TRES BONNE ANNEE

Pays-Bas : Tesla Motors ouvre une usine d'assemblage à Tilburg

La compagnie californienne Tesla Motors a inauguré vendredi dernier son usine d'assemblage de Tilburg au Pays-bas qui produira les premières 'Model S' devant être livrées aux marchés hollandais, belges, français et allemands.

Le site de Tilburg abritera l'assemblage final et sera le point de distribution des Model S vendues en Europe. Le site sera également le centre européen de Tesla pour le SAV et les pièces de rechanges. Ainsi, certains des tout premiers acheteurs de la Model S ont ils pris possession de leur véhicule dans le tout nouveau site. Toutefois, les livraisons de la Model aux clients européens ont commencé en Norvège plus tôt ce mois-ci.

D'une superficie de 18.900 mètres carrés, ce nouveau site ultra-moderne a été spécialement adapté pour recevoir la toute dernière Model S en provenance des États-Unis. Une fois arrivés en Europe, les exemplaires de la Model S prennent le chemin du site de Tilburg pour l'assemblage final avant leur livraison dans tout le continent.

"Il est très réjouissant de voir nos véhicules arriver en Europe et être accueillis par leurs nouveaux propriétaires ici à Tilburg. Ce site est essentiel pour les opérations européennes de Tesla, qui vont connaître une expansion rapide au cours des mois à venir avec l'ouverture d'environ 15 nouveaux magasins et centres de SAV" a précisé Bryan Batista, directeur des ventes Europe.

La société Tesla, basée en Californie, conçoit et construit des Véhicules électrique et des composants de transmission destinés à des partenaires tels que Toyota et Daimler. Tesla indique avoir déjà livré environ 15.000 voitures électriques à ses clients dans 31 pays.

La Model S est la première berline haut de gamme au monde construite dès le départ selon le concept de voiture électrique. Au cœur de la Model S se trouve le groupe motopropulseur Tesla largement éprouvé, offrant à la fois une autonomie large et une "expérience" de conduite inédite. Grâce à son châssis rigide, une distribution du poids de 50/50 et un centre de gravité extrêmement bas, la Model S offre la réactivité que procurent les meilleures voitures de sport, le tout avec le confort d'une berline haut de gamme.

La Model S établit le record d'autonomie en conduite électrique : "elle offre les options de batterie 60 kWh et 85 kWh, fournissant une autonomie sans précédent allant jusqu'à 500 km (sur le cycle de conduite NEDC) pour l'option 85 kWh." Les deux batteries s'ajustent dans le même boîtier, s'intégrant ainsi dans le véhicule de la même manière, ce qui lui confère des avantages structurels, aérodynamiques et de maniabilité. Elles utilisent des cellules au Lithium-ion assemblées de manière à offrir une densité énergétique, une gestion thermique et une sécurité optimales.

Sans moteur à combustion interne ou tunnel de transmission à l'avant, l'espace de chargement intérieur de la Model S est agrandi par rapport à une autre berline de sa catégorie et un deuxième coffre est disponible sous le capot.

Cerise sur le gateau : L'intérieur inclut un écran tactile de 17 pouces intégré dans le tableau de bord, avec accès à Internet.

 

Blinded By Hanergy's Light

Parfois vous trouverez des articles en anglais, qui traite de sujets importants et qu'on ne trouve pas dans la presse francophone. Cette fois ci, il s'agit de HANERGY, groupe chinois qui doit tenir ses promesses dans la province chinoise du Hainan. C'est long mais ca vaut la peine !

Hanergy's plant in Heyuan, Guangdong Province, which opened in November 2011

Visiting government officials from the sunshine-and-palm trees city of Haikou were taken aback by ostentatious luxury as they stepped inside the headquarters of solar equipment manufacturer Hanergy.

Jaws dropped as Li Hejun, Hanergy's founder and dealmaker-in-chief, welcomed the visitors from China's far south to the company's plush offices in Beijing.

After grabbing their attention, Li quickly sweetened the surprise with a stunning plan to expand his business in Haikou, promising to generate hundreds of jobs and steady tax revenues.

By building a new factory and research center, Li declared, "Hanergy will invest 17.5 billion yuan in Haikou over next 10 years," recalled one visitor, who asked not to be named.

Li even doubled his pledge on the spot after one official implied he would prefer a shorter time frame. "Then let's do it in five years!" Li snapped.

That meeting in early 2010, which ended with a major agreement between Hanergy and the city of Haikou, was just one of many orchestrated by Li in recent years as part of a nationwide campaign to build Hanergy and promote its key products – solar power panels equipped with a unique type of thin-film photovoltaic cell, and solar energy plants powered by these panels.

He's been hosting visitors at the Beijing headquarters and trotting across China since 2008 with a pitch that's won over investors, bankers, state-owned business leaders and nearly a dozen local governments.

Unfortunately for Li and Hanergy, however, neither the boss nor the company have lived up to all their promises. Factory projects are behind schedule or have been halted. Even Haikou government officials have questioned the wisdom of their agreement.

Indeed, enthusiasm for the company and its solar cells appears to have peaked. In recent months, the global economic slowdown, falling demand for solar panels in Europe, overseas trade barriers that target China's solar industry, and questions about Hanergy's business have been drowning out Li's upbeat message.

Several local governments that initially backed Hanergy projects with loans and land for factories have started cutting financial support. They are among the 11 cities across the country that forged alliances with Hanergy for manufacturing bases, power plants and other investments.

The Haikou city government is refusing to give Hanergy land for the second phase of its factory project. Heyuan officials are demanding financial details and production data about a Hanergy solar plant, while they also plan to delay action on company mining rights and land-use applications.

Hanergy expanded rapidly. The company set up nine subsidiaries and more than 10 power plants in just four years, and built a workforce that's now around 5,000.

