Solar Energy-Solar Mounting Systems: 七月 2014

2014年7月31日星期四

400 solar PV projects registered in Brazil auction

Developers have registered 400 solar PV projects totaling 10.8 GW in Brazil's reserve auction, which is scheduled for October 31st, 2014. The reserve auction will follow an energy auction in September, and will be the first at the national level to include a separate section specifically for solar projects.

In the past solar projects have been unable to compete on price with wind and hydro in renewable energy auctions, and this solar carve-out in a national auction follows a solar-only auction in the state of Pernambuco in December.

Neither the size of this solar-only category nor the maximum bid price have been announced at this time, although Brazilian developer Solatio Energia has told Bloomberg that it expects 1 GW of solar to be awarded.

GTM Research says that caution is appropriate until more details are revealed. “I'm optimistic about the reserve auction, however the key question will be if the power purchase agreement price will be high enough to overcome the tax burden, and if financing will be made available for those projects,” explains GTM Research Solar Analyst Adam James.

James notes that none of the projects awarded in the Pernambuco solar auction have yet begun construction. Unlike national auctions the Pernambuco auction did not award contracts with off-takers. James also says that low bid prices – around USD 0.10/kWh – were an issue.

Brazil has attracted a lot of interest from solar developers due to good market fundamentals. However, commercial interest rates around 12% and taxes at the national, state and local levels both present challenges to developers, particularly given the low bid ceilings in Brazil's auctions to date.

“Auctions are only one piece of the puzzle,” says James. Following the announcement GTM Research has not upgraded its forecast for Brazil. The company expects the nation to install on 34 MW of solar PV in 2014, followed by 110 MW in 2015 and growing to 180 MW in 2016.

James says that there have been discussions about making financing available for renewable energy projects through the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), which offers lower interest rates. However, a local content requirement currently makes such financing unavailable for solar projects.

Additionally, development banks such as the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) or the World Bank's IFC could fund these projects, but they too may be discouraged by the slim margins created by low bid ceilings and high taxes.

James stresses that Brazil has good long-term potential, but says that several issues need to be resolved before the market can experience rapid growth. Brazil in the past has been very reliant on cheap hydroelectricity, which has been problematic during periods of drought, but this may be changing.

“They've been very focused on cost,” notes James. “Brazil is shifting from a cost-based approach to a cost and value-based approach.”

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Germany: just a gigawatt in the first half of 2014

The hoped-for recovery of Germany's photovoltaic market has been dashed.

In June, just 7,078 new PV systems with a total capacity of 188.6 MW were registered with the Federal Network Agency – even less than had been built in January. According to the government regulator, the new installed PV capacity in the first half of the year will amount to about 1,015 MW.

Germany's revamped Renewable Energy Act (EEG) goes into effect on Friday and it will bring some changes to PV feed-in tariffs as well as to market premium model payments.

Some media outlets had inaccurately reported rising remuneration rates in recent days, but the Federal Network Agency has now published the new rates: Beginning in August, PV rooftop systems up to 10 kW will receive €0.1275 per kilowatt hour. Rooftop systems up to 40 kW will receive €0.1240 per kilowatt hour while systems up to 500 kW will get €0.1109 per kilowatt hour. PVinstallations on non-residential buildings and ground-mounted systems up to 500 kW will be paid €0.0883 per kilowatt hour.

The PV feed-in tariffs will then be reduced by a further 0.5% following adjustment for the monthly degression level in September to between €0.0879 and €0.1269 per kilowatt hour. The EEG has reduced the level of degression from 1% to 0.5%. The target range for new annual installations has nevertheless likewise been reduced from 2.5 to 3.5 GW to the 2.4 and 2.6 GW.

Direct marketing for all PV installations with a capacity of more than 500 kW will be mandatory as of August but also available to operators of smaller systems. According to the Federal Network Agency, direct marketing rates for rooftop systems up to 10 kW will be €0.1315 per kilowatt hour and €0.1280 per kilowatt hour for systems up to 40 kW. Rooftop systems between 40 kW and 1 MW will receive €0.1149 per kilowatt hour while ground-mounted systems up to 10 MW will receive €0.0923 per kilowatt hour. The market premium model's revenue cap will also be lowered by 0.5% in September.

