Saur energy international june_2016

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ny business or economy thrives on Innovations. Gifting incentives is not the only way to keep them alive, an environment should be created where ideas can nurture themselves and grow.

In this issue, we bring you some great innovations happening around the globe in the field of Inverters. The latest and the most exciting on our radar was a global competition organised by Google and IEEE to create a KW-scale Inverter with a minimum power density of 50 watts per cubic inch.

The competition was won by the group named “THE RED ELECTRICAL DEVILS” from CE+T Power, Belgium. There were 17 other finalists from countries like Argentina, Netherlands, Slovakia, USA, UK, France, Germany, Ukraine, and some other counties.

The point is, not a single team among the finalists was from India be it research labs or corporate house R&D. Why we are so focused on getting our technology from established market and just manufacture the same rather than creating new or innovating?

On the annual Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard for 2015, prepared by European Commission, TATA is the only Indian company which featured in the Top 50. In the expanded list of the world's 2,500 top R&D firms, there are a total of 26 Indian companies, as against 829 from the US, 360 from Japan, 301 from China, 114 from Taiwan, 80 from Switzerland and 27 each from Canada and Israel.

I guess it’s time to rethink our strategies.

Lots more inside. Happy reading.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Solar power plant at

CHENNAI AIRPORT to

Cabinet apprised of a GFA on RE Cooperation between India and UAE

become operational soon Chennai airport’s 1.5 MW solar power plant will soon become operational and save Rs. 8 crore annually. With the installation of solar power plant the power bill is said to get a million dollar relief. The Airport is currently paying 20 crore to electricity board per year. Beside the 1.5 MW rooftop power plant, the airport is also planning to set up 7.5 MW solar power plant on the premises. Early May, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju at a program asked all the airports across India to install solar energy units.

MNRE sets target for Commercial & Industrial sector for FY 2016-17

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is implementing a Grid connected Rooftop and Small Solar Power Plants Programme.

The Government has set a target of 40,000 MWp of grid interactive rooftop solar (RTS) PV plants by 2022. 30% subsidy scheme is available for RTS projects in Residential I Social I Institutional sector, while 15 - 25% incentive is available for such projects in Government/PSU sectors. However, subsidy or incentive from the government is not available for RTS projects in Industrial & Commercial sectors, thus these segments purely depend on the Accelerated Depreciation and on the tariff differential between DISCOM rates and RTS bid rates.

With Accelerated Depreciation, RTS projects in the Industrial & Commercial sectors are viable in various States, except Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Assam, etc. The Govt. is also trying to channelize multilateral loans from Asian Development Bank, National Development Bank and World Bank at concessional rates to RTS developers through SBI, Canara Bank and PNB. For these segments, the RTS target is 50% or 20,000 MW. In this case, the role of DISCOMS for operating Net Metering regulations seems to be challenging. Here, the role of Channel Partners will be crucial added MNRE. Channel Partners are expected to participate and liaise with units in Industrial & Commercial sectors to take up RTS projects where consumption is more than RTS generation.

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The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi briefed on General Framework Agreement (GFA) on Renewable Energy (RE) Cooperation between India and UAE. The General Framework Agreement was signed by the two nations on 11th February in New Delhi this year during the state visit of Crown Prince of UAE. The GFA aims at cooperation between India and UAE in the field of new and renewable energy technologies MNRE in a statement said the objective of this GFA is to establish the basis for a framework through which extensive projects, investments, other forms of commercial endeavors, cooperation in research and development in renewable and clean energy, and knowledge sharing platforms could be enacted on the basis of mutual benefit, equality and reciprocity between the Parties.

The agreement will provide opportunity for exploring potential renewable energy projects for investments, cooperating in the International Solar Alliance and explore avenues of cooperation in R&D.

HPSEBL and SECI JV Corp to set up a solar power project in Kaza

Himachal Pradesh Solar Power Corporation Ltd., a joint venture of Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) will set up a solar power project in Kaza. PC Negi, MD of HPSEBL and managing director, SECI signed the agreement in the presence of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. The 2.5 MW solar wind hybrid power project will be completed by October 2017. This project will be first of its kind in the country; it will synchronize solar, wind and hydroelectric project with the grid supply. The project is expected to generate 4.41 million units annually.

NATIONAL NEWS

200 MW Kunta ultra mega solar power project now operational

NTPC has announced that power generation has started from its 200 MW Kunta ultra mega solar power project at Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh. NTPC in a BSE filing said “consequent upon testing and commissioning, 200 mw capacity (4X50 MW) of NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project Stage-I at Anantapur is declared on commercial operation w.e.f. 00:00 Hrs of May 9, 2016.”

State-run power producer NTPC added 2,255 MW capacity last fiscal. In the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17), NTPC added 9,639 MW, making it the company’s highest capacity addition in a Plan period.

Tata Power Renewable Energy bags 100 MW solar project in Karnataka

Punjab gets world’s largest solar power roof top plant The Punjab government has installed world’s largest solar rooftop at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh Beas, 45km from Amritsar. The 11.5-MW rooftop solar plant was inaugurated by Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The project developed at Rs. 139 crores covers nearly 42 acres of open shed rooftop meant for 'sangat' (followers) and took nearly six months to make the world record.

The state-of-the-art project has been installed by Radha Soami Satsang Beas Educational and Environmental Society (RSSBEES), in technical collaboration with Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA).The project is the largest solar rooftop plant in the world, set up in a single phase. This project would be instrumental in abatement of 4 lakh tonnes of CO2 in the next 25 years, which is equivalent to planting over 2,00,000 trees.

Tata Power Renewable Energy (TPREL) has bagged two solar grid connected photovoltaic projects of 50 MW capacities each in Pavagada Solar Park in the Tumkur district of Karnataka.

The projects have been awarded through OPEN category under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) Phase-Il Batch-Il Tranche-l under ‘State Specific Bundling Scheme’. TPREL has received the Letter Of Intent to develop the projects and will sign a 25 year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd. “Tata Power is delighted at this project win as it further fortifies our vision of generating 30-40 per cent of the Company’s total generation capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2025. The two solar projects will add 100 MW of non-fossil fuel energy to our total generation capacity, thereby, significantly increasing our green footprint,” said Anil Sardana, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Power.

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NATIONAL NEWS

World Bank approves $750 Million loan to Support India’s Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Program The World Bank Board has approved a $625 million loan to support the Government of India’s grid connected rooftop solar programme to generate clean energy.

World Bank has also approved a co-financing loan of $120 million on concessional terms and a $5 million grant from Climate Investment Fund’s (CIF) Clean Technology Fund.

The project will finance the installation of at least 400 MW of Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic (GRPV) across India.

These solar PV installations will provide clean, renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing thermal

generation. The project will also strengthen the capacity of key institutions, and support the development of the overall solar PV market.

This project will be implemented

by the State Bank of India (SBI), which will on-lend funds to solar PV developers/aggregators and end-users, who wish to invest in commercial and industrial rooftop PV systems.

ReNew Power & Hareon Solar JV Commissions SkyPower with BYD to submit a joint 72 MW Project in Andhra Pradesh bid for 750 MW Solar Power in India

ReNew and Hareon Solar Power has announced that their joint venture company has commissioned 72 MW solar PV plant project in Andhra Pradesh, India.

The project, located across two districts of Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool and Prakasam - is expected to generate 115 million units of energy per year and is connected to 132/33kV Adoni substation and 132/33kV Cumbum substation respectively.

The project was part of competitive bidding conducted in November 2014 by two distribution utilities of Andhra Pradesh namely, Southern Power Distribution

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Company Limited of Andhra Pradesh (APSPDCL) and Eastern Power Distribution Company (APEPDCL). Out of the total selected 619 MW solar PV power projects; this JV enjoys the distinction of having its project amongst the first few to be commissioned said the company.

SkyPower has entered into an agreement with BYD to submit a joint bid in the upcoming tenders for solar power generation capacity and energy storage of up to 750 MW in India. The agreement was signed during the opening ceremony of the China-Canada Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference in the presence of Hu Chunhua, Party Secretary of China's Guangdong Province.

The joint venture will draw upon SkyPower's vast global experience and its proprietary development platform to develop clean energy solutions in India at truly market-competitive rates. BYD's environment-friendly battery storage technology, in concert with SkyPower's experience in developing utility-scale solar projects, will enable a significant solar implementation strategy in India.

NATIONAL NEWS

Azure Power appoints Arno Harris as an independent director

Azure Power has announced appointment of CEO and Chairman of Recurrent Energy, Arno Harris as an independent director.

Arno Harris comes on board with over 15 years of experience in the solar sector and has helped the industry make the transition to mainstream energy markets. He also served as the CEO of Prevalent Power, Inc. and played a key role in starting various companies including RedEnvelope, WineShopper.com and Novo Media Group, Inc. Commenting on his appointment, Arno Harris said, "Azure Power is an established leader in the solar industry inIndia and it gives me immense pleasure to join its esteemed board. Azure offers an attractive value proposition for Indian solar power customers by utilizing the best technology with unmatched execution expertise and experience. I am a big believer of the company and look forward to working with Azure Power board and team to drive long-term value for all stakeholders."

Rays Power commissions 11.5 MW project in Telangana Rays Power Infra announces the commissioning of its latest solar photovoltaic project in Telangana. The 11.5 MW solar project commenced in January this year and was completed in 3 months.

Undertaken by Rays Power Infra on turnkey basis, the project was executed end-to-end, from land acquisition till its successful commissioning. The project commissioned under Telangana's solar power policy for procuring 500 MW through a tariff-based competitive bidding process is spreading across 46 acres of land in the Mahbubnagar district of Telangana.

Commenting on the milestone, Ketan Mehta, CEO, Rays Power Infra said, "The successful commissioning of this ambitious project in record time places another feather in our cap. This is an extremely important win for both our enterprise and for the augmentation of solar energy in India.

Indian Railways all set to conduct trial of its first solar-powered train

Indian Railways is all set to conduct trail of its first solar powered train in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The solar power will be used for internal electricity gadgets and the train will be pulled using diesel-run engines.

North Western Railways PRO Gopal Sharma said, "Solar panels have been installed on top of the coaches in the train and the energy, which we will get from the sun, will be used for the functioning of lights and fans inside the coaches in the train," he further added “the trial run of the train will be conducted by the end of May.�

Trains using solar power can reduce diesel consumption by up to 90,000 liters per year and also cut down Co2 emissions by over 200 tones.

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NATIONAL NEWS

TNB pops 30% equity stake in GMR Energy’s select portfolio of assets Tenaga Nasional Berhad (“TNB”) has announced its entry into Indian power sector after signing a Subscription Agreement (“SA”) and Shareholders Agreement (“SHA”) with GMR Energy Limited (“GEL”).

The Management Committee of GMR Infrastructure Limited (GIL) approved the proposed primary capital investment by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (Tenaga) in GMR Energy Limited (GEL). The investment represents 30% equity stake in a select portfolio of GEL assets on fully diluted basis, for cash consideration of USD 300Mn. The transaction is expected to be completed within the next three to six months. It will also strengthen a strategic partnership with GMR Infrastructure

Limited (“GIL”).

GEL will manage a balanced portfolio of coal , gas and renewable (Hydro & Solar) power projects having a total capacity of 4,630 MW. An additional four power assets are currently under various stages

of completion in India and Nepal with a combined generation capacity of 2,300MW. Tenaga has the right to invest in Chhattisgarh and other assets at any time within the next five years.

