Following last year’s announced cooperation with Tigo, PV inverter manufacturer GoodWe is now launching the DNS and SDT rapid shutdown inverter series with MLPE functionalities, a streamlined solution for the optimization of energy yields on the module level which is perfectly adequate for complex system designs and partial shadings – using optimizers on shaded modules recovers an average of 36% energy loss due to mismatch.

Specialist PV manufacturing equipment supplier Singulus Technologies has booked over €40 million (US$48.5 million) in new CIGS (Copper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide) thin-film manufacturing equipment orders in 2018.

Polysilicon producer REC Silicon said it had achieved 800MT of FBR (Fluidized Bed Reactor) granular polysilicon production at its Joint Venture (JV) plant in Yulin, China in the first quarter of 2018.

Polysilicon producer Wacker Chemie plans to restart production at its Charleston US facility in the second quarter of 2018, after an explosion on September 7, 2017.

French utility Engie and German energy storage firm sonnen have formed a partnership to offer a package of solar and energy storage to households in France, according to Reuters.

French firm Albioma is to build 51 rooftop solar projects on apartment buildings operated by Société Anonyme d'Habitations à Loyer Modéré de la Réunion (SHLMR) in towns throughout Reunion Island.

Leading PV inverter manufacturer Huawei has confirmed that it has been selection to provide it’s fully digitalized ‘FusionSolar’ smart PV solution to Spain’s first subsidy-free PV power plant, being built by renewables firm, BayWa r.e.

Sineng Electric has introduced a new central distributed inverter for bifacial solar modules. Bifacial modules are expected to become a leading force in the industry due to the significant improvement in energy yields and reduction in cost but their high-performance characteristics are not served well with current inverter technologies.

Canada-based PV project developer and EPC Grasshopper Solar has secured a new round of project finance from Deutsche Bank to enable further PV power plant construction and ownership.

Acciona Energía plans to develop a pair of PV projects in Chile over the next three years that will boast a combined generation capacity of 126MW.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has allocated financing for up to US$55 million to help pay for the construction of a 85MW PV portfolio owned by Akfen Yenilenebilir Enerji A.S. in Turkey.

India and Morocco sign MoU on renewables, Azuri partners TV station for off-grid solar, Minetech accepts LOA for 10MW PV project in Perak, Malaysia.

China installed a total of 9.65GW of solar PV capacity in the first quarter of 2018, a 22% increase over the prior year period, according to China’s National Energy Administration (NEA).

German solar and storage firm IBC Solar has commissioned a 27MW PV project in the Indian state of Odisha.

Australia's National Energy Guarantee (NEG), which has been waived through for a final decision in August, would significantly harm the country's large-scale renewables pipeline, with just 1.5GW expected to be completed by 2025 despite the current 16GW pipeline, according to the head of the country’s solar and storage council.

Perovskite solar cell developer Oxford Photovoltaics (PV) has undertaken a new funding round, led by key investors, Statoil and Legal & General Capital.

Leading PV manufacturing equipment supplier Meyer Burger said it would appeal an initial judgment made in a Chinese court that dismissed its patent infringement lawsuit against Wuxi Shangji Automation Co over its Diamond Wire Management System (DWMS).

Enphase Energy and Solaria Corporation have announced the introduction of an AC solar module, the Solaria ‘PowerXT’-AC. The AC module features the Enphase IQ 7+ Microinverter and delivers high performance and aesthetics through Solaria’s proprietary module technology.

Abu Dhabi-based energy firm Masdar and state-run utility Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) have signed an MoU to share technical knowledge and project experience for renewable energy development.

Malaysian utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has signed a 21-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Halpro Engineering for a 30MW(AC) solar project in Pahang, Malaysia.

South Australia state-run firm SA Water plans to deploy 152MW of solar PV and 35MWh of energy storage over the next two years in order to reach its target of zero net electricity costs by 2020.

The Florida Public Service Commission has voted to approve US residential solar company Sunrun’s ability to offer solar leases to consumers within the state.

While the Spanish government’s tenders are very welcome, it is the merchant and PPA opportunity powering the nation’s 29GW pipeline.

SMA Solar has introduced the latest Sunny Central 2750-EV-US inverter, which is said to have 10% more power than previous models enabling maximum power density and integration. The Sunny Central 2750-EV-US has also achieved UL 62109 listing.

Wuxi Suntech Power has recently confirmed that that it provided PV modules to India’s first solar-wind hybrid project in Kavithal, India, which was built by Hero Future Energies.

Sunsure commissions 20MW solar project in Karnataka, Power for all scheme comes to Meghalaya, Acciona launches the second round of accelerator for infrastructure and renewable energy startups.

Walt Disney World Resort has partnered with Origis Energy USA and the Reedy Creek Improvement District for another 50MW solar project that will power two of its four theme parks in Central Florida.

Singapore-based clean energy provider Sunseap Group has contracted German energy storage firm Hoppecke Asia Pacific to bring storage to Sunseap’s hybrid off-grid solar system at Tanglin Academy, the largest tennis academy in Singapore.

San Francisco-headquartered financial services provider Wells Fargo & Company has said it will provide more than US$100 billion in financing to clean technology and renewable energy transactions by 2030.

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has reminded implementing agencies of rooftop solar projects under the capital subsidy scheme that they must go through a transparent bidding process to discover tariffs or the project will no longer be eligible for subsidies.