The company's goal, based on contracts signed around the country, was to become the world's largest manufacture of thin film panels by end of 2012. The privately held company does not release financial data, but its plans have called for investing 189 billion yuan jointly with local governments around the country in the next few years.

Most Hanergy's solar panels are not sold but are instead made exclusively for special, solar energy plants that the company has built or plans to build and jointly operates with local governments, sometimes in remote areas such as Qinghai Province.

The company's closed-loop business model thus leans heavily on government support in areas including financing, project cooperation, land transfers, power plant operations, tax breaks and other incentives. Electricity produced by Hanergy solar plants is planned to be sold through agreements with state-run power companies.

This business model is in trouble. One reason is that the Chinese government typically releases solar energy subsidies at a snail's pace, complicating business plans. Investors are jittery about volatility in the global solar sector. And due to high operating costs, Hanergy has to sell electricity generated by its solar plants at above-market prices.

A former Hanergy executive who asked to remain anonymous said in recent months the company's cash holdings have been stretched dangerously thin. To access money, he said, Hanergy "has to continually initiate big projects to leverage government investments and bank loans."

No Holding Back

Undeterred by critics and the company's challenges, though, the 45-year-old Li continues to beat a drum for his energy empire.

Interviewed on the CCTV primetime business show Dialogue in November, Li told the broadcaster's nationwide audience that, as a technology leader, Hanergy is a company in a class by itself among China's major solar suppliers.

Li was challenged on stage, though, by fellow panelist and businessman Liu Hanyuan, chairman of the new-energy company Tongwei, who wryly replied: "Just because someone wants to lead doesn't mean he actually can lead."

Lately, Li has been focusing on cutting deals with governments in smaller, third-tier cities. He's also been busy buying advanced companies in the United States and Europe in a bid to move up the technology ladder.

Raised in a rural family, Li has business in his blood. He dabbled in a consumer mineral water business and real estate before founding Hanergy in 1994 in Beijing.

Li has been eagerly promoting Hanergy among local government officials as their golden opportunity to make money by latching on to China's new-energy movement. He's focused particularly on selling his plans to officials outside China's major cities, particularly those who want to recruit big companies in up-and-coming industries. He's found these officials easy to court and generous with taxpayer-supported incentives.

Li got his feet wet in his own backyard. To win support from officials from his hometown Heyuan in Guangdong Province, where he cut the first deal on building a solar panel plant, he sprinkled around a few million yuan to support community charities and promised to boost the economy by building five-star hotels, golf courses and an airport.

At first, Heyuan officials were blown away by Li's plan to invest 40 billion yuan for a thin-film, solar panel plant that he said would be the largest of its kind in the world. They had never considered an investment of that scale, nor dreamed of rising to top of a global industrial chain.

Li later cut the investment to 21 billion yuan. The company's Haikou factory started production in November 2011.

Hanergy has also invested in other renewable energy businesses. For example, it built two hydroelectric power plants on the Zhujiang River near Heyuan in 2000. Hanergy also locally mines quartz sand, which is used to make glass for solar panels.

Heyuan's city fathers had no money to offer to help Hanergy get off the ground, but they were happy to sign over free and discounted land.

Hanergy more recently has cast eyes overseas by purchasing foreign solar companies with more advanced technology. For example, it bought a German company that makes thin-film panels called Solibro GmbH, a subsidiary of Q.Cells, in June for an undisclosed price. And in October, it bought the American thin-film maker Miasole for US$ 30 million.

Before these purchases, Hanergy received 30 billion yuan credit line from China Development Bank, the nation's biggest policy lender.

Products from Solibro's factories are said to be the most efficient in the global solar industry, and Miasole's are also more efficient than Hanergy's. Their technologies are based on a material called copper indium gallium selenide, while Hanergy's production is based on less expensive amorphous silicon.

Splitting Costs

A project's financial burden under Hanergy's business model is divided into thirds. Typically a local government, a bank or banks, and the company each provide 33 percent of the start-up funds. Li made an exception for his financially weak hometown by covering all the expenses but elsewhere local governments have been quick to wire their agreed-upon investment stakes.

According to Haikou officials, however, Hanergy itself has often been late in paying its promised 33 percent share. For the Haikou project, for example, Hanergy executives dragged their feet for more than a year before paying the pledged share of the costs.

Some of the company's projects look very expensive comparing with traditional solar panel plants. A Guangdong official once challenged the 20 billion yuan price tag attached to Hanergy's solar panel plant in Heyuan, saying a comparable factory in another provincial city, Foshan, cost only 3 billion yuan.

Still, no one denies that Li is an expert at striking lucrative deals with small-city officials. In addition to recent solar power plants, his enthusiasm for deal-making worked well in the Yunnan Province city of Lijiang, where Hanergy built a hydropower plant named Jin'anqiao on the Chin-sha River in 2002.

Critics of Hanergy note, however, that the Jin'anqiao project has been riddled with controversy. For example, although the project was first proposed in the 1990s, the plant was delayed and started generating power only last year.

Hanergy has yet to pay all of the hydroelectric project's contractors, and banks are owed about 20 billion yuan, said a former staff of Hanergy. A report in the Guangdong-based 21st Century Business Herald newspaper claimed Hanergy had failed to win official government approval before launching the project, and at one point banks were ordered by the China Banking Regulatory Commission not to lend any money to Hanergy for the hydropower project.

Only a few Hanergy solar panel plants have yet to start full production. To date, only the 500 megawatt-a-year thin-film factory in Heyuan and a 300 megawatt-a-year plant in Shuangliu, Sichuan Province, have reached expected production levels. These plants supply a company-owned solar energy farm in Qinghai.

