Almost a week after the preliminary determination announcement from the US Department of Commerce, organisations and corporations continue to make statements.
In anticipation of others to follow suit, Taiwan-based Motech Industries will be offering a ‘Solar Cell Certificate of Origin,’ to customers wanting to avoid the newly imposed import tariffs on Chinese solar cells and modules. Motech makes c-Si solar cells in Taiwan, which are excluded from the import duties as well as having a module assembly plant in Newark, Delaware.
Last week, the US Department of Commerce imposed tariffs of between 31 and 250% on solar imports from China. Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) has issued a statement calling for all parties to work together on measures to eliminate trade and investment barriers to solar energy.
NPD Solarbuzz has announced the promotion of Finlay Colville, Ph.D. to vice president and the appointment of Wolfgang Schlichting as research director, Downstream Markets.
As Phase 1 of India’s National Solar Mission reaches half way, India stops to take stock of its progress with an independent report conducted by the National Resources Defence Council (NRDC) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEQ). The report has been drawn from extensive discussions with stakeholders and research and analysis of national, state and international programs, with the aim of aiding the government in overcoming obstacles to achieving the Mission’s goal of 20GW by 2022.
Taiwan-based PV wafer and cell producers are already seeing the benefits from the US anti-dumping duty case, for which the US Department of Commerce has yet to make its final determination on possible countervailing import duties against Chinese PV module producers. According to Jefferies investment bank, sales at Taiwanese solar cell producers have rebounded 29% since the beginning of the year, after sales plummeted as overcapacity and subsequent weak demand resulted in many posting their lowest sales for more than two years.
Calisolar is morphing into a polysilicon producer with a name change that better reflects its future ambitions. Renamed, Silicor Materials Inc, the company has bagged a major supply deal for its purified silicon metal material with the PV industries largest module producer, Suntech Power Holdings.
How much carbon is emitted in producing a solar PV module and launching it on the market? This could be an important question which project developers, installers, investors, government agencies and end customers will ask solar PV manufacturers in the future.
Significant booking reductions from customers in the PV manufacturing sector impacted revenue at Ferro Corporation in 2011. The materials provider reported net sales of US$443 million in the fourth quarter, down 18% from net sales of US$537 million in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Updated: Due to an aggressive FiT cut of between 20% for residential and 30% for large-scale PV installations, the German government will introduce the FiT cuts from March 9, 2012 to eliminate a rush of installations to beat the tariff change. However, this would first need to be ratified in the cabinet and parliament, which could be sanctioned next week.
