Magazine Archive 04-2015

NYSE Bloomberg Solar Energy Index: Financing support and sunny 2015 outlooks help lift the index. Hanergy continues its upward trend despite lack of news flow.

USA: Only two states in the south of the US adopted renewable energy mandates that require their utilities to purchase electricity from renewable energy. Just a few years ago Southern utilities were openly opposed to solar energy in their service area. Now a wave of change is crashing through the region.

Japan: There have been reports that the Japanese PV market may not have the most rosy of outlooks in the mid-term. But with predictions for the 2015 market coming in between the 8 to 10 GW mark it is hardly a minnow. And with its continuing preference for high efficiency products and smart solutions it will remain a highly significant PV hub for some time to come.

Solar production in Latin America: Latin American nations are developing their solar potential in various ways. While countries like Argentina are creating solar energy industries before there is an established market for them to serve, others like Chile are opting to raise installation volume without worrying about creating an industry. Meanwhile, the likes of Brazil are trying to achieve both outcomes by setting local content requirements.

Large-scale storage: Demand for large-scale, stationary storage is being driven by a combination of greater solar penetration and technical improvements within the industry. But which battery technology is most adept at meeting the storage needs of utilities and commercial-scale players?

Large-scale storage: Demand for large-scale, stationary storage is being driven by a combination of greater solar penetration and technical improvements within the industry. But which battery technology is most adept at meeting the storage needs of utilities and commercial-scale players?

There are many drivers of innovation, and necessity ranks high on the list. In the PV industry, it appears as if the first great wave of module manufacturing capacity expansions necessitated a range of innovations to achieve production at vast scale. But at the same time it brought great pressures, as oversupply gripped the market […]

Module prices: A planned increase in the minimum import price undermines confidence in the European market. The first Chinese manufacturers are turning their backs on the “voluntary price undertaking” agreement between China and the EU.

Module prices: A planned increase in the minimum import price undermines confidence in the European market. The first Chinese manufacturers are turning their backs on the “voluntary price undertaking” agreement between China and the EU.