Correctly sizing a PV system is crucial for long-term performance and safety.

Let SMA take the guess-work out of this phase of design during this step-by-step webinar, which will guide you through selecting the right SMA inverter for your project via Sunny Design. With this free software, customizing your project with location-specific weather data and other important information is easy and fast. Don’t let string sizing intimidate you or take too much of your time. SMA’s Sunny Design can help you get past this phase of your project quickly and effortlessly.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

9:00am PST

Duration: Approximately 1 hour

Cost: FREE

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Samsung Renewable Energy, Inc. and Pattern Energy Group LP have signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with the Ontario Power Authority, for the 100 MW Belle River Wind project in Ontario. Under the terms of the agreement, Samsung and Pattern Development will jointly develop, own and operate the Belle River Wind project, which will be built in Lakeshore, Ontario.

“Samsung is dedicated to delivering meaningful benefits to communities where we are building clean, renewable energy projects,” said Steve Cho, vice president of Samsung CT Corporation. Belle River Wind is the fifth wind project of a $5 billion Green Renewable Energy Investment in Ontario.

For Pattern Development, the project marks the company’s fifth in Ontario. “Ontario’s renewable program is unique in North America and has created thousands of manufacturing and construction jobs, as well as millions of dollars in annual revenues to the landowners and communities where the projects and the manufacturing facilities are located,” said Mike Garland, CEO of Pattern Development. “On a local level, the Belle River Wind project will make a significant positive impact, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in landowner payments, community benefits and tax revenue for the community around Lakeshore, Essex County and for the local schools.”

Compared to coal-fired generation, the Belle River Wind project would conserve enough water to meet the annual freshwater needs of nearly 9,000 Ontarians and avoid more than 300,000 tonnes of CO₂ each year. That’s the equivalent of taking more than 60,000 cars off the roads, according to emission rates from the Ontario Ministry of Environment and southwestern Ontario per capita water consumption from Environment Canada.

Wind plants generate massive amounts of data which, if utilized properly, can provide significant insight for operational improvements resulting in more proactive plant management and better return on investment. Trying to understand all of the data a wind farm can generate can be time consuming for plant management.

In this webinar AWS Truepower President, Dr. Bruce Bailey, and Chief Engineer, Daniel Bernadett, will discuss how performance issues can be addressed through diagnostic data mining. They will share a case study demonstrating how the implementation of diagnostic techniques led to increased overall performance at a wind facility by modifying the operations and maintenance strategy.

Registration Link: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/971685282

Anaergia Inc. and its project partner Grannus Biogas, LLC, have signed a contract with the Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department in Arizona to design-build-finance-own-operate large-scale biomethane upgrading facility. The new plant will create biomethane — which is compositionally similar to natural gas — with the goal of displacing non-renewable fossil fuels.

Daimler and Linde are each investing around €10 million (US$12.7 million) in 10 fueling stations. On 29 September, the first of the Daimler- and Linde-initiated public fueling stations for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) was officially opened at a Total multi-energy fueling station (i.e. also with conventional fuels) on Jafféstrasse in Berlin-Charlottenburg.

Major boost to hydrogen fueling network

The following locations have been earmarked for additional stations by the end of 2015:

• Total: Geiselwind in Bavaria (A3 motorway), Fellbach in the Stuttgart region, Ulm, Karlsruhe, Neuruppin in Brandenburg (A24 motorway), Cologne-Bonn Airport, and central Berlin (upgrade of existing station at Holzmarktstrasse).
• OMV: Greater Munich area, Greater Nuremberg, and Greater Stuttgart.
• Avia International: Stuttgart-East.
• Hoyer: Leipzig (A14 motorway).

Negotiations on the details and construction of the remaining seven refueling locations with additional partners are at an advanced stage. The National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW GmbH) is supporting the project as part of the National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP).

Coordinated rollout of fueling and vehicles

‘We are pleased to be driving this expansion of Germany’s hydrogen fueling network,’ says Dr Andreas Opfermann, Head of Clean Energy Innovation Management at Linde. ‘We are making a valuable contribution to the successful commercialisation of fuel cell vehicles, while supporting initiatives like the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) and H₂ Mobility.’

‘There is no question that fuel cell technology is reaching maturity,’ adds Professor Herbert Kohler, Vice President Group Research Sustainability and Chief Environmental Officer at Daimler. ‘From 2017, we are planning to bring competitively priced fuel cell vehicles to market.’

