Renewable Energy World Dic 13

VOLUME
16
ISSUE
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013
Best
of the
Best!
Our Projects of the Year
Microinverters
Enter the
Commercialscale Solar
Market
When & Where?
p. 34
Bioenergy
from a UK
Dairy Farm
Cows power the
entire cheesemaking operation.
p. 56
Hydropower's
Renaissance
Key growth areas
include China,
Africa and Brazil.
p. 60
Progress!
Ivanpah is
Ready to Go.
p. 42
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contents
PROJECT PROFILE
Ivanpah Solar's
CSP Success
42
features
26
COVER STORY
34
SOLAR TECHNOLOGY
Global Excellence:
Projects of the Year
Microinverters Moving
into Commercial Scale
Votes are in and winners

have been notified. Here's
an in-depth look at our
annual project of the year
award winners. These are
amazing renewable energy
projects from all over the
world. Meg Cichon
Nearly ubiquitous in U.S.

residential solar rooftops,
microinverters are poised to
break into commercial-scale
projects. James Montgomery
44
WIND TECHNOLOGY
Keeping Wind
Workers Safe Working on
Best
of the
Best!
26
wind turbines is a high-risk

job. Here's a look at the
growing wind operations
and maintenance training
industry that emphasizes
safety at every step.
ON THE COVER
Our Winning Projects of
the Year.
Tildy Bayar
50
RENEWABLE ENERGY
AND THE GRID
Subsea Cables Bring

Offshore Wind
Power to the People
The offshore wind resource
is huge but the challenges
of getting that power to the
populations that need it are
even bigger. Tildy Bayar
56
BIOENERGY
Lush Grass Becomes

Green Energy for a UK
Dairy Farm By taking
advantage of everything
that farm has to offer,
U.K.-based Wyke Farms
is now powered by 100
percent renewable energy.
David Appleyard
RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD MAGAZINE
features
departments & columns
60
7 Editors Letter
Celebrating Successes in 2013
HYDROPOWER
8 Regional News
Hydropower Renaissance
Signals Investment Surge
News from the Global

Renewable Energy Industry
With its environment credentials

bolstered, new hydropower is
attracting a wave of investment.
21 Te Big Question
What is the Future Utility

Business Model?
David Appleyard
42 Project Profle
68 Calendar
68 Advertisers index
69 Training and
Educational Events
70 Last Word
Insuring Against
Renewable Energy
Equipment Loss
Ivanpah Solar Reaches

"First Sync" Milestone
63
GEOTHERMAL
Partnerships Pushing the

Innovation Envelope In one
geothermal power plant, using
technology in a new way resulted
in higher efficiencies and lower
maintenance costs. Tom Weinandy
On RenewableEnergyWorld.com
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From t he Editor
PUBLISHER James M. Callihan

CHIEF EDITOR Jennifer Runyon
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Meg Cichon
ASSOCIATE EDITOR James Montgomery

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As we wrap up 2013, I can say with resolute confidence that renewables are on solid ground. Official installed capacity numbers for all
technologies wont be released for a few more months but all indicators are that renewables are on a roll. The solar industry spent much
of 2013 correcting itself through consolidation and yet continued to
install PV at incredible rates. It is expected that somewhere in the
vicinity of 35 GW of solar PV were installed in 2013, finally surpassing the 100 GW mark for overall installed global capacity. Total global wind capacity is expected to surpass the 300 GW mark by the end of
2013 (it was 283 GW at the end of 2012) but 2013 is not expected to be
a great year for wind capacity additions in general. In fact, for the first
time in history, solar capacity additions in 2013 may be more than
wind capacity additions.
This issue celebrates our renewable energy successes by highlighting our Projects of the Year. These amazing projects show how renewable energy can provide power to markets all over the globe. Our
Solar Project of the Year The Electrification of 57 Remote Villages in
India exemplifies the contribution that renewable energy can make
to improve our world. In this case, a microgrid comprised of solar
energy with battery storage came in as the most economical way to
bring electricity to villagers. Read about all the projects on pp. 26-33.
As the days get shorter and we settle in for holiday revelry, dont forget to raise a glass to celebrate the progress of the renewable energy
industry. Youve done great work, renewables! Heres to another year
of success.
While every attempt is made to ensure the

accuracy of the information contained in this
magazine, neither the Publishers nor the authors
accept any liability for errors or omissions.
Jennifer Runyon, Chief Editor

REGIONAL
news
LATIN AMERICA
Tracking Latin Americas

Clean Energy Investment Climate
Latin America and the Caribbean
as of the end of 2012, vs. 80 in the
17 percent the year before, noted
captured six percent of the total
prior year.
BNEF chief executive Michael Lieb-
U.S. $268 billion invested world-
Among the studys encouraging
reich, specifically calling out Chile,
wide in clean energy last year,
data points: retail power prices
the Dominican Republic, Mexico,
slightly more than the year before,
remain generally high across the
and Uruguay. Chile came in sec-
thanks to strengthened govern-
region which makes deployment
ond overall, quadrupling its renew-
ment policy support and expand-
of renewables more attractive,
able investments from 2011-2012 to
ing supply chains, according to
and nearly all of identified value
$2.1 billion. Third-place Nicaragua,
Climatescope 2013, a report from
chain links are filled. There are
which has the regions second-low-
the Multilateral Investment Fund
927 carbon-offset projects across
est GDP per capita, was the region's
(MIF) and Bloomberg New Energy
the region, more than half of
clear winner in the framework
Finance (BNEF).
which are for power generation.
and investment/financing catego-
And eight countries now have net
ries. Renewable sources represent
metering laws.
36 percent of Nicaragua's power
Nations were scored on 39 data

points in four themes: enabling
framework, clean energy invest-
Brazil continues to lead the
matrix, toward a goal of 94 percent
ment and climate financing, low-
region in renewable energy sup-
of generation by 2017. The Domini-
carbon business and clean energy
port, but other countries are step-
can Republic also placed highly in
value chains, and greenhouse gas
ping up. Total financing outside
the rankings, jumping seven spots
management activities. The study
Latin Americas largest country
after doubling its clean energy
tracked 110 clean energy policies
jumped to 45 percent in 2012 from
investments to $645 million.
Latin American Wind Capacity Doubling in a Decade
Latin America is the hottest growth market for
this year alone, and will exhibit double-digit com-
wind energy, and installed capacity will rough-
pound annual growth rates through the next 10
ly double by 2022 to 4.3 GW, according to Navi-
years, claims research director Feng Zhao. Brazils
gant Consulting. Policy and macroeconomic chal-
latest wind power auctions led to 1.5 GW of new
lenges are slowing wind energy adoption in other
wind capacity and helped stabilize higher prices,
regions, but Latin America will account for nearly
he noted, and will provide the foundation for wind
six percent of global new wind power installations
energy growth in the entire region.
ASIA
The rapidly falling costs of
means that clean energy gener-
clean technologies such as solar
ation in the region is now truly
and wind power combined with
affordable, stated Nancy Lee, gen-
an improved investment climate
eral manager of the MIF.
Indias solar market

surpassed the 2 GW mark
Other
Project-based carbon credit
Emissions reduction target
Domestic cap-and-trade
Other
CARBON MARKET
Tax rebate
Import duty
Income tax
Tax relief
TAX-BASED
Accelerated depreciation
Other
Green Bond
Export trade credit
Funding
Other
Infrastructure fund
Incubators
Grant
EQUITY FINANCE DEBT FINANCE
Other
Net Metering
Biofuels blending mandate
Auction
Feed-in tarif
Energy target
ENERGY MARKET
IPPs Can
Compete
in Indias Solar
Market ...
By Waiting
cumulatively at the end
Argentina
of September, toward a
Bahamas
goal of 1.1 GW by the end
Barbados
of the current fiscal year
Belize
ending March 2014. But
Bolivia
intense competition for
Brazil
solar projects is having an
Chile
impact on independent
Colombia
power producers (IPP)
Costa Rica
because they dont have
Dominican Republic
the advantages of tax
Ecuador
El Salvador
incentives. Solar projects
Guatemala
have been competitively
Guyana
bid and awarded tariffs
Haiti
of about 6.5 rupees/
Honduras
unit, about 30 percent
Jamaica
below what rating

agency Crisil claims is
needed for a reasonable
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
internal rate of return
Paraguay
of 16 percent. Non-IPPs
Peru
such as Mohan Breweries
Suriname
Trinidad & Tobago
and Essel Mining, which
Uruguay
have high taxable profits
Venezuela
and the wherewithal to

Multilateral Investment Fund: Climatescope 2013
Report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance
keep plants as assets on
REGIONAL
news
their balance sheets, can afford
solar projects in India are from
IPPs should be ready to acquire
those lower numbers thanks to
companies that can avail AD, he
those projects and refinance
accelerated depreciation (AD)
notes adding that when ADs
them to be more viable. If such
of up to 80 percent of capital
were discontinued from Indias
an ecosystem for transferring of
costs in the first year, points
wind market, capacity additions
assets from non-IPPs to IPPs can
out Bridge to Indias Jasmeet

Khurana. Barring the National
fell by half. The answer may
be created, it will incentivize the
not be in direct competition,
non-IPPs to keep the eventual
Solar Mission (NSM) and Gujarat
but in collaboration: once that
buyer in mind and ensure
allocations, where separate
AD goes away and contractual
quality oriented implementation
tariffs have been offered for
lock-ins expire, non-IPP players
of projects, Khurana writes.
projects not availing AD, a
will want to unload those solar
Overall, it might not be a bad
majority of the bids received for
assets and invest elsewhere, so
proposition for sector for now.
Chinas Solar Lion Roars

China has been the largest solar
end-market. Global solar PV
from a year ago, according to
photovoltaic (PV) manufacturer
demand reached 9 GW in 3Q13,
Solarbuzz. Chinas share of that
for several years now, but its
up 6 percent from the prior
3Q demand exceeded 25 percent,
also emerging as a massive
quarter and nearly 20 percent
compared to 10 percent just two

years ago. Meanwhile, Chinese
China
USA
Polysilicon
Europe
c-Si
wafer
production throughout the crystalline silicon supply chain was

anywhere from 8-11 GW.
That domestic demand ramp-
Japan
up is boosting Chinas suppliers,
ROW
especially given the decline in

European demand, points out
Solarbuzz senior analyst Michael
c-Si
cell
Barker. With the importance

and risk attached to European
End-market
demand
c-Si
module
shipments having been significantly lowered during 2013, the

ability to pick-and-choose more
profitable supply arrangements
while increasing shipment levels
will come as welcome news to a
PV industry as it recovers from
How the c-Si supply-chain flow feeds end-market demand.

Credit: NPD Solarbuzz
10
its highly unprofitable phase of

2012, he writes.
MOVING ENERGY
FORWARD
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OF SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
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and usage, we are helping advance new sustainable
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VISIT UL.COM/NEWSCIENCE
UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC 2013
REGIONAL
news
EUROPE
Icelands Renewable Power

Pipeline Gains Support
A long-dreamed power cable con-
1,000+ kilometer subsea power
and heating prices very low,
necting Iceland to Europe, export-
cable that would export Icelands
helping the nation work through
ing the islands vast geothermal
potential 18 TWh of geothermal
especially painful times during
and hydropower resources into
and hydropower out to power-
the recent financial crisis.
mainland markets, appears to be
hungry European nations, com-
gaining favor again.
manding higher prices and creat-
already underway for the project,
ing a green revenue stream.
which could cost as much as 4.0
Both Icelands president lafur Ragnar Grmsson and for-
Logistics aside, it's a complex
A second feasibility study is
billion (U.S. $6.4 billion) and take
mer U.K. energy minister Charles
proposal. Tapping those higher
until 2022 to complete. Neverthe-
Hendry, speaking at a fall con-
market prices could potentially
less, theres no doubt in my mind
ference in London, claimed a
raise domestic electricity rates,
that in Britain the political will
number of international inves-
particularly for businesses. And
is there, so if there is a political
tors are expressing interest in
those same renewable resources
will in Iceland, we want to work
pursuing the project, a proposed
have kept Icelands electricity
together, declared Hendry.
EC Highlights Energy Storage in

Energy Infrastructure Push
The European Commission
This fast-tracking will mean
2014, for projects that face dif-
(EC) has highlighted 248 energy
faster planning and permitting
ficulties in their commercial
infrastructure projects of com-
(no more than three and a half
viability, according to the EC.
mon interest that it wants to
years) with one national com-
Enhanced loans, project bonds,
accelerate as part of a 5.85 bil-
petent authority acting as a
and equity instruments will
lion budget in trans-European
one-stop shop to lower admin-
be available separately, offered
energy infrastructure for 2014-
istration costs and increase the
and managed by internation-
2020. Among them are about
transparency of the projects.
al financing institutions such as
140 projects related to renew-
Theres also the possibility that
the European Investment Bank.
able energy and electricity
some projects will receive finan-
Once the list of projects is sub-
transmission: German offshore
cial support under the Connect-
mitted to the European Parlia-
wind interconnections, pumped
ing Europe facility, though many
ment and Council theyll have
hydro in Northwest Ireland and
of these projects can be done
two months to oppose it (with a
Austria, compressed air in U.K.
with EU money.
potential two-month extension);
salt caverns. (Heres the full
list, updated every two years.)

