EQ Magazine September 2016 Part 1/3 by EQ Int'l Solar Media Group

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CONTENT

VOLUME 8 Issue # 9

Indian Railways to install solar panels in all railway buildings

South India has become power surplus: shri Piyush Goyal

14 Hartek Power bags 330MW solar projects,on track to hit target

Punjab to install LED streetlights in rural areas

Disclaimer,Limitations of Liability While every efforts has been made to ensure the high quality and accuracy of EQ international and all our authors research articles with the greatest of care and attention ,we make no warranty concerning its content,and the magazine is provided on an>> as is <<basis.EQ international contains advertising and third â&#x20AC;&#x201C;party contents.EQ International is not liable for any third- party content or error,omission or inaccuracy in any advertising material ,nor is it responsible for the availability of external web sites or their contents

JinkoSolar Signs Three Solar PPAs for its 188 MW ac Projects in Mexico

The data and information presented in this magazine is provided for informational purpose only.neither EQ INTERNATINAL ,Its affiliates,Information providers nor content providers shall have any liability for investment decisions based up on or the results obtained from the information provided. Nothing contained in this magazine should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sale any securities. The facts and opinions stated in this magazine do not constitute an offer on the part of EQ International for the sale or purchase of any securities, nor any such offer intended or implied Restriction on use The material in this magazine is protected by international copyright and trademark laws. You may not modify,copy,reproduce,republish,post,transmit,or distribute any part of the magazine in any way.you may only use material for your personall,Non-Commercial use, provided you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices.If you want to use material for any non-personel,non commercial purpose,you need written permission from EQ International.

Civil Aviation Ministry gets ready for a green take-off Plans 146 MW of solar-power generation at airports; 30 MW already in pipeline

FEATURED NEWS Spread of grid curtailment is starting to threaten credit worthiness of renewable energy projects: Ind-Ra

10 Driven by common motto of promoting green energy,

Singulus Technologies Receives Orders In The Framework Of The Conversion Of An Existing Thin-Film Production Plant To HighPerformance Solar Cells

EXCLUSIVE TALK : Views of Mr. Tulsi Tanti from Suzlon Group on GST

Waaree Energies associates with Wadhwa Group

51 Huawei Is Ranked No.1 In Shipment

INTERVIEW

The Technical Challenge Of Unprecedented Plans To Scale Up Solar Energy In India

with Dalip Sharma, MD, Delta Electronics India Pvt. Ltd.

SOLAR POWER

PERC: Measuring The Future Of Pv Mass Production

INTERVIEW with Collin Wang, Vice President, International Sales & Marketing, Znshine Solar

PV MANUFACTURING New Era in Backsheet Materials?

56 32

INTERVIEW

with Chinten Patel, MD, Topsun Energy Limited

Total Takes Control Of Saft Groupe After The Successful Tender Offer Which Was Be Re-Opened Onjuly 19 To August 2, 2016

58 68

INTERVIEW With Vinod Kala, Managing Director, Emergent Ventures India (Evi)

Wind Solar Hybrid Policy to Strengthen Energy Security of India

ROOFTOP & OFFGRIDS Nagpurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Floating Solar PV Plant

Smart Home: Energy Efficient Concept For Residential Buildings

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INDIA

Fortum India eyeing greenfield solar projects Having a plan to invest up to 400 million euros in solar projects in India, Finnish firm Fortum is looking at greenfield plants to maximise its returns.

South India has become power surplus: Goyal Centre plans to enhance the power transmission capacity in the country by almost three times by 2020, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said today, adding that South India has achieved power surplus status due to various initiatives.

“Our keenness is that we want to look at greenfield (new) projects. We want to look at National Solar Mission projects where counter party is NTPC and Solar Energy Corp (SECI).”

- Sanjay Agarwal, MD, Fortum India (told to PTI)

laborating on the plans, he further said: “When I say greenfield, I mean that our preference would not be to buy out power plants…(but) to construct our own plant because then we can extract value (earn decent profits). When we buy it from someone else then he makes money.”Fortum has recently secured 100 MW grid-connected solar project through competitive bidding in April this year under National Solar Mission.The solar power plant will be built in Pavagada Solar Park in Tumkur District of Karnataka with a fixed tariff of Rs 4.79 per unit for 25 years. At present, Fortum has 15 MW of solar capacity in India. In January 2016, the firm won a reverse auction for a 70 MW project at Bhadla solar park in Rajasthan, at a fixed tariff of Rs 4.34 per unit.Aggarwal further said that “apart from solar, we would also look at two other fields where we have not invested anything. But clearly we would be excited to look at two fields–waste to energy and charge and drive (electricity charging points for vehicles).” “Under the charge and drive we dont create the physical infrastructure but we provide a cloud-based service to manage large number of these stations. We feel that electric vehicles would be a reality in India very soon,” he added.Government has planned to have 100 GW of solar power generation capacity by 2022.Asked about the companys plan to create power generation capacity in India, he said, “Out these 100 GW in 2022, if somebody makes the list to top performing plants. I am sure Fortum name will be there. We would work at our own pace.” On the debate about solar power tariff, Aggarwal said “It is difficult to say that this is reasonable tariff for solar power.”He was of the view that solar tariff is worked out by a developers on various factors including quality of heat radiation and there could not be one reasonable range of tariff for entire country.Listed on Nasdaq Helsinki, Fortums main areas of operation are the Nordic and the Baltic countries, Russia and Poland.

Source:PTI

September 2016

“We have brought solar revolution in a big way to India. In the last two years, there was highest ever renewable energy capacity expansion in wind and solar. In fact, solar energy capacity, which was 2,400 MW in 2014, has now crossed 7,000 MW,”

-Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister Of MNRE, INDIA

tating that gas-based power plants which were lying idle for lack of fuel have now started operations, he said most of these plants are in South India. The minister said as much as 71 per cent of transmission capacity from the Northern and Eastern grids have been connected to South India. “All these steps put together have led to South India becoming power surplus. They have the ability to provide power 24/7 throughout South India,” he said. “With all the thrust we are giving to renewable power, we are focusing to further increase the transmission capacity to make it nearly three times more than what it is today, by 2020,” he added. Referring to the purchase of power between states, he said, “Two years ago when a state like Tamil Nadu had to buy power, it was around Rs 8, Rs 10, Rs 12 or even Rs 14 a unit, particularly in summer months.” “I am delighted to share with you now that on most days, power is available at the same price in North India as in South India…,” he said without elaborating. “In earlier days, South India had to buy power at five times the cost of Northern India. Now, we have almost got it on par,” he said. On his scheduled meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa later in the day, he said it would be a courtesy call. Source:PTI

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INDIA

Indian Railways to install solar panels in all railway buildings Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has said that in the near future, solar panels would be installed in all railway buildings across the nation.

He regretted the delay in laying railway tracks on Amritsar-Patti route via Ferozpur but hoped that the work on this project will begin soon with the help of the state government.

he Minister made this announcement on Sunday when he laid the foundation stone of one Megawatt solar power plant at the Amritsar Railway Station. The power plant, which would be set up at a cost of Rs 8 crores, will produce 14 lakh unit of power per year. Speaking on this occasion, Prabhu said that this plant will save Rs 1.40 crore for the railways. He said that the union government is focusing to produce solar energy from waste materials that would reduce the expenditure of the Railways on electricity, thus providing maximum facilities to the passengers during travel. The minister also said that the Railways has already successfully tested train to run at the speed of 180 kilometers per hour and work would now initiate to start high speed train between Amritsar and New Delhi.

INDIA

Driven by common motto of promoting green energy, Waaree Energies associates with Wadhwa Group

UJAAS ENERGY LIMITED gets SP-1A Solar Energy Grading from CARE

An initiative to proliferate solar powerin the burgeoning real estate sector

umbai, In a bid to promote green energy, Waaree Energies allies with Wadhwa group, one of Mumbai’s leading real estate development companies. The tieup is aimed at supporting solar power and the latter intends to do so through various solar initiatives in its own properties.

Wadhwa Group has always been a front runner in using innovative business practices to build an unshakable reputation for quality, efficiency, trust and meticulous planning. This collaboration will definitely aid such practices, contributing significantly to clients, vendors, society and environment. Unlike conventional power, solar produces no harmful emissions that hurt the environment. It’s a clean, renewable process that uses the most natural of all resources: the Sun. The Wadhwa Group is looking forward to utilize solar energy in its various projects efficiently and give back its best to the environment.

Mr. Hitesh Doshi, Chairman & Managing Director, Waaree Energies

Mr. Navin Makhija, Managing Director The Wadhwa Group

September 2016

“We at Waaree Energies are delighted to establish tie up with the renowned Wadhwa Group. It has been our endeavor to promote the benefits of solar power utilization across the board and with this tie up; we would go a long way in further propagating the use of solar power for building a sustainable tomorrow.”

“Solar energy is the need of the day. In Europe technology to harness solar power is already being extensively used. There are solar panels on tractors, farms etc, While India still has some time to catch up with the west, in line with her aspirations of harnessing the power of Mother Nature. We are happy to partner with Waaree Energies Ltd., for installing solar panels across all our projects. Let’s depend on green power.”

ndore, Ujaas Energy Limited (formerly known as M&B Swtichgears Limited) (“the Company”); NSE : UJAAS; BSE: 533644, The Company has received “SP1A” grading for system Integrated (PV) of the organization under the Ministry of New and Renewal Energy Scheme for accreditation of channel partners.

“SP-1A” grading stands for the “Highest performance” and “Highest financial strength” Ujaas Energy Limited, which is a leading Solar EPC company based out of Indore and operating pan India. The company has not only installed more than 150 MWp of solar PV power plants but also have executed several grid connected rooftop solar PV power plants in various parts of the country with the facility of Bi-Directional / Net- Metering for leading Public and private sector companies. Over the years, UJAAS Energy Limited has made strong relations with its stakeholders in all three segments of their services viz EPC , Parks & rooftop projects . “We are delighted to get accredited at highest grade by CARE, we are now more excited to participate in Hon PM Mr Narendra Modi Ji’s India solar mission of 100 GW , at the same time we are committed to provide quality and timely service to our customers.”

Mr. Vikalp Mundra, JMD, Ujaas Energy Ltd.

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INDIA

Wind Solar Hybrid Policy to Strengthen Energy Security of India

33029.39 MU Wind Power & 7447.92 MU Solar Power Generated During 2015-16

he Government has formulated draft National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy with the objective to provide a framework for promotion of large grid connected wind-solar PV system for optimal and efficient utilization of transmission infrastructure and land, reducing the variability in renewable power generation and thus achieving better grid stability. Further, the Policy aims to encourage new technologies, methods and way-outs involving combined operation of wind and solar PV plants. Solar and wind being almost complementary to each other, hybrid of two technologies would help in minimizing the variability apart from optimally utilizing the infrastructure including land and transmission system and thus strengthening the energy security of the country. This information was given by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

14 States MoUs Under UDAY Scheme

o far, fourteen States, namely Jharkhand, Chhat tisgarh, Rajasthan, Ut tar Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Goa, Karnataka, Manipur and Andhra Pradesh have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) under Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY). This information was given by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha. The Minister further informed that as of now, UDAY is applicable to State-owned Power Distribution Companies (DISCOMs) only and therefore, question to invite the private distribution companies to get benefits under UDAY scheme does not arise.

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Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines today informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply that as per information received from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the quantum of electricity generated during 2015-16 through Wind and Solar sources was 33029.39 MU and 7447.92 MU respectively.

e further said that during last two years i.e. 2014-15 and 2015-16, a total capacity of 5735 MW and 4131 MW have been installed forwind and solar energy respectively.. The Minister also told that a capacity addition target of 4000 MW and 12000 MW has been proposed for generation of electricity by wind and solar respectively during 2016-17 and a total of 315 MW have been installed under Solar Roof top Scheme. Power generated from these projects is being used for both domestic and captive use. Shri Piyush Goyal stated tenders for 20766 MW Solar Power projects have been issued. He also said that the wind power projects are mainly developed by private sector under various modes including PPA, REC, captive use, third party sale etc. No Union Government project is under construction in wind energy sector. Shri Goyal also mentioned that Ministry is implementing several schemes to promote generation of solar and wind energy. These are Scheme for Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects, scheme for Development of Solar PV Power Plants on Canal Banks/ Canal Tops, scheme for setting up 300 MW of Grid connected Solar PV Power Projects by Defence Establishments under Ministry of Defense and Para Military Forces with Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under Batch-IV of Phase-II/ III of JNNSM. (Jawharlal Nehru National Solar Mission), scheme of setting up 1000 MW of Grid- Connected Solar PV Power Projects by CPSUs with VGF under Batch-V of Phase-II of JNNSM, scheme for Setting up of 15000 MW of Grid connected Solar PV Power Projects under Batch II of Phase II of National Solar Mission (by NTPC/NVVN), (Setting up of 2000 MW Grid connected solar power with VGF through Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), generation based incentive scheme for promotion of wind power.

September 2016

13Â

INDIA

BHEL bags EPC orders for 80 MW Solar Photovoltaic Power Plants

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has bagged prestigious orders for setting up 80 MW of Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) Power Plants on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis. Cumulatively valued at Rs.4370 Million, the orders have been place on BHEL by Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited (NLC) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). Significantly, with these orders, BHEL’s Solar portfolio now stands at 300 MW.

he SPV plants are to be set up at Neyveli, Tamilnadu (65 MW), for NLC and at Ordinance Factory premises Medak, Telangana (15 MW), for BEL. In the previous year also, BHEL had bagged EPC orders from NTPC under domestic competitive bidding for a 50 MW SPV Power Plant at Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh and for a 50 MW SPV Power Plant at Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh. While the Anantapur project has been commissioned, the project at Mandsaur is currently under execution. BHEL manufactures solar cells and modules at its Electronics Division unit in Bengaluru, while space-grade solar panels using high efficiency cells and space-grade Battery panels are manufactured at its Electronic Systems Division, also in Bengaluru. BHEL is one of the few companies whose solar business is backed by a dedicated R&D team at the company’s Amorphous Silicon Solar Cell Plant (ASSCP) in Gurugram. BHEL offers EPC solutions for both off-grid and gridinteractive solar PV power plants and has set up Solar Plants in various locations in India including the Lakshadweep Islands for island electrification.

Suzlon Group: Views of Mr. Tulsi Tanti on GST “Yet again, our honourable PM and his government has successfully demonstrated its efficiency in taking significant decisions, especially in terms of economic policy. The effort to mobilize the support of the entire parliament is truly a shining example of ‘Sabka saath, Sabka Vikas’.

e are optimistic that the government will appreciate the immense contributions made by the renewable energy sector and shall have a constructive view of the MNRE’s recommendations on GST. This is essential to meet the target set by the Prime Minister of 175 GW. We hope that the GST council will consider the suggestions made by the MNRE.We look forward to a tax regime that’s industry friendly, attracts more investments in this country as this will boost the Make In India initiative.”

INDO-US Clean Energy Fund

ndia and the United States of America (USA) will be jointly working for the creation of US $ 20 million for USIndia Energy Finance Initiatives, equally supported by the USA and India, which is expected to mobilize up to US $ 400 million to provide finances for clean and renewable electricity by 2020. This was stated by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal & New and Renewable September 2016

Energy and Mines in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. The Minister further stated that India and the USA are exploring the possibilities to establish the US-India Clean Energy Hub, as a coordinating mechanism in partnership with leading Indian financial institutions, with a view to increase renewable energy investment in India. Such initiatives will support the

development of solar and clean energy substantially if US $ 400 million of finances are raised through proposed initiatives, the Minister added.

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INDIA

Punjab to install LED streetlights in rural areas The Punjab government today said it will install LED streetlights, which run on solar energy, in rural areas of the state.

“In addition, 100 such villages which were bestowed with the presence of our gurus, saints, fakirs, martyrs and having historical or religious importance will also be covered on priority. The allocation will be done in a phased manner on first cum first serve basis.” - Bikram Singh Majithia, New and Renewable Energy Minister

hile launching the ‘Solar Pind’ campaign here, New and Renewable Energy Minister Bikram Singh Majithia said under this initiative, villages in the districts along the international border and the villages in the sub mountainous area would be covered on priority.

