Central & East Asia

The Japanese Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (METI) has announced that applications for subsidies under the country’s feed-in tariff programme for residential photovoltaic (PV) installations will close at the end of next March.

The joint secretary for the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shri Tarun Kapoor said invitations for tenders for the 4GW mega solar project in India will begin in a few months.

China Solar Energy Holdings has released a statement confirming one of the executives facing fraud allegations has been bailed.

China’s Ministry of Commerce has said it will extend a probe into imports of solar-grade polysilicon from Europe by six months.

Global renewables project developer, New Generation Power, and engineer, procurement and construction company, Premier Solar Group have signed a power purchase agreement for 315MW of solar energy in Andhra Pradesh.

Shunfeng Photovoltaics International, the company revealed yesterday as a bidder for struggling Wuxi Suntech, has secured a HK$980,000,000 (US$126,000,000) loan to expand its PV project development business.

Sanctions including the withdrawal of feed-in tariff (FiT) certification are being considered by the Japanese government for PV projects that have been approved under the country’s FiT but remain unbuilt.

The Asian Development Bank is to provide US$500 million for the construction of a power transmission system to link solar and wind plants in Rajasthan, India, to local and national grids.

India solar industry consultancy, Bridge to India, has published its National Solar Map showing 1.8GW commissioned as of August.

Counsel to SolarWorld Industries America and the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM), responded to SEIA’s draft resolution as “highly sceptical”.