Magazine Archive 2016

Solar rush: Favorable market conditions are converging on the solar industry in the U.S., prompting investors and developers to loosen the purse strings and dream big as the pioneering spirit of the Wild Wild West shines on America’s PV industry.

NYSE Bloomberg Solar Energy Index: SunEdison restructures and net metering battles wage on as the U.S. solar industry shapes the global index.

Demand response: The U.S. Supreme Court demand response ruling, on FERC Order 745, will prove pivotal in spurring the nation’s transition to a low carbon society, writes Jon Wellinghoff, partner at law firm Stoel Rives LLP.

Robotics and automation: With the financial outlook for investments in PV production looking increasingly strong, pv magazine speaks with Kuka Industries’ Paul Merz to see what the current investment cycle means for the deployment of robotic solutions.

Dual glass module manufacturing: In 2016 Changzhou Almaden will open a $30 million thin glass and glass-glass module assembly facility in Dubai. The project was developed in cooperation with the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority and as the fit out of the 15,000 square meter facility continues, Almaden’s Sales and Marketing Director Manfred Fussi speaks to pv magazine .

PV manufacturing: Polysilicon manufacturers and wafer producers are facing wildly different fortunes. With polysilicon prices remaining low, the competitive landscape is in flux. But quality still counts. Wafer demand remains strong as wafer, cell and module capacities have not expanded in step. Christian Roselund reports.

Solar industry leaders met in Brussels last month for Solar Power Europe’s 11th annual workshop. CEO James Watson delivered the keynote and the EU’s unexpectedly strong solar performance in 2015 was the theme. Looking further forward, and even only to 2016, the outlook is far less rosy. With the U.K. market (pp. 58 – 59) […]

Ecobuild 2016: With their love of the property market and a considerable groundswell of support for environmental outcomes, the U.K. is an ideal location in which to bring the built environment and clean technology together. However, with the savage cuts to government support for solar ringing in the ears of attendees, discussions about the outlook for the country’s energy sector in general were common.

India analysis: The stars appear to be aligning for 2016 to be the year India arrives on solar’s main stage. But will the growth rate be sustained? SPV Market Research’s Paula Mints investigates the opportunities and pitfalls.