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Majithia said installing these street lights would provide a sense of security to the villagers and safety to those returning late in the evening. “Moreover, these lights would also come as an aid to the security forces deployed along the International Border to keep a check on the antinational elements. Since these lights are standalone, these will continue to work even in the midst of a grid failure,” he said. “Harnessing the vast potential of the solar power along with a suitable technology is the key to protecting our planet. Punjab’s initiative to use clean and green energy will go a long way to make the world a better place,” said Majithia. After installation, the responsibility for the security of the lights will be of the village panchayat, he said. Source- PTI NEWS

September 2016

INDIA

Hartek Power bags 330MW solar projects,on track to hit target

Greenko closes in on SunEdison India assets

Leading engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company Hartek Power today said it bagged sub-station orders for 330-MW solar projects across the country in the June quarter.

ith this, the Chandigarhbased Hartek Power is set to connect 500-MW solar projects to the grid in 2016-17, said a company statement here. The 330-MW solar EPC orders bagged by the company include 10 substation projects of up to 132 KV spread across six states, including Punjab, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Hartek Power will provide complete turnkey solutions for these projects and execute postinverter works covering design, engineering, supply, installation, automation and commissioning of power plant electrification, the statement said. The firm has so far installed sub-stations for 258MW solar projects since it entered business three years ago and has now set a target of connecting 500-MW solar projects to the grid in 2016-17.of ten nanometers.

yderabad-based Greenko Group, backed by GIC Singapore, is leading the race to buy renewable energy projects of SunEdison in India, in a deal that is estimated at Rs 7,500 crore. SunEdison India’s portfolio includes 410 megawatt (MW) of operational solar power projects, 80 MW of wind projects and upcoming 1,000 MW of solar power projects, including a 500 MW project in Andhra Pradesh it won at the historic low bid of Rs 4.63 per unit. Facing debts globally, SunEdison filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US in April. The company is trying to sell its Indian assets. Source-business-standard

“Given the upbeat market sentiment, the renewed focus of the government on solar power and our unmatched expertise in providing grid connectivity to solar projects, we are expected to cruise to this target quite smoothly,” -Hartek Singh, CMD , HARTEK Solar 16

September 2016

IJ Singh is AS, New & Renewable Energy Ministry

nder Jit Singh, lAS (KL:85), has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy by shifting a vacant post of Director from Ministry of Power to Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and upgrading that post to the level of Additional Secretary for a period of two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier, Bureaucracy Today has learnt. Source: BT

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BUISNESS & FINANCE

JinkoSolar Signs Three Solar PPAs for its 188 MW ac Projects in Mexico “Solar is becoming increasingly competitive in an ever expanding number of countries and regions. Mexico is an attractive market for solar power and is showing great potential which we intent to take advantage of. We are proud to have earned the trust of CENACE (National Center of Energy Control), SENER (Mexican Ministry of Energy), and CFE, and look forward to providing clean energy to Mexican customers.”

r. Xiande Li, JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. a global leader in the solar PV industry, recently announced that it signed three power purchase agreements (“PPAs”) with Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission (Comision Federal de Electricidad or “CFE”) for the three projects totaling 188MWac that was awarded in April 2016 under the Mexico’s First Long Term Electricity Auction. According to the terms of the PPAs, JinkoSolar will begin generating solar energy by approximately mid-2018. All the electricity generated will be sold to the CFE under the PPAs for a 15-year period and related Clean Energy Certificates (“CELs”) for a 20-year period. The Mexican Minister of Energy congratulated the 11 companies that were awarded the first 18 clean projects as part of the nation’s first tender auction.

“I’m pleased to have completed these PPAs after having been awarded our first large scale overseas projects in Mexico.” Mr. Xiande Li, Chairman of JinkoSolar

“I want to give a very special greeting to all the companies that were awarded in this first auction. Mexico is very optimistic about the nation’s clean energy. The second auction is planned to be in September and is expected to be as successful as the first one.”

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INDIA

Civil Aviation Ministry gets ready for a green take-off Plans 146 MW of solar-power generation at airports; 30 MW already in pipeline

The Union Minister of Civil Aviation Sh. Ashok Gajapathi Raju reviewed the progress of energy and water conservation measures at Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports across the country.

he important review meeting was attended by Minister of State Sh. Jayant Sinha and Secretary of the Department, besides Chairperson AAI and other senior officers. Airport Directors of 12 important airports also attended the deliberations so that they could be sensitized to implement these initiatives at their respective airports. During the meeting, the Airport Director, Jaipur dwelled at length on the energy conservation measures recently undertaken at the airport. These include maximum use of LED lighting, installation of efficient air-conditioning equipment, provision of energy efficient pumps and motors, a roof top solar power plant of 1 MW capacity and a 1.8 MW ground-based solar power plant under implementation. All Airport directors were encouraged to adopt similar initiatives, some of which have a payback period of as low as two years. AAI has already installed solar power plants at 16 airports with a total capacity of 5.4 MW. So far, 51 lakh energy units have been generated from these plants leading to a reduction of 4,600 metric tonnes in carbon emissions. By December 2016, additional 24.1 MW of solar power

plants will become operational at 11 more airports. Infact, the perspective plan of AAI targets augmenting the solar power generation to 116 MW by including 16 more airports. The status and scope of water conservation, water-recycling and sewage treatment plants at the airports was also deliberated upon. AAI is already using re-cycled water for horticulture, firefighting and air-conditioning requirements at several airports. The Union Minister directed the Chairman AAI to provide similar infrastructure at all airports under his jurisdiction.It may be recalled that in June 2016, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the AAI were honored with the National Excellence Awards 2016 by Govt of India in Ministry and PSU category respectively for taking outstanding steps towards use and promotion of solar energy. Sh. Raju appreciated the efforts of AAI and conveyed that not only should our airports be selfsufficient in energy and water requirements, but we should now look at feeding power to the national grid as we have sufficient open spaces available. He also directed that an airport-wise action plan on both energy and water conservation should be developed by AAI within one month. Sh. Jayant Sinha also appreciated the efforts at Jaipur airport and advised AAI to go ahead with its ambitious program in a structured.

India, US solar case: WTO appellate body’s ruling in mid-Sept

The appellate’s order is exp e on Septem cted ber 16 or 17,” an o fficial ew Delhi: WTO’s appellate body is expected to give said. its ruling by mid-September in the solar mission

dispute between India and the US. In April, India had appealed against WTO’s panel ruling that the country’s power purchase agreements with solar firms are inconsistent with international norms. The appellate body is a standing body of seven persons. It listens to the appeals from reports issued by panels in disputes involving WTO members. The body can uphold, modify or reverse legal findings and conclusions of a panel and its reports, once adopted by the Dispute Settlement Body, must be accepted by the parties to the dispute. The official said that if the body would give ruling against India, the government would have to implement the order in the next 6-7 months. Ruling against India, WTO’s dispute panel had said the government’s power purchase agreements with solar firms were “inconsistent” with international norms – a matter in which the US had filed a complaint before the global trade body alleging discrimination against American firms. The US had dragged India to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on this issue in 2014, alleging that the clause relating to domestic content requirement in the country’s solar power mission was discriminatory in nature and “nullified” benefits accruing to the American solar power developers.

India is also working on about dozen cases against the US for giving protection to solar panel producers in violation of WTO norms. On the India-US poultry case, the official said, India is seeking a desktop video conferencing (DVC) with America. India had already lost the case in WTO against the US. The US has demanded USD 450 million in retaliation in this dispute.

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September 2016

source-pti

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September 2016

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BUISNESS & FINANCE

ET Solar, LONGi Co-found JV to Create Global Leading Mono Brand

T Solar announces it has signed a cooperation contract to enter into a joint venture (JV) with Xi’an LONGi Silicon Materials Corp., the world’s largest high-efficiency mono-crystalline products manufacturer.Under the JV, ET Solar and LONGi will complement and expand their respective expertise and advantages in technology, development, products, branding and sales channels. Together they will be dedicated to promoting high-efficiency mono-crystalline solar modules around the world. Both parties consider efficiency pivotal for future solar technology development and cost breakthroughs. Cost-effective mono-crystalline technologies will be the most important engine for increasing solar power efficiency. Both companies look forward to making ET Solar a world-leading, high-efficiency mono brand, and to reaching parity with high-efficiency PV products and significant cost reductions on downstream power generation. Both ET Solar and LONGi have great confidence in the future of the collaboration.

“This strategic contract signifies an enhancement of mutual cooperation on technology, products and global marketing, ” Through this cooperation, ET Solar and LONGi will complement each another, forming Xinghua a compatible and efficient alliance that WANG, combines the upstream and downstream Chairman of sectors of the solar industry.” ET Solar

“ET Solar and LONGi have their respective specialities in the PV industry, but we share similar views and ideas about how to develop a global market, contribute to the environment and establish a subsidy-free PV market with net metering. Our strategic cooperation will open new doors for both parties.”

Baoshen ZHONG, Chairman of LONGi

As an advanced solar module manufacturer, ET Solar has long been dedicated to providing cutting-edge PV products and services to satisfy customers’ diversified demands for solar energy. ET Solar has provided a cumulative 5 GW of modules for customers around the globe.As the world’s largest monocrystalline product manufacturer, LONGi has always focused on R&D for mono products, leading to continuously decreasing costs and increasing Chinese market share of mono modules from 20% to 25%. 20

September 2016

GE To Invest Upto Usd 31 Million In Mytrah Wind Project

y t r ah, t he India - base d renewable focused Independent Power Producer, is pleased to announce that Mytrah Vayu (Tungabhadra) Private Limited (“MVTPL”), which is a 99.99% subsidiary of Mytrah Energy (India) Private Limited (“MEIPL”), has entered into a definitive agreement with Guayama P.R. Holdings B. V., an investment vehicle of GE (NYSE: GE) Energy Financial Services (“GE”), whereby GE has agreed to invest up to USD 31 million in MVTPL to support the development of a 200 MW wind energy project in Andhra Pradesh. GE will invest up to 49% of the capital of MVTPL.

“Attracting investment from GE is a huge endorsement of Mytrah’s operations and its growing position in India’s power market, and we are delighted to have successfully completed this fund raising. With the Company on track to reach 1000 MW operating capacity by mid-2017, these new funds will help to maintain positive momentum as we enter the next development stage and support the construction of a major power project.”

Ravi Kailas, Chairman and CEO, Mytrah Energy Ltd.

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September 2016

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BUISNESS & FINANCE

Asia-Pacific Solar PV Balance of System Market to Decline Considerably to $14.2 Billion by 2020, says GlobalData

he global solar Photovoltaic (PV) Balance of System (BOS) market is set to experience varying levels of decline across a number of regions over the coming years, with the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region seeing its market depreciate the most, from $27.4 billion in 2015 to $14.2 billion by 2020, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. The company’s latest report* states that this decline, which represents a negative Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.3%, will be primarily due to the continuing decrease in solar PV BOS costs. BOS refers to all of the components of a solar PV system, excluding the modules. The hardware components of BOS include inverters and structures, as well as cabling and transmission equipment. The BOS cost fell from $1.96 per Watt (W) in 2010 to $0.98 per W in 2015, and with further standardization expected in the structure-manufacturing industry and in installation procedures, GlobalData expects this cost to decrease further to approximately $0.5 per W by 2020. Despite its significant decline, the APAC market will still maintain its position as the largest region. Its share of the global BOS market is expected to decline from 57% in 2015 to 45% in 2020. This is due to the relative increasing strength of the BOS market in the Americas, with its market share expected to increase from 25% in 2015 to 41% in 2020.

China installed 20 GW of solar power in first-half; triple from a year ago China installed 20 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity in the first half of 2016, three times as much as during the same period a year ago, state news agency Xinhua reported citing the country’s largest solar industry lobby. The surge in capacity extended China’s lead over Germany as the top solar generator, said Wang Bohua, General Secretary of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA), according to Xinhua.

September 2016

“As the solar PV market gained momentum, the optimization in component manufacturing industries led to large-scale manufacturing and reduced costs, including labor and service costs. Although labor rates have been increasing in several countries, with more optimization and standardization of installation procedures, the number of labor hours has been decreasing, influencing the overall BOS cost.” “The solar PV BOS market in the Americas will reach its peak at just over $19.5 billion in 2016 and will decline steeply the following year as investment tax credits to support solar PV deployment expire Prabhanjan in the US, which is Kumar Singh, the biggest market in GlobalData’s this region. However, Analyst beyond 2017, a gradual fall is expected in market size, due to falling BOS costs and the slow increase in annual capacity additions.”

ower developers were also pushed to complete installations ahead of a proposed reduction in the price paid for solar power by grid operators, said Wang. China’ government decreed in late 2015 that only projects that were operational by June 30, 2016, would be eligible for a ‘feed-in tariff’ of roughly 1.0 yuan (15 U.S. cents) per kilowatt hour (kwh), while projects completed after that date would be eligible for a lower tariff rate. Production of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules also increased to 27 GW, up by 37.8 percent in the first half of the year, the CPIA said in a report on its website, adding that the profit margins of the major manufacturers improved to an average of 5 percent from 4.85 percent last year. China surpassed Germany as the largest solar power generator worldwide last year, with installed PV capacity totaling 43 GW as of the end of 2015. The government has set a national target for new commercial solar power capacity of 18.1 GW for this year, which is below initial market expectations and is a sign that the government is trying to slow capacity expansion in the power generation sector. Including experimental roof-top projects and charitable installations in impoverished areas, total new solar capacity is expected to be 30 GW by year-end, CPIA said.

The CPIA data showed that the western provinces have the greatest surplus capacity, with the provinces of Xinjiang and Gansu wasting 52 percent and 39 percent of their respective generated solar power in the first quarter. China’s solar power output increased 31.3 percent from a year ago in June to 3,300 gigawatt hours, according to the National Statistics Bureau. That equated to 0.7 percent of total power generation, and was the first time the statistics bureau carried solar output data.

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BUISNESS & FINANCE

Sungrow Successfully Raises US $400 Million to Strengthen Core Solar Business Sungrow, the world’s largest PV inverter manufacturer, officially announced that it issued 120 million additional shares—raising US$400 million of additional capital with goals of strengthening its solar core business.

nder this new stock offering, Sungrow is expected to reinforce its financial strength, reduce financial risk, and optimize the company’s financial structure. The US$400 million raised in equity capital will enable Sungrow to increase investment in R&D and deepen the company’s focus on innovation related to its PV inverter and energy storage lineups, which already have demonstrated significant technical advantages over those of competing firms in the solar industry. In addition, Sungrow is expected to introduce an industry-changing product lineup in the coming year which many expect will significantly increase the company’s global deployments and further drive growth into new industry verticals. Sungrow-with over 50% year-over-year growth in net income in each of the past two fiscal years-is one of the fastest growing inverter companies in the world. The announcement to raise additional capital was made with goals to sustain financial growth and further expand the company’s presence in new international markets.

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With a 20-year track record of success in the solar industry, Sungrow has supplied state-ofthe-art products and solutions for global customers since the company’s founding in 1997. To date, over 26GW of Sungrow’s PV inverters have been installed worldwide. The trend is expected to continue as the company continues to grow its balance sheet as well as its global operations.

