Markets

Having preannounced its fourth quarter (Q4) 2011 financial results, Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited has said it expects photovoltaic module shipments to sequentially decline by 30 percent. Meanwhile, its gross margin has taken a tumble.

According to initial media reports, Germany’s politicians want to implement sharp cuts, earlier than scheduled, to its photovoltaic subsidies. Furthermore, the guaranteed tariff should be limited at 90 percent. The ministers will, however, officially present their plans tomorrow.

Germany-based Sunways AG has announced its preliminary fourth quarter (Q4) and full year (FY) 2011 financial results, which are said to be “in line with expectations”. These expectations include annual sales of €115.4 million and “record” photovoltaic module sales.

Analysts at Jefferies have painted a poor picture for photovoltaic demand during the first quarter (Q1) of 2012, and “very real … demand concerns” for the whole year. Overall, they expect European and global demand to fall by 42 percent and 10 percent, respectively. However, it is believed that 2013 will see a market revival.

In figures that appear to confirm post-Fukushima Japan’s dramatic shift away from nuclear power and towards photovoltaics, the domestic module market is shown to have expanded by over 30 percent, from the previous year. The Japanese Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA) released the figures that also show that over one gigawatt (GW) of modules were sold domestically, in the first three quarters of 2011 alone.

Following the High Court ruling at the end of January, which saw the U.K. Department for Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC’S) judicial appeal regarding feed-in tariff (FIT) changes thrown out, the department has officially announced it will be lodging another appeal.

Cambridge-based Eight19 today expanded its pay-as-you-go solar system into the world’s youngest country, Sudan. The company hopes to deploy 1,000 of its solar module, battery, light and phone charging systems to rural villages in the Nimule region.

Solar Frontier president, Shigeaki Kameda, attended a ceremony last month to activate the 10 megawatt (MW) Mt. Komekura Solar Plant, in the Yamanashi Prefecture, central Japan.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) last week submitted a petition to have the standards for connecting smaller photovoltaic arrays to the grid changed. SEIA has sought to alter specifications that require installations to produce less that 15 percent of the annual peak load if they are to qualify for the “fast track” interconnection of small generation.

On February 13, San Jose, California-based SunPower Corporation filed a motion for a temporary restraining order in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the residential solar array supplier, San Mateo-based SolarCity Corporation, as well as five individuals: Tom Leyden, Matt Giannini, Dan Leary, Felix Aguayo, and Alice Cathcart.