Saur Energy International Magazine November 2016 by Saur Energy International

SAUR ENERGY I N T E R N A T I O N A L EDITOR

MANAS NANDI Editorial@saurenergy.com

SR. JOURNALIST

SANTANU MUKHERJEE santanu@saurenergy.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

NILOY BANERJEE niloy@saurenergy.com

TECHNICAL EDITOR

BIKRAM SINGH NEGI bikram@saurenergy.com

Editorial... E

FEATURE SPECIALIST

LAIQUE KHAN laique@saurenergy.com

MANAGER MARKETING

HEMANT ARORA hemant@saurenergy.com

FIGHTING IS GOOD - And I believe it.

DESIGN HEAD

For a society like us the biggest evil today which is challenging our existence is

ABHISHEK GUPTA

WEB DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

JITENDER KUMAR

WEB PRODUCTION

BALVINDER SINGH

SUBSCRIPTIONS

S.RADHIKA subscription@saurenergy.com Saur Energy International is printed, published, edited and owned by Manas Nandi and published from 303, 2nd floor, Neelkanth Palace, Plot No- 190, Sant Nagar, East of Kailash, New Delhi- 110065 (INDIA), Printed at Pearl Printers, C-105, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi. Editor, Publisher, Printer and Owner make every effort to ensure high quality and accuracy of the content published. However he cannot accept any responsibility for any effects from errors or omissions. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor and publisher. The information in the content and advertisement published in the magazine are just for reference of the readers. However, readers are cautioned to make inquiries and take their decision on purchase or investment after consulting experts on the subject. Saur Energy International holds no responsibility for any decision taken by readers on the basis of the information provided herein. Any unauthorised reproduction of Saur Energy International magazine content is strictly forbidden. Subject to Delhi Jurisdiction.

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

Only if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s against an evil. pollution and global warming. We as a race need to fight this and save our existence. We need to get SMARTER to challenge this and win our fight against pollution and global warming. If we look closely and understand the way they are getting their power to challenge us is from our ways of generating energy for our ever-growing needs. I am not saying that we should stop generating power or we move back to a life style that was there 200 yrs ago, but what I mean is we should become smarter in terms of our ways to generate power. We have already made a start with concepts like smart city, Smart Homes, Smart travel and all these with an even smarter way of generating power with Renewables. Change begins at home â&#x20AC;&#x201C; So in this issue we are talking extensively on Smart Solar homes. Companies like Schneider electric are actively working in this sector to make our homes smarter. Also in this issue we bring you more on Smart Metering, SCADA and Stringers. We have also touched on the Mono Crystalline market in India with all other anticipated sections on Semiconductors, new products and research in the solar domain. Happy reading!

ManasNandi manas@saurenergy.com

CONTENTS

Powering the Future: Solar Smart Homes

The Hunt for Smart Meters in Every Home of India

NATIONAL NEWS

- PM Modi plans state aid package of Rs 210 billion to boost Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solar industry - India committed to promote International Solar Alliance, says Goyal - ABB to install solar based micro grid at Vadodara facility

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

- JinkoSolar Signs 300MW Master Module Supply Agreement with Senyuan Electric - Tri-County EMC Commissions Solar Facility for "ourSolar" Program - GCL-SI Signs Deal With OSW to Ship 1,000 E-KwBe Energy Storage Units

MARKET RESEARCH

- Thin Film Semiconductor Deposition Market

DECRYSTALIZING MONOCRYSTALLINE

to Reach $22 Billion, Globally by 2022 - Global Crystalline Silicon PV Market to Reach $163 Billion by 2022 : Allied Market Research

INTERVIEW - William Sheng

(SVP Global Marketing at Zhongli Talesun)

STRINGERS-

Bonding Cells for a Bright Future

SCADA

Monitor Analyze Resolve

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

- Pradeep Sangwan (Country Head, ReneSola India Pvt. Ltd.)

WHAT'S NEW

- Yingli with SolarAid Launches Affordable Solar Light - JinkoSolar launches JinkoMX module series to tackle solar shading

INNOVATION

- Efficient organic solar cells with very low driving force - New Inexpensive Solar Cells to Rule-over Traditional Silicon Cells - This novel system stores energy in molten silicon-based energy storage system

NATIONAL NEWS TANGEDCO releases tenders for solar projects

Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited has released tenders for solar power projects in 2016-17. This is the first time the distribution company has floated tenders for solar projects, while the previous ones were scrapped by Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission in 2014. Since then TANGEDCO has been signing MoUs at a fixed tariff of 7.01 per unit or 5.10. Recently, the distribution com floated tenders with an upper limit of 5.10 per unit as the tariff. The tenders will be closed on 18th November and all tenders will have to be filed online alone. Like other states, the solar tariff through tenders may come down to 4 or below in Tamil Nadu also. The company is proposing to obtain 500 MW of solar power through reverse bidding in order to meet its Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) requirement. The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has fixed the RPO targets at 2.5 per cent for 2016-17 and 5 per cent for 2017-18.

Ujaas acquires order from UREDA for Grid Interactive Rooftop and small Solar PV Power Plant in Uttrakhand

UJAAS has won an order for Grid Interactive Rooftop and small Solar PV Power Plant of 4/5 kWp capacity for 364 homes loc-ated at various locations in two districts in Uttarakhand, Under this sch-eme, UREDA has been given a target to install cumulative 44 MW grid interactive Rooftop and small SPV power plants in Uttarakhand based on net metering scheme.

PM Modi plans state aid package of Rs 210 billion to boost India’s solar industry

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi’s is planning a 210 billion-rupee ($3.1 billion) package of state aid for India’s solar panel manufacturing industry. The scheme falls under Prayas initiative, short for “Pradhan Ma-ntri Yojana for Augmenting Solar Manufacturing,” a central-government plan designed to lift India’s installed photovoltaic capacity as well as to create an export industry. PM Modi wants to raise renewable capacity to 175GW by 2022 from 45GW at present. In addition to meeting its own energy targets, which Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates may cost $200 billion, India wants to emulate industrial developments in neighboring China, where solar manufacturers have created a world-leading export industry. The Prayas program, part of Modi’s “Make in India” campaign, is intended to create 5GW of photovoltaic manufacturing capacity from 2019 and build 20GW of projects in the country by 2026. The policy, which is being developed by the ministry in charge of renewable energy and industrial policy, along with the Niti Aayog government research group, will be presented to the Finance Ministry within a month before going to the cabinet for final approval.

India committed to promote International Solar Alliance, says Goyal

Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's International Solar Alliance (ISA) initiative is a unique implementation-focused alliance, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal said the 3P model of Partnerships, Programmes and Planning will be the key to achieve this. Speaking at the 'SWITCH' Electrical Show, Union Power Minister mentioned that an idea then, ISA has now transformed into a movement with countries and global agencies endorsing this initiative of Indian government to promote solar energy in the countries that are rich in solar resources. He stated that the 3Ps model of Partnerships, Programmes and Planning would be key in achieving the ISA goal. Piyush Goyal added that it is encouraging to know that United Nations Development Programme and World Bank are already exploring synergies with ISA to deepen strategic co-operation in solar energy and establishing robust knowledge management systems. Last year, the World Bank signed an agreement with the ISA at the Paris climate summit to mobilize USD 1 trillion in investments in the solar sector by 2030.

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

NATIONAL NEWS TPREL signs 100 MW PPA for solar project at Anantapuram with SECI

Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL) has signed a Power Purchase Agree-ment (PPA) for a 100 MW solar project at Anantapuram solar park in Andhra Pradesh with the Solar Corporation of India (SECI). The Commercial Operations Date (COD) of the project as per the PPA is 16th October 2017. The project has been secured through bidding in the Open category under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). With the signing of this PPA with SECI, TPREL has further consolidated its position as India’s largest renewable energy company. The 100 MW solar project based at Anantapuram has a challenging COD of less than a year, reiterating Tata Power’s technology leadership, superior engineering capabilities, and executional efficiency in implementing mega solar projects in a record timeline. Speaking on this development, Mr. Rahul Shah, CEO & Executive Director, Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd, said, "We are delighted at this project win as it further fortifies our leadership in renewable energy generation in India. The solar project at Anantapuram solar park will add 100 MW of clean energy thereby significantly increasing our green footprint. This move is in line with the Government’s set target of 100 GW from solar energy by 2017. In the next 5 years, the Company plans to significantly add to its solar generation capacity."

Tata Power designates three independent directors

Tata Power has appointed three independent directors - Vibha Padalkar, Anjali Bansal, and Sanjay Bhandarkar - on the its board with effect from 14th October 2016. Tata Power mentioned that the appointments are in terms of Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015. While Bansal is a Senior Advisor to TPG Capital (TPG), a leading global private equity fund based in Mumbai, Padalkar is Executive Director and CFO at HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company (HDFC Life). Bhandarkar is the former MD of Rothschild's Investment Banking operations in India. The appointment of all the three independent directors was recently approved at a Board meeting. Tata Power together with its subsidiaries and jointly controlled entities has an installed gross generation capacity of 9,432 MW and a presence in all the segments of the power sector namely fuel security and logistics, generation (thermal, hydro, solar and wind), transmission, distribution and trading. Post WREPL (Welspun Renewables Energy) acquisition, the installed gross generation capacity would be 10,573 MW.

NTPC to set up 50 MW solar project in Andaman & Nicobar Island

Hartek Power secures 460 MW solar orders Har tek Power has bagged orders for commissioning of 460 MW solar projects in the first half of the current financial year, registering an increase of 373% over last year when the company had secured 123MW orders. The 460 MW orders secured by the Chandigarh based solar firm include 16 substation projects of up to 132 KV spread across six states, including

NTPC will be installing 50MW solar power projects with battery energy storage system at different locations in Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar Island. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between NTPC, Andaman & Nicobar Administration & Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in New Delhi. The power generated from the commissioned solar plants will be contributed towards increased renewable energy deployment and greening of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. NTPC has drafted its business plan of capacity addition of about 1000 MW through renewable resources by 2017. In this endeavor, NTPC has already commissioned 310 MW Solar PV Projects- that includes 50 MW Solar PV at Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh, 50 MW Solar PV at Mandsar in Madhya Pradesh and 260 MW Solar PV at Bhadla in Rajasthan.

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Hartek Power will offer complete turnkey solutions for these new projects and execute post-inverter works covering the design, engineering, supply, installation, automation and commissioning of the power plant electrification. Hartek Power Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Hartek Singh said, “Given the favorable market scenario, the proactive approach of the government is pushing solar power. We will in fact exceed the 500-MW target quite smoothly.” “While tapping business opportunities in the three southern states, where 3-GW tenders are under execution, we are also expanding our operations to new geographies like Jharkhand, which will close the bids for 1.2 GW projects in the current financial year,” Singh added further.

NATIONAL NEWS

NDMC to install solar panels on more than 100 buildings The power department of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is planning to set up solar panels at more than 100 buildings within its jurisdiction, making sure to contribute towards renewable energy growth in India. Under the smart city project, the municipal corporation will be installing the solar panels at 102 buildings, of which 74 would generate 1MW power and 28 would produce 1.5MW energy. As of now 45 buildings have been already been installed with solar panels, and produces 3.1MW power which is consumed by the buildings and the remaining energy is transmitted to the power grid that reduces the load on the thermal power plant and also brings down pollution levels. An official from the department said that the corporation is trying to explore new avenues to produce energy. Once all the solar panels are installed it will be able to generate up to 5.6MW of power.

Rays Power Infra wraps up 5.75 MW solar project in Telangana

Gamesa to build 130MW of two solar projects in India

Gamesa has signed a deal with Indian The project was undertaken for Earth Solar and has been commissioned within 7 months. Rays Power Infra has executed the project on turnkey basis, right from land acquisition till commissioning and executed at a remote location under tough site conditions. Sanjay Garudapally, Director-Business Development, Rays Power Infra, said, “This project is very special for us as it was the first secondary acquisition for our group.” The project is spread across 27 acres of land in the Medak district of Telangana, and was completed under the State Government’s competitive bidding–2012 process and open offer route 2013. The power generated with this plant will be utilized to electrify nearby villages.

developer Atria Power for the construction of 130 MW of solar power at two locations in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. This is the largest solar order received by the Gamesa since it entered the Indian Solar market sector last year. The Spanish wind turbine manufacturer will develop two solar power plants, with the capacity of 90 MW and 40 MW. The company will be responsible for the design and engineering of the facilities as per the agreement. It will also handle all the operations and maintenance at the facilities slated for commissioning in March 2017. Around 961.37 MW photovoltaic inverters will

Tata Power Solar tops the list as the No.1 rooftop player for the third consecutive year

Tata Power Solar, India’s largest integrated solar company, has been ranked as the No.1 Rooftop Player among EPC companies in the recently published India Solar Rooftop Map 2016 report by BRIDGE TO INDIA, a leading cleantech consulting firm. According to the report, the total installed capacity in the rooftop segment is 1020 MW as of September 2016. In terms of market share, Tata Power Solar leads by nearly four times over its closest competitor in the market.Tata Power Solar has installed nearly 40 MW of solar rooftops in the past year alone, with majority of their customers belonging to the industrial and commercial sector. Several milestone projects were commissioned in this period, including the world’s largest rooftop solar plant at RSSB-EES of 12 MW setup in a single phase at a single location on multiple roofs. Ashish Khanna, ED & CEO of Tata Power Solar said, “Solar rooftop is critical for faster and deeper adoption of solar, given the advantages of localized generation. The mantle of No.1 rooftop player in the Indian solar market for consecutive years is a tremendous accomplishment, and a testimony of the trust bestowed by our customers on our products and services. We look forward to retaining leadership position and enhancing our contribution towards realization of the impressive target set by the Government of India for rooftop solar by 2022.”

be installed by Gamesa Electric.

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Canadian Solar,EDF Energies Nouvelles Partners and Start Construction of a 191.5 MWp Solar Energy Project in Brazil

Canadian Solar announces the sale of 80% interest in Canadian Solar's Pirapora I solar energy project in Brazil to EDF Energies Nouvelles'. The 191.5 MWp Project is starting construction and expects to reach commercial operation in the third quarter of 2017. Canadian Solar will supply the modules for the Project from its new 360 MWp modules factory established in Brazil to support the local market. The Project, located in thestate of Minas Gerais in Brazil, was awarded a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement in the sec-ond Reserve Energy Auction in 2015. Once completed, the Project will generate 391,263 MWh per year and contribute towards the country's goal of obtaining 23% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.

Hanwha Q CELLS takes a step ahead in PV production with InnoLas laser technology

Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd. has placed an order for an ILSTT laser machine for its R&D facilities to InnoLas Solutions. The ultrafast and precise laser processes of InnoLas facilitates in increasing solar cell efficiency as well as throughput, thus reducing the overall cost of solar power.The ILS-TT is a production proven high thro-ughput laser machine platform, which allows Hanwha Q CELLS to further improve their existing production processes for their crystalline silicon solar cells.

JinkoSolar Signs 300MW Master Module Supply Agreement with Senyuan Electric

JinkoSolar has signed a 300MW master module supply agreement with Henan Senyuan Electric Co., Ltd. ("Senyuan Electric"), a developer of PV power plant projects and a producer of high, medium and low voltage switchgear, listed in A-share market. JinkoSolar will cooperate with Senyuan Electric by supplying solar modules for local PV poverty alleviation projects in Henan. The focus will be alleviating poverty by developing targeted PV projects in poor area in Henan province. "We have been leveraging our strong technical skills, reliable high-efficiency products and experienced development team to participate in a number of poverty alleviation projects across China in recent years, including Jiangxi, Anhui, Guizhou, Shanxi, Gansu and Shandong provinces," commented Gener Miao, JinkoSolar's Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing. "Our collaboration with Senyuan Electric will provide thousands of lowincome households with the highest quality PV modules that will ensure a sustainable generation of green energy and income for them and raise their standard of living."

