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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Polysilicon playbook
Now that the United States has finally announced the outcome of its Section 232 investigation into polysilicon imports, industry analysts and investors alike have been weighing up the expected pros and cons of the policy’s likely impacts, particularly on ingot, wafer and cell manufacturing.
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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.
Hitachi launches CO2 heat pump water heaters with solar-friendly tariff controls
Hitachi has introduced its Y-series EcoCute CO2 heat pump water heaters in Japan, with 370-liter and 460-liter models set to launch from November 2026. The upgraded range adds expanded support for daytime electricity tariffs and PV-linked energy management, alongside a five-year manufacturer warranty.
Heterojunction’s long road to the US solar factory
For a cell technology that has spent much of the past three decades on the verge of a breakthrough, heterojunction (HJT) is enjoying another moment in the spotlight. This time, however, the setting is somewhat unexpected – rather than the established manufacturing centers of China and Southeast Asia, some of the most significant new commitments to HJT are emerging in the United States, Finlay Colville reports.
New energy products emerge in Southern Africa’s renewables market
The final article in a series on energy markets in Southern Africa explores how the liberalisation of the region’s electricity markets is bringing a shift from purely selling variable electricity towards products that are tailored to specific customer and system needs.
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Sharp unveils 11.5 kWh battery for residential use
Sharp is launching its Japan-made 11.5 kWh Eee Storage battery, offering 21% more capacity in a 35% smaller footprint, with AI-powered energy management and enhanced whole-home backup capabilities.
Available in Japan from September 8, 2026, the system targets higher solar self-consumption and delivers up to 4.2 kVA during outages, with the battery priced at JPY 3.751 million ($23,550).
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Korean scientists unveil 10 kW chemical adsorption heat pump prototype
Korean researchers have developed a 10 kW chemical adsorption heat pump that uses waste heat at around 40 C to provide cooling for buildings, factories and data centers. The prototype features a high-performance adsorption bed, an electrochemical compressor with no moving parts and ammonia as a natural refrigerant.
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Kostal launches 25 kW battery inverter
Kostal’s Plenticore BI 25 is a 25 kW AC-coupled battery inverter for commercial and high-end residential systems, with three-phase backup power up to 25 kVA and peak efficiency of 98.3%. It supports three independent high-voltage battery connections and storage capacities from 5 kWh to 230 kWh.
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