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JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD VOLUME 12 NUMBER 1

CHINA WIND UPDATE Q UTILITY-SCALE THIN-FILM Q GERMANY’S OFFSHORE WIND SUCCESS Q CHALLENGES IN US MARKETS Q JAPAN’S NEW PV PROSPECTS Q BURNING ISSUES FOR WOOD PELLETS Q CSP TOWER USES AIR

JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 VOLUME 12 NUMBER 1

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CONTENTS

JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 VOLUME 12 NUMBER 1

THE LAST WORD

A thin-ﬁlm PV power plant in Brandis, Germany, as realized by the juwi group

JUWI SOLAR/WITT

Clean Power and the political, economic and environmental imperative for a new energy infrastructure......................... 115 A change in the administration in the White House presents an opportunity to address some of the key barriers to continued growth of the wind sector. Key among these is the development of a new type of transmission system, and Obama must make this a priority. By Peter Duprey

PROJECT PROFILE Salt-free solar: CSP tower using air............ 51 The solar tower test and demonstration plant at Jülich is a novel pre-commercial Concentrating Solar Power project in Germany. In a key change from other designs though, this system uses air as a heat transport medium. By Mark Schmitz

FEATURES CHINA WIND UPDATE Q UTILITY-SCALE THIN-FILM Q GERMANY’S OFFSHORE WIND SUCCESS Q CHALLENGES IN US MARKETS Q JAPAN’S NEW PV PROSPECTS Q BURNING ISSUES FOR WOOD PELLETS Q CSP TOWER USES AIR

China’s new generation: Driving domestic development .................... 24 Are the Chinese favouring home-produced turbines for their accelerating wind power industry and, if so, what does this mean for foreign investment and overseas manufacturers? By Louis Schwartz

JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 VOLUME 12 NUMBER 1

REGULARS From the Editor............................................................. 6 News .................................................................................. 9 A round up of news from around the world Diary ............................................................................... 118 Advertisers’ index .................................................. 120

Utility-scale thin-ﬁlm: Three new plants in Germany total almost 50 MW .................. 32 A swathe of large thin-ﬁlm PV projects have come on-stream in Germany of late, and some are breaking records. With three projects delivering a combined total of almost 50 MW of new capacity, this technology is rapidly emerging as a strong market contender. By David Appleyard

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106 20 years of wind turbines: An industry running on prototypes? ............. 42 The rapid acceleration of the wind turbine sector is seeing both the number of installed machines, and their capacity, soar. However, the importance of considering the life cycle of a wind turbine project and the need to provide appropriate services throughout cannot be underestimated. By Torsten Muuß Boomtown Bremerhaven: The offshore wind industry success story .. 54 By transforming into a major offshore wind power centre of excellence and supply base, the German port of Bremerhaven has experienced a remarkable economic upturn. Home to six wind equipment suppliers, two research institutes and a technical university this formerly economically depressed town is now booming. By Eize de Vries Japanese PV power: New support framework boosts the market..................... 64 The announcement of the ‘Fukuda Vision’ programme by the former Prime Minister of Japan has engendered a raft of new policy support measures for greater introduction of PV. Governments, utilities companies and the PV sector are aboard. By Izumi Kaizuka and Osamu Ikki A look at wind’s key players: What next in wind .......................................... 71 A number of strong players are emerging as the wind sector matures into one of the world’s most promising energy markets. Here, we examine a dozen companies which already make an impact on the global market. By David Appleyard

Flexible thin-film technology: A novel metallization paste ........................... 91 The commercial development of grid-parity flexible thin-film photovoltaic technology has taken a step closer with the development of a new flexible silver-based metallization paste. By Hong-Sik Hwang, Lee Kresge, James Slattery, and Ning-Cheng Lee Burning issues: An update on the wood pellet market ......... 99 Common across central and northern Europe, burning wood pellets for heat and power yields considerable environmental and economic benefits. Nonetheless, even in a growing market, problems and challenges to greater utilization of this superb resource remain. By Christiane Egger and Christine Oehlinger Speaking of wind: Discussions from Germany.........................106 Organized by DEWI, the German wind energy institute, the 9th DEWEK bi-annual technical wind energy conference took place in late November in Bremen. Here we take a look at some presentation highlights By Eize de Vries

Tough times ahead: Will the US industry need a new story? ....... 80 Investment in renewable energy technologies has traditionally suffered from a tail-off as the US economy declines. However, the twin issues of security of energy supply and climate change are set to break this conventional economic mould. By Elisa Wood

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FROM THE EDITOR

Group Publisher David McConnell Editorial Director Jackie Jones Associate Editor David Appleyard Production Editor Samantha Reeves Design/Production Shyam Gosai, Tony Foot Production Controller Rebecca Crews Sales Managers Ekow Monney, Neill Wightman, Sharon Makinde Digital Sales Manager Leo Wolfert Marketing Manager Dorothee Petereit Published by PennWell International Publications Ltd Warlies Park House, Horseshoe Hill, Upshire, Essex EN9 3SR, UK Tel: +44 1992 65 6600 Fax: +44 1992 65 6700 e-mail: rew@pennwell.com A detailed supplier listing and other information can be found at www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com Advertising: For information on advertising in future issues of the magazine, please contact: Ekow Monney on +44 20 8679 5945 (direct), or Neill Wightman on + 44 20 8983 6749 (direct), or Sharon Makinde on +44 1992 656 664 (direct) or e-mail rew@pennwell.com © 2009 PennWell International Publications Ltd All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical or otherwise including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written consent of the Publishers. While every attempt is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this magazine, neither the Publishers nor the authors accept any liability for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editors. Subscriptions: Renewable Energy World is circulated free to qualiﬁed professionals. To start a free subscription visit www.rew-subscribe.com. Non-qualiﬁed professionals may start a paid subscription. The price for one year (6 issues) is US$115 in Europe, and US$130 elsewhere. To start a paid subscription visit www.omeda.com/rew or call +1 847 559 7330. Renewable Energy World is published 6 times a year by PennWell International Publications Ltd, Warlies Park House, Horseshoe Hill, Upshire, Essex EN9 3SR, UK, and distributed in the USA SPP at 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-043. Periodicals Postage paid at Emigsville PA.

ere we are, just a short way into 2009, and yet so much seems to have happened that may deeply influence the development of the renewable energy sector. Put together, it really seems like we may have reached that long-awaited ‘tipping point’. Most visibly of course, there’s a new US President in the White House; President Obama has announced – including in his inaugural address – his intention to support much greater use of renewable energy in order to increase energy independence, counter climate change and create jobs in the new economy. Plans are unfolding as this issue goes to press, but the Obama–Biden ‘New Energy for America plan’ aims to help create five million new jobs by strategically investing US$150 billion over the next decade. And then there was Europe’s gas shock in the first weeks of the new year, when the flow of gas from Russia was interrupted. Back in January 2006, when Russia briefly cut the supply to Ukraine, it gave a remarkable wake-up call to European policymakers and a renewed focus on renewables. This time, people in Brussels (the home of the European Commission) can be heard jokingly referring to Russia as ‘Europe’s best renewables advocate’.

January has also seen the launch of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), a new, high-level international body set to become an authoritative voice for renewable energy – along the lines of the International Energy Agency (IEA) but with a specific focus. While the IEA is restricted to OECD countries, and the IAEA to those with atomic power, IRENA has a global reach. More than 120 countries sent government delegations to Bonn, Germany, for the founding conference of this new agency, and over seventy industrialized and developing countries have formalized their participation. (There’s more in our news section, and you may have read the Last Word article on IRENA in our November–December issue.) Numbers are just in on last year’s growth in the wind sector from around the world: a total of 27 GW worldwide, up 36% on 2007. In Europe, 2008 saw wind power installations account for more new power generation capacity (43%) than any other, including gas. European Union member states added 19.6 GW of new wind generation last year, the US almost 8.4 GW and China 6.3 GW of new wind. (See our feature on wind power in China on page 24.) There’s no denying the sector’s scale and maturity now. And the REW team aims to keep it all covered. Coming up from Renewable Energy World this year are our two main annual events, the first being Renewable Energy World Conference and Expo North America in Las Vegas in March, with Renewable Energy World Europe in Cologne in May. The first Renewable Energy World Asia will be taking place in Bangkok in the autumn. In the meantime, following the successful PV and CSP webcasts last year, we have a range of webcasts coming up. Do look our for announcements – participation is free and there’s no travel required! And last but not least is the Renewable Energy World network’s new magazine Photovoltaics World. This new title (first issue March) comes from our Nashua-based Technology Group (which produces titles including Solid State Technology and the PV Times e-newsletter), and focuses on PV manufacturing and technology – see www.pvworld.com.

POSTMASTER: send address changes to Renewable Energy World c/o P.O. Box 437 Emigsville, PA. 17318. Reprints: High-quality reprints of any article from this publication are available. These can be tailored to your requirements to include a printed cover, logo, advertising or other messages. Minimum order quantity 50. Please contact the Publishers for details. Printed: in the UK by Williams Press Ltd on elemental chlorine-free paper from sustainable forests

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Jackie Jones Editorial Director P.S. Remember, for regular news, podcasts, weekly features and to read magazine features online, continue to visit www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com.

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RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR A COMPLEX WORLD Wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, and bioenergy—these sources offer clean and sustainable alternatives to help meet the world’s rising energy demands. Tetra Tech supports energy projects from the earliest site investigation through operations and maintenance, with expertise in facilities siting, environmental studies, permitting, engineering design, and construction, including EPC and BOP. Tetra Tech provides clear solutions in consulting, engineering, program management, construction, and technical services worldwide. www.tetratech.com

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Send your news to Renewable Energy World rew@pennwell.com

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NEWS WHITE HOUSE SETS RENEWABLES AGENDA In his inaugural address, President Barack Obama re-affirmed his new Administration’s commitment to address climate change through additional development of renewable energy. A key passage of the speech reads: ‘We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.’ Giving a clear signal that both climate change and security of energy supply were key issues for the new government, Obama said: ‘Each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.’ In another phrase likely to be interpreted positively by the renewables sector, Obama also said the nation would strengthen the electricity transmission network, see Last Word on page 115. Widely anticipated legislative agenda items include a long extension to the Production Tax Credit (PTC), the introduction of a national Renewable Portfolio Standard scheme, and a carbon cap-and-trade programme. Obama and Vice President Biden have already developed a plan to invest in alternative and renewable energy, reduce demand for foreign oil, address climate change and create millions of new jobs. The ObamaBiden ‘New Energy for America plan’ aims to help create five million new jobs by strategically investing US $150 billion over the next decade, ensure 10% of US electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25% by 2025 and implement an economy-wide capand-trade scheme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050. Other aspects of the programme include putting 1 million Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) on the road by 2015, eliminating current imports from the Middle East and Venezuela within 10 years and make the US a global leader on climate change issues. In naming members of the cabinet Dr Steven Chu, currently the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) and a physics Nobel Prize winner, is Obama’s choice for Secretary of Energy. Making the nomination Obama said: ‘To control our own destiny, America must develop new forms of

cc Mark Nozell

Obama has reafﬁrmed his climate commitment energy and new ways of using it. This is not a challenge for government alone – it is a challenge for all of us.’ President Obama added Chu would ‘make this pursuit a guiding purpose of the Department of Energy, as well as a national mission.’ Other key Administration figures in the environment and energy field include Lisa Jackson, who was chosen as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator. Meanwhile, Nancy Sutley will become the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), and Carol Browner is the Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change. In addition, the US House Ways and Means Committee has already approved $20 billion in energy tax credits and related financial incentives as part of the Administration’s economic recovery plan. The tax breaks benefit the wind and solar energy industries to the end of 2012, while other renewable resources would benefit until 2013. The bill also includes a long-term extension to the renewable PTC, which would cost the government $13.1 billion over 10 years.

AMSC IN 10 MW SUPERCONDUCTING WIND TURBINE DEVELOPMENT PLAN WITH US DOE A 10 MW-class superconducting wind turbine is to be economically evaluated under the terms of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the US Department of Energy and technology company American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC). Together with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) AMSC Windtec, a wholly-owned subsidiary, will analyse the cost of a 10 MW-class machine featuring a direct drive superconductor generator. The alliance allows the government and industry partners to optimize resources, share technical expertise in a protected environment and speed commercialization. Windtec is separately developing full 10 MW-class wind turbine components and system designs and under the 12-month programme, will benchmark and evaluate the turbine’s economic impact, both in terms of its initial cost and its overall cost of energy. Direct drive wind generator systems utilizing high

temperature superconductor (HTS) wire are expected to be much smaller, lighter, more efficient and more reliable than conventional generators and gearboxes. AMSC estimates that its superconductor technology will give a 10 MW-class generator system weighing approximately 120 tonnes, below half that of equivalent conventional direct drive generators. The new move into wind technology follows the development of a superconducting marine propulsion system for the US Navy. Concurrent with the CRADA, AMSC and TECOWestinghouse Motor Company (TWMC) have been working on a project since October 2007 to develop HTS and related technologies for large direct drive wind generators under an award from the National Institute of Science and Technology’s Advanced Technology Program. Senior vice president and AMSC Superconductors, general manager Dan McGahn said: ‘HTS is one of the ‘disruptive technologies’ needed to break through wind power’s capacity barrier and significantly reduce its cost of energy.’

NEWS IN BRIEF GE Drivetrain Technologies has signed Letters of Intent to supply more than 900 gearboxes for China’s A-Power Energy Generation Systems’ Fuhrländer 2.7 MW wind turbines beginning in 2010. A second deal will establish a joint venture partnership for a gearbox assembly plant majority owned by GE Drivetrain Technologies and operated under the name GE Transportation. Good Energy, the UK’s only 100% renewable electricity supplier, is launching Good Energy HotROCs, the country’s first renewable heat incentive that pays domestic solar generators money for the heat energy they produce. The incentive is offset by a small premium on gas charges for the company’s dual fuel customers. The 1200 MW Alto Támega pump storage hydro complex in Portugal is to be developed by Iberdrola. Around €1.7 billion is to be invested in 2012–2018 to build four new dams. The new plants, two with a combined 900 MW of pumped storage capacity and two pure turbine facilities with a combined 234 MW, are expected to produce some 2 TWh a year. A 1.1 MW tracking PV system has become operational at the California HQ of dried fruit group the Mariani Packing Co. The more than 5800 PV panels from Evergreen Solar are expected to produce 1.9 GWh annually. groSolar and SunEdison constructed and financed the system under a long-term power purchase agreement. Consent for the 4 MW Siadar wave energy project on the Scottish island of Lewis has been granted by the Scottish government. npower renewables, will be the operator of the planned facility with Wavegen, part of Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation, the technology partner providing the oscillating water column (OWC) machines.

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NEWS IN BRIEF Horizon Wind Energy has commissioned three US wind farms with a combined capacity of 500 MW. The projects are the 201 MW Meridian Way, in north central Kansas, the 103 MW Rattlesnake Road in Oregon, and the first 201.3 MW phase of Pioneer Prairie, in Iowa. The VTT Technical Research Centre and partners have launched Enerfish, a threeyear project to produce biodiesel from fishing waste. A biodiesel plant will be built next to the Vietnamese fish processing plant Hiep Thanh Seafood JSC. An Energetix Group plc subsidiary is to supply 20 kW of compressed air energy storage systems to P&E Automation Inc. for a plant in Utah. part of a plan to integrate storage with renewables.

2008 SEES WIND BREAKING ALL RECORDS Statistics released by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) show that 43% of all new electricity generating capacity built in the European Union last year was wind, more than all other technologies. In 2008, a total of 19,651 MW of new capacity was installed across the EU. Of this, 8484 MW was wind, 6932 MW gas with a 35% share, 2495 MW oil, a 13% share, and at 4%, 762 MW of coal. A total of 64,949 MW of wind was operating in the EU by the end of 2008, 15% higher than in 2007. EU wind investments came in at about €11 billion. In terms of installations, Germany leads, with 1665 MW installed, against Spain’s 1609 MW. In 2008 Italy added 1010 MW to reach 3736 MW, France 950 MW to reach 3404 MW and the UK, 836 MW to 3241 MW. EWEA says that, overall, 2008 saw a much more balanced expansion led by France, the UK and Italy. Together with the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Ireland, 10 EU Member States now have more than 1 GW each. Austria and Greece have 995 MW and 985 MW respectively. Furthermore, EWEA says, new Member States had their strongest year ever. Hungary doubled its capacity to 127 MW and Bulgaria tripled its capacity from 57 MW to 158 MW. Poland now has 472 MW up from 276 MW. Outside the EU, Turkey nearly tripled its wind capacity from 147 MW to 433 MW. In terms of offshore wind, 357 MW was added in 2008, to reach 1471 MW, nearly 2.3% of the total. However, according to new Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) figures for 2008, the US has become the

world’s largest player in terms of total installed wind. Worldwide, more than 27 GW of new wind was commissioned in 2008, a 36% increase on 2007, while total global wind capacity grew by almost 29% to reach close to 121 GW in a 2008 market worth about €36.5 billion (US$47.5 billion). The US wind energy industry shattered all previous records by installing 8358 MW, a 50% increase on the total, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) says. This saw 2008 investment of some $17 billion. Wind projects completed in 2008 account for about 42% of the entire new power-producing capacity added nationally last year and, countrywide, wind now stands at 25,170 MW. The top five states in terms of capacity installed are now Texas, with 7116 MW, Iowa, with 2790 MW, California, with 2517 MW, Minnesota, with 1752 MW and Washington, with 1375 MW. Together with Colorado, and Oregon, seven states now have more than 1 GW of wind installed. With close to a third of all new capacity in 2008 installed in Asia, China also added about 6.3 GW, reaching a total of over 12 GW commissioned. China’s total capacity doubled for the fourth year in a row and in its response to the financial crisis, the Chinese government has identified the development of wind energy as one of the key economic growth areas. ‘These figures speak for themselves’, said Steve Sawyer, secretary general of GWEC. ‘The 120 GW of global wind capacity in place at the end of 2008 will produce 260 TWh’.

IRENA IN GLOBAL LAUNCH

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A global advocate to assist in the development of renewable energy has emerged with the creation of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Similar in brief to the International Energy Agency (IEA), it has an exclusive focus on renewable energies. Its main role will be to advise members on creating frameworks to support renewables development, building capacity, as well as improving financing and technology transfer. Mandated by governments worldwide, IRENA has 75 signatories from a broad cross-section of developing and industrialized countries and its aim is to becoming the main driving force in promoting a rapid global transition. The agency will facilitate access to relevant information, including reliable data on renewables potential, best practices, effective financial mechanisms and state-of-the-art technological expertise. Seen by some as a counterbalance to the IEA, which has faced criticism for its apparent focus on conventional fossil and nuclear technologies, the

Agency plans to foster all types of renewable energy, and consider various renewable energy policies on the local, regional, and national level. Involving stakeholders from the energy industry, academia, institutions and civil society. Regularly consulting and cooperating with organizations and networks already engaged in the field, IRENA will also consider specific environmental, economic and socio-cultural conditions. Launched by Germany and others, particularly Denmark and Spain, founding European member countries include France, Italy and Poland. From Africa come Nigeria and Uganda, from the Americas Chile and Argentina, and from Asia, South Korea and the Philippines. However, so far the USA and the UK have not signed, although the US under Obama, and other countries, are expected to join soon. Members used the Founding Conference, in Bonn, Germany, to create the institutional framework that will allow IRENA to embark on the first elements of its working programme. The next session, in Egypt, is planned for June.

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NEWS IN BRIEF UK retailer Sainsbury’s has signed a decade-long power purchase agreement that will directly lead to the creation of a new 6 MW £8 million (US$12 million) wind generation project using 2 MW REpower MM82 machines at Lochhead in Scotland, due to be completed in mid-2009. enXco has commissioned its Wapsipinicon wind farm in Minnesota. The 100.5 MW facility has 67 of GE Energy’s 1.5 MW turbines. Output from the site will go to Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency. RWE Innogy is to invest a total of €5.5 million in the Norwegian technology company, Revolt Technology AS, as part of a plan to develop novel energy storage technologies based on rechargeable zinc air storage systems.

CALIFORNIA IN CSP/PV PLAY

PORTUGAL’S California’s Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved plans to PV TRACKER develop up to 245 MW of concentrating solar thermal generation in the state, under the terms of a deal between Edison International unit Southern California Edison (SCE) and plant developer eSolar. The decision follows a 20-year power purchase agreement between Edison and eSolar for output from the facility, signed in June. CPUC approval allows Edison to recover the costs from consumers. To be built in Kern County, the plant is to be financed by Google.org, Idealab and Oak Investment Partners. In related news, First Solar, Inc. says it has completed a 2 MW PV installation for SCE which is installed on the rooftop of a commercial building in Fontana, California. This is the first project in SCE’s announced plan to install 250 MW of solar generating capacity on large commercial rooftops throughout Southern California over the next five years. Overall, the programme is expected to see some 150 solar installations developed across the state. The distribution warehouse roof selected as the first installation site has been fitted with 33,700 thin-film solar panels making it the largest single rooftop solar PV array in California. First Solar engineered the system, manufactured the modules and supplied balance-of-system equipment. Under a formal bid process, SCE has also announced the selection of First Solar for the second project of its 250 MW rooftop initiative, a 1 MW project installed on a commercial building in Chino owned by the MultiEmployer Property Trust. Ted Craver, chairman and CEO of SCE parent company Edison International said: ‘A programme of this scale could transform solar generation, helping bring costs down and providing us with another important way to meet the environmental challenges of the future.’ Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said: ‘Edison’s rooftop plan is the nation’s largest solar installation programme by a utility.’

A 46 MW PV power plant has been commissioned in Amareleja, Portugal, which is capable of producing 93 GW/h per year. Spanning the 250 ha site are 2520 solar trackers supporting 262,080 photovoltaic modules. The €261 million project was developed by owner Acciona Energy. In January 2007, Acciona acquired the total capital of Amper Solar (the company that owned the rights of the installation) from the latter’s shareholders Moura Town Council (88%), Comoiprel (2%) and the firm of consultants _____ Renatura Networks.Com (10%). ________ The plant, in the municipality of Moura, in Portugal’s Alentejo region, is not far from the border with Spain. It uses Buskil trackers developed by Acciona, each with a surface area of 142 m2, 13 m long and 10.87 m high. Each tracker has 104 polycrystalline silicon modules with a capacity of 170–180 Wp. The first 3 MW were grid connected in March 2008.

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EU IN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PLAN The European Commission has proposed €5 billion of new investment in energy and communications infrastructure in 2009–2010 as part of an EU economic recovery plan. The package presented contains a proposal for a regulation to grant Community support to strategic energy projects. A total of €500 million is proposed for offshore wind projects; gas and electricity interconnection projects, including the initiation of the first stage of a North Sea offshore grid, see €1.75 billion; while €3.5 billion is earmarked for carbon capture and storage. In the current economic and financial climate, projects are finding it particularly difficult to access investment and the EU support is designed put these projects back on track. The projects focus

on cross-border needs and on the development of new energy technologies. Commission President José Manuel Barroso said: ‘The EU’s Recovery Plan is all about ‘smart investment’ – a short-term stimulus targeted on long-term goals.’ He added: ‘We need to learn the lessons of the recent gas crisis and invest heavily in energy.’ European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) chief executive, Christian Kjaer said of the move: ‘Committing EU funds to promote offshore wind energy represents wise long-term thinking. Investing public money to help unlock the largest European indigenous energy resource during the current economic uncertainty is equally strategic.’

He added the proposals should allow larger volumes of wind-generated electricity to be integrated quickly into the existing grid, provide new R&D opportunities to make the power sector more efficient and less expensive, improve operations and maintenance, and speed up market deployment. Referring to the Aberdeen project, a joint venture between Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) and utility company Vattenfall which may benefit under thje proposals, Professor Paul Mitchell, director of AREG welcomed the funding plan, saying: ‘This facility will greatly strengthen our opportunities for research and demonstration of wind energy technologies in an offshore situation.’

TABLE 1. OFFSHORE WIND PROJECTS AND FUNDING LEVEL UNDER THE EU PROPOSALS Project

Capacity

Location

EU contribution

1. GRID INTEGRATION OF OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY Baltic I and II - Kriegers Flak I, II, III Amed at securing a joint interconnection solution.

1.5 GW

Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Poland

North Sea grid Modular development of offshore grid, demonstration of virtual offshore power plant

1 GW

United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Denmark,

€150 million

2. NEW TURBINES, STRUCTURES AND COMPONENTS, OPTIMIZATION OF MANUFACTURING Alpha Ventus/Bard Offshore 1. New generation of 6-7 MW turbines and structures, situated up to 100km from shore in waters up to 40 m.

500 MW

Germany, Poland

Aberdeen offshore wind farm (European testing centre). Testing of multi-MW turbines, development of structures and optimization of manufacturing capacities.

250 MW

€40 million

90 MW

Belgium

€10 million

Thornton Bank. Up-scaling the Downvind installation turbines (5 MW) in deep water up to 30 m and up to 30 km offshore. Total

3340 MW

€150 million

€500 million

GEOTHERMAL JV FOR GERMANY FROM RWE INNOGY RWE Innogy has set up a joint venture with Daldrup & Söhne AG in Ascheberg in order to develop, plan and construct a range of geothermal power stations, initially in Germany. The first step of the joint venture will be to develop RWE Innogy’s existing deep geothermal drilling areas – for which permits have already been obtained – and to apply for further permits. However, plans are also in place to participate in geothermal and project development companies in Germany and other European countries. Daldrup & Söhne is a publicly traded company

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that specialises in planning and conducting geothermal drillings while RWE Innogy had already obtained regulatory approval for two deep geothermal projects from the Munich mining authorities in October last year – in Wildpoldsried and Unterthingau in the Swabian rural district of Oberallgäu in the south-west of the country. Over the next three years investigations will be carried out into the geothermal potential of this area which covers some 100 ha. Once the data has been analysed, RWE Innogy and Daldrup & Söhne plan to drill up to 4000 metres into the ground.

Any geothermal facilities that are developed by the two partners are to be realised and operated by independent project companies. Commenting on the alliance Professor Fritz Vahrenholt, CEO of RWE Innogy, said: ‘The use of geothermal heat for the production of electric power and heat has great potential – not just in Germany, but also in southern and south-eastern Europe. This joint venture enables us to ensure the systematic development of a relatively young form of energy in our latitudes and to use this energy on a major technical scale.’

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NEWS IN BRIEF Massachusetts-based Owl Power Company claims a world first for its waste vegetable oil-fired on-site CHP at the Finz Seafood & Grill restaurant. The so-called ‘Vegawatt’ device utilizes the waste vegetable oil from a deep fat fryer to produce 5 kWe and 15,000 BTU of heat. Siemens Energy has installed a turnkey 810 kWp PV plant on the roof of the Siemens Healthcare x-ray systems manufacturing plant in Forchheim, Germany. The 3600 monocrystalline modules, rated at 225 Wp each, were supplied by Sunpower Solar and are expected to generate some 750 MWh a year. Two methanol fuel cells are to supply primary power to a portable wind monitoring application for use in remote, offgrid sites for npower renewables. UPS Systems supplied the batteries, EFOY Pro 1600 methanol fuel cells and methanol fuel for the project. Vestas has received an order from Vattenfall Wind Power for 300 MW of offshore turbines for the UK Thanet project. Consisting of 100 units of the V90-3.0 MW machine, the project will be located 11.3 km off Foreness Point in the Thames Estuary. Installation is due 2010. The Altona, Chateaugay and Wethersfield Wind Parks have been completed, bringing a total of 330 MW to upstate New York. Producing 97.5 MW, 106.5 MW, and 124 MW respectively, the projects were developed by Noble Environmental Power LLC. All the projects use GE Energy 1.5 MW machines. In a joint venture with marine technology group Wavebob Ltd, Vattenfall has acquired a majority stake in the Irish ocean energy site development company, Pandion Ltd, which has applied for sites on the west coast of Ireland for the commercial demonstration of over 250 MW of capacity.

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A round-up of news from around the world

NEWS

42 MW PV RWE Innogy has acquired ENOVA Energieanlagen GmbH, which includes FOR PUGLIA

OFFSHORE GIANT FOR GERMANY

the rights to a 960 MW wind development off the German coast. Following regulatory approvals, the installation is to be built 40 km north of the North Sea island of Juist, within an area of around 150 km2 and in water 26–34 metres deep. Between 150 and 180 REpower wind turbines with a capacity of 5–6 MW each are planned for the wind farm. Site tests indicate it can run at around 4000 full-load hours and supply 3 TWh a year. RWE Innogy and ENOVA expect to receive approval by the end of 2009 and initial preparations could then start in 2010. The first wind turbines should start running as early as 2011. The whole wind farm is expected to be completed in 2015 at a total investment of around €2.8 billion. The project, North Sea Windpower 3, will be renamed Innogy Nordsee 1 and, if developed, will be the country’s largest offshore wind farm. Prof. Fritz Vahrenholt, CEO of RWE Innogy noted: ‘In contrast to other North Sea countries, we have to build comparatively far off the coast in deep waters. This requires the highest demands for planning, implementation and technology.’ RWE has also submitted a permit application and environmental impact assessment for its Tromp Binnen offshore wind farm to the Dutch Public Works and Water Management Authority. Initially composed of 59 wind turbines with a total capacity of approximately 300 MW, the project 75 km off Callantsoog will use a transformer on the coast of Velsen-Noord. RWE submitted proposals to the Dutch authorities to build at least two major offshore wind farms of up to 2 GW. To date, the development will be the largest wind farm in the North Sea located furthest from the shore. The use of a concrete pedestal will make it unnecessary to drive piles into the ground and this technique will also be a first for the Netherlands.

Econcern has announced plans to install 42 MW of solar capacity in Puglia, southern Italy as part of the so-called project Trullo. Starting with the construction of seven 1 MW solar parks early in 2009, the facilities are expected to be operational by 2010. Once complete, Project Trullo will add 15% to Italy’s 280 MW solar PV capacity and is expected to produce approximately 60 GWh per year. The project is being developed by a 51:49 holding company between Econcern and Ampere Equity Fund. The company adds that it has ambitions to increase its Italian portfolio to at least 50 MW. Econcern’s director of project development, Dennis Lange said: ‘The Italian solar market has exceptional growth potential. It is anticipated that it will grow from 280 MW by the end of 2008 to 5 GW by 2020.’

