Section 201: Clear and present danger
U.S. trade action: No one knows for sure what the ultimate outcome of the Section 201 investigation will be, but impacts are already being felt in the market, as both sides try to influence the outcome of the case.
High figures, mixed feelings
Distributed storage in Australia: As installation figures continue to show a strong upward trend of battery penetration, Australia is persistently reaffirming its status as the market to be in for storage providers. Standards Australia’s proposed installation safety guidelines caused a commotion earlier this year, dimming the industry’s high hopes. Amid a lot of hype surrounding the Australian battery storage arena, pv magazine explores whether this promising market is developing as anticipated.
Hit the ground running
Taiwan market update: Tumultuous but promising times in Taiwan as ground-mounted activity looks set to begin in earnest, but Taiwanese cell makers continue to struggle despite local demand slowly beginning to pick up.
Iran’s solar steps
Iranian PV: In 2014 Iran announced an ambitious 5 GW renewables goal, but progress proved slow, primarily due to the difficulty many foreign firms have investing in the country. Since the lifting of UN sanctions last year, however, the situation on the ground has been slowly changing – and European solar firms have already begun moving in, as pv magazine discovered.
The potential for PV-powered hydrogen production
PV+hydrogen: ITM Power exhibited new designs for hydrogen refueling stations last month at Solar Power International (SPI). The U.K. clean fuel specialist announced plans in early September to install a 10 MW hydrogen electrolyzer at a Shell refinery in Germany, and signed a deal to provide renewably powered electrolyzers for hydrogen fuel-cell buses in France. Chief Executive Graham Cooley spoke to pv magazine about the Sheffield-based company’s new refueling stations and the potential to use solar panels to produce hydrogen as a clean fuel.
Back to the front
Interview: SunPower is famous for its back contact cells, boasting one of the industry’s most advanced technologies. Josh Moore, SunPower Director, explains why the company is now ramping up 600 MW of production for different types of front contact cells and shingled modules.
A nose for quality
Module monitoring: PV is a stable technology and comparatively coarse methods of performance monitoring are considered sufficient to assure optimal performance. However, approximately 8% of all module defects are not easily detectable.
Will the tail wag the dog?
Utilities of the future: When you consider all of the changes that are beginning to appear across the energy sector, it is hard to imagine exactly what a utility will end up looking like 10 years from now.
Minimalist mounting
EPC in Australia: Germany’s EPC powerhouse Belectric has installed its first new PEG fixed-tilt ground-mounted PV design in Australia, and is planning two more before year end. Belectric claims that the system provides the lowest levelized cost of energy among all other competitors’ offerings in the country
Middle ease?
MENA’s inverter landscape: The momentum for solar PV in the Middle East and North Africa region is strong, with experts anticipating 4 GW of growth this year. However, the unique opportunities and challenges facing this part of the world create a distinct set of circumstances for solar players. So how is the inverter landscape shaping up?
