11 | 2019 | 78538

Islanding solar Biodiversity in PV

Maldives developing accessibility Breeding ecological solar sites to
with hundreds of microgrids support plants, soil and insects
Pages 34 – 35 Pages 52 – 55

Time for microgrids to go macro?

By offering solutions to energy and utility challenges across the globe,
microgrids are booming.
Pages 16 – 45
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 editorial

imprint
Publisher
Eckhart K. Gouras
pv magazine group GmbH & Co. KG
A new wave of accessibility
Kurfürstendamm 64, 10707 Berlin, Germany
Editors pv magazine group Photo: pv magazine/Thomas Beetz
Becky Beetz – Head of Content – beetz@pv-magazine.com
Jonathan Gifford – Editor in Chief –
The recent massive blackouts in Califor-
gifford@pv-magazine.com nia have cast a spotlight on the ability of
Erica Johnson – Managing Editor –
erica.johnson@pv-magazine.com microgrids to provide resilient and reli-
Mark Hutchins – mark.hutchins@pv-magazine.com
Christian Roselund – roselund@pv-magazine.com
able power in the face of grid outages. But
Emiliano Bellini – emiliano.bellini@pv-magazine.com microgrids are not a new concept.
Michael Fuhs, Editor in Chief pv magazine Deutschland
fuhs@pv-magazine.com
Sandra Enkhardt – enkhardt@pv-magazine.com The deployment of decentralized power
Marian Willuhn – marian.willuhn@pv-magazine.com
Authors: Camron Barati, Fabian Baretzky, Paul Hockenos,
generation assets on a small distribution
Craig Lewis, Corrine Lin, Justin Locke, Marija Maisch,
Benedict O’Donnell, Jesse Pichel, Martin Schachinger,
network can actually be traced back to the
Mirco Sieg, Florian Stark, Charles Thurston, George Tou- 19th century under the genius of Thomas
loupas, Ilias Tsagas
Proofreader: Brian Publicover Edison (yes, even with batteries… what a
Translators: Tim Hanes, Veritas Europa human). With the surge of industrializa-
Photo editor: Tom Baerwald
Graphics: Harald Schütt tion, our power structures transitioned
Cover: Image provided by SwimSol GmbH to massive centralized grids – and what
Sales & Marketing Director
Andrea Jeremias appears to be an endless mirage of trans- Localized power networks comprised of
Tel.: +49-30-213 00 50 23 | jeremias@pv-magazine.com
mission lines and poles – that we know DERs and smart energy management soft-
Sales
Julia Wolters so well in the developed world of today. ware and controllers (pp. 44-45, 56-59)
Tel.: +49 -30-213 00 50 28 | julia.wolters@pv-magazine.com
Rachel Sorenson
present a new model for creating resil-
Tel.:+49 -30-213 00 50 39 | rachel.sorenson@pv-magazine.com When starting in the PV industry a iency and reliability. When the power goes
Greater China & Korea, Hong Kong Office, Calvin Chong
Tel.: +852-9732 8266 | calvin@pv-magazine.com decade ago, my concept of a microgrid out, as it did for Californians this fall (pp.
North America, Matt Gallinger
Tel.: +1-518-560-0179 | matt@pv-magazine.com
was a simple module+battery solution 32-33), microgrids are showing bottom-
India, Chetan Phakatkar that could bring electricity to remote vil- up potential to meet the shortcomings of
Tel.: +49 -176-26 56 00 26 | chetan@pv-magazine.com
Italy, Francesco Tedesco lages to bring power where traditional the utility models (pp. 28-31) that we have
Tel.: +39 -328-939 24 50 | fr.tedesco@pv-magazine.com
Japan, Noriko Ishii
grid models could not reach. While this relied on so heavily up until now.
Tel.: +49 -30-213 00 50 24 | japan@pv-magazine.com still rings true – and the opportunity for
Marketing
Marina Ramain - Senior Manager, Marketing & Events
our sector to bring energy accessibility to My past concept of module+battery
Tel: +49-30-213 00 50 29 | marina.ramain@pv-magazine.com Africa (pp. 16-19, 20-23) and the underde- for rural areas has transitioned into
Alithea Joseph - Senior Events & Special Projects Manager
Tel: +49-30-213 00 50 32 | alithea.joseph@pv-magazine.com veloped world is now more exciting than solar+storage for the globalized world
Jasmina Zlatoper - Junior Manager, Marketing & Sales
Tel: +49-30-213 00 50 36 | jasmina.zlatoper@pv-magazine.com ever – the times, and my perception, have of today. Microgrids represent plentiful
Advertising Administration certainly changed. opportunity for isolated island states such
Anika Wedemeyer
Tel.: +49-30-213 00 50 22 | media@pv-magazine.com as the Maldives (pp. 34-35) and advanced
Subscriptions/individual issues Microgrids represent modern grids. An megacities alike. And now, we leap for-
Contact support@pv-magazine.com or visit the pv magazine
web shop at https://shop.pv-magazine.com to buy a subscrip- energy transition is our necessary driver ward with an ever growing emphasis on
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into the future, and as we continue to steer the smart technologies of the future. Vis-
Number of issues Twelve per year
Purchase prices away from the fossil fuels used in Edison’s iting Taipei for Energy Taiwan last month
Annual subscription for 12 issues: €199 print/€89 digital,
including shipping and VAT, where appropriate. Single issue: microgrid of the past, the deployment of (pp. 24-27) drew my attention closer to the
€19 print/€9.50 digital, including shipping and VAT where
appropriate. Purchase prices are applicable at the time an
distributed energy resources (DERs) in a marriage of PV and high-tech – AI, IoT,
order is received. decentralized manner is bringing a pleth- and big data (p. 78)... pushing us all for-
Terms
Orders can be made in our online shop (shop.pv-magazine. ora of solutions to address challenges that ward into energy industry 4.0. For that, I
com), with our reader service or in bookshops in Germany
and abroad. Should it not be possible to ship the magazine
extend far beyond accessibility. think Edison would be proud.
for reasons that lie outside the responsibility of the publisher,  Erica Johnson
the subscriber has no right to claim subsequent shipments,
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Unexpectedly low demand in Thermal derating losses
Copyright has impacted the recent may require additional

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The magazine and all of the texts and images contained therein
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ISSN 1865-3138
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www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019 1
contents

36

20
A second chance to electrify Africa
Mobisol’s financial woes give pause for thought
on the efforts of solar home system startups on
the African continent. But Engie and other big
players are about to get kicking.
Around the world in nine microgrids
Our pick of some of the most intriguing and impactful microgrid projects from
around the world. Solar, batteries and more are providing reliable power
supplies to a prison in California, Australian lobster catchers, and villagers in the
heart of Germany.

46 52
Model progress Killing two birds with one stone
A look at the industry’s efforts at tackling the complex task of modeling ... or saving many birds with one solar plant. pv magazine
bifacial energy yields, and a dive into the system optimizations that can examines the opportunity for PV projects to coexist with nature
keep pushing those yields skyward. and provide habitats for many forms of wildlife.

‘There is a great unmet need in

60 this industry for differentiation’
pv magazine sat down with First
Solar CEO Mark Widmar to talk about
bankability, bifacial and the latest
developments across the global PV
module market.

A responsible compromise
Perovskites hold the key to future high-
efficiency plans. But the presence of lead
in the mixture could be one thing that’s
weighing them down.
64
2 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 Advertisement
Photo: Paul Hockenos

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Paul Hockenos (pp. 20-23) is a Berlin-based writer who has
been working in Europe since 1989. His work appears in The
Nation, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, CNN.com, The New York
Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and elsewhere. He ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
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Craig Lewis, executive director of the Clean Coalition (pp.32-33),
has more than 20 years of experience in the renewables, wireless,
semiconductor, and banking industries. Previously VP of gov-
ernment relations at GreenVolts, he was the first to successfully
navigate a solar project through California’s Renewable Portfolio
Standard solicitation process. Lewis was also the energy policy
lead on Steve Westly’s 2006 California gubernatorial campaign.
“We’re at a critical point for community microgrids, which pro-
vide unparalleled resilience benefits. The wildfires and power
shutoffs in California are bringing increased awareness to the Original MC4 connector
need for these deployments, while costs are declining and more
as favorable policies are being promoted to unleash the commu-
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www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019 © Stäubli 2019 | Photocredits: GettyImages-545378314, Stäubli
contents

6 News 34 I slanding on and off the ocean: 56 Intelligent management: A look at

Lessons from the Maldives’ clean what keeps a microgrid ticking.
energy plan for grid resilience.
markets & trends ≥ 60  ifacial and mono boom a threat
B
36  round the world in nine
A to thin film: First Solar CEO Mark
8 How long?: China’s faltering microgrids: Project highlights Widmar is up to the challenge.
demand drags the rest of the pack. from our microgrid overview.
64  responsible compromise:
A
10  e missing piece: We skip the Q4
Th 40  aking hold Down Under: Pend-
T Perovskites hold the key to high
spike in prices this year, but Europe ing a regulatory update, a water- efficiency. But is lead weighing
might not seize the opportunity. shed year lies ahead for Austra- them down?
lian microgrids.
12  e golden age of trackers: IHS
Th 68  ow large of a problem is thermal
H
Markit is tracking impressive growth. 42  oward a financial tipping point:
T derating?: Long-term durability or
A firebird brought new life to Bei- higher yields on hot days – a deli-
14  odule prices continue to fall:
M rut, but hold your horses there. cate calculation.
And sluggish demand is the culprit.
44  uccess factors for hybrid
S 72  v magazine test: September’s
p
16  ffgrid goes global: The tech is
O microgrids: There is more to see results from our test field in Xi’an.
not all off the grid anymore, as than giraffes and lions in Kruger
energy giants buy a stake. National Park. 74  olar Power Mexico rises to the
S
challenge: The event is set for
20  second chance: Mobisol’s finan-
A 46 Model progress: Forecasting and growth in 2020, despite challenges
cial woes give pause for thought, optimizing bifacial energy yield, in the domestic market.
before Engie gets kicking. from the ground up.

24  ownstream up: The old upstream

D storage &
star is heading down new paths. industry & suppliers ≥
smart grids ≥
50  iligence is due: ... where quality
D
applications & is on the line. pv magazine’s Qual- 76 Storage news: A gold mine in Mali,
ity Roundtable at SPI 2019. production in India and the latest
installations ≥ battery research developments.
52  illing two birds with one stone:
K
28 I n position to undermine utilities: Or how solar is helping birds and
Where power cuts dampen cus- flowers thrive, so to speak. details ≥
tomer trust, micrgrids step in.
78 On the road with pv magazine
32  e answer to utility shutdowns:
Th 80 Final thought
Literally trailblazing the path to
community grids.

advertisement overview ≥
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news

14.24% efficiency for large-area perovskite module

Chinese perovskite cell maker Micro-

Photo: Microquanta
quanta Semiconductor says its research
team has achieved a 14.24% conver-
sion efficiency record for a large-area
(200x800cm) perovskite solar module. It
has reportedly passed testing by the Euro-
pean Solar Test Installation lab, and comes
just two months after the startup achieved
an 11.98% landmark efficiency rate for a
large module. The company told pv mag-
azine that it has opened a 20 MW produc-
tion capacity perovskite module pilot line
and is working on a mass production facil-
ity in Quzhou, in China’s Zhejiang prov-
ince. The first line is set to start production
next year with a capacity of 50-100 MW.
Three more lines are expected to follow as
the market develops. 

UK’s 22 GW solar ambition
The U.K. Labour Party has published
details of its plans to decarbonize the
economy to secure a position of global
leadership in the attempt to halt run-
away climate change. The party’s “30 by
2030” report, written by a panel of “inde-
pendent energy industry experts,” high-
lights 30 policy recommendations to
achieve four key carbon emission reduc-
tion goals. The four aims are energy effi-
ciency, decarbonizing heating, decar-
bonizing energy, and balancing the
grid. If implemented swiftly and fully,
the report’s authors say that the coun-
try could achieve a 77% reduction of the
by the Intergovernmental Panel on Cli-
mate Change (IPCC). The policy pack-
age calls for a near tripling of PV genera-
tion capacity, from 13 GW at present to 35
GW by 2030, to supply 9% of the nation’s
energy mix. The policy paper also calls
for the reinstatement of the solar feed-
in tariff, as its termination in March
stalled solar expansion in the United
Kingdom. Other proposals include pri-
oritizing solar+storage as a solution to
address grid congestion, removing the
climate change levy applied to corporate
renewables power purchase agreements,
and introducing a technology-neutral
Afghanistan
kicks off
another tender
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Energy
and Water has issued a tender for a
40 MW solar project in the north-
ern part of the country’s Herat prov-
ince. Afghanistan’s renewable energy
policy aims for 4-5 GW of new gen-
eration capacity by 2030. The new
project is part of the country’s plan
to develop 500 MW of solar by next
year. The tender is being held on the
basis of a model risk allocation, doc-

volume of its 2010 carbon emissions by
2030 – far more than the 45% reduction
called for worldwide during that period
“beThebuiltplanton will
floor price mechanism to the Contracts
for Difference solar generation capacity
commissioning regime.  a
public-private
partnership basis
”
umentation, and methodology devel-
oped under the World Bank Group’s
Scaling Solar Initiative. The Afghan
government said that the plant will
be built on a public-private partner-
ship basis, with the selected devel-
oper securing the right to develop,
finance, construct, own, operate,
maintain and transfer the facility. 

Photo: Garry Knight/Flickr

6 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 news

China to build 2.5 GW solar plant in North Korea

The Chinese government plans to build Photo: gfs-mizuta/Pixabay
a $2.5 billion solar plant near Pyong-
yang, North Korea, according to the
Association of China Rare Earth Indus-
try. In an announcement published on
its website on Oct. 24, the Chinese trade
body said that the huge solar park is
expected to have an installed capacity
of 2.5 GW and will help address electric-
ity shortages in North Korea.
In exchange for the project, China will
acquire mining rights for a rare earth
mine in the northern part of Pyongyang
province, the association added, without
providing any additional details about
the agreement. 

China’s H2 solar rebound Photo: Siemens

fails to materialize
Despite predictions for a late surge in solar installations in
China this year due to the publication of new subsidy guide-
lines, there are signs that the world’s largest solar market may
experience another precipitous year-on-year decline. Wang
Bohua, chief secretary of the China Photovoltaic Industry
Association (CPIA), said that the last nine months of PV instal-
lations added up to around 16 GW of generation capacity. If that
figure is borne out, even the most pessimistic predictions for Siemens backs 5 GW green
this year – that China would add 30 GW of new solar – would
require 14 GW of new project capacity in less than 10 weeks. hydrogen plan
The failed solar rebound, which was anticipated to kick off last
month, has left solar prices at rock bottom. Ten weeks of falling A massive clean energy project that aims to produce green
PV cell prices between early June and September have been fol- hydrogen – powered by up to 5 GW of solar and wind capacity
lowed by module declines since August. The formal adoption of – has been unveiled in Western Australia. In a significant early-
new rules for solar subsidies was delayed through June, which stage milestone, Hydrogen Renewables Australia has joined
forced many small- and medium-sized EPC service companies forces with Siemens to deploy the latter’s Silyzer electrolyzer
to look overseas for business or to turn to wind power develop-
ment, which offered more stable business opportunities while

“world
Chinese solar policy was in flux.  
Australia has potential like no country in the
for hydrogen production and export – as

”
Photo: Anthony Chong/Pixabay
long as we act upon the opportunity quickly

at the Murchison project. The project is set to be developed

in stages, including a demonstration phase providing hydro-
gen for transport fuels, an expansion to blend hydrogen with
natural gas in the nearby Dampier-to-Bunbury pipeline, and a
larger expansion to produce hydrogen for Asian markets, nota-
bly Japan and South Korea. Another significant development
for the project came with Nanda Aboriginal Corp.’s formal sup-
port for the section 91 license needed to permit solar and wind
monitoring to proceed.  

www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019 7
markets & trends

How long?
Solar stocks underperformed the broader market in October. The Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN) rose 0.2%
versus the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones industrial average, which increased 1.9% and 0.7%, respectively.

Guggenheim Solar ETF – TAN Holdings

80% 80%
T he top four solar stock performers
in the U.S. market were Sky Solar
(SKYS), Sunworks (SUNW), SolarEdge
(SEDG) and Enphase Energy (ENPH),
70% 70%
which increased by 40%, 29%, 9.5% and
60% 60%
8%, respectively.
Solar stocks have not performed very well
50% 50%
since last month, which might be driven
by China: 1) a negative outlook for China
40% 40% demand in 2020; 2) a new coal benchmark-
ing pricing mechanism and lower coal
30% 30% prices; and 3) the ongoing uncertainty of
the U.S.-China trade war. ROTH Capital
20% 20% Partners analyst Phil Shen has indicated
that this negative sentiment could last for
10% 10% six to nine months, and will depend on how
long China’s demand weakness lasts, and
0% 0% on how long it takes for unsubsidized, eco-
nomic demand to grow. We believe the PV
– 10% – 10% market is transitioning to a greater global
January February March April May June July August September Oct 23, 2019 mix of unsubsidized demand, where reve-
nue visibility will improve, earnings qual-
Month close price % change % change ity will increase, and multiples will expand.
Company Ticker October 23, 2019 Oct 01–23, 2019 year to date
Post-SPI, we believe U.S. residential solar
Sky Solar Hold., Ltd. NasdaqCM:SKYS 0.60 USD + 40.3% + 12.7% will grow much faster than expected (+25%
Sunworks, Inc. NasdaqCM:SUNW 3.25 USD + 29.1% + 77.3% YoY this year and next year versus consen-
Tainergy Tech Co., Ltd. TSEC:4934 5.70 TWD + 17.8% + 11.8% sus of mid-teens YoY growth). Resi stocks
Danen Technology Corp. TSEC:3686 1.73 TWD + 14.6% – 50.6% were up 8.2% in October and 62.5% year
Wacker Chemie AG XTRA:WCH 67.60 EUR + 14.3% – 14.5% to date. We see more growth for residen-
SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. NasdaqGS:SEDG 91.04 USD + 9.5% + 159.4% tial backup power after recent intentional
SMA Solar Technology AG XTRA:S92 27.68 EUR + 8.9% + 66.8% blackouts in California’s PG&E territory.
Enphase Energy, Inc. NasdaqGM:ENPH 23.40 USD + 7.8% + 394.6% The trend of ratepayers becoming disgrun-
Sino-American Silicon Products Inc. GTSM:5483 91.90 TWD + 7.5% + 50.2% tled with their utility will benefit the U.S. res-
China Singyes Solar Technologies Hold. Ltd. SEHK:750 0.85 HKD + 6.3% – 60.5% idential sector.
S.C New Energy Technology Corp. SZSE:300724 33.63 CNY + 3.8% + 18.1% China module pricing continues to
Intevac, Inc. NasdaqGS:IVAC 5.20 USD + 3.8% – 0.6% decline and does not look set to recover in
GCL-Poly Energy Hold. Ltd. SEHK:3800 0.33 HKD + 3.2% – 31.6% the fourth quarter, however mono poly-
ReneSola Ltd NYSE:SOL 1.54 USD + 2.0% + 29.4% silicon pricing is expected to increase in
Hannon Armstrong, Inc. NYSE:HASI 29.48 USD + 2.0% + 54.8% November, while multi is expected to
Applied Materials, Inc. NasdaqGS:AMAT 50.79 USD + 1.5% + 55.1% have limited upside. Average module auc-
Azure Power Global Ltd. NYSE:AZRE 12.31 USD + 1.3% + 36.0% tion price in September was RMB 1.86/W
Risen Energy Co.,Ltd. SZSE:300118 12.25 CNY + 1.0% + 115.3% ($0.26/W). In a 1.1 GW October auction,
United Renewable Energy Co., Ltd. TSEC:3576 8.34 TWD + 0.8% + 6.5% the lowest price for mono PERC 370W+
AU Optronics Corp. TSEC:2409 8.03 TWD + 0.8% – 34.7% was RMB 1.74/W, while the average price
Meyer Burger Technology AG SWX:MBTN 0.40 CHF + 0.5% – 33.7% was around RMB 1.80/W. China domestic
Shunfeng International Clean Energy Ltd. SEHK:1165 0.20 HKD 0.0% – 61.5% mono grade polysilicon is now at $10.6/kg
TBEA Co., Ltd. SHSE:600089 6.49 CNY – 0.2%) – 4.4% – flat compared to September.
Vivint Solar, Inc. NYSE:VSLR 6.37 USD – 0.2% + 67.1% We’re adding Generac to our PV track-
Atlantica Yield plc NasdaqGS:AY 24.33 USD – 0.3% + 24.1% ing, given its recent entry into the sector,
Information upon which this material has been compiled by pv magazine and is based was obtained from sources believed and removing Intevac, given its exit.
to be reliable but has not been verified. Additional information is available upon request.
 Jesse Pichel, ROTH Capital Partners

8 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
markets & trends
The missing piece...
A fter some short-term price drops
at the end of the third quarter to
quickly draw down inventories and make
room for new goods, the market is now
largely back on track. The prices across
all panel types have stabilized – only the
prices for high-efficiency and bifacial
products have seen a slight uptick, but
this can also be attributed to natural fluc-
tuations in the spot market. Also, just last
month I changed the performance classes
I am tracking, and thus the boundaries
between low-cost, mainstream and high-
efficiency products – the result being that
the slightly cheaper modules with 290 W
were excluded from the average price of
the latter class. The cutoff for high-effi-
ciency modules is now 295 W, and for
mainstream modules, 270 W.
So what are we lacking in this now sat-
urated market? What is currently still
holding back the rapid implementa-
tion of the energy transition and the fast
switch to purely renewable power gener-
EU spot market module prices by technology
0.60 €/Wp
0.55
0.50
0.45
0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
Oct ’18 Nov ’18 Dec ’18 Jan ’19 Feb ’19 Mar ’19 Apr ’19 May ’19 Jun ’19 Jul ’19 Aug ’19 Sep ’19 Oct ’19*
Crystalline modules (mono-/poly-Si) average net prices (€/Wp)
High efficiency: Crystalline modules 290 Wp and All black: Module types with black backsheets,
above with Cello, PERC, HIT-, n-type – or back- black frames and rated outputs of between
contact cells or combinations thereof 200 Wp and 320 Wp
Mainstream: Modules with usually 60 cells, Low cost: Reduced-capacity modules, factory
standard aluminum frames, white backing and seconds, insolvency goods, used modules
260 Wp to 285 Wp – the majority of modules on (crystalline), products with limited or no
the market guarantee
Bifacial: Modules with bifacial cells, transparent * Data up to October 21, 2019
backsheet or glass-glass, framed and unframed More information: www.pvXchange.com
10
ation, apart from an ever-changing raft of
political sleight of hand and the refusal of
the “Groko” (Grand Coalition in the Ger-
man Bundestag) to finally do away with
the 52 GW cap in Germany? Thanks to
the Fridays-for-Future movement, there
is broad-based support among the popu-
lation for the exclusive use of renewable
energy in the near future and a public will-
ingness in principle to invest in renew-
ables – by installing private PV plants, for
example. So, the future of the photovol-
taic industry looks secure – everything is
fine, right? Unfortunately, there is one big
catch: the shortage of skilled workers.
At the beginning of the current decade,
everything was still running smoothly;
the trades were growing and thriving and
training new employees. Companies in the
traditional electrical engineering sector
shifted to PV plant design and construc-
tion, and many hundreds of thousands
of workers had a place in the renewable
energy sector. But then came the great
slash-and-burn campaign. In several
stages, the Renewable Energy Act in Ger-
many and incentives in many other Euro-
pean countries were curtailed and down-
€/Wp 0.60
graded to such an extent that the building
0.55 of new plants simply became unattractive
and the markets tanked. There was mass
0.50 migration of skilled workers looking for
new fields of work that were safe from the
0.45 whims of policymakers. The few compa-
0.40
nies that have remained loyal to the indus-
try despite all this are now desperately try-
0.35 ing to cope with the growing workload
with much smaller teams.
0.30
Road to recovery
0.25
Some companies that have recovered are
0.20 trying to win back their former employ-
ees – experienced planners and installers
0.15 – through attractive working conditions
and salaries. But other companies from
less turbulent industries are paying better,
and the jobs in those fields are presum-
ably safer. In Germany at least, there is a
major shortage of workers and profession-
als in the PV sector, with many orders for
installations not accepted at all. According
to surveys by the startup www.installion.
eu, the lead times for electrical work have
risen considerably from an average of two
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 NO.7

Advertisement
www.goodwe.com

Overview of price points, broken down by technology

in October 2019, including changes over the previous
month (as of Oct. 21, 2019):
Module €/Wp
Trend Trend since Description
class since January
Sept. 2019 2019
Crystalline modules
Bifacial 0.39 +2.6% -9.3% Modules with bifacial cells,
transparent backsheet or
glass-glass, framed and
unframed.
High 0.33 +3.1% -5.7% Crystalline panels at 295 Wp
efficiency and above, with PERC, HJT,
n-type or back contact cells,
or combinations thereof

POWER YOUR
All black 0.35 0.0% -2.8% Module types with black
backsheets, black frames
and rated power between
200 and 320 Wp
Main-
stream
0.25 0.0% -7.4% Modules typically with 60
cells, standard aluminum
frames, white backsheets
HOME FOR LESS
and 270 to 290 Wp — this
represents most modules on
the market
Low cost 0.18 -5.3% 0.0% Factory seconds, insolvency
goods, used or low-output
modules and products with UPS Function 50A / 100A Battery TÜV All Quality
limited or no warranty Charge / Discharge Matters Award
Notes: Only tax-free prices for PV modules are shown, with stated prices reflecting average prices
on the European spot market (customs cleared) Source: pvXchange.com

to three months in June to as long as five months in Septem-

ber. Most installation companies are no longer even accepting
smaller end-customer orders for this year.
This installation bottleneck has prompted fears that climate
targets in the electricity sector could not be achieved at all. In
other European countries, the situation is not much better. Places
ET Series
like Spain and the UK, which have essentially been large-scale
markets in the past, are completely lacking the expertise for small 3-phase Hybrid
installations with storage and optimization for onsite consump-
tion. In France, after a long dry spell, demand for small systems
is now brisk again, albeit with exactly the same problems as in
Germany. Only in markets such as Italy and southeastern Europe
do there seem to be skilled workers, but there is no need for them
due to the lack of a functioning market.
So what needs to be done to improve the situation? Market
players need to look after the next generation by training new ES Series
specialists themselves. To this end, educational initiatives and
1-phase Hybrid
other government support – such as tax relief and reductions in
social security contributions for companies that provide train-
ing – would be helpful. But these measures can only be effective
over the longer term. In order to overcome the bottleneck in the
short term, installion.eu has developed an online marketplace
for electrician capacities. By specifically attracting electricians
from other sectors, the young company claims that it already sup-
ports a double-digit number of utilities, manufacturers, whole-
salers and large installation companies in the structured acquisi- EM Series ESA Series
tion of installers. The company’s customers can book electricians 1-phase Hybrid All-in-one,
through the platform for their upcoming projects on a subscrip- Quick Installation
tion basis, which can be cancelled on a month’s notice.
This offers some hope that in the future there will be fewer
promising photovoltaic projects that never leave the drawing
board due to a lack of personnel to build them.  
 Martin Schachinger, pvXchange.com

