New arrivals transforming the market
PV inverter market: Inverter shipments reached an almost unbelievable 26 GW in 2011, according to preliminary results from IMS Researchs Quarterly PV Inverter Tracker which collects sales and shipment data from 45 major manufacturers. IMS Researchs Ash Sharma looks at what 2012 has in store and which new arrivals are worth keeping an eye on in the near future.
Unique challenges on the subcontinent
Project development India: Solar development in India is a bit of a paradox. On one hand, it is like the Wild West of American folklore, where anything goes. On the other, the solar market in India is one of the most rigidly planned markets in the world, and developers must be on top of their game to turn a profit. Astonfield Renewable Resources Sourabh Sen looks inside the intriguing and extremely promising market.
Solar spring
Japan: One year after Fukushima the Japanese photovoltaics market is ready for a new launch. At the beginning of March this could be seen at PV Expo 2012, Japans largest solar trade exhibition. This year it is expected that new systems with an output of 2.5 gigawatts will be installed, more than twice as much as in the previous year.
Rise and shine
Jordan: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has few natural resources and imports nearly all of its energy. Now it is turning to renewables such as solar PV to provide energy security and drive economic prosperity.
Racking & receptors buoy tenKsolar
System efficiency: Relative newcomer tenKsolar, of Minneapolis, is offering a unique wave-shaped photovoltaic array of flat plate modules paired with reflectors that the company claims will generate the highest density energy output of any solar array on a commercial flat roof.
Pyranometers, reference cells: the difference
Utility-scale PV: Even tiny changes in predicted output can have a big impact on a utility-scale power plants bottom line. As such, a small reduction in uncertainty can make a big difference. The best way to accurately determine PV efficiency is explored in this article, the first part of a two-part series, from PV Evolution Labs, which compares pyranometers and reference cells.
Price decline expected
Factory gate prices: In February, Chinese modules were sold at US$0.835 per watt, while module prices of European suppliers were between US$0.96 and US$1.13 per watt. In all regions, prices are expected to further decrease during the next months.
Power for Paradise
Caribbean: Despite high insolation levels, photovoltaics in the Caribbean have remained in the shadows until now. But as prices fall, more and more Caribbean nations are coming up with feed-in tariffs of their own.
Out of the shadows
Concentrated photovoltaics: CPV is not a new technology, but it is beginning to have its place in the sun as a bankable form of solar power generation. In the MENA region and places with higher direct irradiation it is growing and companies are beginning to fill the CPV supply niche. But are there sufficient advantages for CPV to emerge, out of the shadows?
