Solar PV Opportunities in Mexico
By Michelle Stern, Research Analyst Latin America has some of the best solar resources in the world, and as a region its GDP is expected to grow by 4% in 2012 while GDP growth in advanced economies is expected to remain comparatively low. With growing electricity demands, a commitment to sustainable development, and targets for renewable energy adoption, solar PV is expected to be an important part of the future energy mix in Latin America. Mexico... [Read More...]
Insight and Future Trends Resulting from Ontario’s FIT Review
by Justin Malecki, PhD Analyst It has been over a week since the conclusion of Ontario’s Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program review and many of those involved in the development of renewable energy are left with more questions than answers. To help provide direction and clarity, ClearSky Advisors has discerned several clear trends that are likely to emerge assuming that most of the recommendations are followed. In this article, we highlight some of... [Read More...]
A Turning Point for New Jersey’s Solar Industry
by Justin Malecki, PhD, Analyst Next to California, New Jersey has the most active PV market in the US. Generous rebate programs in the past and aggressive policy goals combined with some of the highest electricity prices in the US have given rise to a thriving marketplace for commercial and industrial PV installations. However, this rapid growth has caused the state to recently overshoot its solar energy generation goals as mandated in New Jersey’s... [Read More...]
What The Flux?!
A Year Of Change in Ontario’s PV Marketplace With More Change To Come Justin Malecki, PhD, Research Analyst Stability, predictability, and transparency. These are three items on the Christmas wishlists of almost everyone involved in the solar photovoltaic market in Ontario. After a year that has been characterized by the incongruent combination of rapidly changing global market conditions, government policy attempting to adapt, and the uncertainty... [Read More...]
Get ready for a 2012 reality check: Current US solar policy will leave PV market short of solar industry’s expectations
Toronto (November 15, 2011): While the long-term market outlook for the US solar PV market is positive, 2012 will not offer suffering module manufacturers the reprieve they were hoping for. In their recently released US PV market forecast, ClearSky Advisors Inc. predicts installed volume will grow 7% to 1,628 MW in 2012. However, falling equipment prices – especially for PV modules – means that overall market value for 2012 will be flat or may... [Read More...]
The U.S. Market for PV Modules: Where Great Opportunity Meets Great Challenges
At Solar Power International (SPI), North America’s largest solar trade show, two divergent visions of the U.S. solar PV market competed for the limelight. The first was an optimistic perspective that highlighted strong historic growth and the tremendous future potential of solar electricity in the U.S. The second was a decidedly more pessimistic view that highlighted the powerful competitive force of high volume, low cost, tier one Chinese... [Read More...]
New Rules for Old Contract Applications
The OPA Announces FIT Review as PV Installation Costs Continue to Fall On October 31, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) formally announced the commencement of what many in the Ontario renewable energy industry already knew was coming: a comprehensive review of the rules and rates governing the province’s Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program. Although no date was set for when the results of the review will be announced, the OPA indicated that the new... [Read More...]
Ontario Wind Market set for a Breather in 2012 as Red Tape Delays Construction of Wind Projects
Toronto, Ontario (September 30, 2011): The Ontario wind market will decline 41% from record highs in 2011 to 304 MW in 2012. The decline is largely caused by slower than expected permitting processes according to a market analysis by ClearSky Advisors. However, driven by the FIT program, the pipeline of wind projects is strong and may bounce back to new heights in 2013, depending on the outcome of the October 6 provincial election. The expected market... [Read More...]
What Does Ontario’s Provincial Election Mean for the Province’s Wind and Solar PV Industries?
Ask anyone involved in Ontario’s wind and solar PV markets about what keeps them up at night and the answer invariably includes political uncertainty. Indeed, a recent survey conducted by ClearSky Advisors of Ontario developers and installers bore this out: 98% of respondents indicated that political uncertainty was their biggest concern for future success of the industry in Ontario. This concern is the result of two simple truths: Policy is currently... [Read More...]
New England may be Bellwether for Future Success in Global PV Market
In the past, solar PV companies could find a niche in Germany or California and be considered a global player. Those days are over. Future success will likely come from many hard-fought local market share battles. Consider the solar PV market in New England. While it may not be the largest PV market, nor is it likely to be in the near future, its competitive landscape may prove to be indicative of what it will take to succeed in a changing global... [Read More...]