Markets & Policy

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) moved ahead this week with its plans to mete out “more fight for less fuel”. With support from the White House, the Pentagon intends to reduce reliance on fossil fuels by building next-generation combat vehicles, making energy storage safer and more effective, and increasing the deployment of renewable energy across America’s Armed Forces to three gigawatts (GW) by 2025.

Just how important is “home advantage” to players in the renewable energy sector? It could be a game changer, according to Japan and the European Union, both of which have brought complaints against Canada for violating the rules of fair competition.

The Italian government has announced that the country’s new renewable energy law, Conto Energia V, will come into effect when the €6 billion photovoltaic feed-in tariff (FIT) ceiling is reached – expected to be between this July and October. It has also laid out initial proposals for the new law, which include remuneration cuts, an annual installation cap, and big changes to ground-mounted criteria.

In an interview with pv magazine Shinsung Solar Energy talks about its gigawatt capacity ramp up plans and photovoltaic project pipeline in Korea.

How many jobs did the U.S. government create through its $9.7 billion investment in 24,711 renewable energy projects? At least 75,000 overall, based on a report just released by the Golden, Colorado-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), at the behest of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Many photovoltaic module suppliers are putting a halt to their in-house wafer production in light of drastically decreasing prices. According to IMS Research, wafer prices fell by over 70 percent in the first quarter (Q1) of 2012.

Solar cell and module manufacturer, Talesun has won a contract from China Merchants New Energy Group Ltd to supply up to one gigawatt worth of photovoltaic modules for solar farms in China and worldwide. The contract, worth US$2.4 billion, will initially be in place for three years.

S.A.G Solarstrom recorded a better year than most in 2011, having achieved the lower end of its sales target. As with many though, the tough market conditions led to both a negative EBIT and consolidated annual result.

According to New York’s Mayor, the city has tripled the amount of solar energy generated following the completion of 10 new photovoltaic systems. A total of 648 kilowatts (kW) is now installed in the U.S. metropolis.

The electric energy power industry is fundamentally changing, according to Pike Research, and photovoltaics has the potential to play a big role in future business models. Overall, the company has identified seven emerging photovoltaic trends.