Quarterly Update from the Global Solar Council, November 2017
Engagement Opportunities
Member Preferences Survey
You are invited to share your interests to help us direct the Council’s workplan development. Please take 3 minutes and complete this brief member survey.
Overview of Taskforces
The Council is in the process of launching a number of member working groups and task forces based on member demand. If you have not already indicated your interest in joining a Taskforce, we look forward to hearing from you. If you would like to join a Taskforce, please write us at membership@globalsolarcouncil.org and we will contact you for an on-boarding call.
- Strategic Policy (in English)
- Politique Strategique (en Français)
- Politica Strategica “Foro Iberoamericano” (en Español)
- Codes & Standards
- Global Market Outlook
- Jobs, Curriculum & Training
- Public Relations & Messaging
- Solar & Desalination
- Solar Voices – Spokespersons Group
- Trade Policy
Global Solar Council News
Annual General Meeting of Members Summary
The Global Solar Council held its Annual General Membership Meeting as part of Solar Power International on the 12th of September 2017 in Las Vegas, with over 75% of members associations & companies in attendance.
The Annual General Meeting included a presentation about the current state of the US market and the Section 201 Trade Case currently under process in the US, hosted a special guest speaker – Secretary Anand Kumar, Ministry of New and Renewable Energies, Government of India – who gave an overview of India’s solar energy ambitions, markets roundtable highlighting dynamic development and key policy changes, overview of key milestones of the Council’s development and 2017-2018 strategic goals.
Annual Board Elections Results
The election of the 2018-2019 Board of Directors was held as part of the Annual General Membership Meeting with a group of leaders committed to further the mission of the Global Solar Council to encourage the rapid and wide-scale adoption of solar energy through cooperation, education and training.
Marcelo Álvarez, Cámara Argentina de Energia Renovable (CADER), Director
Steve Blume, Australian Solar Council, Treasurer
Peng Heng Chang, Taiwan Photovoltaic Industry Association (Chinese Taipei), Director
Gianni Chianetta, ITALIA SOLARE, Co-Chair
Jan Clyncke, PV CYCLE, Director
Xavier Daval, Syndicat des énergies renouvelables (SER), Director
José Donoso, Unión Española Fotovoltaica (UNEF), Co-Chair
Bruce Douglas, SolarPower Europe, Chair
Jörg Ebel, Bundesverbandes Solarwirtschaft (BSW), Director
Jifan Gao, China Photovoltaic Industry Association, Co-Chair
Holger Gassner, INNOGY SE, Director
Niveshen Govender, South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA), Director
Rodrigo Lopes Sauaia, Associação Brasileira de Energia Solar Fotovoltaica (ABSOLAR), Director
Pranav Mehta , National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI), Co-Chair, Chair Elect 2019
Yue Mi , New Energy Industries Association for Asia and the Pacific, Director
David Renné, International Solar Energy Society (ISES), Director
Abigail Ross Hopper, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Director
Colin Yang , Trina Solar, Director
Gongshan Zhu, Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA), Chair Elect 2018
Taskforces on Basecamp
The Member Taskforces are being hosted on the Council’s collaboration platform Basecamp, we are honored to host several partner organizations in joint collaboration. 2 of the very active groups we host are:
Foro Iberoamericano
Iberian & Latin American collective of policy leaders engaged in policy collaboration and best practice sharing, co-hosted by Council Board Members Jose Donoso (UNEF, Union Espanola de Energia Fotovoltaica), Marcelo Alvarez (CADER, Camera Argentina de Energies Renovables) and Rodrigo Sauaia (ABSOLAR, Brazil).
IRENA Coalition for Action
Business & Investor Group: a collaboration between IRENA, the Global Wind Energy Council, Global Solar Council and many other organisations under the IRENA umbrella. The group is currently drafting a white paper (instruction manual) and tool kit to accelerate development of utility scale renewables in emerging markets, which will be presented at the IRENA General Assembly in January 2018. The Group is co-chaired by Bruce Douglas, Chairman of Global Solar Council.
Public Representation
Disciplining Fossil Fuel Subsidies for Climate Mitigation and SDGs: A Job for the Trade System?
22 September
Recent studies estimate fossil fuel subsidies to $5.3 trillion or 6.5 % of global GDP.1 Such subsidies are associated with a range of negative effects. Importantly, they boost greenhouse gas emissions and hence further spur climate change – without these subsidies, global carbon emissions would have been reduced by 21% in 2015.
This event held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and New York Climate Week, was jointly organised by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), the Guarini Center and the Institute of International Law and Justice, IIJL, of the New York University School of Law, first shed light on the issue of fossil fuel subsidies and their impact on climate change. It then explored the role of the trade system, by discussing a few options for how the WTO could become equipped to discipline the subsidies. Global Solar Council Chief Executive, Jodie Roussell, represented the solar industry, spoking on the impact of fossil fuels subsidies on the growth of solar markets.
