Sweden, PV technology status and prospects - Contribution to the Annual report 2002

Sweden
PV technology status and prospects
Maria Malmkvist, Swedish Energy Agency
Cristian Andersson, Elforsk-Swedish Electrical Utilities' R&D Company

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General Framework

Fig. 1 - Sickla kaj by NCC AB (Architect: White Arkitekter). Winning contribution to the environmental competition announced by the City of Stockholm. NCC AB will install a total of 420 square meters of PV in their Hammarby Sjöstad projects [Photo White Arkitekter, 2001].

The Swedish Energy Agency is the national authority on issues regarding the supply and use of energy. Its main task is to implement the energy policy programme approved by the Swedish Parliament in the spring of 1997. The aim of the programme is to establish an ecologically as well as economically sustainable energy system. One part of this is to promote the use of renewable energy sources such as hydropower, wind power and PV.

Elforsk – the Swedish Electrical Utilities' R&D Company is owned by Swedenergy – the Swedish trade association for production, distribution and sale of electrical power and Svenska Kraftnät (the Swedish national grid). Elforsk is to conduct efficient R&D of importance to generation, transmission, distribution and utilization of electricity.

The Swedish electricity supply system mainly consists of nuclear and hydropower. Wind power is still a small, but growing, part of the energy system. Energy from PV is negligible. There are a few grid-connected PV systems but the main volume is the domestic-off-grid sector, typically recreational applications like remote cabins, campers, caravans and boats.

Today there are no market initiatives or regularly subsidies directly promoting PV in Sweden but during 2003, Sweden will launch a system for promotion of renewable energy through tradable electricity certificates. The system includes all renewable energy sources like biomass, hydro, wind and PV. The short term prices for the certificates are however probably too low to have an impact on the PV market in Sweden at current PV system prices. The Agency hence provides funding for cost-shared Research, Development & Demonstration projects as outlined below.
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National Programme

In 1996 the Swedish Energy Agency together with the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, MISTRA, decided to start a new and merged programme for R&D on PV. The programme is called Ångström Solar Center (ÅSC) and is located at Uppsala University. The first phase had a total financing of 70 000 000 SEK, approximately 700 000 USD and lasted until the end of year 2000. The second phase started in the beginning of year 2001 and will last until the end of year 2004 with a total financing of 80 000 000 SEK, approximately 800 000 USD.

The overall goal of the Ångström Solar Center programme is to contribute to a sustainable energy system in the future, preferably contributing to the economic competitiveness of Sweden. The approach is to start from an existing strong scientific platform and evolve progressively toward applications by scale-up, prototype manufacturing, and eventually, commercialization in three sub-programs:

Thin Film Solar Cells
Smart Windows
Nanostructured Solar Cells

Furthermore the Swedish national co-financed programme on PV systems and applications, managed by Elforsk, has conducted its second three-year period (2000-2002). It primarily involves the energy and building industry. Architects represent new partners. This programme was evaluated during the autumn of 2002 and another three-year period is under preparation.

This programme is complementary and to some extent linked to the Ångström Solar Center R&D programme. The main task is to perform development, objective analysis and information dissemination concerning technical issues, costs and applications of PV systems.
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Research, Development and Demonstration

Fig. 3 - The thin film solar cell research at Ångström Solar Center of Uppsala University has resulted in minimodules with world record efficiencies. [Photo Teddy Thörnlund, 2002]

