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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Latest News
Everything’s bigger in Texas
By almost any measure, the story of solar power in Texas has been one of astounding success. The state is by far the country’s fastest-growing solar market. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) records nearly 54 GW of solar and more than 29 GWh of batteries have been installed, while Texas is also growing into a vital hub for the US solar manufacturing industry, as Ben Zientara reports.
4 hours ago
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Italian startup offers 535 W PVT solar module with 1.4 kW thermal output
Syntropia has developed a 535 W hybrid photovoltaic-thermal module that combines electricity generation with heat recovery, achieving a combined energy conversion efficiency of 66.8% in recent tests. The company is also developing an integrated energy system combining PVT modules, geothermal probes, heat pumps and intelligent energy management software.
Brilliant Matters, HeiQ plan to commercialize 12%-efficient semi-transparent organic solar cells
A Canadian-Swiss-German collaboration has developed semi-transparent organic solar cells with efficiencies of up to 12.04% and fully printed modules reaching 10.2%. The technology combines Brilliant Matters’ BM10 OPV platform with HeiQ’s silver nanowire electrodes and is targeted for commercial availability in 2028.
AuroraCell launches 9.7 kWh sodium-ion chromium oxide residential battery
The 48 V residential energy storage system uses sodium-ion NCO chemistry and offers 9.7 kWh of rated energy. AuroraCell claims a cycle life of 20,000 cycles at 100% depth of discharge and backs the battery with a 20-year warranty.
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The $21 billion capex bill: analyzing the cost of the U.S. 100 GW module production milestone
New analysis by Terawatt PV Research reveals that about $21 billion of cumulative manufacturing capital expenditure was spent in the United States by the time domestic module production output passed 100 GW in Q2 2026. One company – First Solar – accounts for almost one-quarter of domestic PV manufacturing capex over the history of the U.S. solar industry.
Australian off-grid PV system keeps high energy utility running 24/7
A water treatment plant in South Australia has installed a containerised off-grid power system in an area with no grid connection that ensure its energy needs are met, and essential water movement and filtration processes run continuously.
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Blue wafers are fundamentally undermining U.S. solar manufacturing
The core debate shaping U.S. solar manufacturing isn’t just factory capacity, but whether facilities perform the critical P/N junction process on raw “gray” wafers or merely finish partially completed “blue” wafers imported from abroad.
Technology & Products
Sungrow brings PowerHarbor to Benelux homes for more value, less complexity
With net metering ending in the Netherlands on January 1, 2027, households with rooftop solar are rethinking how to use the electricity they generate. PowerHarbor is designed for homeowners considering storage.
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Siltrax launches 2–6 kW air-cooled fuel cell system for off-grid applications
Siltrax has launched its C2 Series, a 2 kW to 6 kW air-cooled hydrogen fuel cell platform for UAVs, portable power and off-grid applications. The system combines a closed-cathode architecture, dead-end anode configuration and silicon-based bipolar plates to reduce weight and system complexity.
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Technology & Products
POWEROAD FLEX 261 Series passes large-scale fire test conducted to C800 and UL 9540A
The FLEX 261 Series – including FLEX 261, FLEX 261 AIO, and FLEX 261 AIO-3S – completed a Large-Scale Fire Test (LSFT) under CSA C800 and UL 9540A standards, with results showing no flame propagation to target BESS units.
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Carrier launches rooftop heat pump for commercial buildings
Carrier has launched the WeatherFlex 50FC, a reversible air-to-air rooftop heat pump for commercial and industrial buildings, offering heating capacities of 22 kW to 50 kW and using R-454C refrigerant. The system operates at outdoor temperatures from -18 C to 50 C and features variable-speed scroll compressors.
Silicon evolution
China’s policy cracking down on oversupply and cheap, low-quality products, due to come into effect in 2027, sets higher minimum standards and is expected to push module manufacturers to advance their R&D efforts. Some manufacturers are already using their existing crystalline silicon lines to produce perovskite-silicon tandem cells, while others are exploring opportunities in back-contact production. InfoLink’s Hardy He tracks the emerging technological pathways to higher efficiencies and healthier competition.
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