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Photovoltaic laminator producers see little sign of any upturn in the months ahead, on the back of a tumultuous 2012. Weak demand and factory closures are characterizing the industry, as are overcapacity and U.S. sanctions on Chinese exports. Cost reduction and innovation hold the key to long term survival, however.

Despite efforts by some Australian utility companies and industry groups to see Australia’s Renewable Energy Targets (RET) wound back, the government has decided to maintain them. Utilities are having an impact elsewhere, with fixed electricity prices set to increase to ensure solar households pay “their share” of electricity infrastructure costs.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has placed emphasis on the securitization of solar PV assets and associated cash flows in the marketplace. Securitization is expected to draw in more investors to the solar asset class. DOE’s SunShot Initiative will fund this move.

The impact of module prices are always discussed in connection with import tariffs on Chinese photovoltaic products. In the U.S. prices continue to fall, despite the tariffs imposed last year. However, the comparison is lopsided given the significantly higher price levels in the U.S. than in Germany.

Last year, the U.S. reproached China for being “generous to a fault” to its domestic solar manufacturers, even as the rest of the industry suffered from declining subsidies, rising inventories and internecine cost competition. But can punitive tariffs really bring prices up to parity and alleviate the pain?

As of today, March 5, all Chinese photovoltaic modules and their main components coming into the EU must register with national customs authorities. This means should anti-dumping tariffs be imposed at the end of the year, they could be retroactively applied.

EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht gave a speech in Boston at the weekend about the planned EU-U.S. trade talks, which could have an impact on the Transatlantic, and wider, solar industry.

The European Commission (EC) has officially launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of solar glass from China into the EU. Provisional duties could be imposed within nine months, while the investigation could take up to 15 months to complete.

According to reports, it is likely that Chinese photovoltaic modules imported into Europe will have to register with European customs from this March, meaning the option to backdate any duties would exist. The aim is to stop importers bulk buying modules before any duties are applied.

Japanese thin film manufacturer Solar Frontier is capitalizing on the country’s solar boom and is focusing on becoming a downstream business leader and provider of “full turnkey solutions” in the country. The company has also begun to reduce the losses of the business unit of which it is a part.