Perovskite developer Oxford PV has set a new world record for perovskite-silicon tandem cell efficiency at 29.52%, edging out the previous record set less than a year ago by Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin. The new record has been certified by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.| pv magazine International
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems' (ISE) CalLab has confirmed the new efficiency rating. The researchers have combined semiconductors, perovskites and CIGS to produce a monolithic two-terminal tandem cell.| pv magazine International
Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin have taken back the world efficiency record for a perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell, achieving 29.15% with a device measuring 1cm². The record has been confirmed by Fraunhofer ISE, and according to HZB, this means that the 30% efficiency mark is within reach.| pv magazine International
The European solar research organization, Solliance announced it has achieved a 21.5% efficiency for a flexible copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) tandem solar cell based on perovskite.| pv magazine International
The ETI-W heat pump, with a coefficient of performance of up to 4.1, utilizes heat emitted from factory production processes as a heat source to supply hot water at up to 90 C. Debuting on the Japanese market, the system targets industrial and commercial applications.| pv magazine International
“It’s a changed world in the renewables space,” said Stefan Reisinger, partner at Norton Rose Fulbright.| pv magazine International
The government of the Canadian province of Ontario has directed the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to finalize a design framework for a large-scale energy procurement exercise, which will include solar. It says that ground-mounted solar installations will be prohibited in prime agricultural areas.| pv magazine International
An American research group has conducted a pilot workshop for agrivoltaics stakeholders in Arizona, including farmers, developers, government officials and indigenous leaders. A reflection paper offers some key takeaways for future public participation.| pv magazine International
Stanford University researchers have built a photovoltaic-thermal electrochemical stripping system that extracts fertilizer nutrients from human urine. They say the system could provide a cost-effective alternative in regions with limited access to conventional fertilizers.| pv magazine International
SorbiForce, a Ukrainian energy storage company now in Arizona, has developed metal-free organic batteries made entirely from agricultural waste.| pv magazine International
A US-Chinese research team has investigated the flow of iron, copper, aluminum, and other precious metals from source to end-use destination in the renewable energy infrastructure value chain. It found significant imbalances that can be attributed to the continuous outsourcing of metal demand for the renewable power sector to developing economies.| pv magazine International
S&P Global’s first 2025 Tier 1 Cleantech Companies list ranks 63 solar, wind, inverter, and battery suppliers by technology, financial health, and sustainability to guide investors and developers.| pv magazine International
As off-grid solar systems expand to serve remote and underserved communities worldwide, digitalization has become a crucial need for efficient project development, implementation, and long-term sustainability. A new report from IEA PVPS Task 18 systematically explores digital tools across the entire off-grid energy project value chain, providing much-needed guidance for practitioners looking to optimize their operations.| pv magazine International
pv magazine regularly produces features and special editions in collaboration with our trusted industry partners. On this page you can download low-resolution PDFs of these publications, to be read online and on the go, at your convenience.| pv magazine International
The U.S. startup offers a new kit to integrate robotic automation with existing equipment.| pv magazine International
As solar module prices continue to fall, pvXchange.com founder Martin Schachinger explains how price pressure could increase in the weeks and months to come.| pv magazine International
The country aims to promote modules manufactured in the EU with new tender criteria. To this end, the government has introduced non-price-related tender criteria, making it one of the first EU countries to implement the NZIA guidelines.| pv magazine International
In the country's 16th renewable energy procurement exercise, the lowest bid came in at €0.07199/kWh and was offered for a 2.7 MW solar facility in the province of Ancona, central Italy.| pv magazine International
French uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) manufacturer Objectif Drone has developed a drone-based solar panel spray cleaning system for solar plant maintenance teams. It can be used on either rooftop PV or ground-mounted systems.| pv magazine International
Jetson said its new heat pump system has a coefficient of performance of up to 4.1 and an energy efficiency rating of up to 11.7. The new product integrates air quality sensors, an energy monitor, and a "smart" thermostat.| pv magazine International
The Netherlands recorded more negative energy price hours over the first eight months of this year than it did throughout 2024. Dutch research firm Stratergy says the correlation between solar production and negative price hours is “becoming increasingly strong."| pv magazine International
PXP Corp. and Suntory Holdings, both based in Japan, have begun to test the practicality and performance of a vending machine equipped with PXP’s lightweight, glass-free solar panels in Sagamihara, Japan.| pv magazine International
