PES Solar 2 2021

Solis Commercial & Industrial PV Inverter Solis-110K-5G Efficient Safe 10 MPPTs, Max. efficiency 98.7%, > 150% DC/AC ratio AFCI protection, proactively reduces fire risk High power tracking density 90MPPT/MW Built-in PID recovery for better module performance (optional) Compatible with bifacial modules Type I SPD for AC (optional) Smart Economic Night SVG function Power line communication (PLC) (optional) Intelligent string monitoring. Smart I-V curve scan Support \"Y\" type connection in DC side Remote firmware upgrade with simple operation Supports aluminium wire access to reduce cost www.solisinverters.com t: +44 (0)113 328 0870 | e: [email protected]

ASK THE EXPERTS but signs all point in the right direction. In Now moving to its sixth generation the Solis PES: How do you think the solar market in 2020 China was the main growth driver in string inverter offers one of the most general can help? Just how important is solar installations, boosting its solar technologically advanced solutions available. solar energy in meeting these targets? grid-connections by 60% to 48 GW. PES: Are there certain countries where you CG: Solar is critical to reaching this target. PES: It’s not just China of course, with many have made more of an impact than others and For homeowners, landlords, business countries now having targets in place; it’s a how do you see this developing in the future? owners, farmers etc. the cost of installing global effort, isn’t it? Which other countries solar is now lower than it has ever been. are you seeing leading the way in this regard? CG: The Solis brand is particularly strong in Solar’s cost improved across the board for all North America and in the UK and is showing segments with utility-scale solar now CG: There needs to be a huge effort across strong growth across other European markets. superior to fossil fuels in all unsubsidised the globe and this year’s COP26 will be a good investment cases. indicator of who the committed nations are. The residential, commercial, and industrial rooftop markets in the UK are very strong for Solutions for solar + storage are well There are now more markets that installed 1 us. Greece is an emerging market and with established and the solutions for commercial GW per year than ever before. In 2018, there strong relationships there, it is a utility scale and utility scale storage are continually were only 11 countries, which grew to 18 in market we see growing very fast over the improving. In most countries the network 2020, and this is expected to reach 29 by 2023. next few years. grid operators are at the mercy of their aging systems so storage solutions will be critical PES: How are your products and solutions PES: Which countries or regions do you to any real success. helping towards this? think will win the race to net zero? PES: It’s certainly a very interesting time CG: Our mission is to develop technology to CG: That’s what we need a crystal ball for! for solar and the topic of carbon neutrality power the world with clean energy. This runs As we all know, geopolitics will play a critical with some exciting things to come don’t you through the business as whilst we look for role in how fast or slow any market might think? Is there anything particular in the new and innovative products to meet the move towards this. There are parts of the pipeline from Solis that we can look forward needs of our different markets, we are US that are well on the way to achieving it to hearing about? committed to ongoing development of our and equally we have the EU who seem core product range. committed to their targets. CG: Always! We’ve launched a new residential storage solution which delivers on both design and aesthetics as well as flexibility of battery choice. The FlexiONE is a sleek looking home energy storage solution that is rolling out now globally. At the other end of the spectrum, we have a new 350kW inverter launching. Updates to the core range will see all Solis inverters move to our sixth generation to adopt higher input currents to make planning and designing alongside high-powered modules no problem. PES: We look forward to watching things evolve and wish Solis Inverters all the best. www.solisinverters.com 102 PES SOLAR

cetisPV-Celltest4-BF High precision Class AAA+ laboratory system for PV cells • true bifacial measurement possible • applicable for all cell technologies, e.g. PERC, heterojunction, TOPCon, busbarless, bifacial cells • user-optimised contact station for up to 220 mm x 220 mm solar cells • additional measurement options available: integrated electrolumine- scence, hot-spot, grid resistance • thermo control for automated temperature-dependent measurements available www.halm.de

TALKING POINT A partner with forward thinking solutions The Stäubli PV cable coupler portfolio connects more than 50 % of the global photovoltaic capacity 104 PES SOLAR

TALKING POINT Facing the fast and dynamically growing photovoltaic (PV) capacity worldwide, the market leader for PV connections is prepared to serve and improve the safety of this still young industry. Stäubli Renewable Energy offers tailored services along the PV project lifecycles for eBoS (electrical Balance of System) applications and is investing in product innovation, resources and expertise. Two new members of the global team give a brief personal insight. Stäubli has been active in the photovoltaic standards according to IEC 62852 and UL industry (PV) since the beginning, at that 6703, Stäubli connectors are also tested time as Multi-Contact company. With its beyond the standards in the company’s own first pluggable PV connector MC3 the test laboratories to ensure high-level quality. connectors specialist was pioneering. Ever The Original MC4 connector portfolio is since, the successor model, the Original suited for all climatic environments thanks to MC4 connector of Stäubli, has set the its resistance to UV, ammonia, and high IP benchmark in the industry and the company class (IP68). has become the international leader with its PV connector portfolio. Throughout 20 plus Following the market development with more years, the global growth of cumulative PV and more PV installations in the unobstructed capacity has constantly increased and vastness of the desert or in high altitude with become a mainstream electricity source. more irradiation, Stäubli Renewable Energy The cost reduction evolution in PV has had tested the suitability of its technology has favored a larger and more connectors for such applications. Given the sustainable market development situation that about 35 % of the continental accompanied by national as well as surface of the earth are deserts by definition, international energy and climate programs it is reasonable to use these mostly to accelerate the energy transition. uninhabited and economically hardly usable areas for large photovoltaic power plants. Over these years, Stäubli Renewable Energy However, higher temperatures also increase has continuously held a strong presence in the the electrical resistance of the eBoS PV industry and meanwhile consistently components that interconnect and convert advanced from component manufacturer and the modules with each other and to the supplier to solution provider. While around inverters. Now, the Stäubli PV connector 50 % of the worldwide cumulative PV capacity portfolio is the first which meets, according rely on Stäubli PV connectors, the company to the TÜV Rheinland test procedure, the has a strong commitment to contribute to a requirements for installations in PV systems safer PV industry. Stäubli Renewable Energy is at an upper limit temperature (ULT) of a continually investing in the development of minimum value of 105°C. product innovation, product safety and product reliability as well as elaborating Another productive location for PV services for eBoS applications (electrical installations is high altitudes. On one hand, at Balance of Systems) along the PV project high altitudes in mountainous areas the lifecycles. At the same time the investments irradiation is stronger and the diffusion is are also with a focus on production capacity less, which leads to around 50% more energy and human expertise. This overall expansion is than on the plains. The very high solar not only a response to the industry radiation and the rarely overcast sky create development, but also it empowers Stäubli to ideal conditions for a high electricity yield. grow faster than the market. On the other hand, highlands and high mountain regions in South America and Asia Product innovation for valuable continuity offer vast, less economically developed areas for large PV systems. Indeed, for The Stäubli MC4 PV connector is the leading applications at higher altitudes, the PV connector in the market. Based on the requirements for insulation coordination of unique MULTILAM contact technology that electrical products differ. The clearance allows for low-loss energy transfer and offers must be corrected, because the decreasing minimal contact resistance with high power air pressure reduces the resistance of density, these connections guarantee a safe electrical installations to flashovers of the long-term operation. Besides being voltage across the clearance. To make PV compliant with national and international WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 105

TALKING POINT plants on high altitude more reliable and safer for best efficiency, the Stäubli PV connectors are now also the first ones to meet the IEC standards for installations up to 4000 m above sea-level. Reliable partner for lasting alliances Stäubli Renewable Energy not only accompanies the technological advancement for eBoS applications in PV systems. The leader for quality PV connectors also anticipates the strong market growth. The global team is expanding to serve the market with the most suitable resources, locally and close to the partners and customers. Manufacturing capacity is responsively adapted to continually ensure the production quality at its high level. Interdisciplinary skills from product design and engineering, to purchasing and material inspection all the way to regulatory aspects, sales and logistics go hand in hand to make sure that the Stäubli quality promise can last for the future. The offering of Stäubli Renewable Energy covers all products and services of the eBoS application Supporting the Stäubli Renewable my local colleagues in the countries to improving the safety of the PV industry and Energy advancement allocate the right resources at the right ultimately to ensure profitable PV power time. I also support the global Stäubli production for our customers. PES met two new members of the global Renewable Energy team by fostering PES: From your background you have Stäubli Renewable Energy team: Andrea strategic partnerships with a holistic view known Stäubli as a pioneer in the PV Viaro, Head of Sales EMEA and Guido on the customer needs. industry for quite a while? Volberg, Senior Consultant Product GV: Yes, indeed. I have been working very Regulatory Affairs. PES: Guido, you are part of the global PV closely with the engineers designing these team at Stäubli since last autumn. first PV connectors back in the days. I have PES: Andrea, you joined Stäubli one year However, you have more than 25 years’ maintained a very intense exchange with ago after having had several national and work experience in the PV industry. How the company ever since and benefitted to international positions in the PV would you describe your new assignment? learn a lot on the practical challenges e.g. industry. What is your mission at Stäubli material properties and product design in Renewable Energy? GV: Basically, my role in Stäubli’s PV the industry. However, what impressed me business is to advice and support product over all those many years was the AV: I joined Stäubli with more than 12 years’ innovation in all areas of standardization, innovation spirit at Stäubli, at that time experience in the global PV industry. And in regulatory aspects and coordination with Multi-Contact, and the way the company fact, the PV industry is truly based on official bodies for standards. I do this in drives new ideas and product improvements worldwide relationships and networks. From close cooperation with our engineering and makes them market-ready. I am glad to my past I have a broad knowledge of the specialists and product management. In contribute today to the further customer’s expectations regarding fact, complying with industry standards development of Stäubli’s market leading technological and economical requirements and ensuring that industry standards exist, position and to advance product innovation in PV projects. As Head of Sales for the is an important part for Stäubli as a market to be at the pulse of time of even ahead of it. markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa, I leader. Moreover, this aspect strongly focus on coordinating the team for the supports Stäubli’s commitment of Guido Volberg markets’ development, aiming to strengthen the relationships with the various industry players and further expanding the leading position of Stäubli in the market. PES: How would you describe the characteristics of the PV markets in your responsibility? AV: The European market started to grow about 15 years ago and many European countries have more than twice the installed capacity per capita than elsewhere, but is still strongly growing. In contrast, the countries in Africa and Middle East show a very high potential and a double-digit growth rate. But overall, the PV market is very dynamic and fast moving. Therefore, it is important that I interact very closely with Andrea Viaro 106 PES SOLAR