12
First call for proposals to

receive grants will be in early
if they dont reject the list it will

enter into force.
REGIONAL
news
Record Growth for UK

Offshore Wind Energy
Wind energy installed capacity
including the world-topping 630-
in the U.K. surged 40 percent
MW London Array. Meanwhile,
Investors surveyed by RenewableUK see a better investment
to roughly 9.7 gigawatts (GW)
onshore wind added 1.25 GW of
climate this year, likely due to
between June 2012 and June 2013,
new capacity during the same
resolution of the Government
and within that is a significant
period, a 25 percent increase to
Onshore Review which shored
shift in onshore vs. offshore activ-
about 6.4 GW cumulatively.
up the support for onshore wind
ity, according to trade group
Part of that changeover is due
RenewableUK.
under the Renewables Obliga-
to declining onshore wind project
tion (to 0.9 ROC/MWh). But their
Roughly 1.4 GW of new capaci-
sizes amid a rise in smaller-scale
views for the investment climate
ty was commissioned during that
projects (below 5 MW) under the
ahead are tempered by increas-
12-month period, resulting in a
feed-in tariff (FIT), which make
ing worries about the long-term
79 percent jump in total offshore
up two-thirds of new submis-
outlook and concerns about the
wind capacity to about 3.3 GW,
sions. Meanwhile, fewer large
Governments policy commit-
mainly thanks to four projects
sites are becoming available.
ment, the group claims.
ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE UK WIND PROJECTS (in MW), JUNE 2012-JUNE 2013
Operating
Commissioned
In
Construction
England
1,438
366
479
444
1,148
Scotland
3,983
791
958
928
4,832
Wales
481
58
67
156
1,142
N. Ireland
487
43
67
63
621
UK-wide
6,389
1,258
1,571
1591
7,743
England
2,981
1,463
721
1,489
4,100
Scotland
190
100
1,500
Wales
150
576
N. Ireland
UK-wide
3,321
1,463
1,297
1,589
5,600
Consented
In Planning
Onshore
Offshore
Credit: RenewableUK
14
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REGIONAL
news
NORTH AMERICA
Driving Development
of Canadian Biomass,
Energy Storage
Canadas National Research Coun-
where bioenergy is already cost-
cil (NRC) is launching new research
competitive. Specifically, the NRC
programs to improve the technolo-
is seeking to address technical
gies and economics in two renew-
and cost barriers at the interface
able energy areas: bioenergy and
between biofuels and the power
energy storage.
plant: increasing biomass conver-
The Bioenergy Systems for Via-
sion efficiencies, optimizing biofuel
ble Stationary Applications pro-
upgrading processes, resolving bio-
gram is a multiyear strategic R&D
fuel compatibility issues, and low-
initiative to help Canadian com-
ering capital and operating costs.
panies in forestry, agriculture, and
Meanwhile, the NRC also is
municipal solid waste capitalize on
launching a program to explore
distribution. The Energy Storage for
opportunities in converting locally
grid-scale energy storage technol-
Grid Security and Modernization
sourced biomass into station-
ogies close to the load to help sta-
program aims to reduce costs by at
ary energy (heat and power) sys-
bilize generation of intermittent
least 50 percent from todays levels,
tems, helping them develop and
renewable energy, enable peak
to under $500/kWh energy rating
deploy integrated solutions for
shaving and arbitrage, and defer
and less than $1,250/kWh power
near-term stationary markets
costs of new transmission and
rating, while doubling operating
Proposed U.S. Legislation Could

Empower Small-Scale Hydropower
Only three percent of the U.S
unlock that potential by grant-
Corps dams and reservoirs,
80,000 dams currently generate
ing more authority to the U.S.
upon which many co-ops are
electricity, a potential untapped
Army Corps of Engineers for water
heavily dependent, while also
resource of up to 12 GW genera-
resource development activities,
preventing ad hoc alterations that
tion capacity, according to the
including hydropower.
could present a risk to federal
U.S. Department of Energy. Two
The Water Resources
hydropower generation. The
similar bills that have now passed
Reform and Development Act
legislation includes provisions to
overwhelmingly with bipartisan
of 2013 (House Resolution
streamline the Water Resources
support in the U.S. Senate and
3080) would preserve Congress
Development Act of 1986 by
House of Representatives could
role in authorizing projects at
limiting feasibility studies
16
Golden trees in
autumn sun, via
Shutterstock
lifetimes to exceed 15 years. The

efforts will engage stakeholders at
all levels in a multiparty collaboration model, from utilities and independent power producers (IPPs) to
suppliers of storage materials, components, and controls.
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durations (to three years) and costs

(to $3 million), while requiring them
to be conducted concurrently and
initiated within 90 days of their
submission. A Senate version of the
bill (S.601) passed this spring, also
with strong support. The next step
is likely formation of a committee
to expeditiously resolve any
differences between the two.
Exhibit now!
Co-located with
REGIONAL
news
More Scrutiny, Disagreements
Over Nile Hydropower Project
Djibouti Lines
Up Backers For
Geothermal Push
Proponents of a $4.2 billion, 6-GW dam to be built in Ethiopia on a
African nations in the sub-
Nile tributary are in disagreement over re-examining the project,
Saharan regions are turning
after calls for a more in-depth look at its reliability. Water minis-
to renewable energy to enable
ters from Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt are mulling over whether to
more reliable and cheaper elec-
launch new studies of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, set
trification, energy security, and
to be Africas largest when completed in 2017, after concerns from
a cultural self-reliance. Geo-
international experts over how it will be filled and discharged and
thermal energy in particular is
its downstream impacts including reducing flow of the Nile,

upon which Egypt depends heavily for its water. Egypt reportedly
being explored in Eastern Africa as a baseload resource, pur-
wants to bring in trusted international consultancies from neu-
sued by several nations from
tral countries for a new study, while Ethiopia doesnt want to

delay or scale down the project, and both Ethiopia and Sudan
Kenya to Rwanda to Ethiopia to

Tanzania. And now geothermal
believe no extra international oversight is necessary. The three
is making inroads into Djibouti,
sides will reconvene in Khartoum in early December.
where the World Bank is pledg-
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
ing $16 million toward a $31 million project in Fiale Caldera in the
South Africa Plants

Renewable Energy Flag
Lake Assal region. Other backers
In a third of five planned tenders, dubbed Window 3, South Africas
ish Sustainable Energy Fund for
Department of Energy has approved 33.8 billion rand (roughly U.S.
Africa, and the Agence Franaise
$3.3 billion) for 17 clean energy projects totaling 1.45 GW of capacity,
de Dveloppement, plus a small
chosen from a pool of 93 applicants for 6 GW of proposed renewable
kick-in from the government. Dji-
energy. Seven of the preferred bidders are for wind energy develop-
bouti's energy goals dont get any
ment (787 MW), six for solar PV (450 MW), two for concentrated solar
loftier: 100 percent green ener-
(200 MW), one for biomass (16.5 MW), and one for landfill gas (18
gy by 2020, according to Ilyas
MW). Financial closing for the projects is expected by next summer.
Moussa Dawaleh, Djiboutis Min-
include the OPEC Fund for International Development, the African Development Bank, the Dan-
South Africas Renewable Energy Independent Power Produc-
ister of Finance and Economy.
er Procurement Program (REIPPPP) aims to bring nearly 4 GW of
We believe that bringing cut-
renewable energy online by 2016, and 10,000 GWh of renewable
ting-edge technology in geother-
energy. Long-term power-purchase agreements (PPA) with state
mal exploration to Djibouti can
utility Eskom, which supplies practically all the nations power
be a true game-changer, added
(and almost all of that from coal), reportedly helped drive $5.7 bil-
Inger Andersen, World Bank vice
lion of clean energy investments to South Africa in 2012, about a
president for the Middle East and
quarter of the total invested in sub-Saharan Africa.
North Africa region.
18
3 5 JUNE 2014 I KOELNMESSE I COLOGNE I GERMANY
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The Big Question
Key executives weigh in on worldwide renewable energy issues
What Is the Future Utility

Business Model?
Renewable energy technologies are taking off and costs are dropping each year,
so whats holding the industry back? A new report called Americas Power Plan
suggests that the real culprits are outdated utility business models rewarding
utilities for building and maintaining fossil-fuel plants is dragging the industry down.
The report suggests several policy shifts that can help the problem, such as
increasing renewable energy requirements and abandoning rate of return as a
basis for utility proft. Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu
believes that utilities should own, install and maintain residential
solar and storage systems and continue to sell power as they do
now just as phone companies previously owned entire telephone
systems from the telephone lines down to your home phone.
Renewable Energy World asked industry experts to share
their insights on one important question: What do you
think the future utility business model will look like?
THERE ARE A MULTITUDE OF FACTORS today that

deter the development of utility-scale renewable energy projects, including a lack of reliable energy storage technologies, high initial
capital costs and perceived technology performance uncertainty. However, one of the most
Kevin Wedman
pressing obstacles to the development of utilVice President of
ity-scale renewable energy is the lack of approPower and Utilities, priate transmission infrastructure to support
these projects.
Bureau Veritas
Several issues contribute to the shortage of
North America
available transmission for renewable energy.
These include: 1) the need for new transmission
corridors to serve remote sites, and 2) the need for extensive environmental impact assessments that often take several years to complete.
Some of the best land for renewable energy development
is located far from demand centers and existing distribution
Wind turbine transmission

via Shutterstock
21
The Big Question
networks, therefore the construction of these transmission lines is a huge

undertaking. It requires investment for the construction of thousands of
miles of power lines in multiple jurisdictions, such as the Bureau of Land
Management, state and local governments. In addition, many of the existing
transmission systems that exist today require reconductoring and, in some
cases, a complete overhaul in order to handle the power generated from
renewable sources.
These factors create a bottleneck in the development of renewable
energy projects as they lead to delays in project fnancing, licensing and
permitting, and the receipt of power purchase agreements for the output of
these projects.
Transmission infrastructure will not be constructed without some guarantee that there will be generation sites to feed it, yet the generation centers
will not be built without the promise of adequate transmission systems for
the power that is produced. Transmission infrastructure and access is necessary to enhance the renewable energy market and ensure that it is viable
well into the future.
Kevin Wedman has over 25 years of building and safety experience for both jurisdictions
and public agencies. He is currently the vice president of power and utilities for Bureau
Veritas North America in Sacramento, Calif.
MOST OF TODAYS commercially available renewable

energy technologies are subject to the whims of nature:
sunshine intensity fuctuates and wind strength and direction is diffcult to predict. Storing renewable energy often
is not feasible kinetic storage such as hydroelectric
pumped storage is rarely close by the renewable source
George Danner making the supply less controllable than fossil fuels.
Electric utility companies are using dated models to
Business
predict demand that assume peak usage at certain times
Laboratory
of day. Technology advances are increasing the use of electric vehicles and information-communication technologies, such as wireless networks used to access cloud services, which means
electricity consumption in the future will be far different from the traditional
load shape we have seen in the last 50 years. More importantly, those models
do not adequately consider input from renewable resources, preventing grid
companies from including them into the supply mix.
Increased adoption of smart meters creates a wealth of new data that
can be collected and analyzed to identify true usage patterns, more accurately forecast demand, and optimize supply. This includes input from
22
renewable resources, and

