Asia Report: The Intensity Increases Over China Pricing

Renewable Energy World Editors
October 17, 2011 | 3 Comments

American Sen. Ron Wyden continued to air his concerns about the price of panels coming out of China and about whether his country could compete with those figures in a paper titled "China's Grab for Green Jobs." His latest public statements come as the international solar community gathers in Dallas this week for Solar Power International.

Wyden Again Questions China Subsidies

THE WEEK AHEAD

Meeting of the Minds: Leaders across renewable energy industries will meet in southeast Asia this week as the Indonesian Renewable Energy Society in cooperation with the World Renewable Energy Network (WREN) hold a meeting focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

IN THE NEWS

Sinovel Files Suit: China wind turbine giant Sinovel, the subject of a lawsuit by American Superconductor alleging industry espionage, has filed a $125 million counterclaim against its former supplier.

China’s Feed-in Tariff Policy Stimulates 14 GW Photovoltaic Project Pipeline: The release of a national photovoltaic (PV) Feed-in Tariff (FiT) policy in July has resulted in a significant increase in PV project development activity in China. According to the first edition of the Solarbuzz China Deal Tracker, as of the end of September, the non-residential PV project pipeline in China stands at 14 GW.

Korean Firm Revs Up CIGS Factory: The world's largest chip contract manufacturer is making good on its long-announced plan to enter the solar market with its own production lines. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (TSMC) announced Thursday it has outfitted its first solar factory with equipment and plans to begin shipment in the first quarter of 2012.

India Goes Big: Moser Baer India has completed a 30-megawatt solar farm using First Solar thin-film panels. The project is now the largest solar development in India.

GE Invests in India Wind: The global energy giant will form a joint venture with Indian clean energy developer Greenko Group for up to 500 megawatts of wind projects in India.

A DEEPER LOOK

The Blame China Game: Arno Harris of Recurrent Energy writes that a growing movement to blame China for the woes of some American panel makers misses the point that it’s in everyone’s interest to aggressively drive down the cost of solar.

China’s Strengthening Wind: In much the same way that China took control of the solar market, a $15.5 billion government backing sets the nation’s wind turbine manufacturers on a quest to overtake General Electric and other Western companies.

NEW MARKETS

Closer to the Sun: The Himalayas conjure up images of adventurism and sweeping landscapes. To others, it could become a mecca for solar. A new report shows that areas like the Himalayas, relatively near large population areas in India and China in need of electricity, have a vast solar potential.

Fuel of the Future?: Toyota, which made the first mainstream leap into hybrid electric vehicles, says it will develop low-cost techniques to produce a plant-based biofuel over the next four to five years.

On the Horizon: China-based Hanwha SolarOne, a subsidiary of Korean firm Hanwha, is setting its sights on aggressive expansion with scaled up plans for manufacturing.

HAVE YOUR SAY
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Oct. 3-10, 2011 Asia Report: In Japan, the Search for Energy Solutions

September 26-Oct 3, 2011 Asia Report: Race for Innovation, Dominance and Capital

September 19-26, 2011 Asia Report: Subtle Signs of Energy Shift

September 12-19, 2011 Asia Report: Wind Espionage and Solar Riot

September 5-12, 2011 Asia Report: Will Region Maintain Its Edge?

3 Comments

Marc Dannenberg
October 31, 2011

http://beta.finance.yahoo.com/news/beacon-power-bankrupt-had-u-033902993.html;_ylt=AuyYeghNg06aNDTPztIEDycq24dG;_ylu=X3oDMTQ0Y3M3ZGJiBG1pdANGaW5hbmNlIEZQIFRvcCBTdG9yeSBSaWdodARwa2cDZDlmZjgzOWYtMTk1OC0zMmFlLTg3MTItZTlkYTdkYWJiZTE4BHBvcwM3BHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyAzA4OTA4NmIwLTAzNzItMTFlMS1iZmZkLTMyZGQ3ZjRlMGQ5NQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTFpNzk0NjhtBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3

Hey Constantine, nice job.

Thomas Palmer
October 27, 2011

Friends of the Solar Energy movement don't let friends vote Republican. They're still trying to stall on behalf of big oil, their most dangerous contributors. It's a matter of time, so if they want to impose tarriffs or alienate those who are making it possible for most homeowners to go solar, who benefits? Certainly not OUR solar manufacturers. I personally feel that a vote for ANY Republican is a wasted vote. We'll see more Bush tactics of walking away from clean energy, and of course, like the last couple of Republicans, more blood for oil. How many have to die before voters put this together?

I hate to see the United States stay in the 20th century while previously marked "third world" countries advance the future.

We're getting our butts whipped because China and Taiwan read Henry Fords playbook, while we play in our garages. Get over it. Even with tarriffs they're still going to kick our butts when it costs $4000 in labor to install a 3kw system.

Let's get real folks. Greed on the part of our solar executives is their ball and chain.

Release the Power. We need to simply out-produce them and get pricing in check, AND QUIT WHINING.

Constantine Kritsonis
October 19, 2011

Beacon Energy and Shec Energy look like game changers in their respective storage type fields.

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