The energy transition is continuing to unfold with unabated momentum worldwide. In many places, electricity from renewable sources is no longer the exception, but the norm. This would not have been possible without forward-thinking companies and their technologies, ideas and concepts. The best new developments of today have been nominated for “The smarter E AWARD 2025”. The award is presented in a total of five categories: Photovoltaics, Energy Storage, E-Mobility, Smart Integrated Energy and Outstanding Projects. The winners will be honored on the evening before “The smarter E Europe” on May 6. The awards ceremony is open to the public free of charge. Europe's largest exhibition alliance for the energy industry, combining four exhibitions - Intersolar Europe, "ees Europe", "Power2Drive Europe" and EM-Power Europe - will take place at Messe München in Munich, Germany, from May 7–9, 2014.

The generation of electricity from solar and wind power continues to grow rapidly, and the production costs are already unbeatably low. The key challenges on the road to a comprehensive, secure and renewable energy supply 24/7 lie in the intelligent integration of renewable electricity into the energy systems through digitalization and flexibilization solutions. This also includes the massive expansion of battery and energy storage solutions. An important condition for the decarbonization of the world lies in the mobility sector. And above all: the energy transition is a global task. These issues are reflected in the five categories in which the “The smarter E AWARD” is presented.

Photovoltaic modules for new surfaces and integration

The finalists in the Photovoltaics category comprehensively reflect the trends and challenges of our time: Even though conventional PV modules have become much more powerful and efficient in recent years, the available space remains a limiting factor in the expansion of photovoltaics. The trend in technical developments is therefore towards new developments that can be used to tap previously unused space for PV systems. These include particularly lightweight PV modules or PV modules with very high bifaciality that are suitable for vertical installation. Vertical installations are interesting options in both the agricultural and infrastructural context, for example on noise barriers. The current trend in inverters is towards the integration of additional grid support and safety functions, especially in the commercial and industrial sectors and in ground-mounted PV systems. Examples include phase-accurate power feed-in, the ability to connect to weak grid nodes, grid-forming functions, and improved monitoring of cooling or insulation resistance.

Finalists in the Photovoltaics category

• “7Secondsolar” from South Africa with the planning software solution “AUTOPV”
• Aevy from Norway with the asset management platform Aevy
• Aiko Energy from China with the ABC Infinite PV module
• Anhui Huasun Energy from China with the Kunlun Series “Ultra-high Bifaciality HJT Solar” module
• Longi Solar Technology from China with the “Hi-MO X10” module
• MBJ Solutions from Germany with the “MBJ Sunlike Lab” solar simulator
• Seaward Electronic from the UK with the “PV:1525-IV” test device
• Sungrow Power Supply from China with the “SG350HX-20” string inverter
• Sunmaxx PVT from Germany with the “Sunmaxx PX-1” combined module
• Weidmüller Interface from Germany with the lightning and surge protection PV Inline

Current trends in storage technologies

This year's entries in the Energy Storage category show that many manufacturers have taken into account challenges in installation. In the home storage sector, there is a trend towards systems that can be stacked in a modular fashion and automatically connect to each other. The number of devices suitable for outdoor use is also increasing. Industrial storage and large-scale storage systems are increasingly being put into operation by the manufacturer and delivered ready for installation. The trend in cell chemistry is moving very strongly in the direction of iron phosphate. Increasingly larger individual cells are reducing the amount of wiring and costs. The market for 4h storage is becoming more important for battery containers, and many containers have a maximum charge/discharge rate of 0.25C. Many systems use artificial intelligence for error detection and energy management. SiC-based power electronics are increasingly being used to increase efficiency and reduce the volume of components. The focus remains on system safety, which is being improved by the increased use of arc detection and multi-level safety concepts at the various system levels.

