Germany Sets Goal of 35% Renewable Energy by 2020

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, along with cabinet members, has announced an accelerated energy plan for the country. Under the plan, all nuclear power stations in Germany will be shut down by 2022, as the country "aims to enter the age of renewables as quickly as possible."

"The resolution is absolutely clear," the announcement states. "There is no loophole that would allow power stations to operate beyond this cut-off date in order to deliver agreed-upon electricity quotas."

As the nuclear facilities are decommissioned, Germany will increase its percentage of energy generated from solar energy and other renewable energy sources. The target is to raise the percentage from 17% today to 35% in 2020. For this to be achieved, the new energies must be reliable and marketable, the government adds.

"We need an entirely new architecture for our energy system and energy supply for the electricity of the future," Merkel stated.


Source:  Solar Industry

Trina Solar Signs 130 MW Module Deal

Trina Solar Ltd. says its subsidiary Trina Solar (Germany) GmbH has signed a sales agreement with Mohring Energie GmbH, a Germany-based project developer and engineering, procurement and construction services company. Under terms of the agreement, Trina Solar is expected to deliver to Mohring 130 MW of the company's solar modules in the second and third quarter of this year. Initial shipments have already commenced. Source:  Solar Industry

German Integrator Takes Top Spot In New Global PV System Installer Rankings

Germany-based Belectric developed more than 300 MW of PV systems in 2010, propelling it to the top of IMS Research's newly released list of 2010 PV system integrator rankings.

However, despite the top spot and a three-fold increase in PV systems developed, Belectric still only managed to capture a 2.4% share of the non-residential PV market, estimated at 13.2 GW by IMS Research.

The company (formerly known as Beck Energy) narrowly edged out Germany-based juwi, and ranked five places ahead of 2009 leader Q-Cells International, which saw little growth last year.

"Our ongoing quarterly survey of close to 500 system integrators and engineering, procurement and construction contractors revealed a fragmented market - with the top 30 suppliers holding only a 22.1% aggregate share, down two percentage points on the previous year," says Ash Sharma, PV research director at IMS Research.

The latest global rankings also reveal Germany's ongoing PV dominance, with 13 of the top 30 system integrators from that market, IMS Research adds. Even though newly added annual German PV capacity is expected to decline in the coming years, it is clear that these companies will remain prominent, according to the report.

"German system integrators have become increasingly active in foreign markets, whilst maintaining a domestic stranglehold," explains Sharma. "They accounted for 19 of the top 20 rankings in Germany last year.”

U.S.-based system integrators are gaining ground rapidly, as revealed by IMS Research in January, and two players, SunPower and SunEdison, were the biggest integrators in 2010 in Italy, the world’s second-largest market. Surprisingly, only three Italian companies appear in their top 10 domestic rankings, with many large U.S., German and Spanish suppliers quickly moving into this exploding market.

IMS Research expects the U.S. non-residential market to become flooded by EPCs, with massive growth predicted for this year and 2012. "We've already identified close to 150 active U.S.-based system integrators, plus many more European and Asian companies that are entering this promising market," says Sharma.

The full rankings are available here.

SOURCE: IMS Research

7.25 GW Solar Installed in Germany in 2010

New figures released by Germany's Federal Network Agency show that 1,073 MW of PV were installed in the country in December - the second-highest monthly capacity for the year. Although no end-of-year rally took place, 2010 was another record-breaking year for the German PV industry, says Bonn, Germany-based market research firm EuPD Research.

Installed capacity in 2010 totaled 7.25 GW in 242,893 systems, representing year-over-year growth of 91%. "These figures are not a surprise," says Markus A.W. Hoehner, CEO of EuPD Research. "Newly installed capacity is, for the most part, in line with our forecast."

Systems between 10 kW and 30 kW made up 26% of newly installed capacity, making them the greatest contributor to growth in 2010. The midsize to large-size market segment - systems between 100 kW and 500 kW - showed year-over-year growth of 174%.

Bavaria once again led Germany in 2010, with an installed capacity of 2,379 MW, EuPD Research adds. The state of Baden-Wuerttemberg came in second, and North Rhine-Westphalia came in third.

