Magazine Archive 10-2011

PV plans in Serbia: At the end of July, the Serbian parliament adopted a new Energy Bill, which is one of the requirements the country must meet to gain European Union candidate status. Now, the country has four solar power plants with 13 megawatts of installed power in the pipeline.

Module prices: The fall in PV module maker’s revenues continues, but equipment manufacturers report growth.

U.S. utility-scale market: In the United States, solar is very much shaped by how business is done in the conventional power market: large-scale and utility-oriented. A report on support mechanisms and PV development in the USA.

Mounting systems: PV systems have to meet investor’s needs, keeping the return on investment attractive. The push for the lowest watt peak price installed is in full swing. On the other hand, serious consequences due to shortcomings in system integrity and quality of mounting components can emerge five to ten years after installation and destroy the investment. Renusol’s Stefan Ast elaborates.

Dominican Republic: Up to now, solar power has had little history in the Caribbean region. Now, Isofotón is taking a big first step by developing a 50-megawatt plant in the Dominican Republic. The Kirchner Solar Group is also planning a large-scale project on the island. Since the economy of the Dominican Republic is growing rapidly, with 7.8 percent growth last year, more and more international businesses are seeking to open up trade in the country.

EU PVSEC: Cold, hard winds blew off the harbor as the 26th EU PVSEC came to a close in Hamburg. Many reported slow business and observed massively slashed module prices from Chinese manufacturers: an opportunity for the increasing competitiveness of solar electricity on the one hand, but a challenge for the innovative ability of the industry and the survival of European module and cell manufacturers on the other.

Solar incentives in the U.S.: Solar manufacturers and project developers often point out – and complain – about the hodgepodge of regulations across the United States that make this market more complex and challenging to tackle. Yet state policies have been the key driving force behind the solar energy boom in recent years.

Ontario:An upcoming election, grid constraints and trade disputes conspire to undermine the success of North America’s most promising FIT program.

Interview: Hitherto focused on Europe, which accounted for 66 percent of its revenue in 2010, Suntech Power is diversifying its strategy, betting big on the U.S., Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. In an exclusive interview, Shi Zhengrong, founder and CEO, talks to pv magazine about the company’s latest plans.