Small-scale behind-the-meter storage is beginning to reshape peak demand in the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM), raising the prospect of a “Bactrian camel curve” in which evening load is split. Within six months of Australia’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program, small-scale storage capacity could supply up to half the peak output of the Eraring coal-fired power station.

Nextpower will supply more than 1 GW of US-made steel module frames to JinkoSolar’s Florida facility under a multi-year agreement, with volumes scalable to 3 GW over three years.

This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Eva Belletti, Country Manager Germany at SP Development Europe. She says gender diversity and inclusive leadership in the renewable energy sector enhance decision-making, resilience, and long-term success, while mentorship, sponsorship, and proactive career ownership help women navigate systemic barriers and drive meaningful change.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that January 2026 saw Europe’s coldest month since 2010, with Eastern Europe and Scandinavia enjoying above-average solar irradiance under stable, dry air, while the UK, Spain, and Portugal faced record cloudiness and rainfall that sharply reduced PV output.

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.

India can leverage its expanding renewable energy base to power AI-driven data center growth, but grid readiness, transmission upgrades and coordinated policy reform will be critical, according to a Deloitte Asia Pacific report.

BloombergNEF global report finds corporate clean energy procurement fell in 2025 for first time in nine years amid negative pricing and policy uncertainty. Big Tech leads procurement as number of cPPA offtakers halved in the United States. Solar remains the top generating technology for cPPAs.

Dutch tulip nursery Rainbow Colors has completed the installation of a 1 MW solid oxide electrolyzer for on-site hydrogen production, while GlobalData says global low-carbon hydrogen capacity could reach up to 65.3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by 2030, driven largely by green hydrogen expansion in the Americas.

Panasonic has launched a new home fuel cell system for detached houses, designed to boost solar self-consumption through HEMS‑based smart scheduling. The unit generates electricity and heat from gas, supports demand response, and can supply emergency power during outages.

Under the terms of the deal, Germany’s NexWafe will supply its ultrathin solar wafers to Talon PV’s planned 4.8 GW TOPCon solar cell manufacturing plant in Texas. Initial qualification work will take place at a pilot production line at Fraunhofer ISE’s Photovoltaic Technology Evaluation Center.

South Africa’s cumulative solar capacity likely exceeded 10 GW by the end of last year, according to analysis from the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association.

Egyptian Electricity Transmission Co. (EETC) has launched an international tender for a 500 MW solar project in Egypt’s West Nile region. The deadline to submit prequalification documents is May 11.

U.S. researchers are testing regenerative agrivoltaics at a farm in Southern California, combining solar panels with soil-restoring practices like composting, cover cropping, and no-till farming to enhance crop yields, soil health, and water-use efficiency. The pilot evaluates technical, ecological, and economic viability while exploring how this land-sharing approach can optimize food and energy production, reduce irrigation needs, and inform larger-scale deployment and policy frameworks.

An Australian research team has developed a five-step, rule-based method that detects and classifies underperformance in PV systems using only AC-side inverter data. Validated across more than 1,000 systems, the approach offers a low-cost, low-intervention solution for improving reliability, fault response, and PV system performance.

Germany-based solar tracker developer Sunoyster Systems has developed a 440 W lightweight solar panel with a tempered glass cover for low-load commercial and industrial roofs.

The US-based heating solutions provider said its Hylex inverter-driven heat pump offers 2–5 ton capacity, high efficiency, Wi-Fi control, and reliable cold-climate performance down to –25 C.

UNSW researchers have developed an intrinsic-adjusted single-diode model that explicitly accounts for radiative and Auger recombination, improving I–V curve accuracy and reducing root mean square error by up to a factor of three. The model is claimed to better predict performance near open-circuit voltage and maximum power point.

Investment and support could make small-scale space-based solar power (SBSP) viable, with potential for electricity generated in orbit to participate in UK contracts for difference (CfD) scheme according to new report. Launch costs have biggest impact on levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), according to analysis.

Turboden, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, has energized what it calls the world’s largest steam-producing heat pump, delivering 12 MWth of superheated steam using low-grade waste heat and CO₂-free electricity with a coefficient of performance 10% above its guaranteed value of 2.

Warehouses De Pauw (WDP) has installed an 8.5 MW solar system at a warehouse near Brussels-Charleroi Airport, equipping roughly 40% of modules with Phytonics anti-glare film to prevent air traffic disruption while maintaining near-full energy output.

The U.S. startup has introduced a screen-printable copper paste for backside solar cell metallization that can be fired in air and co-fired with standard silver frontside pastes using conventional manufacturing processes. Tested on TOPCon cells, the paste contributed to achieve a 25% efficiency and passed 2,000-hour damp heat testing.

Scientists in Hungary found that ground-mounted PV modules at an intermediate elevation of 1.1 m achieve the highest efficiency and power output due to improved airflow and reduced cell temperature. Their study also estimated a levelized cost of electricity of $0.0843/kWh and 577.78 kg CO₂ mitigation over 25 years, while noting results are specific to concrete surfaces.

Korea University researchers have developed a machine-learning framework that predicts solar cell efficiency from wafer quality, enabling early wafer screening and optimized production paths. Using over 100,000 industrial data points, the approach combines predictive modeling, process optimization, and explainable AI to support photovoltaic manufacturing.

A four-year study found that overhead solar panels in an Australian pear orchard reduced sun and hail damage but decreased fruit yield and blush coloration. While energy production and tree stress resilience improved, the findings highlight trade-offs for agrivoltaic systems, with potential applicability to other fruit crops like apples and cherries.

The Germany-based PV thermal process equipment and technology provider has launched c.Plasma Q Max to process up to 10,000 wafers per hour in high-volume TOPCon solar cell manufacturing lines.

Zeo Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Creekstone Energy to supply 280 MW of behind-the-meter solar plus long-duration energy storage (LDES) for a new AI-focused data center campus in the US state of Utah.

Following their review of redox flow battery research, Norway-based scientists told pv magazine that despite its high upfront capital costs and lower energy density relative to metal-ion, the technology can offer safety, reliability, and scalability advantages for standalone, large-scale applications.

Mexico is attracting US data centers seeking faster power connections, but these facilities will initially rely on firm gas generation from the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), with renewables as a potential future option, Mexican energy expert Santiago Barcón told pv magazine.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is projected to install 860 GW of solar capacity by 2040, led by utility-scale projects, with a further 2.2 TW of solar and wind expected between 2040 and 2060.

On Feb. 1, California’s batteries bridged the solar gap with seamless precision. After discharging through the night until sunrise, they spent the daylight hours charging, then pivoted back to exporting power well past midnight – effectively sustaining the state on solar energy for a full 24-hour cycle.