Although business was slow at the start of this year, the market is set to pull forward in the coming months, as soon as prices stabilize, EuPD Research predicts. The company also believes that development in the German market is likely to be somewhat dependent on the political decisions pending in Italy.

Overall, EuPD Research anticipates moderate growth in the German market this year.

SOURCE: EuPD Research

Germany Cuts Solar Power Subsidies

German lawmakers passed a law on Thursday cutting solar power subsidies by up to 15% from this summer, six months earlier than originally planned, dealing a blow to the world's biggest photovoltaic market. The German lower parliamentary house voted to introduce the cuts for solar roof installations from July and for ground-based solar arrays from September.

The vote ratified a compromise deal agreed at the start of this month by the German cabinet that brought to an end a dispute between the economy and environment ministries. The economy ministry had wanted cuts of up to 25% to slow booming growth in the sector in Germany. A government advisory panel presented a report in January saying the photovoltaic sector in Germany was growing too fast, but the German solar power association (BSW) lobby group said a cap would devastate the sector and endanger 130,000 jobs. Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen announced plans last month to bring forward the start of the subsidy cuts by six months to July 1.

Germany is the world's biggest photovoltaic energy market and has helped drive down prices for solar photovoltaic systems. The solar energy industry in Germany boomed after the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) in 2000, which guarantees investors above-market fees for solar power for 20 years from the point of installation. Germany added 7 gigawatts (GW) of capacity in 2010 to bring the total to nearly 17 GW, equal to 17 large power plants. 

In 2010 German incentives for renewables -- about half of which was for solar power -- totalled about $17.9 billion.

German government, solar industry association conclude FiT cut conundrum

Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen and the German Solar Industry Association have agreed to bring forward the reductions of financial support for solar power in order to facilitate the further expansion of photovoltaics in Germany. The government revealed late last week that, together with the industry, it was set to bring in a reduction of up to 12%, which would be pulled forward six months to July 1^st this year.

"The industry and I have agreed...that there need to be a reduction in [solar electricity] subsidies," Röettgen told delegates at the annual Handelsblatt energy conference in Berlin on Wednesday.

This early reduction could amount to between 3 and 15%, depending on market growth. The basis for calculating this early reduction will be the development of domestic photovoltaic demand from March to May 2011, as determined by the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur).

If, however, the market slows and projected market growth for the entirety of 2011 is less than 3.5GWp, the first feed-in tariff adjustment won't occur until the beginning of 2012, as previously planned.

"We welcome this clear political commitment to expanding photovoltaics, to Germany as a production site and to the more than 130,000 jobs created so far by photovoltaic technology," said Günther Cramer, president of BSW-Solar.

The objective in expanding photovoltaics is to increase the proportion of Germany's power supplied by solar energy from around 2% currently to at least 10% by 2020, while simultaneously cutting costs by at least half during the same period.

"Moving these flexible portions forward sets the photovoltaic industry an ambitious goal of further reducing costs within a very short space of time, so that the price of photovoltaic systems remains attractive to consumers. This agreement on flexible adjustment to financial support makes it possible to avoid introducing a fixed cap to the market.

A fixed cap would not only cancel out competitive market forces, but would also prove counterproductive to the objective of further reducing the price of photovoltaic systems," continued Cramer. "Flexible adjustments to the feed-in tariff contribute significantly to attaining our goal of expanding installed photovoltaic capacity from 52-70GW by 2020, while limiting the cost of solar power to around two cents/kWh."

The solar industry is also expected to expand module production and upstream production steps in Germany from 3.2GW to more than 8GW by 2020, shaping the global move toward a renewable energy supply, with a substantial proportion of ‘made in Germany’ photovoltaics.

Cramer states, "Our objective in this is to become capable of competing with conventional energy sources as quickly as possible. Thanks to great successes in cost reduction, first market segments will be independent of financial support by 2017."

Germany Sets Higher Targets for Renewable Energy by 2050

Yesterday the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, announced a bold plan to slash the use of fossil fuels by 2050. The plan calls for renewable energy to supply 60% of the country’s energy needs by 2050.

As the environment minister Norbert Röttgen stated, it is “the most ambitious energy programme ever seen, not only inGermany”.

