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From pv magazine France
A French consortium has deployed a prototype floating solar shellfish farming platform combining photovoltaic power generation with oyster farming. Measuring 53 metres long and 18 metres wide, the structure has been deployed in the heart of Thau Lagoon, in southern France, alongside existing shellfish farming installations.
Through this demonstrator, the project aims to develop new models supporting the future of the local shellfish industry while addressing regional energy and environmental challenges. Thau Lagoon’s shellfish sector produces more than 10,000 tonnes of oysters and mussels annually, relies on 2,781 farming platforms, and supports over 1,500 jobs.
Designed to withstand waves exceeding 12 metres and cyclonic winds of up to 200 km/h, the installation will undergo an 18-month trial phase from July 2026 to December 2027. This period corresponds to a full oyster farming cycle, enabling the evaluation of the prototype’s technical, environmental and economic performance under real operating conditions.
Named SolarinThau, the pilot project is led by a consortium comprising the Mediterranean Regional Shellfish Farming Committee (CRCM), start-up SolarinBlue, and the Thau Basin Joint Association (SMBT), with financial support from the French government and the Occitanie Region.
Prior to its installation in the lagoon, the unit was assembled over recent months at the commercial port of Sète. It was then launched into the Colbert Basin on 16 May 2026 for initial technical checks. The official inauguration of the prototype is scheduled for Thursday, 2 July 2026, in the presence of local stakeholders and national partners.
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Clearvise AG has broken ground on the Tezze photovoltaic park in Vicenza province, northern Italy. With a capacity of 4.1 MWp and a 20-year government tariff premium, it is the first of three Italian projects in the…
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From pv magazine Australia
Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecasts AUD 5.1 billion of investment in utility-scale solar and wind projects in Australia in 2026, with wind accounting for 95% of the total.
It said investment in utility-scale renewables will stay in line with 2025 levels, rather than achieving new investment records.

Citing government policy as the biggest driver, the paper says to date the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) and New South Wales (NSW) Long-term Energy Service Agreements (LTESAs) have awarded support to 15.8 GW of solar and wind projects, but only 3.5 GW of capacity has secured financing to date.
Lengthy state and federal approvals, slow grid expansion, and social licensing issues are listed as primary causes for delay.
BNEF says utility-scale renewables and storage capacity installations will fail to reach last year’s high when more than 6.5 GW of capacity was commissioned and installations surged 94% year-on-year, driven partly by the increase in storage capacity.
“A record 3 GW/7.7 GWh of batteries were commissioned in 2025 compared to 0.6 GW/1.6 GWh in 2024, more than doubling the size of the overall operating fleet to 5.2 GW/11.6 GWh,” said BNEF.

Utility-solar is cannibalizing its own value, BNEF said, as solar reaches increasingly higher levels of market saturation.
“Wholesale power prices were negative 18% of the time in 2025 in the National Electricity Market (NEM), particularly around midday when solar generation is at its peak. When power prices are negative, solar generators curtail their generation. Together, market saturation and negative pricing are undermining the merchant value of solar,” the paper said. “Solar installations are set to fall 21% amid development hurdles and intensifying competition from rooftop solar. New South Wales is expected to lead solar additions with 798 MW, followed by Victoria at 317 MW.”
Other key areas BNEF lists to watch in 2026 include a plateauing of rooftop solar while small-scale batteries continue to boom, wholesale power price volatility will decline and electric vehicle sales will exceed 200,000 units.
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From pv magazine Australia
The latest version of the BNEF New Energy Outlook for Australia shows investment in utility-scale solar declined to AUD 379 million ($263 million) in the second half of 2025, down from AUD 582 million in the first six months of the year.
BNEF said five large-scale solar projects totalling 621 MW of capacity were financed in the final six months of 2025. All five included co-located battery energy storage.
“Standalone utility-scale solar projects are declining,” BNEF said, noting that the slower financing activity over the year reflects the ongoing challenges that projects face. “Lengthy state and federal approvals, slow grid expansion, and social licensing issues continue to pose significant headwinds for the sector.@
BNEF also said the rapid growth of rooftop solar in Australia “is eroding market value for other renewables, especially large-scale developments.”
While investment levels dropped, more than 1.5 GW of utility-scale solar capacity was commissioned across Australia in the second half of 2025, up from the 241 MW commissioned in the first half. The increase took total operational large-scale solar capacity in Australia to 15 GW.
BNEF forecasts an additional 8.8 GW of utility-scale solar will be commissioned in Australia over the next four years, with 26.1 GW of capacity expected to be operational by 2035.
Cumulative rooftop solar capacity has reached 29.1 GW with an estimated 2.8 GW installed across Australian homes and businesses in 2025.
Installations are forecast to increase by 5% in 2026 compared to last year, with 3 GW of new capacity expected to be added.
Rooftop solar capacity is forecast to reach 50.8 GW by 2035 with BNEF predicting the booming behind-the-meter battery market will continue to support new rooftop system sales and upgrades to larger solar systems.
Australia’s small-scale battery market exploded in 2025 with 3.9 GWh of capacity installed, more than doubling the size of the operating fleet to 6.5 GWh.
BNEF forecasts behind-the-meter battery capacity could reach 26.1 GWh by 2030 and 35.8 GWh by 2035.
Large-scale battery installations are also booming with BNEF estimating that as of December 2025, nearly 5.2 GW of utility-scale batteries were operational and 9.9 GW of batteries are currently under construction.
BNEF’s base case forecasts an additional 12.1 GW of installed capacity by 2030, and 17.9 GW by 2035. This results in 17.3 GW of installed capacity by 2030 and 23.1 GW by 2035.
Despite the ongoing expansion of renewables in the energy mix, BNEF said Australia will need to ramp up the pace of its energy transition if it is to achieve the federal government’s renewable energy targets.
“More needs to be done, and faster, for Australia to achieve its target for 82% renewable energy penetration by 2030,” BNEF said.
Wind and solar made up 39% of overall electricity generation in the National Electricity Market in the second half of 2025.  Including hydro, renewables’ share of output equalled 44%, up from 40% in the second half of 2024.
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Moline moves forward on city solar farm, expects to save on energy costs  Dispatch Argus
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Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has invited bids for the development of 1.2 GW of interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected renewable energy projects coupled with energy storage systems (ESS), aimed at delivering 4,800 MWh (1200 MW x 4 hours) of assured peak power daily. The projects are to be developed on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis, to supply dispatchable renewable power during peak demand periods.
SECI will sign 25-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with successful bidders and subsequently sell the procured power to various distribution companies and buying entities across India.
Under the tender, developers will be responsible for setting up renewable energy generation projects integrated with storage systems, along with the associated transmission infrastructure up to the delivery point. [Land and connectivity shall in the scope of the RE developer.]
The projects can be located anywhere in India. However, the renewable generation assets and the energy storage systems must be co-located within each project.
Developers must submit a single bid with a minimum contracted capacity of 50 MW and a maximum of 600 MW. The total capacity that can be allocated to any bidder group is capped at 600 MW.
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Energy-hungry data centers open new doors for solar and storage.
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From pv magazine Australia
The latest monthly update from solar research firm SunWiz shows 281 MW of new small-scale rooftop solar (0 kW to 100 kW) capacity was registered across Australia in February 2026, up 57 MW on the 224 MW that was installed during the previous month.
SunWiz Managing Director Warwick Johnston said the monthly tally is the biggest February total yet while the year-to-date figure is 6% ahead of the volumes observed at the same time last year.
“PV volumes rebounded strongly in February, marking the largest February on record, slightly above February 2021,” Johnston said. “This continues the volatile start to 2026 after a strong finish to 2025, with demand remaining robust despite signs of market maturity and a broader industry shift toward batteries and larger systems.”
Johnston said the result marks the second month of the year that has delivered higher levels and volumes than in previous years, which could indicate a promising 2026.
“The long-term trend line could potentially turn upwards at some point later this year,” he said.
All states recorded substantial increases in PV volumes in February with the Northern Territory leading the pack with growth of 73%, while New South Wales, Queensland, and Tasmania all increased by more than 30%.
Despite the national increase in PV volumes, the average system size decreased for the second consecutive month, edging down to 10.3 kW per installation.
Most capacity segments recorded growth over the past month with the 50 kW to 75 kW segment rebounding strongly, increasing by 40% after the previous month’s decline.
Australia’s battery market also surged in February with incoming changes to the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries subsidy program driving demand. 
“The pressure to complete installations before rebate changes on 1 May pushed registrations to a record month,” Johnston said.
A record 1.2 GWh of small-scale energy storage capacity was registered during the month, a 24% increase on January 2026.
All states recorded an increase in battery registrations, with Tasmania topping the chart with 58% growth
Installations were skewed towards larger batteries with the 40 kWh to 50 kWh segment the most popular, helping boost the average battery size to 10.34 kW.
“Since the introduction of STC for batteries, there hasn’t been a single month in which we haven’t seen an increase in the average size of batteries on the market,” Johnston said. “This slowed down slightly in February, but growth continues nonetheless.”
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The new pv magazine Global May issue is now available!
Mountains to climb
Available in print and digital formats.
Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects.
April 01 – August 31, 2026
A two-day conference in Austin, Texas, bringing together leaders in US solar manufacturing, equipment specification, and factory execution.
Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy.
Showcase your brand across all our platforms: from 13 websites in 7 languages to our magazines, daily newsletters, industry events and more. Reach your audience the right way!
We are participating in Intersolar 2026 again this year! Visit us at our Booth Hall 2 A2.250 to discuss the latest trends within the photovoltaic industry with the pv magazine team.
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Tandem Solar Cell Hits 31% Efficiency Without Special Equipment  Seoul Economic Daily
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In late 2025, BloombergNEF (BNEF) projected that 2026 would be the first down year for solar panel installations in two decades. As of its presentation at SNEC 2026 in Shanghai, with Chinese capacity installations slowing significantly versus the prior year at this point, it looks like this projection may come true.
BNEF solar analyst Jenny Chase examined why the ongoing wars have a limited effect on solar, and what might pull the solar module industry from its doldrums.
Source: China National Energy Association via Bloomberg
Although there are multiple energy wars (Ukraine and the Middle East) ongoing, solar power is mostly indirectly affected. Both of these global events are heavily affecting oil, which — according to the International Energy Agency — represents only 2.6% of all electricity generation. However, the war in Ukraine began with conflict over natural gas resources, and the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export facility, in Qatar, has been taken out by Iranian missiles.
Since the start of the Middle East events, after an initial increase in global liquefied natural gas pricing, pricing has returned to the average pricing of 2025. Within the U.S., pricing increased for a moment — then returned to regular pricing. However, solar’s own pricing is having the greatest effect on solar deployment.
Across the world — China, France, California — solar power installations are driving negative pricing and curtailment. Across Europe in 2025, zero and negative pricing hours rose in seven countries, per BNEF. Spain logged 800 hours of zero or negative prices in 2025, and in the first quarter of 2026 set a new quarterly record of 397 hours of negative prices — already approaching 2025’s annual total of 555 negative-price hours, and more than a third of the roughly 1,080 daytime hours in the three-month window.
With this reality in mind, the question posed by BNEF was — what will drive solar deployment next? The answer focused on energy storage.
BNEF projects that after 2025’s record capacity deployment of 112 GW / 307 GWh, which was a 48% jump over 2024, a 41% increase to 158 GW / 459 GWh can be expected in 2026.
Energy storage is showing that it can arrest the downward pricing trend leading to “free” daytime solar in California. Still, Chase noted the 459 GWh of batteries to be added in 2026 can store only about 43 minutes of peak output from the 640 GW of new solar expected the same year.
An economic analysis by BNEF suggests that solar and storage have total deployment limits due to the low prices of coal and gas. These BNEF economic models suggest solar just breaks 30% of global electricity by 2050, with gas holding around 17% and coal sliding to roughly 10%.
Chase expects the actual deployment of solar and energy storage to outpace BNEF’s modeling, as deployments of both technologies have historically beaten forecasts.
While data centers are getting a lot of headlines, they’re not that big of a deal when considering all of the other ways electricity is used globally. In 2025, BNEF suggests data centers used 501 TWh of electricity, which is expected to more than double to 1,114 TWh — 3.6% of global electricity — by 2035.
The roughly 613 TWh increase would require, depending on where the solar is deployed, between 250 GW and 450 GW of solar capacity. At this year’s pace of 640 GW, it would increase solar deployments by 4% to 7% over the next decade.
Chase also noted there was an “X factor” which could drive demand: electric vehicles, which are expanding greatly due to war. In Europe, EV demand rose 24% year on year in April, per BNEF.
However, even EVs can carry solar only so far — BNEF’s Electric Vehicle Outlook projects a fully electric global road fleet would need some 8,313 TWh of electricity by 2050 in its Net Zero Scenario — roughly 80% more than data centers’ projected 4,627 TWh that year.
BNEF sees a path for far greater growth, forecasting roughly 900% growth over the recently reached 3 TW of cumulative capacity. BNEF said that in the 2050 Net Zero Scenario, cumulative installed solar capacity could reach 30.8 TW.

