Magazine Archive 07-2011

Intersolar Europe: Grid parity for solar electricity and the renewable energy mix are in sight. This was the message put across by the Intersolar Europe 2011 trade exhibition, which this year celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Portugal: Despite its status as “Project of National Interest” and approved public funding totaling 128 million euros, businessman Alexandre Alves’s PV factory project, RPP Solar, is battling financing and payment problems.

Ardour Solar Index: Pricing pressure continues to impact margins. High inventory levels persist despite German recovery.

PV Experts Workshop: Smaller German solar module manufacturers will only be able to survive the competition through greater cooperation between themselves and materials manufacturers, mechanical engineers and other industry participants. This was an important conclusion reached at a PV manufacturers workshop of PV Experts in Berlin.

Thin film market outlook: In view of dropping silicon prices, the boom years for thin film modules seem to be over for the time being. Now it’s up to companies to develop strategies for a successful future. On the one hand, they could reduce the production costs. Further differentiation is also an option.

Interview: Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Hemlock Semiconductor, one of the leading polysilicon producers, talks to pv magazine about the polysilicon market and the company’s positioning.

5th SEMI Brussels Forum: How can PV production be maintained in Europe in light of stiff Asian competition? There is no patent remedy. This became clear at the 5th SEMI Brussels Forum, which took place on May 24 in Brussels, Belgium.

Module prices: Falling prices accelerate demand. Still, it could take months until stocks have been diminished.

Turkey: A new subsidy law for solar power went into effect in Turkey at the beginning of the year. At about ten euro cents, the tariff is significantly smaller than some expected. However, several solar industry players believe that the production of solar energy in Turkey will pay off – with or without attractive subventions.

India: India is a huge and emerging market for the solar power production, thanks in part to the government’s ambitious Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) announced in 2009. The Solar Mission has set a goal of 20 gigawatts (GW) of on-grid installed solar capacity by 2022. How is the glass industry developing in the country and are foreign manufacturers needed to cater to the market?