Sharp to Halt Solar Panel Production at Memphis Plant

Bloomberg
Sharp, a Japanese electronics maker, will stop solar panel production at its factory in Tennessee as it reviews its photovoltaic panel business. Output will stop by the end of March, and the number of jobs to be cut at the plant in Memphis will be decided after talks with the labor union, said Miyuki Nakayama, a spokeswoman for Sharp. The Nikkei newspaper reported that as many as 300 employees are expected to be dismissed at the factory. The Osaka-based company is reconsidering its production capacity for solar products, Nakayama said. Sharp said last month that it will stop producing solar panels at its U.K. plant in Wales by the end of February and cut as many as 250 employees. “We are in the middle of structural reform for our solar business,” Nakayama said.

Japan Plans Low-Interest Loans for Rooftop Solar

Businessweek
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to provide low-interest loans to companies that borrow residential rooftop space for solar power generation, the Nikkei newspaper reported today.
The ministry plans to make loans available through government financial institutions such as Development Bank of Japan Inc., the newspaper cited Trade Minister Toshimitsu Motegi as saying. Motegi will announce the plan tomorrow in a meeting on industrial competitiveness, according to the paper.
Under the proposal, companies will sell electricity generated from solar panels set up on homeowners’ rooftop spaces, according to the paper. Homeowners will receive 10,000 yen ($97) to 20,000 yen a year for renting out their roofs, it said.

Japan to Become Largest Solar Market After China, BNEF Says

Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Japan will probably become the largest solar market in the world after China this year, boosted by an incentive program that offers above-market rates for energy from renewable sources. Commercial and utility-scale projects will boost solar installations to a range of 6.1 gigawatts to 9.4 gigawatts in 2013, exceeding an earlier forecast of 3.2 gigawatts to 4 gigawatts, Bloomberg New Energy Finance said in a research note. (...) The forecast reflects the push by Japan to find alternative sources of energy following the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, which prompted the closure of all but two of the nation’s nuclear reactors. Japan in July began offering incentives through feed-in tariffs to encourage investments in energy sources such as wind and solar.

World's 'Most Attractive' Incentives Will Bump Japan's Solar Status

SolarIndustryMag.com
The Japanese photovoltaic market is set to grow by 120% this year, with more than 5 GW of new capacity expected, according to a new report from IMS Research (part of IHS Inc.). Benefiting from the world's most attractive PV incentive policy, Japan's solar market is currently booming, with installations expected to exceed 1 GW in the first quarter alone, causing it to become the second largest market in 2013.
Japan's PV market currently benefits from a feed-in tariff (FIT) paying up to 42 yen/kWh [0.42€/kWh at today's exchange rate], even though this rate is likely to be reduced by approximately 10% beginning April 1.
"At 42 yen, Japan's FIT is by far the most attractive globally - overly generous, perhaps, which could lead to overheating of the market," explains Ash Sharma, senior director of solar research at IHS.
"And while a 10 percent reduction in tariffs is widely expected by industry players, this will have little effect on both internal rates of return and market demand," Sharma continues. "Furthermore, many systems that have already applied for the higher FIT are able to benefit from this rate of 42 yen, even if they are installed after April 1."
The report reveals that installations are estimated at over 1 GW in the first quarter of 2013 - the final quarter of Japan's fiscal year - and forecast to exceed 5 GW for the whole of 2013. This would see Japan leapfrog ahead of Germany, Italy and the U.S. to become the world's second largest PV market.

100 GW of Solar PV Now Installed in the World Today

Renewable Energy News Article
Cumulative global installed [grid connected] solar PV capacity has topped the 100-gigawatt (GW) milestone, according to preliminary numbers from the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA). (...) Europe's 69 GW of total installed capacity is enough to produce roughly 2.6% of the region's electricity demand this year, and about 5.2% of peak electricity demand, according to the EPIA.
There's another important milestone in the EPIA's tally of solar PV. Countries outside of Europe connected 13 GW, up from 8 GW in 2011 and just 3 GW in 2010; at the same time Europe's PV installations fell from 23 GW in 2011 to 17 GW in 2012, its first decline since 2006. (...) Eight nations added at least a gigawatt of grid-connected capacity in 2012: Germany, China, Italy, the U.S., Japan, France, the U.K., and India. Thirteen nations (up from 8 in 2011) are in the gigawatt-club of cumulative solar installations: Germany, Italy, the U.S., China, Japan, Spain, France, Belgium, Australia, the Czech Republic, the U.K., Greece, and India.

