Technology

Solar manufacturers are facing rising cost pressure as silver paste now accounts for up to 30% of total cell production costs. OPIS analyst Hanwei Wu tells pv magazine that module producers currently have limited ability to raise panel final prices, which is accelerating efforts to reduce silver use across all mainstream cell technologies.

A Swiss research team has developed a low-temperature sintering and interface-coating process that significantly improves the durability of argyrodite-based solid-state batteries. The approach delivers high ionic conductivity and long cycle life, retaining 75% of capacity after 1,500 cycles.

Ola Electric has rolled out Ola Shakti, a residential battery energy storage system (BESS), from its gigafactory in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. Powered by Ola Electric’s indigenous 4680 Bharat Cells, Ola Shakti is India’s first residential BESS to be fully designed, engineered, and manufactured domestically.

Hybrid solution combines battery, solar, and a new DC generator to power the energy system, as it goes direct to consumers. Plus, full pricing and availability.

Chinese state-owned power group SPIC has launched a 1 MW / 4 MWh pilot, showcasing a long-duration energy storage alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries and compressed air energy storage (CAES).

Global solar growth is flattening in major markets as oversupply from China and India drives prices down and shifts competition from sheer volume to execution, policy alignment, and system integration. Across the U.S., Europe, and China, energy storage is becoming essential for project viability, making PV-plus-storage and strong EPC partnerships the new basis for winning projects in 2026 and beyond.

An international research group has conducted a literature review of capital expenditure-driven levelized cost of electricity optimization strategies for utility-scale PV systems. Tracking optimization, system voltage escalation, and advanced system design are identified as the most promising cost reduction areas. “The next wave of PV research must be LCOE-native, system-level, and deployment-validated,” a member of the research group said.

The Indian PV manufacturer has launched Conserv Augmensheet, a sheet encapsulant for insulation and sealing of busbar and junction box areas in solar modules. Supplied in reel format, the product supports automatic feed-in on fully automated module manufacturing lines, reportedly enabling higher productivity and consistent processing for solar module production.

A new Perspectives research study on the future of the global PV supply chain outlines how module prices, performance, and lifetimes could evolve over the next 25 years. The work reflects a collaboration among leading solar research institutions worldwide. One of the study’s authors, the director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), told pv magazine that solar module and cell efficiencies could exceed 35% by 2050, with panel prices expected to drop by a factor of two.

The use of a novel roll-to-roll process and optimization technology resulted in polymer foils for use in colored PV modules in a potentially wide range of colors with low iridescence and low levels of efficiency loss.