The fires feeding mono’s rise – 11-2018
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Stepping out of the dark…
With a take-up in distributed energy resources and the imperative to render the energy system of tomorrow in a decentralized fashion, energy regulators might be in for a surprise when they try to determine the true capacity and location of residential storage systems. Getting the numbers right is inevitable, but also surprisingly complex.
Nov 22, 2018
A route to repowering for inverters
While the replacement of modules in aging PV systems with new, higher efficiency technologies has proved profitable for many projects in Europe, the route to improvements on the inverter side has been less clear. Greentech’s IPG Efficiency Kit, writes Ingo Rehmann, Founder and Managing Partner of greentech, offers a significant yield increase and further benefits for inverters of the Conergy IPG K series.
Nov 22, 2018
Flashing key for bifacial value
As new cell and module concepts move into large-scale production, and efficiencies are pushed ever higher, manufacturers of flash testing equipment must innovate to ensure their tools can provide reliable measurements, and cope with ever expanding production throughput. The expansion of bifacial technology beyond niche applications in particular raises new issues for flash testing standards. pv magazine spoke with several flasher manufacturers to shed light on the latest developments in this segment.
Nov 22, 2018
Staying afloat, whatever the weather
From a little known niche just a few years ago, floating solar has quickly grown to more than 1 GW of installed capacity worldwide, and a source of great hope for the industry’s future, particularly in countries where space for solar is at a premium. pv magazine spoke with experts from leading floating PV test centers in Singapore and the Netherlands to outline the challenges still faced by floating PV as the technology moves towards major growth.
Nov 22, 2018
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Is the bottom in sight?
Judging merely by the prices over the past few weeks, the answer would seem to be an unequivocal no. But if you believe the voices of some manufacturers, then the end of the across-the-board slump in module prices is within reach. Once again, a shortage seems to be emerging, at least among some tier-1 manufacturers.
Nov 22, 2018
Innovation, investment, improvement
Two pv magazine Roundtables held at this year’s Renewable Energy India (REI) expo explored the key issues affecting the Indian solar market, and how the sector can evolve. The events brought industry stakeholders together, to participate in a lively discussion.
Nov 16, 2018
Whole system thinking
Sector coupling is rapidly becoming a reality, writes Andy Bradley, Director of Business Development at Delta Energy & Environment, meaning that whole system thinking – cross vector as well as cross sector – is becoming ever more important. Energy storage has a vital role to play in enabling this more interconnected and dynamic energy system.
Nov 09, 2018
“The government should be doing more – absolutely.”
While Westminster has brought the U.K.’s solar industry almost to a standstill, city councils are fighting like Gallic villages to keep the industry alive. Still, policy support and legislative security from Westminster are direly needed.
Nov 09, 2018
Where we’ve been – All Energy Australia
While policy-driven uncertainty grips many leading PV markets globally, 2018 means boom times Down Under. But that’s not to say that solar faces clear waters in terms of policy in Australia – making All Energy Australia an occasion for much optimism, but also intriguing discussions. pv magazine attended Australia’s biggest solar and battery storage trade […]
Nov 02, 2018
A new trade show comes to Mexico
The recent growth of the Mexican PV market, as well as the positive outcomes the country’s energy reform has achieved, is being complimented by the launch of a new trade fair dedicated solely to the photovoltaics sector in Mexico. The new trade fair, which will now have to compete with other more established Mexican fairs […]
Nov 02, 2018
Drive and stabilize
Electrolyzers can use excess solar power to produce hydrogen. This can also help to stabilize distribution networks. A look at the wind industry shows the challenges to further commercialization, but one city in Germany offers an example of the implementation of this technology.
Nov 02, 2018
From diesel to electric
A gas station is located right next to the German Autobahn outside Munich. Another gas station is right in the middle of the Bavarian capital near the famous Isartor. They represent two very different scenarios, both of which are addressed by Siemens Power Technologies International in their e-mobility offer to gas station operators.
Nov 02, 2018
Getting rolling
The first companies are demonstrating that today it can be worthwhile commercially to back electric vehicles in combination with solar generation and storage. Particularly in the case of public charging stations, solar power used for electric vehicle charging could become the basis for a profitable operator model in the future.
Nov 02, 2018
Off-grid, self sufficient
A project in the south of Western Australia demonstrates how solar can provide a reliable energy supply without backup from the grid, and why it is set to spread around the world even faster than many predict. With this project, German battery manufacturer, Tesvolt and Australian EPC Unlimited Energy won the The smarter E award.
Nov 02, 2018
pv magazine outdoor test
August and September 2018 results: We are proud to present the next batch of energy yield results from the outdoor test field at Xi’an, China. Two months’ worth of data (August and September) will be presented this time. However, from December onwards, we will be showing the results of the month that precedes the issue by two months, i.e. the October results will be presented in December, and so on.
Nov 02, 2018
Making the connection
From modules and inverters down to the smallest components in a PV system, quality is an issue that needs to be kept firmly in mind. pv magazine spoke with Eric Ast, Head of Business Development at Stäubli Electrical Connectors, about pushing for education on quality in the smaller components and their management, as the company celebrates 20 years in the solar industry.
Nov 02, 2018
Coating puts busbars back in the game
In late September, Heraeus launched its Selectively Coated Ribbons (SCR) technology. The product will be rolled out in partnership with ribbon supplier Ulbrich. Delivering a 1.9 W power output boost without any equipment investment and with few process changes, Heraeus’ Toralf Eggert and Ulbrich’s Peter Berghofer claim SCR will make conventional busbars competitive with unwieldy multi-busbars.
Nov 02, 2018
Solar components balancing act
Solar balance of system (BOS) components cost reductions have been in the crosshairs of the industry since consistently falling module prices raised BOS costs to more than 50% of an overall system. pv magazine investigates the latest efforts from manufacturers to bring these costs down, many of which were on display at California’s Solar Power International show in September.
Nov 02, 2018
New technologies, new challenges
Solar cell manufacturers are always in an R&D race to improve efficiency. But even with their efforts, today you can still expect up to a 3.5% loss from carrier or light-induced degradation, industry insiders claimed at pv magazine’s Quality Roundtable, held at Energy Taiwan 2018 in Taipei in September.
Nov 02, 2018
Further downstream
A few days before the annual Energy Taiwan trade show in Taipei, one of Taiwan’s largest cell manufacturers, Motech Industries, quietly announced that it was axing 300 employees due to poor market conditions. However, with bold PV goals opportunities present to diversify downstream.
Nov 02, 2018
Distributed generation – a growing market in Latin America
In the early aughts of the 21st century, distributed generation (DG) systems in Latin America were mainly installed as off-grid systems in remote rural areas that were isolated from the grid, writes Maria Chea, Solar Analyst at IHS Markit. As the El Niño phenomenon and high oil prices continued to exacerbate high electricity prices and power shortages, governments began to turn their attention to distributed generation, including PV systems, to assuage strains on their national grids.
Nov 02, 2018
Supply and demand in 2019
The PV market went through a succession of changes in 2018, including the United States Section 201, China’s 31/5 policy, and India’s safeguard tariff, writes PV InfoLink Chief Analyst Corrine Lin. This massively impacted demand this year, which saw a downward trend for the first time in years. However, it appears that policy stability has almost been reached, and module demand is expected to rebound to 95-100 GW next year.
Nov 02, 2018
