Indications are mounting that Sharp is looking to raise much-needed cash through the partial or complete sale of its solar business. While its brand remains strong and share of the Japanese PV market dominant, experts say Sharp has struggled with profitability from its solar segment on the back of the weak yen.

German c-Si manufacturer Solar-Fabrik will deliver around 24,000 modules to a PV power plant in Germany, to repower a solar farm. The firm will supply its polycrystalline c-Si modules to replace underperforming thin film modules originally installed in 2010.

U.S. solar company and solar PPA pioneer SunEdison is introducing its solar energy saver plan into the U.K. market. SunEdison claims it is the first product of its type in the British solar market.

In its latest PV balance-of-systems (BoS) report, analysts IHS predicts that Asian markets will drive BoS growth, accounting for almost half of the market by 2019. IHS forecasts the global BoS market to total US$21 billion in 2019.

Hopes remain that the commercial rooftop market will grow strongly to make up for the expected sharp decline in solar farm development in the U.K. this year and particularly in 2016. However, FIT degradations built into the U.K.’s current incentive program could provide a break on this promising market.

U.K.-based Azuri Technologies is expanding its offering into Tanzania through a partnership with mobile telephony provider Tigo and retailer Lotus Africa. The trio hopes to supply 100,000 rural households with pay-as-you-go solar in Tanzania within two years.

A new report from a MENA region bank shows that solar will be at grid parity within two years in 80% of the world. The Middle East’s leading bank, the NBAD, presented the report on Sunday, concluding that the recent DEWA solar auction demonstrated that solar is competitive with oil at $10/barrel and gas at $5/MMbtu.

Complete residential power solutions were on display on the first day of the 8th PV Expo trade show and exhibition currently underway in Tokyo. Providing backup power has been a major driver of the trend, which, while small in terms of market volume, offers suppliers healthy returns.

Two rival U.S. solar firms have announced plans to team up on a joint yieldco. The companies say they are in “advanced negotiations” in pursuit of executing the strategy.

U.S. tool supplier GT Advanced Technologies has announced an order for manufacturing equipment for polysilicon production. The tools will be for silicon production using the fluidized bed reactor (FBR) process, which is being increasingly adopted due to its low production costs.