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German electronics giant, Siemens has won an order from Shiram EPC Limited to supply 17,000 of its UVAC 2010 solar receivers to a 50 megawatt (MW) concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in India.

In a statement released today, the newly-formed Solon Energy GmbH has said that while “nearly all” warranties will be continued, those plants with special module types will be excluded.

As part of Germany’s new solar subsidy, feed-in tariffs (FIT) for photovoltaic systems larger than 10 megawatts (MW) are to be eliminated. According to a media report, several companies, including leading project planner Belectric, are considering submitting a complaint against the Renewable Energy Act [EEG] amendment before the German Federal Constitutional Court.

Thin film photovoltaics manufacturer, First Solar has announced a 100 percent stake in the 20 megawatt (MW) Maryland Solar project.

U.S. Bancorp and SolarCity have established a renewable energy tax equity fund in order to kick start the first phase of SolarStrong, an over 300 megawatt (MW) solar project aimed at military houses and bases across 33 U.S. states. It is expected to be the largest rooftop photovoltaic project in the country, when complete.

Photovoltaic projects in South Africa being undertaken by the country’s power utility Eskom and independent power producers (IPPs) will be among those to benefit from a financing deal announced early this week between South Africa’s Absa Bank and the French Development Agency (FDA).

During the second day of Solarpraxis’ “Energy Storage” event in Germany’s Düsseldorf, it was claimed that the storage bottleneck needs to be broken, in order to develop large-scale storage solutions, which are critical to the future dominance of both solar and wind.

Conergy, along with its local partners, have completed and grid connected a 5.3 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic plant in Southern Spain.

Germany’s Heliatek GmbH has opened its first flexible organic solar panel production facility in Dresden. The company says it invested €14 million in establishing the production line – reportedly the first of its kind worldwide.

2011 was a year of extremes for the solar industry: record installations; a dramatic fall in module prices; and a plethora of companies closing their doors. Going forward, indications are that 2012 will remain extremely challenging, with the industry having been firmly caught in the crosshairs of Europe’s economic crisis. Continued oversupply and less installed capacity are to be expected.