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Conergy AG has cancelled its long-term photovoltaic wafer contract with MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. As a result, the German company no longer expects to reap a positive EBIDTA in 2012. It has also agreed to transfer photovoltaic power plants to MEMC.

On the second day of the EU PVSEC tradeshow, Solarpraxis AG and pv magazine launched their 300 GW per year initiative. The goal is to provide a forum for debate and to set an ambitious goal for the photovoltaic industry, as a part of a global energy transformation towards renewables.

EU ProSun, headed by SolarWorld AG, has filed a second official complaint to the European Commission, this time accusing Chinese photovoltaic manufacturers of receiving illegal subsidies.

The European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC) has officially opened for the 27th time today, September 24 in Germany. Over the next week, a host of new products will be launched alongside discussions on how to take the industry forward. In addition to reporting from the ground, pv magazine will also be unveiling its latest 300 GW/a initiative at the event.

Austria’s government has unveiled a new Green Energy Act, under which feed-in tariffs for photovoltaic plants over 500 kWp have been removed. Meanwhile, a new support structure has been devised for building integrated and rooftop systems.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government has unveiled a plan this week that sets the goal that 90% of its energy needs will be provided by renewable energy, by 2020. The key pillars to the plan are solar, wind and energy efficiency. The plan sets out 90 MW of large scale solar to be installed by 2020, and around 72 MW of small and medium scale rooftop photovoltaics.

The Bulgarian state regulator has introduced a retroactive renewable energy grid fee. Under the new rules, photovoltaic operators will have to pay back up to 39% of their feed-in tariffs (FITs). While the fee is supposed to be temporary, no deadline has been provided.

To further develop photovoltaic power in France, the new French government has recommended a change from the current feed-in tariff (FIT) system, available for systems up to 100 kWp, to an auction system.

Isofotón has said it is not interested in taking Sovello over. After reviewing the German company’s books, it has decided not to submit an offer.

Industry analysts were in agreement at the SPI 2012 conference, held on Thursday, that the solar industry is set for major consolidation over the next 1 year to 18 months. “The reset button needs to be hit; but tremendous value will be unlocked by it,” reckoned Arno Harris, CEO of Recurrent Energy.