India and Saudi Arabia have agreed to jointly develop electrical interconnections and low-carbon hydrogen. The Indian government said the two sides aim to establish a general framework for cooperation in the field of co-production of green/clean hydrogen and renewable energy.

Saudi Aramco and Denmark’s Topsoe have announced plans to demonstrate eREACT technology for blue hydrogen production. They will build a demonstration plant at the Shaybah Natural Gas Liquids recovery plant in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) will operate and demonstrate the world's first passenger hydrogen-powered train, the Coradia iLint, in Riyadh in October. The French train manufacturer, Alstom, will conduct this unique journey, with the train traveling 10 to 20 kilometers on Riyadh's East Network's Line 1 or Line 2.

Masdar has partnered with Boeing to advance the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry in the United Arab Emirates and globally. SAF, produced from sources such as green hydrogen, can reduce carbon emissions by up to 85% compared to petroleum jet fuel.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has launched its new Hydrogen Headstart program, supporting large-scale hydrogen projects over a 10-year period. “AHC [Australian Hydrogen Council] called for the Federal Government to act quickly to ensure hydrogen projects in Australia have certainty in the face of fierce global market competition, and we are pleased they have recognised the urgency,” said Fiona Simon, CEO of the Australian Hydrogen Council. Expressions of Interest are now open, and will close 10 November 2023.

Repsol has started its 2.5 MW electrolyzer at the Petronor industrial center in Spain, supplying renewable hydrogen for industrial use, buses, and heavy vehicles.

Thyssenkrupp nucera and Neste have announced plans to incorporate a 120 MW water electrolyzer into Neste’s Porvoo refinery in Finland.

From pv magazine India

Nextracker has more than 200 staff at its Hyderabad office, which is engaged in R&D, engineering, manufacturing, after-sales support, etc. Some of its prominent customers include engineering companies such as Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy, Amara Raja Infra Private Ltd., and Rays Power Infra, as well as established developers such as NTPC.

From pv magazine France

In France, the workforce of the BayWa re Solar Systems subsidiary has doubled in two years to reach 100 people today, with 10 new positions currently open for recruitment.

From pv magazine Brazil

Brazil-based Fortlev Solar has developed Lastro Solar, a patented polyethylene mounting structure for ground-mounted PV plants.

Eduardo Nascimento. Fortlev Solar's engineering manager, claimed that the technology can cut assembly times by 50% compared to metal-only structures.

“If compared to a metal-only structure, the Lastro Solar can reduce the assembly time by 50%,” Nascimento told pv magazine. “For example, the average installation time of a 100 kW array, with 185 modules, is 14 days. With Lastro Solar, this time is reduced to half of the time.”

Nascimento said that for a 100 kW array with 185 modules, the average installation time of 14 days can be halved with Lastro Solar's tech. The product weighs 15 kg, can be equipped with a tilt adjustment system, and is best suited for clear and rugged terrain.

The structure's mobility allows for relocating solar panels, offering flexibility in a dynamic business environment. Lastro Solar is constructed entirely from 100% polyethylene, a material used in Fortlev's water tank production. With over 30 years of experience in the market, Fortlev Solar aims to expand the accessibility of solar applications in Brazil.

The engineer in charge of creating Lastro Solar, Maurício Ouriques, said he tried to design a straightforward product that would be easy for anyone to install, by simplifying the process for customers as much as possible.

“Fortlev is one of the main manufacturers of water tanks in Brazil, which makes us specialists in the production of thermoplastics,” said Ouriques. “We are not adventuring. We believe in a quality product with the credibility that our group offers.”

Laurence Boisramé, global director of hydrogen at Bureau Veritas, says that Europe is developing a set of measures that could increase its industrial and commercial weight in the global hydrogen market.

Despite some delays in production, Europe is reportedly “still in the race.” Boisramé explained that a clear policy push is leading to significant advancements in the European Union and the United States. She noted European measures such as RePowerEU and the Fit for 55 package, but also the definition of “clean hydrogen” and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the United States. 

“After the IRA announcement, some players have questioned the industrial and commercial leadership of Europe. Latest initiatives such as H2Global and more recently announced European Hydrogen Bank are instrumental to the development of production and commercialization of green hydrogen and derivatives,” Boisramé told pv magazine. “On the legal side, [the non-biological origin] definition is also a major milestone. Despite one can criticize the outcome, it provides the long-standing expected visibility.”

She said the question is whether the European definition of renewable hydrogen and derivatives, reported in the delegated act on renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO), can become a global reference.

Boisramé said that standardization, transparency, clear rules and definitions are essential to increasing trust in the energy sector, even more so in the hydrogen market. 

“Trust will come with real transparency, where production projects will be assessed by independent third parties providing assurance that they comply with the rules. This is where certification comes in,” she added, in reference to independent third parties such as certification bodies. 

Mutual recognition will be necessary globally to create a commoditized market and allow cross-border trading. Alternatively, countries, companies, and other stakeholders have to align on standard rules at the multinational level. 

“This is promoted by several global organizations such as AIE, IRENA, IPHE, and the Hydrogen Council, to name a few,” she said. “But getting to a global consensus will take time, at least a few years.”

Role of certification

The role of certification is to ensure conformity to a standard, which can be a global standard, a regulatory regime, or a voluntary scheme. 

“Currently, there is no global standard or regulatory certification scheme applying to hydrogen production worldwide,” said Boisramé. “Some countries are developing rules and certification schemes applying to domestic production, especially to grant public support.”

