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First Solar will supply its cadmium telluride (CdTe) modules to what will be Namibia’s largest PV power plant. At 5 MW, the Otjozondjupa Solar Park narrowly takes the title from the 4.5 MW Omburu Solar PV Park, which utilizes TSMC CIGS modules and was commissioned in May 2015.

Jinko Solar has registered record Q4 2015 shipments of 1.71 GW, bringing its annual shipment total module shipments to 4.51 GW. Revenues have surged to US$937.7 million for the quarter and $2.8 billion full year (FY), although gross margin declined YoY by 2.1% to 20.3%.

The battery subsidiary of German carmaker Daimler will begin construction of a new €500 million (US$544 million) lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in the third quarter of this year. The factory will produce batteries for electric and hybrid Mercedes-Benz and smart cars, along with stationary storage products for commercial and residential customers.

A research team lead by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory has developed a technique by which cadmium telluride (CdTe) PV cells can be produced with an open-circuit voltage exceeding 1 volt. The team claims the development will allow for further increase CdTe conversion efficiencies and represents a “crucial milestone” in the technology’s evolution.

GTM Research’s latest report predicts that more than half the utility-scale solar installed in the United States this year will be outside of RPS requirements.

Data from Chinese customs shows the import of polysilicon reached a new record volume in January 2016 at 12,388 tons, 19% over December levels.

Hanergy Thin Film has issued a warning in which it forecasts a “substantially decrease[d] revenues for 2015. The company has attributed the sharp decline to damage to its reputation as a result of the ongoing suspension of trading in its shares.

Driven by end-market growth in the U.S., India and China, PV manufacturing margins bounced back to 22% in 2015. IHS released the finding today, noting that improving margins for manufacturers could result in a “wave of capacity expansions.”

Manz has announced a strategic collaboration with Shanghai Electric that will enable the German equipment supplier to continue its operations in the solar industry. Manz will increase its number of shares, from today’s value, by 43%. This will allow Shanghai Electric to purchase 29.9% of shares in Manz, under the new issuance.

The Greek government’s disastrous economic policy has decimated the solar sector at the moment when fresh hopes had started to emerge in the form of a new net metering regime.