This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Maria Ardila, construction engineer at UK-based Cubico Sustainable Investments. She says that progress remains slow in the energy industry because gender matters are often viewed as personal choices rather than the systemic issues they truly are. “Until society challenges the outdated norms and organizational structures that penalize mothers, meaningful advancement toward gender equity in leadership will continue to be constrained,” she states.

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 in June was impacted by Mexico’s earliest major hurricane on record, while wildfire smoke and persistent cloud suppressed irradiance over most of central and eastern U.S.

IEA PVPS Task 16 recently introduced SolarStations.org, a global catalogue of solar irradiance monitoring stations designed for researchers, developers, and policymakers. This openly available resource catalogues more than 800 multi-component stations –of which more than 400 are currently active – offering a comprehensive view of high-quality ground-based solar data.

Oversupply of lithium-ion battery precursor and active materials – and of lithium iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, especially in China – has driven energy storage system costs down, fueling a record 330 GWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) shipments in 2024. Edward Rackley, head of the energy storage team at Business intelligence specialist CRU, shares his analysis.

The Aquarea DHW Heat Pump utilizes propane as the refrigerant and is reportedly able to reach maximum temperatures of 65 C. The standalone unit supports PV contact and is compatible with external recirculation pumps.

Italy’s first solar auction under the transitional FER X incentive scheme drew 17.5 GW in project proposals and an additional 2.87 GW in wind bids, according to state-run energy agency Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE).

Montenegro has set a ceiling price of €65 ($76.11)/MWh for its first solar auction, which will offer 12-year contracts for difference (CfD) for up to 250 MW of capacity. The auction is scheduled to take place later this year.

The Australian government has announced AUD 60 million ($39.1 million) in new funding for R&D projects that promise to accelerate cost reductions for PV and help meet the stretch target for “ultra low-cost” solar production.

India added 17.4 GW of utility-scale solar and 5.15 GW of rooftop PV capacity in fiscal 2025, according to JMK Research. Rajasthan led new installations with 6.5 GW, followed by Gujarat with 3.6 GW and Maharashtra with 2.3 GW.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminates residential solar tax credits after 2025 and introduces new timelines and restrictions for clean energy tax credits under Sections 45Y and 48E.

Researchers in Türkiye have conducted an experimental study on the ideal tilt angles for PV systems deployed on canals. Their analysis showed that an 8◦ tilt angle consistently demonstrates greater performance.

The Netherlands-based solar façade panel and mounting system provider has added a new terracotta rooftop module to its product range. It also announced it is expanding it sales network and boosting its manufacturing capacity after raising €5.5 million in financing.

Neoen’s 300 MW Cestas solar park, commissioned in 2015, remains France’s biggest PV plant and the only one in the country that contributes to grid stability, even at night.

Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) says Germany could deploy up to 500 GW of agrivoltaic capacity, based on a nationwide assessment of all agricultural land types and site suitability criteria.

A recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) covers guidance on improving the performance of PV systems deployed in climates such as deserts, tropical regions and snowy areas. 

Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory grew tomatoes under translucent solar panels, which could play a promising role in agrivoltaics.

Australian company Solspan has unveiled a 6.4 kW vertical solar wall system for applications in agrivoltaic projects. It measures 4 m x 4 m and can be interconnected with other units to create MW-sized systems.

In grids increasingly dominated by renewables, grid-forming technology is emerging as critical tool for maintaining stability and ensuring reliable power system operation. In this interview with ESS News, Rui Sun, Sungrow’s Deputy General Manager-Grid Technology Center, explains how grid-forming works, why it matters, and where the technology is already proving its value. He elaborates on technical challenges, regulatory gaps, and why grid-forming could soon become the new industry standard.

SunCable has welcomed the Australian federal government’s decision to renew major project status for its Australia-Asia PowerLink, which aims to deliver up to 6 GW of renewable power from the Northern Territory to industries and urban centers in Darwin and Singapore.

Shakti Pumps (India) Ltd. has raised INR 2.93 billion ($34.2 million) through a qualified institutions placement to fund a greenfield 2.2 GW solar cell and module manufacturing facility in central India.

China’s top industry officials have vowed to curb low-price competition and excess capacity in the solar sector, as authorities begin implementing measures aimed at stabilizing supply chains and rebalancing the market.

The European Patent Office has ruled that Borealis AG can continue producing polyolefin encapsulation (POE) material for solar applications, rejecting a patent challenge by Japan’s Mitsui Chemicals.

Researchers in Europe are investigating semi-transparent solar windows, applying microfabrication technniques to both CIGS and perovskite devices, to overcome the view-impeding properties of earlier solar window concepts.

H&H Aluminium Pvt. Ltd. has opened a new solar panel frame manufacturing plant in India, with an annual production capacity of 24,000 metric tons.

Tesla deployed 9.6 GWh of battery storage in the second quarter of 2025, with year-to-date volumes up nearly 50% from 2024. The company recorded flat quarterly growth and says its 10 GWh Nevada cell factory is close to completion.

On June 26, the construction of the world’s largest power generation-side energy storage project in Ulan Chab, Inner Mongolia, officially began. This 1 GW/6 GWh project, using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology, aims to enhance grid stability and support China’s renewable energy transition.

Researchers in Hungary have developed a model to calculate the optimal PV and battery storage balance to support the European grid in the next few years. They found that the cost-optimal range is at 530–880 GW of PV, combined with battery storage equivalent to 2.5–7.5% of the total intermittent capacity.

A giant solar-plus-vanadium flow battery project in Xinjiang has completed construction, marking a milestone in China’s pursuit of long-duration, utility-scale energy storage.

Around one-quarter of all new rooftop PV systems installed in Spain in 2024 included battery storage, underscoring continual growth in distributed energy, despite a decline in total installed storage capacity.