Magazine Archive 10-2019

In 4,500 locations across 15 countries, some 6 million people took to the streets last month to demand action on climate change. The protests were inspired by the actions of one person, Greta Thunberg, who has been subject to unedifying attacks by, largely, older men pushing back against the global movement. There is little doubt […]

What happened in Salt Lake, didn’t stay in Salt Lake, as solar stocks underperformed the broader market in September. The Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN) decreased 3.9% vs. the S&P 500 and Dow, which gained 1.7% and 1.9%, respectively.

Bifacial modules are taking over the market – at least, that’s the impression you get if you believe producers of cells with both an active front and an active back for power generation. At Intersolar Europe 2019, held earlier this year in Munich, exhibits of this kind could be found at the booths of nearly every major module manufacturer.

After several years of stagnation, Spain has started to see a revival in its PV market, writes IHS Markit’s Maria Chea. The country’s newfound growth has been due to a combination of tender and private PPA projects, along with decreasing component costs.

PV InfoLink analyzed the key markets of China’s big module manufacturers, as well as product trends, based on statistics on China’s module exports. According to trade figures, the nation’s module exports totaled 34.2 GW in the first half of 2019, up by more than 90% from the corresponding period of 2018. In a nutshell, overseas demand has been strong in 2019.

The Australian utility-scale PV and wind industries have just gone through a record two years of construction and commissioning. More specifically, writes Rystad Energy’s David Dixon, utility-scale PV has transformed from a megawatt-scale market to one measured in gigawatts. The resultant boom in utility-scale PV in the country has attracted developers, EPCs and OEMs, from at home and across the globe.

Abundant sunshine, favorable policy settings and high power prices have long placed Australia at the cutting edge of rooftop solar uptake. The more recent utility-scale boom has further enhanced its status as a PV leader. Battery adoption, microgrids, EVs and green hydrogen are all taking shape, yet what should be an Aussie smart energy no-brainer continues to be dogged by mounting investment uncertainty and a toxic debate on the national level.

The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), an Indonesian think tank, has reported that the country has the potential to install up to 655 GW of rooftop PV capacity. Contrast that with a current installed capacity of just 100 MW, and it’s clear that solar PV still has a long way to go before it reaches its potential throughout Indonesia. Given the poor air quality in many heavily populated cities across the archipelago, PV deployment is long overdue in the Southeast Asian nation.

A number of massive PV projects have been proposed for Australia’s north, with the concept built around clean power exports to Southeast Asia. Is it Desertec Down Under? Proponents are certainly hoping for more success.

While India’s government is taking steps to control the quality of the modules and cells used in solar projects, there is still much to improve upon when it comes to field installation and component selection.