Canadian Solar’s TOPBiHiKu6
N-Type TOPCon Bifacial Module

Canadian Solar Inc.’s majority-owned subsidiary, CSI Solar Co. Ltd., is starting mass production of high-efficiency N-type TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) solar modules in the first quarter of 2023.

Canadian Solar’s TOPCon modules have a power output of up to 690 W, and a cell conversion efficiency of around 25%, which is 1.5% higher than the average cell efficiency of the mainstream products in the market. Canadian Solar’s TOPCon modules will increase energy yield of PV systems and deliver one of the most competitive BOS (balance of system) cost savings and LCOEs (levelized cost of electricity) for solar power plants, compared to PERC modules.

Canadian Solar will provide a diversified portfolio of the TOPCon products to meet the needs for utility-scale, commercial and residential markets. The TOPCon portfolio includes the 182 mm cell-based bifacial TOPBiHiKu6 (555 W-570 W) and monofacial TOPHiKu6 (420 W-575 W) modules, and the 210 mm cell-based bifacial TOPBiHiKu7 (615 W-690 W) modules. Canadian Solar will deliver the 182 mm cell-based TOPCon modules in the first quarter of 2023 and will start mass production of the 210 mm cell-based TOPCon modules in the second quarter of 2023. TOPCon module shipments are expected to account for around 30% of the company’s 2023 total module shipments.

The temperature coefficient of Canadian Solar’s TOPCon modules is as low as -0.30%/℃. There is no Boron-oxygen related LID (Light Induced Degradation), and therefore, the TOPCon modules will have less power degradation. The power degradation of the TOPCon modules was only 1% after 2,000 hours of damp and heat (DH2000) test, compared to 1.9% degradation of PERC modules under similar test.

The bifaciality of TOPCon bifacial modules can reach up to 85%, with a significant power gain of around 2% compared to PERC bifacial modules under the similar field conditions. There is also a 30-year limited performance warranty for monofacial TOPCon modules.

“We are pleased to start delivering our cutting-edge N-type TOPCon modules early next year,” says Dr. Shawn Qu, chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar. “The TOPCon modules will become one of our featured products with higher energy yield, lower LCOE and longer performance warranty, compared to the mainstream products in the market. The TOPCon modules will solidify our competitiveness in terms of technology leadership and pricing power. We are committed to delivering more high efficiency and quality products to our customers, while contributing to combating climate change globally.”

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In the first six months of 2022, 24% of U.S. utility-scale electricity generation came from renewable sources, based on data from U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Electric Power Monthly. The renewables’ share increased from 21% for the same time period last year. Renewables are the fastest-growing electricity generation source in the United States.

Renewable generation sources include conventional hydropower, wind, solar, geothermal and biomass. In the United States, most renewable electricity generation comes from hydropower, solar and wind. Generation from renewable energy sources has grown rapidly as renewable capacity, mostly solar and wind, has been added to the grid.

In 2021, a record amount of new utility-scale solar capacity was installed in the United States. From June 2021 to June 2022, 17.6 GW of new utility-scale solar capacity came online, bringing U.S. utility-scale solar capacity to 65.8 GW, according to our Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory. In June 2022, the United States had 137.6 GW of wind capacity, and 10% (14.3 GW) of that capacity was installed between June 2021 and June 2022. Based on planned additions reported to EIA by power plant owners and developers, another 7 GW of wind and 13 GW of solar capacity will come online by the end of the year.

Hydropower and wind generation, which, combined, make up the majority of U.S. renewable generation, typically peak in the first half of the year, when there are more windy days and the winter snowpack is melting. In the second half of 2022, EIA expect that renewables will make up a smaller share of generation than they did in the first half of the year (20%) as wind and hydroelectric generation decline, based on EIA’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook.

Image: Andreas Gücklhorn on Unsplash

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Andrew Waranch

Spearmint Energy, a next-generation renewable energy company, has begun construction of Revolution, its 150 MW, 2-hour battery energy storage project in West Texas, in partnership with Mortenson, a power engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor with experience in wind, solar, transmission and distribution, repowering, and battery energy storage.

