Takeaways: Solar X Virtual Conference

Takeaways is a new IK-exclusive Blog Series that shares some key tasty "takeaways" from real training sessions that we host online or offline with industry experts. On the 29th & 30th November 2021, IK Academy hosted a premier virtual conference entitled, "Solar X - When Tech Crosses Sustainability". I had the pleasure of emceeing the two-day solar event on behalf of IK, and wanted to share some of what I learnt from this amazing event with those of you who couldn't attend.

Takeaway 1: Currently, there are logistics and supply bottlenecks worldwide which are causing a spike in the production costs of PV solar cells. Despite this, manufacturing costs remain at an all-time low in decades and the costs are projected to reduce even further. As the world transitions into a post-pandemic "endemic" phase of recovery, many shipping lanes and land-transport avenues have begun to resume normal operations. This will no doubt alleviate the current hike in manufacturing costs.

Takeaway 2: Contractors and owners should plan, design and execute PV solar projects as if they were total engineering projects. Many contracts meant for solar sites do not encompass all the various factors that have to be taken into consideration. Many parties treat PV solar as a "side project" meant for general corporate social responsibility or environmental initiatives, failing to take into account that the installation, survey and logistics involved in successfully planning, designing and building a PV solar installation can be as complex, if not more complex than a standard large-scale engineering project.

Takeaway 3: The world is currently debating between the dominance of 182mm and 210mm modules for PV Solar, however the rate at which solar technology is accelerating has grown beyond all estimates and expectations. However, during the conference - it was discussed that these two wafer sizes will probably not hold their spots at the top permanently as several manufacturers have been exploring larger wafer sizes as a possibility.

To get the full-course knowledge meal, you should always join our premier virtual conferences and/or training programs, email us at info@ik.academy