TALKING POINT Product innovation: the Stäubli MC4 PV connector portfolio is the first to be tested for use up to 105°C and at least up to 4000 meters altitude (N.N) Perfect synergy cycle: from the very beginning in the project About Stäubli planning phase, through implementation, to With a clear commitment to a close operation and maintenance (O&M). The Stäubli offers innovative mechatronic partnership with its customers and business company’s claim to quality goes beyond the solutions in three core areas including partners, the offering of Stäubli Renewable products themselves reaching to consulting Connectors, Robotics and Textile. Energy covers all products and services of and service, backed on the many years of Founded in 1892, today Stäubli is an the eBoS application. This subsystem in PV experience in the industry and now international group headquartered in plants is the connecting element between supplemented by an enhanced global team of Pfäffikon, Switzerland with more the power generation and the power experts. This consistent further than 5,500 employees worldwide. conversion. Stäubli uses its profound development allows Stäubli to act as valuable Stäubli has a presence in 29 countries experience to provide all eBoS components partner in the market providing connections with production companies, sales from one single source, thoroughly geared to for sustainable change. and service subsidiaries and is each other, throughout the entire project life supplemented by agents in 50 countries. All eBoS components from Stäubli Renewable Energy as single source As a world market leader in the field of connectors, Stäubli manufactures quick connector systems for all types of fluids, gases and electrical energy. The Electrical Connectors product portfolio ranges from miniature connectors to high-performance connectors for power transmission, industrial automation, transportation, test and measurement. In Photovoltaics, Stäubli Renewable Energy is the global market leader with its MC4 connector components. The core of all Stäubli electrical connectors is the unique MULTILAM technology. www.staubli-renewable-energy.com WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 107

TALKING POINT Technologies fit for a new era for utility-scale solar Words: Maren Schmidt, Managing Director Utility Business Line, FIMER The deployment of solar PV across the world is on an upward trajectory, with recent reports highlighting the growing popularity of both commercial and utility-scale projects. Despite the disruption of the past 12-18 forecasted growth for 2021-22 is fantastic Maren Schmidt months, in its most recent Renewable Energy news for the sector, and particularly the Market Update, the International Energy utility-scale market. committed to cut carbon emissions by Agency (IEA), said that in 2020, annual approximately 30 percent between 2025 and renewable capacity additions increased So, what are the key drivers supporting this 2030; Europe is aiming for a reduction of at 45 percent to almost 280 GW, the highest robust growth outlook? least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030; year-on-year increase since 1999. and India has committed to cutting emissions • Increasing cost-effectiveness intensity by 33 percent-35 percent below It is also forecasting that ‘exceptionally 2005 levels and generating 40 percent of its high-capacity additions will become the ‘new Solar PV is fast becoming the most cost- electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by normal’ in 2021 and 2022, with renewables effective form of power generation and can 2030. The UK also became the first G7 accounting for 90 percent of new power be combined with energy storage to create a country to legislate to hit net zero emissions capacity expansion globally’. Within this, it reliable source of power. This is as a direct by 2050. says that solar PV development will continue result of the dramatic fall in solar panel to ‘break records’, with annual additions prices, solar inverters and more cost- • E SG and the corporate decarbonization reaching 162 GW by 2022, almost 50 percent effective mounting and tracker systems, and agenda higher than the pre-pandemic level of 2019. increased efficiency of solar technology. The transition to renewables is now high on In particular, the share of utility-scale In addition, power purchase agreements applications is forecast to increase from over (PPAs) are proving increasingly popular and 55 percent in 2020 to almost 70 percent in are making utility-scale projects more 2022. This level of growth can be seen in economically viable. For example, while the many major markets, including the United United States remains the dominant States, where the Solar Energy Industries corporate PPA market, activity in Europe Association (SEIA) forecast that, after almost tripled in 2020, with Spain also several years of uncertainty, large companies identified as a hotspot, with a record number and utilities have led to massive increases in of PPAs signed. utility-scale solar procurement. As of Q1 2021, the contracted pipeline sits at 77 GW, While the outlook is less certain in some with most of those projects slated for markets, such as Latin America, especially completion before 2024. due to the temporary impact of Covid-19, and changes in political support in the Similarly, in Europe, the IEA says that utility-scale sector in countries such Mexico, utility-scale growth will play an increasingly deployments are still expected to increase. important role, with its share rising from 41 percent in 2021 to an average of 55 • Government policies and regulations percent annually by 2023 25, owing to an increase in competitive auctions. Many global governments have committed to ambitious carbon reduction targets, which is This rapid expansion over 2020 and driving solar growth. For example, under the Paris Agreement, the U.S. and Canada 108 PES SOLAR

TALKING POINT the agenda for developers, investors, • Floating PV systems For example, we know that, while string utilities, and policymakers, and is being inverters are becoming increasingly driven by demand from the corporate market Floating PV is also a trend to watch. popular for utility projects, more traditional that sees procuring energy from a renewable According to a report from Fitch Solutions, central architectures are still prevalent, source as a key part of their decarbonization utility-scale floating solar installations are currently accounting for almost 40 percent plans. Where installing an on-site solar PV set to increase globally over the next few of the market. array isn’t possible, buying from a renewable years, largely driven by increased investor source that is generated from a utility-scale interest and a growing project pipeline. It With this in mind, we have developed two application is growing in popularity. estimates that nearly 10GW of new floating new market leading platforms for the utility solar capacity will be installed in the next 5 market, a high-power MPPT inverter, the Innovation to meet demand years, with Asian markets such as China, PVS-350, and the PVS-260/PVS-300 modular South Korea, India, Thailand and Vietnam conversion platform, to cater for both With these factors driving growth, expected to be key markets. decentralized and centralized applications, particularly for utility-scale solar PV covering 100% of utility customer needs. applications, how can technologies meet • Higher current requirements this demand? The main benefits of these two Another important trend is the move platforms include: • Advancements in battery storage towards larger size modules, with the incorporation of 210 mm larger wafers. This Improved flexibility for systems of any size: Storage is expected to play a key role in the demand for high power density solutions the PVS-260/PVS-300 has a large capacity future success of solar PV – not just for and increasing the number of solar panels combined with super-compact design single residential and C&I, but for utility-scale per string to reduce cost on BOS, will MPPT power block, to enable system as well. require inverter technologies to adapt to designers to keep a ‘centralized’ system cope with higher current pics and a higher architecture if preferred. All power The cumulative installed capacity of energy number of MPPT. electronics are also concentrated nearby to storage projects is expected to increase the other critical AC power assets to simplify from 11 GW in 2020 to 168 GW in 2030, Technology solutions fit for the future: the control and routine maintenance. according to BloombergNEF’s New Energy PVS-350 and PVS-260/PVS-300 Outlook. As batteries become more powerful By combining the power modules in a factory and last longer, the switch from fossil fuels to So, how do technology providers ensure that pre-assembled and pretested MV station, solar PV renewable energy will be further their solutions are fit for purpose in this new the new platform can compete with supported, increasing overall demand. era for utility-scale solar? multi-megawatt scale station designs of the latest central inverters, allowing system • Bifacial modules For FIMER, a collaborative approach among designers to apply the modular architecture solar project developers, IPP firms, EPCs, to systems of any size. Maximizing power outcome is becoming technical advisors and component another driver for the rapid growth in manufacturers is crucial. As well as adapting Reduced risk of downtime: FIMER’s new demand of utility-scale solar PV projects. and developing our technologies to meet PVS-350 is the most powerful and power One such innovation is the increasing use of new demands, being involved at the very dense multi-MPPT string inverter in the solar bifacial modules. beginning of the project helps to ensure that industry, optimized for decentralized PV the right solution is specified that optimizes system architectures with a maximum In the US, a report from analysts Wood performance, increases production and efficiency of ɳMAX > 99 percent to ensure Mackenzie forecast growth of bifacial keeps losses to a minimum, aiming to both the highest energy yield. It also has the modules installed to 2 GW by the end of 2020 increase IRR and reduce LCOE. smallest footprint when compared to other compared to 500 MW in 2019, and a huge similar products, and significantly reduces increase to more than 7 GW by 2024. WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 109

TALKING POINT ‘Projected strong growth, favourable political and regulatory environments, and increasing corporate demand for renewable energy, mean that innovative utility-scale solar projects are being deployed to fully maximize the power of the sun.’ the risk of downtime that can occur with from central solutions. environments, and increasing corporate central inverters. demand for renewable energy, mean that Easy integration with future innovative utility-scale solar projects are Improved performance and lowering BoP technologies: the new platforms will also being deployed to fully maximize the power costs: the PVS-260/PVS-300 modular be easily able to integrate with future of the sun. conversion platform can easily replace requirements for battery storage, central inverters in more traditional designs, providing a whole-system solution for the This is pushing demand for technologies that optimizing the LCOE. For example, it can utility market now and in the future. are fit for future growth - a challenge we are achieve a 2.3 percent reduction on the LCOE more than relishing rising to. of a modular conversion architecture A new era for utility-scale solar compared to a central solution. It also has To find out more about FIMER and take a higher system availability, above 99.9 In conclusion, it is an exciting time for virtual tour of its facilities, visit - percent compared to 99.5 percent maximum utility-scale solar projects. Projected strong https://discoverus.fimer.com/ growth, favourable political and regulatory 110 PES SOLAR



TALKING POINT Recycled rubber components: engineering more sustainable products for the solar market TCT-Europe is a UK based, European company focused on the design, engineering, prototyping and volume manufacturing, using compression moulding, of products made from recycled rubber crumb. The company was set up three years ago, with operations in the UK and Poland, to take advantage of the growing innovation in sustainable materials emerging in Europe. According to Sarah Skinner, Managing Director and co-founder of TCT-Europe, the key is to understand the material possibilities of rubber crumb in products and use engineering and design to create equivalent or improved alternatives to current virgin synthetic rubber or plastic options. According to ETRA (European Tire Recycling also looking into products for solar car ports ageing stability and is able to withstand UV and last for long periods outside, which is not Association), there are over 3,900,000 tons and solar charging points. This design According to the ETRA, 121,000 units of tyres removed from cars, lorries, process has been supported by key learning of energy are required to produce 1kg new rubber but only 2,200 units of agricultural and other vehicles in the EU-27 and design success from its sister company energy to produce 1kg of recycled crumb rubber. The result is to Member States which are currently classified in the US Tire Conversion Technologies Inc, produce 4.35 tons of CO2 from the as waste. In recent years there has been a who have been in business since 2004 and production process of natural rubber significant improvement in the recycling of who have built products for solar companies but only 97 kg CO2 to produce the ‘End of Life’ Tyres in the EU. Now, less than including SMA, Sunpower and K2. same amount of recycled rubber. So, the benefit is both in minimising CO2 9% are sent to landfills, 17% are reused/ So why build products from recycled tyre emissions contributing to climate exported/re-tread, 38% are recycled, and rubber? According to Mechanical Engineer and change and contributing to the another 36% are used for energy production. co-founder of TCT-Europe John Lidderdale, process of sustainable management Of those tyres that are recycled 63% are there are a number of drivers for this. of natural resources. channelled into granulation/powders, for use as a base material for new products. Tyre rubber has some key material qualities including high tensile and impact strength, The initial focus for TCT-Europe has been to resilience and abrasion resistance. It’s design and build volume OEM barrier, support flexible in low temperatures and has decent blocks and cable management systems for heat resistance. In addition, because tyre EThueroSptäeuabnli PsVolcaarbPleVcocuopmlepr aponrietfso.liToCcoTn-nEeuctrsompeories thanru50bb%eorfisthveugllcoabnalispehdottohveoltmaiactcearpiaacl ihtya.s a good 112 PES SOLAR