September 2016

BUISNESS & FINANCE

First Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) held at Shanghai; India to Chair the next Meeting of Board of Governors of NDB in 2017.

he First Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the BRICS New Development Bank was held yesterday at Shanghai, China. The New Development Bank (NDB) has completed one year since its establishment in 2015. Since its establishment, the policies of operations have been put in place, projects for all five member countries have been approved and the Bank has completed an issuance of Green Bonds. During the meeting of the Board of Governors of the NDB, it was decided that India will be the Chair of the Board of Governors of the Bank and the second Annual meetings of NDB will be held in India in 2017. Mr Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India represented the Finance Minister of India and delivered the Governor’s Statement on his behalf. The Governor’s Statement read by Mr. Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance is given below: “At the outset, we thank the Government of People’s Republic of China for their wonderful hospitality and excellent arrangements for hosting us on this historic milestone of the New Development Bank. The first Annual Meeting of the NDB is a landmark in the advancement of the vision of the establishment of the Bank. It embodies the considerable progress and achievements of the past one year in setting up and operationalisation of the Bank. During the year, policies have been put in place and approvals have been given for financing renewable energy projects. We congratulate President Kamath and the management team for steering the Bank with speed, skill and strategy. The first Annual Meeting also marks the commencement of the phase of immense work for realization of NDB’s vision of providing catalytic resources for sustainable infrastructure to the founder members and other emerging and developing economies. The challenges that lie before us are significant. The current global economic context is far from being robust and is marked by a modest pickup in some advanced

True to its nomenclature, the ‘New’ Development Bank has to focus on financing demonstrable projects with innovative approaches and instruments for speedy creation of infrastructure. We urge that this focus should be on: Energy generation projects, both renewable and non renewable energy projects, which utilize cost effective and clean technologies. Transport projects, which have a significant impact on reduction in regional and spatial inequalities and promote inclusive growth; and. Urban sector infrastructure projects, which enhance the livelihood potential and improve the quality of life of the people. 24

September 2016

economies from their low levels of growth; decline in growth in emerging market and developing economies; increased financial sector volatility; and, in general, a downward revision of global growth projections by the International Monetary Fund. BREXIT has further heightened uncertainty, market volatility and riskaverse behavior. The structural problems of Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs) continue to affect their growth. The sluggish global trade and low commodity prices have also adversely affected commodity-exporting EMDEs, by aggravating their corporate and other economic vulnerabilities. Governments, Central Banks and regulators have to mitigate the pressure of such vulnerabilities through judicious mix of fiscal, monetary and structural policies. We, in India, are following the approach of ‘Reform to Transform’ through far reaching Structural Reforms. We have taken several initiatives to boost investment climate and improve the ease of doing business. National Infrastructure Investment Fund has been setup to stimulate investment in Infrastructure. Likewise, Insolvency and Bankruptcy code 2016 has been passed by the Parliament to deal with insolvency of corporate, individuals, partnerships and other entities. Initiatives such as Make in India, Start-up India, and Skill India are focused at encouraging innovations, entrepreneurship and job creation. Our government has launched a massive financial inclusion programme. More than 200 million bank accounts have been opened for the unbanked persons. We are now using Aadhaar, a unique identification system with statutory backing, as backbone for targeted delivery of financial and other subsidies, benefits and service. In such a scenario, investments in sustainable infrastructure play a catalytic role in anchoring a more resilient recovery, improving potential growth and fostering inclusive growth in the countries. This is also the niche area of focus of the New Development Bank. While commencing operations in earnest, the NDB must draw upon its core strengths and uniqueness. As a top-class financial institution, it must develop a strong pipeline of projects and respond in a fast and flexible manner to further the aspirations and interests of its members. While commencing operations in earnest, the NDB must draw upon its core strengths and uniqueness. As a top-class financial institution, it must develop a strong pipeline of projects and respond in a fast and flexible manner to further the aspirations and interests of its members.

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RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

The Global Smart Energy for Smart Cities Technology Market Is Expected to Total $136.9 Billion from 2015 to 2024 A recent report from Navigant Research examines the smart energy for smart cities market, focusing on the smart grid and advanced energy technologies segments, with global market forecasts for revenue, through 2024.

he movement toward smart grids is increasingly focused on the ability to effectively manage distributed energy resources (DER) within a city. Smart grid technologies are enabling unprecedented energy efficiency improvements, as well as dynamic forms of demand management and integration of distributed renewable energy resources.

“Smart cities are emerging as an important force in implementing the Energy Cloud philosophy across different sectors such as transportation, public and private institutions and buildings, and land use and development. For utilities, this creates myriad opportunities to test and deploy new technologies, services, and business models.” -Lauren Callaway, Research Analyst with Navigant Research

For utilities and cities, developing an effective cross-agency smart energy/smart city strategy enables the optimal use of citizen and city-owned energy resources and reduces redundant investments in infrastructure, according to the report. Such a strategy also promotes customer engagement, thus improving quality of service and expanding the services offered to residential, public sector, and commercial energy users.

September 2016

German Energy Storage Market to Reach $1B by 2021 “Germany already possesses one of the world’s largest residential energy storage markets, a number of variables, including declining feed-in tariffs, high electricity prices, and the KfW 275 program, are fueling substantial interest in residential energy storage for self-consumption.”

Brett Simon, GTM Research Energy Storage Analyst

ermany is already one of the world’s leading energy storage markets. At the end of 2015, Germany was home to 67 megawatts of energy storage (128 megawatt-hours) with a value of $169 million. Factors including the nation’s declining feed-in tariffs, high retail electricity rates and abundance of installed renewables make it an attractive market for the energy storage value proposition. According to the report, retail electricity prices for residential customers in Germany have increased 47 percent since 2006 and are unlikely to decrease in the near future. However, Germany offers homeowners an incentive known as KfW 275 for energy storage systems paired with a new or existing solar installations; the incentive covered up to 30 percent of the system costs between 2013 and 2015, currently covers 22 percent, and steps down by 3 percent every half-year. GTM Research anticipates that these factors will continue to help the residential segment maintain its top position in Germany, constituting 49 percent of all megawatts installed in 2021. The report identifies three opportunities for utility-scale energy storage, Germany’s second-largest storage segment. In the near term, the primary reserve market offers significant opportunity, with six systems totaling 90 megawatts (140 megawatt-hours) expected to come on-line in 2016 and 2017. “Utility-scale systems have been deployed for primary reserve for the past few years, though significant deployments did not begin until 2016,” notes Simon. “However, the market will saturate by the end of 2017, and thus utility-scale systems will need to pursue other value streams.” Beginning in 2018, Germany’s secondary reserve market will pick up steam, and distribution deferral will become increasingly attractive. With just 2.7 megawatts deployed in 2015, nonresidential storage is Germany’s smallest market segment. The report notes that the segment lacks a clear economic case. However, as storage system prices decline and new business models emerge, non-residential storage could experience an uptick in growth. The report points to virtual power plants as one future avenue for deployments. Germany is a strong energy storage market with a significant presence from vendors across the entire storage supply chain. GTM Research anticipates 161 megawatts (274 megawatthours) of storage to be deployed in 2016.

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RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

Global Energy Capacity for Next-Generation Advanced Batteries is Expected to Reach 6.5 GWh Annually in 2025, According to Navigant Research

new report from Navigant Research examines the global market for nextgeneration advanced batteries in the transportation and grid-tied stationary energy storage sectors, with forecasts for capacity by region, chemistry, and revenue, through 2025. Several new battery chemistries are projected to enter the global transportation and grid-tied stationary energy storage markets as researchers look to meet and exceed the safety expectations of lithium ion (Li-ion) at lower price points. These new chemistries, which are not yet commercially available, include lithium sulfur (Li-S), lithium solid-state (Li-SS), next-generation flow, and a liquid metal battery, are expected to reach a combined global market penetration of 7.5 percent across the transportation and grid-tied stationary energy storage sector in 2025.

William Tokash, Senior Research Analyst With Navigant Research

The report, Next-Generation Advanced Batteries, analyzes the global market for next-generation advanced batteries in two key sectors: transportation (motive) and grid-tied stationary energy storage. The study provides an analysis of the market issues, including demand and commercialization factors, associated with next-generation advanced batteries. Global market forecasts for capacity by region, chemistry, and sector and revenue by region extend through 2025. The report also examines the key technologies issues related to next-generation batteries, as well as the competitive landscape. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website. Source: Business wire

September 2016

BOTTOM LINE •

China installed 18.6 gigawatts (GW) of photovoltaic (PV) systems in 2015, while over 4.5 GW of systems have been carried-over to 2016 for grid connection.

•

Chinese inverter shipments reached an historic record of 22.8 GW in 2015, out of which 7.5 GW were writedown and channel inventory. All of these excessive inverters will be finally installed in the PV systems, but will not necessarily be allowed to connect to the grid.

•

The change in the product mix is happening more quickly than expected: In 2015, three-phase low power inverters of less than 99 kilowatts (kW) have become the second-largest inverter product type, with significant increase in utility-scale projects.

•

Market consolidation deepened in 2015: The top six suppliers — Huawei, Sungrow, TBEA, Sineng, Chint and KStar — contributed to 95 percent of the total shipment market share.

OUTLOOK AND ANALYSIS

Li-ion is currently the primary chemistry used for transportation and gridtied stationary energy storage applications that require next-generation batteries, yet it presents future limitations, including challenges related to energy density, safety, and costs. According to the report, Li-S, Li-SS, next-generation flow, and other advanced batteries represent potential contenders that may begin to encroach on Li-ion market share as the world’s most flexible battery chemistry in these sectors.

By Frank Xie, Senior Research analyst, IHS Technology

hina’s National Energy Administration (NEA) reported that 15.1 GW of PV systems were connected to the grid in 2015; however, because of long grid-connection delays, IHS believes that there were many completed projects that were not connected to the grid during the year, and that the information from the NEA does not correspond to the actual amount of completed installations. The number of installed systems in China that have not been connected increased greatly in 2015, due to time constraints of the grid-connection testing process. In fact, potential power curtailment and a high probability of missing grid connections forced gigawatt-scale projects to relocate from Ningxia to nearby provinces in 2016. Since China is trying to shift its PV market structure from purely ground-mount to a mix of ground mount, commercial (Distributed PV) and residential (poverty relief PV projects), IHS expects the PV inverter product mix will change to accommodate more three-phase low-power inverters and string inverters.

Source : IHS Technology

“The path toward commercialization for nextgeneration advanced batteries remains challenging, with tremendous obstacles to overcome at each stage of growth, Industry players looking to gain a strategic advantage should partner with large, wellfunded, committed Li-ion battery technology and energy companies now moving into the energy storage sector.”

China installs 18.6 GW of systems in 2015, but part of that may never be able to connect

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RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

Latin America on Track to Install 2.7 GW of Solar-PV Capacity in 2016, IHS Markit Says Across Latin America, public tenders for photovoltaic (PV) projects are raising the pulse of the market, but challenges remain.

recent spike in new solar installations in Latin America is putting the region on track to reach 2.7 gigawatts (GW) of installed photovoltaic (PV) module capacity this year, according to IHS Markit, a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions. Chile continues to spearhead the region’s PV installations, accounting for 44 percent of new additions this year. After a few years of rapid growth, the installation intensity of this regional giant is projected to decline over the next years, as parts of the grid continue to reach the saturation point, and as power prices fall as anticipated. Currently the second largest market in the region, Honduras, has approximately 0.5 GW of installed PV capacity, the result of a boom in 2015, according to the IHS Markit Emerging PV Markets Tracker. This year, Honduras is set to be overtaken by Mexico. After Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico and Peru, the next market to announce tenders is Argentina, where the World Bank plans to step in with guarantees for a 1 GW renewable power tender, of which 300 megawatts (MW) will be supplied by PV.

“Recent record-low bid prices -- as low as $48 per megawatthour in Mexico -- are attracting the interest of governments. Meanwhile, these bid levels raise the pressure on suppliers, as the procurers will be squeezing the total system costs to make the projects viable.” - Josefin Berg, senior analyst, solar demand, IHS Markit. While tenders spur optimism regarding market growth, actual project deployment often takes longer than initially planned, as developers struggle with administrative barriers, or simply seek to postpone construction to benefit from declining component prices. Planned tenders also risk delays, as most recently shown in Brazil where the power auction scheduled for July 2016 has not yet been set.

September 2016

Global Grid-Connected Energy Storage Capacity to Double in 2016, IHS MarkEt Says

he global energy storage market is expected to double, from 1.4 gigawatt hour (GWh) added in 2015 to 2.9 GWh this year, offering unique growth prospects for many energy companies as global energy markets continue to cool. Global grid-connected energy storage capacity will surge to 21 GWh by 2025, according to IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions. Over the next decade, Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries will become the mainstream energy-storage technology, and more than 80 percent of global energy storage installations will include the technology by 2025. According to the IHS Markit Grid-Connected Energy Storage Forecast Database, Japan and the United States will be the largest energy storage markets, generating a third of market revenues totaling $50 billion over the next decade. In Australia and Japan, energy storage penetration is expected to exceed 5 percent of installed power capacity in 2025, underscoring the growing role that energy storage will play in grid stability, renewable integration and overall energy management. Half of all energy storage installations will occur behind the meter, driven by self-consumption and back-up needs. Eight countries will each have cumulative behind-the-meter storage power exceeding 1 GWh, including Japan, China and the United States. ihsmarkit.com

“Energy storage is set to grow as fast as solar photovoltaic energy has in recent years, sparking strong interest from a wide range of players and underscored by recent mergers and acquisitions among car manufacturers, major oil and gas companies, and conventional power suppliers. The United States and Japan are leading the way, but we’re also seeing activity in South Africa, Kenya, the Phillippines Marianne Boust, and other countries, as the Principal Analyst, IHS cost of batteries continues to Technology decline.” Looking ahead to the future, half of all energy storage will come from households and businesses seeking to control their energy consumption, which will massively disrupt the traditional business models from established utilities and large equipment manufacturers.”

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PV MANUFACTURING

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES Receives Orders in the framework of the Conversion of an Existing Thin-film Production Plant to High-Performance Solar Cells SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES has received orders from the largest Russian photovoltaics manufacturer, Hevel LLC (Hevel), for the delivery of production machines for high-performance solar cells (heterojunction). The signed contracts include processing equipment of the SILEX II type for the wet-chemical treatment of heterojunction solar cells as well as additional supply units. “We are very pleased to receive an order from the leading Russian solar manufacturer for our SILEX II processing machine. The order includes the delivery of a production system with a capacity of more 5000 wafer per hour. In the past couple of years, SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES has extensively invested in the further development of this machine and was able to win numerous new customers due to the high performance and modern process technology provided by this machine.” Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck, Chief Executive Officer of the SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG

The delivery of the systems and machines will be completed in the next couple of months. With the equipment, Hevel intends to transform its production site in Russia with 160 megawatt annual production capacity to the production of high-performance solar modules. Accordingly, Hevel will convert its existing production for a-Si thin-film solar cells, to the production of the new heterojunction, high-performance solar cells. The required process know-how for the manufacturing of heterojunction solar cells is provided by the own Hevel R&D center.

Meyer Burger awarded another important order for around CHF 18 million by existing PV customer in China A further significant order has been awarded to Meyer Burger by a leading Chinese manufacturer in the solar industry for the delivery and installation of the MAiA 2.1 technology upgrade platform with the industry-leading upgrade cell technology MB PERC.

he order is worth around CHF 18 million. Delivery and commissioning of the equipment is expected in the fourth quarter 2016. Together with the order which was already announced on June 23, 2016, this tier one Chinese customer has ordered diamond wire cutting technology and cell upgrade equipment totalling around CHF 40 million in the past month. Meyer Burger Technology Ltd (SIX Swiss Exchange: MBTN) today announced the successful conclusion of a further large contract with a Chinese tier one supplier

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of solar products and solutions for the delivery, installation and commissioning of the MAiA 2.1 system platform with the mass production scalable MB PERC technology. With its industrialised MAiA 2.1 cell production platform, Meyer Burger continues to support its customer in the expansion of its production volume of high quality solar cells to ensure increased delivery of solar modules in the international PV market. Delivery and commissioning of the equipment is scheduled in the fourth quarter of 2016. The volume of this contract amounts to around CHF 18 million.

September 2016

ENERGy STORAGE

Grid-Connected Energy-Storage Projects in Pipeline to Hit 2GW, Led by US, China and South Korea Energy storage pipeline advances are led by the United States, China and South Korea – the IHS Energy Storage Company and Project Database – Q2 2016 tracks 2 gigawatts (GW) of gridconnected energy storage projects - a 20 percent increase, since the end of 2015.

ithium ion’s (Li-ion’s) share of the energy storage market has grown steadily from 20 percent deployed in 2010 to 90 percent forecast for 2016. Roughly 300 megawatts (MW) — or 500 megawatt-hours (MWh) — of utility-side meter energy storage projects came online during the first half of 2016, for example the 50 MW (300 MWh) Buzen project in Japan, which was developed by Kyushu Electric and supplied by NAS batteries. Driven by a surge in behind-themeter installations in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Germany, IHS has revised our outlook for 2016 upwards to 1.8 GW, from 1.5 GW in our previous forecast.

IHS Insights :

Owing to massive cost reductions, Li-ion technology is now leading lead-acid batteries in the power storage categor y; it is even challenging sodium sulphur and flow for long-duration storage. IHS estimates that 90 percent of the utility-side of meter energy storage projects tracked are based on Li-ion battery technology. Underpinning the rapid cost reduction is the buildup of the supply chain for batteries in the auto and power sectors. Competition between China’s BYD, GCL, South Korea’s Samsung SDI, LG Chem and Japan’s Panasonic is intensifying. In the residential space GCL has launched a battery system at $450/kWh (excluding inverter) in Australia, nearly matching Tesla’s announced price of $3,000 for a 7kWh system. Li-ion is also gaining traction in the grid-scale market for longer duration, which has been historically dominated by sodium sulfur and flow batteries. IHS has observed

September 2016

grid-scale batteries prices for delivery in 2016 around $400/kWh to $500/kWh, including warranty and management system, with a further 30 percent reduction in the next 18 months. Nonetheless, flow battery manufacturers are scaling up their ambitions and betting on superior lifetime of flow battery technology, as evidenced by the announcement of the 200 MW/800 MWh Dalian demonstration project in China, led by Rongke Power and UniEnergy Technologies. Although lead-acid technology continues to be used in emerging markets where lack of financing is the biggest barrier, we’re seeing lead-acid market share shrinking in developed countries, owing to the superior performance of Li-ion in

terms of response time and longer life. While equipment costs keep falling, policies favorable to energy storage are being implemented in a larger number of countries, driving up new demand in the power sector. In the United States, after the press announcement from the US administration to commit to 1.3 GW of energy storage deployment, Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) is set to introduce a draft bill that would grant a 30 percent tax credit to residential and commercial owners of energy storage. Policies are also announced in South Korea, which is considering mandating energy storage in public buildings, as well as allowing energy storage to participate in the South Korea wholesale power market.

