Robotically boxed
Automated junction box assembly: With increasing pressure on manufacturers to cut costs and thus drive prices for solar modules down, one solution that has lent a hand is automation of the production line. One of the last stations, the junction box assembly stop can now also run on auto-pilot mode. There are reasons that point towards automation of this station and others that convince firms that some steps still need hands.
US market: sunny with a chance of downpour
PV power plants: Market research points to a robust growth in the U.S. market driven by utility-scale projects. But the outlook might dim if a shift in political power leads to policies that put a brake on the pace of project development.
Tin and zinc sprinkled dream
CZTS: Reports streamed out of the IBM labs confirming the arrival of this new absorber for thin film solar cells. Research work into the copper-zinc-tin-sulfur/selenium (CZTS/Se) combination has been on-going for years now, but its value, cost-effectiveness and green mark remain shadowy. Whether the newbie in the thin film photovoltaic scene lives up to its hype remains to be seen.
Supply-demand concerns
Ardour Solar Index: Low valuations spark some buying, but the 2011 macro outlook is still cloudy.
Sublime solar skin
Building integration: Suspended 100 meters in the air, French consulting engineers SECM have constructed a winding roof with 800 glass photovoltaic modules on top of a new eco high-rise on the edge of Paris. This was then ingeniously placed on the movable so-called spider brackets.
Spot market for PV panels: Not too sharp
Module prices: The anticipated price reduction on the spot market in November was not as sharp as previously expected. This was particularly true for high performance modules that were stored in Europe.
South Tyrol beckons
Italy: The northern Italian province of South Tyrol has the most ambitious goals for renewable energy in Italy, including plans for an increase in installed solar power capacity. To achieve these, foreign expertise and investments are welcome.
Solar systems with dual personalities
Hybrid modules: A crop of startup companies in Silicon Valley are developing hybrid systems that can deliver solar electricity and heat to residential and commercial customers. As yet, the technologies are unproven; nonetheless, they promise savings in the long term.
Solar mission
Dear readers, Does solar electricity or other renewable energies lead to a better world? Certainly not by themselves. A person who sleeps under plastic sheeting along stinking dumping grounds or highways, scoops drinking water from smelly ditches and is glad if they get to eat a daily bowl of rice has other concerns. In the […]
ROK wants to rock the solar scene
South Korea: Sandwiched between China, the 2010 photovoltaic manufacturing leader, and Japan, which had the largest solar market outside of Europe in 2009, the Republic of Korea (ROK) or South Korea, as it is popularly known, is now ramping up solar cell and module production. By lowering trade barriers, investing heavily in renewable energy and building on current production strengths, the ROK hopes to take center stage.
