Research & Development

R&D category

R&D category

Solar R&D is focused on improving efficiency, reducing production costs, and extending system longevity. Key areas include tandem and perovskite cell development, advanced materials for encapsulation and contacts, and new concepts in system integration.

Simulation tools, AI-driven design, and accelerated testing methods are expanding research capabilities. Sustainability and circularity targets are increasingly embedded in innovation strategies.

Latest News

Research & Development

The silicon recycling loop remains open

Retrieving silicon from end-of-life PV modules for reuse in solar applications relies heavily on small improvements. As scientists continue to chase that decimal point, AI and robotic labs might beat them to the goal.

Lior Kahana

Jul 20, 2026

Research & Development

New electrode design increases battery energy density by up to 15%

Fraunhofer ISE and its partners have developed thicker electrodes that could increase battery cell energy density by 10% to 15% without adding weight. The PFAS-free, solvent-free concept has been demonstrated in lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and zinc-ion cells and is designed for cost-effective mass production.

Lior Kahana

13 hours ago

Markets & Policy

Africa’s solar panel manufacturing capacity to reach 3.5 GW this year

Report from Ember and Africa Tech Futures Lab says solar panel manufacturing output will reach around 3.5 GW in 2026, led by new plants in Egypt and Tanzania that are geared predominantly towards US export.

Patrick Jowett

14 hours ago

Research & Development

Reliability risks emerge across BIPV, floating PV and agrivoltaics

A new IEA PVPS Task 13 report identifies distinct reliability risks across BIPV, floating PV and agrivoltaics, from heat and partial shading to wave loads, ammonia exposure and soiling. It argues that existing PV qualification standards do not fully capture these application-specific stresses, requiring adapted testing, design practices and performance metrics.

IEA-PVPS

17 hours ago

Research & Development

AI predicts wind-uplift resistance of solar PV piles

Researchers in Iran have developed an interpretable artificial neural network to predict the uplift capacity of driven steel piles used in utility-scale PV projects. The model achieved a mean absolute percentage error of 7.63%, with pile penetration rate and soil friction angle emerging as the most influential predictors.

Lior Kahana

19 hours ago

Technology & Products

Sponsored

Great Power successfully completes full-scale fire test

Great Power has completed a full-scale fire test of its 5 MWh energy storage system, with no fire propagation to adjacent containers, no structural collapse, and no thermal runaway observed in any adjacent module.

Great Power

Sep 08, 2026

Research & Development

New optimization method improves heat pump sizing by accounting for part-load efficiency

Austrian researchers have developed an optimization framework that accounts for part-load efficiency when sizing and operating heat pumps, enabling more realistic system planning. A case study in Innsbruck found the approach could cut electricity consumption by 4.5% and annual costs by 2.9%, while relaxed formulations significantly reduced computation times.

Lior Kahana

Sep 08, 2026

All Research & Development news

Markets & Policy

First Solar still ahead of the PV module pack Thin film manufacturer, First Solar remained the largest supplier of photovoltaic (PV) modules with a global share of 8.4 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to the latest analysis of the PV module market from IMS Research.

pv magazine

Jun 07, 2010

Applications & Installations

Suntech solar panels receive ammonia resistance certification Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd’s core products have been certified by TÜV Rheinland Japan, according to the DIN 5096:1985 T2 standard to maintain high performance when exposed to ammonia.

Becky Beetz

Jun 07, 2010

Markets & Policy

US: New research agreement central to future of solar power A research collaboration agreement has been announced between the Sanyo Electric Group and the University of California, San Diego, the U.S. which will see a number of solar energy research projects undertaken.

pv magazine

Jun 06, 2010

Markets & Policy

Solexant's nanocrystal solar technology receives USD$41.5 million Third generation thin film developer Solexant Corp. has secured USD$41.5 million during the first close of a Series C financing round, following the successful completion of a two megawatt (MW) pilot line operating at the company’s headquarters.

pv magazine

Jun 06, 2010

Markets & Policy

Global solar PV cell production booming Global photovoltaic (PV) cell production grew last year by 51% from 7.1 gigawatts (GW) in 2008 to 10.7 GW in 2009, according to a research note published by GTM Research.

Becky Beetz

Jun 02, 2010

Research & Development

MIT launches flight simulator to help set solar prices A new management flight simulator, aimed at helping users set prices for solar panels, has been launched by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

pv magazine

Jun 02, 2010

Research & Development

New solar cell facility for Melbourne, Australia The Swinburne University of Technology and Suntech have announced the opening of a new solar cell facility in Melbourne Australia.

Becky Beetz

Jun 01, 2010

Markets & Policy

Indian PV market set to expand The Indian solar photovoltaics (PV) market is predicted to grow five-fold over the next few years and will become a global player by 2022.

Becky Beetz

Jun 01, 2010

Applications & Installations

1.2 billion urgently needed to boost European PV industry Over a billion euros must urgently be invested into research and development (R&D) for the photovoltaics (PV) industry, says the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), so that it can compete with traditional power generation.

pv magazine

Jun 01, 2010

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