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France PV technology status and prospects André Claverie, French Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME) |
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The Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME) is the French government’s
body in charge of the promotion of the renewable sources of energy.
In 1999, ADEME instigated a programme aimed at the development and the promotion of renewable energies sources within the framework of a 7-year contract signed with the government. This contract includes objectives in figures for installed power within the various technologies by 2006. This programme is also integrated in the objectives of the new European directive that is set at 21 %, by 2010, the share of power generated by renewable energies sources. As part of these commitments, the French overseas departments and Corsica, geographical zones where electricity is expensive to produce, are the preferred fields of implementation of the renewable energies sources.
Regarding photovoltaic solar electricity, ADEME’s effort over the past years has primarily been made on the rural electrification of isolated houses located outside the grids (14 MW operational at the end of 2002). More recently, another type of system application has been integrated by ADEME in its strategy through the implementation of demonstration projects in relation with distributed photovoltaic power systems connected to the grid. Instigated by the European Commission, these projects have increased the operational power capacity for this type of application to 2 MW at the end of 2002, and they activated the ADEME’s launch of a more ambitious installation programme of built-integrated PV systems connected to the grid. This new programme is accompanied by investment subsidies as well as photovoltaic electricity buy-back rates (see section on Implementation).
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The action programmes implemented by ADEME in view of encouraging the deployment of photovoltaics cover two types of activities:
The RTD programme was launched in 1999. ADEME, which is in charge of the French State’s objectives does not own a laboratory. It works in collaboration with companies and public research teams via financing, at shared costs, and on innovation projects that come within its strategy.
Research projects cover a wide field of investigation: the purification techniques of the feedstock silicon material; the innovating processes for manufacturing photovoltaic cells and modules; studies for the improvement of the various components and the systems themselves associated with their specific high yield applications. Aimed at lowering the components manufacturing costs and the systems operating costs; the general objectives are also designed to increase their performance and their reliability by encouraging their integration into architecture.
The RTD activity is completed by accompanying studies: development of standards and technical specifications, tests and trials of components and systems, establishment of databases, training of electricians and providing information to users, etc.The total cost of photovoltaic RDT programme over the 4-year period (1999-2002) has been 70 MEUR. ADEME has contributed in the form of a 23 MEUR subsidy over this period. The additional financial share came from the industry and covered 50 % to 70 % of the total costs of the projects and from public partners that contributed 50 % to 80 % of costs.
The second aspect of ADEME’s action is the dissemination programme, within which two types of photovoltaic systems are taken into consideration:
Over the last 4 years (1999-2002), the public intervention budget at stake under this dissemination programme was about 36 MEUR of which 16 MEUR was for ADEME, 16 MEUR for the regional councils associated with the programme and 4 MEUR for the rural electrification fund (FACÉ).
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The most important projects financed in 2002 concerned:
It should be noted that 2002 has been marked by a clear commitment of CEA in photovoltaics. This resulted not only in the provision of additional personnel to the GENEC Laboratory (PV components and systems) of Cadarache and its involvement in the PV organic compound cells project but also in an investment shared with ADEME in the equipment of the GENEC pilot laboratory of Grenoble, as mentioned above.
CNRS, for its part, has reorganized its policy vis-à-vis photovoltaics. A group of experts made up of specialists from CNRS, the industry and society has been given the responsibility to think about the new orientations of the “photovoltaic cells of the future” programme. A programme of actions will be unveiled in 2003.
A technical seminar, organized on 19 and 20 November 2002 by ADEME in conjunction with CNRS at ADEME Centre at Sophia-Antipolis, has brought together one hundred specialists working on the themes of material and processes for photovoltaic cells. The quality of the presentations and the results, which were emphasized by ADEME’s PV RTD Expert Committee, together with the number of participants have shown the new impetus given to this field (seminar proceedings in French are available upon request). Regarding further questions on the integration of photovoltaics into the built environment, four projects concerning new BIPV products (roof tiles, canopies and curtains walls, etc.) have been selected. Two of these are in the invitation to tender launched by ADEME in 2002, within “Preparing the construction industry for 2010“ programme.
