Conergy Italy has announced the completion of two more solar parks in Apulia, Italy, worth a total of 1.5 megawatts (MW). Combined, the company says its six solar parks, which are located in the region, produce over 6,600 megawatt hours of energy for more than 2,100 households, and save around 3,500 tons of carbon dioxide a year.

Every house under India’s first Zero Energy Satellite Township (ZEST), to be developed in Rajarhat in eastern India, will include rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) modules and building-integrated PV (BIPV), according to the West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation Ltd.

TerniEnergia has entered into an agreement with TRP PVE BV, an Italian-Chinese joint-venture company, and Milis Energy SPA to build two solar parks in Sardinia, with a total power output of 12 megawatts (MW). The deal is said to be worth €40 million.

SunPower Corp. has announced that Etrion Corporation, an independent solar power producer, has signed a €48 million definitive sale and purchase agreement to acquire the equity in the first two phases of the Montalto di Castro solar photovoltaic (PV) power park, which it says is the largest in Italy at 28 megawatts (MW). It hopes to increase this to 72 MWs by the end of the year.

Astronergy is to increase its production capacity from 30 megawatts (MW) to 75 MW this year. The announcement comes as the company signs a follow-up purchase agreement for Oerlikon Solar’s thin film equipment. The company says the order will help it to reach its goal of producing 400 MW of thin film solar photovoltaics (PV) modules “within the near future”.

Under the development project ‘Access to Modern Energy Services Ethiopia’, realized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, SMA Solar Technology AG has said it will deliver 100 battery power inverters to supply medical clinics with solar-generated alternating current (AC) in the country: 50 have already been delivered.

UK power company HomeSun has announced its plans to install £1 billion worth of free solar panels on 100,000 British homes over the next three years. The news comes as recent reports reveal that the U.K is the fastest growing country for photovoltaics (PV) installations this year.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia has announced that construction has started on its new AUD$125 million Tyree Energy Technologies Building (TETB) following planning approval from the New South Wales government. The new facility – scheduled to be completed by 2012 – will house all the energy-related research and teaching groups within the university, including photovoltaics.

SilexSolar Pty Ltd has announced it is to expand its photovoltaics (PV) panel capacity at its Sydney Olympic Park (SOP) manufacturing facility in Australia, from 13 megawatts (MW) to 35 MW by the middle of next year. The company cites strong demand for its Australian-made panels from the domestic rooftop solar panel market as the primary reason.

Jabil Circuit Inc., one of the world’s largest providers of electronic manufacturing services, and whose customers include companies from every industry, including consumer products, automotive, telecommunications and solar, has come under fire following a report published in July by the U.S.’s National Labor Committee (NLC) regarding working conditions in its Chinese factory, based in Guangzhou, Guangdong.