According to a new report from IHS, with shipments of 23.7 GW the top 10 solar photovoltaic (PV) module suppliers grew their combined market share slightly last year, from 48 percent in 2013 to 49 percent in 2014. Boasting the largest domestic market for PV modules, Chinese suppliers continued to dominate the market last year.

“Chinese module makers continue to lead IHS rankings, because China is the largest global market, and it is closed to foreign suppliers,” said Jessica Jin, solar supply-chain analyst for IHS. “Chinese suppliers also performed well in Japan, the United States and other markets worldwide.”

The new PV Integrated Market Tracker from IHS reveals that seven of the top 10 module suppliers are based in China, two are based in Japan and one in the United States. The 2014 top-10 list of companies is the same as the previous year, but the order has changed. For example, with a 30 percent unit-shipment increase and 17 percent gross margin, Trina Solar became the top supplier in 2014; and due to Hanwha SolarOne’s merger with Q Cells, the company rose strongly in the rankings, from tenth place to sixth place.

Source: PV Integrated Market Tracker from IHS Inc.

IHS forecasts that the global PV market will increase 30 percent, reaching 57 GW this year. Global utilization is also forecast to increase rise from 61 percent in 2014 to 69 percent in 2015, with tier-one manufacturers running at the 90 percent level or higher.

“Top PV module manufacturers continue to expand this year,” Jin said. “JA Solar has announced a 20 percent increase in module capacity in China this year, while Trina Solar will add 1 GW of module capacity.”

Solar Power World

SMA’s residential and commercial inverter solutions now comply with the Hawaiian Electric Company’s (HECO) new guidelines for grid interaction. The Sunny Boy TL-US with Secure Power Supply and Sunny Tripower TL-US inverter lines meet interim frequency and voltage ride-through (FVRT) and new ultra-fast transient over-voltage (TrOV2) requirements. They are now included on HECO’s qualified equipment list for these specifications.

Both of SMA’s most popular inverter lines have been tested to and found to meet TrOV2 requirements. Interim ride-through compliance is achieved with a simple adjustment of parameters via SMA’s Sunny Explorer free software or through the SMA Cluster Controller during installation and commissioning. Later this year, SMA will release a firmware update to meet full ride-through settings.

“SMA is committed to Hawaii and its goals of renewable energy integration and grid stability,” said Henry Dziuba, president and general manager of SMA America. “We are proud to offer the Hawaiian market the world’s most advanced residential and commercial inverters, which now satisfy all of the state’s new and existing grid requirements.”

The Sunny Boy TL-US series—available in seven models from 3,000 to 7,700 watts—is equipped with Secure Power Supply functionality, which provides up to 1,500 W of daytime standby power when the grid is down for charging laptops, cell phones and more, without the need of additional, costly batteries. Its transformerless design ensures high efficiency and reduced weight, while its integrated DC AFCI functionality meets NEC arc-fault protection requirements and is certified to the UL 1699B standard. It also provides easy monitoring and control features, including a large graphic display and the optional plug-and-play Webconnect data module for easy system monitoring with direct data transmission to Sunny Portal.

With leading CEC efficiencies, a wide input voltage and extended operating temperature ranges from -40 to 140 F, the Sunny Boy TL-US with Secure Power Supply offers maximum power production under a variety of conditions. The inverter’s shade-tolerant OptiTrac Global Peak MPP tracking algorithm and two MPP trackers provide increased energy production for complex arrays with partial shading or multiple roof orientations.

The Sunny Tripower TL-US is UL listed for up to 1,000 V DC maximum system voltage and has a peak efficiency above 98 percent. Available in 12, 15, 20 and 24 kilowatt models and also including OptiTrac Global Peak, the Sunny Tripower TL-US delivers full grid management functionality, cutting-edge communications and advanced monitoring. It is also equipped with all-pole ground fault protection and integrated AFCI for a safe, reliable solution. The Sunny Tripower TL-US offers unmatched flexibility with a wide input voltage range and two independent MPP trackers. Suitable for both 600 V DC and 1,000 V DC applications, it allows for flexible design and a lower levelized cost of energy.

Solar Power World

Solectria – A Yaskawa Company, introduces its PVI 36TL, adding to its three-phase, 1000 VDC, transformerless string inverter line. The PVI 36TL sets the standard for the industry with 98.6% peak efficiency, 98.0% CEC efficiency and standard, integrated DC and AC disconnects.

Solectria’s PVI 23/28/36TL line of inverters are designed to maximize return on investment (ROI) through their lightweight design, high efficiencies, easy installation, dual MPPT zones and wide MPPT range. Integrated customized options include factory-installed web-based monitoring, DC arc-fault protection, rapid shutdown and integrated DC fused string combiner. Utilizing these inverters in commercial applications will reduce PV system material and labor costs, including the cost of additional combiners.

“Adding this transformerless, three-phase string inverter aligns with our continuous growth strategy, broadening our product portfolio and keeping us at the forefront of the PV industry,” said Phil Vyhanek, President of Solectria – A Yaskawa Company. “The PVI 36TL has the design flexibility our customers have come to expect from Solectria with an integrated, detachable wiring box, various mounting configurations and is NEC 2014 compliant with integrated arc fault and rapid shutdown.”

Solar Power World

ODC, the San Francisco-based contemporary arts institution will be generating more than applause in the coming years. They will be generating their own electricity. Through a new crowd-lending campaign with CollectiveSun, ODC has raised nearly $200,000 from their community for a solar power system.  The community investors will be repaid at a 4.8% interest rate over 10 years.

