A supplier and manufacturer of lithium battery storage systems, TESVOLT GmbH offers a flexible solution that stores the most of solar power. We took a closer look at the pioneering company and its innovative solutions… Reliable lithium battery systems (EES)Able to meet the needs of all users, from family homes to turnkey megawatt power plants,… Read more »
We head to DMG MORI’s global headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland, to discover more about the company’s pioneering car charging system and its impact on energy efficiency. It is a widely discussed fact that electric vehicles only drive CO2 neutral when running on green power. Therefore an accessible charging infrastructure based on green energy is essential… Read more »
Because they can withstand extreme environmental conditions, silicones are ideal for solar panel and photovoltaic (PV) applications. And while solar cells themselves are made of silicon, silicones are used during module assembly and installation as encapsulants, coatings, potting agents, adhesives and sealants. We present an overview and an interview, courtesy of Dow Corning. Dow Corning’s… Read more »
An already fiercely-contested sector, H&S training is of critical importance for almost all organisations operating within the offshore industry. We found out more about Survivex, an Aberdeen-based company that has made massive inroads in a few short years, and the facilities it employs to deliver the best possible training. The offshore Oil & Gas industry… Read more »
WTG Partners ApS has become one of the forerunners in this non-destructive, inspection-based service for the wind industry, and applies its skills to many of the sector’s leading stakeholders. But what’s involved, exactly? We asked thecompany’s Christian Holmgaard to talk us through the process. WTG Partners use both traditional UT and an advanced form of… Read more »
From initial baseline ecological survey to impact assessment and the design and delivery of monitoring and mitigation schemes, Baker Consultants ensures ecological compliance for clients who are under increasing regulatory pressures. We took a look at the company’s recent work on the Borkum Riffgrund wind project. The project With a capacity of up to 277MW,… Read more »
The cleaning of sensitive surfaces is a challenge. And according to Serbot AG, many operators of solar panel installations give away their profits because they are unaware of the effect that dirt has on their installations. PES investigates the Swiss company’s innovative, robotic solutions. Certainly, the surfaces on PV installations often still look good, but… Read more »
While manufacturer Spitzenberger & Spies have discussed the DC aspect of the solar inverter in previous PES articles, they return to PES today to discuss the impact of an inverter’s DC and AC aspects… In common solar installations the main focus of the owner is set to the maximum efficiency of the solar energy conversion…. Read more »
After years of use, technically complex inverters may fail or suffer from defects. Fronius is offering PV system owners a simple modernisation solution… The inverter is defective and the warranty has expired. The required service is not available. The PV system does not produce the expected yield. There is a high feed-in tariff and a… Read more »
With an enviably-long history as EPCI provider of offshore high voltage substations, HSM Offshore B.V. has racked-up a seriously impressive track record in delivering heavyweight multidiscipline projects for the offshore industries. We take a look at the company’s history and apparently buoyant future… Last year, HSM Offshore was awarded the contract for the provision of… Read more »
When the Luxembourg-based Jan De Nul Group was hired to install a 245kV export cable at the Northwind wind farm, it knew that the process involved was far from straightforward. Nevertheless, the respected engineering firm excelled in the task, as this case study illustrates… Project descriptionNorthwind NV has been established by shareholders Parkwind NV and… Read more »
What’s best? To outsource wind farm construction, O&M and decommissioning capabilities or to bring them in-house? And what might the model for client-supplier relationships look like for the next decade of wind energy? We examined the options, courtesy of one rapidly-expanding operator… If you haven’t already heard of CWind, the Colchester, UK-based offshore wind services… Read more »
Having built over 20 years’ experience in the Oil & Gas industry, Seaway Heavy Lifting turned its extensive expertise to renewables – particularly wind energy. The offshore contractor has already gained a reputation for excellence and an impressive track record. We take a look at its project highlights. SylWin alpha Platform Transportation and installation of… Read more »
Founded in 1937, KNUD E. HANSEN A/S has both experienced and been at the forefront of many of the dramatic changes in commercial ship design and has made its mark on over 15,000 vessels. We take a look at the company offerings and discover how it became a key provider in today’s wind industry. The… Read more »
Here at PES, we’ve been championing the BIPV sector for many years – after all, in many ways it is the direct line to the public’s acceptance of solar. Today, we turn our attention to a new material that promises to revolutionise the industry. Façades the focal point: wafer-thin solar cells transform glass fronts into… Read more »
As one of the PV world’s leading lights, Dow Corning Corporation is respected throughout the industry. Certainly, service plays a big part in this, but so does its commitment to relentless innovation. We put the questions to FranÁois Bertero, Dow Corning Global Solar Market Manager. PES: Welcome back to the magazine. For the benefit of… Read more »
Dutch specialist PV equipment manufacturer Levitech has developed a system that allowed mono-crystalline wafers to break the 20% efficiency barrier, resulting in considerable cost-of-ownership savings for high-volume solar cell manufacturers. Now they are able to demonstrate that this technology can extend to multi-crystalline wafers, taking them through the 19.5% barrier. Over the last several years,… Read more »
Are we moving towards more efficient, more effective methods of recycling PV waste? The experts at Loser Chemie GmbH certainly believe so… “If something isn’t done, everything will transform into a mouse grey mud”. That’s the way Boulding formulated his point of view concerning the fact that human waste leads to entropy bigger than the… Read more »