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ENERGY STORAGE

TOTAL TAKES CONTROL OF SAFT GROUPE AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL TENDER OFFER WHICH WAs BE RE-OPENED ONJULY 19 TO AUGUST 2, 2016 The Autorité des marchés financiers published results of the public tender offer initiated by Total on Saft Groupe. Following the settlement-delivery of the offer which was expected to occur on July 21, 2016, Total will hold 23,456,093 Saft Groupe shares representing 90.14 percent of the capital and voting rights of Saft Groupe based on the total number of shares outstanding as of July 12, 2016. “Total is pleased with the success of this tender offer. Our acquisition of more than 90% of the shares shows the confidence Saft shareholders have in our industrial project enabling Saft to accelerate its development”. -Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of Total

Saft is delighted to join with Total, a major player in the energy sector, which will enable us to accelerate our development.

-Ghislain Lescuyer, CEO of Saft Groupe

ccording to the General Regulation of the AMF, the public tender offer initiated by Total will be re-opened from July 19 to August 2, 2016, in order to allow shareholders who have not yet disposed of their shares to do so under the same terms. Total confirms its intention to prioritize investment over dividend payout and will proceed with a delisting of the stock if a level of 95 percent of the capital and voting rights of Saft Groupe is reached. The document relating to the offer is available on the websites of the AMF (amf-France.org) and Total (total.com), and is also available free of charge upon request at the offices of Total (La Défense 6, 2 place Jean Millier, 92400 Courbevoie) and BNP Paribas (16 boulevard des Italiens, 75009 Paris).

September 2016

More than 44235 MW accumulative capacity of Renewable Energy installed in the Country

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines recently informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply that total accumulative capacity of over 44235 MW have been installed in the country from various renewable energy sources. These sources include 27151 MW of Wind Power, 7805 MW of Solar Power, 4304 MW of Small Hydro Power and 4975 MW of Biopower.

hri Goyal stated that Government of India is implementing several scheme for the promotion of Solar Power in the country including hilly/ mountain states like solar rooftop Scheme, scheme on Off-grid & Decentralized Solar Applications, solar Park Scheme for setting up of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects targeting over 20,000 MW of solar power projects, scheme for setting up 1000 MW of Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Projects by Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) and Government of India organisations with Viability Gap Funding (VGF), scheme for setting up over 300 MW of GridConnected Solar PV Power Projects by Defence Establishments and Para Military Forces with Viability Gap Funding(VGF), pilot-cum-demonstration project for development of grid connected solar PV power plants on canal banks and canal tops, bundling Scheme – 15000 MW gridconnected solar PV power plants through NTPC Ltd./ NVVN and VGF Scheme for setting up of 2000 MW of Grid Connected Solar PV Power Projects through SECI.

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ENERGY STORAGE

New Energy Storage Deployments in Major World Markets Are Expected to Total Nearly 62 GW from 2015 to 2025

recent report from Navigant Research examines the market for grid-tied energy storage systems (ESSs) in 22 countries, with forecasts for power capacity, energy capacity, and revenue, segmented by technology, through 2025. The major markets in North America are expected to be the largest globally for grid-tied ESSs in 2015, but the more rapidly growing Asia Pacific markets are expected to take the lead around 2018. Overall, the five major markets in Asia Pacific are expected to deploy 199.5 MW of distributed storage capacity in 2015, increasing to 9,416.6 MW in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 47 percent. Many countries’ storage markets are in a nascent stage and will not begin to significantly develop for several years, according to the report. The rapidly declining price of storage technologies is expected to enable new country-level markets to open at an increasing pace over the coming decade, and resources could be wasted by attempting to operate in a country before the market is ready. The report, Country Forecasts for Grid-Tied Energy Storage, analyzes the capacity and revenue of grid-tied energy storage systems that will be deployed in major markets around the world.

“Given the wide variety of factors influencing country-level energy storage markets, it is essential for vendors and developers to understand the dynamics, customers, and potential growth patterns for each individual country, many countries and regions will have a much larger market for either utilityscale or distributed storage systems, and these dynamics will necessitate different business models to serve the market.” Alex Eller, Research Analyst at Navigant The forecasts cover both utility-scale and distributed energy storage applications for the nine most popular technologies in each country. This study also examines the key factors contributing to the opportunities for energy storage in the 22 major countries profiled. Country-level forecasts for power capacity, energy capacity, and revenue by technology extend through 2025.

Energy Capacity of Advanced Batteries for the Automotive, Stationary Energy Storage Sectors Combined Increased More Than 70% from 2014 to 2015, According to Navigant Research

new repor t from Navigant Research tracks developments and trends in the advanced batteries market from shipments in 2015, including comprehensive documentation for energy capacity (MWh), power capacity (MW), cells shipped, and revenue, across global regions. Today’s advanced batteries industry is growing, with expanding markets for electric vehicles (EVs) and stationary energy storage systems (ESSs) driving demand. Battery manufacturers recognize that the industry will continue to grow quickly in the next several years and have dedicated more research, development, and resources to ensure future profitability. When measured by cell shipments, more than 99 percent of advanced batteries for the automotive and stationary energy storage sectors were made with lithium ion (Li-ion) chemistries in 2015. According to the report, the global Li-ion manufacturing capacity has expanded in the last several years, as several governments have subsidized factories in Asia Pacific and North America to boost supplies for EVs. The report, Advanced Battery Tracker 2Q16, identifies developments and trends in the advanced batteries market by tracking the shipments of batteries globally in 2015. The Tracker focuses on new market activity and market share analysis for two key application sectors that utilize advanced batteries: automotive and stationary energy storage. Comprehensive documentation is provided for energy capacity (MWh), power capacity (MW), cells shipped, and revenue for advanced batteries in the automotive and stationary energy storage sectors across all global regions. 36

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“The growth of advanced batteries for the automotive sector and stationary energy storage will depend on incremental improvements of battery performance and the battery supply chain, key developments to watch in the coming years will be the expanding presence of EVs in China, the launch of new EV models like the Tesla Model 3, and the emergence of new business models for owners and aggregators of ESSs.” Ian McClenny, Research Associate with Navigant Research

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Structural EPC Solutions Design, Manufacture & Installation of Solar Module Mounting Structures

INNOVATION

Chandigarh gets floating solar power plant floating solar power plant pilot of 10 kw peak (kWp) — the peak power — has been commissioned at Dhanas lake in Chandigarh amid efforts by the government to develop the Union Territory as a solar city.

t has been designed to supply power to fountains at the lake for aeration. The Unique Selling Proposition is its dual-axis tracking technology that has been developed indigenously, which is capable of generating 30% or more power than conventional solar photovoltaic ones mounted on the ground. In a move towards realising the broader objective, Yellow 2 Gen Energy Pvt, which installed the plant recently, has proposed to the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society for innovative development of the land-neutral solar photovoltaic (floating SPV) plants.

“The approximate cost of the 10 kWp floating solar power plant designed by Yellow is around Rs 12 lakh,” Jeevan Mohanty, one of the Co-founders and Director, Yellow 2 Gen Energy

“Yellow’s design has dual-axis tracking, which leads to higher energy generation and makes it costeffective,”

Rakesh Chauhan, the other Co-founder and also a Director

This technological innovation means the platform could be set up on small water bodies for meeting captive energy requirements as well as conservation of lakes and ponds. Highlighting its relevance, Vivek Jha, a Co-founder and Director, said a decision to promote installation of floating solar power plants will benefit states that are grappling with the problem of land acquisition. The floating power plant in the planned city is yet another attempt to achieve practical and tangible progress in harnessing solar energy and facilitate large-scale generation of electrical energy through solar radiation at economically viable cost. The government has earlier chosen Chandigarh to develop it as a model solar city and has an ambitious plan for deployment of 175 GW renewable power capacity by 2022, including 100 GW in solar energy. 38

September 2016

Discovery Could Dramatically Boost Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells

Scientists from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered a possible secret to dramatically boosting the efficiency of perovskite solar cells hidden in the nanoscale peaks and valleys of the crystalline material.

olar cells made from compounds that have the crystal structure of the mineral perovskite have captured scientists’ imaginations. They’re inexpensive and easy to fabricate, like organic solar cells. Even more intriguing, the efficiency at which perovskite solar cells convert photons to electricity has increased more rapidly than any other material to date, starting at three percent in 2009-when researchers first began exploring the material’s photovoltaic capabilities-to 22 percent today. This is in the ballpark of the efficiency of silicon solar cells. Now, as reported online July 4 in the journal Nature Energy, a team of scientists from the Molecular Foundry and the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, both at Berkeley Lab, found a surprising characteristic of a perovskite solar cell that could be exploited for even higher efficiencies, possibly up to 31 percent. She didn’t have to go far to find the material. For the past two years, scientists at the nearby Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis have been making thin films of perovskite-based compounds, and studying their ability to convert sunlight and CO2 into useful chemicals such as fuel. Switching gears, they created pervoskite solar cells composed of methylammonium lead iodide. They also analyzed the cells’ performance at the macroscale. The scientists also made a second set of half cells that didn’t have an electrode layer. They packed eight of these cells on a thin film measuring one square centimeter. These films were analyzed at the Molecular Foundry, where researchers mapped the cells’ surface topography at a resolution of ten nanometers. They also mapped two properties that relate to the cells’ photovoltaic efficiency: photocurrent generation and open circuit voltage. This was performed using a state-of-the-art atomic force microscopy technique, developed in collaboration with Park Systems, which utilizes a conductive tip to scan the material’s surface. The method also eliminates friction between the tip and the sample. This is important because the material is so rough and soft that friction can damage the tip and sample, and cause artifacts in the photocurrent.

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ROOFTOP & OFFGRID

Rays Power Infra Pvt. Ltd. successfully commissions 400 KW Solar Roof-top plant at the Hyderabad Campus of a leading global IT corporation

MNRE: Backing down of solar projects Some developers have been pointing out in various meetings that some load dispatch centres are asking solar projects to back down dure to various reasons.

The Secretary Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, 3rd & 4th Floor, Chanderlok Building, 36, Janpath, New Delhi – 110001 Sub: Backing down of Solar Projects.

Achieving yet another milestone, the leading Solar Energy Company, Rays Power Infra Pvt. Ltd. has successfully commissioned 400 KW roof top solar PV project at the Hyderabad Campus of one of India’s leading IT company.

he project spans across 4 buildings of the prestigious IT company’s premises. The state-of-the-art rooftop project was executed on complete turnkey basis and it also earned the solar firm a repeat order for another roof-top project from the company.Rays Power Infra Pvt. Ltd. has done the complete design, engineering, civil work, Installation process, testing and commissioning of the Solar PV project.

Mr. Sanjay Gupta, Executive Director & Co-founder, Rays Power Infra

“This marks as a momentous win, making us the company to build one of the finest rooftop PV project in India for one of our most esteemed customer. We are immensely excited as Hyderabad and Telangana is a strategic market for us and we have made use of innovative technology and skilled field manpower to execute the project on time and deliver the best to our customers. As a gesture of customer delight, we won a repeat order from the global IT giant for another roof top project, execution of which is under progress.”

Recently, the company has partnered with Hilliard Energy to jointly develop 150 MW solar power project, entailing an investment of $130 million (about Rs 870 crore). In the first phase, a 10-MW solar project is commissioned in April, 2016 at Kalwakurthy in Telangana and the power generated will be sold to the state’s discoms. 40

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MADAM, Some developers have been pointing out in various meetings that some load dispatch centres are asking solar projects to back down due to various reasons. Solar power projects have must run status as there is no fuel cost and if any backing down is to be done, thermal projects should be asked to back down so that some fuel is saved. That is the reason why two part tariff is given in the case of thermal power and only single tariff is given to solar power projects. However, in actual practice when solar power projects are asked to back down they do not even get the benefit. This can make solar power unattractive particularly when projects are being allotted though competitive bidding and tariffs have come down drastically. Some solar power developers have now started asking for two part tariff for solar also. This may, however, be difficult as most of the cost in solar power project is fixed cost. There is thus need for clear regulations by appropriate commissions to enforce must run status for solar power project. They should be paid full tariff if they are forced to back down in rare cases. It is requested that this issue be placed before Forum of Regulators so that some consensus can be reached on this issue.

Yours sincerely, Tarun Kapoor CC: Principal Secretary / Secretary (Power & Renewable) of all States with request that solar power projects Source: PTI should not be asked to back down.

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FEATURED NEWS

Spread of grid curtailment is starting to threaten credit worthiness of renewable energy projects: Ind-Ra The spread of grid curtailment is starting to threaten the credit worthiness of renewable energy projects and has the potential to impede capacity addition, says India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra). The non-availability of the grid has majorly impaired the operational strength of some wind projects, given the sizable installed capacities. The failure to address grid issues can gradually destabilise the solar projects in the ensuing years.

rid curtailment is unpredictable, thus the ill-equipped developers have been grappling to manage their finances, barring the large ones. The uncertain source supply (uncontrollable) and grid non-availability (controllable), despite its ‘must run’ status, is slowly shaking the fledgling renewable energy sector. The front runner in renewable energy Tamil nadu widely curtailed the grid availability in the last three years; the phenomenon appears to have spread to Rajasthan in FY17 and FY16. Ind-Ra believes that inadequate forecasting systems have compelled the utilities to curtail the grid. In the agency’s view, due to the relative source certainty in solar projects, generation in solar is more predictable than in wind projects. Anecdotal evidence suggests that solar capacities in Tamil nadu have also encountered grid issues in FY17. The average annual grid availability for wind assets in Tamil nadu from FY14 – FY16 stood at less than 80%, while the average annual grid availability from FY11 – FY13 was around 95%. The drastic reduction in availability from FY14 onwards didn’t coincide with any major capacity addition, since total capacity of merely 604MW was added in the period FY14 to FY16 compared to the overall installed capacity of around 7600MW. Grid availability and increased wind supply in 1Q FY17 has significantly improved the wind energy generation (94% increase over 1QFY16, source: Southern Region Load Despatch Centre). Providing certainty in grid availability can make Tamil nadu attractive for repowering of old wind turbines (1900 MW installed till 2003). There is large solar capacity additions envisaged to come on track in Rajasthan in 2016; however the lack of assurance on the evacuation infrastructure and the grid availability can affect the credit profile of the upcoming projects. Forecasting and scheduling regulations have been notified, wherein the generator will be penalised in case of inaccurate forecasts. On the other hand, there is no mandate on the transmission and distribution utilities to manage the grid to ensure the ‘must run’ status which is conferred on renewable energy projects is adhered to.

In other parts of the world namely Germany and Belgium have exhibited integration of a large quantum of renewable energy. Technical and commercial challenges are emerging for the distribution utilities because of changes in the energy mix. Efforts to address these challenges are trailing behind the envisaged pace of capacity addition. The effect of forecasting and scheduling regulations notified by Central Electricity Regulatory Commission in facilitating the utilities to balance the load and demand hasn’t yet show on ground improvement. All state electricity regulatory commissions are yet to notify the same, with an exception of Karnataka. Although, Ind-Ra through its interactions with issuers notes that the joint effort of large developers, industry associations, specialised institutes (National Institute of Wind Energy) and state utilities has given some respite, concerted measures are pivotal for the sustenance of the renewable energy sector. The monopoly in distribution infrastructure and lack of technology aids – to predict the source risk, tests the endurance of renewable projects and consequently renewable energy remains hostage to state utilities. There is also a need to address the costs of integration of renewable energy in the grid in an equitable manner.

Ind-Ra notes that there is no provision for compensation in case a renewable energy project is unable to supply power in the event of grid curtailment. The lack of this provision, leaves the renewable energy project stranded whenever there is curtailment and they appeal to the regulators over the non-compliance of the must run status.

