From pv magazine USA. Bifacial solar modules have been excluded from Section 201 tariffs as per a ruling by the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) meaning bifacial products will no longer pay a fee of 25% on top of the cost at the point of import into the U.S. The ruling, found in Product Exclusions: Particular Products from the Solar Products Safeguard Measure, states the following products will be excluded: (15) bifacial solar panels that absorb light and generate electricity on each side of the panel and that consist of only bifacial solar cells that absorb light and generate electricity on each side of the cells Other products applied for exclusion from the tariff but in the ruling, the USTR ignored the claims of products with 72 or more cells and those without busbars or gridlines and suggested it would be unlikely to revisit the issue. The ruling does excludes flexible fiberglass solar panels with an output of 250-900 W from the Section 201 tariffs, as well as those with a spacing greater than 10mm between cells filled by optical film. The effect of the change will be blunted for large projects with long construction timetables but there is probably a developer on the phone right now who sees a chance to change products that are getting put on a boat somewhere, because the savings could be substantial. A module that cost $0.25-0.35 per watt under the import tariff will now save $0.06-0.09/W in the U.S. by switching to bifacial. For developers seeing all-in pricing of around $1 per watt-DC, a system price decrease on that level is significant. Large scale developers have a delivery window that can be years long – for instance the Palen Solar Project, in its filings with the Bureau of Land Management, suggested solar modules would take 22 months to arrive at the site via more than 8,000 truck deliveries (see table above). Those modules, if delivery had begun this month, would first save 25% up to early February, then 20% and 15% as the tariff declined annually. As those groups are already going all-in on single axis trackers specifically designed for bifacial modules, it could be utility scale product shifts will be limited as the market has already shifted to greater adoption of bifacial technology. Given bifacial modules can often be found at a similar price point as standard panels, one might think developers would purchase whichever product is cheaper, even when siting restrictions mean not all the benefits offered by bifacial technology are available. As a result, we should expect to see some cannibalization of the market for standard modules. However, that can only go so far. Manufacturing lines for certain product types can only change so fast. Also, glass on glass bifacial modules don’t fit in the standard module supply chain as easily, as their physical structure requires different installation hardware. There is a chance the legal change can be exploited on manufacturing lines if Dupont can deliver its clear bac...

New solar in Africa can be established at a going rate of just nine U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour, according to investors at yesterday’s opening day of the Africa Energy Forum. States should embark on a solar gold rush to secure global investment for independent power producer (IPP) led projects, said delegates at the event, which is being held in Lisbon this week. Although schemes such as the Scaling Solar program run by World Bank private-sector arm the International Finance Corporation can lead to even lower tariffs, African states unwilling to participate in the initiative can still secure nine-cent solar using the IPP model, said delegates. Burkina Faso energy minister Bachir Ismael Ouedraogo, raised the $0.09/kWh figure and told the forum his country’s fossil fuel electricity generation is expensive, at $0.20-0.25/kWh. Faster pace required Despite the falling cost of PV technology and rising interest from potential investors, the pace of solar development in Africa is slow, argued Andrew Herscowitz, coordinator of Power Africa, a U.S. initiative established by former president Barack Obama to widen access to electricity in the continent. Often, added Herscowitz, African energy ministers encourage renewables projects only to realize fellow ministers have no idea about them or actively oppose their development. He added, the diversity of cultures seen across the 54-nation continent also makes it vital to consider how locals conduct business. Investors will not wait forever and will move on to other promising markets, such as India, unless African states work with them to bring projects to financial close in a timely manner, warned Herscowitz. The Power Africa representative did not appear hopeful mini and microgrids would offer an alternative to IPP projects, mainly because such schemes are not yet commercially viable. Instead, Herscowitz argued, utility scale solar projects offer the way forward for African power development. Governmental focus would be required, added Herscowitz, to designate development sites and bring in supportive policy to enable gigawatt-scale solar generation capacity pipelines to take shape in many African states over the next decade.

