Magazine Archive 05-2016

MLPE vs. String, Part II: Last month pv magazine explored the recent developments within the module level power electronics (MLPE) space for part I of its three part focus on the future of the solar inverter landscape. For part II, attention turns to how string inverter suppliers are responding to the growing market threat posed by MLPE players, and examines just how MLPE suppliers are hoping to maintain their recent growth trajectory.

2015 PV manufacturer shipments: The balancing act that is solar PV supply and demand exported its inherent hopes and anxieties ever more globally in 2015, with China firmly in the hot seat as the industry inches closer to 1 TW.

C-Si cell ranking: Expansion is the order of the day for tier-1 crystalline silicon producers, with global reach. Expansions in Southeast Asia have been the common trend and PERC technology appears to be going mainstream. pv magazine teams up with IHS to produce this latest cell producer ranking.

Trends in PERC: The fluctuating pricing and preferences in the mono-Si and multi-Si markets are braced for a new round of battle as PERC and black silicon technologies bring their competing road maps to the sector, writes Corrine Lin of EnergyTrend.

Distributed energy storage systems: Hamstrung by the ‘next big thing’ millstone, energy storage development has, finally, begun showing signs of a breakthrough on cost, performance, and data monitoring, particularly in the distributed generation (DG) segment. Headwall Power International’s Brad Meikle brings a U.S. perspective to the storage space.

Guggenheim Solar Index: The best performing solar stocks of the last month were polysilicon suppliers and U.S. residential installers, the index finds.

Expansion of manufacturing in Southeast Asia: George Touloupas of Clean Energy Associates examines the factors that are compelling PV manufacturers to expand into the Southeast Asia region, and explores what this could mean for quality.

SNEC Superheroes: Solar’s saviors will be brought to life at this month’s SNEC Exhibition in Shanghai, walking the floor and demonstrating their special powers at the booths of their sponsors. Show visitors can show their appreciation by snapping a Superhero selfie and joining the #SolarSuperhero movement.

Solar Show Africa 2016: At Africa’s largest solar trade show in Johannesburg this March, visitors and experts from various African countries discussed ways to achieve some major goals for the continent, such as empowering 600 million Africans without access to electricity. pv magazine attended both days of the exhibition and uncovered a wide range of opportunities, from large utility-scale and rooftop C&I to various off-grid applications, and even distributed storage.