The phony war
Utilities vs. solar: The growth of solar PV in the U.S. has served to spook many traditional power utilities, catching off guard those that had reaped the benefits of the status quo. But even while some sectors of this power divide remain at odds, there are increasing signs that utilities and solar can work together to deliver a more robust, flexible and affordable energy service for the entire nation.
World in motion
Global solar forecast: Solar installations globally are projected to grow about 25-30% in 2015 compared to last year. Mercom Capitals installation forecast remains unchanged, as the first half installation numbers indicate that the market is still on track to reach 57.4 GW, writes Mercoms CEO Raj Prabhu.
Minimizing downtime is a main objective
CEO Interview: On the back of developing a data solution tailored for Europes largest PV power plant, Frances QOS CEO Franck Le Breton makes the case for a third-party solar data management system. Its the Internet of Things and PV together at last.
More flexibility from the lamination system
Lamination technology: New materials and processes are coming into the lamination technology segment of PV production. With these come challenges for technology providers, but they also present major opportunities for increased throughput and reductions in energy consumption. Robert Gaiser is the Project Manager for Lamination with Germanys Bürkle, and he says flexibility of lamination tooling is also becoming important.
Adapt or die: Big changes in Taiwans solar industry
Taiwan post duties: Hit hard by U.S. duties, Taiwans solar industry has been forced to move beyond its well-established niche in PV cell manufacturing. The decision to internationalize production is also a big one. And the future is anything but clear.
Corporate funding on the rebound
VC, M&A update: Fundraising activity in the third quarter of 2015 has been eventful, especially in the equity markets, which demonstrates how quickly sentiments can change in the solar sector. Mercom Capitals Raj Prabhu tracks the deals.
Creating a marketplace for quality
Interview: EnergySage CEO Vikram Aggarwal describes how the solar marketplace can be a daunting environment for a first-time solar shopper, and explains to pv magazine how EnergySage constantly reminds itself to think like a consumer in order to ensure its service meets a whole range of needs.
Dealing in uncertainty
Solar pricing update: Analysis of the price and market trends that shaped the global cell, module and wafer market over the past few months, provided by Renewable Analytics.
Forecast update: Chinas ghost kilowatts
Market revision: Anticipating future growth in the PV industry has never been an exact science, but as regional and market behavior ossifies, it has become easier to make relatively stable assumptions on how certain markets will perform over the next few years. Paula Mints from SPV Market Research reports.
Keeping it under control
Interview: meteocontrol MD Robert Pfatischer describes to pv magazine how the companys expansion plans and management strategies have evolved since its acquisition last year by Chinese solar power company Shunfeng.