A plant built in Changxin, Zhejiang Province, failed to meet scheduled production levels, said a former Hanergy employee. The government in that city now wants to scrap plans for a second phase, he said.

Construction of a plant in Shuangyashan, Heilongjiang Province, began in 2010, but its production start-up has been delayed.

Hanergy sold what sources said is an incomplete solar power plant in Pizhou, Jiangsu Province, earlier this year to a public-listed company Shenzhen Energy Group.

Industry insider said Hanergy plans to sell a solar power plant in Yucheng, Shandong Province, as well.

Ambitious Haikou

Tourism, fishing and farming are at the heart of the economy in Hainan Province, an island whose capital is Haikou. Only recently, the city widened its development to include the solar industry. And solar panel manufacturer Yingli Group was among the first to set up shop at an industrial park built by the Haikou government.

New York-listed Yingli, one of the world's largest solar suppliers, invested 760 million yuan in 2009 to build a Haikou plant that can produce up to 100 megawatts worth of solar panels. Production started in May 2010 at a time when global demand was strong.

Encouraged by Yingli's success, Haikou officials started searching for another solar company to open a plant in the industrial park. They found Li and Hanergy eager to invest – and promising to overshadow Yingli.

"We will beat Yingli" with a stronger, more advanced and more cost-effective business, Li reportedly told Haikou officials.

His argument was all about production costs, since Yingli's panels rely on polycrystalline silicon (c-Si), which is more expensive than the material used for thin-film cells.

Hanergy wasn't the first company to make thin-film panels in China. Suntech Power Holdings opened a thin-film plant in Shanghai in 2009, in part because company founder Shi Zhengrong is an expert in the process. Later, though, Suntech's plant was retooled for c-Si production.

The processes differ in efficiency levels and costs: Thin film can convert up to 12 percent of sunlight into electricity and c-Si up to 19 percent, but originally thin-film cells were less expensive and thus preferred by some manufacturers.

C-Si production costs have fallen in recent years, though, and thus thin film has lost its advantage. Indeed, the share of the global solar energy market for thin film shrank to 13 percent in 2010 from 17 percent the year before.

During their talks with Li, Haikou officials raised doubts about the Hanergy plan to dominate the world market for thin-film panels. But Li shrugged off their concerns and pointed to his company's success in Heyuan and Yunnan, arguing that advanced technology and strong government backing can make almost any project work.

Today, Hanergy's hydropower plant in Yunnan generates an income of 2 billion yuan a year. Based on that successful project, Li's company won over local government officials for other deals – and a 30 billion yuan China Development Bank line of credit for solar power projects.

Caixin obtained a copy of the Haikou deal inked in October 2010. Hanergy promised to invest 12 billion yuan over five years for a thin-film panel plant with annual output of 1 gigawatt. It also agreed to spend 3 billion yuan on a global R&D center and 2.5 billion yuan to build a solar power plant.

The city sold Hanergy – at about half the market price – 53 hectares for solar power plants. A separate bargain was arranged with the city for a 27-hectare site for the R&D center and employee living quarters.

The Haikou government provided a 300 million yuan, interest-free loan to support Hanergy's projects. The company counts that loan as part of the 600 million yuan in registered capital for its Haikou division.

The city also helped Hanergy secure 60 million yuan from the Industrial and Information Bureau of the provincial government as well as a 500 million yuan loan from a local credit union.

For the project's first phase, Hanergy promised 2.4 billion yuan including 300 million yuan for infrastructure construction. The rest of the money was to go toward buying and installing equipment.

The project got a 1.6 billion yuan boost via Hanergy's decision to buy manufacturing equipment from a subsidiary, Apollo Solar Energy Technology Holdings Ltd., a Fujian-based company listed in Hong Kong. Hanergy bought a nearly 30 percent stake in Apollo for 1.1 billion yuan, and later increased its share to 50 percent.

According to the former Hanergy official, the Apollo deal not only helped Hanergy cut its investment costs but inflated the cost to help the company meet its investment promise for the Haikou project. As a result, he claimed, the company's true contribution for the first phase of the 12 billion yuan project was only about 400 million yuan.

Suspicious of Li's financial maneuvers, the Haikou government early this year ordered an audit of the Hanergy project. The results have yet to be released to the public.

The Haikou government has so far refused to turn over land promised to Hanergy for its project's second phase. And so far, according to a company worker who asked not to be named, the sole destination for the plant's output has been a small solar energy farm on the factory roof.

Li and other Hanergy executives continue to espouse confidence. The company's website claims it's a "large and well-funded" operation that will soon add enough annual manufacturing capacity to produce more than 6 gigawatts of solar power equipment. It also says company factories will grow to more than 2 gigawatts of annual solar panel production capacity by the end of 2012.

Following its acquisitions of the German and U.S. solar companies, Hanergy also has projects on the drawing board for customers in Russia and Italy.

Critics of the company, concerned officials in the Haikou government and others who wonder about the sustainability of Hanergy's business model do not seem to bother Li and other executives who continue to promote their plans nationwide.

One source said Hanergy managers he recently spoke with brushed aside concerns about the slumping solar industry and thin-film production costs, arguing their company "is not a seller of thin-film panels. We sell electricity."

Indeed, the company's marketing mantra and Li's enthusiasm are flying high on flags fluttering from every power pole at the Haikou facility. Each flag is stamped with a bright-idea slogan: "Hanergy makes the world cleaner.

By Wang Chen, Pu Jun and Li Xuena / Caixin

Solarcentury s’implante au Benelux et s’associe à ProxEnergy, société experte en services SMART GRID

Solarcentury, société d’origine britannique en forte croissance depuis sa création en 1998, étend ses activités au Benelux après s’être associé à la société solaire néerlandaise, ProxEnergy, spécialisée dans la fourniture de solutions smart-grid.

