Technology & Products
Solar technology moves fast, as the industry pursues the joint goals of improving efficiency and lowering costs. From tiny tweaks in battery or solar cell materials, to optimizing large-scale system layouts, solar rewards effective innovations with a quick route to market.
As the industry grows, reliability testing becomes more complex and factors like recycling and critical mineral consumption come into the frame as well.
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Lower temperatures, higher heat pump efficiency
A large-scale study of UK heat pump installations has revealed a major gap between hypothetical performance and real-world data. Changes to commissioning could make all the difference. pv magazine caught up with Oxford University’s Jan Rosenow and Heat Pump Monitor’s Trystan Lea to hear how installers can achieve higher seasonal performance factor (SPF) ratings for their customers.
Jun 27, 2026
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Daikin unveils residential heat pump combining air-to-air and hydronic heating
The X Series heat pump integraes cooling, hydronic heating, and domestic hot water via one outdoor unit with inverter-based load sharing. It uses R-32 refrigerant, supports 180–230 L hot water storage, and connects to HEMS via Onecta for centralized, PV-optimized energy management.
Sunoyster showcases 450 W lightweight glass-glass solar module
Sunoyster Systems has presented the PVbondi lightweight glass-glass module, designed for low-load-bearing roofs. The system reportedly improves rear ventilation, reduces roof load, and enables faster installation while offering high adhesive strength for flat-roof PV applications.
Kyocera testing Sekisui Chemical’s perovksite solar tech at Japanese sites
Kyocera has begun testing perovskite solar modules developed by Sekisui Chemical across six of its facilities in Japan. The trials are being conducted in Fukuoka and Shiga prefectures to evaluate the emerging solar technology’s performance in real-world conditions.
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EcoFlow unveils OASIS 3.0: Pioneering energy intelligence for the European home
With its new OASIS 3.0 home energy management system (HEMS), unveiled at Intersolar 2026 in Munich last week, EcoFlow targets the rapidly expanding European residential energy market. This launch marks EcoFlow is leading the industry to another new chapter of intelligent energy management.
Panasonic launches CO₂ air-to-water heat pump with coefficient of performance of 6.1
Panasonic has launched a residential CO₂ (R744) air-to-water heat pump range designed for efficient hot water production, even in low ambient temperatures, using natural carbon dioxide refrigerant. The system offers 4.0 kW or 6.0 kW outdoor units with 250–400 L tank options, up to COP 6.1 performance, around 37 dB(A) operation, PV integration, and a 10-year warranty.
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NREL research into potential for solar panels to be installed atop landfills
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is evaluating sites for renewable energy potential on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency. A part of this will involve looking at where solar panels can be installed.
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UL signs agreement of collaboration with CENER for PV modules
Safety testing and certification services company Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has signed an agreement with the National Renewable Energy Centre of Spain, CENER to cooperate in the field of testing and certification of photovoltaic (PV) modules.
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World record for highest efficiency of commercial scale thin film solar modules set
Miasole, manufacturer of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin film photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, has announced that the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) independently confirmed the 13.8 percent efficiency of its large area production modules (one square meter in size).
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