Lux Populi

The mood was decidedly upbeat at the Solar Power International conference in Anaheim, Calif. The crowd – mostly downstream installers and developers – was preparing for a boost in U.S. subsidies in 2010, which will likely lead to a surge in new projects. In addition, module manufacturers said that they have been seeing significant price stabilization, and even some price increases thanks to year-end demand from Germany before that country steps down feed-in tariffs early next year.

Some players – typically second-tier Chinese manufacturers such as Hareon Solar, Wangxiang Solar, and ENN Solar – spoke of price stabilization as justification for further capacity expansions, most were more cautious. For instance, Moser Baer is continuing to hold off expansion on its 40 MW TF-Si line from Applied Materials until it is more comfortable with the direction of market demand and pricing. It thinks the current surge in demand and pricing is only temporary. Even so, the company plans on ramping its crystalline silicon (x-Si) cell and module facilities from 80 MW today to 180 MW by mid 2010, a clear statement that the company expects x-Si to outperform TF-Si in the short term.

In addition to these developments, we picked up news of expansions and new products from a number of other companies.

Amonix recently expanded its facility in Seal Beach, Calif., to 30 MW for trackers and module pre-assemblies. The company also expects to close “any day” on a new round of financing that will enable it to add another 300 MW by 2012 in two “satellite” manufacturing facilities. They’ll likely to be located close to the point of installation. Investors were not disclosed, but expect existing investors MissionPoint and Kleiner Perkins to top the list.

Tigo Energy released a new series-level maximum power point tracking (MPPT) management unit for residential systems. By enabling higher voltages, the device can interface with more efficient inverters. With its older parallel structure, the MPPT solution limited voltages and thus reduced inverter efficiency. VP of Marketing Jeff Krisa noted this problem still plagues Tigo competitors by limiting system efficiency (inverter plus MPPT) to the low 90% range. Tigo received UL certification for its new MPPT device in September, and plans a smaller form-factor version that can be integrated into module framing during manufacturing to allow panels to be mounted flush to the roof. The company also has plans to develop a maximizer that can be built into the junction box of a module, likely in collaboration with Tyco. But this product will come out later in 2010. Another important point Jeff shared was that Tigo expects long-term revenue to come not through device sales, but rather through sales of micro-level production data from modules and systems to utilities. Such data would enable utilities to balance load and generation effectively in their smart-grid infrastructures.

Infinia, a developer of Stirling solar thermal dish systems for utility applications, unveiled its 3 kW engine to significant interest. Its system was much more compact and simple than Stirling Energy Systems’ competing 25 kW engine, which occupied the next booth. Stirling Energy’s engine stood over eight feet high, and in direct contrast to Infinia’s two-foot-high design. Plus, with multiple vents and exposed components, Stirling’s engine was much more open to the elements. Infinia reported that its system must covert AC power from the engine to DC and then invert back to grid-friendly AC. This essentially doubles the number of power converters per MW. However, the company said pilot installations have not shown inverter failure – likely due to the sterilized DC power fed into the inverter. The company hopes to have some new announcements soon on the financing and project development front.