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
AleaSoft Energy Forecasting says higher average temperatures across major European electricity markets last week drove up power demand and prices. France and Germany, meanwhile, set new records for solar energy produced during a single day in August.| 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
India reached 484.82 GW of total installed power capacity as of June 30, 2025, with 242.8 GW from non-fossil fuel sources, including 8.8 GW nuclear, 49.4 GW hydro, and 184.6 GW from renewable energy.| 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
WeHeat said its monoblock air-to-water heat pump features a seasonal coefficient of performance of 4.7 and propane as the refrigerant. The system is available in four versions with output ranging from 8 kW to 11 kW.| pv magazine International
Germany plans to build an energy hub with 500 MW/1,750 MWh battery storage and an AI data center, to be developed in phases through 2028.| 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
At The smarter E Europe exhibition in May 2025, perovskite-silicon tandem modules were on show for the first time at the booths of several large PV manufacturers. For the most part, these were prototypes not yet available for purchase. But the technology’s growing visibility at industry events in 2025 is a sign that perovskites have progressed beyond the small lab-made devices seen earlier this decade. The focus is now on developing materials, processes, and a supply chain ready for large-s...| 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
Intended for applications in commercial buildings, the new VRV 5 heat pumps have reportedly a 9.1% higher seasonal efficiency compared to the company's previous models. The new products use difluoromethane (R32) as the refrigerant.| 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
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| 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
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| 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
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News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| 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
Uzbekistan's Ministry of Economy and Finance has approved an 823 kW solar plant to begin trading International Renewable Energy Certificates (I-REC), marking the country's fifth renewable energy project to join the scheme.| pv magazine International
Italy added around 1,092 MW of new PV systems in the second quarter of this year, with the rooftop segment driving demand.| pv magazine International
Meralco, the only electric power distributor in Manila, has opened a tender for solar projects to be deployed across a number of its sites. The deadline for applications is Aug. 7.| 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
WHES has released a new commercial and industrial (C&I) energy storage system using a 509 kWh battery with power output options from 62.5 kW to 250 kW, and a maximum efficiency of 98.5%.| 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
New all-in-one LFP battery system is scalable up to 5.2 MWh for on-grid applications.| pv magazine International
The quality assurance provider reported India-based Insolation Energy, Waaree Renewable Technologies, and Solex Energy maintained their top three spots in the ranking this quarter. The number of companies with healthier Altmann-Z scores stayed the same at nine.| pv magazine International
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| pv magazine International
Developed by Italian dry bottom ash handling system provider Magaldi Power, the system produces green thermal energy -- steam or hot air -- which can be used directly in industrial plants or for the generation of electricity using steam turbines. The system consists of a blower, a fluidization air blowing system, a fluidization air suction system, an air filter and fan, an air pre-heater, and an integrated thermal energy storage module. Silica sands are the system's storage media.| pv magazine International
NREL researchers developed a system that uses heated silica particles for thermal energy storage. The baseline technology is designed for a storage capacity of up to 26,000 MWh and is claimed to have a cost of of between $2 and $4 per kWh.| pv magazine International
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| pv magazine International
South African utility Eskom is searching for a developer to design, procure, supply, test and commission a 72 MW solar project at the site of an existing power station. The deadline for applications is Sept. 30.| pv magazine International
Weekly average electricity prices fell last week in France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, even as solar energy output also declined, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting.| 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
NHPC Ltd, on behalf of Bundelkhand Saur Urja Ltd (BSUL), has launched a tender to select developers to build 1.2 GW of solar power plants (four × 300 MW) in northern India.| pv magazine International
UK workplace pension provider Smart Pension has announced an initial GBP 330 million ($440 million) strategic investment in Octopus Energy Generation. The renewables arm of Octopus Energy invests in solar, wind and energy storage projects, as well as clean energy technologies such as heat pumps.| pv magazine International
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| pv magazine International
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| pv magazine International
Finnish startup Polar Night Energy is teaming up with a district heating company to construct an industrial-scale thermal energy storage system in southern Finland. The sand-based system will use soapstone, a byproduct from a fireplace manufacturer, as its storage medium.| pv magazine International
It’s no secret that prices throughout the solar supply chain have been at rock bottom over the past 18 months. Alex Barrows and Molly Morgan of CRU Group explore how the market reached the imbalance that caused PV prices to crash, what this has meant for innovation, and how it might affect future technology transitions.| pv magazine International
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| pv magazine International
Supply chain challenges, subsidies and tariff uncertainties are forcing the solar energy industry to find significant cost efficiencies. As older models of installed solar panels become harder to source, the growing second-life solar market helps industry find replacement panels and other equipment.| pv magazine International
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| pv magazine International
Researchers say the 10 countries with the most golf courses could install up to 842 GW of utility-scale solar or 659 GW of wind capacity on land equivalent in size to that used for the sport.| pv magazine International
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| pv magazine International
GoodWe has developed new double-glass tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) bifacial solar modules for its Polaris series, available in 525 W and 580 W variants.| pv magazine International
Jochen Rentsch, head of department at Fraunhofer ISE, speaks to pv magazine about recent progress in TOPCon module development, including new efficiency records by JinkoSolar and Jolywood. Production costs are falling as more Tier 1 companies shift from PERC to TOPCon, and multi-gigawatt production is already a reality. Could the TOPCon solar cell segment reach a tipping point for efficiency in 2023?| pv magazine International
