Power & Energy Solutions

The premier renewable energy publication

Corporate Focus, Exclusive Articles, Solar

VARTA Storage has a growing network of partners, its most recent collaborations have been with EWE and innogy. VARTA Storage is focussing on the use and connectivity of energy storage systems in smart homes. • Cooperation with EWE for myEnergyCloud: More independence from the electricity market • Complete solution with innogy: Manage your own green electricity more flexibly • Energy storage in smart homes: Focus on connectivity • Energy monitor from Smappee shows savings potential Advantages on all sides: EWE electricity community and VARTA Storage The energy industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation, innovative concepts are in demand and collaborations are becoming increasingly important. The most recent example is the collaboration between VARTA Storage and the north German energy company EWE with EWE myEnergyCloud. Owners of private solar power systems in the electricity community can save their self-produced electricity like credits and retrieve it at any time. Their photovoltaic system and the electricity storage system from VARTA Storage therefore make them independent of the electricity market. With EWE myEnergyCloud, specialist trade companies receive a service that gives them competitive advantages. ‘The collaboration between EWE and VARTA Storage is a double win-win situation. For example, the VARTA energy storage system in conjunction with EWE’s cloud solution makes customers even

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Corporate Focus, Exclusive Articles, Solar

Pasi Kautonen, Marketing Manager at Valoe Oyj, tells PES about the background and aspirations of this high-tech company. Their focus is on the developing high efficiency solar photovoltaic modules and automated module manufacturing technology. The company, originally named Cencorp, was founded in 1978. It soon acquired a reputation for innovative automatic robotic solutions for a wide range of industries. By the turn of the century, as a major global supplier of special components mainly for mobile phone industry, the company obtained advanced production and nano material experience in high efficiency laser technology and flexible back contact electrical circuits used for example in antennas inside mobile phones. By the end of the first decade of the millennium, Valoe moved its future business focus towards the upcoming and growing solar power industry. Through mergers and acquisitions backed by its own know-how of back contact technology Valoe started to implement its strategy to develop more sustainable, yet world leading, high efficiency solar modules and production technology. The company first started to develop and manufacture advanced back contact modules in Finland, which were based on polysilicon and monosilicon solar cells while also concentrating on enhancing automated production technology. In 2018 they launched their advanced and

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Ask the Experts, Exclusive Articles, Solar

Using electricity and heat generated by the same installation is an effective way to increase efficiency in buildings — and also cut costs. In co-generation systems, the fuel, in this case gas, is used to generate electricity using a small gas turbine and the waste heat is used to heat the building and provide hot water. Wirral Metropolitan College, near Liverpool, is setting a good example in this field. The college has four campuses located around Birkenhead in the Wirral. By the end of the year, it will be using gas to cover most of its Twelve Quays campuses own day-to-day heat and electricity needs. Reducing dependence on electricity prices The sharp increases in electricity and gas prices, in the UK in recent years, make this transition a worthwhile investment for the college. ‘This is a demonstration project which is receiving funding from the local authorities as part of an extremely low energy agenda,’ says George Norrie, Technical Director at Scotia Energy, the project designers and integrators. Wirral Metropolitan College is the first public institution to benefit from a multi-million regeneration programme for the town of Birkenhead, just across the Mersey from Liverpool. Its new Wirral Waters campus is the first building completed

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Exclusive Articles, PES Essential, Solar

Solar Power International, a massive three-day annual event, which is once again being held in Anaheim from September 24th to 27th. PES brings you a full preview. It’s exciting, it’s awesome, it’s the best yet and still not too late to get your ticket if you haven’t already done so. We look forward to meeting up with you. North America Smart Energy Week, powered by the leading solar organizations the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), is the largest gathering of solar, smart energy, energy storage, and hydrogen fuel cells professionals in North America looking to grow their renewable portfolio for businesses and communities. Anchored by the flagship event, Solar Power International (SPI), North America Smart Energy Week brings together an extensive alliance of renewable energy leaders for four days of networking, accredited educational events, and innovation that moves the industry forward. The industry’s success can be seen by the numbers - more than 10 GW of solar were installed in 2017, adding to a total of 56 GW across the country and powering 10.7 million homes. In the past five years, prices for installed solar have dropped by over half. Community solar is also booming,

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Exclusive Articles, PES Essential, Solar

PES brings you a preview of the 12th Renewable Energy India 2018 Expo, which will be held between 18th-20th September 2018. The aim is empowering India’s renewables mission to a new high, with participants from all over the globe. Don’t miss out book your tickets now. A glimpse of the forthcoming REI 2018: • Asia’s most leading Renewable Energy Expo by UBM India from 18th-20th September, 2018; with 45 participating countries and 750+ exhibitors. • 3 - Day power packed conference – ‘Accelerating Momentum…From Ambition to Action’. Conference to highlight innovations, challenges and successful case studies and deliberations taking the sector forward. • India Clean Energy Days & International Matchmaking organised by Business Beyond Borders (BBB) together with European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC) and supported by European Commission • Bolstering Start-ups and SMEs with the launch of a Sunrisers pavilion • CEO Conclave • Finance Leadership Forum • Quality Round Table by PV magazine • Future Round Table by PV magazine • 4th edition of Renewable Energy India Awards on 17th September 2018: To recognize Innovation & Excellence in the Renewable Energy Industry The 12th edition of Renewable Energy India Expo (REI), hosted by UBM India, India’s leading exhibitions’ organiser, is all set to come back in a magnificent way

