Markets & Policy
In highly regulated energy markets, policy decisions can make or break new technologies, strategies, and even entire industries.
Support from policymakers, in the form of procurement exercises, priority dispatch, tax incentives and a wealth of other instruments, has been vital to the global solar industry’s success, and new mechanisms to support growth in energy storage are an increasingly important part of the story today.
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Latest News
The aggregation imperative
Grid operators across the United States face an unprecedented dual challenge of surging electricity demand from data centers and frequent extreme weather events. These grid strains are forcing a structural shift in the US energy market, and decentralized generation capacity aggregated under virtual power plants (VPPs) is entering the mainstream.
Jul 03, 2026
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‘Pivot, learn and continue’
This week, Women in Solar+ Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Tuğçe Gür, Supply Chain Manager at Germany’s RCT Solutions. She says true inclusion means fairness, trust, and opportunity: evaluating people on capability, giving visibility and responsibility, and supporting growth through feedback, learning, and leadership access—not just encouragement.
China moves to curb overcapacity in PV industry with mandatory energy consumption standards
China has introduced mandatory national standards tightening energy consumption and efficiency requirements across the PV value chain, from polysilicon to modules and inverters. The rules, effective Jan. 1, 2027, are expected to reshape manufacturing, procurement and project selection toward higher-efficiency, lower-energy-intensity products.
Blocking, El Niño and extreme events redistribute solar resource in 2026 so far
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that, in the first half of 2026, solar irradiance was broadly above average across Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia, South America, and Central Africa, driven by shifting atmospheric patterns transitioning from early-year blocking and polar vortex disruption to developing El Niño conditions. Elsewhere, conditions were more mixed: Canada, Mexico, South Africa, North Africa, parts of Western Russia and Central Asia saw 5–10% deficits, while Asia, Australia, and parts of the Americas experienced strong regional variability influenced by cloud, rainfall, cyclones, dust, and smoke events.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: TCL Zhonghuan completes acquisition of Das Solar
TCL Zhonghuan has completed its acquisition of Das Solar, gaining 20 GW of n-type TOPCon cell capacity and 50 GW of module capacity while outlining plans to upgrade 20 GW of cell and 25 GW of module production to back-contact technology.
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All Markets & Policy news
‘Pivot, learn and continue’
This week, Women in Solar+ Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Tuğçe Gür, Supply Chain Manager at Germany’s RCT Solutions. She says true inclusion means fairness, trust, and opportunity: evaluating people on capability, giving visibility and responsibility, and supporting growth through feedback, learning, and leadership access—not just encouragement.
China moves to curb overcapacity in PV industry with mandatory energy consumption standards
China has introduced mandatory national standards tightening energy consumption and efficiency requirements across the PV value chain, from polysilicon to modules and inverters. The rules, effective Jan. 1, 2027, are expected to reshape manufacturing, procurement and project selection toward higher-efficiency, lower-energy-intensity products.
Advertisement
Blocking, El Niño and extreme events redistribute solar resource in 2026 so far
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that, in the first half of 2026, solar irradiance was broadly above average across Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia, South America, and Central Africa, driven by shifting atmospheric patterns transitioning from early-year blocking and polar vortex disruption to developing El Niño conditions. Elsewhere, conditions were more mixed: Canada, Mexico, South Africa, North Africa, parts of Western Russia and Central Asia saw 5–10% deficits, while Asia, Australia, and parts of the Americas experienced strong regional variability influenced by cloud, rainfall, cyclones, dust, and smoke events.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: TCL Zhonghuan completes acquisition of Das Solar
TCL Zhonghuan has completed its acquisition of Das Solar, gaining 20 GW of n-type TOPCon cell capacity and 50 GW of module capacity while outlining plans to upgrade 20 GW of cell and 25 GW of module production to back-contact technology.
Advertisement
The aggregation imperative
Grid operators across the United States face an unprecedented dual challenge of surging electricity demand from data centers and frequent extreme weather events. These grid strains are forcing a structural shift in the US energy market, and decentralized generation capacity aggregated under virtual power plants (VPPs) is entering the mainstream.
Solar warehouse in Kyiv struck by Russian missiles
Ukrainian solar energy company Atmosfera was struck during a Russian missile attack on Kyiv last week, destroying some of the solar equipment at its central warehouse. The company says a substantial share of the inventory was saved and confirmed all employees were unharmed.
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