Bureau Veritas has developed a voluntary certification scheme to ensure that hydrogen production is safe, sustainable, and from renewable inputs, with a maximum carbon footprint of 2 kg CO2eq per kilogram of hydrogen. 

“This certification scheme addresses production assets worldwide with a single methodology applying globally. Recently, the certification has been extended to ammonia produced from the conversion of renewable hydrogen,” she said, explaining that the schemes should accelerate permitting and acceptability, while fostering project bankability.

Bureau Veritas is also performing audits and inspections of suppliers to assess the supply chain's performance and resilience, decreasing the risks connected to the projects. 

Boisramé noted the ongoing increase in the number of projects announced across different regions, fostered by government strategies and incentives schemes. 

“However, we are far from achieving a mature industry, with a lot to be put in place such as global standards, same definitions, and rules as the basis for international trade of hydrogen and derivatives,” she said. 

Boisramé also pointed to an acceleration in the number of production projects in the United States and China, despite delays in the definition of incentives supporting the demand side for green or decarbonized hydrogen. 

“Other countries such as Australia, India, Spain, and the United Kingdom can see an acceleration in the number of production projects as well,” Boisramé said. “In terms of import infrastructure, Europe is the more advanced, especially northwestern Europe with import hubs (such as Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg) already involved in concrete development, bilateral agreements, investing in terminals evolution to anticipate hydrogen and derivatives offloading, storage and handling.”

Staubli, known for supplying electrical connectors for solar plants and energy storage applications, has invested in a financing round for California-based OnSight Technology. The Swiss components manufacturer did not reveal the size of the investment in the two-year-old US startup, which develops autonomous ground vehicles to provide PV plant monitoring, including inspections of the rear sides of installed PV modules.

The financing round is meant to finance further development of the algorithms and artificial intelligence technology that OnSight Technology uses in its robots. They are equipped with computer vision systems, thermal cameras, and heat sensors to provide surveillance, detect anomalies, and record the status of infrastructure at PV plants.

The units can purportedly detect electrical problems that could threaten plant safety. The unmanned, remotely controlled units are solar-powered and can move at a speed of 1.6 km per hour for up to 12 hours a day.

It lists several reference customers on its website, including Duke Energy, a public utility, Enerparc, a German solar PV plant specialist, and McCarthy, a utility-scale solar and energy storage project company.

Staubli was joined by a second lead investor, Moneta Ventures, an early-stage investor based in California, along with an earlier investor Growth Factory Ventures, a startup accelerator based in California.

Staubli said the investment is closely aligned with its area of expertise.

“With our proven track record in the photovoltaics industry and our longstanding experience, we feel that it’s our responsibility to invest in the future of safer solar farms,” said Matthias Mack, vice president of renewable energy at Staubli. “We are very excited to participate in the development projects of OnSight Technology's innovative solutions.”

From pv magazine 09/23

Technological innovation continues apace, in a solar industry that could add 400 GW of generation capacity in 2023. This year could be as pivotal as 2016, when passivated emitter rear ccontact (PERC) solar cells supplanted back surface field technology. TOPCon solar cells are the front runner to become the new mainstream solar approach and are gaining on PERC market share. However, heterojunction (HJT) and back-contact cells are also rising in popularity.

Looking back

In 2016, after PERC had already made significant inroads, researchers and test labs became aware of degradation issues. They saw that the technology was particularly susceptible to: light-induced degradation (LID) and light and elevated-temperature induced degradation (LeTID).

Once the root cause was identified, cell and module manufacturers quickly adopted mitigation methods in their production processes, ensuring PERC cells should not suffer excessive LID and LeTID rates.

In mid-2023, researchers and testing and certification laboratory specialists began warning TOPCon modules might be more sensitive to certain degradation mechanisms. The question is whether the issues flagged are indicative of inherent problems of TOPCon technology or are a result of the materials or process production parameters of these early modules not having been fully adapted to the specific needs of the technology.

Degradation observation

The alarm was first raised by Paul M. Sommeling and his collaborators from Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO). The team from the Dutch research body conducted damp heat tests to study the moisture-induced degradation impact of different encapsulation materials on performance in bifacial PV modules. It found that the front-side metallization of negatively doped, “n-type” TOPCon cells appeared to be more prone to acid- or moisture-induced degradation than positively doped, “p-type” equivalents.

The latest annual “PV Module Index report,” published in May by the Renewable Energy Test Center, a third-party testing lab, indicated that n-type TOPCon cells may have higher susceptibility to ultraviolet-induced degradation (UVID).

In June, Asier Ukar, director of testing body PI Berlin Spain, voiced concerns that manufacturers were not fully aware of different degradation mechanisms when switching from PERC to TOPCon cell production.

pv magazine has approached scientists and certification specialists at top institutes to ask them about TOPCon degradation issues. Manufacturers have also outlined the mitigation steps they’re taking.

Main sources

In this first part of a two-part series, we aim to consider any valid concerns for TOPCon manufacturers.

Addressing these aspects will require the industry to implement appropriate measures in order to mitigate the detrimental effects that higher degradation sensitivity may entail. It is obvious that TOPCon modules should not exhibit higher degradation levels than today’s market leading PERC modules show over a 30-year lifespan under actual operating conditions – sometimes in rather demanding environmental conditions.

