Astronergy is to increase its production capacity from 30 megawatts (MW) to 75 MW this year. The announcement comes as the company signs a follow-up purchase agreement for Oerlikon Solar’s thin film equipment. The company says the order will help it to reach its goal of producing 400 MW of thin film solar photovoltaics (PV) modules “within the near future”.

Under the development project ‘Access to Modern Energy Services Ethiopia’, realized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, SMA Solar Technology AG has said it will deliver 100 battery power inverters to supply medical clinics with solar-generated alternating current (AC) in the country: 50 have already been delivered.

UK power company HomeSun has announced its plans to install £1 billion worth of free solar panels on 100,000 British homes over the next three years. The news comes as recent reports reveal that the U.K is the fastest growing country for photovoltaics (PV) installations this year.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia has announced that construction has started on its new AUD$125 million Tyree Energy Technologies Building (TETB) following planning approval from the New South Wales government. The new facility – scheduled to be completed by 2012 – will house all the energy-related research and teaching groups within the university, including photovoltaics.

SilexSolar Pty Ltd has announced it is to expand its photovoltaics (PV) panel capacity at its Sydney Olympic Park (SOP) manufacturing facility in Australia, from 13 megawatts (MW) to 35 MW by the middle of next year. The company cites strong demand for its Australian-made panels from the domestic rooftop solar panel market as the primary reason.

Jabil Circuit Inc., one of the world’s largest providers of electronic manufacturing services, and whose customers include companies from every industry, including consumer products, automotive, telecommunications and solar, has come under fire following a report published in July by the U.S.’s National Labor Committee (NLC) regarding working conditions in its Chinese factory, based in Guangzhou, Guangdong.

Nikini Automation Systems has told pv magazine it has made Sri Lankan history by becoming the country’s first company to enter into a net metering agreement for its photovoltaics (PV) system. The company also called on Sri Lanka’s businesses to make PV a part their corporate activities.

Germany-based Conergy Group has begun construction on its second solar park in the Czech Republic. The 1.48-megawatt project is situated on the site of an old pig farm near Velky? Ty?nec, about 80 km northeast of the country’s second-largest city, Brno.

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. has been selected to supply 34.5 megawatts (MW) of solar panels for the first phase of the largest solar power plant in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Owned and operated by Bangchak Petroleum Public Co., Ltd., and integrated by Solartron Public Co., Ltd., the planned 44 MW (38 MW AC output capacity) solar power plant will be located just outside of Bangkok.

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited has announced its in-house polysilicon manufacturing facility, Fine Silicon Co., Ltd. has successfully started commercial operation. The plant has a designed capacity of 3,000 metric tons per year.