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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South Korea’s solar crossroads
South Korean solar is entering a new stage, where structural quality and sustainability are judged more important than speed of growth. The country’s annual solar installations in 2026 are projected to reach approximately 4 GW, similar to 2025 figures. Companies and public bodies see electricity as a long-term risk to be managed, rather than as an expense to be minimized, and the market is shifting from a supply logic centered on power generators to a choice logic centered on electricity consumers.
9 hours ago
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When the rivers ran warm: how a heatwave thinned France’s nuclear export cushion
UK-based engineering and professional services consulting firm WSP explains how a late-June 2026 heatwave forced France to cut output at river-cooled nuclear reactors as the Rhône, the Garonne and the Seine approached their thermal limits. The afternoon surplus that France exports to its neighbours fell from 11–12 GW to under 3 GW within days, even though the month’s total exports remained normal. The episode shows how rising river temperatures can become a recurring constraint on French nuclear output.
Solar can outcompete grid power in rural India
A new study finds that solar-based distributed renewable energy (DRE) systems can supply electricity in rural India at lower cost than conventional grid power when projects are tailored to local demand, storage, and grid conditions. It recommends Village Energy Plans (VEPs) as the foundation for scaling reliable, cost-effective DRE deployment through integrated planning and stronger utility participation.
Portugal sets September auction for 1.05 GW of energy storage
Portugal will hold an auction on Sept. 14 for 1.05 GW of energy storage capacity, including 750 MW of standalone battery storage and 300 MW paired with renewable energy projects, under a new national strategy targeting 3 GW of battery storage by 2030.
Trump administration reportedly drafting ban on Chinese solar inverters
The ban, which sources say is being drafted by the Federal Communications Commission, may take effect as early as this year, and follows actions in Europe to restrict funding for projects that use inverters from “high-risk” suppliers.
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Vietnam sets ceiling price of $0.0502/kWh for ‘transitional’ PV projects
Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIOT) recently introduced new ceiling prices for solar and wind projects that sell electricity to Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). The ceiling price for ground-mounted solar has been slashed from $0.0709/kWh to $0.0502/kWh, threatening the financial viability of large-scale solar projects.
Jan 18, 2023
Switzerland introduces rebate scheme for solar
Switzerland has announced a new one-off incentive model for solar, in order to reimburse up to 60% of investment costs for installations that meet certain criteria. The scheme exists in addition to nonrecurring remunerations for small and large PV installations.
Jan 18, 2023
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Will Africa be left behind in the scramble for renewables?
Buoyant predictions about a rosy future for African photovoltaics, based on the continent’s abundant solar resources, continue to overlook the difficulties of securing investment, as Empower New Energy co-founder and CEO Terje Osmundsen explains, referring to a report published by the Africa Solar Industry Association at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi today.
Jan 18, 2023
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Only5mins! – Thin-film expert on potential of cadmium-telluride solar
Alessandro Romeo, associate professor in experimental physics at Università degli studi di Verona, speaks to pv magazine about the advantages of cadmium-telluride (CdTe) solar cells over other thin-film PV technologies, as well as the commercial implications of future efficiency gains and the prospects for industrial expansion.
Jan 17, 2023
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