Solar panel maker ARTsolar has filed a petition with the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa, seeking customs tariffs on all imported crystalline silicon PV panels. In the document, submitted at the end of March, the manufacturer complained there was no protection for module manufacturers in the country, as existed in the U.S. and Europe, although in the latter case trade measures were lifted last year. “A number of photovoltaic module/panel manufacturers had ceased their production operations in the SACU region due to high competition from low-priced imports,” the petitioner wrote, in reference to the Southern African Customs Union area which also includes Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Eswatini. Rising costs Andy Pegg, CEO of the SegenSolar (Pty) Ltd South African subsidiary of U.K. solar distributor Segen Ltd, said the introduction of import tariffs could see the price of PV modules rise by 10% overnight in South Africa. “The 10% tariff will, ultimately, be passed down to the customer or installer in the form of increased product prices – which could see demand plummet and profit margins squeezed, particularly for smaller distributors,” he told pv magazine. Pegg added, the major problem with tariffs in South Africa would be the lack of government support for the sector. For tariffs to be effective, he said, the policy and regulatory environment must support the growth and supply of the renewables sector. “For example, China has seen explosive growth in solar PV power generation due to continually adjusting its solar energy targets upward in line with demand – which increased from 10% in 2012 to 55% in 2017,” he said. It’s all about Eskom Pegg also highlighted the operational and financial problems of state-owned utility Eskom as a handicap to the country’s energy sector. Last month, Eskom required an emergency $355 million bailout to prevent a debt default when it was already struggling to fix crippling power shortages. Media reports claimed the utility also failed to receive ZAR7 billion ($485 million) in loan payments from the Chinese Development Bank this month. “It seems more likely the proposed import tariffs would make it explicitly easier for the state-owned Eskom to keep its monopoly on energy supply in South Africa,” Pegg said. Chris Ahlfeldt, energy specialist at Blue Horizon Energy Consulting Services, said tariffs would probably have a net negative impact on jobs for the domestic solar industry, adding they would slow down customer adoption through higher prices. “Solar PV installers create many more local jobs than the manufacturing industry globally, so the focus should be on accelerating growth in the industry as a whole to create jobs and not slowing it down with tariffs,” he said to pv magazine. ‘Incentives, not penalties’ According to Ahlfeldt, the best way to incentivize localization of industry is by creating stable demand. Rather than introducing tariffs, he said, the government should focus ...

From pv magazine Germany. Germany’s Federal Network Agency, the Bundesnetzagentur, has reported newly installed PV capacity of approximately 349.5 MW for March. Of that capacity, 334 MW were installed under the country’s FIT mechanism. The Bonn-based Bundesnetzagentur reported 28 MW of ground-mounted systems were built in March outside the tender scheme. A meager 868 kW of rooftop system capacity was installed under the tenant electricity scheme. Overall, around 1.27 GW of new PV capacity was added in Germany in the first three months of the year, even with the Bundesnetzagentur revising down its January and February figures by 40 MW each, to 540 MW and 380 MW, respectively. An agency spokesperson told pv magazine the figures are regularly adjusted retrospectively. The revised statistics mean Germany reached a cumulative solar capacity of just short of 47.2 GW by the end of March. The Bundesnetzagentur has recalculated the level of FIT payment for the next three months, with the payment falling as installation milestones are reached. Larger-than-expected levels of new installations in the first quarter mean the FIT will reduce by 1.4% from this month until July. The feed-in tariff for PV systems with a capacity of up to 10 kW will fall to €0.1095/kWh. For systems up to 40 kW the payment will be €0.1065/kWh and for systems up to 100 kW, €0.0838/kWh. Other plants with a capacity of up to 100 kW will receive a fixed €0.0759/kWh.