Any inherent higher-sensitivity associated with the transition from PERC to TOPCon technology should be clearly distinguished from any “teething pains” in newly released TOPCon modules that have been installed over the past 18 months. The term “teething pains” would characterize quality issues that arise when new technologies are introduced to the market in “version 1.0” or perhaps even in a “version 0.9.” Such problems do not necessarily reflect a TOPCon-specific issue but rather highlight the fact that certain processes or materials, for instance the encapsulants, have yet to be fully optimized and fine-tuned to the specific needs of TOPCon cell technology.

Technology issues with new products are not unique to the solar industry. Some manufacturers may simply be a little overly ambitious to bring a product to market, most likely at a time when the full qualification and optimization steps of all relevant process parameters in production have not been fully completed. Such an approach effectively makes customers “beta testers” of the newly released products. While this might be a viable development option for software, we consider it detrimental for photovoltaic products. After all, a “bug fix” for solar modules typically cannot be implemented by downloading a newer version, as is customary for software products. If there is a real issue then, more often than not, the modules already installed in the field will have to be exchanged, which is very costly and time intensive.

As always, a good reputation is easily tarnished. It is time-consuming and cumbersome to have to try to restore lost trust. It is hard to explain to customers that the “teething troubles” currently being observed with some TOPCon suppliers are not problems inherent in the technology but due to a lack of preparedness on the part of some manufacturers.

Just as a cook cannot prepare a three-star meal at their first or second attempt solely because they’ve chosen the best ingredients, it appears logical that it is impossible to launch a new cell type onto market that meets all quality requirements without passing through a certain learning curve. Noting here, of course, that the required lifespan is 30 years and more.

The necessary optimization routine equates to tweaking some process parameters and identifying viable process windows. Such fine-tuning can really only be achieved within a framework of trial and error even if the manufacturer has years of experience in PERC production and was fortunate enough to have selected the correct bill of materials (BoM) from the outset – which is an art in itself.

The PV industry continues to be under tremendous price and cost pressure so manufacturers always have to weigh how they put together the BoM for their modules; simply opting to always take the best components available is not economically viable. In fact, very careful consideration must be given to any decision-making process in which high-quality “ingredients” are deemed absolutely indispensable to create modules that will fulfil performance expectations over 30, 40, or even 50 years. It is necessary to identify the points at which low cost solutions may be sufficient without jeopardizing this goal.

In terms of the research conducted by TNO in the Netherlands into sensitivity to certain types of degradation in TOPCon cells, the researchers’ warnings center on three areas:

1. Are TOPCon modules more sensitive to water vapor than PERC panels?

We know that some manufacturers have indeed taken extra precautions with respect to this degradation mechanism, stating that they attribute this higher sensitivity to the corrosion of the finely-porous glass that is the “glass-frit” in modules. The corrosion reportedly occurs due to chemical reactions between moisture/acetic acid and the silver-aluminum paste and glass frit.

Christos Monokroussos, from the testing lab TÜV Rheinland Shanghai, disagrees. “The sensitivity of PV modules to water vapor ingress is predominately controlled by their encapsulation, and to a much lesser degree by the cell technology,” he says. “We do not expect TOPCon modules to behave drastically different from conventional PV modules when it comes to water vapor ingress.”

As a takeaway, one can conclude that the chemical reaction that ultimately leads to corrosion, and thus degradation, is already well known. So one would therefore assume that manufacturers have taken this aspect into account from the onset and have dealt with it through the proper choice of encapsulant.

2. Are TOPCon modules more prone to UV degradation?

To this question, Monokroussos says, “Yes, TOPCon technologies exhibit an increased sensitivity to UV radiation. The degradation is attributed to [issues with] surface passivation, which deteriorates after being exposed to UV light. TÜV Rheinland is, therefore, designing an internal standard to address UV-induced degradation of TOPCon PV modules. During this test, both faces of a PV module are exposed to an increased UV dose (10 times more than received in IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 [standard testing conditions]), which are considered sufficient to assess the susceptibility to UV-induced degradation.”

Monokroussos concludes that manufacturers must therefore pay special attention to the correct choice of encapsulant. “Both the front glass and the encapsulant serve as a UV filter for the solar cells,” he says. “But since TOPCon cells are inherently more sensitive to UV degradation, and the UV filtering capabilities of the encapsulant decreases over time as the module is permanently being exposed to UV radiation, a more UV resistant encapsulant has to be chosen and, typically, a thicker layer of encapsulant is being considered.”

3. PI Berlin's Ukar says that TOPCon modules are more sensitive to potential-induced degradation polarization (PID-p). Is this view shared by other experts?

“Yes, n-type technologies, in general, are more prone to PID-polarization,” confirms Monokroussos. “The degradation mode is generally seen as reversible in the field as long as the module’s back side is exposed to UV light. Generally speaking, in most application environments, PV modules would receive some UV light from the back in the field yet there may be other application scenarios eg. roof-mounted installations, where the rear side does not receive sufficient UV irradiation, thus making these modules more susceptible to severe power losses arising from PID-p. Currently, the IEC [International Electrotechnical Commission] working group 2, which is the standardization group focusing on PV, is working on a procedure which would allow to identify the sensitivity of PV modules to PID-p.”

To summarize the three areas of concern, in all cases there are technological reasons why manufacturers should pay extra attention to these degradation paths. At the same time, there are also solutions available today that don’t entail the significant extra cost to contain these issues.

