Connections that count – 10-2022
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Renewable solutions
South Korean industrial giant Hanwha launched its new Q Energy business over the summer, and is moving forward with an ambitious strategy of energy projects across the European continent. pv magazine caught up with Sang Chull Chung, CEO of Q Energy Group, for a look at its plans to accelerate deployment of renewables to alleviate Europe’s energy challenges.
Oct 04, 2022
Supply stability
The solar manufacturing industry has seen rapid change in 2022, with supply chain vulnerabilities exposed and multiple regions looking to establish their own domestic manufacturing presence. pv magazine caught up with Insan Boy, vice president of global sales at module maker Seraphim, to discuss the issues of transparency, sustainability and technology that are quickly coming into focus.
Oct 04, 2022
Central Asia’s solar on the rise
Utility-scale solar is on the rise in Central Asia, with support from development banks. Following a series of competitive auctions, PV projects were commissioned and are under further development in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In Kazakhstan, corporate interest in distributed small-scale renewables is growing, but for further market uptake, additional incentives should be introduced, practitioners say.
Oct 04, 2022
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Southeast Asian interconnection
While near neighbors, the electricity generation of the countries of Southeast Asia couldn’t be further apart. Indonesia burns locally mined coal, Malaysia has reserves of oil and gas, while populous Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines, depend on fossil fuel imports. They could all benefit from increased solar imports, but higher grid capacities and interconnection are key for an opportunity to unlock the power of the sun.
Oct 04, 2022
Five strategies for battery procurement
The worst effects of the pandemic may have passed, but supply chain disruptions continue to be felt across the world. The effects of the war in Ukraine are also evident to all of us in our daily lives, from commodities to energy, food supply chains and beyond. The disruption in the battery energy storage system (BESS) supply chain is no different, writes Cormac O’Laoire, senior manager of market intelligence at Clean Energy Associates. Indeed, as the cost of raw materials such as lithium climb, battery prices are being driven materially higher, on some accounts by 20% to 30%, rendering some projects uneconomical.
Oct 04, 2022
Cobalt clings on
Cobalt is key for boosting energy density and battery life, but it comes with caveats: expensive, scarce, and linked to unethical mining practices, wild price fluctuations, and a tenuous supply chain. In recent years, battery manufacturers and automakers have intensified efforts to reduce or eliminate cobalt in lithium-ion cathodes. But sometimes, old habits die hard, as pv magazine’s Marija Maisch explains.
Oct 04, 2022
Catalyst for an EU comeback
Plans for Europe’s largest-ever PV cell and module factory are taking shape, with equipment orders placed and a projected start date in mid-2024. Enel Green Power has received €118 million ($116.36 million) in funding from the EU Innovation Fund to support the project, out of a total €600 million investment. The EU is hoping it will catalyze further investment in similar projects, and start a high-tech comeback for European solar manufacturing.
Oct 04, 2022
Plugging in for prosperity
There is little doubt that the need to install solar as quickly as possible is an urgent one. As record-setting gas prices push economies dependent on fossil fuels for electricity generation to the brink, it is consumers and industry that must bear the brunt of the disruption. And since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is at fault, the need for energy security has never been more widely discussed.
Oct 04, 2022
Asia takes the lead on floating PV
Floating PV is consolidating as a growth segment for PV demand, mainly driven by supportive policies and incentives extended by governments across the world. A major reason for this push is the limited land availability in many markets. Despite higher equipment prices compared to ground-mounted installations, developers see the opportunity to save on land and O&M costs. The output can also be as much as 30% higher than a ground-mount PV plant, depending on the site and technology used.
Oct 04, 2022
Who gets what?
The Invesco Solar ETF, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the MAC Global Solar Energy Index, outperformed relative to the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial in September. Jesse Pichel of ROTH Capital Partners puts this down to continued expectations of support linked to the US Inflation Reduction Act.
Oct 04, 2022
In the testing loop
In northern Australia, a new hardware-in-the-loop platform is being developed to test renewable projects aggregated generation control systems before commissioning. The platform brings control hardware together with software simulations of passive components to test in real time how different configurations respond. Should the platform successfully complete its upcoming demonstration, it could help solve Australia’s current connection crisis.
Oct 04, 2022
Big profits slow development
Prices for solar modules ticked slightly downward in September for the first time since February, writes Martin Schachinger of pvXchange. One reason for the dip is the shortage of inverters and poor availability of electronic components, which is slowing the pace of expansion. Plant builders have warehouses full of PV panels, but are limited in how many they can install because they lack critical system components. These installers have plenty of modules for the time being, which is why they are trying to delay pending deliveries as much as possible. This has left wholesalers and manufacturers sitting on some of their products, which they then have to try to bring to market elsewhere, sometimes at a discount.
