Transforming Solar Installation

with New Inverters and New Electronics

Eric WesoffGreentech Media

Conclusions

What Levers Can the NewAdministration Press?

• Taxes– ITC– PTC– Carbon– Oil

• Subsidies– Alternative electricity sources

• Procurement– Who is the biggest user of energy in the US?

• RPS– Federal RPS this year– 25% by 2025

7

USA Solar Resources

Source: Creating a U.S. Market for Solar Energy, by Rhone Resch, President of the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Germany: 52% world PV US: 9% world PV

Solar Scaling Up

The Solar MarketName another $30B marketgrowing at 30+% per year…

Steady and Strong GrowthA global $30B market with consistent 25% growth

12

PV Cell Efficiencies

Source: NREL-National Renewable Energy Lab

Massive Scaling Up• Massive plants constructed in the next few

years• 12-15GW by 2010• Global total of ~2.5GW in 2006• 2007 capacity of more than 5GW• Market driven by:

– Consistent German demand– Spain’s solar surge– Italy, Greece, California ascendant

Gigawatt Scale Solar Productionby 2011

1GW+• First Solar• Q-Cells• Suntech• Solarworld• Brightsource• Sharp

250MW+• Sanyo• United Solar• Conergy• Ever-Q• Motech• E-Ton• JA Solar

500MW+•Kyocera•Mitsubishi•SunPower•Trina•Schott•Solland•Yingli

Applied Materials had >$600M in solar sales in 2008

PhotovoltaicsThe Next Phase

• Favorable Public Policy• Favorable Tax Policy• Cost curve continues• Innovation continues• Ubiquity

ConergyAkeenaSunPowerSolariaPhoenixSchuco

SMAFroniusKacoXantrexSatConSputnik

SharpMitsubishiBP SolarSanyoSolonYingli

Q-CellsSharpSuntechSunPowerKyoceraFirst Solar

RECSolarworldLDKErSolReneSolaKyocera

RECSolarworldLDKErSolReneSolaKyocera

HemlockWacker ChemieMEMCMitsubishiSumitomoREC

Integratorspurchase modulesdepending onsystem size andnecessarycomponents andinstall the system.

Inverter, mountingstructure, cables,meter

Several cellsare framed,covered withglass on frontand foil onrear

Wafers arecoatedwith n/pjunctions,electrodesandother layers

Ingots are cutwith a wiresaw into verythin slices

Ingots areformed frompolysilicon

Silane gas used todeposit polysilicon

SystemIntegrationand Install

Balance ofSystem

PVModule

SolarCell

SiliconWafer

SiliconIngot

PolysiliconFeedstock

c-Si Value Chain

1366 Technologies6N SiliconAdvent SolarAE PolysiliconAOS SolarBlue SquareCalisolarConfluence SolarET SolarGamma SolarNorsun

c-Si Start-UpsPeak Sun SiliconRSI SBM SolarSenergenSiC ProcessingSilicon GenesisSolar NotionSolaicxSpectraWattSunivaWriota

3G SolarBandgap EngineeringBloo SolarFlexcellG24iHeliatekInnovalightKonarkaLightwave PowerNanoGramNano SiNet CrystalPhoton SynergyPlextronics

Next Gen SolarQDs, CNTs,OSCs,PV Inks andother Oddities

QuNanoSiOnyxSempriusSolarisSolarmerSolastaSolexantSolexelStionSunlight PhotonicsWakondaVanguard SolarVoxtel

CadTelAntecAVA SolarBloo SolarCanromGoldenPhotonNewCytePrimeStarSolar FieldsSolexantSunoviaZiaWattXunlight26

CIGSAQTGlobal SolarHelioVoltISETMiasoleNanosolarSoloPowerSolyndraOdersunSulfurcellTelio

Thin Film Solar Start-UpsA-SiAmpulseAOS SolarAPSTLCSG SolarEPV SolarFlexCellHelioSpheraNanoPVOptisolarSenceraSierra SolarSignet SolarSoltaixXunlight

SkyfuelSopogyStarpoint SolarSolar SystemsStirling Energy

Concentrated Solar ThermalStart-Ups

AusraBrightsourceeSolarHeliofocusInfiniaLuz II

Ahura EnergyBanyan EnergyConcentrator OpticsConcentrixCool Earth SolarCovalent SolarCyriumEnergy InnovationsEnFocusExtreme EnergeticsGreenfield SolarGreenVoltsMicrolink DevicesMorgan SolarMSTNetcrystalOptonyPrism SolarPyron SolarPythagoras

QuantaSolQuNanoScaled SolarSkyline SolarSolarisSolariaSolbeamSolFocusSolandisSolar JunctionSolar SystemsSoliantStellarisSun PhocusSunrgiSV SolarWakondaZenith SolarZytechWhitfield Solar

CPV Start-Ups

AquusClean Power FinanceClean Source PowerEnvisionGreenSun EnergyGroSolarHelio MuMondial EnergyMP2 CapitalOrb EnergyReady SolarRedwood RenewablesRecurrent EnergySierra Nevada SolarSoCore EnergySolaireSolar CenturySolar CitySolar NotionSolar RedSoltageSun EdisonSunGevitySunRunSolar Power PartnersStandard RenewablesStandard SolarSterling PlanetTioga Energy

Finance and Installation

Inverter and BoSInnovation in System Architecture

1-SolarAccurate SolarAct SolarArray ConverterAzurayEnPhase EnergyEOSGreenRay SolarMPPCPetra SolarPhobosPV PoweredSolarBridgeSolarEdgeTerraWatt PowerTigo

When You Think of Solar Power…

You Probably Don’t Think About…

…Power Electronics

Inverter Status Quo

• Existing power harvesting is based oncentralized inverters• MPPT and regulation done on the entire serial

array• At high power (kWs)• And at high, unregulated voltages (100V-1kV)

Current Inverter Situation• Has inherent design and operational shortcomings

• Loss due to partial shading• Loss due to MPP mismatch or inaccurate MPPT• Complex system design• Array is less scalable and not fault tolerant• Panels require matching (geometrical and electrical)• Poor roof utilization• No feedback, insufficient monitoring and fault detection

Parsing the PV Power Field

Micro-inverters

AC Modules

DC-DC

Architectures

ICs for Inverters Centralized Inverters Other

Enphase National Semi Green Power IC Labs SatCon EOS

Array Converter Sympagis Msilica Fronius Act Solar (acquired by Nat Semi)

SmartSpark SolarEdge SMA

Enecsys Proxygen Xantrex

GreenRay Solar Tigo Sustainable Energy Tech

Accurate Solar MPPC PV Powered

Petra Solar Xandex 1-Solar

Azuray Phobos Solectria

TerraWatt Power AEIS

32

PVModule

New Approach - Distributing theMPPT

MPP

T

PVModule M

PPT

MPP

T

MPP

T

MPP

T

MPP

T

PVModule

PVModule

PVModule

PVModule

DC

AC

New Approach - Microinverters

AC/DC

Reduces cost of installation?Reduces cost of installation?

Higher efficiencyEnables DIY home owner andconsumer sales channels

Not necessary on every panelNo single point of failure

Better reliability than microinverters?Strong monitoring capabilities

Higher voltages = lower resistivelosses in copper

No specialized DC wiring and highvoltage components.

DC-DCMicroinverters DC-AC

Our panelists…

Martin FornageCo-Founder and CTO

Enphase Energy

Jeff KrisaVP Marketing and Sales

Tigo Energy

Thanks forattending!

Eric Wesoffwesoff@greentechmedia.com

wesoff@mindspring.com