In addition to this, in late September, the major solar project in MuAn in southern Korea with a total peak output of one megawatt was successfully connected to the grid. With an installation phase of just six weeks, SunTechnics set new standards in the completion of turn-key photovoltaic plants in the megawatt power range.

SunTechnics solar power plant in South Korea (1 MW peak). Picture Source: SunTechnics

The construction of another solar power plant with a total peak performance of 1.1 megawatts southwest of Seoul will already start by the end of this year with partner Korea Cottrell. To help coordinate the lucrative business activities even better, SunTechnics opened its own subsidiary in Seoul, with a branch office in SunCheon on the East Asian peninsula being planned for early 2007. Laying claim to a total market share of about 20 percent, SunTechnics is already the leading provider of turn-key regenerative energy systems in South Korea.

One of the world’s most attractive growth markets for solar energy

"The Korean market offers vast potential for growth, particularly for large solar installations and tailormade solar façades for customized building surfaces, which feed electricity into the public grid", explained Jihun Kim, Country Manager SunTechnics Korea. "Our engineering know-how from having implemented in excess of several thousand solar projects worldwide and our broad portfolio of turn-key complete solutions have helped us achieve success in Korea", Jihun Kim adds. South Korea ranks as one of the world’s most attractive growth markets for solar energy. To relieve the high dependence on oil imports of the tiger economy, which is poor in mineral resources, the South-Korean government has launched a market incentive scheme to develop renewable energies. In a similar way as in Germany, the construction of solar energy systems is subsidized with low-interest loans and each kilowatt hour of solar energy fed into the public grid is rewarded with the equivalent of 58 eurocents, which is guaranteed for 15 years. In addition, subsidies covering investment costs have been agreed.

Suntechnics GmbH (11/30/2006)

European Solar Thermal Technology Platform Commences Work

49 percent of the European energy demand is used for heating and cooling purposes, a large part of which can be produced using solar thermal systems. The group of experts at the European Solar Thermal Technology Platform (ESTTP) are convinced of this. The platform was founded on May 30th in Brussels and begins work with a kick-off meeting on December 6th. Approximately 70 representatives from research institutions, companies and politics from all across Europe are expected in Brussels. The platform’s goal is to define a vision for the comprehensive use of solar thermal energy in Europe in 2030 and to develop a corresponding research strategy for the upcoming years.

Majority of new buildings to be heated exclusively using solar thermal energy in 2030

According to the scientists and companies, the standards in 2030 will see the majority of new buildings being heated exclusively using solar thermal energy and existing buildings being modernised with solar elements, thus allowing more than 50% of the heating requirements to be covered using solar energy. The costs for heating buildings using solar energy will continue to fall in the coming years and the proportion of solar thermal energy will considerably increase. Great potential is also seen in solar cooling, which employs refrigerating systems powered by solar thermal energy, and the industrial use of solar thermal energy.

"The ESTTP is making a significant contribution in accelerating the development of solar thermal energy usage and in systematically tapping into the enormous potential of solar thermal energy", says Gerhard Stryi-Hipp, Chairman of the Board of the ESTTP Steering Committee and Executive Board Member of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation ESTIF. Networking and achieving a common orientation of research and developmental measures in politics, research institutions and the industry should unleash a new dynamic in solar thermal energy all across Europe. "The ESTTP will clarify the enormous potential of solar thermal energy", assures Gerhard Stryi-Hipp.

Kick-off meeting on December 6th in Brussels deals with solar heat for residential buildings, solar thermal energy for commercial applications and market development

Up until now, solar thermal energy has only played a subordinate role in European and national research programmes. The Solar Thermal Technology Platform, which is supported by the European Commission, aims to considerably increase the quantity of research programmes. The goal is the international technology leadership of European companies. The assumption is that the results of the ESTTP will significantly influence the future research programmes in the solar thermal energy sector. During the kick-off meeting on December 6th in Brussels, a current overview on the worldwide solar thermal energy market and the current research activities will be provided. In addition, the goal, structure and the work plan for the platform will be introduced. During the afternoon, the 3 focus groups on solar heat for residential buildings, solar thermal energy for commercial applications and for questions on market development and perspectives will commence their work. All interested parties from the industry, research and politics are invited and participation is free. Information and registration can be found at: www.esttp.org.

