SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s solar power component manufacturers raised output in the first six months of the year despite dwindling market opportunities caused by a government decision to curb new capacity, an industry association said on Thursday.

China’s solar sector has been growing rapidly after local governments commissioned hundreds of new projects to meet the country’s aggressive renewable energy targets.

But the state planning agency said in June that it would cut subsidies for new projects and cap capacity additions at 30 gigawatts (GW) for this year, down from a record 53 GW in 2017, as it tried to “optimize” the pace of construction amid overcapacity fears.

Despite the policy adjustments, manufacturers continued to ramp up production in the first half of 2018, even though total installed generation capacity remained unchanged compared to the same period of last year, China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) Vice-Chairman Wang Bohua said.

“The solar power sector should strengthen self-discipline whether domestically or overseas, and it should refrain from false propaganda and from price-gouging cut-throat competition,” Wang told an industry conference.

He said the production of silicon wafers – a key solar component – rose 39 percent year-on-year to 50 GW in the first half, with solar module output rising to 39 GW, up 22 percent.

Total installed solar generation capacity stood at around 24 GW in the first six months, Wang said, roughly the same as last year. Half of the new capacity consisted of “distributed” projects on rooftops and other installations.

If China is to enforce its 2018 capacity cap of 30 GW, that means only 6 GW of new capacity will be permitted in the second half of the year.

Domestic market weakness has driven down prices and stimulated foreign sales, with solar component export earnings rising 21.2 percent to $5.51 billion in the first six months.

But overall profits and utilization rates in the sector have continued to decline, Wang added, with some manufacturers even making losses in the first half.

“As competition in the sector continues to intensify, and as subsidies are cut, the sector has entered into a period of low profit,” Wang told the conference.

Wang already warned at a conference in April that small- and medium-sized manufacturers were under huge overcapacity pressures this year and said many faced closure.

RENEWABLE: Hawaii hopes to be running on 100 per cent renewable energy by 2045.

Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) is set to increases sustainability with 4,260 solar panels on the seventh floor of Terminal One’s parking. 

The Hawaii Department of Transport (HDOT) are continuing their efforts to make the airport more environmentally friendly. 

The solar modules are expected to generate 2MW-DC/1.6MW-AC, which is enough energy to power more than 328 houses. This expected energy is based on a full day of sunshine. 

The whole project could power more than 175,000 homes. The solar energy generated is expected to halve the overall electricity bill of the airport. 

Governor David Y. Ige said: “There is so much to like about this improvement project. It’s good for the environment, it will save the state money and it provides covered parking at the airport. This is another step forward in my administration’s continuing mission to meet Hawaii’s sustainability goals.”

The panels will be installed on the roof of Terminal One, above the carport, which will also provide shaded areas for cars when finished. 

The project is in line with Governor David Ige and the State of Hawaii’s goal to be run on 100 per cent renewable energy by 2045. The total cost of the project is estimated to be US$600 million and is the largest single state energy saving performance contract in America. 

Construction is expected to start 20 August and will finish on 16 November 2018. 

During the project 344 parking spaces on the roof of Terminal One will be close, due to safety reasons. Passengers have been prewarned about this however, with signs detailing the restricted areas. 

The Hawaii Department of Transport will continue with their energy saving improvements in early 2019 when the same project is expected to begin on Terminal Two. 

The airport and local government will be under-taking 900 individual conservation measures, replacing nearly 98,000 light fixtures with high-efficiency light-emitting diode (LED) technology and energy efficient lighting, upgrading ventilation and air-conditioning systems and installing more than 21,000 solar panels. The $207 million investment is financed from guaranteed energy savings, not taxpayer funding.

Artist’s concept of the transmission of space-based solar power. Image via JAXA.

The idea of capturing solar energy in space where the sun never stops shining and beaming it to Earth may seem far-fetched, but such technology is further along than most realize. In early 2018, scientists from the California Institute of Technology announced that they had succeeded in creating a prototype capable of harnessing and transmitting solar energy from space.

Their prototype is a lightweight tile that consists of three main components. There are optical reflectors that concentrate the sunlight, photovoltaic cells that convert the sunlight to electricity, and an integrated circuit that converts the electricity to radiofrequency energy, which can be transmitted to Earth through an attached antenna. Many individual tiles can be strung together to form large solar arrays in space. A ground-based microwave receiver on Earth would be used to intercept the incoming radiofrequency energy and convert it back into useable electricity.

The scientists demonstrated that their prototype works by subjecting it to space-like conditions in the laboratory and using it to power a light-emitting diode (LED) located about 20 inches (50 centimeters) away from the tile.

If you want to geek out, you can access all of the exciting details about this new technology in their paper here. This paper was published in the proceedings of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) conference that took place January 8–12, 2018, in Kissimmee, Florida, and it was co-authored by 15 different scientists. Lead author Eleftherios Gdoutos is a research scientist at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

A key feature of the new tile design is that it is really lightweight — at 1.5 kilograms (3.3 lb) per square meter, it weighs a little more than a large pizza. Lightweight features are essential for keeping the launch and construction costs down. Moreover, the new tile design in which each unit is capable of generating and transmitting solar power individually is advantageous because this negates the need for a heavy power distribution system in space. Such a design also makes it easier to expand on missions and to make repairs without losing much functionality. In the future, the scientists plan on seeing if further weight reductions can be achieved by the incorporation of new lightweight materials.

Research on space-based solar power has been ongoing at Caltech, where professors Harry Atwater, Ali Hajimiri, and Sergio Pellegrino have received funding from the Northrop Grumman Corporation to study the potential of this source of clean energy.