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Exclusive Articles, PES Essential, Solar

Amid yet more uncertainty in the solar industry – fuelled by the recent policy shakeup in China and subsequent plunge in PV module prices – leading manufacturers know that the best course of action is taken with a steady hand and eyes fixed firmly on the horizon; a horizon shaped by PV innovation and quality. Right around the time that the world’s largest solar power exhibition, the SNEC show in Shanghai, was winding down at the end of May, Chinese officials were silently preparing to drop a bombshell that was soon sending shockwaves throughout the PV world. The country’s National Energy Administration (NEA), the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Finance had prepared a new policy that stated, in no uncertain terms, that the government would not approve any more subsidized large-scale PV projects for the remainder of the year, effective June 1. The government bodies also confirmed a cut in the feed-in tariff (FIT), placed a cumulative annual cap on distributed generation (DG) installations at 10 GW (previously 19 GW) for the year, and introduced a new auction mandate for utility-scale projects. There was a lot to unwrap in this new policy. The kneejerk response among many solar

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Ask the Experts, Exclusive Articles, Solar

Bertrand Lempkowicz, PR, Marketing & Communication Manager, at PV CYCLE, popped in to PES to discuss the importance of recycling and managing waste produced by so called ‘green energy’. Our industry should definitely make this an even higher priority. PES: Welcome back to PES Solar/PV magazine, it’s great to talk with you again. For the benefit of our new readers would you like to begin by explaining a little about the background of PV CYCLE and the importance of the solar/PV industry to you? Bertrand Lempkowicz: PV CYCLE was built on a voluntary basis, during the very first years of the photovoltaic Industry. At the very beginning, manufacturers were proud to be able to offer alternative renewable energy to fossil and nuclear energy and with good reason, but as for all types of energy, the end of life of the equipment must be taken into consideration. PV CYCLE was founded with PV modules in mind, by and for the photovoltaic Industry, which will now a few years later, can propose solutions for efficient recycling built on the experience gained from the first returns of broken, defective or end-of-life panels. On the other hand, when Europe introduced the photovoltaic panels into the WEEE directive,

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Exclusive Articles, Solar, Talking Point

In the manufacturing process of its products, Pfeiffer Vacuum does not only attach importance to advanced technologies and highest quality standards but also to energy and resource efficiency, as these are important features of our corporate philosophy. Efficient solutions, with significant cost savings can be provided to customers, by incorporating these features in Pfeiffer Vacuum products. But not only customers benefit from efficient and thus cost-saving production, as PES found out from Pascal Ochalek, Facility Manager Pfeiffer Vacuum SAS, Annecy, France. Even Pfeiffer Vacuum’s own manufacturing processes should be as efficient and environmentally conscious as possible. We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and want to optimally fulfil them in order to be able to guarantee a sustainable value chain to customers, starting with the very first link. Combination of efficient products and sustainable production as a recipe for success Our customers’ interests constitute our biggest and most important focus. Therefore, the improvement of efficiency and sustainable operation of vacuum solutions for customers has so far been the top priority. In recent years, impressive progress has been achieved in this and product development has significantly expanded: for some time now, development projects have been carried out according to the Eco Design approach. This

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Exclusive Articles, PES Essential, Solar

There have been solar cells based on semiconductor technology since the middle of the 20th century, and photovoltaics (PV) have undergone continuous development since that time. Trends have always played a decisive role in the development of PV. An important trend is characterised by technology, market, materials and investors coming together at an opportune moment. Megatrends are indicative of especially strong changes that have a major impact on the development of technology and the market. Developments in photovoltaics Bell Labs made the first n-type silicon solar cell to generate electrical energy directly from sunlight as long ago as 1954. At that time, the semiconductor industry was in the very early stages of its development and material prices were still very high. After 1970, the semiconductor industry evolved rapidly, as a result of which suitable semiconductors became available. The first commercial solar cells were produced mainly using scrap wafers originating from the manufacture of integrated circuits. At the same time, research efforts were initiated with the goal of improving solar cell efficiency. The solar cell structures in use today were devised and first developed in the laboratory in a relatively short period of time. In some cases, however, it would take more than

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Ask the Experts, Exclusive Articles, Solar

Martin Schneider, the Managing Director of meteocontrol GmbH and the President of meteocontrol North America, Inc. spoke enthusiastically to PES about the technological advances in monitoring and managing energy and weather data and there are even more exciting developments on the horizon. PES: Welcome to PES Solar/PV magazine, it’s great to talk with you. For the benefit of our new readers would you like to begin by explaining a little about the background of meteocontrol? Martin Schneider: meteocontrol is recognized as a world leader in universal PV monitoring with 45,000+ solar plants, 13+ GWp monitored globally, and more than 40 years’ experience in the renewable energy sector. We offer monitoring energy and weather data management, hardware and software, yield reports, quality audits, and technical due diligence to support PV systems of all sizes. meteocontrol’s blue’Log datalogger and VCOM Solar Monitoring Platform combine to provide a robust, customizable, and scalable solution for utility, commercial, and distributed generation solar portfolios. Our independent engineering services team has supported projects with a total investment of more than $16 billion. meteocontrol’s services and products improve yields and profits for investors, project developers, and PV system operators world-wide. Our world headquarters are based in Augsburg, Germany and we have offices located

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