Austrian vertically integrated photovoltaic business Activ Solar announced today that it has completed the final phase of its 80 megawatt (MW) power plant in the Ukraine. Called the Ohotnikovo Solar Power Station, it is the largest photovoltaic installation in Central and Eastern Europe.

SolarWorld Industries America has submitted a petition to the U.S. Deparment of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission in protest to, what it claims, is Chinese photovoltaic manufacturers dumping product to capture market share. The company has done so with the support of a group of U.S. manufacturers.

A little over a week after the lower house of the Australian Parliament passed its carbon tax legislation, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has visited organic-photovoltaic startup Dyesol’s offices in the state of New South Wales.

In its most recent report, analysts IHS iSuppli predict that California will remain the growth market for photovoltaics in the U.S.

Full-system manufacturer and integrator Conergy, has announced at the Solar Power International trade show that is has signed agreements to install five megawatts (MW) of large photovoltaic projects in the U.S.

Sanyo is making its photovoltaic modules available to homeowners in California, New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado and Hawaii in a solar lease partnership with BrightGrid Solar. The companies hope to roll out the scheme to other states in the coming months.

The Solarbuzz PV Equipment Quarterly report has found that global photovoltaic equipment spending is projected to fall by more than 45 percent in 2012. This is on the back of historic peaks in 2011, or USD$13.1 billion.

Solar leaser, SunRun and Californian market analyst, PV Solar Report have released data showing that solar leasing, or third-party-owned solar, accounted for 59 percent of Californian residential installations in the third quarter (Q3) of 2011. This brings the cumulative total for 2011 to 51 percent.

At the opening of the Solar Power International conference in Dallas, Texas, today, a taskforce has been launched to improve the integration of solar racking systems.

German solar machinery supplier, Singulus has entered the growing thin-film market with a new Copper-Indium-Selenium and Gallium and Sulphur (CIGS) thin-film solar cell processing system.