Energetica 120

5 Continents Regulation
Power Plants
Solar PV (Curbans, France)
Market Overview
India
South Africa
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Energy Storage
Off Grid Applications
Solar PV
Solar Thermal
HE/HEC/HES
Solar Inverters
by Power Electronics
Outoor (HEC)
Indoor (HE)
Outoor (HES)
AUTOMATIC REDUNDANT
MODULAR MASTER
SLAVE SYSTEM
Automatic Redundant
Modular
Master
Slave
System
ELECTRICAL SAFETY
10 Motorized circuit
breakers protect against
any downstream
overcurrent
Maximum DC Bus exibility

that allows up to 10
independent MPPt per
inverter
iCOOL
INGRESS PROTECTION
Independent end
efficient cooling system
ADJUSTABLE P OWER
Totally sealed
MULTIPLE
CONFIGURATIONS
Grid management
and dynamic grid support
Congurable rating
SAVING ENERGY FOR THINGS THAT MATTER

25 years have passed since Power
Electronics was born. The early stage as
importer of automation products showed
Power Electronics the right way to
compete in an ever increasing competitive
market: the implementation of a customeroriented strategy. Even though Power
Electronics has already accumulated a
wide experience as manufacturer of soft
starters, variable speed drives and more
recently of solar inverters, we continue to
be a service company and are proud to
have been the rst company to offer all
their customers a 24/7 hotline, 24 hours
onsite assistance, free commissionings
and stock of products and components
in all the markets with physical presence.
Customers no longer look only at the
technology the product incorporates, but
also the company supplying it. Current key
factors such as service levels, availability
or know-how have been considered the
corporate principles of Power Electronics
since the very beginning.
The company has succeeded in combining
an increasing product portfolio with a high
level of specialization. We have managed
to be more exible and adaptable while
launching new products to meet the market
needs. Furthermore, the vertical integration
of the whole value chain has enabled
Power Electronics to take complete control
of all the production process and be able to
design, manufacture and sell customizable
products in a relatively short period of time.
In this sense, it is not any more a matter of
technology but also the ability to supply
customized software solutions, dedicated
hardware applications, improved interface
packages, highly skilled commissionings or
INNO VA TION
WA RR ANTY
IMMEDIA TE DELIVE
RY
training focused on the end users needs.

Despite the increasing competition and
the worldwide economical crisis, Power
Electronics has steadily grown through
its sales branches in the most important
markets worldwide. Since the rst
branch was set up in Germany in 2002,
the company has opened twelve sales
companies distributed throughout four
continents. 2012 will see the opening of
new offices in South Africa, India, Peru and
Colombia.
The extension of our portfolio with new

products has enabled Power Electronics to
offer complete package solutions, which
open up great business opportunities not
only in our traditional markets, but also
in other fast growing markets with great
business challenges in the water sector,
fuel and oil, mining or infrastructures.
Technological developments cannot stop if
we want to continue to extend our market
share. In our ambition to widen our product
24 HR S . SER VICE
CU ST OMER SUPPORT
offer, later on in 2012 we will launch an

active front end variable speed drive. Our
customers are concerned about saving
energy but as the total amount of electronic
devices increase in every industrial site,
they are really worried about the negative
effect that harmonics produce. The new
launching of the AFE variable speed drive
will help us to cover this market segment.
It is not only in the industrial sector where
Power Electronics has managed to become
a top player. The market share of the
company in the renewable energy sector
has gone far beyond our expectations
and our FREESUN solar inverter series
was really well received by the market. In
addition to our LVT solar inverters with
transformer, we plan to launch this year
low power transformerless inverters, which
will make our LVT more price competitive.
Moreover we will introduce to the market
a new IP65 outdoor central unit, which
will reduce the external dimensions of our
current outdoor version and will allow us to
easily penetrate overseas markets.
In Power Electronics we know that the
modern world is getting faster and more
complicated by the day, and that often our
priorities in life get confused. When we
design and create our products, we don`t
only think about numbers and graphics, we
think about our clients and their needs, like
we would think about our own. And that
is exactly why we understand that there
are more things in life, not only work. We
dont want our clients to worry about our
products, we want to save their energy so
that they can invest it in the things that
really matter, their families, their friends
Leonardo da Vinci, 24-26 - Parque Tecnolgico

46980 Paterna - Valencia - Spain
Tel.902 40 2070 / +34 96 136 6556
www.power-electronics.com
CONTENTS
# 120 - MAY 2012
5 CONTINENTS REGULATION
ENERGY STORAGE
s %NERGY0OLICYAND2EGULATIONASAN)NCENTIVEFOR
)NTERNATIONALIZATION
s 4RENDSINPUBLICSUBSIDIESANDINCENTIVESAROUND
THESOLARINDUSTRYINTHEWORLD
s %NERGY3TORAGE3YSTEMSINTEGRATIONINTO060OWER0LANTS
56
26
OFF GRID APPLICATIONS

30
INTERVIEWS
s 7INFRIED(OFFMANN0RESIDENTOFTHE%UROPEAN
0HOTOVOLTAIC)NDUSTRY!SSOCIATION%0)!
s 2AL#ALLEJA-ANAGEROF-!4%,%#THE)NTERNATIONAL
%XHIBITIONOF3OLUTIONSFORTHE%LECTRONICS)NDUSTRY
-ADRID3PAIN
58
60
36
SOLAR PV
40
POWER PLANTS
s #URBANS!06GIANTALONGSIDETHE!LPS
s 4HEPATHTOYOUROWNPOWERDISTRIBUTIONGRID
s 2URAL06MICRO GRIDWITHINDIVIDUALENERGY
ALLOWANCESCHEMEPOWERSAHOMESVILLAGE
IN3ANTO!NTO#ABO6ERDE
44
s !RCSIN0HOTOVOLTAICS
s .EWTECHNOLOGIESFORTHEMANAGEMENT
OFRENEWABLEASSETS
s 3OLARSOGOOD
62
64
66
SOLAR THERMAL
MARKET OVERVIEW
s )NDIA/PPORTUNITIESANDCHALLENGESIN06PROJECTS
ANDMANUFACTURING
s 3TATEOFENERGY3OUTH!FRICAS3USTAINABLE%NERGY
3ITUATION
s 3OLARPOWERINTHE5NITED!RAB%MIRATES5!%
50
52
s )NTERNATIONALHARMONIZATIONOFSTANDARDS
FORSOLARTHERMALCOLLECTORS
s 4RESERT3USTAINABLECONCEPTOFDECENTRALIZED
CLEANENERGYSUPPLYIN3OUTH%AST!SIA
68
72
54
6.4AKE!DVICE8.%DITORIAL10.,ATEST'LOBAL%NERGY.EWS76.0RODUCTS77.3ERVICE'UIDE
ON COVER
SKYTRON ENERGY
skytron energy GmbH

Ernst-Augustin-Strae 12
D-12489 Berlin
Germany
lation
inents Regu
5 Cont
ts
Power Plan
ns, France)
Solar PV (Curba
view
Market Over
India
South Africa
Emirates (UAE)
United Arab
ge
Energy Stora
ications
Off Grid Appl
Tel:+49 (0)30 688 31 59 - 0

Reception
Fax: +49 (0)30 688 31 59 99
info@skytron-energy.com
www.skytron-energy.com
Skytron develops and manufactures high-precision measurement, monitoring and

control systems for the photovoltaic sector and offers solutions for the entire energy
conversion chain in photo-voltaic solar power plants. Headquartered in Berlin Adlershof,
Germanys largest Science and Technology Park, the company has been devoted to the
sustainable use of solar energy since the 70s always with one eye on the aspects of
operating efciency and protability.
Monitoring and control concepts from skytron energy make the photovoltaic
installation controllable just like any conventional power generation plant. Vital performance criteria such as efciency, reliability and availability, and a long service life are
standard features of todays photovoltaic power plant.
Skytrons power plant control Skycontrol is nominated for the Intersolar Award 2012.
Solar PV
Solar Thermal
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
Maximise
your results
Connect to the net with SolarMax!

Solar plants are just like football: only the result counts. And the
inverter is the champion that can make the difference.
SolarMax has been developing and marketing grid-connected
solar inverters for more than 20 years. We provide top-class Swiss
Quality: Our products stand out through optimum efficiency,
maximum yields and absolute reliability. In addition, our Service
Center will support and advise you throughout the entire life span of
your plant.
Go for the champions. Get SolarMax on your team.
www.solarmax.com
Hall C4 I Booth 110
TAKE ADVICE
UK
ITALY
SERBIA
EUROLED 2012
20TH EUROPEAN BIOMASS

CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION
5TH ANNUAL BALKAN ENERGY

FINANCE FORUM
Date: 13-14 June 2012

Place: Birmingham, UK
Email: nfo@euroled.org.uk
Web: http://euroled.org.uk
Date: 18-22 June 2012

Place: Milano, Italy
Email: alberto.douglas@etaorence.it
Web: www.conference-biomass.com
Date: 19-20 June 2012

Place: Belgrade, Serbia
Email: energy@eelevents.co.uk
Web: www.eelevents.co.uk
UK
USA
GLOBAL WIND POWER FINANCE

& INVESTMENT
Date: 26-27 June 2012
Place: London, UK
Email: nick.chantrell@
greenpowerconferences.com
Web: www.greenpowerconferences.com
BRAZIL
METERING BILLING CRM LATIN
AMERICA
INDIA
EOLICA ARGENTINA 2012
SIXTH GLOBAL CONFERENCE

ON POWER CONTROL AND
OPTIMIZATION
Date: 3-5 July 2012

Place: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Email: info@eolicaexpo.com
Web: www.eolica-argentina.com
Date: 6-8 August 2012

Place: Las Vegas, USA
Email: pcoglobal@gmail.com
Web: www.pcoglobal.com
Date: 21-23 August 2012

Place: Sao Paolo, Brazil
Email: lello.sekesseke@spintelligent.com
Web: http://meteringlatinamerica.com/
Date: 3-5 September 2012

Place: Bangalore, India
Email:
info@biec.in
Web: www.solarconindia.org
TURKEY
TURKEY
USA
MOROCCO
ALL GREEN EXPO
TURKMEN ENERGY 2012
SOLAR POWER INTERNATIONAL
SOLARPACES 2012

Place: Istanbul, Turkey
Email: fatma.kok@cnr.net
Web: www.cnrallgreenexpo.com

Place: Ashgabat, Turkey
Email: energy@negusmesse.de
Web: www.turkmen-energy.com

Place: Orlando, Florida (USA)
Email: info@solarpowerinternational.com
Web: http://solarpowerinternational.com

Place: Marrakech, Morocco
Email: info@solarpaces2012.org
Web: www.solarpaces2012.org
MOROCCO
SINGAPORE
ASIA FUTURE ENERGY FORUM
& EXHIBITION / ASIA SMART
GRID
Date: 22-24 October 2012
Place: Singapore
Email: louise.chua@reedexpo.com.sg
Web: www.asiasmartgrid.com.sg
ARGENTINA
ITALY
SOLARCON INDIA 2012
GEOTHERM EXPO 2012

FERRARA
PANAMA
ARE GREEN EXPO
INTERNATIONAL ENERGY
EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE
SIDE

Place: Ferrara, Italy
Email: info@ferraraere.it
Web: www.ferraraere.it

Place: Panama city, Panama Rep.
Email: v@aregreenexpo.com
Web: www.aregreenexpo.com

Place: Marrakech, Morocco
Email: contact@side-morocco.com
Web: www.side-morocco.com
BRAZIL
TURKEY
19TH AFRICA OIL WEEK 2012
INTERNATIONAL BIOENERGY
CONGRESS
TURKISH WIND ENERGY

CONGRESS
INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION
OF RENEWABLE ENERGIES IN
AFRICA
Date: 29 October-2 November 2012

Place: Cape Town, South Africa
Email: amanda@glopac-partners.com
Web: www.petro21.com
Date: 30 October- 1 November 2012

Place: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Email: contato@bioenergia.net.br
Web: www.bioenergia.net.br
Date: 7-9 November 2012

Place: Istanbul, Turkey
Email: secretariat@twec2012.org
Web: www.twec2012.org

Place: Dakar, Senegal
Email: info@sinergie-afrique.com
Web: www.sinergie-afrique.com
UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
ITALY
SPAIN
MDA INDIA
WORLD FUTURE ENERGY

SUMMIT 2013
3RD PV MODULE RECYCLING

CONFERENCE
EGTICA-EXPOENERGTICA
2013

Place: Delhi, India
Email: brigitte.mahnken@messe.de
Web: www.mda-india.com
Date: 15-17 January 2013

Place: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Email: marites.dominguez@reedexpo.ae
Web: www.worldfutureenergysummit.com
Date: 28 February 2013

Place: Rome, Italy
Email: marites.dominguez@reedexpo.ae
Web: www.recycling-conference.org
Date: November 2013

Place: Valencia, Spain
Email: ala@egetica-expoenergetica.com
Web: www.egetica-expoenergetica.com
SOUTH AFRICA
SENEGAL
2013
INDIA
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
FA I R F O R E N E R G I E S
WWW.EGETICA-EXPOENERGETICA.COM
EXHIBIT,
A PROFITABLE ACTION
Spain
NOVEMBER
2013
EDITORIAL
Energy globalization
DEAR READER,
YOU ARE HOLDING THE FIRST ISSUE OF ENERGETICA INTERNATIONAL, A PUBLICATION
that comes from a belief shared by the entire team that made its
release possible : Today we are interested in the energy sector
wherever it occurs. Herein lies the reason for this new magazine
header, which will pay attention to an energy sector whose dimension is now more global than ever. The efforts made towards
democratizing access to energy throughout the world and the
global nature of the companies operating in this sector make it
necessary to broaden the focus to all media that seeks to provide
the energy professionals with the best technical information.
What are you going to nd in these pages? Requirements
marks the selection of material in a publication that hits the
streets with the ambition to collect the global solar market
trends through reports on large power generation plants, interviews with executives from the major multinationals and technical articles signed by reference specialists in the energy sector,
without forgetting the present and new products that companies show every day.
The launch of a new header always requires the best possible
scenario to ensure its success. That is the reason that has deter-
mined the occurrence of Energtica International at this time,

when two of the most important fairs in the international calendar are going to be held: Intersolar Europe in Munich (13-15
June) and Intersolar North America in San Francisco (10-13 July).
Our publication will be there in the hands of professionals who
demand reliable and quality information.
Concurring with the launch of the magazine, the website
Energetica International (www.energetica-international.com),
which is on track to meet its second year of life, renewed its
design and content. It has already become a reference for Internet users to follow the news of the sector throughout the
world, the new portal streamlines its image to allow the user
a more intuitive and easy navigation, quicker access to content
as well as a friendlier and more visual environment . Videos, live
stream, extensive photo galleries or a practice business directory
complete a tailor-made offer that has continuity in social networks through the new channels of Energetica International on
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Finally, our sincere thanks to all advertisers who have chosen
to support Energetica International with its presence in the magazine and the web. Your support helps us to continue a project
to which we wish a promising future.
Editor Eugenio Prez de Lema. Director lvaro Lpez. Head of Editorial Department Javier Monforte. Journalist Gloria Llopis.
Coordination Gisela Bhl. Financial Director Carlos Fernndez. International Department Andrew Callaway.
Germany, Switzerland & Austria Eisenacher Medien. Tel: +49-228-2499860. mail: info@eisenacher-medien.de
USA an Canada: Leslie Hallanan, Avani Media. Tel: + 1 415 331 2150. mail: leslie@avanimedia.com
D.L.: M-8085-2001 | ISSN: 1577-7855
Layout Contras-t | Webmaster: Francisco Jos Reina Arana

OMNIMEDIA S.L. C/ Rosa de Lima 1 bis. Edicio Alba, oc. 104. 28290 Las Matas (Madrid).
Tel: +34 902 36 46 99 Fax +34 91 630 85 95 E-mail: info@energetica21.com. Web: www.energetica21.com
Energetica India is member of the Spanish Editorials and

Newspapers publications Association. This association is
member of FIPP, EMMA, CEPYME and CEOE.
Energtica XXI es una empresa colaboradora

de Energa sin Fronteras.
CONSULTING EDITORS
D. ngel F. Germn Bueno, Ingeniero Industrial y Profesor de Univ. Zaragoza. D. Ahmed Moussa, Ingeniero Industrial y Presidente de Stratconsult, S.L. D.
Jos Luis Garca Fierro, Prof. de investigacin del Instituto del Catlisis y Petroleoqumica del CESIC. D. Oscar Miguel Crespo, Dr. en Qumica y Resp. del
Dpto. de Energa de CIDETEC. Carlos Martnez Renedo, Ingeniero Industrial. PADE del IESE, Consultor y Director de Proyectos de Cogeneracin y Biomasa.
Coordinador del Grupo de Usuarios del motor 18V34SG. D. Francisco Marcos Martn, Dr. Ingeniero de Montes y Profesor de la Universidad Politcnica de
Madrid. D. Guillermo Calamita, director general de REC Solar. D. Antonio Soria-Verdugo, Dpto. Ingeniera Trmica y de Fluidos de la Universidad Carlos III de
Madrid. D. Eduardo Collado, director tcnico de ASIF.
The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. The magazine and all of the text and images contained therein are protected
by copyright.
If you would like to use an article from Energetica India or our website www.energetica-india.net you may obtain the rights by calling OMNIMEDIA, S.L.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
ARE YOU SURE

YOUR INSTALLATION
IS FREE OF ARC FAULTS?
;OL:HU[VU(YJMH\S[+L[LJ[PVU<UP[
PZ[OLX\PJRLZ[HUKLHZPLZ[^H`
[VJOLJR`V\YPUZ[HSSH[PVUMVYHYJMH\S[Z
THE QUICKEST WAY TO CHECK

YOUR SYSTEM FOR ARC FAULTS
;OL(YJMH\S[+L[LJ[PVU<UP[(+<VMMLYZL_[YHZHML[`LMJPLUJ`
HUKJVU]LUPLUJL[VHU`JVTTLYJPHSVYYLZPKLU[PHS7=Z`Z[LT
;OLLSLJ[YVUPJKL]PJLLZWLJPHSS`KL]LSVWLKMVY7=Z`Z[LTZ
KL[LJ[ZHYJMH\S[Z^P[OPUHZ[YPUNHUKNP]LZIV[O]PZ\HSHUK
HJV\Z[PJMLLKIHJR[OLTVTLU[HUHYJMH\S[VJJ\YZ*VTIPUPUN
[OL(+<^P[O:HU[VUZTV[VYPZLK+*Z^P[JOLZL]LUHSSV^ZMVY
[OLZWLJPJWHY[VM[OLPUZ[HSSH[PVU^OPJO[OLHYJMH\S[VJJ\YYLK
PU[VILH\[VTH[PJHSS`PZVSH[LK
Visit us at the Intersolar
USA, July 10-12, 2012. Booth 8146
EUROPE, June 13-15, 2012. Booth B6.190
^^^ZHU[VUZ^P[JONLHYJVT
LATEST GLOBAL
ENERGY NEWS
European Union
PV market largest
worldwide
The global and European photovoltaic
market has continued to expand during 2011. Yet again the PV power sector was the leading electricity generating
capacity installer in the European Union,
as 21529 MWp went on grid from photovoltaic power plants during 2011, bringing the European Unions capacity to date
to 51357 MWp. This gure is higher than
the one of the new EU wind power plants,
which stood at 9368 MW.
The European Union accounts for 74%
of all newly connected PV capacity, the total
installed photovoltaic capacity worldwide
at the end of 2011 being 69 GWp. The cumulative EU solar PV electricity production
doubled compared to last year (44.8 TWh
in 2011 and 22.6 TWh in 2010).
Despite the implementation of increasingly complex incentive systems that are
intended to take market dynamics into
account, the soaring growth of the photovoltaic market again caught the public
authorities off guard. Not a single government had counted on the continuing and
accelerating downward slide in the price
of photovoltaic modules. The drop completely outpaced the feed-in tariffs and led
to a new rush on installations as investors
tried to make the most of the differential
between feed-in tariffs and the real cost of
the photovoltaic kWh. Speculation in Germany was nally stopped in its tracks when
installers ran out of stock in December.
EREF re-elected
president
During its General Assembly in Madrid,
EREF, the European Renewables Energies
Federation, unanimously re-elected Rainer
Hinrichs-Rahlwes for a second term as president. Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes represents
the German Federation of Renewable Energy Associations (Bundesverband Erneuerbarer Energien, BEE). The General Assembly also elected the new EREF board, with
a promising mix of re-elected members and
new board members, the latter coming
from Spain (APPA) and Bulgaria (APEE).
10
IEA urges governments to seize

the opportunity to accelerate
clean energy deployment
While progress is being made on renewable energy, most clean energy
technologies are not being deployed
quickly enough, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said recently in an
annual progress report presented to
ministers and representatives of nations
that together account for four-fths of
global energy demand.
The report, Tracking Clean Energy
Progress, highlighted the rapid progress
made in some renewable technologies,
notably the solar panels easily installed
by households and businesses (solar
PV) and in onshore wind technologies.
In fact, onshore wind has seen 27% average annual growth over the past decade, and solar PV has grown at 42%,
albeit from a small base.
Even more impressive is the 75% reduction in system costs for solar PV in
as little as three years in some countries.
This serves as evidence that rapid technology change is possible. Unfortunately, however, the report concludes that
most clean energy technologies are not
on track to make their required contribution to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions and thereby provide a more
secure energy system.
Saudi Arabia plans to emerge as the next solar hub

Saudi Arabia has unveiled one of the
worlds most ambitious solar-energy programs. During an event in Riyadh representants from the King Abdullah City for
Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE)
announced the countrys renewable energy plans until 2032. The biggest crude oil
exporter nation has the intention to generate almost a quarter of its electricity from
solar energy, with 41 GW of solar power
capacity. The ambitious solar targets will
turn the country in one of the most important market worldwide, installing around
2GW/year.
Europes future depends on cities

resilient to climate change
Around three quarters of Europeans live
in cities. Most of Europes wealth is generated in cities, and urban areas are particularly at risk due to climate change.
Europe should seize the opportunity of
improving quality of life while adapting
to climate change in cities, according
to a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report also
warns that delaying adaptation will be
much more costly in the long-term.
In Europe, temperature is increasing,
precipitation is changing and sea level
is rising. However, the effects will not
be uniform across the continent, ac-
cording to the EEA report, Urban adaptation to climate change in Europe.