Le lancement de Solarcentury Pays-Bas intervient un mois après la nomination de Frans Van den Heuvel, ex- fondateur et PDG de ProxEnergy, à la tête de Solarcentury et sa volonté affichée d’étendre les activités de la société vers de nouveaux horizons géographiques.

ProxEnergy a été créée en 2011 par Frans Van den Heuvel, après avoir quitté les fonctions de PDG de Scheuten Solar qu’il dirigea pendant près de 12 années. Basé à Eindhoven, Solarcentury Pays-Bas, compte des salariés expérimentés dans le solaire tant au niveau conception, installation, financement et distribution de solutions photovoltaïques. ProxEnergy, quant à elle, est spécialisée dans la fourniture de services de gestion intelligente du réseau avec ProxControl par exemple, mais aussi des solutions surveillance ou de recharges intelligentes. ProxEnergy participe actuellement à des projets smart-grid pilotes à taille réelles dans les provinces néerlandaises de Flevoland et Utrecht.

Frans Van den Heuvel, PDG de Solarcentury a dit : « Avec ProxEnergy et Solarcentury joignant leurs expertises, nous faisons un pas supplémentaire vers la fourniture d’une gamme complète de services énergétiques, depuis la création d’une production énergétique jusqu’à des solutions de monitoring intelligents en passant par le stockage de cette énergie. C’est très enthousiasmant de pouvoir proposer cette offre alors même que la demande de services intelligents se fait d’autant plus grandissante que nous nous rapprochons de la parité réseau. Notre expérience combinée est unique en Europe, si ce n’est dans le monde. Alors que ProxEnergy développe une offre de matériels et logiciels smart-grid, nous allons continuer à fournir, d’une part des projets solaire clefs en mains, mais aussi développer notre offre de distribution au Benelux en direction de nos partenaires installateurs. L’équipe de Solarcentury Pays-Bas, composée d’anciens membres de Scheuten Solar, affiche plus d’un demi-siècle d’expérience dans le photovoltaïque au total, inutile de dire que nous sommes tous impatients de prendre part à ce nouveau chapitre passionnant de l’histoire de Solarcentury».

Paul de Jong, directeur de ProxEnergy a ajouté : « une offre de services adaptée à un réseau électrique plus intelligent devient pertinente à partir du moment où la production d’électricité solaire n’est plus appréhender comme une seule source de revenus, mais bien comme un vecteur de sensibilisation aux économies d’énergie. Il y a de fortes synergies entre les activités smart grid de ProxEnergy et le savoir-faire de Solarcentury, reconnue pour son innovation. L’aventure commence au Pays-bas, mais notre vision va bien au-delà, au fur et à mesure que nous atteindrons la parité réseau dans la plupart des pays Européens ».

Solarcentury compte désormais des chargés d’affaires, couvrant les Pays-Bas et la région flamande de Belgique. La société d'énergie solaire d’origine Britannique poursuit son cheminement de développement à travers l'Europe, avec aujourd‘hui l’ouverture de bureaux aux Pays-Bas. L'expansion internationale de la société a commencé en 2007 avec la branche Française, dont le siège est basé à la Rochelle et couvrant des activités de distribution et de gestion de projets photovoltaïques clefs en mains pour les marchés Français, Suisse et Belges Francophones.

En 2008, Solarcentury s’est implanté avec succès en Italie, où la société, basée à Milan, s’est développée sur les segments du résidentiel intégré au bâtiment et des centrales au sol. La société affiche désormais des ambitions de développement autour d’opportunités en Afrique, dans le Pacifique ainsi que dans la région des Balkans.

Rio+20 : comment les Chinois sont parvenus en 20 ans à devenir les premiers investisseurs en énergies renouvelables ?

Le marché des énergies vertes s'est développé en Chine, jusqu'à supplanter les occidentaux dans le secteur du photovoltaïque et de l'éolien. Entretien avec Maïté Jaureguy-Naudin

Maïté Jaureguy-Naudin

Maïté Jaureguy-Naudin Directrice du Centre Energie de l'Ifri

Le sommet de Rio sur le changement climatique s'est ouvert ce mercredi. La plupart des observateurs estime que rien n'a changé depuis le premier sommet il y a vingt ans. Pourtant, la Chine est devenue le premier investisseur dans le secteur des énergies renouvelables tout en étant le premier émetteur de gaz à effet de serre. Comment expliquer ce paradoxe ?

La croissance économique chinoise se nourrit d’un fort besoin de ressources énergétiques, nécessaires au fonctionnement de l’industrie et au changement des modes de consommation des ménages. Les besoins ont été multipliés par quatre en 30 ans. La Chine a entrepris d’adapter sa politique économique de manière à diversifier son bouquet énergétique. Elle a également développé des mesures climatiques, d’une part pour participer à la lutte globale contre le changement climatique, d’autre part pour répondre à des enjeux locaux sanitaires et sociaux, en particulier concernant la pollution due à l’utilisation du charbon.

Ces politiques pourraient entraîner des réductions d’émissions par rapport à un scénario « business as usual ». L’amélioration de l’efficacité énergétique est une priorité. La Chine poursuit également un développement agressif des énergies renouvelables, mais doit moderniser son réseau de transmission et distribution de l’électricité pour intégrer des sources d’énergie intermittentes. Les usines les moins efficaces sont remplacées par des technologies de pointe. Néanmoins, ces efforts, réels, représentent peu de chose par rapport au bouquet énergétique existant. La « China Wind Energy Development Roadmap 2050 » prévoit par exemple un développement annuel de 15GW de capacité d’éolien jusqu’à 2020. C’est à comparer à une capacité installée de 650 GW de centrales charbon en 2010 (contre 370 GW cinq ans auparavant) et qui pourrait atteindre 933 GW en 2015. Il faut bien comprendre que les actions chinoises permettront seulement dans un premier temps de limiter l’augmentation des émissions de GES, pas de les diminuer.

