of such training courses – SIRET. Within the frameworks of this pro­ gramme, realized with the support of Eu­ ropean funds, the further education model „Specialists for Renewable Ener­ gies and Technologies in Plumbing, Heat­ ing and Air Conditioning Trades“ was de­ veloped. Three organizations from Ger­ many, Bulgaria and Poland have been developing a course for technicians and engineers from the installation sector with certification in accordance with the guidelines contained in the directive 2009/28/EC. The course took place in autumn 2009 and lasted over 100 hours in total. The participants were introduced to problems in the sectors of biomass, solar thermal, photovoltaics, heat pumps and cogeneration. Courses of the same length and with the same content were simultaneously undertaken in Germany in Berlin and Hamburg, and in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. „In the Polish course there were 24 participants: fitters, technicians and engineers from the installation sec­ tor. After the five basic modules the stu­ dents took a written exam and on com­ pletion of the structural modules in spe­ cializations, written and oral exams. Most people were interested in speciali­ zation in the field of solar thermal ener­ gy“, explains Tomasz Malowany, Head of the Polish SGGiK. The Institute for Renewable Energy IEO itself has developed a user-friendly software package called “Kolektorek 2.0” for domestic hot water simulation, designing and sizing with a substantial part devoted to economic and environ­ mental assessment. This software is be­ ing used already by a few solar thermal manufacturers for training of installers and it will be continuously adapted to the training requirements of the new RES directive and new solar standards. Oliver Klempert

83

Solar thermal

Solar Cooling

Largest solar cooling

system worldwide for Singapore

The United World College of South East Asia ordered a 3,900 m2 solar heating and cooling system for its campus to be newly created. As of today it will be the world’s largest SHC system. New campus of the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore: From August 2011 on, the 76,000 m2 area will host 2,500 students from 60 different countries worldwide.  Graphic: UWCSEA

84

A

major order for two Austrian companies was announced at a press conference in the middle of August: Austrian engineering company Solid signed a contract with the United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) to deliver, install and operate a solar heating and cooling installation with 3,900 m2 of collector area. The Raiffeisen-Landesbank of Styria will be responsible for financing the investment of around € 4 million ­together with the ­Oesterreichische K ­ ontrollbank. The solar thermal installation will supply hot water and cooling to around 2,500 students, who live and study on a newly created 76,000 m2 campus, which ­incorporates facilities such as boarding houses, canteens, science labs, libraries, sport amenities and music studios (see graphic above). The announced project is the world’s largest solar cooling installation yet.

“The use of solar energy prevailed in producing the hot water, because gas prices in Singapore are as high as electricity prices,” Christian Holter ­explains. The CEO of Solid plans to meet 100 % of the hot water demand for the campus and around­ 30 % of its cooling demand. Although the maximum energy output of a solar cooling system perfectly matches the maximum solar radiation in the tropical country of Singapore, Solid estimates a relatively small collector output of 560 kWh/m2 per year due to a frequently cloudy sky. The collector area will be mounted on all of the buildings. Installation will begin soon and the system is thought to start operating in the spring of 2011. Supplier of the panels is the Austrian company Ökotech, a subsidiary of the Solid Group Austria. The highly efficient “Gluatmugl” collectors possess a convection blocker between absorber and glass cover to minimize heating losses and reach higher temperatures than usual, which will be necessary to operate the absorption chiller with a power of 1,759 kW by Broad, China. “The technical design of the installation has been ready for a year. What took the last twelve months, were the negotiations on its financing,” Holter stresses. Solid had to first prove the credit-worthiness of

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Solar heating system with 202 m2 collector area in Vienna, Austria. The company Solid is already experienced with larger solar heating and cooling systems and will construct a SHC system at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore. 

its financing partner, the Raiffeisen-Landesbank of Styria. The Solid Group assumes the role of contractor together with its Singapore subsidiary Solid International Asia (SIA). The UWCSEA will repay the investment within 15 years by paying the energy costs it saved with the help of the solar installation. And, Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB) had to be convinced of granting a subsidy of 15 % of the investment costs for the solar installation, which ensured that the new campus reached the Green Mark Platinum certification, the highest rating in Singapore´s green buildings grading ­system.

Photo: Austria Solar/Solid

Asia is becoming increasingly important for ­Solid: At present, the Solid Group achieves 50 % of its turnover in Asian countries. After installing a solar cooling (613 m2) and a hot water system (666 m2) at the logistic centre of the 2008 Olympic Summer Games and a solar cooling project in Abu Dhabi, the project in Singapore is already the fourth large-scale project by Solid in Asia. Bärbel Epp Further Information: Solid Group: www.solid.at Ökotech Produktionsgesellschaft für Umwelttechnik: www.oekotech.biz Raiffeisen-Landesbank of Styria: www.rlbstmk.at United World College of South East Asia: www.uwcsea.edu.sg

Investor and engineers presented together the plans for the new solar heating and cooling installation in Singapore (from left): Johann Jauk, Chairman of the board of the Austrian Raiffeisen-Landesbank of Styria, as well as Christian Holter and Franz Radovic, the two CEOs of the Austrian engineering office Solid. Photo: Solid

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

85

Solar thermal

Absorber tubes

Bend, punch and braze Solar absorbers possess fluid systems in either meander or harp form. To manufacture these absorbers, it is first necessary to bend, punch and braze the tube material. SUN & WIND ENERGY presents suppliers of machines which do just that.

M

oshe Dagan designed his first production machines for solar collectors back in the eighties – as head engineer of the company Amcor, at that time the biggest manufacturer in Israel. In 1981, he built the first machine which was able to punch holes into the header tubes of absorber registers from the inside, and devised a system with a ­counter die, so as to be able to produce collared holes. Five years later, he set up his own business, Dagan ­Machine Engineering Ltd., as a supplier of special machines to various branches of Israeli industry. Since 2006, activities have been concentrated on punching machines, automatic brazing machines and automatic ­bending machines for solar absorber production. “The basic concept of our machine designs is to mount the heavy-duty mechanisms on lightweight, aluminium profile base frames. This concept is our key to maxi-

86

Brazing machines from Everwand & Fell GmbH  Photo: Everwand & Fell

mum flexibility, fast reactions and economical prices,” says Dagan. Dagan machines are able to punch a hole into the header tube of an absorber register every two seconds. The collars which are formed around each hole can be used to attach the parallel risers. For this purpose, Dagan offers an automatic brazing machine which can join 10 such risers to a common header tube in less than two minutes. Another special system from Dagan can then test the finished tube register for possible leaks. It measures an air flow through the tubes and can in this way determine whether air is able to escape at any point. Dagan’s customer base includes collector manufacturers from all over the world, for example Eraslan Solar Energy Systems from Turkey, Winkler Solar from Austria and Vaillant from Germany.

Flowing tube production Michael Dietl from DTEC GmbH lays claim to no less extensive experience with brazing technologies. The Austrian automation specialist and machine manufacturer has developed a new brazing system for tube registers which achieves throughputs of 36 units and more per hour. “That was in the past only feasible through the complex integration of several subsystems,” as Dietl points out. The DBA 100/36 system also provides for the manufacturing of different register types, and thus permits the realisation of a continuous production process in which the individual workers acSun & Wind Energy 10/2010

company the workpiece through several production steps (“one-piece flow”) rather than remaining at a single work station as in the case of a conventional production line. Another product from DTEC is the modular brazing system S-DBU. In a similar manner to the DBA 100/36, this system assembles the register in a manually or semi-automatically positioned workpiece holder. A 3-axis lifting station brings the joints into the correct position for brazing. The company has already installed such a system with robot automation. For punching, DTEC offers the automatic tube processing machine CPP 10/360. Dietl: “On the basis of exact reproducibility, fast throughput and precise hole diameters and depressions, this product is a perfect starting point for automation of the downstream processes – and that with a cycle time of less than 10 seconds per tube.” Thanks to an automatic tube feed module, ideal flow characteristics and turbulences are achieved in the finished absorber system, as the harp tubes are always inserted into the header at a constant spacing. The product range is rounded off with the meander bending station MBA, which customers can order with a facility for automatic deburring of the tube ends, automatic meander unloading and fully automatic transfer onto a pre-positioned carriage.

Brazing and loading in alternation Solingen-based Everwand & Fell GmbH supplies absorber register brazing machines throughout Germany. “The machine type FL2 for the brazing of classic absorber harps comprising copper tubes has in the meantime established itself as a standard solution,” says Everwand representative Reinhard Ditz. A further development of this system has since become avail­ able for the assembly of aluminium absorbers. The FL2

Tube processing is also part of the business for absorber manufacturers. Special machines are used, for example, to produce the header tubes for ­absorber registers.  Photo: Sistemi Meccanici Industriali

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

[email protected]

www.ayvaz.com

Solar thermal

Absorber tubes

DTEC-brazed joint from outside (left) and in cross-section (right). The sectional view shows how punching from the outside results in an acute angle between the absorber tube (horizontal) and the header. This produces a capillary effect, which draws the brazing solder (red outline) into the joint.  Photos (2): DTEC achieves an hourly throughput of up to 30 registers with 10 absorber tubes each. It is designed for ­process-parallel loading. While the brazing is being done on one of the two work stations, a new absorber can be set up on the other side of the machine. When the brazing process is started, the motor-driven feed carriages with mounted burners and solder wire supply cylinders traverse away from the machine centre and across the row of tubes in the loaded work station. As soon as the defined start position is reached, the burners are ignited automatically and approached to the first brazing position. The two carriages are

Suppliers of machines for tube processing in absorber production Company Coilco Tool & Die, USA

Bend +

Dagan Machine Engineering Ltd., Israel DTEC GmbH, Austria

+

Everwand & Fell GmbH, Germany Fix Maschinenbau GmbH, Germany

Braze

Process 1 +

www.coilco.com

+

+

www.dagan-machine.com

+

+

www.dtec.at

+ +

Holmatec Maschinenbau GmbH, Germany

+

www.everwand.com +

+

Innovar, Switzerland +

Pneuform Machine Ltd., Great Britain

+

Ralc Italia Srl, Italy

+

Reimann und Kahl GbR, Germany

+

S.K. Brazing Co., South Korea

+

Sistemi Meccanici Industriali Srl, Italy

+

Sunrise Solar Machinery, Greece

www.fix-utz.de www.holmatec.de

+

MIG–O–MAT Mikrofügetechnik GmbH, Germany

Website

www.innovar.ch www.mig-o-mat.com www.pneuform.com

+

www.ralcitalia.com www.reimann-kahl.de

+

+

+

www.skbrazing.com

+

www.smisrl.it

+

www.sunrisesm.com

Toptrade Rohrbearbeitung GmbH, Germany

+

www.toptrade-gmbh.de

Transfluid Maschinenbau GmbH, Germany

+

www.transfluid.de

VerMoTec GmbH (Saldomatic), Germany Winton Machine Company, USA 1

+ +

www.vermotec.com www.wintonmachine.com

e.g. punching, cutting Source: own research

88

stopped and the corresponding tube area is heated. As soon as the required temperature is attained, the wire supply units are extended and the brazing solder is supplied in accordance with the preselected settings. The supply units retract to their standby position and the burner carriages advance to the next brazing position. At the end of the brazing process, the system automatically switches off its burners and the carriages return to the centre of the machine. When the machine operator then presses the start button again, the burner carriages traverse to the other work station and the whole process is repeated. In the meantime, the operator can remove the finished workpiece and begin to insert the individual components for a new absorber.

Bent to measure Manufacturers who wish to produce absorbers with a serpentine tube rather than a harp register will find a partner in Reimann & Kahl GbR in Teistungen, Germany. They supply the necessary bending machines and have also come up with an appropriate slogan: “We get you into shape!” Reimann & Kahl, which takes its name from its two Managing Directors Peter Reimann and Holger Kahl, also provides prefabrication services and has been producing tube meanders up to dimensions of 5,000 x 2,400 mm on its own four bending machines since the 1990s. “We are also able to fit 3D bends, offset bends, brazing connectors or adapter pieces to the ends of the meander,” says Peter ­Reimann. He goes on to explain how the use of NC machines ensures the dimensional accuracy necessary for subsequent further processing of the meanders on a welding machine. This renders continual readjustment on the welding machine superfluous and helps to avoid unwanted stresses in the absorber plate. Like other suppliers of bending machines, Reimann & Kahl is also working on ways to realise an even narrower meander radius and reliable handling of even thinner tube

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Dagan Machine Engineering Ltd., on the other hand, gives preference to collared holes. 

Photo: Dagan Machine Engineering

walls. Future machines are to be able to bend tubes with a wall thickness of 0.4 mm without deformation. At present, most manufacturers are still working with 0.5 mm thick copper tubes.

Punching from within The Italian company Sistemi Meccanici Industriali Srl (SMI) has been devoting itself to the processing of tubes – aluminium, stainless steel and copper – for the past 32 years. Originally founded as a small craft business, it has since become an established manufacturer and supplier of machinery for the cutting and bending of tube materials for use in the automotive industry, domestic appliances and in heating and airconditioning technologies. It was approximately 10 years ago that SMI began manufacturing cutting, punching and bending machines for absorber production. These machines are offered with various levels of automation, depending on the customer’s required production rate and product type. The MTS 22, for example, is a combined machine which can cut tubes and then punch a hole into the tube sections from the inside every 1.5 seconds. The arising collar is then on the outside of the tube. SMI is also able to deliver a machine for the creation of meanders from aluminium, stainless steel or copper tubes. The material can be processed either directly from the coil or in pre-cut lengths, and up to 14 tubes can be bent simultaneously. A diversity of accessories complements the SMI machines. For example, the meanders can be cut either with a saw fixture or with an orbital cutter, while rotating and sliding tables provide for the correct form of the meander. Further accessories include tools to realise certain fully automatic process steps, such as deformation of the two ends of the meander or the insertion and brazing of accessories made from other metals. Joachim Berner

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Solar thermal

system Concepts

What the guests see... ...and how it works gas boiler

Retrofitted system for a sauna and swimming complex near Bonn, Germany, that feeds solar thermal energy directly into the heating circuit. The solar plant is connected directly to the central heat manifold of the existing system. This system is also hooked up to the existing gas boiler with a mini combined heat and power unit (CHP) at the point of return flow, the heat exchanger for the provision of hot water and the heating circuits. Source: Paradigma

solar collector

cogeneration unit

central heat distribution unit

solar plant

90

heating circuit

hot water preparation



Graphic: S&WE

former heating system

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Straight to where it’s needed Most solar energy systems that are used for heating initially store the sun’s heat in a buffer storage tank. But there are other systems that actively bypass this storage process and some that even have no heat storage capacity whatsoever.

A

solar energy system used for heating that doesn’t have a buffer storage tank? The re­ sponse from most providers is usually, “no, thanks.” However, sometimes kicking the tank can be beneficial, according to Marcel Palfner from the Swiss evacuated tube specialists AMK-Solac ­Systems AG. A handful of other providers prefer to sit on the fence – they allow for a storage tank, yet design the system so that the collectors’ thermal energy can ­also be fed directly into the heating circuit. Their ­reasoning: even if a buffer storage tank is appro­ priate for a particular building, heat loss can still be reduced under certain operating conditions by not running the system via the storage tank. Moreover, this enables a cooler return flow which could double the efficiency of the collectors. Such systems are

The “Panorama Sauna” sauna and swimming complex in Grafschaft-Holzweiler near Bonn, Germany. The swimming pools serve as a thermal storage system. During periods of sunshine they store large amounts of thermal energy from the evacuated tube collectors and retain a portion of this overnight and in cloudy weather. All this, combined with a limited solar fraction, renders a buffer storage tank unnecessary. 

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photo: www.isp-grube.de

91

Solar thermal

system Concepts

Heating circuit Collector

This system supports both the heating and hot water services and uses a heating circuit without a buffer storage tank. The small storage facility at the bottom left stores exclusively warm potable water. The heat from the evacuated tube collectors on the other hand, is always fed directly into the heating circuit.  Source: AMK-Solac; 

Solar station

Storage for drinking water

Boiler

Graphic: S&WE

now available for single family houses, large ­residential buildings and small businesses.

Occasional bypass of the buffer tank in a single family house

Typical in central Europe: constantly loaded buffer tanks

Reinhard Haltmaier from the German solar system provider CitrinSolar GmbH Energie- und Umwelt­ technik agrees with Kuhlmann that solar systems should always provide the option of a suitable stor­ age tank. With some exceptions: “When dealing with large solar systems that are driven by external solar heat exchangers, a ‘hot’ storage tank is sometimes unnecessary – in certain circumstances.” Haltmaier goes on to explain that under typical operating condi­ tions – 600 W/m² irradiation, an external tempera­ ture of 15 °C and a buffer temperature of 75 °C – a flat-plate collector has an average temperature of about 80 °C. Under such conditions, a standard sys­ tem achieves an efficiency of 38 %. However, if you bypass the buffer and feed the heat energy directly

Carsten Kuhlmann from the German heating technolo­ gy manufacturer Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co. KG holds a view typical of most solar thermal providers. He admits that in some cases a storage tank is unnec­ essary. Kuhlmann cites swimming pools, large heating networks and process heat applications as examples where this is a feasible option. “When it comes to heat­ ing buildings, comparisons between the daily load profile and the solar irradiation levels typically show that a good solar energy system needs some form of thermal energy storage. Every commercially available design programme clearly demonstrates this fact.”

Glycol-free Solar Systems No anti-freeze required! Vented solar system for unvented twin coil cylinders.

Open system: heat pipe solar collectors feed their glycol-free heated water either directly into alumin­ ium low water content radiators (without a heat exchanger), or the diverter valve sends it left into a spiral heat exchanger that heats a 300 litre potable water storage tank to the required temperature.  Graphic: Jayhawk

S1

This system is designed to channel the low water content of the solar collector directly to the low water content radiators bypassing the cylinder.

Solar Solar collector collector Solar Solar controller controller 123

Low water content Low water radiatorscontent Boiler Boiler

radiators

S2 Hotwater water Hot services services

Diverter Diverter valve valve

Mains Mains cold cold waterin in water

S3

Diverter Diverter valve valve

NRV NRV port 33 port valve valve

           

92

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Better Solar Thermal

Solarnetix Plug & Play Systems

do 50% more installations

Our easy-to-install systems are a step ahead in Solar and Controller technology and design. This will allow your technicians to do 50% more installations with no mistakes and no call backs.

Resol DeltaSol BS Pro

Solar Station FlowCon FA

Solar Station FlowCon D2F

Resol DeltaSol E

re so l co P a W nt so ro la lle rs r

into the 25 °C floor heating supply, you can run the collector with an average temperature of 30 °C. That almost doubles efficiency, boosting it up to about 70  %. “This allows us to make the buffer a third ­smaller and still attain the same solar coverage,” says Haltmaier. To achieve this, CitrinSolar uses a system where the buffer storage tank can be bypassed with the aid of a hydraulic switch and bivalent mixer. If there is considerably more energy in the switch than is re­ quired to reach the target temperature (30 to 35 °C for floor heating), it is diverted elsewhere. This kind of system architecture incurs additional costs, which depending on the system can be between € 1,000 und € 2,000. As a result, the manufacturer only rec­ ommends the installation of a storage bypass system in conjunction with collector areas of 20 m² or more. Anything less and the potential value added would be too low. Haltmaier even uses this kind of system him­ self, together with the 40 m² collector area on the roof of his family home. A similar system that at first glance appears geo­ metrically more simplistic will soon be launched in the United Kingdom. After four years of development, Eric Hawkins, Global Sales Director of the southern English manufacturer Jayhawk International Ltd, is keen to see his product hit the market. The new ­Jayhawk system has an unusual feature that sets it apart from not only the CitrinSolar model, but all of the previously mentioned systems. It’s an open sys­ tem. In other words, it’s low-pressure. Hawkins ex­ plains that the open design was borne out of an at­ tempt to avoid the problems associated with high pressure when stagnation occurs. Due to the open design of the system glycol can­ not be used as antifreeze because it would not only oxidise but also evaporate from the expansion ves­ sel. However, considering that an oceanic climate keeps the average temperature above zero through­ out the year almost everywhere in the UK, frost pro­ tection is not as important in that corner of the world as it is for continental regions elsewhere, for exam­ ple. Thanks to its well-insulated solar circuit piping and the heat pipes of the evacuated tube collectors, the system can handle frosty nights and even periods of light frost. However AMK-Solac’s Marcel Palfner points out a second disadvantage of the open system: in summer, moisture from the open expansion vessel can ad­ versely affect the installation room. He also has res­ ervations about the fact that no heat exchanger sep­ arates the collector circuit from the heating circuit, suggesting it could lead to ventilation difficulties, and that dirt and dust from old radiators or floor heat­ ing elements could trigger all kinds of problems in the collectors. The latter issue is eased by the fact that Jayhawk also delivers radiators as part of their system. The benefits of connecting the solar circuit and the heating circuit have been proven in the field. Eric Hawkins claims that less than 1 % of customers who purchased the new system’s predecessor rang

Heat Exhanger Solex HF

ss e cc a

Resol DeltaSol M

Solar Station FlowCon Max FA

Solarnetix Inc. Phone : (1) 416-699-6746 [email protected] 777 Warden Ave Unit 14, Toronto, ON M1L 4C3 Canada

www.solarnetix.com

Solar thermal

system Concepts

e Schichtspeicher- und Regelungstechnik

Heizkessel. üssige schichtnn auch ortige 94

Sussex, England: installation of a system with 20 heat pipe solar collectors. The thermal energy they generate can be fed directly into the heating circuit. Photo: Jayhawk

10 Uhr

the company to request servicing. “Of those who rang, the only cause for complaint was that the sys­ tem had not been installed correctly in the first place.” The system concept is remarkably simple: “I

from 30 °C

ab 30°C

12 Uhr

try to make sure the system is easy for the install­ ers to install, so there’s hardly anything that could go wrong.” A ­Jayhawk International system for a newly insulated three-bedroom house costs £ 11,726 (about € 14,000) including VAT. Installa­ tion in a newly built house costs an additional £ 2,000 (about € 2,400). ab With his sights fixed on the rival AMK-Solac con­ cept, Hawkins argues that in comparison his heat pipe collectors are in fact less susceptible to a loss of efficiency due to airborne dirt and leaves blowing through the system, i.e. the kind of debris which could collect under the AMK evacuated tube collec­ tors and then require painstaking removal.

30°C

Older buildings without a buffer storage tank

The solar thermal is fedzu intoscheinen the heating circuit the Wärme heat exchanger. Beginnt dieenergy Sonne wirdviadie If the heating circuit doesn’t require energy, the excess heat is fed into the bei Bedarf vom Kollektor direkt in die Heizkörper buffer.  Graphic: Varmeco

geleitet. Noch effektiver wird dies bei der Nutzung von Niedertemperatursystemen wie den behaglich, gesunden Flächenheizsystemen oder auch

Marcel Palfner from AMK-Solac knows exactly which kind of collectors he considers the best – not only for his system, but in general. For direct feeding, “evac­ uated tube collectors are the only way to go”. Flatplate collectors are too weak during transitional pe­ riods and are “hopelessly oversized for use during Sobald Überschussenergie vom Kollektor zur summer”. Unsurprisingly, his system concept only Verfügung steht, wird sie zielgerichtet von o uses evacuated tube collectors.

her in den Leitwerkschichtspeicher eingespe So werden zum Beispiel auch niedrigere Tem turen im mittleren Bereich Sun & Winddes Energy Leitwerkschi 10/2010

Like the Jayhawk set up, AMK-Solac’s system also has no buffer storage tank for the heating circuit. It only has one storage facility for warm water. The func­ tion of the buffer storage tank must to some degree be taken over by the building envelope or an existing floor heating system. However this poses no problem if the system is installed in a badly-insulated older building, where “the solar energy yield is generally lower than the amount of energy being consumed”. The most important issue is therefore “getting the size of the system right, so that it provides a compro­ mise between summer and winter output,” explains Palfner. But if you get the size right, “you can easily integrate it into the existing heating system and save space” – plus the system as a whole is cheaper than it would have been with a storage facility. “The instal­ lation of a plate heat exchanger and the omission of a storage tank make the system much more afford­ able and it will quickly pay off too, particularly for sys­ tems installed in existing heating systems,” says Palfner. The added benefit of existing heating sys­ tems is that a warm water storage tank is already present and can simply continue to be used. However, buffer storage tanks are a must for solar cooling: “The demand for cooling is highest in the late afternoon, which is typically the hottest part of the day. However by late afternoon, the period of maximum so­ lar irradiation has already been and gone,” explains Palfner. Industrial property and office blocks are also unsuited to systems without a storage facility.

The system for buildings big and small The German solar energy system provider Varmeco GmbH & Co. KG made its name years ago with large solar energy systems. In the past the company only used flat-plate collectors, but now they also offer tube collectors. The type of collector they install has no bearing on the system concept. Their system ar­ chitecture is similar to that of CitrinSolar, insofar as it features a buffer storage tank – although without a bypass system. Instead, thermal energy can be di­ verted to the heating circuit on its way from the col­ lectors to the tank (not unlike the Jayhawk system). The various heating elements connected to the heat­ ing circuit can be separately controlled via individual three-way motor-driven ball valves. So for example, the system can concurrently provide radiators with a supply temperature of 70 °C and floor heating with just 35 °C. “If the controller directs the solar thermal energy flow straight into the heating system, then ­only the excess is fed into the storage tank,” says Philipp Rabsch from Varmeco. As a result, less ener­ gy is lost through the storage facility and the required heating supply temperature is less frequently not reached. Plus the burner is not required as often for reheating. This configuration only needs short pipe­ lines and is flexible with regard to the output range. This kind of solar energy system is suitable for all kinds of buildings – “everything from single family houses to military barracks”.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

energy meets design OEM-Manufacturer: Custom-made solutions for our clients • Industrial production of solar thermal collectors • Many years of Solar-Know-How • High performance collectors at fair prices • Flexible production – minor delivery time

rs OEM-collecto ria made in Aust

www www.sunwin-energy.com w sunwin i energy com SunWin Energy Systems GmbH, A-4061 Pasching Tel. +43 (0) 7229 51 444-0, [email protected]

95

Solar thermal

system Concepts Buffer storage tanks for occasional use in large residential buildings

No buffer storage tank, no worries – public swimming pools

The German system developer Parabel Energie­ A system can function effectively without a storage fa­ systeme GmbH prefers to use large-scale flat-plate cility in situations where solar thermal energy is con­ collectors for their solar energy systems, which they stantly required every day during the sunshine hours install on residential buildings containing between and the solar fraction never substantially exceeds 20 and 200 flats. The systems benefit from the so20 %. A good example of this is the solar system in­ called “solar energy centre” (Solarenergiezentrale, stalled at a public sauna and swimming complex by SEZ), which is used by solar system providers such as system provider Paradigma Deutschland GmbH. It Solvis GmbH & Co. KG and heating technology manu­ feeds solar thermal energy from almost 100 m² of facturers like Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH. evacuated tube collectors directly into the central Parabel’s concept involves a relatively small col­ heat manifold for the heating circuits and domestic lector area, which is hydraulically connected to a cen­ water Großanlagenbau heating. Similar to the Jayhawk set up, the Konventioneller solarthermischer tral interface that controls when the solar fluid is fed ­system architecture uses water as the heat transfer Heizkreis directly into the heating circuit. The solar fluid is only ­medium. At this particular swimming complex there fed into the heat exchanger for potable water, the po­ would have been no space for a storage tank and ac­ table water peak load storage facility or the buffer Warmwasserkreis cording to the manufacturer, a storage facility would Sonnenkollektoren und Zirkulation storage tank, if the controller calculates that this will have caused a loss of about 14,000 kWh from the so­ save more energy. Numerous renovation projects car­ lar system’s yearly output of roughly 55,000 kWh. ried out in eastern Germany have shown that while Alexander Morhart this system concept may not yield a spectacular solar fraction (e.g. about 10 % per 1 m² collector area), it Further information: can slightly lower the amount paid by residents for AMK-Solac Systems AG: www.amk-solac.com Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH: www.bosch-thermotechnik.de rent and heating under Germany’s 2009 green ener­ CitrinSolar GmbH Energie- und Umwelttechnik: www.citrinsolar.de gy subsidy programme. The system doesn’t just pay Jayhawk International Ltd: www.jayhawk-int.com off for tenants: landlords also profit as it increases Parabel Energiesysteme GmbH: www.parabel-solar.de Kesselanlage Paradigma Deutschland GmbH: www.paradigma.de the value of their property. In addition they can adver­ Frischwasser Öl, Gas oder Fernwärme Solvis GmbH & Co. KG: www.solvis.de tise their flats as “solar-powered” on the property Varmeco GmbH & Co.KG: www.varmeco.de market, which is a clear advantage in the flooded Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co. KG: www.viessmann.de property markets of eastern Germany and Berlin. Al­ together, systems of this kind are installed at about Pufferkreis Solaranlage Heizungsanlage 200 buildings various European countries, such as Grafik: Römer in Solargrafik Luxembourg, Spain, Austria and Ukraine.

Solarthermischer Großanlagenbau mit SEZ hot water and Warmwasserkreis circulation circuit und Zirkulation

solar collectors Sonnenkollektoren

heating circuit Heizkreis

data transmission DFÜ

buffer storage tank Pufferspeicher

SEZ

cold water in Frischwasser boiler or district heating Kesselanlage Öl, Gas oder Fernwärme

peak load storage Brauchwasserspitzenlastspeicher Solarenergiezentrale

Grafik: Römer Solargrafik

5

System for partially heating large residential buildings (renovated or newly constructed) with solar energy. The collectors are hydraulically connected to a central interface that controls the entire system, called SEZ. It can connect the collectors directly to the heating circuit, or to the buffer storage tank and other components via the heat exchanger. The main source of heat is a district heating connection or a boiler. Graphic: Parabel / Römer Solargrafik, slightly altered

96

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Solar thermal

Planned cities

Solar pilot project in Iran The urbanization of the world continues – mega-cities are being created. The Iranian-German project “Young Cities” intends to pave the way for energy efficient living in such metropolises. This summer, the construction work began on the first low-carbon settlement in Iran, the new town of Hashtgerd, where solar thermal energy will be the primary energy source for heating and cooling.

I

ncreasing urbanization with all the associated social and ecological problems is one of the biggest challenges of the modern era. According to a ­United Nations report, by the year 2030 about 70 % of all people will live in cities. This urbanization often means unbalanced growth, carved up settlements, destruction of the environment, social segregation and the lack of access to resources. Iran, too, is one of the affected countries. Its population has grown to 73 million, which makes Iran one of the 20 most populous countries in the world.

98

The first pilot-project residential building with greatly improved energy efficiency has already been built in Hashtgerd New Town.  Photos (2): Christoph Nytsch-Geusen

Approximately 14 million people inhabit Greater ­Tehran alone. Due to the rapid population growth, about 1.5 million new accommodation units annually will be needed in the next ten years. Since megacities such as Tehran continue to grow, the government has commissioned the building of satellite towns. Hashtgerd New Town is an example. It is located about 60 km to the west of Tehran. At present, around 50,000 people live there, but it is planned that the city’s population will grow to up to 500,000 inhabitants soon. This is intended to happen in an environmentally friendly way as far as possible and to be accompanied by the development of the first ever energy supply system in an Iranian model settlement that is largely based on renewable energies. The idea behind this plan is that because the new cities are planned down to the last detail, a sustainable energy supply system can also be outlined for entire quarters right from the beginning. It is the objective of the project “Young Cities – Developing an energy-efficient urban fabric in the ­Tehran-Karaj Region” to explore what such planning of a district can look like and how it can be implemented in an exemplary way. The bodies responsible for this German-Iranian project include, on the

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

­ erman side, the Berlin University of the Arts and the G Berlin Institute of Technology. Funds of € 6.3 million have been provided by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. On the Iranian side, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is involved. The project is scheduled to last five years. After two years of preparation, it started in July 2008 and will go on until June 2013. The first pilot-scheme building in Hashtgerd New Town was erected in the course of last year – a residential building with sixteen accommodation units.

Directly next to it, on an area of 35 hectares, a residential area will be built, comprising 2,000 housing units for 8,000 people. The German and Iranian project partners have designed it as the first so-called “low carbon” settlement project in Iran. The building plan is currently being developed. This planning stage will be finished by the end of this year, when the preparation of the detailed architectural plans will begin. The start of the construction work is scheduled for the summer of next year. Before that can happen, the participants not only have to clarify technical details, they also have to overcome cultural differences. In the planning and implementation process, such differences certainly exist between the Iranian and German colleagues: “The Iranian researchers, planners and investors are most interested in fast and cheap implementation”, says Christoph Nytsch-Geusen of the Institute for Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of the Arts, who supervises the project conceptually. “Our

Very densely constructed and in traditional courtyard house design: the digital model shows what the new quarter of Hashtgerd New Town, where 8,000 people will one day live, will look like. 

Graphic: Berlin University of the Arts

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Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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99

Solar thermal

Planned cities

No solar thermal energy industry in Iran The 90 % subsidies on energy from natural gas and electricity still make it difficult to establish renewable energy systems such as the solar thermal technologies in urban development projects throughout Iran – as a result, there is not yet a real solar industry like the one in Germany. “Furthermore, it is difficult to import German solar technology because it is too expensive for the Iranian market. Knowledge transfer from Germany to Iran would be the better option, in order to produce collectors locally under licence, for example, and thus make them cheaper for the Iranian market”, says Christoph Nytsch-Geusen of the Berlin University of the Arts. German research team, however, has a conceptual approach. It develops and assesses different variants before it decides on the concrete technologies.” The Iranian side also tends to separate the different disciplines, whereas the German side takes a highly interdisciplinary approach. The team of Nytsch-Geusen at the Chair for ­Supply Planning and Servicing of the University of the Arts is responsible for drafting the energy infrastructure for the buildings’ air conditioning systems – i.e. for heating and cooling on the 35 hectare pilot site. “The solar cooling of residential buildings at summer temperatures of up to 40 °C and almost twice the global radiation as in Germany is an especially great challenge for the implementation of efficient air-conditioning technology”, explains the professor. At present, the team is developing different variants of the energy supply system in cooperation with the participating city planners and architects at the Berlin Institute of Technology. The focus is a concept in which the bulk of the cooling energy demand and at least a part of the heating energy demand are covered from the solar irradiation. Electricity and heat will be generated in a gas-fired co-generation plant, and the heat will be distributed via a district heating system.

It is still a desert. But a year from now at the latest, the 35 hectare model district will be built on the undeveloped area in the foreground.

100

Traditional building elements reduce the cooling load The basis of the energy concept is a building design that is adapted to the climate. A compact construction in combination with a north-south orientation al-

lows each housing unit to be optimally positioned for solar irradiation. At the same time, the compactness leads to a favourable volume-surface ratio of the buildings and thus to a low energy requirement. The average U-value of the building envelope is 0.82 W/m2K. Depending on the building element, this is between 30 and 80 % below the legally specified minimum standards in Iran. Building standards are specified by the so-called Code 19, which was introduced in 1991. The highly diverse climatic regions in Iran are a difficulty, which is why the Code 19 standards are region-specific. The U-values that are required by Code 19 for the Region Hashtgerd cover a wide range from 0.73 W/m2K for the floor and the roof to a maximum of 3.97 W/m2K for windows. The buildings are designed as traditional courtyard houses. “This enhances a private living atmo­ sphere in combination with microclimatic regulation by natural shading and ventilation by elements of architecture and urban layout”, says Nytsch-Geusen. In the ground floor zones, individual areas of the southern façades are shaded for up to 50 % of the year. This shading by neighbouring buildings reduces the necessary cooling load by 6 %. There is another traditional element that reduces the cooling load considerably as well: the buildings are separated from their surroundings by an oriental-style, unglazed perforated façade, which is placed in front of the external windows. In combination, these measures are quite effective. For a so-called sub-neighbourhood, which comprises four terraced house blocks, built in three different building types and arranged around a plaza, simulations have indicated an average cooling load of 363 kW. This is equivalent to 29 W per m2 of usable floor space. The corresponding annual cooling energy demand is 370 MWh, equivalent to 30.3 kWh/m2a. For an individual building with a façade width of 9 m, this means a maximum cooling load of 15.1 kW. Solar cooling will be effected in a decentralized way, using a number of absorption chillers with a moderate nominal cooling power of 10 kW that are distributed across the district. They will be supplied

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Absorption chillers and roof-integrated solar installations form the core of the energy concept, which is based on centralized heating and decentralized solar cooling.  Graphic: Berlin University of the Arts

with the necessary thermal drive energy by roof-integrated solar thermal collectors and – at times with insufficient solar irradiation – by the district heating system. Each of them will cool only a single building or just a few buildings. The usable roof area of an individual building is sufficient for almost exclusively sun-powered cooling, assuming that, for example, 25 m2 of vacuum tube collectors are installed. The solar collectors also provide a large proportion of the required hot water and support the heating system in the colder seasons.

Model character for other regions It is not only in Iran that the urban population is growing. It is not only there that it is hot, and not only there that air-conditioning is at the top of the energy

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

agenda in housing construction. Therefore, the project “Young Cities” has aimed at the entire Middle East / North Africa (MENA) region right from the start. In May 2011, the Berlin Institute of Technology will open a satellite campus in the new town of ElGouna on the Red Sea in Egypt, offering three relevant ­courses of study: Energy Management, Water Management and Urban Development. “We see great chances to be able to test and assess the results that we achieve in the pilot project Hashtgerd New Town, and subsequently to continue implementing them”, says Nytsch-Geusen. In order to spread the results throughout the MENA region, it is therefore planned to initiate a planning and construction exhibition in Hashtgerd New Town accompanying the further realization of the pilot projects – with the 35 hectare pilot site as the central exhibit. Oliver Klempert

101

Solar thermal

Products

Solar power runs forced solar water heater Sunstrip Turkiye distributes Swedish Sunstrip absorbers in Turkey and uses them to manufacture collectors. The firm specializes in forced solar systems used for auxiliary heating, solar cooling, and process heat for agriculture. Now the company has launched the Solarbooster for single-family homes. The new product is a closed loop solar water heater which, unlike conventional systems, has a pumped solar circuit. The system is visually appealing because the tank is on the ground behind the collector. The manufacturer says that the pumped system delivers better performance than thermosiphonic systems. A PV module is integrated into the system to drive the solar circuit pump. The pump, therefore, only operates while the sun is shining. No controllers are necessary. Furthermore, it can also provide hot water during power outages. Thanks to its wheels, the Solarbooster is mobile. Users can set up the system anywhere in their gardens or at summer houses which are only used in the summer; then, at the end of the season it can be stored in the garage. The angle of the collector can be varied depending on the time of year and where it is set up.

Mobile, flexible, and autonomous, the Solarbooster pumped solar water heater. Photo: Sunstrip Turkiye

Further information: Sunstrip Turkiye, Buyuk Kayacik Mahallesi, Iki Pinar Sokak No. 24, 42080 Konya, Turkey, phone: +90 332 /239 01 78, fax: +90 332 / 239 01 98, [email protected], www.sunstrip.com.tr

Heat pump with a solar connection and tank Italian heating systems manufacturer Clivet has added the new GAIA heat pump series to its product line. GAIA is available as an air-source heat pump (GAIA Aria) , or as a water or geothermal heat pump (GAIA Acqua). The heat pump is a split system, in which the air heat exchanger is set up outside the house and the rest of the technical components are installed indoors. The heat pumps include a 200 litre storage tank. Inside the tank is a preinstalled solar heat exchanger with a heat transfer capacity of nearly 3.2 kW/K, which allows solar collectors to be connected directly to the tank. Used in combination with radiator heating (supply line 35 °C), the air source heat pump has a maximum heating output of 16.3 kW, while the geothermal or water-source heat pump has a maximum output of 19.5 kW. Under these conditions the heating system has a COP of 4.84 (water temperature 10 °C) or 4.41 (air temperature 7 °C). The heat pumps can also provide cooling, as well as heat domestic hot water to a temperature of up to 60 °C. Further information: CLIVET S.p.A., Via Camp Lonc 25, 32032 Z.I. Viapaiera Feltre BL, Italy, phone: +39 0439 31 31, fax: +39 0439 31 3382, [email protected], www.clivet.it

GAIA heat pump

Photo: Clivet

New tanks from Solar Skies Solar Skies Mfg LLC, a manufacturer of solar thermal collectors and distributer of tanks and components, now offers a new products series of tanks for drain back systems. The tanks are made from stainless steel. They are certified according to the standard SRCC OG300 of the Solar Rating and Certification Corparation. The insulation material is water blown and CFC free, which makes it environmentally safe. It is available in different sizes and with or without heat exchanger. Solar Skies just moved their office and manufacturing facilities from the town Starbuck in Minnesota to Alexandria, about 50 km further north, where they have set up a 4,000 m2 facility.

Solar Skies tank for drain back systems 

102

Photo: Solar Skies

Further information: Solar Skies, 106 Donovan Street, Alexandria, MN 56308; USA, phone: +1-320-762-1151, [email protected], www.solarskies.com

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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CSP

tüv workshop

The CSP industry discovers standards Common technology: most CSP plants use parabolic trough collectors; nevertheless it is difficult to compare them. Photo: Flagsol GmbH

Every new solar thermal power plant is pioneering work. Standards for components, planning and performance measurements do not exist. In Cologne, Germany, some 100 experts gathered to discuss how to change the situation.

I

nvestors in photovoltaic systems know exactly what they are going to get. Investors in solar ther­ mal power plants have no such expectation. It is only recently that solar thermal power plants are start­ ing to be built on a large scale again, which is why the industry lacks uniform standards. Some 100 par­ ticipants came together in September at the third ­“Solar Thermal Power Plants: Questions and Avenues to Standardization” workshop at TÜV Rheinland in ­Cologne to address this issue. But the conference was not even concerned with developing new standards or even introducing them, but rather merely with getting the discussion going and giving participants an over­ view of the market and power plant construction. ­Some of the participants that showed up were com­ pletely new to CSP power plants. City utility compa­ nies and potential suppliers turned out, for instance. Head of the Department of Solar Research at the German Institute of Technical Thermodynamics, ­Robert Pitz-Paal, who is also a professor at Ger­

104

many’s University of Stuttgart, presented a compre­ hensive overview of the market. He focused on the largest market for CSP power plants yet, Spain. By 2013 a good 2,500 MW of CSP power plants will be connected to the grid there. Pitz-Paal said that 94 % of those plants will use parabolic troughs as a heat source. The remaining 6 % comprises plants using tower receivers, dish/Stirling, or Fresnel technology. Pitz-Paal called for changes to this distribution start­ ing in 2013. The latter technologies are suffering be­ cause they are much harder to finance. Unlike para­ bolic troughs, which have been in use in the United States since the 80s, the new technologies represent too much risk for banks. He said that further incen­ tives for investment in these technologies would have to be created. Of the Spanish power plants, 62 % are equipped with heat storage tanks.