TALKING POINT the case for many other virgin synthetic recycled 3-6 times at which point TCT- In parallel to their work with the solar market rubbers or plastics. Europe will send the units out to be recycled TCT-Europe has also had the opportunity to into more permanent structures such as expand into the UK military. In 2020 The second area is greater sustainability than roads or concrete. Rubber is increasingly TCT-Europe received funding from Innovate virgin plastic/synthetic rubber alternatives. used in these structures as it adds key UK to build a demonstration project to Part of this is greater energy efficiency, the properties such as a reduction in stopping showcase the possibilities of recycled rubber amount of energy used for recycling tyre distance on road surfaces. barrier products on military bases. rubber needs to be less than the amount of energy used to process natural or new Europe has developed an increasingly sophisticated tyre recycling industry in which the fabric metal and synthetic rubbers. For recycled tyre crumb it carbon black materials are extracted from the tyres and resold, and the remaining synthetic/natural rubber is important to look at the energy required to crumb with residual fillers is ground down into various crumb sizes, typically <2mm, to be used as a base collect and process the tyres. The key is material for new products therefore to have the tyres processed as close to source as possible and for the products using that tyre crumb to be located close to these processing facilities. This is why TCT-Europe has located its manufacturing facility in Poland which is both close to the source of the crumb and to its European customers for the end products. Another factor in sustainability is the end of life of products. TCT-Europe are designing units that can last for years outside. As with most plastics though, the material will weaken each time products are taken back to recycle. In the case of recycled rubber products, the crumb is combined with polyurethane binders and eventually these build up and the crumb can no longer be effectively recycled. Products can be WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 113

TALKING POINT ‘Work here is ongoing but there is a real opportunity to use the flexible, durable properties of rubber with a renewable active power source in the form of the solar stud to provide a new range of products and services.’ Embedded solar stud in the lane separator Work here has allowed TCT-Europe to with Clearview Intelligence, a key UK provide a new range of products and services. expand its research into new areas including innovator in the area of intelligent transport Together with Tire-Conversion technologies adding new materials to the crumb to systems. The two companies are currently Inc, TCT-Europe have been issued with a strengthen our rubber products, research working together to look at combining the provision patent for developments in this into barrier products to use where PVC Clearview solar road stud with one of area. US 63/154,069 ‘Compression moulded roofing materials may become affected by TCT-Europe’s barrier products to provide an rubber products incorporating active and rubber or other materials placed on top of active light source for bike lanes. The passive electronic devices’ them; research into embedding electronics addition of the stud increases the visibility of into rubber and marrying recycled rubber the bike lane up to 10 times as compared to Problem resolution is at the core of the products with recycled plastic of various using reflective materials. company’s focus. TCT-Europe are interested flavours. All of these have fed back into in working with UK and European companies products designed for the solar market Work here is ongoing but there is a real looking for design and engineering expertise opportunity to use the flexible, durable for new or adapted products, and with a need One of the exciting new areas of focus linked properties of rubber with a renewable active for volume manufacturing of final units. to embedded electronics is a partnership power source in the form of the solar stud to www.tire-conversion.com 114 PES SOLAR

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ASK THE EXPERTS The Renubot, an all-electric autonomous vehicle Vegetation management has a robotic future Renu Robotics, based in San Antonio, Texas, is developing new innovations in autonomous technology for the renewable energy industry. PES spoke to CEO Tim Matus to learn more. PES: Tim, tell us how Renu Robotics is The really good news is we’ve developed an PES: On Renu’s website we noticed the serving the renewable energy industry – innovative solution that puts technology to headline: our technology is a cut above the particularly solar – and what’s the latest on work for owners and operators of utility- rest. Tell us more about those innovations. the company’s innovations? scale solar power plants that solves all these issues. Renubot is our first all-electric fully TM: The Generation-3 Renubot has multiple Tim Matus: Certainly, and thanks for the autonomous vehicle that is designed innovative features that we have developed opportunity to tell you about Renu Robotics. specifically for precision vegetation or enhanced from experience in the field. As the solar industry continues to grow, so management on solar plants and other We’ve developed artificial intelligence for do the annual problems of vegetation energy facilities. autonomous navigation and situational management. Not only are expenses awareness via sensors. There are a number increasing, but there are also labor It can mow during the day or night, is safe, of other technological and communications shortages, reliability issues, damages and reliable and significantly cuts vegetation capabilities that result in an autonomous safety and environmental concerns. These management costs and carbon emissions. As vehicle unlike anything on the market today. are not easy problems to solve and can be a the world’s use of renewable energy constant headache. It’s one of those increases toward a carbon-free economy, Its innovative features include artificial problems that if left unsolved, only grows such innovations are great for the intelligence and machine learning that worse with time. environment, joining the fight in reversing controls energy usage optimization, climate change. self-diagnostics and operational area setup. 116 PES SOLAR

ASK THE EXPERTS The vehicle’s enhanced environmental TM: Yes, in essence, that’s exactly what Tim Matus assessment capability allows the bot to they are and also our response to utilize data so it can actually learn and assess customers’ requests on how Renu Robotics and in early 2018 I was thinking about starting the topography it travels. can be a turn-key system for their solar or an engineering and manufacturing company. energy facility. PES: Earlier you mentioned Renubot is My background includes research and designed for precision vegetation When the Renubot has finished mowing for development at a Fortune 200 company in management for solar plants and other that cycle it returns to its Recharge Pod the Midwest along with several other energy facilities. That has to be a where it recharges, is given updates for the successful start-ups. So while I was prerequisite, especially on utility-scale next mowing cycle and is always protected researching a few ideas, I became solar power plants, considering the limited from changing climate conditions or storage increasingly interested in the renewable space between the rows of panels and the in the off-season. energy industry. wiring underneath, is that correct? The pod is equipped with three individual Mike is a retired US Navy pilot and has been TM: Yes, absolutely and it has a streamlined converters, but can be upgraded with nine working in the solar industry for several years body frame that is only 28-inches high to individual converters for fast charging, and he identified several new business ideas, safely mow under panels and solar site allowing 24/7 mowing schedules with including the cost and difficulty in infrastructure. Plus, being powered by lithium multiple tractors to be deployed. maintaining large solar facilities, particularly batteries, its weight is optimized by utilizing in the vegetation management sector. the latest battery storage techniques and Plus, our solar charging skids allow the bots rapid-charging capabilities, extending to be deployed anywhere, regardless of how He has a strong belief that the process can be performance through seasonal changes and remote the facility is in a carbon-free and automated, which would translate to better cutting requirements. stand-alone configuration. costs and facility performance. I began to research and assess the business potential Plus, with Renu’s success in the field, the In addition, we’ve built another department around the idea, including the size of the company has an end-to-end understanding called Mission Control, in which the center market, its potential growth and the of vegetation management and how to meet continuously monitors, controls and updates technology available to achieve the task. utility solar plants’ various needs, while the bots in the field. System access can allow increasing safety. for updates programming and adjusting This revealed a sizable market opportunity maintenance schedules. with light competition. The technology to A couple of notable highlights of Renubot’s achieve this considerable feat had existed for capabilities are when it detects something in Mission Control gives owners and operators years, but the cost traditionally was too its path, whether it’s a ladder or some peace of mind with a secured and encrypted expensive to use commercially. equipment workers may have left behind, the data flow indicating how their facilities are bot stops, can go around it as well as wait for being maintained. At any time, asset owners But, as so often the case for new companies, the object to be removed. It can mow a and operation managers can monitor the timing was right. With the boom in interest 15-degree incline with no problem, go through performance, location and schedules with in autonomous and electric cars, the cost of the ditches and wet areas and has a self-adjusting computers, tablets or cell phones. technology had dropped dramatically. mowing deck for rocky or uneven terrain. PES: The technology advancements are So, for instance, lidar and battery technology, PES: We also see that your innovations impressive. So tell us how you got started though still costly, had reached a point where don’t stop at the Renubot, because you’ve and what’s next? it would make this opportunity and new also developed the Recharge Pod and a business feasible. About two months after Mission Control Center. Are these part of an TM: We’ve grown quickly in the past three the initial discussion between me and Mike, ecosystem for the autonomous vehicle? years, from an initial conversation I had with the business was launched. an old acquaintance, Mike Eyman. I’m a mechanical engineer and serial entrepreneur I started putting together a development team, while Mike searched for initial investors. Mission Control technicians monitoring Renubots in the field Both of us funded the development of the initial prototype of the autonomous mowing machine. The company was created in August 2018 and the initial prototype – Generation 1.0 - was completed a month later. WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 117

ASK THE EXPERTS Another Recharge Pod on its way to a customer Our first investor was a former top executive the word spreads about? September and if you’re an owner or manager of SunPower, who could see the vision in the of a solar or other energy facility please stop new technology. His investment in the fall of TM: Yes, it certainly has and more and more by Booth 1507. 2018 jumpstarted Renu Robotics. asset owners and O&M providers are realizing the Renubot can cut maintenance PES: Thank you for chatting to us, it’s great Today, we’re producing the Generation 3 costs significantly and give them an to see innovation put to work in the Renubot, currently employ 24 people and are invaluable carbon-free solution to their renewable energy industry. projected to double in size by mid-2022. maintenance issues. TM: Thanks again for the opportunity. We’re On the investment front, the company is Not only are we solving problems in the field, excited about our disruptive role in shaping actively preparing for a Series A investment but as I mentioned earlier, Mission Control the future of vegetation management for round next year, as we’re building to service also gives owners and operators peace of the solar industry. As we like to say: the rapidly expanding utility-scale solar mind with a secured and encrypted data flow renewable and carbon-free energy will power industry. about their facilities’ maintenance. power the future. PES: That’s a great backstory, so has the We will be at Solar Power International’s www.renubot.com company continued to gain momentum as annual convention in New Orleans in Renu Robotics’ Mission Control 118 PES SOLAR



ASK THE EXPERTS Plant inspections on the fly Thanks to the DigiSky SmartBay® technology, Wesii is able to capture high quality images to perform our AI driven analysis. 120 PES SOLAR

