PES talks to ADLER’s CEO, Helge Glück, about latest trends and new technologies in the ever-changing PV industry, and how the market for PV fuse links is adapting to the new safety and technological challenges.
PES: Hi Helge, it’s a pleasure to welcome you to PES. To start us off could you give us an overview of Adler?
Helge Glück: With pleasure. ADLER Elektrotechnik Leipzig GmbH, is a German based manufacturer of circuit protection components, especially for high-speed DC fuse links. All our focus is on the rapidly developing market for renewable energies.
It didn’t take us long to become a major player, in circuit protection components for solar power and e-mobility applications, thanks to our capability to adapt quickly to new trends in the PV and EV automotive industry.
Our engineering and technology background can be traced back to the former Wickmann Group, which was once one of the big manufacturers providing circuit protection in Germany.
Today, ADLER can look back on a comprehensive catalogue of 1000V and 1500V PV fuses and accessories.
PES: First of all, let’s have a look at the PV market in general. In the last 5 years we have seen a rapid increase in the efficiency of solar panels and at the same time, a big decrease in prices. Do you see this trend continuing or do you think we have now reached a peak?
HG: That’s true, the PV energy market over the last years, has really got more and more used to this kind of ever-increasing solar panel efficiency and falling prices. At the same time, we expect the global solar market and installations to break the 100 gigawatt barrier in 2019. If you also take into account the situation with the trade war between the U.S. and China, panel prices in Europe are quite good, but in the end prices will stabilize.
The rate of efficiency gains in panel development will probably not go down much. Jinko Solar, Longi, Canadian Solar have already announced products that will reach the 400W point.
Right now, besides the current mono PERC module, we can find the new generation of bifacial solar panels entering the market place, they may improve the efficiency of future installations even more. There is speculation that they can offer 11% more energy than traditional ones.
