Tag Archives: Solar Panel

Conergy Files for Insolvency as Banks Disagree on Investor

Posted on July 6, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Conergy AG (CGYK), once Germany’s largest solar-energy company, filed for insolvency today after one of 10 lenders rejected a short-term plan for an investor to take over loans held by the company. As payments from a large project are delayed and … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial, PV, Solar | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

R&D spending analysis of top PV module manufacturers in 2012

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

R&D expenditure by major PV module manufacturers has not been immune from the PV industry’s period of profitless prosperity. However, spending in 2012 has not been as affected as many would have expected with a number of companies increasing their … Continue reading →

Posted in Cells & Modules, Crystalline, PV, R&D, Solar | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Date set for start of India’s solar anti-dumping investigation

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

The Indian government has announced a date for a preliminary hearing for its investigation into anti-dumping allegations against PV module manufacturers in China, Taiwan, USA and Malaysia. The investigation was announced last year following a petition by the Solar Manufacturers Association, representing … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti Dumping Duty, Cells & Modules, Crystalline, PV, Renewables, Solar, Solar Policy, Thin Film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

EU imposes provisional anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese solar panels even after most European states voted against it

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

The European Commission has today issued the following statement: “Today the European Commission has decided to impose provisional anti-dumping duties on imports of solar panels, cells and wafers from China. This decision follows a thorough and serious investigation and extended contacts … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti Dumping Duty, Cells & Modules, Crystalline, Grid Connected, News, Solar | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Solar Industry Anxious Over Defective Panels – Audit discovered defect rates of 5.5 percent to 22 percent during audits of 50 Chinese factories

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Jenya Meydbray, chief executive of PV Evolution Labs, a testing company in Berkeley, Calif., scrutinized solar panels. LOS ANGELES — The solar panels covering a vast warehouse roof in the sun-soaked Inland Empire region east of Los Angeles were only … Continue reading →

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EU votes against module Anti Dumping, and hopefully so will India

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Eighteen EU member states vote against solar duties Countries who voted in support of the proposals include some of Europe’s largest solar players, most notably France, Italy and Spain. Image: Lightsource industry reaction to EU council vote on anti-dumping (04:20) … Continue reading →

Posted in Cells & Modules, Crystalline, PV, Renewables, Solar, Thin Film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Germany’s solar-power success: Too much of a good thing?

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Solar panels on a German house. It’s been a long, dark winter in Germany. In fact, there hasn’t been this little sun since people started tracking such things back in the early 1950s. A few days before Easter, the streets of Berlin … Continue reading →

Posted in Crystalline, PV, Renewables, Rooftop, Solar, Solar Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Solar power producers oppose any anti-dumping duty on imported gears

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

(In the last batch of the projects…) Ten solar power producers, including Jackson Ltd, Vikram Solar, Symphony Vyapar Pvt Ltd and Lexicon Vanijya Pvt Ltd have written to the ministry of new and renewable energy ( MNRE) saying imposition of … Continue reading →

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Delhi drops subsidy on Solar

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

In a move that may discourage residents to opt for solar energy, the Delhi government has discontinued the subsidy it used to offer on the installation of solar panels from April 1. The new move comes at a time when the … Continue reading →

Posted in Solar, Solar Thermal | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Current Solar Module Efficiency Nowhere Near Its Potential, Especially Thin-Film Solar & CPV (Chart)

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Director Dan Arvizu recently gave a keynote speech during the 2013 International Renewable Energy Conference (part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week), which I was lucky enough to attend*. His speech covered a large variety of cleantech topics, and most of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cells & Modules, CPV, Crystalline, PV, Solar, Thin Film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

PV Power Plants 2012 – Industry Guide

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Today’s PV market is now completely different to that of one year ago when the previous edition of this brochure was published. Thanks to a dramatic fall in the price of solar modules and an equally significant drop in the … Continue reading →

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Citigroup: How solar module prices could fall to 25c/Wp

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Energy analysts at global investment bank Citigroup suggest that the cost of solar PV modules could fall beyond most expectations in coming years – and reach a cost of just 25c a watt by 2020. The prediction is included in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cells & Modules, Crystalline, PV, Renewables, Rooftop, Solar, Thin Film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What next after the polysilicon apocalypse of 2012? – An analysis on why module prices are hardening

