Europe

China-based PV manufacturer and project developer ET Solar signed a cooperation agreement with the largest PV inverter producer, Huawei as it aligns key suppliers around its plans to build 1GW of PV power plants around the globe over the next 12 months.

Swedish advanced solar materials company Sol Voltaics has named Arno Stassen as its new director of product marketing. Stassen, who was most recently the head of business development at the PV energy division of Heraeus, will oversee Sol Voltaics’ product marketing as the company prepares for the commercialization of its solar nanowire technology.

Germany’s Federal Network Agency has increased the capacity up for grabs in its sixth round tender for large-scale solar PV systems to 160MW.

Wuxi Suntech the PV module manufacturing arm of renewable energy group, Shunfeng International Clean Energy (SFCE) said it had voluntarily withdrawn from the European Union’s ‘Price Undertaking Agreement’ better known as the MIP (Minimum Import Price).

Specialist PV manufacturing equipment supplier Singulus Technologies said it had issued new shares valued at around €8 million to provide liquidity for supplying CIGS thin-film production equipment orders and the development of heterojunction (HJ) solar cell processing tools after securing an (MOU) with Golden Concord Holdings, majority share holder in GCL-Poly and GCL System.

Anti-minimum import price sentiment has continued to swell this week as more than 400 companies called on the European Commission to put an end to trade duties on solar modules and cells.

PV manufacturer Astronergy Solarmodule GmbH, a subsidiary of China-based producer, Astronergy and part of Chint Group said it would start production of modules using the latest generation of PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Contact) cells with monocrystalline wafers to produce high-efficiency ‘all black’ modules in the 295 to 310 Watt peak (Wp) power classes.

Conergy Services GmbH, a European provider of Operation & Maintenance (O&M) solutions, has selected QOS Energy’s software to oversee clients’ PV portfolio of 500MW in Europe.

After the recent IPO, RWE’s renewable energy subsidiary Innogy has decided to expand into the US market, according to local reports.

PV inverter manufacturer KACO new energy has said it has signed a 50MW supply deal with the Turkish project developer, Aldo Grup for planned projects through the end of 2017.