European Solar Thermal Technology Platform (ESTTP) c/o ESTIF (11/29/2006)

Hermann Scheer and Tulsi Tanti honoured with TERIalumni Awards

Hermann Scheer, member of the German Federal Parliament and Tulsi Tanti, Chairman and Managing Director of Suzlon Energy Limited have been honoured with the The TERIalumni Award for Excellence – 2006. The Award has been instituted by The Terialumni Trust.

Policy innovation by the 100.000 photovoltaic solar energy roof programme, Renewable Energy Act and tax exemption for all biofuels

Hermann Scheer, since 1980 and President of EUROSOLAR and General Chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE) is known to be a very effective policy innovator and his ideas are sufficiently backed by good reason, thought and ideology, the jury emphasizes. He has been instrumental in bringing about the fully implemented 100.000 photovoltaic solar energy roof programme, the German Renewable Energy Act with 16.000 MW installed decentralized renewable energy capacity and a full tax exemption for all biofuels. The Award was presented to Hermann Scheer in New Delhi on November 6th, 2006 by the Energy Minister of the State of Rajasthan, Mr. Gajaender Singh.

Demonstrated of widespread dissemination of renewable energy technologies

Tulsi Tanti, the Chairman and Managing Director of Suzlon Energy Limited (SEL) has demonstrated that widespread dissemination of renewable energy technologies can take place through a successful energy environment enterprise. As the Chairman and Managing Director of SEL, Tulsi Tanti has provided leadership and vision to SEL operations that resulted in development of some of the largest windfarms in the world. Tulsi Tanti came up with a very successful initial public offering in 2005 to fund the SEL's expansion plans. The IPO, apart from raising the funds, also resulted in considerable increase in awareness on wind energy technology in the public domain. Through his commitment to quality and customer support, Tanti has been able to raise SEL as the leading wind turbine manufacturer of the World, now ranked 5th.

TERI, The Energy and Resources Institute (11/27/2006)

Suntech Announces Contract to Supply World's Largest Solar Power Plant

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (WUXI, China) on November 22nd announced it has recently entered into a solar module supply contract with Atersa, a subsidiary of Elecnor Group, one of Spain's leading project planning and integrated management and infrastructure development companies. In one of its largest and most sophisticated projects to date, Suntech will supply solar modules with an aggregate output of 23.2 MW to Atersa for installation in the Photovoltaic Grid Connection Park in the Extremadura region of Spain. It is expected that these solar modules will be supplied within the first half of 2007.

Attractive feed-in-tariffs and a climate favorable to solar energy production

"Atersa has broad experience in energy integration products and we are pleased to be able to work with them to build this Photovoltaic Park", said Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech's Chairman and CEO. "With Spain's recently enacted feed-in-tariffs and a climate favorable to solar energy production we expect that Spanish demand for solar products will grow rapidly in coming years.

Suntech aims to be a long term provider of quality PV products in Spain and this project is a critical part of that effort", Dr. Zhengrong Shi continued. "After a careful evaluation of potential partners and suppliers for this landmark Photovoltaic Grid Connection Park, we chose Suntech as we were highly satisfied with the value and quality of their product", said Atersa's CEO Virgilio Navarro. "We look forward to working closely with Suntech as part of this project".

120,000 solar modules in an area of 65 hectares

The Photovoltaic Park will cover an area of 65 hectares and have more than 120,000 solar modules. When completed, it will be the largest such power plant in the world, generating over three times more energy than the next largest installation. According to the company Suntech's sales in Spain have already grown to account for nearly 12 % of total revenue in the third quarter of 2006 and this project will greatly increase the Company's presence in this market.

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (11/24/2006)

BP Solar to Invest $ 70 Million to Expand US Facility

BP Solar on November 16th 2006 unveiled its plans for a $ 70 million expansion project at its North American headquarters in Frederick, Maryland. The expansion will result in nearly doubling the facility's current casting and sizing capacity to approximately 150 MW. The company projects that 70 new jobs will be created. Other plans include an upgrade of the interior of the facility by employing sustainable design components. Initial engineering feasibility studies into the project have already been completed and the company will now carry out detailed front-end engineering design work. This expansion will make BP Solar's Frederick facility the largest fully integrated plant in North America, the company announces.

"This is a significant investment in a world-class and well-established business," said Bob Malone, chairman and president of BP America. "This expansion will keep us in command of a growing industry by meeting future demand and providing innovative products to the market."

