Since 1993, the World Energy Outlook (WEO) of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has been an authoritative report on energy statistics and guiding future energy supply and demand developments. An examination of these reports, however, indicates that even the most progressive of WEO scenarios has vastly underestimated the growth of renewable energy technologies, especially solar PV.

This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Rachele De Angelis, European Affair Officer at Italy’s Enel. She says bringing fresh ideas from new academic backgrounds and early career experiences can help companies achieve transformative insights. “These perspectives can challenge old assumptions and generate more creative and inclusive solutions,” she states.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, FOB China TOPCon below 450 W modules for spot loading were stable at $0.093/W, with price indications between $0.087-0.100/W. Furthermore, it reveals that current price increases are not being uniformly adopted across all Chinese manufacturers, with significant price differences—often several euro cents— being observed between the Top 5 and Top 10 manufacturers.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that irradiance across England, the Benelux region, Denmark, northern France, northern Germany, and northern Poland surged well above long-term March averages. In the UK, aggregated solar irradiance reached its highest March value since 2014.

As the renewable energy sector rapidly evolves, battery energy storage systems (BESS) are emerging as a critical pillar for decarbonization. However, with capital constraints and rising market volatility, not all projects are equally viable. At ABO Energy, we’re witnessing a shift in the investment landscape, where preparedness is the key to success.

Poland’s micro-scale solar sector grew to 1.5 million systems and 12.7 GW in 2024, with slower growth in both new installations and energy exports, according to the country’s energy regulator.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has kicked off a tender for 28 MW of solar projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina under state utility EPBiH’s plan to deploy 195 MW of PV capacity.

The Norwegian PV planning software company has released a new product for prospecting, analysis, and design of battery energy storage system (BESS) projects at the early stage.

The Chinese manufacturer has unveiled its latest utility-scale battery energy storage system and announced that global deliveries will begin in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Australia’s consumer watchdog is being urged to ban the unsolicited sale of solar products with a national advocacy group saying the “harmful” practice is degrading trust in the solar industry and government schemes and discouraging people from participating in the transition to clean energy.

Researchers in Iraq have designed a multi-level cascaded inverter that can purportedly produce high-quality sinusoidal output voltage and current waveforms, while reduing harmonic distortion. It uses the so-called phase disposition level-shifted pulse width modulation (PDLSPWM) control technique to operate the switches in the circuit “effectively.”

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) says cumulative solar installations are expected to double from 91 GW to 182 GW from the end of 2023 to the end of 2026. Meanwhile, battery energy storage capacity is expected to grow 70% in 2025 alone.

India added 23.8 GW of new solar capacity in fiscal 2025, up 58.5% year on year, according to JMK Research.

The Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) has started accepting bids for a turnkey engineering, procurement, construction, financing, and operations and maintenance (EPC+F+OM) contractor for a 5 MW solar project.

Scientists in Spain have simulated the combination of power-to-heat-to-power storage systems with lithium-ion batteries to supply energy needs and heat pump production of an electrified dwelling. PV self-consumption was found to increase by up to 20% and levelized cost of energy decrease by 7%.

Izpitek is launching a new product line using patented tech to embed PV cells in composites, cutting weight by up to 95%.

The system consists of a reversible compressor connected to a storage unit that can be installed indoors or outdoors. The compressor must be connected to the solar panels, with the whole system being controlled by an application that optimizes self-consumption.

Solar Stack has launched two US-made, adhesive-based conduit mounts that eliminate the need for roof penetrations in solar installations.

Solyco is developing a new low-temperature technology for the interconnection of solar cells. It consists of a round copper core with a diameter of 280 μm that is covered by a very thin layer of silver for corrosion protection and then surrounded by a 40 μm coating of an electrically conductive thermoplastic.

The customizable, compact sheet coater supports coating speeds from 1.2 mm/sec up to 33 mm/sec.

Meyer Burger has posted a CHF 210.4 million ($256.7 million) EBITDA loss for fiscal 2024, on sales of approximately €75 million. The Swiss PV manufacturer says its future is “highly uncertain” as it seeks new financing and works on restructuring plans to remain operational.

Scientists in Spain have proposed a novel way to calculate the structure shading factor and mismatch losses for the rear side of bifacial PV modules using one-axis trackers. They tested the new methodology in a real PV system and found it is able to establish a linear fit based on distance from the torque tube.

This expansion comes at a critical time for the U.S. solar industry with much uncertainty around supply chains and pressure to increase domestic output.

The Italian manufacturer said the new version of its silver module is ideal for grey roofs and buildings with modern architecture. It uses a 3.2 mm silver-coated glass and features a power conversion efficiency of 19.52%.

Scientists at the Korea Institute of Energy Research claim to have achieved the highest efficiency ever reported for a perovskite-CIGS tandem solar cell with flexible, lightweight architecture. The device was also found to achieve “excellent” durability.

Moldova is expected to launch a new tender for the construction of large renewable energy parks colocated with battery energy storage systems in October.

ContourGlobal’s site features six-hour storage capacity alongside 221 MW of solar generation capacity. It is located in northern Chile and is part of a portfolio acquired from Spain’s Grenergy last year.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new heat pump system can continuously and stably provide hot water up to 75 C. At a temperature between 35 C and 55 C, the new product can reportedly achieve a seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) of 4.6 to 5.23, with COP values ranging from 3.86 to 5.63.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new utility-scale battery uses 314 Ah cells with a 15,000-cycle lifespan.

Octopus Energy Services has responded to the government’s decision to slash the payments made to solar home owners for their excess electricity by launching its SolarPlus, home solar-plus-battery product.