Strengthening El Niño to reshape global irradiance for the second half of 2026
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, forecasts that the second half of 2026 will bring above-normal irradiance across much of Europe, Southeast Asia, northern South America and eastern Australia, with the strongest model agreement in Southeast Asia and the greatest uncertainty in North America. Combined with first-half observations, the outlook suggests Europe will finish well above average overall, while regional contrasts persist in the Americas, Australia and Asia.
8 hours ago
Canadian Solar unveils new EP Cube systems featuring higher power, scalable storage
Canadian Solar has launched upgraded EP Cube Single-Phase 2.0 and Three-Phase Pro energy storage systems, combining hybrid inverters with modular LFP batteries for residential, C&I, and scalable backup applications. The new systems deliver higher output, expanded MPPT flexibility, and storage capacities up 200 kWh.
10 hours ago
TCL Zhonghuan converts 20 GW of TOPCon cell capacity to back-contact
TCL Zhonghuan approved a CNY 2.6 billion ($382 million) upgrade project to convert 20 GW of TOPCon cell and 25 GW of TOPCon module capacity into BC production lines, with ramp-up expected from Q3 2026 and full production by Q1 2027.
11 hours ago
EU publishes draft terms of 4th hydrogen auction
The European Commission has published draft terms and conditions for the fourth European Hydrogen Bank auction, planned for end-2026 with a €500 million budget. The procurement exercise will maintain competitive bidding and fixed-premium support while introducing strengthened eligibility requirements, including electrolyzer supply-chain resilience, cybersecurity, ans state aid compliance.
11 hours ago
‘Never underestimate the impact you can have, whatever your role’
This week, Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Lindsay Dixon, Corporate Partnerships Manager at the UK’s SolarAid. She highlights how solar energy is not only a powerful tool for decarbonisation but also a pathway to inclusion—improving health, education, safety, and livelihoods for underserved communities. Through strong partnerships, women’s empowerment, and locally driven solutions, solar can create lasting social and economic impact.
11 hours ago
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Strengthening El Niño to reshape global irradiance for the second half of 2026
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, forecasts that the second half of 2026 will bring above-normal irradiance across much of Europe, Southeast Asia, northern South America and eastern Australia, with the strongest model agreement in Southeast Asia and the greatest uncertainty in North America. Combined with first-half observations, the outlook suggests Europe will finish well above average overall, while regional contrasts persist in the Americas, Australia and Asia.
8 hours ago
‘Never underestimate the impact you can have, whatever your role’
This week, Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Lindsay Dixon, Corporate Partnerships Manager at the UK’s SolarAid. She highlights how solar energy is not only a powerful tool for decarbonisation but also a pathway to inclusion—improving health, education, safety, and livelihoods for underserved communities. Through strong partnerships, women’s empowerment, and locally driven solutions, solar can create lasting social and economic impact.
11 hours ago
The decision points that make or break solar projects
An IEA-PVPS report warns that treating technical and economic solar project decisions separately poses financial risks, advocating instead for cost-effective “quality gates” during early development. Through a structured decision matrix and real-world case studies, the report highlights how proactive planning—such as utilizing mobile testing labs and defensive weather strategies—prevents downstream failures and operational budget strains.
Jul 07, 2026
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Unigrid unveils sodium-ion residential energy storage systems
Unigrid has launched Na+Casa, a sodium-ion residential energy storage system using its proprietary NaCrO₂ cathode technology, claiming a 10,000-cycle lifespan, wide temperature tolerance, and improved safety compared with lithium-ion batteries. The 9.25 kWh wall-mountable system has begun initial European installations, with US launch planned for 2026.
Daikin unveils residential heat pump combining air-to-air and hydronic heating
The X Series heat pump integraes cooling, hydronic heating, and domestic hot water via one outdoor unit with inverter-based load sharing. It uses R-32 refrigerant, supports 180–230 L hot water storage, and connects to HEMS via Onecta for centralized, PV-optimized energy management.
Panasonic launches CO₂ air-to-water heat pump with coefficient of performance of 6.1
Panasonic has launched a residential CO₂ (R744) air-to-water heat pump range designed for efficient hot water production, even in low ambient temperatures, using natural carbon dioxide refrigerant.
The system offers 4.0 kW or 6.0 kW outdoor units with 250–400 L tank options, up to COP 6.1 performance, around 37 dB(A) operation, PV integration, and a 10-year warranty.
