Cleantech Geek

How to identify, solar panel backsheet failure and actions that asset owners should take to protect their investment?

January 15, 2019/in Cleantech, Renewable Energy, Sustainability/by cleantechgeek.com

Co-authors : Ypatios Moysiadis & David Roissé – This article was written by its authors on behalf of Greensolver and was first published in the company’s blog

Will backsheet of your solar panels ruin your solar asset?

Will the backsheet of your solar panels ruin your solar asset? A less known defect could occur on your solar panels: the backsheet degradation. Less visible than other well-known defects as hot spots, PIID, diodes failure, corrosion, delamination or cell cracks, but with similar consequences: accelerated performance degradation and ultimately failure of solar panels, thus affecting the LCOE.

Can Disruptive Innovation and Start-ups provide the new “Miracles” tackling Climate Change?

January 11, 2019/1 Comment/in Cleantech, Renewable Energy, Sustainability/by cleantechgeek.com

Climate Change is a Fact. The world has just begun to understand and feel the magnitude of the damage caused in economic, social and environmental terms.

Unfortunately the time of the Prophets are long gone. No one can really predict the impact that climate change will have in our lives. Nobody can predict how the rise in temperature from greenhouse gases and the changes in weather patterns and precipitation will affect different areas in the world. There are many unknown variables and much to learn about the effect of climate change in agriculture production, economic activities and our health. Furthermore we need to ask ourselves whether the consequences of climate change or the threat of them can cause far worse problems and even violence.

8 Reasons why Small Business and Start Ups Fail?

November 1, 2018/in Entrepreneurship/by cleantechgeek.com

“Failure is the opportunity to more intelligently begin again…”

Henry Ford

Today I’m going to explain to you what I see to be the essence of failure management and this is how failure should be managed by entrepreneurs and businesses.

Learn from your mistakes and make them part of your business experience. Try not to repeat them and always try to accumulate knowledge from more experienced professionals or experts. The attitude “I know best for my business” in most cases simply, doesn’t work.

Two ways to valuate and put a price tag to your Startup…

August 30, 2018/in Entrepreneurship/by cleantechgeek.com

Two ways to valuate and put a price tag to your Startup.

There is an everlasting struggle between creativity and innovation vs cold business and hard finance.

Putting a price tag to your product is a fundamental starting point in raising the necessary capital to set off your business venture.

However, we recognize it is a very difficult thing to put a value your startup. How do you make a safe estimate? Is there any easy straight forward way to do that? What do you need to consider to give a realistic IRR and NPV calculation to your potential investors? How do you estimate the discount rate that you need to apply?

A brief take on Intersolar Europe 2018…. – First signs of a maturing market

June 25, 2018/in Cleantech, Renewable Energy, Sustainability/by cleantechgeek.com

I haven’t missed an Intersolar exhibition in Munich since 2012. It is very interesting to see how the exhibition reflects the psychology and the trends of the market.

From the boom times and the rush to build parks driven by subsidies and incentives, to the rise of batteries and now to a market with signs of maturity.

This year I had the opportunity to see the exhibition and take sample of the market as an independent professional and not through corporate filters. I am pleased to admit that signs are very encouraging.

Identifying the 3 Key “Ingredients” for a successful Information System Project Development

April 30, 2018/in Entrepreneurship, Technology & IoT/by cleantechgeek.com

Are you prepared to take on the next big IT project on your company? What a nightmare! In any given case in almost every company when dealing with Information System Development you face three highly explosive ingredients for a big bang, resulting in either delay or failure.

Meet the ingredients!

The Client – Ever-demanding and in most cases lacking clear knowledge of the specifications or the project itself. He just wants you to complete his job at minimum cost and with great urgency. He needs the project done yesterday! He feels sorry and sympathetic towards the developers, but he pays so he demands!
The Analyst – The connecting chain link, the multi-tasker, the translator, always under stress, running around just to survive. He is buried up to his neck in responsibilities, with back and forth communications, time schedules, deadlines, budgets, GANTT charts, demands and denials….
The Programmer – Another breed of people, living in their own tech bubble lost between reality and virtual cyberspace. You need to hover over them just to keep them on time and in line with the project’s specifications and customer demands.

Do you need more? Mix the above into the leaking pot of myriads of applications and technological solutions and you have a ticking disaster on your hands!