Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/247465
Tuesday, October 22, 2013 Solar Power Daily News Hisco (Cont'd. from p. 1) customers significantly reduce their total supply chain cost. Hisco supports PV module assemblers with specialty die cuts and slit tapes like foam tape gaskets for junction box attachment and spooled charge collection tapes. "Hisco offers an unmatched breadth of products and services for PV manufacSika (Cont'd. from p. 1) damping, reinforcing and protecting. Sika's product lines include concrete admixtures, specialty mortars, epoxies, structural strengthening systems, industrial flooring, sealants, adhesives, specialty acoustic, reinforcing materials, industrial flooring, as well as roofing and waterproofing systems. Sika Products are used in a wide array of applications and always fulfill the highest quality standards. We are committed to customer satisfaction, innovation and teamwork. SPDN: What would you say makes your company unique? DR: Sika continues to supply the solar industry globally with state-of-the-art, high performing products and solutions from solar panel design and manufacturing to field installation. Specifically, where we are unique in the solar indusUL (Cont'd. from p. 1) big systems can run into millions of dollars and understanding the risks associated with the investment should be sized and understood to assure expected returns. Projected plant yield is achieved with equipment that performs as intended and the built plant is of high-quality construction. Moreover, the system should be compliant to codes and safety requirements. Strategies for reducing perceived risk in the development include hiring of independent experts to report on attributes of the project's design, equipment and construction. Additionally, new methods of assessing and scoring projSpire Corp. (Cont'd. from p. 1) turnkey module manufacturing lines, including process and systems technology. SPDN: What was the most significant event or series of events that affected your company in 2013? RL: Spire has been suffering from the lack of expansion of PV module manufacturing due to overcapacity and excess modules in the market. Spire anticipates that the coming year will see this oversupply being absorbed and new modules manufactured for the growing systems market. The prices for new modules are expected to be considerably higher. Higher prices overall will help the surviving value chain suppliers, and result in a more healthy sustainable industry for all participants. SPDN: What new products or technologies will Spire introduce this year? RL: Spire is introducing a new turnkey module assembly line for producing super- turing and the local support required by our customers," said Jim Caprile, Hisco Schaumberg Branch Manager and certified solar specialist. Representatives from Hosiden will be present in the Hisco booth to discuss their newest products including 1500 V rated connectors, single pole junction boxes and their newest Bluetooth lowenergy modules. try and other markets is our ability to provide integrated global service to the customer. The solar industry operates globally. A solar project can be initiated, developed and designed in one country and yet be constructed on the other side of the world. Sika is present in 80 countries. The advantage is that not only can Sika deliver products to the build site, but we also have solar commercial and technical teams that provide comprehensive and worldwide project support from construction consultancy, functional testing, application and process technology advice to applicator training and on-site support when and where it's required. SPDN: Are you introducing any new products? DR: We're very excited about the recent introduction of Sikasil®AS-780, our newest 2-component engineered About Hisco For more than 40 years, Hisco has delivered value to customers through quality products, process solutions and local inventory. Today, the international branch network includes 34 stocking locations―23 in the United States (including Puerto Rico), 10 operated by the HiscoMex subsidiary in Mexico and one operated by HiscoCan in Canada. silicone for manufacturing solar systems that will be featured at the Solar Power International show. The product combines the exceptional long-term performance of a structural silicone used in the facade industry with the process characteristics of an adhesive with high tack and exceptionally high green strength. What this means is the initial green strength and strength buildup is much higher than existing silicone technologies currently in the marketplace. SPDN: What's the outlook for the new product? DR: We are very positive that SikasilAS-780 product advantages will offer solar system manufacturers material and labor savings of up to 25 percent compared to common framing and mechanical installation systems. In addition, installation time is reduced by ect risk are coming into play with added benefit of reducing the cost of capital. Insurance products have also emerged to mitigate risk in addition to the manufacturer's warranties. Uncertainty and variability are ubiquitous in the planning, construction and operation of PV plants. Developers, EPCs and financiers are challenged with quantifying uncertainty, gauging impact and either mitigating the effects or getting it under control. Energy yield assessment, equipment performance and quality of construction are but a few of factors contained in the "uncertainty equation." Assessing products and services for compliance to codes and standards reduces some of the uncertainty but there is opportunity for much more. UL is broadening its reach across the value chain, beyond the testing and certification of materials, components and products and into the PV power plant with services that increase stakeholder confidence. Built on deep knowledge of codes, standards, technologies, testing and measurement, a comprehensive suite of services is aimed at assisting in the procurement, construction and operation of the PV plant. The series of services align with phases of development and are designed to build on one another and keep the project on track. This approach can also provide you access sized 1 kW modules. These super-sized modules are best assembled at utility solar farm sites. When deployed, they provide significant systems-level cost savings, and local manufacturing of super-sized modules presents a hurdle for foreign competitors. cell mono or poly crystalline modules. The super-sized module design is based on reliable and proven c-Si solar cells and materials, and is composed of 240 high efficiency mono or poly crystalline cells interconnected in 24 strings. A solar cell efficiency of 18.5 percent produces a power output (Pmax) of 1060 watts per module. SPDN: What is the outlook for supersized modules? RL: Utility solar farms can be fielded with cost savings of as much as $0.40/watt using point of use assembled super-sized modules. Upon completion of the array, the super-sized module line can be transported to another location. It is estimated that the current utility pipe line could employ as many as 50 supersized module lines within three years. SPDN: What is the concept of the supersized module? RL: Super-sized modules are ideally suited for utility and large scale PV system installations. These modules are more than triple the power output of today's 72 SPDN: What are the Balance of System (BOS) advantages and economics of using a super-sized module? RL: A super-sized module offers economies of scale, driving significant reductions in BOS materials, installation labor and transportation expenses. Such large modules provide direct savings in BOS materials, field installation labor, and packing and shipping expenses. These reductions result in a direct impact on lowering the Levelized Cost of Electricity ( LCOE) over the typical 25 year lifecycle of a large scale PV System. For more information, www.spirecorp.com. visit 21 Two converting facilities provide valueadded fabrication and custom repackaging. Hisco also offers vendor-managed inventory programs and specialized warehousing for chemical management, cold storage and logistic services. For more information, visit Hisco at booth 856, go online to www.hisco.com, call 877447-2650 or email info@hiscoinc.com. as much as 40 percent. SikasilAS-780 allows bonding of the mounting devices and handling of the assembled parts within the standard production lines and cycles, without the need for any large buffer zones or pre-fixation devices. Elimination of these queues from cycle times presents formidable opportunity gains in production efficiency. In addition, SikasilAS-780 meets the requirements of the EOTA ETAG 002, the most severe structural glazing standard for facades, which stipulates a lifetime expectation of at least 25 years on the tested system. With the corresponding joint geometry, another Sika core expertise, the bond will last for decades under harsh environmental outdoor conditions exposed to UV, rain and heat as well as under wind and snow loads. For more information, visit booth 213 at the Solar Power International Show or go online to www.sikausa.com. to knowledge and expertise at the most critical times during construction. The use of non-compliant products or implementing a defective mounting and grounding scheme across a 5MW system can result in huge cost to rework. Technical review of the project and staged inspections throughout the construction are just some of the ways that UL can help reduce risk, support quality and bankability concerns, and overall, increase confidence that the project will meet or exceed expectations. For more information, visit www.ul.com, call 877-UL-HELPS, email ULHelps@ul.com, or stop by booth 1821 at Solar Power International.