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¡ö Movers & Shakers: SolarPower Europe, Lightsource, Trina Solar, Coalition for Community Access & More

SolarPower Europe appoints new president and 10 new board members

Europe¡¯s biggest solar trade association SolarPower Europe (SPE) has appointed Wacker Chemie¡¯s Christian Westermeier as its new president, alongside 10 new board members.

Westermeier, who is currently vice president of sales, marketing & application engineering at the German polysilicon producer, will replace Sunpower¡¯s Oliver Schaefer in leading the organisation.

¡°It is an honour to lead the board of the association at this crucial time for solar, I will make building a new framework for solar in the post 2020 period the key objective for us at this stage,¡± said Westermeier of his new appointment. ¡°We will also continue our efforts to finally get rid of the unnecessary trade tariffs on solar panels and will work with the Commission to build an industrial strategy for solar in Europe.¡±

¡°President Westermeier is a perfect choice to continue the work of the association following the last three years of re-invigoration and animation of the association,¡± said James Watson, CEO of SolarPower Europe.

The new board directors are as follows:

1st Vice President: Riccardo Amoroso, Enel Green Power
2nd Vice President: Jodie Roussell, Trina Solar
3rd Vice President: Jochen Hauff, BayWa r.e.
Seb Berry, Solarcentury
Stefan Degener, First Solar
Jean-Pascal Pham-Ba, Engie Solar
Alison Finch, Huawei
Arnaud Chaperon, Total
Patrick Monino, ENI
Alexander Peter Naujoks, SMA

¡°We are delighted with our new board members, who represent diverse and strong solar market players. They bring great competencies to our association and will make sure that we remain the force we are today in promoting solar,¡± added Watson.

Lightsource appoints new strategy officer to drive global ¡®smart energy¡¯ ambitions

Lightsource Renewable Energy has appointed a new chief strategy officer to help it evolve into a ¡°global leader in the smart energy market¡±.

James Brooks, former co-head of energy investments at Goldman Sachs¡¯ EMEA merchant banking division, has joined the company to bolster its senior management team.

In his new role, Brooks will oversee Lightsource¡¯s overall strategy in becoming a global leader in the ¡®smart energy¡¯ market, diversifying away from a strategy purely focused on solar development.

Brooks is to be responsible for building talent, culture and governance to help support that strategy, and he will also be tasked with leading the company¡¯s utility-scale US and Indian operations. He will also lead the company¡¯s ¡®LS Labs¡¯ team and its development of smart home products, which includes the solar-plus-storage residential product currently under trial in a large number of homes with EDF.

Brooks said he was delighted to join what he considered to be an ¡°enormously talented young team¡±.

¡°Lightsource has the potential to be a true global leader in re-industrialising the energy market globally, through our unique integrated offering of solar, storage and software, and continue the impressive growth and shareholder value creation delivered over the last five years. I am privileged to have the opportunity to work with the whole team on this vision,¡± he said in a statement.

CEO Nick Boyle meanwhile said Brooks¡¯ appointment would ¡°shore up¡± Lightsource¡¯s management team, and hinted at further appointments to come.

¡°We take great pride in our ability to attract exciting new talent to our in-house team and you can expect more announcements soon,¡± he said.

Trina Solar COO resigns

Zhiguo Zhu, chief operating officer of ¡®Silicon Module Super League¡¯ (SMSL) member Trina Solar, has resigned.

Zhu is not only resigning from his role as COO but also as a member of the board of directors and as president of the company¡¯s Module Business Unit. Citing ¡°personal reasons¡±, Zhu¡¯s resignation will be effective today, 10 March 2017.

Jifan Gao, company chairman and CEO, will assume direct management of the Module Business Unit.

"On behalf of the board of directors and management, I would like to thank Mr Zhu for his efforts and contributions during his tenure at Trina,¡± said Gao. ¡°We wish him well in his future endeavors. Looking ahead, we will continue to work diligently to strengthen Trina's leading position in the global PV module market and continue our transformation to become the world's leading provider of solar energy total solutions to our customers."

Yingli Green board of director resigns

Struggling integrated PV manufacturer Yingli Green Energy has announced that Xiangdong Wang has resigned from his position as an executive director of the board, due to personal reasons. He will be replaced by Jingfeng Xiong, a vice president of the company.

"I'm pleased to welcome Mr Xiong to the board of directors. I believe his operational and technical expertise will make him a valuable contributor to the board," said Liansheng Miao, chairman and CEO of the company. "I would also like to personally thank Mr Wang for his valuable contributions to the board."

In other news,the company has formed a ¡®Special Committee¡¯ of independent directors to find options to repay debts incurred due to partial default on bonds by its subsidiaries in China.

Former First Solar president Bruce Sohn joins Siva Power as CEO

California-based thin-film manufacturer Siva Power has hired solar executive Bruce Sohn as its new CEO, replacing Brad Mattson.

As PV Tech previously reported, Sohn joined Siva Power in October last year as a vice chairman of the board of directors.

¡°I literally cannot think of anyone I would want to lead Siva Power more than Bruce,¡± said Mattson. ¡°He grew First Solar, what was then a small solar start-up, into the multinational company it is today. I know that Siva will be the next thin-film success and I know that Bruce will lead us to that success.¡±

Indeed, under Sohn¡¯s leadership, First Solar grew into a multi-billion dollar enterprise and was the first company to manufacture at under US$1/W, ship more than 1GW of production annually and the first company to EPC over 1GW of utility-scale projects.

¡°The team, the technology, and the plan that Siva Power has created is truly remarkable and I¡¯m excited to join as CEO,¡± said Sohn. ¡°I look forward to the next steps in which we realize the vision and make the world¡¯s absolute lowest cost solar panels. We are going to do this.¡±

NRG to lay off residential solar workers in June

As previously reported, NRG Energy is exiting the residential solar business and ceasing its vertical integration operations.

In light of this, the Princeton, New Jersey-based firm plans to lay off more than 65 employees in June from its Wall office, company officials said. NRG Home Solar, the residential solar unit of the company has sent notices to the employees confirming they will be let go on 23 June.

The notices come on the heels of a nationwide cut of 500 workers in May 2016 and an announcement that the company would scale back its involvement in the solar integration process.

The layoffs are a result of the company wanting to focus on its new business model. NRG previously told PV Tech that it plans to become an Energy Integrator of solar services, leveraging partners rather than a vertically integrated provider.

This is a significant move for the company, as NRG Home Solar ranked as the fourth largest residential solar installer in the nation in 2015. Now its residential retail business will exist solely through third parties.

Lars Podlowski joins the Board of Directors at the PI Berlin to establish new business division

Photovoltaik-Institut Berlin (PI Berlin) Lars Podlowski joined the company¡¯sboard of directors to establish a new business division.

Podlowski plans to expand PI to include services to module manufacturers by developing a portfolio of technical services to support via research and development and to offer newcomers around the globe a jump start in setting up their own module production.

¡°Alongside the tendency for leading module manufacturers to build ever larger central factories, a parallel global trend has emerged in recent years toward establishing regional production facilities for solar modules,¡± said Podlowski. ¡°In the future, PI Berlin will offer services for manufacturers ¨C many of whom are lateral entrants to the solar industry ¨C to facilitate their entry onto the market. In principle, we can offer technical support in everything from factory planning to product design to the implementation of quality management systems. But we can also support the development of business models or human resources planning.¡±

As another new business area ¨C and not just for industry newcomers ¨C PI Berlin will begin offering intensive tests of raw materials to help module manufacturers optimise their product design.

Coalition for Community Solar Access adds new members

Celebrating its one-year anniversary, the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) added nine new members, now representing an even larger cross-section of the solar supply chain.

The newly-elected members were: Borrego Solar, Distributed Sun, EWT, AES Distributed Energy, Westwood Professional Services, Relay Power, Lever Energy Finance, Solstice and GRID Alternatives. Solstice and GRID Alternatives are also CCSA¡¯s first non-profit members.

Over the last year that the nation¡¯s first and only trade association for community solar has been in operation, it has witnessed this market grow tremendously. Some significant milestones include the implementation of a new three-year programme in Maryland which will target almost 200MW of PV, and similar programmes reaching approval in Illinois and Oregon.

The momentum of this promising new market segment is not looking to slow down any time soon. Jeff Cramer, CCSA executive director caught up with PV Tech to discuss the association¡¯s anniversary and the amazing trajectory that US community solar is currently on.

PV Tech: The Coalition has just celebrated its first year anniversary. So what¡¯s next?

Jeff Cramer: Opening new markets. We're seeing markets expand from just a couple of states to a handful of new states adopting new community solar programmes. In fact, New York just opened their programme about two hours ago with a ruling from their Public Service Commission. So as we go forward, we're looking forward to partnering and working with policy makers, regulators, utilities and customers alike to expand access to solar, through community solar in market where that's not possible yet.

The latest GTM figures detailed how the non-residential segment is expected to grow 11% year-over-year in 2017, mainly from community solar thanks to states such as Maryland, Massachusetts and Minnesota. What is it about those markets that lend themselves to community solar?

They have implemented programmes where they allow either the utility or the third party to develop and interconnect projects and offer them to customers at a rate which offers an economic value proposition to those customers, that's really the key to expanding access through community solar. Other markets don't yet have those programmes that allow for that interconnection and project development and a tariff to compensate those projects to offer to customers.

Are there any other states expanding community solar in the coming year?

New York is a big one, Maryland is a big one, and there's Illinois, Rhode Island and Oregon too. Illinois is in the process of implementing its programme from a bill they passed in 2016. Those are markets to watch and then there's a whole other set of states that are in the process and exploring the development of a programme; whether through the regulatory level or legislative level. And those are really across the country from North Carolina from Mexico to Nevada, Washington, Maine etc.

You¡¯ve just appointed nine new members, what is the criteria you use to recruit?

All of our members have to agree to our core principles on how to build community solar projects. We welcome members from solar community, which is an entire ecosystem from developers, providers, panel manufacturers, even financiers and the legal community that supports them; and the second category is the utilities themselves. We are talking to utilities about partnering with us to create win-win programmes that work for utilities and the solar community and then lastly large end users. That's an area where we hope to expand our membership and working with the C&I customers that are out there that are interested in satisfying their appetite for renewables while also supporting the development of community renewable solutions.

GTM forecast 500MW of community solar to come online by 2019. What should states and the industry be doing to make sure that target is hit or even surpassed?

That's a really good question because it always starts with policy goals. You have to have a clearly established goal and in states where you see community solar is successful, it has been to expand access to solar to those that don't have access today. And that number, at least according to the industry, is up to 85% overall - in some places it's higher and some places it's lower - but our figures say about 85% don't have access to solar today. So you need to start with those policy goals and then build programmes that can meet those goals. It sounds easier than it is to do, that is the problem. But there are clearly ways to do it. We need to make sure policymakers start with the policy goals and develop a process and leads to real world solutions to achieve those goals.

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö India hit 9.57GW solar deployment by March 2017 - MNRE

India¡¯s installed solar capacity reached 9,567MW as of 28 February this year, according to energy and mines minister Piyush Goyal, speaking in Lok Sabha (parliament).

The project tracker from consultancy firm Mercom Capital Group shows that monthly installs resurged after a blip at the end of 2016:

September 2016 ¨C 430MW
October 2016 ¨C 214MW
November 2016 ¨C 147MW
December 2016 ¨C 138MW
January 2017 ¨C 223MW
February 2017 ¨C 332MW

However, with one month to go in FY2016/17 the nation has installed just 23% of its 12GW target, with just 2,803MW deployed so far. Missing such a target has not stopped a wave of enthusiasm surrounding India's enormous progress in the last two years.

Unlike MNRE, consultancy firm Bridge to India reported that India surpassed 10GW solar installations in November last year,

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Solar Systems LLC developing 15MW solar project in Astrakhan, Russia

Alexander Zhilkin, the governor of Astrakhan Oblast, Russia, paid a visit to the construction site of Solar Systems LLC¡¯s new solar project.

The installation, known as the Zavodskaya solar power plant, is being developed in the town of Volodarsky and will have a generation capacity of 15MW.

So far, 5,376 piles weighing a total of 120 tonnes have already been driven into the site, while a road built from reinforced concrete slabs and high voltage transmission lines have also been built. The foundation for the indoor switch-gear and the modular power inverters have also been set.

The modular power inverters were delivered to the construction site in early February, while cables are planned to be delivered and trenches are planned to be dug for the cables by the end of March 2017.

Once completed, the Zavodskaya solar power plant will be located over 26 hectares of land and will be comprised of 57,000 solar modules. The installation will be completely automated, while the warranty service life of each module will last for 15 years. In total, the effective life of the station is expected to last 25 years.

Once operational, the project will cut CO2 emissions by over 3,784 tonnes.

Zhilkin noted: ¡°What makes this power station unique is that it uses an alternative power source. In addition, it¡¯s an environmentally friendly project ¡ª the power station will be generating power with zero emissions into the atmosphere.¡±

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Solar installations surge in South Australia following statewide blackout

Following a statewide blackout in September 2016, citizens in South Australia are embracing the solar market like never before.

From October to December 2016, South Australians invested approximately US$16.9 million in rooftop solar installations, according to new analysis of Clean Energy Regulator data by campaign group Solar Citizens.

Monthly solar installation rates increased 17.65% from October until December 2016 when compared to installation rates from January until September.

Installations from July until December 2016 jumped 21% compared to the first six months of the year, while 6,424 solar systems were installed across the state since July.

Dan Spencer, South Australia campaigner at Solar Citizens, noted: ¡°South Australians are sending a clear message with their wallets that they see clean solar power as a key part of the solution to rising energy costs and power security while tackling climate change.¡±

Spencer added: ¡°While politicians attacked South Australia¡¯s clean energy leadership, South Australians took action at home, investing 22 million dollars of their own money into making our power cleaner and cheaper at a higher installation rate than before the September blackout.

¡°With solar and storage becoming cheaper and more affordable every day it¡¯s no surprise that ordinary South Australians have looked to clean energy while South Australia¡¯s power has been in the headlines.¡±

The top five suburbs for solar installation since the blackout were located in areas with incomes that were listed below the state average, per Australian Tax Office data. The regional suburb of Waitpinga had the most installed solar, followed by Smithfield Plains, Salisbury North, Angas Plains and Morphett Vale.

Spencer added: ¡°Whether it¡¯s in Salisbury or regional SA, South Australians are looking to solar for their power showing just how mainstream renewable energy has become in South Australia. South Australians from all walks of life are doing their bit to bring power bills down with clean energy, it¡¯s time the Federal Government did the same.¡±

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö USTDA awards grant for solar in Burkina Faso

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency has awarded a grant to Soci¨¦t¨¦ de Production d¡¯Energie Solaire de Kod¨¦ni SAS, a Burkina Faso based solar industry association. The grant will fund feasibility studies for two 17 MW PV plants to be located in the southwest of the country.

California based Tetra Tech was chosen to conduct feasibility studies on two projects close to the villages of P¨¢ and Kod¨¦ni. South African company BioTherm Energy will develop the power plants. According to the USTDA, the projects could be worth $27 million in components exported from the USA. The agency did not disclose the amount that the grant is worth.

¡°BioTherm is very grateful for this assistance from the USTDA to help develop our PV plants in Burkina Faso,¡± says Jasandra Nyka, CEO at Biotherm Energy. ¡°Leveraging Tetra Tech¡¯s skill sets will ensure that these power plants are developed to world class standards.¡±

Tetra Tech echoed the South African company¡¯s praise of the project: ¡°We are pleased to support BioTerm with the execution of the two solar projects,¡± said Senior Vice President Dean White. ¡°Tetra Tech is excited to apply its expertise to the development of the projects, which will contribute to the economic growth of the country.¡±

Burkina Faso has an abundant solar resource, but remains one of the least developed countries in the region in terms of energy infrastructure. Less than 20% of the population has access to electricity, and there is heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels.

¡°We are pleased to partner with Soci¨¦t¨¦ de Production d¡¯Energie Solaire de Kod¨¦ni SAS and BioTherm on this important project that will increase energy access for homes and businesses across Burkina Faso,¡± said Lida Fitts, USTDA Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. ¡°There is great potential for solar energy in the country, and we look forward to supporting theis solution.¡±

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö The pv magazine weekly news digest

Amid the innovation on display in Portugal, the optimism in Japan and the, well, eagerness in Norway were stories of takeovers, Tesla and storage that shaped yet another fascinating week in the global solar PV industry.

If a ¡°company changes the estimated probabilities and adjusted the accrued contingent consideration balance to $0 for the remaining milestones¡± and nobody is around to see it, does it make any noise?

The answer to that riddle is ¡°some¡±. Buried in Tesla¡¯s annual report this week was final confirmation from the normally brash technology firm that it would, in fact, be scrapping its partnership with Silevo, preferring instead to work with Panasonic on delivering its own heterojunction intrinsic Thin Film (HJT) technology.

That such an arcane sentence would pour forth from a multinational corporation is not surprising. That it came from Tesla ¨C leading protagonists in the pithy world of PR-by-Twitter ¨C is a little more surprising, but then again, Tesla does gravitas as solemnly as the rest the industry; we¡¯re just still surprised when it happens.

Less surprised, however, was pv magazine that Silevo¡¯s technology was getting hooked. Ever since Tesla announced its partnership with Panasonic, the shoe didn¡¯t fit ¨C why would Panasonic manufacture another company¡¯s technology that competed directly with its own?

Batter up

Far more in keeping with the Tesla we have come to know was this week¡¯s launch of its Powerwall 2 home battery solution into the Australian market. Boasting one of the highest penetrations of rooftop solar PV globally, Australia was always an obvious launching-off point for the Powerwall 2, with the firm¡¯s Lyndon Rive remarking that he expects 100% of homes with rooftop solar installed to also have battery storage within the next decade.

The uptake of the Tesla Powerwall 2, he said, would stand on the product¡¯s merits, which include it being a 30% smaller, sleeker unit ¨C the new design also means the units can be stacked ¨C with double the energy storage capacity at nearly half the cost per kilowatt hour of its predecessor, at AU$8,000 ($6,000) per 14 kWh battery pack, with installation and supporting hardware starting at $2,000.

¡°Tesla¡¯s approach is simply to make the best product, make it cost effective, make it simple¡­ and market share will do what it does,¡± he said.

EV does it

Tesla¡¯s might and Musk¡¯s deep pockets are also going to prove pretty handy for the uptake of lithium-ion storage solutions at large scale, found a new report this week by Lux Research.

As the electric vehicle (EV) industry grows, the cost of lithium-ion battery technology will fall, striking a sweet spot for stationary storage systems that require high efficiencies and can carry out regular cycles.

The report also found that flow battery technology will also enjoy cost-competitiveness against lithium-ion over the next few years on storage applications that require longer durations, a trend that is being expedited by additional investment in R&D by Lockheed Martin.

What¡¯s big in Japan?

Being ¡°Big in Japan¡± was for a long time considered something to be scoffed at; a fall-back for British and American rock bands who had seemingly flopped at home but could point to a fanatical fanbase in Tokyo as proof of their prowess.

