Australia eventually the land of solar opportunity
Solar Down Under: The progress of Australias solar PV industry is multifaceted, with residential and commercial strength boosting storage adoption in many regions, but large-scale arrays are still relatively few and far between. Clear and consistent government incentives to support solar would be a huge help, but like many other countries, such stability has been hard to come by.
Match product to project
Inverters: Huawei claims to have assumed the mantle as the worlds largest inverter supplier in terms of shipment volumes. William Zhou, vice president of Sungrow Power Supply, begs to differ. Zhou sets out why and makes the case for central inverters in a diverse marketplace.
Adding more strings to the bow
Stringer-tabber equipment: A new generation of stringers are delivering vastly increased throughput on limited fab floorspace. They are also embracing the shift towards four, five and even six busbars. But how can quality be maintained within this crucial process? pv magazine investigates.
A second half to remember
Cue: a collective sigh of relief. Solars silly season has passed. The eight-week crunch of three major solar events in quick succession the SNEC, Intersolar Europe and Intersolar North America is now behind us. And its summer, in the northern hemisphere at least, so time to take stock and get in some much-needed […]
A question of quality for European manufacturers
Module production, Europe: In the wake of the third pv magazine Quality Roundtable at Intersolar Europe, pv magazine surveys European module manufacturers about strategy and quality. The question is, what makes Made in Europe attractive to buyers looking for modules for a PV array?
A light that never goes out
Brexit: The shockwaves and tumult caused by the unexpected decision by the U.K. to vote out of the EU are still being felt, and will be for a long time. With the dust barely settled, various agencies are already at work maneuvering their policies and outlook, with the countrys energy landscape at the sharp end. Solar, and renewables more widely, have opportunities amid the fallout.
What we focus on is reliability
Perovskite: Its been a buzz technology of the last couple of years, perovskites in PV applications. However, much of the research community has struggled to meet the required material stability requirements of the solar industry. Chris Case, the CTO of perovskite developer Oxford PV, believes that his company has made serious headway.
We produce standard wafers directly from the melt
Wafer technology: The production of PV wafers is a dirty and multi-step process. 1366 Technologies, from outside of Boston, Massachusetts, believes its Direct Wafer technology can simplify and dramatically reduce the costs of wafer production. But step change technology is never easy, particularly amongst the standardized PV landscape. Frank van Mierlo, the CEO of 1366 Technologies, says that the company is well on its way to realizing its ambitious goal.
We are the technology driver
PV production equipment: Meyer Burger has established itself as one the largest technology providers in the solar space, with a suite of technology offerings across production processes. These include PERC upgrade tooling, SmartWire cell interconnection technology, a heterojunction platform and innovative diamond wire solution. But can the Swiss provider compete against the fast rising Chinese rivals? pv magazine spoke to CEO Peter Pauli.
Trackers are clearly the best way to deliver improved IRRs
Tracking: Lead by the U.S. market and delivered through maturing technology, trackers have moved into the mainstream. With new opportunities, new market entrants have leapt into the space. Pivoting from CPV solutions, Chinas Arctech Solar is expanding into the Chinese and international markets with its tracking solution. Guy Rong, the President of Arctech Solar believes it is only the beginning.