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2014年7月30日星期三

Arizona Public Service unveils plans to install 20 MW of solar PV on customer rooftops

Arizona Public Service (APS) has filed with state regulators for a change to its AZ Sun Program that would allow it to install 20 MW ofsolar PV plants on customer rooftops. According to an APS blog, participating customers who host the systems would pay no up-front charges, and would receive a US$30 credit on their monthly utility bill for 20 years.

This 20 MW of distributed PV would replace a 20 MW PV plant that APS had planned to build near Tonopah, Arizona. The Arizona Corporation Commission will now decide whether or not to approve APS' plans.

The move is in sharp contrast to APS' prolonged efforts to curtail net metering in Arizona, which culminated in the imposition of a US$0.70 per kW per month charge on new PV systems participating in the program in November 2013.

During the run-up to this decision, APS commissioned studies which concluded that net metering is a significant net burden to the utility system. The repeated use of messaging by the utility that solar imposes costs on other ratepayers – including statements still on the company website – make plans to pay homeowners for hosting PV systems even stranger.

The U.S. Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has noted the contradiction in APS' plans. “After attacking rooftop solar companies in Arizona relentlessly for more than a year, this latest tactic by APS has a ‘Trojan Horse’ smell to it,” said SEIA VP of Communications Ken Johnson.

“Our member companies welcome fair and equal competition, but this move would stack the deck in favor of a company which can rate base solar with a guaranteed rate of return. How is that fair?”

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Chinese government, companies blast US anti-dumping tariff decision

The Chinese government and leading Chinese solar companies have blasted the preliminary anti-dumping tariffs issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) last week, describing them as unfair and damaging to the U.S. solar industry.

The U.S. Commerce Department on July 25 issued steep preliminary anti-dumping (AD) tariffs of between 26% and 165% on imports of crystalline silicon solar PV cells and modules from China and Taiwan, compounding substantial preliminary anti-subsidy tariffs imposed in June.

In a statement published on Monday, China's Ministry of Commerce expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with what it said was "escalating trade friction" between the U.S. and China.

The ministry accused the United States of ignoring "the facts and the legal basis" of the rules of origin for Chinese PV products, adding that the U.S. PV industry's "frequent trade remedy measures ... cannot solve its own development problems."

The ministry nevertheless expressed hope that the U.S. would "terminate the investigation procedures as soon as possible to create a good environment for the promotion of competition in the global PV industry."

While pointing out that trade friction was inevitable, the ministry said the government had the responsibility to "avoid affecting the normal development of Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations."

Meanwhile, Trina Solar, among the several Chinese PV makers singled out for special duty rates (and the company with the lowest preliminary duties of 26.33%), likewise criticized the U.S. move and took particular aim at SolarWorld, which has led the crusade on both sides of the Atlantic against Chinese companies it accuses of unfair business practices.

"Trina Solar opposes the preliminary findings and believes the allegations made by SolarWorld are contrary to the principles of free and fair trade and are unfounded," Trina said in a statement released on Tuesday. "The company continues to actively defend its position in these administrative proceedings and remains committed to serving its many customers and business partners in the United States where Trina Solar has built a solid and long-standing reputation for high quality products and services."

Despite the punitive duties, Trina said its business would continue to grow in the United States and to play an important role in the U.S. market due to its "competitive cost structure, in-house manufacturing capacities, global strategies, strong brand image and quality products."

In a statement by Thomas Koerner, general manager of Canadian Solar's Americas division, the company likewise condemned the U.S. Commerce Department's preliminary decision.

"We are deeply disappointed by the DOC's decision, especially in context of the overwhelming damaging impact on the U.S. solar industry," Koerner said in a statement published on Tuesday.

"This preliminary AD announcement will definitely jeopardize what we have worked so hard for and have achieved in the last few years in the U.S. market: solar industry job creation and affordable clean energy -- from small residential installations to large utility scale power plants."

