Large-Scale Photovoltaic Power Plants – Intersolar Europe Presents The Latest Trends From Financing To Operation

Photovoltaics (PV) is experiencing a worldwide boom, spurred on by large-scale PV power plants with an output range of 60 MW and above in particular. This year’s Intersolar Europe is set to showcase the latest technologies and most exciting trends – right at the heart of the most important market: In 2015, total installed output in Europe rose to almost 100 GW, making the continent the largest market for PV power plant operation, maintenance and repairs. Intersolar Europe and Intersolar Europe Conference combine this expertise to present the entire value-added chain of large-scale PV power plants from financing through operation to maintenance. New developments will also be in the spotlight, such as maintenance using drones and robots.

Photovoltaics is booming. Particularly competitive are large-scale power plants with an output range of 60 MW and above, with electricity production costs already between 0.05 and 0.08 US dollars/kWh. New business models beyond the feed-in tariff are creating attractive opportunities for investment. Intersolar Europe (June 22–24, 2016) and the accompanying Intersolar Europe Conference (June 21–22, 2016) present the latest technical developments, most promising financing models and comprehensive information on project development, maintenance and operation.

Strong growth in market for operation and maintenance
Operating and maintaining large-scale PV power plants can be costly and complex. The plants become dirty over time and microcracks may form. To ensure they are being used economically, constant monitoring and data collection is required. In a study by market research and consultancy firms GTM Research and Solichamba Consulting, the global market for PV power plant operation and maintenance is predicted to rise to 488 GW by 2020 – a significant increase from the 133 GW of installed output in 2015.

The exhibition and the Intersolar Europe Conference provide an opportunity for experts, project developers and companies to share expertise on how to participate in this growing market. At 100 GW, there is more PV output installed in Europe than anywhere else in the world. This makes the continent, a frontrunner in the solar revolution, the largest market for PV power plant operation, maintenance and repairs – nowhere else do companies and experts have more experience or expertise.

Latest trends and current know-how
The Intersolar Europe Conference 2016 will also focus on the topics of plant management, the maintenance market and maintenance automation. The PV Power Plants: Asset Management session shows how centralized management and maintenance can effectively optimize the profitability of PV power plants (June 21, 9:00am, room 14C). Besides technical management, numerous other aspects are important for ensuring power plant efficiency. The session therefore focuses not only on the growing market of asset management services in the PV industry, but also on important points such as communication with the grid operator to ensure compliance with legal requirements, financial planning reports and the regulation of external service providers.

A reliable operation and maintenance market minimizes downtimes and maximizes energy yields. The PV Power Plants: Operation & Maintenance session therefore focuses on monitoring and data analysis as cost-efficient methods of searching for errors (June 21, 11:00am, room 14C). Automation is also key to boosting the efficiency of operation and maintenance. The PV Power Plants: The Rise of Drones & Robots session looks at how drones can be used to considerably reduce the amount of time needed to inspect plants, for example thermography drones for taking thermal images from the air. The session also revolves around the use of cleaning robots to boost performance while reducing costs at the same time (June 21, 2:30pm, room 14C).

Intersolar Europe also dedicates an entire morning to the operation and maintenance of PV installations in its Innovation and Application Forum (June 23, 10:30am).

Global photovoltaics market: additional 65 GW set to be installed this year
According to market research company IHS, over 65 GW of additional PV output will be installed this year, boosting global output to over 300 GW. Figures published by the International Energy Agency put global photovoltaics sales at 82 billion US dollars in 2014, which had remained largely stable from the previous year due to the market growing and average prices falling. In 2014, photovoltaics covered around 1.1% of global electricity demand. 13 countries, including Australia and Japan, already generate more than 2% of their electricity using photovoltaics.

Intersolar Europe 2016 also provides the latest industry figures. SolarPower Europe, the European photovoltaic industry association, is set to present its latest Global Market Outlook. The publication contains forecasts for the coming five years and assessments of individual markets as well as current and future sales drivers.