Europe

Japanese PV manufacturer Panasonic is to close its module factory in Hungary at the expense of 550 jobs.

Citing changing market conditions and an extended period of consolidation within the solar sector, PV inverter market leader, SMA Solar Technology plans to reduce its headcount further by around 700 full-time positions in Germany by the end of 2014.

With the aim of achieving 20% conversion efficiencies but with lower material costs, Solliance and imec have demonstrated a CZTSe (Cu2ZnSnSe4)-based thin-film solar cell (1x1cm2, AM1.5G) with 9.7% efficiency.

International renewable energy producers, Enel Green Power (EGP), has completed two new photovoltaic plants in Salerno Province, Italy.

Having received an unspecified capital injection, CIGS thin-film start-up Solarion has successfully exited insolvency proceedings.

The split between the two bodies that had jointly been working to realise the ambitious Desertec renewable energy vision was the culmination of a long-running dispute over the project’s strategy and governance, it has emerged.

PV Crystalox Solar has sold its polysilicon production operations in Bitterfeld, Germany to the former management team, contributing €12.3 million to the renamed Silicon Products Research Engineering Production in the process.

Small France-based module manufacturer, Solarezo has entered bankruptcy proceedings in an effort to restructure its finances having a reported €50 million order backlog with only a 65MW production capacity, according to the company’s website.

German solar firm JvG Thoma is to supply an unnamed company with manufacturing equipment for a 10MW PV module plant in Nigeria.

International solar provider WIRSOL has appointed Mark Hogan as a new member of its board of directors.