First-hand experience Winfried Ortmanns, Director of Ferostaal Solar S.L.U. in Seville, Spain, elaborated on the details. Ortmanns discussed his experience building “Andasol 3”, a 50 MW power plant. Building the power plant’s turbine was relatively easy, for example, because it was almost the same as a conventional thermal power plant. However, ­Ortmanns points out that the components specifical­

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

ly used for CSP, such as mirrors, collectors, receivers, and so forth are a different story. The standards that the suppliers use cannot always be used. For ­instance, you always have to check mirror manufacturers’ data to see exactly what they mean by reflectivity. If the manufacturer’s data is not usable, or at least compa­ rable, the power plant builder has to invest addition­ al time and money to be able to work with the compo­ nents properly. Also, it is not always easy to find the right personnel able to make precise terrain measure­ ments. German universities offer advanced degrees in topography, for instance, but in Spain there are no certificates which attest to a person’s qualification to survey a power plant’s terrain with an adequate de­ gree of accuracy. Such accuracy is crucial, however, because the pylons on which the collector modules are mounted have to be accurate to ± 5 mm at an in­ terval of 12 m. The modules weigh 2.3 tons and also have to be manufactured to an adequate and consis­ tent level of accuracy so that they fit exactly between the pylons. In order to do this, collectors are assem­ bled on site in a semi-automated manufacturing hall. According to Ortmanns, key components and semi-finished products, such as reflectors, receivers, and other components of the collector are not compa­ rable with one another because the industry is not yet fully developed. But that is exactly the sort of uni­ formity that would be very helpful in collector manu­ facturing. As long as certain components are only of­

fered by a handful of manufacturers, however, the ­effort it would take to develop standardization would not be worth it. As soon as more providers get into the market, the pressure to develop binding stan­ dards will increase. At the same time, component prices will come down, explained Ortmanns. After all, until now a small group of, “virtual monopolists of key components” have cornered the market.

New standards for basic components Frieder Graeter, head of production technology at German Flagsol GmbH, went on to explain in his pre­ sentation that even a number of standard compo­ nents in solar thermal power plants are operating ­beyond their normal applications. That is why there is still a lack of standardized testing procedures – for pumps, for instance, that circulate the 300 to 400°C heat transfer medium through the receiver pipes. ­Another area where action is needed, according to Graeter, is how collector performance is calculated; there is no uniform standard for performing such cal­ culations or for input data. Graeter added that per­ formance measurements taken when a solar thermal power plant is commissioned had to be standardized as well. These standards would apply to mobile per­ formance measurements at the collector loop, the performance measurement of the solar ­array, and the power plant as a whole.

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Solar Thermal Materials, Equipment and Technology Conference 10 February 2011, Berlin, Germany Conference management: Solarpraxis AG Anja Kleppek, Phone: + 49 (0) 30 | 726 296-305 [email protected] in cooperation

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CSP

tüv workshop

There are still no obligatory standards for the production of components specifically used for CSP, such as mirrors, heat collecting elements (HCE), and so forth. Graphic: Flagsol GmbH

Increasing competition Joachim Jansen of TÜV Rheinland explained how impor­ tant standards would be in the future. Jansen performs warranty and performance measurements for power plants, among other things. He said that problems in CSP power plants were resolved comparatively peace­ fully by all of the parties involved. The technology is new and solutions are arrived at through cooperation within the consortia that build the plants. Also, power plants are now designed with reserves to allow weak­

6723 Geopower Europe Ad.qxd:Layout 2

14/9/10

16:14

nesses in the technology or method to be ironed out. This will all change, however, when the technology is put to the test under real competitive conditions. The Desertec project, for instance, with its invest­ ment volume of € 400 billion will attract new EPCs ­(engineering, procurement, and construction) who will enter the market with low prices. These new companies will be working with component manufacturers from Eastern Europe and Asia. In those countries, the con­ cept of quality is understood differently than in Europe, which will result in a greater need for quality control on the part of investors. And that is where it gets tricky, because in Europe there are no requirements stating whether and how performance measurements should be made when a power plant is turned over to its owner. Such measure­ ments should therefore be described clearly and in de­ tail in the delivery contract. It is important to select measurement methods that have the smallest degree of uncertainty possible. Furthermore, the contract should specify who is in charge of measurement, who pays for it, and the consequences of deviations. The event in Cologne was only a first step toward establishing binding rules to govern CSP power plant construction, and it was still very noncommittal. And the issue will not be settled anytime soon. Getting an early start, however, could be worthwhile if demonstra­ ble guidelines indeed increase security for investors and banks.  Jan Gesthuizen

Page 1

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Solar Energy

Glass Suppliers in INdia

On the way to the  industry standard? India has all of the raw materials necessary for manufacturing glass and more than 100 years experience in glass manufacture. The solar industry offers glass manufacturers a new and promising field of business.

I

ndia’s journey in the glass industry began with Paisa Fund Glass Works set up in August 1908 at Talegaon, Maharashtra state in western India. The works got its name from the financing scheme used to fund it; one paisa (1/100th of an Indian rupee) was collected per family per month. India is one of the largest markets for labour intensive mouth blown process glass for both decorative and practical uses. Since the country’s independence in 1947, the ­Indian glass industry has made great strides. The last two decades, in particular, have seen highly modern plants producing glass with the latest technology. The automobile and construction industries are the major markets, and solar energy is tipped to be the next market frontier. Glass, including the white glass that covers solar modules, is produced from quartz sand. The principal raw materials used in the manufacture of glass are silica sand, soda ash, calcite, and dolomite. These materials are available domestically, which makes the glass industry a natural choice and a prosperous

108

industry in India. Shreevar Kheruka, President of the Solar Glass Division of Gujarat Borosil Limited, explains, “We primarily capitalised on this aspect, as we have high quality glass-grade sand and dolomite from mines operated by our subsidiaries in-country, hence we decided to expand into low-iron glass manufacture. The product will cater to the domestic market and prevent scarcity in the future.” The Indian PV market, only a few MW until 2008, failed to arouse interest among glass makers in setting up dedicated solar glass production lines – such low volumes were simply not commercially viable. However, the solar water heater market has grown steadily, making a readily available domestic supply of low-iron glass imperative to avoid expensive imports. Although imported products were sometimes cheaper, particularly from China, they came with a 14 % anti-dumping duty which virtually wiped out the cost advantage. Some glass manufacturers adapted to the situation by offered tempering solutions for imported raw glass. This, however, constitutes a mere 1 to 5 % of the total glass business.

Adhering to the quality standard The low-iron glass required by the solar industry exhibits significantly reduced absorption of solar energy within the glass. This increases transmission,

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

alba solar

Float glass manufacturing line at HNG Float Glass. The company recently started producing low-iron glass. 

Photo: Jaideep Malaviya

thereby raising the efficiency of photovoltaic modules and solar collectors. The Bureau of Indian Standards’ (BIS) specification IS12933 specifies that solar glass must be used in flat plate collectors. Ashok Bidkar is currently Executive Director of Hari Om Tempanes and a 23-year veteran of the glass manufacturing industry. He told us that in 1991, when he worked for Maharashtra Glass & Agro Limited, a survey found that 95 % of solar water heater manufacturers offered products using the best quality low-iron glass conforming to glob­al standards. He continued to supply toughened low-iron glass to them for five years before several competitors appeared on the horizon in the country. He says candidly that, “despite standards in place for low-iron toughened glass, these competitors never adhered to them and manipulated technical parameters like thickness, evenness, and longevity, which led to a price war. Besides, reduced performance efficiency hurt end users, even though they may have been unaware of it. The situation can be attributed to smaller manufacturers of solar water heaters who demanded cheaper raw materials. In the interest of the industry I strongly appeal to the large-scale manufacturers to im-

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

pose discipline with regard to the quality of glass purchased to bring it back into conformity with the applicable standards.” What drives the glass prices up most is the enormous amount of energy required to melt the minerals. Ravinder Tanwar, Director of Operations at Webel Solar, admits, “Glass with low iron content is very well suited for use in any solar panel but more research needs to be focused on providing inexpensive glass for cost-effective solar energy systems.” The solar manufacturing industry demand for cost-effective local production is key to business, since importing in high volumes will be more expensive. The other grey area in imports is that the dimensions and performance properties varies from batch to batch, which sometimes causes difficulties in module or collector assembly. Gyanesh ­Chowdhary, Managing Director of Vikram Solar, affirms that local avail­ ability has its advantages. His company currently needs to keep up to an eight month supply of imported solar glass in inventory to save logistics and import duty costs. Surendra Kumar, owner of Nuetech Solar, says that, “glass is a tactically important component in any solar energy system, be it PV modules or collectors, and it is crucial to the resulting performance. We are hence very careful with the selection of the glass. The challenge is to offer higher transmissivity and reduced thickness.” Vikram Dutt, Managing Director of Impact Safety Glass, which supplies glass to the solar thermal industry has a different view. “The vacuum tube collector technology industry is rapidly catching up in India and may put the brakes on the growth of the flat plate collector market. Hence, it will not be worthwhile putting more money into technological improvements of flat solar glass.” In 2008-09 the company had demand for as much as 10,000 m2 per month. Structured glass is very popular for crystalline PV and solar thermal applications. The transmission is about 1 % higher than that of comparable low-iron float glass. Besides, structured glass production lines are cheaper to install than float glass lines. Hemant Revankar of Bipin Engineers believes that the present need is to have structured glass manufacturing in India and he hopes that the Indian glass industry will take advantage of the situation.

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Solar Energy

Glass Suppliers in INdia

Production of solar glass in India

National Solar Mission promises increased revenues

Managing Director of FG Glass Firoz Kachwala points out that, “no solar energy system is complete without glass, be it photovoltaics, solar thermal, passive architecture or BIPV; hence, the outlook for growth in the glass industry is favourable in future. To meet this goal of growth, the country will require several dedicated glass industries.”

Source: own research Layout: Eilers-Media

The National Solar Mission, which has set a target to install 20 GW of solar power consisting of 10 GW of photovoltaics and 20 million m2 of low-temperature solar thermal applications by 2022, has generated enthusiasm in the glass industry. The programme is good news for the industry as a whole. To meet its targets would require some 70 million m2 of glass for PV and 20 ­million m2 for solar thermal. Gottimukkala Nagavarma, Deputy General Manager (Marketing) at HNG Float Glass Ltd, is inspired by the mission and believes it could open a new chapter for the glass industry in India and create a favourable business environment. The company only recently started making low-iron glass (which is why it is not included in the table) and is one of the fastest growing new entrants. Saint Gobain India, the largest supplier of glass to PV module manufacturers in the country, is also setting up an INR 6 billion (some € 100 million) raw glass manufacturing plant catering to the demand of the solar energy industry, according to Krishnamoorthy Sugan, Head of Saint-Gobain Solar India. This is yet another indication that the industry is on its way up. The state-ofthe-art plant will be located in Chennai in southern India and will produce 250 tons per day, sufficient capacity to ensure that the Solar Mission target is achieved. A consensus is forming that the glass industry will have to scale up its operations to meet mounting demand from the solar industry and to capitalize on the abundant raw materials available. Manufacturers will have to adhere more strictly to the standards currently in place to ensure quality performance. A benchmark will have to be set on costs to avoid price wars. To carve out a niche, the industries will also need to cater to specialty glasses required for BIPV and, as technological dynamics change, to TCO-coated glass as well. The realty industry is one of the fastest growing in India and it is using a great deal of architectural glass. The challenge is to see to it that this glazed surface generates solar energy as well. Jaideep Malaviya

Leading producers of solar glass in India Name of the company

Starting year

Type of glass

Borosilicate glass

Toughened glass

Transmittance

Thickness

Production 2009-10 [m2/a]

Planned production 2010-11 [m2/a]

Saint-Gobain India

2000

low-iron

no

yes

91.2 %

 3 to 5 mm

24,000 

30,000

www.saint-gobain.com/en

Website

Gujarat Borosil Ltd.

2009 

low-iron

yes

yes

more than 90 %

 3.3 to 4 mm

n/a

40,000

www.gujaratborosil.com

Impact Safety Glass Works Pvt. Ltd.

1988

normal

no

yes

85 %

4 mm

45,000

70,000

www.impactindia.com

Emmvee Toughened Glass Pvt. Ltd.

2008

normal

no

yes

85 %

4 mm

133,450

165,000

www.emmveetuffglass.com

Veeral eSafety Glass Pvt. Ltd.

2006

normal

no

yes

more than 86 %

4 mm

8,000

11,000

www.veeralesafety.com

AIS Glass Solution Ltd.

n/a

normal

yes

yes

87 %

4 mm

150,000

220,000

www.aisglass.com

Hari Om Tempanes

2005

normal

no

yes

83 %

4 mm

2,000

n/a

www.balsuryagroup.com

yes

82 %

4 mm

20,000

50,000

www.goldplusgroup.com

yes

90.2 %

3.2 mm

8,000

18,000

www.fgglass.com

Gold Plus Himachal Safety Glass Ltd.

2000

normal

no (float glass)

FG Glass Ind. Pvt. Ltd.

n/a

low-iron

no



110

Source: Manufacturers’ information

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photovoltaics

EU PVSEC

Adiós Valencia The photovoltaic conference in Valencia should have been one big celebration, seeing as this year parts of southern Europe achieved grid parity for the first time ever. But instead, the trade fair will be remembered by exhibitors predominantly on account of its poor organisation and numerous slip-ups. The event organiser WIP has already accepted responsibility for the debacle and will not be returning to the Valencia exhibition grounds again. Packed out conference programme, poor exhibition – visitors at the EU PVSEC were unhappy with the event.  Photos (2): Wilhelm Breuer

E

xhibitors recounted horror stories of inadequate organisation and terrible service that reflected very poorly on the technical organiser ­Valencia Fair. After complaints continued on the ­second day, the Munich-based agency ‘WIP – Renewable Energies’ who were organising the EU PVSEC declared that the event would not be taking place in Valencia again in two years time as arranged. This ­declaration signalled the end of the plan to alternate between the exhibition locations Valencia and Hamburg on a year-by-year basis, a concept that had only lasted two years. Instead, organisers are considering the cities of London, Amsterdam and Geneva for the 2012 event.

Hope for a brighter future Despite ongoing talk during the exhibition about ­upcoming market adjustment, photovoltaic industry representatives at the conference expressed their confidence in continued growth. At the opening of the exhibition, EPIA Vice President Winfried Hoffmann even predicted there would be 13 GW of newly ­installed capacity in 2010. According to his calculations, systems installed in Europe delivered 30 TWh of electricity each year in 2009 and 2010 alone – the equivalent of three nuclear power plants. With a retail price of less than 0.20 €/kWh, the photovoltaic ­sector

112

has already achieved grid parity in parts of southern Europe, he added. Giovanni De Santi, Conference General Chairman and Director of the JRC Institute for Energy (IE) at the European Commission, described the state of the ­European Photovoltaics Industry according to the PV Status Report 2010, which he presented at the PVSEC. Looking back over 2009, he estimated that the European Union produced a cumulative installed output of 16 GW. At the time, that was equivalent to 70 % of all installations worldwide. However praise of this achievement is tempered by the fact that the EU was the only place where more modules were being (and will be) installed than produced. Comparisons with China were inevitably drawn; the Asian heavyweight exported 96 % of all the photovoltaic products they produced in 2009. To address this lopsided state of affairs, De Santi urged European companies to step up production. He also expects China to begin installing a significantly greater number of their products on home soil. His predictions for the coming years were just as revealing as his appraisal of recent trends. For the benefit of the Status Report more than 300 companies were asked about their plans for expansion and the response indicates that production capacity will continue to grow. For even though ‘a significant number’ of established companies stated that they

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photovoltaics

EU PVSEC

Einstein Award goes to Muhammad Yunus SolarWorld AG awarded their Einstein Award for the sixth time in 2010 and this year the honour went to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. The Bangladeshi Professor of Economics and founder of the Grameen Bank was ­recognised for his concept that provides microcredit to disadvantaged people and which has helped millions of people escape the grips of poverty. Microcredit, which has been provided by the Grameen Family of Organisations since 1983, also formed the basis of Yunus’ ‘Social Business’ concept that has been taken onboard by numerous countries. This concept describes a new style of business, one which does not aim to maximise profits and earn dividends but rather strives to solve social and ecological problems. ‘Social Business’ companies provide technologies for clean drinking water, affordable medicines and clean energy at fair prices. For example, thanks to microcredit, more than 400,000 solar home systems have been installed in Bangladesh. “My goal is provide every house in Bangladesh with solar energy,” pronounced Yunus in his acceptance speech. The SolarWorld Junior Einstein Award 2010 went to up-and-coming scientist Christian Reimann from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and ­Device Technology (IISB) in Erlangen, Germany. In his dissertation thesis, the mineralogist researched the formation of silicon crystals and how impurities in the silicon melt can be avoided. The effectiveness of solar cells can be ­increased as a result of his patented technique.

Frank H. Asbeck, CEO of SolarWorld AG (left), and Muhammad Yunus

plan to slow or cease expansion, this will more than be made up for by the arrival of new players, particularly in the semiconductor and energy sectors. If all these statements of intent are realised, by 2015 China will have a production capacity of 70 GW. That is equivalent to a global share of 34.7 %. Taiwan would take second place with 15.9 %, followed by Europe with 14.6 % and Japan with 13.1 %. However these figures are based on the assumption that markets worldwide will also continue to develop, which is currently a matter of great concern. Even for 2010, predictions have varied between 9 and 24 GW with most analysts expecting a newly installed capacity of around 13 GW worldwide.

Prizes for the electrical characterisation of silicon and CIGS German solar energy researchers Marko Turek and Jan Lich were honoured for their research into the lifespan of charge carriers at the 5th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, which was held parallel to the EU PVSEC. Turek heads the electrical characterisation working group at the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP in Halle, Germany, where Lich is working on his Ph.D. Their work on the lifespan of charge carriers makes it possible to ascertain the quality of silicon in solar cell production. In addition they have developed new techniques that enable the spot-accurate identification of the lifespan of charge carriers in crystallised silicon blocks at an early stage in production, which makes it possible to determine the ­suitability of material for solar cell production early on. The renowned Becquerel prize for outstanding endeavour in the field of photovoltaics was awarded to Prof. HansWerner Schock from the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB). The EU commission honoured the Director of Solar Energy Research for his life’s work. Under his leadership, initial trials were performed in the 1980s that paved the way for today’s CIS (copper indium sulphide) and CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) technology. Schock ­oversaw the development of HZB solar cells that hold several efficiency records, such as flexible synthetic cells with an efficiency of 15.9 % and CIGS cells with 19.4 %.

With regard to the market shares of crystalline s­ ilicon and thin-film technologies, the study forecasts moderate growth in the thin-film sector. Based on its market share of 16 to 20 % in 2009, with 20 GW it could achieve a total share of 35 % by 2012. ­However from then until 2015, no further change in market share is predicted. According to the Status ­Report, with 23.5 GW the thin-film market share should reach as much as 34 %. In contrast, the market for concentrator technology (CPV) is still looking rather modest. The installation figures in 2009 were around 20 to 30 MW, so in theory it’s still possible for the 100 MW mark to be topped this year. From 2013 onwards CPV could also become a gigawatt market.

“We are all pioneers” Bertrand Picard’s talk at the opening session was highly inspirational for all involved. The Swiss psychiatrist and adventurer introduced his ‘Solar Impulse’ project, whereby an aeroplane powered exclusively by solar energy will circumnavigate the globe – a world first. For Picard, who has already flown around the world in a gas-powered balloon, the switch from conventional energy sources to renewables is of great symbolic significance. The ‘Solar Impulse’ has ­already completed its first 24-hour flight. Picard is not afraid of the risks involved in this latest venture, but rather the prospect of living in a world where one million tonnes of oil are burned every hour. The 26th EU PVSEC will be held from 5 – 9 September 2011 in Hamburg. The next edition of SUN & WIND ENERGY will contain extensive information on technical trends and developments as well as new products. Volker Buddensiek

114

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Photovoltaics

cell and module Producers

The battle for supremacy

Market leader First Solar has already demonstrated: thin-film modules as mass product – it can be done.  Photo: First Solar

While the manufacturers of solar cells and crystalline modules are already following a clear path in the direction of mass production, the thin-film producers have to deal with dropping silicon prices and the lower levels of efficiency. CI(G)S technology could soon become a serious competition for the successful CdTe modules.

T

he prediction by market analysts is unambigu­ ous: solar cells are competitive only as a mass product and the manufacturers are increasing­ ly seeking vertical integration or relying on perma­ nent contract partners for the module production. The PV market requires low prices: similar to the sil­ icon and wafer manufacturers (compare S&WE 9, p.  122), the solar cell industry is experiencing in­ creasing cost pressure. However, the production costs for solar cells vary considerably – the lowest are around 0.22 US$/W – in individual cases even less. “We are currently observing an expansion pro­ cess in many companies. In addition, the manufac­ turers from Asia have a cost advantage of about 15 % against their European competitors”, says Stefan de Haan, Senior Analyst at iSuppli. Experts predict that

116

the market share of the Chinese producers will con­ tinue to grow in the course of the next years, even if at slightly slower rates. However, according to data by iSuppli, the first four positions on the list of top 10 cell producing companies were already taken by ­Chinese players in the first quarter of 2010. Top of the list is Suntech with a market share of 8.1 %, fol­ lowed by JA-Solar (7.3 %), Trina Solar (5.5 %) and Yingli (5.4 %). Former world market leader Q-Cells from Germany is currently in the process of a strate­ gic realignment and ranks on position five with a market share of 5.2 %. The company is followed by Taiwan-based Gintech (4.7 %), China Sunergy (4.5  %), US-based SunPower (4.3  %), Sharp from ­Japan (4.2 %) and the Taiwanese Motech (4.1 %), on position ten by ­SolarWorld (3.9 %).

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Continuous demand on the market Solar cells will continue to see an unbroken demand in the future. Estimations are that the global solar cell production will reach a capacity of about 10.5 MW in the current year. In 2011, the total capacity could ar­ rive at between 13 and 14 GW. In order to be well-­ positioned along all the stages of the value-added chain, the industry participants are focusing on in­ creasing their vertical integration and the further processing of their solar cells into modules. “Trina Solar and Yingli are very successful with this strategy. But it doesn’t always have to work out that well”, says de Haan. In a rapidly growing and changing market, defending market shares along the value-added chain requires not only massive investments but also continuous quality improvement on all stages. It therefore takes a lot of money and expertise. Companies continuing their core competencies in the cell manufacturing segment are therefore increas­ ingly focusing on mass production and contract mod­ ule manufacturing. One example is Flextronics ­International Ldt. Starting at the end of the year, the company will supply modules for the US cell specialist SunPower Corp. from its plant in California. The Asiabased company will also function as module supplier to Q-Cells – with a capacity of 200 MW in its facility in the Malaysian port of Tanjung Pelepas. In the opinion of iSuppli, the cooperation between these two players and others announced can be read as early signs of a new trend. “I believe these moves are part of an emerging trend in the solar market that closely paral­ lels the situation in the electronics market in the ear­ ly 1990s,” says Greg Sheppard, Chief Research Offic­ er for iSuppli. “Faced with the rapidly exploding de­ mand, the need to manufacture products close to end markets and the requirement to obtain sufficient cap­ ital, electronic Original Equipment Manufacturers in the early 1990s turned to Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) companies such as Flextronics for help. This led to a massive boom in electronics out­ sourcing and explosive growth in the EMS business. At the beginning of 2010, a new EMS boom has been starting up, this time in the solar panel business.” Company

Production 2009 [MW]

Suntech

704

Q-Cells

551

Yingli Green Energy

523

JA Solar

509

Sharp Electronics

505

Gintech Energy Corporation

400

SunPower

400

Trina Solar Energy

399

Kyocera

390

Motech Industries

360

manufaCturEr of HigHpowEr modulES

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The brand for quality performance and durability

Top 10 cell manufacturers based on production in 2009 Source: iSuppli

Come and see us at www.galaxy-energy.com Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photovoltaics

SolarWorld cells: a blue antireflection coating reduces unwanted reflection and provides the electrical surface passivation. 

Photo: SolarWorld AG

cell and module Producers

Oversupply of crystalline modules to stabilize However, this trend is still less visible in the crystal­ line module manufacturing industry. While the mate­ rial and logistics cost are relatively high in this seg­ ment, the expenses for labour and energy are already less significant compared to other stages of the ­value-added chain. “What is more important in this segment are the transportation costs. Close proximi­ ty to the end market is therefore of advantage”, says Markus Lohr, a PV market expert at EUPD Research. The trust of installers and end customers is also high­ er when it comes to established and local products. Company

Top 10 module manufacturers based on production in 2009 Source: iSuppli

118

Production 2009 [MW]

Suntech Power

735

Sharp Corporation

535

Yingli Green Energy

482

SunPower

397

Trina Solar

394

Canadian Solar

345

Solarfun

341

Kyocera

305

Sanyo Electric

295

SolarWorld

294

Other than in the case of solar cells, the brand man­ agement is an important factor for the module indus­ try, says Lohr. Another key aspect is the lowering of production costs. Together with other analysts, Lohr expects that the market will consolidate in the fore­ seeable future and then be in the hands of a small group of major companies. The top 10 list for the module manufacturing in­ dustry reveals the size to which the players dominat­ ing the market have meanwhile grown. In most cases, the production capacity is more than a purely theoret­ ical size: presently, the capacity exploitation achieved by the leading producers of crystalline modules ar­ rives at about 90 %. However, after a demand peak during the last two years, the manufacturers are now faced with an over­ supply situation. In the long-term, the differences in demand and supply will eventually level off, expects Markus Lohr. In the last months, for example, the strong demand on the German market has already helped to compensate the oversupply. According to iSuppli, the currently largest player for the first quar­ ter of 2010 is Suntech with a market penetration of 9.9 %, followed by Sharp (7.4 %), Trina Solar (6.8 %), Canadian Solar and Yingli (each with 6.7 %), ­SolarWorld and SunPower (each with 5.4 %), Solarfun (4.7 %), Sanyo Electric (4.5 %) and Ningbo Solar ­Electric (3.6 %). What the distribution of the market shares will look like in 2011 partly also depends on the develop­ ment of the silicon market and the strength of the US dollar. With exception of Germany-based Wacker Chemie AG, the raw material silicon is usually traded in US dollars. Although the silicon prices have again experienced an increase of about 20 % in the last few months, they have generally levelled off at a rather low average. While the majority of analysts believe that there are no drastic bottlenecks to be expected in the future, Dirk Morbitzer of Renewable Analytics is more cautious: “The market demand for silicon will triple by 2015. Companies require at least 18 months for the expansion of their production capacities and should be clear on the scope of their expansion by the end of 2012 at the latest.” Mono and polycrystalline technologies will both remain of importance in the future. However, experts still disagree on which will see the strongest growth. “It is interesting to note that almost all manufacturers are ambitious to include at least one high-perfor­ mance monocrystalline module in their portfolio”, says iSuppli expert de Haan. High-performance mod­ ules have therefore become a standard offer.

Universal price pressure While crystalline module makers are benefiting from the lower silicon prices, the market development is posing challenges for the thin-film sector whose com­ petitiveness had previously been secured by the costs. “At the end of 2007, the investment into thin film could be balanced against prices of about € 4,000 per kW for a conventional crystalline rooftop

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photovoltaics

120

cell and module Producers

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

121

Photovoltaics

cell and module Producers system below 100 kW. For such a system, the module costs had ranged at € 3 per kW. It was generally as­ sumed that € 2.50 per kW for a thin-film module would be a competitive price. Meanwhile, the price for a crystalline system has dropped to between € 2,500 and 3,000 per kW”, says Dr. Hartmut Gross, Sales Manager Thin Film at Centrotherm ­Photovoltaics AG. On the spot market, the price for a First Solar cad­ mium telluride (CdTe) module presently ranges at around 1.60 €/kW. Some Chinese manufacturers achieve the same for monocrystalline modules. These modules are usually more expensive, but the spot market currently makes an over-average amount of brands available in the lower price segment. “In my opinion, this is due to the fact that First Solar has been registering a huge demand while the situation for some of the China-based crystalline module man­ ufacturers looks quite different “, says Dirk Morbitzer of Renewable Analytics.

Type of technology a decisive factor Thin film does not have an easy stand in the present market development. However, the situation varies considerably for the different types of thin-film tech­ nology meaning that one must take a closer look. In view of the relatively low efficiencies, the situation is worst for amorphous silicon modules. Generally, ex­ perts are doubtful of the technology’s potential.

In a fully-automated process, a machine places the power socket on the back of the solar laminate, which provides the electrical interconnection. 

122

Photo: SolarWorld AG

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Many even believe that the low efficiencies could make amorphous modules obsolete. Even the tan­ dem cell segment has felt the blow. Although these modules provide a favourable temperature coeffi­ cient and handle diffused light well, the efficiencies are still considered to be insufficient. “Tandem junc­ tion panels are in a slightly better position than amorphous modules. But their average conversion efficiency also barely outreaches 8 %. In the course of the next two years, these modules will have to achieve at least 10 % to be competitive”, says de Haan. So far, the industry has had a hard time fulfilling the efficiency requirement. Especially, companies of small or medium size often depend on major equip­ ment suppliers meaning their ability to react to the market development is rather limited and processes are usually slower. Therefore, the decision of ­US-based Applied Materials to drop its Sunfab solar line “could be a signal”, believes Lohr. Similarly, Schott Solar AG, which has similar experience in sili­ con thin film also focuses on crystalline technologies in view of an expansion of its capacities. Finally, even Japan-based Sharp, which has been active in the ­area of silicon thin-film for many years as well, has so far been expanding its capacities by only 160 MW. ­Originally, the company had announced 480 MW by 2010. Q-Cells seems to be changing its strategy, too. Ex­ cept for the CIS subsidiary Solibro GmbH, which will

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Photovoltaics

124

cell and module Producers

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

be further expanded, the company based in ­Bitterfeld-Wolfen is shutting down its thin-film busi­ ness in an effort to adapt to market conditions.

In a leading position The majority of market analysts agree that CI(G)S technologies have an advantage in comparison to the before mentioned technologies. Solibro’s CIS mod­ ule, for example, already reaches an efficiency de­ gree of 13 %. “Cell efficiencies have a disproportion­ al effect on the cost structure and CIGS has a very high potential. The lab efficiencies already reach 20.3 %. But the market also requires cost-efficient ways of mass production”, says Gross. Experts also see good prospects for the cadmium telluride tech­ nology used by market leader First Solar. Thin film continues to have a double competitive edge. On the one hand, the technology requires low material costs. About 80 % of the total costs for the production of a module are due to the solar cell or the required raw material. On the other hand, the technology does not depend on the four stage cyclic value-added chain, which is subject to constant changes in the silicon pricing. The example of First Solar demonstrates that a cost-efficient mass production of high-end thin-film products can be achieved. The modules supplied by the US-based company that runs facilities in the ­United States, Germany and Malaysia enjoy a very high acceptance among investors making the manu­ facturer the uncontested number one in the thin-film sector. First Solar’s market penetration in the thinfilm sector arrives at a gigantic 52 %. According to ­iSuppli, the top 10 list for the first quarter of 2010 continues with Sharp (5 %), Kaneka, QS and Trony ­Solar (each with 4 %) and Solar Frontier (3 %). Schott Solar, Solyndra, Sun Well Solar and Energy ­Conversion Devices each reach 2 %.

Company

Production 2009 [MW]

First Solar

1,113

Energy Conversion Devices (United Solar Ovonic)

110

Sharp Solar

91

Trony Solar

67

Solar Frontier (Showa Shell)

49

Kaneka Solartech

48

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

29

QS Solar

29

Global Solar Energy

20

Q-Cells

15

Solar Frontier puts CIS on track However, the distribution of market shares could soon see a drastic change. The Japanese solar com­ pany Solar Frontier plans to enter the mass produc­ tion of CIS modules with a 900 MW facility in Miya­ zaki. Completion of the plant is scheduled for 2011. The modules are expected to achieve an efficiency of 14.2 %. Solar Frontier is well-positioned being backed up by the Japan-based company Showa Shell Sekiyu, a subsidiary of Shell. 70 % of Showa’s modules will be exported to foreign markets. The first steps for the expansion to Europe and the United States have al­ ready been made with the establishment of new sales offices in Munich and Northern California. “First Solar has shown that a high-quality mass production of thin-film technology can be achieved. It will be inter­ esting to see whether Solar Frontier is equally suc­ cessful in the area of CIS technology”, says Lohr. Opportunities could also open up with another new trend. Some equipment suppliers have begun to offer turnkey production lines for thin-film technolo­ gy. An example is the company Manz Automation based in Reutlingen, Germany, which recently signed

Top 10 thin-film manu­ facturers based on production in 2009  Source: iSuppli

cell and module Producers

14th OCTOBER 2010 MILAN

Italian Association of Electronic Suppliers

a licensing and strategic alliance agreement with CIS specialist Würth Solar. The equipment supplier will receive exclusive rights of use to Würth’s CIS produc­ tion technology and provide fully integrated thin-film production lines. Würth Solar has already achieved exceptional efficiencies of 12.5 %. Manz Automation will also be given exclusive access to the research re­ sults of the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen ­Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW). CIGS production lines (CIGSfabs) are also offered by Centrotherm Photovoltaics AG. The company makes use of a process in which the absorber film, puffer and CTO (Transparent Conductive Oxide) are deposited successively onto the glass substrate. Cen­ trotherm Photovoltaics AG has many years of experi­ ence with the development of turnkey production lines and expects that production costs will drop sig­ nificantly below 1 €/W in the future. The company has supplied its first turnkey fabs to a customer based in Taiwan who has already started producing mod­ ules in the 30 MW plant. “I expect that facilities will be in a position to produce more than 500 MW CIS thin-film modules by the end of 2011”, says ­Centrotherm expert Gross. In the past, the thin-film sector used to be the only area where Chinese com­ panies had not been active yet. But this could change with the availability of equipment. “We are register­ ing an increasing demand from China. No doubt, the market is undergoing change there”, says Gross. Rebecca Raspe

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Module test at Q-Cells: today, almost no company focuses exclusively on the production of solar cells. Photo: Q-Cells SE

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Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Further information: Abound Solar: www.abound.com Absolicon Solar Concentrator: www.absolicon.com Advanced Solar Photonics: www.advancedsolarphotonics.com Advent Solar Inc.: www.adventsolar.com Aide Solar Technology: www.aidesolar.com Akhter Solat Ltd.: www.akhtersolar.com Aleo Solar AG: www.aleo-solar.de Alex Solar: www.alex-solar.com Alfa Solar: www.alfasolar.de Algatec Solar AG: www.algatec.com Alien Inspired Technologies: www.ait-poland.com Alpex Solar: www.alpexsolar.com Alpha Omega Ecological Solutions Ltd.: www.alpha-omega.com.gr Alti Solar: www.altisolar.com Ammini Solar Pvt. Ltd.: www.ammini.com Amplesun Solar: www.ample-sun.com Anhui Chaoqun Power Co. Ltd.: www.wxrcdl.com Antaris Solar GmbH: www.antaris-solar.de Apollo Solar Energy: www.asectw.com Arise Technologies: www.arisetech.com Ascent Solar: www.ascentsolar.com Asola Advanced and Automotive Solar Systems: www.asola-power.com Astroenergy: www.astronergy.com Atersa: www.atersa.com Auria Solar: www.auriasolar.com Avancis: www.avancis.de AXITEC GmbH: www.axitec.de Bangkok Solar: www.bangkoksolar.com Beijing China New Energy Technology Co., Ltd: www.ecvv.com/company/DZBN/index.html Beijing Hope Solar New Energy Co., LTD: www.hopeed.com Besco: www.besco-solar.com Best Solar: www.bestsolarco.com BG Solar Panels Ltd.: www.bgsolarpanels.com Bharat Electronics Ltd.: www.bel-india.com

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photovoltaics

cell and module Producers

Big Sun: www.bigsun-energy.com Bisol d.o.o.: www.bisol.si BLD Solar Technology: www.bldsolar.com Blue Chip Energy: www.bluechipenergy.at BOSCH Solar Thin Film GmbH: www.bosch-solarenergy.de BP Solar: www.bpsolar.de Brandoni Solare S.p.A.: www.brandonisolare.com Bright Solar: www.bright-online.de BYD (Shangluo) Industry Co., Ltd.: www.byd.com.cn CaliSolar: www.calisolar.com Calyxo: www.calyxo.de Canadian Solar: www.canadian-solar.com Canrom Photovoltaics Inc. Niagara Falls NY: www.canrom.com CEEG PV Buisness: www.ceeg.cn Centennial Solar: www.centennialsolar.com Central Electronics Limited (CEL): www.celindia.co.in Centrosolar Group AG: www.centrosolar.com Changzhou Eging: www.eging.cn Changzhou Kindersolar Energy Co.,Ltd.: www.kindersolar.com Changzhou NESL Solar-tech Co. Ltd: www.nesl.cn Chi-Mei Energy: www.chimeienergy.com China Sunergy Co., Ltd.: www.chinasunergy.com Chinaland Solar: www. chnland.en.alibaba.com Clean Venture 21: www.cv21.co.jp Concentrix Solar GmbH: www.concentrix-solar.de Conergy AG: www.conergy.de CP Solar (Aero-Sharp): www.cp-solar.com CSG PVTech Co., Ltd.: www.csgpvtech.com Cuantum Solar: www.cuantumsolar.com D.G .Energy, Contrada Gidora: www.dgenergy.it DaSol Solar Technology: www.dasol.cn Day4Energy Inc.: www.day4energy.com DayStar Technologies: www.daystartech.com DelSolar Co., Ltd.: www.delsolarpv.com Deutsche Cell GmbH: www.deutschecell.de Ekarat Solar Co., Ltd.: www.ekarat-solar.com Electro Solar: www.electrosolar.it Elettro Sannio: www.elettrosannio.com Emmvee: www.emmveephotovoltaic.com Enecom Italia: www.enecomitalia.com Energy Conversion Devices: www.energyconversiondevices.com Energy Solutions S.A.: www.energysolutions.gr Enfoton Solar Ltd: www.enfotonsolar.com EniPower: www.enipower.eni.it ENN Solar Energy Co. Lts www.ennsolar.com Eoplly: www.eoplly.com Epod Solar: www.epodsolar.com/site.php?id=30 EPV Solar: www.epvsolar.com ERA Solar Technology co.,LTD: www.erasolartech.com ERDM Solar S.A.: www.erdm-solar.com ErQuan Solar Technology Co., Ltd.: www.eqsolar.com

ET Solar: www.etsolar.com E-ton Solar: www.e-tonsolar.com Eurener S.L.: www.eurener.com Euro Multivision: www.euromultivision.com/ Evergreen Solar, Inc.: www.evergreensolar.com Falconcell: www.falconcell.at Feida Photovoltaic Co., Ltd.: www.feidapv.com First Solar: www.firstsolar.com Five Star Solar Energy Co., Ltd.: www.fivestarpower.com Flexcell (VHF-Technologies SA): www.flexcell.com Fluitecnik: www.fluitecniksolar.com Formosun: www.formosun.com Free Energy Europe: www.freeenergyeurope.com G24 Innovations: www.g24i.com Gadir Solar: www.gadirsolar.es Gahelios: www.gahelios.com Gaia Solar A/S: www.gaiasolar.dk Galaxy Energy GmbH: www.galaxy-energy.com Gällivare PhotoVoltaic AB: www.gpv-solar.com GB Sol: www.gb-sol.co.uk Gintech Energy Corp.: www.gintechenergy.com Global Solar Energy: www.globalsolar.com Gloria Solar: www.gih-group.com Green Energy Technology: www.getinc.com.tw/en GreenBrilliance: www.greenbrilliance.com Grupo Unisolar: www.grupounisolar.com GSS Gebäude-Solarsysteme GmbH: www.zre-ot.de Guolu Solar Science & Technology Co., Ltd.: www.fjzzgl.com Hanwha Chemical: www.hanwhath.com Hareon Solar Technology: www.hareonsolar.com Heckert-Solar AG: www.heckertsolar.com Heliodomi: www.heliodomi.gr Helios Technology S.p.A: www.heliostechnology.com Heliosphera: www.heliosphera.com Heliovolt Corporation: www.heliovolt.net HHV Solar Technologies Pvt. Ltd.: www.hhvsolar.com Himin Solar Energy Group: www.himin.com Hitachi: www.hitachi.com Honda Motor (Soltec): www.honda.co.jp/soltec Hyundai Heavy Industries Co, Ltd.: www.hyundai-elec.com IdeaS Solar Ltd.: www.ideassolar.hu Innotech Solar: www.innotechsolar.com Intico Solar: www.inticosolar.com Inventux: www.inventux.com Isofoton: www.isofoton.com Istar Solar: www.istarsolar.com/ Jiangsu Aide Solar: www.aidesolar.com Jiangsu Linyang Solarfun Co., Ltd.: www.solarfun.com.cn Jiangsu Prefersolar Photovoltaic Co.: www.prefersolar.com Jiangsu ShunFeng Photovoltaic Technology Co. Ltd.: www.sf-pv.com

Jiangxi Solar PV Corporation XCells: www.solarpvco.com Jiangyin Jetion Science and Technology: www.jetion.com.cn Jiasheng Solar Technik GmbH: www.jssolar.com Jiawei Solarchina.co, Ltd: www.solarchina.com.hk Jinghui Solar Technology Co. Ltd: www.jh-solar.com Jinglong Group: www.jinglong.net JSC Kvazar: www.kvazar.com Kaneka Corporation: www.kaneka.co.jp Kenmos: www.kenmos-pv.com.tw Kinmacsolar Co., Ltd (formerly Lucky Power Technology Co.): www.kinmacsolar.com Kioto: www.kioto-pv.com KL Solar: www.klsolar.com Konarka: www.konarka.com Korax Machinery Ltd.: www.koraxsolar.hu KPE Co., Ltd.: www.kpesolar.com Kyocera: www.kyocerasolar.com Lianyungang Guanghui New Energy Co.: www.china-solar.com Ligitek Photovoltaic Co., Ltd.: www.ligitek.com Lobosolar: www.lobosolar.com Malibu GmbH & Co. KG: www.malibu-solar.de Martifer Solar: www.martifersolar.com Masdar PV: www.masdarpv.com Miasole: www.miasole.com Microsol International: www.microsolinternational.com Millennium Electric: www.millenniumsolar.com Millinet: www.millinetsolar.com Mitsubishi Electric: www.mitsubishielectric.de Moser Baer: www.moserbaersolar.com Motech Industries Inc.: www.motech.com.tw Nanyang Universal Solar Technology Co. Ltd.: www.nustnanyang.com/en Neo Solar Power Corporation: www.neosolarpower.com NexPower: www.nexpw.com Ningbo Best Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd: www.cnbestsolar.cn NingBo Huasheng Solar Energy Industry Co., Ltd.: www.hs-solar.com Ningbo Loyal Lighting & Meter Co.: www.nbloyal.com Ningbo Maxsolar: www.bipv.ch/base_d.asp Ningbo Solar Electric Power Co. Ltd.: www.nbsolar.com Odersun AG: www.odersun.de Omniasolar S.r.l.: www.omniasolar.com Open Renewables SA: www.openrenewables.com PCMP: www.pcmp.ru Perfect Energy: www.perfectenergy-gmbh.de Perlight Solar: www.perlightsolar.com.cn Pevafersa: www.pevafersa.com Philadelphia Solar: www.philadelphia-solar.com Phono Solar: www.phonosolar.com Photon Energy System Ltd.: www.photonsolar.com Photonic Energy A/S: www.photonic-energy.com Photonic-Jumao Photonics: www.solargenerator.com