How times have changed. Japan is a powerhouse in most industries, with solar no exception. So the PV Expo, held every March in Tokyo, is rightly held up as the first ¡°big¡± solar show of the year, a chance for the industry to take its pulse, for the leading players to stake their claims, and for journalists to navigate the futuristic but infuriating Tokyo subway system in time to report anything from the show.

But report we did, and what we found was a Japanese solar market in the mildest throes of change; a transition over the next three years from soaring megasolar growth to strong distributed PV adoption, aided by sensible government support and an eagerness among Japanese businesses and its population to embrace change.

Any Port in a storm

Portugal¡¯s solar market has ¨C like much of the country itself ¨C tended to be overshadowed by its larger Iberian neighbor, Spain. But while the Spanish seem intent on undoing all of the excellent solar groundwork laid almost a decade ago, Portugal has employed a slow-and-steady approach to its renewable energy industry, carefully adding wind and PV whenever and wherever it is viable.

A small, hilly country, land space has become something of an issue for Portugal, which perhaps explains why it is now home to the world¡¯s first combined hydro and floating PV project.

French floating PV specialists Ciel & Terre have installed a 220 kW PV installation at a hydroelectric dam on Portugal¡¯s Rabag?o River. Though a comparatively small installation, this represents the first time the two technologies have been used in tandem at utility scale.

The Alto Rabag?o dam has been in operation has been in operation since the 1960s, with a capacity of 68 MW. Portuguese energy giant EDP (Energias de Portugal) acknowledged the potential for combining solar and hydroelectric generation, which led to the tender announcement.

According to Ciel & Terre, the location was chosen due to its high level of difficulty, due to the water depth of 60 metres and surface level variation of more than 30 metres.

Norway can that be right!

366% growth? In one year? Yes, you better believe it. Oil-rich kingdom¡­ Norway has just released its 2016 solar installation data, revealing that incredible growth in the space of a year. And if you¡¯re wondering why you haven¡¯t heard a great deal about this seemingly runaway solar star, then worry not ¨C Norway was starting from a very low base.

In actual megawatt terms, Norway added 11 MW in 2016, largely as a result to changes in the self consumption regulations. But when compared to previous years, last year was indeed a year for solar celebration: Norway added a meager 2.4 MW in 2015, 2.2 MW in 2014, and 620 kW in 2013¡­ so, onwards and upwards!

And in other news¡­

Data from the U.S. revealed that solar reached 1.4% of all electricity output nationally in 2016; India announced that it is to lower the price of its renewable energy certificates, and Hanwha Q Cells reached a PERC efficiency of 19.9%.

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Apple Supplier Ibiden to invest in 12 MW PV installations

Japanese electronics company Ibiden, a major component supplier to Apple, will power all of its manufacturing for the U.S. tech giant with renewable energy. To meet this pledge, Ibiden will invest in solar projects with a total capacity of more than 12 MW, including one of Japan¡¯s largest floating PV projects.

Ibiden will be the first of Apple¡¯s Japanese partners to make the move towards renewable energy, investing in more than 20 generation facilities across Japan.

¡°We¡¯re proud to partner with suppliers like Ibiden who recognize that renewable energy investments are good for the environment and good for business,¡± says Lisa Jackson, Vice President for environment, policy and social initiatives at Apple. ¡°As we continue our push to power our global operations with 100% renewable energy, it is more important than ever that we help our manufacturing partners make the same transition to cleaner sources.¡±

Ibiden¡¯s investments will amount to more than 12 MW of PV capacity, which Apple say is more than enough to power its manufacturing of components for them.

¡°These innovative new clean energy investments demonstrate our commitment to doing business responsibly,¡± says Kyoichi Yamanaka, Managing Director of Ibiden¡¯s environment group. ¡°We¡¯re pleased to partner with Apple and lead the way in helping Japan meet its clean energy goals.¡±

Apple has taken big steps in renewable energy, recently installing a 17 MW rooftop array at its brand new Apple Park Headquarters in Cupertino, California. The company is also promoting renewable energy abroad, and states that 93% of its global operations are now powered by renewable energy.

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Elon Musk throws down ¡°serious¡± challenge to tackle South Australia¡¯s energy crisis

Tesla founder Elon Musk has thrown down a challenge to the Australian government, saying that he can build a battery array capable of resolving South Australia¡¯s energy stability issues within 100 days. Musk took to social media to make the challenge, saying that Tesla could develop a 100 MWh system to stabilize the state¡¯s electricity network, within 100 days of a contract being signed, or that he¡¯ll provide it for free.

Elon Musk is putting his money where his mouth is. Never far from a headline or short of chutzpah, Musk has risen to the Twitter bait and put the issue of battery storage immediately in the center of a debate currently raging in Australia about the security of the nation¡¯s electricity supply.

In response to an online comment made by an Australian technology entrepreneur, Musk has committed deliver a 100 MWh battery array to South Australia, 100 days after a contract for the system is sized.

South Australia has experienced a period of instability in its electricity supply, as the effects of limited interstate connectivity, high temperatures and therefore air conditioning load, and the closure of older local coal generators have left the state¡¯s electricity network prone to frequency and voltage issues. After a serious storm downed interstate interconnectors earlier late last year, South Australia suffered a state-wide blackout. It recently suffered brownouts during a heatwave.

Mike Cannon-Brookes, the founder of Australian software company Atlassian, drew the response from Musk, by saying that he would arrange finance and political support for a battery array to stabilize the South Australian grid if Tesla could supply the batteries.

¡°Tesla will get the system installed and working 100 days from contract signature or it is free. That serious enough for you?¡± Musk tweeted.

Musk said the battery array would cost $250/kWh, so, therefore, $25 million for the entire system.

Since the exchange, Cannon-Brookes says he has been inundated from those expressing interest in investing in the battery array.

¡°My phone hasn¡¯t stopped buzzing. The support is flooding in, both from individuals in terms of ¡®Hell yes!¡¯ and from corporates who are asking: ¡®Can we buy power? Can we contribute dollars?¡¯,¡± Cannon-Brookes told Reuters.

Reuters also asked for a response from the Federal Government, who has been front-and-center both in efforts to find a solution to the grid issues in South Australia and also to politicize the issue.

Josh Frydenberg responded in a written statement that it ¡°stands ready¡± to provide funding through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, to which it has slashed funding, and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

Tesla launched its Powerwall 2 residential battery system in Australia earlier this week. In February, Tesla inaugurated a 80 MWh battery system in California.

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Over 50,000 distributed generation PV projects expected to come online in Mexico this year

Mexican company Conermex forecasts that investment for distributed generation projects (DGPV) in Mexico could reach $750 million between 2017 and 2018.

The amount of distributed generation PV systems installed in Mexico could triple this year. According to estimates provided by local solar installer Conermex, over 50,000 systems of this kind could be connected to the Mexican grid in 2017. The company claims that this significant increase will be mainly due to the new regulation for renewable energy power stations smaller than 500 kW.

Furthermore, Conermex has revealed that the recent modifications for solar energy introduced with Mexico¡¯s new energy reform were published in the country¡¯s official journal (Disposiciones Administrativas Generales para la Generaci¨®n Distribuida).

Conermex¡¯ Director General said that the new regulation is ¡°modern, subsidiy-free and very favorable to small-sized PV.¡± The company expects that this market segment could increase its share in the Mexican electricity mix from 0.3% currently to approximately 5 % in 2020.

Conermex also expects that investments in the DGPV segment could reach $250 million this year and $750 million in 2018.

The new rules for distributed generation include three options for PV: net-metering, net-billing and the sale of all power output.

Conermex notes that operators of existing DGPV installations, which were connected to the grid before the new rules came into force, could maintain the current contract or modify their status and sign a new contract, complying with the new regulations.

Furthermore, the company explains that the time frame for the connection of the installations has been reduced to 13 days.

At the end of 2015, Mexico had 114 MW of operational distributed generation PV capacity. Conermex believes this capacity has reached around 220 MW at the end of the past year.

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Netherlands¡¯ PV market set to reach 2 GW milestone

The Dutch market keeps showing signs of sustained growth. Estimated new installed PV power for 2016 is expected to surpass 500 MW, while another 600 MW is forecast for this year. Several PV projects developed under the SDE+ program for large-scale renewable energy projects began to come online in the past months.

The Netherlands¡¯ PV market has probably set another growth record in 2016. The country, in fact, is expected to have installed around 525 MW of new PV installations last year, according to provisional figures provided to pv magazine by Peter Segaar, owner of solar website www.polderpv.nl and analyst of Dutch solar market trends.

In 2015, the country saw the addition of new PV systems with a combined capacity of 467 MW, while in 2014, 2013 and 2012 the newly installed solar power was of 302 MW, 377 MW and 220 MW, respectively.

The official statistics for last year will be likely be published by the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek- CBS) in May 2017. If the provisional numbers are confirmed, the country¡¯s cumulative PV capacity will have reached about 2,040 MW as of the end of December 2016.

Segaar stressed that, if the residential segment does not show severe signs of collapse, and the large 2016 budget allocations for the SDE+ program are partly realized, another 600 MW in new PV power stations could be connected to the grid this year. The SDE+ program is available for the production of renewable electricity (for solar the program is open to PV projects over 15 kW), renewable gas and renewable heat or a combination of renewable heat and electricity (CHP).

Segaar explained that, although not all of the PV capacity allocated under the SDE+ program will see the light of day, the first solar parks developed under the scheme began to come online in the past months. Ground-mounted solar parks are not easy to develop in Netherlands, Segaar claims, due to inexperience of local companies, long and tiresome permission procedures and the lack of available land. The Netherlands is a densely populated country in which every square meter faces competition from a number of players, Segaar stressed.

So far, at least 430 MW of PV capacity was installed under the SDE+ scheme since it was launched in 2008, although operational ground-mounted PV installations exceeding 50 kW currently have reached only 58 MW. The country¡¯s largest online PV plant is a 30 MW solar park built by German developer Wirsol.

Most of the allocated PV capacity under the scheme, 961 MW, was assigned in the last ¡°autumn round¡± of SDE 2016. Including this latest round, approximately 2,313 MW of PV capacity was allocated under the 9 year rounds of SDE regime.

Meanwhile, the Dutch government has allocated approximately €12 billion for the program in 2017, a new record. The first SDE 2017 round 1 (the so-called ¡°spring round¡±) will have a budget of €6 billion and the second round (the ¡°autumn round¡±) is expected to get the same amount, although the funds for the second round will depend on the outcome of the first round.

Despite the recent growth of the large-scale segment, most of the country¡¯s installed PV capacity still comes in the form of small and medium-sized PV systems. All this capacity was installed through a net-metering scheme, which is still performing ¡°reasonably¡± well, Segaar said, although there are plans to change the conditions as of 2020, or possibly as of 2023.

According to official statistics from the CBS, approximately 1,051 MW of the 1,515 MW of PV power connected to the grid in the country at the end of 2015 consists of residential PV capacity, 69% of total accumulated market volume. ¡°The exact volume of non-residential net-metering solar installations, however, remains unknown,¡± added Segaar.

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Chile registers increase in PV installations for self-consumption

PV systems installed under Chile¡¯s net-metering scheme have reached 6.4 MW. The Chilean government has recently made it easier to install small-sized PV for self-consumption.

An increasing amount of PV systems for self-consumption have been registered in Chile over the past months. To date, approximately 900 power systems for self-consumption, most of them rooftop PV arrays, were installed in the country. These installations have reached a combined capacity of 6.4 MW.

According to local energy agency Superintendencia de Electricidad y Combustibles (SEC), at the end of September of 2016 there were 400 systems with a combined capacity of 4.3 MW installed under the scheme.

The growth registered in the past five months is mainly attributable to the recent introduction of a new regulation for self-consumption, which has considerably simplified the procedures for these projects.

The new rules were published in January and the SEC is now discussing details of the regulation with local installers and solar companies. In the past week, the agency held a meeting with around 50 professionals to explain that the time frame to obtain approval for small projects has been reduced and that a special procedure for projects in housing complexes has been introduced.

Furthermore, SEC said that the number of the required documents for the grid-connected has been reduced and that an online platform for the on-line registration of these installations could be launched soon.

SEC added that local power providers have received additional 1,200 grid-connection requests for these projects to date.

Installations for self-consumption can be developed in Chile under the law Ley 20.571, which is in force since October 2014. The scheme for self-consumption grants access for power projects with a power of up to 100 kW.

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö European research organization Solliance achieves record 12.6% industrial perovskite solar cell efficiency

The Dutch, Belgian and German R&D partnership sets world record for roll-to-roll perovskite/based solar cells, working alongside Dyesol, VDL Enabling Technologies Group, Smit Thermal Solutions and Bosch-Rexroth.

Solliance, a Dutch-Belgian-German R&D partnership, has announced that it has achieved 12.6% efficiency in roll-to-roll (R2R) perovskite solar cells applicable to industrial production.

The breakthrough came via close collaboration with a number of perovskite and solar experts, including Dyesol, VDL Enabling Technologies Group and Bosch/Rexroth. The area of focus for this latest round of research was aimed at devising scalable and industrial processes for perovskite use, with Solliance confident that its new process could be suitable for the fabrication of large-area solar modules designed for BIPV applications.

The R2R process was carried out by Solliance¡¯s dual R2R coating line, producing an in-line drying and annealing process executed at a linear speed of 5 m/min on a 30-cm PET/ITO foil under ambient conditions. The 12.6% efficiencies were registered on individual cells measuring 0.1 square cm, and Solliance stressed that the process was carried out using low cost materials and temperatures below 120 C ¨C highlighting the mass adoption potential of the technique, the researchers claim.

At small-scale, laboratory conditions, perovskite efficiencies have reached 22.1%, but the challenge has always been to upscale that to a size suitable for the solar industry. Solliance¡¯s achievement is a step along that path, and should help to expedite commercial adoption of the technology by enabling manufacturers to apply its industrial technique in their own manufacturing facilities.

¡°The demonstration of R2R processing at 5 m/min of perovskite layers for solar cells indicates that high/volume production, and hence with an expected low cost, will be possible in the future,¡± said Solliance program manager and professor of SMART materials at the Technical University of Delft, Pim Groen.

The upstream companies involved in the production of the R2R coating line were a consortium led by VDL ETG, with the firm¡¯s CEO Willem van der Leegte commenting that the combination of Solliance¡¯s process know-how and the consortium¡¯s high-tech equipment capabilities was pivotal in reaching these new efficiencies. Such knowledge sharing in Europe can ¡°deliver very powerful results that potentially open up completely new business opportunities,¡± van der Leegte said.

For Australia¡¯s Dyesol, the breakthrough was confirmation of its commitment to support Solliance and the wider perovskite research community on the path towards greater efficiencies and, eventually, commercialization.

¡°This pioneering work confirms that Dyesol and its partners retain a global leadership position in the industrialization of perovskite solar cell technology, and in particular its continuous R2R processing for flexible BIPV applications ¨C a core element of its commercialization strategy.¡±

Perovskite solar cell technology is increasingly seen as the great white hope for solar energy harvesting due to its high power conversion efficiency and flexible, lightweight nature. It is still relatively fragile, but in terms of potential many in the industry see perovskite as a key ingredient in kickstarting BIPV applications, delivering performance, flexibility and desired aesthetics.

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Slovenia¡¯s PV capacity tops 259 MW, net-metering expected to support more growth

The small eastern European country has been adding around 10 MW of new PV systems each year over the past four years. A net-metering scheme introduced in 2015 is expected to increase demand for residential installations.

The Slovenian solar market has been growing at a slow but constant pace over the past four years. According to figures provided to pv magazine by the Slovenian Photovoltaic Association (ZSFV), the country has seen the addition of about 10 MW of new PV capacity each year from 2013 to 2016.

At the end of 2016, Slovenia had reached a cumulative installed PV capacity of approximately 259 MW. Most of this was installed in 2012 (122 MW), 2011, (54 MW) and 2010 (37 MW) under the country¡¯s FIT scheme, which expired at the end of 2013. In 2013, however, only 10.7 MW of new PV systems was installed.

Primo? Tru?l from ZSFV explained that, after the FIT scheme was closed, the government introduced a tender mechanism for solar and renewables, which was never implemented. The government, in fact, has failed to allocate financial resources for the tenders planned for the past three years, and no tenders have been held.

The Slovenian government, however, has finally allocated €2 million ($2.1 million) for the 2017 tender. Highly efficient PV installations will compete with wind power projects in the auction.

What is keeping the Slovenian solar market alive is a net-metering scheme introduced in late 2015, Tru?l said. The scheme is open to PV installations of up to 11 kW owned by individuals or small-sized business. The association has asked the government to include collective solar projects in the scheme and the Virtual net metering (VNM), a bill crediting system for community solar.

Tru?l believes that approximately between 20 MW and 30 MW of new PV power could be installed in Slovenia in 2017. ¡°Net-metering was implemented in December 2015, but consumer confidence has increased only recently,¡± said Tru?l.

Solar is currently covering over 1.5% of the country¡¯s electricity demand. Thermal and nuclear power still covered 41.9% and 37.5% of demand in December 2016.

In order to reach its EU targets, Slovenia must cover 25% of its electricity consumption by 2020. Fortunately, hydropower plants were able to cover 19.7% of demand in December 2016. In 2015, renewables were able to reach a share of 23%.

( Mar 10,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö OneRoof Energy selling residential solar assets to raise cash

San Diego, California-based residential solar company OneRoof Energy has entered into an agreement to sell its residential solar assets to Greenbacker Residential Solar for US$8 million in cash.

The sale consists of the company¡¯s residential portfolio containing 747 residential solar systems and related leases and PPAs.

The process of winding down its solar operations began back in July 2016 when the company sold 19.8MW of its US residential assets for approximately US$61 million with intentions to use the proceeds to repay outstanding amounts under its construction loan facility and outstanding development and installation costs incurred.

However, in August, Greenbacker acquired a controlling interest in a 12.1MW solar portfolio which included 1,611 rooftop solar systems in California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Hawaii and Connecticut for US$19.75 million. The close of the transaction is expected to occur in several tranches subject to approval from the shareholders of the company.

Regardless, OneRoof faced a looming default deadline from its head office lease for liability for unpaid rent in excess of US$160,000 amid plans to wind down operations.

This latest Greenbacker sale was entered into as part of the wind down process, which is ongoing. Around US$1.8 million of the proceeds of the sale will be used to repay principal and accrued interest on a loan from New Resource Bank which is secured by one of the portfolios.

OneRoof anticipates that the rest of the proceeds will be used to pay outstanding project-related expenses included those aforementioned.

However, the company expects that the sale will not enable it to pay claims of creditors in full, so there will not be any proceeds for recovery by shareholders.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö NV Energy files for low-cost rooftop solar alternative

NV Energy has filed for approval from the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for a new voluntary subscription solar pricing programme that would offer non-subscribing customers a way to purchase renewable resources that cost less than rooftop solar.

Nevada¡¯s monopoly utility made the filing on Tuesday.

The programme, if approved, would allow customers to subscribe each month to at least 100kWh blocks of solar energy generated within the state, and would not be required to commit for a long term. It would first be offered to residential customers and soon after would add in commercial customers ineligible for the NV GreenEnergy Rider (NGR) programme.

