Researchers from Italy’s University of Camerino have developed a novel way to recover silver from end-of-life solar cells.

Combining hydrometallurgical and electrochemical processes, they were reportedly able to recover pure silver at an efficiency of 98%. Hydrometallurgical processes, or leaching, use aqueous solutions to extract metals, while electrochemical processes refer to the use of electric currents to drive reactions in metals.

“The retrieval of raw materials is crucial for multiple reasons,” explained the academics. “Conventional metal extraction techniques, such as open-pit mining, can inflict substantial harm on the environment and neighboring ecosystems. Therefore, employing a metal recovery process based on industrial wastes can mitigate the environmental impact associated with metal production. Additionally, metal recovery generally requires less energy than extracting metals from ore, leading to reduced energy consumption and lower carbon emissions, especially if the recovery rate is comparable to or higher than traditional extraction methods.”

Due to the close values of the standard reduction potential of silver and copper, the leaching of silver particles from PV waste is challenging. To overcome this, the researchers proposed a combined base-activated persulfate and ammonia, with persulfate acting as an oxidizing agent, while the system itself generates a protective hermetic layer of copper (II) oxide, preventing its own leaching.

To test the proposed process, the researchers conducted an experiment consisting of varying parameters for the leaching process. Those were the concentration of ammonia (NH₃) in a solution, measured in moles per liter (mol/L); PV waste sample, in grams per liter (g/L); potassium persulfate (PPS), in mol/L; and reaction time, in minutes. The temperature was kept at 25 C and the stirring rate at 300 rpm during all the experiments.

“The following conditions were chosen as best: 0.5 M of NH₃, 0.2 mol/L of PPS, S/L ratio to 50 g/L, and reaction time set to 60 min,” the academics explained. “Two additional experiments were conducted under these conditions to assess reproducibility. When combined with the two previous tests from the experimental design, an average of 85.0±2.6% was achieved at a 95% confidence interval.”

Despite these good results, 85% of the recovered pure silver was considered insufficient by the research group, which decided to initiate the electrochemical process. Namely, the electrodeposition-redox replacement (EDRR) approach using a pulsed electrodeposition method. “This technique, previously reported in the literature, enables the recovery of highly pure silver metal from hydrometallurgical leachate containing copper ions,” the team explained.

The best conditions for silver recovery were found to be with the EDRR approach, which reportedly achieved an efficiency of 98.7%. “It is noteworthy to mention that this approach proves to be selective in its recovery of silver and does not require any chemical addition. This unique feature renders this methodology competitive in comparison to conventional processes,” the scientists concluded.

The novel method and the results of the experiments were presented in “Silver recovery from silicon solar cells waste by hydrometallurgical and electrochemical technique,” published in Environmental Technology & Innovation. The study was conducted in partnership with ORIM, an Italian company specializing in metal recovery from solid waste.

Silent Yachts has launched the first three-decker redesign of its Silent 62 solar electric catamaran. The Silent 62 3-Deck features three separate solar module arrays totaling 17 kWp, an integrated energy storage system recently upgraded from 286 kWh to 350 kWh. Introduced in 2019, the Silent 60 series builds on the legacy of the Silent 64, which made headlines in 2018 as the first solar-powered yacht to successfully cross the Atlantic. The ship cruises at 6 to 8 knots and can reach peak speeds of 16 to 18 knots.

Owned by Austrian business leaders and based in Fano, Italy, Silent Yachts has recently expanded into a new production facility. This facility spans over 230,000 square feet and includes five buildings equipped for shipbuilding, two of which are topped with solar modules. The company celebrated the launch of its first boat from this new facility in February 2023.

pv magazine USA spoke with owners Michael Köhler & Mick Long about some of the finer details of their craft.

The Silent 62 3-Deck yacht’s highlight is its configurable third deck, which comes in three configurations: an open ‘sky lounge,’ a closed sky lounge, or a closed owner’s suite. The new model featured an open sky lounge, complete with a bar, galley and a 12-seat dining table. This yacht is outfitted with 42 SunPower X400+ modules totaling 16.8 kWp, backed by a 40-year warranty. Where the Flybridge model incorporates lightweight Solbian Maxeon3 panels on its retractable roof to reduce weight, the roofs of the 3-Deck versions are equipped with SunPower glass panels. Models ordered this year will include marginally higher wattage, pushing the total potential production up over 17 kWp.

The CEO of Silent Yachts, Michael Köhler, confirmed the use of these panels, along with a robust 350 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery pack. This pack features a quiet liquid-cooling system that enhances charging rates and extends the lifecycle to up to 3,500 recharge cycles. Propulsion is provided by dual 340 kW electric motors. The system operates primarily at 24VDC for navigation, lighting, and pumps, with household appliances at 230VAC and high-power systems like motors and thrusters at 800VDC.

The Silent 62 yacht is equipped with advanced desalination equipment capable of producing up to 3,600 liters of fresh water per day. This system is efficient, consuming about 4 kWh to produce 1,000 liters of water, which aligns closely with the daily output of approximately one or two of the yacht’s solar panels. This integration ensures that water production is sustainable and minimally impacts the yacht’s overall energy reserves, making it ideal for extended voyages where freshwater is crucial.

A Youtube channel “Heart of Gold Lifeboat” provided a review of an earlier variant of the Silent 60, detailing the specifications and orientation of the electrical equipment and powertrain. The newer Silent 62 3-Deck has been updated with RS230 AH batteries, each offering 11.8 kWh, arranged in a 28-unit configuration. This model also features a proprietary power management system, which replaces the previously used Victron Energy Quattro combined inverter/charger. Additionally, the Volvo Penta D3 220 generator has been upgraded to a Hyundai S270 semi-commercial engine.

Accommodating up to 12 guests in its five cabins, the Silent 62 3-Deck is priced starting just over $2 million.