Regarding accompanying studies carried out under the RTD programme, in 2002, the development and the publication of two technical documents should be mentioned:
These documents have been presented on the occasion of two meetings, which brought together over one hundred and twenty people: professionals from the photovoltaic industry, companies from the construction industry and architects (Montpellier, February 2002 and Sophia-Antipolis, October 2002). The objective of these meetings was to launch the ADEME’s BIPV power system programme and to discuss with the stakeholders about its implementation means.
Within this partnership environment, ADEME has signed agreements with public organizations CEA, CNRS, CSTB and EDF in order to allow the implementation of a consistent national policy of actions. Still on consistent action, it should be said that within the European Union, ADEME is participating in a network of experts within the framework of a project called PV-EC-NET, which aim is to harmonize the national photovoltaic RTD policies (www.pv-ec.net). A report of findings will be handed in during the second half-year of 2003.
Regarding the collaboration with third countries, ADEME and its partners are stakeholders in projects receiving funds from the European Commission (DG RESEARCH and DG TREN) as well as in study projects at shared costs such as those under the Photovoltaic Power Systems programme of the International Energy Agency (IEA). In this programme, ADEME contributes to Tasks 1 and 9 and has entrusted specific duties to Armines (Task 2), CEA-GENEC (Task 3) and IED (task 9) while PHK Consultants was entrusted with running Task 3. In 2002, several new technical reports on the stand-alone photovoltaic systems have been published. (see in the section publications).
ADEME, CEA-GENEC and EDF-R&D are active in the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC, www.iec.ch) Technical Committee
TC 82 working groups and of the TC82, TC21 and TC88 technical
committees joint coordination group in order to develop the future IEC 62257 International Standard on the technical specifications of decentralized rural electrification using renewable energies sources.
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For the implementation of the dissemination programme, ADEME will rely on partners such as the regional councils, with which contracts for commitments to the promotion and funding of renewable energies have been signed.
The main public financing sources allowing the installation of off-grid photovoltaic systems are primarily the Rural Electrification Fund (FACE) and the tax deduction measures attached to the investments made in the French overseas departments and territories. In addition, supplementary financial support is provided by the regional councils, ADEME, the European Commission and EDF ("urban regime", non-rural). The grant given by the FACE fund is equal to 70 % of the installed system’s cost (further support may be granted as a supplement, but at least 5 % of the cost must still be incurred by the user). With 90 kW of projects funded and a total amount of 1,62 MEUR in works, the number of projects submitted to the FACE fund selection committee for the isolated sites in 2002 remains modest. This slowdown in the activity since about two years can be explained by a saturation of the potential market of off-grid isolated sites, notably across mainland France. Conversely, the level of installations benefiting from tax deductions under the Tax Exemption Act for investments made in the French overseas departments remains stable: about 1 MW installed per year.
The ISIS (www.base-isis.com) proprietary database has put together technical, financial and sociological data on the stand-alone off-grid photovoltaic systems funded with public funds. The database became operational in 2002 with 600 installations registered (3 000 are planned by the end of 2003).
In the case of the distributed grid-connected photovoltaic systems, about 500 kW have been installed over the year 2002. In order to implement the new BIPV power systems dissemination programme, ADEME relies on preferential buy-back rates of electricity and an investment subsidy scheme. According to the type of beneficiaries and the type of partnership signed with the various regional councils, the investment subsidy covers from 40 % to 80 % of costs. The maximum eligible cost is of 9 kEUR per installed kilowatt.
Photovoltaic electricity buy-back rates, set by the 13 March 2002 decree, are 15,25 eurocents a kWh in mainland France and 30,50 eurocents a kWh in the French overseas departments and Corsica. The contracts for purchasing electricity energy generated by the photovoltaic installations will come into force in 2003. In 2002, grid-connected photovoltaic systems operated on the basis of a buy-back rate equivalent to the cost paid by the private user, i.e. about 9 eurocents a kilowatt-hour.
Contracts for connection of the distributed photovoltaic power systems to the public low voltage distribution grid have been submitted to the CRE (Electricity Regulation Commission) for advice and should be published in 2003. The PV industry, engineering office Transénergie, the Hespul association and the Professional Federation of Renewable Energies (SER) have been very active in the development of texts relating to these contracts.