In November 2022, Spearmint and Mortenson executed an EPC agreement under which Mortenson will design and build Revolution. Specifically, Mortenson will construct the battery storage facility, substation and transmission line connecting the project to the ERCOT grid. Revolution marks Mortenson’s 20th battery energy storage project.

“We are proud to begin construction of Revolution in close partnership with Mortenson, an industry pioneer with significant expertise engineering and constructing battery energy storage facilities,” states Andrew Waranch, founder, president and CEO of Spearmint. “Revolution will provide critical grid resiliency and reliability services to enable the continued deployment of low-cost renewable energy in ERCOT at a time when our nation is grappling with challenges brought by a changing climate, rising oil and natural gas prices, increasing demand for electricity, and the impacts of supply chain constraints, inflation, and tariffs on the construction of new generation facilities. We are pleased to break ground with Mortenson on our inaugural project and are 100 percent committed to bringing Revolution into service with a pledge to zero injuries.”

“We are excited to share our best-in-class battery energy storage design and building capabilities to execute Revolution safely and successfully,” adds Brent Bergland, vice president of project development for Mortenson. “We look forward to working closely with the Spearmint team to add this much-needed storage asset to the ERCOT grid.”

Located in West Texas, a wind and solar generation hub within the Lower Colorado River Authority’s transmission network, Revolution is expected to be one of the largest batteries in the United States. Revolution will begin operation in mid-2023.

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Jason Burwen

The U.S. energy storage market grid-scale segment installed a record 4,733 MWh in the third quarter of 2022, surpassing the previous quarterly high of 4,598 MWh in Q1 of 2021, according to a new report released. On a single charge, this amount of battery storage could power over 150,000 U.S. homes for a day. According to the American Clean Power Association (ACP) and Wood Mackenzie’s latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor report, grid-scale storage deployments relied heavily on California and Texas, which accounted for 96% of total installed capacity this quarter.

“Demand in the grid-scale and residential storage segments continues to increase, despite rising costs and lingering supply chain challenges,” says Vanessa Witte, senior analyst with Wood Mackenzie’s energy storage team. “Installed capacity is expected to more than double next year, driven by new grid-scale project announcements and increased residential and non-residential volumes in CA due to the introduction of a community solar program and NEM 3.0.”

According to the report, the total forecast volume between 2022-2026 across all segments increased by 109% quarter-over-quarter, and in this timeframe the U.S. storage market will install almost 65 GW total, with grid-scale installations accounting for 84% of that capacity.

“Demand for energy storage is at an all-time high, driven by sustained higher energy prices, state decarbonization mandates, and Inflation Reduction Act incentives,” states Jason Burwen, ACP’s vice president of energy storage. “California’s reliance on energy storage to meet record peak demand this September shows why it’s absolutely critical that policymakers and grid operators remove barriers to supply to ensure reliability. The rapid increase in grid-scale storage capacity requesting to connect to the grid demonstrates that the pace of U.S. industry growth is increasingly dependent on the availability of transmission and timely grid access.”

Residential storage had another record quarter, with 400 MWh installed, surpassing the previous quarterly record of 375 MWh in Q2 2022. California, Puerto Rico, Texas and Hawaii were leaders in Q3 for residential instalments. Wood Mackenzie projects that this segment will climb to 2.2 GW in 2026.

Community, commercial and industrial storage deployments underwhelm for the second quarter in a row, with only 56.6 MWh installed in Q3. However, all segments are anticipated to steadily grow over the long-term forecast, bolstered by the strong demand from residential and grid-scale.

Wood Mackenzie’s Witte adds that elevated prices and supply chain challenges largely due to a supply deficit combined with heavy demand have pushed several projects past 2022 and into later years of the forecast. However, the pipeline remains strong and active storage requests in the interconnection queue between 2022 and 2028 increased 120% quarter-over-quarter.

