US: Thin film solar energy sells cheaper than coal fired

pv-magazine
According to the terms of the proposed PPA for the 50 MW Macho Springs solar park in New Mexico, First Solar would be selling the energy generated by its thin film modules for a record low price for the technology.
News agency Bloomberg cites a New Mexico Public Regulation Commission document relating to the yet-to-be-agreed PPA in which El Paso Electric Company agrees to pay just US$57.90/MWh generated at Macho Springs.

 The resulting $0.0579, or six cents, per kWh is less than half the average price of energy generated by new coal-fired power stations (12.8c/kWh) and significantly less than the typical price of thin film generated power (16.3c/kWh, both according to figures from Bloomberg New Energy Finance).

Solar trade war: update

CASM appeals scope of US tariffs on Chinese solar PV products
Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM) filed appeals against the scope of the US trade cases regarding imports of solar photovoltaic (PV) products from China. CASM argues that Chinese-made PV modules should be included in the cases, whether or not the PV cells that comprise them were made in China. In addition to this challenge to the scope, the appeals challenge decisions not to investigate Chinese subsidies on aluminum and rolled glass, and separate duty rates for several large Chinese PV companies.

Trade complaint filed at the European Commission over solar glass imports
A new coalition of glass manufacturers for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules has filed an anti-dumping complaint with the European Commission regarding imports of glass from China. EU ProSun Glass is supported by EU ProSun, the coalition whose filings initiated European trade investigations of imported PV products from China. The coalition claims that 90% of the solar glass that the EU imports comes from China.

China drags wine into EU trade war

The China Alcoholic Drinks Industry, which represents the country’s wineries, is concerned that European winemakers are being subsidised to flood China with poor quality wines.In an interview with China Daily, Wang Zuming, secretary general of the CADA’s wine sub-branch, said: “We have noticed a clear intention to sell European wines in the Chinese market at below cost price.”

German government to introduce new subsidies for solar energy storage

SolarServer
The German Federal Ministry of the Environment has announced that new incentives for energy storage systems for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations will begin in February 2013.
The three-year subsidy program will have a EUR 50 million (USD 67 million) budget and will be available for PV systems with a capacity smaller than 30 kW, providing a grant of EUR 800 (USD 1,080) per kWh of storage. No additional certification will be needed, and self-consumed solar power will not be eligible for participation in the nation's feed-in tariff.

PV, CSP supply 4.3% of Spanish electricity generation in 2012

SolarServer
The Electricity Network of Spain (REE) reports that solar photovoltaic (PV) technology supplied 3.0% of electricity generated in the nation over the course of 2012, with an additional 1.3% supplied by concentrating solar power (CSP).
This is the highest percentage of CSP generation in any nation to date. Together, solar electric technologies supplied a total of 4.3% of Spanish electricity in 2012, second only to Germany and Italy.
When wind, renewable thermal, and hydroelectricity are added, renewable energy rises to almost 32% of Spain's generation in 2012, higher than either Germany or Italy.

Empa reaches 20.4% efficiency with flexible CIGS solar PV cell

SolarServer
On January 17th, 2013 Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa, Zürich, Switzerland) announced that it has achieved a world record 20.4% efficiency with a copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar photovoltaic (PV) cell on a flexible substrate.
The new record was verified by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (Freiburg, Germany), and also exceeds the current 20.3% world record for CIGS PV cells.

France launches rescue plan for solar power industry

Reuters
France has doubled its capacity target for photovoltaic power generation and offered more financial support to small solar power farms that use European-made panels in a bid to rescue the country's ailing solar industry. Energy Minister Delphine Batho announced the measures, which are expected to spur investments worth more than 2 billion euros ($2.6 billion), during a visit to a solar panel factory in Western France.
The Socialist government is seeking to rescue an industry which has lost about 15,000 jobs in the last two years, after the previous conservative government tried to dampen a speculative bubble in new solar power installations. In 2012 the industry employed 18,000 people, down from 32,500 in 2010.
(...) France will also add a bonus of up to 10 percent on the subsidy for feed-in-tariffs paid to generators of solar power through consumers' power bills for small solar farms using panels made in the 30 countries of the European Economic Area (EEA). (...) Batho acknowledged the government was taking the risk of having its "Made in Europe" bonus challenged by foreign competitors in international trade courts. "In terms of legal risk, I don't think there is one at the European level. But at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) level, it would take years (to challenge it), so the government did well," Bal said.

Germany Added Record Solar Panels in 2012 Even as Subsidies Cut

Bloomberg
Renewable-energy developers in Germany, the world’s biggest solar market, added a record number of panels last year even after subsidies were cut back. Solar installations climbed to 7,634 megawatts, up 2 percent from 7,485 megawatts in 2011, according to figures from the Bundesnetzagentur grid regulator and the Environment Ministry. That was more than double the government’s maximum target of 3,500 megawatts. (...) “More than 80 percent of installations came in the first nine months,” he said today by phone. Environment Minister Peter Altmaier expects developers to add 4,000 megawatts to 4,500 megawatts this year, Strube said.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has cut solar-power subsidies to reduce the burden on consumer electricity bills of Germany’s renewable-energy expansion. Still, the above-market tariffs remain at levels that allow developers to profit, while component prices have continued to drop amid an oversupply.