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India assesses over 102 GWp floating solar potential, dedicated scheme on the way: Pralhad Joshi  Deccan Herald
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Weekly Tech Newsletter: Explore The Latest Breakthroughs in Solar, Storage, and More…  SolarQuarter
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GREW Solar Seeks ALMM List-II Approval for 3.5 GW TopCon Solar Cell Capacity  Machine Maker
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Despite the policy setbacks solar PV faced last year in the US, the technology keeps on shining, as shown recently by the first-quarter 2026 installation figures. Despite witnessing a year-on-year drop, solar PV, along with energy storage, still accounted for 91% of all new power additions to the US grid in the first three months of the year.
At the same time, on the upstream front, the optimism is also strong, and there is no better indicator of that sentiment than the positive announcements from PV manufacturers Toyo, SEG Solar, MSolar, Suniva and Qcells this month alone.
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This same optimistic spirit is also shared by Dan Barcelo, CEO of US manufacturer T1 Energy, when speaking with PV Tech.
“Crystalline silicon is the future. Silicon is this century, oil is last century,” Barcelo says.
“We, as a society, need to develop all of the infrastructure in the ecosystem around crystalline silicon, which is foundational for semiconductor manufacturing. The more the solar industry is doing around that, the more it’s creating demand for lower-grade polysilicon for solar, which is allowing polysilicon producers to make higher-quality polysilicon for a smaller semiconductor market. The same with ingots, the same with wafer slicing, the same with the equipment suppliers that do solar cell manufacturing,” explains Barcelo.
Barcelo’s optimism and confidence that the US can build more solar manufacturing capacity is not limited to what T1 Energy is doing, but extends to the industry as a whole.
He draws a parallel with the US natural gas market in the 80s, noting that deregulation enabled the market to grow into what it is today.
“This was all about letting the market go, allowing technology, allowing capital and allowing risk-taking, and that’s not going to be an issue,” says Barcelo, adding that Tesla’s announcement to build a 100GW annual nameplate capacity cell and module plant in the US or Corning entering the wafer manufacturing scene are the types of action needed for the industry to grow.
He adds that the US manufacturing market should be even bigger than it currently is, adding that the outcome of the Section 232 investigation for polysilicon could create strong incentives for the US to build more polysilicon production, which will have a domino effect down the supply chain.
“The technology is commercially available, and we should build it here. I’m super optimistic. We could build a module plant now within a year.”
But T1 Energy’s story did not start in the solar industry, but rather with energy storage. Barcelo explains that the company raised financing in 2019 and entered the European scene with lithium iron phosphate batteries before moving to solar PV in the US two years ago.
The company shifted from the energy storage industry to solar PV when it acquired Trinasolar’s US assets in 2024, which included a module assembly plant in Dallas, Texas, under construction at the time, as well as a polysilicon supply agreement with Hemlock Semiconductor.
“We saw that the need for the American grid was more profound. We actually pivoted from storage to solar, because we saw that solar in the United States had a much more open market for American companies,” Barcelo says, in explaining why the company moved to solar PV manufacturing, adding that solar PV and energy storage are the only technologies that can meet today’s power needs.
“If people want turbines, it’s late 2028-29. If people want SMRs [small modular reactors], you’re talking post 2030. That’s great, but the world’s not going to stop. It’s all about solar and storage.
“For us, it’s that vision of how do you go into a rapidly scalable, low-cost, reliable energy source that’s proven, like solar and storage, and this is coming from someone who spent his entire career internationally, domestically in oil and gas, and particularly on the natural gas side. For me, it’s that vision of how to accelerate energy.”
The rapidly scalable source is also a testament to the rapid growth of US solar manufacturing since T1 Energy emerged.
And in T1 Energy’s case, since its acquisition of JA Solar’s assets, the module assembly plant reached full operations last November, with an annual nameplate capacity of 5GW, while the solar cell plant in Austin, Texas, began construction in December 2025. It will be completed in two phases, the first one bringing an annual nameplate capacity of 2.1GW, with operations set to begin in Q4 2026.
A second phase will expand the capacity to 5.3GW, but in the most recent financial results, T1 Energy also mentioned the potential for a third phase that would increase annual nameplate capacity to 8GW.
“If the market demand is there and the demand signals from the hyperscalers, or through the utility-scale developers, are there and we have access to capital, we’re going to grow, and we’re excited to keep growing”, says Barcelo.
For Barcelo, the increased growth demand for power in the coming years is one of the key aspects for the continued appetite for solar modules, once investment tax credits expire. “That demand is going to drive a market response,” he says, with solar and storage at the forefront of this demand need. As Barcelo highlighted earlier, these two technologies are available now.
“The next question becomes the cost, and to your question of are these projects viable without subsidies on a level as the cost of energy, particularly in areas throughout the Southern United States, solar and storage are extremely cost-advantageous and extremely cost-competitive.”
Barcelo adds that at all stages of the solar manufacturing supply chain, the US is “extraordinarily competitive” in cash operating cost terms, with ready access to low-cost power, water, natural gas, and speciality gases that serve as feedstock for many components of a solar panel.
Another key advantage of acquiring Trinasolar’s assets was that the technology used to produce modules is TOPCon, not PERC, as many players in US PV manufacturing have adopted, to avoid getting dragged into legal disputes over patent rights.
“When we bought these assets, what we were able to do was get in the market with the best commercial tech right now,” says Barcelo, adding that when the company was looking into getting into the solar industry, it was looking for the highest efficiency commercially available.
“I’m literally just listening to utility-scale developers, listening to what the market wants, and I’m responding to what the market wants. I need to be a great partner with those customers, and I need to deliver leading efficiency at a very, very low cost, so that’s the step that allowed us to really get into the space.”
In an interesting development, T1 Energy came full circle last week with the acquisition of Kore Power‘s NRI division, which specialises in the design, delivery, installation and operation of utility-scale BESS.
“We felt that NRI offers a very strong engineering platform that we wanted to incorporate into T1 Energy in order to have a better customer focus. We’re very focused on serving the utility-scale developers, and with NRI, we feel that we can do that better,” Barcelo says of the acquisition.
He adds that his vision is to sell a partnership with large-scale utility developers and offer the best products for both solar PV and energy storage. Barcelo explains that what gave T1 Energy the confidence to enter the solar PV space, and now again the energy storage one, was how, a few years ago, when he was developing power assets for Bitcoin mining in West Texas, he saw that solar PV was already creating opportunities for low-cost power and helping bring down power prices.
“Texas didn’t do that because they want to be net zero or sustainable. They did that for economic policy, and we saw the impact that could have in [delivering] such low-cost power,” he says.
Now, with the focus shifting to data centres, the question of how to meet the huge power demand they will create in the coming years as quickly as possible has become increasingly pressing. As Barcelo highlights, as a technology already available, solar PV in conjunction with energy storage can deliver the fastest.
T1 Energy’s chief technology officer, Andreas Bentzen, will be speaking at next week’s PV ModuleTech USA in Napa, California, about PV module availability in the US in 2026, while PV CellTech USA will be exploring all US manufacturing on 13-14 October 2026, in San Francisco. PV Tech readers can save 20% with code PVT20.

