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 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...]
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...]
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...]
Uncertainty Remains over Silicon and Domestic Content Requirements
The amount of Ontario-made silicon that enters the province’s photovoltaic (PV) supply chain will have an impact on every stakeholder in the market. Since the launch of Ontario’s FIT program last year, silicon manufacturers have been searching for ways to participate in the market after domestic content (DC) requirements change in 2011. On October 19, Calisolar and Suntech made an announcement that highlights the promise for and some of the outstanding... [Read More...]
Sharp Acquisition of Recurrent Energy: Will Sharp be Assembling Modules in Ontario?
Sharp’s acquisition of Recurrent Energy – a solar developer with one of Ontario’s largest project pipelines – raises an intriguing question: Will Sharp be assembling Ontario content compliant panels in the province in the near future? Probably – but not necessarily. Following the acquisition Recurrent stated publicly that they will continue to have the right and ability to source the most cost effective product and that Sharp will... [Read More...]
ClearSky Advisors Reiterates Ontario PV Forecast after Sharp Purchase of Recurrent Energy
Although Sharp’s entry into Ontario through the purchase Recurrent is big news for many reasons, it does not change the recent forecast from ClearSky Advisors. “We anticipated that something like this would happen - indeed, we expect to see similar transactions in Ontario over the coming months.” Said Jon Worren, Co-Founder of ClearSky Advisors. What Sharp Means for Ontario Sharp is truly a tier 1 solar manufacturer with a long history in... [Read More...]
Project Development in a Grid-Locked World
by Robert Wakulat, Contributor In an open conference call on March 24, 2010, Hydro One warned of the capacity issues it is currently facing in connecting distributed energy generation projects to the grid. Hydro One is the largest transmission and distribution company in Ontario. It operates over 96% of the province’s high-voltage transmission capacity by revenue and is among Ontario’s largest low-voltage “Local Distribution Companies” (referred... [Read More...]
Biofuels: Path to Commercial Viability
Biofuels are often held up as the renewable energy source with the greatest potential to replace oil in our current economic system. Biofuel experts have suggested that biofuels could replace oil in almost all of its applications and its cost is likely to be at or below the cost of oil production within the coming decade. Apart from the obvious advantage of being a sustainable source of energy that at the same time is a viable alternative for those... [Read More...]