how they can be incorporated in the future. My
own experience in demand
forecasting in the UK suggests that smart meters
combined with demographic data give us a
much sharper picture
of energy consumers of
tomorrow.
Computing advances provide capability to simulate
and model a wide range of
plausible futures. The resolution rests on regulators,
utility companies and others to recognize the need
for our energy models to
adapt, with smarter logic
and comprehensive scenario planning. It is then
that we will be able to visualize the proper role of
renewable technologies in
the energy mix, both now
and in the long run.
Danner has 29 years of
experience in corporate strategy
across multiple industries. At
Business Laboratory, he utilizes
simulation modeling to improve
organizational performance
through problem solving,
optimization and advanced
forecasting. George holds a
bachelors degree in mechanical
engineering from Texas A&M
University and a masters degree
in management from MIT.
Maximize
your yield
Harvesting solar energy

with SolarMax!
What makes solar power plant operators as happy as farmers? Quite plainly: maximum results day in and day out. With
the powerful SolarMax inverters you can easily create the
best prerequisites for maximum energy yields.
SolarMax stood for top-class Swiss quality for more than
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The Big Question
NOW THAT UTILITY SCALE SOLAR ENERGY is reaching price

parity with natural gas generation, its time to reward utilities for making the switch.
The price of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels has been falling at exponential rates for decades. Like many technologies, the more units sold, the lower the cost. Today there is a
Brian MacCleery new solar installation every four minutes in America, comPrincipal Product
pared to every 80 minutes just seven years ago. The result?
Solar PV modules now sell for less than $1 USD per watt,
Manager, Clean
Energy Technology, which is more than a 100 fold decrease compared to 1975.
However, other costs now dominate the price equation.
National
These
balance of system costs include the cost of the
Instruments
inverter and electrical system, mechanical racking, installation, and permitting. The good news for utility-scale projects is that these system costs can be at least three times less expensive for
large installations. A solar inverter for a home, for example, may cost more
than 60 cents per watt, whereas a utility buying megawatt-size solar inverters could pay less than 20 cents per watt.
At utility scale power levels, these economies of scale have fnally driven
down the cost of solar to the point of price parity with natural gas generation.
In September 2013, David Eves, CEO of an Xcel subsidiary, shared with
the Denver Business Journal how, this is the frst time that weve seen,
purely on a price basis, that the solar projects made the cut without considering carbon costs or the need to comply with a renewable energy standard strictly on an economic basis. Xcel recently proposed adding 170
megawatts of solar, 450 megawatts of wind, and 317 megawatts of natural
gas electricity in Colorado, noting that solar and wind would be the most
cost-effective resources.
Brian MacCleery is the principal product manager for clean energy technology at National
Instruments where he leads design tool development initiatives for advanced FPGA-based
control and simulation applications. MacCleerys mission is to accelerate the design,
prototyping and commercial deployment of smart, grid tied power inverters and other
clean energy technologies.
24
To lend your voice to future discussions, email megc@pennwell.com for more details.
Conference & Exhibition

1719 March 2014
Cape Town International Convention Centre
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The Pre Show Guide offers you a comprehensive event overview with
everything you need to know to be part of this all inclusive power event.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:
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Mr. Dikobe Benedict Martins, Minister of Energy, Republic of South Africa
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COV E R S TO RY
From electrifying remote villages

in India to tackling landfll waste
in California, this years Project
of the Year Award winners
represent the ever-shifting global
renewable energy landscape.
Te 2013 awardees display
excellence in fve renewable
energy technologies: Solar, Wind,
Biomass, Geothermal and Hydro.
Editors from Renewable Energy
World and Power Engineering
selected the winners from among
the fnalists in each technology
category. Te award winners were
announced and recognized at
the co-located Renewable Energy
World North America Conference
and Expo and Power-Gen
International in Orlando, Florida.
Global Excellenc
Project of
Winners An
MEG CICHON, Associate Editor
solar
WINNER: Solar Electrifcation
of 57 Remote Villages
Deep in the heart of Andhra Pradesh in southern

India, hundreds of villagers huddled by candlelight to go about their nightly activities, many having never seen electricity in their lifetimes until
To be eligible for an award,

a project needs to have been
commissioned between August 1st,
2012 and July 31st, 2013 and make
a signifcant impact on the entire
renewable energy industry. When
judging the fnalists, network
editors considered the technology
that was employed as well as the
projects impact on the industry
at large and on the communities
in which they were installed.
Here are some of the projects that
are helping to change the energy
landscape.
26
CLICK TO PLAY THE VIDEO
nce:
the Year Award

Announced
now. Premier Solar Systems electrifed 57 of these
remote villages with solar energy, and it was no
easy task.
To reach each village, workers typically were
forced to walk several kilometers through wilderness trails, cross rivers by boat, and then walk
some more. A long line of workers carried equipment to each site on foot one with a solar panel,
the next carried a sack of bricks, then a roll of wire,
a bag of nuts and bolts, batteries and so on. After several days
of hauling, technicians, with
help from the locals, would construct an 8-kilowatt (kW) solar array, and the
villagers would fnally see light.
These off-grid projects collect solar energy throughout the day, which is stored in batteries. At night, a dusk-to-dawn switch is
activated, and the batteries provide fresh
solar energy to the villages. Each installation
powers an average of 23 homes per village.
Street lights are also installed, which turn
off at 9:30 p.m. and switch back on from 5:00
to 7:00 a.m.
According to Premier Solar, the solar
installations have revolutionized the villages and connected them to the rest of the
world. Construction created jobs for villagers to earn income, which has allowed
some to purchase electronics and learn the
concept of trade some even opened their
own shops.
Premier Solar will continue its work to electrify villages by taking on another 20 in Adilabad and 19 in
Khamman.
RUNNER-UP: Solar-Agro-
Electric Model
In Gujarat, India, a solar project is providing both electricity and agricultural benefts. The Solar-Agro-Electric
Model consists of a 3-MW
solar project that spans over
17.5 acres of farmland in a
rural community.
Its a symbiotic relationship.
27
Cov e r S to ry
The panels produce electricity for the villagers, but also provide
necessary shade and security for the growing crops below. The
panels are washed often for increased effciency, and the crops
are watered simultaneously. Post-harvest residues are replaced
under the panels for improved fertilization.
The project has provided agricultural work for 100 villagers, and the crops are sold at local markets and also distributed
among the workers.
during its 3-year construction

and 23 full-time permanent
positions.
RUNNER-UP: Marble
River Wind Farm
The 216-MW Marble River

Wind Farm is the frst project
in North America to utilize
the V-112 3-MW wind tur wind
bine, however it was not the
WINNER: Bison Wind Project
frst, or even second, choice.
In the U.S., phase 2 and 3 of the Bison Wind Project came online
Starting in 2005, the project
in late 2012, bringing an additional 210 MW of capacity to the
has commenced construction
grid. The North Dakota-based project, which is now at a total
three times before settling
capacity of 292 MW, is part of Minnesota Powers larger goal
on the 3-MW turbines due to
of transitioning from mostly coal to an energy mix of one-third
environmental concerns.
renewables, one-third coal and one-third natural gas by 2030.
Due to the resiliency of
The project delivers power to customers via a repurposed transdevelopers and local govmission line built in the late 1970s, which now carries renewernment, the Marble River
able wind power rather than coal.
Wind Farm was able to minPerhaps what is most unique about the Bison project is its
imize impact on local wetenergy storage arrangement with Manitoba Hydro. When
lands from triple digits when
wind resources are
the project began,
high or demand is low,
to single digits with
Bison wind energy can
the 3-MW turbines.
be stored in hydroelecWith more than
tric reserves in Canada
150 separate leaseand then utilized when
holders benefting
necessary.
directly from the
Bison clocks in at a
projects cash fows,
42-44 percent average
Marble River repcapacity factor, beating
resents the benefts
the national 34 percent
that can accrue for
average, according to
a community. The
Minnesota Power. This
towns of Ellenburg
performance is due in
and Clinton, New
part to its use of dino
York are both sigtail blade technology
nifcant benefciapatented by Siemens. The spiked blades are more effcient and
ries of the wind farm and are
quieter than typical turbines.
set to acquire million of dolThe project has boosted the local economy, bringing 280 jobs
lars in royalties.
28
Cov e r S to ry
hydro
WINNER: Xiangjiaba Hydroelectric Power Plant

Along the Jinsha River between the Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces in China is the Xiangjiaba Hydroelectric Power Plant. Part
of Chinas West to East Electricity Transfer Program, which
strives to deliver more power to the ever-growing eastern provinces, the plant will offer 6,400 MW of much-needed power
capacity to the region when it is complete.
Utilizing the highest-output air-cooled hydro generator units
at 800-MW each, all four units at its underground powerhouse
are currently in operation, totaling 3,200 MW of capacity.
The project ranks in at several top-ten lists, including: Chinas third highest capacity hydroelectric plant, the worlds
seventh highest capacity

hydro plant, and the worlds
ninth highest capacity plant
of any fuel type once the
remaining four 800-MW
units come online in 2015.
Due to the sheer size of the
units, custom ventilation and
cooling components were
adapted to prevent energy losses, and Alstom developed and patented doublelayer thrust bearing pads
to ensure reliability and
29
Cov e r S to ry
maintain normal pressure distribution. Despite its massive size

and custom parts, developers were able to install and commission each unit quickly at about two months apart.
Once completely commissioned, the 6,400-MW plant is expected to supply 40 million people with electricity yearly.
RUNNER-UP: North Fork Skokomish
Powerhouse and Fish Passage Facility

A dual initiative of clean energy and environmental responsibility, the North Fork Skokomish Powerhouse and Fish Passage Facility in Washington produces clean energy while minding the fragile fsh habitat of the Skokomish River. The 3.6-MW
facility includes an innovative fsh collection and passage system to help bolster the population of Washingtons endangered
steelhead and salmon.
Two dams had blocked fsh since the 1920s, but now the
North Fork facility traps fsh swimming upstream with a safe,
passive-capture system powered by the water discharged by
its turbines. The fsh are then moved to a hopper, which takes
them to the top of the dam where they are sorted then released
into the upper river.
30
geothermal
WINNER: McGinness Hills
Geothermal Power Plant

Resource exploration is considered one of the major barriers to geothermal development.
Even if resources are visible
above ground, successful construction is not always a guarantee, which is why the McGinness Hills Geothermal Power
Plant developed by ORMAT is
such a notable project. Not only
was the project located amidst
protected wildlife, it was also
a blind resource due to its
lack of surface hot springs and
fumaroles, which means that it
was extremely diffcult to pinpoint and develop.
The 30-MW project located
in Nevada was developed with
a mix of conventional and innovative exploration techniques
and tests, including soil mercury geochemistry, geologic mapping, gravity survey, 3-D GIS
modeling, slim hole drilling,
and well testing. This data was
compiled into reservoir modeling technology, partially funded by the U.S. Department of
Energy, which was able to show
a clearer picture of what was
brewing underground. Due to
this extensive testing, the typically 3-year permitting process
was fnished in less than two,
while mechanical construction
took less than eight months.
Developers also took special
care not to disrupt the fragile
Cov e r S to ry
sage grouse habitat a bird

local to that area of Nevada.
Efforts included minimizing
noise impact, continued monitoring or impact analysis,
construction noise limitations
to not disrupt mating season,
and underground piping to
reduce land impact.
With its huge presence in
Nevada, ORMAT has donated more than $200,000 to
local educational institutions
to contribute to the development of the geothermal workforce, while also establishing
hundreds of jobs at its power
plants across the state.
Move Forward with Confidence

SERVICES OFFERED
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Civil
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1.877 .235.06 53
www.u s.bure au veritas.c om

