Rallied support for solar
Ardour Solar Index: First quarter results are likely impacted by volume weakness in Italy and France.
Shining potential
Israel: With high irradiation and impressive technical prowess, PV in Israel is ripe for development. But despite its attractive feed-in tariffs (FITs) and prosperous solar thermal market, the industry has historically taken a back seat. The Negev desert is currently helping its talents to shine through, but there are still a number of administrative barriers in the way.
Slow market
Lead times: The oversupply in the European photovoltaics markets has increased even further. Anxiety is spreading among manufacturers and distributors, as there is little visibility on when market demand will resume.
Speeding past the bottlenecks
Industry ranking: For many cell producers, capacity expansion was the order of the day last year. This year, that trend is expected to continue. The pv magazine ranking of the leading crystalline cell manufacturers reveals whos ahead of the pack.
Spot market for PV panels: Hope for new markets
Module prices: The spot market ended the first quarter of 2011 with new price drops.
Testing the international waters
France: Through a new cap for newly installed PV systems, the French government limits the sales volume of modules in the French market to a total annual capacity of 500 megawatts a regulation which is not welcomed by every French module manufacturer.
The glass is more than half full
Turkey: At the end of last year the Turkish government adopted a law on subsidies for renewable energies. According to the new law the subsidy for solar electricity will amount to a total of 13.3 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. However, the subsidy is not regarded as huge breakthrough. Nevertheless, an increasing number of solar companies are setting up business in the country, as evidenced by the Solarex trade exhibition.
The power flower
Offshore renewable energy: Offshore renewable energy platforms are a common sight, especially the speed at which the wind energy sector has developed and the platforms that have popped up far out at sea. Solar energy has not gone that far offshore yet but developments are emerging. Hann-Oceans Hexifloat is an offshore solution that promises to tie in four of natures power suppliers, solar, tidal, wave and wind, with solar leading the way.
The recall
Module replacement: First Solar brought thin film modules on the market which showed a significant drop in performance after just a few weeks. They are currently being replaced, which is a test of nerves for the company, the installers and plant operators.
The second edition of the PV Roadmap
Roadmap for PV: Industry collaboration is a must to reduce costs. The Roadmap, a product of the last twelve months, paves the way for this.
