Magazine Archive

Indian market update: India experienced a rapid drop in solar energy tariffs, mainly driven by aggressive bidding. Raj Prabhu, Managing Partner of Mercom Capital Group, provides an overview of the third quarter 2012 and the current Indian state policies.

Czech Republic: While many European solar module factories are having to close their doors due to global overcapacity, the machines at Kyocera in the Czech Republic are still humming away. Most of the modules it produces are bound for the Japanese market.

27th EU PVSEC: It’s often a lawyer’s advice to a client, “expect nothing, and you can only be pleasantly surprised.” And in some ways, the EU PVSEC trade show in Frankfurt delivered more or less along these lines; low expectations resulted in some surprisingly positive results for a number of participants. However, after seeing a fall in exhibitor numbers by almost one third, others were left questioning the need for a second big European show.

Global market update: Corporate shakeouts continue in 2012 but provide hope for industry rationalization. NPD Solarbuzz’s analysis of the PV market trends towards the end of 2012.

Australia: Blessed with abundant solar resources and a strong Australian dollar, there has been a major shift towards PV. In short, never has been solar been so affordable Down Under. But as PV becomes a major player in the country’s energy landscape, the political backlash against PV has begun.

PV Taiwan: Taiwan’s international photovoltaics expo showcased not only Taiwan’s solar industry but the potential synergies between the world’s top two solar manufacturers, China and Taiwan. But is Taiwan’s solar industry ready to get together with its biggest rival? pv magazine spoke with industry leaders at PV Taiwan.

Chinese factory gate prices: The utilization rates of Chinese suppliers are still very low. PV installations in China are rising, but module prices are expected to stay low.

Cell testing: Solar cells are vulnerable to defects, such as microcracks, at every step of the manufacturing process. Some module manufacturers have therefore started carefully screening the goods coming from their suppliers. Manufacturers are taking a close look at what comes in the door and keeping cell suppliers on their toes.

PV+Test: Four more modules made by Chinese manufacturers have undergone the Solarpraxis/TUV Rheinland module test. The manufacturer JS Solar has proven that China is capable of producing high quality modules. The other two manufacturers, however, underscore the fact that this is not always the case.