POWER October 2014 - 9

sion technologies tout its prime benefit of reducing transmission
losses by 30% to 50% compared to alternating-current overhead
lines. For lengths of about 600 km or more, consensus is that
overhead lines using HVDC transmission technology are more costeffective
than AC technology.
According to Siemens, the current €2.5-billion-per-year HVDC
market will double within the next five years. Demand for HVDC
transmission is " increasing rapidly, " says the company that is a
major competitor in the market along with ABB and Alstom. In
the last 40 years, HVDC transmission links with a total capacity
of 100 GW were installed, and another 250 GW may be added this
decade alone, Siemens projects. Drivers for this massive growth
include connecting offshore wind farms to the grid (such as in
Germany, where wind projects are far offshore), transnational grid
connections, and remote load area connections. " Back-to-back "
HVDC links, which connect two AC grids and serve as a " firewall "
to prevent faults from passing into the neighboring grid, will also
spur growth. And growth will be particularly strong in countries
with surging energy demand and large distances to cover, specifically
China, India, and Brazil.
Even so, Siemens notes: " The power transmission market is
basically volatile, since it is influenced by large-scale projects. "
First Solar Reports Thin-Film PV Cell
Breakthrough
Arizona-based solar photovoltaic (PV) system provider First Solar
in August said it had achieved a cadmium-telluride (CdTe) PV
research cell conversion efficiency of 21%-a world record.
The thin-film PV cell's efficiency compares to the previous CdTe
record of 20.4% conversion efficiency, which was set by First Solar
in February of 2014, and represents the seventh substantial
update to CdTe record efficiency since 2011.
And, significantly, it means First Solar's CdTe research cell efficiency
ranks at the top for all thin-film PV technologies, above
copper indium gallium diselenide-based solar cells at 20.9%, and
above multicrystalline silicon, which peaked at 20.4% in 2004.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has charted the progression
of the best research cell efficiencies since 1975 (see
http://1.usa.gov/1BgiqOG).
First Solar's thin-film cell was developed at the company's
Perrysburg, Ohio, manufacturing factory and Research & Development
Center, and its efficiency was certified at the Newport
Corp.'s Technology and Applications Center PV Lab. The company's
chief technology officer, Raffi Garabedian, said the development
notably demonstrates that record cells are based on the " same
scalable manufacturing processes and commodity materials that
we have proven through years of volume production. "
First Solar last March revealed in a technology roadmap that it
is anticipating a 22% research cell efficiency milestone in 2015.
MHI Develops High-Efficiency 2-MW Gas
Engine
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) in August revealed that it had
developed a 2-MW 16-cylinder high-speed gas engine that potentially
offers a power generation efficiency (lower heating value)
of more than 44.7%.
Developed as part of Japan's Strategic Innovation Program
for Energy Conservation Technologies, operated by the New Energy
and Industrial Technology Development Organization, MHI's
breakthrough prototype engine (Figure 3) cuts its mechanical
loss ratio by improving engine output while maintaining the
CIRCLE 5 ON READER SERVICE CARD
October 2014 | POWER
www.powermag.com
9
SOME THINK
LONG-DISTANCE
TRANSPORT IS
INFRASTRUCTUREINTENSIVE.
WE
THINK
DIFFERENT.
Transporting materials from remote locations has traditionally
required signifi cant infrastructure investments in road
or rail links, vehicles, personnel and fuel. BEUMER o ers
an economical, e cient and environmental alternative -
long-distance overland conveying. This gives you a dedicated,
around-the-clock transport link at the fraction of the cost
of infrastructure development. The reduced noise and air
pollution minimises environmental impact and improves
personnel safety. Add to that a high degree of design fl exibility
and customisation and you can see why overland
conveying makes a big di erence to operational e ciency
and environmental protection.
For more information, visit www.beumergroup.com
http://1.usa.gov/1BgiqOG http://www.beumergroup.com http://www.powermag.com
POWER October 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER October 2014
