While the United States hems and haws about when and how to make renewables a priority, China's taking a dominating lead in solar PV production. Suntech Power, the world's largest PV module producer, has reached 1 gigawatt of manufacturing capacity, making it a force to be reckoned with in the global solar game.

Commenting on the news, the company's Chairman and CEO, Dr. Zhengrong Shi, said "Since our inception, we have focused on rapidly building world-class manufacturing facilities that can meet the burgeoning global demand for green energy. This milestone is a credit to all Suntech employees that have tirelessly worked towards the common goal of making cost- effective solar energy systems available on a global scale."

They also announced the opening of their new 18,000 square meter headquarters in Wuxi, China. The building's most greening edge feature is a 1 MW grid-connected PV facade of semi-transparent panels installed by Suntech's own technicians. Others include efficient building materials, geothermal temperature control, and a comprehensive water recycling system.

Suntech is on a roll, recently announcing a contract to build 3MW of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) for the 2010 World Expo Shanghai and a newly-inked deal to produce solar roof tiles with California-based Open Energy Corp.