SolarCity and Balfour Beatty Communities Nearing Completion of 6.9 Megawatts of Solar

Natcore Technology to Serve as Technical Advisor For 1,000 MW Solar Facility in Middle East

Balfour Beatty Communities and SolarCity are

Natcore Technology has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Malta-based developer of international renewable energy projects under which Natcore would serve as the science and technology advisor for a large verticallyintegrated project in the Middle East. The 1,000 MW project would comprise: • A solar array consisting of 100 individual solar power plants, each with a capacity of at least 10 MW • A manufacturing facility for the production of photovoltaic modules; and • A facility for the manufacturing of solar cells. DK Ener Group Ltd. is retaining Natcore for this project. Natcore will serve as DK's science and technology advisor on the project. As part of their service, Natcore will recommend a "best of breed" selection of manufacturing equipment and components, and will offer limited exclusivity to incorporate new technology developed by Natcore when such technology becomes commercially available.

nearing completion of approximately 7 megawatts of solar at Air Force family housing in four states. The rooftop solar panels are installed across the residential communities managed by Balfour Beatty Communities at Travis Air Force Base (AFB), in California; Sheppard AFB in Texas; Tyndall AFB in Florida; and Luke AFB in Arizona. Together the installations utilize more than 26,000 solar panels to provide power to more than two thousand housing units. SolarCity designed, built and will maintain the solar power systems, and the military housing project companies (jointly operated by the Air Force and Balfour Beatty Communities) realize savings from the lower cost of solar power. The rooftop installations will total nearly 7 megawatts (MW) of solar power generation capacity— Luke AFB is the largest of the installations with approximately 3.5 MW of solar followed by Tyndall AFB at 1.4 MW, Sheppard AFB at 1.1 MW and Travis AFB with just under 1 MW capacity.

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Jinkosolar Ranked 16th among Fortune's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies

JinkoSolar announced that it was ranked 16th among Fortune magazine's 100 FastestGrowing Companies in 2016. Fortune magazine's annual ranking of "100 Fastest-Growing Companies" assesses a number of growth indicators for U.S. listed companies including l revenue growth, EPS growth and net profit growth over three years.

Sunworks Expands Its Offerings of Energy Battery Storage Solutions

Sunworks announced that it has made advancements in "Battery Storage" systems and is now offering multiple product options to new and existing customers. The premise behind the technology is increased customer control over their demand charges when pricing peaks and protection from system outages in poor or unreliable service areas.

AutoGrid and sonnen Partner to Accelerate the Adoption of Energy Storage

AutoGrid Systems and sonnen, Inc. have partnered to fully integrate AutoGrid's flexibility management application suite, AutoGrid Flex, with sonnen's residential and commercial ene-rgy storage technology. Through this partnership, AutoGrid and sonnen will help energy project developers, utilities and other energy service providers better manage, optimize and aggregate sonnenBatterie systems and other distributed energy resources (DERs).

Tesla Ignites Vie in Solar Through its Latest Solar Roof + Storage Integrated Solution

Imagining a solar panel coming with an integrated battery shall go-freak solar fanatics. Tesla seems to have made it possible as Verge reports that Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk has lately unveiled a portfolio of solar panels armed with batteries. While introducing the revolutionary solution, Musk cites that unlike other solar systems which must be mounted on top of a traditional roof, these new panels are actually integrated within glass roof tiles, replacing a home’s roof. And because they’re made of glass, Musk says they will last “quasi indefinitely,” even in harsh conditions where snow and ice make short work of traditional asphalt shingles. Musk said that 50 years of lifespan should be no problem, and they offer efficiency that is 98 percent as good as a traditional, ugly photovoltaic panel. The products launched come in partnership with SolarCity which Tesla aims to acquire for $2.6 billion as shareholders of both companies will vote on the proposed acquisition in the middle of November. The Powerwall 2 can store 14 kWh of energy, with a 5 kW continuous power draw, and 7 kW peak. The battery is warranted for unlimited power cycles for up to 10 years. It can be floor or wall mounted, inside or outside. It can be used for load shifting or back-up power. Musk says there are three parts to the solar energy solution: generation (solar panels), storage (batteries), and transportation (electric cars). Musk’s plan is to sell all three of those products through Tesla. According to Verge, Musk says there are four to five million new roofs built each year in the US, and the solar roof product will be price competitive with more traditional roofs with solar added to it. However, existing roofs which do not need to be replaced will be better candidates for more traditional roof-mounted solar solutions. The whole end-to-end Powerwall is kept at a cost of $5,500. Not at all a bad deal.

First Solar Commissions 52.5MW Shams Ma’an Plant in Jordan First Solar has announced that it has commissioned the 52.5 megawatt (MW)AC Shams Ma’an project in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, on schedule. The plant is owned by a consortium of investors consisting of Diamond Generating Europe Ltd., Nebras Power Q.S.C. and the Kawar Group. First Solar significantly contributed to the development of the project before divesting its stake and being appointed the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor. Shams Ma’an has a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the National Electric Power Company (NEPCO), the country’s power generation and distribution authority. The plant, which accounts for approximately 1 percent of Jordan’s total energy generation capacity, produces clean electricity using over 600,000 high-performance First Solar Series 4 thin film modules, which deliver up to 5 percent more specific energy in Ma’an than conventional crystalline silicon panels. The modules are mounted on single-axis trackers that allow the facility to generate up to 20 percent more energy.

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

Vivint Solar Installs More Than 2,700 Rooftop Solar Panels At Vivint Smart Home Arena Vivint Solar announces the installation of more than 2,700 rooftop solar panels at Vivint Smart Home Arena, which is the home of the Utah Jazz and the premier sports and entertainment venue of the Intermountain West, located in downtown Salt Lake City. This full array of solar panels marks one of the largest rooftop solar energy systems among indoor sports venues in the United States. Covering more than 80,000 square feet on the arena rooftop and generating nearly 700 kilowatts of energy, the panels were provided by Vivint Solar and installed by Hunt Electric. This solar installation is one of the initial upgrades made as part of an ongoing $125 million renovation by the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies of Vivint Smart Home Arena, which is now among the first professional sporting venues capable of generating its own energy.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Array Technologies Leads U.S. Market in Solar Tracker Shipments Array Technologies has announced

Suntech Partners with Munich Re in the US to Further Validate Module Bankability

One of the leading solar module manufacturers Wuxi Suntech has announced a partnership with Munich Re to provide insurance back up to its 25 year solar module warranty for all modules shipped to the US. The insurance provides back up coverage of all Suntech modules produced in 2016 and 2017 based on an upfront lump sum premium payment.

that it has shipped 6 GW of solar trackers globally. The news comes on the heels of GTM Research's recent report The Global PV Tracker Landscape 2016: Prices, Forecasts, Market Shares and Vendor Profiles, which reported that ATI is the nation's market share leader in solar tracker manufacturing based on MW volume of tracker shipments. The Global PV Tracker Landscape 2016 report notes that ATI is not only the U.S. market leader in solar tracking, but also has "the most extensive track record of any tracking vendor and is in the top tier of bankable tracking vendors." ATI's trackers have a simple and elegant design, with the flexibility to adapt to a variety of terrains. While many competing tracker architectures contain more than 29,000 parts in a 100 MW solar plant, an ATI-equipped plant of the same size is comprised of a mere 187 parts, drastically reducing the complexity of install and the level of operations and management required to maintain the project.

GCL-SI Signs Deal With OSW to Ship 1,000 E-KwBe Energy Storage Units GCL System Integration Technology announced the signing of a deal with its Australian wholesale partner, One Stop Warehouse (OSW), to distribute another 1,000 of its energy storage units known as E-KwBe. The products are set to be shipped in October. Designed and manufactured by GCL-SI, E-KwBe is an intelligent energy storage system that allows customers to optimize the use of their solar energy systems in their homes to cut electricity bills and reduce their carbon footprint. The lithium cell of E-KwBe is charged by a home photovoltaic (PV)/solar panel system during the day to store excess electricity and supply power to a home load as needed later, maximizing consumers' self-sufficiency by solar power. Those equipped with the E-KwBe in their homes no longer need to draw electrical power from their utility grid during peak consumption hours, which saves consumers a significant amount of money. In addition, the system can also assure power supply during electrical outages.

Silfab Solar’s North American PV Module Deliveries Increase

Silfab Solar has announced a long-term partnership with Auric Solar, a leading solar installer in Utah and Idaho, and distributor Russell Pacific to supply Auric with all-black, high-quality modules and delivery of 15 megawatts over the next few months. The Auric contract is the latest for Silfab, which produces high-quality, high efficiency mod-ules that are an ideal fit for homeowners and commercial operations looking to get more solar with less modules. Auric Solar is purchasing Silfab’s latest 300Wp module that the company debuted at last month’s Solar Power International conference. Distributor Russell Pacific (RP) handles all aspects of Auric’s module procurement and was a key partner in the deal. “Companies continue to select Silfab because of our North American location – which means quicker delivery, bestin-class warranties and hightouch customer service,” said Geoffrey Atkins, Silfab’s head of development.

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

PRADEEP SANGWAN Country Head, ReneSola India Pvt. Ltd.

ReneSola is one of the leading international brand and technology providers of energy efficient products. Leveraging its global presence and expansive distribution and sales network, ReneSola is well positioned to provide its highest quality green energy products and on-time services for EPC, installers, and green energy projects around the world. In an exclusive Interview Pradeep Sangwan-Country Head, ReneSola to Santanu Mukherjee - Sr. Journalist, Saur Energy International shared about the latest modules, market share, projects in-line, ReneSola’s production quality management and more.

Please give us an overview of ReneSola’s India operations and product offerings? We started our operation in India in 2013; our first supply of modules was to Solar Direct and SunEdison. In last 3 years we have supplied almost 700 MW which was commissioned till last month. Initially, the company started selling to customers from China and in last three years we have estblished 4 offices in India, 3 warehouses and a team of 70 people on board which includes sales, logistics, HR and finance. We are incorporated as ReneSola India Pvt. Ltd. as an Indian entity, and we have today VAT registration in almost 17 states to make it to the local sales and more than 100 customers including leading developers, EPC players, small system integrators and channel partners. Other than PV, we have added LED lighting as our business that was started one and half year back and it’s a growing business. Today, with more than 200 dealers across India, our monthly growth in the LED segment is almost is 20-25%. ReneSola India started with 240-290 Watt (peak) products and today we are selling

320-325 and on 60 cells its 265, 270 and 275 Watt modules marking a significant growth in the efficiency in last three years. Now our major focus is polycrystalline modules, as monocrystalline silicon requirement is less. In India, other than solar modules we are not currently selling any other solar products, although we have micro-inverters, stringinverters, off-grid solar solutions. According to a research firm ReneSola have 5.5% share in India, what are your plans for next FY and what type of strategy will you follow to achieve that number? We have been able to create good reach in last one and half years, our main focus was large developers, but gradually we tried to cater it to all customers. Now along with large ground mounted projects we have a lot of demand in commercial rooftop segment and other rooftop projects. Looking at the India market, we may gradually shift to residential rooftop also and foster our sales to foray into this promising rooftop market. In large ground mounted projects there is a timeline like - land acquisition and then financial approval, but in case of rooftop

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

projects it moves very fast and numbers are also good and can further increase our volume and turnover. We are working to add more and more customers in this segment. In most of the ground mounted and large projects, customers are easily visible and you can find out which state, tender, developer and size of the project is undertaken and you can easily develop relationship. In case of rooftop segment, the sales approach is slightly different as compared to ground mounted projects as the competition is not much. With this rooftop market, we aim to add 20% to our turnover. Moreover, we will get better price advantage in rooftop segment. How do you strategize to reach end consumers? In case of large projects, most of the developers are known, so reaching them is not a difficult task. But in rooftop segment, you have 2-tier systems like EPC or system integrator in between, and then you have consumers. So, in this segment consumer is a sort of developer who is consuming our product, and it needs lot of patience. We have to do ground work so that customer asks for ReneSola and not for other brands.

VIZ-A-VIZ

Do you think Indian rooftop consumers are aware of solar and solar products? Yes! Today through internet most of the buyers search about the products and brands available in the market. Most of the customers for commercial rooftop are professionals; they may have their own purchase team which helps them decide products and which EPC company they should go for. EPC companies also promote lot of vendors depending on the relationship with the module suppliers and their experience with the product. So, we have to push ourselves at both consumers and EPC level. Please share about the production quality management you follow. We use our own wafers and cells; the quality of cells is managed through our own product supply chain. Other than that, in module manufacturing process we go for three times EL imaging process. We check micro cracks at the initial level for the cell, then before flash test and packing as per IEC standards. Other than this, we have all the certifications that are mandatory for modules and we use best quality material to build modules. MNRE recently came out with National lab policy for renewable energy sector for testing, standardization and certification. Please shed some light on the draft and how it is going to help Indian consumers? Whatever Indian standards are there for RE sector, they are based on international standards. So, if a product you are buying is already tested and certified by third party lab which is an international lab. Even if it is situated out of India, all the tier-1 module suppliers have their products as per IEC standards (regulatory mandatory certificates). Therefore, building an indigenous testing facility is inapt. If buyers have to ensure that he should get the best quality, the best way is to have factory inspection and scrutiny during production. Today, there

are two type of sales- one is that which vendors are selling from stock for rooftop, small rooftops and others, but in large projects every customers have option of inspecting the entire lot, so there they can ensure the bill of material they want, their type of testing they want and even can go for third party testing during the production itself. This ensures the product which they are getting is 100% as per their quality requirement. Can you please share about ReneSolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research, what type of efficiency does the company has and three years down the line what kind of efficiency is expected? Couple of years back, we have included about 240W to 270W, which is almost a jump of 2% in efficiency. And with present technology, it is very difficult to further increase because we are almost near to maximum reach we can get. We are shifting to other technologies like HIT or back contact cell. Next year, we will focus on technology change and shall come up with HIT technology and par so that we are able to further improve on efficiency. In 2017, commercially we are aiming to reach a level of more than 330W in 72 cells. What kind of budget goes into R&D? We allocate almost 10% of our turnover to R&D and quality management to ensure that we are able to improve on our quality and efficiency. Any plans to get your R&D center or production facilities to India? The way Indian solar market have been moving since last 3-4 years, most of the large projects are driven by state policy under MNRE, JNNSM program plus the rooftop program under SECI and MNRE. Initially we were producing modules in India through OEM tie-up, but that year we experienced there is a big gap in demand and supply. If we are producing module today, the demand may come after 6 months, so in India producing and holding stock makes cost very high because the interest rate is 11-12%. If I have to produce 50MW modules and get chance to supply only after 4 months then I will be losing on cash flow. Other than that the cost of production is also higher.

Q Q

Looking at the production volumes in India in comparison to China, we are very far behind so it seems very difficult to achieve that production cost. Government has been trying to promote Indian production through specific tenders under NTPC, where they define that the product has to be made in India product, but still the demand has not been able to go above 500MW per year. With 500MW it is very difficult to sustain. Panel pricing has been crashing for last one year, how do you think this is going to impact the Indian solar market? It is good for Indian solar market, for example most of the projects that has to be commissioned by March 2017, bidding was done almost one year back. At that time the price point that they might have taken to bid, the prices are now much lower than that, so the profitability of the developer and EPC companies will be better. However, most of the EPC companies do not get module orders as it is directly purchased by developers, still the IRR for the developer will be better because almost 2-3 cents difference is still there. If you see today the price is almost below 36 cents and in Q1 this year the price was almost 48 cents, there is a 12 cent fall. And projects which were bided in Q4 of 2015 or this year in Q1, they never anticipated that the price will go below 36 cents. In solar business for developers and system integrators this is actually good. We expect the price to further go down by next year. How do you compete with the low quality manufacturers and how do you educate your consumers about the quality that ReneSola offers? In terms of quality the buyer need to check the bill of material, so we try to educate our consumers from bill of material, back sheet quality, vendor, type of glass and thickness of glass that drive the price. Other than that, in the production quality itself if you can see the inter-cell contact you can easily make out the quality of module. Module failure mostly happens due to failure of inter-cell contact or junction boxes.

