Magazine Archive 2010

PV roadmap: The solar industry is coming together to become more competitive. Leading German and European cell manufacturers have formed a Crystalline Cell and Manufacturing Group (CTM), producing a joint “PV Roadmap for Crystalline Silicon”. The aim is to increase efficiency and cut costs by eight to 14 percent annually, until 2020.

Solar potential: A solar atlas is good not only for climate protection, but also for local business. By measuring roofs with aerial imaging technology, companies determine where exactly photovoltaics arrays make sense. In Germany, mayors and district administrators are vying for a spot on the waiting lists of companies that produce such atlases.

Ardour solar index: Investors are shifting focus from the German FIT shock to increasing global installation demand.

Module prices: Following good sales figures in February, March was also promising. German buyers are boosting the industry‘s sales: winter is over and prices are falling.

Dear readers, Whether you like it or not, the globalization of the photovoltaics industry and markets is a reality and continues to progress. The question is how to make the best of the situation. China is an especially good example; more than half of Chinese PV firms went bankrupt in the first half of 2009 […]

Marketing: Customers obtained on the strength of a referral are worth their weight in gold. They save solar contractors acquisition costs and usually have definite interest even before the first conversation. But a referral doesn’t have to be a lucky break. The solar industry in particular is very well suited for targeted referral marketing, and the method works for small companies completely without advertising slogans.

Interview: Small and midsize module manufacturers often are left sitting on their products when banks do not have enough confidence in them. Steffen A. Müller of Trust, a risk management and insurance broker, explains why his firm is focusing on this problem, and why bankers do not openly talk about the issue. While his explanations specifically refer to the legal situation in Germany, there are similar issues abroad.

Dear readers, Is the PV industry innovative enough? Over the past few months, the German solar industry in particular faced such public criticism. PV execs were charged with being too lazy, only having an eye on quick returns and investing too little in innovations thanks to Germany’s generous feed-in tariffs. Politicians were able to use […]