Magazine Archive 2020

High-resolution satellite imagery has helped to identify most kinds of electricity infrastructure, including small-scale solar systems. Once the infrastructure has been identified, researchers can extract a range of insights, such as energy production estimates that allow for more efficient grid management, more accurate insurance assessments, and better targeting of potential customers.

It is now a well-established trend. After the switch to larger wafer sizes played out in 2019, this year has seen virtually all of the biggest PV manufacturers introduce new modules in dimensions above the 2-meter mark, and with power ratings in excess of 500 W – in some cases, as high as 800 W. As these modules begin to roll off production lines in larger quantities, it’s vital to take a look at the challenges and opportunities they bring to system design, installation, and long-term operation.

As part of a billion-euro acquisition deal with Germany’s Covestro, DSM will soon move away from the solar glass coatings market. For the materials giant’s Advanced Solar business, this means a renewed focus on the backsheet market. Here it sees growing demand for back-contact technologies and the conductive backsheets that go with them and has recently launched an updated version of its Endurance polymer backsheet. pv magazine recently caught up with Pascal de Sain, VP at DSM Advanced Solar, for an update.

The 1.177 GW Noor Abu Dhabi made headlines for its vast scale and low tender price. And it’s just the beginning, says Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, the chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Energy.

Given its rapid deployment, large-scale solar can play an important role in alleviating the crippling load shedding gripping South Africa. That’s, of course, if the solar projects perform as expected. Reported module failure at one of the country’s REIPPP projects is a cause for concern.

Since 2014, pv magazine has investigated cases reported from our readers of PV projects where various issues related to installation and component quality have caused construction delays, failures or underperformance. The most recent of these demonstrate the breadth of quality issues that can arise.

SolarEdge has faced a difficult 12 months, with the untimely passing of its highly respected CEO Guy Sella in 2019, ongoing IP disputes, and the Covid-19 crisis impacting production. Lior Handelsman, the VP of marketing and product strategy and the founder of SolarEdge, says that despite these challenges, the company’s work continues, and Sella’s name lives on.

With solar industry events canceled or postponed globally, pv magazine made the decision to take its successful Roundtables Europe program online in 2020. Quality discussions and discussions on quality have long been a part of pv magazine Roundtables and this was unchanged in 2020. What’s new was the addition of three new sessions focused on asset management, sustainability and post-Covid-19 market insights.

Vietnam’s solar market has seen a boom in recent years, placing it among the leading global markets in terms of demand for solar installations. Quan Nguyen, CEO and founder of PV installer and EPC provider Sao Nam Integrated Technology (SNTek), shares some insight on the comprehensive policy support that helped drive this rapidly developing market, and what we can expect for PV in Vietnam over the next few years.