Projections peg each block of power at US$2 dollars, which would render the programme one of the lowest-cost options for power in the country, according to NV Energy. However this charge would be in addition to a customer¡¯s monthly bill.

Starting off, the programme's initial capacity is around 7.33MW coming from power generated by Boulder Solar I, which has set aside 10MW for the programme, as well as the Techren II facility, which is a joint venture with Apple. The latter has set aside 5MW for the programme and will be online by 2019.

The motivation for the programme was to offer a voluntary subscription service option for residential and small C&I customers, as none currently exists. The utility also stressed in the filing that it would give such customers ¡°affordable and flexible new choice to help meet their individual energy related environmental goals¡±.

¡°This programme is specifically designed for customers who may not have access to a rooftop, but who would like a low-cost, renewable energy option or for those whom building their own rooftop system isn¡¯t a great option,¡± said Pat Egan, NV Energy senior vice president of renewable energy and smart infrastructure to the Reno-Gazette Journal.

The idea is that it will not only provide customers with more energy choices, but also attract new customers.

The programme allows for customers to be up to 100% green with no long term commitment and no major investment required. This caters to those who might not be able to raise the initial upfront cost that rooftop solar requires, or those that might not have a suitable roof.

If approved by the PUC, the programme will be on offer first for Nevada Power customers and then for Sierra Power customers. Regulators have up to 210 days from the date of filing to make a decision on the proposal.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö France awards 500MW large-scale solar, launches major self-consumption and ¡®innovation¡¯ tenders

France has awarded contracts to 79 projects in the first 500MW tender of its 3GW large-scale programme, as well as launching tender programmes for 450MW of self-consumption renewable energy systems and 210MW of 'solar innovations' including solar roads.

The average prices were €0.0625/kWh (US$0.07), reflecting the decline in PV equipment prices worldwide. The list of winners for the 534.8MW awarded can be found here. Of the projects, 60% have committed to investments and are set to receive a premium of €0.003/kWh. Together, the projects will generate 700GWh per year, as well as attracting €460 million of investment.

France will call a total of six tenders every six months up to 2019 to complete its 3GW programme.

Self-consumption tenders

Energy minister S¨¦gol¨¨ne Royal has also announced 62 winners for 20MW of renewable energy in the second tender for self-consumption systems of 100-500kW size, following the expanded 80MW awarded in part one last year. The tender was aimed particularly at self-consumption in industrial, tertiary and agricultural installations. Projects are expected to attract €27 million of investment and will receive a premium at a weighted price of €0.01935/kWh. The list of winners can be found here.

As reported by PV Tech in February, the French Parliament has adopted a new law providing a legal framework on self-consumption of electricity from renewable energy sources.

As part of this, Royal has now launched a three-year call for tenders for 450MW in self-consumption of renewable energy, with the first bidding period to close in September. It is open to consumers in the industrial and tertiary sectors, with a particular focus on shopping centres.

The total 450MW will be divided into nine tranches of 50MW each, with three nomination periods per year.

Solar Roads and Innovation

Royal has also launched a tender for the support of ¡®innovative solar installations¡¯, following on from the commissioning of the first kilometre of a solar road in the Orne last December. This will involve 210MW of new installations, divided into three 70MW tranches, focusing on solar roads and agricultural solar.

It will be split into four areas of innovation to ensure fair competition between the technologies:

1.Component innovations, including solar roads, innovative modules, inverters with specific features or new cell technologies

2.Innovations in the electrical systems such as high architecture voltage and innovative power distribution systems.

3.Innovations related to the optimization and electrical operation of PV plants, monitoring software coupled to sensors, and preventive maintenance tools

4.Installations for coupling secondary PV production with main agricultural production.

Projects will be selected based on economic competitiveness and the first bidding period will also close in September.

PV Tech reported this week that France has sought to increase its ambitions for solar PV after the technology ¡°overshot expectations¡±, as stated by Alexis Dutertre, deputy permanent representative of France to the European Union, who was speaking at the Solar Power Summit in Brussels.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Mali¡¯s first PV project opens the door for solar to ¡®flourish¡¯ in West Africa

West Africa¡¯s Mail is to build its first ever solar PV project with a little help from the African Development Bank (AfDB).

AfDB and its board of directors have approved a senior concessional loan of US$25 million to fund the 33MW Segou solar project.

The project was one of the first to launch in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Norway¡¯s Scatec Solar signing a 25-year PPA with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Electrcit¨¦ du Mail (EDM) in July 2015. It will be implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that will be fully owned by the private sector under a 25-year agreement with the government of Mali.

The AfDB loan will go towards the design, construction and operation of the plant. Once completed, it will generate 52.7GWh annually, which is around 10% of the country¡¯s current generation capacity. It will be be located near the ancient city of Segou in South-East Mali, 240 kms from Bamako.

The project will be funded by the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) programme for 'Scaling up Renewable Energy in Low Income Countries' (SREP), alongside additional co-financing from the AfDB (US$8.4 million) and the IFC (US$8.4 million).

The Segou solar project is not only notable for being Mali¡¯s first solar project, but it was also West Africa's first utility-scale PV project by financial close and will also create a replicable business model for private investment in solar markets across West Africa.

¡°Introducing utility-scale solar PV as an energy source will enable Mali to harness its abundant solar energy potential, diversify the country¡¯s energy mix, and increase access to cleaner energy for its citizens,¡± said Anthony Nyong, AfDB¡¯s director of Climate Change and Green Growth. ¡°The project¡¯s specific business model is a potential energy game-changer for Mali and indeed for all of West Africa. The project is a demonstration of the significant role that concessional climate finance can play in mitigating project specific risks and in addressing barriers that would otherwise hinder private sector involvement in renewable energy projects. This structure not only allows the Government of Mali to allocate valuable resources to other sectors of the economy, it also smoothens the way for private sector investments. It has ultimately opened the door for the industry to begin to flourish in West Africa.¡±

Many pioneering solar projects such as Segou, run into high transactional costs, limited ability to raise financing, lack of capacity and other challenges linked to the learning curve and off-taker and currency risk. However, as the project is being implemented under SREP, with financing from the IFC and AfDB, these obstacles are alleviated somewhat.

¡°SREP is uniquely designed to help low-income countries like Mali find ways to break down barriers to private sector engagement in renewables,¡± said Leandro Azevedo, co-task manager and senior climate finance officer at the AfDB. ¡°SREP is helping low-income countries like Mali establish bankable solar PV projects under sound regulatory frameworks and lower power generation costs, and it will ultimately contribute to reducing reliance on expensive fossil fuel imports and subsidies in power generation.¡±

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Scatec Solar looks to develop 60MW portfolio of PV projects in Ukraine

Norwegian solar project developer Scatec Solar is looking to develop two large-scale solar projects in Ukraine, according to a release from the Ukraine¡¯s Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry.

Scatec Solar is looking to develop the two PV projects with a combined generation capacity of 60MW.

Terje Osmundsen, vice president of Scatec Solar, along with Norwegian ambassador Ole Horpestad, have met with Natalia Boyko, deputy energy minister of Ukraine, to review the general outlook of the Ukrainian energy market and Scatec¡¯s potential to develop a foothold within the sector.

While no news was given of a potential timetable for the two projects, Boyko noted after the meeting that Scatec is also exploring a scenario in which they develop even more projects within the country.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö 64MW solar project secured under round one of Egypt Feed-in Tariff

Egyptian renewable energy provider Infinity Solar and Germany¡¯s ib vogt and Solizer have reached financial close on a 64.1MW solar PV plant under round one of Egypt¡¯s Feed-in Tariff (FiT) programme.

Financing was obtained from German commercial bank Bayerische Landesbank for 85% of the debt, with the remaining 15% coming from the Arab African International Bank. The loan was secured through the German government.

The Infinity 50 solar park, as it is known, is based in Benban, Aswan, and was officially approved this week by the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC).

Given the difficulties the country has faced with its FiT, this project constitutes a landmark in the development of renewable energy infrastructure in Egypt and the MENA region beyond. The project is part of the Benban solar development complex with a total capacity of up to 1.86GWp, which will be one of the largest solar generation facilities in the world when completed.

¡°We are very pleased to have secured this project and to have been one of the very few consortia able to successfully qualify for the landmark Egyptian round one programme,¡± said Anton Milner, managing director of ib vogt in a statement. ¡°This is the culmination of many months of preparatory work in what has been a very complex project, representing a very significant investment for the company. It also demonstrates the company¡¯s ability to manage and structure such an undertaking. We would like to thank all of our partners for their efforts in assisting the consortium to secure the qualification for the project, the PPA and to achieve financial close. We look forward to constructing the plant and helping to bring much needed sustainable electricity with all its associated benefits to the country in 2017.¡±

The project will be comprised of almost 200,000 PV modules mounted on a horizontal tracking system. Once operational, it is expected to produce more than 110,000MWh annually; providing enough clean electricity to power around 69,000 homes while displacing more than 1,293,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over 25 years. Electricity will be sold via a 25-year PPA to the EETC.

ib vogt will assume construction, EPC and O&M responsibilities for the project, which will create more than 400 jobs in the region during this phase. Construction in fact is already underway and the plant is expected to be operational by early Q4 2017.

The plant will contribute to the country¡¯s renewable energy goal of 20% by 2020, while marking a milestone in the development of sustainable large-scale power generation for a region where growth in demand for electricity is at 6-7% per annum.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö GTM: US solar market poised to triple in next five years

Following its biggest ever year in 2016, the cumulative US solar market is expected to nearly triple in size over the next five years, according to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association¡¯s (SEIA) latest report.

As PV Tech previously reported, the US solar market nearly doubled its previous record last year, installing more than 14GW of solar PV.

For the first time ever, solar ranked as the number one source of new electric generating capacity brought online on an annual basis, representing 39%. On average, a new megawatt of solar PV came online every 36 minutes in 2016 and this momentum is set to continue.

Despite a slight dip expected in installed capacity this year, the market is still forecast to install an impressive 13.2GW of solar PV in 2017, a 10% drop from last year, but still 75% more than was installed in 2015. The dip will solely occur in the utility-scale segment; in response to an unprecedented number of utility-scale projects coming online in the latter half of 2016 in the aftermath of the ITC extension rush. This segment is expected to rebound by 2019 however, with year-over-year growth across the board.

¡°Though utility PV will reset from an origination perspective starting in 2017-2018, distributed solar is largely expected to continue to grow over the next few years due to rapid system cost declines and a growing number of states reaching grid parity," said Cory Honeyman, associate director of GTM Research. "That said, ongoing NEM and rate design battles - in conjunction with a declining incentive environment for non-residential PV - will continue to present risks to distributed solar growth."

The market will nevertheless be riding on the success of last year, that saw an almost 20% decrease in PV system pricing. This is the greatest average year-over-year price decline seen thus far.

¡°It would be hard to overstate how impressive 2016 was for the solar industry,¡± said Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA¡¯s president and CEO. ¡°Prices dropped to all-time lows, installations expanded in states across the country and job numbers soared. The bottom line is that more people are benefiting from solar now than at any point in the past, and while the market is changing, the broader trend over the next five years is going in one direction ¨C and that¡¯s up.¡±

Residential

The report forecasts the residential segment to grow 9% this year. California, which has historically accounted for nearly half of the residential market, is expected to decline in 2017; however, 36 of the 40 tracked states will grow year-over-year.

Commercial and industrial

The commercial and industrial (C&I) segment is expected to grow 11% year-over-year and install a record 1,756MW of solar PV in 2017. This is largely due to a growth in community solar in the nation ¨C which has nearly quadrupled from 2015 to 2016 due to major installations in Minnesota and Massachusetts. This market is expected to represent 30% of the C&I segment in 2018.

By 2019, the US solar market is expected to resume year-over-year growth across all market segments. And by 2022, 24 states will be home to more than 1GW of operating solar PV, up from nine today.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Sunnova tabs Enphase Energy as preferred inverter supplier

Global energy technology company Enphase Energy and residential solar company Sunnova announced a partnership Wednesday that will make Enphase the preferred provider of inverters for Sunnova.

Enphase is the world's leading provider of microinverters, with over 13 million installed in more than 540,000 systems around the world.

Sunnova stands as the largest privately-held residential solar services company in the US with thousands of customers across the country, including in Puerto Rico, Guam and Saipan. The company has raised nearly US$1.5 billion in financing since 2013.

John Berger, chief executive officer at Sunnova, noted: ¡°Sunnova puts customers first and when searching for an inverter solution, we needed something that would deliver the best energy production with the most efficiency. With Enphase¡¯s microinverters, we see higher solar electricity production compared to other systems.

¡°Their low-voltage AC products significantly reduce system design and installation time, and combined with the ability for advanced monitoring and remote system troubleshooting, are expected to further reduce Sunnova¡¯s need for homeowner maintenance visits. We are confident that Enphase products will help us and our partners deliver affordable, reliable and clean solar power to our customers as efficiently as possible.¡±

Paul Nahi, president and CEO of Enphase, added: ¡°The expansion of our partnership with Sunnova is a great win for both our companies. This is strong validation of the increased production and lower maintenance costs that Enphase delivers, and a win for the network of Sunnova installers who have special pricing access for Enphase products.¡±

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Renesola to build 550MW of solar projects in 2017

Solar project developer ReneSola announced its updated outlook for its solar portfolio in 2017 ¡ª noting that it currently has 335MW of projects that are currently under construction, with 550MW worth of total generation capacity planned for this year.

In the US, ReneSola plans to construct 108MW of projects in 2017, of which 70 MW are community solar installations. These projects will be developed in California, North Carolina and Minnesota. Within the UK, ReneSolar plans to develop 14MW of projects in 2017 ¡ª of which 10MW are under the 1.2 Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) program and expected to be connected to the grid by March 2017.

In January 2017, ReneSola was awarded 13 PV utility solar projects in southern Poland, each with an installed capacity of 1MW. These installations are expected to be operational by December 2017.

In Canada, ReneSola plans to develop approximately 9MW of small-scale utility projects under the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) 3.0, while the company also expects to develop 13MW worth of projects in Turkey.

ReneSola also boasts 393MW of PV rooftop projects in "shovel-ready" stage in China. All of the projects have been filed with National Development and Reform Commission, while ReneSola has obtained legal rights to develop these projects. The projects are located in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Shandong, Hubei, Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Fujian and Guangdong Provinces.

Xianshou Li, chairman and chief executive officer of ReneSola, said: "We now anticipate fewer external module shipments in the first quarter of 2017 as we had redirected more module sales to our own downstream projects. That said, we expect project sales to pick up in the second quarter. Overall, we remain optimistic about our project development business. We continue to gain traction in the domestic Chinese distributed generation market and remain focused on executing our efforts in developed markets which are expected to have stable returns and healthy cash flow. We look forward to further growing this business in the quarters ahead."

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö EV growth gives lithium-ion batteries cost edge in stationary storage, finds Lux Research

The growing demand for affordable electric vehicle batteries is driving cost reductions in lithium-ion battery technology, which is beneficial for affordable stationary storage, finds new Lux Research report.

A critical mass of electric vehicles (EVs) on today¡¯s highways and byway may still be many decades away, but the steadily rising demand for EVs is already having a tangible impact on the price of batteries, with lithium-ion-based chemistries set to benefit the most, according to a new report by Lux Research.

In a new study titled Future Costs of Stationary Energy Storage: Evaluating Li-ion and Flow Battery Cost Reductions and Application Fit, the authors at Lux Research have found that for stationary storage systems Li-ion technology will enjoy the sharpest cost reductions chiefly because of the economies of scale afforded by the EV industry.

Flow battery technology, meanwhile, will enjoy advantages as the sector matures and begins to place additional cost pressures on larger storage systems. Flow technology can already offer a compelling cost case for long-duration applications, and it is these that may well prove more popular as the size of stationary storage increases.

¡°Li-ion has a lower levelized cost of storage (LCOS) at most duration and system sizes,¡± said report author Tim Grejtak, ¡°but the amount of space required starts to drive up costs at larger scale.¡±

Grejtak added that this presents an opportunity for emerging flow technology, ¡°which can change this landscape by driving down costs.¡±

The Lux Research analysis modelled a range of different battery chemistries including those made with vanadium, zinc-bromide and organic/metal compounds, and compared them across a large parameter space to determine the thresholds at which each type became viably affordable.

Solely on costs alone, Li-ion offered a round-trip efficiency of 83% compared to vanadium-flow¡¯s 65%, and good LCOS of around $0.37/kWh. The optimum storage size of Li-ion batteries ranged from 75 kW to 100 MW, and cycles of anywhere between 15 minutes to eight hours.

For flow batteries, the involvement of Lockheed Martin in the space could expedite cost reductions of this chemistry. The report projects that by 2018 the U.S. conglomerate¡¯s work on a metal complex chemistry will make flow technology highly competitive in the four-hour duration market, although costs are unlikely to dip below $0.35/kWh.

The Lux Research report concludes that diversification of battery chemistries and the storage industry as a whole will also facilitate cost reductions, with application stacking and multiple value streams gaining importance, dragging average storage costs below $0.30/kWh by 2036.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Ecobuild London: unmanned EVs?

Among the themes explored at the Ecobuild show this week in London was the future of autonomous electric vehicles. The autonomous automotive revolution is adding to the electric cars trend we already experience.

Are autonomous electric cars the future of urban transport? This is among the topics discussed on Thursday, Ecobuild¡¯s last day in London.

A panel of experts expressed various ideas on the subject, however a universal agreement seemed to develop, that if the autonomous vehicles revolution materializes, this is going to be an electric vehicles (EVs) revolution too.

Jon Lamonte, chief executive for transport in Manchester, told the event that the forthcoming autonomous cars revolution revolves around three questions: who is driving the car?; what is powering the car?; and how many people are in the car?

The potential answers to these questions depict the size of the opportunity we can seize, suggested Lamonte. Nobody is talking about autonomous vehicles powered by diesel, he added. The consensus is that we think of autonomous vehicles being electric, thus we can reduce our carbon emissions and improve air quality, Lamonte argued.

Similarly, the Manchester county transportation chief told Ecobuild that the goal should be unmanned EVs, which are shared by citizens, thus reducing the number of vehicles in the roads.

Rachel Skinner, of the Institution for Civil Engineers, said that a new transportation system based on autonomous EVs can potentially be safer, cheaper, faster and greener. Entrepreneurs and private companies are going to take the lead in the new business models and can probably make the transition to the new system quicker than the government, Skinner suggested. However, the new system can be ever safer if the private sector cooperates with the government.

Lamonte appeared to agree saying that the national government needs to design a framework for autonomous EVs, where local governments and local transportation companies play a fundamental role too. Opposition will not help, commented Lamonte, because technology progresses regardless of our views and transportation companies can benefit more if they involve themselves in the new transportation system, than been left behind.

Ethical issues

Miles Tight, professor of transport, energy and environment at Birmingham University accepted that autonomous vehicles have a potential for safe and greener journeys, while also increasing the number of people who have access to them.

But he was also critical of some ethical issues behind the usage of autonomous transportation, mainly linked to the interaction of the vehicles with pedestrians. A system of autonomous EVs will need to have a level of aggression in it, said Tight, asking for instance at what speed do we program the vehicles to stop in the roads?

