Solarletter #18_EN - Intersolar Europe 2024 and the First Year of Solarletter
Also: Azerbaijan opens its doors to renewables, The tracker manufacturer PVH strengthens its production capacity in the USA and PV Pallet and its reusable pallets
Please note that text below has been translated from the spanish version by using AI
Hello everyone and welcome back to Solarletter. My name is Imanol Matanza, and I aim to share with you the latest news, technological advancements, and trends in the field of photovoltaic energy. Through Solarletter, I hope to provide you with valuable information, market analysis, state-of-the-art updates, and practical tips that will help you stay informed about the latest developments in the photovoltaic industry.
I am always open to suggestions, questions, and comments, so please feel free to contact me. If you like it, don't hesitate to subscribe and share!
This edition is somewhat special. Special because it is written after the world's largest photovoltaic sector fair, special because it was my birthday this week, and even more special because it has already been a year since this newsletter started. Now, if only Spain could win the Euro Cup...
We are now almost 450 photovoltaic enthusiasts! Thank you very much for supporting this project and thanks to everyone who shares interesting news with me. It's true that sometimes the edition takes a bit of time to come out, but as my mother used to say, I'm a restless person, and it's hard to find the time to sit down and write it. Even so, it's interesting to see that around 40% of you open the newsletter. Here is a map as a curiosity, so you can see where most of the readers come from:
Alright, let us go with a couple of interesting pieces of news!
Intersolar Europe 2024
In Solarletter #2, we discussed the impressions during Intersolar 2023. This year, however, records have been broken again. A total of 3,008 exhibitors and 110,000 visitors, from 55 and 176 different countries respectively, make Intersolar the event of the year for all companies in the photovoltaic sector.
These record numbers clearly show the growing trend in the sector. Even with the curtailment issues looming in some countries, there is still a long way to go. And what better travel companion than battery hybridization?
Batteries are increasingly taking up more and more space at the fair. While the market for inverters and photovoltaic modules is already well-distributed, the battery market is a hot one. Many manufacturers are starting from the same position and are trying to get as close to the pie as possible.
In general, the feelings were similar to last year; the largest booths were showcased by Chinese manufacturers of both inverters and modules. On the other hand, large EPC companies like Goldbeck, SENS, BayWa, Voltalia, INTEC, etc., take the opportunity to flex their muscles, occupying large spaces as well.
Here are a couple of comparisons and impressions:
As I have already mentioned, batteries are becoming increasingly important. More and more manufacturers and a larger catalog, both residential and grid-connected (stand-alone).
N-type and TOPCon modules as the technology of the present and future. If last year we talked about modules with powers greater than 500 Wp, now we are already starting to see around 700 Wp. But we already talked about this in part in Solarletter #12.
This year, on the contrary, I did not see structures for agri-PV, but this does not mean that they do not exist; perhaps interest has waned a bit.
Trackers seem to be trending towards 1P solutions (one module in vertical); I also did not see examples with 2P. From what I have heard, with the current module sizes, the static structure is highly compromised.
As for inverters, I did not see models larger than the current ones, although I was struck by the number of new brands (or at least ones I did not know) presenting their inverters. I imagine that many of them, although not known in Europe, have quite large market shares in China. Consider that in Q1 of 2024 alone, China added a total of 45.7 GW of photovoltaic power (pv-tech). However, in many cases, their models did not exceed 200 kVA.
I think for next year, it might make sense to bring an electric scooter; there is more and more to see. And you, can you think of anything else that could be added to the list?
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Azerbaijan opens its doors to renewables
Azerbaijan, a country north of Iran and south of Russia, with large natural gas reserves, wants to try its luck with renewables. They have revealed plans to build 3 major projects in collaboration with the Masdar group, a UAE company. The projects were presented at the opening of Baku Energy Week. (Solarbe Global, by Vera Wang).
Founded in 2006, with projects in over 40 countries and an accumulated capacity exceeding 20 GW, Masdar aims to expand its renewable energy portfolio to 100 GW by 2030.
The projects include the Bilasuvar photovoltaic project (445 MW), another photovoltaic project in Neftchala (315 MW), and the onshore wind project of Absheron-Garadagh (240 MW). These are part of Azerbaijan's strategy to obtain 30 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
At the conference, they stated that they intended to produce 2.3 billion kWh with these projects, thereby saving 500 million cubic meters of natural gas. I imagine that when they talk about saving on CO2 emissions, what they mean is that they will have more product to export.
