As smart grid tech is rolled out around the world to modernize legacy assets and integrate renewable energy generation, it is also making the electricity network more prone to cyber attacks. IEC Standards provide protection but they also are challenged to keep up with the latest threats.

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.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that solar irradiance levels were well below average in western and northern United States in November, while southern parts of the country and Mexico enjoyed strong positive anomalies.

Heritage buildings face mounting pressure to cut carbon emissions, but traditional solar panels often clash with their historic appearance and face public resistance. Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) offer a discreet alternative, blending solar technology into roofing materials and enabling wider adoption across protected sites. As UK policy increasingly supports solar on historic buildings, BIPV presents a scalable solution that reconciles climate action with architectural preservation.

This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Marion Bourdais-Massenet, Country Manager France at Viridi Energies Renouvelables. She says true inclusion comes from daily practice, allyship, and self-reflective leadership, encouraging young women to pursue their potential and contribute confidently to the energy transition.

Japan has allocated 75.3 MW of PV capacity in its latest procurement exercise. The lowest price in the auction was JPY 4.97 ($0.032) /kWh.

For the first time, a complete aluminum-graphite-dual-ion battery system has been built and tested, showing that lithium-free, high-power batteries can deliver stability, fast response, and recyclability for next-generation grid applications.

Swedish independent power producer Alight has completed a 215 MW solar project in Lolland, southern Denmark. The construction of Lidsø solar park started in the summer of 2024.

The Japanese conglomerate has deployed its Panasonic HX hydrogen solution at its facility in Munich. The system uses an AI-based energy management system that reportedly makes battery storage unnecessary.

Brazil published Law 15.296 on November 25, establishing a series of changes to laws in its electricity sector including guidelines for the regulation of storage systems, tax exemptions and the reduction of import tax rates on battery energy storage systems and its components to zero.

The two companies will invest approximately CNY 2 billion ($282.8 million) in the new facility, which will host two production lines, each with a capacity of 2.5 GW. The project has already passed environmental review.

The selected projects will be eligible for EU funding from the Connecting Europe Facility and will benefit from streamlined approval and regulatory processes.

The new residential heat pump system can be configured modularly and requires less than 150 grams of refrigerant, which allows it to be installed indoors. The system integrates with M-Tec’s energy management platform and supports multiple heat sources, photovoltaics, and battery storage.

Solar developer Energeia AS has been granted a license to build, own and operate a 46 MW agrivoltaic project in Norway, set to become the country’s largest solar site to date.

A research team in India developed a passive solar-panel cooling method using a thin, still layer of seawater placed over the module surface. Tests showed that while a thick water layer sharply reduced energy output, a thin 5 mm layer lowered module temperatures and increased daily energy generation by up to 8.86%.

The two-terminal perovskite–silicon tandem solar cell was fabricated through a chemical polishing method that selectively removes residual lead(II)iodide from the perorvskite film in the top cell. This targeted interfacial engineering improved uniformity and stability, enabling a certified 31.71% efficiency and enhanced long-term performance.

Australian solar distributor OSW Group has enhanced its free solar, battery design and installation business tool, GreenSketch version 3.0 with new AI-powered features, that simplify and accelerate workflows.

Omniflow has developed a line of hybrid solar-wind streetlights. It offers optional solutions to integrate for security, phone recharging, and Internet of Things applications.

UK energy regulator green-lights transmission network operator budgets for five-year period. Initial budget of GBP 10.3 billion ($13.7 billion) approved with an upper-bound estimate of GBP 70 billion transmission investment by 2031. At least GBP 44 billion of transmission spend has already been committed, according to the regulator.

SMA Solar Technology announces the commercialization in Europe of its new MVPS-9200 medium voltage station in a 12-meter containerized version for battery energy storage systems (BESS) and large-scale photovoltaic power plants.

 The U.S. based manufacturer has completed certification of its latest adhesive-free, fluorine-free backsheet.

Researchers at Fraunhofer ISE have developed a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell using a TOPCon bottom cell with standard textured front surfaces. Their results show that TOPCon bottom cells can perform comparably to heterojunction cells in tandem devices in terms of shunt resistivity, supporting scalable, cost-effective industrial production.

France’s Genelios has developed an 8 kW modular solar canopy for motorhomes, offering manufactured-in-France construction, multiple installation options, and services that include design, monitoring, and maintenance for users across France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg.

Chinese module manufacturer Longi says its Hi-MO 9 series with HPBC 2.0 cells achieved watt-for-watt power gains of 1.21% to 3.92% in real-world tests across multiple countries and climates, lowering the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) compared with mainstream tunnel-oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules.

A Swedish government agency is investing SEK 130 million ($13.8 million) in the next-generation indoor solar cell technology belonging to Exeger. The company’s Powerfoyle solar cells are an evolution of dye-sensitized solar cells and are said to offer 1,000 times better conductivity.

Sicily has launched a significant funding window for companies to install photovoltaic systems and battery storage, with preliminary applications due between 15 December 2025 and 13 February 2026.

Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) has developed a new way to quantify PV self-consumption in Germany using national register and grid-operator data, amid a steady rise in onsite use as installations and storage capacity expand.

German start-up SPH has installed its ThermBooster heat pump at Philip Morris International’s Italian factory, producing high-temperature steam at 139 C. The system boosts energy efficiency, cuts gas use by up to 50%, and recovers 20–30% of water from exhaust.

The EU’s third hydrogen auction is open for applications until Feb. 19, 2026, alongside a pilot auction for decarbonizing industrial process heat. The 2025 edition of the Net-Zero Technologies call is also underway, accepting applications until Apr. 23, 2026. Together, the three funding streams have a budget of €5.2 billion ($6.07 billion).

State-owned generator Stanwell and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners signed memorandums of understanding to deliver a 780 MW / 6,240 MWh CATL battery energy storage system integrated with 1,080 MW of gas turbines at the Gladstone State Development Area in Queensland, Australia.