Tight furthermore argued the planning of a new transportation system incorporating autonomous cars is currently very vague. If we like to grasp the benefits of such a new system, Tight said, we need to address the ownership (who owns them?, who can access them and at what price?) and the design of the vehicles (is a universal design better?).

There is no doubt that the debate surrounding the use of autonomous cars and buses in the roads will involve various and often opposing ideas. However, it is also absolutely sure that this new trend is an additional boost to the booming EVs market.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Dutch water and railway operator make space for PV

Dutch government agencies Rijkswaterstaat and ProRail are making land and water surfaces available for the installation of ground-mounted and floating PV plants, as well as for projects from other renewable technologies.

The Dutch water management agency Rijkswaterstaat, which is part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, announced that it intends to make water surfaces and other land under its control available for the installation of PV and other renewable energy power plants.

The agency also said it will cooperate with ProRail, the operator of the national railway network, and the local power providers Liander, Stedin and Enexis, to build these plants at several facilities and infrastructures owned by both agencies. Among them, Rijkswaterstaat cites noise barriers, roadsides, freeway overpasses and disposal sites for percolated water.

Furthermore, the agency said it intends to use the surface of the ?sselmeer, a shallow artificial lake of 1100 km2 in the central Netherlands bordering the province of Flevoland. Rijkswaterstaat stressed that Floating PV projects will also be part of the plan, which was dubbed PetaPlan.

The two agencies are currently assessing their respective potential for large-scale wind and solar projects. This analysis is expected be completed by the end of 2017.

The cooperation with the three above-mentioned power providers is intended to reduce transmission cost and to improve the local grid. Six pilot renewable energy power plants will be tested to prepare the ground for larger projects, the agency said.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Sunrun grows, captures more market share in 2016

The third party solar company¡¯s quarterly results show its 2016 deployments growing at double the rate of the U.S. residential market, as Sunrun begins offering energy storage and changes its relationship to utilities.

While the overall residential solar market is facing headwinds in the United States, one company is still reporting strong growth. As revealed in fourth quarter and full year 2016 results released yesterday, Sunrun deployed 282 MW of PV systems last year, roughly double the residential market¡¯s growth rate of 19%.

Sunrun also grew revenues 49% year-over-year to $454 million, and brought down its cost to deploy new PV systems to $3.41 per watt in the fourth quarter, an 8% year-over-year decline. And while Sunrun¡¯s creation costs are still higher than either national averages or those at Vivint and SolarCity, the company reports that the systems it deploys in-house are $0.67 per watt cheaper than those deployed by its partner installers.

But while the company¡¯s growth is an easy story to tell, its profitability, or lack thereof, is another matter. Sunrun reduced its operating loss in 2016, but still brought in a $215 million operating loss and a net loss of $303 million. This is typical for the third-party solar model, where companies deploy PV systems under lease or power purchase agreement models and retain ownership, leading to quarterly losses but building long-term retained value.

However, the metrics to measure this long-term value are often created by the companies themselves, leading to a lack of standardized metrics. Sunrun has further complicated the process of assessing its financial progress by changing metrics, moving from ¡°estimated retained value¡± to ¡°earning assets¡±.

Sunrun says that this will give a more accurate picture of the value it is retaining. ¡°Unlike retained value, which included the value of our backlog, gross earning assets includes only the value of deployed systems,¡± explained Sunrun Chair Edward Fenster on the company¡¯s Q4 earnings call. ¡°Gross earning assets represents the state of our deployed assets as of the reporting date.¡±

The company¡¯s net earning assets, which takes into account project level debt and lease pass-through financing obligations, grew 30% during 2016 to over $1 billion. Sunrun also increased its cash position in 2016 marginally to $206 million at the year¡¯s end.

In addition to its financial growth, Sunrun also reported significant business innovations during 2016. The company launched its Brightbox solar plus storage product during the year, and says that it has reached over 1,000 orders for BrightBox in California and Hawaii alone, representing over 20 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy storage.

This is a key play for both markets. Hawaii has moved from net metering to a self-consumption model, which Sunrun fought fiercely against, and which requires PV systems to be paired with storage to be viable. Meanwhile, two of the three investor-owned utilities in California have moved to ¡°Net metering 2.0¡± including mandatory time of use rates, which gives an edge to systems paired with energy storage.

As the largest solar market in the nation California is a big deal for Sunrun and all national solar installers. And while Sunrun noted some weakness in the California market during the fourth quarter, it says that its business is recovering.

¡°We are confident, however, that a rebound is occurring, as lead volumes in California registered by our lead generation business Clean Energy Experts have increased each month from the December lows,¡± stated Sunrun CEO Lynn Jurich on the company¡¯s results call. ¡°There are still five times more solar-ready homes in California that are currently installed and the emergence of storage will be a significant growth market in the state.¡±

No company has fought to maintain net metering policies more fiercely than Sunrun, including its policy activities through the Alliance for Solar Choice. And while this put it in a position of enmity versus many utilities, Sunrun is now changing tack under a partnership with National Grid, under which the utility will contribute $100 million in cash equity to a partnership to own around 200 MW of residential PV systems nationally.

Through the partnership National Grid will also work with Sunrun to explore options for how solar and storage may be aggregated and used as an asset on the grid. Sunrun says that this is part of a change in attitude by utilities towards solar, and notes that 42 utilities have invested in distributed energy companies to date.

¡°we believe we are moving from utilities trying to block rooftop solar to them accepting its inevitability and investing time and capital in the sector,¡± stated Jurich.

Sunrun expects its growth to continue in 2017, but its expectations are more muted. The company expects to deploy 69 MW of solar during the first quarter of 2017 and 235 MW over the full year, representing 15% year-over-year growth for both the quarter and the year.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Aquion files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

After losing money for the past two years, the saltwater battery storage company couldn¡¯t raise enough new capital to meet its debt obligations, leading to the filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware yesterday.

What a difference two months can make.

After winning the coveted North American Company of the Year Award by the Cleantech Group in January, Aquion Energy went before a bankruptcy judge in Delaware yesterday to file for Chapter 11.

Founded in 2008 by Jay Whitacre, the company had planned to sell its saltwater batteries in the microgrid, commercial-and-industrial, and grid storage markets. Unfortunately, the company didn¡¯t have its first commercially launchable product until 2014. By then, the energy-storage market had become so competitive it was hard for Aquion to gain enough marketshare to keep its head above water.

Over the following two years, the company posted approximately $20 million in revenues, which were offset by $69.4 million in losses, according to the court filing. Aquion hired Citi Global Markets in October to raise investment capital to no avail, and a subsequent management-led attempt to raise money as recently as November also failed, leading to yesterday¡¯s filing.

Aquion has only retained 19 full-time and 12 part-time employees to help the company through the Chapter 11 process, a headcount reduction of 85%. It has also stopped producing and marketing its products.

In the court filings, the company claims to have ongoing and active discussions with several buyers and says it plans to reach out to other interested parties who told Aquion they had no interest in buying the company¡¯s assets outside of bankruptcy.

Aquion told the court it expects a ¡°robust, yet expedited, sales process¡± and believes it has enough cash on hand to fund such a sale.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Infinity Solar, ib vogt and Solizer plan 64 MW PV plant in Egypt

The Infinity 50 solar park in Benban was officially approved by the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company. Project is financed by German Bayerische Landesbank and Arab African International Bank.

Egypt is looking to take a big step towards a green future. Egyptian based Infinity Solar S.A.E and German companies ib vogt GmbH and Solizer GmbH & Co. KG have announced the successful closure of a 64.1 MV PV plant under round one of Egypt¡¯s FIT program. The so-called Infinity 50 solar park in Benban was officially approved by the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company on 6 March.

According to a company press release, ib vogt has already started the construction of around 200,000 solar arrays and aims to commission the 98.6 hectare solar farm in fall this year. Once energized, the PV plant¡¯s electricity output of 110,000 MWh per year will be sold to the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) pursuant to the signed 25-year Power Purchase Agreement and other contracts.

Financing of the Infinity 50 project was obtained from the German commercial bank Bayerische Landesbank for 85% of the debt, with the remaining 15% coming from Arab African International Bank. The loan was secured through the German government.

The project is part of the 1.6 GW Benban solar development complex, which represents a landmark in the development of sustainable large-scale power generation for a region where growth in demand for electricity is at 6-7% per annum. It is expected that the 60MW PV plant alone will prevent 1,293,000 tons of CO2 emissions over the course of its 25-year lifetime, thus contributing immensely to achieving the country¡¯s target of meeting 20% of its total energy demand through renewable energies by 2020.

As reported by Fraunhofer ISE in December 2016, wind and large-scale solar farms are already competitive in Egypt. In some parts of the country the electricity output is even cheaper compared to fuel and gas power plants. The institute concluded, withthe help of financial support mechanism, a cut in subsidies for fossil energy, the price for electricity from renewable energy could fall further still.

By Carl Johannes Muth

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö France allocates 534 MW in first tender for large-scale PV, average price came in at €62.5 ($65.9)/MWh

The French government announced that 79 ground-mounted PV projects with a combined capacity of 534.5 MW were selected through the latest bidding round for large-scale solar. Average price for the sale of power from these projects came in at €62.5 ($65.9) per MWh.

France¡¯s Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea has announced the results of its latest bidding round for large-scale PV plants. The ministry said that 79 PV projects with a combined capacity of 500 MW were selected through the tender. The average price paid for the electricity provided by these projects will be €62.5 ($65.9) per MWh. The French government added that those developers that have financed their projects through crowdfunding, approximately 60% of them, will receive an additional bonus of €3 ($3.1) per MWh.

Most of these PV projects will be developed in the southern regions of Nouvelle Aquitaine (136.5 MW), Provence Alpes C?te d¡¯Azur (127.8 MW), and Occitanie (80.2 MW).

Large-scale solar plants selected in the tender will receive an incentive called ¡°complement de r¨¦numeration¡±. Under this mechanism, PV plant operators sell their power output to the electricity market, and not to EDF or other power providers as under the FIT mechanism, but are also entitled to receive an ex post tariff complementing the sale of power to the market.

The ¡°complement de r¨¦numeration¡± has replaced the FIT mechansim when the French government adopted the Energy Transition for Green Growth Law in August 2015.

The tender is the first of six 500 MW tenders for MW-sized PV projects announced by the French government in August 2016. The tenders are available to ground-mounted PV systems between 500 kW and 17 MW in size.

The results of the next 500 MW tender will be released on July 1, 2017.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Wacker¡¯s Christian Westermeier elected SolarPower Europe president

SolarPower Europe announced that Christian Westermeier has been elected as the organization¡¯s new president. Westermeier is the Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Application Engineering of German chemical company and polysilicon manufacturer Wacker Chemie.

SolarPower Europe announced today that Christian Westermeier has been elected the organization¡¯s new president.
Westermeier is the Vice President, Marketing, Sales & Application Engineering of German chemical company and polysilicon manufacturer Wacker Chemie. Wacker is one of the world largest polysilicon producer.

Wacker has always championed free trade in the solar manufacturing industry and has fought any kind of duties for solar products. In March 2014, the company reached an agreement with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) to facilitate its export of solar-grade polysilicon to China. As a part of the deal, Wacker agreed that it would not to sell polysilicon on the Chinese market below a specific minimum price, while the Chinese government refrained from applying anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on its products.

Westermeier said his mission will be defining new framework for solar in the post 2020 period. ¡°We will also continue our efforts to finally get rid of the unnecessary trade tariffs on solar panels and will work with the [European] Commission to build an industrial strategy for solar in Europe,¡± said Westermeier in his statement.

SolarPower CEO James Watson stressed that Westermeier will continue the work of the organization ¡°following the last 3 years of re-invigoration and animation of the association.¡±

SolarPower Europe also announced it has appointed three more vice presidents, Riccardo Amoroso (Enel Green Power), Jodie Russell (Trina Solar Schweiz AG) and Jochen Hauff (BayWa r.e. renewable energy GmbH).

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Tesla launches Powerwall 2, says all solar homes will have storage

Tesla has officially launched its range of second generation home and grid-scale battery storage products in Australia, with installations of the company¡¯s fully integrated, 14kWh residential Powerwall 2 units to begin in homes throughout the country next month.

The launch was held at a former electricity substation ¨C all irony intended ¨C in Newport in Melbourne¡¯s west, and was attended by Tesla¡¯s vice president of energy products (and Elon Musk¡¯s cousin) Lyndon Rive.

Rive said the company¡¯s gigafactory in Nevada was up and running and producing home and large-scale batteries to meet demand in countries like Australia, which has been tapped by Tesla, among others, as a key early market for battery storage uptake.

Rive, who would not be led on questions of residential battery uptake or market share in Australia, but said he expected that, within the next 10 years, 100% of homes with rooftop solar would also have battery storage, as homeowners sought to cut their electricity bills and make the most of their solar self-generation, and as network companies better understood the grid services benefits of distributed battery storage.

The uptake of the Tesla Powerwall 2, he said, would stand on the product¡¯s merits, which include it being a 30% smaller, sleeker unit ¨C the new design also means the units can be stacked ¨C with double the energy storage capacity at nearly half the cost per kilowatt hour of its predecessor, at AU$8,000 ($6,000) per 14 kWh battery pack, with installation and supporting hardware starting at $2,000.*

¡°Tesla¡¯s approach is simply to make the best product, make it cost effective, make it simple¡­ and market share will do what it does,¡± he said.

Another major difference between the first and second generation Powerwall is that the Powerwall 2 ¨C and this goes for the Powerpack, too ¨C is what the industry describes as a ¡°plug and play¡± battery; that is, it is fully integrated with Tesla¡¯s own inverter technology, which means it can be added to any solar system without the need to purchase extra inverters.

And while Tesla does make a DC version of its Powerwall 2, without the integrated inverter, it has decided not to sell this model on the Australian market, to keep things simple for the solar and storage consumer.

Other specs worth noting about the new model are that it can be wall mounted or ground mounted, and can be used both to increase solar self-consumption, and for back-up power in the case of a grid outage.

The Powerwall 2 also has a usable capacity of 13.5 kWh, an operating temperature range of -20¡ãC to 50¡ãC, a 10-year warranty, and round-trip efficiency of 89% (compared to 92% for the DC Powerwall, which is why some are unhappy this model is not being offered outside of the U.S.)

On safety ¨C a contentious issue in Australia, currently, with the suggestion of new guidelines prohibiting lithium battery products from being installed in homes or garages ¨C Rive said the company applied the same rigorous safety standards to its Powerwall and Powerpack battery systems as it did to the lithium-ion battery packs the company puts in their electric vehicles.

¡°Cars have to be able to handle serious impact¡­ serious changes in conditions. (For the Powerwall) it sits, just against the wall. But even still, we apply the same safety standards. So we are confident that our Powerwall is the safest lithium-ion battery on the market and in the house.¡±

On price, Rive said that he expected the cost of Tesla¡¯s battery storage ¨C currently sitting somewhere between AU$530/kWh ¨C AU$900/kWh ($400 ¨C $675) ¨C would continue to decrease with the economies of scale already being achieved via its gigafactory production, but probably not at the same rate of decline seen over the past year.

But already, Rive says home battery storage has ¡°hit that perfect point where it¡¯s a good investment for home owners, between 8-15 per cent return on investment and a function of ¡­security and insurance.¡±

This article was originally published in RenewEconomy. It is re-published with permission.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Solar Systems LLC builds 15 MW PV plant in Russian region of Astrakhan

The government of the Russian region of Astrakhan announced that work on the first large-scale PV plant in the area has begun. Completion on the 15 MW project, which is being developed by local developer Solar Systems, is scheduled for the third quarter of this year.

Russian solar project developer Solar Systems LLC is proceeding with the construction of a 15 MW PV power plant in Volodarsky, Astrakhan region, south-western Russia.

According to a press release from the regional government, the Zavodskaya SPS solar project is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of this year.

Solar Systems is a unit of China-based solar plant operator Amus Sirius, which is itself a subsidiary of Harbin Electric Company Limited, a Chinese provider of a comprehensive range of electric power generation equipment.

Solar Systems will install about 57,000 modules with a power rating of 260 W at the facility. Inverters for the project were delivered to the site in February, according to the company.

Solar Systems own and operate a 100 MW monocrystalline silicon solar panel factory in the special economic zone of industrial and production type ¡°Alabuga¡± located in Yelabuga municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan. Modules produced at the facility will be used for the company¡¯s PV projects across Russia.

Solar Systems is planning to install up to 255 MW of PV plants in the country by the end of 2019. The projects will be located in the Astrakhan region, Samara region, Stavropol Krai, Volgograd region and Republic Of Kalmykia.

In Russia, PV projects that rely on locally manufactured products receive considerably higher FITs than projects using imported PV components.

Overall, the government of the Astrakhan region has approved seven 15 MW PV projects to date. In August 2016, Russia-based Solar Energy was given the all clear to develop six 15 MW utility-scale solar power plants. These plants will be built on the territory of Volodarsky, Privolzhsky, Yenotayevsky and Narimanovsky, the regional government announced. The investment for the projects exceed 12 billion RUB ($204.2 million).

At the time, an air of skepticism surrounded the projects, as a number of proposed solar projects in Russia never came to fruition.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö African Development Bank finances Mali¡¯s first large-scale PV project with $25 million

The government of Mali has secured further funds to build the country¡¯s first large-scale PV project. The 33 MW Segou Solar PV Project will sell power to local utility under a 25-year PPA.

The Segou Solar PV Plant will have a capacity of 33 MW and will be located in Segou approximately 240 km north-east of Bamako, Mali¡¯s capital city. The project will be built on land that is publicly owned and includes the installation of 2.8 km of 33 kV transmission line.

The project will be implemented by the special purpose vehicle Segou Solaire SA, which is a unit of Norwegian solar company Scatec Solar. The Norwegian developer is building the project in partnership with IFC InfraVentures and the local developer Africa Power 1. Scatec Solar will own 50% of the PV plant, while IFC InfraVentures and Africa Power 1 will hold stakes of 32.5% and 17.5%, respectively.

Segou Solaire has a 25-year Build, Own and Operate &Transfer (BOOT) concession agreement with the Malian Ministry of Energy and Water and a 25-year power purchase agreement with local utility ¨¦nergie du Mali (EDM) for the project.

The project has a required investment of about €52 million ($54.8 million) and is part of the $839 million Scaling Up Renewable Energy in Low Income Countries Program (SREP), a funding window of the Climate Investment Funds for the development of renewables in developing countries.

The government of Mali aims to increase the share of renewable energy in the national electricity mix to 25% alongside a target for rural electrification of 61% by 2033.

A report published by the AfDB in 2015 points out that Mali has the capacity to be one of the largest solar-producing nations in the world with its seven to 10 hours of sunlight per day year-round.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö France to introduce new regulation for self-consumption

France¡¯s Parliament has given final passage to a law that regulates the installation of renewable energy systems for self-consumption. The new legislation will provide a clear regulatory framework for the grid-connection of these installations. The French government is also planning to support self-consumption through a rebate program.

