50 Shades of Future PV – 04-2015
Already a subscriber?
Login
Excerpt from the magazine
Solar comes to the South
USA: Only two states in the south of the US adopted renewable energy mandates that require their utilities to purchase electricity from renewable energy. Just a few years ago Southern utilities were openly opposed to solar energy in their service area. Now a wave of change is crashing through the region.
Apr 12, 2015
PV is moving towards the end user
CEO interview: Trina Solar, a leading vertically integrated PV manufacturer and developer of downstream businesses, strives to be one of the key global drivers of smart energy. Gao Jifan, Trinas Founder, Chairman and CEO, spoke with pv magazine about the companys growth strategy.
Apr 12, 2015
Subscribe now for instant access to this issue and every published issue since 2016.
Subscribe
The Li-ions share
Large-scale storage: Demand for large-scale, stationary storage is being driven by a combination of greater solar penetration and technical improvements within the industry. But which battery technology is most adept at meeting the storage needs of utilities and commercial-scale players?
Apr 12, 2015
Double trouble
Flashing bifacial devices: Solar modules employing bifacial cells feature enhanced efficiency and power output, but currently there seems to be a lot of confusion in the industry as to how to measure their efficiency and output. A working group to develop standards for bifacial measurement for both cells and modules in production was formed after the bifiPV 2014 workshop in Chambery, France.
Apr 12, 2015
Open for business
Ecobuild review: Not strictly a solar show, the Ecobuild Exhibition at Londons ExCel was nevertheless a fine opportunity for the PV industry to gather its thoughts, speak to consumers and test the waters of a U.K. market facing a great deal of uncertainty in 2015 and beyond.
Apr 12, 2015
The Li-ions share
Large-scale storage: Demand for large-scale, stationary storage is being driven by a combination of greater solar penetration and technical improvements within the industry. But which battery technology is most adept at meeting the storage needs of utilities and commercial-scale players?
Apr 12, 2015
Rapid mono wafer cost reduction
CEO interview: While the global PV market has been through dramatic pricing and demand peaks and troughs over the last five years, there are signs that the high conversion efficiency market segment is benefiting from stable demand and returning relatively steady margins. Lee Zhen Guo, CEO of the Chinese monocrystalline ingot and wafer producer Longi Silicon Materials Corp., spoke exclusively to pv magazine in Tokyo to share the companys dramatic predictions for cost reductions in mono wafer supply.
Apr 12, 2015
Open for business
Ecobuild review: Not strictly a solar show, the Ecobuild Exhibition at Londons ExCel was nevertheless a fine opportunity for the PV industry to gather its thoughts, speak to consumers and test the waters of a U.K. market facing a great deal of uncertainty in 2015 and beyond.
Apr 12, 2015
Everything in view
Off-grid solutions: Along the ShuGang highway from HuangDao to JiaoNan, 122 remote monitoring systems powered by Phocos PL series charge controllers send video data to three control centers that supervise and evaluate the traffic. Susanne Kircher of Phocos visited the traffic control center of Shandong Hi-Speed Group Co. Ltd. in HuangDao and spoke with the department manager and staff about their experiences with the system.
Apr 12, 2015
Quality as an intrinsic PV value
PVs price pressures: Battling the clout of conventional energy and unreasonable price expectations from both government and consumer, margins in the PV industry have been too tight for too long. But with quality an intrinsic value that should never waver, the industry must find new ways to fund innovation and protect its reputation.
Apr 12, 2015
Open for business
Ecobuild review: Not strictly a solar show, the Ecobuild Exhibition at Londons ExCel was nevertheless a fine opportunity for the PV industry to gather its thoughts, speak to consumers and test the waters of a U.K. market facing a great deal of uncertainty in 2015 and beyond.
Apr 12, 2015
Drink tea, keep hoping and just carry on
Turkey: Geopolitics, a burgeoning economy, lots of sunshine, and cheap technology are driving Turkeys solar PV sector, which is set to expand in the near future. But 2015 doesnt seem to be part of this future yet, with the Turkish PV sector having to fight several battles, bureaucracy being the main one.
Apr 12, 2015
The chicken or the egg?
Solar production in Latin America: Latin American nations are developing their solar potential in various ways. While countries like Argentina are creating solar energy industries before there is an established market for them to serve, others like Chile are opting to raise installation volume without worrying about creating an industry. Meanwhile, the likes of Brazil are trying to achieve both outcomes by setting local content requirements.
Apr 12, 2015
Solar comes to the South
USA: Only two states in the south of the US adopted renewable energy mandates that require their utilities to purchase electricity from renewable energy. Just a few years ago Southern utilities were openly opposed to solar energy in their service area. Now a wave of change is crashing through the region.
Apr 12, 2015
The future of solar is not solar
CEO Interview: U.S. microinverter specialist Enphase foresees a future where solar is driven less by technology and more by demand for an energy proposition that works for the consumer. Company CEO Paul Nahi tells pv magazine how microinverters will assume a leading role in this transition.
Apr 12, 2015
The chicken or the egg?
Solar production in Latin America: Latin American nations are developing their solar potential in various ways. While countries like Argentina are creating solar energy industries before there is an established market for them to serve, others like Chile are opting to raise installation volume without worrying about creating an industry. Meanwhile, the likes of Brazil are trying to achieve both outcomes by setting local content requirements.