At the RE+ event in Las Vegas this past September, pv magazine USA connected with 3Sun’s Giovanni Bertolino. Topics ranged from 3Sun’s burgeoning product line, their expertise in heterojunction (HJT) technology, future endeavors in Oklahoma, to a sneak peek into their next-gen solar panels.

Historically, 3Sun has produced solar modules exclusively for its parent company, Enel. However, it is now advancing plans to expand its facility in Italy and establish a new manufacturing center in Oklahoma. The strategic decision in May 2023 to make Oklahoma its primary solar hub, with a potential capacity reaching up to 6 GW, has earned the company substantial tax benefits and praise from local officials.

A recurrent question in solar industry forums is the availability of 3Sun’s modules. At the moment, unless you’re an insider at Enel’s development team, purchasing these modules is off the table. However, that exclusivity is about to change. Bolstered by a grant from the European Commission, 3Sun’s 200 MW facility in Catania, Italy, is slated to ramp up production. By 2024, the facility aims to achieve a 3,000 MW annual production capacity, positioning it as Europe’s largest solar panel manufacturing facility.

The European Commission’s pivotal backing in 2011, which enabled Enel to launch a thin film manufacturing facility, underscores this venture as both strategic and promising for the European sector.

The solar efficiency revolution will be heterojunction

Tracing back to 3Sun’s evolution, Bertolino emphasized that the company’s proficiency in manufacturing the current HJT models is rooted in its original experience manufacturing thin film solar modules starting in 2011. HJT and thin film share manufacturing characteristics that differ substantially from silicon modules. The company initiated its shift to HJT panels in 2018, launching their first automated manufacturing line the following year. By early 2020, 3Sun had announced the creation of an HJT solar cell with an efficiency of 24.63%.

Expertise in HJT has empowered the company to announce a commercial solar module with a 25% efficiency earlier this year. Set for release in the coming year, this marvel was showcased at the RE+ event in Las Vegas. For now, it’s poised to be the highest efficiency solar module available in the market.

The residential offshoot from this range promises a peak 24.5% efficiency, while its utility-scale counterpart edges slightly higher at 24.6%. The solar cells based on this product line are G12 sized (210 mm) n-type products.

Bertolino noted that the utility-scale variant, employing a glass-glass encapsulation with 95% bifaciality, degrades at a rate of less than 0.25% per year. As a result, the module retains, under warranty, at least 91.8% of its initial efficiency after 30 years. This rate closely mirrors Meyer Burger’s module degradation rate of 0.2%, a figure confirmed by CEO, Dr. Gunter Erfurt, following 1,000 hours of accelerated testing.

When asked whether 3Sun’s module had a similar ‘near zero’ degradation value in testing, but settled on a reasonable 0.25% due to legal prudence, Bertolino confirmed as much.

Bertolino spoke very highly of his company’s capabilities with HJT technology and its prospective contributions to the future of the industry. This author’s longstanding admiration for HJT technology can be found in our previous article, “The solar efficiency revolution will be heterojunction.”

Coming to America!

In May, 3Sun was awarded up to $180 million in benefits to establish their U.S.-based solar manufacturing facility in Oklahoma. The funding, a surplus from the state’s 2022 budget, requires 3Sun to create a minimum of 1,400 jobs.

Groundbreaking for the HJT manufacturing lines is slated for early 2024. Initial module production is targeted for 2024, with general availability in mid-2025. The production line is anticipated to churn out 1.5 GW of modules in 2025, scaling to 3.0 GW in 2026. Given the right business demand, the facility has the potential to expand to 6 GW.

Bartolino highlighted the strategic importance of the industrial park’s infrastructure in Inola, Oklahoma. The planned factory site is the Tulsa Port of Inola, adjacent to the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation system, ensuring cost-effective and low carbon module transportation.

Questions regarding 3Sun’s perovskite ambitions were met with an intriguing answer: 3Sun aspires to build a perovskite-silicon tandem solar line during the Oklahoma facility’s second phase.

The company recently announced a 27.1% efficiency perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell.

3Sun said their experience with HJT solar panels has put them in a position to deliver perovskite-silicon modules. The HJT modules’ production process, especially its vapor deposition phase – a method 3Sun is familiar with from their thin film days – aligns closely with perovskite production. This deposition technique, along with HJT’s lower temperature manufacturing processes, closely resembles the method used to apply perovskite layers to standard silicon solar cells.

Bartolino stated that 3Sun’s perovskite-silicon manufacturing is “very well advanced”, noting that the company has full-sized perovskite-silicon cells. In contrast, other entities with higher efficiency records operate with smaller research cells. Bartolino informed pv magazine USA that 3Sun is currently fine-tuning its machine line, which seamlessly integrates with its extant HJT technology.

The company speculates that the perovskite + silicon production line and product might be operational in 2025, with full-scale production by the end of 2026. Deliveries are possible by 2027.

This article was amended on Oct. 23 to correctly identify the port in the U.S. as Inola.

Solar power accounted for the highest portion of new generating capacity additions to the United States’ electricity grid each of the last four years, a trend that has continued into 2023. Historically, solar capacity was increased by installing more panels, but this approach is unsustainable as land availability decreases and costs rise.

Instead, bringing more solar energy online will rely on improving generation efficiency. This is a challenge the industry has been slow to solve. Despite their generation limitations, single-junction solar cells are still commonly used in solar panels. However, US domestic solar production has a new contender.

3SUN USA announced its intention to build one of the largest solar PV module and cell manufacturing facilities in Inola, Oklahoma, earlier this year. This will be 3SUN’s second facility. Its first, in Catania, Italy – the birthplace of CORE-H technology – has produced solar cells and modules since 2011. The facility is expanding and increasing production from 200 to 3,000 MW annually to become Europe’s largest photovoltaic cell and module factory. Now the trusted solar manufacturer is bringing its decade-plus of global experience and its bifacial hetero-junction technology (HJT) to utility, commercial, and residential customers in the US.

