The Quality Issue – 04-2019
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On the Road with pv magazine
Where we’ve been: World Smart Energy Week, Tokyo Spread over three days and several exhibits, World Smart Energy Week 2019 attracted 66,579 visitors to Tokyo’s Big Sight Conference Center, according to show organizer Reed Exhibitions Japan. Throughout the event, discussions about Japan’s domestic market focused on the shift to residential installations and the rising popularity […]
Apr 02, 2019
48 hours in… Seoul
After the Korean War, Seoul rose from the ashes to be standing tall as one of the most appealing metropolitan cities in the world, and now it is one of the leading places for business, culture, and environmental sustainability. With a population of a little over 10 million, the capital offers visitors to Green Energy Expo everything from futuristic skyscrapers and stylish Michelin-starred restaurants, to haunting historical sites and a rich cultural heritage at every step.
Apr 02, 2019
A burning issue
Deployment of lithium-ion battery storage systems is growing rapidly, with Wood Mackenzie recently predicting that the U.S. market alone could be worth $4.7 billion within the next five years. Demand is rising for both grid-scale and behind-the-meter applications in a number of markets throughout the world, particularly in East Asia, the global hub of lithium-ion battery production. But a recent string of fires in South Korea – one of the world’s biggest markets for stationary storage, thanks to a concerted government push – has rekindled smoldering concerns about safety.
Apr 02, 2019
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Renewable, decentralized and digital
Alongside the four exhibitions taking place under The smarter E Europe platform in 2019, the show organizers will bring a packed conference schedule to the event, with 250 speakers scheduled to present and discuss the latest developments from the new world of energy across four different conferences, with more than 1,800 attendees expected.
Apr 02, 2019
Simply the best…
In 2019, EuPD Research, DCTI and The smarter E Europe are launching the third iteration of their utility awards. Officially named Energiewende Awards der Energieversorger, the prize recognizes utilities that have been doing an outstanding job in creating new business models catering to customers that are embracing the energy transition in the D-A-CH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).
Apr 02, 2019
Utilities in a time of energy transition
Many customers want their energy suppliers to provide them with offerings that promote the transition to low or zero carbon sources – the energy transition. Yet only around a fifth of German utilities feature PV in their portfolio. Conversely, in the electromobility segment, utilities seem to be ahead of the game.
Apr 02, 2019
Tapping new markets
The energy transition does not only change electricity generation, but ideally also how we consume. Electricity markets in Europe, however, must deal with legacy regulations that fail to incentivize ideal consumption patterns to reduce curtailment and make the best possible use of the renewable energy assets we have. The result is towering bills for ancillary services, that could easily be avoided with a few regulatory tweaks and virtual power plants.
Apr 02, 2019
European solar comes of PPAge
From scorching Seville to rainy Rostock, investors claim that power purchase agreements (PPAs) have made European solar farms bankable without government subsidies. By providing lower risk for cheaper capital, they are powering a renaissance in established PV markets and lowering the cost of solar electricity in Europe.
Apr 02, 2019
A new power couple heads to Munich
The smarter E Europe is hosting a full day of discussions on one of the most talked about themes in the European energy sector in 2019: power-to-X. On the back of a new cooperative agreement, Thursday, May 16 will see an exciting program of power-to-X launched for the first time at the Internationales Congress Center München (ICM).
Apr 02, 2019
The what and when of P2G
Often touted as the missing link in the energy transition, power-to-gas (P2G) has not yet had its time to shine. While the technology has been around for decades, large-scale projects have been exceptionally rare. Over the last year, however, encouraging signals are emerging as research, pilot projects, and small-scale applications appear to have picked up pace. As debate continues about the tipping point for P2G in terms of conversion efficiency and costs, some market players are optimistic about near-term prospects.
Apr 02, 2019
Drivers of energy convergence
The expansion of The smarter E Europe exhibition and conference continues apace in 2019, with the expansion of power-to-gas, and solar and battery storage’s increasing competitiveness capturing new territory. It is managing to meet both system requirements, and customer demand.
Apr 02, 2019
Quality on the line
With competition on the module market as cutthroat as ever, manufacturers are increasingly looking to emphasize the quality and reliability of their products and services as a differentiator. pv magazine investigates what’s behind some of these claims, and the move from manufacturers to more sophisticated quality assurance methods.
Apr 02, 2019
Practice makes perfect
Sporadic rain fell at First Solar’s Rüsselsheim testing site, on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany on the day pv magazine visited the newly inaugurated facility. However, it could not dampen the mood of the eight mounting system suppliers who were keen to showcase their structures’ suitability to First Solar’s large format Series 6 module.
Apr 02, 2019
“Distributed energy resources are the solution”
As new features and capabilities are added, inverters are increasingly becoming understood to be the ‘intelligence’ behind a rooftop PV array. But does that introduce security concerns? The issue has certainly come in for some attention, with a group of U.S. politicians calling for more scrutiny into the security implications of solar inverters, but the issue may be overblown, responds Thomas Tansy, the Chair of the SunSpec Alliance.
