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From higher efficiency to higher asset value: LONGi’s strategy to lead Europe’s clean energy transition  PV Tech
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What if a piece of land could produce both electricity and food? As India expands its renewable energy capacity while confronting the pressures of agricultural productivity and resource use, the possibility of combining solar infrastructure with cultivation is attracting interest. One Delhi-based farming venture is now exploring how the two could work together.

After six years of experimenting with controlled-environment agriculture, 9Growers is turning its attention to agrivoltaics, an approach that combines agricultural production and solar power generation on the same land. For the company, the move represents a shift from growing crops inside carefully managed environments to understanding how food production might coexist with energy infrastructure.
Founded by mother-and-son duo Pratibha Aggarwal and Himanshu Aggarwal, 9Growers began with experiments in urban farming. Its early hydroponic systems were designed around a practical challenge: how to grow fresh produce consistently under Indian conditions, where temperature, space, energy costs and access to resources can affect the economics of cultivation.
Over time, its Delhi-based indoor farms became testing grounds for crop selection, nutrient management, lighting and climate control. Working with chefs, hotels and consumers also brought a commercial dimension to the experiments. The challenge was no longer simply whether a crop could grow successfully, but whether it could be produced consistently, delivered fresh and find a viable market.

© 9Growers
The next experiment: Farming alongside solar power
That experience is now shaping 9Growers’ proposed agrivoltaics model. The company is exploring a combination of cultivation beneath elevated solar panels and modular growing rooms integrated with solar infrastructure.
The idea is to examine how the same site can support two forms of production without one significantly compromising the other.
But putting agriculture and solar infrastructure together raises practical questions. How much sunlight will different crops need? Can the positioning of panels provide useful shade without restricting growth? How should growing beds be arranged to allow access for solar maintenance? And can the arrangement become economically viable under Indian conditions?
These are among the considerations that will influence the company’s experiments with raised beds, soilless cultivation and climate-controlled growing systems.
Rather than presenting agrivoltaics as an established solution, 9Growers is approaching it as the next stage of its research. Its success will depend on how effectively the agricultural and energy components can operate together.
From Delhi’s farms to international conversations
Marisa Gerards, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India, visited 9Growers’ Delhi research facility and indoor hydroponic farm. The Netherlands Embassy subsequently shared the visit publicly, highlighting the farm’s technology-driven cultivation approach. The engagement was particularly meaningful given the Netherlands’ established expertise in advanced agriculture and controlled-environment farming.
For 9Growers, the visit provided an opportunity to demonstrate its work in a field where international experience could offer useful lessons for India’s agricultural innovation ecosystem.
Co-founder Himanshu Aggarwal has also taken the company’s experience to international platforms. He participated in the House of Switzerland programme during the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos in 2022. The company’s work has additionally been represented at the World Food Forum at the Food and Agriculture Organization’s headquarters in Rome and the 50th session of the Committee on World Food Security.
Back in India, the company has experimented with bringing cultivation into spaces not traditionally associated with farming. A hydroponic project at the International Institute of Hotel Management’s Delhi campus connected food production with culinary education, while a portable farm at Max Estates in Noida explored how growing systems could be introduced into commercial properties.
Through Project PAHAL, developed with the Directorate of Education, Government of NCT of Delhi, 9Growers has also introduced students to modern farming methods, connecting agricultural education with technology and entrepreneurship.
Together, these initiatives have helped the company test how cultivation systems might operate across different environments, an experience that could prove relevant as it moves towards more integrated agricultural infrastructure.
Testing the next phase in Delhi
9Growers is now developing a flagship modern farming campus in Delhi, where it plans to cultivate more than 200 varieties of local and high-value crops, including strawberries in climate-controlled rooms.
The campus is intended to bring together its experience in indoor cultivation, crop development, and commercial operations, while providing a setting to further develop and test its agrivoltaics approach.
For a company that started by experimenting with growing food inside Delhi’s urban spaces, the next question is considerably larger: can agricultural land and renewable energy infrastructure become productive partners?
The answer will depend on what happens beyond the concept stage, as crop performance, energy generation, operating costs and practical deployment are tested together.
For 9Growers, that is where the next phase of experimentation begins.
For more information:
9Growers
[email protected]
www.9growers.com
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Posted on: October 14, 2026

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French lightweight photovoltaic module maker Heliup has teamed up with Elevate, a Holcim Group brand focused on waterproofing and insulation, to introduce Solar Light TPO, an offering that pairs Heliup’s lightweight Stykon PV modules with Holcim’s UltraPly TPO waterproofing membrane, according to pv magazine.
The membrane is offered in thicknesses of 1.5 mm, 1.8 mm and 2 mm, with the thickest version positioned for roofs that need regular maintenance and servicing.
Solar Light TPO has a weight of 7 kg/m2, compared with 15 kg/m2 to 20 kg/m2 for conventional systems when the waterproofing membrane is included. Its mounting approach does away with roof penetrations, additional rails and ballast.
Jean-Luc Roudaut, director of new photovoltaic market development at Holcim, told the publication that this enables PV systems to be installed on flat roofs that were previously hard to equip, notably commercial, industrial and logistics buildings as well as public facilities.
The system is designed to work with a range of roof designs, including pitched roofs, sawtooth roofs with slopes reaching 100%, and curved surfaces. It can be used in new construction and in roof waterproofing renovations.
Roudaut said the two companies’ profiles are highly complementary, allowing them to draw on multiple routes to market depending on specific needs: a network of waterproofing contractors and project managers on Holcim’s side, and project owners, solar industry participants and developers on Heliup’s side.
Solar Light TPO has secured an Enquete de Technique Nouvelle, a French technical assessment for innovative construction systems, along with a Broof (t3) fire classification. The system also satisfies French regulatory requirements for buildings open to the public, known as ERP, and for facilities classified for environmental protection, known as ICPE.
Julien Gaume, technical director at Heliup, said the ETN allows photovoltaic panels to be installed up to two years after the membrane is laid, providing the flexibility to renovate a roof first and add solar capacity later to meet regulatory obligations.
In March, Heliup raised EUR16 million, equivalent to USD17.9 million, to speed up large-scale deployment of its lightweight PV technology. The company said the funds will reinforce its commercial teams, expand production capacity at its French industrial site, prepare replicable industrial units and continue technology development.
Based in Le Bourget-du-Lac in France’s Savoie region, Heliup runs a 4,000 m2 factory in Le Cheylas, Isere, which has been operational since January 2025. The facility can produce up to 100 MW per year, equivalent to roughly 500,000 m2 of panels.
Heliup launched a 10 MW pilot production line in 2023 under the France 2030 program and had previously raised EUR10 million. In 2025, it moved to industrial-scale production with backing from the European Union’s Innovation Fund through the Solar HEliup Energy for Flat roofTop, or SHEEFT, project.
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Solar Panels market in France, covering market size, growth trajectory, demand structure, supply capability, trade flows, pricing, competitive landscape, and forecast to 2035.
The study is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, exporters, investors, procurement teams, advisors, and strategy teams that need a consistent, data-driven view of market dynamics and a transparent analytical definition of the product scope.
This report covers photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, which are devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity. It encompasses the global market for finished modules, including all major product technologies and form factors designed for a wide range of end-use applications.
The report combines the standard market-statistics backbone with strategic chapters that are useful for commercial planning, sourcing decisions, market entry, competitor monitoring, and portfolio prioritization.
The market is segmented into decision-relevant buckets so that demand drivers, pricing logic, supply constraints, and competitive positions can be compared across the same analytical frame.
The market data is classified and analyzed according to international trade codes, primarily under the Harmonized System (HS) headings for photovoltaic cells and electric generating sets. This ensures consistent tracking of trade flows for assembled solar modules and relevant apparatus across global markets.
Coverage focuses on France and includes demand, supply capability where present, trade flows, pricing, competition, and outlook.
The report combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, product-level evidence, and analyst validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to keep market sizing, trade flows, pricing, and forecasts comparable across countries and time periods.
All indicators are mapped to a consistent product definition and reviewed against the segmentation framework used in the Table of Contents.
Report Scope and Analytical Framing
Concise View of Market Direction
Market Size, Growth and Scenario Framing
Commercial and Technical Scope
How the Market Splits Into Decision-Relevant Buckets
Where Demand Comes From and How It Behaves
Supply Footprint and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
How the Domestic Market Works
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
How the Report Was Built
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Researchers at the Chinese solar manufacturer Trina Solar have put forward a new way of classifying ultraviolet-induced degradation in TOPCon solar cells, separating the phenomenon into a reversible form and an irreversible form, according to pv magazine. The proposal, reported by the solar trade publication, is intended to sharpen reliability assessments, bring greater consistency to testing procedures, and improve forecasts of how modules will perform over the long term under real operating conditions.
The team behind the work said the two categories it proposes line up with the recovery steps envisioned in a forthcoming technical specification from the International Electrotechnical Commission, known as IEC TS 63624-1, which is being drawn up to standardize laboratory protocols for evaluating UV-induced degradation in crystalline silicon solar modules.
According to the corresponding author, Zhiwei Li, aligning the proposed definitions with the pending IEC standard is meant to create a shared vocabulary spanning standardization, reliability testing, warranty assessments and project financing. In comments reported by pv magazine, Li said this would allow more consistent evaluations of long-term performance risk and help separate temporary, recoverable power losses from permanent degradation that affects actual energy yield.
The researchers describe pronounced metastability as a defining trait of UV-induced degradation in TOPCon cells. After UV exposure, cells can lose further performance while in dark storage, driven mainly by a drop in open-circuit voltage and marked by double-exponential degradation kinetics. Much of that added degradation is reversible, the team said, and can be recovered through light soaking or thermal annealing, processes that encourage hydrogen redistribution and changes in charge trapping at passivation interfaces.
Field tests cited by the researchers confirmed that this metastable loss does not affect actual outdoor energy yield, because daily sunlight enables dynamic recovery. The severity of the degradation depends strongly on the thickness and deposition method of the aluminum oxide layer, on hydrogen content and bonding configuration, and on the choice of capping layer, with thicker aluminum oxide and silicon oxynitride capping providing better resilience, according to the team.
The researchers also pointed to pronounced variability between manufacturers, reflecting differences in wafer quality, passivation deposition processes and emitter doping profiles.
Unlike conventional UV preconditioning tests, which generally use relatively low UV doses and may fail to capture mechanisms specific to TOPCon cells, the proposed approach applies substantially higher UV exposure followed by a standardized light-soaking recovery step. According to the scientists, this extra step lets researchers tell temporary, reversible losses apart from persistent degradation that remains after recovery, giving a more realistic picture of long-term module reliability and possible effects on outdoor energy yield.
The team said better front-side passivation will be central to limiting the degradation. One of the most effective strategies involves optimizing the thickness and deposition method of the aluminum oxide layer. Excessively thick layers of that material, however, can cause blistering, add interface defects and raise tunneling resistance. Alternative capping materials, especially silicon oxynitride, also show promise by stabilizing hydrogen, reducing interfacial charge interference and improving chemical passivation.
The researchers noted that atomic layer deposition, particularly the plasma-enhanced variant, generally delivers better UV resistance than conventional plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, though performance depends on the specific process. They also recommended adjusting the refractive index of silicon nitride to boost UV absorption and protect underlying interfaces, while warning that excessive absorption may reduce optical efficiency.
Hydrogen management was identified as another critical mitigation strategy, since hydrogen can both passivate defects and contribute to degradation when released or redistributed under UV exposure. Optimizing deposition temperatures, gas compositions, firing profiles and annealing conditions can help preserve beneficial hydrogen bonding while limiting the formation of recombination-active defects, according to the team.
Li said the combined effects of environmental stresses, particularly heat and ultraviolet radiation, require further investigation and more representative reliability tests. He also noted that differences between UV aging light sources, including fluorescent and metal halide lamps, need standardized equivalence criteria, and that the influence of ultraviolet-B radiation on degradation rates relative to ultraviolet-A remains insufficiently quantified.
Li added that researchers have observed differing degradation patterns among electrical parameters, particularly between short-circuit current and passivation-related characteristics, but that the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. He said targeted mitigation strategies for the irreversible form of degradation are still underdeveloped, highlighting the need for systematic approaches to prevent persistent performance losses and improve long-term module reliability.
The proposed classification is presented in a paper titled Ultraviolet-induced degradation in TOPCon solar cells: Reversible (r-UVID) and irreversible (ir-UVID) degradation, mechanisms and mitigation strategies, recently published in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
This report is an independent strategic market study that provides a structured, commercially grounded analysis of the market for Solar Cells and Module in China. It is designed for battery and storage manufacturers, power-electronics suppliers, system integrators, EPC partners, developers, utilities, investors, and strategic entrants that need a clear view of deployment demand, technology positioning, manufacturing exposure, safety and qualification burden, project economics, and competitive structure.
The analytical framework is designed to work both for a single specialized storage or conversion component and for a broader renewable energy generation component, where market structure is shaped by chemistry, duration, project economics, system integration, safety requirements, route-to-market, and grid-interface logic rather than by one narrow customs heading alone. It defines Solar Cells and Module as Semiconductor devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity, manufactured as individual cells and assembled into modules (panels) for integration into solar power systems and examines the market through deployment use cases, buyer environments, upstream input dependencies, conversion and integration stages, qualification and safety requirements, pricing architecture, commercial channels, and country capability differences. Historical analysis typically covers 2012 to 2025, with forward-looking scenarios through 2035.
This report is designed to answer the questions that matter most to decision-makers evaluating an energy-storage, battery, renewable-integration, or power-conversion market.
At its core, this report explains how the market for Solar Cells and Module actually functions. It identifies where demand originates, how supply is organized, which technological and regulatory barriers influence adoption, and how value is distributed across the value chain. Rather than describing the market only in broad terms, the study breaks it into analytically meaningful layers: product scope, segmentation, end uses, customer types, production economics, outsourcing structure, country roles, and company archetypes.
The report is particularly useful in markets where buyers are highly specialized, suppliers differ significantly in technical depth and regulatory readiness, and the commercial landscape cannot be understood only through top-line market size figures. In this context, the study is designed not only to estimate the size of the market, but to explain why the market has that size, what drives its growth, which subsegments are the most attractive, and what it takes to compete successfully within it.
The report is based on an independent analytical methodology that combines deep secondary research, structured evidence review, market reconstruction, and multi-level triangulation. The methodology is designed to support products for which there is no single clean official dataset capturing the full market in a directly usable form.
The study typically uses the following evidence hierarchy:
The analytical framework is built around several linked layers.
First, a scope model defines what is included in the market and what is excluded, ensuring that adjacent products, downstream finished goods, unrelated instruments, or broader chemical categories do not distort the market boundary.
Second, a demand model reconstructs the market from the perspective of consuming sectors, workflow stages, and applications. Depending on the product, this may include Grid-connected solar farms, Commercial rooftop installations, Residential solar systems, Industrial self-consumption projects, Off-grid electrification, and Solar-powered consumer electronics and mobility across Power Generation (Utilities/IPPs), Commercial Real Estate, Industrial Manufacturing, Residential Construction, Telecommunications, and Public Infrastructure and Technology R&D and Pilot Lines, Capacity Planning and CAPEX Deployment, Supply Chain Sourcing and Qualification, Manufacturing Process Optimization, Quality Assurance and Certification, Sales Channel and Distribution Setup, and Project Design and System Integration. Demand is then allocated across end users, development stages, and geographic markets.
Third, a supply model evaluates how the market is served. This includes Polysilicon, Silicon Wafers (Mono Grown, Cast Multi), Solar Glass, Encapsulation Materials (EVA, POE), Backsheets, Frames (Aluminum), Silver Paste & Conductive Adhesives, and Specialty Gases and Chemicals, manufacturing technologies such as Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC), Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon), Heterojunction Technology (HJT), Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC), Bifacial Module Design, Half-Cell and Shingled Cell Interconnection, and Advanced Module Encapsulation and Framing, quality control requirements, outsourcing, contract manufacturing, integration, and project-delivery participation, distribution structure, and supply-chain concentration risks.
Fourth, a country capability model maps where the market is consumed, where production is materially feasible, where manufacturing capability is limited or emerging, and which countries function primarily as innovation hubs, supply nodes, demand centers, or import-reliant markets.
Fifth, a pricing and economics layer evaluates price corridors, cost drivers, complexity premiums, outsourcing logic, margin structure, and switching barriers. This is especially relevant in markets where product grade, purity, customization, regulatory burden, or service model materially influence economics.
Finally, a competitive intelligence layer profiles the leading company types active in the market and explains how strategic roles differ across upstream material suppliers, component and controls providers, OEMs, storage-system integrators, EPC partners, project developers, and distribution or service channels.
This report covers the market for Solar Cells and Module in its commercially relevant and technologically meaningful form. The scope typically includes the product itself, its major product configurations or variants, the critical technologies used to produce or deliver it, the core input categories required for manufacturing, and the services directly associated with its commercial supply, quality control, or integration into end-user workflows.
Included within scope are the product forms, use cases, inputs, and services that are necessary to understand the actual addressable market around Solar Cells and Module. This usually includes:
Excluded from scope are categories that may be technologically adjacent but do not belong to the core economic market being measured. These usually include:
The exact inclusion and exclusion logic is always a critical part of the study, because the quality of the market estimate depends directly on disciplined scope boundaries.
The report provides focused coverage of the China market and positions China within the wider global energy-storage and renewable-integration industry structure.
The geographic analysis explains local deployment demand, domestic capability, import dependence, project-development relevance, safety and approval burden, and the country’s strategic role in the wider market.
This study is designed for strategic, commercial, operations, project-delivery, and investment users, including:
In many energy-transition, storage, power-conversion, and project-driven markets, official trade and production statistics are not sufficient on their own to describe the true market. Product boundaries may cut across multiple tariff codes, several product categories may be bundled into the same official classification, and a meaningful share of activity may take place through customized services, captive supply, platform relationships, or technically specialized channels that are not directly visible in standard statistical datasets.
For this reason, the report is designed as a modeled strategic market study. It uses official and public evidence wherever it is reliable and scope-compatible, but it does not force the market into a purely statistical framework when doing so would reduce analytical quality. Instead, it reconstructs the market through the logic of demand, supply, technology, country roles, and company behavior.
This makes the report particularly well suited to products that are innovation-intensive, technically differentiated, capacity-constrained, platform-dependent, or commercially structured around specialized buyer-supplier relationships rather than standardized commodity trade.
The report typically includes:
The result is a structured, publication-grade market intelligence document that combines quantitative modeling with commercial, technical, and strategic interpretation.
Energy-Storage Market Structure and Company Archetypes
Largest solar cell manufacturer by capacity
Vertically integrated from wafers to modules
Strong presence in utility-scale and distributed markets
Pioneer in high-efficiency modules
Listed on NASDAQ, operations based in China
Vertically integrated with global manufacturing
Known for high-power modules and overseas factories
Focus on distributed generation and utility projects
Brand Astronergy known for high-efficiency panels
Maxeon is spin-off, China HQ for manufacturing
Restructured, still active in manufacturing
Part of Hanwha Group, China-based factories
Part of Zhongli Group, exports globally
Strong in European and Asian markets
Restructured, still produces modules
Restructured, continues module production
Also produces cells for internal use
Subsidiary of TBEA, integrated supply chain
Restructured under Wuxi Industrial Development
Focus on high-efficiency PERC cells
Known for TOPCon and bifacial modules
Focus on high-efficiency back-contact cells
Active in distributed generation
Focus on off-grid and portable solar
Successor to original Suntech brand
Focus on high-efficiency cell production
Part of SAS group, Taiwan-linked but China HQ
Focus on next-gen high-efficiency cells
Listed on NYSE, China-based manufacturing
Focus on customized solar products
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Oswal Pumps Ltd., an Indian producer of solar pumps, modules and electric motors, has unveiled plans to construct a 1.2 GW solar cell plant that will rely on tunnel oxide passivated contact technology, part of a push toward greater backward integration. The board has given the go-ahead for the proposed facility, which is to be built via Oswal Solar Energy Pvt. Ltd. (OSEPL), a wholly owned subsidiary.
Oswal Pumps anticipates that commercial output from the plant will start by April 2028. According to the company, the entire production volume will feed OSEPL’s own solar module lines, ensuring a reliable stream of cells made domestically in line with India’s domestic content requirement rules while lowering vulnerability to spot-market price swings and supplier pricing.
The investment will broaden OSEPL’s activities from module assembly into cell production, which could enhance its cost structure, its standing in government-backed programs and its profitability over the long term.
The project carries an estimated price tag of roughly INR 4.56 billion, equivalent to about $48.1 million. Debt will cover INR 2.96 billion of that sum. The remaining INR 1.60 billion is to be drawn from unused proceeds of the company’s initial public offering, which had initially been earmarked for an aluminum frame facility along with the remaining planned capacities of a 300 MW ethylene vinyl acetate encapsulant facility and a 500 MW solar module facility. Oswal Pumps intends to direct the IPO proceeds toward the solar cell project by fiscal 2028.
When running, the 1.2 GW plant should cover around 75% of OSEPL’s solar cell needs, with external suppliers providing the rest. It will be situated in Karnal, in the Indian state of Haryana.
At present, the company runs 570 MW of solar module manufacturing capacity, and another 1 GW is being built.
Vivek Gupta, chairman and managing director of Oswal Pumps, stated that moving cell manufacturing in-house provides the company with tighter control over quality, cost and timelines. He observed that with ALMM List-II now in effect, appetite for domestically produced cells is poised to climb steeply, and the company regards this as the right moment to invest. He further noted that opting for TOPCon technology means the company is building for the future, delivering higher efficiency and stronger long-term performance for its customers.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
Report Scope and Analytical Framing
Concise View of Market Direction
Market Size, Growth and Scenario Framing
Commercial and Technical Scope
How the Market Splits Into Decision-Relevant Buckets
Where Demand Comes From and How It Behaves
Supply Footprint and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
How the Domestic Market Works
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
How the Report Was Built
Major integrated solar manufacturer
India's largest solar module manufacturer
Part of Adani Group, integrated manufacturing
Leading manufacturer, part of Tata Group
Major PV module and cell producer
Historical leader in solar manufacturing
Makes solar cells, modules, encapsulants
Module and cell manufacturer
Solar PV module manufacturer
Solar panel manufacturer and distributor
Manufactures solar modules and inverters
Solar panel manufacturer
Solar panel manufacturer
Solar panel manufacturer
Solar cell and module manufacturer
Major LED lighting products manufacturer
Leading electrical goods co, major LED player
Major manufacturer of LED lights and fixtures
Major player in LED lighting segment
LED lighting manufacturer
Manufactures LED displays and lighting
Indian subsidiary, major LED mfg in India
Manufactures LED lights and fixtures
Major Indian electrical brand, produces LEDs
LED lighting products manufacturer
Manufactures LED bulbs and lighting
Major player in consumer LED lighting
Leading LED lighting solutions provider
Manufactures LED lights under Finolex brand
Wires & cables major, also manufactures LEDs
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Arevon signs three 20-year REC contracts for 200MW Illinois solar project  PV Tech
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As the solar industry pushes for higher output and leaner manufacturing, pushing performance limits requires more than cutting costs. True market success depends on ensuring that next-generation designs can endure decades of field operations without unexpected degradation.
The TaiyangNews Reliable PV Module Design Online Conference, taking place on Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 09:30 to 13:00 CEST, will bring together leading module manufacturers, material and component suppliers, testing organizations, and other industry experts to discuss the latest module products and design concepts, material choices, quality considerations, and reliability challenges, from cells, glass, encapsulants, backsheets, and interconnection technologies to complete module architectures.
Ralph Gottschalg, Head of the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP, will deliver the keynote at the conference. His presentation is titled Beyond the Broken Pane: What Glass Breakage Can Teach the PV Industry.
Register for free here.
Solar cell manufacturer Jietai Solar (JTPV) has secured silver-level certification under both the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) ESG standard and its supply-chain traceability standard for its manufacturing bases in Chuzhou and Huai’an, China. TÜV Rheinland conducted on-site assessments of high-efficiency n-type solar cell production. The two facilities have a combined annual capacity of more than 40 GW.
Under SSI rules, from January 1, 2027, at least 80% of the PV modules supplied by SSI members to the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK must contain products from facilities certified to both SSI standards. The requirement will rise to 100% in 2028.
According to an InfoLink Consulting report released in August, JTPV was ranked 4^th among the leading cell suppliers globally (see InfoLink Consulting: Top 5 Cell Suppliers Ship 92 GW In H1 2026).
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and six other government departments released the 15^th Five-Year Plan for the advanced battery industry, targeting an innovation-led, safe, efficient, intelligent, and low-carbon industrial system. The plan calls for faster development of lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and flow batteries, with the industry expected to grow steadily by 2030. It also targets initial large-scale deployment of all-solid-state batteries, cycle lives of up to 15,000 cycles for long-life lithium batteries, and product defect rates at leading companies reaching the parts-per-billion level.
For energy storage, the plan supports advanced batteries on the generation and grid sides, as well as in industrial parks and data centers. It also promotes high-safety, large-capacity, grid-forming, ultra-long-life storage batteries, along with integrated source-grid-load-storage systems, virtual power plants, and coordination between energy systems and computing power. The plan also calls for energy management systems that optimize the coordinated operation of solar, wind, energy storage, and power grids.
Perovskite PV manufacturer GCL Perovskite has supplied customized modules for a 500-meter photovoltaic (PV) noise barrier at the Douzhuang service area on the Shanghai-Chengdu Expressway. The completed installation comprises 224 single-junction perovskite modules rated at 270 W each, providing 60.48 kWp of generation capacity. It also includes two inverters and an integrated energy storage charging unit connected to the service area’s PV carport system.
The barrier combines a 0.4 m curved sound-absorbing section, a 1.1 m PV section, and a 2.9 m high sound-absorbing section. It achieves a noise reduction coefficient of at least 0.70 while integrating roadside power generation, on-site electricity consumption, and energy storage for peak shaving into a microgrid-based power supply system.
Last month, GCL Perovskite reported that it had completed an end-to-end production run on its GW-scale perovskite module manufacturing line (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
Tianjin’s Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology has launched a trial hourly green power trading scheme, introducing a mechanism for renewable energy projects that receive no subsidies and are not covered by the renewable energy price mechanism. The scheme will remain in effect through December 31, 2027.
Electricity will be traded hourly, with volumes submitted across 24 daily time slots. Annual, monthly, and intra-month transactions will be conducted through bilateral negotiations, while the energy price must remain within ±20% of Tianjin’s local coal-fired power benchmark price. Energy and environmental attributes will be settled separately. The volume eligible for environmental-value settlement will be based on the lowest of the contracted volume, actual grid-delivered power, and electricity consumption for each hour. Deviations will be subject to two-way compensation under the applicable environmental-value compensation standard.
Power developer Longyuan Power has launched its first 2026 framework tender for PV modules, with estimated procurement of 6 GWp across seven lots. The tender covers 1 GWp for offshore projects and 5 GWp for onshore projects. All lots require n-type monocrystalline bifacial dual-glass modules.
The 1 GWp offshore high-efficiency lot requires front-side conversion efficiency of at least 24.0%. The onshore high-efficiency lots cover 3.5 GWp under the same requirement. The remaining 1.5 GWp, split between two onshore medium-efficiency lots, must achieve front-side conversion efficiency of at least 23.2%. The framework agreement will remain valid for one year from the date the award notice is issued.
Late last month, Longyuan Power announced that its 11 GW Badain Jaran Desert renewable energy project in Gansu has received internal project approval from its parent company, CHN Energy (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
TaiyangNews 2024

