Solar Energy Application Centre (SEAC)
***
Long-term program 2012-2016 ***
Update: January 2014
Author: Wiep Folkerts
1.
2
3
4
5
The Solar Energy Application Centre
3
1.1
Introduction
3
1.2
Scope and topics of SEAC
3
Building Integrated PV
4
2.1
Definition and Scope
4
2.2
Technology status & issues
5
2.3
Market status & outlook
9
2.4
SEAC Program
Pre-fab Solar roofs
13
13
3.1
Definition and Scope
13
3.2
Technology status & issues
13
3.3
Market status & outlook
14
3.4
SEAC Program
14
Integration of PV into Infrastructure
15
4.1
Definition and Scope
15
4.2
Technology status & issues
15
4.3
Market status & outlook
15
4.4
SEAC Program
16
Horticulture Greenhouse Solar systems
16
5.1
Definition and Scope
16
5.2
Technology status and issues
16
5.3
Market status & outlook
18
5.4
SEAC Program
19
6
Solar Thermal and PV-Thermal systems
19
6.1
Definition and Scope
19
6.2
Technology status and issues
19
6.3
Market status & outlook
20
6.4
SEAC Program
20
7
PV with Storage and autonomous PV Systems
21
7.1
Definition and Scope
21
7.2
Technology status & issues
21
7.3
Market status and Outlook
21
7.4
SEAC Program
21
8
Electronic system and components
22
8.1
Definition and Scope
22
8.2
Technology status & issues
22
8.3
Market status & outlook
22
8.4
SEAC Program
22
9
Control systems and grid integration
23
9.1
Definition and Scope
23
9.2
Technology status & issues
23
9.3
Market status & outlook
23
9.4
SEAC Program
23
10
Data bases, portals and software
24
10.1
Definition and Scope
24
10.2
Technology status & issues
24
10.3
Market status & outlook
24
10.4
SEAC Program
24
11
References
25
1. The Solar Energy Application Centre
1.1
Introduction
The Solar Energy Application Centre (SEAC) is a research organization, focused on the application of
(PV and Thermal) solar energy systems, in the built environment, infrastructure and networks,
including their mechanical and electrical integration.
SEAC is a foundation (“stichting”) with a board representing ECN, TNO and Holland Solar.
The mission of SEAC is to organize and perform industrial research and experimental development in
the field of solar energy systems and applications.
The technical expertise of the SEAC is strongly focused on three key R&D areas: benchmarking, field
testing and techno-financial modeling of solar energy systems & applications. The SEAC covers these
and other topics through strategic collaboration agreements with other R&D institutes like ECN,
TNO, Utrecht University and Technical University Eindhoven.
SEAC is supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of National Affairs via a
Green Deal.
This document is an update of the SEAC long-term program, that was originally created in January
2012.
1.2
Scope and topics of SEAC
The Scope of SEAC covers the part of the solar energy supply chain starting at and
downstream from the solar module or collector.
The topics as covered by the Application Centre Solar Energy:
I. Integration into buildings, systems and infrastructure
1. Building integrated PV (BIPV)
2. Pre-fab Solar roofs
3. Integration of PV into Infrastructure
4. Horticulture Greenhouse Solar systems
5. Solar Thermal and PV-Thermal (PVT) systems
6. PV with storage and autonomous PV systems
II. Integration into electricity and communication networks
7. Electronic systems and components
8. Control systems and grid integration
9. Databases, portals and software
SEAC strives to carry out the research program in projects built on cooperation with
companies and other research institutes like ECN, TNO and Universities.
The main activities in such projects are:
 New concepts
 Design
 Prototyping
 Field testing

 Performance modeling
 Techno-financial calculation models
Benchmarking
2 Building Integrated PV
2.1
Definition and Scope
The application of Photovoltaic technology transforms buildings from energy users to
energy producers.
In addition to the older concept of PV installation or “building applied photovoltaics
(BAPV)”, a new technology is emerging: Building Integrated PV (BIPV). This refers to a
merging of the construction technology with PV: the architectural, structural and
aesthetic integration of PV into buildings.
In the BIPV approach, the PV modules become true construction elements such as roofs,
façade or skylight elements.