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

BUY OR LEASE

THE RUN FOR

SMART METERS IN EVERY HOME OF INDIA Due to rapid increase in human population and dependency towards electrical energy, the demand of electricity has increased, causing deficit during peak hours. The traditional electrical energy meter data collection is such that a person from the utility provider visits the consumer sites periodically to note the meter reading. This procedure has lot of drawbacks such as, it is time consuming, tiresome and requires more human resource, human error and even corruption is probable. India is facing energy deficit during peak hours. Low voltage during peak hours has been reported as a major power quality issue. Load shedding is a common power management practice followed by the utility providers.

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

BUY OR LEASE

How do Smart Meters Work? Smart meters measure the total energy used in your home in the same way as a traditional meter. They are 'smart' because they use radio waves (similar to those of radio transmitters, mobile phones and wi-fi) to communicate the information they collect, allowing remote readings to be taken by utility suppliers. The system that collects information from the electricity and gas meters has two main components: • The Home Area Network (HAN). This links the smart meters with an in-home display which allows you, the householder, to view your energy use in real time. Furthermore, it can tell you when you used the energy and how much it costs. • A communications module that allows communication between the meter and your utility company, so there's no need for someone to come to your home to take meter readings. The communications are not continuous and data is only sent in short, intermittent bursts. The display also pre-sents historical

information on energy consumption so that you can compare your current use with your past energy use. Why India Should Vividly Define Smart Meters? According to the government and the energy companies who are rolling out the smart meter project, they will: • Provide you with accurate real-time information about your energy use. This should help you to make informed decisions about your energy behavior. • Allow you greater control and give you the option to be more flexible with your heating settings. • Bring an end to estimated billing - you will only be billed for the energy you actually use, which should help you budget better for your energy bills – no more nasty surprises! It will be mandatory for energy companies to offer their customers smart meters. They will also have to follow strict consumer protection rules around: • data access and privacy • security

• technical standards for the smart metering equipment • meeting the needs of vulnerable consumers • no sales during the installation visit - installers will need the consumer’s permission in advance of the visit if they want to talk about their own products. Ministry of Power has lately announced the Government’s vision to rollout smart metering on fast track for customers with a monthly consumption of 500kWh and above in Phase-1 by December 2017 and for customers with monthly consumption of 200kWh and above in Phase-2 by December 2019. This goal is reiterated in the UDAY program and in the Tariff Policy announced by MoP. Framework on Leasing and Services Model Considering huge capital investment required for the rollout of millions of smart meters and the present financial health of the electricity distribution companies (Discoms), it is proposed to undertake the AMI rollout on ‘Leasing’

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

SMART METERING

and ‘Service Model’ as explained further: Meter Procurement on Leasing Model It is proposed to engage a nodal agency who will issue tender for procurement of smart meters as per BIS Standards. The rates will be finalised on annual basis. Manufacturers with BIS-certified smart meters may be empanelled with rates of meter and different communication devices which the Discoms can choose based on their unique requirements. The cost of the smart meters and cost of the communication devices/Network Interface Cards (NIC) to be specified separately. Once manufacturers are empanelled, capacities declared and rates finalized (valid for a specified duration), each Discom can buy from these empanelled organisations provided they have the capacity to supply according to the rollout schedule of the Discom. Since the quantity of the meters to be installed is in tens of millions and the capital expense will be large, neither the meter manufacturer nor the Discom will be able to fund the program. Hence in the interest of faster roll out, it is proposed to have a financial intermediary (a bank, PFC or other financial institutions) who will buy meters and communication devices from the manufacturers and lease it to the Discoms against a monthly rent for a period of ten years. Where does India Stand? At the present moment India has 200 million legacy meters and there are plans to install up to 130 million smart meters by 2021. To top it off the government is planning to

invest up to $21 billion till 2025 in smart grid technologies. The smart cities initiative is targeting 100 cities in India, also 14 smart grid pilots have been launched in cities across India, to push smart solutions in the power generation and distribution industry. Needless to say, the Indian market is looking at a long term opportunity at smart meters and smart grid technologies. The motivation is to curb theft of electricity, control transmission and distribution losses to internationally acceptable levels, do better supply planning based on analysis of real demand data, and to monitor real impact of related initiatives. For a country with the thefts so high, that the state of Maharashtra alone reports losses to the tune of $2.6 billion, smart gird and meters is going to be a huge step towards preventing it. Features for Success While smart metering solutions plan to make the entire process automated, there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed. The following features can almost be considered vital in any smart metering solution that is being implemented: 1. Wireless communication: Having additional wires to a smart meter, kills the entire purpose of the ‘smartness.’ The meters should be wireless in nature and should work in a mesh network. Mesh networks ensure that the even the most far away meters can report data wirelessly. However the mesh protocol must be robust, self-healing and self-forming in order to give best results.

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

2. Easy configuration of new meters: When old meters from a network are replaced, or new meters are installed, the network should automatically configure the meters and start fetching the data. This includes matching the operational frequency, and the firmware version. The solution should aim at making smart meters into plug-nplay devices. 3. Over-the-air (OTA) firmware upgrade: Firmware is the program on which the entire meter functions including business logic, tamper alters, and mesh network functionality. When the firmware has to be upgraded for whatever reasons, the upgrade should happen over-the-air. A person going around with a laptop and cable is counter-productive. 4. Power management algorithms: Some meters – especially water meters – are battery operated. As a result, power management strategies are important in order to extend the battery life. 5. Interoperability between different meters: In India, metering tenders are rarely given to just one provider. This means that any smart metering solution that we use might have to communicate with meters of different make and model. As a result it is important that the solution be interoperable with a different protocol. 6. Communication media: While choosing a wireless medium, the highest priority goes to range and penetration power. Meters can be installed inside buildings which means that the transmission / receiving has to happen through at least one layer of concrete. Radio frequency (RF) is the best medium to complete the constraints. 7. Size of data packet: Data packet is the collection of data which is used for request and response. A small data packet will ensure minimum energy consumption, and faster communication. 8. Events and alerts: Smart metering solutions need to have a wide variety of events and alerts like tamper detection, voltage spike and meter malfunction. These events and alerts should be reflected on the cloud application and should be notified to the correct person via email or SMS.

SMART METERING Estimated Cost Discoms and Metering Services Agencies could opt for Sovereign Public Cloud as a service which will provide scalability on demand and reduce overall costs of owning and managing captive IT infrastructure. Adoption of public cloud will convert hardware and software Capex to Opex which will help utility to streamline their cash-flows and also helps with business continuity. Discoms could consider cloud providers offering sovereign secured public cloud services complying with ISO: 27018 security and privacy standards. With the explosion of metering data over years, Discoms can look at advanced metering analytics on cloud for decision support systems to remove capacity constraints. This is the recommended robust and scalable model for long term business continuity with optimal costs. Discoms with existing DC/ DR could also look at hybrid cloud models which allow seamless migration of virtual machines between on-Premise DC and

Public Cloud and can plan for the metering data storage and analysis on cloud to win over capacity constraints. Depending on the SLA, geographical conditions and other requirements of the Discoms, it is feasible to undertake AMI implementation on LEASING and SERVICES MODEL at approximate cost of INR 69/meter/month (16% RoI on capital cost for ten years). In the calculation presented in this model, we have not considered cost of 3 phase

meters as in case of 3 phase smart meters, only the cost of meter will vary and rest all components (including communication devices) will remain same. As the 3 phase customers are higher income groups and are much less in numbers as compared to single phase customers, Discoms may recover the marginal cost of the 3 phase meter (over and above Rs 69/month/ customer) from the 3 phase customers. - niloy@saurenergy.com

Straight from Horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mouth India is close to implementing smart meters, Goyal said while speaking to media earlier this year, and at prices that will not pinch the pockets of consumers. This will be combined with the roll-out of 40,000 MW of roof-top solar power across the country, helping consumers benefit from net metering. Goyal is confident that the recent low tariff bids for solar power are realistic and achievable. In a landmark development, all the states resolved to procure only 'smart meters' which are tamper-proof and communication-enabled. The cost of these smart meters has been brought down by sixty percent from Rs 8,000 to Rs 3,223 per unit as a result of central procurement, and the endeavour is to go for only such metres in the future for Rs 25 crore consumers in the country," the Union minister said. Goyal had also announced launch of the helpline '1912' for consumer complaints redressal across the country. "Hydro-power policy was also discussed and the meeting sought to work out ways of reviving small hydro-power projects with cooperation from the states.

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

SHOWCASE

Introducing JinkoSolar's Brand New Eagle PERC Product Series Jinko Solarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 20% efficiency mc-Si solar cell is based on two major

Above is the process flow of Jinko Solarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 20% efficiency mc-

technologies, RIE texturing on DW wafer and PERC.

Si solar cells. The use of DW mc-Si greatly reduced the cost

RIE texturing leads to very low surface reflectance, resulting in

of silicon materials. DW technology has been widely used on

more incident light absorbed by silicon wafers. This will contribute

mono-Si wafers, results in 6-7 US cent cost reduction per wafer.

significant gain on current. Moreover, since the size of pyramids

The application of DW technology on mc-Si wafers will help mc-

formed by RIE texturing is in the scale of hundreds of nanometer,

Si wafers to regain cost advantage over mono-Si wafers. The

the Black Silicon solar cells can absorb the light with low incident

replacement of slurry sawing by DW sawing will also reduce the

angle, in others words better low intensity spectral response. DW

use of slurry, making the wafer sawing process more clean and

mc-Si wafers pose advantages on low cost and low saw damage.

environmental friendly.

But unfortunately traditional HF/HNO3 acid texturing cannot form

RIE technology is not new, but is not widely accepted in the past.

good pyramids on DW mc-Si wafers. However, RIE texturing can

The reason is that the efficiency gain of RIE technology is mainly

form uniformly good texturing on DW mc-Si wafers. By utilizing

from current (low reflectance leads to more light absorption)

the low sawed damage, the Black Silicon solar cells made on

which will lose mostly during module assembly. Hence, the gain

DW mc-Si wafers usually show 5mV gain on Voc.

in module power is neglectable from RIE technology. However,

PERC is well established technology in the industry. The gain in

in the case of DW mc-Si wafers, RIE is the sole technology

efficiency is mainly from reduced rear surface recombination and

can solve the texturing problems of DW mc-Si wafers and the

enhanced long wavelength spectral response. By combining

gain of Voc due to low saw damage from DW mc-Si wafers can

RIE texturing on DW wafers and PERC, the average efficiency

effectively improve module power. This makes both technologies

of mc-Si solar cell exceeds 20%.

cost effective.

It is also surprising to observe that the adding of improvement

Here are some of the advantages by Ealge PERC product

from RIE texturing on front side and improvement from PERC on

series:

rear side leads to additional gain, so-called 1+1>2.

1, The combination of RIE technology and DW mc-Si wafers,

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

SHOWCASE leading to both low cost and high efficiency.

1, Jinko Solar is the first one to mass produce 20% efficiency

2, The innovative pre-clean and post-clean process on RIE

RIE+PERC DW mc-Si solar cells, with both advantages on low

texturing wafers. The pre-clean process makes the silicon wafer

cost and high efficiency.

surface low damage and better for nano-scale pyramid formation.

2, The Black Silicon solar cells and modules greatly improve

The post-clean process removes plasma damage during RIE

aesthetics, and are welcomed by our high-end customers. Usually

texturing and modifies the pyramid morphology to help further

we will have 10-15% higher ASP for these products.

surface passivation.

3, RIE+PERC products will improve low intensity spectral response

3, The thermal oxidation process to passivate RIE texturing formed

and thus generate more electricity than standard products. This

nano-scale pyramids.

will bring more value to our customers and also reduce the final

4, The combination of RIE and PERC leads to 1+1>2 effect.

leverged cost of electricity of solar systems.

High efficiency mc silicon solar cells produced by Jinkosolar. A. Front side. B. Back side.

High power module made with high efficiency mc silicon solar cells. A. Module with black back sheet. B. Module with white back sheet.

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

POWE R

SOLA R

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

E RING THE FUTURE:

A R SMART HOMES In a short span of time, solar energy has become an affordable and reliable clean source of electricity supply in India. Solar PV systems alone produce several billion kilowatt hours of electric current every year, and the cost of generating PV power has already been cut down compared to electricity supplied from grid. However, the issue of grid parity still raises several questions: • What can help solar PV owners to consume more of the power generated? • How can solar PV make the utility grid more reliable? • In short- what is the most optimal and profitable method to consume solar power? To be precise- the self-consumption of solar power seems like an answer to the all questions. An increase in the rate of self-consumption requires the use of intelligent energy management systems that can optimize power generation and consumption in an automated way. That’s where the innovative networked solar smart homes with energy storage technologies came into existence- at just the right time. It is no surprise that the vision for smart home systems connected with rooftop solar PV is a compelling one, giving access to an energy-efficient haven where we can monitor appliances and derive power from rooftop PV, then store for later use. Combining rooftop solar PV with smart thermostats, energy monitoring software, battery storage and web-connected appliances; not just the residents, but also the business houses and corporate firms can have unprecedented control over

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

COVER STORY

their energy use. Solar panels and smart thermostats are two of the most powerful technologies that can help users take control of their homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy consumption. The installation of these smart home technologies is sure to minimize the environmental impact and maximize clean power use. But is India ready for solar powered smart homes?? A question that many in the industry have been asking about as the major leagues from solar industry look to expand beyond the rooftop and get deeper into the houses. The solar powered smart homes market in India is evolving fast. Initially, smart homes were marketed as homes with advanced sec-urity features, but the advent of solar and newer technologies have loomed it with lighting systems, security, entertainment and energy efficiency that now can be used with the power generated from sun. And now, smart homes, apart from providing better security, conveniences and comfort to the resident, also provide significant energy savings- when roped with solar. Once the domain of science fiction, connected home technologies including solar PV, batteries, security systems and

kitchen appliances are now becoming commonplace. A research study from Schneider Electric suggests that the smart home solutions market in India is growing at a rate of 30% Year on Year. The market for the same is therefore, likely to explode over the next few years. Industry specialists believe that security, conveniences and energy efficiency will be spurring the growth of solar smart homes in India. With large numbers of couples, bachelors and singles working in urban areas, more and more houses stand empty for a large portion of the day. This necessitates for a large extent of home auto-mation. And also, increased family income plays an important role in supporting this need. Indeed, the solar top shots can work towards a future in which we can have complete control over our energy usage, and solar power will be a huge factor in that. According to the research of Schneider Electric in India, high awareness among consumers about smart homes, which is almost universal in metros and upper-end segments, will drive the growth for smart home solutions in future. The survey covered residents of a wide range of apartment complexes and villas. On the high end, awareness of the technology

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

is 75 percent, but at the low end, it is 11 percent. However, Asia Pacific region is tipped to be the biggest growth market for solar smart homes in coming years, with new residential developments and infrastructure driving demand. Advantage of Including Solar Power in Smart Homes When we think of smart homes today, we consider products controlled through the internet â&#x20AC;&#x201D; such as smart thermostats, security and entertainment products. However, many donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realize that smart technology also applies to solar energy. With both solar power and smart technology, one could maximize the benefit of renewable energy in the home. The combination of home automation systems used alongside solar power delivers a smart alternative to obtaining electricity from a power company. Indeed, as energy bills continue to rise every year, solar power and smart home combination could be the smartest investment by any homeowners. One of the reasons why smart home technology and solar power fit so well together is that they both focus on the idea of making homes run as efficiently as possible. While the smart home auto-