Berkeley-based Sun Light & Power installed the 140 Canadian Solar Inc. panels with 3 SMA Inverters on ODC’s two buildings in the Mission district: ODC Theater and the ODC Dance Commons.

Lee Barken, Chief Community Officer at CollectiveSun said, “Sun Light & Power is a natural partner for CollectiveSun as we reach out to communities to support solar power for nonprofits. Since Sun Light & Power is committed to making a positive difference in the world, we were delighted to see them selected by Oberlin Dance Collective for their project in San Francisco’s Mission District. Sun Light & Power has gone above and beyond to make this project a success.”

The solar system at ODC in San Francisco is funded through CollectiveSun’s “crowd-lending” model.

“We fund these solar power projects by connecting impact investors, those who choose to invest in cause-related opportunities, with the nonprofit projects,” Barken said. “More importantly, we’re able to create both financial and non-financial supporters for great organizations like ODC.” ODC is expected to save in excess of $300,000 over the next 25 years.

“With two buildings to power, ODC is going to use solar power to help reduce the escalating expenses related to powering our office, school, and theaters,” said ODC Executive Director Victor Gotesman.

Solar Power World

By Andrew Savage

Cutting costs has been the key to solar’s rapid expansion this decade. The lion’s share of cost reductions in the solar industry has come from reductions in module prices. The $4 per watt you’d have paid in 2006 for modules alone gets you the entire residential solar system installed today.

And then along came third party financing which made solar available to all. The $20,000 or $30,000 a homeowner once needed to pay for a solar system can now be afforded through a car-like low monthly payment.

So what’s next for the industry’s next big cost breakthrough?

With technology costs down, financing improvements up, and a solar system turned on every 2.5 minutes in America, standardizing solar permitting is poised to be one of the solar industry’s next big breaks.

Regulations Matter

A recent Lawrence Berkeley National Lab report, “How Much Do Local Regulations Matter?,” notes that “the costs of PV modules and other hardware have declined rapidly over the last decade, primarily due to technology improvements and manufacturing scale” while “non-hardware ‘soft’ costs, on the other hand, including permitting and other local regulatory processes, have not been falling as rapidly, and now comprise the majority of total costs for residential PV systems.”

Further, they found variations in local permitting procedures leads to an average price increase of $0.18 per watt, equating to a $700 price difference between poor and well-performing jurisdictions. When considering the full spectrum of local regulatory procedures including permitting, LBNL reports the price impact is a staggering $2,500 for a 5kW system. That’s the cost of 13 solar panels in an 18 panel home system.

This is an enormous opportunity.

The U.S. Department of Energy has appropriately based its SunShot Initiative around reducing these non-hardware “soft costs,” which now represent 64% of an entire system.

Recent reports have demonstrated that installers avoid certain jurisdictions, closing off market opportunities for the industry and competition for the consumer.

Once an installer makes the sale on a system, a delay in permitting can be a costly one for the business that must cover the cost of carrying inventory until the project is operational.

James Tong with Clean Power Finance and author of “Nationwide Analysis of Solar Permitting and Implications for Soft Costs” says, “Because most installers front the cost of a solar system and must hold equipment in inventory during permitting delays, there is a tremendous cost to the industry of inefficient, complicated, and unpredictable permitting. The longer the cycle time to get permission to operate, the greater the costs. This is an often under-appreciated problem, particularly for small and medium enterprises, which dominate the solar installation landscape.” These enterprises also create the most jobs.

The magnitude of permitting streamlining would be a powerful third leg to the recent technology and financing gains of the industry.

State-by-State

Vermont established the nation’s first standardized solar permitting law and the evidence is promising.

After an industry-led effort in 2011, the state’s one-page solar registration program featured three key characteristics: First, it was statewide and the same across all jurisdictions. Second, it is quick and presumptive. It features a 10-day period and on the 11^th day, a system can be installed unless a specific problem is raised by the utility. Third, it is technology agnostic, applying to rooftop or ground systems alike.

Not surprisingly, it’s been an overwhelming success. Not only was the program expanded by the state’s legislature the following year from 5kW to 10kW and then two years after that to 15kW, but the state has seen solar boom: a four-fold increase in solar installations in 3 years and the state earning the status of number one in solar jobs per capita in the nation. Permit times decreased from an average of 45 days to just 10 days.

While Vermont is blessed with a statewide permitting process, it is inevitable that state-level progress will have to take shape differently depending on whether states are home-rule, have strong county governments, or other governance and political characteristics. Nevertheless, hopeful new forms of standardized, streamlined permitting approaches are taking root from New York to California.

Last fall California enacted a new standardized solar permitting law, the Solar Permitting Efficiency Act, after overwhelming bipartisan support in the legislature. The bill sponsor told the LA Times he heard from the local industry that “it often takes 65 days to install solar panels on a person’s home, of which 64 of those days are spent wading through the local bureaucracy to get the necessary permits and approvals.”

The new law requires the state’s 515 municipalities and local jurisdictions to create an expedited, streamlined, online solar permitting process for rooftop solar under 10kW. Municipal policies will be based on the Governor’s Solar Permitting Guidebook, released earlier this winter. As with past California policies, most notably auto emissions requirements, many hope California’s action will bring along the rest of the nation.

