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Solar energy has just made one step forward: Sharp announced that it has developed a solar cell boasting the world’s highest conversion efficiency of 36.9%. This number is 1.1 points higher than for the company’s last cell, which was unveiled in October 2009. The new 1cm2 solar cell consists of three layers made of indium …

China’s largest solar power plant developer has put a planned $500 million U.S. project on hold over an anti-dumping trade dispute, the company’s general manager said on Monday. CECEP Solar Energy Technology Co Ltd, a unit of the state-owned giant China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group, said a planned installation of China-made panels to …

Tokai Carbon Co. will invest roughly 5 billion yen by the end of fiscal 2012 to increase its production capacity for isotropic graphite by 50% to 15,000 tons a year. Isotropic graphite is a specialty carbon material used for the crucibles in which the silicon ingots used for solar cells are made, and also for …

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co., the Chinese maker of solar-power modules whose stock slumped 72 percent from April 1 through last week, reported a surge of sales in Germany and an acceleration in Italy. German sales of photovoltaic equipment are rising after prices dropped low enough to increase developers’ return to about 15 percent, Darren …

Nissan Motor Co. plans to spend more than 300 billion yen on green technologies under its environmental plan through fiscal 2016, President Carlos Ghosn said at a news conference on Monday. The figure would represent roughly 70% of the automaker’s total R&D budget. The environmental strategy is designed to supplement the medium-term business plan through …

Sharp Corp. and Panasonic Corp. plan to reduce domestic solar cell output and shift more production abroad as they struggle to turn profits amid the strong yen and global economic slump. Sharp will start cutting its domestic output by about 20% for roughly six months by halting some manufacturing lines. The company has been making …

Tokyo Electric Power Co. plans to sell a 20% interest in Eurus Energy Holdings Corp. to Toyota Tsusho Corp. for an estimated 20 billion yen, The Nikkei learned Saturday. Euros Energy, Japan’s largest wind power utility, is a joint venture set up by Tepco and Toyota Tsusho. Tepco owns a 60% stake and Toyota Tsusho …

Just a few weeks after they were reintroduced, the latest round of government subsidies for home-use fuel cells may run through its budget as early as next month. Applications for the subsidies began streaming in after the program was restarted Oct. 3, according to the Fuel Cell Association. More than 80% of the available funding …

Easing regulations standing in the way of higher alternative energy use is a major part of a 93-point list of recommendations made by a government panel on energy and environment policies, The Nikkei learned Wednesday. As the use of nuclear power declines amid strong public opposition, the government is hoping to increase alternative energy sources. …

A group of U.S. solar-panel makers Wednesday called on the federal government to punish Chinese rivals with extra duties for allegedly dumping their products on the U.S. market. Executives of SolarWorld AG, a German-based company that makes solar panels in Oregon, led the group at a news conference here, flanked by both U.S. senators from …