Booth No. B01

www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019 December 11-12, 2019 www.goodwe.com
markets & trends

A record year for trackers

It was a record year for global shipments of single-axis solar photovoltaic accounting for more than 40% of the
(PV) trackers in 2018, as they increased by more than 40%, surpassing 20 global tracker market over the next five
GW globally for the first time, writes IHS Markit senior analyst Camron years. Key markets in this region will
Barati. While the United States continued to be the largest individual include the U.S., which is projected to be
market for single-axis trackers last year, shipments also increased in the largest individual market for PV track-
Mexico, Australia, Egypt, Spain, and other large utility-scale markets. ers globally during the forecast period,
along with Mexico, due to a near-term
surge in utility-scale PV deployments

T he Americas was the largest regional

market, accounting for more than
half of global PV tracker demand. How-
after recent capacity auction awards.
While the Americas may be the largest
market, growth in demand will be stron-
ever, the growth rate was strongest in gest across Europe, the Middle East and
the Middle East and North Africa. PV Africa (EMEA), led by surging demand
trackers accounted for more than 25% of for utility-scale PV in markets such as
global ground-mount shipments for the Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi
first time in 2018. Arabia and Egypt. The EMEA region has
The top 10 suppliers continued to ben- historically been dominated by Span-
efit from greater adoption of PV tracker ish suppliers such as PV Hardware and
technology, and all of them achieved Soltec, which collectively accounted for
higher year-on-year shipment volumes more than 50% of PV tracker shipments
in 2018. Nextracker continued to lead to the region in 2018. Competition in the
the market for the fourth year in a row, region is expected to increase significantly
accounting for 29% of global PV tracker in the coming years due to the persistence
shipments. As was the case last year, Array of other European suppliers such as Con-
Technologies was the second-largest sup- vert Italia, Ideematec and Nclave, in addi-
Global PV tracker market by plier in the market, followed by PV Hard- tion to the entrance of U.S. players such as
region 2019–2023 (MW) ware, Arctech Solar and Soltec. Nextracker and Array Technologies.
Installations of ground-mounted PV single-axis tracker systems
larger than 1 MW Though Asia will be the largest regional
Americas key, EMEA growing market for PV installations during the
Americas Following a record year of shipments for forecast period, demand for PV trackers
Asia 26% PV tracking systems globally in 2018, IHS will be weaker than other regions relative
Markit forecasts that more than 150 GW to the size and scale of the market, pri-
of PV tracking systems will be deployed marily due to stronger price competition
2019–2023 43% from 2019 to 2023, accounting for approx- with fixed-tilt systems and high compe-
imately one third of ground-mounted PV tition for suitable land. Even so, Austra-
installations during the period, accord- lia, China and India are projected to be
31% ing to its recent Global PV Tracker Mar- among the top 10 largest markets for PV
ket Report. The Americas will remain the trackers from 2019 to 2023, collectively
EMEA Source: IHS Markit largest region for PV tracker demand, representing a market opportunity of
more than 30 GW during the period.
Global leaders Nextracker and Array
Global PV tracker supplier market rankings –2018 Based on supplier shipments (MW) Technologies are poised to continue cap-
Others turing market share in emerging markets
Ideematec 2% outside of their home turf in the Amer-
SunPower 3% Nextracker icas, though competition from other
GameChange Solar 3% 7%
international players such as Soltec,
Solar Steel Arctech Solar, PV Hardware and Con-
4% 29%
STI Norland vert Italia will serve as key challengers to
4%
Convert Italia further expansion.
(Valmont) 5% 2018
Nclave 6% Bifacial boost
(Trina solar)
11% Over the next five years, IHS Markit sees
8% Array Technologies
the primary drivers of tracker adoption
Soltec 8% 10% being: 1) incremental cost reductions
Arctech Solar PV Hardware Source: IHS Markit driven by continued product innovation;

12 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

2) growing demand for utility-scale PV in
emerging markets; and 3) the increased
adoption of bifacial modules, which will
lead to higher efficiencies and lower costs
for trackers and installation.
Greater efficiency gains and higher
wattage for PV modules have been a pri-
mary driver of $/W cost reductions for PV
mounting and tracking products in recent
years. However, surging demand for bifa-
cial modules will help further incentivize
the use of solar trackers globally. Com-
pared to standard monofacial modules,
bifacial modules are generally expected to
generate 5-20% more energy under opti-
mal albedo conditions, with even greater
gains reported for some case studies uti-
lizing PV trackers. The cost delta between
bifacial and monofacial modules has nar-
rowed rapidly in recent years and by
2020/2021, IHS Markit forecasts the price
gap will become relatively insignificant
compared to the efficiency gains. Diverse
field studies have clearly demonstrated the
potential performance gains and lower
LCOE of installations using single-axis
trackers together with bifacial, and this
is a value proposition being used now for
markets & trends
both module producers as well as tracker
manufacturers. Manufacturers claim that
when installed together with a tracker, the
rear side of a bifacial module could gen-
erate up to 30% additional output. There
“remain
The Americas will
are still some uncertainties regarding the
exact level of extra gain associated to the
combination of bifacial modules with
trackers depending on project type, loca-
tion, and how to model such additional
the largest
output (see pp.46-48). The industry is, in
fact, still waiting for the highly anticipated
region for PV tracker
demand, accounting
publication of IEC standards for bifacial-
ity factor that could be published before
the end of 2019 and set a baseline that
facilitates modeling and financing of util-
ity-scale projects using this technology.
for more than 40%
According to IHS Markit, the best mar-
kets for bifacial PV systems will be those
of the global tracker
market over the next
with vast areas of reflective terrain, such as
arid desert regions and strong demand for
”
ground-mounted utility-scale PV. While
China may be the largest market initially,
the United States is rapidly becoming a key
five years
market for bifacial products, in addition to
growing demand across Latin America, the
Middle East and North Africa.  
 Camron Barati
Advertisement
markets & trends
Module prices continue  
After China’s National Day holiday, demand started picking up at a slow
pace, but the anticipated installation rush did not occur as expected, due
to land and financing issues, as well as the return of winter. These factors
will also delay the timing of more than 6 GW of capacity to the first half
of next year. PV InfoLink has thus downwardly revised its estimates for
installed capacity in the fourth quarter to 11.3 GW in China and 30 GW
globally, bringing this year’s global demand forecast to below 120 GW.
U nexpectedly low demand in China
Photo: PV InfoLink
has impacted the recent state of the
supply chain. It appears that the fourth
quarter of the year may fall short of expec-
tations, with only 29.8 GW of global
demand, which is similar to the level in
the second quarter. And the market might
be dragged even lower than in the second
quarter if sluggish demand continues.
Clouded by uncertainty, module makers
are offering record-low quotes to secure
orders and maintain utilization rates.
Mono PERC module prices have con-
sistently hit new lows in China since July.
Since the tender results were released, the
price of mono PERC modules has gone
down to RMB 1.75-1.82/W ($0.22-0.28/
W). Such price levels have caused ripples
Corrine Lin is chief analyst at Taiwan- in marketplaces outside of China. Chi-
based PV InfoLink. She studies market nese module makers’ quotes for mono
conditions, spot market prices, capacity
expansions and production technology PERC modules were stable at $0.25-
across the solar supply chain. 0.26/W during the third quarter, but have
come down to $0.23-0.24/W recently for
390-400 W mainstream modules next
Market share forecast by product type (2017–2023)
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
14
year. As the market stagnation may con-
tinue through the fourth quarter, quotes
for overseas markets are expected to
decline even further.
To secure more orders, module makers
have reduced prices significantly, while
increasing the wattage output of modules
for the same cost level. This has elimi-
nated price differences between 400-405
W high-efficiency modules and 390 W
mainstream modules for next year. In the
face of competitive prices and power out-
put, larger wafers have become the best
shortcut to improve competitiveness. As
predicted, 158.75 mm (G1) full square
mono wafers will become mainstream
next year. Meanwhile, some manufac-
turers are accelerating their R&D efforts
for 166 mm (M6) mono wafers to further
drive up power output.
The reduction in mono-Si module
prices and improvements in power out-
put are widening the gap between mono
and multi products. Taking the 72-cell lay-
out, for instance, the mainstream watt-
age of mono-Si modules will reach 390-
400 W, whereas that of multi-Si modules
remains in the range of 340-345 W, even
in the form of larger wafers and half-cut
designs. In other words, the price differ-
ence may stay within $0.03/W, despite a
gap of 50 W between the two products.
On the strength of the price/performance
Multi Mono Thin film
Source: PV InfoLink
50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 markets & trends

  to slide
ratio, mono PERC modules are edging On the emerging market side, some util-
out their multi-Si counterparts. Demand ity-scale projects in the Middle East will
for multi-Si products plummeted in start construction next year, and some of
October, with multi-Si cell prices collaps- them will be bifacial projects. As the UAE
ing to a historic low. The average market and Saudi Arabia will join the GW-club
price came in below $0.1/W at the end next year, the Middle Eastern market is
of October. expected to grow by 2 GW.
The impact of the downward price spi-
ral in the cell segment is rippling toward
wafer and polysilicon suppliers, and
multi-Si module prices, which have long
stagnated, may fall again. Despite the

“
downward price trend, demand for multi-
Si products will barely recover next year The market will see continued

”
because of the widened wattage gap. Cast-
mono products, achieving commercial
production this year, may face challenges
changeover and monopolization
with price performance after mono-Si
wafer prices fall next year. It is expected
that the global market share of multi-Si
products will fall to less than 20%.

Demand outlook Despite growing demand, the ramp-

In contrast to lower Chinese demand
in the final quarter, demand in the first
half of 2020 may be higher than expected
because of delayed projects. With overseas
demand likely to rise marginally, global
demand is expected to reach 131.5 GW in
2020, up 13 GW from 2019.
China will remain the largest solar mar-
ket next year, while the United States and
India are expected to grow continuously.
up in manufacturing capacity across
the supply chain goes beyond market
growth. Mono-Si wafer and cell capacity
will both exceed 30 GW again in 2020,
leaving the midstream sector with the
most excess capacity in the supply chain.
Older capacity with no cost advantage
will be gradually eliminated. The mar-
ket will see continued changeover and
monopolization next year.   Corrine Lin

Mono PERC module price forecast by region 2020 Source: PV InfoLink

0.250 US$/W China

non Chinese market
0.200

0.230

0.220

0.210

0.200

0.190
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019 15
markets & trends
Offgrid goes global
Offgrid solar power has emerged as a vital part of the PV business across the
African continent, and is now spreading to other parts of the globe, mainly
with solar home systems and microgrids. pv magazine examines the core
issues of financing, business models and the quest for user data.
T he idea that Africa might leapfrog
straight to cheap electricity by devel-
oping offgrid solar power is not new. And
the idea has now spread to other parts of
the developing world, where governments
realize offgrid systems can replace costly
plans for the expansion of the electricity
wires in remote communities.
The Off-Grid Energy Access Forum,
held last month in London, provided
up-to-date information on the opportu-
nities and challenges of offgrid develop-
ment and why financing, business mod-
els and the quest for user data are the
most critical issues.
Mobile money
The success of solar home systems (SHS)
in many African countries is based on the
Fenix International, a U.S.-based solar home systems startup that was
acquired by Engie in 2017, says it can use data gathered from its rooftop
solar systems to help it sell additional products to its customers.
16
pay-as-you-go (PAYG) business model
and the use of mobile money. The high
penetration of mobile networks across the
African continent helped the emergence
of PAYG solar systems to the extent that
many stakeholders argue there is a vir-
tual electricity network developing now
in Africa too.
However, mobile money is not
equally available in other parts of the
developing world, so technology firms
must find alternative solutions to col-
lect payments. Juan José Estrada, CFO
at Kingo Energy, a firm based in Gua-
temala, told pv magazine that his com-
pany uses local shops instead of mobile
payments. Kingo Energy salesmen
deliver the hardware directly to cus-
tomers, who in turn pay in installments
to selected local shops. Kingo Energy
sends its staff to the local shops to col-
lect payments each week.
Despite the lack of mobile payments
in rural Latin America, Estrada believes
PAYG business models will grow in the
Photo: Fenix International
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

region. The company, which has attracted
investment from Hollywood actor Leon-
ardo DiCaprio – who also serves as an
adviser to Kingo Energy – is now in talks
with Colombia’s government to examine
how they can best deploy their offgrid
systems in rural communities. “The gov-
ernment examines whether a subsidy is
required to help the purchase of these
systems,” added Estrada. The idea is to
provide offgrid subsidies and replace the
need of a costly expansion of the elec-
tricity grid, but the government under-
stands it might never pay the invest-
ment back. “Eventually,” Estrada said,
“all companies want to rely on the mar-
ket, not subsidies, but maybe subsidies
are necessary to kickstart the market in
some cases.”
Incumbents turn to offgrid
The event in London depicted the off-
grid sector as mainly being populated
by startups trying to penetrate under-
served markets. Their products and ser-
vices have also caught the attention of
the incumbents, who see opportunities
in new markets. The case of the EDF
partnership with UK-headquartered
Bboxx demonstrates how this can lead
to win-win developments.
A year ago, French energy giant EDF
acquired a 50% stake in Bboxx’s oper-
ation in Togo. EDF then said that this
was “the first step in a broader partner-
ship, with plans to expand the joint ven-
ture into other countries in Africa.”
Thomas Chevillotte, CFO at Bboxx,
told the event that his firm focuses
on Africa because mobile money has
long been present on the continent.
However, while it started as a technol-
ogy company, it has since expanded to
offer a wider range of services in vari-
ous African markets, so it needs to raise
equity to continue expanding. It was
Bboxx’s choice to raise equity by estab-
lishing partnerships with key compa-
nies, added Chevillotte. In August,
it also attracted a $50 million invest-
ment from Japanese industrial giant
Mitsubishi.
Moreover, said Chevillotte, such key
partnerships offer the startup credibil-
ity with governments, as well as with
banks and other financial institutions
(so that Bboxx can also raise debt later),
and access to established processes (e.g.
logistics or R&D). Valérie Levkov, EDF’s
vice president for Africa, Middle East
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
markets & trends
and Eastern Mediterranean, confirmed
this win-win situation, adding that the
move to the PAYG market continues
along EDF’s investment in all other forms
of electricity: large-scale, decentralized
solutions and minigrids. With regards to
Togo specifically, Levkov said the coun-
try was a good case because it has set up
a functioning regulatory framework for
offgrid investments. Togo’s president fol-
lowed offgrid market developments very
closely and has even interfered personally
when things were not moving. This mind-
set is not present in all African countries,
Levkov stated, and EDF uses its commu-
nication channels with government offi-
cials to showcase how offgrid technolo-
gies work in other countries, by offering
“provide
real examples.
Regarding the use of EDF’s processes
by Bboxx, Levkov explained that EDF’s The idea is to
offgrid
labs can check and certify the Bboxx
hardware to provide extra assurance to
governments and thus facilitate entry
into new markets. subsidies and replace
Unit or corporate profitability?
The SHS sector is developing rapidly the need of costly
expansion
”
and sooner or later all SHS firms face
the dilemma between scaling up and
acquiring new customers or prioritizing
deeper customer value. The insolvency of
some high-profile companies (for exam-
ple, Germany’s Mobisol – see pp. 20-23)
has raised the question of how to remain
profitable at the unit level and at the cor-
porate level, too.
Mathilde Girard, investment executive
at CDC Group, a development finance
institution owned by the UK govern-
ment, said that it was all about scaling up
a few years ago, but today investors look
at the profitability of the SHS firms with a
renewed focus.
There are business-run costs that SHS
firms need to be able to recover and
this is complicated, as the SHS business
model comprises many different activi-
ties, argued Girard. Therefore it is hard to
define the unit economics. A critical task
that needs to be addressed upfront, she
said, is the allocation of risk, and address-
ing specifically who is taking those risks
(the SHS firm, the investor, or the client).
Eventually, any decision needs to be data-
driven, concluded Girard.
Alistair Gordon, CEO of Lumos, a
Dutch SHS provider, agreed with Girard
on the use of data, adding that Lumos
selects its customers based on data, while
17
markets & trends
Photo: pv magazine/Ilias Tsagas
The Off-Grid Energy Access Forum, held last month
in London, illustrated how minigrids and solar
home systems, traditionally strong in many African
countries, are also finding traction elsewhere in the
developing world.
18
sometimes the company might decide to
leave some customers because the data
shows that they won’t be able to pay back
the investment. Therefore, running the
business needs to be readjusted based
on the data. Lumos, said Gordon, is
currently “focusing on unit profitability
and we believe that corporate profitabil-
ity will follow.”
To unbundle or not to unbundle?
One solution to allocate the risks of run-
ning a SHS firm might be to unbundle
it. In fact, Emma Hawkins, director of
corporate finance at PEG Africa, a com-
pany that operates in several West Afri-
can countries to provide financing to cus-
tomers, said her company was unbundled
from the beginning.
The SHS business is comprised of four
main parts, said Hawkins: R&D, financing,
distribution (the sellers) and rural logis-
tics. So, you end up with a PAYG company
and it is very hard to manage everything
alone. On the contrary, if a firm focuses
on what it knows best and explains this to
investors, then investors will have a bet-
ter understanding, so the company will be
able to attract financing and grow. Unbun-
dling today is also easier than it was five
years ago, claimed Hawkins, because there
are a lot of new companies now in the mar-
ket that offer many services.
Quest for data
Bundled or unbundled, it is clear that SHS
companies base their decisions on data.
And they are not the only ones who
need and use data. Governments, banks,
insurers and retailers all need data
access to make decisions on who they
finance or insure, and where they sell
their products. And the quest for data is
one of the trickiest issues facing the SHS
sector today. The lack of national reg-
ulatory frameworks for data protection
allows various companies to exploit the
end users that they aim to help.
The SHS will collect data based on
the usage of their systems (when and
how much electricity is used, payment
details, etc). Often, SHS will turn to
third parties to buy similar kinds of data
before they decide to invest in a market
or region. Mohsen Mohseninia, VP of
European market development at Aeris,
a company that builds on the Internet
of Things to develop various solutions
enabling access to data, told the confer-
ence that Aeris builds relationships with
mobile telecommunication firms in var-
ious countries so it can collect data that
it then sells to its clients.
Brianna Schuyler, data scientist for Fenix
International, a U.S.-headquartered com-
pany that offers SHS solutions in Uganda
and Zambia, told the event that Fenix can
help other companies to sell their products
to its customers. This is done based on data
collected via solar home systems, explained
Schuyler. Fenix, which was acquired by
France’s Engie in 2017, knows which cus-
tomers are reliable, and which batteries are
not fully used, meaning there is an oppor-
tunity to sell more gadgets.
Christopher Baker-Brian, CTO at
Bboxx, said that his company also uses its
data to help governments or other compa-
nies to sell products and services. Reliable
Bboxx customers will be offered TV sets,
microloans, insurance products and other
services provided by either Bboxx or its
partners. Baker-Brian also suggested that
data collected by SHS firms, banks and
insurance companies should eventually be
integrated. However, he noted that “data
protection law is a hot topic” and “the sec-
tor needs to work on data protection in the
following years.”
Microgrid development
The conference offered a detailed discus-
sion on microgrid developments, too.
EDF’s Levkov told the event that EDF
and Bboxx have developed a pilot mini-
grid in Togo, which is now operational.
Yet, Levkov told pv magazine that the
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

microgrid sector needs to answer many
questions before it can take off at a large,
commercial scale. Levkov is particu-
larly keen to address certain safety issues
(such as whether local operators follow
safety procedures), as users often have no
prior experience in electricity. Microgrid
business models also need to be defined,
although for the project in Togo, Levkov
said this was easy, because a telecommuni-
cations tower located near the microgrid
offered to buy a large part of the generated
power on a long-term basis.
Having anchor customers has proven
to be a vital element for the success of a
microgrid development. Alakesh Che-
tia, CEO of Yoma Micro Power, a Myan-
mar-based company that specializes in the
development of solar+storage microgrids,
said that they mainly build their projects
around the needs of telecoms customers,
who serve as their anchor clients. Commu-
nities surrounding the telecommunication
towers also benefit from energy provision –
and he said that local households that con-
nect to the microgrids first aim to install
lamps, then a TV set, and thirdly an elec-
tric rice cooker.
markets & trends
In contrast to Yoma Micro Power,
which is an energy firm providing only
electricity, Benedikt Lenders, head of
microgrids for Engie’s African unit, said
“
that his company has built a microgrid
business model that provides three
things: electricity, services such as WiFi Having anchor
customers has proven
that are enabled by electricity, and also
customer advisory services on how to use
minigrids to boost economic activity. Yet
Lenders added that developing a mini-
grid business model is tricky, because
a vital element for the
not all villages are similar and what is
applicable in one area will not necessar- success of microgrid
development
”
ily work in another. Therefore, the main
challenge, according to Lenders, is to
reach the level of scale where the busi-
ness model becomes efficient.
Aaron Cheng, president of PowerGen
Renewable Energy, which specializes in
developing microgrids in Africa, said
that subsidies, user tariffs and a develop-
er’s return are the three angles that define
the microgrid business. It might well be
that the future of the microgrid business
depends on the level of government sup-
port to its remote communities over the
short term.   Ilias Tsagas
Advertisement
markets & trends
A second chance to  
The April 2019 insolvency of shooting-star solar provider Mobisol hit the
offgrid solar sector like a bombshell, throwing into question the private-
sector model of supplying renewable energy to some of the world’s poorest
people. Industry insiders concluded that socially minded entrepreneurs,
among them Mobisol, took the revolutionary pay-as-you-go system as far
as they could, before becoming bogged down in the unforgiving terrain
of Africa’s markets. Then, in early September, French energy giant Engie
acquired Mobisol, shocking the sector with its against-the-grain plan to
take the company’s quest for universal access to energy to another level.
W hen diminutive startups such as
Berlin-based Mobisol took off
around 2013 by selling standalone PV sys-
tems in rural Africa, observers thought
they might have stumbled upon a revolu-
tionary way to deliver electricity to the 1.3
billion people throughout the world who
live without reliable power – a prerequi-
site for development.
The initial success of the startups – run
by twentysomething German, American
and British entrepreneurs peddling solar
panels by motorcycle in the sub-Saha-
ran outback – seemed to bear out the
“
hopefulness. Companies such as Mobi-
It wasn’t Mobisol’s sol, M-Kopa, Off Grid Electric and Fenix
International, among others, were on their
original vision way to selling basic, pay-as-you-go PV
systems to more than 2 million Africans
in less than a decade.
that was faulty But around 2017 came some cold, hard
reality – a rash of delinquent payments,
– but rather its the burden of high fixed costs, liquidity
logjams, punishing droughts, civil wars
implementation and and mismanagement – began to cast a
pall over the heady sector. Many of the
”
young companies were forced to rethink
choice of financiers their strategies, buff up with market-savvy
investors, and reorient themselves toward
better-off clients in urban areas. Mobisol,
say sector insiders – arguably the most
idealistic of the pioneers – waited too long
and then declared insolvency in a German
court in April 2019. The company’s equity
investors, frustrated with Mobisol’s lack-
luster growth, bought it out and sidelined
founding CEO Thomas Gottschalk.
But the French multinational energy
company Engie, which acquired Mobi-
sol, refuses to accept the nay-sayers’ dire
conclusions. Undaunted by the market
commotion, it wants to make good on
20
the startup’s original promise: to provide
power to all Africans, using private sec-
tor strategies to do so. Engie is the parent
company of Fenix International, another
energy access firm, and microgrid devel-
oper PowerCorner. Fenix has operations
in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique,
Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia.
“We think there’s a mass market out
there for solar,” Maxime Marion of Engie
told pv  magazine, referring to Afri-
ca’s energy market. “Together Fenix and
Mobisol can offer any given customer
what they need, be it a 10 W or a 200 W
system. We want to be a holistic energy
provider. We’re not pushing energy prod-
ucts but energy access.”
According to Marion, it wasn’t Mobi-
sol’s original vision that was faulty, but
rather its implementation and choice
of financiers. The young startups, he
says, required a different kind of capital
than what the equity investors and ven-
ture capitalists dangled in their faces –
namely, financing with a short leash and
high expectations. “Engie doesn’t have
unrealistic expectations,“ Marion said.
“By bringing in a higher degree of profes-
sionalism, we can make it work.”
Mobisol, whose products currently
include solar systems for home and busi-
ness ranging from 40 W up to 200 W
and perhaps more, is a neat fit for Engie
because it complements Fenix Interna-
tional’s smaller systems, he said. More-
over, Mobisol also opens the door for
Engie in Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya,
where Mobisol has a 600,000-strong cus-
tomer base.
Fenix International is currently one
of the very few energy access companies
that still targets lower-income, offgrid
Africans. Its top-shelf product, Read-
yPay Power, is a lease-to-own solar sys-
tem ranging in capacity from 10 W to 50
W. It can cost as little as $179. Once a cus-
tomer has paid off their system in 12 to
30 months, they own it. (In the 18-month
plan, customers pay $10 a month.) The
basic product includes one panel, an
adapter, wiring, lighting, a phone charger
and a radio. The monthly installments are
made via cell phone or mobile money.
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

  electrify Africa?
Fenix International’s offer is actually
much like that of Mobisol in the early
days, though somewhat smaller, and the
business logic is similar, too.
Mobisol’s game plan was to sell to Afri-
cans the basic components of a rooftop
solar system, plus a television, on layaway
plans. The customer-clients would repay
the roughly $900 basic kit by mobile-
phone banking, transferring payments of
about $25 a month over three years.
The pitch was that the regular install-
ments were less than the monthly cost
of toxic, dirty kerosene, batteries or die-
sel, the latter which offgrid Africans rely
upon to fuel mini-generators. Better-
heeled customers or small businesses –
cafes and bars, barber shops, mechanics
– could invest in multi-panel systems that
cost well over $1,000.
“We were fascinated by the possibility of
bringing affordable clean energy to Africa,”
said Thomas Gottschalk, Mobisol founder
and former CEO. Mobisol’s hashtag was,
and remains, #plugintheworld. “We went
into those far-off places where the banks
and even the microfinance organizations
refused to go,” said the 37-year old engi-
neer and native of East Germany.
Shortly after Mobisol’s groundbreak-
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
markets & trends
Photos: Mobisol
Maasai people watch a film in a village in Tanzania.
“We were fascinated by the possibility of bringing
affordable clean energy to Africa,” says Thomas
ing foray, a host of competitors entered Gottschalk, Mobisol founder and former CEO.
the unpredictable, wide-open market,
including Chinese and Indian compa-
nies. In just a few years’ time, the com-
bined efforts of the energy-provider
startups delivered electricity to hundreds
of thousands of people, and suddenly 300
million or more looked doable.
Rapid growth
Mobisol swelled to 800 employees and
outperformed rivals in securing capital
from high-profile development banks and
private equity firms. The Financial Times
even calculated that Mobisol had raised
about $80 to $90 million since it began
operations, with about two-thirds com-
ing from equity and one-third from debt.
The MIT Technology Review named Gott-
schalk Social Entrepreneur of the Year
in 2015 – one of many accolades. And
in 2016, Adnan Z. Amin, then-director
general of the International Renewable
Energy Agency, concluded that the trans-
formation of Africa’s power sector was no
longer an issue, given that the new busi-
ness case was so compelling.
Part of Mobisol’s innovative twist was
to do it all: manufacturing, retail sales,
financing, distribution and service. This
21
markets & trends

