As part of a host of environmental mitigation measures, Apple has completed a 100-acre, 20 MW PV facility at its Maiden, N.C., data center.
The company, which first publicly announced the project last year, notes in its recentenvironmental report that the array - the nation's largest end-user-owned, on-site PV installation - is now completed. Its annual production capacity totals 42 million kWh.

Innotech Solar AS (Narvik, Norway) has announced that it is ramping up its solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing in Halle/Saale, Germany and Glava, Sweden to 100 MW.

Innotech credits its novel production process, which involves the rehabilitation of low-efficiency PV cells. The company also notes that it may increase this capacity to 170 MW “in the medium term”.

LDK Solar Co. Ltd. said Tuesday that it sold its remaining 12 million newly issued shares to Fulai Investments Ltd. for $1.28 per share, making a total purchase price of about $15.4 million.

LDK, which makes, solar wafers, cells and modules, originally struck a deal in January to sell Fulai 17 million newly issued shares for $1.83 each or a total of about $31.1 million, giving the investment firm a 12 percent stake in the company.

SMA Solar's profits and dividend more than halved last year, hit by plunging prices that have led to a wave of insolvencies in the solar industry.

The world's largest maker of solar inverters - a key component in solar installations needed to feed solar power into the electricity grid - on Wednesday reported a 58-percent drop in 2012 operating earnings to 102 million euros ($131 million).

Solar Frontier K.K., a unit of Japanese oil refiner Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. (5002), will resume solar panel production at a plant in southwestern Japan on July 1 amid increasing demand and plans for new products.

For the first time First Solar became the world’s largest photovoltaic (PV) EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor in 2012, with more than 500 megawatts (MW) of projects completed – an increase of 50 percent over 2011, according to a new report from IMS Research, now part of IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS). The report also revealed that a major shift in global rankings occurred in 2012 due to the explosive growth witnessed in Asia and the Americas at the expense of Europe. Just four European EPCs appeared in IHS’ top 10 rankings for 2012.

Sputnik Engineering, manufacturer of the SolarMax inverters, is continuing its international expansion by opening a new office in Chile. The Swiss company with its reliance on more than twenty years of experience in the PV inverter production enters the market in Chile, its’ first location in Latin America, in response to the growing importance of the photovoltaic market in this region. The branch office located in Santiago de Chile will be headed by Fernando Sánchez, who is also General Manager of the Spanish office, in collaboration with a local commercial director. To date SolarMax is already involved in several Chilean projects to be finalized this year and in 2014. 

WINAICO, a subsidiary of Taiwan´s biggest photovoltaic module manufacturer Win Win Precision Technology Co., Ltd., has installed its polycrystalline solar panels amongst its competitors under the blazing Australian sun.

The Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre (DKASC) is an independent demonstration facility funded by the Australian Federal Governmentfor commercialised solar technologies operating in the arid conditions of Alice Springs, Central Australia. The Solar Centre provides the industry with long term system level data proving the reliability of solar generators. A standard and automated metering system has established the performance data which is collected at a resolution that confirms the reliability of solar technologies and logs power quality. The Solar Centre Website explains the differences in the installed solar technologies, while the Live System Information Page displays the real-time generation data for each of the different installations. 

LDK Solar Co., Ltd. ("LDK Solar"; NYSE: LDK), a leading vertically integrated manufacturer of photovoltaic products, today announced the sale of the remainder 12,000,000 newly issued ordinary shares of LDK Solar to Fulai Investments Limited, at a purchase price of $1.28 per share with an aggregate purchase price of $15,360,000, pursuant to the share purchase agreement dated January 21, 2013, as amended and supplemented by the parties.

The revenue and earnings figures from operations published by CENTROSOLAR Group AG in February have been firmed up. However all business figures quoted below are still provisional. The revenue of the CENTROSOLAR Group thus reached EUR 227 million, down approx. 22 % on the previous year’s total of EUR 293 million. The main factor behind the substantial drop is the continuing pressure on prices in the industry, as in the previous year. On the other hand, the volume of solar modules sold actually rose slightly.

Panasonic Corp. (6752) (6752), the Japanese electronics maker forecasting an annual loss, said its solar- panel operation will probably remain profitable amid growing demand from Japanese homeowners.

Chinese Solar panel maker JA Solar Holdings Co shuttered some of its production capacity to rein in costs as it struggles with a steep decline in panel prices at a time when the country's support for the industry is waning.

