PV modules

The Intersolar South America trade show drew 650 exhibitors and 55,000 visitors in August, highlighting industry growth with new pavilions on storage and electric mobility. Brazil is on track to reach 47.2 GW of installed solar capacity by the end of this year, with 11 GW of new PV capacity additions, according to Brazilian PV association ABsolar.

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has started accepting feedback on draft guidelines for the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) for solar cells. The MNRE plans to implement the guidelines from April 2026.

Scientists in China have designed a ventilated building-integrated photovoltaic system that relies on flexible solar modules with a weight of 6 kg/m2. The system also uses an airflow channel under the PV panels to reduce their operating temperature and increase their power yield.

The Australian federal government has approved a 600 MW/1,200 MWh solar farm and battery energy storage system in the state of New South Wales.

An international team of researchers demonstrated perovskite solar cells treated with a molecular passivator based on π-conjugated terpyridine Lewis-base molecules that achieved 25.24% power conversion efficiency, with 90% retained after 2,664 hours of light exposure. The treatment reportedly works at high concentrations without damaging the perovskite film or diminishing cell performance. A protocol was published to reproduce the results, opening the door to testing it on a range of perovskite absorbers.

La Croisière Verte is the name of a 13,500 km expedition from the north to south of Africa in a fleet of four Citroën AMI vehicles, each carrying 5,600 W of lightweight PV panels in foldable packs.

Kiwa PVEL and Kiwa PI Berlin have published a white paper that uses recent module testing and in-factory data to guide the best use of testing and inspection metrics. The paper aims to ensure that solar modules meet acceptable quality standards.

Yale University scientists are seeking industry collaborators to explore stretchy material for panels and growing algae on modules, as well as other efficiency-boosting possibilities inspired by giant clam behavior.

Eternit S.A., a Brazilian construction materials supplier, says it has developed a 50 W panel for building-integrated PV (BIPV) applications. The 1 kg module features monocrystalline passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) tech.

Infinrel says its Energy Kardio Graph solution can sample small electrical perturbations on the input and output of the inverter at MHz scale and enable insight into the actual operation of the inverter on its switching cycle basis.