FUTURE PV – 09-2014
Already a subscriber?
Login
Excerpt from the magazine
Subscribe now for instant access to this issue and every published issue since 2016.
Subscribe
Israels clean energy future
Israel: Having deployed the highest number of PV installations in the Middle East, expectations are high that Israel will soon drive the regions solar PV renaissance. pv magazine asks whether international expectations of rapidly developing solar PV are well grounded or overestimated.
Sep 14, 2014
Sharp learning curve
SEMI roadmap: Where is c-Si technology headed? Which new processes and technologies are truly competitive according to the analysis of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI)? pv magazine spoke with Stephan Raithel of SEMI Europe and Paxon Lee of SEMI Taiwan about SEMIs International Technology Roadmap for PV (ITRPV).
Sep 14, 2014
Pivoting to silicon
Craneless maintenance: The new XEAnova tool from PV production supplier Von Ardenne has led the companys latest pivot towards c-Si tool supply, delivering a vacuum coating technique that improves coating times and most pertinent of all removes the need for crane-based maintenance.
Sep 14, 2014
Consolidation and expansion
Industry ranking: Capacity additions and production ramps were not terms uttered often about thin producers in the recent years. But amongst the swirling winds of trade disputes, downstream integration, and steady technological progress, thin films are just about holding their own.
Sep 14, 2014
Security and duties, the Pakistan challenge
Pakistan: With corruption and security issues an everyday concern for solar investors in Pakistan, a domestic developer believes that the reintroduction of a crippling tax regime could sound the death knell for utility-scale projects before any ground is broken.
Sep 14, 2014
Ten points on the Turkish solar market
Turkey: A growing economy, an insatiable thirst for energy, high levels of solar irradiation and an enviable location at the crossroads of East and West. Are these conditions perfect for nurturing the next solar superstar, or a muddled cocktail where dormant potential is forever doomed to remain unfulfilled? pv magazine breaks down the Turkish enigma into these 10 key points.
Sep 14, 2014
Innovating times
Innovate and prosper: It’s almost a mantra in parts of the PV industry. It’s also at the heart of what will continue solar’s march into and beyond competitiveness with our rivals in the thermal power sector and keep PV on the impressive learning curve that has served us so well. But then again, it’s easier […]
Sep 14, 2014
Eager for an industry
Manufacturing in Latin America: The emergence of a market for large-scale photovoltaic power plants combined with mandatory local content requirements in some countries, such as Brazil, has given rise to a host of plans to set up solar equipment factories throughout Latin America.
Sep 14, 2014
Rooftop installation system tests hit the decks
Installation: U.S. solar installers and developers are being offered more assistance to help them shave critical minutes off the time required to properly install a fire-safe rooftop solar system. Ranging from new testing products for OEMs to self-testing for installers, the new offerings will facilitate OEM regulatory adherence and installer efficiency, and also help ensure bankability and return on investment.
Sep 14, 2014
From Japan to global manufacturing
CEO Interview: Japanese CIS thin film producer and integrator Solar Frontier is evolving. Emerging from its parent, Showa Shell Sekiyu, the company is increasing its international footprint after two booming years supplying the Japanese market. Last month Solar Frontier appointed Atsuhiko Hirano as president and CEO. He spoke to pv magazine in Tokyo the week he took control of the company.
Sep 14, 2014
Back on track with new investor
Mounting Systems: The solar downturn of 2012 and 2013 claimed many victims. One of which, Germanys Mounting Systems, was left looking for a buyer after parent company Conergy Group became insolvent. In December 2013, an agreement was reached for the Nordwest Industrie Group to purchase Mounting Systems. pv magazine met with Managing Director Stefan Spork on its re-emergence from financial insecurity onto the global stage.
Sep 14, 2014
Making the change
Central America and the Caribbean: How can renewables meet the energy needs of a region dependant on fossil fuel? Carlos Albero and Daniel Barandalla of the global consultancy DNV GL examine the various ways PV is lighting the way forward in Central America and the Caribbean.
Sep 14, 2014
A European energy union
EU energy strategy: From currency to employment rights, European unity has proved workable on a number of important issues. Yet one of Europes most pressing concerns energy remains fragmented, lacking a binding strategy that could deliver a more sustainable, independent future. pv magazine finds a solar industry armed with the tools to engineer change, but asks: Is there sufficient political appetite to challenge the status quo?
Sep 14, 2014
The Future PV Forum
Solar PV: For a technology to have come so far, so quickly, is testament to the innovation, passion and expertise coursing through the solar industry. But where does solar PV go from here? The Future PV Forum created in collaboration with pv magazine and Heraeus will delve into this discussion at the Forum Solarpraxis, Berlin, on November 27 and 28, exploring topics ranging from the latest technical innovations to the next phase of cost reduction.
Sep 14, 2014
Laser ablation on modern solar cells
Solar cells: Laser marking and structuring for dielectric layers, laser drilling, laser firing and laser doping are needed for most modern and future solar cell concepts. Only an optimal process design enables cost effective process improvements. Jens Theobald, research engineer at the International Solar Energy Research Center Konstanz (ISC), Richard Hendel, Sales Manager for Photovoltaic Applications at Rofin-Baasel Lasertech, and Stephan Grosser, Team Leader, c-Si Defect Diagnostics, Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP, report on an approach using laser-ablation processes for current PERC solar cells and applications for emerging cell concepts, i.e. bifacial n-type solar cells.
Sep 14, 2014
The disruptive potential of thin and kerfless wafers
Thin c-Si: The ultimate goal of thin and kerfless wafer technologies is to achieve competitive efficiencies at lower production costs, using less material in the process. A few innovative startups are already making encouraging strides in the U.S., finds pv magazine, and could deliver a superior solar solution within the next five years.
Sep 14, 2014