India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) reports that 210 MW of grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) generation capacity was added in February 2013, as the largest source of new renewable energy generation in the nation during the month.

The top three places in the 2012 PHOTON module yield measurement test have all been claimed  by US company  SunPower. Around  half of all the tested modules  performed with good to very good results

Aachen, Germany - March 27, 2013 The top three spots in the latest solar module yield test by PHOTON International - The Solar Power Magazine have been claimed by products from US company SunPower Corp.

On 15 May 2013, the SNEC PV Power Expo 2013 will host the PV Production Forum China 2013 in Shanghai, China. This event will be organized by the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC) and the International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) on the occasion of the SNEC 7th International Photovoltaic Power Generation Conference. 

JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq:JASO) ("JA Solar" or the "Company"), one of the world's largest manufacturers of high-performance solar power products, today announced its unaudited financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2012.

The Middle East and North Africa region presents one of the biggest solar project opportunities in the world.  However, the biggest challenges is successfully entering these key markets and working in a tough desert environment  – so it is more important now than ever before for companies to reduce their costs and adapt to local conditions in order to stay competitive.

German PV equipment manufacturer Centrotherm Photovoltaics AG announced that it has complied with all conditions of its insolvency plan. The plan, which has been approved by shareholders and creditors at the end of January, aims to provide, among other things, that claims of unsecured creditors will be converted into shares.

China’s use of wind to generate electricity grew faster than coal for the first time in 2012, according to just released numbers from the China Electricity Council.

While fossil-fired generation of electricity grew 0.3 percent last year, wind-generated electricity grew 35.5 percent. Solar-generated electricity grew 414 percent and nuclear generation grew 12.6 percent.

It was the holy grail of solar. Get solar panels on the shelves of a big-box store like Home Depot where do-it-yourselfers shop for home improvement projects, and the solar industry could tap a whole new class of customers.

Water, water everywhere and nary a drop to drink. That basically sums up the situation with solar in Georgia.

Local Public Service Commissioner Lauren "Bubba" McDonald, Jr. put it best: "Georgia is the third best state for solar energy in the U.S., but ranks 35th in actual solar installs, even though the cost of panels has decreased 33 percent.” In fact, the state boasts the same solar potential as central Africa or India, with most parts of the state generating between 4.92 and 5.21 kilowatt-hours per square meter, per day. 

Mr. Shi Zhengrong, the founder of Suntech (STP), and Suntech CEO David King have been asked not to leave China while Suntech's financial situation is reviewed. GTM learned this last week from a party close to the firm. It was reported by Bloomberg this morning, citing the Shanghai Securities News.

The deal to buy the 3.5MW farm in Lazio, in the west of the country, brings to seven the number of solar projects the Irish company now owns in Italy. In November, it completed the purchase of six Italian solar farms valued at €25m that were owned by AEG Power Solutions.

The latest solar farm is known as Borgo Montello and was bought from Berlin-based Kokusai Europe, a unit of Japan's Kokusai Kogyo Group.

Bosch announced that it will discontinue its activities in crystalline photovoltaics, ceasing production of ingots, wafers, cells, and modules at beginning of 2014.

In addiition, all development and marketing activities are likewise to be ended and its module plant in Vénissieux, France, is to be sold. Not surprisingly the company is also scrapping Plans to construct a manufacturing facility in Malaysia. Bosch plans to sell its shares in aleo solar AG.

ReneSola Ltd. (Jiashan, China) has signed a USD 51.5 million, 15-year loan agreement with China Development Bank (Beijing, China).

“This funding will support our operations in China, a market in which we saw encouraging growth in the fourth quarter of last year,” said ReneSola CEO Xianshou Li.

Meyer Burger Technology AG (MBTN), the Swiss supplier of machinery to solar panel-makers, fell the most in a week after saying it would sell 150 million francs ($159.5 million) of shares to existing holders to shore up finances weighed down by declining sales.

China-based solar equipment maker JA Solar Holdings Co said it had shuttered some of its cell and panel production capacity, hammered by a relentless decline in solar panel prices, and forecast lower shipments for the current quarter.

Kansai Electric Power Co. (9503) and TonenGeneral Sekiyu K.K. (5012), Japan’s second-largest refiner by capacity, will build a 30-megawatt solar power station in western Japan.