Mobisol’s plan was to sell the basic components of

a rooftop solar system, plus appliances such as TV
sets, on layaway plans. The customers would repay
the roughly $900 basic kit via mobile-phone banking
services, transferring payments of about $25 a month
over several years.
perhaps simply proved a curve too steep.
In terms of financing, Mobisol soon
found that in Africa, where 70% of peo-
ple live on less than $5,000 a year, many
couldn’t make down payments even of
around $70. For those who could, the
smaller kits, delivered by bicycle, motor-
bike or bus, were simple enough that
tors, but that came with high expectations.
Africa is not a continent where things hap-
pen fast. Everything is long term. Money
is locked in for long periods of time and
profits are usually pretty low.”
“Mobisol was still a long way from
profitability, even by 2019, but we knew
this was going to be the case for some

“ By 2018, offgrid homeowners could assemble them alone
in an hour. The contracts came with a ser-
vice guarantee (a repairman on motor-
energy access bike), and fine print that the system would
be turned off by a digital switch should the
companies had customer default on the premiums.
As the new market expanded, the
time,” explained Gottschalk in the office
of his new outfit, Access to Energy Insti-
tute (A2EI), a think tank in downtown
Berlin. “Everybody in the sector was
highly indebted.”
The startups, says an industry insider
who requested not to be named, “had a

absorbed nearly young companies’ capital needs soared,

as the financing of high upfront costs
cowboy approach, totally Silicon Valley.
But we found that our customers weren’t
and the distances involved carried a hefty paying as regularly as we had antici-
$1.7 billion price tag. By 2018, offgrid energy access
companies had absorbed nearly $1.7 bil-
pated. We discovered they often have
priorities in their lives such as health cri-
in corporate lion in corporate investment, according
to the consulting firm Wood Macken-
ses or investments in their farms that are
more important.”

investment
”
zie. Yet, more clients were defaulting on
their payments than the entrepreneurs
had expected.
“Originally, the first tier of these compa-
nies, such as Mobisol, obtained early stage
or repayable grants, for example from us,”
said Wim Jonker Klunne of EEP Africa,
a multidonor trust fund operated by the
Nordic countries. “They started growing
really fast. They attracted a lot of inves-
Panels were being stolen from rooftops,
East Africa suffered from droughts, Asian
competitors undercut their prices, the aid
community moved on, and the radical
business plans of the green-horn entre-
preneurs went up in smoke.
California-based Off Grid Electric
changed its name to Zola Electric and
reoriented to a higher-income market
segment: peri-urban African customers –

22 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

geographically more concentrated, with
stable incomes and more tech proficiency
– who wanted and could pay for more
than the basic kits. Zola’s new multipanel
packages include a 180 Wh battery, an
array of home lighting, LED widescreen
television, radio, inverter, full-size refrig-
erator, fans and phone charger – with long
grace periods for repayment.
“It’s become less of a social cause,”
explained the industry insider. Appli-
ances, for example – televisions, refrig-
erators, water pumps and fans – account
for an ever greater share of the compa-
nies’ revenue.
Impatient capital
Mobisol waited longer than the others to
restructure. Its debt soared, and in April
the corporate investors associated with
Investec Asset Management, a South Afri-
can multinational private equity firm,
moved on Gottschalk and his inner circle.
Then, Mobisol filed for self-administered
insolvency – a blow that observers thought
might discredit and even bring down the
entire industry.
The Financial Times used the oppor-
tunity to mock the entire sector, claim-
ing “it was too good to be true.” In the
future, impact investors should “try to
avoid being seduced by coolness and vir-
tue-signaling,“ wrote reporter John Diz-
ard. “The problem isn’t that we didn’t grow,
because we did, dramatically, but that we
didn’t grow fast enough for them,” said
Gottschalk. “But that’s not what Mobisol
was about.”
“It’s a classic conflict between ideals and
capital,” said Thorsten Schreiber, founder
and CEO of Africa Green Tec, an impact
investor also involved in clean energy in
Africa. “Those kinds of investors [referring
to Mobisol’s] want rates of return of 15% to
20% and think they can get them in Africa.”
Schreiber, who calls himself a “serial social
investor,” noted that big, multinational
energy companies such as Shell, Total and
Elf are now in the African renewable energy
market – making it yet more cutthroat.
Engie, said Marion, is convinced that the
Mobisol approach can be tweaked in a way
that reaches marginalized communities –
in Africa and beyond. Toby Couture of E3
Analytics, a Berlin-based energy consul-
tancy, concurs. “Solar is much cheaper
than diesel and it’s certainly the quickest
way to provide energy access to the devel-
oping world. The consumer financing of
distributed solar still has a bright future
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
Advertisement
in Africa,” he said. “And the reason for
this is simple: Access to finance is a game-
changer.” Engie’s entry into the market will
help bring much-needed “patient capital”
to the sector, Couture said, as companies
like Engie can take a longer view.
The global home solar energy industry,
noted Couture, is impressively still grow-
ing. Last year’s sales of solar home sys- Steca Solarix PLI
tems rose 77% over 2017, and the number 5000-48 | 2400-24 | 1000-12
of pay-as-you-go packages that were sold
increased, too. In 2017 and 2018 alone, the
offgrid solar sector worldwide has raised
more than $500 million, according to
Gogla, the industry’s lobby group.
Couture and others say that the energy-
access companies will probably broaden
out their choice of partners, working
together with African governments, the
incumbent utilities, minigrid distributors,
and perhaps the aid agencies and interna-
tional development banks, too, but on new
terms. Mobisol and its rivals will break up
into more specialized units, argued Cou-
ture, as many already have, leaving the
financing, for example, to commercial and
microfinance banks.
Africa’s energy sector, said Jonker
Klunne, is a major infrastructure project
that “neither government nor the private
sector can take on alone. The private sec-
tor, governments and donor organizations
all have a significant role to play. By work-
ing together we will be able to get this sec-
tor moving forward faster.”
Gottschalk and his former Mobisol
partner, Thomas Duveau, have already
moved on. Their new enterprise, Access
to Energy Institute, is a nonprofit think
tank that concentrates on helping small
African businesses develop using solar-
powered machines and appliances.
Gottschalk’s ousting from Mobisol
True sine wave voltage
still smarts, he admitted. But he says he’s
relieved that it is Engie who picked up the High overload capacity
pieces. “It is quite typical for start-ups to
Integrated MPP tracker
go through phases,” Raphael Tilot, Engie
Africa’s chief innovation and new business Multi-stage charge technology
officer, told African Energy, the newslet-
Lightweight construction
ter of a UK-based consultancy. “What
Engie wants to do now is to take Mobi- Easy installation
sol to the next phase, which is probably
less like a startup in terms of overall focus
on innovation and entrepreneurship, and
more a phase of structuring the business
for steady, healthy growth internationally.”
In business circles, Mobisol and its peers
have been panned for their naivety. But
Engie sees it otherwise – and is obviously
prepared to bet on it.   Paul Hockenos
Steca Elektronik GmbH -
Part of KATEK Group
Mammostraße 1
87700 Memmingen
info@steca.de
markets & trends
Downstream up: Taiwan’s   
Once the world’s second-largest PV cell manufacturer, Taiwan’s upstream
industry was crippled under its inability to compete with mainland China’s
bullish global takeover in PV manufacturing. The island’s government has
put forth efforts to keep Taiwan’s PV supply chain intact – and ambitious
goals and initiatives are driving demand from the downstream up.
O ctober’s Energy Taiwan conference
kicked off with opening remarks
from Republic of China (Taiwan) Pres-
ident Tsai Ing-wen, in a demonstration
of the current administration’s com-
mitment to the PV industry that can be
matched with corresponding policies. The
island’s highest-ranking leader stood on
firm ground when she said that Taiwan
will achieve its ambitious goal of 20 GW
of PV capacity deployment by 2025, and
remain a leader in advancing the green
energy agenda. But achieving such ambi-
tious goals doesn’t come without chal-
lenges for the small island.
To create the demand necessary to
meet the government’s bold capacity
goals, Taiwan offers one of the world’s
highest feed-in tariffs, ranging between
TWD 4.04 and TWD 4.87 ($0.13 and
$0.16)/kWh. This incentive is driving Tai-
wan’s downstream PV market, which will
hit an installed capacity of 1.5 GW this
The 2 MW Taipei Energy Hill project supported the
transformation of an old landfill wasteland into an year, according to PV InfoLink.
environmental restoration park for recreation.
Photo: Tatung
24
The analysts also project that the Tai-
wanese solar market will hit a new capac-
ity record of 2.2 GW of PV deployment
in 2020. And the stability of Taiwan’s
attractive FIT policy is encouraging for-
eign investors, such as Vena Energy, to
open local offices.
From cells to modules
Cell manufacturers who once led the
world are following downstream market
demand, and remodeling and structuring
their business plans accordingly. Unable
to compete with mainland China’s pricing,
Taiwanese cell manufacturers have turned
to module production.
Solar cell manufacturer TSEC Corp.
first moved into module development
with a small production plant in 2012, but
last year it developed a brand-new mod-
ule manufacturing facility with 1.2 GW of
capacity. In 2019, the company says it will
produce 400-500 MW of module capacity,
and just 20 MW of cell capacity.
Taiwan’s PV manufacturing industry
is being kept afloat by the government’s
Voluntary Product Certification (VPC)
incentive, which awards a 6% higher
FIT rate to projects that incorporate
high efficiency cells and modules pro-
duced on the island. But next year, the
Taiwanese-favoring VPC policy could
be dropped to 3-4%.
“The government wants to protect Tai-
wan manufacturers,” says Corrine Lin,
chief analyst at PV InfoLink. “If they con-
tinue the VPC policy, then suppliers can
still ship to the local market. But if it is can-
celed, then other Southeast Asian manu-
facturers could cause serious problems.”
Could cause problems, indeed. With
Trump’s removal of the bifacial exemp-
tion to Section 201 tariffs on imports to
the United States, and the end of Europe’s
antisubsidy and antidumping minimum
import price (MIP) measures on Chinese
products, locally manufactured cells and
modules are going almost exclusively to
the domestic market. TSEC Corp. says
that approximately 98% of its product is
staying in Taiwan.
But manufacturers are hoping the gov-
ernment will increase the VPC bonus for
local cell and module makers by an addi-
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

   multi-GW
tional 3% if they can even further improve
efficiency – which could help keep Tai-
wanese suppliers competitive.
Further downstream
Taiwan’s PV manufacturing industry
is continuing to diversify its offerings
across the board – trending even further
downstream. Manufacturers are placing
a larger part of their business models on
EPC and project development work –
and preparing for the local market PV
deployment ramp-up.
“Right now, about 90% of our busi-
ness comes from modules, and about
10% comes from EPC work and project
development,” says William Liao, senior
vice president of TSEC Corp. He says
that by the end of next year, the com-
pany expects this to flip, and the EPC
and development side of its business to
be its largest segment. TSEC Corp. has
60 MW of projects in the queue and
expects to develop 150 MW of capacity
over the next three to five years.
Local manufacturer Motech says that
40% of its business is now also coming
from EPC work in Taiwan, and that it
is gearing up for an even larger boom
next year.
From rooftops to ground-mount
With limited available roofspace remain-
ing on government buildings, PV devel-
opment is moving toward ground-
mounted installations. “The government
is releasing public land for PV develop-
ment,” says Daniel Lee, special assis-
tant of the Taiwan Photovoltaic Indus-
try Association (TPVIA).
“Next year is the year of the ground-
mount. We expect to see ground-mount
applications booming over the next
three years,” says SH Liao, vice president
of the energy business at AU Optronics
(AUO) Corp. The company, which is one
of Taiwan’s leading cell manufacturers,
has also expanded its business model
to become a fully integrated supplier,
from wafers and modules down to proj-
ect development and software. But EPCs
are running into challenges getting their
ground-mounted projects, well, off the
ground.
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
markets & trends
ambitions
Photo: AU Optronics Corp.
A 6 MW Floating System in Tainan, Taiwan
Complicated land transfers
While the Taiwanese government has a
strong will to transition toward renew-
ables, and incentives are robust, proj-
ects are facing development chal-
lenges due to land ownership and usage
requirements.
“The biggest challenge is land,” says
TÜV Rheinland’s manager of solar in
Taiwan, Paul J.H. Wang. Space is limited
on the small island, and an individual
“develop
large-scale PV site requires land mass
that typically runs across several prop-
erties. “If you want to develop a 1 MW If you want to
a 1 MW
project, you might have to deal with 10
landlords,” he adds.
One-by-one negotiation is proving to be
exhausting for developers, and many have
hired independent consultants to help
project, you might
lessen the time-consuming burden of get-
ting property owners on board. TPVIA’s have to deal with
10 landlords
”
Lee says that delays over getting land
switched over for PV development comes
down to human greed, adding that “long
negotiations are taking place surrounding
the selling of land because property own-
ers are asking unreasonable costs.”
When asked about the feasibility of the
government achieving its ambitious solar
goals, PV InfoLink says it believes that
Taiwan has the potential to reach its objec-
tives. “Developers are eager and module
manufacturers have enough capacity to
build. If the land is available, then they
would be able to do it, but this is the chal-
25
markets & trends
Some PV industry developers believe that
floating solar projects may be necessary
for Taiwan to meet its ambitious PV goals
by 2025.
“theDevelopers, landowners and
government will need to
”
collaborate more closely
26
lenge, says Mars Chang, research assistant
at PV InfoLink.
To realize 20 GW of solar capacity in
Taiwan, developers, landowners and the
government will need to collaborate more.
closely. “It is now known that it is manda-
tory that the developers meet with com-
munities and landlords first as a part of the
process. This is the most important ele-
ment,” says TÜV Rheinland’s Wang.
Political influence
In the debate over the land grab for solar,
PV InfoLink’s Chang references an 800
MW project that was approved to be
developed in Yunlin County, but 70% of
the land was owned by individuals, and
just 30% by government. Chang says that
the local government has tried to con-
vince individual landowners to build the
solar plant, but the general population
has been resistant to its development and
prefers that the space is developed for
industrial purposes.
Photo: Sun Rise E&T Corp.
But several industry players at the
Energy Taiwan conference pointed to
the upcoming 2020 government elec-
tions as the reason that projects are not
being approved or moving forward.
Pointing to halted projects in both
Yunlin County and Chung Hwa, solar
executives claim that the elections and
political differences between the pro-
nuclear Kuomintang (KMT) and pro-
solar Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) are to blame for delays.
The 2020 Taiwan presidential election
is scheduled for January, and the DPP’s
pro-renewables incumbent President Tsai
Ing-wen is running for another term. Her
primary opponent, running on the KMT
ticket, is Han Kuo-Yu, who had yet to
release details of his energy policy plat-
form at the time of Energy Taiwan.
TPVIA’s Lee said he is confident that
the island’s PV policy and objectives will
continue under either candidate. Devel-
opers sign a 20-year PPA under the FIT
scheme, and it is unlikely that the FIT will
be removed, even if there’s a turnover in
party power.
“One thing that is certain is the FIT pol-
icy will remain the major driver behind
solar adoption for the short term, regard-
less of party alternation,” says PV Info-
Link’s Chang. “For the long term, it will
depend on the change of solar industry
and the ruling party’s views by then.”
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 Advertisement
PV vs. agriculture
Several industry professionals in Taipei claim that land chal-
lenges and slow-moving bureaucratic project approvals come
down to an internal war between solar and agriculture. But oth-
ers argue that this is a challenge of the past, and that progress is
moving forward now that the technology and the economics of
PV investment are better understood.
“I think that the situation is getting better. Some farmers now
realize that it is quite profitable. You don’t have to take care of
the land, worry about the floods or the crops – you just receive
money,” says TÜV Rheinland’s Wang.
Severe land subsidence areas that are no longer suitable
for farming but viable for PV plants are being taken advan-
tage of – and these types of projects are being developed in
Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi counties. The government is
also pushing for projects to be developed in salt work areas
and landfills, which are not particularly easy for other indus-
tries to use.
In 2017, Tatung developed the first PV plant on a former land-
fill site. The 2 MW “Taipei Energy Hill” project covers three hect-
ares of the Fudekeng Environmental Restoration Park, which was
a large landfill site in Taipei from 1985 to 1994. The project came
about as a result of a collaboration between Taipei’s city govern-
ment and the utility. The project won the 2018 Taiwan Real Estate
Excellence award.

Floating potential
Beyond landmasses, water surfaces are also on the agenda of sev-
eral local manufacturers and project developers. AUO’s develop-
ment business is deploying floating PV projects across the island
and has partnered with Taiwan’s longstanding floater manufac-
turer, Sun Rise E&T Corp.
Launched in 1995 as a producer of HDPE pipes for chemi-
cals and water transportation, and then on-sea net cages, Sun
Rise E&T Corp. got its start in the PV industry as a floating
system provider in 2010. The company’s floating PV racking
structures have been deployed for 29 projects in Taiwan for
more than 82 MW of solar capacity, with the majority installed
in Hsinchu and Taoyuan.
Sun Rise supported Tsai Ing-wen prior to her taking office,
when she was in charge of a think tank, with analysis for floating
PV potential. After calculating available fish farms, abandoned
ponds and lakes, the company’s sales manager, Eric Tung, pre-
dicts that there will be 6 GW of floating solar capacity in Taiwan
over the next 10 years. But Taiwan’s floating PV market faces
other challenges, such as typhoons. When asked about extreme
weather events, Tung says that one of his company’s projects has
survived four typhoons without damage.
Adding to the environmental challenges are ecological con-
cerns. “Many manufacturers in Taiwan really believe in the
potential for floating PV on fish farms, but still many local peo-
ple think that it won’t work,” says Mars of PV Info Link. “Float-
ing is a challenge, because environmental parties continue to
argue against the impacts.”
With the challenges faced surrounding land availability, sev-
eral developers argue that floating PV systems will be neces-
sary to meet the government’s ambitious objectives. And once
again, the government, industry and community will need to
come together.  
 Erica Johnson

www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
applications & installations

In position to
undermine utilities
Plenty of ideas surrounding the future design of the U.S. grid model are tom up – a system design approach that
floating around the solar industry these days, but few seem as compelling many microgrid hardware and software
as the solar+storage-based microgrid. These local electrical communities companies are now taking, according to
are proliferating, particularly on the East Coast and West Coast, including Peter Asmus, research director at Navi-
the hallowed turf where once mighty utilities — like now-bankrupt Pacific gant Research.
Gas & Electric (PG&E) — defended their monopolies. The commercial and industrial seg-
ment is now the fastest growing sector
of the microgrid market. Having qua-

M icrogrids are fast becoming the

basic building block of distributed
energy resources (DERs), starting from
single home or business sites, expanding
to local areas, then expanding to com-
munity choice aggregators (CCAs), and
yet again to cross-CCA and cross-utility
regional areas. While traditionally utilities
have been structured as top-down models,
microgrids are organized from the bot-
drupled between 2016 and 2017, accord-
ing to Navigant, there are a range of mar-
ket customer types, including campus and
institutional facilities, local communities,
remote municipalities, utility distribution
centers, and military installations.
Islanding
The distinguishing feature of a microgrid
compared with other integrated DERs is

Photos: NEC Energy Solutions, Inc.

28 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 applications & installations

its ability to island from the grid when it is
challenged, and to provide internal energy
resiliency. This capability is frequently
adopted to provide back-up power to
emergency or critical infrastructure facil-
ities like fire and police stations, hospitals,
and water or other utilities.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
defines microgrids as “a group of inter-
fit analysis of microgrid installation and
operation. While microgrids are gener-
ally agnostic to the fuel type of the various
generation units within it, solar+battery
storage is proving one of the least expen-
sive and most self-sufficient designs for
new microgrids.
Politics drive the market

connected loads and distributed energy
resources within clearly-defined electrical
boundaries that act as a single controlla-
ble entity with respect to the grid, and that
can connect and disconnect from the grid
to enable it to operate in both grid-con-
nected and ‘island’ mode.”
The ability to island recently became a
critical capability for hundreds of thou-
“
The forces driving microgrids are simple,
direct and highly economic in nature,
despite slow adoption. While solar
Solar+battery
microgrids have been around for a decade
or more, they have only recently begun to
storage is proving one
be perceived as the best solution for mul-
tiple grid problems. of the least expensive
California’s devastating wildfires have
served as a powerful political inspiration and most self-

sands of homes and businesses in North-
ern California, where PG&E shut down
power for three days in October for fear of
more wildfires, like the devastating Camp
Fire last year. That fire was the deadliest
in the history of the state, killing 85, dis-
placing more than 50,000 residents and
burning an excess of 150,000 acres of land.
Despite the lack of a clear political or
economic function for microgrids, emer-
gency installation support has emerged as
the current focal point for the cost/bene-
”
for state legislation aimed at facilitating
the adoption of microgrids. In Septem-
ber 2018, the state enacted into law Senate
sufficient designs
Bill (SB) 1339, which requires the Califor-
nia Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
to develop regulations, standards, and
guidelines by December 2020 to facili-
tate the standardized commercialization
of microgrids for customers of large elec-
tric utilities.
“SB 1339 directs the CPUC to address
the following key issues: 1) how microgrids

California blackouts provide industry

opportunity
The recent havoc caused by the planned PG&E
power outages in northern California provides
a strong case for solar PV and storage in regions
threatened by blackouts. Station A and the Chi-
nese inverter and battery manufacturer Growatt
are just two vendors out of many poised to ben-
efit from customers looking to withstand such
outages.
Following the PG&E outages in October, Kevin
Berkemeyer, CEO at Station A, commented on
LinkedIn: “The recent PG&E blackouts really
highlight the need for more resilient distributed
energy solutions for local businesses. Solar and
storage should not be overlooked! It can provide
some resiliency and ongoing bill savings.”
The company has scrutinized the roughly 16,500
C&I buildings in the PG&E High Fire-Threat Dis-
tricts and projects that 85% of these buildings
(so 14,152) could save $220 million annually by
deploying solar + battery storage.
On October 18th the Wall Street Journal reported
that “PG&E Corp.’s chief executive said [that same
day] that it could take as long as 10 years for the
company to improve its electric system enough
to significantly diminish the need to pull the plug
on customers to reduce the risk of sparking fires.”
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) provides power
and gas to 16 million people, and more than
700,000 homes and businesses were impacted by
the recent blackouts in October. Most of the cus-
tomers affected by the blackouts were residential
ratepayers, and for this group, the combination
of solar and battery storage is also becoming
increasingly compelling.
At Solar Power International, pv magazine met
with Felix Fang, director of the Americas region
at Growatt. The Chinese manufacturer plans to
aggressively develop residential markets in the
U.S. and Canada.
Fang highlights the need for a secure power sup-
ply in the face of natural catastrophes and power
outages. He describes two new solutions for
these markets: Growatt’s 400 Volt battery, which
can be readily coupled with a PV system, and
Growatt’s hybrid inverter with an open port to
connect to a third party 48 Volt battery. The latter
solution also offers islanding, so that PV electric-
ity remains available even when the grid supply
is cut off.
While the Tesla-Walmart case has been ugly PR
for the U.S. solar industry, the very ugly PR sur-
rounding these PG&E outages might provide a
tremendous opportunity for suppliers addressing
the residential and C&I markets in the U.S.
 Eckhart K. Gouras

www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019 29
applications & installations
Microgrid projects in the U.S. are growing as a
solution for multiple grid problems.
operate and their value; 2) improving the
electrical grid with microgrids; 3) how
microgrids can play a role in implement-
ing policy goals; 4) how microgrids can
support California’s policies to integrate a
high concentration of distributed energy
resources on the electrical grid; 5) how
microgrids operate in the current Cal-
ifornia regulatory framework; and 6)
microgrid technical challenges,” summa-
rizes William Kissinger, partner at law
firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.
California was not the first U.S. state
to legislate microgrid rules, although it
now leads the country. Several states on
the eastern seaboard of the U.S. passed
legislation encouraging microgrids after
back-to-back hurricanes over the past
three years. Similarly, islands such as
Puerto Rico and Hawaii have quickly
come to embrace microgrids as the best
grid design of the future.
One national organization that is help-
ing both to formulate microgrid legis-
lation and to develop pilot microgrids
around the country is Clean Coalition,
based in Santa Barbara. The non-profit
group is working primarily in Califor-
nia at this point, focusing on the wildfire-
affected region of the state. California
microgrid legislation and regulation now
is often emulated by other states’ public
utility commissions and legislatures, notes
Rosana Francescato, director of commu-
nications for Clean Coalition.
One new microgrid that Clean Coali-
tion helped develop is an array in Fre-
mont, California, the first microgrid
installation with a solar+battery backup
30
at a fire station in the United States. The
microgrid was designed in part by Grid-
scape Solution and the Fremont Chamber
of Commerce, and was subsidized with
funding from the California Energy Com-
mission. The design grew out of the Clean
Coalition’s ‘Electrification and Commu-
nity Microgrid Ready’ (ECMR) guide-
lines, serving as a model for adoption by
other community microgrids.
Aggregated value
The value of microgrids goes beyond the
basic peak-shaving that a solar-plus-stor-
age system might enable for a given cus-
tomer. It permits that a group of customers
act in unison relative to the utility’s imme-
diate needs and capabilities, both protect-
ing the group from power shut-off or lim-
its and enabling energy arbitrage activities
to reap peak utility demand pricing.
The effort to peg value for microgrids
was recently advanced by a study per-
formed by the National Association
of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
(NARUC), in partnership with Converge
Strategies. The findings in this study were
similar to the conclusions of a year-long
stakeholder-driven initiative conducted
by the Smart Electric Power Alliance
(SEPA) under contract with the Wash-
ington, D.C. Public Service Commission.
Both of these studies found that the
value is customer-centric and depends on
the activities of the affected participants.
The studies suggest that one tool for cal-
culating a specific value is from the single
customer perspective. This added resil-
ience can easily be calculated as the Value
of Loss of Load (VoLL). Another similar
benchmark for valuation is the broader
value of resilience determination, which
a municipality might consider if critical
services were lost.
Thus, a hospital may readily calculate
the value of its resilient energy supply as
a function of both services provided and
of the liability resulting from a failure to
provide contracted services. Fire fight-
ers, similarly, require reliable energy as
a critical path component of their basic
activities, which include the protection of
insured homes and businesses.
Software enablers
One significant limit to microgrid growth
is the ability — or lack thereof — of the
local utility to physically connect and
then participate in the management of
the microgrid. Similarly, groups seeking
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

to form microgrids are ill-prepared to
anticipate all the needs of a system being
planned. “We have identified about 4,000
critical sites in California — including
hospitals, fire stations, law enforcement
and other command-and-control centers
— but most of these are managed by peo-
ple who don’t have the skills to design a
microgrid or to select a vendor to do so,”
reckons Asmus.
Nonetheless, microgrid software con-
trols are widely available. Entrenched
international electrical system vendors
like Siemens offer microgrid solutions
on several organizational levels. The least
complicated and least expensive solution
is its Microgrid Control package, which
can readily integrate local players with
various functions, starting at a cost of
under $100,000. The company’s utility-
oriented microgrid solution is its Spec-
trum Power package, which is highly
robust and can be 10 times more expen-
sive than the entry level software.
One distinctive feature of Siemens’
microgrid control system is its ability to
create a simulated model of the microgrid
components, to analyze and benchmark
actual operations, and to design models
for improved efficiency and cost control,
if not income, notes Clark Wiedetz, the
director of microgrid business for Sie-
mens Smart Infrastructure.
Another key is the capability of orches-
trating action across diverse generation
resources to create economic benefits that
individual members would not likely pur-
sue, even if they had the ability. Energy
arbitrage, once the domain of specialized
boutiques, is currently a basic component
of several microgrid software packages,
like that of OpenEGrid, based in south
San Francisco. A starting point for such
capability should be that the software is
open-source, so that various devices and
resources ultimately can cross-communi-
cate and cooperate under common con-
trol towards a common goal, says OpenE-
Grid CEO Vijay Israni.
The effort of benchmarking not only
major components of microgrids, but
also individual pieces of equipment oper-
ating within a given customer location is
a new source of system granularity that
software like that WES.net is offering.
The company is establishing a database
of equipment performance that it can uti-
lize, along with AI and algorithms, to help
streamline the operations of microgrids as
well as the member customers compris-
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
applications & installations
ing the microgrid, according to Sharon
Trackman, WES.net’s director of sales and
marketing.
One recent entrant to the microgrid
software space is SIC USA, which offers
a storage-plus-software solution that is
microgrid ready, including advanced
feature options such as energy arbitrage
capability, according to Phillip Cheng,
director of business development. In July,
SIC added EV charge management capa-
bility to its platform, which is based on
OpenEGrid software. The system reads
data every three minutes, five times as fast
as the currently leading U.S. solar perfor-
mance modeling system, PVsyst, accord-
ing to Cheng.
“
One significant limit to microgrid
growth is the ability – or lack thereof –
of the local utility to physically
connect and then participate in the
management of the microgrid
”
Pilots
One classic microgrid example is the
Bronzeville Community Microgrid in
Chicago, within which utility ComEd’s
costs are recouped by rate-basing involved
assets, while some linked third parties gain
a return on investment (ROI) through
power purchase agreements (PPAs) and
grid services. This new microgrid will ulti-
mately connect with an existing microgrid
on the campus of Illinois Tech, result-
ing in one of the most advanced urban
microgrid clusters in the nation, accord-
ing to ComEd.
Another example of a recently-installed
solar+storage system is the one now oper-
ated by the Energy Conservation and Man-
agement Division (ECMD) of New Mex-
ico’s State Forestry Division at Cimarron.
The facility serves as the Fire Command
Center for the Northwestern region of
New Mexico, which supports close to 300
firefighters. The energy resilience of the
microgrid enables the Cimarron District
to securely communicate with local fire
departments, the community, and other
agencies during a wildfire emergency.
ECMD expects the microgrid to reduce
the facility’s energy costs by 90%.  
 Charles Thurston
31
applications & installations

An end to shutdowns
Last month, millions of Californians were left in the dark because their viding our communities with an unparal-
utility, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), preemptively shut down power lines leled trifecta of economic, environmental
to avoid igniting wildfires. The Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) resulted and resilience benefits.
in substantial economic losses for California residents and businesses The PSPS got everyone talking about
– including include lost wages, lost revenues, spoiled food and delayed microgrids. While California has achieved
production – with one economist estimating the losses at $2.5 billion. Not the milestone of one million solar roof-
so easy to quantify were the disruptions to daily life and the more serious, tops, most of those sites are served by solar
sometimes fatal, consequences. alone, which means the solar shuts down
when the grid goes down. Adding energy
storage, however, enables these sites to

W ith some of the most devastat-

ing wildfires in California his-
tory being attributed to the utilities’
transmission and distribution lines, the
state’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs)
configure microgrids that can keep at least
their most critical electric loads online –
indefinitely, if designed appropriately.
Although the price of energy storage is
decreasing rapidly, it’s still not economi-

“
are all taking the PSPS approach to wild- cally viable for many individuals and busi-

Community fire mitigation.