ASK THE EXPERTS Move over drones, could airplanes be the next big thing for site inspections? PES had a conversation with Wesii CEO, Mauro Migliazzi to find out why he believes the advantages of this solution will forever change the way the solar industry inspects PV plants. PES: A very warm welcome back to PES MM: Yes, exactly, after conducting our Mauro Migliazzi Solar Mauro, it’s great to catch up with research and tests in 2020, we decided to you. I trust business has been good since move forward this year by bringing the a period of a few days to a week. we last spoke? airplane inspections to the European market, launching it in a new direction. By June we Also, the inspection accuracy by drone can Mauro Migliazzi: Yes, it’s always a pleasure. had already flown and inspected 0.6GW and decrease due to external conditions and Thanks for having me. I’m happy to report we are continuing to fly in Europe for the requires a high solar irradiance. Luckily back and say that business has been great remainder of the summer. airplane inspections are a bit more forgiving and we have a lot of exciting things happening and allow the irradiance to be lower and still at Wesii this year. PES: What are the main advantages of this collect accurate results, as well as maintain type of inspection for the solar industry do the same irradiance throughout the whole PES: When we spoke last year you were you think, compared to the alternatives? inspection, because we are able to capture preparing for the exciting launch of your data within a shorter time frame. It’s not to first fly-it-yourself PV plant inspections. MM: There are so many advantages to these say that we can collect data in any condition Could you just give us a recap on this for inspections, which is why we have decided to of course, but that we have a higher readers who might have missed it? utilize it as our main service moving forward. I percentage of being able to fly and inspect think the main advantage of airplane even in conditions unacceptable for standard MM: Absolutely. Earlier this year we launched inspections is the type of hardware we can drone inspections. our newest product, EliosField Dronino, carry compared to the drone. With the which allows clients to perform what we like sensors we are able to use with airplane to call, Fly-It-Yourself inspections. These inspections, the spatial resolution is more inspections aren’t intended to inspect the than enough to identify anomalies and the entire plant, but instead to utilize it as an thermal sensitivity and accuracy is better, add-on tool in between the routine yearly which allows us to detect narrower inspections, to check up on already identified temperature differences and we are even anomalies and maintenance controls. An more confident in our data’s accuracy. added benefit of this tool is that the client is able to collect more data than has ever been Other inspection changing benefits are firstly, possible before and aid in our progress that there are no HSE documents required as towards predictive analysis, which requires with the drone. This cuts out a lot of the big data. process in the planning stages, which helps the inspections move along smoothly. PES: Great, thanks for the recap. Secondly, there is no in-field personnel Furthermore, you published a dedicated needed directly on the plant, whereas with the article earlier this year on your new method drone the technician needs to be in direct line of photovoltaic plant inspections by of sight. Thirdly, with the airplane conducted airplane. In terms of MWs, can you give us inspections we can capture up to 300MW per an idea of how much you have flown with day, instead of spacing out the inspection over airplane inspections to date? This table shows the radiometric advantages of inspecting solar PV plants by plane with a cooled camera. WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 121

ASK THE EXPERTS Drone capture vs. airplane capture. The results from the airplane inspections provide adequate data to perform the same analysis as done with drone inspections to detect the same anomalies. Lastly, a huge advantage of conducting these the more it learns! In addition, we are on a and getting the results needed to conduct inspections by plane, is that it costs our mission to collect as much data for our clients the proper analysis on their entire portfolios. clients less money to get their plants’ data. as possible over the years to be able to As you can imagine, we can cover larger areas perform predictive analysis on their plants. PES: Do you have plans for any in less time and group together plants in the improvements or advancements with this same vicinity in order to both reduce our The second challenge was getting clients on technology from here? carbon footprint and also lower the costs for board with a new type of service. Our existing our clients. clients and prospective clients alike were MM: We are currently using the best both hesitant to do airplane inspections, technology available to conduct our PES: Have plant owners, managers and because drone inspections have already inspections. Naturally, as things evolve and O&M companies found the technology easy become the norm of the industry and clients new technologies arise, we will enquire and enough to use? Has it thrown up any are comfortable and happy with the service test, choosing the best for our inspections. challenges you hadn’t perceived? and results. Why not? PV plant inspections by We are constantly evaluating our services drone and analysis have been our core and how we can improve them. MM: Well in reality nothing really changes on business for the past five years, but as I the client’s end, so I would have to say yes. mentioned earlier, we are always looking to PES: You mentioned previously that you We still collect the data, just with the new innovate and push the industry forward. That had plans to go global and offer Wesii method, create the same orthomosaic as being said, we were prepared for a bit of technology further afield than Europe. Has we’ve always offered, process the data using pushback and set up many different types of this happened yet with your airplane our artificial intelligence algorithm and communication to our clients to explain the inspections or will there be a global present the data in a digital format, in a clean benefits of the change and explain the approach in the future do you think? and easy to understand way. This allows our difference between the two. I’d say our clients to visualize the anomalies in their efforts paid off, as we’ve seen companies MM: That’s right. This season we have plant, create reports on the information they giving airplanes a shot. entered other European markets, offering find valuable and take immediate action. Our thermography by airplane, therefore existing clients are already familiar with our PES: Do you think this is likely to change widening our reach. As the season comes to digital platform and how to extract the most the way we do solar plant inspections for an end in Europe, we have plans to conduct from the data presented, while our new good now? our inspections in various countries in South clients learn rather quickly with the help of America. The vast plants will benefit from our customer care experts. MM: Oh, 100% yes. Clients want what is best having a quick and consistent inspection for their business, which is running and method, since we can collect data in a shorter As for challenges, nothing we hadn’t already maintaining efficient plants. This industry is period of time compared to drone and imagined. Of course, when you change still evolving and ever so rapidly, so we are all manual inspections. directions and bring on a new service there still learning the best ways to achieve those are always challenges in adapting to the new goals. Airplane is the next step in the PES: Is there anything else you would like to product or business. In this case there were evolution of PV plant inspections, just as add about airplane inspections that haven’t two challenges that come to mind, one being drones were one step up from manual been touched on yet? the influx of data, which our team prepared inspections. We are an innovative group, for during the off season and are handling it meaning all of us in this industry, and we are MM: Sure, one important thing to reiterate well and in full force now that we are in full on a mission to play our part in making the about airplane inspections is that they are production season. world a greener place by producing more planned in groups in order to cover as many solar power for the world. plants in one area as possible to keep our In the end this increased volume of data has carbon footprint and prices down. Thanks aided in teaching our module, as you know With thermography inspections conducted again for having me. with machine learning; the more you teach it, by plane, clients are saving time and money, www.wesii.com 122 PES SOLAR

THERMOGRAPHY NOW BY AIRPLANE ALL ACROSS EUROPE: 100 MW IN LESS THAN AN HOUR Wesii Srl via Davide Gagliardo 7 16043 Chiavari (GE), Italia [email protected] wesii.com

ASK THE EXPERTS Sustainability through team work As the effects of climate change continue to be felt around the world, the need for sustainable resources to dampen the effects of our environmental impact becomes ever greater. PES had some more questions for Alessandro Anderlini Business Manager responsible for the EMEA markets in Coveme’s PV Solar and Specialty Films Divisions and Steve Davies EMEA PV Market Manager, DuPont Teijin Films. Together they discuss the important role that collaboration plays in mapping out a sustainable future. 124 PES SOLAR

ASK THE EXPERTS Steve Davies Alessandro Anderlini PES: Welcome back to PES Steve and example of what can be achieved by working PES: How important is it, do you think, that Alessandro. After the success of your together to deliver on common goals. companies take a holistic view of previous joint interview, it’s great to have sustainability? you both talking to us once again. I think Alessandro Anderlini: We share the same what came across very clearly in our last concern and the steps we have been taking SD: I think we all have a responsibility to conversation was your shared ethos on since a few years back are going in this measure the environmental impact across sustainability, would you agree? direction, as well as being addressed more the full product lifecycle as there are no frequently also from our customers. simple solutions to complex problems and Steve Davies: From a DuPont Teijin Films often chasing one aspect of sustainability point of view we increasingly see PES: Perhaps we can start with you Steve can have a conflicting negative effect sustainability as central to everything we do, and take a look a little more in depth at the somewhere else in the chain. and believe as an innovative science-based sustainability programme at DuPont Teijin company, we are well placed to play our part Films. As a global supplier of polyester A classic example of this would be looking at in addressing some of the global challenges films, how important is this issue to you? non-oil derived alternatives, where we are all facing. As well as taking our undoubtedly reducing the reliance on fossil responsibility seriously to constantly SD: Our company first invented and fuels is a positive, but if that means an improve the environmental impact of our commercialised polyester way back in the increased carbon footprint, higher water products and services, it is also becoming a 1940s and perhaps that helps to focus our usage and diverting land from food licence to operate in certain markets, as well minds more clearly on not only minimising production or an increase in GM crops then all as providing opportunities for future growth. the environmental impact of our products, of those conflicting factors need to be taken but also seeking out opportunities where we into account as well. I believe collaboration across the supply can deliver positive benefits to the chain is critical in delivering on our communities we serve. AA: At Coveme sustainability is the core of sustainability objectives and our joint our company goals to constantly improve developments with Coveme are a good We believe polyester is a great building block behaviours, processes and products from for a sustainable product strategy as it is the treatment and cleaning of harmful fumes and most widely recycled plastic, has a low water to self-powering production lines, carbon footprint and water usage compared from differentiation and recycling of to other materials and has an excellent production waste to differentiation and performance to weight ratio, which often recycling of office waste, from a new product means reducing the weight of material in any range made with recycled PET to EoL and given structure. LCA assessment and certification of products and processes. PES: And of course, Alessandro, Coveme then takes this material and transforms it PES: How does sustainability play a part in ready for use in the renewables industry. So the lifecycle of your particular product, so again, your sustainability programme must start of life, performance during its life and be quite rigid? at the end of its life? AA: Coveme started converting PET films SD: As I mentioned earlier, polyester is a back in 1996 and introduced PET based great building block as at the start of life it backsheet already in 2007, being the first has a low carbon footprint, with low water mover presenting a High UV and hydrolysis usage and there are no hazardous waste resistant PET based backsheet. Therefore, products generated during production. our concern on sustainability has long roots fuelled by a global circular economy view in At the end of life our products are compatible the very first place. in all recovery and recycling processes and there is the really exciting prospect of future In fact, recyclability and much lower impact in closed loop recycling processes through CFP are the result of this choice. monomer recycling. WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 125

ASK THE EXPERTS However, the start of life and end of life are On the scale that the solar industry operates, future models which would enable closed loop irrelevant if our products do not perform in those benefits start to add up, with a typical recycling of backsheet material. their primary role to protect the module MW of capacity using backsheets with throughout its life time, and it is the proven recycled content giving another life to the PES: Are there any particular initiatives track record of Mylar® UVHPET™ based equivalent of 16,300 waste bottles. that you have trialled or may be trailing now backsheets which gives us the confidence to improve sustainability that you can tell to state that you can have a more We have developed the LuxCR™ process at us about? sustainable backsheet without our plant in Luxembourg which upcycles the compromising product performance. waste PET material, enabling its use in applications as demanding as backsheets AA: Coveme UVHPET™ based Backsheet has without any drop in product performance. a long track record having been on the market since 2007 and installed in different We recently were announced as one of the weather conditions, from extremely dry to winners of the Intersolar award for this highly humid environments all over the world. development, which is an achievement we are really proud of and I am really looking In addition, our UVHPET™ based backsheets forward to presenting this in more detail at performed extremely well in both PVEL and the Intersolar exhibition in October. MAST tests, which are considered the current gold standard of PV backsheet AA: As a matter of fact, we are already reliability assessment. offering to the market our 1000 VDC backsheet, with DTF recycled film which has The MAST test was performed by DuPont undergone the same qualification test and Teijin Films on the Mylar® UVHPET™ outer proved to be equal in performance, as well as layer film and a well-known North American in reliability, as the standard backsheet. PV module manufacturer has undergone a PVEL test using PV modules made with We also developed the 1500 VDC backsheet our backsheet. version using DTF recycled film, which is currently under internal evaluation, and we In both cases the backsheet performed very expect to get similar results. well as the colour change and mechanical properties remain intact. PES: Is this something that you see developing even further as technology PES: Where does the use of recycled advances? content fit within your product base? SD: The use of our LuxCR™ recycling process SD: The use of 33% recycled content allows has made the use of post-consumer recycled us to further reduce our carbon footprint by content in our products possible, and our aim about 10%, and also has the benefit of is to increase the use of recycled material giving another valuable life to single use across our entire range of backsheet films. plastic waste. Working with Coveme, we are also researching 126 PES SOLAR

