Manufacturing

In a panel report issued yesterday, December 19, the World Trade Organization (WTO) confirms that Ontario’s renewable energy FIT, which includes a domestic content requirement, breaches WTO rules.

GTM Research’s Andrew Krulewitz details the factors that contributed to price declines in each U.S. photovoltaic market segments in Q4 2012.

Only the lowest cost and most commercially viable PV technologies will end up surviving through the brutal PV shakeout phase of 2012, writes Finlay Colville, vice president of NPD Solarbuzz.

Pike Research’s Brittany E. Gibson is confident that emerging cleantech markets for batteries, especially for transportation and stationary applications, will be viable new markets in ten years.

Along with all producers of electricity in Spain, owners of solar power plants will have to pay an energy tax of 7% on top of their feed-in tariffs. The Spanish industry expects an increase of bankruptcies on the back of the news.

Indications are that renewable energy investments will fall in 2012 for the first time in 8 years. However, the news is not all bad, says Ernst & Young, with continuing capacity additions and “booming” emerging market activity. In particular, the South African and MENA regions are displaying strong growth.

Photovoltaic module and balance of system component suppliers are expected to see increased revenues in Q1 2013, ahead of changes to the U.K.’s renewable obligation certificate (ROC) scheme.

BYD Company Limited has said it will supply 110 MW worth of photovoltaic modules to two projects in South Africa.

Over 70 solar companies and associations have written an open letter to European Energy Commissioner, Günther Oettinger, calling for action to be taken against those member states which introduce retroactive changes to renewable energy support schemes.

The two Taiwanese companies have today approved the second stage of their merger which, when complete, will see the country’s largest solar company formed. A shareholders meeting will be held in February to finalize the transaction.