Markets

The German module manufacturer is planning a further expansion of capacity in Europe. In France and Armenia, new production lines for solar cells and modules are planned to start this year.

The world’s number one poly maker claims the worst of the fall-out after Beijing’s policy change has already occurred, and will press ahead with plans to expand production capacity – but its development business may need to find new sources of funding.

Cheaper modules for its PV development activity boosted profits in the first half but, with no mention made of Beijing’s May 31 bombshell, it is notable 98.1% of revenue came from its domestic market.

At pv magazine‘s first quality roundtable in Latin America – at Intersolar South America in Sao Paulo – we were joined by international players such as JinkoSolar and DuPont, as well as public and private Latin American entities striving to bring more quality to the PV supply chain from the US-Mexico border to Tierra del Fuego.

The second day of REI in Greater Noida continues to attract large numbers of delegates, with the exhibition halls crowded, and conferences well attended. During an EU-Indian session this morning, India’s CEEW boldly stated that India is the largest clean energy market in the world, which will operate on market-friendly principles. Overall, CEO, Arunabha Ghosh outlined four basic vows needed for the Indian renewables market to grow; and said decarbonzation of the industrial sector should be the next big focus for renewables.

The 12th Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo opened its doors today; the booming music and bright sunshine mirroring India’s ambitious goals to become the biggest RE market in the world. In the opening conference, the government’s commitment to renewables was underlined, while BNEF said the country will have one of the highest penetrations of solar and wind, globally, by 2050. Companies are also starting to look to India for manufacturing opportunities, although the landscape is still filled with uncertainty.

A simulation of Poland’s two upcoming mixed wind/solar auctions held by the Polish wind energy association has shown that wind may prove more competitive than solar, especially in the auction for projects over 1 MW. The real auctions are expected to be launched between November and December.

Marubeni has revealed plans to halve its 3 GW global coal-fired power portfolio by 2030, and double its holdings of renewable energy within the next five years.

Bids can be submitted to the German grid authority, Bundesnetzagentur until November 2, 2018. Solar accounted for all winning bids in the first round.

The Energy Project Implementation Support Unit (EPISU) will help independent power producers (IPPs) improve the bankability of projects. The new entity is being created with the financial support of the African Development Bank.