The U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran is unlikely to materially affect solar manufacturing projects in the Middle East for now, as most of these investments remain at an early stage. OPIS analyst Brian Ng sees the most immediate risk in logistics. If disruptions persist, shipments of solar products into the region could be delayed and export pricing may turn volatile.

This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Ilse Cappelle, Head of Marketing & E-commerce at Netherlands’ Libra Energy. She explains how returning from maternity leave directly into a leadership role showed her the company’s strong support for career growth and work-life balance.

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.

Solar energy, driven by excellent resource conditions and rapidly improving economic attractiveness, is expected to emerge as a bulk energy supplier in future energy systems. The self-limiting effects of solar power can be circumvented through solar-hybrid solutions, such as PV-geothermal hybrid configurations.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Saharan dust caused widespread panel soiling in southern Europe in early May, while much of central and eastern Europe benefitted from above-average solar resources. Favourable conditions broke down later in the month as cold polar air and a powerful storm system brought cloud, snow and damaging winds to many parts of the continent.

An ongoing collaboration between Australia’s Halocell Energy and U.S-based Sofab Inks finds that perovskite modules incorporating Sofab’s Tinfab electron transport layer maintain approximately 100% of their normalized efficiency after 1,300 hours under accelerated combined light and damp-heat testing.

The 20 MW Loukkaanaro solar park received €2.35 million ($2.7 million) from the EU’s first cross-border renewables tender. It is billed as the largest operational solar project in northern Finland.

The project combines 1.35 GW of photovoltaic capacity with 150 MW of molten-salt tower concentrated solar power. It is located in Xinjiang and requires an investment of $950 million.

The electric utility of St. Kitts is launching a tender for a 50 MW solar plus 30.5 MWh battery storage project on the island. Interested developers are asked to register on the utility’s bidding portal to receive the request for proposals document.

The rollout is accelerated to eliminate the use of diesel from iron ore mining and processing.

Researchers in Austria discovered a wasp nest inside the junction box of a 1998 rooftop PV module, illustrating how insects can exploit even sealed electrical components. The affected module showed significant degradation and partial failure, though overall results confirmed the surprising durability of older PV module designs.

Man-in-the-middle attacks are a serious threat to networked PV systems, allowing attackers to intercept, modify, or disrupt communications, potentially causing operational failures, physical damage, financial losses, and safety hazards. Effective defense requires a layered approach combining encryption, strong authentication, network segmentation, firewalls, IDS, and continuous monitoring to detect, prevent, and limit the impact of such attacks.

An international research group has developed a novel solar module passive cooling system that integrates three-dimensional oscillating heat pipe (3D-OHP) with different combinations of nanofluids based on hybrid graphene oxide (GO) and a two-dimensional titanium carbide known as MXene (Ti3C2Tx). MXene compounds take their name from their graphene-like morphology and are made via selective etching of […]

A new report from global energy think tank Ember shows 814 GWdc in new solar and wind capacity was installed in 2025, but the pace of wind deployment rose 47% year-over-year compared to just 11% for solar.

The country added around 44.6 GW of new PV capacity in fiscal year 2026, according to new figures released by JMK Research.

San Francisco-based Merino Energy has launched the Merino Mono, a plug-and-play indoor heat pump that can be installed in under an hour and is priced at a flat $3,800 including installation.

Adana-based WHS introduced a PV-powered water heating system that operates without an inverter, using 1.6 kW of direct DC solar input with integrated MPPT. The system supports hybrid operation with a 2 kW AC backup, runs at extra-low voltage of less than 50 V, delivers around 3 kWh/day of thermal energy, and heats water to 65–85 C for residential and small commercial use.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences say a polymerizable non-flammable electrolyte improves safety in sodium-ion batteries while maintaining performance.

Solarport has launched the modular PowerPark PRO PV carport series, designed to meet UK/EU parking standards and adapt to various site layouts with multiple configurations and orientations.

The TOPCon solar cells with fabricated with screen-printed, fire-through copper rear contacts and silver front contacts, using laser-enhanced contact optimization (LECO) to significantly reduce contact resistivity. Optimized copper cells achieved 24.3% efficiency, comparable to Ag-contacted cells, with excellent stability.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have reduced silver consumption in solar cell metallization to 1.1 mg/Wp using an electrodeposition-based process, down from current levels of 10–12 mg/Wp.

A new UNSW study shows that laser-enhanced contact optimization (LECO) can boost industrial TOPCon solar cell efficiency by improving contact properties and reducing recombination losses. By combining optimized firing conditions with LECO “repair” of contacts, the approach balances recombination and resistance, offering a practical path for conventional TOPCon cells to compete with PV technologies offering higher efficiencies.

Polysilicon prices have fallen sharply over recent weeks due to persistent oversupply and weakening demand, briefly dipping to low levels before stabilizing slightly above CNY 50 ($7.31)/kg, though still near historical lows and below production costs. OPIS analyst Summer Zhang tells pv magazine that despite policy signals and potential future regulations, unclear implementation and continued excess capacity mean market conditions remain weak, with further demand declines and possible production cuts or discounted sales expected in the near term.

A research team has developed a solvent-free method using ultrasonic cavitation to delaminate end-of-life crystalline-silicon PV modules, fully separating the glass and front EVA layer while partially releasing c-Si fragments. The proposed approach achieved an 82.2% mass-based delamination efficiency, highlighting ultrasonic cavitation as a sustainable alternative for PV module recycling.

In its first monthly column for pv magazine, experts from UK-based consultancy Ricardo, part of the WSP Group, explain how UK will soon allow low-cost plug-in solar panels under 800 W to be installed without a qualified electrician, making home solar more affordable and accessible. These portable systems, expected on sale by summer 2026, could significantly boost household solar adoption while complementing the country’s wider renewable energy growth.

China’s Envision has launched a 12.5 MWh battery storage system and started production of a 790 Ah lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell, as it advances an AI-driven storage strategy.

The new Anker Solix Solarbank Max AC steps up from balcony-scale storage with a 3.5 kW inverter, plug-in capabilities for do-it-yourself (DIY) ease of installation, and expandability to 42 kWh, priced from €2,229.

China’s Sigenergy has announced a Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO), with shares open to retail investors until April 13 and backing from major international asset managers.

Brazil’s National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) has authorized a 5 MWh battery system co-located with a solar plant, setting a regulatory precedent for integrated storage.

Renalfa Power Clusters plans to combine newly acquired solar and battery assets in Romania into a hybrid project using lithium-ion and sodium-ion storage.