Spain’s Ministry of Industry has presented a decree to the country’s Council of Ministers against the so-called “Fraude Fotovoltaico” or “photovoltaic fraud.”

The Sharp Corporation has said it will double its annual production capacity for crystalline solar cell modules to 500 megawatts (MW) at its U.K. production base, the Sharp Manufacturing Company of U.K. (SUKM), this December.

Responding to demand created by India’s National Solar Mission, as well as growing demand in Europe and the U.S., Gujarat Borosil Ltd. (GBL) has started production on its low iron glass (textured), state of the art factory in Bharuch city, located in Gujarat state, western India, in order to provide glass for crystalline photovoltaics (PV) modules.

European renewable energy company, 9REN Group has received €80 million in financing for 22 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic (PV) projects in Italy with a syndicate of three banks.

Pacific Blue Energy Corp. (PBEC) has announced it is preparing to begin the permitting process for 100 acres in Gila Bend, Arizona, the U.S., the purchase of which should be completed in the near future. As a result of the town’s solar overlay policy and strong support from town officials and staff, the company says it is on track to have the first phase of its 150 megawatt (MW) solar farm approved in two to four months, as opposed to the typical time frame of two years.

Hitachi Cable has invested around 500 million yen (roughly USD$5.7 million; €4.4 million) in a new production facility for photovoltaic (PV) wire at its Hitachi Cable (Johor) of Malaysia plant, in response to growing demand. Full-scale operations are expected to start next month.

For the first half of this year, the German Federal Network Agency is expecting to see an increase in photovoltaics (PV) installations of more than three gigawatts (GW). During this time, around 135,000 data specifications have been submitted to the agency, of which more than 50,000 alone were made in June.

Microsemi Corporation and Germany-based Spelsberg, in conjunction with its partner, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, have announced the development of a disruptive new technology for photovoltaic (PV) solar modules. The technology was demonstrated at this year’s Intersolar North America, held in San Francisco, the U.S.

Portland General Electric (PGE) has announced the completion of a 673,000 square foot, 2.4 megawatt (MW) solar rooftop installation in the U.S.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has presented a South Dakota State University researcher with a grant of USD$400,000 — USD$80,000 per year for the next five years, in order to build new high-performance organic solar cells with increased efficiency.