A study has highlighted that the two growth phases of solar panel manufacturing – after the 2008 global downturn and again after 2011 – coincided with higher prices for the precious metal.

Stanford professor Mark Z Jacobson has said new nuclear plants may cost up to 7.4 times more than wind and solar facilities, with construction times longer by up to 15 years. Such a delay, he said, may see an huge amount of extra carbon emissions from fossil fuel power sources. His verdict comes as China this month set new guaranteed tariffs for nuclear power.

The German panel maker said the new factory, which will add to its 525 MW facility in China, will expand its production capacity to 1 GW. With plans in the pipeline to enter the PV project business, that figure could rise to 2 GW by the end of next year.

Solar could meet approximately 68% of global energy demand with other renewables making up the rest, according to a new report. A 100% renewable energy system could also create 22 million solar jobs by 2050, the study claims. Keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees C, though, would require FITs for projects up to 40 MW in capacity, auctions for bigger systems, removing fossil fuel and nuclear subsidies and providing more education and R&D and less red tape.

According to an investigation conducted by public bodies, cross-mating of connectors was the main common denominator of the incidents studied.

Only 36% of the 360 MW of capacity allocated in Poland’s first two solar auctions is grid connected, according to research institute the IEO. With the completion deadline for the first exercise having expired last year, there is also little time left for developers selected in the second auction to finalize projects. In three auctions held by the Polish government, a combined capacity of 870 MW has been allocated.

Although details are vague, the Vice Ministry of Alternative Energies is reportedly developing the country’s first medium sized projects to be connected to the national grid. It is also planning to implement distributed generation projects ranging in size from 1.5 MW to 3 MW in the crisis-torn nation.

The 3.8 MW project is conceived for self-consumption of two facilities of the lead-acid battery manufacturer Exide in Castanheira do Ribatejo and Azambuja.

In the latest of our interviews about renewable energy and geopolitics, Indra Øverland – head of the Center for Energy Research – discusses the difficult relationship between Russia and renewable energy. Despite a belief the gas and oil superpower will have little interest in clean energy, Overland believes the world’s most extensive nation will use renewables to improve its domestic power supply, especially in remote regions. Russia has a highly continental climate, with lots of sunshine – more than most of Western Europe, Overland says. Whether it can take advantage of that potential, however, is unclear.

The polysilicon maker said it will use the funds to improve its liquidity situation until access to the Chinese polysilicon market is restored. It sold 254,381,870 shares, which corresponds to approximately 9.9% of its oustanding capital.