Construction of the mega 800 MW phase 3 of the Mohammed bin Rashid Maktoum Solar Park is set to commence at the end of the month, after a consortium led by GranSolar was chosen as the EPC contractor on the project, which, once completed, will be the largest solar plant on a single plot.

Off-grid solar solution manufacturer d.light has raised a further USD 10.5 million in funding to expand its operations in Africa and Asia, which brings the company’s total to an impressive USD 40 million in just four months.

The German solar module manufacturer has received the license for up to 100 MW of solar modules, and is one of the few international companies to receive such a license, after the Turkish government put strict limits on PV module imports in an attempt to develop its domestic market.

Extensive research from Mercom Capital has found that up until the end of 2016 Tata Power was the largest operator of utility-scale solar in India with almost 10% of the market, while Swiss company ABB has the largest market share of the PV inverters in the country, although the Chinese manufacturers are expected to make a surge soon.

German solar developer and equipment supplier BayWa r.e. has announced the acquisition of U.K. O&M service provider Green Hedge Operational Services from the Green Hedge group, adding to its already impressive British portfolio of solar plants under its management.

Meyer Burger’s solar PV manufacturing equipment is in vogue at the minute, as the company has enjoyed a flurry of new orders in the last week, the most recent a CHF 8 million (USD 7.9 million) order from one of the company’s existing European customers.

U.S. residential solar system provider Vivint Solar has started 2017 on a high, with the closing of USD 303 million in new financing from a total of five different investors, which will allow the company to repay existing borrowing and install a large chuck of new residential systems.

Renewable energy support policies at the national and European level are needed to reduce the cost of capital for solar PV and onshore wind projects in countries in the South East of European, according to an extensive study undertaken by Ecofys,

Chinese integrated solar company Comtec Solar Systems Group will further diversify its business with a new venture into smart energy charging facilities for electric vehicles (EVs) in Luoyang, China, as it continues to make strides into downstream operations.

Independent solar power producer Sonnedix has continued its flurry of activity into 2017 with an agreement to purchase 136 MW of operational solar power plants from Centerbridge Partners in Spain, which will see its global capacity reach almost 500 MW.