"Accelerating Integrated Energy Solutions" was the motto of this year's The smarter E. The focus was therefore not only on networked photovoltaic solutions at the trade fair, but also at the conference and accompanying events. "The exhibitors of photovoltaics, as well as battery and storage products and combined digital solutions, impressively demonstrate that fully renewable energy generation is already technically and economically possible today," emphasized Stefan Wenzel, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, during his tour of the trade fair. "I am impressed by the progress and innovative strength of the industry“, he said.
One important trend was the strong presence of suppliers of large-scale battery storage systems, especially from China. These are becoming increasingly important for balancing out generation peaks - and, in combination with demand side management and the expansion of the grids, ensuring that electricity from PV power plants is not switched off but can be used efficiently. According to a recent analysis by SolarPower Europe, the share of large-scale storage systems in newly installed battery storage systems will increase from the current 21% to 48% by 2028.
Major Chinese suppliers are building on the European market
As became clear at the trade fair, some large Chinese manufacturers that are not yet well known in this country are currently pushing ahead with their market entry in Europe and Germany. For example, Ampace, a joint venture between CATL and ATL, presented – amont others – its latest large battery storage systems for commercial and industrial applications with Li-ion cells, which do not require liquid cooling or air conditioning and promise even greater performance and efficiency.
CLOU Electronics from Shenzhen is also in the European starting blocks. The company is part of the Midea Group and has already installed or signed storage projects with a capacity of over 4 gigawatt hours, primarily in China and the USA. In Munich, the company showcased its new Aqua C.2 - C.5 large liquid-cooled storage system with an energy density 40 percent higher than previous versions and a capacity of up to over 5 megawatt hours. Well-known Chinese manufacturers such as Sungrow and module manufacturer Trina Solar also presented optimized large-scale battery storage systems.
Overcapacity for PV modules – utilization rate of under 50%
"We are glad that we diversified early on and also offer energy storage systems," said Michael Katz, Manager Regional Marketing and Communications at Trina Solar. This would also enable the company to better withstand price turbulence on the solar module market. Prices for PV modules have been in free fall since last year because Chinese manufacturers in particular have built up enormous overcapacities and dealers are sitting on stocks that are difficult to reduce despite high demand. Last year, the global photovoltaic market grew by 87 percent with the addition of 447 gigawatts, and SolarPower Europe expects growth of a good 20 percent this year in a medium scenario.
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On average, module manufacturers' production capacities are currently being utilized at less than 50 percent, it was reported at the trade fair. Experts therefore anticipate the threat of insolvencies among larger Chinese companies. "We are not currently earning much money with pure module production," said Katz. However, thanks to a broader product portfolio, the company is operating profitably and is also hiring additional staff in Europe. However, he does not currently see a business case for setting up European module production. (hcn)