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By: Luis Reyes
Published: Jun 10, at 12:30pm ET
Everyone knows what solar panels do. You bolt enough of them to a roof or a field, the sun hits them, and you get electricity instead of a power bill. That part is settled. But a team of German climate scientists working in the Gulf has spent the last few years chasing a stranger possibility: that if you build a solar farm big enough, in exactly the right spot, the thing might start making its own rain.
Not as a metaphor. Actual clouds, actual water falling out of the sky over one of the driest places on Earth. And as of last month, the idea has officially graduated from “interesting model on a computer” to “we are now hauling laser equipment into the desert to see if it holds up.”
The whole thing rides on convection, which is the same boring process that makes a summer thunderstorm. The sun heats the ground, the hot ground heats the air above it, that warm air rises, and if it climbs high enough into cooler altitudes carrying moisture, the water vapor condenses into clouds and eventually falls back down as rain. Cities do an accidental version of this all the time. Asphalt and concrete soak up more heat than grass and dirt, which is why a downtown core runs hotter than the suburbs around it, and that extra heat can nudge rainfall downwind.
Dark solar panels do the same trick, just more so. They are built to absorb sunlight rather than bounce it back, so a big enough array becomes an artificial hot patch sitting in the middle of a cool, reflective desert. The bigger the temperature gap between the panels and the sand around them, the harder the air gets shoved upward. Get the updraft strong enough, hand it a supply of moist air, and in theory you have the front end of a rain cloud.
That last ingredient is the catch, and it is also why the United Arab Emirates is the test case rather than, say, the middle of the Sahara. The UAE has a hyper-arid interior but a humid sea breeze rolling in off the Persian Gulf every day. The breeze brings the water. The panels bring the heat. The hope is that the two meet over the array and go up together.
The numbers come from a modeling study led by Oliver Branch, a climate scientist at the University of Hohenheim in Germany, published in the journal Earth System Dynamics and covered widely in the science press. Rather than simulate real solar panels, the team modeled an “artificial black surface” cranked up to absorb 95% of incoming sunlight, which is darker than most panels actually are, and ran it in a weather prediction system at five sizes: 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 square kilometers.
The 10-square-kilometer version did nothing. Too small to move the atmosphere. But once the surface hit roughly 20 square kilometers, the model started spitting out measurable rain within a 90-kilometer radius. As Freethink laid out, the paper estimated that a single pair of 20- or 50-kilometer surfaces, firing off about ten rainfall events in a summer, could supply enough water for somewhere between 3,000 and 15,000 people depending on the size. Branch put it about as plainly as a scientist is willing to: “Maybe it’s not science fiction that we can produce this effect.”
For context, the UAE currently chases rain the old-fashioned modern way, with cloud seeding, flying roughly 300 missions a year to dump particles into existing clouds and coax water out of them. The problem with seeding is that you need clouds there in the first place, and you need pilots willing to fly into them. A solar farm that brews its own weather on the ground, while also generating gigawatts of electricity, would be a fundamentally different kind of tool.
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Here is where the story stops being a two-year-old paper and becomes current. In May 2026, pv magazine reported that the concept has moved into a funded, multi-year field project. The money comes from the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, which puts $5 million a year into precipitation research, and Branch’s proposal was picked from around 120 international submissions for three years of funding. He’s running it alongside Volker Wulfmeyer, his colleague at Hohenheim, and the two have spent more than a decade studying how deserts move heat and moisture around.
The plan is to stop guessing and start measuring. The team is deploying high-resolution LiDAR systems near real solar installations in the UAE, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park outside Dubai, to capture three-dimensional profiles of temperature, humidity, and wind all the way up to the altitude where clouds form. That field data then feeds ultra-high-resolution weather simulations run on a pair of supercomputers, Hunter and HoreKa, operated by the University of Stuttgart and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The goal is to nail down the optimal size, placement, and panel design to actually trigger rain instead of just modeling that it might.
They are also looking at something genuinely odd: building artificial dunes several hundred meters tall to act as man-made mountains. Real mountains force incoming air to rise and dump its moisture on the windward side, which is why one slope of a range is lush and the other is desert. The idea is to fake that effect with engineered terrain and stack it on top of the heat-island effect from the panels.
The Dubai site is a useful yardstick for whether any of this is buildable at the right scale. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park reached 3,860 megawatts of installed capacity by the end of 2025, and DEWA has revised its 2030 target sharply upward to exceed 7,260 megawatts, well past the original 5,000-megawatt goal. Branch has said elsewhere that some solar farms are already getting close to the footprint his model needs. The world is, almost by accident, building installations in the right size range. Nobody designed them to make rain, but the raw scale is arriving anyway.
This is real science from a credible team, not a viral aggregator headline, and it deserves to be taken seriously. It also comes with a stack of caveats big enough that anyone telling you solar panels “make it rain” is getting ahead of the evidence by a wide margin.
Start with the obvious one: this is a model graduating into a measurement campaign, not a working rain machine. Nobody has built a solar farm and watched it conjure a storm. The simulation also used a surface darker than commercial panels actually are, which means real-world arrays would need special coatings or dark ground cover between the rows to hit that 95% absorption figure. And the original case studies didn’t run on random summer days. The team picked days with partially unstable weather to give the effect the best possible shot, so the regularity of those conditions in any given location is its own open question.
Then there’s the scary version. A separate line of research on covering the Sahara with solar found that doing it at continental scale could disrupt atmospheric teleconnections and shift cloud cover thousands of miles away, with knock-on effects reaching North Africa, southern Europe, the southern Arabian Peninsula, India, North Asia, and even eastern Australia. Local rain in one desert is not the same as quietly rewiring the planet’s weather, and the line between “useful regional tool” and “global side effects” is exactly the kind of thing the new field data is meant to pin down before anyone gets ambitious.
The honest framing is that the UAE itself isn’t betting the farm on this either. The country remains committed to its cloud seeding program while it studies the convection idea on the side, which is roughly the posture you’d expect from a government that needs water now and is happy to fund a long shot in parallel.
The interesting thread here isn’t really about rain. It’s that we keep discovering that giant solar installations do things their designers never planned for. China’s largest array turned a high-altitude sand desert into enough grassland that operators had to bring in sheep to keep the vegetation from shading the panels. France spent five million euros on a solar road that cracked apart and got torn up after eight years. And Tesla’s own Solar Roof has quietly faded from the product it was hyped to be. Solar at scale is full of surprises, and not all of them are the good kind.
What makes the rain project worth watching is that it treats one of those accidents as a feature instead of a footnote. If the field data holds up, a desert nation could end up with a single piece of infrastructure that generates clean power and freshwater at the same time, which would be a genuinely big deal in a part of the world where water is worth more than oil. If it doesn’t hold up, it joins the long list of solar’s weird unintended consequences. Either way, the next few years of LiDAR data out of the Gulf will settle whether the clouds were ever really there, or just hiding in the model.
Don’t bite your tongue. Speak up.
Luis Reyes · Jun 6, 2026
Luis Reyes · May 28, 2026
Luis Reyes · Jun 6, 2026
Olivia Richman · Jun 4, 2026
Luis Reyes · Jun 4, 2026
Luis Reyes · May 25, 2026
Olivia Richman · Jun 11, 2026
Luis Reyes · Jun 11, 2026
Luis Reyes · Jun 11, 2026
Luis Reyes · Jun 10, 2026
Luis Reyes · Jun 10, 2026
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From pv magazine Australia
The New South Wales (NSW) Independent Planning Commission (IPC) has granted approval for the Dinawan Solar Farm and battery project being developed by Spark Renewables near Coleambally in the state’s southwest.
Spark Renewables, owned by Malaysian electricity giant Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), said the Dinawan project combines an 800 MW solar installation comprising about two million solar panels with a 356 MW/1,574 MWh battery energy storage system.
The developer said the hybrid project, which sits within the South West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), will deliver large-scale dispatchable renewable power to Australia’s grid, contributing to “improving grid stability and energy security, while reducing reliance on fossil fuel-based generation.”
The AUD 1.35 billion ($930 million) solar farm and battery project was recommended for approval by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure in December but referred to the IPC for determination after more than 50 public objections were made during its assessment period.
The IPC has now approved the project after considering concerns raised relating to cumulative impacts, traffic and roads, noise, contamination, social impacts, emergency planning, local infrastructure, and insurances.
In its statement of reasons, the commission said the project would assist in “improving grid stability and energy security” and aligns with NSW government commitments to transition to renewable energy.
The project is also expected to create approximately 400 full-time jobs during construction and once operational will generate enough renewable energy to power approximately 142,000 homes.
The IPC has imposed some conditions of consent to minimize the potential adverse impacts from the project, including requiring Spark Renewables to implement a traffic management plan, noise management protocols, and fire safety study and emergency plan.
Spark Renewables Chief Executive Officer Anthony Marriner said the approval of the solar and battery is a major step forward for the planned Dinawan Energy Hub, a complex that is to also include a 1.2 GW wind farm.
“With the solar farm now approved, we look forward to the upcoming determination of the Dinawan Wind Farm and progressing the full Dinawan Energy Hub toward delivery,” said Marriner.
The approval of the solar and battery project comes as new research suggests Spark is set to become an increasingly important lever for TNB’s renewable energy expansion outside Malaysia, while also serving as a critical learning platform to support that country’s net-zero 2050 ambitions.
Malaysia-based Hong Leong Investment Bank Research (HLIB Research) said Spark’s current contribution to TNB’s overall operation is minimal, as its only operational asset is the 100 MW Bomen Solar Farm, but noted that the growth pipeline is substantial.
Spark, acquired by TNB in 2023, is currently developing more than 3 GW of solar, wind, and battery storage projects across the National Electricity Market, including the Mallee solar, wind and battery energy hub, and the 615 MW Wattle Creek solar and battery project, both in NSW.
HLIB Research said beyond asset expansion, Spark also offers TNB exposure to more advanced electricity market structures, adding that insights gained in Australia could be applied to Malaysia’s own energy transition.
“The platform allows TNB to understand renewable energy implementation and power sector structures in more advanced countries,” it said.
The research house said TNB is also leveraging Spark for talent development and knowledge transfer, with staff secondments supporting capability building in renewable energy technologies, financing structures, and regulatory frameworks.
TNB, the largest listed energy utility company in Southeast Asia with a market capitalization of about $28 billion, is targeting the installation of 14.3 GW of renewable energy capacity globally by 2050.
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The Queensland government has pledged to invest $3.2 billion (USD 2.2 billion) in the CopperString transmission project as part of its 2026-27 Budget, with early works progressing on the Eastern Link and ground broken at Flinders Substation.
CopperString will connect north and northwest Queensland to the National Electricity Market (NEM) enabling new generation, firming, and industrial development.
The two sections of CopperString include the Eastern Link, a stretch of 350 kilometres of 330 kV transmission line from Reid River near Townsville to Hughenden, plus related infrastructure.
For the Western Link, a $200 million North West Energy Fund (NWEF) will be used to support local renewable energy generation, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and microgrids for communities including Richmond, Julia Creek, Cloncurry, and Mount Isa.
Powerlink says the fund will be used to partner with the private sector to invest in flexible firming solutions to reduce reliance on gas for baseload electricity consumption, while options to deliver the Western Link are developed.
As part of the $3.2 billion, the government said it has also budgeted $420 million in funding to support construction activities for the Eastern Link as well as enabling works for the Western Link, including through the NWEF.  
Treasurer and Energy Minister David Janetzki said momentum is building with workers on-site at the Flinders Substation breaking ground as delivery of CopperString for the North and North West moves forward.  
“Communities along the corridor can have confidence this government will deliver what it promised. We’re putting real money on the table and real construction on the ground,” Janetzki said.
Critical minerals
Fuelled by the potential of a critical minerals boom Janetzki said that is the reason for a $200 million investment in the NWEF to get energy solutions up and running as CopperString is built from Townsville to Mount Isa. 
“The North West Minerals Province is one of the richest mineral producing regions in the world, potentially holding $700 billion in critical minerals,” Janetzki said.
“Strong feedback was received during market sounding for the North West Energy Fund and new energy generation and storage to service the Dugald River Mine is already being considered, alongside other proposals.” 
The Chinese state-owned China Minmetals Corporation (CMC), which holds a majority stake in and controls the Melbourne-headquartered MMG Limited Dugald River zinc-lead mine is located near Mount Isa, 1,824 kilometres northwest of Brisbane.
Sydney-based energy infrastructure APA Group-owns and operates the Dugald River mine 88 MW remote-grid solar farm, which spans 198 hectares and uses 184,000 bi-facial panels to displace approximately 33% of the mine’s electricity-related emissions.
Connection to the North West power system will give the mine a direct connection point to CopperString, through which it can securely import NEM power and in turn export surplus generation from its solar facility or an, in-the-pipeline 24 x 6 MW wind turbine generation / battery energy storage system facility.
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A ribbon cutting ceremony held 11 June 2026 has celebrated the official opening of the Limondale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), attended by the BESS owner and operator Germany-headquartered developer RWE Renewables Australia, project partners and the New South Wales (NSW) government representatives.
NSW Minister for Climate Change and Energy Penny Sharpe said batteries like Limondale mean the state won’t waste an electron of solar and can power the state with renewables.
“It’s exciting to cut the ribbon on this Australian-first battery, which will get more renewable energy into the grid, placing downward pressure on bills,” Sharpe said.
Located near Balranald in southwest NSW, 854 kilometres southwest of Sydney, the Limondale BESS was the first project awarded a Long-Term Energy Service Agreement (LTESA) for long-duration storage under the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap (EIR).
The system’s 144 containerised, utility-scale lithium-ion, custom-configured Tesla Megapacks have a total storage capacity of at least 400 MWh, with the ability to provide energy for over eight hours, making it the longest-duration battery operating in Australia.
The Megapacks were delivered to Limondale pre-assembled from Tesla’s Californian Gigafactory, and Tesla states each single Megapack unit provides approximately 3.9 to 4.3 MWh of standalone storage.
They use grid-forming inverters and create their own stable voltage signal instead of tracking the existing grid frequency.
The asymmetrical charge/discharge system can draw power from the grid, or the adjacent 314 MW Limondale Solar Farm, at 100 MW for rapid charging but discharges at a capped rate of 50 MW.
Limondale was developed by RWE Renewables Australia with support from US-headquartered Tesla, Melbourne-headquartered clean energy company Beon Energy Solutions and Australian transmission companies Lumea and Transgrid.
During the ceremony RWE Renewables Australia Chief Executive Officer Daniel Belton thanked the RWE team, project partners, the NSW government, and ASL, “for their outstanding collaboration and commitment in safely bringing this ground-breaking project to completion.”
“We are incredibly proud to deliver the Limondale BESS. As one of Australia’s most significant battery storage projects, it represents a major step forward for long-duration energy storage and contributes to a more reliable, resilient, and sustainable energy system,” Belton said.
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A new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association ranks North Carolina fifth in the country for installed solar capacity, with enough generation to power more than 1.2 million homes.
The report highlights the state’s mix of rooftop installations and utility-scale solar farms.
However, state regulators this year halted Duke Energy’s procurement of new solar farms until the utility’s new carbon plan is approved.
Sean Gallagher, senior vice president of policy at the Solar Energy Industries Association, said solar remains the cheapest and quickest power source to build.
“The pause will increase the risk of a supply crunch that raises North Carolinians’ bills,” Gallagher said.
He added that the delay could cause solar developers to miss key deadlines tied to federal tax credits that are set to expire, which could further increase costs for customers.

