Top level, global reports for China’s PV market
The photovoltaics industry is fast paced, constantly evolving and always innovative. And, when it comes to the global PV manufacturers, it is impossible to ignore China. Indeed, the top four crystalline module producers are all based there. With the help of their leading price advantage, they have been growing their businesses over the past few years at such a rate that is has been difficult for competitors from other parts of the world to keep up.
In light of the prominent position of Chinese manufacturers and increasingly the domestic Chinese PV market, especially for large-scale installations, pv magazine created a Chinese version of its international publication in 2011, to help China’s PV professionals gain access to global solar market developments. In addition to its Berlin headquarters, pv magazine China has established a Shanghai office. The goal is to present the very best in photovoltaic technology and solutions from across the world to a Chinese audience throughout Greater China.
Benefiting from pv magazine’s international network and long-standing reputation for objective reporting and in-depth analysis, it offers content in the Chinese language and takes a look at the latest PV-related technological developments. With a specific focus on quality and best practices, it features top players from China and overseas, which are aiming to increase their China-related business.
pv magazine China is published on a quarterly basis and addresses a wide range of issues affecting the Chinese and global PV industry. An online version will be available later this year.
May 2013 Issue of pv magazine China
The next issue of pv magazine China will be published on Sep 20th. The following are the main Topics covered in May issue:
Markets & Trends
Japan
With reports that the Japanese solar market could be worth US$19 billion over the next few years, there is no surprise that it is attracting a great deal of attention. There has also been speculation about FIT cuts. pv magazine China provides the highlights of PV Expo 2013 in Tokyo.
Korea
With Hanwha and Hyundai Heavy Industries leading the way, the Korean conglomerates seem unwilling to leave PV manufacturing to Chinese suppliers. However is the domestic PV market going to follow suit and lead to an investment in PV as an energy business of the future? pv magazine China looks at the International Green Energy Expo Korea 2013.
Myanmar
According to the World Bank about 68% of Myanmar’s population lives in rural areas. With new goals to triple GDP after opening up the country to the international community, the question remains whether only urban dwellers will enjoy the benefits reaped by the potential economic growth. Widespread electrification is a big question mark that hangs over the country. Will the country successfully develop its power infrastructure for all citizens? What role will solar power play?
Philippines
The Philippines are one of the Southeast Asian markets that offer huge potential for PV thanks to high electricity rates and growing energy demand. pv magazine China lines out the challenges and bottlenecks.
Emerging markets – Latin America
Countries like Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Peru are said to be the fast-growing hot spots of the emerging South American PV markets. NPD Solarbuzz provides pv magazine China with a closer look.
CPV in Saudi Arabia
Concentrated PV is expected to grow worldwide with predictions of sales up to 1.4 GW by 2015. Middle East players also have eyes on this technology for their ambitious projects. Does CPV pay off in Saudi Arabia for instance?
Industry & Suppliers
Hanergy emerging as major CIGS player
While First Solar and Solar Frontier remain pillars of global thin film manufacturing, Chinese renewable energy developer and manufacturer Hanergy is emerging as a major player in the space. Having completed its acquisition of MiaSolé in January, Hanergy looks set to develop and manufacture flexible CIGS modules there. It also owns CIGS manufacturer Solibro in Germany, to supply the European market. Hanergy’s play into CIGS has certainly been decisive, but will it pay off for the Chinese dam building and renewable energy giant?
Auditing manufacturers
In our continuing look at bankability and technical audits of PV manufacturers pv magazine China will examine the novel approach adopted by SolarBuyer as this U.S. service provider seeks to offer a one-stop outsourcing solution for downstream players keen to secure reliable and high quality PV products. pv magazine China joined SolarBuyer as they performed technical audits at two Chinese panel manufacturers and has gained a much better sense of how SolarBuyer does its job and what factors drive their scoring of manufacturers. pv magazine China shares these insights in its May issue.
PV equipment market
The evolving PV market is making it likely that c-Si and thin film technologies can coexist in the future. This is the argument proposed by NPD Solarbuzz’s Finlay Colville. The article reviews some of the standard metrics historically used to compare c-Si and thin-film technologies, but also provides new parameters that are becoming more important to track.
Tin
Silver is a metal with a volatile price; it can exhibit big gains or huge losses. With the International Monetary Fund predicting a 3.6% global expansion in 2013, from 3.3% in 2012, silver remains a sought-after commodity worldwide and in PV. Of late possible substitutes like copper, nickel and tin, among others, have been seeing success.
Production equipment for wafer and ingots
With the big focus on cost reduction how can the upstream industry segment contribute? pv magazine China investigates how this industry segment is focused on driving down production costs and what trends are emerging.
Applications & Installations
Large rooftop applications
Mounting systems for large rooftop PV applications need to address the challenge of aerodynamics. Ballast is often needed to provide stability, but balancing ballast load and weight can be tricky. Mounting Systems takes a look at how mounting system materials and design can address this while minimizing shading. Geographical considerations must also be taken into account.
Inverters
How and to what extent will electronics improvements lead to reductions in solar system costs? Lux Research analyst Matt Feinstein investigates the current trends.