If there are batches of TOPCon modules installed in the field that now exhibit problems, it is much more indicative of a manufacturer releasing their product prematurely than a sign of an overall problem associated with TOPCon technology.

It might be tempting to take a gloomy outlook and wonder how long it will take until all TOPCon manufacturers have eventually adjusted their BoMs and production processes to accommodate these existing degradation threats. However, we received one piece of feedback from the research community that we believe much better summarizes the outlook for the PV industry as it stands on the brink of transitioning from p-type wafers to n-type wafers.

Radovan Kopecek, from International Solar Energy Research Center Konstanz, points out that while higher-efficiency cells can be susceptible to all forms of degradation, n-type has inherent advantages.

“N-type material is less sensitive to impurities and therefore degrades less in the field – if you understand what you are doing in the process,” says Kopecek. “If you have the process under control and choose a good BoM (for instance, double glass and POE [polyolefin elastomer encapsulant]), new n-type module technologies will be more stable.

“Unfortunately, when technology changes occur too quickly, products can be introduced to the market too quickly,” Kopecek adds. “The price pressure in the industry is enormous and currently the overcapacities created by the rapid expansions [of production fabs] is not very helpful. The industry must learn to play a global PV symphony and focus less on solo virtuosity.”

In the second installment of this series, we will compare and highlight the different approaches being taken by the leading TOPCon manufacturers to address these challenges.

From pv magazine USA

One year ago this week, the IRA was signed into law, marking the largest climate and energy spending package in US history. Inside the massive energy, climate, and tax bill is $600 billion in spending, $370 billion of which is dedicated to supporting renewable energy buildout and climate resilience.

The IRA mandates a nationwide reduction of carbon emissions by roughly 40% in 2030. It also targeted a return to domestic manufacturing in the United States, bringing jobs and supply chains back onshore. About $60 billion within IRA is directed toward US manufacturing.

One year later, more than $100 billion in private investment has been announced, leading to the establishment of 51 new facilities or significant expansions, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

“The unprecedented surge in demand for American-made clean energy is a clear sign that the clean energy incentives enacted last year by Congress are working,” said SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper.

SEIA said that more than 155 GW of solar supply chain capacity expansions have already been announced, leading to an estimated $20 billion investment in US communities. The production additions include:

• 85 GW of solar module capacity
• 43 GW of solar cells
• 20 GW of silicon ingots and wafers
• 7 GW of inverter capacity

By 2026, it is forecast that the US market will have over 17 times its current capacity across modules, cells, wafers, ingots, and inverters once these facilities reach operations. More than 20,000 US jobs are expected to be created by these facilities, and the US solar manufacturing workforce is set to triple to more than 100,000 positions over the next decade.

In addition, more than 65 GWh of energy storage manufacturing capacity has been announced across 14 new or expanded facilities. Since the IRA was passed, over 3 GW of large-scale energy storage projects have been deployed, and an estimated 100,000 customers have installed a residential solar system paired with battery storage.

“We’ve often dealt with the buy side, through continued tax credits for projects. That really helps installers and developers and end-users,” said George Hershman, SEIA board director and SOLV Energy chief executive officer. “But we really never dealt with how we are going to get product, the supply side. I think the IRA did a great job with supporting the supply side to ensure we build the manufacturing supply chain in the US that we all want to be able to deploy.”

There have been attempts to overturn the IRA or strip core provisions, but Hershman said that early and continued success will neutralize any attempts to throw out the landmark industrial policy.

“We want to win the win,” he said. “We all want to be in a position where we can cut ribbons and put shovels in the ground and say the IRA brought this project to your community. A lot of these projects are in Red counties and Red districts. It’s much harder to fight against a bill that’s bringing jobs and property tax revenues to your district.”

SEIA says that the US solar industry will generate more than $565 billion in private sector investment over the next decade. By 2033, cumulative solar capacity will reach 668 GW, enough to power every home east of the Mississippi River. This is also equivalent to offsetting 459 million metric tons of carbon emissions each year, representing about one-third of all power sector emissions based on 2021 levels.

Aerocompact said that the system has a patent-pending labyrinth-style seal, offering a permanent seal during installation without additional effort.

“Overall, we reduce assembly time by up to 40%,” said Vonbun.

From pv magazine USA

Pegasus Solar has unveiled InstaFlash, a new roof mount for solar installations on composite shingles. The mount is pre-installed with a watertight sealant designed to address roof irregularities and seal any missed pilot holes, cracked shingles and shingle seams. 

It said the mount is designed to make it easy-to-install in a variety of composite roof configurations and weather conditions. The sealant instantly deploys when the mount is fastened to the roof, instantly creating a watertight seal. It seals any potential water ingress points under the entire footprint of the base. 

Kai Stephan, chief executive officer of Pegasus Solar said that InstaFlash is “new guy proof,” as it “virtually eliminates the potential for user-error.” 

The non-hardening sealant is housed in a cage that contains where the sealant spreads when deployed, preventing any messes and directing the material to the point where it is needed. InstaFlash can be installed in freezing temperatures or extreme heat (0 F to 170 F) and can be installed in rain without leaks.

For sloped roofs it can be installed on composition shingle or rolled asphalt, and for flat roofs it can be mounted on modified bitumen or built-up roofs. 

