Balance of System

Convergence Energy’s 1MW solar farm in Delavan, Wisconsin is underway, and DEGERenergie has supplied 114 of its MLD tracking systems of the DEGERtraker 6000NT for the project. Fifteen of these systems have already been implemented at the Delavan location, with the remaining 99 planned for installation over the coming weeks.

Skyline Solar has announced the news that it has been awarded with three new patents in relation to its scalable CPV technology, two of which were awarded through the US Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Green Technology Pilot Program. The patents take the total number of CPV-related patents to seven for the company, and include 108 specific claims regarding BOS system and LCOE cost reduction innovations.

Solar PV mounting systems specialist, PanelClaw is revealing its next generation of ballasted commercial flat roof solar mounting systems at Intersolar North America. PanelClaw's ‘Polar Bear’ FR Gen II and ‘Grizzly Bear’ FR Gen II solar racking solutions feature design enhancements that are claimed to deliver lower project costs and offer greater design flexibility.

A new research report by GTM Research, Solar PV Balance of System (BOS): Technologies and Markets, is reporting that in 2012 balance of system costs will surpass PV module costs on a cost per watt scale. The report, written by Manhal Aboudi, identified BOS costs in 2010 at US$1.43 per watt, or 44.8% of a standard, utility-scale crystalline silicon (cSi) solar project. As solar PV module prices continue to drop, GTM suspects that in 2012 the BOS cost for the same project will increase to 50.6%.

TecnoSun Solar Systems’ US Division, TecnoSun Solar USA, is settling into its new US headquarters at the University of Toledo’s Nietzsche Commercialization Complex in Ohio. The site will be the home base for the company’s marketing, sales, manufacturing, installation and servicing of its 1 and 2 axis solar tracking systems in North America.

TE Connectivity revealed its first thin-film solar module product at Intersolar Europe in the form of its Solarlok automated junction box. The 2-rail junction box is suited for automated mass production, which the company said would contribute to lower costs and shorter assembly times for module manufactures. TE Connectivity advised that it recognized that not all manufacturers are capable of a fully automated production and highlighted the Solarlok’s ability to be assembled manually as well.

Ideematec and Solaria are collaborating to produce 40MW of their new STS-1 tracking system, which uses Solaria’s low-concentration, high-efficiency PV modules with Ideematec’s trackers. The companies will offer over 80,000 of the new ground-mounted tracking system units, which are specifically designed for large commercial and utility customers.

Cylindrical PV system manufacturer Solyndra is set to introduce its 200 Series Metal Roof Solution at Intersolar Europe. The non-penetrating adjustable mounting system is designed to meet the additional solar installation challenges posed by metal roofs, which currently make up a significant portion of the large, low-sloped, commercial, industrial and agricultural rooftop markets.

A veteran sales manager, Daniel Priem has been appointed as director of business development and sales for PV module mounting specialist, Zep Solar in Europe. The highly praised Zep mounting system has already attracted licenses from Canadian Solar, Centrosolar, Eco-Kinetics, ET Solar, Trina Solar and Upsolar. Priem has been tasked with penetrating key European regions, including Germany, Italy and the UK.

Centrosolar and mounting solutions provider Zep Solar have signed a license agreement that will see Centrosolar manufacture Zep compatible module at its Wismar, Germany plant. The signed agreement also calls for the distribution of Zep products throughout Europe by Centrosolar. The companies note that they have mutually modified Zep’s standard frame profile specifically for Centrosolar so that it conforms to European roof application requirements.