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The government of Bangladesh on Thursday announced a major policy package to accelerate solar power development, including a zero per cent tax rate for the solar power sector until 2035.
In addition, a 5% tax rebate will be provided on payments made against consumers’ solar electricity bills.
The initiative aims to attract investment into the solar power sector as part of the government’s plan to generate 20% of total electricity demand from renewable energy sources by 2030, and between 30% and 50% from clean energy by 2050.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, while presenting the national budget in parliament on Thursday, announced a new notification reducing import duty, regulatory duty, supplementary duty, and advance tax on essential solar power components to 0%.
According to the announcement, items such as solar inverters, battery pack housing, lithium cells, lithium-ion batteries, solar photovoltaic modules/panels, mounting structures, battery energy storage systems (BESS), battery management systems, UV-protected solar DC cables, and battery thermal management systems will benefit from the duty and tax exemptions.
“Through the gradual expansion of solar, wind and other clean energy sources, the foundations of a low-carbon economy will be established,” the minister said.
He also noted that investors would receive support and incentives for domestic manufacturing of renewable energy equipment, including solar panels, wind power components and battery systems.
Solar sector stakeholders have welcomed the initiative, describing it as a strong signal of government support for renewable energy investment.
Mostafa Al Mahmud, president of the Bangladesh Sustainable and Renewable Energy Association (BSREA), said the incentives demonstrate the government’s commitment to the renewable energy sector. “There is no alternative to clean energy for sustainable development,” he said, adding that with continued policy support, industries would be able to generate electricity for their own use, while households would also be encouraged to install rooftop solar systems.
Bangladesh currently has a renewable energy generation capacity of 1,797 MW, of which 1,504 MW comes from solar power.
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New Delhi: India’s floating solar potential has been assessed at 102.18 GWp, according to a report released by Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday, with the ministry working on a dedicated scheme to promote floating solar deployment across the country.
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The report, prepared by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), takes India’s total assessed solar potential to 3,445 GWp, combining the floating estimate with the ground-mounted potential assessed last year. “India’s energy transition is no longer confined to deserts and solar parks. Where we saw limitations once, we now see possibilities,” Joshi said at the launch event.
“India’s total assessed solar potential is 3,445 GWp, out of which 3,343 GWp is ground-mounted, and 102.18 GWp is floating solar potential,” he said.
Joshi said that reservoirs and other water bodies are emerging as important assets for clean energy generation through floating solar projects. An MNRE statement added that the initiatives “reflect the Government’s commitment to harnessing natural resources in a sustainable and efficient manner while accelerating India’s clean energy transition.”
MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said the ministry is preparing support schemes for floating solar and agri-photovoltaics, and is in discussions with the Finance Ministry on them.
“We achieved the highest-ever solar installations last year of nearly 44 GW and this is only the beginning. Going by Niti Aayog’s projection, we have to have nearly 1,600 GW of solar installation by 2050. As all of you know, we have the goal of becoming ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. And that would require us to multiply and exponentially increase our renewable energy installation. In this context, it is imperative for us to look at ways in which solar deployment can increase,” Sarangi said.
“So, apart from the deserts and barren lands of Rajasthan and Gujarat, we have to look at potential of increasing solar deployment elsewhere. And in this direction, two critical elements — floating solar and agri-photovoltaics, where farming can happen along with photovoltaic installation — are going to play a critical role in the next couple of years. These are two areas our ministry is going to focus in a big way in the future,” he said.
“We have been in the process of preparing schemes which will support floating solar, which will support agri-photovoltaics. We are in discussion with Finance Ministry to come up with similar schemes which will have a catalytic effect in promoting solar and agri-photovoltaics in different states,” the secretary added.
The NISE assessment found a potential of 102.18 GWp “derived from a feasible reservoir area of 1,946.24 km2, which represents approximately 18.15 percent of the total identified reservoir (10,725.99 sq. km)”, in line with the report’s constraint that no more than 20 percent of a state’s reservoir area be utilised for solar deployment.
“Maharashtra (16.28 GWp) and Madhya Pradesh (14.89 GWp) emerge as the leading contributors, together accounting for nearly 31 percent of national potential, followed closely by Karnataka (13.69 GWp), Odisha (12.81 GWp), and Telangana (10.72 GWp),” the report said.
The state-wise rankings diverge from India’s established ground-mounted solar geography. Odisha, at 12.81 GWp, and Telangana, at 10.72 GWp, rank ahead of Gujarat (6.32 GWp), Rajasthan (3.36 GWp) and Tamil Nadu (3.34 GWp) — states that have traditionally led India’s solar capacity addition.
The distribution follows reservoir availability rather than solar irradiance. Southern and eastern states “benefit from a high density of medium-to-large reservoirs associated with irrigation and hydropower projects,” the report said, while the leading states reflect “the density and scale of multipurpose irrigation and hydropower reservoirs across western, central, southern, and eastern India.”
The assessment used a six-parameter geospatial methodology — waterbody characteristics, year-round water availability of at least 11 months, depths of 3 to 30 metres, solar irradiance above 4.5 kWh/m²/day, and proximity of 10 km to roads and substations. “Smaller and shallow water bodies have been deliberately excluded to avoid overestimation and to align the results with practical deployment considerations,” the report said.
The report’s scope covers inland and nearshore installations only, excluding offshore floating solar.
The report’s energy yield simulations across 29 states found that the cooling effect of water bodies offsets the losses from the low fixed-tilt configurations used in floating plants. In a like-for-like comparison of fixed-tilt systems, “the maximum improvement of +6.74 percent was recorded,” the report said, “confirming that thermal regulation through evaporative cooling is a key driver of enhanced generation efficiency in floating PV systems.”
“In several states, especially those with warmer climates, FSPV systems achieved improvements ranging from approximately 2 percent to over 6 percent, with peak gains exceeding 8 percent in favourable conditions,” the report said, while noting that “colder or high-altitude regions show limited or even negative gains.”
The report said floating solar “contributes to water conservation by shading water bodies, thereby reducing evaporation by 30–60 percent”, with large-scale projects demonstrating savings of “nearly 19.5 million cubic meters of water per year.” It also flagged that floating systems are “currently approximately 25 percent more expensive upfront than land-based solar due to floating structures, anchoring, and waterproofing.”
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Joshi also launched an online portal for the Small Hydro Power Development Scheme, which the MNRE statement described as “the first major policy intervention in the small hydro sector since 2017”, saying it will enhance transparency and efficiency in implementation.
NISE and the Military Engineering Services exchanged an MoU to strengthen the adoption of solar energy across defence establishments, under which NISE will provide technical support for planning, implementation and monitoring of renewable energy projects.
Joshi said India’s non-fossil fuel capacity has increased from 81 GW in 2014 to 288 GW, with solar capacity rising from 2.8 GW to 155 GW, while domestic module manufacturing capacity has reached 192 GW and cell manufacturing capacity 30 GW. He said India has transformed from a power-deficit nation into a power-surplus nation while emerging as a major renewable energy manufacturing hub.
Joshi also released the book “Green Energy and Sustainable Development”, authored by NISE Director-General Mohammad Rihan.
(PSU Watch is India’s Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy. 👉 Click to join our channel now: PSUWatch WhatsApp Channel. Prefer LinkedIn? Follow PSU Watch on LinkedIN. Click to stay connected on Twitter here and stay updated)
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China Resources New Energy, the renewable energy unit of China Resources Power, targets to raise about 24.5 billion yuan (HK$28.3 billion) in proceeds from a Shenzhen initial public offering, according to a filing with the exchange on Thursday.
If completed at that size, the deal would rank among the largest China listings in recent years as year-to-date new listing proceeds on the country’s domestic exchanges have reached about US$28.3 billion as of June 9, roughly doubling from the same period a year earlier, LSEG data showed.
The company develops and operates wind farms and photovoltaic power plants across China and serves as the group’s main renewable energy platform.
The offering will begin price consultations on June 16, with subscriptions scheduled to open on June 22, the filing showed.
China Resources New Energy plans to sell about 2.1 billion shares, or roughly 16.2 percent of its enlarged share capital, before any overallotment option.
Strategic investors will take half of the offering, while the remainder will be split between institutional and retail investors at an initial 70-30 percent ratio, respectively, according to the filing.
Proceeds will go toward wind and solar projects with total planned investment of about 40.4 billion yuan, of which 24.5 billion yuan is expected to be funded by the IPO, the prospectus showed.
China Resources New Energy’s first-quarter net profit fell 31.1 percent to 1.62 billion yuan, while revenue slipped 2.8 percent to 6.21 billion yuan, hit by weather, curtailment and power pricing adjustments, the prospectus showed.
China International Capital Corp (CICC) and Citic Securities are acting as joint sponsors.
Reuters
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
 
 
 

