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
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
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