Multi-Contact (MC) is one of the pioneers of the PV industry, having developed the first professional photovoltaic connector on an industrial scale. For over 16 years the MC3 and MC4 have been the most successful connectors, showing best performance and reliability. The company’s success is based on long-term experience and expertise – we take a… Read more »
Process optimisation via infrared noncontact temperature measurement and temperature data logging and profiling. Raytek and DATAPAQ, two leading manufacturers of temperature measurement devices, are showcasing their products at glasstec in D¸sseldorf (21-24 October 2014), Hall 14, Stand A39. We take a look at what the two companies have to offer. Raytek offers a complete line… Read more »
Words: Don Buck: Senior Manager, Service Business Development, SMA Many factors contribute to the success of a PV plant: professional design, top-quality components and precise installation, to name just a few. However, accounting for and choosing the right operations and maintenance (O&M) plan is vital to achieving maximum power production and long-term profitability. Because a… Read more »
smartblue AG maintains the long-term attractiveness of solar installations as investments by ensuring revenue security. Despite a period of consolidation, the momentum of the photovoltaic sector shows no sign of slowing down. Increasing cost pressures and strong international competition have led to rises in efficiency at every stage of the value chain. Technical and business… Read more »
SiOxNy layers serve different functions in coated layer stacks including: diffusion barrier, scratch protection, and refractive index tuning. We report on the increase of coating process stability and layer quality of SiOxNy deposited on large areas using reactive MF dual magnetron sputtering with 1.6m long cathodes oriented in a vertical geometry. The process has been… Read more »
A trusted name in the solar industry for decades – Spitzenberger & Spies GmbH & Co. KG. – remains ahead of the rest when it comes to the capabilities of modern bi-directional inverters. In this article, we explore the use of battery energy storage systems in local PV installations and testing the performance of connected… Read more »
A trusted shipping company with an enviable safety record and a far-reaching reputation for reliability, ESVAGT is a shining star in the offshore wind sector. We analysed the company in depth and found an operation that’s committed to safety and quality in equal measure… ESVAGT is a ship-owning company founded in Esbjerg, Denmark, in 1981… Read more »
When it comes to connecting wind power offshore, inter-array cable installation is the way to go, asserts respected operator, CT Offshore A/S. We found out more about the company and its offshore operations… CT Offshore A/S is a longstanding subsea contractor providing safe and specialised engineering solutions to the offshore wind farm industry. As part… Read more »
Accommodating your employees on-site means greater flexibility, less time travelling and increased security – coupled with a positive effect on your bottom line. Danish company Site Facility is an expert in the camp concept… It has to be convenient for the wind turbine manufacturer. And it has to be good for the employees. This was… Read more »
It is undoubtedly an exciting time to be involved in offshore wind in Europe. Offshore wind will probably make the alternative energy sector’s largest contribution to meeting Europe’s ambitious target of reducing CO2 emissions by up to 90 per cent by 2050. ‘Probably’. A new report based on the feedback of 200 executives within the… Read more »
As the number of offshore renewables projects continues to increase, so does the requirement for flexible offshore accommodation solutions. In response to the growth, the Ferguson Group’s product offering provides flexible living and working solutions to accommodate the number of workers needed to undertake these projects. The Ferguson Group is one of the world’s leading… Read more »
PES introduces an excellent logistics base for offshore wind parks in the North Sea, courtesy of Buss Group GmbH & Co. KG The offshore wind market offers enormous potential for logistics. The two Buss offshore terminals in Eemshaven and Sassnitz are ideally located – their close proximity to the wind parks in the North and… Read more »
Comfort at Sea’s offshore accommodation services have already proven their worth on several large scale offshore wind projects, reducing man-hours and downtime significantly. With thousands of turbines to be installed offshore in years to come, the wind industry is crying out for operational offshore solutions. The long distance from shore to the sites for future… Read more »
A German equipment manufacturer of PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating systems, Solayer GmbH is currently one of the industry’s hottest organisations, with a focus on innovation and customer service. In this technical dispatch, we take a look at what makes their solutions tick. Solayer’s strengths lie in the development of novel functional optical layers for… Read more »
A company with over five decades of experience in various sectors, Spitzenberger & Spies GmbH is a firm believer in the mantra: “If there is a better way, we will find it”. The company has underlined this with its range of PV applications – as we discover in this technical feature. Testing possibilitiesOne of the… Read more »
A regular on the global exhibition circuit, the family-owned company VON ARDENNE has just returned from Intersolar, where delegates were able to get a closer look at its range of advanced vacuum coating equipment for the photovoltaic and solar thermal industry. We caught up with the firm and found out for ourselves what makes it… Read more »
PLATINUM GmbH, headquartered in Wangen im Allgäu, Germany, is a leading provider of premium photovoltaic solutions. The company’s portfolio ranges from inverters to energy management solutions, with quality and efficiency at the forefront of their operation. PES takes a look… The quality, performance and reliability of all PLATINUM products are based on comprehensive expertise and… Read more »
It is no secret that manufacturing success in Europe lies not in attempting mass production on the scale seen in Asia, but in creating the technical and process solutions that are needed to serve this mass production. These are the dedicated and highly-technical companies making new and clever equipment needed by vital and growing global… Read more »