Coloured building integrated photovoltaics - Market, Research and Development

The 13th webinar of the Photovoltaic Power Systems Academy
This webinar will present recent IEA analysis on innovations and product development of coloured building integrated photovoltaics:

Overview of projects
Colouring: covers, coatings, printings, films
Impact on power generation efficiency
Trends

The presentation will involve experts from the IEA’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Task 15.

Speakers: Pierluigi Bonomo, Erika Saretta, Gabriele Eder
When?
7 February 2020
14:00 - 15:00 CET
Where?
Online event
Register here......

​Sustainable finance solutions will be an important component of expanding the UK-Africa investment corridor, as Africa looks to plug a massive funding gap in key areas such as infrastructure, energy, and agriculture. To attract capital from the UK and elsewhere, African governments should consider measures to improve the ease of doing business and should ensure cost reflective tariffs to strengthen the business case for investment.

Providing funding for such large initiatives plays into a major strength of the UK – its large, diverse financial services ecosystem and preeminent financial centre.

London is expected to remain a key financing hub for African corporates and projects for the foreseeable future. In 2018, we helped raise over $18.8 billion of capital for our African clients from global markets, of which UK investors accounted for roughly a third.

African businesses see London as a vital fund-raising gateway, connecting global capital with fast growing businesses. Major flotations last year from the likes of Helios Towers and Airtel on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) – representing some of the biggest London IPOs of 2019 – speak to this. We expect an acceleration of LSE listing activity from African businesses this year and beyond.

It is important not to underestimate the asset that the City of London represents. London is such a vital financial hub and has the potential to increase rapidly its relationship with African corporates. It has liquid and mature financial markets, similar time zones to Africa, trusted judicial systems, and a common language (particularly for Anglophone countries).

Further to this, we know that there is significant appetite amongst UK investors to buy into Africa, as showcased by the recent South African $5 billion Eurobond., the largest issuance out of Sub-Saharan Africa. UK investors accounted for $900 million, or 18%, of the total issuance.

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​SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF BATTERIES AND RECTIFIERS
IMPLEMENTATION OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS (3)
THREE PHASE ELECTRICALGENERATORS AND UPS
SUPPLY BATTERIES AND RECTIFIERS
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGERS 
DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION OF DC POWER SYSTEMS AND BATTERIES 
POWER BANKS (9200)
INSTALL CHARCOAL MANUFACTURING PLANT
SUPPLY OF GAS
SUPPLY BATTERIES
REPAIR MAINTAIN STANDBY GENERATORS
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Tender info available to Gold Members.....
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Spain's new government on Tuesday declared a "climate emergency" and pledged to unveil a draft bill on transitioning to renewable energy within its first 100 days in office.
In a statement announced after the weekly cabinet meeting, the government committed to bringing a draft bill "to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the objective of reaching climate neutrality by 2050" -- effectively net-zero carbon emissions.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's leftwing coalition government, which took office on January 13, also committed to updating the national plan for tackling climate change.

The government has decided to ensure that "climate change and the transition is the cornerstone for all (ministerial) departments and governmental action," spokeswoman Maria Jesus Montero told reporters.

Environment Minister Teresa Ribera said the government had been inspired by French moves to create a public advisory panel "to generate ideas about responding to climate change in an inclusive, consultative way with a special focus on the youth."

Last summer, France announced the creation of a citizens' panel on climate change made up of 150 people who would offer ideas and views on an array of issues touching on climate change "in keeping with the spirit of social justice".

At the end of November, the European Parliament voted to declare a "climate and environment emergency" in a symbolic gesture just ahead of the UN global crisis summit which took place in Madrid last month

The motion urged efforts to ensure the "objective of limiting global warming to under 1.5 degrees C (35.7 degrees Fahrenheit)".

It was followed by similar moves in a number of parliaments across the EU, notably in France, the United Kingdom and in Austria.

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The Megamillion Energy Company intends to be Africa’s first large-scale producer of lithium-ion batteries, with a mandate to make batteries “in Africa, for Africa’s benefit first”.
Megamillion aims to have the continent's "first lithium-ion battery production pilot" plant up and running in the second half of this year, says Megamillion Group CEO Nechan Naicker.

The exact location is still to be decided, with Coega the current preferred site.

The initial 0.25 GWh (scaleable) pilot plant will be capable of producing more than ten-million lithium-ion cells a year.

