Heated opposition to a legislative bill in the Philippines has sparked debate over subsidies for renewables and the potential for battery-backed PV systems to expand rural electricity access.

Marubeni has revealed plans to halve its 3 GW global coal-fired power portfolio by 2030, and double its holdings of renewable energy within the next five years.

The Japanese Government has wrapped up its second of three planned solar auctions, with nine companies winning the rights to build a total of 196.96 MW of commercial PV capacity.

Chinese industrial group, Roshow Technology has revealed plans to purchase a 92.3% stake in Shunyu Jieneng Keji, a PV project developer, in an asset restructuring deal valued at CNY 1.5 billion ($218.4 million).

China’s Jiangsu Akcome Science and Technology has revealed plans to sell 503.5 MW of solar to Zhejiang Provincial Energy Group (ZPEG), as it struggles to rein in its debts.

Shares of Canadian Solar soared earlier this week after U.S. investment firm Lion Point Capital revealed that it had initiated discussions with a number of undisclosed third parties about the possibility of funding the privatization of the solar PV module supplier.

The Japanese government said the recent publication of a quality-evaluation guide for solar projects will ensure the long-term sustainability of the country’s PV sector, partly by improving maintenance standards, while serving as a potential boon for investment in the relatively dormant secondary market for operational installations.

The Japanese PV industry should respond to the government’s recent decision to leave its 2030 energy mix targets unchanged by pushing for a higher share of solar in the next version of the country’s strategic energy plan, according to a new report.

The South Korean government has revealed plans to introduce new environmental guidelines and rules on where PV projects can be built, following a public outcry after a landslide smashed into an operational solar array south of the city of Daegu.

Kyocera will participate in a new project in northern Japan to test how flexibly electricity suppliers can respond to fluctuations in energy supply and demand.