THE MAGAZINE for Renewable Energies ISSN 1861-2741 74714 www.sunwindenergy.com € 12.00 • International issue 4/2015 TheTHE solar SOLAR edi EDITIONTion INVERTERS On the way to power plant standards HEAT TRAnsFER FLUIDS Frost-proof on the roof and below ground PHOTOVOLTAICS IN THE U.S. Utility-scale PV: bedrock of demand MORE ENERGY absorptive and reflective solar surfaces: mirotherm®| mirosol® TS | eta plus® | MIRO-SUN® EFFICIENCY. SOLAR. SURFACES. www.alanod-solar.com EDITORIAL Be wary of a woodland breeze Dr. Volker Buddensiek Editor-in-chief o you use the fragrance of the forest? ground coffee and throws the window wide [email protected] No, I don’t mean a Sunday walk in the open, extolling the virtues of having his new Dwoods, where you breathe in deeply, office way out in the middle of the woods – it’s free your mind of daily troubles – and sudden- time for you to decide it smells fishy instead! ly get exactly the creative ideas which had Oh, but how much more subtly the adver- been eluding you during the week. Neither do tising sector does things. We now have I mean the little fragrant tree hanging from Europe’s largest manufacturer of envelopes your rear-view mirror to hide the fact that the making seals with microcapsules, which can air-conditioning is broken. contain a variety of scents. When you open What I mean is a forest fragrance that you the envelope the fragrances are set free. An can send by post, and which – according to a initial and intensive waft awakens our inter- press release I recently received in my inbox – est, while a longer-lasting subliminal dose is supposed to make the reader receptive to steers our mood in the desired direction. So, green ideas. We’ve long known that fra- if you receive a letter and opening it reveals a grances can affect our moods and the deci- woody fragrance, it could be that someone is sions we make. Used car dealers thus use a trying to tap into your subconscious and get spray that creates the typical aroma of a new you to invest in renewable energy. car. They aim to make the car seem more But for how long can this go well? Not only valu able to the customer at an emotional may you suddenly realise that your secretary level than a pure assessment of knocking has started avidly surfing particular stock sounds from under the bonnet would achieve. market websites after opening the day’s post, The smell of a new car makes a driver a lot at some point you yourself may open a letter happier than the smell of driving over a from an energy company with a sausage on skunk. the cover and smelling of coal when you open It’s called scent marketing. It works for the it – taking you out to a summer’s evening car dealer, but may come a little too late for with a camp fire and grill. the skunk! And now this: a German scent re- But seriously: the transition to renewable searcher has developed a database system energy is a highly sensible, rational decision. which groups various fragrances with certain Ok, so it is not disputed that its development associations, product fields and target benefits from highly motivated and also emo- groups. His first suggestions in the above- tionally charged individuals – just as it bene- mentioned press release: the fragrance of fits from a public image convinced of the coffee can create the level of trust required to good cause. But please, not like this! With agree to the investment offer of a financial scent marketing from the field of used-car services provider, whilst forest freshness is salesmanship, the renewables sector is more supposed to increase interest in renewable likely to ruin its image than gain public energy. acceptance and support. So, if your tax advisor offers you a dead cert investment in new cylindrical PV modules, provides you with a lovely cup of hot freshly Solar Edition 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Market overview inverters: On the way to power plant standards Photo: Alanod Photo: The technical gap between PV systems and conventional power plants has been closed. That is not least thanks to the performance capabilities of the latest utility-scale inverters, which in the meantime offer all the functionalities necessary to handle high power outputs. Page 50 Absorber coatings: SMA Photo: Black instead of Blue? THE MAGAZINE for Renewable Energies ISSN 1861-2741 74714 www.sunwindenergy.com € 12.00 Blue PVD absorber coatings have prevailed so far on • International issue collectors. Given the domination of just one manufac- turer, new players are developing alternatives. Black coatings could once again gain in importance. Page 32 4/2015 TheTHE solar SOLAR edi EDITIONTion INVERTERS Focus: Solar power in On the way to power North and Latin America plant standards HEAT TRANSFER FLUIDS This edition focuses on the solar energy markets in