Although these projects mark a significant step for renewable energy in Azerbaijan, there are still challenges in terms of infrastructure development and regulatory frameworks. How these are overcome will shape the future of the market.
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The tracker manufacturer PVH strengthens its production capacity in the USA
Billy Ludt tells us in Solar Power World that the Spanish tracker manufacturer PVH is strengthening its manufacturing presence in the USA with the opening of a new factory in Houston, Texas. Already established in San Francisco in 2008, PVH is making an investment of 30 million dollars to open a new 4,645.15 m² factory that will employ 120 workers.
"With this new opening, PVH is making a strong commitment to the US market," says Emilio García, CEO of PVH in the United States. According to estimates by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the electrical system will increase from the current 95 GW to a total of 131 GW by the end of 2024, and will reach 174 GW by 2025. Certainly, very promising estimates.
Emilio García says:
“We are committed to powering the solar revolution with U.S. manufacturing and workers,” Garcia said. “The incentives provided through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act are a tremendous opportunity to promote domestic manufacturing and support local communities. PVH USA aims to contribute to job creation and economic growth while bolstering the nation’s renewable energy infrastructure.”
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PV Pallet and its reusable pallets
Let us move on to the fourth piece of news. This time, we're not going to talk about the modules themselves, but about their travel companions, the pallets. Generally, photovoltaic modules are transported in cardboard boxes on top of pallets from factories in China to their final destination, be it a warehouse or a project site. PV Pallet is going against the norm by offering adjustable high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pallets to the market.
They argue that manufacturers always strive to optimize both costs and logistics but often overlook pallets for transportation. Some of the arguments they offer are:
Product Protection. They claim their polyethylene pallets are more stable and rigid than standard wooden pallets. They assert that in 2023 alone, a total of 30 million modules were damaged even before installation (no source is provided here, but roughly estimating at 500 Wp per module, this seems quite exaggerated to me). They also mention that Stateline Solar reduced the number of broken modules by 92% in just the first six months.
Brand Identity. Using reusable pallets could enhance a manufacturer's image, demonstrating commitment to the environment.
Circular Economy. In 2023 alone, a total of 33 million pallets were used.
Product Tracking. Reusable pallets could facilitate product tracking through barcodes, QR codes, RFID chips, etc.
Economic Reasons. Despite higher initial costs, reusing the product would lead to substantial savings in the medium to long term. According to their data, the initial investment could be recovered within 2 to 5 uses.
Certainly, the idea sounds promising at first glance. Recycling and disposing of wooden pallets on construction sites can be costly and labor-intensive. Their size often prevents them from being reused, as they do not match the dimensions of Euro pallets. Moreover, burning them is not a clean option due to adhesives often present in them.
What do you think? Do you see reusable pallets as an advantage, or just a nice-to-have idea?
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Edition´s microtip
Let us go with a new tip. As always, for many of you, this might be obvious, but for others, it could be quite helpful. This time, we are discussing the DC cables coming from the strings.
Before we begin, I will show you a photo here.
What do you think of the photo above? Why have they separated the red cables from the black ones? Is there a technical reason? Or is it just a quirk of the installer?
For those unfamiliar with installations, let me explain that each module has two connectors, one positive and one negative. Modules are connected in series to increase voltage, forming what is called a string. At the beginning of the string, there will be one positive and one negative connector that need to be routed to the inverter. To differentiate between them, the positive cable is typically red, and the negative cable is black.
The reason behind this "quirk" is to prevent direct short circuits between positive and negative cables in case the cable insulation is damaged. This separation makes even more sense in the case of central inverters with combiner boxes or string inverters with few MPP trackers, as a short circuit could occur if strings are connected in parallel at some point.
If two strings that are not connected in parallel short circuit, theoretically nothing should happen because the circuit is not closed. However, there may still be leakage currents, and sparks could potentially occur.
However, the cables should ideally run parallel to each other as much as possible to counteract the magnetic fields generated by each other. Ultimately, the current flowing through them is nearly the same but in opposite directions. This helps to avoid unwanted induced voltages.
In essence, DC cables should be together but not tangled.
That concludes the edition. I hope you enjoyed and it made your coffee break, public transportation ride, or nap more enjoyable. If you have any suggestions, recommendations, or comments, feel free to reply to this email.
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Sunny Regards!