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Project: Stillwater hybrid power plant; Location: Nevada, US; Project capacity: 26MW PV, 33MW geothermal, 2MW CSP.

Solar companies are always looking for new markets in an effort to remain competitive. Monica Wilson offers some advice on how developers and contractors should navigate the legal labyrinth that will face them as they go global.

Investors are popularly characterised as risk averse and fickle when it comes to new technologies. David Giordano, of the world’s largest asset management firm, BlackRock, tells John Parnell what has persuaded the investment community that solar is a safe bet.

Parallels are frequently drawn between the nascent energy storage business and PV 10 years ago – that it needs strong policy direction to take off. Andy Colthorpe profiles some of the areas that emerging as the world pioneers in supporting the deployment of storage.

Leading US firms SolarCity and SunPower have taken an early position in the fledgling residential energy storage market. Andy Colthorpe investigates how their involvement could shape their own fortunes and that of storage itself.

Investors are looking for steady and predictable returns from their PV plant assets. Ben Willis charts the rise of monitoring technology and how it is becoming an increasingly indispensable part of the PV equation.

The build-up of dust and other particles on PV modules can impact on the efficiency of a power plant. Understanding how soiling can vary in different regions of the world is crucial in maximising plant performance, writes Dmytro Podolskyy.

PV modules are commonly installed with mechanical fixings. But as installers look to drive down system costs, structural bonding is emerging as a reliable and cost-effective alternative, writes Michael Niederfuehr.

According to some industry observers, rapid growth and cost cutting in the solar industry have created the conditions for a module quality headache. Ben Willis investigates how the industry is responding to the challenge.

Japan’s reputation as the PV star performer of the past two years has suffered a knock with the cancellation of 1.8GW of projects. With the country’s nuclear debate threatening to reopen and rumours of a solar backlash, Andy Colthorpe assesses the future for one of the world’s top PV markets.