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September 2016

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

NREL Technique Leads to Improved Perovskite Solar Cells

cientists at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in collaboration with researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), devised a method to improve perovskite solar cells, making them more efficient and reliable with higher reproducibility.The research, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative, involved hybrid halide perovskite solar cells and revealed treating them with a specific solution of methyl ammonium bromide (MABr) would repair defects, improving efficiency. The scientists converted a low-quality perovskite film with pinholes and small grains into a high-quality film without pinholes and with large grains. Doing so boosted the efficiency of the perovskite film in converting sunlight to 19 percent. The efficiency of perovskites in converting sunlight into electricity has jumped from slightly less than 4 percent in 2009, when the first tests were done, to more than 22 percent today. However, the efficiency can fluctuate according to the skills of the researchers making perovskites at different laboratories, to somewhere

between 15 percent and 20 percent.Perovskite films are typically grown using a solution of precursor chemicals that form the crystals, which are then exposed to a second anti-solvent that removes the precursor solvent. The fast-crystallization process is almost an art. NREL researchers found that, because of the narrow time window for properly adding the anti-solvent, it is easy to miss that window and perovskite crystals with defects could form. Defects, like noncontinuous crystals and nonuniform crystals with relatively small crystallite sizes and pinholes, can significantly reduce the effectiveness of a perovskite cell. The scientists from NREL and SJTU came up with a better method, using what’s called the Ostwald ripening process. The process involves small crystals dissolving and then redepositing onto larger crystals. The researchers were able to induce the Ostwald ripening process by treating the perovskite with a MABr solution. The amount of the solution proved key, as the ideal was proven to be about 2 milligrams per milliliter.

”With the Ostwald ripening process, different-sized nanocrystals formed with different film qualities could then grow into pinhole-free perovskite films with similar large crystal sizes, thus, this new chemical approach enhances processing tolerance to the initial perovskite film quality and improves the reproducibility of device fabrication.” - The Researchers Noted in The Article The improved film quality made the cells more stable. The perovskite cells treated with MABr were shown to be more efficient than those without the treatment. Untreated cells had an efficiency of about 14 percent to 17 percent, while cells treated with the MABr solution had an efficiency of more than 19 percent. Details of the research are contained in the paper Facile Fabrication of Large-Grain CH3NH3PbI3-xBrx Film for High-Efficiency Solar Cells via CH3NH3Br Selective Ostwald Ripening, published in Nature Communications. The NREL scientists involved in the research are Mengjin Yang, Philip Schulz, Zhen Li, Dong Hoe Kim, Joseph Berry, and Kai Zhu. Other scientists who took part in the research, Taiyang Zhang, Ge Li, Nanjie Guo, and Yixin Zhao, are 42

September 2016

from SJTU in China.The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, the Energy Department supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to 6 cents per kilowatt-hour. Learn more at energy.gov/sunshot. NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for the Energy Department by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

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September 2016

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INTERViEW

Interview with

Dalip Sharma 1 EQ:What are your plans for Manufacturing set up in India, the opportunities and challenges in manufacturing in India. DS: Delta is part of Government of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s DigitalIndia initiative and will be investing US$ 500 million to create 20,000 jobs over a period of ten years. Delta has identified around 128 acres of land in South India where we will soon be setting up a state of the art manufacturing facility. We have started manufacturing central inverters at our newly inaugurated manufacturingfacility at Hosur and will soon start manufacturing the popular variants of string inverter models at the same facility by 2017.

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EQ: How much Inverters have you supplied to India till now, what is the target/expectation in 2016-17.

DS: We have a cumulative installation base of more than 300MW across India and we will be shipping more than 600 MW in the year 2016-2017. The major portion of our sales has been in the string inverters segment and our central inverter sales have also been positive.

EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar Inverters.

DS: As India continues to embrace solar energy and aggressively deploy solar Photovoltaic (PV) plants, our inverters have been part of a majority of installations across various sectors and industries. Among the rooftop string inverter installations we are really proud to have supplied inverters to more than eight major airports in India including Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Lucknow to name a few. Among other key projects, our inverters are operational across many ISRO campuses amounting to a cumulative installation of more than 3.3MW. And the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station project is a 1 MW rooftop PV plant which uses twenty numbers of RPI-M50A (50kW) string inverters. We also have our inverters operational at Delhi Metro, Chennai Metro and various railway stations across India. Also, we recently commissioned 50 MW of utility scale ground mount PV plants across various locations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

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INTERViEW

Managing Director, Delta Electronics India Pvt. Ltd.

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission.

DS: Delta was founded in 1971 and has been the global leader in switching power supply solutions since 2002 and DC brushless fans since 2006.Delta Group is the world’s largest provider of switching power supplies and DC brushless fans, as well as a major source for power management solutions, components, display solutions, industrial automation, networking products, and renewable energy solutions. Delta Group has sales offices worldwide and manufacturing plants in Taiwan, China, Thailand, Mexico, India and Europe. For more than 40 years, Delta Group has pursued the mission:” To provide innovative, clean and energy-efficient solutions for a better tomorrow.”

EQ: What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures.

DS: Globally Delta has more than 40 manufacturing plants, close to 61 R & D centers and 153 sales offices. Delta continues to deliver strong and stable financial performance, achieving a compound annual growth rate of 31.8% since 1971. Delta’s consolidated worldwide sales revenue in 2015 was US$7.577 billion.

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How much is your R&D budget as % of your sales / profits

DS : We commonly invest 6% to 7% of our annual sales revenues in R&D and have worldwide R&D facilities in Taiwan, China, Europe, India, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and the U.S.

Please share information of some new orders in hand.

What’s your commitment towards the solar sector in India.

DS : The solar industry in India has seen phenomenal growth in the previous year and we are extremely happy to share that we have orders of more than 150 MW in our pipeline from various government and private sector projects.

DS : Delta was one of the early entrants in the solar inverter segment in India and we have strongly focused on gradually expanding our sales and service teams across the country to enable timely support to our customers. We operate fourteen warehouses and ten service engineer locations across the country, and we are thinking of adding more locations to the list. Delta has played a major role in developing India’s rooftop solar sector with over 30% of the rooftop installations in India operating with Delta solar inverters. Delta has remained India’s most preferred string inverter make for two consecutive years and has been honored with a National Excellence Award from Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)for Rooftop Solar Power Projects in the Solar Inverters category recognizing its outstanding contribution towards the development of Indian rooftop solar sector.

September 2016

SOLAR POWER

The Technical Challenge Of Unprecedented Plans To Scale Up Solar Energy In India AUTHOR BY Xi Ping, GCL System Integration Technology Co., Ltd

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SOLAR POWER Chapter I : Solar power booming in India and external challenges In the fall of 2014, India’s Prime Minister, NarendraModi, announced his ambition to install 100 GW solar projects by 2022. It will help bring sustainable, clean, climate-friendly electricity to millions of Indian people.

onsidering the commissioned 3 GW in India and 181 GW in the world by the time of the announcement, this was an extremely unprecedented target.Skeptics noted there were lack of detailed plan and budget for this plan. Such concerns were not out of the air when we look at the history of the solar development. The development of solar project is like a relay of baton between countries since 21st century. From Spain in early this century, to Germany in 2004, with a short honeymoon period inItaly, South Africa; then USA / Japan / China / Latin America joined this relay around 2012; and then India and West Asia (Middle East) participated in 2015 . Some of the players are still expanding fast, while some early pioneers are already stepping down the runway. Several key issues encountered by early pioneers also now happen in India. For starters, detailed and continued government policies

to back up the projects, is a key to the early rising. It takes time to wear in from policy framework to detailed executions; Secondly, capitals and budgets, are also among the top concerns, as the overdue fulfillment of the subsidy promise may discourage the project developers and financial backers; Thirdly, the increased capacity of renewable energy will require more fundamental reforms of the power sectors. Such as power gird access, transmission capacity upgrades, and also enough dispatched power (or economic power storage) to absorb the intermittency of solar power, etc. Luckily, all of these challenges are faced by other pioneers before. There are good experiences and hard lessons learned. The booming of India market since 2015 is a good prove that these challenges are being faced and dealt and finally will be solved.We are seeing a progressive move ahead,

since 2015 and H1 of 2016, new installation capacity has grown at almost two fold year to year, behind all these, (a) Some well capitalized industry players’aggressive move and plans; (b) Power grid access is opening up.In several states they have solar projects from so-called “wheeling” charges, so it bring down the transmission charge to the power plant; (c) Many states, including Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh, are leasing public lands to solar parks, to eliminates the need for solar developers to work through India’s complex land registries. Etc. Beyond all these external challenges, there are also internals for the whole photovoltaic industry itself. How to achieve a fast solar power penetration, while still maintaining high reliability of projects, which are deemed to generate typically 25 years and even longer. There are a lot to think from product perspective and business model.

Chapter 2 : Internal Challenges for Solar Industry Large-scale solar power plants hold the promise of the renewable energy penetration.

ill now, the key components of solar plants,notably the silicon value chain, has already adopted the form of high-volume production line manufacturing, which is known in automotive assembly industry. By adopting standardized production techniques, it ensures uniform product quality while increasing production, and finally it brings down the overall cost of the product. It has been the major factor insolar plant reductions over the last decade. But when it comes to the development of large-scale PV plants, it is still using bespoke techniques. Developers are finding a piece of land, and then case by case, doing preliminary design and feasibility study while getting all the relevant approval (environmental, grid connection, land, etc.); when it comes to construction phases,

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integrators brings disparate components to the site, often with major components such as the panels and central inverters shipped from different continents, involves a high level of complexity and uncertainty. These uncertainties are risks for end customer and financial backers unwilling to deal with. Not to mention the long process,it is a facilitator to capital cost in the implementation phases. In the global market, it is not surprised to hear commissioned projects with quality flaws, and neither big news to hear some PV project developers are facing debt crisis, as such projects are not earning margins. This is more apparent for emerging markets, as new developers are somehow not able to foresee all the details.

Fast deployment with lower cost, higher quality and better performance over its life time, are ultimately affecting the wellrecognized metric of levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The intention of the government subsidy is to scale up the industry so the PV end-market will reach real-world grid parity and beyond in terms of LCOE, which finally enable solar project from a planned market to a free market. Scaling up did its job on bringing down the components cost, meantime, to further bring down the LCOE. It is time for downstream players, to look not only at scaling benefits simply from a component purchasing perspective but also to take a holistic approach to all phases of construction, from preplanning topower plant operation.

September 2016

SOLAR POWER

Chapter 3 : Modular PV power plant methodology There are numbers of PV cell / module manufacturers, as well as upstream silicon producers, are joining downstream system integration ; among them a few are bringing their high-volume upstream manufacturing methodologies to PV plant design. This methodology in turn is the standardized modular block approach.

r a d i t i o n a l l y, e n g i n e e r i n g companies (or design institutes) are applying so-called “modular design” to simplify the design jobs.But the thing is, when it comes to a new project, the past experiences are barely evolved and referenced, especially when the major components (modules, inverters) are changed. Standardized modular block approach takes a step ahead.It defines a solar plant in a product perspective, and “pre-optimize” all the elements of the system. The product perspective consider early project development, permitting, and later supply chain, field material management, and construction sequences, till the commissioning and operation. To make the process of erecting a system seamlessly and much more efficient. Instead of bringing all available components on the market and assembly them together, it is far better to engineering the whole thing. Design the project as a product, changing the traditional integration approach.

Photo property, GCL Poly.A project with modular block enable this 30MWp solar plant deploying at 1~2MWp per day. All the technologies adapted are well proved in modular product in the previous projects, includes, 1) high DC voltage 1500Vdc components; 2) horizontal-single-axis-tracker; 3) longer solar panel with optimized circuit for shade management; 4) pre-fabricated substation; 5) prestressed high strength concrete (PHC) pile as foundations. Etc.

Now it also involves producing the elementsand optimizes them. As seeing in the case below, the key components are produced by the company its own and therefore perfectly match with each other. The lean principle used for production lines enable the approach to be a closed loop; once the design is proven in the field, and the components match and possibly optimized for each other, then it will drive the LCOE going down further. The learning curve advantage is even made it possible within one project.As usual, large-scale power plants will use tens or even hundreds of megawatt blocks. Standardization does not mean to sacrifice the flexibility to adapt to the real-world situation. Instead, the pre-engineered and configurable design allows the project able to fulfill local codes

and project specific parameters, proving that the company has a strong global capabilities. Standardization streamline project activities, by providing local construction and supply chain jobs, it minimizes the risk and make it easier for new entry markets.This business model is proved with great value to emerging markets. And ultimately, again, it shall get interest from financial backers. A standardized power block has to retain high level quality of component and overall system, while going together with the cost reduction. The developers and financial backers, are happy with such high level of transparency at early stage.With modular approach, it is possible because all the risk is foreseeable and the performance af ter the commissioning is predictable.

Whatever direction incremental innovations in the modular power block approach may take, such platform is pushing ahead relentlessly and opening markets to utilities,investors and owners that were simply unimaginable only a few years ago. The industr y may have roadmap to a lower cost per

watt and a higher PV conversion efficiency fromthe manufacturing perspective, but it will be downstream modular PV power plant integration which will drive down the LCOE model through grid parity with fossil fuels, and solar power plant will finally become an unsubsidized free market.

Chapter 4 : Summary and Outlook

o far, the market is still not really ready for the “full delivery of solar power generation”, it has yet to be widely understood by investors and project owners. However, there is growing interest to invest in standardized solar power plant blocks, which provide transparency and cer taint y to all the par ties involved.

September 2016

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India's Largest Exhibition and Conference for the Solar Industry Bombay Exhibition Centre, Hall 1, Mumbai Network with over 11,000 potential business contacts from the solar industry Stay up to date with the latest trends and technological developments Boost your brand visibility with an established B2B event

SMS IS16 06 to 56767 to visit Intersolar India with special exhibitions

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September 2016

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INTERViEW

Interview with

Collin Wang Vice President, International Sales & Marketing, Znshine Solar

EQ: The recent aggressive bidding by various developers keeping Solar Tariffs in the price range of Rs.4.34 – Rs.5 per kWh in various Solar Tenders…What’s your view on the viability, Costs & timeline pressures, etc… CW: The recent acceleration of Solar Tariffs reduction is largely a reflection of the developers’ forward estimation of the cost reduction of solar plants to be built and operated in about 12 months from now, also reflecting the quick fall of PV Module prices in the last couple of months. There is a catch, though, in this kind of ‘reverse engineering’: instead of focusing on the quality and lifecycle performance of the solar plants awarded at these aggressive tariffs, the developers constrained by the aggressive tariffs are bound to slash the total EPC cost of the solar plants also by using the low-priced modules on these projects. I wish the quality of these projects at extremely low tariffs will not be compromised especially on the consideration that they have a lifecycle of 25 years. Timeline seems to have been a relatively flexible factor here since these projects have 12 to 18 months to commission, which may well play out in the developers favour given the fact that the cost of Solar equipment has been on decline over years.

EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your modules in various geographic locations, customer feedback. CW: As a Tier 1 PV manufacturer, ZNSHINE SOLAR focuses on the quality and insists on keeping Modules performance ratio at 85%, +6% higher than the industry average PR, which in turn keeps the downstream projects performance ratio at 81%-83%. Also as an EPC and IPP player, particularly in China and Japan, ZNSHINE Solar has to date commissioned 600MW projects in China and 300MW in Japan, with very positive feedback from the project stakeholders.ZNSHINE Solar modules and projects are indeed well received in the developed markets for its premium quality. 50

September 2016

Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar modules.

CW: ZNSHINE SOLAR has its modules applied to various categories of PV projects worldwide like residential system for Royal Families in Sandringham, Commercial rooftop system for London Olympic Games, groundmounted utility plant in Saint coulomb Solar Park, etc. Besides, the company owns an EPC team of 200 professionals, serving markets mainly in Asia Pacific and Europe for applications of ground-mounted utilities, commercial rooftop systems, residential systems, agricultural PV plants and floating PV plants. The projects pipeline of ZNSHINE Solar now is reaching 3GW worldwide.

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INTERViEW

EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022 CW: ZNSHINE Solar, with its traditional markets in Europe and North America, started its activity in Indian market as late as 2015. We’ve been on a steep learning curve, with very high confidence that Indian market is big enough to have a fair share for ZNSHINE Solar in the near future. The GOI target of 100GW Solar PV Power by 2022 provides an assurance and indeed market stability for the Solar PV industry in India, which is making India one of the fastest growing Solar PV markets in the world.

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, its vision & mission

EQ: What are your plans for Manufacturing set up in India, the opportunities and challenges in manufacturing in India ?

