The TOPCon solar cells with fabricated with screen-printed, fire-through copper rear contacts and silver front contacts, using laser-enhanced contact optimization (LECO) to significantly reduce contact resistivity. Optimized copper cells achieved 24.3% efficiency, comparable to Ag-contacted cells, with excellent stability.

A new UNSW study shows that laser-enhanced contact optimization (LECO) can boost industrial TOPCon solar cell efficiency by improving contact properties and reducing recombination losses. By combining optimized firing conditions with LECO “repair” of contacts, the approach balances recombination and resistance, offering a practical path for conventional TOPCon cells to compete with PV technologies offering higher efficiencies.

Polysilicon prices have fallen sharply over recent weeks due to persistent oversupply and weakening demand, briefly dipping to low levels before stabilizing slightly above CNY 50 ($7.31)/kg, though still near historical lows and below production costs. OPIS analyst Summer Zhang tells pv magazine that despite policy signals and potential future regulations, unclear implementation and continued excess capacity mean market conditions remain weak, with further demand declines and possible production cuts or discounted sales expected in the near term.

A Japanese–Chinese team developed a titanium molten salt redox-flow battery using abundant titanium ions and molten salt electrolytes to enable high-voltage, fast, and stable grid-scale energy storage. The system demonstrates high efficiency of over 97%, strong cycling stability, and improved cost and scalability compared to vanadium-based batteries, with further optimization underway.

An international study found that the specific power of commercial silicon solar modules increased from 8.5 W/kg in the early 2000s to 23.6 W/kg today, driven by advances in module design, bifaciality, and temperature management. The researchers highlighted that glass and framing dominate module weight, and considering operating conditions like nominal operating cell temperature and rear-side illumination is essential for accurate PV system design.

Lambda Wärmepumpen GmbH said its Eureka heat pump series uses a patented fluid mechanics system that reportedly improves heat transfer by four to six times while maintaining a temperature difference of just 3 K between the air and the refrigerant. Its seasonal coefficient of performance ranges from 4.50 to 6.10.

Scientists in Australia claim that TOPCon cells are rapidly closing the open-circuit voltage gap with heterojunction counterparts, now under 10 mV, while offering greater wafer tolerance and high industrial scalability. Despite slightly lower efficiency, TOPCon-based perovskite/silicon tandems can achieve a levelized cost of energy comparable to heterojunction-based tandems due to reduced fabrication costs, according to the researchers.

The US manufacturer has launched a modular residential battery for Europe, scalable from 7.3 kWh to 47.9 kWh with LFP chemistry and IP65 protection. The system offers up to 23.3 kW nominal power, over 6,000 cycles, and a depth of discharge of 90%.

Researchers in Moroco analyzed cybersecurity challenges in smart grids, highlighting AI-driven detection and defense strategies against threats like distributed denial-of-service, false data injection replay, and IoT-based attacks. They recommend multi-layered protections, real-time anomaly detection, secure IoT devices, and staff training to enhance resilience and safeguard power system operations.

An international reserch team developed two deep learning-based IDS models to enhance cybersecurity in SCADA systems. The hybrid approach reportedly improves detection of complex and novel cyber threats with high accuracy, adaptability, and efficiency, outperforming traditional methods across multiple datasets.