COVER STORY mation may save energy and money by allowing users to program their ideal temperature through a clever thermostat, to turning off their lights away from home, the use of solar energy will help to maximize the financial and environmental benefits of the property as well. Solar systems can combine with smart home features, such as light occupancy sensors, energy usage systems, and programmable thermostats. Indeed, with an integrated smart home and solar power system, the possibilities are endless. While the solar system creates affordable power for user’s home, the smart technology allows controlling and adjusting that power to keep everything running effortlessly. When talking about Smart Homes, customers mostly talk about security features, digital security, secured homes and less electricity bills. However, apart from sec-urity, customers also talk about convenience related benefits of smart homes and energy efficiency that smart homes can bring about by saving wasteful energy expenditure. A report from Sch-neider Electric puts security as one of the primary motivators driving acceptance of Smart Homes with 51%, followed by convenience which is 20% and energy efficiency has been put to 13%. As the solar market gains ground in India, and people willing to contribute towards renewable energysolar power is too becoming an active part of smart homes- shaping itself with all different methodologies and technologies. The Current Potential of Solar Smart Homes Solar smart homes in India might not account for even half of the percentage of the total houses using smart solar technology in European and US market, but the evidence of solar power’s pos-itive impact is already changing in India. For instance, Schneider Electric had earlier introduced its full suite of smart homes solutions in various Indian cities, and hopes to expand the same in other regions too. The company offers a complete solution for photovoltaic integration and connection including power conversion (inverters, transformers

and switchgear), electrical distribution, monitoring, supervision and technical support. Schneider Electric provides the full solution from the panel DC output to the grid connection, to full suite of smart home technologies. The Future Potential of Solar Powered Smart Homes According to industry experts, the introduction of new smart technology combined with solar power could be enough to transform the home in the future into a mini power-plant. According to Navigant Research, the homeowners in the future can generate and sell as much energy as they use every day, changing the relationship that exists between utility providers, and consumers. A report from MarketsandMarkets explains that the smart home market is expected to reach USD 121.73 Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 14.07% between 2016 and 2022. The report aims at estimating the market size and future growth potential of the smart home market based on different products, energy efficiency, software and services. Also, with a dramatic decrease in prices over the last few years, PV solar panels and storage batteries (cells) will play a part in the future of home automation

systems. Homes that are fully solar powered, fully automated, energy saving and respond not only to our needs but to our emotions, could be the future. But for now, in India as solar smart home technology gets more accessible, better, and cheaper, well chosen home automation systems could be a smart option to have the appliances working for all to save time and energy. The use of both solar power and smart home technology make homes run as efficiently and sustainably as possible. For example- the smart home automation saves money and energy by allowing the users to program everything from the ideal temperature (both when they’re home and away from home) to the lights, preventing wasted electricity. When combined with the inherent electricity savings they’ll receive from solar system, the smart home will really maximize the environmental and financial benefits of both. Solar is the smart choice for saving money and energy, so why not connect it with smart homes to match? - laique@saurenergy.com

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

MARKET GLANCE

Global Supergrid Investments to Increase from $8.3 Billion in 2016 to $10.2 Billion by the End of 2025: Navigant Research

A new report from Navigant Research examines the global market for supergrids, assessing key drivers and barriers to development and providing details on current projects, while forecasting the size of the market through 2025. As global demand for electricity continues to grow, and as concerns over climate change mount, the importance of meeting power needs while reducing costs and climate impacts is increasing. One emerging solution is the concept of supergrids— carefully planned networks of high-voltage transmission systems that span countries, continents, and eventually the globe that enable the integration of renewable power on a bulk scale. The report analyzes the market for supergrids, assessing key drivers and barriers to supergrid development

and forecasting the size of the supergrid market through 2025. The study evaluates the trajectory of supergrid development by region and highlights examples of supergrid proposals at different geographic scales. Examples of supergrid initiatives covered in the report range from transmission corridors to carry renewable power to distant load centers within the same country to calls for a global supergrid linking wind power in the Arctic and solar power at the equator to end users around the world. “While regional supergrids could bring cleaner, more efficient, and more costeffective electric power systems, their development is complicated by a number of factors,” says Jessica Lewis, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. “These include limited political will, lack of

harmonized standards, complex authorization and permitting procedures for cross-border transmission projects, and a conventional view of energy security as a national imperative, with individual countries reluctant to leave their supply security in the hands of others.” Though complications exist, the idea that coordinated supergrids would allow high-volume electricity trade across long distances and facilitate development of renewables where the resource potential is strongest, rather than where it is most convenient, is driving interest. According to the report, Asia Pacific currently represents the largest regional market for supergrid investment—accounting for an estimated 66 percent through 2025.

Thin Film Semiconductor Deposition Market to Reach $22 Billion, Globally by 2022 According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, "World Thin Film Semiconductor Deposition Market-Opportunities and Forecasts, 20142022," the global thin film semiconductor deposition market is expected to garner $22 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 14% from 2016 to 2022.

Thin films are extensively used in applications such as DRAM, solar panels, and flexible OLED & AMOLED displays. Moreover, increase in demand for effic-iency and circuit miniaturization has supplemented the growth of TFS deposition market. Thin film deposition technology is bifurcated into three types that include, chemical vapor

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), and others. Among all, CVD technology holds a significant revenue share in the world TFS deposition market, owing to its low manufacturing cost, comparatively easier manufacturing process, and extensive use in fastest growing photovoltaic technology. In addition, CVD

MARKET GLANCE

technology is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period, with a CAGR of 14.7%. The growth would be driven by increase in demand of microelectronic components, electronic devices, and its expanding usage in sensors for smartphones which are growing rapidly across the globe. Among all industry verticals, electronics accounted the largest market share in overall TFS deposition market. This is mainly due to increase in demand of thin film semi-conductors in PCs, smartphones, and OLED displays. Moreover, increase in demand for personal computers, electronic gadgets, and home appliances have supplemented the growth of TFS in electronics industry. However, energy & power, is anticipated to witness the highest growth rate among others owing to increase in investment by various countries and replacement of conventional silicon by thin film semiconductors on the panels. 'Escalating solar projects in developing nations, growing number of smartphones and OLED displays is expected to shoot up the demand in global thin film semiconductor deposition market. Among

all the deposition technologies, CVD have innumerous competitive advantages over other technologies such as low manufa-cturing cost, easier process and produces thin films of enhanced quality, consecutively it holds the largest share in the market and is growing with fastest rate among others. The combined effect of all these factors is expected to foster the growth in the global thin film semiconductor deposition market,' stated Rakesh Singh, Assistant Manager, Semiconductor and Electronics, Research at AMR. The research firm notes that Asia-Pacific is the largest revenue-generating region in this market owing to the presence of largest electronic equipment producers and consumers in the region followed by North America and Europe. Among the AsiaPacific countries , China is the largest market with nearly 50% revenue share of the overall Asia-Pacific market due to heavy investment by the country in solar power and electronic giants setting up manufacturing facilities. Furthermore, the market in Asia-Pacific is anticipated to exhibit the highest growth, registering a CAGR of 14.9% during the forecast period.

Key findings • CVD technology would lead the market throughout the analysis period, with over 50% revenue share in 2015. • Energy is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR of during the forecast period. • In 2015, IT & Telecom contributed the highest revenue share owing to extensive usage in displays and smartphone sensors. • Asia-Pacific held the largest market share in 2015 and is expected to grow at a significant growth rate. Key players in the market have heavily invested in R&D activities to develop highquality & high efficiency TFS to cater to the growth in demand of TFS across various applications. Further, TFS deposition market is fragmented, as top four leading players, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron Limited, Lam Research, and Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd contribute around 40% of the overall market revenue. The key strategies adopted by these leading players are product launch, expansion, acquisition, partnership, and agreement to strengthen their market position and expand their geographical presence.

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

MARKET GLANCE

Global Crystalline Silicon PV Market to Reach $163 Billion by 2022 : Allied Market Research Allied Market Research in its new report titled, "Crystalline Silicon (c-Si) PV Market by Type, and End User-Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014-2022", projects that the world crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV market would reach $163 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 11.3% from 2016 to 2022. In 2014, Asia-Pacific dominated the world crys-talline silicon PV market and commanded more than 45% share of the overall market revenue, followed by Europe and North America. The Asia Pacific c-Si PV market growth is mainly driven by factors such as increased government incentives & tariffs, and rising PV installation activities primarily in residential sector. Crystalline silicon is the foremost semiconducting material widely used in photovoltaic technology. Presently, rise in demand for greater efficiency and increased application of crystalline silicon in photovoltaic (PV) technology as it is more space efficient and cost-effective compared to thin film semiconducting material are some of the major factors that drive the market growth. Moreover, rise in electricity con-sumption coupled with increase in government expenditure in photovoltaic technology worldwide are expected to provide huge impetus to the market growth. However, high initial investment and fragility are the limitations that restrict the market growth. The utility-scale segment accounted for about 39% of the overall c-Si PV market in 2014. Highest installation capacity of crystalline silicon PV in utility-scale enabled this sector to dominate the overall solar PV market. However, residential sector would be the fastest growing market and is expected to register a CAGR of 12.7% during the forecast period. This is due to the increase in installation of residential PV systems worldwide as these systems are capable to provide enough AC electricity to power a single home. Moreover, Asia-Pacific is the major contributor in residential sector with a significant revenue contribution.

Asia-Pacific accounted for the majority of revenue in 2014 and is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. This is attributed to the increased installation capacity, increased government initiatives, and increase in population that in turn increases the electricity demand. Moreover, impr-ovement in renewable energy expenditure further boosts the installation of residential solar PV in Asian countries, particularly in China, Japan, and India. "Crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) represents almost 90-93% of the total solar PV cells market owing to its greater efficiency and durability, hence receiving attention from world's prominent solar cell manufactures. In addition, substantial growth in government spending, rise in electricity prices and customer shift towards natural energy sources to get better cost-efficiency would promote its demand across utility, residential, and commercial sectors. Positive response for installation of solar PV have witnessed momentum in the past few years, largely driven by favorable environmental policies intended to meet burgeoning country's energy demands from natural cleaner sources and this trend is expected to continue in future as well," stated Preeti Bisht, Sr. Research Associate, ICT Rese-arch

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

at AMR. However, Asia-Pacific is projected to be the fastest growing region throughout the analysis period, where major demand is from China, being dominant in the region especially in utility sector power plant PV installation. This is a result of government incentives and tariffs on free grid connectivity for small and medium-size distributed PV solar power producers. Moreover, improvement in solar plant installation capacity and increase in expen-ditures in the emerging markets (such as India and Japan) to satisfy the unpredictable electricity needs in these countries have bolstered the market growth. Tech-nological advancements for costeffective PV technologies in these nations offer a lucrative opportunity for the crystalline silicon PV market growth. The key players in the crystalline silicon PV market are focused to expand their business operations in the emerging countries with new product launches as a preferred strategy. The major players profiled in this report include Hanwha Q CELLS Co. Ltd., Evergreen Solar Inc., JA Solar Holdings, Yingli Solar, Sharp Corporation, Jinko Solar, Canadian Solar Inc., China Sunergy, First Solar Inc., and SunPower Corporation.

BUY OR LEASE

DECRY S MONO

SAUR ENERGY.COM l OCTOBER 2016

BUY OR LEASE

Y STALIZING CRYSTALLINE

Every second, the sun releases a huge amount of radiant energy in to the solar system and our earth receives just a fraction of it; still, an average of 1367 watts (W) reaches each square meter (m2) of the outer edge of the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere absorbs and reflects some of this radiation, including most X-rays and ultraviolet rays. The amount of sunshine energy that hits the surface of the earth every minute is greater than the total amount of energy that human population consumes. Solar photovoltaics (PV) or Solar panel electricity systems capture sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy (photons) and convert it into electricity. The process of manufacturing silicon PV cells begins with very pure semiconductor-grade polysilicon a material processed from quartz and used extensively throughout the electronics industry. Polysilicon is heated to melting temperature, and smidgen of boron is added to the melt to create a P-type semiconductor material. When conventional single and polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic cells that include layers of semiconducting material exposed to sunlight produces electric field across the layers and spreads to the cell, some of it is engrossed into the semiconducting material and causes electrons to break loose and flow. This flow of electrons is an electric current that can be drawn out and used for powering devices outside. This electric current, along with the cellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voltage (a result of built-in electric fields), define the power that the solar cell is capable of producing. It is worth mentioning that a PV cell can harvest electricity without direct sunlight, but more sunshine equals more electricity. A module or a panel is a group of cells linked electrically and bundled together; several panels can also form an array, which can provide more electricity and be used for powering larger instruments and devices.

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

MONO

TYPES OF SOLAR CELLS There are mainly three categories of Solar cells: Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline and Thin Film. Most of the photovoltaics in the world are based on a variation of silicon. The purity of the silicon and alignment of the silicon molecules decides how good it will be at converting solar energy. Monocrystalline solar cells (Mono-Si or singlecrystal-Si) go through a course of cutting cylindrical slabs to make silicon wafers, which gives the panels their characteristic look. The even coloring of Monocrystalline solar panels suggests high-purity silicon; therefore they have the utmost efficiency rates (typically 15-21%). Monocrystalline solar panels are also space efficient as efficiency of the cells are high even if they are small and their lifecycle is usually longer as compared to other solar panels. However, solar power producing panel are expensive than other kinds and tend to be damaged by external dirt, rain or snow. On the other hand polycrystalline silicon (p-Si or mc-Si) solar cells does not go through the process that Monocrystalline goes through, and are simpler and cost less than Monocrystalline ones. It is worth noting that the efficiency of polycrystalline

is somewhere between 13-16% because of purity of the silicon. They are also bigger and take up more space. Thin-Film solar cells (TFSC) are made by depositing one or several thin layers of photovoltaic material onto a substrate. Various types of Thin Film solar cells are categorized by which photovoltaic material is deposited onto the substrate: Amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium selenide (CIS/ CIGS), polymer solar panels and organic photovoltaic cells (OPC). The last recorded efficiency of thin-film modules is 15%. The mass production of TFSC is humble, they can be made flexible and are quite cheaper to manufacture as compared to monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar cells. However, they take up a lot of space (hampering their use in residential applications) and tend to degrade earlier than crystalline based solar panels. Early this year in March First Solar announced that it has successfully con-verted 22.1 percent of the energy in sunlight into ele-ctricity using experimental cells made from cadmium telluride—a technology that today represents around 5 percent of the worldwide solar power market. However, it will take some time to be commercially

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

available. In an exclusive interview to Saur Energy International, Sujoy Ghosh, Country Head, First Solar, India said by 2019 the company will be in a position to deliver modules with 18.6% efficiency that will further enhance its competitive position in a hot and humid climate like India. The theoretical efficiency limit for cadmium telluride cells is above 30 percent— significantly higher than that of conventional silicon. Today’s commodity silicon-based solar panels have efficiencies between 16 and 18 percent; their theoretical limit is thought to be well below 30 percent. UNDERSTANDING MONOCRYSTALLINE Monocrystalline photovoltaic solar panels have been the choice for many years. They are among the oldest and till date they are considered as the most efficient and most dependable ways to produce electricity from the sun. Each module is made from a single silicon crystal, and is more efficient and one can typically recognize them by their color which is usually black or iridescent blue. As the name itself suggest these types of solar cells are unique in their use of a single, very pure crystal of silicon. The manufacturing of Monocrystalline uses process which is similar to making semi

MONO

conductors, the silicon dioxide of either quartzite gravel or crushed quartz is placed into an electric arc furnace and the heated which results into carbon dioxide and molten silicon. This simple process produces silicon with one percent impurity; however this is not useful in solar cell industry as it requires much higher purity level. The type of purity required is achieved by passing a rod of impure silicon through a heated zone several times in the same direction. This procedure "slogs" the impurities toward one end with each pass. At a specific point, the silicon is deemed pure, and the impure end is removed. Next, a silicon seed crystal is put into a Czochralski growth apparatus, where it is dipped into melted polycrystalline silicon. Traditionally a small amount of boron is introduced during the Czochralski process. The silicon seed crystal rotates as it is withdrawn, forming a cylindrical ingot of very pure silicon out of which wafers are sliced out. These wafers are closed back to back and are placed in a furnace to be heated somewhat below the melting point of silicon i.e. 1,410 degrees Celsius. The wafers are heated with the phosphorous gas as phosphorous atoms "burrow" into the silicon, which is more absorbent because it is close to becoming a liquid. The complete process requires a specific time and temperature that is controlled to ensure a uniform junction of proper depth. Solar cell plants are usually complex and large (normally between 10 to 50MW capacity and over 5,000 sqm of area). As per industry experts the capital inves-

tment for building a solar cell plant for monocrystalline silicon will be around USD 1M/MW. Crystaline solar cell plants can be operational within 1.5 years to 2 years and could be running at full capacity after a further year. EFFECTIVENESS US based solar cell manufacturer SunPower currently holds the record of producing most efficient monocrystalline solar panels Âwith an efficiency of 22.5 percent. The firm broke world's record for commercially produced solar cells at 24.2% in 2010. According to Industry experts it is not theoretically possible to convert more than 29 percent of the light into energy using crystalline solar cells. ADVANTAGES OF MONOCRYSTALLINE SOLAR PANELS Defining the advantage or a benefit of monocrystalline solar panel is a relativistic exercise and in this case the base of reference is the other types of solar panel technologies. With this requirement in mind, here are the reasons why Monocrystalline solar panels are still the most dependable ways to produce electricity from the sun:- LONG LIFE Monocrystalline solar cells have been available in market for quite some time and have already proved its robustness and permanence. Monocrystallines are first gen solar technology and the technology, installation, performance issues are all und-erstood. As per reports the monocrystalline modules installed as early as 1970's are still producing electricity today and can last up to 50 years. According to industry experts efficiency of solar modules drops slightly by 0.5% on average per year. So although this type of solar panels can last a long time, there will come a time when the lower efficiency makes it economically desirable to replace the panels especially as the efficiency of newer panels continues to increase. It is worth mentioning that most of the solar panels come with performance warranties of up to 25 years, but as long as the PV panel is kept clean it will continue to produce electricity.