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Sun.store data show solar module prices climbing across the European market in May, with the PV Purchasing Managers’ Index jumping to 70 – its strongest reading since the start of the year.
Premium and high-efficiency module categories continued to lead price growth, while the inverter market remained broadly stable for a third consecutive month. Strengthening demand sentiment alongside climbing prices points to a market gaining momentum as it moves into the summer months.
May was another month of price increases for solar panels, continuing the upward trend that has run through all of 2026 so far.
TOPCon is still the dominant technology in the European market:
– TOPCon bifacial: €0.125/Wp (+7% m/m)
– TOPCon monofacial: €0.122/Wp (0% m/m)
TOPCon bifacial prices jumped seven percent in May, though much of the increase was driven by a shift toward larger, higher-wattage panels (500+ Wp) rather than a broad price rise across the segment. TOPCon monofacial held steady month-on-month, suggesting prices there may be settling.
April PV Index – prices push on as demand loses its edge
Premium residential categories have continued to push higher:
– Full Black modules: €0.128/Wp (+3% m/m)
– Back Contact modules: €0.134/Wp (+4% m/m)
Back Contact modules hit a new high at €0.134/Wp, the most expensive segment in the index. Full Black modules also kept rising, confirming that demand for premium residential products remains strong.
Based on power sold, the top five module brands in May were:
– Trina Solar
– JA Solar
– LONGi
– Jinko Solar
– Canadian Solar
Trina Solar moved into first place in May, pushing JA Solar into second. The rest of the top five stayed the same.
While module prices rose, inverter prices have stayed almost completely flat in May, a pattern that has now held for several months.
Hybrid inverters
– 1–15 kW: €95.34/kW (0% m/m)
– >15 kW: €79.60/kW (–3% m/m)
Small hybrid inverters were unchanged. Larger systems dipped 3%, continuing a gradual softening trend that has been visible in this segment for a few months now.
sun.store
String/on-grid inverters
– 1–15 kW: €44.02/kW (0% m/m)
– >15 kW: €27.68/kW (+2% m/m)
Both categories were essentially flat, with only a small nudge upward at the larger commercial end.
Hybrid inverters
– Deye
– Huawei
– GoodWe
– Fronius
– Sungrow
No changes at the top. Deye held its leading position comfortably.
String/on-grid inverters
– Huawei
– Sungrow
– Fronius
– SMA
– SolarEdge
Huawei retook the top spot from Sungrow after just one month. Sungrow had briefly led the ranking in April, the first time in some time that Huawei had been displaced, but May saw the usual order restored.
The PV PMI rose to 70 in May, reversing the dip seen in April and matching the strong sentiment levels seen at the start of the year.
Survey results from 1,101 sun.store users:
– 49% plan to buy more
– 40% expect no change
– 10% plan to buy less
The share of buyers planning to cut purchases fell to just ten percent, the lowest in the tracked period, and the overall market mood heading into summer is broadly positive.
sun.store
May painted a straightforward picture: prices are up, confidence is up, and demand shows no signs of cooling. The brief dip in sentiment seen in April looks like a temporary pause rather than the start of a broader slowdown.
Beyond recovery: solar enters a new industrial chapter
A few things stand out from this month’s data:
– Back Contact panels hit a new all-time high in the index at €0.134/Wp
– TOPCon bifacial price growth was real but partly explained by a shift toward bigger panels
– Larger hybrid inverters are quietly softening, the one area of the market moving in the other direction
– Huawei quickly reclaimed string inverter leadership after Sungrow’s brief spell at the top
– PMI at 70 puts buyer sentiment firmly back in expansionary territory
With prices still rising and buyers feeling confident, the European PV market heads into June in strong shape. (hcn)
More about sun.store
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By Randy Pierce • In the aftermath of the defeat by the Madison County Board of a special-use permit request concerning a proposed solar energy facility near Glen Carbon last month, the team of individuals who sought it are evaluating what to do next.
Keith Morel, project manager on behalf of a pair of limited liability corporations, the primary one being Trentino Solar of Lafayette, Louisiana, without offering any sort of confirmation regarding the pursuit of possible legal resolution in relation to this situation, said it was his understanding that when the county board moved into a closed, executive session at its May 20 meeting with the announced intent to discuss pending or possible litigation, the subject addressed then was two other solar energy proposals that had been submitted and turned down.
The county board members came out of that closed session, which was allowed per the Illinois Open Meetings Act for matters related to litigation, without taking any specific action.
“As our review continues,” Morel said, “we will work through the appropriate channels and processes available to us.”
This whole scenario began in late April when the county’s zoning board of appeals voted by a margin of 4-0, with one abstention, against recommending approval of a special-use permit that would allow for the development of a five-megawatt commercial solar energy facility at 2951 Old Troy Road in unincorporated Glen Carbon.
Subsequently to that, the county board building and zoning committee, where the request went next as required, in early May, took no action whatsoever on the Trentino request, setting the stage for it to come forward at the May 20 meeting of the full board, where it was turned down.
A group of residents living near the proposed solar energy site had made comments in opposition to the permit at both the ZBA hearing and building and zoning committee meeting along with submitting written correspondence expressing similar sentiments at the former but none of them spoke during the public comment segment at the May 20 county board meeting.
Expressing support of the Trentino project at that time, however, was Troy resident Kevin McKee, who had also shared his feelings in favor of a similar project elsewhere in the county in September of last year. 
McKee, who said he is a volunteer with the Illinois Solar Education Association, commented that there has been “a great deal of fear and misinformation about this project” then added how he believes growing communities like Glen Carbon need more energy of the type that would be provided.
Solar energy, McKee contended, “produces power when the grid needs it most and it helps reduce the strain that drives up costs for everyone. When we add local solar generation, we are adding supply at the right time at the right place.”
While those subscribing to the solar farm network may get more tangible benefit, McKee said all Ameren Illinois customers would realize something positive from this project.
He further stated solar power “is not dependent on unstable foreign energy supplies” such as natural gas and “doesn’t care about the Strait of Hormuz.”
The sole voice of opposition at the same county board meeting came from Jamie Bowden, Glen Carbon’s village administrator, who explained that Mayor Bob Marcus, who had addressed the ZBA and aforementioned board committee, was not able to attend to share his feelings.
Bowden then read a statement urging the county board to vote no on the Trentino permit and stated there has been movement in the Illinois legislature to give counties and municipalities more control regarding solar projects like this one, “Legal changes are forthcoming which would relieve this board of the solar burden.”
He further said the Village of Glen Carbon had commissioned a study which shows how a solar farm would have a negative impact on it and the county in regard to “economic growth, housing development and transportation plans” along with causing a 10% drop in property values if placed in the wrong location.
Along with also citing a Virginia Tech study showing a 4.9% property value decrease within three miles of a solar farm, Bowden said the Trentino proposal violates both the county’s Interstate 55 corridor plan and the village’s 2050 comprehensive plan. 
Morel additionally addressed the county board during the public comment portion of its meeting, saying the project “was intentionally designed to comply” with the county’s solar ordinance along with meeting all local, state and federal requirements, something which has been confirmed by county staff.
He also reiterated comments presented at previous meetings of the ZBA and board committee about how a review by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has shown adverse impact on endangered species is unlikely while noting the project, as confirmed by “an expert witness,” would reduce stormwater runoff when compared to the existing agricultural conditions at the site.
An attorney representing the development team, Seth Uphoff, told the county board that Bowden and Marcus were not speaking as the “public body” from Glen Carbon but instead are two individuals giving “their opinions. There’s nothing that indicates they have the right or the authority to speak on behalf of the entire village.”
Uphoff additionally advocated that the project he is involved in is exempt from the aforementioned I-55 corridor plan because it says that regarding special-use permits in a county ordinance. 
The project request should be passed, Uphoff said, because it meets all of the necessary requirements as specified for approval in existing state law and that the county has in place. He alluded to an appellate court decision in Grundy County, southwest of Joliet in upstate Illinois, “very similar to this scenario that you have right here,” where the result was that the county he referenced “was wrong” in its denial decision and that the special-use permits for two similar projects had to be approved.
“I would ask you to consider the law as it is on the books,” Uphoff went on, “instead of chasing prospective, speculative legislation that hasn’t even made it out of committee” as mentioned in Bowden’s comments.
Following that law, according to Uphoff, would allow the county to support the rights of the landowner of the Old Troy Road property to realize the best use of it for the development of this project which “doesn’t have any outward impacts on the local neighbors.”
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Plenty of sunshine. High 89F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..
Clear to partly cloudy. Low 76F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Updated: June 11, 2026 @ 8:13 am
The Post and Courier provides a forum for our readers to share their opinions, and to hold up a mirror to our community. Publication does not imply endorsement by the newspaper; the editorial staff attempts to select a representative sample of letters because we believe it’s important to let our readers see the range of opinions their neighbors submit for publication.
Installing solar canopies above parking spaces allows for an on-site source of electricity that also provides shade for vehicles.
Installing solar canopies above parking spaces allows for an on-site source of electricity that also provides shade for vehicles.
Instead of clearing an area of trees and covering the land with solar panels, why not cover parking lots and the top floors of parking garages with solar panels?
The parked cars would benefit from the shade, which would make the lot more attractive to drivers. Because it provides this additional benefit, the garages and lots should welcome solar panels and not charge the power company for using the space.
Maybe the power company could offer free power for the card readers and gates at parking facilities to make them even more attractive to the lot and garage owners. Also, the power produced would be closer to the communities where it is used. I’ve seen this done in other countries, and it seems like a no-lose proposition.
KAREN MCCORMICK
Mount Pleasant
David Slade, growth and development reporter and personal finance columnist for The Post and Courier, is terrific. He helps us readers keep more money in our pockets. 
Mr. Slade alerts us to easy-to-miss ways to save or earn money through the government or in the marketplace. He even includes the necessary information to take quick advantage of the items he discusses.
He once explained to readers how to save monthly by utilizing the Homestead Exemption on our water bills. A while back, he educated us on I-bonds. I bought them at 9 percent, and he later detailed how to navigate the fluctuating rates on our bonds.
These are just a few of his valuable tips. Over the years, he has given us many.
So, here’s to David Slade. He is very good at his job. He is generous with his insights and explains things beautifully. He is an asset to The Post and Courier and to our community.
OWEN G. MEISLIN
Charleston
Isn’t there something fundamentally wrong with any democratic form of government if it has purposefully constructed a political instrument that allows for the will of the people to be set aside?
Such is gerrymandering. In a word, gerrymandering by either party is simply unfair, undemocratic and defies the spirit of our Constitution. It has but one goal, namely to create a structural voting advantage for “our side” at the polls. How can that be democratic?
In the interest of preserving our democracy, gerrymandering should be made unlawful. And all the more so when undertaken during times other than at the 10-year census. 
We the people must make our voices heard. This is undemocratic. We object, and it must stop.
DAVE BROWN
Charleston
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A research group at the University of Batna, Algeria, has evaluated the cooling performance of heat sinks with different fin geometries and perforated structures for photovoltaic (PV) applications.
“This work’s combination of geometric optimization of fins and perforations offers new insights into advanced heat sink designs tailored explicitly for solar energy applications,” the researchers explained. “Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were used to model laminar forced convection and conduction heat transfer, enabling comparison between different fin and perforation configurations and a conventional rectangular heat sink.”
The team investigated four designs: plain rectangular fins (PRF), plain hexagonal fins (PHF), hexagonal fins with rhombus perforations (HFRP), and hexagonal fins with hexagonal perforations (HFHP).
All configurations were modeled as attached to a 165 mm × 65 mm polycrystalline silicon solar cell rated at 6 V/250 mA. Each heat sink consisted of 18 aluminum fins. The PRF design served as the reference case, while PHF used hexagonal fins to increase surface area. The HFRP design incorporated four rhombus-shaped perforations per fin, and the HFHP configuration used four hexagonal perforations per fin.
CFD simulations were conducted at an ambient temperature of 25 C. Air inlet velocities were set at 0.3 m/s, 0.6 m/s, 0.8 m/s, and 1 m/s. Solar irradiance levels of 1,000 W/m², 1,500 W/m², 2,000 W/m², and 2,500 W/m² were applied, corresponding to concentration ratios of 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 suns, respectively.
“The HFHP heat sink design effectively reduced the solar cell temperature, achieving a 20.93% decrease at the highest irradiance of 2,500 W/m² compared to the PRF design. Similarly, the HFRP and PHF configurations showed temperature reductions of 17.44% and 7.67%, respectively,” the academics explained. “Electrical efficiency improvements were also recorded, with HFHP increasing efficiency by 0.48% compared to PRF. PHF achieved a 0.30% improvement, while HFRP reached 0.43% at an irradiance level of 1,000 W/m².”
At an air velocity of 1 m/s, the HFHP configuration consistently delivered the best thermal performance, achieving the highest Nusselt number, 62.49% higher than the PRF baseline. HFRP and PHF followed with improvements of 51.65% and 44.32%, respectively.
The simulation also indicated that the additional fan power required for forced convection was negligible compared to the PV cell’s electrical output, preserving more than 97% of generated power for useful output.
“By incorporating shaped perforations, such as hexagonal or rhombus structures, into heat sink fins, heat transfer performance is enhanced, resulting in an overall improvement in the performance evaluation factor (PEF),” the researchers concluded. “These designs will be further evaluated experimentally, including fabrication via CNC machining and testing under real operating conditions.”
The novel technique was presented in “Design and optimization of perforated shaped fin heat sinks for enhanced solar cell cooling,” published in Thermal Science and Engineering Progress. Scientists from Algeria’s University of Batna, Malaysia’s National University, India’s University of Rajasthan, and the United Arab Emirates’ Abu Dhabi University have contributed to the research. 

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NSG Group reports that it has successfully manufactured float glass using cover glass recovered from photovoltaic (PV) modules.
The trial was carried out at its Chiba Plant in Ichihara City, Japan. Glass was separated at Tokuyama Corporation’s PV panel, recycling demonstration facility in Hokkaido, Japan.
Historically, PV cover glass has been difficult to recycle due to its composition, which uses strong adhesives to maintain long-term durability. Tokuyama’s low-temperature thermal decomposition process pyrolyses the resin binding the module components, enabling glass, cells and interconnectors to be separated more precisely.
NSG says the trial confirms that the recovered material could be used under defined conditions, supporting the feasibility of ‘horizontal’ recycling into float glass.
The companies say the approach could reduce demand for raw materials such as silica sand and soda ash, increase cullet use, and lower CO₂ emissions from glass manufacturing.
Europe’s solar power fleet avoids €10bln of additional gas imports since the Middle East conflict began.
Hydrogen investment, largest solar site and non-pipeline carbon capture.
The colour and transparency of a flexible perovskite solar cell can reportedly be tuned through a 3D-printed pillar structure.
They are jointly acquiring and constructing a portfolio of ~500MW, utility-scale, ground-mounted solar projects in the UK.
Anti-reflective coatings combined with recycled solar glass could boost sustainability in global shipping.
The challenges in defining resource efficiency.
 

The consultation presents a draft National Policy Statement for fusion energy generation.
Particle characteristics, processing intensity, and phase evolution shaping next‑generation powder‑based materials.
Gold copper diamide extraction (GCDE) uses organic compounds to selectively extract metals from discarded electronics. 
Canadian study finds that emission rates are about 1,000 times higher than previously thought.
The fund aims to boost British firms developing chips and computing power.
Processing-driven microstructure control and precipitation strengthening across light alloys, steels, composites and functional oxides.

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A look inside Qcells  The Rome News-Tribune
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Novar, headquartered in Groningen, and Westermeerweg Zon Holding have reached financial close for the 148 MW Westermeerdijk Solar Park in the Netherlands. The project is located in Noordoostpolder, Flevoland, and stretches around 6.4 kilometres behind the Westermeerdijk. The solar park will be owned 50% by Novar and 50% by Westermeerweg Zon Holding, which includes ten local agricultural entrepreneurs. The project involves 15 landowners and leaseholders, while 44% of the land is owned by the Central Government Real Estate Agency. It will use semi-transparent solar panels to allow part of the daylight to reach the soil beneath and between the modules. Westermeerdijk will connect through the private Netaansluiting Noordwest Zon substation, developed with HVC, to support grid export amid congestion challenges. BELECTRIC will build the solar park, while HANAB Distribution will deliver the cable route and substations.

