Things move fast in the world of solar power, and it's hard for investors to keep up with all the twists and turns. For that reason, I've decided to put together a weekly rundown of some of the biggest news in the space. So, sun-drenched Fools, please let me know if this is a useful format, and what sorts of developments are most of interest to you.
Monday kicked things off with a major bit of M&A. We haven't seen too many large acquisitions lately, so German conglomerate Bosch's bid for a majority interest in ersol Solar Energy, at around $860 million, certainly sticks out. Bosch was recently tipped as a potential bidder in GE's
Speaking of GE, the head of its energy division said on Monday that the firm expects its solar business to grow to more than $1 billion in sales over the next few years. That's small change compared to GE's projected 2008 wind power revenue of $6 billion or so, but the ramp-up of that business shows just how serious GE can get when it decides to "put the pedal to the accelerator." First Solar
On Tuesday, Hemlock Semiconductor (whose backers include Dow Chemical
Finally, Wednesday saw two notable developments in the more frontier areas of solar innovation. Hewlett-Packard