Supersized Solar – 05-2015
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Excerpt from the magazine
Better late than never
Turkey: Capacity building is the order of the day in the Turkish PV market, but now of the megawatt variety. A market of great promise, it has been extremely slow to emerge. However, there is a new maturity coming to the surface. It wont be an overnight boom, but at least theres no bust.
Apr 21, 2015
China adopting intelligent PV plants
China: With the rapid build out of utility-scale solar in China, concerns about quality have circulated through the industry. It appears the second phase of growth may be heading in a different direction with intelligent controls being adopted to reduce O&M costs. pv magazine visits one such array and finds that it could form the vanguard of a new large-scale trend.
Apr 21, 2015
Wheres your cell at?
Ranking cell manufacturers: While the expansion mania of 2010 and 2011 has not returned in earnest, cell producers are adding capacity. Trade barriers are having a major impact on the market and putting pressure on merchant cell producers, particularly from Taiwan.
Apr 21, 2015
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Trends in DC cabling
Interview: The solar DC cabling market is set to enjoy steady year-on-year growth of around 9% between now and 2019. IHS analyst Cormac Gilligan discusses the trends shaping the market, revealing that the price of copper and the development of 1,500 volt cabling will define the industry over the coming years.
Apr 21, 2015
Still a place for going big
It is the season for records. With spring having sprung in the northern hemisphere, the past few weeks have repeatedly shattered records for solar electricity being fed into Germany’s grid. With its 38.5 GW of installed capacity, each time a high-pressure weather system moves into place over central Europe, Germany’s electricity network is on the […]
Apr 21, 2015
The foundations for Europes heavyweight
300 MW Cestas: Europes largest PV power plant is taking shape. The 300 MW Cestas is different in a number of ways and some of the biggest names in solar have come together to make the project a reality. But one family-owned provider is keeping the project grounded.
Apr 21, 2015
Lights-on logic
Microgrids: As extreme weather events become more regular in the U.S., solar-powered microgrids are emerging as a resilient backup power source for municipalities and organizations that are either underserved by the central grid or require a secure, steady supply of electricity. pv magazine finds many leading solar companies are now moving into this space.
Apr 21, 2015
Legal insight into Mexicos power market
Mexican law: Mariangela Zerpa Dreyer of Rödl and Partner examines the relationship between Mexicos Electric Industry Law and the countrys wholesale power market, and explains how renewable energy sources like solar PV fit into this hopeful new landscape.
Apr 21, 2015
Big PVs prospects Down Under
Australia: The largest utility-scale projects in the countrys history are currently being built out, but in terms of a financed pipeline, the cupboard is bare. Will a shift in policy open the doors to the literally gigawatts of projects that are under development? pv magazine investigates.
Apr 21, 2015
Will Jokowi open up Indonesia?
Southeast Asia: Indonesias booming economy, abundant solar resource, and thirst for electricity make it a solar PV destination to watch. But despite Joko Widodos election to Indonesias presidency last year, and an overhaul of fuel subsidies this year, solar hopes remain cloudy. The country suffers from structural business and market deficiencies that will need huge political will to be reversed any time soon.
Apr 21, 2015
Inverting the status quo
Inverters at large-scale: The dominance of central inverters in utility-scale solar plants is being slowly eroded by improvements in three-phase string inverter technology. As costs shrink and system owners demand greater energy yield and monitoring performance from their arrays, will this inside-out trend prove sustainable in the long term?
Apr 21, 2015
RPS shackles come off
U.S. utility scale: Given the rapid increase in installed capacity and corresponding price declines, the U.S. solar industry is undergoing a rapid transformation. GTM Researchs Shayle Kann argues that this is true of the utility-scale segment along with DG, with Renewable Portfolio Standards no longer constraining big PVs growth.
Apr 21, 2015