New York is making gains as well. New York’s new streamlined permit combines building and electrical permits for rooftop systems 12kW and less. The new program is offering incentives from $2,500 to $5,000, depending on population, to municipalities that adopt standardized permitting through the New York State Cleaner, Greener Communities program. So far, 99 jurisdictions have come on board.

Other states like Massachusetts and Maryland are embarking on similar conversations and seem poised for progress as well.

What’s next?

California and New York got a lot of things right, but they’re only just a start.

Any state that truly wants to streamline solar permitting ought to enact similar programs for ground-mounted solar. The majority of our country’s solar will be installed not on roofs, but on the ground according to National Renewable Energy Lab, and we ought to establish more efficient policies, particularly for small ground mounted arrays for homeowners. Second, having made the first important step with residential solar streamlining, solar standardization policies should include commercial solar as well.

Finally, all jurisdictions, whether they’ve taken steps to streamline their permitting policies or not, should start by making solar permitting available online and implement modern technology for their plan review and inspection processes. The good news is that many local jurisdictions are already moving towards such technology for their building permitting, and solar should benefit from these improvements. One provider of municipal permitting technology, Accela, is working with their local jurisdiction customers and stakeholders in the solar industry to incorporate the requirements of solar permitting into their technology. This work has shown early success in boosting efficiency in communities including San Diego County and Salt Lake City.

While we’d all like to believe that technical innovations can continue to outpace often slow-moving policy innovation, industry and policy leaders ought to be looking at where we can make the most progress, most cost-effectively.   Arguably, we need to (and will) do both: continue to innovate in technology and continue to advance smart policy.

The idea of reducing red tape and government-imposed costs should be an idea we can all rally around. It certainly seems primed for getting the biggest gain for our innovative-buck.

Andrew Savage is the Chief Strategy Officer of AllEarth Renewables, the manufacturer of the AllEarth Solar Tracker, and is on the Board of Directors of the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA).

Solar Power World

Analysis from the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) finds that by making shared solar programs available to households and businesses that currently cannot host on-site photovoltaic (PV) systems shared solar could represent 32 to 49 percent of the distributed photovoltaic market in 2020.

Shared solar models allocate the electricity of a jointly owned or leased system to offset individual consumers’ electricity bills, allowing energy consumers to share the benefits of a single solar array. The report, Shared Solar: Current Landscape, Market Potential, and the Impact of Federal Securities Regulation, provides a high-level overview of the current U.S. shared solar landscape, analyzes the impact that a shared solar program’s structure has on how it is regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and estimates market potential for U.S. shared solar deployment. Key findings include:

• At least 49 percent of U.S. households and 48 percent of businesses are currently unable to host a PV system when excluding residential renters, those without access to roof space (e.g., multi-unit housing, malls), and/or those living or working in buildings with insufficient roof space. There are several factors, including easier and less restrictive participation and economies of scale, that may cause shared solar deployment to be significantly higher than these estimates.
• After accounting for the development necessary to expand the shared solar market as well as state-level policy limiting factors such as net-metering caps, shared solar could lead to cumulative U.S. PV deployment growth of 5.5-11.0 gigawatts between 2015 and 2020 and represent $8.2 to $16.3 billion of cumulative investment.
• Shared solar offerings that are marketed and structured to reduce customers’ retail electricity bills are less likely to be treated as securities than those marketed and structured primarily as profit-generating programs.

“Historically, PV business models and regulatory environments have not been designed to expand access to a significant portion of potential PV system customers,” said David Feldman, NREL energy analyst and lead author on the report. “As a result, the economic, environmental, and social benefits of distributed PV have not been available to all consumers. Shared solar programs open up the market to the other half of businesses and households.”

The research was supported by funding from the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in support of its SunShot Initiative. The SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, the Department supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour. Learn more at energy.gov/sunshot.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for the Energy Department by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC.

Solar Power World

The future of the solar industry looks promising as the number of projects across the commercial, residential, municipal, industrial, and utility markets continues to expand. Everyone from facility directors to home owners understands the benefits associated with renewable energy, both economically and environmentally.  According to the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) 2014 Q4 Solar Market Insight Report, the U.S. installed 6,201 MWdc of solar PV in 2014, up 30 MWdc from 2013, making it the largest year ever in terms of PV installations.

Arizona Takes Charge

Arizona is pioneering the push towards solar, installing more than 247 MW of solar electric capacity in 2014, ranking it 5th nationally according to SEIA.

Proof of these efforts is the Avalon Solar Project, a 35-MW solar farm just 12 miles south of Tucson. Situated on 500 acres of Arizona desert, the 225-acre installation generates enough emissions free solar energy to power 5,620 homes through Tucson Electric Power (TEP), the second-largest investor-owned utility in Arizona. Working with the Avalon Solar Project, TEP is well on its way to achieving the state mandate requiring 15 percent of its power production come from renewable sources by 2025.

Cohesive Construction

Comprised of 114,720 solar panels, the project was developed by Clenera Renewable Energy (Clenera) and built by general contractor Swinerton Renewable Energy under the direction of Clenera and Panasonic Eco Solutions, who oversaw the design, engineering, and construction of the project. Headquartered in Japan, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking provided the financing for the sale to Coronal.

The Avalon Solar Project started producing solar power in December of 2014 and is expected to save 57,660 tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the environment, the equivalent of taking 12,140 cars off the road annually. With projects like Avalon in place, Arizona is continuing to increase its use of solar energy and invest in solutions that help protect our planet.

