THE MAGAZINE for Renewable Energies ISSN 1861-2741 74714 www.sunwindenergy.com € 12.00 • International issue HEATING WITH PV Making good use of surpluses BLOCKCHAIN The new buzzword of the energy market 5/2016 TheTHE solar SOLAR edi EDITIONTion MARKET OVERVIEW COLLECTORS Little room left for improvement THE SELF-CONSUMPTION SMART INVERTER • ON-GRID, OFF-GRID, BACK-UP ALL IN ONE • SMART STORAGE MANAGEMENT • PLUG-&-PLAY INSTALLATION Smart Grid Inverter • LO C A L & R E M O T E Produce and Use Your Own Energy ! MONITORING IMEON 3.6 IMEON 9.12 Up to 4kWp Monophase Up to 12kWp Triphase All the Smart Grid in one inverter Find out more, or contact your IMEON Smart Grid inverter technology is the all-in-one answer for true multi-energy sources nearest IMEON distributor management. Consuming one’s own solar production directly, storing in batteries for later www.imeon-energy.com use or in case of power cuts, and also injecting to - or consuming from - the grid only when needed, is now all possible. Cutting-edge French research and innovation helped develop this IMEON ENERGY built-in intelligence and energy management to finally enable real control over one’s power. 10 Rue Amiral Romain Desfossés 29200 Brest - FRANCE +33 1 84 17 51 15 NRS [email protected] IMEON Full Page ad_Sun&Wind-EN- 31-08-2016.indd 1 31/08/2016 09:25:16 EDITORIAL IEA acknowledges the global change in energy systems ooking back, this decade may be seen then there was a growth there of over a third, Dr. Volker Buddensiek as the pivotal point for the international which was compensated for by reduced Editor-in-chief energy sector. A system transition has system costs for wind and solar power. [email protected] Lbeen initiated and national decisions on The global investments in renewables in further investments in the building of new 2015 exceeded those in all other energy nuclear and coal-fired power plants may soon sources. According to the IEA, 70 % of all elec- turn out to be expensive misinvestments. tricity generation investments went towards I do not derive my optimism from techni- renewable energy, which is approx. two and a cal developments towards more powerful and half times as much as in new coal and gas- cheaper solar systems, nor from the rapid de- fired power plants. Not only that: the addi- velopment of storage systems large and small tional wind power and photovoltaics were – but from the “voting with their feet” which also higher than the growth in global electric- is taking place amongst investors in the ener- ity demand. gy sector right now. The International Energy Despite the joy over the necessary Agenca (IEA), which hardly has a reputation changes which are currently taking place, one for indulging in green daydreams, is taking on remark in the IEA study must not be over- a sort of Crown witness role here. In the looked. The authors vigorously demand that “World Energy Investment 2016 (WEI2016)” investment in key clean energy technologies study, in which all energy systems have been needs to be further ramped up to put the analysed together at a global scale for the first world economy on track for climate stabilisa- time, the IEA has summarised how high the tion. They also warn: “Investors need clarity investments in energy sources and technolo- and certainty from policy makers. Govern- gies have been. ments must not only maintain but heighten “We see a broad shift of spending toward their commitment to achieve energy security cleaner energy,” comments IEA Executive and climate goals.” Director Fatih Birol on the emerging system One further point should also not be over- switch in the energy sector. The switch is also looked. More money was invested in nuclear taking place remarkably fast. Although invest- power in 2015 than in any year over the last ments in global energy generation dropped by 20 years, mainly through activities in China. 8 % from approx. US$ 2.0 trillion in 2014 to The IEA also counts nuclear power as a clean approx. US$ 1.8 trillion in 2015, these figures source of energy – despite the CO2 emissions actually combine two opposing trends. The from uranium mining and the making and dis- drop in investments – accelerated by the low posal of the fuel rods, through which nuclear price of oil – occurred in the oil and gas power plants end up with a CO2 balance close sectors (minus 40 % for gas-fired power to those of modern gas-fired power plants. stations), while investments in renewable This shows that you cannot really expect such energy between 2011 and 2015 stayed largely a large and rapid shift of thinking from the IEA stable financially speaking at approx. after all. US$ 313 billion a year. Looking at volumes, however, on the basis of generation capacity, Solar Edition 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS € . • International issue ISSN - www.sunwindenergy.com for Renewable Energies THE MAGAZINE HEATING WITH PV Making good use of surpluses BLOCKCHAIN The new buzzword of the energy market Market overview collectors: A slow process The state-of-the-art of solar collectors is high, leaving little / ion TheTHE solar SOLAR edi EDITIONT room for improvement. A key field of innovation is the segment for large-area collectors for solar heating plants. In addition, some collector manufacturers are stepping up their efforts to limit idle temperature. Page 14 MARKET OVERVIEW COLLECTORS Little room left for improvem ent Photo: iStock Photo: REVIEW Santiago Sasha Photo: 5 Pictorial: “Go France for solar!” 