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PV-Engineering GmbH · Augustastrasse 24 · D-58644 Iserlohn · Tel. + 49 (0) 23 71 15 95 347 · Fax + 49 (0) 23 71 15 95 348

128

www.pv-e.de

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photovoltech: www.photovoltech.be Photowatt Technologies: www.photowatt.com PLG Power Limited: www.plgpower.com Polar Photovoltaics: www.polar-energy.com PowerFilm Inc: www.powerfilmsolar.com Powerquant Photovoltaik: www.powerquant.at Pramac: www.pramac.com Premier Solar Systems: www.premiersolarsystems.com Protel Ltd.: www.protel.co.nz Pubsolar Co., Ltd.: www.pubsolar.com PV Enterprise Sweden AB: www.pvsweden.se PV Power Technologies Pvt ltd: www.pvpowertech.com Pvflex Solar GmbH: www.pvflex.de PVT Austria: www.pvt-austria.at Q-Cells SE: www.q-cells.com Qingdao CAT Solar Technology Ltd: www.qdcatsolar.com QS Solar: www.qspv.net REC Solar: www.recgroup.com Renergies Italia S.p.A.: www.renergies.italia.it Risen Energy: www.risen-solar.com Rixin technology Co., Ltd.: www.rixinsolar.com/english/index.asp RMCIP, Ryazan Metal Ceramics: www.rmcip.ru S.E. Project: www.se-project.it Sanyo Electric: www.sanyo.com Scheuten Solar Technology: www.scheuten.com Schott Solar: www.schott.com Schüco International KG: www.schueco.de Shandong Linuo Photovoltaic: www.linuopv.com Shandong Sunneeg Solar Power Co., Ltd.: www.70614.tradebig.com/ Shanghai Biaodi Industrial: www.biaodi.cn Shanghai Chaori Solar: www.chaori-solar.com Shanghai Eco-Energy Ltd.: www.eco-energychina.com Shanghai Jinglong: www.sh-jinglong.com Shanghai Solar Energy S&T Co., Ltd: www.ssec-solar.com Shanghai Sunsys Solar: www.uptchina.com Sharp Corporation: www.sharpcorporation.com Shenzhen Suoyang PV Manufacture Factory: www.szsuoyang.fuzing.com Shenzhen Topray Solar Co. Ltd.: www.topraysolar.com Shenzhen Xinhonghua Solar-Energy Co., Ltd: www.china-solarpower.com Showa Shell Sekiyu: www.showa-shell.co.jp Shunda PV-Tech Co.: www.shundasolar.com Shurjo Energy Pvt. Ltd.: www.shurjo-energy.com Signet Solar GmbH: www.signetsolar.com Silcio S.A.: www.silcio.gr Siliken, S.L: www.siliken.com Sinonar: www.sinonar.com.tw Sintek Photronic Corp.: www.sintek.com.tw/index-english.aspx Sol3G: www.sol3g.com

Solar Cells Hellas: www.schellas.gr Solar EnerTech: www.solarenertech.com Solar Frontier: www.solar-frontier.com Solar Power Industries: www.solarpowerindustries.com Solar Power Technology (Spot Solar): www.spotsolar.com Solar Semiconductor: www.solarsemiconductor.com Solarday S.p.A.: www.solarday.it Solar-Fabrik AG: www.solar-fabrik.com SolarFun Power: www.solarfun.com.cn Solaria Energia: www.solariaenergia.com Solarig: www.solaris-energy.com Solarion: www.solarion.de Solaris d.o.o.: www.solaris-novigrad.hr Solarnova: www.solarnova.de Solarpro: www.solarpro.bg Solartec: www.solartec.mx Solartech Energy Corp.: www.solartech.org Solarwatt: www.solarwatt.de SolarWorld AG: www.solarworld.de Solland Solar Cells AG: www.sollandsolar.com Solon Corporation: www.solonag.com Solopower: www.solopower.com Solsonica S.p.A.: www.solsonica.com Solyndra: www.solyndra.com Sopray Solar Co., Ltd.: www.sopraysolar.com Sovello AG: www.sovello.com Space Energy Corporation: www.space-energy.co.jp SSEC: http://en.ssec-solar.com Stion Corporation: www.stion.com Sulfurcell: www.sulfurcell.de Sunerg Solar: www.sunergsolar.com Sunfilm: www.sunfilm.com Suniva: www.suniva.com Sunlink PV Co., Ltd.: www.sunlink-pv.com Sunner Solar Corp.: www.sunnersolar.com Sunowe Photovoltaic: www.sunowe.com SunPower Corp.: www.sunpowercorp.com Sunrise Global Solar Energy: www.sunriseglobalsolar.com Sunrise Solartech Co., Ltd.: www.srsolartech.cn Suntech Power: www.suntech-power.com Sun Valley Energy Application: www.sunvalleypv.com Sunways AG: www.sunways.eu Surana Ventures Limited: www.suranaventures.com Suzhou Shenglong PV-Tech: www.shenglong-solar.com Symphony Energy Co., Ltd.: www.symphonyenergy.com/eng/main.php Tainergy Tech: www.tainergy.com.tw Telecom-STV Co., Ltd.: www.telstv.ru Tenesol S.A.: www.tenesol.com Tianjin Jinneng Solar Cell Co. Ltd.: www.jnsolar.com.cn Titan Energy: www.titanenergy.com Top Green Energy Technologies: www.tgenergy.com.tw Topco Scientific: www.topco.com.tw/eng

Topsolar Green Energy Co., Ltd.: www.topsola.com Trina Solar: www.trinasolar.com Trony Science & Technology Develop Co., Ltd: www.trony.com T-Solar Global: www.tsolar.eu UABPrecizika-MET SC: www.premet.lt Udhaya Energy Photovoltaics (UPV Solar): www.upvsolar.com Ulica Solar Energy & Technology Co., Ltd.: www.ulsolar.com.cn Union Solar International Co. Ltd: www.union-solar.com United Solar Ovonic: www.uni-solar.com Upsolar Co. Ltd: www.upsolar.com USL Photovoltaics: www.solarpv.info Vidursolar, S.L.: www.vidur.es Vikram Solar: www.vikramsolar.com Viva Solar: www.vivasolar.com Waaree: www.waaree.com Webel SL Energy Systems Ltd.: www.webelsolar.com Wuhu Zhongfu Industry CO., LTD: www.vncn.com.cn Würth Solar: www.wuerth-solar.de Wuxi Changle Photovoltaic: www.wxsolarpower.com Wuxi Shangpin Solar Energy: www.wxsunpower.com X-Group S.p.A.: www.xgroupspa.it Xiamen Fortune-Wide Solar Energy: solar-far.en.alibaba.com Xi‘an Huanghe Photovoltaic Technology Co., Ltd.: www.xahhpv.com Xi‘an Shengtang New Energy Co., Ltd.: www.stxny.com XL Telecom & Energy Limited: www.xltelenergy.com Yangzhou Tianhua: www.tianhuasolar.com Yingli Green Energy: www.yinglisolar.com Yohkon Energia: www.yohkon.com Yuhuan Solar Energy Source: www.shinepower.cn Yunnan Tianda Photovoltaic Co., Ltd.: www.ynsolar.cn Yunnan ZhuoYe Energy Technology Co,. Ltd.: www.zy-energy.com/en/index.asp Zheijang Sun Valley Energy Application: www.sunvalleypv.com Zhejiang Aurora PV Solar: www.aurorapv.com Zhejiang ERA Solar: www.erasolartech.com Zhejiang Leye Photovoltaic: www.leyesolar.com Zhejiang Shuqimeng Energy: www.suqim-solar.com Zhejiang Topoint Holding Co., Ltd: www.topointsolar.cn/en Zhejiang Trunsun Solar Co.Ltd.: www.trunsunsolar.com Zhejiang wanxiang solar Co., ltd: www.wanxiang-solar.com.cn Zhongkexin Electronics Equipment: www.zhongkexin.com.cn Znshine PV-tech: www.znshine.com Zytech Zueco & Technology S. L.: www.zytech.es

Production Facility: Greece Solar Cells Hellas Group operates the first vertically integrated multicrystalline Si PV industry in Greece and in the wider area of Southeastern Europe. The investment amounts to 120 million Euros while the annual production capacity of wafers, cells and modules reaches 80MWp. The production premises of 14000 m2 both located within the Industrial Zone of Patras, host state-of-the-art equipment, ensuring production of high quality standards and competitive prices. In addition, Solar Cells Hellas Group provides integrated services for the installation of PV systems and energy saving solutions. With a lifetime exceeding 30 years, there is nothing to concern you. If you consider investing in Energy… make a guaranteed investment. Invest in the PV systems of Solar Cells Hellas Group!

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Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Head Offices:

Sygrou Ave. 170 17671, Athens GREECE Tel: +30 210 959 5159 Fax: +30 210 953 7618 web: www.schellas.gr e-mail: [email protected]

129

Photovoltaics

Manufacturing Execution Systems

Quality in mass production: finishing of solar wafers in Freiberg, Germany 

Photos (2): Deutsche Solar AG

Software strengthens the competitive edge Cutting costs, increasing efficiency and improving output – now that the solar power sector has become a highly competitive industry, a closer look is also being taken at the production. After all, if a production line runs excellently, this pays off for the operator in every respect. 130

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

T

aking a look at a technologically related sector where every cent counts has proved to be particularly helpful. “Although the costs per wafer are considerably higher in the semiconductor industry,” points out Jan Tonndorf, Head of IT at SolarWorld’s Deutsche Solar subsidiary in Freiberg, “our cell production currently has a capacity of 200 MW, which corresponds to more than 50 million wafers each year. If the output drops by just a small amount, that quickly leads to enormous losses.” In order to perfectly match the production systems with one another and operate them optimally, it is necessary to capture and evaluate an enormous amount of data. For this reason software is increasingly becoming an important tool in the race to improve efficiency. For example, increasingly more photovoltaic companies now deploy production management systems, so-called Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). In ideal cases, these processoriented systems enable real-time production control. “That has long been standard in many industries,” says Dr. Silvia Roth from Roth & Rau AG, “and the solar power industry is only just beginning to use them.” For example, AIS Automation Dresden (AIS), a subsidiary of the Roth & Rau Group, has already equipped several Bosch plants with its Manufacturing Execution System (VPC-MES) – including the new Bosch Solar ­Energy AG plant in Arnstadt, Thuringia. Used for manufacturing crystalline solar cells, it has an annual capacity of 400 MW. The system and software company from Dresden has gained extensive experience along the entire value chain, ranging from wafer manufacturing and cell production to the installation of modules. The company, which was founded in 1990, now employs more than 160 workers. AIS offers not only factory and production automation software solutions for the PV, semiconductor and automotive supply industries but also control systems for thin-film, plasma and vacuum technology. Further business fields include process and system automation as well as software solutions for transport technology. AIS has supported

Cell processing in Conergy’s facility in Frankfurt/Oder, Germany

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photos (3): Conergy AG

131

Photovoltaics

Manufacturing Execution Systems the photovoltaic industry right from the beginning and has now provided help in this area for around 50 projects worldwide.

Lines structurally different “In the solar power industry we have production systems with very different structures,” reports Gottfried Gerlach, Managing Director of the Dresden company. “However, all machines have interfaces that provide a diverse range of data.” The first type of data is machine data, which not only make it possible to identify the current status but also provide answers about the machine’s productivity and availability. That makes it possible to assess the efficiency of the technology. The second type of data is production data, such as product volumes. The third type is process data, such as temperatures, gas flows and similar. The interfaces providing this data are “extremely heterogeneous,” explains Gerlach. “This is because there was no standardisation for a long time.” In the solar power industry, two solutions are usual today: XML-based interfaces and a further development of an industry standard from the semiconductor industry, the so-called SEMI Equipment Communications Standard – Generic Equipment Model (SECS/GEM). This ­provides the basis for the SEMI standard for the PV industry, PV02. The data from each individual machine is transferred via these interfaces to the MES. There the data is stored and utilised for various tasks. The MES therefore facilitates the production control. “Both active and passive systems are deployed for this purpose,” explains Gerlach. “Active systems adapt to processes if measurement values show that this is necessary. Passive MES, on the other hand, generally have a monitoring function.” The second important task of the MES is production data management. The software makes it possible to evaluate the results achieved and to present them accordingly. A further important function of the MES is machine data management. This provides information on

the equipment’s reliability, availability and the fault statistics. The MES also supports the operator of a production line with so-called preventive maintenance. This ­facilitates the preventive maintenance of machines and systems because a cycle can be established for such work that actually relates to the performance achieved. Process data management is ultimately an efficient tool for controlling quality. It is also an important prerequisite for automating production processes.

Discovering and understanding irregularities “We want to find out why a cell is better or worse than the average,” says Tonndorf. “And for this purpose we have to collect data.” Each machine and measurement device installed in the production line feeds information into the data pool. The wafers are also often ­labelled, such as with a barcode. This makes it possible to determine when each individual silicon wafer passes through a specific plant section and under what conditions. Increasingly more manufacturers of PV systems are relying on such tracking systems, which are only possible with an MES. However, the software can do even more. It prepares the collected data for a diverse range of analyses and is increasingly also taking over functions for controlling the production processes. The Statistical Process Control (SPC), for example, reports deviations from specific standard values. It is therefore generally used for monitoring purposes. The Advanced Process Control (APC), on the other hand, intervenes in the production process. In order to achieve that the solar cells are always optimally processed, the APC continually compares specific system parameters with current measurement values – forwards and backwards throughout the process and across several machines – and if need be makes adjustments. The recipe control ensures that processes correspond to the correct parameters. The order control acts as an interface between the management and the production. “The software also reflects the complex

Specialist for data management: Maiko Kenner, Head of IT at Conergy

132

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Class AAA Module Tester certified by TÜV Rheinland

BERGER Lichttechnik GmbH & Co. KG Wolfratshauser Strasse 150 · D-82049 Pullach · Germany Phone ++49 (0)89 793 55 266 · Fax ++49 (0)89 793 55 265 www.bergerlichttechnik.de Offices in the US and Taiwan

Photovoltaics

Every single wafer runs through a testing and sorting procedure – not only in Conergy’s production line.

Manufacturing Execution Systems

structures within a company at three levels,” explains Gerlach. “The lowest layer is the data at the machine level. This is comprehensively recorded and managed in the MES. The upper layer in turn forms the so-called Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). This part of the software helps the management deploy the resources available in the company – such as capital, plants and personnel – as efficiently as possible in the operating procedures and thus optimise the control of business processes. It is supplied with data from the MES but ­also receives data about customer orders and ­supplier relationships.”

The development is just beginning MES software, which is able to control production ­areas in real time, is still very rare in the solar power sector. In the semiconductor industry, on the other hand, it has been standard for years. Particularly in eastern Germany, the economic crisis has caused many experts from this industrial sector to change over to photovoltaics. “That has brought us consider­ able knowledge from the semiconductor industry. We’re trying to learn from this related industry, utilise the knowledge from its experts and apply it to photovoltaic production,” explains Maiko Kenner, Head of IT at Conergy in Frankfurt/Oder. “We did a lot of thinking about this right from the beginning: How do we want to operate the production?

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How do we organise the processes, where do we need flexibility and what sort of manpower do we want to deploy?” That has proved worthwhile, emphasises the graduate in business informatics, who as project manager is also responsible for MES at Conergy. “Our plant combines three production areas under one roof. This very broad-based value chain has the advantage that its individual sections can interact with one another. That gives us excellent opportunities for optimising our production. We decided to use every possibility for automation in order to increase the quality of our ­products.” The data from all three production areas is therefore fed into a central database, according to Kenner: “We call it the Production Control System (PCS), but it is actually software derived from MES systems. And we know that this has been extremely useful to us.” The system primarily helps Conergy to match the areas with one another. If this does not function, that can have an adverse impact on the output, says Kenner, as the wafer production is designed to supply maximum volumes. The cell production aims to achieve high quantities and maximum efficiency and the module production aims to achieve maximum electricity yields. “The MES reminds us every day that the individual ­areas are not just an end in themselves but form part of an overall structure and that we have joint goals.” The data from the module areas and the production makes it possible to determine how the individual ­areas influence each other.

Work on basics “Compared to the semiconductor industry the PV sector is still very young, which is why there is not yet so much basic knowledge available,” explains the IT expert. “When we attempt to tease out the last bit of efficiency from our systems, we certainly keep noticing that there’s still work to be done in terms of the basics.” That is primarily a challenge for the IT, which has to cope with very high data densities. “Our wafer production plant has a capacity of 200 MW – that is around 60 million wafers each year. We test each individual wafer, and we capture and store an enormous amount of data for each wafer.” Around one thousand wafers are cut from a single brick, according to Kenner. “We currently stack the

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

wafers in cassettes to form batches of 150.” However, Conergy also has a patent for wafer marking, and in future wants to establish single wafer tracking. Despite the enormous data volumes, the investment costs are “relatively small” – Kenner believes that the MES will have paid for itself in less than three years. “We will develop that further modularly, depending on how our technological know-how grows and the production develops. An MES provides the prerequisite for creating efficient and stable production, continuously increasing the quality and ensuring that this quality is then also maintained.”

Overall equipment efficiency However, MES play an important role not just in regard to quality aspects. When making investment decisions, it is already requested as an acceptance criterion for suppliers, reports Tonndorf. As with the automotive and semiconductor industries, this is because an important evaluation criterion in the solar industry is now the so-called overall equipment efficiency (OEE): “To what extent is my machine available? How much of the time is it running, how much of the time is it at standstill and why is it at standstill? What product volumes per hour does it achieve? And do the wafers have the right quality?,” explains the IT expert. The software provides answers to all these questions – and in the SolarWorld Group these are stored ­together with economic data. “We receive such reports everyday for several hundred systems,” under-

lines Tonndorf. “They help us to achieve more performance and quality with the existing machinery.” Until just three years ago, the expert recalls, “that wasn’t really an issue.” However, competitive pressures mean that the industry is now much readier to spend money on optimising processes. That is due in no small part to the influence of the semiconductor experts. And the team is gradually learning to live with this, according to the IT boss. Nevertheless, in ­Freiberg the APC has “not yet been directly implemented as a closed loop,” says Tonndorf: “The first steps are being taken in this direction in the cell area. In the wafer ­area, on the other hand, all processes take fairly long and that makes the structure relatively sluggish.”

Production of solar cells by SolarWorld AG (Deutsche Solar AG) in Freiberg, Germany

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SolarWorld is also “nowhere near the level where it can track individual wafers,” says the IT specialist: “It used to be said that wafers can’t be labelled. Then it was said that it is too expensive. Today the barcode is standard with us – but this has led to a thousandfold increase in the data volume.” At the beginning, according to Tonndorf, the MES producers had problems with the short cycles and the enormous product volumes in the solar industry. Meanwhile there are no longer such problems. And even in such a cost-sensitive industry, the further development of computer technology has enabled the IT cost factor to be managed with relatively small amounts of funding. “The awareness and readiness to spend money on it have considerably increased in recent times.” In Freiberg the measurements “already begin on the silicon blocks – the ingots,” reports Tonndorf: “Our measurement equipment checks the wafers not just in terms of their dimensional accuracy but also for cracks, fretting and kerfs. In the production lines, the equipment is consistently connected to the MES.” “The production lines are also changing – the capacities are becoming increasingly larger and the importance of the MES is therefore also constantly increasing,” adds Gerlach. “We used to have a capacity from 30 to 60 MW; today it ranges between 250 and 500 MW. And from a certain size it is no longer possible without the MES.” Whereas in the beginning it was predominantly customer-specific systems, standards are also increasingly in demand with this software with out-of-the-box functions, reports the Managing Director of AIS. “The MES should be configurable and sufficiently open so that customers can install their own applications in order to optimise their system.” An MES should help monitor and optimise the efficiency of the production. It has to support quality control and quality assurance, and ensure the trace­ ability of the products. “The trend is towards single wafer tracking,” according to Gerlach, “whereby the wafer is marked with a code or the company relies on virtual tracking based on the module. We believe that such systems will be integrated across the entire ­value

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Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

chain. In the near future the manufacturer will also hand over a data package with the wafer.”

Thin-film is following suit MES systems are not just in demand in the production of silicon-based solar cells. The systems are also increasingly being used in the thin-film sector. That applies not just to the deposition of silicon thin films on glass. “We used in-situ measurement technology right from the beginning,” confirms, for example, Dr. Karsten Otte, CEO of Solarion AG in Leipzig. “We believe that this provides a substantial prerequisite for optimising processes and cutting costs.” Solarion produces solar modules from individual cells, which the company generates on flexible polymer substrates using copper, indium, gallium and selenide (CIGS) in a roll-toroll process. “If you already determine from the back contacting that the coating between band metre 10 and band metre 15 is faulty,” according to Otte, “then you can dispense with further processing this piece of foil from the outset.” Solarion is currently planning the transfer from the pilot line to mass production. There the company will deploy MES and ERP right from the start. Heliatek GmbH from Dresden, the worldwide leader in the development of organic solar cells based on oligomers, has recently announced that the company has ordered an MES for its first production line: ­Heliatek will be deploying the InFrame Synapse MES & PCS from acp-IT AG in Stuttgart. “We’re proud to be able to support Heliatek with our solution that will help increase the throughput and the production efficiency as well as quickly stabilise processes in ­Heliatek’s first production line for organic solar cells,” says CEO Frank Frauenhoffer. The InFrame Synapse MES offers comprehensive functionalities for production planning, monitoring and controlling high-tech production lines, and is specially designed for partand highly automated manufacturing. The modular concept enables the system to adapt easily and flexibly to Heliatek’s respective requirements. The direct integration with the InFrame Synapse PCS process control system achieves a comprehensive IT solution for tracking and tracing products. This will make it possible to monitor and optimise not just production parameters such as throughputs, processing times, stocks and supply times but also ongoing quality improvements relating to, for example, the output maximisation, process monitoring and fault diagnosis. “It will help us to move ‘from lab to fab‘ in the shortest time possible and thus begin the mass production of organic solar cells,” says Michael U. Mohr, Vice President of Production at Heliatek. Anke Müller Further information: www.acp-it.de www.ais-automation.com www.bosch-solarenergy.de www.conergy-group.com www.deutschesolar.de www.heliatek.com www.solarion.de www.zeiss-izm.de

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

For sale: several fully approved, highly profitable sites with and without turnkey systems for photovoltaic power generation at the best locations in Europe (various sizes between 1 MW and 5 MW) and several wind farms. For further very lucrative projects in the renewable energy sector (photovoltaics, wind energy and bioenergy) we are offering you shares or we are looking for financing possibilities with attractive interest rates for you. The correspondingly long-term guarantees for feed-in tariffs are available already. Please contact us at the following e-mail address, also if you would like to sell completed photovoltaic or wind energy systems/ plants on different sites. E-mail: [email protected]

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Photovoltaics

cell technology

Schott Solar presents new cell

Developers Evelyn Schmich and Yvonne Gassenbauer are working on the rear of the new Schott high-performance cell.

With PERC and PERL, Schott Solar AG has revived two of the classics in solar cell development. Old concepts and new manufacturing processes are to be combined into a new highperformance cell.

T

he photovoltaic sector continues to pursue two fundamental approaches in its efforts to realise further cost reductions. The first avenue is optimisation of the production process, though manufacturing experts tend to agree that this possibility is still in its infancy as far as the PV industry is concerned. Even so, the alternative approach has often been neglected in recent years: increases in efficiency in the direction of 20 %. In the meantime, however, both options are gaining equal importance among the major solar manufacturers. Numerous PV companies have

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Photo: Schott

commissioned their R&D departments to push a new generation of high-performance cells. One of those companies is Schott Solar based in Mainz, Germany, which has now brought a “completely new approach” to the public eye. “The purpose of our work is to raise the efficiency of a standard industrial cell,” as Schott developers Yvonne Gassenbauer and Evelyn Schmich explain with a certain note of understatement. Their project, namely, concerns a much more sophisticated technology than it seems from such a plain announcement. After all: Schott Solar is developing the new cell structure for extremely thin multicrystalline silicon wafers – i.e. thinner than 150 µm. At the same time, the rear of the cell is to be improved with dielectric passivation and local contacts. The cell concept is founded on ideas which were elaborated at the University of New South Wales, ­Australia, some 20 years ago and published under the names PERC and PERL, standing for “passivated emitter rear cell” and “passivated emitter rear, locally diffused”. The manufacturing process proposed by the Australian team, however, was very complex and correspondingly expensive. The concept was thus shelved for lack of economic feasibility.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photovoltaics

cell technology

Schematic representation of a crystalline silicon solar cell with local contacts and dielectric rear-side passivation 

Graphic: Schott Solar

Own method for spot contacts One apparent high-tech solution to the manufacturing problem is to use laser-fired contacts (LFC), as developed by the Fraunhofer institute ISE in Freiburg, Germany. The spot contacts are here alloyed into the silicon by bombarding a previously applied aluminium layer. Another alternative is the i-PERC process developed at IMEC in Belgium. In this case, the laser opens spots in the dielectric layer before the coating with aluminium. According to Yvonne Gassenbauer, however, Schott Solar still considered an economical implementation of either method to be rather problematical. Furthermore, both technologies share the disadvantage that they are difficult to integrate into an existing production line. The researchers at Schott

Solar have therefore devised a method of their own, specifically to overcome this hurdle. Yvonne Gassenbauer is confident: “That will enable a much faster transfer into large-scale industrial production.” “For our investigations, we modified a normal standard cell with a conventional front side by introducing a system of passivation layers and local contacts on the rear side,” adds research colleague ­Evelyn Schmich. “The thermal influences from application of the additional layers are comparable to the heat budget for the conventional manufacturing of a multi-crystalline wafer. Therefore, no additional degradation is to be expected.” The 156 x 156 mm2 solar cells display a front side in the form already known in large-scale industrial production: isotropic texturing, homogeneous emit-

Schematische Darstellung einer kristallinen Silicium Solarzellen mi dielectrisch passivierter Rückseite.

ters, anti-reflection layer, screen-printed contact grid. The manufacturing of the cell begins in the usual manner with chemical treatment of the wafer and phosphorous doping of the emitter. Subsequently, the edges are etched clean of silicate and the anti-­ reflection layer is applied to the front side in a PECVD process. A second development team working parallel to Gassenbauer and Schmich was responsible for optimisation of the individual process steps, including the realisation of the contact grid, in order to be able to achieve the highest possible efficiency.

Innovation on the back The real innovations are to be found primarily on the rear side. In contrast to a standard solution, a system of di­ electric coatings is applied as passivation. Local contacts are embedded into the back surface field – a surface functioning as a barrier to the electrons. The rear-side passivation is thus a combination of different layers. Could you be a little more precise? This is the point at which the curtain drops, exactly as it does when the question turns to the local contacts. Schmich declines to go into detail: “Our team has successfully implemented the production of both the special passivation layers and the local contacts – with conventional metallisation pastes – in an industrial process based on multi-crystalline wafers. On a pilot line, we have produced cells in the standard format with an efficiency in excess of 18 %.”

Schott Solar has released information stating that the best cells achieved an efficiency of 18.2 % with an open-circuit voltage of 642 mV. At the same time the short-circuit current density was 36.2 mA/ cm2 – an increase of more than 1.0 mA/cm2 over a conventional cell with an aluminium coated rear side. The average value for a test batch which Schott Solar manufactured under optimum process conditions in April 2010 was already 17.7 %. Further batches of several hundred cells were subsequently manufactured using Schott Solar’s own wafer material. The corresponding high-performance modules with an output of more than 250 W were to be seen on the Schott Solar stand at the joint exhibition of the 5th World Conference on Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion and the EU PVSEC in Valencia. The task is now to determine the ideal technology for the overall implementation, so as to enable economical production of the new multi-crystalline silicon solar cells in a high-volume industrial process, says Head of Cell ­Development Wilfried Schmidt. He is confident of the support of the German equipment manufacturers, as essential contributions were made to the PV industry’s definition of a joint research and development roadmap for silicon solar cells. “We have now fulfilled a process development promise in accordance with that roadmap, but there are still many more arrows in the development quiver,” he smiles. Jörn Iken

Photovoltaics

market development

Industry-focused political offensive needed

Dr. Winfried Hoffmann has a PhD in physics and more than 30 years of experience in photovoltaics. He is Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Energy and Environmental ­Solutions for the US Applied Materials group. Hoffmann is also on the Board of Directors of the German subsidiary Applied Materials GmbH & Co. KG in Alzenau. He was President of the European Photovoltaic Industry Association until the spring of 2010.  Photo: Applied Materials

At international meetings addressing the needs of photovoltaics Winfried Hoffmann is never far away. His experience and knowledge have made him one of the most sought-after speakers and consultants in the world. S&WE spoke with him about current issues and future developments in solar power. 142

S&WE: Mr. Hoffmann, for many years the photovoltaics industry has known you as a man who works tirelessly on many fronts for the idea of a ­global solar power supply and who has made a lasting impact through a number of voluntary positions, among them the presidency both of Germany’s ­solar industry association (BSW-Solar) and the ­European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA). Two years ago you stepped down as the President of BSW-Solar, and in the spring of this year you gave up your position as President of the EPIA, assuming a second-tier position there. What were your reasons for that? Dr. Winfried Hoffmann: As I’m sure you can imagine considering my numerous activities, there was just one reason, lack of time. About two years ago, I had to concede that it was simply no longer possible to be active in an international company, while at the same time fulfilling key front-line tasks at the BSW and the EPIA. I therefore stepped down from my position as President of the BSW, which does not mean, however, that I no longer contribute to that organization. My decision to continue at the EPIA and to concentrate more on international issues should be understood against the backdrop of my work at Applied Materials, which is an international company. Your conclusion that I have now stepped down to the second tier at EPIA is of course formally correct. But in terms of my work for the association, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. And by the way, I believe that I was President for much too long. It is not good for an industry association like the EPIA to have one person at the helm for so long. S&WE: Your successor as President (of the EPIA ) is Ingmar Wilhelm, Vice President of Enel Green Power. Why does this change signify a new chapter in the history of the EPIA, as the association’s press ­release put it? Hoffmann: What I find so outstanding about ­Ingmar Wilhelm taking over is that he is on the board of a large European power company, and at the same time dedicated to the expansion of renewable energy. That finally puts an end to the ­image of the EPIA as a small-time outfit, far removed from the power companies. Enel Green Power is no longer simply a member of the EPIA, but now through one of its board members is more closely involved with the work of the association. That is what the association press release meant by a new chapter.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Photovoltaics

market development

S&WE: What, in your opinion, was responsible for launching photovoltaics onto its incredibly successful trajectory, and what’s keeping it there? Did you even consider in the early days the possibility that it would be so successful? Hoffmann: Since 1979 – so for 31 years – I’ve been involved in solar technology. Where I was working back then, at Nukem, and at other companies too, no one had any idea what the significance of photovoltaics would be in 30 or 40 years – that was a long way off. I, personally, certainly considered such a success story possible; but that it would happen so fast – who would have thought? What got photovoltaics on this path to success? That is a somewhat more complex matter. I’ll try to mention a few factors as briefly as possible. The oil crisis in the early 70s allowed research and incentive programmes to flourish globally; the warnings issued by the Club of Rome for the first time sunk into people’s consciousness; people then started taking the climate issue more seriously. The fundamental claims of the IPCC – even if, in recent history, they got the details wrong and caused some irritation – clearly showed just how finite energy carriers are and illustrated the problem of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. During the same period the technological possibilities for countering these problems increased. Without these factors, such important market incentive programmes as the 1000 Roofs “With our 200 members, EPIA still Programme, the feed-in law, and lacks the clout to get a seat at the the German ­Renewable Energy Act (EEG), which contributed to table. We are, after all, not as big as the success of photovoltaics, the coal and oil industries.” would never have occurred. S&WE: What are the greatest setbacks you can recall? What can we learn from them? Hoffmann: Of course there were a number of setbacks for our industry as a whole. I would like to underscore a very serious problem, however – a typically German affliction. We’re always coming up with great discoveries and developments, but we fail miserably when it comes to translating these great ­ideas into high-volume production and building up a large-scale industry. If we want to remain competitive in the long term, we must not stop at merely demonstrating our abilities; rather, we have to successfully transfer our developments into production. Indeed, we missed the first opportunity to move in this direction in 1990 when the 1000 Roofs Programme went into effect, even though we repeatedly advised policy-makers to embrace an industry-­ focused political concept. If we’ve been working since 2000 to develop a new industry within the framework of the German feed-in tariff programme using the money collected from electricity customers, then we’d better ensure that the industry can survive in the medium term. When certain Asian countries provide 40 % subsidies for investments in the photovoltaics industry, offer

144

companies up to 10 years of tax-free status; when these companies can borrow money at interest rates of 2 to 2.5 % over a period of 10 years, and on top of that receive export subsidies from their governments, then products from those companies are going to have a clear advantage over ours. Naturally, I am opposed to any kind of protectionist attitude. But, when such political frameworks create situations elsewhere that wipe out any chance for our solar cells and modules to compete, then we have to sit down with our policy-makers and consider what can be done to prevent the collapse of our production industry. Nevertheless, as far back as 2000 I tried to work together with policy-makers to come up with intelligent and flexible ways of supporting the industry, but ultimately none of the parties were interested. I still wouldn’t consider the unfavourable competition situation a grave setback, but it could very well become one soon. After all, what the big industrial companies in the Asian countries have built up in the past five years is remarkable. They are also catching up to us when it comes to product quality. In addition, China’s national bank has provided PV manufacturers € 12 billion for further investments. German ministries, in contrast, are providing only € 100 million within the framework of additional R&D programs. But, anybody who thinks that a € 100 million R&D programme can weigh in against a € 12 billion investment programme, is pretty wet behind the ears indeed. S&WE: That sounds rather drastic. Hoffmann: It is drastic; it’s just that no one wants to admit it. Thanks to the high rate of growth made possible by the feed in tariff, a lot of people haven’t even noticed what has been going on outside of Europe at all – nearly no one has noticed that a competitive solar industry has developed in Asia with government assistance. Why hasn’t anybody noticed? Life was good; there was so much demand. But it’s still not too late. We have to develop a programme here nationally and on the European level within the framework of an industry-focused political offensive, to provide long-term, low-interest ­financing for investments in future industries. S&WE: So previous attempts at getting policy-­ makers to make large financial commitments have failed for the most part. That raises the question: can national and international interest groups from the renewables industry exercise any influence at all on the development of future energy supplies? A leading German industry magazine has its doubts, and one of its authors wrote that the renewables industry can’t weigh in politically. Hoffmann: That is definitely the case. With our 200 members, EPIA still lacks the clout to get a seat at the table. We are, after all, not as big as the coal and oil industries. Large associations have the means to drop hefty sums for lobbyists in order to influence policy. Politicians and others prefer to turn their

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photovoltaics

market development

a­ ttention to gigantic projects like the Iter experimental fusion reactor and CERN’s LHC particle accelerator rather than solar modules, which are regarded as rather unspectacular. Of course I am all for us as an industrial nation carrying out research into the Big Bang and nuclear fusion – and not just as a physicist. But I’ll say it very clearly: we will not need a fusion reactor because distributed power generation is the future. S&WE: Is this lack of clout that you mentioned earlier also the reason why the German federal government’s energy concept is not to the liking of the renewables associations? What have you been unable to get across? Hoffmann: Naturally, I cannot speak here for the German associations. In general, I see the same difficulties in Germany as I see in Europe as a whole. Our message has not yet sunk in that, based on the known price development curve, a technological product like a PV system has huge cost reduction potential that we’re not taking advantage of if we build power plants with 30 or 40 year life spans over the next few years. In taking this approach, we are throwing away the chance to generate environmentally friendly electricity in the middle term with renewable energy, such as photovoltaics.

Intersolar 2010: Applied ­Materials presented a large module of 5.7 m2 that was produced on a SunFab line. 

Photo: Wilhelm Breuer

146

S&WE: In the German solar industry, forecasts for 2010 are making the rounds which project a growth in installed photovoltaics capacity on the order of nearly 8 GW. Are you satisfied with that? Hoffmann: The current market development is in line with the EPIA forecasts. Whether we’re satisfied with that? My answer – and here I have a different view

than many of my colleagues in the industry – is that I’m not satisfied with that. In addition, we should remember that less than a year ago German Minister of the Environment Röttgen established a target corridor of 3.5 GW for Germany. If he now sees that the market size has increased by a factor of two in the space of just one year, he could quickly start thinking of placing further incentive reductions on the political agenda. We cannot favour that when we recall that after incentives were capped last year in Spain the market collapsed. After this year, in which capacity will have increased by more than 7 GW, instead of aiming at 14 GW for next year – and thus provoking a situation that nobody wants – we should instead develop other markets; be they in other European countries, the US, Asia, or elsewhere. This is where we’re doing quite a lot at the EPIA. S&WE: A few months ago, one could observe in the media a traditional lobbying effort aimed at the thin-film industry. A few leading solar companies from the c-Si sector called for the EU to extend the prohibition of the toxic heavy metal cadmium applicable in the electronics industry to the PV industry. Such a policy would first and foremost have affected companies that manufacture CdTe modules – primarily First Solar. Is someone trying to throw a wrench into the works of the thin-film industry? Hoffmann: I considered this concentrated effort a near catastrophe for our industry, and I told all of our colleagues that. Right now we have much more important things to do than trying to make life difficult for each other. It would be better for us to sit down and figure out how we can make our photo-

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

voltaics ready for the future and how to create stable markets. We should instead go and explain to the public why in 15 years at the latest, a kilowatt hour of electricity generated by a distributed PV system will be cheaper than the one that comes from a clean coal power plant – that is the message we ought to be putting out there. Instead, we’re busy trying to trip each other up, simply because First ­Solar has managed to become the cost leader with module production costs of € 0.65 per watt. That is a case of short-term self-interest jeopardizing the success of the entire industry. S&WE: The thin-film industry is in trouble. First there was the competitive action we just talked about, and then there was the news from Applied Materials that they would no longer be producing SunFabs for thin-film production. It almost looks like a conspiracy. Hoffmann: Sadly, people were too hasty in coming to this conclusion. I’d like to explain to you briefly why I think this is not the case. To do that I’ll need to expand on this point a bit. Through its expertise in the field of large area coatings, Applied Materials created the fantastic opportunity of bringing to market a 5.7 m² thin-film module. Just four years ago many experts did not even believe that this was possible. The modules have a module efficiency of over 9 percent. In a 1.4 m² module which we manufac-

tured a few weeks ago in our laboratory, we were able to demonstrate a stable module efficiency of greater than 10 percent. So, technologically we have really come to a high level. Our large modules were especially well suited for use in large-scale ground mounted systems. Unfortunately, this is precisely the market segment which has not developed in the way we, and especially our customers, would have liked. However, when a company like Applied Materials is “However, when a company like Applied unable to acquire any new customers for a product over Materials is unable to acquire any new a long period it has to make a customers for a product over a long decision; and in this case that period it has to make a decision; and in meant no longer offering complete SunFab lines. What this case that meant no longer offering we do still offer are individual systems, in particular coating complete SunFab lines.” systems for all types of thinfilm technologies. What I would like to make very clear at this point is our intense engagement in the field of crystalline Si technology. Despite our discontinuation of SunFabs for the reasons already stated, I personally stand by my old view that thin-film technology will continue to be a success story in various market segments over the coming years. The interview was conducted by Wilhelm Wilming.

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Photovoltaics

Solar Power International

The L.A. Convention Center was designed by architect Charles Luckman, opened in 1971 and expanded in 1993 and 1997. It houses 720,000 square feet of exhibition space (67,000 m²).  Photo: Reference.findtarget

B-to-B conference presented by non-profits

W

At the Solar Power International Conference and Expo (SPI) Oct. 12-14 in Los Angeles, California, solar industry leaders will convene at the solar-powered L.A. Convention Center for what is expected to be the largest solar business-to-business conference in North America this year.

The solar panels on the side ith over 1,000 exhibitors, several high-­ profile industry leaders giving presentaof the Los Angeles Convention tions, and 35 breakout sessions covering Center were installed by the L.A. Department of Water and Power. all types of solar technology, the conference will tack Photo:Oliver Seely le the most pressing issues facing the industry. ­These include financing, policy and job-creation. For businesses and professionals looking to take advantage of the expanding US solar market, SPI is billed as a place to establish and reinforce business connections and find new customers and revenue possibilities. It will provide many opportunities to network and learn about other companies. Unlike other solar conferences and expos in the U.S. – typically sponsored by for-profit entities – Solar Power International is presented by non-profits: the US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and

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the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). This means that revenue from the conference will go directly back into helping the solar industry continue to expand in the US.

Conference growing with solar industry The large number of participants – more than 27,000 attendees are expected this year – reflects the continued strong growth of the global solar energy industry. According to Pike Research, Colorado, the US solar industry is projected to grow 40 % in 2010. The industry is continuing to expand in the US this year despite difficulties financing projects in a recession. What’s more, the industry is expected to contin-

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

ue to grow through the end of the year. In August this year, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved the first four commercial solar projects built on public lands in the US, says Monique Hanis, Communications Director at SEIA. Many of the best locations for solar energy are located on public lands. However, these were the first projects approved. One of the four BLM projects, the Blythe Solar Power Project, proposed by Chevron and Solar ­Millennium of California, consists of four parabolic trough solar thermal power plants with a total capacity of 968 MW. Located on BLM land in California, the Blythe Project will be the largest single planned solar project in the world to date. This could mark the beginning of a large solar build-out in the US. The industry will likely see sustained growth through the end of this year and into next year, says Hanis.

Major themes: permitting and financing “These four projects were picked out of a list of 14 projects that the BLM identified as being far enough along in development for a fast-track application process,” Hanis explains. Before the approval of these four projects, all projects on public lands were held up, pending environmental permits and federal approval. One of the major themes at Solar Power International this year will be how developers can get projects through the permitting process and constructed, saysUhr Hanis.Seite 1 Anz210x144NEU_3 21.09.2010 13:36

S U N

Developers are eager to get projects through the permitting pro­ cess quickly because the US treasury grants for solar energy expire at the end of this year. As part of the federal stimulus package, the solar treasury grant has already helped develop 756 solar projects across the country in 41 states, says Hanis. The advantage of the treasury grant over a tax credit is that project developers receive the treasury grant money immediately instead of having to wait until the tax credit comes through. In order to qualify for the grant, projects already have to be under construction by the end of the year. The recent BLM approval should give the projects enough time to qualify for the treasury grant before the end of the year.

Monique Hanis is Communications Director at SEIA.  Photo: SEIA

Politics can support solar financing Hanis hopes that by the time the conference starts, Congress will have enacted a new energy bill that includes an extension of the treasury grant. Even if a comprehensive energy bill does not pass, she believes that some energy provisions could be included in other bills. Many in the renewable energy industry

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Photovoltaics

Actor and activist Ed Begley Jr., keynote speaker at SPI 2009.  Photo: regonline.com

Solar Power International had hoped that Congress would have already passed an energy bill by this point, but the political process can be slow, says Hanis. “Most people are feeling that a comprehensive energy bill would be too tough to accomplish in such a short time.” Regardless of how the provisions are passed, the solar energy industry will benefit greatly from an extension of supportive solar legislation. One important provision that has been successful in the past and could continue to boost the US solar industry is the manufacturing tax credit for building solar energy manufacturing facilities, ­Hanis points out. Before funds were exhausted, the manufacturing tax credit helped 58 manufacturing projects in the US get developed. “The US is trying to regain some competitiveness with the rest of the world in terms of renewable energy manufacturing,” Hanis explains. To further help US manufacturing increase production, Congress should continue to fund the manufacturing tax credit, she says. “How to increase manufacturing in the US will be another major theme at the conference this year.”

