Energy Market – Page 8 – Solar Magazine

EIB will help Indian renewable energy project by loaning EUR 80 million

EIB loans India €80 milion for renewable pojects

India gets a €80 milion loan for renewable energy

The European Investment Bank (EIB), helped Italian export credit agency SACE S.p.A, signs EUR 40 million loans as first instalment to SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited (SREI) for financing green energy programs in India.

The EIB and Italy’s SACE S.p.A signed a €40 million long-term loan agreement with India’s SREI for helping with the finance of some investments which have the role of mitigating climate changes in the country.

This triplet cooperation is the first movement within an €80 million pledge and it was created to promote Italian exports, help with India’s renewable energy objectives and benefit economies in the European Union.

Some parts of the loan is dedicated to renewable energy projects in India, that are mostly under the wing of private sector companies. To be precise, the loan will help electricity and heat generation schemes, meaning photovoltaic energy and wind power.

The loan is a bid made by all the parts to help India with it’s struggle for environmentally sustainable power. Moreover, it will help stimulate portions of the Indian economy although there is a development of domestic energy resources, improved energy efficiency and a reduction in airborne pollutants and carbon emissions.

This loan is a part of the EIB’s largest nergy Sustainability and Security of Supply Facility (ESF) fund, that has, until now contributed with more that €4.9 billion regarding a long term investments programs in the Asian continent, and €2.2 billion of that has been ploughed into the energy sector.

Sol Voltaics will get $9.4 million funding for developing nanotech

A sweden company will recieve 10 milions for nanotech development

Norwegian investor Umoe and others investors were convinced to put their money, almost $10 million, to help the Sweden company work on nanotechnology which can be used for 25% more efficient solar cells.

A solar technology startup based in Lund, Sweden named Sol Voltaics made a deal to get more funding, over $9.4 million, because the initial sum of 6.2 million from a Swedish government agency is for the pilot production.

The company’s Solink nanomaterial may increase the energy output of the solar cells by 25%. The company got finanacial backing of a Norwegian investment company Umoe AS and other investor like including Industrifonden, Nano Future Invest, and Foundation Asset Management. Besides, a former chief technology officer at REC Solar named Erik Sauer has also invested.

The company managed to get the biggest loan in the history of Sweden offered by a government agency. The agency hopes that Sol Voltaics’ technology can provide green energy in a more affordable and efficient way.

“The combination of shortage of energy in the world and global warming trends presents a unique long-term opportunity of capitalizing on a trend towards alternative energy,” announced Jens Ullveit-Moe, Umoe’s CEO and former chairman of REC Solar. “The technology that Sol Voltaics is developing promises to be disruptive in the solar market.”

David Epstein, CEO of Sol Voltaics, says: “With this closing we now have the resources to take the company to pilot production. Together with strategic partners, we plan to demonstrate Wave Concentrated Photovoltaics using large quantities of nanowires on commercially viable solar cells.We are tremendously gratified to add the support oft he Swedish Energy Agency and Erik Sauer”

“We have two goals: to make solar more profitable for solar manufacturers and developers, and to lower the price of solar energy for consumers, utilities, and businesses. We look forward to demonstrating our technology later this year,” continued Epstein.

The Japanese market is overflow by foreign-made cells and module

Domestic-made product levels in Japan are dominated by a huge amount of foreign-made imports in a time when Japanese solar cells and module manufacturers are willing to export globally.

Although Japan is considered to be a solid market for foreign solar developers to turn down, statistics from the country’s solar industry say that show cells and modules made outside Japan are enjoying a great success since onset of the world’s most generous FiT regime.

Since prime minister Shinzo Abe launched a JPY42/kWh (US$0.42/kWh) FiT payment in July 2012, the Japanese solar market has become one of the biggest global draws, a fact reflected in figures released by the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA) that show the amount of cells and modules shipped in Japan has trebled year on year.

After that, in the first part of the financial year total shipments went from 613.5 MW to 1.7 GW in the year’s first quarter, although FiT payment was being reduced to JPY37.8/kWh since April 1st.

On the other hand, shipment to Japan to Japan quadrupled from 445 MW to 1.65 GW the expense of cell and modules exports to the rest of the world that went down from 168 MW in April-to-July 2012 to 35.2 MW in this fiscal quarter.

As a matter of fact, -made cells and modules rose 313 MW to 521 MW is being shared as good news for Japanese solar manufacturers. Manufactured cells and modules outside Japan, that gathered 132 MW in the first quarter, went up to 1.13 GW this year.

French Pv industry is in need of a growth in the solar sector

The French PV system is in need of a boost

The French union of solar energy professionals named Enerplan demands the French government to come up with new measures to increase the solar sector as a result of the latest publication of disappointing results.

