Bosch solar exit official; 3,000 jobs at stake
After months of speculation, Bosch has today confirmed it will exit the crystalline solar sector. As of 2014, the German company will cease production of its photovoltaic ingots, wafers and cells. It will also “quickly” sell its solar business units, including its majority stake in aleo. Decreasing prices has been blamed for the decision. Up to 3,000 employees will be affected.
UK: Little in budget for PV
The Solar Trade Association (STA) has posted its disappointment over the 2013 U.K. Budget, handed down by chancellor George Osborne yesterday. On a range of measures, there appears little support for photovoltaics.
Insolvency petition submitted for Wuxi Suntech
Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd has today announced that a petition for insolvency and restructuring was filed against subsidiary Wuxi Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd on Monday, March 18. Wuxi Suntech has not objected to the filing.
China: Scaling back ambitions and overhauling PV subsidies
This years PV Project Implementation Conference China saw around 80 solar industry professionals gather to discuss large-scale opportunities in what is tipped to be the biggest PV market of 2013. In contrast to the governments declared 10 GW targets, forecasts are that just 8 GW of new PV will be added in China this year. Meanwhile, rumor has it, the Golden Sun Program will soon be scrapped.
Germanys proposed electricity price break faces failure
Talks between Germanys Federal Environment Minister and state representatives ended inconclusively yesterday. As such, no agreement on the electricity price break is expected this week.
MEA region PV demand to reach 1 GW in 2013
In a report released today, NPD Solarbuzz has predicted that photovoltaic demand from the Middle East and Africa (MEA) will total 1 GW in 2013. This represents a 625% increase on the 136 MW of demand in 2012.
SEIA: US PV system prices fall despite tariffs
The impact of module prices are always discussed in connection with import tariffs on Chinese photovoltaic products. In the U.S. prices continue to fall, despite the tariffs imposed last year. However, the comparison is lopsided given the significantly higher price levels in the U.S. than in Germany.
First Solar tops PV project developer list
According to the latest data from Wiki-Solar, U.S.-based thin film manufacturer, First Solar Inc. is the top photovoltaic project installer globally, having added 759 MW across 11 sites.
Utility-scale battery storage to top 25 GW in Asia Pacific in 2022
The utility-scale advanced battery market in the Asia Pacific region will amount to 25.1 GW of storage and be worth US$12 billion in 2022, according to a report by Pike Research.
What next for Suntech?
Today Chinese photovoltaic module manufacturer Suntech finally admitted it had received notice of default over the US$541 million worth of 3% convertible bonds, which went unpaid on Friday.