Not surprisingly, Californians aren’t
nesses. Many homeowners and site man-
agers do not want to be responsible for

microgrids can island

happy about these shutoffs – nor is Gover-
nor Gavin Newsom, who called the situa-
tion “unacceptable.” As they try to adapt to
from the larger their new normal, many Californians are
questioning whether the PSPS is the best
managing such technologies. And a stan-
dard microgrid is designed to protect just
one home or business.
How can solar-driven resilience be
achieved while addressing the barriers to

grid and operate way to deal with increasing wildfire risks.

No silver bullet exists. A multipronged
site-specific deployments of energy stor-
age? With community microgrids, entire

independently
”
approach should include reducing the communities can be served, rather than
sprawl of residential development, trim- just those homes and businesses that can
ming vegetation near power lines and afford and have the sophistication to man-
burying power lines. But these actions age solar+storage systems.
take time, money and systemic change. Like standard microgrids, community
A highly effective action we can take microgrids can island from the larger grid
much faster is to deploy community and operate independently. Unlike stan-
microgrids – a new approach for design- dard microgrids, community microgrids
ing and operating the electric grid. Com- serve an entire community by ensur-
munity microgrids are stacked with local ing indefinite renewables-driven backup
renewables and staged for resilience, pro- power for critical community facilities
such as fire stations, water and communi-
cations infrastructure, as well as hospitals
Community microgrid loading priority Source: Clean Coalition and emergency shelters.
Community microgrids are deployed in
Total load
targeted and coordinated local grid areas
100% served by one or more distribution sub-
90% stations – a model that can be replicated
80% in any utility service territory around the
70% world. They feature high penetrations of
60% local renewables and other distributed
50% energy resources (DERs) such as energy
storage, demand response and electric
40%
vehicle charging infrastructure.
30% Tier 3 = Discretionary load, ~75% of total load
Community microgrids can keep criti-
20% cal loads online indefinitely during power
Tier 2 = Priority load, ~15% of total load
10% outages of any length, whether caused by a
0% Tier 1 = Critical, life-sustaining load, ~10% of total load PSPS or by an actual disaster. Depending
Time: 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% on battery storage sizing and the amount

32 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

of sunshine, they can keep some portion
of loads online indefinitely and all loads
online some of the time. An average solar
net-zero community in California with
two hours of energy storage (2 MWh of
energy storage for each MW of solar) can
keep 10% of its normal loads online indefi-
nitely and 100% of normal loads online for
at least 25% of the time.
The Clean Coalition, a California-based
nonprofit, is designing and staging com-
munity microgrids throughout the United
States. The motivation for many of these
projects, such as the Goleta Load Pocket
Community Microgrid in the Santa Bar-
bara region, is to increase resilience in
areas that have been affected by disasters
such as wildfires and debris flows. The
Clean Coalition’s Long Island Commu-
nity Microgrid was designed in response
to Hurricane Sandy and has set the stage
for substantial levels of local solar, energy
storage and even offshore wind to provide
resilience to the east end of Long Island.
Calistoga responds
Increasingly, the risk of a PSPS is moti-
vating communities to seek the resilience
provided by a community microgrid. The
city of Calistoga reached out to the Clean
Coalition after experiencing a 48-hour
PSPS last year, which disrupted the city
and led to substantial lost revenues. Sur-
rounded by a high-fire-threat region that
engulfs the transmission lines that serve it,
Calistoga is preparing for frequent PSPS
events (and actual disasters) by planning
the Calistoga Community Microgrid.
The Clean Coalition is conducting a fea-
sibility study for Calistoga that will include
functional designs for six target Critical
Community Facility Microgrids. Starting
with these separate microgrids at discrete
locations, the ultimate goal is to develop
a comprehensive community microgrid
that serves the broader community.
Because community microgrids lever-
age portions of the distribution grid,
deploying them requires collaboration
from the local utility. The Clean Coali-
tion is working with PG&E to investi-
gate protecting the most critical grid area
in Calistoga during outages by combin-
ing local renewables+storage, grid isola-
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
Pre-installed interconnection hub
Isolation device
These devices
allow PG&E to
safely isolate the
area inside of the
resilience zone
from the larger
grid during Market
public safety
power shutoff
events.
Bank Fire
station
Gas
station
tion switches, and a preinstalled inter-
connection hub (PIH), a new concept
for enabling mobile energy sources to
be rolled in and interconnected during
grid outages.
The grid isolation switches and the PIH
set the stage for community microgrids by
creating a targeted grid area that can be
isolated from the larger grid.
Initially, the Calistoga PIH will proba-
bly be powered by diesel generators, which
are heavy polluters and are expensive to
operate and maintain. They also might be
impossible to replenish in major disas-
ters. However, the PIH should eventually
be powered by local renewables+storage
to create a truly resilient and sustainable
community microgrid.
The time is now
Community microgrids should be the
first step in mitigating the effects of PSPS
events – and providing comprehensive
resilience in the face of actual disasters.
California already has operational
microgrids that kept power online dur-
ing the PSPS for some facilities, including
three Fremont fire stations. But we need
broader deployment of comprehensive
community microgrids.
What’s stopping their proliferation?
The technology exists, but deployment
requires cooperation from utilities to
applications & installations
Example resilience zone service area
Distribution lines in the resilience zone
Distribution lines outside
of the resilience zone
Isolation device
PIH
Police
station
Pre-installed
interconnection hub (PIH)
∙ Transformer
∙ Isolation device
∙ Space for temporary generation
Source: PG&E
allow portions of the distribution grid
to be used during outages. This coopera-
tion has been slow to come, so the Clean
Coalition is starting with the first build-
ing blocks in the form of behind-the-
meter microgrids and ensuring these
are designed to connect to larger com-
munity microgrids as available.
The Clean Coalition is also working to
establish policies and market mechanisms
that will help proliferate DERs, including
streamlining interconnection for whole-
sale distributed generation (WDG), usu-
ally commercial-scale solar. It will also
establish effective procurement methods,
such as a market-responsive feed-in tariff
with a dispatchability adder to incentiv-
ize energy storage, while ensuring full and
fair valuation for WDG, which includes
establishing a standardized value of resil-
ience. It is also crucial to eliminate a mas-
sive market distortion in the way that
transmission costs are allocated in Cal-
ifornia’s IOU service territories and to
make the single biggest market change
that will motivate IOUs to pursue commu-
nity microgrids: transmission divestment.
The recent PSPS highlights the urgency
of protecting our communities, including
our most vulnerable citizens, with com-
munity microgrids. We can’t afford to
wait; we must work to make community
microgrids a reality now.   Craig Lewis
33
applications & installations
Islanding on and off  
Microgrids are traditionally deployed where end users are not spoiled
for choice. The remoteness and terrain of the Maldives make grid access
impossible, and without any other choice, the deployment of hundreds of
microgrids could be spot on. A leaf out of the island nation’s book could also
support other less remote regions in preparing for the energy transition.  maintain a stable working status for the
W hen the going gets tough,
microgrids are the offroad vehicle
to bring electricity to those who inhabit
some of the most remote places on earth.
While the going does not look tough in
the Maldives – comprising 1,190 individ-
ual islands over a geographical area the
size of Scotland – the popular holiday des-
tination faces severe challenges to build-
“Fenaka
ing an electric grid.
Malé public utility Sungrow has been one of the companies
taking on this challenge, and has installed
said that several of its systems on the islands. With
only about 200 of the islands inhabited, a
150 islands have
sea cable connects only very few of them
to a larger grid. The average size of the
”
islands is less than 25 hectares, making
been electrified the addition of generation and distribu-
tion assets even more complicated.
Forming the grid
A microgrid’s primary function is to
manage loads and resources in the
grid to keep the stable equilibrium of
the two. Using solar power as the lead-
ing resource, a microgrid requires stor-
age capacity to substitute for rotating
masses, which quickly inject power into
the grid when loads change. Improve-
Sungrow said that it had to add air ments in battery inverter technology
conditioning to its systems in the Maldives,
as ambient temperatures are quite high. over the last few years have enabled
This microgrid project in Tibet sits at 5,000m, large-scale storage systems to inject volt-
which also poses challenges for inverter age or frequency as required in a matter
and battery cooling. Most systems can only
operate until 3,000m, as air density is too low of a few hundred milliseconds.
to convey enough heat in higher altitudes.
Photo: Sungrow
34
“Basically, the energy storage system
will adjust the active power output of the
power conversion systems, as per the fre-
quency fluctuation of the grid, in a bid to
grid,” explains Zhuang Cai, energy stor-
age product manager at Sungrow.
Through the use of relays and very
accurate monitoring today’s grid-form-
ing inverters can remedy a 0.5 Hz fre-
quency step almost instantaneously. The
devices use single- and double-angle feed-
forward to achieve this result. The differ-
ence to regular inverters is the behavior
to react to impulses in the grid. Grid-fol-
lowing inverters tend to follow voltage
droops, whereas grid-forming inverters
generate a frequency or voltage to coun-
ter this change. This is what makes the
devices grid-forming.
The Maldives have experienced large-
scale deployment of solar microgrids,
backed up with battery storage. This leaves
diesel gensets mostly idle, available only
for prolonged periods of low renewable
energy production. Demand has been
sizable, with companies installing several
dozen microgrids at a time.
Sungrow, for example, has supported
the Maldives with 31 microgrids over the
past two years. In 2017, the company first
supplied materials for micrgrids across the
islands of Addu, Villingili, Kurrendhoo,
Buruni and Goidho – including PV and
storage inverters, Sungrow-Samsung SDI
lithium-ion batteries and energy manage-
ment control systems. The 2017 projects
on the five islands were done with Chinese
developer CEEC. Jointly, the small proj-
ects across the five islands have 2.7 MW of
PV capacity and 700 kW/333kWh of bat-
tery storage. Sungrow says that last year it
supported an additional 26 islands with
4.5 MW/3.2 MWh of energy storage.
At Asia Utility Week in Jakarta in Sep-
tember, Sada Aishath, deputy director of
business development and marketing at
Malé public utility Fenaka, said that 150
islands have been electrified.
It’s cheaper
The Maldives are not rolling up their
sleeves and building technically chal-
lenging microgrids by the hundreds to
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

  the ocean
Photo: SwimSol
send a message to the world – well, at
least that is not the only reason. Instead,
it is because microgrids have become a
cheaper, more practical solution.
Microgrid deployment is thriving, with
newly installed capacity of around 500
MW per quarter, according to Navigant
Research’s microgrid tracker.
The analyst outfit has been monitor-
ing the technology’s global deployment
and points out that the majority of proj-
ects have been built in the Asia-Pacific
region. According to the National
Bureau of Statistics of the Malé Minis-
try of Finance and Treasury, the coun-
try spends between $24 million and
$45 million per month on the import
of fuels. This is not only very expensive,
but also highly volatile, due to geopo-
litical realities.
Cai explains that “the diesel plus PV
plus storage system can guarantee a lower
levelized cost of energy compared with a
diesel-only generation system.”
This rings true not only in the Mal-
dives, but also throughout many remote,
isolated regions across Asia-Pacific, where
diesel fuel regularly needs to be shipped
in at high costs and is often distributed
through monopolized structures, which
further drives up prices.
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
Proving resiliency
Sungrow says that it has improved the
quality of power supply on the islands
where its systems are installed, as the grid-
forming capabilities of the inverters ren-
der a grid inherently more resilient.
Indeed, microgrids are being deployed not
just on remote islands, but also in regions
where power supply is already safely avail-
able. It is done to improve resilience in the
U.S. around data centers, military bases,
and hospitals, for example (see pp. 36-38).
Also, in Europe, grid engineers have
been piloting microgrids as an alternative
to expensive grid infrastructure devel-
opments, as needed in Germany. This
August, a massive blackout hit the south-
eastern U.K. and parts of London, when a
wind farm and a gas power station failed
due to weather-related incidents. A sud-
den frequency drop had killed the lights
in large parts of the country. A plethora
of microgrids arranged in a cellular man-
ner likely would have contained the dam-
age to a much smaller area. The German
association of electrical technology (VDE)
published a white paper asserting that this
cellular grid layout will be the one to pur-
sue for the future of the energy transition
– when the going gets tough.  
 Marian Willuhn
applications & installations
The islands of the Maldives are rather small,
making it difficult to accommodate large ground-
mounted PV installations. Rooftop PV systems
and shallow-water floating PV systems have to do
the job. The waters are mostly gentle year-round,
making offshore PV relatively easy to handle.
Island energy
The Maldives’ energy mix is powered almost
entirely by diesel (more than 80%), along with
some other forms of liquid fossil fuels. Power has
been provided by small generators on each of the
islands, putting the country at risk to volatile oil
prices and also to environmental disasters, should
there be problems shipping the fuels to the islands.
The nation’s bid to largely abandon thermal gen-
erator-based electricity production could be seen
merely as a signal to the world. With an average
elevation of 1.5 meters above sea level, concerns
about sea level rise are particularly urgent here.
In 2012, the prime minister’s cabinet signed a pol-
icy for carbon cuts underwater while scuba div-
ing, which drew international attention. The gov-
ernment has launched several programs, such as
the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program (SREP)
and the Preparing Outer Islands for Sustainable
Energy Development, to attract millions of dollars
from international lenders and funds.
35
applications & installations
Around the world in  
pv magazine reached out to companies that are active in the microgrid
segment for details on the market and its latest tech developments. What
follows is a look at some of the most interesting projects from across the globe.
C ontrol systems for microgrids are
already performing a wide range of
tasks in real-world projects. Among other
things, control systems are designed to
increase the share of renewable energy in
the local electricity mix, reduce the operat-
ing costs of the power supply, and provide
emergency backup power to maintain crit-
ical infrastructure in the event of disrup-
tions to the public grid. Research groups
are often involved in developing the new
concepts of tomorrow’s energy supply and
testing in real-world conditions. Among
the projects presented here are autono-
mous, standalone power networks, as well
as grid-parallel installations for municipal-
ities, companies, energy suppliers, shop-
ping centers and prisons.
“ Research groups are often involved
in developing the new concepts of
tomorrow’s energy supply and testing
them in real-world conditions
”
Electricity for day-trippers
For several centuries, South Africa’s Rob-
ben Island was a penal colony. Nelson
Mandela spent 18 years of his 27-year
imprisonment here. In the 1990s the
prison was closed, and the island was
converted into a national monument. In
1999, Robben Island was designated a
World Heritage Site. The former prison is
now a museum that is visited by around
2,000 tourists a day. Some 200 people also
live on the island – mostly tour guides
and museum employees. Previously, the
island’s power was supplied exclusively
by diesel generators. In 2017, ABB built
a microgrid that supplies the island with
solar power for at least nine months of the
36
year and reduces the island’s CO2 emis-
sions by 75%.
The microgrid consists of a photovoltaic
system with a rated output of 667 kW, and
a battery storage system with a capacity
of 837 kWh. A remaining 500 kW, diesel-
fired power plant ensures reliable supply
even when the sky is cloudy and the bat-
teries are drained. The complete system
is monitored and controlled from Cape
Town. As a result, it is no longer necessary
to have a service team for the electricity
grid permanently stationed on the island.
High voltage
Since 2017, the technology applications
center of U.S. energy provider Ameren
has had a largely self-sufficient power
supply. The facility is connected to sev-
eral residential units on the nearby cam-
pus of the University of Illinois by an intel-
ligent microgrid. The peak load of all of
the interconnected buildings is around
1 MW. What makes the project unique,
according to its developer, S&C, is that it
is one of the few microgrids in the world
that has several control levels and is oper-
ated with mains voltages between 4 and
34.5 kilovolts.
The grid combines two 500 kW gas-fired
generators, 125 kW of photovoltaics, 50
kW of wind power, and a 250 kW battery
storage system, to produce a total output
of approximately 1.4 MW. The area net-
work is controlled by an IPERC Grid-
Master Microgrid Controller produced
by S&C.
Ameren uses the microgrid to test the
cost-effectiveness of various applications.
Among them, in addition to the general
increase in supply security for the easier
integration of renewable energy sources,
is the autonomous supply of individual
grid areas. The latter could offer enormous
benefits in the event of storm damage to
overhead lines, for instance.
Blockchain village
The village of Wildpoldsried is one of the
showcase projects for the German energy
transition, and a popular destination for
international academic and business del-
egations. Installed in the Bavarian com-
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

  nine microgrids
Photo: ABB
munity with some 2,600 inhabitantsp
are PV systems with a generation capac-
ity of around 5.3 MW, and solar-thermal
systems covering a total area of roughly
2,300m². In addition, there are nine wind
turbines with a total capacity close to 18
MW, various biogas and biomass power
plants and two small hydroelectric plants.
Over the course of the year, the munici-
pality generates nearly seven times more
renewable energy than it consumes. This
is a major challenge for the local power
grid. In the Iren2 research project, a con-
sortium of four companies and two uni-
versities has tackled this challenge. One
member of the consortium is Siemens,
which has equipped the municipality with
a microgrid control system. Normally, the
microgrid is connected to the higher-level
distribution grid. The control system then
synchronizes frequency and voltage with
the specifications of the public grid oper-
ator, balances generation and consump-
tion as far as possible, and ensures effi-
cient feed-in of excess energy. Through
intelligent control of the various energy
system components, which also include
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
applications & installations
ABB‘s Robben Island microgrid powers a museum and
residential facilities on the island, which is home to
the former prison that once housed Nelson Mandela.
a 300 kW battery-storage unit, the nec-
essary grid expansion in the community
was reduced by approximately 40%. The
microgrid can also be operated indepen-
dently. This was demonstrated by the con-
sortium in an experiment in August 2017,
in which the researchers deliberately trig-
gered a power failure in part of the low-
voltage grid by decoupling that part of
the network from the public grid. The
Siemens microgrid controller was able to
supply the subnetwork with power again
shortly after the failure and operate it
independently. After a few minutes with-
out blackout or incident, the controller
reconnected the grid section to the pub-
lic distribution grid. This ensures that the
power supply can also be secured in the
event of prolonged malfunctions, such as
storm damage or flooding.
In March 2018, researchers in Wildpol-
dsried initiated another project known
as Pebbles. This project will test peer-
to-peer energy trading based on block-
chain technology. This allows neighbors
to sell surplus energy, for example from
PV systems, directly to other neighbors in
37
applications & installations
Photo: Siemens
The German village of Wildpoldsried, population
2,600, is powered by a plethora of renewables that
meet its energy demand seven times over.
This microgrid, which includes PV, battery storage,
fuel cells and a diesel generator, provides power to the
Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, California.
Photo: Berkeley Lab
38
the microgrid. The blockchain technol-
ogy enables anonymous, forgery-proof
transactions and is the basis for accu-
rate billing of shared kilowatt-hours and
their equivalent in euros. The aim of
the project, which will run until 2021, is
to develop a trading platform for local
green power with a virtual power plant
and its own electricity exchange.
Microgrids for crustaceans
A lobster-breeding operation in Western
Australia was severely restricted by local
energy supplier Horizon Power. At the
Lobster Shack facility, the public grid was
only able to provide a maximum of 140
kW of power. Additionally, an existing PV
plant was not allowed to feed electricity
into the public grid.
The planned expansion of the lobster
farm could only be carried out with elec-
tricity generated onsite and a smart grid.
The Australian company SwitchDin
expanded the existing solar plant by 150
kW, installed an additional 160 kW diesel
generator and added a 755 kWh battery-
storage system. Several SwitchDin droplet
controllers have since been used to moni-
tor, control and manage data in the grid-
parallel microgrid. Intelligent control
algorithms ensure optimization of onsite
consumption during normal operations
and keep the power grid stable, even in
the event of power failures in the higher-
level distribution grid.
Green power
Lifou is an island of the French archipel-
ago of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean
east of Australia. The island has about
10,000 inhabitants and an average elec-
tricity consumption of 1.2 MW. Peak load
is around 2.4 MW.
In September 2019, French company
Engie EPS installed a storage system with
a capacity of 4.6 MWh, equipped with
Engie’s Prophet EMS microgrid control
system. This connects the battery-stor-
age system with various existing electric-
ity generators. In addition to diesel gen-
erators, the network also includes several
PV, wind, and bioenergy plants.
The newly installed offgrid network will
now meet 80% of the island’s electric-
ity demand with locally generated green
power. Additional renewable energy gen-
erators will be added in the coming years
so that the island has a year-round supply
of clean energy.
Shopping in a microgrid
The grid-parallel microgrid in the Super
U shopping mall in Mauritius combines a
1.2 MW PV system with a battery-storage
unit and several diesel generators. The grid
is contolled by the Universal Power Plat-
form from German supplier Dhybrid. All
of the locally generated PV is consumed
directly on site. Excess solar is stored in
special cooling tanks and, if required,
used by chillers and a central air condi-
tioning system. The backup diesel genera-
tors and the energy storage system ensure
the autonomy of the shopping center, even
under full load. Thanks to the intelligent
control of the energy system, the shopping
center saves nearly 500,000 litres of die-
sel annually, which corresponds to around
1,100 metric tons of CO2.
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 Advertisement
Hemmed in
Microgrid developer Encorp has installed an intelligent control
system for the power grid of the Santa Rita prison in Dublin, Cal-
ifornia. Around 4,500 inmates are incarcerated at Santa Rita in
an area of about 100 hectares. Since 2012, a combination of PV
(1.2 MW), wind power (12 kW), diesel generators (2 MW), fuel
cells (1 MW) and battery-storage systems (4 MWh) has been sup-
plying the prison facility with sufficient energy even in the event
of long power outages. In grid-parallel operation, energy man-
agement not only reduces the prison’s peak load by 15%, but also
shrinks its annual operating costs by around $100,000.

Smart stadium
The Skagerak Arena is the football stadium of the Norwegian
football club Odds BK. Since June 2019, ABB’s Ability e-mesh sys-
tem has been optimizing the onsite consumption of an 800 kW
PV system on the stadium roof with a 1,000 kWh storage system.
What is special here is that in addition to supplying the stadium
directly with solar power, it also supplies 15 neighboring residen-
tial buildings. The local energy supplier Skagerak Energi is using
the microgrid project to gather experience with energy manage-
ment in a “prosumer system” for the smart grid of the future.

