Emma Hughes

Australian company, Dyesol has commenced operations in its North American subsidiary, Dyesol Inc. The company moves into the US market under the guidance of chief executive officer Marc Thomas who has been appointed for several months.

Eneco Holding N.V. in the Netherlands has announced that it will take over the activities of Ecostream, the German solar company. Ecostream was previously part of the Econcern group, which became insolvent at the end of May.  

The UK Government has announced plans to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the country by introducing renewable energy sources. A carbon emission target of 35% has been set for the year 2020 and at least 80% by 2050. These policies were outlined by Secretary of State of Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband in, "The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, National strategy for climate and energy" White Paper.

MAGE Solar and IdeemaSun energy, founding companies of SolidMarks, have announced a contract for a 2.7MW project in Northern Italy. The project will span over two locations - Bodino and Torino.

MAGE SOLAR, part of the globally operating MAGE GROUP, a company that specializes in the sale of high-grade photovoltaic installations, has appointed two new members to the Executive Board.

LDK Solar Co., Ltd., manufacturer of multi-crystalline solar wafers, has announced its acquisition of 70% of Italian system integrator, Solar Green Technology S.p.A.'s (SGT) shares.

IMEC has announced new partnerships with solar cell material and equipment suppliers including MEMC Electronic Materials Inc., Leybold Optics Dresden GmbH, Roth & Rau AG, and Mallinckrodt Baker B.V.

Southern California Edison (SCE), one of the nation's largest electric utilities, has announced that it has issued a competitive Request for Offers (RFO) for new power contracts with independent generators and marketer

Mecasolar has announced it will be opening a new production plant in San Francisco, which will start producing one- and two-axis solar trackers and fixed structures in the first quarter of 2010. This initiative reflects the interest of Mecasolar and the OPDE Group.

Over the past four years, the European market for solar thermal systems (STS) is enjoying interest from policy makers, market participants and end users. In addition to the potential for growth in this market, "the key driver for the market in Europe is government support for STS in the form of financial subsidies, tax credits, and regulatory reforms," remarked Hammam Ahmed, Frost & Sullivan research analyst.