Trade barriers spoil solar’s party – 09-2019
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48 hours in … Salt Lake City
While there will surely be plenty to do at Solar Power International 2019 this month, the conference won’t last all day, leaving you plenty of free time to explore beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah. With that in mind, we at pv magazine have compiled a list of some fun activities to take in while in town.
Sep 16, 2019
On the road with pv magazine
Where we’re going: EU PVSEC 2019 Held this year in the French city of Marseilles, the 36th edition of the European PV Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition is sure to provide a peek behind the curtain at the future of PV technology, alongside high-level discussions on the future of solar power on the continent. Since […]
Sep 16, 2019
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The curious case of utility-scale storage in India
India’s transition toward electric vehicles and renewable generation makes a strong case for grid-scale battery storage. And with the government going all out to ensure that demand is met through local manufacturing, ample opportunity is being created for joint ventures – as the country, at present, lacks the requisite experience.
Sep 16, 2019
Gridlock grips Australia’s PV developers
Australia’s large-scale solar boom faces serious constraints in the form of a long and skinny electricity network – making some ideal sites unattractive to project developers. Legacy regulations and a lack of transparency have also caused last-minute roadblocks and costly delays for developers.
Sep 16, 2019
Flow batteries scale up to GW production
Plans for a gigawatt factory in Saudi Arabia, bullet-proof warranties and an international vanadium rental service are propelling a new generation of batteries into the energy storage big league. Pioneers of redox flow technology claim that they can put an end to the degradation and safety issues afflicting lithium-ion batteries. They also expect imminent economies of scale to reduce the cost of bulk energy storage and unlock new markets for solar power.
Sep 16, 2019
pv magazine test July 2019 results
We are pleased to present the next batch of energy yield results from the outdoor test field at Xi’an, China. The July 2019 results will be presented in this issue, with additional analysis from George Touloupas, director of technology and quality at CEA.
Sep 16, 2019
Material concerns
Technological breakthroughs have come thick and fast to the solar and energy storage space in recent years, allowing both sectors to claim an increasing share of the world’s energy infrastructure. As PV pins its hopes on further innovations to push further into the mix, some new technologies will make the leap from laboratory to production and inform the industry’s future, while others will falter or fall along the wayside.
Sep 16, 2019
PV manufacturing: The rise of India
With 11 GW of solar module production capacity, investments in technology, and a focus on skills development, India is quickly emerging as the world’s next solar PV manufacturing hub. And the country’s “100 GW by 2022” target is encouraging local manufacturers to scale up further. RenewSys – India’s first integrated manufacturer of solar PV modules, as well as key components such as encapsulants, backsheets and cells – has already made its mark throughout the world as an innovator by actively investing in European machinery for its manufacturing facilities, while remaining committed to material innovation and rigorous testing to ensure quality.
Sep 16, 2019
High power, maximum dynamic efficiency, reliability come together
Building on a 90 GW track record in the wind sector and a growing installed base in the global PV market, Madrid-headquartered Gamesa Electric is bringing a new range of utility-scale power electronics devices to the U.S. market. Driving down LCOE with high performance and highly reliable products is the company’s secret sauce, says Enrique de la Cruz, solar and storage sales director at Gamesa Electric.
Sep 16, 2019
Perovskites hit the home stretch
Microquanta Semiconductor holds a 17.25% efficiency record for a relatively large-area perovskite module and wants to build a production facility with fresh capital from investors. pv magazine takes a look at the Chinese startup and some of the basic questions surrounding the technology.
Sep 16, 2019
Supplying an exponential rate of innovation
While solar’s competitive position in the global energy mix has never looked more promising, the manufacturing segment remains ruthlessly competitive. Since joining the industry in late 2018, Heraeus Photovoltaics President Martin Ackermann has come to believe that the silver paste provider needs to be close to its customers in order to find refuge from race-to-the-bottom pricing in the face of rapid technological change.