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Highlights
Italy selects 566 self-consumption PV projects in incentive scheme for southern businesses
More than €200 million in available funding remains unallocated under the €262 million support program for photovoltaic projects aimed at boosting self-consumption among businesses in southern Italy.
Jul 09, 2026
Premier Energies inaugurates 5.6 GW solar module manufacturing facility in India
The Indian solar cell and module manufacturer also broke ground on a 6 GWh battery energy storage system (BESS) manufacturing facility and an aluminium frame manufacturing plant with an annual capacity of 18,000 metric tonnes.
Jul 09, 2026
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Press Release
JDEnergy
4 hours ago
Press Release
POWEROAD
4 hours ago
Press Release
TCL Solar
Jul 09, 2026
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Who maintains Europe’s orphaned rooftop solar?
Europe added 65.1 GW of solar capacity in 2025. It also lost 40,000 solar jobs – the first workforce contraction in nearly a decade, according to SolarPower Europe. Behind those job losses is a wave of installer insolvencies that is creating a problem the industry has been slow to acknowledge: a growing population of residential solar systems with no warranty support, no maintenance provider, and no monitoring.
Jul 08, 2026
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Canadian Solar unveils new EP Cube systems featuring higher power, scalable storage
Canadian Solar has launched upgraded EP Cube Single-Phase 2.0 and Three-Phase Pro energy storage systems, combining hybrid inverters with modular LFP batteries for residential, C&I, and scalable backup applications. The new systems deliver higher output, expanded MPPT flexibility, and storage capacities up 200 kWh.
10 hours ago
Technology & Products
Sponsored
SVOLT brings LFP battery expertise from EVs to C&I and utility-scale storage markets
At The smarter E 2026, Xu Tian, General Manager of Overseas Energy Storage Sales for SVOLT, announced the company’s plans to launch a 6 MWh container solution later in 2026.
11 hours ago
Ines, Mondragon launch new industrial tool for integrating photovoltaics into custom-made products
Ines and Mondragon Assembly have developed a pre-lamination system that creates prefabricated photovoltaic cores for integration into customized products, including electric mobility components and building facades.
12 hours ago
Winaico showcases 500 W back-contact solar module with 24.5% efficiency
Winaico has launched a new 500 W glass-glass bifacial module featuring n-type half-cell technology, 24.5% efficiency, and an ultra-black design The Back Contact Series combines advanced shading mitigation, robust mechanical performance, and a 30-year warranty with low degradation for long-term reliability.
13 hours ago
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Strengthening solar standards
The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) brings stakeholders from across the solar industry together to ensure that every component of the PV value chain is produced and sourced responsibly, from human labor to polysilicon. Rachel Owens, the first CEO of the Brussels-based organization and in the role for a little over a year, spoke to pv magazine about what comes next for the initiative.
16 hours ago
Strengthening El Niño to reshape global irradiance for the second half of 2026
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, forecasts that the second half of 2026 will bring above-normal irradiance across much of Europe, Southeast Asia, northern South America and eastern Australia, with the strongest model agreement in Southeast Asia and the greatest uncertainty in North America. Combined with first-half observations, the outlook suggests Europe will finish well above average overall, while regional contrasts persist in the Americas, Australia and Asia.
8 hours ago
TCL Zhonghuan converts 20 GW of TOPCon cell capacity to back-contact
TCL Zhonghuan approved a CNY 2.6 billion ($382 million) upgrade project to convert 20 GW of TOPCon cell and 25 GW of TOPCon module capacity into BC production lines, with ramp-up expected from Q3 2026 and full production by Q1 2027.
11 hours ago
EU publishes draft terms of 4th hydrogen auction
The European Commission has published draft terms and conditions for the fourth European Hydrogen Bank auction, planned for end-2026 with a €500 million budget. The procurement exercise will maintain competitive bidding and fixed-premium support while introducing strengthened eligibility requirements, including electrolyzer supply-chain resilience, cybersecurity, ans state aid compliance.
11 hours ago
‘Never underestimate the impact you can have, whatever your role’
This week, Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Lindsay Dixon, Corporate Partnerships Manager at the UK’s SolarAid. She highlights how solar energy is not only a powerful tool for decarbonisation but also a pathway to inclusion—improving health, education, safety, and livelihoods for underserved communities. Through strong partnerships, women’s empowerment, and locally driven solutions, solar can create lasting social and economic impact.
