Magazine Archive 2016

Module prices: As the European Commission continues its review of anti-dumping measures currently in place, a suspension of market restrictions could boost the PV industry and create a level playing field.

Price discussion: EPCs sometimes have to purchase modules at prices much higher than are feasible for their purpose, whether due to the minimum import price in the EU, import duties on Chinese modules in the U.S., or simply due to market conditions. Calculations for project modules show that sustainably produced, unsubsidized PV panels can be manufactured for significantly less than €0.50 per watt.

Smart buildings: The COP21 UN summit on climate change not only nurtured unity and political will to tackle a shared problem, but it also allowed those companies that are already way ahead of the curve to showcase their achievements and inspire the next generation. One such company is power electronics firm Delta, which saw COP21 as the ideal opportunity to share its green ideals with a global audience.

Solar investment: Total corporate funding in the solar sector comes in at $25.3 billion in 2015, with a record $5.5 billion raised by residential and commercial solar funds. VC funding tops $1 billion, and a record number of large-scale projects have been acquired, writes Mercom Capital Group CEO and co-founder Raj Prabhu.

C&I rooftop: The commercial and industrial rooftop space in the U.S. has big room to grow. Both SunPower and Solar Frontier are supplying this market with modular, repeatable PV power plants, which they hope will open up new roofs to solar.

Interview: A gas leak at Dowa Hightech’s manufacturing facilities in January has caused knock-on effects through the silver paste supply segment. Andreas Liebheit, head of the photovoltaics business of Heraeus, met with pv magazine in Berlin to discuss the implications.

Module prices: Fresh clouds are gathering on the PV horizon as difficult market conditions for modules persist, exacerbated by an unwieldy, if well-intentioned, take-back and recycling scheme.

Aliso Canyon: In the hills above Hollywood and downtown LA, a storage well leaked natural gas for close to four months, silently and invisibly pumping dangerous volumes of emissions into the California air. Already the leak has set the state’s GHG reduction goals back ten years, so how was this ecological disaster handled?

Off-grid solar: Utilizing solar PV to power off-grid hotels in Mozambique’s glorious wilderness reaps a number of benefits, including cost, convenience and efficiency. But solar’s ability to nurture a good, clean image – one that proves attractive to holidaymakers – should not be underestimated, write GIZ’s Franziska Kohler and independent technical advisor Harald Olk.