The ways in which Australian utilities are engaging with distributed battery storage and the proactive role of the regulator points to the market being a dynamic one. Bloomberg New Energy Finance believes that because of this, other markets will look to see what shape the Australian storage market takes over the next few years.

Researchers have developed a method to produce perovskite PV cells at low temperature, which does not result in a device exhibiting hysteretic current-voltage behavior. The technique employs a semi-transparent indium oxide rear electrode and when incorporated into a CIGS tandem device has achieved 20.5% conversion efficiency.

China’s Yingli Green Energy continues to be plagued by low utilization rates and will book a RMB3,694.2 million (US$581.3 million) “non-cash impairment charge on long lived assets” in Q3.

Encouraging households to add sufficient storage to their PV arrays to disconnect from the electricity grid may leave an unfair burden of high utility payments to those left connected. Ric Brazzale, the Managing Director of Green Energy Trading says that a large movement of households off the grid may be bad for consumers without necessarily doing anything for the environment.

The Australian Greens have published a plan to see the country move to 90% renewable energy by 2030. The plan envisages two scenarios by which the goal can be achieved, with the second anticipating an increase of rooftop PV from 5,884 GWh of production today, to 39,700 GWh by 2030.

Troubled Chinese manufacturers China Sunergy has released its delayed Q2 2015 results, in which its shipments fell as it reduces OEM production. The company reported a loss for the quarter of US$10.5 million, down from $12.2 million in Q1 2015.

China’s Trina Solar has racked up a record 1.7 GW solar module shipment record in Q3 2015, however a US$45 million settlement with Solyndra trustees has plunged the manufacturer into a $20 million loss for the quarter.

U.S. production equipment Amtech has reported relatively flat revenues in Q4 fiscal 2015, however increased quoting activity and Y/Y sales increases point to a rebounding PV equipment market.

China’s Risen Energy is constructing the first phase of a vast 55 MW solar carport in Hangzhou Bay, China. The project will be the biggest solar parking structure in the world when completed.

German production equipment supplier Singulus is pursuing a debt-equity swap to tide the company over a difficult period in which its liquidity has been diminished due to weak sales to the optical disk industry. This is despite growth in its solar equipment booking and shipments.