Markets

More details have emerged over what the photovoltaic industry can expect to see in Germany’s new EEG (renewable energy law). The Environment Ministry has refused to comment on the speculation before the next meeting of the mediation committee, to be held today, however.

GTM Research forecasts that a massive 60 GW of photovoltaic product capacity will come offline by 2015, as supply continues to outstrip demand. The company furthermore believes that module manufacturing costs will reach US$0.45/W and that product differentiation will be key to survival.

Italy’s next renewable energy law, the Conto Energia V could soon be approved. It is believed that most of the regional state rejections should be taken into account, and that a gradual transition will be adopted.

According to IMS Research, photovoltaic suppliers are suffering from “huge” pressure, following a 75 percent drop in gross profits in the first quarter (Q1) of 2012. It predicts that they will continue to fall, as a result of the persistent price pressures and competitive market conditions.

Photovoltaic installer Sunsolar Energy Systems has announced that it will build a 30 megawatt (MW) fab in the West-Midlands region of England. The company has been awarded a GPB5 million (US$7.8 million) grant from the government to build the facility and will invest a further GBP5 million themselves.

LDK Solar has seen some improvement on its fourth quarter 2011 (Q4) financial results, with Q1 achieving slight progress. However, with declining net sales and a stagnant gross margin, the Chinese photovoltaic manufacturer still has a long way to go before it is in the black. It has additionally adjusted its full year (FY) guidance.

According to reports, an agreement on Germany’s photovoltaic subsidies could be reached before the summer break. A decision was said to have been made at a meeting between new Environment Minister, Altmaier, and opposition and state politicians, yesterday, June 25.

U.S.-based Global Solar Energy, Inc’s German subsidiary, Global Solar Energy Deutschland GmbH (GSED) has applied for insolvency proceedings. “High” inventories, “collapsing” prices and “significant” European feed-in tariff reductions have been cited as the main reasons.

While recent price reductions in crystalline-silicon (c-Si) photovoltaics has seen pressure mount on alternative technologies, a new Lux Research report forecasts rapid growth in high-concentrating photovoltaics (HCPV). As such, the future of HCPV may be bright if companies in the field can survive the current tough market.

Chinese polysilicon producers are allegedly putting pressure on their government to impose duties on U.S. imports.