Optimizing system performance and maximizing returns requires a holistic approach that combines the study and application of components, materials and processes.
Learn more about these three areas:
* the state of the market for solar PV balance of systems (BOS)
* best practices for system monitoring, operations and maintenance
* challenges and potential solutions for Ontario’s connection and grid constraints, as seen by utilities and developers
Boost the utilization of your HCL environment by reevaluating use cases and f...
Beyond the Solar Module: Optimizing system performance and maximizing returns - MaRS Market Insights Series
1.
2. Thinking
Outside
the
Module
for
MaRS
Discovery
District
Matt
Feinstein,
Analyst
Lux
Research,
Inc.
July
2011
3. Lux
Research
! We
help
clients
capitalize
on
science-‐driven
innovation
! We
focus
on
emerging
technologies
in
the
chemicals
and
materials
sector
and
the
energy
and
environment
sector
(cleantech)
! We
have
practices
in
China
Innovation,
Water,
Printed
Electronics,
Green
Buildings,
Advanced
Materials,
China
Innovation,
Solar
Components,
Solar
Systems,
Smart
Grid
&
Grid
Storage,
Electric
Vehicles,
Alternative
Fuels,
Bio-‐
based
Chemicals
&
Materials,
and
Targeted
Delivery.
Suntech
solar
! We
have
clients
on
six
continents
–
blue-‐chip
corporations,
factory,
China
Qatar
Science
and
Technology
Park
government
agencies
and
laboratories,
universities,
investors,
and
SMBs
! We
source
our
intelligence
from
direct
interaction
with
CEOs,
CTOs,
CSOs,
and
R&D
execs
at
cutting-‐edge
technology
firms
in
our
sectors
of
focus
! We
draw
on
our
network
to:
Svalbard
Global
• Continuously
monitor
emerging
technologies
Seed
Vault,
Norway
• Identify
discontinuities
in
technology
commercialization
• Assist
with
company
and
technology
evaluation
! We
have
global
reach,
with
over
50
employees
in
Boston,
New
York,
Singapore,
Shanghai
and
Amsterdam
! Research
team
is
67%
scientists,
33%
business
analysts
3
4. Agenda
! Why
inverters
have
their
time
in
the
spotlight
! System
characteristics
differ
by
market
segment
–
and
dictate
product
requirements
! A
competitive
landscape
crowded
by
hype-‐driven
start-‐ups
4
5. Agenda
! Why
inverters
have
their
time
in
the
spotlight
5
6. Inverters
are
critical
to
system
cost
and
performance
! Inverters
are
the
highest
single
cost
in
a
system
other
than
the
module
! Installers
cite
power
electronics
in
the
majority
(60%
to
80%)
of
system
failures,
or
problems
requiring
maintenance
! Compromising
cost,
performance,
or
reliability
make
the
ideal
inverter
a
pipe
dream
! Start-‐ups
have
caught
the
eye
of
the
venture
capital
space
6
7. Power
optimizers
add
an
adjacent
wrinkle
! Positioned
at
the
module
or
string
level
! Perform
maximum
power
point
tracking
(MPPT)
! Usually
also
possess
safety
features
to
prevent
array
fires
! Several
module-‐level
power
optimizer
companies
are
integrating
into
the
junction
box
7
8. The
way
things
are
! Centralized
power
management
vs.
