French testing body flags durability risks in TOPCon solar modules
Accelerated testing by French certification body Certisolis finds wide performance divergence and design vulnerabilities in tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar modules that current international standards do not capture.
The impact of transparent conductive electrodes on perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell performance
An Oxford researcher has found that transparent conducting electrodes can reduce perovskite–silicon tandem solar cell efficiency by over 2%, with losses linked to electrical resistance, optical effects, and geometric trade-offs. Using a unified optical–electrical model, the scientist showed how careful optimization of TCE stacks, coatings, and cell design is critical to closing the gap toward the 37%–38% efficiency frontier.
JA Solar joins consortium building $210 million PV module factory in Egypt
The 200 square meter facility is targeting an annual manufacturing capacity of 2 GW of solar cells and 2 GW of solar modules. The solar cell production will be 100% for export.
Longi backs Carbon’s shift to GW-scale solar production in France
France-based startup Carbon plans to partner with Chinese manufacturer Longi and adopt back-contact (BC) solar technology as it revises its roadmap for a gigawatt-scale solar module factory.
Ecoprogetti ramps up solar module production line in Oman
Italy’s Ecoprogetti has delivered a 400 MW fully automated solar module production line in Oman. The facility is the company’s second in the country, which it says equates to a majority share of Oman’s module manufacturing market.
France pulls reduced VAT status from four DMEGC solar modules
France’s certification body says it has withdrawn eligibility for a lower solar VAT rate from four Chinese-made modules after finding traceability errors that altered their carbon footprint calculations.
EU security doctrine highlights high-risk dependency on Chinese solar inverters
A document published by the European Commission on strengthening the EU’s economic security lists reliance on Chinese solar inverters as an example of high-risk dependency. It adds the commission plans to address such risks under its cybersecurity framework.
SEG Solar starts building 3 GW solar ingot, wafer factory in Indonesia
U.S-headquartered SEG Solar is constructing a 3 GW ingot and wafer factory in Indonesia. The new production is located at its existing cell manufacturing facility, completing an end-to-end solar manufacturing chain for the company.
The impact of laser-assisted firing on TOPCon solar cell performance
UNSW and Jolywood studied the thermal stability of laser-assisted fired TOPCon solar cells during module fabrication and high-temperature stress, identifying hydrogen-related defect dynamics as the key factor behind degradation and recovery. They found lamination causes temporary efficiency losses that self-recover under light exposure, while optimized LAF can restore degraded contacts, providing practical guidance for reliable module manufacturing and testing.
Wood Mackenzie predicts 2-year decline in global solar inverter demand
Wood Mackenzie’s latest analysis expects market uncertainty in China, Europe and the U.S. to cause two consecutive years of contraction in the global solar inverter market, forecasting a fall to 577 GWac this year and 523 GWac in 2026.