Utility integration In addition to addressing how to increase manufacturing, SPI speakers will talk about how to get more utilities to increase the amount of renewable energy in their mix. Due to be released in time for the conference is a new SEPA report that will outline how utilities in some states – such as California and New ­Jersey – were able to successfully integrate renew­ able energy. “Utility owners do very long-term planning, so this report will hopefully make a convincing case for how solar energy can be integrated into a

utility’s energy mix,” says Hanis. “If you can finance the up-front cost, solar makes business sense.” Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), a utility in California, has been a model for how utilities can integrate renewable energy. On the first day of the conference, Peter Darby, head of PG&E, will be the keynote speaker. His utility has been more progressive than most in its solar energy investments. “He will share his vision of the solar industry and how he was able to integrate so much renewable energy,” says Hanis.

Job creation Another important theme at this year’s SPI conference is assessing how many jobs the industry is creating. The Solar Foundation, an independent research group located in Washington DC, is releasing a report on Oct. 14th during the conference called the National Solar Jobs Census. The census is designed to gather data on US solar labour supply and demand. “The solar industry has not been the best about collecting and reporting data on job and industry growth,” Hanis concedes. “Our sense is that 2010 will be a big year for solar, but we will know for sure in October when we release the report.” SEIA is now planning on releasing an industry report on a quarterly basis in order to more accurately monitor milestones in the industry.

SPI 2010 In addition to talks focusing on financing and permitting, the conference will feature technology all along the supply chain. “The industry is still working hard to increase efficiency in the product and in the pro­ cess,” says Hanis. “It is all about scaling up and improving efficiencies.” SPI 2010 will also bring back an open public night, the popular CEO panel, and a large exhibition hall.

SPI and its Organizers The event Solar Power International (SPI), previously called Solar Power Conference and Expo, was created in 2004 and is organized by the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). SEPA is a business-to-business utilityfocused organization, that has non-profit status. Its activities focus on research, education, and utility outreach and interaction. Its Membership is comprised of electric utilities, solar companies, and other companies with an interest in solar electricity. SEPA’s President and CEO is Julia Hamm. SEIA was established in 1974 and is the national trade association in the USA. The non-profit-organization represents close to 500 companies in the US solar energy industry and is headed by the

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SPI 2009: the Expo Hall with 950 stands  President and CEO Rhone Resch. SEIA coordinates with several state and regional chapters and other groups including the American Solar Energy Society, Solar Alli-

Photos (4): Reid Smith

ance, Solar Electric Power Association, Solar Nation and Vote Solar along with numerous renewable energy, business and environmental groups.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Photovoltaics

Solar Power International Free conference sessions

Impressions of the SPI 2009: Reis Solar Systems automation display (top), PowerFilm Solar flexible PV (middle), solar panel installation machines for large utility-scale solar (bottom)

Although the SPI is a business-to-business event, there are some session topics in the Public Night this year. The first is “Solar Water Heating for Home­ owners”: there are great incentives for solar water heating equipment and a growing number of vendors ready to install home systems. This workshop will present how solar water heaters work, what options are available, and how to proceed with a residential solar water heating energy project. The session is presented by the Los Angeles Renewable Energy ­Society. Meanwhile, residential PV plants are becoming a mainstream option for homeowners. But the technology options are many and it is challenging to assess the economic proposition presented by solar installers. Who knows which technology is the right one? What should one expect once the system is installed? This workshop presents what the technology is, how it works, what the options are, and how to proceed with a residential retrofit energy project. The session is presented by the California Solar Energy Industries Association. The third session concerns the Climate Project’s (TCP) mission which is to educate the public about the harmful effects of climate change and to work toward solutions at a grassroots level worldwide. Each TCP Presenter delivers a version of Al Gore’s slideshow based on his best-selling books and the Academy Awardwinning documentary film “An Inconvenient Truth”. As part of this select group of 1,200 individuals in the US chosen to become TCP Presenters, Jeff Wolfe completed the TCP training program in 2007. Less time is spent on defending the climate science, and more solutions are now presented in the slideshow, since climate change is now more widely understood and accepted. Jeff Wolfe is PV Division Chair of SEIA.

Poltical consultants Because it’s an election year, this year’s SPI will feature political consultants James Carville and Mary ­Matalin. They will address the current political climate and how it affects solar energy. “This will definitely be one of the highlights at this year’s conference,” says Hanis. With timely talks, hundreds of technology displays, numerous business networking opportunities, and the CEO panel, SPI is expected to provide important resources to the US solar energy industry. Reid Smith

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Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Photovoltaics

SOLAR POWER/view to mexico

First impulses

for the domestic market

Solar modules under examina­ tion. The Mexican government is currently planning to determine a general framework for techni­ cal standards and the training of professionals. Photos (2): GTZ/ 

Marco Antonio Lemus R.

Discussions during the Solar Power International in Anaheim, California, will not only focus on the US solar market. Mexico is more and more of interest for PV experts. But while the list of foreign solar companies maintaining a production location in Mexico is extensive, the modules are usually sold to the export markets – mostly across the border to the United States. But what does the situation look like on the Mexican market?

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rupo Desmex is Mexico’s largest PV installation company – and probably the most ambitious one. “This year, we are looking at projects with a capacity of between 4 and 5 MW in Mexico. By 2012, we are planning to install solar parks arriving at a total capacity of more than 25 MW”, says André von Frantzius, Sales Executive for Environment Technologies. It’s a bold target. Grupo Desmex’s most recent project is a 1 MW solar park located close to the city of Aguascalientes, which is scheduled for completion by October. Construction of another 3 MW solar project in Léon is expected to be finished before the end of the year. But the road to success will not be easy. After all, these figures show that the Mexican market could experience a significant boost. At the end of 2009, the country’s total installed PV capacity had arrived at 25.1 MW of which 5.7 MW were built in the last year. The growth spurt is considerable taking into account that the annual increase in newly installed capacities ranged at only about 1 MW in previous years. According to the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the off-grid segment had accounted for about 80 % of the installations in the year 2008 and continues to make the largest contribution today. Most of these systems are used for private consumption in remote regions. Government programmes under the coordination of the Ministry of Energy such as the “Proyecto de Servicios Integrales de Energía para Pequeñas Comunidades Rurales” promote the utilization of offgrid systems in particular in poorer states as, 11:07 for examMK_Solar_10_v2_SWE_Horiz 2/12/10 AM

ple, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guerrero and Veracruz. The subsidies are in the three-digit million range and available through various institutions including the World Bank, the Global Environmental Facility or – on a much smaller scale – the municipalities in the respective regions. “There are still about six million people without access to the electricity grid in Mexico. Off-grid solutions have a high demand in these areas”, says Susanne Scheer, Project Consultant at DEinternational de México, S. A. Experts still believe that the focus of the market will eventually shift and that on-grid systems will significantly gain in importance in the future. Such a trend was already observable in 2009 when on-grid systems accounted for 86.72 % and autonomous installations for only 13.28 % of the newly installed capacities.

Growth expected particularly in the residential sector Mexico offers exceptional yields due to solar radiation levels of about 5 kWh per m2 and day. The deserts in the north even reach up to 8 kWh per m2 and day. “We are also observing drastical increases in the electricity price by 11 % annually in Mexico while the systems costs for PV are falling”, says Martin Amtmann, an expert for renewable energies in Mexico City for the German Agency for Technical Cooperation. Similar to many other countries, the electricity price charged to customers in the commercial, industrial and residential sector varies. Next to this, the price also depends on the individual Consumers in the residential sector, in Page demand. 1

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Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Photovoltaics

These rooftop systems located in Valle de las Misiones, Baja California, were among the first to be installed in Mexico in the year 1997.  Photo: Jaime Agredano Díaz

SOLAR POWER/view to mexico

particular, pay rather elevated prices when the family has a higher demand. When generating electricity for consumption in the household, the consumer can therefore reduce not only the amount of energy that is otherwise bought from the utility but often receives also a better electricity price due to the lower demand – consequently, there is an opportunity to save twice. On these grounds, experts believe that the residential sector will be the driving force for the utilization of PV in the future. However, the direct consumption of the electricity production is not limited to off-grid systems. In June 2007, the Mexican Energy Regulator “Comisión Reguladora de Energía” (CRE) allowed for the grid connection of residential PV systems with an output of up to 10 kW and commercial projects with up to 30 kW. By use of a bidirectional counter, the operator directly balances the amount of electricity produced against

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the consumption on the electricity bill. In 2010, the capacity limit was extended to a maximum of 500 kW. In addition, the investment into a PV system or other renewable energy sources has become fully tax deduct­ ible for commercial businesses in the first year. Investors can also apply for a loan from the FIDE Electric Power Saving Trust Fund (Fideicomiso para el Ahorro de Energía Eléctrica) to finance their solar installation, which has to be paid back within a period of six years. The interest rate is 3 % higher than on the day of the contract. A system of fixed feed-in tariffs currently does not exist. However, the framework conditions are expected to change in the nearer future. “The implementation of a system based on the German model will not be possible in Mexico. But the introduction of a concrete incentive scheme is already foreseeable. Appropriate financial mechanisms tailored to the needs of the Mexican market are already being evaluated. Besides this, the government plans to elaborate a general framework including, for example, technical standards and the training of professionals”, says Martin Amtmann. In his opinion, the number of companies on the market will rapidly grow once the programme is in place.

First megawatt projects despite barriers Solar power is becoming increasingly profitable for private home and commercial business owners. But the level of awareness is very low. In Mexico, PV still leads

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a relatively shadowy existence. The banks are not familiar with the technology and therefore often sceptical. Interest rates for loans are accordingly high. But also on the level of the end consumer, the technology form is little known. Experts are therefore stressing the importance of information and promotion campaigns. Von Frantzius is still optimistic: “Both, in the residential and in the commercial sector, the demand will see a massive increase in course of the next few years.” His hopes are on a strong participation of foreign investors. In principle, these investors are already active in the country – but the majority consists of manufacturers who export their products to other markets. Being a next door neighbour to the United States, Mexico has evolved as the key production location in South America. One company attracted to the market is Japanbased Kyocera, which owns a production plant in Tijuana. Directly adjacent to the US border, the company’s facility is in a favourable location. Another example is thin-film manufacturer Energy Conversion Devices, which announced to partially move its production location in the state of Michigan to Tijuana. And the list of companies producing in Mexico goes on. Since the country entered the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the export of products into the United States has become unproblematic. At the same time, however, the number of domestic PV manufacturers continues to be small. Bufete de Tecnología Solar, based in the capital, and Saecsa Energía Solar based in Puebla, are two examples. Foreign manufacturers still supply the vast majority of the products in-

stalled in Mexico. Grupo Desmex, for example, buys its modules from the Germany-based Aleo Solar. A corresponding supply contract was signed by the installation company in January. The founding of its subsidiary Aleo Solar North America Inc. in summer last year has brought Aleo Solar into close proximity to the core market Mexico. “Given that we already delivered two rooftop systems with a total output of 375 KW to Desmex Group, expanding our partnership is a logical step”, says Executive Vice President Robert Schwarzinger. In the State of Durango, Spain-based Grupo OPDE is currently planning and building a number of solar projects with a total capacity of 45 MW, which are scheduled for completion by the year 2013. With this, Mexico’s installed capacities could experience a sudden and massive boost. And these first projects could provide positive impulses for the expansion of the Mexican market. Rebecca Raspe

While off-grid solutions still account for the vast majority of installations in Mexico, the importance of on-grid systems is continuously rising – a result also of the legal regulation of the grid connection.

Photovoltaics

fairs in taiwan

Taipei is a centre of the tradeshow season It is a well known phenomenon that every spring and fall, renewable energy trade fairs start to pile up around the world. Looking at the trade fair calendar for October, it is easy to see the dilemma. For large companies, it is certainly easier to be present in emerging markets such as the United States and Asia, but smaller companies usually have to decide for one or the other. In Taiwan alone, the month of October will see two important events. The Taiwanese metropolis of Taipei will play host to two renewable energy trade fairs.  Photos (3): Sven Tetzlaff

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T

he spree begins on October 12 to14 with Solar Power in Los Angeles. At nearly the same time, two events in Taiwan take place: from October 25 to 28 Green Taiwan takes place in Taipei, and just a day later – from October 26 to 28 – PV Taiwan also opens in Taipei. At the end of the month, the PV world is invited to Singapore for the International Energy Week, including Powergen Asia and Clean Energy Asia, which will open their gates from October 27 until November 4. In addition, further international events will take place in India, Tunisia, Greece, Spain, and Germany. So far, Asian countries have played a particularly significant role as suppliers for various photovoltaics products. Korea and Taiwan have traditionally been particularly strong in the chip production field, which made the shift to solar cell manufacturing a rather small step. Nevertheless, history has shown that a lack of vertical integration has become a real handicap. Germany’s Q-Cells impressively demonstrated this principle by dedicating itself both to module manufacturing and project planning. Companies in mainland China took this approach early on, and have therefore also charted the course internationally. Korean companies have also embraced this transformation. In Taiwan, however, this new orientation has not yet taken hold across the whole spectrum of production. The markets themselves are important to manufacturers and their potential investment, of course. It is no accident, for instance, that Norwegian company REC and thin-film ­giant First Solar have settled in Singapore or that ­Q-Cells and Sunpower have opened up shop in

­ alaysia, and that the companies have poured huge M investments into those countries. There is no question that in future Asia and North America will be important markets. It is plain to see that international photovoltaics companies are focusing on those regions. Nevertheless, the old market in Europe still has a say, but at the moment the total unpredictability of policy in various European countries is a big problem for investments there. It is easy to imagine stagnation or a complete collapse of EU markets, following plans by some governments to scrap incentive programs. This scenario is hardly new, however.

Learning from crises Asian countries suffered a severe setback in 1997 and 1998 from the so-called “Asian contagion,” the regional economic downturn. At that time, Japan completely controlled the global photovoltaics market, including arguably the most important part, manufacturing equipment for the PV industry. The Japanese government’s answer to the crisis was a freeze and cuts in all domestic PV programs. The Japan crisis had been going on since 1991, and the Asian crisis in the so-called Tiger countries just added fuel to the fire. The result was well known. Today, Japan plays a minor role in the PV world and manufacturing equipment comes for the most part from the EU – mainly from Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. Even today, ­Japan has not been able to recover from the effects of the crisis and still depends on exports. The present situation underscores how complicated this can be. The current financial crisis is more of a western

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photovoltaics

fairs in taiwan

crisis and its impact has been heavily cushioned, especially through the influence of China. However, it is the EU countries that are buckling under the load of the present crisis. The governments of the EU countries, especially Germany, are now trying to stay above water by using the same old play book that failed to help Japan. And, by the way, they want to do it on the other European countries’ dime. After all, Germany’s fixation on exports, while at the same time dismantling the domestic market, is poison for other countries like Greece and Spain. While a political attempt in Germany to marginalize renewables and especially photovoltaics will not have an immediate effect – the braking distance of Gintech is among the estab­ lished giants of the PV industry. German manufacturing equipment producers is much too long for that – it is conceivable that the German or European industry could pass the baton to companies in China, Korea, or Singapore. It is also no secret that the share of the manufacturing equipment market in the EU held by Asian and American companies is growing steadily as is the number of companies from those regions active in the EU renewable energy industry. From a global perspective, this shift will not spell the downfall of photovoltaics, just as the crisis in Asia had no negative effect on PV; but for the domestic economies within the EU, their sustainability, and their job markets, it could be a bitter pill. There can be no doubt, the future belongs to renewable energies. The transformation of European in-

160

dustry, as has already been pointed out, will have no influence on the industry as such. For instance, Pike Research anticipates a doubling in global demand for PV between 2010 and 2013 and projects a demand of 20 GW by the end of 2013. The Asian companies thus find themselves in a convenient situation worth taking advantage of. A ­visit to key trade fairs in Asia reveals that most companies see China as rock solid, the great hope. Furthermore, in terms of knowledge transfer as a result of the crisis, Asian companies are in an enviable ­position. After all, no one believes that the Chinese government will sit back idly and watch if the new markets fail to act in the face of a potential market collapse in the EU. But even barring this worst-case scenario, PV is growing significantly – aided by the gentle Chinese FIT (feed-in tariff), and also by the “Golden Sun ­Programme.” It remains to be seen whether the PV boom will match that of the wind market, but numerous experts – and some of those slated to speak at the PV Taiwan Forum – expect precisely this.

Taiwan’s PV industry Taiwan already has an effective feed-in law and a FIT valid for 20 years (www.solarfeedintariff.net) with the following feed-in rates per kilowatt hour: subsidized systems under 10 kW receive a feed in tariff of 11.19 NT$/kWh (New Taiwan dollar, NT$ 1= € 0.024) and a subsidy of 50,000 NT$/kW. Non-subsidized systems under 10 kW get 14.60 NT$/kWh. Electricity from systems in the 10 to 500 kW range are compensated at 12.97 NT$/kWh. Finally, operators of systems larger than 500 kW receive 11.12 NT$/kWh. This system of incentives has enabled the domestic industry to install its own products in Taiwan as well and helped it to build the trust of international customers. Indeed, most Taiwanese firms in business today are anything but newcomers. Names such as Gintech, Motech, E-Ton, Neo-Solar, Kinmac and Delta have been well known for years among PV experts. As mentioned above, some of these companies are breaking new ground. Motech Industries, Inc., for instance, has entered into a joint venture with ­Itogumi Construction Co. Ltd. to found Itogumi Motech Inc. and acquired a module factory in Hokkaido. Also in 2010, Motech purchased the GE Energy solar module factory in Delaware. Furthermore, since 2006 Motech has offered inverters in addition to cells. Another notable point is the increase in inverters from Taiwan in recent years. Delta Energy Systems has just presented its Solivia inverter for Asia and North America. Along with Delsolar and DES, the Delta Group has expanded its interests to small-scale wind. The photovoltaics industry is now developing independently of the semiconductor and chip industries in Taiwan as well. It is doubtless that synergies between these industries will occur, for instance, in the field of thin film and flat-screen panels, but the days of the PV industry as a recycler for the semi industry are long past. In addition to core products like

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

The stream of visitors to PV Taiwan this year is expected to exceed that of 2009. silicon, wafers, and solar cells, Korean and Chinese manufacturers also fill the demand for plastic films, pastes, aluminium, glass, junction boxes, cables, and metal foils, to say nothing of the demand for electronic components.

Two trade fairs in Taipei Between October 24 and 29, 2010, two trade fairs will be held at the Taipei World Trade Fair Center (TWTC). PV Taiwan and its accompanying conference are dedicated solely to the PV industry, as the trade fair’s main partner – the semiconductor association SEMI – expects. Green Taiwan, on the other hand, is concerned overwhelmingly with clean energy (e.g. solar thermal and bioenergy), water technology, and the green environment (e.g. waste management). Green Taiwan occupies a complete hall at the TWTC, housing some 570 booths. Currently 610 booths are booked for PV Taiwan. The 2009 figure was 500, and in 2008 it was only 300. Considering the competition from Energy Week in Singapore and Solar Power in the US, the turnout is respectable and also reflects how important the trade fair has become to the Asian industry. Last year, the trade fair attracted a total of 10,160 visitors. It would not be too farfetched to predict that both trade fairs will surpass their visitor numbers from last year. The issue is far too important for that; and it has reached not only government circles, but also the general population. And, naturally, also because the renewables industry represents a viable alternative for the semiconductor industry, which has been plagued by boom-and-bust cycles. Indeed, without a doubt Germany could be next to show just how quickly the wrong political decisions can knock a contender out of the leading position in no time flat. Whether developments like those that occurred in Japan will prove to be a lesson to the other Asian countries remains to be seen. The suspense is palpable... Sven Tetzlaff Further information: PV Taiwan: www.pvtaiwan.com Green Taiwan: www.greentaiwan.tw

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Motech

Advertorial

Company Profile

First class solar cells and modules from Motech Motech Headquarters in Tainan, Taiwan 

M

otech Industries, Inc. expects that due to increased competition in the solar industry, the solar race will rapidly advance from a walk to a sprint. Dr. P.H. Chang, CEO of Motech, and his team of 3,500 employees have not wasted any time. Since joining the solar business in 1997 Motech has become one of the leading solar cell manufacturers worldwide and has been steadily expanding its business around the globe. Motech Industries Inc. was founded in 1981 by former chairman, Mr. Fu-Tien Cheng. In 1997 Dr. ­Simon Tsuo, the present Chairman of Motech, returned to ­Taiwan to set up Motech Solar Division after having worked at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the USA for 18 years. In the year 2000, ­Motech was the first company in ­Taiwan to start mass production of silicon solar cells. In 2004, the company became one of the top 10 largest crystalline silicon solar cell manufacturers in the world. In 2006, Motech began manufacturing ­inverters. “Motech inverters are regarded as the most efficient inverters according to the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) inverter list,” says Richard Chou, ­President of Motech Instruments Division. In 2009, Motech ­solar cells were certified as REACH-SVHC compliant. This means that the company takes extensive

AE Polysilicon facility, Pennsylvania, USA

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photos (2): Motech

The leading Taiwanese cell manufacturer keeps expanding its business around the globe.

precautions in the production of cells to protect its workers and the environment and still provides ­customers with the highest quality products. In 2010, Motech’s IM 156 cells were certified by the SGS Group as the world’s first polycrystalline cells to gain PAS 2050:2008 Carbon Footprint Verification. Also in this year, Motech continued to follow its path of becoming vertically integrated in the silicon solar industry with the integration of Motech Americas, LLC, the partnership to create Itogumi-Motech, and the ­initiation of module manufacturing at SNE in China. “In order to thrive under the industry’s challenges solar companies must have healthy financial structures and economies of scale to break through barriers and succeed,” Dr. P.H. Chang is convinced. Just a few examples of how Motech has ensured a strong financial ­basis for further growth: At the end of 2009, Motech partnered with TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, who invested a 20 % stake in Motech to advance R&D and strategic management. In May 2010, AE Polysilicon (AEP), a subsidiary of Motech in Pennsylvania, USA, successfully deposited polysilicon using fluidized bed reactors (FBR) which allowed ­Motech to achieve an improved overall cost structure without compromising quality. In June 2010, AEP’s partnership with TOTAL, one of the world’s largest ­energy suppliers, quickly accelerated the company’s global presence and helped to develop their proprietary polysilicon platform. “We want to maintain our strong presence in ­Europe, the world’s largest and most mature market, by continuing to provide our European customers with high quality products and services,” says Sam Tsou, Vice President of Business Operations. In addition, Motech will continue to make advancements in the next fast growing markets, such as the USA and Japan, where governments are granting renewable ­energy subsidiary policies including attractive FiTs for ­solar ­development. As to the overall goal in the coming years, Dr. ­Simon Tsuo has a clear vision: “Our aim is to provide our customers with the confidence that all ­Motech branded products are backed by substantial support in terms of technology, reliability and customer service. With this backing, customers will have ­confidence in obtaining financing for their projects, no matter their scope.”

Contact: Motech Industries, Inc. South Taiwan Science Park, No.2 Dashun 9th Rd., Sinshih, Tainan, 74145, Taiwan Phone: +886-6-5050789 Fax: +886-6-5051789 E-mail: [email protected] www.motech.com.tw

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thermography

Heat  reveals faults S&WE cartoon: Michael Hüter

Gremlins cannot hide from the all-revealing view of a thermographic camera, whereby it makes no difference whether it is a roof-mounted system or a megawattsized farm. Just as diverse are the range of faults that, with the growing level of expertise, can now be detected and differentiated with even greater detail.

T

hermography can be used as a universal aid in many areas of photovoltaics. Not only can installation companies test the quality of their own installation work as well as check and certify the components used, faults can also be quickly localised in the system. Furthermore, IR images and independent expert appraisals enable investors to ensure that they have received the product quality that they have paid for.

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Technology must be acquired

However, as in many other areas there is also a catch with PV thermography. Despite a continual drop in prices, thermographic cameras are still relatively expensive, whereby even the starting prices for devices suitable for small- to medium-sized installations are considerably greater than € 5,000. Together with all the accessories, devices that are also suitable for inspecting MW-sized systems can even cost far in excess of € 50,000. Just a single additional telephoto lens, which is important given the lack of zoom len­ ses, can set you back more than € 5,000 with good devices. A further major cost aspect is the training of the camera operator. Although anyone can generate colourful images with the devices, only trained thermographers are capable of taking really meaningful thermograms that are more than just colourful images. Expertise is also required with the last stage – the in-

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

terpretation of the images. In addition to thermographic expertise, knowledge about photovoltaics is also required in order to be able to identify and interpret typical faults in solar modules and PV systems. It is only with experience in both specialist areas that a thermographic camera becomes a powerful tool in the hand of the operator.

Buy first and then get frustrated? In order to make meaningful use of thermography, you will need to be prepared to invest considerably more than € 10,000. This sum includes the costs of procuring a camera as well as for training and getting acquainted with the device. If you are not prepared to spend this amount, it makes more sense to commission an experienced PV thermographer. The purchase of a camera is anyway the very last stage when it comes to thermography. Besides commissioning a PV thermographer, it also makes sense first of all to undergo basic thermographic training, such as attending a one-day seminar. You should only take the next step once you have gained initial experience in taking images and can estimate their capability. At the beginning you can hire cameras, which, depending on the quality, cost between € 50 and 200 per day, in order to take

pictures yourself. When it comes to the more complex interpretation and processing of the images, however, it is still worthwhile calling on the support of an experienced thermographer at the beginning. Only at the last stage and after receiving several days of additional training, possibly even with certification, is it worthwhile buying a camera. After all it is only once you have gained experience in handling the devices – preferably from different manufacturers – that you are in a position to judge their capabilities. Data sheets and test reports can only provide additional support in this respect.

Training, certification – and then what? There are stories that keep doing the rounds in thermography. One of them is about a heating engineer who, when using an IR camera, misinterpreted the reflection of a lamp on a tile as a leak, and then set about demolishing the bathroom floor. Although there are not yet any similarly embarrassing stories from the PV thermography field, they are certainly conceivable. Therefore you should not cut costs with the training. Since thermography has formed an integral part of many fault analysis sectors for decades, manufacturers and other providers offer a wide range of training programmes. These range from

Image of an 8 kW system in the visual and infrared spectrum. Bottom left: module with irregularly heated cells (patchwork pattern) that is internally short-circuited; bottom right: two heated cells caused by shading  Photos (4): Bernhard Weinreich

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Photovoltaics

Panorama image of a multiMW plant in the visual and ­infrared spectrum, with around 14 MW in the field of vision: in the foreground are several strings that are not under load as their characteristic curves were being measured at the time the image was taken.

thermography

short, half-day introductions to six-day certified courses. However, there are still hardly any PV-specific thermography training courses available. After all, PV provides just a fraction of the applications for thermography. Those that you will find will mostly be halfday, in-house company training seminars offered by camera manufacturers and institutes. These often have only very limited practical experience with PV systems. The German Association for Solar Energy (DGS) wants to change this situation in Germany. For the first time it is offering a one-day special seminar on PV thermography, which will be held in Berlin on 12 November 2010 as part of its PV training programme. The Berlin Chamber of Skilled Trades and the ITC are also planning to hold PV-specific training seminars in the future.

Dull theory for colourful images Although it is not essential to have studied physics in order to use a thermographic camera properly, it is nevertheless helpful. This is because thermography touches on almost all sub-disciplines, spanning from radiation physics and geometric optics to thermodynamics. A brief overview can give you a better understanding. A thermographic camera acts as a kind of “light translator” that translates the part of the light that our eyes cannot recognise – the infrared spectrum – into visible colours. As with normal digital cameras, these colours are visualised on a display screen. A major difference between infrared radiation and visible light, however, is that we generally only perceive visible light as reflected light on surfaces – e.g. walls – that originally comes from a local radiation source such as the sun or a lamp. Although this reflection mechanism also occurs with the infrared radiation spectrum, all surfaces themselves radiate light. This has the advantage, for example, that you can also “see” at night without a radiation source, but it also causes difficulties with the calibration. A thermographic camera is effectively flooded with infrared radiation from all corners. This means the camera has to calculate out any irrelevant radiation that is also incident on the detector in order to be able to show a clear image.

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A graphic way of describing this measurement situation is if you were to take a normal digital camera inside a furnace in which all the surfaces are glowing white. Provided that you and the camera survive this thought experiment you will appreciate the difficulties faced by thermography. If you attempt to photograph a piece of glowing coal, you will notice that the glowing glass lens of the digital camera also radiates inwards on the detector, which incidentally itself radiates and in turn reflects from inwards onto the camera optics. This shows just how complicated it is to calibrate the camera so as to filter out all the misleading information that forms within the camera optics. This is incidentally also the reason why there are no complex, variable aperture zoom lenses available for thermographic cameras. The example with the furnace has been deliberately chosen because the dark red glow that we can all recognise from hot objects above around 600 °C, such as from stovetops or fan heaters, is exactly the same object or blackbody radiation that thermographic cameras perceive. The only difference in terms of how our eyes perceive radiation is that a thermographic camera can directly recognise objects below 600 °C and even below room temperature in terms of the objects’ own emitted radiation.

Emission versus reflection In contrast to digital cameras, which can generally distinguish between three different colours or wave lengths and, based on this, calculate mixed colours and wave lengths, mobile infrared cameras can unfortunately only measure the intensities of a radiation spectrum per pixel. Fortunately, however, the radiation spectrum changes not just with the surface temperature – its intensity also increases rapidly with rising temperatures. Based on this and using a calibration curve, thermographic cameras can interpret the radiation intensity received as a surface temperature and display them. For the precise interpretation of the temperature, the thermograph has to provide the camera with two other important pieces of information. The emissivity tells the camera how much radiation the surface under observation itself emits based on its own temperature and how much radiation it

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Photovoltaics

thermography ­ irectly or indirectly reflects from the environment. d Just as important is the ambient temperature that describes the environmental radiation intensity incident on and reflected by the object being observed. This parameter should not be confused with the air temperature, which can also be calibrated with many devices, but which is only relevant for objects that are very large distances away. When making thermographic measurements of PV generators, the ambient temperature is generally under the freezing point, and even under -40 °C when there are cold, clear skies. The reason for this is that infrared radiation from clear skies stems from air layers at an altitude of several kilometres. The two factors must always be jointly taken into account; neither of them can be considered alone. Unfortunately there are cameras available in which either one or even neither of the two factors can be calibrated. This therefore makes a precise determination of absolute or even relative temperatures impossible. The practised handling and correct calibration of these parameters is also important beyond the mea­ surement technique – because there will be a need for explanations. A thermogram that shows modules near the freezing point in summer will lead customers to raise questions. Even with a correctly configured thermogram you should also be able to explain why parts of the mounting system continue to be depicted with minus temperatures. It is only then that you can develop a basis for trust.

Conditions for conducting PV generator measurements There are also a considerable number of requirements relating to the conditions under which it is possible to thermographically measure a PV generator. Generalisations such as “not under 500 W/m² irradiance at the generator level and only with cloudless skies” can only at best provide guidance here. In detailed terms, the measurement technician will have to evaluate practically all aspects of the measurement situation as a whole. In addition to the two aforementioned factors, these include the air temperature, wind speed, module efficiency and viewing angle towards the generator as well as the type of generator mountings, model structure and faults you want to be able to identify and the preciseness in assessing specific faults, etc. Assessing all these parameters in terms of their relevance again very much relies on the experience of the measurement technician. By way of example to provide an insight into the decision-making process, if you are commissioned to inspect flatly laid, thinfilm modules with low efficiencies and glass cover plates in terms of inconsistencies in the cell quality, you should very much ensure that you have optimum measurement conditions: irradiance greater than 800 W/m², air temperatures as low as possible, absolutely clear skies and no wind. Should, on the other hand, you be required to inspect monocrystalline

modules to see if they have open contacts, you can still get good results with less than 500 W/m².

A question of the right point of view In PV thermography, particular importance is placed on the tools used for finding suitable positions for taking images of the generator. Inspections on foot and images taken from the roof of a neighbour’s house or from a ladder are measures that are generally only suitable for kW-sized systems. With MW systems, lifting platforms and high-level tripods are the usual tools. For additional detailed images, it can also be worthwhile, however, climbing down from the lifting platform. As glass depicted in infrared light is not transparent as it normally would be, this means that you can only recognise the temperatures on the glass surface of modules. Temperature differences between the cells or smaller hotspots are only shown by heat conducting through the 4 mm glass layer, whereby their structure is slightly blurred. You can improve what you can see by taking the image from a different viewpoint. If you view a module from the rear side, the heat emitted from the fault only has to escape through a 1 mm-thick EVA film, and the images will therefore have a much greater contrast. Furthermore, the EVA film has a greater and more angle-indepen­ dent emissivity that also facilitates the work. This

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

viewpoint is made more difficult or impossible, however, if it is covered up by parts of the mounting system. Moreover, this viewpoint can also be extremely dangerous for the camera, since it is particularly the expensive, high-resolution detectors that will not survive being pointed directly at radiation-intensive sources such as the sun. A split second is enough to cause more than € 10,000 worth of damage.

Measuring and post-processing It is best to already identify a fault in the PV generator when taking the thermogram. This then enables you to take one or more other detailed images of the affected point, making it easier to assess the fault more precisely at a later time. In practice, however, you are often required to take thermographic images of and document as many PV surfaces as possible within a short period of time. With large-scale systems, viewing and post-processing the images in evaluation software on the laptop is always the more convenient option, which also reveals more than when making evaluations on swaying lifting platforms. It is important that the images are arranged in the correct order. If you have failed to acquire module layout and inspection plans in advance, you will regret this when carrying out the post-processing. You will soon find yourself spending considerably more time on the evaluation than you did on the original thermal imaging. Although camera manufacturers of-

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Photovoltaics

thermography tions. For this purpose it is essential to bring along a handheld radiation measurement device in your measurement case.

Experience from practice

Thin-film module with a hot junction box caused by a faulty contact

fer various guidance aids and classification tools such as integrated digital cameras and voice memory functions, in practice it is much more important to adopt a structured approach when taking the images. With high-resolution thermographic cameras ranging from 640 x 480 pixels to 1 megapixel, digital camera images are anyway not entirely necessary for the classification. Nevertheless, they are essential for providing additional information about the condition of the generator, e.g. with regard to soiling. However, here it is mostly worthwhile taking along a proper digital camera, as the integrated cameras often do not have a sufficient quality and only provide adequate additional information with cameras with at least medium detector sizes. With cheap cameras with 160 x 120 pixels, you literally cannot make out very much at all with large-scale systems, with or without the support of a digital camera. Indeed, the greater the detail required when interpreting the faults, the more important it is to have additional measurement documentation – principally concerning the irradiance condi-

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In principle, thermographic images can find all faults related to power losses. The physical reason for this is that power losses from electrical installations are always unwanted transformations of electrical energy into heat. And thermographic cameras can trace this heat produced. The temperature resolution of the cameras even enables losses in the milliwatt range to be identified when they occur within small volumes, e.g. a tiny, cold soldering point for a cell connection. However, the measurement complexity grows considerably in accordance with the achievable resolution of the power losses. Milliwatt losses are therefore something more likely to be dealt with at the laboratory level, or related electroluminescence (EL) mea­ surements would be used. In practice, when inspecting a working system at the module level, it is only faults in the watt range that are really interesting. Typical characteristic failures in this respect include individual warmer cells caused by cell quality and contact faults or by moisture damage. In borderline cases, a more precise performance analysis of the affected module may be necessary, preferably using a characteristic curve measuring device. There are also characteristic failure patterns for defective bypass diodes and cell string contacting faults where it is clear that these require repair work or replacement. When detecting larger failures in PV systems, thermography also continues to have a large monopoly. Although string faults caused by unconnected or shortcircuited cables should be identified by a modern monitoring system by electrical means, this is often different in reality. When there are several module strings, for example, these are already connected in parallel before the input point to the data logger con-

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Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

nection. This means that if there are too many strings, even the best-configured system cannot differentiate between arrays with an overall lower module quality and those with an open string. Even failures in entire MW stations can remain unnoticed during the construction phase if a monitoring system has not yet been installed. Although this is fairly exceptional, such failures on lovely summer days can cost a lot of money. Of course thermographic measurements cost money, but experience has shown that on average enough power-reducing faults are found to enable the measurement costs to be paid back within just one or two years through the increased system yields. This calculation does not even include the serious damage that can be discovered at an early stage and which could otherwise lead to massive consequential damage such as a rooftop fire. It should also be pointed out that thermographic measurements do not have to be limited to the generator. In the much longer application of electrothermography in the field of switching boxes, many fires have already been prevented by the early identification of loose contacts. Such faults can also certainly be found in the photovoltaic field, and several fires are already known to have occurred even in the standard, preassembled junction boxes used these days for large-scale systems. Whether caused by sloppily half-closed string clamps or faulty plug connectors, thermographic measurements certainly have a good chance of revealing the culprit before it causes greater damage.

Prospects for the future Thermographic images can certainly predict system outages long before they actually happen. That is not difficult when a junction box or cell is illuminated with 130 °C on the display. It is not so easy on the other hand to forecast the further development of a new measurement procedure. Although individual

expert appraisers and institutes have used or investigated PV thermography for several years, the topic is still a completely unexplored area and the potential is far from exhausted. For example, manufacturers could more closely examine the mismatch in modules caused by different cell characteristic curves or convection flows. When analysing multi-megawatt farms, routines and hardware-based further developments would enable expert appraisers to offer inspections in future for a fraction of the current price. Even detailed findings on the losses in each individual cell that stand out from the mass of several million cells could be possible. The technology will certainly have to face up to the challenge of growing with the PV industry during the next few years, whereby thermography could gain considerable importance. Bernhard Weinreich

Monocrystalline module with a faulty hot cell; image taken from the rear side

The author is a certified thermographer and is Head of Thermography in the Engineering Department at Solarschmiede GmbH in ­Munich, Germany. His work includes fault analysis and system ­acceptance tests for PV plants.

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Photovoltaics

system technology

Future demands highly integrated solutions The future energy supply with a high number of decentral power plants depends on the use of innovative system technology. It is a precon­dition for a well-functioning grid and power management over all voltage levels.

I

n view of continuous cost reduction and efficiency increase in photovoltaic technology, a share of 12 % in the European energy mix is by no means utopian and is also profitable for the economy of a country. For Germany alone, being the largest European PV market, this target means that installed PV power must be improved significantly: it would have to increase from presently 5.5 GW to about 80 GW in 2020. With its study on grid integration of up to 50  GW of PV power, the Institut für Solare ­Energieversorgungstechnik (Institute for Solar Energy Supply Technology, ISET) has clearly demonstrated that an excellent correlation between PV power and grid load exists: consumption and generation are so well coordinated in terms of time that solar power of this scale can be fed in without the need for any additional measures. Consumers, producers and the grid must in future be connected to one intelligent energy supply system. This is because generation will in future increasingly take place decentrally and at all voltage levels – requiring grid management across all levels.

Grid management at all voltage levels

PV installations are more and more integrated into the grid management. The picture shows a 597 kW array installed by Rusol GmbH on the logistic center of their parent company Rutronik GmbH.  Photo: Rusol

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Innovative backup systems especially for the offgrid market, which is set to increase significantly in the ­future, ensure 100 percent supply security, integrating important functions for intelligent grid and load management. The grid management begins with the solar panel and the individual system components within the system and ends with intelligent energy storage. But also the coordinated load management by the consumers contributes to ensuring supply security in all situations and at any time of the day. Already today, solar inverters of the latest generation fulfil the task of reactive power compensation in the grid. The reactive power is used for stabilising the grid voltage, on the one hand, while any existing phase shifts at the grid connection point must be compensated, on the other hand. The reactive power compensation reduces the load on the grid infrastructure. Another important component of grid control is the continuous balance of energy generation and consumption. For ensuring the supply security in the integrated grid, it is indispensable that also the PV inverters that feed into the low-voltage grid reduce the supplied power when the grid frequency increases. The reduction of PV power is always only the second best solution because ultimately this results in valuable energy not being utilised. The alternatives

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

are to consume excess energy sensibly or store it for later use. For this, the load on the regional medium and low-voltage grids must be reduced, at least until the restructuring to a modern integrated grid, meaning a grid that can distribute varying energy amounts in all directions at only little loss, has progressed further. One possibility is own consumption, where a photovoltaic system can make full use of one of its special advantages: the excellent time correlation of energy generation and requirement. Especially around noon when solar power systems supply most energy, most of it is normally needed. Apart from its grid load reducing effect, own consumption is generally a topic relevant for the future in particular in view of the grid parity that will be reached in Germany in just a few years time. As soon as solar power has the same price as, or even a lower price than conventionally supplied electricity it makes sense for every owner of a solar system to consume as much as possible of the self-generated power. However, when we combine the power monitoring of the PV system with an electrical switchgear, we can also implement automatic solutions for increasing own consumption. Therefore, however, the system must not only know the generated power but also the current energy consumption. Consequently, a sensible technical solution must not only detect the PV power but also monitor the electricity supply meter. This is because the latter measures exactly the part of the generated power that is not consumed in the house. If feed-in takes place, the PV power ex-

ceeds the consumption and additional consumers can be connected.

Energy storage instead of power reduction In the medium term, however, temporary storage of PV energy with battery systems and supercaps will become an attractive solution. If you are capable of freely choosing the time of consumption of the PV electricity, you can increase the own consumption rate even further. In future, load transfer processes will play an increasingly important role in this context. Intelligent controls that build up so-called smart grids on the side of the consumer are realizable. They switch the various electricity consumers on or off depending on the available energy, taking both the energy requirement of the respective devices and the forecast generation into account. Instead of once again reducing the generation at this point, it makes sense to implement temporary storage additionally to load management. With today’s technology, it can already be implemented without difficulty, it is easy to scale, reliable and tested. By temporary storage of energy it is possible to absorb variations in generated power, at the same time, it allows for continuous energy consumption irrespective of the time it is generated. However, to ensure a purposeful storage that truly reduces the load on the grid it must take place near to the consumption and generation. Besides, only generated peaks

Photovoltaics

system technology

Typical off-grid solution 

Graphic: SMA

should be stored as any storage naturally involves cost. As far as energy that would otherwise be “wasted” by power reduction is concerned, storage already pays today. Using the latest battery technology, it costs only 10 to 20 €-ct/kWh – this is less than the purchase price for electricity for household clients. The first solutions for storing solar energy are already available in the market and will see significant technological progress in the years to come. Using temporary storage, it is also possible to fulfil the corresponding requirements of grid and load management. Three functions are most important in this regard: firstly, an uninterrupted energy supply that is capable of switching to solar-supported battery power supply in the event of a grid failure, thus ensuring the operation of important consumers. Secondly, the possibility to freely choose the time when PV energy is consumed by temporarily storing it. By this load transfer, the direct consumption rate can be

increased even further. At the moment, the battery capacity and the power of the backup inverted rectifier are limiting factors. A corresponding number of backup systems could thus contribute to the active power/frequency control of the integrated grid beyond the low-voltage grid – and this 24/7. Such decentralised primary and secondary control would be both cost-efficient and reliable. Thirdly, the decentralised buffering of the PV panels on the roof, e.g. for compensating local shading and still functioning at the quasi maximum operating point of the panel.

