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SPI Slideshow Day One: Batteries, Policy, Awards, Oh My!
LAS VEGAS —
The Renewable Energy World team is at Solar Power International 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada gathering news, networking and taking in the show, which began with a flurry of excitement.
Click through the slideshow to see what some of the buzz was about including some exciting industry announcements and fun booth attractions from all sides of the industry.
The bustling registration area at Solar Power International in Las Vegas, NV.
Enphase Unveils New Energy Management System with Integrated Storage
LAS VEGAS —
Microinverter manufacturer Enphase unveiled an energy management system that includes a microinverter, plug-and-play battery storage, and control and monitoring capabilities today at Solar Power International.
Set to be avilable in 2015, the Enphase Energy Management System delivers on the vision of enabling large-scale implementation of solar power integrated with the grid. It integrates smart grid intelligence, communications, big data analytics and storage with a microinverter, plug-and-play storage, advanced control capabilities and load management.
“Enphase is taking a fundamentally different approach to energy management,” said Paul Nahi, Enphase CEO, in a statement. “The solar industry is dominated by static, isolated systems that do not integrate, communicate, scale or adapt quickly to changes in power generation. Our energy management system is designed to accelerate mass penetration of solar globally and make mainstream access to clean, affordable energy a reality.”
The system is built to generating solar energy that is smart-grid ready, with advanced grid functionality, and enable maximum penetration of distributed solar on the grid. Designed to meet current and future requirements, the fully bidirectional, software-defined microinverter supports reactive power control and other advanced grid functionalities. Enphase S-Series Microinverters are the most advanced and easy-to-install smart grid-ready microinverters on the market.
Each system will come equipped with 1.2 kWh of energy storage and 275-W/550-W power-output, while its control system expands from energy monitoring into into full revenue grade metering of solar production, metering of home consumption, and storage management. The Enlighten monitoring platform will allow users to remotely view their solar, storage and grid connectivity performance and via any mobile device.
The Enphase Energy Management System components will be available on a rolling basis beginning in the third quarter of 2015.
SEIA Launches New Campaign to Extend Solar Investment Tax Credit
LAS VEGAS —
The 30 percent solar investment tax credit (ITC) is set to be reduced to 10 percent in 2016, so the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has launched a new campaign for a long-term extension. SEIA President Rhone Resch explained the importance of such an extension in Solar Central at Solar Power International 2014, and called for industry support.
SEIA President Rhone Resch discusses the importance of extending the solar ITC at Solar Central.
«We need to step up in a more meaningful way,» said Resch. «Policy is important and we can’t just stay on the sidelines and expect it to happen.»
Solar has exploded since the ITC went into effect in 2016, going from an $800 million industry to a $15 bilion industry in that timeframe. SEIA expects the industry to install 20 GW of solar in the next two years, which means more capacity will be i installed each week than in the entire year of 2006. «Tell me that’s not worth fighting for,» said Resch.
Resch said that SEIA is pushing for a long-term, multi-year extension that coincides with other energy policies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act, which stretches out to 2020.
In order to achieve this, SEIA is calling for both the industry and public to get involved immediately. Companies both large and small need to join the initiative, said Resch, «the big solar players get it, but the vast majority of the industry doesn’t want to get involved. We need to change that.»
SEIA will also create an online pro-ITC public ballot to present to congress, and hopes to gather 1 million signatures by the extension deadline. The ballot will be live on the SEIA website in the coming weeks.
The entire campaign will be in full motion by 2015 when a new congress is sworn in.
Said Resch: «We are a big and growing industry, but we need to make sure we also have a big and growing voice.»
To read Resch’s SPI 2014 keynote speech, click here.
Standard Solar Completes 1.8 MW Solar Array in New Mexico
ROCKVILLE, MD.—(eSolarEnergyNews)—Standard Solar, a leader in the full-service development, construction, integration, financing and installation of solar electric systems, continues to expand westward with the completion of another solar project in New Mexico. The 1.8 Megawatt, ground-mounted solar array for the Mora-San Miguel Electric Cooperative, co-developed by Standard Solar and Ute Peak Solar, will provide approximately 5 percent of the Cooperative’s load with locally produced clean energy.
