Panasonic to suspend PV cell assembly amid declining demand
Panasonic Corp. is set to suspend operations at one of its PV cell plants for several months amid dwindling demand, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported Tuesday.
Europe: Solar market grows 15% in 2015
While demand for solar systems has declined or remained flat in most of European countries, the United Kingdom’s muscular solar growth led to a dramatic increase in demand for Europe as a whole.
Ikea halts sales of solar PV in UK
The Swedish furniture and home accessories giant has been an avid proponent of clean energy, but following drastic cuts in the U.K.s solar subsidies, it has decided to stop selling solar systems in the country.
SolarEdge ships 10 millionth power optimizer
Israeli PV inverter and optimizer specialist shipped half of its 10 million power optimizers in 2015, reaching the 10 million milestone after just six years of commercial shipments.
Japan: Green transport ship sets sail with Solar Frontier CIS panels
“This is one example of the greater role that solar energy has to play in our future, supporting an ever broader range of technologies in a wider range of industries,” says Solar Frontier CEO Atsuhiko Hirano.
IHS: Global solar PV pipeline surpasses 200 GW
The extension of the ITC in the U.S. has bolstered the country’s PV sector, leading to the biggest growth in the global pipeline. Around the world, the trend towards increased system sizes is apparent, with two-thirds of the global pipeline made up of projects larger than 50 MW.
Renewables reach 17.8% of French electricity consumption in 2015
Frances grid operator reports that the nation has reached 6.19 GW of solar PV, enough to meet 1.6% of electricity demand.
SMA: When storage systems pay off for commercial business
While private PV system operators work toward optimizing self-consumption, storage systems in industry are mainly used to provide control reserve and thus ensure grid stability. In commercial storage system applications, the main focus is on efficiency and a secure electricity supply. SMA experts, Volker Wachenfeld and Nick Morbach elaborate.
Singulus narrows 2015 loss, increases revenue
The German equipment supplier is strengthening its focus on the solar segment with production machinery for both thin-film and crystalline cells amidst waning sales in the optical disc segment.
Canada: Alberta introduces new solar initiative
The province has unveiled new solar funding programs aimed at municipalities and farms that offers rebates of up to $0.75 per watt. The government reports “a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and uptake for these kinds of programs.”
