l'Actualité du Solaire

The president of SER-Soler believes that a European production of panels is necessary because lower product prices and improved efficiency increase transport costs proportionally. With highly automated manufacturing processes, labour costs are no longer sufficient to justify exclusively Asian production.

The time has probably come to restart the European solar industry.

Two projects are under consideration, one by Meyer Burger and the other by REC Group. "He considers that the best option for the European industry today is a French factory. For political reasons, such a decision would undoubtedly ensure government support for our solar industry, from upstream manufacturing to downstream projects".

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/12/a-gigawatt-solar-factory-in-europe-why-it-must-be-in-france/

PV Magazine of 13 May

Editor's note M. Daval is in his role to promote the solar sector.

At the beginning of April, ENGIE recognised the impact on its "renewable energy" unit, due to "operational, supply and financial partnership constraints". In mid-May, the group was more confident, stating that it currently expected a "low impact" of the pandemic, with ongoing projects, supply chains and plant operations remaining "in the process of being completed". largely unchanged", while acknowledging that "uncertainties remain regarding potential delays in commissioning and divestment, currency and timing of decisions favourable to Brazil. »

In the^first quarter, the Group posted sales of €16.5 billion, EBITDA of €3.1 billion and operating profit of €1.9 billion. The renewable business saw its operating profit rise by 17%. This is due to the strong production of hydroelectricity and the commissioning of solar and wind power.

PV Tech of 11 May

Editor's note It is increasingly apparent that the pandemic will not affect fiscal 2020 at Engie as in other companies, but rather 2021. This is the consequence of the two-month period during which activities were reduced or even non-existent. The post-confinement period does not appear to be that of a full return to work intensity, which will postpone the resumption of activity all the more.

In the^first quarter, Neoen increased its sales by 61% year-on-year to €96 million. Energy production increased by 59%. 143 MW were commissioned, bringing the company's capacity to 2 GW (+8% in one year). Assets under construction totalled 1.1 GW, and projects won 1.0 GW. In total, the company had 4.2 GW in operation, under construction and contracts won at the end of March 2020 (+1%).

During the quarter, the company benefited from an average load rate for wind power assets of 41% compared with 36% a year ago, due to strong wind conditions. On the other hand, the average load rate of solar assets reached 18%, compared with 21% a year ago.

Turnover (€96m) comes from solar (40%), wind (37%) and storage (23%).

Sales in the solar business were 46% higher than in the first quarter of 2019, thanks to the contribution of plants commissioned in 2019 in Australia, Zambia, Jamaica and France. This growth was also due to the first revenues generated by the Capella solar power plants in El Salvador and El Llano in Mexico.

The storage business increased from 7% in the first quarter of 2019 to^23% this year due to exceptional items that will not recur over the year.

The company is confirming its target of €270 to €300 million in gross operating profit in 2020, and over €400 million in 2022 with 5 GW of assets in operation.

Company press release of 14 May

Editor's note On a superficial look, the growth in turnover makes an excellent impression. Only it is dependent on the commissioning of power stations which hardly increased during the year (+8%). The commissioning of the 375 MW power station in Mexico has been delayed due to the lower energy demand in the country and at the end of March the portfolio of power stations under construction remains identical to the 2019 figure.

A slight increase in sales is therefore to be expected in the second and ^{third quarters}.

At a time when it is necessary to save the airline sector, car manufacturers, catering and travel professionals, and many other activities essential to the national economy, Enerplan presents a recovery plan for the climate

It recommends an annual connection rate of 3 GW. This is achieved by :

Immediately freeing up the small power station segment by raising the ceiling of the tariff window to 1 MW for all segments. At the same time, in order to be effective, this enlargement must be accompanied by a lightening of administrative procedures, a revision and simplification of tariff decrees, and a bonus for small installations with storage and/or electric vehicle recharging devices in non-interconnected areas.

Unbridle calls for tenders by broadening the eligibility criteria for land. which are currently too restrictive and encourage an inordinate increase in the price of eligible land; and by maintaining the duration of acquired rights (authorisations, public enquiries, CETI, etc.).

