At SNEC 2024 in Shanghai, pv magazine spoke with Puzant Baliozian, lead consultant of sector group photovoltaic equipment for Germany’s Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers Association (VDMA). He says tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) technology will dominate the solar market in the next 10 years and expects module manufacturers will compete to develop more creative product designs. He also believes that copper metallization will gain market share in heterojunction (HJT) module production in the next years. “In the upcoming decade, we will have less than mg/W of silver being used for both TOPCon and HJT technologies,” he stated.

At SNEC 2024 in Shanghai, pv magazine spoke with Martin Green, Scientia Professor at the University of New South Wales and solar cell technology expert. He said perovskite-silicon tandem technologies still have a long way to go before reaching commercial maturity and predicts silicon-based technologies will still dominate the market for many years. He also sees potential for copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) solar cells and other absorber materials. “Until we don’t solve the stability issues with perovskite, is good to have other candidates,” he stated.

At this year’s SNEC exhibition in Shanghai pv magazine caught up with Lisa Zhang, Vice President of Marketing at Growatt. At their SNEC booth, Growatt showcased its new 100 kW hybrid inverter WIT 50-100K-HU/AU, developed for commercial and industrial applications.

The world’s largest solar event has expanded to accommodate the remarkable growth of China’s PV industry, which remains unfazed by future oversupply and international competition. Analysts and market players say Chinese PV demand could reach 130 GW.

Chinese PV manufacturer TW Solar (Tongwei Co., Ltd.) TW Solar spoke to pv magazine at the recent World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi about its strategy for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and other global markets.

The photovoltaic industry is expected to achieve annual global expansion of 300 GW as early as this year. That sounds like a lot, but is it enough? In view of climate change and rising energy demand, it is time for a new vision.

pv magazine publisher, Eckhart Gouras, interviewed Diego Mesa, the Colombian Minister of Mines and Energy at the BNEF Summit in New York. Mesa recounted the history of solar PV adoption in his country and provided details on the most recent developments, including the construction of Colombia’s largest solar park by Italian group Enel and the first large scale battery project by Canadian Solar.

China is once again the focus of attention across the global solar PV industry. The country’s manufacturers have had a turbulent 2021, but domestic demand remains strong, particularly from the booming residential rooftop segment. Despite the supply challenges, China will likely reach 50 GW this year and possibly even 100 GW next year. Given the dynamic market and policy landscape, pv magazine publisher Eckhart K. Gouras recently caught up with long-time China solar expert Frank Haugwitz, the founder of the Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory (AECEA).

The Canadian Solar chief repeated his belief the trend of ever-cheaper solar panels has come to an end and revealed, at the online BNEF event, his company is set to launch a 700 W module.

The Dutch event has attracted bumper crowds this week as the Dutch solar PV market continues to defy skeptics with its tremendous growth.