Markets & Finance

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) is demanding information from organisations including utility Arizona Public Service (APS) on the possible use of ratepayer funds in controversial public relations campaigns against solar power and net metering.

Honda has announced it will close its thin-film manufacturing subsidiary Honda Soltec spring 2014.

US thin-film giant First Solar has seen its third quarter sales surge 51% compared to the same period last year.

US-based manufacturer SunPower has raised its outlook for 2013, predicting revenues of between US$2.52 billion US$2.57 billion.

German state development bank KfW is to provide €654 million (US$900 million) for a Moroccan CSP project.

The requirement for local content in Saudi Arabia’s early solar power tenders could mean it misses out on global cost cuts, according to IHS.

Trendforce research division EnergyTrend has issued a new report in which it claims that Asian market demand is exceeding that of other regions including Europe.

Canadian Solar has signed an agreement with Deutsche Bank for a CAD$104 million (US$99.5 million) loan.

Additional funding has been released for residential solar under the San Diego California Solar Initiative (CSI) programme.

PV equipment supplier, BTU International, has reported third quarter net sales of US$12.0 million, down 15.7% compared to US$14.2 million in the preceding quarter as little sales activity was generated from the PV sector.