In this week's Movers & Shakers, PV Tech reports mostly on good news, with new appointments in sales, public policy, asset management and business development. However, Texas' Mission Solar Energy has announced its second wave of big job cuts - this time slashing 170 jobs as the company realigns its objectives to purely module assembly.
PV manufacturing equipment specialist SCHMID Group has launched a new texturing tool for diamond-wire-cut multi-c-Si wafers that has already secured orders in the 500MW range and expects significant order intake through the first half of 2017.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved on Tuesday new rules for incentives for residential solar customers, namely, by phasing out net metering over the next 15 years.
US news in brief: A pair of bills expand Nebraskan community solar, Texas utility CPS Energy expands its residential and commercial solar rebate programme by US$15 million, and GRID Alternatives receives a US$2 million grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to continue expanding its work in low-income solar access.
Hawaiian Electric Companies (HECO) and Texas’ NRG Energy have signed new PPAs to bring online over 100MW of new solar in Oahu, with three utility-scale PV projects.
The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) SunShot has announced a new US$30 million for solar integration projects, as the initiative is in hot water after president Trump indicated plans for its closure.
Independent solar developer 8minutenergy announced Wednesday that it has received approval on a power purchase agreement to develop the 90MW Springbok 3 Solar Farm in Kern County, California.
US-based PV module manufacturer Mission Solar is to cut its existing workforce by a further 58% after closing its solar cell production lines at its facilities in San Antonio, Texas in October 2016.
