French startup offers on-site solar module repair solution
France-based DOTSun has developed an on-site repair solution for solar panels with degraded backsheets, compatible with PA, PVDF, and PET types. The system uses a compact laminator to apply a protective film to the rear side of the module, reportedly restoring insulation and extending the service life of up to 2,000 panels per site.
Saudi Arabia reveals qualified bidders for 3.1 GW solar auction
Saudi Power Procurement Co. (SPPC) has announced the qualified developers for the seventh round of Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy tender program, featuring four solar projects with a combined capacity of 3.1 GW.
Grid code standards key to unlock Indonesia’s solar potential
New research shows how modern technical standards, combined with broader regulatory and grid reforms, are essential to ensure system reliability in the Indonesian electricity system as renewable capacity grows.
Serbia tenders design, feasibility study of solar project
Serbian utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) is seeking bids for a feasibility study and design of a solar plant on an existing thermal power plant’s ash disposal site, with applications due by Jan. 23.
China connects world’s largest vanadium flow battery project
The GWh-scale long-duration energy storage project is expected to reduce curtailment in Xinjiang, a region of China with high solar and wind generation, and transmission bottlenecks. The flow battery installation is co-located with a PV plant.
Peru adds 454 MW of large-scale PV in 2025
Peru commissioned about 454 MW of utility-scale solar capacity in 2025, taking cumulative installed PV capacity to roughly 952 MW, according to the government.
Thicker alumunium oxide layers can reduce ultraviolet-induced degradation in TOPCon solar cells
UNSW researchers developed an experimentally validated model linking UV-induced degradation in TOPCon solar cells to hydrogen transport, charge trapping, and permanent structural changes in the passivation stack. They show that thicker aluminum oxide layers significantly improve UV resilience by limiting hydrogen migration, offering clear guidance for more robust TOPCon designs.
Semi-transparent photovoltaics cost-competitive only up to 50% transparency
Researchers from Spain found that semi-transparent PV systems are commercially viable only up to about 50% transparency, as higher transparency sharply reduces efficiency and increases system costs. Their analysis shows that declining power density, and not balance-of-system or financing factors, is the main driver of higher LCOE, even in high-irradiation regions.
Corrosion-free bromine flow battery promises longer life and higher energy density
A new two-electron bromine chemistry sharply cuts corrosion while boosting performance, opening a clearer path for zinc–bromine flow batteries at grid scale.
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.