Picture Source: BP Solar

The expansion plans call for the construction of 140,000 square feet of new building space allowing the company to nearly double its casting, sizing, and wafering manufacturing capacity. Plans also include the relocation and integration of local warehousing and shipping facilities to the current site. Construction is slated to begin in the first half of 2007 and finish by the end of 2008 pending approval of local permits.

BP Solar (11/20/2006)

Solar Thermal in Europe: More than two million square meters collector surface installed in 2005

With 22.8 % growth, the European Union solar thermal market (flat glazed collectors, vacuum collectors and unglazed collectors) has passed the 2 million m2 benchmark, corresponding to a capacity of approximately 1.450 MWth. This growth can be explained mainly by the very good performances shown by the three leading EU national solar thermal markets: Germany, Austria and Greece, as well as by the increase in importance of the French and Spanish markets. EurObserv’ER presents this sector's current state of development in its Barometer published in issue number 175 of the Systèmes Solaires review. Due to EurObserv’ER the development conditions of the solar thermal sector are rapidly changing. The continuous rise in energy prices, associated with support systems set up by most governments, is resulting in a consolidation of solar thermal sector growth. The market exceeded 2 million m2 installed in 2005 for Europe (2.073.391 m2, equivalent to 1.451.4 MWth). Flat glazed collectors represent the main part of the solar thermal market (with a 89.4 % market share), followed by vacuum type collectors (6.4 %) and unglazed collectors (4.2 %). Vacuum collectors are generally more expensive, but make it possible to obtain much higher temperatures. This technology is therefore just as adapted for cold climates, for heating water or houses, as it is for hot climates, for cooling systems that require very high temperatures. Unglazed collectors are offer sufficiently high performances for use in heating swimming pools.

Sunny European market - Expanding industry

At the same time, Greece, maintained the level of its solar thermal market (an additional 3% growth), i.e. 220 500 m2 of newly installed surface, equivalent to a capacity of 154.4 MWth. The European solar thermal industry remains very fragmented with a very high number of small and medium-sized companies and a few very big actors. However, a clear trend can be observed: the big companies are gaining more and more ground and most of them are announcing or preparing significant expansion plans. Another trend shows manufacturers trying to facilitate the work of installers by offering them complete systems that are lighter and easier to install. Reducing installation costs is currently a priority for solar thermal sector industrialists.

European solar thermal capacity about 12.000 MW

Total EU installed capacity for solar thermal installations is estimated at 12.087.3 MWth in 2005. The ranking of the four leading countries has not changed with respect to the year 2004: With a wide lead, Germany continues to have the largest installed surface in Europe with 7.109.000 m2, i.e. the equivalent of an installed capacity of 4 976.3 MWth. Greece, with 3.047.200 m2 (2 133 MWth), remains in second place, followed by Austria with 2.598.785 m2 (1.819,1 MWth). The increase in importance of its market made it possible for France to hold on to its fourth place position, with 913.868 m2 (639.7 MWth).

Promising future, but far from the White Paper objectives

The situation of the solar thermal sector has never been more favourable than today. The traditional markets of Germany, Austria and Greece are just as solid as ever, while the high potential markets that are reinforced by incentive laws, like France and Spain, are showing good prospects of development. The double-digit growth observed in most of the other EU countries is also a very encouraging sign, even if these markets are still far from being developed. But this optimism can not hide the fact that, due to the slow-in-coming implication of most the European governments, the White Paper objectives (100 million m2 at the end of the year 2010) will not be reached within the time limits that have been set. Taking the growth observed over the last three years into consideration, we are estimating total EU installed capacity at 32.1 million m2 in 2010 (equivalent to 22 499 MWth), i.e. a little less than one third of the European target.

EurObserv’ER is a consortium composed of five European organisations devoted
to the promotion of renewable energies within the European Union. Further information: http://www.energies-renouvelables.org/observ-er/stat_baro/observ/baro175.pdf

EUFORES

Blanke Meier Evers Wins First Offshore-Process about Coastal Waters

On 18 October 2006 the Administrative Court of Greifswald ( Germany) issued a decision in favour of the operator of the "Baltic I" Offshore Wind Farm, the lawyer's office Blanke, Meier, Evers reports in a press release. Various communities and private persons had brought suit together with the NABU association, arguing that operation of the planned (and already approved) wind farm with its 21 offshore wind power facilities would do lasting harm to the regional economy, particularly to tourism. They also argued that damage to the environment was to be feared, especially to bird migration. However, the court ruled that a violation of the plaintiffs' rights was excluded from the start, since construction of wind power facilities at a distance of 15 km from the coast would not produce the scenarios forecast by the plaintiffs. Thus their claim of detrimental effects was groundless.

