Magazine Archive

Firm action to address overcapacity in China’s PV supply chain is expected soon, and that prospect alone has been enough to nudge prices upward. Meanwhile, global trade is becoming more complex as India and the United States mull stronger restrictions on PV imports.

There is great potential for solar in Southeast Europe, especially in southern Albania, which boasts very high irradiance levels. So why aren’t there more solar plants? Insiders from Albania and neighboring Croatia say solar faces tough obstacles, including energy legislation, regulatory inaction, corruption, and a lack of state will to enforce needed market reforms.

Two months of module price volatility have brought mixed fortunes for different technologies, leaving global PV market forecasts uncertain. As European leaders debate energy policy changes, Martin Schachinger of pvXchange examines global PV trends through the lens of German politics.

A new generation of sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery cells has been launched as an alternative to the virtual monopoly of lithium-ion (Li-ion). Although the technology is unlikely to displace significant Li-ion market share, recent improvements make Na-ion a viable solution for certain niche applications, with potential for wider usage if cost becomes competitive.

At the Solar & Storage Live UK show in Birmingham, United Kingdom at the end of September, the word ‘optimization’ was mentioned repeatedly. Among the exhibitors at this year’s event was Dutch company iwell, which sees the UK as a great base to grow its energy management services (EMS) offering. The company’s UK director, Mark Duxbury, spoke to pv magazine about the growth of the behind-the-meter market in the United Kingdom, and why iwell, which also provides modular battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Europe, is positioning itself as more of a tech-led company than hardware-led.

While targets to build significant PV manufacturing capacity in Europe before 2030 remain in place, progress toward them has stagnated. With the few active manufacturers on the continent struggling to compete, the industry is again calling on the European Union and national governments to introduce various measures to support the buildout of a local supply chain.

A spate of new announcements for lightweight silicon solar panels means there is plenty of choice for investors, particularly in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector. pv magazine’s Valerie Thompson takes a closer look at what’s on offer for low-load-bearing C&I rooftops.

In 2023, InfoLink published an analysis of vertical integration trends in the PV supply chain, concluding that the industry would adopt more diverse and flexible approaches – a view reinforced by current market dynamics.

The panel of experts created by European grid operator ENTSO-E to investigate the blackout that left most of mainland Spain and Portugal without power for several hours on April 28, 2025, has published a comprehensive report on the events leading to the incident: pv magazine España’s Pilar Sanchez Molina examined the report, which fundamentally aligns with the earlier official account of the incident presented by the Spanish government.

US solar stocks enjoyed double-digit growth in August as industry leaders gathered in Las Vegas for RE+. Roth Capital hosted its 12th annual solar and storage symposium at the exhibition, where despite talk of near-term challenges, there were also signs of a sector with strong growth potential.