An Australian-American partnership of solar engineers is ramping up the efficiency of solar cells with a project to develop next-generation solar cells with targeted efficiencies of 29%. [ + ]

NBN Co has appointed three advisory firms to support the strategic review of the NBN rollout. [ + ]

First Solar has been contracted to construct what will be Queensland's largest solar power installation. The company has signed a contract with the University of Queensland to build a solar photovoltaic research facility at UQ's Gatton campus. [ + ]

Pacific Services Group has named Jeffrey Bretz as its new chief executive. Bretz will steer the electrical, data and communications services provider through its next phase of growth. [ + ]

The Australian Solar Council is inviting comments on a draft of the revised Australian standard AS/NZS 5033 Installation and Safety Requirements for Photovoltaic (PV) Arrays. The draft is available for comment and review until 28 October. [ + ]

The home and building control standard KNX has been approved as Chinese Standard (GB/T 20965). [ + ]

NHP has introduced a range of medium-voltage products to complement its low-voltage industrial switchgear and automation offering. [ + ]

A businessman who posed as a licensed electrician has been fined more than $50,000 for multiple incidences of carrying out unlicensed electrical work, Master Electricians Australia has reported. [ + ]

Scientists have discovered that covering solar panels with aluminium studs helps to bend and trap light in the absorbing layer, increasing the amount of energy extracted from the captured sunlight. [ + ]

The winners of the New South Wales Brightest Spark competition have been announced at a presentation ceremony in Sydney this afternoon. [ + ]

Solar panel systems that both heat and cool buildings may soon be coming to a large office building near you, thanks to engineers at two Spanish universities. [ + ]

RMIT University is helping industry partners connect with the latest developments in industrial ethernet, delivering tailored training in association with Hirschmann distributor Daanet. [ + ]

SolarMax has announced a distribution partnership with Mark Group. The agreement will make Australia one of the first countries in Mark Group's global business to distribute SolarMax's S series and MT series solar inverters and accessories. [ + ]

The Queensland Government’s Electrical Safety Office has issued a recall of Infinity electrical building cables. The NSW Office of Fair Trading issued a recall of the product last week, but no other states or territories had followed suit until now.  [ + ]

Early-bird registrations for the PreLoved Buildings 2013 conference are closing on 18 October. Keynote speakers include Robert Morris-Nunn from Circa Morris-Nunn Architects and Jon McCormick from Brookfield Johnson Controls. [ + ]