Funding for the $35-million pilot plant will flow from a mix of local and global private equity investors, with Naicker not yet willing to provide specifics.

Lithium-ion batteries have been used in rechargeable products, such as cell phones and laptops, for a number of years already, and more recently in electric vehicles. They are also used in small-scale business and utility applications, and as energy storage solutions for renewable energy installations.

“Working with established battery technology pioneers from China, the plan is to ramp up to an annual production output of 32 GWh of cells by 2028, with the primary focus on cells for the energy storage market and, thereafter, for the electric vehicle market,” says Naicker.

​He adds that Megamillion is “not reinventing the wheel, but cutting and pasting” existing technology and processes from “respected Chinese lithium-ion battery specialists” for use in Africa.

“We have already produced sample batteries with our partner, and these have successfully undergone tests at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Our cell is very advanced, it has a high energy density and our partner has a number of patents for its safety aspects.”

An African Solution
With a high prevalence of load-shedding in the Southern African Development Community, affordable energy storage is a critical factor for energy security, says Naicker.

While renewable energy sources are playing an important role in supplementing the energy generated from the traditional fossil-fuel energy sources, energy from wind and solar can be intermittent and not completely reliable, he notes.

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Beer maker South African Breweries (SAB) and its parent company AB InBev Africa have announced that its breweries across South Africa will have on site solar facilities by the end of this month.
This forms part of a multibillion-rand investment to ensure 100% of electricity requirements at AB InBev's manufacturing sites across Africa come from renewable sources by 2025.

On site solar power at the seven SAB breweries will partially power each facility.

The installations are being implemented through a power purchase agreement (PPA) between AB InBev Africa and SOLA Group, allowing solar photovoltaic (PV) installations to be rolled out across AB InBev’s facilities without the company incurring capital costs.

Under the terms of the agreement, the company will buy the power from SOLA, with the balance of the electricity requirement to be met by State-owned Eskom and local municipalities.

The PPA’s will total around 8.7 MW of capacity.

In 2019, SOLA secured R400-million with partners from African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) and Nedbank to fund projects such as the AB InBev Africa solar facilities.

The solar PV plants are being installed at seven sites in various provinces, including the Western Cape, Limpopo, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Combined, the plants will comprise over 23 000 solar panels, with the construction of the projects creating 175 jobs, in addition to SOLA’s 56 permanent positions.

AB InBev Africa’s PV systems will produce close to 14 GWh/y of electricity.

According to AB InBev and SAB procurement and sustainability VP Taryn Rosekilly, this step by AB InBev Africa highlights the private sector’s strong drive towards reducing its carbon emissions.

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Today, Hyundai and Kia confirmed that they are investing €100 million ($111 million USD) in UK-based electric vehicle startup Arrival, and they will work together on new vehicles. 
 
We have previously reported on Arrival when they unveiled a neat-looking all-electric delivery truck and scored contracts with the Royal Mail and UPS.

When first unveiling the vehicle in 2017, Arrival talked about “revolutionary ultra-lightweight composite materials that significantly reduce the weight of the vehicle, and by combining this technology with Arrival’s custom built hardware, including power electronics and motors, the cost of operating has been reduced by more than 50%.”

They say that they optimized the maximum range to weight ratio for inner city deliveries with battery packs enabling up to 100 miles of range on 3.5, 6, and 7.5 tonne trucks.

For the UPS trucks,  Arrival said that they will have “a battery range of more than 150 miles (240 kilometers).”

Now Hyundai plans to use Arrival’s technology:
Through the course of the partnership, Arrival, Hyundai, and Kia will use Arrival’s flexible skateboard platforms and technologies to create new purpose-built electric vehicles (PBVs) across multiple vehicle categories. Hyundai and Kia will leverage Arrival’s novel microfactories and software innovation while Arrival will benefit from the OEM’s global footprint and economies of scale. This will help accelerate the ‘Two Track’ strategy adopted by Hyundai, to bring zero-emissions battery and fuel cell technologies to the commercial vehicle market.

CEO of Arrival Denis Sverdlov commented on the announcement:
Arrival has created a game-changing product category — Generation 2 Electric Vehicles. Hyundai and KIA make world-class vehicles with uncompromising quality. This strategic partnership will empower our companies to scale Generation 2 Electric Vehicles globally.