HJT is a solar panel manufacturing technique that produces panels by overlapping layers of material with different characteristics. For example, one layer of crystalline silicon overlaps one of amorphous silicon, a combination 3SUN calls CORE-H.

The CORE-H arrangement of crystalline and amorphous silicon layers elevates solar energy production beyond the limits of more commonly used arrangements, like passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC), passivated emitter rear totally diffused (PERT), or tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cells. Once constructed, 3SUN bifacial HJT CORE-H solar cells capture sunlight on two sides, ensuring a high performance that broke the world record for efficiency in 2020, converting 24.63%.

In addition to increased efficiency, 3SUN’s solar cells offer users lower degradation of performance over time and increased stability in wet environments and at high temperatures. These benefits will be particularly important as climate change spurs increasingly extreme weather across the country.

“Decarbonizing the energy sector is incredibly important to securing the future of our planet,” Giovanni Bertolino, Head of 3SUN USA said. “By producing efficient, reliable photovoltaic modules for both utility-scale and distributed generation installations, we enable a more sustainable solution to the decarbonization challenge. And we’re doing it with 100% renewable electricity in our 3SUN USA facility.”

3SUN’s technology is uniquely informed by its affiliation with Enel, the world’s largest private player in the renewable energy sector. Built with insight into the most pressing challenges facing renewable generation facilities, 3SUN has developed and finessed cutting-edge technology to drive innovation in the growing domestic solar industry. Panels produced in the Catania facility will be available to support the US market in early 2024 while the US facility is under construction.

“A more innovative, efficient solar industry benefits everyone,” Bertolino said. “I look forward to seeing its growth and opportunity as advancements like bifacial hetero-junction technology become the standard.”

From pv magazine Italy

The recent hail storms that occurred in northern Italy have drawn attention to the damage that these sudden and violent atmospheric events can cause to photovoltaic systems. Several system owners have posted photos of damaged plants on social networks, clearly demonstrating the violence of the hailstorms and, above all, the size of the hailstones, which in some cases even reached 20 cm in diameter.

But how big do these grains have to be to damage a photovoltaic system? What can be considered a critical threshold beyond which the damage becomes significant?

pv magazine Italy tried to answer these questions by dusting off a 2019 report by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA) which had investigated the insurance damage data of a historic hailstorm that occurred in June 2016 in the Netherlands.

According to the conclusions of the Dutch researchers, damage to solar panels occurs primarily with hailstones with a maximum size of at least 3 cm. “Larger hailstones (more than 4 cm) cause more damage on average than smaller hailstones, but they also show greater variety in the amount of damage to solar panels,” they explained in the paper “The vulnerability of solar panels to hail.”

Starting at 3 cm, both invisible and visible damage can occur, but starting at 4 cm, the percentage of visible damage increases significantly.

The smallest cracks (microcracks) do not form in the front glass layer but in the silicon, resulting in no reduction of the initial yield. After a few months, however, the damaged areas may begin to show a rapid drop in power, and after about a year the micro-cracks also become visible on the outside of the panel. All damage then reduces the lifespan of a solar panel.

The orientation of the roof relative to the direction of the hail can greatly affect the damage caused by hail to solar panels, the researchers explained, noting that this factor could be even more decisive than the size of the hailstones.

Then there is some empirical evidence – on the other hand, not too significant – that even the angle at which the solar panels are installed can influence the damage to the solar panels. A greater inclination, according to the conclusions of the scientists, would help to moderate the damage.

The study also shows that the frequency of hailstorms is increasing in Europe and the Netherlands, as is the damage caused by hailstorms. This indicates that exposed items, such as solar panels, could become more vulnerable in the future.

“Hail risk and the vulnerability of solar panels to hail should be included in risk models and climate adaptation strategies,” the Dutch researchers concluded.

Enel North America affiliate 3Sun USA is scouring the U.S. for locations to build a 3 GW bifacial solar module and cell manufacturing facility with plans to scale up production at the facility to 6 GW per year.

Construction at the yet undisclosed location is to begin in the first half of 2023, with production anticipated by late 2024.  The facility is expected to create up to 1,500 new full-time jobs and supports the domestic solar PV supply chain.

“Recent policy tailwinds from the Inflation Reduction Act have served as a catalyst for our solar manufacturing ambitions in the US, ushering in a new era of made-in-America energy,” said Enrico Viale, head of Enel North America.

The proposed facility will be Enel’s second global PV manufacturing facility. The company previously announced the expansion of its 3Sun gigafactory in Catania, Sicily, increasing production capacity from 200 MW to 3 GW.

For the U.S. facility Enel intends to produce the same type of modules as its Sicily plant is producing, the bifacial heterojunction (B-HJT) PV cells, which capture more sunlight as the cells can respond to light on both front and rear surfaces.

3Sun’s B-HJT PV cells have already produced at high-efficiency levels. In February 2020 Enel announced that the cells carried a 24.63% efficiency, setting a record established by the Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin, Germany.

Currently fewer than five large-scale solar gigafactories (over 1 GW) are operating in the U.S., while annual PV installations are projected to grow from 16 GW to 41 GW in 2025, according to Wood Mackenzie.

Energy Dome is a winner in the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Pioneers 2022 technology competition for its development and commercialization of the CO2 Battery long-duration energy storage technology, under the category “providing round-the-clock zero-emissions power.”  Energy Dome is the first Italian company to win the prestigious competition.

Energy Dome’s emission-free energy storage method uses carbon dioxide in a closed loop charge/discharge cycle that can store and dispatch renewable energy onto the grid over periods from four to 24 hours. Energy Dome reports that it plans to build energy storage projects at half the cost of lithium-ion battery storage technology globally. Energy Dome’s first commercial CO2 Battery storage facility is under construction in Sardinia, Italy and now offers the CO2 Battery on utility scale, with performance warranties. Energy Dome also recently signed an agreement with Ansaldo Energia that envisions developing as many as 30 energy storage facilities over the next five years in Italy, Germany, the Middle East, and Africa. The facilities will use Energy Dome’s non-flammable, non-toxic carbon dioxide-based energy storage solution to store and dispatch power around the clock.

