Solar

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) is developing the world’s first medium-voltage PV plants in Germany to cut material use, reduce costs, and simplify grid integration. They will test 1,500 V and 3 kV string configurations to create cost-effective, voltage-resistant components for large-scale solar.

pv magazine has spoken with silver analysts from Bloomberg and StoneX about the vertiginous growth of silver prices in recent weeks. They both agree that when prices rise too fast, investors’ behavior may change quickly. Meanwhile, the price of the precious metal has reached another all-time high today at $110 per ounce.

The 7 MW solar array will be built by the Nigerian unit of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation after the company won a contract awarded by Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency.

The country’s cumulative installed PV capacity reached 31.1 GW at the end of December.

TU Delft researchers have developed a liquid-based solar module encapsulation that performs on par with conventional EVA panels while offering improved recyclability and circularity. The approach is compatible with silicon and tandem perovskite/silicon cells and could support thermal management and integration into photovoltaic-thermal modules.

The Solar Energy Association of Ukraine estimates around 1.5 GW of solar was added in the country last year, driven by growing interest in projects co-located with battery energy storage systems across market segments.

Space-based solar could power AI more efficiently than on Earth, with full-scale deployment possible in two to three years, Elon Musk said last week in Davos, Switzerland. SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle and its reusable rockets aim to sharply reduce space access costs, enabling solar-powered AI satellites and potentially large-scale extraterrestrial energy infrastructure.

Researchers in Spain developed a new model incorporating dynamic shading conditions in Madrid to evaluate the yield and test control algorithms for vehicle-integrated PV (VIPV) systems.

China’s SDIC subsidiary commissioned a 1 GW photovoltaic plant on the Yalong River in Sichuan, making it the world’s third-highest-altitude PV facility at 4,600 m. The project integrates with hydro assets to optimize energy output in the challenging plateau environment.

A more than 15% increase in silver prices over the past week is adding cost pressure to the solar supply chain, as silver paste costs currently represent around 30% of total PV module costs.