Magazine Archive 2022

With landmark legislation set to devote billions of dollars to develop a clean energy supply chain for the United States, developers will be busy poring over maps to decide where the first green jobs will land. CEA’s Mark Hagedorn looks at the qualities that make for the perfect gigafactory site.

Going above and beyond can drive up costs when it comes to solar project features such as racking height and module glass strength. But in an ever-warming world, it could take only one extreme weather event to destroy investments. Clean Energy Associates VP for technology Paul Wormser offers a few tips for developers.

A vibrant industry across the Middle East – including manufacturers, wholesalers, and a large number of EPCs and installers – supply decarbonized electricity to meet growing air-conditioning demand, tapping the region’s abundant sunshine. However, progress toward this vision of a distributed-generation solar market segment and industry in the Gulf region has been slow, according to the president of the Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA), Ahmed Nada.

After multiple rounds of slashing the total cost of the Build Back Better bill, US senators remain locked in negotiations. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (West Virginia) voted against an earlier proposal, shocking many, and has now said he will reopen negotiations “starting from scratch.” pv magazine USA’s Ryan Kennedy reports.

Corporate and utility power purchase agreement (PPA) demand in Poland is rising, for multiple reasons. The coal-dependent European country has been rapidly growing its solar fleet in recent years, with unsubsidized projects steadily becoming one of the tools to mitigate risk and hedge against soaring prices. pv magazine’s Marija Maisch takes a look at what lies behind this market trend and what’s still to come.

Various visions exist of the disruption that the transition to cleaner, cheaper electricity sources will have on energy markets and supply. Critics anticipate expensive chaos, while advocates see a powerful new network emerging. Serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist and energy futurist Bill Nussey has put his thoughts together in a new book, “Freeing Energy,” and pv magazine USA’s Tim Sylvia met the author to discuss its findings.

Against all odds, China’s gross domestic product grew by 8.1% in 2021, up 5.8% year on year. Electricity consumption grew by 10.3%, up 7.2%. Taking this into account, it’s no surprise that China’s PV industry also reached new heights. Frank Haugwitz, the founder of the Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory (AECEA), takes a closer look at what is still by far the world’s largest PV market.

Despite the lack of timely data on rooftop solar installations in Italy, the general trend seems clear: Subsidies in the country have boosted the installation of rooftop PV arrays, often coupled with battery energy storage systems in the residential segment. Sergio Matalucci looks at the policies behind the strong adoption levels, and what’s in store with central support policies in doubt.

As demand for energy grows across the African continent, solar has an outsized role to play as the cheapest source of power from now to 2030. But the cost of financing must fall for solar projects to be successful. Laura Cozzi, chief energy modeler at the International Energy Agency (IEA), shares some key takeaways from the recently published Africa Energy Outlook report.

Quick and versatile, batteries are providing a growing number of services to homes, businesses, and on the grid. Electricity network operators are beginning to adopt grid-scale batteries, with the initial applications potentially opening the way for renewable energy to flow more freely and across larger distances than ever before.