LATIN AMERICAN WIND FLOWERING

The Wave Treader’s sponsons move up and down as the wave passes beneath them, moving hydraulic cylinders.

WIND–WAVE HYBRID UNVEILED Green Ocean Energy Ltd has developed a wave power machine which attaches to an offshore wind turbine. The company says the economics of both machines are enhanced by sharing infrastructure such as the foundation and cabling. The so-called Wave Treader comprises sponsons mounted on the end of arms both in front and behind the turbine’s column. Hydraulic cylinders are attached between the arms and an interface structure and as the wave passes along the device the sponsons and arms lift and fall stroking the hydraulic cylinders. The cylinders pressurize hydraulic fluid which, after smoothing by accumulators, spins hydraulic motors.

The device has been developed using the core concept of a standalone wave power device called Ocean Treader, which is also being developed by the company. Each Wave Treader machine generates approximately 500 kW and can turn to face the direction of the wave train to ensure maximum efficiency. It has active on-board adjustments to allow for tidal range and a 25-year design life. The company was able to develop the device after securing £60,000 (US$120,000) of funding from npower’s Juice fund which supports wave and tidal technology development. A full size prototype could be ready for testing in 2010, the company says.

Acciona Energy has commissioned the first phase of a 250.5 MW wind park in Oaxaca, Mexico, whose power will be bought by cement company Cemex for its own use. The park, named Eurus, cost some US$550 million (€427 million) and once completed will be the largest in Latin America, with 167 wind turbines of 1.5 MW each, covering 25% of the Mexican energy requirements of Cemex. Operations are expected during Q4 of 2009. In related news, Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica has reached a €116 million deal with Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. for 76 of its 1320 kW 60 Hz wind turbines, amounting to 100 MW. Delivered through Gamesa subsidiary MADE, the turbines are destined for the first Venezuelan wind farm, located in the Paraguaná peninsula and assembly work will commence in Q4 2009. Meanwhile, energy consultancy Natural Power has acquired Chilean firm LatWind Eolica Latinoamericana Ltda. Natural Power says the acquisition provides it with a base in Latin America to expand into the renewables market there.

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NEWS IN BRIEF The parent company of Qimonda Solar GmbH has filed for bankruptcy. Centrosolar Group AG – currently developing a joint venture PV cell production facility with the company in Portugal – says that the partnership has so far not been affected. But, in the event of the insolvency spreading, Centrosolar would continue operations alone, though they are planning to invite other partner companies. The Bosch Group has revealed plans to invest some €530 million through to 2012 in expanding solar module production through its majority held subsidiary arm ersol Solar Energy AG. Start of production is planned for the beginning of 2010 and ersol hopes to nearly triple its present manufacturing capacity to some 630 MWp. Suzlon Gujarat Wind Park Ltd. (SGWPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Suzlon Energy Ltd., has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government of Gujarat in India that could lead to the development of up to 1.5 GW of new wind capacity in the KutchSaurashtra region of Gujarat. SunPower Corp is to build a 505 kW solar-diesel hybrid in Western Australia for Horizon Power. The ground-mounted installation will be located at two sites in Marble Bar and Nullagine and will be the largest solar tracking system in the country to date, featuring some 2000 panels. Construction is due to be complete by September 2009. Engineering major Doosan Heavy has announced that it is close to finalizing development of a 3 MW offshore wind turbine, the WinDS 3000. The class 1a machine features three blades with a 92 metre diameter mounted on an 80 metre tower. The blades have an electrical pitch system. Doosan adds that the turbine has a lightweight gearbox, and a permanent magnet generator. A prototype is due to be erected during the summer of 2009.

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THIN-FILM PV PUSH FROM ABU DHABI Masdar PV has announced a multi-billion dollar investment in thin-film PV technology, as part of its drive to become a world leader in alternative energy. The total investment of over US$2 billion represents one of the largest investments ever made in solar, and will fund a three-phased expansion strategy. Phase one involves an investment of $600 million, which will fund the development of two manufacturing facilities – the first, in Erfurt, Germany will be operational by Q3 2009, and a second facility in Abu Dhabi which will begin initial production by Q2 2010. The combined annual production capacity of these two sites will be 210 MW, committed to major PV system installers in Europe and for Masdar’s own energy generation needs. This German plant will act as a reference installation for technology and knowledge transfer to the larger Abu Dhabi plant by a joint German-Abu Dhabi team. This approach represents a significant step in Masdar’s objective to transform Abu Dhabi into a developer and exporter of technology, rather than an importer. With a goal of reaching 1 GW of annual production by 2014 through capacity expansions and other new plants, this multi-country operation is envisaged to allow Masdar PV to become a global leader in thin-film PV. Dr Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, said: ‘Thin-film PV is a key part of our build-deploy-develop strategy to actively build a strong position in alternative energy. It makes sense to engage these new energy technologies and become a leader in alternatives.’ He added: ‘This marks a major milestone for Masdar and Abu Dhabi. It will not only establish Masdar as a major global PV player, but will be the first high-tech semiconductor nano-manufacturing facility of its kind in the region.’ The plants will use the latest generation of equipment

capable of high-volume processing of ultra-large glass substrates at 5.7 m2. High-volume manufacturing of thin-film PV, which requires less than 1% of the expensive semiconductor material compared to traditional PV, is key to rapidly driving down costs. The company says that technology for grid-parity solar exists in most sunny markets and it aims to combine scale, plus proven technology, advanced manufacturing, and R&D to deliver lower costs. Industry experts applauded the move. ‘This potentially represents a paradigm shift in solar, a real gamechanger’, commented Dr Winfried Hoffmann, president of the European Photovoltaic Industry Association. In addition to low-cost manufacturing, thin-film PV requires only one year to pay back the carbon cost of production, and maintenance costs are minimal. It is ideally suited for hot sunny climates, as well as for building-integrated solutions. The investment announcement follows the launch of a ‘Sustainability Action Plan’ by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company to create the first zero carbon city at Masdar City, near Abu Dhabi International Airport. The city is part of the Masdar Initiative, the emirate’s multi-faceted investment in the exploration, development and commercialization of future energy sources and clean technology solutions. Construction of the city began in the first quarter of 2008 with the 6 km2 city eventually growing to hold 1500 businesses and 50,000 residents once completed and fully functioning in 2015. Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud, Director of WWF International’s One Planet Living initiative, said: ‘Abu Dhabi is the first hydrocarbon-producing nation to have taken such a significant step towards sustainable living.’

RENEWABLE ON-SITE COOLING SAVES ON COSTS

EU PASSES DIRECTIVE

Geothermal and solar thermal cooling are being used to supply cooling to the six-story Prometheus Pyrphoros building in Paleo Faliro, Athens, Greece. Sol Energy Hellas is using DuCool’s chiller-free, desiccantbased dehumidification and cooling technology in the development to cool the 600 m2 building. Now cooled with only 6 kW of electricity, one tenth of its previous consumption, the installation saves $22,000 in energy costs per year, a statement from the company says. DuCool’s technology uses geothermal water and hot water from a solar thermal system to provide cooling and dehumidification. Nikos Manioudakis, senior research engineer for Sol Energy Hellas, which designed and operates and maintains the Prometheus Pyrphoros building said: ‘These savings provide less than a threeyear return on investment without even taking any possible tax savings into account.’

The European Union begins 2009 with a clear mandate to expand renewables in its energy mix after reaching an agreement on its Renewable Energy Directive. The deal paves the way for the EU to achieve its plans for a 20% renewables contribution to total energy demand and a 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 – the so-called 20:20:20 plan. It means that more than a third of EU electricity must come from renewables by 2020. Under the terms of the Directive, each Member State has a legally binding renewables target for 2020 and by June 2010 will have drawn up a National Action Plan (NAP) detailing plans to meet these targets. Member states will report on progress every two years. European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) president Arthouros Zervos commenting on the Directive noted that the legislation will give much-needed investor confidence in the renewable energy sector.

DuCool’s desiccant-based dehumidifier and cooling unit treats the outside air using only solarheated water at approximately 65°C and geothermal well water at approximately 19°C. Sol Energy had considered a conventional solution, using a 40 tonne refrigeration (TR) capacity cooling tower and chiller and a 5800 cubic metre per hour air handling unit. This approach would have cost approximately $47,000 and consumed 59 kW of electricity during 2650 annual hours of operation for an annual energy cost of $24,700, the company says. The total investment in the renewable approach including the solar panels, geothermal well and chiller unit is approximately $105,000. The energy consumption is only 6 kW which amounts to a cost of only $2512 per year, a savings of $22,180 per year. These energy savings pay back the $58,000 additional investment in just over 2.6 years, the company says.

RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009

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A round-up of news from around the world

NEWS

NEWS IN BRIEF Green Mountain Power and groSolar have built a 58 kW onsite solar installation at a service centre in Westminster, Vermont. The 300 ground-mounted PV panels supply two-thirds of the building demand.

FIVE PROJECTS IN SEVERN TIDAL POWER SHORTLIST

41.1% CPV EFFICIENCY

Five tidal generation schemes proposed for the UK’s Severn Estuary have been shortlisted by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The shortlist includes a mixture of barrages and lagoon schemes designed to take advantage of the world’s second largest tidal range. The largest proposal is the Cardiff Weston Barrage crossing the Severn estuary from Brean Down, near Weston-super-Mare to Lavernock Point, near Cardiff. Its estimated capacity is over 8.6 GW and it could generate nearly 5% of UK electricity. Two of the projects are lagoon type proposals with 1.36 GW capacity each. The Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband has also announced £500,000 (US$750,000) of new funding to further develop technologies like tidal reefs. With the proposed shortlist now subject to a three month public consultation, Miliband said: ‘The five schemes shortlisted … are what we believe can be feasible, but this doesn’t mean we have lost sight of others.’

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) have achieved a record conversion efficiency of 41.1% using a concentrating PV system. Sunlight is concentrated by a factor of 454 and focused onto a 5 mm2 multi-junction solar cell made out of gallium indium phosphide, gallium indium arsenide on a germanium substrate. The researchers at Fraunhofer ISE managed to localize defects in a region of the solar cell that is not electrically active. Even at a concentration of 880 suns, an efficiency of 40.4% was measured, Fraunhofer reports. Prof. Eicke R. Weber, Director of Fraunhofer ISE emphasizes: ‘This is an especially good example of how the control of crystal defects in semiconductors can lead to a breakthrough in technology.’ Fraunhofer ISE is working together with Azur Space in Heilbronn as well as Concentrix Solar GmbH in Freiburg to make this technology competitive as soon as possible.

Two REpower wind turbines at Deeping St Nicholas have been purchased by a local community group in the UK’s East Midlands. It follows a share offer raising over £2.6 million (US$5.2 million) from the members of Fens Co-op to buy the 4 MW project from developers Fenland Windfarms.

BIPV SHOWING EU GROWTH

Siemens Energy is to supply the largest solar-powered steam turbine-generator set for the first commercial solar tower power plant to break ground in the US. BrightSource Energy, Inc. is to develop the 123 MW plant at its Ivanpah Solar Complex in Southern California. Operations are expected in Q4 2011.

The European Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) market shows significant growth potential, a recent Frost & Sullivan report shows. According to the research firm’s analysis, the 2007 Euro BIPV market was estimated at €143 million with a total installed capacity of 25.7 MW. The largest market is currently Germany, followed by France, Italy

and Spain. These stronger markets are paving the way for expansion, Frost says, adding that countries such as Greece, Portugal and Switzerland are also moving. Frost & Sullivan research analyst, Akhil Sivanandan, says: ‘The common factor to all the best regions ... has been the level of legislative support.’

For more information, please visit www.reff-cee.com, email energyevents@euromoneyplc.com or phone +44 (0) 20 7779 8999.

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JAPAN IN BIO The cost of photovoltaic electricity is due to plummet in 2009, according to CHP MOVE

UK TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE BACKS OFFSHORE ENERGY A public-private financed £1.1 billion (US$1.6 billion) Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has been launched in London to develop and deploy energy technologies. The ETI is a private company so far comprising six partners – BP, Shell, Rolls-Royce, E.ON, Caterpillar and EDF Energy – as well as the public sector and scientific/ academic institutions. Over 10 years each partner is investing £50 million ($72 million) and the UK government has pledged to match this up to a potential overall fund of £1.1 billion. Three offshore wind turbine projects and a marine project have already been named under the initial phase of the ETI programme. The offshore wind projects include the Blue H consortium, which includes BAE Systems and EDF Energy, that is developing a deepwater 5 MW wind turbine

mounted on a floating concrete, rather than steel, tension-leg platform. The low-cost turbine is to be tested at water depths of 60 m, 100 km offshore. The Helm Wind Project, comprised of E.ON, BP, Rolls-Royce and the University of Strathclyde, is designing a low cost offshore wind turbine from scratch. The third offshore wind investment is the NOVA (Novel Offshore Vertical Axis) project, whose members include QinetiQ. This is a potentially 5-10 MW, lowmaintenance turbine. The marine energy project is named ReDAPT (Reliable Data Acquisition Platform for Tidal) developed by Rolls-Royce, E.ON, EDF, Tidal Generation and the European Marine Energy Council (EMEC). A novel 1 MW design is being tested at EMEC’s marine technology site in Orkney.

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A Japanese power plant is using biomass updraft gasification technology to deliver 2 MW of CHP to residents of a nearby town. Located 400 km north of Tokyo, the plant uses technology licensed from Denmark-based Babcock & Wilcox Vølund A/S, a subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox, to turn 60 tonnes of wood chips a day into wood gas. Output from the plant is delivered to the nearby town of Murayama, in Yamagata Prefecture. JFE Environmental Solutions Corp, the plant’s designer, licensed the technology in 2003. In the updraft gasification process, moist biomass fuel is fed into the top and descends though hot gases rising through the reactor. The fuel is dried in the gasifier’s upper zone while pyrolysis occurs below. The biomass material then passes through a reduction zone (gasification). Updraft technology allows for a wide fuel mix and range of moisture content and is also scalable for units up to 20 MW of fuel input, the company says.

REW ASIA EVENT IS COMING! October will see the ﬁrst Renewable Energy World Asia Conference and Expo take place in Bangkok, Thailand. It is being held alongside the well established POWER-GEN Asia event, and will provide a high-level forum and focus for the ever-growing renewables sector. The REW Asia theme is: ‘Strengthening energy security for sustained economic growth.’ The call for papers deadline is 13 March. Full details and conference topics can be found at www. ____ renewableenergyworld________________ asia.com. ______

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RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009

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PV COSTS SET TO PLUNGE

a new analysis by New Energy Finance. Its latest Silicon and Wafer Price Index shows average silicon contract prices falling by more than 30% in 2009, compared with 2008. The document shows an average perceived spot market price of solargrade silicon during October and November of $332/kg. The weighted average price for polysilicon for delivery in 2009 under contracts signed in 2007 and 2008 was $113/kg, compared with $165/kg for silicon for delivery in 2008, a reduction of 31.5%. At the 2008 contracted silicon price of $165/kg, silicon contributes an estimated $1.52/W to the current crystalline silicon module price of around $4/watt – or just under 40%. A silicon cost reduction to $113/kg in 2009 would therefore lower module prices for the majority of the market volume that uses contracted silicon by 12%. The silicon purchased on the spot market, though currently at much higher prices, could see larger falls. Furthermore, with thin-film PV module manufacturing costs approaching the $1/watt mark, crystalline silicon-based PV will come under severe competition for larger projects, resulting in margins shrinking throughout the silicon value chain, the company argues. New Energy Finance forecasts that production of thin-film modules will more than quadruple to 1.9 GW in 2009, and thin-film will be competitive with crystalline silicon in larger space-constrained applications, such as commercial rooftops. This may pressure crystalline silicon module manufacturers to reduce selling prices by more than the reduction in costs in order to retain their market and the company suggests that current silicon-based solar module prices of $4/watt could drop to $2.60/watt by the end of 2009. For a ground-mounted plant in a region with good insolation, and based on a 6% real cost of capital, this could translate into an unsubsidised generation cost of $0.17/kWh for crystalline silicon, New Energy Finance concludes. Meanwhile, thin-film manufacturers can achieve unsubsidised costs of $0.13/kWh for the same large project by 2010. Michael Liebreich, chairman and CEO, said: ‘We are about to see the convergence of two powerful forces in solar photovoltaics: the price premium accruing to silicon refining is about to unwind, at the same time as thin-film manufacturing is really starting to get to scale. We expect to see significant drops in the price of modules next year – with prices starting to track real underlying costs much more closely.

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NEWS

PV RECYCLING DECLARATION Members of the European association PV CYCLE have signed a joint Declaration committing them to set up a voluntary collection and recycling scheme for end-of-life photovoltaic modules. Signatories to the document are committed to collect a minimum of 65% of photovoltaic modules installed in Europe since 1990 and to recycle 85% of waste. The members of PV CYCLE are manufacturers or importers of photovoltaic modules in Europe and represent more than 70% of the European photovoltaic market. Jan Clyncke, managing director of PV CYCLE acknowledged that the targets are ambitious, but nonetheless noted: ‘We will only be able to say that solar energy has become truly sustainable when the life cycle of photovoltaic modules is closed allowing industrial use of recycled raw materials necessary to their manufacturing.’ The declaration is supported by the French Presidency of the European Union and by the European Commissioner for the Environment. Jean-Louis Borloo, Minister for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Spatial Planning commented: ‘It is for the first time that an industry organizes itself on a voluntary basis at European level to ensure the collection and recycling of its products and this with extremely ambitious targets.’ Meanwhile, Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for Environment declared: ‘I welcome the intention of the photovoltaic industry to commit to set up a voluntary system for the collection and recycling of photovoltaic panels and look forward to seeing the outcome of this proposal with high ambition levels.’

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The US Minerals Management Service, the lead government agency in charge of the country’s offshore energy projects has released its 2800-page Final Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed 420 MW Cape Wind offshore wind project. After seven and a half years of environmental review, many of public hearings and community meetings the (MMS) Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) concludes that the site for the 130 turbine development – Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound – is environmentally and economically superior to the alternative site locations that were studied. It adds that building Cape Wind will create hundreds of jobs, and will not increase energy prices in New England. It could even lower

energy clearing prices, the new report says. The document concludes that most of the output from the development would be consumed on Cape Cod and neighbouring islands, where it will supply 75% of the region’s electricity and improve transmission performance The MMS’ Record of Decision may grant a lease to Cape Wind by March, a final decision ‘would account for the regional, state, and local benefits and impacts as well as for the overall public interest of the United States.’ Project developer Jim Gordon said: ‘This report validates the project will create new jobs, increase energy independence and fight global warming while being a good neighbour to the ecosystem of Nantucket Sound.’

DRINKS FREE … OF CARBON Drinks company Diageo, which produces spirits such as Johnny Walker, Tanqueray and Smirnoff, is to develop a biomass-fired on-site energy facility at a new distillery in Roseisle, on Speyside, Scotland. The plant is designed to utilise spent wash – a mixture of wheat, malted barley, yeast and water – from the distillation process to supply heat to the plant. To be designed, built and operated by Dalkia, the Roseisle Distillery will

use a bubbling fluidized bed boiler to combust both biogas and solid waste. Initially the spent wash is treated by separating solids and liquid with a belt press, before the liquid portion goes to an anaerobic digester to produce biogas. Liquid from the digester plant is further processed to provide water to the thermal plant and some of the distillery needs. The £40 million (US$60 million) distillery is due for completion this spring.

RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009

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The 2009 European Wind Energy Exhibition and Conference, Europe’s premier wind energy event, will take place in Marseille, France, 16-19 March 2009. Conference: Learn about the latest wind energy policies, products, financing developments and technical breakthroughs from the people at the cutting edge of the industry. Register now and benefit from an early-bird rate until 1 December 2008.

Registration Now open!

Exhibition: over 80% of the 9,000m2 of exhibition space has already been sold, meaning it will be the largest EWEC exhibition ever. Over 6,000 key players will attend from all sectors of the industry: manufacturers, component suppliers, developers, operators, utilities, consultants and financiers.

Exhibition over 80% sold out

Sponsorship opportunities: There are a number of unique sponsorship opportunities available at EWEC 2009 to increase the exposure of your company or brand. Packages can be customised to meet your specific promotional strategy.

Become a Gold or Platinum Sponsor

Contact Sanna Heinonen: +32 2 400 1093, sh@ewea.org to reserve exhibition space or become a sponsor of the leading European wind energy event. For more information visit the EWEC 2009 website: www.ewec2009.info

ORGANISER:

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SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONS:

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WIND: CHINA’S WIND INDUSTRY

CHINA’S NEW GENERATION DRIVING DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENT

re the Chinese favouring home-produced turbines for their accelerating wind power industry? If so, what does this mean for foreign investment and overseas manufacturers? Louis Schwartz looks at recent wind sector developments in the world’s fastest growing economy.

Wind farms in the Helanshan region (mid northern region of China)

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RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009

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WIND: CHINA’S WIND INDUSTRY

nevitably the international financial crisis, which has reverberated deeply into China’s economy, has had an impact on the Chinese wind power sector in a number of ways. For instance, it has contributed to declining prices for certified emissions reduction credits (CERs) under the CDM Kyoto Protocol framework, a key subsidy for wind farm development. In addition, it has caused some foreign companies to exit the Chinese wind farm development business as oil prices have declined and credit has become more difficult and costly to acquire. It has also brought on the recession that has resulted in declining energy use and falling power prices throughout China. By most accounts, however, the impact of this worldwide ﬁnancial upheaval has been limited with respect to China’s burgeoning wind power industry. This in part is attributable to the fact that the Chinese

RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009

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WIND: CHINA’S WIND INDUSTRY

wind industry’s development is in large directed by Beijing, and 80% of the market is concentrated in large state-owned enterprises. It is also due to the leadership decision in Beijing to forge ahead with renewable energy development as one element of its approach to combating the economic downturn. In fact, the centrepiece of Beijing’s response to the economic slowdown in China is a US$586 billion stimulus package – a quarter of which is expected to be allocated to environmental, renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Like the new Obama administration in the US, the Chinese government understands that they also can get a ‘twofer’ by funding renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, which will both spur economic development and advance China towards its goal of a cleaner and more sustainable future. So the silver lining to the world’s economic landscape is that China appears more committed than ever to forging ahead with a robust programme of renewable energy development – a key component of which is wind power. That commitment is already being displayed through a yuan 100 billion (US$14.8 billion) investment in renewable energy, announced in the fourth quarter of 2008, that the Chinese government is using to stimulate the economy, and a sizeable portion of which is allocated to wind power projects. WIND: AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF POWER IN CHINA While wind power in China currently accounts for only 1.3% of total power output – compared with coal-fired power at 75% – but just three years ago wind power accounted for one thousandth of total power production in China. At that staggering pace of development, the contribution of wind to total capacity will continue to increase, as the domestic wind industry matures and the cost per kW decreases. At the same time, the restructuring of the power industry will result in a more sustainable mix of power sources in the future. China’s wind energy potential is enormous. Chinese sources estimate that exploitable ‘wind resources’ that are available on land in China may be as high as 600–1000 GW, and that close-in offshore exploitable wind power potential accounts for another 700 GW. Since the Renewable Energy Law took effect on 1 January, 2006, China’s installed wind capacity has increased from 2300 MW at the end of 2005, in excess of 3200 MW at the end of 2006, to 5900 MW at the end of 2007 when China had built more than 100 wind farms in 22 provinces and cities. As of mid-2008 the country had installed more than 7000 MW of wind capacity and, according to the latest available figures, was on track to reach the symbolically important milestone of 10 GW by the end of the year – two years ahead of the revised goal. By 2010 cumulative installed wind capacity may reach 15–20 GW and after 2011 China is expected to be adding new capacity at the rate of 7–10 GW per year. Analysts currently predict that China’s base of wind power installations will total 50–60 GW by 2015, and that by 2020 it will account for 80–100 GW. The goal for 2020 was revised upward four-fold from the 30 GW goal set by the Mid to Long-Term Development Plan for Renewable Energy, promulgated by Beijing in September 2007, see Figure 1 on page 28. Central to this rapid development of wind power capacity in China is a series of ambitious mega-wind farm projects. There are

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Nordex wind turbines at Tianjin, eastern China

NORDEX GMBH

already a series of such projects in planning (and at least one under construction) that should result in a total of approximately 100 GW of wind power by 2020 – from only six mega-projects! These six large wind farm ‘bases’ include 12 GW in Gansu Province; 20 GW in Hami, in Xinjiang Province; 20 GW in Western Inner Mongolia; 30 GW in Eastern Inner Mongolia; 10 GW in Hebei Province; and 10 GW in Jiangsu Province. As the third fastest-growing wind power market in the world (after the US and Spain) and the ﬁfth largest installed base of wind power, in 2007 China attracted 15% of the world’s investment in wind power. According to Mr Li Junfeng, the vice-chairman of the Energy Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, in 2007 alone China’s wind industry attracted investments totalling yuan 34 billion ($5 billion). CHINA’S WIND EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY After several years of development, China’s wind power equipment manufacturing industry has now achieved a scale of operational and technological competence that will help accelerate the country’s development of wind power in the years ahead. Even with its rapid growth, however, the Chinese wind power equipment manufacturing industry is not yet keeping pace with demand. According to Chinese sources, there are now 67 wind turbine manufacturers operating in China (up from 40 in mid-2007 and only six in 2004), including 27 state-owned or state-controlled companies; 23 private companies; eight joint venture companies and nine wholly foreign-owned companies. For the ﬁrst time, in 2007 Chinese wind turbine manufacturers

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WIND: CHINA’S WIND INDUSTRY

accounted for more than 50% (55.4%) of all wind turbines installed in China, and because Chinese manufacturers are now capable of producing 1.5 MW, 2 MW and even 3 MW machines, the expectation is that Chinese companies’ share of wind turbine installations will continue to increase. Though the numbers of wind turbine manufacturers have increased, the most significant Chinese competitors are: Xinjiang Goldwind (Jin Feng) Science and Technology Joint Stock Co Ltd, Dongfang and Sinovel Wind Power Science and Technology Co Ltd. In the view of Han Junliang, the chairman of Sinovel, the financial crisis will benefit the Chinese wind industry by hastening the consolidation of turbine manufacturers. The domestic market will also increase as a consequence of the Notice Concerning Certain Requirements for Wind Farm Construction Management – which requires that 70% of the equipment for any wind farm project must be sourced in China. In addition, tariff changes have had the effect of supporting the development of the domestic wind turbine industry. On 23 April, 2008 the Ministry of Finance announced the elimination (as of 1 May, 2008) of tariff-free importation of wind turbines that are less than 2.5 MW. As more than 80% of the cost of a wind turbine is in the parts, the relatively quick development of an indigenous wind power equipment parts industry is also a sign of increasing maturity. Producing gearboxes, generators and blades, the domestic industry is able to satisfy current demand in China, and the fact that there are now more than 50 such companies indicates intensified competition, and perhaps the gradual appearance of these products on the export market. However, China does remain largely dependent on imports for key components, such as precision bearings, electrical and control systems, and inverters. American Superconductor Corp (AMSC), for example, has been enormously successful in selling its electrical and control systems to Chinese wind turbine manufacturers, such as Sinovel. To facilitate the import of components that are not being manufactured in China, as of 1 January 2008, the Ministry of Finance instituted a programme of rebates of tariffs and VAT taxes paid on the importation of parts and raw materials, used in the manufacture of wind turbines. The development of an indigenous manufacturing base to support the growth of wind installations in China also promises to achieve significant reductions in generating costs. Presently, wind generated power costs 0.5–0.6 yuan/kWh (7.3–8.7 US cent /kWh) to produce, while the cost of power from coal-fired plants is far less, at 0.2–0.3 yuan/kWh (2.9–4.3 US cent /kWh). Nonetheless, although only 19% of the 6458 wind turbines that were installed in China as of the end of 2007 were indigenously produced MW-class machines, the pace of adoption of domestic wind turbines is increasing. According to Chinese industry sources, if 70% of wind turbines are manufactured locally, the cost of wind turbines can be reduced by 15%, and without any other changes this could see wind generation costs fall to 0.375 yuan/kWh (5.4 US cent /kWh). If all wind turbines were manufactured domestically, the cost would decline by a total of 30%, and, again without any other cost savings factored in, costs will decline to 0.332 yuan/kWh (4.8 US cent /kWh). Factoring in a cost associated with the pollution caused by coal-fired power plants, and the likelihood that fossil fuel prices will

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increase, the Chinese believe that they can achieve pricing parity in the foreseeable future. They also recognize that to achieve such cost reductions, it will be imperative for them to invest, on average, 1.5%–3% of the cost of a wind farm on research and development. Foreign wind power equipment manufacturers, including Denmark’s Vestas, India’s Suzlon, Spain’s Gamesa, Germany’s Nordex Corp, and US player GE Energy, have already aggressively engaged the Chinese wind market. The spate of new wind turbine plants that foreign manufacturers are building in China is a result of the country’s explosive growth in wind capacity, but also a result of an industrial policy that penalizes foreign imports and rewards domestically produced wind turbines. At €60 million, Gamesa’s north coast turbine manufacturing plant in Tianjin is the company’s second largest foreign investment after the US. Germany’s Nordex has located two of its three manufacturing centres in China and has established its Asian HQ in Beijing. Nordex expects to invest an additional yuan 500 million ($60 million) to grow its business in China four-fold in the next three years. Though foreign wind turbine manufacturers have a cumulative share of 65.9% (total installed base) of the Chinese wind equipment market, inroads made by the domestic industry are evident, as illustrated by the fact that the foreign manufacturers’ market share of current installations has declined to 55.1%. The industrial policies of the Chinese government (with respect to the emerging wind industry) have been described as ‘escorting the Emperor’ and are also contributing to the declining share of foreign manufacturers. The ability of Chinese companies to move more swiftly than foreign competitors, to build factories and secure sales in China also contributes to this erosion. THE IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRIAL POLICY The Chinese government appears very adept at creating conditions for the development of particular industries, in executing such a strategy they have been: setting goals; putting in place laws, regulations and policies; creating incentives; nurturing key enterprises; convening government agencies and enterprises to develop plans; while allowing market forces to ﬂourish. Beijing’s nurturing of the wind power industry displays all of these tendencies. A November 2008 conference in Beijing (convened by the National Energy Bureau) demonstrated these forces at work. The key participants in the Chinese wind power industry from

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Solutions… Sometimes they’re hidden in the obvious. When it comes to the challenges of today’s mega-sized wind turbine gearbox, answers haven’t been that easy to ﬁnd. Until Liberty ®. With four high-speed output shafts, her QuantumTM Distributed Generation Powertrain distributes loads four times more effectively than standard gearboxes. Four smart-sized versus one mega-size…who would have guessed it could be so simple. The Liberty ® 2.5 MW…intelligent innovation. www.clipperwind.com

Clipper Windpower Plc

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Production of wind turbines in Yinchuan, China, by Germany’s Nordex NORDEX GMBH

government and industry attended, including: representatives from the Pricing Department; the New Energy Department and the Planning Department of the National Development and Reform Commission; the State Power Grid Co; China Huaneng Group Co; China Datang Group Co; the Longyuan Power Group Co. (which in 2007 became the ﬁrst Chinese developer to exceed 1000 MW of installed wind capacity); the Guohua Energy Investment Co Ltd; the Beijing Capital Power International Energy Joint Stock Co Ltd … the list goes on. Among the issues discussed was access to the power grid, the system for formulating power prices, the equipment manufacturing industry, and the ‘special permitting’ regime. Another discussion focused on the need to both strengthen oversight and

administration in wind construction planning and support systems, at both national and local levels. With respect to incentivizing the development of the wind industry in China; in 2001, Beijing reduced the value-added taxes due on the production of wind power by half, and in the eight months between October 2007 and June 2008 provided approximately 1.4 billion yuan ($205 million) in financial subsidies for the wind industry – including a 600 yuan/kW ($88/kW) payment to domestic wind turbine and component manufacturers for the first 50 MW of turbines produced. Industrial policy – including importantly the use of the ‘special permitting’ process to select and utilize domestically produced equipment for the construction and operation of those wind farms – has been a significant impetus to development of the wind industry in China. Beijing has also incentivized wind farm development through The ‘Mid to Long Term Development Plan for Renewable Energy’, so power generating companies that have an installed capacity of 5 GW or more must produce non-hydropower renewable energy of at least 3% by 2010 and 8% by 2020. The support of the Chinese government to foster the construction of power grids – connecting far-flung centres of wind power production with the population and energy consumption centres on the coasts – is also indispensable to the successful deployment of wind power. It should, however, be noted that some contend Beijing has fashioned a system which creates an ‘indirect monopoly’ for Chinese manufacturers, which particularly disadvantages foreign manufacturers, reducing competition.