Accelerate project development cycles, by radically overhauling urban planning procedures: first of all, recall the imperative need to continue the procedures for submitting urban planning files, their study by the instructor services and the delays linked to the time limits for appeal and the purging of files. Secondly, send the prefects and local authorities departmental or regional objectives to ensure that all the territories contribute to the success of the EPP.

The aim is to build a strong and dynamic solar sector.

This is a summary of an eight-page text

https://tecsol.blogs.com/files/enerplan-une-relance-au-service-du-climat-vf-mai-2020.pdf

Enerplan
.
.
THE FILE

* What is the respective efficiency of panels on land or at sea?

The University of Utrecht (The Netherlands) sought to determine the advantages of a floating solar installation in the North Sea compared to a land-based installation in terms of energy productivity (and not in terms of cost). This is a simulation and not a physical installation of installations.

The offshore installation could generate 13% more power per year:

Researchers took into account average ambient temperatures, water surface, wave effect. The sea as well as the wind were considered as a cooling system, hence a large amplitude of air temperature on the sea: it is 4°C compared to only 1.1°C on land. On the sea surface, the amplitude is between 1.8°C and 16.7°C.

They took into account the variations in the inclination of the panels due to the waves.

The floor installation generated 1,192 kWh per year, per installed kilowatt. The floating system was 13% more productive, with 1,346 kWh, depending on the model. The total irradiance received on a horizontal surface was 8.5% higher for the floating system. If the wind does not constantly orient the panels in the best position, water cooling increases the efficiency because the panel temperature is lower and more constant as well.

Further studies are being carried out by other companies or organisations. The company Oceans of Energy is managing an 8.5 kW offshore solar project in the North Sea.

A Belgian consortium including Tractebel, a subsidiary of Engie, is working on another offshore solar project in the North Sea.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/13/offshore-vs-land-based-solar/

PV Magazine of 13 May

Editor's note A simulation, however accurate it may be, is always less convincing than a real experiment. If a parameter is omitted or incorrectly calibrated, the result will be distorted. It is impossible to determine from the outside where the error lies.

The operation sought to determine the effectiveness of the panels on sea and land. The difference in gain (13%) would probably be eliminated if the installation costs were also considered. However, a developer does not only look for efficiency, but how much does an installation cost?.
.
.
THE WORLD

* The European solar energy situation appears satisfactory

Several leading European markets have shown encouraging resilience during the pandemic, with some hope of returning to a normal operational rhythm.

much sooner than some initially feared, says Q Cells. While a recession in Europe seems inevitable, some industries have been more resilient in this environment. There are already positive indications of a revival of economic activity in the photovoltaic sector.

For its part, Wood Mackenzie estimates that global demand for solar energy will fall by 19% in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, and that new installations will reach 16 GW. Thus, the impact of the coronavirus would be 3.8 GW in terms of lost demand. The damage could well prove to be relatively minimal.

In Italy, the country most affected by the health crisis, Q Cells notes that demand from households and professionals has remained strong in recent months with volumes in excess of 100 MW. He notes a strong desire to make up for lost time. He expects to see a peak in the large-scale development of solar installations as soon as the restrictions are lifted in Italy.

In the United Kingdom, where the number of deaths linked to the virus is high, the observation is the same: the decline would only be temporary. Once the containment is relaxed, the orders, suspended by the health crisis, will be fulfilled: a large number of installations could well take place during the second half of the summer. Thus, the 2020 installations could exceed those of 2019.

In Sweden, business was brisk in the first quarter. Of course, installations were reduced in May and June, but the situation will return to normal from July onwards.

In Poland, a deep crisis has been avoided. A return to economic normalcy does not seem far away. The demand for solar energy continues to grow throughout the country, particularly in the residential sector.

In the Netherlands, according to DNE, the market was penalised by weak demand in March and April. In June, a further 35% decrease in installations is expected, largely due to problems with component supply. These delays could jeopardise projects that have to be completed within a tight schedule in order to meet the regulatory criteria for obtaining the SDE+ subsidy.

In France, the lifting of containment as of 11 May will allow installers to resume work. For a few weeks, the normal working rhythm will not yet be restored due to the organisational difficulties of Q Cells' customers, who have to obtain masks and gel, which is still difficult to find in France, even though the first quarter had been very dynamic.