We therefore define BIPV components as PV components that are designed to serve as
part of the building envelope and has - in addition to the function of energy generation one or more of the following functionalities:
 Weather protection (waterproofed, windproofed, sun protection)
 Thermal insulation
 Noise protection
 Modulation of daylight
 Aesthetic value
Figure 1 An example of BIPV
This means that apart from standard PV characteristics to be considered:
 Electricity production (kWh/yr)
 Investment cost (€)
 Maintenance cost (€/yr)
, also other characteristics need to be considered:
 Color, appearance, size
 Weather tightness
 Safety in the construction
 Mechanical connectivity
 Electrical connectivity
Figure 2 Various colors PV cells for BIPV, as offered by Scheuten Solar.
2.2
Technology status & issues
In Europe, the “Sunrise” project was established by the EU to facilitate and accelerate
the BIPV development and market [1]. The results of this project were published in
2011.
Both major types of solar technology are employed for BIPV: crystalline Si based cells
and thin film (TF) solar cells.
Table 1 overview of BIPV solutions and fields of application [3]
The solutions listed in the table can be c-Si based or TF based, with the exception of
Flexible laminates, which are TF based and useable on flat roofs, curved roofs and other
applications.
The standard in-roof systems may not be considered as real BIPV products as they take
the standard PV modules as a starting point, not the functional requirements from the
market.
The solutions indicated in Table 1 are illustrated in the following pictures:
Figure 3 Semi-transparent façade based on thin film technology [4].
Figure 4 Semi-transparent solution based on c-Si, as offered by Scheuten Solar.
Figure 5 A façade cladding PV solution from Schüco [7]
Figure 6 Solar tiles [5]
Figure 7 Thin film PV on curved roof [6]
Figure 8 Solar shingles from Dow Solar Solutions
Company
UniSolar
Country Technology
USA
TF-Si (tandem/triple) produced
on flexible stainless steel roll-toroll;
Roll cut into modules before
lamination.
Global Solar
USA
Ascent Solar
USA
Dow Solar Solutions
USA
SoloPower
USA
Schüco
GER
Scheuten Solar
NLD
Odersun
GER
Sunways
GER
Schott Solar
Solarfun
Comments
Easy installation on (metal) solid roofs, not
on porous or rough surfaces.
Suitable for roofs with low weight load
rating.
Low efficiency (7%)
CIGS on stainless steel roll-to-roll Efficiency 11%.
Sells to BIPV element producers like Dow
Solar Solutions
CIGS on flexible polyimide
Efficiency 10%
substrate
Shingles based on Global Solar
Product not yet released
material
CIGS on metal substrate roll-to- Product not yet released
roll by electrodeposition
TF and c-Si modules with BIPV
Variety in size and colors
mounting system
c-Si based glass-glass modules
Variety of size,shapes, transparancies, colors
Variety of colors and shapes
GER
CIGS on Cu tape. Glass-glass and
glass-foil modules
c-Si based frameless glass-foil
modules with colored backfoil
TF-Si on glass
China
c-Si triple glass modules
Variety of size,shapes, transparancies, colors
Variety of colors and shapes
Semitransparent and opaque
Table 2 overview of companies active in BIPV [8]
The main technical challenges for BIPV are:
 BIPV products have to perform as building material. This means: functionality as
part of the building envelope (weatherproofing, thermal insulation, noise
insulation, etcetera), but also a durability equivalent to the materials replaced.
Some EU building codes also forbid the use of EVA encapsulate.
 Reasonable access to replacement, repair and maintenance.
 Aesthetics and full flexibility in color, shape and size against reasonable cost.
 Ease of installation. This means that the electrical connection system is designed
“plug and play” (even wireless is an option). Mounting systems in line with
construction practice.
 Efficiency. Efficiency is the main driver for kWh/m2 energy generation.
 Low cost
 Prevention of BIPV module heat-up. For instance using back ventilation.
 Low weight. Maximum weight load of many existing roofs is too low for standard
solar installations. In addition also for installation of façade systems, the weight
of the modules translates into a cost factor.
 System design to prevent power loss from shading and pollution. (One option is
the development of micro-inverters, see chapter 7)
 Product design to minimize power loss for non-optimum orientations, e.g. in
facades.