Intersolar receives Trade Fair Certification from U.S. Department of Commercial Service Intersolar India and its special exhibition ees India, has received Trade Fair Certification status from the U.S. Department of Commercial Service.

The certification recognizes the capability and experience of the local organizer MMI India Pvt. Ltd and its international contacts Solar Promotion International GmbH, Pforzheim and Freiburg Management and Marketing International GmbH (FMMI) for organizing events that connects U.S. companies with business opportunities in the Indian solar market.

Intersolar India and ees India will be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC) from October 19 to 21, 2016.

"There's an incredible market opportunity

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in India for U.S. solar companies, as the country is just starting to realize its solar potential," said Dr. Florian Wessendorf,

Managing Director of Solar Promotion International GmbH.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

JA Solar starts mass production of PV panels at its new facility in Xingtai, China

JinkoSolar inks a Master Purchase Agreement with CivicSolar

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A Solar Holdings has announced that it has started mass production of high performance PV panels at its newest module manufacturing facility in Xingtai, Hebei province, China.

The new manufacturing facility of JA Solar is located in the Economic Development District of Xingtai city, has an annual capacity of 1.5 GW with fully automated assembly lines using the latest module manufacturing technologies. The facility is capable of producing both 60- and 72-cell modules primarily using JA Solar's high-efficiency PERCIUM cells.

The stringers installed in this facility are equipped with artificial intelligence capable of switching soldering configurations between four busbars and five busbars of cell contact patterns.

All the assembly lines also have the flexibility of either making regular modules or making double-glass modules with the ease of converting one into the another.

The fully automated assembly lines for making standard 60- and 72-cell modules significantly increase the productivity of the facility. The annual production per capita is estimated to be 2 MW, the highest among the peers in the industry.

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inkoSolar inks a Master Purchase Agreement (MPA) with an affluent national full service solar distributor in U.S, the CivicSolar.

Under the MPA, JinkoSolar has been selected by CivicSolar as a Preferred Module Partner and will account for 25% of CivicSolar's module sales.

CivicSolar is currently offering JinkoSolar's Eagle (PID-free) and MX (optimized) modules to its customers. JinkoSolar's Eagle modules bars potential induced degradation (PID) loss and allow installers to use transformerless inverters.

The MX modules have three optimizers in the junction box performing cell string maximum power point tracking (MPPT), which improve tolerance to soiling and shading and enable more compact system designs. Both panel types offer superior energy harvest.

sPower signs a deal with PG&E for three 20 MW solar projects sPower signs a power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) for its forthcoming Californian solar projects.

The independent power producer sPower is reported to construct and commission three PV facilities (20 MW each) dubbed Bayshore A, B, and C over the course of 2017 in Lancaster, California. These three solar power plants will generate enough solar energy to meet the power needs of 11,000 local households. sPower CEO Ryan Creamer in a statement said "we admire PG&E’s leadership in clean power transformation efforts, and are pleased to be able to be a part of the process." As per California renewable portfolio standard policy, utilities operating in the state must source onethird of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. PG&E has already reached around 30% renewable capacity, and have storage contracts worth 75 MW on the table. Last year PG&E launched its SolarCARE program to encourage communities to adopt solar power wherever possible.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

PROINSO to expand Operations in Indonesia

PROINSO has announced that it will open a new operation in Indonesia's West Java province. PROINSO will have distribution and integrated products available in Indonesia along with experienced local EPM division, PT. Surya Energi Indotama (SEI). PROINSO has worked in partnership with PT SEI on numerous off-grid, distributed generation and utility projects over recent years and this consolidates leading capabilities, experience and relationships both locally and worldwide.

Earlier this year, PROINSO opened seven new offices across Latin America. The company now has 27 office locations worldwide.

Fortum has made an indicative, non-binding offer to acquire Ekokem Fortum has made an indicative, non-binding offer to the four biggest shareholders in Ekokem to acquire their shareholding in the company.

The biggest shareholders are Finnish State, Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company and Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority HSY, representing more than 80% of the shares. Fortum does not estimate the timetable or the outcome.

The company in a statement said Ekokem is a Nordic circular economy company that would fit well with Fortum's clean energy strategy, which is focusing on providing sustainable solutions to cities and urban areas.

ReneSola partners UCK Group to develop 116 MW solar power projects in Turkey ReneSola has partnered with a leading Turkish solar energy solution provider UCK Group to develop a pipeline of solar power projects in Turkey with a total installed capacity of 116 MW. All of the projects are unlicensed thus qualifying for the Feed-in-Tariff of $134/Mwh. As per the terms of the partnership agreement, UCK Group's Berak Enerji will develop and construct the solar power plants, while ReneSola will design the plants and supply high-efficiency solar modules and inverters.

The projects will be transferred into a new joint venture in which Renesola and UCK Group will each hold 50%. The joint venture intends to own 70 MW of the operating projects by early 2017. Xianshou Li, ReneSola's Chief Executive Officer and Atilla Uckardes, Chief Executive Officer of UCK Group in a joint statement said, "We are excited to partner to develop this pipeline of projects in Turkey. This partnership enables both companies to gain traction on the attractive Turkish PV market, while also demonstrating our technology leadership and strong competitive advantages. We look forward to further supporting solar deployment in Turkey with our cost-effective, high quality products."

Martifer Solar signs DA with Canadian Solar for 63MW PV plant project in Mexico

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artifer Solar and its JV MIRE partners have signed a Development Agreement with Canadian Solar for a 63MW solar power project in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The joint venture formed by Martifer Solar Sistemas Solares, S.A., Energía ECG, S.A.P.I de C.V. and Ithaca Environmental Ventures Limited to develop projects in Mexico. MIRE began the development of this project last year. Canadian Solar won a 63MWp project during Mexico’s electricity auction in March. Once connected to the grid, the electricity generated will be sold to CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad) under a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement for energy and capacity, and 20-year for Clean Energy Certificates. The competitive tariff in the auction allows the electricity from the plant to be sold to CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad) at US$47.95 / MWh. The PV plant is expected to be operational by Q3 2018.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Aurora announces sale of multiple Decima 3T Veritas Systems to major solar PV manufacturers Aurora Solar Technologies has announced the sale of two Decima 3T systems with Veritas Software for two new high efficiency cell production lines built in Asia.

The company notes that purchaser of its Decima 3T Veritas Systems is a leader in photovoltaic Industry that previously qualified the Aurora Decima system as offering significant performance improvements over existing competitive systems.

Michael Heaven, Aurora’s CEO and Chairman stated that “the initial units will ship in early June and production will commence in early July. If the Aurora systems perform as expected,

the purchaser has advised as to their interest in replacing all their existing units (8-10 systems) and standardizing on the Decima 3T with Veritas Software for all their announced new lines later this year (10-20 systems).”

Aurora also announced that Gordon Deans, previously Chief Technology Officer of Aurora, has taken up Ayres’ responsibilities as COO. In addition, Aurora has appointed Wei Deng as Sales Director, Asia-Pacific, responsible for developing the company’s sales pipeline, defining the sales strategy and closing orders.

Energy, Inc. announces new hardware and software for peak demand management of electricity usage Energy, Inc. has announced a new hardware and software that will provide instant, reliable and accurate monitoring of Peak Demand. Heretofore consumer had no way of managing or controlling their Demand charge - a new rate strategy being promoted (and in some instances, required) by electric utilities nationwide. The TED (The Energy Detective) Pro series offers a new, state of the art robust data transmission every second. It sends out a text and/or email message to the consumer warning that a new demand threshold is about to be set - giving the consumer an opportunity to avoid the new increase. This new technology comes with a free service and app (TED Commander). The app is available on both iOS and android platforms.

There are no monthly fees or subscriptions required to use TED Commander.

Duke Energy Renewables enters New Mexico with a 25-MW Caprock Solar Power Project

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uke Energy Renewables has announced that the construction of 25-megawatt (MW) Caprock Solar Power Project near Tucumcari in Quay County, New Mexico has started. The project is expected to complete later this year, once completed it will generate enough energy to power about 5,000 average homes. Power from the project will be sold to Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC) under a 25-year agreement. The company acquired the project from Infigen Energy.

EPC contractor Swinerton Renewable Energy will build the solar project, which will consist of more than 103,000 solar panels manufactured by Jinko Solar. "We are pleased to bring this solar project to New Mexico and add the state to our growing U.S. renewables footprint," said Greg Wolf, president, Duke Energy Commercial Portfolio. "We're also excited to be partnering with a progressive cooperative like WFEC, which reflects our commitment to provide clean energy solutions for utilities, cooperatives, municipalities, corporations and other organizations."

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Delta introduces M80U Photovoltaic (PV) inverter

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elta has introduced M80U Photovoltaic (PV) inverter.

The company is touting it as the world’s first wall mount 80kW string inverter.

The M80U is a grid-tied, 3-phase and transformerless inverter that converts direct current (DC) output from a photovoltaic system into a utility frequency alternating current (AC) with efficiency of 98.8 percent, allowing it to be seamlessly used by the electric grid and within buildings.

The new inverter expands Delta's best-in-class transformerless solar inverter technology to address the growing needs of commercial facilities and utility operators.

The M80U has a wide input operation range spanning from a 200 to 1000 volts direct current (Vdc). It incorporates exciting and advanced features which according to the company will deliver maximum efficiency over a much wider power range than transformer-based inverters. M80U provides superior performance with a peak efficiency of 98.8 percent and a California Energy Commission (CEC) efficiency of 98.5 percent.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

S&C Electric Company completes one of the largest energy storage systems in Ohio

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&C Electric Company has completed one of the largest energy storage systems in Ohio. The 7-MW system located in Minster, Ohio, was built in partnership with Half Moon Ventures (HMV) and the local municipal utility, the Village of Minster. The project at the Minster Solar + Storage Facility was officially inaugurated on May 6th to the residents of Minster.

The company in a statement said HMV and the Village of Minster will benefit from four unique revenue streams, which will offset the costs of grid improvements while improving the rate of return. HMV will be able to sell into PJM's frequency regulation market, which helps to provide grid reliability for more than 60 million customers and the Village of Minster will use the energy storage system to defer $350,000 of T&D costs and improve power quality. HMV is using S&C's 7-MW PureWave SMS Storage Management System which provide fully integrated storage management and power conversion for 3-MWh of lithium ion-batteries. The system is tied to HMV's adjacent 4.2-MW solar power plant, allowing Minster to further reduce their peak demand charges in the middle of the day. The company notes that it served as energy storage system integrator for HMV by performing all major power

RENA receives large orders for PERC technology

system studies and complete engineering, procurements, and construction of the project. The complexities of this delivery have been documented in a time-lapse video brief of the Minster facility. S&C will also be providing ongoing operation and maintenance services for the facility.

"This is a milestone day for our community as we mark the first time a municipal utility has combined solar power and energy storage," said Don Harrod, Village Administrator, Village of Minster. "The official launch of this system assures that the Village of Minster can continue to provide affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity for our residents and businesses."

"Energy storage systems are so much more complex than the chemistry of batteries. If just one piece doesn't work in concert with the rest of the system, the impacts to owner's return on investment are huge," said Mike Edmonds, President – U.S. Business, S&C Electric Company. "It's essential for success, to have an integrator – who is able to implement the power electronics, controls and high voltage into a successful solution.