Year-round solar &

“ Energy management
not only reduces
storage education
and networking to
the prison’s peak load empower businesses
by 15%, but also shrinks while supporting the
its annual operating industry.
costs by around
$100,000
” See what’s coming
in 2020.
Drinking water
Since 2016, a microgrid with a control system from Ferntech
has been supplying drinking water to a village of around 250
inhabitants in La Guajira, Colombia. The system uses 7.5 kW
Learn more at events.solar
of photovoltaic power, a 350 W wind turbine, and an 11.2 kW
lithium battery. This powers a seawater desalination plant based
on reverse osmosis, including the necessary pump systems. It
is mostly self-sufficient, but also has a connection to the public
power. The system produces around 1,000 litres of drinking water.
A remote monitoring system lets Ferntech monitor the energy sys-
tems and desalination plant from Cologne, Germany. The water
quality is also monitored. If certain quality parameters reach a crit-
ical value, the system switches off automatically.  
 Mirco Sieg

www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
applications & installations
Microgrids taking hold   
From university campuses to mining sites and even a World Heritage-
listed rainforest, microgrid projects are popping up across Australia,
both to boost reliability and bring down energy costs in rural and remote
areas. Challenged by the country’s aging power infrastructure, utilities are
turning to microgrids to substitute traditional network connections. As the
technology picks up the pace on the ground, new regulatory frameworks
for standalone power systems are in the works.
M icrogrids are rising as a clear-
cut answer to many of Australia’s
energy woes. As high electricity prices
continue to propel the uptake of rooftop
PV, utilities are faced with the conundrum
of how to balance increasing penetration
of distributed energy resources to the ben-
efit of all stakeholders. In the Australian
outback, microgrids are emerging as the
most cost-effective way to secure energy
supply in locations where poles and wires
are experiencing frequent and prolonged
outages due to lightning strikes, bush fires,
vegetation and bird strikes.
“There is a lot going on but there is no
specific policy that inhibits or encourages
microgrids,” says Terry Mohn, chairman
of the International Microgrid Association
(IMA), a Perth-based nonprofit group.
To the surprise of many, the last budget
Western Australia-based utility Horizon Power
developed the Murchison Radio Observatory solar- adopted by the federal government allo-
diesel power station to provide electricity to the cated AUD 50.4 million ($34.4 million)
Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder to support exploratory work for up to 50
telescope. Horizon Power has led Australia’s utilities
in replacing parts of its overhead network with
offgrid renewables.
Photo: Horizon Power
40
microgrid projects. In the words of Energy
Minister Angus Taylor, the cost of provid-
ing offgrid electricity continued to fall, and
in some cases it would be cheaper to pro-
vide offgrid supply rather than maintain
and replace the long power lines that con-
nect remote customers to the grid.
Living lab
This is something utilities in Western Aus-
tralia (WA) are well familiar with. WA is
home to one of the largest microgrid net-
works in the world, with Horizon Power
owning and operating 38 microgrids
across the state, none of which are con-
nected to the wholesale market. To ensure
a highly granular view of grid opera-
tions as well as real-time control of roof-
top solar, batteries and other distributed
energy resources, the government-owned
regional utility has partnered with Cali-
fornia-based Pxise Energy to deploy the
world’s largest energy management sys-
tem. Horizon Power has started to use
the new technology throughout 2019 as
part of its renewable energy pilot project
in the town of Onslow, and will eventually
manage up to 50,000 distributed energy
resources across its 2.3 million square
kilometer network.
While Horizon Power has become the
first utility in Australia to replace parts
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

   Down Under
of its overhead network with an offgrid
renewable energy solution, other market
players are also keen to improve the way
they deliver energy to customers where
there is a high saturation of rooftop PV.
According to the Australian Energy Mar-
ket Operator (AEMO), more than 27%
of WA households currently have roof-
top PV installed, and this will increase in
the coming years to reach an estimated 2.5
GW by 2028-29.
For Synergy, the state’s largest generator
and retailer, the strong uptake of rooftop
PV has translated into a flow of red ink in
its financials, and a reason good enough to
consider microgrids. Beyond falling res-
idential demand, the utility is also con-
cerned about extreme weather events
and aging electricity network infrastruc-
ture. In another major initiative, WA grid
operator Western Power is rolling out 57
standalone power systems at farms. Ser-
vicing these units for their entire working
life will save Western Power almost AUD
6 million, compared to traditional net-
work refurbishment.
Since it has the most spread-out grid
in the world, with long stretches of sin-
gle power lines – sometimes longer than
300 km – needed to serve small towns,
WA is betting heavily on microgrids.
The state has conducted a parliamentary
inquiry into the implications of a distrib-
uted energy future, to be published in the
coming months, and potentially spur sup-
port for the microgrid industry. In testi-
monies to the inquiry, utilities, research
institutes and developers are calling on the
government to remove regulatory barri-
ers, establish a framework for growth and
provide incentives to propel the uptake
of microgrids. This being Australia’s
first such inquiry, other states are closely
watching the outcome.
Regulatory conundrum
Further uptake of stand-alone power sys-
tems – usually a combination of PV, bat-
teries and a back-up generator – across
Australia may be expected once the
changes recommended by the Australian
Energy Market Commission (AEMC) are
adopted, making it possible for utilities to
service remote areas with such systems.
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
applications & installations
While consumers can currently go off-
grid, they do so at their own expense and
in most cases have very limited consumer
protections. The AEMC reforms recom-
mend that the COAG Energy Council
require distribution networks to iden-
tify the opportunities for standalone sys-
tems and work with customers where a
transition to a standalone power system
makes sense, reducing the need for poles
and wires to service remote consumers,
which would in turn reduce network costs
that make up around 50% of the average
electricity bill.
“
Regulators are very accepting of the
concept, but are looking for something
”
that works across many stakeholders
“I doubt that we will get a federal policy
regulating microgrids, but state-by-state,
I think the uptake will be very quick,”
Mohn says, noting that offgrid microgrids
can be standardized relatively easy, while
embedded microgrids are more compli-
cated in regulatory terms. “As an industry,
we have to first standardize the technol-
ogy to ensure that the network operator
can provide reliable power to embedded
microgrids and move the balancing pro-
cess to the edge of the grid. Then we have
to worry how we create a tariff that is ade-
quate under those circumstances.”
Mohn believes microgrid uptake in
Australia will accelerate and even out-
pace the growth in the U.S. “I think the
states of Victoria and South Australia will
be the fastest growing microgrid markets,”
adding that energy ministers and regula-
tors are very accepting of the concept,
but are looking for something that works
across many stakeholders. “For example,
in South Australia, there are 132 retailers
– all of them are very concerned about the
collapse of their market.”   Marija Maisch
41
applications & installations
A financial tipping point
Lebanon, like many countries, suffers from a sporadic electricity supply.
The aging grid, a lack of domestic fuel and political sectarianism have
made electricity both intermittent and expensive. Thousands of diesel
generators struggle to meet the shortfall and have not been able to
keep pace with demand. Today, Lebanon finds itself one of the three
most indebted countries in the world, with one-third of its budget
deficit going toward fuel subsidies.
F or more than three years, Firebird
Energy, a sister company of Recy-
cle Beirut (which provides recycling ser-
vices to the greater Beirut area) has been
working to resolve these challenges. The
solution they have come up with is a solar
microgrid, using solar modules and lith-
ium-ion batteries for storage. Custom-
designed power conversion and battery
management systems serve as the “brain”
of the system to ensure uninterrupted
electrical supply, even for industrial uses.
Their microgrid is modular, so addi-
tional panels and batteries can be added as
needed. However, the real breakthrough is
the levelized cost, coming in at less than
$0.10/kWh, making it less expensive than
the current cheapest form of electric-
ity: natural gas. In late 2018, CATL, the
Chinese battery giant, pushed the costs
of high-quality, 3,500 life-cycle lithium-
ion batteries into widescale affordabil-
In Lebanon, solar-powered microgrids have provided ity. Renewables+Storage, long the dream
a valuable buffer against intermittent electricity
supply, and have proven themselves to be among the of scientists as a central pillar in the fight
cheapest and most reliable sources of energy.
Photos: Firebird Energy
42
against climate change, has finally reached
the financial tipping point. It is now
cheaper, easier and faster to install solar
microgrids than any other form of energy.
Firebird Energy’s solar microgrid in
the impoverished southern Beirut sub-
urb of Ouzai has been supplying an over-
capacity of electricity to Recycle Beirut
for two months now. Its 100 kW PV sys-
tem and 70 kWh battery storage system
provide excess electricity to a neighbor-
hood that routinely sees 12 to 16 hours
of cut power per day. Their microgrid,
on the other hand, has not seen a sin-
gle interruption and has not required
any maintenance, aside from occasional
cleaning of the panels.
Firebird Energy sees several advantages
and one cause for concern with its system.
The advantage for a country like Lebanon
is that it uses its abundant access to the sun
to power its needs. It also negates the need
for political consensus. Politicians from
various sects in Lebanon have long argued
over cake-slicing – who gets the biggest cut
of finite public resources like traditional
power generation. The microgrid might
then be compared to the invention of the
cupcake – or more accurately, an infinite
cupcake-making machine. Everyone can
stuff themselves full without the need for
political brawling.
Other advantages include a vast
improvement in air quality, which plagues
Lebanon with exceptionally high rates of
cancer and respiratory disease. It will also
provide a much-needed boost to indus-
try, which has virtually collapsed due to
high energy costs. And of course, the tiny
country of Lebanon – long derided as an
environmental catastrophe – can lead
the way on climate, proving that we can
quickly and cheaply transition away from
fossil fuels. On a global scale, the solar
microgrid’s potential as a cure for the
energy poverty that still plagues sub-Saha-
ran Africa and South Asia is immense.
Firebird Energy’s one concern is far-
sighted, but significant nonetheless. In
the late 1990s, at the height of the dot-
com boom, the chairman of the United
States Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan,
warned of an “irrational exuberance.”
What he meant is that new unregulated
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

technologies have both positive and neg-
ative attributes and that we get so excited
about their potential that we are blinded
to signs of trouble ahead. The American
real estate boom was wonderful until it
collapsed the world economy in 2008.
Facebook and Twitter connected human-
ity into a digital family until they were co-
opted by demagogues pandering to the
basest human instincts. Walmart offered
a wide variety of cheap products to the
masses, leading eventually to an epidemic
of crass consumerism.
Firebird believes that utilities, despite
much criticism, have served the pub-
lic well for more than a hundred years,
ensuring both fair prices and high qual-
ity. Utilities can take many shapes and
forms. In Lebanon, they are more infor-
mal and are based on localized sectarian
systems. In much of the Western world,
they are typically managed by region
or province. Solar microgrids therefore
should not be flooded onto the market
to anyone who wants to buy one. A rush
to ever cheaper, simpler systems could
cause systems to break down quickly, ser-
vices to falter, and the public to lose faith.
applications & installations
The potential for negative consequences,
both seen and unforeseen, is significant.
“ Utilities are
Utilities are important and should not be
discarded in the name of progress. The
success of microgrids depends on them.
Our clean, cheap energy future has
arrived, so let us not ruin it with “irratio-
important and
nal exuberance,” Firebird argues. Just con-
sider the lesson of Giuseppe Tomasi di
should not be
Lampedusa’s 1958 novel, The Leopard, they
say. The novel tells the story of an aging discarded
Sicilian prince who fails to comprehend
Italy’s mid-19th century transformation in the name
”
from a patchwork of inefficient fiefdoms
into a modern state. His nephew explains
the phenomenon with a seminal warning
of progress
more important today than it was then:
“Everything must change, so that every-
thing can stay the same.”   Florian Stark
About the author
Florian Stark is trained in social sciences, communications and anthropol-
ogy, having gained degrees from the Universities of Düsseldorf and Copen-
hagen. Stark has been working in an international context for more than
four years, with a focus on business and project development.
Advertisement
applications & installations
Success factors for
hybrid microgrids
When it comes to hybrid microgrids, writes Fabian Baretzky, senior
business development and sales manager for Dhybrid Power
Systems, the incorporation of various sources of energy and complex
requirements for long-term stability of the energy supply require
expertise and an effective energy management system.
W hen we think of a microgrid, we
typically think of an installation
which relies on a few sources of energy
and supplies relatively few consumers
with electricity. We automatically think
of isolated regions – in fact, microgrids
are typically equated with fully grid-inde-
“beThe
pendent standalone systems.
EMS should By contrast, hybrid microgrids can be
connected to small public, regional or
able to monitor
even national power grids. At the same
time, they do need to be able to oper-
ate in complete self-sufficiency in order
and control to supply consumers with electricity as
needed. The power output of such hybrid
technology of microgrids ranges from a few kilowatts to
several megawatts.
any origin
”
The customary purpose of conventional
microgrids is to supply power to offgrid
regions and facilities. However, the main
goal of hybrid microgrids is to reduce the
costs of energy provision and move more
in the direction of complete independence
from fossil fuels by raising the proportion
of renewable energy in the energy mix. In
some particular applications, there is a
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Jul. 22 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 24:00
44
grid connection, but the grid is not suffi-
ciently stable. Then the hybrid microgrid
is intended to secure the supply of energy,
even in the event of a blackout.
Complex requirements
Their various functions and modes of
operation mean that hybrid power plants
– and in particular, their energy manage-
ment systems – face complex require-
ments. They must be able to incorporate
local energy sources such as solar energy
or small hydrostations, ensuring that the
proportion of renewables is as great as
possible, particularly with regard to the
reduction of carbon emissions. The differ-
ent energy generators must also be mon-
itored and controlled accordingly in real
time. This is the job of the energy manage-
ment system (EMS). Acting in a manner
similar to that of an orchestral conductor,
the EMS monitors and optimizes all the
important parameters, such as frequency
and voltage, as well as active, reactive and
apparent power.
As proven by the approximate 70 proj-
ects brought to fruition worldwide, elec-
tricity consumption rises as soon as a stable
power supply becomes available, and this
increase in consumption can range any-
where from 7 to 24%. A hybrid microgrid
must also be able to keep up with and
adjust to rising demand for energy.
BAT power (W) Load (W) BAT SOC (%) Sources: Dhybrid
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 applications & installations

Photo: Dhybrid
Since power plants are designed to
operate for at least 20 years, advance-
ments in technology and components
must be taken into account. Hybrid
microgrids should be made ready to
incorporate new developments and
amended technologies – ideally regard-
less of the manufacturer, since market
change is a given. Existing companies
could disappear from the market or new
suppliers could enter it and introduce
innovative new technologies. Therefore,
the EMS should be able to monitor and
control technology of any origin.
Since these power plants are typically
installed in remote areas, a supplemen-
tary web-based cloud solution, such as the
one offered by Qos Energy, is practical for
the energy management system. The soft-
ware is intended to analyze all of the data
received from components such as the PV
inverter, power generator and storage sys-
tem. If an operator is in charge of multiple
power plants, the EMS should assist them
in comparing the data coming from the
various sources, in order to identify opti-
mization potential. The Cheetah Plains Lodge, located in South Africa’s
A hybrid power plant must be carefully Kruger National Park, is powered by a microgrid
featuring 300 kW of PV with 1,027 kWh of lithium-ion
modeled in its entirety prior to installa- the energy storage system in periods of storage capacity and a 150 kVA diesel generator.
tion. Taking the modeling software and low sunlight.
also using it both for simulation and as The UPP was previously used in
an EMS under normal operating condi- the planning phase to simulate the
tions makes the entire project more time- microgrid and is currently used for the
efficient, reduces costs and avoids techni- fully automated monitoring and control
cal difficulties such as power outages. of all the components. It ensures unin-
terrupted energy supply and stabilizes
Kruger National Park the grid voltage and frequency. Thus,
The Cheetah Plains Lodge in South Afri- the electricity demand can almost com-
ca’s Kruger National Park showcases the pletely be covered by renewable energy.
benefits of an EMS optimized for hybrid This technology has raised the lodge’s
power plants – in this case, Dhybrid’s available peak power capacity four-
Universal Power Platform (UPP). The fold to 250  kW. Moreover, the power
luxury resort had been connected to the plant is capable of reliably supplying
local energy company’s single-phase aux- electricity to large three-phase energy
iliary feed (max. 64  kVA). In addition, consumers such as cooling systems and
demand for electricity in the region was motors without interruption. Even the
higher than the supply, leading to contin- charging stations for the lodge’s elec-
ual power outages. tric safari Jeeps are largely supplied
In the course of upgrading the build- with solar energy.   Fabian Baretzky
ing complex, a self-sufficient hybrid
power plant was installed, with PV on
rooftops, carports and trackers working About the author
together to provide 300 kW of genera-
Fabian Baretzky is the senior business development manager for Dhybrid
tion capacity.
Power Systems. Based in Munich, Germany, Dhybrid offers a manufacturer-
The installations are connected to a independent hybrid microgrid control platform to allow customers to gradu-
tailor-made lithium-ion storage system ally implement and extend their renewable energy share, independent from
with a storage capacity of 1,027 kWh. A technologies. Dhybrid has implemented its solutions in 70 projects across 25
diesel generator with a power output of countries worldwide, with many of its projects based on solar and battery
applications. Baretzky holds a master’s degree in industrial engineering with
150 kVA replaces the old generator, but
a focus on renewable energy from the Technical University of Munich.
is only intended as a back-up to charge

www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019 45
applications & installations

Model progress
While it has often been referred to as “the future of PV” in recent years, or under contract. And there is certainly
discussions surrounding bifacial technology are now very much in the no shortage of interest from project devel-
present. Modules are beginning to roll off production lines in significant opers attracted by the prospect of higher
numbers, and industry players are boasting of gigawatts of bifacial energy yields from modules at a similar
projects that are already installed or in the late stages of development. price point. “We are receiving an increas-
But it’s still early days for the technology, and there are questions to ing number of requests to assess bifa-
answer for it to achieve its full potential. pv magazine investigates the cial project developments,” says Nicolas
modeling and optimization of bifacial PV’s performance. Chouleur of energy consultancy Everoze.
“Most are for large ground-mounted sin-
gle axis tracker systems in North Africa

R ecent developments suggest that

Bifacial modules installed at NREL’s test facility in
Golden, Colorado
the industry is in the midst of a
major shift toward bifacial technology,
with two-sided modules on display at
virtually every trade show booth, and
major announcements promising giga-
watt-scale production from Longi Solar,
Canadian Solar, and Jolywood; to name
but a few.
On the installation side, tracker sup-
pliers Soltec and Nextracker both have
around 2 GW of bifacial projects installed
and the Middle East. In Europe, espe-
cially in merchant markets such as Spain
or Italy, developers are also ready to adopt
bifacial for all types of systems, from roof-
top, facade or other BIPV installations to
ground-mounted PV farms.”
The energy yield boost that bifacial
modules can provide in the field is often
quoted between 5% and 20%, or within a
similar range. While this has been enough
to spark significant interest, project devel-
opers and investors demand far more spe-

Photo: Dennis Schroeder/NREL

46 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

cific figures on annual energy yield. And
the additional complexity inherent to cal-
culating the yield of a bifacial installation
still holds the technology back from main-
stream acceptance. “With monofacial
modules, the accuracy is considered so
good that even a fraction of a percent on
particular losses can be highly debated,”
notes Chouleur. “Currently, the uncer-
tainty on bifacial is noticeably higher. This
has a direct impact on project finance.”
Modeling the yield
In a monofacial installation, engineers
need to consider two types of light hitting
the cells – direct sunlight and diffuse irra-
diation on the frontside. Speaking at the
BifiPV Conference in Amsterdam in Sep-
tember, Itai Suez – VP product develop-
ment at Silfab, a Canadian PV manufac-
turer – explained that with bifacial, this
is increased to six: direct sunlight on the
rearside, diffuse irradiation on the rear
side, direct reflection from the ground
and diffuse irradiance reflected from the
ground, in addition to the first two. Com-
bine this with the fact that the four types of
light hitting the rear side rarely do so uni-
formly, and understanding bifacial perfor-
mance becomes a complicated affair.
“Modeling bifacial yield is complex due
to the variability in the irradiance hitting
the back of the modules,” explains Joshua
Stein, PV performance lead at Sandia
National Laboratories. “This variability is
caused by local obstructions (e.g., racking
and other structures), albedo that varies
spatially (plants, bare patches of ground,
microtopography on the ground that casts
shadows, etc.), and the fact that different
parts of the module are different heights
and thus have a different ‘view’.”
When it comes to developing a compre-
hensive model for bifacial output, charac-
terizing the albedo of the surface below
the installation is of particular concern.
Companies and research institutes around
the world are working to develop sophis-
ticated models that take all of these fac-
tors into account. And while able to take
into account the complexities of light
conditions in a bifacial installation, so
far many are held back by the lack of field
data from actual installations needed to
validate assumptions on which the mod-
els are based. A wide range of approaches
to modeling bifacial yield was presented at
the BifiPV conference in September, and
virtually every presentation closed with a
request for project owners to share more
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
applications & installations
field data. And there was broad consen-
sus that the development of a shared
dataset will be essential to improving
the modelling accuracy. “One possi-
ble approach is to generate high fidel-
ity and high-quality irradiance mea-
surements (both front and rear facing)
within a bifacial PV array and provide
these data as part of a well-documented
standard dataset to model developers,”
comments Stein. “If several such datas-
ets were available, these could be used to
benchmark bifacial PV optical models.”
For now, the models rely largely on sat-
ellite data for their albedo measurements,
and while these provide a broad assump-
tion of regional albedo, they do not typi-
cally account for local shading/microto-
pography or seasonal changes to the land
“ Real hourly
– things that might better be termed the
“local irradiance profile” of the site. For
this reason, most recommend taking on-
site measurements in order to accurately
model the output of a given project.
simulation with a 3D
Multiple industry players report that,
as long as this onsite data is measured shading scene added
to the PV system
accurately, existing modeling solutions
– such as the industry standard PV Syst
software – can provide good results. “To
keep bifacial simulation relatively simple, interface could be the
”
real hourly simulation with a 3D shading
scene added to the PVsyst interface could
be the best solution,” says Chouleur. “It is best solution
worth mentioning that there are interest-
ing software developments that allow for
very accurate ray-tracing simulation. But
it is challenging to undertake the multi-
MW simulation without programming
skills and using only a standard laptop.”
Optimizing output
Gaining a better understanding of bifacial
performance will allow developers to find
cost effective ways to optimize the system
in order to maximize energy yield. Many
of the ‘first order’ optimizations have
already been made – from tweaks inside
the module such as moving the junction
box, to optimized tracker designs. “We
have done the first round of high-impact,
first-order drivers in optimizing for bifa-
cial,” says Greg Beardsworth, director of
product management at Nextracker. He
explains that the company’s one-in-por-
trait Horizon tracker features an increased
distance between the modules and the
torque tube, gaps at all bearings and no
control system components underneath
any panels, while its newly launched two-
in-portrait Gemini tracker can be built
47
applications & installations
Bifacial modules installed on Nextracker’s Horizon
tracker. The trackers are specially optimized with
larger spaces between the modules and torque tubes
to allow more light to reach the rear of the modules.
48
with a gap above the torque tube, also to
minimize shading on the module.
In the field, bifacial optimizations are
so far focusing on system size and layout.
“Total DC system size is being reduced rel-
ative to the bifacial gain, and projects are
utilizing a smaller DC system size to reach
the same MWh/year generation,” explains
Beth Copanas, director of solar energy at
EPC provider RES Americas. “The reduc-
tion in DC system size for the same acre-
age allows for additional decreases in the
ground coverage ratio leading to increases
in system yield.”
Copanas goes on to note that bifacial
project stakeholders also need to con-
sider inverter loading (DC/AC ratios) and
clipping impacts, bifacial gain assump-
Photo: Nextracker
tions used for cable sizing, fuse sizing
and number of strings paralleled per DC
inputs, meteorological station equipment
selection and station/sensor placement,
increased weight of glass-glass modules,
DC cable/wire management to avoid rear
side shading, ensuring capacity test meth-
odology is modified to account for bifacial
gain, and that front and rear side irradi-
ance sensor placement is indicative of site
spatial and albedo variation.
Yield vs. capital
The U.S. National Renewable Energy Lab-
oratory (NREL) calculates that, based on
standard PERC technology and single axis
tracking, the cost of a bifacial system is
around $0.03-$0.06/W higher than a sim-
ilar monofacial installation. According to
Michael Woodhouse – senior energy tech-
nologies, economics and policy analyst at
NREL – this breaks down to $0.01 or $0.02
on the module side, and $0.02 to $0.04 at
system level. He further notes that NREL’s
analysis assumed the same O&M costs for
both monofacial and bifacial, which may
be an oversimplification.
The lab’s calculations also find that every
3% boost to a project’s annual energy
yield can offset a $0.04/W increase to the
upfront capital cost. And though it is not
yet clear what can be achieved within this
price range, developers will seek the high-
est energy yield possible. “As FIT rates
get lower, project developers are looking
for every missing kilowatt-hour to make
financial justification. So trying to cap-
ture energy yield benefits in single digit
percentages, they would want to include
that in their model,” explains Woodhouse.
“The big question for the total system eco-
nomics is, whatever the yield gains are,
do they overcome the currently slightly
higher module price and BoS costs?”
Many of the bifacial test installations
springing up around the world utilize
albedo-enhancing materials on the ground
below modules, and report significant –
in some cases, double-digit percentage –
energy yield gains from this. pv magazine
has seen examples of small installations
with white gravel, white painted surfaces,
plastic sheeting, and even light-colored
flowers added underneath the modules to
enhance the rearside output. In a utility-
scale project, however, altering the ground
would be a major undertaking which, fac-
toring in the need to keep the surface clean
and its albedo high for the project’s life-
time, could prove costly.
It is becoming clear to the industry
that adopting bifacial technology neces-
sitates a rethink at almost every level of
the value chain. But the potential for big-
ger energy yields cannot be denied, and
the optimization cycle for bifacial is only
at the beginning. “Our overall experience
is that these initial complications can be
and are being addressed,” notes Copanas.
“Owners who have invested in bifacial
already are continuing those investments
on future projects.”   Mark Hutchins
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
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applications & installations
Diligence is due,
standards are needed
pv magazine’s Quality Roundtable at Solar Power International this
year covered everything from backsheet failures to faulty connectors
causing fires at PV arrays. But in the end, it all comes down to the same
thing: a need for better standards and due diligence from a wide range
of parties.
Though actually a rare occurrence, fires in PV
installations were a hot topic at the Quality
Roundtable, following several recent high-profile
cases in the United States. Fires are often caused by
the poor installation of connectors.
Photo: Shoals Technologies
50
W almart suing Tesla over several fires
on the rooftops of its stores has cast
a long shadow over the U.S. solar indus-
try. Through wide coverage in the main-
stream news, this story hit populations
that receive little credible information
about solar. This means that in contrast
to the very low overall rate of fires at solar
arrays, fires and solar installations have
been connected in the public eye.
At the Quality Roundtable at Solar
Power International 2019, pv magazine
took this issue head on, with a panel dis-
cussion dedicated to fires at PV installa-
tions. This allowed us to dig deeper into
the causes – and how to avoid them – than
the mainstream media has done.
It was clear early on in the discussion
that connectors were mentioned dozens
of times in the lawsuit. At the roundta-
ble, a panel of balance of systems (BOS)
component suppliers – including Shoals,
Stäubli, and Leoni, with Kim Primerano
of Longroad Energy providing an opera-
tions and maintenance perspective – came
together to address multiple issues. These
included two key concerns that Walmart
raised – the intermating of different con-
nectors from different manufacturers, and
improper installation techniques.
This led to something of a debate
between the BOS suppliers on the panel
and an audience member on how seri-
ous a problem the widespread practice
of labelling connectors as “MC-4 com-
patible” represents. Shoals CEO Dean
Solon has repeatedly stated that his
company will not work with installers
that want to intermate connectors. “I
tell them I don’t want to be part of the
lawsuit,” explains Solon.
Installation techniques were also
addressed, and this inevitably got into
both the use of proper tools and equip-
ment, as well as training for electrical con-
tractors. “There is a disconnect between
we manufacturers who have a high level
of knowledge about our own products and
how they can be used properly, and the
people out in the field actually doing the
work to put them together,” stated Brian
Mills, product manager of photovoltaics at
Stäubli. “I think there are a lot of assump-
tions brought by people in other fields.”
The BOM
But fires and electrical balance of sys-
tems components were not the only sub-
jects addressed in the Quality Roundta-
ble, which also looked at more mundane
but very real problems associated with
module failure. Kaushik Roy Choudhury,
senior scientist at the roundtable’s initia-
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

