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1 Jul 10
SunDanzer has introduced two new products this month. An up-right refrigerator and a direct-drive refrigerator (DDR165).
The DDR165 is a 165 liter unit that does not require a controller or batteries, as the PV will connect directly to the unit. This stand-alone unit is creating quite a stir in the renewable energy market since the thought of saving money from eliminating the need for controllers and batteries is appealing. However, this unit has NOT been tested in the African market, and I am skeptical how it will survive the various conditions.
The way this unit works is on days of good sun - the power will flow directly into the unit causing the Thermal Storage Packs (sold separately) made up of water and polyethylene to freeze. When the sun goes down, or on cloudy days, these packs are to keep the contents of the refrigerator cold.
My colleague recently viewed a DDR165 and watched how they inserted the Thermal Storage Packs on all four sides of the unit. Once they were slid into place, it was noted how much space was taken up by these ice packs leaving less usable space for storage.
I don't think this freezer will be the best option for vaccines and other medical supplies due to the fluctuation in temperature.
Production of the DDR will not be completed until mid-July. The dimensional weight is 125kg. Pricing is slightly higher than the battery based units, plus the additional cost of purchasing the optional Thermal Storage Packs. Call for pricing.
-Andrea
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7 Dec 09
Judging from the backlog in orders of MPPT controllers, customers are waking up to the advantages of this technology. The old faithful Outback FM-60 and FM-80 and the newer Xantrex XW-MPPT 60 are now joined by the new Morningstar TS-MPPT 45 and 60. Plus the Morningstar SS-MPPT 15 controller becomes very useful for smaller systems. I predict that in five years we will hardly be using traditional controllers. But what is the correct way to size an off-grid system with a MPPT controller, since its impact will vary with the module temperature and with the state of charge of the battery? Start with a healthy de-rating of the module (probably beyond the PTC rating) and the controller (most will be better than 95% efficient) and then just use the de-rated watts of the module. It is so much easier than traditional sizing that it seems like cheating....
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25 Nov 09
Imagine buying a car with no instruments at all - no fuel gauge, oil pressure indicator, no speedometer or tachometer. Now imagine that none of the controls were functional - no brakes, no gears, no lights - just an on/off switch. This is how I feel when I see customers using an Outback or Magnum or Xantrex XW inverter without the "optional" programming remote (ie. Mate, MERC, or SCP). It's just crazy. You can only operate on the factory defaults (which probably aren't right for your batteries) and have no idea about what's happening inside your inverter. So please - be sure that you and your customers always have access to a programming remote. They're not really "optional"!
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16 Nov 09
Just back from a great four day training in Lagos, where we were accompanied by Bruce Habeck from Deka Battery, Steve Higgins from Outback Power, and Marius Tresanchez from Xantrex/Trace. Although this is something like the 18th training we have done, we still had over 60 people in attendance and the excitement about the industry continues to grow. Surprising that MPPT controllers were still new for a lot of the senior technicians at the training. There is a great opportunity for those of us in off-grid now that the grid-tie market has cooled - with lower module prices and a range of great MPPT controllers, there are lots of job that are viable now that were not a few years ago.
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2 Nov 09
Anti-gravity and perpetual motion machines are on my mind this week. I toured the Solar Power 2009 show in Anaheim last week and met with lots of friends and manufacturers. A year ago at that show, no one felt that the financial meltdown going on in the rest of the economy would have an impact on the solar industry - nor that the solar industry itself was highly overheated. There was a lot more realism on the exhibit floor this year. Prices are lower, growth expectations are re-aligned and the old off-grid applications look more attractive. I also noticed a few "too good to be true" products and prices from last year were, in fact, too good to be true (cheap inverters and "solar" air conditioners come to mind). They're gone. It seems that gravity still works and what goes up, must still come down. So just keep doing a good job and deliver real value to your customers and don't get distracted by the noise....
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8 Sep 09
Maybe our lapse in blog entries shows that the market has definitely rebounded in Africa. Solar module prices are lower than ever and that is helping on the demand side. I think our industry assumes that no module manufacturer ever made any profit until about 2002. And they are all probably back to losses this year. Most manufacturers seem to be selling at or below the cost of production. This obviously won't continue forever. I believe there will be a great reduction in the number of module manufacturers over the next two years. They will either close or be taken over by rivals. So as we enjoy the low priced modules, we need to realize that many of them may not have any warranty backing in a few years. We are still placing our bets on long-time partners like Sharp, who has been in solar for decades and Suntech, a true pure play solar manufacturer. Interesting times!
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30 Mar 09
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11 Mar 09
A customer asked today whether we sell LED street lights. We have not picked up LED street lights because we have not yet been convinced of the value. They are very fashionable and people like to think that by using LED lights they are cool, but the data does not bear that out. LEDs are great for many lighting applications - they are even great for traffic lights, but we think not for street lights. We think the compact flourescent lamp (CFL) is still the best - especially the Magnaray lamps that we sell, which can be used for street or area lighting - they have even been used for lighting up operating rooms in clinics!
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10 Mar 09
For many years our primary warehouse has been in Seattle - close to manufacturers like Xantrex, Outback, Magnum and Midnite. But as the number and size of shipments has increased, we opened a warehouse in Houston as well. Both have worked well, but last year we decided to move the majority of our cargo through Houston - a process we are just completing this week. This makes it easier for us to put all of those small parts and pieces on ocean shipments and also gives us better access to air services like Emirates, which has daily non-stop to Houston. We'll still maintain the Seattle warehouse, but expect most of your shipments to coming from HOU in the future.
