IEA฀INTERNATIONAL฀ENERGY฀AGENCY PHOTOVOLTAIC฀POWER฀SYSTEMS฀PROGRAMME annual report฀ 2010 IMPLEMENTING฀AGREEMENT ON฀PHOTOVOLTAIC฀POWER฀SYSTEMS PVPS P HOTOVOLTAIC P OWER S YSTEMS P ROGRAMME ANNUAL REPORT 2010 PREFACE 3 CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE The IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme is pleased to present its 2010 annual report. 2010 has been characterized by another year of strong global market dynamics and an ongoing and significant cost reduction which is bringing photovoltaics closer to the so-called grid parity. Going along with this global photovoltaic market expansion is an increasing perception of the future potential role of this emerging energy technology. From an IEA perspective, a landmark in 2010 has been the publication of the IEA PV Roadmap which estimates an 11 % contribution of photovoltaics to the global electricity supply by 2050 as feasible, corresponding to more than 3 000 GW of installed capacity or more than 4 500 TWh of electricity. Compared to the estimated installed capacity on the order of 35 GW at the end of 2010, this means about a 100-fold increase over the next 40 years. Many PV stakeholders think that more is possible but already these numbers are impressive and challenging at the same time. Another relevant message of the IEA PV Roadmap is the fact that the coming decade will be decisive for the future role of photovoltaics in a sustainable electricity supply. As a leading international network of expertise, IEA PVPS has the mission to cooperate on a global level in this rapidly evolving technology area. Working on both technical and non-technical issues, IEA PVPS undertakes key collaborative projects related to technology progress, cost reduction and rapid deployment of photovoltaics in various applications. Providing high-quality information about relevant developments in the photovoltaic sector as well as advice to our key stakeholders remain our highest priorities. Due to the increasing recognition of photovoltaics as an important future energy technology, the interest in the work performed within IEA PVPS is continuously expanding. Outreach for new membership within IEA PVPS continued in 2010. China joined the PVPS Programme as the 25th member during the year. I welcome China as the most recent IEA PVPS member and look forward to a long and fruitful cooperation. Thailand and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) from the United States have attended PVPS meetings as observers during the year. Contacts have also been ongoing with Belgium, Chile, Greece, India, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa. On the Task level, two new Tasks have started their activities within the PVPS programme in the year 2010: Task 13 on Performance and Reliability of Photovoltaic Systems and Task 14 on High Penetration of PV in Electricity Grids. Both projects have found a broad support and interest from various PVPS members. The overall communication efforts were continued through systematic distribution of PVPS products at conferences, workshops and by means of direct mailings. Communication was further supported by the PVPS website www.iea-pvps.org. Moreover, booths at the industry exhibition of the 25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference in Valencia (Spain) and Solar Power International in Los Angeles (USA) attracted a large number of visitors and provided an excellent forum for dissemination purposes. A particular highlight was the 5th IEA PVPS Executive Conference “The Solar Power Utility,” which was held in June 2010 in Montreux, Switzerland. This high-level conference attracted participants from various stakeholder groups from all over the world for discussion and debate on the relevant issues of utility scale photovoltaics, such as business models, regulatory issues or financing. Based on the excellent feedback received following the event, the conference was a great success. 2010 was another productive year for PVPS with many new results from the various ongoing projects. The detailed outcomes are given in the Task reports of this annual report and all publications can be found at the PVPS website. I would like to congratulate all Tasks on their progress and achievements. The current status of photovoltaics in the PVPS member countries is described within the country section of this annual report. A number of Executive Committee members have left us during the year, heading for new responsibilities or horizons. I would like to thank them for their strong support and valuable contributions. With this, I take the opportunity to thank all Executive Committee members, Operating Agents and Task Experts, who by their dedicated efforts, contribute to the collaborative work and success of PVPS. Stefan Nowak Chairman TABLE OF CONTENTS 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chairman’s