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As was reported yesterday, Germany’s politicians have made some serious changes to the country’s pioneering feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme. Specifically, a one-off cut will be applied in March, monthly tariff reductions will begin in May, the maximum size of photovoltaic plants that can receive a tariff has been capped, and just 85 to 90 percent of solar energy produced will receive support.

Frost & Sullivan’s energy group has forecast that overall electricity generation in Germany will decrease from 625 terrawatt-hours (TWh) in 2010 to 590 TWh in 2020. This change is attributed to energy efficiency measures and increased imports that will replace the supply lost from nuclear power sources.

According to initial media reports, Germany’s politicians want to implement sharp cuts, earlier than scheduled, to its photovoltaic subsidies. Furthermore, the guaranteed tariff should be limited at 90 percent. The ministers will, however, officially present their plans tomorrow.

Analysts at Jefferies have painted a poor picture for photovoltaic demand during the first quarter (Q1) of 2012, and “very real … demand concerns” for the whole year. Overall, they expect European and global demand to fall by 42 percent and 10 percent, respectively. However, it is believed that 2013 will see a market revival.

Cambridge-based Eight19 today expanded its pay-as-you-go solar system into the world’s youngest country, Sudan. The company hopes to deploy 1,000 of its solar module, battery, light and phone charging systems to rural villages in the Nimule region.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) last week submitted a petition to have the standards for connecting smaller photovoltaic arrays to the grid changed. SEIA has sought to alter specifications that require installations to produce less that 15 percent of the annual peak load if they are to qualify for the “fast track” interconnection of small generation.

There is a saying that elephants never forget – and now U.S. Republicans, whose party is symbolized by a pachyderm – are proving that theory, possibly to their own political detriment.

Australian scientists are working on a research project to network solar arrays across many roofs and households, into a “virtual power station”. The project hopes to improve the “predictability, quality and response” of power being put back into the local power grid.

Following in the footsteps of companies like California-based SunRun and Solar City, a new start-up company, DZ-4, is looking to bring decentralized solar power to Germany’s masses. In the following interview, founder Tobias Schütt talks to pv magazine about his plans and explains why such schemes have not already been introduced in Germany.

A collaborative research project, based in the Australian state of Victoria, claims to have developed the world’s most efficient broadband nanoplasmonic solar cells. The result, published in the journal Nano Letters, report the cells having an efficiency of 8.1 per cent.