Ben Willis

The US is lagging behind the likes of Australia and Germany in pushing down the labour costs associated with residential PV installation, a Rocky Mountain Institute study has revealed.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that US import duties applied to Chinese solar products in 2012 broke global trade rules.

Iran is planning to spend US$60 million on solar projects this year, up from US$12 million last year, according to reports.

German industrial group BayWa is to acquire the struggling American PV developer Martifer Solar USA.

Photon Publishing has said that preliminary insolvency proceedings launched against it have already been closed.

Photon Publishing, which produces the prominent solar industry periodical, Photon International, has entered insolvency proceedings in the court of Aachen, Germany.

Georgia-based renewable energy supplier Green Power EMC has agreed to buy power from a 20MW PV plant due to be built in the state by developer Silicon Ranch.

Leading US PV installer SolarCity is to acquire American module manufacturer Silevo in a major move that could see it producing its own modules within two years.

Renewable energy accounted for a record share of global energy consumption last year, but so too did coal, hitting its highest level since 1970.

Independent power producer, Tenaska, has reached financial close on its 150MW Imperial Solar Energy Center West project in California.