Solar Power World

DuPont Microcircuit Materials (DuPont) has introduced DuPont Solamet PV19x photovoltaic metallization pastes as the newest family of advanced materials designed to help increase the power output of solar panels.  Solamet PV19x pastes offer solar cell and panel manufacturers significant efficiency gains up to and exceeding 0.15 percent when compared to Solamet PV18x paste, the current industry benchmark.  Increasing the efficiency of solar cells boosts the power output of solar panels, lowers overall system costs and helps improve the return on investment for solar energy systems.

DuPont Solamet PV19A photovoltaic metallization paste, the first product in the PV19x series, is a front side silver paste based on proprietary Tellurium technology and tailored to optimize the efficiency with which solar cells convert sunlight into electricity.  It enhances the power output of solar cells by enabling fine line printing down to 30 microns and demonstrating excellent paste transfer for improved line aspect ratios that minimizes the shading effect on the surface of the solar cells, while maintaining superior electrical conductivity.

“Through our continued investment in research, development and intellectual property, our customers have come to rely on Solamet technology to help them succeed in an intensely competitive market environment,” said Thomas Lin, global photovoltaic marketing manager, DuPont Microcircuit Materials.  “DuPont Tellurium technology, for example, is a key differentiator to help Solamet PV19x pastes amplify the power output of solar panels, and we’re very excited about the advantages this newest formulation delivers.”

Solamet PV19x pastes offer wider processing latitude during manufacturing, which means cost savings result from higher yields, and tighter cell distribution is shifted toward higher efficiency.  Improved frit technology enables extreme Lightly Doped Emitters (LDEs) because it improves contact resistance by 10 fold to further boost efficiency on monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cells.

Solar Power World

Advanced software tools help enable new sales techniques that were not available in the past. In this series, we will describe the most common sales techniques and show how software tools can help you use them yourself.

Customers come in all shapes and sizes. Some are big businesses, others are empty nesters. Some are power-hungry, others are energy efficient. Some are scrappy, others are brand-conscious. Some are tech-loving, others just want stuff that works. So rather than offering a standardized system design, personalize the proposal based on the customer’s unique needs.

Method 3: The personalized sale

This process starts with a bit of research before the visit: Get to understand the customer, the facilities and their priorities. This research could be based on estimating the property’s energy bills, reading press coverage about the company and their strategy and analyzing the age and architecture of the building. You might pre-screen the customer with a call or questionnaire in advance of the meeting to learn about the prospect’s needs, priorities and decision-makers. And finally, you might even assess the equipment they have elsewhere on the property to get a better sense for their price sensitivity, brand consciousness and technology appetite.

Then, as you develop the project proposal, tailor the pitch to your audience. Some examples of customizations include:

Building architecture and age: Propose a solar array that complements the architecture of the building. If a modern building, then a sleek carport array could reinforce the modern theme. If the building is older, then the solar array could be more subdued, perhaps not visible from the street. Plus, with older buildings, you may have to adjust the racking design and density in order to accommodate the limitations of the rooftop.

Building size and electricity demand: Show how the system is sized correctly to save them the maximum money without over-producing. You could also show how an integration of solar with storage could enable the customer to reduce their demand charges and possibly change their tariff rate structure to save even more money!

Understand the electricity demand and capacity of each building in order to determine the most cost-effective rooftops for solar.

Project location: Many design decisions, such as the racking or inverter choice, will depend on the project location. The sun angles and wind load will affect the module orientation; the temperature of the system will affect the module and inverter choice.

Interest in system performance: If the customer is genuinely interested in understanding (and maximizing) the performance of their array, you may want to propose a system that will give them module-level visibility to their system, such as microinverters or DC optimizers.

Community and learning engagement: For many customers, a solar array is more than a power plant; it is a statement about their beliefs and an opportunity to engage their community – if so, offer a kiosk display in the lobby with real-time monitoring.

The solar array at The Athenian School helps reinforce the school spirit.

With the personalized selling technique, you may only have a single system design to propose, but you will spend much of the time with the customer explaining how the design is specific to their unique needs.

Advantages and disadvantages

This technique sets up an amicable relationship between you and the client, as you demonstrate the interest and willingness to listen to their needs. In a dynamic and competitive process, this can give you the inside track on the entire sales process.

This technique also helps you avoid spending time on things that don’t matter to the customer. By researching and screening the customer up front, you can make sure your sales efforts are well aligned with the products and designs that will interest your customer.

The downside is that this approach requires more thoughtfulness and can mean more time per sale. It is not appropriate for early-stage or unqualified leads. Instead, this technique is best with only qualified leads and customers that you have a good chance to close.

But in those situations, this technique can be an incredibly powerful tool for establishing the high ground and closing the sale!

Read method two, “The Optimization Sale,” here.

Read method one, “Collaborative Selling,” here.

Paul Grana is the co-founder and head of sales & marketing for Folsom Labs.

Solar Power World

Applied Energy Technologies (AET), a supplier of utility-scale racking systems, and juwi Inc. (juwi), a leading renewable energy company based in Boulder, Colorado, have completed a 3.6 MW solar installation project in Essex Junction, Vermont.

AET managed the installation of its Rayport-G ECO ground mount racking product on the 13-acre site, providing racking and foundation installation along with predrilling for post installation. AET also installed more than 11,000 solar modules on the racking system as part of its world class engineering, manufacturing and installation (EMI) service.