6 Distributed databases: The new buzzword? Blockchain The new buzzword? Blockchain 8 Intersolar South America: “We were Blockchain, a concept originally conceived for bitcoin amazed at the interest shown” transactions, could be useful for different parts of the 10 Solar power in India: International energy market, simplifying energy trading or helping developers biding their time consumers run microgrids. 12 Intersolar North America: “Solar is for everybody” Page 6 SOLAR THERMAL 14 Market overview collectors: A slow process 22 Smart Home: PV in Europe: France ups the PV tempo Wireless control for controllers Following a boom in the French PV market around the PHOTOVOLTAICS year 2011, business took a noticeable turn for the worse. 26 Heating with PV: But the dry spell appears to be over; for the second year Making good use of surpluses running, France has achieved steady expansion figures. 30 Mounting systems: Last year 895 MW of capacity was added. New solutions & simplified systems 34 Solar power storage: Page 38 “It’s all about positioning” 38 PV in Europe: France ups the PV tempo once again 42 Brexit: 5 things to watch about Brexit DEPARTMENT 44 International events 46 Directory 50 Preview and imprint Photo: Eole RES SA/Michel BOST SA/Michel RES Eole Photo: 4 Sun & Wind Energy 5/2016 PICTORIAL REVIEW PIC torial Go –France for solar! In the French PV market, an upward trend is emerging. For the second year in a row, France has achieved steady expansion figures. Investors planning to enter the market should not spare the horses. Photo: Solarwatt Solar Edition 5 REVIEW DISTRIBUTED DATABASES The new buzzword? Blockchain time, so the system is completely transparent. These features make the blockchain an appealing new way of storing and transferring data, which does not depend on a central authority or storage location, but enables all nodes of the network to work simul­ taneously and keep everything on record. How does it relate to energy? A microgrid run by consumers in New York The use of the blockchain in a solar microgrid is cur­ rently being tested in New York. Ten houses of a block in Brooklyn have formed a cooperative. Five of them have installed solar panels and can sell the electricity surplus to the others. Smart meters keep the record of how many electrons of energy are gen­ erated and used in each home. The data are record­ ed on a blockchain using the Ethereum software, so that at any time, all participants in the system can see how much energy has been produced and con­ sumed, where, when, which transactions have taken place and what was the price. The initiative is part of the TransActive Grid, a joint venture between LO3 Energy and bitcoin devel­ oper ConsenSys. It is a test of how the energy market could be run directly by consumers. “Many people buy green power, but they are not necessarily aware that the electrons they get still come from the nearer source of electricity, which is Lawrence Orsini, founder and Blockchain, a concept originally often a traditional power station running on fossil President of LO3 Energy, in fuels,” says Scott Kessler, Director of Operations at front of a rooftop PV system conceived for bitcoin transactions, LO3 Energy. “What they do in reality is providing in New York which is part of finance to remote generators for their production of the new Brooklyn Microgrid. could be useful for different parts renewables. Small producers have no way to partic­ LO3 Energy is one of the two of the energy market, simplifying ipate in this system. We wanted to create a local companies who developed the market, where people know what type of energy they first solar microgrid that uses energy trading or helping buy and where it comes from, and small generators Blockchain. can play a role too.” Photo: Sasha Santiago consumers run microgrids. The location for the test was carefully selected. “We identified an area that can remain isolated due lockchain is the new buzzword in tech world. to storms, and still need power. We also wanted a di­ Over the past three years, more than 2,500 versity of homes, multi­family buildings, small com­ patents have been filed and US$ 1.4 billion in mercial and industrial facilities to test the business Bventure capital investments have been made in this model.