Supercaps for covering the peak energy requirement These modern capacitors are optimally suited for storing electrical current. Their indicated energy density is 5 to 20 kWs/kg while powers of up to 10 kW can be achieved. The number of cycles over

Intelligent system control solution of a PV system

Graphic: Rutronik/Rusol

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the lifetime amounts to approx. 1 million, the energy efficiency is about 95 %. The supercaps can be charged within three to five minutes and supply a lot of energy during a short period. Unlike conventional batteries, their function is based not on chemical but on merely physical processes. Any signs of wear and tear, which can occur in conventional storage batteries, can thus also be prevented. At present, lead-based accumulators are used in stand-alone systems; these are technically mature and, on principle, work reliably but frequently require high maintenance and achieve only a relatively short lifetime. This can be solved by combining short-term accumulators (supercap with more than 1,000,000 charging and discharging cycles) and a long-term accumulator (battery) with a correspondingly adapted power electronic charging management. Supercaps will undoubtedly be applied increasingly in future as power electronic components in intelligent accumulator assemblies. Their use in PV systems (grid managed and stand-alone system) significantly improves the energetic characteristics and market chances of these. Supercaps are the ideal components for improving the grid dynamics both for fluctuating supply and consumers. They are only at the beginning of their technological development, having an immense potential for improvement.

System communication becomes grid communication In future, system communication will be part of an integrated communication network for managing energy intelligently and depending on the loads. Using Bluetooth, system control solutions can be implemented particularly easily. This is because ­Bluetooth compatible devices connect automatically and quickly to a reliable wireless network. To be able to separate adjacent systems, a uniform network identification must first be defined for all inverted rectifiers of a system so that these form a common wireless network. In the next step, remote monitoring by any smart phone can then easily be implemented. Storage battery operated Bluetooth modules ensure the monitoring function or yield display irrespective of the time of the day. The energy supply of the future requires innovative system technology to ensure grid and load management across all grid levels. New technologies like the supercaps in combination with intelligent system control solutions offer a huge potential, but they are still only in their early stages. Once mature, they will give the use of solar power an enormous boost. Andreas Mangler The author is Director Strategic Marketing at Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente GmbH, Ispringen, Germany. Further information: Rusol: www.rusol.com Rutronik: www.rutronik.com

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Wind Energy

usa

American ups and downs After a record result last year, the US American wind power market has now collapsed dramatically. The mood in the sector covers everything from confidence to panic.

W

as that it already? In 2009 the US wind power sector experienced a phenomenal year of growth, topped only by China. The US Americans installed a total of over 10,000 MW of wind power capacity in 2009 – three times as much as Germany managed to newly install in its peak periods. And now the market has completely collapsed. The figures for new installations in the first two quarters are way below those of the so successful year before. In the first quarter of 2010 wind power expanded by approx. 500 MW, and in the second quarter by 700 MW. It thus seems that it will be impossible to even come close to the record installation figures from 2009. To put this another way, the installation figures for the second quarter lie 57 % behind the same quarter in 2008 and 71 % behind the same quarter in 2009. The situation is made more serious by the fact that investments in production sites and capacity expansion have also fallen dramatically. It was in front

176

of this backdrop that the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), together with environmental organisations, unions, companies and energy suppliers, made an urgent appeal to Congress. Its members should draw up a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) to provide investors and companies with a stable foundation for their investments and planning. “Strong federal policy supporting the US wind energy industry has never been more important,” said AWEAs CEO, Denise Bode, emphatically. “We have an historic opportunity to build a major new manufacturing industry. Without strong, supportive policy like an RES to spur demand, investment, and jobs, manufacturing facilities will go idle and lay off workers if Congress doesn’t act now – before time runs out this session.”

Too little support for the RES Just a few weeks ago the Senate – one of the two chambers of the American Congress – refused to include such a standard in an energy act. Support for the RES is present, but is too weak to get its way. Support for wind power comes mainly – and hardly surprisingly – from states which have a wind power potential or an established wind power industry, such

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

as in the wind belt of the Mid-West. Party allegiance plays no role here. 65 % of Republican voters, 69 % of independent voters and over 90 % of Democratic voters support an RES. It is similar when looking at the political players in the individual states. The Senator of the State of Kansas, for example, the Republican Sam Brownback, called for support for the RES:

The Windy Point/Windy Flats project is one of the largest wind farms in the United States. The 230 km2 wind farm spans 42 km along the Columbia River ridgeline. Cannon Power Group completed the first and the second phases with 400 MW in 2009.  Photos (2): Dennis Schwartz

“The RES title passed out of the Energy Committee requires by 2020 that 15 % of our country’s energy be produced using agreed upon forms of renewable energy, such as wind, solar, and biomass.” Brownback spoke vigorously in favour of an energy revolution in the USA, towards “clean”, sustainable and renewable energy supplies: “I would argue that most Americans believe that in addressing any challenge, it’s necessary to adopt a balanced, pragmatic strategy. In this case, a moderate RES would be an important step towards a cleaner energy future, but without the jobkilling provisions that come with cap and tax.” The AWEA welcomed the support of the Republican, whose party is otherwise better known for its pretty intimate familiarity with the American oil industry. AWEA head Bode commented: “We have 60 votes for an RES amendment and will continue to push for its consideration in this bill. Brownback’s statements about the RES demonstrate the bipartisan support that exists for such an amendment. Democrats, Republicans, environmental groups, labour unions, and companies across the country all strongly support the RES because it is essential for creating hundreds of thousands of American jobs, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing American independence from foreign oil.”

EnXco Inc. has installed 47 2 MW turbines by the North German manufacturer REpower in Goldendale in the US state of Washington for the Goodnoe Hills Wind Project Phase I.

“Not much is going to happen” The USA expert Annette Nüsslein, however, who became well-known in the wind power sector through the German-American Dialogue Of Renewable

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

177

Wind Energy

U.S. President Barack Obama discusses the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan with workers at Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Company, Inc., in Bedford Heights, Ohio. The plant manufactures turbine parts. 

Photo: EPA/David Maxwelll

178

usa

E­ nergies (GADORE), is not surprised by Brownback’s support. “The drivers of development in the USA are exactly those federal states and ministries which were just about holding back the Bush government.” But she doesn’t see the situation very optimistically now either, though. The support for renewable energies through President Obama, the individual states and past party borders, is being smothered by the deep chasm between Democrats and Republicans at a federal level. “Not much is going to happen here,” she concludes: “The fronts are hardened and there is no common line.” The support of the states alone won’t be enough to stabilise the situation for renewable energies. State support for renewable energies doesn’t play such a main role in the USA as in Europe, however. Huge wind and solar power potential, as well as sometimes high energy prices in the highly populated states, make renewable energies a good business opportunity more easily in the USA than in Europe. “Business” plays a big role in the United States and helps to overcome the odd hurdle or two when it comes to state support. What mustn’t be lacking, however, is capital – and exactly that is in short supply at the moment. The unwillingness or inability of banks stricken by the financial crisis to finance wind power projects is the second barrier which is piling up in front of the American wind power industry. The lack of capital could also have long-term negative consequences. The first signs of a prolonged financial crisis in the American wind power industry are now coming to light. The project pipeline for this year is still well filled at approx. 5,500 MW, says the AWEA in an attempt to calm public opinion and its own member companies. This enables a forecast of

6,500 MW of newly installed capacity to be made for this year as a whole, says the association. But what may happen after that is enough to make even intrepid hearts sink. “Beyond 2010, there is a dramatic drop in the project development pipeline after the 5,500 MW under construction – that is, there is no demand beyond the present “coasting momentum”,” says Bode, sounding the alarm. And at least as important as having capital to invest is having a positive economic perspective – and that is lacking too at the moment. When order levels are low, then investments are also not made in increasing production capacities, explains Bode, turning to elementary economics for a moment. And the current events in the energy sector are opposed to the pro wind power stance in the American population. In the two previous years more wind power capacity was installed than gas power plant capacity, but this year there will be a turnaround. The newly installed coal and gas power plant capacities will be higher than the newly installed generation capacities of all the renewable energies put together.

Still everything to play for But maybe everything will turn out quite differently, for America is after all a land of contradictions. “There have always been ups and downs,” says Annette Nüsslein for example: “Stable growth for wind power would be very untypical for the USA.” There’s still everything to play for; don’t forget, last summer the AWEA predicted just 6,500 MW of newly installed capacity for 2009, and it turned out to be over 10,000  MW. And hope springs eternal! Jörn Iken

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Wind Energy

usa

“A national RES is the best course for the US” S&WE spoke with Kathy Belyeu (AWEA) about the reasons for the weak installation figures, political frameworks and the future development of the US wind power industry. S&WE: Mrs. Belyeu, is the US wind industry going downhill? The renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) is a tax break for Belyeu: It’s true that wind turbine operators and is effectively an additional payment of we have seen a small 2.1 US-ct/kWh. The PTC is the most important state support mechamount of new wind anism for wind power in the USA. It was introduced in 1992 and has projects commisbeen temporarily extended again and again – most recently within sioned in the first half the framework of the Recovery Act in February 2009 and valid for a of this year. As you further three years until 31st December 2012. can see from the SecDevelopers of wind farms joining the grid in 2009 and 2010 ond Quarter Market may additionally choose whether they would like an investment tax Report that we recentcredit (ITC) of 30 % instead of the PTC. This choice is also available ly released, the first for wind farms completed by 2013, as long as construction has behalf of the year makes gun before the end of 2010. The ITC is approved by the Treasury De2010 look more like partment in the form of a grant. Source: AWEA 2007 than 2009. From what we see in terms of projects under construction, we are expectWind farm in Dillon, ing the second half of 2010 to be stronger than the California first half, but we are expecting to see full year instal Photo: Iberdrola lation numbers in the 2007 range, meaning we expect to see at least 5,500 MW completed in 2010.

Production tax credit/Investment tax credit

missioning some projects until the first quarter of 2009. And it was also strong in the 4th quarter because there was a bonus depreciation policy that expired at the end of the year. In the stimulus bill passed in early 2009, the federal government allowed project developers to choose to take either the production tax credit or take instead an investment tax credit that would be paid in Treasury grants as soon as the project was commissioned. That helped keep the wind market from collapsing in 2009. One reason we have seen a low first half of the year is because a surprisingly strong 2009 depleted the pipeline for early 2010. Unfortunately, another reason we have seen a slow early half of 2010 is because the market fundamentals are challenging for wind now. Electricity demand is low as the US struggles to emerge from recession and the price of natural gas, which tends to set the electricity price, is also low, which makes wind projects less relatively competitive. As you know, there is no mechanism in the US to put a price on carbon emissions, and therefore the no-carbon profile of a wind plant is undervalued.

S&WE: What are the reasons? Belyeu: In the US, commissioning of new projects is usually stronger in the second half of the year than the first half because the weather is better in the second half of the year for construction and, in the past, project developers have had to complete projects by the end of the year in order to comply with tax incentive deadlines. In 2009, there were policy reasons why the first quarter was uncharacteristically strong: owners expected to see beneficial treatment in the stimulus bill, so held off com-

S&WE: What are the prospects for putting a price on carbon or creating a stable platform for the wind market? Belyeu: AWEA pushed very hard to see a national renewable electricity standard passed by the start of summer. As you know, a national RES did not pass the Senate before the start of summer recess and now the Congress is on break through the end of the summer. We continue to push for a national RES and believe that it is the best course for the US. There is a possibility that the Congress will consider an energy bill when it returns in the fall, and we will do everything we can to be included American Recovery and Reinvestment in such a bill if it is considered. In the meanAct of 2009 – the Stimulus time, we will continue to work to shore up state RES and work to make sure that the The stimulus bill is officially called the “American Recovery transmission infrastructure can accommoand Reinvestment Act of 2009”. It was passed in February date large-scale wind development. 2009 by the US Congress. It aims to create millions of new jobs and stimulate investment and spending during the reThe interview was conducted by Jörn Iken. cession. The measures in the financial package cover a sum of US$ 787 billion. The Recovery Act contains tax breaks and Further information: investments in the education and health care systems, infraThe AWEA report can be found at: structure, science and research, and renewable energies. www.awea.org/publications/reports/2Q10.pdf The investments for renewables and energy efficiency within the framework of the stimulus amount to US$ 27.2 billion. 

180

Source: Wikipedia

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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Wind Energy

Germany

Still room for growth

The German installation figures for the first half of 2010 are already indicating that the year will be less impressive than 2009. Indeed, the global wind market as a whole is now weakening slightly.

C

onstruction is continuing, on both land and water. In the first half of 2010, 332 wind turbines with a total capacity of almost 660 MW were installed in Germany, two of these offshore. By the cut-off date of June 30th, approx. 26,384 MW of wind power capacity had been installed (see table 1). But the year as a whole looks set to fall short of expectations. This at least is the view of the German WindEnergy Association (BWE), which as in every year presented the figures of the German Wind Energy Institute (DEWI) in association with the German Engineering Federation VDMA Power Systems.

182

“A very long and unusually severe winter led to the postponement of installation of many wind turbines until later in the year,” was how the BWE president Hermann Albers explained the slow start in the first six months. Moreover, he does not expect that 2010 will achieve the total level of the previous year, which booked 952 wind turbines with a total capacity of 1,917 MW, but instead that the year-end total will be a little below this. The BWE is already forecasting clear growth in the installed capacity in the individual federal states for 2011. “Planned area expansions in Schleswig-

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

There are some things you can always rely on.

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In a sea of fog: four turbines on top of ­mount Rosskopf near Freiburg in ­Baden-Wuerttemberg.  Photos (2): dpa

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Installed capacity only in 2010

21,308

332

Installed capacity (MW)

26,383.66

659.18

Offshore capacity (MW)

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Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

183

Wind Energy

Germany Table 2: Top 5 Federal States (cumulated installed capacity) Federal State

Cumulated installed capacity until June 30th 2010 [MW]

Lower Saxony

6,558.08

Brandenburg

4.259.68

Saxony-Anhalt

3.402.11

Schleswig-Holstein

2.937.08

North Rhine-­Westphalia

2.894.46 Source: DEWI

Holstein, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and a new federal state government in North Rhine-Westphalia will give fresh impetus to land-based wind power,” hopes Hermann Albers. Regarding maritime wind power, he believes that between 300 and 400 MW should be possible next year. However, all forecasts are based on various unknowns. Indeed, so far the actual installation of offshore wind turbines has been considerably behind schedule. Construction is overly dependent on the weather conditions, while the technology and pro­ cesses are too new to allow reliable projections for the future, believes Carsten Ender, the DEWI statistics expert. And the financial crisis, generally now believed to be over, is still making banks hesitant about offshore projects because they regard seagenerated power as excessively risky. But a reliable forecast remains difficult even on land. Here too, there are numerous different factors that influence developments. Will new land planning regulations be introduced, will there be changes to the German Renewable Energies Act (EEG), for which the next amendment is scheduled for January 1st 2012? The pro­cess of repowering – the replacement of old wind turbines with new ones – has so far failed to gain momentum. Only 15 old wind turbines were replaced by nine new ones in the first six months of this year, resulting in an increase in the installed capacity from 5.98 MW to 18.9 MW. The problem is that many of the originally installed wind turbines in Germany, which have al-

184

ready reached the age for repowering, are outside the areas designated for wind power by the local authorities. If they are dismantled, then no new wind turbines can be installed in their place. To date, the replacement of old wind turbines by new ones has progressed in fits and starts. “The steady impetus for repowering will come when the wind parks in the designated zones gradually start to be repowered, i.e. from 2012/2013 onwards,” estimates Carsten Ender.

Lower Saxony leads the field When it comes to the regional distribution of wind parks, the federal state of Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany is the clear leader, in terms both of new installation in the first six months of 2010 (173.85 MW) and of the total installed capacity (6,558.08 MW). And this despite a conservative-liberal federal state government, which has however recognised that wind power is an important economic pillar for this structurally weak federal state. In second place after Lower Saxony is the “motherland” of wind power in Germany, Schleswig-Holstein, with new installation accounting for 118.26 MW in the first six months of 2010. An Eastern German federal state, Brandenburg, then accounts for third place (see table 3). On the other hand, Brandenburg holds second place for total capacity, with 4,259.68 MW (see table 2), while Saxony-­ Anhalt takes third place with 3402.11 MW. The East Germans are also the leaders in terms of net electricity consumption: wind power accounted for 47.77 % in Saxony-Anhalt, while MecklenburgWestern Pomerania – which lies on the Baltic – achieved a wind-power share of 41.95 %. Both federal states are viewed as being structurally weak and the wind-generated electricity from these regions has to be transported into the major economic centres in the south of Germany and in the RhineMain and Ruhr regions. This is why further expansion of the grid is the key to the development of wind power in Germany.

The 2 MW class remains dominant The average capacity of the installed wind turbines has dropped slightly as well, falling below the 2 MW

Table 3: Top 5 Federal States (newly installed capacity) Federal state

Installed capacity from January 1st to June 30th 2010 [MW]

Lower Saxony

173.85

Schleswig-Holstein

118.26

Brandenburg

90.80

North RhineWestphalia

53.60

Saxony-Anhalt

47.10 Source: DEWI

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

mark which had still been achieved in the first six months of 2009. “This may look different by the end of the year,” says Ender. The offshore 5 MW wind turbines, just two of which have so far been installed in the Bard Offshore I wind park in the first half of 2010, form an important factor that influences the average capacity. In 2009, the development of the Alpha Ventus wind park accounted for 12 such wind turbines. However, the lion’s share of installed wind turbines continues to be in the class between 2 and 2.9 MW, accounting for a share of 82.8 %. It is in this category that an increased number of new suppliers such as Eviag, e.n.o. and Avantis have entered the market in recent years. Moreover, the trend is now towards larger rotor diameters. In the first half of 2010, rather fewer turbines with a rotor diameter of over 90 m were installed as compared to 2009: They accounted for 11.6 % of the newly installed capacity. “The majority of wind turbines still have rotor diameters in the 60 to 90 m class, but a downward tendency can now be discerned here,” comments Ender. The average hub height is increasing as well – more than half of the wind turbines installed in the first six months of 2010 had a hub height of over 100 m and thus a total height of over 140 m. This fact is significant for the further expansion of wind power because some regions of Germany apply a height ceiling of 100 m – the industry associations have long been advocating the abolishment of this limitation.

Regional distribution of the wind parks installed in Germany in the first six months of 2010. The largest number of wind turbines were installed in Lower Saxony, followed by Schleswig-Holstein, Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt. Graphic: DEWI

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Sun & Wind

Energy 10/2 009

The global market also weakening Nowadays, Germany is no longer the world’s most important wind market. The USA and China have long overtaken the former world champion in installing wind turbines. However, the Germans continue to hold one world title: that of world export champion. Although in 2009 the German market ­accounted for only 6 % of the global market, the turnover of German wind power manufacturers represented 17.5 % of the global turnover. The industry’s export rate is now running at 75 %. “This clearly underlines that the German wind power industry was able to maintain its leading position in the glob­ al market last year. Wind power ‘made in Germany’ is in worldwide demand – above all in the key markets in Europe, North America and Asia,” says Thorsten Herdan, CEO of VDMA Power Systems. But even the global wind power market will not be able to maintain its 2010 level. This is due above all to the slow turnover in the USA: In the first half of this year, only 1,300 MW came online (see also ­pages 176 to 180 of this issue). “In view of these half-year figures for the USA, we must assume a downturn of almost the half in comparison to 2009.” In this year a grand total of 9,900 MW went online.

Enercon turbine in Rhineland-Palatinate  Photo: Tanja Ellinghaus

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Wind Energy

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The main reason for this development is the cheap gas prices, explains Herdan. These prices make it unattractive for the US energy suppliers to conclude power purchase agreements (PPA) with the wind park operators and thus to buy their electricity. However, Herdan believes that this is only a temporary problem. “The prospects for the coming years are significantly better, also because the US government is planning measures to stimulate the market once more. Furthermore, as gas prices rise, the energy suppliers will once again wish to diversify their power supplies, meaning they will utilise wind power.” This means that the German manufacturers have invested there at the right time. “Those who come to the market later will find it very hard to catch up with the established suppliers.” For 2010, VDMA Power Systems expects a glob­ al market volume of 38 GW, which would thus be ­only a little below the level for 2009 (38,343 MW). By 2011, Herdan believes, the global market will be growing again. But even if the Germans export a large proportion of their wind turbines, the domestic market should not be neglected. “The domestic market is the crucial technological showcase that actually facilitates exports to many other countries. Furthermore, one requires a stable domestic market to maintain value creation in just this domestic market. So without a domestic market there is no value creation either,” stresses Herdan. And so the general conditions in Germany must be positive, as ­VDMA Power Systems and the BWE agree: Windfriendly spatial planning, a reliable Renewable Energies Act and the energy plan of the Federal Government which should emphasise the technology aspect of the German wind power industry. “The energy plan must require and promote our industry’s technological lead. We must improve our research activities and use the strengths of Germany as a technology location to ensure that our wind turbines are always that little bit better in terms of efficiency, availability and ultimately cost of energy, thus giving us an advantage on the global market,” urges Herdan. So the industry associations are already in the starting blocks, aiming to uphold the impetus in wind power which they believe is coming. Indeed, the wind power industry now represents a major branch of the economy in Germany: according to the BWE, 100,000 people are employed in the sector. Furthermore, the BWE tirelessly stresses the importance of wind power in halting climate change. “If the German federal states inhibit the industry’s development with their spatial planning regulations, then Germany will fail to achieve its climate protection targets,” points out Albers. Here he refers to the obstacles currently blocking a further expansion of wind power in numerous federal states: large distances from settlements and above all a height limitation of 100 m. 

188

Katharina Wolf

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Installation works in the construction field of Baltic 1, the first German offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea

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Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

measuring wind power

189

Wind Energy

Drive train concepts

Growing diversity

The development objective is a compact unit with reduced weight – here the hub of an EWT turbine.

As time passes, more and more alternative concepts are joining the classic design approach for the drive of a wind turbine. One important line of development is that of permanently excited generators.

T

he economical use of wind energy calls for reli­ able turbines, especially when these turbines stand kilometres off the coast in the stormy wa­ ters of the North Sea. That actually is a truism – but the drive train nevertheless continues to provide grounds for design improvements. The prevalent fail­ ures of gearboxes and generators which dogged the branch six or seven years ago have been overcome meanwhile, but expensive maintenance and repair work is still placing burdens on the operators’ bal­ ance sheets. Investigations within the framework of a programme headed by the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) – appropriately bearing the project name “Protest” – have shown that a wind tur­ bine suffers faults requiring the attendance of a tech­ nician team up to five times a year. In terms of num­ bers, as could be expected, electrical components are more often the cause than mechanical com­ ponents – but by far the greatest costs are incurred in case of mechanical failures, and here above all by those affecting the drive train.

190

Photo: Emergya Wind Technologies (EWT)

Two fundamental types with variants The drive units of wind turbines can generally be di­ vided into two fundamental types: those with and without gearbox. The latter are currently experiencing a strong upswing with the direct drive concept. Around a dozen manufacturers worldwide have gear­ less turbines on the drawing boards, as prototypes in test installations, or even already as part of their reg­ ular portfolio, among them Lagerwey, Directwind from EWT, Enercon, MTorres, Darwind, Goldwind, ­Siemens, GE Energy and Vensys. The geared systems are designed either on a modular basis with two main bearings, e.g. the tur­ bines from Vestas (V 39 to V 90-2MW), REpower (5M and 6M) or Gamesa (G8X-2MW), or else with 3-point suspension, like various older and also current mod­ els from Bard, Nordex, GE (2.x), Siemens, REpower (3.XM) and Suzlon. Depending on the nominal out­ put, the machines are configured with either one or two “planetary stages”, which can then be combined in various ways. Both designs are very similar. Their advantage: they can be scaled up relatively easily with off-theshelf components. The differences between the two concepts begin with their handling of bending mo­ ments: “The principal benefit of two main bearings,”

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

according to the Protest researchers, “is that the gearbox is not subjected to bending moments.” By contrast, a single bearing is not able to take up bend­ ing moments. With a 3-point suspension, it is the gearbox housing which must handle the loads from bending stresses. An adaptation of the gearbox concept is to be found in the so-called “integrated drive trains”, as implemented on the offshore turbine from Multibrid (M5000) or the onshore systems from Ecotecnia, ­Nordic Windpower and Vestas (V90-3MW), the ­Gamesa G10x and the two turbines with nominal out­ puts of 1 and 3 MW from WinWinD Oy. This drive train foregoes a conventional rotor shaft. A bed plate trans­ fers the rotor loads to the tower, leaving only the turn­ ing moment on the gearbox. The advantage of these concepts lies in the low head weight of the turbines, though the integrated design does at the same time make it more difficult to replace individual compo­ nents.

Permanent magnets increasingly popular For the future, great hopes are being pinned on gen­ erators which are operated with permanent magnets instead of electrical excitation. The current state of the art are magnets with the rare earth metal neo­ dymium in the alloy NdFeB (also commonly designat­ ed NIB magnets), which were first made available in lab samples in 1985 and are in the meantime to be found in all high-quality applications. These particu­ larly strong magnets are able to substitute high lev­ els of electrical excitation. Permanent magnets have already been in use in industry for some time, for example in small electric motors and generators – so-called PM or PME gener­ ators. In the past, such magnets were much too ex­ pensive for large-scale applications, but now, with the expiry of relevant patents and the discovery of new neodymium deposits, the price has begun to slip. Correspondingly, use in the large generators for wind energy has become an interesting option. ­WinWinD, for example, has been working with perma­ nently excited generators for a number of years and has incorporated them into all WinWind turbines up to the 3 MW class. The generators themselves are supplied by Finnish manufacturer ABB Oy, who re­ ports that the demand is rising constantly. In midSeptember, the company presented a new genera­ tion of PM generators for the output classes 1.5 to 3.6  MW. The advantages of this design: as it is not necessary to draw off excitation power, the machine displays a higher level of efficiency, particularly in the partial-load range – a weighty argument, as wind tur­ bines operate predominantly under partial load. Ac­ cording to GE Energy, similarly an advocate of perma­ nent magnets, it is reasonable to expect a 2 % higher annual yield. Another benefit is the lower weight. The generator rotor is significantly lighter and more ­compact.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

One disadvantage to be taken into account is the more complex assembly. Given the lack of experience to date, furthermore, it is not yet possible to make re­ liable statements on the practical service life of a PM generator. It cannot be excluded that the field strength may deteriorate in the long term, in a similar manner to the known degradation of photovoltaic cells, with the result that hardly anyone is prepared to give warranties for the next 20 years. The greatest handicap, however, remains the price. Despite the re­ cent decline, a synchronous generator with perma­ nent magnets is still considerably more expensive than a double-fed asynchronous generator, the cur­ rent standard unit for wind turbines. The supplies of neodymium could also prove problematical as PM generators come into more widespread use – the wind branch faces strong competition for the avail­ able material in the automotive and electrical engi­ neering branches.

Summary: Unity in diversity

Easily recognisable: gearless machines – here from EWT – are shorter, but at the same time larger in diameter. 

All this notwithstanding, business with the generators is developing nicely for ABB Oy, whose conviction is that the future lies pri­ marily in permanently excited equipment. Juhani Mantere, Technical Manager with responsibilities in “new business fields” at ABB, has identified three lines of develop­ ment with regard to PM generators for wind energy: “The future belongs firstly to gear­ less drives with a synchronous PM generator and nominal speeds of 17 to 30 rpm, second­ ly to PM generators with an integrated slowrunning gearbox, and thirdly to the same gen­ erators as fast-running solutions. The second line, in particular, is suitable for offshore appli­ cations with high nominal outputs. In our opin­ ion, the gearless variant is still too heavy, ­despite the lighter PM generators.” Christian Nath, Vice President for Renew­ ables Certification at Germanischer Lloyd ­Industrial Services GmbH, on the other hand, expects a gearless future: “As of to­ day, there is no answer to the question of the most promising concept. It can be stated, however, that there is a ten­ dency towards direct drive.” Nath makes no distinction between con­ cepts suitable for onshore and offshore realisation. “There is no difference between drive trains for onshore and off­ shore machines today. Visionaries indicated in the past that off­ shore might be a playground for the two-bladed ma­ chines again.” Jörn Iken

Graphic: EWT

Wind Energy

multi-megawatt turbines

The next generation

The new gearless Siemens SWT-3.0-101 is considered as the biggest surprise in the 3 MW class. 

Wind turbines with a capacity of 3 MW are currently entering the market in increasing numbers. Recently, eight manufacturers have begun offering their new developments. The differences in their construction are surprisingly great.

T

he largest wind turbines have capacities of be­ tween 5 and 7.5 MW, but so far they have only been produced in small numbers. The wind energy market is dominated by turbines with capaci­ ties ranging from 2 to 2.5 MW. Now, the next step is imminent, and the series production of 3 MW turbines is beginning. Turbine types of eight manufacturers ­have been summarized in the table on page 196. As usual, the rotors are variable in speed, and the rotor blades can be adjusted, but this is where the similarities end. The significant differences show up in the drive train and in the grid feed-in technology. Three of the eight turbine types have no gearbox, i.e. the generator is driven directly. For more and more manufacturers, direct-drive technology is becoming attractive – and clearly all the more so the bigger the turbines are. So far, the electricity has been fed into the grid primarily by means of a doubly-fed asynchronous generator with a cycloconverter. This has the advan­ tage that only a small fraction of the capacity needs

192

Photo: Siemens

to be converted. As REpower emphasizes, this lowcost concept is also suitable for high capacities (see interview with Stefan Philipp on page 195). For a long time, Enercon was the only manufactur­ er to use a full converter and to generate the electric­ ity using an electrically excited synchronous genera­ tor. Now, GE Energy, Siemens and Vestas have fol­ lowed suit. These three manufacturers now also use a full converter, but they have opted for a permanent­ ly excited synchronous generator, which can be made more compact and lightweight and which is some­ what more efficient – but also more expensive.

Wind classes increasingly important The bigger the wind turbines become, and the closer one gets to the technical limits, the better the tur­ bines have to be adjusted to the respective location. The most important criterion is the average wind speed at the site; the second in importance is turbu­ lence. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has defined four wind classes (I to IV), which re­ fer, primarily, to the average annual wind speed. Wind class I applies to locations with an average an­ nual wind speed of up to 10 m/s; wind class II goes up to 8.5 m/s, wind class III up to 7.5 m/s, wind class IV up to 6 m/s.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

The three turbulence classes are represented by the addition of letters (A, B and C). A is the highest turbulence class and applies to locations with turbu­ lence of up to 18 % at 15 m/s; B stands for interme­ diate and C for low turbulence levels. Most of the wind turbines described here have been designed for turbulence class A, i.e. for de­ manding locations in a country’s hilly interior. At sea, turbulence is generally lower, and wind speeds are higher. This is reflected in the classification of the GE Energy 4.0 (IEC IB). The connection between the wind classes and the rotor diameter is illustrated by the example of the 3  MW turbine developed by Acciona. At sites with high wind speeds, the smallest rotor is used (100 m diameter). At intermediate wind speeds, a rotor diam­ eter of 109 m is ideal, and at low wind speeds one of 116 m. Enercon does not vary the rotor diameter, but ad­ justs the hub height to the various wind classes. At wind class IA locations, the E-82 E3 is set up on an 85 m high tubular steel tower. For poorer sites (IIA), Enercon recommends the concrete tower made of prefabricated sections, which raises the hub height to 138 m.

Product overview Acciona: For Acciona, the 3 MW turbine AW-3000 is the first opportunity to distinguish itself on the world market with a new development. For each of the three wind classes IA, IIA and IIIA, Acciona offers the 3 MW turbine with a suitable rotor diameter. Among the new developments presented here, the AW-100/3000 is one of the few that are also suitable for locations with strong winds, classified as wind class IA. The main shaft has double bearings, which pro­ tects the drive train, especially the gear mechanism. A feature that is typical of Acciona is the 12 kV gener­ ator, which makes a transformer dispensable due to its high voltage – provided that the nearest trans­ former station is located at a distance of not more than 5 km. The AW-3000 is mounted on a concrete tower that allows a maximum hub height of 120 m to be achieved.

Alstom: Three years ago, the French Alstom group ac­ quired the Spanish manufacturer Ecotècnia. Since then, it combines under its roof two totally different technologies for electricity generation: nuclear ener­ gy and wind power. Of course, nuclear energy is of much greater importance in the group, but rapid ex­ pansion of the wind power business is planned. The ambitious target is symbolized by the 3 MW turbine that has been developed under the control of Alstom and has little in common with the well-known tur­ bines from Ecotècnia. The drive train has been com­ pletely redesigned. The rotor hub now has a double bearing on the axle journal, a fixed axle. The forces acting on the axle journal are diverted directly into the tower by the main frame. The nacelle has been built in a modular fashion in order to limit the masses that have to be handled dur­ ing transport. No module weighs more than 85 tons. The lateral bulges of the nacelle, which provide space for the converter and the transformer, are typical of the ECO 100/110.

The Alstom 3 MW turbine comes with a completely redesigned drive train.  Photo: Alstom

Nacelle of the Acciona 3 MW turbine. The company offers its new product with a suitable rotor diameter for each of the three wind classes.  Photo: Acciona Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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The generator of the E-82 E3 is now cooled with water instead of air.  Photo: Enercon

In the GE Energy 4.0, the gener­ator is not placed be­ tween the rotor and the tower, but behind the tower. The generous space between the hub and the generator accommodates the converter.  Photo: GE

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Enercon: The E-82 is already well-tried at numerous locations worldwide and is one of the most success­ ful 2 MW turbines. Therefore, it was clearly of advan­ tage for Enercon to further exploit the possibilities of this turbine type. As usual, Enercon has managed to raise the capacity without increasing the swept rotor area, and although the generator now has to provide a power output of 3 instead of 2 MW, the nacelle has also not been substantially enlarged. The reason for this is that the generator has increased not in diam­ eter but in length and is now cooled with water ­instead of air. But this modification is also invisible from outside, since the cooling fins that are now nec­ essary are not located on the exterior, as in the ­testing phase. Instead, they are integrated into the ­casing.

Of all the 3 MW turbines, the E-82 E3 has the small­ est rotor diameter; thus, it is not suitable for sites with weak winds. In order to close this gap, Enercon has come up with another 3 MW turbine: the E-101 has a water-cooled generator, too, but its swept rotor area is 50 % greater than that of the E-82 E3. The extreme hub heights, which are made possible by using a concrete tower made of prefabricated segments, are typical of Enercon. The E-101 is offered with a hub height of 135 m, the E-82 E3 even with a hub height of 138 m. GE Energy: For several years, GE Energy was not ac­ tive in the offshore business. But this is about to change: through the acquisition of the Norwegian company ScanWind in September 2009, GE Energy has purchased a wind turbine technology that is al­ ready well-tried and that is basically also suitable for offshore application. Since 2005, Scanwind has erected a total of 13 gearless wind turbines on the Norwegian coast near Hundhammarfjellet. The first turbines put up have a capacity of 3 MW; the capacity of those erected since 2007 is 3.5 MW. GE Energy now wants to increase the capacity to 4 MW and plans to install the first turbine of the new type near Göteborg in Sweden next year. The first offshore application is scheduled for 2012. With a rotor diameter of 110 m, this turbine is in the range of the 3 MW turbines, which is why it is de­ scribed in this overview despite its greater capacity. The new wind turbine 4.0-110 has a very simple construction. The main shaft has double bearings and links the hub directly to the generator, which is not located between the rotor and the tower (as in the Enercon and Siemens turbines), but behind the tow­ er. This leaves plenty of space between the hub and the generator – enough for the converter.

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

“We want to maximize the efficiency of our turbines” Since 1996, the doubly-fed asynchronous generator has made it possible for many manufacturers to use variable speed operation technology in their wind turbines at low cost. Because the grid operators now make much higher demands on power quality, however, more and more manufacturers are using synchronous generators. A company that expressly emphasizes its preference for asynchronous generators is Germany’s REpower Systems AG. In an S&WE interview, Stefan Philipp explains the reasons. S&WE: Why does REpower still hold to the traditional, doubly-fed asynchronous generator with a partial converter? Stefan Philipp: The argument that the require­ ments of the grid operators are easier to meet us­ ing a full converter is basically correct. The effort a wind turbine manufacturer has to make is less if he opts for a fully converted system. A system that is based on a partial converter needs a lot more know-how, which has to be available in the compa­ ny in order to adapt the system to the necessary requirements. This know-how has to be built up in the company on a long-term basis, and a few years ago REpower decided to go that way. Today, we have the capability of meeting the requirements even with a partially converted system. And the requirements keep growing. In Germany, wind turbines increasingly have to provide certain systems services that used to be required only from conventional power stations. Therefore, we are of course all the more proud of the fact that we – with our MM series – are verifiably the first tur­ bine manufacturer to be able to fully meet these re­ quirements, with no limitations whatsoever. S&WE: Why did REpower take on the burden of developing this know-how in-house? Philipp: We want to maximize the efficiency of our turbines. In a partially converted system, about 80 % of the generated power output is fed directly into the grid via the transformer, and only 20 % is regulated by a converter. In a fully converted sys­ tem the entire energy, i.e. 100 % of the generated power, passes through this full converter. This has several consequences. All converters have losses. If only 20 % of the electricity is fed into the grid via the converter, these losses are substantially lower, and this improves efficiency. But there are also consequences for the operation management of the turbines. A converter that has to process only 20 % of the generated electricity is considerably smaller, of course. The probability that it will fail during operation is lower. The elec­ trical system is one of the main points to which we turn our attention. The recently published statistics show that the electrical systems are more sensitive

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

than, for example, the gearbox. Among other rea­ sons, this can certainly be attributed to the in­ creased utilization of full converters. Because we use a partial converter, the reliability of the wind turbine is definitely higher. S&WE: Does the partial converter have priority for REpower even for very big megawatt turbines, for ­example for 10 MW turbines? Philipp: We have introduced the 5M and the 6M in recent years and currently concentrate on these two turbines, of course. For each new turbine, we consid­ er which is the best technology that we can use. We have not yet started this analysis for any possible 10 MW turbines. According to current knowledge, I would tend to say yes. It would probably come down to the same concept. But only when the time has come for us to enter into analyses, will we examine which technologies are available on the market.

Stefan Philipp is the Head of Product Management of ­REpower Systems AG in ­Hamburg, Germany. 

Photo: REpower

S&WE: So there is not yet any reason to abandon the partial converter for capacities above 6 MW? Philipp: No. In terms of a technical limitation, there is no compelling reason to do that. The interview was conducted by Detlef Koenemann.

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multi-megawatt turbines

Wind Energy

Siemens: Undoubtedly the biggest surprise in the 3 MW class is the new development that has recently been presented by Siemens. This is because Siemens has the reputation of being conservative, and be­ cause it was assumed that the company would stick to its tried and tested gear mechanism for a very long time. Furthermore, the group includes the gearbox manufacturer Winergy, which has more experience in the field of wind power gearboxes than anyone else. Thirdly, the gearbox of the successful 3.6 MW turbine does a good job under offshore conditions. Hence, there was not really any compelling reason for ­Siemens to develop the direct drive system to ­readiness for production. Nonetheless, the gearless ­SWT-3.0-101 is now being launched. Siemens explains this step by the desire of the utilities (which are becoming ever more important customers) to set up wind farms with a higher profit­ ability. Therefore, the only solution is to “increase availability and profitability through innovative tech­ nology”, as the brochure describing the 3 MW turbine says. The innovation is in the generator, Siemens says, adding that the wind turbine has no gearbox, which saves more than half of all the moving parts and makes the turbine extremely reliable. This is also supported by the passive cooling system, which re­ quires a noticeably large cooler at the end of the na­ celle.

REpower has derived two new variants of its 3.XM: the 3.2M114 and the 3.4M104.  Photo: REpower

The recently developed Sinovel 3 MW turbine has already been installed at the wind farm Donghai Bridge off the Chinese east coast.  Photo: Sinovel

REpower: Starting with the turbine type 3.XM, which has been well-tried for quite some time, REpower has derived two new variants: the 3.2M114 has a fairly large rotor diameter and is thus suitable for locations with low wind speeds (IEC IIIA), whereas the 3.4M104 has been designed for wind class IEC IIA locations. This applies to hub heights of up to 100 metres. A hy­ brid tower, consisting of prefabricated concrete sec­ tions in the lower part and of steel in the upper part is currently being prepared. It will allow a hub height of 128 m to be achieved and will make the 3.4M104 suitable for IIIA sites.

Sinovel: The newcomer from China is the market lead­ er in its home country and since last year has ranked third largest among the world’s manufacturers. In or­ der to maintain this position, Sinovel offers ever larg­ er wind turbines. The recently developed 3 MW tur­ bine has already been installed at an offshore loca­ tion. A total of 34 turbines of the type Sinovel SL3000 form the wind farm Donghai Bridge (102 MW) off the Chinese east coast. Inside the wind turbine, a con­ ventional drive train operates with a three-speed gearbox and a doubly-fed asynchronous generator.

New wind turbines with capacities of 3 MW and more Capacity

Rotor diameter

Swept rotor area

Hub height Wind class Gear box Generator

Acciona AW-100/3000

3.0 MW

100.0 m

7,864 m²

120 m

IEC IA

yes

DFIG

Acciona AW-109/3000

3.0 MW

109.0 m

9,331 m²

120 m

IEC IIA

yes

DFIG

Acciona AW-116/3000

3.0 MW

116.0 m 10,568 m²

120 m

IEC IIIA

yes

DFIG

Alstom ECO 100

3.0 MW

100.8 m

7,980 m²

100 m

IEC IIA

yes

DFIG

Alstom ECO 110

3.0 MW

109.8 m

9,469 m²

100 m

IEC IIIA

yes

DFIG

Enercon E-82 E3

3.0 MW

82.0 m

5,281 m²

138 m

IEC IA/IIA

no

SG

Enercon E-101

3.0 MW

101.0 m

8,012 m²

135 m

IEC IIA

no

SG

GE Energy 4.0

4.0 MW

110.0 m

9,567 m²

85 m

IEC IB

no

PMG

REpower 3.2M114

3.2 MW

114.0 m 10,207 m²

93 m

IEC IIIA

yes

DFIG

REpower 3.4M104

3.4 MW

104.0 m

8,495 m²

100 m*

IEC IIA

yes

DFIG

Siemens 3.0-101

3.0 MW

101.0 m

8,000 m²

80 m

IEC IA

no

PMG

Sinovel SL 3000/90

3.0 MW

90.0 m

6,519 m²

90 m

IEC IA

yes

DFIG

Sinovel SL 3000/100

3.0 MW

100.0 m

7,962 m²

110 m

IEC IIA

yes

DFIG

Vestas V112-3.0 MW

3.0 MW

112.0 m

9,852 m²

119 m IEC IIA/IIIA

yes

PMG

* REpower 3.4M104: 128 m hub height in preparation (IEC IIIA) Generator: DFIG = doubly-fed asynchronous induction generator, PMG = permanent magnet generator, SG = synchronous generator

196

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Sinovel offers the SL3000 with a 90 metre rotor (wind class IEC IA) and a 100 metre rotor (IEC IIA). Models with rotor diameters of 105 and 113 m are in prepa­ ration. Vestas: With a swept rotor area of close to 10,000 m², the V112 is designed especially for those locations that could not be used profitably in the past due to their low wind speeds (wind class IIIA). In this regard, it can be compared to the Acciona AW-116 and the ­Alstom ECO 110. There are major differences both inside and out to the V90, which has been on the market for several years and which also has a capacity of 3 MW: the ap­ pearance of the V112 is dominated by the massive cooler, which is enthroned on the nacelle and is cooled only by the wind. Inside, a fairly long main shaft (which is absent in the V90 in order to save weight) drives the gearbox. A permanent magnet gen­ erator and a full converter ensure the high quality of the power that is fed into the grid. In order to allow the V112 to be transported even to remote places, it can be disassembled into compo­ nents, none of which weighs more than 70 tons.

