Europe

Self-consumption and other new business models for PV “can reduce and ultimately suppress the reliance on dedicated financial support”, according to Marie Latour, senior national policy advisor at the European Photovoltaic Industry Association.

Tracking system engineering firm Exosun has signed a contract to supply a 12MW solar plant that once completed will be the largest tracker-equipped plant in France.

IKEA has confirmed that all UK IKEA stores will stock, sell and install solar PV modules.

Punitive measures against PV users and growing competition from abroad are “dismantling” Spain’s solar industry, according the country’s PV industry body.

System manufacturer and developer, Conergy, has received offers for its production subsidiaries, Mounting Systems and Conergy SolarModule, as insolvency negotiations continue.

Construction has been completed on a 4.2MW solar power plant in Odessa, Ukraine, by ET Solutions, a subsidiary of the multi-national ET Solar.

Clean Power Finance yesterday announced its launch of an online product to match vendors with system service agents - a move that could soothe investor concerns over risks associated with long-term operations and management of residential solar systems.

An Italian court has ordered the seizure of further solar parks constructed by companies associated with Global Solar Fund, the PV power plant investment body in which Chinese manufacturer Suntech is majority shareholder.

Swedish company Sol Voltaics has acquired enough funding to take the its high-efficiency 'Solink' gallium arsenide nanomaterial into pilot production.

Inverter manufacturer, SMA Solar, has announced the conclusion of a process to reduce its headcount with an additional 400 voluntary job losses.