Other Research

The battle has begun and makers of micro inverters are waging a war against makers of distributed dc-dc converters for control of the power conversion market for photovoltaic (PV) systems. The emergence of disruptive power architectures including micro inverters and dc-dc converters will be one of the most important trends in the PV market in the near-term. The stakes are high, literally hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars.

According to a new technical market research report, LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES FOR LIGHTING APPLICATIONS, the global market for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is an estimated $5.4 billion in 2009, but is expected to increase to $8.2 billion in 2014, for a 5-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7%.

Smart metering is arguably the most important development in the energy and utilities sector today. Utilities will be replacing their existing "Dumb" meters with "Smart" meters over the next decade. This technology allows consumers to reduce energy consumption, for countries to integrate alternative technologies into their energy systems, and to make energy grids more robust and cost-effective. The implementation of this program spans utility processes, home automation, metering, telecommunications, network operations and massive IT and process change. In a few years the size of this global market across the entirety of the value chain will exceed $50 billion per annum.

Announcements of futuristic looking electric vehicles (EVs) made the main headlines at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, but it is hybrid vehicle production which is forecast to be the main driver in the automotive sector for the next ten years.

The lure of fuel cells is the promise to be one of the most ubiquitous products of the 21^st century. Fuel cells can compete with batteries, the internal combustion engine and the power grid. Hydrogen can compete with any fuel now produced and cause no pollution but its price is higher than gasoline or natural gas because it is difficult to transport and store. Nanotechnologies will provide the technological keys that enable fuel cells and hydrogen as a fuel to become competitive and commonplace.

For several years, the Photovoltaic (PV) industry was primarily seen as an outstanding financial investment, delivering a high-performance return-on-investment (ROI) with limited risk. The objectives were simply to adapt the production capacities to answer a high market demand. In this context, Polysilicon and wafer producers, cell and module manufacturers were assured to sell their entire production. But 2009 has been quite particular as the financial crisis has not spared the PV industry.

Worldwide PC microprocessor shipments in the second calendar quarter of 2009 (2Q09) rose notably, according to a new report. While the increase is unusually positive for the second quarter of a year, IDC analysis of the results indicate that Intel and OEM inventory refreshes drove this performance and not the return of significant end demand for PCs.

According to Nomura Securities, new investments in alternate energy are expected to rise to $450 Billion by 2012 from $150 Billion in 2007 on account of steps taken by the US and Europe to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. China will also increase its solar energy generation capacity from the current level of 1.8 Gigawatts to 10 Gigawatts by 2020, said the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association.

With growth rates well over 100% in 2010, shipments of Wi-Fi Chipsets based on the draft n/802.11n will surge ahead of those based on 802.11g, according to a new market research report available at Electronics.ca Publications. 802.11n is ahead in nearly every equipment category, but unit volume is being driven by shipment growth in mobile handsets and notebook PCs.

Light vehicles are an important market for suppliers of electrical motors. According to a new report available at Electronics.ca Publications, the average vehicle featured over 30 electrical motors in 2008. In the same year, 66 million vehicles were produced. Overall, the market for electrical motors in automotive applications is forecast to grow at an average rate of around 7% over the next seven years (although the market will shrink in 2009 as the downturn will mean lower vehicle production volumes). However, the report finds that demand for electrical motors in some applications will grow much faster than the average rate.