The plan will also extend the life of nuclear power plants by an average of twelve years. Nuclear plants built before 1980 will be able to operate eight years longer than planned, and plants built after 1980 will produce electricity up to 14 years longer. This will enable the country to close its last nuclear reactor sometime in the 2030’s.

Although it is an unpopular move locally, as Germans strongly oppose nuclear, this decision will enable nuclear to be a bridging technology between today’s electricity generation which relies heavily on coal and lignite (more than 40 percent) and the future.

This will also bring important sums of money to finance renewable energy projects as the operators of the nuclear power plants will pay large taxes.More will be needed as the Financial Times notes

The government reckons it will cost Germany an annual €20bn until 2050 to reduce emissions by four-fifths compared with 1990, and to raise the share of electricity from renewable sources from 16 per cent to 80 per cent.

Germany also plans to invest massively in energy efficiency and smart grids. It is planning to cut its greenhouse gases emissions by 40 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.

Not all European nations are acting the same on energy, climate change and cleantech policies.

Germany is the historical leader and is followed by the United Kingdom, Norway and Spain. Countries like Portugal and France are also acting importantly.

If Europe wants to have the slightest chance to have a word in the cleantech arms race it has to embrace as a whole the examples of the United Kingdom and Germany.

Source:CleanTechies

SOLON introduces innovative solution for remote control and monitoring of solar power plants

 The SOLON SCADA system is a web-based monitoring, control, and reporting system, specially designed for use in the energy provider and large-scale power plant sectors. The SOLON SCADA system delivers real-time, 24-hour information on a power plant’s vital data – from the current output to the components and detailed analyses. Rapid detection of potential malfunctions in the power plant operation can help to minimize downtimes while maximizing yields. 

The SOLON SCADA system is the first system which, via a WEB 2.0 interface, makes it possible to not only remotely monitor but also control and provide maintenance for solar power plants. No additional software is required. Users with a computer connected to the Internet can access data on the system, weather, production, or even the status of servicing via the SOLON SCADA system; furthermore, it can also provide trend charts, target/actual analyses, and business case reports. It can be used as well to make comparisons between SOLON power plants at different sites. The modular design of the SOLON SCADA system allows it to be easily adapted to power plants of different sizes and types of technologies, or even implemented when expanding a power plant. 

The user-friendly, operator-oriented system complies with all current grid guidelines and can accommodate the integration of a wide variety of control interfaces. The industrial components used in the system are certified, exceptionally durable, and have proven themselves time and again in the field, proving that the system can be used worldwide for a variety of purposes and that it works reliably, even under extreme operating conditions. The SOLON SCADA system is now available. 


About SOLON SE: 

SOLON SE is one of the largest manufacturers of solar modules in Europe as well as a supplier of solar system technology for large-scale rooftop and greenfield installations. The SOLON Group has subsidiaries in Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and the U.S. and employs some 900 people worldwide. SOLON’s core business is producing solar modules and photovoltaic systems along with planning and constructing large rooftop installations and turnkey solar power plants all over the world.

Germany Adds 4.88 GW in 2010 so Far

Seemingly determined to put an end to speculation that solar photovoltaics (PV) can't "scale" quickly enough to make a dent in electricity consumption, the German solar industry continues to break records.

According to the latest data from the Bundesnetzagentur, Germany's solar industry added another 1,000 MW during July and August. This brings the total for the eight-month period from January through August to 4,900 MW from nearly 175,000 solar installations.

Solar PV installations to date in 2010 are capable of generating slightly less than 5 TWh of electricity under German conditions.

Germany consumed 580 TWh of electricity in 2009.

Installations of solar PV during the first eight months of 2010 are capable of providing 0.86% or nearly 1% of the country's electricity. At the current pace of development, Germany will add about 6,000 MW of PV for all of 2010 or more than enough to provide 1% of electricity supply.

Germany currently meets approximately 1% of its supply with solar PV. With the 2010 additions, the country will meet 2% of its supply with solar PV.

Wind energy supplied 6.5% of Germany's electricity in 2009. Germany is expected to add another 4 TWh of generation from wind energy in 2010 or somewhat less than 1% of consumption.

Critics of solar energy have often charged that solar could not be scaled or installed quickly enough to have a significant effect on electricity supply. It is now clear that solar PV can indeed scale where the policies are designed to do so.