Koerner said that while Canadian Solar applauded the U.S. government's "vocal dedication" to sustainable development and job creation, "the pattern of protectionism directly contradicts these commitments."

Also taking aim at SolarWorld, Koerner added, "This decision in favor of one non-competitive PV manufacturer will cost tens and thousands of jobs across the entire U.S. solar industry, which currently employs more than 140,000 local workers.

"As a Canadian company with international activities and an international supply chain, we firmly believe in free international trade and a free market economy with no trade barriers."

Koerner added that Canadian Solar did not expect any significant disruption to its business in the U.S. due to its "global and competitive supply chain."

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One of Australia’s largest PV companies goes under

Having lead the way in a number of major and innovative PV projects in many parts of Australia, Ingenero was seen as somewhat of a leading light of the PV industry Down Under. Reports from renewable energy site RenewEconomy today, show that the company has been placed in administration.

Ingenero had previously thrived through serving the booming Queensland PV market, developing innovative island projects and also through a solar leasing service. But it appears the company was not able to sustain its trajectory, in the face of regulatory uncertainty.

RenewEconomy reports that Trina Solar looks set to be a big loser, holding 4.6 million preference shares in the company.

In a worrying sign, Ingenero was one of the partners involved in a PV-plus-storage project being developed for miner Rio Tinto. The project was being supported by a grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. Many in the Australian PV industry had hoped that mining applications would provide a strong growth area for solar. Ingenero’s collapse could potentially undermine this.

RenewEconomy reports that the insolvency could augur badly for other Australian PV developers. Some industry observers report that uncertainty about the Renewable Energy Target and what changes to it could mean for current subsidies for sub 100kW installations is depressing the small-scale sector – currently the lifeblood of the Australian PV industry.

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Industry responds to US anti-dumping ruling

The preliminary imposition of anti-dumping (AD) duties on Chinese and Taiwanese solar products by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) on Friday drove another wedge between the domestic solar industry.

SolarWorld Industries America Inc., which led the original 2012 claim, was gratified by the DOC’s decision to issue AD tariffs of between 26-165% on imports of crystalline silicon solar PV cells and modules from China and Taiwan, having also filed the case in December last year to close the loophole that allowed Chinese companies to assemble their products in Taiwan for shipment to the U.S. market.

"We and our workers are gratified to hear that the U.S. government once again has moved to block foreign government interference in our economy and clear the way for the domestic production industry to be able to compete on a level playing field," said SolarWorld Industries America Inc. president, Mukesh Dulani. "We should not have to compete with dumped imports or the Chinese government. Today's actions should help the U.S. solar manufacturing industry to expand and innovate."

Decision condemned
Commenting from the other side of the increasingly cavernous divide, the Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy (CASE) called the DOC's determination an unnecessary obstacle for the U.S. solar industry, and a move that will only serve to hinder the deployment of clean energy in the country by increasing the cost of solar products for consumers.

"Due to these tariffs, previously viable projects will go unbuilt, American workers will go unhired and consumers that could have saved money through solar energy may not be able to benefit," said CASE president Jigar Shah, who remarked of his "particular disappointment" that the DOC is still also considering SolarWorld’s request to expand the scope of products affected by the dispute.

"Accepting a broader scope would disregard decades of legal precedent that define scope using the 'single country of origin' and 'substantial transformation' trade rules," Shah said, before urging SolarWorld AG – the German-headquartered parent company of SolarWorld Industries America Inc., to work more closely with the U.S. solar industry to engineer a more favorable win-win solution.

"CASE members … demand a solution that ends uncertainty in the marketplace by preventing further trade litigation and allows solar power to compete cost-effectively with traditional energy sources, thus enabling the market's further growth," added Shah, who suggested all parties consider the settlement proposal put forward by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

The SEIA president and CEO Rhone Resch, also critical of what he called a "seriously damaging" decision, said that the fact that the DOC's final AD ruling will not be until mid-December represented a slither of a silver lining, opening up a window of opportunity for closer dialogue between all parties. "The U.S. and Chinese governments, SolarWorld, and Chinese manufacturers now have the chance to move forward on settlement decisions. SEIA got the ball rolling in this direction first by proposing a negotiated solution and then bringing the parties together. Now it is time to start bargaining in earnest."

