China

A global study finds climate change will sharply increase high-temperature risks, accelerate degradation, and raise costs for rooftop PV, with economically disadvantaged regions hit hardest. Researchers warn current IEC standards underestimate future risks, urging urgent updates to avoid stranded assets and rising electricity costs.

The new compressor is described as the world’s most powerful single-unit compressed air energy storage (CAES) system, with a maximum discharge pressure of 10.1 MPa and an efficiency of 88.1%.

pv magazine spoke with Fan Bin, founder of GCL Optoelectronics, about how high-throughput experimentation and AI-driven optimization are accelerating perovskite development, and why stability, and not efficiency, remains the key challenge on the path to mass production

Rising silver prices are putting pressure on solar manufacturers, prompting greater focus on copper and other alternatives to reduce costs. Heraeus says it expects silver demand from photovoltaics to decline this year despite stable global installations.

An international research team has reviewed emerging solid-state and gas-cycle heat pumps capable of reaching temperatures of up to 1,600 K, assessing their challenges, applications, scalability, and technology readiness levels. The researchers say these systems could outperform conventional high-temperature heating technologies by achieving coefficients of performance above 1.

The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMIA) says wafer, cell and module prices remain stable, while industry operating rates are edging lower across leading and integrated manufacturers.

Risen Energy says its new 131 kW/261 kWh commercial storage unit uses silicon carbide and full liquid cooling to improve efficiency, maintain output in hot conditions, and speed up installation.

The world of batteries needs alternative chemistries to skirt weaknesses with lithium-ion. Sodium-ion is a big hope, and in portable power, Bluetti’s new product shows promise, and limitations.

High-resistivity silicon wafers offer superior efficiency potential but are highly sensitive to edge recombination and mechanical damage, limiting their commercial use compared to more robust standard wafers. Researchers from Longi and Sun Yat-sen University demonstrated that integrating in-situ edge passivation unlocks this potential, significantly boosting back-contact solar cell fill factor and efficiency.

The Chinese manufacturer said its 15 kW three-phase low-voltage hybrid inverter is paired with the stackable BP5000 5 kWh battery supporting up to 120 kWh. It features three MPPTs, 150% oversized PV input, and smart load management for optimized self-consumption.