Magazine Archive 10-2015

Large-scale PV: Superlatives tend to accompany coverage of the 300 MW Cestas project in France. But as it nears completion, the speed of install for a project this size is also turning heads. Paul-François Croisille, the COO of project developer Neoen, spoke to pv magazine in the fourth installment in the series on Europe’s largest PV project.

PERC production equipment: It’s a surprise to no-one that PERC market share is growing and growing fast. However, with rapid adoption comes challenges, which includes equipment suppliers keeping up with a spike in demand and the resolution of technical challenges such as LID. Centrotherm senior vice president PV sales and technology Josef Haase sets out the German equipment supplier’s technical solutions for PERC.

Global PV markets: Exponential growth and unbeatable cost projects are phrases that are sometimes used when describing the global PV market. But those having spent years inside the PV market know that there are many forces always at play within PV. SPV Market Research’s Paula Mints has based a career on charting those forces and shares with pv magazine some insights into the latest SPV Market Research product and market five-year forecast.

EU PVSEC: From PV poster exhibition to towering trade show, the EU PVSEC has evolved over time. In 2016 it will take another bold step, becoming collocacted with Intersolar Europe in Munich. So it is no surprise in Hamburg this year there was the feeling of it being a last hurrah.

Chile: The development of solar in Chile has surprised and delighted in equal measure. Growth is strong and there is a major focus on the technical challenge of successfully installing systems. Daniel Barandalla and Ragna Schmidt-Haupt of DNV GL highlight quality ensuring measures that reduce the uncertainties of the financial returns of a PV project during the development, financing and operations phase in a climatic and environmentally outstanding region.

Chinese downstream market: From motor vehicle component suppliers to chemical companies, diverse players are entering China’s downstream PV sector. But will macro-economic forces sour plans of a diverse array of companies looking to move into the PV power plant business in China? Vincent Shaw reports from Shanghai.

NYSE Bloomberg Solar Energy Index: Flagging economic growth in China and soft second quarter reports drive the largest monthly decline registered so far in 2015.

Vahid Fakhfouri: Meyer Burger Debate: During last month’s EU PVSEC event, representatives from leading solar simulator providers met to address the development of new standards for the flashing of bifacial cells. However, it is not the only technological challenge facing these equipment providers, who in some ways hold the key as to what cell and module manufacturers can charge for the output from their production lines. pv magazine brought together Vahid Fakhfouri, the head of R&D at Meyer Burger’s Technology and Product Center for Measurement Technologies (Pasan), Klaus Ramspeck, the head of Product Development at Halm, and Torsten Brammer, the cofounder and CEO at Wavelabs to discuss this and more in the second part of a special series of equipment roundtable discussions. Klaus Ramspeck: Halm Torsten Brammer: Wavelabs