 BIPV on non-glass materials
2.3
Market status & outlook
Table 5 shows an estimate of the BIPV potential in Europe, USA and Japan: 9000 km 2 of
roof area for 400-1000 GWp installable PV power.
Table 3 Potential of BIPV [2]
This corresponds to a market value of order of magnitude 1000 billion Euro.
BIPV is more expensive than conventional ground based or BAPV systems. This is the
main reason that BIPV nowadays only takes a few percent of the PV world market.
Exceptions are France and Italy where specific BIPV support mechanisms are in place.
These support schemes go hand in hand with a specific legal definition of BIPV, that
includes what the Sunrise project [3] refers to as BIPV fastening systems. These are
BIPV systems that are based on standard panel sizes and are mounted “in-roof”.
Figure 9 A fastened BIPV system that meets the legal definition of BIPV in Italy and France, however may not be
the ultimate architectonically acceptable building block.
Figure 10 Categorization of installed PV, where for France and Italy the legal definition of BIPV is used
Pike Research published an analysis of the BIPV sector in 2010 [8], forecasting a 41%
CAGR (base case) of the market in the coming years.
This corresponds to a wholesale revenue of 3 billion Euro in 2016.
According to Pike Research the market growth is expected to be divided almost equally
over EU, NAFTA and Asia in 2016.
BIPV market forecast: 2009-2016
4,000
3,500
3,000
MW
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
2009
2010
2011
Base Case
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Upside Forecast
Source: Pike Research [8]
Figure 1a BIPV global market forecast [8]
BIPV market forecast by Region, Base Case: 2009-2016
3,000
2,500
MW
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
2015
EU Base
Asia Base
NAFTA Base
2016
ROW Base
Source: Pike Research
Figure 2b BIPV regional market forecast [8]
For façade solutions, the cost of BIPV has to be put in perspective of the cost of the
material that it replaces. An estimate of this comparison is shown in the figure below.
This is also true for BIPV roof solutions.
600
500
Euro/m^2
400
300
200
100
0
Figure 3 Cost comparison for BIPV and facade materials
For rooftop BIPV projects, usually the project Return on Investment (ROI) is the driving
factor, while for façade projects the architectural appeal is often more important than
the ROI.
The main challenges to overcome for market growth are:
 Good project ROI’s. This factor is driven by incentives (FITs), kWh yield
(efficiency, orientation, system design) and net system cost (offset by the cost of
the materials replaced).
 Supply chain integration. This means a natural integration of PV options in the
building process.
 Availability of architecturally appealing products. Architects seem to rate flexibility
in size, shape and color as more important than cost/Wp.
 Perceptions of building contractors about BIPV. Many contractors regard BIPV as
expensive, less available relative to standard building materials and much riskier
in terms of cost and timely delivery.
 Sales through retail stores for residential markets. Such as Praxis and Gamma.
 Clear and well established regulations and certifications for products and
installers.
2.4
SEAC Program
The SEAC program focuses on defining and executing projects in cooperation with
industrial partner(s).
The overall goal of the program is to create modular BIPV roof and façade systems and
PV windows that fit market requirements.
1. The SEAC projects focus on developing and demonstrating new BIPV products
that offer an improvement on at least one of the key market challenges and/or
technical challenges as outlined above.
2. A key project is the creation of a BIPV proeftuin: a building on which new BIPV
systems of various suppliers will be installed, demonstrated and monitored.
3. The SEAC develops and maintains a BIPV techno-financial model. The model
includes investment cost for different BIPV solutions, kWh yield and ROI
calculation.
3 Pre-fab Solar roofs
3.1
Definition and Scope
Prefab solar roofs are complete roof-solutions with integrated solar energy functionality
(PV and/or solar thermal). Application of prefab solar roofs means that no on-site
module installation is needed.
A prefab solar roof may have the following functionalities:
 Generation of solar energy
 Waterproofed
 Thermal insulation
The application of prefab solar roofs has the following benefits:
 Creation of the prefab roof takes place off-site on an assembly site, where the
work can be planned independently from weather conditions.
 Reduction of installation time.
 Enhanced quality of the installation work
 Avoid cost due to safety aspects of time-consuming panel-for-panel mounting on
a roof.
