The Solarbuzz PV Equipment Quarterly report has found that global photovoltaic equipment spending is projected to fall by more than 45 percent in 2012. This is on the back of historic peaks in 2011, or USD$13.1 billion.

Solar leaser, SunRun and Californian market analyst, PV Solar Report have released data showing that solar leasing, or third-party-owned solar, accounted for 59 percent of Californian residential installations in the third quarter (Q3) of 2011. This brings the cumulative total for 2011 to 51 percent.

At the opening of the Solar Power International conference in Dallas, Texas, today, a taskforce has been launched to improve the integration of solar racking systems.

German solar machinery supplier, Singulus has entered the growing thin-film market with a new Copper-Indium-Selenium and Gallium and Sulphur (CIGS) thin-film solar cell processing system.

Chinese photovoltaic manufacturer Suntech claims to be the first manufacturer to have produced five giawatts (GW) of solar modules that have been installed by customers and partners.

Taiwanese photovoltaic manufacturer, TSMC, announced today that it has completed the “equipment move in” stage at its CIGS fab in Taichung, Taiwan.

In what may be a sign of things to come, photovoltaic system integrator Phoenix Solar has dramatically revised down its revenue and earnings outlook for 2011.

Thin-film module manufacturer First Solar will sign an agreement with developers in Chile today, in which it will agree to provide modules and engineering and procurement services for future projects in the country.

In its latest analysis of the polysilicon, wafer, cell, module and inverter industries, IMS Research has found that photovoltaic profits are set to fall by 70 percent in the fourth quarter (Q4) 2011, in comparison to Q4 2010. This is despite predictions of a ten percent sequential profit increase.

In one of the largest non-recourse credit facilities issued for photovoltaic projects, Deutsche Bank and Rabobank will provide a USD300 million facility to SunEdison for projects in the U.S. and Canada.