The solar news last week was pretty sweet and poppy. First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) and General Electric (NYSE: GE) made some pretty sweet announcements last week. But the news for U.S.-based SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWRA, SPWRB) was more bittersweet. Some tantalizing occurrences on the solar sales side of things also happened last week.

The Hershey Co. announced that it installed photovoltaic carports and electric car charging stations at Chocolate World—its chocolate education center—adjacent to Hershey’s Park. It also installed an array at its nearby research center, where it develops the sweets of the future.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola India, the Indian arm of U.S.-based Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO), developed solar-powered coolers. The coolers are intended primarily for rural regions in India with inadequate or intermittent electric supplies. The company plans to expand its pilot to more rural markets in India this summer. It could allow the pop manufacturer to put in such coolers elsewhere in the world.

Speaking of pop, Portland, Ore.’s, Ecopalooza, a music and wine festival, is expected to attract more than 6,000 visitors this year. The July 23 event is 100 percent powered by solar and will feature a fashion show and musical acts including Sarah Billings and Patrick Lamb.

GE made piggyback announcements regarding hybrid power systems. It announced a combined-cycle 500 megawatt natural-gas fired power plant, which is intended to integrate with solar and wind systems. The FlexEfficiency gas turbine is up to 61 percent efficient and reuses waste heat from the gas turbine to power a steam turbine, boosting efficiency. It’s also able to raise or lower generation at a rate of 50 megawatts per minute to offset fluctuations in renewables.

GE also reached an agreement with eSolar, allowing it to integrate eSolar’s solar thermal power system directly into the FlexEfficiency’s steam turbine system, creating a hybrid power plant that reaches energy conversion efficiency levels of more than 70 percent. Oh, and it already sold the first such hybrid power plant, a 530 megawatt facility, to MetCap Energy in Turkey.

First Solar, one the two leading photovoltaic producers in the U.S., last week said it manufactured more than 4 gigawatts of its thin-film photovoltaics. That’s not bad for a company that started commercial production in 2002. First Solar expects to produce nearly three-quarters of what it produced over the past nine years—annually—by 2012’s end.

SunPower’s news wasn’t as sunny. Analysts downgraded the company’s stock following a conference call discussing anticipated second quarter and full-year 2011 results. Analysts attributed position changes to a business model shift in Europe that places increasing value on residential and small installations.

This week Total plans to offer its buyout of 60 percent of SunPower’s stock this week. The company is offering $23.25 per share, slightly higher than the stock has been trading, which has held relatively steady between about $20.50 and $21 since the announcement.

On the sales side of things, Solar & More said it will hold its grand opening. The New Jersey-based company offers people interested in solar a showroom experience, as opposed to the usual search-and-call experience. Company president Tom Ferraro said response already has been greater than anticipated.

To help other companies promote solar, Geostellar will start allowing software developers access to its systems through an open application programming interface (API). It could lead to a one-click approach to solar siting information.

Another company, SunReports, is harnessing social media through a new Facebook app. The app allows photovoltaic owners with SunReports networked systems to post their array’s production figures online. It’s the virtual neighbor approach to helping spread the adoption of solar.

Image courtesy of NREL.