Solar vehicles take to the asphalt
On the road: Solar cars, trikes and bikes are slowly moving out of R&D labs and away from multinational endurance courses, and now are emerging as commercial solutions for the electric vehicle (EV) of the future.
Solar power in Spain: now for just 3.8 cents/kWh and up
Spanish Solar: BayWa Re has turned some heads in political circles with the introduction of a new project in Spain. Its electricity price of 3.8 cents/kWh, along with a conscious decision to abstain from any feed-in tariffs, have called into question the conventional wisdom of the energy market.
Understanding asset performance
Operations strategies: In the second part of our series on smarter operations strategies, energy deployment strategist Kamal Soundararajan of DNV GL examines existing approaches to assessment of solar operational assets. Exploring the exciting trends in this area will offer a view of what the future holds for the solar industry.
Big money off the grid
Off-grid solar market: The signing of the first large scale PPA for an off grid project by French renewable energy investor Neoen has triggered a wave of activity in the sector. Dr. Thomas Hillig, Managing Director at THEnergy Consultants, takes us through the risks and opportunities appearing in the off grid solar segment.
Laying the groundwork
Ground Mount Installation: Pile Driving quality goes to the very foundations of a PV array, quite literally. Helge Biernath, CEO of Sunstall, speaks to pv magazine about the importance of getting the foundations and footings of a PV array right before racking and module installation, and carrying out thorough component inspection. In this, being mindful of the weather, Biernath notes, is a vital factor.
Optimus primetime
DC optimizers: Whether embedded during module assembly, sold as standalone, or installed at solar sites of increasingly large dimensions, the DC power optimizer has been showing its worth in 2016, but what does the future hold in store?
Survival strategies
Surviving the downturn: The module price drop in the 2nd half of 2016 has created challenging conditions for players across the industry. While the largest manufacturers are protected by their scale, smaller companies are forced to innovate to survive. Götz Fischbeck of Smart Solar Consulting looks at the strategy of three such companies.
Industry 4.0 arrives
Production technology: The adoption of Industry 4.0 principles and technology in solar manufacturing has lagged behind other industries. That may be set to change, with German cell production equipment provider Asys releasing its Pulse platform onto the market this year. Six months later, Asys is installing its first intelligent Pulse line at an Asian manufacturer, and Florian Ritter, Asys’ Manager Product & Business Portfolio Management and Harald Wanka, Head of Technology and Global Sales, Solar spoke to pv magazine about the platform and current PV manufacturing landscape.
Global inverter outlook
Inverter market update: As 2016 draws to a close, pv magazine and IHS Markit cast their gaze over an inverter landscape that looks a little lopsided this year – a result of China’s first half surge, further consolidation and the continued broadening of inverter technologies and suppliers.
A job still to do
The state of solar employment: It’s been a wild ride in the U.S. solar industry over the past several years, but amid all the change and uncertainty, one constant has been that this growing industry is generating more and more jobs. The Solar Foundation’s Andrea Luecke looks to the future with five burning questions on the future of solar as a job provider.
