2026 Defense authorizations highlight the need for U.S.-made photovoltaics in satellites to compete with foreign adversaries, writes Rob Gardner, vice president, congressional and regulatory affairs, for the SEMA Coalition.

This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Antonio Arruebo, Market Analyst at SolarPower Europe. He says that widespread lack of awareness about the barriers women face throughout their professional journeys is currently the major hurdle for change. “Many obstacles are invisible or completely normalised,” he also stated. “Without more education and conscious effort, this self-perpetuating cycle will not be reversed.”

As smart grid tech is rolled out around the world to modernize legacy assets and integrate renewable energy generation, it is also making the electricity network more prone to cyber attacks. IEC Standards provide protection but they also are challenged to keep up with the latest threats.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that solar irradiance levels were well below average in western and northern United States in November, while southern parts of the country and Mexico enjoyed strong positive anomalies.

The European Union’s solar fleet has reached 406 GW, surpassing the EU Solar Strategy’s 400 GW goal for 2025, but SolarPower Europe says the sector’s first contraction in a decade is putting the bloc’s 750 GW target for 2030 at risk.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to benefit from extra funding for community projects. Investment granted to fund renewable energy schemes and solar panels on public sector buildings.

Government officials in Zimbabwe have said work on a 600 MW floating solar project on Lake Kariba, the world’s largest artificial lake by volume, will be begin next year, starting with an initial 150 MW phase.

Europe’s move to 15-minute spot-market intervals, effective Oct. 1, is altering the economics of battery storage, with Rystad Energy estimating that battery energy storage systems (BESS) profits in some countries have increased by more than 20%.

Waaree Energies says its record November output underscores the scale and reliability of India’s expanding solar manufacturing base as global demand intensifies.

The M2HT series has an output range of 75–125 kW and is the company’s first product in the 125 kW power class.

The French mounting system provider offers an 8 kg rooftop PV system made from recycled plastic. The system reportedly simplifies installation and reduces strain, with integrated cable guides and clip-on connectors that support panels up to 1,180  mm.

Renolit France has introduced the Alkor Bright reflective membrane for bifacial rooftop PV systems, offering high solar reflectivity and durability for flat or pitched roofs. The membrane helps keep buildings cooler while boosting the energy output of bifacial solar modules.

S’tile has launched fully customized solar modules for repowering and revamping rooftop PV systems, providing exact-fit replacements or higher-output upgrades tailored to each project.

A pair of research studies led by the Argonne National Laboratory have demonstrated how “ecovoltaic” installations in the midwestern United States are home to more bird and bat activities than nearby fields used for agriculture.

In response to the growing demand for solutions for low load-bearing roofs, Chinese manufacturer DMEGC is presenting an IEC-certified lightweight 460 W module at France’s largest PV trade show – EnerGaïa.

Industry leaders at pv magazine Week Europe 2025 said manufacturers are implementing measures to limit ultraviolet-induced degradation in tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar modules and strengthen resilience to hail damage to protect performance and reduce financial risk.

PT Pertamina Power Indonesia and HyET Solaris Netherlands are planning to construct a 50 MW pilot factory manufacturing the Dutch company’s lightweight and flexible PV products in Indonesia, with ambitions to scale-up to a GW-size manufacturing facility.

The new floating PV structure removes traditional maintenance walkways between module rows to enable more solar modules to be installed per hectare. Ciel & Terre has also developed a motorized trolley system capable of rolling over the structure.

Sunwafe says it has formally applied to reserve land in Asturias, Spain, for a 20 GW silicon wafer and ingot factory backed by Chinese capital, EIT InnoEnergy, and a €200 million ($232.6 million) Spanish government grant.

Researchers in Germany have developed a DMSO-free fabrication process for tin-based perovskite solar cells that dramatically reduces ion density – over tenfold lower than in lead-based devices – leading to improved stability.

UNSW researchers have found that annealing copper-plated contacts in heterojunction solar cells creates only localized stress. Their analysis also showed that, at typical annealing temperatures around 200 C, the probability of silicon fracture is very low.

The Solar Stewardship Initiative’s (SSI) new buyers guide targets forced labor risk, supply-chain transparency, and compliance readiness in global solar procurement.

Solarpro has developed a steel deck mounting structure with a drilling-free fixing system for rooftop solar panels.

Emmvee Energy has signed a long-term supply agreement with a domestic buyer to deliver 4.5 GWp of tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells.

In Angola, 75.26 MWh of battery storage has begun operating as part of Africa’s largest off-grid renewable energy system to date.

The Chinese company said its Power Max 1800 SE has a rated power of 1.8 kW and a surge power of 2.4 kW. It weighs 15.5 kg and measures 39 cm x 23 cm x 25.4 cm.

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corp. (Toshiba ESS) has started testing batteries and energy management solutions to stabilize electricity in remote Saudi Arabia through a hybrid wind-solar pilot project. The project will run until May 2028 to evaluate power- and energy-oriented batteries and optimize battery use.

Battery pack prices for stationary storage fell to $70/kWh in 2025, a 45% drop from 2024, making it the cheapest lithium-ion category for the first time, according to BloombergNEF (BNEF).

European energy storage hardware startups have secured €2.14 billion ($2.5 billion) in equity funding for commercial, industrial, and grid-scale applications, says Avnet Silica. Nearly half of that funding was raised in the past three years, and more than 80% in the last five.