Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

The Japanese electronics manufacturer is testing its glass-based perovskite solar PV technology in office windows made by YKK AP, a construction and building materials company.

Oman Arab Bank is the latest investor in a major polysilicon manufacturing facility currently under development in Oman, after signing a $220 million financing agreement with project developers United Solar Polysilicon.

A TÜV Nord-certified white paper demonstrating JA Solar’s DesertBlue module series says the modules, which are specifically designed for desert regions and wastelands, transcend industry benchmarks and offer an optimized levelized cost of electricity.

Chinese manufacturer Sunman is to build a 500 MW per annum solar module production facility in the New South Wales Hunter Valley after securing funding support from both the state and federal governments.

An international research team comprising scientists from Chinese module manufacturer Longi has investigated the resistivity distribution of antimony- and phosphorous-doped wafers used in solar cell manufacturing and have found that they offer comparable mechanical strenght. However, their work also showed that antimony-doped wafers have a more uniform resistivity, with a slight increase near the tail end.

Dongkuk CM has introduced an ultra-high-reflectivity color steel sheet designed to boost the performance of bifacial rooftop PV systems, increasing solar reflectance to 80–85. The new material also offers enhanced corrosion resistance, long-term durability, and added cooling benefits thanks to its advanced plating and dual-layer design, according to the manufacturer.

The U.S. Trade Representative has extended the exclusion of 178 items from the Section 301 import tariffs that were put in place by the prior administration in 2024. The still standing tariffs include a 50% increase on solar cells.

JinkoSolar says it has increased the efficiency rating for its perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells from 34.22% to 34.76%, confirmed by China’s National PV Metric & Testing Center (NPVM).

Researchers in China have developed a dipolar passivation method that reduces defects and improves charge transport in solar cells based on narrow-bandgap tin lead perovskite. The approach has enabled the fabrication of all-perovskite tandem solar cells with efficiencies of around 30% and enhanced stability,

Heritage buildings face mounting pressure to cut carbon emissions, but traditional solar panels often clash with their historic appearance and face public resistance. Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) offer a discreet alternative, blending solar technology into roofing materials and enabling wider adoption across protected sites. As UK policy increasingly supports solar on historic buildings, BIPV presents a scalable solution that reconciles climate action with architectural preservation.