Solar PV demand in the Asia-Pacific region will increase 50 percent to 13.5 gigawatts (GW) in 2013, with China, Japan, India, and Australia continuing to dominate the solar spectrum in the region, accounting for 90 per cent of demand for this year, according to analysis from NPD Solarbuzz. But each country is evolving with its own set of criteria and market drivers, selecting PV suppliers and technologies based on factors including domestic manufacturing, policies, import duties, and customer preferences.
Australia, for example, is eliminating its Solar Credit Multiplier and incentives in Victoria and Queensland. Japan’s demand will peak ahead of tariff reductions in April. China, which has already hiked its solar demand expectations and will likely do so again, should see the bulk (75 percent) of its 7-GW demand in 2013 coming in the second half of the year — but changing feed-in tariff rates should spur PV developers to finish projects earlier in the year to avoid the year-end crush. And India could see anywhere from a 3.7-GW to 9.0-GW increase in demand, with an emphasis on off-grid and rooftop sectors, as it mulls the final version of Phase II of its National Solar Mission.
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