Lắp đặt điện mặt trời | Khải Minh Tech: tháng 11 2019

Thứ Bảy, 30 tháng 11, 2019

The weekend read: Islanding on and off the ocean

Microgrids are traditionally deployed where end users are not spoiled for choice. The remoteness and terrain of the Maldives make grid access impossible, and without any other choice, the deployment of hundreds of microgrids could be spot on. A leaf out of the island nation’s book could also support other less remote regions in preparing for the energy transition.

From pv magazine, November edition

When the going gets tough, microgrids are the offroad vehicle to bring electricity to those who inhabit some of the most remote places on earth. While the going does not look tough in the Maldives – comprising 1,190 individual islands over a geographical area the size of Scotland – the popular holiday destination faces severe challenges to building an electric grid.

Sungrow has been one of the companies taking on this challenge, and has installed several of its systems on the islands. With only about 200 of the islands inhabited, a sea cable connects only very few of them to a larger grid. The average size of the islands is less than 25 hectares, making the addition of generation and distribution assets even more complicated.

Forming the grid

A microgrid’s primary function is to manage loads and resources in the grid to keep the stable equilibrium of the two. Using solar power as the leading resource, a microgrid requires storage capacity to substitute for rotating masses, which quickly inject power into the grid when loads change. Improvements in battery inverter technology over the last few years have enabled large-scale storage systems to inject voltage or frequency as required in a matter of a few hundred milliseconds.

“Basically, the energy storage system will adjust the active power output of the power conversion systems, as per the frequency fluctuation of the grid, in a bid to maintain a stable working status for the grid,” explains Zhuang Cai, energy storage product manager at Sungrow.

Through the use of relays and very accurate monitoring today’s grid-forming inverters can remedy a 0.5 Hz frequency step almost instantaneously. The devices use single- and double-angle feedforward to achieve this result. The difference to regular inverters is the behavior to react to impulses in the grid. Grid-following inverters tend to follow voltage droops, whereas grid-forming inverters generate a frequency or voltage to counter this change. This is what makes the devices grid-forming.

The Maldives have experienced large-scale deployment of solar microgrids, backed up with battery storage. This leaves diesel gensets mostly idle, available only for prolonged periods of low renewable energy production. Demand has been sizable, with companies installing several dozen microgrids at a time.

Sungrow, for example, has supported the Maldives with 31 microgrids over the past two years. In 2017, the company first supplied materials for micrgrids across the islands of Addu, Villingili, Kurrendhoo, Buruni and Goidho – including PV and storage inverters, Sungrow-Samsung SDI lithium-ion batteries and energy management control systems. The 2017 projects on the five islands were done with Chinese developer CEEC. Jointly, the small projects across the five islands have 2.7 MW of PV capacity and 700 kW/333kWh of battery storage. Sungrow says that last year it supported an additional 26 islands with 4.5 MW/3.2 MWh of energy storage.

At Asia Utility Week in Jakarta in September, Sada Aishath, deputy director of business development and marketing at Malé public utility Fenaka, said that 150 islands have been electrified.

Island energy

The Maldives’ energy mix is powered almost entirely by diesel (more than 80%), along with some other forms of liquid fossil fuels. Power has been provided by small generators on each of the islands, putting the country at risk to volatile oil prices and also to environmental disasters, should there be problems shipping the fuels to the islands. The nation’s bid to largely abandon thermal generator-based electricity production could be seen merely as a signal to the world. With an average elevation of 1.5 meters above sea level, concerns about sea level rise are particularly urgent here. In 2012, the prime minister’s cabinet signed a policy for carbon cuts underwater while scuba diving, which drew international attention. The government has launched several programs, such as the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program (SREP) and the Preparing Outer Islands for Sustainable Energy Development, to attract millions of dollars from international lenders and funds.

It’s cheaper

The Maldives are not rolling up their sleeves and building technically challenging microgrids by the hundreds to send a message to the world – well, at least that is not the only reason. Instead, it is because microgrids have become a cheaper, more practical solution.

Microgrid deployment is thriving, with newly installed capacity of around 500 MW per quarter, according to Navigant Research’s microgrid tracker.

The analyst outfit has been monitoring the technology’s global deployment and points out that the majority of projects have been built in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of the Malé Ministry of Finance and Treasury, the country spends between $24 million and $45 million per month on the import of fuels. This is not only very expensive, but also highly volatile, due to geopolitical realities.

Cai explains that “the diesel plus PV plus storage system can guarantee a lower levelized cost of energy compared with a diesel-only generation system.”

This rings true not only in the Maldives, but also throughout many remote, isolated regions across Asia-Pacific, where diesel fuel regularly needs to be shipped in at high costs and is often distributed through monopolized structures, which further drives up prices.

Proving resiliency

Sungrow says that it has improved the quality of power supply on the islands where its systems are installed, as the grid-forming capabilities of the inverters render a grid inherently more resilient.

Indeed, microgrids are being deployed not just on remote islands, but also in regions where power supply is already safely available. It is done to improve resilience in the U.S. around data centers, military bases, and hospitals, for example (see pp. 36-38).

Also, in Europe, grid engineers have been piloting microgrids as an alternative to expensive grid infrastructure developments, as needed in Germany. This August, a massive blackout hit the southeastern U.K. and parts of London, when a wind farm and a gas power station failed due to weather-related incidents. A sudden frequency drop had killed the lights in large parts of the country. A plethora of microgrids arranged in a cellular manner likely would have contained the damage to a much smaller area. The German association of electrical technology (VDE) published a white paper asserting that this cellular grid layout will be the one to pursue for the future of the energy transition – when the going gets tough.

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Thứ Sáu, 29 tháng 11, 2019

Ofgem’s plan for network charges triggers renewables sector backlash

Ofgem passed its long-awaited, controversial plan for network charges last week, despite earlier warnings against the move. The UK electricity market regulator’s Targeted Charging Review has provoked a backlash in the renewables sector, as many believe that the plan will damage the economics of distributed energy resources and unsubsidized onshore wind and solar development.

