Solar

The solar shakeout continues as Solar Trust and Q-Cells both filed for bankruptcy.

Two U.S. clean tech companies have gone public as the industry hopes high energy prices and better technology will make investors forget the sector's recent struggles.

German parliament approved cuts in aid to solar power and Italy reconsiders its renewable energy subsidies.

Over the next 10 years, Clean Edge predicts that venture capital investments in wind and biofuel industries will grow to $385.8 billion. Clean Edge also identified 5 key trends that it thinks will greatly affect clean energy markets in the coming years.

U.S. PV installations grew 109 percent in 2011 to reach 1,855 MW, which represents 7 percent of all PV globally, up from 887 MW and 5 percent of global installations in 2010, according to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

U.S. Bancorp takes a strong position on renewable energy while troubles expected to loom over the U.S. wind industry if subsidies expire.

China’s state-controlled banks are signing billions of dollars of credit lines with wind and solar manufacturers to fund capacity expansion and overseas business.

Clean Tech venture funding rose 4.5% to $4.9B in ’11 and was flat in terms of the number of deals, according to an E&Y analysis. The article ranks industry segments receiving investment and highlights corporate activity and partnerships being created across segments to boost development and increase ROI.

The study explores policy options that could be used to achieve goals of 2,500 MW of installed capacity operating by 2020 and 5,000 MW operating by 2025 under the Power Act of 2011. It examines the per megawatt costs of achieving the goal, its net economic and job impact, its environmental impact and policy options.

First Solar set a record with 14.4 percent efficiency for its cadmium telluride PV solar panels using factory equipment.