WORLD-GEN June/July 2018

WORLD-GENERATION JUNE/JULY 2018 10 LONDON – Annual solar installations grew almost 20 percent year over year in 2017, and the solar industry is also edging within 100 gigawatts, a milestone the indus- try will reach this year, according to IHS Markit. A new white paper from IHS Markit, identifies the following eight significant trends with the most impact on the global solar market: 1. Twenty countries will surpass 500 megawatts in annual solar installations — The number of significant solar photovolta- ic markets has been growing steadily over the past 10 years, alongside an increasing volume of installations in new markets. Ultimately, how solar demand in 2018 unfolds will hinge on global module prices, steered by events in the top three markets, as well as by local policies and developer activity. 2. Floating solar moves beyond niche applications — Floating solar photovoltaic systems are increasingly deployed on dams, reservoirs, lakes and other water bodies across the world. In 2018, the technology for these sys- tems will move from niche applications to steady market uptake. 3. Bifacial and half-cell technologies are the new rising module stars —Because bifacial technology enables power to be generated from both the front side and rear side of the panel, it can potentially generate 10 to 15 percent more electricity than stan- dard modules, accompanied by only a limit- ed increase in costs; while half-cell technol- ogy allows more cells to be placed into a module of a given size, increasing power output by 5 to 10 watts. For both technologies, the increased output from a single module will also con- tribute to system cost reductions on a per- watt basis. 4. Diamond wire implemented for mul- ticrystalline wafer cutting — The main cause of the resurgence of multicrystalline wafer cutting is the massive implementation of diamond wire sawing. The use of dia- mond wire saws for cutting multicrystalline wafers will reach significant penetration rates, with major manufacturers entering mass production in 2018. 5. US and India trade policies impact module prices and procurement trends — Recent trade developments in the United States and India, the second- and third-larg- est solar markets, are expected to have broad implications on manufacturing invest- ment and expansion over the next few years in both local and international mar- kets. 6. PV inverter suppliers race to build new digital business models — Many sup- pliers are looking to create new business models, including the creation of a digital services platform that combines the core strength of suppliers in providing PV invert- er hardware, with the addition of a software and cloud platform. This way, suppliers can work seamless- ly with new partners in parallel industries, such as e-mobility, energy storage, lighting, heating and cooling. 7. Utility-scale solar plus storage takes center stage — Intermittency is the inher- ent challenge with solar technology as a large-scale energy generator. The combina- tion of solar and batteries has long been recognized as a solution to this problem, smoothing the variations in a plant’s output and storing electricity during the day, which enables the system to provide power into the evening. 8. Electric vehicles pave the way for new synergies with stationary energy stor- age — The growth and future promise of electric vehicles has been a major factor in driving down the cost of batteries for ener- gy storage, thanks to huge investments in battery technology and scale. EV growth will continue, but the vari- ous synergies between stationary energy storage and the reuse of “second-life” bat- teries from electric vehicles will also be increasingly explored. ABOUT IHS MARKIT IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO) is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and mar- kets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation informa- tion, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improv- ing their operational efficiency and provid- ing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 business and government cus- tomers, including 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world’s leading financial institutions. Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to sustainable, profit- able growth. SOLARTRENDSTO WATCH BY LEE GRAHAM PERSPECTIVE FASTTRACKTO FUSION POWER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 MITEI PARTICIPATION Commonwealth Fusion Systems is a private company and will join the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) as part of a new university-industry partnership built to carry out this plan. The collaboration between MITEI and CFS is expected to bolster MIT research and teaching on the science of fusion, while at the same time building a strong industrial partner that ultimately could be positioned to bring fusion power to real- world use. “MITEI has created a new member- ship specifically for energy startups, and CFS is the first company to become a member through this new program,” says MITEI Director Robert Armstrong, the Chevron Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT.