Surprising dynamics
Industry ranking: Whether among raw silicon or wafer manufacturers the competition is dynamic and some companies are expanding especially fast. Market researchers and analysts provide information about these manufacturers and their strategies.
Sustainable installations
Power for remote areas: Phocos AG, a manufacturer of solar-powered charge controllers, components and energy-saving appliances, has always focused on off-grid applications, often in areas with difficult conditions in climate and infrastructure. A report on some of the recent projects.
The limits of automation
Monitoring systems: They warn against loss of performance, but sometimes they also trigger false alarms, causing unnecessary service call-outs. How such errors can be minimized was Armin Schmiegels topic at the 1st Inverter and PV System Technology Forum 2011 in Berlin (January 24-25, 2011). In pv magazine, the expert from voltwerk electronics, together with his colleague Andreas Linhart, explains the details.
The silent revolution continues
The story of solar electricity: The eighteenth part of our series of chapters from John Perlins book From Space to Earth looks back at how photovoltaics became widely accepted around the world.
Welcome China
Dear readers, In 2010, the People’s Republic of China overtook Japan as the second largest economy in the world. China is also setting the pace more and more when it comes to photovoltaic technology. In its newest five-year plan the central government in Peking defined renewable energy as one of seven strategic industries. Newly installed […]
What to do about PV waste?
Opinion: Some companies offer voluntary recycling services. At governmental level, the issue has only been addressed by the European Union. Jennifer Woolwich sums up the considerations and suggestions in the industry.
Win-win in Wuhan
Chinese industry incentives: Evergreen Solar is moving its PV manufacturing plant from Devens, USA, to Wuhan, China. Its sad for Massachusetts, but the move is understandable: China is offering generous support for high-tech ventures, especially in the clean tech space.
A German-Chinese fight over a Japanese patent
Patents: Solarworld has some serious issues with the Chinese PV manufacturers Solarfun and Suntech. The companies are allegedly gaining a competitive advantage by infringing on the patent rights of Japanese company Shin-Etsu. The patented process increases the efficiency of a solar cell by an average of half a percent.
Brothers, to the sun
Energy cooperative: Earning money while conserving creation this is the aim of an initiative by two churches in Horb am Neckar in southwestern Germany. The project has applied for the Rottenburg-Stuttgart Dioceses Saint Francis Prize for Sustainability, worth 10,000 euros.
How PV+Test works
Glossary: PV+Test uses a wide range of measurement results and other module properties in its assessment. The assessment scheme shows what experts think makes up a good module.
