Test - photovoltaic

Showing posts with label photovoltaic. Show all posts

The Solar Industry at a Glance: Past Present and Future

May 08, 2013 Add Comment Edit

The last couple years have been difficult for the solar industry, but in 2013 we are likely to see consolidation that will bode well for the long term. In 2011 and 2012 we saw major reorganization in the solar industry. In 2011 there was a 66 percent loss on the Ardour Solar Energy Index (SOLRX) and last year there was a 35 percent loss.

In 2012 only one of the major solar companies posted a tiny profit, and companies averaged over $28 million in losses. Other solar industry metrics like earnings per share (EPS), price to book ratios, sales growth and analysts projected earnings are similarly disheartening.

According to IHS iSuppli Market Intelligence, the number of PV suppliers is expected to plunge by 70 percent in 2013.

As reviewed in a report titled "The Critical Decade: Global Action Building on Climate Change," new solar power capacity in China has risen by 75 percent in 2012 and is expected to triple by 2015. Globally, the capacity of solar photovoltaic panels increased by 42 percent in 2012.

Solar companies are coming to terms with the economic realities of oversupply and falling PV prices. It is both a normal and a healthy part of the growth of any sector that market forces will kill the weak and enable the strong to thrive. Bankruptcies and mergers should not be interpreted as a sign of the overall weakness of the industry. It is more accurate to appreciate the changes in the solar sector as the birth pangs of an industry that is coming of age. In the final analysis the death of some will help the industry to prosper in the long run.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Articles
America Surpasses a Solar PV Milestone and Keeps Going
Breakdown of Solar Demand in Q1 & Q2 2013
Deutsche Bank Revises its PV Forecasts for 2013
Ambitious Growth Predicted for Solar in 2013 and 2014
Solar Increasingly Sustainable Even Without Subsidies
Jinko Solar: Silicone Procurement at the Heart of its Success
Outlook for the Chinese Solar Industry in 2012
US Solar Energy Review and 2012 Forecasts
Renewable Energy in 2012: The Global Economic and Environmental Climate
Renewable Energy Is Our Only Hope

NABCEP Sales Certification

July 08, 2012 Add Comment Edit

On July 16, 2012 the NABCEP Sales Certification training will be taking place at Atlantic Cape Community College, Mays Landing Campus East from 6pm – 9pm. The fee is $1,299 (Tuition $499, Materials $250, Lab $550). This NABCEP approved training is a PV Entry Level Exam based on a set of learning objectives developed by NABCEP Committee of PV subject matter experts. Concepts will include: Qualify the Customer; Site Analysis; Conceptual Design; Financial Costs, Incentives and Savings; Financial Benefit Analysis and Financing; Nonfinancial Benefit Analysis; Performance Analysis; and Preparing Proposals.
For more information call Dharmesh Dave at 609-343-5658 to register or visit www.atlantic.edu/green

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Introduction to PV Design and Installation and Exam Prep (Course)

June 17, 2012 1 Comment Edit

Between Monday June 18th and Thursday June 21 a class on PV design will be taking place at the Atlantic Cape Community College, Mays Landing Campus East (an NABCEP approved training provider. The NABCEP PV Entry Level Exam is based on a set of learning objectives developed by NABCEP Committee of PV subject matter experts. PV design and installation concepts will be reviewed.

Participants will define, describe and apply the following core skill sets: PV markets and applications, safety basics, electricity basics, solar energy fundamentals, PV module fundamentals, system components, PV system sizing principles, PV system electrical design, PV system mechanical design, performance analysis, maintenance and troubleshooting. The fee for this course is $725 (Tuition $225, Materials $200, Lab $300). There is an additional cost for the NABCEP exam.

For more information call Dharmesh Dave at 609-343-5658 to register or visit www.atlantic.edu/green for prerequisite and more information.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
Implications of US Duties on Chinese Solar
Countervailing Duties on Chinese Solar Cells (Video)
Outlook for the Chinese Solar Industry in 2012
How the West can Capitalize on the Growth of Chinese Cleantech in 2012
US Regains Lead from China as Clean Energy Leader
US Solar Energy Review and 2012 Forecasts
Renewable Energy in 2012: The Global Economic and Environmental Climate
Will 2012 be the Best Year Ever For Clean-Tech Investment?
Renewable Energy Is Our Only Hope
India is the World Leader in Cleantech Investment Growth
The EU Debt Crisis did Not Curb the Growth of Renewables in 2011
Cleantech the Next Great Investment Opportunity

Solar Maghreb 2012 Congress and Exhibition (Event)

May 20, 2012 Add Comment Edit

On May 22-23 May 2012, Solar Maghreb will convene in Morocco. This is the most established congress to focus exclusively on the North African solar markets. After dramatic changes in the region over the past year, Solar Maghreb will welcome official delegations from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and Libya to formulate the next steps for the region's solar market.

With a combination of presentations, roundtable working groups, interactive discussion sessions and networking evenings, join the most established meeting to focus exclusively on the North African solar industry. 3 years of attracting the highest profile figures behind the region's power markets: Click here to read the 2011 welcome address from former Moroccan Energy Minister, Amina Benkhadra.

