GLOBAL MARKET REPORT

Solar Power: Time to Transition to a Market Economy
History teaches us that government-run system based on set prices and unlimited subsidies are ultimately unsustainable. What we are indeed witnessing is the painful transition to a market-based economy, where solar power is set to thrive in a new environment.
- By Thierry Lepercq

Solar Photovoltaics: Status, Costs, and Trends
In this article, the major milestones and trends in PV power system development are described, looking back to the 1970’s, and forward to the next 30 years.
- By Tom Key

Turkey: A Newland for Photovoltaics?
Turkey’s electricity production and consumption based on primary energy resources are continuing to increase. Turkey’s dependence on natural gas and, accordingly, on foreign energy sources is still the main difficulty of the energy policy. This article aims to show the existing status and recent developments of PV sector as an energy alternative in Turkey.
- By Dr. Metin Colak, Dr. Mete CubukCu

Taking the U.S. Solar Industry to the Next Level
Tom Kimbis, Vice President of Strategy and External Affairs at SEIA, shares with InterPV magazine what he hears every day from U.S. solar companies and discusses some of the critical tasks that need to be done to take the U.S. solar industry to the next level.
- By Jeanny H. Lim

Country PV Factsheets Part 1: Czech Republic, France, Germany, Bulgaria
This three-series country factsheets give an overview of the PV market situation for each of the participating countries.This first of three articles discusses the PV market situation of Czech Republic, France, Germany and Bulgaria.
- By PV LEGAL

FINANCIAL & INVESTMENT

Viewing Renewable Energy as an Opportunity
U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation (USBCDC) is dedicated to the development of renewable energy sources building on its experience in other tax credit investments to become an expert in solar (photovoltaic) financing. USBCDC sees the renewable energy sector as an opportunity.
- By Stella Y. Lee

VIEWPOINT

Solar System Leasing: A Sound Investment for Small Commercial Systems
As solar demand continues to soar across the United States, the field is attracting interest from a wide range of professions.
- By April Zhong

Rooftop Solar’s Growing Appeal
Solar-based green energy alternatives are becoming more mainstream as solar technology prices decrease and solar technology becomes more accessible to consumers.
- By Don Christensen

CELL &  MODULE

Record Results for Solar Cells on Femtosecond Laser Pulse Processed Black Silicon
Further decreasing the costs per watt peak in photovoltaic applications requires new material approaches and solar cell concepts. Femtosecond laser processed Black Silicon is a substrate that features outstanding light trapping characteristics and is capable of absorbing light in the infrared wavelength regime.
- By Dr. Stefa n Kontermann

A Novel Route to 3rd-Generation Solar Energy Harvesting
Solar cells based on Silicon Nanowire (SiNW) offer the best prospects to overcome the shortcomings of 2ndgeneration photovoltaics as silicon is abundant on the earth and allows for wellestablished and cost-effective large-scale fabrication techniques.
- By BjOrn Hoffmann, Minna Toivola

A Decade of Photovoltaic Module Accelerated Testing and Warranty Returns
This article will discuss the material selection and testing protocols and review field returns and failure analysis over the past decade that enables Suntech, a worldwide module selling company, to confidently provide this extensive warranty.
- By Stefan Jarnason

COMPONENT & MATERIAL

PV-Mounting Systems: Simple, Time-Saving Solutions Are Racking Up Points
There are profound differences in mounting systems’ versatility and adaptableness to various environments, but the one common requirement they share is becoming a leading trend─simplicity during the installation process is a formula for maximum return for integrators and their customers.
- By Sylvia Minton

An Expanded Look at De-Ionized Water Piping Materials
The content presented within this article is an extension of a previously discussed topic of clean Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC-X) and Polypropylene (PP). Expanding on that topic, the authors took a look at the growing popularity of Polyethylene (PE) to see how it stacked up against the prior findings.
- By Marty Burkhart, Hanspeter Mueller, Markus Reutz

DESIGN & INSTALLATION

BIPV: Not about Fashion, But about Survival
Dr. Teodosio del Cano, R&D Manager of Onyx Solar, sat down for an interview with InterPV magazine after his lecture at PV World Forum 2012, held concurrently with EXPO Solar 2012 to talk about his perspectives on present BIPV innovations.
- By Stella Y. Lee

Using Cloud-Based Intelligence to Improve the Performance of Large-Scale Solar Arrays
Utilizing monitoring technology in largescale solar arrays is becoming more and more common as the industry matures. What is monitoring in the context of large-scale arrays? Is it a check-box item, a management summary tool, or is it really being used to operate and maintain the asset at peak financial performance over its active life?
- By Ray Burgess

PV & LIFE

A Bright Way to Educate
Education is an essential part of the package for solar PV installations company ‘Plug into the Sun’. Children represent not only the future of the planet, but are also willing to accept the need for change when older enerations prove to be more resistant.
- By Jacqueline Wild