Rising silver prices drive China’s Longi shift to copper-metallized solar cells
China’s Longi says it will begin mass production of base-metal PV modules in the second quarter of 2026 as rising silver prices intensify pressure to reduce metallization costs.
Germany adds 17.5 GW of solar in 2025
Germany installed about 17.5 GW of new PV capacity in 2025, taking cumulative installations past 117 GW by year end, according to preliminary data from the German Solar Association.
ML System unveils solar facade panels, roof-integrated PV tiles
The Poland-based module manufacturer has developed Photonwall, a building integrated solution for ventilated façades. It also offers Photonroof, a ceramic PV roof tile solution. Both BIPV products are available in colors and finishes that match the aesthetics of modern and historic buildings.
Mibet releases mounting system for flat-roof PV installations
The Chinese company said its novel Z-type mounting supports installation angles of 5°, 10°, and 15° and withstands wind speeds up to 45 m/s. It claims a lifespan of more than 25 years.
Singapore forecast to reach 5.3 GW of solar by 2035
UK consultants GlobalData say Singapore could add between 300 MW and 400 MW of solar annually through to 2035, taking cumulative capacity from around 1.9 GW today to the 5 GW threshold.
New research sheds light on defect regions in perovskite solar films
A Chinese research group has demonstrated an electrical imaging technique using 3D tomographic conductive atomic force microscopy to investigate passivation strategies of perovskite films to improve stability and efficiency of perovskite solar cells.
Huawei, Sungrow lead Wood Mackenzie’s inverter market ranking
Wood Mackenzie’s first-half 2025 solar inverter ranking finds the top 10 leading inverter manufacturers have a 71% global market share.
France, Germany, Italy break solar records in December
AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s latest analysis finds Germany broke its record for solar production on a day in December on Christmas Day, reaching 87 GWh, while Italy and France achieved the same feat three days later, registering 66 GWh and 54 GWh respectively.
China strengthens intellectual property protection in solar industry
Chinese authorities are planning to implement a series of policy measures to introduce stronger intellectual property protection to the country’s photovoltaic sector. Chinese enterprises are being encouraged to accelerate technological advancements and reserve basic patents for developing technologies.
Researchers propose new taxonomy for agrivoltaics
A Malaysian research team proposed new concepts such as cowvoltaics, sheepvoltaics, goatvoltaics, veggievoltaics, fruitvoltaics and fishvoltaics to better define the diverse applications of photovoltaics in dual land use. Their review outlines four main categories – livestockvoltaics, crop-based agrivoltaics, aquavoltaics, and zoovoltaics – and presents several business cases.
