Capacity additions for residential, commercial and utility-scale solar all declined in 2014 in Germany, but the ongoing slowdown of German PV deployment has been felt most keenly in the small commercial segment of the market, according to research out today.
Chinese tier one manufacturer Trina Solar will supply PV modules to ‘Marcovia Solar’, a 42.5MW solar farm in Honduras which is scheduled to go online during the second quarter of this year.
Solar microinverter manufacturer Enphase has stepped up its involvement in a collaborative effort with Hawaii’s main electric utility to stabilise the US state’s grid networks.
Plans by Apple to build a solar powered data centre at an Arizona facility once owned by First Solar have been welcomed by environmental advocacy group Greenpeace.
India’s solar manufacturing sector appears to have received a boost, with solar cell manufacturer Indosolar signing a wafer supply agreement worth US$200 million with Korean company Osung.
The Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has drafted guidelines to install 2GW of new solar PV generation capacity through the current phase of the country’s National Solar Mission (JNNSM).
Japan’s electric utility companies that had stopped considering applications for utility-scale solar look set to resume doing so, although projects will be subjected to stricter new rules.
Japan will produce definitive targets for renewable energy this year, according to a government official. The country’s government has taken criticism from pro-renewable energy groups for not doing so previously.
Vertically integrated solar power provider SunEdison and its ‘yield co’ subsidiary will build 85.2MW of UK PV across five plants, having secured financing from Santander and Bayerische Landesbank.
