BNEF
Market overview » 17.05.2012
Bloomberg says solar is here
A study released yesterday by Bloomberg New Energy Finance finds that the conventional energy sector does not realize how inexpensive solar has become, partly because utilities and politicians have to compare apples and oranges. But BNEF says solar is already competitive. read more »
Foto: Sovello
Photovoltaics » 16.05.2012
Sovello files for bankruptcy
Sovello has become the second firm in Germany's Solar Valley to file for bankruptcy after Q-Cells. Local politicians are now calling for protection for German firms from Chinese competition, but a back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that local content already exceeds 60 percent in Germany even when panels are imported. read more »
Foto: Solarcentury (solarcentury.co.uk)
Photovoltaics » 14.05.2012
UK reaches 1.3 GW as growth is cut in half
The drastic cuts in feed-in tariffs for solar power in the UK reduced installations by nearly 60 percent in April, putting the government far behind its target of 22 gigawatts of PV for 2020. read more »
Foto: Thomas Köhler/photothek
Energy policy » 13.05.2012
Bundesrat forces review of slashed solar FITs
On Friday, the German chamber of Parliament that represents states' rights overwhelmingly rejected the governing coalition's proposal to drastically change feed-in tariffs for photovoltaics. Now, the policy will be reviewed, though it is unclear what the changes will be. And another decision by the Bundesrat the same day shows how differently Germany ticks. read more »
Foto: Conergy
Consolidation on photovoltaics market » 11.05.2012
Chinese may take over Conergy
The Financial Times Germany reports that a Chinese investor has expressed interest in the German solar firm, which has been in financial trouble. read more »
Grafik: BSW-Solar
Photovoltaics » 10.05.2012
German solar sector reports falling sales
The cuts to German of feed-in tariffs have not even been officially resolved yet – that is to happen tomorrow – but already industry association BSW-Solar says a survey of the industry revealed that sales were already down more than 50 percent in April. While that may sound like bad news, it only means that Germany is at the very top of its "growth corridor." read more »
Sputnik
Photovoltaics » 07.05.2012
France crosses 3 GW threshold
The official figures are in for the first quarter of 2012, and France now has 3,011 megawatts of photovoltaics installed. read more »
Communication Consultants
Energy policy » 04.05.2012
Ontario's new FITs expected in a week
The Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) published its proposals for changes to Ontario's feed-in tariffs for solar at the end of April. The province is currently wrapping up a scheduled review of the policy, which put Ontario at the forefront of renewables in North America. read more »
Phoenix Solar AG
Photovoltaics » 04.05.2012
Global Solar Council for free trade
A number of solar firms announced the founding of a new organization yesterday to promote "the global development and growth of solar energy." Specifically, the organization aims to provide a counterweight to CASM, the group spearheaded by SolarWorld that calls for import duties against products from China. read more »
Foto: ZSW
Photovoltaics » 02.05.2012
Storing solar power
Researchers in a Franco-German project have come up with a power storage system that considerably increases direct consumption from roof arrays. Such applications are becoming increasingly important in countries like Germany, which has implemented a kind of real-time net-metering called "own consumption." read more »
