In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that January in South America featured dramatic weather contrasts with persistent floods and cloud cover in northern regions sharply reducing solar irradiance, while extreme heat, drought and wildfires in the south boosted sunlight yet also generated aerosol smoke that complicated irradiance outcomes. Severe storms, tornadoes and industrial fires further punctuated the month’s highly variable irradiance patterns across the continent.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Charmaine Coutinho, Director – EMEA Energy Transition at UK-based FTI Consulting. She says the energy transition requires inclusive systems that actively involve underrepresented groups, ensuring diversity and equity at all levels. Drawing on decades in the sector, she emphasizes intentional mentorship, sponsorship, and transparent leadership as essential for meaningful change and career impact.

Whatever decision the U.S. Department of Commerce makes on polysilicon imports, some market segments are in for a bumpy ride in 2026 as the expiration of tax credits and other policy levers change the trading environment faced by residential installers and others. Jesse Pichel and Lev Seleznov of Roth Capital assess what lies ahead for U.S. solar.

A systems approach is essential for smart energy standardization, ensuring interoperability, avoiding overlaps, and addressing complex interactions across the grid, appliances, and infrastructures. The IEC System Committee for Smart Energy (SyC SE) applies system-level thinking, using tools like reference architectures and roadmaps to coordinate standards, support innovation, and tackle emerging areas such as EV integration, digital twins, and zero-emission technologies.

The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMIA) says polysilicon production has fallen to 32% of capacity, sustaining oversupply, while wafer prices weaken as post–Chinese New Year demand fails to recover.

A new automated platform allows commercial and industrial rooftop solar developers to receive medium-voltage connection assessments from network operators in 15 minutes.

TTVision Holdings Berhad plans to commission a joint venture manufacturing facility in India in the second half of 2026 to supply inspection and automation systems for solar production lines.

China brings online 300 MW/1,200 MWh grid-forming energy storage facility in Inner Mongolia, integrating lithium-ion and vanadium flow battery technologies.

Viridi batteries have been deployed in New York to replace diesel generators, accelerating a trend where batteries replace and complement generators of all sizes.

McGill University researchers used deep-learning computer vision to analyze 719 solar projects across the Western U.S. The study establishes a new “land-sparing” benchmark, providing developers with precise data to balance rapid capacity expansion with conservation and land-use priorities.

With Latvia’s cumulative solar capacity reaching 920 MW by end of 2025, the Latvian Renewable Energy Alliance says the 1 GW threshold may now have been surpassed. The country also appears on track for a record year in solar deployment this year, as some of the largest projects in the pipeline materialize. 

Ireland reached 2,345 MW of installed solar capacity by December 2025, more than tripling installed capacity since 2023, according to Solar Ireland data. The country’s development pipeline has currently reached 1.7 GW.

The new SALT 110 battery storage system from the Vienna-based company has a usable capacity of up to 110 kWh. The storage system is reportedly capable of 6,000 charge cycles at a depth of discharge of 95%.

Official data from Morocco’s National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water puts the country’s cumulative utility-scale solar capacity at almost 1.3 GW, while import data suggests there could be a further 3 GW of operational solar spread across the commercial and industrial, solar pumping and residential solar markets.

The polymer solar cell is able to retain 97% of its performance after 2,000 hours in air. By blending small-molecule acceptors into polymeric matrices, the research team improved molecular packing, enhancing both stability and charge transport for “ultra-stable” flexible devices.

Kardinia Energy has secured AUD 2.15 million from the Australian government’s Industry Growth Program to scale up its flexible, low-cost printed solar technology from university proof-of-concept to pilot manufacturing.

Swedish researchers developed two novel single-axis solar tracking strategies that dynamically adjust panel tilt based on crop light requirements, balancing photosynthesis and energy production. One strategy prioritizes daily light integral targets before shifting to energy capture, while the other uses the light-response curve to optimize photosynthesis, offering improved dual-use efficiency compared with conventional tracking methods.

The Irish heating specialist has launched a high-temperature heat pump delivering up to 110 C hot water and heating capacities of 100 kW to 370 kW for industrial and district heating applications. The system achieves a coefficient of temperature of up to 4.63.

German startup Solarsecure Tech has introduced a gateway designed to decouple PV inverters from manufacturer clouds and block unauthorized remote control commands.

The Chinese manufacturer claims the new efficiency result sets a world record for industrial-scale TOPCon solar cells on M10-size wafers. The achievement was verified by an undisclosed independent third-party organization in China.

Canadian researchers conducted the first nationwide survey on public attitudes toward agrivoltaics, finding strong support across provinces with 85.8% of respondents in favor, although preferences varied by configuration. Opposition mainly stemmed from resistance to change, aesthetic concerns, and lack of awareness, highlighting the need for public education and updated policy frameworks to enable wider adoption.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has issued preliminary findings that solar manufacturers in India, Indonesia and Laos benefited from government subsidies, paving the way for countervailing duties of up to 143.30%.

The lab-scale, near-white heterojunction solar cell uses nanoclay-based scattering layers combined with dielectric multilayer films to preserve power conversion efficiency while enhancing visual appeal. The researchers report optical losses of less than 1% at a 50% clay volume fraction, which are significantly lower than those observed with textured glass.

The U.S. thin-film solar module manufacturer’s stock price fell more than 12% in extended trading following the earnings announcement, partly due to lower-than-expected guidance for 2026 sales and revenue.

An alliance of 11 industry, environmental and union groups has urged the Australian federal government to require new data centers throughout the country to secure 100% additional renewable energy and fund workforce training as a condition of approval.

SolarPower Europe has released new technical due diligence guidelines for utility-scale solar-plus-storage projects, covering risk, engineering and lifecycle standards for co-located PV and battery systems.

Malaysia’s prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said future policy will ensure domestic consumers and the electricity grid are protected amid the country’s data center expansion. This could include leveraging the ASEAN Power Grid project to cover any supply shortfalls.

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology IEE (Fraunhofer IEE) says in a new position paper that large-scale battery storage systems in medium-voltage grids should be technically prepared for future grid-forming operation, aiming to bridge the gap between current regulations and potential system stability requirements.

The Chinese manufacturer said its Aster TB250/TB500 system is compatible with both 40 0V and 800 V PV systems. Parallel connection allows scaling up to 3 MW / 8.46 MWh.