In Germany, the solar energy installations in March and April were dynamic. The health crisis has had a very limited impact. The good organisation of suppliers and the good work of installers enabled the German market to hold its ground despite the pandemic. The German market remains virtually unaffected. The threat is more due to the limit of 52 GW installed, which beyond that removes tax advantages for installations of less than 750 kWp. The volume could fall significantly if this threshold is not raised.

The solar markets in Spain and Portugal have come through the crisis period with minimal disruption. PV panel installations ceased for a fortnight around Easter. As elsewhere, demand was reduced, leading to a fall in wholesale prices, but they will soon return to their previous levels. At the same time, the financing of PV projects continues, with more investors seeing PV as a safe haven. In the residential sector, even the specific measures imposed during containment have not slowed the growth of rooftop PV in Spain.

The situation is even better in Portugal, where containment has been much lighter and construction activities have been able to continue without problems.

As the restrictive measures are being relaxed across the European continent, there is a strong desire within the industry to make up for lost time. This can be seen, according to Q Cells, for example, in the fact that while installation rates were, of course, much lower at the very beginning, order volumes and general business activity remained at a high level throughout the period.

The challenges for the future are great. We still know little about them. We need to focus on the great opportunity and responsibility inherent in restarting our companies after containment and in particular in the area of post-covid 19 energy consumption. Solar energy is one of the cutting-edge solutions towards a new age, marked by renewable energies.

https://tecsol.blogs.com/mon_weblog/2020/05/tandis-que-leurope-assouplit-le-confinement-d%C3%BB-au-covid-19-q-cells-souligne-la-r%C3%A9silience-du-march%C3%A9-.html

Tecsol of May 17

Editor's note This European overview gives hope, whereas the comments are all anxiety-provoking concerning solar energy or other industrial activities. It is true that anyone who does not announce a much more serious crisis than the one already announced or imagined is not listened to, nor heard!

Thus, in all countries there is an awareness of the interest of renewable energies; there has been a more or less easy adaptation of the solar profession to the conditions created by the pandemic; there is an order book which ensures a certain volume of activity. There is the energy production buffer which provides a recurrent turnover to the various developers and installation owners. The profession is doing well. Investors have clearly understood the appeal of this activity

The Korean company LG saw a 44% increase in the demand for solar quotes during March and April in the United States. Internet traffic showed an increase (+13%) in customers interested in solar energy since the start of the coronavirus containment. This invalidates the idea that the pandemic should put solar energy on hold.

If the interest of households is greater, these intentions must be translated into orders. LG is interested in visitors who did not consider solar energy before the pandemic and who see solar as a solution to questions about energy and resilience.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/13/people-in-quarantine-in-the-united-states-are-searching-for-solar-power/

PV Magasine du13 mai

In some respects the health crisis resembles the financial crisis of 2008. At that time, Beijing and Washington launched huge stimulus packages that increased demand, including for renewable energy.

In China In 2008, Chinese solar manufacturers gained market share worldwide.

while European demand was declining. China then considerably increased its production capacity. Cumulative installations in China increased from 0.3 GW to 205 GW between 2009 and 2019, surpassing other countries in the global solar race.

Today, China is no longer in the same situation. In 2009, China launched a $590 billion stimulus package. Today, the mountain of debt is too high. By 2019, new borrowing will account for about half of the world's gross domestic product.

In the United StatesThe Obama administration's 2009 stimulus package invested $90 billion to promote renewable energy through incentives such as tax credits.

In 2008, a study by the Center for American Progress estimated that a $100 billion investment in clean energy would create 2 million new jobs, while the same investment in old energy would provide only 540,000 jobs. For the government, the choice was obvious.

The U.S. government expanded the stimulus package to include federal loans &to encourage a variety of clean energy projects. It also provided the first funding from the Agency for Advanced Research Projects-Energy (ARPA-E), helping to pave the way for the technology and commercialize the next wave. This has contributed to the deployment of photovoltaic solar power among electricity companies.