Dans quelle mesure les technologies vertes chinoises se sont implantées chez les occidentaux – jusqu’à devancer ces derniers ?

La Chine a su mettre sa politique climatique au service de la politique industrielle nationale. En Europe, la politique de subventions - indispensables pour favoriser le développement de technologies encore trop chères pour le marché – a permis l’émergence de champions nationaux, Vestas, Enercon, Gamesa, Siemens, Repower qui ont longtemps dominé le marché. Mais très vite le marché s’est déplacé de l’Europe vers les Etats-Unis et l’Asie, poussant nombre de ces compagnies à établir des JV avec des compagnies chinoises ou indiennes pour tenter de prendre pied sur leur sol. En 2002, les fabricants de turbines éoliennes chinoises étaient quasiment inexistants, ils étaient une centaine en 2008 et Goldwind, alors le principal acteur chinois, entrait dans le top 10 des fabricants dès 2006. Aujourd’hui, Vestas encore numéro un mondial de l’éolien, annonce des suppressions d’emplois au Danemark et des délocalisations dues à la concurrence grandissante des fabricants chinois et indiens. Le chinois Sinovel, désormais numéro deux mondial, remporte des marchés en Europe. Il construira jusqu’à 1 GW de parcs éoliens en Irlande sur cinq ans, à la suite d’un accord conclu en juillet 2011 avec le développeur Mainstream Renewable Power. Celui-ci vient d’ailleurs d’ouvrir un bureau en Chine dans l’espoir que les fabricants chinois l’aident à développer les 16 GW de projets à son actif sur le solaire et l’éolien.

Quant au photovoltaïque, la Chine est déjà le numéro un mondial. Sur les deux secteurs, éolien et photovoltaïque, les parts des compagnies européennes ne cessent de diminuer, même si elles peuvent se satisfaire de bénéfices confortables dans un marché en expansion. Les pays européens ont donc fortement subventionné des compagnies qui, obéissant logiquement à des impératifs de marché, délocalisent ou suppriment ces nouveaux emplois verts. L’Europe est à présent la principale destination des exportations de panneaux photovoltaïques chinois et on voit bien la difficulté des entreprises européennes de ce secteur à perdurer dans un contexte de diminution des subventions et face à la concurrence bon marché des exportations chinoises.

Outre la Chine, quels sont les autres pays à la pointe des investissements dans les technologies vertes ? Y a t-il un bouleversement majeur ?

Tout d’abord, le long de la chaîne de valeur, tant dans l’éolien que dans le photovoltaïque, il y a des places à prendre pour des technologies à haute valeur ajoutée, sur lesquelles se positionnent les pays européens. Il faudra observer le développement des parcs d’éolien offshore. On attend beaucoup aussi du développement de technologies de stockage de l’électricité, qui pourra faciliter la pénétration des énergies intermittentes dans les mix énergétiques. Mais là aussi les économies émergentes sont présentes, en particulier la Corée. Les évolutions des technologies relatives aux « smart grids » sont aussi très attendues. Tous les grands européens sont positionnés sur ces nouveaux enjeux et ont de grands atouts :  Schneider, Siemens, Areva, la liste est longue.

source: atlantico

Le bilan très mitigé de Rio+20

Le sommet Rio+20 s'est engagé ce vendredi à promouvoir une "économie verte" épargnant les ressources naturelles de la planète et éradiquant la pauvreté, pendant que les critiques fusaient sur son absence d'objectifs contraignants et de financement.

© Reuters 

Vingt ans après le Sommet de la Terre qui avait imposé l'environnement sur l'agenda mondial, le sommet sur le développement durable, précédé par des mois de discussions et de négociations, s'est achevé vendredi à Rio sur la ratification d'un compromis a minima mis au point par le Brésil, pays hôte.

Ce texte a été salué par le secrétaire général de l'ONU Ban Ki-Moon comme étant un "très bon document, une vision sur laquelle nous pourrons bâtir nos rêves". La société civile, très en colère, a exprimé sa déception pendant les trois jours du sommet, dénonçant l'"échec" et le manque d'ambition de Rio+20. Pour Kumi Naidoo, directeur général de Greenpeace International, "on remet en ordre les fauteuils sur le pont du Titanic alors qu'il est en train de sombrer".

Hanté par l'échec de la conférence de Copenhague en 2009 qui s'était achevée sur un fiasco retentissant, pays riches et pauvres se sont accordés sur une série de promesses pour guérir les plaies de la planète.

La longue liste de maux inclut la faim, la pauvreté, et aussi la désertification, l'appauvrissement des océans, la pollution et la déforestation, le risque d'extinction de milliers d'espèces... "Nous chefs d'Etat et de gouvernement (...) renouvelons notre engagement envers le développement durable et envers un avenir économiquement, socialement et écologiquement durables pour notre planète et pour les générations présentes et futures", commence le projet de déclaration.

Une mise en place à partir de 2015

Ce texte de 53 pages prône une "économie verte", modèle de développement moins destructeur de la planète dont la population devrait passer de sept milliards aujourd'hui à 9,5 milliards en 2050. Mais en raison des craintes des pays pauvres que ce concept ne cache un protectionnisme déguisé des pays riches, la déclaration souligne que "les politiques d'économie verte" ne doivent pas "imposer de règles rigides", mais "respecter la souveraineté nationale de chaque pays", sans constituer "une restriction déguisée au commerce international".