U.K. energy regulator Ofgem’s decision to make changes to the maintenance and operation of the country’s grid has been greeted with dismay by the renewable energy sector. The complex Target Charging Review (TCR) reforms, released last week, are widely seen as a major obstacle to future solar and wind deployment.

One of the biggest changes is that residual charges will be levied in the form of fixed charges for all households and businesses, as opposed to the current system, under which end users are charged according to the amount of power they take from the grid. However, this will clearly undermine the business case for solar PV and batteries.

In addition, amendments to embedded benefits will remove the ability for suppliers to reduce their liability for balancing service charges by contracting with small distributed generators. Meanwhile, an exemption from the payment of balancing service charges for small distribution generators will be the subject of a second balancing services charges task force, which will consider who should pay balancing charges and on what basis.

The reforms are expected to save consumers some £300 million ($387.5 million) per year from 2021 and will lay the foundations for a net-zero economy. But the U.K. renewables sector has voiced concern about Ofgem’s TCR decision, arguing that it will do much more harm than good, while rendering some projects uneconomical.

Dire warnings

A report published earlier this year by consultancy Aurora Energy Research suggested that Ofgem’s TCR “will favour low-efficiency [closed cycle gas turbines] at the expense of new renewables schemes such as onshore wind and solar PV – with subsidy-free renewables delayed by two to five years as a result.”

With specific regard to solar, deployment “would be 5 GW lower by 2035 as a result of the changes,” the consultancy added. And its findings about smart solutions such as energy storage and demand response were equally discouraging. “Embedded battery storage projects would see higher network charges under [the] proposals; whilst demand response and behind-the-meter schemes would see a significant source of value removed,” it said.

Another report from Oxera Consulting said that there have not been any new investments in unsupported onshore wind and solar PV as a result of the reforms. And the most recent impact assessment from Frontier and Lane Clark & Peacock assumed a 50% dropout rate for new onshore wind and solar build as a result of the proposals.

Deaf ears

But Ofgem has decided to push the reforms through, even though its own revised analysis shows that the changes risk delaying the deployment of subsidy-free, low-cost renewables, according to Solar Trade Association (STA) Chief Executive Chris Hewett.

“Ofgem are pressing ahead with changes that make net-zero harder to reach, not easier,“ Hewett said. “With the urgency of climate change, it is abundantly clear that the regulator’s current objectives are now outdated and absolutely vital that the next government addresses this.”

Partial reforms to embedded benefits, which will be implemented in 2021, could entail a potential loss of ~£2.5/MWh in additional revenue for solar PV, the STA has estimated. “Whilst less severe than full reform, it will undoubtedly impact on the extremely tight economics for subsidy-free solar development,“ the association said.

Juliet Davenport, CEO of green energy supplier Good Energy, agreed that Ofgem’s TCR will damage unsubsidized onshore wind and solar development. She has called for their suspension, noting that the decision will also penalize the most vulnerable and energy-efficient customers by increasing network charges for some low-consuming domestic consumers by almost 20%.

“None of these outcomes are consistent with addressing the climate emergency or achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, going against the stated policy objectives of all political parties as we head into an election,” Davenport said.

The Renewable Energy Association (REA) has warned that Ofgem’s TCR is damaging for the development of a more “flexible” electricity system and could negatively affect the small-scale renewable power generation sector.

“These reforms mean that businesses and homes which have taken responsible steps to install low carbon technologies will effectively pay more to use the wires needed to support the system,“ said REA Chief Executive Nina Skorupska. “Ultimately, this decision will negatively impact subsidy-free renewables and until the ‘forward looking charges’ review is enacted we risk further shrinking the pipeline of new projects.”

As for Ofgem’s plan for a partial Balancing Services Use of System (BSUOS) reform, Morag Watson, director of policy at Scottish Renewables, said it is more positive than the full reform, but added that uncertainty still hangs over the future of grid charges.

Energyra works on restarting PV factory in the Netherlands

The insolvent photovoltaic manufacturer is still talking to potential investment partners, but it claims that it could resume PV module production at its shuttered factory in the Dutch municipality of Zaanstad on short notice.

Dutch photovoltaic manufacturer Energyra has not given up on plans to restart its solar module factory in Zaanstad, after filing for insolvency in April due to a lack of working capital and delays in the supply of production equipment.

Energyra’s co-founder, Daniel Kuijk, told pv magazine that he is working with a small team on both the business and technology sides of the problem to make the restart possible. “We have interested and solid investors who are ready for it,” he said, noting that he has been able to secure the support of key suppliers and technology partners. However, the last puzzle piece for the restart in Zaanstad is the need for a co-investor, and Kujik would prefer a partner from the solar industry.

It has been almost eight months since Energyra filed for bankruptcy, but Kujik attributes this to “seasonal factors,” claiming that it has taken a while to drum up investor interest. Interested parties began to emerge this past summer, particularly for parts of the 100 MW production line. But as the main creditor, Rabo Lease has thus far opposed any offers for portions of the factory, in favor of a full, onsite restart.

The Zaanstad factory is still in good condition, Kujik said, claiming that it still has its “showroom quality.” Rabo Lease, a subsidiary of Rabobank, has made sure to maintain the facility in order to keep the production line in perfect condition.

A number of former distributors are also eager for the factory to resume production, Kujk claimed. But the next few weeks could be critical in providing clarity on the desired production restart, which would give it the chance to bring its metal wrap through (MWT) cell technologies to market.

300 MW of new solar for China’s 800 kV UHV power transmission project

JinkoSolar has announced that it will supply 300 MW of its Tiger solar panels for what it describes as an ultra-high voltage demonstration plant in China's Qinghai's province. The project will be connected to an ultra-high voltage power line that State Grid Corp. of China is building to connect the far northwestern part of the country to the more heavily populated eastern provinces.

Chinese PV manufacturer JinkoSolar has announced its first supply agreement for its new Tiger modules, which were unveiled in mid-October in Australia.

