Renewable Energy

As the global economy increasingly prioritizes sustainability and climate action, corporate renewable energy procurement has emerged as a critical tool worldwide. To achieve their corporate sustainability goals, businesses have sought to secure renewable energy through Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPA) with renewable energy developers. Overview of System Charges: Their Role and Impact on Corporate Renewable Energy ProcurementCPPAs are one of the common approaches for businesses to procure renewable energy directly from renewable energy developers. Physical CPPAs involve two major cost components – energy costs and system charges. In this blog, we focus on system charges which are fees collected by utilities that include transmission and balancing components. Transmission charges cover the use of grid infrastructure to deliver electricity, while balancing charges cover the cost of maintaining real-time supply-demand stability.Although system charges are a key cost component in physical CPPAs, they are typically not the primary cost drivers. Based on Wood Mackenzie’s cost estimate analysis for a 50-100MW solar CPPA across the various regulated and liberalized APAC markets of Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Japan and Taiwan, system charges typically make up less than 20% of the total CPPA price. However, this share of system charges in the total CPPA price varies considerably between APAC markets. Australia, the Philippines and South Korea maintain system charges at between 10% - 20% of their solar CPPA prices. Singapore, Japan and Taiwan see the lowest proportion of system charges of solar CPPA prices at 7%, 6% and 5% respectively.Malaysia's Moment: Optimizing SAC for CRESS SuccessAnnounced in July 2024, CRESS allows for physical CPPAs from renewable energy projects of 30 MW and above. While CRESS opens new avenues for businesses to access renewable energy, the implementation of the System Access Charge (SAC), a surcharge imposed on renewable developers for using the Malaysian Grid under CRESS, has raised cost concerns within the industry.Based on Wood Mackenzie’s analysis, Malaysia's SAC account for about 60% of the estimated total CPPA price in Peninsular Malaysia, assuming a solar production cost at USD57/MWh (based on the average of the large scale solar LLS3 LLS4 - bid price range of MYR 0.19-0.28/MWh. The SAC significantly impacts the overall cost structure of renewable energy procurement. Malaysia’s SAC for solar “non-firm supply” under CRESS is currently set at 40sen/kWh or about USD/MWh making them the highest system charges applicable to CPPAs in the region.Another concern relates to cost-transparency and ease of long-term cost forecast for buyers. Most APAC markets demonstrate high transparency in their methodologies for determining system charges. Countries like Australia and Japan provide clear breakdowns of cost components, including grid capital expenditure, operation expenditure, power losses, ancillary services, and market operation costs. Even after analyzing other regulated markets like Thailand (where wheeling and balancing charges are based on UGT 2 tariff rates), Taiwan and South Korea, Malaysia’s SAC lacks transparency in its the system charges determination methodology, compared to three other vertically integrated Single Buyer markets like Peninsular Malaysia. Such cost transparency, including detailed cost components and calculation methodology, is crucial for corporate energy buyers looking to increase predictability of electricity costs by entering long-term CPPAs. The high SAC charge poses a significant barrier to the adoption of renewable energy by industrial end-users like semiconductor manufacturers and makes it challenging for prospective CRESS buyers to understand how these charges may evolve over a 21-year contract period. The SAC under CRESS would be reviewed every 3 years and is subjected to a maximum variation of 15% from the prevailing charge.RecommendationsThe lack of transparency of the SAC could jeopardize Malaysia’s critical development objectives, such as attracting MYR500 billion (USD $110 billion) in semiconductor investments by 2030 under its National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), or its 40% renewable installed capacity target by 2035 (or about 18 GW by 2035). To address these challenges and create a more favourable environment for both semiconductor investments and renewable energy adoption, SEMI and Wood Mackenzie propose the following recommendations:Benchmarking SAC against transparent and established system charge components: Additional transparency would allow Malaysia to align with practices in both regulated and liberalized markets across the APAC region and allow more players to make long-term investments in Malaysia. Similar cost methodologies to the regulated tariff could be adopted. As an initial step, SAC should reflect Network Charges defined under the regulated tariff, and as a best practice, any differences between the SAC and the Network Charges in the regulated tariff should be clearly explained and justified (e.g. additional balancing costs induced by solar procured under the CRESS may be audited with the Single Buyer).Improving CRESS SAC stability and predictability: Ensuring transparency on the calculation methods behind SAC and its components, and predictable SAC levels, will allow businesses to proactively anticipate and plan for renewable energy procurement expenses, enabling informed decisions and on long-term corporate solar PPAs spanning 20 years’ time horizon under the CRESS framework. In particular, the maximum change in SAC charges can be narrowed down from 15% every three years.4Alignment of national sustainable energy policies: Strengthening policy support and