Risk management in the PV supply chain
Manufacturer audits: Recently pv magazine joined the service provider SolarBuyer, LLC as it audited two PV module manufacturers in China. Both factories are located in the Yangtze River delta near Shanghai and the experience showcased the risks buyers face when purchasing modules without a thorough check of the product and the manufacturing processes.
Rising from the ashes
Thin film: While companies burn cash and fail, new ones rise from the ashes. Chinese dam builder Hanergy is picking up distressed thin film assets and could be emerging as a force not to be ignored.
Reliable technology for remote locations
Off-grid solar PV: In recent months, a number of companies have embarked upon off-grid solar PV projects in remote rural locations in Mozambique, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Tibet and the Philippines, among others. This article reports on how two companies, Sunlabob and Yingli, overcame the technological, organizational and logistical challenges faced in completing their off-grid installations.
Price bounce
Chinese factory gate prices: Chinese module suppliers expect module prices to bounce back up after hitting the bottom, hoping they offset rising polysilicon prices.
Nickel-and-diming the system
Power electronics: How and to what extent will electronics improvements lead to reductions in solar system costs? Lux Research analyst Matt Feinstein investigates the current trends.
4 GW by 2016
Interview: Ash Sharma, Director Solar Research at IHS, forecasts double digit growth rates in PV power optimizers although they are not economical in well-designed installations without shading.
Like raw eggs
Module transport: Modules have to be transported not only safely, but also economically. A lot of transport damage is not easily discernible and only becomes noticeable where there is waning performance. pv magazine focuses on the factors that can reduce module quality when it comes to their transport and how they can best be prevented without an unnecessary increase in costs.
Like raw eggs
Module transport: Modules have to be transported not only safely, but also economically. A lot of transport damage is not easily discernible and only becomes noticeable where there is waning performance. pv magazine focuses on the factors that can reduce module quality when it comes to their transport and how they can best be prevented without an unnecessary increase in costs.
Let the molecules do the work
Artificial photosynthesis: A team from the Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC, University of North Carolina) and the Research Triangle Solar Fuels Institute (RTSFI) in North Carolina, United States, is investigating a revolutionary way to generate fuel from sunlight using dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cells (DSPEC). A report by the researchers.
Koreas cautious comeback
South Korea: As an advanced economy and electronics manufacturing giant, Korea would seem well situated to push the PV industry forwards. With limited domestic energy resources, PV could also be a major priority for its government and people. This possibility has long presented itself, however progress has been slow and false starts common.