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TOYO Co., Ltd. used its 2026 Solar Analyst Day on 6 October to update investors on its U.S. manufacturing operations, an event that coincided with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its module expansion in Humble, Texas, according to pv magazine. Much of the presentation repeated material already disclosed in the company’s first-half 2026 financial results, but it also gave a window into how management views the wider American solar market.
The central claim was that operational U.S. module capacity now stands at roughly twice the projected 43 GW of domestic annual demand. From that assessment, TOYO concluded that the United States no longer needs additional module capacity. That view helps explain why the company is not pursuing further U.S. module expansions, and it also frames the rapid shift of the broader Abalance, TOYO and VSUN cell production strategy away from Vietnam toward Ethiopia and, eventually, directly into the United States.
While a fuller review of the global manufacturing strategy across Abalance, VSUN and TOYO may be warranted in the months ahead, the management commentary points to a bigger industry unknown: how much domestic production the United States will actually require over the next decade.
For roughly twenty years, a precise outlook on U.S. solar module shipments was seldom critical, functioning mainly as a way to track general market trends. With no domestic supply base able to cover most of the country’s module consumption, market sizing and forecasting were largely academic. Apart from First Solar, forecasting mostly amounted to estimating how many gigawatts would be imported, especially from Southeast Asia.
The arrival of substantial silicon-based domestic module production since 2023 calls for a new level of scrutiny of U.S. forecasting methods. TOYO’s reliance on data pointing to a flat 43 GW of annual demand through 2031 may look like a minor matter, but investors make major capital decisions on precisely this kind of narrative. As a result, overhauling how U.S. module production requirements are calculated for the next decade carries far higher stakes than before.
Suggesting that the United States needs no further module capacity is likewise misplaced and risks sending the wrong signal to outside observers. The key question today is not nameplate capacity by itself, but actual production requirements measured against dynamic forward forecasts.
Utility-scale module demand in the United States over the next decade will be driven aggressively by large solar farm deployments intended to serve soaring load growth from data centres and artificial intelligence infrastructure. Future production forecasts would therefore be more accurate if built from a bottom-up analysis of domestic module manufacturers’ contracted pipelines, which is presented as the most valid metric under rapidly changing market conditions.
A figure from the new release of the Solar Manufacturing USA Quarterly report illustrates this bottom-up pipeline analysis through the end of 2028, with projected production volumes broken out by key regional manufacturing hubs across the United States.
Looking ahead, individual domestic module manufacturers will make targeted, independent judgments about capacity additions to meet their own specific project pipelines. Total U.S. solar capacity and actual production volumes will therefore likely be set by a bottom-up aggregation of those corporate pipelines, with a select group of 10 to 20 key suppliers effectively dictating a production-driven market trajectory.
The author intends to examine this issue in greater detail over the coming months. Accurately forecasting the domestic trajectory is critical for mapping forward demand across the upstream ingot, wafer and cell production segments. Ultimately, the matter goes beyond simply quantifying domestic manufacturing output, since it underpins the large amounts of capital that must be injected into the U.S. manufacturing sector over the next decade.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
This report is an independent strategic market study that provides a structured, commercially grounded analysis of the market for Solar Cells and Module in the United States. It is designed for battery and storage manufacturers, power-electronics suppliers, system integrators, EPC partners, developers, utilities, investors, and strategic entrants that need a clear view of deployment demand, technology positioning, manufacturing exposure, safety and qualification burden, project economics, and competitive structure.
The analytical framework is designed to work both for a single specialized storage or conversion component and for a broader renewable energy generation component, where market structure is shaped by chemistry, duration, project economics, system integration, safety requirements, route-to-market, and grid-interface logic rather than by one narrow customs heading alone. It defines Solar Cells and Module as Semiconductor devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity, manufactured as individual cells and assembled into modules (panels) for integration into solar power systems and examines the market through deployment use cases, buyer environments, upstream input dependencies, conversion and integration stages, qualification and safety requirements, pricing architecture, commercial channels, and country capability differences. Historical analysis typically covers 2012 to 2025, with forward-looking scenarios through 2035.
This report is designed to answer the questions that matter most to decision-makers evaluating an energy-storage, battery, renewable-integration, or power-conversion market.
At its core, this report explains how the market for Solar Cells and Module actually functions. It identifies where demand originates, how supply is organized, which technological and regulatory barriers influence adoption, and how value is distributed across the value chain. Rather than describing the market only in broad terms, the study breaks it into analytically meaningful layers: product scope, segmentation, end uses, customer types, production economics, outsourcing structure, country roles, and company archetypes.
The report is particularly useful in markets where buyers are highly specialized, suppliers differ significantly in technical depth and regulatory readiness, and the commercial landscape cannot be understood only through top-line market size figures. In this context, the study is designed not only to estimate the size of the market, but to explain why the market has that size, what drives its growth, which subsegments are the most attractive, and what it takes to compete successfully within it.
The report is based on an independent analytical methodology that combines deep secondary research, structured evidence review, market reconstruction, and multi-level triangulation. The methodology is designed to support products for which there is no single clean official dataset capturing the full market in a directly usable form.
The study typically uses the following evidence hierarchy:
The analytical framework is built around several linked layers.
First, a scope model defines what is included in the market and what is excluded, ensuring that adjacent products, downstream finished goods, unrelated instruments, or broader chemical categories do not distort the market boundary.
Second, a demand model reconstructs the market from the perspective of consuming sectors, workflow stages, and applications. Depending on the product, this may include Grid-connected solar farms, Commercial rooftop installations, Residential solar systems, Industrial self-consumption projects, Off-grid electrification, and Solar-powered consumer electronics and mobility across Power Generation (Utilities/IPPs), Commercial Real Estate, Industrial Manufacturing, Residential Construction, Telecommunications, and Public Infrastructure and Technology R&D and Pilot Lines, Capacity Planning and CAPEX Deployment, Supply Chain Sourcing and Qualification, Manufacturing Process Optimization, Quality Assurance and Certification, Sales Channel and Distribution Setup, and Project Design and System Integration. Demand is then allocated across end users, development stages, and geographic markets.
Third, a supply model evaluates how the market is served. This includes Polysilicon, Silicon Wafers (Mono Grown, Cast Multi), Solar Glass, Encapsulation Materials (EVA, POE), Backsheets, Frames (Aluminum), Silver Paste & Conductive Adhesives, and Specialty Gases and Chemicals, manufacturing technologies such as Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC), Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon), Heterojunction Technology (HJT), Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC), Bifacial Module Design, Half-Cell and Shingled Cell Interconnection, and Advanced Module Encapsulation and Framing, quality control requirements, outsourcing, contract manufacturing, integration, and project-delivery participation, distribution structure, and supply-chain concentration risks.
Fourth, a country capability model maps where the market is consumed, where production is materially feasible, where manufacturing capability is limited or emerging, and which countries function primarily as innovation hubs, supply nodes, demand centers, or import-reliant markets.
Fifth, a pricing and economics layer evaluates price corridors, cost drivers, complexity premiums, outsourcing logic, margin structure, and switching barriers. This is especially relevant in markets where product grade, purity, customization, regulatory burden, or service model materially influence economics.
Finally, a competitive intelligence layer profiles the leading company types active in the market and explains how strategic roles differ across upstream material suppliers, component and controls providers, OEMs, storage-system integrators, EPC partners, project developers, and distribution or service channels.
This report covers the market for Solar Cells and Module in its commercially relevant and technologically meaningful form. The scope typically includes the product itself, its major product configurations or variants, the critical technologies used to produce or deliver it, the core input categories required for manufacturing, and the services directly associated with its commercial supply, quality control, or integration into end-user workflows.
Included within scope are the product forms, use cases, inputs, and services that are necessary to understand the actual addressable market around Solar Cells and Module. This usually includes:
Excluded from scope are categories that may be technologically adjacent but do not belong to the core economic market being measured. These usually include:
The exact inclusion and exclusion logic is always a critical part of the study, because the quality of the market estimate depends directly on disciplined scope boundaries.
The report provides focused coverage of the United States market and positions United States within the wider global energy-storage and renewable-integration industry structure.
The geographic analysis explains local deployment demand, domestic capability, import dependence, project-development relevance, safety and approval burden, and the country’s strategic role in the wider market.
This study is designed for strategic, commercial, operations, project-delivery, and investment users, including:
In many energy-transition, storage, power-conversion, and project-driven markets, official trade and production statistics are not sufficient on their own to describe the true market. Product boundaries may cut across multiple tariff codes, several product categories may be bundled into the same official classification, and a meaningful share of activity may take place through customized services, captive supply, platform relationships, or technically specialized channels that are not directly visible in standard statistical datasets.
For this reason, the report is designed as a modeled strategic market study. It uses official and public evidence wherever it is reliable and scope-compatible, but it does not force the market into a purely statistical framework when doing so would reduce analytical quality. Instead, it reconstructs the market through the logic of demand, supply, technology, country roles, and company behavior.
This makes the report particularly well suited to products that are innovation-intensive, technically differentiated, capacity-constrained, platform-dependent, or commercially structured around specialized buyer-supplier relationships rather than standardized commodity trade.
The report typically includes:
The result is a structured, publication-grade market intelligence document that combines quantitative modeling with commercial, technical, and strategic interpretation.
Energy-Storage Market Structure and Company Archetypes
Leading US solar module producer; vertically integrated
Now part of Maxeon Solar Technologies (US HQ); premium residential/commercial
Key supplier for module-level power electronics
Major inverter supplier for residential/commercial
Swiss-origin but US-headquartered subsidiary; US production
US HQ for Hanwha's solar arm; large US factory in Georgia
Chinese parent but US-headquartered sales and distribution
US HQ for Chinese-based manufacturer; major importer
Canadian parent but US-headquartered operations
Chinese parent; US HQ for sales and service
Largest US residential solar company; not a module manufacturer
Acquired by Sunrun; still operates as brand
Major US solar-as-a-service provider
Produces modules at Gigafactory New York
US-based module producer; owned by OCI Company
Canadian-origin but US-headquartered subsidiary
Canadian-origin but US-headquartered manufacturing
Small US module assembler
Focus on aesthetic residential modules
Specializes in architectural solar glass
Acquired by SunPower; coating technology
German-origin but US HQ for sales; wafer technology
Acquired by Hanwha; US-based wafer technology
Focus on perovskite-silicon tandem cells
Acquired by First Solar; technology integrated
US cell and module producer; filed for bankruptcy, restarted
Former US manufacturer; assets acquired by SunPower
Small US module assembler
Part of Saint-Gobain; US HQ for solar roofing
Subsidiary of Standard Industries; US-based
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Free Data: Solar Cells and Light-Emitting Diodes — United States
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Aresearch team in Indonesia has proposed a novel grounding strategy to mitigate lightning-induced overvoltage in PV systems by identifying optimal grounding-point locations and evaluating different grounding configurations.
“Previous research has generally protected solar panels using a Lightning Protection System (LPS) with lightning rods connected to down conductors, such as Franklin rods,” the scientists said. “This study considers the possibility of direct lightning strikes on solar panels or their supports, even if an LPS is installed. This occurrence allows current to flow through the solar panels to the grounding point.”
The researchers developed an equivalent electrical circuit model to investigate the transient overvoltage response of PV systems to lightning strikes. The simulated array comprised 10 solar panels, each rated at 200 W, representing a section of a larger PV installation. Using ATPDraw 7.2 software, they modelled the electrical characteristics of the PV frames, mounting structures, grounding conductors, and electrodes through equivalent resistance, inductance, capacitance, and mutual inductance parameters.
Lightning strikes were simulated using a Heidler current source with a peak amplitude of 50 kA and an impulse waveform of 1.2/50 μs. Two configurations were investigated: direct grounding through the PV module frames and grounding through the mounting structures. The simulations assessed the effects of soil resistivity, grounding-point location, and the number of grounding connections on transient voltage distribution.
The researchers varied grounding-point locations to determine how the electrical path between the lightning strike location and the grounding connection influences overvoltage levels. They also compared single- and dual-grounding arrangements to assess the benefits of additional connections. The model assumed electrically interconnected metallic PV frames and evaluated voltage differences relative to a reference potential, excluding physical damage mechanisms and potential differences involving PV power conductors and inverters.
The results showed that increasing soil resistivity from 30 Ωm to 3,000 Ωm significantly raised transient voltage levels in both configurations. At lower resistivities, the highest voltages occurred near the lightning injection point, whereas at 3,000 Ωm, they shifted toward the grounding connection. Grounding through the mounting structures generally resulted in lower maximum voltages due to their lower electrical resistance.
At a constant soil resistivity of 30 Ωm, maximum voltages ranged from 1.97 MV to 2.64 MV for frame grounding and from 2.14 MV to 2.43 MV for mounting-based grounding, depending on the connection location. In both cases, positioning the grounding point closest to the lightning injection point minimised peak voltages by shortening the current discharge path and reducing its impedance.
Introducing a second grounding point further reduced transient voltages by 47.5% to 54.8% for frame grounding and by 43.2% to 50.7% for mounting-based grounding. The researchers attributed these improvements to lower grounding impedance and more efficient lightning current dissipation. The simulated peak current reached 48.78 kA, which the researchers described as being within the safety limits of IEEE Std 80, the IEEE Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding.
The findings indicate that grounding-point location and the number of connections have a greater influence on transient voltage mitigation than the choice between frame- and mounting-based grounding. In particular, shorter discharge paths, lower grounding resistance, and multiple grounding connections can substantially improve grounding performance.
Overall, the study highlights the importance of strategically positioned grounding points, low-resistivity soil conditions, and multipoint grounding in reducing lightning-induced overvoltage and improving the reliability of PV installations.
The new methodology was presented in “Study of the selection of an individual grounding location point against direct lightning strikes on solar panel systems,” published in Results in Engineering. The research group comprised scientists from Indonesia’s Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember and Universitas Hasanuddin.
From pv magazine Global