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WIND: CHINA’S WIND INDUSTRY

DRAGON’S DEN? Although progress has been substantial in China, there continue to be gaps in the emerging wind power system that need to be addressed. First, Beijing has not yet completed a policy for pricing wind power. The ‘Trial Measures for Renewable Energy Power Generation Pricing and Cost Sharing’ were promulgated by the National Development and Reform Commission in 2006. They provide for the on-grid price of wind power to be determined by the administrative department of the State Council in charge of pricing – based on local conditions, in accordance with the general principal of cost plus proﬁt-margin. Power pricing for wind power ‘special permitting’ projects are to be determined by bid, but are not to exceed the level set by the administrative department of the State Council in charge of prices. Secondly, the development of power grids is lagging, causing difﬁculties in connecting and distributing power generated from wind farm developments. So, while the ‘Measures Governing Purchases by Power Grid Companies of the Total Amount of Renewable Energy Generated’ (promulgated in August 2007) provides a market for renewable energy, the lack of a fully developed grid makes that promise somewhat illusory. In 2007, for example, the State Power Grid Co distributed only one tenth (5 TWh) of the potential energy that China’s wind farms were theoretically able to produce at a 100% load factor. Thirdly, the technological level of domestic wind turbine manufacturers still needs to be improved, and the quality of some of the domestic wind turbine components is not high enough. Nonetheless, in spite of some remaining issues, the Chinese wind

sector is booming, backed by concerted and considered government support, and a rapidly expanding domestic manufacturing industry. It is therefore perhaps surprising that some foreign interests have withdrawn investment from the Chinese wind sector over recent months. For instance, November 2008 saw the end of BP’s cooperation with Xinjiang Goldwind (Jinfeng) to build the 148.5 MW Inner Mongolia Damao Wind Power Project, it also withdrew its investment in the Asian wind power industry. At nearly the same time, Japan’s Harakosan Co Ltd announced it would sell its 27% interest in the Hara XEMC Wind Power Co Ltd to its joint venture partner XEMC, of Hunnan Province. Though these might be isolated cases, the old trap of lower energy prices tempting some to abandon the push towards greater reliance on wind power is suspected. Clearly, the Chinese are not taking the bait. Lou Schwartz is president of China Strategies LLC, and publisher of the China Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development Report. A Harvard graduate and ﬂuent in Mandarin Chinese, Lou assists companies, non-proﬁts and governments with various projects involving China’s legal system, economic development, trade and investment. e-mail: lou@chinastrategiesllc.com This article is available on-line. To comment on it or forward it to a colleague, visit www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com

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PHOTOVOLTAICS: MULTI-MW THIN-FILM

UTILITY-SCALE THIN-FILM

A thin-ﬁlm PV power plant in Brandis, Germany, as realized by the juwi group based in Wörrstadt JUWI SOLAR/WITT

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THREE NEW PLANTS IN GERMANY TOTAL ALMOST 50 MW

ermany has been breaking records with its thin-ﬁlm developments, and with three different developments totalling almost 50 MW of new capacity, this rapidly emerging technology continues to set the bar higher. David Appleyard reports.

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PHOTOVOLTAICS: MULTI-MW THIN-FILM

lthough still lagging behind crystalline silicon in the maximum efficiency stakes, as costs per Wp fall, thin-film technologies are rapidly taking up a significant share of the PV market. Industry figures give a compound annual growth rate of 60% between 2002 and 2007, and production capacity could reach more than 10 GW in 2010 and 16 GW in 2012. Although uncertainty remains over the timescale, the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) nonetheless expects about 4 GW of thin-film production capacity to be operational in 2010. Based mainly in Europe, China, Taiwan, the USA and Japan, this will represent about 20% of total PV module production, up from 10% in 2007. Consequently, the thin-film sector is considered not only a very dynamic market, but one which also benefits from significant potential for development. Scaling factors, efficiency gains and the new production technologies are expected to reduce thin-film module manufacturing costs to €1/Wp (and below) in the near future, EPIA says. Efficiency is anticipated to rise from a current 6%–12% to 10%–15% in the coming years, with a potential of more than 20% in the longer term. Meanwhile, potential material developments include optimization of different technologies (a-Si, a-Si/μc-Si, CI(G)S and CdTe) in addition to the development of new polymers and other types of organic, dye-sensitive solar cells. A clear signal of growing confidence in the sector was provided by EPIA’s International Thin Film Conference. Held in November 2008, the event was the first EPIA event to focus on thin-film. With over 350 participants in attendance, the conference, held in Munich, Germany, heard that more than 150 companies had already entered the thin-film business, with some 40 of these already in production. Winfried Hoffmann, EPIA president, explained that while crystalline

silicon module prices have shown a 20% decrease with each doubling of installed capacity, in the case of thin-film modules this digression rate may be higher, especially in the wake of the silicon shortage. Paula Mints, analyst at Navigant Consulting (and occasional REW contributor), presented analytical data on the evolution of the thin-film PV market, showing a spectacular annual growth rate of 126% in 2007, although she also warned that due to the current global financial environment, growth expectations for the next two to three years need to be reduced slightly. The subtitle of the conference: ‘Thin Film goes Large!’ seemed particularly appropriate, given that Germany is host to a range of thinfilm projects that more than illustrate the technology’s potential. With three new large-scale thin-film PV installations recently commissioned, with a combined capacity of some 50 MW, Germany can provide an excellent insight into the real cut and thrust of the thin-film market. PITCHED ROOF INSTALLATION Located in Moers, near Duisberg, on the site of a former coalmine, the head office of Riedel Recycling has been home to Germany’s largest pitched-roof thin-film plant since October 2008. The PV system has an output of 837 kW and will deliver around 750 MWh per year. Supplied by the American manufacturer First Solar, the black cadmium telluride (CdTe) modules cover the large south-facing roof, covering nearly 10,000 square metres of the former coal mixing hall. Mining at the site was discontinued in the 1990s, and since 2001 Riedel has used the building for recycling construction materials and storing wood. Installed at a height of up to 30 metres, and at inclinations of 36º, 55º and 75º, the 11,467 modules could only be fitted with an

The vast PV roof structure at Riedel Recycling, Moers, covers nearly 10,000 square metres

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RIEDEL RECYCLING GMBH

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inclined lift and a ladder. In particular, explains Günter Grandjean from system provider Solaxis GmbH, the inclination of the main roof, at 36º, caused problems ‘for the human body, this angle is very unusual.’ Even so, the installation was completed in three months. The owners, brothers Ludger and Norbert Riedel, explain their reasoning in installing thin-film: ‘Thin-film modules are a good choice at our latitude, since they deliver a good output, even with weak solar irradiation,’ explains Ludger Riedel. The solar plant cost €3.4 million net, which included a new roof covering – the service technicians replaced asbestos-containing corrugated sheets with steel while they installed the solar modules. Riedel continues, ‘In the best case, the plant will have already paid for itself after 10 years thanks to the increased feed-in remuneration of 44 eurocent/kWh.’ Placing a lot of emphasis on energy efficiency he adds: ‘We want a sustainable investment that pays off and fits well with our company philosophy.’ This philosophy is evident elsewhere at the site too. The twostorey administration building was once a fair-stand of a Japanese computer manufacturer and uses rescued facade coverings, entrance doors and lamps from a bank building before it was demolished. The flooring of the stairs is made out of recycled glass and brick dust, while the windows of the administration building previously saw service in the pithead baths of the Pattberg coalmine. Four Sputnik Engineering SolarMax central inverters are installed

at the facility, two at 300 kW, together with one at 100 kW and 30 kW respectively. In another example of clever thinking and maximizing efficiency, heat generated by the SolarMax C Series central inverters, which have a maximum efficiency of 96%, is used for space heating. In Moers this amounts to around 45 kW. ‘We transfer the waste heat to the air conditioning system with heat exchangers and into the administration building,’ explains Grandjean of the system which supplys the complete heating needs of about 30 employees. Further installations are also planned. In addition to the hall roofs, the roof of the former fair-stand could also supply electricity. ‘We are considering installing tracking solar plants on the outer columns,’ reports Norbert Riedel. A further possibility would be to mount solar modules on the old watertower, which lies to the south of the processing hall. UTILITY-SCALE PLAY On a somewhat larger scale comes one of the world’s largest thinfilm solar parks, recently commissioned by Conergy Deutschland GmbH in Trier, near Germany’s border with Luxembourg. Developed on behalf of local utility group Stadtwerke Trier (SWT), Conergy built the 8.4 MWp thin-film installation over a period of six months. The installation includes more than 112,500 thin-film modules, again supplied by First Solar, over an area of 250,000 square metres. These modules are mounted on 40,000 Conergy

In the best case, the plant will have already paid for itself after ten years thanks to the increased feed-in remuneration of 44 eurocent/kWh Solar Linea model mounting systems, and are linked to 28 Conergy IPG 300K series inverters. Capital expenditure for the grid-connected project amounted to around €30 million, and the output from the facility is sold at the lucrative feed-in tariff of 35.49 eurocents/kWh – a rate that the operators will enjoy for over 20 years. The plant is expected to produce over 9 GWh annually, enough to supply over 2400 four-person homes all-year around, the company claims. ‘We’re very happy about the project’s quick realization, and we’re proud that our plant is immediately producing environmentally friendly electricity for homes in Trier,’ said Rudolf Schöller, the project manager at SWT responsible for the solar park. ‘Considering the great demand, we hadn’t expected to obtain all the modules by the year’s end,’ added Schöller. ‘The project shows that power supply companies have now discovered photovoltaics for themselves,’ says Conergy Deutschland managing director Jochen Kirmaier. He goes on to explain: ‘In light of the current capital market crisis, solar energy has now become a safe and sought-after investment.’

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IPP DEVELOPMENT Meanwhile, with its final phase of commissioning, the Waldpolenz energy park in Brandis, near Leipzig, has now become the world’s biggest thin-film solar PV power plant. The juwi group – based in Bolanden, south-western Germany– built the 40 MW thin-film solar park, completing the installation the end of 2008. The solar power station, located in the eastern German state of Saxony, is expected to generate approximately 40 GWh annually, displacing about 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. Construction at the site, a former military airbase, began in

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The 40 MW thin-ﬁlm project at Brandis JUWI SOLAR/WITT

February 2007. In August that year the ﬁrst building phase was completed and the ofﬁcial inauguration of some 6 MW of capacity took place. Built on half of the 220 hectare site, in the townships of Brandis and Bennewitz, the surface area of the installation is approximately one kilometre wide by two kilometres long. Indeed, one key to the development was the site itself. ‘In Brandis we’re building on an area of more than a million square metres. By contrast, most house roofs are only 40 to 50 square metres,’ says Matthias Willenbacher, co-head of the juwi group, adding: ‘There are very few contiguous areas of this kind and size in Germany.’ Investment in the Waldpolenz solar park amounts to some €130 million and when juwi announced the 40 MW solar project they stated an installed project cost of €3.25/W. Working jointly with the Sachsen LB Group, the juwi group

has structured a professional equity capital and external ﬁnancing scheme. SachsenFonds GmbH – a subsidiary of the Sachsen LB Group – has been offering to interested investors owner’s equity of the project in the form of closed-end funds since late summer 2007. The move allows inhabitants of the region to have the opportunity to participate in the project with investments starting at €5000. ‘We are proud to have been able to implement such a unique, forward-looking project of this scale together with juwi and SachsenFonds,’ says Sachsen LB board member Werner Eckert. In addition, Germany’s legislation – the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) – stipulates payment of approximately 35 eurocents/kWh, making installations that use innovative technology, such as thin-ﬁlm, commercially cost-effective.

Inhabitants of the region have the opportunity to participate in the project with investments starting at €5000

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‘The Sachsen LB Group’s long track record in project financing renewable energy projects clinched our financing decision,’ says Fred Jung, co-CEO and co-founder of the juwi group. As general contractor, juwi was in charge of the planning, logistics and construction site management, and says that the project is creating impetus for the regional and national labour market. juwi, whose own employees are responsible for the operational management, service and maintenance of the park, adds that projects such as this one also create jobs in related supplier sectors, such as the module, inverter and metal construction industries. Most of the 550,000 First Solar modules for this project, for instance, are being produced in Frankfurt (Oder) in eastern Germany where one of the world’s biggest and most modern production facility for thin-film modules was opened in July, 2008 – creating 400 jobs. The inverters from SMA and sub-structures are also made in Germany, juwi says. In addition, juwi solar GmbH, the group’s solar arm, plans to set up a base on the grounds in Brandis and steadily add personnel in the coming years. ‘Particularly with [a] view to more projects in the region,’ says Lars Falck, managing director of juwi solar GmbH. Willenbacher explains further: ‘At a time when the whole world is discussing climate change we are demonstrating the capabilities of renewable energies. Solar electricity is not only good for the environment, it also builds independence from expensive energy imports and creates new jobs. Freestanding installations are an affordable segment of photovoltaics and contribute greatly to that

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PHOTOVOLTAICS: MULTI-MW THIN-FILM

success.’ Willenbacher points out that, ‘with this installation in Brandis and Bennewitz, we are demonstrating that photovoltaics no longer faces any limits. Very soon everyone will be able to actively contribute towards withdrawal from nuclear energy and a climatechanging, fossil-based power supply – by simply switching to solar energy.’ He adds: ‘That fosters independence, secures local jobs, preserves the environment, and is easy on your wallet.’ Due to its size, which in turn means savings potential across all the system costs, the Brandis plant is a demonstration of the progress being made on cost-cutting in the photovoltaic industry. Thus, with a price of approximately €3250/kW, the installation is around 20%–40% cheaper than the going German market price. ‘Our thin-ﬁlm modules can be produced cost-effectively, meet the highest quality standards and generate superior energy yields,’ says Stephan Hansen, managing director of the German subsidiary First Solar GmbH. ‘Large-scale projects such as these make a huge contribution to making solar electricity more competitive,’ comments Willenbacher. ‘No other solar power plant in the world is as big and as cost-effective as the juwi project in Brandis,’ he adds, saying: ‘Within just a few years the price of solar electricity produced on your own rooftop will be cheaper than the power supplied by the energy utilities. Photovoltaics will then reach completely new dimensions because everyone will want their own installation. That will launch an unprecedented boom.’ The solar industry anticipates that in just eight to 10 years solar electricity will have achieved wide spread grid parity. ‘Thin-ﬁlm modules have long since reached series maturity, are cheaper to produce than crystalline modules, are higher-yielding,

and above all are not affected by scarcities of and dependency on raw material,’ emphasises Falck. For example, to supply 10% of Saxony state’s (an 18,000 km2 area of eastern Germany) annual power demand by PV installations, some 2 TWh of solar power a year would have to be produced. The area needed to generate this would be around 4000 hectares. That corresponds to just 2% of the developed and trafﬁc area of Saxony. ‘These ﬁgures show that solar power can make a big contribution to generating climate-friendly energy,’ says Falck.

Thin-film modules have long since reached series maturity, are cheaper to produce than crystalline modules, are highe yielding, and above all are not affected by scarcities of raw material THE FUTURE FOR THIN-FILM Although there has been a rapid ramp up in the number of companies within the thin-film sector, it’s noteworthy that all three of these projects use modules manufactured by First Solar; speaking at the EPIA thin-film event, that company’s Benny Buller argued that their cadmium telluride (CdTe) modules have the lowest module production cost in the sector, allowing for the lowest module price in the current market. This echoes comments from Mike Ahearn, chairman and CEO of First Solar, who in December said: ’Looking ahead to the next 2-4 years, First Solar will be in a position to produce power from the sun at costs competitive with conventional electricity generated from fossil fuels.’ With a strong policy for cost reduction (glass loss reduction, tellurium cadmium oxide (TCO) loss reduction, low cost encapsulants, faster TCO deposition rates and such like), efficiency increases and economies of scale, in its latest earnings announcement, released in late October, First Solar announced a manufacturing cost of $1.08/W, a figure which includes a $0.04/W ramping up cost associated with factories under construction in Malaysia. It is clear that with a range of large-scale projects already in operation (where the appropriate support mechanisms are in place), thin-film is rapidly establishing itself as a market force to be reckoned with, both in Germany and around the world. Conference chairman Bernhard Dimmler of Würth Solar GmbH & Co KG summed up the prospects for the technology by asking not if thin-film was competitive with crystalline technologies but rather: ‘Will c-Si be able to compete with thin-film PV in 10 years time?’ He argues that if thin-film PV producers are able to reach their targets, the answer is ‘no’.

David Appleyard is associate editor of Renewable Energy World magazine. e-mail: rew@pennwell.com With thanks to Iris Krampitz for original research on the Riedel Recycling case study. __________

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May 27– 29, 2009 N e w M u n i c h Tr a d e F a i r C e n t r e , G e r m a n y

1,300 Exhibitors 100,000 sqm Exhibition Space Conference and Supporting Program estec2009 | PV Industry Forum Job & Career Forum Innovation Exchange

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20 YEARS OF WIND TURBINES AN INDUSTRY RUNNING ON PROTOTYPES?

he wind turbine sector is growing rapidly both with regards to the number of installed wind turbines, and the capacity of newly developed and manufactured machines. The importance of considering all stages of a wind turbine project as a life cycle circle, together with the need to provide appropriate services throughout the life cycle, cannot be underestimated, Torsten Muuß explains.

Wind power accounts for the dominant share of global investment in renewable energy – total wind power capacity grew by 27% worldwide in 2007 to reach an estimated 94 GW. Today, wind power produces around 1% of global electricity production, but this is projected to increase to 2% in 2010 and to 6% in 2017, corresponding to an installed wind capacity of 270 GW in 2010, and 700 GW in 2017. The annual investment value for this level of development is estimated at €58 billion in 2010, and €118 billion from 2017 and onwards. This compares with a unit cost for a state-of-the-art onshore wind turbine of €1380 per kW installed in 2007. Given such a large level of investment, the absolute necessity of operating wind turbines on an economically sound footing means that down-time must be minimized. Consequently, operators and manufacturers of wind turbines try to obtain operational availability of more than the 97%, which is often contractually established and guaranteed by the manufacturers. However, the wind energy market is very demanding – not only for the manufacturers but also for the project developers and owners – and there is a pressing requirement to plan bigger projects and to increase the energy output per site. This trend has driven demand for machines with a larger rated capacity and, as Table 1, opposite, shows, that the rated power of turbines has increased exponentially over the last 25 years. Wind speed generally increases exponentially with hub height, and

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larger machines are therefore exposed to higher wind speeds. Together with the larger rotor diameter seen in larger machines, these factors have a direct influence on the power output. But growth in the size and capacity of wind turbines has also resulted in the loads on individual components increasing dramatically. Due to this rapid market development, companies are under pressure to start building new, larger designs as quickly as possible. Consequently, some turbines have been developed or older designs up-scaled over such a short period that the results from measurements and field data could not be considered in the new design. Inevitably, a lot of lessons have been learned by all involved parties. The testing period has been prolonged before putting newly developed wind turbine designs into serial production. Nonetheless, it is essential to recognize that overall performance of a turbine not only depends on the design stage, but also on each stage of its complete life time. Most of the wind turbines types are certified to international or national standards and requirements. But none of these Type Certificates available in the market today will give the turbine owner any warranties. The certificate does only state that the design is in conformity with given requirements, if the turbine is manufactured, installed and operated in accordance with the design documentation. According to the certification standard IEC WT 01 manufacturing evaluation has to be carried out for the type certification. But this general

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TABLE 1. KEY WIND TURBINE DEVELOPMENT PARAMETERS 1980–2005

Output capacity

Rotor diameter

Nacelle height

30 kW

15 m

30 m

1985

80 kW

20 m

40 m

1990

250 kW

30 m

50 m

1995

600 kW

46 m

78 m

2000

1500 kW

70 m

100 m

2005

5000 kW

115 m

120 m

1980

inspection is normally carried out only on the prototype. Manufacturing evaluation activities will have much higher value when the focus is on specific deliveries. The wind turbine life can only be fulfilled if certification requirements are sufficient, the turbine is manufactured and installed in accordance with specifications and it is operated and maintained as specified. This clearly emphasises the need for inspection on each unit, especially in case of local manufacturing. A full life cycle circle services strategy for wind turbines is therefore indispensable in order to predict future damage, to prevent secondary damage to other components and in order to schedule maintenance requirements and therefore keep downtime to a minimum.

THE SIX STAGES OF LIFE CYCLE SERVICES The complete lifetime of a wind turbine or a wind turbine project may be broken down into six phases, each with its associated life cycle services, please see Figure 1 on page 44. Each phase may further be broken down into separate components. The six phases are: Phase I: Verification of the design basis Phase II: Verification of the detailed design Phase III: Manufacturing survey Phase IV: Monitoring and supervision of transportation & installation Phase V: Survey of the commissioning process Phase VI: Performing of different periodical in-service inspections. PHASE I – VERIFICATION OF DESIGN BASIS Site conditions: Evaluation of the site conditions verifies that the wind, environmental and geotechnical conditions are in compliance with the relevant guideline and standard. Codes, standards and requirements: The codes and standards which form the basis for the project should be listed. For the site in question, relevant statutory requirements also need to be listed. Such requirements could be safety-related issues such as embarkation, rescue and decommissioning.

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Figure 1. The six lifecyle stages of a wind turbine installation.

Design: The design of the integrated structure, comprising wind turbine and tower and foundation, should be based on the specific site conditions. This includes the review of wind turbine approval and grid connection. Transport, installation, commissioning, O&M: It is necessary that requirements and manuals for transport, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance should be reviewed for assessment at a later stage. PHASE II – VERIFICATION OF DESIGN Based on the approved design basis for the project, the second phase should start with verification of the detailed design for the specific project. Verification of load and response: The loads should be verified based on documentation review and independent analyses for compliance with the approved design basics. In order to verify the site-specific loads for the turbine or turbines in question, an independent, full dynamic load modelling of the whole integrated system consisting of wind turbine and tower and foundation should be carried out. Critical load combinations should be analysed in order to verify the loads. Verification of the wind turbine: The design evaluation should be carried out to an extent that is sufficient to establish whether a component, load assumptions, etc. comply with the design basis. This practice should also cover tower and foundation. The verification of the wind turbine should consider the most aggressive environmental conditions. Environmental (climatic) conditions other than wind can also affect the integrity and safety of the wind turbine. These conditions include, but are not limited to, thermal, photochemical, corrosive, mechanical, electrical issues and other physical actions. Moreover, combinations of the given climatic parameters may

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increase their effects. Hence, the documentation for utilization ratios should be subject to special considerations. The resultant site-specific loads for all components should be evaluated with respect to the loads used in the type approval. Any increases in load level as well as any changes in vibration modes/natural frequencies need to be considered. This evaluation should consider the relevance and validity of load measurements, functional testing and component tests such as blade tests. Verification of electrical systems: The electrical system comprises electrical design not covered by the wind turbine type approval in question. The design should be verified for compliance with the appropriate standards focusing on the safety of the installations defined in the approved design basis. Verification of installation and commissioning procedures: The wind turbine should have an installation and commissioning manual, which as a minimum consists of the installation and commissioning procedures, and emergency procedures specified by the wind turbine manufacturer. The manual should also include contingency procedures. Verification of operation and maintenance: User and service and maintenance manuals, which at a minimum contain the service and maintenance requirements and emergency procedures specified by the manufacturer, should be supplied with the wind turbine. The manuals should also provide for unscheduled maintenance. PHASE III – MANUFACTURING SURVEY For this phase the information from Phase II is essential to check if the approved design requirements are implemented into the manufacturing phase.

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The evaluation of quality control mainly relies on the presence of a certified ISO 9001 system. In addition, a manufacturing survey is necessary to include inspection/audit activities to verify that the manufacture of the wind turbines for the specific project is carried out according to the approved design and quality. The extent of inspection and audits to be carried out should be evaluated for each single project and wind turbine type. The following items may be used as basis for this evaluation: t # MBEFT *OTQFDUJPO UZQJDBMMZ PO B TQPU DIFDL CBTJT 7JTVBM JOTQFDUJPO of a minimum of one blade before it is shipped. Review of final manufacturing documentation. t " TTFNCMZ PG UIF UVSCJOF NBDIJOFSZ *OTQFDUJPO PG UIF BTTFNCMFE machinery in the nacelle and review of final documentation. t . BJO HFBS "VEJU PG UIF NBOVGBDUVSJOH QSPDFTT BOE PS BTTFNCMZ process. Witness of the final testing and review of the final manufacturing documentation. t ) VC DBTU JSPO *OTQFDUJPO PO B TQPU DIFDL CBTJT PS BVEJU PG UIF manufacturing process. Visual inspection of a minimum of one hub before it is shipped. Review of final documentation. t . BJO TIBGU GPSHFE SPMMFE PS DBTU *OTQFDUJPO PO B TQPU DIFDL CBTJT PS audit of the manufacturing process. Visual inspection of a minimum of one shaft before it is shipped. Review of final documentation. t . BDIJOF GSBNF TUSVDUVSF BOE NBJO CFBSJOH IPVTJOH XFMEFE PS DBTU Inspection on a spot check basis. Visual inspection of a minimum of one machine frame before it is shipped. Review of final documentation. t ( FOFSBUPS USBOTGPSNFS BOE DPOWFSUFS /PSNBM UZQF UFTUT BOE JOEJWJEVBM tests shall be carried out by the manufacturer. Attend the type tests and review the documentation. t 0 UIFS DPNQPOFOUT TVDI BT TMFX SJOH BOE TQFDJBM CFBSJOHT

t 5 ZQF PG NBOVGBDUVSJOH QSPDFTT VTFE F H IBOE MBZ VQ QSF QSFH PS vacuum infusion of laminates for blades, nacelles, spinners; manual or automatic welding for towers, etc. t 5 ZQF PG RVBMJUZ DPOUSPM GPS FYBNQMF /%5 PS WJTVBM JOTQFDUJPO TUBUJTUJDBM methods or testing each item t " QQSPQSJBUFOFTT PG UIF NBOVGBDUVSFS T RVBMJUZ TZTUFN JO SFMBUJPO UP UIF speciﬁc manufacturing process and control activities t & YUFOU PG JOTQFDUJPO CZ UIF QVSDIBTFS F H XJOE UVSCJOF NBOVGBDUVSFS T inspection of sub-suppliers t " WBJMBCJMJUZ PG DFSUJmFE EPDVNFOUT TQFDJGZJOH UIF RVBMJUZ SFRVJSFNFOUT t / BUJPOBM PS JOUFSOBUJPOBM NBOVGBDUVSJOH DPEFT BOE TUBOEBSET BQQMJFE t " WBJMBCJMJUZ PG SFMFWBOU RVBMJUZ DPOUSPM EPDVNFOUT TVDI BT SFRVJSFNFOUT for ﬁnal manufacturing documentation, test programmes, acceptance test procedures, NDT procedures, weld procedures, corrosion protection, handling, curing, heat treatment, mechanical testing requirements, etc. t " DDFTT UP UIF NBOVGBDUVSJOH GBDJMJUJFT TVC TVQQMJFST BOE manufacturing documents t 1 SPDFEVSFT GPS IBOEMJOH PG EFWJBUJPOT UP SFRVJSFNFOUT F H XBJWFS procedures. PHASE IV – INSTALLATION SURVEY The transportation and installation of wind turbine components are crucial phases for a wind farm project. Monitoring and supervision at these phases is important to detect defects before the commencement of installation since it may not be possible to correct deviations after installation. For example failures during the installation of foundation could result in foundation cracks during the operation of the turbine which could not be detected after the foundation is set in the ground.