The rights to the project were sold by juwi to PSEG Solar Source last year, and juwi retained the roles of engineering, procurement and construction contractor and operator for the facility. The project, known as the PSEG Essex Solar Energy Center, has a 25-year power purchase agreement with Vermont Electric Power Producers. The solar arrays at the Vermont installation will generate enough energy to power more than 700 homes each year during normal usage times, and will be primarily used to support the local community.

Michael Martin, CEO of juwi said: “This project required a utility-scale ground mount system that demonstrated a proven track record. We selected AET to install the modules and its racking system based on the quality of its products and services and its commitment to providing end-to-end services for the life of the project and beyond. We have been very pleased to see the project completed on time and on budget.”

Aaron Faust, VP of Business Development at AET, said: “AET is very proud to have met the high standards expected by an industry leader such as juwi. The Essex Junction project was located on rolling terrain which presented a number of constraints and required in-depth design co-ordination with our client. AET worked to provide a cost-saving solution, providing one standardized foundation solution across the entire site.

“We hope to establish a long-term relationship between AET and juwi, and we look forward to providing the highest quality products and services to juwi in the future,” continued Mr. Faust.

The Rayport-G ECO is UL 2703 listed and is rapidly becoming an industry standard for developers and EPCs looking for a ground mounting system that is easy to install, scalable and delivers a significant savings on total installed costs. The Rayport-G ECO is strong and durable, having been engineered to withstand the most challenging environmental conditions, as well as being light and compact, allowing for high shipping density, significantly reducing freight costs and enabling easier handling on the job site.

Solar Power World

Pacific Gas & Electric claimed the top spot in the Solar Electric Power Association’s (SEPA’s) Top 10 rankings of U.S. utilities that put the most megawatts of solar on the grid in 2014. Meanwhile, the Pickwick Electric Cooperative of Selmer, Tenn., was named No. 1 in the rankings for adding the most solar watts per customer.

The eighth annual Top 10 rankings, announced April 29 at SEPA’s Utility Solar Conference in San Diego, are part of the educational nonprofit’s 2014 Utility Solar Market Snapshot report.

The full report, also released at the conference, identifies key industry trends, including:

• Utility-scale solar’s ongoing importance as a main driver of market growth,
• The emergence of dynamic solar markets outside California and Arizona
• The impact of the industry’s continuing focus on cutting nonhardware “soft” costs, along with utilities’ efforts to improve their interconnection processes

Utilities ranking in this year’s Top 10 accounted for 72% of all new solar interconnections on the grid in 2014. California’s other two investor-owned utilities — Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric — were No. 2 and 3, respectively, behind PG&E on the Top 10 list for solar megawatts added in 2014.

“We are 100 percent committed to solar energy and its role in California’s energy future,” said Laurie Giammona, PG&E’s Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer. “Together with our customers and partners, we have worked to shorten connection times and help solar grow in our state. SEPA’s recognition shows this collaboration is paying off.”

On the watts-per-customer list, the Farmers Electric Cooperative of Kalona, Iowa and the City of St. George Energy Services Department in Utah, held down the No. 2 and 3 spots, behind the Pickwick Co-op.

“We saw it as an economic development engine for us,” Karl Dudley, Pickwick’s recently retired general manager, said of the two 16-megawatt solar installations that helped the co-op clinch the No. 1 ranking in watts per customer. “It made a statement: our utility is in the 21st century.”

“The achievements of small cooperatives such as Pickwick underline solar energy’s momentum across the United States. The market is no longer confined to California or a few other states,” said Julia Hamm, SEPA’s President and CEO. “Our Solar Market Snapshot also shows the leadership that utilities are providing as the industry works toward creating the new business models and regulatory frameworks needed to ensure a clean, affordable and sustainable energy future for all.”

The 2014 Utility Solar Market Snapshot, with full Top 10 listings, can be found at www.sepatop10.org.

Solar Power World

ZNSHINE SOLAR, a global manufacturer of mono- and polycrystalline photovoltaic modules, has been upgraded to Tier 1 manufacturer status according to the prestigious Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Q1 2015 Global PV Market Outlook.

The Bloomberg New Energy Finance PV Module Maker Tiering System was developed to create transparent differentiation between the numerous manufacturers of solar modules on the market. The classification is based on bankability and grants the title of Tier 1, which is the highest position, to manufacturers whose solar modules are deployed in projects likely to be offered non-recourse debt financing by non-development banks. BNEF bases its findings on completed deals tracked through its database, which included more than 4,800 solar financings worldwide as of the end of last year.

ZNSHINE SOLAR entered the US market in 2014 with the US entity ZNSHINE PV-TECH in South San Francisco, California. The company is committed to be socially and environmentally responsible for carbon emissions.

Solar Power World

For the third class session in a row, attendance for US Solar Institute (USSI) hands-on, in-person, advanced solar training has sold out. The class is filled with local soon-to-be solar pros, as well as students from out of state, international attendees and military veterans. Over the course of 4 weeks, students will complete 40 hours of online content and 120+ hours of in-person solar training here at the USSI classroom and lab located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The full classes are a reflection of the increased need for a skilled and trained solar workforce. The solar industry continue to grow in leaps and bounds, adding jobs at a much faster rate than the national average. According to the annual research done by the Solar Foundation, one out of every 78 jobs created in the US since the 2013 census was created by the solar industry. These jobs need to be filled – thus the high demand for solar training courses.