Finalists in the Energy Storage category

• “CMBlu” Energy from Germany with the Organic Solid Flow Battery storage system
• Ecoflow from China with the Power Ocean DC Fit home storage system
• EVE Energy from China with the Mr. Big battery cell
• Huawei Technologies from China with the ESS LUNA2000-215-2S10 storage system
• Hydrostor from Canada with the A-Compressed Air Energy Storage compressed air energy storage system
• P&E Power&Energy from Germany with the Scalable Cell Level Power Electronics Platform inverter system
• Samsung SDI from South Korea with the U8A1 UPS solution
• SOL Research from Germany with the “Powerstation 2,500”
• Sungrow Power Supply from China with the large-scale storage system “PowerTitan 2.0”
• Xiamen Hithium Energy Storage Technology from China with the battery container “Power 6.25 MWh 4h BESS”

Products and solutions for electric mobility

What is striking about the submissions in the e-mobility category is the large number of submissions of solar carport solutions. This is where the effects of changes in the legal requirements for carport roofing over large parking lots can be seen. The industry is responding with a comprehensive range of products. Charging with high currents and voltages, especially in connection with the new MCS charging standard, is once again proving to be a driver of innovation. Special electrical safety components are now being developed specifically for the new requirements. Another trend is the use of PV on commercial vehicles to use the surface of a trailer for additional energy generation.

The finalists in the E-Mobility category

• Cable-Sherpa from Austria with the Cable-Sherpa cable management system
• Dehn from Germany with the "DEHNguard M DC ACI 1250 FM" circuit breaker
• Etecnic from Spain with the Software-as-a-Service platform “SaaS EVcharge”
• Friedrich from Germany with the Urbanroof parking lot canopy
• Goodwe from China with the Vela Series Residential Solar Carport
• Hive Power from Switzerland with the SaaS solution Hive Power Flexo Smart Charge
• Samsung SDI from South Korea with the battery concept No Thermal Propagation Technology
• Schaltbau from Germany with the high-performance DC contactor “C330”
• Shenzhen Kehua Hengsheng Technology from China with the SiC charging module “EV3102-040K-HR-UC”
• OPES Solar Mobility from Germany with the “O.Motion” matrix solar module series

Digital integration as the key to the energy transition

The products and solutions submitted in the Smart Integrated Energy category illustrate the complexity of one of the key challenges on the road to a climate-neutral energy world of tomorrow: For the energy transition to be successful, electricity from renewable sources must be integrated comprehensively and smartly into the energy system, in more and more places, at all grid levels.

Finalists in the Smart Integrated Energy category

• Fenecon from Germany with the Fems Fenecon Energy Management System
• Meteocontrol from Germany with the “mc Assetpilot”
• Flexality from Germany with the AI-based software solution “fEnOMS”
• Sungrow Power Supply from China with the grid-forming inverter technology Stem Cell Grid Technology
• Toscano from Spain with the Combi-Pro-Max switchover solution
• Utiligize from Denmark with the integrated Forecast & Investment platform
• Zählerfreunde from Germany with the white-label energy management SaaS solution for utilities

Global energy transition: from green hydrogen to storage projects and sustainable cooling energy

In the Outstanding Projects category, the finalists are exemplary in demonstrating that the global challenge of energy system transformation is being addressed all over the world. The spectrum ranges from large-scale production of green hydrogen to large-scale storage projects to ensure a seamless supply of increasingly green electricity, to the use of public facilities for solar power generation, to projects to provide cooling energy for food.

Finalists in the Outstanding Projects category

• Beijing Hyperstrong Technology from China with the Beijing Siyuanqiao Integrated Charging Plus Storage Station Project
• Beijing Hyperstrong Technology from China with the 250 MW/1,000 MWh energy storage project at Santanghu
• Cybergrid from Austria with the Theiss Hybrid Storage System
• Electricity Authority of Cyprus from Cyprus with the installation of PV systems on 405 public schools
• GIZ Indonesia from Indonesia with the off-grid project “Solar Ice Maker” for fisheries
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology - KIT from Germany with the hybrid storage project “BiFlow”
• Longi Solar Technology from China with the project “3000 Nm3/h electrolyzer for green hydrogen production”
• Phaesun from Germany with the project “BeCool: Clean Cooling for Markets in Kenya”
• Sungrow Hydrogen from China with the demonstration project “Low Carbon Institute Green Hydrogen Demonstration Project”
• Xiamen Ampace Technology from China with an energy storage project integrated into a high-voltage substation in Chile