Source:   Renewable Energy World

3 GW of PV Installed in Germany in First Half of 2010

Photovoltaic system installations in Germany in the first half of this year are estimated at 3 GW, reaffirming Germany's leadership position in the solar market, according to Germany Trade and Invest, a foreign trade and inward investment agency of the Federal Republic of Germany.

In 2009, Germany accounted for approximately one of every two newly installed modules worldwide, with total installations totaling 3.8 GW for the year.

Amendments to the PV feed-in tariffs (FITs) in Germany's Renewable Energies Act (EEG) were passed in early July and a further adjustment to the FITs will take effect Oct. 1. The changes mark a further shift toward the rooftop segment by abandoning field installations on cropland and increasing the attractiveness of the self-consumption bonus for small- and medium-scale rooftop installations.

The FIT rates were reduced by 13% for rooftop installations and eliminated for cropland field installations beginning July 1. At the same time, conversion areas saw a reduction of 8%, and all other areas were decreased by 12%. Beginning Oct. 1, these rates will be reduced by a further 3%. Still, the new tariffs remain highly attractive, with rates ranging from 25.02 eurocents/kWh to 34.05 eurocents/kWh for installations connected before Oct. 1 and 24.26 eurocents/kWh to 33.03 eurocents/kWh for those connected during the remainder of the year.

The changes to the EEG are a reaction to the increased price competitiveness of photovoltaic systems, including the recent price drop for solar panels and components. By 2013, energy from PV sources is expected to be competitive with conventional energy sources in the electricity market for private consumers.

SOURCE: Germany Trade and Invest

Germans Implement Feed in Tariff Cuts Retroactive to July 1, 2010

The German Parliament and federal states have reached an agreement on the country's planned cuts to solar project funding. Under the terms of the compromise, the subsidies will be cut in two separate phases, according to a report from EuPD Research.

The feed-in-tariff reductions will remain at their agreed-upon levels. Retroactive to July 1, the cuts will be set at 13% for rooftop systems, 12% for open-space systems and 8% for surfaces designated for land-use change. The three tariffs will be decreased by an additional three percentage points on Oct. 1.

The German Bundestag and Bundesrat are expected to agree to the compromise this week, EuPD Research says. Meanwhile, planned elimination of subsidies for farmland projects in July will go forward as planned.

SOURCE: EuPD Research

Intersolar 2010 Sets New Records (again)

The world's largest exhibition for the solar industry, Intersolar Europe, exceeded the expectations of the organizers last week in Munich, Germany. Close to 72,000 visitors from around 150 nations visited Intersolar Europe at the New Munich Trade Fair Center. 1,880 exhibitors, 33% more than in 2009 presented their products and services on 134,000 m² of exhibition area covering twelve halls and the connected outdoor area.

The organizers of Intersolar Europe, in cooperation with the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) from Berlin jointly presented the Intersolar Award.

The overwhelming success of Intersolar Europe 2010 can be summed up with the phrase: 'a world champion!', believes  Markus Elsasser, managing director of Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim, one of the two organizers of Intersolar Europe. "The number of visitors exceeded our wildest expectations. According to the preliminary results we were able to welcome around 72,000 visitors – an increase of around 23% of the previous year. Intersolar Europe thus sends a strong signal from Munich to the solar industry around the world", he said.

For the third time running, the Intersolar Award rewarded innovative, groundbreaking products and services at Intersolar Europe. The organizers of Intersolar Europe, in cooperation with the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) from Berlin jointly presented the Intersolar Award.

This year, prizes were awarded in the fields of “Photovoltaics” and “Solar Thermal Technology” and for the first time in the category “PV Production Technology”.

The Intersolar Award for “Photovoltaics” went to ABB Schweiz AG, Gehrlicher Solar AG and SMA Solar Technology AG this year. The following companies received the Intersolar Award in the new category “PV Production Technology”: Festo AG & Co. KG, GEMO-TEC Ltd. and Gebr. Schmid GmbH + Co.

