Combined R&D expenditures of 12 major PV module manufacturers in 2016, tracked since 2007, decline by approximately 4.4% in 2016 to US$519.3 million, compared to US$542.9 million in 2015. As 2015 expenditures were a new record high, 2016 becomes the second highest year of spending and 2014 the third highest. All three years highlight total combined annual R&D expenditures above US$500 million.
Since the first demonstration by Sanyo in the 90s of crystalline silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells with already promising energy conversion efficiencies above 18%, this device architecture has experienced an extraordinary history of development, embodying outstanding scientific findings and efficiency records.
During 2017, the PV industry is forecast to produce and ship close to 100GW of solar modules, reaching this key milestone well ahead of all market forecasts previously projected. Furthermore, the explosive growth of solar PV shows no sign of abating, despite the constant threats and barriers imposed by on-going trade import restrictions.
LONGi, Jolywood and many other large PV manufacturers claim that bifacial mono c-Si technology is the future. Since 2015, bifacial PV installations have been entering multi- MW installation levels, and are expected to enter multi-GW levels in 2018.
Modern single metallization lines using flatbed screen printing (FSP) can realize a maximum output of approximately 2,000 wafers/h. For several reasons, achieving a significant further increase in throughput of the FSP process is technically challenging.
To guarantee the long-term competitiveness of the PV industry, the cost of PV power generation ($/kWh) must be continuously reduced. Such reduction can be achieved in two ways: 1) by improving PV module performance (efficiency, annual energy yield, reliability); 2) by reducing manufacturing costs ($/Wp).
Storage integration | Our team profile 10 of the leading global system integrators working in energy storage today. This is a handful of the names that are designing systems, solving problems, executing projects and shaping the industry around us. By: Andy Colthorpe and John Parnell with Tom Kenning, Danielle Ola, David Pratt and Liam Stoker
Trade dispute | Battle lines have been drawn as another trade dispute convulses the US solar industry. John Parnell reports on an increasingly bitter war of words as the case hearings get underway.
Technology | Falling prices have seen single-axis trackers become standard issue in utility PV plants in many parts of the world. As the tracker market becomes more crowded, manufacturers are developing increasingly sophisticated technologies to stay ahead of the game and support wider PV power plant innovation. Ben Willis reports
Policy | State governments and agencies have a key role to play in fostering the growth of energy storage. Todd Olinsky-Paul of the Clean Energy States Alliance looks at the key policies, programmes and incentives being used by America’s pioneering storage states
