China’s Slowdown, Digitalization and FERC’s Ruling
Article RoundupIndustry Issues
Chinas Domination of the PV Industry: Veni, Vidi, Vici
By Paula Mints for REW
After discussing Chinas domination of global solar PV manufacturing in some depth, Mints goes on to discuss the governments efforts to slow down its market. She points to DG capping, pausing in utility-scale deployment, reduction in grid curtailment and a move toward a bidding scheme. Mints predicts that a slowdown in China would mean flattening and possible shrinking for the market globally and that it would behoove solar players around the world to brace themselves for some serious repercussions which, given the size of the Chinese market, will be slow in coming, but inevitable.
Key quote: “The lesson is that the solar industry is still young, still immature, still struggling to find balance and that planning ahead requires an acceptance of the ever present risk of market collapse.”
Intersolar session accentuates fragmented value of solar across the United States
By Kelsey Misbrener for SPW
Misbrener reports on the policy session at InterSolar called Net Metering in Flux: Where States Are Heading on NEM Changes, featuring a number of speakers. Speakers discussed how utilities are trying to push fixed demand charges on solar customers, without a whole lot of success. They looked at how abrupt and poorly planned shifts away from net metering decimates smaller installers, as in HA, while carefully executed changes, as in NY with the use of the VDER solar model, correctly value solar after NEM is phased out.
Key quote: There is no established value of solar nationwide, and there likely wont be in the near future. Keep reading