A year aboard the solarcoaster
It was a cold and wet Berlin evening. Perfect for staying in to watch the U.S. presidential election results roll in. Hillary was a hot favorite with the pollsters and punters. The best laid plans of mouse and men…
The year of voting dangerously
U.S. election repercussions: The U.S. presidential election is over, and half the country feels like a big black swan swooped down and left a very big and impolite reminder of its passage.
Low prices, raised outlook
Solar demand in 2017: As the year draws to a close with prices hitting record lows across the world, solar looks to the future. Raj Prabhu, CEO at industy analysts Mercom Capital, gives a preview of what 2017 could bring for the global industry.
The Trump card
Donald Trump and solar: The election of Donald Trump is not good news for the U.S. solar industry. And while the exact impacts are far from clear, a closer look at the policy landscape shows that even the worst-case scenario is not a deal-breaker for the U.S. solar market.
Taiwan’s solar boost
Challenging conditions: Taiwan is bolstering its commitment to a green energy power, nuclear free future with a number of policy and legislative initiatives. Questions remain, however, over whether even these are enough to overcome significant challenges to massive planned solar power installations.
Solar vehicles take to the asphalt
On the road: Solar cars, trikes and bikes are slowly moving out of R&D labs and away from multinational endurance courses, and now are emerging as commercial solutions for the electric vehicle (EV) of the future.
Solar power in Spain: now for just 3.8 cents/kWh and up
Spanish Solar: BayWa Re has turned some heads in political circles with the introduction of a new project in Spain. Its electricity price of 3.8 cents/kWh, along with a conscious decision to abstain from any feed-in tariffs, have called into question the conventional wisdom of the energy market.
Understanding asset performance
Operations strategies: In the second part of our series on smarter operations strategies, energy deployment strategist Kamal Soundararajan of DNV GL examines existing approaches to assessment of solar operational assets. Exploring the exciting trends in this area will offer a view of what the future holds for the solar industry.
Big money off the grid
Off-grid solar market: The signing of the first large scale PPA for an off grid project by French renewable energy investor Neoen has triggered a wave of activity in the sector. Dr. Thomas Hillig, Managing Director at THEnergy Consultants, takes us through the risks and opportunities appearing in the off grid solar segment.
Laying the groundwork
Ground Mount Installation: Pile Driving quality goes to the very foundations of a PV array, quite literally. Helge Biernath, CEO of Sunstall, speaks to pv magazine about the importance of getting the foundations and footings of a PV array right before racking and module installation, and carrying out thorough component inspection. In this, being mindful of the weather, Biernath notes, is a vital factor.
