On the finish of September 2022, a faint cheer might be heard in Berlin. Germany’s economics committee had permitted a authorities movement for additional modifications in a proposed modification to the vitality safety act, the Energiesicherungsgesetz (ENSIG). The amended laws added the next sentence to Germany’s renewable vitality act, “In sentence one, the phrases ‘because of a technical defect, harm, or theft’ are deleted.”
That small modification to the wording discovered deep in Germany’s Renewable Vitality Act (EEG) might have a momentous impression. Previous to Jan. 1, 2023, photo voltaic modules in a photo voltaic park might solely get replaced in instances of technical defects or in the event that they had been broken or stolen. Crucially in such cases, the technology capability of the mission was not permitted to extend from its unique spec because of such panel alternative, if the developer wished to proceed to qualify for funds underneath the EEG.
Nonetheless, that’s all modified now. The Bundesverband Neue Energiewirtschaft (BNE), a federal renewable vitality business physique, had been campaigning for months to loosen up the beforehand tight limits on the alternative of photo voltaic modules that was laid down within the EEG.
“We’re very glad that the [coalition government] has accepted our proposal to permit repowering in photo voltaic parks,” says Carsten Pfeiffer, BNE head of technique and politics. “Which means urgently wanted further photovoltaic capacities could be put in in a short time on present areas.”
Karl-Heinz Remmers, one of many BNE members who operates photo voltaic parks in Germany, says that by introducing the choice of energetic repowering for photo voltaic modules, it might enhance the capability at the moment put in in Germany from 63 GW on the present areas to 100 GW or extra. The repowering laws doesn’t apply to rooftop modules however, even so, it’s estimated that 36 GW of Germany’s 63 GW of photo voltaic capability has the potential to be doubled or in some instances even quadrupled by way of repowering.
EEG subsidies
The change within the regulation means photo voltaic turbines can elevate the manufacturing capability of their belongings indefinitely any more. Nonetheless, photo voltaic vitality subsidy funds secured underneath the EEG will solely apply to electrical energy generated by the unique manufacturing capability agreed in tenders. Any extra technology have to be bought by way of energy buy agreements or on the wholesale market, BNE’s Pfeiffer confirms.
That won’t deter photo voltaic park operators equivalent to Remmers. “Presently, round 17 GW of ground-mounted programs are put in on round 32,000 hectares,” he says. “If new programs had been to be put in on these 32,000 hectares as we speak, an output of at the least 35 GW could be doable even together with areas optimized for biodiversity – a further 18 GW.”
At industrial websites, nearer siting of the modules means output might be greater than doubled. “Along with new design, that is additionally because of huge will increase in module effectivity, since many ground-mounted programs had been constructed earlier than 2013,” provides Remmers.
Earlier than 2009, round 6 GW of ground-mounted photo voltaic was put in in Germany, with panel conversion effectivity starting from 5% to 12.5%. That meant 8 sq. meters to twenty sq. meters was required for every kilowatt-peak of technology capability. Within the increase years, from 2009 to 2013, round 30 GW of PV was added, with efficiencies of 5% to 14%, thus requiring 7 meters to twenty meters/kWp. Remmers estimates the 9 GW of photo voltaic added between 2014 and 2018 consisted of modules with 14% to 17% effectivity and a floor footprint of 6 meters to 7 meters. Since 2019, module effectivity has ranged from 18% to 22%, for an area requirement of at the least 4.6 sq. meters per kilowatt-peak.
Undertaking instance: 12-year-old crystalline ‘workhorses of yore’
A 5.5 MW grid-connected photo voltaic park options 60-cell modules with a mean peak energy of 230 W every measuring 1 meter by 1.6 meters. The modules lie in 4 rows and are linked to central inverters. Due to provide chaos on the time, mounting buildings for round 200 kW of further modules had been put in and lie empty. Such occurrences could be discovered in lots of ground-mounted programs. If the modules are exchanged for 350 W merchandise, the elevated effectivity would end result within the mission’s nameplate capability growing to eight.4 MW. A fifth row might be added with a small quantity of further funding, because of the shadow angle. In that case, 10.5 MW – plus the reserve of round 400 kW – could be doable. If the racks are dismantled and restructured, round 13 MW could be possible with a six-row equal on the identical floor space.
Remmers is talking from expertise. He has needed to change panels at his websites because of important degradation and managed to retain agreed EEG funds. On the identical time, he has additionally repowered by putting in extra environment friendly modules. In 2017, Remmers repowered a 3 MW web site into 8 MW by changing the older thin-film modules. With 350 W merchandise now the norm, the identical variety of modules and racks – on modules spaced the identical distance aside – resulted in a ten MW web site. With modifications in mission design that means it might now be doable so as to add an additional row of panels with out growing the footprint of the location, the situation might develop to 12 MW, Remmers explains.
