[January 2012 Issue]
BUSINESS IN BRIEF
MARKET UPDATE
Global PV Installations to Hit 24 GW in 2011
China PV Installations Forecast to Surpass Both the U.S. and Japanese Markets in 2011
Solar Energy and South Africa: A Match Made in Heaven
HCPV on the Way to the Utility Market & Growing Interest for Ⅲ-ⅤPlayers
The Fate for Solar Power in the U.K
Global Nuclear Generation Capacity Falls
Conglomerates Continue to Prove a Bright Spot for Solar
COVER STORY
Understanding the Ongoing Solar Shakeout
Solar remains an industry where innovation runs rampant, but any disruptive technology without significant potential for cost advantages will find it extremely difficult to secure a foothold in today’s market.
- By Matthew Feinstein
GLOBAL LEADERS IN PV
REC: Innovating for Value
Ole Enger, President and CEO of REC, discusses the company’s competitiveness and where it’s putting its efforts to survive and thrive in this very challenging market environment.
- By Jeanny H. Lim
GLOBAL MARKET REPORT
PV Industry Struggles to Define Capacity
The rush to add capacity through the value chain during 2010 and 2011 has left many observers of the industry somewhat confused about what this fall means.
- By Finlay Colville
Solar War
With the trade petition initiated by SolarWorld that hit the global solar industry, there has been discord between the U.S.A. and China recently. Even people in the U.S. solar industry are aligned on both sides of the issue.
- By Stella Lee
VIEWPOINT
The U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium: Lessons from the Semiconductor Industry
The fortunes of the U.S. in the solar industry in many ways mirror that in the semiconductor industry.
- By Unni Pillai, Nicholas Querques, Pradeep Haldar
Concerns Looming over Czech PV Policy
Czech Republic wants to halt development of renewable energy sources in favor of nuclear energy. This trend has resulted in the renewable energy sector’s downturns and hundreds of unemployed.
- By Ales SpAcil
CELL & MODULE
Framing the Debate
InterPV sat down with Geoffrey King, Marketing Manager, Renewable Energy, Saint-Gobain Solar, to discuss the pros and cons of available market solutions, includign frame tapes and silicone sealants as well as next-generation technologies.
- By Jeanny H. Lim
PRODUCTION & INSPECTION
Inside a Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cell Fabrication Plant
While the mass production of thin-film silicon PV modules may still be in its infancy, progress has been rapid, resulting in an increasing demand for effectiveness and cost efficiency during the manufacturing process, including the sourcing of mission critical industrial gases.
- By Andreas Weisheit
Solar Simulators, Beyond the Basics
Solar simulators are critical metrology tools used by the PV module manufacturing industry to determine the power rating of solar modules.
- By Harvey Serreze
Module Reliability Perspective
This article is about RIMAS’ motivation on how and why things are done, with a Canadian project and module reliability as the major topics.
- By Michel Van Dooren
COMPONENT & MATERIAL
Conductive Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives Offer Smart, Stable, and Economical Material Choices
While PV OEMs are searching for ways to produce high-performing products with low-cost materials to offset the declines in demand, supplementary raw materials suppliers will play a crucial role in aiding PV OEMs in these efforts.
- By Brian Harkins
Saving the Planet Using Natural Daylight
Ciralight Global’s Suntrackerⓒ uses solar powered GPS solar-tracking technology with mirrors to track the sun throughout the day to illuminate buildings using natural daylight.
POWER SYSTEM
Selecting Capacitors for the Energy Buffer in Solar Inverters
Selecting the aluminum or other capacitor technologies in a solar inverter is an important issue for PV players.
- By Theo van de Steeg
Inverter Topology Issues for Grounded PV Modules
New types of crystalline cells such as the BSC and a number of thin-film technologies require the inverter to operate
in special conditions in order to maximize the energy produced or to avoid premature cell degradation.
Trends in Inverter Manufacturing
Tom Clawson, Executive Vice President of Industrial Segment at Sanmina-SCI, discusses the PV inverter market, challenges and potential solutions.
- By Jeanny H. Lim
DESIGN & INSTALLATION
Making Solar Installation Stronger, Lighter, Faster
Richard Welch, Vice President and COO of Unirac, talks about some challenges they’re dealing with in installing solar arrays and how they’re innovating for the future.
- By Stella Lee
Deploying Solar in Schools
Education is one of many sectors progressing in the area of solar photovoltaic deployment to provide energy savings for a sustainable future.
CASE STUDIES
Sunny Campuses
Investment in solar and sustainability at two Californian schools lessens impact of state budget cuts.
-By Marissa Muller
Efforts for the Best
Specializing in large-scale solar installations for both businesses and universities worldwide allows Inovateus Solar to offer competitive pricing with flexible financing options.
-By TJ Kanczuzewski |