When it comes to halogen free backsheets, not all films are created equally Mylar® UVHPETTM based backsheets 50GW installed 200 million Zero in field capacity modules complaints

ASK THE EXPERTS AA: COVEME and DuPont Teijin Films offer a more sustainable option without AA: The EU is heading the quest to completed an experimental project with compromise in product performance. introduce a specific legislation that ENEA, the Italian National Agency for New promotes the sustainability of PV starting Technologies, Energy and Sustainable PES: Where does Coveme fit into this do you from the design of PV modules and using Economic Development. We provided EoL PV think? What solutions do you offer that will recycling or non-hazardous materials in the modules with PET based backsheet to ENEA, help with this drive? BOM, provided that technical specs are who used their own internal method, patent met. legislative measures in the form of pending, to remove the PV backsheet and AA: All Coveme PET based backsheets are extended producer responsibility, eco- part of the encapsulant through successive already in line with these requirements being design, design for recycling requirements steps of surface abrasion. technically performing, safe and sustainable. promotes this transition. This recovered plastic material was then Furthermore, we are collaborating with various For example, the eco-design is debating the depolymerised through a glycolysis institutes to evaluate the sustainability of our introduction of a label to be applied on each technology to generate the monomer products, when compared to different PV module indicating the content of material BHET with a high purity suitable for materials-based products. hazardous materials. any subsequent production of PET. For example, back in 2017 we commissioned The EU is also trying to harmonize Finally, DuPont Teijin Films closed the loop by the Fraunhofer ISE institute to undertake a sustainability rules run by single states like polymerizing the material and producing PET scientific, quantified and comprehensive France, where public tenders are already film, demonstrating the potential of analysis aimed at comparing the recyclability requiring the use of PV modules with a circularity in this area. processes of fluorinated backsheet vs. certain limited carbon footprint content. fluorine-free backsheet. The next challenge is to find industrial We strongly believe that other countries will partners across the supply chain that will be The incineration of fluorinated backsheet soon follow in ensuring that the solar sector able to run this process at mass scale. showed a more negative environmental abides by high circularity standards. evaluation than the incineration of fluorine- PES: Steve you mentioned previously that free backsheet, whereas pyrolysis of PES: Finally, how do you both think that you believe there will be a drive to reduce fluorinated backsheet appears not to be collaboration between companies and the the use of materials which represent an feasible, both from economic standpoint and sharing of ideas may continue to help? What economic, technical or safety barrier to the technical pyrolysis product application are the main advantages of such future recycling processes. How do you point-of-view. partnerships for your clients? think this will evolve and how soon? The conclusion of the report was that the use SD: It is impossible to make the big changes SD: Increasingly, I believe that legislators are of fluoropolymers, or halogenated polymers that we need to as a society without open looking at policies that can boost recycling in PV modules should be avoided and collaboration across the supply chain. In the rates and reduce environmental harm. alternate PET based backsheets should be past the main focus has been on how A good example of this is ‘Safe and encouraged. If halogenated backsheets are products perform during their life, and sustainable-by-design’ principles adopted used, they must be properly marked or although that is still critically important, I by the EU. labelled to inform both the users as well as think increasingly we need to address end of the EoL managers. life outcomes as well at the start of the When it comes to modules, I believe that product design phase. hazardous materials should only be used PES: And for you Alessandro would you like where there is a clear technical need, and to give your opinion on what you think will This requires a shift in thinking from when it comes to backsheets I believe we happen next with regards to sustainability manufacturers and involves collaborating within your industry? much more closely with the parts of the value chain who have expertise in areas such as recovery and recycling. It is a challenge to keep the end of life at the forefront of design decisions when we are talking about lifetimes of modules of more than 25 years, but what we have learnt from other industries is that if we only consider waste when it has been generated then it is too late. AA: The integration between companies should be proactive, starting with R&D projects through to the final product design. We believe the collaboration should include both the downstream and upstream part of the supply chain in order to benefit from a broader perspective and technical requirements. A good example of this is the partnership with DuPont Teijin Films (production of PET) and COVEME (converting) that allowed the design of a finished product with exceptional performance combined with sustainability. www.dupontteijinfilms.com www.coveme.com 128 PES SOLAR

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CORPORATE FOCUS Prevention is better than cure Video surveillance provides an excellent deterrent against intruders on solar farms. Just as the technology never switches off, neither does the research and production of the systems themselves, particularly when it’s in such high demand. Providing remote video monitoring for solar so it’s a busy business, where any downtime coverage over a widespread area are now farms is a 24/7 operation so it’s perhaps is most often spent researching, developing quite commonly used. Monitoring these only fitting that the production of the and refining ideas to make such systems cameras is, of course, just as important as monitoring systems themselves should be even better. having them there at all and this is where the just as seamless. round-the-clock remote surveillance really As the popularity of green energy has comes into its own. The development of these systems requires increased significantly in recent years, so a distinct level of expertise and innovation, solar farm security is becoming increasingly The growing demand for such surveillance so keeping the entire process from initial more important as time goes on. Often systems for solar and wind farms has ideas phase through to final manufacture and located in remote areas, where there are no certainly been witnessed by Kooi, which in even rental under one roof makes sense. This passers-by that can spot unwanted guests the last decade has assembled and is a market that is already in demand and or act as a deterrent, solar farm security configured over 2,300 remote video likely to become even more so in the future, camera towers with a good and clear monitoring systems at its Netherlands headquarters. Here, everything is contained under one roof, with a research and development department, an own EN50518- certified alarm centre and production department all operating side by side. Anyone visiting the Drachten base will be met with row upon row of camera systems in front of the building, packaged up and ready to be sent off into the world, to play their part in making sure the risk of theft from and vandalism of solar parks is minimised. All in the planning Before they get here though, an awful lot of planning will have already taken place. All the systems are assembled and configured in the Production department without which the UFO (Unit For Observation) of Kooi would be nothing more than a frame with empty control boxes. The planning always needs to be on spot, day by day and week after week. Where necessary, adjustments are made by upscaling or downscaling the production capacity and these decisions are all ultimately in the hands of Production Planner Sido Kiestra. He not only takes care of the purchasing of the materials, he also makes 130 PES SOLAR

sure the work that has to be done is CORPORATE FOCUS prepared, before passing the baton on to workshop manager Wieger Paulus and his movement, immediately sending a team to assemble all the different systems notification to the emergency room to keep ready for configuration. solar farms safe and sound day and night, whatever the location. While the company is now active in lots of Year-round productivity sectors, it remains true to its roots. ‘Kooi The Production department produces new originally started out with the rental of systems almost all year round, but in any camera units to secure windmill construction productivity dips, staff are still kept busy, sites and securing solar parks is still an helping with maintenance and service. important industry for the company,’ ‘Customers who rent a UFO can trust on explains Sido. our reliable service and support. That is why 24 hours a day, seven days a week our ‘That’s why we developed the UFO Medium. people are active in making sure the This type of UFO is specifically produced to systems work properly.’ secure solar parks. It has a detection angle And what about recent world events? How up to 360 degrees, a detection length of 40 has the pandemic affected production to 100 meters and needs a power supply.’ levels? According to Sido, despite Covid-19 The solar farm security cameras are Kooi’s fleet of camera systems grew. ‘At the connected to an Alarm Center that is Production Department we did notice the manned by security specialists 24/7 and the consequences of the pandemic and the observation units are designed to detect supply of parts from China is often faltering,’ he admits. ‘But at the same time we benefit from extra systems that we now rent out.’ Adapt to grow So what does the future hold for this market and how important is it to keep that fluid relationship between research, development and production? It’s yet to be seen whether demand remains as strong as it currently is, or whether it will peak and trough. That’s why it pays to always be prepared. ‘The fact that the Production department can quickly anticipate changing market demands is valuable,’ comments Wieger. ‘It saves stock, which saves space. However, when the demand for a specific product suddenly increases, production can quickly switch to a new mode and focus on that product. ‘Anticipation is absolutely the major strength of our department.’ www.kooi.com WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 131

ASK THE EXPERTS GoodWe Solar Truck Well stored As residential PV systems are becoming increasingly complex and new technologies come to market, PES was keen to hear from Thomas Haering, Managing Director of GoodWe, about its installer program and how it’s becoming a one-stop-shop for complete storage systems. PES: A warm welcome to PES Thomas, it’s GoodWe solar inverters have been used in company on the Shanghai Stock Exchange lovely to have you with us. It would be great residential and commercial rooftops, (Stock Code: 688390). to start with an introduction to GoodWe if industrial and utility scale systems and range you don’t mind? from 0.7kW to 250kW. PES: What levels of growth have you experienced since the company Thomas Haering: Thank you for giving me GoodWe has more than 2300 employees was founded? the chance to speak with you. Let me give situated in 15 different countries and is you some numbers to allow you to put regarded as the Global No.1 storage inverter TH: Since its founding, our mission has GoodWe in the right perspective. GoodWe is by Wood Mackenzie in 2020. GoodWe is also always been the global energy transition, to a world-leading PV inverter and energy ranked as one of the Top 10 inverter suppliers create a sustainable future for earth, for storage solutions manufacturer. With an by IHS Markit and has achieved six mankind, and for future generations. Starting accumulative delivery of more than two consecutive TUV Rheinland ‘All Quality from these foundations, the company has million inverters and installation of 23GW in Matters’ Awards. Furthermore, last year invested heavily in recent years in more than 100 countries and regions, GoodWe was listed as a public limited internationalization, opening branches on all 132 PES SOLAR

ASK THE EXPERTS continents, with sales staff, highly qualified TH: Our success can be considered global, Thomas Haering technicians, service centres and in particular but certainly the investment in resources for a strong distribution network with long the growth of the European headquarters them, and that local staff can analyse and lasting partnerships. located in Munich has been fundamental in define market strategies and requirements making GoodWe a brand recognized as one of with the purpose of better understanding PES: Is this success mainly in Europe or on a the most important market leaders. Due to and adapting to their needs. more global scale too? the rapid growth in the last three years, since the founding of the GmbH in Munich, For this reason, GoodWe Europe also launched GoodWe has now made an even stronger the GoodWe PLUS+ installer program last commitment to create a centralized year, aimed at consolidating professional PV structure for its employees and especially for training and after-sales service under its new its customers. GoodWe PLUS+ initiative. This significant investment was the basis for PES: Can you explain a little about your GoodWe Europe GmbH to become the installer program and how that works? European headquarters, centrally bundling the activities of our historically important TH: It is a customer program with access pioneer branch in the UK and the ever- to a world of benefits and rewards for successful Dutch branch with the German installers. It gives access to exclusive GmbH and creating a coherent powerhouse in support, professional training, and Europe. Three offices in Europe, more country warranty extensions. managers with a local presence in each country and two European warehouses allow Electric and solar installation companies the company to serve its customers in their across Europe can also benefit from a special own countries and territories and are an warranty extension to 10 years for all on-grid important milestone in the ongoing inverters up to 20kW at no extra cost. internationalization of the brand. The GoodWe PLUS+ offers members very high GoodWe EMEA headquarters in Munich is a quality service and customer support at the commitment to long-term planning of time when needed, as well as countless cooperation and to building confidence in a common future for all our customers in EMEA. PES: As the market for residential and small commercial energy storage solutions gathers pace, how do you overcome the challenges of having enough installers on the ground to keep up with demand? TH: GoodWe’s core strategy is to use synergies efficiently together to act more effectively, but also to further develop sustainable cooperation with customers on site and to be able to better address their interests. To be able to identify with a business partner, it is crucial that this partner has local competencies and is fully committed to a joint approach. It is important for us to show our clients we are there for Lynx Home U Series LV battery HT Series inverter for C&I and Utility PV plants WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 133