tive partner DuPont, looked at the very
different performance of different kinds
of backsheets over time, noting that many
which passed certification requirements
were routinely failing after only a few
years in the field.
But beyond any individual component,
the first panel at the Quality Roundta-
ble looked at the sum of the parts. Third-
party module testing, such as that done by
PVEL, can provide buyers with a wealth
of information about the performance of
various products, yet this can all be for
naught if a buyer gets a module that was
made with different materials.
As such, there was a focus at the Qual-
ity Roundtable on the bill of materials
(BOM), and the need for buyers to spec-
ify a BOM when making purchases. This
checking of the BOM is a form of due dili-
gence, and it applies not only to engineer-
ing, procurement and construction (EPC)
contractors, but also asset owners.
This point was hammered home by
PV Evolution Labs’ Tristan Erion-Lorico,
who described a site where backsheets had
started to brown after only a few months,
and where within a few years the back-
sheets had melted to the point that “it
looked like someone had taken a crème
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
applications & installations
Photo: pv magazine/Josh Blumenthal
pv magazine’s Quality Roundtable held at Solar
Power International 2019 in September.
brûlée torch to the back of the module,”
caused by microcracks in modules.
These microcracks were the result of a
serial soldering defect, that had already
been identified in PVEL testing. When
these modules had to be replaced the price
tag was in the millions of dollars, in large
part due to a failure to conduct proper due
diligence. “Their technical due diligence
was driving to the location and saying
“
‘yep, there’s modules, and there’s a couple
of inverters’,” quipped Erion-Lorico.
Ultimately, beyond the tabloid interest It looked like
someone had taken
that fires bring, the moral of this year’s
Quality Roundtable was the need to
take better care – whether on the part of
installers and their managers, EPC com-
panies, or the owners and financiers of
a crème brûlée torch
the projects.
Ultimately, these issues affect the whole to the back of the
”
industry, a point that was made by pv mag-
module
azine correspondent John Weaver. “We
can’t allow this to turn into something like
the car industry,” argued Weaver. “Pretty
soon solar is going to be the default in the
United States. With the car industry we
kill 37,000 people per year. We want to do
something better, and we really have no
choice. We are the ones who are going to
have to solve it.”   Christian Roselund
51
applications & installations
Killing two birds with  
A visit to a solar park in the German state of Brandenburg shows how
integrating biodiversity concepts with PV can be a strong solution to
plummeting insect populations, endangered plant species and soil erosion.
Case studies in the United Kingdom and the United States back this up.
“toMythegaze is pulled downward
ground, which is alive
with all manner of creepy crawlies
Spreegas Solar’s 10 MW Frauendorf Solar Park,
located in Southern Brandenburg, Germany, pictured
here in full bloom. Over the past three years, the site,
which was previously used for intensive agricultural
purposes, has grown into a haven, attracting a variety
of flora and fauna.
Photo: Christina Grätz, owner, Nagola Re GmbH
52
S abine Tischew, professor of plant soci-
ology and landscape ecology, is here
to be convinced. She announces this as she
climbs into the car, where Ralf Schnitzler,
solar project developer at Bejulo GmbH, is
driving pv magazine and two other curi-
”
ous professors from the Anhalt University
of Applied Sciences to Frauendorf – a two-
hour car journey south from Berlin. Sum-
mer is drawing to a close and it is one of
the last hot days of the year.
My notebook fills up as the passengers
ponder integrating biodiversity concepts
with solar parks: developing robots to
mow under solar panels; the interaction of
vertebrates with PV installations; the key
to effective land management strategies.
Don’t judge a book
We arrive at Spreegas Solar’s 10  MW
Frauendorf Solar Park, located in south-
ern Brandenburg, punctually at midday.
Easing out of the car, I must admit I have
to contain my disappointment. Rather
than the bright bursts of color and willowy
wildflowers swaying in the breeze that I
was expecting to see, there sits instead a
humdrum solar park, tufts of grass and
brownish, dry vegetation sparsely dis-
persed throughout.
“It looked quite different a few weeks
ago,” Christina Grätz, owner of Nagola
Re GmbH and master implementer of the
biodiversity concept here, assures me, as
we gather with SpreeGas Managing Direc-
tor Andreas Kretzschmar and Project
Manager Jörg Schulze. Now I need con-
vincing, I think.
My skepticism soon turns to wonder,
however, as I’m forced to turn my atten-
tion to avoiding squashing the hundreds
of grasshoppers that are seething under-
foot. Hopping from side to side – a rather
ungainly version of the insects – my gaze
is pulled downward to the ground, which
is alive with all manner of creepy crawlies.
Three years ago, there was no life here,
Grätz tells me. Indeed, the site had been
used for intensive agricultural purposes,
growing maize, and soaked in pesticides.
Other than a few weeds, nothing had
dared take root and there were certainly
no insects around. Since the solar park has
been installed, however, a plethora of flora
and fauna are now thriving. The biologist
– who is also Germany’s leading ant re-
homer – is hands-on in the most literal
sense, and marches off through the long
grass bordering the solar installation. It
hasn’t been mowed since last year to pro-
vide hibernation opportunity for insects
over the winter. Not being a fan of spiders,
I follow with some trepidation, cursing
my shoes with their summery slits, as she
lists the many endangered plant species
and insect populations that now appear
in abundance: meadow sage, carthusian
clove, maiden pink, wild bees, honey bees,
butterflies, ants, mice, caterpillars, eagles,
deer, badgers. She stops and, together
with the two professors who are walking
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

  one stone
around wide eyed and animated as they
discover species after species, bends down
to point out small holes in the earth where
wild bees live. She then picks up a Bed-
straw Hawk Moth caterpillar, which looks
more like an extra from the film Alien, if
you ask me.
Grätz’s enthusiasm is infectious, and
I soon forget my initial despondency. If
ever the phrase “don’t judge a book by
its cover” was relevant, it is here. As she
and the professors break off to admire
yet more plant species, I head over to
speak with Kretzschmar. Is he as enthu-
siastic as Grätz about the project? Does
it make financial sense to partner biodi-
versity with solar parks? Of the five PV
projects SpreeGas has installed since 2017,
when it entered the solar business, four
have integrated biodiversity concepts, says
Kretzschmar. SpreeGas has worked with
Grätz on each of them. He tells me that as
solar developers have to take certain mea-
sures, such as planting trees or hedgerows,
anyway, it makes sense to invest in build-
ing something that creates a positive dif-
ference to the surrounding habitat. It’s
also a great way to involve the local com-
munity. Regional beekeepers have set up
honeybee populations here, for exam-
ple, while schools are invited to visit.
“We wanted to do something more for
the environment and build a project that
both scientists and children could make
use of,” he says. “It’s a concept we expect to
roll out across our other solar parks in the
future.” It is evident he is proud of Spree-
Gas’s achievement.
Effective management
According to Grätz, the key to effective
biodiversity management is creating con-
cepts tailored to the specific sites. Soil type
and solar irradiation will impact the types
of plant and wildlife that are attracted. It’s
also important to regularly monitor sites,
she says, so strategies can be adjusted.
What may make sense on paper, may not
take root on location, and surprises may
occur in the form of unexpected species
turning up, she says.
I speak with Wychwood biodiversity
consultant Guy Parker, who works on
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
applications & installations
Photo: pv magazine/Becky Beetz
Christina Grätz is the owner of Nagola
Re GmbH and a master implementer of
biodiversity concepts within solar parks.
similar projects in the United Kingdom,
after the site visit. He believes it is possi-
ble to roll out more generic biodiversity
plans, which will bring some environ-
mental improvement to a site. Wildflow-
ers like red clover, for example, are able
to cope with many different types of soil
and weather conditions. “You can sow
them on all solar farms and get a little bit
of improvement in terms of the number of
bumblebees and butterflies,” he says.
Renewable energy company Anesco is
also busy building solar farms with inte-
grated biodiversity concepts. The firm’s
technical support and consultancy direc-
tor, Sarah Hitchcox, tells me its strategy
is to create landscape and biodiversity
management plans focused on support-
ing wildlife that are most under threat.
Bringing in the local community is also
key. “This may include adding bird and
bat boxes, and planting wildflowers and
specific shrubbery that is designed to
support species under threat,” she says.
“The cost of these enhancements is very
low and they are also very easy to do. It’s
really a no-brainer for any developer and
maintenance team.”
Data collection
And monitoring is essential. Parker and
his team have five years’ worth of biodi-
53
applications & installations
Photo: Christina Grätz, owner, Nagola Re GmbH
versity data on some of their sites. This
has helped shape more effective man-
agement plans, he says. “We started
off thinking entire solar farms should
be wildflower meadows, because you
maximize the use of land. However, we
found that quite difficult to manage.
Having wildflowers around the edges
and in the void areas worked really well
though.” Overall, he says they’re reach-
ing a point of understanding where the
most feasible point lies between the cost
of doing something and the benefit it
produces, and how to combine this with
solar farm management.
Using this data, Parker – together with
colleagues at the U.K.’s Solar Trade Asso-
ciation and National Farmers Union – has
developed national guidelines for biodi-
versity management. The aim was to pro-
vide simple, evidence-based examples to
build up diversity within a site. “We’ve
borrowed heavily from the agriculture
environment schemes in the U.K. – hav-
ing hedgerows to protect breeding birds,
pruning or cutting vegetation every two
to three years in winter, only cutting one
side of the hedgerows, identifying areas
within a solar farm suitable for wildflow-
ers, allowing grassland to grow between
the hedgerows and security fence, which
is really good for wintering birds and
insects, as well as having good foraging
habitat in the summer, building small
ponds, installing bird and bat boxes.”
Clarkson & Woods, also located in the
U.K., has begun publishing annual sur-
veys on its ecological monitoring of solar
sites. The first was released this July and
included data from 59 projects across the
country. “In total, we recorded 41 differ-
ent grass species and 195 other plant types.
This included five different species of tree
saplings, bramble or dewberry growing
within the arrays on 40% of sites. This
monitoring gave an advance warning of
potential problems arising from woody
growth under/around the panels and the
need for amending management prac-
tices,” the company says.
Anesco’s Sarah Hitchcox says the
data the company has gathered has also
recorded many positive impacts. At a site
where the grass grows rapidly, they’re tri-
aling a flower called yellow rattle, which is
not only local to the area, but stunts grass
growth – thus reducing the frequency with
which it needs to be cut. “At another one
of our sites there are now lapwings nest-
ing and breeding. This is great news, as
54
lapwings have suffered significant declines
and are now a Red List species, meaning
they’re globally threatened,” she says.
For the birds
At the Frauendorf site, Grätz has yet to
collect data on how solar installations
impact birds, which is an area Tischew
is particularly intrigued by. While there
does not appear to be much information
on the subject available, according to the
latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) report, “Climate change
and land,” in many “regions around the
world, wind turbines and solar farms pose
a threat to many … species especially
predatory birds and insectivorous bats …
and disrupt habitat connectivity.”
I ask Anesco, which has worked
together with the U.K.’s Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds, what its data
has shown. “PV plants don’t pose a threat
to birds and we believe our work in this
area has shown they in fact provide a per-
fect opportunity to support wildlife,” says
Hitchcox. “Unlike other types of develop-
ment, which may require trees and hedge-
rows to be cut down, at our solar parks we
will plant more trees and bolster hedge-
rows, as well as create habitats around the
solar panel modules themselves.”
Parker has also not recorded any detri-
mental effects to birds on his sites. “That’s
not to say they’re not out there, we just
haven’t seen them,” he says. He and his
colleagues have collected breeding bird
surveys in the spring and summer. “Rep-
etition over time shows that where we’ve
put wildflower meadows, there has been a
small increase in the number of birds and
certainly not any decrease.”
A no-brainer?
It seems planning solar parks with inte-
grated biodiversity concepts kills two
birds with one stone. In addition to serv-
ing the clean energy transition, projects
boost environmental benefits, such as
reversing soil erosion, supporting col-
lapsing insect and bird populations, and
bringing local communities together.
In the first peer reviewed paper of its
kind, Nature Sustainability’s “Techno–
ecological synergies of solar energy for
global sustainability” report provides fur-
ther evidence that such projects can bring
a myriad of benefits. The authors identi-
fied 16 techno-ecological synergy benefits
of installing solar energy. The one which
created the most advantages – 13 – was
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 applications & installations

solar coupled with ecological restoration Are you convinced?

and/or pollinator habitats (see chart on
p.55 and visit www.pv-magazine.com to
read a guest article from the authors).
While the IPCC was less enthusiastic
about solar farms in relation to birds,
its report does highlight their potential
to help address climate change: “Land-
based responses to climate change can be
As Greer Ryan, one of the authors of the
Nature Sustainability paper, eloquently
suggests, there’s something poetic about
reclaiming lands damaged by fossil fuels
or pesticides and using them to generate
clean energy and rebuild habitats.

“ isTheverycostlowof these enhancements

… adaptation with mitigation co-bene-
fits (for example, siting solar farms on
highly degraded land).” It also references
studies published in Science in 2018, and they are also

demonstrating that large-scale wind and
solar farms in the Sahara increased both
rainfall and vegetation.
It’s all connected in a natural, circular
economy. If biodiversity concepts are inte-
grated with solar projects, the evidence
suggests that we’d be able to more effec-
tively address some of the catastrophic
problems we’re facing. The key barrier to
achieving this is, as ever, political leader-
ship. “It would be so simple for govern-
ment to say things like ‘All solar farms
should have a biodiversity management
plan with a minimum of A, B and C. That
kind of simple leadership would be a game
changer,” says Parker.
”
very easy to do
On the way home from SpreeGas
Solar’s Frauendorf Solar Park, I turn
and ask Tischew if she’s convinced of
the benefits of integrating biodiver-
sity into PV project development. Her
answer is a resolute “Yes!” She’s now off
to try to secure funding from the Ger-
man government to roll out such proj-
ects in other areas of the country.
What about you? Are you convinced?
Join the conversation – contact up@pv-
magazine.com.   Becky Beetz

Framework for TESs of solar energy development

Solar energy techno-ecological synergy Recipient Potential techno-ecological synergistic outcomes
system*
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T
1. Utilization of degraded and contaminated land for solar energy generation Land (8)
2. Solar energy generation coupled with ecological restoration and/or pollinator habitat Land (13)
3. Co-located/hybrid renewable energy systems Land (6)
4. Center-pivot agriculture systems with solar corners Food (8)
5. Agrivoltaic systems (i.e., PV co-located with crop production) Food (10)
6. Rangevoltaic systems and intensive animal-solar energy systems Food (8)
7. Solar-powered drip irrigation systems Food (9)
8. Floatovoltaics and solar water canals Water (11)
9. Solar energy desalination and water treatment Water (6)
10. Utilization of surfaces within the built environment for solar energy (excl. rooftops) Built-up (10)
11. Rooftop surfaces for solar energy Built-up (10)
12. Solar heat harvesting for cooling and hot water Built-up (7)
13. Solar energy and energy storage Various (10)
14. Photovoltaics on transportation vehicles Various (7)
15. Solar cookers, drying systems, and passive solar greenhouses Various (7)
16. PV integrated with rainwater harvesting Various (7)
A Air pollution reduction F Energy equity and/or security K Habitat for species P Pollination
B Animal welfare G Erosion prevention and maintenance of soil fertility L Heating and cooling efficiency Q PV module efficiency
C Biological control H Fuel diversity M Human health and well-being R Urban heat island reduction
D Carbon sequestration and storage I Food system resilience N Land sparing S Water-use efficiency
E Climate regulation J Grid reliability and/or resilience O Maintenance of genetic diversity T Water quality

Framework for techno-ecological synergies (TESs) of solar energy development. Each solar energy *(No. of Outcomes) Source: Adapted from Techno–ecological
synergies of solar energy for global
TES is characterized by its recipient system(s) (i.e.., land, food, water, built-up system) and potential sustainability by Rebecca R. Hernandez et al.,
technological (black icons) and ecological (colored icons) synergistic outcomes. Nature Sustainability, Vol. 2, 2019

www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019 55
industry & suppliers
Intelligent management
for microgrids
The success and benefits of distributed microgrids depend to a large
extent on smart controllers. The range of such systems on offer has
become increasingly diverse. Our market overview takes a deep dive
into what 24 manufacturers are offering.
Microgrids are finding compelling use cases in
supplying power to islands. The Caribbean island of
St. Eustatius now hosts a solar park and a diesel power
plant, each with capacities of around 4 MW, and a 6
MWh battery. SMA provided the control system. Since
commissioning in November 2017, 46% of the island’s
energy demand has been met with solar power.
56
M odern microgrids integrate var-
ious conventional and renew-
able energy sources and intelligently
balance generation with energy stor-
age devices and consumption. Depend-
ing on the application, they use differ-
ent energy management scenarios and
respond largely on their own to unfore-
seen events. The result is that microgrids
with intelligent control algorithms now
increasingly supply communities, indus-
trial sites and universities in regions with
well-developed power grids.
In recent years, a broad range of sup-
pliers for microgrid control systems has
cropped up. We take a closer look at their
products here in our market overview.
We have surveyed providers based on the
scope of the systems they offer, control
strategies, communication capabilities,
energy management options and price,
among other things.
Photo: SMA
A total of 24 manufacturers with 31 sys-
tems participated in the survey. Most say
they sell their systems worldwide. Some
also specialize in certain regions. The indi-
vidual services vary from provider to pro-
vider. All stated that they write their own
software for controlling microgrids. Only
18 of the companies surveyed manufac-
ture their own hardware. Ten also provide
EPC and O&M services for microgrids.
Online/offline
Most of the systems represented in
our overview consist of a combination
of hardware and a software platform.
Around half of the systems have a match-
ing smartphone app that can be used to
visualize or control energy flows in the
microgrid. Some vendors (such as Sie-
mens, Microgrid Encorp, and Quantic)
also offer hardware-only and software-
only solutions designed to be compatible
with third-party applications.
For microgrids to maintain their energy
supply even in emergencies or catastro-
phes, it is important that they remain sta-
ble without an internet connection. With
two exceptions, all of the systems in our
overview work even without an internet
connection, according to the manufactur-
er’s specifications. However, many state
that their software platforms are either
standard or optionally cloud-based. This
is an apparent contradiction that Joan Tar-
ragó from system provider Ferntech clar-
ified for us. The Ferntech controller has a
local database and is smart, says Tarragó,
which enables the system to continue stor-
ing data even without an internet connec-
tion, so that it can execute all the necessary
control algorithms. When the internet is
available again, the locally stored data is
synchronized with the cloud. Cloud-based
systems therefore do not function com-
pletely without the internet. Occasion-
ally data has to be overwritten to free up
the local memory or download software
updates. According to Tarragó, the Fern-
tech Controller can store data locally for
up to a year.
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 industry & suppliers

On and offgrid cess, Encorp, S&C, and Siemens) state that

Most systems can handle a broad range
of applications and use cases. Accord-
ing to the information provided, systems
are generally suitable for both offgrid
and grid-based projects and can sup-
ply energy to residential areas, commer-
cial enterprises or industrial complexes.
Almost all of the systems can automati-
cally switch back and forth between on
grid and offgrid operation. Only about
half can guarantee an uninterrupted
power supply. Some suppliers emphasize
possible mobile applications such as for
mining and temporary events. Four (Inac-
their systems are used in military appli-
cations. Five suppliers target grid-paral-
lel applications (Encorp, Fenecon, Green-
com, Gridx, and Wendeware). Greencom
and Gridx state that their systems do not
allow offgrid operation.
There are also differences in the sizes
of the grid areas that can be supplied,
and the generation capacity that can be
installed on the corresponding grid. With
regard to the maximum generation capac-
ity, most are very flexible. Two systems,
one from Elum Energy and one from
SMA, are explicitly designed for smaller

General information Services of the company

Name of company Name of product

of microgrid control
System integration

microgrid projects
microgrid control

micro­grid control

hard- & software

Programming of

maintenance of
EPC services for

Operations and
Production of

microgrids
hardware

software
ABB Power Grids Germany ABB Ability e-mesh Control and PowerStore yes yes yes no yes
Ageto Ageto Renewable Controller (ARC) yes yes yes no no
Al-Bahar / Caterpillar Caterpillar yes yes yes yes yes
Bachmann electronic Smart Powerplant Controller yes yes yes yes no
DHybrid Power Systems Universal Power Platform (UPP) yes yes yes yes no
Elgris elgris EMS yes yes yes yes yes
Elum Energy ePowercontrol HFS / MC / PPC / SD no yes yes no no
Energytion Power Systems Microgrid EMS yes yes yes no yes
Engie EPS PROPHET EMS Microgrid no yes yes yes yes
Fenecon FEMS (FENECON Energy Management System) no yes yes no no
Ferntech UMC (Universal Monitoring & Control) no yes yes no no
GreenCom Networks energy information brokerage platform (eibp) yes yes yes no yes
GridX Microgrids yes yes yes yes yes
Inaccess UNITY H-PPC yes yes yes no no
Microgrid Encorp Goldbox + Egility Control Platform yes yes yes yes yes
OpenEMS Asscociation OpenEMS no yes no no no
Phoenix Contact PLCnext Hybrid Control yes yes yes no no
Qantic Q-System no yes - no no
S&C Electric Company GridMaster yes yes yes yes yes
Siemens Microgrid Control / Spectrum Power MGMS yes yes yes no no
SMA Solar Sunny Island MultiCluster + Data Manager M / yes yes yes yes no
Hybrid Controller + Sunny Central Storage
SwitchDin SwitchDin Stormcloud / Droplet for Microgrid yes yes yes no no
Trina Energy Storage Solutions Trina Micro Grid yes yes yes yes yes
Vensys Elektrotechnik HYCON Hybrid Converter yes yes yes no no
Wendeware Amperix EMS, myPowerGrid Plattform no yes yes no no

Overview of microgrid controllers

Readers can access the complete market overview for microgrid
controllers online at pv-magazine.com. It contains manufacturer
data for companies and offers more than 90 different services
and functionalities.
The information provided covers scope of services provided (soft-
ware and hardware, consulting, EPC services, plant operation),
hardware application options (control, monitoring, cloud solutions),
possible microgrid layouts (bus system, necessary components,
modularity), connection options (generator types), load manage
ment, SCADA integration, communication interfaces, communica-
tion protocols), functions (grid-connected systems, standalone sys-
tems, UPS, Redispatch), power management functions (optimization
options, peak shaving, artificial intelligence, blockchain integration)
and price information.
We wish to thank Thomas Hillig from THEnergie, Christof Wittwer
from Fraunhofer ISE and Fabian Baretzky from Dhybrid for their sup-
port in creating the market overview, and of course all of the compa-
nies that participated by answering our questions.

www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019 57
industry & suppliers
microgrids with a maximum capacity of
Photo: Greencom Networks
300 kW. SMA uses different hardware for
its smaller system than for its larger sys-
tem, which uses a hybrid controller and
can integrate unlimited generation capac-
ity. In other cases where manufacturers
specify upper limits for maximum capac-
ity, these are usually in the multi-mega-
watt range.
The number of generators that can be
integrated is often unlimited, but not
always. Elgris lists a maximum of 32 gen-
erators. Elum has a maximum of eight for
two systems, and only one can be con-
nected to the small 300 kW system. Sie-
mens specifies a maximum of eight dif-
ferent types for one of its systems, and a
maximum of 15 for another. Many suppli-
ers further emphasize that microgrids and
their systems can be expanded at a later
Many microgrid control systems have smartphone date and can also be retrofitted to exist-
apps that can visualize or control the energy flows ing infrastructure.
in the microgrid. Pictured here is an app from
Greencom Networks.
Operating strategies
Today’s energy systems are increasingly
equipped with DC components, such as
PV and battery systems. It can therefore be
more efficient to integrate a DC circuit (DC
bus) into a microgrid in addition to the
usual AC circuit (AC bus). Fully 25 of the
31 systems in the survey are not only capa-
ble of managing an AC circuit but can also
operate a DC circuit. About half offer this
as an optional function. Only three systems
(from ABB, Encorp and Siemens) don’t
have the capability to control a separate
DC bus, according to their manufacturers.
“
There are also differences in strategy –
It can be more that is, whether the network is controlled
by a central unit or whether intelligence
efficient to integrate a is more thoroughly distributed through-
out. The latter can be achieved by install-
ing several components with equivalent
DC circuit into capabilities. If one fails, another can take
control. According to the manufacturers,
a microgrid in about half of the systems in our overview
are based on a central control system. Six
addition to the were described as using a decentralized
system distributed across several devices.
”
A further eight are capable of both strate-
usual AC circuit gies. Suppliers Inaccess and Wendeware,
for example, state that they use a main
unit and depending on the size of the
microgrid, install subunits for individual
buildings or parts of the network.
Communicating with components
When asked which communication pro-
tocols and interfaces the systems were
compatible with, providers listed a variety
58
of standards. The most common are Mod-
bus TCP, Modbus RTU, CAN, CANopen,
Sunspec and DNP3. Greencom and Gridx
say that they can also integrate EEBus
devices. Occasionally, device-specific
standards such as SGready for heat pumps
or OCPP for charging stations were listed.
Among the most popular physical inter-
faces are Ethernet, WiFi, RS485, RS232
and freely configurable digital and analog
inputs and outputs.
These standards can be used to control
a large number of generators, storage sys-
tems and consumers. Some manufactur-
ers responded to the question of which
components can be integrated with a
blanket answer of “all.” Others list indi-
vidual brands and devices. In addition
to standard applications such as PV sys-
tems, lithium batteries, and heat pumps,
more exotic devices such as fuel cells, fly-
wheels and electrolyzers are also men-
tioned. Half of the systems employ purely
wired communication paths, while the
other half also use wireless interfaces.
There are no fully wireless systems in
the overview.
Communication with the power grid
of the higher-level distribution grid
operator is also relevant for grid-con-
nected microgrids. All of the systems
shown in our overview are designed to
do this. Two-thirds can integrate smart
home systems either out-of-the-box or
as an option, while one-third do not have
this capability.
Energy flows
Another important feature of a microgrid
controller is the intelligent planning of
how and when connected generators,
storage systems and consumers are used.
Systems must be capable of responding to
the requirements of the higher-level net-
work operator or to unforeseen internal
events, such as the failure of certain com-
ponents. In addition, all of the systems in
our overview are designed to be capable
of controlling active and reactive power in
real time (exceptions are the systems from
Elum Energy and Wendeware). The capa-
bility to balance asymmetries between the
individual AC phases is less of a standard
feature. Ten of the 31 systems in the sur-
vey do not have this capability.
As regards power management, stan-
dard features include optimization func-
tions for high levels of onsite consump-
tion, or high degrees of self-sufficiency in
the case of grid-connected systems. Most
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

systems are also capable of reducing peak
loads and charging electric vehicles. More
than two-thirds can also take weather and
load forecasts into account. Only about
half rely on AI or self-learning algorithms.
Blockchain billing systems or pay-as-you-
go solutions are not yet available for most.
Only seven systems include options that
provide these capabilities.
Project-specific prices
Many suppliers left the cost question cost
unanswered, often with the hint that there
is great variance from project to project.
Nevertheless, 11 suppliers did provide
information on the approximate sales
price of their products, excluding VAT.
Hardware alone is not the only relevant
cost factor. Implementation of the soft-
ware can cost 10 to 20 times as much as
the hardware components, depending on
provider and project size.
Less expensive solutions include Elgris,
Ferntech and Wendeware systems. The
Elgris EMS that is available for one-time
purchase costs range between €495 to
€2,995, and up to €50 per month for hard-
ware and software together. Wendeware
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SMART ENERGY
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industry & suppliers
listed hardware costs of €200 to €300,
plus €200 to €300 per connected build-
ing. Configuration of the software costs
an additional €1,000 to €10,000. In addi-
tion, Wendeware charges monthly fees of
between €10 and 100.
“beSystems
The hardware for the Ageto Renew-
able Controller is available for a one-time
purchase price of €10,000. The associated must
capable of
software platform including configura-
tion costs between €20,000 and €150,000,
depending on the project. Ageto does not
charge a monthly fee for hardware or
software. The Inaccess system is available
responding to
starting at €50,000 for both hardware and
software, plus monthly costs starting at unforeseen
internal events
”
€1,000. S&C charges a one-time purchase
price of €250,000 to €700,000 for hard-
ware and software. Added to this are proj-
ect-dependent monthly costs of approxi-
mately €2,500.
Depending on the application and
manufacturer, there are significant differ-
ences in the systems available for control-
ling intelligent microgrids. The complete
market overview with all the information
from the manufacturers can be found on
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industry & suppliers

‘There is a great unmet

need in this industry
for differentiation’
With its second U.S. production facility coming online in October, First Solar is claiming the title of the “largest
module manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere,” and reports that the Series 6 module it introduced in 2018 is
now sold out through to the middle of 2021. pv magazine caught up with First Solar CEO Mark Widmar in Berlin
recently to discuss the latest developments in the global module market and the company’s plans for the future.

