Global photovoltaic (PV) cell production grew last year by 51% from 7.1 gigawatts (GW) in 2008 to 10.7 GW in 2009, according to a research note published by GTM Research.

The news that 50 new solar jobs are to be created comes after Siemens Canada’s announcement that it is entering the Canadian the solar market as a local manufacturer of inverters for photovoltaic (PV) power generation.

The photovoltaics (PV) market is expected to rapidly expand in the Asian Pacific region within the next few years, prompting the formation of a new Asian Pacific PV Industry Council (APPIC).

The number of solar jobs in Germany is expected to double from 80,000 employees in 2009 to 180,000 in 2020, according to the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar).

The Swinburne University of Technology and Suntech have announced the opening of a new solar cell facility in Melbourne Australia.

The Indian solar photovoltaics (PV) market is predicted to grow five-fold over the next few years and will become a global player by 2022.

CNPV Solar Power SA, has announced its entrance into a long term general supply agreement with Enel Green Power SpA, Italy’s largest power company, listed on the Milan Stock Exchange.

A Saudi Arabian solar task force has been established following the country’s first Solar Communication and Coordination Workshop, held on May 16 in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s largest oil corporations, will assume a leading role.

Reducing production costs, maintaining and increasing margins, and gaining market share were highlighted as the three main challenges facing German photovoltaics (PV) companies this year.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and 3M, the St. Paul, Minn.-based technology company, have embarked on research and development partnerships in three key areas of clean energy innovation: thin-film photovoltaics, concentrating solar power and biofuels.