31
Cov e r S to ry
bioenergy
WINNER: Sacramento BioDigester
Communities around the globe are scrambling to fnd ways to

The facility supports 16
fght a mountainous problem: landflls. Though recycling and
green jobs and more than
effciency efforts have come a long way over the years, it is still
$10 million in economic
a growing issue that must be contained, which is why the city of
activity. The CleanWorld bioSacramento, California has developed the Sacramento BioDigestdigester manufacturing faciler the largest biodigester in the U.S.
ity also hosts 12 permanent
A technology that is fnally gaining steam, the biodigester
positions in the Marysville
facility processes 10,000 tons of food and agricultural waste
community.
per year that would have
otherwise been thrown
in a landfll. According to
developers, the digester
generates the equivalent
of 2 MW of energy in the
forms of heat, electricity
and gas. For example, it
produces nearly 200,000
diesel gallon equivalents
of renewable natural gas
and enough fertilizer
enhancements to supply
more than 20,000 acres of
farmland.
The Sacramento BioDigester has also been
deemed a zero-waste
facility it generates
RUNNER-UP: Gainesville
enough electricity to power both its operations and the neighRenewable Energy
bor fueling facility, and remnants from the waste are used as
Center
fertilizer. The biodigester project has been so successful in fact
that as of June 2013, it has started the process of scaling up to
The 100-MW Gainesville
process 40,000 tones of waste per year.
Renewable Energy Center
The project began in 2004, when professor Dr. Ruihong
(GREC) biomass facility locatZhang of the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) urged
ed in Gainesville, Florida was
the school to take part in the advancement of anaerobic
just commissioned this sumdigesters. The California Energy Commission soon partnered
mer. The project uses boiler
with UC Davis and invested in research initiatives. In 2009,
and turbine technology that
CleanWorld was established, and together with several Calireduces emissions and meets
fornia businesses and establishments, developed the Sacrastringent Maximum Available
mento BioDigester.
Control (MACT) standards.
32
Cov e r S to ry
Its 930,000-pound per hour

bubbling fuidized bed boiler
(BFB) supplied by Metso and
a 116.1-MW Siemens turbine
provide low-combustion and
low-excess air, which results
in minimal emissions.
GREC uses waste wood
from sustainable sources
such as forestry and sawmill operations, urban wood
waste and storm debris.
Addressing sustainability concerns, GREC abides
by strict forest sustainability rules that are designed for
long-term forest health and
productivity.
readers' choice
WINNER: Solar Electrifcation of 57 Remote Villages
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33
SOLAR
Microinverters Moving
Into Commercial-scale Solar:
When Will It Happen?
Nearly ubiquitous in U.S. residential solar rooftops,
microinverters are poised to break into commercialscale installations heres why, where, and how.
JAMES MONTGOMERY, Associate Editor
Back in mid-August, Vine Fresh Produce in Ontario unveiled

a 2.3-MW solar rooftop array on its greenhouse, the largest
commercial rooftop project under the provinces feed-in tariff (FIT). This system notably incorporates a technology thats
been more familiar in the U.S. residential solar market: microinverters. (The devices, made in Enphases Ontario plant,
helped the project qualify for that FIT.) Weeks ago Enphase followed that up with another large-sized project using microinverters, 3.1-MW of distributed solar across 125 buildings for
the San Diego Unifed School District.
Those announcements were meant as stakes in the ground.
Weve proven [microinverter technology] in residential, were
proving ourselves in small commercial... but our ambitions are
much bigger than that, said Raghu Belur, Enphase co-founder
and VP of products and strategic initiatives. Were seeing people deploy [microinverters] in signifcantly larger systems.
Microinverter technology is rapidly gaining traction. Shipments will reach 580 MW this year, with sales topping $283
million, and average global prices sinking 16 percent to $0.49/
Watt, according to Cormac Gilligan, IHS senior PV market
analyst. By 2017 he sees shipments soaring to 2.1 GW with
revenues of about $700 million, and expansion beyond the U.S.
into several regional markets, especially those in early stages of development that might be more open to newer technologies: Australia, France, the U.K., Switzerland, and even
Hawaii. Japans big residential solar market is especially attractive, but poses certifcation challenges and strong
domestic competition. Navigant Research, meanwhile, pegs
the combined market for module-level power electronics
34
(microinverters and DC optimizers) at nearly 53 GW installed

from 2013-2020.
But as those two Enphase projects illustrate, theres another growth area for microinverters besides regional expansion
upward into commercial-sized rooftop solar installations.
The same reasons residential customers like microinverters
apply to small-scale commercial projects: offset partial shading, more precise monitoring at the individual module level,
provide a more holistic readout of what the system is producing, and improve safety because they typically use a lot lower
voltage. Just nine percent of microinverter shipments in 2012
Vine Fresh Produces 2.3-MW

(2-MW AC) solar project in
Ontario. Credit: Enphase.
were to commercial-scale use,

noted Gilligan but he sees
those surging to nearly a third
of shipments by 2017.
Whos Making Microinverters

The microinverter space is getting crowded (see table on next
page), if not yet a model of parity. Enphase continues to dominate with more than half of
the sectors revenues in 2012,
four million units cumulatively
shipped and four product generations. We are a high-tech company that happens to be in the
solar sector, Belur explained.
Compared with what he called
the big iron, big copper guys
who are now broadening their
inverter portfolios with microinverters, were all about semiconductors, communications,
and software. The company designs its own chips for its
microinverters, and outsources
manufacturing to Flextronics.
SMA is one of those aforementioned big inverter suppliers
that is broadening its reach; it
entered the microinverter game
with the 2009 acquisition of
Dutch frm OKE. In the residential market it became clear to us
that customers were interested
in the microinverter architecture, said Bates Marshall, VP of
SMA Americas medium-power
solutions group. With the emergence of the U.S. solar end-market, SMA recently started shipping microinverters to the U.S.
35
Solar
from its German inventories, but a production

line is now being qualifed at the companys Denver facility. SMA also is willing to push some R&D
and product development over here so we get to
drive the bus to a greater extent, he said.
Power-One, recently bought by ABB, also aims
to supply whatever type of power conversion
capability customers need, noted Chavonne Yee,
director of product management for North America. So far demand for microinverters has come
from the U.S. residential market, offering high
Solar panels on a building for the San Diego Unified
granularity and maximum power point tracking
School District. Credit: Enphase.
(MPPT). However, she sees most of the commercial-scale demand switching from traditional censtring inverter vendors point
tral inverters to three-phase string inverters, not microinverters.
out microinverters have only
Module supplier ReneSola also sells a standalone microinvertbeen on the market for a few
er; Brian Armentrout, marketing director, touted the typical feayears and cant make subtures with some higher (208-240) voltage options for small light
stantial claims about reliabilcommercial, but at a 15-20 percent lower price point. He projity. Another consideration:
ects that ReneSola will be in the top three next year for microthe sheer number of microinverter sales, while simultaneously aiming high for the top spot
inverter devices in the feld
in module shipments. Down the road the company wants to take
potentially requiring repair/
the end-around route of integrating microinverters directly onto
replacement could be dauntsolar panels; its gen-2 microinverter should be available in the
ing, points out IHS Gilligan.
spring of 2014.
SolarBridges Lawrence
Others are looking to integrate microinverters directly into the
argues in favor of microinmodules as well. SolarBridge has worked closely with SunPower
verters on an operations &
and BenQ to design its microinverters to eliminate several commaintenance (O&M) basis.
ponents that typically fail, notably the electrolytic capacitors and
Central inverters account for
opto-isolators, explained Craig Lawrence, VP of marketing. They
half of an O&M budget and
also minimize other typical costs such as cabling, grounding
its the single highest failure
wires and even tailoring the microinverter for a specifc module
component in a solar PV systype to optimize the microinverters frmware, he explained. He
tem; thats why theres been
sees the trend to bring microinverters into the commercial-scale
a shift from those to string
environment, particularly with SolarBridges more recent secinverters on commercialond-generation microinverters in the past year or so.
scale solar. All the reasons
youd do that, are the exact
Microinverters vs. String Inverters
same reasons to go from
In general, installers are making a choice between microinvertstring inverters to microiners and string inverters, comparing functionalities and costs.
verters, he said. You want
Both sides make a case for reliability: microinverters use fewer
as much redundancy and
components and represent lower cost when something does fail;
36
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Solar
granularity as you can possibly get, to maximize your rooftop

utilization and simplify your O&M. Factoring in replacement
costs, labor savings in not having work with high-voltage DC,
for most of our customers that alone is enough to justify the
additional [price] premium. With a microinverter youll know
when (and which) one panel is underperforming, and it might
be tolerable to just leave it alone; on a string inverter you might
not know where the problem is while you lose power over the
entire string, he pointed out.
Scott Wiater, president of installer Standard Solar, acknowledges that microinverter technologies and reliability have improved
over the past couple of years, but hes not convinced this is an
argument in their favor vs. string inverters. I have concerns over
the long term, he said. If you truly believe youre going to get
25 years out of a microinverter with no maintenance, that might
hold true, but we havent had that experience. In fact he advises
that any residential or commercial system should plan to replace
whatever inverter it uses at least once over a 20-year lifetime.
Commercial-scale Adoption: Yes or No?

Both inverter vendors and solar installers seem to agree that the
choice of microinverters vs. string inverters for commercial solar
settings is emerging in light commercial applications. Not everyone, though, thinks the technology is quite ready to move up in
TABLE
Established
Microinverter Supplier
Inverter Suppliers
Offering
Microinverters
Enphase Energy
Start-Ups
Power-One
AE Conversion
SMA
SolarBridge
Darfon
Enecsys
Samil Power
APS
Omnik
Chilicon Power
i-Energy
Involar
38
scale to the commercial level.

For projects under 50 kW,
we have found that microinverters can be positive for the
project LCOE [levelized cost of
energy] on an all-in basis,
explained Jeremy Jones, CTO
of SoCore Energy, an early
adopter of microinverters,
including commercial solar
projects into the hundreds of
kilowatts in size. In general
the technologys high granularity of real time data is very
useful in the ongoing asset
management, and SoCores
projects with microinverters have consistently outperformed our other string
inverter and central inverter
sites. The technology stacks
up favorably to central and
string inverters (especially
for three-phase 208-volt systems) in terms of added costs,
he said: warranty extensions,
third-party monitoring, and
other balance-of-systems
costs. Microinverters performance and low-cost warranties also beneft longer-term
fnance deals, he added.
However, above 50 kW we
have had a harder time making microinverters pencil on
typical projects, Jones added.
Until costs come down, those
larger-sized projects where
microinverters can make
sense tend to be unique cases
where theres a higher value
per kilowatt-hour (higher
Solar
electric rates or SREC values), or sites that can maximize kWh

per kW due to high balance-of-systems costs, such as parking
canopies, he explained.
SMAs Marshall is bullish on the commercial market because
thats where the volume will be for inverters in general, but he
doesnt see it as a big boon for microinverters because of what he
calculates as a 25-30 cents/Watt cost delta vs. residential string
inverters. In the residential space there are ways to knock prices down to mitigate that difference, but in the commercial space
that gap is too big for the average buyer, he said. As a mainstream option? We dont see it today. Microinverters may work
for some unique projects such as campuses or municipalities
spanning multiple buildings, but the big growth in commercial
solar will be in large retailers, big fat open roofs, and big fat
structures like carports, he said, and for those a three-phase
inverter blows the door off in terms of raw economics.
Other vendors echoed that sentiment. We are seeing some
demand in small light commercial applications ranging from
50-kW up to 500-kW, said

ReneSolas Armentrout, but
beyond that point string
inverters make more sense.
SolarBridges Lawrence
similarly sees a lot of activity in smaller commercial settings (100-kw or less), tallying
to 15-20 percent of the companys product installations.
But while the company is bidding into projects ranging up
to 1 MW, its harder to make
the case above 250 kW, he
acknowledged. Those dont
pencil out for us right now.
Anything below around
one megawatt, we are

39
Solar
shifting from a central to more of a string inverter, but were

certainly not going to the microinverter level yet nor do we
think we will anytime soon, said Standard Solars Wiater. The
economics behind the projects and having it pencil out, microinverters just cant compete with string or central inverters on
a larger scale. While microinverters can help on some rooftop
applications where shading might be an issue (close to elevator
shafts, vents, HVAC units), a more tightly-designed system with
an effcient string inverter can have a much better return for
the customer, he said.
Jeff Jankiewicz, project/logistics manager at Renewable Energy Corporation in Maryland, defnitely considers microinverters as part of a system design; we like the performance and effciency they provide. His company focuses on residential and
small commercial projects the largest theyve done is a 20-kW
system out in Marylands horse country and anything bigger than that would be a case-by-case comparison, specifcally
weighing shading and energy conversion.
Microinverters and the Grid: Te Solar Industrys Next Battle

Everyone we talked with about microinverters agreed on one
thing: theres a growing need to incorporate more advanced grid
management capabilities, such as reactive power and low-voltage
ride-throughs, giving utilities more control to reach in and curtail
availability to support grid reliability. Those grid-management
capabilities are already coming and very, very soon, Lawrence
urged, pointing to new requirements being codifed in Australia
and the U.S. probably following within a year or so. Californias
already devising an update to its Rule 21 to include technology
requirements for enabling such interconnection and control functions in distributed generators.
Integration of energy storage, which recently got its own California state mandate, is another looming question as it relates
to inverters. Standard Solars Wiater thinks addressing the
issue of buffering solar energys intermittency is an even bigger challenge for inverters than grid-friendly controls. Some
inverters are being designed to interact with energy storage, he
noted, but he questions how that would work for a microinverter, claiming it defeats the purpose of switching from DC to AC
on a roof and then converting back to DC again. Power-Ones
Yee, meanwhile, sees more distributed solar combined with
battery storage as a tipping point in favor of multi-port string
40
inverters being a more costeffective approach.