Twenty years as a company, 15 years in Europe, 25 GW of shipped product – where

do you see First Solar going as it heads into 2020?
I think we’re in a really good position. We made a transformation to move into Series
6, and while we’re only a year and a half into the journey in terms of our production,
the launch has gone well. We have been successful with commercializing the product
and getting acceptance in the marketplace. We first started producing Series 6 in April
2018, we announced the program at the end of 2016 going into 2017, and we’re now sold
out through to the first half of 2021.
With the backdrop of the turmoil that is still going on in this industry – that has always
gone on – to have contracted volume to that horizon is pleasing. There is continuing
robust demand, not only in the United States, but from diverse global markets. Today
there are many markets more than 1 GW
in size, and the interesting thing is that

“ There
the global market continues to grow while
is continuing robust demand, China has actually shrunk, demonstrating
that other markets around the world are

not only in the United States, able to pick up the slack.

but among a tremendous diversity

There must have been some prioritizing in
terms of making the shift to Series 6, and

”
then deciding where you can ship products
of global markets to, as well as what you ship – is that right?
The great thing about our product is that
it has an inherent energy advantage. Hot,
humid climate regions are where we cap-
ture the most value. We have always tried to find places where the product can capture
the best ASP [average selling price] compared to the value creation path.
In the U.S. there is the ITC [Investment Tax Credit], safe harbor expiration that is com-
ing forward, and the Section 201 tariffs. All of this has created a lot of demand. But struc-
turally our customers in the U.S. are not so different to our customers internationally,
in that they have had some pretty rough relationships with some of our competitors
that haven’t fulfilled contracts or expectations.
So, as customers want to commit to volumes that are multi years out, they want to make
sure that they are partnering with an organization that will deliver on those commit-
ments and on the contractually agreed price. So that is another lever that plays to our
strength: the financial stability and security of First Solar as a partner.

60 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 industry & suppliers

First Solar CEO Mark Widmar meeting with

Photo: First Solar

pv magazine’s Jonathan Gifford in Berlin.

The combination of a strong market, ability to deliver and perform in line with our
commitments, and a technology that is competitively advantaged in the hot, humid
climates has given us a nice robust market which we can sell into.

Do you see bifacial becoming a ‘flavor of the month?’ There appear to be potential
energy advantages in the regions where snow cover for part of the year is common,
like in the Midwest United States.
I go back to my argumentation, which I’ve used since day one, that there is a great
unmet need in this industry for differentiation. We [First Solar] have been advantaged
because we have a technology that is differentiated: Our labeled watts will turn more
of the sun’s photons into electrons.
Bifacial modules have created an ele-
ment of differentiation for our competi-
tion. Most of them will be able to repli-

“ It is the same dynamic

cate the technology, but it will be a point
of differentiation.
I do believe that in certain markets and
situations, bifacial modules will be very
well positioned. It will take a while before
we’ve had since day one –
the market understands the energy gener-
ation and the energy profile, but I do think
we have to compete
on efficiency
”
it will happen over time, and in certain
markets and in certain segments it will do
very well. But I still feel on a competitive
basis that on the merits of our technology,
we’ll be able to compete.

Looking to the competitive landscape for technologies, the rise of monocrystal-

line has been one of the big stories in recent years. What kind of challenge does
that pose to First Solar, given that so much cost has been driven out of this high
-efficiency technology?
It is a higher-efficiency product, at a similar cost. It is the same dynamic we’ve had
since day one – we have to compete on efficiency. The delta that you pivot to with bifa-
cial is that there is an energy part of the equation that wouldn’t have been there before.
But it is always about how we sell, how we engage with the market, and how we capture
value. And as well as the strength and bankability of First Solar, there is still a lot to our

www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019 61
industry & suppliers

value proposition that can allow us to compete even with a monocrystalline bifacial
product – and we still feel we can compete very well.

First Solar was one of the first companies to invest heavily in project development
– either a stroke of genius or fortuitous timing. How do you plan to continue pur-
suing that strategy of manufacturing and project development?
Development is important, but you also have to have capabilities in development that
allow you to have value in the profit pool. So our development activities have largely
been limited to the U.S., Japan and Australia. We have done some in India, but on
an active and ongoing basis we’re not
doing much development there. If you
have capabilities and value proposition

“
in development that allow you to create
It is important to have a profit pool, then do it. But I think it has
to be selective.
an understanding and insights It is important to have an understanding
and insight into the needs of a particu-

into the needs of a particular market lar market and what development really
needs. If you look at the U.S., Austra-
lia and Japan, they really are traditional
and what development development markets. And in those mar-

”
kets I really think we should continue to
really needs leverage our advantages.
Using India or the Middle East as exam-
ples, there tends to be land with an inter-
connection permission and all the devel-
oper is competing on is the lowest installed
cost. We’ve always had an EPC capability, but we’ve never self-performed EPC, we’ve
managed it. Trying to go into a region and be the lowest cost provider and get the best
procurement outcome in terms of things like trackers and inverters is unlikely.
By contrast, there are places where there is value through the site selection, the
land acquisition, first mover advantage – those are the places we want to continue
to participate.

So, you’re looking to avoid reverse auctions or race-to-the-bottom pricing?

That’s right, exactly.

This year pv magazine launched its UP campaign to promote sustainable prac-

tices in the solar sector. Do you think this is important from a manufacturer stand-
point, or should solar just continue to scale as rapidly as possible to meet the cli-
mate challenge?
I think it’s important, whether it’s solar or wind, to be sustainable, and to have that capa-
bility and embrace it. If I am having a conversation with a large technology company,
for example – if I’m not standing behind with my own sustainability programs, then I
am losing credibility in that conversation.
One of the things that we have focused heavily on is our Annual Sustainability Report,
in which we gather these key metrics and report on them. We want to lead by example.
If I look at our competitors, I think in some regards they are trying to create a market-
ing story – I’m not sure there’s as much substance as we have.
If you think about the crystalline silicon supply chain, which is largely in China and
in regions where coal is being used to generate electricity, I don’t think they’ve really
looked at it in a serious way, and are looking more at lowest cost rather than, as we have,
focused on emissions, recyclability, and water usage. And interestingly, as you move
from multicrystalline to mono, the carbon footprint actually gets worse.  
 Interview by Jonathan Gifford

62 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
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industry & suppliers

A responsible
compromise?
Toxicologists are struggling to follow the pace at which perovskite solar cles in perovskite solar cells kill neurons
cells race from laboratory test benches to factory production lines. While and alter gene expression in living skin
researchers continue to assess the health and safety risks stemming cells. He says that these results are no news
from the lead used at the core of these new materials, the startups to toxicologists.
commercializing them argue that established encapsulation techniques The European Chemical Agency
and sound recycling schemes are enough to safety-proof their potentially (ECHA) has warned that exposure to lead
disruptive technology and offset broader environmental threats. can notably cause cancer, damage organs
and harm children. It also includes 32
lead-containing compounds in its list of

T he breakneck speed at which

perovskite solar cells are reaching
commercial maturity is invigorating its
research community, but it is also rais-
ing concerns among some of its members,
who fear that health and safety standards
substances that are of very high concern
for authorization.
“Lead is a very serious poison, there is
no doubt about it,” said Michael Grätzel,
who pioneered dye-sensitized solar cells
and other thin film PV technologies at
EPFL. “The trouble with perovskite mate-
rials is that their lead compound is sol-

“
uble in water.” Unlike lead in car batter-
While some researchers help to ies, this solubility helps the metal seep
into the environment and contaminate
assemble the first perovskite solar cell living organisms.
Researchers and startups are now run-

production lines, others question the ning tests on the safety of perovskite solar
cells. But the task is daunting, all the more
so given the variety of molecular formu-
wisdom of mass producing a technology lations and lead mixtures used in this

that contains lead ...
SMA is partnering with
pv magazine on the UP
campaign to promote sus-
tainability across the entire
solar supply chain. “At
SMA, we deeply believe it
is not only important to produce equipment for
renewable energy generation, it is as important
that we produce it in a sustainable way. There-
fore, we support the UP campaign that shines a
spotlight on sustainability within the industry.
The campaign will show what we have achieved
already, but also stimulate further changes in the
industry.” - SMA CEO Jürgen Reinert
”
may not be advancing as rapidly as cell
performance and fundraising campaigns.
While some researchers help to assemble
the first perovskite solar cell production
lines, others question the wisdom of mass
producing a technology that contains lead
as a key active ingredient.
Health hazards
“The health threat raised by lead used in
perovskite solar cells is very serious,” said
Professor László Forró at the École Poly-
technique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
in Switzerland. “And it remains largely
neglected by the scientific community.”
In 2016, Professor Forró took part in a
cytotoxicity study that showed lead parti-
emerging technology.
“What hasn’t been done so far has
been to track the many forms of contam-
ination,” said Grätzel, who took part in
the EU-funded FutureNanoNeeds proj-
ect to assess the impact of nanomateri-
als on living organisms. “What happens
if you ingest lead from these solar cells
orally, if it seeps in through your skin, if
you inhale it?”
Bert Conings, a physicist working on
perovskites at Hasselt University in Bel-
gium, recently retraced the history of lead-
poisoning from a range of applications,
from plumbing in the Roman Empire to
toxic paints and gasoline in modern times.
He reported a sobering trend of flaws in
health and safety assessments.
“Humanity has made the mistake of
incorporating lead in technology time
after time,” he said. “We have come to
a point where we have to accept that it

64 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

is a bad idea to incorporate lead in any-
thing at all.”
Law of the lead
In 2003, the EU passed legislation that
heavily restricted the use of lead in
consumer products. Public safety rules
tend to be more stringent in Europe
than in other parts of the world, but
lead pollution is a sensitive issue for
lawmakers in the United States, Japan
and China, as well, and manufactur-
ers across the globe tend to align with
EU standards to continue selling in its
market.
However, Conings points out that
even the EU provides several products
with exemptions to its lead restriction.
As a result, materials containing unde-
sirably high concentrations of lead can
still find their way into European mar-
kets. As of 2011, photovoltaic modules
benefit from one such exemption.
“If legislation stays as it is, there is
no legal obstacle that we can perceive
to bringing our perovskite solar cells to
market,” said Henry Snaith, a University
of Oxford professor and co-founder of
Oxford PV. His company is equipping
its first commercial-scale manufactur-
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
industry & suppliers
Photo: Oxford PV
Oxford PV is currently equipping its first commercial-
scale manufacturing line in Brandenburg an der
Havel, Germany, and plans on launching production
ing line in Brandenburg an der Havel, by the end of 2020.
Germany, and plans on launching pro-
duction by the end of 2020.
Michael Saliba, a researcher working
on the stability of perovskite materials
and their incorporation into biomedi-
cal applications at TU Darmstadt and
Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany,
explained that these exemptions are in
place to avoid stifling innovation. This
is particularly important for industry
sectors such as renewable energy, where
progress could provide invaluable ben-
efits to society.
“It is hard to determine a safe limit
for using water-soluble lead and the EU
would ultimately prefer to avoid using it
completely, but they don’t want to ban
the material straight out,” he explained.
Maximum power conversion efficiencies of single-junction perovskite solar cells
Germanium-based
Nitin Padture, Brown University
Antimony-based
Silver-based
Bismuth-based
Titanium-based
Source:
Tin-based
Lead-based
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
65
industry & suppliers
“Lead has physical and chemical prop-
erties that cannot easily be replaced.”
No substitute
In recent years, researchers have
attempted to substitute lead in perovskite
solar cells with metals such as tin, germa-
nium, bismuth, antimony, copper, manga-
nese and titanium. So far, these attempts
“
Careful industrial hygiene, reliable
encapsulation in glass-glass modules,
and controlled deployment and recycling
programs will all prove critical to
”
managing the risk of using lead
have achieved only comparatively modest
energy conversion efficiencies. “Combina-
tions based on tin can reach performances
of around 11%,” said Nitin Padture, a pro-
fessor who develops lead-free perovskite
materials at Brown University in the
United States. “The record with lead is
25%. We’re nowhere near that.”
He explains that lead is important
because of its position in the periodic
66
Neurons after 5 days in physiological solutions
containing CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite
100% Cell death
Source: École Polytechnique
80%
Fédérale de Lausanne
60%
40%
20%
0% 0 1 2 4
Equivalent µg/ml of Pb in blood
The image to the left shows epithelial (skin)
cells exposed to the perovskite (100 microg/
ml) for five days. Many of the cells show
multiple nuclei (abnormal) and they are
much larger than they should be. Their cell
cycle has completely changed due to the Pb.
In the chart above, on the y-axis “100%”
refers to “no cell death“ (because there
was no perovskite added), and with the
increasing concentration, fewer and fewer
cells survive. In other words, the y-axis shows
cell survival, and the difference between
100% and the height of the column indicates
the cell death, for example, for 200 microg/
ml, 100-10 =90% of the cells died, after five
days of exposure to the perovskite.
table. When incorporated in the crystal
structure of a perovskite, the metal gives
rise to an unusually high light absorption
coefficient. Lead also avoids introducing
deep electronic defects in perovskite lay-
ers that cause charges generated by the
solar cell to recombine.
Researchers are investigating different
alloys and whether redesigning the struc-
ture of the perovskite material can help
optimize its physical properties, but Pad-
ture says that the jury is still out on how
successful these approaches will be.
“As a scientist, you never say never,” he
said. “We should keep trying. But lead
has some very attractive properties. An
alternative would be to make sure we
contain it properly and prevent expo-
sure as much as possible.”
Responsible compromise
Padture goes on to explain that compro-
mises are inevitable in health and safety
evaluations. He points out that perovskite
solar cells use minute amounts of lead, less
in fact than can be found in the solder of
comparable silicon solar modules.
This year, researchers at Drexel Uni-
versity calculated that, under conserva-
tive estimates for lifetime and energy con-
version efficiency, perovskite solar cells
could in principle reduce lead emissions
by a factor of two to four, compared to
the existing electricity mix in the United
States, by offsetting emissions of the metal
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 NO.4
3-Phase String

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from coal power plants. Professor Jason Baxter, who took part
in the study, adds that careful industrial hygiene, reliable encap-
sulation in glass-glass modules, and controlled deployment and
recycling programs will all prove critical to managing the risk of
using lead and protecting individuals at a local level.
Likewise, Padture argues that it would be irresponsible to place
lead-containing perovskite solar cells directly in the hands of
end-consumers (think rooftop systems and portable rechargers).
But he is less reserved about applications in which trained pro-
Commercial & Industrial Solar System Solutions
fessionals control how the modules are treated and disposed of.
“Lead is toxic but if you have a big solar farm with a protective
membrane on the ground and you recycle the panels, you could 10-80kW
control its use and mitigate its risks,” he said.

Pragmatic assessment
According to Snaith, this is where legislation is most urgently
needed. At present, the EU believes that the environmental ben-
efits of deploying PV outweigh the ecological and health risks
50% DC Input Export Control Max Efficiency
raised by the small volumes of lead used in perovskite materi-
Oversizing Ratio 99%
als. However, it could also mandate more robust safety standards
for manufacturers of perovskite solar cells and demand clear and
well-funded company policies for recycling solar panels at the
end of their lifetime.
Oxford PV is adopting established glass-glass lamination tech-
niques that have 25 years of proven stability in the field when
used with other PV technologies. The company is also identify- Arc-Fault Power Line Fuse Free
Circuit-Interrupter Communication
ing recycling schemes insured by third parties and plans on fac-
toring their cost into the price of their product.
“Recycling perovskite solar cells is a very simple process,” said
Pablo Docampo, who works on the sustainability of perovskite
solar cells at Newcastle University. “It just requires three big vats
of non-toxic solvents and a room with proper air ventilation.”

Responsible compromise
Experts on perovskite solar cells still disagree on how lenient the
authorities should be with respect to the use of lead in consumer
products. But they tend to agree on the importance of measures
that protect consumers.
“Neglecting lead and its hazards in perovskite materials would
be irresponsible,” said Buyi Yan, founder of Microquanta, a
perovskite solar cell manufacturer based in Hangzhou, China.
“Yet with lessons learned from other technologies, ways to safely
handle it will come with the product.”
Even past hawks on lead use are warming to the prospect of
adopting it responsibly. “Initially I was of the opinion that we
have to get rid of lead completely,” said Grätzel. “As the years go
by, I increasingly think that if the panels are contained in a glass
layer, operated in a controlled environment and recycled at the
end of their life, that would be a solution.”
In 2020, the European Commission will revise its policy on
toxic materials and exemptions for lead-containing products.
Lawmakers elsewhere will be looking at scientific evidence from
toxicologists, materials scientists and the PV community, but
they also assess broader implications for society.
“There is such a strong environmental argument in favor of
photovoltaics, offsetting many worse hazards than the potential
risk of lead pollution,” said Oxford PV’s Snaith. “We are not dis-
missing this risk, we just want to manage it sensibly.”  
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industry & suppliers
How large of a problem
is thermal derating?
In its Inverter Scorecard, PV Evolution Labs examines thermal derating,
a long-known problem among experts. With the data the lab collects, it
provides insights as to how different devices behave when exposed to
high temperatures.
I n a pv magazine webinar a few years
ago, SMA argued that its inverters dis-
played much better thermal behavior than
those of other, possibly cheaper, competi-
tors. The competing companies defended
themselves against the attack, of course.
Because the information in most spec-
ification sheets does not provide much
insight into thermal behavior, it was one
company’s word against another’s. The
lack of hard data is also the basis for the
dispute as to whether inverters with fans
are preferable to their fanless counter-
parts. In marketing materials, the “fan
“ The inverter clan” like to argue that without fans, derat-
ing would have a much more pronounced
impact as it facilitates the cooling.
manufacturers are Thermal derating is not merely an aca-
demic problem. After all, if the power
trying to deliver output of an inverter drops at higher
temperatures – say, by 3% – and if these
products that meet temperatures are also reached in opera-
tion, the income from a solar installation
also drops by 3%. This can be enough to
market demands significantly impact the overall econom-
ics of the project. Inverter failures, which
at a decreasing also represent a serious risk to yields, are
not difficult to spot, but thermal derat-
price point
”
ing losses may require additional scru-
tiny to uncover.
Jenya Meydbray is the CEO of PV Evo-
lution Labs (PVEL) in Berkeley, Califor-
nia. He and his team have taken extensive
measurements for more than 35 devices
from 12 different manufacturers as part
of their inverter scorecard. The engineers
determine the efficiency of the devices
under a range of different conditions, test
their MPP tracking capabilities, expose
the inverters to damp heat and humidity
freeze cycles and, afterward, run results
from 14 test sequences. The data can then
be used to draw conclusions about ther-
68
mal derating. At PVEL, the manufactur-
ers finance the tests and the lab publishes
results for the best devices in individual
categories with manufacturers’ approval.
No clear winner
As far as thermal derating is concerned,
the graph on page 70 shows just how
complicated the assessment is in the
end. According to their specifications,
two inverters can be operated at up to 60
degrees Celsius. One – let’s call it inverter
A – continues to deliver nearly its full
rated power output at 60 degrees, while
the other, inverter B, only delivers half the
rated output at this temperature.
In addition to power output, PVEL
also measured the temperatures of indi-
vidual components. The temperature of
the MOSFET in inverter A rises to 110
degrees, while the other inverter stays
below 80 degrees. The operating temper-
atures of the circuitry, whether MOSFETs
or IGBTs, and the temperature changes
to which they are exposed in a day-night
rhythm, are very relevant for the long
term-reliability of the component, says
Meydbray. Because the elements of cir-
cuitry contain different materials with
different coefficients of thermal expan-
sion, they expand and contract at different
rates when heated or cooled. At elevated
temperatures, mechanical stress occurs at
the connecting surfaces. “If these thermal
expansion parameters are not accounted
for, the stress caused by routine temper-
ature fluctuations may cause premature
wear-out and failure.”
The operator of inverter A can therefore
be pleased to have a device that can deliver
the full yield at high temperatures over the
entire range specified as operating tem-
perature. But this may come at the cost of
a shorter service life. The manufacturer of
inverter B, by contrast, deliberately limits
the performance of the inverter electron-
ically in order to protect the components
from high temperatures. The user loses per-
formance but may gain a longer service life.
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

Photo: Adobe/ JYF
“The inverter manufacturers are try-
ing to deliver products that meet market
demands at a decreasing price point,” says
Meydbray. Therefore manufacturers have
to choose to prioritize either design mar-
gin on components or long-term reliabil-
ity. “We observe derating on about half of
the inverters we test – and about one third
derate significantly.”
Overall performance
Ultimately, thermal derating must be con-
sidered part of the overall performance of
an inverter in relation to its cost. Manu-
facturers are competing to achieve the
highest possible weighted efficiencies –
CEC efficiencies in the United States and
weighted European efficiencies in Europe.
The CEC efficiencies generally exceed
99%, and manufacturers end up trying to
outbid each other in the decimal points.
“The CEC efficiency is a single number,”
says Meydbray. “But actually it’s not a sin-
gle number, it’s a lot of numbers under dif-
ferent conditions.”
This single number, which is often still
the focus of the customer’s attention, can
be optimized by manufacturers even if
they use smaller, less expensive compo-
nents. To this end, they reduce the speci-
fied input voltage range to 700-900 volts
for a 1,000 V device, since the CEC effi-
ciency is only measured within the volt-
www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019
industry & suppliers
When inverters operate under adverse conditions,
component temperatures may rise too high which
shortens their lifetime, or the inverter’s output may
age range specified. This means that be reduced which can result in financial losses for the
higher input voltages could be permissi- investor.
ble even with such devices. “It may actu-
ally deliver more energy output in the field
even though it has a lower CEC efficiency
number on a datasheet,” says Meydbray.
He says that it is also possible to design
devices for higher input voltages with
such high efficiency. “But then you’ll need
larger individual components inside the
inverter, and those are more expensive.”
Shifting compromises
In the end, inverter design is always a
compromise between high efficiency, the
extent of the input voltage range, service
life and costs.
“All inverter manufacturers optimize
around those four things, and the mar-
ket drives different inverter manufactur-
ers in different directions,” says Meydbray.
The nature of this compromise can shift
as development progresses. “The upfront
cost of inverters is so low now that higher
performing inverters in the field could
probably yield much higher value over
time.” To confirm this, however, you have
to be able to estimate how high an invert-
er’s yield really is. Simple correlations to
design principles are not sufficient. In their
tests, PVEL generally sees no evidence
that actively cooled devices perform bet-
ter than those without fans, or vice versa.
69
industry & suppliers
Inverter thermal derate comparison
100%
No derating
Normalized Power
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
0 2,000 4,000 6,000
Seconds
Normalized Power(AC)
Comparison of the high temperature
operation of two inverters with a rated
maximum operating temperature of 60º C.
One inverter (left) shows no ouput power
derating when operating at its maximum
temperature for 15 minutes. During this time,
the temperature of its MOFSET case reached
nearly 110º C and the respective power
output was close to the rated value of 5,000
W. The other inverter (right) never reached
its rated AC power output value of 24,000
W during the entirety of the test. As can be
seen, this inverter began reducing AC power
output as the operational temperature
increased. The inverter reduced its power
output to limit the MOSFET temperature to a
level that would extend its service life. After
15 minutes, AC power was reduced to 54% of
the nameplate rating. The temperature of
this inverter’s MOSFET case did not exceed
76º C for the entire duration of the test.
Manufacturers on thermal derating
and the scorecard
pv magazine asked several inverter manufac-
turers for their assessment of thermal derating
behaviors and how they communicate it to
customers. SMA, Fronius, and one other manu-
facturer who wishes to remain anonymous
answered in time.
Derating behavior: All manufacturers reduce
the output power of their units above a certain
ambient temperature, which depends on the
model. Fronius argues that a temperature rise
of 10 degrees Celsius halves the lifetime of the
power electronics components. The company
states that it communicates the power derat-
ing data in a diagram to customers that relates
the relevant variables, DC voltage, and ambient
temperature. SMA has made the information
publicly available in its download area. The
third manufacturer states that it makes informa-
tion available upon request.
Pvsyst-simulations: When asked how well
thermal behavior can be simulated with Pvsyst,
the manufacturers offered very different
opinions. SMA says that the thermal derat-
ing is reproduced as well as possible, but like
every tool, the simulation software has certain
limitations. It provides .OND files, based on
70
Normalized Power
110 °C
90 °C
70 °C
Temperature
50 °C
8,000 10,000 12,000
Temperature MOSFET Case (°C)
Which brings us back to the score-
card. “Our tests are intended to high-
light the consequences of these choices
because they are not visible on product
datasheets,” says Meydbray. At the end
of the day, buyers should not necessar-
ily choose the more expensive inverter
model. Depending on the application, it
may even be advisable to use the cheaper
device that is more susceptible to ther-
mal derating.
Yield and derating
To make an informed assessment, you
need to be able to simulate the effects
wall mounted systems with almost still air.
Fronius, however, considers the simulation to
be more suitable for passively cooled devices.
The company uses speed-controlled fans for
its own devices. Their thermal behavior cannot
be reproduced well with the simulation, so the
company does not provide .OND files. “If you
follow the installation instructions, you can be
sure that the inverter will behave as specified
in the technical data sheets,” the manufacturer
adds. The third manufacturer says that it issues
.OND files, but adds that the software only
allows four data points to be set for the tem-
perature curve, which doesn’t always provide a
very strong simulation of the thermal behavior.
On PVEL’s Inverter Scorecard: SMA states that
it internally conducts tests similar to those of
PVEL. The manufacturer says that one should
compare the results of single-phase and
three-phase devices separately, unlike in the
current scorecard, when creating a high score
list. Fronius agrees with PVEL that derating
behavior is an important factor. Five degrees
Celsius could more or less determine whether
an inverter delivers 100% or 85% power output.
 Michael Fuhs
Source: PVEL
100%
Derating
110 °C
80%
60% 90 °C
40%
70 °C
Temperature
20%
0% 50 °C
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500 5.000
Seconds
Normalized Power(AC) Temperature MOSFET Case (°C)
of thermal derating on yield. To do
this, PVEL verifies and modifies the
data used in simulation programs,
but has to consider certain points.
“The challenge is that an inverter can
be subject to different conditions at
a given site depending on how it is
installed,” says Meydbray. “For exam-
ple, if an inverter is sitting in direct sun-
light versus under a shaded structure,
or horizontally mounted versus verti-
cally mounted – that actually impacts
the internal temperature profile.”
Another thing that affects the tem-
perature profile is air flow around
the cooling elements (heat sinks) –
that is, the differences between verti-
cal and horizontal mounting, depend-
ing on the direction of the cooling fans.
For rooftop systems, inverters are often
mounted with the cooling elements fac-
ing the wall. “This really restricts the
airflow,” says Meydbray. It is difficult to
simulate such variables even with simu-
lation programs.
The high operating temperature tested
at the maximum allowable ambient tem-
perature, 60 degrees Celsius in this case,
is one way which PVEL demonstrates
the differences in inverter performance
due to thermal derating. These are not
directly transferable to lower, more real-
istic ambient temperatures of 30 to 40
degrees Celsius.
Meydbray refers to a downstream part-
ner to explain that when ambient tem-
peratures are reached in non-extreme
conditions, thermal derating can have a
significant effect.
“The biggest correlation they found was
the inverter,” Meydbray explains. “And the
reason for that, is that there are certain
derating behaviors based on voltages and
temperatures.”   Michael Fuhs
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
industry & suppliers

pv magazine test
September 2019 results
We are pleased to present the next batch of energy yield results from the outdoor test field in Xi’an, China. The
September 2019 results are presented below, plus analysis from George Touloupas, director of tech and quality at CEA.