BNEF Pioneers annually identifies the most promising and impactful technologies that can accelerate global decarbonization and halt climate change. Pioneers such as Energy Dome are innovators in sectors including energy, transport, materials, manufacturing, consumer products, and agriculture.

“To be selected as a BNEF Pioneers 2022 winner is not only a huge honor, but also a strong validation of our technology and product, the CO2 Battery, which we are deploying at commercial scale,” said Claudio Spadacini, Energy Dome founder and CEO . “We are already seeing strong global interest in the CO2 Battery, which uses tried and tested components, costs half of lithium-ion technology, is highly efficient (Round Trip Efficiency 75+%) and has no performance degradation during its 30+ year project lifetime. We believe the CO2 Battery will help significantly accelerate the clean energy transition by replacing baseload fossil fuels with fully dispatchable solar and wind energy.”

From pv magazine global

Business data company IHS Markit has predicted lithium-ion battery prices will not fall until 2024, thanks to rising metal prices, soaring demand for electric vehicles (EVs), and China’s near monopoly on the industry.

The analyst, which has produced a list of cleantech trends for 2022, also said current green hydrogen project timescales will have the world on schedule for a supply crunch of the energy storage medium in 2025.

Amid fierce EV demand for lithium-ion phosphate batteries, London-based, S&P Global-owned IHS has predicted a battery module price increase of 5% this year will drive up the overall cost of stationary battery projects around 3%.

With the analyst having recorded lithium-ion battery price rises of 10-20% in the “later months of 2021,” it predicted price tags will not return to a downward trajectory for another two years and even that development will depend on manufacturers expanding production capacity and seeing off demand from EV makers.

The green hydrogen bottleneck anticipated mid decade is in part a result of project announcements that included plans laid last year for almost 250GW of electrolyzer capacity – up from 70GW worth of announcements in 2020, and less than 15GW in 2019. IHS, however, predicted further electrolyzer production plans this year and next will help ease any supply squeeze and reiterated an estimate Europe’s green hydrogen demand alone is expected to require up to 250GW of solar generation capacity this decade.

Noting moves by the US and India to onshore solar manufacturing, IHS said it expects the logistics and input cost headaches, which drove up the price of solar panels last year will continue to inflate costs this year, particularly for the next four months. The market data firm did state, however, new manufacturing capacity of solar panel raw material polysilicon is coming online faster than expected, solar wafers are becoming more efficient, and new wafer producers are entering the market.

While solar and wind prices may continue to rise this year, IHS said, clean energy remains competitive, in part thanks to cheaper financing costs as banks become accustomed to backing such projects and the world experiences a continued enthusiasm for green finance.

Smaller

Solar projects with generation capacities no larger than 5MW will account for 45% of new arrays this year, according to IHS Markit, with China and Germany driving more than 60% of demand in the segment.

Brazil will continue to see demand for sub-5MW projects, with net-metered arrays installed through next year not subject to grid charges, and established smaller-scale solar markets in the US and France will be joined by new entrants, with a graphic produced by IHS Markit suggesting they could include Japan, India and Italy.

Home and business rooftop arrays continue to be competitive despite rising panel prices, IHS said, because they are competing against retail energy prices rather than the wholesale levels, with which utility scale projects have to contend.

Magaldi Green Energy, a unit of Italy-based dry bottom ash handling system provider Magaldi Power Spa, has developed a thermal storage system for long-duration storage based on a fluidized sand bed.

The Magaldi Green Thermal Energy Storage (MGTES) can be charged with renewable electricity or thermal energy such as waste heat generated by industrial thermal processes. Its discharge phase consists of the production of green thermal energy — steam or hot air — which can be used directly in industrial plants or for the generation of electricity using steam turbines. 

“Our storage technology can be used in the steam section of existing thermoelectric power plants based on the Rankine cycle or combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT) plants,” Letizia Magaldi, executive vice president at Magaldi Green Energy, told pv magazine.

The system consists of a blower, a fluidization air blowing system, a fluidization air suction system, an air filter and fan, an air pre-heater, and an integrated thermal energy storage module. Silica sands are the system’s storage media.

The fluidization system is the core of the technology and is claimed to have high thermal diffusivity. The manufacturer ensures it is well insulated and that thermal losses are lower than 2% per day. The absence of convection and the insulation of the tank are said to limit the heat exchange with the outside of the casing, thus minimizing energy losses. The system is discharged by reversing the integrated heat exchanger within the fluidized bed and the stored energy is released as superheated steam.

The system’s operating temperature can reach up to 1,000 degrees Celsius and its roundtrip efficiency is reportedly over 90% for heat production and between 35 and 45% for electricity generation.

Magaldi Green Energy claims the MGTES has a 30-year lifetime and describes it as a customizable solution with different capacities. “By varying the mass of solid particles contained in each module, it is possible to configure a storage capacity between 5 and 100 MWh,” it further explained.

The system Capex is estimated by the company at around $65,000/MWh. “We expect to reduce costs by at least 50% over the next 10 years from economies of scale and design improvements,” Magaldi stated.

*The article was updated on November 5 to reflect that the system Capex is $65,000/MWh.

A fold-out solar umbrella design that was inspired in part by NASA spacecraft and in part by origami could bring clean energy to beachfront resorts for July 4th and beyond.

Dubbed the Parelio for Sammontana, the design is a collaboration between innovation firm Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA), architect Italo Rota, and gelato-maker Sammontana. 

The fold-out array is meant to be deployed in the sun, shading beachgoers and generating PV energy that feeds attachable nebulizers and coolers underneath. This provides a way to keep the beachgoer, their drinks, and Italian ice cream cool on a hot summer’s day. 

