Markets

In a week when major restructuring at the world’s largest thin film producer, First Solar, has been the focus, the industry has gathered to discuss prospects for the technology and market in the future.

Solar is the fastest growing electricity source for U.S. utilities, says the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). While positive, the trend raises questions as to how the country’s distribution grid will manage this growth. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), meanwhile, was identified as the most “solar-active” utility.

Ambitious expansion plans are afoot for renewable energy and photovoltaics in the Canadian province of Ontario, Oleg Popovsky, business development manager of SunEdison tells pv magazine. He also calls for a reduction of red tape with regards to feed-in tariff (FIT) implementation.

Reports of the imminent demise of the solar industry have been highly exaggerated, according to research released this week by New York City-based McKinsey & Company, Inc. While it states that the “rules of the game are changing” and that there will be “significant challenges”, it firmly believes there are still substantial rewards to be reaped.

Bosch has officially acquired Conergy’s photovoltaic inverter subsidiary, voltwerk electronics GmbH, following approval from the German anti-trust authorities. The purchase price was not disclosed.

A new joint venture, Georgia PV Project, is targeting over 1.5 gigawatts (GW) worth of photovoltaic installations across the world. It will also set up a module production facility in Georgia.

Brazil’s board of the National Agency of Electrical Energy (ANEEL) has approved two new pieces of solar legislation aimed at improving the country’s domestic industry.

Having filed for insolvency and self-administration at the end of March, Odersun AG has been unable to find an investor. Consequently, a local court in Germany has ordered the opening of preliminary insolvency proceedings.

In the wake of First Solar’s dramatic announcement that it was shedding 2,000 jobs, ending production in Germany and idling two production lines in Malaysia, the focus has turned to whether market conditions, feed in tariff cuts (FIT), or the company’s product is behind the drastic measures.

IHS iSuppli predicts that polysilicon prices will fall to US$22 per kilogram by the end of the year, due to the continuing production surplus. The company adds that prices vary, depending on both contract type and purity level. These changes, it says, will change the way polysilicon is bought and sold in the future.