China remains crucial in trying times
SNEC: Slim margins, difficult payment conditions and uncertainty cast by the Sino-EU trade dispute were all prominent factors at the 2013 SNEC trade show. However despite the challenges, the worlds biggest trade show demonstrated how China truly remains a crucial player in the global PV industry.
Emphasis on customer service
Interview: Solar wholesale dealer AS Solar, with headquarters in Hanover, Germany, has been in the photovoltaic technology business for more than 10 years. pv magazine spoke with managing director Thomas Rust, who has 20 years of PV experience, about the companys strategy in difficult times.
Fodder for the bulls
Ardour Solar Index: Improving demand and margin outlooks buoy the solar index. More consolidation supports the long term viability of the industry.
Getting PV off the ground
Africa: Despite financing and grid integration challenges, rooftop PV is increasingly being advanced in the continent, for instance in Kenya and South Africa.
Global FIT overview
Feed-in tariffs: Greece made drastic reductions in their feed-in tariffs for the second time in less than a year. France and Germany also slightly reduced their FITs as planned.
Investments instead of protectionism
Dear readers, In the last week of May the photovoltaics industry made media headlines. During the first European visit of the new Chinese premier Li Keqiang to the German chancellery the pending EU penalty duties against imported Chinese solar products was the overriding topic. German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that everything should be done […]
Overnight inverter giant
Industry consolidation: The inverter space has seen some consolidation, but not at this scale. In late April it was announced that Swiss-based power and automation conglomerate ABB was going to acquire number two ranked inverter manufacturer Power-One. While the move has yet to pass regulatory and shareholder hurdles, it looks set to shake up PV.
Reorientation
Italy: The phaseout of the renewable energy law and the prospect of tariffs on solar imports raised concerns in Italy. The visitors of Solarexpo had lots to talk about.
Revamping designs
Trackers: The global tracker market has come a long way since 2004 when SunPower installed the worlds first large-scale tracker installation, the 10 MW Bavaria Solarpark. Today international tracker manufacturers are hard at work to differentiate themselves from the rising competition by refining design advantages, improving warranties, and cutting prices as more educated customers become more demanding.
Shift in focus
Venture Capital: The solar funding slump has continued into 2013. But it is not all bad news for the PV sector, as Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group, explains.