The project was supported by “transformable design” proponent professor Chuck Hoberman of Harvard, who worked with Italo Rota and MIT professor Carlo Ratti on the design. The modular system means that multiple umbrellas can be strung together, leaving it up to resorts to be creative with how they integrate the technology.  

The umbrella is 8.2 feet high, has a 10.5-foot diameter, and includes panels over the entire top. A prototype is on display in the Porta Nuova district of Milan, Italy from June 12th to August 8th.

The solar umbrella is one of many ways designers are finding ways to integrate pv technology in unlikely spaces, like windows and blinds.

SolarEdge Technologies reported that quarter-on-quarter revenues inched up 2% to $338.1 million in Q3, on the back of record solar revenues in Europe and significant quarterly growth in residential solar installations and sell-through in North America.

“In September sell-through reported by our distributors [in North America] was up 22% in residential and more than 40% up in commercial megawatts sold when compared to August, and [it was] at a level higher than the same month in 2019. As a result, current distributor inventory of our residential products are at a healthy level,” Zvi Lando, CEO of SolarEdge said. In light of this, the company anticipates 50% growth in residential sales in North America in Q4, he added.

The situation in commercial solar is more complex, however, and the European and North American markets are following a similar pattern.

“Initially, there was an expectation that commercial will overcome the pandemic at a faster pace, and as such, distributors and EPCs increased inventory during the first months of the pandemic. In actuality, commercial installations both in Europe and the U.S. – and even in Australia – are recovering slower than residential, and inventories in the channel are still high,” Lando said during yesterday’s Q3 earnings call.

Even though the commercial market has been slow during the pandemic, Lando said that he expects this segment to see significant growth as the market recovers in 2021.

Despite the onset of a second wave of the global pandemic in Europe, SolarEdge reported record solar revenues of $165.6 million in Europe in Q3, up from $144.3 million in the previous quarter.

During Q3, revenues generated from the sale of solar products from Europe represented 53% of SolarEdge’s $312.5 million in solar revenues. Although much of last quarter’s increase in Europe was due to strength in the Netherlands and Germany, traditionally strong markets for SolarEdge, the company also reported growth and record revenues in France, Poland and Switzerland.

The latest rounds of Covid-related lockdowns in Europe and all of the question marks around the pandemic are a concern, but SolarEdge is optimistic about next year, Lando said.

“During the first round of lockdowns in most of the world, residential continued almost without interruption,” he said. Throughout the first phase of the pandemic, Europe was installing at a higher rate than residential installation in 2019, he pointed out. Based on the signs that his company is seeing now, Lando thinks that this pattern will repeat during the current round of lockdowns in Europe, Australia and elsewhere.

For SolarEdge, the bigger restraint around the lockdowns is the ability to move people around. “That has definitely impacted [us], and [it] will probably be a couple of more months at least until that begins to ease,” Lando said. SolarEdge’s research and development activities have continued as planned, but pandemic-related travel restrictions have impacted the company’s certification and production target dates. “And we expect this will delay the release of our residential battery by several months,” Lando reported.

On a megawatt basis, in Q3 SolarEdge delivered 419 megawatts to the U.S., 708 megawatts to Europe and 254 megawatts to the rest of the world. Whereas residential products represented 49% of its megawatts shipped, commercial products were 51%.
Last quarter of SolarEdge’s top 10 solar customers represented 61% of its solar revenues. Two distributors alone accounted for more than 10% of the company’s quarterly revenues in Q3, Ronen Faier, SolarEdge’s CFO noted.

SolarEdge finished Q3 well positioned for growth; at the end of the quarter, its cash, cash equivalents, bank deposits, restricted bank deposits and investments stood at $1.2 billion, due in part to a convertible loan raised at the end of the quarter.
During the third quarter, SolarEdge generated $28.4 million in cash flow from operations.

Second quarter 2020 highlights

• Revenues of $331.9 million (down 23% q-q and up 2% from the same quarter last year)
• Revenues from solar products of $310.1 million
• GAAP gross margin of 31.0%
• GAAP net income of $36.7 million, down 13% from the prior quarter.
• GAAP net diluted EPS of $0.70, down from $0.81 in the prior quarter
• 1.44 GW (AC) of inverters shipped

Second Quarter 2020 Summary

GAAP operating expenses were $73.0 million, up 1% from $72.2 million in the prior quarter and up 12% from $65.3 million in the same quarter last year.

GAAP operating income was $30.0 million, down 56% from $67.8 million in the prior quarter and down 34% from $45.4 million in the same quarter last year.

As of June 30, 2020, cash and cash equivalents totaled $592.7 million, compared to $467.5 million on December 31, 2019.

Guidance for Q3 2020

SolarEdge provided guidance for Q3 2020

• Revenues to be within the range of $325 million to $350 million
• Non-GAAP gross margin expected to be within the range of 32% to 34%
• Revenues from solar products to be within the range of $305 million to $325 million

Sales in Europe have returned

According to the the company’s presentation, “sales and installations in Europe have returned, and in some countries exceeding, pre-Covid-19 rate.” The company sees “signs of recovery in the U.S.”

The company sees “tracking indicators such as weekly new orders, installation rates and distributor sell outs all trending positively.”

SolarEdge stock is up 12% after hours and up 82% this year.

Blackstone acquired NRStor, a Toronto-based developer of large-scale battery storage projects in North America. Terms were not disclosed. NRStor has over 200 MWh of operational, in-construction and contracted battery projects. Fengate and Lake Bridge Capital are NRStor’s major stakeholders.