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Geometry that Generates Energy: The Solar Facade of Breidablikk Gården, Norway  ArchDaily
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New web platform puts green hydrogen projects through a full energy-balance stress test
Green hydrogen has a tools problem. The physics of splitting water with solar power is well understood, the electrochemistry of electrolyzers is textbook material, and the finance of multi-hundred-million-dollar projects follows standard discounted cash flow rules. Yet when a project developer in Morocco, Chile or Namibia wants to know whether a proposed plant will actually work — hour by hour, through the night, across the seasons — the software landscape fragments. One tool models photovoltaic yield, another prices hydrogen, a third handles microgrid dispatch, and none of them, in a single workflow, connects the choice of a GPS coordinate to the thickness of a steel pressure vessel wall. A team of Moroccan and French researchers now reports a platform built to close that gap.
The platform, called H2CHAIN and described in the journal Results in Engineering, is a browser-based planning environment that walks a user from site screening to a full probability distribution of production costs without a single line of code. Its authors, led by M. Nachtane, position it against a crowded field of established tools — NREL’s H2FAST and H2Integrate, the SAM renewable yield model, HOMER Pro, GeoH2, HyRAM+ — each of which is mature within its own narrow scope. What none of them offers, the team argues, is the full sequence in one place: geospatial screening, hourly solar and wind generation, electrolyzer performance, mechanically rigorous storage sizing, and chain-level economics, all gated by an enforced energy balance that rejects impossible configurations before a single cost figure is computed.
The technical core is deliberately conservative. Photovoltaic output is modeled from first-principles cell physics, tracking how cell temperature shifts with irradiance and ambient conditions, then correcting the maximum-power-point current and voltage accordingly. Wind turbines follow a piecewise power curve between cut-in, rated and cut-out speeds. The electrolyzer module implements the Ulleberg parameterization of alkaline water electrolysis, in which cell voltage depends on current density and operating temperature through dimensionally consistent coefficient groups. For the reference machine — 24 parallel stacks of 376 cells each, running at 80 degrees Celsius and 3,500 amperes per square meter — the model yields a cell voltage of 1.829 volts and a system-level energy consumption of 52.0 kilowatt-hours per kilogram of hydrogen, once a 98 percent rectifier and a 2.6 percent balance-of-plant overhead are folded in. That translates to a system efficiency of 75.8 percent on the higher heating value, a figure the authors state explicitly to avoid the HHV-versus-LHV ambiguity that plagues the literature.
Storage is where H2CHAIN departs most visibly from cost-correlation-based competitors. Rather than assuming a price per kilogram of stored hydrogen, the platform sizes pressure vessels from Lamé thick-wall elasticity theory. This matters because at the 700-bar pressures typical of hydrogen service, the thin-wall membrane equations that most tools quietly rely on fall outside their validity: the platform’s own comparison shows the membrane relation underpredicts bore hoop stress by more than 10 percent once the radius-to-thickness ratio drops below about 5.4, and by 16 percent at a ratio of 3.5. The software checks the ratio automatically, switches to the thick-wall solution when required, and evaluates both the proof condition at 1.5 times service pressure and the burst condition at 2.25 times, following the safety factors of ISO 11439 and ASME Section VIII Division 3. The resulting steel mass drives the storage capital cost — and, as the case study shows, that choice can move a project’s economics by seven percent.
To demonstrate the workflow end to end, the team sized a hypothetical 100-tonne-per-day green methanol plant at Dakhla on Morocco’s southern Atlantic coast, a site with an annual mean horizontal irradiance of about 6 kilowatt-hours per square meter per day and a prominent role in the national hydrogen program. Tilting the array onto horizontal single-axis trackers lifts the average plane-of-array irradiance to 7.99 kilowatt-hours per square meter per day, a tracking gain of 32 percent. Feeding the synthesis loop’s appetite for hydrogen — 20 tonnes per day once realistic excess factors over stoichiometry are applied — the platform scales the array to 181 megawatts-peak and the alkaline electrolyzer to 151 megawatts nameplate. Because the plant runs on photovoltaics alone, the electrolyzer turns over at just 27.9 percent of the year, roughly 2,446 full-load hours, producing on average 19.5 tonnes of hydrogen per day.
The intermittency is bridged by a fleet of 95 Type I steel pressure vessels at 250 bar, holding 20.3 tonnes of deliverable hydrogen — about 24 hours of backup at the reactor’s consumption rate. Under the platform’s conservative default, which applies both the 2.25 burst multiplier and a separate material safety factor, the governing wall thickness comes to 123.9 millimeters at a bore hoop stress of 306.7 megapascals. The authors are unusually candid about the alternative: under a code-consistent reading in which the 2.25 ratio is itself the margin on ultimate strength, the same vessels need only 51.8-millimeter walls, the storage bank sheds more than half its steel, and the levelized cost of methanol falls from 2,057 to 1,915 dollars per tonne. Any reported vessel design, they conclude, must declare its safety-factor interpretation — because the two readings differ by more than a factor of two in steel mass.
The balance sheets cascade from there. The synthesis loop consumes 51,496 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, delivered as a concentrated stream at 35 dollars per tonne, and produces 35,515 tonnes of methanol at 97.3 percent availability. Electrolysis demands about 71,000 cubic meters of demineralized water per year, which in water-scarce Dakhla means seawater reverse osmosis: 157,842 cubic meters of intake, 86,813 cubic meters of brine discharge, and a modest 0.55 gigawatt-hours of desalination electricity. Oxygen co-produced by electrolysis — 56,369 tonnes per year — goes uncredited, and the reaction water that could theoretically recycle back to the electrolyzer is likewise ignored, keeping the accounting conservative.
The headline economics are sobering. The installed capital of the whole chain reaches 546.6 million dollars after an 18 percent engineering and contingency allowance, with the photovoltaic plant at 144.7 million and the electrolyzer at 189.9 million dominating the equipment list. Annualized over 25 years at an 8 percent real cost of capital, the project costs 73 million dollars per year to own and operate, of which 70 percent is capital recovery — the signature of any system whose marginal energy input, sunlight, is free. The resulting levelized cost of hydrogen is 8.80 dollars per kilogram and the levelized cost of methanol 2,057 dollars per tonne, against fossil methanol production costs of 100 to 250 dollars per tonne. The platform does not sugar-coat this: the configuration is feasible on the hourly hydrogen balance but uncompetitive, with a gap at the base case of roughly 1,700 dollars per tonne.
What distinguishes the study is how that uncertainty is framed. A 40,000-sample Monte Carlo ensemble, seeded for reproducibility, propagates six parameters — electrolyzer and photovoltaic capital costs, cost of capital, fixed operations, specific consumption, and capacity factor — through the full sizing chain rather than a linear approximation around the base case. The distributions come out right-skewed: the median hydrogen cost of 9.04 dollars per kilogram sits 2.7 percent above the deterministic figure, no sample falls below 5.04 dollars, and the maximum reaches 14.80 dollars when an expensive cost of capital coincides with expensive electrolyzers. Critically, when the authors re-ran the ensemble with photovoltaic and electrolyzer capital costs fully rank-correlated — acknowledging that equipment prices respond to common supply-chain drivers — the median barely moved but the uncertainty interval widened appreciably, from 7.51–10.78 to 7.20–11.09 dollars per kilogram. Assuming independence, they note, understates the risk precisely when the two largest capital items move together.
The authors are equally forthright about what the platform is not. The results are verified — checked against closed-form solutions, dimensional homogeneity and mass and energy balance closure — but not validated against operating plant data, and every output should be read as a planning-level estimate rather than engineering guidance. Fatigue, hydrogen embrittlement, permeation and code certification lie outside the vessel model; part-load electrolyzer behavior, grid tariffs, batteries and kinetic reactor modeling are absent; and the tool evaluates user-specified configurations sequentially rather than searching for an optimum. A conversational assistant built on large language models and retrieval-augmented generation helps non-specialists navigate the interface, but it is deliberately decoupled from the numerical core and touches no computed result. Within those limits, H2CHAIN makes a straightforward promise to developers, policymakers and financiers: before capital is committed, the full chain — from a set of coordinates to a wall thickness to a probability distribution of cost — can be stress-tested in a browser, with the energy balance enforced every hour of the year.
Subject of Research: Development of an integrated web platform for energy-balance-constrained techno-economic planning of green hydrogen and power-to-methanol value chains
Article Title: H2CHAIN: Integrated web platform for energy-balance-constrained planning of green hydrogen value chains
Article References: Nachtane, M., Zaari, A., Adeli, K., Qarssis, Y., & Faik, A. (2026). H2CHAIN: Integrated web platform for energy-balance-constrained planning of green hydrogen value chains. Results in Engineering, 32, Article 113417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2026.113417
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2026.113417
Keywords: green hydrogen, power-to-X, electrolysis, photovoltaics, hydrogen storage, pressure vessels, levelized cost of hydrogen, green methanol, techno-economic analysis, Monte Carlo uncertainty, Dakhla Morocco, energy modeling
News Source: Denise Maddox. (October 14, 2026). New web platform puts green hydrogen projects through a full energy-balance stress test. Scienmag.
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Mid Sussex Times and Sussex Express reporter
WDC said the works at Vicarage Lane Car Park will contribute towards the council offices’ sustainability while reducing carbon emissions and making productive use of an existing asset.
The council said the scheme will see around 456 solar panels fitted above parking spaces.
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It said the solar car ports are expected to generate about 217,000 kWh of renewable electricity each year once they are operational, which will offset the energy used at the council offices and lower energy costs.
WDC said the plan is also expected to deliver around £54,000 in annual energy savings, with any generated electricity that the council does not use exported back to the grid.
Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Public Health and Asset Management, said: “Investing in solar is not just about reducing carbon emissions. it is about making better use of the assets we already have to create a cleaner, more sustainable future for our residents. The feedback from residents has been very positive as the project uses a existing asset to meet environmental goals. The solar car port project demonstrates how we can generate renewable energy locally. Most importantly, it is an investment that benefits residents today while helping to build a greener and more resilient community for future generations.”
The works are set to take place in the lower section of Vicarage Lane car park, which the council said will be closed in stages. WDC said the exact timing of the works is still to be confirmed, but said the works should take four months to complete. Construction is planned to start in November this year until March 2027 and is set to be phased to minimise disruption to residents, businesses and visitors.
Leisure Energy is the contractor completing the works on behalf of the council.
The council’s announcement about the works at www.wealden.gov.uk said: “Every effort will be made to keep as many parking spaces available as possible throughout the works.
“During the construction period, motorists will be encouraged to use alternative car parks in Hailsham which include, South Road Car Park, a 23-hour car park, Vicarage Field East, which provides three-hour parking and Vicarage Field West which provides six-hour stay parking. Existing parking legislation and restrictions within Vicarage Lane car park will continue to apply during the works.
“Once the solar car ports are complete, a height restriction barrier will be installed at the entrance to the bottom 23-hour car park which will mean that high-sided vehicles will no longer be able to utilise that area of the car park.”
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Axpo and IWB’s 4,872-panel Muttsee installation recorded 616 kWh per kilowatt in its first winter, far above lowland rivals
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Getting a crane to the Muttsee dam required dismantling it in the valley below, flying the pieces upward by helicopter, and reassembling the machine at altitude. That construction reality captures everything you need to know about AlpinSolar: ambitious, logistically demanding, and engineered for a problem lowland solar cannot easily solve.
The plant, owned by energy companies Axpo and IWB with Denner as its long-term electricity demand off-taker, reached full operation in August 2022. Its first measured year, October 2022 through September 2023, recorded an annual yield of 1,434 kilowatt-hours per installed kilowatt, with winter half-year output reaching 616 kilowatt-hours per installed kilowatt.
That winter figure ran 3.8 times higher than the reference plant near Payerne in the Swiss lowlands, according to Axpo. Reference sites recorded unusually weak results from January through May of that period, which widened the apparent gap. One measured year is a strong result, not a settled verdict.
Altitude, cold air, and a well-oriented dam face combine to give this installation its winter edge.
Sitting above Switzerland’s fog belt keeps the panels in sunlight that lowland installations may receive less of due to fog and other local conditions. Cold temperatures also improve photovoltaic operating efficiency, and the dam’s orientation supports consistent exposure to winter sunlight.
Panel mounting angles of 51 or 65 degrees encourage snow to slide off rather than accumulate. Engineers deliberately left the lowest section of the dam wall without panels, giving falling snow a clear landing zone.
A carefully maintained inspection corridor behind the panels serves both structural safety and long-term maintainability.
A 1.5-meter corridor, roughly five feet, separates the panels from the concrete dam face. This gap is a safety and maintainability measure: technicians use it to inspect the structure for cracks, including after seismic events, and according to Axpo’s account of the installation, a fissure map is prepared at least every five years.
The corridor also creates a trade-off for the bifacial panels, which are designed to generate electricity from both front and rear surfaces. Measured rear-side optical gain reached approximately 1.5% annually, with the concrete wall limiting rear illumination. Snow-reflected light reaching the front surface compensates in part, but a freestanding installation would deliver better rear-side conditions.
Strong seasonal output and subsidy eligibility are related but not the same thing.
AlpinSolar generates approximately 3.3 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year. Under Switzerland’s Solar Express subsidy framework, projects must produce at least 10 gigawatt-hours annually, a threshold the plant does not meet despite clearing the program’s winter performance bar of 500 kilowatt-hours per installed kilowatt.
Replication also requires conditions that rarely converge: an existing dam, an available grid connection, favorable solar exposure, and a committed electricity buyer. Remove any one of those, and the calculus changes before accounting for the helicopter logistics.
Beyond raw generation, the plant now contributes to Swiss grid stability through an aggregated balancing pilot.
AlpinSolar took on a grid-stabilization role in August 2025 through Swissgrid’s PV4Balancing pilot, according to Axpo. Under the arrangement, the plant can reduce its output when the grid runs a surplus, contributing to what the industry calls tertiary balancing energy. In practical terms, it can throttle down on demand, a service more commonly associated with conventional power company stations.
Because individual solar plants are too small for direct balancing-market participation, the pilot groups AlpinSolar with other photovoltaic installations for collective access.
AlpinSolar is a credible demonstration of alpine solar potential, with site-specific limits worth understanding clearly.
AlpinSolar demonstrates that existing infrastructure, steep panel angles, and altitude can combine to deliver meaningful winter solar output where lowland plants produce comparatively less. The site conditions at Muttsee are specific, the construction demands were significant, and the performance comparison covers a single year with noted caveats. That is a credible beginning, not a ready-made template.
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Anker and Jackery have introduced big discounts across their most popular portable power stations, with many deals that match – or beat – the prices we saw during Prime Day. We’re tracking Anker’s best deals at both its own website and on Amazon, while Jackery’s discounts can be found on the retailer’s website.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Jackery and Anker. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Anker’s SOLIX brand is hosting a Prime Day Encore Sale with deals price matched from Prime Day, free gifts, and more. This sale is focused on Anker’s high-end SOLIX portable power stations, with options that range from 1-2 days of backup to 3-5 days of backup.

For cheaper options, Amazon has notable markdowns on lower-cost SOLIX batteries, like the popular SOLIX C300 Portable Power Station with Lantern for $199.99 ($50 off). If you’re shopping on Anker’s website, be sure to make your purchases before October 14, when the sale ends.

Over on Jackery’s website, you’ll find up to 65% off a wide array of portable power stations, solar generators, add-on batteries, and more. This is another Prime Day encore event, and is set to run through October 14.

If you’re on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find as we head into the holidays? You can sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we’ll keep you updated so you don’t miss the biggest deals of the season!