Kansai Electric’s energy management unit will construct and operate the station to be built in Wakayama prefecture, the companies said in a statement today. No financial terms were disclosed.

Historical numbers have been represented for comparative purposes to reflect the classification of the telecom converter business (CVT/LED) as a discontinued operation during Q3 2012.

Solarstrom AG (German security identification number: 702 100, ISIN: DE0007021008), Freiburg i. Br., achieved a consolidated annual result of €1.1 million in fiscal year 2012. The Group achieved sales in the amount of €188.6 million and an EBIT of €8.9 million. The operative cash flow was €85.6 million. These results are significantly higher than the expectations of the latest published analysts’ estimations for fiscal year 2012. 

Bosch is to discontinue its activities in crystalline photovoltaics. Bosch’s manufacture of ingots, wafers, cells, and modules will be ceased at beginning of 2014. As far as possible, individual units are to be sold quickly. All development and marketing activities are likewise to be ended. The module plant in Vénissieux, France, is to be sold. Plans to construct a manufacturing facility in Malaysia will be ended. Bosch plans to sell its shares in aleo solar AG. Bosch Solar CISTech GmbH in Brandenburg, Germany, will be continued – as before – as a development center for thin-film technology. Its future alignment will be decided at a later date.

aleo solar AG today was informed by its majority shareholder Robert Bosch GmbH that Bosch intends to withdraw from the solar energy market and therefore will be disposing of its stake in aleo solar AG. Bosch currently holds a 90.7% stake in aleo solar. Independently of this sale, Robert Bosch GmbH has assured aleo solar AG of financing until the end of March 2014.

Italian solar module producer Sunerg Solar Srl announced it has opened a second production line at its manufacturing facility in Città di Castello, in the central region of Umbria, and that the global annual capacity of the company has now reached 100 MW. The new line has a capacity of 70 MW. The new line has been assembled with equipment from German providers Teamtechnik, Reis Robotics and NPC-Meier.

DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products announces the introduction of GreenwayR solar heat transfer fluids manufactured by Climalife and made with SusterraR propanediol.  
SusterraR propanediol offers solar thermal equipment owners a high performing, biobased glycol which can improve energy efficiency and reduce maintenance costs.  SusterraR is certified 100 percent biobased by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, making it attractive for companies seeking to add renewable content to their products.  A peer reviewed life cycle assessment (LCA) demonstrates that the production of biobased propanediol offers significant environmental benefits including up to 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions and 40 percent less non-renewable energy used in production vs. petroleum-based glycols.

This morning, exhibition boss Peter Becker and experts from the fields of industry and politics opened New Energy Husum, the leading renewable energy trade fair, with a keynote speech and a panel discussion about the energy transition. More than 300 exhibitors will be exhibiting the complete range of renewable energy products and services at the Husum exhibition site until 24 March. 

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd, the largest PV inverter manufacturer from Asia, today announced the successful cooperation with AKTOR SA for the construction of over 30MWp PV power plants in Greece. 

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP), one of the world's largest producers of solar panels, today announced it has appointed two new directors to the Company's Board of Directors effective immediately. Mr.Philip Fan has been appointed as an independent director and Mr. Weiping Zhou has been appointed as an executive director of the board and President of Suntech. With the new appointments, Suntech's board of directors now has seven members including four independent directors.

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. (YGE), the world’s biggest solar panel maker by shipments, agreed to buy raw materials from GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. (3800) as part of a three-year accord.

Baoding, China-based Yingli will purchase polysilicon and solar wafers from GCL-Poly to meet future expansion needs and get cheaper prices for bulk orders, the two companies said today in a joint statement in Beijing. GCL-Poly will use Yingli’s products for its solar farms as part of the accord.

Businesses and governments worldwide are engaged in the quest for a reliable and competitive energy supply to power future growth. Germany in particular faces massive upheaval and technical challenges as it seeks to implement its decision to switch from nuclear energy to greener alternatives. 

This year’s Industrial Supply opens with a streamlined layout and comprehensive program at HANNOVER MESSE 2013 from 8 to 12 April. Shortly before the start of the leading trade show for industrial supply solutions and lightweight construction, the ArGeZ supplier industry association’s business climate index offers signs of optimism: The sector expects a positive change of mood. 