Spruce acquisition spree continues: Spruce Finance just closed on the acquisition of a 27.6 MW solar asset portfolio made up of 3,668 residential rooftops from Greenbacker. Spruce is a private holder of residential solar assets with more than 200 MW under management. Spruce acquired 31.3 MW of rooftop solar assets from Atalaya Capital a few months ago. Source: Spruce Finance

$89 M RINGO energy storage project starts work in France: Italian multinational Nidec started work on the first energy storage system in France as part of an $89 M pilot for French transmission system operator RTE to “optimize management of energy flows on the transmission grid in Vingeanne in the Côte-d’Or department of eastern France.” RTE aims to prevent grid congestion at peak demand with help from a 12 MW/24 MWh lithium-ion battery. Source: Power Engineering

Wind turbine records: 2019 saw nearly 100GW of global wind turbine order capacity, shattering the previous record set in 2018. China is integral to this growth, both onshore and offshore. Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas dominated in 2019. Source: WoodMac

Inverter big shot ABB has announced its exit from solar inverters by agreeing Italian power electronics manufacturer Fimer can acquire its PV inverter business.

ABB said its inverter business generated $290 million in revenue last year. A portfolio of products, systems, and services for different types of solar installations held by ABB’s electrification business will be sold to Fimer.

“We are glad to announce this further step in our development as Fimer’s focus on the solar business will be greatly enhanced by this integration,” said Fimer CEO Filippo Carzaniga. “Our commitment to positively influencing the energy market will be realized through the development of new product platforms and innovative digital technologies.”

The head of the northern Italian business added: “With a strengthened portfolio we are better placed to shape the future of this increasingly strategic business.”

ABB did not disclose how much Fimer would pay for its inverter unit but did reveal it would shoulder costs of around $430 million in the recently ended three-month period as part of the transaction. That relates to ABB agreeing to cover warranty risks and other liabilities and will be paid to Fimer over six years. “ABB expects up to $40 million of carve-out related separation costs, starting in the second half of 2019”, the company said.

Rationale

ABB said disposing of the low-margin unit would help its electrification business reach its overall profit margin aim of 15-19%.

Both companies expect the deal to be completed in the first quarter of next year and the sale is subject to conditions being agreed with employee representative bodies. ABB said it intends to retain all 800 inverter business employees, spread across more than 30 countries. The company has manufacturing and R&D sites in Finland, India and Italy.

Fimer has a plant in Vimercate, near Monza for its inverter, welding, and electric mobility businesses.

“The divestment is in line with our strategy of ongoing systematic portfolio management to strengthen competitiveness [and] focus on the quality of revenue and higher growth segments,” said Tarak Mehta, president of ABB’s electrification business. “Solar is a well-established and key focus for Fimer and as such we believe them to be a very good owner for ABB’s solar inverter business. The combination of the portfolios under Fimer will support further sales growth. Through our intelligent low and medium-voltage offering, ABB will continue to integrate solar power into a range of smart solutions including smart buildings, energy storage and electric vehicle charging.”

Big players go small

The divestment will bring ABB in line with some of its peers, who are increasingly focusing on internet of things platforms, smart energy and smart EV charging in the low and medium-voltage sector. Inverter businesses such as  Schneider Electric  are turning their back on utility scale solar while others continue to invest such as Siemens with its recent acquisition of Kaco, IHS Markit analyst Cormac Gilligan told pv magazine.

“One of the overarching themes is that multinational industrial manufacturers have, due to the rapid reduction of solar inverter prices over the last few years, certainly squeezed profit margins,” said the solar and energy storage research manager. “As a result, some players are refocusing on higher growth areas such as smart home and storage or smart EV charging.”

Gilligan added, the transition from subsidies to competitive tenders – and now PPAs – meant costs had become immensely competitive in the last couple of years. In such an environment, big multinational technology companies have struggled to meet profit margins and will ditch low-margin business units to lift overall figures.

A new contacts book

Focusing on other areas enables companies such as Siemens, Schneider – and now ABB – to leverage much more efficiently their digital portfolios, where growth margins look more promising.

Gilligan said Fimer has been particularly active with central inverters in the utility scale market. Though it has also brought to market string inverters, the analyst believes Fimer can benefit from the technology, production and knowledge transfer it will gain from the transaction. With ABB’s products, Fimer is likely better positioned to tap into the fast growing commercial and industrial sector and also to cater to string inverter demand in utility scale plants.

Fimer has been very active in Latin America, and particularly in Brazil, where it was ranked the second largest supplier for the last five years. The company has also been active in Africa – especially Egypt – and other emerging markets and the ABB transaction will enable the business to exploit its new unit’s marketing channels in India.

Pope Francis held a closed door meeting with oil executives, investment managers, and others to discuss carbon pricing, science-based decisions and the need to embrace the oncoming “radical energy transition”. This is the second time Pope Francis has called a meeting with the world’s oil majors for talks of this nature.

In comments released on the theme of the Energy Transition & Care of our Common Home, by the Vatican on the meeting, Pope Francis stated:

Your meeting has focused on three interrelated points: first, a just transition; second, carbon pricing; and third, transparency in reporting climate risk. These are three immensely complex issues and I commend you for taking them up and at your level, a serious and scientific level.

At the end of the meeting, a statement was released by 31 of the groups regarding carbon pricing. The statement, on meeting organizer University of Notre Dame’s website (.pdf), notes specifically that “We, the undersigned, agree that:

Reliable and economically meaningful carbon pricing regimes, whether based on tax, trading mechanisms or other market-based measures, should be set by governments at a level that incentivizes business practices, consumer behavior, research, and investment to significantly advance the energy transition while minimizing the costs to vulnerable communities and supporting economic growth.

The document is signed by 31 groups, including Blackrock, representatives from the State of California, Exxon, activist groups, and many others.

It was noted by many in the climate science field that oil majors have many times proclaimed support for a carbon tax publicly, while in back channels have clearly funded climate denialism.

Currently, the Attorney General of Massachusetts is leading a case against attendee and signatory Exxon suggesting the oil major knew of climate change in the 1970s, projected the volumes and effects of accumulation of CO2 quite accurately with internal scientists, yet still funded politicians and think tanks that pushed climate denialism or doubt, while withholding from shareholders the potential economic consequences of climate change.