Sep 16, 2019
Southeast Asian manufacturing, bifacial technology to drive ET Solar’s resurgence
With new manufacturing facilities in Vietnam and Cambodia, a revitalized organization in the United States that is quickly racking up hundreds of megawatts in sales, and a portfolio of innovative products to serve both the on- and off-grid markets, ET Solar’s resurgence is taking shape in 2019.
Sep 16, 2019
Beyond mastery of mono, Longi looks toward ‘solar for solar’
At this year’s SNEC 2019 show in Shanghai, pv magazine had the opportunity to interview Zhong Baoshen, the chairman of Longi Group. Along with Longi Group President Zhenguo Li, Zhong is spearheading the company’s expansion on various fronts.
Sep 16, 2019
Size matters
The latest development on the module front sees manufacturers adopting larger wafer sizes in order to reach the industry’s raised expectations for power output. Older “M2” wafers have been the standard in recent years but now appear to be on the way out. Several theories about optimal size are gaining ground, but the future direction of the standard is still far from clear.
Sep 16, 2019
Addressing HJT capex, opex in equipment supply
Heterojunction can be an attractive technology pathway for a number of PV producers, says Christian Knechtel CEO and CFO of Von Ardenne. However, the key to deployment could lie in manufacturing key production tools in a cheaper manner while continuously ramping up throughput.
Sep 16, 2019
Award window 3: SPI & REI
The third window of the 2019 pv magazine Award reveals competition heating up on the module front, as we head to Solar Power International and the Renewable Energy India Expo. Several different technologies are in the running, with transparent backsheets bringing a new dimension to bifacial PV, wafer sizes creeping upward and cast mono technology also making an appearance. The latest innovations in balance of systems, meanwhile, promise to push solar into new locations and bring down installation and labor costs. And the latest crop of inverters continues to earn their moniker as the “brains” of PV systems.
Sep 16, 2019
Grid security on the line
The move toward a digital, distributed energy system raises several questions for those managing grid infrastructure, and not least among these considerations is security. As the managing director of investment fund Energize Ventures, Amy Francetic oversees investments in technologies that will ensure reliability and security on the grid of the future. Here she discusses the current landscape for digitalization in the energy space, and how a recent bill passed by the United States Senate could potentially throw a spanner in the works.
Sep 16, 2019
A bump in the road for PAYG and self-sustainability
Two high-profile bankruptcies this year could serve as a warning for the potential pitfalls of the pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar segment. However, Marcus Wiemann and David Lecoque of the Alliance for Rural Electrification say that PAYG business models can lead to long-term success, and they have a key role to play in providing power to the 1 billion people throughout the world who still live without electricity.
Sep 16, 2019
Sun King tackles age-old challenge
Rooftops that are unsuitable for conventional glass-backsheet PV modules present a clear opportunity, but the right solutions remain elusive. SunMan, under the leadership of an industry veteran – a man who is no stranger to revolutionizing PV – believes it has the answer.
Sep 16, 2019
Establishing a cost-effective BIPV sector in Europe
Why hasn’t more building-integrated PV (BIPV) been installed throughout the world? The simplest answer is that a PV module does not architecture make. The nature of the building process – its methods and logic – are key factors affecting technological transfer, as seen in the steel and concrete industries, which have been the basis of modern architecture for the past century. In many cases, standardization would go against the case-by-case approach to design and the interdisciplinary nature of the field. Solar architecture therefore involves a synergic concept of constructive and functional correctness, while always engaging an “aesthetic intentionality.” So how can the market segment continue to drive down costs?
Sep 16, 2019
The return of BIPV
Since the beginning of 2019, many people within China’s PV industry have started to get the same feeling. Not about grid parity, or about mono replacing multi, but about something more unexpected. More and more people are speaking up at conferences and meetings about building-integrated PV (BIPV), which has been little more than a niche curiosity for years. Now BIPV, it seems, is making a big comeback in China.
