Winter Edition – Gold standard – 12-2023
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Excerpt from the magazine
Solar slows but heat pumps set to grow
UK-based solar distributors are grappling with module oversupply just like their European peers, but the British market also has characteristics distinct from the European Union. To get the inside track, pv magazine spoke with Jamie Vaux, commercial director for Midsummer Energy.
Dec 05, 2023
Ambitious EU targets for green hydrogen
The pivotal role of green hydrogen in decarbonizing the economy is unquestioned but how should projects be sizing electrolyzers and green electricity supply? Everoze Partner Alexia Chappond describes several scenarios taking shape in projects that are currently under development.
Dec 05, 2023
Temper tantrum
Reports of broken module glass with no obvious cause have begun to crop up at large PV projects. Module design, glass manufacturing, and interactions in the field between modules and trackers are at play and a clear solution has yet to emerge. Early signs suggest an update to certification standards may be needed, as industry stakeholders tell Mark Hutchins.
Dec 05, 2023
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Decarbonizing disaster response
Diesel generators have been the workhorse of disaster relief for decades but as the frequency of extreme weather events rises, so do calls to decarbonize the emergency response. Sustainability may not be the only benefit to using solar in a crisis, as pv magazine discovers.
Dec 05, 2023
Test success for robot inspector
Utility-scale installations are accelerating while labor shortages prompt the industry to explore alternative strategies for delivering and operating solar plants. Utility-scale solar construction company McCarthy Building Companies, and robotics company OnSight Technology, recently teamed up to test a robotic tool to inspect field components.
Dec 05, 2023
Artificial opportunities
Artificial intelligence (AI) is hot right now and is finding central applications in homes and businesses as they move from simple grid connections to self-generation, energy storage, electric vehicle (EV) charging, and load-shifting revenue streams. With AI everywhere, what’s the difference between advanced control via simple algorithms, and true intelligence?
Dec 05, 2023
Innovation shines in challenging time
Records tumble but not always for the right reasons. Twenty twenty-three has been another banner year for the solar industry and the numbers speak for themselves. Optimistic solar deployment forecasts tip global installations to exceed 400 GW in 2023. In an outcome that would’ve seemed impossible only a handful of years ago, a single […]
Dec 05, 2023
Snub me tender
The Indian government has introduced a mechanism to prevent utilities from cherry-picking the most attractive solar power prices from publicly tendered projects. Vinay Rustagi, a senior director for consultancy Crisil, says that the change could result in utilities snubbing central government tenders as they may find it preferable to conduct their own procurement.
Dec 05, 2023
PPAs offer protection
Europe is witnessing a surge in power purchase agreements (PPAs). Over the past four years, the number of European PPA transactions has trebled. More than 180 deals were signed in 2022 alone and the trend is expected to continue, especially for solar projects, says IB Vogt Power Analyst Sara Fountir Benbrahim.
Dec 05, 2023
New leadership for a new solar era
As it gears up its advocacy efforts toward the COP28 climate summit, the Global Solar Council (GSC) has announced the appointment of Sonia Dunlop as its new chief executive officer (CEO). With a career spanning the PV industry, renewables policy, and climate change finance, Dunlop hopes to grow the GSC and strengthen its role in driving solar power growth.
Dec 05, 2023
Cracking cell defect detection
After years of improving quality standards, solar cell cracking appears to be on the rise again, perhaps due to new manufacturers entering the sector. Clean Energy Associates’ (CEA) senior engineering manager Claire Kearns-McCoy considers ways to stop the rot.
Dec 05, 2023
Australia’s battery balancing act
Australia is geologically equipped to become a battery critical-minerals hub but the nation is stumbling upon sticky structural issues. Sensitive diplomatic and trade ties, delicate forests and ecosystems, and a devotion to free markets and small government are among the major hurdles, writes Bella Peacock.
Dec 05, 2023
Lackluster performance for US solar stocks
The Invesco Solar ETF (exchange-traded fund) TAN continued on its negative trajectory in October 2023, significantly under-performing relative to the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). Jesse Pichel, of Roth Capital Partners, explores some of the latest developments in the US market.
Dec 05, 2023
Staying on top of traceability
Today, it is not enough for solar site developers, owners, and lenders to have internal environmental, social, and corporate and governance (ESG) metrics or corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies. Now they must trust, as well as verify, their partners’ ESG metrics and CSR policies, especially regarding labor practices. James Whittemore, senior manager for quality assurance and quality control at Enertis Applus, offers a guide to best practice.
Dec 05, 2023
Building bridges between East and West
Italian module manufacturer FuturaSun has big expansion plans in China, with the first phase of a 15 GW silicon cell fab due online in Huai’an in the first quarter of 2024, in addition to 1 GW of module production in Taizhou. Erik Eikelboom, technical adviser to FuturaSun, offers a closer look at the project.
Dec 05, 2023
Europe’s subsidy conundrum
On Nov. 6, the European Solar PV Industry Alliance (ESIA) published a recommendation paper in which it set out how its members envisage a European support scheme to foster the development of European solar. What chance does it have of actually achieving its goals? Götz Fischbeck delivers an assessment.
Dec 05, 2023
The pv magazine Awards
Another year in the solar and energy storage industries has swept past, meaning another 12 months of innovation and challenge; of great leaps in performance and the addition of new capabilities; of hurdles overcome and opportunities grasped; and of relentless competition on cost. This is all demonstrated in the winners of the pv magazine Awards for 2023, which includes, for the first time, a projects category which proved extremely popular with entrants.
Dec 05, 2023
Agreeing on green hydrogen
In November 2022, Germany’s Energie Baden Württemberg and steelmaker Salzgitter Group signed one of Europe’s first power purchase agreements (PPAs) for hydrogen production. More have followed and with the European Union introducing rules to govern green hydrogen, an industry is planning for its future.
Dec 05, 2023
