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Taiwan

Solar-Powered Electric Bike Station For New Jersey Park

by Jake Richardson November 27, 2016

A containerized PV solar system with energy storage in the form of lithium-ion batteries has been be installed at Liberty State Park in New Jersey. The Eco Power station concept was unveiled in 2015, and a press release said the PV solar system capacity is 5 kilowatts. They system includes backup electricity generating capacity from a hydrogen fuel cell which can provide power for 8 hours or more. The entire system consumes no energy from the grid.

Skynergy features innovative green products of note (PRNewsFoto/Green Trade Project Office)

Image by Skynergy

A smart-energy-management system is included in the container system, which is made by Taiwan-based Skynergy. Recycled tires and computer parts were used for the floor tiles and luminaries. The containerized solution is appropriate for usage where there is no grid-connected electricity, like for emergency situations or disaster relief. It can also be used for residential, retail, or recreational purposes.

A bicycle rental and tour company called Bike And Roll operates the 40 by 8 foot shipping container Eco Power electric bike station. The company offers tours in various locations in New York City and in other parts of the country, like San Francisco. The Liberty State Park site is well situated for views of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and the Hudson River.

Image by Skynergy

Considering the very large number of tourists who visit, having a solar electric bike station there just might prove educational too. One source says the 1,212 acre park receives about 4 million guests per year. Even if a tiny fraction of them visit the EcoPower station, surely some will be interested and learn a thing or two about clean energy.

On July 12th, a ceremony was held to officially hand over the EcoPower station. The participants included the Green Trade Project Office; the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in New York; Bike And Roll; Taiwanese manufacturers; and the project partners UL and Asolar.

The Taiwan Green Trade Project Office was established in 2011 to promote Taiwan’s green products and services, and is within the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Images via Green Trade Project Office

November 27, 2016 0 comment

PV Solar PV Manufacturing

InnoLas Laser Technology Supports 800MW Solar Cell Factory

by Jake Richardson November 6, 2015

written by Jake Richardson

InnoLas Solutions GmbH (InnoLas) is supplying five additional ILS-TT high throughput laser machines for Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (PERC) technology to Sino-American Silicon Products Inc. (SAS) with its subsidiary Sunrise Global Solar Energy Co. Ltd. The new laser machines are for Sunrise’s high efficiency cell factory with 800 MW of yearly production, which will be operational in about two months. The InnoLas lasers help increase solar cell efficiency.

“We are proud that SAS, a world leading manufacturer of PERC type solar cells, has chosen our laser systems after carefully evaluating the available options on the market. It shows that we remain the technology leader in advanced laser processing for the PV industry. Our fully automatic ILS-TT machine platform gives our customers a clear competitive edge,” explained Markus Nicht, CEO InnoLas Solutions. Sunrise has ordered InnoLas laser machines before – some were purchased in 2013.

InnoLas Solutions manufactures laser systems mostly for the photovoltaic industry, but also for semiconductors, engineering and electronics. InnoLas claims one of its machines can create 3,600 cells per hour.

So how big is InnoLas? In one recent year, it had US $53 million in revenue. SAS merged with Sunrise Solar in 2014 and is based in Taiwan. Sunrise is a leading solar cell manufacturer.

That precision laser machines are involved in solar cell manufacturing is fascinating because they are not exclusive to the solar industry. They are part of a number of different manufacturing endeavors, which means they are part of a larger economy.

So, in that sense the solar power industry is supporting the larger economy, but the perception has been too often that solar power needs to be supported and that it doesn’t contribute to other sectors.

In this case, we clearly see that it does support other industries and will continue to do so as it expands. That is to say, the solar power industry is not a marginal one that only eats up continuous government support. It is one that adds economic value to national economies and the global economy.

Image Credit: Innolas

November 6, 2015 0 comment

New Technology PV Rooftop Solar Solar PV Manufacturing Solar Records

World’s Most Efficient Silver Paste Exhibited By Heraeus

by Jake Richardson November 3, 2015

written by Jake Richardson

Reportedly, the most efficient silver paste in the world will be exhibited at the PV Taiwan 2015 conference in Taipei. This paste has been said to have the world record for PERC efficiency, rated at 21.7%. PERC means passivated emitter rear contact, which is part of a different kind of solar cell architecture. The silver paste is made by the German company Heraeus.

“We are looking forward to form more partnerships with leading PERC cell manufacturers to customize our pastes to their specific cell designs. A stronger collaboration will allow us to maximize our customer’s cell performance and improve their competitiveness,” explain ed Dr. Weiming Zhang, Senior Vice President, Research and Development, Heraeus Photovoltaics.

In October, Heraeus signed an agreement with SAS Sunrise to help the company maximize the efficiency of its solar cells.

Silver is used in solar cells for the formation of contact grids, which are collectors of electrons. “Grids can be expensive to make and can affect the cell’s reliability. To make top-surface grids, metallic vapors are deposited on a cell through a mask or painted on via a screen-printing method.” In fact, about 10% of the world’s silver is used in photovoltaics.

