QUICK NEWS, May 14: THE WORLD’S BIGGEST SOLAR BUILDERS; BIG WIND TEST CENTER; MAKING THE BEST STORAGE CHOICE EASY

THE WORLD’S BIGGEST SOLAR BUILDERS Solar Integrator Rankings Show Increasing Presence Of China-Based Firms

10 May (Solar Industry)

“Germany-based Belectric maintained its position as the world's largest PV system integrator in 2011, with close to 400 MW of new PV capacity developed, according to a recently released report from IMS Research (recently acquired by IHS Inc.).

“However, Chinese integrators - buoyed by the huge boom in domestic power plants - achieved the biggest gains, and made up three of the top 10 PV integrators in 2011…Belectric held on to its No. 1 position for the second year in a row. The company was followed closely behind by China Power Investment Corp. (CPI), which was responsible for 380 MW of new PV capacity in China in 2011…”

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“Although the biggest gains were made by Chinese integrators, several U.S.-based companies also exhibited strong performance, in terms of project completion. First Solar, SunEdison and SunPower ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively, on the list.

“IMS Research also found that, although Chinese suppliers made the biggest gains in 2011 and had three of its integrators ranked in the top 10, Germany companies dominated the rest of the rankings…”

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BIG WIND TEST CENTER Clemson Facility To Test Drivetrains For Wind Turbines In 5 MW To 15 MW Range

10 May 2012 (North American Windpower)

“….Engineers with Choate Construction will pour 750 cubic yards of concrete into a channel to form the 7.5 MW test rig foundation [for the Clemson University Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility]…

“The pour marks a milestone for the massive construction project…[that] involves completely redeveloping an 82,000 square-foot warehouse on a former Navy base. The engineering design was performed by AEC Engineering in Minneapolis.”

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“In November 2009, Clemson and its partners were awarded a $45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy - which was combined with $53 million in matching funds - to build and operate the large-scale testing facility for next-generation wind turbine drivetrains.

“When complete at the beginning of next year, the facility at the Clemson University Restoration Institute will have the capability for full-scale, highly accelerated testing of advanced drivetrain systems for wind turbines in the 5 MW to 15 MW range [with 50 Hz and 60 Hz testing capabilities]…”

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MAKING THE BEST STORAGE CHOICE EASY New Software Helps Renewable Energy Developers Choose Best Energy-Storage Option

11 May 2012 (North American Windpower)

“Sandia National Laboratories and the U.S. Department of Energy…[p]artnering with DNV KEMA, a global testing and consulting firm…[are] releasing Energy Storage Select (ES-Select), software designed to make it easier to conduct a quick, high-level analysis of energy-storage options and determine the value of energy-storage technologies for a specified application, including renewable energy projects.

“Developers and utilities that want to use energy storage have many technologies to consider, including flywheels, compressed air, pumped hydro, thermal storage and six types of electric batteries…According to Sandia, the tool helps companies make decisions about what storage technologies would work best in a given situation…”

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“…For example, if a business pays more for electricity during the day than at night, the owner could use the tool to quickly evaluate several energy-storage options to determine the costs and benefits of buying lower-cost electricity at night and storing it for use during the day…Users can input the application they are interested in, as well as specify such parameters as energy costs and discount rates, and the program produces a list of storage technologies and their predicted benefits and associated costs…

“ES-Select aggregates all of the inputs and assumptions - monetary value for an application, technology costs, performance characteristics and operation and maintenance costs - and quickly provides recommendations…”

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