 

Japan energy dispute with Canada

MarketWatch
A World Trade Organization panel (...) released a report supporting arguments made by Japan and the European Union over a Canadian province's preferential treatment for local firms in promoting renewable energy. (...) The government of Ontario required a certain percentage of components for solar and wind power generation systems to be procured in the province when it introduced a feed-in tariff system in 2009, the report said. Japan and the European Union argued the move violated WTO rules. (...) According to the Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, it is the first judgment reached in a WTO trade dispute over renewable energy. Japan filed a complaint with the WTO in September 2010 over the requirement that would disadvantage Japanese and other foreign companies. Japan asked the WTO in June 2011 to have the dispute settlement panel resolve the issue after the Canadian province raised the percentage of local components required in solar projects to 60% from 40%-50%.

WTO
On 5 February 2013, Canada filed a notice of appeal in dispute cases “Canada – Certain Measures Affecting the Renewable Energy Generation Sector”, complaint by Japan (WT/DS412/R) and “Canada – Measures Relating to the Feed in Tariff Program”, complaint by the European Union (WT/DS426/R).

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.

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.

70MW Solar Power Plant in Japan

News release | KYOCERA
Kyocera , IHI  and Mizuho CB today announced that the three companies have reached a basic agreement to construct a 70-megawatt (MW) solar power plant in southern Japan and to further explore a business model for utility-scale solar power generation. The “mega-solar plant” is being built to help solve Japan’s power supply issues caused by the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and to make a contribution to environmental protection, including the reduction of CO₂ emissions.

China installs 2.9 GW in 2011, leads Asian PV market growth

Solarbuzz
China's solar photovoltaic (PV) market grew five-fold to reach 2.9 GW in 2011, as part of a total of 6 GW of PV installed in the Asia Pacific region during the year.
"The China PV market was reshaped in 2011 by the release of the national FIT," said NPD Solarbuzz Analyst Ray Lian. "Approximately 1 GW ground mount projects were installed in the Qinghai province alone."
Japan [is] the second-largest market in the region: PV market grew 30% in 2011 to 1.2 GW. [Although Japan's 2012 FIT arates have yet to be announced] the Japanese market will grow an additional 40% in 2012.
India has also emerged as a significant market [where] installations grew by 125% in the fourth quarter of 2011 as developers attempted to complete projects by deadlines. (...) During the full year 2012, the company predicts that India will approach a 1 GW market.
In contrast (...) the Australian market is contracting, with a 10% decline in the fourth quarter of 2011 [and] will fall a further 20% in the first quarter of 2012 due to a reduction of a number of incentives.

Global PV market reaches 27.7 GW in 2011

SolarServer
European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA, Brussels, Belgium) announced the release of a new report which finds that 27.7 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity was commissioned globally in 2011, with 75% of the new global capacity in European nations. (...) "The PV industry is at a crossroads," said EPIA President Ingmar Wilhelm. "Whilst European markets have always outpaced home production, this will presumably no longer be the case in the years to come."
"New markets around the world will have to be opened up to drive PV development in the coming decade just as Europe accounted for it during the last decade."
These new capacities bring the world to an estimated 67.4 GW of global PV capacity at the end of 2011.
Contrary to the findings of other researchers, the EPIA ranks Italy as the world's largest market in 2011, followed by Germany, China, the United States, France and Japan, all of which installed more than 1 GW of new capacity.
EPIA states that the diversification of the global PV market can be considered the single most important achievement in the PV industry, but that many of these markets have addressed only a small part of their potential.