Apr 12, 2015
Mixed outlook for China tracker adoption
Trackers: The sun may be sizzling in Western Chinese provinces like Xinjiang, Quinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan, where intense insolation hits chart-topping rates of over 2,000 kWh/m2 . But China solar tracker adoption there may lag behind the performance of the EU and US solar markets, where trackers came to dominate utility installations in around five years.
Apr 12, 2015
New breed of equipment supply: kWh not kWp
Thin film manufacturing: In a module market where profit margins are slim, developing PV power plants and selling kilowatt hours has been a successful next step for suppliers. Manufacturing equipment suppliers are increasingly framing their sales proposition in terms of kWh delivery, and Manz for one believes it presents a compelling offering.
Apr 12, 2015
Drink tea, keep hoping and just carry on
Turkey: Geopolitics, a burgeoning economy, lots of sunshine, and cheap technology are driving Turkeys solar PV sector, which is set to expand in the near future. But 2015 doesnt seem to be part of this future yet, with the Turkish PV sector having to fight several battles, bureaucracy being the main one.
Apr 12, 2015
Under pressure
Mounting systems: The estimated $6 billion PV mounting system market may be growing at double digit rates per year, but prices are falling at 4% per annum, presenting a quandary for manufacturers seeking to survive in a glutted market. The value of global PV mounting systems is declining and Chinas share of the global market is rising.
Apr 12, 2015
The next wave of PV innovation
There are many drivers of innovation, and necessity ranks high on the list. In the PV industry, it appears as if the first great wave of module manufacturing capacity expansions necessitated a range of innovations to achieve production at vast scale. But at the same time it brought great pressures, as oversupply gripped the market […]
Apr 12, 2015
Mixed outlook for China tracker adoption
Trackers: The sun may be sizzling in Western Chinese provinces like Xinjiang, Quinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan, where intense insolation hits chart-topping rates of over 2,000 kWh/m2 . But China solar tracker adoption there may lag behind the performance of the EU and US solar markets, where trackers came to dominate utility installations in around five years.
Apr 12, 2015
Everything in view
Off-grid solutions: Along the ShuGang highway from HuangDao to JiaoNan, 122 remote monitoring systems powered by Phocos PL series charge controllers send video data to three control centers that supervise and evaluate the traffic. Susanne Kircher of Phocos visited the traffic control center of Shandong Hi-Speed Group Co. Ltd. in HuangDao and spoke with the department manager and staff about their experiences with the system.
Apr 12, 2015
Drink tea, keep hoping and just carry on
Turkey: Geopolitics, a burgeoning economy, lots of sunshine, and cheap technology are driving Turkeys solar PV sector, which is set to expand in the near future. But 2015 doesnt seem to be part of this future yet, with the Turkish PV sector having to fight several battles, bureaucracy being the main one.
Apr 12, 2015
Quality as an intrinsic PV value
PVs price pressures: Battling the clout of conventional energy and unreasonable price expectations from both government and consumer, margins in the PV industry have been too tight for too long. But with quality an intrinsic value that should never waver, the industry must find new ways to fund innovation and protect its reputation.
Apr 12, 2015
New breed of equipment supply: kWh not kWp
Thin film manufacturing: In a module market where profit margins are slim, developing PV power plants and selling kilowatt hours has been a successful next step for suppliers. Manufacturing equipment suppliers are increasingly framing their sales proposition in terms of kWh delivery, and Manz for one believes it presents a compelling offering.
Apr 12, 2015
Double trouble
Flashing bifacial devices: Solar modules employing bifacial cells feature enhanced efficiency and power output, but currently there seems to be a lot of confusion in the industry as to how to measure their efficiency and output. A working group to develop standards for bifacial measurement for both cells and modules in production was formed after the bifiPV 2014 workshop in Chambery, France.
Apr 12, 2015
Opportunities after the boom
Japan: There have been reports that the Japanese PV market may not have the most rosy of outlooks in the mid-term. But with predictions for the 2015 market coming in between the 8 to 10 GW mark it is hardly a minnow. And with its continuing preference for high efficiency products and smart solutions it will remain a highly significant PV hub for some time to come.
Apr 12, 2015
Opportunities after the boom
Japan: There have been reports that the Japanese PV market may not have the most rosy of outlooks in the mid-term. But with predictions for the 2015 market coming in between the 8 to 10 GW mark it is hardly a minnow. And with its continuing preference for high efficiency products and smart solutions it will remain a highly significant PV hub for some time to come.
Apr 12, 2015
Under pressure
Mounting systems: The estimated $6 billion PV mounting system market may be growing at double digit rates per year, but prices are falling at 4% per annum, presenting a quandary for manufacturers seeking to survive in a glutted market. The value of global PV mounting systems is declining and Chinas share of the global market is rising.
Apr 12, 2015
Open for business
Ecobuild review: Not strictly a solar show, the Ecobuild Exhibition at Londons ExCel was nevertheless a fine opportunity for the PV industry to gather its thoughts, speak to consumers and test the waters of a U.K. market facing a great deal of uncertainty in 2015 and beyond.
Apr 12, 2015
