[amor de cosmos]

MEA region PV demand to reach 1 GW in 2013
20. March 2013 | Markets & Trends, Global PV markets | By: Jonathan Gifford

In a report released today, NPD Solarbuzz has predicted that photovoltaic demand from the Middle East and Africa (MEA) will total 1 GW in 2013. This represents a 625% increase on the 136 MW of demand in 2012.

In another indication of the increasing regional diversity of the photovoltaic market, NPD Solarbuzz has predicted that demand from MEA countries will grow at a stellar rate in 2013. The region is predicted to grow to a 1 GW market, with South Africa, Israel and Saudi Arabia leading the way.

The NPD publication, the Middle East and Africa PV Market Report, sets out photovoltaic market growth to 2017 in the region, with estimates that the market could grow to 3.7 GW up to 9 GW over that period.

http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...013_100010625/

Electric vehicles + solar: an idea whose time has come
March 20th, 2013
Written by Brian Boler

You’ve likely heard about the partnerships springing up between electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers and solar (PV) system providers. Most recently, Honda and SolarCity announced a plan that allows Honda customers to install solar with a low upfront cost and see an immediate reduction in their electricity bill. This follows partnerships SunPower has formed with Nissan and Ford to offer special deals to buyers interested in both technologies. And in a slightly different take, SolarCity has teamed up with Tesla to provide residential PV owners with battery back-up based on Tesla battery technology, and to install a “Supercharger Network” of free solar-powered recharging stations.

While both EV and PV are considered alternative technologies, that’s not enough to explain why so many companies are jumping to combine EV and residential PV sales. What factors are driving this trend?

The first reason is primarily financial: combining EVs with PV allows consumers to extract the most financial value from both. Why? The right sized solar system can offset all of the electricity needed to fuel an electric vehicle. When viewed from a monthly cost of ownership perspective, the fuel savings resulting from the PV system essentially offset the EV and PV capital premiums, as shown in the figure below. Additionally, a PV system has a 20-30 year lifetime; therefore, once it’s paid off, subsequent EV purchases will experience an even lower monthly cost of ownership.

http://www.cleanpower.com/2013/elect...es-plus-solar/

India’s Karnataka State to Tender for 130 MW of Solar Projects
21 March 2013

March 21 (Bloomberg) — India’s Karnataka state plans to tender for 130 megawatts of solar power projects next month, the state electricity utility said.

Developers may submit bids for building one or more projects having three to 10 megawatts capacity, according to a tender document from state-owned Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. Companies may submit bids for both solar photovoltaic and solar thermal projects, it said.

The developers will be responsible for laying power lines from their project to the nearest substation at their own cost and for ensuring water availability, it said.

http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/indi...olar-projects/