First Solar has issued a statement relating to the use of cadmium telluride (CdTe) in photovoltaics (PV) modules following the Wuppertal Institute’s call for PV to be placed under the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive.

The global photovoltaics (PV) market is forecast to exceed 16 gigawatts (GW) this year, said IMS Research, with demand for PV systems predicted to almost double. It went on to say that the top five markets will account for more than 13 GW, but growth is expected to slowdown next year.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) in the U.S. has approved the construction and operation of four solar thermal power plants with a planned overall capacity of around 1,000 megawatts (MW) at the Blythe location in California.

China-based Hanlong Group has announced it will invest USD$100 million in the research and development of solar energy solutions, system assembly and International headquarter activities in Singapore, through its subsidiary Sichuan Zhonghan Solar Power Co. Ltd.

SunEdison has been awarded a solar service contract with Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (DMAFB) in Tucson, Arizona, the U.S. to build a 14.5-megawatt (MW) solar farm. Construction is scheduled to begin next year.

Following the news that the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy has called on the European Union (EU) to include photovoltaics (PV) under the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), Professor Martin A. Green has told pv magazine he would like to see a fixed date for RoHS compliance.

Constellation Energy and Denver-based Oak Leaf Energy Partners are to install a 4.4-megawatt (MW) photovoltaics (PV) project at Denver International Airport in the U.S.

Using carbon nanotubes – hollow tubes of carbon atoms – Massachusetts Institute of Technology chemical engineers say they have found a way to concentrate solar energy 100 times more than a regular photovoltaic (PV) cell. Such nanotubes could reportedly form antennas that capture and focus light energy, potentially allowing much smaller and more powerful solar arrays, according to Chinese news agency, xinhuanet.

??Solarwatt, located in Dresden, Germany has invested over €35 million in a new solar module production line and logistics center. Operations have already begun on the production line, where capacity has been expanded from 200 to 400 megawatts peak. The company added that up to 140 new jobs are expected to be created in the region.

The largest solar power station in the Czech Republic opened on Wednesday in the village of Veprek, some 20 kilometers north of Prague, according to Chinese news agency, xinhuanet.