ASK THE EXPERTS GoodWe Headquarters in Suzhou, China opportunities for solar professionals. As of and the advantages of these compared to TH: Given the growing number of utility- today, we are proud to say that we already your competitors. scale plants in the world as well as Europe, have almost 1000 GoodWe PLUS+ certified we decided to develop new dedicated installers all over Europe. TH: As a global leader in storage systems, products and solution for this market GoodWe decided to implement its product segment given our decade of experience in PES: How important is it that installers have portfolio with the introduction of low voltage research & development and production of access to the right support and training, batteries of its own production for residential string inverters. particularly as the solar market continues PV systems. By adding our own LFP batteries to grow and presumably more opportunities to our portfolio, we became a one-stop-shop Our flagship product is the HT series inverter for them open up? able to offer not only complete storage which comes in two versions: the 1100V systems but also a very high level of flexibility version for commercial and industrial rooftop TH: We put the installer at the centre of our with a solution for all installation and ground installations with a range from 73 focus. All market activities from us need to requirements. Major advantages are quickly to 136 kW, and the 1500V version for large keep this always in mind, whether we talk stated: optimized solution between all ground installations which includes two about manuals, sales arguments to be used components (battery and inverters); support models: 225 and 250kW. for the customers of our installers and most and warranty from one manufacturer; no important our service which is the crucial compatibility issues between batteries and We also implemented a Project Competence element of success. Among our distribution inverters; plug and play inverter centre in Europe to fully support EPC’s and partners, also installers can experience one communication with Auto-Recognition of developers both at commercial and technical of GoodWe’s greatest strengths, which is battery modules by the inverters. stages and we are increasing our staff on a customer loyalty. Installers require to be monthly basis in Europe in order to be fully technically well prepared to support their Our new Lynx Home U series battery is a low focused on project solutions. We are proud customers in turn. voltage lithium battery especially designed for to say that, despite only recently entering residential applications with superior this market, we have already sold far more This is why GoodWe EMEA decided to invest performance, safest battery technology (LFP) than 1 GW of our HT string inverters for in this project as we realized that residential and optimizing user experience. Within this Utility projects PV plants. PV systems with the addition of storage new product we can grant: easy installation, systems are becoming more and more comes from in-built auto recognition function PES: How do you go about introducing new complex. With the addition of new and plug & play design; flexible combination LV products and solutions to customers? We technologies required by the market and by batteries with our broad inverter portfolio; have heard about the GoodWe truck users, it is important that installers are kept hybrid solutions for new projects and retrofit Roadshow that you launched recently in up to date on the latest news, new solutions for upgrade of existing installations; Europe. Can you tell us a bit more about this applications and how to proceed with an a wide range of system sizes for various initiative and the thinking behind it? installation in the simplest and safest way customer needs thanks to the scalability of with the support of the manufacturer. This our batteries and inverters; possibility to TH: The idea of the GoodWe Truck project is also allows our distributors to count on a cover 1-phase and 3-phase grids; IP65 to bring GoodWe much closer to our stable and reliable manufacturer, both from a Outdoor rating, suitable for indoor and distributors, to give them the opportunity to commercial and technical point of view. outdoor installations. use a dynamic and interactive tool to introduce our products to their customers: PES: Aside from the installer program, what PES: Residential is a major market for installers. They can also take advantage of are some of the products that you provide GoodWe, but what about the utility scale the technical and commercial GoodWe team to distributors and their installer market too? It would be great to hear about for in-depth information on the products and customers? It would be good to hear in any recent projects and new products here. their applications, as well as technical particular about your new Lynx batteries training like our GoodWe PLUS+ program and 134 PES SOLAR

ASK THE EXPERTS see and touch our products installed inside demands of our customers for each type of This applies for multiple angles, like quality the truck. photovoltaic system. With the introduction and reliability, but also innovation and a high of our own batteries GoodWe will lift the value for money spent. We want to be This initiative has been greatly appreciated storage market, which is becoming more and regarded and respected as a company who by our distributors in Europe, as they have more important, to a new level. With our leads this industry into a future where the found an extremely effective and innovative expanded product portfolio, we can offer the younger generations will have a fair chance of way of organizing face to face events at their customers the right device for every living on a liveable planet such as my premises, where allowed. The first application from photovoltaic inverters to generation has had. roadshow was in Poland and the next one will storage solutions for utility, commercial and be held in September in Spain. Later we will residential applications. PES: For GoodWe in particular, what’s next also stop in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, do you think? and Greece. Clearly, within this wide range of products, some have been designed specifically for TH: Our vision is to create a new era of smart PES: Focusing on GoodWe globally now, certain markets, such as inverters for energy and be among the pioneers of where does the company rank in terms of North America, which require specific innovative solutions that make our mission of market share in each territory? design and dedicated UL certifications, as being the main driving force in the global well as inverters for the South African energy transition. GoodWe is in the right TH: As of global rankings, the latest data market such as the EHB series inverter place at the right time. confirms us as: No.1 as global Energy Storage which includes AFCI-Ready function and Inverters Supplier, Nr.1 in Czech Republic, can support Rapid Shutdown. www.goodwe.com Nr.2 in Australia for rooftop PV installations, Nr.3 in Turkey, Nr.1 in China and India for PES: It’s been 11 years now since GoodWe About GoodWe rooftop PV installations and Nr.3 in Spain for was founded and there’s been a lot of rooftop PV installations. change in the world of solar energy in that • Founded in 2010 time. What are your predictions for the We offer high-quality storage solutions for all future and what do you think the market will • European headquarters opened in 2018 market requirements at affordable prices. look like 11 years from now? We are proud of our achievements, but our • B ranches in Hong Kong, Australia, goal is not only to expand further into new TH: We understand that the renewable Germany, UK, Benelux, Japan, US and market segments, but to maintain our energy market has a high potential of growth, South Korea leading position in established markets. probably more than ever. No matter what other challenges the world might face in the • 2,300+ employees in total, including PES: Is the product portfolio the same foreseeable future, climate change will 500 research and development staff worldwide as it is in Europe? How does certainly be among the top focus areas of all and 70 overseas staff it compare? world leading economies. • 2020 turnover was around $244m TH: Our product portfolio is very broad The pressure for governments to cooperate indeed. Consider that we have seven by acting more persistently and credibly will • Global partners include Krannich, different models of residential PV inverters, increase in the coming years ,while the Sterling & Wilson, Panasonic and 12 energy storage inverters, eight models of climate will be showing more and more Viessmann, plus GE as licensed partner inverters for C&I applications, two models for extreme behaviour. We want to be part of the utility-scale plants, and four models of solution, not of the problem. We want to be • 25 GW solar inverters capacity and batteries also produced by GoodWe. regarded as one of the market leaders. 400 MWh battery capacity This allows us to fully satisfy the needs and WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 135

TALKING POINT The future is now for autonomous solar panel cleaning With the increasing demand for renewable energy, solar energy production is rapidly growing around the world and the size of solar plants is increasing as well. More and more nations come to realise the potential of planting solar panels in deserts which creates value on low fertility grounds. 136 PES SOLAR

TALKING POINT Extending up to several million square However, soiling problem is also the worst in soiling losses can be expected, sometimes metres with year-long sunshine, deserts are arid and semi-arid environments around the even within a week. the best place for harvesting solar power. world. Arid conditions favour atmospheric According to Power Technology, the 10 dust that easily stays on modules, resulting Current solutions to solar panel cleaning in largest solar plants in the world are all in high concentration of dust layer within a deserts: pros and cons situated in dry areas1. short period of time. Substantial impacts on electrical yield have been observed when Current solutions to solar panel cleaning 1 h ttps://www.power-technology.com/features/the- modules are not cleaned regularly. Up to 1.5 include water cleaning (wet clean) and worlds-biggest-solar-power-plants/ waterless cleaning (dry clean). While wet WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 137

TALKING POINT cleaning is widely adopted in most regions, dry fully autonomous, robust and efficient cleaning can be performed overnight in cleaning remains an economic and efficient robots need to be invented. Here is where order not to jeopardise the production solution to panels in dry regions where water SolarCleano F1A comes into play. during the day. On-field labour task will be is scarce, and the thin film of wind-blown dust SolarCleano team has a solid experience on reduced to zero. Human involvement during on solar panels can easily be swiped away with solar panel cleaning techniques and the whole process can be limited to remote a special dry brush. Numerous technologies mechanical design. This is the starting point control and supervision through a dedicated have been conceived and practised, each with for providing a robust, cost effective fully mobile app. its own pros and cons: autonomous solution for dry cleaning even in the harshest environments. Four years after In large solar plants in desertic areas, it is Manual cleaning is the first and still most the successful release of the semi- easy to build up a team of autonomous prevalent method. The disadvantage of it is autonomous robot F1, SolarCleano is now robots working simultaneously on different also obvious: it requires high manpower and launching the autonomous robot F1A, a arrays at any time. The local fleet is not efficient with large solar farms. brand-new solution dedicated to very large management system is the reference point plants deployed in desertic area or on large and the coordinator of every movement of Tractor or panel-mounted system involves rooftop, aiming at becoming a real game each robot on field. Connected 24 hours to brushes mounted on tractors, or a brush fixed changer thanks to the use of Artificial the Headquarter, the robots can be at the end of the panel that cleans the row Intelligence to further improve solar panel programmed to regular cleaning sessions assigned to it (‘one brush one row’). Both can predictive maintenance. according to the level of soiling. They can perform efficiently with large installations but work day and night, under high prove to be less flexible due to their sizes and Why autonomous: the advantages concentration of heat in desert, and can system set up. Tractor-mounted brushes and benefits even be launched straight after sandstorms. require sufficient space between solar panel With the autonomous robots in operation, rows and a higher capex; brushes fixed to a The SolarCleano autonomous cleaning safety is no longer an issue. With remote panel are designed to clean a limited range of solution is the first of its range. It inherits control and cloud system, robots can be panels only, which means many brushes are the versatile and flexible characters from charged automatically. Little maintenance is needed to support maintenance necessity. SolarCleano F1 and provides optimal required and troubleshooting also becomes cleaning result with 5cm global positioning much easier. Semi-autonomous robotic systems are by far precision. Equipped with an integrated IoT the most versatile solution which solves the system2, the robot’s performance is based The F1A autonomous robot is not only challenge facing the above methods. It is a on commands sent by its autonomous unit suitable to large-scale installations in semi-autonomous robot controlled by a through the cloud, which analyses data and desertic areas but can also work on all types single user. It allows faster cleaning with less makes real-time decision. To ease the of solar panel systems (ground-mounted, physical strain, and it is easy to transport maintenance tasks of big-scale solar plants, roof, solar trackers, etc.). With its high from site to site. However, in desertic areas SolarCleano developed a multi-robot capacity and efficiency, SolarCleano where large-scale installations are exposed system, encompassing two types of robots, autonomous robot is the industry 4.0 to harsh weather and require cleaning on a namely a cleaner, F1A, and a Transporter, cleaning solution for maximising the energy weekly or even daily basis, to organise labour T1A, as part of an IoT infrastructure. With production on your investment. It is a not only is complex but also creates logistic the autonomous robots in operation, plug-and-play, turnkey-ready smart burden. It is also complicated to work during solution to any developing smart system long hours or overnight. 2 Internet of Things, describes the network of physi- and smart city. cal objects—a.k.a. “things”—that are embedded The solution: fully automated with sensors, software, and other technologies for The current status and future versions of cleaning robot the purpose of connecting and exchanging data SolarCleano F1A with other devices and systems over the Internet. To address this issue, a new generation of (Source: Wikipedia) The first F1A robots have been deployed. New orders from EPC with installations in Australia, Middle East, North Africa and Chile are under discussion. SolarCleano is investing further in R&D research, seeking to turn its high- performance robots into multi-task players. The soiling scan offered by SolarCleano analyses the average annual soiling ratio based on winds, type of dust, environment, rainfall, etc., which serves to define the best solar panel cleaning strategy and technical solutions to achieve optimal production for any existing and upcoming plants. SolarCleano is planning to incorporate this data analysis capacity to its future generations of autonomous robots. Apart from cleaning, the robots will be programmed to complete other tasks such as the detection of hot spots or micro cracks on solar panels. We fully look forward to our robots to become the all-in-one solution in preventive maintenance. www.solarcleano.com 138 PES SOLAR



