Magazine Archive 02 - 2023 | Take charge in 2023

The year 2022 was a watershed 12 months for energy storage and the massive increase in demand has left everyone clamoring for more. Scaling up supply proved to be a challenge and batteries became almost impossible to get hold of. Despite the unprecedented reverse in the historic pattern of battery-pack price declines, analysts at BloombergNEF […]

In January, the Invesco Solar ETF, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the MAC Global Solar Energy Index, outperformed relative to the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Roth Capital’s Jesse Pichel puts this down to big investments in US solar manufacturing and strong demand on both sides of the Atlantic.

Solar module prices continued to fall in January, and there is no end in sight. The main drivers impacting prices are lower shipping rates from China and the further recovery of the euro-US dollar exchange rate. Martin Schachinger of pvXchange expects other effects, such as slowly falling energy costs or polysilicon and wafer prices, which are in freefall, to further strengthen the trend in the coming months.

The residential energy storage sector experienced profound change in 2022, reports Susan Taylor, analyst for S&P Global. Record high electricity prices and ongoing restrictions on Russian gas supply have dramatically changed the way consumers view their energy consumption. Installing a battery and solar allows consumers to take control of their energy bills, reduce their exposure to future volatility, and lower their environmental impact.

Global shipments of battery cells for the stationary energy storage market surpassed 140 GWh in 2022, up 200% from 2021. Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. (CATL) accounted for more than 40% of the market, leaving other manufacturers far behind. Fellow Chinese players BYD and Eve Energy took second and third place, respectively, while South Korea’s Samsung SDI was pushed down to fourth, says Yuan Fang-wei, an analyst for InfoLink.

As the US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act demonstrated, companies preparing to spend big on batteries are at risk of being blindsided by supply-chain-related legislation. Raiene Santana and Andreas Savva, from solar and storage supply chain specialist Clean Energy Associates, offer some tips on how US developers can anticipate policy curveballs.

pv magazine is launching an Italian-language site in March 2023, as the country’s solar and energy storage markets enter a new period of growth. The growth under way in Italy at present represents a return to form, with big things expected in the near future.

The acceleration of PV deployment in Brazil has been breathtaking and, with a large industrial base, the Latin American economic powerhouse could see growth in its solar and battery manufacturing industries. pv magazine Brasil will be charting this ongoing expansion with on-the-ground reporting.

Last year was another landmark 12 months for energy storage, with all indicators pointing to a massive surge in demand. Supply chain instability and inflation saw battery prices rise, but the industry demonstrated an ability to swiftly react to geopolitical developments. Marija Maisch examines five trends driving the market.

With the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region set for a second consecutive COP climate summit in the United Arab Emirates in November, pv magazine’s Blake Matich sat down with Apricum MENA director Krzysztof Ignaciuk at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) to discuss the regional outlook.