Insight into the mind of inverter customers
Inverter survey: For the second year, IMS Research, recently acquired by IHS, conducted a survey of PV inverter customers in order for suppliers to gain insight into the opinions and requirements of their customers. Survey analysts Sam Wilkinson and Ash Sharma collate some of the most important results and look inside the changing behavior of inverter customers.
Its a control thing
Solar in the Middle East: The Middle Easts PV pipeline is beginning to take shape following the announcement of large-scale projects and initiatives across the region in 2012.
Its political
International trade: Following the imposition of tariffs in the U.S. trade case against Chinas solar manufacturers, the conflict has escalated from bilateral to multilateral: The EU has joined the fracas and India is getting ready to rumble. Meanwhile, China is firing some warning shots. pv magazine talks to economists, trade experts, and solar industry leaders to determine the implications of this simmering trade war.
Keeping an eye on performance
Monitoring: Better data analysis can give utility operation and maintenance a big boost, explained the speakers at the 4th PV Power Plants Conference – USA 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Meaningful improvements seen
System prices: The national weighted-average price for PV systems in the U.S. fell. GTM Researchs Andrew Krulewitz details the factors that contributed to price declines in each U.S. PV market segment this quarter.
Stepwise innovation
Battery market update: Battery innovation will proceed due to both private and public investments, but guided by stepwise innovation introduced by legacy battery vendors, says Pike Research analyst Brittany E. Gibson.
The time is ripe
Dear readers, And now 2013, a new year once again. I still remember the time when an acquaintance who was a development aid worker imagined getting the first large solar park underway in West Africa in 2006. For months he negotiated with companies, governments and banks, while preparing concepts, plans and subsidy requests. But somehow […]
Their own best customers
EPC ranking: In 2012 it seemed that Chinese solar project developers materialized out of thin air, while several German companies completely dropped off the charts. Market researchers and analysts shed light on the background and develop scenarios for how solar PV engineering, procurement and construction companies might develop in the future.
Walking a thin line
Thin film 2013: Picking winners in this years PV market is difficult, to say the least. In the thin film sector, picking survivors may be near impossible. With brutal price competition continuing to make life hard, pv magazine casts its eye over the thin film field to see what strategies are emerging in this fight for survival.
What will 2013 bring?
Module prices: The prices for modules kept falling November to December. The reason might be distributors efforts to keep stocks as small as possible.
