Global PV markets

Chinese manufacturer Trina Solar announced today that it is opening a sales and business development office in Santiago, Chile. The new site will give the company coverage throughout the Americas including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

Applications worth over 2.4 GW of newly installed capacity have been submitted in Chile in 2012. While a good proportion may never go ahead, it indicates very rapid growth in the South American market.

With its high solar radiation and growing demand for energy, North Africa is set to become a big future solar market. pv magazine spoke with expert Khaled Nasraoui, co-founder and deputy CEO of Tunisian-based producer Aurasol about the current situation in the region, and its potential.

The German Federal Network Agency announced a total of 4.9 GW in new photovoltaic installations from the beginning of the current year to July 31. That represents nearly double as much as in the same period last year.

2013 is set to see increased photovoltaics support in Poland. While many expect the new law – and generous subsidies – to boost the country’s solar industry, there are already fears the government’s conservative capacity estimates could cause the kind of boom and bust cycle seen in markets like Spain and the Czech Republic. The questions on everyone’s lips are: will the law come into force as planned; and is the government adequately prepared for the anticipated uptake?

By 2017, Sunways AG said it intends, along with its majority shareholder, LDK Solar, to become 1 of the top 3 photovoltaic inverter manufacturers globally. It added that it will return to profitability in 2014, and will enter the Canadian, U.S. and Chinese markets in the coming years.

During a visit to Beijing, the German Chancellor sought to find a political solution to the anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) dispute involving China’s photovoltaic manufacturers.

Yesterday’s meeting at the German chancellery offered little in the way of tangible results. It was only agreed that the development of renewables should be curbed, the EEG reformed and the industry relieved. Representatives of the photovoltaic and wind associations were not, however, invited to participate.

Helios Energy will install a 30 MW photovoltaic plant in central northern Nigeria, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the German company and the Governor of Kaduna State.

Italy’s new guidelines for photovoltaic subsidies have been in place since Monday, August 27. While system operators will have to adapt to much lower tariffs and changing requirements, it is believed the new funding under the Conto Energia V will only last until the end of 1H 2013.