Catching the sun – 03-2010
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Excerpt from the magazine
Highly dynamic
Market overview inverters: Our inverter overview covers over 550 models. Over the next pages, you will find 330 models with their technical data. A complete list is available for our subscribers on demand. At first glance, the technical advancements could appear to be quite small. Nonetheless, taken as a whole, they are substantial.
Sep 15, 2010
Bigger and thinner but quicker?
Field installations: Applied Materials is seeking to substantially accelerate the construction of solar power arrays with its 5.7 square meter modules. In particular, the semi-automated installation of the modules is set to bring about greater efficiency. Yet not all project developers consider this the way forward.
Sep 15, 2010
Sound business environment
Greece: To the relief of many of those involved, the Greek photovoltaics market finally picked up speed in the second half of last year. But the European Commission has now put the Greek budget under strict control, and this financially weakened country, which now has to cut its new borrowings by 75 percent by 2012. Nonetheless, there is hardly anyone who expects the financial crisis to have a negative effect on the Greek solar industry.
Sep 15, 2010
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Aging brings surprises
Thin film: The knowledge that some thin film modules age faster and others more slowly doesnt really mean much in the real world unless laboratory experiments help separate the wheat from the chaff. Visitors to the OTTI thin film symposium found out how this is possible. They also learned about the positive side of module aging.
Sep 15, 2010
Pretty and efficient
Concentrating PV: As the photovoltaics market gets more competitive, new systems that combine solar electricity generation with solar hot water and heating could help reduce cost payback periods. The Center for Architecture Science and Ecology is developing a concentrating PV technology integrated into a glass facade, which also hopes to gain a competitive edge with its gem-like design.
Sep 15, 2010
Waiting for the new feed-in legislation
Italy: Despite difficulties at the start, the Italian solar market has undergone rapid development. At the Conferenza dellIndustria Solare Italiana (CIS-IT) the sector showed itself to be sanguine about the future, anticipating a new law that will help fund PV.
Sep 15, 2010
Taking advantage of globalization
Dear readers, Whether you like it or not, the globalization of the photovoltaics industry and markets is a reality and continues to progress. The question is how to make the best of the situation. China is an especially good example; more than half of Chinese PV firms went bankrupt in the first half of 2009 […]
Sep 15, 2010
Photovoltaic glitter
Microcells: Scientists at the U.S. Sandia National Laboratories have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used. These micron-sized cells hold the potential for a variety of new PV applications. Sandia labs expect that the technology could be ready for commercial production in three to five years.
Sep 15, 2010
Having confidence in your own strength
Dear readers, Reliance on politics and policies is a two-edged sword. This fact recently became clear once more in the discussions and proposals to cut feed-in tariffs in Germany, the leading photovoltaics market in the world. The ongoing global recession hasn’t helped either. Share prices of companies that used to be the stars of the […]
Sep 15, 2010
A market in movement
Trackers: Tracking systems are being used more and more often in large solar plants. They assure a higher performance, but are also technically more complex. And the jury is still out on which system will perform best over the long term. The market for tracking systems is changing. While some start-up companies keep trying to bring biaxial tracking systems up to market maturity, Solon is preparing to ditch the technology. Lars Podlowski, Solons chief technical officer, tells pv magazine why.
Sep 15, 2010
