Magazine Archive 2015

Clean energy revolution: Tony Seba is a lecturer in entrepreneurship, disruption and clean energy at Stanford University. He spoke to pv magazine about the themes in his new book, Clean Disruption, which looks at how solar, electric vehicles and other exponential technologies are leading to a clean, knowledge-based energy era.

Solar in the Gulf region: The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority procured the world’s cheapest solar energy ever in a call for tenders last November. Moritz Borgmann, Partner at Apricum, a Berlin-based advisory firm specialized in renewable energy technologies, analyzes the results of the 100 MW solar PV tender and gives his view on the wider implications for the region.

Module-level disruption: Power electronics at the module level are a growing part of the energy management system, offering immense potential in data monitoring that can push LCOE into the hands of the consumer. pv magazine explores some of the technologies that are set to shake up the residential solar sector in the near future.

ARC glass: Incremental improvement in materials can have a major impact on overall module efficiencies and therefore cost per watt. Anti-reflective coating certainly fits that description and is fast becoming ubiquitous in PV glass manufacturing. Technological variations exist in terms of ARC material and application and the key metric, it seems, to this particular ARC lever is proving durability in a range of conditions.

Battery storage: There is considerable activity in the battery storage sector from established companies and startups alike. Tesvolt is the latest startup to enter the space, offering a 100 kWh to 1 MWh storage solution, with a retail price starting at €330/kWh ($393/kWh). The primary market Tesvolt is seeking to address is to supply backup power and pv magazine visited its first major installation, literally at the edge of one grid, to find out more.

NYSE Bloomberg Solar Energy Index: The index trends down as investors ponder headwinds. Lackluster 3Q14 results, China 2014 volumes weaker than expected.

Australia: At the start of this year, cumulative PV capacity Down Under is close to 4 GW. For a country with a population of around 23.5 million, this is pretty impressive. It also means that PV is becoming a major disruptive force in the utility landscape. Utilities have some ability to put up informal barriers to unchecked solar adoption. Solar Business Services’ Nigel Morris spoke with solar installers right around the country to see what hurdles they face.

Australia: At the start of this year, cumulative PV capacity Down Under is close to 4 GW. For a country with a population of around 23.5 million, this is pretty impressive. It also means that PV is becoming a major disruptive force in the utility landscape. Utilities have some ability to put up informal barriers to unchecked solar adoption. Solar Business Services’ Nigel Morris spoke with solar installers right around the country to see what hurdles they face.

Future of utilities: It’s with some pride that the PV industry can consider itself disruptive to the way that electric utilities do business. Certainly German utility Eon has responded drastically to the changing shape of its industry by spinning off its fossil fuel assets by 2016. And a report from Accenture showed that 61% of utility executives are aware that major revenue disruption is around the corner, up from 43% in 2013. Stephen Lacey from Greentech Media takes a look at what all this disruption actually means.

2015 trade show preview: Crystal balls run notoriously badly on solar power, but the unmistakable confidence that swept many of last year’s leading trade shows suggests that 2015’s fairs will fare even better. pv magazine brings you the lowdown on what to expect at the main solar and renewable energy exhibitions this year.