Centrotherm Photovoltaics AG (CTN), a German maker of production equipment for the solar industry, rose the most in almost three years, buoyed by surging sales in Asia.

Despite a significant increase in sales in the second quarter of 2011, Q-Cells has warned that losses reached ??95.8 million in the first half of the year, due to price declines, inventory write-offs and other one time issues.

Solar investors should brace themselves for some downright dreadful second-quarter earnings reports in the coming weeks, though the rest of the year may provide some relief to battered solar stocks as panel prices stabilize and profit margins recover.

Q-Cells SE, once the world's largest solar cell maker, said it's spending 17 million euros ($25 million) to expand output of higher-priced modules as a way to diversify away from its main products.

The Bosch Group has inaugurated its new EUR530 million photovoltaics competence center in Arnstadt, Germany. The facility includes the company's solar energy division headquarters as well as R&D, PV cell and module production, and a training center under one roof. Together with an adjacent ingot and wafer manufacturing plant, Bosch covers all the steps in the crystalline-silicon value chain at this location.

LG is seeking to prevent the importation of Osram LED products into Korea, while the ITC has agreed to investigate Osram's complaints against both LG and Samsung. Meanwhile, Nichia has filed a lawsuit against a DIY retailer in Germany.

Aixtron and SINANO signed an agreement to open a training center in Suzhou Industrial Park, China, while Aixtron has also introduced its largest MOCVD reactor to date.

On Friday, representatives from the individual federal states approved the energy law, which was decided on by the German federal government over a week ago.

Drops in solar cell prices and surging interest in developing nations led to a 32% increase in investments in renewable energy globally in 2010, a United Nations report finds.

An uncontrolled renewable power expansion in Germany could threaten the stability of energy grids, the head of energy agency Dena told Reuters on Wednesday.

After two quarters of declining shipments, photovoltaic module manufacturers are set to see strongly recovering demand through the second half of 2011.

German solar company Q-Cells unveiled its thin film modules in the United States on Wednesday as it seeks to cash in on growing demand in North America while lessening its reliance on the European market, where government support for solar is declining.

Management changes recently announced at Globalfoundries are related to problems with 32nm chip yield and the slowness of creating a foundry-like operation at Globalfoundries' Dresden facility in Germany, according to analysts at Nomura Equity Research.

It was a successful trade show. That was expressed by all the exhibitors whom pv magazine spoke with, regardless of whether they were inverter manufacturers, junction box makers, cables and connectors producers or mounting system folks.

Q-Cells SE (QCE), the German solar-cell manufacturer that's fallen 56 percent in Frankfurt trading over the past year, is open to a takeover bid, Chief Executive Officer Nedim Cen said.

The 20th Intersolar Europe has opened its doors today in Munich. While the trade show floors are still quite empty, word on the street is that, spurred on by China's progress, India is getting ready to significantly ramp up its photovoltaic market. Automation is the watchword.

Germany's solar industry is to be subjected to four subsidy cuts over the next 12 months, according to the revised draft of the country's Renewable Energy Act [EEG]. The final two of these reductions had not been included in the original amendment to the bill and their addition is a major blow to the country's solar industry.

Germany has grounded air traffic across its northern airspace because of ash from an erupting volcano in Iceland.

Eurozone manufacturing and service activity in February 2011 hit levels last seen in July 2006 but inflation, an increasing concern, also jumped sharply, a closely watched survey has shown.

German exports rose 0.5% in December to round out a year of strong growth, increasing 18.5% in 2010, figures show.