Magazine Archive 2023

By Artem Semenyshyn, CEO of the Solar Energy Association of Ukraine.

The insolvency of a major Australian solar recycler has highlighted the complexity of remodeling a linear-thinking industry and society into a circular one, reports pv magazine Australia’s Bella Peacock.

The world would have been a different place today had John Goodenough accepted the Shah of Iran’s $7 million offer, in 1974, to carry out solar research. Instead, he secured a job as the head of inorganic chemistry at the University of Oxford. During his tenure, he made a lithium-ion battery discovery that would affect the lives of almost everyone.

Sodium-ion batteries could diversify the battery supply chain and take the weight off the shoulders of ubiquitous lithium-ion technology. pv magazine sits down with Florian Kogler, head of safety and user experience at Austrian sodium-ion battery business Kite Rise, to discuss the technology’s potential and the company’s development plans for batteries made in Europe.

While solar energy offers numerous environmental benefits, it is essential to understand the potential pollution associated with the solar panel production process. Anoosheh Oskouian, president and CEO of Ship and Shore Environmental, sheds light on a process that can reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions in PV module production.

Electric utility Florida Power & Light (FPL) has adopted sustainability practices for PV project development based on parent energy company NextEra’s ambitious Zero Carbon Blueprint, as pv magazine USA’s Anne Fischer reports.

Europe’s dependence on China for solar manufacturing is a concern for the EU. Finding the right policies to incentivize investment will be crucial to scaling up domestic production as the continent is unable to compete on price, reports Andreas Walstad.

More people and businesses are recognizing the potential of solar in urban settings and, more importantly, they are finding ways to harness it. The use of balcony spaces for solar is shaping up to be an urban, clean-energy revolution, says Karolina Attspodina, co-founder and CEO of WeDoSolar.

While the potential ecosystem benefits of solar have been trailed for some time, there is yet to be a comprehensive global guide to local-environment-friendly solar installation. Academics in the UK are proposing one.

Polish lawmakers are backing a buoyant PV market with a simpler solar permitting regime and plans to legislate the sharing of grid connections. At the same time, regulators are easing the establishment of off-grid, direct-to-consumer power lines, writes Rödl and Partner’s Piotr Mrowiec.