There is an increased focus on solar in government and military as well. Earlier this month, President Obama announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) now has a new goal of training 75,000 solar workers by 2020, increased from the May 2014 goal of 50,000. He also reaffirmed that the continued development of solar in the U.S. will help move the country towards the goals announced by President Obama to cut net greenhouse gas emissions 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. While reducing emissions, solar is creating local, American jobs, making it a win-win for the environment and the economy.

USSI has been a provider of advanced solar training for both civilians and veterans for the last several years, and is one of the only schools that is currently approved by the VA to accept VA military benefits, including the GI bill. “We are honored to work with our military veterans and to have them participate in our solar training program.” Said Ray Johnson, of USSI. “As solar continues to develop, the need for a trained workforce continues to grow as well. USSI is privileged to be able to provide this training to veterans and civilians of many different backgrounds!”

Solar students who did not sign up in time for the solar training course in May have been put on a waiting list for the next program coming up in August. It is anticipated that this course will fill up quickly as well. “I would encourage interested individuals to check out the program and get registered as soon as possible.” Said Jose Gonzalez of USSI. “It is always disappointing when there are no last minute seats available for a student, so I recommend reserving your spot ahead of time.”

US Solar is a globally diversified solar energy corporation with headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and partners around the world. US Solar is dedicated to comprehensive solar education and is licensed by the Florida Department of Education. US Solar provides certified NABCEP exam preparation courses, full PV diploma courses, online courses through MyUSSI.com, and continuing education courses across the globe. US Solar also offers consulting services, construction management, engineering, and equipment solutions for virtually any sized project or system need.

Solar Power World

WINAICO, a global PV module brand by the semiconductor company, Win Win Precision Technology Co. Ltd., officially opened its new global HQ Feb. 11 in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The occasion was marked by the launch of WINAICO’s unique micro-crack preventing HeatCap technology, and the highest density 300-W monocrystalline PERC module.

WINAICO is the first Taiwanese module manufacturer to reach 300 W in a single, 60-cell, solar module. The power output is confirmed by the leading Taiwanese research institute to be 302.8 W. WINAICO leads the world in high efficiency PERC module technology, proven by the <1% Cell to Module power loss (CTM power loss) achieved with the 300 W module. This CTM power loss is a significant improvement over the 3.5% to 5% CTM power loss common in competitors’ PERC module processes. WINAICO continues to work with leading Taiwanese solar cell manufacturers to push the boundaries of cell technology and improve scalability in mass production. WINAICO is one of the four module manufacturers in the world to achieve 300 W modules and will continue to strengthen the brand with technological leadership.

WINAICO’s internal evaluation showed evidences of HeatCap improving the ultimate stress a silicon solar cell can withstand up to 18.12%. WINAICO also worked with Taiwan’s leading research institute, ITRI, to evaluate the reliability of HeatCap technology through Dynamic Mechanical Load (DML) and local hot spot tests.  HeatCap and reference modules were put through DML tests of 1000 cycles each at 1000 Pa, 2000 Pa, 3000 Pa sequentially, and verified by electroluminescence (EL) pictures. Compared to the reference module, the HeatCap module had significantly less micro-cracks after each stage of DML tests. Local hot spot tests provided evidence of HeatCap’s improvement in heat dissipation to reduce the solar cell temperature compared to reference cells. HeatCap can be used to solve the heating issue common to modules with black back sheets, and improve energy outputs of all-black modules in warmer environments.

“WINAICO continues to strengthen our brand with innovative technologies”, said Davis Chen, Chairman and CEO of WINAICO. “By reducing the CTM power loss to below 1%, we become one of the four companies in the world to achieve 300 W modules in the 60-cell format.”

Solar Power World

Basic human needs–including access to clean water, health care and education–rely on one critical element:  energy.  However, today, more than 1.3 billion people lack access to electricity and billions more need access to a reliable grid.  Caterpillar’s Electric Power Division is working to resolve these issues by providing a variety of advanced power solutions.

Caterpillar and First Solar announced a strategic alliance to develop an integrated photovoltaic (PV) solar solution for microgrid applications. Under the agreement, First Solar will design and manufacture a pre-engineered turnkey package for use in remote microgrid applications, such as small communities and mine sites. The package will feature Cat-branded solar panels manufactured by First Solar and will include a balance of system components.

Caterpillar will exclusively sell and support the integrated solution featuring Cat-branded solar panels through its worldwide Cat dealer network, along with its current offerings of generator sets and energy storage. Acting as a central source, Cat dealers will be uniquely positioned to provide customers with this fully integrated and supported single solution in the large and rapidly growing microgrid market today.

Microgrids provide value to prime power diesel and gas customers by integrating renewable energy, such as solar power, with generator sets. With these solutions, Caterpillar can help deliver reliable, cost-effective and sustainable energy for customers.

“We are excited to announce this alliance, underpinned by First Solar’s 10 gigawatts of global experience in solar energy,  and coupled with Caterpillar’s knowledge of generator sets and distributed power, and the strength of our unmatched dealer network,” said Steve Niehaus, Caterpillar Vice President with responsibility for the Electric Power Division. “By working with First Solar, we will optimize the efficiency and integration of solar power with our offerings.”

“This strategic alliance provides yet more evidence of a global energy transition, where solar energy’s reliability and cost competitiveness with traditional fuels effectively allows it to complement conventional generation. It is also evidence of the role that solar can play in enabling the local generation and distribution of energy to address specific needs,” said Marc van Gerven, First Solar’s Vice President for Global Marketing. “By entering into this alliance with Caterpillar, with its extensive experience and reach, we’re establishing an important new precedent for the commercialization and scaling of microgrid-based distributed generation solutions.”