The company said in an online statement that it will provide 300 MW of its 460 Wp nine-busbar, mono PERC half-cut panels for an ultra-high voltage demonstration plant in China’s Qinghai province, without naming the client or disclosing the financial terms of the agreement.

“As a top global module supplier, we are constantly innovating and improving the quality products and I am proud to have the opportunity to demonstrate their effectiveness by installing them for the first time on a ground-mounted utility project,” said JinkoSolar CEO Kangping Chen.

In a statement to pv magazine, the company said the module supply agreement is related to a solar plant that will be connected to one of China’s new ultra-high voltage lines, which State Grid Corp. of China has been building since November. The 800 kV UHV DC power transmission project, which is scheduled for commissioning next year, will transmit renewable electricity from northwestern China, where consumption is limited, to the more developed, densely populated regions of eastern China, where electricity demand is considerably higher.

State Grid has said that the CNY 22.6 billion ($3.2 billion) project will include the construction of two converter stations, with 8 GW of transmission capacity. The line will extend 1,587 km across the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi and Henan.

“It is also the world’s first UHV project serving PV power generation and the outward transmission of clean energy, as well as an innovative and demonstration project that addresses the bottleneck of massive grid connectivity and utilization of renewable energy, which is set to significantly promote the intensive development of the GW-level renewable energy base in Qinghai and the outward transmission of clean energy,” the grid operator said.

State Grid said the project is promoting innovation in UHV technology to facilitate the long-distance transmission of renewable energy. It also said that it will help to determine best practices, while pushing the development of grid technologies forward.

China began to develop long-distance, ultra-high voltage (AC and DC) electricity transmission lines in 2009.

Cuba introduces new rules, fiscal incentives for solar prosumers

With Decree No. 345, the Cuban government aims to encourage consumers to install rooftop PV projects. The new rules will help to facilitate the sale of surplus power within the national electricity system, among other matters.

The government of Cuba has published new rules that introduce incentives, import tariff exemptions, and tax benefits for distributed generation, in order to facilitate the installation and purchase of renewable electricity.

“The Ministry of Energy and Mines promotes the production of energy by consumers, which includes the residential sector, based on the use of technologies that take advantage of renewable energy sources for self-consumption and the sale of surpluses to the Electric System National,” the government states in Decree No. 345.

The new rules will apply to state and non-state legal entities, commercial companies with 100% Cuban capital, and foreign investors. They also outline how commercial banks should grant loans to people who are interested in installing solar.

“The credits are granted in Cuban pesos up to 100% of the value of the equipment,” the government states in the decree. “The amount and the repayment term of the credit respond to the risk analysis carried out by the bank based on the payment capacity of the applicant.”

The Cuban government also hopes that the new rules will encourage the development of a national renewable energy industry. “Decree No. 345 declares as an objective the creation of the national industry, the production of equipment and components for the development of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency,” it says in the decree.

In an April 2018 interview with pv magazine, Cubasolar President Luis Bérriz revealed that excess energy from non-residential PV installations could be sold for $0.06/kWh.

By the end of 2018, Cuba’s cumulative installed PV capacity reached about 96 MW, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. This capacity mainly comes from large-scale solar plants that were built under the Cuban solar plan, which includes a target of 700 MW by 2030.

The ‘butterfly effect’ of Chinese PV listings

A recent study shows that PV costs have declined faster than any other energy technology over the past two decades. The researcher behind the study said this would not have been possible without the “butterfly effect,” which is based on the idea that a small change in one part of a complex system can have a large impact elsewhere. The researcher also attributed the the rapidly declining cost of PV to Chinese manufacturing and strong US investor support.

Photovoltaics would likely be too expensive for widespread deployment if not for Chinese manufacturing and strong US investor support, University of New South Wales Professor Martin Andrew Green has argued in a new study, How Did Solar Cells Get So Cheap?, published earlier this year on the ScienceDirect website.

The study is based on the theory of the “butterfly effect,” under which big events in one place can be triggered by small occurrences elsewhere. The concept is based on the idea that a butterfly flapping it wings in the United States could cause a typhoon in Japan.

‘Flapping wings’

The shift of PV production to China was caused by a series of events, including the listing of Chinese solar manufacturers on the New York Stock Exchange a few years before the onset of the 2008 global financial crisis, Green said.

“Before the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy in 2008, nine Chinese photovoltaic companies listed on U.S. exchanges, with these now forming the backbone of the photovoltaic manufacturing industry,” he said, acknowledging that current market leader JinkoSolar didn’t list its shares until 2010.

“This is where the butterfly’s gently flapping wings are evident, given the fragility of events enabling this shift,” Green said.

Four of the companies that listed shares before the crisis – Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, JA Solar, and Hanwha Q Cells – are still among the global PV industry’s top 10 manufacturers. The listings quickly contributed to oversupply, putting strong pressure on prices ever since.

“Companies fought to remain profitable, particularly between 2011 and 2013, where a second downward price surge is apparent, with many companies forced out of the industry at this stage,” Green wrote. Since then, according to the study, the industry has entered a more stable phase, with prices falling at a compounded rate of 20% per year.”

Suntech’s role

The paper also describes Suntech Power as a trailblazer in the massive transfer of technology and financial res

Zhengrong Shi at the Sunman booth during Intersolar Europe 2019.
*Image: pv magazine*

ources from Western economies to China, as it listed its shares on the NYSE in 2005. “This encouraged U.S. investors to search for other Chinese photovoltaic companies for listing and vice versa,” Green argued.

In particular, Green notes how

Shi, the founder of Suntech Power – and a PhD graduate of the University of New South Wales’s School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering – established the company’s first module production line in China in 2002 with the backing of the university itself.

“By supplying modules to Germany, his company Suntech grew quickly, attracting the attention of US investment banks,” Green said.

PV investment confidence continues to slide in Australia

A new survey by the Melbourne-based Clean Energy Council shows that confidence in new clean energy investment has continued to weaken over the past six months. While a majority of Australian industry representatives expect to hire more people over the next 12 months, the biggest challenges to developing new projects remain unchanged, with the grid connection process, technical requirements, and policy uncertainty at the top of their list of concerns.

