Global solar PV market outlook, 2010 and beyond

TAIWAN: On the heels of the announcements made by various European governments that they would reduce FiT (Feed-in Tariff) rates for solar energy after a sharp fall in the price of solar PV (Photovoltaic) systems, a flurry of demand for the installation of solar PV systems was unleashed in the first half of 2010.

In the first half of 2010, the global solar PV market enjoyed a nearly 303 percent growth in terms of PV installations compared to the first half of 2009 (during which the global financial crisis hit full force), totaling around 6.6GW (Giga Watt) of solar PV capacity during the first half of 2010.

In mid-2010, the governments of Czech Republic and Italy separately announced the reduction of their FiTs starting from the beginning of 2011. It is anticipated that these announcements will trigger a new flurry of PV installations in these two countries during the second half of 2010.

Consequently, the global solar PV installations are forecasted to enjoy a nearly 55 percent growth in the second half of 2010, with 8.98GW of PV capacity being newly installed. The full-year PV installations are expected to top 15.6GW in 2010, up 109% compared to the amount installed in 2009.Source: MIC, Taiwan.

This report analyzes the following topics:

* Current and future development of PV installations in specific countries of three leading solar PV markets: Europe, North America, and Asia.
* Analyses key factors that are expected to affect PV installations in these three major markets in the future.
* Companies and organizations analyzed or mentioned in the report include:First Solar, Gintech, JA Solar, Kyocera, Motech, Neo Solar, Q-Cells, Sharp, Solar Semiconductor, SunPower, Suntech Power, Trina Solar, Yingli Solar.