Oct 04, 2022
Results are in: robotic uprising underway
A first-of-its-kind survey has revealed the extent to which automation and robot module cleaning is being adopted by large-scale PV project owners and operators. And the trend is clear; as solar expands geographically and projects grow, the use of robotics in solar O&M is increasing, and the level of understanding as to their benefits is on the rise. Ecoppia, a pioneer in the robotic cleaning segment, partnered with pv magazine on the survey and the results speak volumes.
Oct 04, 2022
The hydrogen policy pipeline
Though large-scale projects are still somewhat thin on the ground, policymakers in the EU and elsewhere are boosting their expectations for the role of green hydrogen. Building on discussions held at pv magazine’s Roundtables Europe event earlier in the year, Christian Pho Duc, CTO and managing director H2 & PtL projects at Smartenergy Group, told pv magazine that the right set of regulations will be crucial in maintaining momentum.
Oct 04, 2022
State-of-the-art assessment of batteries
Batteries are set to drive the energy and mobility transitions. Worryingly, when they degrade early or excessively – particularly because of misuse – it can be costly. Claudius Jehle, the CEO of volytica, explains how a better understanding of batteries can prevent expensive mistakes.
Oct 04, 2022
Solar’s big five
The five largest vertically integrated PV manufacturers have seen significant growth in net profit and revenue so far this year. Combined, these five companies shipped a total of 78.6 GW of modules in the first half of 2022, up 48% from the same period last year. Their shipments accounted for 60% to 70% of the market, suggesting increasing consolidation. With first-half financial results filed, InfoLink’s Richard Chen digs into the numbers.
Oct 04, 2022
Copper is the new silver lining
As the PV industry scales to annual terawatt-level production to rapidly curtail the world’s emissions, it will become more challenging to continue the cost reduction trajectory. Increasing module production from current levels of 200 GW to 300 GW to several terawatts each year will consume significantly more material resources than the industry currently uses. This will require consideration of the additional materials to be sourced, writes Alison Lennon, chief scientist at Sundrive Solar and professor at the UNSW’s School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering.
Oct 04, 2022
The green ammonia opportunity
High gas prices have pushed ammonia prices sky-high, reaching $1,600 per ton. At this price, by the end of its contract in 2035, the Beatrice offshore wind farm in the United Kingdom would be more profitable producing green ammonia than electricity if the capture price for electricity is below $114/MWh. Everoze partner David Thomason highlights how designing renewable energy projects for diversified revenue streams such as green ammonia can allow them to capture high electricity prices today, while protecting them from cannibalization tomorrow.
Oct 04, 2022
From cost constraint to maximizing production
PV asset management is getting increasingly sophisticated, says Daniel Lui, the head of commercial performance for Wood Mackenzie Power and Renewables Energy Transition Group. Labor-market constraints are squeezing service providers and expectations for O&M are increasing in what is emerging as a period of maturation in how solar assets are handled post-construction.
Oct 04, 2022
The new players in China PV
China’s solar industry continues to grow rapidly, and new faces have begun to join the ranks of the industry’s biggest players. Although they come with new, unfamiliar names, they are aggressive and ambitious, and often bring surprisingly well-prepared investment plans and deep pockets. Who are they? What are they doing in the field? Vincent Shaw reports from Shanghai.
Oct 04, 2022
Australia builds big
While the first half of 2022 was one of the busiest periods on record for new wind projects in Australia, with more than 2 GW breaking ground, solar got off to a much slower start with construction on 635 MW of new PV projects getting underway. Rystad Energy’s David Dixon attributes this slowdown to high cost and supply chain challenges and a lack of available power purchase agreements.
Oct 04, 2022
Software to serve up more solar
Enabling future energy flows at the lower-voltage distribution level? Unlikely. Wide-scale hardware upgrades would cost billions if not trillions, especially in Australia’s far reaches. Software and digital solutions are identifying new cost-effective ways of letting more sun into the grid.
Oct 04, 2022
Islands in the sun
Islandable microgrids are a growing niche, especially in remote regions at the end of electricity networks or parts of the world prone to natural disasters and outages. Renewably powered microgrids can provide a community with more stability and operate independently, so vulnerable regions are not reliant on distant sources of generation, as was the case during Australia’s Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20, when communities were left powerless. From California to Australia’s southern coast, the study and deployment of microgrids is on the rise. pv magazine’s Blake Matich takes a look.
Oct 04, 2022
Add batteries for electrolyzer viability
Cheaper electricity is a key component of hydrogen production, as the cost of electrolysis is largely dictated by electricity prices. One solution to achieving cheaper electricity when hydrogen electrolysis is coupled with renewable energy generation is through batteries. But is the cost reduction sufficient? Mehrdad Aghamohamadi, a researcher for Cornwall Insight Australia, investigates.
Oct 04, 2022
