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...]
Economic Impacts of Solar PV Sector 2008-2018
The technologies and applications used to generate our electricity have a range of impacts. They affect our economy, our health, our environment, and our local innovation. For example, investment in coal creates cheap electricity but has expensive health and environmental impacts. On the other hand, investment in ... [Read More...]
A Tale of Two Markets: MicroFIT in Ontario
The 10kW rural/farm MicroFIT segment has grown quickly. Companies were quick to recognize that farmers were natural early adapters for solar under the MicroFIT program. But how will the MicroFIT market evolve over time? Will the rural/farm segment continue to dominate? Or is it worth exploring the urban MicroFIT segment? This report highlights key trends within the MicroFIT marketplace and, in particular, examines the rural/farm and... [Read More...]
Finding the Right Partners Key for Manufacturers in New Jersey’s SREC Market
Almost anyone in the solar industry could tell you that New Jersey’s SREC market will provide significant opportunities over the coming years. What is less clear is how individual firms can benefit from these opportunities. To date, a few key players have dominated module and inverter supply in New Jersey’s SREC market. On the module side, three manufacturers have dominated the market: SunPower, Sharp, and Suntech have accounted for 57% of installed... [Read More...]
Financing Issues in Ontario’s Commercial Rooftop Market
As the market is awaiting a new batch of commercial rooftop photovoltaic (PV) contracts from the Ontario Power Authority, it has become clear that financing these projects is a challenge. Peculiarities of the Ontario PV marketplace mean that lending and financing options may be limited for less experienced players. ClearSky Advisors has recently interviewed dozens of project owners and found that the emerging second-hand market for commercial... [Read More...]
The US Northeast: Opportunities, Challenges, and Lessons Learned
California has long been America’s key market for PV, but it is clear that future growth in the US will need to be driven by other markets. The US Northeast is one region that industry insiders are relying on to support continued growth over the mid- to long-term. Though the region does show significant promise, for every opportunity there seems to be a corresponding challenge. Below is (A) a brief overview of just some of the opportunities and... [Read More...]
New Solar Contracts Welcomed by Solar Industry but Something has to Give
On February 24, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) awarded 257 MW ac of new utility-scale solar projects. While this announcement was great news for many in the province’s solar industry, the total MW volume of built and awarded contracts is now roughly equivalent to the government of Ontario’s draft Long Term Energy Plan (LTEP). Clearly, not all contracts will be built. Nonetheless, if solar contracts continue to be awarded at the current... [Read More...]
Solar in Ontario for 2015 and beyond? It is up to us now.
When the Government of Ontario offered an additional 257MW (ac) of solar contracts on February 24, 2011 it provided Ontario’s solar industry with both an opportunity and a challenge. The Ontario solar industry has now been given a total of 2,680 MW (dc) worth of contracts – including contracts awarded through RESOP, the Korean Consortium and the FIT Program – of which only 220 MW dc had been built by the end of 2010. In other words,... [Read More...]
2011: A year of Change and Opportunity in the Ontario PV Installer Market
Toronto, Ontario / February 13, 2011 — Solar equipment manufacturers in Ontario will face rich market opportunities as installers are expecting to adopt a significant number of new brands in 2011. An increase in Ontario’s domestic content requirements to 60% from January 1, 2011 is disrupting existing customer relationships and forcing installers to find new brands, according to a recent survey of 50 Ontario-based installers by research... [Read More...]