An independent third party inspection company should witness commissioning of at least one wind turbine at the site in order to verify that the site works cranes, elevators/lifts, couplings, pitch and yaw drives, controller, hydraulic units, power cables, and electrical panels may also be subject to surveillance. A scope of work for inspection service has to be developed/specified for each of these items. This scope should include utilization of standards together with input from the design evaluation. Such input from the design evaluation may contain critical items/processes identified during the design evaluation, test programmes/procedures for serial production, approved design documentation such as drawings and specifications, and details from prototype testing. For the tower and foundations, the extent of inspections and audits to be carried out will be evaluated for each single project. Depending on the type of structure and evaluation of the manufacturing of steel plates, primary and secondary steel structure and the manufacturing of concrete structures may be required. The following considerations should also typically influence the detailed scope for the manufacturing survey: t . BOVGBDUVSFS T FYQFSJFODF XJUI SFTQFDU UP EFMJWFSZ PG UIF TQFDJmD JUFN to wind turbines t &YQFSJFODF XJUI UIF NBOVGBDUVSFS t 5 JNF TDIFEVMF BOE OVNCFS PG JUFNT GPS UIF TQFDJmD EFMJWFSZ

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PHASE V – COMMISSIONING SURVEY During commissioning, all systems and equipment should be checked for compliance with approved documentation and commissioning procedures. The relevant systems need to be functionally tested as practicable, in accordance with approved procedures. An independent third party inspection company should witness commissioning of at least one wind turbine at the site in order to verify that the site works involving assembly and erection, and commissioning is performed according to the approved wind turbine design and installation manual. The survey should be concluded with reports that describe the activities carried out and detail the observations made during the course of the audit. For the commissioning survey a scope of work will be tailored. PHASE VI - IN-SERVICE In order to secure that high standards are maintained throughout the lifetime of the wind farm, in-service inspections are critical over the lifetime of a turbine. The in-service phase implies an activity in which the wind turbine, tower and foundation are regularly surveyed. Different inspection types exist, for example, regular inspections, gearbox analysis including oil analysis, and inspection of rotor blades and coatings. In addition, condition monitoring supported inspections should be applied, extended by vibration measurement, endoscopy of the gearbox, thermography of electrical components, and such like.

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ǍźȀ ̪ź ɧȳź¨Ǫ ¨ġȓʮʐ ɘ Ȁźɞƹ̱ĻʮǮʐʮɞźə ɄɄɄ ̪ź ǹź¨Ȁ ɘɧʮɧʐ¨ǘȀ¨ġǮź Šź̩źǮȓȳǹźȀʐə !ƾŖȄƃʲīȴƮȡȴȄŖǮ ƑƘȌ ƘȌ ȡƑŖ 3©ƹŖȌ©ȁȌ ȄŖȌǤǋƾȌŖ ȡǋ ȡƑŖ ƃȄŖ©ȡ īƑ©ƮƮŖƾƃŖ ȡƑŖ ǤȄŖȌŖƾȡ ȌǋīƘŖȡʲ ƘȌ ű©īƘƾƃĸ ȡƑŖ {ȴȌȡ©Ƙƾ©ĠƮŖ !īǋƾǋƹƘī ŖʪŖƮǋǤƹŖƾȡǮ >ȡ ƘȌ © īƑ©ƮƮŖƾƃŖ ȡƑŖ īǋƹǤ©ƾʲ ű©īŖȌ Ġʲ ŃŖʪŖƮǋǤƘƾƃ ǋʫƾ ȡŖīƑƾǋƮǋƃƘŖȌ ȡƑ©ȡ īǋƾȡȄƘĠȴȡŖ ȡǋ © īƮŖ©ƾĹ ŖŵīƘŖƾȡ ©ƾŃ ȌȴȌȡ©Ƙƾ©ĠƮŖ ǤǋʫŖȄ ȌȴǤǤƮʲĹ ʫƑƘīƑ ƘȌ ƹ©ȡŖȄƘ©ƮƘʸŖŃ Ƙƾ ȡƑŖƘȄ ǋʫƾ ʫƘƾŃ ȡȴȄĠƘƾŖȌĹ ©ĠƮŖ ȡǋ ŖʰȡȄ©īȡ ȡƑŖ ƹ©ʰƘƹȴƹ ǤǋʫŖȄ űȄǋƹ ʫƘƾŃǮ ƑƘȌ ʫ©ʲ ʫŖ ƹ©ƪŖ ǋȴȄ īƮƘŖƾȡȌȁ ʫƘƾŃ ǤȄǋƨŖīȡȌ ǤȄǋŷȡ©ĠƮŖ Ƙƾ ȡƑŖ ŷʪŖ īǋƾȡƘƾŖƾȡȌǮ ƾŃ ʫŖ ĠŖȡ ǋƾ ©ƾ ƘƾȡŖƃȄ©Ʈ ȄŖȌǤǋƾȌŖǮ 2Ȅǋƹ ȡƑŖ ȄŖȌŖ©ȄīƑ ©ƾŃ ŃŖʪŖƮǋǤƹŖƾȡ ǋű ǋȴȄ ȡŖīƑƾǋƮǋƃƘŖȌĹ ʫŖ ƹ©ƾȴű©īȡȴȄŖ ȡƑŖ īȄƘȡƘī©Ʈ īǋƹǤǋƾŖƾȡȌ ©ƾŃ ©ȌȌŖƹĠƮŖ ȡƑŖ ʫƘƾŃ ȡȴȄĠƘƾŖȌ Ƙƾ ȨȰ ǤȄǋŃȴīȡƘǋƾ īŖƾȡȄŖȌǮ ƑŖ ƹǋȄŖ ȡƑ©ƾ ǙȨĹʼʼʼ X ƘƾȌȡ©ƮƮŖŃ ƹ©ƪŖ ȴȌ © ƮŖ©ŃƘƾƃ īǋƹǤ©ƾʲǮ ƘȡƑ ǋƾŖ īǋƹƹƘȡƹŖƾȡĸ ŃŖʪŖƮǋǤƘƾƃ ȡŖīƑƾǋƮǋƃƘī©Ʈ ȌǋƮȴȡƘǋƾȌ Ȍǋ ȡƑ©ȡ ȡƑŖ ǤȄǋŃȴīȡȌ ȌȴǤǤƮƘŖŃ Ġʲ 3©ƹŖȌ© ©ȄŖ ȡƑŖ ƹǋȌȡ ŖŵīƘŖƾȡ ©ƾŃ ȌȴȌȡ©Ƙƾ©ĠƮŖ Ƙƾ ȡƑŖ ƹ©ȄƪŖȡǮ

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The strictest consideration must be given to the detection of defects at an early stage, with the subsequent avoidance of consequential damages and unscheduled downtime. Inspections on a regular basis can also ensure both public safety as well as the safety of the wind turbine. It cannot replace the necessary maintenance of the machine, but it is an additional measure to evaluate the condition. The strictest consideration must be given to the detection of defects at an early stage, with the subsequent avoidance of consequential damages and unscheduled downtime. In any case it is important that the individual demands and requirements of the inspection are considered in choosing individual and applied inspection techniques and sequences, together with the history of wind turbines, including operational data and condition monitoring. The detailed inspection plan will identify the survey activities required as well as instructions for the reporting. Reports should highlight any findings or deviations during the annual survey. Major findings and deviations should be reported as recommendations, for the owner for example. As a part of the inspection, records of maintenance, repairs and inspections carried out have to be reviewed and verified against the approved programme. During the inspection the follow-up on outstanding items from the previous annual survey and status on recommendations should be conducted together with a review of revised procedures, maintenance documentation, and maintenance history. The inspection should cover the relevant systems of the wind turbine installations, such as the rotor – including blades and hub assembly –

mechanical transmission including gear boxes; nacelle structure and connections; generators, converters and transformers; control and protection systems; electrical systems; lifting appliances; and personnel safety installations. And the inspection of these systems should further focus on fatigue cracks; dents and deformation(s); bolt pre-tension; status on outstanding points from previous surveys; settings and parameters used by the control system; cooling media for transformer and generator, if applicable; lubrication where applicable; testing of the control and protection system (witness tests carried out by the operator); the condition monitoring system; and, additional surveys identified based on findings and deviations, for example following witnessing of tests and inspections in order to distinguish between random and systematic failures. ADDITIONAL MEASUREMENT AND ANALYSIS It may be helpful and/or necessary to extend the normal inspection scope by other techniques. These include vibration measurement. For the vibration measurement sensors are installed (by magnets or gluing) on the main bearing, gearbox and generator. With a measurement that takes approximately five minutes during operation of the turbine, it is possible to detect failures at bearings and within the gearbox. Furthermore it is possible to pin-point the defect or the damaged part of a bearing. Using vibration monitoring it is also possible to detect a misalignment of the drive train between the generator and gearbox.

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However, due to the fact that analysis of vibration measurement has its limits – for example vibration measurement has difficulty in revealing damage to the planetary stage of the gearbox because of overlapping frequencies from several parts – it is necessary to complement this by oil analysis and endoscopy inspection. For the wind turbine gearbox, wear debris particle analysis is a powerful tool for predicting mechanical failures. The technique isolates wear particles from machinery, and classifies the debris by both microscopic and chemical analyses. Testing of used oil is a preventative maintenance tool that operates as an early warning system. Using this technique it is possible to detect failures at the planetary stage of the gearbox, for example. An investigation of the shape, surface, size and colours of the material can identify the alloy, and the frequency of its occurrence may be used to determine if the wear is severe. With this examination, it is possible to identify if particles come from cutting wear, severe sliding or fatigue. Their origin might also be as a result of ingress from the environment, like sand or dust. The particles will be classified into different sizes and numbers to be able to identify if the level is changing during the on-going operation of the wind turbine. Based on the results of the vibration measurement and/or oil analysis, a video-endoscopy inspection of the accessible gearbox toothing and bearings can be carried out. A visual inspection of the damaged parts gives a clear picture of their condition. Based on the scope of a general inspection it is also useful to extend the inspection at the end of warranty period by vibration measurement of the drive train (main bearing, gearbox, generator bearings) as well as a gear oil analysis. LIVE LONG AND PROSPER In the last 25 years the size of wind turbines has increased very rapidly – rotor diameters have increased eight-fold and the rated power more than 150-fold. Due to this rapid growth, wind turbine manufacturers have expanded research and development activities, and sometimes resorted to insufficient and relatively short testing periods before newly-designed turbines are launched commercially. This has contributed to some serial failures that occurred shortly after commissioning of the wind turbines. Consequently, it is necessary to adopt a strategy to carry out life cycle services, not only to assure the financially viable operation of the wind turbines, but also to reduce down-times due to detectable failures. Life cycle services rely on the adequate certification, verification, testing and inspection of a wind turbine by using the information gathered in each stage of a wind farm project phase. Starting at the design phase, the life cycle continues with the different manufacturing processes, the installation phase, the commissioning phase and the in-service stage – the longest period of all. A number of critical factors must be considered, most importantly are the detection of defects at an early stage, and the avoidance of consequential damages and unscheduled downtime. Choosing the right individual and applied inspection techniques and inspection sequences are therefore crucial.

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Torsten Muuß is global technical manager of wind energy for SGS Group Management Ltd. e-mail: torsten.muuss@sgs.com This article is available on-line. To comment on it or forward it to a colleague, visit www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com

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Photovoltaics made us grand. CSP unique.

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PROJECT PROFILE: CSP – JÜLICH TOWER

SALT-FREE SOLAR CSP TOWER USING AIR C

oncentrating solar power (CSP) is an emerging technology that offers the potential to supply utilityscale peaking power competitively. Mark Schmitz reports on the solar tower test and demonstration plant at Jülich, a novel pre-commercial project in Germany which uses air as a heat transport medium.

The solar tower test and demonstration plant at Jülich MARK SCHMITZ

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PROJECT PROFILE: CSP – JÜLICH TOWER

n December 2008, a 1.5 MWe solar thermal central receiver system was declared operational by plant construction company Kraftanlagen München. Although solar tower technology had been built as early as the 1970s and a second commercial tower is now close to completion (see REW magazine Vol. 11, No. 4) the so-called Test and Demonstration Power Plant Jülich, in Germany, is the world’s first solar thermal power plant erected which uses air as the medium for heat transport. In all previous plants liquid media such as molten salt or oil have been used for the obvious reason of their high specific heat capacity, which in turn results in low volume flow rates and low pumping losses. The great disadvantage of these concepts is that the solar radiation concentrated by the heliostat field to fluxes of 500 to 1000 suns is in air and that to transfer the heat it has to pass through a wall. This results in exchanger surface temperatures substantially higher than the fluid temperatures within. And, as the absorber surface faces the ambient environment it suffers thermal losses due to convection and – increasingly important for high temperatures according to the Stefan-Boltzmann law – re-radiation. In contrast, the Jülich power tower uses the so-called volumetric effect to increase efficiency. Ambient air is sucked through a blackened porous structure on which the solar radiation is focused. The air cools the outer parts of the receiver and is heated up gradually to the design temperature level at the inner surface. Under ideal conditions, the temperature of the radiating outer surface can even be below that of the working fluid. Air also has the additional obvious advantages of being both environmentally benign and free.

The hot air is then fed into a state-of-the-art heat recovery steam cycle, conventionally used for the exhaust heat of gas turbines in combined cycle plants. Professor Bernhard Hoffschmidt, Head of the Solar-Institute Jülich (SIJ) – part of the Aachen University of Applied Sciences – and initiator of the project, points out this implies another potentially big advantage, saying: ‘Gas turbines driven by fossil or biogenous fuels are easily integrated into the solar system and can supply power at times of no solar radiation, allowing for 24 hour operation.’ The SIJ is currently investigating different modes of hybridisation for various power levels and environmental conditions. Alternatively, heat storage may be used to align supply and demand and the Jülich plant features a storage system consisting of honeycomb-type ceramic blocks, through which air passes in one direction for charging, and in the other for discharging. As the discharged air has the same temperature as when charging, no energy is lost, making the system highly efficient. While considering the solar resource Jülich is not the ideal location for a solar power facility, it is when regarding the scientific and industrial resource. Situated in the Rhineland it is close to the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and the University of Aachen, with its institutes of high expertise regarding conventional power plants, as well as the SIJ. For that reason those mentioned have founded the Virtual Institute of Central Receiver Power Plants (vICERP) in order to set up a detailed dynamic simulation model of the power plant, used for testing advanced control strategies. A first enterprise has been founded aiming at the promotion of the technology. This spring will see the first solar runs, but even today the list of up-coming improvements and innovations is long and many ideas are currently under investigation at the SIJ. These include: t /FX IFMJPTUBU DPODFQUT BOE OFX NFBOT PG DPOUSPM t 5IF BCTPSCFS TUSVDUVSF IBT CFFO NBJOMZ EFTJHOFE GPS UIF reliability required of a prototype plant. In commercial plants designs with higher efficiencies can applied. t "U UIF FEHF PG UIF SFDFJWFS SBEJBUJPO PG SFMBUJWFMZ MPX concentration is lost (the so-called spillage). Specially designed edge modules are to make use of this energy. t 4UPSBHF DPODFQUT CBTFE PO TBOE IBWF CFFO TUVEJFE XJUI promising results. t $VTUPN NBEF CPJMFST GPS UIF JOUFHSBUJPO PG HBT UVSCJOFT XJMM be developed. The biggest rise in efficiency, however, will be due to scaling up the plants to power levels where steam cycles can operate more efficiently. With big industry and foreign governments standing in line for the construction of the next plant, the step in this direction seems to be at hand.

Mark Schmitz is head of the Regenerative Systems unit of the Solar-Institut Jülich e-mail: m.schmitz@sij.fh-aachen.de __________

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This article is available on-line. To comment on it or forward it to a colleague, visit: www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com

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www.ReflecTechSolar.com

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WIND: GERMANY’S BOOMING OFFSHORE WIND HUB

BOOMTOWN BREMERHAVEN

Aeriel photgraph of Bremerhaven’s new Centre for offshore wind energy WOLFHARD SCHEER/BIS

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WIND: GERMANY’S BOOMING OFFSHORE WIND HUB

THE OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY SUCCESS STORY

ormerly a region of high-unemployment, the German port of Bremerhaven has experienced a remarkable economic upturn, transforming into a major offshore wind power know-how centre and wind industry supply base and home to six wind equipment suppliers, two research institutes and a technical university. Eize de Vries looks at crucial success factors that have made these wind industry companies decide in favour of this city.

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WIND: GERMANY’S BOOMING OFFSHORE WIND HUB

t least four of Germany’s North Sea and Baltic Sea major ports have been transformed into the country’s main wind industry logistical centres and/or equipment manufacturing/supply bases during the past few years. Emden serves as a main export harbour for Enercon wind turbines, and the German market leader operates a large concrete tower manufacturing plant within Emden’s boundaries. BARD Engineering chose Emden as its offshore wind turbine assembly and rotor blade manufacturing location, while part of BARD’s Tripile offshore foundations are being manufactured by a subsidiary company in Cuxhaven. Both BARD and Enercon have, in addition, built a foundry in the region, aimed at providing at least part of their individual demand for heavy-cast components. The port of Rostock in the eastern part of Germany serves as the main wind turbine assembly and rotor blade manufacturing base for wind turbine supplier Nordex. In addition, six wind industry hardware suppliers, as well as two wind industry R&D organizations, have already decided to establish and/or expand their operations in Bremerhaven. Bremerhaven’s history is not very old – it was founded in 1827

The PowerWind factory with PowerWind 56 prototype in Bremerhaven

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POWER WIND

Of the €500 million invested for wind power development along the German North Sea coastal region during the past years, about half came to Bremerhaven to serve as a new port for the city of Bremen that could no longer be reached by large vessels on the river. Located about 50 km north of Bremen along the river Weser, Bremerhaven’s ports and container terminals are deep enough to accommodate large seagoing vessels, a crucial pre-condition for a modern shipping sector. The separate fishing port is now a major food industry centre and the continent’s largest production location for frozen foods. Politically, Bremen and Bremerhaven together form the German federal city-state of ‘Freie Hansestadt Bremen.’ Jan Rispens is managing director of the Windenergie Agentur Bremerhaven/Bremen (WAB). This network, with about 185 member organizations, was established in 2002 with the aim of promoting wind power developments in Germany’s northwest region. Two main focus points of the organization include providing support to offshore wind power developments and re-powering initiatives in the region. Rispens says: ‘Of the €500 million invested for offshore wind power development along the German North Sea coastal region during the past years, about half came to Bremerhaven. The main objectives of these investments have been for the series manufacture of offshore wind turbines and components.’ MARITIME CONNECTIONS At the end of the 1980s Bremerhaven suffered from serious economic decline, recalled the city’s Lord Mayor Jörg Schulz in December 2008 in his office: ‘Bremerhaven is a maritime city, and its local economy traditionally always relied on shipping, shipbuilding, and commercial fishery. Since World War II Bremerhaven also served as a main logistical and supply port to US forces stationed in Germany. Many American families at that time resided in our city, and contributed financially and otherwise to the local economy.’ In 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell, initiating the end of the Cold War, one of the direct consequences for Bremerhaven was that it lost its key role as a US Army supply harbour. During the dismantling process many local jobs were lost and a substantial number of American military families left the city. Schulz says: ‘Simultaneously, the Bremerhaven-based shipbuilding industry faced serious difficulties due to increasing competition from Asian and Eastern European shipyards. This resulted in shipyard closures and job losses for 3500 shipyard workers. On top of that, our fishing industry faced difficult times, and this again led to substantial job loss. This negative cycle of events hit Bremerhaven hard, and the local population dropped from about 150,000 to 115,000, and we feared the number left could easily decline further to 100,000 or less.’ Faced with a disastrous economic and unemployment situation, in 2001-2002 the city council decided that radical counter-measures were needed to reverse the negative trends Bremerhaven faced. Among plans developed was a scheme to revitalize the city’s port – benefiting from the fact that Bremerhaven was an early adaptor to containerised shipping. As a positive side-effect of this earlier status, the city attracted a number of major shipping lines, like Maersk and

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How do we harness the power of the wind offshore for the cities onshore?

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The wind is at its strongest and most constant out at sea, so offshore wind farms deliver even more clean power.

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At the Øresund, off the Swedish coast, a revolution is taking place. In fact, hundreds of thousands of revolutions every day. Revolutions of wind turbine blades out at sea, away from the coast, where wind conditions are at their strongest. The Lillgrund wind farm – Sweden’s largest, operated by Vattenfall – provides clean and renewable power for 60,000 Swedish households. With 17 years of experience in offshore wind power, Siemens has the reliable technology to get the best out of offshore wind resources. www.siemens.com/energy

Answers for energy.

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WIND: GERMANY’S BOOMING OFFSHORE WIND HUB

MSC, as dedicated terminal clients. During the process to reverse port decline, this asset turned out to be a business stabilizing factor. Schulz adds: ‘A strength-weakness assessment further showed that the city’s strengths included a comprehensive maritime technology know-how base, and a skilled workforce specialized in shipbuilding, heavy machinery design and manufacture. The assessment results were turned into a comprehensive and detailed plan aimed at merging these maritime strengths, with the building of a strong renewable energy sector in Bremerhaven. The key focus area became (offshore) wind power.’ MASSIVE DEVELOPMENTS This dedicated focus makes sense as a huge number of offshore wind turbines will be required to meet the massive German and international offshore wind developments planned for the next few decades. Germany has already planned at least 23 major wind farms in the North Sea and another nine projects in the Baltic Sea, with the ﬁnal goal of 25–30 GW, operational by 2030. North Sea projects, characterized by their typical 50–100 km distance to shore and water depths of up to 40–50 metres, require large wind turbines to be economically viable. A location like Bremerhaven – with close access to a deepwater river and harbour – is considered essential for the costeffective production and transportation of the proposed largerscale components and complete wind systems. Both REpower Systems and Multibrid have, since 2004, tested and optimized their 5 MW offshore wind turbines. Each company has also established

Less gear teeth pitting and wear on bearings

Less frequent oil change Reduced downtime Higher return on investment

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Creating mutual benefits or a win/win situation for the city, as well as potential future partners, is one of the main pillarsunder Bremerhaven’s pro active support mechanisms assembly facilities in Bremerhaven. REpower builds its 5 MW 5M offshore machines there, and also completed the ﬁrst three units of an up-scaled 6 MW 6M successor model in 2008. In addition, prototypes of a new 3.3 MW 3.XM REpower turbine for land applications were built in Bremerhaven last year. New rotor blade manufacturer PowerBlades is a joint venture cooperation between REpower (51%) and German rotor blade supplier SGL Rotec (formerly Abeking & Rasmussen Rotec, SGL acquired a 51% stake in this company). PowerBlades established a rotor blade manufacturing plant for REpower design ‘RE’ rotor blades in Bremerhaven. These blades, with lengths up to 61.5 metres in the future, are destined for REpower turbines from 2–6 MW. Multibrid (51% owned by French nuclear giant Areva and 49% owned by German project developer Prokon Nord) has, since 2007, assembled 5 MW M5000 ‘offshore’ turbines in Bremerhaven. The 2004 and 2006 prototypes and two pre-series turbines all operate within the city boundaries. Prokon Nord manufactures the 56.5 metre-long rotor blades for the M5000 turbine with one of its subsidiary companies, PN Rotor GmbH, located in Stade, west of Hamburg. Stade is also home to Prokon Nord’s new foundry for heavy M5000 castings, which becomes operational in 2009. STEEL FOUNDATIONS A fourth main offshore wind industry player in Bremerhaven is WeserWind Offshore Construction Georgsmarienhütte, a company specializing in the design and manufacture of heavyduty steel offshore foundation structures. WeserWind is part of Germany’s huge Georgsmarienhütte steel processing industrial group, with 9000 staff and a €2.7 billion turnover in 2007. WeserWind currently builds giant 45-metre high halls destined for manufacturing welded-steel deep-water offshore foundations. The current product portfolio includes tripod support structures for Multibrid turbines, jacket-type foundations for REpower, and Tripiles as applied by BARD Engineering. All four wind farm equipment suppliers are located together at a newly developed industrial site called Luneort Bremerhaven – Zentrum für Offshore-Windenergie. The city council has planned a new additional terminal in the Luneort area which is planned to be operational by 2011. This ‘loading’ terminal will be capable of directly handling large, heavy and bulky components, and/or complete assemblies – like nacelles weighing over 250 tonnes and large rotor blades with lengths of 61.5 metres and up. Besides these four companies all focused on the offshore wind market segment, an additional two wind turbine suppliers (industry newcomers) have established their businesses in Bremerhaven; each in the 900–1250 kW power-rating segment. Demand on Europe’s main wind industry markets has already shifted to multimegawatt classed turbines. PowerWind (2007, former Conergy) therefore focused on its newly developed 900 kW PowerWind 56

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at the s u t i s i V 09, 0 2 C E EW d 1520 n a t S , 1 Hall

The next generation of REpower Onshore Turbine Technology has become reality.

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WIND: GERMANY’S BOOMING OFFSHORE WIND HUB

GREAT PLANS FOR GREAT YARMOUTH On the UK’s east coast a new port development is underway which encompasses a long-term vision to become a centre of excellence in offshore wind development. The principal UK base for the offshore oil and gas industry in the Southern North Sea, Great Yarmouth is located on the UK’s extreme east coast. With some 3000 metres of commercial quays on both sides of the River Yare, which adjoins the large South Denes Industrial area, a number of oil and gas players already have offshore support facilities there. The port handles a range of general cargos and has been used to import wind turbine components for many years. Also home to a service division of wind turbine manufacturer Vestas A/S, it is from Great Yarmouth that the company maintains the 2 MW machines at the nearby 60 MW Scroby Sands offshore wind farm, which was commissioned in March 2004. However, the River Yare can only support vessels up to 125 metres length and 6 metres draught. Insufﬁcient for the larger installation and transport ships that will be used in the development of the next generation of offshore wind farms. In a bid to attract new offshore wind business as well as develop additional facilities, EastPort UK, which acquired the business and operation of Great Yarmouth Port in May 2007, planned a major port expansion.

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The so-called Outer Harbour development will provide sufficient minimum water depth to accommodate vessels in excess of 200 metres length and with a 10 metre draught. With the well developed role of the port in offshore oil and gas industry support, Freeman is also confident that the location can field the necessary expertise. Eddie Freeman, CEO of EastPort UK, explains the strategy. ‘Construction of offshore wind farms is changing’, he says, ‘unrestricted deepwater access, coupled with land availability for the storage of components is crucial.’ Discussions with the Crown Estates – owners of the UK seabed – turbine manufacturers, engineering contractors and offshore wind developers, revealed industry requirements. Three key factors were identified: deeper draft facilities; port infrastructure such as hard standing and storage; and engineering support and logistics capabilities. The project is due for completion in October 2009 and includes the construction of two rock breakwaters totalling 1400 metres in length. In addition, 1.65 million m3 of dredged sand was used in the reclamation of 24 ha of new portside land. Width at the harbour mouth is 200 metres and there are up to 1000 metres of developed quayside in the harbour itself and a further 600 metres or so of adjacent coastline which may also be developed. Indeed, Freeman says should the offshore wind sector develop as hoped. ‘A centre of excellence for this activity could be located on the new land to the north of the outer harbour development.’ Permissions are already in place to develop the area and with capital support it could be up and running in two or three years, Freeman says. He adds that a typical development suitable for an offshore wind player may comprise 150 metre of quayside together with 2–4 ha land, allowing up to three major offshore operations in addition to the outer harbour itself, which has capacity for two. It was also partly as a result of an assessment of the extended role of the offshore wind sector that the original quayside development plans were extended by 300 metres, a decision made in mid-2008. Funded through a public-private partnership, some £18 million (US$27 million) of the £60 million ($90 million) project came from the East of England Development Agency, local councils and the European Regional Development Fund. The wind industry is anticipated to account for around 25% of the port business from its heavy lift / project cargo capability and the company says the new outer harbour, with its adjacent warehousing and open storage, will make it well placed to service the rapidly evolving renewables industry. Freeman suggests that if the major offshore wind programme that is called for under UK government and EU climate change plans is to be achieved, government and industry must co-operate positively. ‘The offshore wind industry is on a learning curve,’ he observes, ‘We’re willing and ready to play a part.’ David Appleyard, Associate Editor

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wpd: hall 1 stand 1613

Energy starts in the head. We take care that thoughts change direction.

wpd think energy GmbH & Co. KG, Kurfürstenallee 23a, D-28211 Bremen, _______ www.wpd.de

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WIND: GERMANY’S BOOMING OFFSHORE WIND HUB

(rotor diameter 56 metres) turbine at (emerging) export markets often characterized by less-developed transport logistics infrastructure. Dubai’s Innovative Windpower have a German facility here, and like PowerWind, focuses on similar export markets, but with a more powerful Falcon 1.25 MW turbine available with rotor diameters of up to 70 metres. Besides attracting wind equipment suppliers, Bremerhaven accommodates two major research and development facilities. Wind-engineering consultancy Deutsche Windguard operates one of the largest wind tunnels in the world, with special acoustical optimization for rotor blades. And, the Fraunhofer Centre for Wind Energy and Maritime Technology operates a new rotor blade test facility for blade lengths up to 70 metres. In future this blade testing capability will be expanded to 100-metre long blades. The centre will in time transfer into a full Fraunhofer Research Institute with a planned 70 employees.

