Solar PV could reach 10 per cent of global capacity by the end of the decade, says global investment bank UBS, as production costs continue to fall and major economies […]
Tag: japan
Solar Frontier achieves record 20.9% cell efficiency on thin-film CIS
Solar Frontier, Japanese thin-film PV manufacturer has announced a new world record efficiency of 20.9% on copper, indium, selenium (CIS) cell, besting the previous world record of 20.8% for thin-film […]
2014 off to a good start with record-breaking Q1 solar demand led by UK & Japan
New solar PV capacity will soar to new heights in 2014, with around 50 gigawatts expected to be installed by the time the year is over, according to solar market […]
Panasonic announces stand-alone PV-storage product for remote islands
Panasonic Corporation recently announced that it has developed a 3kW/13kWh stand-alone photovoltaic power package. The product is being targeted towards remote and non-electrified areas and has been selected for use in […]
Toshiba’s SCiB batteries to be deployed in Japan’s remote islands
Toshiba Corporation recently announced an order for its innovative SCiB batteries for a large-scale renewables/storage project on remote islands in Japan. The systems were installed by Kyushu Electric Power Co. […]
New energy storage incentive program in Japan will cover 2/3 of install costs
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has introduced a generous incentive for lithium-ion energy storage that could reduce energy storage system installation costs by up to 2/3. This […]
BenQ Solar claims title for world’s lightest crystalline silicon PV module
In response to increasing demand for light-weight modules in Japan, BenQ Solar, the solar division of Taiwanese semiconductor device manufacturer AU Optronics, has developed a new 60-cell crystalline silicon PV […]
Nearly half of the global 95GW solar PV plant pipeline comprised of projects no larger than 5MW
Medium-sizes power plants will account for nearly half of the new solar PV capacity to be built in the world’s leading solar markets over the next few years, according market […]
Solar power for Chernobyl exclusion zone
Chernobyl is notorious as the site of the world’s worst nuclear power disaster. The 1986 explosion and meltdown in the Ukraine released vast quantities or radiation over the USSR and […]
Japan’s Sumitomo to deploy used EV batteries as storage for solar farm
A large scale storage facility that will be attached to a solar farm in Japan is about to test the theory that re-used batteries can offer an effective, and cheap, […]
Japan’s Fukushima prefecture plans for 100% renewable energy by 2040
In staid opposition to the national government’s push to restart the country’s temporarily shuttered nuclear power plants, Japan’s Fukushima prefecture has opted to pursue a path towards sourcing 100% of […]
Canadian Solar largest foreign supplier to surging Japanese market
Canadian Solar topped the list of foreign exporters of solar PV modules to Japan in 2013, supplying 508MW towards the country’s renewable energy drive following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. In […]
Are falling battery costs the solution to solar PV ills?
While the cost of solar PV is no longer the roadblock to widespread adoption it used to be, one can’t say the same about its intermittent nature, which continues to […]
US solar job growth is booming. What’s in store for Australia?
Renewable energy is booming in the United States, with renewable technologies accounting for 37% of the new electricity generation capacity in the country in 2013. With this has come a […]
China increases 2014 solar panel installation target to 14GW
China’s transformation for a mere manufacturer of solar panel to the biggest consumer is accelerating with news that the country has upped its target for 2014 by another 15 per […]
2014 bodes well for solar PV globally
Solar photovoltaic (PV) uptake appears ready to surge globally in the year 2014. Investment house Deutsche Bank and market research firm NPD Solarbuzz have offered growth forecasts of 46 gigawatts (GW) and […]
Lessons learned from the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme: An academic view
While last year’s debacle with WA’s feed-in tariff is already resolved, was still a reminder of the history that this policy mechanism has had elsewhere in Australia. The WA feed-in tariff, after […]
Japan will install the world’s largest battery bank to store solar energy
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) has announced that it will build the world’s largest battery at an electrical substation in the country’s northernmost island of Hokkaido. The […]
China increases solar PV installation targets: 21GW by 2015
A June 2012 report by GTM research highlighted the massive glut of solar panel supply that currently exists globally, predicting that at current demand levels, the oversupply will continue until […]
Japan closes last nuclear plant, clearing the way for solar PV
The last remaining operational nuclear power plant in Japan has been shut down for routine maintenance and testing, leaving the country nuclear-free for the first time in over 40 years. […]
Solar installations booming in Japan
Thanks in part to a strong national Solar Feed-in Tariff, over 1 million Japanese homes are expected to have gone solar as of March 2012, and the number of installations is […]
Kyocera Solar Panels: An Independent Review by Solar Choice
Kyocera Solar boasts some of the most efficient and arguably the most reliable solar photovoltaic (solar PV) panels in the extremely competitive emerging global solar industry. A strong player in […]