HMV chose S&C for this project because of our expertise. We were able to move from contract to successful grid trading quickly, due to our integrated solution."

from North American and Indian PV customers

Enphase Energy’s Enphase AC Battery is now available in Australia and New Zealand

ENA Technologies has announced that it has recently received two large orders for wet process equipment in PERC technology from North American and Indian PV-customers in a double digit millions euro range.

The company in a statement said that combination of its BatchTex and InOxSide+ offer both independent optimization and best match of front and rear sides for best PERC cells efficiencies.

RENA’s BatchTex combines ultra-compact tool design with highest throughputs. Together with its proprietary and IPA-free texture additive monoTEX, it reaches front side reflection with the formation of well-defined, small and uniform pyramids (1 to 3 μm or 2 to 5 μm) within very short process times.

This makes rear side smoothing in the InOxSide+ even more effective and further supports advanced rear side passivation performance. With its patented single side etching process and effective smoothing technology, even moderate etch depths of ≤ 4 μm are sufficient to achieve very homogenous back side smoothening. This ensures high reflection of the back side and effective AlOx-passivation and leads, as a result, to excellent PERC cell efficiencies.

nphase Energy has announced that Enphase AC Battery is now available from authorized distributors and accepting orders from installers in Australia and New Zealand.

The first global shipment is expected to arrive in Australia in August this year.

Company’s partner network of over 1,000 installers located in the region will be the first in the world to have access to the scalable, modular energy storage system. Launched in February 2016 the Enphase AC Battery features an updated visual design, it is suitable for any home regardless of the brand of inverters or solar panels used. Unlike most other home batteries, a costly upgrade of the existing solar system’s inverter is not required said the company. The Enphase AC Battery integrates seamlessly with the Enphase Home Energy Solution, which delivers one of the lowest up-front costs and highest lifetime values in the market.

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COVER STORY

HEART T

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COVER STORY

T TURNS BRAIN ADVANCED ELECTRONICS IMPACTING SOLAR INVERTERS AND ITS MARKET Rahul, Santanu & Niloy

The Evolving Inverter

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olar inverters have come a long way in the history of solar power generation. It won’t be wrong to say that they have remained one of the most advancing technologies in every decade of renewable energy advancement than anything else.

Inverters convert simple DC electricity to AC that changes polarity (positive, negative) at least hundred times every second. AC voltage can be utilized in real world compared to battery power that is DC in nature or solar power for that matter, which is also almost similar.

They are an important part of any electricity storage system that uses batteries to provide emergency power backup at home, hospitals, workplaces or places where grid supply does not reach.

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COVER STORY

Inverters make electricity generated by non-conventional sources useful and grid-worthy, which is natively highly irregular and inconsistent in nature.

In wind and solar power generation specifically, inverters not only do this basic conversion but carry out one or more important tasks without which the system may cease to work. For this very reason they get their own name – Solar Inverters.

Solar Inverters have been, and still are, put through a myriad of tasks and not just simple DC to AC conversion.

It was back in 1839 that the photoelectric effect was discovered, a notion that light can produce electricity came into being.

Almost 80 years later did we figure out a way to grow silicon crystals that can actually make it happen; and after 36 years to that in 1954, Bell Labs came out with the first commercial photovoltaic cell (solar cell) for space activities. At around the same time, inverters left their bulky form of gas filled tubes and moved to a compact setup, after the introduction of thyristors.

With the advent of transistor and more advanced semiconductor technology developed to work at high voltages, there was an increase in the efficiency and output quality of inverters, while their size decreased. But in many countries, people still use a basic charge controller setup.

A typical home setup looked something like one shown in the image.

Inverters make electricity generated by non-conventional sources useful and grid-worthy, which is natively highly irregular and inconsistent in nature.

MPPT

Maximum Power Point Tracking Maximum Power Point Tracking or MPPT is technique commonly deployed in Solar PV systems and is one of the most important tasks handled by a solar inverter or related equipment.

The output of a panel setup can vary heavily due to the various reasons – panel difference, shading or temperature fluctuations being the few basic problems. Moreover, the load characteristics also affect the amount of power transferred from the system.

MPPT is all about making the panel immune to these variations by varying the operating voltage or current of the panel after sampling the output voltage or power – individually or of the whole array.

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COVER STORY

CENTRAL INVERTER Charge controller is most popular choice for rooftop solar that can do MPPT for the whole array. Coupled with an inverter and a battery bank, it forms the most commonly used solar setup which gives the flexibility to use generated electricity anytime.

But involving batteries means adding another medium which incurs loses.

Current panels extract about 16-20% (max) of the energy they get from the Sun. Over its lifetime, a battery provides 65-70% of this power to the inverter (average for commonly used lead-acid batteries). Until some great innovations happen in the battery domain or present Li-ion technology trickles down to lower cost bracket, a string inverter off-grid setup remains restricted in nature.

Hence, one of the most important tasks an Inverter can do is connect your solar power system directly to the grid. In cities utilities have this

provision, grid-tie inverters are one of the most cost-effective ways to get return on your investment with minimal hassle. The battery is ruled out.

Some countries strictly require antiislanding feature on the grid-tie inverter and it is illegal to install one without it.

But if whole of the generated electricity is sent to grid, there would be no backup for self-use during power outages. Some models nowadays provide an optional diversion to local load directly from the system when it is generating.

A costlier alternative is to use a Dual-inverter that, after charging a set of batteries, can sell excess energy to grid. Commercial establishments using PV rooftop for backup lighting makes a perfect use case. Net metering makes it all the more lucrative in places where cost of electricity is very high.

Until some great innovations happen in the battery domain or present Li-ion technology trickles down to lower cost bracket, a string inverter off-grid setup remains restricted in nature.

Choosing The Right Inverter When we talk about going solar, solar panels get the entire buzz! But there are other backers like batteries, inverters, and various kinds of wires, bolts, and racks, if not paid equal attention, can quell your dream of energy independence.

First thing before going for a solar power plant is the knowledge about your requirement.

If you are installing solar panel on your rooftop, don’t think about running Electric motors, Refrigerators, Air conditioners. For normal domestic usage consider using light loads like Fan, TV, Music Systems etc. If you still want a complete off-grid solution for multiple applications, you can always go for high capacity plants (2 KW to 5 KW).

Here’s a quick brush up on some standard electrical terms • Watts: Watts is just a measure of how much power a device requires or can supply when turned on. If any device uses 100 watts, that is simply the voltage times the amps. A watt is defined as one Joule per second. It is worth noting that there is nothing like "watts per hour", or "watts per day" • Kilowatt hour: A watt-hour (or kilowatt hour, kWh) implies how many watts times how many hours that is used for. For example if a bulb uses 100 watts, and it is on for 9 hours, that is 900 watt-hours. If oven uses 1500 watts, and runs for 10 minutes, that is 1/6th of an hour x 1500, or 250 WH. A kWh is a "kilowatt hour” or 1000 watts for one hour (or 1 watt for 1000 hours).

• Amps: An amp is a measure of electrical current at the moment. It determines what wire size you need, especially on the DC (low voltage) side of an inverter. If your wire is too small for the amps, you can get hot wires and can also result in voltage drop. Amp is equal to the charge of 6.24 x 1018 electrons passing a point in a circuit in 1 second.

• Amp-Hours: Amps x time = AH (Amp-hours), it is the main measure of battery capacity • Efficiency: The ratio of output power to the input power is termed as efficiency. It is difficult to achieve 100 percent efficiency.

JUNE 2016 l SAUR ENERGY l 21

COVER STORY

ROLE OF ELECTRONICS

Due to their higher output efficiency, plug-and-play nature, better output quality and extended configurations for remote monitoring they have seen many takers for rooftop installations in developed countries, despite its high cost.

Mounted behind the panels, micro-inverters are the latest talk of the solar power industry. That is the point where electronics enter at a big scale and make everything smaller. It was a refined technology that had seen reluctant adoption due to their high per-watt cost and heating issues. Ironically, though newer models have changed that. OptiMOS and CoolMOS from Infineon, for example, use low and high voltage MOSFETs respectively for low maintenance, panel integrated packages that are small, efficient and offer precise control. A recent study published in IEEE also shows MICs using a DC-link capacitor can prove beneficial in MW-level solar farm installations.

Module Integrated Converters or MICs can be modified by employing a two-stage conversion process that can reduce their

22 l SAUR ENERGY l JUNE 2016

Because some power is lost in the form of heat. The efficiency of solar inverter depends on load. The specifications of the inverter contain an efficiency graph. It is the graph of efficiency versus load.

• Internal protection: The solar inverter components must be protected from overload, lightning surges, etc. It must contain sensing circuits to sense the problems and automatically shut down. If the supply voltage is less, it must shut off. Otherwise the battery will over discharge and even get damaged.

There are 3 major types of solar inverters based on the output it produces: - sine wave, modified sine wave and square wave; • Sine wave: Majority of equipment available in the market work on sine wave.

Local utility and generator produces sine wave. Sine wave guarantees that the equipment will work to its full specifications. Some appliances, such as motors and microwave ovens will only produce full output with sine wave power. Sine wave inverters are always more expensive – by 2 to 3 times as much.

• Modified sine wave: Modified sine wave inverter actually produces a waveform more like a square wave. However, the efficiency or power will be reduced with some device, and they might use more power due to its low efficiency.

But they are cheaper than sine wave inverters.

• Square wave: These are the cheapest of the inverters. A square wave inverter will run simple things like tools with universal motors without a problem. But they are rarely in use. Majority of the AC appliances can operate in modified sine wave. per-watt cost. In first step, a LLC resonant DC-DC conversion circuit produces DC-link voltage. Followed by MPPT algorithms developed for LLC resonant topologies, generated DC is then converted to 3-phase AC using three inverter circuits. This Two-Stage Three-Phase Grid-Connected Module Integrated Converter deploys a simple soft-switching scheme that not only guarantees better output voltage regulation and zero MOSFET loses, irrespective of the voltage and frequency needed, but also reduces the harmonic spectrum of any electromagnetic interference (EMI) and allows operation at much higher frequencies that can be used in particular industrial applications.

COVER STORY

The increased use electronics and modified electrical components in place of bulky magnetic switching components have made the inverter not only lighter, but more robust as well and free from electromagnetic complications.

Using digital solutions to control these components will make the Inverter technology advance at a rapid pace.

Both Gallium Nitride and Silicon Carbide have a high critical field compared to Silicon which allows these devices to operate at higher voltages and lower leakage currents. While Gallium Nitride (GaN) has the highest electron mobility and hence can work at the highest frequency out of the three, Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices have better thermal conductivity and hence can operate at higher power densities than Si and GaN. Both GaN and SiC can operate at higher power densities, temperatures, voltages and frequencies that make them sensational solution for use in Inverter solutions.

Moreover, GaN has low Rds_on, low gate charge, low drain-source capacitance Cds and an extremely low Qrr. So the GaN based switches are smaller in size and much cheaper to produce than the current MOSFET and IGBT devices. Due to their drawbacks like the need very fast switching and bunch of other problems they haven’t seen commercialization. But companies are finding solutions to it in the digital and algorithm based techniques.

The recent example is the inverter design that bagged first prize at the Google Little Box challenge. The Red Electricals Devil Team from CE+T, Belgium created an inverter prototype with digital control built out of a fast microcontroller-based arrangement. Successfully using Soft Switching over the entire operation range by digitally controlling all GaN transistors, the team was able to reach high power density and high efficiency without breaching thermal or switching barriers.