Électricité de France (EDF), the French electricity utility carries out several projects: a) research works supported by ADEME on the Cu-In-Ga-Se thin film-based polycrystalline obtained through electrodeposition in collaboration with Saint-Gobain Recherche and CNRS; b) studies carried out on the storage and management systems as well as the tools and materials for rural electrification and, c) rural electrification in the developing countries with the "ACCESS" programme. An annual budget of about 9 MEUR has been earmarked by EDF for all of these activities.
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Photowatt International Company has achieved an annual production rate of 20 MW of photovoltaic cells (13 MW in 2001). The cell size has increased from 10 cm x 10 cm to 12,5 cm x 12,5 cm for the thinnest wafer on the market with an average conversion efficiency improved by one percentage point. The various stages in the manufacturing processes require the techniques developed as part of the research projects supported by ADEME (directional solidification of the multicrystalline ingots, wire-sawing in thin wafers, screen-printing of the metal contacts, nitridation and plasma enhanced hydrogenation, etc.). Some of these innovations resulting from the RTD "PV-16" (1999-2003) project supported by ADEME, have recently been integrated into the production tool and others will be included as they come and according to their validation (objectives: 150 µm thin wafer, cell conversion efficiency at 16 %, direct production cost of module at 1,17 EUR a watt, etc.).
The Free Energy Europe Company manufactures around 600 kW of amorphous silicon modules which stabilized power ranges from 4 W, 6 W and 12 W. The company has put several types of small stand-alone photovoltaic systems on the market, designed for rural electrification.
In 2002, new modules with 19 W of power, using tandem junctions have been developed and they will be submitted to a series of tests to meet the requirements of the IEC 61646 Approval Standard. They will be launched onto the market in 2003.
Total Énergie and Apex Bp Solar companies hold international influence and are specialized in components for engineering, development and the installation of ready-made systems. They are deeply involved in ADEME’s dissemination policy through their subsidiaries in the French overseas departments. These two companies are stakeholders in the RTD projects supported by ADEME. The main objective is to cut, by 30 %, the costs of components (inverters, energy management and packaging, electronics, pumps, etc.) and the operating costs of the photovoltaic systems. In 2002, Total Énergie Company has decided to install a new plant in Toulouse, for manufacturing photovoltaic modules. For its part, Apex BP Solar has extended its commercial network in French Polynesia and in Africa.
The recently built Emix Company, has laid the foundation stone for the plant near Limoges, which will manufacture ingots of multicrystalline silicon by continuous pulling technique through an electromagnetic cold crucible. In 2002, companies such as Pechiney and Apollon Solar have enhanced their reflection on the issues of low cost feedstock silicon but they did not come to the decision of implementing a production plan. In 2002 still, companies such as Imerys-Toiture, Clipsol, Kawneer and Solarte got involved, with the support of ADEME, in studies on the development of PV components integrated into the built environment.
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During the year 2002, the installed capacity of photovoltaic systems in France and receiving public grants has been about 1,6 MW which brings the total operational capacity to 16 MW of which 2 MW is from grid-connected systems. In 2003, ADEME has planned the installation of 1,8 MW of grid-connected BIPV systems and 1,2 MW of off-grid PV systems. The Professional Federation of Renewable Energies SER (www.ser-fra.com) would like to have ADEME increasing its investment subsidy budget for the BIPV systems programme.
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The outcome of ADEME’s programme has been the enhancement of the R&TD activity associated with the confirmation of the companies and the public organizations’ participation, and notably in 2002, CEA, CNRS and EDF decisions to commit themselves to ambitious projects. In the year 2003, ADEME will make an assessment of the 4-year research programme (1999-2002) and will launch new research and development operations encouraging new players.
The dissemination programme of the distributed grid-connected built-integrated PV systems launched in 2002, made provision for the installation, by 2006, of 20 MW of systems. This programme will start in 2003 with an installed capacity of 1,8 MW. It is also planned, in 2003, to participate in the installation of 1,2 MW of stand-alone off-grid PV systems, i.e. in total for these two types of applications 3 MW. This is an important increase in the activity when compared to the last two years.
The texts of the photovoltaic electricity purchase contracts and those of the public grid connection contracts worked out in the year 2002 will be fully operational in 2003 and photovoltaic companies have well-filled order books to participate in ADEME’s BIPV systems dissemination programme.
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