- EFFICIENCY As mentioned above, monocrystalline modules are capable of converting maximum amount of solar energy into electricity. Therefore, if your objective is to produce the most electricity from a specific area then these types of panels are perfect options. Consequently, Monocrystalline panels are also of great choice for urban settings or

where there is limited space available. - INSTALLATION COSTS The cost of solar panels has significantly gone down and is almost same or below the cost of a fully installed solar power system, with installation being a significant cost component. However, we are not sure about the cost , but couple of installers here in India has said that some thin film panels actually need more mounting rails and take longer to install which increases overall cost of the system. Additionally, there are reports that some home owners in US have had to rip off all their thin film panels in order to boost the size of their solar power system and switched to monocrystalline solar cells to produce more electricity as their usage increased over the years. Note: With the growing demand of electric cars many believe that demand for high efficiency solar panels that can help recharge their electric cars will also grow. Even cars based on fuel cell technology such as the hydrogen car are expected to stimulate demand for more electricity to power a small pump station on the side of the house, creating hydrogen during the day which will be available as fuel for the car. In other words - With the introduction of

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

MONO many new technologies in coming years the demand for electricity will increase, which in return will fan the desire to be able to produce your own electricity and demand for monocrystalline modules -- so why not plan ahead and produce as much as you can from the space you allocate for this purpose. As the world is rapidly adopting renewable energy as the power sources and there are new developments in transportation, etc., we foresee a time in not-too-distant future where the type of solar array used; specifically the ability to scale up, will also factor into house price values. EMBODIED ENERGY Thin-film solar panels produces lower level of embedded energy per panel and this is the fact that more panels are needed, somewhat contradicts this aspect, especially given the extra mounting rails sometimes needed. Embodied energy refers to the amount of energy required to manufacture and supply a product. ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS Some thin film uses cadmium telluride (CdTe). Cadmium is a heavy metal that accumulates in plant and animal tissues. Cadmium and cadmium compounds have been classified as known human carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the National Toxicology Program based on epidemiologic studies showing a causal association with lung cancer, and possibly prostate cancer, and studies in experimental animals, demonstrating that cadmium causes tumors at multiple tissue sites, by various routes of exposure, and in several species and strains. However, cadmium telluride doesn't pose a threat while the panel is in service; disposal of this toxic waste when the product reaches the end of its life come at large cost and suitable facilities, which is why firms like First Solar offer their own "end of life" recycling program to take care of disposing this material. Monocrsytalline solar panels are not hazardous to the environment. HEAT RESISTANCE Like the other types of solar panels, monocrystalline solar modules also faces redu-

ction in output once the heat produced from the sun reaches around fifty degrees Celsius/a hundred degree and fifteen degrees Fahrenheit. Reductions in output of between twelve to fifteen percent are expected. The efficiency loss is lower than what is typically experienced by owners of PV panels made from polycrystalline cells or thin film cells. MORE SOLAR POWER Besides producing more solar power per sqm of installed panels, solar panels also improves your cash flow (from either a red-uction in your electrical bill or by selling the excess power), for those who are "going green" and are concerned about the environmental impact of solar panels, monocrystalline panels reduce the amount of electricity needed from local power plants, reducing the dependency on fossil fuels. The greater benefit is a reduction in the use of limited fuel sources and greenhouse gases being pumped into the environment. BANKABILITY Effect of the durability and longevity of monocrystalline solar panels is that in areas where there is an recognized track record of performance, we are able to obtain financial support from banks for the projects. Monocrystaline solar panels have lot of advantage over the polycrystalline and thin film however there are disadvantages too like initial cost and its brittle nature. INITIAL COST Since the PV panels are made from singlecell silicon crystals the procedure of making them is one of the most complex and costly affair. Good silicon feedstock is affluent and making of single pure crystal is quite time-consuming which makes it costly; solar panels made from monocrystalline cells generally cost more per panel than other solar panels. However, instead of comparing costs on a per panel basis, or even on a per kWp basis, one going solar should look at the investment on a per kWh basis over the expected life of the panel. According to industry experts monocrystalline solar panels are typically

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

the most economical over the life of the

installation. BRITTLE NATURE OF MONOCRYSTALLINE Before installing monocrystalline solar modules one should consider the brittle nature of modules, which can be broken by tree branches or by objects carried by a strong wind. Usually, the solar panels are covered by a safety glass that helps protect the panels from damage, but if you are in an area where you are likely to experience roof damage due to falling / flying objects make sure your solar installation is insured at replacement value, you should ask your solar consultant / advisor regarding susceptibility to such damage to make sure that you don't lose your power at the most crucial times. MANUFACTURERS OF MONOCRYSTALLINE SOLAR PANELS Here we list you top monocrystalline solar panel manufacturers:Suntech Power is one of the largest manufactures of crystalline solar panels, with more than 10 million PV panels sold in over 80 different companies. It is followed by SunPower, Goldi Green, Transform Solar, JA Solar, Premier Solar, Solaria, Strathcona Energy, Trina Solar and Yingli Solar: The record for the most efficient commercially available product was set years ago, at about 25 percent and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still there. In terms of efficiency polycrystalline and thin film has also increased, however the efficiency of Monocrystalline silicon are still considered to be of gold standard for todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solar power. - santanu@saurenergy.com

STRINGERS BONDING CELLS FOR A BRIGHT FUTURE

Tying the Strings To produce adequate power an array of cells is required, joining the single solar cell producing relatively low output together in a series using tiny strips of metal are known as stringers. These tiny strips of metal which are used to link cells together conduct electricity produced by the cells. Each stringer has to be placed in exactly the right spot, then its solder coat is melted using a hot electrode. Once the solder settles, it forms a firm bond with the metallic coating on the silicon. The amount of heat induced in the stringer and the silicon depends

on the contact between the soldering electrode and the stringer. According to Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, if the laser soldering temperature is too high, the solder joint breaks the electrical circuit that makes the solar module unfit for use. It is worth mentioning that new systems available today provide automatic temperature regulation to avoid joint factures. Tabbing & Stringing Machine solders copper ribbons to each cell automatically wires to form a string. These machines are available ever since the photovoltaic industry started mass production of photovoltaic

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

modules in late 1980s and early 1990s. Earlier, photovoltaic systems were mainly a niche application and were widely used for satellites, radar stations and other minor applications. Looking into the rise in manufacturing of thinner cells, some companies are providing equipment that can handle such thin cells which include the most advanced technology. The Tabber and Stringer has four main remarkable elements: Cell quality control using artificial vision, advanced control of the IR soldering process, servo-drives and up to 5 bus bar ribbon power systems.

STINGERS Stringer equipment primarily includes cell stacking and alignment, ribbon feeding, soldering, inspection and string unloading. Cell Stacking & Alignment Pick-and-place style robots generally unload solar cells from trays or pallets which are then aligned on a conveyor in order to transfer to the soldering station. A vision system is normally used for cell alignment and inspection of the cell for cracks or breakage. Any damaged cells are discarded prior to the soldering process. However, some stringers may be equipped with mechanical alignment features. Cell edge, bus bar position or both may be used for cell alignment. Usage of Ribbons Stringer equipment comes with the option for stringing 2 or 3 bus bar cell types. Up to 3 ribbons are unraveled from reels and fed to a fluxing station where the ribbon is stretched, clamped and cut to length. Flux Application The ribbon and cell meet at the soldering station, but before soldering flux is applied on the ribbon or directly on the cellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bus bars. Soldering It is undoubtedly the most important processing step for producing a high quality solar panel. As mentioned above solar cell breakage can occur during the solder process due to excess heat and stress. Initially, cell thermal stress was minimized by preheating the cells before the soldering process followed by a controlled cooling phase afterwards. Various soldering technologies are used including infrared lamp, induction heating, laser and hot air. Systems available nowadays come with automatic temperature regulation to avoid damage to the solar cells. Vision Systems After soldering the strings are passed through second vision system to check the alignment of the cells and ribbon and check defects if any occurred during the process. String Unload Once the strings are complete they are rotated and then transferred into stationary trays or placed directly onto glass. The stringer operation is controlled by a Programmable Automation Controller/ Programmable Logic Controller (PAC/PLC)

and HMI operator interface. Soldering process is considered as most complex area in the stringer equipment, as the wafers are cut thinner to reduce raw material cost and the thermal pressures that can cause cell breakage. As per Rockwell Automation the soldering process starts with heating the cell as it moves along through a number of temperature zones toward the soldering head. Once the cell reaches the soldering head, the head is lowered into position just above the cell. To keep the ribbon taut and in the proper position, the ribbon is held down with pins as the soldering process occurs. When the solder process is complete, the soldering head is withdrawn and the pins are released .The solar cell is then passed through cooling zones. The system with quick heating ramp, a soak period and a cooling ramp helps reduce the cell thermal stress before, during and after the soldering process. Servo motion control is used extensively within the stringer equipment. Pick-and-place robots or Selective Compliant Assembly Robot Arm (SCARA) are often used for loading and unloading the cells. Linear or rotary axes are used in various capacities. Bernoulli grippers are widely used for handling the cells and to gently pick up completed strings with minimal force. The airflow over the surface of the cells generates a lift. As cells and strings are moved, no jarring or shaking can occur, otherwise, the Bernoulli grippers could lose suction and drop the cells. Precise stops are also important to prevent the cells from bumping into other objects. A safety system using machine guarding helps protect operators from injury. Robots, motion movements and high temperatures are examples of machine hazards that need to be mitigated. Safety components including safe-off options, safety relays and door switches are often deployed to help prevent damage to equipment or injuries to personnel. Ecoprogetti's touts its fully automatic tabber and stringer machine with patented innovative hybrid soldering system which allows soldering the photovoltaic cells

RAJEN SHAH

MANAGING DIRECTOR, ECOPROGETTI Production Process India Pvt Ltd. without thermal stress. The machine can be interfaced with Automatic Layup Systems for an automatic pickup & positioning of the Solar cells on the Glass. Ecoprogetti has the biggest installation base in the country and enjoys 70% market share. The total installed capacity till date is 6GW said Rajen Shah, Managing Director, Ecoprogetti production process india pvt ltd. This year in June Germany-based Company M10 Industries AG bagged Intersolar 2016 award for its Kubus multi-tray stringer. The company develops, produces and maintains manufacturing systems for the solar industry. According to the firm, it is the only stringer in the world which is able to solder up to 5,000 solar cells per hour and increases capacity dramatically. The Kubus system connects an entire module in a single soldering process eliminating the need to insert individual strings and significantly minimizes cell handling. All components can be exchanged without interrupting the production process, which considerably reduces the amount of downtime. The same system can be used to process numerous cell concepts with a different number of busbars, and can even be integrated into existing production lines. There is a constant evolution in the field of solar technology and the kind of stringers used will definitely play a major role to boost the Make in India initiative of the government and achieve the desired end results. - santanu@saurenergy.com

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

first .

best

Its not who does it Its who does it

VIZ-A-VIZ

REtopia, the annual technical symposium hosted by

models to be judged by a pane of industry experts.

students of Department of Energy and Environment

Trouble Shooting Renewable Energy Problems (TREP):

at TERI University, would be held on 11th and 12th

Participants to come out with solutions for actual

of November, 2016 under the theme "Democratizing

problems/ issues encountered by industry.

Renewable Energy" at the University Campus. Evolved

Smart Data Logger: Enthusiasts to build a data logger

from the word 'Utopia' meaning ideal situation, the

to be tested and judged by Industry experts.

objective of the technical symposium is to bring

GD & Debate: Participants to debate & compete on

together policy makers, academia, industrial experts,

topics related to green energy, climate and sustainability.

practitioners and most importantly students on a

Sustainovation: Inspirational pep-talk to be delivered by

common platform to discuss different aspects related

founders of start-up companies in the space of clean

to clean energy. The two day event, now in its sixth

technologies, sharing their entrepreneurial journey.

edition, will include several competitions and lectures,

Also, the following eminent panelists would be disc-

designed to give a holistic knowledge on renewable

ussing the theme:

energy to both the graduate and post-graduate students

Keynote Speaker:

from colleges/ universities across the country.

Sumant Sinha, CEO ReNew Power

Panel Discussion: Reputed industry experts to present

Panel Discussion

their views, discuss and answer queries on the event

Chair: Ashwini Kumar, MD SECI

theme.

Panelists

Poster Presentation:

1. Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD Tata Power Delhi Distr-

Participants to design and showcase posters related

ibution Ltd.

to the theme to eminent judges from the RE sector.

2. Sanjeev Kawishwar, Senior VP, ReGen Powertech.

Green REnovation: Participants to propose a renovation

3. Debi Dash, Manager, India Energy Storage Alliance.

plan for an existing office space into a green building

4. Mahesh Vipradas, VP, Regulatory and Power Markets,

using their skills and innovative ideas

Sembcorp India.

Renewable Energy Design Challenge (RED): Participants present sustainable and green business VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

SCADA Monitor Analyze Resolve Today monitoring and performance analysis of solar PV plants has become extremely critical due to increasing cost of operation and maintenance as well as due to performance degradation during the lifecycle of the plant equipment. This means that the use of a monitoring system has become undeniable to ensure high performance, low down-time and fault detection of a solar PV power plant during the entire lifecycle.When contemplating the use of a solar electric photovoltaic system, it is important to assess how much energy in theory the system can produce according to location, orientation and plant con-version efficiency. Employing a performance monitoring system is a must for being able to account for the amount of energy produced by a system in real time, and to ensure the forecast conversion efficiency to remain intact over its service life. To make sure an industrial energy system is always producing sufficient power requires monitoring of its performance around the clock. That can only be done through the use of a real-time performance monitoring system. And it’s becoming increasingly clear that industrial automation technology; particularly the class of systems known as SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)— provides an ideal platform for both controlling and monitoring the performance of solar electric PV systems—in real time.