The development continues The wide variety of turbine types shows that wind power technology is still right in the middle of its de­ velopment. No standard concept has emerged yet. In

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

particular, the competition between the turbines with a gearbox and those with direct drive will continue for a long time. The same applies to the technology for feeding the electricity into the grid: maybe the full converter will prevail one day, but this is not yet cer­ tain either. And the huge coolers on top of the ­nacelles of the Siemens and Vestas turbines clearly demon­ strate that there are still very different solutions even for heat extraction. Many surprises can still be ex­ pected in the future.

With a swept rotor area of close to 10,000 m², the V112 is de­ signed especially for locations of wind class IIIA.  Photo: Vestas

Detlef Koenemann

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Wind Energy

foundations

Four transition pieces at the German seaport of Rostock waiting to be shipped to the offshore wind farm EnBW Baltic 1

How stable are monopiles? On a number of monopile support structures in European offshore wind farms, transition pieces have slipped several centimetres downward, taking the towers with them. Furthermore, doubts have been raised about their long-term stability – cyclical loads change the sea bed.

M

onopiles are considered the standard solution for wind turbine support structures in European offshore wind farms. At shallow depths of up to 30 m, monopiles are the support structure of choice – the method is both economical and technologically mature. In the United Kingdom alone, some 1,000 windmills stand on monopiles, according to the European Wind Energy Association

198

Photo: Bernd Wüstneck/dpa

(EWEA). Now, however, there are doubts about the actual technological maturity of this type of support structure. In some offshore wind farms, technicians have diagnosed conspicuous “slippage” – vertical displacement at the so-called transition piece. All of the affected wind turbines have lost a few centi­metres of height. So far, the situation is neither drastic nor cause for panic. At the moment, no one can predict for certain how far this slippage will go or what the long-term effects will be. The fact is, strictly speaking, monopile support structures in use up to now do not have the necessary load-bearing capability.

Lack of adhesion in the transition piece What happened? “The concrete between the monopile in the transition piece is not sticking. That is causing the tower to slide downward,” says Peter Schaumann, explaining the problem. Schaumann is a professor at the Institute for Steel Construction at Leibniz University Hanover in northern Germany and is involved with service life estimates for offshore support structures within the framework of a research project. As early as 2008 Schaumann pointed out at the European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) that

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

current estimates of axial load bearing capacity for the pipe in pipe connection were too optimistic. Now the problem has reared its head in offshore wind farms already in operation. The Swedes responded to an inquiry about Vattenfall saying that Horns Rev 1 and Kentish Flats were affected. E.ON has not even answered a similar inquiry, but according to media reports the company is getting ready to inspect its turbines. Dong has already determined that monopiles in its wind farms are slipping. Currently, there is no reason to believe that other offshore wind farms with monopile support structures should not be similarly affected. The amount of damage these systems have suffered depends on the frequency and intensity of load shifting and is therefore time dependent. It is possible that right now we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. The problem can be localized at the point of transition between the monopile, rammed into the sea bed, and the actual tower of the wind turbine. This joint is constructed using a transition piece. The transition piece – a kind of casing slipped over the top of the monopile – is intended to correct any misalignment that occurs when the monopile is rammed into the soil. The hollow space of between 50 and 100 mm between the transition piece and the monopile is then injected with very hard concrete, or “grout” in the parlance of the industry, which is why it is called a “grouted joint,” a joint also common in the offshore oil industry. Nevertheless, Schaumann explains that there is an important difference. The main purpose of grouted joints used in the oil industry is to bear axial ­forces; in the case of a drilling platform, for instance, they generally bear the weight of the structure itself. The grouted joints in wind turbines, however, usually have to bear bending loads caused by wind pressure on the surface of the rotor blades. “Compared to the bending loads, the load created by the mass of the turbine head combined with the weight of the tower is relatively slight,” Schaumann emphasised in a paper for the trade publication Stahlbau in 2008. This highly dynamic loading causes the grout material to separate from the inside walls of the transition piece thus resulting in the tower slipping several centi­ metres down into the monopile.

Certifiers needed There are strict design recommendations for the entire structure. Schaumann’s assessment of the standard works used for grouted joints in use up to now is somewhat negative, however. In his Stahlbau paper cited above, he concluded, “The available standards and guidelines for offshore wind turbines do not adequately address measurement of the bending loads on grout structures. Next to the safe, simple empirical formulas presented for axial loading behaviour are mere indications of how bending loads should be measured for grout connections. And there is no concrete guidance on fatigue behaviours for mortared pipe-in-pipe joints. The guidelines reference S-N lines

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Rotor blade

Nacelle Transition piece with platform Tower

Grout layer Monopile (inside)

originally developed for standard-strength concrete, but their applicability to the very hard special mortars are currently the subject of research.” S-N lines are derived from so-called “coupon tests” used to determine the resistance of materials or components to cyclical loading. The test involves loading a sample, or coupon, with a regular sinusoidal stress until either the sample breaks or a certain number of cycles is achieved. In the S-N diagram, the nominal stress is plotted against the number of ­cycles. Thus S-N lines show a graph of material or component-specific behaviour. In short, Schaumann alleges that the standard works used for construction and design of monopile support structures do not refer to the appropriate materials specifications because the correct specifications are still being researched. Schaumann therefore concludes, “Economical dimensioning of fatiguestressed grout joints under bending loads is hardly possible using the guidelines available.” This conclusion is of special interest to Germanischer Lloyd (GL) and even more so to Det Norske Veritas (DNV). According to Schaumann, a consortium has already been established in Scandinavia to look into the details. DNV withdrew its recommendations for the axial load-bearing capability of grouted joints in November of 2009 and has temporarily replaced them with more conservative figures. The new figures are valid until measuring and construction rules for grouted joints can be revised. GL emphasizes that, despite the somewhat loose formulation in its guidelines, it has always recommended the installation of shear keys. Previous research findings confirm these conclusions, but further research is needed and will be pursued in a joint project with Leibniz Universität Hanover.

The grout material – very hard concrete – is injected into the hollow space between the transition piece and the monopile.  

Source: Vestas/ Institute for Steel Con­struction, Leibniz University Hanover

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Wind Energy

foundations

Weld beads as shear keys

Weld beads as shear keys add additional mechanical stability to the friction bond of grouted joints. Photo: Institute for Steel Construction, Leibniz University Hanover

Shear keys said to increase loading capability Schaumann emphasizes, however, that in general the grout joint connection is suitable for the particular type of loading that offshore wind turbines are subject to. Furthermore, he says that it is possible to upgrade existing turbines by using auxiliary support structures but that what is needed is a fundamental solution to the problem. To find a solution, insights from the construction of monopiles and transition pieces have to be gathered. The grouted joint, which relies almost entirely on friction, must in ­Schaumann’s view be augmented by mechanical joining techniques. “In order to increase axial load bearing capability, shear keys could be manufactured by deposition welding,” he explains. These elements on the exterior of the pile or on the interior of the transition piece create an “increased area of shear nibs,” says Schaumann. The shear keys can be designed in various ways, as a pure weld bead, a flat steel plate with fillet welds, or steel tubing with fillet welds. But Schaumann offers as food for thought that every additional weld affects the service life of the monopile. One also has to consider the possibility of replacing the super hard concrete used in grouted joints with a special adhesive. Schaumann’s Institute is also testing the use of two conical pipes running in opposite directions for the monopile and the tower. If the technique works, the transition piece could be done away with entirely in its current form.

Soil remembers The offshore industry may face further problems of an entirely different nature a few years down the road. Research at the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) indicates that monopile support structures are not nearly as stable over the long term as offshore wind farm operators assume – and hope. Research at the Institute of Geotechnics and Construction ­Management (GBT) have shown in a model that cyclical loads on monopiles can cause soil changes and result in the entire wind turbine tilting.

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“No soil behaves in a linear fashion,” says construction engineer Christina Rudolph, explaining the jumping off point of the research. Linear behaviour, she explained, would mean that the soil would “spring back” into its initial state once a load is removed. But that’s precisely what does not happen. While there is an initial range in which under slight loading a soil will return to its original state after a load is released, once a certain load – determined by the characteristics of the soil – is exceeded, a residual and irreversible deformation occurs when the load is released. “Every soil has a memory,” says Rudolph, illustrating her point. “The question is: how much will it forget?” Accordingly, a windmill with a monopile support structure would demonstrate the following behaviour: wind and waves generate a moment which the bedding reaction of the seafloor compensates for. However, at the point where the monopile disappears into the soil, cyclical loads and the deformation they cause in the monopile result in changes to the soil. The changes are due to processes taking place in ­water saturated sand – the geotechnical engineers sometimes refer to this as interstitial overpressure. The development of interstitial overpressure is a phenomenon which occurs under certain combinations of load frequency and soil permeability. However, changes in soil occur even in the absence of inter­ stitial overpressure. While most cyclical stresses load the monopile in an initial linear range, Rudolph says that some loading occurs in the nonlinear range. Over the long term, such loads can cause windmills to tilt. These processes are currently the subject of intense investigations at research facilities. At the GBT at TUHH there is currently a doctoral dissertation in which these processes were analyzed with a mathematical model and which enables estimates to be made with regard to long-term deformation. The long-term deformation estimates, however, are limited to loading from a single direction, which corresponds to a wind that always blows from the same direction – a scenario of limited practical use.

Soil friendly monopiles wanted Christina Rudolph now wants to extend the model. “The question I want to answer,” the construction engineer explains, “is what happens when the wind – as is the case in reality – comes from different directions?” Rudolph is at the very beginning of her research and does not yet have initial findings. She suspects, however, that by postulating changing wind directions the problem is unlikely to get any smaller. For monopiles that are already installed there is no remedy in sight. Preventative considerations are aimed at giving monopiles a more “soil friendly” design. Research at the GBT indicates that conical pipes, for instance, would significantly reduce soil movements resulting from wind and wave loads. Jörn Iken

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

safety at work

Wind Energy

Disputes in a legally grey area At the end of July a 27-year-old Swede died in a diving accident at the Bard Offshore 1 construction site in the North Sea. The question of which authority should deal with this and other future cases is still completely undecided, however.

T

he cause of the fatal accident in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has not yet been fully determined. It is only clear that a diver died who had been working at a depth of 40 m on the transformer platform of Bard Offshore 1, the first commercial German offshore wind farm in the North Sea. He was being supplied with an oxygen mix directly by a line from a Danish ship, but it got stuck during the operation and the oxygen supply became blocked. There are currently still many unanswered questions, however, on why the dive ended fatally: “There was another diver on standby. The Swedish diver also had additional oxygen flasks on him, which should have

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

last­ed for two hours in an emergency. Furthermore, there were also extra flasks available just below the surface and fixed to a basket. We also don’t know exactly what happened,” says Bard Spokesperson ­Andreas Kölling. Answers may be provided by video recordings of the dive, for example, or by recordings from the underwater camera mounted on the diving helmet of the victim. It is still completely undecided who will assess this evidence to possibly determine where the blame lies, though, and unclear how long this will take. The same goes for the blocked oxygen line. As diving experts have confirmed, there are lines available which cannot be bent enough to cause a blockage. It is also not clear which authorities hold responsibility beyond the German state boundaries, for the EEZ is not actually in state waters, which end twelve sea miles out. Everything exceeding this is governed by state agreements between the countries bordering the North Sea.

The first three finished turbines of the wind farm Bard Offshore 1 in the North Sea. This first commercial German offshore wind farm is to go into operation in the autumn of 2011. A professional diver from Sweden died here at the end of July during underwater work on the transformer station.  Photo: Ingo Wagner/dpa

201

Wind Energy

safety at work spectorate is also involved in each process and the employers must carry out a risk analysis for each process too. This sets out precisely which dangers lie in which tasks and what measures can be taken to avoid accidents. “We check whether these concepts are working and being adhered to. The rescue procedures in emergency situations play a very central role here,” explains Rottmann.

Complicated inquiries

Not for the faint-hearted: weld­ ing works under water Photo: Underwater Centre, Fort William

These thick pipe systems, which cannot be over-bent, can be life-savers for offshore divers. Apart from conveying video signals and audio communication to the divers, the pipe systems provide them with a special mixture of gases so that they can breath while under water.  Photo: Torsten Thomas

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New demands on the authorities In the future a whole string of wind farms are to go up in the German EEZ. At least statistically, the chance of serious or even fatal accidents during work activities will increase, and that investigation authorities will have to go into action. Until now, maritime construction sites employing many German and foreign workers have been an exception, however. Offshore technologies are creating a completely new situation, which the German authorities have maybe not fully prepared themselves for. At least as far as worker protection is concerned, politicians already recognised the signs of the times back in 2008, when the German Labour Protection Act was extended to include the EEZ. “Since then it has covered all workers, regardless of whether they are German or foreign,” stresses Uwe Rottmann, head of the German Labour Inspectorate in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. While Lower Saxony is responsible for enforcing labour protection in the southern part of the EEZ, authorities in Schleswig-Holstein are responsible for the rest: “We are currently building up an employee base in order to carry out the relevant checks,” reports Rottmann. But as the Labour Inspectorate doesn’t have any vessels of its own, it must rely on site owners to take them with them on their ships. For Rottmann the central subject is basically the organisation of working procedures. The labour protection and safety concept is firmly written into the planning approvals granted by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH). The Labour In-

Additionally, the regulations of the trade unions (BGVA1) are also valid in the EEZ. According to these, any employer which is a member of a trade union and which collects contributions for one, must regularly inform its employees on health and safety measures. According to the statutes of the German Common Occupational Safety Strategy (GDA), prevention measures are shared by the country, its individual states and accident prevention bodies. If there is an accident at work a dual system decides whether a trade union or the Labour Inspectorate must investigate the causes. Things then become more complicated, however. As trade unions of this specific type only exist in Germany, claims or damages resulting from serious or fatal accidents are only valid for German employees. When considering the EEZ and the mix of experts and vessels from many countries, things get even more complicated. This can be seen in the case of the accident involving the Swede. Normally the Public Prosecution Department automatically takes up casing involving unnatural deaths. At the moment the case still lies with the Public Prosecution Department of Aurich in East Frisia. “The matter is complicated by the fact that the accident concerns a Swede and that it happened on a Dutch ship which was not in German waters. We are not responsible outside the 12 nm-zone and will probably have to pass the case on,” explained the still actively investigating chief prosecutor Klaus Visser when asked about the case by S&WE. The question is on to whom, however. One option would be to colleagues from the Hamburg Public Prosecution Department, who could then investigate outside the coastal waters. They denied this when asked by S&WE, however. The accident happened neither on a German ship, nor was a German citizen responsible, they said. The Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation also does not see itself as responsible, as no German ship was involved and the accident was not a maritime accident, but an accident at work. Perhaps colleagues from the Danish Maritime Authority

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Exclusive Economic Zone

(DMA) will take over the case. The organisation investigates accidents involving Danish ships and has already taken a close look at the ship from this accident, which is now in Emden, East Frisia. “The investigation will take months. At the moment we don’t yet have all the evidence which the German authorities secured. There are problems with the coast guard, who took up the case,” reports Lars Henrik Jacobsen from the Investigation of Maritime Accidents Department at the DMA. Swedish authorities are also a possibility due to the nationality of the victim. They would have to make a request for legal assistance to the German Public Prosecution Department, which is not the responsible body at all: “It is completely unclear what will become of the case,” said Visser at the end of August, commenting on the state of affairs at the Aurich Public Prosecution Department.

The German waters in the North and Baltic Seas consist of the 12 nautical mile zone (socalled territorial sea) and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The German territorial sea is under the jurisdiction of the Federal coastal states. The area seaward of the 12 mile zone, which extends maximally 200 nm from the coastline, is the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which borders on the high seas. In the area of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, the German EEZ is largely identical with the German continental shelf, which is the sea floor extending for some 200 nautical miles from the coastline. In the Baltic Sea, the German EEZ is much smaller than in the North Sea because it is limited by the EEZs of neighbouring states.  Source: Bundesamt für Seeschiffahrt und Hydrographie But it doesn’t look that way. In the current case the maritime section of the federal police investigations unit should have been responsible. On the reasoning that the contractor Bard has its headquarters in Emden, the Emden coast guard investigated instead. But their responsibility also officially ends at the 12-nm boundary. Through international agreements and specific maritime legal conditions, the powers of the federal police are also limited. If, for example, a ship under a foreign flag enters the German EEZ, then the officers must ask politely whether they may come on board and carry out their investigations. One of the few exceptions has so far merely been breaches of environmental protection laws. Things are even more complicated for officials when it comes to wind turbines or special construction jackup ships, which stand on their four legs firmly on the seafloor of the EEZ. They are thus classified as platforms or structures. And as structures and platforms are not ships, the federal police has no authority. In cases of doubt the so-called country of registration must thus be called upon if there is a serious accident. But that can take a long time, as the current case shows. Torsten Thomas

The flag of registration decides The whole procedure is unsatisfactory for the Bard Group. The company had bought in the diving services on the transformer platform from the Danish company and wants certainty in the matter quickly to protect its own image. Just a short while back, in May, the subsidiary Cuxhaven Steel Construction had seen a fatal accident occur to an employee from the ­subcontractor Weser Wind GmbH. “Our own ­employees are subject to a very strict safety ­management, but the balance is still tragic. After the Cuxhafen incident we therefore put our subcontractors on an even shorter lead. In the case of the diving accident all regulations and safety procedures were met, as far as we are aware. A clear allocation of authority responsibility would be helpful,” stresses Kölling.

NorthNorth Sea: Sea: Continental Shelf/Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Continental Shelf/Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) 4°0'E

5°0'E

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Continental Shelf/EEZ Territorial Waters/12 nm Zone International Boundary Water Depths 0-10 m 10-20 m

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20-30 m 30-40 m 40-50 m 50-60 m Tidal Flats

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Geodetic Datum: WGS 84 Map Projection: Mercator (54°N)

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The German North Sea wind farms are being built in an Exclusive Economic Zone on the continental shelf. Bard Offshore 1 is situated in a water depth of up to 40 m. Graphic: Bundesamt für Seeschiff­fahrt und Hydrographie

http://www.bsh.de/en/Marine%20uses/Industry/CONTIS%20maps/index.jsp

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Wind Energy

service and maintenance

Small fry can still make

a big mess Compared to expensive gear box damage, a burned out capacitor or blown circuit box is small potatoes. But the sheer volume of electronics damage keeps managers and service teams on their toes.

W

Retightening: vibrations can loosen screws and bolts.  Photo: Enertrag

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ind turbines are like cars or any other ma­ chine. The more complicated they are ­under the hood, the more things can go wrong or require the services of a specialist to re­ spond to malfunctions. So far, there is no antidote in sight to counter the multitude of electronic pin pricks that occur inside of nacelles. One reason is because downtimes and costs are kept within relatively mode­ rate bounds. Nevertheless, a considerable amount of man-hours are consumed in the area of service. Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology

(IWES) compiled credible figures in a study. The stu­ dy was based on an assessment of 64,000 mainte­ nance reports from 1,500 wind turbines over a period of 17 years. A good half of the service calls were chalked up to electronics. There were three types of malfunctions: frequently occurring and easily reme­ died problems, negligible faults, and faults which re­ sulted in long downtimes and high costs.

“It’s not just typical wear” The key causes of brief downtimes were fuses and switches, cable connections, rotor blade misalign­ ment and problems with electronic controller units. Such faults, along with not easily classifiable ­problems, made up the lion’s share of breakdowns. ­Converter and generator

problems were less common but caused longer down­ times and were more costly. Statistically, problems with electronics were responsible for 3.1 days of downtime annually, and thus were just above the av­ erage for drive train components (2.6 days). “What is interesting is not just the frequency, but also the downtime caused by the damage. Downtimes will tend to be longer and failures more frequent, since more electronic components are being installed,” Stefan Faulstich of IWES predicted. Locating the source of a failure is also complicated when transis­ tors, capacitors, sensors or semiconductors give up the ghost. “It is not just typical wear, and you can’t just use monitoring systems like you can with me­ chanical components. Oftentimes, trying to locate a fault is like groping around in the dark,” he adds. IWES compared its assessment with findings from Denmark and various wind turbine designs. While mechanical parts were the first to go in old stall or pitch-regulated turbines, damage to electrical sys­ tems was high in variable-speed models. Even when compared to other international studies with data from more than 8,000 turbines, faults in the electri­ cal system were the number one cause of failures. A clue to the reason for these failures can be traced to the applications for which electrical components are used. “The external conditions wind turbines are sub­ ject to don’t always harmonise with the service life of electronic components. In general, when developing a maintenance concept, it is important to look at when and where various parts are likely to fail,” Faulstich says.

Troubleshooting is complicated While suppliers state how long their components will last under various conditions, they often do not know how long sensors or controllers will last within or out­ side of specified tolerances for temperature and moisture. When wind turbines become damp caverns and promote corrosion, or harmonics cause switch boxes to vibrate, the aging process of the electrical components is always accelerated. A frequent criti­ cism is that turbine manufacturers do not provide wear-out dates for supplied components and product replacement times are not always apparent in new turbines. Thus, when damage occurs, the experts have to be called in. “Suppliers often don’t even know where and how their parts are installed. It is impor­ tant to have documentation with exact plans showing which parts are installed in which turbines. Unfortu­ nately, on that score we are far from the standards applied in traditional turbine manufacturing,” says Gerald Riedel. Riedel is the Chairman of the Board at the German Wind Energy Association (BWE) and Head of Operations at GETproject of Kiel, Germany. A lack of documentation does not make troubleshooting any easier. “Damage to the inverter, the rotor blade controller, or damaged components on the controller circuit boards can be a tricky business. What further complicates matters is that model numbers for com­ ponents are often not the same within a single wind

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turbine series,” he says. Riedel, too, thinks that elec­ trical problems have been overshadowed by serious gear box damage. “Downtimes are limited and the rate of serious damage is not very high yet. The up­ ward curve in variable-speed turbines has not attract­ ed much attention yet,” says Riedel. Nevertheless, the frequency of these problems is an annoyance for managers because such faults and their causes, while not always apparent, are a fact of day-to-day operations. Service teams still have to be dispatched, if only to replace a one-penny item. “It raises the question of whether a small part like that will fail in one of the other turbines. So far, there are no specifi­ cations at all about which parts are supposed to be replaced when, and what the service life of particular components is. That makes it very difficult to develop a professional maintenance programme,” he says. Because things are likely to get more complicated be­ fore they get simpler, Riedel can envision specialisa­ tion within the maintenance field, “If there were dif­ ferent installers for mechanical and electrical compo­ nents, it would make some things easier.” There are certain cases, such as circuit board faults, which can only be remedied on site with a laptop and special­ ised knowledge,” he explains.

Some 50 % of equipment failures in wind turbines with gear boxes are caused by electrical problems.  Photo: SGS

Meltdown The business aspect of electronic damage for wind turbine operators depends in particular on insurance contracts and deductibles. A look at Allianz statistics shows that between 2005 and 2009, there were 4,019 damage claims and payouts of € 18.1 million. Generators and electrical systems were responsible for 44 % of damages. Between 1998 and 2004, the

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service and maintenance figure was 28 %. When things heat up in the nacelle, insurers like to speak of a meltdown. Whether insur­ ance covers the damage depends on what is speci­ fied in the electrical components clause. “The policy does not cover internal damage to components,” ex­ plains Thomas Andernach of Securitas insurance of Basel. Such damage includes defective connections or solders, the end of the service life of a component, burnt out capacitors, or a meltdown not caused by a verifiable external cause, such as a storm. Electronic failures are hardly a factor in the insurance business due to component clauses and deductibles. “The higher the performance of the wind turbine, the more likely problems are to occur. You can be sure of that. In the case of electronics, the main culprits are trans­ formers and especially control box fires. That’s why local nitrogen extinguishing systems would be a so­ lution,” says Andernach.

Thermal imaging camera inspection

Electronic failures not only affect the inner workings of a turbine, they can also affect wind vanes or other components on the nacelle.  Photo: Torsten Thomas

Consequently, insurers contractually require opera­ tors and service teams perform additional tasks. Among those tasks are regular cleaning of the trans­ former coils, and a biannual inspection of all elec­ tronic control boxes with a thermal imaging camera. “They are an excellent tool for detecting thermal pe­ culiarities in control boxes or in the turbine room. And it’s quick. While a trained expert (on a thermal imag­ ing camera) needs just a few seconds to detect elec­ tronic irregularities during operation, a quick manual inspection can take several hours. Furthermore, the wind turbine has to be stationary with the power switched off (for a manual inspection),” says Ralph

Müller of German service provider b-Experts, explain­ ing the advantages of a thermal inspection. Some typical problems are jumper resistance or screws loosened by vibration. “If, for instance, a cable clamp is too hot, it can be detected immediately and taken care of. Thermal images can also detect mechanical irregularities during operation,” he says, explaining a further advantage. Despite sensible arguments in their favour, demand for thermal images is severely limited. “It’s got to be free,” Müller adds.

Damage database planned Wind turbine operators who abstain from excessive preventative measures hold better cards. Damage not previously detected can be regulated better. Inde­ pendent service provider Enertrag has found that op­ erators are generally not interested in prevention, even though up to 50 % downtime in turbines with gear boxes is due to electrical problems. So far, cus­ tomers have not been willing to pay for preventative component replacements, according to the company headquarters. Still, things are happening on the serv­ ice front because the frequent small malfunctions cost time and money. Enertrag and its partners want to develop a database and a methodology to create a standard for preventative measures. Mathematical methods will be used to calculate component failures for the entire wind turbine. To that end, damage will be evaluated systematically, failure trends will be de­ termined, and a database generated. The methodol­ ogy will use electronics as a basis for determining what is likely to fail and when so that components can be replaced before they fail. Torsten Thomas Further information: Enertrag: www.enertrag.com Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology IWES: www.iwes.fraunhofer.de

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Height Rescue

Wind Energy

Without a net and double bottom If a person has an accident on a wind turbine, first aid is just the beginning of the rescue; the victim has to be got back down to the ground as well.

A

t outdoor temperatures of 35 °C a maintenance technician became unwell while climbing a chimney and took a break on an intermediate platform, where he then lost consciousness. His accompanying colleague was unable to abseil him down and the victim thus spent almost two hours unattended to in the baking heat of the chimney before experienced help was able to get him down. The victim’s core temperature had reached almost 50° C, and he died while still at the scene. Dirk Bergmann shouldn’t really need to describe this accident in order to argue the case for requiring proper height rescue training. The similarity to the dangers facing wind turbine (WT) maintenance teams is clear, but training how to get oneself or a colleague safely back down to the ground from great heights is legally required anyway for WT technicians. For in an emergency the wind power experts are on their own. “The fire brigade, especially volunteer services, aren’t able to cope, and emergency doctors are not obliged to climb to the nacelle,” says ­Bergmann. “Regardless of this, the victim must be brought down anyway,” he continues. According to statistics by the German trade association for energy (BG ETEM) there were at least 1,200 accidents in Germany between 2007 and mid-2009, with a clear majority taking place high up in the ­tower or in the nacelle. Bergmann is the founder and Head of the German company SHE Solution Bergmann GmbH und Co. KG. His company advises manufacturers, operators and service providers in the wind power sector on safety

Rescues with the CTE system go as follows: in the case of nacelle evacuation a steel rope with a counterweight is lowered from the nacelle. The CTE box fixes onto the rope pre-tensioned by the counterweight and the technician can abseil down in a controlled manner.  Photo: SHE Solution

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Height rescue a­ spects concerning wind power. A second mainstay is height safety and rescue training as well as training specialists in the use of the company’s own rescue equipment and “Personal Protection Equipment” (PPE) – the several kilos of utensils which protect the workers on the ladder and when outside the nacelle, and prevent them from falling. Additionally, Bergmann develops, builds and sells rescue equipment such as the abseiling and rescue unit “Rescue Lift”, the climbing protection system Climbtec and the crew escape system CTE.

Multi-functional equipment in use Height rescue, which has to be repeatedly practised, consists of three main tasks. Firstly, the victim must be treated within the scope of first aid. Although this is normally reasonably successful with the knowledge one has, the next step often seems to be an insurmountable problem: the victim must be moved to a place where abseiling is possible – generally the opening to the tower or the crane opening. Only then comes the abseiling itself. Many fail at step two, after giving first aid. If the victim has the accident on an intermediate platform while ascending or descending, then even if he weighs 100 kg, he can be fairly easily pulled to the ladder opening. If, however, the victim slips two metres down from the main level of the nacelle into the lower gearbox area, it will be impossible for his colleagues to pull him out with muscle-power alone. Bergmann relies on the “Rescue Lift” for this, which he developed himself – a sort of universal ratchet with many uses. “The equipment on the market cannot deal with the requirements for nacelle rescue and safe abseiling,” says the qualified safety engineer to explain his motivation. The lift can carry out rescues and emergency abseiling, and can also support more simple rope work under normal conditions. It requires, however, that the WT technicians also have their PPE

Death on the wire

The victim won’t always fall right next to the abseiling hatch. With the Rescue Lift people can also be rescued from the depths of the nacelle, as here at the foot of the gearbox.  Photos (3): Jörn Iken

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A person falls, but after a few metres the protection wire stops his fall. Saved: in his harness the victim seems to have survived the worst. But in some cases this can be a tragically wrong assumption. A person hanging freely can suffer suspension trauma, resulting in a collapse of blood circulation and possibly even death after just a few minutes. That hanging in a safety harness could be deadly was something which nobody believed at first. It was only a string of mysterious deaths among cave researchers after they had been hanging motionless in their safety harnesses for some time, which led a French doctor to discover this life-threatening suspension trauma – medical term “orthostatic syncope” – in the seventies. After falling, the person’s weight presses on the straps on their legs. This can squeeze the veins and prevent the flow of blood back to the heart. Large amounts of blood build up in the legs and are not available for the vital organs in the torso. The result: loss of consciousness, cardiovascular collapse and death. There have been confirmed cases in which death occurred within a quarter of an hour. After being rescued the victim must on no account be laid flat on the ground, as the large amount of blood flowing back to the heart can lead to socalled “death after rescue” due to heart failure. Instead, the rescuer must keep the victim in an upright position.

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on them while they work in the nacelle. Via two fixed points, which can be easily found in a nacelle despite the maze of beams, a rope can be rigged to carry the lift. This can then be used to lift up and move the victim without requiring a large amount of effort. Rescuing someone from the ladder is carried out in a similar way. The trickiest situation here is if the rescuer comes from below. He must manoeuvre past the victim while without his main fall protection, but still protected by his lanyard, in order to secure the Rescue Lift from above. Once he has managed this, he can lift the victim a short distance with the ratchet, free him from his fall protection, and then lower him in a controlled manner.

Nacelle evacuation The CTE system has a completely different case scenario to thank for its development. “The starting point here is not an accident by an individual with one injured person, but a need to evacuate the nacelle – for example in a fire,” explains Bergmann. The CTE system is permanently installed in the nacelle. It consists of a wire rolled up on a drum with a counterweight of approx. 300 kg. In the event of an evacuation the weight is lowered to the ground and thus provides the necessary tension on the wire. The people requiring evacuation from the nacelle each have a “sort of box” available, from within which they can clamp themselves onto the wire. The rescue equipment can then lower a large number of people at a moderate and controlled speed. “When the first person is hooked up to the wire and has left the nacelle, the second person can then do the same,” explains Bergmann. For patent protection reasons he doesn’t go into more detail about the construction and function of the CTE system which he has developed, though. Also not in the case of the offshore version which Bergmann is certain will achieve the breakthrough for his technology. The sixty-four-thousand-dollar question: how can the tension of the wire from the nacelle be maintained if it ends in a life raft on the water and the conditions are choppy? Bergmann also says nothing specific on this, stating patent protection issues

again. But he is certain: “It works. We have solved the problem with a device underneath the life raft.” The use of the SHE rescue equipment must be practised. Marketing Manager Silke Steen is building up a training academy for this with sites in Cuxhaven on the North Sea coast and in Velbert in North RhineWestphalia. At the Cuxhaven training centre the evacuation of a nacelle can be practised using the CTE system on a 20 m high tower in the harbour. Additionally, the participants also practise in real conditions at a tower in the North Sea.  Jörn Iken

Ladder rescue: an attack of weakness, especially with high outdoor temperatures, is the most common emergency situation which occurs when climbing ladders. Here, the rescuer, coming from below, must first climb past the victim, secure himself and then abseil the victim down.

It looks like a ratchet and sounds like one too. The Rescue Lift equipment is multifunctional and can be used with simple auxiliary equipment. The lift is even suitable for regular and short work and inspections which require the use of a rope.

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209

Bioenergy

Heat Supply

A view of New York City today. In 1882 a district heating network was installed using steam from power plants. Today, however, it is far from state of the art. Now small cities in particular are discovering district heat anew.  Photo: Rainer Sturm/pixelio.de

Renaissance of district heating in the US District heating networks are not necessarily sustainable and environmentally friendly. In the US, Americans are now rediscovering such networks. In combination with biomass power plants they could become a part of the energy revolution Americans, with their wealth of forests, are striving for.

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istrict heating networks bring different associations to mind. On the one hand, they are considered an energy-efficient way to supply defined residential areas with indoor heating and ­domestic hot water. Modern district heating systems enjoy a reputation for sustainable use of energy resources – a modern and environmentally friendly concept. In Europe, such heating systems are associated with the sight of gigantic heating pipes, usually in Eastern Europe, which slice through residential areas, are poorly insulated, and often leaking – a symbol of energy waste and obsolescence.

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Underground pipes for a district heating system. In this case, the supply and return-flow pipes are individually insulated.  Photos (2): Bios Bioenergiesysteme GmbH

The US, a pioneer in district heating In general, these are also characteristics which the Europeans attribute to the energy supply in large American cities, if they speak of district heating networks at all in connection with the US. This attitude is not fair to the Americans. It is true that the first attempts at district heating networks were made in Europe 2,000 years ago under the Romans, and in the early modern era too, heat steamed through pipes into the houses of France’s less fortunate. The true pioneers in the recent technological history, however, are the Americans. The first modern district heating network was created in 1853 at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. From there, district heating systems conquered the large cities – the first of which was Denver, Colorado, where the oldest continuously operated district heating network – in operation since 1880 – still serves 135 customers. New York got its start in 1882, initially installing a district heating network for lower Manhattan. Over the years, the New York city steam system has developed into the largest commercial district heating network in the world. The network boasts 2,000 customers in 100,000 commercial and private buildings, including laundry and restaurant chains, as well as indoor heating in public and private buildings. On the heels of the Big Apple, Boston installed a 40 km long district heating network in 1887. Shortly thereafter, Boston was followed by Cambridge and several dozen large cities on the east and west coasts of the United States. Another unique fact is that numerous universities have their own district heating networks. Nevertheless, district heating in the United States in its current state is anything but future proof. Since the 1970s an increasing number of utility companies have lost interest in heating networks, investing less and less money in maintenance. “Some of these networks are energy wasting monstrosities,” says Wulf Hohmann, a project engineer at Lahmeyer International, a German engineering company that counts energy systems

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

among its specialties. As a result of the neglect, the district heating networks have lost customers. That is set to change. District heating systems now enjoy political support in Washington. District heating is specifically mentioned in the multibilliondollar programme that the Obama administration set into motion over the past year. Vice President Joe ­Biden referred to developing cogeneration plants and district heating systems in the same breath with renewable energy – yet another key project for Obama. District heating networks will not be able to make an impact in Obama’s clean energy offensive, however, until their operators stop using fossil fuels and begin fuelling their heating plants with renewable energy sources – usually biomass.

Another alternative is to run both pipes through an insulated tube.

An initial project in New Mexico Because the discussion of heating networks is still relatively new, the number of projects concerned with linking biomass energy and district heating networks is highly limited. One of the first projects to be implemented since the rise of renewables is the biomass district heating plant in Santa Fe. In 2004 Austrian

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Heat Supply company Bios Bioenergiesysteme GmbH concluded a comprehensive preplanning and feasibility study. It was concerned with four micro district heating networks in Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, population 65,000. The Austrian company worked together with a non-profit energy services organization called Local Energy. The US Department of Agriculture – comparable to Europe’s agricultural ministries – provided support for the project within the framework of a biomass development initiative. In this first phase, Bios studied possible concepts. For the project, Bios’ engineers analyzed both a large centralized district heating plant for central Santa Fe, and an alternative plan using four micro networks. They collected data on heating requirements for the potential areas to be supplied, as well as the consumption behaviour of possible customers. At the same time, ­Bios generated a fuel study, in order to determine the requirements and the supply of biomass, which would ultimately be used to ensure the operation of the heating network. Feasibility studies rounded out the analysis.

The small American town Smethport is in the middle of the forest. In future, wood will serve as fuel for generating electricity and supplying heat through a district heating network.  Photos (2): Smethport

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“In phase 2 of the project, we decided for a biomass power plant on the campus of Santa Fe Community College with a nameplate boiler capacity of 1 MW,” project engineer Klaus Supancic recalls. The decision, therefore, favoured the distributed solution with four micro networks. Bios then set to work on design planning, including fuel logistics; they concluded this phase in 2006 when construction offers were on the table. It was not until a year later, in 2007, that the plant actually went into operation. “Unfortunately, that is also where it ended,” Supancic says. “For financial reasons, the other three micro-networks were not built. Additional heating pipes would have to have been built. That would have been expensive and no longer economically feasible.”

Small town in the forest The small town of Smethport, Pennsylvania, lays claim to having the first biomass-fired combined heat and power plant in the United States. The surrounding forests should offer adequate fuel. The fact that the first such power plant is located in a 1,700 resident community in the northern hills of Pennsylvania reveals the relatively low state of development of the biomass-for-district-heating-concept in the United States. “Smethport is considered a demonstration and pilot system,” Lahmeyer engineer Hohmann confirms. The very fact that comparable projects are so rare makes the undertaking in Smethport all the more high profile. For instance, Pennsylvania State University is taking part in the project and in the town itself, “many people took part as volunteers,” says ­Hohmann. The US Forest Service is also on board, as is the US Department of Agriculture. It is no accident that Hohmann’s firm was selected from a pool of 12 applicants. The US used to be a blank spot on the map for such endeavours. When it comes to renewable energy issues, European – and especially German expertise – is definitely sought after. To carry out a feasibility study for the Smethport project, a consortium was formed consisting of ­Lahmeyer, the American consultancy O’Brien & Gere, and two other German companies, district heating specialists GEF Ingenieur AG, and biomass specialists Seeger AG. The district heating network is designed to supply 600 houses in the community via a new network of pipes. The community is reducing the cost for the network by combining the construction of the new pipe system with a renovation of the municipal water system. Nevertheless, it still costs money. In an economic feasibility calculation Lahmeyer International put the investment at US$ 61 million. The two big pieces are the biomass power plant, at a cost of some US$ 23 million, and the district heating network at US$  26 million. According to the analysis, specific heating costs will be 120 US$/MWh. Lahmeyer considers that “competitive with current heating costs,” which are currently 100 US$/MWh. But this cost comparison, and thus the competitiveness of the biomass

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district heating, depends on a number of factors. ­Hohmann lists these factors: the price for waste wood, the level potential feed in tariffs, support from market incentive programmes, capital costs, and finally the current price for gas or oil, which is currently used to power heating systems in Smethport. Fossil fuel prices are currently at very low levels in the United States. However, that will not necessarily be the case for the entire 20-year period under consideration for the project.

No alternative to a municipal biomass district heating network Wood is the magic word spurring on development of new biomass district heating networks in the United States. Even Santa Fe, New Mexico, depends completely on private and commercial waste wood from gardens and sawmills – Europeans often like to associate this area with desert-like surroundings. That is only partially true, however; the surrounding mountains are up to 3,000 m high and densely forested. The Bios study revealed that within a 50 mile radius of the city – some 80 km – there was 1 1/2 times the amount of biomass needed to supply the large-scale 20 MW district heating plant under consideration. One of the reasons for considering a biomass power plant in the project at all was to mitigate the risk of forest fires caused by amassed waste wood.

That is one aspect that should interest other states as well – especially California. The Golden State loses hundreds of square kilometres of forest every year to uncontrolled wildfires which, among other things, are fuelled by the vast quantities of dry waste timber. Americans discover their wealth of forests. The lack of alternatives to using a combination of commercial wood waste and deadwood, which elevates fire danger, in a biomass district heating cogeneration plant was also a decisive factor for the Grand ­Marais project in Minnesota. The location on Lake ­Superior is not connected to natural gas lines and heats its public buildings with propane and oil. Grand Marais now wants to replace this expensive and environmentally damaging energy approach with a district heating network, including a biomass cogeneration plant. Engineer Charles E. Hartley of LHB Corporation, which is heading up the project, comes to the conclusion in a feasibility study that, “There is a growing consensus that our carbon based economy has to evolve to renewables... wood-based district energy is the most practical and cost effective heating alternative for Grand Marais. We have studied and seen other wood based alternatives to combustion like gasification or pyrolysis oils that require dried biomass and extensive clean-up equipment. We do not believe that this technology will be ready for deployment in district heating applications anytime in the near future.”  Jörn Iken

International Trade Fair and Conference for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficient Building and Renovation

November 25 – 27 , 2010 Trade Fair Area Salzburg th

www.renexpo-austria.com

th

Bioenergy

Pellets Industry forum

Curtains up

for efficient pellet fuel At the 10th Pellets Industry Forum in Stuttgart, experts from some 30 countries discussed the latest state of the technology and what the next ten years might bring.

