Policy

SolarPower Europe and SAFE see a resulting contraction in the market, while EU ProSun is calling for the preferential treatment of EU solar manufacturers in the U.S. BNEF says a general window for negotiation of individual country agreements may be possible in the next few weeks.

The decision, released on U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer’s website, could keep current U.S. module manufacturers in business by keeping their cell lifelines open.

A source told pv magazine that the Section 201 decision has been made, but announcement last Friday was delayed. While tariffs will be imposed, they said, the levels and other details will not be the worst-case scenario.

Japan’s first solar PV auction has reaped disappointing results, with just 41 MW set to be developed. Under the revised FIT, meanwhile, 27.7 GW were cancelled. Despite this, JPEA is aiming for 200 GW of solar PV installs by 2050. Overall, cumulative installed capacity has reached over 40 GW. There are still many plans afoot for large-scale projects, although it is the rooftop sector, which holds the most promise.

In an interview with Reuters, the president slammed what he referred to as the dumping of inexpensive modules on the U.S. market.

Noting that it is close to reaching its 33% renewable energy target, Montenegro’s Ministry of Economy has said it will not issue any more licenses for renewable energy projects. It has, however, launched the third phase of deployment of solar PV systems for un-electrified households in secluded mountainous areas.

The launch of the series of tenders was confirmed to pv magazine by Turki Mohammed Al Shehri, the head of the Saudi Renewable Energy Project Development Office.

The Chinese Tier 1 solar company had hoped to finalize the sale of six PV power projects in the fourth quarter of last year, but delays to necessary government approvals mean Q4 revenue is lively to be around $700 million lower than expected.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has postponed the 2 GW PV project tender until further notice. The company has also extended the deadline for expressions of interest for setting up solar manufacturing plants in India until January 29.

Federal regulators have rejected orders from Energy Secretary Perry to design open-ended subsidization of coal and nuclear power plants, and are initiating a new proceeding to look into reliability matters.