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Israel targeting 100,000 new solar rooftops by 2030

Israel's Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure says its 100,000 Solar Roofs Program aims to add 1.6 GW of new solar capacity by 2030.
Installations

Spanish company unveils PV-driven thermal system for self-consumption

Spain's H2 Fusión says its Solar Heat PR5 system uses PV energy to produce hot water for self-consumption in industrial buildings, reaching temperatures of up to 92 C.
Energy Storage

Exide releases mobile 200 kWh, 400 kWh storage solutions

The company said the new product uses up to four lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. It is equipped with a single 180 kW or 2 x 90 kW chargers and multiple three-phase sockets.
Announcements

New February edition

The February 2025 edition of pv magazine Global is out now!

Available in print and digital – get your copy today!

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Installations

Global golf courses take up more land than solar, wind plants

Researchers say the 10 countries with the most golf courses could install up to 842 GW of utility-scale solar or 659 GW of wind capacity on land equivalent in size to that used for the sport.
Markets & Policy

MIT engineers say solar, batteries could stabilize grid after cyberattacks

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say that residential solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and water heaters could all form part of a local electricity market to restore power or ease grid stress followi...
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Installations

Weil-McLain launches dual-fuel heat pumps for residential, light commercial applications

The US-based heating specialist said its new air-to-water heat pumps use difluoromethane as the refrigerant and have a coefficient of performance of up to 5.37.
Markets & Policy

Moldova mandates returnable financial guarantee for future connection permits

Renewable energy developers in Moldova must now provide financial guarantees when applying for grid connection permits. The guarantees are refundable if projects become operational within agreed time frames.
Manufacturing

New method to predict solar module lifespans under sand erosion

A team of researchers in Algeria has designed a new testbed and a novel acceleration law that accounts for both wind speed and sand density. The new methodology was tested on four PV modules and showed lifespans of up to 47 years in terms of sand impact.

Press Releases

A “Made in Europe” for Solar PV

ESMC Submits Feedback to the European Commission on Net-Zero Industry Act

EV Chargers Can’t Connect to Wi-Fi! Here’s How Elecq Solves the Problem

As electric vehicles (EVs) become more popular across North America and Europe, Level 2 EV chargers have become a must-have for many drivers. However, many EV owners only discover at home that their charger won’t connect to Wi-Fi, leaving the device’s features limited! According to recent surveys, “network connection issues” are one of the leading reasons for negative reviews of EV chargers on Amazon.

CLNB 2025: Driving a Sustainable Future of New Energy

The New Energy Industry Chain Expo (CLNB 2025), organized by the China Industrial Energy Conservation and Cleaner Production Association and the All-China Environment Federation, and undertaken by Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), will take place from April 16-18, 2025, at the Suzhou International Expo Center, Jiangsu, China.

KSTAR at Solar Pakistan 2025: Driving Innovation for a Sustainable Energy Future

KSTAR is excited to participate in the Solar Pakistan 2025, taking place from February 21st to 23rd at the Expo Centre Lahore. As Pakistan accelerates its efforts towards renewable energy, KSTAR presents its latest solar and energy storage solutions designed to meet the country’s growing demand for sustainable, efficient, and reliable energy.

Opinion & Analysis

Featured

Colored modules for building-integrated photovoltaics

Taking inspiration from the 3D photonic structures on a Morpho butterfly’s shimmering blue wings, scientists at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have developed colored solar panels that can be incorporated into a building’s exterior practically invisibly while maintaining high efficiency.

Solar module downward price trend has been reversed

High-efficiency solar modules are becoming scarce, prompting some retailers to stockpile in anticipation of rising prices, says Martin Schachinger, founder of pvXchange.com. He expects module prices to climb moderately but steadily until at least early next quarter.

‘The solar industry can offer unique opportunities for women to take on leadership, technical roles’

This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Letizia Coradeschi, Investments at Switzerland’s SUSI Partners AG. She says that normalizing parental leave and flexible work schedules that support work-life balance would further help retain female talent past junior and mid-level positions. “Despite the hurdles, my personal experience led me to believe that, coupled with persistence and resilience, this is a space where women can thrive and lead,” she states.