“As one of the leading states driving America’s energy boom, New Mexico is a great place for solar projects like this one for the Mora-San Miguel Electric Cooperative,” said Tony Clifford, CEO, Standard Solar. “This is Standard Solar’s latest major project in New Mexico where it has partnered with local companies to bring jobs and local production of clean energy through the development of a solar farm.”
Financing for the project was arranged through a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) by Urban Grid Holdings, LLC (Urban Grid), a specialist in the development and financing of mid- to large-sized commercial solar projects.
The 6,336 panel solar array is situated in Las Vegas, New Mexico, once a major trading stop at the end of the Santa Fe Trail and the one-time Southwestern regional headquarters for the Atchison, Topeka Santa Fe Railroad. With an expected annual output of more than 3.5 million kilowatt hours, it is forecasted to provide the Cooperative and its ratepayers energy savings of nearly $500,000 over the life of the agreement.
“We are seeing tremendous growth in the number of electric cooperatives across the United States that supports solar energy systems to provide electricity for their members. We were pleased to team up once again with Standard Solar for this project which will provide renewable electricity to the members of the Mora-San Miguel Electric Cooperative,” said Urban Grid’s CEO, Frank DePew. “With this project, the Cooperative displays their commitment to providing members with clean renewable energy from the sun without compromising its affordable rates.”
Mora-San Miguel Electric Cooperative, serves customers in Mora, San Miguel, Guadalupe and Santa Fe Counties.
Standard Solar used Energy Concepts, a local Sapello, NM electrical contractor and experienced solar installer, as the local general contractor and system installer bringing employment and revenue to the Las Vegas economy.
Standard Solar opened its newest office in Sacramento, California earlier this year and expects to announce several new commercial solar projects in the Western United States in the coming months.
“Our opportunities to expand westward have steadily increased throughout the past few years, culminating most recently in the opening of our new office in California to support our sales team and development partners,” said Scott Wiater, president, Standard Solar. “We currently have more than 16 MW under construction or awarded and a strong development pipeline. For the remainder of this year and next year we expect to see healthy growth in the Southwest and the West – as well as in our home markets on the East Coast.”
New S Series Modules by Hanwha SolarOne Deliver Significant Improvements in Cost, Performance & Quality
LAS VEGAS, NV—(eSolarEnergyNews)—Hanwha SolarOne, a top-10 global photovoltaic (PV) manufacturer of high-quality, cost-competitive solar modules, today introduced the new S Series PV modules at Solar Power International. The new modules are available immediately to customers worldwide. Hanwha SolarOne is already shipping them to customers in North America. The new S modules feature significant improvements in cost, performance and quality, and are available in both 60 and 72 cell models.
“The new S Series solar modules are a perfect melding of South Korean quality with Chinese cost efficiencies,” said Mr. Seong-woo Nam, chief executive officer of Hanwha SolarOne. “The slimmer frame will offer real savings in material and shipping costs, while the improved performance and overall quality offer great value and return on investment.”
Cost
The slimmer frame of the new modules significantly reduces material and shipping costs. The HSL 60S module’s 32 millimeter frame is 20 percent slimmer than previous generations, while the HSL 72S module’s 40 millimeter frame is 11 percent slimmer. Despite the slimmer frame, both modules maintain rating for snow loads of 5400Pa and wind loads of 4000Pa.
Performance
The biggest technological advancement in the new module is a four busbar cell architecture. Moving from a three to four busbar design results in shorter current distance and less resistance loss within each cell, yielding greater energy efficiency and higher module power output.
The new modules also boast industry leading performance of two important features: temperature coefficient and weak light performance. The improved temperature coefficient reduces efficiency loss in high temperature climates, improving from -.43 percent to -.41 percent in the S Series. The weak light performance improves from 96 to 97 percent, which translates into more energy on a cloudy day.
Quality
The S Series is a new frontier in quality and reliability for Hanwha SolarOne. The new modules will be produced entirely on automated lines, ensuring consistent and uniform quality. The advancement in quality is underscored by an increase in the first year power guarantee of the linear power warranty on the S Series modules to 97.5 percent, with an overall increase of 2 percent over the 25 year life of the warranty.