In 2020, professionals were disappointed when the Trump administration denounced the green agreement. In March 2020, the president signed a $2 trillion stimulus package to rescue the economy and the American people. But this plan overlooks extensions to solar tax credits and direct payments for renewable energy.

The profession has tried to have the investment tax credit extended by 26% or to extend the security zone by 5% for two more years.

Since 2008, the US government has changed its attitude towards renewable energy. They have shown their ability to get through the crisis. The protective vision of the sector has been reinforced among investors and their image has been strengthened to create more jobs than other industries.

https://www.infolink-group.com/en/solar/analysis-renewables-issues/Green-stimulus-after-pandemic-A-dilemma

PV InfoLink of 11 May

* German equipment manufacturers are going through difficult times

The VDMA predicts a difficult year 2020 because of the health crisis. Sales had already fallen considerably last year. The current level of order intake does not offer any hope.

The sales of German equipment manufacturers in 2019 have fallen by 19% over 2018. More seriously, order intake halved between the comparable period of 2018 and the fourth quarter of 2019^.

Despite the usual fluctuations in equipment cycles, the VDMA believes that it does not appear that German PV equipment manufacturers will be able to recover from this crisis in the near future due to the current pandemic.

German solar equipment was 97% exported last year (a record). More than 90% was sent to Asia. Thin-film products accounted for 53% of sales, with cell production lines accounting for 43%.

Coronavirus is expected to cause a collapse in Asian orders for solar equipment this year. At the same time, the pandemic is prompting world markets to stop relying on solar panels from the Far East. German photovoltaic engineering is seeing a significant increase in enquiries for the construction of solar plants from other parts of the world. Domestic production to reduce dependence on China is a general trend. This offers excellent export opportunities for the manufacture of photovoltaic machinery. VDMA underlines the exemplary agreement between REC Group and Meyer Burger to re-establish gigawatt scale solar power manufacturing in Europe.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/14/hard-times-for-german-pv-equipment-providers/

PV Magazine of 14 May

An auction for 400 MW of solar, wind or hybrid power generation with a storage system was won in India by Renew Power for 25 years. This project aims to provide renewable energy 24 hours a day.

The tariff will increase by 3% per year for the first 15 years of the agreement and then become a fixed payment. The electricity supply will be guaranteed by ReNew.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/11/indian-renewables-plus-storage-tender-secures-power-for-0-038-kwh/

PV Magazine of 11 May

Editor's note The low price of the auction makes one think about the upcoming arrival of the energy production + storage package.
.
.
THE PRODUCTS

* DuPont warns about cracking PVDF bottom sheets. Is this true?

After inspecting nine million panels installed on 550 PV power plants, DuPont Photovoltaic has identified a rapid increase in cracking of PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) backsheets.

The overall cracking rate of the outer layer of the PVDF backsheet has quadrupled (from 5 to 23%) on panels that have been installed for five years, from year four to year nine.

Deeper cracks in the backsheet had also led to problems with backsheet delamination.

The company states: "Delamination and cracking were observed in several double-glazed panel installations. The delamination appears to be coming from the edges of a panel or individual cells, while the cracks are likely to be caused by scratches or chips on the surfaces, edges of the glass or stress raisers introduced by the shelving system".

DuPont has noted higher backsheet failures when using PET and glass/glass panels.

PV Tech of 13 May

Editor's note Is this statement by DuPont objective or partisan? The company also manufactures bottom sheets. Is it criticising its own products or only those of its competitors?

It is well known that DuPont produces a transparent back sheet rather than a glass back sheet (glass-to-glass panel). As luck would have it, it is these panels that are the focus of this study. What is it worth?

After the price of the panels has fallen to less than $0.25 per watt, consideration should be given to whether there is not another, cheaper way of placing them. Rooftop installation and large power plant installations are well known. An American had the idea of positioning the panels high up, but without any support other than cables. This reduces installation costs and allows the panels to be placed above already occupied surfaces, such as rivers (in India by the company P4P), train lines, roads, ... The big advantage is that the panels can be positioned over a greater width, without being limited by fixed shelves and a limited length.

