Magazine Archive 2011

Biological Diversity: Globally, about 130 species are becoming extinct every day. To draw attention to this massive loss of plant and animal diversity, the United Nations declared 2010 to be the “International Year of Biodiversity.”

Assembly robots: The Gehrlicher Assembly Robot has stood the test in a real-world application for the first time, having assembled 450 “full size” modules. The robot battled extremely cold temperatures as part of the production test. It later managed to assemble 148 modules in one day. The use of robots could lead to a breakthrough in the use of full size and frameless modules and could significantly reduce the future installation cost of solar parks.

Module prices: The spot market for photovoltaic modules closed the year 2010 with a clear decline in prices. On the other hand, there was an increase in both production capacities and installations.

Kyocera interview: Kyocera has a ripe and rich history when it comes to photovoltaics in Japan. The company put its foot into the industry in the seventies and has been on a successful run since. Kyocera Corporation Solar Energy Group’s Vice President and General Manager, Tatsumi Maeda spoke with pv-magazine on Kyocera’s recipe for success, plans for research and development and the Japanese setting.

Japan: Despite its failed foray into world of PV without subsidies, Japan still managed to be the third biggest PV market in 2010. With a clear focus on clean energy, combined with a strategic incentive outlook, it doesn’t look like the country is ready to give up its leading position just yet.

Biodiversity: Field installations don’t just protect the climate. They can also act, if nature conservation is one of the goals from the start, as green oases for endangered plants or animals. First Solar has been taking stock of the natural state of a number of model parks since last summer together with nature conservation groups, project developers and experts in the field.

Thin glass: The solar industry has come to realize that the glass industry has really got something to offer. The research that glass manufacturers have been embarking on has certainly reaped fruits, bringing to the market glass both thinner and stronger. The image of thin glass being a fragile weak-link is now officially a thing of the past.

New Turkish FITs: After a delay of over two years, Turkey has finally adopted an amendment to its Renewable Energies Act of 2004 which raises the feed-in tariffs for power generated from renewables. The revised feed-in tariffs, while presenting a considerable improvement over the previous law – which provided for an unacceptably low FIT of 0.055 euros for all renewables – fall well short of expectations.

Bangladesh: From barefoot PV to a new dream of bringing solar energy to millions of Bangladeshis: the dreams of one man to bring light to rural dwellers in the South Asian state. The efforts of domestic solar companies to take things further. The country is steadily on a mission to place itself on the global solar map and to bring hope of light to thousands living in remote darkness.