Intersolar 2012

According to the Deutsche Bank’s latest solar industry update, photovoltaic companies can expect to see continued margin and pricing pressure.

The Intersolar North America tradeshow and conference ended today with a mixed outlook for photovoltaics, and talk of an industry shakeout prominent in discussions.

Uncharacteristically clear blue skies greeted attendees at the fifth Intersolar North America tradeshow, which began yesterday in San Francisco, California. Despite a number of political and regulatory clouds hanging over the event, which includes the Intersolar North America conference, a number of firms remained upbeat about the prospects for photovoltaics in the country.

Tier-two Chinese manufacturer Phono Solar said that the key to making an impact in the current challenging photovoltaic market is continue to develop diverse offerings targeting a number of market segments. Phono Solar’s Global Marketing Manager Eric Yuan spoke to pv magazine at the Intersolar Europe trade show.

While visitor numbers at the Intersolar Europe 2012 are expected to be down on last year, inverter manufacturers have reported that visitor quality has been high and that the inverter hall has been buzzing with activity.

Intersolar 2012 is almost at an end. Overall, the event has been positively received, with many remarking on the high visitor quality. Speaking to exhibitors, a few trends emerged which, while perhaps not new, are definitely gaining traction in the industry.

International semiconductor developer Soitec reported at the Intersolar Europe trade show today that it has completed what it claims is Italy’s largest concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) power plant in Sicily. The company says that the 1.17 megawatt (MW) power plant, “paves the way for many other CPV plants to be developed in the country.”

The IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization, has sent a message to the photovoltaic industry that it needs to collaborate in the global marketplace, in the highly-competitive current market.

The second day of Intersolar Europe is at an end, and by all accounts the atmosphere was a positive one.While the exhibitor and visitor numbers may be down on previous years, there was nevertheless a lot of activity and many of the stands were well attended. pv magazine spoke to a number of players, which have interesting plans in the pipeline. Bifacial was a buzzword.

The second day of the Intersolar Conference closed yesterday with the CEO panel displaying remarkable optimism in the face of extremely challenging conditions for manufacturers. The CEOs of Canadian Solar and JA Solar were upbeat about predictions for installed capacity in 2012.