German solar plant cleared to provide secondary control reserve
Sunnic Lighthouse says Germany’s first prequalified solar project for secondary control reserve shows how quickly PV assets can move into advanced grid-services markets.
Nanostructured antireflective coating for gallium arsenide solar cells
A Spanish research team demonstrated a broadband antireflective coating for gallium arsenide solar cells. Based on thermally oxidized gallium nanoparticles, the nanostructured coating reduced reflectance by 30% across the solar spectrum, and increased solar cell performance by 10%.
The Hydrogen Stream: European Commission launches H2 tender
The European Commission has launched its first Hydrogen Mechanism call to link suppliers with buyers, while Italian researchers say PV, wind, storage, and electrolyzers can slash island transport emissions by 90% and cut costs nearly one-third.
Italy added 4.8 GW of solar from January to October, says grid operator
Italy’s grid operator, Terna, says 2025 solar installations through October point to a slower annual expansion rate than in 2024.
Netherlands forecast to reach 79.9 GW of solar by 2035
Latest analysis by UK consultancy GlobalData expects annual solar additions in the Netherlands to reach between 4.5 GW and 5.5 GW through to 2035.
Spain allocates €2 billion to expand clean energy and industry programs
Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition says a new €2 billion ($2.3 billion) funding package is designed to accelerate industrial capacity, expand renewable deployment, and boost the country’s long-term energy resilience.
Ireland surpasses 2 GW of installed solar capacity
Ireland’s national solar capacity has risen to 2.1 GW as buildout has accelerated since the first utility-scale project came online in April 2022.
Fraunhofer ISE builds first perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell with copper metallization
Using the mask-and-plate copper metallization technique, scientists at the German research center fabricated a 1.21 cm² perovskite–silicon tandem solar cell featuring a heterojunction bottom device. The cell achieved an efficiency of 19.35%, reportedly the highest value reached to date for this cell type using galvanic front metallization.
Switzerland forecasts 1.5 GW annual solar growth through 2027
Swissolar’s “Solar Monitor 2025” report projects annual PV additions of about 1.5 GW through 2027 and urges policymakers to sustain steady growth amid policy uncertainty and lower tariffs.
Record year for UK rooftop solar installations
Previous record from 2011 broken in early November as number of certified solar installations surpasses 203,125 in 2025. New-build properties driving growth with further gains expected when Future Homes Standard comes into force. UK energy secretary describes solar as a “slam dunk” way of cutting household electricity bills.
