Panorama

Crowd funding for the Berlin-based start-up and social business’ latest product continues to skyrocket. CEO Felix Hallwachs speaks with pv magazine about the company’s plans for its new solar powered cell phone charger and the spectacular success of its funding campaign.

Pope Francis is set publish an encyclical on ecology and climate change this year with the aim of inspiring real action at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris. The pontiff’s actions are defining the Vatican’s new role as a crusader for environmental protection.

Germany’s Solar Cluster and its member organizations are looking to see whether the ambitious project is technically and financially feasible. Brazil’s burgeoning PV sector is poised to attract German solar companies eager to expand international operations.

While government cuts slashed the internal rate of return for Greek PV plants, they still remain significantly higher than in other European countries and offer foreign investors a potentially attractive investment as Greece’s economy slowly recovers.

Franco Traverso has provided pv magazine with additional information on Urbeco, the new European alliance that aims to carry out smart and eco-friendly urbanization in developing countries. Belgium’s Groupmec and Switzerland’s Ovóla have joined MegaCell Engineering in the venture.

Third Step France will deploy the modules at eight utility-scale projects in Southern France. Chine Sunergy expects to win futrther projects in Europe thanks to its recently opened module fab in Turkey.

Despite some high-profile setbacks, like the resignation of Alenka Bratusek as energy union vice president nominee, Jean-Claude Juncker’s new commission is set to take power on November 1.

Total installations in the region are expected to reach 1.5 GW through 2018. The region’s current PV pipeline of planned utility-scale projects amounts to 1.3 GW.

By switching from silver to copper, the cost of producing a solar cell would fall by a fraction of a cent. Yet in building a 100 MW facility, developers could save more than $100,000.

John Perlin explores the history of solar energy in his latest book, “Let it Shine: The 6,000-Year Story of Solar Energy.” pv magazine caught up with the author for an interview in the August issue. Here’s an excerpt.