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With almost 100 GW commissioned in 2018 (the same level as in 2017), the PV market was stable at a global level, writes Becquerel Institute’s Gaëtan Masson. This hides different market developments, as for example the decline of the Chinese PV market from 53 to 45 GW, and growth in other markets. The global market, exempting China, grew from 41 GW in 2016 to 46 GW in 2017, a rather big jump as it reached close to 55 GW in 2018.

In the coming weeks, months, and years, pv magazine will be digging deeper and expanding our sustainability horizons, defining – with your help – the most effective courses of action. What follows is an overview of current sustainability initiatives in the solar and, to a lesser extent, storage industries.

In a recent survey, DNV GL found that demand for blockchain-related skills in the solar sector is 50% higher than in other energy industries, while 33% of respondents said that the use of drones is having a significant impact on their businesses. However, the solar industry needs a common framework to help advance digitalization further.

The notion of a circular economy is gaining traction, both in and out of the solar and storage industries. Recently, the European Commission wrote, “The circular economy is now an irreversible global trend,” and there are many initiatives taking place around the world to build a more circular society. As part of our new UP campaign, pv magazine spoke with material solutions provider DSM Advanced Solar to see what it is doing in this area.

The testing company’s first inverter scorecard found widespread failures of basic tests in UL- and IEC-tested products.

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ new fund, CIP New Markets Fund I K/S, will invest in renewable energy infrastructure, including solar, in countries throughout Latin America and Asia.

The Swiss power group and Italian utility Evolvere have started a blockchain pilot project designed to facilitate transparent, secure peer-to-peer energy trading.

A combination of a heat sink effect, with radiation and passive convection heat dissipation results in cooler modules, and higher power output. This is the technique applied by Coolback, which launched its new backsheet concept at Intersolar Europe this week. Coolback Simon Meijer sets out the technology, effects and strategy to market.

After close to a decade of dramatic module cost declines, a new era of subsidy-free, utility-scale PV projects in dawning in Europe. But rather than ever-cheaper commodity modules, Radu Roman expects that technological innovation, particularly at the module level, will boost performance and continue solar’s subsidy-free expansion. Roman is Jinko Solar’s product and business development manager for Europe and will be a panelist at the Future PV Roundtable in Munich on Wednesday, May 16.

In 2017, JinkoSolar was the first Chinese company, and the second solar company, to achieve cradle to cradle certification – a pioneering initiative aimed at designing products in an environmentally and socially positive way. pv magazine spoke to Radu Roman, Product & Business Development Manager – Europe at JinkoSolar about the process, why it is so important to the company, and what’s in store for the future.