GLOBAL MARKET REPORT

Shringking Market, Falling Demand: Hard Times for the Solar Energy Sector
Funding cuts are slowing down demand for solar modules in Europe and driving the photovoltaic industry towards consolidation. The manufacturers are responding with innovations and heavy price cuts.
- By Sascha Rentzing

Asia-Pacific PV Installations Forecast
InterPV has talked to Christopher Sunsong, Analyst of NPD Solarbuzz, on the issues of Asia-Pacific market size, growth and characteristics as well as current and future prospects.
- By Stella Y. Lee

Comparison of Global PV Business and Technology Models
The solar energy industry is rapidly evolving, and the business environment continues to respond to ever-changing economic conditions.
-By Matthew Holzman

What Is Challenging PV Businesses in 2012?
InterPV spoke with some leading PV inverter manufacturers about what they’re worried about, what they’re seeing in the field, and their expectations for the year 2012.
- By Stella Y. Lee

French PV Market: Uncertainty Remains
Jean-Marc Scolari, Directeur General, Pronius France, talks about the current status of the PV market in France and the recent regulatory changes.
- By Jeanny H. Lim

Sustainable Development as an Aid in Fighting Poverty
During the last decade, few projects related to PV technology have been made to improve the quality of life in Mexico but, there is one that we consider that is really fighting against poverty: the recently initiated, US$98 million Integrated Energy Services for Rural Mexico (IESRM) project.
- By Christiane Ilaca, Carlos Santos

EXPO REVIEW

Products on Display at EXPO Solar 2012
There was no shortage of news among the products and services on display at this year’s edition of EXPO Solar. InterPV introduces a few eye-catching, carefully selected products from EXPO Solar 2012.

POLICY & LEGISLATION

M&A in the United States: What Chinese Companies Need to Know about Exon-Florio Review in the PV Solar Sector
Large R&D investments are being made in China on manufacturing and other new technology for PV sector, but U.S. technology and businesses are still important strategic targets. Buyers with cash will have the upper hand in most cases and there is a substantial amount of cash in China.
- By Fred M. Greguras, Mike J. O’Neil, Chenhao Zhu

FINANCIAL & INVESTMENT

Solar Call: 2011 Year in Review
The last year has left the solar energy industry in a state of much uncertainty. Despite some of the added externalities caused by political climate changes or other economic factors unrelated to solar specifically, the solar industry is going through a required maturation.
- By Jack Calderon, Chaim Lubin

The Perfect Storm
With the market knowledge and ability, solar warranty programs can meet project financiers/banks’ stringent requirements which include investment returns, prudent risktaking, and portfolio governance.
- By Mike McMullen

Financing Solar Projects in India
InterPV interviewed Craig O’Connor, Director of the Office of Renewable Energy and Environmental Exports, Ex-Im Bank of the United States, about their new Indian photovoltaic financing projects.
- By Stella Y. Lee
 

CELL &  MODULE

The Basic Theory of Plastic Solar Cells
Plastic solar cells have attracted considerable attention in the past decade. Especially, bulkheterojunction solar cells consisting of a mixture of a conjugated donor polymer with a methanofullerene acceptor are considered as a promising approach.
- By Jeroen Van Duren

Assessing the Viability of Thin PV Glass for Solar Modules
Recent developments in furnace technology, along with newfound capabilities using traditional heattreating lines, are now making thin, high-strength glass for various solar technologies more feasible.
- By Wayne E. Boor

PRODUCTION & INSPECTION

Challenges Ahead in 2012: The Photovoltaic Market at a Crossroads
The PV industry is consolidating and beginning to chart its way through a painful learning curve. Since the only hurdle for residential and commercial use now lies in the initial investment costs, PV certification providers are expanding their capacities and courting the favor of PV manufacturers.
- By Jorn Brembach

The Influence of Sputtering Targets on the Manufacturing Costs and Efficiency of CIGS
The sputtering process plays a crucial role in efficiency enhancement and cost reduction in CIGS solar module manufacturing.
- By Dr. Christoph Adelhelm

Optical Transmission as a Fast and Non-Destructive Tool for EVA Gel Content Determination in PV Modules
In this article, a promising method to determine the gel content of EVA in a fast and non-destructive way, based on Ultraviolet/Visible/Near-Infrared (UV/Vis/NIR) optical transmission of EVA, is presented.
- By Yun Luo, Laure-Emmanuelle Perret-Aebi, Heng-Yu Li

Rapid Metallization Paste Firing of Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells
This article addresses the requirements for aluminum Back Surface Field (BSF) formation in very rapid co-firing.
- By Paul J. Richter, Frank J. Bottari, David C. Wong

COMPONENT & MATERIAL

Cost Reduction with High-Performance Conductive Adhesives for Cell Interconnects
With the escalation of silver prices, the cost of Electrically-Conductive Adhesives (ECAs) for the solar industry has been impacted. Cost reduction of ECAs is essential to ensuring that emerging solar technology is cost competitive.
- By Rich Wells, Mark Francis

The Mono-Like Multi Wafers
Tony Hung, VP of ReneSola, says they had achieved an average cell conversion efficiency rate of 17.5%, more than 1% higher than the industry-standard cell conversion efficiency rate for cells using multicrystalline wafers.
- By Stella Y. Lee

Tape and Adhesive Solutions for Solar
3M’s family of adhesives is used in many custom applications in solar panel manufacturing and installation─attachment of flexible panels to roof substrates, junction box potting, and bonding various structural elements in parabolic troughs for CSP installations, etc.

CASE STUDIES

Blacksburg, Virginia Residential PV Installation
Glenn Skutt, an electrical engineer with PowerHub Systems in the Town of Blacksburg, Virginia, the U.S.A., was contemplating solar power for his home and had already signed up for one of the state’s solar incentive programs.
- By Delta Energy Systems