Le sommet a lancé le principe d'"Objectifs du développement durable" (ODD) sur le modèle de ceux du Millénaire adoptés en 2000 par l'ONU. Un groupe de travail devra faire ses propositions en 2013, pour une mise en place à partir de 2015. Ces objectifs devront être "en nombre limité, concis et tournés vers l'action", selon la déclaration.

Le financement d'une transition vers une économie verte est resté en suspens : en temps de crise, et avec des budgets à sec, les pays riches n'ont plus les moyens de mettre la main à la poche. Rio+20 encourage ainsi de nouvelles sources de financement - entreprises, partenariats, etc.- ainsi que des "financements innovants", sans les détailler. Neuf pays européens viennent de décider la mise en place de la taxe sur les transactions financières, ce dont s'est vivement réjouie l'ONG Oxfam à Rio.

source: levif.be

JOB OFFER : Regional Business Development Manager -- East Europe -- Power Plants Construction

Job Description

We, SEPCOIII ELECTRIC POWER CONSTRUCTION CORP. - Qingdao (China),  are currently seeking a Business Development Manager for East Europe Region. The Business Development Manager will be responsible to develop and maintain power plants construction business in countries such as Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine... 

This position will be based in our Headquarters, in Qingdao, China. In mid/long term, SEPCOIII would consider to open a branch in this Region.

This position will attend business trips frequently.

Contact : http://www.sepco3.com/english.asp

JOB OFFER : The Chinese energy giant Huaneng Group is recruiting top talent from overseas

Pour infos..


We intend to recruit 14 high-level talents from overseas, serving as person-in-charge for affiliated research centers or laboratories under China Huaneng Group Clean Energy Technology Research Institute. 
Research Areas

1. Wind power generation; 
2. Ocean power generation;
3. R&D of methanation technique and catalysts in Coal to Natural Gas;
4. Energy storage technology for renewable energy;
5. New type of power generation. 
6. Solar photovoltaic power generation; 
7. Solar photo-thermal power generation; 
8.Clean Coal technology
9.Advanced USC technology and gas turbine
10.High-level manager With domestic and overseas investment experience for new energy 
11.Other high-level scientist and Engineer talent in the energy technology field


Requirements: 
1. A Doctorate Degree in related areas from overseas universities or colleges (generally speaking), aged no more than 50 years old, or no more than 55 for particularly urgent posts; 
2. One of the following conditions: 
•Experts or scholars serving as professors or at equivalent positions in foreign universities or research institutes, with experience in presiding over major technology projects; experts or scholars serving as associate professors or at equivalent positions who master key technologies or are urgently needed; 
•Professional and technical talents holding senior positions in internationally-renowned companies;
•Entrepreneurial talents that own intellectual property rights or master core technologies, with overseas experience of setting up their own business, and familiar with related areas and international rules. 


Compensation and Benefits Package:
1. In accordance with relevant national regulations on the “One-Thousand-Talent Plan”, qualified personnel may apply for the Plan and enjoy corresponding benefits package after approval, including a one-time support of one million Yuan from the central government, and a permanent residence certificate in any city of mainland China; 
2. The introduced talents will be provided with supporting research facilities and research funds, and may independently decide the research directions and topics within the scope of their responsibilities, independently set up research teams, and use the research funds at their own discretion; 
3. The compensation package for introduced talents will be determined in consultation referring to their previous work overseas, and they may enjoy tax preference in accordance with relevant regulations; whoever achieves major research results may be eligible for special incentives (including certain equity stake) after appraisal and deliberation; 
4. Apart from basic social insurance, the introduced talents may also enjoy additional health care and insurance services in accordance with relevant provisions of Huaneng Group, and enjoy corresponding level of housing subsidies, transportation subsidies, subsidies for their children's education, as well as vacation and other special benefits; 
5. Those who are not accompanied by their spouses to come to China may enjoy family leave and subsidies for travelling expenses; for those who are accompanied by their spouses to come to China, Huaneng Group may help with job placement or offer living allowances; 
6. The above-mentioned compensation and benefits package or other related issues are open to further consultation. 


Candidates Application: 
1. Candidates may submit personal resume by letter, fax, or e-mail, and may also attach materials reflecting working ability and academic level, and including ideas, plans and requirements on research work of the applied area; 
2. We will invite candidates who meet basic requirements for interviews to discuss related matters. 
Recruitment time: In the second half of August 
Recruitment address: London/ Oxford University/Cambridge University / Edinburg/Amsterdam

Contact Person: Dr. HUANG Bin 
E-mail: bin_huang@chng.com.cn 
Tel: 86-10-63228797 Mobile：86-18811030415

Sharp Develops Concentrator Solar Cell with World’s Highest Conversion Efficiency of 43.5%

Sharp Corporation has achieved the world’s highest solar cell conversion efficiency^*1 of 43.5%^*2 using a concentrator triple-junction compound solar cell. These solar cells are used in a lens-based concentrator system that focuses sunlight on the cells to generate electricity.

Compound solar cells utilize photo-absorption layers made from compounds consisting of two or more elements, such as indium and gallium. The basic structure of this latest triple-junction compound solar cell uses Sharp’s proprietary technology that enables efficient stacking of the three photo-absorption layers, with InGaAs (indium gallium arsenide) as the bottom layer.

To achieve this latest increase in conversion efficiency, Sharp capitalized on the ability of this cell to efficiently convert sunlight collected via three photo-absorption layers into electricity. Sharp also optimized the spacing between electrodes on the surface of the concentrator cell and minimized the cell’s electrical resistance.

This latest Sharp breakthrough came about through research and development efforts that are part of the “R&D on Innovative Solar Cells” project promoted by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).^*3 Measurement of the value of 43.5%, which sets a record for the world’s highest concentrating conversion efficiency, was confirmed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE)^*4 in Germany.