SMA, Power-One, ReneSola, and SolarBridge all echoed
concern over regulations and
requirements coming down
the road that will necessitate microinverters becoming
more grid-friendly. They also
questioned whether all microinverter architectures are
suited for such site-level controls and specifcally called
out market-leading Enphase,
which they said is limited in
its architecture and topology.
Those criticisms are an
oversimplifcation of the
problem, responds Enphases
Belur. We 100 percent support the need for advanced
grid functions, and we are
absolutely capable of providing those, he said. Enphase
offers several of those functions in Europe such as ridethrough and ramp rate, but
other functions such as reactive voltage/power fow control arent allowed in North
America under current IEEE
and IL regulations. The company will continue to work
to enable those grid-management requirements here
but Belur urges it must
be done judiciously through
standards, certifcation and
testing bodies, and with policy support to make it all happen: It needs to be done,
lets do it properly. By the
Solar
time Rule 21 requirements are offcial sometime by mid-2014,

Enphase pledges to have a fully compliant product.
On the installer side, Wiater agrees that grid management features are coming, and that the bigger inverter technologies (and
vendors) have been out in front of some of these requirements,
e.g. to curtail output. SoCores Jones isnt seeing customers or
utilities push strongly for such capabilities yet, but specing
these features in now will allow us to future proof our designs
and open up possible future revenue streams.
This issue might have bigger ramifcations than just competitive gamesmanship between inverter suppliers. As distributed
solar generation increases its penetration into the grid, utilities
will say they cant support it without stronger control capabilities, SolarBridges Lawrence warned. Likely this will be hashed
out in negotiations between the solar industry and utilities and
implemented via codes and standards that are applicable to
everyone but the solar industry as a whole needs to get out in
front of that conversation and its resolution. The solar industry
is going to have to participate, or utilities will have a

good case why they can limit
the penetration of solar PV,
Lawrence said. He cited discussions that his company has had with a large U.S.
solar developer, which listed
smart-grid control capabilities as one of its top-four priorities for the coming year,
so they believe its coming. Getting the solar industry working together to help
speed these capabilities
along will help head off utility objections to more and
more solar.
available
a
vaila
able o
on
n www
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www.pvsyst.com
w vsy
w.pv
yst..co
om
Designed for engineers, architects, researchers, education

PVSYST SA | 107 route du Bois-de-Bay - 1242 Satigny - Switzerland | admin@pvsyst.com
the
he
project
4.
Profling Stand-out
Renewable Energy
Projects Worldwide
Success! Ivanpah Solar

Reaches First Sync Milestone
In late September 2013, NRG, Bechtel and Brightsource Energy, developers of the massive Ivanpah Solar project, announced that the system produced energy when it was connected to the grid for the frst time. With a
392-MW capacity, Ivanpah will be the largest solar thermal project in the
world once it is fully operational.
Ivanpah is located in the California Mojave Desert, spans more than
3,000 acres and boasts Google as one of its investors. At Google we invest
in renewable energy projects that have the potential to transform the energy landscape. Ivanpah is one of those projects, said Rick Needham, Director of Energy and Sustainability at Google. Were excited about the project
achieving this frst sync a landmark event along
1.
the path to completion. Congratulations to the many
people who have worked so hard to get this far.
2.
42
3.
5.
By the
Numbers
86
Permanent
jobs in
operations and
maintenance
21,000
Construction jobs
at peak build-out
377mw
170,000
net solar
thermal
capacity
6.
7.
Heliostats in the desert
$1.6 B
DOE loan guarantee to
help fund the project
1. & 2. Ivanpah uses more than

170,000 heliostats, essentially large
mirrors, which reflect the solar
energy onto the power tower
in order to create power. These
images show Tower 1s heliostats.
3. The top of tower 1 is lit

demonstrating its ability to
generate power.
5. Aerial image of Ivanpah showing

the three power towers spread over
the 3,000 acre facility.
4. Heliostats stacked outside

the HAB building during
construction.
6. Close-up of the base of Tower 1.

7. Aerial view of Tower 1.
All images credit Bechtel.
43
W I N D T E C H N O LO G Y
Keeping Safe When Working

with Wind Power
Te wind industry knows that working on
wind projects is a high-risk job. As the industry
grows, employs more people and moves further from
population centers, risks grow too. How do the major
OEMs approach safety standards and procedures in
order to minimize these risks and keep everyone safe?
TILDY BAYAR, Contributing Editor
Safety procedures are becoming an integral part of OEMs

commercial strategies and are increasingly business-critical,
according to Claus Rose, chairman of the Global Wind Organization (GWO) and environment, health and safety (EHS)
offcer for Siemens Wind Power Division. As well as wanting to keep its workers safe, the industry is responding to
increased regulatory scrutiny. Authorities in a number of countries are starting

to ask how the industry can
assure that it has a proper
safety policy in place, and
how we materialize that,
Wind service technicians

check their safety equipment
at the Panther Creek Wind
Farm. Credit: GE.
44
A tower at the Siemens

wind service training
center in Orlando,
Florida. Credit: Siemens.
he said. These authorities

want evidence that we have it
under control.
Rose said that while the
wind industry is self-regulating with very few legal
requirements around its business practices, safety procedures have evolved as the
wind industry has grown,
and organizations such as the
GWO have worked to establish standards and promote
their use.
Andy Holt, head of global
projects and services at GE Renewable Energy, said the industry recognizes that safety is a collective concern. It is neutral
ground where competitors work together to share best practices. This raises the bar for the industry, he said. My counterparts the people who run [EHS] businesses for our competitors feel the same way. Ill share every one of our best
practices tomorrow with anyone who wants them because they
might help someone do their job more safely, he continued.
A High-Risk Job
Among the areas of highest risk for wind farm workers, Rose
pointed to the risk of electrical incidents when working with
high- and low-voltage equipment as highly critical. Such incidents can result in explosions and serious injury.
Then you have very simple things which people dont realize
45
w i n d T e c h n o lo g y
are problems, he continued. Materials handling, where workers

carry around very heavy stuff in conditions that are cramped,
closed and very tight, is such an area. Manual handling training
is part of the GWOs standard for basic safety training.
During turbine installation, lifting is a major area of concern.
This is where the industry is very different from oil & gas offshore, or other major construction onshore, Rose said. The
number of lifts we do on a turbine site, whether during installation or O&M, is extremely high. Lifting is a main focus area for
safety within the wind industry, he added.
When asked about the safety concerns related to working at
height, Rose said: Sometimes there is an assumption that just
because it is very high up in the air it must, by default, be a
major risk area. It isnt, because we have a very good idea of how
to control it, the safety systems involved are quite well developed,
and we have well-equipped turbines. While working at height is
always a risk, he said, and it is defnitely on the radar, it is not
the most signifcant concern at this time.
For Holt, the safety areas GE is most focused on are working at
height, lockout/tagout, and driver safety.
Lockout/tagout, or LOTO, allows workers to put a personal lock
on any power source while working on it, tagging it during the
work so only that worker can unlock it and return it to service
when the work is fnished.
Then we have soft tissue injuries, Holt said, where workers can fip and hurt their back, try to lift something and strain
their shoulder, twist an ankle. These injuries are regrettable
and we struggle to eliminate them everyone does, he said.
But of greater concern are driving accidents One of the most
dangerous things people do every day is drive, he said where
workers may be driving big trucks in remote areas on unprepared roads, or even off-road. Holt said all of GEs drivers receive
yearly defensive driving training.
During installation, he said, there is a lot of crane work and
the risk from suspended loads is huge. Youve got very large
cranes lifting very tall tower sections and aligning them; then
people bolting things together so in addition to working at
height, LOTO and heavy equipment handling, there are also suspended loads. Working under a suspended load is forbidden and
workers have to constantly make sure theres no one under the
load, he said.
46
Instilling a Safety Culture

Rose said safety on the job
has a lot to do with mentality. Siemens aims to instill
in its workers a mindset of
safety that goes beyond the
work environment, he adds.
In general, Rose is against
micro-regulating aspects
of the work environment
such as housekeeping, the
industry term for keeping
work areas clean and free of
Technicians at the Siemens

wind service training
center in Newcastle, U.K.
learn about safety when
performing wind O&M.
Credit: Siemens.
obstructions. Mentality is more important than making rules,

he said; rules are the outcome of poor management. With good
management and high worker awareness, you can have very
few rules. If workers have good risk awareness, theyve already
done whatever it takes to move everything that can put them in
harms way. Workers personal and professional commitment to
safety will reduce accidents more than management telling them
to be safe, he said.
Further, he stressed that good management includes explaining to workers why safety rules and procedures are important. If
you say [workers] cannot do something and dont tell them why,
and they dont understand the risks associated with it, the rules
will be less effective, he said. In the US, Siemens has developed
a campaign for workers

called I Am Safety that takes
the campaign back into the
home, asking whether workers would consider something
safe to do at home.
While GE has dedicated
EHS staff, Holt said, they are
limited in number. Instead
we rely on people who have
extra EHS training to be
part-time EHS people that
are more highly trained than
47
regular workers. Theyre there at the site, and there are more of
them than the full-time EHS folks. And everyone has a certain
level of awareness. Everyones an EHS person, he said.
GEs workers are also trained to take responsibility for personal injury prevention. Climbing up and down wind towers
is strenuous exercise: Holt refers to wind O&M as an athletic
event and to GEs workers as industrial athletes who receive
gym memberships, healthy eating training and stretching programs to begin the working day.
Learning From Other Industries