Yingli responds
Yingli Green Energy, the Chinese giant that was hit with a 42.33% AD duty rate (combined AD/countervailing duty tariff of 47.27%), said that the decision will do little more than increase the price of solar energy in the U.S. and severely jeopardize the solar industry's remarkable progress in cost-competitiveness and affordability.

"While we have fully cooperated throughout this investigation and were prepared for this preliminary decision, we ask that our industry comes together to resolve this dispute and focus on the growth of the promising U.S. market," said Yingli Green Americas Inc. MD Robert Petrina. "We remain committed to the U.S. solar market and will continue to support our partners and projects."

Yingli's charman and CEO, Liansheng Miao, also waded into the debate, adding: "As a result of protectionist trade policies that raise prices and slow the deployment of solar power, we anticipate that significantly fewer people in the U.S. and globally will experience the long-term economic and environmental benefits of widespread solar adoption."

Although experts agree that the high tariffs will come to represent a nigh-on insurmountable barrier for most Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers to sell into the U.S., Resch remained confident that the fabled "win-win" scenario was still a possibility. "Today, the involved parties are finally engaged and all sides seem committed to finding a negotiated solution," he added.

The DOC's final AD ruling is expected to be confirmed on December 16, and the International Trade Commission (ITC) is expected to confirm the ruling on January 29, 2014.

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Arizona Public Service unveils plans to install 20 MW of solar PV on customer rooftops

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2014年7月27日星期日

U.S. Department of Commerce imposes preliminary anti-dumping tariffs of 26-165%

The U.S. Department of Commerce has issued steep preliminary anti-dumping (AD) tariffs on solar products from China and Taiwan, which will add to substantial preliminary anti-subsidy (countervailing duty or CVD) tariffs imposed a month ago.

A number of Chinese PV makers were singled out for special duty rates, and among these Trina Solar got the lowest preliminary AD rate at 26.33%. However, to avoid double-counting of export subsidies, the effective combined AD and CVD duty rate for Trina is only 29.30%.

Other manufacturers did not get off so easily. A list of 42 companies including market leaders Yingli, Canadian Solar and Hanwha SolarOne were assessed at a 42.33% anti-dumping duty rate, for a combined AD/CVD tariff of 47.27%. The exception to this is Wuxi Suntech. While assessed at the same AD rate, the company received a higher CVD rate, and as a result importers of these modules must pay a combined AD/CVD tariff of 49.24%.

However, the highest rates are reserved for companies not on the list. Due to a ruling of “adverse facts” including non-cooperation with the investigation, companies not named in the investigation were assessed at a 165.04% AD rate, which makes for a combined AD and CVD rate of 191%.

Unlike 2012 tariffs, this set of AD and CVD tariffs includes both PV cells and modules made in China, and the anti-dumping investigation includes PV cells and modules made in Taiwan. AD rates for Taiwanese PV cell maker Gintech were set at 27.59%. For Motech these rates are 44.18%, and for all others 35.89%.

GTM Research says that it stands by the assessments made in an earlier report in terms of the impacts of these rates. “The tariffs in this case are so high as to prohibit basically any manufacturer from selling at a competitive price in to the U.S.,” says GTM Research VP Shayle Kann.

Chinese PV module makers also have the option of using Chinese cells and simply paying the 2012 duty rates, as the current investigations exclude products covered by the 2012 tariffs.

The U.S. Department of Commerce's final AD ruling will be on or about December 16th, 2014, which will be followed by an International Trade Commission confirmation ruling on January 29th, 2014.

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EU debates energy security strategy

The European Energy Security Strategy, drawn up by the EU as the crisis in Ukraine unfolded and debated by the European Parliament this week, may make mention of a need for more renewables but does so only alongside a call for more "sustainable" fossil fuels and "safe" nuclear.