North Frost-proof on the roof and below ground and Latin America. PV and solar thermal in the U.S. enjoy great support among the American public. While there was implemented a revised incentive programme for solar thermal installations in New York State, PV experts still fight for an extension of the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). PHOTOVOLTAICS IN THE U.S. Unlike New York, Chile has to wait for a solar thermal support programme to be passed since the previous ended in 2013. PV markets in Latin America, however, are Utility-scale PV: experiencing sky-rocketing growth rates. Pages 10 to 25 bedrock of demand Photo: ArrayTechnologies 4 Sun & Wind Energy 4/2015 Heat transfer fluids: Frost-proof on the roof and below ground Heat transfer fluids protect systems from frost and corrosion – in both solar thermal and geothermal. The requirements are very different, however. Page 36 Photo: Aqua Concept Aqua Photo: Solar farms: Tracker technologies and mounting methods When it comes to technology for solar farms, horizontal trackers are the big thing these days. As a cost-effective material for substructures, steel is still gaining ground. Other trends include using state-of-the-art technology and intelligent solutions in mounting technology, such as coatings. Page 58 Photo: Hill & Smith & Hill Photo: 22 PV in Latin America: 50 Market overview: REVIEW 6 Pictorial Growth markets with big plans for expansion On the way to power plant standards 8 Facts & Figures 57 Yield optimisation: SOLAR THERMAL Increasing performance and detecting errors FOCUS north AMERICA 26 Review Intersolar Europe: 58 Solar farms: 10 Solar Power International: Only for the inner circle Tracker technologies and mounting methods The right place at the right time 32 Absorber coatings: 64 Solar skyscrapers: Black instead of blue? 12 Interview with Rhone Resch, SEIA: High-rises, the new symbols of (solar) power 36 Heat transfer fluids: “9 out of 10 Americans support solar” 67 U.S. utility-scale PV: Frost-proof on the roof and belowe ground 14 Solar thermal in New York State: Record Pipeline A significant role 44 Mountain restaurant: 70 U.S. residential solar: 16 Certification in North America: Certificates, A frugal place to unwind Riding the wave of success certification and licensure in the U.S. 18 Financing in North America: PhotoVoltaICS New ideas on solar financing in the U.S. 46 Intersolar Europe: DEpartmENT “A very exciting time” 74 International Events FOCUS LatIN AMERICA 48 Cell and module technology: Modules are 76 Directory 20 Solar thermal in Chile: more than just mass-produced goods 82 Preview and imprint Demand kept on hold Solar Edition 5 REVIEW PICTORIAL PIC torial 6 Sun & Wind Energy 4/2015 A cell stack for a cell block Solar photovoltaics is going strong in the U.S. Both utility-scale and residential PV have grown to sources of energy production not to be neglected anymore. The next big thing to come for PV applica- tions is storage technology increasing the share of PV self-consumption and minimising the individual electricity bill. This battery storage system shown here is integral to the solar panel project on the roof of the main cellhouse building at the prison on Alcatraz Island. Photo: Byron Stafford/NREL Solar Edition 7 REVIEW FACTS & FIGURES Analysts and market researchers produce a vast number of studies on how the different sectors of renewable energies have developed both globally or in selected countries. They facts& send out their own projections on how markets for all kinds of renewable energies are set to develop. Facts and figures come into our mailbox, in an endless stream, difficult to overview. SUN & WIND ENERGY has selected several interesting ones and presents you our figures new Facts & Figures section. Ups and downs in PV markets Growth of global solar installations has been these numbers Mercom Capital analysts volume of solar installations. Consequently revised to 28 % in 2015 (Y-O-Y growth) in the forecast 1.3 GW for Germany in 2015. Some there’s discussion to include commercial latest forecast of Mercom Capital Group. Of people at Intersolar Europe in Munich even rooftop installations into the pool of projects 57.4 GW annual global PV installations about predicted installations as low as 1 GW of new to be licensed in tenders. A revision of the 60 % will be attributed to China, Japan and solar installations. If this comes true German tendering process is scheduled for October the U.S. This prediction is based on (among PV installations will fall short of 50 % below 2015 resulting in a new legal regulation until others) the announcement of China’s National the government’s “installation corridor” as May next year, coming into force by the end Energy Administration to raise its 2015 instal- defined in the national EEG for 2015.