Eco Supplies Europe AB has successfully closed the acquisition of Gällivare Eco Supplies Europe AB, a Swedish producer of photovoltaic (PV) solar modules. The company has also completed a fully subscribed capital increase of €1.8 million.

The U.S. should be looked at as a long-term growth market said Shayle Kann, a senior analyst at GTM Research, during a talk at Intersolar North America in San Francisco, the U.S. on Thursday. “It’s not a place where you can come and develop projects and make a killing quickly,” he stated.

American mounting system manufacturer Sunlink has told pv magazine at this year’s Intersolar North America trade show that it has bought California-based Blue Oak PV Products. The company declined to disclose the amount. The acquisition means it can expand its equipment range for building solar energy arrays.

The Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) has established a USD$5 million industry-university Energy research Initiative (ERI). It will initially address two areas: photovoltaics (PV) and systems and technologies to enable and optimize smart grids.

Imec says it has realized large-area (70cm2) epitaxial solar cells with efficiencies of up to 16.3 percent on high-quality substrates. Efficiencies of up to 14.7 percent were also achieved on large-area low-quality substrates, thus demonstrating “the potential of thin film epitaxial solar cells for industrial manufacturing”.

On Semiconductor Corporation and Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. have signed a definitive purchase agreement providing for the acquisition of Sanyo Semiconductor Co., Ltd. and other assets related to Sanyo Electric’s semiconductor business, by On Semiconductor in a cash and stock transaction. The purchase price is around USD$366 million (¥33.0 billion).

Raytracker, Inc., a manufacturer of utility grade photovoltaics (PV) tracking systems, has said it has more than tripled quarter-over-quarter revenue in the last two successive quarters, with a strong pipeline of demand well into next year.

Envision Solar International, Inc. has said it has invented the world’s first solar parking array with fully integrated sun tracking ability.

Larry Hagman, who starred as oil magnate J.R. Ewing in the long-running TV series ‘Dallas’ has called on U.S. energy consumers at the first day of the Intersolar North America trade show to put their energy, economic and environmental security under their own power by embracing solar technology made by Americans.

Satcon Technology Corporation has been selected by Enfinity to install two power stations at one of France’s largest photovoltaics (PV) solar farms in Les Mees, Alpes-Haute-Provence.