Because of their high conversion efficiency, compound solar cells have been used primarily on space satellites. Sharp’s aim for the future is to apply this latest development success into concentrator photovoltaic power systems that can efficiently generate electricity using small-surface-area solar cells and make them practical for terrestrial use.

• *1 As of May 30, 2012, for concentrator solar cells at the research level (based on a survey by Sharp).
• *2 Conversion efficiency confirmed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy (ISE; one of several organizations around the world that officially certifies energy conversion efficiency measurements in solar cells) in April 2012 under a light-concentrating magnification of 306 times (cell surface: approx. 0.167 cm²). 43.5% is the same conversion efficiency achieved by Solar Junction of the United States in March 2011.
• *3 NEDO is one of Japan’s largest public management organizations for promoting research and development as well as for disseminating industrial, energy, and environmental technologies.
• *4 ISE was one of the participating members from the EU side at “NGCPV: A new generation of concentrator photovoltaic cells, modules and systems”. The collaboration is part of the “R&D in Innovative Solar Cells” project.

Sky’s The Limit For TRINA's Tibetan Off-Grid Solar Farm

The roof of the world is the venue for a new off-grid solar project by the Chinese energy firm Trina Solar. The company has just announced plans to create a 2.1-megawatt (MW) solar farm in the Naqu region of Tibet.

The project, which will be developed alongside Tibetan energy company Longyuan New Energy, will be Trina’s largest off-grid project in China in recent years, following the construction of approximately 40 standalone power stations in 2002 in Tibet’s Chamdo region.

Naqu is in northern Tibet and borders the Chinese provinces of Xinjiang and Qinghai. Situated at an altitude of around 15,000 feet, the territory is considered one of the most scenic parts of the mountain state, which is now a semi-autonomous region of China. The province contains basins, lakes, rivers and forests, and is one of the few crop-producing areas of Tibet.

More importantly from the point of view of solar, it has exceptional light levels, averaging 2,900 sunlight hours per year.

“We are very pleased to have been selected by Longyuan for the Naqu project,” Jifan Gao, Trina chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “Quality irradiance in this highly elevated region underscores its suitability for such a project. We are committed to providing quality products and excellent service in implementing this project, which we believe can benefit the local population.”

Traditionally, Tibet has relied on hydroelectric resources for their power supply, but as the climate has been changing in recent years, severe droughts have impacted electricity production.

The company did not say if this latest project would take the crown of being the highest solar project in the world. Two years ago Osolar said its solar installation in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, located at at 4,300 meters (11,107 feet), was the highest grid-connected solar power system in the world.

The remoteness of Naqu means that most of its inhabitants lack access to the electrical grid. Trina said it hoped its new off-grid project would help alleviate the electricity shortages of farmers and herdsmen (most of whom live on the poverty line), thereby improving quality of life and stimulating growth and economic and social development.

Naqu Prefecture (image via Google Maps)

Trina said the project would use the company’s specially designed PC20 off-grid modules.

In a statement, Mark Kingsley, chief commercial officer of Trina Solar, said: “These installations, believed to be one of the largest off-grid module orders in China, are especially suited for Tibet’s environment owing to its clean air, excellent sunlight, and challenges of rugged topography to extend traditional distributed power. We are especially pleased to be supplying our solutions in the Tibet Region, where our legacy projects from ten years ago are still improving lives.”

Last year, Trina Solar hit the headlines when it claimed a “world record” in solar cell output. At the European Photovoltaic Conference and Exhibition in Hamburg, Germany, the company claimed its 156-by-156-millimeter 60-cell module put out a record 274 watts peak. The company has also been accused of selling its products below cost in the United States, and was recently hit with preliminary duties of 31 percent by the U.S. Commerce Department.

by Paul Willis

http://www.earthtechling.com

Concours Photo Gratuit Sunrain / Sunrain Solar Photo Award

                    

A compter du 20 Mai jusqu'au 10 septembre 2012, vous pouvez participer au concours Sunrain Photo Award pour saisir la technologie solaire thermique sous un angle artistique. La participation est gratuite et l'envoi des photos nécessite une inscription préalable ici :

http://www.solarphotoaward.com/index.php/registration

Les prix comprennent :

1er prix	20,000 RMB ( environ 2,500 EUR)*
2nd prix	12,000 RMB ( environ 1,500 EUR )*
3eme prix	6,500 RMB ( environ 800 EUR )*
prix publics	5 x 2,300 RMB ( environ 300 EUR ) *

*Taux du 31 Mai 2012, oanda.com.

=====================================================================

The theme of this photo competition is Solar Thermal Energy. It is open to all photographers in any country, who want to capture images of Solar Thermal Energy from their own perspective. The challenge is to show technology with artists eyes.

The sun is the largest source of energy in our solar system. Human being use this kind of energy from the beginning of time. Using Solar Thermal Energy is a matter of course. At these days, Solar Thermal Energy becomes the most important part in the energy transistion to 100% renewables.

The idea is to show people what possibilities of using Solar Thermal Energy are there. Starting from the black garden hose over simple collectors to highly advanced and sophisticated systems like the Sunrain Evacuated Tube Collectors.
The mission is: Photograph the Solar Thermal Energy in different ways, the people around there, the  Solar Thermal (roof)landscapes and many more ... in a unique way - let your imagination fly!

Contest Start:	May 20th, 2012
Closing Date:	September 10th, 2012
Winner Announcement:	until September 23rd, 2012
Submission	Free of charge
Prize value	50,000 RMB (ca. 8,000 USD)*
1st prize	20,000 RMB (ca. 3,900 USD)*
2nd prize	12,000 RMB (ca. 2,000 USD)*
3rd prize	6,500 RMB (ca. 1,000 USD)*
public prizes	5 x 2,300 RMB (ca. 370 USD) *


*Currency calculation based on exchange rate from 7th May 2012, payed in EURO, USD or HKD.