CW: ZNSHINE possesses 28 years of manufacture history since its foundation in 1988 to produce lighting products, CW: ZNSHINE Solar has as well been approached by and in 2007 expanded into manufacture of solar wafers and prospective partners in India, thanks to its wealth of cells. Today, the Solar PV portfolio accounts for approx. manufacturing experiences in Solar PV and its R&D 90% of its revenue. ZNSHINE Solar’s credentials are rooted capability. We are prepared to share our hard-earned in its belief in long-term development and persistence in manufacturing expertise with prospective Indian partners manufacturing and supplying quality products and services, to build up and improve their module manufacture capability which may explain the phenomenon that ZNshine here in India. With our assistance, we are sure the Solar was the only business, among the top Indian manufacture shall be able to shorten its 20 PV companies, which did not end up in technology gap by 3 to 5 years. redduring Solar industry depression in EQ: How much is your R&D 2012. ZNSHINE Solar people believe EQ: What is the size of your budget as % of your sales / in the value of “Doing the right thing, company in terms of manufacturprofits Value Creditability and Trust”. In PV ing capacities, growth chart, future industry, it is known as a successful expansion plans CW: Our R&D budget accounts EPC player, a project developer, in approximately for 3% of our sales modZNits has SOLAR CW: ZNSHINE addition to its reputation as a Tier or our profits. of capacity global a has Solar SHINE 1 module manufacturer. ZNSHINE 1.4GW 1.6GW, at manufacture module SOLAR is committed to make the EQ: What are the top of which is based in China. A further best use of solar energy for a better markets for your company 400MW module capacity is planned world. ZNSHINE Solar is committed in the past, present and has Solar ZNSHINE 2016. for Q4 of to providing innovative PV solutions, future experiences growth year on bringing clean energy to the world and year, averaging at CW: ZNSHINE SOLAR PV business used powering the green life. +15% p.a. to focus the markets of EU, North America, EQ: What is the size of and Australia, until these markets started to your company in terms of impose market entry barriers as you are all aware manufacturing capacities, of. Today, ZNSHINE Solar has successfully diversified its growth chart, future expansion business models to full EPC capability, IPP of Solar plants in select markets mainly China and Japan, in addition to plans its primary role of Tier 1 PV Module Manufacturer. While CW: ZNSHINE Solar has a global capacity of module maintaining and continuing to develop in these established manufacture at 1.6GW, 1.4GW of which is based in China. markets, we are also expanding into other emerging markets A further 400MW module capacity is planned for Q4 of in Latin America, Middle East and Africa, where both 2016. ZNSHINE Solar has experiences growth year on challenges and opportunities co-exist. year, averaging at +15% p.a.

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September 2016

INTERViEW

EQ: Explain various guarantees, warrantees, insurance, certifications, test results, performance report of your modules CW: In addition to 10-year product warranty and 25-year linear performance warranty as a manufacturer, we also provide 3rd party insurance for these warranties to ensure our customers are always covered for any potential risks in the 25-year lifecycle of ZNSHINE Solar modules. Not to bore your readers with a long list of all the industrial qualifications and certifications, ZNSHINE SOLAR and its modules have possessed, I’d like to mention that ZNSHINE SOLAR is awarded the PV Manufacturer With The Best Power Output by TUV Rheinland in 2015, having been a Tier 1 PV company as well as Top-20 bankable PV company recognized by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).

EQ: Do you also bring financing solutions for your customers ? CW: Having business experiences and know-how in various business processes and facets as an EPC and/or IPP, ZNSHINE Solar team understands what it takes for a business partner, either as IPP or as EPC players, to succeed in a highly competitive market place. ZNSHINE Solar has the mindset and capability to offer diversified solutions to various stakeholders involved in Solar PV projects. To answer your question: Yes, we do offer financing solutions to select customers and/or projects.

EQ: As a manufacturer, kindly share your plans to foray as developer or equity investor in solar PV power projects. CW: ZNSHINE SOLAR plans to apply flexible business modes, acting as a module supplier, or an EPC, or a projects developer. The company is experienced in projects, awarded as TOP 20 EPC in China and also it is the first Chinese company owning the EPC qualification in Japan, so we welcome any suggestion and exploration of all possible business modes and partnerships.

September 2016

EQ: What are the trends in new manufacturing technology equipment, materials, processes, innovations etc… CW: It is not novel in manufacturing concept that the benchmark shall be fully automated production process with least manual invention and managed and controlled by software protocols. ZNSHINE Solar has been awarded by the state government for its ‘Intelligent Workshop’ since 2015. Over the years, ZNSHINE Solar has invested in R&D of best manufacturing practice and today ZNSHINE Solar holds in house over 100 patents putting itself at the forefront of the module manufacture technology. We supply 1500V modules which reduce the total cost of the PV projects, and provide double-glass modules with high performance and the bifacial modules for agricultural PV plants as well as special applications in some tropical or desert areas.

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SOLAr Inverters INTERViEW

International Authoritative Institutions IHS and GTM Research Release the 2015 Global PV Inverter Shipment List:

HUAWEI IS RANKED NO.1 IN SHIPMENT Recently, international authoritative consulting institutions IHS and GTM Research both release their global PV inverter reports which list the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PV inverter suppliers in 2015 from the aspects of shipment and revenue. From the dimensions of shipment, Huawei, a company from China, comes out on top in the list.

t is reported that Huawei integrates its years of experience of digital information technology and Internet technology with PV technology and launches the leading FusionSolar Smart PV Solution. In 2015, Huawei inverter shipment reached 10.5 GW, which means that Huawei inverters have been widely used in the world and won widespread recognition. Huawei FusionSolar Smart PV Solution has the core values of efficient energy yield, intelligent O&M, and high security and reliability thanks to its string-based management and global automatic O&M which is digital and simplified. As Huawei PV inverters began to sell in Indian market in 2015, Huawei rapidly builds a highly professional and local marketing service team. The strong technical team brings Indian PV market with advanced concepts and technical innovation. Huawei FusionSolar Smart PV Solution requires the same initial investment CAPEX as traditional solutions and lower OPEX, but increases the energy yield by more than 2%. String inverters can be installed outdoors, which saves land and investment costs and avoids the problem of hard to obtaining land in India. Protected to IP65, the inverter is applicable to the humid climate in India. The inverter efficiency improves by more than 50% thanks to its consumable-free, natural cooling, and zero-touch O&M features. The flexible design makes the inverter adapt to various scattered terrains. The inverter can be used together with tracker supports to both increase the energy yield efficiency and save investment cost. With low DC/AC ratio, the inverter has higher energy yield. With higher reliability, the inverter uptime can reach to 99.9% if sufficient the spare parts are maintained on site.

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TABLE : WORLD PV INVERTER SUPPLIER MARKET SHARE ESTIMATES SHIPMENTS (MW) 2015 COMPANY NAME 1 2 3 4

HUAWEI SUNGROW SMA SOLAR TECHNOLOGY ABB

TMEIC

TBEA SUNOASIS

WUXI SINENG

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

POWER ELECTRONICS

SOLAR EDGE

Source : IHS

@ IHS 2016

Through constant R&D and innovation, Huawei continues to realize its own value and makes breakthroughs in the PV industry. The high-quality products and innovative solutions will definitely help Huawei win the trust of more users in India. EQ

September 2016

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PV MANUFACTURING

PERC: MEASURING THE FUTURE OF PV MASS PRODUCTION -BY Ir. S.J.M. Roest, Ir. W.A.Nawara, Eternal Sun Group, The Hague, the Netherlands

The solar industry pursues the highest possible module output, at the lowest possible manufacturing costs. Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact (PERC) technology is delivering in both aspects and is therefore projected to dominate future mass production. However, measuring the output of PERC-type modules is not quite the same as that of traditional modules.

PERC, the dominating future PV technology

t is not surprising that PERC production capacity is ramping up worldwide and is projected to keep doing so (Figure 1). The improved efficiency of PERC solar cells is typically about one percent absolute on top of the 20% of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top poly-crystalline silicon solar cell efficiencies (an increase of 5% relative). Furthermore, it is relatively easy and inexpensive for solar cell manufacturers to integrate the added procedure in existing production processes.

Figure 1: Worldwide market share prognosis for different cell technologies [1]. With Si-based tandem cell (Si-TC), back contact (BC), heterojunction technologies (HJT), PERC (and PERL/PERT), and Al back surface field (BSF).

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Why is PERC that efficient?

assivated Emitter and Rear Contact (PERC) technology increases conversion efficiency by adding a passivation layer at the front and a dielectric passivation layer at the rear side of the cell (shown as the red and dark blue layer in Figure 2). Various configurations of passivation layer and added back surface field layers exist, resulting in a family of technologies such as Passivated Emitter and Rear Locally diffused cell (PERL) and Passivated Emitter and Rear Totally diffused cell (PERT). The passivation layers at front (emitter) and back (rear contact) reduce the recombination of photo-generated electrons. This way the electrical gradients across the junctions are maximized, which allows for a steadier flow of electrons and higher efficiency levels. In addition the dielectric back layer reflects light that passed through the cell back into the cell. These longer wavelength photons are given a second chance to generate electron-hole pairs, also increasing efficiency. Furthermore these reflected photons will not be absorbed by the metal rear contact, resulting in reduced heating and higher efficiency at operating temperature.

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PV MANUFACTURING

Figure 2: Schematic cross-section of a PERL type module showing the various layers.

The importance of measurement

orrect measurement of PERC modules is critical to have international agreement on performance characteristics and reliability. Efficient measurement of PERC modules is required for cost effective quality control during manufacturing. These measurements are mostly done with solar simulators, which allow for controllable indoor test conditions. Solar simulators exist in different types and different classifications, each having their own strengths and weaknesses.

Eternal Sun Group, with its subsidiary Spire Solar,has identified three main challenges in the industry for PERC testing with simulated sunlight: 1. The extended spectral response due to the passivation layers sets requirements on the spectral range of the simulated light. 2. The increased capacitive effect due to higher cell open circuit voltage sets requirements on sweep time and pulse duration for correct IV curve measurement. 3. The light induced degradation due to higher boron doping in p-type PERC modules requires effective stabilization procedures

1) PERC REQUIRES A 300 – 1200NM SPECTRAL RANGE TO MATCH ITS RESPONSE

he increased passivation at front and back, together with the reflection at the back results in an increased response of the PERC solar cell to shorter wavelengths (violet or ‘blue‘ light) and longer wavelengths(near infrared light). This is shown in Figure 3. To correctly measure the performance of a PERC module, the simulated light should cover wavelengths between 300 and 1200 nm instead of only the 400 to 1100 nm which is the range specified in the IEC-60904-9 norm for solar simulator requirements. This way a better representation of the real world performance is obtained resulting in a higher maximum power measurement. Alternative methods using simulators with a limited spectral range exist. The most straight forward is calculating a spectral mismatch factor based on the AM1.5 and simulator spectra, and on the spectral responses of the reference cell and PERC module according to the IEC

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Figure 3: The internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of a PERC cell compared to conventional silicon cells [2]. 60904-7 norm. Other methods involve calibrating the simulator. This could be done against a reference module with the same spectral response as the PERC under test, or against another

simulator which has the required spectral range. Above methods however all include extra procedures introducing added handling and added uncertainty.

September 2016

PV MANUFACTURING 2) PERC REQUIRES A SINGLE LONG PULSE TO COMPENSATE FOR ITS CAPACITIVE EFFECT

he reduced recombination of photo-generated carriers results in an increased electrical gradient, allowing ahigher open circuit Voltage (VOC). The higher VOC causes an increased charge build-up (capacitance) during the voltage sweep of an IV-curve measurement. This can lead to distorted IV-curves and incorrect maximum power (PMAX) measurement. The capacitive effect is enlarged by increasing VOC or decreasing the sweep time. The effect of sweep time on PMAX for a capacitive PERC module is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: The increase of PMAX as function of sweep time, as measured in a sweep time sequence measurement of a common PERC module on a Spire SLP sun simulator.

rule of thumb can be used to determine the sweep time needed for a certain cell technology: Every increase in cell VOCof 18mV results in roughly a doubled excess carrier concentration, representing a doubled sweep time requirement [3]. Since this 672mV PERC module requires 40ms sweep time, a 690mV PERC is expected to require an 80 ms sweep time. To correctly measure the performance of a PERC module, the sweep time and therefore flash pulse duration, should be long enough with respect to the VOC. Flashing with a single long pulse is preferred since it results in fast, simple, and robust measurements where the user is in control. Alternative

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methods exist to deal with capacitive effects, but these have drawbacks compared to a single long pulse. Averaging IV-curves measured with a forward and a backward sweep gives an error since the forward and backward measured curves are not symmetric, they have a different shape. Voltage stepping methods need added electronics and software corrections, giving the user less control and adding to the measurement uncertainty. Pulsed multi-fla shing is accurate but time consuming, an d c aus es ac celerated lamp ageing. Steady state simulationgives sufficient sweep time and is accurate, but more suitable for lab R&D applications.

3) PERC REQUIRESEFFICIENT STABILIZATION WITH POWER MONITORING

ight induced degradation (LID) is caused by formation of boron-oxygen complexes under light. These complexes cause recombination of photogenerated carriers, which results in decreased efficiency and decreased maximum power (PMAX). Regeneration methods exist but the effect is only partially reversed as shown in Figure 5. Since p-type PERC typically contains an increased level of boron, the effect is significant. Stabilization under continuous sunlight is neededto obtain a reliable performance characterization.

Figure 5: Light induced degradation (LID) of PERC cell with and without regeneration treatment [4].

he methods for stabilization have been incorporated in the new IEC61215 norm, published May 2016[ref], for c-Si PV module qualification. This new stabilization norm further increases the challenges involved in LID testing. A minimum of three power measurements with 5kWh/ m2 light soaking intervals in between are required.The module is considered stabilized whenthree consecutive power measurements are within 1% of each other as schematically shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6: A module is considered stabilized when three consecutive power measurements, including 5kWh/m2 light soaking intervals, are within 1%.

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chieving the 1% threshold is challenging with setups using a separate light soaker and flasher. Handling and movement of the module introduces uncertainties and fluctuations. A full IEC 61215 qualification involves at least 18 stabilization procedures and thus 72 moves between separate setups. This amount increases when modules turn out to be not yetstabilized after two light soaking intervals. A preferred stabilization procedure would involve one setup for steady state light soaking and simultaneous IV performance monitoring. This way uncertainties and errors due to handling and movement of the modules are minimized. Furthermore, test time is greatly reduced, because module movement is not needed and because monitoring while stabilizing allows stopping the procedure at the right moment. Also, it is an operational and cost advantage to have only one machine instead of separate setups.

EQUIPMENT IMPLICATIONS Eternal Sun Group recognized the needs described above for adequate testing of PERC modules, and developed two dedicated solar simulators for PERC module technology: 1. The Spire 5100SLP BLUE, introduced this year. This sun simulator, based on the long track record of SLP simulator technology for mass production, was designed dedicated for inline PERC module testing. With its wide spectrum range, single long pulse, best in class reliability and low cost of ownership, it is optimized for this application.

CONCLUSIONS Three main challenges for PERC testing with solar simulators were identified. We explained the origins of these challenges, and by showing the strengths and weaknessesof existing measurement methods we provided solutions. 1) The increased spectral response due to the passivation layers requires an extended simulator spectrum ranging from 300 to 1200 nm. This is more than the range specified in the IEC-60904-9 norm for solar simulator requirements.

2. The Eternal Sun Large Area Steady-State Solar Simulator (LASS). This versatile AAA accuracy steady-state simulator was recently updated with software functionality for automated stabilization testing of PERC modules. Because of the AAAaccuracy and continuous IV characterization during light soaking, this setup enables the most time and cost efficient stabilization according to new IEC61215 norm requirements.

2) The increased capacitive effect due to higher cell open circuit voltage requires a longer sweep time and thus longer pulse width compared to commonly applied flash durations. Flashing with a single long pulse is preferred since it is robust, straightforward and fast. 3) A new stabilization norm became effective to correctly cope with the effects of light induced degradation in PERC modules. For lab testing, such as a qualification procedure, it is preferred to have one steady state simulator for light soaking and simultaneous power characterization.

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September 2016

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INTERViEW

Interview with

Chinten Patel Managing Director, Topsun Energy Limited

EQ: How much modules have you supplied to India till now, what is the target/expectation in 2016-17.

CP: We have supplied more than 100MW solar module within India and more than 20MW export. We are targeting more than 35 MW in 2016-17.

EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar Inverters.

CP: This question compelled me to go through deep and thoughtful process as you have confused me whom to quote because as I said just now to your previous question, all my customers are so attached with me that I should not name someone and keeping other name in dark. However, you can consider our installation of 1000 KWp of Civil Hospital – Ahmedabad which is probably largest rooftop installation in Gujarat.

