Markets

The Indian government has imposed a safeguard duty of 25% on solar imports from China and Malaysia for two years. The Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) levied the duty based on the final recommendations proposed by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR). While most industry players are dismayed, believing project costs could “immediately” go up by 15%, others are more optimistic.

The PV maker plans to shift its 800 MW of E-Series production to its new NGT technology, as it records a massive loss on depreciation of its old equipment. The move was revealed in second-quarter figures featuring plenty of red ink.

As a leader in the global energy transition, California is putting some of the highest levels of solar and wind on its grid in the world to date. And while the state’s grid operator has made some progress, the integration of these resources is currently limited not by physics, but by market rules and operational practices.

While they remain the dominant source of energy supply, there was a shift away from fossil fuels to renewable energy in the U.K. last year. The country is “comfortably” on track to exceed its 30% renewables target, says the government.

Green Energy Markets’ latest analysis shows the National Electricity Market is on track to get 33% renewable electricity by 2020, with individual states performing well beyond that. But the report claims solar jobs will be lost unless the National Energy Guarantee’s 26% emissions reduction target is lifted.

India is currently the second largest market in the world for PV module demand. With China’s domestic demand frozen since the 31/5 notification, the country’s total module demand in 2018 will likely only achieve 32-34 GW. This will allow India, which may surpass 10 GW in annual demand, to reach 13% of global PV demand this year. As a result, the future of India’s trade war has become an influential factor in the global PV industry.

In what analysts worldwide are sure to look back on as the last golden period for global solar – at least for the immediate future – China saw more impressive figures for PV manufacturing in the first half of the year. Then the government stepped in.

The renewable energy software company will keep the skytron brand and platform, as well as providing services for Draker’s customers.

Having entered the solar space four years ago with residential rooftop kits, Ikea added storage to its product mix in 2017. pv magazine caught up with Signe Antvorskov Krag, Global Development Leader IKEA Home Solar Business to discuss business models, its role in the industry, and how it intends to execute the next stage of its plan: energy communities.