What Arrival refers to “Generation 2 Electric Vehicles” are EVs built from the ground up to be electric versus what the company calls “Generation 1 Electric Vehicles,” which they see has conversions of existing vehicle models to be produced with electric drivetrains.

Albert Biermann, president and head of the research and development division at Hyundai Motor Group, also commented on the new partnership:

The eco-friendly vehicle market in Europe is expected to grow rapidly due to reinforcement of environmental regulations. Through the joint development of commercial electric vehicles with Arrival, we will be able to gain a competitive advantage and progressively establish our leadership in the global eco-friendly vehicle market.

Youngcho Chi, president and chief innovation officer at Hyundai Motor Group, added:

This investment is part of an open innovation strategy pursued by Hyundai and Kia. We will accelerate investment and cooperation with companies with advanced technology such as Arrival, to respond to the rapidly changing eco-friendly vehicle market.

They didn’t release a timeline for bringing an electric vehicle to market together, but they did note that Arrival could take advantage of Hyundai’s mass production expertise to scale.

Lighting manufacturer BEKA Schréder’s locally designed and manufactured solar street lights for outdoor residential and public applications provide a full customisable option to suit all off-grid solar lighting requirements.

BEKA Schréder marketing manager Grant Combrink says the BEKA Solar, combined with the Ziya luminaire, provides a reliable lighting solution with a high Ingress Protection (IP) level 65 that withstands high ambient temperatures and vandalism (IK10).

The Ziya luminaire range is a sustainable off-grid performer with a superior lumen or watt ratio.

Combrink notes that the photovoltaic process is optimised by efficient polycrystalline solar module technology to maximise solar energy.

“This, in turn, offers the best energy storage options and autonomy available on the market with our range of battery options, namely lead, lithium and the new SuperCapacitor. This SuperCapacitor removes the depth of discharge issues and offers extended life and discharge cycles,” he says.

Combrink explains that controlling the whole system and using the solar energy by programming the Maximum Power Point Tracking charge controllers protects and optimises the system from any internal and external factors, such as thermal environmental changes, when charging the batteries.

The BEKA Solar offers key advantages such as it being designed to operate reliably at a high light output over a 12- to 14-hour period.

It also has sufficient autonomy to cater for up to four continuous overcast or rainy days to continue its reliable night operation.

It has integrated solar components, it is theft and vandal resistant and specifically engineered for all geographical locations in Africa.

Lastly, various battery technologies are available to meet specific customer requirements.

The BEKA Solar offers a renewable lighting solution to cover a client’s geographical and application needs with extended lifetime and optimisation, he concludes.

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The return of load-shedding, together with what is a truly dire prognosis for system stability, should surely have been the wake-up call government required to finally begin implementing its very own Integrated Resource Plan 2019 (IRP 2019).
Instead, the only indication that the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) is even slightly alive to the crisis is the issuance of a Request for Information (RFI) for emergency supply solutions.

The RFI in itself is not a problem, as the IRP 2019 does include an open-ended allocation for the period 2019 to 2022 that will be determined by “the extent of the short-term capacity and energy gap”.

The immediate gap is estimated in the document to be between 2 000 MW and 3 000 MW, but could increase to 5 000 MW should Eskom decide, later this month, to pursue a new maintenance philosophy that increases the number of units out for planned outage so as to address the steep rise in unplanned breakdowns.

​The problem with the RFI is that it is being pursued in isolation from the rest of the IRP 2019 and is potentially distracting from and delaying the implementation of sensible, low-cost and least-regret solutions.

Despite including some expensive policy adjustments, such as imported hydro, Eskom batteries and forced-in private coal, the IRP 2019 still offers a rational roadmap forward. Therefore, if the DMRE were truly serious about tackling the crisis, it would be moving to implement it.

Practically, that would mean not only the Risk Mitigation Power Procurement Programme, which should flow from the RFI responses, but also the immediate release of bid documents for the next round of renewable- energy procurement, as well as the gas-to-power programme.

Likewise, the department could announce an immediate moratorium, at least until 2022, on the regulatory constraints still blocking some 2 000 MW of capacity that private enterprises and households are willing to build and finance.

What is no longer acceptable is for the department to look primarily towards Eskom and the Department of Public Enterprises for a way out of this predicament. If it continues to do so, the crisis will endure for far longer than would otherwise be the case, with devastating consequences for the economy.

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