Chile moves on storage to ‘decarbonize the night’
Chile has emerged as a world leader in hybrid systems and standalone energy storage since implementing its Renewable Energy Storage and Electromobility Act in 2022. Ensuring projects are paid for injecting power into the grid during peak periods has supported growth, and ambitious battery energy storage system (BESS) targets are now being pursued to tackle curtailment.
How to size PV systems and batteries
Experts from Fonte Solar, Huawei, and Greener have exchanged solar-plus-storage tips, insights, and case studies at the invitation of pv magazine. In a panel at Intersolar South America 2025, they highlighted the need to understand consumption profiles and customer needs, as well as the technology’s limitations and potential.
Websol to expand solar cell, module capacity by 4 GW
Websol Energy System Ltd has approved the addition of 4 GW of solar cell and module manufacturing capacity, with a total investment of INR 3,000 crore. The manufacturer said the new cell capacity will be based on TOPCon technology.
Australia opens funding round for solar supply chain
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has launched the second funding round of the AUD 1 billion ($652.7 million) Solar Sunshot program, releasing AUD 150 million dollars to stimulate the commercial domestic manufacture of critical segments of the solar supply chain.
US residential solar hits record-low $29,000 before incentives
US residential solar averaged a record-low $29,000 before incentives in the first half of 2025, while loan rates rose to 7.5% as demand softened, says EnergySage.
Weathered PV backsheets have 46% faster flame spread than unweathered counterparts
Researchers in Singapore have accelerated the weathering of PV backsheets and investigated their flame spread behavior at different intervals. After 6 weeks, they found that weathered PV backsheets show 46% faster flame spread than unwearthered ones. They have also highlighted that current safety standards fail to account for long-term degradation.
All back-contact perovskite solar cell designs at a glance
Scientists from Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United States have investigated existing back-contact perovskite solar cell architectures and have proposed a strategy to help reach commercial production.
Türkiye deploys 3.1 GW of solar in H1
Türkiye’s cumulative solar capacity surpassed 23 GW in June, according to figures from energy thinktank Ember, exceeding the country’s target for 2025. However, a lack of connection capacity for future projects is threatening to slow deployment rates in the short to medium term.
New hail test aims to more accurately measure solar panel resilience
A new test curve for determining solar panels’ breaking point from hail uses a broader spectrum of impact energies and testing products.
Italy allocates 1.72 GW in rooftop PV tender for agricultural firms
The Italian government has awarded €2.35 billion ($2.74 billion) in subsidies to 22,942 rooftop solar projects totaling 1.72 GW, fully allocating the budget under its agrisolar program for agricultural firms.
