Policy

Intensified trade measures against China via higher tariffs on imported solar and battery cells are a significant policy step, but the impact is clouded by global manufacturing shifts, price decreases and looming US Department of Commerce trade complaints.

With solar module oversupply triggering a price freefall in 2023 and no recovery in sight, market consolidation, inventory pile-up, technology shifts, and challenges to reshoring PV manufacturing are set to affect all levels of the solar supply chain.

With California’s NEM 3.0 legislation having gutted panel sales and Arizona heading a bevy of other US states preparing to reduce solar-export payments, it’s time the United States solar industry stepped up, for ourselves as well as our customers.

The European Commission has shared updated documents with its member states for speeding up permitting procedures and designing auctions for renewables. It includes the use of non-price criteria in auctions, which the commission says will allow higher value-added projects to be rewarded.

A scoping review examining the barriers to residential PV installations in South Africa says that no studies have considered how income effects the the likelihood of households adopting rooftop solar. The researchers claim this is “a glaring omission given debates on just transitions.”

The number of module assembly businesses in Türkiye continues to rise but, despite protectionist moves to support domestic manufacturing, consolidation appears likely. Ambitions abroad, expansion at home, and interest from Chinese suppliers, were all on show at the recent SolarEX trade fair in Istanbul.

This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu Network) takes a significant step by shedding light on health and safety issues for women in the solar and energy storage industry, a crucial topic that gained even more relevance after the observance of World Day for Safety and Health at Work on April 28th.

Under Czechia’s new rules for agrivoltaics, farmers and developers will not need approval to change land designations and zoning plans for agricultural areas devoted to PV generation. The provisions currently only allow agrivoltaics to be deployed in orchards and vineyards.

The competition regulator in the Netherlands says that the grid fees that big energy suppliers are applying to PV system owners are legitimate. Solar customers currently pay between €100 ($107) and €697, depending on the system size.

The Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation in Malaysia is teaming up with private and public partners in the country to offer citizens financial incentives and discounts when adopting solar. It follows a government rebate scheme introduced in April.