Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Job advertisements on Tesla’s website outline the 100 GW ambition and follow reports the company is in talks with Chinese firms for the purchase of $2.9 billion worth of equipment for solar manufacturing.

GCL Optoelectronics has won a 1.2 MW commercial perovskite/silicon tandem solar module tender held by China’s Huaneng. The procurement required mass-producible, IEC-certified modules with over 26% efficiency, a 25-year performance warranty, and delivery by June 2026.

In an interview with pv magazine, Jay Johnson, the CTO of US-based cybersecurity firm DERSec, explains that PV systems face cybersecurity risks that extend far beyond inverters, as demonstrated by a December attack on Polish solar plants where wiper malware targeted substation equipment rather than the inverters themselves. Vulnerabilities often lie in backhaul communication channels like APIs and mobile apps, making layered defenses, network segmentation, and vigilant monitoring essential to safeguard distributed energy resources.

Silver prices have fallen by more than 40% since early January, when they reached an all-time peak of about $120/oz.

Researchers in the United Kingdom have developed a smart window that combines switchable polymer-dispersed liquid crystal with integrated PV cells, offering controllable transparency and electricity generation. The system balances light, heat, and solar protection while maintaining high visual quality and stable performance, according to its creators.

Invertix has launched 22 specialized AI “workers” to automate O&M tasks for renewable energy assets, targeting inefficiencies in data handling, alarm management, and reporting. The startup says its system enables PV plant operators to scale portfolios more efficiently by reducing manual workloads, while keeping humans in the loop for critical decisions.

In an interview with pv magazine, cybersecurity expert Mohammad Al Faruque explains how seemingly simple sensors in PV systems and other energy systems are surprisingly vulnerable to magnetic, electrical, and acoustic perturbations, which can remotely influence control systems without physical access. Protecting these sensors requires both strict physical security and the development of hardened, interference-resistant technology to safeguard critical infrastructure.

LMU researchers have developed a dual molecular reinforcement strategy for perovskite solar cells that strengthens grain boundaries, improving both durability and performance.

Researchers at the German institute found that some widely used PV cleaning agents can damage anti reflective glass coatings, significantly reducing solar module efficiency. Their tests showed that while some cleaners are safe, others cause visible and permanent coating degradation, highlighting the need for careful selection of cleaning products to avoid long term performance loss.

JinkoSolar has appointed Cao Haiyun as chief executive, while PowerChina has shortlisted 26 suppliers for a 31 GW solar module tender for 2026.