“When a fastener lands in the so-called ‘slot-canyon’ between shingles, water can pass under a rigid tape, mastic or rubber-type barrier,” said Kai Stephan, chief executive officer of Pegasus Solar. “We realized we needed a semi-liquid sealant to fully penetrate and seal this gap to eliminate any potential for leaks.”

The mount comes with a 25-year warranty, is IBC and CBC code compliant, and UL certified. Full specification sheet can be found here. 

“We approached this design from a clean slate,” said Stephan. “The guiding principle was, ‘What are the toughest challenges for a comp roof mount, and how can we solve those challenges with a product that’s easy enough for the newest installer to master?’”

Pegasus Solar also provides rail systems, tile scissor mounts, tilt leg kits, tile replacements, conduit and accessory mounts, MLPE brackets, and wire management systems.

From pv magazine USA

An idea that began with PowerField Energy co-founders David Flory and Paul Burdick tinkering in a garage is now a growing company scaling up in production, funding and project pipeline. Both Flory and Burdick came from solar backgrounds and aimed to find a simple, low-cost racking solution. That tinkering led to development of the PowerRack, which is an injection-molded high-density polyethylene container that can be filled on site and used to mount solar panels of almost any size, no tools required.

pv magazine USA spoke with Drew Bond, co-founder and chief executive officer, Patrick Fleming, chief operations officer, and Corbin Abshier, director of business development, on the history of PowerRack. One of the first PowerRack installations was at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colo., where they set up a two-year test model. To date, the company has installed PowerRacks supporting more than 4 MW of solar in residential and commercial as well as portable installations, like the one at this year’s Coachella music festival.

In seven years, the Virginia-based company has scaled production several times, has raised $1.3 million in funding and now is raising a Series A for $5 million to scale sales, manufacturing, and product development for global distribution.

In 2022 the company landed its first utility-scale contract for an installation in Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania where the developer, Endless Energy, had run into challenges around site conditions and environmental concerns and the developers couldn’t get the project across the finish line. The developer had already sunk a lot of money into the project, so they needed a solution that would get the project up and running as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Once the contract was signed, it was delayed for a year due to permitting issues, but once approved, the PowerRacks were installed, and modules mounted in four weeks. The project is at a ShopRite store, where 8,800 PowerRacks hold 4,400 Hanwha Qcells 480 W solar modules in the 2.1 MW system, powering more than 85% of the store’s energy needs.

According to Fleming, the site had underground water table issues and there was exploratory well equipment on the site that had to be avoided, so penetration with a traditional racking system was not going to work. The developer had already sunk a lot of money into the project, so they needed an inexpensive solution. The PowerRacks met their needs, and while the project was ten times larger than anything PowerField had done previously, they said they only needed to have one field employee on site to get the job done.

The racking is brought on site as empty 15-pound plastic containers, which are filled with any dry loose aggregate material such as gravel or crushed rock. The solar modules slide easily onto the racking and are held in place with clips. Clips are attached by hand, with no tools needed. When it’s time to decommission the solar installation, the modules are removed, the racking is emptied, and they can be removed from the site and recycled.

PowerRacks were also used to set up a temporary solar installation to power lighting the Coachella music festival held in April in Indio, California. Overdrive Energy Solutions chose the PowerRack after seeing them at a trade show and thinking their portability would meet their needs. Neel Vasavada, founder and president of Overdrive said a crew of four installed 15 kW of solar divided across ten locations.

“And we had never used the product before. We were down to 10 min. a location – less time than it takes to fuel a gasoline generator,” he said.

Once the festival was over and it was time to disassemble the temporary solar installation, Vasavada explained that “disassembly” doesn’t apply in the same manner as other products here.

“We used PowerRack specifically because there isn’t any disassembly of the racks themselves, except for picking up the plastic locking pieces after the panels are lifted off,” he said.

With the PowerRacks being portable and sitting above the ground, installers have a few options when it comes to handling the wiring. Fleming noted that there is a channel in the rack where the cabling rests along the sidewalls of the rack and up under the modules, just as it would with any system. The wiring can be run above ground with cable hangers or messenger cables, or the site can be trenched if that works better for the installation.

To date, PowerField has sold its racks in 38 states, with customers ranging from electric utilities to do-it-yourself homeowners. The company recently expanded its manufacturing capacity to meet the growing demand and PowerField is developing future versions of the PowerRack to accommodate ever-larger modules, different pitch angles and other unique customer requirements.

CPX, a spinoff of PV rooftop mounting specialist Esdec Solar, has unveiled new mounting systems for large commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop projects in the European market.

Rooftop installations with up to 30,000 or more panels need mounting system suppliers that are focused on projects, according to CPX.

“The project business is very different from distribution and residential rooftops,” said Harm Haarlink, managing director of CPX. “It has a different workflow, requires logistics, coordination expertise, and a service organization that is set up for projects.”

“The long-side clamping system suitable for the large-sized modules coming into the market now, with variations optimized for both east-west and south-oriented sites,” a company spokesperson told pv magazine.

The system reportedly supports large panel fields spanning 40 m x 40 m, or 1, 600 m2. It also accommodates module widths of up to 1,150 mm and roof pitches of 2,300 mm to 2,460 mm. It is compatible with a range of roof materials and membranes, including concrete, bitumen, ethylene propylene diene monome (EPDM), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO).

CPX is offering a 20-year warranty for the new product.

Esdec Solar Group employs 400 people throughout the world, with annual revenues of $700 million and an installed capacity base of 7.5 GW spanning residential, and C&I rooftops. It has several mounting system brands in the United States and Europe.

