In the run-up to the third pv magazine quality roundtable at Intersolar Europe, we report on a survey of European manufacturers about strategy and quality. The question is, what makes Made in Europe attractive to buyers looking for modules for a PV plant?

Black sheep campaign: PV panel manufacturers selling plug connectors as MC4 compatible is nothing unusual. Two operators who have installed such modules are now struggling with lost insurance coverage and fires.

Innovative installers and solar plant designers in particular are welcomed speakers at Intersolar Europe. Visitors eagerly line up for to hear the top presenters. Jong Wan (JW) Lim, managing director and head of EU Sales at Hanwha Q CELLS, explains what an innovation is and why his company got involved with the award, which it is presenting with pv magazine.

German solar inverter giant SMA has unveiled its new Sunny Boy Storage 2.5 inverter, which can be coupled with Tesla’s PowerWall. SMA says that its AC coupled unit cuts Sunny Boy storage power electronic costs by half.

Germany saw 1.28 GW of solar PV become operational in the 12 months from December 1, 2014, to November 30, 2015, according to official figures. Due to the low installation rate, FITs for January to March will not change.

The European Commission has ruled that its antidumping and antisubsidy measures will not be allowed to expire, with a review to be launched that could take up to 15 months to complete. Imports on Chinese cells however may be exempted from the measures.

On Monday, the 31st EU PVSEC in Hamburg, Germany opened its doors. Despite the current turbulence in the European solar industry, a high visitor turnout was seen at the opening conference. Future industry expectations are split: Either global installations will stagnate until 2020; or increase to 100 GW.

In June this year, the German Federal Network Agency registered a rather low 95.5 MW of PV capacity, depicting the same story as in the last months. Of that, 56.8 MW came into operation.

At this year’s Intersolar Europe, BYD introduced a solar PV module without EVA, which promises an extended service life and improved efficiencies. Production is expected to reach up to 500 MW in 2016. It also unveiled a new battery and two energy storage systems.

The announcement of a new and low-priced home battery from U.S. manufacturer Tesla is has generated quite a buzz in Germany, although many questions have remained unanswered — until now. pv magazine speaks to Tesla about its latest offering.