Magazine Archive 07-2013

Chinese factory gate prices: Shipments to Europe slowed down. The average price of Chinese c-Si modules was stable at US$0.662 per watt-peak.

Ardour Solar Index: The solar rally continues as component prices stoke margin recovery story. Investors were unfazed by the China/EU trade case.

Intersolar Europe 2013: A decreased number of exhibitors and attendees were behind the glum expressions of Intersolar Munich organizers Solar Promotion at the opening of the event. The shadow of the Sino-EU trade dispute loomed large. However this decline didn’t mean that good business wasn’t done, with many reporting new opportunities and the large number of new products on display.

Dear readers, Hardly anyone will have traveled to Munich for this year’s Intersolar Europe with great expectations. After all, the situation in the industry is not exactly positive at the moment. However, the event was better than expected. Although the number of visitors and exhibitors declined sharply on the previous year, most exhibitors reported informed […]

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia published its white paper in February detailing a plan to install 5.1 GW of renewable energy in the country by 2018 and up to 54 GW by 2032, with more than US$100 billion slated for 41 GW of solar power.

Peru: Thanks to optimal solar conditions and the country’s solid budgetary situation, the photovoltaics industry in Peru is on the verge of a golden age. However, the contribution of solar electricity to the power requirement of the most economically advanced Andean country is still modest. Apart from long-term tender invitations, projects with mining companies may provide momentum in the very near future.

Solar PV project investment: A profitable investment in PV parks during a financial crisis mandates very specific characteristics from the investor. Yuval Eshet provides some examples from the Israeli company Sunflower Sustainable Investments Ltd.

Mercom Capital global forecast: Demand for solar in 2013 looks promising despite the uncertainty surrounding the China-EU trade case, says Raj Prabhu, CEO and cofounder of Mercom Capital Group.

Thin film PV: So-called dead zones that could not be avoided up to now in the conventional process of thin film production account for considerable efficiency losses in the PV module. Engineers at 3D-Micromac have developed a new technology, the one-stop patterning (OSP) procedure, to solve the problem. Wilhelm Stein, founder and CEO of Stein Engineering & Consulting, explains the technology.

Raw materials: After the price of silver exploded two years ago, the PV industry substantially reduced its use of this precious metal. In the current year the industry could experience a twofold benefit when it comes to costs as the price quoted for this precious metal has gone into a slump since the spring of this year. Nevertheless, the industry plans to replace silver with copper over the long term.