Professor Atwater explained the reasoning behind this technology in an in-depth interview that was published in ENGenius in 2015. An excerpt of that article follows:

Solar arrays, no matter how efficient, only generate power when the [sun] is illuminating them. So if solar power is going to be the principal so-called “dispatchable” baseload source of power that replaces today’s fossil-fuel-powered electric-generating stations, inherently you have to have the generating source be available all the time. This is not possible for ground-based solar energy without some complementary form of electrical energy storage, which adds significantly to the cost of solar electricity generated on Earth. The great thing about space is that [orbits exist where] there’s no nighttime. And so we have the prospect of making dispatchable power, power that flows continuously and that can be instantly sent to where it is needed. The potential benefits are enormous. About a quarter of humanity has no electric power whatsoever. And so this is an enabling technology that could leapfrog the electric-power transmission grid on Earth, and have the same effect that the cellular phone system had on communications.

Besides technological know-how, there are still other barriers that must be overcome before space-based solar power becomes feasible. Interestingly, a good article published in The Smithsonian back in 2016 tackles the main barriers to space-based solar power – costs, safety, land for ground-based receivers – in such a way that leaves one thinking these barriers may not be that big of a deal. According to the article in The Smithsonian, one of the biggest barriers may be the amount of congestion encountered when transmitting radiofrequency waves, as these frequencies are the same ones we use for our radios, televisions and cellphones.

Other countries besides the U.S., including China, Europe, India, and Japan, are working on this technology too. Presently, many designs for space-based solar power have been proposed.

The concept of space-based solar power is not new. In fact, this technology was mentioned way back in 1941 in the science fiction story “Reason” written by Isaac Asimov. Today, the technology for turning such science fiction into reality is developing rapidly and warrants additional attention.

Bottom line: Scientists from Caltech have developed a lightweight, functional prototype that could form the basis for future solar energy harvesting from space.

GEORGETOWN, Texas, July 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — More than 10,600 megawatts of solar power were installed last year in the United States and local installer HCS Renewable Energy has been recognized by Solar Power World magazine for its contributions to the industry. HCS Renewable Energy achieved a rank of No. 10 overall out of 450 solar companies. HCS Renewable Energy ranked No. 2 as Solar Installation Subcontractor Nationwide and No. 1 in their home state of Texas in the magazine’s 2018 Top Solar Contractors list.

The Top Solar Contractors list is developed by Solar Power World to recognize the work completed by solar contractors across the United States. Produced annually, the Top Solar Contractors list celebrates the achievements of U.S. solar developers, subcontractors and installers within the utility, commercial and residential markets, and ranks contractors by kilowatts installed in the previous year. The 2018 list was released on July 24.

“Solar Power World is very excited about the 2018 class of Top Solar Contractors,” said Kelly Pickerel, editor in chief of Solar Power World. “Our 2017 list showed impressive installation numbers after 2016’s huge rush to meet ITC requirements, and many companies were hesitant to show unavoidable installation dips after last year’s high. We’re happy to feature a strong group of thriving U.S. solar installers on the 2018 Top Solar Contractors list. These companies truly are at the top of their markets.”

The U.S. solar market had its biggest year ever in 2016, installing more than 15,000 MW. Although installations in 2017 dropped to 10,608 MW, the total still represents 40 percent growth over 2015 numbers. The year-over-year downturn can be attributed to the large influx of 2016 projects rushing to meet the anticipated expiration of a 30 percent federal tax credit that was eventually renewed. Last year also saw uncertainty surrounding potential Section 201 tariffs on imported solar panels, which may have led to delayed or canceled projects.

A major highlight of 2017 was the non-residential market growing 28 percent year-over-year, the fourth straight year of annual growth for commercial, industrial and community solar. HCS Renewable Energy construction and skilled trade crews supported Utility-Scale Projects in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina and Texas over the last year. In 2017, 30 percent of all new electric-generating capacity brought online in the United States came from solar, second only to new natural gas capacity.

The first quarter of 2018 showed a 13 percent growth over the first quarter of 2017, and HCS Renewable Energy will continue to contribute to the wave of increasing solar generation. By 2023, more than 15,000 MW of solar is expected to be installed annually.

HCS Renewable Energy employs 450 workers who installed 335MW of solar power in 2017. Since its founding in 2016, the company has installed 888MW of solar. The company supports civil, mechanical and electrical subcontractors nationwide.

“Being ranked the second-largest Solar Installation Subcontractor in the country and the largest Solar Contractor in Texas is a great achievement,” said Ron Nickelson, president of HCS Renewable Energy. “HCS Renewable Energy is proud of our leadership role, providing on-demand labor solutions to over 50 percent of the Utility-Scale Projects nationwide, our construction and skilled trade crews are the best in the industry. Thank you to our partners, our clients and our amazing team for a very successful year.”

About Solar Power World

Solar Power World is the leading online and print resource for news and information regarding solar installation, development and technology. Since 2011, SPW has helped U.S. solar contractors — including installers, developers and EPCs in all markets — grow their businesses and do their jobs better.

About HCS Renewable

HCS Renewable Energy is the fastest-growing staffing subcontractor within utility solar — focused 100 percent on utility-scale, ground-mount solar projects. We concentrate on the North American solar industry with an emphasis on developers, general contractors, subcontractors and facilities managers working on commercial, industrial and institutional renewable energy projects. For more information about HCS Renewable, please visit www.hcsrenewable.com.

SOURCE HCS Renewable Energy

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July 25th, 2018 at 10:00 am