The newly instated Australian government of New South Wales (NSW) has suspended the state’s Solar Bonus Scheme due to cost blowouts.

Scheuten Solar has signed a turnkey EPC contract for the installation of some 3,000 solar panels for Belgian trailer manufacturer Faymonville. The panels, with a combined output of 750 kWp, will be installed on three Faymonville roofs in Büllingen, Belgium.

Joining several other Asian countries, Malaysia’s parliament has approved a sophisticated system of feed-in tariffs to develop its renewable energy resources.

Australia’s solar industry is keenly awaiting a number of governmental decisions as problems over pricing and available funds threaten a rethink on the country’s current system of rebates.

Meyer Burger Technology Ltd has acquired a further 6.34 percent of the share capital of Roth & Rau AG. According to media reports, however, there could be opposition to the move.

Phoenix Solar announces its most successful financial year to date, with revenues, EBIT and photovoltaic module sales all notably increasing. Despite this positive news, the German company doesn’t expect to see growth in 2011.

Silfab Ontario has officially opened its new solar module manufacturing facility in Mississauga, Canada. During a ribbon cutting ceremony, it was announced that the company has received approval for a €2.2 million loan.

Swissolar is demanding immediate removal of the ceiling on feed-in tariffs. It adds that subsidies should be designed based on the German model, in order to achieve a similarly dynamic market and to increase photovoltaic share to 20 percent by 2025.

Bosch Solar Energy AG has achieved a “world record” efficiency of 19.6 percent for its large-area PERC solar cells on p-type wafers. The company adds that it is building a research and development center in Germany.

Bosch’s passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) monocrystalline solar cells, with screen-printed metallization in 156 x 156 mm format, have achieved an efficiency of 19.6 percent. This consequently means they can reach an output of 4.73 Watts peak.

The independent calibration laboratory at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems has verified the numbers.

The company explains that its new cell structure helped it to achieve the record efficiency. In a statement, it says: “The rear side of PERC solar cells is coated with a dielectric and a metal layer and equipped with point contacts. This new structure improves the solar cells’ optical and electrical properties.”

It continues: “The incident light is reflected on the cell’s reflective rear side, thus enabling the emitter to convert more light into electricity. The front side of the high-performance cell was also optimized.”

The new cell is also said to perform well under weak lighting conditions, due to its high open-circuit voltage.

“This is a great success for the engineering team,” states Volker Nadenau, chief technology officer at Bosch Solar Energy AG. “Especially since we’ve exclusively used industrial production steps to manufacture those record-breaking cells. Now we have to push hard in order to make our products based on this design as soon as possible ready for production.”
Bosch is currently building a new research and development center in Arnstadt, Germany. It is scheduled for completion this summer.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved Pacific Gas & Electric’s 20-year contract to purchase 150 megawatts (MW) of solar power from Sempra Generation’s Mesquite Solar 1 facility in Arizona, the U.S.