sunpower

This week's segment mainly focuses on career moves in the US - featuring some of the nation's biggest energy players, including SunPower, NEXTracker and the SEIA. There is also news from key energy agencies including the IEA, FERC and the New York PSC.

Mexico's SENER forecasts massive solar growth, with a 20-fold increase totalling 5.4GW by the end of 2019. In Spain, the long-anticipated renewable energy auction is given a confirmation for the first quarter of this year. Over in Chile, solar energy is being used to power the Santiago metro, through SunPower's El Pelícano project.

High-efficiency PV module manufacturer SunPower has sold two Californian projects, totalling more than 134MW amid recently announced restructuring plans.

Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power has acquired the controlling interest in the 100MW Boulder Solar I Facility in Nevada from SunPower, which will own the remaining interest in the project.

Yieldco 8point3 Energy Partners has entered into an agreement with SunPower to acquire a 49% stake in Pacific Gas & Electric’s 102MW Henrietta solar project for US$134 million.

High-efficiency PV module producer and project developer SunPower is to take over its joint venture (JV) solar cell manufacturing operations in Malaysia from Taiwan-based partner AUO, a subsidiary of AU Optronics Corporation at a cost of US$170 million, payable over the next four years.

SunPower has extended the terms and reduced the value of its existing credit support agreement with French energy giant Total through to 2018.

Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power has acquired a controlling interest in the 102MW Henrietta Solar Project in Kings County, California, from SunPower. SunPower will own the remaining interest in the site.

According to IHS Technology, the three leading North American megawatt-scale PV O&M providers accounted for 44% of the regional market in 2015.

The Fraunhofer USA Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) has demonstrated two plug and play solar systems at its 2016 Demo Day.