France¡¯s Senate has finally adopted a draft law that intends to regulate the installation of renewable energy and PV power systems for self-consumption. The French Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea said that the new rules will come into force ¡°soon¡±. Prior to this regulation, renewable energy projects for self-consumption have seen limited development in the country due to the lack of clear rules and low return on investments.

The new regulation compels the country¡¯s grid operator RTE to facilitate the process of installation of a power system for self-consumption for both individual and collective projects. Furthermore, the French Energy Regulator (CRE) has been tasked to set a specific fee for these installations. The minister of energy S¨¦gol¨¨ne Royal said the lower level of these tariffs will depend on their lower costs compared to conventional electricity sources for the grid operator. The government stressed that the new rules will immediately relate to about 5,000 renewable energy power system operators, which are already concerned with self-consumption.

The French association SER Soler revealed that the new regulation will set lower grid-fees for consumers that own renewable energy and PV power systems for self-consumption with a capacity of up to 100 kW. The association also said that the new legislation will exempt operators of PV plants up to 1 MW from the payment of the CSPE, a levy on power end-customers¡¯ bills to raise funds for France¡¯s renewable energy programs, and other local taxes on the final electricity consumption, for the part of power consumed at the site where the electricity is generated.

In addition, SER Soler said that the French government is also preparing a new decree on the tariffs for PV which would include a solar rebate for PV systems up to 100 kW installed under the new legislation for self-consumption. The association explained that for a residential PV system up to 3 kW the rebate, which would be paid out over a 5-year period, could reach the sum of about €800 ($845). This would be enough to cover over 25% of the investment for the installation of the system, SER Soler stressed.

According to the latest statistics released by the French Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea, there is currently approximately 2,488 MW of PV systems up to 100 kW connected to the grid in France. PV systems with a power range of 36 kW to 100 kW account for approximately 903 MW, while systems ranging in size from 9 kW to 36 kW have reached a combined capacity of 422 MW. PV systems up to 3 kW and systems with a power of 3 kW and 9 kW have totaled 399 MW and 764 MW, respectively. The vast majority of this capacity, however, was installed under the country¡¯s FIT scheme.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Delhi places rooftop PV at heart of new Solar Policy

The Indian capital¡¯s 2016-2020 solar policy lays out detailed guidelines to increase the city¡¯s solar footprint, including making it mandatory for all large government buildings to adopt PV.

The Delhi Solar Policy 2016-2020 has been released, placing rooftop solar PV at the heart of its guidelines.

Among the mandatory policies set to be put in place over the next four years is the requirement for all government buildings larger than 500 m2 within the city limits to install solar PV ¡°as far as possible¡±. This is to be calculated as capacity in kW = (total shadow-free rooftop area x 75%) ¡Â 12.

More widely, the policy applies to all and any solar system larger than 1 kW, and will attempt to create a climate that encourages many different financial models, including self-owned installations to third-party owned models, while offering a series of incentives, targets and regulations.

Other highlights from the policy include a generation-based incentive (GBI) of INR 2/kWh ($0.03/kWh) for all solar energy generated by residential solar providers for the first three years provided they produce a minimum of 1,100 kWh of solar energy per annum. If they cannot hit that threshold, then the GBI will not apply. The annual cap, meanwhile, will be 1,500 kWh.

Additionally, the policy also states that every solar PV project installed in Delhi will be treated as ¡°Must Run¡±, meaning that the Delhi utility must not curtail or limit the solar power being provided to it.

Larger installations of 1 MW and above will require system owners to install a series of monitoring software and hardware, including measurements of solar irradiance, wind speed, ambient air temperature and electricity generated. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) will develop a virtual net-metering system by April 1 this year, enabling solar providers to become beneficial owners of a ¡°collectively owned¡± solar project.

Finally, the state DISCOM will purchase 75% of its renewable purchase obligation (RPO) certificates from solar PV produced in the city.

( Mar 9,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö 1366 Technologies pushes ¡®Direct Wafer¡¯ cell efficiencies with Hanwha Q CELLS to 19.9%

US-Based wafer producer 1366 Technologies and ¡®Silicon Module Super League¡¯ (SMSL) member Hanwha Q CELLS have jointly achieved cell conversion efficiencies of 19.9%, up from 19.6% announced in December, 2016.

1366 Technologies said that its ¡®Direct Wafer¡¯ (156mm x 156mm) multicrystalline wafers and Hanwha Q CELLS ¡®Q.ANTUM¡¯ PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Contact) solar cell process efficiency milestone was independently confirmed by the Fraunhofer ISE CalLab.

Frank van Mierlo, CEO of 1366 Technologies said, ¡°Our efficiency is improving at a rate that¡¯s nearly double that of the rest of the industry. Late last year, we exceeded the cell efficiency of the high-performance multi (HPM) reference group in a head-to-head comparison, and we continue to make progress. This latest milestone demonstrates the rapid gains still possible with our Direct Wafer process because our technology is not limited by the inherent weaknesses of ingot-based wafer manufacturing.¡±

1366 Technologies noted its Direct Wafer process had a high-purity growth environment, better wafer microstructure and the ability to modify the dopant concentration between the front and back of a wafer improves electron harvesting as unique features that boost cell conversion efficiencies.

Field testing

1366 Technologies also announced that IHI Corporation, through its wholly-owned subsidiary IHI Plant Construction Co had begun construction on a 500kW solar installation using 120,000 wafers made by the company and used in modules from a major China-based PV manufacturer. 1366 Technologies noted that it had managed the procurement of the modules to support the project with IHI Group.

¡°This commercial array builds on the many successes we¡¯ve had at test sites around the world and clearly demonstrates our ability to run the Direct Wafer process at scale,¡± added van Mierlo.

The new array is expected to be commissioned before the end of Q2 2017.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö ConstantEnergy acquires Solareo¡¯s South East Asia platform

Investment platform ConstantEnergy has acquired Singapore-based developer Solareo¡¯s South East Asia arm including 30MW of rooftop PV projects.

Franck Constant, president of ConstantEnergy, said: ¡°This is an exciting acquisition for us for three reasons. One it is the first acquisition for our new fund in Asia. Second, the acquisition brings on board ConstantEnergy a South East Asia-based team of professionals dedicated to PV plant development, construction and asset management with over 50-year cumulative Asian experience.

¡°Lastly, Solareo Asia has made in-roads into the fast growing market of PV industrial sales at grid party without subsidies, entering long term contracts with world-class large scale industrial clients for the direct supply of on-site competitive, 100% renewable electricity, enabling its industrial clients to become more competitive on the world market."

Solareo, created in France in 2005, has developed more than 400 projects worldwide, with 160MW commissioned.

Last year, PV Tech reported that Franck Constant, co-founder of Sonnedix Group and director of Sithe Pacific, had set up ConstantEnergy as an open fund for solar energy and energy storage in various emerging markets, aiming to reach US$100 million by the end of 2017.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Exosun launches software and cleaning robots to optimise project LCOE

French tracker provider Exosun has launched two new innovations designed to optimise the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of PV projects.

The first innovation is ExoDesigner ¨C a new software application that enables engineering teams to design the layout of PV plants. The software can be incorporated into the existing AutoCAD, enabling users to work on existing layouts or create new ones. Users can draw, test and compare multiple tracker configurations that ultimately can save time and engineering costs.

The second innovation Exosun is introducing is cleaning robotics for a water-free module cleaning solution that the company claims will dramatically reduce cleaning costs of traditional solutions using vehicles and water. The Exosun cleaning robot is desert-proof, scalable and features a plug-and-play wireless application. This solution avoids acquisition and transportation of distilled water, which can prove costly, and features a cleaning rate of up to 5MWp in eight hours by two operators.

The robot also reduced workers downtime and can be used by local manpower.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö ROUND UP: India-Portugal MoU, US College solar arrays, West African gold mine signs solar agreement

India and Portugal sign MoU on renewable energy

India and Portugal have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on renewable energy, according to a new filing by India¡¯s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

The MoU will help in strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries to encourage technical assistance on renewable projects.

The MoU envisages constitution of a Joint Working Group which can co-opt other members from Scientific Institutions, Research Centres, Universities, or any other entity, as and when considered essential.

Construction begins on Michigan State University solar array

Construction on a new solar project ¨C one which could save the Michigan State University (MSU) US$10 million over 25 years ¨C has begun at the university.

The project consists of five solar carports that are being built at different car parks across campus. Cumulatively, these will produce more than 15,000MWh of clean power annually, constituting round 5% of the campus¡¯ annual electricity generation.

The projects are to be developed and owned by IPP Inovateus Solar. The partnership will allow MSU to purchase the electricity from Inovateus and Alterra at a fixed price for 25 years. MSU will also cover the cost of connecting the arrays to the university¡¯s power grid for about US$2.5 million. Project investors will pay all other construction and maintenance costs projected to be about US$20 million in total.

All five solar arrays are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

2.6MW solar array to be built at Pennsylvania State College

State College Pennsylvania has signed an agreement with New York-based Pace Energy, a renewable energy investment firm, to install a 2.6MW solar array at the University Area Joint Authority site.

The US$7 million array will be installed on just over 3.6 hectares of property to be financed and owned by Pace, and will be among the 10 largest in Pennsylvania. RETTEW will provide engineering designs for the project, including an energy storage battery system to regulate the regional power frequency.

The project is set to break ground this spring, and is scheduled to be operational by mid-summer.

West African gold mine signs solar agreement

IAMGOLD Corporation, a West African gold mine has signed a 15-year PPA with EREN Renewable Energy and AEMP to develop a 15MWp solar power plant for the company¡¯s Essakane mine in Burkina Faso.

The mine is located around 330 kilometres northeast of the Burkinabe capital city, Ouagadougou.

Essakane Solar SAS, a local entity created by the project developers, will operate the solar power plant that sells the energy to the Essakane mine.

The decision to develop solar capacity for the mine came as energy consumption increased from around 14GWh/month in 2013 to 26GWh/month in 2015. The new solar capacity will complement the existing 57MW of heavy fuel oil power plant.

Hawaii Foodbank to save US$2.1 million with new solar system

The Hawaii Foodbank expects to save around US$2.1 million over the next 25 years on its newly installed rooftop solar energy system, the Honolulu-based nonprofit said yesterday.

The 300kW system was built by California¡¯s REC Solar and is expected to save around 463,742kWh of energy. The system is projected to save the food bank around US$41,041 in the first year alone.

"This new technology will reduce our energy costs significantly and will allow us to serve more hungry families while also contributing to a more sustainable environment on Oahu,¡± Hawaii Food Bank president & CEO Gerald Shintaku said.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Russia¡¯s Hevel connects 35MW of solar to the grid

Russia¡¯s largest integrated solar company Hevel Group has connected 35MW of new solar to the grid.

The capacity is spread across four plants; Grachevsky and Pleshanovskoy SES in the Orenburg region and two plants known as Buribaevskoy Bugulchanskoy SES in the Republic of Bashkortostan.

The new capacity means that Hevel now has a cumulative capacity of 75MW of operational solar and 364MW of renewable energy at large.

The new solar plants are a step closer to Russia¡¯s goal of 1.5GW of solar capacity by 2020.

In other Hevel news, last month the company claimed its first fabricated heterojunction (HJ) solar cell achieved a conversion efficiency of 21.75%.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Europe installed 6.7GW solar in 2016 ¨C SolarPower Europe

Europe added 6.7GW of solar last year with demand decreasing by more than 21% from the prior year, according to the latest data from SolarPower Europe.

The association also tallied the global installations figure for 2016 at a record-breaking 76.2GW, growing 50% year-on-year, with Asia taking 66% of the market share.

The announcement was made on the opening day of the SolarPower Summit 2017 in Brussels, where PV Tech has reported on big energy utilities ¡°changing the appearance¡± of the European solar market as they wade into the sector, as well as the cause of France ramping up its solar ambitions.

Last year, European solar prices reached their lowest ever levels and are expected to continue decreasing, with tariffs in German tenders falling by a quarter in 18 months.

Michael Schmela, executive advisor and head of market intelligence at SolarPower Europe said Southern European countries could even reach prices as low as €0.03/kWh in 2017/18, but this would require stable governance to attract investment in solar.

James Watson, chief executive of Solar Power Europe, said: "Solar is one of the lowest-cost power generation sources today, and this is true for Europe. The European Union is not harvesting the sun as much it could and should - it's time to change that!

"We need an open trade policy that supports the growth of solar in Europe and a clean tech industrial policy that supports the growth of solar jobs.¡±

Meanwhile, Alexandre Roesch, policy director at SolarPower Europe said: "The European Commission's proposed Clean Energy Package is a good starting point. If it will result in market rules that support the energy transition and enable a flexible system that puts prosumers at its core, then we have the grounds for making solar great again."

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Rhode Island targets 1GW clean energy by 2020

Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo has announced a new renewable portfolio standard RPS of 1GW by 2020 - that would increase the amount of clean energy currently in the state by tenfold.

"Every step we take toward a clean energy future is a step toward a stronger, more sustainable environment and economy," said Raimondo. ¡°Our commitment to expand our clean energy portfolio will help lower energy costs, create jobs and protect the beauty of our state for future generations "As the technology advances, an affordable, clean energy future is no longer simply a dream. Because of the investments we've made and with partnerships across the state, we will increase the amount of clean energy in Rhode Island by 1,000% and we'll double our green economy workforce."

By the end of 2016, Rhode Island had around 100MW of clean energy capacity installed.

The new goal will include an array of different clean energy technologies including solar, hydropower and wind. Rhode Island recently became the first and still only state with an operational off-shore wind farm.

In conjunction with the new RPS, Raimondo also announced a similar strategic goal to double the number of clean energy jobs by 2020. To date, Rhode Island has produced 138MW of clean energy through 14,000 associated jobs.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Support global solar growth ¨C and win a $150 Amazon voucher

It¡¯s that time of year again, the annual PV Tech Readers¡¯ Survey!

It¡¯s been another record year for solar deployment across the globe, but the industry faces some testing changes in the year ahead, particularly in the largest markets.

Chinese demand is expected to fall significantly, while Japan continues to contract and US rooftop solar is embroiled in policy battles. On the other hand, emerging markets continue to swell across the globe with the now well-established India about to break into the top league.

At the same time, cell and module prices keep declining so manufacturers face a vicious cycle of tougher market conditions combined with the unending need to improve efficiencies.

We are passionate about PV Tech¡¯s ongoing role in reporting on the solar industry to help keep you up to date with the latest news, trends and opinions. To do this effectively, we need to know what is important to you and the opportunities you will be prioritising in the future.

Since we launched we have held conferences and exhibitions across the globe, organised webinars on key topics, shared best practice and provided analysis on technologies, market trends and financial reports. To do this to the best of our ability we need to know what you want and a big part of that process is this survey.

Please take 5 minutes to complete the survey by 31 March for your chance to win a $150 Amazon voucher, and help us to help you in supporting global solar in 2017.

Thanks for reading and good luck in the draw!

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Utilities ¡®changing the appearance¡¯ of European solar

Big energy utilities such as Eon and innogy are ¡°changing the appearance¡± of the European solar market as they wade into the sector, a panel of industry leaders has concluded.

Speaking at SolarPower Europe¡¯s ongoing Solar Power Summit in Brussels yesterday, First Solar senior director for Europe sales Stefan Degener said that European utilities were waking up to the potential for solar to make a meaningful contribution to their energy mix.

This, Degener said, had resulted in them ¡°changing the appearance¡± of the European solar market and ultimately contributing to the market becoming ¡°more professional¡±.

Utilities are becoming prolific investors in European solar with the likes of Eon, RWE and Enel all either establishing or acquiring solar development arms.

Earlier this year RWE¡¯s clean energy unit innogy splashed the cash on developer Belectric in a bid to bolt on solar expertise.

Markus Hoehner, chief executive officer at EuPD Research, said that the more widespread adoption of solar by utilities was a result of them ¡°running out of business¡± and that while it might have taken a few years, they were now ¡°beginning to understand and review strategies¡±.

Hoehner added that this would result in significant upside for solar manufacturers by creating a ¡°strong sales channel¡± for them to tap into.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Yingli Green still struggling to sort debt repayments on bond defaults

Struggling integrated PV manufacturer Yingli Green Energy has formed a ¡®Special Committee¡¯ of independent directors to find options to repay debts incurred due to partial default on bonds by its subsidiaries in China.

Yingli Green had been in protracted negotiations over two Medium-Term Notes (MTNs) issued to some of its main subsidiaries, Baoding Tianwei Yingli New Energy and Yingli Energy (China) that defaulted on the loans due to severe liquidity issues going back to 2015.

The Special Committee would look at strategic alternative financial plans to improve its debt structure, although no timelines were given for potential recommendations.

The company is also in default of NYSE listing requirements of having failed to retain an average market capitalization of US$50 million over a consecutive 30 trading-day period in February, 2017. Yingli Green has 90 days to submit a plan to the NYSE demonstrating how it intends to regain compliance.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Brookfield to gain controlling stake in TerraForm Power, acquire TerraForm Global outright

Global alternative asset manager Brookfield announced Tuesday that it has entered into a definitive agreement with SunEdison's yieldco TerraForm Power, under which Brookfield will assume the role of TerraForm Power¡¯s sponsor and also become the controlling shareholder.

In addition, Brookfield announced that it has acquired fellow SunEdison yieldco TerraForm Global outright for approximately US$787 million, per Nasdaq.com. Brookfield will also take on approximately US$455 million in net debt.

TerraForm Global currently owns and operates a portfolio that includes 31 wind and solar power plants totaling 952 MW of capacity ¡ª located in Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Thailand, Malaysia, and Uruguay.

As part of the transaction details with TerraForm Power, Brookfield will acquire a controlling 51% of the company post-closing. TerraForm¡¯s controlling stake was ultimately sold for US$11.46 per share.

As a result, Brookfield will provide a US$500 million sponsor equity line to support future growth, while TerraForm Power will also secure a 3.5GW right of first offer (ROFO) portfolio that includes 1.2GW of operating wind plants and 2.3GW of development-stage wind and solar projects in North America and Western Europe.

Peter Blackmore, chairman and interim chief executive officer of TerraForm Power, said: ¡°With the successful completion of the board¡¯s strategic alternatives process, the TerraForm Power Board and management team are confident that Brookfield¡¯s sponsorship will enable our company to deliver cash to shareholders while strengthening our operations for future value creation.

¡°This agreement with Brookfield is the culmination of our efforts to separate our operations from SunEdison and to position TerraForm Power for future success. With the support of Brookfield as TerraForm Power¡¯s sponsor, we will gain additional resources to continue to expand our portfolio and increase cash flow on a per share basis. We look forward to working with the talented Brookfield team to achieve a smooth transition.¡±

Sachin Shah, senior managing partner of Brookfield, added: ¡°We are pleased to increase our significant investment in TerraForm Power and to contribute our operating expertise in the sector to position the company for growth. We are confident that our significant renewable power operating experience, financial resources and global institutional relationships will provide TerraForm Power with strong financial flexibility and an attractive pipeline for growth moving forward. We look forward to participating alongside all shareholders in capturing future upside and helping the business to achieve its full potential over time.¡±

TerraForm Power has also reached a settlement deal with SunEdison, under which SunEdison will renounce all ownership and claims to TerraForm Power.