Apr 02, 2019
Syncons come back Down Under
Sometimes there are old solutions to new problems. But often the problem would be best avoided in the first place. The developers of one of Australia’s most ambitious solar and eventually battery storage projects encountered precisely this – as the rate of wind and large-scale solar development in Australia outstrips the capabilities of the grid, at least in some locations.
Apr 02, 2019
DERMS – A solution to solar saturation
It’s a straightforward problem to understand. Modern utility grids are designed for one main purpose: to deliver power to customers. Do so safely and reliably, and the job is done. Up until recently this has been the reality for electric utility companies, and to their credit many have succeeded in offering a very high level of both safe and reliable power. Tim McDuffie, VP of Engineering at CalCom Energy, looks at the growing role of distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) in ensuring the reliability of the grid, and facilitating further penetration of distributed renewable resources into the energy mix.
Apr 02, 2019
Bringing the quality narrative to India
As with many fast-growing solar marketplaces, some stories the stuff of nightmares have emerged from India regarding substandard PV quality. But the industry is mobilizing to form a proactive front in the form of a Quality Taskforce, writes Pranav R. Mehta, the Chairman of the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI).
Apr 02, 2019
Necessity mothers innovation in Aussie solar PPAs
Having observed early adopters negotiate renewable energy contracts for financial and sustainability gains, the next wave of Australia’s commercial and industrial energy consumers is ready for offtake. A raft of flexible new solar PV contract models and services is rising to meet their ambitions.
Apr 02, 2019
Operator, connect me
Like many areas in renewable energy, the operations and maintenance of large-scale solar power plants is becoming an increasingly sophisticated affair. Granular data gathered using hardware such as drones and thermal imaging equipment, in combination with complex analytics software, mean that service providers now have oversight of a plant right down to the performance of individual cells and components. A look at fault detection offers several examples of these trends in action.
Apr 02, 2019
Plenty of potential post Sweihan COD
The historic 1.177 GW Sweihan PV power plant should commence commercial operation this month, marking another PV milestone in the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East region. JinkoSolar is a key partner in the project and Gulnara Abdullina, Jinko’s General Manager, Africa and Middle East, says that it’s not only at the utility-scale that opportunities in the region abound.
Apr 02, 2019
Playing by the carbon footprint rules
Developers and manufacturers looking to enter France’s utility-scale segment must deal with controversial rules which prioritize projects relying on low-carbon emission modules. But what makes a low-emission module? Clearly ones that are made in France or elsewhere in Europe, according to market data. But despite clearly increasing project costs, the rules do not seem to be an obstacle for the planned gigawatt-scale growth of solar in the country over the coming years.
Apr 02, 2019
Implementing standards
While Bureau of India Standards (BIS) certification is an honest attempt by the Indian government to mitigate risks associated with poor quality of modules, there are several reasons why this particular objective is currently not being met. pv magazine India’s Uma Gupta investigates India’s efforts to ensure quality in its booming PV industry.
Apr 02, 2019
Supersized solar in the Midwest
Long seen as a slow region for solar deployment, the U.S. Midwest has seen an explosion of project development in recent years. And while there is still a lot of speculation and uncertainty, one way or another this region is going to see major development.
Apr 02, 2019
The Netherlands: PV’s Iron Throne
While relatively small compared to its more populous neighbors, the Netherlands has a history of punching above its weight. This is certainly true of its solar market in 2019, writes Rolf Heynen from Dutch New Energy Research. And for companies awake to the nuances of its policy settings and market opportunities, The Netherlands could prove a jewel in the European solar crown.
Apr 02, 2019
An argument for renewables, and for a new utility paradigm
In late January 2019, California’s largest investor-owned utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) declared bankruptcy for the second time, causing anxiety for investors, ratepayers, employees, PPA holders, elected government officials and, lest we forget, fire and gas explosion victims. Judge Alsup, who is overseeing PG&E’s probation from its felony conviction, lambasted the company for violating its probation. “To my mind, there’s a very clear-cut pattern here: that PG&E is starting these fires,” Alsup said. “What do we do? Does the judge just turn a blind eye and say, ‘PG&E continue your business as usual. Kill more people by starting more fires.”
Apr 02, 2019
Strategies vary, but the goal remains the same
It’s no secret that global energy demand continues to rise, with some estimating an increase of a third by 2040. Meanwhile, writes David Green, Research & Analysis Manager for Smart Utilities Infrastructure at IHS Markit, the energy industry is on the cusp of a 100 year change away from oil and coal hydrocarbons towards renewables and natural gas. Every stakeholder in the industry has a role to play in the energy transition, including within the industrial sector which accounts for 50% of global energy consumption.
Apr 02, 2019
Out with the old…
PV demand started weakly at the start of this year, but will show an optimistic upward trend in its second half. Corrine Lin, Chief Analyst at PV InfoLink, examines supply and demand for polysilicon, and predicts that huge new capacities coming online in the west of China will shake up the market, spelling bad news for some international players.
Apr 02, 2019
The shape of subsidy-free PV
The emergence of subsidy-free PV in Europe is a sign of things to come. But it will demand a shift of thinking, as tight margins require higher standards right across the supply chain. But, are we ready? There is little doubt that there is surging demand from offtakers of subsidy-free PV power. Solar still, on […]
Apr 02, 2019