The report is the rst Europe-wide
assessment of urban vulnerability to
climate change. It argues that the distinct design and composition of urban
areas compared to rural areas alters
climate change impacts in cities, leading to many diverse challenges for cities
within Europe. For example, a lot of articial surfaces and little vegetation exacerbates heatwaves in cities. This socalled urban heat island effect leads
to much higher temperatures in cities
than in the surrounding area.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
www.otto-solar.com
High-quality connections
for PV modules
Manz opens its new fab

in Suzhou, China
Hightech-engineering company Manz AG held the
grand opening of its new
production facility in Suzhou, two hours west of
Shanghai, today. In the
new fab Manz will produce
manufacturing equipment
for the photovoltaic and the
at-panel display industry,
as well as equipment for the
PCB (printed circuit board)
segment. With the opportunity to increase the staff

from 400 in the already existing fab to a total of more
than 700 in rst stage, Manz
strengthens its commitment
to Asian customers.
One of the rst products
made by Manz in Suzhou
will be equipment for wetchemical processing of crystalline silicon solar cells.
Bonding of frames
Bonding and potting

of junction boxes
EU leaders: invest in wind

energy for growth
European leaders meeting on 23 May to discuss how to
achieve growth despite massive budgetary challenges must
turn to wind energy for immediate job-creating and economic benets.
Every EU citizen is paying more than EUR 700 for energy
imports and this is increasing as prices climb and domestic
resources deplete. But wind energy replaces imported fuel saving EUR 5.7 billion in 2010 alone - while creating growth.
In 2010, the wind energy sectors growth rate was twice
that of EU GDP, and as overall unemployment rose between
2007 and 2010, over 50 new jobs were created in the European wind industry daily.
Wind energy and its benets must also be prioritised in
the EUs 2014 to 2020 budget, currently under discussion.
More R&D funding is needed under Horizon 2020 to bring
costs down and allow wind energy to reach its potential, and
two-thirds of the EUR 9.1 billion for energy networks should
be allocated to electricity. This will allow more renewables
onto the system, decreasing the need for fuel imports, increasing security of supply and bringing down power prices.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
Bonding of back rails
Stabilisation of frames
Sealants, adhesives and encapsulants are only a minimal expense
factor in photovoltaic modules. But they have a considerable inuence on the life time and on the durability of the photovoltaic module
against climatic inuences. Applying the premium products of OTTO
ensures you to benet from more than 40 years of expert knowledge
in research, development and production. Put us to the test!
OTTO always a good connection!
Hermann Otto GmbH

Krankenhausstr. 14 0 83413 Fridolfing 0 GERMANY
phone: + 49 -8 6 8 4-9 08- 0 0 fa x: +49 -86 8 4-1260
E-Mail: solar@otto-solar.com 0 Internet: www.otto-solar.com
11
LATEST GLOBAL ENERGY NEWS
UK: Reminder of changes to

Feed-in Tariffs from April
DECC is introducing a range of changes to the FITs scheme
to come into effect since 1 April 2012 following a consultation at the end of last year. The changes will help ensure that
current tariff levels for solar PV are more closely matched to
installation costs, and that solar PV is considered as part of a
whole-house approach to saving energy and carbon.
A new tariff rate of 21p/kWh will take effect for domestic size solar panels with an eligibility date on or after 3
March this year. Other tariff reductions also apply for larger
installations.
Solar Industry CEOs launch

Global Solar Council
Representatives of leading international companies in the solar
photovoltaic industry announced 3rd May the founding of the
Global Solar Council, a CEO-level industry coalition whose aim is
to expand the global deployment of solar energy in a sustainable
and cost-competitive way.
Global Solar Council members will engage with policymakers
worldwide to demonstrate the progress towards abundant, affordable and low emissions energy already made possible by the
solar industry and to emphasize the importance of a supportive
policy and trade environment, which will enable the ongoing development of competitively-priced solar energy, driving job creation and economic growth.
Regions4GreenGrowth project:
regional policy instruments and approaches
for improving access to nance and speeding up
investments in sustainable energy
The EU, its Member States and EU regions have dened ambitious energy
strategies, setting rm targets for an
increased share of renewable energy
sources, more energy efciency and
less carbon emissions in order to make
Europes energy supply sustainable and
future proof.
An important obstacle for widespread introduction of renewable energy
production capacity and energy efciency measures is the fact that actors (public
and private) willing to invest in sustainable energy hardware and infrastructure
often have difculties to attract nancial
means to support their investments. The
private nancial sector (banks, investors)
is often hesitant to invest in sustainable
energy. Public funding is an alternative
or complementary source for these investments. But the nancial volume of
national nancial support schemes in
most EU countries is limited and they
often lack continuity or are difcult to
acquire.
These limitations of the funding market are holding back realisation of the
targets set by EU regions in their sustainable energy strategies. Regions with the
12
ambition to be leaders in sustainable

energy must therefore themselves create innovative instruments and facilities
to generate these nancial ows and investments in their territory.
In 2007, an interregional cooperation
project called More4NRG was initiated.
This INTERREG IVC project was dedicated to creating regional strategies for increase energy efciency and renewable
energy. Experienced regions shared their
expertise with less experienced regions
to determine concrete sustainable energy actions and projects, and to plan the
actions needed to achieve the energy
targets in each region.
Near the end of the More4NRG project, the consortium agreed to continue
the undertaken path with another project, called Regions4GreenGrowth, to
provide solutions in order to overcome
this nancial barrier to develop sustainable energy projects. Late 2010/early
2011 a new consortium was formed,
adding two new partner regions to the
existing partnership.
Regions4GreenGrowth (R4GG) is an
initiative of EU regions within INTERREG IV C Program, launched in January
2012, who have dened high sustainable energy ambitions and now encounter these nancial obstacles. The overall
objective of the project is to equip these
regions with regional policy instruments,
mechanisms and approaches for improving access to nance and speeding up
investments in sustainable energy projects (e.g. renewable energy generation
capacity, energy efciency measures) in
their territories.
R4GG applies the Peer Review method, which involves several partners (the
peers) visiting a partner region, to analyse its challenges and problems regarding the project issue and, based on their
experience, and to propose concrete
measures to the host region to strengthen regional policies and instruments. It is
a mutual learning process in which also
the peers build their knowledge and
capacities.
Peer Reviews represent a very intensive and demanding form of interregional cooperation. In these reviews
the landscape in each partner region
related to access to nance for sustainable energy projects will be assessed by
expert staff from other partner regions.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
www.otto-solar.com
The tight market situation

moves PV equipment providers
closer together
Globalization is no longer a modern saying but a reality
which all solar enterprises, large and small, face. Companies that want to survive must act and think globally. The
pressure of global competition in international markets is
rising constantly. All rms, regardless of their size, have to
elaborate strategies and methods for a successful participation in these changing markets.
The PV industry undergoes fundamental changes.
Based on globally subsidized markets and speculative
investments in production capacities, the PV business is
nowadays in a deep transition: Chinese large scale manufacturer are leading the price race and force western
competition to shut down; the price per unit of produced
solar energy is nowadays less than one quarter compared
with the year 2000; low prices animate new markets like
India, South Africa or Saudi Arabia to grow.
Solar equipment manufacturer are facing a worldwide
decline in demand, high competition and selective markets, where customers pick and choose certain equipments
instead of demanding turnkey solutions. The 1st quarter
of 2012 is the weakest PV Equipment Sales quarter since
the last +2 years with around 27% decline in sales compare to 4st Quarter 2011 and 51% compare to 1st Quarter
2011.
Small equipment providers are forced to concentrate
on less competitive niche markets apart of the huge
manufacturing countries. Once they intent to enter those
new niche markets, certain lessons have to be learned before they can successfully compete. Being active in global
markets means to beat worldwide competition and be responsive to local markets, while at the same time dealing
efciency in global diversied markets. A huge challenge
is to leverage core competencies in international waters
and to build a position with a strong local presence.
This new scenario force solar equipment companies to
control costs and form strategic alliances and networks
to provide desired geographic market coverage, acquire
major internationally skills and gain access to synergies
and markets.
A new collaborative approach need to be developed,
where innovative concepts permit to generate joint projects and to leverage synergies. Companies organized in
PV equipment clusters will be able to lower expenses
through sharing sales, marketing and distribution channels. AW Solution GmbH (AWS) supports small and middle sized equipment manufacturer and material suppliers
with smart networking and sales solutions and bundle
their competences and synergies. AWS core market is India, but even new upcoming markets like UAE, Turkey,
South Africa and South America are expansion markets.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
High-quality connections
for solar collectors
Bonding of glass panes
Bonding of the bottom plate
Bonding of angle brackets

Adhesives are only a minimal expense factor in solar collectors. But
they have a considerable inuence on the life time and on the durability of the collector against climatic inuences. Applying the premium
products of OTTO ensures you to benet from more than 40 years of
expert knowledge in research, development and production.
Put us to the test!
OTTO always a good connection!
Hermann Otto GmbH

Krankenhausstr. 14 0 83413 Fridolfing 0 GERMANY
phone: + 49 -8 6 8 4-9 08- 0 0 fa x: +49 -8 6 8 4-1260
E-Mail: solar@otto-solar.com 0 Internet: www.otto-solar.com
13

Success story from Grenada:
off-grid solar installation saves fuel
and associated costs
Back in September 2010, the meeco
Group was selected by the French
Farmex Technologies to install two
off-grid systems on the island of
Grenada, for the National Water
and Sewage Authority (Nawasa).
Two years after, Farmex technologies whose activities include water pumping, wastewater treatment,
irrigation and water re-use, denes it as being a great success story.
Both solar photovoltaic and energy storage installations were
provided and installed by The meeco Group on the island of Grenada, which is located in the Southeastern Caribbean Sea. These
stand-alone renewable energy systems are since then reliably
powering water treatment plants. They are located in the surroundings of Les Avocats and Mamma Cannes, Grenada.
Aleo solar modules

hold up under extreme
conditions on Zugspitze
Aleo modules at the highest-situated plant in Germany have to
be tough: Modules from aleo solar AG provided above-average
yields in 2011 on Germanys tallest mountain, the 2,962 metrehigh Zugspitze. The 58 aleo S_18 modules (output class 220
watts) are distributed on a facade and rooftop plant. The highest photovoltaic plant in Germany has a total output of 12.76
kilowatts. Within a single year, the facade plants 36 aleo modules produced 1,283 kilowatt hours per kilowatt peak of nominal
output the German average for rooftop plants, by comparison,
is approximately 900 kilowatt hours. Facade plants on at land
generate between 650 and 700 kilowatt hours.
Centrotherm, new provider

for large-scale polysilicon project
in Saudi Arabia
Centrotherm SiTec signed a contract for the basic engineering and
the technology concept for a polysilicon factory with IDEA Polysilicon Company (IPC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The factory with an
annual capacity of 10,000 tonnes will be situated in the Saudi Arabian city of Yanbu. The criteria for the selection of centrotherm as
partner for IPC were besides the supply of competitive polysilicon
technology and equipment also the subsequent extension opportunity along the solar value chain up to the module.
14
Thornton Bank: First

six-megawatt turbine
for offshore wind farm
installed
Repower Systems SE and Belgian offshore project development company C-Power NV installed the worlds most powerful offshore turbine, 28 kilometres off the port of Oostende. The turbine with a rated power of 6.15 MW is the
rst of 48 REpower 6M to be constructed in the phases 2
and 3 of the Belgian offshore wind farm Thornton Bank. In
the early hours of 21 March the rotor star was connected to
the nacelle by a team of C-Power and REpower engineers
and the crew of Neptune, the installation vessel of GeoSea
(DEME group) carrying the components for the turbine.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
December 1214, 2012

China's International Exhibition
and Conference for the Solar Industry
China National Convention Center
(CNCC), Beijing
250 Exhibitors
11,000 sqm Exhibition Space
7,500+ Visitors
www.intersolarchina.com
Sanjose starts
the execution
in Peru of a PV
Solar Plant of
20 MW
Sanjose has started the execution in
Alto de la Alianza (Tacna) of a solar
plant of 20 MW, which will be the
rst solar plant directly connected to
the electrical supply system of Peru.
The plant, currently in progress,
will be connected to the national
network at the end of 2012 and
shall produce 45 Gwh per year
thanks to its privileged position in an
intense solar radiation area and provide the national system SEIN with
22 Mwp by its 80,000 solar panels.
Proinso strengthens global presence

with new branches in Australia and India
Proinso is growing globally, and it has announced the opening of two new branches
in Australia (Brisbane) and India (Mumbai). So
currently, with these two new branches, Proinso has a total 12 around the world, which conrms its interest in emerging solar PV markets.
The new branches in both countries will
provide services to existing installers and try

to attract new installers and customers. Besides, they will have products in stock to be
delivered as soon as installers need them.
The multinational company has delivered
products to different PV projects in both India and Australia.
Cooperation agreement to promote

photovoltaic solar power in Chile
Fujilm chooses
Conergy yet again
Fujilm North America Corporation has
opted for Conergy quality once again in
its support of a corporate commitment
to sustainability. Back in 2011, Conergy
installed a 320 kilowatt rooftop plant at
Fujilms US facility in Oahu, in the surfers paradise of Hawaii. This has now been
succeeded by another project realized at
the companys ofce in North Kansas City,
Missouri. In collaboration with its local
partner Brightergy, Conergy has supplied
over 200 Conergy PH solar modules for
the 50 kilowatt plant; which will generate
60,000 kilowatt hours of clean energy every year.
16
The signing of
this document
relates to an
important cooperation
agreement between
Federico Santa
Mara Technical
University (USM)
through its Energy Innovation
Centre (CIE) and
Gehrlicher Solar
company, which
is very interested
in cooperating in Chile to implement
energy technology, and specially photovoltaic solar energy, throughout the
production of local goods and services
and in developing spaces for innovation.
In this context, both institutions
agree to design, implement and assess
a Work Plan establishing the joint cooperation actions among the parties
within the areas of innovation, development, training in renewable energy

generation systems -such as photovoltaic solar energy, energy efciency,
process optimization and automatic
systems, among others. Within this
framework, Gehrlicher Solar is interested in cooperating to launch research,
development and innovation actions to
transfer their results into the industry.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
Solar Frontier supplies 3.8MW

to Power Plant in New Jersey
Solar Frontier announced that it has supplied modules to a 3.8 MW
installation for Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G),
New Jerseys oldest and largest regulated gas and electricity utility. Solar Frontier supplied approximately 29,400 CIS thin-lm solar
modules to the Mill Creek Solar Farm in Burlington County, New
Jersey. The solar
farm is part of
PSE&Gs Solar 4
All program and
was
developed,
designed, and built
by juwi solar Inc
(JSI).
The Mill Creek
Solar Farm will
provide
enough
emission-free electricity to power about 575 average-size homes.
The project illustrates PSE&Gs commitment to solar power and
the ever-growing signicance of CIS technology in the industry.
The Mill Creek Solar Farm is the largest project of any thin-lm
solar technology in the state.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
Powerway develops an
anti-subsidence PV Mounting
System for a project in Malaysia
R e c e n t l y,
Powerways
newly developed
antisubsidence
PV mounting
system has
won great interest in Malaysia, where
it is expected
to be applied to a landll-based 2MW solar plant. The system has gained professional recognition from Panasonic
Malaysia and the developer, Ditrolic Sdn. Bhd, the largest
EPC company in Malaysia.
Completion of the 2 MW landll project in Malaysia is
expected by the end of May 2012, with annual electricity
output of approximately 2.92 million kWh.
17
Kyocera, IHI, Mizuho Corporate

Bank reach basic agreement
to build & operate Solar Power
Plant in Japan
Kyocera, IHI Corporation and Mizuho Corporate Bank, announced
that the three companies have reached a basic agreement to construct a 70MW solar power plant in southern Japan and to further
explore a business model for utility-scale solar power generation.
The mega-solar plant is being built to help solve Japans power
supply issues caused by the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and to make a contribution to environmental protection,
including the reduction of CO2 emissions.
To be built in Kagoshima City (Kagoshima Prefecture), the solar
power project is being undertaken by combining the strengths of
the three companies: Kyocera utilizing its more than 35 years of
experience in the solar business; IHI implementing its proactive
stance on promoting the increased use of renewable energy; and
Mizuho CB applying its wide-ranging nance knowledge.
Advanced Energy inverters selected by

Regeneration nance for more than 8
MW of PV projects
Advanced Energy Industries announced that its inverters have
been selected by Regeneration Finance to power more than 8MW
of U.S. distributed generation photovoltaic projects. Regeneration has deployed more than 60 of Advanced Energys industryleading commercial inverters, ranging in power levels from 35kW
to 260kW. AE Solar Energys PV inverters were selected for their
ability to meet the unique design and system size requirements of
each project.
The inverters are being used at three school district projects
developed by Regeneration: the 3 MW Douglas County School
District project in Douglas County, Colorado; the 3.26 MW Buckeye Elementary School District project in Buckeye, Arizona; and
Constellation Energys 4.29 MW Buckeye Union High School District project.
18
Jura Solar Park,

connected to the
electricity grid
Photovoltaics specialist IBC Solar has successfully commissioned six out of eight areas of the Jura Solarparc. Producing an output of almost 33 MWp, the power plant can
supply electricity to the equivalent of 7,800 households per
year, and save about 18,000 tons of CO2.
Following the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony, by
the Bavarian Prime Minister, Horst Seehofer on June 16
2011, six areas of the Jura solar park are now operational
with a total output of 28.5 MWp. With 145,000 solar modules, spread across a total of eight segments, the project
spans over 80 hectares and runs alongside the A70 motorway between Bamberg and Bayreuth. This makes the Jura
Solarpark Bavarias largest photovoltaic project planned in
2011.
Degerenergie establishes MLD

solar parks in Tennessee
Degerenergie has shipped 112 Degertraker with MLD technology to Apex Construction Services, in the USA and installed them together with Apex construction team. The
systems have been installed in four solar elds that began
operation on April 14, 2012. The aluminum parts are supplied by Hydro Aluminum Extrusion Americas. Degerenergie is global market leader for solar tracking systems and
operates two production facilities in North America.
Apex has established the four small solar plants with
tracking technology made in the US and Germany as
part of the TVA Renewable Energy Program, Generation
Partners.
The 6000NT Degertraker is an innovative dual-axis solar
tracking system which always aligns the solar modules to
the brightest source in the sky to guarantee maximum yield.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
GENERATE
STORE
UTILISE
Our service only pursues

one objective: energy.
Intersolar
Munich
13.06. - 15.06.2012
Hall B3 / Booth B3.231
Solar service considerably better.

Tidal turbine powers up in Orkney
An underwater turbine that is set to be
used in Scotlands rst and only consented
tidal power project has successfully com-
Solar water heater

systems installed
above 2000m/ 6400ft
height
Emmvee have installed more than
25 solar water heating systems
in the northern state of Himachal
Pradesh, India.
The temperature in Kullu and
Manali varies from -1.73 C to 26.3
C. Under normal conditions, the hot
water requirement per person is about
25 litres per day (LPD). Emmvees planning and design team congurated a
system for 40 LPD per person to bring
more efciency for the needs of the
people of a rather cold region.
Emmvee has gained an expertise
for remote and high altitude regions
by having installed a large number
of solar water heating systems in this
area. The installation was very challenging as there was a gradient roof
top at an altitude above 6,400 ft.
The solar systems supplied are Solarizer Plus Heat Exchanger Models
with a 300LPD and 500LPD capacity. Two 500 LPD systems for two
residences were installed in Manali
and three 300 LPD systems for 3 residences were installed in Kullu. All the
installed systems are used for bathing
purposes.
20
pleted an initial testing period in Orkney,

and is providing electricity for homes and
businesses on the island of Eday, one of
Orkneys northern isles.
The 1MW power generator was installed last December, in some of the worst
weather conditions Scotland has experienced in more than a decade, and has since
been undergoing a range of tests in the fast
owing tidal waters around Orkney. The
initial testing period has been very positive
with the device achieving full export power.
The test device in Orkney aims to fully
prove that the technology can operate efciently in Scotlands fast owing tides,
that monitoring and maintenance opera-
tions can be honed and to help drive down

costs in operations and installation. ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) plan to use
this technology as part of the worlds rst
tidal turbine array in the Sound of Islay.
The companys plans to develop a 10MW
tidal array in Islay received planning consent from the Scottish Government in
March 2011.
The HS1000 tidal turbine has been developed by Andritz Hydro Hammerfest,
whose majority shareholder is Andritz
Hydro, and also includes partners Iberdrola and Hammerfest Energi. The 1MW
machine can power the annual electricity
needs of 500 homes.
PV module suppliers switch tactics as

wafer prices fall 70%
The average price
of
photovoltaic
wafers in the rst
quarter of 2012 fell
by more than 70%
in a year according to the latest
research released
by IMS Research,
which was recently
acquired by IHS.
This dramatic price
collapse, caused by
a global oversupply,
has signicantly changed the cost structures and strategies of leading PV module
suppliers and making many switch from
in-house production to buying in their wafer supply. Throughout 2010 and 2011,
many suppliers had quickly expanded their
in-house wafer capacities. However, as
wafer prices have fallen by over $0.70/W
to record lows, suppliers are now reducing their in-house manufacturing and
purchasing more wafers from third-party
suppliers.
According to IMS Researchs latest
quarterly PV Modules, Cells, Wafers &
Polysilicon - Supply & Demand, average
wafer prices fell to $0.30/W in the rst
quarter of 2012, having stood at just over

$1/W one year ago. This rapid decline in
prices was driven by severe oversupply
and highly competitive market conditions
caused by huge capacity expansions that
far out-weighed demand growth in 2011.
IMS Researchs report reveals that global
PV wafer capacity grew by 50% to reach
50 GW by the end of 2011, whilst installation demand grew just 35% to 26.9 GW.
The average price of polysilicon, cells and
modules also dived throughout 2011, although less severely than wafers, with average prices in the rst quarter declining
by 48 percent, 57 percent and 44 percent
year-on-year respectively.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
Come and see us at InterSolar Munich

Come and see us at InterSolar Mumbai - India
13-15 June 2012
14-16 December 2011
Stand 384 Hall C2
Stand 1361 Hall 1
Advanced PV System Protection Delivers Worldwide

Solutions for Tomorrow's Systems Today
Ratings Up To 1500Vdc and 630A
With PV systems developing rapidly, no other line up of photovoltaic fuse links
and fuse holders offers OEMs and operators such a comprehensive range of
benefits. Certified for global acceptance, unique 1500Vdc performance and a
choice of sizes, dimensions and ratings up to 630A, its a line-up that meets
tomorrows PV system requirements today.
From string to inverter, the Cooper Bussmann range of fuse links and fuse
holders for solar applications really is second to none for total system protection.
Contact your local Cooper Bussmann representative for details.
Cooper Bussmann (UK) Ltd, Burton-on-the-Wolds,
Leicestershire, LE12 5TH, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1509 882 600
All Cooper logos are valuable trademarks of Cooper Industries in the US and other countries. You are not permitted to use Cooper trademarks without prior written consent.