Australian confidence in new clean energy investment has fallen to a record low, following a remarkable 2018 that saw the country shatter all records in terms of investment in renewables and new capacity additions.

According to a new report on investor confidence by the Clean Energy Council (CEC), the Australian clean energy sector is struggling, mainly due to grid connection issues, transmission concerns, and a lack of federal government policy support. The survey of 70 CEOs and senior executives across the renewable energy and storage industries shows that confidence to invest in new projects over the next three years has fallen to a record low of 6.1 out of 10, down from 7.1 just 12 months prior.

“As we have consistently said, without strategic and holistic reform of the Australian energy market, we are going to continue to see confidence in new clean energy investment continue to fall,” CEC Chief Executive Kane Thornton said.

The strict grid-connection demands of the Australian Energy Market Operator have delayed a number of large-scale projects across the country, undermining their economic viability. This has even caused some developers to walk away from projects, or bear the additional expense of installing extra components, such as costly synchronous condensers, in order to improve grid strength.

Grid challenges aside, there have been a lot of project commitments over the last couple of years, largely driven by the 2020 Renewable Energy Target. But with the target now officially achieved and surpassed by a substantial margin, the policy vacuum beyond 2020 is starting to take a toll on investment confidence.

In September, the CEC published a report showing that investment in renewable energy projects had slowed to levels not seen since the government of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, due to policy uncertainty and mounting regulatory challenges. New clean energy investment has slowed significantly in 2019, with average quarterly investment in new generation capacity of just slightly more than 500 MW per quarter, compared to more than 1.6 GW per quarter in 2018. This reflects a reduction of more than 60% from 2018 levels.

“Australia has abundant natural resources and huge potential for renewable energy generation, but the industry has been plagued by policy and political uncertainty at the federal level for several years and we are now starting to see the impact of this,” Thorton said.

Other important challenges are also related to transmission, including insufficient investment in network capacity to address congestion and constraints, and concerns about marginal loss factors (MLFs). However, the Australian Energy Market Commission’s decision earlier in November to leave MLFs unchanged, in defiance of industry calls to simplify the methodology for assessing transmission and network losses, is expected to further weigh on investment confidence. The industry is also struggling with government intervention in the energy market and a lack of certainty about the timing of the country’s coal-fired power station phase-out plan, the survey found.

But despite the immense challenges, around 70% of respondents said they expected the number of people they employed to increase over the next 12 months. Industry leaders appeared to be slightly more optimistic in this regard than they were in the last survey in July.

“This reflects the incredible gains the industry is making, despite the significant issues around transmission, grid connection and energy policy,” Thornton said. “While some of the survey results are certainly disheartening, I hope that it will serve as a wake-up call to governments and regulators to begin taking the urgent action needed to boost confidence and deliver an affordable, reliable and clean energy system for all Australians.”

Goa to extend solar PPA with NTPC by 3 more years

The government of Goa, now reeling under severe electricity shortages, has decided to extend its solar power purchase agreement with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam by three years, following a complete lack of interest in the Indian state’s recent solar tenders.

The Goa state government agreed on Wednesday to extend its five-year PPA with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam, which expired in August, by another three years.

The rate for the newly extended three-year contract is INR 5.5 ($0.08)/kWh, from an initial rate of INR 7.99/kWh under the old five-year contract, said Nilesh Cabral, the state’s power minister. The extended contract will cost the state exchequer roughly $2.94 million.

The state government launched a solar tender in March to meet its renewable purchase obligation for 2019-20, but it did not receive any bids. It also failed to generate interest in another tender in June, despite four extensions to the bid submission deadline.

In February, the Goa state government set a PV installation target of 150 MW by 2022, as part of its new solar development policy. Over the next seven years, Goa will provide subsidies to cover half the cost of solar installations, with 30% from the central government and 20% from the state authorities. The purchase price will be calculated as the capital cost set by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, or the price arrived at through a Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) tender.

Sanjeev Jogalekar, member secretary of GEDA, recently told pv magazine that to achieve its 2022 target, the state government will need to prioritize the development of both rooftop PV arrays and ground-mounted solar systems.

Earlier this month, Cabral said that the state government would offer homeowners the chance to reduce their energy bills without any upfront costs by leasing rooftop space to PV installers, as part of plans to install 15 MW of solar capacity in Goa by March 2020. The minister reportedly said that the state government is now considering the use of private rooftops to host both solar tiles and PV modules under leasing arrangements.

The “Solar Rebate” Is Not Ending: Don’t Be Fooled By Misleading Ads

DON’T PANIC! Despite attempts by dodgy advertisers1 to convince you otherwise, the “solar rebate” isn’t ending any time soon. Renewable energy certificates (called STCs) will still be lowering the cost of rooftop solar for years to come. To be precise, for another 11 years, 1 month, and 2 days. If you absolutely have to panic, […]

The post The “Solar Rebate” Is Not Ending: Don’t Be Fooled By Misleading Ads appeared first on Solar Quotes Blog.

Movement On Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s Lofty Solar Goals

New South Wales’ Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is about to really get cracking on its goal of 100% solar power by 2027. In October 2017, Council voted to adopt a Long Term Energy Strategy focusing on the future financial sustainability of Council in terms of energy supply. The centrepiece of this is solar power, with an […]

The post Movement On Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s Lofty Solar Goals appeared first on Solar Quotes Blog.

Thứ Năm, 28 tháng 11, 2019

The precise chemical nature of perovskite defects

A research group in Okinawa, Japan has been able to observe and characterize structural defects in an organic-inorganic perovskite solar cell. Their findings could help to inform future approaches to optimizing and improving perovskite stability.

Scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Technology (OIST) in Japan have successfully used scanning tunneling microscopy to observe the nature of structural defects in a perovskite solar cell material.

