Month: June 2015

Cutting costs through clever thinking

The renewable energy industry as a whole is obsessed with lowering costs throughout the supply chain – and efforts are keener than ever in the offshore wind sector. Barge Master is leading the way in this regard, with an innovative selection of systems that reduce the wasted time spent waiting for improved weather conditions. We… Read more »

Technology Transformation Reinforces Chinas Wind Of Change

Alfredo Parres, head of ABB’s wind industry sector initiative, reports on China’s fast-evolving wind industry and how it is adopting new technologies to reduce losses and increase penetration of wind energy on the grid. As part of its drive to reduce carbon emissions and protect its environment and future economy, the Chinese government is pushing… Read more »

Its Time To Target Sustainable Growth

An integrated industry-led approach is the only way to help politicians find the Promised Land of maximising Europe’s renewable energy potential, argues Lloyd’s List’s Global Maritime Lawyer of the Year. As the dust is settling following the British General Election there has never been a more important time for politicians to demonstrate leadership in the… Read more »

Renewable energy generates sustainable careers

Allan takes an up-to-date look at the state of wind’s employment market and offers his personal take on how long-lasting improvements can be made. With world focus on the well-being of the earth and its environment, a tidal wave of interest – and more importantly, investment– is pouring into energy initiatives. Among the sources of… Read more »

Youve Tried The Rest Now Try The Best

Now in its 14th year, RenewableUK Global Offshore Wind 2015 is the heart of the world’s largest offshore wind market; alive with original ideas, unexplored opportunities, new challenges and, most importantly, a common aspiration of a brighter future powered by renewable energy. Aparna Chopde talks us through what delegates can expect from this essential event…. Read more »

Where transport and engineering combines

A truly innovative company within the offshore wind supply chain, Coordinadora takes service to the next level by offering transportation solutions with the added benefit of engineering know-how. We spoke to the Spanish company’s Business Development spokesman, José Alegria. PES: Welcome to PES. Would you like to tell us a little about the company and… Read more »

A 24/7 commitment to wind

A qualified marine engineer with many years’ experience in offshore wind applications, Peter Jørgensen is a well-known face in the industry. He joins us to discuss CWind’s experience and aspirations, while reinforcing the importance of SHEQ within the sector. PES: Welcome back to the magazine. For the benefit of new readers, would you like to… Read more »

Eroding the challenge of wind turbines

Two renowned industry experts discuss how improved knowledge will be used to drive standardisation, as well as the development of new coatings and better structural solutions for a new generation of high-efficiency wind turbines. Energy has long been a ‘hot topic’ of political debate, but has recently gathered even more momentum, following the publication of… Read more »

PV recycling: an enlightened approach

A German company with an international reach, Loser Chemie GmbH has developed a number of critical processes that reduce the environmental impact of solar. And better still, they are working on ways of increasing the efficiency of installed PV systems. We spoke to two of the company’s leading lights: Ulrich Loser and Wolfram Palitzsch. PES:… Read more »

SEAS becomes PIRIOU VIETNAM

« SOUTH EAST ASIA SHIPYARD » (SEAS), PIRIOU subsidiary in Vietnam becomes from today « PIRIOU VIETNAM ».« It is a simple change of name with no other meaning or purpose than giving our Vietnamese establishment an identity that our customers, our suppliers, our staff, and more generally any partner, in Vietnam, abroad, as well… Read more »

Sunedison Launches The Search For Britainsbrighteststreet To Britains Homeowners

SunEdison is on the hunt for Britain’s most solar savvy street by offering 10 years’ worth of solar generated electricity to participating neighbours in the selected street· #BritainsBrightestStreet participating homeowners can save approximately 45% on their electricity bills and on top of this, SunEdison will also contribute a PV system to the community SunEdison, Inc…. Read more »

New general manager of Fred. Olsen Windcarrier (UK) Ltd. elected to RenewableUK board