Message 3 Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme 7 TASK STATUS REPORTS Task 1 - Exchange and Dissemination of Information on Photovoltaic Power Systems 10 Task 8 - Study on Very Large Scale Photovoltaic Power Generation System 14 Task 9 - Deploying PV Services for Regional Development 17 Task 11 - Hybrid Systems within Mini-Grids 20 Task 12 - PV Environmental Health & Safety Activities 23 Task 13 - Performance and Reliability of PV Systems 27 Task 14 - High Penetration PV in Electricity Grids 30 PHOTOVOLTAIC STATUS AND PROSPECTS IN PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES AND ORGANISATIONS AUSTRALIA 35 AUSTRIA 39 CANADA 44 CHINA 48 DENMARK 52 EUROPEAN COMMISSION 56 EPIA 58 FRANCE 60 GERMANY 67 ISRAEL 71 ITALY 74 JAPAN 77 KOREA 85 MALAYSIA 87 MEXICO 90 THE NETHERLANDS 92 NORWAY 96 PORTUGAL 99 SEPA 104 SPAIN 107 SWEDEN 110 SWITZERLAND 114 TURKEY 118 UNITED KINGDOM 121 UNITED STATES 125 COMPLETED TASKS Task 2 - Performance, Reliability and Analysis of Photovoltaic Systems 130 Task 3 - Use of Photovoltaic Power Systems in Stand-Alone and Island Applications 132 Task 5 - Grid Interconnection of Building Integrated and Other Dispersed Photovoltaic Power Systems 134 Task 6 - Design and Operation of Modular Photovoltaic Plants for Large Scale Power Generation 135 Task 7 - Photovoltaic Power Systems in the Built Environment 136 Task 10 - Urban Scale PV Applications 138 ANNEXES A - IEA-PVPS Executive Committee Members 140 B - IEA-PVPS Operating Agents 143 PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SYSTEMS PROGRAMME 7 PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SYSTEMS PROGRAMME IEA PVPS Executive Committee, Montréal, Canada, October 2010. IEA United States. The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) The International Energy Agency (IEA), founded in November 1974, joined PVPS in 2005 and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is an autonomous body within the framework of the Organisation joined PVPS in 2009. China joined PVPS in 2010. for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its IEA PVPS MISSION member countries. The European Union also participates in the work The mission of the IEA PVPS programme is: of the IEA. Collaboration in research, development and demonstration To enhance the international collaboration efforts which accelerate of new technologies has been an important part of the Agency's the development and deployment of photovoltaic solar energy as a Programme. significant and sustainable renewable energy option. The underlying The IEA R&D activities are headed by the Committee on Research assumption is that the market for PV systems is continuously and Technology (CERT), supported by a small secretariat staff, expanding from the earlier niche markets of remote applications and with headquarters in Paris. In addition, four Working Parties on End consumer products, to the rapidly growing markets for building Use, Renewable Energy, Fossil Fuels and Fusion, are charged with integrated and other decentralised and centralised grid-connected monitoring the various collaborative energy agreements, identifying PV generation systems. new areas for co-operation and advising the CERT on policy matters. This market expansion requires the availability of and access to The Renewable Energy Working Party (REWP), oversees the work of reliable information on the performance of PV systems, technical and ten renewable energy agreements and is supported by a Renewable design guidelines, planning methods, financing, etc., to be shared Energy Unit at the IEA secretariat in Paris. with the various actors. IEA PVPS IEA PVPS OBJECTIVES The IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of The IEA PVPS programme aims to realise the above mission by the collaborative R&D Agreements established within the IEA, and adopting the following objectives related to reliable PV power system since its establishment in 1993, the PVPS participants have been applications for the target groups: governments, utilities, energy conducting a variety of joint projects in the application of photovoltaic service providers and other public and private users: conversion of solar energy into electricity. The overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee 1. To stimulate activities that will facilitate a cost reduction composed of representatives from each participating country, while of PV power systems applications. the management of individual research projects (Tasks) is the National RD&D programmes, industrial R&D and expansion of responsibility of Operating Agents. By late 2010, fourteen Tasks were PV manufacturing capacity as well as utility investments in PV established within the PVPS programme, of which seven are currently projects are examples of activities with a direct effect on the cost operational. of PV systems and