Philippines announces 7th renewables auction
The country’s seventh green energy auction is set to procure rooftop, ground-mounted and floating solar projects across the Philippines, with increased allocation in Mindanao. The Department of Energy plans to release the auction’s terms of reference during the second quarter of this year.
Trina Solar TOPCon patents invalidated in US ruling involving Canadian Solar
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has invalidated all claims of two TOPCon solar cell patents previously asserted by Trina Solar against Canadian Solar subsidiaries.
Italy installs 1.43 GW of PV in Q1
The country reached a cumulative installed PV capacity of 44.9 GW at the end of March, according to recent figures from Italian PV association Italia Solar.
Cyber threats for PV: What are supply chain attacks and how do they work
Supply chain attacks compromise PV systems by targeting trusted vendors, software, or hardware components, allowing attackers to infiltrate systems indirectly through legitimate channels. These attacks can disrupt operations, introduce hidden vulnerabilities, and impact multiple assets at once, making vendor security and system validation critical for resilience.
France deploys 1.41 GW of solar in Q1
New figures from grid operator Enedis reveal that France added 1,418 MW of new PV capacity in Q1 2026, roughly matching Q1 2025, despite a broader sector slowdown linked to regulatory changes and delayed tenders.
Hydro-Quebec’s 300 MW solar tender oversubscribed
Canadian utility Hydro-Quebec has revealed the long list of bidders in its 300 MW solar tender. A total 60 bids were submitted with a cumulative capacity of 481 MW.
New metric shows renewables are 53% cheaper than nuclear power
A new metric for assessing total system costs puts a least-cost mix of offshore wind and solar at about €46 ($54.20)/MWh in a future climate-neutral energy system for Denmark. Researchers tell pv magazine that figure is less than half the equivalent cost of nuclear under the same conditions.
Perovskite–silicon tandem solar cells using zinc-doped tin oxide achieve comparable performance to indium tin oxide counterparts
Fraunhofer ISE-led researchers demonstrated zinc-doped tin oxide (ZTO) as an indium-free alternative to indium tin oxide (ITO) for recombination layers in fully textured perovskite–silicon tandem solar cells. ZTO delivers comparable device efficiencies of 27–28% under current-matching conditions, offering a scalable, indium-free pathway for high-performance tandem photovoltaics without efficiency loss.
Switzerland to fund research on PV module, battery, heat pump recycling
The Swiss federal government has launched a funding call for research projects on energy and resource-efficient industrial processes, including the circular economy related to solar modules, batteries, heat pumps and electrolyzers. The deadline to submit pre-proposals is June 30.
Cyclones and unseasonal polar winds shape Australia’s solar resource in March
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that March in Australia was unusually wet and disrupted, with frequent tropical cyclones, polar air intrusions, and repeated low-pressure systems causing widespread cloud, storms, and record cold in the southeast. Solar irradiance was mixed: below average in the south due to persistent cloud and storms, but near or above average on some northern and coastal regions where breaks between systems allowed recovery.