 Cost advantage with respect to on-site panel mounting
3.2
Technology status & issues
Some initial experiments with prefab PV roofs have been carried out, for instance the
prefab PV experiment in the ‘Stad van de Zon’ in Heerhugowaard. The promise of this
approach for cost effectiveness and standardized flexibility is apparent. However, many
challenges still need to be overcome.
Figure 4 Prefab Solar roofs
Under the SBIR program carried out by Agentschap.NL, Ballast Nedam is working on the
development of an approach for prefab solar roofs.
3.3
Market status & outlook
We foresee an interesting market for prefab solar roofs particularly in renovation
projects. Installation of PV is one of the most cost effective means to improve the Energy
Performance Standard (EPC) of an existing building.
In a large renovation program with a substantial number of similar houses, the prefab
solar roof is an attractive cost effective option with advantages on quality control and
warranties.
In times of economical crisis the market for renovation projects may be more attractive
than the market for new-built buildings.
3.4
SEAC Program
1. The SEAC projects focus on developing, demonstrating and prequalifying
prefab solar roof systems.
2. A key project is a medium scale (~50 houses) renovation project using prefab
solar roofs, including monitoring of the performance.
3. The SEAC develops and maintains a techno-financial model for prefab solar
roofs. The model includes cost benefits with respect to on site assembly of
solar panels.
4 Integration of PV into Infrastructure
4.1
Definition and Scope
This topic concerns the challenges that we face when integrating PV into dikes, sound
barriers, roads and ground based projects. This relates to optimizing the carriers
constructions (BOS), project layout, electrical line diagram and safety aspects.
4.2
Technology status & issues
Figure 5 PV on a sound barrier
Technical challenges on this topic are:
 System configuration for elongated configurations along roads and dikes: how
to optimize cabling and inverter string layout
 connection to the grid: due to location of the systems and the expected large
size separate grid connections need to be made. How to optimize in view of
cost and exploitation
 safety; in for instance sound barriers; module integrity, behavior under
calamities, access and flight routes
 life span and durability; infrastructure objects are expected to have a long life
span with minimum maintenance, whereas the environment in most cases
poses extra load due to chemical substances (salt), abrasive particles (steel
and stone grit). Moreover, the locations are in general more exposed to the
elements.
4.3
Market status & outlook
Within the building industry, infrastructure is set apart as it is suffering less from the
financial and economic crises. Investments in infrastructure may be a governmental tool
for stimulating economical growth. Integrating solar energy systems in infrastructure is
thus an activity with good growth prospects, and an inherent large potential.
Investments in improving infrastructure will stay an important driver for this sector, with
apparent good prospects in export as well.
4.4
SEAC Program
SEAC strives to be involved in the “Afsluitdijk wordt Energiedijk” project.
Potential business partners are Rijkswaterstaat, Prorail, Structon, BAM, Ballast Nedam,
Van Campen
The SEAC program is targeted on the following challenges:
o cabling and grid integration aspects
o module/building block development for these specific requirements
o techno financial model development
o lifespan, safety and warranty issues
5 Horticulture Greenhouse Solar systems
5.1
Definition and Scope
In horticulture greenhouses, the challenge is to optimize temperature, light and CO 2
concentration for each specific crop against the lowest possible energy cost. PV and can
play a role in that, if combined in a smart way into a total system approach.
5.2
Technology status and issues
Figure 6 A greenhouse with PV in Munich
Sunlight is the driving motor for the growth of crops in a greenhouse. Especially for
vegetable crops, the more sunlight, the better production. Typically a combination of red
and blue light is sufficient for optimum growth. Details depend on the type of crop. Also
the optimum light level depends on the crop. Some crops (e.g. pot plants) are shade
tolerant, others need as much light as possible (with avoidance of burning damage by
direct sunlight).
Many crops also benefit from an elevated CO2 level in a greenhouse. In order to keep
the CO2 level elevated, the greenhouse needs to be closed.
Typically in winter the temperature is lower than optimum, while in summer the
temperature tends to get to high. In a straightforward solution the greenhouse is heated
in winter. And cooled in summer for instance by opening windows, which makes it
difficult to keep an elevated CO2 level. Another strategy is the use of thermal screens in
summer. In practice greenhouse farmers chalk out part of the glass surface depending
on season.