Two half bridges (HB) generate the neutral voltage, two further half bridges generate the line voltage and the last is used as an active filter.

While stressing the need to GaN package and robustness of GaN control, the winning team revealed various challenges it faced in the designing of the sandwich structure and the heat sink. They used micro-spring contacts, a 0.012 inch thick PCB, Silicone foam to ease GaN contact pressure, and forced air cooling techniques to shrink a 2KVA inverter to size of a portable hard disk.

You can read the submission at-

www.littleboxchallenge.com/pdf/ finalists/56568-Tech.pdf Be it the GaN transistors operating in ZVS topology, or SiC-4H (silicon carbide) based switching, or even algorithms applied to reduce magnetic and electrical components this shows electronic components are ousting aluminum and copper parts and it will be the main driver of cost and performance of the future breed of products.

They used micro-spring contacts, a 0.012 inch thick PCB, Silicone foam to ease GaN contact pressure, and forced air cooling techniques to shrink a 2KVA inverter to size of a portable hard disk.

There are basically four types of inverters used with solar panels • Standalone Inverters allow for off-grid use or backup power. They are large boxes and use mechanical rotors to switch the direct current to alternating. These inverters integrate battery to store and supply power during an outage and are completely centralized.

• Grid-Connected inverters link your solar panels into the grid at your power meter, it allows you to sell excess power back to the utility company. These inverters do not integrate battery and are often cheaper than standalone inverters.

• Dual-Inverter are hybrid of standalone and grid-connected inverters which allow you to sell excess power back to the utility company as well as supply power during an outage and are completely centralized. Dualinverters are quite expensive.

• Micro Inverters are new type of inverters that connect to individual solar panels and convert the DC to AC power before it enters your home. These inverters allow each panel to operate self-sufficiently, so that if one goes down, the others can produce power. Microinverters require extra time to install.

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COVER STORY

SMART INVERTERS A smart inverter or intelligent hybrid inverter perfectly match the un-defined and highly varied real-life usage needs. You might need to store electricity or you may not; you need to sell it, but keep it for self-use as often, while you expand your setup.

They can work on-grid, off-grid, hybrid style or in backup mode and hence, it won’t be wrong to say, that they are the future of inverters used in commercial and home setups.

Some features of the smart inverters – Stores energy only when necessary • A smart inverter can be timed to store energy only when necessary, thus minimizing battery losses • Sell total energy • Charge batteries and sell to grid simultaneously • Only keep solar power for backup, sell the rest Monitoring and control – With the increase in power generation from renewable energy, the dependency on it will only increase. There arises then, a need for superior monitoring and control methods. With a user interface and integrated Ethernet/Wi-Fi, smart inverters are easy to setup and monitor all stats remotely or on a smart mobile device.

Reactive power control – To keep a healthy balance between the active and reactive power for highest transmission and utilization efficiency, voltage regulators or capacitor banks are generally used. But Smart Inverters are built-in with the capability to correct the voltage by using its self-generated reactive power. This not only improves cost implementation of the system but the quality of power supplied.

Temporary faults – In large scale installations, it is necessary to keep the system up and running with minimal down-time. A connected inverter can faster and more accurately report problems in the system.

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COVER STORY

Electronic components are ousting aluminum and copper parts and it will be the main driver of cost and performance of the future breed of products.

Can a home inverter be used as a solar inverter?

If we compare a basic solar inverter with a home inverter, the difference is not much.

Both are inverters and do the same job of converting DC current from batteries to AC that is supplied to homes.

The difference of solar inverter and inverters that we normally use at our home is that the solar inverter consists of solar charge controller and associated switching circuits. Solar inverters have built-in MPPT circuitry that optimizes the output of the system.

Solar inverters also have dedicated terminals for connecting battery and solar panels of correct rating. In many countries, inverters connecting to grid also need to have anti-islanding property as a mandatory requirement. Upon detection of islanding, a condition when a local electric power system, like a solar setup, continues to power a location while the utility goes out of power, the anti-islanding functionality will cut-off the setup from the grid automatically (within 2 seconds as per IEEE standards).

You can also convert your normal inverter into solar inverter by connecting charge controller along with an automatic transfer switch. If the solar panel gives sufficient supply to charge the battery, then the automatic transfer switch will be directed to the battery and does not take power from main supply.

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COVER STORY

RATINGS OF INVERTERS Inverters are rated in watts - all the way from 50 watts up to 50,000 watts.

Generally in household or other PV systems not more than 11,000 watts are used. Before you go solar, it’s very important to know what will be the maximum power surge, and its duration.

• Kilowatt peak – To find out KW rating while selecting an inverter, peak power from solar panel is taken into account, which is calculated by assuming 1KW/ square meter of solar radiation falling on the panel.

• Surge: Inverter's surge capacity indicates how it handles short-term overload before "tripping". Surge capacity is essential to start up some large loads, especially motors that need 2-3 times their running power to get going.

The Surge capacity can vary considerably

26 l SAUR ENERGY l JUNE 2016

between inverters.

Generally, a 3 to 15 second surge rating is enough to cover 99% of all appliances.

• Rules: The inverters with the lowest surge ratings are the high speed electronic switching type and are typically from 25% to 50% on maximum overload. Surge ratings on these can range up to 300% for short periods.

While high frequency switching allows a much smaller and lighter unit, due to the much smaller transformers used it also reduces the surge or peak capacity.

Summing up, now when you have decided about the kind of inverter you need, it’s time to look into the capacity.

It’s important to choose inverter with slightly more capacity than your required peak power.

The best way to calculate this is to add up the power usage of your

largest appliances—refrigerator, tube light, television, music system and air conditioning unit / heater. Though it is rare that you are going to run all the device at a time, even if you plan to run all, make sure your inverter will be able to handle the load.

Many devices require an additional burst of power when first switched on, so look for inverters labeled “surge compliant”. It’s also best to choose an inverter with a slightly higher max output than your estimated energy needs. Finally, contemplate how much power your panels can produce to determine what input capacity you need. If you’ve installed a 10kW system, you should go for an inverter that can handle that input as that is what the system can supposedly produce during peak hours.

COVER STORY

THE COLOSSAL INVERTER MARKET India is on the ramp of ousting other countries from their solar expansion program. It’s not an individual opinion but official reports reiterating that the target of 20,000 Mw of solar power proposed to be installed in the country has been reset by the NDA government to achieve five times more at one lakh Mw of solar power by 2022. The target, which looked overambitious, now seems to be within the reach with several States already witnessing silent revolution on rooftop solar power generation with the launch of net metering in the country. According to the given date 31.10.2015, cumulative capacity of about 38 GW of grid-interactive renewable energy capacity has been installed in the country.

Solar Inverter – A Market Backdrop The logged growth from the solar sector shall not take us on serendipity as the growing sporadic power distribution gave ways to the easy alternative (solar power) market to take the responsibility. Given the umbrella of solar power processes making everyday headlines is because of their given reliability, efficiency and cost. During this transition, Solar Inverters has generated immense capabilities to back the photovoltaic market. Not only growing market like Asia and Latin America have established their individual market for Solar Inverters equally have stride to grow the efficiency challenges in the solar processes.

Talking about the heart of solar panel system, the inverter is what pumps the solar function to the given delivery. Unlike many module suppliers, inverter manufacturers have been very cautious in their expectations of future demand and have maintained capacity and inventory levels at relatively healthy levels. As a result, PV inverter prices have been far more stable than those of PV modules, and the outlook for inverter revenues looks very different.

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COVER STORY We asked TMEIC about their current offerings in the inverter domain, this is what Syed had to say:

-Mr. Syed Abbas, Head PV

TMEIC Industrial Systems India Pvt. Ltd.

A Graphical representation to highlight the PV inverter market in the course of ongoing 6(Six) Years

According to reports, the market has ballooned at a CAGR of more than 60% from FY'2011-FY'2015. In terms of installed capacity, the sector registered a growth of 53.7% during the review period FY'2011-FY'2015. Incredible growth of awareness and collective government dialogues on solar energy’s benefits has been an evident factor behind the incredible growth of this industry.

Intense competition and convincing advertisement and promotional strategies adopted by players have enabled the increased adoption of solar inverters across the rural and semi-urban areas.

Big Names Ruling the PV Inverter Market Huawei and SMA were the leading global vendors of solar photovoltaic inverters in 2015, according to preliminary findings from GTM Research’s report“The Global PV Inverter and MLPE Landscape.”

SMA settled at the top ranking list in the inverter-shipment rankings for the first time, despite increasing its global shipments by 44 percent. The rapid rise of Huawei to its position as a global market leader can be attributed to its strong growth in the Chinese market.

Lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and reliability have been the bedrock of TMEIC’s design philosophy. TMEIC’s unique experience in PV inverters go back to the dawn of solar farm era in 1985, when we first introduced MW sized inverter which was installed in Carrizo Plain, CA for MW-scale solar project. With over 25 years of research and development, customers can take advantage of TMEIC’s full potential of advanced technology and make the best of an investment in solar power generation plants. With the highest knowledge of energy conversion and power electronics along with years of experience in PV inverter development and manufacturing, there is no doubt that TMEIC is capable of providing maximum profitability and industry’s best solution for PV inverter needs. Having the best Inverter in the industry, we can lower the LCOE and significantly lower PM (Preventive Maintenance) and O&M (Operations and Maintenance) for life of the plant. TMEIC’s current Market offerings are 750-KW, 1-MW. 2.5-MW at 1000Vdc and 1500Vdc.

FIGURE: Top 10 Global PV Inverter Vendors by Shipments and Revenue, 2015 28 l SAUR ENERGY l JUNE 2016

COVER STORY Overall, the market is becoming increasingly consolidated. The top 10 inverter vendors accounted for 75 percent of global shipments in 2015, up from 69 percent in 2014 and the highest since 2010. The market is more balanced when viewed by revenue, with the top 10 vendors accounting for 64 percent of the overall market and including residential and commercial inverter players SolarEdge, Enphase, Omron, and Tabuchi.

China clinching the Global Revenue A growing acceptance of Chinese inverters has earmarked that 63% of PV inverter buyers now believe Chinese inverters offer “Quality-driven” inverters in a competitive price tag. Though, analyst asserts that there remains a concern among inverter buyers that Chinese firms offer inadequate technical support and after-sales service.

Meanwhile, Inverter revenues will increase by 2 percent in 2016 to reach $7 billion. Unit shipments will increase, but the average selling price of inverters will drop significantly to offset this growth.

Chinese suppliers are becoming more

competitive in the global PV inverter industry. “In 2015, while Germany’s SMA Solar Technology defended its leading position by revenue, two Chinese suppliers, namely, Huawei and Sungrow, have taken first and second places globally by shipments, on account of the booming Chinese market,” said Frank Xie, senior analyst for PV inverter and balance of system.

The inverter breakdown by type is also changing considerably. IHS forecasts three-phase, low-power inverters (lessthan 99 kilowatts) will account for onethird of the global inverter shipments by 2019, benefiting from the rapid growth of commercial installations in major PV markets, such as China and the U.S. Three-phase, high-power inverters, which include both standard central inverters and turn-key solutions, will continue to lead the market with an annual usage growth of 1,500 volts, as more markets adopt them – and as they demonstrate proven success – beginning this year.