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Tiny Silica–Alumina Coating Shrugs Off Years of UV Beating in New Solar Glass Test
Solar panels live hard lives. Mounted on rooftops and in open fields, their glass covers absorb decades of sunlight, dust, rain, and temperature swings, and every percentage point of light that fails to reach the underlying cells is money lost. A research team at the DST-IIEST Solar PV HUB, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) Shibpur in West Bengal, India, has now put a new candidate coating through one of the most punishing tests a solar glass additive can face: accelerated ultraviolet aging. Their study, published in the Journal of Materials Science, examines how a novel silica–alumina antireflective hydrophilic coating holds up when bombarded with UV radiation far beyond what a typical sunny year would deliver, and the results point toward a material that keeps its optical and surface properties remarkably intact.
The coating itself is deceptively simple in composition. It consists of 99 percent acid-catalyzed silica sol blended with just 1 percent alumina sol, deposited onto ordinary glass substrates. Sol-gel chemistry of this kind is a workhorse of modern optical coatings: molecular precursors are dissolved in a liquid, catalyzed to form a connected oxide network, and then applied to a surface where they cure into a thin, transparent film. Acid catalysis tends to produce relatively dense, smooth silica networks, which is precisely what a coating meant to sit on solar glass needs. The tiny alumina addition is the strategic ingredient, incorporated to modify surface chemistry and reinforce the hydrophilic behavior that gives the coating its self-cleaning character.
Why does hydrophilicity matter for solar glass? When a surface strongly attracts water, rain droplets spread into a thin sheet rather than beading up. Sheet-like wetting washes away dust and grime instead of leaving behind the dried, circular stains that water beads produce as they evaporate. For photovoltaic installations, that difference translates directly into maintained transmittance: soiled glass can slash power output substantially, and self-cleaning surfaces reduce the frequency and cost of manual washing. Hydrophilic antireflective coatings therefore promise a double benefit, cutting reflection losses at the air-glass interface while simultaneously keeping the surface cleaner over its service life.
The antireflective function comes from the physics of thin films. A porous oxide layer with a refractive index between that of air and glass causes reflected waves from the top and bottom of the film to interfere destructively, canceling each other out and letting more light pass through to the solar cells beneath. Decades of research, documented in studies ranging from colloidal silica films to block-copolymer-assisted mesoporous layers, have shown that such coatings can meaningfully boost the efficiency of solar cells protected by nanostructured glass. The persistent challenge, however, has been durability. Porous coatings are mechanically fragile, and outdoor exposure degrades them through abrasion, moisture cycling, and, critically, ultraviolet radiation.
UV light is a particularly insidious degradation agent because its photons carry enough energy to break chemical bonds and drive photochemical reactions in many materials. Organic polymer coatings yellow, crack, and lose function within a few years of sun exposure, which is why the field has increasingly turned toward inorganic oxide systems that are intrinsically resistant to photodegradation. But intrinsic resistance must be demonstrated, not assumed. Even all-inorganic coatings can undergo subtle changes under prolonged UV exposure: surface hydroxyl groups can rearrange, pore structures can densify, and adsorbed contaminants can be photo-fixed onto the surface in ways that alter wettability and transparency over time.
This is where the new study makes its contribution. The researchers subjected their silica–alumina coated glass to accelerated UV exposure tests, a standard strategy in materials reliability research in which samples receive intense, controlled doses of ultraviolet radiation to simulate years of outdoor service in a compressed laboratory timeframe. By concentrating the radiation, aging studies can reveal degradation trends that would take a decade or more to observe in the field. The team then tracked how three key families of properties evolved across the exposure period: the surface morphology of the film, its hydrophilicity as measured by water contact angle, and its optical performance, particularly transparency in the visible and near-infrared ranges that matter most for photovoltaic conversion.
The headline finding is significant durability. According to the study, the coating’s effectiveness persisted through the accelerated aging regimen, with the critical parameters of contact angle, surface roughness, and transparency remaining stable where lesser coatings would be expected to drift. In practical terms, this means the film continued to welcome water into sheet-like wetting, preserved the fine surface texture that underpins both its wetting behavior and its antireflective interference effect, and kept transmitting light without the haze or discoloration that UV exposure induces in vulnerable materials. For a solar glass coating, that combination of retained wettability, retained texture, and retained transparency is exactly the trifecta that determines whether a laboratory success can become a field-worthy product.
The authors, Anagh Maitra, Rittwik Majumder, and Santanu Maity, frame the work as providing insight into the applicability of synthesized silica-alumina-based hydrophilic coatings under UV stress, offering valuable information about the longevity of such coatings. That longevity question is central to the economics of solar energy. A coating that boosts efficiency on day one but degrades within two seasons is a net loss once installation costs are counted. Demonstrating stability under accelerated UV aging is a crucial gate on the path from bench to rooftop, and the new results suggest that the 99:1 silica-to-alumina formulation clears that gate with room to spare. The work was carried out with logistical support from the DST-IIEST Solar PV HUB, under projects funded through the Department of Science and Technology’s solar research initiatives, underscoring India’s active investment in photovoltaic materials research.
The study also sits within a broader and rapidly evolving landscape of functional glass coatings. Researchers have pursued superhydrophobic nanograss surfaces that repel water entirely, lubricant-infused slippery surfaces, alumina-based self-cleaning films, dendritic nano-silica coatings with anti-fogging properties, and double-layer mesoporous systems optimized for broadband antireflection. Each approach trades off different properties: hydrophobic surfaces shed water but can accumulate dust differently, while highly porous films achieve low refractive indices but risk mechanical weakness. Hydrophilic antireflective coatings occupy an attractive middle ground for solar applications, combining sheet-wetting self-cleaning with the optical interference benefit, and the addition of a small alumina fraction appears to stabilize that balance under the harshest condition solar coatings face: relentless ultraviolet irradiation.
Beyond solar glass, the implications extend to any transparent surface that must stay clean and clear under sunlight: greenhouse panels, skylights, display covers, camera windows, and architectural glazing all face the same pairing of UV exposure and soiling. The demonstration that a simple, low-alumina sol-gel formulation maintains its hydrophilicity, roughness, and transparency under accelerated UV aging suggests a versatile platform rather than a single-purpose product. As photovoltaic capacity expands worldwide and operators seek every available efficiency gain, durable coatings that squeeze more light into cells while keeping themselves clean could become standard equipment. This study provides the kind of accelerated-aging evidence that turns a promising material into a credible one, and it marks a step toward antireflective hydrophilic glass that can spend twenty-five years in the sun without surrendering the properties it was designed for.
Subject of Research: UV aging durability of a silica–alumina antireflective hydrophilic coating for solar glass
Article Title: Performance durability study under accelerated UV aging of a novel silica–alumina antireflective hydrophilic coating for solar glass and various applications
Article References: Performance durability study under accelerated UV aging of a novel silica–alumina antireflective hydrophilic coating for solar glass and various applications. (n.d.). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-026-13932-0
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1007/s10853-026-13932-0
Keywords: solar glass, antireflective coating, hydrophilic coating, silica, alumina, UV aging, sol-gel, photovoltaics, self-cleaning, contact angle, transparency, materials durability
News Source: Neil Sanderson. (October 14, 2026). Tiny Silica–Alumina Coating Shrugs Off Years of UV Beating in New Solar Glass Test. Scienmag.
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By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 14: The installation of solar photovoltaic systems at government premises nationwide includes 283 rural schools in Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia, alongside 46 Federal Government buildings, four Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) border posts and an Orang Asli village, Works Minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi said.
According to a TVS news report, Nanta said the initiative which involves the installation of installation of grid-connected photovoltaic (GCPV) and off-grid photovoltaic (OGPV) systems implemented by the Public Works Department (JKR), has the potential to save up to RM115 million annually in energy costs compared with conventional electricity usage.
“This reflects the government’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions while saving electricity costs for building operations.
“The energy cost savings are estimated to reach RM115 million annually, and we hope this programme can be continued in the future to further enhance savings,” he was reported as saying at a press conference after attending the Handover Ceremony for the Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaic System Installation Project at Government Buildings, which was also attended by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan at Wisma Putra today.
Meanwhile, TVS reported that in a separate statement, the Ministry of Works (KKR) informed that the five handed-over projects involve six government premises, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Water Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM), Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM), and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID).
The projects feature a combined total installed capacity of 779.86 kilowatt-peak (kWp) and are capable of generating 1,070 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity annually.
The initiative aligns with the nation’s aspirations to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR).
The government-building solar installation programme, led by the Ministry of Economy, received an allocation of RM57.6 million. – DayakDaily
 
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Home » Environment » Ideas We Should Steal: Plug-In Solar

So far, House Bill 1971 is in committee. The current legislative session ends in December, and the bill’s sponsor, Representative Chris Pielli, plans to reintroduce the bill until it gets a vote. Contact your state representatives about getting plu-in solar power legal in PA.