The winners in the "Solar thermal" category were FSAVE Solartechnik GmbH, InvenSor Gmbh as well as the joint submission from the Institute for Building Construction and Design at Stuttgart University, Ritter Energie- und Umwelttechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Hydro Building Systems GmbH and Frener & Reifer Metallbau GmbH.

source:  Renewable Energy World

Sharp Starts Building Thin Film Modules in Germany

Hamburg, Germany: 

For the first time, Sharp Energy Solutions Europe is building solar power plants for energy providers in Germany. It is a project in cooperation with EnBW Erneuerbare Energien GmbH on the one hand and a project for the Pfalzwerke Aktiengesellschaft through the partner Eurosol on the other.

With an investment of around € 6 million in 2009, both megawatt projects promise good yields. Sharp’s silicon-based thin-film technology is a central success factor for the profitability of photovoltaics.

EnBW is entering into the solar energy market as an investor with the Leibertingen solar park in Baden-Württemberg and makes use of Sharp‘s solar technology in the process. The same goes for Pfalzwerke Aktiengesellschaft, with its photovoltaic plant in Höheinöd, Rhineland-Palatinate.

“Together with our partners, we could realise a showcase project which will act as a beacon even beyond the boundaries of the regions”, says Peter Thiele, Executive Vice President of Sharp Energy Solution Europe. “Both solar power plants clearly demonstrate how cost-effective photovoltaics can be, especially the thin-film technology. They make it clear that photovoltaics is a secure, profitable and environmentally friendly energy technology, thus making it a lucrative future model for energy providers.”

Roughly 17,000 Sharp thin-film modules produce environmentally friendly electricity in each of the solar power plants.

Second-generation microamorphous thin-film modules are used in both power plants: the 1.42 square metre silicon-based modules generate a high yield and are well-suited to sophisticated system designs thanks to their low output voltage of 60 volts.

“We put the world’s largest thin film cell factory online in March 2010 in Sakai, thus increasing our production capacity to its current 870 megawatts,” reports Peter Thiele. The technology enterprise also produces LCD panels in addition to solar cells here. The similar production processes secure important competitive advantages for Sharp:

"In Sakai, we can produce the raw material-saving thin film modules highly efficiently and cost-consciously”, Peter Thiele continues.

In the future, Sharp intends to produce thin film cells in Sakai in a microamorphous triple-junction structure and expand the production capacity to up to 1,000 megawatts.

source:  Sharp Energy

SCHOTT Solar Upgrades Guarantee on Solar Power Modules

By introducing a new extended performance guarantee, SCHOTT Solar AG is offering new buying and investment incentives on photovoltaics. The company has now switched over its warranty on solar power modules from being a graduated to a linear digressive model that guarantees customers higher performance than before for each year covered by the guarantee period. Already in September 2009, SCHOTT Solar extended its warranty on its glass-foil modules to 25 years and to 30 years for its double glass modules and also introduced continuous “Plus Tolerance”. Together with the new linear performance guarantee, system operators will now be able to benefit from even higher, fixed calculable yields and thus improve their return on equity.

The previous warranty on photovoltaic modules that SCHOTT Solar had issued guaranteed that output would remain at a constant level of 90 percent for the first 10 years and 80 percent beyond that period. In the future, the company will be guaranteeing output of at least 97 percent for the first year. Then this declines only slightly by 0.7 percent per year on glass-foil modules and 0.5 percent on double glass modules for the remaining period. In other words, SCHOTT Solar customers can count on receiving higher guaranteed output each year during the term of the guarantee in comparison to the previous policy. With glass-foil modules, this will be up to 10 percentage points higher than in the past and even as much as 12 percentage points higher for double glass modules.

A 6 KWp installation on top of a roof, for example, helps to illustrate how the efficiency of photovoltaic systems improves rather considerably as a result of the extended performance guarantee from SCHOTT Solar. If one were to take the solar radiation in the Rhine-Main region for a period of 20 years, starting on December 31, 2010, for example, the guaranteed yield that the new policy would cover would increase by 6.5 percent from 37,128 euros to 39,530 euros. The return on equity would increase from 4.52 to 5.39 percent.