In a (semi)closed greenhouse, the excess energy available in summer is stored as heat
and used in winter. One way is to use coolers in summer and store the energy in 100m
deep aquifiers at approximately 18-20C.
Another way is to use movable PV shields that cover the south oriented roof parts of the
greenhouse as soon as a threshold level of light and temperature is reached.
However light for PV competes with light for the growth of the crops.
Potential directions for a solution:
 Use the system only for shade tolerant crops
 Use the generated electricity for generating only the needed wavelength of light
(using LEDs)
 Some way of spectral separation
Dutch companies, like Van der Valk, Alkupro, Elkas developed concepts based on
integration of PV in the greenhouse. In general these are semitransparent systems
where a fixed part of the greenhouse roof area is used for PV.
The immediate problem of these systems is that this area is fixed and cannot be varied
depending on season, weather or crop type.
Van der Valk systems posed the idea of flexible sunshades with integrated PV.
Figure 16 Flexible sunshade concept with integrated PV
The problem with such systems is that the kWh yield of the PV is limited, making it hard
to justify the investment.
Elkas (WUR) posed an idea to separate the near-IR (NIR) part of the spectrum from the
sunlight using a reflective foil and use this part of the spectrum for PV.
Figure 17 Elkas concept for horticulture PV
Another idea of the WUR is to separate direct sunlight from diffuse sunlight using a
Fresnel lens, and use the direct light for PV and the diffuse light for growth of the crop.
A theoretically ideal system for a greenhouse application would be a spectrum selective
PV system that uses the green and NIR light for PV and leaves the blue and red part of
the spectrum for the growth of the crop.
Technical issues and challenges:
 For any of the above indicated systems, the challenge is to obtain low cost and
high efficiency
 How to combine flexibility depending on crop, season and weather with PV
efficiency, kWh yield and acceptable ROI
 Develop spectral selective PV systems or other efficient means of spectral
separation
 To prove that introducing smart PV systems does at least not negatively influence
the growth of the crop
5.3
Market status & outlook
The Horticulture sector is an innovative sector. One of the driving forces for innovation is
the drive for energy efficiency. This is because energy cost is a substantial part of the
total operational cost in a horticultural greenhouse enterprise.
In the EU, the total area of greenhouses is more than 1000 km2. More than 75% of
these greenhouses have been supplied by Dutch companies.
Dutch companies like Alkupro, Van der Valk, Maurice and Elkas have an innovative
strategy in order to maintain market share.
The challenge for introduction of any new system is that it must be proven exactly what
the effect is on the growth of the different types of crops before the market can and will
adopt the new concept. These are time consuming and expensive R&D programs. The
WUR has a strong position on knowledge and innovation programs for innovative
greenhouse systems.
5.4
SEAC Program
The SEAC program focuses on defining and executing projects in cooperation with
industrial partner(s) and WUR.
The overall goal of the program is to create greenhouse energy systems with integrated
PV windows that fit market requirements.
1. Development of spectral selective PV that fits the requirements for application in
greenhouses.
2. SEAC projects focus on developing, demonstrating and prequalifying new
greenhouse concepts with integrated PV.
3. A techno-financial model for applying PV in greenhouses. The model includes
investment cost for different solutions, kWh yield and ROI calculation.
6 Solar Thermal and PV-Thermal systems
6.1
Definition and Scope
Solar Thermal Energy is the direct creation of heat (hot water, hot air) from solar
energy. Since transport of heat is more expensive, compared to transport of electricity,
storage of thermal energy is a logical aspect to be included in the design of solar thermal
systems. Storage of thermal energy in a building is an essential aspect of the “CV-loze
woning”.
PV-Thermal systems are combination systems designed to harvest solar electricity and
solar heat in such a way that the total harvested energy per m2 is larger than for either
solar thermal or PV.
6.2
Technology status and issues
Solar thermal
Solar thermal systems are widely available and have reached a mature stage with
respect to development. Absorbers in collectors have reached high efficiency levels,
control units and storage tanks and heat exchangers leave little room for improvement.
However, using the sun as a reliable and continuously available source of thermal energy
requires more research on for instance storage systems.