You probably won’t find that many news articles about silver paste, but it is fascinating to consider how many companies work to support the solar power industry. They don’t make solar cells or panels and don’t install them, but they do produce important elements that make it possible for solar power to exist and to function.

The sub-text for these kind of technological successes is the ongoing research and development in new and more efficient solar power. Critics of solar power seem to perceive it as something that will not steadily improve, but it has been increasing in efficiency for decades. With more funding and research, it will undoubtedly continue to do so.

Image Credit: Heraeus

November 3, 2015 0 comment

Energy Storage PV

Off-Grid Solar Plus Storage Power Station Showcases Taiwanese Cleantech

by Derek Markham October 15, 2015

written by Derek Markham

A self-contained solar plus storage power station built into a shipping container is serving as the showcase for some of the latest in Taiwanese cleantech innovations, and this off-grid Eco-Power Station (EPS) will serve as an electric bike station at a state park in New Jersey in the spring of 2016.

The Green Trade Project Office, described as “Taiwan’s leader in promoting and integrating green products and services,” designed the EPS, which features 5 kW of GEAC’s thin film solar modules, a 5 kW lithium-ion battery, and a hydrogen fuel cell backup system, all built into a standard 40 foot by 8 foot shipping container. The rooftop solar modules feed the smart grid built into the EPS, as well as charge the battery bank, and a remote monitoring and energy management system adds a layer of optimization and control to the entire unit.

In the event that solar energy production at the EPS is disrupted, and the energy storage system is discharged, a hydrogen fuel cell system from M-Field can provide complete backup power for more than 8 hours at maximum output, allowing for uninterrupted operation.

A number of other innovations were also built into the EPS, including an insulated coating from Heatax, which is said to be able to reflect up to 88% of the sun’s heat and to be long-lasting and “very affordable,” and a spray-on coating for building surfaces from Nustone that gives surfaces “the look and feel of stone.”

“From the rooftop solar panels, lithium-ion battery pack to the rubber floor, we gathered 10 Taiwanese companies to build this off-grid eco-friendly power station.” – Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Wei-fu

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The inside of the EPS container is covered with rubber flooring tile from Jia-Qian Rubber Tech, made from 100% recycled tires, and sitting outside the unit is a “solar pillar” from SunValue, which is essentially a piece of functional artwork that uses “solar-power” bricks to charge cell phones and other mobile devices. According to the Green Trade Project Office, these solar bricks can be integrated into existing buildings, and are especially suited for vertical installation.

The Eco-Power Station, which cost about $100,000 to build, will be shipped to Liberty State Park, New Jersey, in March of 2016, and will be used as an electric bicycle charging station and rental center for Bike and Roll, which will pay for its use “based on how much electricity it is able to conserve thanks to the Eco-Power Station.”

October 15, 2015 0 comment

Market Research Policy Research PV Solar Incentives Solar Modules Solar Policy Solar PV Manufacturing Solar Research

IEA Solar Report Provides Wealth of Information (14 Charts)

by James Ayre October 16, 2014

written by James Ayre

The newest edition of the Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme report was recently released by the IEA — detailing a huge quantity of different aspects of the global solar PV market as well as country- and region-specific solar PV markets.

This 19th edition of the report provides a number of highly interesting/useful graphs, some of which are posted below. Providing visual representations for everything from the 20 largest single-country solar PV power capacity additions from the last five years, to the contribution of electricity from solar PV systems relative to overall country electricity demand, to which solar PV market incentives and enablers have most driven solar PV growth, etc.

Enjoy.

Germany’s steadily high installations for years keep it at the top in terms of cumulative solar PV capacity, but that may change in 2014 thanks to another year with a huge red bubble floating far above the rest.

Here’s a table if you’re into tables or lists.

And here’s a broader look at the 2013 breakdown. China and Japan together account for ~half of all solar PV power installation.

But Germany is still far ahead in terms of total cumulative solar PV capacity… We’ll see if it stays there after 2014. The US, sadly, sits at #5 despite being the 3rd-most-populated country in the world and the richest.

Notice Europe’s shrinking market share. However, that’s not just due to shrinking solar PV markets in Europe — it’s also due to strong growth in North America and Asia… especially Asia.

It’s fascinating here to look at how the electricity from solar PV is differently “consumed.” Also, congrats to Italy for leading the way on this chart — nice solar resources help, but that’s certainly not the only factor at play! The US and China actually perform pretty horribly from this angle. Europe dominates the top rankings.

We still have a long way to go.

That’s some strong growth.

Somewhat crazy how much three countries contribute to the 2013 total. The story will be similar in 2014.

Feed-in tariffs are still the premier market enabler for solar PV power. Note, also, that self-consumption and “pure competitive EV” is already making up 5% of the pie.

As far as renewables go, more mature wind still dominates.

China dominates solar cell production. Who knew?

While there is often talk of Chinese solar cell and solar module producers killing US and German companies, we can see here that US and German solar cell production never came close to Chinese production even as far back as 2010, or even Taiwanese production for that matter. But there’s no denying that the German market collapsed in 2010.

Chinese domination is even stronger in the module business.

Source: IEA, via Sustainnovate

October 16, 2014 0 comment