In this exclusive technical feature, Klaus M. Schulte of PV-Engineering GmbH outlines how monitoring and measuring can make a vital difference to the effectiveness of a PV system – and how conventional methods may not provide the best feedback. Photovoltaic systems generally do not contain serviceable elements, which is one of the main advances of… Read more »
If there has been one solar success story of the past 12 months, it’s been America, which has steadily become a PV powerhouse. We present an exclusive breakdown of all the salient facts and stats, courtesy of the very latest SEIA/GTM Research U.S. Solar Market Insight report. The U.S. solar industry has much to celebrate… Read more »
As Solar Market Strategic Manager for Sensata Technologies, John Kluza has witnessed business evolution not just within his company, but in the wider solar arena. Here, he talks to PES about how Sensata is geared to meet that evolution and to capitalise on it. PES: Welcome to PES. Would you like to introduce your company… Read more »
Regular contributors to PES, Gantner Instruments Environment Solutions GmbH have had a very busy 12 months. Phenomenal growth in the UK has been at the heart of this success, but there are strategic plans in place to capitalise in the long term. We talk to Jörg Scholz. PES: Welcome back to PES. How has the… Read more »
A subsidiary of the family-owned AUMA-Group, with headquarters in Müllheim, Germany, GFC (GFC AntriebsSysteme GmbH) is a world leader when it comes to drive solutions. We spoke to Peter Heise about the company’s illustrious past, its exciting present and its very promising future. PES: Welcome to PES. Would you like to introduce your company and… Read more »
Although a relative newcomer to the PV market, Hirschmann Renewable Energy is one of the industry’s shining lights. And with expansion into new markets and product rollouts planned for the near future, it looks set to consolidate its early successes. We catch up with the company’s Günter Arens… PES: Welcome back to PES. How has… Read more »
With events spanning four continents, Intersolar is the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry and its partners. The show’s objective is to increase the share of solar power in the energy supply, and by providing first-rate services, it endeavours to bring businesses, technologies and people from the most important markets around the globe together…. Read more »
While there’s no doubt that module prices have declined in recent years, business is booming for innovative suppliers elsewhere in the PV marketplace. We spoke to Michael Jurchen, founder and CEO of the hugely successful (and highly resourceful) Jurchen Technology GmbH. PES: Welcome to PES. Would you like to introduce your company and explain a… Read more »
Solar power has won. Or at least – if its current trajectory continues – it will begin usurping oil as the energy source of choice within a few short years. But will the current trajectory continue? And surely oil isn’t going to go down without a fight, is it? PES investigates. Solar power has won… Read more »
A new idea for how to compensate quickly and flexibly for fluctuations in the low-voltage network has emerged from Germany and Switzerland. Two years ago, German magazine bild der wissenschaft named the energy thriller Blackout – Morgen ist es zu spät (Blackout – Tomorrow Is Too Late) the most exciting science book of the year…. Read more »
Australia to pilot new power plan One of the largest solar companies in the world has chosen Australia as the proving ground for a new model of power production that promises to give householders more control – and cut bills.‘What do you do when the sun doesn’t shine?’ It’s been one of the criticisms levelled… Read more »
One significant news story that has almost gone unnoticed relates to India’s likely emergence as a global leader in solar power. A new World Bank report positions the country as the potential global leader in solar power and as one of the lowest cost destinations. PES investigates… The World Bank report ‘Paving the way for… Read more »
About the companyE3/DC is one of the top three energy storage system suppliers in Germany (EuPD 2013) and has brought 850 systems in private households since 2012. The products offered are inverters, energy management and remote control software. Integrated in various types of integrated storage systems, the units are used for solar, Cogeneration, grid services… Read more »
It’s not often that I begin an Editor’s Note by urging readers to ignore what I’m about to write, but I’m tempted to in this issue of PES. The fact is, our lead feature is a game-changer and if you read nothing else in this issue, then that’s where you should be heading. Right now…. Read more »
A PV-focussed company that is attracting significant awareness outside the industry – thanks to its innovative solutions and recently announced Innovation Partnership with the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One team – FLIR is a shining light in the sector. We spoke to Ruud Heijsman. PES: Welcome back to PES. Would you like to begin… Read more »
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE are working on a new generation of multi-junction solar cells in an industrial project with the French firm Soitec. These have the potential in the future to attain efficiency levels of over 47 per cent under concentrated sunlight. PES takes a look… A bright summer’s… Read more »
PES presents an illuminating despatch from Fronius International GmbH that explores the challenges presented by Smart Grids and how these challenges can be met with integrated inverters. As the number of decentralised energy generators grows, also the need for an intelligent power grid rises. In the Smart Grid of the future, the parties of the… Read more »
seebaWIND’s CEO, Holger Hämel, is an expert commentator on the cost-effective operation of wind power plants in Germany. In this latest dispatch, he offers PES readers an invaluable perspective on the market’s various trends and challenges. As the REL 2.0 goes into effect, the remuneration rates for wind power plants will be significantly reduced starting… Read more »
The INVELOX promises to revolutionise wind power generation via a system that apparently produces 6 times the electrical power than traditional wind turbines. PES asks: will 2014 be the year when the wind industry begins saying farewell to blades? Daryoush Allaei thinks the wind power industry has it all wrong. Rather than turbines high in… Read more »
As president and CEO of The Switch, Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen heads-up one of the industry’s most pioneering companies. With a focus on drive train technology for renewable and industrial applications, the organisation is highly visible in the solar, marine and – of course – wind sectors. One of PES magazine’s original interviewees, he returns for an… Read more »
When we first reported on the pioneering TPWind platform in PES, it was little more than an EC pipedream. Since then, it’s grown into one of the most important funding programmes in Europe, and enjoys considerable influence throughout the sector. We take a look at the latest developments, courtesy of Henning Kruse and his talented… Read more »
The WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition always reflects the times, and these are busy days for the industry indeed. It’s appropriate, therefore, that topics such as operations, technology, and non-traditional wind energy purchasers will all figure prominently at WINDPOWER 2014, which takes place May 5-8 in Las Vegas, Nevada. An educational program that leaves no stone… Read more »
The American wind energy industry responded to the extension of the Production Tax Credit in 2013 by starting construction on an historic and unprecedented number of new wind farms, backed by Power Purchase Agreements with electric utilities on a record scale by the close of the year. But it’s not just the utilities backing wind… Read more »
We all appreciate that wind is expected to make a substantial contribution to a more secure and sustainable energy system. However, electricity generation from the technology is constrained by the varying availability of the resource. One possible solution is Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) – the ultimate cost-effective combination of wind and solar power. PES looks… Read more »
As one of the oldest and largest logistics companies in the Netherlands, Royal Wagenborg has always been a pioneer. Over a century has passed since it was founded, and yet the company continues to be at the forefront of the industry. Max Tack gives us a ‘guided tour’ of the visionary organisation and its notable… Read more »
A precious resource, water is one of the EU’s most valuable commodities. And yet it is being used unremittingly throughout the continent, with up to 40% consumption in power production alone. The EWEA has examined the situation and offers a credible alternative – wind energy, which uses little to no water… Water is a precondition… Read more »
The results are in and they tell us what we knew all along: there is no evidence that wind turbines make humans sick. Surprised? Nor us. The only surprise is how much bad information there is out there about wind power and health… There is no reliable or consistent evidence that proximity to wind farms… Read more »
Some anti-wind campaigners claim that wind turbine performance more than halves after 15 years, whereas manufacturers assert that units can last almost twice as long (or more). So what’s the real story? PES went in search of some answers… The Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) has made the surprising assertion that the performance of wind farms… Read more »
Seatower, a Norway-based designer of foundations for offshore wind turbines, is set to become the first to demonstrate gravity-based foundations. We find out more about what could be a game-changing development… The world’s first self-floating gravity based hybrid foundation will be installed in the English Channel in the fourth quarter of 2014. The Seatower Cranefree… Read more »
Africa’s impressive economic growth in recent years, reflecting a growing population as well as rapid economic development and diversification, calls for massive investments to ensure sufficient future energy infrastructure and supply. The newly-identified ‘Clean Energy Corridor’ has been earmarked as a possible source of this supply – with significant prospects for wind energy. We take… Read more »
As a well-established company with an enviable reputation in the cargo transportation, BBC Chartering understands that you can’t progress by standing still. Organisations need to evolve, to shift with the shifting markets and work hard to identify new opportunities. We spoke to the company’s Jens Meilvang. PES: It’s great to see you back in the… Read more »
Moventas’ CMaS Condition Management System has been developed to monitor how the gearbox and other drivetrain components are performing, 24/7. Even more importantly, it anticipates possible upcoming failures, and responds by delivering timely updates and alerting maintenance crews. David Moss compares two contrasting approaches. Condition monitoring or condition management?I have a friend, let’s call him… Read more »
Olivier Texier takes a look at the main challenges behind wind power forecasting, how some grid operators and/or energy off-takers introduce power forecasting constraints for wind power plant, and what the implications might be for developers and financiers. With the increased penetration of intermittent renewable energy such as wind and solar into modern grids, there… Read more »
Are America’s key communities really ready to embrace wind to the extent that the industry would like? Perhaps not, claims the Center for Rural Affairs, citing a number of possible obstacles. But – and this is a big but – there are ways forward, and ways to address the major community and landowner concerns. We… Read more »
Exhibitors, conference participants and visitors are planning to flock to WINDFORCE 2014, the renowned trade fair meet in Bremen. We take a look at what’s on offer… WINDFORCE 2014, the key event of the offshore wind industry, is taking place in Bremen from 17 to 19 June. At the same time that national and international… Read more »
China has embarked on the greatest push for renewable energy the world has ever seen, and a key element involves more than doubling the number of wind turbines in the next six years. PES takes a look at the rise and rise of the world’s next wind superpower. Already the world’s largest producer of wind… Read more »