Solarletter #9_EN - World Top EPC contractors for utility-scale
Also: Clean Energy Associates warns of the increase in failures in the modules, Amancio Ortega is finalizing the purchase of a Repsol portfolio and Top Cable has achieved 100% of self-consumption
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.
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Now, let's go with the news for this week!
World Top EPC contractors for utility-scale
Interesting Top 36 of global EPC companies that the British research institute Wiki-Solar has shared.
Wait, for those who have never heard the term EPC, it comes from the English words "Engineering, Procurement, and Construction." In other words, an EPC company is responsible for the engineering, equipment procurement, and construction of the project. In this case, we are referring to the photovoltaic sector.
Thus, Wiki-Solar shows which companies have the highest amount of power connected to the grid (considering only the AC power of the photovoltaic park) as of Q3-2023.
They have only considered projects with a power greater than 4 MWac. On the other hand, I find it interesting that this top 36 companies only represent 18% of the market. Still, I believe it is a positive thing for everyone that the market is distributed among multiple players.
For those of you in Spain, I want to mention that we can be proud, as if you have observed in detail, seven companies on the list are Spanish. In other words, one out of every five companies is located in our country!
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Clean Energy Associates warns of the increase in failures in the modules
Now we move on to a new article from pv-tech in which they discuss the report from the American company Clean Energy Associates (CEA). In it, they show that undetected failures and damage in photovoltaic modules, such as cracks, manufacturing errors, and foreign material, could pose a risk to the photovoltaic industry.
CEA conducted tests on over 300,000 modules installed in 150 projects in 16 countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and parts of Western Europe. CEA's report on Risks of Quality in Photovoltaic Solar Modules found defects in over 80% of the sites!
The most common defects were cracks (or microcracks) in the cells and welding errors, which usually occur during manufacturing. Cracks, present in 83% of the projects, can be due to chemical compounds in water, interaction with light, or pressure on the cell during manufacturing. These failures can increase the internal series resistance and cause power loss (cells start to function like loads).
Welding errors, found in 78% of the sites, reduce cell efficiency and, in the worst cases, can generate hot spots, increasing the risk of fires.
In 76% of the projects, more complex cracks were found, possibly caused by incorrect handling or installation or due to strong weather conditions. In these cases, large areas of the cells may become inactive, thereby reducing the total module power.
To do this, CEA used electroluminescence (EI), which, if you still do not know what it is, I will leave an interesting video in the Edition´s curiosity ;)
As for defects that can be observed with the human eye, we have: foreign material in the modules (55%), defects at the edge of the cells and glass (52%), stains and defects in the glass encapsulant (45%), and misaligned cells (41%).
CEA emphasizes that most defects arise during manufacturing. That is why they recommend the need for third-party companies to ensure quality and control module manufacturing processes. They suggest that many module buyers acquire products from new and inexperienced manufacturers or suppliers due to challenges in the supply chain.
The report concludes that it is essential to address these issues in a timely manner to ensure optimal performance of solar projects.
In my opinion, the report seems somewhat alarming to me because with so many modules, it is normal to find some rebels. If one truly jeopardizes the production of the plant, it is replaced, and that's it. On the other hand, I lack data on how it truly affects the total production of the plant in percentage terms... What do you think?
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Amancio Ortega is finalizing the purchase of a 49% stake in a Repsol portfolio
For Spaniards, Amancio Ortega probably does not need introductions. For those who may not be familiar with him, he is the founder of the Inditex group. If you are not familiar with the Inditex group either, you have likely shopped at one of its shops such as Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, etc.
Moving on to the news from the Periódico de la Energía, Amancio is finalizing the purchase of a 49% stake in a portfolio of renewable projects owned by Repsol. Through his investment company Pontegadea, they are preparing to acquire a total of 600 MW of renewable energy projects in Spain. The investment to be made is estimated to be between 350 and 400 million euros.
This is not his first investment in renewables. In July of last year, the investment fund already acquired a 49% stake in a photovoltaic complex for a sum of 27 million euros. Previously, they also secured participation in Repsol's "Delta" wind farm with an investment of 245 million euros.
On the other hand, Repsol's 2021-2025 plan aims to reach 6,000 MW of installed capacity by 2025 and 20,000 MW by 2030. Their current portfolio consists of about 2,300 MW.
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Top Cable has achieved 100% photovoltaic self-consumption
Pilar Sánchez Molina reports in PV-Magazine Spain that the Catalan cable manufacturing company has achieved 100% self-consumption thanks to its installed 8.1 MWp of photovoltaic power.
In 2019, they already began what was then one of the largest self-consumption installations in Spain, with 1.9 MWp on the roof of their factory in Sallent, Catalonia.
To achieve this 100% self-consumption, they had to install a total of 19,700 panels across 6 industrial warehouses. Additionally, they plan to install photovoltaic carports along with a total of 150 charging points for electric vehicles.
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Edition´s microtip curiosity
In line with the first article, I bring you the following curiosity. Since above we discussed the risks of failures in the modules, here are the most recurrent failures or damages in photovoltaic cells:
Do you think there might be any missing? Comment on it; surely, we all learn something new that way.
But what about those that are not visible? Those are known as microcracks. The continuity of the cell is broken without being appreciable to the human eye. To see them or bring them to light, there are various methods, but here I leave you with the one that seems to be the most widely used in the market, Electroluminescence:
Those parts of the photovoltaic cells that lose electrical continuity will stop producing and could even generate hot spots (and with this, surely many of you think of another method to analyze them ;)).
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!