The strategy was presented by the European Commission on May 28 and was debated by the parliament's industry committee on Tuesday.

As one of the five solutions put forward as a long term answer to the political bloc's overreliance on imported energy – and in the wake of the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, on Russia in particular – the strategy calls for more energy production.

The document says the EU must generate more energy from renewables, fossil fuels and nuclear as well as holding stronger negotiations with Russia, Norway and Saudi Arabia and with potential new suppliers in the Caspian Basin region, such as Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

The other suggested solutions include reducing energy consumption through measures including smart meters and clearer billing for consumers, and focusing on buildings, which consume 40% of the EU's energy, and industry (25%)

The strategy calls for the completion of the EU's internal energy market, by filling in infrastructure gaps as well as highlighting the need to protect critical infrastructure and energy emergency measures with stronger inter-state co-operation on storage facilities, developing reverse flows, carrying out risk assessments and securing supply lines at a regional and EU level.

One voice in energy supply deals

The long-term solution that will prove most contentious in anti-federal governments like the UK's is a call for a unified voice in energy supply deals with external states. The proposal newly-elected EC president Jean-Claude Juncker be in on UK energy deals with external states at an early stage is unlikely to go down well at Westminster.

The short-term section of the new strategy involves staging energy security stress tests to simulate what would happen in the event of energy shortages this winter.

The emergency responses called for to deal with such a situation include increasing gas stocks; developing emergency infrastructure, such as reverse flows; reducing demand; and, tacked on the end, switching to alternative fuels – a crumb of comfort for the European renewables lobby.

The strategy states the EU imports 53% of its energy, including 90% of its crude oil; 66% of its natural gas; 42% of solid fuels, mainly coal; and 95% of its uranium, with the imported fuel bill for last year coming in at €400 billion ($538 billion).

Around a third of the EU's oil comes from Russia, along with 39% of its gas and 26% of solid fuels as six member states rely entirely on Russia for gas at the same time as the Baltic states rely on one external source of most of their electricity supply.

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2014年7月25日星期五

UK cap on renewable subsidies harms solar, says industry

Representatives of the U.K.'s renewable energy and solar industries have criticized today's announcement by the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) to place a £200 million ($340 million) cap on subsidies for the leading forms of renewable energy from October.

Under the controversial Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, the funds will be spread across three different pots of technologies.Large-scale solar has been grouped in Pot 1, where it must compete with onshore wind and conventional-waste-to-energy technologies for the £50 million ($85 million) per year allocated to it.

Pot 2, in contrast, has been allocated the bulk of the monies – £155 million ($263 million) – and comprises less-established and more expensive technologies that must fight it out for the allocated funds. This decision has angered solar and renewable energy advocates in the U.K., who have accused the energy secretary, Ed Davey, of "stacking the deck against solar".

"The message the government is sending out today is clear – it is backing nuclear and other more expensive renewables over value-for-money solar," said Leonie Greene, head of external affairs at the Solar Trade Association (STA). "This is an absurd decision that will ultimately hit bill payers across the U.K."

The CfD scheme is a new funding mechanism that the DECC claims will help propel the decarbonization of the U.K.'s energy market without impacting on consumers' electricity bills. In announcing the funding limit, Davey said: "Our plan is powering growth and jobs as we build clean, secure electricity infrastructure for the future. By radically reforming the electricity markets, we are making sure that decarbonizing the power sector will come at the lowest possible cost to consumers."

The DECC calculates that these measures will shave 6% (approx $60) off the average monthly electricity bill, and nurture the creation of 250,000 clean energy jobs. However, the STA argues that the CfD scheme, in its complexity, disadvantages the small- and medium-sized business that dominate the solar sector in the U.K., and instead favors multinational utilities that can outbid their solar rivals at auction.

"The point is that only large-scale (>5 MW) solar, which was on track to being subsidy-free, is being exposed to this new CfD system without having the back-up of an old scheme," said Greene. "The government needs to fix that by guaranteeing a minimum amount of funds for solar."