T

Photos: Stephanie Hofschlaeger/ pixelio; Holzindustrie Pfeifer Montage: S&WE

214

he international pellets market and developments in renewable heating energy were two of the dominant topics at the 10th Pellets Industry Forum in Stuttgart, Germany. Richard Sikkema from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands opened the conference with an overview of current market trends and the prospects for the period up to 2020. The main trading flows for wood pellets are from North America to Europe and from Eastern Europe to Scandinavia. Generally speaking, it is possible to distinguish three categories for the use of pellet fuel. In Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, pellets are taken up by the residential heating market. In Scandinavia, on the other hand, wood pellets are consumed predominantly in medium-scale heating power stations which supply heat for district heating networks and at the same time generate electricity. The pellets imported from overseas, thirdly, are primarily destined for British, Belgian, Dutch and Polish power

stations. This structure will continue to characterise the pellets industry in the future. Pellets are no longer merely relevant as a heating fuel, but are instead playing an increasingly important role worldwide for electricity generation. In the long term, pellets could also be imported into Europe from South America and Australia. Another recent development in the branch, connected not least with the high demand for pellets for coal-fired power stations, is the emergence of so-called megaplants with annual output capacities of at least 1.5 million tons per year. One example is the production facility of Vyborgskaya Cellulose north of St. Petersburg in Russia. According to the company, the facility will be placing 900,000 tons of wood pellets on the market each year from 2011. Finn Normann Jensen from Andritz Feed and Biofuel, the supplier of the pelleting plant, expects a growth of between 130 and 150 million tons per year up to 2020. Other market observers believe that, despite the generally increasing demand, the

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pellets from Vyborg will lead initially to even fiercer competition on a market currently characterised by excess capacity. Although the branch is apparently optimistic concerning the production of wood fuels, there is a certain dissatisfaction to be felt with regard to incentive programmes, especially when it comes to heating systems. Martin Bentele from the German Energy Wood and Pellet Association (DEPV) paints a provocatively dark picture for sales of pellet heating systems, given the lack of stable framework conditions. A forum panel discussion, for example, comprised possible roads to a flourishing heating market. Representatives of the German and Austrian pellets industry, such as Beate Schmidt from Ökofen Heiztechnik GmbH, Markus Mann from Westerwälder Holzpellets GmbH and ­Christian Rakos from the branch association proPellets Austria, discussed possibilities to lend greater force to the renewable heating energy market with ­Peter Rechberger from the European Biomass Association AEBIOM, John Bingham, director of the British consultancy Hawkins Wright and editor of the bimonthly report Forest Energy Monitor, Jorrit Hachmer from RWE Supply and Trading Switzerland SA and Bernhard Dreher from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment. The participants were quickly agreed that the branch is still too young to reach its goals without support and corresponding incentives. Opinions diverged, however, on the questions of how and to what extent. A focus was placed on the German heating market and the German market stimulation programme. The government incentives take the form of grants to assist the installation of pellet heating systems. After a suspension of several weeks, this stimulation programme is now available once more, but the grant conditions have been modified and the German Pellets Association is not convinced of the continuity of the instrument. Consequently, it has elaborated a proposal of its own, which would provide for incentives independent of an annual budget volume. The importers of fossil fuels should pay a premium on the units of oil and gas sold, and in this way finance support for the users of pellet heating. The proposal for such a levy is not particularly popular in the relevant ministries. The German pellets branch has also identified political headwind in the energy concept of the federal government in Berlin, for example in the granting of licence extensions for nuclear power. From the viewpoint of branch representatives, the market for renewable heat is being neglected.

cent years have heralded a significant shift in emphasis. The established, conventional branches of industry have discovered the value of wood pellets and pellets obtained from other biomass sources such as straw, and see their use in large-scale power stations as a chance to reduce CO2 emissions. In the context of grants and funding, carbon emissions trading could become an increasingly relevant factor. From 2013, the major electricity-generating companies will be required to buy emission permits through auctions. If they co-fire biomass, for example in the form of pellets, on the other hand, they can acquire so-called Certified Emission Reductions (CERs). To keep expenditure on mandatory emission permits as low as possible, the power station operators are certain to step up their interest in biomass options. That, in turn, will call for new rules and standardised contracts for trading with biomass, said Albert de Haan from Carbon Rooster B.V. in the Netherlands in his presentation on the effects of carbon trading on the pellets market. The current research into the process of torrefaction is another aspect of considerable relevance for the industrial use of biomass and pellets. Great hopes are placed in torrefied and pelleted biomass, as this would achieve better properties for co-firing than the direct use of wood pellets, and could thus dampen the competition between wood for heating and for electricity generation. Martin Englisch from the Austrian Research Institute for Chemistry and Technology (OFI) summarised the present state of technology. There has been a lot of talk about torrefied pellets, but there are still no corresponding products on the market. Nine or more consortia are currently conducting research into torrefaction. The first industrial implementations have been announced for early 2011. The branch has busy times ahead, both in the original heating segment and in the new field of electricity generation – in research and in its tussles with politics. At the beginning of October 2011, its representatives will again be gathering at the Stuttgart Exhibition Centre to assess achievements and consider future prospects. Next year’s conference, by the way, is once more to be flanked by a trade exhibition with an expected 150 exhibitors. Katharina Ertmer

Pellets were here the focus of attention for a full two days – in the conference hall of the Stuttgart Exhibition Centre. Some 350 participants from 30 countries attended.  Photo: Solar Promotion

From heat to power generation While Germany and Austria view pellets above all in their role as a heating fuel, and thus seek to promote a decentralised heating market supplied from regional sources, the attention of international traders is concentrated on industrial pellets, as a co-fuel for the aforementioned coal-fired power stations. Such industrial use is geared rather to power generation than to heating energy. The pellets industry was at the beginning indeed focussed exclusively on heating, but re-

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Review

International FAIRS

International

Fairs

German American Energy Forum October 14, 2010 Washington D.C., USA The German American Energy Forum is a one-day event with the goal of establishing a dialog between experts in the fields of renewable energy from both Germany and the US. The Forum will present an opportunity to network with important organizations working in international energy policy, business, and infrastructure. Contact: German American Chamber of Commerce, New York, USA. Phone: +1/212/974-8852, [email protected], www.gae-forum.com

Texas Offshore Wind Energy Roundtable & Offshore Wind Law Conference October 19 – 22, 2010 Houston, Texas The TOWER Conference features policymakers and speakers from companies and will combine the experience of the European offshore wind energy industry, the Gulf and European offshore oil industry, and the streamlined business opportunities of the Texas offshore wind industry. The OWL conference will provide attorneys with a crucial understanding of the combination of laws governing Texas’ offshore wind energy development and their market opportunity. Contact: GACC South, Houston, USA. Phone: +1/832/384-1202, [email protected], www.tower-conference.com

PV Taiwan October 26 – 28, 2010 Taipei, Taiwan PV Taiwan will bring together manufacturers and about 250 exhibitors. The focus lies on new products and technologies as well as forward-looking forums. Contact: Taitra, Taipei, Taiwan. Phone: +886/2725/5200, [email protected], www.pvtaiwan.com

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Renewable UK November 2 – 4, 2010 Glasgow, UK About 3,000 people are expected to attend the RenewableUK 2010 conference and exhibition. Over 200 companies will be on display at the exhibition, which is open to industry and the wider public alike. Three days of conference sessions will address policy, development and technical aspects of UK onshore and offshore wind energy, wave and tidal energy and small wind systems. Contact: RenewableUK, London, UK. Phone: +44/207/878-2481, [email protected], www.renewable-uk.com

Key Energy & Ecomondo November 3 – 6, 2010 Rimini, Italy Key Energy, the international specialized fair for sustainable energy and mobility, and Eomondo, the international trade fair for material and energy recovery and sustainable development, will take place simultaneously at Rimini. Ecomondo focuses on waste, demolition and recycling, reclaim technology and treatment of primary and waste water. A whole area of Key Energy is dedicated to wind power. Other topics are energy saving solutions and PV technology. Contact: Rimini Fiera, Rimini, Italy. Phone: +39/0541/744-303, [email protected], en.ecomondo.com & en.keyenergy.it

Bauhaus Solar November 10 – 11, 2010 Erfurt, Germany The 3rd International Congress Bauhaus Solar wants to show that the era of incompatibility between aesthetic design and sustainable construction is over. International experts will be focusing in an interdisciplinary and practical way on the challenges which architecture and urban planning face as a result of climate change and the reorganisation of the energy industry. Contact: Messe Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany. Phone: +49/361/4001-770, [email protected], www.bauhaus-solar.de

Wind Farm Development November 10 – 11, 2010 Barcelona, Spain Wind Farm Development 2010 will bring together developers, operators and wind turbine manufacturers to address critical issues relating to the onshore and offshore development of wind farms. Contact: ACI Europe, London, UK. Phone: +44/20/7981-2503, [email protected], www.acius.net

Forum Solarpraxis November 11 – 12, 2010 Berlin, Germany The 11th Forum Solarpraxis industry conference will offer relevant and applicable talks on the current non-technical issues facing the sector, covering all forms of solar energy capture. It will focus on the political environment, market developments, public relations, financing and marketing. Contact: Solarpraxis, Berlin, Germany. Phone: +49/30/726296-304, [email protected], www.solarpraxis.de

Energy Storage Summit November 15 - 17, 2010 Chicago, USA The 3rd Energy Storage Summit will feature case studies, stakeholder-driven panels, and peer-to-peer dialogue designed to break barriers to large-scale adoption for multiple energy storage applications. Contact: IQPC, New York, USA. Phone: +1/800/882-8684, [email protected], www.energystoragesummit.com

DEWEK November 17 – 18, 2010 Bremen, Germany Topics of the 10th German Wind Energy Conference DEWEK 2010 are multi-megawatt wind turbines and the challenge of the very specific German far-offshore wind energy application as well as methods to increase economic efficiency, reliability and

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

durability. A parallel exhibition will feature manufacturers, suppliers, universities and engineering companies. Contact: DEWI, Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Phone: +49/4421/4808-0, [email protected], www.dewek.de

Wind Energy Fall Symposium November 17 – 19, 2010 Phoenix, USA AWEA’s Wind Energy Fall Symposium provides an opportunity to share successes and lessons learned with wind industry peers, while developing and enhancing professional relationships. Providing tools to operate in the global marketplace, the educational program is designed for participants to exchange ideas and experiences with other industry professionals. Contact: AWEA, Washington D.C., USA. Phone: +1/202/383-2500, [email protected], www.aweafallsymposium.org

EnerSolar+, Invex, PVTech & Greenergy Expo November 17 – 19, 2010 Milan, Italy EnerSolar+ is an international fair entirely dealing with photovoltaic and thermal solar power. On the first day there will also be Invex, an event dedicated to the inverter industry. The parallel show PVTech aims at manufacturers of machinery and technologies in the field of production and processing of polysilicon, ingots, wafers, cells and modules. Alongside these events Greenergy Expo takes place. The exhibition will be made up of different theme halls focusing

Announce your events Sun & Wind Energy offers you the announcement of your fairs and conferences – up to date and free of charge. Just feel free to send us your conference information regularly. In return we would appreciate to provide you with free copies of our international magazine for distribution at your event. Please contact: Robin Diekmann, e-mail: [email protected]

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

on geothermal energy, biomass, pellet industry, biogas, cogeneration, mini hydroelectric plants, biofuels and sustainable transport. In 2009, the events gathered together more than 26,000 visitors.

setting of a specific CPV feed-in tariff that would be a big boost for the CPV market. Contact: CPV Today, London, UK. Phone: +44/207/375-7187, [email protected], www.cpvtoday.com/eu

Contact: Artenergy Publishing, Milan, Italy. Phone: +39/0266/306866, [email protected], www.zeroemission.eu

Concentrated Photovoltaics Summit Europe November 18 – 19, 2010 Seville, Spain This event will set out how to prove CPV’s commercial viability, cut costs and secure finance. Visitors will get recommendations from customers sharing their industry views and CPV’s required next steps, and also hear the latest on projects in progress, market expectations and technical updates. Presentations from companies, panel debates, interactive round tables and working group discussions will address key industry challenges. Another subject is the

Renexpo South-East Europe November 24 – 26, 2010 Bucharest, Romania Renexpo South-East Europe 2010, the international trade fair and conference for renewable energy and energy efficient construction and renovation will bring together for the 3rd time suppliers and actors from the south-east European area at a central event. Themes of the trade fair are wind energy, biomass, hydropower, energy efficiency, smart grids, energy services and more. The accompanying conference Wind Energy in Romania wants to gather specialists in the wind energy field. Contact: Reeco Ro Expozitii, Arad, Romania. Phone: +40/257/230-099, [email protected], www.renexpo-bucharest.com

international informative

independent SUN & WIND ENERGY, the international trade magazine, offers you the opportunity to recruit

Professionals in Renewable Energies with your job advertisement from all over the world. Your job advertisement will also appear online at www.sunwindenergy.com for 3 months – free of charge! Please send your complete request to Ms Nannette Nopto, Phone: 0049/521/595-591, e-mail: [email protected]

217

Directory

> Directory Directory Biomass / Biogas Austria SOLARFOCUS GmbH Forschung, Entwicklung, Produktion und Handel von Solaranlagen, Biomasseheizung, Speichertechnik und Photovoltaik A-4451 St. Ulrich/Steyr, Werkstr. 1 Tel. +43/7252/50002-0 www.solarfocus.at, [email protected]

Germany LIPP GmbH Plant Construction + Environmental Technology D-73497 Tannhausen, Industriestr. 36 Tel. +49/7964/9003-0, Fax 9003-27 www.lipp-system.de, [email protected] Wodtke GmbH Heating with Wood Pellets D-72070 Tübingen, Rittweg 55-57 Tel. +49/7071/7003-0, Fax 7003-50 www.wodtke.com, [email protected]

USA Edwards Vacuum Provide Vacuum, abatement and local support for solar cell manufacturers One Highwood Drive, Suite 101 Tewksbury, MA - 01876 Tel. +1/800 848 9800, Fax +1/866 484 5218 www.edwardsvacuum.com, [email protected]

pellets – heating systems Austria Biotech Energietechnik GMBH Pellet and wood chips heating facilities, feeding systems and autom. feeding systems for pellet stoves A-5101 Bergheim, Furtmühlstr. 32 Tel. +43/662/454072-0, Fax 454072-50 www.pelletsword.com, [email protected]

Co-generation plants Germany MDE Dezentrale Energiesysteme GmbH D-86165 Augsburg, Dasinger Str. 11 Tel. +49/821/7480-0, Fax 7480-119 www.mde-online.com, [email protected]

Photovoltaics Austria Fronius International GmbH Fronius IG – grid-tied inverters for pv-systems. Offers great flexibility in configuration and easy instalation. A-4600 Wels-Thalheim, Günter-Fronius-Str. 1 Tel. +43/72/42241268, Fax 241224 www.fronius.com MAGE SunFIXINGS GmbH Producer and seller of Solar Mounting Systems for PV modules and solar thermal collectors A-9111 Haimburg, Industriepark Ost 2-3 Tel. +43/4232/27299-0, Fax -510 www.sunfixings.com, [email protected]

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Canada

Targray Technology International Inc a leading worldwide supplier of silicon, wafers, cells and cutting-edge raw materials to the PV industry H9J3Z4, Kirkland, Quebec, 18105 Transcanadienne Tel. 001/514/695-8095, Fax 001/514/695-0593 www.targray.com, [email protected]

CHINA KEPT INDUSTRY CO., LTD Design and Manufacture the Solar PV Mounting System, Tracker & Components for Roof, Ground & Huge Solar Power Plant No. 586 Qianhu Road, Wuxi, China Tel. +86//510/82829779, FAx 82799063 www.intelliware.com.cn, [email protected] SUNGROW POWER SUPPLY CO., LTD Sungrow offers a wide range of high-quality inverter products with competitive prices No. 2, New & High Tech Zonet RC-230088 Hefei, Anhui, P.R. China Tel. +86/551/5327834, Fax 5327858 www.sungrowpower.com, [email protected] Sunowe AUSTRIAN SUBSIDIARY: Zhejiang Sunflower Light Energy Science & Technology Co., Ltd. Subsidiary Europe Leading Manufacturer of PV Cells and Modules A-1040 Vienna, Prinz-Eugen-Str. 70/2/1.4a Tel.: +43/1/5054850, Fax: +43/1/5054860 www.sunowe.com, [email protected] Sunlink PV Co., Ltd Manufacturer of Solar Modules between 5 to 210 W charge controller, solar housing systems RC-2156000 Jiangsu, Wangxi Industrial Zone Tel. +86/512/58262253, Fax 58262258 www.sunlink-pv.cn, [email protected] Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. is a leading, vertically integrated PV module manufacturer. Certifications: CE, IAO9001 IEC 61215, Safety Class II Tel. +86/312/8929801 [email protected] www.yinglisolar.com

FRANCE Free Energy s.a.s. Thin Film (Amorphis Silicon) Cells and Panels ­Manufacturer F-62302 Lens Cedex, Erve Leon Droux BP 66 Tel. +33/3/21793060, Fax 21436588 www.freeenergyeurope.com [email protected] IBC SOLAR S.A.S. Savoie Technolac 18, allee du lac Saint Andre F-73370 Le Bourget du Lac Tel. +33/479/654246, Fax 654248 www.ibc-solar.fr, [email protected] Q-CELLS INTERNATIONAL FRANCE SAS Q-Cells product portfolio ranges from solar cells, crystalline and CIGS modules to turnkey photovoltaic systems. F- 69791 Saint Priest cedex (Lyon), 333, cours du Troisième Millénaire www.q-cells.com

Germany AMB Apparate + Maschinenbau GmbH AMB is the expert in wafer handling & automation technology. The highly developed systems transport thinnest wafers efficiently through several process stages in the production of solar wafers and cells D-86462 Langweid, Gottlieb-Daimler-Str. 4 Tel. +49/8230/70099-0, Fax -99 www.amb-automation.de, [email protected]

AS Solar We are a specialty wholesaler offering competitive prices in the branch of solar technology. D-30453 Hannover, Am Tönniesberg 4a Tel. +49/511/4755780, Fax -11 www.as-solar.com, [email protected] AXITEC GmbH High quality photovoltaic modules Made in Germany In the market since 2001. Pioneer in 10 years product warranty and plus tolerances. D-71034 Böblingen, Otto-Lilienthal-Straße 5 Tel. +49/7031/6288-5186, Fax +49/7031/6289-5187 www.axitecsolar.com, [email protected] AZUR SOLAR GmbH Your competent partner for customer-orientated photovoltaic solutions. All components from one source. D-88239 Wangen, Im Alpenblick 30 Tel. +49/7528/92080, Fax 920829 www.azur-solar.com, [email protected] BOSCH Solar Energy AG D-99099 Erfurt, Wilhelm-Wolff-Str. 23 Tel. +49/361/2195-0, Fax 2195-1133 www.ersol.de, [email protected] Canadian Solar Deutschland GmbH Manufacturer of ingots, wafers, cells, solar modules and custom-designed solar power application (eg. BIPV) D-80339 München, Landsberger Str. 94 Tel. +49/89/5199689-0, Fax 5199689-11 www.canadiansolar.com Donauer Solartechnik Vertriebs GmbH System Integrator of Photovolaic and Solar Thermal Systems D-82205 Gilching, Zeppelinstr. 10 Tel. +49/8105/7725-0, Fax 7725-100 [email protected] energiebau solarstromsysteme gmbh D-50829 Köln, Heinrich-Rohlmann-Str. 17 Tel. +49/221/98966-0, Fax 98966-11 www.energiebau.de, [email protected] Gebr. Schmid GmbH + Co. Process equipment and turnkey lines for the production of wafer, cells, modules and thin film application. D-72250 Freudenstadt, Robert-Bosch-Str. 32-34 Tel. +49/7441/538-0, Fax. 538-121 www.schmid-group.com, [email protected]

Maschinenbau GEROLD GmbH & Co. KG Front- & backened automation: integrated conveying & handling systems, autom. module assembly & finishing D-41334 Nettetal, Herrenpfad-Sued 44 Tel. +49/2157/817-0, Fax 817-100 www.gerold-mb.de, [email protected] GSS Gebäude-Solarsysteme GmbH Manufacturers of high-quality pv-modules in glass-glass and glass-foil types and customized solar modules from small up to large pv-power D-07554 Korbußen, Wiesenring 2 Tel. +49/36602/90490, Fax 904949 www.zre-ot.de, [email protected] HABDANK PV-Montagesysteme GmbH Complete solutions for groundmounted PV-systems. Planning, production and mounting from one source D-73037 Göppingen, Heinrich-Landerer-Str.66 Tel. +49/7161/97817-200, Fax -299 www.habdank-pv.com, [email protected] HaWi Energietechnik AG HaWi is a leading company in the planning and distribution of solar power systems. D-84307 Eggenfelden, Im Gewerbepark 10 Tel. +49/8721/7817-0, Fax -100 www.hawi-energy.com, [email protected] Hennecke Systems GmbH Since 1999 we are specialised in innovative measurement technologies and sorting systems for wafers. D-53909 Zülpich, Aachener Str. 100 Tel. +49/2252/940801, Fax 940898 www.hennecke-systems.de, [email protected] Heraeus – Thin Film Materials Division Heraeus TMD supplies the complete package of sputtering targets for various types of solar cells. D-63450 Hanau, Wilhelm-Rohn-Str. 25 Tel. +49/6181/35-2229, Fax 35-2220 www.heraeus-targets.com, [email protected]

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IBC SOLAR AG ... since 1982! Wholesaler of PV Systems and Components in all power ranges, Investment Projects, Large Scale Projects for farming or industrial Areas, Advisory and Engineering Services, Supervision, Monitoring, Training, Work Shops and more D-96225 Bad Staffelstein Tel. +49/9573/92240, Fax 9224111 www.ibc-solar.com, [email protected] Ingeteam GmbH Single-phase and three-phase inverters for gridconnected and off-grid PV plants. D-80336 München, Herzog-Heinrich-Str. 10 Tel. +49/89/9965380 www.ingeteam.com, [email protected] IXYS Semiconductor GmbH Monokristalline Solarzellen D-68623 Lampertheim, Edisonstr. 15 Tel. +49/6206/503-0, Fax 503742 [email protected] Krannich Solar GmbH & Co. KG System provider for pv installers D-71263 Weil der Stadt, Heimsheimer Str. 65/1 Tel. +49/711/3042-0, Fax -222 www.krannich-solar.com [email protected] KYOCERA FINECERAMICS GMBH Marketing und Sales of high-performance poly crystalline photovoltaic modules D-73730 Esslingen, Fritz-Mueller-Str. 27 Tel. +49/711/93934999, Fax 93934950 www.kyocerasolar.de, [email protected] K2 Systems GmbH Mounting systems for the solar technology – The safest mountings for the roofs of the world D-71229 Leonberg, Riedwiesenstr. 13-17 Tel. +49/7152/3560-0, Fax. -179 www.k2-systems.de, [email protected] L-Energie GmbH Photovoltaik vom Profi D-38855 Danstedt, Hinter dem Vorwerk 113 Tel. +49/39458/3691, Fax 65061 e-Mail: [email protected] MWZ Group GmbH M+W Group's solutions range from Poly Silicon plants, through production of ingots, wafers, cells and modules, to setting up power plants - in a PV Park or even with alternative solar-based technologies such as Concentrated Solar Power D-70499 Stuttgart, Lotterbergstr. 30 Tel. +49/711/8804-1900, Fax 8804-1393 www.mwgroup.net, [email protected] MAGE SOLAR GMBH D-88214 Regensburg, An der Bleicherei 15 Tel. +49/751/56017-0, Fax +49/751/56017-10 www.magesolar.de, [email protected] Mounting Systems GmbH Manufacturer of mounting systems and components for Photovoltaic and SolarThermal D-15834 Rangsdorf, Mittenwalder Str. 9a Tel. +49/33708/529-0, Fax 529-199 www.mounting-systems.de MSTE SOLAR GmbH Manufacturer of MPT-charge-controllers 12-48V/4-30A and battery-controllers Specialized energy solutions for pv-systems with grid connection and off grid applications D-88682 Salem, In Oberwiesen 16 Tel. +49/7553/9180150, Fax 9180159 www.mste-solar.de, [email protected] Nau GmbH Umwelt- und Energietechnik D-85368 Moosburg, Naustr. 1 Tel. +49/8762/920, Fax 3470 www.nau-gmbh.de, [email protected] Phaesun GmbH The Off-Grid Specialists. Phaesun is the leading system integrator for Off-Grid solar systems D-87700 Memmingen, Luitpoldstrasse 28 Tel. +49/8331/90420, Fax 9964212 www.phaesun.com, [email protected] Phocos AG Charge Controllers DC Lighting & Refrigeration Microhydro Turbines & Fuel Cells D-89077 Ulm, Magirus-Deutz-Str. 12 Tel. +49/731/9380688-0, Fax 9380688-50 www.phocos.com, [email protected]

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Phoenix Solar AG Components and complete pv-systems D-85254 Sulzemoos, Hirschbergstr. 8 Tel. +49/8135/938-000, Fax 938-179 www.phoenixsolar.de [email protected] PV Crystalox Solar GmbH D-99099 Erfurt, Wilhelm-Wolff-Str. 25 Tel. +49/361/6008510, Fax 6008511 www.pvcrystalox.com, [email protected] Q-CELLS SE Q-Cells product portfolio ranges from solar cells, crystalline and CIGS modules to turnkey photovoltaic systems. D-06766 Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Sonnenallee 17-21 Tel. +49(0)3494 66 99-0, Fax +49(0)3494 66 99-199 www.q-cells.com REFU Elektronik GmbH REFUSOL solar inverters with top effiency over 98% in the range from 4 to 1300 kW D-72555 Metzingen, Uracher Str. 91 Tel. 0049/7123/969-102, Fax -140 www.refusol.com, [email protected] Renusol GmbH Solar Mounting Systems D-51063 Köln, Piccoloministrasse 2 Tel. +49/221/788707-0, Fax -99 www.renusol.com, [email protected] Robert Bürkle GmbH Lamination Technology Coating Technology Back End Technology D-72250 Freudenstadt, Stuttgarter Straße 123 Tel. +49/7441/58 307 www.buerkle-gmbh.de, [email protected]

ROBUST HABICHT & HEUSER GmbH & Co. KG Cutting Machines for Tedlar, EVA and many more Winding Machines for Tedlar, EVA and many more Friction Winding Shafts D-42899 Remscheid, Garschager Heide 41 Tel. +49/2191/56118-0, Fax -75 www.robust.de, [email protected] SANYO Component Europe GmbH Manufacturer of HIT Modules (mono crystalline silicon wafer surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers) D-81829 München, Stahlgruberring 4 www.sanyo-component.com [email protected] Schletter GmbH D-83527 Haag, Alustr. 1 Tel. +49/8072/9191-200, Fax 9191-9200 www.solar.schletter.de, [email protected] SCHOTT Solar AG develops, manufactures and markets crystalline solar wafers, solar cells, solar power modules and a-Si thin film modules. D-55122 Mainz, Hattenbergstraße 10 Tel. +49/6131/66-14099, Fax +49/6131/66-14105 www.schottsolar.com, solar.sales@schottsolar skytron energy GmbH Complete PV Monitoring Solutions for utility-scale power plants including an intelligent control software D-12489 Berlin, Ernst-Augustin-Straße 12 Tel. +49/30/6883159-0, Fax +49/30/6883159-99 www.skytron-energy.com, [email protected] SMA Solar Technology AG D-34266 Niestetal, Sonnenallee 1 Tel. +49/561/95220, Fax 9522100 www.SMA.de SOLAR23 GmbH D-88451 Dettingen (Iller), Im Stellwinkel 1 Tel. +49/700/23232300, Fax 23232301 www.solar23.com, [email protected] Solar-Fabrik Aktiengesellschaft für Produktion und Vertrieb von solartechnischen Produkten D-79111 Freiburg, Munzinger Str. 10 Tel. +49/761/4000-0, Fax 4000-199 www.solar-fabrik.de SOLARC Innovative Solarprodukte GmbH Customized solar systems from very small up to large PV power, including electronics development D-13355 Berlin, Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25 Tel. +49/30/46307-165, Fax 46307-167 www.solarc.de, [email protected]

Solarfun Power Solarfun Power (Nasdaq: SOLF) is a leading manufacturer of photovoltaic cells and modules. We bring the best value to our customers byoffering the latest advances in solar technology and vertically integrated manufacturing solutions D-85737 Ismaning, Oskar Messter Straße 13 Tel. +49/89/21 75 667-30, [email protected] Solarstocc AG Photovoltaic system provider with emphasis on smaller installations for residential buildings D-87471 Durach, Karlsberger Str. 3 Tel. +49/831/540214-0, Fax 540214-5 www.solarstocc.com, [email protected] SOLARWATT AG is a manufacturer of high quality crystalline solar modules and supplier of photovoltaic systems D-01109 Dresden, Maria-Reiche-Str. 2a Tel. +49/351/8895-0, Fax 8895-111 www. solarwatt.de, [email protected] SolarWorld AG SolarWorld® construction kits SolarWorld Energy Roof® Solar Power Plants SolarWorld® Modules D-53175 Bonn, Martin-Luther-King-Str. 24 Tel. +49/228/55920-0, Fax 55920-99 www.solarworld.de, [email protected] SOLON SE Manufacturer of high-quality pv-modules, large scale power plants D-12489 Berlin, Am Studio 16 Tel. +49/30/81879-0, Fax 81879-9999 www.solon.com, [email protected] SOLUTRONIC GmbH Manufacturer of On-Grid Inverters (2,5 kW–36 kW) and Equipment D-73257 Koengen, Kuefer Str. 18 Tel. +49/7024/96128-0, Fax -50 www.solutronic.de, [email protected] Sovello AG One of the largest and most advanced solar module manufacturers in the world. Leading in sustainability thanks to the use of STRING RIBBON wafers. D-06766 Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Sonnenallee 14-30 Tel. +49/3494/6664-0, www.sovello.com Sunways AG Photovoltaic Technology Manufacturer of solar cells and solar inverters D-78467 Konstanz, Macairestr. 3-5 +49/7531/99677-0, Fax 99677-444 www.sunways.de, [email protected] Steca Elektronik GmbH Solarladeregler 3A–140A, Energiesparlampen, Inselwechselrichter, solarthermische Regler D-87700 Memmingen, Mammostr. 1 Tel. +49/8331, 8558-0, Fax 8558-12 www.stecasolar.com, [email protected] Wagner & Co Solartechnik GmbH Solaranlagen für WW und Heizung PV-Systeme für Netzeinspeisung & Inselbetrieb Pelletheiztechnik D-35091 Cölbe, Zimmermannstr. 12 Tel. +49/6421/8007-0, Fax 8007-22 www.wagner-solar.com, [email protected] Würth Solar CIS module manufacturer, who offers technically mature individual system solutions for photovoltaic energy D-74523 Schwäbisch Hall, Alfred-Leikam-Str. 25 Tel.: +49/791/94600-0 Fax: 94600-119 www.we-online.com, [email protected] W&Z Befestigungssysteme D-97241 Schweinfurt, Landwehrstraße 44 Tel. 0049/9721/47610-0, Fax -25 www.wz-befestigungssysteme.de,[email protected]

GREAT BRITAIN Hi-Bond Tapes Ltd. High Performance Tapes for frame bonding, junction box mounting cell fixing and conductive tapes UK-NN17 5TS, Corby, Northamptonshire 1, Crucible Road Phoenix Parkway Tel. 0044/1536/260022, Fax 0044/1536/260044 www.hi-bondtapes.com, [email protected]

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Directory GREECE Enerbank S.A. GR-15237 Filothei, Athens, Louki Akrita 39 PHO: +30 210 682 4252 PHO: +30 694 472 1415 FAX: +30 210 683 3658 [email protected] IBC SOLAR A.E. GR-15125 Marousi - Athens Halepa 1 & Egialias Tel. +30/210/6801724, Fax 6801723 [email protected] LEADEREXPO-LEADERTECH 5th International Exhibition on on Photovoltaics & R.E.S. GR-21-24 October, Athens 15124 Maroussi, Athens, 43, Dionyssoy Str. Tel. 0030/210/6141164, Fax 0030/210/8024267 www.leaderexpo.gr, [email protected]

INDIA KOTAK URJA PRIVATE LTD Manufacturer of TUV, IEC 61215 IEC 61730 (safety class II) and CE certified PV Modules. ISO 9001/14000 IND-560 058 Bangalore, 10th Cross, 4th Phase, 378 Peenya Industrial Area Tel. +91/80/28363330, Fax +91/80/28362347 www.kotakurja.com, [email protected] XL Telecom & Energy Ltd. Manufacturer of solar modules from 70 to 280 Wp IND-500026 Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh C2, Pooja Plaza, Vikrampuri Tel. +91/40/27775500, Fax 27883344 www.xltelenergy.com, [email protected]

IRAN KARANDISHAN Solar Engineering Company Apt. 4, No.96, Ebnesina Street, Yousef Abad Ave. IR-14346-53633 Tehran Tel. +98/21/8806/4101-8806/3458, Fax 8806-4431 www.karandishan.com, [email protected] SOLAR HORAND (Afshar Electronic IND) Offering solar energy solutions, Supplier of photovoltaic systems, Advisory and Engineering Services No.48, Shahid Naderi Str, Saadi Ave IR-11365-3686, Tehran Phone : +989123715457, Fax : +98 (21) 66727391 www.horand.com, [email protected]

ireland Coolpower Products Ltd Energy and Micro-Generator Manager Controls losses to grid from 50% to 0%. Smart grid applications also. Suitable for 1 kW to 20 kW output IRL-Blarney, Cork, Gaia House Tel. +353/1/4048780 www.coolpower.ie, [email protected]

italy Elettronica Santerno Leader in the production of inverters for industrial automation, renewable energies and hybrid drive I-40026 Imola (BO), Strada Statale Selice 47 Tel. +39/0542/489711, Fax 489722 www.elettronicasanterno.com, sales@ elettronicasanterno.it ISTAR SOLAR SRL Italian manufacturer of PV modules, lamps, components and complete systems I-85050 Tito (PZ), Area Industriale Tito Scalo Tel. +39/0971/485157, Fax 651970 www.istarsolar.com, [email protected] Q-CELLS INTERNATIONAL ITALIA S.R.L Q-Cells product portfolio ranges from solar cells, crystalline and CIGS modules to turnkey photovoltaic systems. I-00195 Roma, Via G. Nicotera, 29 Tel. +39 (0)6 32296 5, Fax +39 (0)6 32296 503 www.q-cells.com

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SOCO s.n.c. Project and produce special solar panel for cellular/satellite phone mobile computing, special applications I-20041 Agrate-MI, Via San Paolo 25 Tel. +39/039/650635, Fax 650959 www.soco.it, [email protected] Solar Refeel Solar plants development: site analysis, environmental check, authorizations process, planning and management I-20123 Milan, Via Edmondo De Amicis, 19 Tel. +39/2/87399750, Fax. 8739769 www.refeel.eu, [email protected] Soluzione Solare Solarimeter, Digital Solarimeter Temperature probes Instruments for testing PV systems IT-36100 Vicenza, Via R. Berica 621 Tel. +39/0444310538, Fax +39/04441830563 www.soluzionesolare.it, [email protected] SUNERG SOLAR Srl Producer PV MODULES / SOLAR THERNAL COLLECTORS and complete systems distribution from 1978. I-06012, Cittá di Castello (PG), via D.Donini 51 Tel. +39/075/854327, Fax +39/075/8648105 www.sunergsolar.com, [email protected]

JAPAN SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. Overseas Sales & Marketing Headquarters Conctact for Japan and all other countries in Asia & Oceania Tel. +81/6/6994/7359, Fax -3183 www.sanyo.co.jp/clean/solar/hit_e/index_e.html [email protected]

KENYA SolarElectro Co. Ltd. SolarCompact 59,- Panel+Battery+Cc+ affordable+efficient+durable++German Patentamt Registration + Devl EAK-00200 Nairobi, Jevanjee Gardens, Moi Avenue Tel. +254/723/200200, Fax 300300 www.solarelectro.com [email protected]

MALAYSIA IBC SOLAR Teknik SDN BHD A901, 9th Floor, Block A, Kelana Squarc No.17, Jalan SS 7/26, Kelana Jaya MY - 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan Tel. +603/563261-70, Fax -72 [email protected]

NETHERLANDS IBC SOLAR B.V. NL-6436 CV Amstenrade, Kloosterberg 3 Tel. +31/464/424747, Fax 425490 www.ibc-solar.nl, [email protected]

NOrway REC SOLAR REC Solar is one of the fastest growing cell and ­module manufacturers and part of the REC Group which is uniquely positioned as one of the most i­ ntegrated companies in the solar industry NO-1337 Sandrika, Kjorboveien 29 Tel. +47/6757/4450, Fax +47/6757/4499 www.recgroup.com, [email protected]

Spain IBC Solar-Fotovoltaica IBC, S.A. Parque Tecnologico Edificio Wellness 1 Avda. Juan de la Cierva 27 E-46980 Valencia (Paterna) Tel. +34/961/366-528, Fax -529 www.ibc-solar.es, [email protected] Zytech Solar Zytech is a Spanish Group with subsidiarycompanies worldwide manufacturing: PV modules, CPV, BIPV, Off Grid PV Systems, Small Wind Turbines, Solar Street Lights and Solar Hybrid Vehicles. And own manufacturing plant. E-50196 La Muela (Zaragoza) Pol. Ind. Centrovia, Rio de Janeiro, 12 Tel. +34/976/141819, Fax +34/976/141818 www.zytech.es, [email protected]

SWITZERLAND Meyer Burger AG We are a global leading technology corporation, which develops, produces and sells systems to process crystalline materials CH-3600 Thun, Allmendstr. 86 Tel. +41/33/439/0505, Fax 0510 www.meyerburger.ch, [email protected] Meyer Burger Automation GmbH We develop solutions for Automation and Robotic Systems for the solar industry. Sales Office: Meyer Burger AG Thun Offices: D-40764 Langenfeld, Elisabeth-Selbert-Str. 19b CH-3600 Thun, Allmendnstr. 86 Tel.: +41/33/4390505, Fax: 0510 www.meyerburger.ch, [email protected] Meyer Burger Services GmbH Meyer Burger Services GmbH provides the best and professional local Service and Customer Support for all Meyer Burger Technology and Partner Products to our customers. D-06112 Halle, Thüringer Strasse 30 Tel.: +49/345/1229720, Fax: 1229799 www.meyerburger.ch, [email protected] Meyer Burger Technology Ltd Meyer Burger Technology Ltd is a leading and globally active technology group for innovative systems and processes from solar silicon to solar modules. The equipment, competences and technologies of the different companies within the group are used in the solar industry (photovoltaics). CH-6340 Baar, Grabenstrasse 25 Tel. +41 (0)41 761 80 00 Fax +41 (0)41 763 08 08 [email protected], www.meyerburger.ch SES Société d’Energie Solaire SA Concept et production de modules photovoltaiques “standard” et “sur mesure” en intégration d’architecture CH-1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Route de Saint-Julien 129 Tel. +41/22/8841484, Fax 8841480 www.societe-energie-solaire.com [email protected] Sputnik Engineering AG CH-2502 Biel, Höheweg 85 Tel. +41/32/3465600, Fax 3465609 www.solarmax.com, [email protected]

USA Edwards Vacuum Provide Vacuum, abatement and local support for solar cell manufacturers One Highwood Drive, Suite 101, Tewksbury, MA - 01876 Tel. +1/800 848 9800, Fax +1/866 484 5218 www.edwardsvacuum.com, [email protected] Morningstar Corporation The World’s Leading Solar Controllers and Inverters 8 Pheasant Run Newtown, PA 18940 Tel. +1/215-321-4457, Fax 4458 www.morningstarcorp.com [email protected] Q-CELLS INTERNATIONAL USA CORP. Q-Cells product portfolio ranges from solar cells, crystalline and CIGS modules to turnkey photovoltaic systems. US-94010, Burlingname California, 345 Lorton Avenue, Suite 103 Tel. +1/650 343 3154, Fax +1/650 342 1027 www.q-cells.com SANYO Energy (U.S.A.) Corporation Tel. +1/469/362/5600, Fax 5698 www.us.sanyo.com/industrial/solar [email protected]

pv – BIPV USA Guardian Industries Corp. Guardian's EcoGuard Solar Glass Solutions Program can meet the needs of solar system manufacturers and developers across the globe. US-48326, Auburn Hills, 2300 Harmon Road, Michigan Tel. +1/734/654/1111, Fax +1/734/654/4750 www.guardian.com, [email protected]

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

pv – international project developers Germany Gehrlicher Solar AG System Integrator for photovoltaics Distributor for all PV-components Producer of mounting systems/cabling D-85609 Dornbach, Max-Planck-Str. 3 Tel. +49/89/420792-0, Fax +49/89/4207928540 www.gehrlicher.com, [email protected] Q-CELLS SE As one of the largest system integrators, Q-Cells offers turnkey solutions. We plan, build and maintain largescale solar power plants and roof-mounted systems worldwide. D-06766 Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Sonnenallee 17-21 Tel. +49(0)3494 66 99-0, Fax +49(0)3494 66 99-199 www.q-cells.com SunEnergy Europe GmbH Turn-key project management firm for roof and open spaces as well as wholesaler of quality PV components. D-20355 Hamburg, Fuhlentwiete 10 Tel. +49/40/520/143/0, Fax -200 www.sunergy.eu, [email protected]

pv – inverters Australia Selectronic Australia Pty Ltd Designer and manufacturer of high quality interactive inverter chargers Off Grid, Grid Support, Grid Backup 2kW-20kW Chirnside Park VIC 3116, Suite 5, 20 Fletcher Rd Tel. +61/3/9727/6600, Fax +61/3/9727/6601 www.selectronic.com.au, [email protected]

DENMARK Danfoss Solar Inverters A/S DK-6300, Graasten, Ulsnaes 1 Tel. +45/7488/1300, Fax +45/7488/1301 www.danfoss.com/solar, [email protected]

Germany Dorfmüller Solaranlagen GmbH Manufacturer of Solar Inverters (DMI) D-71394 Kernen, Gottlieb-Daimler-Straße 15 Tel, 0049/7151/94905-0, Fax -40 www.dorfmueller-solaranlagen.de,[email protected]

ITALY LAYER ELECTRONICS S.R.L. Manufacturer of Solar and Wind Grid Connected Inverters, Wind Generators 300 W to 20 kW, Charge Regulators I-91100 Trapani, S.P. km 5,3 C/da S. Cusumano Tel. +39/0923/562794, Fax 567880 www.layer.it, [email protected]

USA Satcon Technology Corporation Satcon delivers the world's most advanced and proven utility scale solar PV solutions. US-02210, Boston, MA, 27 Drydock Ave Tel. 001/617/8972400 www.satcon.com, [email protected]

pv – modules Germany MHH Solartechnik GmbH Qualified provider of photovoltaic systems and components from sales to service D-72074 Tübingen, Welzenwiler Str. 5 Tel. +49/7071/989870, Fax 9898710 www.mhh-solartechnik.de, [email protected] SCHOTT Solar AG develops, manufactures and markets crystalline solar wafers, solar cells, solar power modules and a-Si thin film modules. D-55122 Mainz, Hattenbergstraße 10 Tel. 0049/6131/66-14099, Fax 0049/6131/66-14105 www.schottsolar.com, [email protected]

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

JORDAn Philadelphia Solar Clean Renewable Energy Solution The FIRST Photovoltaic Modules Producer in JORDAN JO-11814, Amman, Airport St.-Al Qastal Industr.Area Tel. +962/6/471/6601, Fax +962/6/471/6602 www.philadelphia-solar.com, [email protected]