The meeting for C-Level representatives: 35% of attendees at Solar Maghreb 2011 at Board Level, over 60% at director level Meet new policy makers following government reforms: New Libyan Minister of Electricity & Renewable Energies and advisor to the Libyan Prime Ministry recently confirmed. Click here to see full speaker line up. Face to face meetings available with government, energy agencies and utilities. Following the morning keynote sessions MASEN board members will be on hand to discuss the result's of Morocco's first solar tender and elaborate on the next steps in bidding for the 4 subsequent phases.

Investor market push: full focus day of presentations, roundtables and working groups from active investors putting money into moving the market forward For the first time, multi-stakeholder feedback from operational projects: 1 year on from Hassi R'Mel and Kuraymat what do governments, investors, international developers and local players think of solar's place in North Africa.

Produced in collaboration with local partners and local knowledge: working with energy agencies, government advisers, associations and industry on the ground in Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt & Libya to create a packed two days.

Click here to see a selection of 2012's program advisors Local rate for local companies: heavy industry, telecoms, engineering, manufacturing and other sectors evaluating solar as a source of power and business

First Solar PV Workshop: First Solar are hosting their exclusive technical solar PV workshop Photovoltaic Power Plants in the Maghreb Region on 21 May as part of Solar Maghreb. This workshop is free to attend however there is a limited availability of places.

For more information or to register click here.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Implications of US Duties on Chinese Solar
Countervailing Duties on Chinese Solar Cells (Video)
Outlook for the Chinese Solar Industry in 2012
How the West can Capitalize on the Growth of Chinese Cleantech in 2012
US Regains Lead from China as Clean Energy Leader
US Solar Energy Review and 2012 Forecasts
Renewable Energy in 2012: The Global Economic and Environmental Climate
Will 2012 be the Best Year Ever For Clean-Tech Investment?
Renewable Energy Is Our Only Hope
India is the World Leader in Cleantech Investment Growth
The EU Debt Crisis did Not Curb the Growth of Renewables in 2011
Cleantech the Next Great Investment Opportunity

Duties on Chinese Solar Higher than Expected

May 18, 2012 Add Comment Edit

On May 17, 2012, The US Department of Commerce announced stiff anti-dumping tariffs that were much higher than expected. These duties amount to around 31 percent on crystalline silicon solar panels imported from China. The duties come in response to the Chinese government's dumping of solar panels below the cost of production.

As reported in Renewable Energy World, the DOC has set duties at 31.14 percent for Trina, 31.22 percent for Suntech and 31.18 percent for other Chinese solar manufacturers that chose to participate in the investigation. The companies that chose not to participate were hit with a 250 percent tariff. The tariffs will be retroactive and be applied to panels that were shipped from as far back as about the middle of February 2012.

Some insiders are concerned that these duties will adversely impact the growing American solar industry.They are likely to make Chinese solar panels much more expensive. It is expected they will add about $0.30 a watt to the price of a panel.

Chinese companies are expected to set up workarounds like tolling in which they send panels through another country, or even set up remote manufacturing facilities outside their country. Tolling is expected to add about $0.06 to $0.08 per watt

The Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy (CASE)believes the overriding goal should be to make solar energy as competitive as possible. Steep penalties on Chinese panels would inhibit the rate at which solar has been growing in the American market. Lower costs have made solar more appealing option to investors.

However, in the absence of duties, non-Chinese solar manufacturers would be pushed out and leave the world at the mercy of a virtual Chinese monopoly. China could then dictate the price and the type of solar technology that dominates the market.

Arab Spring Fueling the World's Most Ambitious Solar Project

November 09, 2011 Add Comment Edit

There are early indications that the environment could benefit from the Arab Spring. A $550 Billion plan for the world's most ambitious solar project could be producing energy by 2015.

Paul van Son, the managing director of the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII), told Reuters that the awareness and interest in the project to turn sunshine into energy has grown with the spread of democracy across North African and the Middle East.

"We like the Arab Spring because it has opened up a lot of ideas and generated support for the project," van Son said in a telephone interview. "We're very supportive. The democratic structures fit very well with ours."

Before the Arab Spring, there had long been concerns about the political stability in the region. Deserts are the perfect place for solar projects because they get more energy in six hours than the world's population consumes in a year, DII says.

Fields of mirrors in the desert would gather solar rays from concentrated solar power (CSP) to boil water, turning turbines to electrify a new carbon-free network linking Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Projects like this could help the economy and create jobs in the country and throughout the region, especially for young people. van Son said he hopes Desertec can help bring Mediterranean nations closer together. "I believe large infrastructure projects like this can contribute to stability. It's about the development of new industries in the region, investment, job creation and the transfer of knowledge and know-how," he said.

The first 150 megawatts power plant will be built in Morocco, possibly generating power by 2015 or 2016, with further projects planned in Tunisia and Algeria.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Sustainability in the Arab World
Arab Spring and the Environment

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )