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.

A single benchmark no longer exists. In some cases, charging speed is what matters; in others, it is energy density, and in still others, cost and scalability. In other words, the battery is ceasing to be a simple component. It is becoming the transversal energy infrastructure of the next industrial cycle. And those who can control not only the technology but also production, integration, and the grid will have an advantage that will be difficult to recover.

Women in Solar+ Europe highlights this week the insights shared by industry leaders during the panel “Impact Leadership in Solar & Storage: securing the energy transition through people, purpose and systems thinking,” organised by the leadership ecosystem Solar+ Leaders at Solar & Storage Live London. Bringing together voices from across the value chain, the discussion explored how leadership is evolving in response to growing system complexity, skills gaps, and the need for greater alignment across the industry.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that April 2026 brought mixed solar irradiance conditions across South America, with above-average GHI along Colombia’s Pacific and Caribbean coasts and parts of southern Argentina, while eastern and northern temperate regions — including Buenos Aires to Bolivia — saw reduced irradiance due to persistent cloud cover and wetter-than-average conditions.

Escalating Middle East tensions and global energy supply risks are accelerating Europe’s shift toward solar and storage, particularly in commercial, industrial, and utility-scale segments where energy security, resilience, and price stability are becoming central investment drivers. At the same time, expanding manufacturing capacity in China and India is redirecting surplus solar and storage supply toward Europe, creating a highly competitive and increasingly selective market where long-term success depends on quality, reliability, ESG alignment, and strategic market positioning.

Perigus Energy has named Meta, Amazon, Johnson & Johnson, Flogas, and SWW Wunsiedel as corporate power offtakers, confirming that 204.85 MW – just more than 35% of its 578 MW operational portfolio – is contracted through corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs).

At the Solarpower Summit in Brussels, two Ukrainian representatives highlighted the role photovoltaics and battery storage can play in the country, as well as the lessons the European Union can draw from Ukraine’s experience of living through war. Particular emphasis was placed on systems installed at hospitals and schools.

A remote Western Australia First Nations community with its sights set on reducing diesel dependence and energy insecurity has had a solar and 3.25 MW battery energy storage project approved for development.

The $200 million investment will bring the company’s total domestic production capacity to 6 GW by late 2026.

The European Commission has allocated €1.09 billion in support through the third European Hydrogen Bank auction, selecting nine projects across seven countries. The procurement exercise was significantly oversubscribed with 58 bids from 11 countries. It awarded fixed hydrogen production premiums ranging from €0.44 ($0.51)/kg to €3.49/kg.

Finnish energy company Fortum has switched on two industrial-scale heat pumps in southern Finland that will utilize excess heat from two local data centres belonging to Microsoft from next year. The company states data centre waste heat could cover around 40% of the total 2 TWh annual district heating demand of users in the area.

The German manufacturer launched two mounting systems for utility-scale solar projects and small- and medium-scale installations, respectively. Both are designed to streamline installation with simplified components and modular layouts.

The Austrian manufacturer said its new glass-glass module features 108 back-contact TOPCon half-cells and a power conversion efficiency of 23.52%.

Negative electricity prices are making a strong comeback in the French energy market. Driven by rising photovoltaic output and reduced nuclear flexibility, they dominated much of April, often falling close to the regulatory floor.

Two of Argentine’s most popular football clubs – River Plate and Vélez Sarsfield – are advancing solar energy projects at their Buenos Aires stadiums to cut operating costs and expand on-site renewable generation.

BlackRock‑backed developer Akaysha Energy says lenders require 60% to 80% contracted revenue before committing project debt to utility‑scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in Germany – a threshold that structured offtake products borrowed from its home market can meet.

In late April, a 200 km urban road test was conducted in Belgium under real-world traffic conditions and varying levels of solar irradiance to evaluate system performance in complex operational environments. The test serves as the final validation of the vehicle’s systems.

An international research team has developed and tested a hybrid energy system combining photovoltaic-thermal collectors, borehole thermal energy storage, and a dual-source heat pump to supply low-carbon heating for livestock buildings. The full-scale prototype, demonstrated on an Italian swine farm, showed high efficiency, strong seasonal performance, and reduced reliance on fossil fuels while enabling partial self-supply of electricity and heat.

Lade GmbH has unveiled an AC system that supports charging at up to 22 kW in both single-phase and three-phase configurations. The hardware is already designed to enable bidirectional charging in large-scale charging parks.

The Portuguese manufacturer unveiled Maxi-Lock, an autonomous hydraulic mechanism that locks solar trackers during strong wind gusts or high-amplitude vibrations, and Smart-Slope, a universal joint-style system designed for uneven terrain. The company claims the technologies can reduce supply and maintenance costs, lower component counts, improve plant availability, and enable higher PV module integration in both conventional and agrivoltaic projects.

Scientists from the University of New England’s Australian Institute for Strategic Artificial Intelligence are using artificial intelligence and powerful supercomputers to assess potential solvents to separate silicon wafers with minimal contamination.

Propelled by a select group of high-capacity manufacturers including T1 Energy and Canadian Solar, Texas is set to exceed 15 GW of solar PV module production in 2026, accounting for nearly half of all U.S. silicon-based manufacturing and serving as the primary hub for the inaugural Solar Manufacturing USA conference in Austin this September.

The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) is working with solar manufacturer MCPV and aviation giant Airbus to adapt terrestrial-proven silicon technology for space operations. It is envisaged the technology could serve as a lower-cost alternative to the gallium arsenide solar cells used in most space solar arrays today.

Norway’s Flex2Future has begun testing a scaled-down model of its offshore energy system in collaboration with research firm SINTEF. The startup’s CEO says the system, integrating solar, wave and wind energy, can deliver power at a relatively low cost per kWh.

Latest report from the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) finds measurable advancements in PV module recycling performance compared to its prior studies, including higher material recovery rates, improved process yields and higher output purity.

The Valdecañas pumped-storage hydro plant in southwestern Spain has undergone a technical upgrade, increasing its operational capacity by 355 MW and adding a 15 MW/7.5 MWh hybrid battery system.

National Bank of Egypt has acquired a 20% equity interest in Scatec ASA’s 1.1 GW Obelisk solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) project, reducing the Norwegian developer’s economic interest to 40% while leaving it in majority control through a layered ownership structure.

A new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) finds that round‑the‑clock solar and wind paired with battery storage deliver power at lower cost than new fossil fuel generation in high‑quality resource regions.

Researchers in Brazil found that retrofitting commercial PV panels into PVT systems can boost total efficiency to around 46–50%, but added thermal resistance limits heat extraction and slightly reduces electrical performance. Their experiments showed performance is capped by interface quality and system design, requiring improved heat extraction capacity.

The off-grid solar project, encompassing 31.85 MW of solar connected to 75.26 MWh of battery energy storage, will supply energy to over 90,000 people in eastern Angola.