Funds fleeing photovoltaic panels

Are cheap Chinese solar panels driving record solar energy installations?

A flood of cheap Chinese solar panel imports is driving record solar energy installations. But those same imports are crushing Europe's few local solar manufacturers. Governments and industry are split over how to respond. Europe just had a bumper year for green energy.

Are solar panels a financial Dead Cert?

However, adorning your home with solar panels is not a financial dead cert. The results depend on your energy consumption, your home’s location, timeframe, the availability of reliable installers and politicians sticking to their green commitments. FT Money looks at the main factors that will determine whether an investment in solar works.

When will Oxford PV solar panels be on sale?

Oxford PV said solar panels using its cells should be on sale early next year. The company is part-owned by the Swiss solar developer Meyer Burger and Chinese renewables company Goldwind. Case said neither had access to Oxford PV’s technology. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024.

Why are there so few facilities for recycling solar panels?

The reason there are so few facilities for recycling solar panels is because there has not been much waste to process and reuse until recently. The first generation of domestic solar panels is only now coming to the end of its usable life. With those units now approaching retirement, experts say urgent action is needed.

How efficient are solar panels?

With today’s technology, it matters less, as panels have become steadily more efficient at turning sunlight into energy in the past decade. Residential solar panels have an average efficiency rate of around 15 to 21 per cent. In 2010, the highest achieved efficiency was 15.89 per cent.

Why is the UK losing a high-profile solar power investment?

Simply sign up to the Renewable energy myFT Digest -- delivered directly to your inbox. The UK is set to lose a high-profile solar power investment after developer Oxford PV said it was the “least attractive” market in which to locate its new factory and that it was more likely to list in New York or Hong Kong.