The Philadelphia Citizen and Changing The Conversation Together invite you to Election Protection & De-escalation Training on Tuesday, October 20 from 6:30 to 9:00 pm in Center City (exact location TBA).
You’ll learn practical skills, including what to do if you encounter ICE or other federal agents near the polls, de-escalation, and how to assess situations for safety, voters’ rights basics, and how to respond to disinformation, how to document incidents safely, which people and resources can help, including poll workers, election officials, and legal support, so everyone can cast their ballot safely.
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Philadelphians are feeling the pinch of rising power bills. The issue dominated PA’s recent gubernatorial debate, with Governor Josh Shapiro favoring using all available energy sources — solar, wind, oil and gas —and Republican challenger State Treasurer Stacy Garrity swanting to increase natural gas fracking in PA.
Democratic state representative Chris Pielli believes he has a different solution: solar panels people can plug into their electric sockets. Plug-in solar arrays are small, portable — roughly the size of a door — panels that consumers can plug directly into an outlet. The technology allows houses to power some of their electrical appliances, a laptop say, or a refrigerator, for the fraction of a cost of a rooftop array.
Pielli has introduced a bill, House Bill 1971, that would make plug-in systems legal in PA — and it’s gaining bipartisan support: 38 co-sponsors, mostly Democrats, but a handful of Republicans, too.
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Election Protection & De-escalation Training
Plug in solar to reduce energy costs
BY Courtney DuChene
Oct. 14, 2026
Philadelphians are feeling the pinch of rising power bills.
Last year, PECO raised its rates, and power bills increased by about 10 percent for Philadelphia households. Combine that with water and gas rate hikes, and the average city household paid $30 more per month last year. Pennsylvania is one of 26 states where electricity rates have risen faster than inflation — and it’s not stopping anytime soon. PECO has plans to hike rates again in 2027, citing the need for grid and natural gas pipeline upgrades and increasing power usage, driven in part by demand from data centers.
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The issue dominated PA’s recent gubernatorial debate, with Governor Josh Shapiro and Republican challenger State Treasurer Stacy Garrity sparring over the best ways to increase energy production in the state. Shapiro favors using all available energy sources — solar, wind, oil and gas — while Garrity wants to increase natural gas fracking in PA.
In the meantime, Democratic state representative Chris Pielli of the 156th Legislative District, covering parts of Chester County, believes he has a different solution: solar panels people can plug into their electric sockets — lowering their electric bills today.
The technology allows houses to power some of their electrical appliances, a laptop say, or a refrigerator, for the fraction of a cost of a rooftop array. Costs for a traditional set of 5kW rooftop panels ranges from $11,100 to $22,400, whereas a plug-in array, now in use in Utah, California New Jersey and seven more states, costs anywhere from $300 to $2,000.
Pielli has introduced a bill, House Bill 1971, that would make plug-in systems legal in PA — and it’s gaining bipartisan support: 38 co-sponsors, mostly Democrats, but a handful of Republicans, too.
“People are really hurting,” Pielli says. “This is a really good way of lowering power bills and cutting red tape.”
Plug-in solar arrays are small, portable — roughly the size of a door — panels that consumers can plug directly into an outlet. The panels attach to a microinverter (the part that plugs into the wall), which allows power to flow from the panel into the home. The systems typically feature one to three panels; each one generates about 270 kWh per year, per estimates from the nonprofit Bright Saver, which advances plug-in solar legislation in the states.
That might not seem like a lot, but it can have a significant impact on monthly bills. Experts estimate that plug-in solar arrays can cover anywhere between 10 to 30 percent of a home’s energy use, depending on the size of the unit, how sunny it is, and the size of the home. Bright Saver’s savings calculator tool estimates that a 180-watt plug-in unit could save the average Philadelphian $535 in its first 10 years of use.
“We feel we need to get these into people’s hands, so that you can touch them, you can see them, you can see your neighbor has one,” says Cora Stryker, founder of Bright Saver. “It’s hard to believe, in a way, that you can have a system that plugs into the wall that you can remove and take with you when you move.”
The units also allow renters — not just homeowners — to access solar power, since a renter can plug in the unit and then unplug it and take it with them when they move. Their convenience has earned them the nickname “balcony solar” because people with balconies can set up a panel outside. (They can also be mounted on a roof, an outdoor wall, a shed or pretty much anywhere outside).
“I rent an apartment. I don’t own the home. I don’t own the roof. So installing solar panels is not an option for me,” says Belle Sherwood, a clean energy and climate advocate with PennEnvironment. “Community solar is still not approved here in Pennsylvania, so I also can’t lease energy from solar fields somewhere. So the next best option for me would be to plug in small panels and offset some of the energy I use and reduce my reliance on fossil fuels.”
In Europe, plug-in solar units have become so common that IKEA sells them. All people have to do to get one is head to the store, toss it in the cart alongside the latest DIY dresser model, and grab Swedish meatballs on the way out. Germans are leading the charge, installing more than 1 million plug-in systems between 2022 and 2025.
In the U.S. it’s … not quite that simple. When homeowners install traditional, rooftop solar arrays, they go through a lengthy permitting process and sign agreements with local utilities to connect their panels to the grid. There’s no such regulations for plug-in panels. In many states, they exist in a legal grey area.
Electric utility companies around the U.S. are worried that plug-in solar units could pose a safety risk to electrical lineman. Typically power flows from an outside line, through an outlet into an appliance or a light bulb. Balcony solar reverses that — sending power from the outlet into homes and then back to the grid. Utilities, including Pittsburgh’s Duquesne Light, have said they’re worried that if there’s an outage, plug-in units could continue sending power back onto the grid, potentially electrocuting repairmen working on lines they thought were downed. But most units automatically shut off in the event of a power outage, so this is unlikely and this tech has been used safely in Europe for decades.
Several utilities have said they’d prefer residents sign connectivity agreements, which outline testing and metering requirements, operating responsibilities, maintenance and insurance, etc. — creating a lengthy and costly permitting and regulatory process that would significantly drive up the costs to install balcony solar.
“This shouldn’t be a political football. This is about energy independence. That’s not a Democratic or a Republican issue.” — Democratic state representative Chris Pielli
“We’re never going to reach the model of accessibility if we have that kind of friction,” Stryker says. “Every single bill sets safety standards and that’s incredibly important because right now you can go online and order what I would call rogue systems that have no certification and really have questionable safety.”
Micah Gold-Markel, founder of the rooftop solar installation company Solar States, isn’t worried about plugging the units into an outlet. He sees wind as a bigger risk. Solar panels are large and flat, similar in some ways to a ship’s sail. They catch wind, and if they’re not properly mounted, can disconnect, fly around and fall. Still, even though plug-in solar could arguably compete with his own business, Gold-Markel is in favor of bringing the technology to PA — so long as users ensure they’re attached with durable, metal fasteners.
He sees plug-in solar as part of a larger, clean energy, environmental mission. “The more solar that we can get on the grid, the better,” Gold-Markel says. “It’s nibbling around the corners. Not every project can be thousands and thousands of solar panels. You have to do everything you can.”
Utah, somewhat surprisingly, was the first state to legalize plug-in solar in 2025. State Representative Raymond Ward, a Republican, introduced the bill.
It’s not often that deep red states (59.4 percent of Utah voters voted for Trump in 2024) lead the charge in implementing new, sustainable tech. But plug-in solar has a get-off-the-grid, libertarian appeal. YouTubers promote units that can be installed in two minutes in a backyard — with nary a mention of legality issues.
“[Representative Raymond Ward] did not mention climate. He did not really mention equity,” Stryker says. “It was really passed on this don’t-tell-me what-to-do-in-my-backyard mentality: Why shouldn’t I be able to plug in an appliance that saves me money?”
So far, 34 states plus Washington, D.C. have introduced some kind of plug-in solar legislation, including in Georgia, Arizona, New Mexico, Washington and Wyoming, where concerns from utility companies have delayed bills or caused legislators to put them on hold.
Utah’s legislation caps electrical output from plug-in solar units at 1,200 watts — less energy than a typical household uses. It also asked Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a company that develops safety standards for appliances and electrical products and certifies them, to create a certification for plug-in panels.
They released a framework, UL3700, in January of this year. Seven months later, a UL-compliant microconverter hit the market. Its system automatically shuts off if a home loses power, protecting grid workers from electrocution. The system is still fairly new, so there’s not much data on plug-in solar adoption in the U.S.
Pielli’s bill would allow Pennsylvanians to purchase and plug in a balcony solar unit without signing a connectivity agreement with the utility company. It would ban electricity distributors from charging fees to customers who use a system that has been safety-certified. It also uses 1,200 watts as a limit for the units.
“We want to make sure everything’s safe,” Pielli says. “All it takes is one bad incident to give a bad name to something that’s really good.”
Stryker believes that the PA state legislature passing plug-in solar would be a “watershed” moment for the cause. PA would be the first purple (or swing) state to allow the technology.
“I really see PA as a model for the nation,” Stryker says. “It’s really going to show that this is not partisan; it’s just common sense.”
PA’s legislative session ends in December. If the bill doesn’t pass, Pielli plans to keep reintroducing it. “This shouldn’t be a political football,” he says. “This is about energy independence. That’s not a Democratic or a Republican issue.”
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Oswal Pumps Ltd has announced plans to set up a 1.2 GW solar cell manufacturing facility based on TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) technology, deepening backward integration across the solar value chain.
The company currently manufactures solar pumping systems, solar modules and electric motors manufacturer in India. Its board of directors recently approved the proposed cell facility through its wholly owned subsidiary, Oswal Solar Energy Pvt Ltd (OSEPL).
Oswal Pumps expects commercial production at the facility to begin by April 2028.
“The entire output is intended for captive consumption by OSEPL’s in-house solar module lines. It is intended to secure a steady, reliable supply of DCR cells and reduce the Company’s exposure to spot-market price volatility and supplier-driven commercial terms. It will also extend OSEPL’s value addition from module assembly into cell manufacturing,” stated the company. “Together, these benefits are expected to strengthen the group’s cost structure, competitive positioning in Government-backed programmes, and profitability at the consolidated level over time.”
The total project cost is estimated at around INR 456 crore. Of this, about INR 296 crore is proposed to be funded through debt. The balance INR 159.85 crore is proposed to be funded from the unutilised IPO proceeds of INR 163.04 crore, which were originally earmarked for the aluminium frame facility, the remaining 300 MW of EVA encapsulant facility and the remaining 500 MW solar module facility. The company proposes to deploy the Net Proceeds towards the aforementioned solar cell manufacturing facility by Financial Year 2028.
With a capacity of 1.2 GW, the cell facility is expected to meet approximately 75% of OSEPL’s total cell requirements, with the remainder continuing to be sourced externally in the near term. The company currently operates a 570 MW solar module line and has an additional 1 GW of module capacity under construction.
“Bringing cell manufacturing in-house gives us greater control over quality, cost and timelines,” said Vivek Gupta, chairman and managing director, Oswal Pumps Ltd. “With ALMM List-II now in force, demand for domestically manufactured cells is set to rise sharply. We see this as the right opportunity to invest. Choosing TOPCon technology ensures we are building for the future, with higher efficiency and better long-term performance for our customers.”
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Oswal Pumps Limited, one of India’s leading manufacturers of solar pumping systems, solar modules and electric motors, today announced that the Board of Directors of its wholly owned subsidiary, Oswal Solar Energy Private Limited (“OSEPL”) has approved plans to set up a 1.2 GW solar cell manufacturing facility based on TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) technology.
The commercial production is expected to commence by April 2028. The entire output is intended for captive consumption by OSEPL’s in-house solar module lines. It is intended to secure a steady, reliable supply of DCR cells and reduce the Company’s exposure to spot-market price volatility and supplier-driven commercial terms. It will also extend OSEPL’s value addition from module assembly into cell manufacturing. Together, these benefits are expected to strengthen the group’s cost structure, competitive positioning in Government-backed programmes, and profitability at the consolidated level over time.
The total project cost is estimated at approximately Rs 456 crore. Of this, about Rs 296 crore is proposed to be funded through debt. The balance of Rs 159.85 crore is proposed to be funded from the unutilised IPO proceeds of Rs 163.04 crore, which were originally earmarked for the Aluminium Frame Facility, the remaining 300 MW EVA Encapsulant Facility and the remaining 500 MW Solar Module Facility through infusion in OSEPL. It is proposed to deploy the Net Proceeds towards the aforementioned solar cell manufacturing facility by Financial Year 2028.
The Board of Directors of the Company in its meeting held today, inter-alia, approved variation in the objects/ terms of utilisation of the IPO proceeds and modification of the time limit for the utilisation of the IPO Proceeds, subject to the receipt of requisite statutory/ regulatory approvals including the approval of the Shareholders of the Company.
Strategic rationale 
The Company evaluated long-term sourcing arrangements with established domestic cell manufacturers, including multi-year off-take commitments. The commercial terms available, covering both pricing and upfront security deposit requirements, were not aligned with the Company’s assessment of long-term value or its approach to prudent working capital management. This puts both availability and cost of the key input outside the Company’s control, a strategic exposure for a business anchored to DCR-dependent programmes (PM-KUSUM, PM Surya Ghar). A comparative evaluation found that setting up captive cell manufacturing capacity was the more economically viable option.
Backward-integrating into cell manufacturing directly addresses this: it secures supply, insulates OSEPL from spot price and deposit demands, deepens value addition from module assembly into cell manufacturing, and is expected to improve the margin and profitability at the consolidated level for the Company. 
The change re-directs scarce IPO capital from a low value-add, deferrable component (frames), surplus module capacity, and surplus EVA encapsulant capacity to the highest-leverage point in the chain (cells), where control of supply is now business-critical.
At a capacity of 1.2 GW, it will meet approximately 75% of the OSEPL’s overall cell requirement, with the balance continuing to be sourced externally in the near term.
Commenting on the order, Vivek Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director, Oswal Pumps Limited, said,“The decision to set up a 1.2 GW TOPCon solar cell facility marks a defining step in Oswal Pumps’ journey from a pump manufacturer to a fully integrated solar solutions company. Over the years, we have built strong capabilities in solar modules, pumps and complete solar pumping systems. Bringing cell manufacturing in-house completes that value chain and gives us greater control over quality, cost and timelines.
With ALMM List-II now in force, demand for domestically manufactured cells is set to rise sharply. We see this as the right opportunity to invest. Choosing TOPCon technology ensures we are building for the future, with higher efficiency and better long-term performance for our customers.
India’s renewable energy ambitions, together with programmes such as PM-KUSUM and PM Surya Ghar, give us strong visibility of demand. We are confident this investment will strengthen our competitive position and create long-term value for all our stakeholders.”
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The major milestone for the Intera Renewables-owned 240 MW / 960 MWh Summerfield battery energy storage system (BESS) was announced by e-Storage, the energy storage-focused subsidiary of PV giant Canadian Solar.
e-Storage is delivering the project for Intera, the clean energy investment platform of Australian asset manager Palisade Investment Partners, under a turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract.
The Canadian group has supplied and integrated more than 200 of its SolBank 3.0 battery containers for the project, located in the Murraylands region near Mannum, about 55 kilometres east of Adelaide, and also has a long-term service agreement in place covering performance and operations of the BESS.
In its latest project update, Intera said testing and commissioning activities, along with rehabilitation of temporary construction and support areas, will continue until the end of the year with the four-hour BESS expected to commence full operations in 2027.
The company said once operational, Summerfield will add 240 MW of battery storage capacity to the network, playing an important role in supporting South Australia’s grid stability and energy storage needs as the state moves toward 100% renewables.
“Once fully operational, the Summerfield BESS will support South Australia’s clean energy ambitions by storing more affordable renewable energy when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing and releasing it into the grid when it is needed most,” the company said.
The Summerfield BESS project was acquired by Palisade through Intera earlier this year from Danish renewables giant Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) 
The project is underpinned by a long-term offtake agreement with electricity generator and retailer Origin Energy which has signed a 10-year power purchase agreement to buy 100% of the facilities output.
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French lightweight PV module manufacturer Heliup has partnered with Elevate, a Holcim Group brand specializing in waterproofing and insulation, to launch Solar Light TPO, an offer combining Heliup’s lightweight Stykon PV modules with Holcim’s UltraPly TPO waterproofing membrane, available in thicknesses ranging from 1.5 mm to 2 mm.
Solar Light TPO weighs 7 kg/m², compared with 15 kg/m² to 20 kg/m² for conventional systems, including the waterproofing membrane. It uses a mounting method that requires no roof penetrations, additional rails, or ballast.
“This makes it possible to install PV systems on flat roofs that were previously difficult to equip, particularly on commercial, industrial and logistics buildings, as well as public facilities,” Jean-Luc Roudaut, director of new photovoltaic market development at Holcim, told pv magazine France.
The system can also accommodate different roof designs, including pitched roofs, sawtooth roofs with slopes of up to 100%, and curved surfaces. It is suitable for both new construction and roof waterproofing renovations.
The UltraPly TPO membrane is available in three thicknesses: 1.5 mm, 1.8 mm and 2 mm. The thickest option is particularly suitable for roofs requiring regular maintenance and servicing.
“Our profiles are highly complementary, allowing us to leverage multiple routes to market based on specific needs: a network of waterproofing contractors and project managers on Holcim’s side, and project owners, solar industry players and developers on Heliup’s side,” said Roudaut.
Solar Light TPO has obtained an Enquête de Technique Nouvelle (ETN), a French technical assessment for innovative construction systems, and a Broof (t3) fire classification.
The system also meets French regulatory requirements for buildings open to the public (ERP) and facilities classified for environmental protection (ICPE).
“The advantage of the ETN is that it allows photovoltaic panels to be installed up to two years after the membrane is laid,” said Julien Gaume, technical director at Heliup. “This offers the flexibility to renovate the roof first and then add solar capacity later to comply with regulatory obligations.”
In March, Heliup raised €16 million ($17.9 million) to accelerate large-scale deployment of its lightweight PV technology.
Heliup said the funds will strengthen its commercial teams, expand production capacity at its French industrial site, prepare replicable industrial units, and continue technology development.
The company, based in Le Bourget-du-Lac in France’s Savoie region, operates a 4,000 m² factory in Le Cheylas, Isère, which has been operational since January 2025. The facility can produce up to 100 MW per year, which is equivalent to about 500,000 m² of panels.
Heliup launched a 10 MW pilot production line in 2023 under the France 2030 program and previously raised €10 million. In 2025, it expanded to industrial-scale production with support from the European Union’s Innovation Fund through the Solar HEliup Energy for Flat roofTop (SHEEFT) project.
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By restricting the directions in which organic solar cells emit light, researchers at ICFO have reduced Boltzmann losses, opening a possible route beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit.
Researchers at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO, Institut de Ciències Fotòniques) in Barcelona have found a way to cut a largely overlooked source of efficiency loss in solar cells, known as Boltzmann losses. They have published their results in the journal Energy & Environmental Science.
Solar cells absorb light and convert it into electricity, but in the process they inevitably emit some light too. The trouble is in the geometry. Seen from Earth, the sun is a small point in the sky, so its light reaches the cell from a narrow range of angles.
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The cell, by contrast, emits light in almost every direction above it, across a cone that covers nearly the entire hemisphere. The gap between the narrow angle at which light arrives and the wide angle at which it leaves costs the cell a portion of its efficiency. These are known as Boltzmann losses, after the Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann, who first linked entropy to the behaviour of particles.
To narrow the gap between incoming and outgoing light, the team led by Professor Jordi Martorell (ICFO and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia) took an organic solar cell based on the PM6:Y6 blend and turned it into an optical cavity. A silver electrode on the front of the cell reflects light across a wide range of angles.
Split Declaration: Mediterranean states back faster energy transition
Together with a second silver electrode on the rear, it forms an optical cavity that suppresses light emission at wide angles and in this way narrows the emission cone, while still letting through sunlight arriving from the front. Co-author Francisco Bernal-Texca says: “Our study is a significant step forward in the field of solar energy conversion, as it opens up a completely unexplored route to overcoming the Shockley-Queisser limit.” That limit, namely the theoretical maximum efficiency for a single-junction solar cell, stands at 33.16 percent.
In principle, the gains could be substantial. “If the emission cone can be narrowed enough to better match the absorption cone of the incoming sunlight, which is exactly what our work demonstrates experimentally, solar cells will in principle be able to reach efficiencies close to 43 percent,” Bernal-Texca adds.
Martorell expects the principle to travel well beyond his immediate field of expertise: “Although the route to achieving such gains is demonstrated here on an organic solar cell, the underlying principle is not specific to organic materials and is in principle applicable to all photovoltaic technologies.” Bernal-Texca also points out that “the simplicity of the cavity cell design introduces no additional manufacturing complexity, unlike many of the approaches currently being explored to overcome the Shockley-Queisser limit.”
Power to the people: Spain’s energy communities reach 837
For Martorell, the case for higher efficiency is best framed in practical terms: “Achieving higher efficiencies is essential because they translate directly into lower costs per watt and a more efficient use of area and materials in the deployment of solar energy.” (nhp)
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Perth-based construction company Mechanical Project Services (MPS) has successfully completed the rollout of a combined 270 kW of solar spread across 27 rooftops in the remote Western Australian community of Mowanjum.
The solar arrays, averaging 10 kW each and featuring lightweight flexible solar panels provided by Chinese manufacturer Sunman Energy, have been installed across selected rooftops – those best suited by orientation, shading and condition.
MPS National General Manager Billy Quinncroft said the Sunman panels had helped address some of the challenges associated with the project, including extreme heat, complex logistics, vast distances, and tight timeframes.
“They sit flush with the roof with no glass surface or exposed racking, making the resistant to damage while being considerably lighter, a design suited to roofs that may not hold the structural integrity needed to withstand the weight of traditional glass panels,” he said.
“The result is a more rugged, low-maintenance installation built to deliver reliable performance for years to come.”
The project was delivered as part of government-owned utility Horizon Power’s Kimberley Communities Solar Saver (KCSS) program – an initiative designed to remove the barrier of individual household cost and ensure that the community benefits collectively from solar generation.
Under the KCSS program, backed by the state and federal governments, rooftop solar systems are installed on selected rooftops in the community with the energy credits generated shared equally among all households, regardless of whether their individual roof has panels
Horizon describes the model as being “like a solar farm, using residential rooftops instead of land,” adding the approach is reducing reliance on high-cost diesel generation and lowering electricity costs for households with pre-paid meters.
Mowanjum is the sixth community in the Kimberley to benefit from the program. A combined 1.38 MW of rooftop solar across 125 systems has also been installed in the communities of Warmun, Bidyadanga, Ardyaloon, Yungngora and Beagle Bay.
Horizon said since the launch of the program in 2024, KCSS has delivered more than $185,000 in energy-saving credits to the six communities, with approximately 435 homes benefiting from the program. The utility noted that the program is funded to continue expanding.
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A Minnesota regulatory case is drawing a lot of attention related to tribal sovereignty and the pursuit of clean energy. Industry voices celebrate a victory but obstacles remain.
The Public Utilities Commission recently found Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and Power Association acted unlawfully by threatening to disconnect the Upper Sioux Community over its behind-the-meter solar and battery project.
Hudson Kingston, legal director for the rural-focused environmental advocacy group CURE, said despite the outcome, a leftover issue is whether it is firmly established in state law that tribal governments have the right to switch utilities if they feel they need better service. Kingston noted the commission did not make a call on the question.
“It’s very unfortunate because utilities are risk-averse, and without that sort of clear certainty, there is ambiguity about how the state of Minnesota would react if a utility attempted to serve a tribe because the tribe had selected them,” Kingston pointed out.
He suggested it could make it harder for all of Minnesota’s tribal governments wanting to pursue renewables and still partner with a receptive utility. Kingston also expects the commission’s decision to be challenged by the cooperative.
At issue was Minnesota Valley’s argument the project exceeded kilowatt limits for members but Upper Sioux leaders said it is a nonfactor because the electricity is meant for local purposes, not the grid.
Groups outside of Minnesota were closely monitoring this case.
Daniel Wiggins Jr., executive director of the Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association, said it reinforces the belief tribal governments need to have their own say about energy resources for the communities they serve.
“Tribes are always going to probably flex that sovereignty muscle and make sure that we’re doing the best things for our communities. And unfortunately for utilities, that might mean reducing our carbon footprint,” Wiggins explained.
Whether a utility has its own zero-carbon goals or mandates, like they do in Minnesota, he suggested profit motivations complicate such situations.
Meanwhile, the push for clean energy sovereignty comes as tribal communities face 6 times more electricity outages a year than the national average. In the Minnesota case, more than two dozen electric cooperatives from across the region stated Minnesota Valley’s approach was inconsistent with cooperative principles.

