In another article of a series, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Angelika Möbius, the founder of the startup Solar AI Twin. She says addressing the gender gap in the solar industry is a complex task that requires a deep understanding of the unique challenges women face. Key barriers include a lack of mentorship opportunities and the absence of professional networks.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, offers bite-sized analysis on solar PV module supply and price trends.

The United Kingdom is playing catch-up with many of its European neighbors when it comes to solar but recent signs have been hugely promising and the nation remains primed for a solar revolution.

In its first monthly column for pv magazine, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) explains how a team of its experts is currently working on the definition of new standards for VIPV systems.

Tariffs on solar glass harm the European solar industry. This problem can now be easily solved without jeopardizing the European solar glass production.

British Gas has developed the Carbon Cruncher tool for the UK market. It contextualizes emissions by comparing them to other emitters.

Scientist in Canada have proposed to combine rooftop PV power generation with an alkaline electrolyzer and a fuel cell to generate hydrogen in buildings. The new system is intended at enabling seasonal energy storage and reduce a home’s levelized cost of energy.

US-based First Solar recorded $794 million of revenue in the first quarter, beating consensus estimates by about 10%.

Equinix and Sembcorp Power have signed two long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) in Singapore. Sembcorp will supply 105 MW to Equinix’s data centers in Singapore, including 75 MW of solar, for up to 18 years.

China’s Kaisheng New Energy Technology has agreed to produce a new line of thin-film solar panels for rooftops under an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement with Sweden’s Midsummer. The modules will be exclusive to the European rooftop market through Midsummer.

Microsoft has signed on for 10.5 GW of renewable energy with Brookfield Renewable Partners. The projects might cost more than $11.5 billion to build, according to BloombergNEF.

The authorities in the Philippines say the nation is on target to add 1.98 GW of solar this year, alongside 590 MW of battery storage, as part of more than 4 GW of renewable energy projects.

Australian battery company Li-S Energy claims to have taken a significant step toward proving the safety of its semi-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries, with the third-generation technology successfully passing a series of nail penetration tests.

SJVN is now accepting bids to develop 1.2 GW of solar projects, connected to India’s interstate transmission system, anywhere in the country. Bidding closes on June 17.

The UK-based manufacturer said the new Ecomod 290HT products have a size ranging from 15 kW to 50 kW and a coefficent of performance of up to 4.9. The systems can reportedly achieve a flow temperature of 75 C.

Researchers in Sweden have investigated incentive programs for rooftop PV and proposed the adaptation of future schemes to different investor profiles.

UK Power Networks’ (UKPN) distribution system operator (DSO) is expediting grid connections for 25 UK projects, totaling 836 MW.

A German team developed models to illustrate water-saving potential in PERC silicon solar cell manufacturing based on a circular approach and commercially available technology. In the case of a 5 GW fab, water savings of up to 79% and wastewater discharge reductions up to 84% could be achieved, a “significant” improvement compared to a reference scenario.

German research institute Fraunhofer ISE has unveiled a new metallization process for heterojunction solar cells that reportedly increases power conversion efficiencies by over 0.1% while reducing silver consumption. A device built with the new technique achieved an efficiency of 23.2%.

Conceived by scientists in China, the device consists of a Fresnel lens, a PV cell, and liquid ionic thermocells (iTECs) with electrolyte flow. In can reportedly outperform CPV systems built with thermoelectric generators, both in terms of costs and efficiency.

Sinovoltaics analyzed publicly traded inverter producers using a balance sheet-based model and publicly available financial information to track finacial strength over the past three years. The top-five in the latest ranking are Hoymiles Power Electronics, Enphase, Kstar, Eaton, and Goodwe.

Chinese manufacturer Huasun says it has achieved an efficiency of more than 26% for both G12R and G12 heterojunction (HJT) solar cells.

An international research team has developed a new type of perovskite solar cell by using 4-phenyl thiosemicarbazide (4PTSC) as a precursor additive. The device showed an improved open-circuit voltage and “exceptional” long-term stability.

Taiwanese manufacturer Winaico says its new 430 W glass-glass tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules have a power conversion efficiency of 22.02%.

Scientists led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have designed a new PV-powered desalination system based on the time-variant electrodialysis reversal (EDR) technology. The proposed system reportedly achieves lower levelized cost of water than conventional solar-powered desalination techs.

Researchers in Spain has found that combining PV power generation with fuel cells and battery storage may help homes considerably reduce their levelized cost of energy. Their simulation reportedly demonstrated homes may also become completely self-sufficient.

California is adding massive amounts of battery energy storage and the project pipeline shows no sign of slowing down. Batteries are playing an increasingly dominant role on the grid, soaking up solar in the middle of the day and shifting it to the evening peak, where they have become the biggest single supplier.

Norwegian Ship Design Co. has agreed to help build what it claims will be the two largest hydrogen ships in the world, while Norwegian Hydrogen has announced plans to team up with Australia’s Provaris Energy on hydrogen export opportunities.

Alberto Boretti was a senior research professor at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University in 2021 when he first started discussing the idea of a hydrogen city in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The New Zealand-based independent tells pv magazine that it is now commercially feasible, as the city’s 200 MW of energy demand would necessitate 1 GW to 1.3 GW of solar and wind capacity, 509 MW to 997 MW of electrolysis capacity, and 145,000 MWh of hydrogen storage capacity.

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL) has shown its latest lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery at an auto show in Beijing. The Chinese company says it has an energy density of 205 Wh per kg, almost 8% higher than the current state of the art for such batteries.