C&I solar edges towards parity
Grid Parity Monitor: PV energy is improving cost competitiveness in the commercial segment in Europe and LatAm, finds the latest Grid Parity Monitor from CREARA.
Emerging from the shadows
Solar and former Soviet states: The PV world is growing bigger, with new markets blooming every year. Yet corners of the globe remain untouched by solars pre-eminence elsewhere. With almost no information available on the international level, a number of former Soviet states look like Terra Nova for PV. A closer look, however, reveals ambitious solar plans, and even tentative first steps being made.
Energys solar-shaped future
BNEFs Future of Energy Summit: The theme of Bloomberg New Energy Finances (BNEFs) annual summit in New York City is the Future of Energy, where one thing was clear: The future will be solar, wind, energy storage and electric vehicles, with some short- to mid-term participation from natural gas.
Europes solar forecast: partly shaded
European markets: In a continent seeking ever closer union but ever stronger opposition, solars ability to stand on its own two feet free from subsidy will prove crucial in the coming years, as seen in the disparate approaches many European nations are taking towards PV.
Fog of uncertainty lifts
Japan: Late last month a key piece of solar legislation passed the upper house of Japans Parliament, opening the potential for a disruptive period of uncertainty for project developers. Izumi Kaizuka, the Managing Director of RTS Corporation, provides her insight into the development and offers an overview of Japanese market trends.
From eBay to pvBay getting used to used PV
Secondhand solar: Could the advent of online bazaars for secondhand PV components mean that PV, after decades of trying to grow its installed capacity, has finally come of age?
Innovation loves a challenge
PV industry supply transition: The hurdles facing the solar industry are not always technical. In recent years markets have waxed and waned on the whims of government policy and mandates, and the current climate is just as restless, with manufacturing hubs increasingly fluid and footloose.
It’s finally starting to happen
Italian storage: Italy met 7.8% of its electricity needs in 2015 with solar, and to date the country has installed a cumulative PV capacity of around 19 GW. Yet, despite this astonishing outcome, the rate of Italys new PV installations has declined dramatically with the majority of solar being added through Italys net metering scheme. Can energy storage and net metering boost the Italian PV market?
Optimizing your O&M
Smart data analytics: The urge to optimize PV plant performance is a natural one, and something every good EPC worth their salt should be thinking of from day one. And while post-installation monitoring and analysis tools vary, there are a wealth of platforms and techniques on the market to assist plant owners, writes Stefan Mau, a senior engineer with DNV GL.
Pitch the future
Ecosummit 2016: Now is time for open innovations in the energy market. As consumers become prosumers and begin demanding smarter products and services, big companies are forced to modernize their business and seek support from younger, more dynamic and innovative market players. In April, pv magazine attended Ecosummit 2016 in Berlin to discover what products and business models cleantech startups have in mind for our energy future.
