Magazine Archive 10 2025

India’s energy transition and its agricultural future are deeply intertwined. The government wants 500 GW of fossil fuel-free electricity generation capacity by 2030, while doubling farmers’ incomes at the same time. These priorities are rarely discussed together, but agrivoltaics has the potential to put farmers at the core of India’s clean energy strategy.

Large-scale solar projects in India face challenges from land constraints to harsh climates and technical losses. pv magazine India’s Uma Gupta explores five key roadblocks and how installers are navigating around them.

Millions of Australian households with rooftop solar are now rapidly adding batteries to maximize their generation and regain control over escalating power bills. This is energy democracy in action, writes Tim Lamacraft, general manager at the Smart Energy Council, who points out that batteries are becoming a key fixture of Australia’s decarbonization roadmap.

On the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, Chinese company Huizhou Roypow Technology Co. Ltd. (Roypow) has deployed what it claims is the world’s highest altitude energy storage system, operating in combination with diesel generators to power a major infrastructure project in a remote, offgrid location. pv magazine spoke with Roypow project manager Li Tiancong about how the batteries dramatically reduce fuel consumption and energy costs for the site, and the challenges of operating energy systems in harsh, high-altitude conditions.

There is more to sustainability than clean power. Environmental concerns extend across the solar and storage industry, from sourcing raw materials to end-of-life treatment. Investors, planning departments and local communities increasingly want to know the full impact of new projects.

Thankfully, pioneers from across the industry have made great strides in bolstering the sustainability credentials of solar and storage. These efforts should be recognized, which is why the pv magazine Award for Sustainability celebrates businesses, organizations and individuals who have taken concrete steps to support a green transition.

Each year, the solar industry proves its innovation chops with an impressive offering of new and exciting products engineered to improve performance. While China’s domination of manufacturing continues, there are plenty of disruptors from other countries introducing unique products.

With oversupply and policy uncertainty putting the brakes on solar manufacturing expansion across most of the world, India is now the only active market for many PV manufacturing equipment suppliers concentrated in China. pv magazine spoke with Inderjit Singh, founder and managing director of Indygreen Technologies, a New Delhi-based company that operates as a bridge between Indian manufacturers looking to scale up their operations and equipment suppliers which currently have few other markets to serve.

India surprised many with its rapid buildout of PV module manufacturing capacity, now standing at more than 100 GW. Domestic content policy rules for government-backed projects will soon require Indian-made cells in addition to locally assembled modules. Manufacturers are responding with big plans for new cell capacity, but challenges remain.

Inverters must withstand the high levels of heat generated when operating, otherwise system performance and reliability could be at risk. Cody Schoener of Dow Performance Silicones argues using silicone-based materials for inverters can improve thermal management and fire protection, while offering thermal stability, environmental resistance, electrical isolation and support for operational efficiency.

Germany’s M10 Industries AG and Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) first presented their shingled cell matrix technology in 2021. A few months later, M10 teamed up with Zahoransky AG, an automation equipment supplier. Their joint venture M10 Solar Equipment aims to industrialize shingle matrix technology for the mass market. To find out more about market prospects for this technology, pv magazine spoke to M10’s technology and sales manager, Nils Klasen.