Titan delivers solar
trackers for Stirling
engines to be
commissioned
in South Africa
Titan has successfully delivered 4 double
axis solar trackers with parabolic dish concentrator for Stirling engines, for one of
the rst, commercial projects to be commissioned in South Africa this 2012. This
project will be likely the most efcient
around the world and therefore an international reference in the use of Stirling for
solar applications.
The tracker delivered is the 125-228
Stirling model, that is suitable to accommodate 2 units of Stirling engines with a
total power of 60 KW.
From 0 to 12 MWp in
seven weeks
Emmvee, manufacturer of photovoltaic
modules has embarked on a new business
activity. The new unit project management
is the new asset besides the existing pillars,
solar-thermal and photovoltaic as well as
toughening glass.
The new business unit is to develop
turn key projects, plan and implement solar installations of size. From the planning
stages the maintenance of existing solar
parks.
First projects have already been successfully undertaken: In two cities in Germany,
two installations of considerable size have
been implemented.
In Saxonys Doberschtz, Emmvee
have installed the biggest roof installation
with structured glass in Germany and in
Bronkow, Brandenburg, a defunct military
airport is to be transformed into a solar
park with almost 12 MW.
The new business unit consists of engineering, procurement and construction as
well as maintenance.
Emmvee have planned and developed
the Bronkow solar park with almost 12
MWp within 7 weeks. The solar park is
now one of the twenty biggest parks in
Germany. It produces electricity for more
than 4000 households.
22
Ecoluz Solar do Brasil completes

the construction of the PV plant of
Pituau football stadium
Gehrlicher Ecoluz Solar do Brasil has
completed the construction and commissioning of the photovoltaic plant of
5,560 sqm. extension of Pituau football stadium in Salvador de Bahia, at the
end of March, connecting it to the grid
on Saturday, 24th March.
In
August
2011,
Gehrlicher Ecoluz Solar do Brasil S.A,
was
awarded
an international
tender by the
Brazilian utility
Coelba (belonging to Neoenergia
Group).
The contract included planning
and construction
of the rst photovoltaic system
on a soccer stadium in Latin America.
The plant, with a total capacity of 408
kWp, integrates two different module
technologies: PVL modules of 144, thin,
exible and very light manufactured
by United Solar Ovonic (Uni-Solar),
amounting to a power of 238 kWp and
which have been installed on the roof
of the stadium and monocrystalline
modules manufactured by Yingli Solar
YL265, with an output of 170 kWp and

installed in the locker room and parking canopies, which was built under the
guidance of a design and engineering
team of Gehrlicher Solar. Some of the
energy produced will be used for own
consumption of the stadium.
The involvement of Coelba and the

State Government of Bahia, owner of
the stadium and the photovoltaic plant,
has been the key to the success of the
project. Pituau should be an example
of how solar power works and the
growth potential of this technology in
a country like Brazil, says Ana Mascarenhas, energy efciency advisor of
Neoenergia Group.
Areva and Technip to work on solar thermal

applications for oil and gas industry
Areva has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Technip to work on integrated Concentrated Solar Power solutions for oil and gas industry.
The Areva group will provide its CSP
technology based on proprietary Compact
Linear Fresnel Reector (CLFR) solution for
enhanced oil recovery through steam injection for oil and gas industry, enabling
countries to increase their energy capital.
Areva also offers energy solutions for the

design, construction and commissioning
of stand-alone solar thermal plants, power
augmentation for conventional or hybrid
power plants.
Technip will bring its world-class expertise and project management experience
in oil and gas-rich countries and markets
which will also bring value to Arevas operations and commercial initiatives.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
Refusol opens manufacturing facility in

Greenville, South Carolina
Refusol received the necessary safety certicates to begin distribution of its solar inverters produced at the Greenville County plant
of its sister company, Prettl Electronics. Refusol (Prettl) announced plans earlier this year
to hire 80 people as it began production of
the Refusol 12K, 16K, 20K and 024K inverters. These inverters have ofcially met the
guidelines for the Buy American provisions

of the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act (ARRA) Section 1605. This facility has already created a strong relationship with the
community and solar advocacy associations
in South Carolina and beyond. Refusol also
announced an investment of $1.5 million as
it boosts production of the inverters.
Siemens to provide long-term

service to rst hybrid solar power
plant in Algeria
Siemens Energy has been awarded a contract to provide long-term maintenance
services at Algerias rst solar-combined
cycle hybrid power plant. The order was
placed by Abengoa for its 150 megawatt
(MW) solar hybrid plant operating at the
Hassi RMel natural gas eld in northern
Algeria. The contract includes preventative
and corrective maintenance for two SGT800 gas turbines, which Siemens installed
in April 2011. The service contract for the
gas turbines will help to ensure long-term
reliability and predictable maintenance
costs for Abengoa at Hassi RMel, one of
the worlds most innovative power stations.
Integrated Solar Combined Cycle (ISCC)
technology combines the environmental
benets of solar energy with the opera-
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
tional advantages of a conventional combined cycle plant. The heat generated by

the solar eld decreases the already low
emissions of a combined cycle power plant
and increases the efciency even more.
One of the worlds rst ISCC plants when
it began operation in May 2011, the Hassi
RMel solar-combined cycle hybrid power
plant generates electricity through both
the 25-MW parabolic trough solar collectors eld and a 130-MW 2x1 CCPP (Combined Cycle Power Plant). Located at Algerias largest natural gas eld, the plant
consists of 224 parabolic trough collectors
that cover an area of 180,000 square meters. The gas turbine and steam cycle are
red by natural gas, with the steam turbine
receiving additional solar-generated steam
during the day.
Zigor India
completes solar
photovoltaic
hybrid inverter
installation
Zigor India has recently
announced that its rst
solar photovoltaic hybrid
inverter, HIT-C 100kW,
installation has been successfully completed by the
end of March of 2012 at
the location of Lonavala,
Maharashtra in India. This
project may be considered
an important milestone in
new applications of Renewable Energy in India.
This 100kW Off-Grid
System is located at a
beautiful
countryside
where solar irradiance is
rather high throughout
the year and powering
a 1,600 m2 green house
(see g. 1) plus a residential house.
The installation includes a total of 80kW of
Solar PV panels connected
to a Zigor HITC 100kW
hybrid inverter (see g.
2) with a battery bank of
390 Ah as energy storage
consisting of 2 banks of
batteries of 150Ah and
240Ah batteries.
23
ENERGY NEWS IN BRIEF

further information: visit www.energetica-international.com
sGreat Park Accepts $1 Million Grant from U.S.

Department of Energy for Solar Decathlon 2013
sVector Cuatro kick-starts activity in South Africa
sTour de-bike - Emmvee takes to the roads of Germany
sAcciona and Aveng awarded two renewable energy
projects in South Africa
sAMSC receives 100 MW wind turbine electrical control
system order from Inox Wind
sGE energys Entellipro motor management system
receives Atex certication
sNew turnkey service for environmental engineering leak

testing automation announced by Uson
sMartifer Solar reached a turnover of $71.2 M USD in the
US market in 2011
sDuPont Innovations amp up ROI for Solar Energy
sNew Yorks largest on-farm biogas power project
sMoventas wins 80M contract to supply new 5MW
offshore wind gears to Areva
sSiemens receives its rst wind power order in Chile
sMoog wins contract to supply Narec with a test system

to evaluate 100 m wind turbine blades
sBrasil: Aneel approves rules to facilitate the generation

of energy in consumer units
sIsofoton increases watt sales revenue by 10% and

delivers positive results for the second consecutive year
sTeleperformance Colombia opens one of the most

modern Contact Centers in the country
sAvailon strengthens customer advice team for Vestas

systems
sLargest nancial announcement in the history of Israel\s

solar industry
sSolar Impulses rst intercontinental ight begins
sQSTEC and QEWC sign MOU to develop power using solar

energy
sDegerenergie renders energy customers independent of

the grid end-to-end system for self-supply celebrates its
world premiere
sSGS wins inspection contract for Gas Power Plant project

in Iraq
sIn 2011 the italian PV industry covered 33% of the global

demand
Malaysia considers changes to feed-in

tariff due to over-subscription of PV
Rooftop PV project in Malaysia; SEDA notes that 348 out of 377
applications for its feed-in tariff were for PV projects.
Malaysias Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA)
reports that the nation has supported 140 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity through its new feed-in tariff (FiT), out of a total
of 312 MW contracted for all renewable energy sources.
SEDA states that it is very likely to take corrective measures
to adjust FiT levels or degression rates before the next round of
quotes from July to August 2012, calling the large amount of PV
generation the wrong signal for the market.
Applications for PV generation represented 348 of 377 applications for the FiT program, and the quota for non-individual PV
was lled within less than three hours following the opening of
the application window on December 1st, 2011.
SEDA notes that Malaysias National Renewable Energy Policy
and Action Plan has identied other renewable energy resources
to be developed as well as PV.
SEDA has suggested that the reason for the large amount of
PV generation could be that it has less administrative barriers
compared to other forms of generation. The organization notes
that small hydro plants can require at least 30 signatures to get all
the necessary approvals, and that it can take up to 36 months to
build small hydro and biomass plants.
24
sHittite Solar Energy joins SolarTAC
Connected the worlds

largest CIS thin-lm solar
power plant to the grid in
Germany
Solar Frontier and Belectric announced the completion and
grid connection of the worlds largest CIS thin-lm solar
power plant in Bochow, Brandenburg, Germany. The projects investor is CommerzReal and the nancing is provided
by HypoVereinsbank (HBV) /UniCredit. The CIS thin-lm
power plant shows the increasing signicance of CIS technology in the project business and the condence major
banks have in Solar Frontier and its products.
Approximately 205,000 Solar Frontier CIS thin-lm modules have been installed in Bochow, Brandenburg. Solar
Frontier modules are valued for their high efciency and
excellent performance even under conditions that are considered to be less than optimal, such as low light, delivering more kilowatt hours and enhancing project economics.
Their uniformly black nish also offers aesthetic integration
into landscapes.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
UNOS 7.360 GWH/AO DE ENERGA

SOLAR FOTOVOLTAICA ABASTECEN
EN ESPAA A MS DE 2 MILLONES
DE FAMILIAS
SCHOTT Solar es el socio decuado para el profesional. Con cada uno de
nuestros mdulos, puede conar plenamente en cuanto a su estabilidad
de potencia, a la extrema dureza de los ensayos de calidad y a una colaboracin personal. Para mayor informacin, visite www.schottsolar.com
Test Independiente
de Mdulos Fotovoltaicos
de Solarpraxis y
TV Rheinland
Hasta
30 aos
SCHOTT Solar
SCHOTT PROTECTTM POLY 290
SOBRESALIENTE ()
pv magazine 02/2011
Resistencia
al amoniaco
descubre el sol
TA
GAR AN NCIA
E
T
O
P
E
D
FIVE CONTINENTS REGULATION

JORDI DOLADER
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
AT AF-MERCADOS EMI, S.A.
Energy Policy and Regulation as an Incentive
for
Internationalization
Politics is the art of the feasible. Energy Policy certainly follows the same rule. Setting an
energy policy is a tough exercise of selecting one among endless options by wisely combining
the following three key independent aspects: 1) Energy Security, 2) Economic Efciency, 3)
Environment Efciency. These three options constitute the three main pillars in the European
Union Energy Policy and so forth in all 27 state members.
n fact, not only EU but also OEDC by

means of its International Energy Agency supports the rule of the triple E
since 2001 and encourages its members
to harmonically balance these three pillars
when dening their energy framework.
Unfortunately there is no strictly speaking a common energy policy in the European Union. EU has been using several Directives over the past years to encourage its
members to include elements that create a
regulatory framework that in a way can be
considered a pseudo energy policy. Among
them, the paradigmatic 20-20-20 (unique
in the entire world) commits the EU members (and other signing countries) to produce 20% of the energy with Renewable
Sources, reducing 20% the greenhouse
gases, and increasing 20% the energy efciency by year 2020. Members have been
requested to submit their action plans to
the European Commission, Parliament and
Council with regard to the deployment of
renewable energy plants. Having said that,
it is also a reality that not all-27 EU members are equally enthusiastic about complying with the targets. Nonetheless, it is also
important to mention that Countries and
Plans (and the results thereof) are subject
to be claimed in the European Court in case
they do not reasonably point to the 20-2020 by 2020.
Spain developed a very generous legal
and regulatory framework with regard to
the encouragement of Renewable Energies. Wind and Photovoltaic are currently
participating largely in its energy portfolio.
In addition, thermo-solar energy is showing up in the pipeline winning outstanding
26
media attention each time a commissioning

comes down the pike. The stunning growth
for the renewables in Spain has boosted
Eolic power up to 20.000 MW and solar
power to almost 4000 MW in no more than
seven years. It is envisaged that additional
thermo solar 3000 MW will be added in a
100.000 MW system with an annual peak
demand between 35.000 and 40.000 MW.
Nevertheless, it is important to always
keep present the lessons learnt in the home
experience. The Spanish case has not been
easy and some errors were made (mostly
because there was no reference and trialerror learning process was absolutely necessary). Whereas the industry solved successfully and accurately all technical and
operational issues, the economical balance
has not yet been properly achieved. On
one hand, the technical solutions are outGW
standing and Spanish industry can show

excellent mechanisms, methodologies, and
technologies to install, maintain and operate the non-manageable sources of energy.
As an example, the Spanish TSO Red Electrica de Espaa (REE) is a clear worldwide
reference for the management of Eolic and
Solar large system that depends on external
random meteorological parameters. Scenarios faced by REE go from 50% of the
demand supplied by the renewable energy
to the opposite scenario where no renewable is present and the combined cycle gas
plants (CCGP) supporting the peaks of the
system. Swap among scenarios may take a
few hours and in some cases even less than
one hour and requires complex operational
and technical solutions that were not present before the introduction of renewable
technologies into the grid. This knowledge
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Europe
2009
76,2
2010
87
2011
98
2012
109,5
North America
38,4
48,5
59
71
85
101,5
Asia
39,6
57,3
76,8
97,8
121,8
148,8
Latin America
1,3
2,7
4,3
6,2
8,2
10,7
Pacific
2,2
2,9
3,6
4,4
5,4
6,5
Middle East an Africa
0,9
1,5
2,3
3,1
4,1
5,1
energetica
2013
122
INTERNATIONAL
2014
136,5
N 120 MAY12
#FDBVTFJOBEEJUJPOUPUIFNPTUJNQPSUBOUBT
QFDUT UIFEJGGFSFODFJTUSVMZJOUIFJOEJWJEVBM
TVQQPTFEMZ TNBMM EFUBJMT %FUBJMT UIBU
HVBSBOUFF NBYJNVN FDJFODZ %FUBJMT UIBU
NBLFUIFEFWJDFBTVTFSGSJFOEMZBTQPTTJCMF
%FUBJMTUIBUDVUTQFDJDTZTUFNDPTUT
*OTIPSU5IF4VOOZ5SJQPXFSTFUTOFXTUBO
EBSETJOFWFSZSFTQFDU
'JOEPVUNPSFPOMJOFBU
XXX4."EF5SJQPXFS
XXX4."EF5SJQPXFS
0QUJQSPUFDU*OUFHSBCMF
5ZQF**0WFSWPMUBHF1SPUFDUJPO
1)"4&4
8FMMUIPVHIUUISPVHI UISPVHIBOEUISPVHI
5IF 4VOOZ 5SJQPXFST WF OFX GFBUVSFT BSF
NPSFUIBOKVTUBOFYQSFTTJPOPGPVSJOOPWB
UJWFTQJSJU5PHFUIFSXJUIUISFFQIBTFQPXFS
0QUJFY 0QUJQSPUFDU XJUI FMFDUSPOJD TUSJOH
GVTFT JOUFHSBUFE5ZQF**PWFSWPMUBHFQSPUFD
UPS BOE JOUFMMJHFOU TUSJOH GBJMVSF EFUFDUJPO
BOE UIF 46/$-*9 %$ QMVHJO DPOOFDUJPO
TZTUFN UIF 4VOOZ 5SJQPXFS PGGFST UIF SJHIU
BOTXFSTUPFWFSZRVFTUJPO
/&8'&"563&4
5IF4VOOZ5SJQPXFS
0QUJFY
0QUJQSPUFDU
&MFDUSPOJD4USJOH'VTFT
0QUJQSPUFDU*OUFMMJHFOU
4USJOHGBJMVSFEFUFDUJPO
46/$-*9%$
1MVH*O4ZTUFN
5ISFF1IBTF'FFEJO
5)&'6563&0'40-"35&$)/0-0(:
451@""&/
*GZPVXBOUUPEP
CJHUIJOHT
ZPVBMTPOFFEUP
IBWFBOFZFPOUIF
MJUUMFPOFT
ment. Actually it is a must that the Spanish companies prot the gained experience in the past years in order to export
it and consolidate the industry. Investors
are denitely seeking out new opportunities in other areas and multilateral funding institutions like World Bank, European
Bank, and Asian Development Bank are
clearly promoting the development of the
regulatory and legal conditions in different
world areas through a number of granted
projects. In fact, conditions are placed for
the internationalization of our companies.
Therefore, Spanish renewable industry
has no other than to export its knowledge
and developments as a strategy for the future. It has two main benets namely: a)
it increases the level of activity, and hence
the prots, that will hardly present in the
and its successful results have not passed

unadvertised and are requested in other
countries to avoid wasting time and suffering the same problems. The collaborating
companies that helped REE with the developments also share this reputation.
On the other hand, these CCGP, built for
a 6000 hours per annum business case,
are backing the renewable energy plants
with merely 2000 hours per annum in
some of the cases. Additionally, large investments in the gas network (pipes, regasication stations, sophisticated trading
agreements for gas, etc.) have been necessary. In fact, Spain currently owns a unique
gas network supporting the renewable
technology. This framework denitely requires short and medium term nancial
extra efforts for nal users. Failing to admit this reality and therefore avoiding the
implementation of the correct economical/
pricing measures- may represent a heavy
burden for the energy sector that can put
at risk the viability of present and future
investments. A stable energy sector requires that all these problems be correctly
addressed within the existing regulations.
Unfortunately, the economical global
and in particular Spanish crisis makes
almost impossible to further maintain
this growth trend reducing the possibilities for further short term development
of renewable energies within the Spanish
system. However, this industry same as
any other with a clear added value- should
chose to internationalize its operations as
a strategic alternative for future develop-
Unfortunately there is
no strictly speaking a
common energy policy
in the European Union
Spanish market for the following years,
perhaps a decade; and b) it leverages the
regulatory risks because of the instability
of the Spanish regulation until the economical mistakes are solved.
Many other -distant- areas in the world
are replicating the directives of the European Union and (in a different level) the
120%
102%
100%
80%
60%
53,00%
51%
44%
41%
40%
27%
32%
19% 21%
20%
20%
12%
10%
28
ow
er
lp
rm
a
oth
e
Ge
rt
po herm
we al
r
pro
d
no
l
Eh
a
So
la
uc
tio
n
r
So
lar
h
he ot w
ati ate
ng
r/
we
po
nd
Wi
So
la
So
lar
PR
tie (gr
d)
id-
0%
rP
sc V (u
ale tilit
y
)
4%
4%
9%
Bi
pro odie
du sel
cti
on
60%
United States of America. They are adapting their regulations and energy policies in
order to develop local renewable sources
and to integrate them into their electrical
networks. In this way, South and SouthEast Asia, South Africa, China, Ukraine,
North of Africa, and Turkey are currently
leading these initiatives. However, these
countries are now realizing they lack technological upgraded companies that can
feasibly implement the policies and guidelines contained in the new framework.
Though they are very interested in the
development of the new energy sources,
they do not want to start over and go
through all the experiences and thus they
are eager to bring that experience into the
country from areas like Spain in order to
save time and money.
As a summary, it is necessary to insist that
the Spanish companies related to the renewable energy are therefore in a unique
position to jump into the international
market and to assume a more preeminent
role worldwide. It is particularly important
to enlist the medium size companies in this
challenge since large companies are already
participating in other markets. Experience
and lessons learnt in the previous years have
positioned Spain in the top-ve countries
with capabilities to implement and operate
in a relatively short term a large amount of
renewable energy sources plants.
AF-Mercados EMI, S.A. has been helping
Spanish and European investors and companies to internationalize their operations
in the booming countries in the world. Its
strategic participation in the development
of the regulatory framework and the technical procedures for the integration of renewables in the grid has provided it a wide
and deep view of the opportunities and
future growing areas. The inception of the
opportunities has sometimes come from
the investors/companies (pushing scenario) and some other from the institutions
willing to have specic development in the
country (pulling scenario). In any case, the
reality is that the spanish industry cannot
stand still while a number of opportunities
show up in the world.
Cards are dealt. It has Opportunities and
Threats as in any strategic decision
Source for graphics: Jennifer Bieksha, Bishop & Associates Inc.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
th in
Visit our boo
d A2.180
n
a
t
S
,
2
A
ll
a
H
QUALITY I VALUE I INNOVATION

Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is one of the worlds largest
solar companies and a leading vertically integrated provider of
ingots, wafers, solar cells, solar modules, solar power systems
and specialized solar products.
Key Product Features
,Wsh^Wd
'
by plus-only tolerance of up to 5W

h^
www.canadiansolar.com
MIGUEL PREZ DE LEMA
Trends in public subsidies and incentives

around the solar industry in the world
SUBSIDIES FOR DISCUSSION
The international experts say that attempting to accelerate a transition to a low-carbon economy
is expensive and risky. Policymakers need to realize that achieving a transition with governmentaided commercialization programs will require putting billions of taxpayer dollars at risk, often in
a high-prole way.
olicy of subsidies for solar energy is

being discussed around the World.
The risk of distorting the market
through public support and create a bubble in the eld of solar energy in Spain has
been shown as an obvious example. United
States has observed with great interest the
growth of the Spanish renewable energy.
First, to follow in its footsteps, President
Obama said that Spain was a model. But
now that has failed, the U.S. wants to avoid
repeating the same mistakes as Spain, creating an industry dependent on public money.
If government ofcials wish to accelerate
the next energy transition, they will need
a different strategy to develop an industry
that can survive without major subsidies,
one that prioritizes funding to commercialize decarbonized energy technologies
that can compete dollar-for-dollar against
carbon-based energy.
With natural gas prices so low due to
huge new supplies of shale gas, besting
the current energy system has become
tougher.
The big question, both in the U.S. and other countries is to nd a fair distribution of
aid. Supporters of renewable energy point
out that public subsidies for these technologies are a fraction of those for fossil fuels,
both globally and in the United States. But
the oil industry says the amount of energy
produced is the variable to be considered
30
and not the total amount of aid.