With perennial technological advancements and integrated technologies the Indian solar inverter

market is reported to be on track. With most of the major players dominating the market, new players are also expected to foray into this segment. In the coming days, the major tussle will be delivering on words and creating long-term market space. Though the Indian market is still nascent curating huge potential for future, the providers will have to look into the market-sense and rationalize their offerings for the future of this industry. Being a new sector into Indian environment, there are skeptics regarding grid architectures, climate volatilities which confine the consistency of an inverter. Therefore robust design, optimum performance, and last-mile commissioning will define their patrons. The Total Installed Capacity of Solar Inverters inclined at a CAGR of 53.7% during FY'2011-FY'2015 whereas the market for Solar Inverters in India is projected to incline at a CAGR of 76.9%.

Lastly, promotional activities, government support, and media awareness will also compliment the growth for this sector in India.

Rising Competition, Irregular Power, and Consumer to Define the Fate of India Solar Inverter market

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IN CONVERSATION

"It is not a cup of tea for any manufacturers to produce an inverter which can run for decades without any problem" A number of companies are integrating photovoltaic inverter and storage technologies. How its cost implication compared to the output efficiency is affecting a change in various types of installations?

• Inverter is the heart of any solar PV system. It is highly a technology oriented product. It certainly needs an expertise to produce a highly efficient and reliable inverter. It is not a cup of tea for any manufacturers to produce an inverter which can run for decades without any problem. Now with the increasing market potential, a number of small scale inverter manufacturers are upgrading themselves to produce inverters, which can cater the requirement of large scale projects. With this, the local competition would increase and there will be a price war with the inverter manufacturers.

Quality and reliability in that case is always a concern. We have over 20 plus GW shipment globally till date and our inverters have been subject to harsh environmental conditions and extreme weather. We are known for producing highly efficient inverters and we will continue improving it on a regular basis.

We want to stay ahead of the competition due to the quality, but not due to the price.

How penetration of Semiconductor devices have revolutionized the converter segment of the industry?

• Semiconductors used in inverters play a major role in converting direct current (DC) from solar PV modules to alternating current (AC). The market for the same will continue to grow for the next 10-15 years in India with lot of solar policies coming up in utility / industrial / roof top 30 l SAUR ENERGY l JUNE 2016

solar projects. Inverter is the heart of the solar PV system. With the advancements in semiconductor technology, more and more efficient inverters are getting evolved, which increases the overall efficiency of the system. The result would be a more reliable and efficient system for power generation. Small scale inverters will have MOSFETS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors) to cater requirements up to 500-600 Watt. For larger systems, discrete semiconductors like IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) will be used.

What are your current market offerings?

• We are the global market leaders and have an edge over other existing companies in terms of our manufacturing capability, quality manpower, high quality products with over 99% efficiency.

Currently we have an installed capacity to produce up to 18GW inverters per annum. To cater the enormous potential, we are doubling the capacity and our manufacturing capacity would be increased to 36GW per annum. The construction work is already in final stages and shall commence production very soon. With this, we would be having a capability to cater the increasing requirements from across the world.

Coming to manpower, more than 35% of our overall manpower belong to R&D. We rely on our technology for growth in market. Quality products and service is our main motto. Our products are highly efficient to meet the expectations of all our clients. Highly efficient, robust design, compact, ease of operation, etc are top features of our products which is appreciated by top companies across the world.

Mr. Luke Lu

Director for Indian Business

The Market for Solar Inverters in India is projected to an acceptable growthrate escalating a CAGR of 53.7% during FY'2011-FY'2015. Which segments do you think take the sip of growth in the coming Fiscal Year? Made-on-Land types have dominated the Inverter market, what scopes do you foresee for the rooftop inverters types?

• Yes. The market for solar inverters in India is huge. The entire market can be broadly classified into three categories based on its application. Inverters for utility scale projects, for commercial / industrial projects and finally for the roof top solar projects. As more and more power purchase agreements are getting signed with state utility boards, we feel that the inverters for utility scale projects would take a major chunk of the market growth in coming Fiscal year. Made-onland types have dominated the inverter market for the above mentioned reasons with state utilities coming up with more and more projects. But yes, there is a large potential for roof top projects as well. However, as compared to the commercial / utility scale projects, the overall potential for roof top projects would be very less. We being world leaders, our major concentration would be only on the commercial / industrial scale or utility scale projects during initial years of our business establishment in India.

SOLAR STORAGE

Expanding the Possibilities of Solar Storage in India

-Laique Khan

A

topic which has been receiving increasing interest of late is the 'Expanding the Possibilities' of 'Solar Storage' in India- both in homes and business. Solar storage, the pervasive technology in the energy sector has demonstrated vigorous proliferation because of its advanced offerings to cusp the Industrial and residential space into the promising solar sector of India.

To be more limpid, the transformation is on the verge when the era of solar + storage has transpired on our doorstep.

Indeed! We are ready to welcome the newer technologies popping in storage to enhance solar output. The increasing number of solar panel installations in both household and commercial is providing a new market opportunity JUNE 2016 l SAUR ENERGY l 31

SOLAR STORAGE

for energy storage makers. The need to have large and better batteries has augmented in last few years, and for the first time ever, India seems determined to put out the call for energy storage developers from across the world. 2015 has been a colossal year for renewable energy and energy storage industry as a whole. India witnessed an everincreasing rate of rooftop PV installations with other renewable sources and this gave access to a concurrent increase in the installation of cutting-edge battery storage. In some cases, storage by itself has turned out to be more popular than ever, especially in areas where the change of weather conditions affects the reliability issues from the local grid.

With technological advancement at its peak, more and more storage technologies are being engineered to capture surplus energy generated by the solar PV system that will facilitate the solar panel owners to store a surfeit of electricity for use later in the day. As we look forward to 2017, we expect to see an even faster adoption of solar storage policies and expect more and more battery developers to invest in new and

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improved energy storage innovations. Off late, deep cycle lead acid batteries have been employed in renewable energy and reliably used in off-grid applications globally for years, but the latest energy trend has given new dimensions to the use of lithium-ion batteries. The lithiumion batteries have become the most common storage technology available in the international solar market, and this is where India needs to put more focus on, especially at the time when nation is on a track to soar past a goal to deploy more than 100 Gigawatts of solar power by 2022.

In a nation where more than 100 million people do not have access to grid electricity and a similar number not having quality grid power, the use of distributed and off-grid solar PV systems along with solar storage options will be a jackpot. In India, due to the frequent power outages, there has been a huge demand for solar energy storage mainly in the commercial and residential segments. Electrical storage’s end usage was as power back-up until now, but with solar technology, the market for electrical storage is undergoing a massive

transformation.

One of the emerging areas for solar storage is renewable energy integration.

The Government has upwardly revised the targets for renewable energy capacity addition to 175 GW (of which 100GW is Solar, while other sources include 60GW wind, 10GW biomass and 5GW small hydro) by 2022. As more and more solar energy generation capacity gets added to the grid, it becomes challenging to manage the grid since solar is an intermittent source of energy and forecasting and dispatching of it gets difficult. This is where energy storage will play a key role in such circumstances, and facilitate in integrating the renewable energy sources to the grid.

The other area where energy storage will see a much-needed demand is Microgrids. As mentioned earlier, millions of households in India are still deprived to electricity and this is where the distributed power generation using solar storage will be emerging as an important solution. We all know that di stributed power generation is not complete without adequate energy storage devices, and this opens a door

SOLAR STORAGE

for huge growth opportunity for energy storage developers. Calling the bids for all energy storage developers, the Ministry of Power’s National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM) has also set aggressive targets for Microgrids. The solar storage market’s need in India has called out for global battery storage solution makers to grab the opportunity to step in the solar storage segment.

Tesla Motors announcement to bring its Powerwall and Powerpack lithiumion batteries for homes and utility-scale applications in India can be a good sign to facilitate an increased role for solar energy resources that had been limited by a need to have a reliable and quality storage options to address possibilities to expand the solar output in India. Also, the demand for solar storage has pushed forward General Electric (GE) to explore solar’s gigantic growth opportunities in India.

Moreover, the State legislation and regulations are also acting as key drivers in

the energy storage market. Government should introduce policy initiatives to facilitate revenue opportunities and reduced costs of solar storage integration and interconnection. For the first time, India's solar energy mission has taken a next big step by including storage facility in a state-run solar energy tender.

The SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India), which is involved in driving the India's National Solar Mission (NSM) has proposed that bidders for PV capacity of 750MW Ananthapurama Solar Park in the Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh will have to install a small storage system beside its PV plant. The move might raise the cost, but will set India’s ambitious solar mission on a firm footing.

Storage is a broad category of technologies and applications that can help utilities balance power supply and demand by holding solar energy for later use. The time has come to start appreciating solar storage. It truly deserves attention and recognition, especially in India where

power is a golden word. Solar Storage as an essential future technology can positively impact our ability to innovate all other technologies, and is set to play an important role in our attempts to use more low-carbon energy- which is also a great help to the environment.

“An electrical grid without energy storage is like a computer system without a hard drive; severely limited.”

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POLICY

Telangana Solar Policy T

elangana has a vast solar potential with average insolation (amount of solar radiation reaching the earth surface) of nearly 5.5 kWh/m2 for 300 sunshine days.

Last year the Government of Telangana (GoTS) announced its solar power policy with many incentives for solar power developers. The policy aims at "creating an enabling environment for prospective solar power developers to harness substantial quantum of solar power in the best possible manner".

GoTS policy is applicable to grid-connected solar power projects based on both PV as well as solar thermal technologies. These projects will supply power to state distribution companies or sell it to third parties within the state.

Incentives under the GoTS policy include facilitation of

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expeditious approvals through single window clearance, exemption from the land ceiling Act and consent from the state pollution control board within seven days, banking for 100% of energy during all 12 months of the year with must run status for Solar Power Projects, deemed conversion to Non-agricultural land status, 100 per cent refund on value-added tax (VAT) and goods and services tax (GST) and refund on stamp duty.

Objectives of the Policy includes long term energy security, to harness the vast solar power potential of the State, promote a sustainable fuel mix in generation through higher contribution of solar energy, promote solar parks in the state and promote investment in the solar sector.

The policy also targets on promoting grid connected and off-grid solar applications and effective energy conservation measures.

POLICY

Applicability of the Policy:Telangana solar policy is applicable for the following solar projects set up within the state – 1) Solar Power Projects: a) Grid connected solar power projects based on both Photo Voltaic (PV) as well as Solar Thermal technologies • Projects set up for sale of power to TSDISCOM’s.

• Projects set up for sale of power to third parties within the state. b) Projects set-up for captive generation/ group captive generation (including those funded and owned by developers).

2) Solar Roof-top Projects (SRPs) (Grid connected and off grid) – This includes projects which are funded and owned by developers.

3) Off grid applications.

4) Any other project which is established based on MNRE/GOI Schemes as amended from time to time.

5) Solar Parks.

A solar policy cell (SPC) has been set up for the policy implementation. The SPC will undertake single window clearance for all SPPs. A transaction charge of Rs. 10,000/MW shall be applicable for processing applications for single window clearance with a maximum of two lakh rupees per project.

A high level committee will monitor the progress of implementation of the Solar Power projects cleared under the policy: The policy mentions about the solar manufacturing, R&D centers, training facilities etc within the solar parks.

However, it does not talk about the REC and RPO schemes and its benefits.

