Markets & Finance

Solar module sales at Kyocera are expected to increase significantly in the first quarter of 2013, boosted by a rush to install systems before expected feed-in tariff reductions are introduced at the beginning of April.

Thin-film manufacturer First Solar has announced the acquisition of the 50MW Macho Springs Solar project from developer Element Power in Luna County.

Spanish PV company Siliken has announced it started insolvency proceedings.

Applied Materials announced today that George S. Davis, Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), will be departing the company effective March 8, 2013.

A cap of 2.5% should be applied to inreases in renewable energy incentives levy in Germany, according to the country's Environment Minister, Peter Altmaier.

After the recent resignation of Michael Wilhelm in his position as Sunways chairman, LDK Solar, Sunways majority shareholder has appointed Mario Zen in the vacated position.

Element Power Holdings has announced that Joe Slamm, co-founding partner of Hudson Clean Energy Partners and a member of the Element Power board of directors, will serve as the company’s interim chairman following the departure of Pedro Barriuso.

Astonfield Renewable Resources, a provider of renewable energy in emerging markets, has announced that its Co-Chairman Ameet Shah is to take on a key advisory role to the US government.

In an rather incestuous deal and conformation that consolidation along with capitulation is occurring in the Chinese PV market, tier 2 PV manufacturer, Goldpoly New Energy Holding has acquired China Merchants New Energy (CMNEG) in a deal valued at HK$2.12 billion (US$273 million).

The German Federal Ministry of Environment (BMU) is expected to introduce incentives for PV energy storage systems in February 2013.