Research
The Ångström Solar Center R&D programme embraces three project areas as mentioned earlier. The main challenge for Phase II is to progress further along the line toward applications by scale-up, prototype manufacturing and spin-off toward commercialization. The Thin Film Solar Cells project is technologically the one closest to industrial realization.
The technical achievements from CIGS thin film solar cell research in Sweden include cell conversion efficiencies up to 17 %, at the time making the breakthrough towards truly high performance thin film solar cells. In the year of 2000 a sub module consisting of nine cells in series and having 16,6 % efficiency was fabricated. This is the present world record for a solar cell module of any thin film material. This has resulted from R&D efforts where the focus has been on CIGS film fabrication by co-evaporation. A large area deposition concept, suitable for mass fabrication, has been invented and patented. The aim is that the CIGS technology should be brought to a state where performance and manufacturability make it ready for large-scale commercialization. Utilizing processes and materials that minimize the impact on the environment shall achieve performance and cost goals. Thus, in research for a next generation technology, elimination of cadmium and minimization of usage of indium are main tasks.
The nano-structured solar cell research concerns the development of dye-sensitized electrochemical cells fabricated with a continuous process with very low costs. Efficiencies are still low with respect to CIGS and the competitiveness for this technology is currently in the niche product area. Basic research is aimed at increasing the efficiency.
Smart windows have large potential for energy savings and enhancement of the comfort in commercial buildings. The focus in the research program is on electrochromic coatings on flexible foils. This type of smart windows can be retrofitted in existing windows as well as being used in new fabrication. This increases the market potential. Currently, commercialization is made in a niche application.
Development
The national programme on PV systems and applications is focused on system integration. It has in somewhat switched from energy perspective towards PV in buildings perspective. Architects represent new partners, but it still primarily involves energy and building industries.
The vision is that the market for PV will expand from stand-alone applications to power production through grid-connected building integrated and other decentralised PV systems. This expansion, however, depends on PV systems and applications knowledge among the future industrial partners in the PV area. To fulfil the vision and contribute to the reduction of the critical PV system costs, the programme goal is to enhance knowledge about PV as an energy source as well as a building component, identify possible applications of PV and raise the commercial awareness concerning PV systems.
The programme includes coverage of the rapid international development concerning PV systems in general and for grid-connected building integrated PV systems in particular. The programme does provide a basis for international exchange, such as the participation in IEA PVPS.
The programme performs evaluations of procurement, installation and start-ups for Swedish PV installations. It is also defines and implements a monitoring process for existing and future grid connected Swedish PV-installations.
Efforts concerning PV niche applications are focused on cathodic corrosion protection of power pylons and remote controlled switchgear in electricity distribution systems.
A promising concept for increasing the amount of irradiation and thus lowering the cost of PV systems is the use of reflectors. Development of reflector and hybrid-concepts for PV-systems are important efforts within the program. In addition, interesting synergies with Ångström Solar Center CIGS-modules has been identified and implemented through tests with prototype modules.
The interest from the Swedish building industry is focused on building integrated PV systems. Program activities include development of tools for carrying out PV projects in the built environment – material for architects, constructors and other actors to guide them through the process.
Demonstration
A number of niche applications have been demonstrated. Demonstration of grid-connected PV systems is at present limited to a few smaller systems.
The awareness of PV in buildings has started to rise through these demonstrations. In the near future we are to see further developed demonstrations of PV in buildings. One example is the results of an environmental competition concerning Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm’s largest residential building project. The winning contributions by NCC AB and JM Byggnads AB (see Fig. 1) and contributions from Familjebostäder and SBC will be realized and comprise PV-solutions.
Sweden is also taking an active part in two large EU-projects, PV Nord (Paving the way for Building Integrated PV in Northern Europe) and USHER (Urban Solar Hydrogen Economy Realization Project). Both of these projects comprise demonstrations of large building integrated PV-installations. Sweden is also a part of the EU-network PV-EC-NET.

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Implementation

Fig. 2 - Grid-connected 3,24 kW roof-munted sc-Si system for educational purposes at Borlänge University, Borlänge, Sweden. [Photo Carl Michael Johannesson, 2001]

The Swedish policies, which indirectly could promote the use of PV power systems, are taxes and fees related to energy production and environmental protection and a system for promotion of renewable energy through tradable electricity certificates that will be launched during 2003. The current levels of these taxes and fees and the short-term prices for the certificates are however probably too low to have an impact on the PV market in Sweden at current PV system prices. Instead, in the current pre-commercial state of PV, new installations of significant size would most likely be considered as a demonstration system and receive support from governmental funds. With this funding, the public support can be up to 50 % of the innovative part of a demonstration project.

The fact that Sweden has a free electricity market with very low electricity prices, compared to electricity produced with PV, is a high barrier.

Since PV is a long term sustainable renewable energy technology the general view on PV in Sweden is positive and the interest from the industry has increased. The solid and steady progress, which has occurred during the recent years, has been noted and hopefully it will develop over the coming years. However PV will probably not be utilized for large-scale electricity power generation within the next 5-10 years.
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Industry Status

The PV industry in Sweden consists primarily of three companies, Gällivare Photovoltaic AB, ArcticSolar AB and Naps Sweden AB. Gällivare Photovoltaic AB and ArcticSolar AB are producers of photovoltaic modules. They are all situated north of the Arctic Circle in Lappland.

The companies purchase solar cells, both monocrystalline and multicrystalline cells, on the world market and produce modules. The process steps include cell testing, soldering, lamination, attachment of junction box, framing and module testing. Together they offer a wide range of products of standard modules. The companies can also manufacture customer-designed modules and laminates for building integration and other special applications.

Naps Sweden AB is designing, marketing and selling products and systems based on PV modules. System controllers and the majority of solar modules are of their own design. Naps Systems has experience in consumer applications, industrial applications, rural electrification and on-grid distributed systems. Naps Systems Oy, a company in the Fortum Group owns the company.
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Market Development

The total installed power during year 2001 was 226 kWp, which is approximately the same as in 2000. The main volume of the Swedish PV market is in the domestic-of-grid sector. More than 70 % of the installations during 2001 were in this category. By the end of 2001, the total cumulative installed capacity in Sweden was about 3 MWp.

Seven grid-connected systems were installed during 2001. Several projects are planned for the coming years, i.e. approximately 80 kWp grid-connected installations are planned in Hammarby Sjöstad.

The main part of the system components is imported and the dominant fraction, around 95 %, of the Swedish module production is exported.
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Future Outlook

The high quality research and development that is carried out at Ångström Solar Center will continue. The ÅSC programme is highly relevant for the Swedish Energy Agency since it deals with important issues for a future sustainable energy system and potential commercial ventures beneficial to Sweden.

In the near future, we are probably going to see new initiatives bringing PV closer to the commercial on-grid electricity market. These initiatives could be realized in cooperation between traditional and partly new but essential actors, such as architects and building companies, which can make a contribution to market development driven by factors other than energy prices.

This, together with enhanced user oriented knowledge, through the national co-financed programme on PV systems and applications will form the basis for future initiatives in Sweden.
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