Markets

According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, the 30% import duties on Chinese PV products do not comply with the World Trade Organisation’s rules. The Chinese government added that its solar industry could be seriously damaged.

The Peruvian Government has submitted to public consultation the draft of Supreme Decree for the regulation of distributed generation (DG), which is the secondary legislation necessary to implement the DG law first promulgated in 2015. Talking to pv magazine, the president of the Society of Peruvian Renewable Energy explains how the new rules will not only introduce a net-billing scheme for installations up to 200 kW, but also a scheme for projects up to 10 MW, which is very similar to the so-called Pequeños Distributed Generation Media (PMGD) program in Chile.

The driving force behind the innovative energy storage system installed at Amsterdam’s John Cruiff ArenA in the Netherlands, The Mobility House (TMH), talks to pv magazine about the death of the combustion engine, and how electric vehicles (EVs) are presenting both strong business cases, and unparalleled levels of flexibility via decentralized intelligence – blockchain technology – for electricity grids around the world.

Elon Musk has revealed that a Saudi sovereign wealth fund has approached him with a definite offer, and has announced advisors as the company forms a special committee.

Module manufacturing giant Canadian Solar shipped 1.7 GW of modules in the second quarter of 2018, a 23.7% increase on the previous quarter, according to the company’s latest update. Net revenue, however, fell more than 50% quarter-on-quarter with the company blaming fewer project sales and lower module prices.

In the first half of the year, the PV equipment manufacturer recorded a significant increase in sales. This was largely due to orders from the solar industry.

As the lira’s troubles continued to weigh on the markets today, it remained unclear how the country’s solar market will be affected. While the plunging currency fosters uncertainty – public enemy number one for investors – it could also create conditions for lower system costs and cheaper PV projects. Nevertheless, a serious slow-down for 2018 must be considered.

Solar – and wind – will finally bring an element of environmental consciousness, and value for money, to the system charged with keeping the lights on in Britain. Is PV finally shaking off long-held fears about its intermittent nature?

With a group purchasing program securing hefty discounts for British households – and attracting thousands of potential customers as a result – solar has a viable business case no matter what further cuts the government throws at the industry.

German EPC company Cronimet has installed a 150 kW solar array to work alongside a 332 kWh battery storage system at a luxury lodge complex in a remote part of the African nation.