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

SCADA technology has come a long way, from mechanical regulators and analog control wires to fully-digital controllers over fiber optics. This tremendous progress in industrial monitoring technology has availed low cost and highly reliable control hardware and software for power plant automation and utility control. SCADA systems organize multiple technologies that allows to process, gather and monitor data at the same time to send instructions to those points that transmit data. The system monitors PV plant performance by means of a mathematical model initialized at installation with plant design data: PV panels' peak power, inverter specifications, manufacturer-provided electric parameters, number of strings, strings length, etc. The model is continuously fed with local weather data, and it calculates in real time the correct energy production at 100% plant capacity. The automatic comparison between the calculated and the real production figures supplied by the data logger - gives a precise measure of plant performance and plant health every minute, hours or weeks- as scheduled. Solar power plant owners are under constant pressure to 'ensure a predictable level' of 'Output' from their plants. In the

case of solar plants, especially in countries like India, where solar energy is abundant, without historical data, it is difficult to predict energy output accurately; SCADA finds a key role to play. Additionally, the new technologies in solar PV that are deployed in remote locations and their maintenance issues necessitate it to employ SCADA. Moreover, the mobility of workers in and out of production plants has created a requirement for mobile SCADA that can access any zone of the plant through mobile devices. The technologies embedded in smartphones such as Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) beacons, near field communication (NFC), and GPS have enabled the integration of SCADA with smartphones. According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research “Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014-2020,” the market is expected to reach USD 32.70 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 5.0 per cent from 2014 to 2020. Increasing demand for process automation in solar energy is the major factor driving the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) market. The growth is attributed to increase in extent of application of SCADA

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

in total grid automation projects in the energy/power sector. The global Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) market has been segmented into four broad regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Rest of the World. Countries like India and China are improving their infrastructure to curb power distribution and transmission losses. This is where SCADA systems can store historical data for trend analysis and reduce manual labor by remotely locating affected sections and facilitate in delivering accurate results. Employing SCADA Utility-scale PV plants require not only large-scale data collection, but also a means of control.The rapid growth of the solar industry over the last decade has spawned a multitude of companies that provide SCADA PV monitoring software and services. Although, some equipment manufacturers and system integrators do offer their own monitoring platforms, lending institutions add to impose independent monitoring requirements. Therefore, thirdparty companies typically provide data collection software and services optimized for PV applications. Moreover, to reduce engineering and main-

MONITOR-ANALYZE-RESOLVE

tenance costs, the software provides true ‘object oriented’ application mechanisms across all functions – from field items (such as acquisition, alarm management, calculations, archiving, etc.) through to user level functions (animated symbols, mimics, etc) – this helps to significantly reduce application development and main-tenance times. Basic roles performed by SCADA system include: • Set custom alarms: Personalize reduced production alerts and other key alarms to the specific characteristics of the plant. • In-plant preventive and corrective maintenance tool: Plan the preventive maintenance of your plants and react quickly to trigger corrective maintenance in response to any conceivable incident. Detailed per-formance data down to the individual solar module. • Control Room Function: Use the program functions in compact mode or distribute plant information across several monitors. • Dashboard display: Perform a rapid assessment of the state of the plant with visual tools which summarize plant information concisely but faithfully.

• Data viewing in real time: See at a glance the latest values reported by your devices by means of quick views. • Alert Notification: Receive error messages about devices, communication problems or reduced production in-plant automatically via SMS and e-mail. Automatic emails and SMS of events affecting solar power plant performance. Performance reports 24/7 with access to backed-up online data storage. • Comparison of production in realtime: Get the maximum production data of the plant automatically and display the performance of different devices as a function of the total energy. Components of SCADA System can be broadly divided into hardware and software based: Hardware Components refers to the physical components like filed data interface devices (IEDs), remote terminal units (RTUs), communications medium, master station (central host computer) and operator workstations. SCADA software is divided into two types; proprietary or open. Companies develop proprietary software to communicate to their hardware. The main problem with these systems is the overwhelming reliance on the supplier of the system. Open software systems have gained popularity because of the interoperability they bring to the system. Key features of SCADA software include user interfaces, graphics displays, alarms, trends, RTU (and PLC) interface, scalability, access to data, database, networking, fault tolerance and redundancy, and client/server distributed processing. SCADA systems typically are used to monitor large scale installations for power plants, and power distribution infrastructure such as the electricity grid. These systems collect data from various points in a system to provide intelligence on progress and problems. Some SCADA systems also include options that allow the supervisors or project managers to remotely control parts of the infrastructure. SCADA systems are

thus not different from monitoring systems. One could say that monitoring systems are a part of the SCADA systems. The first benefit that operators gain from SCADA is the ability to monitor all of the assets, both from a production perspective and asset health perspective. Answers to these two critical questions ensure operators get the most from each asset and avoid downtime surprises. Beyond managing the assets at the operational level, SCADA provides the data necessary to make well-informed commercial predictions and decisions. The real-time and stored data enable more accurate, data-based forecasting both in the very-short term (hours) and near term (days). The internally focused operational data can be combined with the externally focused market and grid-status data to make the best choices about when, where, and who to sell energy to. As mentioned earlier, SCADA market is expected to grow in the forecasted period as there is huge potential from renewable energy sector. There has been a virtual explosion of solar PV SCADA monitoring and data logging companies offering services in the global market over the past few years, and consolidation is the watchword. In India alone, the number of companies has risen from a few dozen to hundreds. The Indian renewable energy project is impressive, and is savoring its large and complex portfolios, and the scale of these portfolios is likely to grow even larger. One of the central benefits of SCADA is its scalability, making it the monitoring and control technology of choice for these vast energy webs. Through SCADA, renewable energy providers can operate most efficiently, increase revenue, and maximize the return on their investment. - laique@saurenergy.com

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

VIZ-A-VIZ

WILLIAM SHENG SVP Global Marketing & Zhongli Talesun

Zhongli Talesun solar Co., Ltd. is a leader in photovoltaic modules, solutions and services. Founded in 2010 as a PV system integrator, Zhongli Talesun today drives smart energy together with installers, distributors, utilities and developers worldwide. Company's industry-shaping position is based on innovation excellence, superior product quality, vertically integrated capabilities and environmental stewardship. William Sheng- SVP Global Marketing at Zhongli Talesun speaking to Santanu Mukherjee- Sr. Journalist, Saur Energy International shared about its relationship with ACME, new technology it is working on, its market strategy for India and more.The exchange follows:

Government of India has been encouraging companies to manufacture in India under its Make in India initiative, is there any plan to establish manufacturing unit in India under the initiative ? Currently we do not have manufacturing unit in India. For further plans, please only refer to our official press release.

Last year the company signed an agreement to supply 222MW of solar modules to ACME Cleantech. How has the partnership worked out so far and what are the upcoming projects? We cooperate very well, and we are continually delivering modules to different projects of ACME. Some of their big PV projects have been completed and successfully connected to the grid. And projects performance data exceeds their expectations.

Can you share the name of the companies you are in talk with for your products in India? As we are one of the largest PV module suppliers in India market, basically we have

very close relationship with main developers, EPC companies, like Renew, Hero, Rays, Adani and EDF, etc.

is reasonable price strategy. The last is to build close relationship with key players in the market

What new technology you are currently working on? We are keeping on improving our PERC cell technology. We believe only cost effective high efficiency PV module is the future for solar energy.

How do you see Indian solar market in 2016-2017, what will be the major drivers of the market? For this year, we estimate 4-5GW new installation capacity, and a big jump to 8-10GW for next year. Policy is still the main driver of India market

How the company is consolidating its position in the solar sector in India and globally? We have various ways to consolidate our position. First is the product quality, it is the most basic and important factor. Second is our excellent localized service. We have now built professional sales and technical support team based in India. Third

What are the key market strategies of the company for the Indian solar market? We will keep focusing on large scale PV project developers, EPC companies, meanwhile we see roof-top market is rising and has great potential in the future. Generally we are aiming to improve our supply chain and establish warehouses to better serve our customers in India.

What type of opportunities do you see in the country? Currently ground mounted project is the majority; however the residential market share is increasing.

What is companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current market share in India and its growth expectation in a year time? Talesun Solar now is in top 5 PV module suppliers in India. Our target is to be top 3 or even better.

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

WHAT'S NEW?

Enertis Solar launches a new mobile laboratory for the analysis of solar PV

Enertis, one of the leading global consulting and engineering firms and a leader in the international renewable energy sector has launched its first PV Mobile Lab in Chile. The launch of the new PV Mobile Lab in Chile contributes extensively to the international expansion plan of the company and to the consolidation of Enertis in this market since it opened its local office back in 2012. The PV Mobile Lab is designed to carry out on-the-ground quality controls of photovoltaic plants, avoiding modules’ transportation and reducing significantly the downtime periods when panels are uninstalled for inspections. Additionally, the new mobile unit is equipped with a solar A+A+A+ simulator flash according to internationally recognized standards. The launched unit is the new lab of the Enertis’ international fleet, capable of providing highly accurate and precise measurement based on perfectly calibrated systems. Enertis owns mobile laboratories operating in the United States and Europe, where

more than 10000 modules from numerous manufacturers in Europe, Asia and America have been already analyzed. Thanks to its new software, the simulator provides highly capacitive measurement methods specially adapted to non-conventional modules, such as those based on thin films (a-Si, CIGS, CdTe) and silicon heterojunction technology. This, combined with a special temperature preconditioning chamber, allows in obtaining maximum power measurements under standard con-ditions, according to international standards, with very low uncertainty, and consequently, the maximum reliability. Moreover, the PV Mobile Lab is equipped with three other techniques for characterization of photovoltaic modules, such as the one designed for the measurement of electric insulation resistance, or the increasingly necessary electroluminescent and thermographic analysis. These analyses, of a non-invasive and qualitative nature, make it possible to reveal and evaluate the presence of numerous internal defects in the modules’ cells,

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

a critical matter for an accurate and reliable performance. According to Santos García, Managing Director of Enertis Group, “The launch of PV Mobile Lab in Chile will allow the customers to use quality assurance services at utilityscale and distributed generation projects at any phase. It provides a high adde dvalue in processes like the acceptance of batches of thousands of modules during its reception at their final destination, product’s validation during commissioning of the assets, or verification and control of the degradation guaranteed by manufacturers along the panels’ service life. All of it in a logistically complex environment, since plants are located in desert areas with long commuting distances. The PV Mobile Lab will thus generate time and costs savings for our customers, increasing their ability to guarantee quality assurance in their ongoing projects while providing new tools to analyze the operation and performance of plants in operational phases”.

WHAT'S NEW?

TrinaBEST showcases its new residential energy storage system at All Energy 2016 The energy storage spin-off from Chinese PV outfit Trina Solar, TrinaBEST has showcased its second generation Resi-dential Energy Storage Solution at All-Energy Australia 2016, held in Melbourne. The event which has been influential to all forms of clean and renewable ene-rgy across Asia-Pacific region offers TrinaBEST the opportunity to introduce its new energy storage system targeted for home application. The 2nd generation energy storage pro-duct is a system approach integrating seamlessly with Lithium-Ion battery and TrinaBEST’s AC couple engineering. Frank Qi, General Manager of TrinaBEST mentioned that the company is proud to

unveil its latest Residential Energy Sto-rage Solution – the PowerCube2.0 plus PowerBox as a system approach at All-Energy Australia 2016 in Melbourne. “We have conducted an in-depth analysis of the market and found our solution to meet the needs of the market. Our past years and continuous dedication to R&D in battery technologies and integrated power storage system engineering are our key winning differentiation which we believe will help support the shift towards energy efficient and low-carbon future.” “With growing energy demand driving energy costs in Australia, we believe TrinaBEST’s system engineering capabilities from micro-grid applications to consumer

product solutions, can offer alternative energy solutions to the market,” said Ray See, TrinaBEST’s Director of Sales and Marketing. TrinaBEST second generation residential energy storage solution is designed to work well with both new and existing solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. Its AC coupled engineering provides value proposition that is most prevailing for the retrofit installation, the company notes. The system is designed as wall-mounted with outdoor rating, and smart installation method saving even further costs on labor and components for the Australia’s homeowners.

Danvest Energy introduces a cost-efficient compact hybrid system for solar–diesel Danvest Energy A/S (Tuborg, Denmark) and Pon Power have introduced a low-load compact series for solar photovoltaic (PV)/ diesel hybrid power plants. This Compact series offers power producers a complete, cost-effective solution that automatically integrates photovoltaic systems with diesel power. The Compact series includes Danvest’s unique, lowload and reverse-power operation and fast-response capabilities. Direct annual fuel savings are typically between 30 and 40 percent. The system is able to run on 100% solar power during the day, when solar radiation is highest. The fast-acting, low-load generator sets are able to respond to any drop in solar output or increase in power demand. In other words, the system acts as an active spinning reserve with nearly zero fuel consumption. This new concept is based on robust, standard Caterpillar generator sets, comes

in sound-attenuated enclosures, and is equipped with both Danvest’s low-load technology and its proven control- and power-panel system with dump-load controlling. Storage systems and additional solar capacity can always be added to further increase overall fuel-saving performance.

Four standard Compact hybrid power modules are available as plug-and-play building blocks: Model HSD-220 (220 kWe rating), Model HSD-400 (400 kWe rating), Model HSD- 500 (508 kWe rating) and Model HSD-650 (648 kWe rating).

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

WHAT'S NEW?

Yingli with SolarAid Launches Affordable Solar Light Yingli Green Energy Europe (Yingli Europe) has partnered with SolarAid to launch affordable quality solar light, the SM100. The new affordable solar light was designed and developed by Yingli Europe, with the support of a UK industrial design agency, to meet critical price and performance specifications of SolarAid. Objectives SolarAid, a leading international charity that combats poverty and climate change were to provide a tough, durable solar light for use in rural Africa, which meets Lighting Africa standards and retails for $5 in Africa, in order to make electrical light more accessible. The company notes that solar-powered SM100 provides more than 5 hours of constant bright light, it can be used as a traditional desk light or hung on the wall. Due to the SM100's rectangular shape it canalso be used off the stand and add-

itional slots in the casing can be used to attach a strap so that the lamp can be worn as a head torch for hands-free use. The SM100 will retail for £10 in the

UK, providing SolarAid with the funds to distribute two more SM100 lights in Africa for every one that is bought in the UK.

REC develops formula and process to mass produce multicrystalline solar cells REC, a fully integrated European brand of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels with operational HQ in Singapore announces that the company has developed a formula and process to mass produce multi-crystalline solar photovoltaic (PV) cells with efficiencies above 20%. This achievement is attributed to improvements made at all steps – from silicon to cell production. A batch of cells processed in the production line delivered an average cell efficiency of 20.21%, with the best cell at 20.47% measured by an in-house tester with an external calibration cell. REC is the first known manufacturer to successfully achieve such high cell efficiency on a multi-crystalline platform for industrialscale production. Beginning in November 2016, the

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

new process will be applied to REC’s production lines at the company’s integrated manufacturing facility in Singapore. Steve O’Neil, Chief Executive Officer at REC said, “REC continuously strives to develop new products and processes that provide customers with high quality, high power, and high value solar panels. This great achievement is a strong testament to our R&D efforts at each step in the value chain.” “Panels with REC TwinPeak technologies already boasted leading efficiencies in their class. These latest, even higher efficiency values will create new generations of premium quality REC products that deliver the greatest value to our customers worldwide.”

WHAT'S NEW?

