Markets

Solar inverter shipments reached 4.9 gigawatts (GW) in the second quarter of this year (Q2), says IMS Research, growing by 284 percent. More than half of these shipments were for installations in Germany, which grew by 388 percent in Q2 says the company. Consequently, total shipments hit more than eight GW for the first six months of the year – a three-fold increase over the same period last year.

The Spanish government has announced fresh plans to slash incentives for new solar photovoltaics (PV) installations by up to 45 percent, although it appeared to edge away from proposals that would have resulted in reduced support for existing installations, reports the Guardian. However, a key PV analyst tells pv magazine that with a bit of long-term planning, the country can recover itself.

Germany-based aleo solar AG has reported a revenue of €277.0 million in the first six months of this year, leading to a 134.5 percent increase compared to the first six months of last year. The main driver of this increase, it said, is due to the amendment of the German Renewable Energy Act. York zu Putlitz, CEO and CFO of aleo solar AG additionally told pv magazine that the company is looking to increase its production capacity by this September.

The semicondonductor industry, which has significant ties to photovolatics, due to the similarity of production processes, is experiencing strong market growth. Taiwan is projected to be the largest semiconductor market this year at USD$ 9.18 billion, while total semiconductor equipment sales worldwide will reach USD$32.5 billion, according to SEMI. It added that sales of global semiconductor equipment are up in all regions this year.

A team of researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), funded by the U.S Department of Energy’s solar technologies program, has released a 144-page renewable energy feed-in tariff (FIT) guide, aimed at helping to “improve future policy design”.

UK power company HomeSun has announced its plans to install £1 billion worth of free solar panels on 100,000 British homes over the next three years. The news comes as recent reports reveal that the U.K is the fastest growing country for photovoltaics (PV) installations this year.

The date by which Italian photovoltaics (PV) installations should enter into operation to continue to enjoy the incentive rates contained in the second energy bill – the one currently in force and which is due to expire at the end of the year – has been postponed, according to Qualenergia.it.

Nikini Automation Systems has told pv magazine it has made Sri Lankan history by becoming the country’s first company to enter into a net metering agreement for its photovoltaics (PV) system. The company also called on Sri Lanka’s businesses to make PV a part their corporate activities.

Centrosolar Group AG has said it expects to see revenue in excess of €370 million this year, despite a “substantial” fall in demand in the German market, predicted to take place in the third quarter of this year. The company adds that the high increase in solar module production capacity in April, from 110 MWp to currently around 155 MWp, has not been enough to meet fully the high level of demand from both Germany and other European core markets, particularly France and Italy.

Cumulative photovoltaics (PV) installations will top 120 gigawatts (GW) by the end of 2014, according to IMS Research’s recently launched “Global PV Demand Database”. The report also revealed that annual PV installations will grow steadily at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of more than 20 percent between 2011 and 2014. In these four years, says IMS, some 80 GW of new PV capacity will be added globally. Growth rates are predicted to slow over the next four years, however, compared to the huge 95 percent growth rate forecast for this year.