Ökotest and Fraunhofer ISE confirm quality

The new output guarantee from SCHOTT Solar is made possible by the exceptionally high quality standards in the areas of development and manufacturing that were repeatedly confirmed only recently by independent parties. For instance, for its April 2008 edition, the consumer magazine “Ökotest” tested a total of 15 solar modules from German and foreign manufacturers for their ability to perform and possible defects. The SCHOTT Poly 220 module was given the top score of "Very Good". And in the long-term test performed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg, the modules from SCHOTT Solar also proved to deliver exceptionally stable performance. Even after 25 years of permanent use, the degradation was only 9 percent.

"The name SCHOTT Solar stands for reliable premium quality in photovoltaics all over the world. This applies to our warranty in particular – and will do so even more in the future," emphasizes Dr. Martin Heming, Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of SCHOTT Solar AG, and adds: "With our new performance guarantee that has been improved from the customer’s point of view, we are setting clear accents in competing at a time when buying decisions are highly dependent on being able to achieve returns without having to take any risks. We view this measure to be an important step in further strengthening consumer confidence in us as a manufacturer," he concludes.

Source:   Renewable Energy sources

Avancis to Construct Second CIGS Manufacturing Plant

Torgau, Germany: Avancis to Construct Second Thin Film Manufacturing Plant

Saint-Gobain's subsidiary Avancis, will be building a new manufacturing plant to produce photovoltaic modules to cover the roofs of residential, industrial and commercial buildings as well as for solar plants. This industrial site will be located in Torgau, Germany, where the Group is already present through Saint- Gobain Glass (flat glass and coated glass), Saint-Gobain Sekurit (automotive glass) and Avancis (PV modules).

This new plant will be Avancis’ second German facility manufacturing thin-film CIGS (Copper - Indium - Gallium - Selenide) photovoltaic panels. It will be built close to the first Avancis industrial site.

The new Avancis plant will have a production output of 100 MWp/year, capable of supplying year after year the electricity needs for cities of 15,000 inhabitants. With a surface area of 25,000m², the site should come on stream by the first quarter of 2012.

The innovative technology based on depositing a coating of CIGS on a glass substrate offers a way to avoid traditional crystalline silicon and achieve higher conversion efficiencies than other thin-film technologies (above 12% industrially and up to 20% in the laboratory). The company says it is also efficient at lower light levels, and offers competitive advantages in terms of manufacturing costs. In addition, its aesthetic style is particularly appealing.

This technology requires leading-edge expertise when it comes to coating and thermally-treating glass material, two core-competency processes for Saint-Gobain, the world’s leading coated glass specialist for the building and automotive industries.

“This project marks a new milestone in Saint-Gobain’s commitment to the renewable energy sector. With this plant, Saint-Gobain will boost the industrial development of Avancis and help it become a major reference in the field of high-efficiency thin-film PV modules” explains Jean-Pierre Floris, President of the Innovative Materials Sector and Senior-Vice President of Saint-Gobain.

The company says this is an extremely promising technology which combines the low production costs associated with all thin-film based techniques, with efficiencies approaching the higher levels achieved using polycrystalline silicon cells. Whilst being well-adapted for solar fields, the Avancis modules are particularly recommended for roof installation, being simple to mount, stylish and reliable.

Source:   solarbuzz

German PV Manufacturers Can Expect Difficulties

Munich, June 9, 2010 - Roland Berger Although photovoltaics (PV) is a growing market, competitors from Asia in particular are stepping up the pressure on German manufacturers. Worldwide, the industry will continue to expand by around 35% per annum. Oversupply and improved cost efficiency will nevertheless cause prices to drop by as much as 15% per year.

One consequence of ever fiercer competition is that German companies will offshore production to low-cost regions such as Asia. As a result, German firms that do keep production onshore will face the threefold threat of low-cost competition from Asia, declining sales at home and a dwindling presence in the world's growth markets. These are the findings of a market study entitled "Light and shade – German PV companies in the global competitive arena".

he report concludes:

- Competition heating up for German solar power companies
– few prepared to face difficult market climate
- More production will be off-shored to Asia
- Not every German photovoltaic company will survive
- Success factors: Production volumes that are large enough to facilitate low costs and healthy market access – especially in project business – to fuel high-volume sales.

Source:  SolarPlaza

Ventizz Study: German solar supplers enter consolidation phase

The market for German solar companies is facing consolidation. This is shown by the results of a recent study by Wiesbaden Business School on behalf of Ventizz Private Equity AG. Participants are forecasting strong growth over the coming years with a simultaneous decrease in the number of suppliers. Further internationalization of sales and production are clearly apparent – in particular shifting to Asia.

