Automation in Solar Energy Management Sector
Published on : Monday 30-11--0001
In the era of urbanisation and digitisation, technological advancement and system automation are the need of the hour.
Technology is evolving every minute, and to satisfy the needs of our consumers we need to think about the best possible sources to deliver efficient energy at best prices.
Automation or automatic control of systems or machinery targets to reduce human intervention to the minimal. Putting solar energy to use in the automation industry is a technological revolution in itself, and we are fortunate to experience it. The solar industry is no more considered a niche sector only for the scientific minds; its uses have increased multi folds and now become the volume-market worldwide. Moreover, it is the best possible way to combat energy deficiency in nations like India. Over the years, greater R&D has led this industry to become more competitive regarding technology and price.
Companies are utilising solar energy and power for automation across the globe
Businesses have seen the light with solar energy, and it is finally paying off, below are the top 10 companies using solar energy for automating its operations and are deriving a great value for money.
- Target Corporation (147.5 MW). The goal is set high which is to increase its number of buildings with rooftop solar panels to 500 by 2020.
- Walmart (145 MW). Lee Scott in 2015, said, “Climate change used to be controversial, but the science is in, and it is overwhelming. Every company has a responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible.”
- Prologis (107.8 MW). Prologis — into the industrial real estate and has put in more solar capacity than 27 different U.S. states.
- Apple (93.9 MW). Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-former administrator), Lisa Jackson, largely involved in managing the social affairs and environment protection policies.
- Costco Wholesale (50.7 MW). The solar array on Costco Wholesale’s warehouse in Lake Elsinore, Calif., covers 45,000 square feet, which will prevent 458 tons of carbon from going into the atmosphere every year. The developers have compared this to planting 112 acres of trees.
- Kohl’s (50.2 MW). Takes credit in installing 163 solar power systems activated in 15 states.
- IKEA (44 MW). Ninety-one percent of IKEA stores are powered by the sun.
- Macy’s (38.9 MW). By the end of 2016, Macy’s is scheduled to install additional solar power systems on its facilities, for a total of 113.
- General growth properties (30.2 MW). In 2015, real estate investment trust GGP reduced its overall carbon footprint by 23,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is the equivalent of removing nearly 5,000 cars from the roads in the U.S.
- Hartz Mountain Industries (22.7 MW). “Solar power represents both a means to be kinder to the earth by reducing pollution and is a significant factor in reducing our operational expenses,” said Emanuel Stern, president and chief operating officer, Hartz Mountain Industries, which deals in commercial real estate.
Some brands from India are-
- BHEL
- Tata Power Solar
- Adani Renewables
- Mahindra Solar
- Godrej EPC
Also worth mentioning the leaders in providing the solar energy solutions are Yingli Solar, Trina, Canadian, Sharp and Jinko Solar these are the world's largest solar panel manufacturers and global solar energy providers. Every company here has its USP; their specialisations are as stated below:
- Trina Solar specializes in the manufacture of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules and system integration.
- Yingli Solar is the leading manufacturer of solar panels and is a big name when it comes to value to its consumers at low cost
- Canadian Solar Inc. delivers high quality solar cells, solar modules, solar power systems and off grid solar power application solutions.
- Sharp is biggest solar panel producing company of Japan. Sharp have more than 50 offices around world and business spread all big countries like US, Canada, India, China, Germany and much more. Sharp established in 1959 as a small electronics company.
- Jinko Solar is a global leader in the solar industry with production operations in Jiangxi and Zhejiang Provinces in China. Jinko Solar has built a vertically integrated solar product value chain, with an integrated annual capacity of 2.3 GW for silicon ingots and wafers, 1.8 GW for solar cells, and 2.8 GW for solar modules.
India has a great future in automation and smart technologies
Modern India should encourage solar power for technology up-gradation and automate its industries. It should aim at developing solar power as a dominant component of the renewable energy mix, as it is a densely populated region falling in the in the sunny tropical belt. It has the ideal combination of both high solar insulation and huge potential consumer base density.
We could aim at making renewable resources such as solar power the backbone of its economy by 2030; restrict its long-term carbon emissions without compromising its economic growth potential. A recent study has suggested that 100 GW of solar power could be generated through a mix of utility-scale and rooftop solar power, with the realizable potential for rooftop solar between 57 GW to 76 GW by 2024. Photovoltaic –Solar power projects are expected to continue its current cost reductions and become able to compete with fossil fuel.
With the help of solar power we have geared up for the innovative and smart technologies, especially in the manufacturing industries. Robotics, growth in the R&D will attract foreign investors and more work opportunities for the nation. Enhanced productivity will also be seen which would result in quality products at cheaper rates. Automation can support digitisation of urban areas, and will open up the scope for further development.
The solar energy market in India is growing but needs support from the government:
India needs to scale up solar capacity and promote manufacturing, this called for fresh guidelines from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) which announced guidelines for the Phase II Batch II bundling scheme for a capacity of 1500MW. This came as a respite for the industry as it is considered to be one of the largest tenders issued till date.
Top brands in the energy utilisation field and growing brand names:
Electronics Bazaar attempted to top the list of solar companies that survived the recent harsh market conditions. Companies huge that are into EPC and installation of solar mega projects, including Welspun, Lanco, CEL, Sterling, Juwi, are also involved in multiple business verticals, other than solar energy.
A recent study concluded that PV power had exceeded the energy investment return of oil and gas: more energy is generated from solar power per unit of energy invested than for these fossil fuels—a dramatic turning point. Eventually, it will be a significant source of energy if the not dominant form of power for both for an industrial and an individual scale. To protect the environment, we should resort to the solar power rather than burning fuels which could do irreversible damage to our climate and earth.