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Scientists at the Zentrum fur Sonnenenergie-und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg, Germany (Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, ZSW) say they have achieved a new world record for copper, indium, gallium and diselenide (CIGS) solar cell efficiencies. At 20.3 percent, the Stuttgart researchers state that the new results should “significantly” improve the cost-effectiveness of CIGS thin film photovoltaics (PV) over the medium term.

The U.S. is expected to install around 1.9 gigawatts (GW) of photovoltaics (PV) annually by 2014, according to new research, which states that the country’s market is growing at fast pace, thanks to government support and decreasing installation costs.

A new law has been passed in Illinois, the U.S. whereby Commonwealth Edison and Ameren must begin purchasing solar energy – as part of the renewable energy portfolio requirement – by 2012 instead of 2015. Specifically, the power industry will now be required to purchase .5 percent of its power from solar sources by June 1, 2012; 1.5 percent by June 1, 2013; 3 percent by June 1, 2014; and 6 percent by June 1, 2015, and each year thereafter.

The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has announced that following a 30-day consultation period, it has finalized the price for the new microFIT ground-mounted solar price category at 64.2 Canadian cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh).??

Solar inverter shipments reached 4.9 gigawatts (GW) in the second quarter of this year (Q2), says IMS Research, growing by 284 percent. More than half of these shipments were for installations in Germany, which grew by 388 percent in Q2 says the company. Consequently, total shipments hit more than eight GW for the first six months of the year – a three-fold increase over the same period last year.

The Spanish government has announced fresh plans to slash incentives for new solar photovoltaics (PV) installations by up to 45 percent, although it appeared to edge away from proposals that would have resulted in reduced support for existing installations, reports the Guardian. However, a key PV analyst tells pv magazine that with a bit of long-term planning, the country can recover itself.

Germany-based aleo solar AG has reported a revenue of €277.0 million in the first six months of this year, leading to a 134.5 percent increase compared to the first six months of last year. The main driver of this increase, it said, is due to the amendment of the German Renewable Energy Act. York zu Putlitz, CEO and CFO of aleo solar AG additionally told pv magazine that the company is looking to increase its production capacity by this September.

The semicondonductor industry, which has significant ties to photovolatics, due to the similarity of production processes, is experiencing strong market growth. Taiwan is projected to be the largest semiconductor market this year at USD$ 9.18 billion, while total semiconductor equipment sales worldwide will reach USD$32.5 billion, according to SEMI. It added that sales of global semiconductor equipment are up in all regions this year.

A team of researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), funded by the U.S Department of Energy’s solar technologies program, has released a 144-page renewable energy feed-in tariff (FIT) guide, aimed at helping to “improve future policy design”.

UK power company HomeSun has announced its plans to install £1 billion worth of free solar panels on 100,000 British homes over the next three years. The news comes as recent reports reveal that the U.K is the fastest growing country for photovoltaics (PV) installations this year.