Intelligence Brief
Bi-weekly Intelligence Brief 8 June - 22 June
22 June 2010
Companies and organisations included in this round-up include: Photovoltaic Industry Association, SunPower Corp., Schneider Electric, Universal Solar and OPEL Solar
Spain to cut PV subsidies
Spain will cut the revenue of existing photovoltaic plants by 30 percent, said Tomas Diaz, director of external relations at the Photovoltaic Industry Association.
According to a Bloomberg report, the subsidies for new ground-based photovoltaic generators will be reduced by 45 percent while panels mounted on large roofs will see a 25 percent reduction and those on small roofs will be cut by 5 percent, Diaz said following a meeting with Deputy Industry Minister
The news is a major blow for domestic and international PV companies as business plans were already taking into account the subsidies for future projects and growth targets.
European PV projects to surpass 250 MWN in 2010
Nine countries are on pace to grow photovoltaic (PV) market sizes over 250 megawatts (MWs) in 2010, according to a Solarbuzz report.
Comparatively, that figure was six only just last year.
Germany is expected to continue with the lead position, will continue to lead the way, while other European countries move to expand their photovoltaic (PV) markets.
“In the next seven months, Germany’s solar energy market will experience two reductions in the country’s feed-in tariff — a fact that has led analysts to reduce demand forecasts,” said the report.
The Czech Republic, Italy and France, meanwhile, are expected to combine to generate three gigawatts (GW) of PV demand this year alone.
According to the report, the United States is also positioning itself to substantially expand its PV market.
Unlike some countries in Europe, such as Spain which will see government help slashed for 2010, the US market is benefiting from state solar rebates, federal solar tax incentives, net metering and solar grants, some of which has been made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Other markets, as reported in CPV Today, such as China, India and Greece, will start to ramp up PV investment.
According to Solarbuzz, China has over 100 planned installations that are said to have a cumulative installed capacity of 18.6 gigawatts.
India is predicted to install 4.8 gigawatts, cumulatively, at the same time.
SunPower technology to power student homes
SanJose, California-based SunPower Corp. has confirmed that six of the 17 university teams participating in the Solar Decathlon Europe, held this month in Madrid (Spain), will use SunPower's high performance solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to power homes the students have designed, and are building for the competition.
SunPower, which also has operations in Spain, claims that the panels are the most efficient solar panels available on the market today, and were used by first place teams in the last three Solar Decathlon competitions held in the U.S.
Schneider Electric, a specialist in energy management, will be the decathlon’s strategic sponsor.
Enrique Valer, Country President, Spain, Portugal & South America, Schneider Electric, signed the agreement with the Spanish Ministry of Housing, organizer of the event.
The Solar Decathlon Europe challenges students from top universities from Europe, America and Asia to design, build and operate energy efficient, solar-powered houses.
The first Europe based competition was held in Madrid (Spain) with 17 universities from June 17 and will finish on June 27, 2010 and the next one will happen in 2012.
The US based competition will happen in 2011, then 2013.
“Schneider Electric is proud to sponsor Solar Decathlon Europe and encourages students to think about active energy solutions that can be implemented today,” said Julio Rodriguez, Executive Vice President Power Global and EMEAS, Schneider Electric.
“Promoting Schneider Electric’s microgrid solution at Solar Decathlon Europe is a great opportunity to showcase the benefits of the ongoing smart grid technological revolution to our community.”
The Solar Decathlon competition takes place in a solar village open to the public where houses will be assembled and will feature energy efficiency and renewable energy exhibits with strategies to reduce consumption of fossil fuels and lower utility bills.
The initiative demonstrates innovative clean energy technology research and development; reveals consumers the benefits of solar-powered living; and develops a well-trained workforce who is uniquely prepared for green jobs.
Contestants are required to connect their houses’ electric systems to the local utility service provider through a microgrid system.
For the project of the Instituto de Arquitectura Avanzada de Cataluña, Schneider Electric has imagined a low tension grid that interconnects the house and its solar panels, linking them instantly to local and global grids, through two MV/LV substations supplied by the Group.
Universal Solar set to sign multi-million deal
Universal Solar Technology, Inc. a development-stage company focused on providing silicon ingots, wafers, high efficiency solar photovoltaic (PV) cells modules and other PV application products, to companies in the EU, North America, Asia and Africa, had some good news to spread this week.
The Chinese company is in discussions with a European company for a multi-million dollar order for up to 20MW of monocrystaline solar modules to be delivered by the end of 2010.
Its prototype PV modules are designed for large scale, grid-connected solar power plants and are sold to solar project developers for use in commercial PV projects.
It also plans to provide technical support and product documentation to customers.
It operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Kuong U Science & Technology (Group) Ltd.
Wensheng Chen, the Board Chairman and CEO of the company, said in a statement: “The Company is pleased with the progress at the new production facilities.
“These negotiations reinforce our previously announced expectations for our business plan.
“With a new factory and new equipment we expect to quickly become a highly efficient supplier of 50MW silicon ingots, 20MW solar wafers and 30 MW solar PV modules.”
According to a PR-Inside.com report, Universal Solar has hired over 90 manufacturing employees at its new facilities in Nanyang City, Henan Province.
It has signed contracts for delivery of raw materials including silicon and early this year began to build products in preparation for initial sales.
OPEL Solar makes more product enhancements
OPEL Solar has made several enhancements to its HCPV panels, solar tracker systems and manufacturing processes, at a time when others were curtailing their commitment in the wake of the global financial crisis, the company said.
"These innovations have put OPEL Solar in a position where it can offer the solar energy market a product line-up that provides industry-leading levels of efficiency, power production and optimal commercial value," said Dr. Javier Berrios, Vice President of Engineering of OPEL Solar, Inc.
According to Berrios, enhancements include improvements in the design of OPEL Solar's Mk-I HCPV panel that resulted in market leading power generation efficiency exceeding 28 percent.
Innovations in the packaging of the solar engine, the heart of the panel, and in advanced panel optics, with partners like LPI and Evonix, are preparing the HCPV panel for mass production quantities timed for the anticipated growth of the CPV market, especially in North America.
Previously, OPEL Solar announced the introduction of the FEiNA SF-70 single axis utility scale tracker that spotlighted ease of installation at field sites and incorporated reverse tracking capability.
"We are very pleased to announce this tracker system has been upgraded and is now called the TF-800 tracker," said Ed Linke, Director of Mechanical Engineering for OPEL Solar.
The TF-800 can be secured in the ground with I-beams versus the need for concrete footings, resulting in significant installation cost savings.
