The solar PV industry remains in a highly turbulent transition phase, still getting to grips with the scale of over-investment that occurred in 2010 and 2011. In fact, having just got back from a global PV road-trip that took in Germany, the US, Korea, China and Taiwan, it is apparent that the aftershocks within the industry are set to continue for some time yet.
Solar is under attack in Arizona and is now the subject of a TV advertisement claiming it wastes ratepayers' money. Felicity Carus reports on the fierce debate raging over who is behind Arizona's assault on solar.
As with many big sporting occasions, all sorts of claims are being made about the environmental credentials of next year's football World Cup in Brazil. But with solar installations set to play a central role in many of the event venues, Andy Colthorpe asks if it could put solar squarely on the map for this PV giant-in-waiting.
Last month US president Barack Obama launched a multi-billion initiative to bring power to the African people. But with little of this money so far directed towards developing solar capacity in a continent ideally suited to it, Felicity Carus asks whether the money is being wisely spent.
Phoenix Solar, the US subsidiary of Phoenix Solar AG from Germany, recently announced the largest PV installation to date in its 14-year history, in the US state of Georgia, after previously announcing its intention to restructure away from European markets and expand into the US and Asia. Lucy Woods caught up with Murray Cameron, founding member and CEO of Phoenix Solar’s US subsidiary, to ask how Phoenix has gone about conquering the US market.
Despite a long list of thin-film company failures and retrenchments over the last few years, several start-ups continue to tout their technology offerings ahead of actual commercialisation.
First of all, congratulations to ReneSola for being included in Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s (BNEF) tiering system for PV module makers – joining the often used “Tier 1” category.
Only around 18 months ago media reports were claiming that Hyundai Heavy Industries’ (HHI) foray into the solar PV market was over. But despite the highly competitive market place that has generated an extended period of consolidation, bankruptcies and market exits, HHI is focused on growing its market presence.
California governor Jerry Brown got Intersolar North America off to a rousing start in San Francisco yesterday. Reporting from the event, Felicity Carus says recent hard times for solar in the US are not overshadowing a new mood of optimism for the industry.
Meyer Burger and LayTec have collaborated to produce the world’s first fully integrated EVA cross-linking metrology solution for PV module production lines.