Blow for renewables
Under a similar scheme, the U.K.'s nuclear industry has received close to £80 billion in subsidy backing, while the STA calculates that today's announcement amounts to a cut in support of between 65% and 80% for large-scale solar installations once the withdrawal of the Renewable Obligation (RO) certificate is factored in from next April.

The Renewable Energy Association (REA), while recognizing the need for the government to limit the cost of renewables subsidies to consumers, was also critical of the DECC's tilt away from clean-energy support, especially among the more established technologies such as solar power.

"The limited funding for several key technologies will send shockwaves through the industry," said REA chief executive Nina Skorupska. "It is really important not to lose sight of the bigger picture. Ultimately, all renewables, not just in power but in heating and transport too, are really competing with fossil fuels that are mostly imported from overseas and damage the climate."

The energy minister's rhetoric of striking a fair balance between a cleaner future and lower energy bills for consumers was also criticized by the REA, with Skorupska adding that while cost-effectiveness is important, the "DECC cannot say that this planned budget delivers value for money for the consumer", adding: "The best way to square the circle is by properly funding the cheaper technologies and introducing minimum deployment guarantees for all technologies."

A minimum deployment guarantee would, Skoruspka claimed, aid the steady deployment of clean energy projects across all major renewable sectors, particularly solar. Without it, industry experts fear that many solar projects are in danger of being scrapped, and fewer low-carbon installations could be built as a result.

The head of the REA, Paul Thompson, remarked that it is vital that cost-effective technologies such as solar and onshore wind are given sufficient budget to minimize the short-term costs for customers – something the CfD fails to provide; and that the CfD also fosters a conducive environment for early-stage clean technologies such as geothermal, wave and tidal power – something the CfD appears set up to do.

Finlay Colville of NPD Solarbuzz told pv magazine that the realities of the CfD will remain unknown until Fall, when the new funding policies are formally implemented.

"The key issue for the U.K. solar industry under CfDs remains the capacity set to be allocated under the first auction round in September, the strike prices bid for, whether onshore wind will really keep to RO funding, and what is left in the Control Levy Framework pot out to 2021 for renewables," Colville said.

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Utility-scale solar makes up 1/3 of new U.S. electricity capacity in the first half of 2014

The United States put online 102 utility-scale solar PV and concentrating solar power plants with a total capacity of 1.13 GW in the first six months of 2014, according to the latest Energy Infrastructure Update from the nation's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

This represents a 5% decline from the first half of 2013, but is still 32% of new generation put online during the period. In June 11 utility-scale PV plants totalling 40 MW were commissioned, with First Wind's 14 MW Warren PV plant in Massachusetts as the largest completed during the month.

FERC's monthly reports do not include “behind-the-meter” residential and commercial solar, and if these were added solar would make up closer to half of new generation during the first half of 2014.

Natural gas continues to be the leading form of new electricity generation in the United States, and another 1.55 GW of gas plants were added in the first six months of 2014, making up 44% of recorded capacity.

The U.S. Department of Energy expects these trends to continue, with gas serving as a the nation's primary source of new generation through 2040. While the agency predicts that solar will remain the nation's second-largest source of new generation, it also predicts that the nation's solar market will collapse after the ITC expires at the end of 2016, and that only around 1.5 GW will be installed annually for the next 25 years.

Such predictions appear to be based on optimistic assessments of the quantity of remaining gas reserves, and also that the extraction of gas from fracking will continue to be politically tolerated despite large releases of fugitive methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

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2014年7月23日星期三

What does a Juncker presidency mean for renewables in Europe?

While Jean-Claude Juncker has expressed his support for green energy, it remains to be seen what his election as president of the European Commission will mean for renewable energy on the continent.

While some industry watchers expect a strong presidency that could increase the share of renewables in Europe’s energy mix, other industry reps remain undecided as they await actions rather than rhetoric.

In a 14-page outline detailing his "Political Guidelines for the Next European Commission," released on July 15 (the day he was elected as EC president by the European Parliament), Juncker calls for the mobilization of "up to €300 billion in additional public and private investment in the real economy over the next three years."