Considering the state’s vast solar potential, the policy may bring substantial investment for the state. Recently the state government informed that it is confident of achieving 960 MW solar power generation target by end of the next financial year. Bidding process for a solar park in Mahabubnagar would start once the land for the project is available and the detailed project report would be ready by the middle of next month.

For more information visit:http://mnre.gov.in/file-manager/UserFiles/ state-power-policies/Telangana-SolarPower%20Policy.pdf

JUNE 2016 l SAUR ENERGY l 35

SOLAR PARKS

Solar Parks in India: Scope, Status, Achievement, and Challenges

-Santanu Mukherjee India, with its large population and rapidly growing economy, needs access to clean, cheap and reliable sources of energy.

The government with the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission has been promoting ecologically sustainable growth while addressing India’s energy security challenge.

The Government of India’s ambitious plan to add 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022 is supported by three pronged approaches of installing rooftop panels, building ultra-mega solar parks and utility scale projects.The envisioned 60% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate FY15-22) in solar capacity would involve a huge investment as well as growth opportunities.Of the proposed 100 GW capacity, 40 GW is likely to be contributed by rooftop solar plants, while the 60 GW capacity will comprise of large solar parks (25 GW) and utility-scale units (35 GW).

India lies in the high solar insolation region, endowed with for setting solar energy potential with most of the country having more than 300 days of the sunshine per year with annual mean of daily global solar radiation in the range of 4- 6 kWh/m2/day.

Currently, the county has installed 5,248.21 MW (till January 31st, 2016). The maximum capacity of 1,264 MW is installed in Rajasthan while Gujarat comes in second place with 1,024

36 l SAUR ENERGY l JUNE 2016

MW. The solar capacity largely constitutes utility scale grid connected capacity and rooftop plants. Solar capacity in India has grown at a CAGR of 88.7% over FY10 – FY15, which is backed by financial incentives through several policy-based incentives and subsidies offered both by the central as well as state government.

Solar power projects can be set up anywhere in the country, but scattered projects would lead to higher project cost per MW and higher transmission losses.

In this article, we will be focusing on the scope and status of the large solar park as well as discuss the challenges.

Solar Parks or photovoltaic power stations are designed for the supply of commercial power into the electricity grid, and these provide developers an area that is well characterized with proper infrastructure and access to amenities and where the risk of the projects can be minimized. Solar parks supply power at the utility level, rather than to a local user or users.

MNRE has facilitated solar park developers by reducing the number of required approval.

Large size projects have a potential to bring down the cost of Solar Power. Ultra Mega Solar Power Project size ranges from 0.5 GW to 3 GW. The government has planned solar parks having a capacity of 500 MW or above.

SOLAR PARKS

India has ample availability of waste lands which can be successfully utilized to install mega scale power projects. As per the government data, large chunks of land are available in some States for solar park development, and there are some developers who are keen to take up large projects individually. 1 MW solar park requires approximately 4-5 acres of land and solar system would costs around Rs 5.5 - Rs 6.0 crore.

The land has so far been identified in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Uttarakhand. MNRE has also considered smaller parks in States where there is an acute shortage of nonagricultural lands.

As per the Wasteland Atlas of India 2011 report, India has a wasteland availability

of 4.67 lakh sqm which can be utilized to install 28.8 GW capacities of megascale projects.

Scope of Solar Parks in India Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has introduced schemes to set up 25 solar parks, each with a capacity of 500MW and above. As per MNRE, these solar parks will be set up within a span of 5 years starting from 2014-15 and the solar projects may then come up as per demand and interest shown by the developers.

In the State level, solar parks will allow the state government to bring in significant investment from project developers, meet its Solar Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) mandate and provide employment opportunities to locals. This will also allow the state to reduce its carbon footprint by avoiding emissions equivalent to the solar park’s installed capacity and generation.

Additionally, the State will also avoid procuring expensive fossil fuels to power conventional power plants.

Solar parks will motivate the solar energy generation by acting as a leading demo facility and encourage project developers and investors. It will also prompt additional projects of similar nature, trigger economies of scale for cost- reductions, technical improvements and achieve large-scale reductions in GHG emissions.

Status and Achievement of Solar Park The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for implementation of a Scheme for Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects in the country from 2014-15 notified the administrative approval on 12th December 2014. As a result of the notification, the Ministry received approval from 16 states for setting up of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects in these states.

JUNE 2016 l SAUR ENERGY l 37

SOLAR PARKS Status and Achievement of Solar Park

Sl.No.

State

Capacity (MW)

1.

Gujarat

700

2.

Andhra Pradesh

1500

3.

Andhra Pradesh

1000

4.

Uttar Pradesh

600

Lucknow Solar Power Development Corporation Ltd.; JVC of UPNEDA and SECI

1038 hectares at Jalaun, Sonbhadra, Allahabad & Mirzapur districts

5.

Meghalaya

20

Meghalaya Power Generation Corporation Ltd (MePGCL)

27 hectares at West Jaintia Hills & East Jaintia Hills districts

6.

Rajasthan

680

Rajasthan Solar Park Development Company Ltd. (RSDCL), a subsidiary of RRECL

1797.45 hectares at Bhadla Phase II

1000

Surya Urja Company of Rajasthan Ltd; a JVC between State Govt. and IL & FS Energy Development Company Ltd

2000 hectares at Bhadla Phase III

1000

Surya Urja Company of Rajasthan Ltd; a JVC between State Govt. and IL & FS Energy Development Company Ltd

2000 hectares at Jaisalmer Phase I

500

M/s Adani Renewable Energy Park Rajasthan Limited (AREPRL); a JVC of Government of Rajasthan and APEPRL.

Bhadla Phase IV, Bhadla, Jodhpur Rajasthan

750

Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited; a JVC of SECI and MPUVNL

1400 hectares at Rewa

2000

Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited; a JVC of SECI and MPUVNL

6000 hectares at Neemuch, Agar, Mandsaur, Shajapur, Rajgarh, Chhatarpur and Morena

Name of the Solar Power Parks Developer (SPPD) GPCL AP Solar Power Corporation Pvt. Ltd., JVC of SECI, APGENCO and NREDCAP

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan

Rajasthan

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

38 l SAUR ENERGY l JUNE 2016

Land identified at 1407 hectares at Vav, Distt.

Banaskantha 3058 hectares at Anantpuramu, Kadapa Districts 1458 hectares at Kurnool District

SOLAR PARKS

Sl.No.

12.

13.

14.

State

Karnataka

Tamil Nadu

Telangana

Capacity (MW)

Name of the Solar Power Parks Developer (SPPD)

Land identified at

2000

Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation Pvt. Ltd. (KSPDCL); JVC of SECI and KREDAL.

Pavagada taluk Tumkur dist.

(2429 hectares)

500

To be finalized

1405 acres at Ramanatha puram distt.

(568 hectares)

1000

SECI, Telangana GENCO, and Telangana New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation Ltd. (TNREDC)

5408 acres at Gattu, Mehboob Nagar Distt.

(2189 hectares)

15.

Kerala

200

JVC of SECI and KSEB

Paivalike, Meenja, Kinanoor, Kraindalam and Ambalathara villages of Kasargode district (4858 hectares)

16.

Uttarakhand

39

UJVN Limited

Almora district (77.853 hectares)

Source:- MNRE

Challenges Aailability of land, Financing, access to basic infrastructure and instability in the policy are the four major challenges in establishing solar parks in India.

Availability of Land One of the major challenges towards the success of such mega solar park projects is the availability of land at a suitable price. As stated above solar park of 1-1.5 GW capacity would require 4000 – 6000 acre of land, availability of such huge land is typically available only in the remote areas, and such remote locations often face severe climatic conditions which do make project installation and maintenance a challenging task.

Basic infrastructure and power evacuation As discussed about the availability of land, the majority of the proposed solar parks

are likely to be built in the remote areas, so the possibility of execution is likely to get overdue as the remote locations still lack access to basic infrastructure like roads, rails, power availability, etc.

Finance The government is yet to come up with a proposal for debt funding beyond the banking system. Also, foreign equity or debt investment is difficult because of subsidy nature of the solar business.

Only large PSUs with strong balance sheet and government backing can participate in building such mega solar parks which would lower the muchneeded competition in the space.

Policy India currently lacks a long-term plan, and the clarity and roadmap on the current policy landscape are still unclear which we believe is a key challenge for

such Mega-scale projects and may dent the scope of growth across mega scale projects.

The government has envisioned a first of its kind project across the globe where 25 GW of capacity is planned to be set up by 2022. However, it may face certain issues regarding land acquisition, access to basic infrastructure, etc. we believe a strict directive by the government and efficient implementations by the state can help overcome these hurdles. Also, DISCOMS’ assigned fidelity to RPO will boost the solar market in India.

JUNE 2016 l SAUR ENERGY l 39

IN CONVERSATION

By 2019 we will be in a position to deliver

MODULES with 18.6% efficiency :

Sujoy Ghosh, Country Head, First Solar, India

First Solar is one of the leading global providers of comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) solar systems. The company’s integrated power plant solutions deliver an economically attractive alternative to fossil-fuel electricity generation today. Sujoy Ghosh, Country Head, First Solar, India shares with us his views on various initiatives taken by the Government and company’s future roadmap.

First Solar is active in the Indian market since the inception of the National Solar Mission, what changes in the investment environment did the company witnessed in last 5 years?

Ans: The Indian Solar market has transitioned from a nascent/emerging market starting off in 2010 to being amongst the top 4 markets for utility scale solar in the world. This transition was enabled by (a) the energy demand and economic activity in India (b) a very determined push for increased renewable penetration (100GW by 2020) by the current Federal Government that was announced in Sept 2014 (c) the transparent method of allocation of capacity by a price discovery process as opposed to feed in tariffs (d) the creation of solar parks that mitigate development and permitting risk for investors.

How modules delivered by First Solar 40 l SAUR ENERGY l JUNE 2016

are different from other market players?

Ans: First Solar modules are higher in name plate efficiency and additionally provide 5-9% higher energy yield for the equivalent capacity installed in Indian conditions, due to the way the semiconductor used in First Solar modules responds to changes in temperature, humidity in atmosphere and low light quality. Unlike most market players who use poly-crystalline Silicon as the semiconductor, First Solar employs CadmiumTelluride as the semi-conductor material for its modules. The manufacturing process is very different and we use 98% less semi-conductor material to make the same capacity as compared to the polysilicon technology, with a significantly lower carbon footprint as compared to any other manufacturer.

Last year in February the company pledged to install 5 GW solar power

capacities in India over a period of 5 years. How much success did you achieve so far? Did you set any new goal?

Ans: We have today a pipeline of 260MWac of projects that have been contracted under long term PPA’s in the states of Telengana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

In FY2013-14 -65% of solar power modules imported into India were from Chinese manufacturers, this figure increased to 70% in the subsequent financial year. Do you think the market is getting competitive every year? Is it somehow affecting your operations in the country?

Ans: First Solar has a 17% market share in India at the end of 2015 on the installed base of modules. On a life cycle basis our technology will deliver a lower cost of

IN CONVERSATION

energy for the same plant capacity as compared to any other commercially available module in the market, due to the fact that First Solar CdTe modules have a low temperature co-efficient and superior response to spectral shift/ diffused light. We have one of the strongest balance sheet in the industry that allows us to continuously invest in enhancing the efficiency and long term reliability of our technology. By 2019 we will be in a position to deliver modules with 18.6% efficiency that will further enhance our competitive position in a hot and humid climate like India. Most of our customers are long term asset owners who always evaluate technology on a life cycle cost basis. We are confident that with our track record in India and our product roadmap we will continue to maintain market leadership in the country.

