Feed-In Tariffs
Selling the Benefits of Solar Energy in Australia
12 May 2013POSTED IN Guest Blogs
Selling the benefits of solar energy becomes more challenging in Australia simply because the easy sales have already been made to committed environmentalists and forward-thinking technology enthusiasts. Scandals, political changes and misinformation campaigns further complicate the problems of convincing customers to invest thousands of dollars to install solar systems.
Solectria Expands to the Ontario Solar Market
08 May 2013POSTED IN Business News
Solectria Renewables, LLC, a US PV inverter manufacturer, announced that the SGI 500XT inverter is now Ontario FiT Compliant. The SGI 500XT, part of the SMARTGRID Inverter line of products, is designed to incorporate utility features that enhance power control, communication protocols, and grid safety. The SGI 500XT is an external transformer, utility-scale, central inverter optimized for direct-to-medium voltage coupling, with a market leading 98% CEC efficiency rating.
Conergy Builds Second 2MW Solar Plant in Romania
07 May 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Conergy is currently building another 2MW solar power plant in the Romanian region of Slobozia. It was only in January this year that the PV solution and service provider had announced its entry into the market in the Eastern European country with a 2.2MW solar park.
Canadian Dairy Completes Fourth Solar Installation
06 May 2013POSTED IN Applications News
EthoSolar has completed the fourth PV solar installation for Dykstra Dairy Limited, a dairy farm based in Ottawa (Canada). This latest project involved a 100 kW FiT roof mount system with the Ontario Power Authority.
Intersolar Europe 2013: Soleos Solar debuts high-performance solar module
06 May 2013POSTED IN New Products
Soleos Solar is launching a new solar module in June and will show it at Intersolar Europe 2013. The polycrystalline Soleos 250P module is manufactured in Europe and has a rated output of 250 watts and a module efficiency of 14.94%. It thus produces more output and has a greater degree of efficiency than its predecessors.
Intersolar Europe 2013: Changing business models for the PV industry
06 May 2013POSTED IN Business News
At Intersolar Europe 2013, which takes place in Munich, Germany from 19 to 21 June at Messe München, numerous exhibitors showcase a variety of new PV system solutions and investment opportunities. Exhibition tours, workshops and presentations at PV Energy World shed light on the topics from a variety of perspectives and a specially dedicated set of presentations at the Intersolar Europe Conference rounds off the range of information available at the exhibition on new business models for the photovoltaics (PV) industry.
Conergy Enters Solar Market in South Africa
02 May 2013POSTED IN Applications News
In Cape Town, South Africa, Conergy and its partner Solsquare have built a solar plant that provides power to a home for disabled people.
German FiT Cuts to 10 Euro Cents per kWh
29 April 2013POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
Federal Minister of Economy in Germany, Philipp Rosler, wants to see FiTs for solar installations reduced to a maximum of 10 euro cents per kWh (13¢).
Solar Module Prices Rise in Europe
23 April 2013POSTED IN Business News
Reflecting a major shift in the global solar market after four years of severe erosion, prices for photovoltaic (PV) modules in the key European market are rising due to number of factors—including the newly restored balance between supply and demand.
Solar in Mexico: High intensity potential
11 April 2013POSTED IN Guest Blogs
Significant attention has been focused on the solar market in Mexico of late. Projections have been for huge solar farms, rapid growth…. basically a gold rush for solar rays. All of this may be true, but new market development, which is not fueled by government incentives such as feed in tariffs and the like, is very likely to develop at a pace that is less predictable and faced by challenges that are not yet understood. In the long run, these unsubsidized markets are more sustainable and predictable however. No doubt the opportunity in Mexico is real and significant; how to capitalize on it is the key.
IHS Report Forecasts Global PV to Exceed 35GW in 2013
08 April 2013POSTED IN Business News
Global photovoltaic (PV) installations are forecast to exceed 35 gigawatts (GW) in 2013, equivalent to growth of 12%, according to recently released analysis from IHS Research. IHS also reaffirmed its earlier prediction that global PV installations surpassed 30GW in 2012, with final analysis showing that installations, in fact, grew 14% to reach 31.4GW last year.
Indonesia Launching New Solar Installations
04 April 2013POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
Indonesia is said to about to launch a tender next month for 150MW of new solar photovoltaic energy. It is estimated that the tender will last for two months.
Draker Installs Dual-Language PV Monitoring System in Japan
03 April 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Draker installed its first panel-to-grid (P2G) monitoring solution at the Ami Solar Park, a 705kW grid-connected solar PV site operating under the FiT scheme instituted last summer as part of Japan's renewable energy scheme.
Hanwha Q CELLS "Made in EU" Certified
27 March 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Hanwha Q CELLS, a Germany-based photovoltaic company, has now received the French "Made in EU" certificate for the manufacturing of both solar cells and solar modules from purely European components. The certificate will enable French customers of Q CELLS PV products to get a bonus on the French Feed-in-Tariff of up to 10% with immediate effect.
Japan PV Market to Grow 120% in 2013
18 March 2013POSTED IN Business News
The Japanese photovoltaic (PV) market is set to grow by 120% in 2013 and install more than 5 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity, according to a new report, “The PV Market in Japan,” from IMS Research, now part of IHS Inc.
Alusin Solar Completes Four PV Projects in Spain
05 March 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Spanish Mounting Systems specialist Alusin Solar has completed four of their last projects, before deadline, making a total nominal power of 3.3MW; 2.2MW ground mounted, 1MW on roof, and 53kWp plus 20kWp on ballasts over flat roofs.
Argentina to Expand Solar 35-Fold
18 February 2013POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
Argentina plans to expand solar capacity as much as 35-fold through its first government incentives for individual projects, Bloomberg reports.
Why Is German PV Cheaper than US? Soft Costs
18 February 2013POSTED IN Business News
A report by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory says soft costs are the reason why a residential German solar system costs $3/watt compared to a residential US solar system, which costs $6.19/watt.
The study, Why Are Residential PV Prices in Germany So Much Lower Than in the United States?, updates a September 2012 survey and says about half the price difference may be due to market size in each of the countries. German residential systems are much larger in German, and US installers develop projects more slowly.
Proinso Opens Japan Branch
14 February 2013POSTED IN Business News
Proinso today announced it has opened a branch office in Tokyo to begin operating in the Japanese solar PV market.
Global Solar PV Capacity to More than Triple by 2020
07 February 2013POSTED IN Business News
Global solar PV will continue to rise in the near future, with cumulative installed capacity climbing from 97GW in 2012 to 330GW by 2020, demonstrating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.5%, according to GlobalData’s latest report.