Scientists in Korea have fabricated a solar-powered charging device that can reportedly achieve a power density of 2,555.6 W kg and an energy efficiency of 63%. The system uses nickel-based compounds to enhance the electrochemical performance of its electrodes.| pv magazine International
The Fraunhofer ISE has defined new technical procedures to test the performance of large-area perovskite-silicon tandem PV modules by using the spectral variability of the LED solar simulator. The proposed approach reportedly reduces device handling, time, and consequently financial effort.| pv magazine International
The Chinese manufacturer said its new IEC 61215-certified rooftop PV module relies on a 30 mm aluminum frame and dual-glass construction that reportedly help it withstand extreme snow loads and wind pressure.| pv magazine International
Scientists from Fraunhofer ISE have sought to utilize epitaxially grown p-type silicon wafers TOPCon rear emitter (TOPCore) solar cells with the aim of reducing production costs and carbon footprint. They claim this combination is paving the way for TOPCore devices that exceed 25% efficiency.| pv magazine International
UK renewables developer Pacific Green Technologies says it will double down on battery energy storage systems as a priority in 2024, as it has expanded its global pipeline to 6 GWh over the past year.| pv magazine International
Large energy users like data centers and manufacturers could gain expedited access to at least 500 MW of solar deemed ‘ready to proceed’ under the new, ‘more enabling’ private wires framework, said Solar Ireland CEO Ronan Power. The updated policy targets national grid congestion, particularly acute near the capital where data centers are concentrated.| pv magazine International
Provisional data finds United Kingdom on course to add more than 1 GW in 2025 with revisions likely to show greater capacity as more plants are recorded. However, the pace of deployment must accelerate to hit 45-47 GW target by 2030.| pv magazine International
The integrated system is claimed to efficiently provide dynamic load balancing, while supporting demand-side management and future smart grid applications. The heat pump technology comes from Mitsubishi's Ecodan, Mr. Slim, and M heat pump series, which Evhacs modified for integration with the EV charger.| pv magazine International
Ireland’s €3.5 billion ($4.1 billion) package is the largest single investment in the national electricity grid in the state’s history. It will be allocated as equity to the transmission systems operator EirGrid and the distribution systems operator ESB Networks.| pv magazine International
Ireland’s total installed solar capacity reached 1.76 GW as of May 31, 2025, according to Solar Ireland’s new "Scale of Solar 2025" report. Based on data from distribution system operator ESB Networks, the report shows Ireland has advanced from a poor PV performer to a mid-tier solar market in Europe within a few years.| pv magazine International
Government-run Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is tendering for the provision of technical and advisory support services for its grant programs aimed at organizations in Ireland planning to decarbonize. The tender follows a report by the SEAI that showed Ireland has a limited market for industrial heat pumps and called for greater outreach and support for businesses to install the technology.| pv magazine International
New data from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) says there is no scenario in which Ireland will meet its 2030 solar deployment capacity of 8 GW. With existing measures in place, the reality would be more like 5 GW, the government-run group estimates.| pv magazine International
Carrier, a US-based heating solutions provider, has introduced a new heat pump system featuring a cooling seasonal energy efficiency rating (SEER2) of up to 29.7 and a heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF2) of up to 12.2.| pv magazine International
Wood MacKenzie predicts that Ireland will meet its 8 GW 2030 solar target but wind, heat pumps, and electric vehicles (EVs) are all lagging behind theirs. Ireland's current installed solar capacity is just under 2 GW, but this could be increased thanks to favorable policy, grid investments, and energy storage.| pv magazine International
India’s renewable energy ministry has issued draft rules requiring all solar inverters installed under its 30 GW rooftop program to link directly to national servers, aiming to improve grid stability and cybersecurity. Industry groups back the plan but warn of high compliance costs, supply chain constraints, and uneven connectivity.| pv magazine International
Scientists in Japan have conducted a field experiment in rice plantations hosting agrivoltaics systems and have found that rice growth can be affected by reduced biomass and reduced panicle number. However, their analysis has also shown that gross return in lowland rice agrivoltaics can be 14 times higher than rice growth without PV.| pv magazine International
Scientists in Bangladesh have investigated the potential of agrivoltaics in rice fields. They analyzed the economic viability of bifacial agrivoltaic projects in Vietnam, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Brazil, and India.| pv magazine International
Researchers in Japan have made another attempt to make agrivoltaics on rice fields technically and economically feasible, despite well-known productivity issues when rice is grown below solar modules. They used double-axis tracking, finding potential with careful management of shading and tilt angles.| pv magazine International
Sinopec has commissioned a 7.5 MW offshore floating solar project in full seawater conditions in China.| pv magazine International
Scientists in China have used ground heat exchangers based on volcanic tuff stones to improve storage capabilities and efficiency of photovoltaic-thermal systems. Their experiments showed that the proposed combination effectively improves PV module cooling and thermal efficiency.| pv magazine International
