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Decision by new U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May to fold the Department for Energy and Climate Change into a wider Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy draws criticism from clean energy campaigners, but appointment of Greg Clark earns approval.

Prakash Javadekar, who is to soon vacate his post as India’s climate minister, has told a Delhi conference that India could meet its renewables and carbon reduction goals earlier than planned.

The SolarWorld-Hemlock case dominated the news this week, but Intersolar North America, EU investigation into alleged Chinese malpractice and India’s soaring PV ambitions also turned heads.

The Californian Independent Solar Operator Corporation unveils data showing the state hit a new record of 8,030 MW of solar generation this week.

The U.S. court adjudicating on the legal dispute between SolarWorld subsidiary Deutsche Solar and Hemlock Semiconductor has granted a motion for a summary judgment, dismissing SolarWorld’s submission for the case to be heard by a jury. The dispute stems from three multi-year polysilicon supply deals negotiated and signed between 2005 and 2007. SolarWorld argues that it is not beholden to these supply deals as they were subsequently amended by the two parties.

The court document from the dramatic initial ruling in the SolarWorld and Hemlock Semiconductor polysilicon dispute reveals that Hemlock was willing to negotiate amendments to the polysilicon Supply Agreements with SolarWorld subsidiary Deutsche Solar, if the German company assisted in resolving a dispute “between the US and China over the exchange of solar-industry products.”

The German PV group says it is optimistic that Hemlock will not succeed in actually enforcing any claims against it in Germany, arguing that the disputed silicon supply contract at the center of the legal dispute violates EU antitrust law.

The Chinese inverter specialist officially launches the Sungrow-Samsung SDI Energy Storage Power Supply Co., Ltd joint venture in China.

The Chinese solar firm achieves new record efficiency for its industrially produced multicrystalline silicon PERC cells, and also ups efficiency of its P-type double print cells to 18.7%.

The off-grid microgrid has been installed at the Loisaba Conservancy by Aquion Energy and SolarAfrica and will be able to offset the conservancy’s diesel use by 95%, at a time when off-grid solar is making a charge in Africa.