Technology and R&D

The European Commission has selected projects for €992 million ($1.1 billion) of EU public funding, while the Japanese government has agreed to provide $4.80 in subsidies for hydrogen fuel cell trucks.

Back contact cells, long seen by many as too complex or costly for mainstream PV manufacturing, are a growing industry trend in 2025. Mark Hutchins stopped by Aiko’s booth, where Claudio Godinho, Europe Service Director at Aiko, treated us to live demonstrations of how the company’s back contact PV modules perform under conditions including partial shading, high temperatures, and mechanical stress.

Join Cormac Gilligan, Associate Director of Clean Energy Technology at S&P Global Commodity Insights, and Marian Willuhn, Senior Editor, pv magazine, as they walk through the halls of The Smarter E Europe 2025 in Munich, exploring the latest trends in the power electronics field. In this video, Cormac shares insights from major inverter manufacturers, including Sungrow, Solis, GE Vernova, Solaredge, and Gamesa.

Japan-based startup PXP Corporation and JGC Japan Corporation, a unit of JGC Corporation, are collaborating on a 1 kW one-year project to trial lightweight chalcopyrite panels in Yokohama City.

Scientists in Turkiye claim to have developed a nickel-based TOPCon solar cell with a minimal silver content and almost the same efficiency as fully silver metallized counterparts. The device uses a new nickel contact method that requires a trace of silver of only 0.5 mg/W.

Swedish thin film solar specialist Midsummer announced the order of a SEK 143.5 million ($14.8 million) turnkey line with a capacity for 15 MW from an undisclosed Swedish industrial and defense group.

Engineers at Monash University have a developed a next-generation water-based battery suitable for application in residential use and compatible with rooftop solar in real time.

pv magazine is compiling a guide to home solar installations, aimed at those who are interested in installing but are new to the market and want to make an informed decision. We have spoken to associations, installers and industry specialists in major solar markets across the globe to compile best practice guidance and advice that aims to be applicable to home solar installations anywhere in the world.

The Aachen-based company has further developed its energy management system (EMS) under real-world conditions, to minimize the cyclic aging of its batteries.

The UK-based company said its new hybrid solution includes a stand-alone monobloc air-to-water heat pump with a nominal capacity of up to 16 kW and one of its boiler range. The heat pump system uses R32 (difluoromethane) as a refrigerant and has a coefficient of performance of up to 5.1.