(to upload pictures start with registration and then login.)

http://www.solarphotoaward.com/index.php/registration

Is the sun the answer to India’s energy problems?

ON A salt plain near the border with Pakistan lies half a billion dollars’ worth of solar-energy kit paid for by firms from all over the world. A million panels stretch as far as the eye can see. Past a dishevelled brass band is a tent crammed with 5,000 people who cheer when Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, declares the solar park open: “I pray, sun god, that today Gujarat will show the way to the rest of the world for solar energy.”

Despite the uncomfortable cult of personality around Mr Modi, Gujarat is an easy place to do business. And solar power would appear to be an obvious winner for India. The country has plenty of sun and flat, idle land. India is energy-hungry, but electricity supply is sporadic. Costly diesel generators are popular. Solar power could replace them. And solar parks, which look like giant Lego kits, are easier to build than conventional power plants. The new park, in a place called Charanka, has just over 200 megawatts (MW) of capacity running, making it the biggest site in India. It took 16 months to build. No one builds nuclear power stations nearly that fast.

Two other factors make an Indian solar boom seem possible. Conventional energy generation, which in India means burning cheap but dirty local coal, is a mess. Power stations charge local electricity boards 3-4 rupees ($0.06-0.08) per kilowatt hour. The state coal monopoly is unable to dig up enough of the black stuff, forcing power firms to buy pricier imported coal. Hopes that India might find abundant natural gas off its coast have been dashed. Many observers think the price of conventional power will have to rise to 5-6 rupees.

Meanwhile, the cost of solar equipment has fallen by a third since 2010, reckons Alan Rosling of Kiran Energy, a solar firm backed by American private equity. Cheaper solar and pricier conventional power have persuaded many that solar will soon be competitive without subsidies. V. Saibaba, the boss of Lanco Solar, a firm that makes and operates solar parks, says that by 2016 Indian solar will match the price of conventional electricity.

That should mean a building boom. Sunil Gupta of Standard Chartered, a bank, reckons India’s share of new global solar installations will rise from 1% this year to 5% by 2015. India’s central government has set a target for 20,000MW of installed solar generation by 2022, from under 1,000MW today. That would still represent a miserly 5% or less of total power-generation capacity in India, and cost perhaps $30 billion-40 billion to build—a fraction of the investment in new coal-fired plants. So plenty of folk think the official target will be smashed. D.J. Pandian, a civil servant in charge of energy policy in Gujarat, believes his state alone will easily reach 10,000MW of capacity in a decade.

But not everyone agrees. “Half of these plants won’t be here in ten years,” says a German boss at the new solar park—bad news, since the contracts are for 25 years. Too many firms have cut corners, he reckons. A Chinese executive raises his eyebrows at India’s plans to force solar firms to buy some equipment locally. “The supply chain and economies of scale are not there,” he says. An American manager scoffs: “We’ve all been coming to India for years and they’ll never get there…They don’t have the infrastructure.” The difficulty of getting plugged into the grid and a shortage of water to clean panels are common worries.

Solar faces two other problems. First, Gujarat’s state government has guaranteed high prices of 15 rupees for the first 12 years of operation to solar producers, which should mean they make money. But at the national level there is a separate system. It relies on “reverse auctions” in which those solar producers who commit to producing power at the lowest cost win the right to operate. In the second national solar auction, of 350MW, in December, the winning firms committed themselves to selling solar power for as little as 7.5 rupees.

Many people doubt that it is possible to make money at these prices. An Indian engineer says the auction was “a farce” and that it is impossible to build a solid plant and operate it for less than 10 rupees. Firms bidding below, say, 8.5 rupees must assume that technology will improve (likely), equipment prices will keep falling (perhaps, but some manufacturers are losing money), or that they can make their sums work by borrowing cheap dollars rather than dear rupees (a foolish risk).

Second, if prices do not fall steeply, there may be little appetite for solar power. The grid is rickety. Many states’ distribution firms (the generators’ main customers) are financial zombies. Today the cost of solar subsidies is hidden—pooled with the overall generation bill in states such as Gujarat or, for projects under the national scheme, buried in the finances of a big state-owned conventional power firm.

Such bureaucratic subterfuge works on a small scale. But if the bill for solar swells, it is not hard to imagine the kind of public backlash against subsidies that has hit cash-strapped Europe. India’s politicians may then start to ignore contracts. To solve India’s energy problems, solar firms must deliver blindingly low prices.

Innovation and international technology transfer: The case of the Chinese photovoltaic industry

A first finding is that the economic importance of Chinese producers should not be overestimated. They are mostly active in downstream segments of the PV production chain ( cell production and module assembling ) where barriers to entry are low, competition is tough and profit margins are thin. Western companies continue to lead upstream markets ( in silicon purification, ingot and wafer manufacturing ) where technological skills are key assets. 

This global division of labour between China and developed countries in this industry is observed in many industrial sectors. Note that China has ambitious plans of new production capacities in upstream segments, in particular silicon production, in the coming years.

China has acquired the technologies to produce cells and modules through two main channels:

1) the purchase of manufacturing equipment ( in particular  turnkey production lines) on  a 

competitive international market.

2) The recruitment of skilled Chinese entrepreneurs from the Chinese Diaspora who have managed to build pioneer PV firms, exploiting China’s comparative advantage of cheap labour and energy in PV cells and module segments. 

In contrast, the lack of competitive supply of production equipment appears to have been a significant barrier to the development of Chinese firms in the upstream silicon segment.

the full study can be found here : 

source : http://www.cerna.ensmp.fr/images/DocumentsWP/cerna_wp201012.pdf