ASK THE EXPERTS Thinking small to make it big PES caught up with Dr. Daniel Faltermeier, Founder and Managing Partner of helioconsult, to see how the pandemic and its aftermath has impacted the market for small scale renewable energy systems. Could flexibility hold the key to high market demand in this sector? PES: Welcome to PES Daniel, it’s great to energy systems. Because of a high market technical and financial risks for our meet you again. Perhaps we can start off demand in the last couple of years, we are customers, developing, erecting, operating with an introduction to helioconsult and an currently most focused on photovoltaics (PV). or investing in renewable energy systems. overview of what you do? Our customers come from different sides of Also, the background of our employees is the spectrum. For example, on the one hand, Dr. Daniel Faltermeier: Thank you for having mainly in PV. Most of us have been in the we work for large investors and banks, for me. It is always a pleasure to talk to you. business already for decades, so you could large system in the multi-MWp-range, but say this is our sweet spot. also for small private companies investing in helioconsult is a German based independent small commercial rooftop projects. engineering provider for any type of renewable With our services we help to decrease the 140 PES SOLAR

ASK THE EXPERTS In fact, for smaller systems up to 750kWp, Daniel Faltermeier we have developed a highly standardized bundle of services which are highly flexible very efficient process for even smaller and cost efficient, so customers in this systems, we can offer a fast, reliable and range can also have access to advanced cost-efficient service. quality services, which are usually only common for large scale projects. PES: How do you think this could also be applied to other countries, perhaps in PES: Is the focus of your business primarily Europe but also worldwide? commercial PV systems? DF: Because our services are very flexible, we DF: The answer to this question is yes and no. can easily bring those to other markets. The Because of the situation during the last year, critical part here is travel costs. When you with travel restrictions and so on, we had to think about smaller installations and service focus even more on the local German market. costs in the range of around 2,000 EUR per Due to our already existent approach to project. This could be solved with trained and smaller systems, we were able to adjust very certified local partners, but also by bundling quickly, as our international business with large projects in a region. projects has decreased during the pandemic. This is already something we do in Germany to But this brought us very quickly in the position get individual travel costs down for our to become one of the leading providers for customers. So, the approach would be pretty this segment in Germany. So, you can say comparable and something we are looking currently our business in primarily focused on forward to doing in the coming years. commercial PV systems. From the current standpoint, we will keep this approach, but PES: We’d love to hear about some of your large-scale systems will be in focus later again. current projects. PES: It would be great to hear about the DF: Beside our quality services we deliver a approach you take to this in Germany where couple of hundred projects a year, we also you’re based. support some of our large customers with project management. Currently we DF: In Germany most smaller systems still get coordinate the finalization of projects, a guaranteed feed-in-tariff under Germany’s which have had problems in the past for renewable Energy Act. Because of the different reasons. For example, because the accompanying regulations, commercial original EPC was not able or willing to finalize project size is limited to 750 kWp, or it is them. This goes from support for tender necessary to go through an auction process to process to finding a new EPC up to tracking build larger energy installations. This is slowly the project progress. beginning to change, and the market is slowly converting to Power Purchase Agreements, PES: What kind of benefits are there for which allow more flexibility, as well as larger small businesses and small commercial solar project sizes. systems in using your services, as opposed to large PV systems? With our consulting and engineering services we can provide the right product for both DF: The benefits are in general the same. In worlds. Our yield analyses, due diligence both cases customers get a lower financial process and technical inspection services are and technical risk for their investment. The highly flexible and adaptable. This means we main difference is the price for these services. are able to provide our customers with the exact service they need for their project size. A complete quality services package for large scale PV systems are usually in the range of a As I said earlier, with a highly standardized and couple ten thousand Euros, which is clearly too expansive for smaller projects. But there WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 141

ASK THE EXPERTS is a reason, why there is such a high price tag, calculations from the EPCs are not very exact. PES: Do you support big global players in which is the same when we are providing our If those specific yields are used for the the market too? services for those segments. business model, this could cost the margin, or even lead to a loss over time. DF: Sure, with our given range of services So, the initial question, is there a way to we can work with everyone from the private standardize and adapt the large-scale PES: How does helioconsult help to to large institutional international players products in a way that the customer still gets overcome these? and EPC companies. a reliable service, but for less money. DF: Especially regarding the last point, we Currently we are supporting companies with And the answer to this is yes. By adapting offer our customers, with our due diligence projects in the MWp-range in different these services to the specific needs of process and the included yield assessment, a countries all around the world, as well as in smaller systems, we can still provide a reliable prediction of the base parameters for our home market Germany. Added to this are bankable product, which fits the individual their business models in the planning phase the large investors with project portfolios needs of our customers. of the project. with more than 100 projects up to 750 kWp. PES: As the move towards a more sustainable During our on-site technical inspection, once PES: Are you seeing high demand for your future continues, are smaller scale solar the system is built, we are able to identify services? Has business been impacted by projects becoming much more common? problems and circumstances which can lead to the pandemic at all? a lower yield than calculated and this means DF: Decentralized smaller systems, we can adjust the existing yield calculations. DF: Yes, business is going really well. As I localized at the consumers’ location are This also includes, for example, thermal drone mentioned earlier, due to international travel possible, and centralized large-scale imaging and electrical measurements during restrictions, we are kind of limited in our installations are both important for a the inspection for each project size. international business, where there is a need successful renewable energy concept. for a physical presence. PES: How important is flexibility in your job? There is still a large scope of areas which can We would imagine it’s something that goes However, services like our due diligence or be covered with PV for decentralized hand in hand with speed and reliability? yield analyzes, which can be done from any projects. By the way, one great advantage of place in the world, is still growing. renewable energy systems, is to convert DF: Absolutely! We often get calls from new sunlight into electrical energy at the location customers with time critical demands. It is Luckily, we were also able to increase our where it is actually needed. not uncommon for us, that there are less business in our home market, which more than than 2 weeks between the assignment and compensates a lower international income. So, clearly I would see an increase in smaller the final report. In most cases we are even systems over the next years. But also, there faster. Luckily our internal structure and Also from our internal structure, decentralized must be an increase of centralized large scale standardization allows us to have this high home office work was the standard even solar and wind systems, to cover the demand flexibility. Probably something that sets us before the pandemic. So, we were able to of energy for the industry, electromobility apart from other competitors. adapt pretty fast to the situation, which will and people living in cities with no place for hopefully get back to “normal” soon. their own systems. PES: So, what’s next for helioconsult? Have PES: What are some of the common you plans to extend your services to the challenges that small commercial systems European market perhaps? face. Do they tend to differ from larger scale projects? DF: Right now, we are still very busy with our current projects, but we clearly want to bring DF: Decentralized smaller systems now come our unique services for commercial systems to with a more complex grid- management and the nearby countries as fast as possible. We stabilization process. A reason why grid already have some partners in different operators were not thrilled with the idea of European countries, which allows us to target renewable systems at the beginning. those markets for example like Italy, Spain, France, Netherlands and Sweden already or Providing an infrastructure which allows a safe very soon. Fingers crossed, helioconsult’s and stable use of those decentralized systems success story will continue in far into the future. is nevertheless key. But this is more a task for the regulation body and the grid operators. www.helioconsult.com From the investors point of view, the challenges are more in finding a trustworthy and competent partner to plan and build their new system. For example, often the yield 142 PES SOLAR

www.helioconsult.com consulting engineering connecting doing training Independent Consulting and Engineering Services for Renewable Energy Projects. We are securing your Investment: fast, reliable and competent.

