Made in Turkey, not so easy
PV cell and module making is not an easy business in which to make money. Despite favorable conditions in principle, such as low labor costs and a government keen to support manufacturing, Turkish PV makers face an uphill battle.
The story so far
The pv magazine test program was launched in July 2017, and was presented to the public in the September 2017 issue of pv magazine. As explained at the time, the test was designed to help investors in their module purchasing process, while at the same time allowing manufacturers to spot problems and improve their production processes.
Capturing outdoor performance
The outdoor performance test of PV modules is the single ‘real world’ performance indicator that every buyer is most interested in. As part of the pv magazine test program, Gsolar has prepared an outdoor installation field in Xi’an, China, on the rooftop of a building that houses its manufacturing facilities and the test lab where the pv magazine tests are conducted. Xi’an has a temperate climate, with cold winters and mildly humid, hot summers.
A thin peak
Across an increasing number of manufacturing processes, the competency of Chinese tool makers is becoming more apparent each year. However, there remain opportunities for select European and U.S. suppliers, particularly where a technological advantage can be proven.
Manz: Why CIGS can fly in China
In early 2017, German production equipment supplier Manz signed a major deal to supply its CIGS thin film technology, know-how, and equipment to Chinese power giant Shenhua under a tripartite deal involving Shanghai Electric. Hannes Reinhardt, VP of Solar at Manz provides an update as to how the Manz CIGSfab in Chongqing and CIGSlab in Beijing are progressing.
United for a solar powered Europe
Today, solar is the fastest-growing source of new energy in the world, outperforming all other forms of power generation, writes SolarPower Europe CEO James Watson. According to SolarPower Europe’s Global Market Outlook 2018-2022, 1 TW of solar could be installed by 2021, a huge milestone for our industry and technology. To make this a reality, a common effort is needed to remove all barriers to solar’s growth.
The hows and whys of corporate PPAs
More and more corporations are signing contracts with wind and solar projects, and as this happens the space is becoming broader and more complex.