A Norwegian research team assessed the snow deposits on photovoltaic panels and the consequent energy losses via the PVsyst software and utilized the so-called Marion’s algorithm (MA) for evaluating the sliding coefficient. It found the coatings may effectively reduce energy losses caused by snow and ice but said the commercial feasibility of these materials should be further investigated.| pv magazine International
An international research team in China has used Czochralski n-type c-Si wafers from China-based Sichuan Yongxiang to build textured wafers with a thickness ranging from 65 μm to 55 μm. They have used the wafers in heterojunction solar cells ton hit efficiencies close to those of devices cells based on conventional wafers.| pv magazine International
Multiple factors affect the productive lifespan of a residential solar system. In Part 2 of our series, we look at solar inverters.| pv magazine International
Qcells has confirmed that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has detained an unspecified volume of its solar cell imports from South Korea. The company claims the cells do not contain components from Xinjiang, China and says it is working with CBP to resolve the issue.| pv magazine International
Several factors affect the productive lifespan of a residential solar panel. In the first part of a series, we look at the solar panels themselves.| pv magazine International
Tempestuous trade conditions and policy uncertainty have led to module price fragmentation in the United States. Ahead of an expected reduction in manufacturing capacity utilization, leading manufacturers in China produced a high volume of cells in the spring. OPIS editorial director Hanwei Wu explains the latest market developments.| pv magazine International
Scientists simulated several liquid air energy storage systems, comparing round-trip efficiency across configurations that include liquefied natural gas (LNG), solar, and Stirling engines, and further optimized performance using particle swarm methods.| pv magazine International
Daikin said its new EWWH-VZ water-cooled inverter chiller and heat pump has cooling and heating capacity ranging from 400 kW to 1,900 kW. The system uses R1234ze as the refrigerant.| pv magazine International
India is projected to add 30 GW of new energy storage capacity by June 2027 through standalone and firm and dispatchable renewable energy (FDRE) projects, according to a recent report by SBI Capital Markets (SBICAPS). This could potentially push total capacity to 36 GW against 24 GW of estimated demand.| pv magazine International
Double Materiality Assessment (DMA) has become a central concept in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, especially under recent regulatory initiatives like the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). While implementation of DMA will only become mandatory for many companies over the next few years, there are already discussions at the EU commission in Brussels about simplifying the process to ease adoption. As an early adopter, Trinasolar shares insights on ...| pv magazine International
Australia is one of only seven countries outside the European Union that has updated its 2030 national renewable target with an 18 GW boost, since the 2023 COP28 global tripling pledge.| pv magazine International
Austrian startup Podero has launched software to enable utilities to roll out new residential services via its home energy device steering and trading solutions.| pv magazine International
Researchers in Germany have built a perovskite-organic solar cell with low interfacial losses and a high open-circuit voltage. The device achieved an open-circuit voltage of 2.15 V, a short-circuit current of 14.0 mA cm−², and a fill factor of 80%.| pv magazine International
The result was certified by Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems’ (ISE) CalLab and included in the charts of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.| pv magazine International
The German researchers were able to improve the efficiency through a simplified production process.| pv magazine International
New Jersey lawmakers have unanimously approved legislation to remove solar permitting bottlenecks, marking a rare legislative success in the United States, as similar efforts in other states have fallen flat this year.| pv magazine International
The Anahim Lake Solar Farm in British Columbia, Canada, will provide the Ulkatcho First Nation with renewable energy, reducing the remote community’s use of diesel for electricity generation by almost two-thirds.| pv magazine International
Canada installed 314 MW of solar in 2024, bringing its cumulative installed PV capacity to more than 5 GW, says the Canadian Renewable Energy Association.| pv magazine International
US officials are reassessing the risks posed by Chinese-made devices in renewable energy infrastructure according to news agency. Reuters cites two unnamed sources, who would only provide a few details.| pv magazine International
A report by the European solar association SolarPower Europe highlights the cybersecurity challenges of PV installations in the European Union. A main concern are the vulnerabilities of connected inverters and data management via cloud services outside of Europe.| pv magazine International
A recent law voted by Greece’s Parliament has closed the net metering scheme to the vast majority of electricity users. The government aims to replace it with a net billing scheme, which the photovoltaic sector has been waiting for more than a year.| pv magazine International
The California State Assembly’s Utilities and Energy Committee has passed an amended bill to end net metering for homes with solar once they are sold.| pv magazine International
In another weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that strong jet stream and Eastern storms split solar conditions across the US in April, with the east experiencing a downturn in solar irradiance while the northwest saw irradiance gains.| pv magazine International
