Markets & Policy

The world’s leading oil exporter has laid the groundwork for ambitious renewable energy plans in an effort to wean the country off fossil fuels. The country has set a target of 41 GW of solar power by 2032.

The acquisition of Tokyo Electron by California-based Applied Materials follows increased consolidation in the semiconductor equipment manufacturing sector.

Turnkey services provider Phoenix Solar will develop a 1.2 MWp rooftop installation for CMM Marketing Management, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sheng Siong, the third largest supermarket chain in Singapore.

French renewable energy group VSB has tapped Hanwha Q CELLS modules for its solar farm in southeastern France, saying their reliability as well as Hanwha Q CELLS’ carbon certificate were decisive factors.

A new world record efficiency for solar sunlight conversion has been set by a cell structure with four solar sub-cells. The solar cell has managed to hit a new record efficiency of 44.7% and is the brainchild of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Soitec, CEA-Leti and the Helmholtz Center Berlin.

The Philippines is on course to more than double its solar capacity to 5 MW before the end of 2013, according to the Philippine Solar Power Alliance (PSPA).

Homeowners with solar panels that feed into the grid are getting too good a deal, say some state utilities, with plans afoot to readdress the balance.

Vaillant is eager to expand operations in Kazakhstan, where the company is expecting a 50% sales growth rate in the next four years. The group is confident its German-made products can compete with those of overseas rivals.

City Utilities is close to signing a contract to purchase electricity from a forthcoming 5 MW solar farm in eastern Greene County, Missouri, said to be the biggest in the state.

The Emirates Solar Industry Association has been renamed as the Middle East Solar Industry Association (Mesia) in anticipation of expected growth in the region.