First Solar has signed a 25-year PPA with Apple for 130 MW of a 150 MW plant. Under the deal Apple will pay $848 million for electricity from the plant, which First Solar will begin construction on in mid-2015.

Global PV module revenues from leading suppliers reached a three-year high in Q4 2014, according to data published by market analysts IHS today. Total shipments reached US$5.9 billion, the highest since Q3 2011.

This month, ABB will roll out its PRO-33 string inverter globally, in what it says is an important indication of Power-One’s successful integration into the global company.

The leading financial publication has conducted an investigation into Hanergy, concluding that the company’s rapid growth “raises questions.”

The MENA region has long been the center of great expectations for the PV industry. From Monday to Thursday this past week much of the global solar industry descended on Abu Dhabi for the 8th World Future Energy Summit. The big names in solar were in attendance and many remain bullish regarding prospects for the market. Here are five key themes running through discussions.

U.S. CIGS manufacturing aspirant Siva Power has picked up a cooperative award from SunShot to continue to develop its technology. Siva has set the bold goal of manufacturing its thin film modules in the U.S. with a cost of US$0.40/W in its first year of operations and $0.28/W two years after that.

An IEEE solar array and smart grid project located in a village 11,000 feet above sea level in the Himalayas has been completed, to demonstrate the reliability and sustainability of the solution for offgrid communities in the region.

The global PV market reached between 40 GW and 42 GW in 2014, demonstrating moderate growth on 37 GW in 2013. This is according to figures released today by the PV Market Alliance.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore believes a global C02 emissions agreement is likely to be achieved at Paris, as a part of the UNFCC negotiations to take place in Paris later this year. Gore made his remarks while picking up the Zayed Future Energy Prize Lifetime Achievement award at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) currently underway in Abu Dhabi.

U.S. thin film manufacturer and project developer First Solar has launched its free Energy Capacity Assessment Tool, which allows potential power plant developers or investors to plot out a PV power plant online to assess its feasibility. First Solar’s online tool calculates the potential electricity output and revenue of a power plant, using data pertaining to local irradiation and conditions, along with the company’s CdTe modules and power plant design parameters.