An etching technique that makes silicon wafers more efficient and a “mammoth power generator that sets a new standard for the production of solar energy” – both developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory – have been named among this year’s most significant innovations by Research & Development (R&D) Magazine.

The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has proposed a new pricing category of 58.8 Canadian cents per kilowatt-hour (¢/kWh) for ground-mounted solar photovoltaics (PV) projects of ten kilowatts or less, instead of the original 80.2 ¢/kWh. The new price category, says the OPA, will better reflect the lower costs of installation for these types of projects versus rooftop projects.

The Solar Impulse HB-SIA plane took off from the Payerne airbase in Switzerland today in preparation for its first night flight. It is hoped the energy collected today and stored in its batteries will last until the next sunrise.

The Photovoltaics Quality Briefing 2010: Key considerations to safeguard your capital investment, scheduled to be held in London this October, has announced it will be investigating the subject of photovoltaics (PV) investment and how to safeguard businesses against common pitfalls and problem areas.

JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. has entered into an agreement to acquire 100 percent of the shares of China-based Shanghai Jinglong Solar Technology Co., Ltd.

Following the proposed compromise to cut photovoltaics (PV) feed-in tariff (FIT) incentives by three percent this month, put forward by the German parliamentary mediation committee between the German Bundestag and the Bundesrat for solar promotion yesterday, Phoenix Solar AG has said it expects to see “a substantial increase in consolidated revenue”.

German photovoltaic feed-in tariff cuts should be slightly reduced and implemented in two stages – including retroactively – according to a recommendation issued by the parliamentary mediation committee between the German Bundestag and the Bundesrat for solar promotion.

Solar inverter manufacturer SMA Solar has raised its profit expectations for this year, due to the fact it sees the global solar market growing at least 30 percent faster than it previously forecast.

China-based ET Solar Group Corp. has completed a 1.9 megawatt (MW) ground mounted photovoltaics (PV) power plant in eastern Germany. It has already been connected to the grid.

President Barack Obama has announced that USD$1.85 billion in conditional commitments will be made available in the form of loan guarantees to two U.S. solar companies. As a result, one of the world’s biggest solar plants is scheduled to be built in Arizona, while around 5,000 jobs are expected to be created.