Asia Pacific solar demand to jump to 13.5 GW this year - NPD Solarbuzz

Feb 13, 2013 - Solar photovoltaic (PV) demand in the Asia Pacific region will jump 50% year-on-year in 2013, reaching 13.5 GW, NPD Solarbuzz has projected.

According to the market analyst firm's Asia Pacific Major PV Markets Quarterly report, China, Japan, India and Australia continue to dominate the market and will be responsible for 90% of demand in the region this year.

A single go-to-market strategy to respond to the increasing Asia Pacific demand will no longer do, however, as the leading countries are developing their own micro-climates, NPD Solarbuzz analyst Chris Sunsong said. Customers in each of the countries choose PV suppliers and technologies on the basis of factors such as domestic manufacturing, policies, import duties and customer preferences, the firm said.

According to NPD Solarbuzz, China's government will probably re-adjust the targets of its 12th Five-Year Solar Development Plan and that more than 75% of the country's 7 GW demand in 2013 will occur in the second half of the year.

The firm projected that PV growth in Australia will slow during 2013 due to the end of the Solar Credit Multiplier support mechanism as well as incentive cuts in the states of Victoria and Queensland. In Japan, demand is forecast to peak in the first quarter of 2013 before tariffs are reduced in April.

With respect to India, the firm said that the final version of Phase II of the National Solar Mission programme had not been adopted yet and that the country could see a capacity increase from 3.7 GW to 9 GW, with a higher focus on off-grid and rooftop segments.

Sunsong also said that each of the countries in the region remained subject to risks. China and India, for instance, faced challenges of bank financing and grid accessibility, while Australia was still susceptible to future policy shocks.

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