Germany's recent announcement of the shutting of 17 nuclear power plants by 2022 has been welcomed by the renewable energy industries. However, the incentive for solar energy is likely to continue decreasing as the German government focuses on wind power first.

Market rumors have indicated that various versions of incentive cuts are being considered by Germany's government and that the magnitude of the cuts may be larger than expected.

According to industry sources, the solar industry in Asia has been growing faster than expected, causing heavy burdens on the European governments such as Spain, Czech Republic and France. Also, employment in Europe did not increase with the expansion of the solar industry. China-based solar firms have been expanding aggressively causing European governments to include protection measures in newly drafted subsidy programs.