EQ: Please share information of some new orders in hand.

CP: Actually many. But limiting the space of your magazine let me tell you few out of many. These are UPID order of solar pumps, PGVCL order of solar pumps, our running project of RRECL & RHDS, and our new entry in GGRC etc. Oh yes – let me tell you – now after net metering policy of Gujarat and now when this becomes a LEGAL system, we are now focusing private, industrial and corporate rooftop sales. We were just waiting or a LEGAL announcement of net metering and that was the reason that even after having 400+ rooftop systems installations (with smile – all are LEGAL with govt approvals), we actually now focusing this sector. 58

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EQ: The recent aggressive bidding by various developers keeping Solar Tariffs in the price range of Rs.4.34 – Rs.5 per kWh in various Solar Tenders. Whats your view on the viability, Costs & timeline pressures, Resource Challenges (Materials, Manpower, Execution, Grid Connection, Land Possession) etc…

CP: There are always an desperate entry level companies who quote exorbitantly low prices and putting the projects in to loss from the next day of the receiving the contract. This will lead to RACE among the module manufacturers how to help this DESPARATE Company and fighting among the industry starts. This will lead to not only putting the developer into problem but the module manufacture will also face tremendous pressure from the financial stake holder and finally leave with no option than to compromise on the quality. This is alarming situation for the industry. Selection of the materials and “TRAINED” manpower is another challenge which people are taking very lightly. With the kind of the rates you have mentioned, it only increases the turnover of the company and keeping your balance sheet negative.

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INTERViEW

EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022? CP: We are committed towards our contribution and we thank Govt of India and our Hon Prime Minister Shree Narendra Modi to set this ambitious target for our country. EQ: Do you also bring financing solutions for your customers? CP: We are yet to find out a partner or associate on whom we can rely on their offerings. We are talking to couple of such F.I.s and evaluations of these companies are being evaluated by our legal team.

What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures?

CP: We are operating with our present capacity of 100 MWp and planning to add half of it more in this year. This decision is taken very causeously because we never wanted a name of Topsun in a race of price killing. Quality matter to us. Customer’s relationship with their upmost satisfaction matters to us MOST. You can check our balance sheet which is always positive. The way we operate with positive mind frame. I don’t know but you may relate your question with the MWp market of Tom and Harry race and to see March end with negative balance sheet.

What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future?

CP: We very firmly believe to work whole heartedly. Let it be a need of a lantern to our solutions of MW plants we are focused on 3 segments. A) Solar modules, B) Solar Water Pumping Systems and C) Solar rooftop systems. So far we have installed more than 600 nos of roof top systems and 3500+ nos of solar water pumping systems Upto 20 HP. Recently we have accepted an order of 40 HP solar pumping system order from UP.

Technology road map in terms of 1500V, Double Glass, Bifacial Cells, PERC/PERT Technologies, upcoming game changes technologies.

Whats your commitment towards the solar sector in India.

CP: Excellent question. Topsun is known to delivery promises with our products and projects. We help our colleague suppliers to make modules in our plant on their name as well. However, due to large orders received by my marketing team this year, we have very tight situation on our OEM offerings.

Tell me about your company strength to achieve your target.

CP: Topsun is now entering into private segment especially for roof top projects.With effect of Net metering policy, we have recruited many young bloods for roof to segment. We have enough team for Planning, marketing, service, installation and designing.

CP: I am extremely happy to confirm our presence in all the technology you have asked. Bifacial modules, Double Glass (actually at Topsun we have Triple glass) and PERT Technology we already have with us. 1500V matter is under process and soon we will get our own certification on it.

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September 2016

SOLAR PROJECT

Nagpur’s First Floating Solar PV Plant

Image 1: Floating platform on which solar panels are installed

Balgo Solar, a Nagpur based solar EPC company, has installed the first of its kind floating photovoltaic system at Vidarbha Industries Power Ltd. Vidarbha Industries Power Ltd (VIPL) a subsidiary of Reliance Power limited company is a 600 MW coal based thermal power project located at Butibori, Nagpur. It happens to be India’s most compact coal based thermal power project. 60

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hile the plant produc es power from conventional energy sources, it has also been looking at reducing its carbon footprint by exploring renewable resources such as solar PV. VIPL installed a floating solar PV plant, the first in Nagpur and one of the very few in the country. Balgo Solar was selected to perform system engineering and turnkey installation of the plant. A floating solar PV plant has been installed on one of its four cooling water ponds which is around 5 meters deep and has an average water level variation of 1.3 meters. The solar panels have been installed on a floating platform over the water reservoir. The plant has been designed for directional stability & floating level freedom using guide rods, and to withstand water wave shocks to the platform a buffer wheel has been provisioned. The cable lengths are also calculated to compensate the change in floating platform level due to water level going up & down. Protection and safety of the solar PV plant has been taken care by providing adequate earthing.

The plant uses 16 numbers of 300 Wp solar panels and has a 4.8 kWp capacity rating. It is connected to a 6kW (RPI-M6A) three phase Delta make inverter which has been installed on a platform close to the reservoir. RPI series inverters offer benefits such as a peak efficiency of 98.3%, and full power operation at high temperatures. The inverter is designed with a rugged aluminum chassis and comes with an IP 65 rating which makes it resistant to humidity and corrosion.

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SOLAR PROJECT

The plant performance is being monitored on a daily basis and the results were quite surprising. It was found that the plant is performing 20% better in summers compared to a similar 5 kWp rooftop installation. The results from the prototype system so far have been encouraging and the plant could be expanded to cover the entire reservoir area spanning an area of 4 to 4.5 MWp. Image 2: RPI-M6A inverter installed beside the reservoir

“Gujarat Energy Research & Management Institute (GERMI), Ahmadabad found it the cheapest solution complying with all regulatory requirements and expressed interest to sign an MOU to develop it further for canals. They are also interested in trying out a 1 MW floating project at Charanka, Gujarat. We are also in process of signing an MOU with them for development of solar tiles for roads.” -Mr. Sudhir Budhay , Director , Balgo Solar

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September 2016

INTERViEW

Interview with

Vinod kala 1

GOI has set up a target of 100 GW Solar & 75 GW Wind Energy by 2022 . What would be the financing requirement and will it be a challenge to raise this finance ?

VK: Accounting for upgraded distribution and transmission infrastructure, the requirement would be close to $200 billion investments.

Financial health of DISCOMS is a concern for Bankability of Solar Projects…How to overcome this challenge

VK: UDAY is a step in the right direction. This is ensuring that state bears the financial burden (75%), and dis-com follows the discipline and development priorities to qualify for development assistance from the Centre. The states are signing up which is a good sign and we hope that dis-coms would come out of the financial crunch over time. This may be supported by other power sector reform packages such as IPDS, Smart Grid Mission and others.

Apart from UDAY scheme, Government may consider following supportive policies:

•

Additional returns to dis-coms if they achieve a benchmark performance in areas such as power availability / reliability, meeting RPO, Energy Efficiency targets, Technical Loss Reduction etc.

•

Allowing dis-coms to offer services (through SPVs) relating to energy efficiency, solar roof top investments, power quality and reliability etc. Discoms if they anchor such programs can accelerate scale up because of their direct customer connect and ability to aggregate finance and EPC services.

September 2016

Developers Health : Big developers declaring bankruptcies such as SunEdison and its impact on the financing of solar projects

VK : We can expect in any competitive and fast growing industry, some players may fall by the wayside. As long as growth engines are not scuttled and fair policies prevail, I think the financing will continue to flow into the sector. The biggest risk perception of investors are in the areas of regulatory consistency, dis-com health, evacuation and land access, payment risks.

Priority sector lending : Is RE Sector in the priority sector...what is the need for the same

VK : •Solar projects up to 15 Cr are considered priority sector. This is supposed to encourage small distributed solar capacities. Although as yet it has not started to make big dent because banks are not fully organized to lend to small projects.

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INTERViEW

Managing Director, Emergent Ventures India (EVI)

EQ: In Private PPA market…. what is your view on the PPA Risk and the way forward. CP: One of the possible approaches for mitigating Private PPA collection risk may be permitting Discoms to act as collection agents (with a collection charge) for private investors. The private PPAs then can be tripartite agreements between the Investor, the Discom and the Consumer. This will significantly enhance the activity in roof top or solar park markets.

What will be the trends in Debt Financing...... Rates, Tenure, Moratorium etc…

VK: Rates for high quality developers have come down (10%-10.5%). Tenures of 15 years+ are possible. Moratoriums improve if developers use green bonds to finance their projects, the use of which is also increasing although so far few IPPs have used them.

Explain about the modern and innovation financing mechanism such as Climate Bonds, Green Bonds, Debt securitization, International Finance, Bonds, Pension Funds, Infra Funds, Invits etc…

VK: • Two instruments are likely to scale up flow of low risk, long tenure investors including public in general – Green Bonds (for debt) and Invits (Infrastructure Investment Trusts, for equity) • Regulatory framework for both is more or less in place in India • Green Bonds can be raised onshore as well as offshore (USD, Re as Masala Bonds). Asset Managers managing $45 tn+ are increasingly looking to invest in green assets. From a level of $8-10 bn a decade back, the issuances this year will cross $100bn and they are forecast to increase rapidly. • These are listed instruments. Hence investors get the benefit of liquidity. • These instruments are well suited to re-finance operating assets with low risks (development, technology performance and financing risks are no longer present or minimized). Low risks will attract pension funds, wealth funds as well as public, seeking regular, low risk, long term returns. This will help release capital to both developers and banks to develop further assets. • Although Invit guidelines came in Sep 2014, and the budget of 2016 removed some important double taxation problems as well as sponsor lock-in, the instrument has not yet taken off because there are still some tax issues relating to transfer of assets to Invits.

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What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022?

VK: In today’s situation there are a few very critical investment related issues, RBI. Ministry of Finance and MNRE can play a role. The impact of GST. So far the solar sector (as well as RE sector in general) benefited from low/zero taxation, which will increase by 13%-18% depending on the GST rate decided. Solar tariffs have gone below grid tariffs in many states and that is allowing markets to scale up rapidly. This additional cost, will make solar uncompetitive again. Oil is likely to be a Nil rate product. Renewable Energy, to be competitive, should also be a Nil rate category. Green Bonds are becoming popular for long-term finance. A popular demand is to waive the withholding tax on the bonds to reduce the cost for international investors. The taxes (e.g stamp duty etc) on transfer of assets to an Invit need to be removed to make creation of Invits simpler and tax efficient. Policy and credit enhancement support so that Financial Institutions, Pension Funds and other large financial entities may invest in Green Bonds and Invits.

September 2016

PV MANUFACTURING

New Era in Backsheet Materials? Mr. Jorma Peltola, Technical Director, Americas & EU, Cybrid Technologies Inc.

raditional designs are comprised of three key film components – Air Side, Inner Core, and Cell Side – with many product options (Table 1). A variety of fluorinated films such as Tedlar (PVF), Kynar (PVDF) and Halar (ETCFE) to name few are now available without these as alternate product variants with differing value propositions. Also, poly-ethylene-terephthalate (PET) film based PPE backsheets have been adopted by the global PV module manufacturing community.Beyond multilayer backsheets described above, co-extruded backsheets are also gaining popularity minimizing interfacial adhesion and separation concerns associated with laminated products. Yet the latest and likely lowest cost backsheets entering into the bill of materials are based on coating technology wherein both the Air and Cell side materials are replaced by a durable fluorinated coatings designated such as CPC or FPF product types wherein letters C and F represent a thin fluoro-polymer coating layer. Thus in conclusion, many backsheet types are available and can be confusing as to which one to qualify while balancing targeted physical properties, reliability and cost variables. 64

September 2016

Backsheet technologies have clearly evolved during the past decades from pre-dominantly fluoropolymer based tri-layer laminates to innovative multi-material product offerings. By now PV industry has become familiar with many product acronyms representing different design constructions. Due to various industry dynamics including downward cost pressures, lower cost backsheet product variants have also entered into the solar market.

Table 1: Various Backsheet Designs in the Marketplace Backsheet Design

TPT

KPK

TPE

KPE

PPE

KPC

CPC

Air Side Film

PVF

PVDF

PVF

PVDF

PET

PVDF

Coating

Inner Core Film

PET

Cell Side Film

PVF

PVDF

Olefin

Coating

Purpose of this tutorial is to summarize key backsheet design components to assist process, quality and procurement engineers in selecting most suitable backsheet for their PV application. More specifically, each key film component – Air Side, Inner Core, Cell Side - in backsheet design with respective functionalities and potential concerns will be reviewed.

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PV MANUFACTURING INTERViEW

Air Side Film Technologies

ust like front glass sheet, polymeric backsheet films also contribute to environmental protection of the photovoltaic cells, metallization, solder joints, etc. and thus should be viewed as an important and integral part of the finished PV module. In order to select a backsheet, design engineers need to develop a more detailed understanding of each functional layer within a backsheet in addition to conducting industry standard certification and qualification tests. Not all backsheet designs perform comparably and equally well. From the Table 1, a number of different Air Side material options are available as highlighted before. Key functions and requirements for the Air Side film of the backsheet includes: • • • • • •

Intrinsic Weathering Stability - UV and moisture resistance Resistance to abrasion (sand, airborne particulates) Resistance to tear, crack or physical deformation Thermally stable above processing and use temperature Electrical insulation Protection of the inner core PET film

ue to decades of demonstrated outdoor and UVstability in non-solar applications, fluorinated polymer films, respective adaptation to solar market is not surprising. In fact, Tedlar, Kynar and Halar films have become the de facto materials of choice for the outer layer of the backsheet due to exceptional UV-light and outdoor stability and will likely retain such position. Tedlar shortages steered market to explore and adapt to new backsheet constructions such as all PET backsheet abbreviated as PPE. Coveme has aggressively and successfully marketed such products globally. As the air side of the construction, typically pigmented, UV and hydrolysis stabilized PET film is required to meet the rigors of environmental stability while protecting Inner Core film. Various field reports presented in different solar reliability conferences suggests that PPE backsheet experience structural breakdown in outdoor use. However, without understanding product design details, selection of materials, process robustness, one cannot generalize that PET based products are inferior to other designs. In other words, product design details matter.However, it has been reported that fluorinated polymer films outperform UV and hydrolysis stabilized PET films in tests where UV-exposure durations exceeds PV industry standard test requirement. Backsheets based on low cost CPC format have thin, likely pigmented fluorinated coating on both side of an Inner Core PET. Such products may be more prone to weathering degradation as summarized under the E-layer section below.

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Inner Core Insulation Films

part from co-extruded films, as the inner core film, all other backsheet designs usehydrolytically stabilized PET film of various thicknesses depending upon end use application such as 1000 V or more recently 1500V systems. Inner core PET film serves a number of key functions including electrical insulation, mechanical stability, vapor barrierand must be hydrolytically stabilized. Hydrolytic stability is measured by Pressure Cooker test (PCT) conducted at 121 oC/100% RH/2 atm using time as a variable. It is suggested that PCT rating at least of 48 hours is required for a stable inner core PET layer. Again, if either Air Sideor Cell Side films fail due to weathering or mechanically,degradation of the core insulation film commences marginalizing various functions of the backsheet itself leading to premature loss of PV module power output.

Cell Side Films and Coatings

ell or EVA side backsheet surfaceis commonly referred to as “E-layer” also plays a critical role in the long term reliability of the PV module. Primary functions of the E-layer include: • • • • • • •

Inner core PET film protection Thermal stability against deformation and softening UV-stable, non-yellowing Electrical insulation Adhesion to core film and encapsulant such as EVA High reflectance Heat dissipation

Just like the Air Side of the backsheet construction, E-layer can represent a number of material options. While fluorinated polymer films promote exceptional UV-stability, perhaps the most accepted, lower cost alternative is an olefin based adhesive layer designated by letter E in TPE, KPE and PPE designs. New contenders to E-layer technology are based on thin coating technologies typically fluoridated materials. A number of such products have entered into the marketplace by Coveme, Hangzhou First, Cybrid Technologies and others.

E-Layer reliability

ypical E-layer is made of a low melting adhesives such as polyethylene (mp.120 oC) or ethylene vinyl acetate (mp.90 oC) both thermoplastic materials thus deforming and softening during heat exposure. This is problematic in two fronts; during vacuum lamination and use life in high temperature installations. During the vacuum lamination process typically conducted at 140 -160 oC under vacuum, E-layer melts pushing ribbon wires towards and in direct contact with inner core PET layer thus reducing electrical insulation characteristics of the backsheet due to changes in DTI. In addition, these olefin based layers may yellow under UV-exposure and have been reported to crack, pulverize and disintegrate exposing Inner Core films to a damaging UVlight thus marginalizing the safety and reliability of the PV module itself. Figure 2 compares UV-light exposure of four different products namely KPE, PPE, KPC and PPC type designs in that order from left to right.

