NEWS

French plans Country drafts rules for 10 per cent FIT bonus for PV products made in Europe

The French Department of Ecology for Tecsol (Perpignan, France) have speculated This would mean that both the slicing of Sustainable Development, Transport and that the rule could be published before the wafers and processing of wafers to cells, or Housing has drafted a rule to create a 10 first round of the presidential election. the slicing of wafers and assembling of cells per cent bonus to the nation’s Feed-in Tariff into modules, or alternately the processing The regulation specifies that at least two (FIT) for use of solar photovoltaic (PV) of wafers to cells and assembly of cells into thirds of the PV production processes for components produced in the European modules, must take place in EEA member crystalline silicon technology from silicon Economic Area (EEA). states. The rule did not mention thin-film PV ingots to PV modules must be performed in modules, and is scheduled to take effect The proposed regulation was scheduled to the EEA to qualify for the bonus. The EEA from January 1st, 2013. be sent to the nation’s Supreme Council of includes Norway, which is not an EU Energy on April 18th, 2012. Analysts at Member State. German optimism 2012 solar PV system installations likely to exceed expectations

Solar PV system installations in Germany are likely to increase installations in Germany. holders, the projects need to be connected likely to exceed expectations in the second to grid by September 30, 2012. quarter, according to market observers. New Germany made 20-40 per cent cuts to solar policies call for all installation projects subsidies on April 1, 2012. However, the Due to demand increase in Germany and registered before February 24, 2012 to be government allows project owners that Italy, solar firms have been enjoying a rather completed by the end of June, or the end of obtained licenses before February 24, 2012 optimistic second quarter. Nevertheless, September for large-size systems. This has to continue enjoying the subsidies before the demand in Europe is likely to fall as the caused license holders to sell licenses cut if systems are connected to grid by June market moves into the third quarter due to obtained before February 24, and hence is 30, 2012. As for large-size system license completion of grid connections. Bulgarian plant SunEdison completes 60.4MW solar power plant

SunEdison and subsidiary of MEMC According to the company, IFC provided Construction of the 60.4 MWp / 50 MWac Electronic Materials have completed a €46.1m and mobilized an additional €41.1 plant began in September 2011, and it was €155m non-recourse debt financing m from through a syndication interconnected in March 2012. Located in arrangement with IFC, a member of the loan, while OPIC provided a $50m parallel Karadzhalovo - a village in the municipality World Bank Group, Overseas Private loan. UniCredit Bulbank acted as the of Parvomay, about 160 km southeast of Investment Corporation (OPIC) and Bulgarian local bank and provided a local the capital city - the project covers UniCredit Group for SunEdison’s 60.4MWp currency VAT facility worth approximately an area of 100 hectares (equivalent to 100 solar power plant in Bulgaria. SunEdison €30m (58,7 million Bulgarian lev). The total football fields) and uses more than 214,000 expects to complete the sale of the equity value of the debt for this transaction is solar modules. of this power plant in 2012. approximately €155m. EPIA President Winfried Hoffmann takes the reins

Dr. Winfried Hoffmann has become the new having spent more than 30 years working in GW of new grid-connected capacity President of the European Photovoltaic photovoltaics. He holds a Ph.D. in globally in 2011. Today the industry faces Industry Association (EPIA). He takes over biophysics, and in 1979 joined the major challenges even as our technology the position after having been elected as photovoltaic R&D group for thin film solar approaches competitiveness with EPIA’s new Vice-President, and after cells of NUKEM in 1979. He took over the conventional electricity sources. In the Vice-Presidents Boris Klebensberger and company’s leadership in 1985. Dr. coming years, we will need to work to Virgilio Navarro Sanchez-Sicilia declined the Hoffmann has also served as the Chairman create new markets and business models presidency. Additionally, Jerry Stokes has of the Board of RWE SCHOTT Solar GmbH, for PV. We will also need to make sure that been elected to fill a vacant seat as a and as Chief Technology Officer and Vice European policymakers understand the Director on EPIA’s eight-member Board. President of the Solar Business Group at importance of maintaining a stable The elections were held at EPIA’s Annual Applied Materials GmbH, where he was regulatory environment and of markets General Meeting in Brussels. later a consultant. based on principles of free and fair trade and fair competition principles. As EPIA’s Dr. Hoffmann, a Member of the Supervisory After his ascension to the EPIA presidency, new President, I look forward to addressing Board of SMA Solar Technology AG, is a Dr. Hoffmann said: “Solar PV has just had these challenges and helping guide our pioneer in the European solar industry, another record year -- with more than 28 industry into an even brighter future.”

