Japan approves renewable subsidies in shift from nuclear power

Reuters
Japan approved on Monday incentives for renewable energy that could unleash billions of dollars in clean-energy investment and help the world's third-biggest economy shift away from a reliance on nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster. (...) Nuclear power accounted for almost 30 percent of Japan's electricity supply before an earthquake and tsunami on March 11 last year triggered the Fukushima disaster. Near Sendai on Japan's northeast cost, which was devastated by the earthquake and tsunami, memories of power cuts are fresh, prompting a drive for self-sufficiency."People had to queue for hours several times a week to charge their cell phones during the blackouts, which lasted for up to three weeks," said Naoaki Ando, the manager of an office near Sendai of Sekisui House, Japan's biggest home builder.
(...) The scheme requires Japanese utilities to buy electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind and geothermal at pre-set premiums for up to 20 years. Costs will be passed on to consumers through higher bills. Utilities will pay 42 yen (53 U.S. cents) per kilowatt hour (kWh) for solar-generated electricity, double the tariff offered in Germany and more than three times that paid in China.
Wind power will be subsidised at least 23.1 yen per kwh, compared with as low as 4.87 euro cents (6 U.S. cents) in Germany.

PV Feed-in tariff dispute continues in German government

SolarServer
The German federal and state governments have failed to come to a compromise on solar photovoltaic (PV) feed-in tariff reductions during an official government arbitration session, which will now continue on June 27th, 2012. (...) Analysts have noted that while the Bundesrat may hope to change certain provisions of the cuts, including timing, the overall scope of the cuts are unlikely to change.

The division over the feed-in tariff cuts falls both upon party and state lines. While left parties including Social-Democrats, Greens and The Left are opposed to the cuts, these parties form a minority in the current government. Additional opposition has come from inside Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party in Bavaria, the CSU.

Solarworld threatens China dumping case in Europe?

Bloomberg
Solarworld AG , Germany’s biggest solar-panel maker, expects an anti-dumping case to start against Chinese competitors in Europe this month after the German government said it may support such a move. While Solarworld hasn’t filed a complaint with the European Commission, individual European Union member states or the commission itself could initiate proceedings, Solarworld Chief Executive Officer Frank Asbeck said today.

Unlikely Firms Jump Onto Solar Power Bandwagon

Japan Real Time
When Japan’s government decided last month that big power utilities would have to buy electricity from renewable sources at around double current retail rates, many unlikely companies jumped on the renewable energy bandwagon in the hopes of a quick profit. The major Osaka-based wool maker Japan Wool Textile Co., for instance, said it would shut its 15-hectare loss-making golf course by the end of September to build a 10-MW solar farm on the land. (...) Other companies have similar ideas.