ensuring accessible financing are essential to driving the widespread adoption of renewable energy. CRESS can only succeed if the scheme enables fair, transparent, and competitive access to clean energy. New renewable energy coming online via CRESS should not be put at an economic disadvantage through differentiated system charges from those applicable to other clean energy schemes. For example, no SACs are applied to solar under Large Scale Solar (LSS) projects, despite their system impacts being the same as under CRESS. Sustained efforts to improve affordability within CRESS are crucial for attracting investment, reducing the cost of SAC for buyers, and accelerating Malaysia’s transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future.The Path Forward and ConclusionImproving transparency and stability of SAC is crucial for facilitating Malaysia's development goals in semiconductor investments and renewable energy targets. By implementing these recommendations, Malaysia can enhance its competitiveness in attracting sustainable investments and accelerate its transition to clean energy.As the voice of the global electronics manufacturing and design supply chain, SEMI is committed to working with policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders to address these challenges. SEMI and Wood Mackenzie believe that by fostering a more transparent and competitive environment for renewable energy procurement, Malaysia can unlock the full potential of the country’s semiconductor industry while contributing to a more sustainable future.SoYoung Jang manages the SEMI Energy Collaborative programs at SEMI.Antoine Gaudin and Chun Kang Eu are from Wood Mackenzie.

Electric mobility, renewable energy and other technology innovations like IoT, 5G, smart manufacturing and robotics all require reliability, efficiency, and compact power systems, fueling the adoption of Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) to support lower voltages in significantly smaller devices. But chip designers must overcome the technological and economical challenges of integrating the two semiconductor materials into power systems.SEMI spoke with Elisabeth Brandl, Business Development Manager at EV Group about trends and new developments within the power electronics industry and the devices' application in smart mobility. Brandl shared her views ahead of her presentation at the SEMI SMART Mobility Forum, 18 February, as part of the SEMI Technology Unites Global Summit, 15-19 February 2021, online event. Join us to meet experts from EV Group and other key industry influencers. Registration is open. SEMI: What is driving new developments in power electronics?Brandl: Globally there are significant changes in infrastructure requirements for communication, automotive and power conversion. We need to look no further than the rising adoption of 5G, electric and hybrid vehicles, and renewable energy as examples of drivers of these changes. The device level, particularly in the field of power electronics, figures prominently in these shifts.The power electronics industry faces a growing number of scenarios where conventional silicon power devices are no longer suitable and are easily outperformed by new architectures mainly based on wide bandgap semiconductor materials like Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN).SEMI: What industry challenges is power electronics innovation aiming to solve? Brandl: Power conversion efficiency is very important and needs further improvement as the related losses significantly contribute to the overall power consumption. For green power and a better environmental footprint, renewable energy is crucial, but so is overall power-consumption efficiency, yet the role of power devices is often underestimated. High-frequency and high-power applications, such as data center applications and inverters for renewable energy, where silicon power electronics are reaching their limits, are also important areas in power electronics.SEMI: How will the transition from silicon to compound semiconductor materials help?Brandl: The superior material properties of several compound semiconductors can tackle the need for lower losses in power conversion or better high-frequency behavior. Today, we mainly talk about GaN and SiC power devices as they are materials well-suited to address these needs. However, other materials like diamond and gallium oxide are in development for these applications. Material properties of SiC that enable thinner materials with lower power losses and better thermal behavior address power conversion efficiency as well as form factor challenges. GaN, especially in a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT), can be used for high-frequency applications.SEMI: What enables a better and more cost-effective manufacturability of SiC and GaN power devices?Brandl: For the end customer, a typical figure of merit regarding the cost effectiveness is $ per Ampere or Watt. While this seems simple, the reality is of course more complex. It is important to understand the main cost contributors within the manufacturing area. For SiC, this is clearly the substrate cost. In my presentation, I will show a way to reduce this cost via wafer bonding. For GaN, epitaxy – a method for growing or depositing mono crystalline films on a substrate – is the critical parameter. And of course, yield has a very big impact on cost effectiveness too, which means that good process control including metrology is very important.SEMI: Many semiconductor companies are already transitioning to silicon carbide and gallium nitride. Can you give us an example of a success story?Brandl: All the big power device manufacturers have either acquired or developed their SiC and/or GaN power device technology, so they also see a bright