Further upstream – 10-2024
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Solar stocks rally in September
The Invesco Solar exchange-traded fund (ETF) returned to growth in September 2024, with utility-scale PV equipment stocks performing particularly well. More US solar businesses are expected to shutter but anticipated interest rate cuts should lead to stronger performance in the year ahead, says Jesse Pichel, of Roth Capital Partners.
Nov 05, 2024
Problems and potential
Africa’s 54 nations comprise 30 million km2, making it larger than Europe, India, the United States, and China combined. The International Energy Agency’s “Africa Energy Outlook 2022” report estimated 600 million people – 43% of the continent’s population – lacked electricity. There is a clear opportunity for solar to make a difference.
Nov 05, 2024
As bankruptcy vultures circle…
The European PV industry isn’t in a good state right now, writes Martin Schachinger of pvXchange. Company insolvencies are on the rise, closely following a trend in Germany across all sectors. According to the German financial news publication Deutsche Wirtschaftsnachrichten, a sad peak was reached in the third quarter of 2024 with the highest number of bankruptcies since 2010.
Nov 05, 2024
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On the road with pv magazine
Where we’ve been: Energy Taiwan & Net-Zero Taiwan 2024, Taipei, Taiwan Energy Taiwan & Net-Zero Taiwan got off to a sluggish start as Typhoon Krathon – a powerful tropical cyclone that mainly lashed the island’s southern counties – forced the cancellation of the first two days in Taipei, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the […]
Nov 05, 2024
Tough prospects for Africa-made PV
While oversupply and PV module prices below production cost threaten new solar manufacturing projects worldwide, it is generally accepted that PV manufacturing must expand significantly to meet installation targets. Relying on one or a few regions for production capacity poses risks. pv magazine examines the case for manufacturing in Africa and looks at projects already underway.
Nov 05, 2024
UP: Forged by nature
Emissions from steel production each year equal those of a major developed economy. Yet steel is a crucial material to support the energy transition, among its many other applications – making its supply essential. Enter green steel, the production of which interrelates with solar, wind, and green hydrogen in intriguing ways.
Nov 05, 2024
Private sector powers African solar growth
Multilateral organizations the World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB) have played a key role in the development of African solar and want to attract more private capital to a continent with at least 40% of the world’s solar irradiation but currently only 1% of its PV generation capacity.
Nov 05, 2024
A turning point for Algerian solar
Algeria has long limited the use of solar to villages in the Sahara but two large-scale tenders, for 3 GW of generation capacity are expected to change that. By including a local content clause, the North African nation aims to build an industry around renewable energy.
Nov 05, 2024
Winning material
French chemist Daniel Lincot was awarded the prestigious Becquerel Prize in 2024. He has been recognized for his many research contributions in the field of thin-film solar and his role in the development of leading French PV research institutes. pv magazine met with Lincot to look back over key moments in a career spanning more than 40 years.
Nov 05, 2024
Simulating success
Modeling tools are becoming critical, whether starting a renewable energy project or adding battery storage capacity to an existing one. José Manuel Vidaller, senior energy engineer at Enertis Applus+ explains the role that software can play when planning hybrid sites.
Nov 05, 2024
Solar central to European building rules
The European Union’s revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which came into force in spring 2024, lends substantial support to solar on building structures. Andreas Walstad asks whether this is sufficient to trigger a widespread revamp of Europe’s aging, energy-inefficient building stock.
Nov 05, 2024
Africa’s ambition
With PV component prices still unsustainably low, many are waiting for the demand promised by 2030 solar installation targets to materialize. While modest growth in global installations is forecast for 2024 and 2025, there are few signs this will match supply. Many of the 54 countries of Africa are ripe with unrealized PV potential. […]
Nov 05, 2024
BESS are becoming more attractive
As battery energy storage system (BESS) costs plunge, energy price volatility is shortening payback times for storage solutions. This shift, driven by a surge in intermittently-generating renewables, and ongoing innovations in battery manufacturing, marks a pivotal moment for energy markets worldwide.
