Global PV markets

While most recent news from Norwegian polysilicon and module producer REC, has involved it scaling back its higher-cost manufacturing operations, the company has signaled its intentions to move into the Japanese market.

Malaysia has launched its new feed-in tariff (FIT) system for renewable energy. On December 1, it began accepting applications for projects from 2012 to 2014 through an e-FIT online system. By December 2, 201 proposals for 143.78 megawatts (MW) worth of photovoltaic projects had been submitted.

Environmental NGO Friends of the Earth has announced today that the British High Court has agreed to hear the NGO’s application to challenge the government’s slashing of the photovoltaic feed-in tariff (FIT). The High Court has previously rejected the permission for a legal challenge, on November 25.

The University of the South Pacific has connected Fiji’s largest grid-connected photovoltaic system, to the island of Suva’s electricity grid on Saturday. The landmark installation is a part of a wider project by Fiji and the university to equip Pacific Islanders with the requisite skills to see the photovoltaic industry provide electricity to communities throughout the region.

PV Japan has opened today while a battle over the composition of the committee, which will determine the specifics of the renewable energy feed-in tariff (FIT), rages.

The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) voted unanimously (6-0) on Friday, December 2, to go forward with an investigation into whether “dumped and subsidized” imports from China have materially injured the U.S. domestic solar industry.

Despite significant financial incentives and a large project pipeline, comparatively few photovoltaic systems have been installed in Ontario thus far. The solar industry is now relying on faster approval phases, greater acceptance on the part of the banks and dynamic adjustment of the feed-in tariffs (FIT) to decline prices.

A study released this week, by the Australian Photovoltaic Association (APVA), has shown that while photovoltaic systems are approaching or have realized retail cost competitiveness throughout the country, large-scale ground mounted installations require government support to compete on the wholesale market.

In the latest development of the U.S.-China trade dispute, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME) has issued a statement on behalf of the country’s photovoltaic companies. In it, it said there is “no intention” of starting a trade war, but that the Chinese solar companies will fight those who have petitioned against them.

2011 may well have been characterized by a number of controversial issues, including declining module prices, insolvencies, production cutbacks, consolidation, the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and the U.S.-China trade dispute. However, not all is lost: while many of the traditional solar markets are suffering, a number of emerging markets are working hard to fill the void.