A Unique Solar Panel Extracts Drinking Water from Air A new kind of solar panel is being tested in water scarce regions of Ecuador, Jordan, and Mexico where the device, called Source, pulls moisture from the atmosphere to provide clean drinking water. Developed by the Arizona-based startup Zero Mass Water, the setup uses solar energy to produce potable water for a family of four or an entire hospital, depending on how many panels are in use. Last year, the company raised $7 million to back a series of pilot programs to prove how simple and cost-effective access to clean water can be. Propelled by Founder and CEO Cody Friesen, who is also an associate professor at Arizona State University’s School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy. Zero Mass Water is the second

startup to stem from Friesen’s work at ASU, and it promises a reliable source of affordable drinking water without the need for additional infrastructure. Because the devices can be used alone or in groups, the solar-powered system can scale up or down to meet the water needs of as many or as few people as desired. A single solar panel can produce enough clean water for a family of four, and it’s easy to use because the water flows from a faucet on the back side of the solar panel setup. Source works by passively absorbing moisture from the air using a special humectant material. The solar panel converts solar energy to electricity, which is used to power the process that drives the water back out of the collection material. The water is then evaporated to

remove pollutants, leaving behind clean, safe drinking water. ZMW plans to use Source to provide fresh water to Syrian refugees in Jordan and to Jordanian families, affecting 100,000 households by the end of 2017, with funding from the Clinton Foundation, Duke Energy International, and other investors.

JinkoSolar launches JinkoMX module series to tackle solar shading JinkoSolar, the popular Chinese PV maker has launched its JinkoMX module series that uses “DC optimizer” technology from US Company Maxim Integrated Products. A solution to the problem of rooftop solar shading, the JinkoMX module series panels incorporate a chip from Maxim that allows them to generate more electricity than standard modules under “non-ideal” conditions, such as when nearby buildings or trees cast a shadow over part of a rooftop solar system. Each module has three maximum power point tracker (MPPT) channels, so that if any single cell develops a problem then only one-third of the panel is affected, not the entire panel. Conventional solar panels, meanwhile, operate at the power level of the weakest cell. “Maximum point power tracking (MPPT) is performed at the cell string level. By rep-lacing each diode with an MPPT tracking device, the

on-off response to performance mismatch is eliminated,” the company informed. “Each cell string contributes maximum power without interfering with the power production capability of the others. This enhanced degree of flexibility leads to increased energy production, eliminating performance loss due to module mismatch, degradation, soiling, localized shading, and row shading loss mechanisms.” The technology rivals that of micro-inverters, which are likewise used to improve the yield of a rooftop solar system in shaded conditions and/or situations where one or several panels are producing less power than others. Like micro-inverters, power optimizers promise overall higher energy yields than string inverters, as well as module-level performance monitoring and superior performance where shading is an issue,

as Solar Choice points out in this useful explainer. Also like micro-inverters, the JinkoSolar MX module offers installers more flexibility on how panels are arranged on a rooftop, allowing for multiple orientations, module power ratings, and unequal string lengths in parallel, without losing energy. Unlike micro-inverters, power optimizer systems still use a central string inverter, which means that they still have a potential single point of failure.

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

SEMICONDUCTOR

New Digitally Enhanced Power Analog Controllers from Microchip enhances Digital Support and DC-DC Conversion Microchip Technology has announced the availability of a new digitally enhanced power analog (DEPA) controller designed to regulate current, regulate voltage, and monitor temperature. Touted to improve digital support for battery charging - the MCP19124/5 is sought to handle configurable charging algorithms for any chemistry, with capabilities for cell balancing and super capacitor charging. No other single-chip battery charging solution can be configured with any desired charging profile, for any battery chemistry, voltage, or cell arrangement. Engineered for DC-DC conversion in server, consumer, industrial and automotive applications, users may develop their own unique charging methods and implement them as well.

versa, by switching between the two control

our customers," said Keith Pazul, director

loops. The internal architecture insures this

of marketing for Microchip's Analog, Power,

transition is monotonic, without glitching or

and Interface Division. "Customers have

transient events. This control configuration

been asking for the ability to run their own

even allows for pre-positioning of the output

proprietary battery charging profiles in

voltage at open or no load conditions,

compact, customisable charge circuits;

greatly minimising transients when a load

and now they can. This is the most flexible,

is applied.

most capable single chip charging solution

• A full suite of configurable, adjustable

on the market today."

performance parameters. These para-

Availability

meters are set in the internal registers

The following devices are available in

of the device (no external components

volume production in 10,000 unit quantities:

a specified target current, or the voltage control loop can regulate to a target voltage. Each analog control loop has a separate feedback network for inde-

required) and the settings are dynamically

• MCP19124-E/MJ, 4x4 QFN package

adjustable during operation.

• MCP19124T-E/MJ, 4x4 QFN package

• Integrated linear regulator, MOSFET

(tape and reel not available for samples)

pendent pole-zero placement, and the

drivers, 8-bit PIC microcontroller core,

• MCP19125-E/MQ, 5x5 QFN package

analog to digital converter, precision

• MCP19125T-E/MQ, 5x5 QFN package

oscillator, and analog control loops for a

(tape and reel not available for samples)

Any voltage, current, temperature, or duration can be used to trigger a transition to a new portion of the charge profile. These devices are also well suited for any DC-DC application requiring tight voltage or current regulation; capable of supporting flyback, boost, SEPIC, or Cuk topologies. Benefits of the MCP19124/5 include: • A unique combination of independent voltage and current control loops. Either the current control loop can regulate to

ability to perform zero cross detection for quasi-resonant operation. • The ability to dynamically switch from a voltage target to a current target, or vice-

compact solution. "Smarter, more capable battery charging solutions have become vitally important for

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

SEMICONDUCTOR

First Double-sided B-TRAN Power Devices Built

Switching Technology

Improves SiC MOSFET Performance AgileSwitch announces that it has

“allowed patent claims” related to its

Ideal Power has successfully built pro-

proprietary Augmented Turn-Off (ATOff)

totypes of its double sided Bi-Directional Bi-Polar Junction TRANsistor (B-TRAN)

switching technique. The firm expects

device.

the formal patent to be awarded within

With lower conduction and switching

the next 60 to 90 days.

losses than other IGBT devices, Ideal

ATOff addresses two significant impe-

Power believes that the B-TRAN has the

diments to the implementation of Sili-con

capability to improve the efficiency of a

Carbide modules in high-power app-

range of power control and conversion

lications. By reducing both turn-off spikes

equipment, such as variable frequency

and ringing both under normal operation

drives, solar PV inverters, bi-directional

as well as short-circuit conditions (DSAT),

energy storage and microgrid power con-

conductor foundry validated key cha-

version systems, electric vehicle drive-

racteristics of the technology. The

trains, solid-state DC and AC contactors,

results confirmed central elements and

and other power conversion products.

opera-tional modes of the devices and

Ideal Power holds over 20 patents on the

were consistent with third party device

B-TRAN including patents on the unique

simulations that predicted significant per-

double handle wafer process that was

formance and efficiency improvements

porated into AgileSwitch’s first SiC

used to produce the initial devices at its

over conventional power switches such

gate drive assembly. The software con-

semiconductor foundry partner.

as SCRs, IGBTs and MOSFETs.

"The fabrication of the first B-TRAN dev-

The devices produced by Ideal Power's

figurable EconoDual Electrical Master

ices is a critical step in our efforts to

fabricator are not production-ready dev-

commercialize this unique technology,"

ices and will be used to test and chara-

said Bill Alexander, CTO of Ideal Power

cterize the capabilities of the B-TRAN.

and co-inventor of the B-TRAN. "With its

Ideal Power will package these initial

unique double-sided structure, B-TRAN

devices with supporting drive circuitry

is expected to deliver substantial per-

for testing and characterization which is

formance improvements over today's

expected to begin later this year.

power semiconductor devices in bi-direc-

The results of this testing will be used to

tional power control applications. Currently,

optimize the device design and manu-

four conventional switches (two IGBTs

facturing process.

and two diodes) are required to control

The first commercial use of the devices

power bi-directionally. We believe that

is expected to be in Ideal Power's Power

solar/PV inverters, wind turbines, energy

the B-TRAN will be able to perform the

Packet Switching Architecture (PPSA) con-

storage, battery charging, induction

same function with efficiency losses pre-

verters. These improve the size, cost,

dicted to be 1/10th that of conventional

efficiency, flexibility and reliability of ele-

heating/wel-ding, electric vehicles (HEV/

switches. Additionally, the faster switching

ctronic power converters and scale

performance predicted for the B-TRAN

across several large and growing markets,

should result in more efficient, smaller

including solar PV, variable frequency

and lower cost power converters."

drives, battery energy storage, mobile

Earlier this year, Ideal Power announced

power and microgrids, and electric vehicle

that first silicon test results by its semi-

charging.

SiC MOSFET modules can be operated in the higher frequencies that enable dramatic increases in power conversion density. The ATOff technology has been incor-

3 (EDEM3) is optimized for driving SiC MOSFETs up to 1200 V currently offered by ROHM. The EDEM3 provides up to 15 A of peak current at an operating frequency up to 100 kHz. The driver includes isolated HI and LO Side DC/DC converters and monitors seven fault conditions that are reported as a combination of the 3 fault lines via the 20 pin control header. Applications for the EDEM3 include:

EV), trains and other traction vehicles.  AgileSwitch intends to incorporate ATOff technology into new gate drivers for 62 mm SiC MOSFETs from Wolfspeed, Semikron, Microsemi and others.

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

SEMICONDUCTOR

C2000 Solar DC/DC Converter with Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) This design is a digitally-controlled, solar

efficiency of greater than 94 percent, which

to 300V and an output of 400VDC, rated

DC/DC converter with maximum power

allows for more overall energy output from

up to 500W.

point tracking (MPPT), for use in central

a solar installation and reduces detrimental

• Greater than 94 percent peak efficiency

or string solar inverters. It is a companion

heat generation in the converter.

allows for more overall energy output from

to the TI Design TIDM-SOLAR-ONEPHINV,

Features

a solar installation and reduces detrimental

a grid-tied, single phase, DC/AC inverter.

• Implements a solar DC/DC converter with

heat generation in the converter.

Together, the TIDM-SOLAR-DCDC and

maximum power point tracking (MPPT). The

• Solar and digital power software libraries

the TIDM-SOLAR-ONEPHINV comprise a

DC/DC converter consists of a two-phase

provide code-optimized building blocks to

complete solar inverter for central or string

interleaved boost converter for maximum

implement a variety of power topologies

topologies. This solar DC/DC converter

power point tracking and a resonant LLC

and algorithms such as MPPT and Software

consists of a two-phase interleaved boost

converter with isolation.

Phase Locked Loops (PLL), perfect for

converter for MPPT and a resonant LLC

• C2000 Piccolo TMS320F28035 micro-

designing customized solar inverter

converter with isolation. A C2000 Piccolo

controller (MCU) serves as a high-per-

solutions.

TMS320F28035 microcontroller (MCU) is

formance controller for the complete DC/

• Fully-functional evaluation board includes

the digital controller for the complete DC/DC

DC converter, executing high-frequency

software, hardware design files, quick-

converter, executing high frequency control

control loops to control the power stages and

start graphical interface and step-by-step

loops and maximum-power point tracking

compute maximum power point algorithms.

documentation.

algorithms. This design achieves full-load

• Supports input panel voltages of 200V

Solar PV Industry Accounting Growth for Global Polysilicon Market, to reach USD 8.90Bn by 2021 "Rapid growth in solar PV and electronics industries drives the polysilicon market" The global polysilicon market is estimated to reach USD 8.90 billion by 2021 at a CAGR of 13.00%. Increasing consumer awareness coupled with government initi-atives for sustainable energy is fueling the growth of solar PV installation across the world. China, Japan and U.S. collectively accounted for two thirds of the global solar PV market. Polysilicon is the building block for more than 90% of the photovoltaic solar panels globally, and therefore the growth of the solar PV industry is subsequently driving the demand for polysilicon. Moreover, polysilicon also used as a key raw material to manufacture electronic chips. However, the requirement of high capital

expenditure for the establishment polysilicon production plants, creates high entry barriers for the smaller players, which in turn discourages market growth. Moreover, declining prices and antidumping policies in China are the major challenges for polysilicon manufacturers.

Polysilicon is the initial building block to manufacture solar wafers, and, the growth of crystalline solar PV installations across the world, drives the consumption of silicon wafers, which in turn drives the demand for polysilicon, globally.

"Solar PV industry: The fastest growing

the emerging markets of the Asia-Pacific

segment in the polysilicon market" The solar PV industry is the fastest growing end-use industry in the global polysilicon market. Increasing consumer awareness towards sustainability coupled with government incentive programs, fuels the demand for solar PV, globally. Moreover, the solar PV market demand is strengthened due to the policy of implementation of reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by the governments of U.S., China and Japan.

region is one of the major drivers of the

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

"Rising demand for solar PV installation in

polysilicon market" In 2015, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for the largest market share, and is estimated to remain the market leader during the forecast period, 2016 to 2021. High growth in both, the solar PV and electronics wafer manufacturing industries in China, Japan, India, and South Korea, is increasing the demand for polysilicon in both, the solar PV and semiconductor industries.

52216_WFES_2017_Saur Energy International_216wx279h.pdf

10/13/16

3:44 PM

INTERSOLAR POST SHOW

INTERSOLAR INDIA 2016: DYNAMIC EXPANSION IN THE INDIAN SOLAR MARKET The Indian solar market is experiencing strong growth, bringing it ever closer to the Indian government’s goal of increasing the installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity to 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2022. Against the backdrop of this progress, Intersolar India opened today in the Bombay Exhibition Center in Mumbai. Over 230 exhibitors are presenting their products, services and solutions for the solar industry until October 21. The exhibition is accompanied by the Intersolar India Conference, where the Indian solar market and private roof-mounted installations are the center of attention. Intersolar India 2016 was inaugurated

place in four states in the south. When all

The session titled Residential Rooftop

by Mr. Falk Senger, Managing Director,

the projects currently under construction

Systems – System Design and Field

Messe München GmbH, Michael Schmela,

are added to the current installations, the

Experience in India (auditorium, hall 1 on

Executive Advisor - Solar Power Europe,

result is a total photovoltaic capacity of 23

October 20, 2016, 2:30pm–3:55pm) offers

Belgium, Dr. Daniel Strowitzki, CEO - Freiburg

GW. And this is only the beginning – as the

visitors the opportunity to find out more about

Management and Marketing International

Indian government plans to reach the 100

private roof-mounted installations. Experts,

GmbH, Dr. Amarpal Singh, Chief Executive -

GW milestone by 2022.

market analysts, architects and decision

Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA),

The market conditions are therefore ideal for

makers are set to share their experiences

Dr. Robert Habeck, State Minister – Ministry

Intersolar India, with the event once again

with regulations, client expectations and

of Energy, Agriculture, the Environment and

anticipating positive figures to mark the 25th

technical problems.

Rural Areas, Schleswig Holste in Germany,

anniversary of the Intersolar exhibitions in

Another conference highlight: Experts

Mr. Gregory Taevs, Commercial Consul

2016. A total of 230 exhibitors and over

from operations and maintenance will

of United States in Mumbai, Dr. Florian

11,000 visitors are expected at the exhibition

be discussing the question Operation &

Wessendorf, Managing Director - Solar

space in the Bombay Exhibition Centre.

Maintenance – a Burgeoning Business in

Promotion International Co. Ltd., Bhupinder

Star-studded conference

India? on October 20 in hall 1 (4:30pm-

Singh, Chief Executive Officer - Messe

This year, the Intersolar India Conference

6:00pm). This session will address

München India.

is taking place from October 19–20 in

uncertainties, risks, challenges and other

Big steps towards the 2022 target

parallel with the exhibition. It is due to be

factors which companies in this field face

The Indian solar market is growing at a

opened today (Wednesday) by distinguished

in the Indian solar market.

breathtaking pace. According to the India

speakers, including Dr. Robert Habeck,

ees India

Solar Map 2016, published in September

the Minister of Energy, Agriculture, the

Once again this year, Intersolar India will

this year by the consultancy firm Bridge

Environment and Rural Areas for Schleswig-

be accompanied by ees (electrical energy

to India, India’s installed solar capacity

Holstein and Dr. Amarpal Singh, Chief

storage) India. As many Indian companies

grew by 80% to 8.1 GW from mid-2015

Executive - Punjab Energy Development

operate in both the photovoltaic and energy

to mid-2016. 75% of the deployment took

Agency (PEDA).

storage sectors, this supplements the event

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

INTERSOLAR POST SHOW

perfectly, and supports India on the path to

the world with the aim of increasing the

the conditions surrounding technological,

a renewable future.

share of solar power in our energy supply.

market and political developments at the

Collaboration with HUSUM Wind

Intersolar India is the country’s largest

accompanying conference.