That perfectly fits into our ambition to become a sustainable city PRO-ACTIVE Summarized, major contributing factors to Bremerhaven’s successful transformation process include the city’s strategic maritime location with robust port facilities, the initiating of clever pro-active (political) support measures, and a substantial influx of fresh capital. Creating mutual benefits or a win/win situation for the city, as well as potential future partners, is one of the main pillars of Bremerhaven’s pro-active support mechanisms. Schulz quotes the support of wind turbine suppliers with a speedy prototype permitting-process as a clear example of this win/ win engagement: ‘We issued the permit for Multibrid’s first M5000 prototype within a six-week period, whereas a similar process elsewhere can easily take up to two or three years. In return for helping them out with a test location, we asked Multibrid in return to consider establishing a manufacturing facility in Bremerhaven. Such a request is by no means legally binding and only has the status of a gentlemen’s agreement. However, a decision process can sometimes be made easier for potential partners, when their R&D efforts are also supported by the federal state of Bremen.’ Today in total five 5 MW turbines (four Multibrid M5000s and one REpower 5M) operate within the Bremerhaven city boundaries. In addition, Enercon has erected a 3 MW E-82 turbine, while PowerWind already operates a 900 kW prototype in the vicinity of its assembly plant and plans to erect a second similar turbine. Finally, three 2.3 MW Siemens turbines have been built in Bremerhaven too. ‘Once all these wind turbines are grid-connected their cumulative energy yield roughly covers the total electricity demand for the entire Bremerhaven population. That in turn perfectly fits into our ambition to become a sustainable city in terms of energy production and use’, Schulz says. WIND ENERGY EDUCATION As a city that positions itself well for the overall German wind boom and the rapidly expanding offshore wind sector, Bremerhaven’s companies have already created some 700 new jobs in the past three years, this is expected to rise to 1000– 1200. In order to continue on this growth path, these established

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WIND: GERMANY’S BOOMING OFFSHORE WIND HUB

The Multibrid assembly facility in Bremerhaven

MULTIBRID

and newer companies require a continuous fresh supply of welltrained engineers and other specialists. The Fachhochschule Bremerhaven is one of the ﬁrst universities of applied sciences in Germany that offers a graduate (BSc) programme in wind energy. Says Schulz: ‘In its ﬁrst year the course attracted 80 students, a lot more than expected. This autumn (2009) the Fachhochschule commences a Wind Energy

Masters degree (MSc) programme.’ Through the WAB network the city also benefits from regional co-operation initiatives. One key example in the field of higher education is the co-operation between the technical universities of Oldenburg, Bremen and Hannover, which together join forces in the ForWind: Centre for Wind Energy Research. On a city map Schulz points out the positions of individual wind companies within the Bremerhaven city boundaries. The container harbour is located in the northern part of the city, while the Luneort site – with today’s four main offshore wind equipment suppliers – is located in south, and the planned wind equipment terminal is already marked on the map. This map also shows a considerable plot of ‘free’ land space adjoining the PowerBlades factory as a clear sign that there is still sufficient free space for wind industry newcomers to be welcomed into boomtown Bremerhaven.

Eize de Vries is Wind Technology Correspondent for Renewable Energy World Magazine. e-mail: rew@pennwell.com This article is available on-line. To comment on it or forward it to a colleague, visit www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com

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PHOTOVOLTAICS: JAPAN’S PV MARKET

JAPANESE PV POWER

Large scale PV for demonstration, installed in Wakkanai, Hokkaido RTS CORPORATION

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PHOTOVOLTAICS: JAPAN’S PV MARKET

NEW SUPPORT FRAMEWORK BOOSTS THE PV MARKET

apan’s ‘Fukuda Vision’ programme created plans for a new support framework for the dissemination of PV systems and technology. Governments, utilities companies and the PV sector are supporting these plans, but what are the prospects for the year ahead in the face of a global recession? Izumi Kaizuka and Osamu Ikki report.

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PHOTOVOLTAICS: JAPAN’S PV MARKET

n 2008, Germany, Spain and other European countries led the expansion of global demand for PV, and related businesses attracted significantly more investment than in 2007. With the emergence of the global financial crisis in September 2008, the sector has predictably been affected but, despite the downturn and several years of stagnation, Japan’s PV market is expected to surge in 2009 with the announcement of the ‘Fukuda Vision.’ POLICY SUPPORT FOR PV Before the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit in June 2008, the then Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda presented a plan to achieve a 50% reduction of global emissions by 2050. The so-called Fukuda Vision significantly bolstered Japan’s attitudes towards PV and the fact that it was presented by the former PM, rather than the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), positively influenced related government sectors. Many new policy initiatives are now underway and the market, which had been stagnant for three years, is now expected to regain some of its lost vitality. In response to the Fukuda Vision, the ‘Action Plan for Achieving a Low-carbon Society’ was approved by the cabinet in July 2008, and national targets for cumulative PV were set at 14 GW by 2020 and 53 GW by 2030.As part of this development, METI decided to reintroduce a subsidy for residential PV which had been terminated in 2005. Despite the withdrawal of the earlier support, the largest PV sector in Japan is still residential, accounting for about 86% of domestic shipments. Under the new framework, METI will subsidize residential systems up to 10 kW, providing ¥70,000/kW (US$774

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/kW). The new programme, which supports both installation and equipment costs, started in January 2009 with a budget of ¥9 billion ($99.5 million). A further ¥20 billion ($222 million) was appropriated for FY 2009 and tens of thousands of households are expected to be supported. METI also started a new R&D programme to develop cells with conversion efﬁciencies of over 40% and established a ‘Study group on low-carbon power supply systems’ to identify the challenges of expanding PV, and appropriate responses. The Ministry of the Environment (MoE) has also been accelerating measures in accordance with ‘a strategy for becoming a leading environmental nation in the 21st century’ (a decision made in June 2007). While continuing support for a ‘mega-scale PV power plant’, the MoE also started a new residential programme. Three local governments receive MoE subsidies to introduce housing PV systems and MoE is also preparing new measures for 2009.

Three local governments are receiving subsidies from the MoE for introducing PV systems to housing and the ministry is also preparing for new PV support measures for FY 2009 Moreover, four ministries, namely: METI and the MoE together with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport jointly announced an ‘action plan for the dissemination of PV power generation’ declaring that the four would join hands on the project. Local governments not only continued subsidy programmes for residential PV systems, but also started unique programmes to support PV power generation. By the end of 2008, such activities were being promoted on municipality level – and over 300 municipalities continue to provide their own subsidy or preferential loan programmes for residential PV systems. For example, in the capital the Tokyo Metropolitan government has made preparations for a large-scale project to install PV systems to 40,000 houses, totalling 1 GW from 2009 to 2010. Aichi Prefecture started a buy-out system for Green Energy Certiﬁcates as a method to support PV. Kyoto Prefecture implemented a system for companies to buy credits for residential CO2 reduction and started a model system to accredit Eco Points for energy consumption reduction efforts. In Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture developed an anti-climate change policy and conducted further promotion of PV. The City also utilizes the Green Power Fund to demonstrate community-based new energy resource projects. Electric utilities have also been supporting PV system installations through net-billing and buy-back of excess electricity at the retail price as well as the Green Power Fund supporting PV deployment in public facilities, and compliance with Renewables Portfolio Standards (RPS). In addition to these measures, utility groups have announced a plan to construct PV power plants with total capacity of 140 MW at 30 locations across Japan by 2020. Utilities are formulating speciﬁc plans to construct megawattscale PV plants, one after another. For example, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) established a joint company with Mitsui & Co Ltd, planning a 2 MW PV plant at Haneda Airport. TEPCO has also announced

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TABLE 1. PRODUCTION CAPACITY TRENDS, AS AT THE END OF OCTOBER 2008 (MW) Company

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011 onwards

Kyocera

240

500

650 (2012)

mc-Si

600

695

planning

mc-Si, sc-Si

160

640

165

260

350

500

Sharp

SANYO Electric

Kaneka

650

Technology

6,000

a-Si/ μc-Si

50 (2011)

a-Si, μc-Si

650 (2011)

a-Si/ sc-Si (HIT)

planning

a-Si, a-Si/ TF Si

Mitsubishi Electric

135

150

220

250

600 (2012)

TF Si, mc-Si

Mitsubishi Heavy

128

600

planning

a-Si, a-Si/ TF

Hitachi

–

sc-Si (bifacial)

3.5

planning

sc-Si (bifacial)

Space Energy Honda Soltec Fuji Electric

2.8

27.5

planning

CIGS

150

ﬂexible a-Si

1,000 (2011)

CIGS

100 (2012)

Spherical Si

Showa Shell Sekiyu Clean Venture 21

MSK

180

100

PV module

120 (2011), 150 (2012)

PV module

planning

PV module

YOKASOL Fujipream

SOURCE: RTS CORPORATION

construction of a 20 MW system in Kawasaki City. Other utilities such as Chugoku Electric Power, Chubu Electric Power, Hokuriku Electric Power, Kyusyu Electric Power and Kansai Electric Power, have announced similar plans.

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ACTIVITIES OF THE PV INDUSTRY In addition to national and local policy measures and utility company backing, PV manufacturers are also supporting PV system development by enhancing industry structure: accelerating the reduction in system costs, as well as expanding production capacity. It is expected that these activities will make a major contribution to the expansion of the domestic PV market. Currently, 11 companies are manufacturing PV cells/modules in Japan: Sharp, Kyocera, Sanyo Electric, Mitsubishi Electric (MELCO), Kaneka, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Space Energy, Fuji Electric Systems, Honda Motor, Showa Shell Sekiyu and Clean Venture 21. These groups, some of the world’s largest PV players, cover a range of technologies. For instance, Hitachi sold its bi-facial silicon PV module business to Space Energy. Fuji Electric manufactures ﬂexible amorphous silicon (a-Si) modules while Honda Motor and Showa Shell Sekiyu manufacture copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) modules. Clean Venture 21 plans spherical Si modules. Honda Motor established Honda Soltec, which started module production at its Kumamoto plant while Showa Shell Sekiyu has started production at its 20 MW/year plant in Miyazaki Prefecture. MSK is specialized in manufacturing PV modules and it was acquired by Suntech Power Holdings, China, in 2006. Another

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manufacturer specializing in PV modules, YOCASOL, was established in 2007 through an employee buyout when former employees of MSK’s Fukuoka Plant bought the facility. Fujipream also manufactures PV modules with its own technology, such as its double-glass light-through PV modules. Table 1, shows current plans for expanding production capacity, entries highlighted in green show capacity of thin-ﬁlm PV modules. As well as solar cell manufacturers, other companies in the PV industry have also been expanding production capacities, including: silicon feedstock; silicon ingot/wafers; gas for semiconductors; raw materials and components; as well as manufacturers of PV manufacturing equipment. In the distribution of PV systems, some major prefabricated housing manufacturers have strengthened their partnerships with PV manufacturers to introduce the systems to residential houses. In response to the government’s efforts, the housing industry in Japan – in co-operation with the PV industry – established the ‘Council on promoting solar housing’ to encourage the fully-ﬂedged dissemination of residential PV. Working groups will be established to discuss accelerating roll out, development, and the integration of PV modules. PROSPECTS FOR 2009 In the wake of Fukuda’s presentation, ministries and agencies, as well as local governments have launched numerous efforts to promote PV in Japan. This widespread policy backing was read as a clear go-ahead by the Japanese market, then hovering at

around 200–300 MW installed annually. This is expected to reach 400–500 MW through three core measures: t TVCTJEZ QSPHSBNNFT GPS SFTJEFOUJBM 17 TZTUFNT t TVCTJEZ QSPHSBNNFT GPS QVCMJD BOE JOEVTUSJBM 17 TZTUFNT t DPOTUSVDUJPO PG 17 QPXFS QMBOUT In 2009, the global economy is facing harsh conditions and the PV industry is expected to experience some turbulence, at least partly due to cell supply and demand gaps. It is anticipated that the manufacturing sector will see some consolidation, with an increasing number of mergers and acquisitions. As competition grows more intense, prices of solar cells are expected to fall, hitting margins and making it more difﬁcult to secure proﬁts. Nonetheless, though the speed of growth may be reigned in, with the revival of extended support mechanisms; as well as positive changes anticipated from the new Obama administration in the USA, and the continued development of European markets, the growth of PV is a global trend, on a sound trajectory.

Izumi Kaizuka is manager and Osamu Ikki is president of RTS Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. e-mail: kaizuka@rts-pv.com This article is available on-line. To comment on it or forward it to a colleague, visit: www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com

PV Expo Show Munich 2009 VISIT US in Hall C2, Booth F25 March 4 - 6

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Going offshore... Think SLIM.

SLIM®, the most reliable transformer for your wind turbine Pauwels is riding the waves of reliability and environmental safety in offshore applications. The SLIM® transformer is the environmentally safest way to equip offshore wind turbines. With almost 10 years of experience SLIM® is still leading the way with nearly 5000 installations worldwide and a wide range of customized designs. Tested for reliability and safety in the harshest conditions, both onshore and offshore, the Pauwels SLIM® transformer has become the standard for wind generated energy. The SLIM® is also compact, powerful, maintenance-free and overload-capable thanks to innovative transformer design from Pauwels combined with the thermal technology of DuPont™ NOMEX® homogeneous high-temperature insulation system. A smart partnership between two market leaders has resulted in effective space management, increased reliability and ﬁrst-class performance. If you are thinking of going offshore, think SLIM®. Pauwels International N.V. - Antwerpsesteenweg 167 2800 Mechelen - Belgium - Tel. + 32 15 283 486 www.pauwels.com - www.nomex.com - info@pauwels.com

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WIND: KEY PLAYERS

WHAT NEXT IN WIND ... As a maturing industry, the wind power sector has emerged as dynamic and vibrant. A number of strong players are now coming to the fore by demonstrating the longevity, technology and capacity needed to make a major impact on the global market. Here, David Appleyard looks at just a few of those key players and what they are saying. ‘We are now in a position enabling us to bid for a larger number of more challenging projects’ Jens Frederik Hansen, CEO of A2SEA A2SEA A/S: OFFSHORE WIND INSTALLATION AND ACCESS A leader the ﬁeld in offshore installation, with new vessels it is expanding both capacity and capabilities

A2SEA was established in 2000 with transport, installation and servicing of offshore wind farms as its core business. Subsequently it has installed more than 70% of all existing offshore wind turbines. Capabilities include foundation and turbine installation and other associated offshore work using jack-up barges with heavy lift capability and self-elevating crane vessels. The company also provides turbine maintenance services. A2SEA owns and operate two vessels, M/V Sea Energy and M/V Sea Power. Both were originally feeder-type container ships but were converted by A2SEA in 2001 into self elevating crane ships, speciﬁcally designed to meet the requirements of the offshore market. Sea Energy was further

upgraded with longer legs and an improved jacking system to enable it to operate in water depths of up to 27 metres. The group also owns Sea Worker, which it acquired in September 2008 from Dutch company Jackup Barge B.V. for an undisclosed price. This vessel is a jack-up barge built to operate in the offshore oil and gas sector and is especially suited for deep water sites due to it 73 metre-long legs, enabling it to work on water depths of up to 40 metres. It joins Sea Jack, the company’s ﬁrst jack-up (acquired from Mammoet Van Oord in 2007) and both are capable of installing monopiles, transition pieces and offshore wind turbine Top Heads. Sea Power is fully booked for this year, employed with service works and installation of 91 offshore machines at Horns Rev 2 where the rig Sea Jack is currently working on the foundation installation. Based in Fredericia, Denmark, in total the company has 200 employees. A2SEA says its turnover is expected to have grown signiﬁcantly in 2008, reaching more than DKK 400 million (US$ 70 million).

‘In response to the core challenges, wind energy can already provide answers now that will stand the test of time’ Aloys Wobben, Founder and Managing Director of Enercon ENERCON GMBH: TURBINE AND RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURER Novel techhnology and a strong engineering heritage keep this company in the leading pack of turbine manufacturers

Turbine manufacturer Enercon offers some of the most technologically advanced machines available. Graduate engineer Aloys Wobben founded the privately held company in 1984, when a small team developed the first wind turbine, the 55 kW E-15/16. Initially featuring a gearbox, gearless technology was introduced in 1992 with the first Enercon E-40, a 500 kW machine. The company’s current flagship model is the new 6 MW wind turbine, the E-126, featuring segmented rotor blades and a 127-metre rotor diameter. Enercon is currently installing E-126 turbines in Germany and Belgium, where a total of 11 of the machines are anticipated to be in service by the end of the year. The company says it will be also testing several types of storage systems in combination with the turbines.

The longstanding leader in the German market, where it has installed more than 6900 turbines, equivalent to more than 8 GW, there are more than 13,000 Enercon machines installed worldwide in over 30 countries, with a combined capacity of more than 15 GW. It now has a 14% share of the global market, according to BTM Consult ApS. In 2008/2009, Enercon reached an export share of more than 60% of its manufacturing capacity, a proportion which it intends to gradually increase over the coming years. Indeed, rotor blade manufacture for its big volume E-82 machine is due to commence in 2010 at its new site in northern Portugal. The plant is next to the company’s mechatronics facility in Lanheses where the production of E-modules and generators for E-82 turbines is also due to start in early this year. Today, the company say, directly or indirectly, it employs more than 11,000 people worldwide. More recently, the company launched another example of its innovative approach to renewable energy with its so-called E-Ship1. Propulsion for the vessel will be partly supplied by four sailing rotors – large, rotating, vertical metal cylinders, 25 metres tall.

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WIND: KEY PLAYERS

‘We have completed our exit from non-core activities ... Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica is concentrating fully on wind energy’ Guillermo Ulacia Arnaiz, Chairman and CEO of Gamesa GAMESA CORPORACIÓN TECNOLÓGICA: WIND TURBINE MANUFACTURER, PROJECT DEVELOPER AND OPERATOR With a new focus on installing and operating wind capacity, gamesa has emerged as a player with massive wind development portfolio

Formerly a diversiﬁed technology company with a large solar division, Spanish major Gamesa is now completely focused on wind power. It is the market leader in Spain and in 2007 claimed a share of the more than 15% of the global wind turbine manufacturing sector. To date, the company has installed over 13 GW of its main turbine products across 20 countries and has a development portfolio of more than 21 GW of wind in Europe, America and Asia. According to its latest results, published late October, it has supply chain of more than 3600 MW

of capacity, and has maintained its order portfolio above 11,500 MW to 2012. Turnover grew by 40% compared to the first nine months of 2007, to reach €2.89 billion. Tripling overall net profit – to reach €288 million in the first nine months of 2008 – profit from both the Wind Turbine Generator and Wind Farm Units rose by a more modest but still perfectly healthy 67%. A good part of the additional cash came from the sale of its solar unit to a private equity group early in 2008 for a total of €261 million. The company currently has 32 production centres located in Spain, China and the United States, with an international workforce of over 7000 employees. Of the close to 3 GW of turbine capacity sold over the first three quarters of 2008, 90% were sold in Gamesa’s three strategic markets of Europe, the USA and China. Recent technology highlights include the on-going development of its new 4.5 MW machine, the Gamesa G10x.

‘We believe wind power is becoming a mainstream power source’

Victor Abate, Vice President of Renewables for GE Energy GE ENERGY: TURBINE AND RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURER, PROJECT OPERATOR, SERVICE PROVIDER Manufacturers of the world’s best selling turbine, GE brings big business credentials to the wind sector

GE ﬁrst entered the wind sector in 2002 and has, by any standards, achieved remarkable results. Late last year the company announced the shipment of its 10,000th 1.5 MW wind turbine. Collectively these machines have now accumulated more than 130 million operating hours, an industry milestone, and produced more than 78 TWh, GE says. With six wind manufacturing and assembly facilities in Germany, Spain, China, Canada and the United States, the company offers wind turbines rated from 1.5–2.5 MW, support services, operations and maintenance. Part of the giant GE Energy – in the nine months to September 2008 GE’s Energy Infrastructure division recorded revenues of over US$27 billion

– the wind technology arm of the company is headed by Victor Abate. GE Energy’s latest commercial wind turbine is the 2.5xl, the company’s largest available for onshore applications with a 100 metre rotor diameter. In October, it announced an expansion of its manufacturing facility in Salzbergen, Germany, to allow serial production of the 2.5xl, a move focused on meeting the strong demand for wind energy in Europe, where customers generally prefer larger multi-megawatt class turbine models. Also last year GE Drivetrain Technologies – part of the company’s Transportation division – unveiled a novel hybrid gearbox and generator for its 1.5 MW workhorse machine and those of other manufacturers. The drivetrain concept, named IntegraDrive, is signiﬁcantly smaller than current designs and saves an estimated 2 tonnes of gearbox mass. In recent deals, GE will supply Invenergy with 750 MW of wind turbines for North American projects to be constructed in 2010. In January 2008, it announced a similar agreement to provide 600 MW to Invenergy.

‘Iberdrola has a strategy that ensures sustainable growth and a solid balance sheet’ Ignacio Galán, Chairman of Iberdrola IBERDROLA RENOVABLES S.A: DEVELOPER, OWNER AND OPERATOR One of Europe’s largest generators of renewable capacity, Iberdrola plans to double its capacity to 18 GW by 2012

Iberdrola is one of the world’s largest utilities and is also a major developer of renewable energy through its Valencia-based Iberdrola Renovables. Concerned with the development, construction and operation of renewable power plants – mostly wind but with some small hydro, solar and others – it also manages the sale of the electric power produced. The company reported an installed capacity of 8488 MW at the end of the third quarter 2008, representing year-on-year growth of more than 70%. Of this, 8146 MW was wind capacity and the group is the topranked wind player in Spain and Greece, as well as second in the US and UK – following its acquisition of utility group ScottishPower.

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Iberdrola Renovables claims both the largest base of operational renewable assets – producing more than 12 TWh over the nine-month period – and the largest portfolio of future projects in the world, with more than 54 GW in the pipeline. The current portfolio reveals its top three markets, with 4450 MW operating in Spain, 2318 MW in the US and 617 MW in the UK. Operating in a total of 20 countries, the rest of the world includes 761 MW of wind and overall 44% of the company’s installed capacity is located outside of Spain. The company’s strategic plan for 2008–2012 envisages investment of more than €18 billion over the next five years in order to more than double its installed renewable capacity to 18 GW. This is from an initial renewables capacity of little more than 1 GW in 2001. Net profit in the third quarter of 2008 was close to five times that of the previous year’s equivalent quarter and, at €230 million, more than the total for 2007. In addition to a 4.5 GW deal with Gamesa, other recent financial highlights include the placement of a €1 billion bond issue in January 2009.

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GE Energy

Current events. The winds of change are blowing across Europe. By 2020 it’s projected that one-ﬁfth of the continent’s total electricity supply will come from thin air, which means GE’s new 2.5xl wind turbine couldn’t have come at a better time. Drawing from our core power generation knowledge and expertise of over 8,000 1.5MW workhorse turbines operating worldwide, not only is the 2.5xl’s highly evolved twin-bearing design more reliable, but it also generates electricity more efﬁciently without producing greenhouse gas emissions – even at lower wind speeds. Our world is challenged with increasing energy demands, and GE’s commitment to greener energy solutions and services is as unstoppable as the wind itself. Visit us at ge.com/energy to learn more.

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WIND: KEY PLAYERS

‘It is important to prepare for post-2009 growth precisely at this time’ Thomas Richterich, Nordex AG founder and CEO

NORDEX AG: WIND TURBINE MANUFACTURER Focused on larger machines, this manufacturer continues to invest in new production assets in readiness or a post-downturn boom

Nordex offers a range of multi-megawatt wind turbine products from 1.5 to 2.5 MW, including a turbine suited for offshore applications. Aiming to beneﬁt from the global trend towards larger machines, the group also offers three different rotor sizes – up to a diameter of 100 metres – for its 2.5 MW turbine to suit a range of applications. To date Nordex has produced some 1000 machines in this class and has installed a total of around 3500 turbines with a combined capacity of close to 4330 MW. With exports accounting for over 90% of its business, the company has ofﬁces and subsidiaries in 18 countries and currently employs a workforce of more than 2000 worldwide, an increase of around 39% over 2007. In its latest results, published for the nine months to September 2008, sales had climbed by 58% since January to more that €781 million. Around 95% of this revenue was generated outside Germany, although order intake slowed substantially in the third quarter of 2008.

Earnings increased by 60% to €37.3 million in the first nine months. However, the cost of materials increased, chiefly as a result of provisions set aside to cover the cost of reinforcements for rotor sets. Orders are valued at €796 million, a slight decrease compared to the previous year, though for the year as a whole, Nordex is projecting sales of €1.1 billion. Production rose considerably. Turbine assembly output surged by 47% to 764 MW compared to the previous year’s 520 MW, while rotor blade production was up by as much as 69%, rising from 250 to 422 MW. Nordex is also busy expanding manufacturing capacity in China and the USA. For example, in October Nordex announced plans to invest $100 million in a 750 MW annual capacity US manufacturing facility in Jonesboro, in Arkansas. Turning to 2009, the company expects slower growth for the sector as some customers find it more difficult to obtain finance for their wind farm projects in the wake of the financial crisis. While there is a risk of projects being postponed, Nordex nonetheless projects sales growth of 10%–15% in 2009. CEO Thomas Richterich says: ‘Now of all times, it would be negligent not to prepare ourselves for years of strong growth after the possible temporary lull in 2009.’

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‘The future of wind energy in Europe will be found to a large extent on the open seas’ Per Hornung Pedersen, CEO of REpower Systems

REPOWER SYSTEMS AG Developer of 2–3.3 MW onshore turbines and a large offshore machine, this major manufacturer is majority held by fellow wind turbine player suzlon

REpower is one of the leading turbine producers in the German wind energy sector where it is the third largest manufacturer. Founded in 2001, the REpower product range includes turbines between 2 MW–5 MW and to date, its machines have been installed at more than 1500 wind projects. The REpower 5M 5 MW turbine – currently one of the largest in the world with a rotor diameter of 126 metres – has been designed primarily for offshore wind farms and the company is currently installing three of its new 6 MW 6M turbines onshore in Germany. In December 2008 the company completed the assembly of these ﬁrst three prototype turbines in Bremerhaven. With approximately 1600 employees, REpower has ofﬁces in Germany along with subsidiaries and associated companies in France, Spain, the UK, Greece, Australia, China, Portugal, Italy and elsewhere and the company is actively pursuing an internationalization strategy. However, due to an expected slow-down of the wind energy market

in 2009 – which might be reflected in a stagnating or even slightly declining number of new installations – REpower has adjusted its sales growth forecast for 2009-2010 from the previous estimated 40%–50% to 30%–35%. According to its results to 30 September 2008, the company’s order backlog amounted to 683 turbines with a total rated power of more than 1434 MW, corresponding to around €1.5 billion, (up from €1.2 billion on the previous year’s figures). For the current fiscal year REpower is expecting an increase in sales to €1.1 billion and an earnings margin of 5.5%–6.5%. Sales in the current reporting period stands at €529.8 million, compared with €275.3 million to the corresponding period in 2007. Net profit rose from €5.0 million to €14.4 million. REpower expects further strong growth on the global wind energy market in the next years, initiated primarily from Europe and America, Furthermore, the company expects its offshore business to grow, citing 1500 MW installed by 2011 as ‘reasonable’. In November, REpower and Deutsche Offshore Testfeld und Infrastrukturgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG (DOTI) signed a contract for the supply and installation of six 5M wind turbines for the Alpha Ventus project. The installation of the turbines is expected to begin in the middle of July.

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‘RES and the renewable industry stand ready to supply the sustainable solutions necessary to secure our energy supplies as well as our climate’ Dr Ian Mays MBE, CEO of RES RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS LTD: RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPER, CONSTRUCTOR AND OPERATOR An independent project developer, the bulk of this company’s developments are in the US. RES is also looking to expand its offshore portfolio

Part of the privately held Sir Robert McAlpine Group, a major UK construction and civil engineering company, core activity at Renewable Energy Systems (RES) is the development, design, construction, ﬁnancing and operation of wind farm projects worldwide. Since its ﬁrst wind installation in 1992 the company has completed a portfolio of more than 3600 MW of wind capacity and has several thousand megawatts in development. RES is also an independent power producer, owning and operating more than 300 MW of wind capacity worldwide.

Current developments are led by North America and the Caribbean, where RES has built 3071 MW of wind capacity and has a further 382 MW under construction. In Scandinavia and Europe RES has built 558 MW of wind and has a further 455 MW under construction, while in Australia and New Zealand a further 436 MW are in development. With around 600 employees globally and ofﬁces in seven countries, recent highlights include the January announcement that its US arm has completed the 166 MW $350 million Hackberry wind project in Texas. In the offshore wind sector, RES has taken a positive long term view on its potential and has a dedicated team of development, engineering and offshore construction specialists. In last October the company received consent for its 250 MW Lincs wind farm off the UK and completed major construction work on the adjacent Lynn and Inner Dowsing projects.

‘The launch of RWE Innogy is another signiﬁcant part of our plans to deliver a lower carbon future’ Prof. Fritz Vahrenholt, CEO of RWE Innogy RWE INNOGY GMBH: RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPERS, OWNERS AND OPERATORS Newly emerged from the German giant RWE, the company is looking to invest at least €1 billion annually on renewable energy in Europe

RWE Innogy is the renewables development arm of the mighty RWE AG, one of Europe’s top ﬂight utilities. Created at the beginning of last year, the new business group took over the majority of the installed renewables generation capacity from RWE Power, RWE npower and RWE Energy. The company plans, builds and operates renewable facilities, and aims to vigorously grow its capacity in its core market of Europe with a focus on mature technologies such as wind. Especially strong in the home market of Germany and in the UK, the company started with 1100 MW of capacity. Currently the renewables

group is operating approximately 620 MW of wind, including 60 MW offshore, the North Hoyle project off the coast of Wales (UK). A further 90 MW offshore is currently being commissioned at Rhyl Flats – also off Wales – RWE Innogy has also acquired a 50% stake in the UK’s 140 turbine 500 MW Greater Gabbard project. The expansion of onshore and offshore wind power capacities will remain the driver for RWE Innogy’s growth in the future, they say, revealing plans to more than quadruple production to some 4500 MW by 2012 and to more than 10 GW by 2020. Construction is planned of 4 GW of wind with a focus on organic growth and the company is busy securing turbines and components through framework contracts, for instance a pending deal with REpower for 250 of its 5M and 6M wind turbines for offshore wind farms. Another two hundred 2 MW-class onshore wind turbines will be added to this from 2010. Similar agreements are currently being negotiated with other turbine manufacturers, RWE Innogy says.

