Germany

Overall, the country’s cumulative installed PV power has now surpassed 45.55 GW. In the first 11 months of 2018, newly registered PV capacity reached 2.6 GW.

The tension between the cost cutting and performance boosting opportunities presented by new technologies and the tendency for risk aversion is never more evident than in PV module materials. This applies nowhere more than in backsheets, where new innovations are big on promise, but must convince manufacturers and the market of their long-term performance.

UK headquartered Oxford PV has set a new world efficiency record for its perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells.

More than a dozen European ministers of economic affairs have released a statement setting out the next steps to turn Europe into an industrial hub for large-scale cell production. The role of SMEs and competition was highlighted as ministers said European cells should provide innovation in terms of raw material use and sustainability, hinting at a pivot away from lithium-ion.

According to IHS Markit, energy storage inverter shipments are on track to reach 3 GW in 2018, growing to 7 GW by 2022. Currently, SMA is the market leader. Overall, the competitive landscape is “highly volatile” with expectations that consolidation will continue.

If the German polysilicon manufacturer is the ‘Supplier A’ referred to in the Chinese panel maker’s annual report, Wacker has negotiated a near $33 million settlement from arbitration. As part of the settlement, Wacker will continue to supply its counterpart with poly up to 2028.

As expected, Germany’s second chamber of parliament has passed a new package of laws. They will enter into force on January 1, 2019. Among the the changes are the extraordinary FIT cuts for rooftop systems between 40 and 750 kW in size for February, March and April, and new tenders for wind and solar totaling 4 GW.

Six lawsuits have been filed against Sunowe employees accused of evading €20 million of European anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs. The case, now dubbed the “Solar module Cartel”, also involved the deputy district administrator of Erlangen-Höchstadt.

The figure released by German industry associations BDEW and ZSW shows that no technology has grown as much as solar PV. Indeed, they say production increased 18% year-on-year. Overall, wind energy remains the largest producer of renewables, with annual growth of 7% over 2017.

In its Q3 2018 report, VDMA finds that German PV equipment providers are continuing to enjoy much improved fortunes compared to the previous year. Solar cell and thin film equipment suppliers account for the vast majority of bookings.