To top off a busy year for the British perovskite pioneer, Oxford PV has announced the signing of a joint development agreement (JDA) with a global solar cell and module manufacturer, as it aims to commercialise its perovskite technology for the solar industry.

Meyer Burger Technology’s Board of Directors has approved the final terms for the capital increase, which were announced earlier today, and will see the Swiss solar production equipment manufacturer seek to accumulate CHF 164.5 million (USD 162.64 million) by issuing new registered shares.

After various delays, solar developers in Jharkhand, India, are expecting to sign power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 1.1 GW of PV projects in the state, which should receive average tariff rates of USD 79.3 per MWh, according to Mercom Capital.

pv magazine editor-in-chief, Jonathan Gifford, is joined by Cybrid Technologies Americas Manager, Brent Brownell, to talk solar module backsheets and the introduction of the company’s KPF technology into the Americas market.

The Swedish retailer continues its march to energy independence using renewable sources, as it sets out plans to install its 46th solar array in the U.S., with a 1.21 MW PV system for the rooftop on its Columbus, Ohio, store that will be installed by REC Solar.

Solar industry analyst Mercom Capital has reported encouraging annual solar installation forecasts of 76 GW across the globe for 2016, driven by record-breaking installation figures from China, while the anticipated slow-down in 2017 is now expected to be less dramatic than originally thought, with forecasts of 70 GW.

Car manufacturers, BMW, Daimler, Ford and Volkswagen, are joining forces to deploy an ultra-fast, high-power charging network for battery electric vehicles (BEV) across Europe’s major highways, to create the infrastructure necessary for mass-market BEV adoption.

A consortium led by ACWA Power has contracted Sterling and Wilson, the largest EPC company in the world, to build the 170 MW NOOR PV I Program in Morocco, which, upon completion, will be one of the largest solar PV complexes in North Africa.

A new polysilicon market outlook report from Bernreuter Research predicts a rise in competition in the market, which will drive prices down and push some manufactures out of business, in the face of falling demand from the solar industry and increasing capacities.

A total of Rs. 670 million (USD 9.88 million) has been approved in India for the development of solar cities across the country, which will aim to cut conventional energy demand within the cities by at least 10%, while focusing on the incorporation of additional solar PV.