The German case
If Europe has been the main driver of solar
energy, Germany has been the main engine. Europe contains nine of the largest 15
solar markets in the world. In 2011, new
European PV installations amounted to
20.9 GW, over 75% of the global total
(27.7 GW). Germany has long held the
crown within Europe as the clear leader
in installed solar power capacity and now
has a total of 24.7 GW of capacity installed, generating approximately 3% of
its electricity. The sector already produced
enough power to supply some 5.1 million
households.
Power from photovoltaic (PV) installations was the fastest growing segment
within all German power derived from
renewable sources in 2011, energy association BDEW data shows. So-called green
power in 2011 captured 19.9 percent of
the power mix, compared with 16.4 percent in 2010.
Germany was the country that has shown
the world the way forward in the development of solar energy. Aid policy is based
on clear rules that are maintained over
time. The industry is subsidized but they
gradually reduce each year, and companies must invest in road improvements to
be competitive. This prevents the entry of
speculative interest in the sector. In Germa-
ny costs have been halved since 2007 and

a pro-rata cut in subsidies since then has
been absorbed. The solar industry stands
by its commitment to cut costs radically.
Feed-in tariffs paid to producers will fall by
15 percent on Jan. 1, 2012 and by another
9 percent in mid-2012 as the government
aims to force the industry to lower its costs
faster, a move that has hurt leading companies such as Conergy and Solon.
The guaranteed tariffs, which must be
borne by all consumers, were cut by 13
percent on Jan. 1, 2011, amid an explosion in new panel installations, which has
now slowed.
BSW said if there were reliable conditions, the industry would continue with
targets to supply 10 percent of all power
by 2020.
Italian growth
Italy is the worlds second largest installer,
and is closing the gap on Germany. A study
by GSE showed Italian installations tripling
in capacity from 2009 to 2010 (from about
1 GW to over 3 GW) and then almost tripling again in 2011 after an additional
9 GW of solar were installed (the worldleading amount in 2011). This surge is due
to changes made to the solar power subsidies in Italy in 2010 there was a feed-in
tariff introduced, in addition to a generous
grants system. Italy has some of the most
favorable weather conditions in Europe for
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
MAKING MODERN LIVING POSSIBLE
Danfoss Product Innovations at

Intersolar Europe 2012 in Munich
We gladly invite you to visit us at this years Intersolar Europe you will find us in hall C4 stand 150.
Please visit us and learn more about our new solar inverter and monitoring solutions for residential, commercial and large
scale solar installations. One of our new introductions is the innovative CLX monitoring and grid management solution
featuring ConnectSmart, which offers 24/7 real time monitoring via smartphone, tablet and computer.
We look forward to seeing you at our Danfoss Solar Inverters stand in hall C4 stand 150.
24/7
real time monitoring
with ConnectSmart
technology for genuine plug
and play installation.
Hall C4
Stand 150
www.danfoss.com/solar
solar, and so it seems logical that it has the

most benecial grants structure.
Owners of solar photovoltaic systems
may use the following incentives and / or
services: The Energy Hill, the Green Certicate, the Retreat Dedicated, and the Exchange Locally.
The Energy Bill is the mechanism of production of solar incentive introduced in
2005 and is currently regulated by Ministerial Decree of 05 May 2011. The incentive is recognized for the production of
electricity from the date of entry into the
facility for a period of twenty years. The
rate is differentiated according to the power and the type of system and is constant
throughout the incentive period.
The Green Certicates are marketable
securities and showing the annual production of electricity from renewable sources.
Rates of Income Energy Certicates can
not be combined with Green Certicates.2
Dedicated Retirement is a service that
offers producers the ability to market the
power generated easily. The GSE is the
intermediary between the producer of
photovoltaic and grid. Plants with a total
capacity of up to 1 MW may require application of guaranteed minimum prices
set by the Authority, in the rst two million
kWh of electricity supplied to the network
during the year.
The Local Exchange is a mechanism for
managing solar plants with up to 200 kW.
32
Energy gives a value to rise to the grid following a criterion of nancial compensation to the value of the energy taken from
the mains.
The explosive growth gures remind Italy
that had the solar sector in Spain. And the
subsidy policy of Italy should learn from
the Spanish failure to avoid repeating the
same mistakes. The generous aid in Spain
was drastically reduced trapping thousands of investors, who would not have
entered the sector had they known about
these changes.
Some problematic examples
The campaign of subsidies for electric vehicles in the United States has shown an
interesting example of the contradictions
that these policies can generate. President Obama had intended to electrify
the American roads by subsidies but the
public is not engaged in its aid program.
It had set a goal of reaching one million electric cars operating in 2015. But that
number seems far away, despite having a contribution up to $ 7,500 per
car. So far the industry has only sold in
that country a few tens of thousands.
To revive the idea, the U.S. president has
raised the help, up to $ 10,000 may receiveaid each electric vehicle. The money will come from new taxes to the taxpayer but the reduction of aid to the oil
industry worth 4 billion dollars and its di-
version to the other industry. Subsidies for

clean vehicles coming from the Bush
era, and are under close surveillance policy
to not deviate from the objective of beneting the consumer and the economy of
the nation. But even then there are grievances and controversies. Recently the
Department of Energy of the U.S. government has frozen two-thirds of the aid
granted to the brand new electric vehicle Fisker Automotive, because its electric
motor car, called Karma, supported by
an internal combustion engine is actually a
luxury car of some 120,000 euros, and it is
manufactured outside the U.S. soil in Finland.
The case of the premiums to other solar
industries in Britain is another example ofscandal.
In April 2010 began operating a bonus
scheme which increased with great rapidity
small installations of solar energy production. From 2010 to 2011 the price of the
panels were reduced by 30% by the high
demand in the residential market. And
the system quickly became unsustainable
for the public purse. The Department of
Energy and Climate Change was forced to
cut aid sharply by over 50%. The measure
was taken to court by large solar companies
and was outlawed. The rates rose again,
but the cut caused a complete stoppage in
the sector and investors received a message of insecurity.
In East Europe public support for the solar industry is scarce. Small countries like
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have less
than 0,1 MW of installed solar power
each. And so far no legislation is contemplated to promote change. However, Lithuania have started to produce solar panels
recently for neighboring countries.
Aid for cheap energy
Renewable-energy tax credits need to
be changed. The current credits have
contributed to an inefcient, boom-andbust approach to renewable energy. Until now public aid has been proposed to
help domestic industries, but if the goal is
to achieve great heights of clean energy
the focus should change. For the development of clean energy in large quantities, the laws should be opened to imports of cheaper solar equipment as those
from China.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
Admiring the power of nature
The power of nature is admirable.

)LUHLHVIRUH[DPSOHDUHDEOHWRQDWXUDOO\JORZ
WKURXJKELROXPLQHVFHQFH
$JLIWWKDWKDVLQVSLUHGGuascorr WRGHYHORS
FXWWLQJHGJHH[LEOHDQGUHOLDEOHSRZHU
VROXWLRQVDEOHWRSURYLGHHIFLHQWSRZHU
JHQHUDWLRQDQGUHVSHFWIRUWKHHQYLURQPHQW
3DUTXH7HFQROyJLFR,EDL]DEDOELGHD(GLFLR
'HULR%L]NDLD63$,1
7)
Solicte nuestro nuevo catlogo
ecolgico en: w w w . g u a s c o r p o w e r . c o m
(LQIR#JXDVFRUVFFRP www.guascor.com
in the next two years. Thats not just good

news because it means more renewables,
but because it means a likely shrinkage of
Indias reliance on diesel, a $2.32-billion
industry in India.
Government efforts to help accelerate an

energy transition will require massive and
risky investments. These efforts should
focus on supporting large investment
necessary to develop the next generation
of the solar industry. The great objective
is that public support will serve to develop efcient and competitive solar equipment to end the need for support for energy production. Public money will go in
the coming years for the development of
new prototypes, which pose an unreasonable risk to private capital.
The chinese problem
Asia Pacic photovoltaic markets continue
to surge ahead of expectations, installing
6 GW in 2011. The region as a whole grew
165% , and is forecast to grow an additional 40% in 2012. China is the largest Asian
solar power and is becoming a major source
of problems for the sector internationally.
The international solar industry is experiencing strong protectionist policy of China
on their industry. Its government has arranged a series of stimulus measures that
protect their own industries and foreign
markets. Besides China promotes exports
its products to mass production subsidies
that allow their companies to sell at low
prices.
Chinas economic policy is still based on
keeping its currency articially low to increase export competitiveness.
It places restrictions on foreign exchange
for its businesses and citizens, as well as
those from overseas. It restricts foreign
direct investment and foreign businesses
foreign rms are prohibited from establishing Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises
in certain economic sectors.
Unlike the European model of support
34
for the solar industry based on support

for clean energy production, the Chinese
model of aid seeks to exploit the strong
demand for solar equipment in the world.
China considers the solar industry Solar
among fast-growing emerging sectors,
which reserves massive subsidy programs.
Many experts believe that these violate
the international trade principles China
agreed to when it joined the World Trade
Organization (WTO), but no country has
taken steps to prevent this unfair competition. Both the World Bank and the
Obama Administration are pressing China
to restructure its economic system, shifting
away from government investment and
subsidizing the manufacture of exports
and infrastructure to stimulating domestic
markets and demand. The non-market
economy of China is wining in terms of
economic growth and job creation against
the market economy.
India, the next giant
Solar power costs in India could come
down 40% by 2015, which would make
solar cost-competitive with other energy
sources even without subsidies correcting
for the social costs of dirty energy. Due
to the growing solar market for solar and
technological development, the rupee per
kilowatt price of solar is projected to drop
from 11-12 to 7-8.
India is the third-biggest carbon emitter and has launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission a government
scheme which is set to allocate funding for
20,000 MW of solar power over the next
ten years. According to Renewable Energy
World, the gradual allocation of this solar
capacity should mean that solar becomes
the cheapest form of energy in India with-
Australia looking for another

model
Australia experienced its own solar bubble
in the residential sector in recent years
caused by incentives. In Australia, there
are primarily two types of nancial incentives schemes designed to encourage the
uptake of solar power generators (as well
as other types of renewable energy): Federal Renewable Energy Certicates and
state-level feed-in tariffs.
Firstly, a rebate is available through the
Australian Federal government for solar
power installations anywhere in Australia.
This rebate is offered in the form of Renewable Energy Certicates (RECs, also
known as Small-scale Technology Certicates or STCs). Secondly, a solar power generation system may be eligible for
Solar Feed-in Tariff incentives. After rapid
growth in domestic installations incentives
have fallen dramatically and are paid 66c
per kilowatt-hour.
The Australian solar industry is now focused towards large installations. There
are a number of large-scale projects in
the pipeline, including the Solar Flagships
projects the proposed but beleagueredMoore Solar Farm and the Solar Dawn
consortiums CSP plant in Chinchilla,
Queensland.
In addition to these high-prole projects,
there are also numerous other medium
(~100kW) to large-scale project in the
works or already operational throughout
the country.
Bibliography
- Use of public and private dollars for scaling up clean energy needs a reality check, say Stanford scholars. Stanford
Report, May 1, 2012.
- Tough Love for Renewable Energy. Making Wind and Solar
Power Affordable, By Jeffrey Ball, Foreign Affairs.
- Asia Pacic Solar Photovoltaic Markets Soar 165% in
2011, Led by 2.9 GW of Installations in China, Solarbuzz.
- German solar power output up 60 pct in 2011, Reuters.
- Il GSE publica il rapporto solare fotovoltaico del 2011,
Gestore dei Servizi Energetic.
- U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Comisin, An
Analysis of State-owned Enterprises and State Capitalism
in China, By Andrew Szamosszegi and Cole Kyle
- US-China Relations, Solar Energy & Trade: Radical
Rethink, Restructuring Required, CleanTechnica.com
- Thursdays global agenda: The US goes to China, The Hill.
- Solar Power Becomes Cheaper than Diesel in India.
Renewableenergyworld.com
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
Our goal is to overcome all challenges

And to apply all our technical know-how to drive those projects that
once seemed impossible.
Iberdrola Ingeniera, one of the most important energy engineering companies
in the world.
Combined Cycle Qatar (3000 MW)

One of the largest in the Middle East.
INTERVIEW
Winfried Hoffmann
President of the European Photovoltaic
Industry Association (EPIA)
Before the end of

this decade PV
will offer every
European citizen the
chance to become a
prosumer
Winfried
Hoffmann at
EPIAs
Annual
General
Meeting in
Brussels on 22
March 2012.
(EPIA)
What are your main goals for the EPIA

organization since your appointment?
EPIA is committed to helping build markets
for solar photovoltaic, to continuing the
technological evolution that is making PV
a mainstream energy source, and to helping regulators understand the importance
of policies that allow us achieve our energy, environmental and economic goals.
Solar PV has just had another record year
-- with more than 28 GW of new gridconnected capacity globally in 2011. Today the industry faces major challenges
even as our technology approaches competitiveness with conventional electricity sources. In the coming years, we will
need to work to create new markets and
business models for PV. We will also need
to make sure that European policymakers
understand the importance of maintaining a stable regulatory environment and
of markets based on principles of free and
fair trade and fair competition principles.
As EPIAs new President, I look forward to
addressing these challenges and helping
guide our industry into a bright and sustainable future.
What have been the main conclusions
after EPIAs annual meeting in Brussels?
That the PV market is strong and still has
great potential but that it faces one or two
years in which new challenges will arise.
At a time of economic crisis, governments
are naturally struggling with budgetary
concerns and rethinking public support
36
On March Dr. Winfried Hoffmann became the new President

of the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA). He
takes over the position after having been elected as EPIAs new
Vice-President, and after Vice-Presidents Boris Klebensberger
and Virgilio Navarro Sanchez-Sicilia declined the presidency.
Dr. Hoffmann, a Member of the Supervisory Board of SMA Solar
Technology AG, is a pioneer in the European solar industry
having spent more than 30 years working in photovoltaics. He
holds a Ph.D. in biophysics, and in 1979 joined the photovoltaic
R&D group for thin lm solar cells of Nukem in 1979. He took
over the companys leadership in 1985. Dr. Hoffmann has also
served as the Chairman of the Board of RWE Schott Solar
GmbH, and as Chief Technology Ofcer and Vice President of
the Solar Business Group at Applied Materials GmbH, where he
was later a consultant.
schemes; private nancing is also less certain, with investors who are nervous and
banks that are reluctant to lend. Companies will have to nd new markets and new
business models to adapt to these changing realities. Policy and regulatory stability
Feed-in tariffs that are phased out gradually rather than abruptly will be more important than ever. We cant stop support so
dramatically now that solar PV is so close
to competitiveness with conventional electricity sources. We also need governments
to remove bureaucratic obstacles to PV deployment a cost-effective way to promote
the uptake of the technology.
What is the point of view of EPIA and its
members in relation to the new regu-
lations affecting Spain and Germanys

FITs?
The developments in Germany and Spain
(and elsewhere in Europe) have vividly illustrated how tinkering with the Feed-in
Tariff can steer the development of industry segments for good or for ill. Too
much in one direction and you can kill off
a segment. But if you properly manage the
FiTs, reduce them gradually, you help bring
competitiveness closer. Look at the recent
changes in Germany, which has shown the
political will to promote the residential sector; the FiT level for that segment is still
reasonable while unfortunately the one for
large systems was reduced too much.
Few could have predicted the speed at
which the technology has advanced and
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
EPIAS booth during

the EPIA Investors
Day event on 6
September 2011 at
the 26th EU PVSEC in
Hamburg, Germany.
its costs have come down over the past

decade; even fewer would have said that
PV would be approaching competitiveness with conventional electricity across
a range of market segments. Yet here we
are, close to competitiveness. Thats why
the decisions in some countries to abruptly
halt support come as such a shock to the
system.
No one believes that PV support schemes
should last forever or even for much
longer and everyone knows that these
need to be smart, sustainable and properly adapted to changing market conditions. However, this does not mean that
they should be reduced all of a sudden to
unsustainable levels.
Do you consider that self-sufcient systems could become the future of Photovoltaic installations?
If by self-sufcient systems you mean those
where most of the energy is consumed on
site or in the low-voltage area, then the
answer is yes. This will require a commitment to new incentives for decentralised
storage or demand-side management,
and to additional network services that
contribute to network stabilityAs we have
shown in our recent study Solar Photovoltaics Competing in the Energy Sector
On the road to competitiveness, before
the end of this decade PV will offer every
European citizen the chance to become a
prosumer, producing and consuming his
or her own decentralised source of elec-
38
tricity at a competitive price. This empowerment of individuals is at the heart of the

decentralised nature of PV a source of
electricity you can produce where you use
it and should be a key component of Europes energy future.
How can this be developed and the concept to be sold to the various government regulators?
Its a question of devising new kinds of
support in the post Feed-in Tariff world.
As I mentioned above, these could include
demand-side management or decentralized storage. In our upcoming EPIA report
on grid integration we will show how PV
can be a major part of Europes energy mix
without requiring massive investments in
new infrastructure or creating unnecessary
burdens on regulators or utilities. These
prioirites will be important if governments
want to achieve their ambitious and necessary climate goals, and also to ensure security of energy supply into the future.
What strategies should be implemented
by Europe to compete with the Chinese
PV manufacturing capabilities?
Europe has been the world leader in producing and deploying solar PV energy on
a commercial scale but is now facing increased competition in the production
sector from other regions in the world as
the industry globalizes. Today, the EU must
develop a real industrial policy that would
encourage and strengthen further local
investments. Europe needs a strong industrial base to remain competitive in the

global economy.
That requires some sector-specic measures aimed at maintaining and developing a competitive local manufacturing
base: a favorable long-term policy framework for renewable energies; dedicated
support for investments in the manufacturing industry; a strong commitment to
continued innovation; improved access to
nancing; greater use of standardization;
and ambitious policy to develop skills and
competencies.
The EU also needs to ensure the development of markets based on principles of
free and fair trade and fair competition
principles in order to ensure full reciprocity
at international level.
What areas of R+D innovations should
PV industry strengthen efforts?
EPIA strongly supports an increased budget for R&D and innovation in solar PV
energy in the EU. The priority should be
the nancing of the Solar Europe Industrial
Initiative in the context of the next multiannual nancial framework (and notably
through the Horizon 2020 instrument) in
order to attract companies to maintain and
create new high-volume production in Europe. Specically, we need more emphasis
on R&D in components not just modules
and inverters but also the balance-of-system components that will become increasingly important for European industry
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
INTERVIEW
sectors, as well as the reinvestment of all
resources of the fair on every exhibition so
that the exhibitor meet their objectives.
Ral Calleja
Manager of MATELEC, the International
Trade Fair for the Electrical and Electronics
Industry (23-26 October, Madrid, Spain)
We want to position MATELEC within

the International Trade Fair Calendar
Ral Calleja is leading MATELEC, an umbrella brand which
brings together ]L THQVY, JVTWSLTLU[HY` HUK Z`ULYNPZ[PJ
fairs: Electrical ;LJOUVSVN`, ,SLJ[YPJP[`, Lightec: lighting
solutions and lighting, [LSLJVTT\UPJH[PVUZ`Z[LTZ integrators
and KPNP[HS OVTL, )\PSKPUN (\[VTH[PVU, industrial control and
electronics. (SS VM [OLT in his own words, are designed as
tools that generate I\ZPULZZVWWVY[\UP[PLZMVY both exhibitors
HUK]PZP[VYZ
Deep renewal, new stage, makeover,
and redenition of the sectorsWhat
lies behind turning MATELEC into a new
fair show?
MATELEC has changed its image and
structure to be a reection of the sector,
which is giving way to a wide range of
complete solutions and not just individual
products. We want to reinvent MATELECT
to turn it into a tailor-made exhibition
for exhibitors and visitors. The idea is that
professionals see it as a tool to generate
business opportunities through greater
specialization of its content.
The four main strategic work lines are
40
purely the commercial positioning and the

protability of the event, the geographic
scope of international action (with a program of over 650 international guests
which are customers characterized by their
purchasing potential as well as more than
3,500 nights of hotel available for free for
their exhibitors customers and free bus
routes from the whole Spain to attend
the fair), extending the visitor prole of
the show (prescription) and new business
areas (rehabilitation, tertiary sector, hospitality industry, trade, architecture, property
managers, public works ...), empowerment and greater identity of each of these
You have described MATELEC as a tailormade exhibition. What does it mean?

We work under the new concept of tailor-made exhibition which, as stated,
basically means that the show can not be
equal for all. It is our obligation to know
the particular objectives of each company,
because they are different, so we are designing the business event based on the
particular needs of every business, whether it is large, medium or small. We do not
sell square meters, we advise those participating in tailor-made fairs.
MATELEC 2012 is going to be a very special edition, as we are transforming it into
a commercial tool that can help many participating companies to meet their specic
business objectives in a context in which
the investment return has become absolutely necessary and required given the very
difcult year we are undergoing. We must
nd effective tools so that we can offer our
own products and services to many clients
within a very short time. If you come to sell,
you can sell and achieve your sales targets
at the fair. So if we want to turn it into a
commercial tool we rst need to transform
the content and objectives of the participants into business goals, as well as transforming the four-day fair into 365 days of
trading opportunities. Our goal is to adapt
the commercial tool which, even in times of
crisis, has been so successful for companies,
sectors and industries at other fairs that the
MATELEC group has held.
I want to insist on the fact that we do not
seek a target with regard to the exhibition
space, our goal is not quantitative, we seek
a qualitative objective. The fair must work
in commercial terms for those companies
participating, no matter who you are. We
create business events tailored to each company, within the framework of MATELEC.
But the important thing is not how many
exhibitors are going to be at MATELEC, or
how many visitors, but how much business
those who have come have done.
What synergies are you going to enhance
among the four lines or integrated sectors gathered this year?
We are going to improve each sector speenergetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
23-26
OCTOBER
2012
MADRID - SPAIN
International Trade Fair for the Electrical

and Electronics Industry
S
4 dFOARY
ESS
BUSIN
ADVANCE NOTICE OF ACTIVITIES, WORKSHOPS AND CONGRESSES

O
Energy Efficiency Week
1st Smart Grids Congress
2nd Energy Efficiency Congress
9th National Congress of Telecommunication
B2B Workshops
Training Boxes
KNX Forum
Industrial Productivity Forum
Installers and Integrators
(1 June, 2012)
SEE4: 1st Energy Efficiency Solutions Forum

O ITH Hotel and Catering Conference
O Shopping Centres and Restaurants
O Illumination and Lighting:
Illumination and Architecture
Lighting and Designers
Public lighting
Effective illumination for selling in Shopping Areas
O Residential and Land Agents
O Health Centres and Residences
O Town Halls and Public Buildings
O Restoration and refurbishment
SEMANA DE LA
EFICIENCIA
ENERGTICA
20-28 OCTUBRE 2012
What would you like to see? Building tailor-made events together

