Magazine Archive 02-2013

On-site testing: In Europe, transportation routes between PV manufacturing facilities and solar parks are getting longer. That means that product quality might not always be as expected at the point of delivery. A cost-efficient way to overcome such risks is to use mobile test centers on-site, as Erik Lohse of MBJ Services, Tanja Bergbauer of BEC-Engineering, and Michael Radig of Gehrlicher Solar explain.

Africa: Overall economic growth on the continent for 2012 through 2013 is projected to reach 4.8% with some countries likely to hit the 6% mark. These figures are raising hopes of expanded investment in the nascent solar PV sector and the creation of ‘green collar’ jobs.

Dear readers, “Electricity Price: Altmaier Steps on the Brakes” – these anxious headlines arrived just in time for the editorial deadline. With the explanation that a precipitously rapid development of renewable energies, in particular photovoltaics, is leading to an endless increase in the amount of the surcharge provided for in the German Renewable Energy Sources […]

United Kingdom: The UK solar market is settling down after two rollercoaster years. So far the new capacity-linked “degressive” feed-in tariff (DFIT) system appears to be stabilizing the market. Now the value of solar renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) has been clarified and solar incorporated into the government’s green roadmap, all appears set for continued strong but steady growth.

Brazil: We have seen a lot of governmental stimulus for the PV industry, in particular in Europe, with varying degrees of success and often at great cost. Many other countries have learnt from the seemingly endless discussions in Germany, Italy and Spain and have chosen alternative support systems to the customer-friendly feed-in tariff mechanism. Christian Leers from Accelios elaborates.

Module prices: Worldwide, solar PV manufacturers are cutting back their production capacities. Chinese PV makers particularly, are clearing their warehouses in Europe.

Japan utility-scale: As Japan’s market has recently been kick-started, access to cost-effective finance coupled with the right choice of local partner will be crucial for international players in converting this market buzz into projects on the ground. Yukinobu Uchida and Ragna Schmidt-Haupt from global renewable energy consultancy GL Garrad Hassan provide insights into market entry.

Feed-in-tariffs: The entry into 2013 has been characterized by a plethora of FIT reductions, albeit minor ones.

Vision 2050: A study conducted by Fraunhofer ISE shows that electricity in Germany does not have to be any more expensive in the year 2050 than it is today, and that it can be produced completely from renewable energies. This time PV technology fares decidedly better than in past studies on the topic.