ASK THE EXPERTS Keeping an eye on video technology 144 PES SOLAR

ASK THE EXPERTS It is the nature of the beast that solar parks are often sited in remote locations and with so many valuable components, keeping them secure from theft and vandalism can be a challenge. PES had a great interview with Marc Thurn, CEO of LivEye International Group, along with his colleagues Arkadiusz Plaskowicki, CCO, LivEye International Group & CEO LivEye sp. z o.o. and Tobias Bayer, Sector KAM Wind Energy & Solar, about the possibilities of video surveillance. Could this big brother-style technology hold the key to solar park security? PES: Welcome to PES Solar, it’s lovely to sites are subject to various risks, particularly TB: Given that solar parks are often located have you with us. It’s particularly great to during the setup of a new park. As valuable far from residential areas, this makes it easier get to speak to all three of you, as we’re sure materials, expensive machinery and high- for criminals to carry out theft unnoticed. The it will make for an interesting interview. quality components and solar modules can equipment is often insufficiently protected: Perhaps we can begin with a short earn lots of money on the black market, solar simply using railings poses no challenge for introduction to LivEye and where you sit parks are often the target of theft. planned theft, particularly for organised within the solar market? gangs. As a result of the lack of infrastructure The reports of sabotage often tend to pile up. and energy supply, self-sufficient solutions Marc Thurn: LivEye International specialises In addition to the financial cost, this can also are required to safeguard the equipment in the surveillance of temporary risk zones cause huge damage to reputation. It is which is made possible using surveillance. with mobile security solutions. We develop therefore essential for operators of such sites and produce state-of-the-art video to invest in the security of their equipment. PES: Can you give us some information surveillance systems under the brand name about the type of product and services you LivEye®. We also offer camera systems for Tobias Bayer: In order to provide provide for such situations? documentation purposes as well as comprehensive protection for this equipment, surveillance systems for early fire detection. we first analyse the site, identify specific TB: Thanks to a suitable power supply requirements and then create a bespoke system, the LivEye® PRO 2.0 system can In addition to our own research and security concept tailored to the client’s needs. operate completely self-sufficiently for up development unit, we also have our own to three months, ensuring a fail-safe power production site with partial production in PES: Are there specific requirements for supply and thus continuous recording. This Poland. Together with our 24/7 Video solar park surveillance as opposed to other means video surveillance can be easily Monitoring & Alarm Centre, we offer areas of application that you cover? carried out, even in remote areas. top-quality video surveillance for all types of premises and our specially designed systems TB: The requirements for on-site video With a mast height of 8.50 m, the systems for outdoor use also provide comprehensive surveillance vary depending on the location are suitable for flexible use on extensive protection for solar parks. and must be individually adapted to each solar sites and effectively protect all types of park. Solar parks are often situated in remote solar park against intruders. PES: Firstly, can you explain a little bit about areas, away from all types of infrastructure, your work with solar parks? which presents a unique challenge. PES: How does solar park surveillance work with LivEye? Arkadiusz Plaskowicki: The expansion of PES: You mentioned that solar parks are renewable energies, especially in the area of very often located in quite isolated areas, TB: The LivEye® systems offer protection photovoltaics, means the number of solar can you tell us more about the specific particularly in areas where solar parks are parks is also increasing. The operators of such challenges? easily accessible. Two highly functional PTZ Marc Thurn Arkadiusz Plaskowicki Tobias Bayer WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 145

ASK THE EXPERTS cameras record all suspicious activity in a detection. This provides even more security Our customers therefore benefit from surveillance radius of up to 200 m. As soon as and cost savings. Optionally, customers can systems that always feature the latest an intruder is detected, our continuously also observe the monitored area themselves technology and are regularly updated. We can staffed Video Monitoring & Alarm Centre is at any time via an app. also implement special solutions according to notified and the chain of intervention started. specific customer requirements. AP: We also place great value on high-quality If unauthorised persons have gained access to products and state-of-the-art technology. PES: It would be great if you could give one or the site, the persons concerned are first The LivEye® analysis software and intelligent two examples of your products in action on requested to leave the area immediately by a parameters ensure that errors in the solar parks? Have you worked on any live announcement via the integrated detection of movement and identification of particularly interesting applications recently loudspeaker system. If this request is not incidents is kept to a minimum. you can tell us about? complied with, the police or security guards are alerted. PES: What about current technical TB: Multiple major construction projects developments? How do you ensure that you across Europe are currently safeguarded The stored video material also provides can keep up with the market? using mobile video surveillance solutions by investigators with valuable evidence that will LivEye®. Systems with a fixed location are assist in solving the case. MT: At our research and development site, used at strategic locations such as site we work continuously on new approaches facilities or material warehouses and PES: Is this surveillance available around the and concepts in the area of mobile video additional systems are regularly repositioned clock? And are there any locations or surveillance solutions. This includes both the as part of regular construction progress. distances where it might not be possible for further development of existing systems as this technology to work? well as developing new products. This allows the surveillance to be adapted based on the dynamic construction work TB: The systems can be operated around One of the main focuses of the LivEye® taking place. We implemented continuous the clock as required. When it gets dark, Research & Development Centre is the ongoing perimeter protection using high- their night vision mode switches on further and new development of software to performance thermal imaging cameras as automatically. In this way, any threat is optimise LivEye® system components. part of an additional project. reliably detected and can be eliminated at an early stage. PES: You have subsidiaries in Germany, Switzerland and Poland at the moment, are The systems can be set up anywhere using a there plans to expand your offering on a wheel loader or crane and positioned as more global scale in the future? required. Our product range comprises both electricity powered and self-sufficient AP: Globalisation and increased networking systems, allowing us to adequately protect worldwide are affecting our industry. any site. Despite advancements in digitalisation, we have noticed that proximity to the market PES: What are the main advantages of such offers huge advantages and impacts video surveillance in general and your customer loyalty. products in particular do you think? As previously mentioned, last year saw the TB: Our mobile camera systems can be used launch of the state-represented LivEye sp. flexibly and are also perfectly suitable as a z o.o. in Poland and LivEye Swiss GmbH in temporary security measure. They enable Switzerland. In recent months, we have also continuous surveillance of both expansive opened sales offices in Leipzig, Munich, areas and hilly terrain. This makes them a Vienna and Madrid. By increasing our sites, cost-effective alternative or even an addition we are strengthening our proximity to to conventional site security. customers and can react with flexibility to market requirements. What’s more, the LivEye® systems can be retrofitted with thermal imaging cameras for www.liveye.com/en/ uses like perimeter protection or early fire 146 PES SOLAR

MOBILE SECURITY SOLUTIONS FOR SOLAR PARKS LIVEYE® PRO 2.0 SELF SUFFICIENT • Targeted surveillance with two highly functional PTZ cameras • Ecofriendly hybrid solution • Intelligent LivEye® analysis software (AI) • Detection Range up to 200 m • Mast height of 8.50 m • 150 l fuel tank • Up to 3 months self-sufficient operation with one tank filling • The location can be changed quickly • Optional: Customer camera | Thermal imaging camera | Time-lapse camera www.liveye.com LivEye GmbH Europa Allee 56b | D 54343 Föhren Phone: +49 6502 4034722 | Hotline: +800 77110888

TALKING POINT Inspired by Mars Atonometrics was founded in Austin, Texas, in 2007, with the mission to provide high-quality test and measurement equipment to the small but growing photovoltaics industry. The company founders came from a long background in test and measurement equipment for the semiconductor industry. The experience of the management team included over 30 years of R&D, product development, sales, marketing, and manufacturing. The company’s first products included light Soiling: the accumulation of dust and other particulate matter settles onto the surfaces soaking systems and IV measurement contaminants is a significant concern for of solar panels and sticks to them. The rate of systems for PV module manufacturers and photovoltaic (PV) solar power plants. Soiling soiling accumulation, usually discussed in test labs. These products have been installed affects solar power generation by blocking terms of the daily increase in power loss in in factories and labs worldwide. sunlight from getting to the solar panels. It between cleanings, varies between 0.1 to 1.0 causes worldwide solar industry power percent per day, depending on the amount This experience in the PV industry led the losses of 4 to 7%, with corresponding and type of dust in the air, wind speeds, company to develop products for revenue loss in the multibillion-dollar range. humidity, and other conditions. The total operational PV plants. The company’s first And some locations, such as the Middle East, soiling loss continues to grow until a cleaning soiling measurement system was can experience soiling losses of 50% or more or rainfall event occurs. introduced in 2010 and that product was during dust storms. followed by calibrated reference cells for Soiling is a location-specific phenomenon. cost-effective irradiance measurements. Soiling occurs primarily because airborne Not only are there are clear differences in 148 PES SOLAR

TALKING POINT soiling rates between geographic regions, is needed to measure soiling losses on site. but even on the local scale there can be At operational power plants, ongoing significant differences in soiling rates measurement of soiling loss is an important depending on local surroundings. Soiling component of performance monitoring. At rates can even vary significantly across a pre-construction sites, soiling loss single PV power plant, perhaps due to a road, measurement is an important part of farm, or factory on one side of the plant or resource assessment for future power plant due to prevailing winds. Studies have performance prediction. reported up to 3% performance variations across a single plant due to location-specific There are several methods for measuring soiling rates. soiling losses at PV plants. Atonometrics, is a leader in the field and has been providing PV For PV power plant sites without regular rain, irradiance and soiling measurement systems cleaning strategies need to be developed, for over 10 years and has over 1,000 systems keeping in mind the costs of cleaning which installed in over 30 countries worldwide. The vary significantly by cleaning method and most common PV soiling measurement plant location. The decision of how often and method is based on the comparison of two when to clean is an economic one, increases PV devices such as solar panels, reference in revenue due to cleaner solar panels should cells, or a combination. exceed losses due to soiling. One device is regularly cleaned, either Since soiling losses are highly variable and automatically or manually, and the other have plant-specific impacts, instrumentation device is allowed to soil naturally like the solar 2 0.040 0.06 0.036 0.055 0.039 0.05 1 0 Distance (km ) 0.039 Average Soiling Rate (%/day) -1 Wind 0.061 0.028 0.045 0.04 -2 0.025 0.035 -3 0.03 FARM 0.065 -4 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 Distance (km )) -4 -1 Wind 0 2 -4 -2 0.039 -3 Variation of soiling rates measured by 8 soiling sensors, distributed within a utility-scale solar power plant. Multi-year average daily soiling rates in %/day, shown in text1 and by circle radius in figure, are highest near the edge of the plant immediately down-wind of a farm. Soiling rates could be up to 2x the averages, as shown by the outer circles at each sensor location WWW.PESSOLAR.COM 149 -3 FA

TALKING POINT Soiling Ratio 1.00 0.98 0.96 0.94 0.92 0.90 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 10 5Rain (mm ) Cleaning 0 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Top: soiling ratio the fraction of actual system power to expected clean-state power, measured by a soiling sensor at a site in California, showing varying soiling losses over time with rain and cleaning and heavy build-up in summer months Bottom: Rain and cleaning events at the site panels at the site. Comparing the soiled Previously, these installations did not have Along the way, Atonometrics has become the device to the clean one yields the impact of the budget or on-site personnel to install recognized technical experts in PV test and soiling loss. These methods require some soiling measurement technologies, but measurement technologies. This is evidenced labor and maintenance costs, either in that is changing with the introduction of by over 30 published technical papers at the manually washing a clean reference device or new techniques. industry’s leading conferences, workshops, in periodic refilling of a water tank for and magazines. In addition, the company has automated cleaning. Soiling measurement is becoming increasingly over 20 issued and filed patents. important to optimize PV power plant All-optical low-maintenance techniques are a performance and revenue. The conclusion is To date, Atonometrics has installed several recent development in soiling measurement that soiling measurement technologies are thousand products in over 30 countries and 6 technology. Atonometrics has developed a very cost-effective and newer optical continents worldwide. compact, easy-to-use measurement device technologies, such as Mars™, enable soiling called Mars™. This is a camera-based measurements on a wide scale worldwide. www.atonometrics.com technology that requires no maintenance and no calibration procedures. It is a completely hands-free operation when installed. The name for Mars came from a conversation with technologists at The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), inspired by the idea of serving remote locations for which any maintenance, or calibration procedures would be difficult. Any sensors eventually deployed to Mars would have to be fully autonomous since maintenance technicians are difficult to find on Mars. So, the Atonometrics’ optical soiling sensor’s name was conceived with future Mars missions in mind. Mars™ was introduced to the market in 2018 and has since been installed in many PV plants worldwide. The low-cost, maintenance-free, and calibration-free aspect of good optical technologies has expanded the market for soiling measurement systems to smaller installations including commercial rooftops. 150 PES SOLAR