In figures released today, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has indicated that it approved almost 19 GW of commercial rooftop or ground mounted solar installations between July 2012 and April 2013.

A retroactive cut to the rate paid to solar power generators has been rejected, in India’s leading solar state Gujarat.

Chinese manufacturers Trina Solar and Yingli Green Energy are both reported to be considering a partial or complete acquisition of the debt-stricken Suntech. Analysts say the move is not to be unexpected.

Global IT company IBM has announced that it has developed a system to predict renewable energy output, across various sources including solar photovoltaics. The system is already being employed on a 670 MW project in China.

Austrian solar developer Activ Solar has completed the installation of the 69.7 MW Nikolayevka Solar Park in Ukraine’s Crimean region.

In an intriguing case in Australia, a state government’s decision to cut a FIT rate for households and its subsequent “back flip” has highlighted the political weight solar households can bring to bear.

The low-cost material perovskite is one of the latest developments in the field of organic photovoltaics. U.K. startup Oxford Photovoltaics is working to commercialize the technology.

Shipments of photovoltaic modules from the leading 20 manufacturers exceeded 5.8 GW in Q2 2013, representing 21% year-on-year growth.

Downstream figures from IHS Solar, released on Monday, reveal that thin film giant First Solar is set to install around 1.1 GW of solar installations this year.

There was a subdued feeling to the halls on the final day of the trade show but plenty of energy from innovative start-ups and even time for PV types to rock out.