Policy

The analyst is expecting carnage throughout the solar value chain as the result of reduced policy support for deployment in China.

During May utility-scale solar provided 17% of generation on California’s grid, outpacing gas for the first time on a monthly basis.

On Friday, three Chinese government ministries issued a joint “2018 Solar PV Power Generation Notice.” Its impact has been hotly debated since, with two key conclusions: the largest market segment – utility-scale PV – will take a pounding and not come close to last year’s record installation figure of just under 34 GW; and the expanding distributed generation market segment, which rose 360% from 2016 to 2017, will also be severely impacted by a 10 GW cap on new projects.

New policies affecting all solar market segments in China are likely to lead to production overcapacity in the second half of 2018. The new regulations, announced June 1, will likely see the Chinese market decline from an expected 40-45 GW to 30-35 GW for the year, analysts report.

With an unprecedented rollout of rooftop solar reaching 1.1 GW and around 700 MW of large-scale renewable energy projects completed and connected to the grid, last year was an important turning point for Australia’s clean energy industry, shows the Clean Energy Council in its latest report. However, seven times bigger capacity of utility-scale projects with financial support or under construction at the year’s end is poised to eclipse 2017.

Australia’s energy utility Snowy Hydro has invited potential energy suppliers to submit their proposals with the aim to contract up to 400 MW of wind and 400 MW of solar generation.

A new report from a think tank headed by former U.S. Energy Secretary Moniz reveals an additional 100,000 jobs with a part-time solar component, and hints at the political powerhouse that solar is becoming.

Community solar arrays or ‘solar gardens’ for people who can’t install a residential rooftop PV system could become a reality in Australia, with ARENA pouring in funds to fertilize the concept.

There is already enough renewable energy projects under construction or generating to meet the Renewable Energy Target (RET). The Clean Energy Regulator officially confirmed today that the RET would be met, making a mockery of claims by former Environment Minister Greg Hunt that it was “simply not possible” to meet the original RET.

Bringing electricity demand closer into line with supply will be one of the keys if Australia is to meet the disruptive challenges facing its market, and it’s an approach that could restore the country’s role as an energy leader. A steep challenge but optimistic outlook was offered by AEMO CEO Aubrey Zibelman in a wide-ranging address earlier this week.