Solar ... In the news

A question about : Solar ... In the news

Hi All

Thought it was about time we had a thread specifically to discuss relevant press articles relating to solar pv & thermal ..... so here goes ...

Z

Best answers:

• First article ....
  "Over 300 small Chinese solar companies stopped operating in 2012"
  https://www.pv-tech.org/news/over_300..._2012_says_enf
  .... looks like a number of customers will be sitting on a pretty meaningless warranty, but the good news is that "Crystalline-based module prices stood at €0.68/Wp (US$0.92) in December 2011 but by December 2012 had fallen to just €0.46/Wp (US$0.60)." ....
  HTH
  Z
• Warren Buffet has invested between $2 and $2.5 billion in two SunPower solar photovoltaic power plant projects in California.
  Warren Buffett In $2 Billion Solar Deal
  There's money in them thar panels.
• I believe California has some kind of FITs scheme about to start ?
• Hiya, not exactly news as this article is 10 months old. But it gives a lot of info, especially supply & demand curve economics in a very neat package.
  Also the PV install graph (near the bottom) is up to date.
  https://carbonclear.blogspot.co.uk/20...and-curve.html
  Mart.
• Hi
  Information for US solar incentives .... Federal & by state ....
  https://www.pvpower.com/SolarIncentives.html
  Interesting to note that despite the USA having been such a slow starter, California alone now has a similar installed capacity to the UK.
  HTH
  Z
• This a few months old but interesting nonetheless. HSBC has a strong far east presence so will have good contacts to know what is happening in China regarding the struggles of their solar producers. Goes along with the article in post 2 but its clearly not just the smaller producers that are struggling.
  https://www.hsbcnet.com/gbm/global-in...-required.html
• How to bring light to the masses, South African style.
  iShack a bright idea
• However, China has just connected its first domestic PV system and if their incetives work they could soak up all the extra production domestically.
  There is a theory in the industry that their government has had a plan to push production costs down by flooding the market to make their panels affordable domestically and also eliminating competition in the west. They have a proper plan there...
  https://www.solarguide.co.uk/chinas-f...-to-state-grid
• The way technology advances, I wouldn't be surprised if some time in the future it might even be worth changing panels for more efficient ones anyway(financially especially), considering the 25 year (now 20 year) time line of FiTs. And even after the FiT stops being paid beyond that it may likely still be a viable thing to do the way electricity prices are going. There doesn't seem to be much evidence of solar panels failing common place so far.