In addition to the exhibitors from the solar

exhibition and conference for the solar

With 25 years of experience, Intersolar has

sector, the internationally renowned exhibition

industry. It takes place annually at the

the unique ability to bring together members

HUSUM Wind will also be running a shared

Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC) in Mumbai.

of the solar industry from across the world’s

booth at the exhibition, where visitors can

The event’s exhibition and conference both

most influential markets. Intersolar exhibitions

find out more about the wind energy industry

focus on the areas of photovoltaics, PV

and conferences are held in Munich, San

and expand their knowledge of the Indian

production technologies, energy storage

Francisco, Mumbai, São Paulo, and, starting

market. Visitors at the specialist conference

systems and solar thermal technologies.

in 2016, in Dubai. These global events are

additionally have the opportunity to discuss

Since being founded, Intersolar has become

complemented by the Intersolar Summits,

the various facets of wind energy with

the most important industry platform for

which take place in emerging and growing

international experts.

manufacturers, suppliers, distributors,

markets worldwide.

Further information is available at www.

service providers and partners in the global

For more information on Intersolar India,

intersolar.in

solar industry.

please visit: www.intersolar.in

About Intersolar

In 2015, 200 international exhibitors and

Organizers: The event’s local organizer

With events spanning four continents,

around 11,000 visitors attended Intersolar

is MMI India Pvt. Ltd and its international

Intersolar is the world’s leading exhibition

India. Over 100 distinguished speakers

contacts are Solar Promotion International

series for the solar industry and its partners.

and around 680 attendees discussed

GmbH, Pforzheim and Freiburg Management

It unites people and companies from around

current industry topics and shed light on

and Marketing International GmbH (FMMI).

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

INNOVATIONS

Efficient organic solar cells with very low driving force Researchers at LiU, together with Chi-nese and American colleagues, have developed organic solar cells with a significantly lower driving force and faster charge separation than previous cells. The results have been published in Nature Energy. It was believed that efficient operation of organic solar cells requires a large driving force, which limits the efficiency of organic solar cells. A large group of researchers led by Feng Gao, lecturer at IFM at LiU, He Yan at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Kenan Gundogdu at the North Car-olina State University have developed efficient organic solar cells with very low driving force. This implies that the intrinsic limitations of organic solar cells are no greater than those of other photovoltaic technologies, bringing them a step closer to commercialization.

When photons emitted by the sun are absorbed by organic semiconductors, strongly bound excitons (rather than free carriers) are generated. The driving force is, to put it simply, a measure of the energy that is used to split the excitons into free carriers. The driving force res-ults in the loss of the photovoltage, a key parameter for the solar cell. The lower the driving force, the higher the photovoltage. Traditionally, efficient organic solar cells are usually composed of semiconducting polymers and carbon balls known as ‘fullerene’. In that case, a large driving force over 0.3 eV is usually needed for efficient charge generation. In the present work, the researchers have replaced fullerene with a semiconducting small molecule, and found that that a low driving force is needed for efficient operation of the devices. In addition,

organic solar cells based on polymer: small molecule com-binations are more stable, as shown in another work also led by Feng Gao and his collaborators in Beijing, published in Advanced Mat-erials. “We have developed a system with a huge potential to increase the power conversion efficiency in organic solar cells,” said Feng Gao. Feng Gao, together with his LiU coll-eagues describes solar cells with an energy efficiency of 9.5%, which means that 9.5% of the energy in the sunlight is converted to electricity.

New Inexpensive Solar Cells to Rule-over Traditional Silicon Cells A new design for solar cells that uses inexpensive, commonly available materials, including tin and other abundant elements, is set to outperform conv-entional cells made of silicon. The new type of solar cell, replaces silicon with a crystal called perovskite, converts sunlight to electricity at efficiencies similar to current technology but at much lower cost, said researchers from Sta-nford University in the United States and Oxford University in Britain. Perovskite is a photovoltaic crystalline material that is thinner, more flexible and easier to manufacture than silicon cry-stals. The new device consists of two perovskite solar cells stacked in tandem. Each cell is printed on glass. "Perovskite semiconductors have shown great promise for making high-efficiency solar cells at low cost," said Michael Mc Gehee, a professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford and co-authored on a study published in the

recent issue of the journal Science. "We have designed a robust, all-perovskite device that converts sunlight into elec-tricity with an efficiency of 20.3 percent, a rate comparable to silicon solar cells on the market today." A conventional silicon solar panel begins by converting silica rock into silicon crystals through a process that involves temperatures above 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1,600 degrees Celsius, noted co-lead author Tomas Leijtens, a post-doctoral scholar at Stanford. "Perovskite cells can be processed in a laboratory from common materials like lead, tin and bromine, then printed on glass at room temperature." Previous studies showed that adding a layer of perovskite can improve the efficiency of silicon solar cells. And a tandem device consisting of two all-perovskite cells would be cheaper and less energy-intensive to build, the authors said. A typical perovskite cell harvests photons

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

from the visible part of the solar spectrum. Higher-energy photons can cause electrons in the perovskite crystal to jump across an "energy gap" and create an electric current. A solar cell with a small energy gap can absorb most photons but produces a very low voltage. A cell with a larger energy gap generates a higher voltage, but lower-energy photons pass right through it. An efficient tandem device would consist of two ideally matched cells, co-lead author Giles Eperon, an Oxford postdoctoral scholar currently at the University of Washington, was quoted as saying in a news release from Stanford. "The cell with the larger energy gap would absorb higher-energy photons and generate an additional voltage. The cell with the smaller energy gap can harvest photons that aren't collected by the first cell and still produce a voltage."

INNOVATIONS

Indian scientist produces stable, high-efficient, all-inorganic perovskite nanocrystal solar cells Researchers from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) led by Indian Scientist for the first time discovered how to make perovskite solar cells out of quantum dots and used the new material to convert sunlight to electricity with 10.77 percent efficiency. The research, Quantum dot-induced phase stabilization of a-CsPbI3 per-ovskite for high-efficiency photovoltaics, appears in the journal Science. The authors are Abhishek Swarnkar, Ashley Marshall, Erin San-ehira, Boris Cher-nomordik, David Moore, Jeffrey Christians, and Joseph Luther from NREL. Tamoghna Chakrabarti from the Colorado School of Mines also is a co-author. In addition to developing quantum dot perovskite solar cells, the researchers discovered a method to stabilize a crystal structure in an all-inorganic perovskite material at room temperature that was previously only favorable at high temperatures. The crystal phase of the inorganic material is more stable in quantum dots. Most research into perovskites has centered on a hybrid organic-inorganic structure. Since research into perovskites for photovoltaics began in 2009, their efficiency of converting sunlight into electricity has climbed steadily and now shows greater than 22 percent power conversion efficiency. However, the organic component hasn't been durable enough for the long-term use of perovskites as a solar cell. NREL scientists turned to quantum dotswhich are essentially nanocrystals-of cesium lead iodide (CsPbI3) to remove

the unstable organic component and

where photovoltaics nor-mally operate

open the door to high-efficiency quantum

and convert very quickly to an undesired

dot optoelectronics that can be used in

crystal structure.

LED lights and photovoltaics.

NREL scientists were able to transform the

The nanocrystals of CsPbI3 were synt-

nanocrystals into a thin film by repeatedly

hesized through the addition of a Cs-

dipping them into a methyl acetate sol-

oleate solution to a flask containing PbI2

ution, yielding a thickness between 100

precursor. The NREL researchers purified

and 400 nanometers. Used in a solar

the nanocrystals using methyl acetate

cell, the CsPbI3nanocrystal film proved

as an anti-solvent that removed excess

efficient at converting 10.77 percent of

unreacted precursors. This step turned out

sunlight into electricity at an extraordinary

to be critical to increasing their stability.

high open circuit vol-tage. The efficiency

Contrary to the bulk version of CsPbI3,

is similar to rec-ord quantum dot solar

the nanocrystals were found to be stable

cells of other materials

not only at temperatures exceeding 600

and surpasses other reported all-inorg-

degrees Fahrenheit but also at room tem-

anic perovskite solar cells.

peratures and at hundreds of degrees

The research was funded in part by the

below zero. The bulk version of this

Energy Department's Office of Science

material is unstable at room temperature,

and by the SunShot Initiative.

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM

INNOVATIONS

This novel system stores energy in molten silicon-based energy storage system Researchers from Solar Energy Institute

this incandescent radiation into ele-ctricity.

at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

The use of thermophotovoltaic cells is key

(UPM) have developed a novel system

in this system, since any other type of

that allows the storage energy in molten

generator would hardly work at extreme

silicon which is the most abundant ele-

temperatures.”

ment in the Earth's crust. The research

In addition, these cells can produce 100

has been recently published in the Energy

times more electric power per unit area

Journal and has patent pen-

than conventional solar cells. These

ding status in the United States, It aims

thermo-photovoltaic cells are able to

to develop a new generation of low cost

reach higher conversion efficiencies,

solar thermal stations and becoming

even over 50%.

innovative storage system of electricity

The final result is extremely compact sys-

and cogeneration for urban centers.

tem with no mobile parts, silent and able

The unstoppable progress of renewable

to store up to10 times more of energy

energy, especially wind and photovoltaic

than existing solutions using abundant

energy, has given rise to a global cha-

and inexpensive materials.

llenge in the energy sector: the storage

The first application of these devices is

of such dispersed and intermittent

expected to be in solar thermal energy

energy. In recent years, a large number

sector, thus avoiding the complex sys-

of devices have been developed for this

tems that use heat transfer fluids, valves

purpose. Some of these devices have

and turbines to produce electricity. By

reached the advanced testing phase

simplifying the setting, the energy costs

and even the commercialization phase.

generated could dramatically reduce, and

And this is the case of the solar thermal energy, in which sunlight is stored as heat molten salt, and then the energy is and converted to electricity upon demand through a thermal generator. However, there are still problems with the existing solutions due to excessive costs, safety problems or lack of material resources in the future. Therefore, research centres and companies worl-dwide are seeking alternative solutions by using low cost and abundant materials lacking of great risks to the safety of people. The new energy storage system stores the entry energy, either from solar energy or surplus electricity from a renewable power generation, is stored in the form

along with a higher storage capacity can of heat in molten silicon at very high temperature of around 1400 °C. Silicon has unique properties that confer the ability to store more than 1 MWh of energy in a cubic meter, ten times more than using salts. Molten silicon is thermally isolated from its environment until such energy is demanded, when this occurs, the heat stored is converted into electricity. Alejandro Datas, the research promoter of this project said: “At such high temperatures, silicon intensely shines in the same way that the Sun does, thus photovoltaic cells, thermophotovoltaic cells in this case, can be used to con-vert

SAUR ENERGY.COM l NOVEMBER 2016 l VOL 1 l ISSUE 3

turn this solution into a profitable solution system and an appropriate alter-native of renewable generation. These systems could be also used to storage electricity in the housing sector and to manage all energy needs (electricity and heating) in urban areas at medium and long term. The team of UPM researchers has recently achieved funds through the EXPLORA project from Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Now, they are starting to manufacture the first labscale prototype.

NATIONAL EVENTS

6TH INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON INTEGRATION OF SOLAR POWER INTO POWER SYSTEMS

12TH INTERNATIONAL BATTERY, SOLAR AND LEAD RECYCLING EXHIBITION & SEMINAR

website : www.batteryfair.co.in START DATE : 06-Jan-2017 END DATE : 08-Jan-2017

E-mail :

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

info@batteryfair.co.in

Location : Karnataka, India Phone : +91 11 22137081

website : www.solarintegrationworkshop.org START DATE : 14-Nov-2016 Location : Vienna, Austria END DATE : 15-Nov-2016 Phone : +49 151 22661955 E-mail : info@solarintegrationworkshop.org

4TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION ON ENERGYSTORAGE & MICROGRIDS IN INDIA

BGS SOLAR SUMMIT

website : www.esiexpo.in START DATE : 12-Jan-2017 END DATE : 13-Jan-2017

START DATE : 14-Nov-2016 END DATE : 15-Nov-2016

E-mail : MalikS@md-india.com Location : Mumbai, India Phone : +91 11 48550055

website : bgs-solar.com

E-mail :

Location : Nice, France Phone :

+44 20 37693392

solar@bgs-group.eu

RE-INVEST website : www.re-invest.in START DATE : 15-Feb-2017 END DATE : 17-Feb-2017

Location : Gujrat, India

4TH RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY EXHIBITION website : www.rensef.org Location : Antalya, Turkey

START DATE : 17-Nov-2016 END DATE : 19-Nov-2016

RENEWX

Phone :

website : www.ubmindia.in/renewx E-mail : amitava.sarkar@ubm.com START DATE : 07-Apr-2017 Location : Hitex, Hyderabad END DATE : 08-Apr-2017 Phone : +91 9379229397

SOLARTECH ASIA BANGKOK 2016

SOLAR TODAY EXPO website : www.solartodayexpo.com

START DATE : 17-Nov-2016 END DATE : 19-Nov-2016 E-mail : pm5@qsncc.com

START DATE : 07-Apr-2017 Location : Bangaluru, India END DATE : 09-Apr-2017 Phone : +91 9820130615 E-mail : zakir@starexhibitions.in

2ND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GREEN ENERGY & EXPO

INDIA'S RENEWABLE ENERGY CONGRESS website : www.inreccongress.com START DATE : 26-Apr-2017 END DATE : 27-Apr-2017

Location : Delhi, India Phone : +44 207 0990600

SOLAR INDIA EXPO 2017 website : www.solarindiaexpo.com START DATE : 10-May-2017 Location : Delhi, India END DATE : 12-May-2017 E-mail : praveens@eigroup.com Phone : +91 9899786777

RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD CONFERENCE & EXPO website : www.renewableenergyworldindia.com START DATE : 17-May-2017 Location : Delhi, India Phone : +91 9810707214 END DATE : 19-May-2017 E-mail : sethavnish1@gmail.com

E-mail :

+90 242 3235110

rensef@agoras.com.tr

website : www.solartech-asia.com Location : Bangkok, Thailand Phone : +66 2 2034264

website : greenenergy.conferenceseries.com Location : Atlanta, USA START DATE : 28-Nov-2016 END DATE :

30-Nov-2016

Phone :

+1 888 8438169

E-mail : greenenergy@conferenceseries.net

SOLAR EXPO - A WORLD FUTURE ENERGY SUMMIT EVENT website : www.solarexpo.ae START DATE : 16-Jan-2017 END DATE : 19-Jan-2017

Location : Abu Dhabi, UAE Phone :

+971 2 409037

E-mail : afrina.nasrin@reedexpo.ae

SOLAR MIDDLE EAST 2017 website : solarmiddleeast.ae START DATE : 14-Feb-2017 END DATE : 16-Feb-2017

Location : Dubai, UAE Phone :

+971 4 4072472

E-mail : info@solarmiddleeast.ae

SNEC 2017 PV POWER EXPO website : www.snec.org.cn START DATE : 19-Apr-2017 END DATE : 21-Apr-2017 E-mail : info@snec.org.cn

Location : Shanghai, China Phone :

+86 21 33561099

VOL 1 l ISSUE 3 l NOVEMBER 2016 l SAUR ENERGY.COM