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The first-half results appear to indicate a renaissance for a thin-film manufacturer still suspended from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, but a strategy of having affiliate companies invest in Chinese industrial parks to secure returns from the resulting orders for manufacturing equipment, may make would-be investors uneasy.

Solar has the potential to foster peace and aid conflict resolution by being deployed in several of the world’s crisis areas. Electricity is one of the highest costs for humanitarian missions in fragile regions, such as South Sudan, the Congo, Somalia, Myanmar and Yemen, among others. In an interview with pv magazine, the CEO and founder of Energy Peace Partners describes how solar installed in camps and protected areas, could improve the outcomes of such missions.

Clearway Energy Group has been formed from NRG’s renewable energy businesses and SunPower’s project pipeline.

While installations up to 750 kW continue to grow, compared to June, overall capacity slightly decreased. This is due to the fact less utility-scale projects were commissioned in July, compared to the preceding month. Solar subsidies will decrease by another percentage point in September.

The Japanese government said the recent publication of a quality-evaluation guide for solar projects will ensure the long-term sustainability of the country’s PV sector, partly by improving maintenance standards, while serving as a potential boon for investment in the relatively dormant secondary market for operational installations.

National scheme reportedly aims to drive installation in segments including residential and commercial and industrial facilities.

Adding energy-intensive industries to microgrids can help refinance system costs and can lower tariffs for residential consumers, a study suggests. To achieve this though, accurate system design and sizing are essential.

Wifi hotspots powered by PV will bring internet access to remote communities for the first time under a scheme run by a ‘next generation utility’ which hopes to expand to provide more conventional utility services in future.

A 10 MW system in Derbyshire provided power to the grid as part of a virtual power plant in a national first. It should prove a popular development, according to the results of a new survey.

Mini-grid solutions are becoming more popular to deliver electricity to rural areas. There are 1 billion people worldwide without access to electricity and off-grid solutions could be the cheapest and easiest solution for about 70% of them. It is estimated the market in the segment will be worth $64 billion by 2030.