Markets

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Treasury have released US$150 million in Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits for clean energy and energy efficiency manufacturing projects in the country.

SunPower has announced bullish full year results for 2012 and an optimistic forecast for 2013, despite seeing net losses in the final three months of the year burgeon by almost US$100 million.

The new subsidies for battery storage systems will apply retroactively to all photovoltaic systems installed this year and have a maximum capacity of 30 kW. The German Environment Ministry and KfW state bank have not made any official announcements, however, the program is expected to be introduced in the coming week.

Four renewable energy associations in Spain have joined forces to oppose implementation of the Spanish government’s new decree, which “retroactively aggravates initial investment conditions” for developers of photovoltaic installations and other renewable energy plants.

Greece-based Metaxas and Associates Law Firm has lodged two complaints with the European Commission against the retroactive taxes applied to renewable energy systems in Greece. Meanwhile, rumors abound that the Greek government is considering more retroactive cuts.

Belgian Renewable Energies Association, Apere, announced yesterday that Belgium surpassed 2.6 GW of installed photovoltaic capacity at the end of 2012. Overall, the renewable energy accounts for 2.8% of the country’s total electricity consumption.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) forecasts that large-scale photovoltaic systems will supply energy cheaper than coal and gas by 2020 in Australia. Already, it states, wind farms are supplying energy cheaper than its fossil fuel counterparts.

The U.S. has requested World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement consultations with the Indian Government regarding India’s solar photovoltaic domestic content requirements (DCR). Industry association SEIA has come out in support of the move.

The sky is the limit for photovoltaic market growth, which is expected to more than triple by 2020, according to a report just released by London-based research firm GlobalData. It says growth is being stimulated by two major forces. Challenges are present, however, including issues over existing grid infrastructure.

Ash Sharma, director of solar research at IHS Solar forecasts double digit growth in photovoltaic power optimizers over the next two years, despite the fact they are not said to be economical in well-designed installations. In the following interview, he discusses the market with pv magazine.