News in Brief: Vivint Solar is taking advantage of Rhode Island's optimal residential solar conditions and expanding into the state, BBOX and Aeris are partnering to provide plug-and-play solar systems with IoT connectivity in East and Central Africa, Sri Lankan energy ministers are allocating funding to install solar systems in selected public buildings and India's Space Research Organisation has developed a new solar app for Android.
Tesla reported first quarter 2017 solar installations of 150MW, down from 201MW in the previous quarter, a 25% decrease, due to selection criteria biased towards customer owned PV systems rather than leased.
Polysilicon producer REC Silicon ASA reported a slump in polysilicon sales in the first quarter of 2017 as market demand weakness resumed after strong demand in the fourth quarter of 2016.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched an investigation into whether SolarCity and Sunrun are adequately disclosing how many customers have cancelled solar contracts.
NEXTracker has started supplying its single-axis trackers to what it claims to be the largest solar plant in the Western Hemisphere at around 750MW capacity, with more than 200MW of trackers already delivered to the site in Mexico.
Struggling China-based PV manufacturer Yingli Green Energy has avoided another bond default with the payment of approximately US$46 million on one of its five-year unsecured medium-term notes (MTNs) that were due on May 3, 2017.
The financial benefit currently available to solar users will be sharply curtailed over the next few years, after Indiana governor Eric Holcomb signed SEA 309 into law yesterday.
Specialist semiconductor and PV equipment supplier Intevac reported first quarter 2017 financial results that included a 40% increase in new orders, driven by its largest single order in its Thin-film Equipment segment that includes its solar product offerings with a 12 system follow-on order in March for its solar ‘ENERGi’ implant tools.