Laminators
pv magazine China investigates cost effectiveness and ease of integration in the laminator business, along with new laminator developments. The major suppliers have their say about new technologies.
Solar project standards
A new consortium has set about creating the first rating system for solar assets in the U.S. Called truSolar, the initiative is a partnership with 16 leaders in the finance and energy industries including Standard & Poor’s, Booz Allen Hamilton, Distributed Sun, DuPont and Solar Mosaic. The initiative aims to accelerate the growth of the solar industry and bring more high-quality solar projects to the market in a more efficient way.
Research & Development
Photoelectric cells
Dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cells (DSPEC) can potentially generate solar power by replicating photosynthesis. By letting the molecules do the work, and with significant recent advances in water oxidation and CO2 catalysis, DSPEC could launch a revolution in photovoltaic energy. pv magazine China takes a look at the recent advances.
Financial & Legal Affairs
Solar pv trade disputes
The trade disputes against China continue intensifying and cause a stir across the industry. What do the trade disputes mean? What are the effects thus far? Could these effects really help to boost U.S. or European PV manufacturing? pv magazine China investigates the latest developments.
Contents 02/2013
Markets & Trends
5 News
12 China: Distributed pv power paves a new way for the further development of Chinese solar industry.
16 Japan: An awaited PV boom and takeaways from the expo in Tokyo.
20 South Korea: Public support pushes PV, with national and city initiatives.
24 Myanmar: Persevering to bring solar power to those who need it the most. Can PV bring light to the newly open country?
28 The Philippines: PV is still new and the market still small. With the region turning to solar, will the Philippines follow suit?
31 Indian rooftop market: A rooftop revolution in India? Madhavan Nampoothiri of RESolve Energy Consultants elaborates.
34 The Americas: Mexico, Chile, and Brazil lead the pack.Chris Sunsong from NPD Solarbuzz elaborates.
36 Saudi Arabia: Increasing domestic fuel consumption paves the way to a renewable power revolution.
Industry & Suppliers
42 Thin film: A new kid on the block. Hanergy takes a new direction in the thin film business with expansions and acquisitions.
46 Manufacturer audits: Risks buyers face when purchasing modules without checks.
52 Silver savings: The quest to lower silver usage in PV. What are the other options?
54 Laminators: Banking on cost savings and innovation to rescure the sector.
58 Ingot and wafer production: Saving silicon. Are new technologies and methods actually worth the effort？
60 Crystalline vs thin film: NPD Solarbuzz´s Finlay Colville talks about parameters to compare c-Si and thin film technologies.
Applications & Installations
64 Project Standards: A new rating system to assess the risks and bankability of projects in the U.S.
68 Power electronics: Lux Research analyst Matt Feinstein analyzes the current trends.
70 On-roof mounting systems: Sandy Schnitzer, Director Engineering at Mounting Systems, talks about windy days and keeping modules anchored on roofs.
73 Module certification: Are certified PV modules foolproof? A commentary by Dricus de Rooij and Niclas Weimar of Sinovoltaics.com.
74 Product news
Research & Development
80 Photoelectric cells: Dye-sensitized photoelectorsynthesis cells discussed by the Energy Frontier Research Center and the Research Triangle Solar Fuels Institute.
Financial & Legal Affairs
84 Antidumping duties: A way to keep Chinese modules out of Europe?
88 Trade case: Have the antidumping tariffs leveled the playing field between the U.S. and China?
76 Events
79 Advertisement overview
80 Preview and imprint
Advertising contacts
Andrea Jeremias
Advertising director
jeremias( at )pv-magazine.com
Tel. +49 30 726 296-323
Lan Cao
Advertising sales, Greater China
pvmagchina( at )pv-magazine.com
Tel. +86 21 6103 6799
Mobile +86 135 85768047
Justin August
Advertising sales, Japan, Korea and India
Sakura international
japan(at)pv-magazine.com
justin(at)sakurain.co.jp
Tel. +81 356 461 160
Mobile +81 90 5887 2552
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Subscribe for free to pv magazine Chinese edition. To discover more, click here for latest media kit, or contact Andrea Jeremias via email or at +49 30 726 296-323.
With partners Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Coveme, ISE Fraunhofer and Kaco, pv magazine and Solarpraxis AG launched its 300 GW/a campaign at the EU PVSEC trade show this September. We invite you to submit your ideas, innovations and projects in order to reach this goal, and will present the best of them online and in print. Our German-language sister publication, photovoltaik is also launching its initiative for 200 GW of total installed PV capacity for Germany. Watch out for an invitation to the 300 GW/a breakfast event or inquire at event( at )pv-magazine.com
With partners Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Coveme, ISE Fraunhofer and Kaco, pv magazine and Solarpraxis AG launched its 300 GW/a campaign at the EU PVSEC trade show this September. We invite you to submit your ideas, innovations and projects in order to reach this goal, and will present the best of them online and in print. Our German-language sister publication, photovoltaik is also launching its initiative for 200 GW of total installed PV capacity for Germany. Watch out for an invitation to the 300 GW/a breakfast event or inquire at event( at )pv-magazine.com
