Leveling the playing field
Tensions are heating up throughout the world over the issue of forced labor. Calls are increasing for supply chain transparency, and recently published EU draft legislation on corporate due diligence and accountability should improve upon the currently available voluntary measures, which have been described as largely ineffective. With this in mind, pv magazine’s UP Initiative will spend the second quarter of 2021 looking at what solar and energy storage companies can do to lead by positive example when it comes to the workers who are involved in the production of their products and services.
Flexible tools for the next generation
A solar manufacturing investment cycle appears to be underway in Europe, with equipment suppliers reporting surging levels of inquiries for new production lines. Larger PV wafer formats are driving the change, along with renewed confidence in the outlook for the solar PV market on the continent. To meet the demand, European equipment suppliers are now embracing flexibility.
Pure perovskites in play
Companies working to bring perovskite cell technology to commercial viability face a dilemma: Should perovskites complement their silicon-based rivals or compete head-on with the dominant cell technology? For one U.S. perovskite developer, it believes the technology must find a space of its own, reports David Wagman, senior editor of pv magazine USA.
Your solar+storage business plan
With many developers now working on solar+storage projects, it’s time to look more closely at specific business plans. Siobhán Green, lead on battery storage in continental Europe for Everoze, looks at three key questions.
In Converstation: Top n-type performance
In search of the next leap for cell and module efficiency, module manufacturers are now turning away from mono-PERC and increasingly toward n-type TOPCon technology. A few pioneering manufacturers have already begun mass production for the utility-scale market – including JinkoSolar. pv magazine recently caught up with Roberto Murgioni, Jinko’s division head of technical services and product management in Europe, for an update on the company’s TOPCon plans.
‘The team wins…’
For asset owners with a fleet of projects ready for revamping, there are multiple factors to consider when picking the right inverter. pv magazine caught up with Goodwe’s Michael Heidenreich to discuss these and other developments on the inverter market. Heidenreich has spent nearly two decades working with power electronics, well over half of which was in the solar industry. At Goodwe he is now the senior sales manager for projects.
Enhanced standard for monitoring
An update to the IEC 61724-1 standard for PV monitoring systems has been published. Bifacial performance ratios now fall under scrutiny with these maturing standards, writes Christopher West, who heads the central solar and storage engineering team at Norwegian state-owned utility Statkraft.
What’s next for polysilicon?
The past 12 months have proved profitable for polysilicon manufacturers, as selling prices have soared to levels not seen since 2011. However, with major new capacity expansions on the horizon from most of the leading manufacturers, and new players planning to enter the scene, the market balance looks set to shift. Exawatt’s Alex Barrows rounds up where the industry stands and what might happen next.
New consensus in cybersecurity
As power systems integrate more digital and inverter-based devices, the guidelines and technical standards for these resources are evolving, and none as quickly and urgently as cybersecurity standards. New approaches to cyber defense are now needed to protect more interconnected systems with diverse owners, manufacturers, and system architectures. However, current cybersecurity standards for energy devices are still patchy. Upcoming efforts are aimed at changing that, reports NREL’s Connor O’Neil.
All eyes upstream
The United States faces a number of compelling issues in its push to expand solar. Clean Energy Associates CEO Andy Klump recently spoke to pv magazine about supply chains, domestic manufacturing, climate change, and COP.