PLAY A LEADING PART IN MATELEC 2012
(34) 91 722 30 00 matelec@ifema.es www.matelec.ifema.es
view which considers as well business opportunities to meet, offer and attract new
niche markets to offer them energy efcient solutions. Therefore we are talking
about new demand niches and generating
business at the fair. On the other hand,
from a social point of view, we are creating together the Energy Efciency Week,
an entire national media campaign to raise
public awareness on the importance of
being energy efcient by displaying the
solutions that exist today from the viewpoint of professionals and private homes,
dealing with savings, comfort, safety and
environment.
cialization much more, so that we provide

them with more depth and specic content. Each sector has to exploit the full
event, and the sum of all specialized sectors as a whole shall achieve a greater
ability to attract independent parties. Of
course, market trends necessarily dene
the directions. Integration is hence a market reality, and the whole offer will help
entrepreneurs to have a larger number of
solutions for their work.
Those in charge of the companies demand a trade fair where, beyond the mere
display of its products in a given space,
they can obtain quantiable results to
amortize their investments, even more in
times of need. That is the essence of the
new orientation of the International Trade
Fair of Solutions for Electrical and Electronics Industry, MATELEC 2012. We want to
transform the show into an effective business tool to help many of the participating
company achieve their goals.
Internationalization is one of the key
issues this year, what differentiates
MATELEC from other major trade fairs in
Europe?
As for internationalization , we are preparing an ambitious program for more than
450 international buyers invited to the
event, with paid travel and accommodation, high prole decision makers and specializing every day at the fair according to
the kind of market, with talks on how to
export and with business rounds based on
closed agendas. The rst and second day
of the fair shall focus on the markets in
North Africa and the Middle East, Thursday on Eastern European countries and the
last day on Latin American purchasers.
Additionally, we have also enhanced the
internationalization of the event in collaboration with AMEC AMELEC that will
promote MATELEC in those international
forums in which it participates. It will
also coordinate a reserved space at the
exhibition, known as International Business Area, IBA, and will organize business
meetings between the Spanish companies
and about 60 foreign buyers. This promotional campaign will take place in Mexico,
Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, Panama, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, UAE,
Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. We also work
in other types of events to attract interna-
42
tional engineering and major projects. In

this line, we will have the new exhibition
area, Spain Xport Technology, a fair space
where those Spanish companies and technology developers with export potential
may exhibit.
We want to position the event within
the calendar of international trade fairs.
MATELEC 2012 should be an international
fair held in Madrid, and generate international business opportunities in the natural
geographical scope of business, as well as
exports and imports.
What notable events will the Energy Efciency Week include?
Energy Efciency Week is an initiative in
collaboration with entities such as COAM
and the Madrid City Council, among others. It includes various activities in the
city aimed to raise awareness among the
media and end users on the importance
of efciency energy. The industrial sector is progressively implementing energy
efciency solutions as a priority factor in
saving and improving productivity. These
measures are crucial for the protability
of many companies, especially taking into
account the economic environment in the
last few years.
At MATELEC we speak from two perspectives when talking about energy efciency.
On the one hand, a professional point of
Domotics and building automation will

also have their space at the show thanks
to the KNX Congress, what topics will
the presentations refer to?
Indeed. MATELEC will host the Fourth KNX
Congress, organized by the Spanish KNX
Association that brings together companies and entities which manufacture, distribute, integrate, install or promote products, services and solutions based on the
KNX standard, aimed to certify the quality
of communication technology designed
for the monitoring and automation of any
building, whether residential, commercial
or industrial. The conference will consist
of a series of presentations on the latest
developments relating to automation and
control of buildings and houses, for which
there will be an auditorium at MATELEC
2012 as well as an area of exhibition stands
for the companies from the Association.
This area will host exclusive conferences
and lectures at the Fourth KNX Congress.
What other conferences and events will
have a preferential place in the show?
Just to name some activities already organized, we can cite the First Congress of
Smart Grids, the Second Congress of Energy Efciency of the Community of Madrid,
the rst Forum on Energy Efciency Solutions SEE4 (conference space and open
debates at the fair, and specic content
for different proles demand / end customer), the Forum for Industrial Productivity, the IX National Congress of installers
and Telecommunication companies, the
rst MATELEC Awards for Innovation and
Energy Efciency and, of course, the great
week of Energy Efciency
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
2012, May
A PV giant alongside the Alps

Curbans: the rst large PV project (33 MW) directly
connected to the RTEs transport network in France
The plant, with an investment of 100 million Euros led by the French giant GDF SUEZ, has been fully
executed as an EPC by the Spanish engineering company Maetel, and it is currently the highest
capacity facility built in France.
44
POWER PLANTS
A PV giant alongside the Alps

THE POWER PLANT IN CURBANS IS THE FIRST LARGE PV PROJECT (33 MW)
DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE RTES TRANSPORT NETWORK IN FRANCE
The Curbans photovoltaic power facility has a total output of 33 MWp with approximately 145,000
photovoltaic panels producing 43,5 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy each year. This is
equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 14,500 households (excluding heating) and,
compared with a fuel oil power plant, sparing close to 120, 000 metric tons of CO2 emissions
annually. The plant, with an investment of 100 million Euros led by the French giant GDF SUEZ,
has been fully executed as an EPC by the Spanish engineering company Maetel, a company
belonging to the ACS Groups industrial division, and it is currently the highest capacity facility
built in France.
he PV plant in Curbans, located in

the French region of Hautes-Alpes
(Provence-Alpes-Cte dAzur) and
already operating has a total of 33 MW
and is the rst large-scale PV power plant
to be directly connected to the network
RTE in France. The plant covers a total area
of 120 hectares, it is located in an area
with altitudes up to 1,200 meters.
The execution of the plant has been entirely made in the form of an EPC (Engineering, procurement and construction)
by the engineering Maetel, a Spanish company owned by the ACS Groups industrial
division specialized in the construction of
industrial projects , electricity generation
and distribution.
The economic measures created in
France for the photovoltaic sector up to
the government moratorium in November
2010 as well as the specic funding lines
for these plants made it possible to launch
such an ambitious project like this one in
Curbans, whose nancial boost has been
led by the French group GDF SUEZ, which
signed an agreement between two important partners: EuroFideme 21 (Natixis
Environnement & Infrastructure) and SEIEF
(Dexia).
The sector legislation in France, which
adopted from the experience developed
for years by the EU countries which are
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
at the forefront of renewable energy facilities, such as Spain and Germany, has
redened the PV promoter gures that
makes turnkey PV installation projects as
a nancial product, as it already happened
in Spain until the approval of the Royal Decree 661, 2008.
The Curbans power plant project can be
traced back to 2008 with the signing of
the 30-year lease agreement between GDF
and the municipality. It was followed by
different milestones like the environmental
review, building permit obtained in Febru-
ary 2009 or the prefecture of the French

Water Act. Meanwhile, an international
selection process between twelve companies to implement the turnkey project
began in September 2009 led to a shortlist of eight participants, culminating in
the selection of Maetel as the benchmark
company.
The Spanish company submitted a design that included all the necessary solutions to solve the environmental, terrain
and electrical conditions required for the
island operation. Thus, a contract was con-
45
POWER PLANTS
cluded amounting to more than 100 million Euros, which in addition to the EPC for
33MW PV plant, the construction also included in the form of EPC with a 20/225kV,
35 M-VA substation, and an operation and
maintenance contract for 10 years.
Serie YL 235
P-29b-1 / 1650x990
(Yingli Solar)
Serie YL 235 P.29-b1 / 1650x990 are high
efciency, multicristaline solar cells with
high transmission and textured glass deliver
a module efciency of up to 14.4% minimizing installation costs and maximizing
the kWh output per unit area. Tight positive
power tolerance of +/- 3% ensures modules are delivered at or above rated power,
improving system performance through the
reduction of module mismatch losses.
Regarding Quality and Reliability, Serie YL
235 YL 235 P.29-b1 / 1650x990 has a robust, corrosion resistant aluminum frame
independently tested to withstand wind
loads of up to 2,4KPa ensuring mechanical stability. Manufacturing facility certied
to ISO 9001 Quality Management System
standards. All the modules are tested independently in order to ensure compliance
with certication and regulatory standards.
On the other hand, module packaging is
optimized to protect product during transportation and minimize on-site waste.
5-years limited product warranty and
25-years limited power warranty in compliance with our warranty terms and conditions.
46
Viability of the project

The project is framed within the mountains of the Haute -Alpes and it provides
all the necessary elements to complete a
nancial model suitable for development.
Curbans is located in an area called PACA
because of its high level of Peak Solar
Hours, which daily measures the number
of hours that, with an ideal solar irradiation of 1000 W/m2. In fact, thanks to the
exceptional weather it enjoys, the area is
known in the region with the name of Triangle du soleil.
If we consider the Annual Capacity,
which is the number of local peak sun
hours multiplied by the size of the system
and multiplied by the factor of utilization
which is 74% including the correction factor concerning shadows, etc.; Curbans
displays a record 1,280 kWh / kWp / year,
assuming an average of 300 sunny days a
year. These 1,280 peak sun hours, multiplied by the size of the system (24,416 kW)
and multiplied by 74%, account for the
plant a production amount to 23,126,835
kW / h.
All this ensures savings in CO2 emissions in the local energy mix amount to
15,032,443 tons of CO2 annually, equiva-
lent to the average electricity consumption

of 3,340 families of four members per year
with an average consumption of 4,500
kWh per year.
Once the viability of the plant was demonstrated by the studies, MAETEL had to
overcome different obstacles and situations during the construction to bring the
project to a successful end.
These circumstances were mainly conditioned by the enormous work done in the
area of civil works as well as the adjustment of all the electrical and substation
systems to comply with the novel demands
that the PV sector power plants connected
to the transmission network in France.
Among the different milestones during the
construction of the project, we can highlight the following
Environmental protection
The construction of the plant required the
guarantee of an efcient environmental
management and protection of the ecosystem (ora and fauna), so that the reserved
areas and natural parks were preserved
during the implementation phase Similarly,
the continuity of existing ecosystems, species whose degree of protection has been
particularly critical and self-demanding to
ensure the conditions for protected species, was secured The earthworks carried out (over 660,000 m3 and 6,500 m3
amounted to rock ll) and the selection of
the land to provide implementation solutions specic to each area was made possible by a technical staff which developed
detailed eld engineering.
Legal requirements
Local legislation and oversight by various
control bodies proved to be very strict given the commitment to achieving a landmark project for the country. In this regard,
special emphasis was placed on strict compliance with the Water Act, which made
securing the natural watershed after making the cuts and lls selected for the implementation of the platforms.
Logistics and assembly
Logistics was set up as a key factor as it
was necessary to supply 2,000 tons of
steel, with a strict traceability of its quality
by batch and casted from manufacturing
in Belgium to the photovoltaic eld. In toenergetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
POWER PLANTS
tal, 24,000 were vertical posts embedded

in concrete for the installation of the main
structure. In addition, we designed and introduced an auxiliary grid system with cassette type closure in aluminum to ensure
easy mounting of the modules with the
ratio amounted to productive assembly set
in which all generator elements were electro technically controlled.
Moreover, the fact of having to guarantee access for heavy machinery and materials up to the different mounting heights
(up to 1,200 m. High) in critical times for
the local weather with snow depths up to
30 cm was an important logistical effort.
The photovoltaic modules were distributed in 526 shipping containers (20 ) in
the course of four months to the different mounting heights. For this, we had to
run a side project of paved road on the
old track of hunters to ensure access to all
parts of the park.
Large size of the project
The project covers an area of 120 hectares
of affections, with more
than 60 ha. constructed, which houses the
ve core areas of generation in which the project is subdivided: access
roads, service platforms,
network interconnection
and medium voltage evacuation substation that directly connects the plant
to the network RTEs state
with a 225KV voltage
Monitoring and
control
Another major challenge was
focused on the aforementioned connection for evacuation to the 225kV transmission
network of the state company
RTE, which marked perhaps one
of the biggest challenges for a
PV plant, since the requirements
posed by RTE require the ability to
participate in voltage regulation
network, generating or absorbing
reactive power required by the network at all times. The monitoring
and control system expressly created
for that purpose by MAETELs Depart-
48
ment of Automation and Instrumentation

allows, by means of voltage set points received from RTE and the measurement of
voltage, the regulation system of the plant
to be able to generate or absorb, in short,
regular frequency amount to 225kV from
the network by reducing the exported
active power according to the increasing
frequency of the network, and the answer
must be in accordance with the requirements of RTE.
Thus, the system is able to meet response
times and a very strict generation capabilities, typical of a traditional generation system. In fact, it is the rst time that such
behavior is required in a photovoltaic generation system, which allows the system to
absorb the voltage dips and generate reactive power during the island operation.
On the other hand, we must point out
the control system and data acquisition
based on a topology of industrial programmable logic controllers (PLC), who oversee
the production parameters, current reversal, substation, meteorological stations
and anti-intrusion and monitoring system.
From the standpoint of monitoring a
plant of this type, which manages a large
number of variables and availability of the
monitoring directly affects the production,
it requires a distributed solution automation equipment of high quality capable of
processing large amounts of data, allowing recognition of performance failures
in the photovoltaic value chain , and
reaching real-time monitoring over
60,000 variables.
The availability of supervision is
ensured through the use of major
Inverters HSI125
(Helios Systems)
All the inverters Helios Systems are manufactured by the German company called FeCon
GmbH (ISO9001-Wind&Sun Tech Group),
in the northern city of Flensburg. The Helios Systems range of products comes from
central inverters of 80KW up to 1250KW,
together with String boxes and communication Cabinet (Scada). The HSI1250 is the one
used in the plant of Curbans. This is a three
phase inverter, without transformer, made
for IT grid in medium voltage from 6.6KVac
up to 33KVac. Components used inside are
all from rst brands coming from Germany
or Japan, and the company tests each single
unit at 110% of the nominal power before
shipping. Inverters are coming with the following certications: TUV, VDE0126, Real
Decreto, DK5940, AS4777, UL1741, LVRT,
Reactive Power.
equipment redundancy and ring topology in the optical ber communication

networks where, because of the distances
in a plant of this size, ber optic links and
mono multi-mode cohabit
Exzhellent Solar cables (General Cable)

The cables used in the 33 MW photovoltaic installation at Curbans (France) were all halogen
free cables, the most appropriate for a clean energy. Among the range of cables, Exzhellent Solar provided the panels interconnection and from those to the string boxes, all in
the DC side of the installation. Exzhellent Solar cables are designed to German specication TV 2 Pfg 1169, having TV approval and also French approval to UTE C 32-502.
These single-core cables are rated up to 1,8 kV DC and are constituted by a exible tincoated copper conductor with double jacket of cross-linked LSF-OH materials. They have
excellent thermal properties, being suitable to work at extreme ambient temperatures
(-40 C to +90 C), they are mechanically very robust to impact, tear and abrasion, and
may work permanently outdoors or in contact with mineral oils. These characteristics
provide a service life greater than 25 years with the highest reliability.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
MARKET OVERVIEW
JASON DEIGN
PV INSIDER
India: Opportunities and challenges

in PV projects and manufacturing
Indias rapidly expanding solar power market represents a wealth of potential opportunities for
home grown and foreign PV manufacturers and project developers. It is not all plain sailing,
though; like any emerging market, the Indian PV sector has its share of growing pains.
ou do not need to be an avid

reader of Energetica India to
have realised that solar power is
hot property right now in India. A glance
through the nance pages of any paper
should be enough to conrm that business activity in the sector is denitely on
an upward trend.
And the activity is far from conned to
local players. A cursory review of recent
announcements reveals a veritable whos
who of Indian and global energy and photovoltaic (PV) industry companies.
New Delhi-based Bergen Associates, for
example, has recently teamed up with US
thin-lm maker Advanced Energy to build
a 1 megawatt (MW) ground-mounted
plant in Kalanaur, Haryana.
The Californian power company SunEdison, meanwhile, has chosen Narmada
Canal in Gujarat as the site for a ground-
50
breaking solar concept designed to generate 1MW of clean power while reducing
water loss by up to 7 million litres a year.
And Gamesa Electric, a subsidiary of a
major Spanish wind turbine maker, is providing the inverters for the 1MW ESSAR
Solar Photo Voltaic Power Plant in Bhuj,
Gujarat.
It is hardly surprising that the Indian PV
market is drawing interest from around
the world, mind. For a start, there is no
doubting the fact that India needs more
energy and has got plenty of sunlight to
ll that need.
According to data from the World Bank,
energy use in India had risen from just under 280 kilos of oil equivalent per capita
in 1972 to almost 585 in 2009. Over the
same period, the population rose from
573 million to 1.16 billion.
Until recently, that increase in energy
needs had been met mostly through fossil

fuel. But with the population and energy
use gures continuing to grow, there has
been a realisation that India needs to make
as much as it can of renewable energies.
Solar ts the bill nicely.
Higher irradiance than established
markets
Studies by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory show most of the country gets more than 5 kilowatt-hours per
square metre a day in terms of direct normal irradiance, much higher than that of
established PV markets in places such as
Europe.
Furthermore, at a time when incentives
for solar energy are being slashed in many
markets worldwide, in India there is signicant support not just through the nationwide Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (NSM) but also through state-specic
programmes.
This combination of factors has led to
growing interest in the Indian PV market.
By April 2012 the installed capacity across
the country, at 540MW, was still modest in
comparison to that of established markets
abroad.
But according to Bridge to India data
published in Energetica India, almost
319MW of that capacity came on stream
in the rst quarter of 2012, demonstrating
the rate at which the market is picking up
speed. So far, so good, then.
But the Indian PV sectors rst footsteps
have not been without a few trip ups. First
of all there is the local content requirement.
With the rst batch of NSM projects
(although not, notably, in newer state
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
MARKET OVERVIEW
tionship bank, you say Im a big conglomerate, I want to have a debt, and I give you
my whatever as collateral. Or you get nonrecourse nancing, which is difcult in the
Indian market, because PPAs are considered
to be not strong, because of the electricity
boards being in constant debt.
programmes in Gujarat, Rajasthan and

Karnataka), there was a stipulation that
crystalline silicon PV modules had to be
made in India.
This measure was clearly designed to
help stimulate a nascent PV manufacturing industry in the country, but the initial
result was to help create a market that is
like no other in the world.
Specically, early project developers got
around the crystalline silicon local content
requirement by importing a different type
of PV, thin lm, from abroad.
duction capacity that favours crystalline

silicon that it will be the dominant technology in India.
Financial aid for US thin lm

manufacturers
US thin lm makers, in particular, were
aided in their efforts to enter the Indian
market through large handouts from the
Export-Import Bank of the United States
(Ex-Im Bank).
As a consequence, thin lm formats,
which have always occupied a minority
market share compared to crystalline silicon
modules elsewhere, have initially dominated the PV project landscape in India.
At one point they accounted for about
80% of projects in the country, according to Bridge to India. In fairness, the local
content requirement and Ex-Im Bank are
not the only reasons for thin lms popularity in India.
Thin lm is also believed to have superior technical capabilities in hot climates,
although that claim has been cast in doubt
this year following comments from a top
executive at US-based First Solar, one of
biggest manufacturers of this form of
module technology.
In any case, thin lms share of the national market is falling, not least thanks
to the growth, as originally intended, of
Indian crystalline silicon module makers
such as Central Electronics, Indosolar and
Moser Baer.
Another factor has been the increasing
importance of state programmes with no
local content requirement. This essentially
opens the door to cheap foreign crystalline
silicon imports.
A lot of India is driven by local feedin tariffs and local incentives that dont
necessarily have the local manufacturing
rule, says MJ Shiao, a solar analyst for
GTM Research in Cambridge, USA.
Theres just such an imbalance of pro-
Financing: another signicant

challenge
Whether that technology is made in India or imported from abroad (most likely
China) still remains to be seen. And meanwhile, the local content issue is not the
only one facing the PV industry in the
country. Another signicant challenge is
nancing.
Even though the NSM is backed by one
of the most ambitious budgets of any
green energy programme worldwide, it
alone will not be enough to meet Indias
solar power targets. Neither will state-level
subsidies.
So far, international funding bodies such
as the Ex-Im Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corporation and Asian Development
Bank have stepped in to back early projects.
In April, for example, the World Banks
International Finance Corporation agreed
to fund the extension of a Gandhinagar,
Gujarat, pilot of rooftop solar systems to
the cities of Bhavnagar, Mehsana, Rajkot,
Surat and Vadodara.
However, there is an urgent need for Indian debt providers to come forward as
well.
Right now, many are wary because of a
lack of familiarity with the solar industry
and, in the case of power plant projects,
an understandably cautious attitude towards the true value of the power purchase agreements (PPAs) offered by electricity companies.
Bridge to India managing director Dr Tobias Engelmeier says: Some companies
have nanced projects from equity, especially smaller projects; 1MW, maybe a
5MW in the beginning.
A second option is you go to your rela-
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
Irradiation rates affected by

particulates
There are other challenges for PV in India,
too. Solar irradiation data is not always
great, and in practice the levels of sunlight
are frequently affected by the presence of
airborne soot and other particulates from
diesel and wood burning.
This can make it difcult for project developers and owners to get a truthful
estimate of the rate of return from their
plants. In addition, state-run programmes
have experienced problems of their own.
In Gujarat, for example, an attempt to
prevent PPA reselling has resulted in a
policy framework which restricts the level
of exibility available to new market entrants, which has greatly reduced the take
up of projects allocated under the rst two
phases of the states solar programme.
For all that, though, the outlook for PV
in India remains bright, and it is getting
brighter. Many of the challenges encountered so far could be viewed as part of the
usual learning process for any new market.
Indian manufacturers and project developers are now increasingly aware of how
to deal with them. Policy makers are learning from past mistakes. Banks and other
backers are becoming more condent
about funding.
This puts India in stark contrast with established PV markets such as Germany
and Spain, where support is rapidly falling
away. And it is just the start. There is tremendous potential for PV in off-grid applications across the country, for example.
Off-grid is pretty relevant in the Indian
market, conrms Shayle Kann, managing director of GTM Researchs solar practice. Theres obviously a big opportunity.
Theres an energy decit, theres tons of
rural areas.
So whether it is off-grid or on-grid, foreign or national, thin lm or crystalline
silicon, it looks as though PV will continue
to be welcome in India for the foreseeable
future
51
MARKET OVERVIEW
THEO COVARY, SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOCIETY
OF SOUTHERN AFRICA (SESSA) CEO
State of energy:
South Africas Sustainable Energy Situation
Compared to developed countries in Europe and North America, South Africas sustainable and
renewable energy sector is under-developed. This is the opinion of SESSA acting-CEO, Theo
Covary. While South Africa experiences some of the highest levels of solar radiation in the world
at anything between 4.5 kWh/m2 and 6.5 kWh/m2 (parts of Europe receive only 2.5 KWh/m2),
90% of its electricity is from coal-red power stations, ranking it in the top 15 global polluters.
ESSA is the Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa and has,

since 1974, been dedicated to the
use of renewable energy and energy efciency including all solar-based energies
such as photovoltaics, thermal heating and
cooling, wind, biomass and hydro power.
It is the duly appointed African ofce of
ISES and has a position on its board. The
current SESSA representative is mechanical
and mechatronic engineering specialist,
Professor Wikus van Niekerk of Stellenbosch University.
To prove his point, Covary highlights a
disturbing fact: While South Africa experiences some of the highest levels of solar
radiation in the world at anything between 4.5 kWh/m2 and 6.5 kWh/m2 (parts
of Europe receive only 2.5 KWh/m2), 90%
of its electricity is from coal-red power
stations, ranking it in the top 15 global
polluters.
However, all is not doom and gloom
the country is committed to reducing its
emissions growth path by 42% over the
next 15 years; new building regulations
stipulate that 50% of a buildings hot water supply must be generated by renewable or sustainable energy sources; and
the nancial services sector is working on
models or programmes that will encourage the uptake of solar and other energyefcient technologies.
52
Government leading the way

