Global PV markets

According to IMS Research, between five and seven GW worth of photovoltaics will be installed in China in 2012. It forecasts that over four GW will be added in the second half of the year alone.

Following months of speculation over when Italy’s next renewable energy law will come into play, it has now been confirmed that the country’s €6 billion photovoltaic feed-in tariff (FIT) funding limit was reached yesterday, July 12, meaning the Conto Energia V must come into force on August 27.

Ukraine has cut its photovoltaic feed-in tariffs by up to 27 percent. It has further adopted a new law, under which private households may sell solar electricity to the grid. Meanwhile, the country’s renewable energy targets have been increased and the local content requirements laid out.

According to the latest figures, German manufacturers sales’ of photovoltaic components, machinery and equipment fell 54 percent in the first quarter (Q1) of 2012. The sales’ share of Asian customers is also said to be on the decline.

After several years of hustling and hyperbole in the photovoltaics industry, the first half of 2012 has been a time of oversupply and underachievement globally. pv magazine takes a look at the biggest developments of the year to date. Overhang, crystalline, storage and fracking are just some of the watchwords.

The Intersolar North America tradeshow and conference ended today with a mixed outlook for photovoltaics, and talk of an industry shakeout prominent in discussions.

Uncharacteristically clear blue skies greeted attendees at the fifth Intersolar North America tradeshow, which began yesterday in San Francisco, California. Despite a number of political and regulatory clouds hanging over the event, which includes the Intersolar North America conference, a number of firms remained upbeat about the prospects for photovoltaics in the country.

On Friday, July 6, Italy’s ministers signed the new Conto Energia (renewable energy act). It is believed that only an extra €700 million will be made available for photovoltaics. Final security will not be available until the law has been published, however.

Cumulative, grid-connected photovoltaic capacity is forecast to reach 230 GW in 2017, in comparison to just 11 GW of CSP capacity. Deployment is expected to be led by China. However, while the competitiveness of photovoltaics is underscored, it is nevertheless predicted that manufacturing consolidation will continue for the next few years.

The share of solar generated energy significantly increased in the first six months of 2012 in Germany. Around 14.7 billion kWh of electricity were said to have been produced from 1.2 million photovoltaic systems.