Germany-based K2 Systems presented a new mounting structure for green rooftops during the recent Intersolar Europe trade show.

The GreenRoof Vento allows for portrait and landscape module elevation at 10 degrees and 15 degrees with maximum module sizes of 2,400 mm x 1,350 mm. It can also be applied to existing rooftops.

“The new member of the K2 product family firstly ensures a firm footing and secondly – thanks to the greater distance from module to roof – reliably prevents shading caused by overgrown vegetation,” a company spokesperson told pv magazine. “The feet provide a firm hold but are designed small enough so that moss and succulents continue to receive light and water so that they can continue to make their valuable contribution.”

The mounting system manufacturer plans to integrate the new solution in its PV project planning tool, K2 Base, by the end of the third quarter of 2023, for a quick and easy installation process.

According to a recent study, the output power of PV systems can be increased by up to 8% when installed on green roofs. The cooling effect through transpiration and evaporation from the plants, their ability to absorb dust, and the diffuse reflection of sunlight through the foliage, are the main factors determining this performance improvement.

SolarEdge unveiled a tracker solution for the agrivoltaics sector at Intersolar Europe, featuring an algorithm-driven system that adjusts to sunlight and installation needs.

The comprehensive solution, developed with SolarGik, includes mounting structures, inverters, power optimizers, a dedicated tracker per structure, and a monitoring platform.

Arnold Bourges, France sales director for SolarEdge, said that the structure's height allows agricultural machinery to pass by, while the spacing of pillars can be adjusted to minimize the ground footprint. Each structure is independent, enabling panels to be oriented differently based on field location or terrain variations.

SolarEdge is already implementing the technology in major projects throughout the world, although specific details were not provided.

The company has also introduced a storage system for commercial buildings in the C&I solar sector. The DC-coupled system has a 58 kWh capacity and supports indoor use.

It allows the connection of up to eight batteries per inverter, with a total capacity of 464 kWh. The DC-coupled architecture reduces losses compared to AC-coupled alternatives by eliminating two AC-to-DC conversions.

The storage system is expected to become available in the second half of 2024.

Vaisala has introduced a new automated weather station aimed at maximizing the performance and operational efficiency of utility-scale PV plants. The company is showcasing the solution this week at Intersolar Europe in Munich, Germany.

“The 360-degree, always-on monitoring and analytic capabilities combined with the modular design delivers a robust and scalable performance that optimizes operations at any point in the solar power plant life cycle — from development, construction, and commissioning to operations and life cycle management,” said Davy Theophile, head of renewable energy at Vaisala.

Swiss startup Turn2Sun Renewables, a subsidiary of engineering consulting group Planair, has developed a PV mounting structure made of end-of-life wind turbines. The “Blade2Sun” solution uses reused blades to support a metal structure that supports bifacial PV modules, bypassing the need for a standard mounting structure with metallic beams.

“The number of modules which can be mounted on a single blade depends on various parameters, such as the blade length, the lateral reinforcement, and the local weather conditions, notably wind and snow,” Noé Tallon, project chief for Planair told pv magazine.

The company installed a prototype at a 2,500-meter altitude site in the Grisons region of Switzerland. It features nine bifacial 430 W solar modules on one blade and another seven panels on the other blade, in rows of three in landscape position.

“There are no lateral reinforcements, as the pilot only uses standard PV-mounting rails commercially available,” said Tallon. “The prototype’s next iterations will use reinforcements to reach a wider span and therefore increase the number of parallel modules on a single blade.”

The wind turbine blades in the pilot installation are 8.4 meters long and weigh 420 kg each.  They are mounted on a 5-meter-high support structure. Tallon said that Turn2Sun aims to install the solar mounting structure as close as possible to repowered wind parks, in order to minimize transportation costs and the total carbon footprint.

“The main cost advantage of this solution is the use of used wind turbine blades which have a raw cost negligible or even negative, making it very competitive compared to heavy metal structures usually used for elevated PV installations and making for a significant fraction of the global costs,” claimed Tallon.

The company said it is developing partnerships with several global players to offer the Blade2Sun solution in countries other than Switzerland. The applications reportedly include carparks, water reservoirs, agrivoltaics installations, and roadside arrays.

Greece's Thrace Group has developed a material that reportedly increases the albedo of the surface below a PV power plant and the energy yield of bifacial PV projects by at least 5%.

The Helios Reflect System (HRS) “combines a weed suppression layer to control weed flora and preserve the benefits of using bifacial modules with an albedo enhancement layer that maximizes the solar irradiation received by the rear side of the PV modules,” George Papagiannis, sales and marketing manager in the plastics division of Thrace Group, told pv magazine.

The top layer is made of polypropylene resins, giving it flame-retardant properties, while the permeable membrane preserves soil biodiversity and moisture content, allowing for complete land restoration once removed. The material is durable, reusable, and recyclable at the end of its service life, with the top layer lasting over five years and the bottom layer lasting about 10, according to Papagiannis.

Thrace Group installed the solution in two 1 MW bifacial PV plants in Xanthi, Northern Greece, and compared the measurements with a control 1 MW installation in the same area over a year.

The HRS installations showed a 69% increase in albedo reflectance and a bifacial gain increase from 12% to 17%. The electricity production attributed to the rear side of the bifacial modules increased by at least 42%, resulting in a total energy yield rise of at least 4.5%, according to Thrace Group.

