On May 16th, 2012 CNPV Solar Power SA (Luxembourg) announced that it has entered a tripartite cooperation agreement with China Guangdong Nuclear Solar Energy Development Company Ltd. (CDN-SEDC, Shenzhen, China) and Lijin Peoples Government to build up to 2.5 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants over the next five years in the region surrounding the Bohai Sea in China. The agreement begins with a commitment to build 100 MW of PV plants in three phases, for which CNPV will supply the PV systems. These plants will be built on land in Shandong Province with highly alkaline and saline soil which is unfit for other uses. Read more...

Solar Server: Can you give our readers a brief overview of the current state of PV market development in the MENA region? Vahid Fotuhi: The sun is rising on MENA’s solar industry; and the weather forecast is looking good. In the meantime, there are some critical steps that need to be taken in order for the reality on the ground to catch up with the potential up above us. Read more...

In the face of increased competition on the international solar markets, efficiency and costs count first and foremost. Against the backdrop of changes to and a downward trend in solar funding, the globally competing manufacturers of components are under intense pressure. On the path to the economic competitiveness of photovoltaics in old and new markets, it is essential to further reduce the production costs of solar electricity. The central approaches to achieving this are a higher level of efficiency of the solar modules and lower production costs along the entire value-creation chain. Read more...

2011 is being looked back on in the global solar industry for many negative qualities. Primarily, a collapse in profitability in solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing led to companies restructuring, layoffs, plant closures, and even a number of bankruptcies. Late in the year a vicious trade dispute sharply divided the U.S. PV industry, which also saw significant negative press, most notably the fabricated scandal of the Solyndra DOE loan guarantee. However, all of this obscures the fact that global PV, concentrating solar power (CSP) and concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) industries continued to grow in 2011, at some times and in serveral regions dramatically. Read more...

It’s almost one year since the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) and rumours are beginning to fly around the UK solar industry as to what the upcoming Comprehensive Consultation on the feed-in tariff (FiT) holds. I decided it was time to investigate what people are actually saying, and to find out how much of what is being said matches the facts around budgets, pricing and deployment. Read more...

SAINT-GOBAIN SOLAR SOLUTIONS are intelligent, innovative and instant solutions for solar module manufacturing, offer cost-effectiveness, easy application and durability for perimeter sealing of the PV laminate to the aluminium frame and can be used as a process aid in securing and sealing all module components Read more...