Chinese solar firm expands into UK

China’s Hanergy Holding purchased London-based Engensa for an undisclosed amount to expand into the UK residential solar market, Bloomberg reported. This deal marks Hanergy’s third offshore acquisition this year, after its purchase of US-based thin-film panel maker MiaSole and German photovoltaic cell maker Q-Cells. Thin-film panels are unique because they use substantially less silicon than traditional solar cells, excluding them from UK tariffs resulting from probes into Chinese silicon producers’ trade practices. Within the UK, the residential solar market saw installations increase ten-fold to 720 megawatts in 2012.