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Every day, Mohammed Saber places a single rectangular solar panel on the roof of the bamboo-and-tarpaulin shack that he and his family have called home for years, the last stop on their journey after fleeing the Myanmar military’s brutal crackdown on the Rohingya in 2017.
The panel is part of a portable solar kit given to the Rohingya refugee family as humanitarian aid six years ago. It’s been the family’s primary source of electricity, making daily life so much easier in the camp for the displaced in Teknaf, Bangladesh.
“We can now charge our phones, cook with light, children can study at night and use fans during the hot season,” said Saber, 35.
From the flood zones of Nepal to refugee camps in Africa, experts say that solar energy is increasingly becoming part of disaster relief as technology improves, costs fall and humanitarian organizations recognize that having access to electricity is a fundamental need.
Renewable energy solutions are needed more than ever, they say, as climate change drives and intensifies extreme weather while wars, sanctions and political upheavals keep fossil fuel prices volatile.
Solar energy kits are portable, rechargeable and grid-independent
When disasters strike and humanitarian needs surge, solar kits can become an invaluable resource, says Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen, a research fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute, an independent research and policy institute specializing in sustainable development.
These solar kits — all-in-one, compact units that use solar panels and are not reliant on utility companies — are easy to move and recharge, according to Rosenberg-Jansen.
“In emergency situations, solar kits can be deployed immediately,” she said, adding that they are particularly useful in situations with rapidly rising floodwaters, changing front lines in a conflict, or for moving around in areas where damaged roads make it difficult to travel.
In terms of function, the kits can be “anything from solar lanterns to solar home systems, solar torches, solar heating pads, to electric cook stoves that use solar as their energy source,” she said.
Lower costs of solar energy helped its role in disaster relief
Rosenberg-Jansen also pointed out that solar panels are not prone to price shocks like fossil fuels, which can be difficult and costly to transport to a disaster zone.
Only a few decades ago, solar energy was a luxury, she added, but as technology evolved, mindsets and the price tag changed. Now it’s more affordable, thanks to the scaling up of mass manufacturing and technology advancement.
It’s also so much easier to use, said Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of Hope For Ukraine, a nonprofit based in the United States that provides solar kits to families living in war-torn Ukraine.
“We have grandmas and grandpas who are around 75-80 years old … receiving kits,” said Boyechko. “It’s just a matter of plug (in) and play.”
Solar panels are becoming more common now.
On the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan’s economic hub, a tuberculosis clinic run by Doctors Without Borders uses solar energy. In South Sudan’s Renk county, the U.N. migration agency installed solar-powered water filtration systems for families displaced by the war in neighboring Sudan.
And after Nepal’s massive floods in August that killed 1,455 people and left 5,285 missing — including hundreds of foreign nationals — solar kits were distributed by local and international organizations, including Australia-based charity SolarBuddy.
Funding issues and bureaucracy are still an obstacle in disaster relief
Mark Gibson from Global Platform for Action, or GPA, which promotes affordable, reliable and clean energy access, said that integrating solar energy hasn’t come without difficulties.
Aid agencies have had time-tested systems in place, which often include diesel generators as part of long-term leases and agreements. Switching to solar means having to trust new systems and setting up new distribution chains, sometimes in risky environments.
Recent slashes in international donor funding have also undermined — or completely erased — new practices that were starting to take root, said Aimee Jenks, a program leader at GPA.
“Much of the technical expertise in the humanitarian sector on energy has been cut,” she said. “That’s now retracting a lot of progress.”
And while the cost of solar energy has decreased, it’s still prohibitive for many.
Boyechko, of Hope For Ukraine, said that by the end of 2026, his nonprofit will have distributed over 3,200 kits.
“But it took us two years to get to that number, because of funding needs,” he said. ”We have a waiting list of about 20,000 families. We just cannot keep up with demand.”
While no energy source is perfect, the move towards renewable energies is likely to decrease reliance on polluting fossil fuels.
For Saber, whose family is among more than 1 million refugees from Myanmar’s Rohingya ethnic and religious minority now living in Bangladesh, the kit means keeping the lights on.
“It’s improved my family’s life,” he said.
___
Freelancer photographer Ayub Khan Dkl in Teknaf, Bangaldesh, contributed to this report.
___
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
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MNRE, an India-based government ministry for renewable energy, has raised the enlisted solar cell capacity on ALMM List-II by 931 MW a year. The increase has come through two revisions, which the ministry issued within three days of each other in October 2026. The eleventh revision is dated 5 October, and it has lifted the PERC cell capacity of Premier Energies Photovoltaic in Telangana, India, from 751 MW to 1,280 MW. The same revision has also widened the efficiency and wattage ranges of a RenewSys India unit, which remains enlisted at 552 MW. The twelfth revision followed on 8 October, and it has enlisted a new 402 MW unit of Gopin Semicon near Surat in Gujarat, India. That unit makes n-type TOPCon cells at an average efficiency of 25.57%, as the manufacturer has claimed. With both revisions counted, the list now holds about 37.8 GW of enlisted cell capacity a year.
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Sydney-headquartered electric vehicle (EV) charger manufacturer EVX has announced plans to launch a new pole-mounted DC fast charger specifically designed for Australian conditions, building on its existing kerbside AC charging technology.
“We have already demonstrated that public EV charging infrastructure can be designed and manufactured locally and deployed at meaningful scale,” EVX Chief Executive Officer Andrew Forster said.
“Polecharger Rapid is the next step, taking that capability into DC charging and creating a product specifically for the places and conditions in which Australian councils, networks and communities need it to operate.”
EVX said the new Australian-designed and manufactured product will complement its existing AC pole-mounted charging technology, including the 22 kW dual-charging Polecharger, providing EV drivers with a faster charging option.
“Unlike AC kerbside chargers, where charging speeds are generally limited by the vehicle’s onboard charger to 7–11 kW, or sometimes 22 kW, DC charging bypasses this limitation and enables compatible vehicles to receive power at significantly higher rates,” the company said.
“At 40–50 kW, Polecharger Rapid is designed to provide a faster charging option for public locations, with compatible EVs potentially able to charge in an hour or less, depending on battery capacity and charging conditions.”
EVX said it is currently progressing detailed engineering, certification and manufacturing details for Polecharger Rapid, adding it plans to release further technical specifications, manufacturing and deployment details closer to a commercial release.
The company is targeting initial deployments in early 2027 in strategically selected locations across urban activity centres and regional and rural communities.
Forster said the new Polecharger Rapid marks the next stage in EVX’s Australian manufacturing program and will build on the company’s established manufacturing and supply-chain capabilities.
“Local manufacturing is not simply about where the hardware gets made. It is about retaining the engineering knowledge, intellectual property, supply-chain capability and technical support required to keep critical infrastructure operating over its full life,” he said. “We want Australian customers to have an Australian manufacturer standing behind the product.”
The unveiling of the new product comes as the uptake of EVs in Australia continues to accelerate.
A record 157,957 EVs were sold across Australia in the first six months of 2026, a 117% increase on the same period last year, according to the Electric Vehicle Council.
EVs accounted for one in four new cars sold in the first half of 2026, with their market share more than doubling from 12.1% in the first half of 2025 to 25.8% over the same period this year.
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Researchers in Italy have found that removing the backsheet from crystalline silicon PV modules before thermal recycling produces cleaner recovered materials and lowers particulate emissions, without reducing recovery yields.
The team tested a selective backsheet-removal step, patented by Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) and Beta-Tech, upstream of the pilot-scale thermomechanical recycling process developed by Venice-based startup 9-Tech.
The scientists compared modules processed with and without their backsheets on material recovery, energy demand, the composition of recovered fractions and flue-gas emissions.
They said that removing the backsheet did not adversely affect recovery yields for the main materials. It also kept titanium dioxide, a white pigment used in PET-based backsheets, out of the recovered glass, silicon-rich, metallic and fine fractions. The researchers noted that titanium dioxide transferred into recycled fractions can reduce their quality, particularly in silicon recovery.
Particulate emissions fell from 69.0 mg/Nm³ to 44.1 mg/Nm³. The process also allows the polymer backsheet to be recovered separately rather than burned.
Energy penalty
The scientists said that the trade-off was a roughly 20% increase in external propane demand, because the feed contained less combustible polymer once the backsheet was removed. Electricity consumption was unchanged.
The tested modules, Trina Solar TSM-230PC05 panels, had a non-fluorinated PET-based backsheet, so hydrogen fluoride stayed below detection limits in both configurations. The researchers said removing fluorinated backsheets before thermal treatment would be expected to prevent their contribution to hydrogen fluoride formation, but they did not test this.
The researchers said that 9-Tech’s process thermally removes organic components and then mechanically separates glass, copper ribbons and silicon-rich fractions. The pilot plant, in Porto Marghera near Venice, has a capacity of 30 kg per hour. The work was carried out under the Horizon Europe EVERPV project, which is developing delamination technologies for end-of-life panels. Two of the authors have financial ties to 9-Tech, and a third holds the backsheet-removal patent.
The scientists described their findings in “Early backsheet removal as a strategy to optimize photovoltaic panel recycling by thermal treatment,” which was recently published in Waste Management.
In 2024, 9-Tech said that its pilot line had recovered 87% of the material in the end-of-life modules it processed. The company is also developing an industrial-scale plant in Porto Marghera with local utility Veritas.
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Scientists from Chinese solar manufacturer Trina Solar have proposed a new classification of ultraviolet-induced degradation (UVID) in TOPCon solar cells, distinguishing between reversible (r-UVID) and irreversible (ir-UVID) degradation. The aim is to improve reliability assessments, standardize testing procedures, and better predict long-term performance under real-world operating conditions.
The research team explained that the proposed r-UVID and ir-UVID categories are aligned with the recovery procedures envisaged in the forthcoming International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) technical specification IEC TS 63624-1, which is being developed to standardize laboratory testing protocols for assessing UV-induced degradation in crystalline silicon solar modules.
“By aligning its proposed definitions with the forthcoming IEC standard, the paper introduces a classification that aims to establish a common language across standardization, reliability testing, warranty assessments, and project financing, enabling more consistent evaluations of long-term performance risks and helping distinguish temporary, recoverable power losses from permanent degradation that affects actual energy yield,” corresponding author Zhiwei Li told pv magazine.
The researchers explained that a defining feature of UVID in TOPCon solar cells is its pronounced metastability. Following UV exposure, cells can experience further performance losses during dark storage, primarily driven by a decline in open-circuit voltage and characterized by double-exponential degradation kinetics. Much of this additional degradation, however, is reversible and can be recovered through light soaking or thermal annealing, which promote hydrogen redistribution and changes in charge trapping at passivation interfaces.
“Field tests have confirmed that this metastable loss does not affect actual outdoor energy yield, as daily sunlight enables dynamic recovery,” the researchers said. “The severity of UVID strongly depends on the thickness and deposition method of the aluminum oxide (AlOₓ) layer, hydrogen content and bonding configuration, and the choice of capping layer, with thicker AlOₓ and silicon oxynitride (SiON) capping providing superior resilience.”
“UVID in TOPCon solar cells shows pronounced manufacturer-to-manufacturer variability, reflecting differences in wafer quality, passivation deposition processes, and emitter doping profiles,” they added.
Unlike conventional UV preconditioning tests, which typically use relatively low UV doses and may fail to capture degradation mechanisms specific to TOPCon solar cells, the proposed approach incorporates substantially higher UV exposure levels followed by a standardized light-soaking recovery procedure. According to the scientists, this additional step allows researchers to distinguish temporary, reversible performance losses from persistent degradation that remains after recovery, providing a more realistic assessment of long-term module reliability and potential impacts on outdoor energy yield.
The researchers said improving front-side passivation will be central to mitigating UVID. One of the most effective strategies involves optimizing the thickness and deposition method of the AlOₓ layer. Excessively thick AlOₓ layers, however, can cause blistering, introduce additional interface defects, and increase tunneling resistance. Alternative capping materials, particularly SiON, also show promise by stabilizing hydrogen, reducing interfacial charge interference, and improving chemical passivation.
They also noted that atomic layer deposition (ALD), particularly plasma-enhanced ALD, generally provides better UV resistance than conventional plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), although performance depends on the specific process. In addition, they recommended adjusting the refractive index of silicon nitride (SiNₓ) to enhance UV absorption and protect underlying interfaces, while cautioning that excessive absorption may reduce optical efficiency.
Hydrogen management was identified as another critical mitigation strategy, as hydrogen can both passivate defects and contribute to degradation when released or redistributed under UV exposure. Optimizing deposition temperatures, gas compositions, firing profiles, and annealing conditions can help maintain beneficial hydrogen bonding while limiting the formation of recombination-active defects.
“The combined effects of environmental stresses, particularly heat and ultraviolet radiation, require further investigation and more representative reliability tests,” Li said. “Differences between UV aging light sources, including fluorescent and metal halide lamps, also need standardized equivalence criteria. Moreover, the influence of ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation on degradation rates relative to ultraviolet-A (UVA) remains insufficiently quantified.”
“Researchers have also observed differing degradation patterns among electrical parameters, particularly between short-circuit current and passivation-related characteristics, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear,” he added. “Finally, targeted mitigation strategies for ir-UVID are still underdeveloped, highlighting the need for systematic approaches to prevent persistent performance losses and improve long-term module reliability.”
The proposed classification is presented in the paper “Ultraviolet-induced degradation in TOPCon solar cells: Reversible (r-UVID) and irreversible (ir-UVID) degradation, mechanisms and mitigation strategies,” recently published in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells.
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IEA PVPS has released its latest Trends in Photovoltaic Applications 2026 report, revealing that global cumulative installed PV capacity reached 2.96 TW by the end of 2025, following another year of strong market growth. Around 690 GW of new PV capacity was installed during the year, an increase of 15% compared with 2024.
The figures confirm another year of significant PV deployment, although growth was more moderate than during the exceptional expansion of the previous two years. Very low module costs, and continued strong deployment in China and other major markets supported further market growth in 2025.
 
China remained by far the world’s largest PV market, installing 415 GW in 2025, 16% more than in 2024, and accounting for around 60% of global installations. India moved into second place with 54 GW, followed by the United States with 43 GW, Germany with 18 GW and Pakistan with an estimated 14 GW.
At the same time, PV deployment continued to broaden geographically. Around 36 countries installed more than 1 GW in 2025, three more than in 2024. The European Union added 68 GW, an increase of 5% compared with the previous year and, if considered as a single market, would have ranked second globally for annual installed capacity.
Key highlights
* Distributed PV continued to expand, reaching 282 GW of new installations in 2025, up from 228 GW in 2024.
     
* Storage deployment accelerated strongly. Annual BESS energy-capacity additions in Europe and the United States combined increased from 2.9 GWh in 2020 to 79 GWh in 2025, more than a 25-fold increase.
     
* Manufacturing overcapacity persisted, with global module production exceeding annual installations while remaining well below available manufacturing capacity.
     
* N-type technology continued to gain market share, representing around 82% of crystalline-silicon wafers used for cell manufacturing in 2025.
     
* PV reached a theoretical global penetration of around 12%. The report estimates that global PV capacity installed by the end of 2025 avoids around 1.3 Gt CO₂eq of emissions annually, while the sector supports approximately 8.2 million jobs worldwide. At this scale, PV is no longer a marginal source of electricity in a growing number of markets. Its contribution increasingly extends beyond annual electricity production to the timing and location of electricity supply, system adequacy, grid services and resilience.
Together, these developments show a PV sector continuing to expand at very large scale while its role within electricity systems evolves. As deployment increases, storage and the integration of growing volumes of PV into electricity systems are becoming increasingly prominent themes alongside continued capacity growth.
 
The IEA PVPS Trends in Photovoltaic Applications 2026 report provides comprehensive data and analysis on global PV deployment, market and industry developments, technology and the evolving role of PV in electricity systems.

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According to the latest IndexBox report on the global AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies market, the market enters 2026 with broader demand fundamentals, more disciplined procurement behavior, and a more regionally diversified supply architecture.
The World AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies market is projected to expand at a compound annual rate of 4-6% over the 2026-2035 period, driven by solar photovoltaic (PV) installations that require a safety disconnect on the AC output side and by replacement demand in industrial automation and OEM integration applications. Solar electrical end-use accounts for an estimated 40-55% of global demand, with the remainder split among industrial automation, electronics and optical systems, semiconductor manufacturing, and maintenance/replacement procurement.
Pricing for standard-grade assemblies typically ranges from USD 50 to USD 500 per unit depending on current rating, enclosure type, and certification level; premium grades with advanced arc-fault protection or NEMA 4X enclosures can command prices 40-80% higher than baseline. Integration of smart monitoring and remote-disconnect capability is gaining traction, particularly in large-scale solar farms and automated industrial lines, lifting demand for premium specification units with communication modules.
Supply chains are shifting toward regional assembly hubs to reduce lead times and comply with local content rules; import dependence remains above 40% in many markets, but domestic production is rising in China, India, and parts of Southeast Asia. End users are consolidating procurement through long-term volume contracts and just-in-time agreements, compressing distributor margins but improving order visibility for specialized manufacturers.
The baseline scenario for the AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies market from 2026 to 2035 assumes continued global capacity additions in solar PV, steady industrial automation investment, and a growing replacement cycle for aging electrical safety equipment. Under this scenario, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4-6%, reaching a market index of 155 by 2035 (2025=100). This outlook is supported by the fact that solar PV installations require AC disconnect switches on the output side of inverters for code compliance and maintenance safety, and global solar capacity is forecast to more than double by 2035.
Industrial automation and OEM integration will also contribute, as manufacturers upgrade lines with smart monitoring and remote-disconnect features. However, supply chain constraints for high-amp-rated switch mechanisms and molded enclosures, along with regulatory fragmentation across UL, IEC, and NEMA standards, may temper growth. Pricing is expected to remain stable in real terms, with premium products commanding higher margins. The baseline does not assume major disruptive technologies or policy shifts beyond current trends.
Solar PV is the largest and fastest-growing end-use sector for AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies, accounting for an estimated 40-55% of global demand. These devices are installed on the AC output side of solar inverters to provide a visible air-gap isolation for maintenance, emergency shutdown, and compliance with electrical codes such as NEC 690. As global solar capacity continues to expand, driven by declining module costs and supportive policies, the demand for AC disconnect switches will rise proportionally. The trend toward larger utility-scale projects and distributed commercial installations will sustain growth.
Additionally, the replacement cycle for existing solar installations, typically 10-15 years, will contribute to aftermarket demand. Key demand indicators include solar PV installation rates, inverter shipments, and renewable energy targets. By 2035, solar PV is expected to maintain its dominant share, with demand further boosted by the integration of smart monitoring and remote-disconnect features in large solar farms. Current trend: Rapid growth.
Major trends: Increasing utility-scale and commercial solar installations globally, Adoption of smart monitoring and remote-disconnect capabilities, Stringent safety codes requiring AC-side disconnects, Growth in distributed generation and microgrids, and Replacement demand from aging solar installations.
Representative participants: Schneider Electric, Siemens, ABB, Eaton, Socomec, and Suntree Electric.
Industrial automation and instrumentation is a key end-use sector for AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies, representing about 20-25% of global demand. These assemblies are used in control panels, machinery, and production lines to isolate electrical circuits for maintenance and emergency shutdown. The ongoing trend toward Industry 4.0, with increased automation and smart factories, is driving demand for reliable and intelligent disconnect solutions. As factories upgrade to automated systems, the need for disconnect switches with communication interfaces and remote monitoring grows. Demand indicators include industrial robot installations, manufacturing output, and automation investment.
By 2035, the sector will benefit from the replacement of legacy equipment and the expansion of automated lines in emerging economies. However, growth may be tempered by economic cycles affecting capital expenditure. Overall, the sector is expected to grow steadily, supported by the need for safety and efficiency in industrial operations. Current trend: Steady growth.
Major trends: Industry 4.0 and smart factory initiatives, Integration of remote monitoring and control, Replacement of aging electrical infrastructure, Growth in automation in emerging markets, and Focus on worker safety and compliance.
Representative participants: Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, Siemens, ABB, Eaton, and Hubbell.
Electronics and optical systems manufacturing requires AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies for safe maintenance and operation of production equipment. This sector accounts for approximately 10-15% of global demand. The production of semiconductors, displays, and optical components involves sensitive and expensive machinery that must be protected by reliable disconnects. As electronics manufacturing expands, particularly in Asia, demand for disconnect switches will rise. The trend toward miniaturization and higher precision increases the need for specialized disconnect assemblies that can handle higher currents and provide clean power isolation.
Demand indicators include semiconductor fab construction, electronics production volumes, and capital expenditure in the sector. By 2035, growth will be driven by the expansion of 5G, IoT, and AI-related electronics manufacturing. However, the sector may see fluctuations due to supply chain disruptions and technology shifts. Overall, steady growth is expected, with a focus on high-reliability products. Current trend: Moderate growth.
Major trends: Expansion of semiconductor fabrication capacity, Growth in electronics manufacturing in Asia, Increasing precision and reliability requirements, Adoption of automation in electronics assembly, and Focus on energy efficiency and safety.
Representative participants: Schneider Electric, Siemens, ABB, Eaton, Leviton, and Marathon Special Products.
Semiconductor and precision manufacturing is a specialized end-use sector for AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies, accounting for about 8-12% of global demand. These industries require ultra-reliable power isolation to protect sensitive equipment and ensure product quality. Disconnect switches are used in cleanrooms, fabrication tools, and precision machinery. The growth of semiconductor manufacturing, driven by demand for chips in computing, automotive, and consumer electronics, will support demand for disconnect assemblies. The trend toward larger wafer sizes and advanced nodes increases the need for robust electrical safety devices.
Demand indicators include semiconductor fab equipment spending, wafer starts, and precision manufacturing output. By 2035, the sector will benefit from the expansion of chip production in the US, Europe, and Asia, supported by government incentives. However, the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry may cause demand fluctuations. Overall, the sector offers stable growth opportunities for high-specification disconnect switches. Current trend: Moderate growth.
Major trends: Global expansion of semiconductor fabrication, Government incentives for chip production, Increasing complexity of precision manufacturing, Demand for high-reliability electrical components, and Focus on cleanroom-compatible designs.
Representative participants: Schneider Electric, Siemens, ABB, Eaton, Socomec, and Baco Controls.
OEM integration and maintenance represents about 5-10% of the AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies market. This sector includes original equipment manufacturers that integrate disconnect switches into their products, such as HVAC systems, generators, and industrial machinery, as well as maintenance and replacement demand. As OEMs seek standardized components for ease of assembly and compliance, demand for pre-assembled disconnect switches grows. The maintenance segment is driven by the need to replace worn or outdated switches in existing installations. Demand indicators include OEM production volumes, equipment lifespan, and maintenance cycles.
By 2035, growth will be supported by the increasing complexity of equipment and the need for safety compliance. The trend toward modular and plug-and-play components will benefit suppliers that offer integrated solutions. However, price competition from low-cost suppliers may pressure margins. Overall, steady growth is expected, with opportunities in aftermarket services. Current trend: Steady growth.
Major trends: Standardization of components for OEM integration, Growth in aftermarket maintenance and replacement, Modular and plug-and-play designs, Increasing safety compliance requirements, and Consolidation of procurement through long-term contracts.
Representative participants: Hubbell, Leviton, Marathon Special Products, Baco Controls, Sassin International, and Suntree Electric.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
Asia-Pacific dominates the AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies market, driven by massive solar PV installations in China and India, as well as strong industrial automation and electronics manufacturing. The region is also a major production hub, with China, India, and Southeast Asia increasing domestic assembly. Growth will be supported by renewable energy targets and smart factory investments. Direction: Growing.
North America is a significant market, with the US leading due to rapid solar capacity additions and industrial automation upgrades. Stringent safety codes and replacement demand contribute to steady growth. The region is also seeing increased domestic production to reduce import dependence, supported by government incentives for clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing. Direction: Growing.
Europe has a mature market for AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies, with demand driven by solar PV expansion, industrial automation, and strict safety regulations. The region is focusing on smart grid and energy efficiency, which will boost demand for advanced disconnect switches. However, slower economic growth and regulatory fragmentation may temper the pace. Direction: Stable growth.
Latin America is an emerging market, with growth driven by solar PV projects and industrial development in Brazil and Mexico. The region relies heavily on imports, but local assembly is gradually increasing. Demand will be supported by renewable energy auctions and infrastructure investments, though economic volatility remains a challenge. Direction: Emerging.
The Middle East & Africa region is a small but growing market, with demand driven by solar PV installations in countries like South Africa and the UAE, as well as industrial projects. The region is highly import-dependent, but efforts to diversify energy sources and industrialize will support demand. Political and economic instability may hinder growth. Direction: Emerging.
In the baseline scenario, IndexBox estimates a 5.0% compound annual growth rate for the global ac disconnect switch assemblies market over 2026-2035, bringing the market index to roughly 155 by 2035 (2025=100).
Note: indexed curves are used to compare medium-term scenario trajectories when full absolute volumes are not publicly disclosed.
For full methodological details and benchmark tables, see the latest IndexBox AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies market report.
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies market in the world, covering market size, growth trajectory, demand structure, supply capability, trade flows, pricing, competitive landscape, and forecast to 2035.
The study is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, exporters, investors, procurement teams, advisors, and strategy teams that need a consistent, data-driven view of market dynamics and a transparent analytical definition of the product scope.
This report covers AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies, which are safety devices designed to isolate electrical circuits from their power source for maintenance or emergency shutdown. The scope includes complete assemblies, modular components, integrated systems, and consumable replacement parts used across industrial automation, electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, and OEM integration.
The report combines the standard market-statistics backbone with strategic chapters that are useful for commercial planning, sourcing decisions, market entry, competitor monitoring, and portfolio prioritization.
The market is segmented into decision-relevant buckets so that demand drivers, pricing logic, supply constraints, and competitive positions can be compared across the same analytical frame.
The classification coverage encompasses AC Disconnect Switch Assemblies categorized by product type (complete assemblies, components, integrated systems, consumables), application (industrial automation, electronics, semiconductor, OEM), and value chain stage (upstream inputs, manufacturing, distribution, after-sales support). This framework ensures comprehensive market segmentation and analysis.
Coverage includes global totals, major demand markets, production and sourcing hubs, leading exporters and importers, and country profiles for the top national markets.
The report combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, product-level evidence, and analyst validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to keep market sizing, trade flows, pricing, and forecasts comparable across countries and time periods.
All indicators are mapped to a consistent product definition and reviewed against the segmentation framework used in the Table of Contents.
Report Scope and Analytical Framing
Concise View of Market Direction
Market Size, Growth and Scenario Framing
Commercial and Technical Scope
How the Market Splits Into Decision-Relevant Buckets
Where Demand Comes From and How It Behaves
Supply Footprint, Trade and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
Where Growth and Supply Concentrate
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
Detailed View of the Most Important National Markets
How the Report Was Built
Major producer of AC disconnect switches for industrial and commercial use.
Offers a wide range of AC disconnect switch assemblies for utilities and industry.
Key supplier of disconnect switches for residential and commercial applications.
Produces AC disconnect switches for low and medium voltage systems.
Manufactures disconnect switches for power distribution and renewable energy.
Offers AC disconnect switches for commercial and residential buildings.
Known for heavy-duty AC disconnect switches for industrial and utility markets.
Produces AC disconnect switches for residential and light commercial use.
Specializes in disconnect switches for industrial and renewable energy sectors.
Supplies AC disconnect switch assemblies for industrial and automotive applications.
Distributes and manufactures AC disconnect switches for Australian and Asian markets.
Produces AC disconnect switches for industrial and energy applications.
Major Indian manufacturer of AC disconnect switches for domestic and export markets.
Offers AC disconnect switch assemblies for power distribution and industrial projects.
Supplies AC disconnect switches for industrial automation and building systems.
Manufactures disconnect switches for industrial and utility applications.
Provides AC disconnect switches as part of motor control centers.
Specialist in AC disconnect switches for critical power and data centers.
Known for cam-operated AC disconnect switches for industrial use.
Manufactures AC disconnect switches for commercial and industrial markets.
Offers AC disconnect switches for panel building and machinery.
Brand under Eaton, known for fused AC disconnect switches.
Chinese manufacturer of AC disconnect switches for export markets.
Produces AC disconnect switches for residential and industrial use.
Major Chinese supplier of AC disconnect switch assemblies.
Manufactures AC disconnect switches for international distribution.
Supplies AC disconnect switches for European industrial applications.
Offers AC disconnect switches for industrial and building automation.
Brand under Eaton, known for AC disconnect switches in Europe.
Produces AC disconnect switches for industrial motor control applications.
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From climate-driven disasters to Rohingya refugee camps, solar kits help keep the lights on  The Daily Gazette
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China has firmly solidified its position as the world’s largest manufacturer of clean energy equipment, supplying approximately 70 percent of the global market for wind power equipment and 80 percent for solar photovoltaic modules, according to a newly released industry report.
The Report on China Energy Development 2026, published recently by the China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute, underscored how the country has continuously fortified its energy security while making steady, historic progress in its green and low-carbon transition over the past few years.
Driven by a more abundant and diversified domestic energy supply, China saw a landmark achievement in 2025, with the nation’s combined installed capacity for wind and solar power exceeding that of coal-fired thermal power for the first time in history.
Furthermore, relying on its robust clean energy industrial advantages, China has deepened international energy cooperation, substantially lowering the economic threshold for the global energy transition, the report said.
In 2025, China’s energy supply capacity improved significantly, playing a crucial role in enhancing the resilience of national energy security, according to the National Energy Administration.
China remains the world’s largest energy producer, accounting for over one-fifth of global energy production and roughly one-third of global power generation, the administration said.
In 2025, the country’s total primary energy production reached 5.13 billion metric tons of standard coal, representing a 3.6 percent year-on-year increase. As of the end of 2025, the nation’s cumulative installed power generation capacity surged by 16.1 percent year-on-year to reach 3.89 billion kilowatts, the report said.
Despite the rapid expansion of renewables, traditional energy sources have continued to play a stabilizing role. Coal production capacity remained reasonably abundant, with output reaching 4.85 billion tons last year, a 1.4 percent increase from the previous year.
The oil and gas sector also saw steady output increases, with crude oil production reaching 216 million tons and natural gas output hitting 262.06 billion cubic meters — marking the ninth consecutive year that natural gas production has grown by more than 10 billion cu m.
Su Xinyi, vice-president of the EPPEI’s clean energy research institute, said China has further consolidated a diversified energy guarantee system in recent years.
By steadily advancing the construction of major overseas oil and gas cooperation zones across Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific, China has expanded its crude oil import sources to around 40 countries.
At the same time, the domestic energy structure has experienced profound optimization. In 2025, the share of coal in China’s total energy consumption dropped to 51.4 percent, down 1.8 percentage points from the previous year. Conversely, the consumption share of clean energy — encompassing natural gas, hydropower, nuclear, wind and solar — climbed 1.8 percentage points to 30.4 percent.
Renewable energy now forms the undisputed backbone of China’s power grid. Accounting for over 60 percent of the nation’s total installed power capacity, renewables have become the dominant force.
The combined installed capacity of wind and solar power reached a staggering 1.84 billion kW, officially surpassing thermal power to secure the top spot globally. Newly added electricity generation from wind, solar and biomass sources accounted for more than 90 percent of the total new electricity consumption across the country last year.
The China Electricity Council recently said that despite broader macroeconomic adjustments, China’s overall electricity demand continues to rise robustly, driven heavily by advanced manufacturing, emerging high-tech sectors and widespread electrification.
This structural shift in electricity consumption mirrors the nation’s broader industrial upgrading, the CEC said.
With China rapidly building a new power system dominated by renewable energy, this green power generation trend is expected to drastically reduce the power sector’s overall carbon emissions, said Liu Zhiqiang, deputy director of the CEC’s planning and development department.
China’s massive domestic market has strengthened its solar supply chain and created economies of scale that accelerate technological innovation. As a result, the country has cemented its position as the global leader in solar manufacturing, engineering and technical standards, Liu said, adding that energy efficiency and technological innovation have also kept pace with this structural shift.
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Clear skies this evening. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..
Clear skies this evening. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Updated: October 13, 2026 @ 11:03 pm
In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Saber cleans a solar panel to ensure it charges properly on Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Hares turns on a solar-powered fan inside his shop Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
Solar panels sit on top of makeshift shelters to power homes and streetlights Oct. 3, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
FILE – A displaced man inspects a small solar panel at a makeshift camp in Taiz, Yemen, March 13, 2026.
FILE – A family displaced by flooding has a solar panel set up outside their tent in Garsen town within Tana River County, Kenya, Dec. 3, 2023.
In this photo taken with a phone, children use a light powered by a solar panel to study at night inside their shelter on Oct. 3, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
In this photo taken with a phone, a woman uses a light powered by solar panels in her kitchen on Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Hares keeps his small shop open at night using a light powered by solar panels on Oct. 2, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.

