The industry will be segmented in two main markets by 2015: low cost and high quality thin film. In the run-up to the 2nd Thin Film Solar Summit Europe, Cristian Cavazzuti, General Manger at Pramac Swiss and Lynn Sha, General Manager at QS solar have shared their views on the future of this technology

As the books close on what was a turbulent 2009 for the solar industry, Lux Research said that the solar market will soon see the lopsided supply and demand that characterized much of the last year return to equilibrium. According to the new report Solar's Shakeout: Europe Loses Leadership as China Rises," strong demand growth in Asia and the U.S. will push the market to 9.3 GW in 2010, hitting a dollar value of US $39 billion. Building from there, continuing price reductions for all types of solar technology are expected to open new markets and help the solar industry reach $77 billion in revenue and 26.4 GW in capacity by 2015.

Located at 1628 West Williams Drive, Alpha Energy, a member of Total Power Solutions provider The Alpha Group, recently completed the construction and commissioning of a 21kW Elevated Solar PV Grid-Tied structure for Cox Communications in Tucson, AZ.

Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C. is pleased to announce results for the fourth quarter of 2009 for the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index (CEPGI) by the firm's Cleantech Group, along with the year end 2009 results.

SMA Solar Technology AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: S92) is to strengthen its presence in North America with the foundation of a subsidiary in Canada. The site will be selected during the course of the first half of 2010. The initial investment volume is between € 5 and 10 million. SMA solar inverters from the Sunny Boy, Sunny Central and Sunny Island product ranges are to be produced for the Canadian market. Sales and services are also to be bundled together into the company. SMA is planning to create 100 to 200 jobs on site in the medium term.

Best Rank's new Cloud-Based Site Search technology is the first development of a cloud-based software product suite to reduce costs along with environmental impact.

CHANGZHOU, China, March 2, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Trina Solar Limited (NYSE: TSL) ("Trina Solar" or the "Company"), a leading integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) products from the production of ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of PV modules, today announced the establishment of its European regional headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, which commenced initial operations as of January 2010.

A group of wind energy executives as well as the CEO of the American Wind Energy Association called on the U.S. Congress today to quickly enact a strong federal renewable energy standard in order to save American jobs. They also stated that they would fight the recently introduced Schumer legislation that could cripple the industry.

Intertek (LSE: ITRK), a global leader in testing, inspection and certification services, has announced the availability of a new white paper series on The Future of Battery Technologies.

OPEL Solar, Inc., a leading global developer and supplier of high concentration photovoltaic ("HCPV") solar panels and other solar products, including ground-based and rooftop tracker systems, and its Spanish partner, BETASOL, today announced that its 330 kilowatts (kW) utility-grade solar photovoltaic power plant in Spain is eligible to begin receiving the feed-in tariff ("FIT") from the Spanish Government. This makes the OPEL Solar project one of the first HCPV installations to be recognized with an FIT and guaranteed investment rate of return.

The Middle East and North African Utilities Industry is in a state of growth, global investment has meant that the Middle East is officially on the road to recovery. Investment banks are increasing their spending within the utilities sector. Maintaining the correct balance between supply and demand has meant large scale investment such as the recent $1.8bn going to the SEC (Saudi Electric Company) and more than $5.4bn is being spent in Dubai to increase their power capacity from 6000MW to 9800MW by the end of 2011.

Last week, as part of the 2010 MIT Energy Conference, the institute opened the doors to its energy research projects. Press and other interested parties got a first look at technologies that could one day make renewable energy abundant, cheap and more deployable. These cutting-edge technologies were presented by a handful of MIT faculty and students who showed some innovations in the solar, hydrogen and energy storage areas that are on the road to commercialization.

On February 26, Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Water Penny Wong, and the Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change Greg Combet, announced that the government would make changes to the country's Renewable Energy Target plan. Starting in January 2011, the existing scheme will include two parts – the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) and the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET).

The Dow Chemical Company announced on February 3 that it has picked Midland, Michigan, as the site for the first full-scale production facility for its Dow Powerhouse solar shingle, if the company obtains sufficient local, state, and federal funding.

American Superconductor Corporation has received an additional follow-on order for US $10 million worth of wind turbine core electrical components from China's CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute Co. Ltd. (CSR-ZELRI).

Europe's sustainable forest management and wood based industries have reached new cooperation agreements. The groups plan to develop an initiative called "Sustainable Forest Management Providing Renewable Energy, Sustainable Construction and Bio-based Products", under which five European regions will create both individual and regional research agendas and action plans in the fields of renewable energy, bio-based products and sustainable construction.

CNPV Solar Power SA has entered into a long-term strategic partnership sales agreement with Techbank Company Limited, a South Korean photovoltaic company that develops and sells turnkey photovoltaic (PV) power plants.

NRG Systems this week introduced a 34-meter system to support small-scale wind energy projects and wind energy research. The 34-meter complete system includes a tubular tilt-up tower, a SymphoniePLUS 15-channel data logger, three NRG #40C anemometers, a wind vane and parts.

SPG Solar announced today that Chris Robine will join the company as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Robine replaces Paul McKnight who will be leaving SPG Solar to pursue other opportunities.