Tag Archives: pv
Secretary Chu Discusses The State of U.S Solar
Last Friday (Feb. 22) outgoing Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu hosted a Google+ Hangout along with a host of solar experts and discussed the progress that solar has made in the past few years. Particularly regarding the progress that the U.S. has made on reducing the costs of solar power and the trajectory the [...]
Solar Manufacturing: Not as Toxic as Fossil Fuels
Everybody knows that once solar’s installed, it doesn’t pollute. But some of the materials in some photovoltaics can be hazardous. Even so, the amount of toxic waste is far, far less than is produced during conventional energy production, according to data from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). For instance, between the period [...]
Bloomberg: Bullish on Solar through 2014
Over the next two years solar power can be expected to move closer to grid parity. In 2012, despite obstacles, solar power continued to grow. In 2013 and 2014 we should see surprisingly strong growth in the photovoltaic (PV) industry. One of the major obstacles faced by solar PV manufacturers is the higher costs of [...]
The Solar Manufacturing Industry: No Improvements Yet
Recent solar module production capacity has been nearly twice the demand, resulting in significant overcapacity and excessive inventories. Solar manufacturers have reduced prices to record lows, often at or below the module cost of goods sold (COGS). Companies have been hunkering down until overall market conditions improve by laying off workers or actively seek creative [...]
ACPV Solar Workforce Training Comes to New Orleans
SolarBridge Technologies, a leading provider of integrated microinverters for TrueACTM solar modules, is bringing its nationwide ACPV Revolution Roadshow and Training to New Orleans on Tuesday, Feb. 26. The free training, co-sponsored by MAGE SOLAR and presented by Ontility Solar Training, is being held to educate Louisiana’s growing solar workforce. The sustained growth of the Gulf Coast’s solar industry [...]
SolarBridge Heads Back to Texas
SolarBridge Technologies, the Texas-based provider of integrated microinverters for TrueACTM solar modules, is bringing its nationwide ACPV Revolution Roadshow and Training home to Dallas on Friday, Feb. 22. The free training, presented by Ontility Solar Training and co-sponsored by 1SolTech, is being held to educate Texas’s rapidly growing solar workforce. The training takes place from 1 to 5 with a [...]
WTF? Residential Solar So Much Cheaper in Germany
In a follow-up to a 2012 study conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL), researchers found that the average number of man-hours to install a PV system on a residence in Germany is 39. That’s a significant difference from the 7.5 man-hours LBL’s researchers found when they surveyed German PV installers in Sep. 2012, [...]
Asia Pacific Solar Market: Ready to Explode
A new report suggests that solar demand across the Asia Pacific region will increase by 13.5 gigawatts in 2013, a 50 percent growth year-over-year. According to the Q1’13 report of industry analyst NPD Solarbuzz, 90 percent of solar demand this year is expected to come from China, Australia, Japan and India – the Asia Pacific [...]
Rumor: More Layoffs at Nanosolar?
The slashing continues at CIGS solar PV aspirant Nanosolar. Last week Nanosolar went through a round of layoffs, according to sources and verified with a company spokesperson. The spokesperson would not reveal the magnitude of the staff cuts. Sources claimed 75 percent of the staff was let go. The spokesperson said that Nanosolar was “in [...]