Magazine Archive 06-2012

Indian market update: After over two years of policy deliberations and growing pains, India is finally seeing solar installations in meaningful numbers. However, financing is proving to be a big problem on the back of low bids. Quality issues are also being raised. Raj Prabhu, Managing Partner of Mercom Capital Group provides an update.

FITs: Japan has taken a bold leap into a renewable future. Ontario enacted cuts to its generous feed-in tariff scheme, but offset these with an easing of its infamous bureaucracy. In addition, three U.S. states have also introduced support schemes.

Spain: While Spain continues to suffer from the financial crisis, revival of government PV subsidies is farther away than ever before. However, solar PV technology now has the chance to prove itself on the free market.

Solar refrigeration: The African markets could absorb millions of solar PV refrigeration units – if the market conditions were favorable. For the time being, solar refrigerators remain a niche market.

Intersolar Europe: With the goal of attracting 80,000 visitors from around 150 different countries, Intersolar Europe is continuing to pursue its ambitious mission to attract all the world’s PV decision makers to one location. But with around 2,000 exhibitors expected, how to make the most of your time at Intersolar is tricky. pv magazine has some hot tips as to how to optimize your Intersolar experience.

Affordable off-grid solar: More often than not solar generation fails to deliver in poor, rural off-grid communities, but new business models that spread the cost of solar electricity are making their mark.

Italy: Already at the last Solarexpo in Verona the Italian government managed to shock the country’s PV industry. At that time it announced Conto Energia IV, which provided for substantial cuts in subsidies for solar electricity. Now the government has even topped that and just before Solarexpo 2012 it presented an even more drastic Conto Energia V for discussion.