Finance

Following its acquisition by Taiwanese group Sunrise Global Energy, production at the former Bosch-owned Aleo Solar in Prenzlau, Germany, has begun again. The PV manufacturer is now producing its high-efficiency 300 W modules at the 120 MW capacity fab, where 190 employees have retained their jobs.

Swiss power and automation giant ABB intends to establish itself as the “leading entity” in the battery storage sector. It set out this vision in its Capital Markets Day event in London on Tuesday.

Big oil is increasingly turning to solar power to extract petroleum, so much so that the country of Oman and Royal Dutch Shell on Monday announced a $53 million investment in GlassPoint Solar.

The PV industry association argues that the law will block “prosumers” from providing flexibility to the energy system and helping to avoid costly grid extensions.

Teaming up with the state-owned Sichuan Development investment company, Canadian Solar will focus on utility-scale and distributed generation projects in Sichuan Province and other solar resourceful regions in the country.

At a combined capacity of 61 GW, projects in the U.S. and China make up almost half of the current PV pipeline, according to IHS, which says a large share of planned projects are “immature” and unlikely to materialize.

San Francisco-based Dividend Solar has launched an affordable loan for residential solar. The EmpowerPortal loan permits residents to claim a 30% federal tax credit.

Official announces a national carbon trading scheme will be introduced in 2016. The country is already running seven city and province-based pilot schemes.

The flood of money pouring into renewable energy around the world is trickling down and creating new revenue streams for established businesses eager for growth.

Portugal added 33 MW of solar PV capacity in the first six months of 2014. A significant reduction in new mini installations is worrying, though, given the Portuguese PV sector is predominantly rooftop driven.