Inverters for alternative energy resources

DUBLIN, IRELAND: Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Inverters for Alternative Energy Resources: Economic Factors, Application Drivers, Architecture/Packaging Trends, Technology and Regulatory Developments, Third Edition" report to its offering.

Led by the growing photovoltaic market (PV), the outlook for inverters used in Alternative Energy Resource technology is expected to remain strong. Industry growth in this application will be driven by a combination of government incentives and declining PV module prices.

Projected to make up over 95 percent of the market, the inverters used in PV installations, both small (1-5kW) and large (>6MW), will far outpace those used in either wind or fuel cell applications.

Driven by the need to develop alternative sources of energy, limit greenhouse gasses and reduce the dependence on foreign energy supplies, the market forces driving the alternative energy resources industry vary by region.

In Europe, the primary driving forces are feed-in tariffs, which have been successfully used in 16 EU countries, most notably Germany, Italy and Spain. In fact, in Europe renewables comprise the fastest-growing segment of the energy market. In North America, unlike Europe, the alternative energy industry is driven by a combination of regulations, subsidies and tax incentives and legislation.

In contrast, Asia employs a patchwork system of incentives including subsidies and other government actions. In this region, the primary focus on alternative energy is the alleviation of power shortages and the development of backup and emergency power.

The trend towards more efficient inverters has also made considerable progress. In an effort to improve the efficiency of the technology, semiconductor companies are developing discrete IGBTs, MOSFETs such as CoolMOS as well as Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices in power modules and stacks, with the objective of raising solar inverter efficiency to 98 percent, and with the purpose of feeding as much solar-based electricity into the power grid as possible.

A number of semiconductor companies are developing technologies designed to increase efficiency and reduce electricity waste to a minimum.

Despite the efforts of a number of government and regulatory bodies worldwide, the goal of interconnection and regulatory standards is still a work in progress. However, there are a number of groups working on electrical interconnection standards with the objective of reducing or removing barriers between distributed generation technology and the utility grid.

A survey done found that most projects, including PV, wind and fuel cells, meet some sort of resistance from the utility companies when they try to interconnect with the grid. The expensive and sometimes difficult interconnection requirements currently in place worldwide comprise a key barrier to the increased use of alternative systems.

One of the more interesting technologies being developed to drive interconnection is the development of a "smart grid." However, removing current interconnection requirements is not as simple as changing the policies, and a method of resolving these barriers is ongoing.

In addition, the rate of refurbishment and replacement of the existing building stock, combined with the new ultra-efficient housing/building laws such as those described in the European directive (2002/91/EC), contribute to a growing market for residential micro-combined heat and power.

Fuel cells are an enabling or bridging technology which can allow the environmental and efficiency benefits of CHP to migrate into the residential market. In this respect, fuel cell technologies represent a market opportunity for the clean generation of electricity and provision of hot water and heating.