The redesign of the solar PV support system, new tariffs for photovoltaic installations in buildings, or allowing for net metering were part of the list of proposals made to the French government by Enerplan. Moreover, Enerplan also asked for a new tender to be introduced to the public until the end of 2013, as the goal is to reach 1000 MW of installations per year.

A recent report was revealed to the public opinion by the French general office for sustainable development (CGDD) announcing that only 207 MW of solar PV capacity was installed during the first half of the year, which means a 73% decline from the former year. This means that France has a total of 4.26 GW of installed solar PV power.

Enersplan warns the public opinion about the so-called “emergency” measures announced by Delphine Batho, previous Energy Minister, in last year’s fall the were proven to be inadequate to rise up the sector, the necessity for new Energy Minister Philippe Martin to undertake new measures.

Scatec Solar in charge of South Africa’s first solar independent power project connected to the grid

First independent renewable project was conected to the grid

A new PV plant in Africa was conected to the grid

Scatec Solar, an European PV professional, connected a 75 MW solar plant to South Africa’s grid with three months in advance of the deadline. This connection is the first green energy independent power procurement program (REIPPPP) in the country.

The PV system is situated in Kalkbut in South Africa’s Northern Cape region. The project will create over 500 jobs for the locals. Because of the good location, the project is said to produce 135 kWh extra per year. This amount is more that enough for 30,000 houses. Moreover the plant will save 115, 000 tons of carbon emissions per year.

The bank the provided the finances for the project is Standard Bank, South Africa’s biggest commercial bank. Scatec Solar will sell the energy eith the help of South Africa’s national utility company, Eskom with the help of Power Purchase Agreement.

”I am very proud of our staff and contractors who have been able to complete this substantial project three months ahead of schedule, demonstrating how swiftly utility-scale solar energy plants could be built and put into operation” announced Scatec Solar’s CEO, Rayond Carlsen.

The before schedule construction is responsible for a major boom in the local job market. The over 500 employees were trained by the company. 16% of them are women.

”South African authorities are committed to implementing an ambitious renewable energy program, and we find great satisfaction in being able to contribute to its success through our own projects which we have actively been developing in South Africa over the last four years. This country boasts some of the best conditions for solar power in the world and the annual output of 135 million kWh produced at the Kalkbult plant will benefit both the region and the local community in which we operate” in Carlsen’s words.

An EU report with worldwide restrictions does not mention Chinese solar manufactures

None of the Chinese solar manufacturers are mentioned in the almost 200 page report. Taking care of the green energy industry from 2011 onwards is the closest form of criticism in the report.

The EU has an ongoing anti-subsidy investigation related to Chinese solar projects, but a report made by the European Commission’s directorate-general for trade into restrictive trade measures worldwide does not mention explicitly any pleas for the Chinese government who has dishonest subsidies for its solar manufacturers.

The Tenth EU report on potentially possibly prohibitory trade measures was made before the G20 summit of world leaders in St Petersburg, Russia.

The almost 200-page report shows some possibilities of maybe restrictive measures that include also ‘behind-the-border’ restrictions such as measures “to stimulate domestic industry or exports at the expense of competing foreign economic players.”

Inceptive measures condemned hold subsidized interest rates about export credits in India, US$1.5bn of state grants by the G20’s Russian host for luxury goods retailers, preferential government loans and insurance for South Korean retailers and a JPY200bn (US$2bn) Japanese subsidy to cover up to half the costs of retail firms. Still, China is noticeable by absenting from the recap of displayed stimulus measures applied this year until May 31.

The closest approach of the EU to the mentioning of the pleas by solar manufacturers of subsidized loans from Chinese-state-owned banks is in a mention of China’s 12th five-year plan – to govern industrial policy from 2011 to 2015 – that reported an intention to take care of seven strategic industries that ‘green energy.’

The solar development in Japan may be limited by the gird capacity

Japan could have problems with the grid capacity

The southern Japanese may have less than 1 GW of grid capacity left for upcoming solar and wind projects. This statement results from the new analysis from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).

“Grid congestion” appears to be an important layoff in going on with the renewable energy market, in Japan’s blooming solar industry. Still, in the north of the country, on the island of Hokkaido, there is a well know shortage of grid capacity, and now the new BNEF report says that related issues may appear in the south of the country also.

Although a 22.4 GW of new green energy capacity have been accepted as part of the FIT program that emerged in last year’s July, BNEF analysis reports that the Chugoku Electric Power Co. and Kyushu Electric Power Co. posses a little under of 1 GW of accessible grid capacity in the south of the country.

BNEF also shows that the report reveals an estimated grid capacity of 34 GW as being usable for upcoming wind projects all over the country.

