Magazine Archive 06 - 2023 | High time for a masterplan

With the dislocation and disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic, ongoing climatic upheavals as the result of global warming, and the crisis posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the opening part of this decade has been tumultuous. And yet, the solar and energy storage industries have thrived. What’s more, at the midpoint of 2023, the solar […]

The Invesco Solar ETF, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the MAC Global Solar Energy Index, under-performed the S&P 500 in May and out-performed the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). Jesse Pichel, of Roth Capital Partners, attributes this to rising interest rates and new rules that are causing a residential PV slowdown in California.

Module prices in all technology classes have fallen since March. This was sudden but not unexpected, writes Martin Schachinger, director of pvXchange, a solar trading platform. Broad price corrections have been necessary to reflect market dynamics.

The European Union’s proposed Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) marks a departure for the bloc, writes Jason Sheridan, a senior research analyst for S&P Global. It would require approximately €15 billion ($16.3 billion) of investment across the European solar supply chain and could represent a reshaping of global PV production.

China exported 50.9 GW of solar modules and 8.6 GW of cells in the first three months of the year. Richard Chen, a solar analyst for InfoLink, looks at the increase in PV shipments and the markets for which they are bound.

Commercial and industrial (C&I) solar rooftops are becoming widespread as businesses strive to reduce carbon footprints and electricity bills. The industry has suffered fires and faces other safety risks, however. Clean Energy Associates (CEA) has performed safety audits on more than 600 commercial PV rooftops and has found safety issues in 97% of them, report Ankil Sanghvi and Chris Chappell.

While the Indian government has announced ambitious plans and budgets for agrivoltaics and solar pumps, take-up has been disappointing so far, says Vinay Rustagi, managing director of Bridge to India.

The European solar landscape changed forever in 2022, say Wood Mackenzie analysts Juan Monge and Daniel Tipping. They argue that managing the supply chain, grid, and permitting constraints will be key to a solar-dominated energy future for the continent.

European solar is on a tear. High electricity prices have spooked consumers who are looking to shore up supply and governments have acted on decarbonization goals to provide clear support for solar development. Remarkably, not only is this big marketplace growing swiftly, it is also expanding far and wide.

Solar is not only helping to keep the lights on in Ukraine – it also has a vital role as part of Europe’s energy transition and clean energy economy, writes Solar Energy Association of Ukraine CEO Artem Semenyshyn.