[November 2011 Issue]
BUSINESS IN BRIEF
MARKET UPDATE
German Solar Installations Undergo End-of-Year Resurgence, Straining Supply Chain Production Cutbacks Insufficient to Prevent Solar Module Inventory Buildup Third Quarter 2011 Funding and M&A Activity for Solar Micro-Inverters and Power Optimizers Grow 500% in 2010 PV Market Facing a Paradigm Shift Large-Scale Energy Storage Technologies to Capitalize on Renewables
COVER STORY
Building a Profitable Business Model for CIGS Thin-Film PV After many years of buildup, CIGS companies are finally approaching commercial readiness only to discover that the PV industry is at a significant crossroads. Many of these companies were founded during a time when conventional silicon PV costs were high and European subsidies were generous. -By Vincent Kapur
GLOBAL LEADERS IN PV
SolarWorld AG: ¡°Folowing Others Has Never Been Our Way.¡± COO Boris Klebensberger talks about SolarWorld¡¯s strengths differentiated from the competition and strategies for the key markets of Asia and the U.S.A. -By Jeanny H. Lim
VIEWPOINT
Meeting the Needs of Advanced Photovoltaic Manufacturing The world of PV manufacturing is a diverse one. There are new tools, processes andmaterials being introduced on a constant basis. Many have noted that grid parity is the majorgoal for the PV industry. Grid parity is a poorly-defined term, but inherent in the term is anacknowledgement that alternative approaches exist at lower costs. The implication is clear, improving the cost-effectiveness of PV is essential. -By Alan Levine
POLICY & LEGISLATION
Let¡¯s Talk about Solar Subsidies in Context Renewable energy subsidies have been the target of many media outlets and lawmakers recently, especially in the wake of the highprofile Solyndra collapse. Because of the complicated landscape of the energy industry, however, subsidies are vital. -By Blair Kendall
GLOBAL MARKET REPORT
Changing the Face of Cities in Taiwan An oddity exists in Taiwan: energy imports are roughly 99% even though the island receives ample sunshine thanks to being part of the Sunbelt Region. This peculiar situation is changing, with the movement for the transition to a clean energy society rapidly growing. -By Dr. Dino Ponnampalam
Thin-Film PV Finds a Way to Survival Even the sales revenue involved is high, but no one player dominates the PV market in Africa today. Looking for this opportunity, thin-film PV finds a good way to secure its long-term prospect by providing high-quality integrated solutions in terms of off-grid. -By Dr. Huashan Wang
Ontario PV Market Reached a More Mature State With 220 MW installed in 2010 alone, Canadian Province of Ontario is attracting huge attention from the international PV industry. InterPV magazine spoke with Jared Donald, President of Conergy Canada, to discuss the current status and future prospect of the Canada PV market. -By Jeanny H. Lim
Market for Module Level Power Management Solutions in the U.S. 2011 is the year in which we will see a major leap in the use of ¡®Module Level Power Management (MLPM)¡¯ solutions. MLPM started to take off as a trend in 2009 and is now making the transition to a widely adopted solution for PV installations. -By Hannah Mann
PRODUCT SHOWCASE Terostat MS 650 | ASP 400 GSM Smart Module¢â | speed¡¯cut | Sol Direct | Laser Scribing System for Flexible Solar Cells | ASYS Screen Printer XS2 | VersaEtch¢â Etchant/n-Dopant | CIS EU2111 | Sun Smart+ | e.a.sy-Lam SL | AFDI combiner | PE-100 Convertible
CELL & MODULE
Predicting the Failure Rate of Crystalline Solar Photovoltaic Modules This article presents an approach to predict the expected failure returns for the entire life period of a solar module based on actual failure returns data from the field. -By Bypina Veerraju Chaudary, MHB Stowell, Baskara Pandian, Yang Xiaowu, Jacky Duan
Revived Interest in CIGS Creating Real Opportunities in Photovoltaics CIGS has achieved the highest champion cell efficiencies (over 20%) of all thin-film photovoltaic technologies. CIGS has not, however, lived up to predictions about its ability to compete with crystalline silicon (c-Si). -By Cynthia Challener
Global Solar Energy: Passion for Flexible Modules InterPV talks to Jean-Noel Poirier, VP of Global Solar Energy, about their ethusiasm for innovation in flexible thinfilm technology. -By Stella Lee
Upsolar: Exellence at Each Step Upsolar¡¯s premium mono- and polycrystalline modules are reputed to be peak-performance modules in the PV industry. CEO Zhe Jiang tells us why. -By Stella Lee
ET Solar: Putting Heart into Quality ans Service ET Solar has unique features which differentiate it from other manufacturers. Dennis She, President and CEO of ET Solar, discusses what they are. -By Jeanny H. Lim
Hanwha SolarOne: Bringing Bankability and Reliability to Solar Panels Sungsoo Lee, CSO of Hanwha SolarOne, talks about how they provide best reliability and bankability after the strategic partnership between Hanwha and Solarfun Holdings. -By Jeanny H. Lim
Isofoton: 3 Core Strengths Isofoton serves the whole value chain of the PV industry using architecturally integrated technology. CEO Angel Luis Serrano reveals its 3 strengths that others don¡¯t have. -By Jeanny H. Lim
PRODUCTION & INSPECTION
The Need for Speed The pressure is on. In the 2000s, the U.S. government set a target date of 2015 to attain grid parity and many argue that this goal is now within reach. The remaining question: what technological advances will carry us over the finish line. -By Bob Bouchard, Derek Butland, Tim Doherty
centrotherm photovoltaics AG: High-Tech Ideas to Lower PV Production Costs Dr. Peter Fath, CTO of centrotherm photovoltaics AG, talks about what¡¯s recently launched and what¡¯s next at the leading technology and equipment provider for the photovoltaic sector. -By Jeanny H. Lim
COMPONENT & MATERIAL
Boosting Solar Cell Efficiency Materials matter when improving efficiency and lowering overall costs for PV. -By Peter Brenner
POWER SYSTEM
Building Maximum Reliability in PV System Reliability is key to the proliferation of any solar product, especially those involving sensitive electronics, such as solar power optimizers and micro-inverters. -By Rob Dixon
AEG Power Solutions: Targeting the Utility-Scale PV Market Gladwyn De Vidts, Vice President & General Manager of Power Control Systems at AEG Power Solution, talks about the company¡¯s ambition to create value, perspectives into new markets and growth strategies. -By Stella Lee
Maximizing the Power of Renewables Eltek Valere has developed the groundbreaking THEIA HE-t photovoltaic inverters.
CASE STUDIES
Harsh Processes Require Hard Pumps Almatec¢ç pumping technology helps CRS keep slurry resprocessing costs low. -By Sergio Av ila
Carbon Neutral Airport Has Come The new arrivals hall at Bournemouth Airport has taken full advantage of the latest PV technologies to become what is believed to be Europe¡¯s first carbon neutral airport building. - By South Facing
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