Page 12 - North American Clean Energy September October 2015

solar energy

Ready for the Global Green Rush?

The growing renewable energy sector spurs a need for reli-

able, low-cost, manufactured parts to compete with fossil

fuels without subsidies or regulation
by Gary Romig

Globally, renewable energy is near a tipping point. It is poised to move from
RAYPORT
M
subsidized, regulated alternative energy to clean, green renewable energy

able to compete head-to-head with fossil fuels and nuclear based on price,
SOLAR MOUNTING SOLUTIONS
with or without subsidies or regulation.

Save money and installation time he international nonproit renewable energy policy network, REN21, published their Renewables 2014 Global
Status Report noting, “Renewable energy provided an estimated 19% of global inal energy consumption in
with AET’s ECO line of high quality 2012, and continued to grow in 2013.” According to the report new renewable power capacity surpassed new
fossil fuel and nuclear capacity for the irst time in China and renewables represented the majority of new
solar mounting solutions.
electric generating capacity for the sixth consecutive year in the European Union.
While the global growth of the renewable energy sector is undeniable, much of that growth has been aided
• Lightweight, durable and cost-effective by energy support policies at the national, state, or local level. Unfortunately, when such aid is inconsistent,
withdrawn, or the falling cost of fossil fuels makes renewable energy less competitive, renewable energy
• Fully galvanized steel
companies can face slack demand which disrupts their business model.
• Rooftop and ground mount solutions
To truly sustain a global green rush in the renewable energy sector, what’s needed now is reliable
• Industry-leading installation time
manufacturing capability able to drive down cost and ramp up parts production to mass scale, along with
consultative manufacturing partners that can help reduce overhead, and improve design and manufacturability.
• Engineering support from concept to completion

Moving Beyond Subsidies
One challenge of renewable energy innovators, particularly start-ups, is that while they aim to eiciently
RAYPORTM-G ECO GROUND MOUNT SYSTEM
convert natural resources into energy, they often have limited resources and manufacturing expertise. Price is

always an issue, especially with unreliable renewable energy subsidies and supportive regulations that come
and go.
Fortunately, renewable energy OEM’s latest competitive advantage, it turns out, is one-stop, domestic
outsourcing of precision metal fabrication, which is much more eicient than doing it all in-house or

subcontracting to layers of vendors, each taking their slice of proit and adding weeks of lead time. Full-service
metal fabrication under one roof can, in fact, help reduce overhead, improve design and manufacturability, and
streamline the renewable energy OEM’s supply chain.
HIGH shipping Fits most Single point Typically, solar power dishes have been pressed using a hydroforming process from a single aluminum sheet,
density, modules available
connection to
DRAMATICALLY system ground
which has high start-up costs. With the help of a full-service partner, a forming jig process welds aluminum
lowers freight bills
dish pieces together to build the dishes as fast as hydroforming, but with lower start-up costs.
Each of these large solar concentrator dishes is capable of delivering 33.5 kW of thermal power, 14 kW of

electricity, or a combination of the two. he large and small solar concentrator dishes are designed to meet the
RAYPORTM-B ECO ROOF BALLAST SYSTEM
power, hot water, HVAC, and process heating needs of industrial, institutional, commercial, and agricultural
customers.
Smaller machine shops typically buy in small quantities from metal service centers that include a middleman

mark-up. Larger metal fabricators, on the other hand, have the buying power to purchase large quantities direct
from the mill. hese savings are then passed along to the OEM.
It makes sense for renewable energy OEMs, particularly start-ups, to outsource their parts manufacturing
to a reliable full-service partner that can not only help improve their design and manufacturability, but also

lexibly meet demand, bring down their unit price, and enable quick production ramp up.
Compared to waiting on multiple vendors in multiple locations, shipping, and product to be inished, relying
One common bolt Ultra-competitively Panel clamps with
on a one-stop, full-service vendor optimizes manufacturing and supply logistics, helping to save about 15-20%
for all joints priced
integrated grounding
in costs by eliminating unnecessary layers of subcontractor proit, shipping, packaging, accounting, and follow

up and also saving at least 4 to 6 weeks of delivery time. Having one point of contact to quickly resolve any
potential quality, production, or delivery issues, if necessary is another competitive advantage.
A business model will inally catapult the renewable industry past sporadic its and starts: renewable energy
innovators that focus on their core competence of system design and marketing, while partnering with reliable

full-service parts manufacturers to lower unit cost and ramp up production, and then the global green rush will
truly begin.
100% on time. 100% on budget.
Zero warranty claims.
Gary Romig is the founder and CEO of Summit Steel and Manufacturing, a Reading, PA based metal component

fabricator. Summit Steel provides services including 2D and 3D laser cutting, CNC turning/milling, and Swiss
Get a Quote Today machining, centerless grinding/polishing, as well as bending/forming, powder coating, robotic and manual welding,
and assembly.
www.AETenergy.com
[email protected]
Summit Steel and Manufacturing | www.summitsteelinc.com
586-466-5073

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