China

Researchers in China have used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to analyze the state of health of sodium-ion batteries. Extracting four features from the measurements, they were able to create a machine learning model for a temperature-resistant state of health estimation method.

Tongwei, Longi, and JA Solar have predicted steep losses for the first half of 2025, as persistent oversupply and falling solar module prices continue to pressure margins across China’s PV manufacturing sector.

During last month’s SNEC exhibition in Shanghai, pv magazine met with Wanfei Qu, CIO of Skyworth Group and CEO and director of Skyworth PV (also named Solavita in Europe), at the Chinese manufacturer’s impressive booth. The company utilizes the “Solavita” brand in Europe, but whether the brand is “Skyworth” or “Solavita” the it can leverage its strong foundation in manufacturing, electronics and IT, which it has built up in over 37 years. The Shenzhen-headquartered manufacturer only entered the solar PV industry in 2020, but in the span of just four years the company went from $10 million in PV-related revenues to $3 billion in 2024. The young CEO of Skyworth PV has ambitious goals for the future, targeting $1 billion in overseas PV revenues in the next three years. Germany and Italy are the company’s target markets in Europe.

Copper indium sulfide (CuInS2) are still far from reaching commercial maturity but new titanium dioxide nanorod arrays can reportedly improve their light trapping, charge separation, and carrier collection.

To evaluate the outdoor performance and stability of perovskite solar cells using contactless and noninvasive methods, an Australian and Chinese research team found a way to use photoluminescence imaging as well as demonstrating a proof of concept for implied open-circuit voltage (iVOC) imaging. Their research relied on cost-effective equipment that operates under direct sunlight.

China Railway Construction Corp.’s IT unit has named 10 preliminary winners for its 2025 solar module framework procurement. The 3 GW contract covers n-type monocrystalline bifacial tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules, with delivery required within 170 days of signing.

The China Energy Storage Alliance (CNESA) has released its 2024 rankings of Chinese energy storage companies, with CATL, Sungrow, and CRRC Zhuzhou Institute securing top positions across key segments.

Researchers have combined the theory of planned behavior, the technology acceptance model, and diffusion of innovations theory to investigate rooftop solar adoption in China. From a 1,200-person survey, they found that subjective norms and social influence from peers and community had a surprisingly more substantial effect than personal attitudes or perceived ease of use.

China is set to break new ground in its energy transition, with 2025 renewable capacity additions projected to exceed 500 GW, driven by surging solar and wind deployment, according to a new report from the State Grid Energy Research Institute.

The Dutch government said it remains vigilant on potential cybersecurity threats coming from solar inverters. It minimized, however, the risk of hidden hardware components in inverters and said these devices would be “easily detectable” by the Dutch authorities.