Hanwha SolarOne will exhibit the new modules at Solar Power International taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 21-23, booth #1326.
About Hanwha SolarOne
Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ:HSOL) is one of the top 10 photovoltaic module manufacturers in the world, providing cost-competitive, high quality PV modules. It is a flagship company of the Hanwha Group, a Fortune Global 500 business group in South Korea. Hanwha SolarOne serves the utility, commercial, government and residential markets through a growing network of third-party distributors, OEM manufacturers and system integrators. The company maintains a strong presence worldwide, with a global business network spanning Europe, North America, Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East. As a responsible company committed to sustainability, Hanwha SolarOne is an active member of the PV Cycle take-back and recycling program. For more information, please visit www.hanwha-solarone.com.
SolAmerica Energy Completes Two 1 MW Solar Projects under Georgia Power Advanced Solar Initiative
ATLANTA, GA—(eSolarEnergyNews)—SolAmerica Energy, a leading solar design, development and construction firm announced the completion and sale of two 1 MW ground mount solar arrays in Perry and Alma, Georgia, respectively. The projects have been acquired by SunEdison pursuant to 20-year Power Purchase Agreements with Georgia Power, as part of the Georgia Power Advanced Solar Initiative.
“We are pleased to bring these important projects on line as part of Georgia’s rapidly growing base of renewable energy assets,” said R. Stanley Allen, president of SolAmerica. “We are also proud of the fact that much of the labor and materials utilized for the projects were sourced locally and contributed to the economic development of the Perry and Alma communities.”
SolAmerica partnered with SunEdison on site acquisition, design, permitting and other pre-construction services and was responsible for the construction of both arrays. SunEdison led the financing and will own and operate the solar systems.
“Working in partnership with SolAmerica was really a pleasure,” said Bob Powell, president North America at SunEdison. “This project showcases how together we can make solar simple, rewarding, and worry-free for Georgia customers.”
The Perry solar array is located at Sam Nunn Farm, a working farm owned by the Nunn Family. The Alma array is adjacent to a carpet fiber plant owned by Milliken Company of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Each of the projects uses MEMC solar modules, inverters by Chint Power Systems, and Solar FlexRack racking systems.
A Tale of Two Booths: SPI Solar Event Marketing Hits and Misses, Part 1
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” so Charles Dickens wrote, and the same might be said for Enphase and RECOM, two solar exhibitors that were across the aisle from each other at this year’s Solar Power International.
I passed their booths several times, and every time I did, Enphase had almost wall-to-wall traffic, while RECOM’s side was nearly empty, but why? Let’s explore their differences and try to figure it out.
Location and Size: Location and size aren’t the only factors for successful booth traffic, but they certainly help to draw more attention as you enter the show floor.
But both Enphase and RECOM reserved similar-sized foot prints and both had the exact same advantage of being near the front and on the main middle aisle. Consequently, we can’t say that Enphase has more traffic because it had a better location than RECOM, so let’s look at other factors that set them apart.
Brand Recognition: Enphase is certainly a brand leader in the micro-inverter space, and RECOM is a relative new entry to the U.S. market. So one might argue that Enphase has more customers and brand recognition than the European-based RECOM.
Then again….RECOM is everywhere at the show. That is, for two years running, RECOM has paid for premium signage all over SPI in Chicago and now in Las Vegas. You literally can’t walk down any aisle at SPI and not see RECOM’s brand, since it hangs above on every banner that identifies the aisle numbers. The brand really seems like it’s everywhere, and hence, they have plenty of brand recognition at SPI. People know who they are and that they sell solar panels, but that’s apparently still not enough to drive people to the booth to find out more.
The Real Difference: Booth design and activities
Here’s where I think the real differences are: Enphase has designed their booth to stand out and educate their customers, while on the other side of the aisle, RECOM seems to have built their booth to just stand out with very little education about their products.
On the Enphase side you had four main sections:
- In one area, they have ongoing presentations about their products and services.
- In another area, they have a challenge activity that has installers competing to see who can install Enphase microinverters faster.
- In the largest area, they have a product showcase.
- Fourth, the back of the booth has a one-on-one tech support table that’s designed to be the equivalent of Apple Store’s “Genius Bar,” where IT/gateway communications questions/concerns are answered.
