Heads you win, tails you win
One manufacturer after another has announced bifacial modules, and buyers would do well to consider the benefits. Independent calculations show that increases of up to 15% or more are realistic in countries such as Germany.
They grow so fast – solar PV’s coming of age in the UK
Recently, subsidy-free solar PV plants have generated buzz in the U.K., with some plants commissioned and others planned to be developed outside of any public remuneration scheme. pv magazine examines whether the U.K. solar industry is ready to embrace the trend at scalr in the near future.
Choppy waters ahead!
Solar stocks may be stuck in a malaise for the short term as demand in China wains, however, the higher efficiency transition will be the key driver of the industry longer term.
Hand on the brake and blindfolded
The alliance between policymakers, big energy, and car manufacturers claims to back climate protection, but does it have a shred of credibility left? Can we really place the fate of the environment and humankind into the hands of those who have proven over the years that they neither have any interest in, nor are capable […]
Crystalline solar – announcements versus facts
Announcements about manufacturing capacity increases, often concerning p-type mono PERC, are trending these days, writes Paula Mints, Founder and Chief Analyst at SPV Market Research. This makes it a good time for a reminder: Announcements are not data. Announcements are made for calling attention to something new, re-calling attention to something previously announced, calling attention to an achievement, announcing a product release, or to take attention away from something negative – among other purposes.
China: 2018 installations could drop by over one third
On Friday, June 1, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), National Energy Administration (NEA), and Ministry of Finance (MOF) issued a joint “2018 Solar PV Power Generation Notice,” which is set to far reaching implications.
Innovation and Mass Production
Looking back over the past few years, manufacturers mostly made adjustments in wafer to cell, to improve the power output of modules. Mainstream mono and multi-Si wafers went from 156 mm to 156.75 mm, with module area unchanged. For cells, it is the optimization of each production process and the revolution of silver/aluminum paste.
Signs of life
Growth in solar installations returned to European shores in 2017, with some of the usual suspects posting big numbers, and several new players awakening to the possibilities of PV. Here, pv magazine provides an overview of the latest movements on the continent.
The European job
Energyra promises to be a lot of things: the first module maker to bring production back to the Netherlands; a manufacturer relying entirely on Made in Europe equipment and Dutch back contact solar cell technology; and a startup betting on quality, innovation, automation, as well as high performance modules. pv magazine visited the company’s factory in Zaanstad, to get more detail on this ambitious project.
The Netherlands PV market takes flight
The Dutch energy landscape experienced a paradigm shift in 2017. The implications for solar PV are enormous. Both residential and large-scale projects will see great changes in upcoming years.