Scientists in India have developed a new molecular precursor for applications in kesterite solar cells. They used the precursor to build a superstrate type solar cell with an efficiency that is purportedly among the highest ever recorded. They relied on a low-temperature process to manufacture the device.| pv magazine International
Since 1993, the World Energy Outlook (WEO) of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has been an authoritative report on energy statistics and guiding future energy supply and demand developments. An examination of these reports, however, indicates that even the most progressive of WEO scenarios has vastly underestimated the growth of renewable energy technologies, especially solar PV.| pv magazine International
Solar and wind are being installed at a rate that is five times faster than all other new electricity sources combined. This offers compelling market-based evidence that PV and wind are now the most competitive and practical methods for deploying new generating capacity.| pv magazine International
In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, IEA PVPS provides a comprehensive overview of the recently released edition of the “Dual Land Use for Agriculture and Solar Power Production: Overview and Performance of Agrivoltaic Systems” report. The 91-page handbook was developed by IEA PVPS Task 13.| pv magazine International
A German research team is field testing new module concepts that can be integrated into noise barrier walls alongside roadways or railways. The hope is that some of the designs will emerge as cost-effective, power-generating solutions for application in newly constructed soundwalls, in retrofits, or in add-on projects.| pv magazine International
FRV, Harmony Energy, and Tesla are building a 99 MW/198 MWh facility in Essex. The system will rely on the Megapack solution from the U.S. manufacturer.| pv magazine International
At the recent World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, Octopus Energy’s founder and CEO Greg Jackson urged market participants in the renewable energy sector to tap low-cost renewables to drive both clean energy adoption and acceptance. His speech was part of IRENA’s Innovation Day at WFES on January 14, 2025 and set the scene for a subsequent panel discussion on the topic “Digitalization to support the 3x Renewables Goal.”| pv magazine International
An international team led by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has used ionic salt for the electron transport layer of a perovskite solar cell to improve device stability and performance. Test results showed a 26% power conversion efficiency with 2% degradation after 2,100 hours of 1-sun operation at 65 C.| pv magazine International
Techno-economic analysis conducted by NREL researchers has shown how perovskite-silicon tandem solar modules could currently hardly compete in cost with incumbent PV panels. Production costs for U.S.-made tandem products were found to range between $0.29/W and $0.42/W, with module efficiencies ranging from 25% to 30%.| pv magazine International
CubicPV has halted its plans to build a US solar silicon wafer factory, as it has shifted its focus to producing perovskite tandem modules.| pv magazine International
In this pv magazine Webinar, we will review fatigue loading from hurricane and high-wind events and their impact on solar trackers| pv magazine International
The new TopoSmart+ software enables users to find the most cost-effective topography and design plan to install the company’s Genius Tracker solar mounts at a given location.| pv magazine International
The prestigious Washington D.C. think tanks analysis of existing literature shows a broad consensus that net metering is benefiting utility customers who do not employ solar PV.| pv magazine International
In grids increasingly dominated by renewables, grid-forming technology is emerging as critical tool for maintaining stability and ensuring reliable power system operation. In this interview with ESS News, Rui Sun, Sungrow’s Deputy General Manager-Grid Technology Center, explains how grid-forming works, why it matters, and where the technology is already proving its value. He elaborates on technical challenges, regulatory gaps, and why grid-forming could soon become the new industry standard.| pv magazine International
Griffith University scientists have unlocked a catalytic process to enhance the breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen and bring Australia a step nearer clean, efficient hydrogen fuel.| pv magazine International
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| pv magazine International
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| pv magazine International
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| pv magazine International
The cell is based on ferrocene and is claimed to retain more than 98% of its initial efficiency after continuously operating at the maximum power point for 1,500 hours under standard illumination conditions.| 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
Developed by scientists in Saudi Arabia, the perovskite cell was able to retain over 95% of its initial efficiency after 1,000 hours at damp-heat test conditions. The cell was fabricated with a substrate made of glass and indium tin oxide (ITO), 2D layers, a 3D perovskite layer, an electron-selective layer, a buffer layer based on bathocuproine (BCP), and silver metal contact.| pv magazine International
Saudi Arabian scientists have developed a perovskite sub-cell of a tandem device with a molecule that prevents the migration of ions into the perovskite film, even under humid conditions. The solar cell has an efficiency of 28.6%.| 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
Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems have broken two of their own records for cell efficiency, working with silicon and III-V material tandem cells. The institute hit 34.1% on a triple junction cell using wafer bonding technology and 24.3% by directly depositing III-V layers onto a silicon solar cell.| pv magazine International
The German researchers were able to improve the efficiency through a simplified production process.| pv magazine International
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| pv magazine International
The cell features an open-circuit voltage of 1.1 V and a short-circuit current of 26 milliampere per cm-2, which the research team described as the best performance for an inverted perovskite cell based on single-crystal methylammonium lead triiodide. The device was built with a microns-thick absorber layer placed between an electron transport top layer and a hole-transport bottom layer.| pv magazine International
News from the photovoltaic and storage industry: market trends, technological advancements, expert commentary, and more.| 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
Scientists in the U.S. laid out the rationale behind new PV module testing specifications published last year, which aim to better take into account the role of temperature in various types of performance loss. They suggest a new ‘98th percentile’ approach to measuring module operating temperatures, which would offer system designers a better understanding of the module’s performance in a particular ‘micro-environment’.| pv magazine International
Scientists in Turkey have tested a transient thermal model to predict PV module temperature during a five-day interval in June. The model considers the heat capacity of a PV module, which is usually not provided by manufacturers in their product sheets, as a parameter for temperature prediction.| pv magazine International
New outdoor tests conducted at Saudi research center King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have shown that an increase in temperature affects the performance of a tandem perovskite/silicon solar cell not only because of voltage losses but also because of current mismatch between the two sub-cells.| pv magazine International