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Polysilicon prices plummeted last year, but signs of recovery are emerging. A year ago in the inaugural edition of PV-Tech’s sister digital publication, Solar Business Focus, we provided a detailed update on the PV polysilicon industry and the impact overcapacity was … Continue reading →

Posted in Cells & Modules, CPV, Crystalline, PV, Renewables, Solar, Thin Film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bosch shuts down solar division; total loss amounts to €2.4 billion

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Early estimates indicate that Bosch’s total loss amounts to €2.4 billion. The start of 2014 will herald an end to Bosch’s activities in the solar PV industry, the company has announced. As reported earlier today on PV-Tech, Bosch Solar Energy … Continue reading →

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JNNSM has 70% of foreign Solar Cells / Modules installed in 77 projects to date

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

The Government has stipulated certain technical measures to ensure quality of the PV modules used in Solar power projects taken up under different Central schemes of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). During last 3 years and current year … Continue reading →

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Crunch in module availability as EU hardens stance against China

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Updated: The European Commission’s anti-dumping investigation into PV modules shipped into EU countries from China is having a major impact on module availability and forcing distributors, project developers and installers to alter purchasing decisions, PV-Tech reveals. The start of import registration … Continue reading →

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ReneSola sold out until July; posts record quarterly results

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

ReneSola reported net revenues of US$306.5 million in the fourth quarter, up 40.5% from US$218.2 million despite a decrease in the ASPs of solar wafers and modules. Full year 2012 shipments increased to a record 2.2GW, up over 70% from … Continue reading →

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Struggles continue for thin film solar startups, Nanosolar latest with layoffs

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Once hot thin film solar startup Nanosolar has done a round of layoffs — which could be substantial — following a major down round last year. So goes the trend of the once promising next-gen solar panel maker startups. Super … Continue reading →

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Solar power one of the fastest growing segment of Indian power sector

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

From almost negligible capacity in 2009 to 1,000+ MW today, solar power is one of the fastest growing segments in the Indian power sector, aided in good measure by enabling policies of the government. The Union government has set a target of … Continue reading →

Posted in Crystalline, PV, Renewables, Rooftop, Solar, Thin Film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

R&D spending analysis of top 10 PV module manufacturers

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Using the latest market leader rankings from Solarbuzz for 2012, we plotted the annual spending on R&D of the top 10 ranked companies (see figure 1), since 2007. Looking at chart 2 it is immediately apparent that there is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crystalline, PV, Renewables, Rooftop, Rural Lighting, Solar, Thin Film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Solar Panel defect rates of 20% seen by Solar Panel Auditors

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

A worldwide glut of solar panels has slashed prices and made the technology affordable to more people than ever before. But that glut could be prompting some panel manufacturers to cut corners. SolarBuyer, a company that audits solar factories, has … Continue reading →

Posted in Crystalline, PV, Renewables, Rooftop, Thin Film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Quality issues threaten to give solar a black eye: Is your project a victim

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Nearly one-fifth of installed capacity within the California Solar Initiative in 2008 was supplied by a manufacturer no longer producing modules. A University of Arizona study found annual degradation levels of 1.7% on 1,900 modules in the field for three … Continue reading →

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Solar Panel Recycling Will Be A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

  A new report predicts the total annual recycled product value of crystalline silicon solar panels will hit USD $12 billion in 2035. While a good quality solar panel will have a lifespan of decades – some modules manufactured in … Continue reading →

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Top 10 PV module suppliers in 2012

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Table 1. According to NPD Solarbuzz, Yingli Green Energy is confirmed as the leading module supplier by MW shipment levels for 2012. Seven of the Top 10 companies can be categorized as public-listed, vertically-integrated c-Si module makers based in China. … Continue reading →

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Solar Junction achieves world record solar cell conversion efficiency of 44%

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Solar Junction CPV wafer Solar Junction (San Jose, California, U.S.) has announced a new world-record conversion efficiency of 44% for a production-ready solar photovoltaic (PV) cell using its multi-junction technology. The measurement of 44% conversion efficiency at 947 suns was … Continue reading →

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