Southeast Asia

GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) has secured a major US$336 million polysilicon equipment and technology deal with Cosmos Chemicals Berhad as part of plans to build a 25,000MT integrated polysilicon plant in Sarawak, Malaysia.

The abolition of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) could lead to the loss of almost 7,000 jobs, according to an industry body.

The pipeline of grid-use PV projects approved for construction by the Philippines Department of Energy totalled 844.71MW across 38 projects, as of 30 November.

Energy authorities in the Philippines have called on the international community to donate inverters and batteries to help set up solar energy supplies, as the country struggles to get back on its feet in the wake of the devastating Typhoon Haiyan.

Sunlabob Renewable Energy has completed work on a mini-grid that will supply electricity to a remote village in rural Laos.

The Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has set a new solar target for 1,400MW of solar by 2015.

Conergy has won the contract to build 21MW of solar PV in Thailand, taking its capacity in the country over the 100MW mark.

Laos-based Sunlabob Renewable Energy has been awarded a contract to provide training to PV engineers in the Pacific island state of Kiribati.

SGI-Mitabu, a company formed by two Australian firms The Solar Guys International and Mitabu Australia, has entered into a partnership with the government of South Sumatra, Indonesia to develop megawatt-scale solar power projects.

Thailand's government has announced plans to support a major expansion of the country's solar rooftop sector on both domestic and commercial buildings.