In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Saber cleans a solar panel to ensure it charges properly on Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Hares turns on a solar-powered fan inside his shop Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
Solar panels sit on top of makeshift shelters to power homes and streetlights Oct. 3, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
FILE – A displaced man inspects a small solar panel at a makeshift camp in Taiz, Yemen, March 13, 2026.
FILE – A family displaced by flooding has a solar panel set up outside their tent in Garsen town within Tana River County, Kenya, Dec. 3, 2023.
In this photo taken with a phone, children use a light powered by a solar panel to study at night inside their shelter on Oct. 3, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
In this photo taken with a phone, a woman uses a light powered by solar panels in her kitchen on Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Hares keeps his small shop open at night using a light powered by solar panels on Oct. 2, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Every day, Mohammed Saber places a single rectangular solar panel on the roof of the bamboo-and-tarpaulin shack that he and his family have called home for years, the last stop on their journey after fleeing the Myanmar military’s brutal crackdown on the Rohingya in 2017.
The panel is part of a portable solar kit given to the Rohingya refugee family as humanitarian aid six years ago. It’s been the family’s primary source of electricity, making daily life so much easier in the camp for the displaced in Teknaf, Bangladesh.
“We can now charge our phones, cook with light, children can study at night and use fans during the hot season,” said Saber, 35.
From the flood zones of Nepal to refugee camps in Africa, experts say that solar energy is increasingly becoming part of disaster relief as technology improves, costs fall and humanitarian organizations recognize that having access to electricity is a fundamental need.
Renewable energy solutions are needed more than ever, they say, as climate change drives and intensifies extreme weather while wars, sanctions and political upheavals keep fossil fuel prices volatile.
When disasters strike and humanitarian needs surge, solar kits can become an invaluable resource, says Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen, a research fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute, an independent research and policy institute specializing in sustainable development.
These solar kits — all-in-one, compact units that use solar panels and are not reliant on utility companies — are easy to move and recharge, according to Rosenberg-Jansen.
“In emergency situations, solar kits can be deployed immediately,” she said, adding that they are particularly useful in situations with rapidly rising floodwaters, changing front lines in a conflict, or for moving around in areas where damaged roads make it difficult to travel.
In terms of function, the kits can be “anything from solar lanterns to solar home systems, solar torches, solar heating pads, to electric cook stoves that use solar as their energy source,” she said.
Rosenberg-Jansen also pointed out that solar panels are not prone to price shocks like fossil fuels, which can be difficult and costly to transport to a disaster zone.
Only a few decades ago, solar energy was a luxury, she added, but as technology evolved, mindsets and the price tag changed. Now it’s more affordable, thanks to the scaling up of mass manufacturing and technology advancement.
It’s also so much easier to use, said Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of Hope For Ukraine, a nonprofit based in the United States that provides solar kits to families living in war-torn Ukraine.
“We have grandmas and grandpas who are around 75-80 years old … receiving kits,” said Boyechko. “It’s just a matter of plug (in) and play.”
Solar panels are becoming more common now.
On the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan’s economic hub, a tuberculosis clinic run by Doctors Without Borders uses solar energy. In South Sudan’s Renk county, the U.N. migration agency installed solar-powered water filtration systems for families displaced by the war in neighboring Sudan.
And after Nepal’s massive floods in August that killed 1,455 people and left 5,285 missing — including hundreds of foreign nationals — solar kits were distributed by local and international organizations, including Australia-based charity SolarBuddy.
Mark Gibson from Global Platform for Action, or GPA, which promotes affordable, reliable and clean energy access, said that integrating solar energy hasn’t come without difficulties.
Aid agencies have had time-tested systems in place, which often include diesel generators as part of long-term leases and agreements. Switching to solar means having to trust new systems and setting up new distribution chains, sometimes in risky environments.
Recent slashes in international donor funding have also undermined — or completely erased — new practices that were starting to take root, said Aimee Jenks, a program leader at GPA.
“Much of the technical expertise in the humanitarian sector on energy has been cut,” she said. “That’s now retracting a lot of progress.”
And while the cost of solar energy has decreased, it’s still prohibitive for many.
Boyechko, of Hope For Ukraine, said that by the end of 2026, his nonprofit will have distributed over 3,200 kits.
“But it took us two years to get to that number, because of funding needs,” he said. ”We have a waiting list of about 20,000 families. We just cannot keep up with demand.”
While no energy source is perfect, the move towards renewable energies is likely to decrease reliance on polluting fossil fuels.
For Saber, whose family is among more than 1 million refugees from Myanmar’s Rohingya ethnic and religious minority now living in Bangladesh, the kit means keeping the lights on.
“It’s improved my family’s life,” he said.
Freelancer photographer Ayub Khan Dkl in Teknaf, Bangaldesh, contributed to this report.
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Education Ministry Signs Agreement With Korea Electrical Safety Corporation Shorter Inspection Cycle to Apply First to "Sunlight Link Schools," a Program Installing Solar Panels at Schools
South Korea's Ministry of Education will tighten safety management of solar power equipment at schools, shortening the mandatory inspection cycle to once a year from once every four years and adding thermal imaging to the list of checks.
The ministry said on the 14th that it will sign an agreement with the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation to secure the safety of solar installations at schools.
The agreement follows up on safety measures included in the ministry's "Sunlight Link School" project plan announced in February. Under the deal, the two organizations will cooperate on shortening inspection cycles, expanding the scope of inspections, providing technical support and conducting safety management training.
Under the current Electrical Safety Management Act, solar installations must be inspected by the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation at least once every four years. Under the new agreement, schools covered by the Sunlight Link School project will undergo mandatory inspections every year, at a cost of about 200,000 won annually. The inspections will also include thermal imaging measurements, which were not part of the existing legal requirements.
The Korea Electrical Safety Corporation plans to expand its inspection staff and equipment to handle the increase in demand and to ensure inspections proceed without delays. The shorter inspection cycle will apply first to schools in the Sunlight Link School project, and the ministry is reviewing whether to extend it to other schools with solar installations.
"Safety matters more than anything else, given that the Sunlight Link School project is expanding solar installations at schools," Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said. "We will use this agreement to build a tighter safety management system for school solar equipment, and we will continue to come up with ways to strengthen safety while minimizing the burden on schools."
Original reporting by Yang Chul-min for Seoul Economic Daily.
AI-translated from Korean. Quotes from foreign sources are based on Korean-language reports and may not reflect exact original wording.
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China has connected a 1 GW hybrid solar power project in Qinghai province, combining conventional solar photovoltaic (PV) generation with concentrated solar power (CSP) and thermal energy storage in an effort to improve the flexibility of renewable electricity supply.
The Gonghe project, located in the Talatan solar park in northwestern China, comprises a 900 MW PV installation and a 100 MW molten-salt tower CSP plant. PowerChina completed the project’s grid connection on October 1, 2026.
The project integrates three functions: photovoltaic generation, solar-thermal storage and electric-to-heat conversion. Its significance lies in the way these technologies work together, allowing some daytime solar energy to be stored as heat and used to generate electricity when sunlight weakens or demand rises in the evening.
The CSP facility features a 219-metre receiver tower surrounded by 10,310 heliostats, which concentrate sunlight onto the receiver to heat molten salt. The stored heat can subsequently be used to produce steam and drive a turbine.
The CSP plant has eight hours of thermal storage capacity. In addition, a 20 MW electric heater can convert surplus electricity from the adjacent PV installation into heat for storage, creating another route to use solar generation that might otherwise be curtailed.
The eight-hour storage specification applies to the 100 MW CSP plant, rather than the entire 1 GW project. Nevertheless, the arrangement illustrates how solar generation and storage can be integrated within a single power complex.
The solar installation contains approximately 1.9 million modules. The hybrid facility is expected to generate around 2.2 TWh of electricity annually, according to PowerChina’s reported estimates.
The project is also expected to save approximately 690,000 tonnes of standard coal and avoid around 2.07 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. These are projected figures, rather than independently verified operating results.
 
Inside China’s 1 GW Hybrid Project
900 MW Solar PV
(approx. 1.9 million modules)
100 MW Solar Thermal
Molten Salt-tower and turbine
8 hours
Thermal Storage
CSP Components Only
2.2 TWh
Expected Annual Output
Reported Project Estimate
 
Unlike batteries that allow for storage of excess solar energy during daytime for use later, a CSP plant offers another option by retaining energy as heat and converting it back into electricity when required.
The Gonghe project combines both approaches to collecting solar energy. Its thermal plant receives concentrated sunlight directly, while the electric heater allows surplus PV electricity to contribute to thermal storage. The latter feature could help improve utilisation of the overall solar resource, although actual benefits will depend on operating conditions, conversion losses and grid requirements.
This distinction is important. The facility does not make the entire 1 GW installation continuously dispatchable, nor does its eight-hour storage rating mean that the whole project can deliver 1 GW for eight hours after sunset. Instead, it adds a controllable generation component to a much larger PV installation.
The project is part of China’s broader effort to develop large renewable-energy bases in resource-rich western and northern regions while improving the ability of clean generation to meet demand at different times of day.
China has also set a wider policy direction for concentrated solar power. Guidelines issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and National Energy Administration in December 2025 targeted approximately 15 GW of installed CSP capacity by 2030, alongside efforts to bring CSP generation costs closer to those of coal-fired power.
For the solar industry, Gonghe offers a demonstration of how conventional PV, thermal storage and electric heating can be combined rather than developed as separate assets.
The commercial test will be whether the added flexibility justifies the additional capital and operating costs. Actual generation profiles, storage utilisation, curtailment reductions and the cost of electricity delivered during peak-demand hours will be important indicators to watch.
As solar capacity continues to expand, the ability to deliver electricity beyond daylight hours could become as important as the cost of generating it at noon. China’s hybrid project offers one possible route towards that goal.
 