Persistent cloud drops British Isles solar output in early February

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that cloud-bearing weather systems dominated the British Isles, significantly reducing irradiance across the UK and Ireland between 9 and 18 February 2025, when solar generation reached in the region its lowest levels relative to capacity in at least a decade.

Polysilicon market holds steady, awaiting policy-driven shift

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

Daytime charging of electric vehicles further expands adoption of photovoltaics

Photovoltaics continues adding capacity at a rapid pace, and 2024 was another record year for solar PV deployment. In the meantime, despite recent hurdles to widespread adoption in some countries, electric vehicle uptake grew 25% last year. Assuming a 10 kWh/day energy requirement for every new EV, the 17 million new EVs sold in 2024 would have added another 50-70 GW of new PV generation worldwide.

Markets & Policy

Featured

Sinovoltaics provides update to PV inverter manufacturer ranking

The Hong Kong-based consulting firm's latest financial stability ranking based on Altman-Z scores sees Hoymiles, Eaton, and APSystems (Yuneng Technology) in the top three positions.

Switzerland expands rules for rooftop solar, storage, energy communities

Switzerland is expanding rules for rooftop solar, energy storage, and energy communities to expand self-consumption and ease pressure on the grid. The new regulations, set to take effect in 2026, introduce updated tariffs, encourage battery storage, and allow local electricity trading.

California bill introduced to mandate a VPP implementation plan

Virtual power plants, which could save state ratepayers an estimated $550 million per year, are connected aggregations of distributed energy resources like rooftop solar and energy storage.

Airports Company South Africa issues tender for three PV plants totaling 9.5 MW

The tender covers the design, supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of three proposed projects to be based at Tambo International Airport, King Shaka International Airport, and Cape Town International Airport. Closing dates for submission is March 17.

The Hydrogen Stream: Spanish government allocates €1.2 billion for renewable H2 clusters

The Spanish government allocated €1.2 billion ($1.26 billion) for seven green hydrogen clusters concentrated in Aragon and Andalusia. Meanwhile, an EU consortium started its work to develop diagnostic and monitoring tools for water electrolyzers.

UK government proposes longer CfD contracts, wider commissioning window for solar PV

Consultation ahead of seventh Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation round proposes longer contract lengths in a bid to reduce strike prices and lower cost of finance for renewables projects. A wider target commissioning window for solar projects is also proposed, in response to larger capacity plants in the pipeline.

Installations

Featured

California off to a strong clean electricity start with solar up 33.8%

Forty-eight days into 2025, CAISO gas use for electricity is down almost 28%, while battery use is up 78%, and solar has already met 100% of demand in the midst of winter.

France launches 400 MW C&I solar tender

The French authorities intend to allocate 400 MW of PV capacity through the procurement exercise, which is open to PV installations exceeding 500 kW in size.

US added nearly 50 GW of new solar generating capacity in 2024

A new report by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and BloombergNEF unpacks the market and policy trends facing the U.S. solar industry.

Lennox debuts residential heat pump for cold climates

The company says that its new SL22KLV heat pump system can supply heat in temperatures as low as -28.9 C. It uses R-454B as the refrigerant and has a size ranging from 2 tons to 5 tons.

Chinese PV Industry Brief: China General Nuclear concludes 10 GW mounting system tender

The selected bidders are Trina Solar, Antai Ke Clean Energy, Xin Yuan Electric, Guoqiang Xing Sheng Energy Technology, and TBEA, with the winning bid prices ranging from CNY 0.209 ($0.29)/W to CNY 0.221/W.

Austrian startup presents vertical bifacial PV systems for garden fences

Sunbooster GmbH is offering 372 W flexible solar systems including inverters and cabling. The price for the smallest version is €500 ($524).

Technology

Featured

TU Delft research suggests back contact tech may push crystalline silicon PV over 28% threshold

Researchers in the Netherlands have investigated how carrier-selective contacts may help achieve stronger performance in back-contact (BC) crystalline silicon solar cells and have predicted efficiencies may reach up to 28.64%. Their analysis considered work function, energy barriers, and energy alignment across the stack of layers.