6 PES: Europe NEWS

Spain’s gain Gehrlicher Solar to build 250 MW PV plant without subsidies

The German company has signed an “This mega project impressively that Mega-projects and internal agreement with the government of demonstrates that the PV industry, not only consumption are the two most important Extremadura, Spain, to build a 250 MW solar in Spain but throughout Europe, will be building blocks for the future. The photovoltaic (PV) project in the region. competitive even without subsidies,” states photovoltaic industry has only just started.” Gehrlicher Solar plans to develop the plant Gehrlicher Solar CEO Barea Guillermo. The plant will cover an area of 750 hectares, without the support of feed-in tariffs, starting and Gehrlicher Solar estimates that during construction in 2013 and completing the “With support from the government of the construction phase it will create 2,000 plant by 2015. On January 27th, 2012 Spain’s Extremadura, this project will make a direct and indirect jobs. ruling Popular Party suspended the nation’s significant contribution to the ‘renaissance’ Feed-in Tariff, pending a re-design. of the PV industry in Spain. I am convinced Region warning First Solar says European market ‘deteriorated’

First Solar is restructuring its costs and “After a thorough analysis, it is clear the stakeholders,” said Mike Ahearn, Chairman headcount across its European and some European market has deteriorated to the and Interim CEO of First Solar. of its Asian operations and is expected to extent that our operations there are no First Solar will close its manufacturing have restructuring charges of between longer economically sustainable, and operations in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, in $245m and $370m so that it can make maintaining those operations is not in the the fourth quarter of 2012. annual savings of $100m and $200m. best long-term interest of our World’s biggest Thin-film powering pioneering park

The world’s largest solar power field has Accounting for 214 megawatts of Once completed by 2014, the power been switched on in India’s western state photovoltaic solar capacity and 3,000 station will be a 500-megawatt solar power of Gujarat and a large chunk of the solar acres of mostly wasteland, it becomes system. The investment cost for the technology behind the project is thin film. larger than China’s 200 MW Golmud Solar Charanka solar park is valued at US$280m, Gujarat Solar Park is a group of solar parks Park, which previously held the record, according to news and research reports. and some 605 MW was commissioned on said an RT.com report. April 19, 2012, but this includes sections that were already operational. Powerful collaboration European institutions join up to create super thin-films

Forschungszentrum Jülich is coordinating The project is called Fast Track and Some of the companies and organisations eighteen EU-based industry and research endeavours to produce prototypes that can taking part include Ecole Polytechnique institutions to develop next-generation generate efficiency levels of 12 per cent with Federale de Lausanne, Fyzikalni Ustav AV thin-film technology. Their target is to an end cost below 0.5/Wp.The project will be CR V.V.I, CVD Technologies, Universiteit achieve solar cells with 14% stable funded with more than €14m of which €9.3m Utrecht, L’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico efficiency. will come from EU research grants. Sostenibile, Oerlikon Solar, and Solarexcel, Singulus Stangl Sola. Spanish bid T-Solar pitches in second round of South African competitive bid

T-Solar, a major operator on the whose aim is to promote the “Spanish Europe, with a further 12 MW under international market, has announced that it Renewable Energy” brand in South Africa. construction in India and 44 MW in Peru. has presented a bid in the second round of We are also analyzing opportunities in the South African government’s program for “We consider South Africa to be a strategic Mexico, Puerto Rico, the USA and India,” developing renewable energies. T-Solar is a market for T-Solar. Our company aims to member of the Renewable Energy grow at around 100 MW a year. Right now, T-Solar Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Marta Promotion Consortium in South Africa, we have five MW already online outside Martínez said.

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