Thin film aspirant Hanergy has shuffled the ownership of its flexible CIGS acquisition Global Solar. Hanergy Holding has sold ‘the entire issued capital’ of Global Solar to subsidiary Hanergy Hi-Tech for $1.

The growth of distributed generation and energy efficiency is set to reduce utility revenues by up to $123 billion a year by 2025. This is the finding of a new report by consultants Accenture, in its Digitally Enabled Grid report, which advises that utilities will have to fundamentally transform their business models.”

On the basis of superior cost dynamics, flow batteries are set to create a 360 MWh market by 2020, for stationary storage applications. Vanadium-based technology will be the predominate redox flow technology, according to research from Lux Research.

Researchers from Australian Center for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW))have achieved a conversion efficiency world record, for a cell testing in outdoor facilities. The 40.4% efficiency result was achieved using a triplejunction cell, onto which sunlight was concentrated using spectrum splitting CPV power tower.

German PV tool supplier Schmid Group has announced the supply of three Multi Busbar Connector lines to a well-known Asian premium manufacturer. The systems can allow manufacturers to assemble modules with between 8 to 15 thin busbars, instead of three wider ones.

Astrum Solar will introduce a solar loan “nationwide” in the U.S. residential PV segment, in partnership with Hudson Clean Energy. The Simple Solar Loan Program will require no down payment and is a “long term” financing option.

Project developer Innovative Solar Systems reports that small utility scale projects are in demand from investors in North Carolina. The firm announced today the approval of seven projects together worth 20 MW.

A PhD student at TU Delft has recorded a conversion efficiency of 14.8% with a tandem thin film silicon cell. Hairen Tan achieved the result through applying a number of innovative techniques, for which he picked up the Young Research Award at the recent international PV conference in Kyoto.

Chinese module producer JinkoSolar has announced that it has achieved a 306.9W output from one of its Eagle+ PV modules. JinkoSolar employed a number of innovative materials to achieve the power output, which was verified at TÜV Rheinland’s Shanghai testing facility.

France’s Soitec has achieved 46% conversion efficiency with one of its multi-junction solar cells. Soitec claims the high efficiency cell tops its previous world record announced in September 2013.