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The World Bank has approved a U.S.$297 million loan to Morocco to aid in the financing of the Ouarzazate Concentrated Solar Power Plant Project. This will be one of the first large-scale plants of its kind in North Africa.

Bridge to India’s Mohit Anand discusses the solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) landscape in India. In addition to identifying the main players, he also looks at their proposed photovoltaic pipelines.

Set to be one of solar’s biggest topics of 2011 – a year already riddled with immense price pressure, insolvencies and investment issues – the U.S.-Chinese trade war is heating up. SEMI is the latest participant to make public its disgruntled feelings towards the petition. Meanwhile, CASM has vented its frustration at CASM’s defense of China’s “anti-competitive trade aggression”.

Würth Solar will hand over its CIGS production line, located in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, to Manz AG, in order to focus on the sales side of its photovoltaic business. Production capacity will be more than halved.

New research has revealed that newly added global photovoltaic capacity will grow from 19 gigawatts (GW) in 2010, to reach 24 GW this year. Meanwhile, Italy will overtake Germany to become the world’s leading country in terms of installed capacity.

The third Solarcon India has wrapped up in Hyderabad. One of the key takeaways from the event, held from November 9 to 11, is the great potential for job creation through American-Indian collaboration. Meanwhile, the looming European debt crisis made its presence felt.

A ground-breaking ceremony has been held by NRG Energy Inc. and SunPower to mark the official start of the 250 megawatt (MW) California Valley Solar Ranch (CVSR).

Taiwanese solar cell manufacturers are likely to benefit from the U.S.-China trade debate, if countervailing duties are imposed as early as March 2012. Meanwhile, following the first hearing by the International Trade Commission (ITC), the dispute was expanded to include solar cells. Word on the street is that SolarWorld is just on a marketing jaunt and could face a U.S. backlash.

U.S. solar expert, Alexander von Welczeck, takes time out of his busy schedule to talk to pv magazine about the American utility-scale solar market. Permitting, installation costs, site selection, and the announcement of new solar energy zones, are just some of the issues covered.

A spatial concept from Spain won this year’s Bauhaus Solar Award 2011 in Erfurt, Germany. Second prize, meanwhile, was awarded to two students from Munich.