A very sharp drop in the photovoltaic market

For the second year in a row the photovoltaic market is in sharp decline in France, it dropped by 37% between 2011 and 2012 and the situation for 2013 is expected to be even worse. The last emergency measures taken by the government have been useless. The syndicate of renewable energies (SER) and the 'Europe Ecologie les Verts' party urge the government to take efficient emergency measures like for instance the implementation of local purchase tariffs instead of the present bidding process or to keep the obligation of the integration to the building only for new constructions. The only good piece of news is that photovoltaic power is getting more and more competitive. France has to reconsider its energy policy and its regulatory framework in order to benefit from it. (A.C.)