A micromachined harvester for vibration energy with a record output of 489 µW has been created. [ + ]

According to a survey of over 300 engineers, the most influential factor in choosing engineering as a career is “a talent for mathematics/science”. Universities in Australia have produced 61% more domestic graduate scientists than engineers, yet there are 10 times the number of engineering jobs listed than scientific roles. [ + ]

Silver-free heterojunction silicon solar cells have been created by applying copper electroplating, which was developed by Kaneka, based on imec’s existing copper electroplating technology. [ + ]

According to a report, in Q3’11, the US PV market grew by 32% from Q2’11 and could reach 1.9 GW for the year, which would mean that the market has doubled in size for the second consecutive year. [ + ]

The NPD DisplaySearch shipment forecast indicates that the average resolution of tablet PC displays will grow to more than 200 pixels per inch in the second quarter of 2012. [ + ]

The photovoltaic market is forecast to grow 39% Q/Q and 130% Y/Y in Q4’11.

Panel makers are targeting a 2% growth in shipments for Q4’11, as downstream manufacturers and brands are expected to prepare for the holiday season.

A partnership between Mouser and Nextreme will bring users thermal management and energy saving.

A microscope in QUT is being used to develop plastic solar cells to charge laptops and mobile phones.

Liang Chen's noisy solution has won him a 2011 Victoria Fellowship.

Marl International has invested $187,000 in tools for prototype and small batch production in order to handle growing demand for its specialist LED lighting assemblies. The investment will allow Marl to turn around prototypes of its bespoke lighting solutions significantly faster. [ + ]

A report shows that although an increase in loading rates from 68 to 75% has been recorded in October, shipments are set to decline from November until the end of the year.

The non-residential PV project pipeline in China grew to 16 GW at the end of October.

Lund University in Sweden has used MATLAB to improve long-term survival rates for heart transplant recipients.

A study on low electrical loss carbon nanotubes has found that the materials open up new types of high-frequency large-area electronic devices.