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’s power system is rapidly decentralizing as electricity demand, rooftop solar, electric vehicles, and distributed generation expand, turning a one-way grid into a dynamic network that increasingly depends on decentralized data systems such as RF mesh networks.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that December’s solar resource reflected a classic La Niña pattern, with suppressed irradiance in the Pacific Northwest and above-normal conditions across the southern U.S. A blocking ridge brought clear skies and strong solar gains to the Southwest and Texas, while cloud cover and fog reduced output farther north.

India added more than 40 GW of solar and wind capacity in 2025, while grid constraints, power contracting delays, and supply chain risks continued to affect project execution.

This week, Women in Solar+ Europe brings together voices from the 2025 series analysing the critical factors needed to advance gender equality across our solar plus industries. From visibility and bias to leadership accountability and allyship, these reflections reveal why advancing inclusion is essential to a successful energy transition.

A new bill in California is designed to allow small plug-in solar systems to connect directly to household outlets by reclassifying them as appliances, removing utility interconnection and permitting requirements.

Polysilicon prices in China rose sharply this week as reduced output, higher costs, and strong downstream demand pushed transactions above CNY 60,000 ($8,590) per metric ton (MT). Module prices, however, remained stable, supported by firm procurement and tight wafer supply.

Australia recorded a sharp rise in electric vehicle sales in 2025, with new-car sales data showing nearly 157,000 EVs were purchased nationwide, up 38% from the previous year.

Aurora Energy Research’s latest report says Europe requires €600 billion ($700.2 billion) of investment by the end of the decade, increasing to €1.5 trillion by the middle of the century, to support the expansion of the continent’s renewable energy.

The Chinese perovskite solar technology developer said the result is currently under testing by an unspecified third-party authoritative laboratory in China. The achievement is part of the company’s efforts to bring its perovskite cell technology closer to commercial production.

Spain-based Izpitek has developed an 86 kW building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) installation for tunnel entrances and exits that supplies power for lighting, demonstrating how solar energy can be adapted to complex architectural environments.

A campaign group in Portugal is challenging large-scale solar developments in Beira Baixa, Portugal. Developers of a proposed 867 MW solar site told pv magazine sustainability is central to the project, including biodiversity measures and tree planting at a rate 18 times higher than removals.

The Ecuadorian government has announced plans to tender 2,100 MW of new power generation capacity, with large-scale solar projects expected to account for a significant part of the mix.

Pacific Energy has installed 16,700 solar panels at a 9.6 MW solar farm forming part of a hybrid power system in Exmouth, Western Australia.

China’s Astronergy says its ASTRO N7 Pro module targets utility-scale PV plants and commercial rooftops, offering quarter-cell architecture, bifacial gains, and a 30-year performance guarantee.

U.S. startup Quilt has introduced a new three-zone ductless heat pump for residential use, offering independent temperature control across three areas with a single outdoor unit. The system uses R32 (difluoromethane) as the refrigerant and can reportedly achieved a coefficient of performance of 4.2 at 8 C.

UNSW researchers boosted TOPCon solar cell efficiency by locally thinning the rear poly-Si layer, reducing parasitic absorption while preserving wafer integrity. The champion cell built with this approach achieved 25.10% efficiency with improved bifaciality and maintained strong passivation.

France-based DOTSun has developed an on-site repair solution for solar panels with degraded backsheets, compatible with PA, PVDF, and PET types. The system uses a compact laminator to apply a protective film to the rear side of the module, reportedly restoring insulation and extending the service life of up to 2,000 panels per site.

New research shows how modern technical standards, combined with broader regulatory and grid reforms, are essential to ensure system reliability in the Indonesian electricity system as renewable capacity grows.

UNSW researchers developed an experimentally validated model linking UV-induced degradation in TOPCon solar cells to hydrogen transport, charge trapping, and permanent structural changes in the passivation stack. They show that thicker aluminum oxide layers significantly improve UV resilience by limiting hydrogen migration, offering clear guidance for more robust TOPCon designs.

Researchers from Spain found that semi-transparent PV systems are commercially viable only up to about 50% transparency, as higher transparency sharply reduces efficiency and increases system costs. Their analysis shows that declining power density, and not balance-of-system or financing factors, is the main driver of higher LCOE, even in high-irradiation regions.

The Poland-based module manufacturer has developed Photonwall, a building integrated solution for ventilated façades. It also offers Photonroof, a ceramic PV roof tile solution. Both BIPV products are available in colors and finishes that match the aesthetics of modern and historic buildings.

Researchers led by Michael Grätzel at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland have recently led efforts to improve perovskite optoelectronic properties using small-radius rubidium ion chemistry to enable more stable and efficient perovskite solar cells.

The Chinese company said its novel Z-type mounting supports installation angles of 5°, 10°, and 15° and withstands wind speeds up to 45 m/s. It claims a lifespan of more than 25 years.

Wood Mackenzie’s first-half 2025 solar inverter ranking finds the top 10 leading inverter manufacturers have a 71% global market share.

The first stage of the biggest approved battery project in Australia is now fully operational with Origin Energy announcing the initial stage of the 700 MW / 3,160 MWh battery energy storage system being built next to its Eraring coal-fired generator in New South Wales has commenced commercial operations.

A startup led by Cambridge University scientists and the former chair of Oxford PV is attempting to commercialize flow battery electrolytes with greater energy density than vanadium-based batteries. Kodiaq Technologies claims its electrolytes can be deployed as a drop-in solution for redox flow batteries.

Poland’s Central Transport Port company tendered 20 MW of solar PV plus 50 MW of battery storage capacity with a working time of two hours. The project’s capacities could be expanded in the future, when the Port Polska airport will be fully operational.

Axen, Syensqo and IFPEN establish new company to produce high performance sulfide solid electrolytes for solid-state batteries in Europe. New company Argylium will develop its electrolyte portfolio at facilities in France.

The GWh-scale long-duration energy storage project is expected to reduce curtailment in Xinjiang, a region of China with high solar and wind generation, and transmission bottlenecks. The flow battery installation is co-located with a PV plant.