“It is up to the stakeholders of a PV project to determine which plant’s features need to be optimized so that AC capacity does not limit the project’s potential in maximizing the benefits of the albedo enhancement,” said Papagiannis.

Israeli inverter manufacturer SolarEdge is unveiling two new power optimizers for residential and commercial PV systems at Intersolar Europe this week in Munich, Germany.

“In the residential segment, the company is introducing the S500A power optimizer for short strings,” said SolarEdge. “This new product allows for a cost-efficient design of smaller rooftop systems with higher power modules. Following a growing demand for higher power modules across the markets in Europe, the S500A can be used on systems with as few as six modules using the SolarEdge home short string three phase inverter and the SolarEdge home single phase wave/hub inverter, or 10 modules using any SolarEdge residential three phase inverter.”

“For the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment, the company is introducing the 2:1 S1400 power optimizer for high-input, bifacial, and high-power 700W modules, including G12 modules,” SolarEdge said. “The increased output current allows the PV system to be designed with fewer, yet more powerful strings, resulting in a typical around 30% reduction in DC balance of system costs.”

“Both new power optimizers include SolarEdge’s multi-layered suite of safety features,” the manufacturer stated. “The SafeDC feature allows the PV systems’ DC voltage to be automatically reduced to touch-safe levels (1V DC per module), in grid failures or when the inverter is shut down. The Rapid Shutdown feature enables installers to activate SafeDC at the flip of a switch, discharging the conductors to safe voltage levels within just 30 seconds.”

From pv magazine USA

Shoals Technologies Group, a US solar components supplier, has taken legal action by filing a complaint with the ITC for alleged patent infringements. The complaint targets Hikam America – based in Chula Vista, California – and Voltage, LLC, which is headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The complaint also applies to their foreign business counterparts.

From pv magazine USA

What sets Sunfolding’s terrain-following tracker apart from other designs is pneumatics, a 360-year old technology that converts power into movement.

Traditional trackers are mechanically more complex, which can make installation and maintenance costly. Sunfolding developers discovered that pneumatics offered a simpler approach with advantages in certain solar designs. Some of those advantages include a reservoir (or bladder) for air storage so they can continue operating through loss of power.

They can also operate through loss of air and can run continuously without the threat of overheating. Read more about solar and pneumatics in Sunfolding’s white paper. Without batteries or metal drive components, the pneumatic technology is also able to withstand extremely low temperatures where traditional trackers have had issues.

As noted by Chip McDaniel in Industrial Equipment News, pneumatics offer the advantage of simplicity, low cost and reliability, providing “a quick path to motion,” providing significant force in a small space.

The patented AirDrive technology used by Sunfolding was invented by Leila Madrone, company founder and chief technology officer. Madrone is a roboticist, having received both her bachelors and masters in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, with a focus on robotics and mechatronics. Early in her career she worked on automation for the genomics industry and the commercialization of NASA robotics hardware. Founded in 2012, Sunfolding was spun out of MIT’s Otherlab. In 2016, the company won a $4.2 million ARPA award for its “pneumatically-actuated PV tracking system.”

The AirDrive system

At the heart of its tracking system is the AirDrive. Based on Madrone’s invention, it consists of flexible bladders (shown above) enclosed in a metal housing with a bladder to the east and one to the west. When the bladders are pressurized to different levels, one side expands and tilts the solar structure in the opposite direction. AirDrive X actuators in the Sunfolding system reportedly weigh less than 50 pounds. Wes Fuller, vice president of sales and strategic partnerships, told pv magazine USA that two people can lift them and attach them to posts anchored in the ground. The automotive-grade pneumatic harnesses connect with the supply air system—one for each 5 MW. These systems come pre-assembled and can be dropped into place on site.

The pneumatic system has fewer critical points of failure than traditional mechanical systems, dramatically reducing maintenance costs, according to Sunfolding. The AirDrive X actuator uses advanced polymers supplied by DuPont, helping them weather exposure to wind, heat, rain and snow.

Sunfolding’s first product was the T29 tracker, which reportedly changed the tracker landscape with its use of pneumatics, is installed in 39 projects in 12 states including sites in California, Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Texas.

The TopoTrack, introduced in September 2022, is designed for varied terrain. Like the T29, it uses the AirDrive technology, but has mechanically independent, scaled down tracker rows.

The company reports that TopoTrack’s rows are 10 times shorter than traditional trackers, and that they can provide 20 degrees of variation between trackers, thus improving slope tolerance between the rows and allowing for articulation in terrain, including complete directional change in terrain if needed.

The design uses two posts, two actuators and two purlins. As a result of the tracker’s flexibility and simplicity, Sunfolding says that the tracker’s footprint across a project site can be increased when tracker-to-tracker spacing is reduced. Fuller noted that TopoTrack can reduce the need for grading by an estimated 97%, thus resulting in further cost savings.

Headquartered in Alameda, Calif., Sunfolding’s posts, actuators and purlins are made in the U.S. The company partners with auto industry component suppliers to manufacture the AirDrive, and reports that 90% of its bill of materials are sourced from a 250-mile radius of its manufacturing facility in the Midwest, enabling short lead times and reducing procurement risks.

TopoTrack was recently deployed on a site with strict environmental protections in place.  This site featured complex terrain in a high snow load location. TopoTrack technology reportedly enabled the customer to perform zero grading on this site, greatly minimizing the cost of handling complex terrain and permitting risk.

