Made in Germany: a model with a future?
Module manufacturing: The manufacturers of solar modules in Germany are confident that manufacturing in the country will also take place in the years to come. Successful module manufacturing in Germany depends on many different factors.
A rough wind
Modules prices: Continued low demand and cuts in the remuneration for European PV systems invoke the specter of a renewed collapse on the market.
High demand driving trade
Ranking silicon and wafers: The days of high overcapacity for silicon and wafer manufacturers are, due to the fast-growing global PV market, over for now. Because of strong demand, both IHS and GTM Research expect rising prices and capacity expansions throughout the sector.
Hanergys GW ambitions for CIGS
Thin film: Chinese renewable energy player Hanergy sure knows how to grab a headline. But can it make good on its targets for thin film PV technology? Hanergy has acquired three CIGS companies that had been struggling to make good on ambitious plans and has now announced plans for a major build-out of the technology.
Grid parity for commercial PV self-consumption
Grid parity: Grid parity is an economic reality for the commercial segment in major European markets such as Germany and Italy, says David Pérez, Managing Partner of the Eclareon Madrid and Milan offices.
Global FIT overview
Feed-in tariffs: Australias feed-in tariffs are under even greater threat from utilities. Germanys FITs continue their gradual decline. And Greece looks to reduce its financial obligations with ever greater retroactive FIT reductions.
Enduring to the end
PV backsheets: An overview of the global backsheet industry, recent innovation and an examination on what backsheet testing and standards should focus on.
Electricity for amazing landscapes
Off-grid PV: Chilean energy efficiency company iEnergía, founded in 2008, brought solar electricity to 75 families in three different territories in the lake region in southern Chile.
CIGS from the Cape
South Africa: Regarded as one of the most promising emerging markets in PV, dozens of international companies are currently active in South Africa. In early February, Africas first pilot production for CIGS thin film modules opened in Stellenbosch near Cape Town, and pv magazine was invited along for a first look.
Business model in stress test
Wholesale trade: The specialized PV wholesale trade stands at a crossroads in Germany. Will its expertise stay in demand because solar power systems are becoming a core component in the self-sufficient household and industrial sector? Or is it soon to become superfluous in a largely standardized mass market? Despite the wave of bankruptcies and acquisitions in the country, both models still seem possible.
