Power Plants

Germany-based PV materials manufacturer Heraeus is to open new R&D centres in mainland China and Taiwan.

Japanese firm Solar Frontier has completed its acquisition of the US project pipeline of developer Gestamp Solar.

Semiconductor equipment makers Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron have agreed to terminate plans for a merger after the US Department of Justice (DoJ) warned about loss of competition from the procedure.

Kyushu Electric, the Japanese utility that last year temporarily suspended new grid applications for large-scale solar, sparking a wave of similar suspensions by other utilities, will install a huge battery project aimed at integrating a higher capacity of renewable energy generation.

European PV trade association EPIA has said it would support free trade and the end of current trade barriers on imported Chinese solar modules, the first time the trade association has set a strategy position on the ongoing trade conflict that has impacted the PV industry.

Mississippi Power is set to partner with two solar businesses and the US Navy in order to develop and construct two PV installations within the state.

As part of Duke Energy’s US$500 million commitment to solar energy in North Carolina, construction activities are starting to get underway at three PV facility sites.

Following recent news that Holland’s Orange Solar will open a module factory aimed at “reviving” European PV manufacturing, BIPV specialist Onyx Solar will begin work on a factory in Spain.

Germany has received more than 170 submissions for its first competitive large-scale solar PV tender, leaving the round significantly oversubscribed.

Ghana has put the brakes on its utility-scale solar market with the West African country establishing a temporary cap of 150MW.