P HOTOVOLTAIC P OWER S YSTEMS P ROGRAMME ANNUAL REPORT 2012 2 COVER PHOTO AND ABOVE: Solar façade at an office building in Sursee, LU, Switzerland. An 18 kWp solar façade with 180 m2 over all generates about 12 600 kWh per year. This PV system was built with Megasol mono-crystalline modules and Kostal inverters. Architect and Owner: BF berger + frank ag, Sursee, Switzerland. Planned and installed by: Schürch-Egli AG, Sempach, Switzerland. Photo by: BF berger + frank ag. CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE 3 CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE I am pleased to present the IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme’s 2012 annual report. 2012 has been a very dynamic and challenging year for the photovoltaic sector: The rapid cost reduction of photovoltaic power systems has continued throughout the year, leading to the emergence of new markets and market models on the one hand. The market has continued to grow but at a slower pace than in the years before. At the end of 2012, about 100 GW of photovoltaics were installed worldwide, with contributions up to 6 % of the electricity supply of some countries. The photovoltaic industry, on the other hand, has had the most difficult time of its young history, leading to a marked consolidation of the sector. 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 and performance assessment, cost reduction, best practice in various applications, rapid deployment of photovoltaics and key issues such as grid integration and environmental aspects. 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 constantly expanding. At the same time, IEA PVPS continuously needs to review its priorities and activities in order to provide a maximum of added value through international cooperation in the rapidly changing field of photovoltaics. 2012 marked the last year of the 4th 5-year term of IEA PVPS, thus representing 20 years of global international cooperation within IEA PVPS. Throughout the year, a new strategy was developed for the 5th term 2013 – 2017 of IEA PVPS, taking into account the profound changes of the sector and the very different position of photovoltaics compared to five years ago. Over the next five years, the focus and the activities of the PVPS Programme will move closer to market related issues, both technical and non-technical, capitalizing on the many experiences meanwhile available and striving for a further sustainable development and implementation of photovoltaic technology. Interest and outreach for new membership within IEA PVPS continued in 2012. Belgium has joined the PVPS Programme as the 27th member during the year. Moreover, the Copper Alliance has very recently joined IEA PVPS as the 28th member, thereby introducing a new industrial dimension to our members. I welcome Belgium and the Copper Alliance as the most recent IEA PVPS members and look forward to a long and fruitful cooperation. Membership negotiations are also underway with Thailand. Contacts have continued with Greece, India, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa as well as with EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute USA) and ECREEE (ECOWAS Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency). IEA PVPS continues to cover the majority of countries active in development, production and installation of photovoltaic power systems. 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 and workshops at the industry exhibition of the 27th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference in Frankfurt (Germany), Solar Power International in Orlando, Florida (USA), as well as the 22nd International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference PVSEC-22 in Hangzhou (China), attracted a large number of visitors and provided an excellent forum for dissemination purposes. I had the honour to chair the 27th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference in Frankfurt on behalf of IEA PVPS. This contributed to the visibility of IEA PVPS which was underlined with three successful PVPS workshops held in the conference’s programme of side events. The detailed outcomes of the different PVPS projects are given in the Task reports of this annual report and all publications can be found at the PVPS website. 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 4 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 12 - PV Environmental Health & Safety Activities 20 Task 13 - Performance and Reliability of PV Systems 24 Task 14 - High Penetration PV in Electricity Grids 28 PHOTOVOLTAIC STATUS AND PROSPECTS IN PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES AND ORGANISATIONS AUSTRALIA 33 AUSTRIA 35 BELGIUM 37 CANADA 39 CHINA 41 DENMARK 45 EUROPEAN COMMISSION 47 EPIA 50 FRANCE 52 GERMANY 55 ISRAEL 58 ITALY 60 JAPAN 62 KOREA 67 MALAYSIA 69 MEXICO 71 THE NETHERLANDS 73 NORWAY 76 PORTUGAL 79 SPAIN 83 SWEDEN 86 SWITZERLAND 88 TURKEY 92 UNITED KINGDOM 95 UNITED STATES 97 COMPLETED TASKS Task 2 - Performance, Reliability and Analysis of Photovoltaic Systems 99 Task 3 - Use of Photovoltaic Power Systems in Stand-Alone and Island Applications 101 Task 5 - Grid Interconnection of Building Integrated and Other Dispersed Photovoltaic Power Systems 103 Task 6 - Design and Operation of Modular Photovoltaic Plants for Large Scale Power Generation 104 Task 7 - Photovoltaic Power Systems in the Built Environment 105 Task 10 - Urban Scale PV Applications 107 Task 11 - Hybrid Systems within Mini-Grids 109 ANNEXES A - IEA-PVPS Executive Committee Members 110 B - IEA-PVPS Operating Agents 115 6 PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SYSTEMS PROGRAMME 7 PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SYSTEMS PROGRAMME IEA PVPS Executive Committee, Hangzhou, China, November 2012. IEA The International Energy Agency (IEA), founded in November 1974, Electric Power Association (SEPA) joined PVPS in 2009. China joined is an autonomous body within the framework of the Organisation PVPS in 2010. The Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) joined for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which carries PVPS in 2011 and Belgium joined PVPS in 2012. out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its member countries. The European Union also participates in the work of IEA PVPS MISSION the IEA. Collaboration in research, development and demonstration The mission of the IEA PVPS programme is: of new technologies has been an important part of the Agency’s To enhance the international collaboration efforts which accelerate Programme. the development and deployment of photovoltaic solar energy as a The IEA R&D activities are headed by the Committee on Research significant and sustainable renewable energy option. The underlying and Technology (CERT), supported by a small secretariat staff, with assumption is that the market for PV systems is continuously headquarters in Paris. In addition, four Working Parties on End expanding from the earlier niche markets of remote applications Use, Renewable Energy, Fossil Fuels and Fusion, are charged with and consumer products, to the rapidly growing markets for building monitoring the various collaborative energy agreements, identifying integrated and other decentralised and centralised grid-connected new areas for co-operation and advising the CERT on policy matters. PV generation systems. The Renewable Energy Working Party (REWP), oversees the work of This market expansion requires the availability of and access to ten renewable energy agreements and is supported by a Renewable reliable information on the performance of PV systems, technical Energy Unit at the IEA secretariat in Paris. and design guidelines, planning methods, financing, etc., to be shared with the various actors. IEA PVPS The IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one IEA PVPS OBJECTIVES of the collaborative R&D Agreements established within the IEA, The IEA PVPS programme aims to realise the above mission by and since its establishment in 1993, the PVPS participants have adopting the following objectives related to reliable PV power been conducting a variety of joint projects in the application of system applications for the target groups: governments, utilities, photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into electricity. energy service providers and other public and private users: The overall programme is headed by