20 Array Changers – 06-2016
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Excerpt from the magazine
Using string at scale
String inverters: Heralded by some developers as a way to reduce O&M costs and meet the challenges of optimizing park design, large string inverters for PV power plants have made headway in some markets. And as solar spreads to harsher and more remote regions, strings strength is coming ever more to the fore.
Jun 12, 2016
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Emerging from the shadows
Solar and former Soviet states: The PV world is growing bigger, with new markets blooming every year. Yet corners of the globe remain untouched by solars pre-eminence elsewhere. With almost no information available on the international level, a number of former Soviet states look like Terra Nova for PV. A closer look, however, reveals ambitious solar plans, and even tentative first steps being made.
Jun 12, 2016
Identifying good partners means screening the market
Interview: Chris Voet, Chief Sales Officer at LTi ReEnergy, discusses the companys German heart local content approach, which aids entry of its central inverter technology into strong and emerging markets such as Brazil, India, China, and Turkey, as well as other regions with local content requirements and high import taxes.
Jun 12, 2016
The older the PV system, the harder it is to supply spares
CEO interview: A maturing solar industry needs a thriving marketplace within which system owners, whether new or old, can find competitively priced spare parts for their plants. SecondSol has been a frontrunner in this sector, has now launched its service as Solarodo in the U.S., and CEO Frank Fiedler speaks to pv magazine .
Jun 12, 2016
Pitch the future
Ecosummit 2016: Now is time for open innovations in the energy market. As consumers become prosumers and begin demanding smarter products and services, big companies are forced to modernize their business and seek support from younger, more dynamic and innovative market players. In April, pv magazine attended Ecosummit 2016 in Berlin to discover what products and business models cleantech startups have in mind for our energy future.
Jun 12, 2016
Innovation loves a challenge
PV industry supply transition: The hurdles facing the solar industry are not always technical. In recent years markets have waxed and waned on the whims of government policy and mandates, and the current climate is just as restless, with manufacturing hubs increasingly fluid and footloose.
Jun 12, 2016
Fog of uncertainty lifts
Japan: Late last month a key piece of solar legislation passed the upper house of Japans Parliament, opening the potential for a disruptive period of uncertainty for project developers. Izumi Kaizuka, the Managing Director of RTS Corporation, provides her insight into the development and offers an overview of Japanese market trends.
Jun 12, 2016
Both sides of the PV energy revolution
Policy and investment: While low bid prices grab headlines and herald a new dawn for PV deployment and global energy structures, public policy continues to remain key to the future of solar, writes Gaëtan Masson, the Director of the Becquerel Institute.
Jun 12, 2016
Europes solar forecast: partly shaded
European markets: In a continent seeking ever closer union but ever stronger opposition, solars ability to stand on its own two feet free from subsidy will prove crucial in the coming years, as seen in the disparate approaches many European nations are taking towards PV.
Jun 12, 2016
Step on the gas
Solar/diesel hybridization: The deployment of solar PV in sub-Saharan Africa severely lags the rest of the world, for many complex reasons. One of these is the proliferation of diesel gensets for off-grid areas, but GIZs Franziska Kohler explains that, via standardization, PV-diesel hybrids can be made more bankable.
Jun 12, 2016
Optimizing your O&M
Smart data analytics: The urge to optimize PV plant performance is a natural one, and something every good EPC worth their salt should be thinking of from day one. And while post-installation monitoring and analysis tools vary, there are a wealth of platforms and techniques on the market to assist plant owners, writes Stefan Mau, a senior engineer with DNV GL.
Jun 12, 2016
A case of scale
Nowhere does scale quite like China. Aboard a bus, last month, heading towards one of Huawei’s inverter manufacturing plants in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, the startling growth the city has undergone is everywhere to see. Sleek new toll roads connect the residential and industrial districts, and apartment blocks under construction rise from all […]
Jun 12, 2016
Energys solar-shaped future
BNEFs Future of Energy Summit: The theme of Bloomberg New Energy Finances (BNEFs) annual summit in New York City is the Future of Energy, where one thing was clear: The future will be solar, wind, energy storage and electric vehicles, with some short- to mid-term participation from natural gas.
Jun 12, 2016
Speed is of the essence
MyReserve system: Unveiled last year, Solarwatts MyReserve storage system has been met with a strong reception, piquing Smart Solar Consulting founder Götz Fischbecks interest in the process, and prompting a visit to the firms Solarwatt Innovation subsidiary to discover more about the system.
Jun 12, 2016
Turkeys bumpy boom
Turkey: The significant 1 GW cumulative PV milestone looks set to be passed in Turkey this year, although the pathway to this milestone has been littered with obstacles. The government is taking steps to reign in the unlicensed (< 1 MW) market, but needs to see its next round of licensed projects actually be built. A sustainable 1 GW annual market looms, but just how can it be achieved?
Jun 12, 2016
Technology Highlights Winners Interviews
Last months pv magazine 2016 Technology Highlights Award shone the spotlight on a range of innovations in upstream solar technology, with an independent jury of experts identifying a handful of winners from a very strong field. pv magazine caught up with three of the companies recognized for their excellence to gauge what the award meant to them, and to learn a little more about the techniques, investment and R&D that have made it all possible. First up, Eternal Sun CEO Chokri Mousaoui, and CTO Stefan Roest extoll the virtues of the companys winning climate chamber and solar simulator.
Jun 12, 2016
Revisiting the history books
Chinas solar story: Charting the birth of the Chinese PV industry is a transparent task, yet misinformation regarding the states role in supporting the sector persists. Australian expertise, U.S. investment, German foresight and Chinese boldness were all more pivotal in giving Chinas PV manufacturing base a headstart, argues UNSWs Martin Green.
Jun 12, 2016
It’s finally starting to happen
Italian storage: Italy met 7.8% of its electricity needs in 2015 with solar, and to date the country has installed a cumulative PV capacity of around 19 GW. Yet, despite this astonishing outcome, the rate of Italys new PV installations has declined dramatically with the majority of solar being added through Italys net metering scheme. Can energy storage and net metering boost the Italian PV market?
Jun 12, 2016
Quality is the absence of defects
Quality, innovation and sustainability in the backsheet market: pv magazine talks with Luigi Marras of Coveme to discuss recent trends in the backsheet industy, including geographical preferences, quality development and pioneering back contact cells.
May 10, 2016