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2 Mar 09
A good friend asked whether he ought to stock in the face of declining module prices - were they not going to keep dropping and leave him stranded with high-priced modules? News stories say that module prices will drop 40% by end of year - is it true? Well, I don't believe many news stories about solar. Hardly anyone knows what they are talking about - a few months ago you could read that module production was going to double in 2009 (won't happen). This is a cyclical business and most participants in the industry today have joined on the latest up-cycle and don't know what the downhill looks like!
Yes, module prices are dropping - I can see at least four drivers: 1) the industry was badly oversupplied as lots of companies rushed into module manufacturing and assembly, 2) the credit crunch slowed or stopped many grid-tie installations, 3) some distributors and manufacturers are in trouble and some are exiting the business and dumping inventory at any price 4) silicon manufacture has increased, meaning silicon is available and the price has dropped.
At some point pricing will hit a floor below which manufacturers can no longer produce. I doubt this will be much below $3.00/w on the wholesale side for grid-tie modules and probably closer to $3.50/w on the off-grid side. In the meantime, prices will probably drop erratically and then bounce back up. We will do our best to serve you as they drop and to make sure we stock up when the bottom is reached, of course. So, if you are importing by air, it is always best to let us be your warehouse and just bring in what you need for a month or so...
Lincoln
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16 Feb 09
Just back from a good trip through east Africa - thanks to many of you for your hospitality - we have the best customers in the world! Business is slow in the whole region and the year has not really "started" yet. Two things stood out: Those who focused on quality work were not worried and in some cases were still very busy. And those who served need-based markets (like solar home systems) had not noticed as much impact as those who chased projects. And although products are more widely distributed every day, expertise does not seem to expand at the same pace. At the end of the day, the very best practices for any solar company in Africa continues to be: 1) increase your company's knowledge and skills; 2) do high quality work; 3) serve markets that truly need you.
Lincoln
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28 Jan 09
TIP of the DAY #2: Claims: Damaged or Lost Cargo
To begin processing an Air Export or Ocean Export claim, please provide the following:
1. Proforma/Sales Order Number. This is the 6-digit number on the Sales Order provided by your African Energy Sales Representative.
2. Specify each item damaged or lost. It is best to use the Part Number on your Proforma/Sales Order.
3. Specify when you discovered the damaged or lost cargo.
4. Provide a scanned copy of the Receipt of Goods document.
5. In the case of damaged goods, provide a photo of EACH damaged unit.
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9 Jan 09
We have found at least two MERC-50 Remote units for Magnum Inverters that had bent selector knobs. We found one while installing a test unit here at the office. By removing the knob and the screws on the back of the unit, we removed the board. With two pliers, we carefully straightened the knob. We put it all back together again. It works great - but would not have worked at all as a selector if we had not straightened it...
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5 Jan 09
It's a new year! We celebrated by putting our 4 x Suntech 60w modules on a better rack - a top of pole adjustable mount for a 4 inch steel pipe made by PowerFab (formerly Direct Power and Water). These modules drive an SQFlex 2.5-2 pump (11-2 in US terms) that irrigates behind our office. It was amazing to see the difference in output from a proper tilt - it easily doubled the daily output vs. the flat mounting where the array had been temporarily resting. Also interesting to note: 3 of the 4 Suntech modules were providing more power than specified (over 4 amps short circuit voltage). Good stuff!
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29 Dec 08
UNCONTROLLABLE VARIABLES: Over the past few months a few things have slowed the development of businesses, particularly for those where shipping is an integral part of business. Skyrocketing Fuel: At the end of last summer, most shipping companies added fuel surcharges to the already high prices. That hit our customers like a double-edged sword. Most manufacturers had to raise prices due to the extra cost incurred from shipping in and out needed components and finished products respectively. Then, airlines had to get their share of fuel surcharge as well. While all these cost changes affected us, the effect was probably doubled on our customers in
Patrick
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24 Dec 08
It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Looks like Suntech has developed enough reputation for quality that there are several manufacturers trying to counterfeit their modules. Check our spec sheets page for guidance on how to identify the real thing.
Lincoln
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23 Dec 08
End of year rush is upon us - all of those projects that were not done in 51 weeks of the year are now supposed to be finished in the last week of the year. We do our best, but it is probably the worst possible week to get anything done in the US. Christmas, the New Year, Hannukah holidays plus the beginning of serious winter weather and the end of year accounting and shipping issues means it is a crazy time. At least we are seeing a strong finish to a strong year at 60% above last year's volume. When oil dropped, so did the number of inquiries we saw in the 4th quarter, but I am predicting a strong recovery for oil prices by mid-year 2009 and so we are getting ready for that rush too!
Lincoln
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3 Dec 08
This is from the Currency Risk Management Division of African Energy :-).
As you are aware, we have entered a somewhat turbulent international financial environment, characterized by exchange rate volatility generally resulting in a weakening of many African currencies against the US dollar. We know this causes difficulties for our customers, such as effectively increasing the prices of our products, as well as foreign exchange (US dollar) shortages at many of your banks. African Energy's business focus is the wholesale distribution of renewable energy products, and we do not undertake to actively manage foreign currency risk. Given the number of currencies and countries in which we operate, this would be such an enormous task that it could potentially divert our limited resources away from the main objective of our company -- Providing a reliable and efficient supply chain, and offering quality products at competitive prices throughout Africa. Our policy, therefore, will remain one of pricing all goods in US dollars. We request that you continue to make payments to our bank in the fo