Fred. Olsen Windcarrier UK’s new general manager, David Matthews, has been elected to the board of RenewableUK in his second month in post. Mr. Matthews becomes one of 12 influential industry leaders elected to the board to represent the UK wind and marine energy industry. “It’s a real honour to be elected to the RenewableUK… Read more »

A business strategy built on quality and agility

Thanks to many years of experience in engineering and development within the challenging, high quality level automotive industry, Hirschmann Automotive was able to raise the standard of connection technology for solar modules to a new level. As a result, they set new global standards of cost/benefit, reliability, and differentiation ability. We spoke once again to… Read more »

Bank Financing Options For Sustainable Energy From Solar Power To Energy Efficiency

Installed solar photovoltaic capacity in the UK nearly doubled in 2014, from 2.8GW 
to over 5GW. In DECC’s April figures it was reported that overall UK solar PV capacity stood at 5,709MW at the end of March 2015 across over 680 thousand installations. 
This milestone achievement is testament to the hard work of Britain’s several… Read more »

Facilitating the triumphant march of PV

Despite a challenging period in the German marketplace, Ingenieurbüro Mencke & Tegtmeyer GmbH endures, with a burgeoning international business and a positive outlook. In this refreshingly-candid interview Dirk Tegtmeyer looks back over the past few years, while casting his eye to a more encouraging future. PES: Welcome back to the magazine. How has business been… Read more »

Implementing agreement on photovoltaic power systems

Earlier this year, the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power System Programme (IEA PVPS) published a new report on the “Analysis of Long-Term Performance of PV Systems. This is the fourth of five critical reports, which are designed to establish a landmark in PV Performance and Reliability assessment, and build on the reputation of independence and… Read more »

Precise measurement equals efficient performance

We’ve tracked the continued success of Kipp & Zonen for a while in PES and indeed, have interviewed several of the company’s executives. In this issue, we headed back to The Netherlands for an interview with Paulien Adema (Business Manager), during which she discussed new products, global expansion and an increased focus on accuracy… PES:… Read more »

Financing: the final frontier?

With three major new initiatives in progress in Europe alone, the industry is committed to removing PV’s last barrier: funding. We look at the efforts being made to help solar’s sums add up – including an ingenious crowd-funding initiative… Just this month it was revealed that Chinese solar companies, some already heavily indebted by massive… Read more »

Taking waste management seriously

There’s no doubt that the PV industry is doing its utmost to further its green credentials and one of the key battlegrounds is focussed around what to do with spent units and other consumables. PV CYCLE is leading from the front in this regard, with a range of innovative and effective options for importers and… Read more »

Introducing spherical solar power

The use of a clear “ball lens” to concentrate light into a beam of energy may improve solar power efficiency by up to 50 percent, believes a PV pioneer. Plus, we take a look at some other solar innovations that may transform our industry. Over six years ago, futurist Ray Kurzweil stated that, within 20… Read more »

The big debate

The solar industry is constantly evolving and new ideas and innovations are a welcome source of change and regneration. We asked five pioneers in the field – from five diverging sectors – to give us their views on where the industry is headed and how they are helping to encourage the evolution of an industry…. Read more »

Welcome to a world of effective solar panel cleaning

The cleaning of sensitive surfaces is a challenge. And according to Serbot AG, many operators 
of solar panel installations give away their profits because they are unaware of the effect that dirt has on their installations. PES investigates the Swiss company’s innovative, robotic solutions. Certainly, the surfaces on PV installations often still look good, but… Read more »

A standard to cover all sides

While manufacturer Spitzenberger & Spies have discussed the DC aspect of the solar inverter in previous PES articles, they return to PES today to discuss the impact of an inverter’s DC and AC aspects… In common solar installations the main focus of the owner is set to the maximum efficiency of the solar energy conversion…. Read more »