Climate Change and Clean Energy Technologies – Policy Options for the Global Trade and Investment System
10 October
In order to ensure that trade is enabled to play a role which facilitates and scales up climate action while acknowledging and addressing the possible tensions, ICTSD, together with the Chatham House, Climate Strategies and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, took a fresh look at the intersection between trade, climate and clean energy under the joint ICTSD-World Economic Forum’s E15 initiative. In the Session, Jodie Roussell of the Global Solar Council presented a perspective on the challenges facing global solar markets, along with the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), and other speakers addressing a selection of the findings and policy options for decision makers in trade, investment and climate change in the context of the post-Paris world.
PVCEC – PV Conference and Exhibition of China
19-21 October
Co-hosted by the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA), Chinese Renewable Energy Society (CRES) and Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association (CREIA) and a number of government departments, the PVCEC is a high-level conference and full value chain exhibition, has gradually become a leading photovoltaic display platform in China. Jodie Roussell of the Global Solar Council represented the global viewpoint on the industry’s development in the opening plenary, sharing thoughts on how to address the challenges to solar’s future growth and achievement of National Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement.
ISES Solar World Congress & Jobs Taxonomy Workshop
31 October
The Solar World Congress 2017 will continue a long tradition of connecting the renewable energy research and academic community with decision makers, financiers, and practitioners. It was co-located with the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme. Jodie Roussell spoke at the Plenary Session: Global Focus & Innovation in Renewable Energy sharing a global viewpoint on the solar industry’s development and thoughts on how to address the challenges to solar’s future growth.
The Global Solar Council additionally hosted a Workshop with over 50 students from the Masdar Institute, Petroleum Institute & Khalifah University , and conference participants, on the future on employment in the solar industry. Participants contributed their thoughts on the technical and interpersonal skills necessary for the solar jobs of the future. This workshop was part of the workstream of the Council’s Jobs, Training & Curriculum Taskforce.
Council to Promote Worldwide Seawater Desalination Technologies Powered by Solar
The Council has signed an agreement with the International Desalination Association (IDA) to promote desalination technologies powered by solar during the IDA World Congress in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Gianni Chianetta, Council Co-Chair highlighted the importance of this partnership by drawing attention that “water cycle absorbs 4% of the total electricity produced in the world, and this number is expected to double in a few decades. Solar photovoltaic, being locally produced, is the cheapest, cleanest and most reliable source of energy”. Full text
New Members in Q3 2017
Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies (HELAPCO) – Greece – National Association
New Energy Association for Asia & the Pacific (NEIAAP) – Asia Pacific
PV CYCLE – International – Non-profit PV end of life/recycling association
Useful Infographics and Reports
A selection of useful recent publications we recommend:
- Phasing Out Fossil Fuels, Subsidies in the G20: Progress, Challenges and Ways Forward (ICTSD)
- Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2017 (IRENA)
- Digitalisation and Solar (SPE)
Upcoming Member Events
Solar World Congress: 29 October – 2 November – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Greening the Islands: 3 – 4 November: Favignana, Italy
STA Storage: Market Access & Systems Integration: 7 November: London, UK
COP23: 6 – 17 November: Bonn, Germany
Digital Solar & Storage: 4 – 6 December: Munich, Germany
O&M and Asset Management Conference: 7 December: London, UK
International Solar Alliance Foundation Day: 9 December: Greater Noida, India
Trade and Sustainable Development Symposium: 11 – 13 December: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Solar Show Africa 2018: 27 – 29 March 20118: Johannesburg, South Africa
SNEC PV Power Expo 2018: 27 – 30 May 2018: Shanghai, China
Intersolar Europe: 20 – 22 June 20118: Munich, Germany
Council’s members invited to join the International Solar Alliance’s Solar Summit in India
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is hosting the Global RE-INVEST 2017 India-ISA Partnership during the period 7 – 9 December 2017 at India Expo Centre & Mart in Greater Noida. The event is expected to be attended by over 600 global investors, thousands of domestic & international delegates, state figures from over 100 countries.
The key feature of the event is the Founding Ceremony of the ISA Solar Summit to be held on 9 December. Notorious figures including the Prime Minister of India, President of France and Secretary General of the United Nations were invited to celebrate India’s commitment to develop the world’s solar energy potential for inclusive energy access and sustainable economic progress.
Invitation to Share your News & Events
Members are invited to share their upcoming events or publications with our office for upcoming Quarterly Updates, and inclusion on our website. Please send your content contributions to membership@globalsolarcouncil.org Alternately, you are invited to share your solar images on Instagram with us at global_solar_council with the hashtag #globalsolarcouncil
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