Naturally, a young industry will look to older sectors for guidance. Theres a whole climbing industry out there, people who
climb mountains, TV towers; theres a lot of working at heights
in the world. We reach out to those industries because theyre
often ahead of us, said Holt. And GEs safety policies have been
informed by its experience in other sectors. We have a safety
culture born of GE aircraft engines, gas turbines, the nuclear
business, the railroad industry, the medical industry which has
been applied to the younger wind business, he said.
For an example, he explained, In the nuclear business the
last thing you want to do is drop tools you dont want to drop
something metal into a nuclear reactor or any part of a nuclear
system. Our nuclear business has a variety of tethering technologies that help us tie up tools so if you drop them they dont fall,
and weve applied that to working at heights you dont want
to drop something down through a wind turbine tower either.
Rose believes that talking to other industries is critical to
moving wind safety forward. Experience from the offshore oil &
gas industry, for example, could help in setting up requirements
for the new types of service vessels that will be increasingly used
as wind farms move further offshore.
Future-Proofng Safety
GE is constantly changing our procedures and products in order
to be safer, Holt said. And were always watching the latest regulations, rules and codes to make sure our products are compliant. Trade associations AWEA and EWEA are particularly active in pushing legislation and procedures to help improve safety,
he said.
Safety standards and procedures will continue to be adapted
in reaction to wind farm accidents, Rose said, but on the other
48
hand we can help put rules in

place where we see a need,
not based on incident statistics but supported by a risk
profle. The industry wants
to not just be reactive, he
said, but to be ahead of the
game.
Among other issues, the
GWO is currently looking into
safety procedures for vesselto-site crew transfers, working with the International Maritime Organization to
establish standards. It is also
looking at designing tests
and standards for worker ftness, for example to avoid
cases of seasickness or dizziness at height. And, Rose said,
as wind sites move further
away from population centers
and even from land, there is
a growing need for training
requirements for advanced
frst aid workers who can
close the gap between emergency medical staff, who may
take a while to arrive at the
scene of an accident, and
basic frst aid.
On-site safety is a continually moving target,
explained Rose, because
we dont know whats going
to happen. We can anticipate events and try to work
in that direction, but we may
get surprised along the way
and have to shift lanes. You
dont know whats going to
hit you.
POWER.
KEY TO INDIAS
FUTURE GROWTH
57 MAY 2014
PRAGATI MAIDAN

www.renewableenergyworldindia.com
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R E N E WA B L E E N E RG Y A N D T H E G R I D
Subsea Cables
Bring Offshore Wind
Power to the People
Cables are increasingly recognized as a crucial aspect
of wind farm construction and operation. Here, we
ofer a glimpse of a Norwegian subsea cable manufacturing
facility and review the challenges of this evolving market.
TILDY BAYAR, Contributing Editor
One might be surprised to learn that Norways tallest building is Nexans 120-meter extrusion tower at the companys
submarine high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable factory
in Halden. Nexans makes subsea cables that connect offshore
wind farms to the grid, transports them around the world and
installs them underwater so that the cables can bring clean
power from offshore wind farms to onshore substations and
from there to our homes.
Several different types of cable are used in offshore wind
projects. Low- (up to 1 kV) and medium-voltage loop cables
transmit the electricity produced in the turbines generator
to the transformer, usually located at the towers base. Then
array cables connect the turbines on a wind farm to each other
and export cables carry their power to the grid. Finally, underground and overhead line (OHL) cables that make it all work
on land. (See cable type images, page 56.)
On a recent tour of the factory, sponsored by Nexans, guides
explained that the high tower at the Nexans factory houses the
vertical extrusion machinery that begins the cable-making
process. From clean rooms at the top of the tower, superclean polyethylene and cross-linkable, super-smooth semicon are fed through a closed system of huge tubes back down
to an extruder at ground level, where the conductive material
50
and insulation are spit out

simultaneously from multiple extruders that feed into
a single head. The tower can
produce 15 km of cable in
one week before the workers have to stop the process to
change the enormous receiving baskets.
The height of the tower is
important because all of the
heat must be removed from
the materials before they
enter the tube. Curing and
cooling takes place in a dry
atmosphere of pressurized
nitrogen in the building before
the materials are fed from the
tower to various stations in
other buildings through cable
ways, little wheeled tracks
running across and between
buildings.
Using copper, aluminum, lead and wire, the materials are

formed into cable lengths weighing up to 400-500 kg. At the end
of the process the lengths are combined using proprietary joints
to make 60- to 70-km cables.
After several more processes involving insulation and
strengthening of the cables, they are tested for resilience and torsion. As a wind turbines nacelle rotates, the cables are severely
twisted, so they must be extremely resistant to both torque and
vibration. The torsion tests on cables simulate 20 years of use in
a wind installation. Nexans said the exact test applied to a given
cable depends on the customers specifcations.
A Challenging Market
The wind industrys move to deeper waters is challenging,
according to Nexans, because transport vessels can only hold
so much cable. Nexans fagship transport and laying boat, the
Skagerrak, holds 50 tons of cable on its built-in turntable. The
Hywind Offshore
Wind Farm via
Shutterstock
Skagerrak can accommodate

65 workers and has travelled
all over the world. Not many
vessels can hold its capacity,
according to the company,
and there are just one or two
others in the world including
the Giulio Verne, belonging
to Nexans main competitor
Prysmian.
With wind farms moving further offshore, Nexans customers are seeking
increasingly higher transmission capacity, which means
producing larger and longer
cables, said Vincent Dessale,
chief operating offcer of the
companys submarine highvoltage business line. The
Halden plant ran into problems in 2012 with an invoice
delay in submarine cables
leading to a drop in Nexans stock and an eventual
restructuring of the business.
The company has learned
some lessons, he said, including that feeding in more
machines and manpower to
match market demand is not
suffcient and that coping
with growing complexity and
increasing timeline uncertainty requires highly structured organization, robust
processes and the right
mindset.
Another challenge is that
cables are becoming increasingly important in risk management. One of the key
51
r e n e wa b l e e n e r g y a n d T h e g r i d
differences between offshore and onshore wind

farms, at the concept and design phase, is the
need to consider cable failure when designing the electrical architecture, said David
McNaught, senior engineer at consultancy
Frazer-Nash. If a submarine cable fails in service the consequences for the operability and
proftability of the wind farm could be dire,
especially if there are delays in securing a suitable repair vessel or if weather conditions are
severe, likely during the winter months.
It is essential that the electrical cable
systems of wind farms have high reliability, that the system has the ability to withstand unforeseen
circumstances, McNaught continued. Cable risk is a relatively new aspect of wind project fnancial analyses, he said,
but it is increasingly being considered to the point where
new guidelines from GL Renewables Certifcation, published
Coils of cable at the base of the

Nexans 120-meter extrusion
tower at the companys
submarine high-voltage direct
current (HVDC) cable factory in
Halden, Norway. Credit: Nexans.
WORLD MARKET UPDATE 2012

FORECAST 2013 - 2017
A BTM WIND REPORT
INCLUDES:
Gammel. Kongevej 1
DK-1610, Copenhagen, Denmark
Phone: +45 97325299
Fax: +4597325593
per.krogsgaard@navigant.com
birger.madsen@navigant.com
feng.zhao@navigant.com
Milestone: more than 285 GW wind power

globally
45 GW of new capacity added in 2012,
including 1.1 GW from offshore wind
The US surpassed China as the largest
market in terms of new installations in 2012

10 wind turbine suppliers in 2012
The top 15 wind owner-operators as of 2012
Market forecast to 2017 (on/offshore ) and
prediction to 2022
Latest incentives in key wind power
markets
Special section: Cold Climate Turbines
Major industry trends covered in more than
80 tables and graphs
More than 150 pages providing
comprehensive assessment of both supply
and demand in the wind market
GE 1.6-100 turbine at Invenergys Bishop Hill wind
farm in Illinois, United States
Copyright @ General Electric and Invenergy LLC
2013 Navigant Consulting, Inc.
All rights reserved. 00002552

52
The Nexans Capject can dig

trenches in soft or hard sediments,
according to the company, and is
able to operate in depths of up to
1,000 meters. Credit: Nexans.
in January, include on-site and power export cables. To

address this growing concern, Nexans said it has scaled
up risk analysis at the tendering stage and the company is
working to develop and implement risk mitigation before
beginning production.
Another challenge is transport for larger and longer cables.
Inter array
MVAC 3-core
or
Export
HVAC or DC
The current Skagerrak,

the third in its line at 130
km, was built in 1993; the
Skagerrak 4, which is expected to be complete in 2014,
will be 140 km.
Underground
HVAC or DC
AC
AC or DC
AC or DC
OHL
AC or DC
Offshore wind export and inter array cable types. Credit: Nexans.
53
Offcial Supporters:
Conference & Exhibition
MINISTRY OF ENERGY
4 - 6 March 2014 | Expocentre, Moscow, Russia
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Russian Energy Agency
Promoting Modernization Effciency and Innovation
RESERVE YOUR SPACE AT RUSSIAS LEADING

INTERNATIONAL HYDRO EVENT
HydroVision Russia, co-located with Russia Power, provides an ideal setting to explore business
opportunities, meet new partners, suppliers and the industrys most infuential decision-makers.
The 2013 event combined with Russia Power attracted over 5,500 attendees from 64 countries.
The three day event, comprises a busy exhibition foor featuring major Russian and international
hydropower companies accompanied by a thought provoking conference programme.
Worldwide:
Amanda Kevan
T: +44 (0) 1992 656 645
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E: amandak@pennwell.com
Why should you be at HydroVision Russia 2014

Be part of the largest international hydro event in Russia
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Discover new products and the latest technology

Learn about helpful services and new solutions
Connect with leading decision makers and luminaries in the hydro power market
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Interact with hydro experts from Europe, Latin America, North America,
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Network and meet high profle professionals and peers gathered in one place
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The market is growing in complexity, too, said Dirk

Steinbrink, executive vice president for high voltage and
underwater cables. The project scope of Nexans work has
expanded to offer not just cables but turnkey interconnection
solutions, he said.
On the Northwind project, which is expected to be completed before the end of 2013, Nexans is contracted to supply
cables to connect the Belwind 2 offshore wind farm to Northwind, and Northwind to the shore. The projects scope includes
cable design, testing, supply, jointing termination work and onsite testing (called cable witnessing). The company said that it
would use the largest cable ever manufactured at the project
site, a 1-meter wide, 30-kg behemoth.
Offshore wind farm developers must also consider the social
impact of the installation process. The acceptance level from
people living [near a site] is quite low, Steinbrink said. They
like green energy but dont want to see us doing the work. So
we do micro-tunneling, especially in places with tourism.
Frdric Michelland,
senior executive vice president for high-voltage and
underwater cables, North
and South America, does
not expect the market for
wind turbine cables to evolve
dramatically over time.
Today, he said, Nexans covers 80 percent of the European market, while tomorrow that will move to North
America and China but we
expect our market to remain
largely European. In Europe
there are still plenty of projects where most of the action
will take place, he said.
B I O E N E RG Y
Lush Grass Becomes

Lush Green for UK
Biogas Project
Te UKs largest independent cheese producer and milk
processing frm is also the countrys greenest as a new biogas
plant makes the brand 100 percent powered by renewable energy.
DAVID APPLEYARD, Contributing Editor
Deep in the gently rolling Mendip Hills of Somerset, in the

southwest of England, nestles a dairy farm with 150 years of
cheese-making heritage. It lies only a few miles from the site of
the world-famous Glastonbury rock festival and the cows clearly dig the music, because they not only produce enough milk for
some 14,000 metric tonnes of top quality cheese a year they
also power the farm.
Wyke Farms is the U.K.s largest independent cheese producer and milk processor, supplied by around 30 surrounding farms as well as its own three dairy units. In a 5 million (US $8 million) project that took fve years to plan and
construct, an on-site anaerobic digestor (AD) system together
with two gas engines and associated ancillaries now power
the farm and dairy.
With the cows help, the operation supplies both process
heat and electricity, enough to make this thriving business
entirely powered by renewable energy.
56
Featuring three 4,600 m3

biogas digesters, which are
loaded up to 48 times over
any 24-hour period, some 150
tonnes of material per day are
fed into the cylindrical tanks.
The installation is licensed to
convert up to 75,000 tonnes of
biodegradable waste material
from the farm and dairy per
year, but currently the farm
processes only 55,000 tonnes
annually and there are no
plans to increase throughput
capacity at this time.
Wyke Farms Anarobic Digester

