Magazine Archive 08-2012

UrbanTec China: The sustainable development of mega-cities was the leading topic at the inaugural UrbanTec China exhibition and conference in Beijing.

UrbanTec China: The sustainable development of mega-cities was the leading topic at the inaugural UrbanTec China exhibition and conference in Beijing.

GT Advanced Technologies: Silicon production machine manufacturer GT Advanced Technologies joined the Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy to oppose the petition for tariffs on PV cells and modules imported from China. A case study in solar innovation and cross-border value creation.

Ardour Solar Index: Investors dip a toe as some uncertainty wanes. Consolidation continues to grip the sector.

Interview: pv magazine spoke with Mastervolt International’s CEO Hans van Nikkelen Kuijper on the company’s strategy in the changing inverter market and its road map for the future.

Off-grid solar PV: In some off-grid markets, solar power is already more cost-efficient than electricity from diesel generators. More market segments will join the list with rising diesel prices. We asked some of the many off-grid experts exhibiting at Intersolar Europe to describe the current state of the market for PV stand-alone systems, what is important, where the barriers are, and what are the major trends.

Intersolar Europe: Consolidation of the market is evident. Far less visitors and exhibitors traveled to Munich this year. At the same time Intersolar Europe showed the way towards a post-FIT PV – with new storage solutions, new business models for direct marketing of solar electricity and further cost reductions and product optimization.

Junction box: Intersolar Europe 2012 presented the opportunity to look into the black boxes of the solar industry: junction boxes and the cables and connectors that fuse the entire system in harmony. New products were presented, some older products saw improvements and the question of integration came up.

India: With close to one gigawatt of installed PV capacity, India is now a significant global market. International manufacturers and investors are now recognizing the potential of the Indian solar Industry. Tobias Engelmeier, from Bridge to India, considers the likelihood of measures in the Indian market to protect domestic manufacturers and their likely impacts.

Chinese factory gate prices: The weakening euro hit Chinese PV module prices. The price erosion is expected to slow down in the second half of 2012 as demand rises.