Markets

Moll Batterien has secured more than €22 million ($25.8 million) in public funding for a 1 GWh sodium-ion battery plant in Bavaria, part of a roughly €103 million investment scheduled to come online in 2026.

Waaree Energies says its US unit has agreed to invest about $30 million in United Solar Holding to secure a traceable polysilicon supply for its expanding North American manufacturing base.

Awendio Solaris says it plans to invest about CAD 1 billion ($726.7 million) in a vertically integrated solar cell and module manufacturing facility and research center in Montreal, Quebec, targeting the Canadian and US markets.

This week, Women in Solar+ Europe features Sonia de Sales, Director of Development at Spain’s Altano Energy. She emphasizes that implementing an equal-opportunities plan is key to ensuring open and fair recruitment, including balanced shortlists and actively sourcing female candidates when they are underrepresented, while hiring on merit and making it clearly visible

Poland has awarded public support to 172 large-scale battery storage projects totaling 14.5 GWh, with construction required to be completed by the end of 2028.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Europe’s solar generation potential in November showed a strong east–west split, with Eastern Europe experiencing 15–20% below-normal irradiance due to persistent storms, while much of Western and Central Europe recorded 15–20% above-average levels under clearer conditions. The Atlantic coast was an exception, as Storm Claudia reduced irradiance to near or below average in Portugal, the British Isles, and parts of France and Spain.

France-based Engie has supplied Australian government-accredited GreenPower for four Australian Big Bash League cricket matches at Sydney Olympic Park, starting Dec. 20, 2025.

In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) explains how Australia’s rapid expansion of solar and wind energy has not increased wholesale electricity prices, which have remained stable since 2016. Rooftop solar, now widespread and highly cost-effective, provides the country with resilient, low-emission power, making all-electric homes increasingly independent from the grid.

China’s largest polysilicon producers have launched initial steps toward consolidation to curb overcapacity, but OPIS analyst Summer Zhang tells pv magazine that unresolved funding, capacity cuts and governance issues mean prices are likely to see only modest support in the near term without sustained capital injections and stronger downstream demand.

France-based SPIE has signed a three-year framework agreement with Tesla to deploy Megapack technology across European battery energy storage projects, including a 1.4 GWh facility in the Netherlands.