Investment Tax Credit sunset date looms ahead
USA: The Investment Tax Credit (ITC) has been called the cornerstone of continued growth in the US solar market. At the end of 2016, the credit will drop from 30% to 10%, and will be limited only to businesses. What will this mean for the United States solar PV market?
Thin films past, present and potential
Thin film PV: Paula Mints, founder and chief market research analyst of the global solar market research firm SPV Market Research, analyses the development of thin film PV and explains where growth may be possible in the future.
The second stage of renewable energy
Interview: BYD started producing rechargeable batteries in 1995 and got into manufacturing electric vehicles after purchasing an automobile company in 2003. BYDs lithium iron phosphate batteries power cars, buses, and forklift trucks as well as energy storage solutions. Tom Zhao, General Manager of BYD Solar, talked with pv magazine about the companys strategy and the markets for energy storage and electric vehicles.
Rock bottom
Module prices: The European PV market continues its downward trend. New concepts are making new inroads but more slowly than expected.
Robots bolster solar quality
Automation: The cost of robotics and automation has gone down along with the cost of computers. The solar industry has integrated robots all along the value chain to execute jobs faster, cheaper, and with higher quality compared to manual operations.
On the cusp
Off-grid PV: Of the 1.3 billion people without access to electricity, more than 80% live in rural areas far away from the existing power grids. Because of the problems to finance the up-front cost of a solar PV system with a battery, diesel gensets are still the preferred energy solution in many of these areas.
On the cusp
Off-grid PV: Of the 1.3 billion people without access to electricity, more than 80% live in rural areas far away from the existing power grids. Because of the problems to finance the up-front cost of a solar PV system with a battery, diesel gensets are still the preferred energy solution in many of these areas.
Off-grid power for small-scale enterprises
Ethiopia: Light, services, energy PV can deliver tangible benefits to communities beyond electricity grids. It can also create new business opportunities in rural areas, as has been demonstrated in Ethiopia where businesses, a university and government are coming together to facilitate solars transformative growth. pv magazine spoke with Engidaw Abel Hailu, Manager at the Solar Competence Center (SCC) of Arba Minch University, Ethiopa.
N-type mono is coming
Solar cells: N-type mono wafers are the foundation for the most successful high efficiency solar PV cell designs on the market. But will they replace p-type technology for monocrystalline silicon PV, and when?
New finance models primed for Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia: The southeastern region of Asia has an enviable solar resource and is home to some world-leading finance centers. The right combination of homegrown innovation and responding to global trends in finance will help to make the most of solar in the region. Ragna Schmidt-Haupt of DNV GL identifies several new global and local financing trends that could have a big impact in the region.
