Thin competition in thin film
Thin film ranking: Using the latest data from analysts IHS Markit and figures reported by the companies themselves, pv magazine rounds up the five leading module producers currently operating in the global thin film space.
What counts
Module prices: In an overall quiet market characterized by the onset everywhere of summer vacation, module prices generally declined in July.
Wheels keep on turning
India update: As cumulative solar installations in India cross 8 GW, optimism is tempered somewhat by persistent challenges that the industry must still face, writes Raj Prabhu, CEO and cofounder of Mercom Capital Group.
Why, robot
Automation in PV: With huge leaps made in automation of PV module production facilities over the past decade, module quality and output have seen dramatic increases. However, differences still exist among tier-1 manufacturers in terms of relative levels of automation, with some manufacturers choosing not to automate certain process steps for reasons of cost, flexibility and even quality. George Touloupas of Clean Energy Associates examines the major pros and cons for automation of key process steps, and asks why some have chosen one approach over the other.
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Smart Renewable Energy: Across 20 pages pv magazine examines the latest trends as enabling technology allows PV and other renewables to get smart. Its the curse that comes with success. But perhaps its a blessing. As PV and other renewable energy sources continue to play a larger role as a generation source in electricity grids […]
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Breaking the rules Just as the physical grid was designed for one-way flow of electricity from centralized generation to distributed loads, political and regulatory structures are also based on this centralized architecture. As such, these structures have had a difficult time adapting to a new reality of two-way flows of electricity, with multiple services supplied […]
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Smart home market battle widens Given the central importance of solar generation to a smart home today, solar monitoring plays an incumbent role in the control and command of usage. However, the ultimate user interface between the user and the smart home is fast evolving through the use of intense electronics programming among dozens of […]
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Disruption in building services What is the biggest challenge for the Internet of Things in the home? Viktor Grinewitschus: There is one fundamental question that is really important for the industry: Where is the value creation? How do manufacturers define themselves and what is the functionality of their devices? If you make a device completely […]
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Microgrids Smart renewable energy clusters provide independence from the grid Microgrids are defined as a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources (DERs) within clearly-defined electrical boundaries that act as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid. They offer a potentially cheaper, more reliable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional centralized […]
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Residential energy storage gets smarter Residential storage installs were up 5% during the first quarter of this year, according to GTM Research. But Navigant Consulting suggests that global residential energy storage will grow from 95 MW today to 3.8 GW by 2025. Within that market, North American residential storage is expected to rise 55% from 15 MW today […]
