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Lower polysilicon prices and higher photovoltaic module efficiencies are expected to further lower crystalline silicon (c-Si) module prices in 2012, according to Brett Prior, a senior analyst at U.S.-based GTM Research, the market research arm of Greentech Media, in Boston.

New research has revealed that while forecasts for the photovoltaic manufacturing equipment industry are depressing, there is a 20 gigawatt (GW) opportunity to replace aging equipment over the next four years.

As was announced yesterday, the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has proposed yet more changes to the country’s photovoltaic feed-in tariffs (FITs). While the move has been described as a “huge step forward”, the industry says the impending tariff reductions will be “destructive”.

French electricity giant, Electricité de France (EdF) has announced its intention to acquire French solar producer, Photowatt, which filed for insolvency last November.

The PV Legal project has found that while positive progress has been made in reducing bureaucratic barriers to photovoltaic implementation, there are still many in place, which continue to hinder development. Grid connection was highlighted as the biggest bottleneck.

The Italian arm of Solon has announced a new strategy, aimed at repositioning itself as a systems integrator. As such, will close its 95 megawatt photovoltaic module production plant on February 20. Seventy employees will be affected by the changes.

In a bid to make the U.K. photovoltaic feed-in tariffs (FITs) more “predictable”, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has put forward a number of reforms. “Transparency, longevity and certainty” are said to be key to the new scheme, which has been inspired by Germany’s tariff structure.

Representing a “major” milestone, U.S. project developer, SolarReserve has completed a 540 foot solar power tower for its 110 megawatt (MW) solar thermal plant.

Solenergy Ltd has installed photovoltaic systems on 26 residential and agricultural roofs in the Israeli settlement of Ram-On.

The traditionally semi-nomadic communities residing in southern Israel’s Negev desert have been the subject of disputes involving land, poverty and access for some time. A wave of initiatives to encourage villages to gain official recognition status, in order to profit from covering privately owned land with ground-mounted photovoltaic systems, is providing one method of aiding negotiations, despite the thorny social issues that come with them.