Magazine Archive

Cabling concerns: As PV cable and connector redesigns take place, more universal plug-and-play solutions are adopted, more harness pre-assembly takes place and more standardized links to junction boxes, inverters and panels are forged.

Global growth: Can the PV industry reach multi-terawatt annual deployment? Various roadblocks exist, not least the well-funded attack dogs of the conventional energy industries, but the opportunities and lessons learned are instructive of the path to take.

Module prices: As the European Commission continues its review of anti-dumping measures currently in place, a suspension of market restrictions could boost the PV industry and create a level playing field.

Price discussion: EPCs sometimes have to purchase modules at prices much higher than are feasible for their purpose, whether due to the minimum import price in the EU, import duties on Chinese modules in the U.S., or simply due to market conditions. Calculations for project modules show that sustainably produced, unsubsidized PV panels can be manufactured for significantly less than €0.50 per watt.

Smart buildings: The COP21 UN summit on climate change not only nurtured unity and political will to tackle a shared problem, but it also allowed those companies that are already way ahead of the curve to showcase their achievements and inspire the next generation. One such company is power electronics firm Delta, which saw COP21 as the ideal opportunity to share its green ideals with a global audience.

Solar investment: Total corporate funding in the solar sector comes in at $25.3 billion in 2015, with a record $5.5 billion raised by residential and commercial solar funds. VC funding tops $1 billion, and a record number of large-scale projects have been acquired, writes Mercom Capital Group CEO and co-founder Raj Prabhu.

C&I rooftop: The commercial and industrial rooftop space in the U.S. has big room to grow. Both SunPower and Solar Frontier are supplying this market with modular, repeatable PV power plants, which they hope will open up new roofs to solar.

PERC LID: While it brought one of the first regeneration tools on to the market, Germany’s centrotherm has observed a lag before market adoption, until now. Wolfgang Jooss (pictured), centrotherm’s Director R&D and Technology photovoltaics, and Thomas Pernau, Product Manager Firing and Regeneration Furnaces, spoke to pv magazine .

Global solar forecast: Mercom Capital’s Raj Prabhu dissects which solar markets are set to shape the PV landscape next year, pushing cumulative global installations to almost 65 GW in the process.