That defects exist in perovskite materials, and have an adverse effect on their performance as solar cells, has long been known. However, the precise nature of these defects and the resulting mechanisms that affect device stability, is less well understood. Delving into their characteristics, as the OIST group has done, could help to inform the design of future device designs that minimize or even eliminate the influence of such defects.

Many different approaches to this problem have been suggested, including ‘healing’ defects through carefully managed exposure to heat and light, using a potassium solution to limit the ion movement caused by such defects, and inserting extra layers into the cell.

The scientists used scanning tunneling microscopy – a method which looks at the atomic level properties of a surface – to observe in high resolution the movement of individual particles across the surface of the perovskite solar cell based on methylammonium lead bromide.

Their analysis of these images, combined with calculations from collaborators at the University of Pittsburgh, demonstrated groups of vacant spaces across the surface, where atoms were missing, and also noticed pairs of bromide ions shifting and changing direction on the surface.

Microscope image showing the movement of ions across the perovskite’s surface. *Image: OIST*
*Image: OIST*

In their results, published in ACS Nano, the group concludes that the ‘missing atoms’ on the surface are likely the cause of the shifting bromide atoms. “These perovskite surfaces are much more dynamic than we previously anticipated,” said Stecker. “Now, with these new findings, we hope engineers can better account for the effect of defects and their motion in order to improve devices.”

Hybrid power plants, and the move beyond LCOE

A new paper published by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory delves into the potential of hybrid power plants combining wind and solar generation. Development of such plants, according to the lab, is driven by the need to increase profitability and consider metrics beyond levelized cost of electricity, taking into account time varying revenues and better managing these renewables inherent variability.

“A paradigm shift is underway,” according to the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), “With renewable energy growing to 10%–20% or more of overall electricity generation, design objectives are shifting from producing energy at the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE) to also include other design objectives that maximize profitability.

A paper published by NREL, Research Opportunities in the Physical Design Optimization of Hybrid Power Plants, examines the opportunity this move beyond LCOE provides for hybrid renewable energy systems, particularly those combining wind and solar generation.

As feed in tariffs and other incentives are reduced, renewables are increasingly left to compete with conventional energy sources and develop alternate revenue sources that consider time varying generation, capacity and ancillary services. And this requirement for variable renewables to behave more like conventional energy assets could be met by combining solar, wind and other renewable generation assets, plus energy storage, into hybrid systems, says NREL:

“By combining generation assets together, including storage, solar, and wind, into “hybrid power plants,” an individual plant owner can 1) develop economies of scope in terms of land usage, electrical and physical infrastructure, and operational expenditures; and 2) increase their system value to capitalize on revenue streams through forward capacity markets (where present), “dispatchable” operation in markets with time-varying energy pricing, and ancillary service markets (where present).” – Katherine Dykes et al, 2019.

The report, which is available free of charge from NREL’s website, examines the opportunity for such hybrid systems to participate in both existing market structures, and new ones that are evolving as a consequence of higher grid penetration by variable renewables, and looks into optimal system designs to take advantage of this.

The biggest factor identified for system design is characterization of the energy resources and their joint distribution over time, and it is noted that market structure is a source of uncertainty – with most plants being design with a PPA type structure in mind, where LCOE optimizations are the key consideration.

NREL notes that such an approach would not likely be optimal in terms of profitability, and suggests alternatives that might better take into account the characteristics of both the energy resources and the market into which the system is dispatching electricity, noting that further research into this optimization is needed.

“The complexity and uncertainty involved in the physical design optimization of hybrid power plants goes beyond current practice,” reads the conclusion of the report, “…and creates opportunity for research and innovation to realize the full potential of future hybrid power plants with low cost and high value to the electric grid system.”

Can You Run A Water Pump on An AC Module?

What do you think about running a water pump on the Grid Connected AC Module? There are two common purposes of installing water pumps – one for homes and another for agriculture. As per trends, we observe that many hand pumps in homes and public places have been replaced by water pumps (Submersible Pump or Tullu Pump). As per discussion with many homeowners, they are generally using ½ HP, 1 HP, 3 HP motors as per their needs. We know that an electricity bill of residential and agriculture establishments is different (residential electricity bill per unit: ~₹ 7-8 per unit and agriculture electricity bill per unit: ~₹ 0.10 to 0.25 per unit). In this blog, we will discuss the residential case.

As per our expert observation, 70% of homes generate electricity bills between ₹ 1500 – 2000 and these homes have average load is 1kW. About 90% of homeowners are already using inverter and battery for power backup. They are finding a solution to reduce their electricity bills. Some homeowners install high-efficiency dc solar panels (known as mono panel) with the latest technology solar charge controller (known as mppt) and they generally run home appliances on solar power during the day and on battery during the night. In case of low battery, appliances run automatically on grid power. These types of solar consumers are happy and are saving their electricity bills by up to 50% monthly. But this solution has some limitations when homeowners want to run Water Pump, Air Conditioner, Geyser or Room Heater. What would be the next solution to this situation?

Loom Solar has launched new technology premium PV modules, called AC Module. It is a Grid Connected Solar System which is used for reducing electricity bills. It has many advantages that make it different from an ordinary grid-connected solar system.

It is an expandable
Net Meter is optional
It has panel level performance monitoring
It is safer than the traditional grid-connected system,
It has a partial shadow impact.

You can read in detail here. AC Module vs. Grid-Tied Solar System: Which is Better?

In this blog, we come on the main point now – Can You Run A Water Pump on an AC Module?

Yes, you heard it right! Loom Solar has recently installed an AC Module for a Water Pump in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. Nilesh Jangir is the solar influencer in Udaipur city who is making people aware of solar energy through his Solarable YouTube channel. He went to our solar consumer resident, Kaloli, Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, where he captured the feedback from both the homeowner (M/S. Sarta Devi) and installer (Nand Kishor, Authorized Partner of Loom Solar), so watch this video here.

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Do You Know Where Consumers Are Installing Solar Panels?

