May/June 2013 | Renewable Energy Focus22

Intersolar provides a one-stop shop

for all things solar: from advances

in solar module and cell technology

to balance of system components to

energy storage, as well as the practical

applications of new solar technology.

The fi rst of the two major shows tak-

ing place is Intersolar Europe, which

re-opens its doors at Messe München,

Germany, on June 19. Intersolar North

America meanwhile takes place in July.

A dominant theme for both shows this

year is energy storage.

EuropeUnder the motto Connecting Solar

Business, visitors to Intersolar Eu-

rope can fi nd out about recent trends

and developments across the solar

industry from manufacturers, sup-

pliers, distributors, service providers

and partners working in this sector,

says Solar Promotion International GmbH, the organisers of the Interso-

lar shows. This year, around 1500 ex-

hibitors are showcasing their products

FOR ANYONE looking to fi nd out the latest

on solar policy and technology trends, and/or

build up supply chains, then the up-coming

Intersolar Shows in Europe and North Amer-

ica are key dates for the diary.

One-stop solar shops: Intersolar Europe kicks off in June, while Intersolar North America takes place in July.

and services in the fi elds of photo-

voltaics (PV), PV production technol-

ogy, energy storage systems and solar

thermal technology – these will be

spread out across 121,000 square me-

ters of exhibition space in 12 halls and

a large outdoor area.

The organisers are expecting over

60,000 industry professionals from 160

countries at the three-day Interso-

lar Europe exhibition event, running

June 19 - 21, 2013, with the conference

starting two days earlier.

Storage focusWith subsidies for solar power

storage systems kicking off in Germa-

ny in May, the show’s special focus on

energy storage is set to prove popular.

As of May 1, Germany’s federal gov-

ernment is subsidising the purchase

of new battery-based storage systems

for PV installations, awarding up to

€660/kWh of solar power output.

KfW Bankengruppe – the German

government-owned development bank

– says it plans to provide €25mn in

funding in the fi rst year as well as of-

fering low-interest loans covering the

purchase price.

The use of decentralised energy

storage systems is considered to be a

key component of the Energiewende,

Germany’s energy system turnaround

plan. According to the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), a local battery-based storage

unit can help consumers living in a

single family home equipped with a

PV installation to reduce the amount

of energy purchased from the grid by

up to 60%.

“We expect there will be a high

demand for this technology,” says Dr.

Günther Häckl, President of BSW-Solar, the German Solar Industry As-

sociation. “The new subsidies will send

storage system usage skyrocketing.”

For the entire period of remunera-

tion, production must be reduced to

60% of the plant capacity in solar

power systems working in tandem

with government-sponsored storage

systems, which means that operators

play a role in avoiding output peaks.

Distribution grids no longer have to be

designed to keep up with the maxi-

mum feed-in rates of a solar power

system, which reduces the required

line capacity and the need for new

power lines to be laid, BSW-Solar

notes.

In addition to providing relief to

the power grids, storage systems also

have a stabilising eff ect on electricity

prices, the association says, citing the

conclusion the Fraunhofer ISE reach-

es in its 2013 Storage Study. The use of

storage systems connected to the grid

can reduce peaks in feed-in capacity

by up to 40%. The absorption capacity

of local power grids would thereby by

increased by up to two-thirds without

additional grid expansion.

BSW-Solar says there is a high

level of interest in battery storage

systems, in particular from operators

of small solar power systems with

capacities of up to 10kW of inverter

output, such as are typically found in

the single or multiple family house-

hold segment. This was confi rmed by

a BSW-Solar survey of providers of

storage technology for solar power

systems conducted in late 2012.

According to the survey, nearly

Energy storage focus for Intersolar shows

Policy • Legislation • Market analysis

focus:Market

REF0313_Focus_Market_InterSolar 22 17-05-2013 10:28:17

May/June 2013 | Renewable Energy Focus24

one out of two new investors in PV

and one out of three system operators

expressed an interest in battery stor-

age systems. Sales, however, have so

far not refl ected this level of interest.