September 2016

PV MANUFACTURING

Table 2: Long Term UV-Stability of E-Layer and related Materials

ellowing Index was monitored as a function of time at the onset and after 150KWhrs on both sides of the backsheet. On the back side, color change was within specifications while cell side E-layer yellowed considerably. Two products representing KPC and PPC representing UV-stabilized primer layer retained specifications.Physical deterioration of the E-layer took place between 150 and 300 KWhr of UV light exposure while coating type adhesive layer remained undamaged.

Observations

his relatively short narrative covered a number of common backsheet products in the marketplace addressing key performance features and relevant concerns. While certain backsheet designs and laminate components are well known by the industry such as Tedlar, Kynar and Halar with an impeccable performance history, yet new innovative products have entered into this competitive marketplace balancing price to performance ratio for applications from utility scale to domestic roof-top applications. Intent of this review is not to rate one backsheet technology against the other but to increase the awareness of backsheet design and how each layer contributes to the key properties and ultimately the long term weathering stability and reliability of the PV module in delivering bankable performance and power output. In conclusion, PV industry is shifting from dual layer fluorinated film constructions (TPT, KPK, others) to lower cost designs comprising E-layer. The very latest products are based on E-layer replacement designs like PPC and KPC type laminates combining the best worlds of UV-stable, chemical resistant, low flammability rating and high abrasion resistant PVDF or other fluoro-polymer films with equally well performing fluorinated coating on the cell side thus contributing to the extended use life the advanced PV module designs.

66Â

September 2016

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INTERViEW

Interview with

Shailesh vaidya Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Scorpius Trackers

What is the importance, feasibility, viability of using Solar Trackers in various states of India?

SV Trackers as a technology will work in all the states. Since the increase in CAPEX of including a tracker in a plant is around 8%-10%, the delta increase in generation has to be at least 15% to justify the use of Trackers. Most of India shows a gain of 17%-20% with trackers and hence there is a very strong case. This delta of 10% in cost and generation means that the per unit cost of generation reduces, thereby increasing per unit profitability and project IRR.

What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022?

SV: Except Scorpius Trackers, no other tracker manufacturer has noticeable presence outside their country. Scorpius CAN and DOES (Superior Technology, Competitive Pricing, Aggressive Strategy). Scorpius installed more than 50MW in FY16, has a visibility of more than 400MW in FY17 on the back of MOUs for 1250 MW signed and much more in India there after.

What is your USP’s, distinctive advantage of your technology, products, solutions?

September 2016

Explain briefly about your company, directors, promoters, financial & tech strengths, investors its background, vision & mission etc.?

SV: Scorpius is an Innovation Driven Global Tracker company which aims to accelerate the journey to achieve wholesale grid parity for the power producer. Company philosophy is driven by delivering products which are durable, meant to last and are bankable. ME and Kiran Shah, CTO & Co-Founder have been serial entrepreneurs and friends since our graduation. We incorporated a company in college nearly 24 years ago and began selling our graduation projects in material testing and Imaging. Later, we started another company focused onto refurbishing old lathe machines into CNC machines for a fraction of the cost of new CNC machines. We have had a profitable exit form that company. At Scorpius, the current team headcount at Scorpius is 50 and will be increased to 80 by 2017.

VISION-

Scorpius Trackers aims to be the World’s premier provider of a unique mechanical and software solar tracking solution, using which customers will be able to achieve the lowest cost of power generation per installed kWHr/kWp. The business model is very flexible – Scorpius is a pure play tracker company with focus of delivering the core tracker components.

SV: There are many USPs, some of which are: 1. ZERO O&M cost on the bearings / pivoting technology. This is globally patented and requires no cleaning or lubrications.

2. Self-powered stand along tracker controller and actuator. No auxiliary consumption

4. No cabling in the plant for data and power, no civil ducting and cabling related O&M

5. Unique features like lightning detection

3. Wireless communication between Tracker Controllers, Wind station, GPS and SCADA.

6. 1500V tracker model is also available for upcoming range of inverters

7. NO welding at site

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INTERViEW

EQ: What is the kind of tracker technology you supply for the solar market? SV: We make an ‘ARRAY’ type tracker in which there is a central drive line connecting as much as 20 rows and being moved by a single motor. Typically, there are 5 motors per MWp. This is very useful in a large Utility plant where the BOS costs in the O&M phase have to be kept at a minimum. EQ: Comment on the O&M, Life of solar trackers SV: The trackers from Scorpius have virtually no O&M. The bearings from Scorpius, which is the moving part in a tracker, are globally patented and are maintenance free – no lubrication or cleaning is needed for 25 years.

Noteworthy projects in India and/ or worldwide

SV: India’s FIRST 10 Degree TILT Tracker 3.5MW in Punjab : Since the site is at 33 deg N Latitude, a regular Horizontal Tracker would have given a 14% benefit. We have put in the superstructure of a regular horizontal tracker but locally tilt every 2 modules by 10 degrees to face south direction. This gives as much as a 5% jump in generation over a regular Horizontal Tracker. India’s largest 10 Degree TILT Tracker Same technology as above has been deployed in a 20MW plant in Gujarat. This is India’s largest plant with a 10 degree TILT. In Japan, we have installed a daily N-S Tracker which moves from N-S on a daily basis. This has been done to have same Ground Coverage Ration as a fixed tilt plant. This plant gives the customer a 15% increase in generation. (Please contact Scorpius for further details on standard Horizontal Tracker and for any new and different requirements.)

In the overall Solar Market. what is the size of installations with trackers in this what is your market share

SV: I think of the 6 GW installed in India as of date, around 300 MW are with trackers, which is around 5%. With the falling tariffs and rapid adoption of tracker by large IPP’s, we see this percentage to rising to around 50% in next 5 years. At Scorpius, we have MOUs signed already for around 1250 MW for supply over next 3 years. This year itself, we hope to supply at least 500 MW as opposed to 50MW in the previous year.

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What are the top 5-10 markets for Solar trackers worldwide?

SV: USA as trackers are already widely used there. India because of the huge potential. Then Middle East, Africa and China.

What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures?

SV: In the three year history of ScorpiusTrackers has seen -

500% YOY Growth

Our current capacity is to produce and deliver 100MW per month.

September 2016

ROOFTOP & OFFGRIDS

SMART HOME: ENERGY EFFICIENT CONCEPT FOR RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

-BY Y.K. JAIN, Antriksh Photoenergy

Delhi’s first Net-Metered Residential 2kWp Solar Rooftop System with BSES Rajadhani. Energy efficient building design has contributed in optimising power consumption thus next step was Solar Rooftop.

DESIGN STEP 1 : Areas Analysis : The available space on the lift tower top is only 3x3=9 sq mt limits the size of Solar capacity to max 2kWp with High efficiency Panels.

DESIGN STEP 2 : Expected Generation Analysis : The available data of power consumption from 2010-2014 and prediction for next 1-2 years is plotted to see average energy requirement v/s what a 2kW Solar system can produce. It is seen that average 8-10 units per day is the power needed and 2kWp Solar System is likely to generate close to this average daily consumption. So it is feasible to meet 60-70% energy needs of the year with the 2kW Solar System.

DESIGN STEP 3 : Generation Vs Load Analysis : As on Mid’2014 while designing the most consumption observed in non- Solar hours and predicted hourly solar generation not matches to the hourly power consumption profile.

September 2016

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ith this challenges a typical “load based grid interactive offgrid solar system” is not the best suited answer. Based on the consumer’s load profile, “net-metered” solution was the best suited option. He can generate in sunny hours and consume or sell to grid and import power in evenings when he needs it. Balance of his import and export is the only payable. Net-metering Policy was expected soon and thus efforts started in this direction. This starts story of Delhi’s first net-metered residential rooftop system.

PROJECT HISTORY

o achieve 2kWp Solar in just 9 Sq mt roof surface, High efficiency SunPower Panels was to be used. Panels were then imported and arrived at site in Aug’14. Once the Policy was announced in Nov’14 (113th day from receipt of Panels at site), panels were installed and request submitted to BSES. Being first of its kind BSES and customer both took time to progress in application and on 211th Day permission to commission the plant was arranged. 217th Day installation was completed with invertor, BoS and details provided to BSES for acceptance. Acceptance of the European invertor (VDE vs IEC certification) etc. has taken a lot of time involving manufacturer, BSES, CEA, CERC etc. to work together and finally got accepted on 397th day. Agreement between BSES and consumer for net-metering was signed on 419th day and system was started on 422th day in Oct’15.

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SOLAR SYSTEM

This plant has 6 nos 327Wp SunPower’s Mono-crystalline panels mounted @ 18 deg tilt with 10 deg azimuth facing south on 5 story building’s lift mummy’s top feeding to 2.5kW Delta’s invertor and then connected to a Solar Meter and Net meter (Both meters sealed by BSES). Generation is recorded in Solar Meter and if load is available it is consumed within the house, if not it is exported to grid. When Solar is not available, power is imported from the grid and balance of Import & Export is the payable units by Consumer to BSES.

September 2016

ROOFTOP & OFFGRIDS

PROJECT COST : The total project costed about Rs. 2.35 lacs (Approx. Rs. 119/ Wp) from concept to commissioning. The breakup of cost is as per table which is twice the typical commercial rooftop plant >100kWp built nowadays.

Much contrary to the beliefs the good quality equipment in maller ratings has very limited choices and costs are very high. Since modules are not indigenous, this plant is not likely to get any subsidy.

THE ANALYSIS OF SOLAR GENERATION :

The Solar Generation in past 9 months is max 10 units in a day and it’s 2-3 units/kWp/day as average. Keeping this it predicts a trend to reach a max 1800 units per year much lower to the predicted 3000 units/ year.

September 2016

The possible reasons which may be attributing to this lower generation: 1. Grid fluctuations and outages is a good reason for lower generation. One outage effects longer generation loss time than grid failure time because there is extra stabilisation period once grid resumes back. 2. Conversion Equipment efficiency may be lower which should not be as Panels are world best make (SunPower). However, Panels might have some permanent degradation as it remained exposed but disconnected for a year. 3. There were not so good choices for small 1-2kW capacity matching system requirement, quality, price, logistics etc. Consumer was forced to make a compromise in selection of equipment from the very limited options. The European inverter (Delta) is of slightly higher capacity then connected PV capacity within its permissible limit. The conversion efficiency of inverter can be an issue but since it doesn’t provide any data analysis it is difficult to conclude anyway. The inverter has been changed once but not had any significant improvement.

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ROOFTOP & OFFGRIDS

4. Azimuth (5 deg) and lower tilt (18 deg) of panels’ installation due to safety constraints may be another reason for minor loss of generation. 5. The irradiation on the panels may be lower than the extrapolation of historical data. 6. Pollution & Smoggy weather conditions may be affecting radiation received by Panels may be less then what should have been in clear weather. 7. It suggests that dust accumulation reduces generation by 30%. Post rains/ cleaning it reaches to 10 units in that day and settles back to 7 units in next 2-3 days due to heavy dust accumulation. Cleaning of panels at that height regularly is a challenge. The labour cost for each cleaning is min Rs. 100, 2-3 cleaning per month might add 20-30 units (worth half of cleaning labour charges).

Since onsite panels & equipment testing is not feasible, there is no weather recording and data logger at site, it is not possible to conclude on any of the resolution. It is believed that all these reasons put together is affecting lower generation. The cost of improvement is expected to cost more than the generation.

THE ANALYSIS OF RETURN ON INVESTMENT: The capital has gone double and generation is half then large commercial installations thus the returns don’t beat the simple interest on the capital employed. Typical large rooftops cost less than Rs 70/Wp so has ROI in 6-8 years but the ROI for this case is expected in 13-14 years instead of 8-9 years predicted.

THE CONCLUSION:

ositive take is that with the Energy efficient concept and Solar Rooftop the net energy consumption from the grid has reduced to less than half. However, this case study is also an eye opener on “residential rooftop Solar systems” in India proving that the conventional approaches & current policies will never lead to success. There are many challenges first to adopt a Solar Rooftop on every stage like limitations on quality equipment options, trained professionals, logistics issues, qualified system integrators, finances, Govt. support etc. and in spite beating all these challenges the returns are not encouraging. The author of this case study has also done many prestigious innovative projects in commercial space in last 8 years and the returns are proven much better in commercial rooftops.

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In order to promote residential rooftop system, the capital subsidy disbursement is must in each and every project without any limitation on the components selection. Incentives should also be added for Promotion like Income Tax benefit much similar to AD benefit in commercial cases. The Capital investment in Solar should directly reduce the tax burden. VAT, Service Tax, GST, Excise, Customs etc. should be kept nil on Solar equipment’s, Promotion of Solar. Through bank’s like EMI on other capital goods, certified trained system integrator across are much needed requirements.

September 2016

CYNAGARD KPF –A NEW BACKSHEET STANDARD? Cybrid Technologies, Suzhou China within short 10 years of operation has brought into the market a number of innovative materials for solar module manufacturing. Many of Cybrid products are a result of listening to customer concerns and in collaboration has developed and commercialized backsheet designs that have become de-facto backsheet of choice in Asia.

ore specifically, Cynagard KPf and PPf backsheet has been adopted by Chine x-Si Super-League module manufacturer’s including JA Solar, Trina Solar and Canadian Solar to name few. Both KPf and PPf backsheet designs capitalize on the success of the Fluro-Skin® technology as a superior to that of other cell side material options. Fluro-Skin®, a thermosetting fluorinated polymer coating addresses the weaknesses of generic E-layer design flaws: • Exceptional UV stability > 300 KWhr of UV radiation • Thermal stability, no melting, thickness is retained • Improved heat dissipation due to low thickness • Exceptional adhesion to encapsulant

• High reflectance • Hot spot stability • Low shrinkage • Stable partial discharge • Broad lamination conditions • Lower cost

In addition, Cynagard KPf and PPf backsheet with Fluro-Skin® offers a wellbalanced product design with demonstrated weathering resistant KPf with Kynar or PPf with stabilized PET as the outer layer offering the best of both worlds. Cynagard KPf and PPf backsheet offer a scientifically demonstrated balance of properties in relation to competing products. Again, Cynagard Fluro-Skin® KPf and PPf backsheet available in many product variants and offers a balanced performance a sign of innovative product technology endorsed by PV module manufacturer’s and competitors alike as the new backsheet standard.

Now Read on

Tablet & Smartphone

September 2016

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INNOVATING THE CHANGE…

echnology is regarded as the core power to promote rapid development. All products of Ginlong Technologies are developed through independent, innovative, research and development, to help develop and maintain a number of national and international industry firsts’. Ginlong Technologies become a successful model of “technology is king” by technology core competitiveness. In May 2016, Ginlong Solis presented “Innovative Energy Storage” and “PLC Intelligent Tracking Inverter System” among other sophisticated products at SNEC 2016 PV Power Expo in Shanghai. Yiming (Jimmy) Wang, the general manager of Ginlong Technologies, told reporters -

“PLC Intelligent Tracking System” embedded with PLC intelligent tracking functions. PLC Intelligent controller and includes a tracking angle control board, smart sensors and efficient motors, will track the movement of the sun across the sky in real time and optimize daily energy harvest. This system is ideal for water-surface installations, agricultural solar projects, etc. and can add up to 30% to the energy harvest of any PV project.”

ith “Innovative Energy Storage” Ginlong Technologies has developed a 3KW, 3.6KW and 5KW distributed grid energy storage inverters. Having established a professional energy storage research team, Ginlong is very committed to effective research on the application of distributed energy storage. New product development is integral for the corporate strategy layout, Ginlong Technologies research into the solar tracking market and distributed energy storage sector signal the way to new market expansion. At present, as the industry “veteran” grid connected inverter supplier within both domestic and international markets, Ginlong is seeing a twofold effect in growth. However, changes in government policy, the parity on the Internet becoming the trend of the times, along with and the ever changing course of the photovoltaic industry, enterprises have to carry out strategic tran-sformation to adapt. An such, Ginlong Technologies also has to consider the role of the future positioning.

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“The future position of Ginlong Technologies is “new energy power electronics suppliers”, the main business will not change radically. We have always insisted on doing our own thing, to do more reliable inverters.” Yiming (Jimmy) Wang’s answer was very affirmative.”

September 2016

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