Magazine Archive 2012

Module prices: High pricing pressure despite declining inventory levels and an increase in orders.

Organic PV: It breathed life into the concept of low-cost solar for the 21st century, but Konarka failed to bring its Power Plastic to the market. So does this spell the end for flexible organic thin film PV?

Mounting systems: A tour of Intersolar Europe revealed that many manufacturers have reworked their systems. A number of innovations save material and cut down on installation time.

Global market update: Some of the most crucial historical innovations were developed in hard times. Lux Research analyst Matt Feinstein relates this to the solar sector.

Feed-in tariffs: The German Bundesrat has approved the new subsidies with no changes other than an easing of the self-consumption regulations. Italy passed its eagerly anticipated Conto Energia V. On July 1, Japan saw one of the most generous incentive schemes come into effect. Conversely, the rates in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Flanders (Belgium) took a nosedive after some heavy cuts by their respective governments.

Decentralized power storage: Gunar Hering, Principal at Boston Consulting Group, analyzes how storage technology will accelerate the adoption of photovoltaics.

Quality standards: As the global solar industry develops, corporate transparency becomes a necessity. Therefore test laboratories and certification bodies are in great demand. In an interview with pv magazine , Ulrike Therhaag, Director Solar/Fuelcell Technology at TÜV Rheinland Shanghai, discusses the situation in China.

Chinese factory gate prices: The weakening euro hit Chinese PV module prices. The price erosion is expected to slow down in the second half of 2012 as demand rises.

India: With close to one gigawatt of installed PV capacity, India is now a significant global market. International manufacturers and investors are now recognizing the potential of the Indian solar Industry. Tobias Engelmeier, from Bridge to India, considers the likelihood of measures in the Indian market to protect domestic manufacturers and their likely impacts.

Junction box: Intersolar Europe 2012 presented the opportunity to look into the black boxes of the solar industry: junction boxes and the cables and connectors that fuse the entire system in harmony. New products were presented, some older products saw improvements and the question of integration came up.