coastal areas appropriate for the utilization of offshore wind energy

For the first time, therefore, a court has ruled in a matter pertaining to the admissibility of offshore wind power facilities in coastal waters. Speaking officially and as a Partner for the Law Firm of Blanke, Meier, Evers, Dr. Andreas Hinsch said: "With this ruling the court has shown that coastal areas too are basically appropriate for the utilization of offshore wind energy. The prerequisite, however, is that legal work and planning be carried out with utmost care in these sensitive, environmentally protected areas." This was just one example on the part of our law firm of how unremitting advisory services can provide optimum conditions for preparing and successfully carrying out applications for approval, Dr. Hinsch emphasizes.

Blanke Meier Evers (11/09/2006)

Sharp Expands Solar Cell Production Capacity to 600 MW Per Year, the World’s Highest

Sharp Corporation has increased annual production capacity for solar cells at its Katsuragi Plant in Nara Prefecture by 100 MW (megawatts) to meet burgeoning demand in Japan and abroad, and has constructed a system that will be able to enter full production by November 2006. As a result, solar cell production capacity at the Katsuragi Plant will reach 600 MW per year, the world's highest. According to Sharp the cost of this expansion is approximately 3.5 billion Yen ($ 30 million).

Despite concerns in the photovoltaic (PV) power generating market about a shortage of processed silicon (the raw material for solar cells), PV systems are increasingly being used in Japan for industrial applications and are being installed on new residential construction in collaboration with home builders.

Sharp Plant in Katsuragi (Japan, Prefecture Nara): the world's highest solar cell production capacity. Image Source: Sharp Corporation

To more effectively utilize raw materials, Sharp is working to make solar cells even thinner and improve thin-film solar cells which use minimal amounts of silicon, as well as establish highly efficient production systems and expand and upgrade its production lines. For the future, Sharp has set a goal to further expand its solar energy business, which holds out tremendous potential as clean energy that does not generate substances that place a burden on the environment.

Sharp Corporation (11/07/2006)

Renewable Power pack for the boondocks

Geoscience measuring networks have gaps, for where there is no electricity, no data can be collected. Many remote regions are still white spots on the data landscape. A new energy system will soon remedy the problem. In places where no power cables have been laid, the measuring stations have to operate self-sufficiently. At present, the necessary electricity usually comes from solar cells, but these are not always able to meet the energy requirements. Especially in winter, when the modules are covered with snow and ice and additional energy is needed to heat the sensors, the sun’s energy is not sufficient. Sometimes it is simply too expensive to generate electricity using photovoltaics alone. The cooperative project “EVEREST”, led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg with the participation of 14 research and business partners from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, promises to redress the situation.

Weather forecasts, disaster warnings, traffic reports - no-one today is willing to go without up-to-the-minute information. Residents want to find out how high a flood will rise, scientists track the development of earthquakes, and investors call for wind data from the site of a projected wind farm. All of these data can only be determined if a close-meshed network of automatically operating measuring stations is in place. But the network is patchy, for in many places there is no power to operate the equipment.

Measuring station in the Swiss Alps. Picture Source: © Eidgenössisches Institut für Schnee- und Lawinenforschung

Innovative energy management system links various units into a network

The innovative system combines solar cells and batteries with other energy sources such as a fuel cell, a wind turbine, and a Stirling or thermoelectric generator. An innovative energy management system developed by ISE in co-operation with the Göttingen-based electronics company Pairan links the various units into a network, switches them on as required, and transmits all the operating data to the control center. The “EVEREST Box” is available as a mini-version with an output of approximately 50 watt and as a maxi-version with up to 1,000 watt. Its modular construction enables it to be used for a variety of applications. The box can be used to supply power to wind measuring stations in Alpine regions endangered by avalanches, earthquake observatories in regions with cold, damp, murky weather, and environmental measuring stations in remote locations. The sturdypower pack can serve not only geoscience stations, but also telecommunications, transportation and security facilities.
The EVEREST boxes will have to pass their first endurance test this winter on the Black Forest mountain of Schauinsland. Further endurance tests are planned for next year in the Alps, in a river valley and on a marine platform.

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (11/06/2006)