Ben Willis

US firm First Solar is to build a 1.7MW PV-diesel hybrid system to power mining giant Rio Tinto’s Weipa bauxite mine in Queensland, Australia.

Sales of PV monitoring equipment surpassed global PV installations in 2013, according to analysis by GTM Research.

US firm First Solar cemented its position as the world’s leading solar engineering, procurement and construction contractor last year, but is set to be overtaken in 2014.

Banking giant Wells Fargo has invested US$100 million of tax equity financing in nine PV projects in North Carolina.

California-based Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has topped the list of US utilities that added most new solar capacity to their systems in 2013.

Beleaguered German PV developer, SAG Solarstrom, has given an upbeat assessment of its prospects of finding the necessary investment to allow it to continue operation.

Embattled wafer manufacturer LDK Solar’s China-based subsidiary has secured a 765MW supply deal with a Taiwanese PV firm.

Chinese building materials and glass company CNBM is to buy German CIS thin-film manufacturer Avancis.

The domestic content requirement (DCR) in India’s flagship solar programme is facing mounting pressure after talks to resolve US opposition to the policy broke down and it was separately branded a “failure”.

Canadian firm Fengate Capital Managemangent has reached financial close on a 7MW PV project in Ontario.