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Announcing the development, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said the government is actively working on a dedicated scheme aimed at accelerating the deployment of floating solar projects across the country.
The minister highlighted that reservoirs, lakes and other water bodies are becoming valuable assets for clean energy generation. Floating solar projects not only help generate renewable energy but also optimize the use of available water resources without requiring large tracts of land.
According to Joshi, these initiatives demonstrate the government’s commitment to sustainable resource utilization while supporting India’s ambitious clean energy transition goals.
The minister also launched the online portal for the Small Hydro Power Development Scheme, describing it as a major policy intervention in the sector since 2017. The portal is expected to improve transparency, efficiency and ease of implementation for small hydro projects nationwide.
Joshi emphasized that flagship initiatives such as PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana and PM-KUSUM are increasing citizen participation in renewable energy adoption and helping accelerate India’s transition towards cleaner sources of power.
He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for driving India’s transformation into a global clean energy leader over the past twelve years.
The minister noted that India’s non-fossil fuel power capacity has expanded from 81 GW in 2014 to 288 GW, while installed solar capacity has risen dramatically from 2.8 GW to 155 GW during the same period.
India’s renewable energy manufacturing ecosystem has also strengthened significantly. Domestic solar module manufacturing capacity has reached 192 GW, while solar cell manufacturing capacity has expanded to 30 GW, reflecting the country’s growing self-reliance in clean energy technologies.
Highlighting India’s global standing, Joshi said the nation has transformed from a power-deficit economy into a power-surplus country and has gained international recognition for meeting ambitious climate and renewable energy targets.
On the occasion, the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) and the Military Engineering Services (MES) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance solar energy adoption across defence establishments. Under the agreement, NISE will provide technical assistance for planning, implementation and monitoring of renewable energy projects.
The minister also released the book “Green Energy and Sustainable Development” authored by Dr. Mohammad Rihan and praised NISE for its contributions to research, innovation and technical support in advancing India’s renewable energy ambitions.
Joshi expressed confidence that the initiatives launched would contribute significantly towards building a self-reliant and developed India powered by clean and sustainable energy.

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Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi unveiled a report, prepared by the National Institute of Solar Energy, estimating India’s floating solar potential at over 102 GWp and announced plans for a dedicated scheme to accelerate floating solar deployment nationwide.
June 11, 2026. By Mrinmoy Dey

Transformers to Power Energy Future as Grid Modernisation Accelerates, Says Satyen Mamtora

Future of Renewable Infra Will Be Built on Resilient Structures, Not Cheapest Ones: Vedant Goel

AI, Digitalisation Will Drive Next Phase of India’s Energy Transition: Schneider’s Udai Singh

Iron-Air Batteries Can Power India’s Renewable Ambitions: Stuti Kakkar, Meine Electric

India’s EV Future Depends on Highway Charging Corridors: Kartikey Hariyani, ChargeZone

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Sussex County staff is tracking 59 conditional uses, or CUs, related to solar arrays or panels in the county, but only some have been issued building permits.
Of those, 14 have yet to build any panels to begin farming solar energy, despite getting the go ahead from County Council.
Commissioner Matt Lloyd asks if that explains a recent surge of applications from solar developers.
“Just understanding that a percentage of them will fall off, do you think they’re bringing us extra applications knowing that only a few of them might actually make it to the end?” he said.
Planning and Zoning Director Jamie Whitehouse says it’s possible,
“I can’t speak for the development community but there’s definitely more coming to us than we’re seeing actually implemented. There’s a logic to what you’re saying, [but] I don’t know that as fact.” he said.
While each project is different, Delmarva’s interconnectivity queue shows over four years between application and in-service dates for some.
Whitehouse points to the time it takes to get an approval for interconnection as part of the issue.
“There’s a chicken and the egg scenario that goes on in that, in order to submit for interconnectivity approval, you have to have your land use approval effectively in place.” he said. “And this is one of the reasons we saw such a volume of new conditional uses all coming in is that they have to get approval from the county first, and then you can apply for -and receive- interconnection approval, and only then can you go through the building permit process and build it.”
Conditional use approvals also expire after three years in Sussex County, which could create the need for a developer to apply twice for the same project.
Council Vice President John Reiley also took issue with the number of proposed acres -3,600- that would be taken up by solar farms.
“To me, this is more of an industrial application than an AR-1 type use and it really concerns me… that’s a substantial amount of land that’s being lost- open land, open space, open farmland.”
He, and other council members, asked Whitehouse draft incentives to encourage rooftop solar installations in the future.

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11^th Jun, 2026
MORE solar panels have been installed on council buildings in the district.
Castle Farm Leisure Centre in Kenilworth and the Royal Spa Centre in Leamington both now boast photovoltaic solar panels, as part of WDC’s ongoing work to decarbonise its buildings.
A total of 177 solar PV panels have been installed at Castle Farm which will generate approximately 80,000kWh of electricity each year, reducing carbon emissions by 21 tonnes per year.
At the Royal Spa Centre, 62 solar PV panels have been installed which are expected to generate approximately 22,000kWh of electricity each year, saving 3.5 tonnes in carbon emissions. Due to structural constraints with the roof, an innovative design was developed, incorporating a vertically mounted panel array, to maximise generating capacity.
Across both buildings, the anticipated energy bill saving is around £14,000 per year.
Coun Hema Yellapragada, WDC’s decarbonisation spokesperson, said: “The council’s corporate strategy has low cost, low carbon energy as one of its top priorities, with the decarbonisation of our public buildings high on that agenda.
“I’m delighted to see that these panels have been installed and are already working to provide clean energy to these high-use buildings.”
The panels at the Royal Spa Centre are in addition to the recent LED lighting upgrade, which is expected to reduce the building’s electricity use by 30 per cent.
The work undertaken is part of WDC’s Low-Cost Low-Carbon Energy Programme, a key focus of the council’s corporate strategy that seeks to lower energy bills and reduce carbon emissions from buildings across the district.
Visit www.warwickdc.gov.uk/lowcostlowcarbon to find out more.
The Leamington Observer is one of a group of local weekly newspapers spanning Worcestershire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands published by Bullivant Media Group – each newspaper providing all the latest local news, sport and advertising, in print and 247 on line.

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India Identifies 102 GWp Floating Solar Potential Across Water Bodies  BW Businessworld
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New Delhi-headquartered Ministry of New and Renewable Energy released NISE’s floating solar assessment on June 10, 2026. Gurugram-based National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) has prepared the report, titled Solar PV Potential of India: Floating Solar. The report estimated India’s floating solar potential at about 102 GW across reservoirs and lakes. In total, NISE identified 11,197 waterbodies and found that there are 682 technically viable locations in an area of about 1,946 sq km of reservoir area. The leading state is Maharashtra with hydroelectric power generation potential of 16.3 GW followed by Andhra Pradesh having 14.9 GW and Karnataka having 13.7 GW. In total, solar energy potential in India is around 3,445 GW, which includes 3,343 GW of land-based solar energy potential. The ministry also said work was under way on a policy, timeline and schemes for floating solar and agrivoltaics.

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Carrie Xiao reports back from this year’s edition of SNEC in Shanghai, China, the world’s biggest solar and energy storage expo.
The 19th SNEC International PV Power Generation and Smart Energy Conference & Exhibition concluded on June 5, 2026. This year’s expo saw a notable shift in hall zoning, with energy storage standing out as a core crowd favourite, alongside PV.
Storage took up six full halls, outnumbering the four halls dedicated to PV modules for the first time. Gone were the rows of large PV module billboards of previous years; in their place were displays of all-domain energy solutions, liquid-cooled battery energy storage systems (BESS), and real-time zero-carbon park simulations.
Over 120 leading firms showcased their offerings at the event, including Sungrow, CATL, Chint Power, Hithium, Huawei, Sigenergy, AISWEI Tech, Ginlong Solis, Linyang Energy, Canadian Solar, Kehua Shuneng Tech, Xieneng Tech, Nanrui Electric, BYD, REPT BATTERO and Sunwoda.
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Their displays covered power conversion systems (PCS), cells, residential storage units, C&I storage systems, zero-carbon park solutions, and power solutions for AI data centres (AIDC).
This follows our first roundup of SNEC 2026 product launch and showcase highlights, which ran earlier this week.
Sungrow launched its PowerMatrix inverter, an all-in-one device that integrates PV inversion, storage conversion, intelligent energy routing, and grid-forming control. Boasting multi-source compatibility, multi-loop interconnection, and multi-device coordinated operation, the product enables seamless collaboration across power generation, power grids, power loads, and storage assets. Sungrow claimed that it greatly simplifies the overall structure of PV-storage hybrid systems and eliminates device compatibility challenges.
CATL debuted its sodium-ion cell at the exhibition. Featuring the same packaging design as lithium-ion cell, it can be directly retrofitted into existing lithium cell modules with outstanding compatibility. The cell is now in mass production and delivery and has been deployed in a megawatt-scale storage project in Tibet. CATL notes that sodium-ion cells benefit from abundant sodium resources and low cost, making them especially well-suited for long-duration storage applications that do not require high energy density.
Huawei Digital Power premiered a new string-type grid-forming PCS solution, a 1000V AC PCS with a unit power rating of 430kW. The system’s round-trip efficiency has been increased to 97.8%, and it features the industry’s widest DC voltage operating range of 550V to 1500V, supporting different cell types such as lithium-ion and sodium-ion.
Centred on the theme of ‘Driving Long Duration, Sustaining Green Power,’ Hithium unveiled what the company claimed is the world’s first “native” 8-hour long-duration storage solution designed specifically for long-duration energy storage (LDES) applications, the ∞Power 6.9MWh system, alongside its new ∞Cell 650Ah large-format cell and the ∞Power 10+MWh product offering.
With a single-unit capacity of 6.9MWh, the system can efficiently store excess daytime solar power for nighttime use.
“As the ‘duck curve’ challenge becomes more pronounced, long-duration storage is emerging as a new infrastructure to ensure the safe operation of power systems,” said Ye Zi, product director at Hithium Storage.
Trina Storage presented its end-to-end storage ecosystem covering cells, DC systems, AC systems, and system validation services. Its core exhibits included the 587Ah high-capacity cell, the Elementa 3 storage platform, and the Electra, a 13.8MW AC-side storage solution. The company also highlighted its grid-forming storage technology and customised solutions for AI data centre (AIDC) applications.
Chint Power unveiled three ground-mounted PV-storage generators, delivering tiered power ratings to accurately address large, medium, and small-scale PV-storage projects. They are applicable to both greenfield installations and technical retrofits of existing PV plants. The company also exhibited its C&I PV-storage portfolio, featuring 125kW/261kWh outdoor storage cabinet, decentralised inverter, and anti-reverse power box.
Sunwoda unveiled a full range of self-developed storage cells at the exhibition — 72Ah, 85Ah, 102Ah, 280Ah, 314Ah, 588Ah, and 684Ah — addressing applications from residential and AIDC to C&I and utility-scale storage. The company also introduced its new-generation NoahX 6.26MWh liquid-cooled storage system, featuring the 588Ah cell, for the first time.
JinkoSolar has designated 2026 as its “breakout year” for energy storage, launching its Blue Whale SunTera G5 system at this year’s exhibition.
“As the cost-effectiveness of PV-storage improves, we are seeing a growing number of customers, especially C&I distributors. Our company currently holds 5GWh of confirmed storage orders, 5.3GWh of high-potential orders, and over 20GWh in the pipeline. Storage shipments are expected to double year-on-year in 2026,” JinkoSolar vice president Qian Jing said.
At the exhibition, the majority of players — including top-tier system integrators, PCS suppliers and leading cell manufacturers — demonstrated their AI-related strengths. A few went so far as to declare, ‘The energy sector is ready to embrace the token economy.’
Huawei Digital Power, with its ‘grid-forming + AI’ strategy as the main theme, highlighted a range of solutions, including grid-forming (GFM) storage and FusionSolar Agent. As AI rapidly integrates into renewable power plants, Huawei is further expanding its grid-forming technology beyond storage to diverse scenarios such as PV, load management and AIDC.
Linyang Energy unveiled two AI-powered digital platforms — the ‘O&M Agent’ and ‘Virtual Trader 2.0’. Powered by dual-engine technology, the platform aims to revolutionise the operation and trading of renewable energy assets. This marks a shift from conventional manual maintenance and passive trading to a new phase of AI-driven autonomous operation and intelligent decision-making.
Inverter manufacturer GoodWe unveiled the WE-AI energy operating system, built on a dual-branch large model for time series and decision-making, an AI agent cluster, and cloud-edge-end collaboration. The system forecasts electricity prices, loads, and equipment conditions, and generates operational strategies — ushering residential PV-storage into the ‘autopilot’ era.
The exhibition saw a flurry of contract signings among storage companies, with total volume of publicly announced deals and agreements surpassing 92.7GWh.
CORNEX bagged a total of 12GWh in orders, including an 8GWh framework agreement with Dongfang Electric covering 314Ah and 588Ah large-format cells, along with 2GWh strategic partnerships, each with CHINT Electric and Alpha ESS for its 588Ah large-format cell.
Ganfeng Lithium secured over 30GWh in cooperation intentions with partners including Clou, Deye, and GoodWe, spanning utility-scale, C&I and residential storage applications.
EVE Energy secured over 67GWh of bulk storage orders through agreements with prominent partners such as Shanghai Electric Power Electronics, Jiangsu WETOWN Energy, and Brazil’s Genesis.
SVOLT Energy secured 8GWh of storage orders with SOFAR Solar, Dahai Group, and Brazil’s BlueSun. Meanwhile, Sanj-Electric inked a 1GWh PV-storage strategic deal with Australian distributor OSW, and Sav-digitalpower formed a 10GWh strategic partnership with Hubei EVE Power, a subsidiary of EVE Energy.
The explosion in orders shows that storage demand in the market has moved beyond policy incentives and is now fuelled by economic fundamentals.

