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S o l a r Po we r D a i l y N e ws Th u r s d a y, J u l y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4 8 GREATER OPPORTUNITIES EXIST FOR SOLAR IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION By Steve Schwerd, Partner, V.P. of Facilities and Energy Engineering, KMB Design Group While the solar industry continues to grow rapidly in the U.S. and abroad, only a small percentage of non-residential projects include PV installations. However, the potential for commercial, municipal and industrial building con- struction to incorporate renewable energy systems has never been greater. To date, the approach has been for the architect/engineer on the design team to provide an allowance for the solar only, with an intent to follow the normal design-build approach using the same perspective, approach and finan- cial model applied to installations on existing buildings. Now is the time to take a fresh look. Engaging the end user and profes- sional design team (architect and engi- neer) at the concept and schematic design phase can make the PV system a more viable option. Furthermore, this approach maximizes the ability to reduce cost and improve system per- formance, while speeding up installa- tion completion to better coincide with building completion. However, buyer beware. While there are MEP engineering firms that do build- ing design well, they may not be solar savvy. Conversely, there are some engi- neering firms that are solar focused, but not well versed in building industry proj- ects. The good news is that there are now a few select firms emerging in the engi- neering field that have advanced tremen- dously on projects involving solar instal- lations, and are more than capable of handling projects in direct coordination with architec- tural firms. For example, our firm routinely works with clients to perform all the PV design, engineering and associated tasks from the project concept phase. In fact, KMB has completed over 225 solar projects total- ing more than 250MW nationwide, many of which are full service. The scope of our capabilities includes land surveys, rooftop surveys, shading analysis, PV design, energy pro- duction calculations, electrical engineer- ing, structural engineering, civil and environmental engineering, board hear- ings, permitting, applications and project management. By incorporating the PV system at the building design phase of new con- struction, additions or renovations, KMB has proven its ability to optimize PV panel location and minimize obstructions that cause discontinuity and shading. The result is enhanced system performance and significant cost savings, includ- ing lower cost per watt ($/W) and greater efficiency (kWh produced per kW installed). There are also benefits to building owners and tenants alike. Studies by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) have documented business ben- efits for going green, including decreased operating costs, building value increases, return on investment improvements, and occupancy and rent ratio increases. Sadly, the process that would make a PV installation as attractive as possible is rarely followed. However, I believe there will be an industry trend towards incor- porating solar from the start of the build- ing design phase because it ultimately minimizes cost, improves aesthetics, coordination and speed to completion, all while enhancing long term system per- formance. For more information, visit www.kmbdg.com. SUPER-SIZED PV MODULES: THE NEW GENERATION OF SOLAR POWER The solar PV utility market is experienc- ing significant growth that will continue through the foreseeable future. In the U.S. alone, utility companies are expected to add at least 20GW of solar PV power sys- tems to their power generation portfolios by 2020. Solar PV system investment cost remains a critical success factor in sup- port of these growth projections. Consequently, PV system cost reductions will be essential to help drive accelerated growth of utility solar farm installations over the next decade. A new approach to help reduce the cost of large PV installa- tions is the super-sized module. The concept of the super-sized mod- ule is very simple. A design is available today for a super-sized module of nomi- nal size (5.5 feet by 12.5 feet (1.6 meters by 3.8 meters)) made using 240 high effi- ciency 156mm crystalline silicon solar cells connected in 10-cell strings. Cells with a nominal output of 4.42 W/cell (at 18.5 percent cell efficiency) will produce a nominal module power of greater than 1060 watts. Module efficiency with anti- reflection coated (ARC) glass is estimat- ed to be 17.0 percent. Larger modules provide significant PV system investment reduction by driv- ing cost savings in several key areas: bal- ance of system (BOS) components and field installation labor, and offshore mod- ule shipping, packing, inland transporta- tion and handling costs. As a leading supplier of turn-key solar PV module factories worldwide, Spire can provide the manufacturing equipment, processing technology and systems engineering to help customers site, set up and run a super-sized module breeder solar farm factory. Spire's 20MW per year automated production line offers a modest investment entry point to get up and run- ning. Later, as solar farm sizes grow to 50MW and greater, this starting solar farm factory can be upgraded and expanded to a highly automated 50MW factory for mass production of modules. All process equipment provided in this turn-key line is integrated and configured for optimal module line efficiency, and includes the process expertise to quickly ramp the line, assistance with UL certification of the module, factory management sup- port, and system Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) support to assist large scale 10 to 20MW solar farm installation projects. The primary advantages and benefits of super-sized modules built at a point- of-use onsite factory are: reduced materi- als and labor installation costs, reliable, "bankable," and robust design, more power per unit area and smaller space requirements. The point-of-use solar farm factory for super-sized PV modules is a significant innova- tion in PV module technology which will help the solar PV industry drive to a lower Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) for large scale PV Systems. The development of the super-sized module offers significant leveraging of current required PV system investment levels for a large scale solar farm by deploying a point-of- use solar farm factory in conjunction with a super-sized module that yields a lower factory cost than conventional modules. The economic advantages yield an aggre- gate PV balance of systems savings of $0.16/W. A $0.16/W PV system cost reduction is equivalent to a capital cost savings of $16 million dollars for a 100MW solar farm and an energy savings of $5.00/MWh. This cost reduction trans- lates into hundreds of millions of dollars in savings for this rapidly growing market. For more information, visit www.spirecorp.com. SCHNEEBERGER DOUBLES POSITIONING SPEED, SETS SIGHT ON SOLAR A world leader in high-performance posi- tioning and motion systems has intro- duced a system that will sharply increase manufacturing speed in the semiconduc- tor industry, with solar application close at hand. SCHNEEBERGER's new Double Gantry positioning system uti- lizes a revolutionary design that hurdles traditional limitations on positioning speed. Already a leader in positioning tech- nology for various industries including the semiconductor and life science sec- tors, SCHNEEBERGER aims the preci- sion and flexibility of its Double Gantry at a move into solar as the next logical step. The key is the system's ability to adjust both acceleration and positioning accuracy to previously unreachable lim- its. In semiconductor test systems, the Double Gantry can achieve acceleration values of up to 5 Gs while still maintain- ing positioning accuracy of 0.5 µm. For manufacturers with a precision-centric focus, the system can achieve 100-nm accuracy while still operating at 2-G acceleration. "It depends entirely on the applica- tion," explained Markus Kindler, SCHNEEBERGER's Systems Engineering Manager. "It's impossible to make a general statement as to which design features achieve the best productivity. We're happy to help our cus- tomers achieve optimum results by delivering the most efficient and econom- ical system configuration." True to its name, the Double Gantry system uses two gantry axes, and these axes are uncoupled. With entirely independent movement achieved through the use of multiple guide rails, the revolution design means that the lower axis does not have to bear the weight of the upper axis. The reduced load translates into higher speed capabilities. Another unique feature of the Double Gantry is the high-tech compos- ite material used in certain components. The material is a laminate structure of carbon fibers. The material and layering combine to allow rapid dissipation of the minutest environmental and process-related dis- turbances. The result is outstanding accuracy in positioning. "Customers already tell us that our Double Gantry's processing speed is impressive, so we expect to attract the attention of many other businesses within the microelec- tronics industry at Intersolar/Semicon West 2014," explained Adrian Raible, SCHNEEBERGER's Project Acquisition Manager. "We see many exciting oppor- tunities in the solar industry, and are per- fectly ready and able to offer our systems to satisfy the requirements of a wide vari- ety of applications." For more information, visit www.schnee berger.com, call 800-854-6333 or stop by booth #2122.