When Modi Govt. came to power, solar energy capacity was only 2,400 MW, and the target set by the National Solar Energy Mission then was 20,000 MW by FY2022. But PM Modi increased the target by five times to 100 GW by 2022. Do you think it’s achievable?

Ans: In our view given the energy deficit, need for energy security and the sustained economic growth, the potential clearly exists for 100GW of solar PV in India. The question would be on the timelines in which the goal is achieved. Clearly there are challenges in (a) the financial health of the distribution companies to procure the energy sustainably (b) the pace of implementation of the grid infrastructure (c) access to lower cost domestic capital. Given that power is a concurrent subject

in India, the willingness of the states to embrace this goal and complement the Federal Government’s vision would be the critical.

What gap do you see in the solar industry and its Govt. policies in India? How can it be narrowed down?

Ans: The policy and regulatory mechanism defined by the Center is definitely aimed at enabling a larger demand for solar energy in the overall mix. The challenge is that power being a concurrent subject, the state regulatory and policy environment has to be in synch with the central government’s vision. Some of the states have converged with this while others are still working out their state level policies. A few of the larger issues that need the center and states to collaborate are (a) reforms in the distribution sector to improve the financial condition of the state owned distribution companies (b) implementation of the green corridor and (c) enforcing the RPO. Out of these the distribution reforms are critical and probably is the single most important issue that needs active engagement from all stakeholders (both at center and state).

Cost of solar power has dropped dramatically in recent time and is expected to drop further, what impact you see on the Indian market.

Ans: Intuitively, a lower cost of energy will trigger additional demand. Hence one would panticipate that consumers will procure more solar energy in their overall mix of renewable compared to earlier times.

However given the infirm nature of solar, there will always be a point where the

energy from solar needs to be balanced with more flexible generation from firm sources so that the grid is able to manage the load-generation balance. Also in some parts of India (like the southern states), solar can support the day peak demand optimally, and a low cost of generation would mean more adoption of solar energy into the generation mix by the distribution companies.

Please share your views on the various initiatives taken by the Government in this sector and your expectations that can further boost this industry.

Ans: As stated earlier, the Federal government in Indiia has clearly rolled out a plan with enabling regulations to support a significant push for renewable in general and solar in particular. Providing a slightly longer term view on the power procurement (as opposed to the current practice of a 13-15 months look ahead) will enable the market participants to plan for capacity building (in terms of capital, resources and manufacturing capacity) in a more optimal manner. The other aspect that the Federal government could focus on would be around deployment of solar energy solutions to address the challenge of providing energy access to the section of our population who today live without access or have limited/intermittent access to energy. The distributed and scalable nature of PV combined with a price point that’s very competitive can address this issue in a sustainable manner, provided regulations are framed and this segment can get access to optimally priced capital to support the projects.

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FOCUS

THINGS T CONSIDER

42 l SAUR ENERGY l JUNE 2016

FOCUS

S TO

R

BEFORE GOING

SOLAR

-Santanu Mukherjee

Solar panels on the rooftop of Homes were uncommon as recently as a decade ago. But a glut of policies and incentives from government and state has made them commonplace these days. Obviously, worries about climate change have also played a significant role.

Solar panels can lower your electric bill and decrease your household’s carbon footprint by an average of 15957 kg per year. But trapped between techno-speak and expansion of solar industry in India, it would be difficult to figure out where to start with. This introduction should help, as choosing solar isn’t a decision you should make lightly.

Here are the things to know before making an investment in solar.

1. Photovoltaic or Thermal?

There are two solar technologies to pick from, one is photovoltaic, which is used to turn sunlight into electricity,

and another is thermal which is used to heat water or air for use inside your home. If you use a lot of energy for heating your home during winter or stay somewhere getting heating fuel is quite expensive and tedious task, a solar thermal investment could bring relief. But, solar thermal is rarer in India so it might be difficult to find a qualified installer.

2. Check if your roof can support solar panels This is quite remarkable. If a roof is covered in shade throughout the year, then investing on solar might not justify the costs of panels. That’s something you’ll have to evaluate before you move forward. If your roof can’t deal with the problem, or you can’t decide if you have to go solar or not because you rent your apartment or live in a multi-unit building, don’t just give up on solar power altogether. You can always look for shared or community solar instead of installing your own solar panels.

This would let customers buy a stake in a solar installation and JUNE 2016 l SAUR ENERGY l 43

FOCUS

receive credits on their electricity bills.

If you have a roof with proper sunlight, make sure that it’s in good shape structurally. Rooftop Solar installations come with warranties for 20 or 25 years these days. If your roof needs a renovation a few years down the line, it’ll be easier to take care of that before the installation. This would help you save extra time and money to disconnect your panels during the roof renovation and put them up again afterwards.

Lastly, envisage the future of your roof, if the roof is unobstructed now but your neighbor plans to build a 5 story building in next five-six years then you might run into trouble.

Trim your usage to improve efficiency The amount of solar energy you need directly depends on how

44 l SAUR ENERGY l JUNE 2016

much you use, so make sure you cut your usage as much as possible before investing your hard earned money on these panels.

Typically, a Solar panel consists of around 36 and 72 Solar Cells and produces around 12 and 24 Volts. With one panel, you can power – all fans or all lights or just the kitchen. Start with an energy audit and look for efficiency upgrades before you draw up blueprints.

Usually, 2/3BHK household using electric oven will need about 15,000 Watts of power every day.

The Bridge to India’s portal India Solar Homes can estimate your solar power cost by looking at your State, your last month's electricity bill, roof size, power backups, and daily power cuts.

FOCUS The Bijli Bachao site can help you with information on usage of power per room or by applications/appliances before you plan your solar lighting in your home.

Figure out how much you can spend on Solar Solar power will undoubtedly cut down your electricity bill, but it requires initial investment and installation charges. It is important to figure out how much your pocket allows you to spend on solar and then plan on the application accordingly.

The cost of installing rooftop solar panel may range from Rs.42, 000 to Rs.8, 00,000 depending upon how much solar energy you require.

Which Panels or Inverter you should buy?

There are now lot of brands selling solar panels and inverters which may put you in a conundrum. Here are rules which may help you to choose one for you.

Solar panels: Always look for a brand which has been around a long time.

Don't worry about where it has been manufactured in; most are made in China.

Stay away from those panels which tout as being European or having some unique features.

Don’t just go and buy a panel – get few quotes and choose a reasonable price.

Inverter: Same goes with the inverters, always look for a brand which has been around a long time.

Buy a good inverter at a high price only if you are not living in rented home.

If you’re buying for a rental property, get a low-cost panel with extended warranties.

Get a good battery Typically, solar power installation has 4 components: the solar panels, the charge controller (to convert DC to AC), battery charger (for storage) and the actual

equipment.

Make sure you buy your battery from a known brand and keep it in an airy space as it is said that on heating, the battery life gets reduced.

What Warranties Should You Get? Typical panel warranties 10 years (on the product – free from defects) 15 years (on the performance of the panel @ 90% of its peak) 25 years (on the performance of the panel @ 80% of its peak) Typical inverter warranties An inverter typically has between 5 and 10 years as a standard warranty and can be upgraded to up to 25 years.

Servicing and maintenance Generally, the life of solar panel is 10- 25 years. Solar panels do not have moving parts or electronics and require no major maintenance throughout its life, except that you have to keep it clean from dust and other particles which may create a problem in absorbing solar energy.

Always question the dealer about how they have built the structure of the panel and what the guarantee is.

Who to hire to install solar panel on your rooftop Installing solar panels isn’t like slapping cells on a rooftop. It needs additional wiring, and panel placement is a key to

building an efficient system. So it's better to leave it to professionals.

Look for pros who: • Offer an extended warranty • Uses panels from the brands which have been in the market for a long time.

• Does not outsource installation, as there will be more accountability if things don’t go according to plan.

• Can provide you at least two recent customer references ( don’t forget to check with them about installer’s service) Length of the project Yup! That's equally important; you can't take leave from your office and stay a whole week to check how pros install solar panels on your rooftop. Wiring and installation take a few days, but the complete project can take anywhere around few weeks to a few months from the time you sign the contract and the actual installation.

JUNE 2016 l SAUR ENERGY l 45

INNOVATION

UNSW engineers set a NEW WORLD RECORD in solar cell efficiency Engineers at the University of New South Wales have developed a new solar cell configuration that is 34.5 percent efficient at converting unfocused sunlight into electricity.

The new solar cell is 44 percent better than the previous record – made by Alta Devices of the USA, which reached 24% efficiency with a larger solar array.

The record was set by Dr Mark Keevers and Professor Martin Green, Senior Research Fellow and Director, respectively, of UNSW’s Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, using a 28-cm2 four-junction mini-module – embedded in a prism – that extracts the maximum energy from sunlight.

It does this by splitting the incoming rays into four bands, using a hybrid four-junction receiver to squeeze even more electricity from each beam of sunlight.

“This encouraging result shows that there are still advances to come in photovoltaics research to make solar cells even more efficient,” said Keevers. “Extracting more energy from every beam of sunlight is critical to reducing the cost of electricity generated by solar cells as it lowers the investment needed, and delivering payback faster.”

This is not the first time that the team has set a world record, in 2014 University of New South Wales set a record by achieving an electricity conversion rate of over 40% by using mirrors to concentrate the light – a technique known 48 l SAUR ENERGY l JUNE 2016

as CPV (concentrator photovoltaics) – and then similarly splitting out various wavelengths.

“What’s remarkable is that this level of efficiency had not been expected for many years,” said Green, a pioneer who has led the field for much of his 40 years at UNSW. “A recent study by Germany’s Agora Energiewende think tank set an aggressive target of 35% efficiency by 2050 for a module that uses unconcentrated sunlight, such as the standard ones on family homes.”

“So things are moving faster in solar cell efficiency than many

INNOVATION

experts expected, and that’s good news for solar energy,” he added. “But we must maintain the pace of photovoltaic research in Australia to ensure that we not only build on such tremendous results, but continue to bring benefits back to Australia.”

The record-setting UNSW mini-module combines a silicon cell on one face of a glass prism, with a triple-junction solar cell on the other.

The triple-junction cell targets discrete bands of the incoming sunlight, using a combination of three layers: indium-gallium-phosphide; indiumgallium-arsenide; and germanium. As sunlight passes through each layer, energy is extracted by each junction at its most efficient wavelength, while the unused part of the light passes through to the next layer, and so on.

Some of the infrared band of incoming sunlight, unused by the triple-junction cell, is filtered out and bounced onto the silicon cell, thereby extracting just about all of the energy from each beam of sunlight hitting the mini-module.

The 34.5% result with the 28 cm2 mini-module is already a world record, but scaling it up to a larger 800-cm2 – thereby leaping beyond Alta Devices’ 24% – is well within reach.

“There’ll be some marginal loss from interconnection in the scale-up, but we are so far ahead that it’s entirely feasible,” Keevers said. “The theoretical limit for such a four-junction device is thought to be 53%, which puts the UNSW result two-thirds of the way there.”

The research is supported by $1.4 million grant funding from the

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

UNSW team is working with another ARENA-supported company, RayGen, to explore how the advanced receiver could be rolled out at concentrated solar PV power plants.