I believe, you will say, YES, I know. But when our solar professional talk to solar consumers, Sir/Mam’m, can you tell me where will you use this solar system? The solar consumers generally answer about unique applications, that we have never thought about. So, we have given the top five solar panels applications below, and we hope that you enjoy reading this.

1. 250Watt Solar Panel Installation on Yamuna River, Delhi

250Watt Solar Panel Installation on Yamuna River, Delhi

Objective: This installation was done to check the water level for internet connection. The solar panels are used to power the water level sensor.

2. 2kW AC Modules Installation in Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan)

2kW AC Modules Installation in Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan)

Objective: The solar system was installed to reduce the electricity bill. It is mainly being used for powering the water pump in agriculture.

3. 540Watt Off Grid Solar System Installation in Ghatal, West Bengal

540Watt Off Grid Solar System Installation in Ghatal, West Bengal

Objective: The customer wants to run electric appliance by solar power during the day and by batteries at night.

4. 360Watt Off Grid Solar System Installation in Bangalore, Karnataka

Objective: The solar system was installed for battery charging.

5. 180Watt Off Grid Solar System Installation in Sadalga, Karnataka

180Watt Off Grid Solar System Installation in Sadalga, Karnataka

Objective: The customer did not have enough budget that’s why he installed 1kW Solar Inverter & 150Ah Battery with 180Watt Mono Panel. He is an electrician by profession. The customer installed the solar system Mr. Sunil Pradhane explained about the benefits of going solar.

UAE-based PV developer to build 50 MW of solar in Togo

A unit of Dubai-based Amea Power will build the project in Blitta prefecture, in the center of the West African country, with all electricity to be sold to Togo Electric Power Co. (CEET) under a long-term power purchase agreement.

With just one tweet, Marc D. Ably-Bidamon, Togo’s Minister of Mines and Energy, kicked off the development of the country’s second major PV project:

J'ai procédé ce mardi, 26 Nov. à la signature de la convention de Concession pour la conception, le financement, la construction, la mise en service…de la centrale solaire photovoltaïque de 50MWc de Blitta par AMEA POWER. Ce projet permettra de réduire la dépendance énergétique pic.twitter.com/yDvARI6i7O

— Marc D. Ably-Bidamon (@AblyMarc) November 26, 2019

Amea Togo Solar – a subsidiary of Amea Power, a global renewables developer based in the United Arab Emirates – will build the XOF 20 billion ($33.5 million) solar array in Blitta prefecture, central Togo. The Abu Dhabi Development Fund will provide some of the financing for the project, which will sell electricity to Togo Electric Power Co. (CEET) under a long-term PPA.

“The construction of this solar power plant, which will eventually have a capacity of 50 MW, is part of the solar program of the national electrification strategy through which the government intends to build four plants in the country,” the Togolese government said.

In August, the Togolese government approved plans to build the country’s first PV project, a 30 MW solar array, just two weeks after joining the World Bank’s Scaling Solar program. And under a recently signed memorandum of understanding with International Finance Corp., the local authorities plan to develop an additional 90 MW of solar capacity.

Upon completion, the four facilities will be the first large-scale solar installations in a country that has only seen rural electrification projects thus far.

Webinar Q&A: Avoiding the ‘green halo’ effect

Earlier this month, pv magazine held its first webinar under the UP sustainability initiative, looking at greenwashing versus verifiable sustainability. Initiative partner SMA and Professor Dustin Mulvaney shared their insights in a lively discussion. Many questions were submitted by the webinar participants. What follows are those we did not have time to answer.

On November 14, pv magazine held its first UP webinar, which focused on what companies can do to verify their sustainability credentials.

Initiative partner and leading inverter manufacturer, SMA, joined the conversation, with senior communication & press manager Susanne Henkel, and global sustainability manager Matthias Schaepers discussing how integrating sustainability into business operations can reap economic advantages. They also identified what companies can do to quantify their green credentials and looked at why it’s so important to walk the talk.

There to kick off the discussion was Dustin Mulvaney, associate professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at San José State University in the U.S. He is an expert on sustainability in the solar industry, has published a very interesting book, Solar Power, Innovation, Sustainability and Environmental Justice at the start of this year, and has played an integral role in the creation of a new global sustainability standard for modules and inverters – a process that SMA has also been actively involved in – and which is set to be released soon.

During the webinar – the recording and presentations of which are now available online – Mulvaney explained why it is so crucial to avoid greenwashing: “Green attributes are the primary attraction for photovoltaic industry investors, and questions about the greenness of the solar industry could limit market penetration. The green attributes attract most customers and draw public support for policies that foster solar power adoption.”

Overall, the discussion was a lively one, providing insight into what companies can do to quantify their sustainability credentials. While we managed to pose many questions throughout the webinar, there were many interesting ones we did not have time to address. Below you will find answers to those:

Dustin Mulvaney (presentation)

How much of an issue is greenwashing really in the solar and/or storage industries? Can you provide concrete examples of greenwashing by solar companies?

Greenwashing is probably not the best word choice. I do not suggest that manufacturers or developers are misleading consumers about the environmental benefits of photovoltaics, especially compared to alternatives. But there are differences in practices within the industry, and so long as there is a “green halo” placed on these technologies, we will not maximize the benefits they offer.

If you visit manufacturers’ websites, you can see the variation in the claims. Some companies see sustainability as “we make solar panels,” while others disclose a great deal about operations.

How can guidelines for sustainability reporting help in minimizing greenwashing?

Reporting activities, emissions, effluents, supply chains, and land use can draw attention to the variation in performance, and perhaps lead consumers to ask for modules from manufacturers that report. You can read about the sustainability standard we developed under NSF International here.

What’s the best source for studies involving life cycle assessments (LCAs) for solar or renewables in general?

There are several very reputable scholars. Some last names include Raugei, Fthenakis, de Wild-Scholten, and Heath. Interpreting LCAs can be a bit misleading, because they are snapshots in time of typical operations, and do not capture all activities, accidents, etc. that are more representative of actual operations. Often comparing the results are like comparing apples and oranges, because of the variation in assumptions and data.
NREL did a harmonization of LCAs and the EIA developed guidelines for LCAs.

