Markets & Policy

The possibility to register as an interested party for the EU Commission’s expiry review of minimum prices and import volumes for Chinese solar PV manufacturers expired on Monday. Many more companies and organizations registered than in 2013, the majority of which are based in Germany.

Anti-circumvention duties of 53.4% and anti-subsidy duties of 11.5% are to be applied to Chinese solar PV panels and cells shipped from Taiwan and Malaysia to the EU, after the European Commission (EC) found evidence of duty dodging. They will be applied retroactively. Companies have until January 6 to comment on the ruling, with a final decision expected by the end of February.

Michigan utility DTE has contracted with the Indiana developer and EPC to build a 30 MW and a 15 MW PV plant, which combined with its other projects will triple Michigan’s installed solar capacity.

GTM Research finds that SolarCity’s market share grew to almost 37% in the third quarter of 2015, however the company notes that there is still opportunity for small- to mid-sized installers.

Nevada regulators have set new rules for solar customers participating in net metering, including retroactive changes for those already participating in the program.

Vivint Solar has issued a proxy statement calling for a shareholder vote. Acquisition by SunEdison is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016.

A new policy to encourage financing of distributed solar PV projects in China’s largest city has been jointly released by the Shanghai Reform and Development Committee (HRDC) and Shanghai Finance Bureau. IRRs are expected to increase to over 20%.

Urbasolar has been awarded 15 PV projects totaling 80 MW in France’s latest solar auction. It will invest around EUR100 million in rolling them out.

Like 2014, renewables are again the most important energy source in Germany, according to the latest figures. Furthermore, both solar PV and wind have reported increased shares in the country’s gross electricity generation mix. Despite this, CO2 emissions are set to increase in 2015.

A total of 6.5 GW of solar projects are expected to be up for auction in the next three months, says Bridge to India. In addition to intense competition, it forecasts a sharp reduction in tariffs, particularly for the upcoming auctions in Rajasthan and Karnataka.