no. 3/2010
Read in this issue:
Cover Story - Silicon supply. Suddenly a surplus?
Supergrid - Europe´s future of electricity
South Wind - why Italy reaches for the top
Greek Wind - Ikarus reaches for the stars but is still on ground
Woody - Where the turbo trees flourish
Energy News
6| News: New British Compromise, PV gets faster authorization in Italy, U.S. climate legislation balks, 2018: another high in global PV growth?
11| Events
12| EREC:
Energy(R)evolution updated, India invites to 4th International Renewable Energy Conference, Rethinking 2050 with 100 percent renewables.
Energy Politics
16| Hopes dashed
Germany cuts its feed-in-rates.
18| Heat vs. power
European solar thermal demands more money for development.
20| Smart Supergrid
A supergrid could one day connect Europe an Africa.
Country markets
24| Predicting the unpredictable
(Almost) no one exptected 3.8 gigawatts of new installations.
28| Industrial revolution
Offshore is finally bringing wind turbine manufacturers to the UK.
34| Italy reaches for the top
The five southernmost regions alone installed one gigawatt of new wind turbines in 2009.
40| An uphill battle
By promoting renewables, Portugal aims to incentivize a slew of investments.
44| Ikarus reaches for the stars
In Greece, an unbelievable 57 gigawatts of wind is waiting for approval.
46| "Environment can mean development"
says Greek Environment Minister Tina Birbili.
Business
50| M and A´s appetite returns
Mergers and acquisitions fell in the volume of investment in the first quarter. But confidence is gradually returning.
52| Playing hardball
The global wind market flouted the skeptics. But who is going to provide the capital for further growth?
55| Tall tale from the Palatinate
The founder of City Solar faces six years in prison.
56| Enercon GmbH goes DIY
The German firm still does everything itself. In Europe, they are banking on market growth
Wind power
58| Growing wings
At the European Wind Energy Conference, manufacturers showed that they cover nearly every trend.
62| The windmill whisperer
Condition Monitoring Systems are becoming commonplace. These days, they can do a lot.
66| Tests of small turbines
The small-wind sector is doing its homework. The first generators are being certified, an manufacturers are looking into fields of application.
69| "Too little progress for 30 years"
wind energy expert Paul Gipe dicusses the small-wind sector.
Solar Power
Cover Story
70| A dime a dozen
Production of solar silicon has doubled, and prices have fallen by 90 percent. Why is there suddenly surplus supply of this material?
80| Relationship ups and downs
The radical reversal on the silicon market pushed a lot of solar firms to the brink of bankruptcy. For instance, Conergy.
84| Follow the Sun
modules that track the sun have greater yields. But this advantage may soon be irrelevant.
Bio Power
88| Turbo trees flourish
Germany let its expertise in fast-growing tree species move to Sweden. A bitter loss.
94| Company directory
98| Addresses