future for these wide bandgap semiconductors in the power device market. The most prominent success story is STMicroelectronics with its SiC MOSFET power devices, which have been implemented by Tesla in its Model 3 vehicles since 2018.SEMI: What is coming next?Brandl: New materials for power devices are being explored, such as diamond and gallium oxide. For SiC, the trend is moving toward 8-inch substrates, which is the focus of the funded EU project REACTION under the coordination of STMicroelectronics. Cost reduction and substrate availability also play a big role. All major power device manufacturers have contracts to secure the supply chain for SiC substrates because material availability is the main uncertainty at this time. Finally, collaborations along the supply chain are crucial and generally beneficial for all parties, as development requirements are better communicated and prioritized.Elisabeth Brandl is Business Development Manager at EV Group. She received her master in technical physics from the Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria in Semiconductor and Solid State Physics. Since 2014, she has been responsible for Product Marketing Management for temporary bonding and compound semiconductors at EVG. The SMART Mobility Forum is the digital platform of SEMI Europe’s Global Automotive Advisory Council (GAAC) for industry stakeholders along the automotive and electronics value chains, from Design, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Suppliers to Automotive OEMs.Smart Mobility is one of four SEMI initiatives focused on building communities, content, and activities around critical and emerging electronics markets. Read more about our Regional Chapters.Serena Brischetto is senior manager of Marketing and Communications at SEMI Europe.

As the world combats climate change, the chip industry continues to build momentum in becoming a better steward of the environment. In July, Taiwan chip giant TSMC became the world’s first semiconductor company to join RE100, the global initiative to move away from a widespread reliance on fossil fuels and toward 100% renewable electricity. Applied Materials soon followed with a commitment to expand its renewable energy capacity. For the past four years, ASE Group, the largest outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) provider, was named an industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI), making clear its commitment to protecting the environment. For its part, TEL was selected to be part of the FTSE4Good, a series of ethical investment stock market indices, and FTSE Blossom Japan, an index that gauges the performance of Japanese companies demonstrating strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices.SEMI bolsters commitment to green energySEMI has also strengthened its commitment to promoting renewable energy in the semiconductor industry by adding the Green Power Pavilion at this year’s SEMICON Taiwan and continues to support the green energy movement as a co-organizer of Energy Taiwan. The largest renewable energy event in Taiwan, Energy Taiwan features international exhibitions, forums, policy initiatives and business matching events. This year the event attracted more than 12,000 visitors from 50 countries to highlight renewable energy breakthroughs and new products. The SEMI events complement RE100, which works across a wide range of industries that include financial services and retail. The initiative connects more than 260 members that count among them the world’s most influential businesses such as Apple, Google and Facebook and their suppliers through educational events.In many respects, TSMC is becoming a beacon of green energy in the chip industry. In July, the company committed to 20-year agreement to buy offshore wind power gear made by energy firm Ørsted in Taiwan, the global leader in the wind power industry. According to the purchase agreement, TSMC will offtake full production from 920-megawatt wind farms off the coast of Changhua County in western Taiwan expected to start operations in 2025 or 2026. The agreement will by far mark the world’s largest corporate green energy order in the semiconductor manufacturing and renewable energy industries and demonstrates TSMC’s long-term commitment to environmental sustainability.In addition to sourcing renewable energy, TSMC has been working closely with its downstream and upstream suppliers to help drive supply chain improvements geared toward a greener industry by offering on-site coaching, energy audits and educational resources. But the company's focus on energy efficiency is nothing new. For years, its Supply Chain Management forum has promoted industry sustainability and corporate responsibility. Moreover, TSMC worked with SEMI at this year’s SEMICON Taiwan to generate greater awareness of the importance of green energy to the industry and encourage SEMI members to become more involved in the movement.Supply chains expand eco-friendly practicesThe drive toward greener semiconductor manufacturing is also expanding to encompass entire supply chains. One notable initiative is Green Supply Chain Management (GrSCM), an effort to integrate environmental thinking into every level of the supply chain, from product concept to distribution. GrSCM involves the retooling of product design, materials sourcing, manufacturing and processes to reduce the ecological footprint of factories. So far, the results are encouraging. More companies are factoring environmental sustainability into their purchasing decisions to urge suppliers to better manage their power usage and join the green energy movement – an important step in curbing the unavoidable consequences of climate change. Terry Tsao is Global Chief Marketing Officer at SEMI and President of SEMI Taiwan.