Magazine Archive 06-2013

PV production in Taiwan: German production equipment is widely admired in Taiwan. So when Taiwanese companies began investing in solar manufacturing, German equipment makers were the obvious candidates. A report from Taiwan.

Indian market update: Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group, provides an update on the Indian solar policies in the second quarter of 2013.

Module prices: The antidumping tariff recommendation made by the EU’s Trade Commissioner leads to more uncertainty in the market.

Logistics and supply chain: As margins in the solar industry remain under pressure and consolidation gathers pace, companies are looking even harder for ways to cut costs. Aside from technical specifications and labor costs, experts claim there are huge savings to be made in solar equipment logistics and after sale service, especially as traditional business to business models are eroded by bankruptcies, mergers and more sales directly to end-users as manufacturers go downstream.

SNEC: Slim margins, difficult payment conditions and uncertainty cast by the Sino-EU trade dispute were all prominent factors at the 2013 SNEC trade show. However despite the challenges, the world’s biggest trade show demonstrated how China truly remains a crucial player in the global PV industry.

PV at the crossroads: The PV industry has taken a beating in the last couple of years. Nevertheless the widespread consolidation, despite being painful, could be a blessing in disguise. The strongest will survive, and some manufacturers’ coffers may be slowly filling, with new markets evolving. Is this the turning point for PV?

Interview: Solar wholesale dealer AS Solar, with headquarters in Hanover, Germany, has been in the photovoltaic technology business for more than 10 years. pv magazine spoke with managing director Thomas Rust, who has 20 years of PV experience, about the company’s strategy in difficult times.

Intersolar Europe: The numbers may be down after a turbulent year for the solar industry, but with the focus shifting to downstream markets and energy storage, and with representatives from more countries than ever, the increasingly diverse nature of Europe’s most important solar shindig once again ensures it is a must-see event. Intersolar Europe will be held June 19 – 21, 2013, in Munich, Germany.

Ardour Solar Index: Improving demand and margin outlooks buoy the solar index. More consolidation supports the long term viability of the industry.

BIPV: For architects who dream of a future where buildings seamlessly integrate energy generation, technologies coming out of Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) suggest the future is close at hand.