From 19th to 21st June 2024, Intersolar Europe took place at Messe München. As of its opening day, the show saw 110,000 visitors rush through its doors to meet with 3,008 exhibitors from 55 countries.
Alongside spawling exhibitor space of over 19 halls, the show also featured a comprehensive conference programme. The Intersolar Europe Conference 2024 took place on 18th – 19th June, while both the Intersolar Forum and PV Manufacturing Stage held announcements and educational talks.
Topics discussed included the rise of agricultural PV, the future of European PV production, market developments, the latest trends, and useful business models, floating PV, sustainability and financing.
Outside the stages, exhibitors had products to demonstrate both tried-and-true and new, with many making announcements throughout the show – highlights of which Xtra has curated.
Show highlights
Soaring prices
At the Intersolar Europe Conference, ahead of the show’s opening, CEO of German supplier Memodo Daniel Schmitt warned that “crazy” pricing within the PV industry will likely continue.
According to Schmitt, the European sector had “the biggest subsidy ever in the PV industry” due to the spike in energy prices following the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Now, warehouses full of unsold merchandise (due to a manufactured rush to meet vastly overestimated demand) are contributing to a steep decline in price that the industry needs to be aware of.
Legislation
As the EU’s Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) comes into effect later in 2024, concerns were raised about maintaining effective legislation without unnecessary bureaucracy. Intersolar Europe hosted a panel discussing the NZIA, Implementing the Net Zero Industry Act, views from Member States and the European Commission, which discussed the EU’s drive to encourage solar manufacturing within Europe.
Panellist Dr Beate Baron, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BWMK) deputy director general, said: “If we determine criteria, it’s quite clear that we will develop them further … and make it a long-term process.
“[The goal is] to make it a roadmap and to make it clear to other markets watching us that this is a long-term perspective we’re following.”
Training
EIT InnoEnergy, a Dutch investment platform, announced the launch of its European Solar Academy. Its purpose is to train 65,000 individuals to join the European PV industry.
The initiative is one of several “Net-Zero Academies” started by the European Commission, designed to tackle the Solar talent gap and grow the sector through upskilling and education.
Awards
SMA Solar’s Sunny Central Flex platform solution won a ‘The smarter E Europe Award’ in the PV category, alongside steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal’s Helioroof modules and wafer producer NexWafe’s EpiNex inline wafers.
It was a home win for German renewables developer MaxSolar at Messe München, as the company’s Bavarian 125MWp solar park stood out in the Outstanding Products category.
LONGi’s Sustainability Report
At the show, solar technology company LONGi launched its 2023 Sustainability Summary Report. Additionally, the company announced their first Human Rights Policy. The Policy is guided by the three values LONGi follows: “Reliability, Value-add, and Fulfilment”.
“Our ethos is to ensure that our corporate growth is synergistic with the broader goals of societal advancement, embodying a commitment to progress that is both environmentally conscious and socially beneficial.” Zhang Haimeng, VP and Chief Sustainability Officer for LONGi explained.
JinkoSolar and SolarToday
JinkoSolar announced that its subsidiary, Jinko Solar Denmark, has collaborated with wholesaler SolarToday to supply them with high-voltage residential storage solutions.
These will be used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Frank Niendorf, VP of Europe for JinkoSolar, said: “With this collaboration with SolarToday for the DACH and Benelux regions, we will further realise our growth ambitions for both the PV and ESS markets.’’
Flexible panels
The show’s beginning saw DuPont and Desun Energy launch flexible solar panels, which use DuPont’s Tedlar film. The product is designed to protect against abrasion, improve outdoor stability, and improve light transmittance.
“The addition of Tedlar® frontsheet protection makes our flexible solar panels ideal for various consumer application scenarios, including balcony solar systems, solar-powered recreational vehicles, solar power banks and outdoor power supplies of electric tools,” said Yao Feilong, General Manager of Desun Energy.
“Zero-degradation” BESS
Chinese lithium-ion equipment manufacturer CATL explained more about its new BESS product Tener at ees Europe (held alongside Intersolar), sharing details through a presentation and media workshop.
The BESS was first announced in April, where CATL stated that: the product can achieve an energy density of 6.25MWh of storage capacity per 20ft, and the battery cells would have “zero-degradation” for its first five years.
But at the show’s media briefing, CATL representatives explained that the degradation had been circumvented by combining pre-lithiation and reduced consumption of the battery cycles’ lithium-ions – confirming hypotheses by the industry following the announcement.
Certifications
REPT Battero, a Chinese battery manufacturer, revealed new products at Intersolar Europe: its 320Ah, 345Ah, and 587Ah Wending Cells. According to the manufacturer, the technology uses a hexagonal structure to increase space utilisation by more than 7% while improving the battery’s safety and efficiency.
On Intersolar’s first exhibition day Mario Comboni, Regional Manager of Power Electronics for West Europe at TÜV Rheinland Group, presented REPT Battero with a TÜV Rheinland product certification. The manufacturer hopes this achievement will reinforce trust in the product’s reliability and quality.
Happy accidents
Tekna Solar laid roots in the exhibitor space to showcase their tandem module PrismaX, which has a tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) layer alongside an organic PV layer. These layers are laminated onto a glass-front sheet, creating a 29% efficiency rate and a max residential power output of 1,000W.
Tekna’s invention was unexpected, as the design was conceived by accidentally double-laminating a module. On testing, they found that the new module’s power output was improved. Thus, a new product was born.
Batteries
At the show, PV inverters and energy storage systems provider Sungrow revealed its new EMS3000 system and iSolarBPS battery pre-diagnostic system.
The products aim to improve the safety and efficiency of projects by adapting to power plant scenarios, providing real-time health diagnostics for battery cells, providing repair suggestions, and more.
If you enjoyed Intersolar Europe you’re guaranteed to love Solar & Storage Live Zürich, taking place 17-18 September 2024 at Messe Zürich.
[Image credit: Intersolar Europe]