‘So now is the time to build a nationwide fueling infrastructure,’ continues Kohler. ‘The aim is to enable motorists to reach any destination in Germany in their hydrogen-fueled vehicles. This initiative is a huge step forward on the journey to a truly nationwide hydrogen network.’

Green hydrogen

Linde already secures half of the hydrogen for existing CEP fueling stations from ‘green’ sources, and it will power the 20 new stations with fully renewable hydrogen.

The green hydrogen is obtained from crude glycerol – a by-product of biodiesel production – at a dedicated pilot plant at the Linde gases centre in Leuna. The certified green hydrogen obtained in this way produces far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventional methods.

Linde also has other sustainable sources at its disposal, like bio natural gas and water electrolysis using wind-generated electricity, for example as part of the H2BER project.

Rolling out fuel cell electric vehicles

Daimler plans to bring mass-produced, competitively priced FCEVs to market starting in 2017. To accelerate technology optimisation and minimise investment costs, the company formed an alliance with Ford and Nissan in early 2013 for the joint development of a drive concept. Experts reckon that by 2018, well over 10 000 FCEVs will be running on European roads.

Rolling out hydrogen fueling

By the end of 2015, the number of hydrogen fueling stations supporting this growing fleet in Germany is set to reach 50, with the support of the Federal Ministry for Transport along with partner companies and organisations.

Furthermore, the H₂ Mobility initiative – which Daimler, Linde, Total, and OMV are also part of – agreed last year on a detailed plan of action to expand the network to around 400 stations by 2023.

In July this year, Linde opened the world’s first small-scale production facility for hydrogen fueling stations in Vienna, Austria.

Join us for an informative webinar on the most reliable integrated AFCI solution on the market from the company who first developed the technology.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

9:00am PST

Duration: Approximately 1 hour

Cost: FREE

Chartered Environmentalist Tim Carter has joined Tidal Lagoon Power, the development company behind the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon, as head of environment to lead a team of environmental and ecology specialists. Tidal Lagoon Power also welcomes Jo Pickard, principal ecologist.  

Carter brings more than 20 years of experience to Tidal Lagoon Power, most recently serving as technical director at Hyder Consulting. There, he was primarily responsible for the environmental impact assessment of major infrastructure projects. Carter brings considerable knowledge of landscape assessment, the development of ecological mitigation proposals and the assessment of nationally significant infrastructure projects. His most recent work includes the Loughor Viaduct replacement for Network Rail and the Thanckes Oil Fuel Depot project in Plymouth, as well as a number of high-profile highways projects throughout the UK.  Carter is a Member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (MIEMA) and also a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute (CMLI). He has acted as an expert witness at Public Inquiries in both the UK and Ireland.

Jo Pickard is a specialist in habitats regulations assessment and environmental impact assessment, bringing extensive experience of working in both nature conservation and commercial ecological consultancy. She holds an MSc in Environmental Impact Assessment from Aberystwyth University, and her career has included seven years working for the Countryside Council for Wales (now Natural Resources Wales), followed by seven years working  Hyder Consulting, where she was responsible for the habitats regulations assessment and ecological input into a wide range of infrastructure projects. Pickard is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (MCIEEM) and a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv).

“Both Tim and Jo have excellent working knowledge of statutory processes and procedural requirements for nationally significant infrastructure projects, including marine, coastal, transport and property development,” said Mark Shorrock, chief executive of Tidal Lagoon Power. “Their specific experience of environmental impact assessment and liaison with statutory consultees will be of great benefit to our business as we continue with our plans to follow Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon with five full-scale tidal lagoons in UK waters, meeting approximately 8% of the UK’s electricity requirements.”

The US Energy Department has announced $25 million in funding to advance concentrating solar power (CSP) system technologies. This investment will fund research and development projects to improve the performance and increase the efficiency of all components of CSP plants, ultimately lowering the cost of solar electricity.

«Investments to improve the efficiency and lower the costs of concentrating solar power technologies enhance our ability to deliver affordable solar-generated electricity to American families and businesses, while also moving us closer to achieving President Obama’s goal of doubling renewable energy generation again by the end of the decade,» said David Danielson, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Which SMA communication option is right for you and your inverter?

SMA provides many options and this webinar will help you navigate the choices that are right for your system.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

9:00am PST

Duration: Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes

Cost: FREE