This year on its stand 410 in hall B2, Schüco and its New Energies division will be focusing on solutions for family homes, as well as for small and medium-sized industrial units. The company will demonstrate how the use of new energies with coordinated system solutions can be continuously increased so that it is well worth generating and using your own energy. 

S.A.G. Solarstrom AG (German security identification number: 702 100, ISIN: DE0007021008), Freiburg, today received a financing commitment from the Deutsche Bank Group for €40 million. Following the project financing framework in the amount of €65 million granted in 2012 as a bridging loan for projects, which had been installed chiefly in the second half of 2012, the Deutsche Bank Group has thus now once again provided S.A.G. Solarstrom AG with a financing framework for various planned projects that are to be implemented in 2013 and 2014 in Germany. Due to the drop in system prices on the market, projects of a comparable size as last year can be implemented with this project planning framework.

The World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), the German Wind Energy Association (BWE) and the German Small Wind Turbine Association (BVKW) are releasing their small wind turbine market surveys, reports and studies at the New Energy Husum trade fair. “Small wind turbines are an important topic for New Energy Husum and for the renewable energy industry as a whole. Together with the three associations we want to strengthen and internationalise the small wind turbine industry,” says exhibition boss Peter Becker.

LG Electronics, a global technology leader in consumer electronics and home appliances, has been named 2013 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  This is the second year in a row that LG has earned this coveted award for its efforts to manufacture and promote energy-efficient products to consumers.

The United States is on the cusp of achieving long-term energy security because of the rise of fuel-efficient vehicles, more energy-efficient homes and factories, and the revolution in domestic oil and gas production, GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson said today, adding that the time is now for a consumer-driven national energy policy.

As the 2013 Men’s Final Four® approaches, NCAA® Official Corporate Partner LG Electronics USA is working with the Atlanta Local Organizing Committee to promote environmental sustainability, tipping off today with a local e-waste recycling drive.

LG has joined forces with the ALOC, Keep Atlanta Beautiful and Creative Recycling Systems for the e-waste drive, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the Georgia Dome in the Silver Parking Lot. (Directions are available atwww.gadome.com.) The event provides residents a convenient and responsible way to dispose of used, unwanted, obsolete or damaged electronics, said Wayne Park, president and CEO, LG Electronics USA.

Currently the solar market is in great uncertainty about the availability and price development for Chinese modules. At the same time banks report about difficulties for capital grants. "With products from WINAICO solar installers, investors and banks are on the safe side. We have already responded to the increased demand and ramped up our production", says Sascha Rossmann, International Sales Director at WINAICO.

Welspun Energy, part of the $3.5 billion Welspun Group, has commissioned the largest solar power plant in the India till date. The project is part of the first phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). A total of 490 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity was allocated in the first phase of the National Solar Mission in two batches. Projects with combined capacity of 140 MW from the first batch have already been commissioned and the balance 350 MW, of the second batch, will be fully commissioned by the middle of the year.

Germany-based Wurth Solar says it will transfer "major parts" of its solar business to BayWa and a possible additional partner.
"We have come to the conclusion that major basic conditions and prerequisites for success on the photovoltaic market do not apply so much to the Wurth Group as they do to companies which have defined renewable energies as their core business," explains Karl-Heinz Grosse, CEO of Wurth Solar.

Mitsubishi Corp. (8058), Innovation Network Corp. of Japan and Solar Ventures acquired Italy’s Solar Holding S.R.L for an undisclosed amount.

Mitsubishi bought 50 percent of the power producer, Innovation Network 35 percent and Solar Ventures the rest, the Japanese trading company said in a statement today.

New Energy Husum will be putting the spotlight on energy-efficient building, electric vehicles and storage technology from 21 to 24 March 2013. “Because these topics are becoming increasingly relevant, we want to give them a greater showcase by providing special exhibition areas and dedicated lecture events”, says Peter Becker, managing director of Messe Husum & Congress. The solar and wind power sectors are the biggest showers at this year’s fair, constituting around half of the 300 exhibitors.

 LDK Solar Co., Ltd. ("LDK Solar") (NYSE: LDK), a leading vertically integrated manufacturer of photovoltaic products, today announced that Dr. Liangbao Zhu has resigned from the company for personal reasons effective March 17, 2013.  Dr. Zhu joined LDK Solar in 2005 and served as executive vice president and a director of LDK Solar's Board.