The World Bank has launched a new program to accelerate the uptake of sustainable cooling solutions such as air conditioning, refrigeration and cold chain in developing countries. The program will mobilize further financing and provide technical assistance to ensure that efficient cooling is included in new World Bank investment projects. It will help countries develop the necessary market infrastructure, financing mechanisms, policies and regulations to deploy sustainable cooling at scale. Another area of focus will include working with partners in the public and private sectors to raise awareness about efficient, clean cooling opportunities in emerging markets. The World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) has received a $3 million grant for the program from the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP), which helps countries increase the energy efficiency of cooling solutions. “Efficient, clean cooling can contribute significantly to a stable climate and cut energy costs at the same time. However, financing is needed to cover the capital costs of cooling technology, especially in developing countries. That is why K-CEP is excited to partner with the World Bank to mobilize the investments required to make cooling for all a reality,” said Dan Hamza-Goodacre, K-CEP’s executive director. The World Bank will mobilize its expertise across sectors such as transport, energy and agriculture. With International Finance Corp. (IFC), it will also lay the groundwork for a pipeline of new projects that could either be supported by the World Bank Group or rely on other sources of financing. Energy use for cooling set to triple Global demand for cooling is increasing, mainly driven by growing populations, urbanization and rising income levels in developing countries. Rising temperatures will further exacerbate this issue by increasing demand for cooling appliances, which use large amounts of energy and leak refrigerants that contribute to global warming. By 2050, energy use for cooling is projected to triple, while estimates show that demand for cooling in countries in the tropics and subtropics such as India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia will grow fivefold, which will put pressure on already strained energy systems and hamper efforts to curb climate change. Sustainable cooling central to energy transition “Sustainable cooling is a fundamental part of the energy transition. Meeting the growing demand for cooling services without compromising climate change goals will require substantial investments in energy efficient cooling solutions that are affordable and accessible to developing countries,” said Rohit Khanna, manager of the energy sector management assistance program at the World Bank. “This is exactly what the new program is set to do and as such, it will underpin the World Bank’s longer-term strategy on sustainable cooling.” Marc Sadler, practice manager of the World Bank’s Climate Funds Management Unit, said a sustainable a...

The latest new solar capacity figures to emerge from China have painted an even grimmer picture than previously thought as a continuing national PV policy vacuum keeps the utility scale segment of the world’s biggest solar marketplace in the doldrums. Days after Californian investment bank Roth Capital Partners reported 4.6 GW of new solar capacity was added in January and February – 3.4 GW and 1.2 GW, respectively – a Chinese consultancy has quoted an official as reporting even lower figures. The Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory Co Ltd (AECEA) has reported just 5.2 GW of new PV capacity was added in the first quarter of this year, and added, China’s Electricity Council reported last month just 3.49 GW had been installed in January and February. The 5.2 GW, first-quarter figure reportedly came from an official of China’s National Renewable Energy Agency and is the latest detail to leak from weeks of policy negotiations being held in Beijing between government organizations and solar industry stakeholders. Project numbers almost halved The AECEA this morning reported the 5.2 GW of new solar added in the first three months of the year represented a 46% drop on the same period last year – during a solar boom abruptly curtailed by the Chinese government at the end of May due to a rising solar subsidy debt pile owed by the state to project developers. The consultancy said the most alarming revelation about the January to April figures was that this year’s new installations were virtually all small scale, distributed generation projects because larger projects have ground to a halt since that policy about-turn last year. The AECEA says the ongoing Beijing negotiations – despite last week producing two consultancy papers hinting at a proposed path to subsidy-free solar in China – may not become official policy until early or mid June. Deadline looming Roth Capital, in its analysis, said staying on track for an expected 40 GW of new solar in China this year would hinge on whether the National Energy Administration was able to publish details of projects approved for subsidies by the end of June. Given last Wednesday’s consultation paper about subsidy-free project approvals stipulated details of such facilities would have to be submitted to central authorities by next Thursday, the timing looks off and may set alarm bells ringing in the boardrooms of manufacturers such as Longi, Daqo and GCL Poly who are currently breaking the bank to expand their production capacities. Despite the disappointing figures, however, the AECEA maintained its prediction China will install 35-40 GW of new capacity this year.