“Some developers have considered delaying projects into 2023 to receive tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act, but this only applies to a very niche segment of projects,” continues Witte. “In general, supply chain challenges and interconnection queue backlogs will push capacity to later in the forecast, with 2024-2026 seeing increases of 9-13 percent per year due to this.”

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First Solar Inc. has entered into an agreement to supply 1.6 GW DC of its high-performance, responsibly produced Series 7 thin film solar modules to National Grid Renewables. The deal was booked prior to the release of First Solar’s Q3 2022 earnings in October and the modules are scheduled to be delivered in 2026 and 2027.

This latest order expands First Solar’s relationship with National Grid Renewables to over 4 GW DC, with an earlier agreement for 2 GW DC of modules announced in June 2022. National Grid Renewables and First Solar have also partnered on multiple projects over a decade-long relationship that includes the 200 MW Prairie Wolf Solar Project in Illinois and the Noble Solar (275 MW) and Storage (125 MWh) Project in Texas.

A Minneapolis-headquartered business, National Grid Renewables is part of the Ventures division of National Grid plc and has a portfolio of solar, wind and energy storage projects located throughout the U.S. in various stages of development, construction, and operation.

“We are pleased to further expand both our partnership with First Solar and our commitment to using responsibly produced solar technology to power our near-term project pipeline,” says Andy Cukurs, COO at National Grid Renewables. “These modules will be deployed in projects throughout the United States, bringing clean energy and economic benefits to communities across the country.”

Developed in close collaboration with engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies, and structure and component providers, First Solar’s Series 7 modules combine the company’s thin-film cadmium telluride (CadTel) technology with a larger form factor and a new back rail mounting system to deliver improved efficiency, enhanced installation velocity, and superior lifetime energy performance for U.S. utility-scale PV projects.

“National Grid Renewables is an experienced developer and operator of large-scale solar projects and its decision to invest in Series 7 is a testament to the track record of our CadTel platform, and its ability to enhance the competitiveness of solar assets,” states Georges Antoun, COO at First Solar. “It is also a testament to our value proposition of providing our customers and partners with long-term supply certainty and lower political and compliance risks. This critical point of differentiation separates us from many of our competitors.”

Designed and developed at its R&D centers in California and Ohio, First Solar’s advanced thin film PV modules set industry benchmarks for quality, durability, reliability, design and environmental performance. The modules have the lowest carbon and water footprint of any commercially available PV technology today.

Additionally, First Solar’s differentiated thin film semiconductor, integrated manufacturing process and tightly controlled supply chain helps eliminate the risk of exposure to solar supply chains identified by the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2022 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor as being tainted by forced labor. First Solar is the only company among the 10 largest solar manufacturers globally to be a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), an industry coalition dedicated to supporting the rights and well-being of workers and communities in the global supply chain. The company is also the first PV manufacturer to have its product included in the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) global registry for sustainable electronics.

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Meta Platforms Inc. has declared seven new solar projects in Georgia and Tennessee totaling 720 MW AC to support its regional operations with 100% renewable energy. Silicon Ranch is partnering with Walton Electric Membership Corp. (EMC) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to supply the renewable power to serve Meta’s data centers in Georgia and the Tennessee Valley, respectively. As part of the agreements, Silicon Ranch will fund, build, own, operate and maintain the solar facilities over the life of each of the seven projects.

In Georgia, Walton EMC recently executed contracts with Silicon Ranch on behalf of Meta (formerly the Facebook company) for three new solar facilities totaling 560 MW AC as part of the electric cooperative’s agreement to supply Meta with 100% renewable energy. Silicon Ranch will work with Walton EMC to deliver projects in each of the next three years to support Meta’s operations.

“We are proud of the work we have done with Walton EMC and TVA to accelerate the transition to renewables in Georgia and the Tennessee Valley,” says Urvi Parekh, head of renewable energy at Meta. “As we continue to support our global operations with 100 percent renewable energy, we are pleased to expand our partnership with Silicon Ranch, a trusted partner who shares our commitment to have a positive impact on the communities where we locate.”