PV-thermal
The combination of solar thermal and PV at first sight appears to be a logical step to
increase overall efficiency. However currently available systems do not reach the yield
levels of separate systems, and have a relatively high cost level.
Companies like Unidek and Redenko have built up some initial experience with PVT
integration for roofs.
Figure 78 Redenko PV-T hybrid roof
6.3
Market status & outlook
Solar thermal
Building insulation increases to a level where energy demand for space heating becomes
so low that in principle solar thermal woud be a feasible alternative. When storage
systems can be developed to sync supply and demand, an interesting proposition
emerges.
PV-thermal
As the demand for sustainable energy systems in buildings increases, the amount of
space available will become an issue. For these situations, for instance in family housing,
such systems are ideally suited
6.4
SEAC Program
Solar thermal
 development of thermal storage systems to synchronise supply and
demand in small scale housing
 development of smart controls for optimal combination of Solar thermal,
storage, heating and cooling
 techno-financial model development
PV-thermal
 yield improvement of pv-thermal sytems
 installation aspects of pv-thermal systems
 techno-financial model development
7 PV with Storage and autonomous PV Systems
7.1
Definition and Scope
Most of the installed PV capacity is grid-connected. However in many cases an
autonomous PV system with integrated storage can be an attractive option.
An obvious example is when a grid connection is not available or very expensive to
make. This is the case in many rural areas of developing countries.
Other applications of autonomous PV systems are in outdoor tourism and in mobile
applications.
7.2
Technology status & issues
Among the first applications of PV in the seventies were calculators and other mobile
applications. Since then a lot of experience has been built up in combining PV with local
storage.
Issues are:
 Dimensioning of storage capacity with respect to PV capacity in order to
optimize the operational behavior of the system
 Esthetical design of autonomous systems such as stand-alone street
lighting
 Solutions to prevent vandalism and theft (e.g. theft of batteries)
 Development of low-cost high-lifetime batteries
7.3
Market status and Outlook
The largest market for stand-alone systems is in areas where no grid is operational. For
instance rural areas in developing countries. Especially health care in these areas
depends substantially on electrification, and a stand-alone PV system is often a better
solution than a diesel generator.
In the western world, the traditional market for stand-alone PV systems is mobile
applications. A new part of this market is emerging when it comes to electricity for
(moving) festivals. Especially when the PV is easy transportable (flexible, rollable) this
may become an interesting application.
A more important development is the drive towards local generation for local
consumption. In order to limit the load of the transportation and distribution network,
the local usage becomes more and more interesting. This saves investments in transport
capacity. In many cases (e.g. in Germany) local storage is driven by a gap between
buying price and selling price of electricity. This need not necessary be a fully
autonomous system, because grid connection is still present.
Another market development is connected to the emerging electrical transport (cars and
bikes). This goes hand in hand with a potential application of solar powered charging
stations.
7.4



SEAC Program
Applications of stand-alone PV systems that optimize esthetical value and
operational value
Applications of stand-alone charging stations for e-cars and e-bikes
PV systems with local storage that optimize local usage of generated
electricity
8 Electronic system and components
8.1
Definition and Scope
PV systems can be implemented in a range of applications, sizes and situations, meeting
a large range of power needs. For a high penetration of PV, electronic system
components (inverters, storage devices, control components) need to have long
lifetime, reliability and low cost.
Performance of systems need to be optimized under various circumstances. One
example is the performance optimization under partial shadowing or conta-mination.
Such a system needs specific components developed with the optimized system in mind
Other examples of performance optimization are remote monitoring and service systems
and, automatic cleaning systems. This type of systems need specifically developed
components.
8.2
Technology status & issues
Lifetime and reliability of inverters are typically lower than those of the PV modules. This
is one of the bottlenecks for market penetration of PV and BIPV especially, since
maintenance work on many small systems in the built environment should be minimized.
In summary the technological issues for electronic system components are:






Electronic system components with high efficiency, low loss and increased
component lifetime (20 years)
Micro-inverters for performance optimization of BIPV
Storage devices for storing electricity for various timeframes
Cost-effective components for remote performance monitoring of large numbers
of distributed PV systems
Components that enable system performance optimization
Installation and maintenance issues (install, service, replacement)
8.3
Market status & outlook
In order to achieve high penetration of PV, substantial system-level cost reductions must
be made on electronic system components alongside those for PV modules.
