Magazine Archive 2012

Taiwanese polysilicon: With some Chinese PV players facing tough opposition on a political level in markets like the U.S. and a PV trade complaint also being filed in the EU, some may see it as Taiwan’s time to shine. Optimism is certainly evident as pv magazine speaks to some of the industry’s major upstream players, but also discovers that some industry-wide problems have not passed the island economy by.

Taiwanese polysilicon: With some Chinese PV players facing tough opposition on a political level in markets like the U.S. and a PV trade complaint also being filed in the EU, some may see it as Taiwan’s time to shine. Optimism is certainly evident as pv magazine speaks to some of the industry’s major upstream players, but also discovers that some industry-wide problems have not passed the island economy by.

Intersolar Award winner: A school PV project in North Carolina has provided an example of what PV can deliver, both to a school and local community, but also in financial support to the school during challenging financial times. ESA Renewables’ Brittany Szafran sets out what makes the award-winning installation special.

Market overview junction boxes: pv magazine presents a market overview on the different junction boxes available on the market today. While not all junction box manufacturers could be captured in this overview, those represented provide an insight into the nitty-gritty of these essential components.

Ranking: Many large thin film manufacturers disappeared from the global solar stage last year. For the survivors it will nevertheless be difficult to continue to compete on the market as the cost advantage offered by thin film has meanwhile virtually vanished in comparison with crystalline technology.

Interview: Data from the California Solar Initiative (CSI) indicates that as of April 2012, solar leases accounted for 75 percent of residential installations in the market, tracked by the CSI. Since 2007 Clean Power Finance (CPF) has been active in facilitating finance for residential solar leasing and third-party financed solar. pv magazine spoke with CPF’s Kristian Hanelt, to find out more about financial innovation in the sector.

Assembly: The boom in low-ballast, on-roof mounting systems for flat roofs continues unabated. These mounting racks are placed directly on the waterproofing membrane without being bolted down. But what happens if water suddenly penetrates the roof? Another unanswered question is how to prevent damage to the roof skin.

Lithium batteries: The technology is well known and there are enormous quantities of lithium batteries for laptops and mobile phones in use. While these batteries can also be used to store solar power, new developments are looking more promising for the near future.

Feed-in tariffs: Incentives for solar PV power fed into the grid have been revised in several countries around the world.