In recent mid term elections, Washington State folks rejected Initiative Measure #1631, a tax of $15/ton on carbon pollution, by a vote of 56-43% on almost 2 million votes. Various federal politicians have suggested a “carbon dividend”, but that has also gone nowhere.

And while a carbon tax could be useful as part of a suite of policies, we at pv magazine USA have argued that a carbon tax alone won’t meet our needs, as the time passive market action has passed due to aforementioned political and societal manipulations.

After covering solar and other forms of renewable energy on a daily basis for nearly eight years, I have come to a deep appreciation of the work done by research institutions, including the United States government’s network of national laboratories, as well as the many fine analysts working in various private firms and non-governmental organizations.

Through the collected work of so many and the actual experience of nations such as Denmark, Germany, Spain as well as individual U.S. states, we have come to learn a great deal about the integration of large amounts of solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy on grids, what the challenges are, and what we can expect in the future.

However, I am consistently disappointed that this information is not better represented in the press, including in some energy publications. In many cases, journalists and editors have chosen mythology over careful study and the flash of contrarian viewpoints – even if these are poorly supported or come from sources with a track record of misleading the public – over more credible assessments.

Most recently, I was greatly disappointed by Bloomberg View Columnist Tyler Cowen’s op-ed which allegedly reviews Varun Sivaram’s latest book but instead appears to be a collection of his own biases and preconceptions applied to a field of which he shows little understanding.

Since the article contained so many unsupported, misleading and inaccurate statements, I’m going to take them one by one.

Claim: “There is now a doctrine of what I call ‘solar triumphalism’: the price of panels has been falling exponentially, the technology makes good practical sense, and only a few further nudges are needed for solar to become a major energy source. Unfortunately, this view seems to be wrong.”

Problem: While it depends on what you call “major”, solar supplied around 2% of the electricity in the United States in 2017 (we are still awaiting final data), as well as more than 10% in California, Nevada and Hawaii in the first nine months of the year. As solar capacities have been doubling roughly every two years, you can expect much more in the future.

Claim: “Solar energy could be a boon to mankind and the environment, but it’s going to need a lot more support, and entrepreneurial and policy dynamism.”

Problem: Varan Sivaram does make such a claim in his work but, from what we have read, for significantly different reasons than the ones that Mr. Cowen references. Instead, Sivaram has addressed the problem of raising the trillions in capital that a full-scale global energy transition requires.

Claim: “The first disquieting sign is that solar companies are spending only about 1% of their revenue on research and development, well below average for a potentially major industry. You might think that’s because things are going so great, but some major solar users may have already maxed out their technology. According to Sivaram’s estimates, four of the five most significant country users — Italy, Greece, Germany and Spain — have already seen solar energy flatten out in the range of 5% to 10% of total energy use. The fifth country, Japan, is only at 5%.”

Problem: There is simply no causal relationship demonstrated between the first fact – the portion of R&D spending by solar companies – and the second – that increases in solar deployment greatly slowed in several European nations.

There is also no compelling evidence that these nations “maxed out” solar technology. Instead, what happened in Italy, Greece, Germany and Spain was that feed-in tariff policies were dismantled or stopped. In Italy this was intentional – the program had a cap and ended after this cap was reached. In Germany, this was the result of deliberate policy actions by both the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the later CDU/Social Democratic Party (SPD) “grand coalition”.

There are real technical challenges to deploying very high levels of solar on the grid, but they are unrelated to solar panel efficiencies and R&D spending at the company level. For these challenges national borders are less relevant – what is more relevant is the area that power is balanced over. For high solar penetrations the island of Kaua’i, which gets around 23% of its electricity from solar on an annual basis on an isolated grid and under far less than ideal circumstances, is a good test model.

Which brings us to our next faulty claim…

Claim: “Because the sun isn’t continuously available, solar power at large scale doesn’t integrate well with the electric grid, which favor steady sources such as fossil fuels or nuclear.”

Problem: No compelling evidence is supplied to back the claim that electric grids “favor” so-called “baseload” (read: inflexible) power sources, or that they are necessary for reliability. In fact, among the technical requirements of power grids is the flexibility to be able to increase and decrease the supply to match daily and seasonal patterns of demand fluctuation.

Claim: “…about 95% of global energy storage capacity is from hydroelectric power, a discouraging sign for the notion that solar energy storage is on a satisfactory track.”

Problem: While large-scale grid battery deployment is still in its infancy, the presence of flexible hydro and pumped hydro storage on many grids, including in Scandinavia, California and Japan, is not a problem for renewables. Hydro can help to integrate higher levels of wind and solar without having to back up such generation with gas peakers.

Claim: “Promoting solar energy also isn’t in the interest of regulated utilities.”

Problem: Failure to disaggregate. Nearly all utilities are opposed to customer-owned distributed solar. However, they are increasingly procuring utility-scale solar of their own volition, because it is cheap and unlike fossil fuels offers price stability and predictability.

Claim: “Other customers’ bills would have to rise to cover the costs of the grid, and that in turn would encourage even more secession into solar and alternate energy sources.”

Problem: This is a claim often made by utilities, who again are almost always opposed to customer-owned rooftop solar. However, not only does the author present no compelling evidence to support this claim, but it has been widely debunked by a large number of studies.

Claim: “Solar energy has great potential for emerging economies, but some basic preconditions are not in place.”

Problem: While removing fossil fuel subsidies would be a major step forward, solar is already being widely deployed in the developing world.

Claim: “In sum, just improving silicon panel solar technologies may not be enough. A whole series of integrated breakthroughs may be required to move significantly closer to a green energy future.”

Problem: The author, yet again, provides no compelling evidence to support this claim, which appears to be a product of his own preconceptions. 

—

This last claim, and the claim below the headline that “much more R&D is needed for a true green energy breakthrough”, as well as his statement that we should “reconsider the abandonment of nuclear energy” do suggest where this faulty line of reasoning comes from.

