Companies

Elkem has been given NOK16 million (US$1.78 million) from the Research Council of Norway to develop a silicon manufacturing process that eliminates all direct CO2 emissions associated with its production.

Renewables investor Magnora has increased its ownership in Swedish solar cell technology company Evolar from 40.7% to 50%.

Lightsource bp has closed on a US$100 million financing package for the 130MW Black Bear Solar energy project in Montgomery County, Alabama, which once complete will increase the state’s total installed solar capacity by more than 20%, according to Lightsource bp.

US utility AES has acquired PV project developer Community Energy Solar, taking on a 10GW renewables pipeline in the process.

Elevion, the renewables arm of Czech conglomerate ČEZ Group, is targeting growth within Europe’s PV market after closing the acquisition of Belectric’s European assets.

Fuel distribution company Rubis has entered the PV sector with the acquisition of a majority stake in Photosol, a France-based solar developer and independent power producer.

Solar manufacturer Xinyi Solar is to diversify into polysilicon production, launching a joint venture to establish a production base in Yunnan, China, with an initial capacity of 60,000 metric tons (MT).

Artificial intelligence-driven energy storage company Stem Inc has acquired solar asset management software provider AlsoEnergy for US$695 million.

Koch Strategic Platforms (KSP), a subsidiary of Koch Investments Group, has made a US$150 million investment in racking and tracking company GameChange Solar to support its strategic development goals

The US Senate has unanimously passed the bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA) that will ban the import of products from China’s Xinjiang region into the US unless importers can provide "clear and convincing evidence" they were not made with forced labour