The majority of German solar suppliers questioned are expecting a period of consolidation for the industry over the next two years. More than 40% of companies are playing a passive role – they are not actively planning acquisitions or mergers or preparing for corresponding talks. This passive behavior could reinforce German technology being sold off to other countries, thus endangers German solar equipment companies´ leading position on the global market. “Foreign investors in particular believe that this process offers an opportunity to acquire German expertise,” commented Dr. Helmut Vorndran, a Managing Partner with Ventizz Private Equity, on the results of this study. “That means that the solar equipment sector could see a repeat of the trends in other industries, such as tooling machine manufacturers: The centers of competence are increasingly migrating from Germany to China or South Korea. That means that another German domain – solar equipment suppliers – could find itself in a dangerous situation.”

To read full article click here.

First Solar to Double German PV Manufacturing Capacity

First Solar Inc. plans to expand its German manufacturing plant in Frankfurt an der Oder - doubling local production capacity and creating several hundred new jobs.

The company, which already employs more than 600 associates in Frankfurt to manufacture its thin-film solar modules, says it is in advanced talks with the German regional and federal authorities to obtain the necessary regulatory permits and financial framework for the expansion.

The expansion would be the first major foreign direct investment in the German green technology sector this year, according to First Solar. It would double the annual capacity of the manufacturing plant to around 446 MW by the fourth quarter of 2011 from 223 MW. The expansion also helps the company increase its natural income hedge against euro/dollar exchange rate risk by producing more in Germany for European customer demand, First Solar adds.

SOURCE: First Solar

German FIT Changes Still Being Negotated

Germany's upper house of parliament has voted to reduce the severity of the reductions planned for solar installations in the country.

Under the chamber's new plan, subsidies for rooftop and ground-mounted installations would be cut only up to 10%, Bloomberg reports. The existing proposal, supported by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition, would reduce solar subsidies between 11% and 16%.

The bill, as approved by the upper house of parliament, will now be sent to a committee comprising both houses. However, Merkel's coalition holds the power to reject changes with a second vote in the lower house.

The subsidy reductions are due to take effect July 1.

Source:   Solar Industry

German PV Market Could Double, Despite Feed-In-Tariff Cuts

Despite rumors of a slow-down, the German PV market could have another banner year in 2010, setting yet another record for the world’s largest solar market.

Henning Wicht, senior director and principal analyst at iSuppli, a leading technology market research firm, predicts up to 7 Gigawatts will be installed in Germany in 2010.

“The experiences from Spain in 2008 and Germany in the second half of 2009 indicate that the German market in 2010 can grow by 100 percent,” Wicht said.



Despite the looming cuts in Germany’s feed-in tariffs, solar continues to represent attractive investment conditions, said Wicht, a headlining speaker at next week’s global solar conference, “The Solar Future,” in Munich.

“Also, after the feed-in tariff cuts in 2010, we will still see attractive investment rates for all roof-top installations and self-consumption,” Wicht said. “Everyday, we are anxiously awaiting new data on the monthly installation report published by the Bundesnetzagentur (German Grid Agency). But the exciting time is now.”

Wicht is one of a dozen industry experts slated to speak at SolarPlaza’s 12th executive conference June 8 in Munich. The conference offers a single-day event, packed with information and insight from an all-star panel of industry experts like Wicht.

“With so much activity in the world solar market now, industry players need to be up to the minute on the latest news and trends,” said Edwin Koot, CEO of conference organizer Solarplaza. “Solar has proven again that it will defy conventional wisdom.”

Italy may overtake Germany as the leading market, with the US, France, Japan and China soon to follow, Wicht said.

“We expect numerous countries offering solar incentives which are not yet visible today. Indeed we expect markets to shift, however, Europe will still attract approximately 60 percent of all installations,” according to Wicht.

For more information on the conference “The Solar Future” in Munich on June 8 at the Sheraton Munich Arabellapark , and to register, please visit www.thesolarfuture.com , or contact Edwin Koot, e.koot@solarplaza.com .

Source:  Solar Plaza