From pv magazine Spain

Soltec has developed a new bifacial tracking algorithm to determine the optimal angle for solar trackers to maximize the production of specific bifacial modules in solar plants.

The algorithm estimates power generation for various angles, considering front and rear irradiance and module performance. It uses Soltec's self-developed astronomical algorithm based on solar positioning data from NREL-SPA.

The algorithm considers plant parameters, such as albedo and soil albedo, which can be dynamically configured for improved efficiency. Analytical and experimental tests were conducted across different latitudes, showing an increase in power generation ranging from 0.10% to 0.12%, depending on location and albedo conditions.

The algorithm's effectiveness varies monthly, with a greater gain observed during lower sun angles and winter months. While the potential overall profit of the algorithm is 0.29% (0.41% during the activation period), the actual profit obtained was 0.18% due to weather forecast inaccuracies.

Soltec estimates an economic gain of €6,192 ($6,698)  per year for a 50 MW plant in Mediterranean latitude under 30% albedo conditions. The algorithm complements Soltec's other tracking algorithms, such as TeamTrack and Diffuse Booster, which address shading and maximize production during diffuse radiation, respectively.

Source: Soltec

From pv magazine USA

Canada-based Polar Racking says it will add two facilities to manufacture solar mounts in the United States. One factory will be located in Michigan, the other in Florida.

A spokesperson for the company told pv magazine USA that it is building up to more than 1 GW of tracker and fixed-tilt capacity by mid 2024, with the ability to scale up from there. The company said each site will add 10 jobs, with job opportunity growth as demand increases.

The Michigan facility is currently operational, and the Florida plant is expected to reach commercial production by the end of summer 2023, said the spokesperson.

“Our new US facilities mitigate shipping lead time risks for our customers and gives us additional control over the entire supply chain,” said Pals Saddyappan, director of supply chain and global manufacturing for Polar Racking.

The company now has a pipeline of 3.4 GW of solar mounting and racking across North America and the Carribean.

Made-in-USA solar components, including racking, trackers, and mounts, are in-demand across the nation, as the Inflation Reduction Act includes a 10% tax credit adder for renewable energy projects that include a certain threshold of domestic content. The US Department of the Treasury recently released guidance on the content requirements, which contain complexities and are actively being evaluated by the industry. The subject of domestic content requirements was a hot topic at the RE+ Southeast renewable energy conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

“The expansion of Polar Racking’s manufacturing operations is in response to our customers’ needs to meet the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) domestic content requirements,” said Vishal Lala, managing director of Polar Racking. “Polar Racking supports the government’s initiative to re-shore the PV supply chain to create local jobs and bolster the local economy.”

To continue reading, please visit our pv magazine USA website.

Eckhart Gouras, the managing director of pv magazine, contributed with a perspective on the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which he called a “big American sandwich.” Gouras presented a powerful illustration of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) in the solar industry, with the top slice of bread indicating upstream support of $0.07/W for “Made in USA” solar modules, and the bottom slice representing downstream support of up to 50% in investment tax credit. Gouras noted the unparalleled industrial policy of the ITC and called for a new globalized approach that enables international players to build localized markets and benefit from its advantages.

Researchers at the University of Mauritius have designed a tracking system that can be used with portable, lightweight PV systems for use in remote areas in tropical climates.

The scientists describe the tracker as a low-cost device using a simplified and mechanically driven tracking mechanism. It can be connected to one solar panel and is able to orientate its linear displacement at each of the four corners of the module itself and make it rotate along the three principal axes. A power screw arrangement driven by DC motors enables the movement of the tracker.

“A motor coupler was used as a connector between the DC motors and lead screw,” they said. “The lead screw had pitch and diameter specifications of 1 mm and 8 mm respectively.”

Through the direction and rotational speed of the motors, PV system owners can achieve their desired tilt angles by precisely adjusting each corner of the solar panel.

“For smooth operation of the solar tracker, the four linear actuators were linked to the main stage by considering a ball-joint system based on aluminum balls of 18 mm in diameter,” they said. “To protect the motor components and electronic circuit from adverse weather conditions, a lightweight protective casing made from aluminum composite panel (ACP) namely, alucobond was used. The protective casing had cross-sectional area and height dimensions of 25 by 25 cm and 20 cm respectively.”

The system moves the panel in accordance with the positioning of the sun based on the sensor data transmitted and processed by the Arduino Uno open-source microcontroller, which follows a voltage difference observed in the corresponding paired sensors due to variation in light intensity.

“The paired motors operate in synchronization but in the opposite direction in order to induce a tilting effect to the solar panels,” they said. “To achieve an optimized orientation in the three principle axes, the remaining two motors also operate in a similar fashion to compensate for tilting of the solar panel in accordance with variation in light intensity as detected by the two additional sensors.”

The academics built a system prototype with a solar module measuring 450 mm x 170 mm with a power output of 22.5 W. The research group said the system was able to generate 37% more current than a reference panel without the tracker.

“The proposed device is projected to produce a total energy output of up to 8100 Wh if operated for 12 h over a 30-day period and if meeting the set target of maximum power output of 22.5 W,” it concluded.

The team described the device in “Low-cost solar tracker to maximize the capture of solar energy in tropical countries,” which was recently published in Energy Reports.

“Rhe cost analysis and portability test showed that the final designed system met the initially set targets in this study,” they said.