The focus of this additional investment, Juncker says, should be renewable energy and energy efficiency, energy networks and research and innovation as well as broadband networks, transport infrastructure and education.

Juncker, who served as prime minister of Luxembourg from 1995 to 2013, also states that he wants "Europe’s Energy Union to become the world number one in renewable energies," while also pointing out that "current geopolitical events have forcefully reminded us that Europe relies too heavily on fuel and gas imports."

Indeed, the president-elect – a member of the center-right European People's Party (EPP) -- adds that "if the price for energy from the East becomes too expensive, either in commercial or in political terms, Europe should be able to switch very swiftly to other supply channels. We need to be able to reverse energy flows when necessary."

Juncker makes it clear that "we need to strengthen the share of renewable energies on our continent. This is not only a matter of a responsible climate change policy. It is, at the same time, an industrial policy imperative if we still want to have affordable energy at our disposal in the medium term. I strongly believe in the potential of green growth."

He also states his desire "to significantly enhance energy efficiency beyond the 2020 objective" and expresses support for "an ambitious, binding target to this end that continues the current energy efficiency pathway. I want the European Union to lead the fight against global warming ahead of the United Nations Paris meeting in 2015 and beyond, in line with the objective of limiting any temperature increase to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. We owe this to future generations."

While Juncker's stance on renewable energy sounds encouraging to the industry, it’s not enough for James Watson, the newly appointed CEO of the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA).

Speaking to pv magazine, Watson says the president-elect "is yet to come forward with a concrete position on how he is going to increase the share of renewable energy in Europe" despite his positive sounding statements.

Watson is calling on Juncker to come out in support of ambitious and measureable targets.

"If he is true to his commitment, EPIA believes that Mr. Juncker needs to bring forward a binding target of at least 35% for renewable energies in Europe by 2030 as per the European Commission’s impact assessment which modeled a 35% target.

"This should be underpinned by member state targets. This will help the solar industry to grow and thrive in Europe."

Watson adds that "EPIA wants to see a stronger indication of support from the president of the Commission on renewable targets, also at the member state level.

"So far Mr Juncker has not made any specific statements on renewable targets, only making broad statements of support for the renewables industry in general, EPIA believes that he needs to come out in support of ambitious and measureable targets. In his recent speech to the European Parliament, he has come forward in support of a 30% efficiency target for 2030, so this could indicate that he may be willing to take up the challenge of a real and ambitious target for renewable energies. However, he didn’t refer to the fact that MEPs called for a binding renewable energy target of at least 30% in February this year. This was a missed opportunity for him to state his clear intention."

Stefan De Haan, principal photovoltaic analyst at market research group IHS, is nevertheless optimistic that a Juncker presidency could do more for the renewables sector than outgoing EC President José Manuel Barroso, who Juncker will replace in November.

"Juncker seems to be fundamentally more in favor of renewable energy than Barroso," De Haan tells pv magazine. "And he will be a strong president, so that's in principle good news for renewables."

De Haan adds that renewable energy in the EU will increase in any case in the next years due to economics and "an irreversible global megatrend.

"The biggest task is to create a new market for energy/electricity with well defined rules. We see the turbulences that are occurring in Germany at a PV penetration of just 5% and wind penetration of just 8%. Electricity exchange prices are dropping, large parts of the fossil power generation system are not competitive anymore, business models get obsolete. These issues, which are closely related to energy security, independence, etc., definitely need to be solved on a European level -- I'd say, they can only be solved at the European level -- so a strong Europe is a prerequisite."

Watson argues, however, that if Juncker "is to live up to his words, then he will need to boost support for renewables in the coming five years, and this will start with delivering the right signals to investors that he is serious about what he says.

"The first chance he has to underline the importance of renewable energies is the debate on 2030 targets that will be discussed in October with heads of state. Anything less than a 35% renewables target and member state targets will be an indication that he is not serious about his commitments to global leadership in the renewables sector."

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