Opinion
The latest opinion and analysis from pv magazine.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
All Opinion news
Unlimited long duration, long-lived pumped hydro storage
Solar- and wind-dominated grids need abundant long-duration storage, and off-river pumped hydro offers enormous potential, with 800,000 sites worldwide and storage capacity vastly exceeding global requirements. Pumped hydro is mature, low-cost, long-lived, and locally deployable, complementing batteries by providing economical deep storage for periods of low wind and solar generation.
9 hours ago
Beyond modules: Why cell manufacturing will shape India’s next solar growth story
In just a year, ALMM-listed solar PV cell manufacturing capacity has increased from around 13 GW to roughly 31 GW across eight revisions. With a substantial pipeline of commissioned, under-construction and announced projects, capacity is expected to cross 100 GW by June 2027.
Market intelligence, innovation, and trust: The manufacturer’s new playbook for staying ahead in Europe’s storage market
Europe’s energy storage market is becoming increasingly segmented, with residential, C&I, and utility-scale growth following distinct country-level policy, economic, and market dynamics. For manufacturers, success increasingly depends on combining market intelligence, downstream partnerships, brand trust, and technological innovation to identify priorities and capture growth through 2027–2028.
Advertisement
Five decades of research leads to solar PV’s emergence as the world’s dominant energy source
A systematic review finds that solar PV emerges consistently to the backbone of future energy systems, yet many models still underestimate its role. Across the globe, solar PV is projected to supply about 61% of the world’s electricity by 2050. Major milestones within 100% renewable energy systems research over five decades created the modern understanding of solar PV’s pivotal role for global energy supply. Milestones cover various categories such as visionary scoping, advances in PV system applications, expanding economic insights, and methodological improvements.
When the rivers stop flowing: Europe’s drought summer measured
River-flow, generation and price data from April to July 2026 point to a drought corridor stretching from the Rhine delta to the lower Danube. Hydropower output across the corridor was about one-fifth below the recent norm, falling by a third to a half in the worst-hit systems. Nuclear plants along the Danube also cut output as river flows dropped to their lowest levels in seven years. Gas, imports and unusually wet conditions in Iberia helped offset the shortfall, but at steadily rising prices.
Advertisement
The controversy over fire classification of BIPV systems
In a new monthly column for pv magazine, the Becquerel Institute explains that a number of photovoltaic façade products are recently being marketed as “non-combustible” under EN 13501-1. These claims are causing confusion in the construction sector and controversy among European manufacturers, raising the questions: what do these classifications actually certify, and can a conventional BIPV module meet them at all?
Advertisement