Until now, the biggest obstacle to the

sale of battery storage systems has

been the continuing high investment

costs. “Once the storage market takes

off , we can expect costs to fall due to

higher demands and the emergence of

economies of scale and technological

advances,” says Häckl.

So the PV Energy World pro-

gramme - presented in association

with the Fraunhofer ISE, and the As-

sociation of European Automotive and Industrial Battery Manufacturers (EUROBAT) from Brussels, Belgium

- focuses on the combination of PV

and energy storage systems, from on-

site consumption of solar power and

grid integration to the introduction

of new energy concepts. The Energy

Storage Systems product group alone

has received 170 exhibitors registra-

tions, according to the show organis-

ers. Most of the exhibitors can be

found in hall B5, next to the exhibi-

tion area for inverter manufacturers.

Elsewhere, international trends

in off -grid regions are covered in the

Rural Electrifi cation special exhibit,

organised by BSW-Solar. Here 13

companies with experience of supply-

ing electricity to off -grid regions in

Africa, Asia and Latin America will

showcase products and services.

Meantime the Joint Forces for

Solar Intelligence and Networking

Forum “provides the perfect oppor-

tunity for players from industry and

trade to share experiences”, while a

PV and E-Mobility special exhibit,

which showcases combinations of PV

carports, charging stations and elec-

tric vehicles.

Conference programmeAlso, as well as the Intersolar

AWARD, the varied accompanying

programme is rounded off with vari-

ous exhibition tours and workshops”.

And of course, the Intersolar Europe

Conference is again taking place

from June 17 - 20, 2013, alongside the

exhibition. In total, 2000 attendees

and around 400 speakers from all over

the world are meeting at the Interna-

tional Congress Centre Munich (ICM)

for the the conference event.

Here, the focus is on develop-

ments in international markets such

as the Middle East and North Africa

(MENA region), as well the latest

technologies and market trends across

the industry spectrum from PV to

energy storage and solar thermal.

North AmericaAs with its European counterpart,

the 2013 Intersolar North America

Exhibition (which runs July 9-11 in

San Francisco) will run a similar

conference alongside the exhibition

and also unveil a special exhibition

segment dedicated to energy storage.

Located on Level 2 in the Moscone

West Hall, this will also “tap industry

experts’ predictions for the strongest

growth markets”.

The US solar market is projected

to add 3.9GW of new capacity in 2013,

according to EuPD Research, Interso-

lar North America’s organisers point

out. “As solar power becomes more

and more cost competitive, investors,

utilities and power producers are

looking to incorporate energy storage

into plant design. In the US alone, the

grid storage market could reach 4 GW

by 2016.”

Recently, the California Public Utilities Commission set a procure-

ment target of 50MW of storage by

2021 for utility Southern California Edison and is working to set procure-

ment targets across the state. Addi-

tionally, the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR) was

launched by the Department of En-ergy in March and includes major US

research universities. It will receive

up to $120mn to develop new energy

storage technologies.

Special presentations on energy

storage will be held at Intersolar

North America on the PV Energy

World stage. Additionally, one track

at the Intersolar Conference (July

8-11) in the InterContinental Hotel

will be dedicated to the subject. “The

increased number of PV systems be-

ing integrated into electrical grids

requires storage solutions on diff erent

time scales to secure the feeding-in of

electricity, and to preserve the quality

and reliability of the power sup-

ply. Furthermore the integration of

storage transforms fl uctuating power

generators like PV into controllable

power systems,” said Dr. Matthias

Vetter of the Fraunhofer Institute for

Solar Energy Systems ISE.

To further the discussion on energy

storage, Intersolar launched a web

portal (www.solarenergystorage.org)

on April 23 for the solar industry to

exchange ideas on the topic.

The INGETEAM SMART HOUSE platform, to be showcased at Intersolar Europe (Stand B4.340), refl ects Ingeteam’s fi rm commitment to the development of self-consumption solutions. Visitors to its stand will be off ered the opportunity to attend two demonstrations a day in English and German, showing this system connected up in a real life situation, with a number of electrical loads fed by INGECON® grid-tie inverters and a battery bank coupled to the system.

REF0313_Focus_Market_InterSolar 24 15-05-13 12:22:05