Magazine Archive

As part of a special edition produced for the Genera exhibition in Madrid, pv magazine publisher Eckhart K. Gouras examines the different trajectories battery storage deployment has taken in the United Kingdom and Spain, and the implications for grid stability.

Researchers pushed kesterite thin-film solar cells to a record-certified efficiency of 14.2% in 2024, and have now reached a new module record of 13%. But achieving 20% or higher, which could drive broader commercial interest, remains a distant goal, reports pv magazine’s Lior Kahana.

Despite difficult market conditions for many in the sector, solar manufacturers and technology suppliers have continued to innovate in 2025. This year’s winner reflects the emergence of PV recycling as a manufacturing and technology sector in its own right, while the highly commended entry provides a great example of equipment suppliers’ ability to quickly adapt to changes in cell technology and the new requirements they bring.

Regime change has reshaped Syria since the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024, but the country’s grid remains fragile. Daily electricity supply, even in the capital Damascus, still averages around one hour on, five hours off. It’s a pattern that has turned solar power into a necessity, writes Tristan Rayner.

The jury of the pv magazine Awards 2025 once again faced a challenging comparison. Submissions spanned the full inverter spectrum, from microinverters for balcony systems to multi-megawatt central units for grid-scale storage. The diversity of technologies underlines how dynamic the inverter segment remains and how difficult it is to evaluate across this spectrum. Facing the challenge, the jury awarded first place to a product dedicated to the fast-growing grid-scale battery storage market – an offering that also aims to open opportunities in new market fields. Second place similarly went to a grid-scale design that reduces servicing costs in this segment.

The Cheaper Home Batteries Program came into effect on July 1. The AUD 2.3 billion ($1.5 billion) policy offers a discount of up to 30% on upfront residential battery cost in its first year, delivered through the existing Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) – the same program that has subsidized sub-100 kW solar systems in Australia since 2001.

Potential PV system operators recently exchanged notes on an online forum after falling victim to solar scams. Sadly, they had been lured by fraudulent installation companies promising cheap offers and fantastic returns for end customers and investors. Martin Schachinger of pvXchange warns of the growing presence of fraudsters in Europe’s PV industry.

Negative prices are becoming more frequent in key European markets due to solar and wind intermittency, seasonal variations influencing demand and generation profiles, dated grid infrastructure, and market design. Battery storage absorbs excess generation, and tariffs shift consumption during peak demand, but too much market intervention can do more harm than good.

The rapid expansion of solar and battery installations in the Middle East over the past two to three years has taken many by surprise. A region synonymous with rich oil and gas reserves and periodically marked by regional tensions seemed an unlikely source of demand growth, but several factors have helped catalyze a transition that is still unfolding.