Magazine Archive 07–2021

From want to need; it’s a marketer’s dream, but it’s precisely the transition that solar has undergone over the last 10-15 years. Previously, PV was an expensive product, cost effective only when the provision of electricity from fossil fuels was prohibitively high or in the domain of environmentalist diehards, committed to low carbon technology no matter the cost.

In June, solar stocks underperformed, writes Jesse Pichel of ROTH Capital Partners. The U.S. residential market retains a positive outlook, though rising prices and forced labor concerns represent significant challenges.

More money for climate protection – that’s what the G7 heads of state agreed on at their recent summit in Cornwall, England. It will involve making a whole lot more funds available to expedite the current pace of renewable energy expansion.

PV markets in Southeast Asia have picked up over the past two years, driven by the astounding growth of Vietnam. Regional policies, combined with growing demand for renewable power in the manufacturing industry, will result in 27 GW of new PV installations across the region over the next five years, writes IHS Markit analyst Dharmendra Kumar. PV installations in these countries are driven by attractive feed-in tariffs, net energy metering, tariff-based auction mechanisms, and other incentives.

Every year, the SNEC PV Power Expo marks a turning point in the direction of solar market trends, and 2021 was no exception. Corrine Lin, chief analyst at PV InfoLink, was at the show to soak up the latest trends at one of the first big events to go ahead since early 2020.

Solar, and renewable energy more broadly, is often called a fast-paced industry. This is true when compared to many other industries, as PV manufacturers are able to introduce adaptations, or even completely new processes, into mass production at what might seem to outsiders like the drop of a hat. But in fact, every new development is the result of years of hard work.

Mark Jacobson, director of the atmosphere/energy program at Stanford University, has developed roadmaps for 143 countries to meet 100% of their energy demand from power generated by wind, water, and sunlight. In every case, these roadmaps promise major reductions in energy costs, while mitigating the effects of climate change and air pollution. pv magazine checked in with Jacobson for a look at the energy transition’s bigger picture.

The time is now for the energy consumer, says Anna Bruce, as energy “prosumers” produce, consume, and provide electricity and grid services in previously unimagined ways. Bruce, a senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales’ School of Solar Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE), leads work on the role of distributed energy resources in the energy transition, analyzing firsthand the dizzying level of complexity it brings.

Gautham Ram completed an electrical engineering degree in his home city of Chennai, India, and won a scholarship to complete a master’s at TU Delft in the Netherlands. He subsequently completed a PhD on the topic of charging EVs with solar. Speaking with pv magazine, Ram gave insights on his life, ongoing research, and his thoughts on EVs and charging.