Americas

This week's segment mainly focuses on career moves in the US - featuring some of the nation's biggest energy players, including SunPower, NEXTracker and the SEIA. There is also news from key energy agencies including the IEA, FERC and the New York PSC.

New analysis by the in-house market research team at PV-Tech’s parent company Solar Media Ltd. can exclusively reveal that Hanwha Q-CELLS was the number 1 solar PV cell manufacturer in 2016, based on megawatts of cells produced in-house across the year.

Floridian utility Gulf Power has proposed to increase its power rates for customers by implementing a mandatory demand charge.

The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) has adopted new changes to state requirements to make it easier for consumers to go solar.

The future appears bright for Georgia Power, as the company announced Wednesday that it has added more than 2 million solar panels to the state’s energy landscape last year and will continue to build its portfolio in 2017.

MDU Resources Group announced Tuesday that its subsidiary MDU Construction Services Group has sold off its membership interests in Nevada Valley Solar Solutions II LLC to an affiliate of ORIX USA. Financial details of the sale were not disclosed.

Canadian Solar subsidiary Recurrent Energy announced Tuesday that it has signed off on a 20-year power purchase agreement for 60MW of solar power with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD).

Specialist PV manufacturing equipment supplier Amtech Systems has reported new solar orders since the end of September, 2016 have topped US$60 million, driven by PV manufacturers in China, Malaysia and Taiwan.

French renewable energy company Voltalia has broken ground on its first solar PV plant in Brazil.

‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Hanwha Q CELLS has secured a major module supply deal with US utility, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) valued at US$317.1 million.