Reaching new heights, setting new standards

The PV industry has watched with interest as, in the last 12 months, Trina Solar finally became the number one crystalline module manufacturer globally, shipping over 3.6 GW to disparate markets. We asked Jing Tian, Trina Solar’s Head of Global Marketing, about the company’s sustained success and its plans for an even brighter future. PES:… Read more »

Optimised for excellence

As one of the world’s most important producers of standard testing chambers and systems for environmental simulation, stability testing and emissions testing worldwide, Weiss Umwelttechnik GmbH is a vital cog in the global PV machine. We quizzed Andrea Bodenhagen about the company’s pioneering work and commitment to continued innovation. PES: Welcome back to PES. For… Read more »

Metallization pastes for PERC

Heraeus Photovoltaics combines a rich corporate history in thick films with innovative technology to manufacture industry-leading front and back-side pastes for solar cell manufacturers around the world. The Heraeus silver pastes are specially formulated to provide higher efficiencies and wider processing windows, resulting in better yields and higher output for solar cell manufacturers. We’re delighted… Read more »

Enabling the off-grid feel-good factor

Quite possibly the most advanced and forward-thinking energy storage system producers in Europe, AutarcTech GmbH’s LiHome batteries feature an impressive Battery Management System (BMS) with active balancing and remote monitoring. We caught up with the company’s Patrick Cousins. PES: Welcome to PES. Can you explain a little about the company and outline how you serve… Read more »

High quality film requested for encapsulation

BREYER’s extrusion system, CellProtect, allows the production of low shrinkage EVA encapsulation film at high production speed. Joachim Bormann talks us through the state of the market and the company’s innovative response. According to the latest quarterly update from Mercom Capital Group, llc (as well as other sources), the solar industry is forecasted to continue… Read more »

Funding Options That Help Your Business To Meet Its Green Goals

While we’re all committed to furthering solar’s growth,it’s worth remembering that many UK-based businesses can also capitalise on the technology through financing options. Ryan Davis looks at the best financing schemes available for businesses considering purchasing microgen technologies, arguing that they can prove to be an excellent investment opportunity. Issues surrounding the environment and energy… Read more »

Bridging the gap between aspirations and execution

Change management is a rapidly-growing discipline that enables individuals, teams, and organisations to transition to a desired future state. David Ferrabee talks us through the benefits of transformation at an organisational level. The rapidly shifting renewable energy sector brings with it disruption as well as huge potential opportunities. Those organisations which are agile and able… Read more »

A tale of two cities

With both Intersolar Europe and Intersolar North America on the agenda for thousands of PV executives this year, we’re delighted to present a preview of both of the essential shows. Where will you be heading this summer – Munich or San Francisco? MunichThe solar industry will take centre stage at Messe München from June 10-12,… Read more »

Indias Furious Pace Of Uptake

As PES was going to print, a cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister of India’s Madhya Pradesh, Mr Shivraj Singh, approved the proposal for commissioning the world’s largest solar power plant in the Rewa District. We take a look at the shining star of the solar world. As per projects announced until now, once… Read more »

Solar power in disaster relief

An increasingly vital tool in today’s disaster zones, solar PV can bring safe, clean, 
portable power to those in greatest need. We take a look at the technology’s 
applications in this critical arena. Very few modern day phenomena have 
the ability to bring a nation to a standstill in the way that a natural disaster… Read more »

Fostering growth through innovation

We’re delighted to welcome back François Bertero, Global Solar Market Manager for Dow Corning to the magazine – in what has been a momentous 12 months for the silicone specialists. The globally-recognised manufacturer has driven a new agenda that has taken in an increased focus on innovation and an ambitious expansion programme… PES: We see… Read more »

Leading the field in solar performance & asset management

A well-established provider of market-leading performance monitoring and control of solar power systems, Draker Energy is a shining light in the PV industry. The company’s pioneering work became a key contributor to the rapid growth of the solar industry, allowing for validation and enforcement of incentive payment schemes around the world. To date, Draker’s monitoring… Read more »