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Australia’s large scale solar installed capacity is set to triple in 2017. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has awarded 12 PV power plant projects, worth 482 MW, grant funding under its program to stimulate the market segment. It was announced today in Syndey that AU$91.7 million ($71 million) in grants will be provided to projects worth around AU$1.06 billion ($820 million).

The French energy minister confirmed this week that France will begin a series of tenders for 1.35 GW of new rooftop PV to be conducted over the next three years, which can be added to the 3 GW of utility-scale solar PV that will be auctioned during a separate series of tenders over the same time period.

As part of a focus on PV module and system quality in preparation for our Quality Roundtable at the Solar Power International Trade show in Las Vegas, pv magazine brings you an interview with DuPont Research Fellow Bill Gambogi and Director of Corporate Marketing Bob Olsen.

The projects are in various stages of development and most are expected to be completed in 2017 and 2018.

Chinese PV manufacturer JinkoSolar has announced its withdrawal from the EU price undertaking, adding pressure on the EU to revise or abolish the scheme, in the face of disapproval from the European solar market and a number of high-profile Chinese companies leaving the agreement.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is well positioned to reach its target of generating 100% renewable electricity by 2020, as it has already backed the development of 640MW of large-scale PV and wind project over the past four years, according to a new report.

Secretary of India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Shri Upendra Tripathy says India’s role at the head of the International Solar Alliance is to share achievements and lessons learned from National Solar Mission.

Nina Skorupska, Chief Executive for the U.K.’s largest renewable energy trade association REA, has been appointed to the new, more diverse, board of governors for Transport for London (TfL), rousing hopes that carbon-free energy will play a bigger part in the future of transport within the nation’s capital.

All eyes are on the Pullman Hotel in Sydney, where on Thursday, 12 out of the 20 large-scale solar projects shortlisted for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s $100 million funding round are expected to be announced as winners of federal government grants.

Changing technology, pressure to cut costs, dizzying price slumps and a number of other issues make solar module quality control as relevant as ever. The danger that modules could fail outright remains slim, so module reliability is still decisive for the success of the investment, explains George Touloupas, Director of Technology and Quality at CEA, in preparation of the 4th pv magazine Quality roundtable at SPI.