T he chart to the top right shows irra-

diance and ambient temperature data
for September 2019. The inverter system
Monthly yield figures from April to
September 2019 are provided in the table
below. The second chart to the right shows
is cleaned weekly while the other is not
cleaned at all. An uncoated module
(ZXP6-60-265/P), which is not cleaned,
was offline for maintenance from Sept. 1 the total energy yield of all products for the was installed as a reference.
to Sept. 12. As a result, the analysis is based month of September. The average energy yield of the three is
on data collected from Sept. 13 to Sept. 30. shown in the third chart to the right. We
Jinko Solar’s mono PERC, half-cut Control test observed a 1.1% energy yield boost from
module (JKM400M-72H) was installed A test was set up between three Znshine the coated module. As the dust continues
on Aug. 12, and Longi’s bifacial module modules in August. Of two graphene- to accumulate over time, it is expected
(LR6-72HBD375) on Aug. 28. coated modules (ZXP6-60-275/P), one that the energy yield boost will grow.
The overall bifacial boost for Septem-
ber 2019 averages 6.9%. Bifacial boost is
Total energy yield – September 2019 defined as the extra energy yield of the
all in Wh/Wp Apr 2019 May 2019 Jun 2019 Jul 2019 Aug 2019 Sep 2019 bifacial products, compared to the average
Average monthly yield 83.11 96.00 83.83 120.88 107.38 65.13 energy yield of all mono-facial products.
Average monthly bifacial yield 87.64 101.91 89.64 128.70 114.32 68.73 The chart to the bottom right shows the
Average monthly monofacial yield 82.06 94.64 82.49 119.07 105.78 64.28 comparison between module technolo-
Operation days 21 25 26 30 27 18 gies for September 2019. Bifacial modules
Average daily yield 3.96 3.84 3.22 4.03 3.98 3.62 are steadily performing above the average
Average daily bifacial yield 4.17 4.08 3.45 4.29 4.23 3.82 energy yield level, with multicrystalline
Average daily monofacial yield 3.91 3.79 3.17 3.97 3.92 3.57
silicon PV performing below the average
Bifacial boost 6.8% 7.7% 8.7% 8.1% 8.1% 6.9%
energy yield level.   George Touloupas

Energy yield ranking

# Product Type Total Apr Total Total Jun Total Jul Total Total Sep Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
2019 Wh/ May 2019 2019 Wh/ 2019 Wh/ Aug 2019 2019 Wh/ 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019
Wp Wh/Wp Wp Wp Wh/Wp Wp rank rank rank rank rank rank
18 LONGi LR6-60BP-300M Bifacial Mono PERC 89.60 103.89 91.53 131.61 116.95 69.81 1 1 1 1 1 1
26 LONGi LR6-72HBD375 Bifacial Mono PERC - - - - - 69.78 - - - - - 2
17 NSP D6L310L3A Bifacial Mono PERC 86.84 101.05 89.09 127.61 113.05 68.08 2 2 2 2 2 3
1 Jolywood JW-D60N-305 Bifacial N-PERT 86.47 100.80 88.31 126.88 112.97 67.25 3 3 3 3 3 4
16 LONGi LR6-60PE-310M 2 Mono PERC 84.47 97.70 85.24 123.17 109.25 66.45 4 4 4 4 4 5
21 Risen RSM120-6-320M Mono PERC 82.20 95.35 83.67 120.49 106.77 65.90 8 6 6 6 7 6
7 LONGi LR6-60PE-310M 1 Mono PERC 83.86 97.12 84.16 121.70 107.87 65.46 5 5 5 5 5 7
20 Phono PS380MH-24/TH Mono PERC 82.29 94.39 83.26 120.27 107.17 65.37 6 10 7 7 6 8
14 Sample 2 Mono PERC 82.22 95.23 82.87 119.14 105.99 64.83 7 7 8 9 9 9
22 Znshine ZXP6-60-275/P Multi - - - - 105.58 64.75 - - - - 12 10
12 NSP D6LM305E3A Mono PERC 81.84 94.04 81.46 117.07 103.32 64.75 12 12 14 14 19 11
10 Recom RCM-275-6MB- Mono 81.94 94.90 82.75 119.59 106.22 64.41 10 8 9 8 8 12
4-BB21
8 Aiduo AD280-60S Mono 81.93 93.90 82.17 118.75 105.70 64.00 11 14 10 11 11 13
2 Phono MWT-60-280 Multi MWT 81.64 94.42 81.90 118.85 105.80 63.89 13 9 11 10 10 14
23 Znshine ZXP6-60-275/P Multi - - - - 104.39 63.80 - - - - 14 15
(no cleaning)
13 Sample 1 Mono 79.79 92.30 80.99 116.72 104.07 63.68 16 16 15 16 16 16
3 Risen RSM60-6-270P Multi 81.46 94.12 81.62 118.13 105.22 63.62 14 11 13 12 13 17
4 Perlight PLM-300M-60 Mono PERC 81.95 93.92 81.66 117.17 103.94 63.44 9 13 12 13 17 18
24 Znshine ZXP6-60-265/P Multi - - - - 104.26 62.92 - - - - 15 19
(no cleaning)
25 Jinko JKM400M-72H Mono PERC - - - - - 62.87 - - - - - 20
9 Aiduo AD265-60P Multi 81.19 92.88 80.61 116.92 103.80 62.56 15 15 16 15 18 21

72 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 industry & suppliers

Average daily irradiance and temperature data (September 2019) Source: pv magazine test data

8 kWh/m2 Daily irradiance Daily ambient temperature 35 °C

very
7 kWh/m2 30 °C
good
6 kWh/m2
25 °C
5 kWh/m2
20 °C
4 kWh/m2
15 °C
3 kWh/m2
10 °C
2 kWh/m2
1 kWh/m2 5 °C module

0 kWh/m 2
0 °C
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Total energy yield (September 2019)

70 Wh/Wp 70 Wh/Wp
Bifacial Mono PERC Mono Multi
Bifacial N-PERT Mono PERC Multi MWT
68 Wh/Wp 68 Wh/Wp

66 Wh/Wp 66 Wh/Wp

64 Wh/Wp 64 Wh/Wp

62 Wh/Wp 62 Wh/Wp

60 Wh/Wp 60 Wh/Wp

58 Wh/Wp 58 Wh/Wp
0M 375 L3A 305 M 2 0M M 1 /TH le 2 5/P E3A 21 60S 280 P * le 1
B P-30 HPH L310 60N- -310 -6-32 -310 H-24 amp 0-27 305 -4-BB 280- -60- -275/ Samp
0 72 6 D E 20 E M S -6 LM MB AD WT 60
L R 6-6 LR6- NSP D d JW- 6-60P SM1 6-60P S380 6 6
ZXP NSP D 275-6 Aiduo ono M ZXP6
-
G i NG i o o L R n R L R o P n e - h ine
O N O y w G i i s e G i o n s h i M P
L L Jol LON R LON Ph RC h
Test cooperation
Zn *no cleaning
om Zns
Rec
Znshine controlled test (September 2019) pv magazine test is a cooperative effort involving
pv magazine, CEA and Gsolar. All testing proce-
3.60 Wh/Wp 3.60 Wh/Wp dures are carried out at Gsolar’s test laboratory
3.58 Wh/Wp 3.60 3.58 Wh/Wp in Xi’an, China. CEA supervises these tests and
3.56 Wh/Wp 3.56 Wh/Wp designed both the indoor and outdoor testing
procedures.
3.54 Wh/Wp 3.54 Wh/Wp
3.52 Wh/Wp 3.54 3.52 Wh/Wp
3.50 Wh/Wp 3.50 Wh/Wp
3.48 Wh/Wp 3.50 3.48 Wh/Wp
3.46 Wh/Wp 3.46 Wh/Wp
3.44 Wh/Wp 3.44 Wh/Wp
Znshine ZXP6-60-275/P Znshine ZXP6-60-275/P* Znshine ZXP6-60-265/P*
Notes on the energy yield data:
Relative yield of different technologies (September 2019) • The energy yield is given in Wh/Wp and calcu-
108% 108% lated by dividing the energy produced by the
Average yield: For all Bifacial module by the Pmax at STC of the module. This
106% 106% Pmax is the maximum STC power after a process
Mono Mono PERC Multi
104% 105.5 104% of stabilization.
• The results are grouped in categories, per mod-
102% 102% ule type.
100% 101.4 100% • The bifacial boost depends on many parame-
100.0 100.9 ters, including the bifaciality factor, the instal-
98% 98% lation geometry, the albedo of the ground,
96% 97.6 96% and also the sun angle and diffuse irradiance
• The ground in this case is a plastic cover simu-
94% 94% lating green grass.
92% 92%

www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019 73
industry & suppliers
Solar Power Mexico:
rising to the challenge
Organizers of the Solar Power Mexico 2020 exhibition face a difficult task
of replicating the success of the first edition of the event, which took place
this year and had participation of 78 exhibitors and more than 5,000 visitors.
Next year’s event will be held from March 24 to 26 at Centro Citibanamex in
Mexico City.
S olar Power Mexico 2019 came at a
time when the new government of
Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO)
had just taken office, and uncertainty
reigned when it came to energy policy.
Almost a year later, though much more
is known about government plans for
the energy sector and the lacking favor-
able approach toward renewables, uncer-
tainty is still present, especially for large-
scale solar PV.
However, the ongoing context of the
Mexican energy sector opens an unpar-
alleled opportunity to surpass the success
of the 2019 event, said Eduardo López,
project director for the show organizer,
Hannover Messe Mexico. “Faced with the
global volatility of fossil fuels – not only
in Mexico – communities worldwide are
looking for the development of energy
sustainability in order to create a fully
diversified, modern, efficient and environ-
mentally-friendly energy market, which
in turn can evolve towards an innovative
public policy that contributes to the eco-
nomic and social development of human-
ity,” López told pv magazine.
In 2019, Solar Power Mexico brought 78 The lack of visibility for a solar energy
exhibitors and more than 5,000 visitors market in general and, in the specific case
to Mexico City’s Centro Citibanamex. And
in 2020 organizers expect the event to be of Mexico, the government’s energy auc-
even bigger.
Photo: Hannover Messe
74
tions for large-scale renewables, can pro-
vide stimulus for sector participants to
attend trade fairs in search of unexplored
market developments and, above all else,
new or improved technologies.
“We expect more than 120 exhibitors
and 5,000 attendees,” López stated. “We
will also have 120 stands in 7,000m² of
exhibition floorspace.” It is expected that
80% of enterprises will be foreign compa-
nies and 20% will be national companies.
“We will also have the presence of global
Chinese manufacturers of solar panels,”
he added.
DG and storage
The 2020 exhibition also expects signifi-
cant interest in the Mexican rooftop PV
market. “The country offers huge invest-
ment and business opportunities in the
installation of small and large-scale solar
systems, because we are one of the five
countries with the greatest solar poten-
tial, with annual daily irradiation levels
ranging between 4.4 and 6.3 kWh/m²,”
López said. The current favorable regu-
latory framework for distributed genera-
tion remained untouched by the AMLO
administration. Additionally, lower mod-
ule prices and the sector’s increasing abil-
ity to reduce costs are responsible for the
market segment’s sustained and continu-
ous growth.
The 2020 edition will bring focus onto
energy storage, coninciding with the
global trends that are creating demand
for new storage technologies and options
to integrate clean energy into the Mexican
power system – which has been unable
to expand much-needed grid capac-
ity in recent years. “By raising consumer
awareness toward energy efficiency cou-
pled with shifting trends toward renew-
able energy utilization, we will enhance
the energy storage systems market size,”
López said. “We will have storage technol-
ogies from the United States, Canada and
Europe that will exhibit their latest tech-
nologies in the sector, such as battery solu-
tions for homes and high-performance
batteries for large buildings.”
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com

The conference will be stacked with a
large number of workshops and panel ses-
sions running parallel to the exhibition.
These events will provide educational
insights to the policies of federal, state
and local governments toward renewable
energy. Local best practices in the areas
of social development, technology trans-
fer, and energy storage will be covered.
“We will host keynote speakers within
the federal, state and local energy insti-
tutions such as the Ministry of Energy,
the Energy Regulatory Commission, the
Federal Electricity Commission and many
others,” López said.
Not ‘expensive’
Solar Power Mexico 2020 has another
important mission to accomplish. It needs
to make it clear once and for all – both to
the market itself and also to the broader
Mexican public – that renewable energy
is not “expensive,” as was recently stated
once again by the head of the Mexican
state-owned utility, Manuel Bartlett. In an
address to the Mexican parliament, Bartlett
said that clean energy is “too expensive”
due to the need for backup. Ironically, on
Follow us
industry & suppliers
the same day in Dubai, state-owned util-
ity DEWA received a minimum bid of
$0.0169/kWh from Saudi Arabia’s ACWA
Power in an auction for the contracting of
900 MW of photovoltaic capacity.
The price is well below the $0.02/kWh
“ Integration
seen in the last auction in Mexico in
November 2017, which at the time rep-
resented a world record low. Since then,
even lower prices have emerged in auc-
tions worldwide, including the first one in
of utility-scale
Portugal – which was held in the summer
and had the lowest winning bid of €0.0147
renewables in a
($0.017)/kWh – and the last one in Brazil,
held in June, with a final average price of country’s energy
BRL 67.48 ($16.87)/MWh.
The integration of utility-scale renew-
ables in a country’s energy system is not an
system is not an easy
easy task, as they are highly disruptive and
undoubtedly force governments to recon-
task, as they are
highly disruptive
”
sider long- and short-term strategies,
while also pushing big energy companies
and grid operators to rethink themselves
and face new investments. But one thing
is certain – renewables are cheap. And that
provides great opportunity for Mexico to
capitalize on its abundant resource. 
 Emiliano Bellini
Advertisement
storage & smart grids
AEPPL to invest $696.1m in Indian li-ion battery plant
Photo: Automotive Electronics Power Private Ltd.
Carbon scaffolds to prevent cathode collapse
Scientists at Singapore’s Agency for
Science, Technology and Research
have developed a new method to pro-
duce lithium-sulfur based cathodes,
which exhibit stable performance and
high storage capacity.
The researchers, from the agency’s
NanoBio Lab, said that lithium-sulfur
batteries theoretically have the poten-
tial to store up to 10 times more energy
than today’s lithium-ion technologies.
Lithium-sulfur devices also rely on
cheap, abundant supplies of sulfur.
Scientists have struggled to maintain
performance over repeated cycling of
such batteries because the structure of
the cathode tends to “collapse” during
the initial cycle, greatly reducing per-
formance. The NanoBio Lab group used
a carbon scaffold, which was assem-
bled before adding the sulfur, to cre-
ate three-dimensional interconnected
porous nanomaterials. The scaffold pre-
vented cathode collapse, according to
the researchers.
NGEN launches 22.6 MWh storage project in Slovenia
Energy storage startup NGEN has
announced the launch of a 12.6 MW/22.6
MWh battery system in northwestern Slo-
venia. The project is expected to provide
enough grid ancillary services to support
250 MW of renewable energy generation
capacity. NGEN started construction of its
battery project in April and carried out the
first operational tests for the €15 million
($16.6 million) system at the end of August.
76
Automotive Electronics Power Private
Ltd. (AEPPL) – a battery manufacturer
jointly owned by Suzuki Motor, Toshiba,
and Denso – has signed a memorandum
of understanding with the state govern-
ment of Gujarat to invest INR 49.3 billion
($696.1 million) in a lithium-ion battery
production facility in Hansalpur, India.
AEPPL has said that it plans to invest in
two phases, with an initial focus on set-
Results published in Nano Energy indi-
cated that batteries incorporating Nano-
Bio Lab’s new electrode achieved specific
capacities as high as 1,220 milliamp-
hours per gram and a capacity fade rate
lower than 0.14% over 200 cycles.
According to the lab, that represents a
48% improvement in specific capacity
and 26% lower capacity fade than previ-
Photo: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Photo: NGEN
ting up production lines for battery packs
and modules by the end of 2020. It aims
to expand output to 30 million cells per
year by 2025.
The plant will supply lithium-ion batteries
to Maruti Suzuki and Suzuki Motor Guja-
rat. Suzuki Motor holds a 50% stake in
the joint venture, while Toshiba has 40%.
Fellow Japanese auto parts manufacturer
Denso holds the remaining 10%. 
ous efforts with lithium sulfur batteries,
thanks to “differences in morphology,
surface area and ohmic resistance of the
cathodes.” The ultimate goal, according
to the laboratory, is to “develop a full
cell system for [a] lithium-sulfur battery
that has superior energy storage capac-
ity, as compared to conventional lith-
ium-ion batteries.” 
The project developer said it has
launched the first of Tesla’s Powerpack
battery systems “in the region” and
acquired the battery last year to form
the basis of the project.
The battery system reportedly uses artifi-
cial intelligence and machine learning to
offer automated grid balancing services
and enables power exchange energy
trading for clients. 
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 storage & smart grids

LG Chem supplants BYD as third-biggest battery supplier

Chinese carmaker BYD suffered a 61%
year-on-year decline in battery ship-
ments in August, surrendering its posi-
tion as the world’s third-largest battery
maker to South Korean rival LG Chem.
Figures published by South Korean busi-
ness intelligence company SNE Research
spelled out the dramatic turnaround in
fortunes, with BYD suffering from steep
falls in Chinese electric vehicle subsidies,
just as LG Chem was lifted by big orders
for Tesla’s Shanghai gigafactory.
In July, Beijing slashed its public subsi-
dies for electric vehicles in half, dramat-
ically slowing sales in the world’s biggest
EV marketplace.
The knock-on effect was a dramatic reduc-
tion in shipments for BYD’s battery busi-
ness, which caters almost entirely to
its own EV unit in China. The market
shock prompted the company to attempt
to make inroads into battery supply to
electric carmaking rivals, but the SNE
Photo: Ted Eytan/Flickr
Research figures indicate BYD has made
little progress on that front. By contrast,
orders for LG Chem products – placed
by Tesla for the Shanghai facility, which
will produce battery cells for Model 3 and
Model Y cars – lifted shipment volumes
by 80% year on year in August. That was
enough to see LG take advantage of BYD’s
struggles and supplant it as world number
three. Contemporary Amperex Technol-
ogy Co. Ltd. (CATL) is still China’s largest
battery manufacturer and supplier, thanks
to its emphasis on large-scale energy stor-
age over electric vehicle supply, and will
stand ready to exploit the market share
conceded by domestic rival BYD. 

First rechargeable lithium-carbon dioxide battery

Scientists from the University of Illi-
nois at Chicago (UIC) have designed
a lithium-carbon dioxide battery that
is fully rechargeable and remains sta-
ble over 500 cycles – overcoming two
significant obstacles for the promis-
ing technology.
Lithium-CO2 is among several battery
technologies that are known to have a
potential performance and energy den-
sity that is up to seven times higher than
today’s lithium-ion batteries, according
to UIC, but maintaining stability with
repeated cycling has proven problematic.
The UIC group found a way around the
problem and announced a lithium-CO2
battery in an article that was published in
Advanced Materials. 
Photo: Phillip Capper/Flickr

A solar+storage gold mine for Mali

Mali will soon host one of the world’s
largest offgrid solar-plus-storage proj-
Photo: BayWa r.e.
ects: a 30 MW solar plant coupled with
a 13.5 MWh storage facility to power the
Fekola gold mine. Mine operator B2Gold
selected renewables company BayWa r.e.
and solar developer Suntrace for the plan-
ning, engineering, installation and oper-
ation of the site. The renewables subsid-
iary of the German conglomerate said
that B2Gold allocated $38 million for the
project, following a study of ground con-
ditions and expected costs.
Construction is set to start late 2019 and the
project will come online by next August.
Currently, electricity for the mine is gener-
ated by several heavy fuel oil engines. The
PV system will enable the mine operator
to turn off three engines during daylight
hours, with the 13.5 MWh storage capacity
providing a buffer for fluctuations in irra-
diation. The solar+storage facility is likely
to reduce heavy fuel oil consumption by
13.1 million liters per year. 

www.pv-magazine.com  |  11 / 2019 77
details
Where we have been: Energy Taiwan turns high-tech
Last month, pv  magazine took its
annual trip to Taipei for Energy Tai-
wan. This year’s event bridged together
the renewable energy markets and smart
technologies, with three conferences
taking place simultaneously in the con-
ference center: Energy Taiwan, Taitron-
ics, and IoT Taiwan.
“AI is the new electricity,” said James C.F.
Huang, chairman of the Taiwan External
Trade Development Council (TAITRA),
one of the event’s organizers. “AI, IoT and
big data will become an integral part of
the industry 4.0.”
Energy Taiwan had 17,000 national and
foreign visitors in attendance. The event
joined up with Renewable Energy Week
Where we have been: All-Energy goes big in Melbourne
The 2019 All-Energy Australia was quite
literally bigger than ever before. The
event featured an expanded show floor
and many companies ramped up their
activities with slicker, more professional
booths. SMA Australia Managing Direc-
tor Michael Rutt noted before the show
that it wasn’t only SMA that had taken out
its biggest booth ever, and that the sophis-
tication of the booth designs was some-
thing new to the Australian marketplace.
pv magazine also went big at All-Energy
this year. For the first time the pv mag-
azine live blog was rolled out across the
two full days, with Paul Zubrinich, Nat-
alie Filatoff, Marina Ramain and Dave
Tacon filling the channel with all of the
78
Photo: pv magazine/Erica Johnson
announcements and happenings from
the trade show floor and conference ses-
sions. The second Quality Roundtable to
be hosted at All Energy was also an unmit-
Photo: Dave Tacon
2019 and had four themes – PV, wind,
hydrogen fuel cells and smart energy.
Both the conference and the exhibi-
tion were tailored largely to the island’s
domestic solar market, with most con-
versations taking place surrounding
the government’s ambitious goals to
achieve 20 GW of installed solar PV
capacity by 2025.
Companies presented products from
the upstream to the downstream of the
solar supply chain, but the event was
most largely focused on the down-
stream segment, with many manufac-
turers driving their business models
further toward engineering and proj-
ect development work.
igated success, with a “standing-room
only” audience attending and joining the
discussions with Suntech founder Dr. Shi
Zhengrong and UNSW’s Martin Green.
In terms of the Australian market, there
was considerable optimism. The roof-
top segment, which has historically
been strong, is reported to be growing at
between 20-30% year on year to a whop-
ping 1.3-1.4 GW in 2019. In terms of utility
scale, with challenges such as grid conges-
tion and ongoing energy policy malaise at
the federal level, there is talk of a “second
wave” of development taking shape, with
some projects in the 200-400 MW range.
About 8,500 people attended All-Energy
in 2019 across Oct. 23 and 24.
11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
 VISIT
intersolar.us/pvmag
to get attendee and
exhibitor information!

JOIN US FOR THE FIRST MAJOR

SOLAR + ENERGY STORAGE
EVENT OF THE YEAR

FEBRUARY 4–6, 2020

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER
SAN DIEGO, CA

Intersolar North America is the premier solar event that brings

together innovators and decision makers.

• Connect during lively networking events and on our

dynamic exhibit floor
• Discover cutting-edge products, technologies, and solutions
• Learn from industry experts, trailblazers, and policy makers

Learn more at intersolar.us/pvmag.

Produced by:
details

Big lessons from small islands

Justin Locke, senior director, Rocky Mountain Institute

H urricanes Dorian, Irma and Maria Islands are paving the way for other
Photo: Rocky Mountain Institute

are household names. They caused
hundreds of millions of dollars in dam-
age, took many lives and demolished
homes, roads, medical facilities and
schools. Hurricanes are occurring at
a higher intensity and millions of peo-
ple are seeing the impact on their live-
lihoods. Unfortunately, island regions
suffer disproportionately from climate-
related weather events.
Islands must lead the transition away
from traditional centralized fossil fuel
energy systems to a more resilient model.
Embracing decentralized systems, such
as microgrids, would build resiliency to
future weather events. For this reason,
islands are at the forefront of a global cli-
mate energy crisis.
These regions are creating a scalable
blueprint for what energy transition looks
like from a technical, economic, financial
and regulatory perspective, while demon-
strating the enabling business models and
regulatory frameworks required to scale.
countries grappling with the complexi-
ties of energy transition.
To quickly transition to more resilient
energy systems, a few factors must exist.
First, inclusive whole-system energy plan-
ning with participation from all stake-
holders is critical to identifying the opti-
mal pathway. Next, taking action (e.g.,
tackling a country’s first clean energy proj-
ect) builds momentum. Finally, collabo-
ration. All parties must work together for
lasting success throughout the transition.
Saint Lucia and Montserrat have
demonstrated to other isolated and cli-
mate-vulnerable regions that full-scale
transition is possible. Their utility and
governments collaborated to embark on
their first utility-scale PV installations and
are now implementing additional clean
energy projects.
Approximately 44 million citizens will
benefit, and millions can learn from how
Caribbean islands are fighting the climate
crisis – I know I’ll be watching. 

Preview of issue 12/2019

Photo: Jim Henderson

Photo: Hanergy

Fossil fleet exit strategy
An accelerated decarbonization of the
power sector with storage? Hybrid energy
storage may be the solution to transition
from gas peakers, reliably and affordably.
Your sustainability stories
We asked you for your thoughts on the
topic of sustainability in the solar and
storage industries. Key findings from the
survey – and what matters most to you.
Bridging the gap for BIPV
Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin details its con-
sultancy service, which aims to address
the concerns of architects, planners and
building owners regarding integrated PV.

80 11 / 2019  | www.pv-magazine.com
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