Global PV markets

Lively business was done today, the first day of 6th-annual SNEC PV Power Expo in Shanghai, with a more professional trade show and a strong presence from equipment suppliers greeting attendees.

Photovoltaic and electronics equipment manufacturer Manz has moved closer to many of its clients, by opening a equipment manufacturing fab in Suzhou, two hours west of Shanghai.

Additional funding for photovoltaics research and development should move the German states to a “yes” regarding the country’s EEG, or renewable energy law. Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister President believes an agreement on Germany’s solar subsidies will be reached by the summer.

Exhibitor numbers were down and uncertainty over future subsidies reigned at the three-day Solar Expo in Verona, which winds up today. However, with the vast majority of major photovoltaic firms exhibiting there was still considerable optimism about the future of the Italy in the commercial and residential rooftop market segments.

After over two years of policy deliberations and growing pains, India is finally seeing solar installations in meaningful numbers: cumulative photovoltaic capacity stands at 964 megawatts (MW), 745 MW of which have been commissioned in 2012. But it is not all sunshine, with financing proving to be one of the country’s biggest challenges. Quality issues are also surfacing.

Germany’s Bundesrat wants to revise the country’s renewable energy law (EEG) for photovoltaics. A majority of Bundesrat representatives, therefore, voted for the invocation of a mediation committee with the Federal Parliament.

The recently-established Global Solar Council (GSC) has denied that it was set-up in response to the ongoing U.S.-Sino trade dispute, following media claims to the contrary. In related news, its executive director answers pv magazine’s questions.

In its latest quarterly report, IMS Research has identified Belectric as the biggest system integrator in 2011, for the second consecutive time. However, it has found that China’s system integrators now comprise three of the top 10 worldwide.

Photovoltaics can become a mainstream energy source, says EPIA, if the right policy conditions are in place. It predicts that around 20 to 25 GW could be installed annually in Europe, up to 2016, and between 38 and 77 GW outside of Europe. However, the possibility of a market collapse exists, if the industry is not adequately supported.

Positioning itself to become one of the largest solar markets globally, the governments King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) has announced Saudi Arabia’s ambitious plans to install 41 gigawatts (GW) worth of solar by 2032.