INTRODUCTORY SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY ... - PHOTON Info

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System Photonics S.p.A. 62 Science & Technology Module factories have been springing up like mushrooms lately. Production techniques, however, differ little from one company to the next. Cells are usually embedded in ethyle- ne vinyl acetate (EVA) under a plate of glass. The modules are sealed with either a plastic film or a second glass plate. But the modules from market newcomer System Photonics are different. The firm was founded in January and belongs to the System Conglomerate in Modena, Italy. System has been active in the ce- ramics, electronics, and logistics sectors for more than 40 years and employs over 1,000 people worldwide. System Photo- nics presented its new modules for the first time ever at the EU Photovoltaic So- lar Energy Conference in September. At first glance, the modules look like standard commercial products. Sun- ways’ monocrystalline cells are embedded in an encapsulation material under a glass plate and then sealed tightly to a backing material while inside a vacuum laminator. But the modules have two unique features. The backing material is ceramic, and the company uses an ionomer-based plastic encapsulation material called PV5316 made by Dupont. The 3 mm thick ceramic backing, which is manufactured by another company in the System Group, is designed to be particularly robust and dissipate heat well. New Products at Solar Power 09 System Photonics SpA: Stand 1787 Ceramic-backed modules System Photonics’ modules can be installed as roof elements, but work just as well on the ground. With unusual materials, a newcomer brings a breath of fresh air into the industry. Modules by Italy’s System Photonics feature an ionomer-based encapsulant material and a ceramic backing. The backing is also available in several colors, with a palette ranging from black to gray, brown, and yellow ochre. The company decided on the PV5316 Dupont film because it is significantly more stable and less elastic than EVA, according to sales manager Massimilia- no Gigli. The more robust material can better withstand loads from the glass front and ceramic backing. The film is also easy to work with and allows a high degree of automation in production. Gigli emphasizes that moisture cannot penetrate the module. Spanish company Isofoton had already devel- oped ceramic-backed modules in the past for a research project. However, wa- ter penetrated the modules (which were installed in a noise barrier) and Isofoton had to replace them with standard commercial modules. The modules also use a unique in- stallation system. They are not attached with clamps and rails, but hung on a sup- porting framework. Clamps on the back of the panels are specially designed for this mounting system. While glass lam- inates always need some sort of frame to hold them in place, and there are no plastic-backed frameless modules – and would be difficult to install if they were. But System Photonics’ frameless ceramic modules can be laid like tiles. Their ver- satility makes the modules suitable for both building integration and instal- lation in ground-mounted arrays. For these applications, System Photonics of- fers four product lines. The »Roof« series is for roof integration, while the façade line is called »Skin.« The »Life« series is for municipal projects, while large solar farms will use the »Power« series. The already certified »Roof« series will be the first to hit the market. The company’s factory near Modena has a 25 MW capacity. The modules, which will be sold worldwide, are covered by a 10 year product warranty and a 25 year performance guarantee. The company won’t reveal the product’s price. iru www.system-photonics.com November 2009 Ronald Frommann / photon-pictures.com
SunArx Trackers, a subsidiary of Colorado Solar, based in New Castle, Colorado, will present its new T-21 tracker and C-6 control system at Solar Power. The T-21 is mast-mounted, single-axis tracking system for up to 14 m 2 of modules. With a net weight of 360 kg (including modules), it can theoreti- cally carry loads of up to 5,000 kg. This load-bearing capacity results in high stability: with a concrete foundation, the T-21 can withstand winds of up to 160 km/h, and with a smaller module area as much as 200 km/h, says SunArx. DegerEnergie, based in Horb, Germany, will release two trackers especially designed for use with concentrator PV. The DEGERtraker 3000CT and 5000CT systems, based on the current DEGERtraker 3000NT and 5000NT systems, will go into production in 2010. This time frame also fits nicely with Deger’s announcement at Intersolar North America in San Francisco that it would establish a US subsidiary by »the first quarter of 2010 at the latest,« and build its own production facility. Until now, the company only has warehousing facilities in California and Ontario, Ca- nada. The US office will reportedly be established in Phoenix, Arizona, but no details are available. The single-axis Deger trackers are already certified for the US market in accordance with UL 61010-1 standard (as well as the Canadian CSA 22.2 No. 61010-1 standard); certification for the dual-axis models will follow this fall. The company also wants to certify both CT models with TÜV, UL, and CSA cer- tificates by the time they go to market. While the new models will be sold worldwide, the focus will, of course, be SunArx: Stand 2352 