Americas

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has ruled that an investigation into anti-dumping and countervailing duties for solar cell products from China and Taiwan will go ahead, following a preliminary phase vote in Washington DC on Friday.

Sunedison and United Renewable Energy (URE) have successfully collaborated on 1.3MW of solar projects in the US state of Georgia.

A breakthrough in concentrating solar power (CSP), the US’s 392MW Ivanpah Solar Electric system has now reached full commercial operation.

The Peruvian arm of Italian renewables firm Enel Green Power has been granted permission to conduct a feasibility study for a 40MW PV project in southern Peru.

Over 142,000 people are employed by the solar industry in the USA, with over a third based in California, a series of reports published by non-profit organisation The Solar Foundation has revealed.

PV equipment and technology specialist, Amtech Systems reported a noticeable rebound in sales for its fiscal first quarter of 2014.

US-based start-up, Siva Power formerly Solexant, has reported a CIGS cell efficiency of 18.8% that it claims was verified by NREL in December 2013.

SolarWorld chairman Frank Asbeck, the chief agitator in a string of trade cases against the Chinese PV industry, has been accused of “reckless” behaviour that could put thousands of US solar jobs at risk.

Another solar power project in the subsidy-less country of Chile has received the stamp of approval from the environmental authorities.

The latest solar trade case brought in the US could see American companies produce “Chinese” solar products, if the petitioner SolarWorld’s terms were met, according to a lawyer representing Chinese PV manufacturers.