Internship abroad in Plymouth – a great opportunity with many new experiences

On Sunday, the 23.06.2019 the day had arrived. At 04h00 in the morning 14 students of the State Vocational School Lichtenfels and myself started the upcoming adventure at Nuremberg Airport for the next two weeks: A foreign internship in Plymouth. But before I tell you more about my experiences in England, first to me: My name is Jennifer Blodgett and I am an industrial sales representative trainee, at IBC SOLAR since September 2018. (more…)

Module trends and technologies: Cast Mono

The photovoltaic market has increased significantly over the last decade. In 2015, the annual PV installation was over 50 GW and the solar cells made with Multi Crystalline Silicon (mc-Si) had a market share of nearly 60 %. This year, however, the majority of European countries noticed a significant switch to Mono Crystalline Silicon with ratios of ~70 % in comparison to 30 % mc-Si. Regardless of the technology, one aspect is absolutely clear: the market is still going the direction where customers worldwide require higher efficiencies. The prices, however, have to stabilise or should get lower. By fulling this demand, cell and solar module producers are required to provide a solution to offer higher efficiencies at the same or lower level of prizing. In Sep 2018 we introduced you to our new module technologies which includes Half Cell, Multi Busbar or optimized cell connector like LRF. This time we want to take a closer look the Cast Mono technology.  (more…)

A visit to the IBC SOLAR test facility IV: bifacial test systems

A walk through our test facility allows you to immerse yourself in the history of photovoltaics. Many previous generation modules , some already now a decade and a half old, show how technology has advanced. In our blog series, guest author and product manager René Schüler presents special test objects and reports in our latest contribution together with Manuel Baier about the latest system at our facility. In addition to the previous crystalline poly- and mono- solar modules, so-called bifacial modules have now also been inspected at the open-space test facility. (more…)

“Mounting systems” blog series part 8: design – when the visual appearance matters

When photovoltaics originated homeowners decided to use solar energy and install their own PV roof system with the conviction of sustainable and green power generation. Little attention was paid to the appearance or design of the PV system. However, thanks to continuously reduced prices of photovoltaic systems in recent years, a change has now occurred. PV systems should no longer only be sustainable and renewable, but should also be elegant in design and visually appealing. As a result, more and more products are being launched on the market for modules as well as mounting systems to meet this demand, such as the IBC TopFix 200 insertion system.(more…)

PPA – new potential for the solar park market

When dealing with renewable energy plants, the term “PPA” pops up again and again. The abbreviation PPA stands for “Power Purchase Agreement” and is a special form of a power supply contract, as you might enter into for your own home, as a private person, with an energy supplier, for example. (more…)