Module-‐level
power
management
8
9. Agenda
! Why
inverters
have
their
time
in
the
spotlight
! System
characteristics
differ
by
market
segment
–
and
dictate
product
requirements
9
10. System
variations
result
in
differing
needs
RESIDENTIAL
COMMERCIAL
UTILITY-‐SCALE
•
1
kW
to
10
kW
in
•
10
kW
to
1
MW
in
size
•
1
MW+
size
• OJen
on
flat
roofs
•
Usually
in
remote
• OJen
on
pitched
•
More
variability
in
locaOons;
not
subject
roofs
shading
profile
to
shading,
but
dirt/
•
Subject
to
shading
•
Performance
sand
may
be
blown
•
Low-‐cost
is
key
predictability
not
onto
panels
•
Customer
likely
not
criOcal
–
but
generally
•
Technology
selecOon
well-‐informed
important;
energy
oJen
dictated
by
•
Performance
harvest
guarantees
may
financiers
–
bankable
predictability
not
be
in
place
soluOons
criOcal
•
Wide
system
size
•
Performance
range
accompanies
high
predictability
is
criOcal
uncertainty
10
11. Key
issues
pertaining
to
cost,
performance,
and
reliability
! Levelized
cost
of
electricity
(LCOE;
$/kWh)
is
the
most
telling
cost
metric
! System-‐level
performance
factor
accounts
for
added
energy
harvest
and
uptime
! Grid-‐friendly
features,
or
compatibility
with
the
Smart
Grid
! Component
substitutions/eliminations;
cooling
mechanisms
• Transformers
- Regulations
are
the
concern
• Capacitors
- Electrolytic
vs.
thin-‐film
- “The
weak
link”
11
14. Reliability
is
broad
–
and
difficult
to
communicate
! Warranties
are
a
function
of
financial
risk
–
and
full
of
legal
nuance
! Mean
time
between
failures,
failure
rates,
etc.
! Few
metrics
(if
any)
account
for
the
different
number
of
devices
required
14
15. Agenda
! Why
inverters
have
their
time
in
the
spotlight
! System
characteristics
differ
by
market
segment
–
and
dictate
product
requirements
! A
competitive
landscape
crowded
by
hype-‐driven
start-‐ups
15
16. The
field
of
start-‐ups
is
blurry
! The
burden
of
proof
16
17. The
way
things
are
! Centralized
power
management
vs.
Module-‐level
power
management
17
18. Outlook
! Don’t
believe
the
microinverter
hype…mostly
! A
Darwinian
market
emerges
! Multiple-‐sourcing
continues
to
rule
! Reliability
will
remain
the
hot
issue
! The
wild
card
is…
18
19. Questions?
Matt
Feinstein
Analyst
matthew.feinstein@luxresearchinc.com
19
20. SOLAR ENERGY SERVICES AS RELIABLE AS THE SUN
MaRS Market Insight:
Beyond the Solar Module: Optimizing System Performance & Maximizing Returns
Oleg Popovsky July 20th 2011
Manager, Sales & Bus. Development
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
21. Solar Investors / Developers / Hosts / Integrators
How to increase returns from solar
energy?
How to verify performance data?
How to ensure / increase
bankability?
How to lower operational risks?
How to protect asset longevity?
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
22. SunEdison Solar Services
Our Mission:
Make solar energy a meaningful source of energy by
Increasing power plant production
Increasing financial benefits to our customers
Impacting both the environment & local economy
We commission, monitor, maintain, operate solar PV power plants globally
North America: 520 plants / 188MW
EMEA 31 plants / 129MW
Asia: 8 plant / 1MW
Largest plant: 71MW
Average plant: 330kW
Smallest plant: 16kW
Solar Energy Generated & Monitoring:
Surpassed 600,000,000 kWh of solar energy
*: Data as of 6/30/11
**: Customers can call 24/7 service – during after hours Services, Inc. isconfidentialin proprietary. Do not redistribute. is needed.
Sun Edison ROC staff - on-call & case immediate attention 22
23. Examples of plants we manage
A diverse portfolio of plant configurations, sizes and technologies
72 MW - Rovigo, Italy. Kohl’s - 409 KW - Laguna Nigel, CA 8.2 MW - Alamosa, CO
Crystalline panels, fixed tilt, ground mount. Crystalline panels, fixed tilt, roof mount. Crystalline panels, fixed, one-axis &
Largest being built in Europe. dual-axis trackers, ground mount.
