Standards
TÜV Rheinland PTL Initiates Creation of New ANSI Standards
17 May 2013POSTED IN Applications News
TÜV Rheinland PTL, a standards developing organization (SDO) for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), has successfully initiated the creation of three new American National Standards and is seeking the industry participation in the respective standards working groups.
First Solar Achieves 16.1% Total Area Efficiency Module.
09 April 2013POSTED IN Business News
First Solar, Inc. today announced it achieved 16.1% total area module efficiency for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) module, in tests confirmed by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The new record is a substantial increase over the prior level of 14.4% efficiency, which the company set in January 2012. Separately, First Solar also set a record for CdTe open circuit voltage (VOC), a critical parameter for PV performance, reaching 903.2 millivolts (mV) in NREL-certified testing. This new record marks the first substantial increase in CdTe VOC in more than a decade of international research and development (R&D). These numbers come just six weeks after First Solar announced a record for CdTe solar cell efficiency of 18.7%.
PanelClaw Ballasted Solar Mounting Systems Approved for California Schools
02 April 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Two San Mateo County, California (US) schools are the first schools in California to be fitted with ballasted solar mounting systems, through the use of peer-reviewed wind tunnel data. They have installed PanelClaw's Grizzly Bear flat roof racking system.
New Edition of International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics
04 March 2013POSTED IN Business News
The new edition of the International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics (ITRPV) will be presented and published at the annual technology event PV Fab Managers Forum on 10-12 March 2013 in Berlin, Germany. It is organised by SEMI PV Group. The global footprint of the contributors (Bosch Solar, Cel Celis, Hanwha Q.Cells, Hareon Solar, JA Solar, LDK, Motech, MPO Energy, Pillar, PV Silicon, REC Silicon, Schott Solar, Solarworld, Solon, Sunways) ensures accuracy and reliability of the technical parameters.
Roadmap and Standards for US Solar Thin Film
29 January 2013POSTED IN Business News
SEMI and the US Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC) today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance their cooperation in the areas of standards and roadmap activities for the solar thin film industry.
Fraunhofer PV Charts Benchmark Solar Cell Types, Efficiencies
29 September 2012POSTED IN Research
Can’t keep all the latest solar technologies straight? Do not despair. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) now has plans to release a long overdue comparison of the different types of solar cells, their designs and their performance, the so-called Fraunhofer ISE PV Charts, where manufacturers can enter their cells.
SPI 2012: DuPont and Distributed Sun collaborate on PV standards
05 September 2012POSTED IN Business News
DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions and Distributed Sun today announced they are collaborating to help drive increased adoption of solar energy through the D-Sun Distributed Solar Network.
SPI 2012: Wöhner USA shows power solutions
30 August 2012POSTED IN New Products
Wöhner USA will focus on power distribution and control at Solar Power International 2012 on 10-13 September at the Orange County Convention Centre (booth 3387) in Orlando, Florida (US). The company will showcase three products that help the commercial, industrial and utility photovoltaic (PV) markets to deal with these issues.
Soitec Participates in Large Solar Plants in France
08 August 2012POSTED IN Business News
In the process of selecting the successful participants in the call for tenders for large solar power plants, launched in September 2011 by the French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE, Commission de régulation de l'énergie), Soitec, a manufacturer of semiconductor materials for energy and electronics, is present in most of the eight projects in the sub-category for concentrator solar plants with installed capacity of less than 12 megawatts (MW).
Canadian Solar Achieves CSA1000V Certification
07 August 2012POSTED IN Business News
Canadian Solar Inc. today announced that it has been awarded Canadian Standards Association (CSA) 1000 volts (V) certification. With this certification, Canadian Solar modules are now authorised to receive 1000V of maximum system voltage, allowing the company to more efficiently meet customer demand for high-voltage applications in the Americas, including utilities, while reducing overall system costs.
JinkoSolar Modules Pass PID Test at 65°C
06 August 2012POSTED IN Business News
JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd., a global solar power product manufacturer, today announced that its modules have passed potential induced degradation (PID) testing conducted by TÜV-SÜD and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).
Conergy and TÜV Rheinland Partner for Large PV Plant Certification
17 July 2012POSTED IN Business News
The Hamburg-based system supplier Conergy and TÜV Rheinland announced, in June, they are entering a unique partnership and will be collaborating closely in the certification of large photovoltaic plants in the future.
Westpak Expands Mechanical Testing Services to Renewables
11 July 2012POSTED IN Business News
Westpak announces expanded mechanical testing services including testing used to simulate transportation and wind-induced vibration. Environmental, mechanical and vibration impact tests can be used to evaluate both products and packaging to established ASTM International (formerly American Society for Testing and Materials) and International State Transit Authority (ISTA) test protocols for distribution testing. Within the last month Westpak brought into service a Horizontal Impact Test System (HITS), which simulates horizontal shock events frequently encountered in truck and rail shipments.
Intersolar NA 2012: CyboEnergy offers CyboInverter at less than $0.70/W
10 July 2012POSTED IN New Products
CyboEnergy, a subsidiary of CyboSoft, General Cybernation Group Inc., announced today that it is showing CyboInverter, a solar power mini-inverter, at Intersolar North America 2012 on 10-12 July at the Moscone Centre (level 2, booth 8336) in San Francisco, California, US.
Bankability: A new risk assessment measure for solar manufacturers
09 July 2012POSTED IN Guest Blogs
The constant evolution of requirements in the solar industry showcases the importance of testing and certification to keep pace with the market. For a PV module to be sold in North America, the manufacturer must receive performance and safety certification from an OSHA-recognized Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). For the same module to be sold internationally, there are a number of required performance tests needed to gain International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) certification. While these national and international standards are critical, the recent slowing of product development in the solar industry has caused manufacturers to turn their focus in a new direction: bankability.
35 Years of NREL Innovations, Breakthroughs, Discoveries
05 July 2012POSTED IN Applications News
Thirty-five years ago this month, when US President Jimmy Carter opened the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) in Golden, Colorado, US, gas cost $0.62 (USD) a gallon and solar power cost about $100 per watt (/W). Now, the price of gas at the pump is $3.89 a gallon and the installed cost of solar power is about $4/W. That's a 6-fold increase in the cost of gas and a 95% reduction in the cost of solar since SERI was formed.
Intersolar NA 2012: APP to showcase Solar Spec Pak
05 July 2012POSTED IN New Products
Anderson Power Products (APP), a maker of high power interconnect solutions, will be showcasing its products for the solar and alternative energy industry at Intersolar North America 2012 on 10-12 July at the Moscone Centre (booth 9251) in San Francisco, California (US).
Rio+20: Implications for the solar industry
26 June 2012POSTED IN Editors Blogs
The UN Rio+20 Earth Summit has come and gone, with some calling it a failure because it ended with a watered-down consensus, the Future We Want, which lacks specifics and measurable targets.
Intersolar Europe 2012: SABIC launches polycarbonate BIPV solar panels
15 June 2012POSTED IN New Products
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has launched polycarbonate building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels for roofing, cladding and glazing applications at Intersolar Europe 2012 occurring this week at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre (booth A5.530) in Munich, Germany.
First Solar to Provide 159MW Solar Power under Australia’s Solar Flagships Program
11 June 2012POSTED IN Applications News
First Solar today announced it will design, construct and maintain two utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power projects totalling 159 megawatts (MW) alternating current (AC) for AGL Energy Limited as part of Australia's Solar Flagships Program.