TVA recently signed agreements with Silicon Ranch on behalf of Meta for four new solar facilities in Tennessee totaling 160 MW AC under TVA’s Green Invest program, which helps customers such as Meta meet their long-term sustainability goals with new utility-scale solar projects located within the Tennessee Valley. Silicon Ranch will partner with TVA and local power companies to deliver all four projects in 2024 to support Meta’s operations in Tennessee and Alabama.

“Silicon Ranch is honored by the confidence and trust that Meta continues to place in our company to execute on their behalf, and we are grateful to be part of this compelling economic development story with them as well as with our utility partners Walton EMC and TVA,” states Reagan Farr, president and CEO of Silicon Ranch. “Meta’s commitment to support their operations with 100 percent renewable energy is directly responsible for our own commitment to invest more than $2.3 billion across more than a dozen rural communities in Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. As a company that calls this region home, we look forward to being active members of each community for decades to come.”

The announcement of the seven new projects coincides with the nearing completion of two additional solar facilities by Silicon Ranch that serve Meta’s operations: the 125 MW AC DeSoto I Solar Farm in partnership with Walton EMC in Lee County, Georgia, and the 70 MW AC McKellar Solar Farm with TVA in Madison County, Tennessee. Despite supply chain constraints that caused project delays across the solar industry, Silicon Ranch placed both projects in service on schedule, a feat the company has accomplished with every project it has signed since beginning operations in 2011.

“As an electric cooperative, Walton EMC is driven by our ‘concern for community’ and our devotion to serving the needs of our member-owners, and our partnership with Meta and Silicon Ranch enables us to honor our commitments to these principles and values,” comments Ronnie Lee, CEO of Walton EMC. “Walton EMC is proud of the meaningful work we are doing together, and we are grateful to each of our partners for the significant investments they are making in our service territory and across the state, reinforcing and strengthening Georgia’s claim as the number one state for business.”

Including the seven projects announced, Meta is partnering with Silicon Ranch on 16 solar facilities to serve its operations in Georgia and the Tennessee Valley. In total, the portfolio has a capacity of approximately 1,500 MW AC. Eight of the projects are now operational, generating approximately 630 MW AC of solar energy, and each of the plants integrates Silicon Ranch’s transformative Regenerative Energy model of land management, a holistic approach to design, construction and operations that co-locates renewable energy production with regenerative agriculture practices.

“TVA is building the energy system of the future, and this public-private partnership with Meta and Silicon Ranch demonstrates the strength of TVA’s public power model to attract capital investment and high-quality jobs into the communities we serve while helping businesses meet their sustainability goals,” said Doug Perry, Senior Vice President of Commercial Energy Solutions for TVA. “We thank our partners Meta and Silicon Ranch for sharing our commitment to make our region the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family.”

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DSD Renewables has raised $155 million in debt financing for the first commercial and industrial (C&I) solar asset-backed securitization (ABS) with a significant concentration of community solar assets. The transaction, which is DSD’s first issuance of asset-backed securities, was structured and underwritten by Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC.

DSD’s ABS portfolio consists of about 56% onsite solar and 44% community solar, including C&I and distributed generation projects across 11 states, with offtakers benefiting from decreased electricity costs and state solar incentive programs.

“This transaction is an important step in DSD’s mission to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy,” says Jamie Hutson, DSD’s chief investment officer. “We have established a path to market for a substantial inclusion of community solar, which will enable access to clean, affordable energy for a larger pool of customers.”

Being DSD’s first ABS, its structured finance, community solar and legal teams partnered with outside counsel and third-party consultants to educate the investor community on C&I solar, particularly community solar. As one of the first solar securitizations to include a significant portion of community solar, DSD worked closely with agencies and investors to better understand community solar revenue structures and to adequately assess risk through a data-driven approach. This process will streamline DSD’s next issuances, and serve as an emulative industry model for other issuers to bring community solar assets to the debt capital market.

