In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that most of Australia experienced above-average solar irradiance in January 2026 due to a hot, dry airmass and clear skies, boosting PV generation despite operational challenges from elevated temperatures, bushfire smoke, and dust. In contrast, northern Queensland and far northern regions saw significant irradiance deficits from persistent monsoonal clouds and Tropical Cyclone Koji, causing widespread rainfall and localized power outages.

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.

Europe’s residential solar market is shifting from rapid rooftop PV growth to a more selective phase, with declining new installations but rising demand for upgrades like storage, smart energy management, EV integration, and balcony systems. Rather than retreating, households are reinvesting in complementary technologies that enhance flexibility, reliability, and self-consumption, redefining residential demand around integrated, intelligent energy solutions.

In its first monthly column for pv magazine, the Becquerel Institute explains how solar PV continues its global expansion despite political uncertainty and market turbulence. In Europe, 2025 was a record year — but the underlying dynamics are becoming increasingly complex.

The world’s largest reinsurer has recently introduced stricter requirements for PV warranty insurance to further de-risk insured PV parks and set a higher benchmark for industry wide reliability and production quality.

Germany’s latest tender for large-scale PV project concluded with an average final price of €0.0500 ($0.0593)/kWh. The procurement exercise was largely oversubscribed.

The Philippines has unveiled plans for its next four green energy auctions, one of which will focus on rooftop solar and solar-plus-storage in selected areas of the country. Another forthcoming auction will concentrate on solar on canals, agrisolar and solar on stilts over fish ponds.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has repealed the 2009 Endangerment Finding that classified greenhouse gases as a threat to public health, removing the legal basis used to regulate carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act.

The latest report from the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) says second-life PV modules have the potential to reduce waste and extend the value of solar assets, but their market today remains underdeveloped and requires advances in technical qualifications, scalable reuse infrastructure and supportive policy frameworks.

EVE Energy says a 200 MW/400 MWh battery energy storage project in China has entered operation, which it describes as the world’s first utility-scale deployment of 628 Ah lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells.

Researchers in Saudi Arabia conducted a year-long simulation of fixed-tilt PV panels at different azimuth angles, finding that south-facing panels (180°) maximize energy production, while up to 45° eastward shifts cause minimal losses.

The Chinese supplier said the new product uses high-strength AL6005-T5 aluminum alloy and SUS304 stainless steel. It can be adjusted to a tilt angle of 0-15°.

Spain’s installed solar capacity reached 50 GW in early 2026 after adding about 8.7 GW in 2025, according to grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE).

Researchers in Spain surveyed 238 wine tourists in the Murcia region and found broad support for trellis-integrated agrivoltaics in vineyards, with 94% backing solar integration and most respondents seeing no landscape conflict.

RenewaFLEXNL, a three-year Dutch initiative led by TNO, aims to accelerate long‑duration energy storage (8–100 h) to reduce grid congestion and better integrate renewable energy. pv magazine spoke with the project coordinator, Iraxte Gonzalez Aparicio, about diverse storage technologies, real-world applications, regulatory guidance, and energy management system tools to support large-scale solar‑plus‑storage deployment in the Netherlands and beyond.

The Dutch spatial atomic layer deposition equipment manufacturer has launched a new sheet-to-sheet tool for pilot production of large area perovskite solar devices on glass substrates.

New research finds that battery safety rankings are not universal but highly dependent on application scenarios, and shows that LFP batteries can emit high levels of hydrogen fluoride, challenging their reputation as the “safest” chemistry.

Single-phase inverter products manufactured in Texas are now being shipped to multiple European markets as SolarEdge adapts its international export strategy. The manufacturer tells pv magazine key components will increasingly be manufactured in the United States in the coming years.

German researchers found that agrivoltaics costs far exceed agricultural benefits, raising doubts about subsidies and highlighting the need for more cost-competitive system designs.

Australian researchers developed a low-cost reflective coating for semi-transparent solar roof tiles that lowers surface temperatures by up to 20 C and boosts power output by up to 11.7%. Simulations across five global cities showed energy savings of up to 5.85%, highlighting the coating’s strong potential for improving both building cooling efficiency and solar performance in BIPV systems.

The Silver Institute has said the amount of silver used for manufacturing is set to fall this year, driven by developments in the solar sector. The institute also says the silver market will remain in deficit for the sixth consecutive year. Philip Newman, Managing Director of independent research consultancy Metals Focus, told pv magazine the fact prices have recovered quite well after the end-January correction demonstrates the underlying strength of investor interest in silver.

The Portuguese company said its new Drone AgroPV Cleaning Agent is scheduled for release in June. It has a safe formulation for crops and soil.

Norwegian fire safety specialist Bridgehill has developed a fire-resistant roofing membrane designed for use beneath rooftop PV systems. The company says the product is intended to limit heat transfer and flame spread in commercial and industrial installations subject to strict fire safety and insurance requirements.

Fraunhofer CSP researchers in Germany are developing printing and color technologies to make conventional silicon PV panels less visible when installed on building façades, roofs, and balconies.

Carbon dioxide removal is most likely needed for rebalancing the climate to comply with the 1.5 C target set in the Paris Agreement, as data suggest this level has already been breached on an annual basis. Beneath natural climate solutions and land use change, technological and bio-technical solutions are most promising. Solar PV may play a key role in minimizing area demand and supporting cost optimization even in unexpected places such as Iceland.

Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. (KREDL)) has issued a letter of award to Pace Digitek for a 250 MW solar project with a 250 MW, 1.1 GWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at Pavagada Solar Park in Karnataka, India, with an interim tariff of INR 5.51 ($0.061)/kWh adopted by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission.

French startup Jane Energie has introduced a software platform to automate and manage collective self-consumption projects, targeting 100 kWp to 500 kWp installations as the segment moves from feed-in tariffs toward shared local consumption models.

The Germany battery manufacturer is expanding its portfolio with a modularly scalable LFP storage solution featuring a new energy management system. The new product comes with the company’s proprietary “Varta.iq” software, which is designed to detect consumption anomalies, integrate dynamic electricity tariffs, and enable bidirectional charging.

Switzerland-based Energy Vault has secured an initial 1.5 GWh of sodium-ion battery supply from Peak Energy to develop integrated storage systems for artificial intelligence-focused data centers.

By combining semi-solid-state battery technology with immersion cooling, the new battery cells and energy storage solutions from Wanxiang A123 Systems Corp. exhibit both robust thermal safety and strong economic performance.