Europe

The “Battery Atlas 2026” report shows consolidation in Europe’s battery market. More than 2,000 GWh of cell production capacity was announced in 2023, but the realistic forecast for early 2026 is around 1,190 GWh, including approximately 673 GWh led by Asian companies.

Swedish thin-film solar manufacturer Midsummer has secured its largest-ever order for production equipment, covering a complete solar cell factory. It follows an initial order in May 2025 for a 15 MW line producing thin-film copper, indium, gallium and selenide (CIGS) solar cells.

TU Berlin researchers say early demand for round-the-clock carbon-free electricity could help bring advanced energy technologies to market faster through technology learning effects. Grant funding for the research was provided by Google, which has since announced plans to build the world’s largest iron-air battery.

The new product line covers 124–644 kW in heating and 128–632 kW in cooling, operates down to -15 C, and supports various configurations with R454B or R410a refrigerants.

Two models in the series are designed to capture up to 4000 W of solar input with four independent MPPTs, while the third model – the SolarVault 3 Pro Max AC – is an AC-coupled solar storage solution that allows households to add battery storage without rewiring. The model is particularly suited to regions where net metering schemes are being phased out.

Key – The Energy Transition Expo was held last week in Italy, featuring 1,065 exhibitors and 530 buyers. The event focused on energy-as-a-service and agrivoltaic projects, with operators saying agriPV standardization should be reached by 2030-32. Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin told pv magazine that coal and gas are strategic assets, noted that the “PV sector is maturing,” and urged the European Union to coordinate on gas storage and supply chains for modules and storage solutions.

In an interview with pv magazine, Empa scientist Mirjana Dimitrievska explains that the CIGS photovoltaic technology, while promising for efficiency and flexible applications, faces persistent challenges in scaling lab-level performance to cost-effective, high-throughput industrial production, limiting its ability to compete with crystalline silicon. She also emphasizes that long-term stability, reliability, and material sustainability, rather than peak efficiency, are crucial for commercial viability, especially in niche markets like building-integrated and lightweight PV.

Germany’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) says solar generation rose to 70.1 TWh in 2025, up 17.4% from the previous year, even as wind and hydropower output declined and natural gas generation increased 10.2%.

Researchers in Sweden have developed an air-based photovoltaic-thermal system that can preheat ventilation air and domestic hot water, cutting district heating demand by up to 16% for ventilation and 7% for hot water while also reducing peak heating loads in cold Nordic climates.

Solar Ireland told the Irish government that the Private Wires Bill’s proposed definition of private wires could bring rooftop solar installations within a full electricity licensing requirement, which would place significant additional demand on the energy regulator and slow down installations.