Manufacturing

The Czech President Vaclav Klaus has approved a retroactive solar tax for solar power plants in the Czech Republic in spite of fears of possible arbitrages and protests by several members of European Photovoltaics Association (EPIA).

The California Energy Commission has approved two more large scale solar power projects in the desert, adding to the already approved seven projects since August end.

The Bulgarian government has announced that a renewable energy source act would be finalized and released within the next two weeks.

Contrary to what was previously expected, the massive ammendments of feed-in tariffs (FITs) in Spain will not come into effect until the second quarter of 2011.

First Solar will enter 2011 with a forecasted 46 percent sales growth according to the thin film manufacturer. This is despite possibilities of decreased demand in some markets.

Donauer Solartechnik opens its UK sales office, continuing its expansion plans within Europe.

The construction of the facility, a collaboration between SunPower and AU Optronics, will continue through 2013 and, when completed, is expected to generate more than 1,400 megawatts (MWs) annually to meet world demands.

Longmont based Abound Solar Manufacturing has finalised the loan from the U.S. Department of Energy under the federal Recovery Act project.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research have released a comprehensive study that shows that the U.S. are major net exporters of solar energy products.

CEE (Conetwork Erneuerbare Energien Holding) an equity investment company and PV project planner, Gehrlicher Solar, have signed a framework agreement for the joint execution of solar projects in Europe.