‘We believe the 3 MW and 5 MW systems we will jointly develop with Windtec will allow Sinovel to grow its market share and position us as a technology leader in the industry’ Junliang Han, Chairman and General Manager of Sinovel SINOVEL WIND CORPORATION LIMITED This emerging powerhouse is already among the world’s top ten largest turbine manufacturers and is poised to take advantage of massive growth in its home market

The leading manufacturer of large-scale wind turbines in China, Sinovel Wind has made remarkable progress since its formation in 2005, already clocking up a top ten place in the global wind turbine manufacturing hierarchy, partly on the back of a number of licensed development deals with AMSC. With the backing of the Chinese government, the company manufactures wind turbines and was the ﬁrst company to introduce 1.5 MW machines into the country.

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To date Sinovel, with around 200 employees, has produced more than 1000 units of its 1.5 MW machine and has a production capacity of more than 800 units per year. Its manufacturing base is currently located in Dahlia, China, although it is in the process of commissioning new manufacturing plants in Inner Mongolia and Jiangsu. Once completed, the company will have an estimated annual manufacturing capacity of 2000 turbines. It currently sources around 90% of the requirements for its self-developed 1.5 MW machine domestically. In March 2007, AMSC announced that it had signed a multi-million dollar deal with Sinovel to jointly develop 3 MW and 5 MW wind turbines for both on and offshore applications. Series production of the 3 MW machine is anticipated to begin this year with production of the 5 MW device planned for 2010.

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‘We are today in the midst of navigating through a challenging economic landscape’ Tulsi R. Tanti, Chairman and Managing Director of Suzlon Energy Ltd. SUZLON ENERGY LIMITED: TURBINE MANUFACTURER, DEVELOPER Already at the top table for turbine manufacturers, Suzlon has consolidated by acquiring a majority holding in fellow turbine company REpower

With 10.5% of the global market share for turbines, according BTM Consult ApS, Suzlon ranks as the world’s fifth largest manufacturer in the sector. Operating in 20 countries the company has 13 manufacturing facilities in India, Belgium, China and the USA. The company was established in 1995 with 20 people and has now grown to have a workforce of over 13,000. The market leader in India, where it has developed more than 3 GW, Suzlon has installed more than 8 GW of capacity since its inception, which emerged from the Tanti textiles business. Suzlon has grown more than 100% annually and registered a 108% growth in the financial year ended 2007, the company says. As part of the company’s business development strategy it has set about reverse-engineering a supply chain, acquiring gearbox company Hansen Transmissions International NV in 2006 – selling on 10% to investment firm Ecofin at the beginning of 2009 – and, more recently, attempting to build on its majority holding in turbine manufacturer REpower Systems AG.

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Suzlon’s current product range includes wind turbine generators 350 kW – 2.1 MW in customized versions for installation in a variety of climates though to date the company has no offshore installations. Last year Suzlon announced a retrofit programme on 417 sets of blades for its S-88 2.1 MW machine in order to resolve blade cracking issues discovered on some of its units in the United States. The total estimated cost of the retrofit programme is estimated US$25 million. Currently with a combined manufacturing base of 2700 MW of annual capacity, it is planning to expand this by 3000 MW to 5700 MW of capacity in the 2008-2009 financial year, although in response to the current conditions it has also cancelled planned expenditure on a tower manufacturing facility in India. In its latest results, the half year to 30 September, the company reported sales growth of more than 35% on the previous year’s corresponding figures. Consolidated revenues, excluding the contributions from Hansen and REpower, came in at of Rs 6268 crore ($1.25 billion), the combined consolidated order book stood at more than $3 billion, while profit after tax stood at Rs 123 crore ($24.6 million). In recent developments, this January the company announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Gujarat and a subsidiary to develop wind power projects of up to 1500 MW in the Kutch-Saurashtra region of the state.

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WIND: KEY PLAYERS

‘The market continues to show its strength and commitment to renewable energy’ Ditlev Engel, President and CEO Vestas VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S: WIND TURBINE MANUFACTURER A long-time leader in the wind sector, Vestas continues to expand its market reach on the back of robust long-term prospects for the sector

Vestas installed its ﬁrst wind turbine in 1979 and now employs more than 19,000 people. It is currently recruiting on the back of what it describes as ‘robust long-term growth prospects.’ Claiming an anticipated market share of 25% for 2008, more than 35,500 of its machines are currently installed across 63 countries. The company’s product portfolio comprises turbine models from 850 kW to 3 MW. In its latest results the company does anticipate a lower-than-planned rate of utilisation in 2009, with the result that a number of new employments have been postponed. These are expected to resume as soon as the present credit squeeze decreases and the earnings margin is expected to rise to 11%-13% in 2009. This compares with anticipated 2008 ﬁgures of 10%-12% on projected annual revenue of €5.7 billion. Total investments in 2009 are expected to amount to €1.2 billion, of which €1 billion will be invested in property, plant and equipment, primarily in factories in the USA, Spain and China and R&D centres in Denmark and the UK. Between the

fourth quarter of 2008 and the ﬁrst quarter of 2010, Vestas plans to increase its total manufacturing capacity by 3000 MW, bringing its annual potential to 10 GW. Work conducted under warranty provisions is expected to fall to 3%-4% of revenue in 2009 owing to ‘improved turbine reliability.’ This is down from an expected 4%-5% of revenue in 2008. As well as reliability improvements, in another high point last year Vestas also managed to resolve a long-running patent dispute with Enercon GmbH and its head Aloys Wobben. Active both on and offshore, recent contracts include a number of deals in China, where two orders with a total capacity of 100 MW are to be delivered to two wind power projects this year to an undisclosed developer. This followed a repeat order from China Guangdong Nuclear Wind Power Co. Ltd, on this occasion for 116 of its 850 kW machines, also for delivery in 2009. The company also recently secured an order to supply 100 of its V90 3 MW turbine for the 300 MW Thanet Offshore Wind Farm in the UK’s Thames Estuary. Vestas has also received an order for delivery of 67 x V90-3.0 MW wind turbines for Romania from S.C. Ewind S.R.L and S.C. Wind Power Park S.R.L., Romania.

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FEATURE TITLE WATCH FOR THE

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WILL THE US INDUSTRY NEED A NEW STORY?

n the face of a global economic downturn, the traditional connection between the strength of the US economy and the level of investment on renewable energy technology is an issue that is vexing the industry. However, the twin issues of security of energy supply and climate change are set to break this conventional economic mould. Elisa Wood explains.

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he financial credit crunch has replaced global warming as the current cataclysmic worry among consumers. Certainly, at first blush, these latest findings from the Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates (PSB) 2008 Green Brand Survey appear to support the adage that US consumers are environmentalists only when the economy is strong. But this time, the shift in thinking comes with a new and more complicated twist, one that has particular significance for renewable energy. Concern about climate change may be ebbing, but that does not mean energy issues are taking a backseat. In fact, the public is more worried about security of energy resources, and links fossil fuel dependence with the bad economy. ‘While climate change and global warming were clearly the most pressing environmental issues last year, this year people’s concerns are more spread across different environmental areas. Most notably, energy and resource-related issues almost doubled in importance’, noted the international market research firm’s latest annual green trends survey. However, at the same time, with financial issues looming large, ‘consumers clearly still prefer the green dollar to green nature.’ Given these complex consumer motivations and hard financial times, what’s ahead for US renewable energy companies, and how can they maintain the government and consumer support they have enjoyed in recent years? FIRST, THE BAD NEWS Given the economic downturn, it is not surprising that government, too, has allowed economic woes to sometimes supersede environmental worries. Indeed, that attitude revealed itself among some state leaders last year, as they tried to find ways to ease the financial pressure on consumers.

CAMÉLÉON/REPOWER

REpower’s construction workers

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For example, over the summer in Connecticut – a state which has among the highest electricity prices in the US – Governor Jodi Rell announced plans to shift money designated for energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes to a rebate for electric ratepayers. The money was to come from the state’s 25 September participation in the nation’s first carbon dioxide cap-and-trade auction, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). ‘This provision is intended to provide real relief at a time when families are struggling just to cover the basics – gasoline, groceries, electricity and heat’, said a prepared statement by Rell. Environmentalists called the plan irrational, saying it would return about enough money to customers for them to buy a cup of coffee. Further, the state attorney general’s office stepped in and deemed Rell’s shifting of the auction revenue to be illegal. But Rell disagreed and persisted, ordering that above $5 per tonne, all auction money over that price would go to reduce consumers’ electricity costs. The battle has proved to be moot, at least for now, since the first auction produced allowance prices of only $3.07 per tonne, and the second auction on 17 December, prices of $3.38 per tonne, never making it to Rell’s proposed cap. Nonetheless, Patricia Stanton, vice president at Conservation Services Group and a former New England state regulator, warned: ‘These are hard times, and any kind of loose money sitting around is always vulnerable.’ In neighbouring Rhode Island, in July Governor Donald Carcieri vetoed a bill which included various green energy incentives. Among other things, the legislation would have allowed utilities to sign longterm supply contracts with renewable energy developers. State deregulation rules currently prohibit such utility deals. Wind and solar developers had pushed for the contracts, saying they needed them to secure financing. Carcieri said in a letter to lawmakers that the bill failed to ‘balance our desire to invest in renewable energy with the realities that ratepayers currently endure.’ He baulked, in particular, at a 5 MW setaside for solar energy. ‘It’s unfortunate’, he wrote, ‘that the General Assembly picked perhaps the costliest renewable technology and decided to give it, and only it, preferential treatment’. However, Carcieri subsequently softened his position somewhat. He informed state regulators that he believed they could mandate the long-term contracts, despite his veto, based on his reading of state energy law. A big proponent of offshore wind for his state, Carcieri is not against long-term contracts as such. But did not like the costs associated with contracts in the bill. In particular, he strongly objected to giving the state’s dominant utility, National Grid, a financial incentive for signing the long-term supply contracts. Lawmakers are looking into the possibility of taking up the issue again in 2009, as REW goes to press. However, Carcieri’s veto of the solar set-aside still stands. Meanwhile, ratings agency Standard & Poor’s also raised cost concerns related to green energy in 2008, particularly the popular Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), now being used in about three-fifths of the states. The standards could harm utility credit ratings in some cases, said S&P in a report last year. RPS requirements differ from state to state, but generally mandate that a percentage of the power utilities sell comes from green energy sources. The standards are considered one of the most effective ways to spur US renewable development. In fact, Standard

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Borrego employees working on the UC San Diego system

& Poor’s called the RPS ‘one of the most significant developments in the electric utility sector since electric restructuring began.’ But S&P nonetheless expressed concern about the financial implications. The RPS is ‘moving utilities and other load serving entities squarely away from least-cost procurement and toward acquiring often above-market renewable generation in unprecedented quantities,’ the agency said. ‘At the same time, consumers have yet to fully experience the cost and retail rate impacts of this shift. The standards are in their infancy, and, in many states, interim targets will not become meaningful for several years (except in California, where utilities are lagging behind short-term goals). As a result, the feasibility and cost ramifications, while imminent, have not yet arrived in most RPS states.’ Standard & Poor’s credit analyst Anne Selting added: ‘We are concerned that the costs of RPS compliance have often not been quantified and that absorbing the full costs of RPS in retail rates could have credit implications for some companies.’

necessarily arcane, but are jobs they can do; in fact are ones they already perform, but with new meaning. ‘You have bookkeepers, welders, technicians, truck drivers, construction people. The jobs are the same as the old economic jobs; the broad overarching aim is different’, he says. ‘That is what I’ve seen at my site. We have a lot of people who bring different skills, people who have worked as car mechanics, in manufacturing, IT, software, at hydro facilities. Just everything.’ What draws people to these new jobs? ‘They are making a good living. The environmental gains are in the back of their minds’, he concludes. Martha Duggan, SunEdison’s vice president of regulatory affairs and new markets, agrees that it may be time to talk more about green job quality. ‘These are construction jobs, ﬁnance jobs, engineering jobs, communications jobs. It is not just guys who need to know how to put panels on a roof. We get loads of interest from MBA students. They are always looking to do internships with us. They see this as a growth area that they can get in to.’

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY The ﬁnancial downturn opens the door wider for renewable energy to fall victim to such criticism. But it also provides an opportunity for the industry to hone its policy and marketing messages, and drive home the economic beneﬁts offered by green energy. Renewable energy is a job producer – a point the industry has emphasized for the last few years. Still, the jobs argument has not been fully exploited, says Adam Morse, a wind technician and renewable energy advocate with Portland General Electric’s Biglow Canyon Wind Farm. The industry needs to draw in a broader range of people and show them that when it talks of green workers it is talking of them, he says. This means getting away from its strong focus on quantitative data – the raw job growth numbers produced by development of wind and solar. Instead, the industry needs to ‘provide a more qualitative side, where you are focusing more on people and personal narratives’, he says. Individuals need to understand that the green jobs they hear so much about are not

LET INNOVATION REIGN As the financial, auto and retail industries falter, the US renewable energy industry expects continued prosperity. The positive outlook comes, in part, because Congress in early October finally voted to extend tax credits for wind and solar development, after two years of false starts and indecision. In addition, the election of President Barack Obama is seen as a win for renewables because he has called for $150 billion over 10 years in federal spending to spur private investment in clean energy. His goal is to create five million new green collar jobs. Obama also supports a national renewable portfolio standard that would mandate 10% of electricity come from renewables by 2012 and 25% by 2025. He is expected to press for national carbon restrictions, but it is not clear how soon. But tax incentives and federal policy are only part of the story. Another aspect that needs to be highlighted is how product and contract innovation, aimed at reducing consumer costs, can bolster renewable energy even in bad economic times.

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For example, SunEdison, with 45 MW of solar in North America, has seen explosive growth over the last year, expanding its employees from 241 to 480. Its success stems from contracts offering upfront savings and stable long-term prices. ‘Rather than a decline in interest, we are seeing an increase in interest because of the way we do solar contracts to hedge energy prices in a volatile energy market’, Duggan says, adding: ‘We expect to grow dramatically again this year’. Known as a solar power purchase agreement, or SPPA, the hedge mechanism is now used by several solar companies. The approach takes off the table the frequent complaint that while solar energy saves consumers money in the long-run, the upfront costs are hefty. Under an SPPA, a third party owns and operates the solar equipment installed at the customers’ facility. Customers pay only for the electricity they consume. As a result, consumer costs are predictable over the lifetime of the contract, typically about 20 years. Financing for the project comes from an investor which can beneﬁt from the federal solar tax credit. ‘What that does for customers, in these days of rising energy costs and increasing price volatility, is it allows customers to hedge that portion of their electric budget that they are getting from their solar system’, Duggan says. While the SPPA offers continued promise, its immediate prospects could dim because of the credit crunch. The approach relies on third-party investors which back the projects, so that they can take advantage of federal investment tax credits. Several traditional investors now face ﬁnancial hardship.

3Degrees, a California-based company that markets renewable energy certificates (RECs) and carbon offsets, takes another approach to both manage costs and pursue green energy. The company pairs energy efficiency and pursuit of carbon reductions and begins by conducting a carbon footprint analysis, with an eye toward the potential for conservation and energy efficiency. If it unearths strong possibilities, it brings in a third party energy efficiency company to make the changes in the facility. ‘There have been a lot of examples where companies achieve such savings through energy efficiency that they can take portion of that and purchase renewable energy certificates for carbon offsets’, says Steve McDougal, 3Degrees’ executive vice president for marketing and business development. The company began using this approach a couple of years ago, before the economy faltered, because it wanted its customers to take a ‘holistic’ approach to carbon reduction, achieving efficiency as well as purchasing RECs or offsets. ‘We would never advocate taking the offset approach first. Maybe this is more important now. There is just so much savings to be had’, he says. Business continues to be strong for 3Degrees, which focuses on providing customers with voluntary REC or offset purchases. But it has seen some softening in the market. ‘We’re seeing strong interest, but it has slowed a little from the big boom of last couple of years. People are pulling in the oars a little bit’, McDougal says. David Boylan, director of marketing for California-based Borrego Solar, says people are thinking twice – they are not as confident – but they are still going forward with solar purchases. ‘I was bracing

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Green Mountain’s solar installation at the Dallas Museum of Nature & Science

for the worst. But sales have exceeded expectations’, he says. The company, a solar PV contractor that installs systems for the residential, commercial and public sectors, markets its wares to middle-America through a permanent store display at Sam’s Club and is looking into similar arrangements with other retail stores. At the same time, it pitches the argument to the more wellto-do homeowner that solar energy is one of a few good investments in these turbulent ﬁnancial times. Solar offers higher income consumers a way to be ‘ﬁnancially savvy and green’, Boylan says. ‘Money is pulling out of the old investments. In the real estate market, this can add value to your home’. When Borrego installs panels for a business or institution, it often makes special offers to employees of the business who want to do the same - as with the University of California, San Diego, which in September selected Borrego to install a 1.2 MW system. The company expects to see the market for solar opening up in almost every state with the recent passage of an eight-year federal tax credit. But for the immediate future, it is concentrating on expanding into Massachusetts, where new state incentives are so appealing, at one point the state surpassed California in feeding leads to Borrego. Internet marketing also continues to be a strong marketing medium for the company, which encourages consumers to test out its online calculator. Customers plug in their average monthly electric bill and the calculator shows the money saved over 25 years and how much value the system adds to their house.

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Borrego Solar workers installing commercial jobs in New England BORREGO SOLAR

NEW CUSTOMERS, NEW MONEY While some players are offering novel products, Paul Thomas, chief executive officer and president of Green Mountain Energy, says his company is sticking with its tried-and-true marketing theme that green power helps the environment. So far, it has paid off. The company, one of the first to offer green energy to retail customers after states began deregulating the electricity market in the late 1990s, saw unprecedented growth in its largest market last year, the state of Texas. Whether the high level of interest in green energy will continue remains to be seen. ‘We are in uncharted territory for the economy. Customers are highly interested in renewable energy, but they expect it to be delivered at competitive prices’, Thomas says. ‘We’ve been doing this a long time. Our message changes all the time as markets evolve. As we get into changing economic conditions that may lead us to differ products or pricing strategies. We so far this year have not done that.’ The company has seen a shift in recent years in the type of customer who pursues green energy. Early on, strong environmentalists tended to dominate the market. Now the customer tends to be more ‘mainstream’ and cuts across a broad swath of society, according to Thomas. He says it is difficult to predict if government support will wane given the economy, but he believes policy arguments in favour of renewables will win out in the long-run. ‘It hasn’t been a straight line over the last 10 years from hydrocarbons to renewable energy, and the future probably won’t be any more of a straight line. But I think the trend is irreversible. One setback we may come into now is the ability to finance new projects. These markets have to get sorted out – it is period of uncertainty.’ Still, as other markets fail, reports keep emerging about the strength of clean energy and its value in the market. The same Standard & Poor’s that warned of RPS costs, also said in a separate report that surging fuel prices will squeeze utilities unless they are green. The report explains how utilities that rely on power from wind and water can hedge against high fuel prices – they can ‘benefit from the rising market price of power by selling surplus electricity without the drag of higher input prices.’

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GREEN ENERGY AS THE BAILOUT The global market for environmental products and services is expected to double from $1370 billion per year to $2740 billion by 2020, according to the September 2008 report ‘Green Jobs: Towards Decent work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World’ produced by Worldwatch Institute for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The report finds that, in the US, clean technologies are the third largest sector for venture capital after information and biotechnology. About 2.3 million people have in recent years found new jobs in the renewables sector. The ‘potential for job growth in the sector is huge,’ the report says, forecasting that the wind sector alone, may employ some 2.1 million people while the solar energy industry could employ 6.3 million by 2030. Such optimistic forecasts sometimes miss their mark – terribly. President Harry Truman’s Paley Commission in 1953 predicted that by 1975 solar hot water heating, alone, would provide 10% of the nation’s total energy requirements, according to Analysis of Federal Expenditures for Energy Development, a September 2008 report by Management Information Services, prepared for The Nuclear Energy Institute Washington, DC. In truth, 33 years beyond the target date, solar heat has is still far from reaching that mark. Recent US Energy Information Administration figures show that all renewables accounted for 10% of domestically produced energy for the first half of 2008 and solar thermal energy only a small fraction of that. Indeed, acceptance of renewable energy has been ‘decidedly cyclical, characterized by periods of intense interest and activity and optimistic forecasts, followed by periods of slackened interest and pessimism’, the nuclear report said. Today’s story is one of unprecedented expansion for the sector. It is still too soon to say exactly how the financial crisis might influence that story, and if current growth projections will fall victim to a Truman-style Paley report future. But notably, when the crucial clean energy tax credits finally passed in Congress, they were attached to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 – what has become known in common parlance as the bailout or recovery bill, a US$700 billion infusion into the financial sector. The two initiatives – the recovery bill and the tax credits – were unrelated before they passed Congress in October. It was a matter of coincidence, timing and political expediency that the clean energy bill came to be packaged with the bailout measure. But, given green energy’s ability to create jobs, foster energy independence and reduce resource costs, the pairing could be prescient. The story that emerges from today’s tough economic times may be that green energy is the economic rescue remedy.

Elisa Wood is US Correspondent for Renewable Energy World magazine. Research assistant Corey Haga contributed to this article. e-mail: rew@pennwell.com

This article is available on-line. To comment on it or forward it to a colleague, visit: www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com

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Solar Photovoltaics Manufacturing By 2020, about 50,000 megawatts (50 gigawatts) worth of photovoltaic (PV) systems will be installed annually, up by a factor of nearly 20X from 2,538 megawatts in 2007. By 2010, as many as 400 production lines in the world that can produce at least 1MW of PV cells per year will be in place, representing a fourfold increase from about 90 to 100 production lines in 2007. Photovoltaics World is a natural extension of the coverage of the photovoltaics/solar cell industry by several PennWell brands devoted to renewable energy, photonics, and solidstate devices including Solid State Technology, Renewable Energy World, Laser Focus World and Power Engineering. Photovoltaics technology is all about bandgap engineering and looking for ways to increase cell efﬁciency and reduce manufacturing costs. Many of the latest advances have come from applying know-how originally developed for semiconductor manufacturing. In addition to a bimonthly print magazine, the Photovoltaics World launch will include a dedicated Website and a weekly e-newsletter, PV Times. Coverage for a planned circulation exceeding 20,000 readers will focus on solar cell design and manufacturing, including cells made of multi-, mono- and nano-crystalline silicon, amorphous thin-ﬁlm silicon, cadmium telluride, copper indium diselenide (CIS) and GaAs. Multijunction cells and concentrator technology will also be covered.

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PHOTOVOLTAICS: FLEXIBLE THIN-FILM TECHNOLOGY

FLEXIBLE THIN-FILM TECHNOLOGY A NOVEL METALLIZATION PASTE

Dr Ning-Cheng Lee INDIUM CORP.

he advantages of flexible thin-film photovoltaic technology are such that its steady commercialization has been widely heralded as a potentially market-shifting epoch. The development of a new flexible silver-based metallization paste is a major step towards gridparity, say Dr Hong-Sik Hwang, Lee Kresge, James Slattery, and Dr Ning-Cheng Lee.

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PHOTOVOLTAICS: FLEXIBLE THIN-FILM TECHNOLOGY

1.2 Normalised Contact Resistance

lthough silicon photovoltaic solar cells account for over 95% of the solar cells produced today, copper-indium-gallium diselenide (CIGS), amorphous silicon, and cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film cells hold much promise for rapid growth. These thin-film photovoltics can be deposited, not only on glass, plastic, or metal substrates, but also on flexible substrates. This offers the advantage of roll-to-roll processing, thus significantly reducing manufacturing costs. Furthermore, solar cells on flexible substrates allows for easy deployment of solar panels, where tolerance against rolling or bending is usually critical. This potentially leads to the use of PV panels in a much wider variety of applications. However, the marginal flexibility performance of silver metallization pastes in use today still severely restricts the practical use of flexible solar cells. In addition, the slump of the pastes after print reduces the effective exposure area to sunlight considerably. Now, a flexible high-performance silver metallization paste has been developed for use in flexible thin-film photovoltaic solar cells. The binder of the paste is a soft epoxy-based resin system. Compared with a more conventional thermoplastic paste system, this exhibits superior adhesion and is flexible. The new material, designated LTTF-6363, also displays excellent print characteristics and non-slump performance – extremely important for maximizing the effective open areas on solar cells. This new silver metallization paste can also be cured at temperatures below 200ºC and exhibits very good solderability – allowing easy soldering connection with other electronic devices.

1 Hard epoxy

0.8 Medium epoxy

0.6 0.4

Soft epoxy

0.2 Samples with no 85/85 preconditioning

15 20 25 Bending No.

Figure 1. Contact resistance of epoxy systems in the bending test

THE QUEST FOR FLEXIBLE SILVER As Table 1, below, shows, several polymeric binder systems were investigated for their potential as a flexible silver paste. Paste A was a commercial silver (Ag) paste, and was used as a control. Other than the control, all pastes contained 92% Ag by mass for the binder evaluation. Once a binder was selected, the paste was further optimized in Ag content. The potential as a flexible silver paste was assessed by measuring the contact resistance of cured paste on an indium tin oxide (ITO)coated CIGS substrate after humidity and bending treatment. Besides flexibility, other properties are also required, such as good contact resistance stability against thermal cycling and UV exposure, and qualities such as bulk resistance, volume resistivity, solderability, printability, and slump-resistance. The different metallization pastes were subjected to a number of performance tests. For the flexibility testing, for example, a sample of the ITO-coated CIGS substrate was bent against a 6 mm diameter pin. Each cycle was bent forward and backward alternately, with orientation of lines being vertical to the pin axis. The bending test was applied to samples after 85ºC and 85% relative humidity treatment for zero, three, seven and 14 days, respectively and the contact resistance was measured before, and after, bending four, eight, 16, and 32 times. Besides contact resistance, the possible occurrence of breaking or peeling off was also examined. Before the humidity treatment, the commercial paste (A) showed an increase in contact resistance with increasing bending numbers.

TABLE 1. SILVER METALLIZATION PASTES STUDIED

Paste

Come and see us at Photon Technology Show 2009 Europe Hall C1, B5 ______

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Binder system

Ag load (w/w %)

Thermoplastic-based

Medium epoxy-based

Soft epoxy-based

Hard epoxy-based

Epoxy resin/acrylate resin

Soft epoxy resin with smaller Ag ﬂakes

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PHOTOVOLTAICS: FLEXIBLE THIN-FILM TECHNOLOGY

1.4

Bulk Resistance (ohm)

This is attributable to the poor adhesion of the thermoplastic binder toward the substrate. This poor adhesion was further aggravated by the humidity pre-conditioning, and consequently resulted in peeling off upon bending. In the case of three days of pre-conditioning, the paste peeled off after bending just four times, indicating a total lack of compatibility with flexible solar cell applications. On the other hand, the humidity pre-conditioning caused a decrease in contact resistance, presumably through the formation of hygroscopic leakage current paths. For epoxy systems, no paste peeling off the substrate could be discerned, and the contact resistance generally decreases with increasing bending number. Epoxy systems in general promise superior adhesion toward substrates, therefore minimizing the chance of delamination after repeated bending. Meanwhile, bending very likely promotes piercing of Ag flakes through the epoxy binder, thus allowing for a better contact with the electrically conductive substrate and consequently resulting in a reduced contact resistance. The decrease in contact resistance with increasing bending is more profound for a softer epoxy system, as shown in Figure 1, on page left. Presumably, a softer epoxy can be pierced through more readily. Humidity conditioning did not cause significant effect on the contact resistance for the epoxy system, as indicated by the lack of trend between contact resistance and pre-conditioning time. In general, an acrylate-based binder shrinks more than an epoxybased binder, and therefore promises a lower bulk resistance. On the other hand, an acrylate-based binder often yields a weaker adhesion

1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Time (Hrs) Figure 2. Effect of humidity conditioning on bulk resistance

than an epoxy-based binder. A system with mixed acrylate and epoxy resins therefore may or may not improve performance. However, the ﬂexibility of a series of mixed acrylate/epoxy resin systems with increasing acrylate fraction was assessed by monitoring the contact resistance and bulk resistance against a bending treatment. As the portion of the acrylate resin increased, bulk resistance was reduced while the contact resistance scattered around Ω1.3 without a trend. When 60% of acrylate resin was incorporated, the printed paste lines were peeled off after eight bending cycles.

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PHOTOVOLTAICS: FLEXIBLE THIN-FILM TECHNOLOGY

Bulk Resistance (ohm)

1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Temp Cycling No. Figure 3. Effect of temperature cycling on bulk resistance

Overall, a system with 40% acrylate resins showed the best result for bulk resistance, contact resistance, and adhesion, and paste E (with 92% Ag content) was considered for additional study. For pastes on copper, other than paste D all pastes exhibit a decreasing contact resistance with increasing humidity treatment, presumably through forming a hygroscopic leakage current path. Paste D employs hard epoxy resin, suggesting a high glass transition temperature, and hence a slow moisture diffusion rate through the binder. This will result in insensitivity toward humidity. The paste E that contains epoxy/acrylate resins showed signiﬁcant increase in contact resistance. This is attributable to the weak adhesion of this paste, which was further weakened during thermal cycling. Contact resistances of other pastes slightly increased with increasing cycle number. The change in contact resistance under UV exposure was negligible for all six pastes tested, as was bulk resistance of the samples. The effect of humidity, thermal cycling, and UV treatment on bulk resistance was also measured. Figure 2, on page 93, shows how the bulk resistance decreased during humidity treatment. Paste E containing epoxy/acrylate resins showed much lower bulk resistance than other pastes and stayed as the lowest. On the other hand, all pastes showed slightly lowered bulk resistance following thermal cycling, as shown in Figure 3, above. For pastes C and F, both with soft epoxy resin, the bulk resistance decreases rapidly initially, then reduces gradually with increasing temperature cycling. Finally, in some applications, the metallization lines need to be connected to electronic devices by soldering. In this case, solderability of the conductive line is important. All six pastes were evaluated for wetting property. Paste A didn’t show any wetting at all. Paste D, with hard epoxy resin, showed a moderate wetting. Pastes B, C, E, and F all showed good wetting characteristics. THE BINDER OF CHOICE AND OPTIMIZATION Considering the various parameters resulted in a number of the pastes being eliminated from further investigation. For instance, based on the bending test data, paste C with soft epoxy is better than paste B (medium epoxy) and paste D (hard epoxy) in achieving

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Normalized Contact Resistance

PHOTOVOLTAICS: FLEXIBLE THIN-FILM TECHNOLOGY

1.2

( " !

