Large-scale PV: Three markets, three questions
The large-scale solar markets of China, the USA, and Europe have experienced vastly different fortunes over the past couple of years. As China has boomed and the U.S. held steady, Europe has seen growth rates plunge. But nothing is constant in PV, and each of these three vital markets faces a series of unique challenges and opportunities, as pv magazine discovered.
Manz: PV division not affected by Taiwan plant fire
Manz AG today reported a fire at its Taiwan production site. A spokesperson confirmed that its solar PV operations were not affected. No one was injured in the incident, although the amount of damage is still to be determined.
Panda Green reports increase in turnover, declining net profit
The Chinese solar PV developer increased the combined capacity of its solar plant portfolio by 62% to 2 GW last year. Total revenue for last year reached around $241 million.
US researchers see expansion in perovskite’s potential
Researchers based at Los Alamos National Laboraory in New Mexico, the U.S., and Rice University in Houston have found that constant illumination ‘relaxes’ the structure of perovskite solar cell material, increasing its conversion efficiency.
Brazilian PV market is maturing faster than expected – comment
The strong performance delivered by PV in Wednesday’s auction has demonstrated the solid market fundamentals of Brazil’s solar sector, and an improving competitive landscape. The winners of the auction included both major international players and local companies. Despite the auction’s surprising outcome, which was also driven by cheaper equipment and a stronger Real, PV technology will not be included in the upcoming A-6 auction.
The impact of transition
The smarter E: First to join Intersolar was the energy storage trade fair EES, and now the concept has become even more comprehensive, the trade fair and conference even bigger. Markus Elsässer, CEO of the organizer Solar Promotion, explains that all of the events now fall under the umbrella of “The smarter E”.
Turkey identifies potential sites for new PV tender, critical details still missing
Turkey has identified a number of regions set to host the next phase of its solar PV deployment, which is expected to comprise mainly large-scale systems.
Tunisia to issue 300 MW tender for large-scale solar
The announcement was made by Prime Minister Youssef Chahed. The tender is set to be published on April 27.
Record inverter shipments in 2017, three-phase string inverters overtake central for first time
According to the latest GTM Research statistics, global inverter shipments increased 23% in 2017, and revenues 11%, thus representing another record year. A market first, three-phase string inverter shipments overtook those of central inverters.
Shunfeng trims net loss, improves sales
The Chinese PV manufacturer shipped 3.85 GW of solar PV products last year, including 37.6 MW of wafers, 1,346 MW of solar cells, and 2,475 MW of PV panels. China was still the company’s largest market, accounting for 74.9% of total sales.
