San Francisco Chronicle – Hit hard by the financial crisis, Hayward’s OptiSolar agreed on Monday to sell its entire portfolio of planned but unbuilt solar power plants to an Arizona rival for $400 million in stock.

First Solar, based in Tempe, will now try to build the projects, scattered across California and the West. They include an enormous solar plant in San Louis Obispo County that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. needs in order to expand its use of renewable power.

Analysts have been expecting a wave of acquisitions to hit the solar industry as a result of the recession. Also on Monday, a Spanish company, Fotowatio, announced that it will purchase San Francisco’s MMA Renewable Ventures, which develops and operates renewable-power projects. The deal is valued at roughly $20 million. [read more…]