Thin film manufacturer First Solar today announced the sale of the Silver State North photovoltaic project, in Nevada, U.S. The project is worth 50 megawatts and was acquired outright by Canadian energy company Enbridge Inc.

The Solar Purchasing Group (SPG) has been launched to allow members to take advantage of group purchasing discounts when buying photovoltaic materials and components. Things like glass, cells, back sheets, junction boxes, EVA and stringing material will be covered under the program.

Reactions have been unsurprisingly mixed to the Department of Commerce’s (DOC) preliminary findings on the Sino-U.S. photovoltaic trade case. While the de-facto sponsor of the conflict SolarWorld believes it to be the first step in an ongoing movment, Yingli and Suntech contend that the case is harmful to the whole industry.

British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has installed 6.9 megawatts (MW) across its stores in the south of England. Renewable Resources completed the installations and heralded their completion at the Ecobuild trade show, which opened its doors today in London.

As the global photovoltaic market shifts from Europe to America, China and other parts of the world, The NPD Solarbuzz Marketbuzz report predicts that c-Si module prices will fall by 29 percent in 2012. As this trend continues, module prices should continue to fall by between 43 and 53 percent over the next five years.

A New Orleans solar startup company has picked up a US$50,000 Big Idea pitch competition award. SOLarchitect is an online service that allows homeowners to assesses the relevant cost, incentives and energy production of a photovoltaic installation on their property.

Solar lease provider SolarCity has announced a funding deal with Rabobank to fund 30 commercial photovoltaic installations in the U.S. The fund is worth US$42.5 million.

Declining photovoltaic wafer and module prices have been blamed for LDK Solar revising down its revenue guidance for the fourth quarter of 2011, from US$440 to $520 million, to $440 to $450 million.

German EPC Belectric and Japanese thin film manufacturer Solar Frontier have formed a new joint venture (JV) company, to develop ground- and roof-mounted power plants. Making reference Solar Frontier’s CIGS technology, which the company refers to as CIS, the joint venture will go by the name PV CIStems.

Off-grid photovoltaic system provider, Eight19 has picked up an award, as Climate Week kicked off across the U.K. yesterday. The company, which has pioneered a pay-as-you go solar system in Africa, was named Best Initiative for Small or Medium-Sized Business.