Other research partners working with UNSW include Trina Solar, a PV module manufacturer and the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Multi-junction solar cells of this type are unlikely to find their way onto the rooftops of homes and offices soon, as they require more effort to manufacture and therefore cost more than standard crystalline silicon cells with a single junction. But the UNSW team is working on new techniques to reduce the manufacturing complexity, and create cheaper multi-junction cells.

Researchers demonstrate STPVs that converts solar heat into usable electric power Researchers at MIT demonstrated a device based on a method that enables solar cells to break through a theoretically predicted ceiling on how much sunlight they can convert into electricity.

A single-layer cell made of silicon is used for the vast majority of today’s solar panels — the upper limit of these cells is about 32 percent. But there are ways to increase that overall efficiency, such as by using multiple layers of cells, a method that is being widely studied, or by converting the sunlight first to heat before generating electrical power. It is the latter method, using devices known as solar thermophotovoltaics, or STPVs, that the team has demonstrated.

The findings are reported in the journal Nature Energy, by MIT doctoral student David Bierman, professors Evelyn Wang and Marin Soljačić, and four others.

All research in traditional photovoltaic faces the same underlying theoretical limitations, Bierman says, “With solar thermophotovoltaics you have the possibility to exceed that.”

Theory predicts that in principle this method, which involves pairing conventional solar cells with added layers of high-tech materials, could more than double the theoretical limit of efficiency, potentially making it possible to deliver twice as much power from a given area of panels.

“We believe that this new work is an exciting advancement in the field,” said Wang “as we have demonstrated, for the first time, an STPV device that has a higher solar-to-electrical conversion efficiency compared to that of the underlying PV cell.”

The research team used a relatively lowefficiency PV cell in the demonstration,

the overall efficiency of the system was only 6.8 percent, but in direct comparisons it clearly showed the improvement enabled by the STPV system.

The basic principle is simple: Instead of dissipating unusable solar energy as heat in the solar cell, all of the energy and heat is first absorbed by an intermediate component, to temperatures that would allow that component to emit thermal radiation. By tuning the materials and configuration of these added layers, it’s possible to emit that radiation in the form of just the right wavelengths of light for the solar cell to capture. This improves the efficiency and reduces the heat generated in the solar cell.

The key is using high-tech materials called nanophotonic crystals, which can be made to emit precisely determined wavelengths of light when heated. In

JUNE 2016 l SAUR ENERGY l 49

INNOVATION

this test, the nanophotonic crystals are integrated into a system with vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, and operate at a high temperature of 1,000 degrees Celsius. Once heated, the nanophotonic crystals continue to emit a narrow band of wavelengths of light that precisely matches the band that an adjacent photovoltaic cell can capture and convert to an electric current.

“The carbon nanotubes are virtually a perfect absorber over the entire color spectrum,” said Bierman allowing it to capture the full solar spectrum.

“All of the energy of the photons gets converted to heat.” Then, that heat gets re-emitted as light but, thanks to the nanophotonic structure, is converted to just the colors that match the PV cell’s peak efficiency.

50 l SAUR ENERGY l JUNE 2016

The photonic device producing emissions based on heat rather than light means it would be unaffected by brief changes in the environment. In fact, if coupled with a thermal storage system, it could in principle provide a way to make use of solar power on an around-the-clock basis. The biggest advantage of these systems would the promise of continuous on-demand power.

The team conducted tests using a photovoltaic cell with the STPV components, first under direct sunlight and then with the sun completely blocked so that only the secondary light emissions from the photonic crystal were illuminating the cell. The results showed that the actual performance matched the predicted improvements.

“A lot of the work thus far in this field has been proof-of-concept demonstrations,” Bierman says. “This is the first time we’ve actually put something between the sun and the PV cell to prove the efficiency” of the thermal system.

The team’s next steps include finding ways to make larger versions of the small, laboratory-scale experimental unit, and developing ways of manufacturing such systems economically. The research team also included MIT alumnus Andrej Lenert PhD ’14, now a research fellow at the University of Michigan, MIT postdocs Walker Chan and Bikram Bhatia, and research scientist Ivan Celanovic. The work was supported by the Solid-State Solar Thermal Energy Conversion (S3TEC) Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

INNOVATION

Scientists develop light-emitting cement that’s Solar-powered

In order to light roads, highways or bicycle lanes without electricity scientists have created new light-emitting cement that could last a hundred years and illuminate roads, highways or bicycle lanes at night by absorbing solar energy during the day.

JosĂŠ Carlos Rubio, from Michoacan's University of San Nicolas Hidalgo, UMSNH in Spanish, created a lightemitting cement that has a lifespan of 100 years. Currently, the cement exists in blue or green colour, and the light intensity can be regulated to avoid dazzling drivers.

"Nine years ago, when I started the project, I realized there was nothing similar worldwide, and so I started to work on it. The main issue was that cement is an opaque body that doesn't allow the pass of light to its interior," said Dr. Rubio.

He explained that common cement is a dust that when it's added to water,

it dissolves as an effervescent pill. "In that moment, it starts to become a gel, similar to the one used for hair styling, but much stronger and resistant; at the same time, crystal flakes are formed— these are unwanted sub-products in hardened cement."

To address this issue, the researcher focused on modifying the microstructure of the cement in order to eliminate crystals and make it gel completely, helping it to absorb solar energy and return it to the environment as light.

Rubio said that in 2015, global cement production was about 4 billion tons. This is where this new material can find a wide commercial market. During the day, any building, road, highway or structure made out of this new cement can absorb solar energy and emit it during the night for around 12 hours.

Rubio detailed that most fluorescent materials are made out of plastic and

have an average of three years of life because they decay over time with exposure to UV rays; this new cement is sun resistant and has an estimated lifespan of 100 years.

Furthermore, it is ecological because the gel is made out of sand, dust or clay, and during manufacture, the only residue is water steam.

This Mexican project has inspired other countries to pursue this line of research. "Due to this patent (the first one for this university), others have surfaced worldwide. In the U.K., we received recognition from the Newton fund, given by the Royal Engineering Academy of London, which chooses global success cases in technology and entrepreneurship."

Currently, this research is in its transfer and commercialization stage. Its inclusion in plaster and other construction products is also being developed.

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PRODUCTS

Delta M80U Photovoltaic (PV) inverter The M80U is a grid-tied, 3-phase and transformerless inverter that converts direct current (DC) output from a photovoltaic system into a utility frequency alternating current (AC) with efficiency of 98.8 percent, allowing it to be seamlessly used by the electric grid and within buildings.

The M80U has a wide input operation range spanning from a 200 to 1000 volts direct current (Vdc). It incorporates exciting and advanced features which according to the company will deliver maximum efficiency over a much wider power range than transformer-based inverters.

Key Features of Delta’s M80U:-

• 80kW Max. Input power • Efficiency 98.8 percent • 2 stages inverter with wide input operation range from 200 to 1000 Vdc • Wider operating temperature range from -13 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit • 2 MPP (Maximum Power Point) trackers • 16 strings with fuses protection

• Wall mounted installation • Ergonomic handle design • Outdoor application with NEMA 4X • Arc fault detector • Built-in DC switch • Built-in AC and DC surge protection devices (SPDs) • Optional Ethernet

GreatWall Energy Satcon Equinox 750kW Satcon Equinox 750kW with Ampt String Optimizers lowers the total system cost and improve lifetime system performance. The Equinox inverter platform comes with industrialgrade engineering and a rugged design with advanced utility-ready features.

With Ampt Mode Equinox inverters operate in a narrow input voltage range that is closer to the maximum system voltage to increase the inverter’s rated output power. It comes with rated output power that is 50 percent higher than the same inverter operating in standard mode.

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Key Features of Satcon Equinox

• 80kW Max. Input power • Max efficiency - 98.7% • Configurable DC input combiner • Nominal Output Voltage – 480V • Max continuous output current/ phase – 902A • Power factor, full load - >99% • Protection rating – NEMA 3R/IP54 • Warranty – 5 year standard, 10 year extendedwith optional preventive maintenance agreement

PRODUCTS

Infineon 1200 V silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET technology Infineon introduces 1200 V silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET technology for exceptional efficiency and performance in power conversion.

CoolSiC MOSFETs offer a new degree of flexibility for increasing efficiency and frequency and helps save space and weight, reduce cooling requirements, improve reliability and lower system costs.

Key Features Unique SiC MOSFET characteristics Over traditional 1200 V silicon devices Low

Qg and device capacitances Zero

reverse recovery losses of body diode Temperature

independent switching losses Threshold-free

on-state characteristic

compared to IGBT

Over SiC competition Superior gate oxide reliability Best in class switching and conduction losses Higher transconductance (gain) Threshold voltage, Vth = 4 V Short-circuit robustness

Vishay 650 V EF Series devices The 650 V EF Series devices include the Vishay Siliconix SiHx21N65EF, SiHx28N65EF and SiHG33N65EF which according to the company will provide additional voltage headroom for industrial, telecom and renewable energy applications when needed.

The 650 V fast body diode MOSFETs built on E Series super junction technology feature a 10x lower reverse recovery charge (Qrr) than standard MOSFETs. This allows the devices to block the full breakdown voltage more quickly, helping to avoid failure from shoot-through and thermal overstress and increasing reliability in zero voltage switching (ZVS) / soft switching topologies such as phase-shifted bridges, LLC converters, and 3-level inverters.

Vishay 650 SiHA21N65EF Features of the device include fast body diode MOSFET using E series technology, reduced trr, Qrr, and IRRM, low figure-of-merit (FOM) Ron x Qg, low input capacitance (Ciss), low switching losses due to reduced Qrr, Ultra low gate charge (Qg), Avalanche energy rated (UIS) and material categorization.

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PRODUCTS

Vishay 650 SiHA21N65EF

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PRODUCTS

Vishay 650 SiHG33N65EF Features of the device include Fast body diode MOSFET using E series technology, reduced trr, Qrr, and IRRM, low figure-ofmerit (FOM): Ron x Qg, low input capacitance (Ciss), low switching losses due to reduced Qrr, ultra low gate charge (Qg) and avalanche energy rated (UIS).

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PRODUCTS

Yingli Green ‘TwinMAX’ modules

Yingli Green’s new high-performance and durable ‘TwinMAX’ series of modules integrate technology from Yingli's state of the art PANDA n-type monocrystalline solar cells with cell efficiency that could reach as high as 20.5% and average module efficiency that could be over 17%. TwinMAX Bifacial modules generate

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power from the front as well as from the back side.

The TwinMAX series had been commercialized and includes company’s TwinMAX 60 Cell high-efficiency dual glass module (including the standard series and the bifacial series) and TwinMAX 72 Cell high-efficiency dual glass module (standard series).

The TwinMAX series is a frameless module that is comprised of two layers of 2.5mm thick tempered glass, which replaced the conventional back sheet and glass structure. It possess strong durability and resistance to PID (Potential Induced Degradation) and are able to perform well under various harsh environments such as exposure to high temperature and humidity, salt mist and

sand. The modules can improve system performance and help to reduce balanceof-system costs. In addition, TwinMAX modules carry a 30-year linear warranty, which theoretically could provide more than 20% power gain for customers compared to industry standard 25-years linear warranty.

The ‘PANDA’ n-PERT bifacial series modules includes solar cells with cell efficiencies that could reach as high as 20.5% and average module efficiency that could be over 17%, and the potential to allow power yields up to 30% more than traditional mono crystalline modules.

PRODUCTS

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