Brookfield expects the transaction to be completed in the second half of 2017.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Azuri PayGo Solar Sales surpass 100,000

Off-grid solar company Azuri Technologies announced Tuesday that it has reached the mark of 100,000 sales of its PayGo solar home systems in sub-saharan Africa.

Since initially breaking into the market in 2011, Azuri has offered affordable, clean energy for off-grid towns and communities across 12 countries.

News of Tuesday¡¯s sales milestone comes shortly after Azuri announced that it secured a US$5 million debt facility provided by Standard Chartered Bank in February 2017, as well as the completion of an US$11 million equity funding round in December 2016 ¡ª all of which supports Azuri¡¯s efforts to spur solar across Africa.

This new financing will also help Azuri grow in new markets, highlighted by a program announced in January 2017 to provide power to 20,000 homes in Nigeria.

The Azuri PayGo solar product portfolio includes the first complete PayGo satellite TV package targeting households without electricity ¡ª launched in Kenya in December 2016. In addition, the product range includes solar lighting systems that incorporate Azuri¡¯s HomeSmart technology, which ensures households have light all night, even after cloudy weather.

Simon Bransfield-Garth, chief executive of Azuri, said: ¡°The milestone of 100,000 systems sold marks the next phase of Azuri¡¯s journey. Coupled with the recently completed funding announcements, we look forward to continuing to grow our presence and serve the millions of customers that still lack access to modern electrical services.¡±

Jamie Vollbracht, director, cleantech at IP Group, a founder investor and major shareholder in Azuri, added: ¡°These milestones reinforce the great strides Azuri is making in providing PayGo solar solutions for this rapidly growing market. We expect that Azuri¡¯s innovative approach and world-class team mean that many more significant milestones are to come as Azuri further expands, improving the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across Africa.¡±

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Standard Solar to be acquired by Gaz M¨¦tro

Commercial solar electric system developer Standard Solar announced Tuesday that it has been acquired by Gaz M¨¦tro, a leading energy provider with over US$5.8 billion in assets and a key player in the development of energy infrastructures and renewable-energy projects.

Based in Canada, Gaz M¨¦tro is a diversified energy company that remains involved in both electric distribution and production ¡ª including solar and wind power ¡ª as well as natural gas distribution, LNG and renewable natural gas.

Gaz M¨¦tro also boasts US$2.9 billion in assets in the US, and has served 315,000 clients through its various businesses and affiliates in Northeast USA.

Martin Imbleau, senior vice president operations, transport and development of New Energies at Gaz M¨¦tro, said: ¡°We see in Standard Solar many of the same attributes we value as a company, including their commitment to anticipate and address the needs of current and future customers as well as the regions, municipalities and communities where it is established. This is an exciting acquisition for Gaz M¨¦tro as it allows us to further diversify our energy solutions offerings, to reinforce our commitment to an energy transition and to strengthen our presence in the US.¡±

Scott Wiater, president and CEO at Standard Solar, noted: ¡°This acquisition significantly magnifies Standard Solar¡¯s potential to expand its market penetration by enhancing our ability to provide in-house financing for solar and energy-storage projects of all sizes. The deal also gives us unparalleled flexibility in the types of projects we can support.¡±

Wiater added: ¡°This acquisition positions us to become an independent power producer (IPP), applying our deep expertise at every stage of a solar project. We can accelerate and streamline every project including financing a fully developed project, offering developers our full suite of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) functions, or providing services in between. With a track record of more than 1,500 solar installations dating back to 2004, we know what is required to get a project built.¡±

The acquisition is expected to close over the next few weeks. The company will continue to operate as Standard Solar, while also remaining in its Rockville, Md., headquarters. Standard Solar will also continue to be managed by its current executive team.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö ReneSola to build 550 MW globally in 2017

The Chinese integrated PV manufacturer and developer currently has 335 MW of solar capacity under construction in seven countries, with plans to finish 550 MW by the end of the year.

It will primarily use construction loans to finance development of the projects.

¡°We now anticipate fewer external module shipments in the first quarter of 2017 as we had redirected more module sales to our own downstream projects,¡± said ReneSola chairman and CEO Xianshou Li, adding that the company expects project sales to accelerate in the second quarter of the year.

Rooftop PV projects in China account for the lion¡¯s share of the capacity the company is now building, at 393 MW.

By the end of January, it had ¡°shovel-ready¡± projects in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Shandong, Hubei, Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Fujian and Guangdong provinces.

ReneSola¡¯s second biggest global downstream market is Turkey, where it is building 12.7 MW of unlicensed projects at a feed-in tariff rate of $134/MWh.

It plans to install 108 MW in the US market this year, including 70 MW of community PV capacity in California, Minnesota and North Carolina.

The company is now building 9.9 MW in the UK, with a total of 14.3 MW in the pipeline by the end of the year.

About 10 MW of the capacity it will build in the UK will be developed under the 1.2 Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) scheme, with grid connection scheduled by the end of March.

Last month, ReneSola won the rights to build 13 MW of capacity in southern Poland. The 1 MW arrays will all be constructed at a tariff rate of 408.8 Polish z?oty ($100.18)/MWh over 15 years. They are scheduled for grid connection by December.

In Canada, the company will build roughly 9 MW of small utility-scale PV projects this year under Ontario¡¯s Feed-in Tariff 3.0 scheme.

¡°We remain optimistic about our project development business,¡± said Li. ¡°We continue to gain traction in the domestic Chinese distributed generation market and remain focused on executing our efforts in developed markets.¡±

ReneSola has increasingly shifted its focus to solar project development over the past year. Its downstream business contributed to a 37.2% quarter-on-quarter jump in revenue in the June-September period last year.

Last week, the company regained compliance with the New York Stock Exchange¡¯s listing requirements, after receiving a de-listing warning in December.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Ecobuild London: pro-nuclear, anti-residential PV panel debate causes stir

An Ecobuild panel debate about the U.K.¡¯s future energy mix proved to be heavily in favor of nuclear power and against the use of domestic solar PV with batterie, prompting cries of derision from audience.

Ecobuild 2017 kicked off in London on Tuesday and will conclude on Thursday, showcasing a series of energy technologies, including solar and storage systems.

The event also includes a series of seminars inviting members of the industry, government and academia to participate. Such was a panel debate about the U.K.¡¯s energy future mix that took place on Tuesday and which promoted fantastically outdated and misinformed views regarding renewable energies, and battery storage specifically.

Controversial studies

Dr Matthew Ives, senior researcher at the Oxford University¡¯s Environmental Change Institute, presented a pathway for meeting the U.K.¡¯s 2050 energy needs. Ives said that his team has taken a whole systems approach modeling not only energy, but other elements of infrastructure (e.g. water) to provide a vision for 2050.

Ives¡¯ main proposition is that his modelling shows that for the U.K. ¡°the numbers don¡¯t add up in terms of what you have to do to transition to a decarbonized energy system. You can¡¯t do it quickly enough without nuclear or carbon capture storage (CCS) along with gas turbines.¡±

However, Ives did not explain in detail the underlying assumptions of his research, nor the data he used. It remained unclear, for example, what his assumptions are for energy technology in 2050. There is innovation going on in all forms of energy systems and forecasting the specifics of the future energy technology is rather science fiction.

For example, who would have thought even a few years ago that solar PV technology would become so cheap and so quickly that the U.K. would have 12 GW of solar PV installed in 2017? Does his modelling for UK energy in 2050 takes into account technologies we haven¡¯t even thought of, or do not yet exist?

Another weakness in Ives¡¯ analysis was that he didn¡¯t address the decentralization process of the energy system that has been taking place in the U.K. and elsewhere. In fact, he provided incorrect evidence regarding it.

Incorrect evidence

Members of the audience challenged the centralized, pro-nuclear vision for the U.K.¡¯s energy future and referred to their solar PV home installations. In attendance was an individual who specifically referred to Germany¡¯s example of incorporating customers and energy users into the new energy market design.

Dan Lewis, a senior advisor on infrastructure policy, who comprised part of the panel, replied: ¡°In terms of consumers engaging in energy, I want to remind myself I have an interest in energy but I don¡¯t want to impose this to everyone else and there are a lot of people out there who want to pay their bills, keep them as low as possible¡­ and that¡¯s all they want to know.¡±

Interestingly enough, Joanne Reynolds, a Briton who lives in Essex, told the panel that she is one of those Britons having installed solar on her home along with other energy saving devices. ¡°This helped us to reduce our energy bills and didn¡¯t require us to change our lifestyle,¡± she added. ¡°We struggle to use 25% of what our solar panels generate and we export about 75% of our solar energy generation to the grid,¡± she told the panel.

Ives replied that ¡°if you see this at a national scale¡±, it doesn¡¯t work. ¡°Distribution networks cannot take more solar, they have to retrofit the network,¡± Ives told Ecobuild.

¡°In terms of your battery storage,¡± he added, ¡°if you see what you put in and what you take back, the investment case is not there at the moment, although [battery] plants like the Tesla gigafactory will reduce the costs later.¡±

When Reynolds replied that she was able to pay her investment back in four years, Ives argued ¡°this is not only about costs. It is about the energy you put in the system. If you put this on a global scale, it becomes what they call an ¡®energy vampire¡¯, it is pulling more energy out of the system than it takes to create it in the first place. Solar panels used to be like that but they are not anymore. So, it¡¯s not about costs, it¡¯s about energy and at the moment batteries don¡¯t have that positive effect on the global energy systems.¡±

What followed was a fine example of current U.K. energy politics. The panel was insisting that only a centralized energy system with baseload nuclear energy can decarbonize the U.K.¡¯s energy system, while the audience presented opposite examples.

Ives added that the U.K. cannot rely on rooftop solar energy ¡°because the distribution network is not set up to use the extra energy. You cannot use it, you need energy storage for that.¡± But then, he had made clear that battery storage is a ¡®vampire¡¯.

Dan Lewis remarked: ¡°It does trouble me with Hinkley C that it is so expensive and it is going to take so long, and I think there are lessons to be learned around how to do it cheaper for the next generation.¡± So, yes, more nuclear plants should be built, according to Lewis.

Funnily enough, the panel that preceded this debate consisted of U.K. distribution network operators, who carefully explained how they are working to transition from a distribution network operator (DNO) to a distribution system operator (DSO), meaning their role in managing the power loads and its fluctuations is increasing, collaborating more with flexible power sources, e.g. solar and storage.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö UK Spring Budget: Chancellor silent on solar

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond made no mention of solar energy in today¡¯s Spring Budget Announcement. This leaves the UK¡¯s rooftop solar segment facing a tax hike of up to 800% in the financial year beginning next month.

Despite strong opposition to the planned tax increase; including a petition with more than 200,000 signatures, the Chancellor did not include the issue in his Spring Budget announcement earlier today, and indeed made no mention of renewable energy whatsoever.

Britain¡¯s Solar Trade Association (STA) has voiced concern for the 44,000 system owners who will be affected by the increase from the beginning of April, including schools in England and Wales, which could see additional taxes of up to GBP 1.8 million, according to recent research.

¡°We are dismayed that responsible organizations that use their own rooftop solar are still facing an extreme business rate rise of up to 800% from April,¡± stated the association¡¯s CEO Paul Barwell. ¡°The Chancellor says he wants the UK at ¡®the cutting edge of the global economy¡¯ ¨C his tax policies for energy risk the opposite.¡±

The Spring Budget made few mentions of energy, however the Chancellor did announce plans to investigate tax incentives to help the oil and gas industry. ¡°Some fossil fuel technologies are already exempt from business rates, and today the Chancellor again took special care of oil and gas,¡± continues Barwell. ¡°It is surprising that the Treasury¡¯s tax policies tend to yesterdays technologies while putting clean, modern solar at a competitive disadvantage.¡±

STA say that it will continue to oppose the business rate rise, now looking to Parliament to make changes. The association yesterday published a list of further measures it hoped to see adopted in the Spring Budget, which include a review of feed-in-tariff policy, the removal of further tax roadblocks and the adoption of smart infrastructure across the country.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö BREAKING: U.S. authorities could lower Taiwanese import duties to single digits

An preliminary finding by the Department of Commerce could lower import duties first imposed on Taiwan solar cell manufacturers in 2014 from high double-digits to single digits, while tariffs on Chinese module and cell manufacturers imposed at the same time remain in place.

2014 was not kind to Taiwanese solar cell manufacturers.

Taiwanese cell makers had achieved record profits after the United States imposed steep tariffs on Chinese solar panel and cell manufacturers in 2012, as Chinese panel manufacturers sought new cell partners that weren¡¯t subject to the import duties. But in 2014, in another trade case initiated by SolarWorld, the U.S. Department of Commerce imposed severe anti-dumping tariffs on Taiwanese cell manufacturers ranging from 27.59% to 44.18%.

Now, a recently completed administrative review and preliminary finding by the Commerce Department means those tariffs could be significantly reduced in the future.

A document from the International Trade Association (ITA) dated Feb. 28 indicates that an administrative review launched in April was now complete, and the preliminary findings indicate that Motech Industries, which was hit with the highest anti-dumping tariffs in 2014 (44.18%), could have those tariffs reduced to 4.20%. The other company chosen for specific review, SAS-Solartech, could have its tariff reduced from the initial 35.89% to 3.50%.

All other manufacturers not specifically studied would have their tariffs reduced to 4.09% if the preliminary recommendation is accepted, but ITA officials were quick to point out that this is not a final decision and that until there was, there would be no change to the tariffs as they currently are constructed.

They also said that an administrative review of tariffs like the ones imposed on Taiwanese cell manufacturers was not unusual and could be commissioned each year. A timeline for a final decision had not yet been determined.

The lowering of tariffs would seem to be in direct conflict with the Trump Administration¡¯s recent rhetoric on trade, which has consistently included talk of imposing tariffs on goods it feels compete unfairly with U.S. products. It may also be related to a willingness by the Trump Administration to break with 40 years of U.S. foreign policy tradition concerning Taiwan, which China considers one of its provinces.

Since President Richard Nixon traveled to China, the United States has treated China and Taiwan as if they are one country (a policy called ¡°One China¡±). Shortly after being elected, however, President Donald Trump had a phone call with the Taiwanese president that sent shockwaves through the international diplomatic community, which saw the call as a provocation directed at the Chinese government. Trump eventually confirmed his administration¡¯s adherence to the One China policy.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö 1366, Hanwha reach 19.9% efficiency with PERC

The company has simultaneously announced its the first deployment of cells made from its Direct Wafer products in a 500 kW commercial solar array in Japan.

It¡¯s often tough for new technologies to displace incumbent process, and kerfless wafers have been no exception. But while a number of kerfless wafer makers have faltered along the way to commercial production, 1366 Technologies is breaking new ground for the technology.

Today 1366 announced a new efficiency record for a solar PV cell utilizing its Direct Wafer technology, with a 19.9% efficient solar cell produced by Hanwha Q Cells incorporating passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) technology. This is an improvement on the 19.6% efficiency that the two companies achieved last December with a Direct Wafer/PERC combination.

¡°Our efficiency is improving at a rate that¡¯s nearly double that of the rest of the industry,¡± claims 1366 Technologies CEO Frank van Mierlo. ¡°Late last year, we exceeded the cell efficiency of the high-performance multi (HPM) reference group in a head-to-head comparison, and we continue to make progress.¡±

And while impressive, this efficiency does not beat the record for multicrystalline silicon, which Trina Solar set at 21.3%. Regardless, 1366 claims that it has a technology roadmap which provides a path to higher efficiencies than can be achieved with sawn high-performance multicrystalline silicon.

The company also cites other advantages of its production process, including a high-purity growth environment, a better microstructure, and the ability to grade doping agents across the wafer.

Concurrent with its new efficiency record, 1366 reports the first deployment of PV modules made with cells based on its Direct Wafer technology, at a 500 kW commercial installation in Japan.

IHI Corporation has begun construction on the project, which will incorporate IEC-certified modules fabricated by an un-named Tier 1 Chinese module maker. The PV plant is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2017.

1366 currently holds an agreement to supply Hanwha Q Cells with enough wafers to produce 700 MW of PV cells; however this agreement is contingent upon completion of 1366¡¯s first commercial-scale Direct Wafer factory in Upstate New York. The company was not able to supply pv magazine with any update as to progress on that facility, which as of last update was behind schedule to begin construction.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Scatec Solar seeks to develop PV plants in Ukraine

The Norwegian solar developer is considering the construction of two PV plants totalling 60 MW in Ukraine. The company is discussing opportunities with local deputy Minister of Energy.

The Norwegian solar plant developer and operator is looking for new potential markets in eastern Europe. According to a press release from the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine, Scatec Solar is planning to build two large-scale PV plants with a combined capacity of 60 MW in the country.

Last Tuesday, Scatec Solar¡äs vice president Terje Osmundsen and the Norwegian ambassador Ole Horpestad met with deputy Energy Minister of Ukraine Natalia Boyko to discuss opportunities to enter the Ukrainian market.

The Energy Ministry said that, in addition to these two plants, Scatec Solar is also exploring the possibility to develop further solar projects in the country. No more details on when and how the projects will be implemented were provided.

Responding to an enquiry from pv magazine, a spokesperson from Scatec Solar confirmed that the company is interested in entering the Ukrainian PV market, but declined to provide exact figures.

Scatec Solar¡äs portfolio includes solar power projects in the Czech Republic, South Africa, Rwanda, Honduras and Jordan. These projects have a combined capacity of 322 MW. More than 1,085 MW of projects are in the pipeline, as the company reports on its homepage.

The Ukrainian government is seeking to increase the share of renewable energy in the country¡¯s electricity mix to up to 11 per cent by 2020. According to CISOLAR the country¡¯s installed capacity reached 568 MW last year. For 2017, 54 new solar projects with a total capacity of 460 MW are planned to be implemented, enabling the country to exceed 1 GW of installed PV capacity.

By Emiliano Bellini and Carl Johannes Muth

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Daqo posts $43.5 million profit in 2016

The Chinese polysilicon producer¡¯s net profit rose sharply from $13 million a year earlier, as revenue jumped 25.9% year on year to $229.1 million.

Polysilicon output by volume rose 33.7% year on year to 13,068 metric tons (MT) in 2016.

The company¡¯s external sales of polysilicon jumped 32.2% by volume on the year to 10,883 MT, according to the group¡¯s unaudited results.

Sales of wafers edged up 8.4% from the preceding year to 82.8 million units for the year to the end of December.

Daqo New Energy recorded a gross margin of 35.1% in 2016, from 20.6% during the previous 12-month period.

In the fourth quarter ¡ª which the company described as an ¡°important milestone,¡± in part because it finished building its Phase 3A polysilicon facility in China¡¯s Xinjiang region ¡ª its net profit plunged 57.3% year on year to $4.1 million.

The expansion of its production capacity paved the way for it to ramp up output from the first quarter of 2017, several months ahead of schedule. By the end of February, it had reached full production capacity of 18,000 MT per year.

Fourth-quarter revenue fell 15.1% in the fourth quarter to $46.1 million, shaving the group¡¯s gross margin by 6.4% from the preceding three-month period to 30.7%.

The Chongqing-based group attributed the decline to weaker polysilicon sales and lower ASPs.

