Americas

Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, has acquired a 51% stake in the 200MW Garland PV project in California by signing an agreement with Canadian Solar subsidiary Recurrent Energy.

The approval of the US investment tax credit (ITC) by lawmakers last week marks the start of “new energy paradigm”, according to an industry trade group.

Integrated PV module manufacturer Trina Solar will divide its downstream project development business to two separate entities.

Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) has launched a programme encouraging consumers to generate their own power from renewable energy sources, with a particular emphasis on solar.

The expected ITC extension will open the door to utility-scale solar below four cents per kWh, according to GTM’s vice president of research Shayle Kann.

The solar investment tax credit (ITC) is set to be extended beyond 2022 with the current 30% level remaining until 2019.

Governor of the Brazilian state of Piaui, Wellington Dias, has met with Switzerland-based PV manufacturing equipment supplier Meyer Burger to discuss the setting up of a solar module factory in the municipality of Paulistana, Piaui, in Northeast Brazil.

Materials science firm Corning Incorporated has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Duke Energy Renewables, an arm of utility Duke Energy, to purchase 50MW of the power from Duke’s 80MW solar energy plant in North Carolina.

Global PV capacity is expected to grow by 13% next year, the slowest rate of growth since 2012, according to Mercom Capital’s latest market forecast.

Industrial materials manufacturers Dow and DuPont are to merge creating a new company with a market capitalisation of US$130 billion.