China sheds light on transition to subsidy-free solar
An emphasis on grid-parity PV has been hammered out in the latest policy document to emerge after several weeks of haggling in Beijing. Chinese analyst AECEA says the success of the subsidy-free effort will hinge on the ability of power companies to transmit and guarantee consumption of the power generated by new projects.
DGTR investigates claim of dumped coated steel products from China, Korea and Vietnam
In the latest tariff spat to afflict the solar world, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies will investigate a claim steel products coated with aluminum and zinc are being dumped by Far Eastern manufacturers.
Solar module supply: CSUN refutes contract breach claims, says it’s an economic dispute
“This case is an economic dispute arising from complicated domestic and foreign situations such as India’s 25% security tax and China’s ‘May 31’ Policy. It is not our company’s unilateral breach of contracts. Any economic disputes arising from commercial activities shall be handled by the court and relevant judicial institutions,” said the Chinese PV module supplier a week after India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) issued advisory against procuring solar modules from CSUN.
Imec, Jolywood announce 23.2% front-side conversion efficiency for n-PERT bifacial cell
The result was certified by the solar cells laboratory at the calibration and test center of Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research. Imec’s measurements showed cell bifaciality surpassed 80%.
India slaps anti-dumping duty on solar EVA sheets
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGTR) has concluded that the imposition of a duty, in the range of $537-1,559/metric ton, is required to offset the injury caused by imports of solar ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) sheets from China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. The harshest penalty—$1,559/metric ton (MT)—has been imposed on sheets supplied from any Saudi manufacturer other than Saudi Specialized Products.
Module contract disputes: India seeks China action on CSUN and CEEG
India’s Ministry of External Affairs is approaching Chinese authorities, demanding CSUN Trading and CEEG Solar Science to meet the contractual obligations to the Indian companies and also to honour the arbitration award. Further, it has cautioned Indian stakeholders against procuring PV modules from these high-risk companies that have over 160 court cases against them—mostly for breach of contract.
China’s CSUN faces India ban over PV module contract disputes
The Indian government is considering the step following complaints about China Sunergy defaulting on PV module supplies to solar project developers Acme Solar, RattanIndia and Refex Energy. Notably, last year a German EPC company Goldbeck Solar had a similar experience with the Chinese supplier.
China, USA and India propel energy demand by 70%: IEA
Global energy consumption in 2018 grew by 2.3%. Electricity demand rose by 4%, nearly twice as fast as overall energy demand. China accounted for over 40% of the growth in renewable-based electricity generation, followed by Europe (25%). The United States and India together contributed another 13%.
Big dip in import and export of solar modules and cells
A flying start to the year saw huge volumes of solar cells and modules imported to India but the scale and value of such products fell over the remainder of 2018 and export figures mirrored that trend.
Anti-dumping duty slapped on Malaysian solar glass
The Indian government has imposed anti-dumping duty of $114.58/metric ton on tempered solar glass imports originating in or exported from Malaysia. The five-year duty will be applied to products from producers except Xinyi Solar Sdn. Bhd.