Of course, traffic was also enhanced at the end of the day with a happy hour with premium beers. (At solar conventions, good beer always draws a crowd.) Also, booth staffing was filled with knowledgeable Enphase product managers and sales people, not models, so customer questions could be answered by the anyone with an Enphase logo on their shirt.
Now, let’s take a look at the RECOM design and activity side.
As has been the case for the past several years, RECOM has designed an elegant custom quality booth that is built around a Greco-Roman-Big Cat theme….but it seems more strange than attractive and raises more questions than answers about their solar PV products. For example:
RECOM depicts cats as royalty this year, and I suppose that’s supposed to reflect high quality panels, but for me it just seems like an odd booth graphic.
Another oddity is placing a bunch of green apples on a single table. Why? What do they have to do with solar? In past shows, I’ve seen lemons as part of their design theme, and I just don’t understand why these pieces of fruit, though colorful, should draw anyone into their booth. It just seems out of place and meaningless, especially when surrounded by refreshment bottles.
Rather than any product seminars, RECOM’s only educational component seems to come from models in high heels passing out one-sheet spec brochures. Aside from the fact that many U.S. solar industry people think that this “booth babe” marketing tactic is disrespectful to women, shouldn’t knowledgeable solar sales people be the ones passing out spec sheets and engaging with passing installers?
In sum, I think RECOM’s elegant Greco-Roman design comes off as being cold for U.S. audiences, and the fruit theme just seems weird. And while Europeans may still like using beautiful models to attract attention, I think U.S. culture believes that this marketing tactic objectifies women and is disrespectful. So, rather than draw people into the booth, I think that these tactics make potential solar customers uncomfortable. Instead, I’d suggest that RECOM consider redesigning its future U.S. booths and activities to reflect the needs of its potential SPI customers rather than just “putting on a show.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, Enphase created an atmosphere that was not only friendly and inviting, but also educational and entertaining to its SPI audience of installers who are looking for solutions to their problems, not just entertainment. As a result, I think that’s why its both was much more successful and attracted so many visitors throughout the day.
Next week in Part II, I’ll post some more SPI solar event marketing hits and misses that I saw at the show. Until then…UnThink Solar.
Tor Valenza a.k.a. “Solar Fred” is the founder and CMO of UnThink Solar, and the author of Solar Fred’s Guide to Solar Guerrilla Marketing. For more solar marketing info, sign up for the UnThink Solar newsletter or follow @SolarFred on Twitter.
REC Solar Operations and Maintenance Business Surpasses 175 MW
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA—(eSolarEnergyNews)—REC Solar, a solar solutions provider and energy partner for businesses, today announced that its operations and maintenance (OM) business has surpassed 175 MW under contract. This milestone represents a 12-fold increase in OM business since 2009 and reflects surging market demand for high-quality end-to-end solar solutions that ensure ongoing solar performance.
In addition to providing OM for its existing solar customers, REC Solar was one of the first companies to serve projects built by other solar developers. By complying with a range of technical standards, REC Solar can provide OM services for complex systems that many other companies have steered away from. Recent OM deals include a 13 MW system in California where existing tracking technology required a more robust solution.
“More and more solar customers are learning that ongoing operations and maintenance is a critical part of REC Solar’s high-quality end-to-end solar solutions,” said Al Bucknam, REC Solar CEO. “Over nearly seventeen years of developing, installing and maintaining more than 400 commercial systems, REC Solar has developed a wealth of best practices to help everyone from national retailers to family farms get more out of their systems.”
“REC Solar’s high-quality services help customers maintain, and even increase, the value of their PV systems over time. For example, we recently boosted the performance of a customer’s five-year old 10 MW rooftop portfolio above levels achieved even at the very beginning of the system’s lifespan,” said Mike Borger, Senior Portfolio Manager at REC Solar. “These returns are gaining notice across the market, as much of our strong growth has come from becoming ‘foster parents’ to systems built by other contractors.”
REC Solar’s OM division achieves performance increases by evaluating historic performance, modeling performance, leading a detailed review of underperformance events and developing mitigation plans. This methodology has helped customers consistently exceed projections for energy production and availability.