At COP15 in Copenhagen, Denmark,
in 2009, South Africas President , Jacob
Zuma, committed the country to reducing
its emissions growth path from a business
as usual track by 34% by 2020 and 42%
by 2025.
Leading the countrys bid to achieve this
goal is the governments Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (IPP), a landmark project
designed to stimulate the countrys renewable energy sector. Tying in with Zumas
promises, the goal is to generate 42% of
all new electricity from renewable energy
sources over the next 20 years. Technologies under consideration include solar,
wind, hydro, biomass and biogas.
All told the capital investment associated with the programme is expected to
be more than R100-billion. In fact, the
relevant documentation states that some
17.800 MW of renewables capacity should
be deployed between 2010 and 2030,
with wind and solar photovoltaic expected
to deliver 8 400 MW of capacity each, and
concentrated solar thermal a further 1.000
MW.
In the rst phase of the project, the Department of Energy said it would procure
3.725 MW. The allocation sees 1.850
MW set aside for onshore wind, 200 MW
for concentrated solar thermal, a further
1.450 MW for solar photovoltaic solutions, 12.5 MW for biomass and biogas
respectively, 25 MW for landll gas capacity, 75 MW for small hydro, and a further
100 MW for small-scale IPP projects of less
than 5 MW.
In April 2011, the Department of energy
conrmed that it had received a total of 79
tenders during the second bidding round
of the rst phase of the programme,
which closed on March 5.
These 79 tenders represented some
3.233 MW of potential power generation
capacity, which is almost three times the 1
275 MW allocated for the March window.
A further 2 300 MW is still available for allocation under the programme at a future
date.
Challenges and opportunities for
the IPP
This over subscription is an indication of
South Africas appetite for renewable energy, as each tender represented a distinct
and separate installation, said Covary.
SESSA has therefore recommended
that government speedily resolve all legal requirements for locking in successful
bidders, and then proceed with the next
round of bidding as soon as possible to
capitalise on the interest.
Weve also suggested that Government
consider increasing its target of 3 725 MW
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
MARKET OVERVIEW
nothing to support the edgling industry,

which requires nancial incentive to spur
on further growth.
of renewables capacity. The fact that the

second round of bidding has attracted
nearly three times as much capacity as
called for indicates that the 2016 target
may be set too low.
Most of the technology specied in the
bids received is coming from abroad; SESSA said it was to be expected but stressed
that future bidding rounds must demand
higher local content and skills. This should
be a key consideration when negotiating
new trade agreements with key trading
such as BRICS or other regions, as it may
create conict between different policy
objectives.
For example Solar Water Heating installations have increased dramatically, with
over 180,000m last year. Unfortunately
most of these were imported and at least
two long standing manufacturers have
closed down.
Government tasking industry with creating green jobs is one thing; in reality it
is very difcult to implement if local content and skills targets are not set and enforced, Covary said.
Additionally, SESSA suggested Government begins ring fencing the revenue it
received from carbon taxes, and using it
to grow the industry instead of ploughing
it into other service delivery areas. The latter, sends the wrong message about the
importance of renewable energy and does
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
New building legislation

Another of the steps taken to assist South
Africans along the path of achieving this
goal is new national building regulations
relating to efcient energy usage in new
buildings. These came into effect in November 2011 and relate to energy efciency in some of the following areas: hot
water supply, energy usage, insulation,
building, oors, design, orientation and
windows.
Any plans submitted after this date will
have to comply with these energy efcient regulations, largely relating to hot
water usage and energy efciency. The
regulation, or SANS 10400XA, states that
at least 50% of the annual average hot
water heating requirement will be provided by means other than conventional
electricity like the existing electrical geyser
and be complimented by either solar water
heating, a heat pump, heat recovery or a
renewable combustible fuel.
This is major step forward for South Africa in terms of meeting our emissions target reduction, added Covary. However,
if all South Africas new homes and new
commercial buildings undertook mandatory ceiling insulation and advanced window
systems immediately, an estimated 3800
MW electricity saving could be added to
that saved.
Financial services industry to
contribute towards renewable
growth
A paradigm shift by the local insurance
industry when it comes to the replacement of burst geysers could dramatically
change the solar water heating industry
landscape in South Africa.
In a nutshell, if the industry will accept
consumers opting to replace their electrical element geysers by solar water heaters when the electrical element geyser
fails, the demand for solar water heaters
will spiral, contributing to the growth of
a healthier and more sustainable industry.
And, if locally produced solar heating
units are used at the point of failure, this
could be the catalyst for growth local manufacturers of solar heaters are looking for.
The average short term insurance spend

for middle class households is typically divided between motor vehicle insurance,
household insurance and insurance of a
physical building, usually the primary residence, said Covary.
Some 70% of all building insurance
claims are related to malfunctioning geysers, with 50% of the costs being the replacement of the geyser, and 50% resultant water damage. Many solar geysers
are placed outside, reducing the risk of
water damage substantially.
It has been estimated by Karin Kritzinger
of an organisation called Green Cape, that
about 35 000 high pressure solar geysers
are installed in this country each year by
the market segment that has homeowners
insurance. By contrast, she estimated the
market for traditional geysers in South
Africa that is, those that use electricity to heat the water they hold to be
about 450 000 a year. Of this demand,
about 200 000 are geysers that need to
be replaced by the insurance industry. This
makes the industry the largest purchaser
of all geyser types.
The insurance industry has proposed a
Green Geyser Replacement Project under
which consumers replacing their traditional geysers could opt for the solar alternative. If this went ahead, the local solar industry could be boosted by some 200 000
units a year, would reduce the homeowners reliance on Eskoms grid, and also save
them money well into the future.
he South African Insurance Association
(SAIA) is currently conducting a supply
chain readiness assessment to understand
the volume of green geyser replacements
that the supply chain can effectively produce and install should the industrys
Green Geyser Replacement Project (GGRP)
be signed off.
A landmark project
The remarkable success of one of the
largest private photovoltaic installations in
southern Africa at Villiera Wines between
Paarl and Stellenbosch proves this country
has the expertise and technical skill to deliver world-class solar solutions, of all sizes said Covary. SESSA is working closely
with Government and other industry bodies to ensure that South Africa reaches its
full renewables future
53
MARKET OVERVIEW
ADRIAN WOOD
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR,
EMIRATES SOLAR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (ESIA)
Solar power in
the UAE
On a per capita basis, UAE residents consume more electricity than almost anyone else on the
planet certainly much more than people in Europe, Asia or North America. Alarmingly, our
consumption is climbing higher and higher. In 2011, peak electricity demand in Abu Dhabi grew
by almost 14%, one of the highest in the world. And according to ofcial government forecasts,
demand is expected to continue growing by over 10% until at least 2019.
his surge in
demand
is
fueled by rapid growth in the
industrial
sector
(aluminum
smelters, petrochemical
plants, etc), residential and commercial
megaprojects, higher
requirements
from ADNOC for oil and gas production,
and larger transfers to the Northern Emirates. In 2013, the export of electricity
from Abu Dhabi to the Northern Emirates
is expected to soar from 2,000 megawatts
to over 3.500 megawatts.
The big question is: will supply keep up
with demand?
The answer is not encouraging. Most of
the power plants in the UAE run on natural gas. And despite sitting on the worlds
fourth largest natural gas reserves, the
UAE is nding it hard to get the stuff out
of the ground fast enough.
The problem in due to countrys subsurface DNA. A signicant portion of gas
reserves are in associated oil deposits that
makes gas production more challenging.
It is like trying to eat Jell-O using a straw.
Much of the gas is also sour, high in sulfur content, which makes it more costly to
extract and process.
Faced with a periodic shortage of gas domestically and an inability to source cheap
54
Despite sitting on the

worlds fourth largest
natural gas reserves,
the UAE is nding it
hard to get the stuff
out of the ground fast
enough
gas within the region, Abu Dhabi has had
to turn to diesel. The trouble with using diesel is that it costs a lot more and the CO2
emissions are higher. For example, the cost
of producing electricity in Abu Dhabi using
a conventional gas-red power plant is 11
lls/kWh. Using diesel, it would cost roughly quadruple that amount. In the Northern
Emirates where the diesel generators are
typically older and less efcient the cost can
be as high as 70 lls/kWh. As a result, each
year the Abu Dhabi government has to
spend signicant sums on diesel fuel costs
to keep power plants running during peak
demand periods. And as demand continues
to rise, so will this nancial burden.
Fortunately, there are some simple steps
that can be taken to remedy this energy
challenge.
One option is to bring utility prices closer
to the cost of production and distribution.
Currently, the government subsidizes wa-
ter and electricity costs up to 100% depending on the end-user. Consequently,

residents in the UAE pay only a fraction of
what their European counterparts pay for
electricity. This naturally leads to inefciencies and wastage. If the electricity wasnt
so cheap (or in some cases free) people
would use it more carefully. As a result,
demand would stabilize, thereby putting
less strain on reserves. Despite the simplicity of such a policy, it is nevertheless politically sensitive and will therefore likely take
several years to roll out.
Another option is to turn to renewable
energy, particularly solar. This country is
blessed with at least 350 sunny days. And
then sun shines exactly when we need it
most; during the daytime when air conditioning units are running at full capacity.
With an abundance of desert land, there is
no shortage of space either.
Already the leadership of Abu Dhabi has
taken the bold step of setting an ambitious
renewable energy target: 7% by 2020. This
is equivalent to roughly 1,500MW of renewable energy. In Dubai, their target is 5%
by 2030, equivalent to at least 1,000MW.
The next step is implementation.
Financially, switching to solar power
would for the most part be a cheaper alternative to using diesel. Large-scale solar
power plants are able to produce electricity at roughly 55 lls per kilowatt hour.
Moreover, the cost of solar has been dropping by roughly 10% year-on-year while
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
MARKET OVERVIEW
diesel prices are expected to creep up in

line with rising oil prices.
Of course, solar has its own challenges.
For one, the volume of electricity generated by even large-scale solar plants is
a fraction of what conventional power
plants can produce. And because of the
large land requirement, power plants are
often far away from urban hubs which
means higher transmission costs.
But what about the perceived electricity generation demand gap in the UAE
or the carbon foot-print ? Well, it is clear
that CAPEX costs for solar projects, and
thereby the cost of generated electricity
from solar projects, are continuing to reduce. Solar generated electricity, coupled
with better energy usage / more efcient
energy use by industrial as well as residential consumers will denitely support the
electricity generation-demand gap to help
reduce carbon footprint metrics per capita
in the UAE. It is essential, however, that
both solar projects and initiatives to drive
The concept of excess

power generated from
solar being exported
onto the Middle East
grid or even to other
markets is a not so
distant possibility
better energy efciency are implemented
by the Government. The Renewable Energy targets set by Abu Dhabi and Dubai
of 7% and 1% respectively will denitely
support this drive to reduce the electricity
generation-demand gap.
Despite these hurdles, solars future is
looking bright. As solar prices continue to
fall and the technology continues to improve it is going to become an increasingly
viable and sustainable source of energy.
Depending on size of installed solar power,

solar power will inuence the dependency
of the UAE on oil or gas needed for electricity generation. It will also enable the UAE
to benet from opportunity cost of fuels.
The rst priority will no doubt be to meet
its own internal / domestic power demand.
However, after this, exporting oil saved
due to the use of solar power to the world
market is a factor to drive the use of solar
energy. Alternatively, the concept of excess
power generated from solar being exported
onto the Middle East grid or even to other
markets is a not so distant possibility.
Quote by Adrian Wood, Marketing and
Communication director of ESIA and Regional Director for Siemens The Middle
East offers an excellent opportunity to develop and implement cost-effective renewable energy projects. ESIA supports this
and is working with key public and private
stakeholders to create market awareness
for solar energy and drive the business forward
Sistemas fotovoltaicos de Alemania directamente desde el fabricante.
Los sistemas fotovoltaicos de PAIRAN ^

La empresa alemana PAIRAN, trabaja desde
hace casi 20 aos en el sector de la electrnica industrial y desde 1998 disea y fabrica productos solares de alta calidad bajo el
nombre de la marca pesos.
Desde entonces, el grupo PAIRAN crece constantemente y despus de haber establecido
Z'/

^',
Los sistemas fotovoltaicos de PAIRAN estn comprobados durante muchos aos en condiciones reales y

para estar ms cerca del mercado de la Pennsula
Ibrica.
slidad excelente de los productos pesos de la cual
queremos convencerle.
Pdanos un presupuesto sin compromiso!

Productos solares pesos|Sistemas de seguimiento solar|Inversores|Mdulos fotovoltaicos
PAIRAN SOLAR S.L.|Polgono Industrial Rafalet s/n|46723 Almoines (Valencia)|Tel.: 962 804251|Fax: 962 804443|info-es@pairan.com|www.pairan.com
ENERGY STORAGE
SERGIO HURTADO
CTO, GPTECH
Energy Storage Systems integration
into PV Power Plants

New challenges are growing currently in the eld of operation of electrical power system, which
includes the increasing level of distributed generation from new energy sources, especially
renewable sources. Energy storage will soon become a key element of smart grids, especially as
more power generation from inherently intermittent sources such as solar and wind come online.
smart grid can always be dened

by three types of nodes (see Figure
1): generation nodes, consumption
nodes and a third kind, the Point Of Interconnection (POI). Usually, micro grid control
is performed by managing the state variables
of the point of interconnection. Depending
on the application, these variables will be
real and reactive power exchange, or voltage and frequency control, respectively. In all
cases, a fourth kind of node must be used to
allow a complete smart grid management:
the Energy Storage System node.
Figure 1. Smart grid Nodes
The use of Energy Storage Systems (ESS)

in PV Power Plants allows an optimal performance in all PV systems applications:
For power plants oriented to the self-consumption, ESS allows minimize the exchange
with the grid, increasing the percentage of
energy used from photovoltaic generation.
Depending on local regulations this selfconsumption increase can give extra prots
in the power plant operation. In this case the
ESS allows to use the extra energy not used
during the day. Battery discharge will depend
on the customer consumption, so high capacity batteries are needed; optimal sizing would
be close to the total plant energy production
during one regular day. However, is not nec-
56
little charge/discharge cycles.

essary a big discharge power.
Additionally, if the generation
In the case of power plants oristops it has to support all the load
ented to sale the energy to the
power until the load disconnects
grid, ESS allows an active manin a controlled way. The same isagement of the energy producsue appears when the generation
tion, giving the capability to inject
starts. The system has to create
energy into the grid at the highest
the grid where the loads are goconsumption time which is the
ing to connect, and support them
highest energy prize too. In this
until the generation is ready to incase, battery discharge is done in
ject energy into the grid.
a relatively short time, so the dis- Figure 2. Double Dynamic GPtechs ESS,
The ES requirements for those
charge power must be about the power up to 1MVA
applications include: fast reaction
plant rated power.
time, high efciency, easiness of
Other case, most common each
day, is the necessity to meet the connection maintenance and possibility to indepenrequirements for generation plants to weak dently sizing power and energy of the storgrids like the islands. These requirements age system, According to them, to its current
usually force the power plant to participate technological state and fast development
in the grid frequency and voltage regulation. trend, nowadays, the best option for the ESS
Frequency regulation must be accomplished is electrical storage in batteries. However the
using storage systems, since the power main problem of the batteries is its limited
source is not available at all time. Batteries lifetime. This lifetime depends on the numin this case must be sized to have the power ber of cycles of charge and discharge and on
required by the droop law applicable, usually their depth.
To solve this issue, GPtech suggests a doudened by the system operator.
Regarding voltage regulation, it is per- ble dynamic ESS based in batteries and caformed by reactive power injection or con- pacitors working together (scheme is shown
sumption. Reactive power provision for in Figure 2). Short charge and discharge
voltage control purpose can be provided by cycles, with characteristic times about minPV inverters having extended VA rating. An- utes, will be supplied by capacitors, with a
other way is to give priority to Q generation much higher lifetime, while batteries will
instead of P, but this reduces the real power. supply long time cycles in the order of hours.
The last case is the isolated systems. In this On this way the lifetime of the batteries can
case voltage and frequency must be gener- increase to the double.
Nowadays and in the near future batteries
ated and controlled by smart grid nodes.
ESS is an imperative requirement in this kind and the associate power electronics control
of installations. In stable operation it has to are considered as the most important issue
smooth the differences between power pro- for PV integration and as the technology
duction and loads, so the storage system which will provide PV plants with capability
must be fast and be able to support a lot of for grid applications
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
Energetica in front of the Energy (R)evolution
Energetica Media Channels

News & Synergies for the global energy re-think tank
Contact us to position your company at the forefront
For Editorial Online Publication
gloria@energetica-international.com
journalist@energetica-international.com
AFRICA
ASIA-PACIFIC
Advertising, International
Andrew Callaway
andrew@energetica-international.com
EUROPE
INDIA
Advertising, Spanish language

Alvaro Lopez
ala@energetica-international.com
LATINAMERICA
MENA&TURKEY
Advertising, India
Chintan Valia
chintan.valia@energetica-india.net
NORTHAMERICA
SPAIN
SMA
The path to your
own power distribution grid
Off-grid systems on AC basis open up new possibilities for providing a stable and powerful
energy supply independent of the power distribution grid. This kind of stand-alone network not
only provides the customary supply quality usually associated with power distribution grids. Due
to its modular structure, it is also very simple to install and can be expanded freely. Through
the integration of renewable energy sources which avoid fuel costs and are steadily becoming
more economically viable, such systems are today already more cost-effective than conventional
systems running on diesel generators.
his article explains the basic technical principles of off-grid power

supply systems and demonstrates
their structure and function using the
example of a large hybrid system with
around 270 kW installed generating capacity.
Why alternating current?
AC coupling is the basis for modular offgrid power supply of up to 300 kW. In
contrast to DC coupling, all energy sources and consumers are connected through
an AC power grid, which offers a number
58
of advantages: commercial and therefore

affordable AC power devices can be used
on the consumer side. On the generator
side, any number of renewable or conventional energy sources can be incorporated. Alternating current grids can
be expanded without specialized technical knowledge and using standard components that are available everywhere.
Compared to components for direct current grids, there components are considerably cheaper because they normally
have to carry higher voltages but also
much lower currents. There is also much
more planning exibility involved since

even large distances between the generators, batteries and consumers can be
implemented. In addition, the connection
of generators and consumers in alternating current grids is possible practically at
any random point in the network thus
providing optimum conditions for subsequent expansion.
Sunny Island the grid and
battery manager
The central component of the stand-alone
grid is the Sunny Island battery inverter. In
its role of grid former and manager, it is
in charge of the stability of the alternating current grid and ensures that voltage
and frequency remain with the permissible limiting values. The Sunny Island will
take care of storing any excess energy in
the battery, and in the reverse case, of
supplying the grid with power from the
battery. Thus, it is a bidirectional battery
inverter, often referred to as a combined
inverter/battery charger. Such devices are
particularly cost-effective, since they execute both functions via the same power
semiconductor devices.
The Sunny Island is equipped not only
with grid management, but also with a
highly developed battery management
function, including monitoring. Thus it
is continuously updated on the batteries exact state of charge and as system
manager makes on-going decisions. At
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
times when the batteries are empty and

there is a little generation capacity, it can
activate a permanently available backup
energy source (e.g., a diesel generator) or
even switch off certain consumer loads.
It also determines the optimum strategy
for charging the batteries, and in doing
so, increases their service life. Apart from
all this, the compact device provides further special functions specially
geared to the requirements of
stand-alone grids.
tered which can be well in excess of the

normal operating current. In addition,
some consumers may require a lot of energy just for a short while, thus creating
short peaks on the load prole. For the
sizing of off-grid systems it is extremely
important to use battery inverters with a
high overload capability; this will ensure
that such load peaks can be handled
Automatic reactive
power compensation
With a possible phase shift of
-90 degrees to +90 degrees
(shift factor cos(q) from 0 to 1
lagging/leading), the Sunny Island can, if necessary, provide
its entire nominal power in the
form of reactive power. Thus,
it is capable of compensating
for phase shifts in the standalone grid caused by lagging
or leading leads (e.g., engines,
transformers, cable lines).
PV management via
remote control
When the batteries are full
and electricity demand is low,
the Sunny Island reduces the
electricity produced by all renewable energy generators
whether PV plants, hydropower systems or wind turbine
systems. Sole proviso: All the
inverters are SMA devices and
their stand-alone grid mode
is activated. If this is the case,
the devices will no longer disconnect from the grid with
rising frequency, but will continuously reduce their power
output. As grid manager, the
Sunny Island species the frequency in the stand-alone grid and can
thus limit the power of all the generators
and maintain the energy balance of the
grid without any further lines of communication.
without a problem. The Sunny Island

5048 can handel 6.5 kW for 30 minutes,
8.4 kW for three seconds i.e., approximately two and a half times its nominal
power.
Extreme overload capability

When certain loads are switched on, high
start-up currents are frequently encoun-
Three phases no problem

For the transmission of large capacities in
alternating current grids, a three-phase
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
conguration has proven effective this

is true both for large power distribution
grids and for stand-alone grids. The advantage: Due to the overlap of the phaseshifted individual capacities, three-phase
consumers have practically continuous
power at their disposal. The generators
in diesel power units or wind turbine systems also supply three-phase power in
most cases. It is actually possible to set up single-phase
systems up to a battery inverter power of 20 kW (parallel switching of four Sunny Island 5048 to one phase). For
larger capacities, however,
three-phase stand-alone grids
are usually preferred.
This is accomplished by always having three Sunny Island inverters connected to a
three-phase cluster. A master device sets the frequency
for both slave devices,
which in turn operate exactly
at 120 or 240 degrees phaseshifted from each other. Synchronization is achieved via a
special communication connection between the devices.
Another advantage of this
connection is that the entire
cluster can be congured using only the master inverter.
If the system is properly
wired and congured, a
three-phase stand-alone grid
can function just as well as
the single-phase version. An
asymmetric grid load caused
by a single-phase consumer
can also be compensated for
automatically by having the
inverter draw more power
from the battery based on
the phase with the greater
load. Even completely asymmetric operation is possible, for instance,
when solar power is fed to phase 1 and
there is consumption on phase 3. However, since in this case the energy must
be put through two additional Sunny
Island inverters, for efciency reasons, it
is still better to keep the distribution of
loads and generators as symmetrical as
possible
59