92% Ag 93% Ag

94% Ag 95% Ag

0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 Samples with no 85/85 preconditioning

0 0

Bending No. Figure 4. Effect of silver content and bending on contact resistance of paste using soft epoxy resin system

low contact resistance under flexible applications. However, paste D is also considered not desirable based on its solderability characteristics and, based on the temperature cycling data, paste E is not suitable due to poor adhesion. Comparing pastes C and F, it can be seen that a smaller Ag flake (in paste F) contributes to a slightly lower contact resistance, but a quite higher bulk resistance. The latter can be attributed to a greater extent of discontinuity of small flakes. Overall, a soft epoxy-based binder system is desirable for flexible solar cell applications, while a larger Ag flake helps in achieving a lower bulk resistance. With a soft epoxy-based binder system being selected, the next step was to optimize the Ag content in order to achieve the best current-carrying capability while still retaining the flexible feature.

Overall, a soft epoxy-based binder system is desirable for flexible solar cell applications while a larger Ag flake helps in achieving a lower bulk resistance The contact resistance is virtually constant regardless of the Ag content, and is slightly higher than for paste A. The bulk resistance shows a very moderate concave curve, with a minimum value at around 94%–95% Ag, lower than paste A. The volume resistivity decreases initially, reaching the minimal value of Ω24/cm at around 96% Ag, then increases again with increasing Ag content. The minimal value is higher than paste A. FLEXIBILITY The cured pastes with Ag content equal or greater than 96% were fairly brittle, hence were ruled out for further evaluation. For Ag content ranging from 92% to 95%, the contact resistance upon bending treatment without humidity pre-conditioning is shown in Figure 4, above. No break-up could be discerned in any of the samples, and all pastes showed decreasing contact resistance with increasing bending treatment, with 92% Ag sample exhibiting most

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PV TECHNOLOGY: FLEXIBLE THIN-FILM TECHNOLOGY

Flexible thin-film photovoltaic technologies are on the cusp of a major market breakthrough and even offer the opportunity to open completely new market sectors significant decrease in contact resistance. However, for samples pre-conditioned at 85ºC and 85% relative humidity, damage was noticeable for 95% Ag. After humidity pre-conditioning for seven days, break-up in the paste line was recognizable after eight cycles of bending treatment, although contact resistance did not deteriorate significantly. After pre-conditioning for 14 days, the paste line was broken and electrical discontinuity was registered after eight bending cycles. When the Ag content was decreased down to 94% or below, no electrical discontinuity or physical deterioration could be discerned. Accordingly, the optimal Ag content is determined as 94% w/w when considering electrical properties, stability against humidity, and flexibility. OPTIMIZING SOLAR The 94% silver-based metallization paste, an optimized version of paste E now designated LTTF-6363, has been specifically developed for thin-film photovoltaic flexible solar cells. The binder of the paste is soft epoxy-based resin system, which exhibits superior adhesion and flexibility when compared with thermoplastic paste systems. Excellent print characteristics and non-slump performance are also extremely important for maximizing the effective open area on a solar cell and, in addition to its performance under humidity, temperature and bending treatment, the binder system was also formulated to resist cold slump after the print. It also gels quickly

upon heating, preventing hot slump. Comparison of printed pastes shows, for example, that it holds the print shape very well, while that of the control, paste A, experienced significant slump. The gap in the slump behaviour between the two materials further enlarged after curing when the width of paste A was about 60% wider. It therefore blocks 60% more sunlight when compared with the new material. Flexible thin-film photovoltaic technologies are on the cusp of a major market breakthrough and even offer the opportunity to open completely new market sectors. However, a number of technological barriers remain to be overcome before flexible thin-film lives up to its potential for grid-parity. Nonetheless, the development of flexible metallization pastes such as LTTF-6363 is a major step towards this goal.

Dr Hong-Sik Hwang is a research chemist for Indium Corp. Lee Kresge is a research chemist for Indium Corp. James Slattery is vice president of technical support for Indium Corp. Dr NingCheng Lee is vice president of technology for Indium Corp. e-mail: nclee@indium.com This article is available on-line. To comment on it or forward it to a colleague, visit www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com

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MEETING THE ENERGY CHALLENGE 26 – 28 May 2009, Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany INDUSTRY LEADERS’ KEYNOTE SESSION Delegates, visitors and exhibitors attending the forthcoming POWER-GEN Europe, Renewable Energy World Europe and POWERGRID Europe exhibition and conference have the opportunity to attend a joint keynote session where power industry and policy leaders will address the energy challenges facing Europe in this and the coming decades, including their views of the role that conventional and renewable energy will play. The joint keynote session will take place on Tuesday 26 May 2009 at 09:30 – 11:00 in the Konrad Adenauer-Saal, Koelnmesse Congress Centre and features these industry experts:

Dr.-Ing. Johannes F. Lambertz, President and CEO RWE Power AGGermany

Future Power Generation In Europe Meet the Challenge

Dr.-Ing. Joachim Schneider, Senior Vice President, Member of the Management Board, ABB AG, Germany

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New Power Plants need new Grids A Chance of Investments in Europe

Energy Efﬁciency Solutions for an Integrated Energy System

This “must attend” session featuring three industry leaders opens POWER-GEN Europe, Renewable Energy World Europe and POWERGRID Europe and underlines the theme of the combined events “Meeting The Energy Challenge.” To ensure you don’t miss this crucial event, register for FREE now on POWER-GEN Europe

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BIOMASS: PELLET DEVELOPMENT

BURNING ISSUES AN UPDATE ON THE WOOD PELLET MARKET

urning wood pellets for heat and power has become common across central and northern Europe and yields considerable environmental, and economic, beneﬁts. Christiane Egger and Christine Oehlinger discuss the growing market and the problems and challenges of utilizing this ‘perfect’ fuel.

An ornamental tree constructed from wood pellets O.ö. ENERGIESPARVERBAND

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BIOMASS: PELLET DEVELOPMENT

ood pellets are a clean, CO2-neutral and convenient fuel, mostly produced from sawdust and wood shavings, compressed under high pressure using no glue or other additives. They are cylindrical in shape and usually 6–10 mm in diameter and 10–30 mm in length. As a highly standardized and high-density fuel, pellets allow cost-efficient transportation and automatic operation for heat and power, from private homes to large-scale plants. With a rapidly growing share of the market, they are a key technology for increasing biomass utilization in Europe and beyond, especially in the heating sector. Pellets are also an excellent way of using local resources, a concrete contribution to CO2 reduction. THE EUROPEAN POLICY CONTEXT The policy framework in the European Union is supportive to the market development of biomass, both in the heating and electricity sector, as it contributes to climate and environment objectives, reduces import dependency and supports local economies. The 27 Member States of the European Union have set themselves ambitious policy objectives to increase the share of renewable energy sources in electricity and heat production, with a target for 21% electricity and 20% heat from renewables in the total energy mix by 2020. In December 2008, a new European Directive on the promotion of renewable energy was adopted by the European Parliament. The commitment is to achieve at least a 20% share from renewables in the EU’s gross final energy consumption in 2020. This Directive also specifies targets for each Member State – varying between 10% and 49%. For more on the EU Renewables Directive see page 18. Other important policy initiatives are the European Biomass Action Plan – COM(2005) 628 final – and the planned recast of the Directive on the energy performance of buildings. Biomass has a strategic role to play in achieving EU renewables targets, and wood pellets are key to making this happen. EUROPEAN WOOD PELLET USE AND QUALITIES A number of different systems are suitable for using wood pellets these include: Pellet stoves: These are often modern appliances in an attractive design where bagged pellets are normally used. They are ideal for milder climates or as a heating source additional to an electric, gas or oil heating system. The largest market for these in Europe is Italy.

THE EUROPEAN PELLET CONFERENCE With more than 600 participants every year, the European Pellet Conference held in Wels, Austra, has become the largest annual pellet event in the world. The international pellet community gathers to discuss technological innovation, market trends and new co-operation projects with experts from all over the world. It also provides an insight into the current developments on the leading European and international pellet markets. The European Pellet Conference is held in parallel to the ‘Energiesparmesse’ – a trade show dedicated to renewable energy sources and energy efficiency, with nearly 100,000 visitors each year and more than 100 exhibitors showing pellet-related products. The European Pellet Conference forms part of the ‘World Sustainable Energy Days’, which is one of the largest annual conferences in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources in Europe. The World Sustainable Energy Days includes different conferences which present the latest technology trends, outstanding examples and European strategies. In 2008, the conference attracted more than 950 participants from 61 countries. More information is available at: www.wsed.at

Pellet boilers: These are fully automatic central heating systems for residential heating with bulk delivery of pellets. In parts of Europe, pellets are usually delivered by a special tanker truck and blown into storage systems. The pellet boilers are connected to the pellet storage by an auger or Archimedes screw (mechanical fuel feeding system) or a suction system (pneumatic system) from which the pellets are transported automatically into the boiler. No manual work is necessary for the fuel supply, making such systems as userfriendly as a gas or oil-ﬁred heating system – the heat distribution system within the building is typically water-based. Well developed markets for pellet central heating systems are found in Austria, Germany, Sweden and France. While the investment costs for such systems are about 30% higher than for an oil-ﬁred heating system, fuel costs are considerably lower and there is a good return on investment.

TABLE 1. EU BIOMASS CONSUMPTION AND POTENTIAL IN MTOE

Biomass consumption, 2003

Potential, 2010

Potential, 2020

Potential, 2030

Wood direct from forest (increment and residues) Organic wastes, wood industry residues, agricultural and food processing residues, manure Energy crops, from agriculture

67a

39–45

39–72

100

102

43–46

76–94

102–142

Total

186–189

215–239

243–316

Source

This ﬁgure includes 59 Mtoe of wood and wood wastes; 3 Mtoe of biogas; and 5 Mtoe of municipal solid waste.

SOURCE: EU BIOMASS PRODUCTION POTENTIAL, BIOMASS ACTION PLAN COM(2005) 628 FINAL (IN MTOE)

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RENEWABLE ENERGY NETWORK

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Utility-scale boilers: In northern European countries, such as Sweden or Denmark, pellets are also used to fire biomass district heating or combined heat and power (CHP) plants. A growing market is also co-firing, whereby pellets are used to partially substitute coal in large power plants – for example in Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK. Modern pellet stoves and pellet boilers require pellets of a high quality. Austria was the first country to adopt a pellet standard (the Austrian ÖNORM M 7135) which helped the market development tremendously; from the offset, only pellets of a clearly defined quality were available, allowing boiler manufacturers to develop very lowemission appliances. Several other European countries followed by introducing quality standards for wood pellets (such as the German DIN plus standard). And, currently, a European standard is under development, with its adoption anticipated for 2009. In addition, with an increase of global trade, a world-wide certification for the sustainable production of pellets will become increasingly important. PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF WOOD PELLETS In the last few years, pellet production facilities have boomed all over the world, especially in Europe and North America. Important pellet exporters are Canada and Russia, while large pellet importers are Denmark, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. The production capacity in all EU 27 states is estimated at about 9 million tonnes (2007). Globally it might be as much as 12–14 million tonnes capacity. Leading pellet producing countries in the EU are Sweden (1.7 million tonnes), Germany (900,000 tonnes) and Austria (800,000 tonnes). Both Sweden and Austria have been leading pellet countries since the earliest days of market development in Europe, in the 1990s. Growing production capacities can also be found, for example, in France, Spain, Latvia, Estonia and Poland. Meanwhile, Russia has significantly increased its production capacities – from 50,000 tonnes in 2005 to 550,000 tonnes in 2007 – nearly all of it for export. Canada’s plants produced about 1.3 million tonnes in 2008.

Russia's production grew from 50,000 tonnes to 550,000 tonnes between 2005 and 2007 In terms of pellet consumption, Sweden, Germany and Austria lead the way in Europe, closely followed by France, where rapid market development has taken place in recent years. Italy has

TABLE 2. THE TECHNICAL FUEL REQUIREMENTS FOR PELLETS ACCORDING TO ÖNORM M 7135

Quality characteristics

Requirements

Diameter

5–6 mm

Length

max. 25 mm

Density

at least 1.12 kg/dm3

Water content

at most 10%

Amount of ash

at most 0.5%

Heating value

at least 18 MJ/kg

Dust

at most 2.3%

Additives

at most 2%

For comparison 2 kg pellets

~ 1 litre oil

1 m³ pellets

~ 320 litre oil

1000 kg pellets

~ 1.5 m³

become one of the most important pellet consumers due to the increasing number of installed pellet stoves (about 800,000 stoves to date). Total annual pellet consumption in Europe presently amounts to about 6 million tonnes. On the North American market, about 2.3 million tonnes of pellets were consumed in 2008, with about 2 million tonnes of this in the USA. PELLET RAW MATERIALS The issue of pellet raw materials and the pricing will be crucial for future market development. At present, the main raw material for pellets is sawdust. However, there is increasing competition for the current sawdust resources. One solution would be importing sawdust from China, Russia or South America. However, concerns about sustainable forestry and long transport routes might lead to a loss of consumer trust and support from public policies. Another option is to use other raw materials. Agricultural products and residues such as straw, hay, miscanthus or other energy crops – forming so-called ‘agri-pellets’ – have been at the centre of attention of the pellet community in past years. Unfortunately, all of these products are harder to burn cleanly than wood. Therefore, due to existing emissions legislation, signiﬁcant product development is required before mass use of agri-pellets will be possible. Another promising option is other forest residues, such as woodchips, log wood or short rotation crop (SRC) forests.

PELLET CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS

A pellet central heating system can directly replace oil or gas boilers. Fully automated, such systems not only light automatically and feed fuel from pellet storage at the rate of the heat demand, but the boiler also cleans itself every day ensuring continued efficiency. Automatic wood pellet heating systems are available in a range of sizes to suit anything from a small, energy-efficient house to a large office or business. A typical residential wood pellet boiler normally requires a boiler room of 2m2. A typical pellet store requires a similar amount of space and can be installed in a separate room within the building, or in a garage, shed or special container. Automatic wood pellet heating systems are designed for bulk fuel supply. This method of delivery is common in mature pellet markets, providing cheaper bulk purchase prices, dust-free filling and is time-efficient for the home owners. A tank truck blows the fuel into the storage room, from where it is carried by an auger to the boiler. In most situations the pellet store requires refuelling only once or twice a year.

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CONFLICTS OF USE Raw material for wood pellets is not infinitely available, at least not at relatively low costs. Fluctuations in sawdust availability and price are caused by the construction industry – if this sector requires less material, this leads to lower activity in the woodworking industry, which results in lower quantities of sawdust being produced and available for pellet production. Therefore, there is a debate in the pellet community as to where wood pellets should be best used in the future: in small installations to heat homes, schools and shops; or in large power stations where they can substitute significant quantities of coal. There are those who argue that wood pellet heating is one of the few options available for the 100% CO2-neutral heating of buildings. User-friendliness, low fuel costs, and the fact that it is an environmentally friendly solution, have already convinced tens of thousands of consumers in Europe to make the investment in a pellet stove or boiler. Others state that pellets, when co-fired in power stations, allow for a rapid substitution of fossil fuels at very low investment costs. One answer that could potentially resolve this issue would be a strong increase in global trade. Wood pellets that are shipped half way around the globe have lost some of their environmental advantages, and will be a lot less attractive to homeowners and to the public programmes that financially support the investment. However, the environmental balance looks much better for large power stations in the vicinity of seaports. THE PRICING CHALLENGE The price of pellets is another decisive factor affecting further market opportunities, both in the heating of buildings and in electricity production. As it is young market and still comparatively volatile, the pellet market has less ability to balance the impact of market turbulences than larger and more mature markets. One example is the price crisis that hit a number of European markets in 2006. After several years with stable pellet prices – which had not followed the price fluctuations of heating oil and natural gas – a pellet price peak shocked consumers and excited potential pellet producers. The rapidly growing demand, a very cold winter, and the lack of stored stock contributed to a very high pellet price, which peaked at twice the price of the previous heating season. In the following winter – which was unusually warm – pellet stove and furnace sales declined dramatically in a number of European countries. This created a very difficult situation for all those businesses that had invested in new production facilities for pellets or pellet appliances. The situation calmed and pellet prices came back down to previous levels; however, consumer confidence in the fuel suffered. Developments in the European pellet market are once again very positive. Growth of about 25%–30% is expected in countries such as in Germany and Austria during 2009.

Market growth of 25%–30% is expected in Germany and Austria in 2009 Future solutions will have to take a number of different contributing factors on the pellet market into account: t TVQQMJFST PG QFMMFU SBX NBUFSJBM BSF JOUFSFTUFE JO IJHI QSJDFT for the sawdust

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UPPER AUSTRIA: A WOOD HEARTLAND In Upper Austria, a region in the north of Austria with about 1.4 million inhabitants, renewable energy sources provide around 30% of the primary energy consumption, of which 14% comes from biomass. The share of renewable energy sources in the heating sector is over 40%. The region has made a commitment that by 2030 all space heating and electricity will come from renewables and biomass – and especially wood pellets – have an important role in achieving the ambitious target. Presently, more than 16,000 wood pellet central heating installations are in operation – most of them are in homes, but increasingly also in larger commercial and public buildings. Pellet stoves are also very popular in thousands of low-energy homes. Pellet market development is supported by comprehensive programmes well adapted to the changing needs of the market – ranging from training of installers to campaigns or consumer advice. Financial incentives are available to home owners and businesses willing to install a pellet boiler. Leading European boiler producers have their headquarters in the Austrian region and based on the successful home market they are exporting pellet technology all over Europe. They are set to export to the US also. A network of companies active in the ﬁeld of energy efﬁciency and renewable energy sources (the OekoenergieCluster which is managed by the O.Oe. Energiesparverband - the regional energy agency) supports companies in their business development. There are 148 partner companies in the network, achieving a turn-over of €1.6 billion and having 4500 employees.

t QSPEVDFST PG QFMMFUT BSF JOUFSFTUFE JO IJHI GVFM QSJDFT t QSPEVDFST PG QFMMFU CPJMFST XBOU TUBCMF QFMMFU QSJDFT BOE competitive heat costs t QVCMJD CPEJFT XIJDI QSPWJEF JOWFTUNFOU TVCTJEJFT GPS QFMMFU installations in many European countries, have an interest in a stable market price situation. COMPETITIVE AND CLEAN Wood pellets have a number of advantages compared with other wood biomass fuels, for example, as a condensed fuel, transportation is cheaper and less cumbersome. Due to the high degree of standardization, they allow for a very low-emission combustion, even in very small appliances (comparable to the emission of modern gas or oil heating appliances), but of course, without emitting CO2. Already today, pellets are a very competitive fuel in the heat market and have become a mainstream fuel in a number of European countries. If the price and the raw material challenges can be mastered, wood pellets will be one of the key technologies in achieving climate policy objectives. More information is available at: www.wsed.at Christiane Egger is Deputy Manager of O.Ö. Energiesparverband (Upper Austrian Energy Agency), based in Linz, Austria. Christine Öhlinger is Head of Sector at O.Ö.Energiesparverband e-mail: christiane.egger@esv.or.at This article is available on-line. To comment on it or forward it to a colleague, visit: www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com

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Multibrid’s M5000 turbine will be used at the RAVE offshore wind farm

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THIS IS THE INTRO SUB HEADING FEATURE ARTICLES

DISCUSSIONS FROM GERMANY

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ovember saw the ninth DEWEK bi-annual technical wind energy conference, organised by the German wind energy institute DEWI, take place in Bremen. Eize de Vries rounds up some of the highlights.

tilities in the northwest US and California are scrambling in order to meet requirements set out in state Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) legislation in the face of rising prices and shrinking availability of wind turbines. Lisa Cohn reports.

NEW GERMAN TARIFFS During the conference opening session, ﬁrst speaker Joachim Nick-Leptin of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, provided a detailed overview of his country’s long-term renewable energy objectives. He, among others, focused on details of the new (EEG) feed-in tariffs law that commenced on 1 January, 2009. With regard to these new tariffs, the onshore wind power rate has increased from 7.87 to 9.2 eurocents/kWh – including an annual 1% kWh pay reduction a change from the initial plan of 2%. The latter measure is aimed at boosting cost beneﬁt gains through innovation. Also new in the EEG legislation is a repowering bonus of 0.5 eurocent/kWh. This measure is designed to optimize the use of increasingly scarce land-based wind locations. Site repowering often increases yields by a factor 5–10, and generally means

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replacing smaller outdated turbines by fewer TABLE 1. WORLDWIDE RENEWABLE ENERGY POTENTIAL larger state-of-the-art equivalents. Solar radiation 1.5 x 1021 Wh/a The EEG offshore tariff is 9.2 eurocents/kWh, Wind streams 3.8 x 1019 Wh/a (2.5% of solar radiation) up from 8.74 eurocents, but that is not all. For Wind power potential 4.3 x 1015 W early movers the German government provides an Wind power installed 9.4 x 1010 W (0.00054%) ‘early bird’ bonus of 2 eurocents/kWh for offshore wind projects operational before the end of 2015. Actual worldwide electrical A second incentive to encourage early movers is Power base installed 3.2 x 1012 W a binding obligation for utilities to connect these Wind power share 2.9% projects to the grid at their own expense. Current German government research Source: DEWI, DEWEK 2008 priorities include wind power and photovoltaics. Key focus areas for wind research include cost reduction, offshore wind, grid integration and environmental issues. The second speaker, Dr Reinhard Loske, Bremen Senator for Several presentations addressed these areas. Grid integration as a Environment, Building, Traffic and Europe, commenced by setting subject is subdivided into Virtual Power Plant (VPP) research and the out Germany’s ambitious objective of 25–30 GW of offshore wind by development of an advanced e-grid also known as a Smart Grid. 2030. He stressed that German politics have to make a clear choice One groundbreaking VPP project highlight of the past few years is between ‘a row of new coal-fired power stations situated all along a joint co-operation between Germany’s Enercon (wind turbines), the coastline’ or ‘offshore wind power plants in terms of future grid Schmack (biogas plant) and Solar World (Photovoltaics). Their connection priorities.’ Loske also pointed a finger at the credit crisis sustainable technologies were combined with pump storage to build and hard lessons learnt, concluding that countries affected should and demonstrate an integrated high-tech flexible system that fully rethink the importance of reinvesting into ‘real Wirtschaft’ (‘real matches power demand and supply. value-generating business activities, including manufacturing’). An important question raised during DEWEK 2008 was whether FRAUNHOFER WIND ENERGY INSTITUTE German offshore plans are realistic. Another conference speaker Other news presented by Nick Leptin included a report on the said that the wind industry is at the beginning of a steep learning founding of a new Bremerhaven-based Fraunhofer Centre for Wind curve, in which many key areas still need addressing. These include Energy and Maritime Technology that became operational early risk and cost sharing between the main project partners, efforts to 2009. The initiative aims at concentrating the country’s wind powerbring down wind turbine and foundation costs, and solving grid related R&D infrastructure into one specialized research body. In his connection issues. In addition comes the need to invest in new closing statement Leptin clearly voiced concerns over plans to pool advanced offshore logistics, including installation and assembly renewable resources at a European level saying: ‘We are sceptical concepts. This challenge is a major reason behind the German about these plans, specifically out of fear for a strong bureaucratic government decision to incorporate two dedicated research turbines organizational structure. A centralized research body comprising 26 as part of the 60 MW Research at Alpha Ventus (RAVE) offshore European member states simply cannot function effectively.’ wind farm due to be completed this year. Once operational the wind farm will consist of six 5 MW REpower 5M and six 5 MW Multibrid M5000 turbines. For each turbine type a number of specific technical and other research aspects will be addressed for field tests and optimization. €50 million of federal research funds have been made available for the first five-year period. WIND ENERGY – QUO VADIS? DEWI’s managing director Jens Peter Molly provided an overview of key wind power developments in a presentation entitled Wind Energy – Quo Vadis? He commenced with a calculation of the world’s wind power potential, see Table 1. He concluded that the total wind potential is over 1300 times larger than the worldwide cumulative installed electrical power base. In a related statistic, Molly showed the global installed wind power density (kW/km2) distribution among individual countries and geographical regions. Germany and Denmark are the only two countries that have installed over 50 kW/km2. Spain, Portugal and 2 Figure 1. Wind installation capacity growth predictions: what could be the the Netherlands all score 31–40 kW/km . The third 2 category (11–20 kW/km ) includes Austria and Ireland. DEWI GMBH future effects of the global commercial crisis?

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Several countries in Europe and the major wind markets of US and India score only 1–10 kW/km2. However, a wind power density ﬁgure of less than 1 kW/km2 is still valid for the majority of nations, including huge countries like Australia, Brazil, Canada, and China. As Molly says: ‘These statistics above all provide overwhelming proof of the world’s huge wind potential, that is still largely unused, and the challenging task ahead to make that potential productive without delay.’ With regard to growth predictions, shown in ﬁgure 1 left, DEWI’s forecast sits between BTM’s 2006 and 2008 medium-term curves, and corresponds roughly to a cumulative 245 GW total worldwide in 2012 and 400 GW by 2014. For 2009, Molly considers a substantial drop in installations from an earlier prediction of 32 GW to 20 GW as not unlikely. However, if BTM’s latest 2008 scenario prediction with 20% annual market growth can still be met, by 2017 some 6% of the world’s electricity can be generated by wind from today’s 2.9%. TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES Elaborating on future challenges, Molly points at major design issues like load reduction, prolonging operational lifetime, and the application of new materials and production methods. One of his conclusions was that with increasing size wind turbines, suppliers succeed in curbing Top Head Mass (nacelle and rotor) increases due to increasing utilization of superior materials, despite the fact that up-scaling is inevitably linked to the infamous ‘square cube law’. As wind turbines are designed for a similar 20-year operational lifetime, Molly drew the comparison between an average car and a

The DEWEK exhibition

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wind turbine – a car during its 250,000 km lifespan covers about 4000 operational hours. As Molly explained: ‘Wind turbines by contrast are typically designed for 160,000 operational hours, which puts high requirements to overall (structural) design and product quality. If these stringent conditions are not being met, these 160,000 wind turbine operational hours are simply unachievable.’ For offshore applications he considered enhanced reliability, the development of dedicated maintenance strategies, and addressing foundation structure optimization, concluding that all are major issues requiring structural industry efforts. Another key issue is yield prediction. ‘Reducing operational economics risk by employing longterm wind energy yield predictions is among several technology-

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in 1990, to 7.3 Nm/kg in 1996, 11 Nm/kg in 2002 up to 15.5 Nm/kg in 2008. This trend was likely to be have been reinforced as a result of general preferences to reduce Top Head Mass, as well as nacelle dimensions, enabling and easing containerized transport. However, critics argue that reduced design safety factors have emerged as a consequence of gearboxes becoming lighter with more compact housings. That has contributed to unacceptable gearbox failure rates, especially in some geared turbines (see REW, March/April 2006). Molly adds that another common failure issue is that secondary gearbox loads are being introduced as a consequence of increasing structural nacelle elasticity when size goes up.