Small single-axis tracker for standard modules The tracker is compatible with »any framed standard module,« and, de- pending on the type of module, can accommodate between 1.6 and 2 kW of panels. Tracking takes place via an actua- tor that moves the panels around an axis tilted at an elevation angle of 15 to 65°. The angle of axis can be adjusted without any tools for location and season. The tracker uses an astronomic con- troller. The C-6 control unit can control a maximum of six trackers. Despite its lack of extendibility, centralized monitoring, yield monitoring, and DegerEnergie GmbH: Stand 615 Deger’s DEGERtraker 3000CT system on particularly sunny locations in the US, Asia, and Southern Europe, since those are the only regions where concentrator modules make sense. Because these technologies demand highly precise and continuous tracking across two axes, suitable trackers must be able to hold modules steady even in high winds. This has nothing to do with maximum load-bearing capacity, which ranges from 170 to 300 km/h for both the CT trackers, and all of Deger’s larger systems. November 2009 63 DEGERenergie GmbH antitheft mea- sures, SunArx feels the tracker is well-suited for large solar farms. Tracker for concentrator modules The units cost roughly $2,000 each. js www.sunarx.com » The task the engineers faced in 18 months they spent developing the two trackers (6 months of which was devoted to field tests at the Deger manufacturing facility in Germany) was to increase stability, and modify the drive and power transmission systems. Under laboratory conditions, the trackers have a reported deviation of only 0.03°, which increases to no more than 0.1° in real-world op- eration. The module position is adjusted every 10 seconds, whereas most compa- rable systems from other manufacturers use continuous tracking. At Deger, however, the stepped movement is seen as the best compromise between high pre- cision and low power consumption. The DEGERtraker 3000CT can carry a maximum of 25 m 2 of modules; the 5000CT, a maximum of 40 m 2 . The company states a maximum load bearing capacity of 4,000 and 6,000 kg, and a net weight of 1,100 and 1,600 kg respectively (including modules). The trackers can be anchored in either concrete or drilled foundations, and can also be attached to buildings. Deger has not announced system’s price. js www.degerenergie.com
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A LONG, STRANGE TRIP SOUTHERN EXPOS
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4 Under the Sun National Renewable
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6 Photo of the month The garden of
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May we introduce ourselves? The PHO
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10 Readers‘ letters PHOTON, welco
Page 12 and 13: 12 Readers‘ letters So why are so
Page 14 and 15: 14 Under the Sun History A long, No
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Page 18 and 19: Under the Sun selling book, »A Gui
Page 20 and 21: Under the Sun Academy of Sciences,
Page 22 and 23: Under the Sun made to uniquely fit
Page 24 and 25: Under the Sun to figure out how to
Page 26 and 27: Under the Sun heaters and books to
Page 28 and 29: 28 The 13 Solar Colonies PHOTON inv
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Page 32 and 33: State 32 Politics invest. If histor
Page 34 and 35: 34 Politics San Francisco From mega
Page 36 and 37: 36 Politics (see table below). Acco
Page 38 and 39: Politics cent of permits are over-t
Page 40 and 41: 40 Politics Stimulus package Feel t
Page 42 and 43: 42 Politics guide companies interes
Page 44 and 45: Politics »There was a lot of hoopl
Page 46 and 47: Solyndra, Inc. (2) 46 Business Seri
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Page 50 and 51: 50 Business US Boom, bust, or neith
Page 52 and 53: Business guarantee program, and the
Page 54 and 55: 54 Business Buying programs Solar b
Page 56 and 57: Business run three campaigns a year
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Page 60 and 61: 60 Science & Technology AlsoEnergy
Page 64 and 65: Science & Technology In October, Ya
Page 66 and 67: Science & Technology Japan’s Shar
Page 68 and 69: Little product, big comeback An old
Page 70 and 71: Science & Technology Microinverters
Page 72 and 73: Science & Technology Filling a nich
Page 74 and 75: Anne Kreutzmann / photon-pictures.c
Page 76 and 77: 76 Science & Technology Exeltech’
Page 78 and 79: Architecture Belgium Returning to e
Page 80 and 81: 80 Architecture November 2009
Page 82 and 83: 82 Architecture November 2009
Page 84 and 85: 84 In Practice Proposals The perfec
Page 86 and 87: 86 In Practice Is your proposal com
Page 88 and 89: 88 In Practice that are predictable
Page 90 and 91: 90 In Practice System: accomplished
Page 92 and 93: In Practice bluntly: »We have this
Page 94 and 95: Elkus’ golden trout pond is the l
Page 96 and 97: Test Laboratory A couple of years a
Page 99 and 100: Events From system inspection to in
Page 101 and 102: November 19-20, 2009 Alternative En
Page 103 and 104: Who should exhibit? • Manufacture
Page 105 and 106: Education & Training Producer-indep
Page 107 and 108: Internships New internships in the
Page 109 and 110: Ask the Editors Whether it’s abou
Page 111 and 112: Industry Registry Here is informati
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Preview The issue 12-2009 appears a
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