PV– Modules – Thin film modules Hongkong Du Pont Apollo Limited A wholly owned subsidiary of DuPont the company specializes in siliconbased thin film Pv modules Hong Kong Science Park State, Units 501-509 West Wing Lakeside 1, No. 8 Science Park West Avenue Tel. +852/3664/3000, Fax +852/2210/5071 www.apollo.dupont.com, [email protected]

pv – Crystalline modules Austria KIOTO Photovoltaics GmbH Since 2004 we produce high efficient pv-modules on the worlds most modern production unit in Austria A-9300, Sankt Veit/Glan,Solarstrasse 1,Industriepark Tel. 0043/4212283000 www.kioto.com, [email protected]

pv – mounting systems BELGIUM Sadef NV B-8830 Gits, Bruggesteenweg 60 Tel.: +32/51/261211, Fax +32/51/261300 www.sadef.be, [email protected]

Germany HABDANK PV-Montagesysteme GmbH Complete solutions for groundmounted PV-systems. Planning, production and mounting from one source D-73037 Göppingen, Heinrich-Landerer-Str.66 Tel. +49/7161/97817-200, Fax -299 www.habdank-pv.com, [email protected] KNUBIX GmbH Flatroof mounting system for PV modules on industrial buildings without roof penetration D-88285 Bodnegg, Birkenstrasse 4 Tel. +49/7520/9667050, Fax +49/7520/9667055 www.knubix.com, [email protected] Wagener & Simon WASI GmbH & Co. KG WASI SOLAR produces and supplies installation systems and solutions for solar-/photovoltaic systems on all common roofs or roof shapes D-42289 Wuppertal, Emil-Wagener-Str.1 Tel.0049/202/2632-178, Fax -377 www.wasi.de, [email protected]

GREAT BRITAIN Hi-Bond Tapes Ltd. High Performance Tapes for frame bonding, junction box mounting cell fixing and conductive tapes UK-NN17 5TS, Corby, Northamptonshire 1, Crucible Road Phoenix Parkway Tel. 0044/1536/260022, Fax 0044/1536/260044 www.hi-bondtapes.com, [email protected]

PV – Silicon, ingots, wafers and cells Canada Targray Technology International Inc a leading worldwide supplier of silicon, wafers, cells and cutting-edge raw materials to the PV industry H9J3Z4, Kirkland, Quebec, 18105 Transcanadienne Tel. 001/514/695-8095, Fax 001/514/695-0593 www.targray.com, [email protected]

pv – solarglass USA Guardian Industries Corp. Guardian's EcoGuard Solar Glass Solutions Program can meet the needs of solar system manufacturers and developers across the globe. US-48326, Auburn Hills, 2300 Harmon Road, Michigan Tel. +1/734/654/1111, Fax +1/734/654/4750 www.guardian.com, [email protected]

pv – suppliers Canada Targray Technology International Inc a leading worldwide supplier of silicon, wafers, cells and cutting-edge raw materials to the PV industry H9J3Z4, Kirkland, Quebec, 18105 Transcanadienne Tel. 001/514/695-8095, Fax 001/514/695-0593 www.targray.com, [email protected]

China Beijing Kingreach Electric Co., Ltd. Design and manufacture of PV pump systems, solar advertising light box and solar signage. CN-100083, Beijing, No. 1 Beishatan, Chaoyang District, Tel. +86/010/64883373, Fax +86/010/64844658, www.nkingreach.com, [email protected] Yingkou Jinchen Machinery Co., Ltd. Automatic Line of Solar PV Module Laminator, Turn-key solution for Solar PV-Module Production Line CN-115000, Yingkou city, Liaoning Province Ying-Gai Toll Gate, Laobian Dist., Tel. 0086/417/2901616, Fax 0086/417/2901516 www.jinchensolar.com, [email protected]

Germany TAMPONCOLOR TC-Druckmaschinen GmbH Manufacturer of Advanced High Speed Metallization Lines D-63263 Neu-Isenburg, Hans-Boeckler-Str. 8 Tel. +49/6102/7954-0, Fax +49/6102/7954-99 www.tamponcolor.de, [email protected]

USA Envirotronics Leader in the manufacture of Enviromental Test Chambers for Solar, PV and Wind industries. Experts in testing applications and requirements. USA 49508, Grand Rapids, MI 3881 N. Greenbrooke Dr SE Tel. +1/800/368/4768, Fax 616/554/5021 www.envirotronics.com, [email protected] Guardian Industries Corp. Guardian's EcoGuard Solar Glass Solutions Program can meet the needs of solar system manufacturers and developers across the globe. US-48326, Auburn Hills, 2300 Harmon Road, Michigan Tel. +1/734/654/1111, Fax +1/734/654/4750 www.guardian.com, [email protected]

pv – tracking systems Spain AFFIRMA Energineering and Technology Manufacturers of Solar Tracker and wholesaler of PV Systems, thermal modules and engineering services E - 28007 Madrid, Avda. del Mediterráneo, 92°D Tel. +34/91/7885767, Fax 7885701 www.affirmasolar.com, [email protected]

USA US Digital Single & Dual Axis Tracking Sensors for CSP and CPV Applications. Custom Solutions Available US-98684, Vancouver, WA, 1400 NE 136th Avenue Tel. 001/360/260/2468, Fax -2469 www.usdigital.com, [email protected]

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Directory pv – wire + cable GErmany HELUKABEL GmbH Cable & Accessories for photovoltaic installations and for Wind Turbines D-71282 Hemmingen, Dieselstr. 8-12 Tel. +49/7150/9209-0, Fax +49/7150/81786 www.helukabel.de, [email protected] Molex Deutschland GmbH Junction Box for solar applications 69190 Walldorf, Otto-Hahn-Str. 1b Tel. +49/6227/3091-0, Fax -8100 www.molex.com

Solar thermal systems Austria MAGE SunFIXINGS GmbH Producer and seller of Solar Mounting Systems for PV modules and solar thermal collectors A-9111 Haimburg, Industriepark Ost 2-3 Tel. +43/4232/27299-0, Fax -510 www.sunfixings.com, [email protected] SunWin Energy Systems GmbH Production of OEM solar collectors A-4061 Pasching, Industriestrasse 5 Tel. +43/7229/51444, Fax +43/7229/51444-100 www.sunwin-energy.com, [email protected] SUN MASTER Energiesysteme GmbH Producer of solar collectors A-4653 Eberstalzell, Solarstr. 7, Gewerbepark A Tel: +43/7241/28125-0, Fax -300 www.sun-master.at, [email protected] Technische Alternative Elektron. Steuerungsgeräte GmbH Solar-, Heizungs- und Wintergartenregler A-3872 Amaliendorf, Langestr. 124 Tel. +43/2862/53635, Fax 536357 www.ta.co.at, [email protected] TiSUN® Development + production of solar-collectors (in-roof, on-roof, facade-integrated, free-setting up), storage tanks, solar-boiler, solar fittings A-6306 Söll Tel. +43/5333/201-0, Fax 201-100 www.tisun.com, [email protected]

BELGIUM ZEN Renewables production Solar Thermal collectors distribution PV systems distribution Heat pumps BE-2300 Turnhout, Visbeekstraat 9A Tel. +32/14/404282, Fax +32/14/404282 www.zenrenewables.be, [email protected]

China CIB Solar LDT Keymark certified Manufacturer of U tube and heat pipe collector, evacuated tubes. 758kWh/m²/a energy gain RC-065201 Yanjia, sanhe Ousen Industry Park, No. 10 Yanchang Road Tel. +86/10/61592294/ext 616 Fax +86/316/3316992 www.cibsolar.com, [email protected] (Skype ID: cib_solar)

GErmany Alanod-Solar GmbH & Co. KG sunselect® (copperstrip), mirotherm® and mirosol® (aluminiumstrip) with a selective PVD-absorptive layer. MIRO-SUN® for weatherproof solar applications. D-58256 Ennepetal, Egerstr. 12 Tel. +49/2333/986-500, Fax 986-525 www.alanod-solar.com, [email protected] AQUASOL Solartechnik GmbH Großflächenkollektoren bis 17 m2 D-89231 Neu-Ulm/Burlafingen, Dr.-Carl-Schwenk-Str. 20 Tel. +49/731/3608933, Fax 3608934 www.aquasol-solartechnik.de [email protected]

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AS Solar We are a specialty wholesaler offering competitive prices in the branch of solar technology. D-30453 Hannover, Am Tönniesberg 4a Tel. +49/511/4755780, Fax -11 www.as-solar.com, [email protected] BlueTec GmbH & Co. KG our highly selective surfaces on copper + aluminium substrat: eta plus a new generation of absorber coating D-34388 Trendelburg, Rittergut Zur Abgunst 8 Tel. +49/5675/7213-0, Fax -29 www.bluetec.eu, [email protected] CitrinSolar GmbH Energie- und Umwelttechnik D-85368 Moosburg, Böhmerwaldstr. 32 Tel. +49/8761/3340-0, Fax 334040 www.citrinsolar.com, [email protected] Consolar GmbH Solarsysteme für WW und Heizung, Schicht-Speicher D-60489 Frankfurt/M., Strubbergstr. 70 Tel. +49/69/6199-1130, Fax 6199-1128 www.consolar.de,[email protected] esaa – Innovative Solartechnik – GmbH Produktgruppe SONJA® Hersteller für selbst-optimierende Solar- und Heizungsregelungen D-75417 Mühlacker, Haldenstr. 42 Tel. +49/7041/84545, Fax 84546 www.esaa.de, [email protected] FIX Maschinenbau GmbH Laser welding systems, assembly lines and semi-automated assembly equipment D-71404 Korb, Daimlerstr. 23 Tel. +49/7151/300-05, Fax 3596-7 www.fix-utz.de, [email protected] Flagsol Project Development and Construction of Large Scale Solar Thermal Power Plants D-45128 Essen, Hohenzollernstr. 24 Tel. +49/201/818-5200, Fax -5208 www.flagsol.de, [email protected] FRAGOL SCHMIERSTOFF GMBH + CO. KG Solarflüssigkeiten, Wärmeträger D-45481 Mülheim, Solinger Str. 16 Tel. +49/208/30002-74, Fax 30002-33 www.fragol.de, [email protected] GRAMMER Solar GmbH Ihr Projektpartner beim Bauen mit der Sonne D-92224 Amberg, Oskar-von-Miller-Str. 8 Tel. +49/9621/30857-0, Fax 30857-10 www.grammer-solar.de, [email protected] KBB Kollektorbau GmbH Flat plate collectors and full surface absorbers (copper and aluminium) D-12439 Berlin, Bruno-Bürgel-Weg 142-144 Tel. +49/30/6781789-10, Fax 6781789-55 www.kbb-solar.com, [email protected] PROZEDA GmbH Elektronische Regelungen für Thermie, Heizung, PV, Lüftung D-91330 Eggolsheim, In der Büg 5 Tel. +49/9191/6166-0, Fax 6166-22 www.prozeda.de, [email protected] Reimann und Kahl GbR Serpentine bending for solar thermal absorber and other basic products for solar thermal sector D-37339 Teistungen, Am Dämmig 8 Tel. +49/36071/91710, Fax 91711 www.reimann-kahl.de, [email protected] RESOL – Elektronische Regelungen GmbH Controllers for solar thermal systems / Regelungen für thermische Solaranlagen D-45527 Hattingen, Heiskampstraße 10 Tel. +49/2324/9648-0 www.resol.de Ritter Energie- und Umwelttechnik GmbH Development & production of evacuated tube collectors D-72135 Dettenhausen, Kuchenäcker 1 Tel. +49/7157/5359-0, Fax 5359-20 www.rittersolar.de, info@rittersolar.

SCHOTT Solar AG The company develops, manufactures and markets highly efficient receivers, a key component for Concentrated Solar Power plants with parabolic trough technology D-55122 Mainz, Hattenbergstraße 10 Tel. +49/6131/66-14099, Fax +49/6131/66-14105 www.schottsolar.com, solar.sales@schottsolar SolarDust GmbH & Co. KG D-57290 Neunkirchen, Mühlenbergstraße 14 Tel. +49/2735/760132 / 760131 Fax +49/2735/619277 www.solardust.eu, [email protected] SOLAR-RIPP Solarabsorber heating systems for pools D-53484 Sinzig, P.O. Box 1362 Tel. +49/2642/981481, Fax 981482 www.solarripp.com, [email protected] SOREL GmbH Mikroelektronik Manufacturer of Solar and Heating Controllers and Pump Groups with integrated TDC-Controller D-45549 Sprockhövel, Jahnstr. 36 Tel. +49/2339/6024, Fax 6025 www.sorel.de, [email protected] Steca Elektronik GmbH Solar charge controller 3A-140A, Energy-saving lights, Inverter, Solar controller D-87700 Memmingen, Mammostr. 1 Tel. +49/8331/8558-0, Fax 8558-132 www.stecasolar.com, [email protected] TYFOROP Chemie GmbH Heat-Transfer Fluids D-20537 Hamburg, Anton-Rée-Weg 7 Tel. +49/40/209497-0, Fax 209497-20 www.tyfo.de, [email protected] Wagner & Co Solartechnik GmbH Solaranlagen für WW und Heizung PV-Systeme für Netzeinspeisung & Inselbetrieb Pelletheiztechnik D-35091 Cölbe, Zimmermannstr. 12 Tel. +49/6421/8007-0, Fax 8007-22 www.wagner-solar.com, [email protected] WATER WAY Engineering GmbH Pipework systems for solar installations with flexible stainless steel or copper tubes / collector connectors D-47441 Moers, Baerler Str. 100 Tel. +49/2481/88320-0, Fax 88320-20 www.waterwaygmbh.de, [email protected]

GREECE CALPAK-CICERO HELLAS SA Producer of flat plate collectors, vacuum tube collectors, hot water tanks and complete solar thermal systems GR-11743 Athens, Sygrou Avenue 9 Tel. +30/210/9247250, Fax 9231616 www.calpak.gr, [email protected] Charmeg Manufacturer of Solar Thermal and Heating ­Controllers 27 Kotronos str.; GR-12241 Aegaleo – Athen Tel. +30/210/5693111, Fax 5693093 www.charmeg.gr, [email protected] HELIONAL Manufacturer of complete solar thermal systems and components GR-57013 Thessaloniki Oreokastro Industrial Park, P.O.Box 89 Tel. +30/2310/783691,Fax 783498 www.helional.com, [email protected] NOBEL XILINAKIS D. & Co. Solar & electric water heating systems industry GR-13671 Athens, 23, Nerantzoula St., Aharnes Tel. + Fax +30/210/2404051 www.nobel.gr, [email protected] Sigma , A. and G. Samouil sa Flat solar thermal collectors Hot water storage tanks Solar water heaters ( solar systems) GR-38334 Volos, 112 Athinon Avenue Tel. +30-242-1066551, Fax. 1060091 www.sigma-sa.com,[email protected] SOLE S.A. Solar Water Heaters and Collectors Manufacturers GR-13671 Acharnal - Athens Lefktron Str. and Lalkon Agonon Str. Tel. +30/210/2389500, Fax 2389502 www.eurostar-solar.com, [email protected]

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

hungary Klima Aruhaz Kft. Wholesaler for Solar Solutions Advisory and Engineering Services System Provider for Installers H-1131 Budapest, Reitter Ferenc u. 132 Tel. +36/1666/7001, Fax 7012 www.klima.hu, [email protected]

INDIA Sudarshan Saur Shakti Pvt Ltd Leading manufacturer of flat plate & evacuated tube collector based solar water heating systems & collectors. In the field since 1989, having all advanced manufacturing facilities like ultrasonic bonding, black chrome selective coating, seam welding, puffing etc. IND-431005 Aurangabad, Maharashtra State, 5, Tarak Colony, Opp. Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Beed by pass Tel. +91/240/2376609, Fax 2376610 www.sudarshansaur.com, [email protected]

IRAN KARANDISHAN Solar Engineering Company Apt. 4, No.96, Ebnesina Street, Yousef Abad Ave. IR-14346-53633 Tehran Tel. +98/21/8806-4101-8806/3458, Fax 8806-4431 www.karandishan.com, [email protected]

ISRAEL CHROMAGEN, Solar Water Solutions Solar Thermal Systems and Solutions Domestic and Commercial Applications Under Highest Quality Standards. Distributed in 35 Countries IL-36588 Sha’ar Ha’amakim, Kibbutz Tel. +972/4/9538805, Fax. 9538872 www.chromagen.com, [email protected] DAGAN MACHINE ENGINEERING Manufacture of machines for complete absorber production line. Tube punching and customized machines IL-53211 Givatayim, 20, K.Joseph st. Tel. +972/544/324418 www.dagan-machine.com

italy

SLOvENIA

Almeco SPA Highly reflective surfaces for solar concentrator s­ystems and selective surfaces on copper and ­aluminium substrate for absorbers manufacturing I-20098 San Giullano Milanese Via della Liberazione, 15 Tel. +39/02/9889631, Fax 98896399 www.almeco.it, [email protected]

SELTRON d.o.o. Manufacturer of heating controllers Hersteller von Heizungsreglern SLO-2345 Bistrica ob Dravi, Ruska cesta 96 Tel. +386/2/671/9600, Fax +386/2/671/9666 www.seltron.eu, [email protected]

CMG Solari di Giannelli Mario PATENTED special solar thermal system with condensation heat transfering. Manufacturer of absorbers, flat plate collectors and complete systems. I-73040, Melissano (LE), Via Monte Rosa 14 Tel. 0039/0833581428, Fax 0039/0833581428 www.cmgsolari.it, [email protected]

AFFIRMA Energineering and Technology Manufacturers of Solar Tracker and wholesaler of PV Systems, thermal modules and engineering services E-28007 Madrid, Avda. del Mediterráneo, 92°D Tel. +34/91/7885767, Fax 7885701 www.affirmasolar.com, [email protected]

CORDIVARI Production of solar panels, water heater tanks and integrated thermal solar systems I-64020 Morro D’Oro (TE), Zona Ind. Pagliare Tel. +39/085/80401, Fax 8041418 www.cordivari.it, [email protected] KLOBEN SUD S.R.L. Italian Manufacturer of Vacuum Solar Collector I-84061 Ogliastro Cilento (SA), Localita’ Terzerie Tel. +39/0974/844131, Fax 833821 www.ktsolar.com, [email protected]

POLAND HEWALEX Flat plate, vacuum tube collectors and solar systems production PL-43-512 Bestwinka, Witosa 14a Tel. 0048/32/214-1710, Fax 0048/32/214-5004 www.hewalex.pl, [email protected] WATT Manufacturer of solar systems PL-41-940 Piekary Slaskie, ul. Podmiejska 45 Tel. +48/32/28766-80, Fax 28766-84 www.kolektory.pl, www.watt.pl, [email protected]

Spain

SONDER REGULACIÓN S.A. E-08191 Rubi, Avda. La Llana, 93; P.I. La Llana Tel. +34/935884211, Fax 4994 www.sonder.es Termicol Energía Solar Manufacturer of absorbers and flat plate collectors E -41703, Dos Hermanas, Sevilla Pol. Ind. La Isla; Rio Viejo, 39 Tel. +34/95/4930545, Fax +34/95/4930563 www.termicol.es, [email protected]

Switzerland AMK Collectra AG Swiss manufacturer of high performance vaccum tube collectors OPC15, DRC10, OWR12 Project planning solar cooling CH- 9475 Sevelen,Bahnweg Nord 16 Tel.: +41/71/750 17 17, Fax: 17 18 www.amk-solac.com, [email protected] Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH Antifrogen-Heat Transfer Fluids for Solar Thermal Systems D-84504 Burgkirchen, Werk Gendorf Tel. +49/8679/7-2272, Fax +49/8679/7-5085 www.antifrogen.com

C O M P A N Y D I R E C T O R Y SUN & WIND ENERGY y included online entr denergy.com in w n I would like you to enter our company in the directory of www.su My Entry: SUN & WIND ENERGY. I will get the entry in one category for only € 150. It includes eight lines with each 36 characters: one line for the company name, up to three lines for the company description and four lines for the address. Each additional line costs € 25. If the entry is to be highlighted with a coloured background, this costs an additional € 60. The order is valid for six issues of SUN & WIND ENERGY. If I order supplementary entries, e.g. for international subsidiaries or different categories, I will get the following discounts: 2 to 5 entries: 10% discount, 6 or more entries: 20% discount All orders are invoiced in Euros. The order is automatically extended for further six issues if no written cancellation is received by BVA – Bielefelder Verlag. ❑ I would like my entry to be highlighted with a coloured background. ❑ I would like to subscribe SUN & WIND ENERGY with 50% discount for directory-clients (€ 51 instead of € 102 plus shipping costs) Our company should be listed in the following categories: ❑ Bioenergy ❑ Biofuels ❑ Biogas ❑ Pellets ❑ Production ❑ Heating systems ❑ Co-generation Plants ❑ Financing Institutions ❑ Photovoltaics ❑ BIPV ❑ International project developers ❑ Inverters ❑ Modules ❑ Crystalline modules ❑ Thin-film modules ❑ Mounting systems

Company name:_______________________________________________ Description: _ _______________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Address (Country, Zip-Code_ ____________________________________________ City, State, Street): _____________________________________________ Phone, Fax: ___________________________________________________ E-mail, Web: _ __________________________________________

❑ Silicon, ingots, wafers and cells ❑ Solar glass ❑ Suppliers ❑ Tracking systems ❑ Wholesalers ❑ Wire + cable ❑ Solar Thermal Systems ❑ Absorbers ❑ Coatings ❑ Control units ❑ Flat plate collectors ❑ International project developers ❑ Pool heating ❑ Pre-insulated pipe systems ❑ Solar cooling ❑ Solar glass ❑ Solar liquids ❑ Solar tanks and boilers

Date: ___________________________________ Signature: _______________________________ VAT ID number: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (for EU-companies)

✃

❑ Thermosiphon ❑ Vacuum tubes ❑ Vacuum tube collectors ❑ Wholesalers ❑ Wind Energy ❑ Banks & Insurance companies ❑ Engineering offices ❑ International project developers ❑ Measurement technology ❑ Offshore ❑ Operation management ❑ Research & Development ❑ Service & Maintenance ❑ Suppliers ❑ Turbine manufacturers ❑ General ❑ Simulation software

Please send your order to:

BVA – Bielefelder Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, SUN & WIND ENERGY, Sandra Rambow, Advertising Department, Ravensberger Str. 10F, 33602 Bielefeld, Germany, phone +49/521/595529, fax +49/521/595556, e-mail [email protected], www.sunwindenergy.com

Directory OSTACO AG OSTACO AG produces under the Brand TACONOVA quality valves and systems for balancing, regulating, mixing, venting, underfloor and solar heating systems CH-8902 Urdorf, Steinackerstr. 6 Tel. +41/447355555, Fax 447355502 www.taconova.com, [email protected] SunLaser Consulting GmbH Manufacturing of turnkey laser welding equipment for thermal solar absorbers, absorber manufacturing lines CH-9248 Bichwil, Obere Torackerstr. 14 Tel. +41/71/9502780, Fax 2782 www.sunlaser.ch, [email protected]

TURKEY Baymak A.S - Baxi Group Maunfacturer of laser welded solar thermal forced draft systems, Solar thermo-siphon water heaters, Storage tanks, Biomass/Oil/Gas Boilers and Expansion tanks. Exporting over 50 countries. Orhanli Beldesi Orta Mahalle Akdeniz Caddesi No: 7 TR-34959 Istanbul Tel. +90/216/581/65/09, Fax 3041964 www.baymak.com.tr, [email protected] Ezinc Metal San. tic. A.S. Manufacturer of Solar Collectors, Thermosiphon Solar Water Heaters, Storage Tanks, Boilers and r­elated accessories for Solar Thermal Systems. TR-38070 Kayseri, 1. O.S.B. 23. Cad. No: 31 Tel. +90/352/3211776, Fax 3211325 www.ezinc.com.tr, [email protected] OURASET SOLAR OURASET is a manufacturer of solar thermal systems, solar panels and solar tanks recognized in over 20 countries Tansug Makina Ltd. Adana-Ceyhan Yolu 10. KM TR-01340 Incirlik Adana Tel. +90/322346/4900, Fax -5008 www.ouraset.com, [email protected] Solimpeks – Solar Energy Systems Co. TR-42300 Karatay Konya, Konsan San. Hilal Sokak No:20 Tel. +90/3324440602, Fax 608 www.solimpeks.com, [email protected]

United arab emirates Solitaire Solar International LLC Leading Solar Thermal Company in U.A.E. Dealing with & Exclusive Agent of Conergy and TISUN. UAE-P.O.BOX: 19165 Dubai Tel. 00971/4/2583396, Fax 00971/4/2583397 www.solitairesolar.ae, [email protected]

sts – coatings USA Guardian Industries Corp. Guardian's EcoGuard Solar Glass Solutions Program can meet the needs of solar system manufacturers and developers across the globe. US-48326, Auburn Hills, 2300 Harmon Road, Michigan Tel. +1/734/654/1111, Fax +1/734/654/4750 www.guardian.com, [email protected]

USA Guardian Industries Corp. Guardian's EcoGuard Solar Glass Solutions Program can meet the needs of solar system manufacturers and developers across the globe. US-48326, Auburn Hills, 2300 Harmon Road, Michigan Tel. +1/734/654/1111, Fax +1/734/654/4750 www.guardian.com, [email protected]

224

sts – pool heating usa Aquatherm Industries, Inc. Largest U.S. manufacturer of polymer solar pool heating collectors. Aquatherm manufactures the solar pool heating industry`s most trusted brands, including the latest breakthrough in solar pool heating, Ecolite 1940 Rutgers University Blvd. USA, 08701, Lakewood, New Jersey Tel. +1/7329059002, Fax 7329059899 www.livegreenswimwarm.com, [email protected]

sts – solarglass USA Guardian Industries Corp. Guardian's EcoGuard Solar Glass Solutions Program can meet the needs of solar system manufacturers and developers across the globe. US-48326, Auburn Hills, 2300 Harmon Road, Michigan Tel. +1/734/654/1111, Fax +1/734/654/4750 www.guardian.com, [email protected]

sts – vacuum tube collectors CHINA Apricus Solar Co., Ltd. Tube Solar Thermal Manufacturer CN-210061, Nanjing, 19 Pu Si Road, Pukou Zone Tel. +86/25/58649133, Fax +86/25/58648103 www.apricus.com, [email protected]

Wind energy AUSTRALIA GE Wind Energy Australia Level 5, 379 Collins Street AUS-Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Tel. +61/3/96147444, Fax 96147555 [email protected]

BELGIUM TURBOWINDS nv/sa Manufactoring, design, concept, assembly, sales, service and licences of wind turbines of 20 to 650 kW. More than 700 machines above 200 kW in operation worldwide. B-1050 Brussels, 14 rue de Praetere Tel. +32/11480680, Fax 11480689 www.turbowinds.com, [email protected]

canada GE Wind Energy 555 Boul. Frederick Philipps, 3rd. Floor H4M 2X4 Montreal-Quebec CANADA Tel. +1/905/858/5110, Fax 858/5390

CHINA GE Wind Energy China 6/F West Wing, Hanwei Plaza No. 7 Guang Hua Road, Chaoyang District Beijing 100004, China Tel. +86/10/65611166-294, Fax 65611536 SUNGROW POWER SUPPLY CO., LTD Sungrow offers a wude range of high-quality inverter products wuth competitive prices No. 2, New & High Tech Zone RC-230088 Hefei, Anhui, P.R. China Tel. +86/551/5327834, Fax 5327858 www.sungrowpower.com, [email protected]

DENMARK GE Wind Energy Denmark Niels Jernes Vej 10 DK-9220 Aalborg Tel. +45/96354207, Fax 96354206 [email protected]

France ABO Wind SARL Planning and turnkey construction of wind farms, structured financing, operational management F-31500 Toulouse, 2 rue du Libre Echange Tel. +33/534311676, Fax 534316376 www.abo-wind.fr, [email protected]

GE Wind Energy France Immeuble Le Bayard Part-Dieu 3, Place Renaudel F-69003 Lyon Cedex Tel. +33/437/483500, Fax 483501 [email protected]

Germany ABO Wind AG Planning and turnkey construction of wind farms and biogas projects, structured financing, operational management D-65195 Wiesbaden, Unter den Eichen 7 Tel. +49/611/26765-0, Fax 26765-99 www.abo-wind.com, [email protected] AMMONIT Ges. für Messtechnik mbH Quality Data Logger and measurement systems for wind energy predictions and climatic research D-10997 Berlin, Wrangelstr. 100 Tel. +49/30/6003188-0, Fax 6003188-10 www.ammonit.de, [email protected] CUBE Engineering GmbH Management Consulting, Wind Site Assessment, Project Planning and Management, Environmental Assessment, Electrical Grid Assessment, Energy Systems Design D-34119 Kassel, Breitscheidstr. 6 Tel. +49/561/288573-0, Fax 288573-19 [email protected] Deublin GmbH Your specialist for wind power station’s high pressure hydraulic rotating unions D-65719 Hofheim-Wallau, Nassaustr. 10 Tel. +49/6122/8002-0, Fax 15888 www.deublin.de, [email protected] EMD Deutschland GbR WindPRO/energyPRO-software and courses. WindPROsoftware for design and planning of wind farm projects. D-34119 Kassel, Breitscheidstr. 6 Tel. +49/561/310596-0, Fax 310596-9 www.emd.dk, [email protected] EOL energy –online.de GmbH Data and Services for Wind Energy Projects, online shop D-34119 Kassel, Breitscheidstraße 6 Tel. +49/ 561 / 288 573-70 Fax: -71 www.energie-online.de, [email protected] ESM Energie- u. Schwingungstech. Mitsch GmbH Gear- and generator bearings, vibration tilger Standard equipm. for wind power plants up to 5 MW D-64668 Rimbach, Auf der Rut 5 Tel. +49/6253/9885-0, Fax 9885-50 www.esm-gmbh.de, [email protected] Gamesa Energie Deutschland GmbH D-26122 Oldenburg, Staulinie 14-17 Tel. +49/441/925400, Fax 92540325 www.gamesacorp.com, [email protected] GE Wind Energy GmbH Manufacturer/Sales Wind turbines from 900 kW to 3.6 MW D-48499 Salzbergen, Holsterfeld 16 Tel. +49/5971/980-0, Fax 980-1999 www.gewindenergy.com [email protected] KGW Schweriner Maschinen- u. Anlagenbau GmbH Manufacturer of steel-tube towers for wind turbines D-19055 Schwerin, Wismarsche Str. 380 Tel. +49/385/5731-0, Fax 565126 www.kgw-schwerin.de, [email protected] Lenord, Bauer & Co. GmbH We offer control + sensor solutions for any customized applications, eg. rotor blade and azimut adjustment D-46145 Oberhausen, Dohlenstraße 32 Tel. 0049/208/9963-0, Fax 0049/676/292 www.lenord.de, [email protected] μ-sen GmbH μ-sen offers certified Condition Monitoring Systems (CMS) for early fault detection on the main components (main bearing, gearbox, generator) in the drive train of wind turbines D-07407 Rudolstadt, Weimarische Str. 10 Tel. +49/3672/3186-101, Fax, 3186-200 www.my-sen.de, [email protected]

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

Nordex AG D-22848 Norderstedt, Bornbach 2 Tel. +49/40/50098100, Fax 50098101 www.nordex.de, [email protected] Phaesun GmbH The Off-Grid Specialists. Phaesun is the leading system integrator for Off-Grid solar systems. D-87700 Memmingen, Luitpoldstrasse 28 Tel. +49/8331/90420, Fax 9964212 www.phaesun.com, [email protected] REpower Systems AG Headquarter & International Sales D-22297 Hamburg, Überseering 10/Oval Office Tel. +49/40/555090-3048, Fax 3999 www.repower.de,[email protected] National Sales: D-25813 Husum, Rödemis Hallig Tel. +49/4841/6628000, Fax 6628200 www.repower.de, [email protected] James Walker Deutschland GmbH Der Spezialist für geschlitzte Wellendichtungen D-22767 Hamburg, Mörkenstr. 7 Tel. +49/40/3860810, Fax 3893230 www.jameswalker.de WeserWind GmbH Offshore Construction Georgsmarienhütte Fertigung von Offshore-Fundament-Gründungsstrukturen sowie Komponentenlieferung für die Windenergieanlagenindustrie D-27572 Bremerhaven, Am Lunedeich 158 Tel. +49/471/902626-0, Fax 902626-11 www.weserwind.de, [email protected] wilmers Messtechnik GmbH Data Loggers, complete wind measuring systems, measuring masts D-22089 Hamburg, Hammer Steindamm 35 Tel. +49/40/756608-98, Fax 756608-99 www.wilmers.com, [email protected] WINDTEST Grevenbroich GmbH Consulting- and Measuring Institut for WEC D-41517 Grevenbroich, Frimmersdorfer Str. 73 Tel. +49/2181/2278-0, Fax 2278-11 www.windtest-nrw.de, [email protected] Windwärts Energie GmbH Project development company for renewable energies in Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Turkey and in South America D-30449 Hannover, Plaza de Rosalia 1 Tel. +49/511/123573-0, Fax123573-19 www.windwaerts.de, [email protected] WKA-Service-Fehmarn GmbH Surface and fibre reinforced technology Service for rotorblades and towers, platforms Technical survey of rotorblades and towers D-23769 Fehmarn, Johannisberg 4 Tel. +49/4371/864190, Fax 8641970 www.wka-service-fehmarn.de [email protected] WKN Windkraft Nord AG Development, Construction, Financing D-25813 Husum, Otto-Hahn-Str. 12-16 Tel. +49/4841/8944232, Fax 8944225 www.wkn-ag.de, [email protected]

GREAT BRITAIN GE Wind Energy UK Prince Consort House 27-29; Albert Embankment GB-London SE1 7TJ Tel. +44/207/7932800, Fax8203401 e-mail: [email protected]

INDIA GE Wind Energy India Third Floor, A1 Golden Enclave Corporate Towers; Airport Road Bangalore 560017 Tel. +91/80/5263496, Fax 5203860

ITALY GE Wind Energy Italy Via Felice Matteucci, 2 I-50127 Florence Tel. +39/055/4233333, Fax 055/4232963

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

JAPAN GE Wind Energy Japan 35 Kowa Bldg. 1-14-14 Akasaka, Minato-ku; J-Tokyo 107-8453 Tel. +81/3/3588-5175, Fax 3589-3372 [email protected]

South KOREA GE Wind Energy Korea 18th, Mirae-Wa-Saram Bldg 942-1, Daechi-dong, Kangnam-ku ROK-Seol 135-280 Tel. +82/2/5280083, Fax 5610430 [email protected]

singapore GE Wind Energy Asia 240 Tanjong Pagar Road, GE Tower 88540 Singapore Tel. +65/6326/3492, Fax 3522

SPAIN ABO Wind España SA Planning and turnkey construction of wind farms, structured financing E-46002 Valencia, Embajador Vich 3, 3 Q Tel. +34/902198937, Fax 902198938 www.abo-wind.es, [email protected] GE Wind Energy Spain (Sales Office) Juan Bravo 3C, 8° Planta E-28006 Madrid Tel. +34/91/5870500, Fax 5870665 Ingeteam Power Converters, Electric Generators, Pitch Control Systems, Integrated Wind Farm Management Systems. Avda. Ciudad de la Innovacion, 13 E-Sarriguren ( Navarra) Tel. +34/948/288000, Fax +34/948/288000 www.ingeteam.com, [email protected]

USA GE Wind Energy USA 13000 Jameson Road USA-Tehachapi, CA 93561 Tel. +1/661/8236700, Fax 8227880 [email protected]

wind energy – measurement technology Germany Ammonit Gesellschaft für Messtechnik mbH High quality data loggers, first class sensors & measurement systems D-10997 Berlin, Wrangelstrasse 100 Tel. +49/30/6003188-0, Fax -10 www.ammonit.com, [email protected] Meßsysteme Bergelt Special Rotor-Balancing Measurement Equipment, Vibration & Imbalance Measurement, Development, Consulting D-01069 Dresden, Huebnerstraße 15 Tel. +49/351/4728892 www.aerobalancer.de, [email protected] SeaCom GmbH Development, manufacture & sale of MDSWind® (certified Condition Monitoring System for wind power stations) D-44653 Herne, Heerstr. 66 Tel. +49/2325/922-514, Fax -519 www.seacom24.com, [email protected]

Wind Energy – Research & Development USA Envirotronics Leader in the manufacture of Enviromental. Test Chambers for Solar, PV and Wind industries Experts in testing applications and requirements. USA 49508, Grand Rapids, MI 3881 N. Greenbrooke Dr SE Tel. +1/800/368/4768, Fax 616/554/5021 www.envirotronics.com, [email protected]

wind energy – suppliers BELGIUM Armacell Benelux S.A. ArmaFORM PET core foams offer a unique density/strength ratio, recycability & high temperature resistance. B-4890 Thimister-Clermont State, Rue des Trois Entités, 9 Tel. +32/87325070, Fax 87325071 www.armacell-core-foams.com, [email protected]

DENMARK ZYVAX / GRANUDAN Denmark Release agents, 100% non-solvent waterbased slipcoats for production of blades, nacelles & spinners D-3660 Stenloese, Knud Bro Alle 4 Tel. +45/44843756, Fax +45/44843755 www.granudan.com, [email protected]

Germany Amphenol-Tuchel Electronics GmbH Connectors, Cable Assemblies & System Solutions for Wind Power and other Applications D-74080 Heilbronn, August-Haeusser-Str.10 Tel. +49/7131/929-0, Fax +49/7131/929-486 www.amphenol.de, [email protected] HELUKABEL GmbH Cable & Accessories for photovoltaic installations and for Wind Turbines D-71282 Hemmingen, Dieselstr. 8-12 Tel. +49/7150/9209-0, Fax +49/7150/81786 www.helukabel.de, [email protected]

wind energy – turbine manufacturers Germany SINOI GmbH Leading independent manufacturer of rotor blades and moulds with product range up to 5.0 MW. Reliable partner in the transfer of state of the art technology. 99734 Nordhausen, Kohnsteinbrücke 10 Tel. +49/36331/90300, Fax +49/36331/90333 www.sinoi.de, [email protected]

ITALY LAYER ELECTRONICS S.R.L. Manufacturer of Solar and Wind Grid Connected Inverters, Wind Generators 300 W to 20 kW, Charge Regulators I-91100 Trapani, S.P. km 5,3 C/da S. Cusumano Tel. +39/0923/562794, Fax 567880 www.layer.it, [email protected]

general SPAIN LKN Sistemas, s.l. Producers: Solar thermal collectors since 1970 Producers: Solar thermal systems and solutions. Solar thermal projects with biomass, geothermal, et E-08520 Les Franqueses (Barcelona) P.I. Congost c/o mas Pojol, 1 Tel. +34/938402933, Fax 938402942 www.lknsistemas.com

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Preview

Issue 11/2010 will be published on November 2nd

Publishing company: BVA Bielefelder Verlag GmbH & Co. KG Richard Kaselowsky Niederwall 53 33602 Bielefeld, Germany

Turnkey solutions Photovoltaics

Publisher: Prof. Dr. Bernhard von Schubert

Photo: Wilhelm Breuer

Publishing Manager: Lutz Bandte

“One stop solutions” are designed to enable manufacturers to manage ramp-up and start production quickly and, as far as possible, without specialist personnel of their own. How well does this concept actually work in practice? And furthermore: which service concepts does a turnkey solution imply?

Photo: Ouraset

Solar Thermal

New solar storage units More and more manufacturers of thermosiphonic systems, tanks for domestic hot water and buffer storage tanks are jostling on the worldwide marketplace. S&WE has surveyed suppliers around the world on their new products and technical trends.

Wind Energy

Wind power in Eastern Europe

Photo: EPA/Jerzy Undro

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In order to meet EU requirements for reducing CO2 emissions, Eastern European countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania are putting more resources into wind power. The sector senses great potential and very promising market opportunities here.

Freelance authors: In Germany: Joachim Berner, Johannes Bernreuter, Martin Frey, Claudia Hilgers, Jörn Iken, Jens-Peter Meyer, Anke Müller, Ina Röpcke, Torsten Thomas In India: Jaideep N. Malaviya In China: Sven Tetzlaff, Zhengua Weng In the USA: Lisa Cohn, Reid Smith, Anja Limperis Advertising: International contact: Yvonne Müller, Phone: +49/5 21/59 55 75 E-mail: [email protected] Katharina Müller, Phone +49/5 21/59 55 81 E-mail: [email protected] Sylvia Hölzer, Phone: +49/5 21/59 55 90 E-mail: [email protected] Nannette Nopto: Phone +49/5 21/59 55 91 E-mail: [email protected] German contact: Christine Michalsky, Phone: +49/5 21/59 55 25 E-mail: [email protected] Christiane Diekmann, Phone: +49/5 21/59 55 47 E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +49/5 21/59 55 56 Advertising sales Italy: Quaini Pubblicità, Julia Reiter Phone: +39/02/39216180; Fax: + 39/02/39217082 E-mail: [email protected]

Sales & Marketing: Ulrich Fillies (Manager), Uta Haffert Phone: +49/5 21/59 55 88, Fax: +49/5 21/59 55 07 E-mail: [email protected] Layout: Bernd Schulte zur Wißen, Virginie Béclu, Stefanie Herken, DSV Deutscher Sportverlag GmbH, Cologne, Germany Print: Dierichs Druck + Media GmbH & Co. KG, Frankfurter Str. 168, 34121 Kassel, Germany SUN & WIND ENERGY is an independent journal published monthly. Subscription costs € 108 per year plus shipping costs (printed edition), € 51 (e-paper). Period of cancellation: six weeks before the end of the respective suscription period. Otherwise the suscription will automatically be extended by another year. Material in this publication may not be reproduced, reprinted or stored in any form without the publisher’s written permission.

Photo: Thomas Isenburg

Bioenergy

Editors: Dr. Volker Buddensiek (responsible), Silke Funke, ­Stefan Trojek, Eva Augsten, Tanja Ellinghaus, Bodo Höche, Katharina Ertmer, Katharina Garus, Désirée Mäueler, Ralf Ossenbrink, Constanze Grohmann (office); Phone: +49/5 21/59 55 38, E-mail: [email protected]

Advertising sales China: Sven Tetzlaff Phone: +86/1 37 77 47 62 58, Fax: +86/5 71/87 04 42 10, E-mail: [email protected]

Biofuels: potential for commercial use New fuels made from biomass are in the starting blocks: butanol from biomass, ethanol from lignocellulose, algae as a new fuel source. Can these chemical compounds play a role in the energy supplies of the future and what is the current state of research on these?

IMPRINT

Translation: Translationes (Berlin), Jeremy Heighway (Leipzig), Mark Wigfall (Bad Harzburg), Timothy Hanes (Erlangen), Übersetzungsbüro Hartmann (Chemnitz) Websites: www.sunwindenergy.com www.sunwindenergy.asia

Sun & Wind Energy 10/2010

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DEGERtraker: The single and dual axis fastening system ideally aligns the photovoltaic modules.

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