It also said that its polysilicon output volume from 3,636 MT in the volatile third quarter to 2,456 MT in the final three months of the year, primarily because it scaled back output as it upgraded and expanded its production facilities.

Its external sales of polysilicon by volume fell roughly 22.2% on the quarter to 2,209 MT in the October-December period.

Total production costs at its facilities in China¡¯s remote Xinjiang region averaged $9.98/kg, up from $8.66/kg in the preceding quarter.

The average selling price (ASP) of polysilicon edged down $0.68 quarter on quarter in the final three months of 2016 to $14.96/kg, Daqo said.

However, the group¡¯s sales of wafers rose to 21.3 million units over the same period.

Gongda Yao, chief executive of Daqo New Energy, described fourth-quarter demand for polysilicon as ¡°robust,¡± adding that India in particular would drive the growth of the global PV market throughout 2017.

¡°This bodes well for continued strong demand for high-purity polysilicon products,¡± he said, pointing to growing demand for high-purity semiconductor-grade polysilicon.

Yao said that demand for polysilicon continues to outstrip Daqo¡¯s expanded production capacity: ¡°In fact, certain customers are now willing to make prepayments so that they can take priority in product delivery. This is a testament to¡­ strong market demand.¡±

The company therefore expects polysilicon ASPs to rise throughout the first three months of 2017, as its production volumes will likely range between 4,300 and 4,500 metric tons.

It believes its external sales of polysilicon will rise to a high of roughly 3,800 to 4,000 metric tons in the first quarter of this year.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Romania¡¯s PV capacity grew by 70 MW in 2016

Romania¡¯s solar market registered a slight drop in new installations in 2016. Approximately 70 MW was installed last year. This capacity is represented by MW-scale PV projects developed under the green certificate scheme launched in 2011.

Romania saw a slight increase in new PV capacity last year, with the installation of PV systems with a combined capacity of 70.4 MW. According to official figures released by the country¡¯s grid operator Transelectrica, which were provided to pv magazine by the Romanian Photovoltaic Industry Association (RPIA), last year¡¯s performance was slightly down compared to 2015, when newly installed PV capacity hit 78.2 MW.

The country¡¯s cumulative PV power, RPIA said, has reached 1.37 GW at the end of 2016, while the cumulative renewable energy generation capacity has surpassed 4.5 GW. Most of the solar power installed in the country is represented by MW-sized PV plants built under the green certificate scheme, which was launched in 2011.

Under the current legislation, green certificates are granted only to those operators that connected their PV projects not later than Jan. 31, 2016. A PV power producer is entitled to receive green certificates over a 15-year period. A green certificate is valid for 12 months and can be traded on a regulated market called OPCOM for a price of a minimum €28.8 ($30.4) to a maximum of €58.8 Euro ($62.0). These values are subject to indexation on a yearly basis, taking into account the euro zone inflation rate.

RPIA claims that the negative trend registered in 2016 will likely continue in the near future. In particular, the association explained that a reduction to the mandatory quota of electricity produced from renewable energy sources benefiting from the green certificate scheme for 2017, which was recently approved by the Romania government, could prove a serious problem for the solar sector. The new quota was set at 8.3% of the total consumption of electricity. In 2016, the quota was of 12.1%.

The government decision was based on the advice of Romania¡¯s energy regulator Romanian Regulatory Authority for Energy, which claimed that maintaining the 2016 quota this year would have increased electricity bills by approximately 5%. In 2008, when the government issued the legislation for renewable energies the quota had been set at 17%.

This decision, however, will be effective only until the new government approves the draft emergency ordinance amending the country¡¯s renewable law. The European Commission has already approved it.

( Mar 8,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö EU funding large-scale solar projects in Benin, Niger, Nigeria and Chad

Last week the EU¡¯s Africa Renewable Energy Initiative announced 14 new renewable energy projects across the continent, representing 1.7GW, with a total potential investment of almost €4 billion (US$4.2 billion).

¡°With these 14 new projects, potentially worth up to €4 billion of investments, the European Union is delivering on its promises,¡± said commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica at the announcement in Conakry, Guinea. ¡°We are turning our pledges into real projects with true impact on the ground. The EU hereby reaffirms its leading role in supporting the African continent in the promotion of renewable energies for the improvement of energy access for African citizens.¡±

Solar specifics

According to S¨¦gol¨¨ne Royal, president of COP 21 and France¡¯s minister of environment, energy and the sea, invitations to tender for the projects will be issued in the coming weeks. These projects are to be mobilised in record time under the €256 million in grants from the European Commission.

Among projects that include rural electrification, geothermal and grid upgrades, Royal revealed many large-scale solar projects are to be implemented.

This includes a 25MW solar plant planned for Benin, a 13MW and a 30MW solar power station in Niger, the 30MW Djermaya solar power station in Chad and a 100MW solar power plant in Nigeria known as the Bauchi solar project.

These solar projects and the other renewable energy ventures under the investment will contribute to the EC¡¯s aim to give 30 million more people access to sustainable energy and help generate 5GW of new clean energy in Africa by 2020.

This represents half of the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative¡®s overall target, as one of the initiative¡¯s key objectives is to generate 10GW of new renewable energy in Africa by 2020, and to unlock Africa¡¯s potential to generate as much as 300GW from renewable energy by 2030.

The EU¡¯s development funding towards sustainable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa for the period 2014-2020 amounts to approximately €2.7 billion.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Pakistan to adopt competitive bidding for new solar PV projects

Pakistan is set to adopt competitive bidding for new solar PV projects, according to an order published by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).

Since June last year the Authority has been gathering views from stakeholders on whether to shift towards a competitive bidding methodology, hoping to move on from the previous policy of upfront tariffs for solar, of which there have been three to date.

A total of eight organisations intervened on the proposals. Most believed a sudden change in policy to reverse bidding would hinder investment in the sector, given that the country is in the midst of a PV development cycle. Such bidding should only be brought in once the current cycle is over, they said. Another argument was that creating the framework for competitive auctions would take substantial time, while interveners also pointed to several global examples of countries reverting back from auctions after they damaged the market.

NEPRA has now rejected these arguments, citing central government support for the adoption of competitive auctions for renewable energy in general.

In its order, NEPRA stated: ¡°The Authority feels that the procurement of power under transparent competitive process is most appropriate as it can fetch realistic prices based on the prevailing conditions of the market. It has also been observed that competitive bidding mode has been the most successful and preferred mode for arriving at fair and judicious prices and after announcing three upfront tariffs for solar PV technology, this is the appropriate time for a logical shift towards [a] competitive regime.¡±

The authority also noted consistently improving efficiencies and declining prices for PV equipment over recent years, a trend expected to continue for some time. For this reason, it has also decided to adopt the auction model without a benchmark levelized tariff.

To carry out tenders, relevant agencies will prepare Request for Proposal documents for approval by NEPRA. State-run utility National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) will offtake power from auctioned projects.

NEPRA has recommended the Federal Government to notify its decision in the official Gazette.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö KACO New Energy and DNE Solar to provide 300MW inverters for South Korea

South Korean PV specialist DNE Solar has signed a framework agreement with German inverter manufacturer KACO New Energy for the delivery of 300MW of string inverters.

The two companies are boosting their long-term partnership with a bulk order of blueplanet 20.0 TL3 INT and 50.0 TL3 inverters as well as the Powador 60.0 TL3 ground-mount unit, which are generally used in commercial rooftop systems and solar parks.

"DNE Solar has established itself firmly in South Korea through its deep commitment to renewable energy and uncompromising attitude towards service and support,¡± said David Kim, CEO of DNE Solar. ¡°I am confident that we will continue on this path with this partnership. With its pioneering inverter technology and German quality heritage, KACO new energy fits well with our customer-oriented approach. There's a huge appreciation of energy independence and versatility of energy sources in South Korea that opens up very good opportunities to develop and shape the solar market.¡±

David Mabille, CSO of KACO new energy, adds: "We are very happy to have secured this deal with DNE Solar. It is the result of KACO new energy's sincere involvement in the South Korean solar market and the long partnership with DNE that has matured over many years. As one of the oldest and most prominent solar PV promoters in South Korea, DNE is deeply rooted in the local solar market. The company has acquired a profound knowledge of the customers' technical and commercial needs, and is able to offer solutions for all renewable energy and storage requirements."

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö France ramped up solar ambitions after PV ¡®overshot expectations¡¯

France has sought to increase its ambitions for solar PV in the country after the technology ¡°overshot expectations¡±, a government representative has said.

Speaking at today¡¯s Solar Power Summit in Brussels, Alexis Dutertre, deputy permanent representative of France to the European Union, said solar would ¡°fully take part¡± in its energy transition.

¡°[Solar] has overshot expectations, and we¡¯ve acted accordingly to increase our ambitions,¡± he added.

Dutertre also mentioned the belief within the European Union that solar¡¯s role in the energy mix is an important one, insisting that different kinds of intermittent generations such as solar and wind can combine to ¡°build a more reliable system¡±.

Dutertre¡¯s comments come just weeks after the European Commission approved French solar schemes to support the development of 2.6GW of small and large-scale plants as the country continues to make progress towards its target of 23% renewable generation by 2030.

The French parliament also recently adopted a draft law on self-consumption of electricity from renewable energy sources.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Canadian Solar secures funding partly for 191MW project in Brazil

Vertically integrated PV firm Canadian Solar has secured US$20 million in funding from the China and Portuguese-led Countries Cooperation and Development Fund (CPDFund) to support a number of solar projects in Brazil, including the 191MW Pirapora I Project in the state of Minas Gerais.

The 191MW project is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2017.

Once completed, the project will produce 391.3GWh of clean electricity annually, enough to meet the yearly energy needs of more than 200,000 Brazilian households.

Canadian Solar's investments to spur solar power in Brazil include the operation of the country's largest solar module manufacturing facility, which boasts an annual capacity of 380MW, along with the development of an additional 207MW of solar energy projects with 20-year power purchase agreements.

Dr. Shawn Qu, chairman and chief executive officer of Canadian Solar, said: "We are glad to partner with the CPDFund in the growing solar energy market in Brazil. This milestone funding from the CPDFund cements our collaboration towards the CPDFund's investment into high-quality solar energy projects developed by Canadian Solar in Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking countries worldwide.

¡°We look forward to more opportunities to cooperate with state-owned enterprises and institutional investors in China to boost solar energy growth globally."

Jianxin Chi, chairman of CPDFund management company, added: "We value the partnership with Canadian Solar which has extensive industrial experience and outstanding capability, and believe that the milestone funding is the start of more cooperation on solar energy in Brazil, other Portuguese-speaking countries and Africa. We also have strong confidence in the future of Brazilian economy and the economic cooperation between China and Brazil, and expect to invest more in power, infrastructure and other industries in Brazil."

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Terraform Power nets financing for 60MW of PV projects in Canada

Clean energy power company TerraForm Power announced that it has secured additional project financing for four solar installations in Canada.

TerraForm Power netted an additional US$86 million in project financing for the plants ¡ª representing a total generation capacity of 60MW ¡ª in Ontario, Canada through a seven-year, non-recourse portfolio credit facility.

This news caps off a previous upsizing that, when combined with the initial US$90 million tranche, brings the total facility to US$175 million.

Deutsche Bank Securities and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce served as joint bookrunners and joint lead arrangers in the deal. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce also acted as the administrative agent. Commonwealth Bank of Australia acted as documentation agent and co-syndication agent, while Siemens Financial, F¨¦d¨¦ration des caisses Desjardins du Qu¨¦bec, and Laurentian Bank of Canada acted as co-syndication agents.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ï LONGi flies the flag for mono in debut Japan appearance

LONGi Solar, the Chinese module-making subsidiary of the silicon wafer group which manufactures monocrystalline silicon modules exclusively, made its debut appearance in Japan at PV Expo.

The company acquired solar cell and module maker LERRI Solar in 2014 and assimilated it into the wider group and has also expanded into downstream project execution in China. Only forming its Japanese arm late last year and appointing a president to run operations in the new market a couple of weeks ago, the company now hopes to ship up to 200MW of modules into Japan this calendar year.

¡°People ask us, why would you want to go into Japan at this time when the feed-in tariff (FiT) is dropping and the market is shrinking? Because we want to be the people to help Japan get rid of the FiT as early as possible,¡± Richard For, VP for global sales and marketing for LONGi told PV Tech at the show.

¡°We believe we can provide high efficiency modules so that the industry in future doesn¡¯t have to live on the FiT. In China we think in 3-5 years we¡¯ll have grid parity, but here, because the projects are smaller and labour is more expensive we calculate it¡¯ll be more like 5-7 years. We are committed to help Japan to get away from dependency on FiTs.¡±

While it is still early days for LONGi in Japan, For said that in the near future the company will set up warehousing and logistics operations there. According to For, the Japanese market is more demanding than the Chinese when it comes to after-sales service and said LONGi is committed to providing this. He also said that in a market in the midst of migrating from primarily ground mounted PV to rooftops and self-consumption, high efficiency mono cells could be a good solution.

¡°Japan is a very small area by size but it is the number three PV market in the world. Japan really likes green energy, likes solar, that¡¯s the history of Japan that we appreciate very much...we already see the market moving towards residential in the coming years because the FiT is getting less and less but that¡¯s good for mono players because we provide higher efficiency, because we are looking at the dollar per kWh, not the dollar per watt, that¡¯s the difference.¡±

Richard For was convinced of the suitability of mono modules for the Japanese market for this reason. Partly due to LONGi¡¯s efforts, mono has increased its market share in China from less than 5% in 2014 to 27% in 2016. The company had brought a range of products to the show, all made with LONGi¡¯s p-type mono PERC technology. This included 305w modules as standard for the residential market, half-cells which use 60 pieces and reach 315w of output and glass-backed modules suitable for Japan¡¯s increasingly popular floating PV installations. The modules on display at the Tokyo show all have 18.7% conversion efficiency as standard.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Indian PV manufacturers to suffer more ¡®hell¡¯ in 2017

While 2016 proved an immensely tough year for India¡¯s solar manufacturers, 2017 looks set to see global prices fall steeply again and further weakening of India¡¯s domestic suppliers¡¯ ability to compete with imports, according to consultancy firm Bridge to India.

Following the 26% worldwide cell and module price declines seen over 2016, prices are expected to drop another 20% this year to around US$0.25-0.26/kWh.

It is expected this will be mainly due to significantly lower downstream demand in China this year, expected to be just 28GW compared to the record 34GW of 2016. Bridge to India cited other key factors, including Japan¡¯s seven consecutive quarters of lowering demand, a contracting European market and a US rooftop market being stifled by utilities.

The consultancy said the steep price contraction poses a ¡°critical threat¡± to the financial health of module suppliers, while simultaneously dealing another blow to India¡¯s Make in India scheme, which has done very little so far to progress the plight of local PV manufacturers.

However, Bridge to India noted that downstream businesses in India also face a looming threat. The share prices of many leading global suppliers have fallen by 30-50% in the last year, but these firms are also under pressure to upgrade to higher efficiency technologies like passivated emitter rear cell (PERC), multi/heterojunction and bifacial panels. In the event of a ¡°dislocation¡± in the module manufacturing industry - which Bridge to India deems possible - winners of Indian solar projects, who have been accounting for falling module prices in their bids, will come into troubles.

Looking back at a nine-month period, April to December of last year, consultancy firm Mercom Capital Group found that cell and module imports to India had grown by 41%, with exports declining by 49%.

The country imported such solar equipment worth US$1.8 billion in this period, compared to US$1.3 billion in the same period of 2015. Imports as usual were dominated by China with an 88% market share.

Such trends in both imports and exports are expected to continue, especially given the phasing out of Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) projects. The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) cancellation of a 150MW DCR tender in Rajasthan last week was the first sign that India¡¯s protectionist policy is finally being hampered by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling against it.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-tech.org£©

¡ö Yingli Green Energy forms special committee for resolution of debt issues

Chinese tier-1 solar manufacturer Yingli Green Energy today announced the formation of a committee of independent directors to assess the company¡¯s situation. The committee will recommend strategic improvements and alternatives, in order to improve Yingli¡¯s debt structure.

The ailing module manufacturer, which was last month threatened with delisting from the New York Stock Exchange, is forming the committee with the ultimate of aim of resolving debt repayment issues faced by its principal subsidiaries.

The committee will evaluate Yingli¡¯s financial situation and develop one more strategies or financing plans that could improve the company¡¯s standings.

Yingli has not set a timetable for the committee to complete provide recommendations, nor has it given any guarantee that the board of directors will authorize the pursuit of any alternative that is recommended.

After posting profits for 2 straight quarters, the first it had seen since 2011, amid the Chinese installation rush in 2016, the drop off in demand set in and Yingli¡¯s losses passed US$50 million in the the third quarter of last year.

While the company has seen better stability with its activities in Japan, this was not enough to balance the drop in demand from China. CEO Liansheng Miao previously stated that Yingli would focus on efficiency improvements and participation in the Chinese government¡¯s Top Runner program, however with the appointment of the special a new strategy could quickly emerge.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Gaz M¨¦tro acquires Standard Solar to enter U.S. commercial market

The acquisition allows the Maryland commercial firm to expand its service offerings and explore the possibilities of becoming an independent power producer.

Canadian energy giant Gaz M¨¦tro has been searching for an entree into a U.S. commercial solar market it sees as on the cusp of exploding. Today, it finally found its path.

This morning, the company announced it had purchased Maryland commercial solar installer Standard Solar, a company that currently has projects in seven of the top 10 solar states in the country.

Standard Solar has 100 MW of projects currently under management and an 80 MW pipeline of commercial projects, which gives Gaz M¨¦tro an instant presence in the U.S. commercial market. The Maryland company will continue to operate under its own name with its current management. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In addition to its experience in the U.S. commercial market and the ample pipeline, Gaz M¨¦tro executives said that what made the transaction most attractive was the similarities in the companies¡¯ values.

¡°We see in Standard Solar many of the same attributes we value as a company, including their commitment to anticipate and address the needs of current and future customers as well as the regions, municipalities and communities where it is established,¡± said Martin Imbleau, Senior Vice President Operations, Transport and Development of New Energies at Gaz M¨¦tro.

¡°This is an exciting acquisition for Gaz M¨¦tro as it allows us to further diversify our energy solutions offerings, to reinforce our commitment to an energy transition and to strengthen our presence in the United States,¡± he added.

The cash infusion from the acquisition will allow Standard Solar to expand its product offerings to its current clients, expand the number and kinds of projects in which it can participate, and explore the possibility of becoming an independent power producer (IPP).

¡°This acquisition positions us to become an independent power producer,¡± said Scott Wiater, president and CEO of Standard Solar. ¡°We can accelerate and streamline every project including financing a fully developed project, offering developers our full suite of engineering, procurement and construction functions, or providing services in between.¡±

Part of Gaz M¨¦tro¡¯s desire to get into the U.S. commercial markets are the projections it has seen in recent months about the market¡¯s potential growth. GTM Research¡¯s U.S. Commercial Solar Landscape 2016-2020 report projects continued market growth in the segment and, that by 2020, the U.S. commercial and industrial (C&I) segment (including government and non-profit installations) will reach 3 GW and a value of $3.8 billion.

