In 2014, a number of countries around the world began to develop into serious solar end markets. Ben Willis asks IHS analyst Josefin Berg to give her tips on the emerging markets to watch over the coming year.
At a conference in Thailand at the end of 2014, delegates heard of the region’s attempts to break free of costly diesel power. Lucy Woods reports on the progress solar energy is making in displacing the diesel generators.
Throughout 2014, there were widespread reports of China’s struggles to hit ambitious PV targets, particularly with distributed projects. Beijing-based solar expert, Frank Haugwitz, reveals the difficulties Chinese developers experienced.
Months after becoming an unexpected star of the 2014 football World Cup, solar struck gold once again in Brazil when it attracted huge interest in a national energy auction. But low bidding prices and the complexities of a local content requirement have tempered some of the excitement about Brazil’s emergence as a solar heavyweight. Lucy Woods weighs up its prospects.
Having blazed a trail in building PV power plants in Africa, Norway’s Scatec Solar recently secured financing for its first 43MW of projects in Jordan. Its chief executive, Raymond Carlsen, tells Ben Willis how the company is making the projects work financially.
While oil falls and Saudi stalls, detractors are questioning the future of solar in the Middle East and North Africa. But rising electricity prices coupled with rising demand mean solar power remains an important investment from Muscat to Marrakech, writes John Parnell.
Modules based on p-type multi c-Si technologies look set to dominate the PV industry over the next five years, continuing a trend that has developed over the past two years. This paper explores why high-efficiency p-type multi seems destined to remain the workhorse of the global PV industry.
Japan’s reputation as the PV star performer of the past two years has suffered a knock with the cancellation of 1.8GW of projects. With the country’s nuclear debate threatening to reopen and rumours of a solar backlash, Andy Colthorpe assesses the future for one of the world’s top PV markets.
Policy uncertainty and a damaging trade dispute have undermined India’s ability to realize its vast solar potential. But with a new prime minister now settling in, the worm could be about to turn for the country’s beleaguered solar industry, writes Raj Prabhu.
The Australian parliament is undertaking final deliberations on the fate of the renewable energy target, a key enabler in the country’s recent solar boom. Colin Marrs assesses where the country’s PV industry would be left by the watering down or scrapping of the RET.