Units. Credit: Wyke Farms.
The feedstock includes both cow and pig slurry from the Wyke
farms dairy operation and piggery as well as dry materials such
as rapeseed plant stalks. These act as a substrate for the microorganisms to cling to in order to support their growth.
In addition, whey permeate derived from the cheese-making
process is used to generate biogas. However, as this material
aside from water comprising largely of lactose and minerals is
relatively high in sugar it must be fed in slowly to avoid a subsequent surge in gas production.
Under normal operation the AD is expected to produce some
250 m3 of gas per hour.
Gas produced through the anaerobic digestion process is dehydrated and scrubbed for H2S compounds before combustion to
prevent excessive corrosion associated with the production of sulphuric acid. As part of this process, some oxygen is injected into
the digester header tanks to

encourage the growth of bacteria that can consume such
compounds before the gas is
passed through a carbon flter.
Alongside the digester
units, which were installed
by Germany-based Nord Biogas, there are two 670-hp
gas engines with capacities
of 499 kWe and about 700
kWth each, manufactured
by MWM and supplied and
installed by Pro2.
One engine has a heat
57
bioenergy
recovery system that is used to aid the

process of digestion as well as to pasteurize the digestate.
Within the cast concrete walls of
the digester tanks, plastic tubes circulate heated water from the cooling
jacket and the heat recovery exchanger from one of the engines. This heats
the slurry within the digester tanks to
some 40C to promote biological activity, while feed water and other source
materials are also pre-warmed.
Currently two of the three digester
tanks are being used to process material. The third is being used to store
digestate and could potentially be
Grass clippings and cow slurry are used to create electricity and
available for gas production after this
power at Wyke Farms. Credit: Wyke Farms.
material is stored at a location central to the farm sites. However, with
no plans to increase capacity it is likely that its use as a storage
business after four generafacility will continue.
tions, is both the production
This digestate is used as a rich organic fertilizer and goes
director at the cheese maker
back on the land. It is even given to local farms contracted to
and is the lead driver behind
supply milk to the Wyke Farms dairy and reduces the requirethe companys green ambiment for additional nitrogen fertilizer, which is typically chemitions. He explained that the
cally produced. Excess heat is also used to pasteurize the digesproject is supported under
tate, eliminating any potential pathogens before distribution on
the U.K.s renewable enerthe agricultural land.
gy feed-in tariff support
The second engine, on a different though nearby site, receives
scheme and that the compaits fuel from the digesters via a gas line. Heat from this unit is
ny receives 14.02p/kWh (US
used in the cheese-making process, supplying steam to the dairy
$0.087/kWh) of energy proand farm, for example.
duced. With an anticipated
Alongside the gas engines are a number of gas burners to fare
load factor of 96 percent or
excess gas in the event of say, an engine failure.
more, this equates to annual
The whole system is computer-controlled and can be operated
support to the tune of around
remotely via an Internet connection. Furthermore, as it is grid1.2 million (US $2 million).
connected, the system also can be controlled remotely by the
The project was fnanced
local distribution company or network operator. In the event of a
through an extension to the
repair to the local network, the generators may be taken offine
farms existing loan faciland then resynchronized once required.
ity arranged through BarTom Clothier, one of the family members still working in the
clays Bank, and Clothier said
58
bioenergy
he expects the project to deliver

a return-on-investment within
fve or six years. The project has
a 20-year feed-in tariff agreement in place.
Speaking at the offcial commissioning of the facility, Richard Clothier, another scion of
the cheese-making dynasty,
declared the project made the
company the greenest brand in
grocery with 100 percent green
energy supplying the farm and
dairy. However, he also called
upon other manufacturers to
take advantage of the support
schemes that make such projects desirable and economically
attractive. The tariff schemes
Wyke Farms solar panels. Credit: Wyke Farms.
that support projects like this
are generous and they wont be around forever, he said.
Were committed to energy effciency and were proud to be
Wyke Farms also recently
one of the frst national food brands to be self-suffcient. Susacquired a Nissan Leaf electainability and environmental issues are increasing in importric vehicle that will be used
tance to each and every consumer in the U.K. and green energy
for local deliveries and will
makes both emotional and practical sense, Clothier said. Using
be charged using the solar
an AD at dairy farms closes a cycle, according to Clothier. We
PV on Wykes dairy farm
can now take the cow waste [which has inherently been a probbuildings.
lem] and turn it into pure, clean energy to drive all our own
Overall, the environmental
needs and more.
program will enable the farm
The AD project is part of the cheese brands 10 million ($16
to make claimed savings of
million) green energy venture. In addition to the new biogas
4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxunit the company has also invested in a 49-kW and 39-kW solar
ide emissions per annum.
power installation. It has also taken other environmental meaWyke Farms cheddar is
sures such as water recovery from the dairy operations.
a brand with heritage and
Another project under consideration is the development of
quality at its heart, but susa gas upgrading system that will purify the biogas by extracttainability is also a core
ing carbon dioxide and also add an odor to allow direct injecvalue. Its biogas investment
tion into the national gas distribution grid. Clothier also is conis designed to mean that the
sidering heat recovery systems from the water used in the dairy
Clothier family can create
process, and the company has opened its Green Visitor Cenat least another 150 years of
tre dedicated to educating others about sustainability in action.
cheese-making history.
59
H Y D RO P OW E R
Hydropower Renaissance
Signals Investment Surge
Massive resources remain available for hydropower
development in key growth areas such as
China, Africa and Brazil. With its environmental
credentials bolstered, new hydropower is attracting
a wave of interest, and with it investment cash.
DAVID APPLEYARD, Contributing Editor
According to the World Energy Councils latest World Energy

Resources (WER) report, hydropower already provides a substantial proportion of energy worldwide, contributing approximately 15 percent of global electricity production. Indeed in
several countries, for example Iceland, Nepal and Mozambique,
hydropower accounts for over half of all electricity generation.
In terms of capacity, this new analysis declares the top fve
largest hydropower markets as Brazil, Canada, China, Russia
and the U.S. Of these, China signifcantly exceeds the others,
representing 24 percent of the total global installed capacity.
Perhaps more signifcantly, during 2012, an estimated 27-30
GW of new hydropower and 2-3 GW of pumped storage capacity was commissioned worldwide, the report says. Noting the
Night lights at xthe hydroelectric dam at the Dniper River in Kiev,

Ukraine via Shutterstock.
60
growth in hydropower was

facilitated by renewable energy support policies and penalties related to carbon dioxide
emissions, WEC fnds that the
total global installed hydropower capacity has increased
by 55 percent over the last
two decades. Furthermore,
since the last report three
years ago, hydropower installations have seen growth of
some 8 percent.
The report is published
to coincide with the triennial World Energy Congress,
held this year in Daegu,
South Korea. This major
event brings together global energy leaders and policy
makers to explore a route to
resolving the energy trilemma, which is secure, affordable and sustainable energy
access for all.
Richard Taylor, executive director of the International Hydropower Association, echoed the WEC reports
fndings, saying negotiations
with environmental activists, banks and other players since 2000,

which led to the 2011 Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol, have been rewarded with record deployment since 2007.
Meanwhile, Oskar Sigvaldason, founder and president of environmental consultancy form SCMS Global, told the 6,000 assembled delegates that in mature markets such as the United States
and Canada, the lowest cost charges are in those jurisdictions
which happen to be hydro-dominated. His message regarding
hydro was emphatic, wherever it is, it should be built, he said.
This positive attitude towards hydropower investment is
refected in a recent report that highlights a forecast for signifcant cash fow into the sector.
New analysis from GlobalData fnds worldwide cumulative hydropower installed capacity is expected to increase from
1,065 GW in 2012 to 1,407 GW in 2020, at a Compound Annual
Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3.5 percent. Over the same period, hydropower investments are expected to reach US $75 billion.
Breaking down the capacity profle, GlobalData forecasts that
by 2020 some 1,052 GW of the total will come from large hydro
capacity, with 215 GW of pumped storage and 140 GW of small
hydropower capacity.
The Asia-Pacifc region is expected to dominate the capacity
growth, at approximately 208 GW in total, with China alone likely to contribute 147.3 GW over the forecast period. India, Indonesia and Vietnam are big players too, planning to add around 23.2
GW, 9.4 GW and 5.8 GW, respectively, the analysis adds.
Meanwhile, Europe and North America, which have mature
hydropower markets, will also experience growth in installations, with the respective addition of 271 GW and 197 GW.
Expansion of pumped storage capacity and the modernization
and refurbishment of existing plants is expected to drive investment in these regions.
According to the report, overall the hydropower market is a lucrative area for investment, with a less risky portfolio than other renewables. Furthermore, various countries have
announced expansion targets and support programs for the
development of this sector, the document adds.
Commenting, GlobalData power sector analyst, Swati Singh,
said: Although fossil fuels dominate electricity generation across
the world, more than 60 countries use hydropower to meet more
than half of their electricity needs. The technology is the most
popular non-polluting source of electricity generation for various
reasons, including its ability

to respond to changing electricity demand, water management and food control.
Evidence of the scale of
investment in hydropower
projects can be seen in Laos,
where China was reportedly the countys largest foreign
investor in the frst 11 months
of the 2012-2013 fnancial
year, with over $1.33 billion
of inward cash. The 290-MW
Nam Ngiep 1 hydropower
project in Borikhamxay province was apparently responsible for more than $868 million of this total. Construction
is expected to commence next
year with completion scheduled for 2019.
It is also potentially the
scale of such investments
that makes them opportunities for a multitude of players. An example comes from
the Democratic Republic of
Congo and its giant Grand
Inga 3 project. Three groups
of companies are already bidding to develop this $12 billion, 4,800-MW project. But,
according to media reports,
Energy Minister Bruno
Kapandji said at a recent
mining and infrastructure
conference: Were open to
other operators [joining the
bid groups] the candidates
are not closed. A development group is expected to be
chosen next summer.
61
h y d r o p ow e r
Inga 3 is the frst new phase of the proposed eight power plant
and cumulative 40-GW capacity Grand Inga project, which will
make it part of the worlds largest hydropower installation.
Its not just enormous projects like Grand Inga that are attracting investors though. Small hydro, too, has seen a resurgence. A
recent example comes from the U.K. where venture capital group
Albion Ventures has invested 9.3 million (US $16 million) in
partnership with Green Highland Renewables to fund the development of a single 2-MW hydropower scheme in the Scottish
Highlands. The group says it expects the scheme to beneft from
the U.K.s feed-in-tariff regime.
In closing the World Energy Congress, UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon reaffrmed his pledge to provide one billion people across the globe with access to sustainable energy by 2030,
energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth,
environmental health, social fairness and opportunity, he said.
Ban Ki-moon continued: Clean, modern and affordable
energy services are essential for sustainable development and
achieving the Millennium

Development Goals.
Indeed, subsequently Executive Secretary of
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change, Christiana Figueres, speaking at a press conference, was unequivocal:
The quality of future energy will determine the future
quality of life of people on
this planet.
Of course, they werent
referring to sustainably developed hydropower alone, but
they nonetheless defned it
perfectly.
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G E OT H E R M A L
Geothermal Industry
Partnerships Push
the Innovation Envelope
In one geothermal
power plant, a new
use of technology resulted
in higher efciencies and
lower maintenance costs.
adopting innovative technology to help achieve higher effciencies, reduce maintenance costs and improve the reliability of 30 condenser fans at its geothermal power plant in the
Oregon desert.
The Neal Hot Springs 22-MW geothermal power plant
near Vale, Oregon, began operation in November 2012.
The project was developed by Boise, Idaho-based U.S.
TOM WEINANDY, Power Industry
Geothermal Inc.
Business Manager, Baldor
Most of the thermal energy that enters the plant has to
be removed as waste heat in the cooling system, in this
Geothermal energy is a clean,
case through an air-cooled heat exchanger. Thermodynamgreen, renewable source of
ic laws dictate that the cooler the heat source the less enerpower that faces challenges
gy can be converted to electricity. Therefore, it also means
regarding costs and project timethat the heat rejection equipment, as a percentage of overlines. One company has found a
all plant construction, becomes more expensive for geotherway to improve the margins by
mal power plants like Neal Hot Springs because the geothermal resource is cooler
than the geothermal
industry average and
is much cooler than
the combustion temperature in a coal- or
gas-fred power plant.
For example, a
22-MW geothermal plant requires
the same sized cooling tower as a 50-MW
natural gas steam
plant. U.S. Geothermal
VP of Project DevelopThe Neal Hot Springs Geothermal Facilitys 30 100-HP condenser fans.
ment Kevin Kitz said
Credit: Baldor.
this is why reducing
63
g e ot h e r m a l
Inside the fan: Baldors cooling tower motor solution
The Neal Hot Springs Geothermal Facilitys 30 100-HP
for air-cooled condensers. Credit: Baldor.
condenser fans. Credit: Baldor.
operation and maintenance (O&M) costs of the heat rejection system are critical to the economic success of low-temperature geothermal plants like Neal Hot Springs.
In searching for ways to reduce those O&M costs, Kitz discovered Baldors direct drive cooling tower motor, which replaces the traditional gearbox confguration typically used in cooling towers. I was very interested in using this motor from the
minute that I frst heard about it, said Kitz. Its a very effcient
motor that uses a variable frequency drive (VFD) to reduce parasitic losses to improve proft margins. It also has very low maintenance costs, and a fve-year warranty.
The motor combines the technologies of Baldors laminated
fnned frame RPM AC motor with a high-performance permanent
magnet (PM) rotor design, creating a high torque, direct drive
motor designed for cooling tower applications.
The laminated fnned frame construction provides a highly
effcient, power-dense package that replaces the right angle gearbox and jack shaft installation found in conventional cooling towers. The fan couples directly to the motor shaft and is controlled
by Baldors VS1 cooling tower drive for optimal variable speed
performance.
Changing the Game

