Western Europe

Rooftop and small-scale ground mounted solar systems in Ireland have set a new monthly record for electricity production, generating a total of 66 GWh of electricity in April. So far, in 2025 just over 137 GWh of electricity has come from distributed solar systems.

Switzerland’s WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) is investigating how solar yield can be optimized in snow-covered terrain. It is envisaged the results will help to place PV systems on mountains so they make use of light that is reflected from neighbouring slopes.

The PV-driven redox flow battery can reportedly achieve a maximum solar-to-output electricity efficiency of 3.11% during a 36-hour period. The system incorporates a 25 cm2 heterojunction photovoltaic device and is based on a neutral pH aqueous iodine-bromine redox couple.

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have developed a contactless method to measure the performance of back-contact solar cells, enabling in-line assessment of key parameters such as efficiency, fill factor, and current-voltage characteristics.

Solargik has announced the official debut of its SOma Pro AI-powered platform for solar tracking and system diagnostics. The company says one of its main advantages is the ability to support smarter, faster decision-making.

Experts set to speak at the NetZero Milan Expo-Summit 2025 on May 15 have told pv magazine that tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) will remain the dominant cell technology in the near term due to ongoing advancements, despite rising competition from back-contact and heterojunction technologies.

The European Commission has offered €52.4 million ($59.4 million) in funding for seven solar projects in Finland, as part of a broader renewable energy package that also includes two wind projects in Estonia.

AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s latest analysis finds Germany, Portugal and Spain broke their records for solar production on a day in April last week, while Italy recorded its second highest daily figure ever. Meanwhile, weekly average electricity prices increased across most major European markets.

Researchers at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Spain evaluated 12 PV devices from 11 suppliers for indoor use, identifying several systems capable of powering remote sensor nodes with a 10 cm² surface area and advancing to testing under natural indoor light.

Polar Night Energy will build a second pilot plant in southern Finland to test its power-to-heat-to-power sand battery technology. The project aims to demonstrate the system’s ability to reconvert stored heat into electricity.