India is currently the second largest market in the world for PV module demand. With China’s domestic demand frozen since the 31/5 notification, the country’s total module demand in 2018 will likely only achieve 32-34 GW. This will allow India, which may surpass 10 GW in annual demand, to reach 13% of global PV demand this year. As a result, the future of India’s trade war has become an influential factor in the global PV industry.

Jay Lin, CEO of PVGuider discusses why the effects of light induced degradation (LID) in PERC cells cannot be completely eliminated. To explain the difficulty, we first need to understand the LID behavior of the cells, he says.

As more states adopt ambitious renewable power and storage targets, hopes increase for continued market opportunities beyond the ITC. In the mid-term, the overall market opportunity is clear. At IHS Markit, we project 73 GW of solar PV systems will be installed in the United States from 2018 to 2022.

Independent energy analyst, Corinne Lin discusses the fallout of China’s recent solar PV policy decision, including decreasing utilization rates and serious oversupply; and a focus on equipment upgrades, particularly for PERC, SE, half cut and bifiacial technologies. The industry will bounce back in 2019, she concludes.

With the percentage of renewables in the global energy mix increasing, and global energy demand projected to increase by 30% over the next two decades, energy storage is more important now than ever. But what are the main technologies for energy storage, and how will these technologies affect global energy? Gabriel Hurtado González, Energy Solutions Manager at Mitie, and Sasaenia Paul Oluwabunmi, Operations Officer at the OPEC Fund for International Development answer this pertinent question.

Ignoring opposition appeals for cross-party support on clean energy policy ‘because Labor wants to drive up energy prices’ Australia’s ruling coalition will introduce an energy policy that features no emissions reduction targets.

The government of the South American country has changed the designated use of a plot of land near Diamond, for the construction of a solar plant, among other projects. The PV facility is being planned by local rum producer Demerara Distillers Limited.

Wifi hotspots powered by PV will bring internet access to remote communities for the first time under a scheme run by a ‘next generation utility’ which hopes to expand to provide more conventional utility services in future.

Brazilian conglomerate Grupo Rio Alto is planning to deploy another 210 MW of solar plants in the state of Paraiba, while Korean company KSB is discussing a $1.5 billion solar project with the authorities of Campo Grande, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

A 10 MW system in Derbyshire provided power to the grid as part of a virtual power plant in a national first. It should prove a popular development, according to the results of a new survey.

Hydropower company, Dai Hai Power is working on a 100 MW solar PV plant near Buon Me Thuot City, Vietnam. Sungrow will supply the necessary inverters.

The solar project will be built at the A58 Highway, near the municipality of Etten-Leur. More solar noise barriers, relying on bifacial module, are planned for main roads in the Netherlands.

Including the latest three projects, the country’s total approved large-scale solar capacity has surpassed 1 GW. The developer is Escalabis Solar and total investment is expected to reach €81 million.

With capital projects CIGSfab and CIGSlab – according to the PV equipment provider – on schedule, Manz expects big follow-up orders from its Chinese customers as solar provided the highlight of the parent company’s first-half figures.

A combination of national, state and public body commitments could see the amount of PV added nationally treble on the last four-year period. But even with a new 7-8 GW added, rooftop solar will still be bringing up the rear.

PUC Distribution contracted Fluence to install energy management and storage systems that would allow business in a city in Ontario to reduce high peak-load charges. It is hoped this will reduce costs and help Canada hit its strict carbon emissions mandate.

As the global EV market grows, manufacturers are seeking new revenue streams for used EV batteries. Applications in grid and residential storage systems have become popular. The market for second-life EV batteries is expected to reach $4.2 billion by 2025.

The driving force behind the innovative energy storage system installed at Amsterdam’s John Cruiff ArenA in the Netherlands, The Mobility House (TMH), talks to pv magazine about the death of the combustion engine, and how electric vehicles (EVs) are presenting both strong business cases, and unparalleled levels of flexibility via decentralized intelligence – blockchain technology – for electricity grids around the world.

The project connecting Germany and Norway was first conceived in 2015. The 624 km undersea cable will have a capacity of 1.4 GW, when operational in 2020. The EU is supporting the project and other grid infrastructure projects through its EFSI scheme to interconnect the European energy markets, for better renewable energy integration and improved security of supply.

Solar – and wind – will finally bring an element of environmental consciousness, and value for money, to the system charged with keeping the lights on in Britain. Is PV finally shaking off long-held fears about its intermittent nature?

While the microinverter maker is still the target of an aggressive short, Roth Capital Partners has reiterated its “buy” at $6.50 per share, describing the IQ8 as a “game changer”.

For solar to survive in a world without feed-in tariffs, further innovation focused on cost reduction is necessary. In this white paper, scientists from Swiss equipment supplier Meyer Burger argue that high efficiency cell concepts, and in particular heterojunction, will be among the best technologies solar can bet on to achieve this.

“Significant” price movements in solar PV cells has been observed this week, in reaction to India’s safeguard duties, and the impending MIP decision, says EnergyTrend. Module, wafer and polysilicon prices, however, remain stable. In contrast, prices for li-ion batteries are set to increase by as much as 15% in Q3.

The British wafer manufacturer has reached a settlement agreement on unfulfilled long-term wafer supply contracts with a customer. The unnamed manufacturer has to pay €28.8 million to PV Crystalox.

The PV manufacturer plans to pay off the high-interest ‘mezzanine loan’ with revenue from its residential lease portfolio.

After earmarking €4 million last year, Italy’s most dynamic and affleunt region is further supporting solar+storage installations through a rebate scheme.

A 25 MW / 52 MWh Tesla energy storage system will be installed at the Lake Bonney Wind Farm, in a state which already houses the world’s largest battery.

The Japanese PV industry should respond to the government’s recent decision to leave its 2030 energy mix targets unchanged by pushing for a higher share of solar in the next version of the country’s strategic energy plan, according to a new report.

A data center, which will be used for crypto and Bitcoin mining, will be powered by a combination of solar power generated at an adjacent 20 MW solar PV farm and coal-fired generator.

As the debate heats up before Friday’s meeting between federal, state, territory and local government energy ministers in Australia, the Victoria authority has issued a last-minute call to redraft the proposed National Energy Guarantee, and the Australian Capital Territory has redefined its NEG approval condition with regard to the emissions target. Meanwhile, Australia’s energy bodies have taken separate paths.