Manufacturing

German solar module manufacturer Aleo Solar AG dissolves its Denver, U.S. operations with immediate effect, citing a failure to meet recent sales targets.

The Irish company that has developed a dry process solution for manufacturing solar cells has secured a €350,000 investment from a venture capital fund. Nines Photovoltaics says its production technology can further reduce manufacturing costs.

The energy company is eager to expand renewable energy resources in the U.S. state and is proposing 170 MW of solar power, 450 MW of new wind power and 317 MW of natural gas generation.

In a big win for PV producers in Brazil, the country’s energy minister has pushed through a new decree allowing solar in the upcoming A-5 auction for electricity from new energy plants that will go online in 2018.

Photovoltaic developer SunEdison has closed a $212.5 million deal for a 100 MW solar project in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The plant is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2014.

Jörg Althaus, business field manager for solar energy at TÜV Rheinland, discusses how unannounced factory inspections and market surveillance may make a difference as the focus on PV power plant and component quality increases.

Applications for the Cypriot net metering program are now open. Cyprus’ installed solar PV capacity, currently at 25 MW, is expected to grow fivefold within the next two years.

Chinese solar manufacturer JinkoSolar will be supplying 274 MWp of photovoltaic modules to solar projects in South Africa and Australia.

PV producers in Spain took in some $2.6 billion from the sale of electricity but the country’s troubled industry is still facing ruin as the government seeks to introduce new power generation fees.

U.S. energy giant Direct Energy and Calfornia-based SolarCity are teaming up to provide solar electricity directly to businesses.