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Magazine Archive 03 - 2023 | Take the high road

Global efforts in a fractured world

Already, 2023 is bringing unprecedented development to the global PV market as forecasts for annual installations surge above the 300 GW mark. To meet this demand, manufacturing is ramping up across the solar supply chain. Encouragingly, the production capacity being added – plus existing lines being upgraded – are coming in the form of high-efficiency […]

New lease on life

The Invesco Solar ETF, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the MAC Global Solar Energy Index, under-performed relative to the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) in February. Roth Capital’s Jesse Pichel attributes this to inflation uncertainty and concern over expected interest rate hikes.

State of the (European) union

Gerard Reid, co-founder of corporate finance advisory Alexa Capital, considers whether the EU is up to the task of dealing with the twin threats of the energy crisis and the pull of a revitalized US clean power industry.

A positive negative outlook

While p-type (positively-doped) passivated-emitter rear contact (PERC) solar cells are unlikely to disappear any time soon, n-type technology is gaining ground, with tunnel-oxide passivated-contact (TOPCon) expected to lead the charge into the new normal. S&P Global Commodity Insights’ Karl Melkonyan takes a look at the n-type runners and riders.

Solar trends to watch in 2023

Solar grew more than any other renewable energy technology in 2022, driven by the energy crisis and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. InfoLink Consulting says that global solar demand reached 278 GW last year, up 56%, or roughly 100 GW, from 178 GW in 2021, with bigger changes in supply and demand expected in 2023. InfoLink Chief Analyst Corrine Lin predicts three major trends for the year ahead.

Get what you pay for

Clean Energy Associates (CEA) has calculated the price premium that solar developers will swallow in return for the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) savings offered by the latest generation of high-efficiency PV panels.

Utilities seek firm solutions

As Indian power companies finally wake up to the urgent need for energy storage to even out supply from the nation’s solar energy boom, pumped hydro appears set to lead the way against battery installations, as Bridge to India MD Vinay Rustagi reports.

Still big in Japan?

A flat year for solar installation numbers in Japan could be seen as positive in a nation switching to new PV business models, writes Izumi Kaizuka, director of research for Japanese solar consultancy RTS Corp.

Fortune favors the brave

The renewables industry fears that the new energy bill that the French government is preparing could make clean power generation even tougher. However, solar analyst Xavier Daval says that betting everything on the nation’s nuclear power fleet is a risky strategy.

More power to the grid

Though a late starter compared to some regions of Europe, Poland has introduced policies supportive of PV growth and has steadily added to its solar capacity in the last few years. In 2023, aging grid infrastructure and other challenges threaten to slow progress but there’s still plenty to be optimistic about, as Spiros Martinis, executive strategy and investment officer at project developer Greenvolt, recently told pv magazine.

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