“As a first-time issuer within a newer asset class, it was critical that we considered all relevant risk and strategized with agencies, consultants and our bankers to ensure an optimal outcome,” comments Ian Manchester, DSD’s vice president of structured finance. “With our first securitization under our belt, we look forward to future issuances which will continue to drive commercial solar adoption and widen access to community solar projects.”

Net proceeds from the transaction will be used to pay down existing debt on DSD’s assets and support its business growth on the project origination and acquisitions front. Credit Suisse acted as sole structuring agent and sole bookrunner for this transaction. Sidley Austin LLP acted as counsel to DSD, and Mayer Brown acted as counsel for Credit Suisse.

To date, DSD has raised over $1.5 billion in funding to support its growth and accelerate solar project deployment. DSD intends to issue asset-backed securities every six to twelve months.

Image: “Installing solar panels” by OregonDOT is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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Construction began at WEL Network’s 35MW New Zealand grid-scale BESS project following the traditional blessing of the site, in August. Image: WEL Networks.

New Zealand state-owned energy company Meridian Energy has committed to the construction of a 100MW battery energy storage system (BESS), to be provided by Saft.

The two-hour duration (200MWh) resource will be built on a 3-hectare site acquired by the company last year, near New Zealand’s northernmost city, Whangārei. It will participate in energy arbitrage, frequency regulation and help free up network hosting capacity in the reserve markets of the country’s North Island.

Generator-retailer Meridian said this morning that construction of the project, Ruakākā Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), will begin in the first quarter of 2023, for expected completion and commissioning in H2 2024.

“As intermittent renewable generation increases in this country, the Ruakākā Battery Energy Storage System will help manage supply fluctuations through a low carbon footprint, reducing this country’s reliance on fossil fuels,” chief executive Neal Barclay said.

The company claimed Ruakākā will be New Zealand’s first grid-scale BESS, but that appears to not be the case. Electricity distribution company WEL Networks and developer Infratec broke ground on another 35MW project in August, also on the North Island, in its Waikato District.

WEL Networks and Infratec also contracted French battery manufacturer and BESS system integrator Saft for its project, which will provide fast reserve frequency regulation as well as backup power to the town of Huntly. Inverter maker Power Electronics NZ is providing power conversion system (PCS) equipment to that project.

Meridian’s project, even if completed later, will certainly outdo the Huntly project for size. According to a Meridian fact sheet it will require around NZ$186 million (US$118.2 million) capital investment but would earn up to NZ$35 million revenues each year against NZ$6 million annual operating costs.

Ruakākā Battery Energy Storage System will also be joined at the site by a 130MW solar PV plant in the coming years, and Meridian noted that the pair will be able to share infrastructure such as the grid connection point, reducing costs.

The project received planning approval in November, as reported by Energy-Storage.news at the time. Saft will provide the integrated BESS including power electronics, install, commission, and then operate it, while Meridian will carry out civil works, transmission company Transpower – also state-owned – will build the grid connection to its Bream Bay substation.

New Zealand does have two operational megawatt-scale battery storage systems: power distribution company Vector installed a 1MW/2.3MWh Tesla Powerpack 2 system in 2016 and energy generator-retailer Mercury deployed a 1MW/2MWh BESS, also a Tesla Powerpack 2 system, in 2018. While the latter is connected to the high-voltage transmission network, it is a pilot deployment at an R&D centre.

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Zvi Alon

Tigo Energy Inc., a provider of intelligent solar and energy storage solutions, has finalized its acquisition of FSIGHT, an energy data analytics software company based in Hod HaSharon, Israel. With FSIGHT, Tigo expands its ability to leverage energy consumption and production data for solar energy producers, adding a prediction platform that provides rich and actionable system performance data, from the grid down to the module level.