A single 300 W solar panel can run a train for 7,000 miles a year, or 5 miles to 20 miles a day. According to the National Transportation Database, one 300-watt panel can run a train for 4,000 miles. 1 MW to 3 MW of solar panels can cover a mile of track and carry 2 to 6 million passengers a year.

With 300 W, an electric vehicle can travel 1,600 miles a year, or 4.5 miles a day, or 40% of the capacity of an American electric train. It is about 2.5 times more efficient than personal electric vehicles, which in turn are about 2.5 to 3 times more efficient than an internal combustion engine vehicle.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/11/solar-canopies-can-put-pv-panels-in-some-new-and-interesting-places/

PV Magazine of 11 May

The young Scottish company Gravitricity is proposing a new system: a 16 m high platform uses energy to raise a mass in a well from 150 to 1,500 m. It discharges the electricity thus "stored" by freeing the mass to run an electric generator. The mass used can range from 500 to 5,000 tonnes. The discharged electricity could supply 30,000 households in the vicinity for two hours.

The installation can meet the demand for full power in less than a second (as fast as a lithium battery).

A pilot project will be built in October on an industrial site in Port of Leith (Scotland). Scheduled for completion in December, the 250 kW prototype will be connected to the port's power grid and its response speed for grid stabilisation will be assessed.

The pilot system will use two 25-tonne weights suspended by steel cables. The two-month test programme will confirm the modelling and provide valuable data for this first large-scale 4 MW project, which will be launched in 2021.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/11/storing-wind-and-solar-with-new-gravity-based-system/

PV Magazine of 11 May

After developing a machine learning algorithm, scientists at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the United States were able to track individual particles in a lithium-ion battery cell.

They were able to observe how batteries lose performance over time.

They found that NMC battery particles detach from the cathode and could be a cause of performance degradation. They observed that small and large particles often detach and that small particles do not behave uniformly.

Performance loss over time is one of the many problems common to today's lithium-ion battery technologies. Eliminating this degradation is a priority for scientists around the world.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/13/a-closer-look-at-battery-degradation-assisted-by-machine-learning/

PV Magazine of 13 May

Editor's note This is the first time, to our knowledge, that the loss of performance of lithium ion batteries has been mentioned. It would be good to know how quickly performance loss occurs and how long the batteries last.

Incentives are offered for the purchase of electric vehicles, but we are careful to avoid saying that the mileage announced when recharging will decrease over time. It is not enough to say that the life of such a vehicle is much longer than that of a petrol vehicle if the battery has to be changed because of its loss of charge! The increased cost of use is obvious.

Scientists in Saudi Arabia have proposed a new technique for cooling photovoltaic panels. They propose to recover water from the atmosphere.

The device uses the waste heat from the PV panel to collect water at night. It uses it during the day to cool the panel. Researchers say that the device can also produce water for cleaning the panels.

The system would reduce the temperature by more than 10°C and increase the electricity output of the solar cell by up to 15% compared to the solar cell without a water reclaimer.

The energy efficiency of the panels would be increased from 19% to 13%.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/12/harvesting-atmospheric-water-to-cool-down-pv-panels/

PV Magazine of 12 May
.
.

REC Group plans to set up a 2 GW heterojunction panel production plant. He quoted Sarreguemines

(north-eastern France) to establish it. This increase in capacity would be carried out with a strategic partner. Production would be destined for the whole of Europe.

The REC Group's announcement comes shortly after Meyer Burger had mentioned similar plans, this time in Rhineland-Westphalia (Germany) (Meyer Burger plans to build a highly efficient panel factory.) on the site of a former coal mine

REC Group and Meyer Burger have already cooperated in the installation and operation of a 600 MW heterojunction production line.

Naturally, the president of SER-Soler recommends the French site.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/13/rec-group-mulls-french-module-gigafactory/

PV Magazine of 13 May

Editor's note The presence of an international manufacturer would give a lot of credibility to a production unit in Europe. It would have a high probability of success. But the European Commission would still have to promote its establishment through political support. Indeed, China practically forbids the sale of foreign panels on its territory and requires the rest of the world to open its borders. This distortion is unacceptable, but the Commission has so far failed to realise it!