In addition, the C&I sector outpaced the residential sector for the first time since 2011, according to the U.S. Solar Market Insight 2016 Year in Review. GTM Research believes this robust growth will continue over the next five years.

Gaz M¨¦tro has $2.9 billion in assets already in the United States and serves more than 315,000 clients through its various businesses and affiliates in the U.S. Northeast. It is involved in the U.S. utility industry through Vermont subsidiary Green Mountain Power.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö BREAKING: Brookfield to take over TerraForm Power, Global

Brookfield has agreed to acquire a 51% stake in yieldco TerraForm Power and plans to become the company¡¯s sponsor, as well as acquiring TerraForm Global outright.

Almost a year after the bankruptcy of SunEdison, the company¡¯s empire is finally being fully carved up. This morning the announcement came that Canada¡¯s Brookfield Asset Management has entered into a deal to take control of yieldcos TerraForm Power and TerraForm Global, and their combined 3.9 GW of renewable energy assets.

Brookfield, which had long been eyeing TerraForm, will do this for an even lower price than previously expected. Two months ago Brookfield offered $11.50 per share to buy all outstanding shares of TerraForm Power, but today the companies revealed that a 51% stake will be sold to Brookfield at only $11.46 per share. This is a $0.13 per share discount for what TerraForm Power closed at yesterday, but around the mid-point of what the stock traded at over the last month.

Under the deal Brookfield will acquire 65 million shares over what it currently owns in TerraForm Power, for a total value of $745 million, and will also provide a $500 million sponsor equity line to support future growth. The actual form of the transaction will be a special dividend of $1.94 per share for existing shareholders, as well as either $9.52 per share in additional cash or one share in TerraForm Power post-closing.

For this, Brookfield gets a controlling stake in TerraForm Power¡¯s 3 GW of operational wind and solar assets, and will take over as sponsor of the company. As part of this the yieldco will gain a 3.5 GW right of first offer portfolio of wind and solar projects from Brookfield ¨C although Brookfield has not clarified how much of this is wind and how much is solar.

¡°The transaction also mitigates the risk of standalone operations, and provides the best value for our shareholders of any of the options evaluated,¡± noted TerraForm Power CEO Peter Blackmore on an investor call.

Brookfield will buy TerraForm Global outright by acquiring 100% of its outstanding shares. According to Global, The Canadian asset manager will pay $787 million in cash and assume $455 million in debt, for a total cost for $1.3 billion, or $1.37 per watt for the company¡¯s 952 MW of wind and solar projects in seven developing nations.

TerraForm Power has also entered into a settlement agreement with SunEdison, under which SunEdison will release all claims to TerraForm. Under the agreement SunEdison¡¯s stake in the yieldco¡¯ share capital will increase to 37%, by the issuance of 6.6 million in new shares prior to the close of the sale.

Brookfield expects the two transactions to close in the second half of 2017 subject to closing conditions, including approval by a majority of Class A shareholders at both companies. And not only the settlement agreement, but the entire deal still requires the approval of U.S. bankruptcy courts.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Belectric installs 15.9 MWh storage system in eastern Germany

The German EPC contractor is currently installing the largest battery storage system in Saxony, eastern Germany. The battery is expected to come online in the second quarter of this year.

German EPC contractor Belectric has announced that it is currently installing a 15.9 MWh storage system in Chemnitz, eastern Germany. Belectric was contracted by local energy company eins ¨C energie in sachsen GmbH & Co. KG for the project.

The €10 million ($10.5 million) battery is expected to be operational in the second quarter of this year and to provide primary frequency response for the electricity market. The government of Sachsen has financed the project to the tune of €1 million ($1.05 million).

¡°With our funding of the battery storage system, we can cope a little bit better with the challenges presented by the Energiewende. Ensuring the security of the energy supply is our top priority. This is why, among other things, Saxony is investing in energy storage to compensate for fluctuations in the electricity grid. In addition to the grid expansion, storing electricity from primarily renewable energy sources is a component for security of supply in the future as well,¡± said Saxony¡¯s State Secretary Stefan Brangs.

Belectric believes that in the future storage systems will be more reliable than conventional power plants in stabilizing the grid.

¡°Our energy storage systems are the link between modern grids and the volatile power generation of renewable energies. The flexibility of our energy storage systems to deliver full power in a fraction of a second is an important advantage to stabilize the power grid,¡± explained Bernhard Beck of Belectric.

The German EPC contractor is currently developing several storage projects in Germany and abroad. This project in Saxony, in contrast to modular EBU (Energy Buffer Unit) product series, includes a a building-integrated battery system solution. The solution was designed by Belectric in partnership with German company ADOBE Architekten+Ingenieure GmbH.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Canadian Solar gets $20 million financing for PV project in Brazil

The Chinese-Canadian company has secured $20 million in funds to support the construction of a 191 MW PV plant in Brazil.

Chinese-Canadian PV producer and project developer Canadian Solar has received a $20 million unsecured financing from the China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Cooperation and Development Fund (CPDFund).

The company will use the funds to finance part of its 191 MW Pirapora I Project in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The project was granted a long-term power purchase agreement in the second auction for large-scale renewable energy and solar projects, which was held by the Brazilian government in 2015.

In October, Canadian Solar sold an 80% interest in the project to EDF EN do Brazil, a unit of French renewable energy company EDF Energies Nouvelles, which is itself part of France¡¯s energy giant EDF.

¡°This milestone funding from the CPDFund cements our collaboration towards the CPDFund¡¯s investment into high-quality solar energy projects developed by Canadian Solar in Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking countries worldwide,¡± said the company¡¯s CEO and chairman Shawn Qu.

Canadian Solar is currently developing additional PV power projects totaling 207 MW in Brazil. Moreover, the company has recently commissioned a 380 MW solar module manufacturing facility in the country.

All large-scale PV projects must be developed through the auction mechanism in Brazil. Overall, the local government held three renewable energy and solar power auctions to date. The government had planned a fourth auction for December 2016. This, however, was canceled and the Brazilian authorities have not said yet when the next one will take place.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö SolarPower Europe summit opens, 6.7 GW installed in Europe in 2016

The European solar market decreased by 21% last year. This disappointing if not unexpected news opened SolarPower Europe¡¯s annual summit in Brussels today. Grid integration of Europe¡¯s solar capacity, EU market rules for protecting the ¡®prosumer¡¯ and reforms to the continent¡¯s faltering Emissions Trading Scheme were major themes during the plenary session.

The European solar market registered a year-on-year 21% decrease in new installations last year, according to new figures released by SolarPower Europe on the occasion of the SolarPower Europe Summit, which opened today in Brussels, Belgium.

All the PV systems connected to the grid in Europe last year reached a combined capacity of over 6.7 GW. For comparison, the newly installed PV capacity for 2015 and 2014 was of 10 GW and 6.9 GW, respectively.

The association stressed that last year¡¯s demand was not even the half of U.S. demand and that China dominated the market, accounting for more than 66% of global demand. In 2016, China added in excess of 34 GW of PV power, while the U.S. reached 14.6 GW.

While the headline figures made for disappointing reading, there were some more optimistic takeaways from the SolarPower Europe plenary session. European Commission (EC) regulations potentially protecting the rights of the solar ¡®prosumer¡¯, included in the EC¡¯s so-called winter energy package, and a strengthened EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in particular look to be positive signs emerging on the EU policy front.

Alexis Dutertre, a representative of France at the EU, provided an insight to the machinations behind European Commission (EC) energy negotiations. Dutertre noted that, ¡°PV panels on roofs epitomize new energy generation,¡± and that the EC is moving forward with efforts to protect the rights of householders who have installed PV or even solar+storage.

¡°There is a Commission proposal to reduce barriers to self production and consumption,¡± said Dutertre. SolarPower Europe CEO James Watson welcomed the move, although he suggested that France¡¯s support for member states¡¯ potential adoption of capacity electricity markets, to secure supply, was not always helpful.

¡°Capacity markets should be a last resort,¡± suggested Watson, pointing to generation capacities currently in place within the EU.

In his opening address, Watson noted that PV prices have reached unprecedented low levels in Europe and especially in Germany, where solar power was sold at €0.06/kWh in the auction for MW-sized PV projects held in February 2017. He said that if these prices were extrapolated to locations with higher irradiation levels, such as in Greece, large scale solar in Europe can achieve prices close to €0.03/kWh.

A second positive development from within the EC introduced to attendees during the plenary session in Brussels today, was that member states are making progress with reforming the ETS. Currently, the ETS has not been effective in sending a price signal to electricity generators to entice them away from polluting coal and towards renewables like solar, due to a severe oversupply of carbon certificates.

French EU representative Dutertre said that progress was being made in the European Parliament and EC to clear the credit surplus currently undermining the system.

¡°We are moving in the right direction,¡± said Dutertre. ¡°The market works but it does not deliver on price as there is oversupply and a surplus in the current market.¡± The current credit surplus stands at around 1.5 gigatons, the representative explained.

¡°The latest signals is that in the European Parliament and the European Commission we have voted for strong measures that will help deliver a robust price signal.¡± To do this, Dutertre suggested that ¡°after a certain period of time reserve credit quotas should be cancelled. We have seen some improvements in the carbon price signal, and we can be more positive and optimistic about the possibilities to move forward through ETS reform.¡±

When asked about potential push back from some EU member states against measures to protect PV ¡®prosumers¡¯, such as those that have been seen in Germany, Dutertre said that there were few signs of that occurring at this stage.

¡°We have just started the debate,¡± said Dutertre. ¡°Everyone recognizes the role of prosumers and integrating this in the new market design and system. ¡°I have seen more discussions on capacity mechanisms and increased targets on energy efficiency [among EU members].¡±

The annual SolarPower Summit concludes on Wednesday.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Hevel Solar energizes four PV plants totaling 35 MW in Russia

The Russian solar company has connected to the grid four large-scale PV plants in Russia. Its solar operational capacity in the country has now reached 75 MW.

The Russian solar module producer and project developer Hevel Solar, a joint venture between Russian industrial conglomerate Renova Group and nanotechnologies provider JSC Rusnano, has announced that it has connected to the grid four PV plants with a combined capacity of 35 MW in Russia.

Two of the projects were developed in the Orenburg Region, while other two plants were built in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Both regions are located in southwestern Russia.

Including these new plants, the company¡¯s operational capacity, represented by 11 installations, has now reached 75 MW. Hevel Solar has also a solar project portfolio of approximately 364 MW in Russia.

Recently, Hevel has also begun construction on a 15 MW solar PV plant in Saratov Region, southern Russia.

Hevel Solar stressed that all the projects were developed under Russia¡¯s renewable energy policy issued in 2013. Through this policy, the Russian government hopes to install at least 1.5 GW of PV capacity by 2020.

Russia has installed just 60 MW of solar PV capacity to date, however, the country has tendered 1.56 GW of PV capacity which needs to be developed by 2020.

PV parks that use local producers receive feed-in tariffs almost three times higher than projects with components that are fully manufactured abroad.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö UK Solar rate hike could add GBP 1.8 million to schools tax bill

New research suggests that schools in England and Wales that have installed solar panels will collectively face an additional GBP 1.8 million in taxes, as the Government pushes forward plans to remove tax exemptions on small commercial installations.

Seventy-four education authorities across England and Wales responded to a freedom of information request placed by Jenny Jones, a U.K. Green Party member of the House of Lords. Those who responded were responsible for 821 schools, with around 14 MW of solar capacity installed.

If the results are scaled up to include all of the 174 education authorities in England and Wales, it would suggest a total business rates bill of GBP 1.8 million per year resulting from the removal of tax exemptions for solar installations.

The changes proposed by the Valuation Office Agency (VoA), a Government body concerned with council and non-domestic tax rates for England and Wales, should feature in tomorrow¡¯s Spring Budget announcement, and if confirmed would come into force in the next financial year.

Figures published in September 2016 by the UK Solar Trade Association (STA) suggest that rates to be charged to commercial installations such as those on school rooftops are expected to be GBP 55-61/kWh, an increase of at least 600%.

¡°It¡¯s utterly absurd to penalize schools for investing in solar panels,¡± commented Jones on her own research. ¡°Schools obviously face bigger financial challenges than this, but the business rate charges will stop any plans for more solar panels. The Government should ditch these plans to charge rates on small solar installations and support more schools to join the clean energy revolution.¡±

Another recent freedom of information request placed by Korean firm LG Electronics found that a large portion of local authorities in the U.K. cited lack of Government support as the main barrier to further investment in solar.

The VoA¡¯s planned increase to the business rates for solar installations are strongly opposed within the broader industry as well. ¡°We haven¡¯t come across any other sector facing a 600-800% rate rise,¡± Leonie Greene of the STA told pv magazine. ¡°It is difficult to see any justification for this. Following the Paris Agreement on climate change, this does not give businesses the right investment signal at all.¡±

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Manz expects to return to profitability this year

Large orders for the solar segment are expected to enable the company to return to profit in 2016. Last year, Manz was able to slightly increase its revenue, although it is still struggling with losses.

German equipment provider Manz reports that its provisional results for 2016 are in line with previously released forecasts. Turnover for last year came in at about €231 million ($244.6 million), up 4% from the previous year. The company stressed that 2016 was a difficult fiscal year. Last year, in fact, an unspecified major order in the Energy Storage business segment was cancelled and associated planned follow-up orders failed to materialize, Manz stated.

Furthermore, the company said that the €263 million ($278.5 million) order for fully integrated production lines for CIGS thin film solar modules received in January 2017 from Shanghai Electric, which has recently become Manz¡¯s largest shareholder, arrived later than planned.

Although turnover improved slightly last year, the company is still struggling with losses. Ebidta loss improved from €41.9 million ($44.3 million) in 2015 to €22.5 million ($23.8 million) in 2016. Ebit loss also improved significantly year-on-year from €58.2 million ($61.6 million) to €36.7 million ($38.8 million).

The improvement of Ebit and Ebidta, the company said, was a consequence of the measures that were implemented to optimize processes and structures. The plan includes, among other things, a reduction in costs of material and personnel and an ¡°overall improved cost basis.¡±

Looking forward, Manz said it expects a profitable business performance for 2017. Final results for 2016 will be published on Mar. 30, 2017.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö Welink and CTIEC bag EPC contract to build 220 MW PV plant in Portugal

Work on this huge solar project without subsidies is expected to begin in the first quarter of this year.

UK-based renewable energy company Welink and Chinese engineering services provider China Triumph International Engineering (CTIEC) have signed an EPC contract to build a 220 MW solar park without subsidies in Vaqueiros, in the region of Algarve, southern Portugal.

The contract for the project was signed last week by the two companies, as well Portugal¡¯s Minister of Economy, Manuel Caldeira Cabral and the Secretary of State for Energy, Jorge Seguro Sanches.

Construction on the Solara4 project is expected to start by the end of this quarter, with completion scheduled in mid-2018.

The project¡¯s required investment amounts to approximately €200 million ($211.8 million). ¡°The project is financed by CTIEC and we are exploring PPAs with interested parties at present. However, even without a PPA, we are able to sell our power at pool prices and still make a success of the project,¡± said Welink in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese Minister of Economy Caldeira Cabral revealed that Welink will continue operating in the local market. ¡°This is the first of a series of investments that this company wants to carry out in Portugal.¡±

The project, however, was criticized by local environmental association Almargem, which said it said it should have been contacted by local authorities in the process of obtaining the environmental permit and has not been contacted yet.

In Portugal, there is a large number of planned PV projects without subsidies, although none of these projects have been started to date.

Renewables covered around 60% of Portugal¡¯s electricity demand last year. The share of solar, however, remains quite limited.

The country is now planning to increase the development of renewable energies by building an interconnection with Morocco¡¯s electricity system. This would enable the export of power generated by renewable energies. The feasibility study for this project was awarded at the beginning of 2017.

( Mar 7,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©

¡ö U.S. energy storage MWhs double in 2016

A rush of projects to make up for grid resources lost with the Aliso Canyon gas leak boosted energy storage deployments to a record level in Q4.

In coming years and decades, as renewable energy replaces conventional generation, large amounts of energy storage are expected to replace gas generation to meet power demand on a flexible basis during times of low wind and solar output.

In 2016 California got a taste of what that future will look like, when the massive Aliso Canyon gas leak drove utilities to procure large amounts of energy storage, to make up for the lost gas. And those installations, in turn, drove the largest quarter to date for U.S. battery storage deployments, according to the latest edition GTM Research and Energy Storage Association¡¯s (ESA) U.S. Energy Storage Monitor.

And while the 141 MW of battery storage deployed during Q4 2016 represented a 25% increase over the fourth quarter of 2015, the difference in duration of batteries deployed ¨C megawatt-hours (MWh) instead of MW ¨C was more stark. The 230 MWh of storage deployments was more than 3x a year ago, and more in three months than the past three years combined.

This meant as measured by duration, energy storage installations doubled in 2016 to 336 MWh.

Most of the 141 MW/230 MWh installed during Q4 was in California, which made up 88% of capacity and led for the first time in utility-scale installations as well as in the residential and commercial and industrial segments. Prior to this the PJM Interconnection grid was the largest market, and the two trends are related.

The huge capacity of four-hour batteries which California put online in the last quarter of 2016 ¨C including the world¡¯s largest battery storage installation ¨C was to replace capacity normally supplied by gas plants, not the shorter-term ancillary services which have driven the PJM market.

¡°While California took over the pole position in 2016 from PJM, the market shift was also transformational in terms of applications ¨C from short duration ancillary services to longer duration capacity needs,¡± notes GTM Research Director of Energy Storage Ravi Manghani.

And it is notable that while the report covers a range of storage technologies, that it is increasingly dominated by lithium-ion batteries, which for the sixth straight quarter made up more than 95% of capacity deployed. And due to the large systems put online in Southern California, during Q4 utility-scale installations made up an even higher portion of volume deployed than normal, at 94% of capacity.

GTM Research says that it expects this shift to longer-duration batteries to continue, but also for behind-the-meter applications to represent an increasing share of a fast-growing market.

The company does warn of an unpredictable federal policy environment for energy storage. In addition to high-profile moves by the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, GTM Research says that actions to be taken by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could have a big impact.

However, GTM Research also warns that it is still to early to speculate on specific policies. Additionally, the report draws attention to storage mandates in several states including California, Oregon and Massachusetts, and notes that the performance of the battery systems put online in the wake of the Aliso Canyon leak will be important in evaluating more systems in the future.

A big challenge for the energy storage market is that in many places it is still hard to get paid for the services that energy storage provides. A recent report by City University of New York put a failure to monetize and even value the benefits provided by energy storage as a key obstacle in the development of solar plus storage in New York City, despite the critical importance of backup power.

But even with these challenges, GTM Research says that energy storage is catching on, including with utilities. ¡°We are seeing a growing number of distribution utilities look into storage in their planning activities,¡± GTM Research¡¯s Manghani told pv magazine.

And overall, the future looks bright over the longer term. GTM Research forecasts that the energy storage market will grow more than 20-fold to 7.3 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in 2022, and despite falling prices for the value of the market to still rise more than 10-fold to over $3.3 billion.

£¨Mar 7,2017 / pv-magazine.com£©