Smart energy
Interview: ProxEnergy is a young company that has been established by a man who has had years of experience in the solar industry. Knowing that current grids are not designed for bi-directional transport of electricity and information, the founder of the company felt it was important to think about energy transition. Frans van den Heuvel talks to pv magazine about his new setup and what he aims to achieve with the company slogan ‘Produce it-Control it’.
Out of the shadows
Interview: Companies as well as the global solar sector as a whole have started to look east with the impressive growth of China and India. Not wanting to be in the shadows of the giants any longer, other Southeast Asian nations are flexing their PV muscles. Thailand, for one, has been increasing its solar activity and now looks ready to establish its place on the global solar map as an attractive and important PV market. pv magazine spoke with one of the leading solar companies, with Solar Power Companys President Wandee Khunchornyakong, on photovoltaic powers situation in Thailand.
Spot market for PV panels: Cautious optimism
Module prices: Despite global growth, many module manufacturers will have to accept sharply lower profits due to the decline in prices.
Storage systems bolster solar
Storage systems: Storage technology solutions are emerging in the U.S. solar market as something like the second punch in a boxers one-two knockout combination, delivering a hard-fought win for solar project economics.
Successful maverick
Solyndra: Their tube-shaped rooftop PV modules look very different from what the market is accustomed to. Besides efficiency gains, there are a multitude of benefits to their unique cylindrical design. After spending one billion dollars worth of venture capital in four years, Solyndra targets profitability by early 2012.
The Persian sun
Iran: Despite being the OPECs third largest oil exporter, the Islamic Republic of Iran, as it is officially known, has been getting active with solar technology. Homegrown companies are pushing for more PV power in the national grid and the general mood in the domestic sector is dampened by the fact that other countries are hesitant to invest in renewables in Iran. Quality of foreign components also come into question.
The right module making strategy
Module Manufacturing: The next photovoltaic hype will be driven by the right photovoltaic module making strategy. Get the best out of your photovoltaic module.
The service advantage
Inverter service: Competition on the inverter market is becoming keener. Service is becoming increasingly important when it comes to acquiring and ensuring customer loyalty. Smaller manufacturers have now finally recognized that they too need to play catch-up.
Three tips
Improving productivity: The photovoltaic (PV) industry is expected to grow exponentially over the next five years, with market experts anticipating the global market will more than double in size by 2014. Saint-Gobain Solars Market Manager for Renewable Energy, Geoffrey King writes about automating production lines, reducing material waste, and decreasing equipment downtime as three ways module manufacturers can increase throughput, as well as their bottom line.
Uncertain margin outlook
Ardour Solar Index: 2Q11 results were weak due to extreme pricing pressure. Now pricing begins to stabilize, but margin expectations must be reset.