Caterpillar expects to first market the new microgrid solution in the Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America regions, with the integrated PV solution, including Cat-branded solar panels,  available for customers in that region in the second half of 2015. This new alliance supports Caterpillar’s belief that sustainable progress is made possible by developing solutions to help improve the quality of life, while also minimizing economic, social and environmental costs.

Solar Power World

Last night, Tesla Motors held a live presentation at Tesla Design Studio in Los Angeles. During the event Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel unveiled a new Tesla battery that has home, commercial/industrial, and utility-scale storage applications.

College of Marin will be the first community college in California partnering with Tesla to install the new stationary storage products on campus. Vice President Greg Nelson expects installation to begin in mid-May and last until the end of June. Once the stationary batteries are operational, Nelson estimates the cost savings to be anywhere from $100,000-$150,000 annually for the College.

Greensmith, a hardware agonistic provider of grid-scale energy storage software and integration solutions, also weighed in on the conversation. “Grid-scale energy storage is no longer in the trial stage – it is generating significant revenues for utilities and independent power producers today. For this reason, we expect the grid-scale market for energy storage to dwarf the home energy storage market over the coming decade. Battery innovations are not likely to end anytime soon,” said CEO John Jung. “Which is why we don’t expect there to be rapid convergence on a core battery technology—like we’ve seen with crystalline silicon in solar – in the near future. While lithium-ion batteries like Tesla’s are well-suited for certain energy storage applications, there are many applications where other chemistries might make more sense. No single battery is appropriate for all grid-scale energy storage applications.”

Imergy Power Systems is another grid and residential energy storage provider who makes vanadium-flow batteries from industrial waste. Bill Watkins, CEO of Imergy agress with Jung, saying there are a number of energy storage technologies available to address those specific market requirements and more than enough opportunity for a number of these technologies – and the companies developing them – to succeed. “The problem with Lithium batteries, after a certain number of charge/discharge cycles, the battery gradually begins to wear out, ‘age’ and lose its capacity,” he said. “For homeowners, this means replacing their battery more frequently – and that adds up quickly. One of the advantage of flow batteries is they can be charged and recharged nearly an unlimited number of times without degradation.”

“Cheap cells made in the Gigafactory are only part of the puzzle,” said Dean Frankel of Lux Research. “Unlike electric vehicles, in stationary batteries there is more of a relative cost contribution coming from power electronics, software, and installation. Without more vertical integration – and perhaps even some acquisitions and Gigafactory-like efforts dedicated to inverters – Tesla is limiting its growth potential here.”

The distributed energy storage space already has many players offering standalone and solar-connected battery systems, so Tesla is certainly not the first to market. However, the EV maker does have key product scaling benefits afforded to few of its competitors, through its relationships with Panasonic for lithium-ion cells and SolarCity, the largest residential solar installer.

Still, in order for Tesla to see success, the EV maker must tackle three key areas:

• Cost reduction beyond Li-ion cells. At $350/kWh, Tesla is the industry’s current price leader for stationary Li-ion packs, thanks to its partnership with Panasonic and its upcoming Gigafactory. However, consumers will also need to pay for an inverter, installation, and other costs, which altogether will nearly double the $3,000 price of Tesla’s entry-level Powerwall unit. Tesla will need to push their power electronics and installation partners to cut their costs further – or do that itself, either in-house or via acquisitions.

• Offering financing and new residential business models. Tesla and SolarCity have relied on California’s self-generation incentive program (SGIP) for the majority of its systems to date. However, SGIP is an unsustainable model in the long term. Tesla has to establish new business models beyond residential load shifting, to open up all U.S. and international markets. Moreover, Tesla’s stated goal of selling 30% of its output from the 50 GWh Gigafactory to stationary markets implies about $3.7 billion in revenues in 2020. Providing financing options for many of those purchases will be key, echoing the successful strategy that solar has already employed.

• Working with utilities, not against them. As more distributed solar comes onto the electric grid, utilities are increasingly at odds with consumers and companies like SolarCity. Energy storage can turn distributed generation into a utility asset, but only a few utilities have explored owning and controlling smaller residential and commercial systems. For Tesla  to truly impact the stationary market, it will need to work with utilities and grid operators to ensure its solar and storage solution can be a key grid management tool. Its initially announced utility projects – with Southern California Edison and Oncor –are excellent demonstration trials, but just a start; Tesla will need to bring hundreds of more utilities on-board, which will take time and resources.

“Tesla has succeeded in pushing down cell and pack costs for stationary energy storage, which will accelerate this market,” Frankel said. “However, power electronics, installation, and widespread availability of financing remain open questions. The quicker Tesla can build partnerships, make acquisitions, and invest further to address these issues, the better its chance of hitting its hugely ambitious goal of selling 15 GWh of stationary energy storage in 2020.”

Solar Power World

Following Tesla Motors, Inc.’s announcement of its Powerwall battery storage solution for homes, Westbrook, Maine-based Pika Energy, Inc. has unveiled details around a forthcoming product that would directly integrate with Tesla’s Powerwall batteries.

Tesla says its Powerwall batteries will give homes an economical energy advantage, providing storage capability during peak hours of solar power production, which can be tapped in the evening when energy demands for most homes is highest.

