Getting even
US-China solar trade case: A year ago, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced its preliminary verdict in an Antidumping and Countervailing Duties trade case against China. Have the antidumping tariffs really leveled the playing field between the USA and China?
Turnaround
Module prices: The EU Directive on antidumping tariffs is throwing the market into a jitter.
Global FIT overview
Feed-in tariffs: Pakistan proposes a new FIT with an IRR of 17%. Italys Conto Energia V enters semester two. And Japan lowers their FIT by about 10%, but it will not be enough to prevent them from becoming the second biggest PV market globally in 2013.
Under stress
PV module certifications: Certifications are no guarantee that a product is of high quality. But failures in the field can get far more expensive than stress tests, comment Dricus de Rooij and Niclas Weimar, editors of Sinovoltaics.com
Japanese boom
PV market in Japan: At the moment Japan is probably the most attractive PV market in the world. This could easily be seen at the PV Expo trade show in Tokyo at the beginning of March. Promising business opportunities are on offer particularly for companies with high quality products. Up to 5 GW of additional PV capacity is expected to be added this year.
Understanding the PV landscape
The Americas: Driven by a combination of net metering, Renewable Portfolio Standards, and other policies, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil are forecast to have almost 70% of PV demand across the Latin American and Caribbean region by 2017.
Minimizing material consumption
Ingot and wafer production: Are innovations that can reduce wafer production costs worth the effort?
Worried looks and optimism
Dear readers, There was no beating around the bush at this years SEMI Europe PV Fab Managers Forum in Berlin. The main problem for the industry continues to be substantial global overcapacities. IHS estimates worldwide production capacity for modules this year to be roughly 59 GW, for cells approximately 48 GW and around 56 GW […]
More pie for all
Financing: The new industry consortium truSolar is working to create a FICO score-type rating system to evaluate the risks and bankability of U.S. commercial solar projects. Could such a system increase capital, reduce financing prices and significantly grow the market?
Ongoing development
Market overview: Manufacturers have to get creative in order for their inverters to keep pace with the fast-moving photovoltaics market. Operators of small photovoltaic installations, for instance, put emphasis on timely monitoring solutions via the Internet or a smartphone, and installers like systems that are easy to configure, with flexible interconnection options. On large solar farms, high efficiencies and low maintenance are in high demand.
