Saturday, January 28, 2012

Solar Panel Price Drop Slowing Amid Subsidy Cuts, Asbeck Says

The pace at which prices for solar panels are falling will slow this year amid steeper subsidy cuts in Germany, the world’s biggest market for the industry, Solarworld AG Chief Executive Officer Frank Asbeck said today.

Asbeck predicts module prices will drop 13 percent on average in 2012, less than half the level of Germany’s expected solar subsidy cuts.

“Last year module prices fell steeper than subsidies in Germany, this year it will be the other way around,” Asbeck said today in a phone interview.

Officials from the German solar industry, which has struggled with foreign competition including from China, will meet German Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen in Berlin today. Talks will focus on possible adjustments to subsidies after the country installed 7.5 gigawatts of panels last year, more than double the government’s target, Roettgen said yesterday.

SOURCE: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-19/solar-panel-price-drop-slowing-amid-subsidy-cuts-asbeck-says.html

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