SIMON ROLLAND
SECRETARY GENERAL
ALLIANCE FOR RURAL ELECTRIFICATION
Rural PV micro-grid with individual energy allowance

scheme powers a 60 homes village in Santo Anto (Cabo Verde)
The 27,3 kWp PV pergola in
Monte Trigo Cabe Verde /
(PHOTO: APP).
The 60-family community of Monte Trigo, a village in the Cape Verdean island of Santo Anto,
is only reachable by boat and is completely dependent on shing and its trade with nearby
villages. The need for ice to preserve sh is vital, and villagers have frequent ve-hour boat trips
to purchase it. It was to respond to this need that local entities, with the support of the ACP-EU
Energy Facility programme, came together to nance and develop an off-grid solar energy project
that consists of a rural Multi-user Solar micro-Grid (MSG) based on a photovoltaic generator
mounted on a special wooden pergola that also provides shade to the villages schoolyard.
hile you were probably having

a normal days work, on Thursday, 9 February 2012, a small
village in Africa experienced its rst 24
hours of electricity.
The 60-family community of Monte Trigo, a village in the Cape Verdean island of
Santo Anto, is only reachable by boat and
is completely dependent on shing and its
trade with nearby villages. The need for ice
to preserve sh is vital, and villagers have
frequent ve-hour boat trips to purchase it.
A reliable and clean source of energy,
which would enable sustainable and affordable electricity, would not only respond to basic needs like lighting, communication and community services, but also
productive uses like ice production.
Let there be light
It was to respond to this need that local
entities, with the support of the ACP-EU
Energy Facility programme, came together
to nance and develop an off-grid solar energy project that consists of a rural
Multi-user Solar micro-Grid (MSG) based
60
on a photovoltaic generator mounted on a

special wooden pergola that also provides
shade to the villages schoolyard.
The needs of the village are supplied with
standard electricity of 230V, 50Hz AC delivered through an 800m aerial distribution
line to 60 users including households, one
school, a church, a kinder garden, a health
centre, a satellite TV dish centre, three
general stores and 22 street lights.
The PV micro power plant can produce
an average of 74kWh per day. Part of this
energy is consumed during the daytime
and part is stored in batteries with a capacity of about 370 kWh for night time consumption. The old 20kVA genset can be
used as a backup burning expensive diesel
fuel, so it is essential that users understand
the implications of their behaviour on the
electricity service and cost.
The challenges and added-value of
controlling energy demand
Generally speaking, concepts such as the
sustainable and rational use of solar energy, and the implications of the different
charging levels of the batteries, are not

easily understood or introduced into the
end-users daily habits. To address this, the
concept of Energy Daily Allowance (EDA)
was established in the Monte Trigo project
by the system designers - Trama Tecnoambiental (TTA).
The EDA makes the demand-management more intelligent and exible by caping the power and energy available to
each user to an agreed maximum. This
ensures the plant operates within its rated
design and prevents black outs or unforeseen increases in operating costs because
of higher back-up diesel fuel consumption.
This limit is, nevertheless, exible, depending on the plants condition. On very sunny
days users are encouraged to make use
of the surplus generation at no extra cost.
The implementation is done through a
special type of meter (called an electricity dispenser) that permanently shows the
user the available energy allowance and
includes a signal to encourage or refrain
consumption, always according to the
plants condition.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
Training session for nal users / (PHOTO: TTA).
The EDA is a vital design feature, as it is

the element from which the PV generator (and then all the other major system
components) is sized. So it is essential to
determine in a detailed and accurate way
each users energy demand. The EDA also
estimates future increase according to the
communitys specic social and economic
environment, and enables components
like batteries and inverters to operate
within their specied range, hence increasing system efciency and lengthen their
life duration.
The Monte Trigo projects service was setup using a mixed private/public-utility concept, in which CMPN and APP are directly
responsible for the service management
and operation and maintenance (O&M)
activities of the facility.
Tariff collection is based on xed monthly
rates related to the EDA and was established within the populations payment
capacity. This not only sustains O&M but
also partially pays back the capital costs.
An example of the adopted tariff options
in Monte Trigo:
Energy demand
type
Very Low
Energy Daily
Allowance [Wh/
day]
Power limit [kW]
825
0,55
Low
1 100
0,55
Medium
1 650
1,10
High
2 200
1,10
Very High
3 300
1,65
Table 1. Example of tariff options for Monte Trigo.
The O&M activities are organised in order to involve local users and are structured around a concept of three levels of
involvement: (1) nal users, (2) st-level
O&M up-keeper/user and (3) second-level
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
User charging her tariff. / (PHOTO:TTA).
O&M technicians.
The rst level includes the users themselves, as they are the rst component of a
successful and durable service. The objective is not only to support them in maintaining their home installation, but also
make their electricity consumption behaviour and habits more efcient.
The second level includes a team of
trained users, responsible for the basic daily operation, maintenance and, in case of
specic alarm and issues, reporting.
Finally, the operators technical personnel are the focal point for problem-solving,
ensuring substitution when end-of-life
is reached, as well as for specic maintenance and overall activities.
The importance of strong
partnerships
As with any successful rural electrication
project, Monte Trigo involved many partners
from different parts of the world working together. In isolated communities such as this
one, the quality of the different components
of the system gains new importance, so it
is essential to involve the right (and experienced) companies for each job.
The design and implementation of the
Monte Trigo project were managed by
TTA on behalf of the developers. Founded
in 1986, TTA is an international consulting and engineering rm working in the
eld of renewable energies, environmental projects and technology development
in many developing countries.
Studer Innotec contributed with technical know-how, supporting TTA to accomplish this original solution where two
micro-grids share excess energy. Their
Xtender inverter-chargers allowed a exible management of the systems energy

production and consumption.
The 214 A-130P modules (each containing 36 polycrystalline cells) were supplied
by ATERSA, that also designed the pergola
to aid the installation of the modules and
supplied the batteries, regulators, converters and all the structures required for installation of the system.
Project Outcome
From the rst days of operation, the local authorities showed their satisfaction
with the new 24-hour electricity service,
as demonstrated by the visit of the President of the Republic of Cape Verde (Dr.
Jorge Carlos Fonseca) and of the European
Union Ambassador in Cape Verde (Mr. Josep Coll) shortly after the project was commissioned (see pictures 6 and 7).
But most of all, it is the enthusiasm of
the Monte Trigo population which demonstrates the success of the project. The
villagers habits adapted very easily to their
new quality of life and what it brought.
Major changes are already shaping the
life of this community: one user already
bought his rst refrigerator (an A+ energy
rating!) and local workers brought in a
welding machine from the nearby village
to x a structure with a defect. It was the
rst time they were able to use something
like this in the village.
It is expected that with the two ice machines capable of up to 500 kg/day production using peak of the day, solar surplus
generation will improve the commercial
activities on which the village sustains its
economy
61
SOLAR PV
THOMAS MHLBERGER
FRONIUS
Arcs in Photovoltaics
Over the last few years, the number of PV system installations has grown enormously in certain
parts of the world. As a result, safety and quality standards have been continuously updated in
order to ensure that todays systems are as safe and reliable as possible. It is vital that these
standards continue to evolve and that any potential system weaknesses continue to be identied
and resolved. One current topic of discussion is the occurrence of arcs in PV systems and the
ways to eliminate this risk. Read on to nd out more...
ike all electrical systems, PV systems

are subject to the risk of arc faults.
These occur when a sufciently high
voltage is generated between two electrodes located a certain distance apart. The
electrical voltage causes the gas between
the electrodes (generally air) to ionize. In
other words electrons are forced out of
the gas molecules and atoms, creating a
plasma of positive ions and electrons. This
plasma can heat up to several 1.000C and
create a ow of current between the electrodes, causing a characteristically bright
arc to appear. The high arc temperatures
can cause severe damage to the system
and in extreme cases even cause re.
Occurrence of Arcs
If a wire in a circuit is cut, the two ends of
the wire act in the same way as the electrodes, separated by air, mentioned above.
Depending on the voltage and the dis-
Figure 1: Occurrence of a serial arc.
62
The arc may be subsequently reignited but

ultimately this type of arc is less stable than
those in DC systems because it is continually extinguished.
Types of Arc Occurring in
Photovoltaic Systems
Two main types of arc can be distinguished
depending on their position in the PV system (see Figure 2).
tance between the two wire ends, an arc
may therefore occur (see Figure 1). Various
studies have shown that arcs can occur at
just 20 V and with very small amperages.
Moreover arcs can occur in circuits with
either an AC or a DC voltage source supplying the voltage between the two electrodes. The main difference between AC
and DC systems is that arcs in AC systems
are easier to extinguish. The periodically
varying voltage means that the arc is extinguished upon each voltage zero crossing.
Parallel Arcs
Parallel arcs are those that occur either
between the positive and negative pole or
between one of the two live wires and the
ground in grounded systems.
Typical causes of parallel arcs in PV systems are:
s Short circuits (between + and -) in DC
receivers; and
s Defective insulation on the main DC
wires ( + to - or live wire to ground).
Figure 2: Serial and parallel arcs in PV systems.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
SOLAR PV
Serial Arcs
This type of arc typically occurs when the
contacts in the circuit are opened.
Typical causes of serial arcs in PV systems
are:
s Poorly crimped/assembled DC plug;
s Defective module junction boxes;
s High resistance solder connections between the cells of a module;
s Poorly connected cable on the DC side;
and
s String fuses that are the wrong size or
not permitted for PV applications.
Preventing Arcs in Photovoltaic
Systems
Serial and parallel arcs have different
causes and therefore require different
prevention measures. Generally speaking,
parallel arcs are very unlikely to occur.
Figure 3: Current and voltage curves when an arc fault occurs.
Parallel Arcs
Thanks to the comprehensive combination of protective measures prescribed in
the applicable standards, this type of arc
is very unlikely to occur. The PV generator
comprises a circuit with protection class 2
(double insulation on the DC cable, plus
safely grounded and short-circuit-proof
wiring). In the majority of cases, this prevents short circuits and thus arcs from
occurring. The inverters also provide additional safety features in the form of insulation monitoring and fault current monitoring. These features ensure that defects
(such as defective insulation on a live wire)
are always identied as soon as they occur,
even if they do not pose any immediate
danger. Fixing any defects right at the start
prevents further defects from developing
that could cause a parallel arc.
suring that connections remain secure in

the long term. Likewise, the electricians
responsible for installing the system have
a key role to play. In addition to selecting
the correct components (e.g., string fuses
that are suitable for PV systems), they
must also ensure the system is correctly installed. This includes tightening the screw
terminals to the correct torque and crimping and assembling the DC plug exactly as
per the instructions.
Nonetheless, even if the PV system meets
all of the above requirements, there is always a risk of an arc fault occurring due
to the high thermal load the system is
subjected to every day, year-in-year-out,
as well as the impact of weather conditions such as rain, snow, and ice. In order
to eliminate this risk, researchers are currently looking into the option of using an
arc detector.
Serial Arcs
The key to preventing serial arcs is to
ensure that the connections between individual wires in the PV system are completely secure and thus cannot become
disconnected unintentionally. There are
two fundamental requirements for secure
connections: Premium components and
meticulous and correct installation.
High quality processes for the production
of module junction boxes and the solder
connections in the module are vital for en-
Arc Detector
The principal behind the arc detector is
that the occurrence of an arc in the PV
generator causes signicant changes in
the current and voltage signals for the PV
system (see Figure 3). An electronic device
with evaluation capability can be used
to monitor these changes and switch off
the system by means of a suitable control
mechanism, where necessary, in order to
extinguish the arc. This device can either
be integrated into the inverter or installed
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
as a separate unit on the DC side of the

PV system.
New Challenges
Even though this type of detector is already in use in other industrial sectors, its
use in photovoltaics poses new challenges
for manufacturers. The high voltages, long
wires and diverse module technologies (all
with different electrical systems) make it extremely difcult to detect arcs. Intensive research is currently being conducted in order
to nd ways to overcome these challenges
and arc detection products are expected
to be launched on the market in the next
few years. These will help make PV systems
even safer and even higher quality.
Summary
As with any electric circuit, defects in PV systems can give rise to arc faults. The installation and production standards currently
in force and the components produced in
accordance with these standards help to
prevent arcs and increase safety standards to
a large extent. However, it is also vital that
the systems are installed by experts with due
care and attention. In order to eliminate any
residual risk, researchers are currently looking to develop arc detectors that meet the
requirements of PV systems. Arc detectors
that make PV systems even safer and higher
quality are expected to be launched on the
market in the next few years
63
SOLAR PV
CARLOS NAVARES | EMILIO MENNDEZ
DIRECTOR OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY |
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER CMC
New technologies for the
management of renewable assets

The introduction of new technologies to Renewable asset management is already underway.
These systems named Asset management systems (AMS) or Assets intelligence systems are
changing rapidly the way of doing business in the renewable energy sector.
raditionally investor groups

had a high degree of dependence on their local staff and the OM service providers.
This creates an undue bureaucracy and quite often makes difcult
the ow of information to top
management and stakeholders,
delaying reporting processes and
reducing transparency in the operation of the plants.
New technologies allow investment managers to obtain information directly from the renewable plants, regardless of whether
we talk about wind farms, solar PV or CSP
plants, biomass, heat & power or any other
renewable facilities, avoiding any further
dependence on third parties.
In addition, the stakeholders can follow
the evolution of their investments on the
corporate web site or even on their smartphones with semi real time applications,
improving condence in the management
team or investment directors.
CMC, more than a decade ago, commenced integrating SCADA systems in renewable plants and recently has developed
an integral solution customized to t the
needs of any investor group, allowing them
to reap the advantages of implementing
new technologies in the way to do their
business.
The benets of implementing an assets
management system are numerous. In the
rst place, it can increase the value of a
Portfolio, as it improves the management
capabilities of the investment management
staff, knowing the real performance of their
installations, in real time, becoming able to
put pressure on the ofcials responsible for
the operation of the plants.
64
It can facilitate the future sale of assets of

a Portfolio, as the track record of the plants
will be fully transparent making easy any
Due Diligence and simplifying the management needs for the new owners, as the
system can be easily transferred with the
plants.
The AMS also helps to decrease management expenses, as a consequence of simplifying bureaucracy in the reporting tasks,
but also because it can coordinate the different activities carried out by the numerous service providers usually hired on site
for the plants: O&M, on site security, accountant and mercantile compliance, tax
compliance, technical supervision and other
services.
The AMS permits improvement with less
expensive services as the system can supervise all those said services for the investment managers. A workow application
monitors all the management duties opening new process and establishing deadlines
for the new tasks to be monitored by the
managers. To do so, the system collects
information in real time from the different
agents or service providers involved with
the operation of the renewable

plants. That means a great exibility to customize the system to the
real circumstances of the plants
and their service suppliers.
On top of all these advantages,
the AMS represents a positive development from the traditional
way to manage investments in the
renewable energies sector. It can
easily generate dashboards and automatically issue reports, increasing the quality of any investment/
venture capital group perceived by
their stakeholders and bank institutions that follows the performance of their
assets.
CMC leads the development of the said
AMS combining their experience, achieved
during more than a decade, in three main
areas: management, IT & Communications
and SCADA systems for renewable generation plants. The company has integrated
almost 3.000 MW in different technologies
in renewable energy at international level,
and always working in close cooperation
with their customers, learning about their
needs and adapting the new technology
solutions to t their specic requirements.
The general interest of investors in our
AMS is high, the key issue being the particular customization capability of CMC to
any investor group taking into account its
particular needs and economical circumstances. We all are aware of the investment
constraints in the current situation for many
customers, but with a mere integration into
our ASM of the production and natural resources of a Plant, the benets of ASM provide a rapid pay back in just a few months.
The system, as it is modular, can be the upgraded in different phases at any time
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
SOLAR PV
BEN ROOKE
PRODUCT MANAGER PV FUSES AT BUSSMANN
Solar so good
In a relatively short time the small PV systems of only a few watts have developed rst to a few
kilowatts and more recently to as large as 10MW. During this time a number of key changes have
occurred to the topography and dimensions of the basic components and indeed the types of
components themselves, especially those whose primary function is overcurrent protection.
ooking to the future the trend is

to extract greater efciencies and
power from PV installations through
new materials and improved insolation
technology ie. PV concentrators. The corollary of that will be the requirement for
better system overcurrent protection. Already the move globally is for the use of
higher voltages of up to 1000Vdc and beyond, in some cases. This has put pressure
on PV system OEMs to source and install
protection solutions that are not only capable of meeting the protection requirements but can be easily packaged.
It is worth reminding ourselves that in
faulted circuits PV modules may be damaged by reverse overcurrents exceeding
the reverse current withstand of the modules IMOD_REVERSE. Typically the effects
66
of fault currents may range from permanent damage to PV modules and reduced
efciency to broken conductors resulting
in electric arcs and re. Dangerous fault
currents can originate from external sources, ie. from modules or strings of modules
that are connected in parallel to the faulted string, from storage batteries in the
system or from backfeeding through gridinteractive inverters. However, correctly
rated PV fuses are able to protect PV modules or strings and internal wiring against
these dangerous reverse overcurrents.
As a manufacturer of fuses we are constantly receiving approaches from PV
power supply manufacturers for solutions
that meet these challenges. Typically they
are looking for certainty and assurances in
terms of proven performance and capabil-
ity. Unlike typical grid connected AC systems, the available short circuit current on
a typical PV system is limited and the overcurrent protective device needs to operate
effectively on low levels of fault current.
To this end we have conducted extensive
research and development of devices that
are specically designed and tested to
safely protect PV systems with high DC
voltages and low fault currents.
The net result of this work is a range of
PV fuse links that meet the necessary protection criteria across the system.
At string level, our 10 x 38mm fuse links
that meet all the specic requirements demanded by system manufacturers, most
notably protection up to 1000Vdc. The
Solar PV range offers class leading performance, clearing faults as low as 1.35 x l
(fuse rating) @ 1000Vdc and is suitable for
industry standard dimensioned 4, 5 and
6in crystalline solar cell based modules and
thin lm modules.
In addition these fuse links have been
tested to withstand the typical cycling
conditions specic to solar panel operation
and the environmental impact associated
with system location. In effect, this means
that the fuse will perform to its optimum
level for the duration of the system life.
The new range of XL Style, square body
fuse links in voltage ratings up to 1500Vdc
provide OEMs greater exibility in the
protection of higher power PV arrays. No
other fuse manufacturer has achieved this
landmark voltage rating in this package,
representing a signicant breakthrough in
fuse design and performance.
The new series of NH1 square bodied
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
SOLAR PV
photovoltaic fuse links has ratings up to

1000Vdc; these are among the smallest NH
style fuse links to achieve this rating and
are one of the most comprehensive ranges
of NH size fuse link solutions on the market
with amp ratings from 50A to 160A.
The 14 x 65mm range of photovoltaic
fuse links comprises 15 and 20A ratings
at 1500Vdc and 25 and 32A ratings at
1300Vdc, making this the only series to
offer these voltage and amp ratings in this
package size.
Also available is a range of IEC 60269-6
(gPV) 14 x 51mm photovoltaic fuse links.
This new ferrule-bodied series comprises
15 and 20A ratings at 1100Vdc and 25
and 32A ratings at 1000Vdc, providing PV
system OEMs with a compact protection
solution for higher voltage distribution
networks.
Packaging is also a key criteria for system
OEMs. For example, with space limited in
combiner boxes because of the desire to
minimise the footprint and improve the
Msters y Postgrados
MSTER EN INGENIERA
Y GESTIN DE LAS
ENERGAS RENOVABLES
overall aesthetic, the preferred dimensions

for the fuse link is 10 x 38mm. This globally
accepted package size is further enhanced
by a choice of mounting options with standard ferrule, bolt and versatile PCB mounts
on offer. The low power dissipation of the
fuse also contributes to minimum energy
loss and heat generation within the combiner box.
The other factor that provides certainty
and comfort for OEMs is compliance with
standards. However, here the situation is
uid to say the least. Industry expert Dr
Herbert Bessei puts it succinctly: Increasing demand for alternative energy and
strong nancial support by some governments has boosted the installation of PV
power systems faster than commonly accepted rules and international standards
could be developed. Many terms, denitions and test procedures are still undened and used in different ways.
The existing standard,IEC 60269-6, was
published in September 2010 together
with UL 2579 which gave the PV industry

standards to work with.
Updates to IEC 60269-6 are already being considered to better meet the requirements of the industry, installation codes
such the NEC in the USA and IEC 60364*
in Europe, together with installation guides
for PV systems such as IEC 62548 installation and safety requirements for photovoltaic (PV) generators, are also due for
publications shortly.
What is certain is that as PV systems
evolve with new equipment, new wiring procedures and methods of installation, the development of the PV fuse will
continue in tandem. As the asset value
of PV energy systems increases, in terms
of the revenue that can be generated, it
would be wholly inappropriate and commercially suicidal not to protect that asset
with a product that meets the necessary
performance requirements and standards.
Needless to say we at Bussmann are on the
case!
Instituto de Formacin Continua de la Universitat de Barcelona
OCTUBRE 2012 > PRESENCIAL

NOVIEMBRE 2012 > ON-LINE
MSTER EN
GESTIN DE EFICIENCIA
ENERGTICA

NOVIEMBRE 2012 > ON-LINE
MSTER EN GESTIN
INTEGRADA DE
PROYECTOS - PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
MSTER EN GESTIN
INTEGRADA DE LA CALIDAD,
LA SEGURIDAD Y EL MEDIO
AMBIENTE
ADPTATE A LAS NOVEDADES DEL SECTOR

Descbrelos y ampla
toda la informacin en:
www.il3.ub.edu
SGUENOS EN:
Blog
SOLAR THERMAL
ENRIC MATEU, ALBERTO GARCA DE JALN,
MARCELINO SNCHEZ AND ANA MONREAL
SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY DEPARTMENT,
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY CENTRE
(CENER), SPAIN
International harmonization of standards

for solar thermal collectors
The testing and characterization procedures for solar thermal (ST) collectors and components
have been investigated since the beginning of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Solar Heating
& Cooling Programme (SHC). Since then, the developed performance tests and short-term tests
to predict long term durability have been mainly focused on low temperature collectors, like at
plate and evacuated tube, under well-dened standard test conditions.
he existing test procedures for ST

collectors are included in several regional and international standards
which are leading to a wide spectrum of
certication schemes to assess and compare ST products. ST products are certied
based on test certicates issued by accredited test laboratories according to a standard and their assessment should consider,
at least, aspects like thermal performance,
safety and durability issues.
On the other hand, new and advanced
ST collectors are continually launched on
the market and submitted to national certication bodies. The existing testing and
characterization procedures do not always
accommodate these new ST products and
in general their evaluation in a consistent
manner is difcult. Through the development and harmonization of standards
some of the previous gaps are overcome
for main ST technologies, but in order
to achieve this, many aspects have to be
taken into account like: quality assurance
and labelling, technical aspects and even
economy issues which are relevant for designing regulations, certication schemes
and subsidy programs for solar ST new
products.
The standardization activities described
below for ST low to medium temperature
applications are leading to a unique global
standard EN ISO 98061 for ST collectors
broadening its scope to include new ST
technologies.
68
ISO 9806 standard revision based on the present

EN 12975 standard revision
CENERs Indoor Solar Simulator.
Current status of ST collector

standardization activities for
low to medium temperature
applications
Up to now several ST technologies like concentrating/tracking collectors or air heating
collectors do not have specic standards for
their performance and durability characterization, because there is not a detailed test
procedure denition for such ST collector
types, contrary to the typical low temperature collector test procedures which were
established many years ago.
To reduce time and expenses for manufacturers, laboratories and certication bodies,
while assuring the quality of solar thermal
collectors, several standardization activities
have been recently established to harmonize ST collector standards and work to-
wards a worldwide certication scheme. A

global certication scheme is the key step in
order to avoid present-day technical trade
barriers related to different ST collector regional certications schemes. The Spanish
National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER)
has been actively contributing in these standardization activities involving national and
international technical committees.
The development of a common international standard for ST collectors began in
2009 with the European project QAIST2
which served as a platform to develop the
technical aspects of the EN 12975 standard revision process in close collaboration
with the technical committee TC312 of
2
Quality Assurance in Solar Heating and Cooling