What is the CO2 footprint of a typical Si-based PV module versus that of a CIGS or CdTe module?

Cradle-to-gate footprints appear to favor CdTe to crystalline silicon, but modestly, and we don’t have comprehensive information about the variation in crystalline operations and scale. CIGS is not at scale to make any results meaningful. Argonne Labs studied carbon footprints of PV modules made in China versus the EU and found them to be double in China. So geography of production likely matters more than technology.

Has the CO2 footprint of solar parks been analyzed?

I have not seen an adequate LCA that addresses land use change from solar farms and the variation in land use types in the way that biofuels LCAs include land use change.

Matthias Schaepers, SMA (presentation)

In your presentation, you mentioned that 40% of the total electricity consumption in Germany is covered by solar power from your own PV systems, while the remaining electricity used is also renewable. Is the 60% procured via green certificates? I ask, because there has been criticism than green certificates essentially amount to greenwashing, because of their low costs – in Europe a certificate costs less than €0.01/kW – meaning they have little effect on new green energy capacity.

The 60% is carbon-neutral green energy provided by our local utility at the Kassel headquarters. 53% of the provided power is produced by renewable EEG-generation plants, the rest consists of power from other renewable sources. The part of regionally produced renewable power is more than 50%. Our supplier is constantly investing in regional renewable generation.

90% of your suppliers have been evaluated by EcoVadis. How did they respond to the requests to verify their sustainability credentials? When will the remaining 10% be evaluated? Have any suppliers declined to be evaluated? If yes, did SMA then refuse to work with them?

For big suppliers, it is usually no problem to provide comprehensive feedback to EcoVadis as they have implemented sustainability programs. For small suppliers, the high number of detailed questions can pose a challenge. In these cases, we try to we give smaller suppliers more time and opportunity to provide all answers and proof of their sustainability. However, as the EcoVadis evaluation is mandatory within our procurement process, we refuse to work with suppliers that don’t respond, The overall sustainability score of our suppliers that have been evaluated so far is 48, which is in the green area of the EcoVadis Scale. We have started the EcoVadis evaluation in 2018 and will conclude evaluation of all suppliers on an ongoing basis.

Do you think there is still a problem with convincing the decision makers to take sustainability in solar manufacturing seriously?

We have experienced different attitudes in the industry. With some of the players, sustainability in manufacturing is an important factor and decision makers are convinced of that. Others claim that producing equipment for sustainable energy supply is enough and therefore they don’t put a focus on sustainability in their own manufacturing and supply chain. Therefore, we think that initiatives like pv magazine’s UP initiative are extremely important in order to raise awareness within the whole industry, and we hope that our webinar has delivered valuable input in this context.

How much solar electricity needs to be generated to compensate for the CO2 emissions caused for production of an inverter?

That depends on the inverter category. Based on our lifecycle analysis we have calculated the energy payback time. Based on our insights, an inverter’s payback time (over the whole value chain) amounts to two months on average.

What currently cannot be recycled in an inverter? How is that waste dealt with?

The recycling capacities of an inverter very much depend on its design. In order to achieve a high recycling rate, the inverter must be designed in such a way that the individual recyclable materials can be separated and recycled after the service life of the inverter. We address this topic in particular with our guide to sustainable product design. One focus here is the topic of “design for recycling and disassembly”.

Are there plans to establish a worldwide recycling program for inverters? Is this necessary?

Currently, regulation varies a lot from country to country. It would be desirable to have a global regulation similar to the German “Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz”. On a company level, we are working on a global circular economy strategy, in order to maximize the use of secondary raw materials from used inverters. We think that this is part of our responsibility within the electronic industry.

Have you experienced any instances of greenwashing in the solar industry?

Yes. We have experienced examples in which companies don’t adhere to international standards when pointing out their sustainability, but rather just punctually report on parts of individual sustainability aspects or only focus on the positive impact of their products when these are used, but not on the company’s own environmental impact. We think that such a behavior is not good for the industry as a whole, as we as an industry have to act as a role model for other industries.

Are rare earths used in solar panels?

A new report by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency shows that rare earth minerals are not really used in solar energy and battery storage technologies.

Despite their name, rare earth minerals are not actually that rare at all, according to the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe). “Their criticality is mainly related to the current virtual monopoly of China for extraction and processing,” the agency said, noting that the country accounted for 86% of the world’s production of rare earth minerals in 2017.

The extraction of rare earths has a significant toxicological impact on the environment, depending on the nature of the reserves. Ademe said the presence of thorium and uranium in deposits can mean that rare earths create a type of radioactive pollution that is different from other types of waste. However, the agency ultimately concluded that the renewable energy sector actually barely uses such materials.

At present, rare earths such as neodymium and dysprosium are mainly used in the permanent magnets of offshore wind turbines. Onshore wind turbines also use them, as is the case for turbines in about 3% of wind farms in France, but alternatives exist. For example, it may be possible to make asynchronous or synchronous generators without permanent magnets, to reduce the need for rare earths. But without alternative solutions over the next 10 years, the wind sector may end up accounting for 6% of annual neodymium production and more than 30% of annual dysprosium output, given that the global offshore wind sector is eventually expected to reach 120 GW of cumulative capacity.

In the battery sector, Ademe said that rare earths are not used, or if they are, they are utilized in very small quantities, and sometimes possibly as an additive. Only nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries include a rare earth alloy in the cathode. However, compared to lithium-ion batteries, they are expensive and “their use will remain very marginal in the energy transition,” said Ademe, adding that commercially available PV technologies do not use rare earths.

“Ademe is bringing concrete and factual information to this discussion on rare earths – a subject on which many untruths are circulating today in the public debate,” said Jean-Louis Bal, the president of Syndicat des énergies renouvelables (SER), a clean energy trade body in France.

However, a lack of rare earths does not mean that the components of solar modules are harmless. Thin-film PV technologies, for example, contain potentially critical metals such as tellurium, cadmium, indium and silver.