Sep 16, 2019
Solar tsunami
There’s a lot of solar power to be built in the United States before the end of 2023, when the current “safe harbor” period for the 30% Investment Tax Credit ends. If you’re reading this in September 2019, you’ve got four years and three full months to build large scale solar power plants under the ITC. But don’t fret if you’re reading later on and are afraid that you’re missing out, there’s development gas in the tank yet.
Sep 16, 2019
Diverse segments drive deployment in Bangladesh
In July, Bangladesh’s renewable generation capacity surpassed the 600 MW milestone. A solid achievement, even though the country still lags behind the government’s official plan to produce 10%, or 2 GW, of its electricity from clean sources by 2020. But with deployment rising in both the commercial rooftop and utility-scale solar segments, development could be poised to accelerate.
Sep 16, 2019
Under-the-radar US residential markets
All American residential solar markets were not created equal. While states such as California, New York and Massachusetts have legacy markets that have existed in strength for well over a decade, some have taken longer to find their footing. A look at three promising U.S. states for residential solar.
Sep 16, 2019
The specter of PV protectionism
Trade tariffs are spreading across the global PV industry. The United States has been especially active with its sandwich of old antidumping and countervailing duties coupled with new Section 201, 232 and 301 duties. Some of these are part of the Sino-U.S. trade dispute; others impact not only Chinese producers, but manufacturers around the world. So, what will be the impact of this new era of PV protectionism on the solar sector?
Sep 16, 2019
All eyes on the Indian government
India’s total installed solar capacity touched 34.1 GW on June 30, 2019. The total was split between 27.9 GW of utility-scale PV, 4.6 GW of rooftop solar and 1.26 GW of off-grid solar. The nation’s total project pipeline – projects allocated to developers and those in various stages of development – stood at 19.69 GW as of June 30. Bridge to India’s Sai Nandamuri looks at the outlook for Indian solar in 2019 and 2020.
Sep 16, 2019
PERC cells: From shortage to surplus
After the “June rush” to complete solar projects in China – as well as the commissioning rush in Vietnam, which saw higher-than-expected demand of 4 GW in the first half – the growth of the regional solar market started to slow down in July and August, before anticipated Chinese demand picks up the slack again. With unexpectedly low demand in the third quarter, module manufacturers reacted first by marginally reducing utilization rates. Cell producers then cut production after cell prices collapsed.
Sep 16, 2019
Safety is paramount
When Sony first commercially introduced lithium-ion batteries in 1991, the industry recognized their potential to revolutionize portable electronics. Ever since, there have been countless efforts to improve the technology, with many researchers focusing on energy density and longevity, in line with demand from emerging applications such as electric vehicles (EVs) and on-grid energy storage. Julian Jansen and Youmin Rong of IHS Markit discuss the effect of safety concerns on this rapidly growing global market.
Sep 16, 2019
Germany’s PV cap must go – now
Last month’s column pointed out the transregional causes and trends that could lead to a year-end rally, the associated module and inverter bottleneck, and an inevitable increase in prices. This month, Martin Schachinger of pvXchange homes in on the German market to show what consequences unwise action – or rather, inaction – by the federal government could have for the further, urgently needed expansion of photovoltaics.
Sep 16, 2019
Trade war shadows all but solar
Solar stocks outperformed the broader market in August. The Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN) increased by 2.0% vs. the S&P 500 and Dow that decreased 0.9% and 1.1% respectively. Canadian Solar (CSIQ), Azure Power (AZRE), First Solar (FSLR), SolarEdge (SEDG) and Enphase (ENPH) all delivered a strong Q2 and strong guidance for Q3.
Sep 16, 2019
Enabled by trade
The story of the modern PV industry is one defined by international collaboration and partnerships. Fundamental research, production tool development, manufacturing know-how, financial innovation and supportive policy measures have all taken place in certain parts of the globe, to be deployed, tweaked, improved upon and mastered in others. And the cumulative effect is the highly […]
Sep 16, 2019