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A research group from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Spain has conducted conducted a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of eight PV panel types across three generations and has found that tandem technologies demonstrate improved environmental performance over silicon-based systems, although they require long lifetimes and low degradation to deliver clear sustainability advantages.
“Perovskite-silicon tandem technologies have shown a reduced environmental impact compared to current dominant silicon-based cells,” corresponding author Julia Otero told pv magazine. “Conversion efficiencies over 30% in lab-scale, though not yet achieved at an industrial scale, significantly contribute to these positive environmental impacts. However, when compared to thin-film technologies such as cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper, indium, gallium and selenide (CIGS), these tandem models show a higher environmental footprint. On this point, we highlight that the absorber layers of thin-films feature a 20 to 80 times lower thickness than traditional silicon wafers. This low material consumption directly drives the environmental performance of thin-films.”
The harmonized life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted following ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards. It focused on representative commercial systems: PERC for the first generation, CdTe for the second generation, and tandem technologies for the third generation. System boundaries include raw material extraction, manufacturing, and module production. Six environmental impact categories are assessed, including global warming, resource scarcity, water consumption, land use, and ecotoxicity-related indicators.
The scientists also conducted sensitivity analysis to assess how degradation rate and service lifetime affect the environmental performance of PV panels and the competitiveness of tandem technologies. Degradation rates were used to reflect annual power losses, with higher values mainly associated with tandem PV due to perovskite stability issues. Service lifetime was varied between 15 and 35 years to capture differences between emerging tandem systems and mature silicon-based technologies. Energy payback time (EPBT) was also calculated to evaluate how long each PV technology takes to generate the energy required for its production.
The analysis showed that CdTe thin-film panels show the lowest environmental impacts overall, driven by their very low material and energy requirements compared to silicon-based and tandem systems. In contrast, first-generation silicon technologies such as Al-BSF, PERC, TOPCon, and heterojunction (HJT) exhibit higher impacts, although efficiency improvements significantly reduce emissions across successive designs. Tandem PV modules, meanwhile were found to offer lower impacts per kWh due to higher conversion efficiency, but their performance is highly sensitive to degradation rates and operational lifetime.
The research group also explained that key environmental hotspots include silicon wafer production, aluminium encapsulation, and energy-intensive manufacturing processes, while material scarcity impacts are strongly influenced by the use of aluminium, copper, and rare elements such as selenium and molybdenum, particularly in thin-film technologies.
The academics also found that recycling potential is highest for CdTe, while silicon-based systems face economic limitations despite large-scale deployment potential.
Sensitivity analysis also showed that high degradation rates can offset the environmental benefits of tandem technologies. “Our model considered the lead-based perovskites, which are the most studied on lab research due to the high efficiencies shown in laboratory tests,” Otero emphasized. “Firstly, the toxicity
aligned with the lead component appears as a relevant concern regarding the possibility of toxicity contamination. Researches have been developing other
perovskites substituting the lead component, such as tin; however, it has not yet surpassed the lead-based perovskites in terms of efficiency.”
“Other important points are related to the special challenges that tandem models impose on recycling, as the separation of both materials hinders the process and represents a new bottleneck for recycling,” she added.
The researchers also ascertained that a minimum operational lifetime of over 15 years is required for tandem systems to outperform conventional silicon panels environmentally, with EPBT results confirming CdTe as the fastest to recover embodied energy, followed by tandem systems and then silicon-based technologies.
These results suggest that tandem models could represent a significant advancement in solar PV technologies, enabling higher electricity output with lower environmental impacts,” the academics concluded. “However, the sensitivity analysis also indicated that technological improvements are required for tandem panels to achieve environmental performance comparable to first- and second-generation technologies, including further innovations to enhance perovskite stability and improve encapsulation techniques.”
Their findings are available in the study “Environmental performance of solar photovoltaics across three generations: A cradle-to-gate comparison,” published in Energy Conversion and Management.
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Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has invited bids to develop 1.2 GW of interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected renewable energy projects coupled with energy storage systems (ESS), aimed at supplying 4,800 MWh of assured peak power (1,200 MW for four hours) each day. The projects will be developed on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis to deliver dispatchable renewable electricity during periods of peak demand.
SECI will sign 25-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the successful bidders and subsequently sell the procured power to distribution companies and other buying entities across India.
Under the tender, developers will be responsible for establishing the renewable energy generation facilities, integrated energy storage systems, and the associated transmission infrastructure up to the delivery point. Land acquisition and grid connectivity will be within the scope of the renewable energy developer.
The projects may be located anywhere in India. However, the renewable energy generation assets and the associated energy storage systems must be co-located within each project.
Developers must submit a single bid for a minimum contracted capacity of 50 MW and a maximum of 600 MW. The total capacity that may be awarded to any bidder or bidder group is capped at 600 MW.

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Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects.
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Thursday, June 11, 2026
Submissions from nearly 100 mostly anti-renewable campaigners have forced a new solar and battery hybrid project to be referred to the NSW Independent Planning Commission, even though they all live more than 50 kms away from the project.
Recurrent Energy is seeking to build the 360 megawatt (MW) Sundown solar farm, paired with a 150 MW, 600 megawatt hour (MWh) battery. It is located near the existing White Rock and Sapphire wind farms between Glen Innes and Inverrel, and is on sparsely populated land with no homes within 2.1 kms of the site.
The state department of planning says the project is “approvable”, and the local council and other authorities have no objections, but the fact that there are 128 objectors has forced its referral to the IPC.
Some 88 of these objectors live more than 50 kms from the site, and 7 of these are interstate, while another 23 live between 15 and 50 kms from the site. Most oppose the renewable energy transition and the use of agricultural land, although some were also worried about noise and visual impacts.
Nine objectors live within 5 kms and have raised concerns about road use and traffic impacts, along with fire risk, water supply, dust and noise. They also complained about a lack of consultation from the developers.
Recurrent Energy, a subsidiary of solar manufacturing giant Canadian Solar and one of the world’s largest utility-scale solar and energy storage developers, has been seeking to develop the Sundown Solar Farm for several years.
The project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was originally exhibited in mid-2023, but suffered delays as it sought to obtain a landowner’s consent for road upgrades to a key section of the haulage route near the site.
This meant that Recurrent Energy was only able to submit its response to community feedback in June of last year, in which it scaled back the land area affected by the project and avoided local native habitats.
The project, located in the New England renewable energy zone, has secured grid connection approvals. The project will connect to an existing 330 kV transmission line that already traverses the site.
Recurrent says the project avoids Class 1 agricultural areas, and just 3 hectares of class 2 land, and the property owner will be able to continue grazing activities, and cropping in neighbouring fields.
It notes that the combined total of operating, approved and proposed solar farms in the New England region amounts to about 11,569 ha, or 0.018 per cent of the 63 million ha of land currently used for agricultural output in NSW.
“Given the nature and scale of the established agricultural industries within the region, the project would result in a negligible reduction in the overall agricultural productivity of the region,” it writes.
The Independent Planning Commission is inviting the public to make written submissions via the Make a Submission portal on the Commission’s website. Written submissions will be accepted until 11:59PM (AEST) on Wednesday 8 July 2026.
Verbal submissions will also be accepted at a public meeting on the Sundown Solar Farm to be held at the Elsmore Memorial Hall on July 1. The project will connect to an existing 330 kV transmission line that traverses the site.
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Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
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Leading electrical industry bodies have warned that plug-in solar photovoltaic (PV) systems should not be rushed into the UK consumer market until safety, regulatory and technical frameworks are fully established, despite government plans to make the technology widely available.
The warning comes in a joint statement issued by the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), Electrical Safety First (ESF), the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), NICEIC and SELECT, following government announcements aimed at accelerating access to low-cost renewable energy technologies.
The organisations stressed that they support wider adoption of clean energy but argued that public safety must remain the overriding priority.
“Public safety must be the first principle in any rollout of plug-in solar PV units,” the statement said. “Whilst we support wider access to cheap and clean energy, these products should only enter the mass market once the necessary regulatory, technical and product safety framework is fully in place.”
The groups warned that without such safeguards there is “a serious risk of avoidable hazards in homes, uncertainty for the electricity system, and lasting damage to public confidence in the energy transition”.
Plug-in solar PV systems, sometimes referred to as balcony solar systems, are designed to allow consumers to generate electricity through small solar panels connected directly to standard domestic socket outlets. Electrical Safety First acknowledged that the technology offers households “a simple and cost-effective way to generate electricity” and presents “a clear opportunity to reduce energy bills and support decarbonisation goals”.
However, the charity’s accompanying technical report identifies a range of electrical safety concerns that it believes must be resolved before large-scale deployment can proceed safely.
Principal concerns include the effect of bi-directional electricity flows on existing household wiring and safety devices. Unlike conventional appliances, plug-in PV units introduce electricity into domestic circuits rather than simply drawing power from them. The joint statement notes that many household electrical installations were never designed for this purpose and warns that under certain conditions protective devices may fail to operate as intended.
Six key areas of concern
The groups highlighted six key areas of concern: bi-directional power flow, fire risks in older properties, inconsistent product standards, electricity network resilience, unresolved insurance and liability issues, and unsafe installation practices including the use of extension leads and multiple interconnected devices.
Fire safety features prominently in both documents. The joint statement notes that more than half of the UK’s housing stock is over 100 years old and warns that ageing wiring systems may be unable to accommodate additional electrical loads safely.
The Electrical Safety First report similarly warns that “uncontrolled current injection can overload circuits, creating a risk of overheating and fire”, while also highlighting concerns that plug-in PV systems may interfere with residual current devices (RCDs), potentially leading to nuisance tripping or failures to detect dangerous faults.
Particular concern is expressed over the use of standard UK plugs and sockets. According to the report, BS 1363, the principal British Standard governing domestic plugs, explicitly states that such plugs “shall not be used for the connection of electrical power generators to socket-outlets”.
The report also warns that consumers may connect multiple units through extension leads or multi-plug adaptors, increasing the risk of overloads, overheating and fire. It further notes that non-professional installation of panels on balconies or at height raises concerns regarding structural security and falling objects.
Electricity network operators could also face challenges if large numbers of devices are installed without appropriate notification procedures. The joint statement argues that widespread deployment without effective oversight could reduce visibility of connected generation capacity at a time when network operators require accurate information to manage local electricity systems.
The organisations point to Germany as an example of a country that has permitted plug-in solar systems only after establishing technical standards, registration requirements, inverter certification requirements and clear consumer guidance.
Recommended course
The electrical industry groups are calling for a structured framework before market expansion proceeds. The joint statement says plug-in solar PV systems should not be rolled out until there are “clear product standards, robust enforcement, competent installation pathways, appropriate consumer guidance, and a mechanism to protect both householders and the electricity distribution network”.
Electrical Safety First concluded in its report: “Plug-in solar PV systems can help reduce energy costs and support the UK’s sustainability goals but safe deployment depends on rigorous safety standards, coordinated protection measures, professional oversight, and clear regulatory frameworks.” It adds: “Without these safeguards there is a risk of harm to consumers and the wider public.”
The organisations argue that proper due diligence should be viewed not as an obstacle to decarbonisation but as an essential prerequisite for public confidence. As the joint statement concludes: “Due diligence is not a barrier to progress. It is what makes progress safe, credible and sustainable.”
 