As a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, FSIGHT gives utilities, IPPs (independent power providers), solar assets owners, EPCs (engineering, procurement and construction firms), and investors high-fidelity visibility into the performance of their solar energy systems, the energy demand served by those systems, and accurate predictive data about the same. With the ability to deploy new, accretive service offerings, the FSIGHT platform provides Tigo a scalable data analytics infrastructure and prediction engine to accelerate the deployment and optimization of distributed energy resources (DER).

Backed by five patents and patents pending, as well as a low operations cost per endpoint business model, FSIGHT infrastructure enables accurate behind-the-meter energy insights that scale quickly for DER projects of all sizes. For smart-meter utilities, this means more accurate forecasting for load, generation and pricing dynamics, as well as portfolio composition and the ability to automate customer clustering. FSIGHT was founded in 2015 by Eveline Steinberger (Blue Minds) and Amos Lasker (Amrav Investments), and currently serves energy companies in the U.S., Israel and Central and Eastern Europe.

“Our mission has been to facilitate the energy transition by using data to reinvent business models for a greener energy market of the future, and Tigo’s global footprint allows us to significantly accelerate these ends,” says Evgeny Finkel, CEO of FSIGHT. “Through the support of Tigo and its vast installed base, we will be able to provide even more accurate predictions about customers’ energy systems. I am delighted to join the Tigo team and bring the best of both companies to our customers.”

“The acquisition of FSIGHT strengthens our leadership position in MLPE by adding both a new layer of sophisticated energy data tools and the opportunity to expand our data services business in solar,” adds Zvi Alon, chairman and CEO at Tigo Energy Inc. “With FSIGHT, AI and machine learning technology forecasts electricity consumption and generation of individual endpoints or aggregated portfolios, which we believe benefits stakeholders all along the solar value chain. We look forward to further evolving our comprehensive digital platform to optimize the solar experience for all parties, from commissioning through operations and maintenance.”

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The European Parliament has voted to expand accelerated permitting processes to standalone energy storage. Image: European Union 2017 – European Parliament.

The European Union parliament has voted on amendments to REPowerEU which will see its accelerated permitting for renewable projects expanded to include standalone energy storage.

The REPowerEU strategy was written up in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year and saw the bloc increase its renewables deployments target to 2030 in an effort to strengthen energy security. Part of this was implementing new, accelerated permitting rules for renewable projects, but until now only co-located energy storage was included.

Yesterday (14 December), the European Parliament in a plenary session voted on new REPowerEU amendments to the Renewable Energy, Energy Performance of Buildings and Energy Efficiency Directives which will see the accelerated permitting extended to all energy storage, standalone or co-located. Previously, it only mentioned co-located energy storage.

The directive now reads: “The permit-granting process shall cover all relevant administrative permits tobuild, repower and operate plants for the production of energy from renewable sources including hybrid power plants that combine different renewable energy sources, heat pumps, energy storage, including power and thermal facilities, as well as assets necessary for their connection to the grid and tointegrate renewables into heating and cooling networks.”

“It shall also include related energy networks permits and environmental assessments where these arerequired.”

The amendments voted on by the Parliament include a weakening of environmental assessment rules, which was criticised by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).

The The European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE) on the other hand praised the amendments, saying:

“Setting clear timelines and developing better provisions on permitting for energy storage will render it even more attractive to investors and accelerate its deployment. EASE fully agrees that energy storage should be presumed to be in the overriding public interest in all permitting procedures.”

The news follows hot on the heels of the Parliament and European Council provisionally agreeing more stringent rules on battery sustainability, performance and labelling, as reported by Energy-Storage.news.

Alongside top-level policy moves, the EU has also been supporting energy storage deployments at the country-level through partially bloc-funded state aid for various projects, including most recently in Finland – both pumped hydro and co-located battery storage there – Romania and Greece.

Energy-Storage.news’ publisher Solar Media will host the eighth annual Energy Storage Summit EU in London, 22-23 February 2023. This year it is moving to a larger venue, bringing together Europe’s leading investors, policymakers, developers, utilities, energy buyers and service providers all in one place. Visit the official site for more info.

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