ASML said said orders in the fourth quarter were at the highest in five quarters. The shares had their biggest gain in two years.

Spansion's fourth-quarter net loss was $47.5 million, or 63 cents per share, compared with $26.6 million, or 37 cents in the comparable year-ago period.

After price increase announcements from the copper foil and glass fabric companies which will take effect in February, CCL factories have started to evaluate the feasibility of following suit.

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the California Solar Initiative (CSI), committing a combined $3.2 billion in incentive funds to drive consumers toward solar power over the next 11 years.

Boeing is to build three huge communications satellites, all of which will be powered by triple-junction GaAs solar cells.

These three companies will renew a 5-year partnership that produced the cell microprocessor for Sony's PlayStation 3 console.

Solar energy giant Suntech said it would invest up to US$20 million over the next two years in research and development to explore new technologies, as the Chinese market booms.

Stocks of solar energy companies posted gains on Wednesday ahead of an expected decision by the California Public Utilities Commission to adopt a $3.2 billion plan to install solar electricity panels on homes and buildings throughout the state.