solid-state batteries

Both the solar module and battery manufacturing industries have been dealing with excess production capacity in recent years, and each is undergoing its own set of market adjustments in 2025. This has meant challenging conditions for manufacturing equipment suppliers in either sector. But there is still plenty of opportunity to deploy the latest technologies at scale, and to assist suppliers moving into new regions. The long-term outlook for both sectors is strong, as pv magazine heard from Wang Yanqing, Chairman of solar and battery production equipment supplier Lead Intelligent, headquartered in Wuxi, China.

Indian PV manufacturer Vikram Solar says it plans to open a 1 GWh fully integrated solid-state cell and battery factory, expandable up to 5 GWh.

While China, South Korea, Europe, and the United States are also engaged in active development of all solid-state batteries, Japan is leading the charge, offering generous subsidies to technology proponents.

A European research consortium has produced a prototype solid-state battery using a new manufacturing process that reportedly achieves high energy densities and can be implemented on modern lithium-ion battery production lines.

Researchers in Japan have discovered a stable, highly conductive material that can be used as electrolyte for solid-state lithium-ion batteries. The material’s ionic conductivity is said to be higher than any previously reported oxide solid electrolytes, with a wide operating temperature range.

Only weeks after Chinese battery and car manufacturers united as part of a government-led initiative to commercialize solid-state battery technology, South Korea’s Samsung SDI has confirmed its readiness to start mass production of its all-solid-state battery technology with an energy density of 900 Wh/L.

Dutch startup LionVolt has acquired AMTE Power’s battery cell production line in Scotland. It says it will use the assets for pilot production of its 3D solid-state thin-film batteries.

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a new lithium metal battery that can be charged and discharged at least 6,000 times — more than any other pouch battery cell — and can be recharged in a matter of minutes.

US-based Sakuu has announced that it has successfully 3D printed solid-state batteries in custom shapes and sizes at its battery pilot line facility in Silicon Valley, California.

Last year was another landmark 12 months for energy storage, with all indicators pointing to a massive surge in demand. Supply chain instability and inflation saw battery prices rise but the industry demonstrated an ability to swiftly react to geopolitical developments. We look at five trends driving the market.