Technology and R&D

Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, powering everything from consumer electronics to electric vehicles, residential PV storage systems, and, more recently, mitigating curtailment in large-scale wind and solar power plants. EVs are driving large-scale demand for Li-ion batteries which will result in substantial volumes of spent batteries in the near future. This scenario highlights the potential for repurposing EV batteries for second-life stationary applications, which could maximise their value before recycling. However, to fully realise this opportunity, several economic, technical, and regulatory challenges must be addressed and resolved.

A team of São Paulo-based researchers have found incorporating formamidinium cations into methylammonium-based lead iodide perovskite films increases the durability of perovskite solar cells when fabricated and measured under ambient conditions.

Q3 Energie showcased a new string combiner box at Intersolar Europe 2025. The generator junction box can detect and isolate faults in photovoltaic systems.

Jinko ESS has launched a new modular 520 kWh battery energy storage system for commercial and industrial users. The product will be available for global shipment in Q3 2025.

Scientists have developed a way to compare the data given by PV manufacturers based on standard test conditions (STC) to the real conditions in the field. The proposed technique is based on the single-diode model and the Newton-Raphson algorithm. The maximum relative error was found to be at 1.37%.

Scientists have placed mist nozzles inside a bifacial PV module and measured it under an extremely hot climate. The module was found to generate up to 37% more electricity on sunny days and up to 46% more on cloudy days compared to standard monofacial panels.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new heat pump systems have a heating capacity of 4 kW to 16 kW and a coefficient of performance of up to 5.05.

An offshore solar farm is being deployed close to an existing wind farm as part of a project in the Dutch North Sea. The developers have recently installed an anchoring system that will hold the solar farm in place while an electrical cable connects the array to a nearby wind turbine foundation.

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.