Global PV markets

Led by Chairman Fred Upton (R–Michigan), on August 1, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce effectively voted “aye” on Department of Energy (DOE) loan guarantees for nuclear and fossil fuel programs, but “nay” to further support for solar and wind energy.

Preannouncements of financial results in Q2 have revealed a mixed bag from Chinese manufacturers, which are facing tariffs on their products in the U.S. and potential anti-dumping measures in the E.U.

After a lengthy process, the Philippines’ Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has approved feed-in tariffs (FITs) for a number of renewable energy sources. For photovoltaics, a FIT of PhP9.68/kWh (US$0.23/kWh) has been announced.

A report released today by the Australian government has found price reductions in photovoltaic equipment and installation costs have meant that renewable energy is growing increasingly competitive, as a utility-scale generation source, with conventional energies in the country. The Australian Energy Technology Assessment (AETA) Report and Model predicts that photovoltaics will have the lowest LCOE of all evaluated technologies by the mid-2030s.

Just one day after grid failures resulted in 300 million people going without power for hours in New Delhi, a “ultra mega” solar power project has been proposed in the state of Gujarat. The Gujarat government is reportedly in talks with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to investigate funding such a power plant.

Kyocera and six other companies have formed a new company to build and operate a 70 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power plant in the Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan. The new company will be called the Kagoshima Mega Solar Power Corporation and Kyocera will be the largest shareholder.

During Intersolar North America, held in San Francisco July 10-12, pv magazine took the chance to turn the spotlight on some key firms in the City and Bay Area. A key technology and online hub, the Bay Area is home to iconic companies like Google, eBay and Twitter.

Indigenous Australian mining contractor, Carey Mining, has undertaken a partnership with a photovoltaic installer Next Power, to form the first indigenous solar power company. Carey Power will work to provide installations to remote and regional Australian communities.

The French Ministry of Energy has announced today that it has selected 29 megawatts (MW), of a total of 50 MW of projects, to customers of Heliotrop. Hybrid concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) and photovoltaic technology will be used in the plants.

Following the admission by SolarWorld yesterday that a complaint against Chinese photovoltaic manufacturers had been filed in Europe, a statement was released announcing the launch of the “EU ProSun” initiative, behind which over 20 European solar manufacturers are hiding.