The rehabilitation of Japan’s energy market are on going at this moment and Bloomberg is announcing that a bill is said to be introduced into Japan’s parliament in the fall. BNEF believes that a free trade could bring grid development.

Japan’s utility market continues to be partially closed having regional monopolies as a feature. These monopolies have been under pressure since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in 2011.

Telecommunications entrepreneur Masayoshi Son, the billionaire Chairman and CEO of Softbank Corp., has been involved in marching for increased electricity market reregulation. Softbank is already known as being active in expanding photovoltaic projects in the country.

Roxana MORARU

Powerway will generate a 30MW PV program in Thailand

Powerway will install 100,000 Pv modules in Thailand

A field of over 60 Acres in the north of Thailand is said to be covered by 100,000 PV systems that are said to be distribute to the PV project.

As the current figures report, until 2016 the entire installation of photovoltaic solar energy in Southeast Asia is said too reach 5 GW. The request for energy is developing and Thailand is to turn into Asia’s most prosper renewable energy market. The Thailandese government gives to the solar industry a great deal of attention. Moreover, as Asia’s first implementation of one of the countries FIT projects, has a strategy of reaching the goal of installing a 2GW PV plant until 2022.

If the last year’s success, when the Thai 18MW solar farm project was completed, is taken into account, you can say this is the second biggest success for Powerway. A professional aspect and design and a vast solar farm construction background is what defines Powerway, so the company again worked together with a renowned French EPC company. The project was formally launched in May, but the final steps are programmed by the end of the year. The project will install 100, 000 PV solar panels in an area of over 60 acres. The resulted power can provide for 90,000 people.

The project is situated in Northeast Thailand where the weather conditions are not easy to predict. Still, Powerway engineers have designed a ground mounting system that has a embedded foundation said to be reliable, cost effective and easy to install. Moreover, the company has sent an experienced project team to the job site that can offer technical support and train the local teams.

Global microinverter market will be four times bigger until 2017

Commercial systems are expected to account for nearly 30% of global microinverter shipments in 2017 compared with 9% in 2012

Micro inverter market will quatruple by 2017

The microinverter sales will quadruple in the upcoming four years because of the external market requirement increase, as the latest report by market research firm HIS, announced.

Microinverters are being bought in a bigger number besides the United States borders. The reason? The new markets are in a hurry to take advantage of the gadget’s updated efficiencies and features which are increasingly better than in the classic inverters, as the report says.

Global photovoltaic microinverter market are said to merger till 2.1 GW in 2017, whereas in 2013 there were around 500 MW. This means a rate of 306% as IHS presents in its latest report, “The World Market for PV Microinverters and Power Optimizers – 2013 Edition.”

“Microinverters convert direct current (DC) electricity from a single solar module into alternating current (AC). Although they are more costly than conventional inverters, microinverters can increase the energy harvest of a system compared to conventional string or central inverter devices, which convert power from multiple solar panels,” IHS reports.

Until this moment , microinverter request has widely been limited to the U.S. residential market. Still, the strength is moving on to commercial solar systems and other regions.

“Microinverters have reached very high adoption rates in the United States, particularly in the residential market, where penetration will reach more than 40% in 2013,” says Cormac Gilligan, PV market analyst at IHS. “However, in order to grow or maintain market share, microinverter suppliers now are striving to expand to new regions that at present don’t use the technology. Meanwhile, the advantages of microinverters — including their higher energy yields, enhanced safety and module-level monitoring capabilities — are making them more attractive in commercial systems, especially in small-scale projects”, IHS adds.

Roxana MORARU

The Energy sell-off in Brazil postponed for November

energy seill off was postponed for a moth

The A-3 auction in Brazil has been postponed for a month

The renewable energy sell-off A-3 is programmed for November 18. The event is a premiere for the solar energy, for which is the first edition.. The auction was supposed to happen on the 25th of October.

The A-3 energy sell-off, the first sell-off in Brazil in the regulated market, that has been available to solar projects, was postponed for a month from the initial date set last July by the government. Still, this is the only modification announced by the government in Brazil, in the past week. This sell-off is announced to be opened to numerous technologies. The projects which win a prize in this competition need to function in 20116.

A number of companies have entered their solar project for the A-3 sell-off, in the past week. An example is renewable energy developer Bioenergy that as the local media reports, presented nine PV projects summing up 171 MW.

People also expect that solar photovoltaic applications will be a part of a different energy auction, the A5, which is to take place in December. The projects which will succeed there in the A-5, need to be functional in a 5 years period. Until now it was not announced if solar energy projects are allowed in this sell-off.

Until today, there has been no official announcement for a specific sell-off for solar energy, although there were signs from the government in that past showing that this is possible.

Roxana MORARU