Nov 05, 2024
Filling in the blanks
David Robertson, vice president of solutions for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) at Energy Exemplar, explains how solar and other energy asset operators and consultants in Africa use Plexos, the company’s digital-twin simulation modeling engine, to make business decisions despite limited data availability.
Nov 05, 2024
Bridging Africa’s energy access gap
Africa is a continent with a forward-looking mentality and great strides have been made over the past 50 years, says Anthony Osijo, CEO of solar home systems provider Bboxx. Osijo explains how a decentralized approach to grids and generation can address major challenges facing the continent, with access to energy chief among them.
Nov 05, 2024
Made in Britain
GivEnergy is a British-owned business headquartered in the United Kingdom that manufactures energy storage and inverter products in Shenzhen, China. The company is on the expansion trail with new offices opening to cover every time zone. There is global ambition but also a real desire to do more domestically, as CEO Jason Howlett explained.
Nov 05, 2024
‘Eggs, bacon and 2 kWh of solar please’
Residents and businesses are crying out for reliable power in South Africa and Nigeria but buying or leasing rooftop solar arrays is out of reach for many. One PV entrepreneur claims he has a business model to unlock solar potential across multiple African markets.
Nov 05, 2024
Shoots of growth for Indian green hydrogen
India is laying the foundations of a hydrogen economy with huge governmental support. pv magazine spoke to Jakson Green CEO Bikesh Ogra about the company’s manufacturing and production activities in light of India’s ambitious hydrogen plans and the central role electrolyzer manufacturing is set to play.
Oct 04, 2024
US solar factories: From announcements to reality
Now that incentives from the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are well understood, global manufacturers are announcing factories in the United States to constitute much of the solar supply chain. While some plans have been scrapped already, and more cancellations are expected, the broader trend is unprecedented growth.
Oct 04, 2024
UP: Sustainable steel
Steel manufacturing accounts for 8% of global energy demand and 7% of energy-related CO2 emissions, according to the International Energy Agency. The World Steel Association says energy use per ton of steel has dropped by 60% since the 1970s and steel is the world’s most recycled material, but there is still room for improvement. pv magazine’s UP initiative looks at opportunities for the industry to be greener, such as integrating solar and energy storage.
Oct 04, 2024
A question of chemistry
A typical mid-sized battery materials processing facility can produce 50,000 tons of waste sodium sulfate per year, most of which currently goes to landfill. Bilen Aküzüm, chief technology officer (CTO) of California-based startup Aepnus, explains how the company uses an electrolysis process to convert this waste back into usable chemicals for the battery industry.
Oct 04, 2024
Larger, thinner… and weaker?
With hailstorms in the United States and Australia severely damaging solar arrays – including “golf-ball sized” hail at the 350 MW Fighting Jays project in Texas in March 2024 – insurers are raising premiums and reducing or canceling hail coverage. Everoze Partner Simon Mason discusses the challenges the industry faces in minimizing its hail risk exposure.
Oct 04, 2024
Sponsored: Anker SOLIX brings latest solutions to RE+
Anker’s new microinverters are optimizing solar production and energy storage for homeowners, according to Shaun Xiong, board member and general manager of the company’s charging business. He says the company is also well on its way to achieving its goal of zero plastic packaging by 2027.
Oct 04, 2024
Future-proofing BESS investment
Energy losses and advances in battery technology can affect utility-scale storage asset performance over time. Jordan Perrone, senior project development engineer at Depcom Power, explains how planning for battery storage augmentation from the start can simplify future upgrades down the line.
Oct 04, 2024
Hybrids powering the renewables rollout
Growth in India’s renewable energy sector has been remarkable, driven by the government’s ambitious net-zero target, supportive policy, and falling technology costs. Now, as the country looks to integrate more renewable energy into its grids, Crisil’s Sehul Bhatt finds that hybrid systems, combining solar, wind, and energy storage are proving an attractive solution.
