subject: Inverters For Alternative Energy Resources: Economic Factors, Application Drivers, Architecture/pack [print this page] The focus of this comprehensive analysis provides decision makers with a detailed and insightful look into the current and future opportunities and threats available in the inverter market for Alternative Energy Resources.
Among the areas covered in this report are the technology, architecture and packaging trends affecting the industry, as well as a thorough discussion of new and emerging technologies and materials, applications, potential threats and the latest regulatory developments and standards. Over 30 illustrations, graphs and tables are presented depicting a variety of power system schematics and comparisons, technologies, product introductions, packaging solutions, efficiency standards and other relevant information.
Subjects included in this analysis are:
Application Segments
Alternative Energy Developments
Photovoltaics
Photovoltaic Inverter Technologies
Wind Power
Fuel Cells
Policy and Regulatory Framework for Development
Cost Dynamics of Renewable Resources
Cost Dynamics of Inverter Technology
Technology Trends and Developments
Product Innovations and Developments
Executive Summary
Led by the growing photovoltaic market (PV), the outlook for inverters used in Alternative Energy Resource technology is expected to remain strong. Industry growth in this application will be driven by a combination of government incentives and declining PV module prices. Projected to make up over 95% of the market, the inverters used in PV installations, both small (1-5kW) and large (>6MW), will far outpace those used in either wind or fuel cell applications.
Driven by the need to develop alternative sources of energy, limit greenhouse gasses and reduce the dependence on foreign energy supplies, the market forces driving the alternative energy resources industry vary by region. In Europe, the primary driving forces are feed-in tariffs, which have been successfully used in 16 EU countries, most notably Germany, Italy and Spain. In fact, in Europe renewables comprise the fastest-growing segment of the energy market. In North America, unlike Europe, the alternative energy industry is driven by a combination of regulations, subsidies and tax incentives and legislation. In contrast, Asia employs a patchwork system of incentives including subsidies and other government actions. In this region, the primary focus on alternative energy is the alleviation of power shortages and the development of backup and emergency power.
A particularly significant technological and architectural trend includes the continued development of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems. A BIPV system involves integrating photovoltaic modules into the building envelope material and power generators. Evidence of this can be seen in the number of successful BIPV projects worldwide, ranging from individual residential units to large commercial developments. . The development of BIPV systems is also significant because in buildings, it can play more roles than solely producing electricity. As an example, Sharp makes translucent solar PV panels that incorporate light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to provide illumination as
well as power.
The emergence of technology developed to address the problem of PV shading is another area of expected growth over the next several years. Considered one of the biggest challenges facing photovoltaics, a small amount of shade can lead to disproportionate power loss of more than 50%. One completely shaded cell can reduce a solar panels output by as much as 75%. In a response to this challenge, a number of companies are developing products specifically designed to counter the effects of PV shading in both the residential and commercial sectors.
The move towards transformerless inverters has also made significant strides in the PV industry over the past several years. Despite concerns about safety, size limitations and the lack of technological maturity, they are considered considerably more efficient and can be produced at a much more competitive price. In fact, transformerless inverters continue to advance around the world and have achieved a global market share of about 70%. Additional developments in inverter technology include improvements in communications and monitoring and the trend towards longer warranties.