The claim that a breakthrough in clean energy technologies is a precondition for moving to a clean energy future is far from new. This claim has been made for many years by proponents of nuclear energy, many of whom have realized that conventional nuclear technology is failing in the market and cannot compete either with other forms of conventional generation or renewable energy.

For the nuclear industry, this is a self-serving claim and demonstrably false. Repeated studies and the experience of nations such as Denmark and islands such as Kaua’i show that we can indeed move to much higher penetrations of wind and solar than previously thought.

It is clear why nuclear proponents would want to attempt to obscure and challenge this evidence, for the only reason in the 21st century to deploy wildly expensive existing nuclear technology and pour even more government largesse into new, unproven technologies is if nuclear is the only option for decarbonization.

The net result of all of this has been to weaken public understanding of our energy situation, including our options for decarbonization and the real challenges associated with them. It has been a pernicious form of information pollution.

And while I will note that in this case this article in question comes from the opinion pages, where standards for supporting your statements with evidence are more lax, what is truly unfortunate is that otherwise reputable publications who should know better continue to publish such faulty claims.

We at pv magazine will be here to set the record straight, and to continue to publish fact-based articles bringing you the latest developments in the global energy transition, backed by the latest research, evidence and logic.

The move to increase the percentage of wind and solar power into existing grids has become polarized, like many issues nowadays. Naysayers continue to perpetuate outdated assumptions, claiming that large amounts of solar and wind power operating in a grid is too expensive, risky to reliability and is wasteful of existing power plant resources. Many supporters, including those advocating a 100% renewable sourced power grid, downplay the technical challenges involved at very high levels.

As usual with such issues, the answer lies somewhere in between. And for those seeking guidance that isn’t excruciatingly technical, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has published “Getting Wind and Sun onto the Grid – A Manual for Policy Makers”. Twenty countries’ grids were used as references, from Mexico, with a low percentage of PV and wind in its grid, to high-percentage Denmark.

The manual lays out two theses to integrating PV and wind power into the grid. While there are technical challenges to achieving high levels of penetration of variable renewable electricity (VRE), such integration can be achieved manageably and cost effectively.

The IEA report explodes six “myths” about grid integration. In brief (1); weather factors are quite manageable (2); VRE does not impose high costs on conventional power plants (3); it does not require one-to-one back up (4); VRE is not very expensive compared to the alternatives; (5) it does not necessarily need storage, especially in early stages and (6) is not destabilizing.

The study then describes a number of stages or “phases” of VRE development. The first stage, or Phase One, is where VRE is in the low single digit percentages of penetration. At this point, to use highly technical language, it’s no big deal. Low daily variations are well within the operating capability of any decent grid.

At Phase Two, no strict penetration level is given, but it appears generally as VRE approaches or passes double digit percentage penetration. VRE becomes apparent to grid management, but not significant enough to impact the system as a whole. Local grid conditions may necessitate matching between demand and VRE output. Phase Three the presence of VRE becomes more apparent as its output can swing in large percentages of total capacity across the grid. Management of operating conventional power plants at different levels becomes important, as well as two-way flows of voltage levels. At this stage, the availability of flexible resources comes into play.

At Phase Four, variability can match 100% of power demand, and conventional power would need to respond in a variable fashion. This condition is where management practices such as using inertia of conventional power plants to act as short term energy storage can be deployed. Going beyond Phase Four, the use of the complementary VRE capabilities of solar and wind can be successfully used to a large percentage or completely in many locations. Where there is a lack of complementary resources, large scale storage, especially chemical or thermal, can be used to supplement.

Each phase in the manual is given a brief section with illustrative examples and tables. The summation gives a balanced appraisal, emphasizing implementation in stages, where changes can be made in accommodating fashion to conventional power plants and grid infrastructure, as the percentage of VRE increases. As such Getting Wind and Solar Onto the Grid can act as a bridge for policy makers between the public and power business and technical communities who may not be so enamored to change.

ABB, the multinational power electronics company, has said that it is to close the manufacturing operations at its Phoenix production plant in the U.S., with a reported 89 jobs under threat.

Spokeswoman for ABB U.S., Melissa London, confirmed the cuts but did not wish to be drawn on the exact numbers of jobs affected. However, under federal rules companies in Arizona must officially report major job cuts to authorities, and local media in the state are reporting that 89 layoffs have been announced.

The production plant is located near to Sky Harbor International Airport, and while London said that the facility will stay open to support some sales and service operations, the manufacturing jobs will move to Europe – specifically Estonia and Italy – by the fall.

“We are not disclosing the number impacted, but the facility currently employs around 200 [staff],” read a statement issued by ABB’s London. “The decision, taken after thorough review and analysis of all other options, reflects conditions in the wider macroeconomic climate. The consolidations will enable factory and supply chain optimization while improving cost, delivery and quality to our customers.”

ABB’s expansion into the U.S. manufacturing landscape was boosted in 2013 when the Swiss company purchased U.S. inverter specialist Power-One Inc. for an estimated $1 billion deal – a deal that included the acquisition of the Phoenix plant which, at the time, employed 450 staff.

In a statement issued to pv magazine, Bill Luhrs, ABB Solar USA general manager, said that the consolidation will “enable factory and supply chain optimization while improving cost, deliver and quality to our customers. The transition is expected to be completed by November 2016.”

Luhrs added that ABB is committed to the success of the U.S. solar market, and will launch its new PVS980 central inverter and TRIO 50 kW commercial string inverter into the U.S. shortly, while also “refreshing” the firm’s residential inverter lineup.

“As a global company with a strong North American footprint, we are aware that global economic instability has a very real community impact. We remain committed to serving our customers in North America and around the world,” Luhrs concluded.

Read more: https://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/abb-to-close-phoenix-inverter-fab–move-jobs-to-estonia-and-italy_100025200/#ixzz4DpKBud3Y