The expansion of the Asian solar market in the first quarter of 2017 was broadly similar to the growth seen in the first quarter of last year, although most countries in the region have yet to reveal official installation statistics for the January-March period, the Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA) said in a new report.

The Moroccan developer will construct the plant as an Independent Power Producer (IPP). The facility will be located in the north of the country.

A 1.2 MW hybrid plant is currently under development in a remote area of Indonesia aiming to provide 24-hours access to electricity for about 400 households in three villages. The project will be owned by the local community, offering a model for the development of solar PV in the country.

Chinese module manufacturer JinkoSolar announced the completion of financial negotiations for the 1.17 GW solar project to be built in Abu Dhabi. The project will be financed with $870 million and is expected to begin commercial operation in April 2019.

A research team at Lomonosov Moscow State University has developed a new process to obtain organic/inorganic crystalline perovskite films for solar cells. The team says that the process allows for the development of compositions with optimal stability, and that it’s discovery could give fresh impetus to the research into perovskite solar cells.

A joint project conducted by the Carinthian Tech Research Center and the Austrian Institute of Technology, in conjunction with German equipment manufacturer teamtechnik has developed a lead-free PV system using glued ribbon technology.

A research team at Penn State University has developed solar cells of up to 17% efficiency using a simplified concept requiring only one semiconductor material. Thanks to their potential for low-cost production, the researchers theorize that the cells could be used to provide power to energy poor communities the world over.

Researchers at Australia National University have developed a nanostructure technique to finely control the direction of light. The technique, says ANU, could be applied to tandem perovskite/silicon solar cells.

Roughly 6.85 GW of solar panels were shipped in Japan in the fiscal year to the end of March 2017, from about 5.56 GW in the preceding year, according to new statistics from the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA).

German equipment supplier Innolas announced that it has received a further order for its ILS-TTnx platform, from an unnamed Asian customer. The tool is suitable for a range of applications in cell technology, but is particularly seen as a cost-effective method for laser contact opening in PERC cells.

After originally being cool to Suniva’s petition to the U.S. International Trade Commission for protection from its Chinese competitors, SolarWorld Americas has reversed its stance and joined the complaint as a co-petitioner.

Modules manufactured at the facility will be sold under the brand Solaron. The facility will be owned and operated by local company Profpanel LLC.