The PV inverter market, once short of innovation, has seen a surge of investment in the last few years. Spurred by startup advances, established firms like SMA, Satcon, and National Semiconductor are developing new distributed PV electronics technologies in-house or through acquisition. This Special Report from Greentech Media, sponsored by Enphase Energy, takes a look at the state of innovation in the inverter market, VC investment activity, and the emerging leaders in the $2.4 billion PV inverter market.
Download now »As the price of PV falls, the technology will become more competitively priced in Europe and the U.S. before its prices are competitive in China.
The solar firm was founded in 2006 with A round funding from Kleiner Perkins and claims its process could increase the efficiency of conventional amorphous silicon PV by up to 150 percent.
The Massachusetts company plans to set up its own silicon wafer factory in China and contract with China-based Jiawei to turn those wafers into cells and panels. Evergreen also widened its first-quarter net loss to $64.3 million.
Let’s face it, 2009 isn’t going to be a good year for solar. The economy is still awful, and nearly everyone from solar equipment manufacturers to power plant developers are waiting and waiting for the federal government to implement programs from the stimulus package and give the sluggish industry a boost. Only a few companies like First Solar seem to be rising above the difficulties. But next year, or even late 2009, could be quite different. The stimulus money should be flowing nicely and banks could feel generous again. Construction on solar thermal and utility PV projects should pick up speed. So to pick our list of top ten companies, we looked for businesses with strategies that would lead them to make a big impact in 2010, both in the overall solar market as well as promising niches that could gain prominence.
The partnership will allow both companies to co-market products aimed at a growing number of solar panel and inverter developers.
Soliant won’t try to fill fields with its concentrators. Just commercial rooftops. Is the niche big enough to support a company? Is the world big enough for concentrators?
The company continues to count on Europe as its primary market, though it's selling panels at lower prices to gain entry into the U.S.
The companies will focus on second-generation amorphous silicon technology. Their hope is that competitors who started with the first-generation will find it difficult to compete with companies that already are selling more efficient panels.
There are four different ways to generate megawatts from the heat of the sun, but figuring out the best one remains an art.
As the economic downturn drags on, analysts are questioning whether SunPower could stay competitive when so many others are hawking cheaper goods.
The solar company said it has delayed using two new production lines in the Philippines and taken other measures to cut costs. It has also reduced its 2009 sales outlook.
The one-year-old California company says it can help installers attract customers and save costs through its software and service offerings.
Travis Bradford of the Prometheus Institute surveys the global solar market landscape in his keynote speech at Greentech Media's conference in Phoenix. Germany is reliable but won't be growing much for long. The United States is now the magnet for the industry.
The startup French company couldn't raise the money to finish building a polysilicon factory. It's filed for court protection while it reorganizes its business and deals with its creditors.
The Intel spinoff, which plans to make multicrystalline silicon cells, is relocating from Oregon to a tech park dominated by IBM and other semiconductor makers.
It's 3:00 p.m. Do you know what your solar panels, let alone your children, are doing? New software and other systems can help you with the first part.
Although solar module makers are trying to get rid of excess inventory, the price of conventional home solar systems remains somewhat unfazed because of other factors, like declining subsidies.
The thin-film panel maker has reached the milestone at a time when a number of its competitors are suspending production and selling assets.
The company's stock fell nearly 26 percent after it laid out plans to stop production for two weeks and suspend expansion plans in light of the murky, short-term outlook in the solar market.
The California company wants to add capacity to its second solar cell factory in the Philippines. The company has also lowered its first-quarter expectation in the last few months, say analysts who listened to the company's presentation this week.
A financial analyst downgraded LDK's stock out of concerns that the silicon wafer maker might not benefit from building its own silicon factories in light of the falling silicon prices on the market.
Now that we've determined there's a shakeout on the way for the photovoltaic business, writes GTM Analyst Daniel Englander, what will its impact be?