These cost reductions are closely linked to lifetime and service requirements of these
components.
With higher penetration of PV, it will also be installed under less favorable situations,
increasing demand for yield improvement systems.
8.4



SEAC Program
development of yield optimization systems
research on installation and maintenance issues; failure detection and
identification, service/maintenance methodology
monitoring and measurement (smart meters)
9 Control systems and grid integration
9.1
Definition and Scope
The Masterplan Solar Energy The Netherlands foresees in 4 GWp installed in 2020.
Although this corresponds to a small percentage of generated solar kWh with respect to
total demand, in terms of peak load on sunny days it represents a considerable
penetration.
As the total installed capacity of sustainable electricity generation from wind and solar
PV increases, kWh supply and price/kWh will vary over the day and from day to day.
This implies the need for supply and demand systems. On a small (user) scale: optimize
the kWh usage and cost.
On a larger (network and utility) scale: systems for forecasting, planning and price
setting, systems to actively manage local storage and trading, systems to control the
power quality on the grid.
Furthermore, a larger PV electricity supplier who operates a portfolio of smaller PV
systems will strive to optimize the design of the portfolio of systems in terms of
connection locations to the grid and in terms of orientation of individual systems for
optimizing generation over the course of the day.
Many of the examples above refer to ways to maximize the value of the generated
electricity.
9.2
Technology status & issues
In summary the technological issues for grid integration and control are:




User demand management systems that optimize local consumption of the
electricity at the point of generation in order to minimize cost for the user
Grid supply and demand management systems in order to reduce grid loads. This
includes forecasting.
Management systems for electricity trading, storage and power quality control.
System portfolio optimization systems.
9.3
Market status & outlook
The coming years, working towards the 4GWp installed in 2020 will be the learning years
for many of the challenges mentioned above.
In the period after 2020, the need for smart control systems (smart grid integration) is
undisputable.
9.4




SEAC Program
user demand management systems
demand management system hard-& software development
user interfacing and user acceptance
grid connection principles in relation to the various regulations in different
countries
10 Data bases, portals and software
10.1 Definition and Scope
In the coming decade we expect a huge increase in the installed base of PV systems in
The Netherlands and as such a large increase of solar electricity generated. This gives
rise to a number of simultaneous challenges: (1) PV systems will become a commodity
for residential and professional consumers which needs a transparent PV system supply
market; (2) grid operators and consumers want to understand and forecast the
generation of solar power as a function of place and time, in order to enable supply and
demand management; (3) mapping available solar potential in terms of system size and
return on investment per location; (4) low cost high responsive service systems for
maintaining solar systems.
These developments go hand in hand with the generation of huge data stes from various
sources (“big data”). The data sets can be the basis for new innovative services aiming
at optimizing tariff structures and/or network architecture.
Another challenge is to transform data into useful information for target groups such as
the general public or investors.
10.2 Technology status & issues
In summary the issues are:


How can databases from various sources be used as a basis for new services that
support a further roll-out of PV in the energy system;
How can information generated from databases be accessible, affordable and
applicable for various target groups, such as the general public, investors,
installers, network companies;
10.3 Market status & outlook
In the recent years we have seen the first examples of service bases business
opportunities, such as “De Zonne-atlas” (solar potential mapping) and “Portaal
zonnestroom” (independent information for the general public”. In the coming decade
we foresee a large increase in data-based services for supply-demand control, for
network control, forecasting and risk management for investors.
10.4 SEAC Program





Investigate the value of
Data-based services for
Data-based services for
Data-based services for
Data-based services for
a big data approach for solar
network control and tariff setting
investors
installers
the general public
11 References
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
www.pvsunrise.eu
International workshop on BIPV, D. Fraile Montoro, 2008.
BIPV report Sunrise-EPIA, D. Fraile Montoro, 2011
Schott Solar
Solsticeenery
Centrosolar
M. Pagliaro: Prog. Photovolt: Res Appl. 18 p61, 2010
Pike Research 2011