According to GTM Research, the global market for OM will exceed 88 GW by the end of 2014, and is expected to nearly triple by 2018.
Enphase Energy Introduces New Energy Management System to Accelerate Mainstream Solar Adoption
LAS VEGAS, NV—(eSolarEnergyNews)—Enphase Energy today announced the Enphase Energy Management System, a groundbreaking system for energy management that delivers on the vision of enabling large-scale implementation of solar power integrated with the grid.
The Enphase system intelligently integrates the critical technologies needed to solve solar energy challenges at scale: smart grid intelligence, communications, big data analytics and storage. The energy management system offers the next-generation, smart-grid ready Enphase microinverter, plug-and-play storage, advanced control capabilities and load management. The new system has three distinct advantages: it provides a better return on investment for system owners, expands the range of profitable business models for installers, and provides broader insight into and control for utilities.
“Enphase is taking a fundamentally different approach to energy management,” said Paul Nahi, Enphase CEO. “The solar industry is dominated by static, isolated systems that do not integrate, communicate, scale or adapt quickly to changes in power generation. Our energy management system is designed to accelerate mass penetration of solar globally and make mainstream access to clean, affordable energy a reality.”
Benefits for Solar System Owners
Building on the company’s track record of disruptive technology innovation, the Enphase Energy Management System is a leap forward in reliability, productivity, cost savings and total energy management. By making solar energy more affordable today and reliable for the future, Enphase is providing owners with more choice and control to optimize and manage their energy.
Benefits for Installers and Distributors
Solar installers and distributors are faced with a rapidly changing energy landscape. With the seamless integration of solar generation, storage, cloud-connected communications and load management on a unified, future-proof platform, installers and distributors can more easily manage the design, installation and management of solar arrays. This higher level of efficiency helps installers and distributors operate more profitably.
Benefits for Utility Companies
The Enphase Energy Management System provides utilities with a higher level of visibility, insight and control over the energy grid. The smart-grid ready system shares information, and in some cases control functions, with the utilities over the cloud. By making it easier for utilities to integrate and sustain solar energy on an optimized energy grid, Enphase systems help maximize their profits and their infrastructure.
The Enphase Energy Management System is comprised of four main components:
Generation
Generating solar energy that is smart-grid ready, with advanced grid functionality, enables maximum penetration of distributed solar on the grid. Designed to meet current and future requirements, the fully bidirectional, software-defined microinverter supports reactive power control and other advanced grid functionalities. Enphase S-Series Microinverters are the most advanced and easy-to-install smart grid-ready microinverters on the market.
Storage
Enphase AC Battery™ is an advanced energy storage solution with a modular, plug-and-play storage device fully integrated into the Enphase Energy Management System. Based on a distributed architecture, the AC Battery is a safe, reliable and easy-to-install storage solution, designed for residential and commercial applications. The modular battery provides system owners with the ability to store solar energy for future or nighttime use, optimizing solar power consumption and giving owners greater energy independence. More details available in separate announcement, click here.
Control
Enphase’s new Envoy-S expands from energy monitoring into full revenue grade metering of solar production, metering of home consumption, and storage management. Ruggedly constructed and suitable for installation in outdoor enclosures, the Envoy-S offers a full range of networking connectivity options. In addition to Ethernet, integrated Wi-Fi not only allows for easy connection to broadband systems but also functions simultaneously as an access point for integration with Enphase’s mobile application and other home automation solutions. An optional cellular modem completes the package; designed in collaboration with ATT, the plug-and-play M2M data plan makes networking a snap.
Energy Management
Enphase’s Enlighten software platform enables customers to monitor system performance from any PC tablet or smartphone. Enlighten also monitors and optimizes the use of all energy sources—solar, stored and grid—providing remote visibility and control to every installation. Enlighten alerts system owners to performance issues, proactively supports operations and maintenance activities for installers, and helps utilities optimize and manage the grid, revealing trends and opportunities.
The Enphase Energy Management System components will be available on a rolling basis beginning in the third quarter of 2015.
To learn more about the new Enphase Energy Management System and other innovations, visit Enphase Energy at Solar Power International (Booth 812) in Las Vegas, October 21-23, 2014 or visit www.enphase.com/whatsnext.