 
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The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced up to AUD 32.3 million ($22.45 million) in funding for United States-headquartered companies Luminous Robotics and Built Robotics to establish new manufacturing facilities in Melbourne and Brisbane.
ARENA is providing up to AUD 17.8 million to Luminous to establish a Melbourne manufacturing facility for its autonomous solar panel installation LUMI robots designed to streamline utility-scale solar construction. The AUD 39.7 million project is expected to support the manufacture and deployment of about 100 of the robots by 2029.
Built Robotics Australia will receive up to AUD 14.5 million to establish a Brisbane manufacturing hub and operations centre for autonomous piling systems. It is anticipated the facility will manufacture and deploy 12 robotic pile driving systems.
ARENA Chief Executive Officer Darren Miller said the new manufacturing facilities will improve productivity, reduce construction costs and ease workforce constraints as large-scale solar deployment in Australia grows.
“Installing foundations and placing panels are two of the most labour-intensive parts of solar farm construction,” he said, noting that “Australia needs to install large volumes of solar quickly and cost-effectively.”
Australia is targeting 82% renewables by 2030 and according to the Australian Energy Market Operator that will require about 38 GW of new solar and wind capacity to be built in the next three years. That includes some 20 GW of large-scale solar
“Local manufacturing and automation can improve the way solar farms are built by reducing construction costs and making installation faster, safer and more efficient,” Miller said.
Luminous Robotics Australia General Manager Tenzin Crouch said the new funding will enable the company to move its technology from field demonstration in Australia to industrial-scale manufacturing.
“For me, this is about building Australian capability that translates directly into delivery in the field. Designing and manufacturing robots here, then putting them to work building the solar infrastructure we need,” he said.
“We’ve proven LUMI on real solar farms in Australia, in the heat and dust, doing some of the hardest work on site. The next step is to turn that into scale.”
The company’s LUMI robot autonomously lifts and places solar panels onto racking structures, traditionally one of the most labour-intensive parts of solar farm construction. According to ARENA, the robot can install panels up to 3.5 times faster than current manual methods and has the potential to cut solar farm construction costs by about 6.2%.
Built Robotics’ autonomous piling robots automate the repetitive process of pile driving, which is usually time-consuming when setting up utility-scale solar farms. The company estimates that its robots have the potential to reduce piling time by approximately 82% and labour costs by 88%.
Paul Kelly, Vice President of business development at Built Robotics, said the company’s new Brisbane hub will make Queensland a home for autonomous solar construction and create a supply chain that serves projects in Australia.
“Australia has shown the world that construction robotics and physical AI work in the field. Now we’re going to build that technology here,” he said.
Both projects are supported through Round 2 of ARENA’s Solar Sunshot program.
Miller said in addition to supporting more efficient large-scale solar farm builds, the projects will also grow Australia’s advanced manufacturing capability.
“Manufacturing these technologies in Australia will help to strengthen local supply chains, develop specialist skills and give solar projects better access to advanced construction equipment when and where it is needed,” he said.
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Australia has been remarkably successful at installing residential solar. However, commercial and industrial (C&I) solar has not experienced quite the same level of adoption.
Drive through almost any industrial estate and you will find factories, warehouses, manufacturing facilities and distribution centres with enormous roof areas and substantial electricity consumption, but often surprisingly little solar. That represents a significant opportunity.
According to the Clean Energy Regulator (CER), just 28 MW of capacity across 80 power stations in the 100 kW to 1 MW category was accredited under the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target during the first half of 2026.
The regulator has described this segment as Australia’s “missing middle.”
That could be about to change. Since 1 October 2026, eligible solar installations larger than 100 kW and up to and including 1 MW can access Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs).
Previously, projects above 100 kW generally relied on Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs), with revenue realised progressively through electricity generation. Under the expanded STC arrangements, eligible mid-scale projects benefit from a fixed five-year deeming period, potentially delivering a substantial upfront financial incentive. The federal government estimates the changes could reduce installation costs by around 20%.
Applications for the expanded scheme are expected to open in mid to late November. For C&I businesses, that could materially change project payback calculations.
Victoria offers another interesting dimension.
Through the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program, eligible commercial solar installations between 30 kW and 200 kW can access Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs) under the deemed Activity 47 pathway, potentially alongside federal STCs.
Larger projects can explore project-based measurement and verification incentives, including the Solar PV Direct Measurement method, known as SMM4, under the state’s Measurement and Verification Specifications Version 9.0.
However, the certificate pathways are not interchangeable. SMM4 measures actual solar savings, excludes exported solar energy from those savings and does not permit double counting of the same abatement under federal renewable energy certificates. Getting the incentive strategy right before installation is therefore important.
But solar is only half the story. The bigger opportunity may be changing how we approach commercial battery storage.
Too often, battery proposals focus almost exclusively on reducing maximum demand charges, improving self-consumption or providing some form of backup power.
These are legitimate benefits. However, they represent only part of what a properly designed battery system can potentially deliver.
What about energy arbitrage? What about participating in a Virtual Power Plant (VPP), earning revenue from wholesale electricity markets or providing frequency control ancillary services (FCAS)?
The Australian Energy Market Operator’s June quarter 2026 report showed just how important battery trading has become. Grid-scale battery charging and discharging influenced price-setting in 36% of National Electricity Market dispatch intervals, compared with 17% a year earlier.
The opportunity for C&I customers is not identical, but the underlying principle is relevant.
Consider a hypothetical commercial battery rated at 500 kW / 1 MWh. If the battery charges using 1 MWh of electricity purchased at a wholesale price of $50/MWh, the energy costs $50. Assuming 90% round-trip efficiency, it could subsequently discharge 900 kWh. At a wholesale price of $300/MWh, that energy would be worth $270.
That is a gross trading margin of $220 from one cycle. It is not $220 in profit. Network charges, retailer and aggregator arrangements, battery degradation and operating constraints all matter. Nor can an ordinary commercial customer automatically access wholesale prices simply by installing a battery.
Nevertheless, the example demonstrates why limiting the battery conversation to maximum demand reduction misses opportunities.
There are already Australian examples. South Australia’s Central Irrigation Trust has worked with Enel X on more than 14 MWh of battery storage across five sites. The arrangement combines demand-charge management with VPP participation, wholesale electricity market opportunities and FCAS services. That is a substantially broader commercial proposition than traditional peak shaving.
Of course, these benefits cannot simply be added together without considering competing demands on the battery.
A battery discharging into the wholesale market may not have sufficient stored energy remaining to manage a factory’s next demand peak. Backup capability also requires appropriate system design, switching and protection. Genuine UPS performance should never be assumed.
Successful projects need to evaluate site load profiles, electricity tariffs, wholesale price exposure, network export limits, connection requirements, battery cycling and market participation agreements.
Just as importantly, they need a control strategy that decides when electricity is more valuable being consumed, stored or exported.
For installers and designers, this requires a change in thinking. Instead of asking only how much solar and battery capacity a business needs, perhaps we should be asking how that business can extract the greatest commercial value from its energy assets.
Australia’s new STC arrangements may help accelerate commercial solar adoption. But the real opportunity lies in combining solar generation, intelligent storage and electricity market participation into a properly engineered financial and operational strategy.
The next generation of C&I projects should not simply reduce electricity bills.
Where the economics and network arrangements allow it, they should create new revenue opportunities as well.
Author: Veli Markovic, Head Training Facilitator, Greenwood Solutions
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine.
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Victoria Milko
Associated Press
Published: October 13, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Updated: October 13, 2026 at 9:49 PM
Victoria Milko
Associated Press
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Saber cleans a solar panel to ensure it charges properly on Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh. (AP Photo/Abdul Khan Dkl)
ISLAMABAD – Every day, Mohammed Saber places a single rectangular solar panel on the roof of the bamboo-and-tarpaulin shack that he and his family have called home for years, the last stop on their journey after fleeing the Myanmar military’s brutal crackdown on the Rohingya in 2017.
The panel is part of a portable solar kit given to the Rohingya refugee family as humanitarian aid six years ago. It’s been the family’s primary source of electricity, making daily life so much easier in the camp for the displaced in Teknaf, Bangladesh.
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“We can now charge our phones, cook with light, children can study at night and use fans during the hot season,” said Saber, 35.
From the flood zones of Nepal to refugee camps in Africa, experts say that solar energy is increasingly becoming part of disaster relief as technology improves, costs fall and humanitarian organizations recognize that having access to electricity is a fundamental need.
Renewable energy solutions are needed more than ever, they say, as climate change drives and intensifies extreme weather while wars, sanctions and political upheavals keep fossil fuel prices volatile.
Solar energy kits are portable, rechargeable and grid-independent
When disasters strike and humanitarian needs surge, solar kits can become an invaluable resource, says Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen, a research fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute, an independent research and policy institute specializing in sustainable development.
These solar kits — all-in-one, compact units that use solar panels and are not reliant on utility companies — are easy to move and recharge, according to Rosenberg-Jansen.
“In emergency situations, solar kits can be deployed immediately,” she said, adding that they are particularly useful in situations with rapidly rising floodwaters, changing front lines in a conflict, or for moving around in areas where damaged roads make it difficult to travel.
In terms of function, the kits can be “anything from solar lanterns to solar home systems, solar torches, solar heating pads, to electric cook stoves that use solar as their energy source,” she said.
Lower costs of solar energy helped its role in disaster relief
Rosenberg-Jansen also pointed out that solar panels are not prone to price shocks like fossil fuels, which can be difficult and costly to transport to a disaster zone.
Only a few decades ago, solar energy was a luxury, she added, but as technology evolved, mindsets and the price tag changed. Now it’s more affordable, thanks to the scaling up of mass manufacturing and technology advancement.
It’s also so much easier to use, said Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of Hope For Ukraine, a nonprofit based in the United States that provides solar kits to families living in war-torn Ukraine.
“We have grandmas and grandpas who are around 75-80 years old … receiving kits,” said Boyechko. “It’s just a matter of plug (in) and play.”
Solar panels are becoming more common now.
On the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan’s economic hub, a tuberculosis clinic run by Doctors Without Borders uses solar energy. In South Sudan’s Renk county, the U.N. migration agency installed solar-powered water filtration systems for families displaced by the war in neighboring Sudan.
And after Nepal’s massive floods in August that killed 1,455 people and left 5,285 missing — including hundreds of foreign nationals — solar kits were distributed by local and international organizations, including Australia-based charity SolarBuddy.
Funding issues and bureaucracy are still an obstacle in disaster relief
Mark Gibson from Global Platform for Action, or GPA, which promotes affordable, reliable and clean energy access, said that integrating solar energy hasn’t come without difficulties.
Aid agencies have had time-tested systems in place, which often include diesel generators as part of long-term leases and agreements. Switching to solar means having to trust new systems and setting up new distribution chains, sometimes in risky environments.
Recent slashes in international donor funding have also undermined — or completely erased — new practices that were starting to take root, said Aimee Jenks, a program leader at GPA.
“Much of the technical expertise in the humanitarian sector on energy has been cut,” she said. “That’s now retracting a lot of progress.”
And while the cost of solar energy has decreased, it’s still prohibitive for many.
Boyechko, of Hope For Ukraine, said that by the end of 2026, his nonprofit will have distributed over 3,200 kits.
“But it took us two years to get to that number, because of funding needs,” he said. ”We have a waiting list of about 20,000 families. We just cannot keep up with demand.”
While no energy source is perfect, the move towards renewable energies is likely to decrease reliance on polluting fossil fuels.
For Saber, whose family is among more than 1 million refugees from Myanmar’s Rohingya ethnic and religious minority now living in Bangladesh, the kit means keeping the lights on.
“It’s improved my family’s life,” he said.
___
Freelancer photographer Ayub Khan Dkl in Teknaf, Bangaldesh, contributed to this report.
___
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand.
pv magazine hosts its four-day virtual event on European solar and energy storage, exploring market opportunities, solar-plus-storage business cases, technical quality, and cybersecurity in the years ahead.
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Some clouds early with showers likely late, and a thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%..
Some clouds early with showers likely late, and a thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.
Updated: October 13, 2026 @ 11:13 pm
In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Saber cleans a solar panel to ensure it charges properly on Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Hares turns on a solar-powered fan inside his shop Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
Solar panels sit on top of makeshift shelters to power homes and streetlights Oct. 3, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
FILE – A displaced man inspects a small solar panel at a makeshift camp in Taiz, Yemen, March 13, 2026.
FILE – A family displaced by flooding has a solar panel set up outside their tent in Garsen town within Tana River County, Kenya, Dec. 3, 2023.
In this photo taken with a phone, children use a light powered by a solar panel to study at night inside their shelter on Oct. 3, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
In this photo taken with a phone, a woman uses a light powered by solar panels in her kitchen on Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Hares keeps his small shop open at night using a light powered by solar panels on Oct. 2, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.

In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Saber cleans a solar panel to ensure it charges properly on Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Hares turns on a solar-powered fan inside his shop Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
Solar panels sit on top of makeshift shelters to power homes and streetlights Oct. 3, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
FILE – A displaced man inspects a small solar panel at a makeshift camp in Taiz, Yemen, March 13, 2026.
FILE – A family displaced by flooding has a solar panel set up outside their tent in Garsen town within Tana River County, Kenya, Dec. 3, 2023.
In this photo taken with a phone, children use a light powered by a solar panel to study at night inside their shelter on Oct. 3, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
In this photo taken with a phone, a woman uses a light powered by solar panels in her kitchen on Oct. 4, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
In this photo taken with a phone, Mohammed Hares keeps his small shop open at night using a light powered by solar panels on Oct. 2, 2026, in Teknaf, Bangaldesh.
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Every day, Mohammed Saber places a single rectangular solar panel on the roof of the bamboo-and-tarpaulin shack that he and his family have called home for years, the last stop on their journey after fleeing the Myanmar military’s brutal crackdown on the Rohingya in 2017.
The panel is part of a portable solar kit given to the Rohingya refugee family as humanitarian aid six years ago. It’s been the family’s primary source of electricity, making daily life so much easier in the camp for the displaced in Teknaf, Bangladesh.
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Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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When you live in a place that is on the electrical grid, where healthcare is readily available, and there are ambulances to transport you to hospitals, you can expect to be able to receive state-of-the-art medical treatment. But that is not always the case in many parts of the world.
In fact, a third of Africans live two hours or more from healthcare services and many have little or no access to electricity, reported Euronews. Now, there is a solution that could transform healthcare in remote areas. Students from the Solar Team Eindhoven at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands developed a new solar-powered ambulance called Stella Juva to help close the gap.

The Test Drive
During the ambulances first practical test in the summer of 2026, that was held in collaboration with the health organization Amref Health Africa, Sella Juva covered more than 800 km in rural communities in the Narok region of Kenya.
“In Narok, long distances and unreliable electricity still make quality healthcare difficult to access,” Geoffrey Sadera, a project lead of maternal and child health at Amref Health Africa told Euronews. “Stella Juva can bring not only health workers to remote communities, but also the power and medical equipment needed to examine and diagnose people on the spot.”
The Stella Juva is not a typical ambulance that picks patients up and delivers them to health care centers, the ambulance brings healthcare directly to the people that need it, according to a press release from the Solar Team.
The medical equipment includes ultrasound, an X-ray machine, an automatic external defibrillator, and a cooling system for vaccines. This allows healthcare providers to perform blood tests and screen people for diseases like malaria. No real patients were treated during the test drive.
About Stella Juva
The Stella Juva operates as an EV that is powered by solar panels. The energy generated from the panels is stored in a 50kWh battery that allows the ambulance to keep driving and operating after the sun goes down.
The ambulance is road legal, can travel 710km on a sunny day and has a top speed of 145 kph. The solar panels are 97 percent efficient.

The students who developed the sustainable ambulance were inspired by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals which include healthcare.
“We want to inspire healthcare providers, companies, and other organizations to create social impact through technology. If 23 students can achieve this in a single year, it shows what’s possible when the technological industry and social organizations work together,” said Yarno Basten, partnerships manager of Solar Team Eindhoven in the press release.
What’s Next?
So, what’s next? Since the trial ended, reported CNN, Stella Juva is being returned to the Netherlands, but the students hope that this is not the end.
“We hope to inspire industry and society to use innovative technologies like Stella Juva to tackle some societal problems,” Yarno Basten, a 23-year-old team member told CNN.
There are impediments to getting this successful solar ambulance into practice that include a lack of funding. While Kenya has made strides in renewable energy, it hasn’t been used in the healthcare field except for vaccine storage.
Kennedy Wakoli, a family and reproductive health expert at Amref Health Africa said that he hopes Stella Juva can be an example that shows that harnessing power from the sun is critical to improving healthcare in rural areas because, “solar energy is everywhere.”
Bonnie has dedicated her life to promoting social justice. She loves to write about empowering women, helping children, educational innovations, and advocating for the environment & sustainability.

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Prime agricultural land should not be used for solar farms and, instead, solar panels should be put on marginal land or bog land, Fine Gael councillor John Dolan believes.
The Westmeath councillor and dairy farmer said he knows of a number of areas where “good productive agricultural land is being used for solar panels”.
“I’ve nothing against solar, but I think there is something wrong about using fertile productive land for solar farms,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“I think there is plenty of marginal land and bogs that are not going to be used again, which would be ideal for solar.”
He said that at a time when food security is primary in everyone’s mind, it is his view that fertile land should be protected.
Planning
“I brought it up at local authority level. I think when a planning application goes in for a solar farm, there is more than just production of electricity that should be taken into account.
“I think the potential production of food from that land should be considered when they are assessing the application.
“I’m not saying you can’t have solar panels on land, but I think part of the decision of granting permission we should be taking into account [is] the quality of that land.
“There are a lot of things involved in an application, but I think this is an important one. As a farmer, I hate to see prime farmland go out of production like that.
“I’m not against solar panels, but there is plenty marginal land and bog land suitable for it.”

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Even with higher rates and fees, the utility projects its net debt will reach $10.8 billion.
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New Brunswick’s Crown utility wants approval for electricity rate increases totaling 17.4% over three years, beginning with a 5.5% increase. If regulators sign off, households would see bills rise further as N.B. Power cites aging infrastructure, financial strain, and debt.
In a filing with the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board, N.B. Power asked for permission to approve three years of hikes at once, according to CBC News. The utility said worn generation and distribution assets across the electricity system need maintenance and replacement.
Speaking to reporters, N.B. Power President Lori Clark said the company doesn’t believe it can avoid raising rates.
“There’s a lot of discussion about N.B. Power’s debt and the financial health of the utility, and we’re looking to balance all of those things,” she said.
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She said the current pressure reflects earlier periods when rate increases were too small to meet the utility’s needs.
“I would say there have been years in the past where the rate increases have not been as high as they should have been, and we have an infrastructure deficit that we need to address.”
Another round of increases would come after several sharp jumps already absorbed by customers. Residential electricity consumption charges have risen a combined 36.4% over four years, which could make a new three-year increase especially difficult for households already stretched by broader living costs.
In applying the increases, N.B. Power said they exceed inflation and that customers would not feel them equally. The utility said low-income households and others already facing financial hardship could be hit hardest.
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Beyond electricity rates, the utility is trying to bring in more money through other fees. That includes about $14 million from water-heater rentals; N.B. Power rents more than 276,000 water heaters, and the proposed increases over three years would range from 27% to 39%, depending on tank size.
Even with higher rates and fees, the utility projects its net debt will reach $10.8 billion after a 62% increase over the three-year period. Much of that increase is tied to long-term lease obligations for a natural gas generating station planned for Tantramar, meaning customers could pay more while the utility takes on more debt linked to fossil-fuel infrastructure.
N.B. Power has formally submitted the application, and the Energy and Utilities Board will decide whether to approve the three-year plan. The utility said the extra revenue would support upgrades to aging assets and stronger financial performance, with a projected $564 million profit over three years from the higher rates.
New Brunswick isn’t alone — rising electricity costs and utility decisions are hitting households elsewhere, too.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
• Across the U.S., utilities sought record-breaking $31 billion in rate hikes as bills climbed.
• In the U.K., regulators raised the price cap on gas and electricity bills again.
• Surging crypto mining in the U.S. South was driving up electricity prices for households.
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