Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

The well-attended Solar Power International 2016 show in Las Vegas this week has been the venue for a variety of new supply agreements, new projects and market endeavors. as well as strategic partnership announcements, along with the dazzling array of solar products. Among some of the new deals announced during the show are the following: […]

A host of new products and new generations of solar solutions are being introduced at Solar Power International 2016, being held this week in Las Vegas. While the list is very long, here are a few of the standout products:

$42 million has been awarded to 40 projects with a range of applications, with another $65 million in funding planned for upcoming R&D projects.

MiaSolé announced a new generation of FLEX Series solar panels for BIPV applications, with a 17 percent efficiency and a weight of 0.5 lb./sq. foot, four times less than glass panels.

This week saw collaborations between nations and companies, some numbers on the U.S. energy storage market and progress in the carving up of SunEdison, as the solar industry prepares for the Solar Power International trade show.

The trend toward more solar module manufacturers acquiring third-party warranty coverage for their products is helping to mitigate the long-term risk in a project and to make it more bankable, since the likelihood is that insurers will stay in business long after some module manufacturers.

As part of a focus on PV module and system quality in preparation for our Quality Roundtable at the Solar Power International Trade show in Las Vegas, pv magazine brings you an interview with DuPont Research Fellow Bill Gambogi and Director of Corporate Marketing Bob Olsen.

Changing technology, pressure to cut costs, dizzying price slumps and a number of other issues make solar module quality control as relevant as ever. The danger that modules could fail outright remains slim, so module reliability is still decisive for the success of the investment, explains George Touloupas, Director of Technology and Quality at CEA, in preparation of the 4th pv magazine Quality roundtable at SPI.

Quality roundtable preparation: A case of compromised quality. An operator claims nearly 17% of the modules in his array displayed significant damage after three years. The EPC company concealed the damage from the investor until the warranty had expired. The module manufacturer responded slowly and only out of goodwill.

An installation company in the Midwest reports how blame was laid at their door for defective PV panels. The actual cause of the defects probably lie elsewhere.