Hydrogen faces ‘year of reckoning’ in 2026, says Wood Mackenzie
Wood Mackenzie’s 2026 market outlook for hydrogen expects non-biological origin hydrogen to gain momentum and ammonia crackers to reach commercial scale but predicts the Middle Eastern market to retreat and the EU to abandon its industrial hydrogen mandates.
India’s smart metering boom reshapes grid through decentralized IoT
India’s power system is rapidly decentralizing as electricity demand, rooftop solar, electric vehicles, and distributed generation expand, turning a one-way grid into a dynamic network that increasingly depends on decentralized data systems such as RF mesh networks.
California introduces bill to legalize plug-in balcony solar
A new bill in California is designed to allow small plug-in solar systems to connect directly to household outlets by reclassifying them as appliances, removing utility interconnection and permitting requirements.
Polysilicon prices jump over 9% as China supply tightens
Polysilicon prices in China rose sharply this week as reduced output, higher costs, and strong downstream demand pushed transactions above CNY 60,000 ($8,590) per metric ton (MT). Module prices, however, remained stable, supported by firm procurement and tight wafer supply.
Australia makes gains in electric vehicle uptake
Australia recorded a sharp rise in electric vehicle sales in 2025, with new-car sales data showing nearly 157,000 EVs were purchased nationwide, up 38% from the previous year.
Over 1 TW of renewables awaiting approval in Europe
Aurora Energy Research’s latest report says Europe requires €600 billion ($700.2 billion) of investment by the end of the decade, increasing to €1.5 trillion by the middle of the century, to support the expansion of the continent’s renewable energy.
N-type wafer prices rise over 10% as silver-driven cell costs increase
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.
La Niña Ridge drives December solar gains across U.S. Southwest
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that December’s solar resource reflected a classic La Niña pattern, with suppressed irradiance in the Pacific Northwest and above-normal conditions across the southern U.S. A blocking ridge brought clear skies and strong solar gains to the Southwest and Texas, while cloud cover and fog reduced output farther north.
French regulator highlights flexible grid connections, battery queue pressures
France’s energy regulator says wider use of flexible grid connections is becoming essential as solar and battery projects compete for limited network capacity, with storage connection queues now totaling 2.8 GW.
Campaign group protests giant solar projects in Portugal
A campaign group in Portugal is challenging large-scale solar developments in Beira Baixa, Portugal. Developers of a proposed 867 MW solar site told pv magazine sustainability is central to the project, including biodiversity measures and tree planting at a rate 18 times higher than removals.
