Tipping point – 11-2023
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Excerpt from the magazine
Drags on demand for US residential
The Invesco Solar exchange traded fund (ETF) TAN significantly underperformed relative to the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) stock indexes in September. Jesse Pichel, of Roth Capital Partners, puts this down to oversupply in the United States residential sector.
Nov 09, 2023
Oversupply bites
It was only in June, at the Intersolar Europe trade show, that the extent of the oversupply situation facing the global solar market in 2023 became clear. Following a wave of multi-gigawatt capacity expansions to existing manufacturers in China, along with new entrants and a host of manufacturers adding lines and new facilities in […]
Nov 09, 2023
Consolidating growth in Africa
Across Africa, rooftop solar is stepping in to fill the void as fears of non-payment and inflation-reduced donor funding dampen enthusiasm for big solar. Commercial and industrial (C&I) arrays are leading the charge, driving consolidation in markets overstocked with startup and mid-size installers, as Max Hall discovers.
Nov 09, 2023
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China’s trailblazing ‘Silicon Valley’
From integrating solar and batteries to leading the charge on digitalization, businesses operating on the technological frontier can be found in Shenzhen, China. The southern city is becoming more pivotal to the PV industry, as pv magazine publisher Eckhart K. Gouras discovered on his most recent visit to China.
Nov 09, 2023
VPPs get the VIP treatment
With net metering waning in the United States and utilities looking for ways to affordably bolster their electricity networks, the US Department of Energy (DOE) is trying to support virtual power plant (VPP) deployment. Solar industry veteran Jigar Shah, known as the father of the solar power purchase agreement, is now leading the charge at the department’s Loans Programs Office.
Nov 09, 2023
Rollercoaster year for US residential segment
The rollercoaster of surging and plunging demand is a familiar feature of many PV marketplaces. Ethan Miller, the chief operating officer of Powur, a residential solar sales and project fulfillment platform, reports that the ‘solar coaster’ has arrived in the United States this year.
Nov 09, 2023
pv magazine Award: Highlights
For the final time this year, what follows is a selection of the most eye-catching innovations from the 2023 crop of pv magazine Award entries. We are now in the process of narrowing down the list of more than 200 entries received, to select winners in each category which we will announce in the December 2023 edition.
Nov 09, 2023
Measuring success
Competition is heating up in the PV testing equipment market as manufacturers fight for a slice of the pie. For brands such as US-based company Fluke, global growth in solar installation numbers creates new sales opportunities – but only if they offer the right tools for the job. Field application engineer Markus Bakker spoke with pv magazine to explain the approach Fluke takes to PV testing.
Nov 09, 2023
Integration on hold
Taiwan has big plans to ensure its energy independence and progress toward net-zero by 2050. Plans for new solar and offshore wind projects are taking shape and the need for energy storage to manage a grid with a growing share of intermittent renewables is being recognized. For the moment, however, many of these plans are on hold, with Taiwan’s government apparently nervous about making big moves ahead of elections scheduled for January 2024.
Nov 09, 2023
Workforce dilemma casts long shadow
Solar industry expansion is racing ahead but shortages of skilled labor could derail progress. Long-term solutions are required to support further growth. Benoit Ribeaud, partner at Everoze, explores how a workforce bottleneck is affecting the solar industry and calls for more action to alleviate recruitment pressure.
Nov 09, 2023
Growing pains for battery manufacturing in Europe
Chinese investment plays no small role in efforts to establish a European battery manufacturing ecosystem but as Europe’s gigafactory pipeline expands, so does the number of production plants at risk of being delayed, scaled down, or cancelled.
Nov 09, 2023
Laser-sharp focus on interconnections
As the world’s solar manufacturers continue to ramp up production at an eye-watering speed, a cell connection technique up to 10 times faster than the industry standard holds rich promise, according to Keven Tremblay, from Canadian laser process specialist Laserax.
Nov 09, 2023
South Korean solar in retreat – for now
Despite gigawatt gains for installed generation capacity, negative sentiment and local government regulation threaten progress in South Korea. At the same time, agrivoltaic development and a pioneering approach from the industry are offering grounds for optimism, according to Qcells’ Ian Clover.
Nov 09, 2023
Giving innovation wings
In July 2016, Solar Impulse completed the first solar-powered flight around the world in a single-seater, fixed-wing aircraft. It was equipped with 17,000 Sunpower-Maxeon PV cells and a novel electric propulsion system. The 42,000 kilometer adventure has created a desire to promote cleaner technologies, reports Valerie Thompson.
Nov 09, 2023
The overproduction conundrum
Manufacturing capacity has been ramping up so quickly that even impressive installation growth cannot keep pace. Molly Morgan, senior research analyst at UK-based research firm Exawatt, explores the relationship between PV supply and demand and assesses the likelihood of overproduction.
Nov 09, 2023
Connecting HJT
The application of busbarless cell interconnection approaches could unlock the potential of heterojunction (HJT) technology, primarily by reducing the historically high silver usage of negatively-doped, “n-type” cell technologies. As a key patent expires, a wave of applications may very well be on the horizon.
Nov 09, 2023
BESS lessons learned
Taking a rigorous approach to inspection is crucial across the energy storage supply chain. Chi Zhang and George Touloupas, of Clean Energy Associates (CEA), explore common manufacturing defects in battery energy storage systems (BESS) and how quality-assurance regimes can detect them.
Nov 09, 2023
Commercial ‘kerfless’ is coming
The implementation of diamond wire wafer cutting dramatically reduced kerf – the crystalline material that is wasted when a solar ingot is sliced into wafers. Now epitaxy allows kerf losses to be kicked to the curb and Germany’s NexWafe is taking its epitaxial wafer production to commercial scale. Chief executive officer (CEO)Davor Sutija spoke with pv magazine shortly after the ground-breaking ceremony at its new facility in October.
Nov 09, 2023
Bridging the gaps
The collapse of module prices in 2023 has fueled speculation around just how much PV supply is held in European warehouses. How big the stockpile is depends on who you ask but such a broad spectrum of opinion shows there is room for improvement in how the solar industry shares data, argues PV market researcher Rolf Heynen.
Nov 09, 2023