11 hours ago
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Notes from the field
Across Europe, North America and high-latitude regions in Asia, agricultural operators face rising energy demand, volatile markets and increasing dependence on electrically driven processes. So why isn’t agricultural solar more popular? Based on her observations on an alpine dairy farm in Austria, complemented by additional insights from other farms in the region, Austrian agriculture consultant Maria Weissenböck finds there is a gap in approaches. Farms tend to approach solar as a risk management decision rather than as an energy transition measure.
Jul 09, 2026
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Multi-drone platform for autonomous solar inspections, digital twin creation
Israeli startup vHive’s has created an autonomous multi-drone platform that streamlines utility-scale solar inspections through coordinated drone flights, thermal imaging, RGB mapping, and automated data collection. The system creates digital twins of PV assets, enabling faster, more efficient monitoring without requiring specialized drone pilots, according to the company.
14 hours ago
Agrivoltaic facility supplies traction power directly to Austrian rail network
Austria has inaugurated its first tracking agrivoltaic system designed to feed solar power directly into the railway grid. The 6.6 MW facility in Donnerskirchen combines renewable energy generation, organic farming, and biodiversity measures on the same site.
Jul 09, 2026
Free online calculator shows Irish homeowners how to save with solar
Solar consultant Scott McKechnie told pv magazine his online platform, AirPV, is designed to cut through the information noise homeowners have to wade through if they want to save money and get shorter payback time on their panels.
Jul 09, 2026
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Solar skills shortage intensifies
Solar plays an outsized role in skills and employment, as the largest growing employer in the energy sector worldwide. pv magazine looks at an investigative report into a European skills provider and digs further into the challenges of training workers for the solar industry.
Jun 26, 2026
Laser-patterned poly-Si finger contacts reduce parasitic absorption, improve efficiency in TOPCon solar cells
Researchers in China developed a laser-assisted poly-Si finger contact fabrication method combining picosecond laser modification and potassium hydroxide wet etching to reduce parasitic absorption in industrial TOPCon solar cells. The optimized process achieved a certified efficiency of 26.08% by improving optical performance while maintaining effective passivation and carrier transport.
12 hours ago
Study finds residential heat pumps offer flexibility potential even during coldest periods
An international research team found that residential air-to-water heat pumps retain significant operational flexibility even during extreme winter conditions, as they rarely operate at their maximum capacity. The study of 761 systems in southern Germany shows that intelligent control and thermal storage strategies could enable grid-friendly load shifting while reducing peak electricity demand.
Jul 09, 2026
Ban on high-risk PV inverters to impact 14% of EU solar demand to 2030
Wood Mackenzie is forecasting that an EU funding ban on projects using solar inverters from China and other countries deemed high risk will impact 14% of EU solar demand through to 2030, as well as 12% of energy storage deployments.
Jul 09, 2026
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Press Release
JDEnergy
4 hours ago
Press Release
POWEROAD
4 hours ago
Press Release
TCL Solar
Jul 09, 2026
Technology & Products
Sponsored
SVOLT brings LFP battery expertise from EVs to C&I and utility-scale storage markets
At The smarter E 2026, Xu Tian, General Manager of Overseas Energy Storage Sales for SVOLT, announced the company’s plans to launch a 6 MWh container solution later in 2026.
11 hours ago
Technology & Products
Sponsored
LONGi showcases solar+storage solution at The smarter E 2026
In his interview at the event, LONGi Vice President Dennis She explains why the company is focusing on its full stack system and discusses plans to establish 15 local service centers across Europe.
Jul 09, 2026
Technology & Products
Sponsored
Huawei launches the latest grid-forming strategy for future power systems at The smarter E 2026
In his speech at the industry convention in Munich, Huawei Digital Power’s President of Smart PV & ESS Product Line, Steven Zhou, said the company’s strategic focus on grid-forming, integrated solutions that reinforce grid stability to support high renewable penetration in Europe.
Jul 06, 2026
Applications & Installations
Sponsored
Poweroad receives China’s first pilot Battery Passport from Bureau Veritas
POWEROAD has received China’s first pilot Battery Passport issued by Bureau Veritas through the Circulor platform, marking an early step toward Digital Battery Passport implementation under the EU Battery Regulation and toward improved battery lifecycle transparency.
Jul 06, 2026
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