A vertical PV plant on a dam wall in the Alps

Baden-based utility Axpo is building the 2 MW facility at the Muttsee reservoir in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland. It expects the plant to maintain high levels of power generation, especially throughout the winter months.

From pv magazine Germany

There are already several studies showing that PV systems in mountainous regions can produce a lot of electricity, even during the winter. Switzerland’s Axpo wants to prove this by building a 2 MW plant on the wall of a dam at the Muttsee reservoir, at an altitude of almost 2,500 meters. The company also plans to present the project to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy as an innovative project.

The facility will include around 6,000 modules, deployed across an area spanning roughly 10,000 square meters, the company said, adding that the inclination of the upper module array will be 77 degrees, while the inclination of the lower array will be set at 51 degrees. The plant is expected to generate around 2.7 GWh of solar power per year. Axpo said it is still talking to potential partners about buying the electricity via long-term power purchase agreements.

“The Muttsee dam is extremely well suited for photovoltaics,” said Christoph Sutter, head of renewable energies at Axpo.

Sutter described the site as particularly ideal, as the dam faces south and it has a grid connection. The altitude will also boost solar production, he claimed. The company expects the system to deliver about half of its annual electricity production throughout the winter months, versus about a quarter of annual production for plants of comparable size in Switzerland’s relatively flat lowlands.

The absence of fog is one of several advantages for high-altitude projects, as clear skies mean more solar radiation. The modules are also more efficient in low temperatures, on top of the advantages of the bifacial effect from the snow.

Switzerland consumes significantly more electricity in the winter than it produces. And purchasing electricity during the winter is expected to become more difficult over the next few years, when a number of large power plants in Switzerland and other countries start to go offline.

In recent years, a number of PV systems have been built on the Swiss Plateau, but they have not been effective in resolving the wintertime electricity problem. However, Axpo believes high-altitude PV systems could support the Swiss government’s Energy Strategy 2050.

“We see that photovoltaics can produce large amounts of electricity,” said Andy Heiz, the company’s head of production and grids. “To make a significant contribution, of course, the plant on the Muttsee dam is not enough. We would have to bring these projects to locations that are not in protected areas and are already well developed. However, the political and economic conditions must also be right.”

A recent study by Switzerland’s WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne highlighted the potential of alpine PV systems. The researchers claimed that such systems could help to mitigate seasonal declines in power generation during the winter due to fog, clouds and lower solar radiation levels.

Swiss energy provider Romande Energie recently built a 448 kW floating solar array on the surface of Lac des Toules, a reservoir located at an altitude of 1,810 meters in the Swiss Alps.

Swissolar, the country’s PV industry association, said this week that the nation needs 50 GW of cumulative installed PV capacity to meet its future energy needs, as a replacement for fossil fuels amid the phase-out of nuclear capacity. That amount of solar is 25 times more than the country has already installed to date.

“We need 40 to 45 TWh of solar power annually, which we can produce for the most part on our roofs and facades,” said David Stickelberger, managing director of Swissolar.

However, the Federal Council and the Federal Assembly will have to create the right conditions to facilitate the deployment of more PV systems – especially on buildings.

Total completes 16 MW/10 MWh storage+storage project in New Caledonia

The project is an extension of the Hélio Boulouparis 1 installation, which was commissioned in May 2017 with 11.2 MW of capacity.

From pv magazine France

Total Quadran, a unit of French oil and gas producer Total, has commissioned the Hélio Boulouparis 2 photovoltaic power plant in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

With 58,000 solar panels, the facility has an installed capacity of nearly 16 MW, which is enough to cater to the energy needs of more than 21,000 Caledonians. The plant is also equipped with a 10 MWh lithium-ion energy storage system to “contribute to the quality and reliability of the electricity network for the benefit of the local population,” the company said.

The project is actually an extension of the 11.2 MW Hélio Boulouparis 1 installation, which was commissioned in May 2017.

“With nearly 60% of the total photovoltaic capacity installed in New Caledonia, Total Quadran is positioning itself as the first player in the local solar market,” said Thierry Muller, managing director of Total Quadran.

Total can now claim to have been active in New Caledonia’s renewable energy sector for more than 20 years, he added. The group currently manages a fleet of seven solar power plants in the territory with a combined capacity of 50 MW. “Nearly 140,000 Caledonians use green energy produced by Total Quadran,” Muller said.

Total Quadran currently operates more than 300 renewable projects throughout the world, totaling nearly 900 MW. It also claims that the Helio Boulouparis 2 power plant is the largest solar+storage plant in any of France’s overseas territories.

The French energy regulator recently revealed that it had chosen Total Solar to build a 4 MW/2 MWh storage project in the French Department of Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean. The announcement also included plans for PV developer Albioma to build a 7.4 MW/14.9 MWh project in the archipelago.

On Oct. 14, rival French renewables group Voltalia and the Bank of the Territories inaugurated the Savanes des Pères power plant in Guyana. The project combines a 3.8 MW solar array with a 2.9 MWh lithium-ion battery storage system.

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The precise chemical nature of perovskite defects

Hybrid power plants, and the move beyond LCOE

Can You Run A Water Pump on An AC Module?

You can read in detail here. AC Module vs. Grid-Tied Solar System: Which is Better?

Do You Know Where Consumers Are Installing Solar Panels?

1. 250Watt Solar Panel Installation on Yamuna River, Delhi

Read More...

2. 2kW AC Modules Installation in Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan)

Read More...

3. 540Watt Off Grid Solar System Installation in Ghatal, West Bengal

Read More...

4. 360Watt Off Grid Solar System Installation in Bangalore, Karnataka

Read More...

5. 180Watt Off Grid Solar System Installation in Sadalga, Karnataka

Read More...

UAE-based PV developer to build 50 MW of solar in Togo

Webinar Q&A: Avoiding the ‘green halo’ effect

Are rare earths used in solar panels?

A vertical PV plant on a dam wall in the Alps

Total completes 16 MW/10 MWh storage+storage project in New Caledonia