Magazine Archive 2013

Chinese factory gate prices: European solar PV module market prices continue to strengthen. More consolidation among Chinese tier-3 suppliers can be expected.

Off-grid: The falling costs of solar components and some innovative thinking is seeing off-grid solutions shine some light in provincial communities. But phone charging and refrigeration are also important services that PV can power, as SolarKiosk is beginning to demonstrate.

PV production in Taiwan: German production equipment is widely admired in Taiwan. So when Taiwanese companies began investing in solar manufacturing, German equipment makers were the obvious candidates. A report from Taiwan.

Indian market update: Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group, provides an update on the Indian solar policies in the second quarter of 2013.

Logistics and supply chain: As margins in the solar industry remain under pressure and consolidation gathers pace, companies are looking even harder for ways to cut costs. Aside from technical specifications and labor costs, experts claim there are huge savings to be made in solar equipment logistics and after sale service, especially as traditional business to business models are eroded by bankruptcies, mergers and more sales directly to end-users as manufacturers go downstream.

PV at the crossroads: The PV industry has taken a beating in the last couple of years. Nevertheless the widespread consolidation, despite being painful, could be a blessing in disguise. The strongest will survive, and some manufacturers’ coffers may be slowly filling, with new markets evolving. Is this the turning point for PV?

Intersolar Europe: The numbers may be down after a turbulent year for the solar industry, but with the focus shifting to downstream markets and energy storage, and with representatives from more countries than ever, the increasingly diverse nature of Europe’s most important solar shindig once again ensures it is a must-see event. Intersolar Europe will be held June 19 – 21, 2013, in Munich, Germany.

BIPV: For architects who dream of a future where buildings seamlessly integrate energy generation, technologies coming out of Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) suggest the future is close at hand.

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia published its white paper in February detailing a plan to install 5.1 GW of renewable energy in the country by 2018 and up to 54 GW by 2032, with more than US$100 billion slated for 41 GW of solar power.