Duke Energy- 3.9 MW – Cotton Grove, NC
City of San Diego - 1.1 MW - San Diego, CA Staples - 486 KW - Killingly, CT
Crystalline panels, one axis, ground mount.
Crystalline panels, fixed tilt, ground-mount Thin film panels, fixed tilt, roof mount.
on steel.
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
24. Solar Monitoring
SEEDS™ revenue-grade monitoring platform (Hardware)
Renewable Operations Center (Service)
Online monitoring portal “Client Connect” (Portal)
Solar Operations & Maintenance
Site Quality Inspection
Preventative maintenance and outage response
Cleaning and vegetation control
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
25. Solar Monitoring Objective: OPR
OPR (Operating Performance Ratio): solar plant performance – simplified
OPR = Energy produced / Energy expected to be produced given actual insulation &
temperature conditions measured on-site.
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
26. SEEDS™ monitoring platform
Main hardware components
Component Function
SEEDS™ gateway Collect and store data from meters, weather
stations, inverters, combiners, trackers, etc.
Electric meter Measure energy, power, reactive power, voltage,
current, frequency, etc.
SEEDS™ weather station Measure irradiance, cell temperature, ambient
temperature, wind speed, etc.
Modem Connect the SEEDS™ Gateway to our data center.
Cellular, broadband or satellite may be used.
Ethernet or fiber switch Enable local communication between all the
devices on-site and the SEEDS™ Gateway.
Enclosure Protect SEEDS™ Gateways, modems and
switches from the elements.
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
27. Renewable Operations Center (ROC)
Tracking and increasing solar plant performance
Commissioning:
Commission Monitoring Systems
Validate system performance
Prepare reports for Independent
Engineers & Technical Advisor firm.
Power plant monitoring and alerting:
Detect & diagnose outages
Identify underperformance
Contact owners / operators
Service dispatch and management: Analysis:
Create & manage service tickets Fleet / portfolio performance
Dispatch service crews Performance by technology
Confirm problem resolution Soiling analysis
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
28. Client Connect - online monitoring portal
Essential PV data at your fingertips
Real-time, auditable solar production Gain transparency into FIT revenue from solar
monitoring in 15-minute intervals
Portfolio management to track solar assets by Performance metrics measure environmental impact
geography
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute. 28
29. Solar Monitoring
SEEDS™ revenue-grade monitoring platform
Renewable Operations Center
Online monitoring portal “Client Connect”
Solar Operations & Maintenance
Site Quality Inspection
Preventative maintenance and outage response
Cleaning and vegetation control
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
30. O&M: Key to maximizing on-going solar revenue
Goal: Increase returns by driving
production
Keys to maintaining system performance
Semi-annual system cleaning
Semi-annual mechanical/electrical checks
Solar monitoring and analysis to analyze production,
diagnose problems and ensure timely repair
Preventative maintenance and repair
– inverter maintenance
– thermal imaging of power conditioning components
– dispatch of local repair services as needed
Product operation & maintenance to ensure warranties
are upheld
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
31. Preventative maintenance
Array, inverters, trackers, combiners, racking, wiring…
Mechanical PM
13 checklist items
2x per year recommended
Electrical & inverter PM
16 checklist items
2x per year recommended
Tracker PM
12 checklist items
2x per year recommended
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
32. Cleaning & vegetation control
Increasing production and protecting asset longevity
Cleaning can increase production by 30%
Solar systems can suffer production losses (shading) and permanent
damage from vegetation if unattended
Not a SunEdison Installation
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
33. SunEdison Services: Trusted by financial institutions
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
34. Unique expertise with leading commercial
clients
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
35. Looking to maximize your solar returns?
Contact Us for More Details!
Oleg Popovsky
Sales Manager, SunEdison Canada
416-262-7022
opopovsky@sunedison.com
Thank you!
Sun Edison Services, Inc. - confidential & proprietary. Do not redistribute.
36. Connecting PV to the Grid:
Ontario Market Update
MaRS Market Insights
July 20, 2011
www.navigantconsulting.com