Markets

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has started accepting submissions for new road-surface PV technologies, with field verification planned in pedestrian areas at roadside stations to test performance and electricity use ahead of societal implementation.

Grid operator Fluvius says that 80% of all homes, apartments and small businesses in the Belgian region of Flanders, including 89% of all solar panel owners, have now converted to digital meters as the company begins the final phase of the mandatory switch over.

AirWater and Suichoku Solar K. K. have launched a 178 kW vertical PV system at a Tottori parking lot, operating under an on-site PPA. The Verpa-based system, a first for the San’in region, maximizes space, avoids snow damage, and reportedly delivers power equivalent to rooftop solar installations.

State-owned generator Stanwell and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners signed memorandums of understanding to deliver a 780 MW / 6,240 MWh CATL battery energy storage system integrated with 1,080 MW of gas turbines at the Gladstone State Development Area in Queensland, Australia.

Australian installer MyEnergy Engineering says its 200 kW/280 kWh hybrid microgrid in remote William Creek, South Australia, won a national 2025 award for systems over AUD 1 million ($661,200), after overcoming extreme heat, distance, and off-grid engineering constraints.

Chinese module manufacturer Longi says its Hi-MO 9 series with HPBC 2.0 cells achieved watt-for-watt power gains of 1.21% to 3.92% in real-world tests across multiple countries and climates, lowering the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) compared with mainstream tunnel-oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules.

EcoFlow, Tibber, and Fenecon have introduced new software and hardware updates to improve residential battery control, interoperability, and grid arbitrage across Europe.

Solar and storage industry leaders from China and Europe gathered in Germany this week to advance cross-border partnerships, launch a bilateral storage collaboration platform, and coordinate strategies for scaling PV and battery deployment amid surging demand, grid pressures, and intensifying market competition.

Italy’s PV industry raised concerns over new regulatory measures and funding cuts as Gestore dei servizi energetici (GSE) published results of the FER X auction showing significant price reductions and strong participation in Sicily.

Report from the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators finds the average cost for renewable hydrogen remains around €8 ($9.33)/kg, around four times higher than that of conventional hydrogen from natural gas. A decrease in natural gas prices has increased the price gap since the agency’s last hydrogen market report.