Polyshine Solar unveils ultralight, flexible rooftop solar panels

The Chinese manufacturer said its new flexible modules have an efficiency of up to 20.1% and a weight of only 7.5 kg, or 2.92 kg/m2. The new products have purportedly a light transmittance of over 91% and “ultra-high” UV blocking ability.

U.S. startup unveils highly automated, low-waste solar panel recycling tech

PV Circonomy, based in California, has launched a recycling and treatment service for end-of-life (EoL) silicon PV panels based on a highly-automated, proprietary technology that reportedly has a 99.3% recovery rate. The solution includes the recovery of EVA and glass material for use in other industries.

Solar, battery-equipped home destroyed by explosion in Germany

In the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, an explosion tore away the outer wall of a show home equipped with solar panels and a residential battery. The badly-damaged building, which was vacant at the time of the incident, will likely be demolished.

GAF Energy releases nailable 57 W rooftop solar shingle

The updated solar roof product from GAF Energy has purportedly 23% more power than previous units and has a depth of less than 0.6 cm.

Fraunhofer institutes developing electrocaloric solid-state heat pump without compressors

Six Fraunhofer institutes are developing new electrocaloric heat pumps that use elastocaloric heat pipes instead of compressors to extract heat from the sources. The first pilot systems developed by the research team achieved an electrical efficiency of 99.74%.

Manufacturing

Featured

Driver charged over fatal road incident involving solar panel

A Sydney man has been charged after a solar panel allegedly “dislodged” from a portable power station he was towing, flew through the windshield of another car and struck and killed its driver.

New research shows correlation between PV module electrode corrosion and damp heat test

A research group in Japan identified a correlation between damp heat test of 1,000 hours to 3–6 years of field exposure in humid areas and changes in acetic acid concentration in photovoltaic modules. Their analysis also showed that an acetic acid concentration over 10,000 μg/g can be critical.

Indian startup offers PV-driven cold storage unit for ‘last mile’ vaccine transport

India’s Enhanced Innovations has developed the Phloton active cooling vaccine carrier with a 14-hour lithium battery backup and solar charging support.

Remembering Frédéric Dross: A tireless solar champion

Jenya Meydbray writes a tribute to a well known and beloved member of the solar industry, Frédéric Dross.

DNV shares technology performance level chart for perovskite solar modules

The technology performance level chart is designed to help perovskite module manufacturers develop technical bankability and highlight the economic viability of their technology.

Yotta Energy replaces ballast blocks with battery storage

The energy storage startup’s new plug-and-play modules will provide a kilowatt of storage in a small package.

Energy Storage

Featured

Record 13.6 GWh of battery energy storage capacity added in January

Rho Motion noted big projects in Saudi Arabia and Hubei, China, and reported the only non-lithium-ion sites were three Chinese vanadium flow batteries.

ACWA Power building hydrogen bridge between Europe and Middle East, North Africa

In an exclusive interview with pv magazine, ACWA Power CEO Marco Arcelli said the Saudi energy giant is currently exploring opportunities to build a hydrogen corridor between Europe and the Middle East and North Africa. He spoke about the company’s current 2 GW hydrogen project in Neom and presented the company’s plans for renewable energy and desalination.

Israel awards 1.5 GW energy storage in tender, pricing from $49.41 to $74.20 per kWh

Israel’s storage tender sets prices between $0.0056 and $0.0085 per kW, with kWh figures therefore at $49.41 to $74.20 per kWh.

Could German PV energy communities participate in the balancing market?

The RWTH Aachen University has simulated 27 scenarios of energy communities participating in the balancing market in Germany and has found that the business model behind an energy community is only feasible if battery storage is available.

India mandates co-locating energy storage with solar projects

India’s Ministry of Power has mandated all renewable energy implementing agencies and state utilities must incorporate a minimum of two-hour co-located energy storage systems (ESS), equivalent to 10% of the installed solar project capacity, in future solar tenders.

Slovenia allocates €20 million for renewable electricity, heat

Slovenian electricity market operator Borzen has shared details of a forthcoming €20 million ($20.9 million) fund that will support the installation of heat pumps and solar thermal collectors, alongside other renewable energy devices. Applications for the subsidy will open Mar. 18, 2025.

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