Campaign to slash red tape
Interview: Right across the PV industry it is well known that system prices are falling. In the U.S. one factor that is keeping installed costs artificially high is administrative and regulatory costs. Committed to cutting the red tape is the Solar Freedom Now coalition, which is being spearheaded by Barry Cinnamon, who spoke with pv magazine to outline what effect it could have and how the goal aligns with the 300 GW p.a. initiative.
Community energy gardens
Interview: Community-owned solar power is on the rise in the U.S. Kent James, Chief Strategy Officer of Martifer Solar USA, implemented a series of projects with the Colorado-based Clean Energy Collective and spoke with pv magazine about the benefits and barriers of the model.
Decentralizing
China: Large-scale solar power plants in western China have dominated the countrys PV market so far. However, new measures like a 500 MW per province rooftop PV program should give a big boost to distributed solar power. A report from Solarpraxis AGs and TÜV Rheinlands PV Module and PV Power Plant Workshop in Shanghai.
Downsizing is ubiquitous
Ardour Solar Index: Consolidation and trade war activities continue to pressure the solar index. Nearly all constituents feel pain.
Endangered species
Stock markets: The share prices of leading Chinese solar companies have dropped so significantly that the New York Stock Exchange is threatening them with a delisting. But an exit from the stock market would considerably worsen their financial outlook in the United States and Europe.
Finance challenges remain
India: With fewer exhibitors than last year, the Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo 2012 closed its doors in the second week of November in New Delhi. The numbers reflect a slowdown in Indian market development, mainly due to a lack of cheap finance.
Financing is not a big problem
Interview: Azure Powers CEO Inderpreet Wadhwa sees a big future, especially for PPAs and off-grid projects in India.
Getting processes right
Audits in China: Bankability is no easy process and includes a thorough technical audit of the company manufacturing the solar panels. Accelios Solar GmbH has perfected a point system to measure the quality of PV module production and its audit of HT-SAAE provides a textbook example of how this auditing process works.
Global FIT overview
Feed-in tariffs: Australia jumped the gun on its planned FIT cuts. France is jumping on the domestic content bandwagon and planning to move to an auction system. Germany greatly overshot its target corridor, triggering steep degressions in the coming months. And the Tennessee Valley Authority has tweaked its incentive program.
Green power to gas
Power to gas solution: The electricity grid is under pressure to restructure itself to accept more renewable power. Power has been generated from gas conventionally. Now there is a practical option to go the other way too, power to gas, giving renewable-generated power a smart solution for storage and use.