Solar Powered Toothbrush

from INHABITAT
Mechanical University of Saskatchewan dentistry professor emeritus Dr. Kunio Komiyama and his colleague Dr. Gerry Uswa have developed a toothpaste-less solar powered toothbrush!
Komiyama’s first model, which was described 15 years ago in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, contained a titanium dioxide rod in the neck of the brush, just below the nylon bristles. It works when light shines on the wet rod, releasing electrons. Those electrons react with acid in the mouth, which helps break down plaque. No toothpaste is required.
Now Komiyama’s back with a newer model, the Soladey-J3X, which he says packs twice the chemical punch compared to the original. Protruding from the base of the brush is a solar panel, which transmits electrons to the top of the toothbrush through a lead wire. It won’t work in the dark, though...

o solar como eólico...

Japanese Solar Sail Headed for Venus and Beyond
An ambitious solar sail mission designed by Japan is poised for launch tomorrow could become the first successful mission powered solely by sunlight, but that's not all. The spacecraft is also aimed at Venus and beyond, and could pave the way for a future hybrid space engine. (...) "This will be the world's first solar powered sail craft employing both photon propulsion and thin film solar power generation during its interplanetary cruise," said a JAXA mission website. (...)
Ikaros (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun)is designed to unfurl its sail during its first stage by taking advantage of its spinning momentum, and then actively deploying the rest of the way during a second stage."The membrane is deployed, and kept flat, by its spinning motion; four masses are attached to the four tips of the membrane in order to facilitate deployment."

Worldwide Solar PV Market Reaches Record High of 6.43 Gigawatt in 2009
Worldwide solar photovoltaic installations reached a record high of 6.43gigawatt (GW) in 2009, a 6%Y/Y growth, according to the latest Marketbuzz 2010 Report from Solarbuzz, an international solar energy market research and consulting company, and a division of The NPD Group. In addition, the company reported that the PV industry generated $38billion in global revenues in 2009, while successfully raising more than $13.5billion in equity and debt, up 8% on the prior year. (...) European countries accounted for 4.75GW, or 74% of world demand in 2009. The top three countries in Europe were Germany, Italy and Czech Republic, which collectively accounted for 4.07GW. All three countries experienced soaring demand with Italy becoming the second largest market in the world. In contrast, Spanish demand in 2009 collapsed to just 4% of its prior year level. The third largest market in the world was the US, which grew 36% to 485MW. Following closely behind was a rejuvenated Japan, ranked fourth and growing 109% Y/Y.
Worldwide solar cell production reached a consolidated figure of 9.34GW in 2009, up from 6.85GW a year earlier, with thin film production accounting for 18% of that total. China and Taiwan production continued to build share and now accounts for 49% of global cell production. Of total European demand, net cell imports accounted for 74% of the total. The top seven polysilicon manufacturers had 114,500 tons per annum of capacity in 2009, up 92%Y/Y, while the top eight wafer manufacturers accounted for 32.9% of global wafer capacity in 2009. Solar cell production exceeding the market demand caused the weighted crystalline silicon module price average for 2009 to crash 38% from the prior year level. This reduction in crystalline silicon prices also had the effect of eroding their percentage premium to thin film factory gate pricing.

Japanese solar power groups lift capacity
Japanese solar-panel manufacturers are expanding capacity in spite of concerns about oversupply in the sector, as they eye long-term growth in demand for renewable energy.

• [Showa Shell] in which Royal Dutch Shell owns a one-third stake, is spending $1bn to convert a former Hitachi plasma-screen television factory into one of the largest solar-panel plants in the world, capable of producing 900 megawatts’ worth of thin-film photovoltaic cells a year. (...) [Showa Shell's president] Mr Kameda said Showa Shell hoped to sell 70 per cent of its output outside Japan under a new global brand launched on Monday called Solar Frontier. The company is opening two overseas offices, in California and Munich, to market its technology to residential and commercial buyers.
• Mitsubishi, which last month completed a 24,000 square metre panel factory in northern Japan, said it hoped to produce 600 megawatts’ worth of photovoltaic cells by the financial year March 2012, up from 220 megawatts.
• Toshiba, which makes residential solar-power systems with panels supplied by third-party manufacturers, said it was aiming to take 10 per cent of the Japanese domestic market by the year to March 2013. (...)
• Sharp, currently the biggest producer, expects to open a new plant this year that will give it more than 1 gigawatt of thin-film capacity. Sanyo and Kyocera are also investing heavily in the technology.