Figure 2. The increase in the size of wind turbines over time

related challenges. Short-term wind power predictions on the other hand can serve as an instrument to integrate wind power into transportation and distribution grid networks’, he said. Based on historical data provided by certification institutes DNV, Risø and GL, he showed the relationship between the increase in wind turbine capacity and time, as illustrated in Figure 2, above. In the period 1978–2005/6 turbine capacity grew exponentially. If this trend continues, by 2010 turbine maximum size will have reached 10 MW. However, the chance that even a 10 MW prototype will be built during 2009/10 is slim, says Molly. Today’s list with 6 MW turbine makes and models contains only two names – the second-generation semi-commercial Enercon E-126 (rotor diameter 127m), and REpower 6M prototype (rotor diameter 126m). It was recently reported that BARD Engineering intends to scale up its 5 MW turbine to 6.5 MW, while the rotor diameter will remain unchanged at 122m. Industry sources further suggest that the E-126 may finally exceed 7 MW. The largest announced offshore turbine product development is the 10 MW Clipper Britannia (rotor diameter 150m), however, further details are not yet available. MASS REDUCTION Turbines with three pitch-controlled rotor blades and variable speed operation represent state-of-the art wind technology. Only by applying three or more rotor blades is an aerodynamically and dynamically balanced rotor provided, explained Molly. Two blade rotors are dynamically unbalanced, but proponents still see opportunities for offshore. Among the advantages of the twoblade system is that complete nacelle and rotor assemblies can be stowed more easily on a vessel deck. And, provided crane capacity is sufficient, complete nacelle and rotor assemblies can be hoisted to their mounting positions – potentially limiting offshore activity time and costs. Two-blade rotors have to spin faster for a given output, resulting in more noise, but this is not a consideration offshore. Wind turbine drive train systems are either direct-driven (no gearbox) or gear-driven, featuring a low speed single-stage (Multibrid) or high speed multi-stage gearbox. As a key wind industry trend, drive train torque (Nm) loads passing through turbine gearboxes per kg of Top Head Mass, has increased dramatically since 1990. This maximum mass-specific torque value has increased from 5 Nm/kg

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ROTOR SIZE LIMITING FACTORS Molly further pointed at several key limiting factors that can hamper further future turbine growth, with a focus on rotor size. Some of these factors are transport logistics and assembly issues (length and mass), in addition to rotor blade tip speed (noise, erosion, cross-sectional moment of inertia). Manufacturing constraints (material thickness, production-related imperfections, quality control methods and so on), component stiffness and material properties are among other critical factors that can potentially put a brake on size increase. He added: ‘When rotor size increases, a simultaneous materials saving trend can introduce growing elasticity as a result. This is a phenomenon that should be taken very seriously. Production errors as an unknown enhancing risk factor are further unavoidably linked to any wind turbine design phase. Such errors should become accepted as an ‘integral’ and unavoidable part of wind turbine design, but with the explicit ultimate aim to strive at fail-safe type components and systems.’ Condition monitoring (CM) systems are gaining ground in wind turbines, but this technology only reacts to upcoming failures. As Molly says: ‘Due to their specific function, these CM systems do not contribute towards solving design-related failures. Another CMtype system monitors operational loads and uses the already known operational load spectrum as reference base. These CM systems are therefore well suited as a monitoring tool in combination with preventative O&M (operation and maintenance) measures.’ A largely ignored issue is how to deal responsibly with the environmental hazards presented by old rotor blades disposed of at the end of their operational lifecycle. ‘The 100,000 wind turbines operational at the end of 2007 contain about 660,000 tonnes of fibre-reinforced plastics, that at some time in the future will end up as a huge chemical waste pile. By 2017 the number of operational turbines worldwide will perhaps have grown to 400,000 units, which corresponds to about 6.6 million tonnes of fibre-reinforced plastics waste. The recycling of steel and nonferrous metals is a relatively well-known straight-forward process, but this essential know-how is far more limited for fibre-reinforced future plastics waste’, Molly concluded. DEWI GMBH

NEW DEVELOPMENTS In the session New Developments, Christian Keindorf of the Leibnitz University, Hanover, presented a clever new connection method for a tubular steel tower upper-part combined with a sandwich-type

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tower bottom section. The wider bottom section comprises an inner and outer steel shell, bonded together by a core material, which increases overall shell stability. The researchers further looked into the complex issue of joining a sandwich-type tubular steel section to a ‘conventional’ tubular steel section. A ‘semi-standard’ state-of-the-art offshore monopile foundation comprises a pile driven into the seabed, and a transition piece that ‘loosely’ slides over its top, on which the actual tower flange is bolted. The main function of a transition piece is to accommodate any potential pile misalignment during the driving process. A permanent connection between pile and transition piece is achieved with grout that fills the annular gap between the two pieces. A disadvantage of this grout solution is that a relatively long overlap length between the two components is needed. As part of the new solution, the upper steel section slides in a relatively short annular gap left at the top between the inner and outer section of the sandwich tower part, finally the shells are permanently connected with high-performance grout. Like the conventional monopile, the new method allows for vertical misalignments and other imperfections. Once the new system is proven both technically and economically, it might develop into an alternative solution for towers of larger (offshore) turbines. Keindorf says: ‘Our continuing research effort focuses at the best-suited core material, while already several mineral as well as non-mineral alternatives have been tried. However, a cost analysis of our tower solution – compared to conventional tubular steel towers – is not available yet.’

DEWEK 2008 DEWEK 2008 attracted 640 delegates, of which 207 came from outside Germany. During the two-day conference participants could choose from a variety of wind power-related presentations, many offered in parallel sessions and with specific focus on scientific and/or wind technology topics. Posters divided into the 10 conference subject categories were displayed in the foyer, while other organisations presented themselves in an adjoining exhibitor’s space. On day three, following the conference, DEWI offered delegates an excursion to the 5 MW BARD 5.0 near-shore prototype, located at Hooksiel near Wilhelmshaven.

CO2 EVAPORATION GENERATOR COOLING The Wind Energy Research Group (WERG) of the German Saarbrücken University of Applied Sciences, presented a novel 2–2.2 MW WERG-85 (rotor diameter 85m) direct drive wind turbine concept at DEWEK. Wind industry veteran Professor Friedrich Klinger founded the renamed WERG (initially Windenergie Gruppe) organisation in 1990. Several achievements of his wind turbine development group include the innovative 600 kW Genesys direct drive turbine (1997), the 1.2 MW Vensys 62/64 and an early version of

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the 2.5 MW Vensys 90/100. Today, WERG is unrelated to Vensys. A 2 MW WERG-85 wind turbine version has been developed for a Chinese partner, while a 2.2 MW sister product is destined for an undisclosed European supplier. Both versions contain a number of innovations. This includes a multi-pole permanent magnet-type generator which is located inside the rotor hub – the generator rotor is thereby integrated with the rotor hub that also carries the blades, and the permanent magnets are located along the inner rotor hub surface facing inwards. The generator arrangement in which the rotating part featuring the multiple (field) magnets is located outside the stator, is known in German as Ausenläufer. A more common direct drive generator (i.e. Enercon) arrangement is a generator rotor that rotates inside the stator part (Innenläufer). Twin main rotor bearings further absorb generator magnetic forces, as well as direct rotorinduced forces, while the bearing arrangement results in minimized air-gap deformation, explained WERG’s Benjamin Theobald during his presentation. He continued: ‘A second key innovation is our advanced generator cooling system, based on evaporating CO2 as a refrigerant in the hollow conductors of the stator coil system. This compact, fully enclosed generator is ideal for offshore applications, as heat is released where it is produced and there are consequently no internal hot spots. This combination of design features results in a generator stator coil temperature level of only about 35oC, versus roughly 100oC for conventional direct drive generators.’ A distinct WERG-85 design feature that has remained from earlier Genesys and Vensys product developments, is the toothed belt drive for the rotor blade pitch system. Finally, the Top Head Mass is only about 110 tonnes (nacelle 30 tonnes, generator 56 tonnes, three rotor blades 24 tonnes total). ‘Our WERG-85 also offers full proof that the wind industry perception of direct drive turbines being inherently heavy, needs to be corrected’, concluded Theobald. EVOLUTION At another DEWEK 2008 presentation, REpower’s Heiko Wuttke announced that the company had installed the first of three prototypes of its new 3.3 MW 3.XM series at a location near the Husum assembly facilities. The IEC WC IIA turbine model, is fitted with new in-house developed RE 50.5 rotor blades as standard. IEC certification is expected for the second quarter of 2009 and series production start is planned for third quarter of 2009. Martin Städler of GE Energy focused his presentation on ‘controls for load reduction’ that have been introduced in the new 2.5 MW GE 2.5xl flagship model. One of the key novelties is individual pitch

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control, whereby the rotor blade pitch angle as an asymmetric load control measure is adjusted continuously during each rotor revolution. The measures resulted in substantial reductions in 2.5xl fatigue load: 10%–15% for the hub and blade flange, 6%–10% for the tower base (fore/aft), and 15%–20% for the tower base (side/side). Städler said: ‘However, the ‘price paid for’ by the substantial overall load reductions is a 50%–100% increase in pitch actions. Incorporating individual pitch technology itself provides the choice between two optimizing options, a larger rotor or a less expensive turbine. We chose to fit a larger 100 metre rotor instead of the initial 88 metre size. One of the key benefits is that the larger rotor produces more energy, without having to lower the IEC Wind Class and change major components like hub, drive train and tower. We also maintained the initial pitch rate of 8–10 degrees per second when introducing the new pitch technology.’ GRID MANAGEMENT Increasing renewable energy systems, while sharing an electric power generation and supply infrastructure, raises the need to develop sufficient energy storage capacity. This is essential to balance fluctuating power feed-in from these inherently variable power sources. Among several options being researched in Northern Germany is adiabatic (no heat exchange) compressed air energy storage in underground salt formations, and especially in naturally formed caverns. These structures, which have an average size of 500,000m3, offer a storage capacity between 2.02–2.73 kWh/m3. Total capacity for adiabatic energy storage in Northern Germany is estimated at 800–2500 GWh. The energy storage efficiency depends on the technology applied and is estimated in the range of 50%–70%. However, there are competing uses for these caverns – underground CO2 capture and the long-term storage of nuclear waste. The storage issue is therefore far from being limited only to a technological challenge. Politics will have the final say. The challenge is therefore to set the right priorities in terms of future power generation and power and storage preferences.

Eize de Vries is Wind Technology Correspondent for Renewable Energy World magazine. e-mail: rew@pennwell.com This article is available on-line. To comment on it or forward it to a colleague, visit www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com

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THE LAST WORD TRANSMISSION 2.0 CLEAN POWER AND THE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPERATIVE FOR A NEW ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE The United States is already one of the world’s most attractive wind energy markets and despite signs of a slow down, the sector could achieve far, far more. With a new administration in the White House comes an opportunity to address some of the key barriers to continued wind sector growth. Obama has already more than hinted at a programme of accerated grid development and more renewables, and here, Peter Duprey explains, the development of a new type of transmission system must indeed be a priority.

or much of last year we listened to US Presidential candidates’ talk of energy independence, promises of an expanded commitment to renewable energy generation, green jobs and the importance of combating climate change. Now, with President Obama in ofﬁce, the US can move past the speeches and into meaningful action. The United States has an opportunity to move now to a new energy model – one that not only supports the shift towards renewable energy, but which also creates a reliable transmission infrastructure to support it. Just as the country saw a sea change in the last century with the creation of an Interstate Highway System that connected people, goods and services, it now needs an interstate energy transmission system that can move the country to a new model of energy supply and distribution. And, like any evolution of this sort, it will require not only the commitment of resources, but a shift of mindset as well. The future promise of the United States is one of clean, domestically generated energy, and rethinking America’s energy transmission infrastructure is the key to unlocking that promise. The US Department of Energy has concluded that wind harnessed in as few as three states – Texas, Kansas and North Dakota – could provide enough electricity to power the entire nation. That’s the good news. However, the bad news is that with our current transmission capabilities, we can’t get this vast domestic energy resource to the areas where most people live.

The current transmission grid is simply incapable of handling the potential amount of clean renewable energy that can be produced. This nation’s imperative must be to change and expand its transmission capabilities so that we can provide that clean energy. But if we are to galvanize this change, we must adjust our collective mindset. Just as the American public has rallied around utilization of untapped gas and oil reserves, we must now recognize that the wind is a vast, untapped clean energy reserve. Once we embrace that idea, our leaders will understand the urgency of expanding our transmission system. In a time of economic crisis and insecurity, this initiative can provide jobs to the American people who so desperately need them and energy independence from foreign suppliers of oil.

If this is a serious commitment, a national transmission plan must be at its core Challenging terrain Clearly there will be challenges. The current transmission grid in the United States was conceived more than 100 years ago. That system was built largely on a utility-by-utility basis to transport power from large central power stations to load centres. And by

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and large, most industrial cities were built close to the energy source – coal. At that time, the transportation of large quantities of remotely generated power supplies across long distances was not anticipated. The system is outdated and ill-equipped to handle the transmission of clean power from rural areas to the urban centres that need it most. In addition, electrical generation is growing four times faster than transmission lines are being built. That imbalance is creating bottlenecks in the system that interferes with reliable and efficient delivery of electric power. According to the Edison Electric Institute, energy demand has increased by 25% since 1990, while construction of transmission lines has in fact decreased by about 30%. There are several factors impeding the creation and implementation of a national plan to expand the grid, but the most difficult obstacle is that we have no clear indication of who is in charge. Not only are there multiple Federal, state and local regulations and organizations governing the construction of transmission lines, but there is no clear line of authority or responsibility for a federal transmission policy. Two agencies at the national level, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Department of Energy, now headed by Dr Steve Chu, have responsibility for developing policies on transmission and these policies do not necessarily coincide. With one organization answering to Congress and the other answering to the President, it is difficult, if not impossible, to define a coherent action plan.

Each day that the wind passes through the Dakotas without putting it to work is another day of economic and energy loss

Transmission is the conduit to economic growth and a clean, renewable energy future for the United States Due to the lack of strong Federal policy, many utilities, states, and companies are taking individual action. For example, California is initiating a state-wide effort called the Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) to bring together utilities, renewable energy producers and transmission operators to identify how best to upgrade and expand the grid. Another example of energy innovation at the local level is the effort led by Governor Hoeven of North Dakota. Hoeven, together with governors in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, is working to create a regional transmission planning effort that will promote investment and cost-sharing in the transmission grid. Although these and other state initiatives are important and essential to the growth of renewable energy, it is imperative that we do more. Both the 111th Congress and the Obama administration must make a coherent transmission policy an urgent national priority. This is critical for the US economy, security and future. President Obama says he is committed to mandating that the United States generate 10% of its electricity from renewable energy resources by 2012 and 25% by 2025. If this is a serious commitment, a national transmission plan must be at its core. An investment in transmission will yield multiple strong returns in renewable energy, job growth, economic development, and additional tax revenues. All of us in the industry recognize the extraordinary financial challenges facing our sector. Liquidity crises, unexpected tightening of capital and reductions in the price of oil are all very real issues. Many projects may be at risk. But this slowdown should not be an excuse for abandoning our efforts to build up our transmission infrastructure to transport clean, domestically generated energy. The process will take time – many years, in fact – which is why we must start today to change the national mindset about the urgency and necessity of harnessing the vast untapped reserves of renewable energy in the United States. There are some signs of progress. Projects like Acciona’s Tatanka Wind Farm, for example, may yet benefit from Governor Hoeven’s initiative. A 180 MW installation, it spans more than 14,000 rural acres (5700 ha) on the border of North and South Dakota, two of the top five states in the country for the production of wind energy. In fact this part of the United States has been called the ‘Saudi Arabia of wind’ because of the area’s enormous wind energy resources. With 120 turbines, Tatanka is the largest wind farm in the Dakotas and the development has created local jobs, provided additional revenues to local landowners and expanded the tax base for the community. That’s all good news, but we could be doing so much more. Each day that the wind passes through the Dakotas without putting it to work is another day of economic and energy loss. Transmission is the conduit to economic growth and a clean, renewable energy future for the United States. Without a concerted national effort, one with a commitment like Eisenhower’s investment in a national Interstate Highway System, we will not realize this future. Peter Duprey is Chief Executive Officer of Acciona Energy North America. e-mail: info@acciona-na.com

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2009 World Sustainable Energy Days 2009 Wels, Austria 25–27 February 2009 Christine Öhlinger, O.Oe. Energiesparverband, Landstrasse 45, 4020 Linz, Austria T: +43 732 7720 14861 F: +43 732 7720 14383 E: christine.oehlinger@esv.or.at W: www.esv.or.at Renewable Energy Exhibition Lyon, France 25–28 February 2009 Pierre Buchou, Sepelcom, 10 quai Charles de Gaulle, 69006 Lyon, France T: +33 4 72 223 087 F: +33 4 72 223 258 E: pbuchou@sepelcom.com W: www.energie-ren.com Photovoltaic Technology Show 2009 Europe Munich, Germany 4–6 March 2009 Solar Verlag GmbH, Jülicher Str. 376, 52070 Aachen, Germany T: +49 241 4003 0 F: +49 241 4003 300 E: info@photon-expo.com W: www.photon-expo.com SEMI Photovoltaic Fab Managers Forum Dresden, Germany 8–10 March 2009 Carlos Lee, Semicon Europe, Avenue des Arts 40, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium T: +32 2 289 6497 F: +32 2 511 4345 E: clee@semi.org W: www.semi.org Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North America 2009 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 10–12 March 2009 Johnny Lantz, PennWell Corporation, 1421 S. Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74112, USA T: +1 918 832 9239 F: +1 918 831 9729 E: johnnyl@pennwell.com

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World Biofuels Markets Brussels, Belgium 16–18 March 2009 Annie Ellis, Green Power Conferences, Shakespeare House, 168 Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TF, UK T: +44 207 801 6333 F: +44 207 900 1853 E: annie.ellis@ greenpowerconferences.com W: www.worldbiofuelsmarkets.com EWEC 2009 – European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition Marseille, France 16–19 March 2009 European Wind Energy Association, Rue d’Arlon 63-65, 1040 Brussels, Belgium T: +32 2 400 1079 F: +32 2 546 1944 E: info@ewec.info W: www.ewec2009.info Biomass 2009: Fueling Our Future National Harbor, Maryland, USA 17–18 March 2009 Courtesy Associates, 2025 M Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036, USA T: +1 202 973 8622 F: +1 202 331 0111 E: biomassmeeting@courtesyassoc.com W: www.biomass2009.com AWEA Wind & Transmission Workshop Overland Park, Kansas, USA 17–18 March 2009 American Wind Energy Association, 1501 M Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005, USA T: +1 202 383 2500 F: +1 202 383 2505 E: conference@awea.org W: www.awea.org/events/ transmission09/ ________ RIO 9 – World Climate & Energy Event Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 17–19 March 2009 RIO 9 – LAREF 2009, a/c Rio Solar Ltda, Av. Rio Branco, 25-18 andar, 20093-900 Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brazil T: +55 21 22 11 50 26 F: +55 21 22 11 50 19 E: info@rio9.com W: www.rio9.com 4th Asia Solar Photovoltaic Exhibition Shanghai, China 30 March – 1 April 2009 Shanghai Aiexpo Exhibition Service Co.Ltd, 5F No.501 Guangyue Road, Shanghai, 200434, China T: +86 21 6592 9965 F: +86 21 6528 2319 E: info@aiexpo.com.cn W: www.asiasolarexpo.com

Solar Innovations & Investment Shanghai, China 31 March – 1 April 2009 Ben Leighton, Green Power Conferences, Shakespeare House, 168 Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TF, UK T: +44 207 801 6333 F: +44 207 900 1853 E: ben.leighton@ greenpowerconferences.com W: www.greenpowerconferences.com POWER-GEN India & Central Asia Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India 2–4 April 2009 Natasha Christie, PennWell Corp., Horseshoe Hill, Upshire, Essex EN9 3SR, UK T: +44 1992 656 668 F: +44 1992 656 700 E: nchristie@pennwell.com W: www.power-genindia.com 4th International Exhibition on Energy Efﬁciency & Renewable Energy Sources for South-East Europe Soﬁa, Bulgaria 6–8 April 2009 Via Expo Ltd., Plovdiv 4003, 3 Chehov Sq, Bulgaria T: +359 32 945 459 F: +359 32 960 012 E: office@viaexpo.com W: www.viaexpo.com/exposition-ee_________________ vei/eng/exposition-ee-vei.php _______________ 3rd International Conference on Solar Photovoltaic Investments Frankfurt, Germany 7–8 April 2009 EPIA, Rue d’Arlon 63-65, 1040 Brussels, Belgium T: +32 2 465 3884 F: +32-2 400 1010 E: com@epia.org W: www.epia.org 3rd China (Shanghai) International Wind Energy Exhibition & Symposium 2009 Shanghai, China 8–10 April 2009 Shanghai Derui Exhibition Planning Co. Ltd., Block C, 23/F, 1381 Dongfang Road, Pudong, Shanghai, 200127, China T: +86 21 6864 1372 F: +86 21 6864 1569 E: cwee@cwee.com.cn W: www.cwee.com.cn

Green Energy Expo 2009 Daegu, Korea 8–10 April 2009 Mark Kim, Green Energy Expo, 1676 Sangyeok-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu, 702 712, Korea T: +82 53 601 5082 F: +82 53 601 5372 E: green@energyexpo.co.kr W: www.energyexpo.co.kr Hannover Messe Hannover, Germany 20–24 April 2009 Deutsche Messe, Messegelände, 30521 Hannover, Germany T: +49 511 89 0 F: +49 511 89 32626 W: www.hannovermesse.de 2nd Renewable Energy Finance Forum Latin America Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 22–23 April 2009 Euromoney Energy Events, Nestor House, Playhouse Yard, London, EC4V 5EX, UK T: +44 207 779 8945 F: +44 207 779 8946 E: marketing@euromoneyenergy.com W: www.euromoneyenergy.com Russia Power Moscow, Russia 28–30 April 2009 Crispin Coulson, PennWell Corp., Horseshoe Hill, Upshire, Essex EN9 3SR, UK T: +44 1992 656 646 F: +44 1992 656 700 E: crispinc@pennwell.com W: www.russia-power.org WINDPOWER 2009 Chicago, Illinois, USA 4–7 May 2009 American Wind Energy Association, 1501 M Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005, USA T: +1 202 383 2500 F: +1 202 383 2505 E: conference@awea.org W: www.windpowerexpo.org SNEC 3rd PV Power Expo 2009 Shanghai, China 6–8 May 2009 Shanghai New Energy Industry Association, Room 1008, No.1525, Zhongshan Road, 200235, Shanghai, China T: +86 216 427 6991 F: +86 216 464 2653 E: miyue@sneia.org W: www.snec.org.cn

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4th Renewable Energy Finance Forum China Beijing, China 12–13 May 2009 Euromoney Energy Events, Nestor House, Playhouse Yard, London, EC4V 5EX, UK T: +44 207 779 8945 F: +44 207 779 8946 E: marketing@euromoneyenergy.com W: www.euromoneyenergy.com Solar 2009 Buffalo, New York, USA 12–16 May 2009 American Solar Energy Society, 2400 Central Avenue, Suite A, Boulder, Colorado 80301, USA T: +1 303 443 3130 F: +1 303 443 3212 E: conference@ases.org W: www.ases.org OPTOmism: Photonics for the Green Revolution Santa Clara, California, USA 18–20 May 2009 Stephanie Moore, PennWell Corporation, 1421 S. Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74112, USA T: +1 918 832 9382 F: +1 918 831 9729 E: stephaniem@pennwell.com W: www.opt09.events.pennnet.com Nemex 2009 Birmingham, UK 19–21 May 2009 FHG Ltd, Faversham House, 232a Addington Road, South Croydon, Surrey CR2 8LE, UK T: +44 208 651 7106 F: +44 208 651 7144 E: nemex@fav-house.com W: www.nemex-energy.co.uk

estec2009 Munich, Germany 25–26 May 2009 ESTIF – European Solar Thermal Industry Federation, Uwe Trenkner, Renewable Energy House, Rue D’Arlon 63-67, 1040 Brussels, Belgium T: +32 2 546 1937 F: +32 2 546 1939 E: uwe.trenkner@estif.org W: www.estec2009.org Renewable Energy World Europe Conference and Expo 2009 Cologne, Germany 26–28 May 2009 Natasha Christie, PennWell Corp., Horseshoe Hill, Upshire, Essex EN9 3SR, UK T: +44 1992 656 668 F: +44 1992 656 700 E: nchristie@pennwell.com W: www.renewableenergyworld_______________ europe.com ______ POWER-GEN Europe 2009 Cologne, Germany 26–28 May 2009 Crispin Coulson, PennWell Corp., Horseshoe Hill, Upshire, Essex EN9 3SR, UK T: +44 1992 656 646 F: +44 1992 656 700 E: crispinc@pennwell.com W: www.powergeneurope.com POWERGRID Europe 2009 Cologne, Germany 26–28 May 2009 Natasha Christie, PennWell Corp., Horseshoe Hill, Upshire, Essex EN9 3SR, UK T: +44 1992 656 668 F: +44 1992 656 700 E: nchristie@pennwell.com W: www.powergrideurope.com

GreenPower International Renewable Energy Fair Poznan, Poland 19–21 May 2009 Poznan International Fair Ltd., Lukasz Stawisinski, ul. Glogowska 14, 60-734 Poznan, Poland T: +48 61 869 2573 F: +48 61 869 29 66 E: lukasz.stawisinski@mtp.pl W: www.mtp.pl

Intersolar 2009 Munich, Germany 27–29 May 2009 Solar Promotion GmbH, Kiehnlestrasse 16, 75172 Pforzheim, Germany T: +49 7231 58598 0 F: +49 7231 58598 28 E: info@intersolar.de W: www.intersolar.de

All Energy 2009 Aberdeen, UK 20–21 May 2009 All Energy Conference Management, Judith Patten, 34 Ellerker Gardens, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 6AA, UK T: +44 208 241 1912 F: +44 208 940 6211 E: info@all-energy.co.uk W: www.all-energy.co.uk

Carbon Expo 2009 Barcelona, Spain 27–29 May 2009 Franko Fischer, Koelnmesse GmbH, Messeplatz 1, 50679 Cologne, Germany T: +49 221 821 3051 F: +49 221 821 3446 E: f.fischer@koelnmesse.de W: www.carbonexpo.com

Photovoltaic Technology Show 2009 Asia Shenzhen, Guangdong, China 27–29 May 2009 Solar Verlag GmbH, Jülicher Str. 376, 52070 Aachen, Germany T: +49 241 4003 0 F: +49 241 4003 300 E: info@photon-expo.com W: www.photon-expo.com PV America Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 8–10 June 2009 Solar Energy Industries Association, 805 15th Street, NW Suite, 510 Washington, DC 20005, USA T: +1 202 682 0556 F: +1 202 682 0559 E: info@seia.org W: www.seia.org/pvamerica 6th Renewable Energy Finance Forum Wall Street Wall Street, New York, USA 23–24 June 2009 Euromoney, Nestor House, Playhouse Yard, London, EC4V 5EX, UK T: +44 207 779 8084 F: +44 207 779 8946 E: mferreiro@euromoneyplc.com W: www.euromoneyenergy.com BWEA Offshore 09 London, UK 24–25 June 2009 British Wind Energy Association, Renewable Energy House, 1 Aztec Row, Berners Road, London, N1 0PW, UK T: +44 207 689 1960 F: +44 207 689 1969 E: info@bwea.com W: www.bwea.com 17th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition Hamburg, Germany 29 June – 3 July 2009 ETA - Renewable Energies, Piazza Savonarola 10, 50132 Florence, Italy T: +39 055 500 2174 F: +39 055 573 425 E: biomass.conference@etaflorence.it W: www.conference-biomass.com Clean Energy Expo China 2009 Beijing, China 8–10 July 2009 Koelnmesse International GmbH, Daniela Basten, Messeplatz 1, 50679 Köln, Germany T: +49 221 821 3267 3619 F: +49 221 821 3671 E: d.basten@koelnmesse.de W: www.cleanenergyexpochina.com

Intersolar North America San Francisco, USA 14–16 July 2009 Solar Promotion GmbH, P.O. Box 100 170, 75101 Pforzheim, Germany T: +49 7231 58598 0 F: +49 7231 58598 28 E: info@intersolar.us W: www.intersolar.us European Offshore Wind Conference & Exhibition 2009 Stockholm, Sweden 14–16 September 2009 European Wind Energy Association, Rue d’Arlon 63-65, 1040 Brussels, Belgium T: +32 2 400 1079 F: +32 2 546 1944 E: info@ewea.org W: www.offshorewind2009.info 9th Coasts, Marine Structures and Breakwaters Conference Edinburgh, Scotland 16–18 September 2009 Institution of Civil Engineers, Helen Taylor, One Great George Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 3AA, UK T: +44 20 7665 2293 F: +44 20 7233 1743 E: helen.taylor@ice.org.uk W: www.ice.org.uk CanWEA 2009 Conference & Trade Show Toronto, Ontario, Canada 20–23 September 2009 Canadian Wind Energy Association, Suite 810, 170 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5V5, Canada T: +1 613 234 8716 F: +1 613 234 5642 E: info@canwea.ca W: www.canwea.ca 11th Renewable Energy Finance Forum London Wall Street, New York, USA 21–22 September 2009 Euromoney, Nestor House, Playhouse Yard, London, EC4V 5EX, UK T: +44 207 779 8084 F: +44 207 779 8946 E: mferreiro@euromoneyplc.com W: www.euromoneyenergy.com 24th European PV Solar Energy Conference & Exhibition Hamburg, Germany 21–24 September 2009 WIP, Sylvensteinstr. 2, 81369 München, Germany T: +49 89 720 127 35 F: +49 89 720 127 91 E: wip@wip-munich.de W: www.photovoltaicconference.com

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RENEXPO Augsburg, Germany 24–27 September 2009 REECO GmbH, Unter den Linden 15, 72762 Reutlingen, Germany T: +49 7121 3016 0 F: +49 7121 3016 100 E: redaktion@energie-server.de W: www.energie-server.de Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo Asia Bangkok, Thailand 7–9 October 2009 Neil Walker, PennWell Corp., Horseshoe Hill, Upshire, Essex EN9 3SR, UK T: +44 1992 656 643 F: +44 1992 656 700 E: attendingpga@pennwell.com W: www.renewableenergyworld/ asia.com POWER-GEN Asia 2009 Bangkok, Thailand 7–9 October 2009 Neil Walker, PennWell Corp., Horseshoe Hill, Upshire, Essex EN9 3SR, UK T: +44 1992 656 643 F: +44 1992 656 700 E: attendingpga@pennwell.com W: www.powergenasia.com

Renewable Energy Indonesia 2009 Jakarta, Indonesia 14–17 October 2009 Overseas Exhibition Services Ltd., Stephen Luff, 12th Floor, Westminster Tower, 3 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7SP, UK T: +44 207 840 2102 F: +44 207 840 2119 E: sluff@oesallworld.com W: www.allworldexhibitions.com BWEA31 Liverpool, UK 20–22 October 2009 British Wind Energy Association, Renewable Energy House, 1 Aztec Row, Berners Road, London, N1 0PW, UK T: +44 207 689 1960 F: +44 207 689 1969 E: info@bwea.com W: www.bwea.com

China WindPower 2009 Beijing, China 21–23 October 2009 Global Wind Energy Council, The Renewable Energy House, 63-65 rue d’Arlon, 1040 Brussels, Belgium T: +32 2 400 1029 F: +32 2 546 1944 E: sarah.bryce@gwec.net W: www.gwec.net Solar Power International Anaheim, California, USA 27–29 October 2009 Solar Electric Power Association, 1220 19th Street, NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC, 20036, USA T: +1 202 857 0898 F: +1 202 559 2035 E: info@solarelectricpower.org W: www.solarpowerconference.com POWER-GEN International 2009 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 8–10 December 2009 Stephanie Moore, PennWell Corporation, 1421 S. Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74112, USA T: +1 918 832 9382 F: +1 918 831 9729 E: stephaniem@pennwell.com W: www.power-gen.com

2010 EWEC 2010 Warsaw, Poland 20–23 April 2010 European Wind Energy Association, Rue d’Arlon 63-65, 1040 Brussels, Belgium T: +32 2 400 1079 F: +32 2 546 1944 E: info@ewec.info W: www.ewec2010.info WINDPOWER 2010 Salt Lake City, Utah, USA 16–19 May 2010 American Wind Energy Association, 1101 14th Street, NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20005, USA T: +1 202 383 2500 F: +1 202 383 2505 E: conference@awea.org W: www.windpowerexpo.org

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