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Tier-two Chinese manufacturer Phono Solar said that the key to making an impact in the current challenging photovoltaic market is continue to develop diverse offerings targeting a number of market segments. Phono Solar’s Global Marketing Manager Eric Yuan spoke to pv magazine at the Intersolar Europe trade show.

Spain-based Abengoa has undertaken a US$360 million contract to engineer and construct a 200 MW photovoltaic plant in California’s Imperial Valley.

According to Applied Materials’ fourth annual solar energy survey, while many consumers are said to be “optimistic” about the renewable energy, there is a lack of understanding regarding costs and adoption rates.

India’s Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy has announced the increase of the country’s 2020 renewable energy targets, from six to 15 percent.

While visitor numbers at the Intersolar Europe 2012 are expected to be down on last year, inverter manufacturers have reported that visitor quality has been high and that the inverter hall has been buzzing with activity.

The U.S. added several more notches to its “sunbelt” during the first quarter (Q1) of 2012, according to a newly released market report. During the first three months of the year, Tennessee (number five), Hawaii (six),and North Carolina (seven) secured spots among the top ten states, ranked by installed solar capacity—pushing Maryland (12), Oregon (13), and Texas (15) farther down the list.

While the expectations of SolarWorld launching a Sino-EU photovoltaic trade case during Intersolar Europe begin to the fade, the company has highlighted projects in the U.S. where municipal governments are turning to photovoltaics.

Bloomberg has reported that changes to Germany’s photovoltaic support program, introduced to the German parliament by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, may not go through, after negotiations with the parliament’s upper house broke down.

Intersolar 2012 is almost at an end. Overall, the event has been positively received, with many remarking on the high visitor quality. Speaking to exhibitors, a few trends emerged which, while perhaps not new, are definitely gaining traction in the industry.

Comeback kid Scheuten Solar has celebrated its revival, from the brink, at the Intersolar Europe trade show. With Chinese investor Aikosolar taking over the intellectual property, commercial team and also German manufacturing facilities, the company believes it demonstrates a new way forward for troubled European producers. Scheuten Solar CCO Perry Verberne spoke with pv magazine.