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British households are turning to solar panels at a pace as energy costs continue to climb and global instability fuels concerns about future price shocks.
New research commissioned by Good Energy reveals that 91% of UK adults are concerned geopolitical instability will continue to drive up long-term electricity prices.
While just 15% UK households currently have solar panels installed, more than half (51%) say recent geopolitical instability has increased their interest in installing solar in the next one to two years.
This rising anxiety comes against a backdrop of already‑stretched household budgets. As a result, solar power is increasingly being viewed as a practical response to price pressure rather than a purely environmental choice.
More than a third (38%) of households say solar could reduce their bills within the next one to two years, compared with just 24% who believe switching supplier would deliver similar savings.
Long‑term bill reductions (46%) and greater energy independence (32%) emerge as the strongest motivations for those considering installation.
Good Energy is already seeing this shift in sentiment translate into action, it said. The company has recorded a 91% increase in solar panel sales in the first quarter of this year, with March becoming the most successful month for installations in the company’s history.
This momentum has continued in Q2 to date, with domestic customer sales at record levels. This surge is also reflected online, with search interest in solar panels increasing by 104% since January.
At the same time, households are increasingly pairing solar with battery storage to maximise the value of the energy they generate. Good Energy’s latest data shows that batteries were included in 78% of total solar and storage sales in May (month-to-date), rising steadily from 62% in January.
Standalone battery adoption is also growing, accounting for over a quarter of monthly sales in March and April, as more households look to store energy for use during peak pricing periods and reduce reliance on the grid.
Neighbour influence is playing an increasingly important role in accelerating uptake. The research suggests a growing “Solar Street Effect”. Four in ten households (39%) say they are more likely to consider home upgrades such as solar panels if their neighbours have already done so.
Despite this rising demand, barriers remain. Nearly one in three (30%) adults still lack confidence in how solar panels work, indicating that education and accessibility will be key to scaling adoption further.
Carl Hogg, Managing Director at Good Energy, said:
“In the current climate, one thing that households are looking for is certainty around their electricity bills. Solar is one of the few ways people can take a bit more control, generate their own power and reduce their exposure to those global shocks. We have seen this reflected in demand, with a 91% increase in sales from February to March this year.
“We are also seeing how much influence neighbours have. Once a few homes on a street install solar, others start to look into it seriously. It makes it feel more normal and more achievable.
“There is still a gap when it comes to understanding how it all works, and that is something the industry needs to keep improving. But the shift is clear. For many households now, they are conscious about securing energy independence.”
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Researchers from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) and Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) have conducted a 1-year test to measure the outdoor performance of peroskvsite solar technologies and have found that several factors contribute to significant perovskite degradation.
For the testing, the team used triple junction perovskite/perovskite/silicon solar cells with an active area of 1 cm × 1 cm. “We chose triple junction devices as they have a theoretical higher performance limit,” corresponding author Petra Manshanden told pv magazine. “These devices are fairly uncommon and long time outdoor exposure data has not yet been shown.”
The device tested is a monolithic triple-junction tandem combining a p-type heterojunction silicon bottom cell with two stacked perovskite subcells. The silicon base is rear-textured with a closed metal rear contact, acting as the near-infrared absorber. On top, a 1.56 electronvolt perovskite middle cell is deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO), with polybis(4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine and poly(9,9-bis(3′-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl)-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene) as hole transport layers, and fullerene (C60) with tin oxide (SnOx) as the electron transport stack.
A second indium tin oxide (ITO) interconnect separates the middle cell from the top cell, which uses a self-assembled monolayer known as 2PACz and a wide-bandgap perovskite absorber. The top cell again employs C60 and SnOx for electron extraction and is completed with an ITO layer and evaporated silver (Ag) contacts. A magnesium fluoride (MgF₂) anti-reflection coating finalizes the stack.
The outdoor test station was located in Petten, the Netherlands. It consists of rooftop-installed with south-facing modules fixed at a 30° tilt under a local albedo of 10% for optimized annual yield.
Outdoor measurements at the station showed that, over the first month, morning and afternoon performance was largely comparable, with only early transient differences disappearing after the initial stabilization phase. Long-term outdoor monitoring, meanwhile, revealed a two-step degradation behavior, with efficiency dropping from around 17–18% initially to about 15% in March and approximately 13–14% in April, followed by continued decline. The first degradation phase was mainly attributed to voltage loss, while the second coincided with encapsulation delamination that reduced current collection and light in-coupling.
Microscopy confirmed delamination occurring within the encapsulation stack rather than at the active junctions, indicating mechanical or interlayer adhesion failure rather than moisture ingress. EQE and J–V analysis further showed that the loss in performance could not be explained by bandgap changes or intrinsic absorber degradation, but rather by interface-related losses and shunt pathways.
Photoluminescence and electroluminescence imaging after extended exposure showed strong spatial inhomogeneity, with the middle perovskite layer dominating current flow while the top junction was significantly weakened. This supported the conclusion that partial shunting and non-uniform degradation were key failure modes in the stack.
Indoor reliability tests confirmed good damp-heat stability with edge sealing but significant losses under thermal cycling and UV exposure, the latter causing up to around 65% degradation. Overall, despite degradation and hysteresis effects, the device achieved an estimated average annual efficiency of around 10%, with performance strongly dependent on irradiance conditions and spectral variability.
“The samples achieved 80% of the initial power conversion efficiency, after five months of outdoor operation, and 50% of after seven months,” Manshanden explained. “Early-stage degradation analysis indicates that the top junction is the least stable component of the device stack. In parallel, the middle junction, which initially limited current generation, developed edge-localized shunting during operation. Additional losses were attributed to degradation of the charge transport layers, most likely driven by sustained exposure to elevated operating temperatures.
The results of the testing were presented in “One Year of Outdoor Performance of Perovskite/Perovskite/Silicon Triple-Junction Solar Cell,” published in RRL Solar. “These findings helped us to understand degradation mechanisms and develop more stable next generation devices which are currently under testing,” concluded Manshanden.
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Thursday, July 9, 2026
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Thursday, June 18, 2026
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April 01 – August 31, 2026
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At this year’s Intersolar Europe in Munich, Tongwei will debut its new BIFIMAX module variant, which pushes bifaciality from 80% to 90%. The variant is designed for high-latitude, high-albedo markets. It will be applicable across the entire Tongwei TNC family of modules – from TNC 1.0 through TNC 3.0.
To accomplish the gains in bifaciality, BIFIMAX incorporates two complementary advances. The first is Tongwei’s Poly Tech，which retains the core POLO passivation layer underneath the electrode but removes the other layers to allow more light to pass through. The second advance is a novel rear-surface light-trapping structure that captures photons that would otherwise escape. As a result, rear-side generation capacity increases by +10 index points, single-watt energy yield improves by 0.6%~0.8%, and low-light performance is boosted by 1.6%.
The financial case is grounded in project data. Tongwei tracked the data from a 100 MW ground-mounted solar project with single-axis trackers in Hamburg, Germany, that upgraded from a conventional 625 W module at 80% bifaciality to the TNC BIFIMAX 670 W at 90% bifaciality. The project data showed a CAPEX reduction of 0.87 euro cents per Watt — a 2.63% savings worth approximately €870,000 at the project level — before a single kilowatt-hour had been generated. Data also showed that the LCOE fell by 3.39%, directly strengthening bankability across the project’s entire operating life.
Over 30 years, BIFIMAX is expected to generate approximately 81,600 MWh more than the baseline — enough to power around 25,000 European households for a year — translating to roughly €180,000 in additional annual revenue.
With the launch of the BIFIMAX module variant, Tongwei bolsters its dedication to using its technological expertise to meet the growing demand for solar PV installations across a broad spectrum of terrains and scenarios.
Visit Tongwei at Intersolar Europe 2026, booth A2.350, to experience the full product lineup.
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Thursday, July 9, 2026
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Thursday, June 18, 2026
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Be part of the high-level European conference on solar and energy storage, exploring bankable BESS projects, warranties, and energy management for residential and C&I sectors
Monday, June 1, 2026
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Madrid, Paris
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, June 11, 2026
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Friday, June 12, 2026
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Monday, June 15, 2026
9:30 am – 10:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
6 am – 7:00 am CEST, Berlin
The new pv magazine Global May issue is now available!
Mountains to climb
Available in print and digital formats.
Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects.
April 01 – August 31, 2026
A two-day conference in Austin, Texas, bringing together leaders in US solar manufacturing, equipment specification, and factory execution.
Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy.
Showcase your brand across all our platforms: from 13 websites in 7 languages to our magazines, daily newsletters, industry events and more. Reach your audience the right way!
We are participating in Intersolar 2026 again this year! Visit us at our Booth Hall 2 A2.250 to discuss the latest trends within the photovoltaic industry with the pv magazine team.
June 23-25, 2026 | MUNICH, GERMANY

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The Stanton Energy Center, a coal-fired power plant and the Stanton Solar Farm are seen in Orlando. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The United States hit a clean energy milestone last month as the amount of electricity generated through solar power topped what was made by coal for the first time ever. 
Big picture view:
Global energy think tank Ember released the new findings Wednesday, stating that solar power was responsible for 12.8% of electricity produced, while coal dropped to 12.2%. The two types of energy sources had, in a way, met in the middle as coal use plummets in the U.S. and solar is on the rise.
Ember’s data showed that coal was making nearly a fifth of U.S. electricity in May 2021 while solar usage has more than doubled in the past five years, when it was responsible for just 5.4% of power.
What they’re saying:
"Overtaking coal for the first month on record shows just how far solar has come, from a niche contributor to the third-largest and fastest-growing source of power in the US electricity system," said Nicolas Fulghum, Senior Data Analyst at Ember. "From Texas to California, markets across the US are betting on solar to meet rising power needs."
The backstory:
While the switch made solar the third-largest contributor of electrical power, both it and coal each only supply about an eighth of the power needed in the U.S. That puts them far behind gas, which hovers around the 37% mark, and nuclear power, which generated nearly 18% of the electricity produced. 
Dig deeper:
The rise of solar among top energy sources was the second big win of the year for supporters of renewables. Ember reported that electricity produced by all renewable sources combined passed what was generated by gas for the first time. 
The Source: Information for this article was taken from Ember. This story was reported from Orlando.

 
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January 29, 2026
MidAtlantic
Energy
Emily Odgers
Grid Specialist
As household electricity rates rise and supply tightens, states are exploring policies that cut costs for residents and remove barriers to building more renewable energy. As 2025 closed, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed S4100/A5264 — a residential solar permitting overhaul that the legislature passed in the fall. This first-in-the-nation law takes a unique approach to reducing costs and delays for residential solar and battery systems by developing an in-state instant permitting platform.
Local permitting and inspection processes for residential solar are often complex and time‑consuming, adding administrative burdens that raise project costs and slow adoption among households. Nearly 80% of U.S. residential solar expenses come from soft costs such as permitting and inspection processes, making systems far more expensive than in peer countries. 
In New Jersey, permitting alone can add up to $4,500 to a rooftop solar system, making solar unaffordable for many families. These processes also strain local governments, whereas communities using instant permitting platforms such as the federal government’s SolarApp+ have saved more than 15,000 staff hours and cut permitting timelines by an average of 14.5 days. 
New Jersey’s S4100/A5264 seeks to drive down costs and expedite the approval process for rooftop solar and home battery projects by doing the following: 
States beyond New Jersey are also adopting streamlined permitting tools to cut soft costs and accelerate residential solar growth.
NCEL staff are closely tracking legislation filed this session related to reducing regulatory barriers to residential solar and batteries. Stay tuned for more information on bills related to plug-in solar, instant permitting, inspection reform, removing restrictions in homeowner and condo associations, and updating outdated codes and regulations.
To learn more about these types of policies and the other issues NCEL works on, visit our Issue pages.

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