Fruits of our labour – 03-2021
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Excerpt from the magazine
Leveling the playing field
Tensions are heating up throughout the world over the issue of forced labor. Calls are increasing for supply chain transparency, and recently published EU draft legislation on corporate due diligence and accountability should improve upon the currently available voluntary measures, which have been described as largely ineffective. With this in mind, pv magazine’s UP Initiative will spend the second quarter of 2021 looking at what solar and energy storage companies can do to lead by positive example when it comes to the workers who are involved in the production of their products and services.
Mar 09, 2021
Smart meter disruption in Flanders
The installation of digital smart meters, in theory, could be extremely positive for the development of rooftop PV and energy communities, as smart meters allow customers to monitor their energy consumption and production, as well as their consumption habits. But the rollout of smart meters in parts of Belgium have left PV “prosumers” high and dry, with tariffs for solar feed in curtailed.
Mar 09, 2021
Timing is everything
For investment portfolios and for the entire renewables sector, diversity matters. A new independent study shows that by complementing Ireland’s onshore wind sector with greater volumes of large-scale solar, emissions are lower, curtailment decreases, and society potentially gains economically, to the tune of €21 per citizen. Conall Bolger, CEO of the Irish Solar Energy Association, reports on the power of daytime production.
Mar 09, 2021
Manufacturing amid market concentration
The solar market is expected to grow in 2021, following a year of pandemic-driven supply chain disruptions, exacerbated by explosions at polysilicon plants. PV InfoLink estimates almost 154 GW of module demand in 2021, up by 10% on 2020. Analyst Amy Fang examines the key market trends for the first quarter.
Mar 09, 2021
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A banner year for US solar
Despite the supply and demand challenges that PV faced in 2020, the U.S. solar market had its largest installation year to date, writes IHS Markit’s Maria Chea. More than 22 GW of PV installations were completed last year, with utility-scale projects representing 77% of that volume. A renewables-friendly administration, an extended ITC schedule, increasingly competitive pricing, and a massive late-stage project pipeline will drive strong growth for the United States in 2021.
Mar 09, 2021
Why human rights protection is pushing up module prices
The solar industry typically sees itself as being supportive of the environment, humanity, and human rights. Even large Chinese PV manufacturers publish statements to this effect, particularly if they are listed on Western stock exchanges. But what do human rights have to do with the solar industry? What connections exist, asks Martin Schachinger of pvXchange, and how are they important to the future success of the European PV market?
Mar 09, 2021
From minnow to colossus
When looking at European Union renewable energy statistics, the Netherlands was, and still is in many ways, the laughingstock of Europe. But in recent years the country has come to rank near the top in solar deployments. In 2021 this small nation may even surpass neighboring Germany with new installed capacity. Rolf Heynen, the CEO of Dutch New Energy Research, takes a look at what is going on.
Mar 09, 2021
Polish PV in 2021
According to Agencja Rynku Energii S.A., the total capacity of solar PV plants in Poland reached almost 4 GW at the end of December 2020. Once a black spot on the PV map of Europe, Poland ranked fourth in 2020 among EU countries for PV growth, after Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain. In 2020 alone, the country installed almost 2.7 GW of new PV. But there are grid connection headwinds in sight, writes Piotr Mrowiec from Rödl and Partner.
Mar 09, 2021
BESS standards to secure supply
Extreme weather events are bringing the security of electricity supply into sharp relief in the United States. From wildfires in California to a Texas cold snap, electricity grids are being pushed to their limits. Trimark has delivered hundreds of megawatt-hours of energy storage products in the country, and believes it can apply its know-how to accelerate large-scale battery deployment, says CTO Bora Akyol.
Mar 09, 2021
Nickel and dime batteries to LFP
Lithium-iron phosphate batteries are making a comeback. Thanks to high nickel prices and limited feedstock supply, the EV industry is driving this change. There is no need to fret about the onset of slightly lower energy density, though, as this development has some benefits for the stationary storage market.
Mar 09, 2021
pv magazine test: January 2021 results
We are pleased to present the next batch of energy yield statistics from the outdoor test field in Xi’an, China. In this issue, we look at the January results, along with additional analysis from George Touloupas, the director of technology and quality at CEA.
Mar 09, 2021
Airon looks to make HJT fly
High-quality, cost-competitive PV cell metallization will need to be flexible in terms of size, while coupled with process speed, delicate handling, and high levels of automation. So says the solar team at German cell-metallization line supplier Asys. Lukas Sänger, product manager and head of application solar at Asys, and Matthias Drews – director of solar sales – recently spoke to pv magazine about the company’s new solar platform, the Airon, and how it can achieve these goals.
Mar 09, 2021
New pathways in flexible thin film
Having picked up GBP 5.8 million ($8 million) in a series of investments, U.K.-based Power Roll is pushing ahead with pilot production of an innovative new thin film with which it can manufacture both solar modules and capacitors. In the future, the design could also bring the potential for solar generation and energy storage within a single lightweight device.
Mar 09, 2021
Bifacial drives encapsulant switch
Suppliers of encapsulant materials – plastic sheets that are heated to laminate together the components in PV module stacks – are rapidly expanding to keep pace with module manufacturing in Asia and other parts of the world. Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) continues to dominate the market, but new developments in module technology are driving a slow shift to more costly polyolefins.
Mar 09, 2021
History repeats
“Unprecedented” was a term widely used in 2020, as the world grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic. The same word can be similarly applied to the plans and investments in production capacity announced by Chinese PV manufacturers right across the supply chain. But what shape are these expansions taking and what is driving this renewed confidence? Vincent Shaw reports from Shanghai.
Mar 09, 2021
Agrivoltaics: Where are we heading?
The complexity of agrivoltaics is not rocket science, but rather lies in the field’s various interdisciplinary challenges, says Max Trommsdorff, head of group agrivoltaics at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. Should agrivoltaics be deployed with interspace cropping, or should we use stilted PV systems that allow for cultivation below? And can the sector flourish without regulation?
Mar 09, 2021
The SolarWinds of change
Solar inverters have gotten smarter. The recent hacking of U.S. government agencies via software provided by SolarWinds has triggered discussion about whether inverters, with all their added functionality, could pose a serious cybersecurity threat to solar PV projects. David Wagman, senior editor at pv magazine USA, looks at the efforts that are underway to stay one step ahead of potential hackers.
Mar 09, 2021
Hope for a restart
The decline of the Turkish PV market over the past three years has been disappointing. But there is hope in the form of smaller “mini YEKA” tenders and the creation of a policy regime to support power purchase agreements, says Kutay Kaleli, the chairman of the board at Turkey’s peak solar industry body, Günder.
Mar 09, 2021
Central Asia’s solar awakening
Uzbekistan is providing a model for solar development in Central Asia as it rolls out its first large-scale projects. With the support of multilateral financial institutions, the government is prioritizing its electrical infrastructure as it pursues economic development goals. And as Amjad Khashman reports, the engagement of developers from fossil-fuel- rich neighbors in its solar projects points to a bright, renewable future for the region.
Mar 09, 2021
Headwinds, or a healthy correction?
In the month of February, the solar industry witnessed a decline, writes Jesse Pichel of ROTH Capital Partners. Increasing prices throughout the supply chain and forced labor concerns from China spelled headwinds for the solar industry, but the decline can also be viewed as a healthy correction, following historic highs in January.
Mar 09, 2021