Technology. http://www.qaist.org
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
NATIONAL RENEWABLE
ENERGY CENTRE
The energy
of knowledge
At CENER we are working on the development of renewable energy.
Because we care about the world we live in.
Applied Research, Development, and Innovation

Carries out studies, energy audits, and resource (sun, wind and biomass) assessment
Highly-skilled services for testing and certifying components and systems
Development and technological transfer
Technical training
It is a member of International Standardisation Committees
e-mail: info@cener.com
Phone: +34 948 25 28 00
www.cener.com
SOLAR THERMAL
the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). At the same time, IEA-SHC Task
43 set the focus on the dissemination and
acceptance of the EN 12975 revision technical work on a global level. Due to the
lack of activity during last decade on the
ISO 9806 revision, the technical committee
TC180 of the International Organization
for Standardization (ISO) decided to develop a common international standard for
ST collectors based on the developments
of the EN 12975 new revision. Another important issue dealt within the ISO/TC180
is the creation of a multi-part standard
on collector components and materials
responding to Chinas interest to develop
a specic standard for evacuated tubular
collectors which was against the approach
of having a unique ST collector standard
independent of the collector technology.
The agreed multi-part standard on collector components and materials consists of:
s Part 1: Evacuated tube durability and
performance
s Part 2: Heat pipes for evacuated tubes
- Durability and performance
s Part 3: Durability of absorber surface,
glazing, and insulation materials, in
coordination with the standardization
activities for concentrated solar power
(CSP) components like: receiver, reector or tracking system
Harmonized global standard for
ST collectors
As a result of the low-to-mid temperature
standardization activities, the EN ISO 9806
standard is presently being elaborated.
This standard will include for the rst time
in its scope a steady-state test procedure
for the thermal performance of air heating solar collectors considering: the performance dependency on ow rate, indoor/
outdoor test conditions, instrumentation,
pressure drop, incident angle modier, effective thermal capacity and leakage. The
content has also been harmonized with
the Canadian standard CSA F378.2 for air
heating solar collectors.
As a signicant highlight, the EN ISO 9806
standard also includes in its scope claried
performance test conditions based on the
quasi-dynamic test method and, for the
rst time, reliability tests for concentrating/
tracking collectors: internal pressure for absorbers, exposure, active and passive con-
70
trols, high temperature resistance, internal

and external thermal shock, mechanical
load, rain penetration and nal inspection.
Other activities within EN ISO 9806 scope
are: 1) the harmonization with re safety
and weather tightness requirements, 2) the
harmonized collector energy output calculations. Finally the EN ISO 9806 also claries
and extends existing test procedures whose
highlights are listed below:
s Exposure test: Reorganized to increase
exibility allowing part of the test to be
performed indoors. A pre conditioning
exposure test sequence and new daily
calculation irradiation method are dened in order to reduce the testing time.
s Rain penetration test: Reduced to two
accepted test methodologies. The rst
one is the weighting procedure of the
present EN 12975. The second test
methodology is to be performed at the
end of the test sequence previous to
the nal inspection. A better rain penetration testing method was dened.
The new method has been improved
regarding the apparatus, devices and
testing conditions such as water pressure, type of nozzles, mass ow, spray
angles and specic spraying areas.
s Mechanical load test: It is still under
development, new minimum pressure has been dened and harmonized
according to the IEC 61215 standard.
The testing pressure shall be at least
2400 Pa achieved in 250 Pa steps.
s Impact resistance test: This test is now
mandatory. Ice balls and steel ball
methods are enabled. New ice diameters and classes denition have been
included and harmonized with the IEC
61215 standard. The ice ball impact locations have been also dened
s Final inspection: Better acceptance criteria have been dened in order to harmonize the laboratorys nal evaluation.
An additional aspect of the EN ISO 9806
harmonization is the contribution of the
CSP standardization activities related to
the new set of denitions. Most of the definitions deal with concentrating/tracking
collector terms and are mainly applicable
to line-focus collectors due to the difculty
of having broad denitions covering also
point focus collectors and systems such as
parabolic dish and central receiver systems
which are out of the scope of this stan-
dard. The new set of denitions already

included in the EN ISO 9806 will also be
incorporated in the future revision of the
ISO 9488 - Solar Energy vocabulary.
The new set of denitions has been
agreed also within the new technical subcommittee (SC1/CTN206) which was promoted jointly by CIEMAT (Research Centre
for Energy, Environment and Technology),
PROTERMOSOLAR (Spanish Association
of the Thermoelectric Solar Industry) and
CENER, in close collaboration with AENOR
(Spanish Association of Standardisation
and Certication) to develop standards for
solar thermal electric plants.
The CENERs CSP expertise in modelling,
simulation, design and component characterization has played an important role in
the development of a Spanish Standards
(UNE) series that dene procedures to
qualify components (like parabolic trough
receiver tubes, tracking systems, reectors, etc.), subsystems (solar eld, thermal storage system and power block) and
complete CSP plants. Within the SC1 subcommittee, three different working groups
have been established:
s Aspects related to the solar eld and
the CSP plant as a whole
s Test procedures for solar thermal
power plant components
s Test procedures for CSP thermal storage systems.
To promote the CSP standardization at
an international level, the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) technical committee TC117 for Solar Thermal
Electric has been recently created and its
work program was established during the
kick-off meeting held in March 2012 in
Madrid. A close collaboration between the
new IEC/TC117 and the ISO/TC180 was
agreed on issues related to thermal performance and durability for concentrating/
tracking collectors and their components.
The expected date of availability for the
EN ISO 9806 standard will be within the
second semester of 2013. This international
standard is important due to its relevance in
paving the way towards a global certication scheme for solar thermal collectors.
Acknowledgements:
The CENER contribution to international standardization
activities and IEA-SHC Task 43 has been possible
thanks to the QAIST project which is supported by
the Intelligent Energy Europe Program (Contract Nr:
IEE/08/593/SI2.529236).
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
SOLAR THERMAL
SOLARLITE
TRESERT Sustainable concept of decentralized

clean energy supply in South East Asia
The project demonstrates how a decentralized supply of electrical energy, heat and refrigeration
can be created from solar thermal energy and biomass.
he TRESERT project located at the

energy park of the School of Renewable Energy Technology (SERT)
of Naresuan University in Phitsanaluk,
Thailand, is in operation since February
2012. The solar thermal biomass power
plant created by Solarlite, based in Mecklenburg-Western-Pomerania, Germany, is
an innovative example of a decentralized
energy supply that can reduce CO2 emissions. TRESERT intends to show how a parabolic trough power plant can generate
electricity, heat and refrigeration.
The project was developed with funding
from the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear
Safety (BMU). The goal of the project is to
raise awareness of green technologies in
the region, and the use of low-temperature turbines and an absorption chiller is a
technical innovation that has tremendous
marketing potential. In fact, training and
information initiatives are underway to
72
help spread the technology in an effort to

tap and further develop its CO2 reduction
potential.
Dr. Joachim Krger, CEO and founder of
Solarlite GmbH, notes: Projects like TRESERT are the right approach to nding a
long-term solution to energy problems in
the rural areas of Thailand. Working with
the SERT was absolutely terric and provided the infrastructure and contacts we
needed to successfully market the TRESERT project.
An innovative combination of
tried and tested components
The entire system is built with Solarlite SL
2300 and SL 4600 parabolic trough collectors for steam generation, turbines for
energy production, and an absorption
cooling machine for air conditioning. A
biomass boiler was integrated as a backup solution in order to keep the operating
temperature stable. The system produces
a total thermal output of 500kW and up

to 50kW of electrical output from the lowtemperature turbine. The absorption cooling machine generates 105kW from the
waste heat for cooling. An additional 224
kW of heat output is available to heat water. In total, the system offers three (representing the TRE in the TRESERT name)
major benets: It supplies electricity, hot
water and air conditioning. This results in
much greater use of solar radiation and
much more efciency in power plant operations.
A cost-effective solution for
supplying regions without a grid
connection
TRESERT harnesses local, green energy
sources in its solution to the challenge of
providing a safe and clean power supply to
less developed regions of Southeast Asia.
Although solar radiation can be used for
free, the technology is subject to variations
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
July 1012, 2012

North Americas Premier
Exhibition and Conference for the Solar Industry
Moscone Center, San Francisco
950 Exhibitors
1,600 Conference Attendees
22,000 Visitors
Co-located with
www.intersolar.us
SOLAR THERMAL
in seasonal and weather conditions. As for

biomass, it is generally locally available.
When combined, these two sources of
energy form a green, CO2-neutral energy
supply.
Moreover, Solarlite is using this green
energy production technology to raise
awareness in emerging countries of environmental and climate change issues.
A reliable supply of low-cost energy will
make it possible to improve the living
conditions of local electricity consumers,
strengthen the economy and create new
jobs from that growth.
Growing energy needs in
Southeast Asia
Electricity consumption in Thailand rose
steadily between 2000 and 2009, and
experts say that it will remain high in the
coming years. According to projections by
Egat (Electricity Generating Authority of
Thailand), Thailand can expect an annual
increase of 5.5% in electricity use. In response to this projection, the government
is pushing for more energy efciency measures and continued development of pro-
74
The direct steam

generation implemented
is more efcient, less
expensive and more
environmentally friendly
duction capacities. The Thai governments
goal is to show leadership in the area of
renewable energies and cut CO2 emissions
by at least 15% by 2018.
TRESERT is a positive example of an efcient, decentralized energy supply. The
location of the School of Renewable Energy Technology (SERT) makes it possible to
present the innovative power plant technology to a wide international audience of
experts.
The concept can be replicated in every
region where the sun radiation is high
enough, for example in the MENA region,
India, South East Asia, South Africa, US,
Australia and Mexico. A plus is an additional feed in tariff for renewable energy
production. Rural regions without any grid

connection located in sun-belt areas can
prot immensely from such a technology.
Applications in combination with cogeneration can be used for the production of
heat, absorption cooling or also for seawater desalination.
Solarlite GmbH develops and builds decentralized solar-thermal parabolic trough
plants (CSP Concentrated Solar Power)
for combined heat and power generation
(steam, thermal energy and power). These
power plants have an electrical output in
the range of 500 kWe up to more than
50 MWe. Solarlite is globally the only supplier of parabolic trough plants that can be
used in different applications such as electricity production or for the stand-alone
electricity consumption of small and medium-sized industrial facilities. Compared
to traditional parabolic trough collectors
that use thermal oil and an additional heat
exchanger, the direct steam generation
implemented by Solarlite is more efcient,
less expensive and more environmentally
friendly. Solarlite was founded in 2007 by
Joachim Krger
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
November 68, 2012

India's Largest Exhibition
and Conference for the Solar Industry
Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai
350 Exhibitors
10,000+ Visitors
www.intersolar.in
PRODUCTS
PV plant supervision software suite
Robotina has launched
the SolarWorx Application Suite, a PV plant
supervision
software
suite. The SolarWorx is
a new PV plant supervision and control application product based
on Genesis64 HMI/
SCADA platform by Iconics. It is suitable
especially where the elevated performance/price

ratio is required, without
any compromises to the
performances, and without any unnecessary/
costly software modules.
It runs on the local server
in the PV plant control
room, with remote accessibility.
Acrylite solar pre-fab package offers rst optical

train for CPV modules
Evonik Cyro is launching the rst optical
train package, Acrylite Solar Pre-Fab lens
panels, for Concentrated Photovoltaic
(CPV) modules saving customers tooling
costs and manufacturing time. Acrylite Solar Pre-Fab acrylic lens panels are combined
with a Secondary Optical Element (SOE) to
create a complete optical train package for
assembly directly into Concentrated Photovoltaics (CPV) modules. This allows customers to bypass purchasing the tooling
SolarEdge Technologies will introduce its

next generation power optimizer featuring
the new IndOP technology. Unlike other
power optimizers on the market, the new
SolarEdge optimizer will be compatible with
any inverter, without the need for added interface hardware. The independent capability of these new power optimizers and their
improved ease of installations is expected to
signicantly increase the total available market for power optimizers.
The Cenpilot energy

management system
device needed to create the product and

avoid the required time-consuming installation process.
Centrosolar will introduce the newly

developed Cenpilot energy management system at the Intersolar trade
fair. This energy management system
facilitates comprehensive household
energy consumption management.
Eco transformers for high

efciency
New series of IBC Solar PV modules

IBC Solar has a new series of
photovoltaic solar modules IBC
MonoSol and PolySol TX with
modern full-square technology
that guarantees an optimum efciency. The modules live up
to the highest of aesthetic demands thanks to the application
of a black aluminum frame. All
the modules of the IBC TX Series
Next generation PV power

optimizer
are manufactured in Europe and

are subjected to ongoing quality checks. With 25 years linear
power warranty- linear power
decrease of no more than 0.8 %
per year- besides the positive tolerance and 10 years product warranty, the IBC TX modules are a
valuable good option.
Polylux has a range of three phase transformers with the Polylux Ecology signet; a
mark that identies those optimised products with higher efciency that thanks to
lower losses helps to reduce the electrical
energy consumption. They are known as
ECO transformers.
The ECO transformers feature high efciency (from 97.7% to 99.1%) resulting in much lower losses that a standard
transformer.
Indian PV market now and a snap into the future

After two slow years, the
Indian market is expected
to grow in 2012 to 1 GW.
To serve the competitive
Indian market the companies run mostly semi
automated
production
lines for standard modules and parallel
manual lines for off grid modules. A lot
Indian module manufacturer are facing
problems not only with the Chinese competition, but also with internal technical
issues caused by high-tech automation. In
addition most of these lines are designed
76
to run 24h/7 and not made

of disruptive production
cycles. Therefore AWS developed together with its
partners a new 25 MW
line concept, with certain
advantages under Indian
conditions. The line is available with fully
or semi automatic tabber and stringers and
can produce equally high quality off grid
or standard solar modules. This new Line
Concept achieves the exibility and necessary quality standards for Grid Connected
but also Off Grid purposes in one line.
Industry certication
program for solar
installers
REC has launched an industry leading
certication program for solar installers including warranty extension and
service fees for those who comply.
REC developed the program together with installers, to ensure that the
benets are of real value.
energetica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
offers the most practical way to locate

your suppliers. The most comprehensive service pages with
manufacturing and service companies in the sector of power
generation.
ENERGTICA INTERNATIONAL
CLASSIFIED
Single module
Dimensions
55 mm. width x 65 mm. height
Price
500 euro / year
Grupo
EGL Energa Iberia

Paseo de la Castellana, 66.6
28046 Madrid
Tel: 915 947 170
e-mail: info.es@egl.eu
www.egl.eu
Double module
Dimensions
55 mm. width x 150 mm. height
Price
675 euro / year
+INFO: +34 902 36 46 99
9 Representacin de productores
en Rgimen Especial
9 Despacho Delegado homologado
por REE
9 Suministro de electricidad y gas
9 Lder en trading energtico en el
mercado ibrico
9 Gestin y logstica de biomasa
RENEWABLE ENERGIES
77
energtica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
CLASSIFIED
ENERGY
RENEWABLE ENERGIES
ENERGY
energtica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
78
RENEWABLE ENERGIES
&RPSRQHQWHVSHUIHFWRV
SHUIHFWDPHQWHHQFDMDGRV
GermanSolar AG ofrece mdulos fotovoltaicos y sistemas completos
segn los ms altos estndares de calidad.
Suministramos sistemas completos para instalaciones residenciales
DVtFRPRLQGXVWULDOHV$GHPiVSODQLFDPRVLQVWDODPRV\JHVWLRQDPRV
parques solares en el rango del megavatio.
Las ventajas de los sistemas GermanSolar:

0yGXORVFRQDxRVGHJDUDQWtDGHSURGXFWR
DxRVGHJDUDQWtDGHUHQGLPLHQWR
&ODVLFDFLyQSRVLWLYDGHQXHVWURVPyGXORV
6LVWHPDGHPRQWDMHPRGXODU
7RGRVORVFRPSRQHQWHVQHFHVDULRVGLVSRQLEOHV
Ofrezcan Uds. tambin a sus clientes los componentes perfectamente

encajados de GermanSolar!
Z Z Z J H U P D Q V R O D U F R P
+34 657 30 17 04
RENEWABLE ENERGIES
Sistemas solares
trmicos Junkers:
Soluciones completas
para cualquier edicacin.
Captadores
Paquetes solares
Compactos termosifn
Reguladores solares
Estaciones de bombeo
Acumuladores solares
Calentadores, calderas
y accesorios Junkers
compatibles con la gama solar.
Junkers, expertos en solar.
902 100 724

www.junkers.es
Confort para la vida

79
energtica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
CLASSIFIED
RENEWABLE ENERGIES
Gracias.
EGIR GUASCOR. POR ELEGIR FUTURO.
reto es disear soluciones vanguardistas
aseguren un maana.
es debemos un futuro.
SOLUCIONES
MEDIOAMBIENTALES
EFICIENCIA
ENERGTICA
GENERACIN
ELCTRICA
ZZZJXDVFRUFRPZZZGUHVVHUUDQGFRP
7 7
RENEWABLE ENERGIES
energtica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
80
RENEWABLE ENERGIES
RENEWABLE ENERGIES
Gestor
Energtico
PowerRouter
*
*
*
the PowerRouter
Distribuidor en Espaa
CARLO GAVAZZI, S. A.
489940 Leioa (Bizkaia)
Tel. 944 804 037 t Fax 944 801 061
gavazzi@gavazzi.es
www.gavazzi-renovables.com
www.powerrouter.com
Barcelona, Bizkaia, Madrid,
Sevilla, Valencia y Zaragoza
81
energtica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
SUSCRIPTION BULLETIN & ADVERTISERS

ADVERTISERS
Subscribe to
our magazine
Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 euros/year
Rest Europe . . . . . . . . 160 euros/year
Rest world . . . . . . . . . . 280 euros/year
Use our on-line form:

http://www.energetica21.com/suscripcion
Subscribe free to our e-newsletter:

More than 80.000 professionals
are already receiving our e-newsletters.
Join our e-subscribers groups.
http://www.energetica21.com/boletines/suscripcion
Visit our Web sites:

Spanish language
www.energetica21.com
www.guia.energetica21.com
ALDINET
ATERSA
BOSCH SOLAR ENERGY
BUBBLESUN
CANADIAN SOLAR
CENER
COOPER BUSSMANN
DANFOSS SOLAR INVERTERS
DRESSER RAND - GUASCOR
EGTICA - EXPOENERGTICA 2013
EU PVSEC
FATOR / TINDSA
FILTROS CARTS
GILDEMEISTER
GRUPO CLAVIJO
IBERDROLA INGENIERA Y CONSTRUCCIN
IL3
INTERSOLAR CHINA
INTERSOLAR EUROPE
INTERSOLAR INDIA
INTERSOLAR NA
INTERSOLAR SA
MAETEL
MATELEC
OTTO CHEMIE
PAIRAN SOLAR
POWER ELECTRONICS
POWER ELECTRONICS
REFUSOL
SANTON INTERNATIONAL
SCHOTT SOLAR
SKYTRON ENERGY
SMA IBRICA TECNOLOGA SOLAR
SOLARMAX
VALENTIN SOFTWARE
YINGLI
17
43
37
23
29
69
21
31
33
7
65
39
15
19
49
35
67
15
Inisde Backcover
75
73
71
49
41
11 y 13
55
Inside cover
3
Backcover
9
25
Cover
27
5
15
47
ONLINE ADVERTISERS
ABB
Web
AENOR
Web
CHINT ELECTRICS
Web
CLIENSOL
Web
GREEN CITIES
Web
IL3
Web
IMF FORMACIN
Web
INTERECONOMA
Web
SCP TODAY USA
Web
TERMIGO
Web
English language
www.energetica-international.com
www.energetica-india.net
82
VISIT- www.energetica21.com
energtica
INTERNATIONAL
N 120 MAY12
June 1315, 2012

The Worlds Largest
Exhibition for the Solar Industry
New Munich Trade Fair Centre, Germany
2,200 Exhibitors
80,000+ Visitors
www.intersolar.de
Success GRHVQRWFRPHIURPIROORZLQJ
,QVWHDGZHDFKLHYHsuccess one after another:GHVLJQVIRUORZV\VWHP
costs and maximum yields - not a problem for me and my team!
0LNH63URGXFW0DQDJHU
Our innovative concept for higher voltage levels enables

39V\VWHPVZLWKPD[LPXPHFRQRPLFH
FLHQF\
7RS,QQRYDWRU
:LWKG\QDPLFVH[LELOLW\DQGGHWHUPLQDWLRQWRQGWKH
LGHDOVROXWLRQZHPDQDJHWRPDNHRXUFXVWRPHUVVXFFHVVIXO
$QGeFDQnWGRpGRHVQRWH[LVWIRUXV
0DNLQJSURJUHVVPDGHE\5()8VRO
www.refusol.com

Energetica 120

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Energetica 120

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

5 Continents Regulation

Maximum DC Bus exibility

SAVING ENERGY FOR THINGS THAT MATTER

training focused on the end users needs.

The extension of our portfolio with new

offer, later on in 2012 we will launch an

Leonardo da Vinci, 24-26 - Parque Tecnolgico

# 120 - MAY 2012

OFF GRID APPLICATIONS

skytron energy GmbH

Off Grid Appl

Tel:+49 (0)30 688 31 59 - 0

Skytron develops and manufactures high-precision measurement, monitoring and

Connect to the net with SolarMax!

Hall C4 I Booth 110

20TH EUROPEAN BIOMASS

5TH ANNUAL BALKAN ENERGY

Date: 13-14 June 2012

Date: 18-22 June 2012

Date: 19-20 June 2012

GLOBAL WIND POWER FINANCE

EOLICA ARGENTINA 2012

SIXTH GLOBAL CONFERENCE

Date: 3-5 July 2012

Date: 6-8 August 2012

Date: 21-23 August 2012

Date: 3-5 September 2012

ALL GREEN EXPO

TURKMEN ENERGY 2012

SOLAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

Date: 6-9 September 2012

Date: 8-10 September 2012

Date: 10-13 September 2012

Date: 11-14 September 2012

SOLARCON INDIA 2012

GEOTHERM EXPO 2012

Date: 19-21 September 2012

Date: 2-4 October 2012

Date: 2-5 October 2012

19TH AFRICA OIL WEEK 2012

TURKISH WIND ENERGY

Date: 29 October-2 November 2012

Date: 30 October- 1 November 2012

Date: 7-9 November 2012

Date: 7-10 November 2012

WORLD FUTURE ENERGY

3RD PV MODULE RECYCLING

Date: 21-24 November 2012

Date: 15-17 January 2013

Date: 28 February 2013

Date: November 2013

mined the occurrence of Energtica International at this time,

Layout Contras-t | Webmaster: Francisco Jos Reina Arana

Energetica India is member of the Spanish Editorials and

Energtica XXI es una empresa colaboradora

ARE YOU SURE

THE QUICKEST WAY TO CHECK

IEA urges governments to seize

Saudi Arabia plans to emerge as the next solar hub

Europes future depends on cities

cording to the EEA report, Urban adaptation to climate change in Europe.

Manz opens its new fab