Magazine Archive 2012

Smart inverters: With the popularity of PV prompting a move away from large centralized power generators to numerous decentralized small-scale generators, the latest generation of inverters have a significant part to play in modernizing grids for a renewables age, as TÜV Süd’s Christian Dirmeier and Ma Zhengdong explain.

Chinese factory gate prices: Chinese tier-1 and tier-2 module suppliers are working hard to keep prices stable.

TCO layer deposition: Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films have been deposited using an in-line ETP-CVD production process at Roth & Rau. ETP-CVD allows high deposition speed, reduces system size and decreases running costs. It can be applied to deposition on foils. For CIGS module production, the cost of ownership for AZO will go towards €1/m² . Roth & Rau’s Manager of Innovations Roel Bosch provides the latest information on the deposition technology, performance and cost.

Laser scribing: Widely used in silicon thin film PV production, lasers still have a way to go to be used to the same extent in CIGS production.

Net metering: A new net metering scheme should help Israel’s solar PV market grow more quickly in 2013 and there are signs that grid parity may soon be achieved.

Industry consolidation: Solar PV is a major pillar of the Hanwha Group’s strategy for “quality growth” in the future. Its acquisition, completed in October, of the bankrupt Q.Cells is a clear part of this strategy. As the new venture Hanwha Q.Cells was launched, company representatives chose to highlight synergies between the companies. But how good is the fit and how long will Hanwha remain committed to PV in the face of losses from its PV business segment? pv magazine investigates.

Dear readers, Will it or will it not happen? Many visitors at this year’s Renewable Energy India Expo asked themselves this question. The reason being that during the three day trade exhibition in November, a thick smog covered the megacity and the sun only managed to penetrate the yellowish-gray veil on a few occasions. “The […]

APVIA: Despite boasting only 5.5 MW in installed capacity, Singapore is far from a backwater for photovoltaics. With its status as a business and banking hub, it is increasingly becoming a base for solar companies and that was the message from this year’s PV Asia Pacific Expo (APVIA).

Module prices: The price decline is decelerating towards the end of the year.

BIPV: Bisem completed a BIPV curtain wall retrofit installation for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Instead of manufacturing expensive custom-made PV panels the company developed a system that allows the use of mass-produced PV modules.