Oct 04, 2024
First Nations people take control
Supporting First Nations people to effectively engage in and benefit from the energy transition is a timely priority for Australia’s emerging Net Zero Economy Authority, which is tasked with facilitating investments nationwide. pv magazine Australia’s Ev Foley finds the road to clean energy for remote communities can be long and hard, but possible. In the Pilbara, a First Nations group is blazing a trail as a developer of a 3 GW renewables pipeline.
Oct 04, 2024
Growth stalls in August
Utility-scale solar in the United States has been held back by duties on PV module imports, but Jesse Pichel, of Roth Capital Partners, says growth could be on the horizon for residential solar stocks as falling interest rates open the door to an uptick in battery demand.
Oct 04, 2024
Australia’s big battery bonanza
The volume of large-scale battery energy storage projects under construction in Australia passed that of solar and wind projects combined in 2023 and the trend has intensified this year, with batteries attracting federal support. As coal-fired power plants are shuttered, developers and suppliers are enjoying a battery bonanza.
Oct 04, 2024
Solar’s global footprint grows
Following years of concentration and consolidation of the entire supply chain in China and a few neighboring countries, solar is again spreading its manufacturing footprint around the world. The United States and India have shown great determination to come this far in reducing their reliance on imported products and both are now sitting on […]
Oct 04, 2024
Shallow talent pool threatens all
India wants to dramatically expand its solar production capacity through 2028 but it faces a lack of skilled workers. Attracting talent from overseas and related industries is an option but policymakers could also follow the United States’ lead and work on training schemes with Chinese manufacturers.
Oct 04, 2024
Oversupply and demand in Pakistan
Solar panels flooded into Pakistan during the first half of 2024 and oversupply has wiped out module margins. Solar developers want greater liberalization of the nation’s electricity market but the government is concerned that moving too quickly could place more pressure on utilities already burdened by high capacity payments.
Oct 04, 2024
Digital is not optional
High interest rates, excess warehouse inventory, and falling component prices have created a perfect storm for solar distributors since October 2023. BayWa re Solar Trade CEO Frank Jessel explains how the industry can embrace true digitalization to better navigate this volatility.
Oct 04, 2024
Low prices shaping polysilicon’s future
Polysilicon was in short supply in 2021 and 2022. High prices and fat profits drove investment into huge new production capacities, including from new market entrants. The resulting surpluses have driven down prices, according to InfoLink analyst Dora Zhao.
Oct 04, 2024
India’s stored potential
Renewable Energy Expo India (REI) returns at the start of October 2024, for what will be its 17th edition. For the second year running, the Battery Show India will run concurrently with REI. pv magazine had the chance to catch up with Julian Thomas, senior project director at show organizer Informa Markets, to discuss growth in energy storage and early moves to establish a battery supply chain in India.
Oct 04, 2024
Crunch time for Iranian solar
Iran has ambitious plans to ramp up solar to help tackle a persistent, steadily worsening energy crisis. But sweeping Western sanctions and arguably inefficient state management are making those PV plans appear extremely unrealistic, according to independent analysts.
Oct 04, 2024
Powering adventure
The allure of the open road is strong in the United States, where highways can snake through breathtaking landscapes. Recreational vehicles (RVs) make adventuring easy but powering portable homes with diesel generators is a poor solution for today’s travelers. Briter Products President Avanti Lalwani tells pv magazine how her company is putting solar on wheels.
Oct 04, 2024
Keeping up with manufacturing trends
Indian PV manufacturers are looking beyond tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar. Back-contact (BC) devices are an enticing prospect but many feel the technology is not mature enough. Uma Gupta considers the cost, yield, and reliability challenges that BC solar has to overcome.
Oct 04, 2024
Best of the BESS suppliers
The choice of battery project partners and suppliers – including for battery cells – can make or break a battery energy storage system (BESS). Price is not everything and a supplier’s technology and long-term support must align with buyer needs and risk appetite.
Oct 04, 2024