Not only was U.S. Geothermal the frst company in the geothermal industry to adopt Baldors cooling tower motor solution for
air-cooled condensers, it was also the frst in any industry to
apply the 5800 size motor in such a large-scale project. The aircooled condensers at Neal Hot Springs are also innovative for
64
the large diameter induced

draft fans on the horizontal
air heat exchanger bundles.
Kitz said the big fans offer a
huge advantage in terms of
performance, and the Baldor motors supplement those
advantages.
In other industries, the
heat rejection system is the
tail of the dog, says Kitz. But
in geothermal power plants,
heat rejection IS the dog. It
represents as much as onethird of the total cost of the
installed power plant equipment. Consequently, even
small improvements go a long
way, and we feel we have
achieved a big improvement.
Ian Spanswick, product
director with TAS Energy,
was the power plant project
developer for Neal Hot Springs
and responsible for the technology of the power plant.
He said TAS recognized the
potential of using the cooling
International
Denver was my 10th HydroVision
professionals
and as earlier I enjoyed meeting
most exciting
and listening to presentations. The
brush-less
point was presentation of a novel
thyristors.
rotating exciter utilizing controlled
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Itfeatures the same fast dynamic
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as legacy carbon-dust producing
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g e ot h e r m a l
Looking down into one of U.S. Geothermals condenser fans at its San
Emidio 9-MW binary cycle power plant. Credit: Baldor.
tower motor technology

remain clear.
Effciency, low cost of
ownership and promised reliability drove our decision to
use Baldor motors in these
dry cooling, air-cooled condensers, said Kitz. This
motor was the right product
at the right time.
Realizing the benefts that
can be achieved with this
unique solution, U.S. Geothermal also installed largediameter fans and Baldor
tower motor while brainstorming with the U.S. Geothermal

team, and it was through the
teams interest that TAS really started exploring it as an
option. It was a novel idea to use
cooling tower motors with aircooled condensers. Spanswick
said while his company strives
to fnd new and better ways of
doing things, progress like this
wouldnt have been possible
unless the customer was also
pushing to do more.
We were able to work handin-hand with U.S. Geothermal to U.S. Geothermal also installed large-diameter fans and Baldor cooling
improve the project, said Span- tower motors at its San Emidio 9-MW binary cycle power plant, located
swick. Working like this with a 100 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada. Credit: Baldor.
receptive and creative customer is a working relationship that is very unique. Ive rarely come
cooling tower motors at its
across it, and I think thats what made this successful and helped
San Emidio plant in Nevada.
to move the industry forward.
The advantages of this
Kitz said its typical of his company to investigate and closearrangement have also been
ly scrutinize all new technology. TAS seeks engineered solunoticed and adopted at other
tions that will help it improve processes and control costs. And
domestic geothermal power
he believes that the key benefts of adopting the new cooling
projects.
66
DECEMBER 7-11, 2014
>>
ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER
>>
ORLANDO, FL, USA
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www.powergenerationweek.com
Covering every aspect of the power generation industry, POWER-GEN International, NUCLEAR POWER International, Renewable Energy
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Week. Beneft from fve days packed with pre-conference workshops, technical tours, over 70 conference sessions, panel discussions,
three exhibition days and multiple networking events. Gain access to nearly every facet of the market all under one roof.
Learn more at www.powergenerationweek.com
Owned & Produced by
Presented by
Supported by
Renewa ble Energ y Wor ld C a lenda r D ecemb er 2013 a nd Ja nua r y 2014

Selected multi-day conferences, expos and events for the renewable energy industry
The Scottish Green Energy Awards 2013
5 December 2013
Edinburgh, Scotland
www.scottishrenewables.com
6th Energy Expo 2013
5 7 December 2013
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
www.energyexpo.biz
International Green Building Expo-China

11 13 December 2013
Guangzhou, China
www.igbchina.com
World Congress on Sustainable

Technologies 2013
9 12 December 2013
London, UK
www.wcst.org
3rd International Conference on

the Developments in Renewable
Energy Technology
9 11 January 2014
Dhak, Bangladesh
www.icdret.uiu.ac.bd
AWEA Wind Resource & Project

Energy Assessment Seminar
10 11 December 2013
Las Vegas, NV, USA
www.awea.org
4th Central European

Biomass Conference
15 18 January 2014
Graz, Austria
www.cebc.at
U.S. Solar Market Insight Conference

10 11 December 2014
San Diego, CA, USA
www.greentechmedia.com
Adver t iser s Index
The Offshore Wind

International B2B event
11 12 December 2013
Esbjerg, Denmark
www.owib.dk/
Fuels of the Future 2014

20 21 January 2014
Berlin, Germany
www.fuels-of-the-future.com
World Future Energy Summit

20 22 January 2014
Abu Dhabi, UAE
www.worldfutureenergysummit.com
Wind Power Romania & Eastern Markets
21 22 January 2014
Bucharest, Romania
www.greenpowerconferences.com
SolarTech Expo Turkey
27 28 January 2014
Istanbul, Turkey
www.greenworldconferences.com
Onshore and Offshore Wind
Operations and Maintenance Forum
27 28 January 2014
Hamburg, Germany
www.windenergyupdate.com
2nd Southern African Solar
Energy Conference
27 29 January 2014
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
www.sasec.org.za
Scan the QR code for information on the products and services found in this issue.
ABB OYCV2
Navigant Consulting Inc.52
Schneider Electric2
Bureau Veritas North

America, Inc.31
Nexans13
Solar Promotion International

GmbH17
Dtech Africa 201325
Ontario Ministry Of Economic

Development & Trade1
Everglades University6
Pennsylvania State Unniversity33
Hydrovision International 201465
Power Generation Week 201467
Hydrovision Russia 201454
PVSYST SA41
Mtu Friedrichshafen GmbH55
REW Europe19
Multi-Contact AG5
REW India 201449
Solar Promotion International

GmbH37
Solarexpo & Greenbuilding39
Sputnik Engineering23
Swiss Re America Holding Co.15
Underwriters Laboratories11
The Adveritsers Index is published as a service. The publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions.
68
Renewa ble Energ y Tra ining Event s

Here we offer a sampling of short renewable energy educational events and certificate programs throughout the world.
Solar Hot Water Design & Installation

Training + NABCEP Exam
Heatspring Learning Institute
Online
2 December 2013 10 January 2014
PVOL202 Solar Training:

Advanced PV System Design
Solar Energy International
Online
13 January 2014
Using Biomass Now

Agroforestry & Woodlot Extension Society
Alberta, Canada
2-4 December 2013
Wind Project O&M and Safety Seminar

American Wind Energy Association
San Diego, CA, USA
15-15 January 2014
World Geothermal Energy Summit

Arc Media Global
Nairobi, Kenya
5-6 December 2013
Hands-On Solar PV Training

Boston, MA, USA
17 January 2014
The Green Power Mini-MBA

Green Power Academy
Santiago, Chile
9-13 December 2013
Geothermal Designer Boot Camp

+ LoopLink Certification
Online, 20 January 28 February 2014
Wind Power Romania

Green Power Academy
Bucharest, Romania
21-24 January 2014
Health & Safety 2014
RenewableUK
Birmingham, UK
29 January 2014
GeoTHERM Expo and Congress
Messe Offenburg-Ortenau
Offenburg, Germany
20-21 February 2014
Biomass One-Day Course
The European Energy Centre
Coventry University, UK and Edinburgh
Napier University, Scotland and Online
Offered Year Round
If you would like your training event to considered for inclusion in this listing, please email REWNews@Pennwell.com subject line: Education and Training.
Opinion and
Commentary
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hear it!
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Last
the
WORD
Insuring Against Renewable

Energy Equipment Loss
George Pooley is
head of loss adjusting

at Renewable Energy
Loss Adjusters (RELA).
He provides specialist
claims support to the
London insurance and
underwriting markets.
70
Theft from solar PV farms in southern Europe has been an important

topic for the past few years. Insurers
throughout London have reacted by
offering theft warranties to lessen the
impact of theft on insured parties.
However a new trend that is emerging is solar property destruction due
to landslides. These events are often
reported as a landslide, but can occur
in the wake of storm activity.
The matter is worth attention simply due to the scale. Typically a theft
loss might cost about 150,000 but
these land movement events are causing substantially more damage resulting in much higher costs.
Betterment is often an important
factor in these losses. Our firm has
frequently concluded that the lack of
proper drainage infrastructure exacerbated losses; arguably, had adequate drainage been installed initially, the loss might not have occurred.
Obviously, though, insurers are not
willing to finance betterment to solar
PV farm drainage after the event.So,
as a result, these kinds of losses give
rise to a myriad of potential issues.
Are they one-off events? Do they
occur over a period of time? How
many deductibles apply? Are the PV
farms always damaged? (i.e. the trigger for most all risk policies). There
may be damage, but what exclusions
might operate? (For example: Poor

design or poor site choice.) If design
is excluded but there is a buy back
for the consequential damage, where
does which start and end? And what
of the supporting frame or the panels? The industry must work to determine these answers.
These losses also seem to be
reported late often because asset
owners underestimate the scale of
the issues in play. How strictly should
insurers be interpreting their loss
notification clauses?
Adjusters are bound to raise these
issues with underwriters and can
assist in the final decision-making
on coverage. But one fundamental
point is clear: Landslide issues almost
invariably arise from poor geotechnical planning and poor understanding
of land movement, especially under
fixed, long arrays that are attempting to draw straight immovable lines
across undulating and moveable countryside. Throw water into the mix and
the outcome may be inevitable.
On a positive note, of the currently available renewable energy sources,
solar remains one of the better risks
in terms of dollars spent in the long
run. A positive ray of sunshine then
and an all-important one, particularly
given the anti-dumping PV panel saga
that continues to run and run.

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PUBLISHER James M. Callihan

ASSOCIATE EDITOR James Montgomery

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Meg Fuschetti

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Mari Rodriguez

AD SERVICES MANAGER Toni Pendergrass

For information on advertising in future issues

Renewable Energy World is circulated free

CHAIRMAN Frank T. Lauinger

While every attempt is made to ensure the

Jennifer Runyon, Chief Editor

Tracking Latin Americas

as of the end of 2012, vs. 80 in the

17 percent the year before, noted

captured six percent of the total

BNEF chief executive Michael Lieb-

U.S. $268 billion invested world-

Among the studys encouraging

reich, specifically calling out Chile,

wide in clean energy last year,

data points: retail power prices

the Dominican Republic, Mexico,

slightly more than the year before,

remain generally high across the

and Uruguay. Chile came in sec-

thanks to strengthened govern-

region which makes deployment

ond overall, quadrupling its renew-

ment policy support and expand-

of renewables more attractive,

able investments from 2011-2012 to

ing supply chains, according to

and nearly all of identified value

$2.1 billion. Third-place Nicaragua,

Climatescope 2013, a report from

chain links are filled. There are