The decline in PV system efficiency over time was a driving motivation in bringing in regards to the repowering modification to the laws. Social Democratic Get together (SPD) politician Timon Gremmels says panels usually lose 10% to 25% of their unique efficiency over 20 years. He championed the legislative change due to the BNE’s estimate Germany’s 60 GW of photo voltaic might change into 100 GW by repowering “even when we received’t attain these numbers as a result of the rooftop programs are excluded,” he says.
The necessity to approve repowering for ground-mounted programs is evident, says the politician. “As a result of the necessity for area is a bottleneck within the enlargement of photovoltaics,” he explains. “Within the site visitors gentle coalition, we’re at the moment attempting to make further areas out there for photo voltaic parks wherever doable.”
BNE’s Pfeiffer is assured repowering provisions will even be launched for rooftop panels, eventually.
Second use?
However what occurs to changed photo voltaic modules that aren’t faulty? “Used modules can present aid on the sold-out market and can be utilized for balcony photovoltaic programs, for instance,” says SPD’s Gremmels, in reference to demand for photo voltaic at the moment outstripping provide.
Undertaking operator Remmers additionally advocates persevering with to make use of changed modules, for plug-in photo voltaic gadgets, for instance. “We should always present all usable modules from repowering very cheaply, and even ‘free of charge from the photo voltaic park’ for a second use,” he says. “With bigger portions, knowledgeable inverter resolution will definitely be developed.”
There are doubts in regards to the quantity of usable photo voltaic panels repowering will produce, nevertheless. “I believe there can be lots of thin-film modules, particularly within the early days,” says Martin Schachinger, from wholesale photo voltaic buying and selling platform pvXchange, which stopped shopping for thin-film merchandise years in the past. “The skinny-film modules have too little energy and an excessive amount of weight. Due to this fact, the transport prices don’t repay,” says Schachinger.
As a substitute, Schachinger is satisfied lots of the photo voltaic modules produced because of repowering tasks will find yourself being recycled for glass. That in itself might be a profit, says Remmers, in a world nonetheless missing a compelling enterprise case for photo voltaic panel recycling. The big amount of panels which may be produced for recycling in Germany, he says, might drive an “environment friendly full-module recycling economic system,” making the nation a world chief.
Zain El Jouhari, normal supervisor of German panel maker TrippleZ, says there are already numerous multicrystalline photo voltaic modules out there because of repowering in Germany, considerably greater than changed thin-film merchandise. “Fifty per cent to 70% of the exchanged modules can nonetheless be used,” he says. “With a remaining service lifetime of round 10 years, such modules are extraordinarily fascinating for tasks in Africa, the Center East, and all different sunny areas.”
TrippleZ delivers used modules to these markets to be used in small off-grid installations and demand for panels of that nature has spiked because the onset of warfare in Ukraine. “The used modules are as much as 70% cheaper and export is worthwhile regardless of the elevated transport prices,” says El Jouhari. His firm collects changed panels from the repowered websites and offers with them as dictated by round economic system authorized necessities, together with offering disposal certificates. “The modules that may nonetheless be used are ready in our personal manufacturing facility in Hilden, close to Düsseldorf,” provides El Jouhari.
“Africa will not be our dumping floor,” warns Stefan Wippich, of recent and used photo voltaic buying and selling platform Secondsol, voicing concern about exporting lower-quality merchandise to the growing world. Remmers, in the meantime, says guaranteeing such panels proceed to generate is an efficient factor. “Photo voltaic modules that also work don’t find yourself dumped so rapidly in a growing nation, as a result of electrical energy is way more priceless there.”
Secondsol is working with photo voltaic operations and upkeep corporations to develop a “repowering instrument” to assist determine whether or not to reuse or recycle the panels changed. The product would monitor used-module high quality, amount, and efficiency and supply thermographic and upkeep data to make sure solely good, secure merchandise stay in use.
Amid the thrill in regards to the technology potential of recent, extra environment friendly modules, Secondsol’s Wippich believes used modules will even be retained by photo voltaic web site homeowners as spares. It’s not all the time price changing all of the modules in a mission.
No matter second-life makes use of the changed panels find yourself in, there isn’t a prospect of their EEG cost rights being transferred with them any time quickly, because the Federal Ministry of Economics has confirmed. The physique chargeable for settling disputes arising from the EEG, and from mixed warmth and energy act the Kraft-Wärme-Kopplungsgesetz, has reached the identical preliminary conclusion. Funds, for now, will reside with the mission tendered, making it extra doubtless used panels may have a second life overseas or on balconies.
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