With a wave of consolidation predicted, the module manufacturer has announced a strategic partnership which will see it open up its overseas sales network and scale to smaller peer Tunghsu Kangtu.

Solar – and wind – will finally bring an element of environmental consciousness, and value for money, to the system charged with keeping the lights on in Britain. Is PV finally shaking off long-held fears about its intermittent nature?

With a group purchasing program securing hefty discounts for British households – and attracting thousands of potential customers as a result – solar has a viable business case no matter what further cuts the government throws at the industry.

The Conergy brand has changed hands again with the Australian infrastructure giant acquiring the company’s Asia-focused business from its previous US-based fund management owners. Macquarie may be positioning itself to take advantage of a flood of cheap Chinese-made panels.

The solar system may be only 0.5 MW in scale but will help the supply of freshwater to 250,000 people within 18 months and further desalination-linked schemes are in the pipeline.

Shanghai Electric says the Chinese government’s abrupt decision to rein in solar was a significant factor in the collapse of its planned $3.64 billion acquisition of a controlling stake in the world’s biggest poly maker.

The social media titan is the world’s biggest corporate buyer of renewable energy so far this year. BNEF figures show the company has already secured 1.1 GW of green power this year, helping the corporate world break last year’s landmark.

Shanghai Electric’s move to take over GCL-Poly’s Jiangsu Zhongneng has fallen through because conditions are not ‘mature enough’. The development, announced this afternoon to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, will be closely watched by the global solar industry.

With Hanwha Solar Holdings already owning 94% of the company, the module manufacturer could soon be a private company again. The Korean solar company says the transaction would cost the holding company around $45 million.

The International Energy Agency’s latest study of global energy investment paints another rosy picture for solar – even as the authors warn of missed sustainable growth targets – but the report covers last year, and notes China’s policy about-turn could blow a cold wind through PV.