In an expansion of Pika Energy’s existing product line including the X3001 bi-directional Inverter and B801 Battery Charge Controller, Pika’s forthcoming product is a 7.5 kW grid-tie inverter with islanding capabilities. Codenamed “Ursa,” the new inverter will provide an all-in-one solution for homes to harvest power from wind turbines, solar arrays and other sources of clean power. It will allow homes to use energy they’re producing, store that energy in batteries like Tesla’s Powerwall solution, or sell energy back to the grid.

Pika’s existing and forthcoming power electronics are an ideal match for emerging energy storage solutions. Unlike existing products that operate at 48V or below and suffer from low efficiency, Pika’s REbus™ microgrid solution operates at 380VDC for lower cost, higher performance, and improved ease of installation.

Homes that use Pika Energy’s wind and solar hybrid systems in concert with batteries like Tesla’s Powerwall will have an optimal solution to use, manage and store clean power economically and efficiently.

“Tesla’s announcement of an affordable battery solution for homes is an exciting development in the home energy industry,” said Pika Energy President Ben Polito. “It highlights the need for intelligent, bi-directional inverter solutions, and Pika Energy’s inverter products fill that gap.. Our microgrid product suite perfectly complements high performance batteries with affordable, smart electronics to capture and manage clean energy to power our homes.”

Solar Power World

NEXTracker, manufacturer of single-axis PV trackers, announced that it has substantially completed a 70-MW shipment to Australia’s largest tracking solar installation.  The 70-MW solar project on the Moree Plains of New South Wales (NSW) is being installed by Elecnor, a global Engineering & Procurement Contractor (EPC) specializing in infrastructure and renewable energy.  The project owner, Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), is a leading global operator specializing in the complete development and management of solar power assets.  The $164 million project is funded by FRV, with $101 million funding support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and debt on commercial terms from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).

“NEXTracker’s technology is an excellent tracker solution for this challenging project,” said Pedro Fernandez, Elecnor project manager. “NEXTracker has developed a unique foundation solution that addresses the challenging soil conditions found at this project site in Australia.  The company’s novel technology minimizes site grading and grounding requirements – and simplifies design, installation, and maintenance.”

“NEXTracker greatly appreciates the opportunity to serve Tier 1 global renewable energy customers Elecnor and FRV, and applauds FRV, ARENA and the CEFC’s vision for solar to play a growing role in achieving the Renewable Energy Target.  We have expanded globally to meet the tremendous demand for tracking solutions,” said NEXTracker CEO Dan Shugar.

Global demand for solar trackers continues to expand rapidly as the market has transitioned to higher irradiance locations where trackers deliver outstanding increases in power production.  NEXTracker’s technology is proven to be a cost-effective solution to maximize solar project returns. Advanced features address and overcome layout constraints, significantly reduce the number of foundations and use of steel, eliminate stress on the drive components by aligning modules with the axis of rotation, and simplify AC wiring requirements.

Solar Power World

SolarWorld is following its groupwide conversion to high-power PERC technology with adoption of even higher-efficiency cells featuring five busbars.  Taken together, the innovations will extend the company’s leadership in producing high-power conventional crystalline silicon solar panels at significant volumes.

By moving from three to five busbars, the primary electrical contacts that stripe photovoltaic cells, SolarWorld can manufacture cells and modules in which electrons travel shorter distances from grid lines to busbars and thus enable more to reach the busbars.  The advance lifts module power by 2 percentage points.

The company’s factory in Hillsboro, Ore., began producing cells featuring five busbars early this spring. Production of these cells for certain products will ramp up this summer.  The milestone is a yet another step along the company’s path to manufacture the industry’s first 300-watt, p-type, standard 60-cell modules at production volumes.

“SolarWorld is constantly driving solar technology advances into the future,” said Mukesh Dulani, president of SolarWorld Americas Inc., based in Hillsboro.  “Our customers count on us to push the leading edge of high-standard mainstream solar technology.  We never stand pat on our record of high quality, reliability and efficiency.

“Customers also depend on SolarWorld to provide the best lifetime system value in the industry.”

Solar Power World

Antaira Technologies, a global developer and supplier of industrial networking devices and communication solutions for harsh environmental applications, has announced the expansion of its industrial networking infrastructure family with the introduction of the LNX-1202G-SFP and LNX-1204G-SFP series.

Antaira’s new LNX-1202G-SFP and LNX-1204G-SFP industrial Gigabit unmanaged Ethernet switches offer the highest density of Gigabit Ethernet port connectivity in the market. The combination of SFP fiber and RJ45 copper with high Gigabit port count connectivity have been designed to help fulfill special needs for security, transportation, solar and wind power industries. These switches are ideal for any outdoor application with an extreme ambient weather environment.

The LNX-1202G-SFP and LNX-1204G-SFP series are the latest 12-port industrial grade Gigabit unmanaged Ethernet switch additions to Antaira’s already expansive product line.

The LNX line supports a wide power input range of 12~48VDC. Each unit is designed with all RJ45 ports supporting Gigabit Ethernet speeds to provide maximum bandwidth capabilities. The LNX-1202G-SFP series supports 10*10/100/1000Tx ports and 2*100/1000 SFP slots; whereas, the LNX-1204G-SFP series supports 8*10/100/1000Tx ports and 4*100/1000 SFP slots.

The SFP fiber ports are able to support any type of fiber connection; Multi-mode or Single-mode for short or long haul applications. These SFP ports can also support dual rate speeds, meaning either 100Fx or 1000Fx fiber connections are supported.

Solar Power World