Magazine Archive 2015

Solar manufacturing landscape: Regional shifts in manufacturing are common to all industries and, in general, the trend is to the least expensive country to manufacture the goods in question. This oversimplification does not offer much insight into why regional shifts occur in PV cell and module manufacturing.

Solar manufacturing landscape: Regional shifts in manufacturing are common to all industries and, in general, the trend is to the least expensive country to manufacture the goods in question. This oversimplification does not offer much insight into why regional shifts occur in PV cell and module manufacturing.

Rajasthan: The Indian state of Rajasthan is on course to clinch top spot in the hot pursuit of solar growth thanks to new policy incentives that are transforming the market, writes Michael Wekezer of Rödl & Partner.

Debate: The process of arranging individual cells into a string to be encapsulated in a module is a key step in the PV production process. It is also one in which bottlenecks can occur if machines are not operated or do not perform as expected. pv magazine sat down with two established providers and one newcomer to the space in its first solar production equipment supplier roundtables to discuss this and other issues. Joining the discussion from the U.S. was Xcell Automation’s Adrian Gretler, who sat down with teamtechnik’s Sven Kramer and new entrant, M10 Industries’ Gregor Reddemann, both from Germany, to discuss markets, technology and segment outlook.

Utility-scale power plants: The PV sector is stepping up its game – towards 1,500 volts. Manufacturers through the supply chain are now catering towards this voltage ramp-up that promises lower balance-of-system costs and in turn lower LCOE.

Nigeria energy framework: Having usurped South Africa to become Africa’s largest economy in 2014, Nigeria has made great economic strides in recent years. Its energy network, however, remains underdeveloped, but a series of pro-solar policies and incentives could see PV plug those gaps, writes Ulrike Brückner of Rödl & Partner.

CEO interview: pv magazine has launched its ‘Black Sheep campaign’, which aims to investigate reports of sub-standard quality of components being installed today, along with those that have already failed. René Moerman is the CEO of Xilia and he says that if corners are cut on quality – from production to tracking and transportation – then the risks are high.

Module prices: A group of European solar companies refuse to accept an extension of the minimum import price regulation without a fight.

ITC: The Solar Investment Tax credit has been an important policy instrument under which solar has been developed. But is it crucial to the future growth of the U.S. solar market? Tom Starrs, SunPower’s vice president for market strategy and policy, believes that the large scale market will decline post ITC step down, after an artificial acceleration to finish projects, but that solar’s proven value will drive continued, steady growth.