In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that last month North America saw a stark solar divide, with southern regions like northeastern Mexico, southeastern Texas, and much of California experiencing 20–25% above-average irradiance, while Canada, the Great Lakes, and the northeastern U.S. faced persistent cloudiness and below-normal solar conditions. This contrast was driven by high-pressure systems and a southwestern heat dome in the south versus a polar vortex bringing cold air and storms to the north.

This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Margarita Licht, Product Manager BESS & Charging at Germany’s Goldbeck Solar. She says diverse perspectives and cognitive styles are essential in the solar and energy storage sector, enabling smarter solutions, effective problem-solving, and long-term planning. She also emphasizes that creating inclusive environments, fostering allyship, and choosing workplaces that value authentic strengths empower growth and drive meaningful impact.

An IEA-PVPS report finds that solar power above 60° North is not only viable but rapidly expanding, driven by cold-climate performance gains, bifacial technologies, and rising energy security needs. While challenges like extreme seasonality, snow, permafrost, and scarce data remain, Arctic PV is emerging as a critical—and technically distinct—frontier for global solar deployment.

Achieving a system cost of $0.65/W through the secondary market and do-it-yourself assembly demonstrates a viable pathway for US plug-in solar to provide immediate utility bill relief to renters and apartment dwellers.

An industry analysis argues that agrivoltaic systems using trackers or vertical designs can outperform conventional solar on both revenues and land use, challenging conclusions from a recent German study.

Wood Mackenzie’s latest analysis explores how 13 of the world’s leading power markets are impacted by the current fuel crisis, with those most reliant on fuel imports facing the greatest risk exposure. The consultancy says the average cost of generation is set to increase by $2.30/MWh across these 13 markets if a de-escalation of the conflict enables fuel price moderation in the latter half of 2026, increasing to an average of around $8.30/MWh if current elevated price levels persist through the year.

Chinese battery manufacturer Bluetti has launched its next-generation whole-home battery backup system in the United States, introducing the EnergyPro 13K Energy Storage System (EP13K).

Ember sazs that solar paired with battery storage could supply 90% of India’s electricity demand at a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of INR 5.06/kWh ($56/MWh).

A Japanese–Chinese team developed a titanium molten salt redox-flow battery using abundant titanium ions and molten salt electrolytes to enable high-voltage, fast, and stable grid-scale energy storage. The system demonstrates high efficiency of over 97%, strong cycling stability, and improved cost and scalability compared to vanadium-based batteries, with further optimization underway.

The Bangladesh Power Development Board plans to build a 442 MW solar plant near the Rampal Power Station with a $200 million investment, targeting the country’s largest installation and lower tariffs than comparable projects.

IT security firm Jakkaru has identified a vulnerability in microinverters from AP Systems that could enable a “kill switch” scenario, potentially shutting down tens of thousands of inverters simultaneously and disrupting grid operations.

Greece’s PPC Group has finished construction of its 2.13 GW solar portfolio in northern Greece. The company is now working on its third large-scale battery storage facility in the area, with plans for two pumped-hydro storage projects also progressing.

Greece installed around 1.9 GW of new solar capacity in 2025, bringing total installed solar capacity to roughly 11.5 GW, according to industry estimates.

Lambda Wärmepumpen GmbH said its Eureka heat pump series uses a patented fluid mechanics system that reportedly improves heat transfer by four to six times while maintaining a temperature difference of just 3 K between the air and the refrigerant. Its seasonal coefficient of performance ranges from 4.50 to 6.10.

Battolyser Systems and VDL Hydrogen Systems have merged to form Alquion, while Ming Yang Smart Energy Group plans to invest more than $10 billion in hydrogen and renewable energy projects in Ethiopia.

Inpow Battery has launched a 587 Ah semi-solid-state storage cell with safety-focused design features, while outlining plans for a 6.5 GWh production line.

Aroma Solar has opened a 1.2 GW tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) module facility in in the northern Indian state of Haryana, using automated production and AI-based quality control.

A new sodium-ion cell for ESS may further improve competitiveness in large-scale systems against the weight of the lithium-ion battery sector.

An international study has demonstrated that utility-scale solar PV paired with hydraulic hydro storage (HHS) could reach an LCOE as low as $0.022/kWh in select U.S. regions. The system could provide GWh-scale, cost-competitive, and highly reliable long-duration storage, capable of powering large commercial districts with minimal environmental impact.

Scientists in Australia claim that TOPCon cells are rapidly closing the open-circuit voltage gap with heterojunction counterparts, now under 10 mV, while offering greater wafer tolerance and high industrial scalability. Despite slightly lower efficiency, TOPCon-based perovskite/silicon tandems can achieve a levelized cost of energy comparable to heterojunction-based tandems due to reduced fabrication costs, according to the researchers.

GCL Technology says its GCL Optoelectronic subsidiary plans a Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) in 2026, alongside a potential 500 MW factory in the United States and a roadmap for space-based solar.

Company statements in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission indicate it will seek an arrangement between itself and creditors that may allow it to survive “as a going concern.”

Median solar module pricing in the United States reached $0.28 per watt as the market adjusted to intensified trade enforcement and new Foreign Entity of Concern compliance requirements, according to the Q1 2026 Quarterly Pricing & Domestic Content Report from Anza.

A UNSW-led team found that annealing conditions significantly affect stress, strain, and microstructure in copper-plated heterojunction solar cell contacts, with fast annealing increasing microstrain in both copper and indium tin oxide.

Spanish researchers found that semi-transparent silicon PV greenhouses boosted tomato fruit weight by 25% while generating 726.8 kWh over two seasons, outperforming cadmium telluride PV and shaded controls. The PV-Si system balanced sunlight, temperature, and energy, showing strong agrivoltaic potential.

Croatian power company Hrvatska Elektroprivreda is seeking a developer to build a 56 MW solar power plant tied to up to 200 MWh of battery energy storage. The deadline to submit expressions of interest is May 12.

Indian clean-tech startup Greenvize has launched a compact hydrogen-based cooking system designed for residential and commercial kitchens. The system integrates a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser directly into a cooking unit, enabling on-site hydrogen generation from water without the need for storage or distribution infrastructure.

Hydrogels offer promise in batteries as an electrolyte, including lithium and sodium chemistries, due to being inherently more safe.

Neoen has announced two battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in France and Japan, expanding its footprint in both markets with installations totaling 348 MW and 896 MWh.

Agratas, the global battery business of the Tata Group, has completed the steel frame of its Sanand facility in India, with production expected to begin in 2027.