Featured in Fault lines – 11-2025

Commercial potential for lightweight modules

A spate of new announcements for lightweight silicon solar panels means there is plenty of choice for investors, particularly in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector. pv magazine’s Valerie Thompson takes a closer look at what’s on offer for low-load-bearing C&I rooftops.

By

Valerie Thompson

03 Nov 2025

This 500 kW solar project in Gränichen, Switzerland, includes sections featuring lightweight panels supplied by Goodwe. | Image: Goodwe

Lightweight module manufacturing is a global phenomenon. Manufacturers producing them include China-based Longi, Goodwe, and Aiko, France-based Heliup, Euronergy and Solarge in the Netherlands, India’s Waaree Energies, and Sunman, headquartered in Australia. That’s a lot of activity for what BloombergNEF Solar Insight described as a “niche sector” in a 2024 research note. It said self-consumption …

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