First Solar received board approval from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government's development finance institution, and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, for financing to support construction of the 141-MW Luz del Norte solar power plant in Chile's Atacama Desert. The loans, which are expected to close later this summer, clear the way for First Solar to proceed with construction planning at the site, which is near the city of Copiapo. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

The Energy Department announced more than $10 million for projects to improve the reliability and resiliency of the U.S. electric grid and facilitate quick and effective response to grid conditions. This investment which includes six projects across five states- California, Hawaii, Missouri, North Carolina and Washington - will help further the deployment of advanced software that works with synchrophasor technology to better detect quickly-changing grid conditions and improve grid reliability.

Tollgrade Communications partnered with DTE Energy in a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) commitment to action for a comprehensive grid modernization project in Detroit that will roll out over the next three years. DTE Energy is deploying Tollgrade's LightHouse MV smart grid sensors and predictive grid analytics platform at key substations and feeders within its distribution network.

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) plans to invest in long-term natural gas supplies, which the company believes will save customers money and keep fuel costs lower. FPL is partnering with PetroQuest Energy, to develop up to 38 natural gas production wells in the Woodford Shale region in southeastern Oklahoma. PetroQuest will oversee and operate those wells. FPL will receive a portion of the natural gas produced from each well for its use.

Petra Systems, along with its partner Caspian Renewable Energy, completed the installation of the largest Smart Solar power plant in the Middle East. The 5-MW project will be owned by BAPCO (Bahrain Petroleum Company), a wholly owned subsidiary of NOGA (National Oil and Gas Authority) and will deliver in excess of 8,000 MWh of renewable energy.