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Biggest shareholder has acquired – and postponed payment of – a chunk of debt due last month and agreed a further debt-to-equity transfer. The Swiss company today stated further measures will be required to shore up its balance sheet.

The extent of the rapid growth under way in the Australian PV market has been laid out in the latest report by the Australian Photovoltaic Institute. Pointing to 2018 representing “another record year for Australian PV” the outstanding growth of the utility scale segment is a particular highlight – with 1.1 GW commissioned and 1.9 GW under development.

The EPC provider, which is active in the MENA region, announced that it expects a 900 MW pipeline shortly. The company was recently acquired by U.K.-based Arjun Investment Partners and reportedly has increased its staff size by 30% this year. The company cites an increasing interest in asset diversification and good economics as reasons for MENA’s investment in solar PV.

UN delegates are meeting in New York to negotiate further realization of the Sustainable Development Goals. One of the goals is to ‘Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.’ And Bloomberg NEF argues that thanks to new technology this goal is more feasible than ever, and that delegates should focus on building financial and regulatory frameworks to enable large scale micro-grid development.

In what marks another major PV project announcement for Vietnam, the Germany-based company will supply equipment for a 258 MW PV system, and commission it upon its completion, scheduled for mid-2019.

Dr Rashi Gupta, Director at Vision Mechatronics discusses the EV landscape in India, particularly focusing on the potential for battery manufacturing. While there are currently many challenges, like a lack of raw materials and infrastructure, the opportunities are immense.

India’s solar rooftop sector continues to disappoint, with the first quarter of FY 2018-2019 achieving just 155.77 MW against the 1,000 MW EoY target.

Gogla has released a report showing the positive economic effects of deploying small-scale pay-as-you-go solar systems in off-grid regions. More than half of the survey’srespondents reported having increased economic activity, with many of those starting new businesses or significantly increasing their household income.

At the end of June, Amsterdam’s Johan Cruijff ArenA inaugurated Europe’s largest energy storage system using new and second-life energy storage batteries in a commercial building, alongside partners Eaton, The Mobility House, Nissan and BAM. pv magazine attended the event and spoke to those involved. Below is the first in a series of three interviews with the partners, looking at their involvement in the project, and what their future plans are.

Chinese polysilicon giant Daqo New Energy has revised down its guidance for both polysilicon and wafer sales in the second quarter of 2018. The company states, however, that it remains confident in long-term prospects for the solar industry; and is proceeding as planned with capacity expansions.