Lakeland Electric and SunEdison recently announced a public-private partnership to deploy 24 megawatts (MW) of solar. The program will be the largest utility-sponsored photovoltaic (PV) solar program per metered customer in the United States to date, averaging 214 watts per meter among Lakeland Electric’s approximately 112,000 customers.

Moser Baer India Limited has entered into definitive agreements to supply solar modules to two major European solar system integrators. The agreements, with a cumulative value of more than $500 million, ensure the supply of amorphous silicon Gen 8.5 thin film panels by PV Technologies India Limited, Moser Baer’s photovoltaic subsidiary, up to the year 2012.

I have heard that some utilities have safety concerns when homeowners install their own electricity generators, such as solar panels. Are there safety concerns? And if so, how do utility linemen remain safe around renewable distributed generation? — D. Gilsen, Logan, Utah

ET Solar Group Corp., an integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) products including ingots, wafers and modules announced that it has signed a sales deal for the delivery of 15 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic modules with Helios Technology.

XsunX Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement with Spire Corporation and Shuttleworth Inc., who will provide components to complement the company’s thin-film solar photovoltaics (PV) manufacturing system.

Last week, we wrapped up our video coverage of the Solar Power International conference by hosting a round table with some top solar executives representing the three main areas of the solar supply chain.

Riverside Partners announced the acquisition and merger of Solar Works Inc. and SolarWrights Inc. into one of the largest solar energy integrators in the Northeast. Combined, SolarWorks and Solar Wrights will leverage more than 30 years of renewable energy experience and a seasoned staff of 110 employees to provide a full spectrum of sales, service and support to residential and commercial customers in the Northeast.

Independent research center IMEC announced that its associated lab, IMOMEC has developed a method to stabilize the nanomorphology of organic solar cells resulting in a lifetime improvement of at least a factor of 10.

SolarWorld has opened one of North America’s largest solar cell manufacturing facilities. The new plant is located in Hillsboro, Oregon and is expected to reach a capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) by 2011.

Day three, the third and final day of the expo portion of Solar Power International continued with much the same enthusiasm as the first two days. RenewableEnergyWorld.com’s reporters were on the show floor talking to companies about their latest offerings.