Markets & Policy

The Spanish government must put more reasonable photovoltaics (PV) feed-in tariff (FIT) laws in place and allow all parties adequate access to the power grid if it is to remain competitive, an industry expert has told pv magazine.

China’s Shandong province has set an electricity purchase price of 1.7 yuan (25 cents) a kilowatt-hour for photovoltaic (PV) power plants for this year. It has also been said that next year and in 2012 Shandong will lower the tariffs for ground-mounted PV plants to 1.4 yuan and 1.2 yuan a kilowatt-hour, respectively.

Following the proposed compromise to cut photovoltaics (PV) feed-in tariff (FIT) incentives by three percent this month, put forward by the German parliamentary mediation committee between the German Bundestag and the Bundesrat for solar promotion yesterday, Phoenix Solar AG has said it expects to see “a substantial increase in consolidated revenue”.

Manz Automation AG has said it is currently seeing “a significant revitalization in the thin film segment”. The news comes as the company announces its acquisition of €8 million worth of new thin film orders in Germany and the U.S.

German photovoltaic feed-in tariff cuts should be slightly reduced and implemented in two stages – including retroactively – according to a recommendation issued by the parliamentary mediation committee between the German Bundestag and the Bundesrat for solar promotion.

Solar inverter manufacturer SMA Solar has raised its profit expectations for this year, due to the fact it sees the global solar market growing at least 30 percent faster than it previously forecast.

Publicly funded demonstration projects and trials (DTs), such as those for photovoltaics (PV), are “vitally important” for developing low-carbon technologies in the fight against global warming. However, according to new research from the Advanced Institute of Management Research (AIM Research), the process of innovation needs to be managed holistically for DTs to be effective.

The Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has unveiled new guidelines for off-grid and decentralized solar applications, which are to be achieved as a part of the National Solar Mission. Rooftop and other small solar power plants are also included.

President Barack Obama has announced that USD$1.85 billion in conditional commitments will be made available in the form of loan guarantees to two U.S. solar companies. As a result, one of the world’s biggest solar plants is scheduled to be built in Arizona, while around 5,000 jobs are expected to be created.

Intersolar North America and Solartech have announced an expanded partnership for the 2010 Intersolar North America conference. Under the agreement, Solartech will now provide an additional program offering at the conference. Other reciprocal elements between both organizations will extend into next year.