Embracing change – 02-2020
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On the road with pv magazine
Image: pv magazine Image: pv magazine Where we’re going: Solar Solutions, Amsterdam The solar solutions show returns to Expo Haarlemmermeer in Amsterdam from March 17-19 and will bring together 250 exhibitors and more than 13,000 visitors to provide a snapshot of one of Europe’s leading solar markets. Ambitious targets and limited land availability have made […]
Feb 10, 2020
pv magazine events 2020
Roundtables Mexico @ Solar Power Mexico 2020 Image: Solarplaza Image: Solarplaza Storage and bifacial technologies for Mexico’s next step into the energy transition March 25, 2020 Our inaugural Roundtables Mexico 2020 event will provide a new point of view on the Mexican PV market by stressing the importance of technological improvement in aiding project viability. […]
Feb 10, 2020
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Renewable energy procurement comes to China
An growing number of companies globally have set sustainability targets to address the climate emergency. More than 700 companies are taking action to reduce their carbon footprint, write Caroline Zhu and Jiayin Song of Rocky Mountain Institute, and over 200 companies have publicly made the RE100 commitment to procure 100% of their electricity from renewable energy.
Feb 10, 2020
Go big, go with the flow
While lithium batteries have taken center stage for energy storage, vanadium redox flow batteries could gain considerable traction in 2020. In previous years, vanadium battery installations around the world have done little more than provide proof of concept and a test bed for manufacturers, argues David Gillam from Mastermines. He looks at what may have changed since then and why a surge in batteries utilizing vanadium may be closer than many believe, with China taking the lead.
Feb 10, 2020
sonnen goes local
Australia’s strong residential rooftop PV market segment has long been seen as ripe for the picking for battery storage suppliers. But things have been somewhat slow to develop, due to the capital outlay and hangovers from former rooftop subsidy schemes. This hasn’t stopped Germany’s sonnen from setting up battery assembly at a recently defunct car factory in South Australia, which sonnen Australia’s CEO Nathan Dunn sees as a good news story for the sector.
Feb 10, 2020
New markets for old batteries
The increased urgency for the automotive industry to deal with the disposal of EV batteries in the mid-term future will act as a catalyst for the emerging second-life battery market, writes Abhishek Sampat, Principal Analyst at Delta-EE. Automakers, and potentially third parties, are expected to exploit new value streams and a second-life market is predicted to drive down costs for stationary energy storage, with little to no compromise in quality to the end user.
Feb 10, 2020
Building Europe’s battery business
In just three years, Northvolt has progressed from a startup to become Europe’s response to the Asian dominance of global battery manufacturing. pv magazine investigates why Northvolt is setting up units in Sweden, Germany, and Poland, what the firm’s goals are, and how it is attempting to achieve them.
Feb 10, 2020
pv magazine test December 2019 results
The first chart to the right provides the meteo station data (irradiance and ambient temperature) for December 2019. Monthly energy yield data for the July-December 2019 period are given in the second table below. The second chart to the right shows the total energy yield of all products for December 2019.
Feb 10, 2020
The hidden contest of the cell makers
Predicting which technological pathway will dominate in solar cell production is somewhat of a fool’s errand. A battle is currently underway between several of solar manufacturing’s big guns regarding both wafer size and p-or-n-type technology, and the outcome remains to be seen.
Feb 10, 2020
A gulf of change
The adoption of solar across the Middle East is occurring at widely ranging rates among the various nations. The region is now delivering significant demand to solar developers, EPCs and manufacturers, while also setting records for low PV prices. But is it enough to show genuine leadership, and turn the tide on rising sea levels and a hotter global climate?
Feb 10, 2020
Don’t throw caution to the wind
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has opened a formal investigation into the exact failure mode behind the destruction at the Yamakura Dam floating PV installation. In the end, the ministry seeks to draw up a plan to revamp not just the dam, but also the arrays that are still intact. This is a learning exercise that should be closely followed, as floating PV is enjoying growing popularity.
Feb 10, 2020
A seaborne alternative to burnt cash
Floating PV has matured quickly, but while the opportunity of solar on the sea may appear immense, there is nothing trivial about the challenges posed by salinity, wind, and waves. However, technical and financial solutions are appearing on the market, giving small island communities a chance to reduce their reliance on polluting diesel.
Feb 10, 2020
Remote possibilities
If the Canadian Arctic strikes you as a place that doesn’t have enough sunlight for PV, you wouldn’t necessarily be correct. Although there are periods of 24-hour darkness in winter, there are locations with sufficient sunlight for PV to make a major dent in remote communities’ diesel consumption, reports Anteo Petkovic, from Green Sun Rising.
Feb 10, 2020
Past the Arctic Circle, one degree at a time
Solar has a small but increasingly important role to play in the Nordic energy transition. And while there is still a gap in PV cost-competitiveness across some markets, interest in solar facades, BIPV solutions and C&I applications is growing.
Feb 10, 2020
Shifting geopolitical sands
After a decade of operation, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has become an established presence in assisting the deployment of renewables. Now under the leadership of Director General Francesco La Camera, it continues its work on a range of issues pertaining to renewable energy deployment, with a renewed focus on facilitating international investment.
Feb 10, 2020
Californian mandate to deliver more than 1 GW
California, the economic and cultural powerhouse of the United States, has long led the way when it comes to solar deployment – both on the rooftop and at utility scale. The state is now pushing forward with a solar mandate for new homes, which could be a ‘eureka moment’ for the U.S. solar sector.
Feb 10, 2020
The beginnings of a post FIT-market
The annual installed PV capacity for Japan is expected to be 7 GW (DC) in 2019, according to RTS Corp. Cumulative PV installed capacity now stands at 63 GW. In addition to the robust introduction of small-scale PV projects, the development of already approved large-scale PV projects under the FIT program was advanced by the end of the year, say RTS analysts Takashi Ohigashi and Izumi Kaizuka.
Feb 10, 2020
2020 module market forecast
According to PV InfoLink’s database, JinkoSolar topped the 2019 rankings for global module shipments with around 14 GW – far higher than any of its rivals. Notably, this is not the first time Jinko has secured the No. 1 spot; it has avoided slipping from the top as many of its predecessors did in the industry’s earlier years. The company is followed by JA Solar and Trina Solar (each shipping more than 10 GW), and then Longi, Canadian Solar, Hanwha Q Cells, Risen Energy, Suntech, Astronergy, and Talesun.
Feb 10, 2020
Remove the cap to sure up PV sector
Once again, the future of photovoltaics in Germany is being torpedoed by the delaying tactics of the federal government. Once again, the solar companies that are still in business are facing a severe test. And once again, numerous jobs are being heedlessly put at risk. But why?
Feb 10, 2020
Expanding PV’s boundaries
New markets, new applications, new possibilities: falling PV costs along with technical and business-model innovation putting PV in new places and providing the benefits of solar power to an ever-increasing number of people. It’s worth recognizing the innovations that are allowing PV to grow to sometimes unlikely places.
Feb 10, 2020
