The announcement came at this years SNEC PV Power Expo, held in Shanghai, China from May 5 7.
Commenting on the new council, Tetsuzo Kobayashi, head of the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Associations (JPEAs) international subcommittee told pv magazine: As the Asia-Pacific region is expected to be a promising market in the future, [we felt] it would be meaningful to establish a collaborative body there.
According to an article issued at the SNEC event, the Asia and Pacific region has two thirds of the global solar cell production capacity and occupies nearly one third of the global application market share."
It continued: In recent years, the development of solar PV industry in Asia Pacific region has made rapid progress and the growth has even exceeded EU countries headed by Germany. However, the region is very backward in PV applications compared to Europe. Moreover, differences and defects exist in industrial standards, technology, quality, cost control and market expansion among solar cell manufacturers of different countries, which always arouse unfair competition and hinder the sound development of solar PV industry.
Having already secured seven member associations to date, Mr. Kobayashi said that they have already received several further enquiries from other interested parties wishing to join the APPIC, which as he put it, is a sign of positive feedback.
In the short term, the APPIC is looking to establish a knowledge-exchange network, whereby members share related information, such as production and installation data, and subsidy schemes. In doing this, it is hoped that the council will be able to gain a holistic overview of the PV situation within the specific regions.
In the future, the APPIC plan is to secure the sound development of the Asian Pacific PV industry, with a view to contributing to its market development worldwide.
The SNEC release added: The organization will also fully cooperate with European solar PV industrial organizations to eliminate barriers and resolve conflicts, therefore increasing the production and application of solar energy. The ultimate goal is to make even larger contribution on replacing the traditional fossil energy and mitigating the global climate change.
Although they have not undertaken any specific projects to date they are yet to come the council has already signaled its intention to forge a solid relationship with the industry through regular communication and bi-annual meetings.
The APPICs current members comprise: Australian Photovoltaic Association (APVA); Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association (CREIA); Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA); Korea New & Renewable Energy Association (KNREA); Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association (MPIA); Shanghai New Energy Industry Association (SNEIA); Taiwan Photovoltaic Industry Association (TPVIA).
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