This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Yuliana Onishchuk, founder and CEO of the Charitable organisation Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation. She explains how Russia’s full-scale invasion transformed solar energy in Ukraine from a green technology into a vital tool for survival, powering hospitals, schools, and communities during blackouts and attacks. Through the Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation, decentralized renewable energy and women-led initiatives are helping build resilience, protect critical infrastructure, and shape a more secure and sustainable future for Ukraine.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that a persistent high-pressure system over the North Sea created a major April solar irradiance surplus across western and northern Europe by suppressing clouds and boosting GHI well above average. At the same time, displaced storm tracks reduced irradiance in the eastern Mediterranean and parts of Eastern Europe, producing deficits in Greece, Turkey, and Ukraine while maintaining a sharp west–east contrast.

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.

Hourly ENTSO-E data show the summer midday-to-evening gap in French nuclear output has grown nearly eightfold since 2019. The reactors have adapted. The rest of the European power system has some catching up to do.

Global solar PV capacity reached around 2,974 GW by end-2025, with nearly 698 GW added in 2025. The sector, however, is shifting from rapid deployment to integration challenges, as high penetration rates drive curtailment, storage demand, grid constraints, and evolving policy and market designs.

The new propane heat pumps support water flow temperatures of up to 70 C and achieve a seasonal coefficient of performance of up to 5.2 according to the UK-based manufacturer.

The first 4 GWh phase of the Canadian developer’s Quinte Energy Storage Centre is expected to be operational in the early 2030s, with subsequent phases targeting 8 GWh to 16 GWh.

The complementarity between Spanish photovoltaics and Danish offshore wind power could underpin a European green hydrogen market by enabling renewable hydrogen production and exports at costs close to €2/kg.

Utility-scale solar power is projected to surpass coal-fired generation in the ERCOT grid this year as massive capacity additions continue to reshape the state energy mix.

Third long-term decarbonization auction sees significant drop in BESS bids due to new rule on storage duration. However, awarded capacity for battery storage remained relatively strong.

Fraunhofer ISE, in collaboration with Irishi energy company ESB, developed a methodology showing that Ireland is a competitive location for renewable power-to-X and green hydrogen production with costs comparable to Morocco, South Africa, and Brazil, supported by strong wind resources, policy backing, and infrastructure potential.

The research project combines LiDAR measurements with advanced meteorological simulations to assess the climatic impacts of large-scale photovoltaic installations in desert regions.

Brazil added 4.4 GW of solar capacity in Q1 2026, led by 2.3 GW of utility-scale and 2.2 GW of distributed generation, with continued strong expansion expected if current rates persist.

Mitsubishi has expanded its Hydrolution EZY R290 heat pump series with two models with capacities of 10 kW and 14 kW. The new products use R290 refrigerant and can deliver up to 75 C flow temperatures.

A roundtable recently held by solar panel manufacturer Dualsun and the GoodPlanet Foundation in Paris highlighted the organizational and regulatory barriers holding back collective solar self-consumption in France, a model its proponents say is technically ready to scale.

Researchers in Italy have developed a Pd/Si catalyst for upcycling silicon from end-of-life PV panels. The system showed performance comparable to commercial-silicon catalysts and stable recycling over six cycles.

HY Solar has launched the HT3.0 quad-cut module at its Jiangyin base, marking an upgrade to its n-type portfolio built on TOPCon 3.0 cell technology with up to 27.5% cell efficiency. The manufacturer said the new product features PSP quad-cut architecture, high bifaciality and low degradation.

Researchers at the German institute built a photovoltaic water electrolysis system based on micro-concentrator photovoltaics coupled to proton exchange membrane electrolysis. Outdoor testing demonstrated a record solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 31.3%, achieved by a four-junction CPV system driving two PEM cells in series under real operating conditions.

Research from Lund University has explored how Sweden is building out utility-scale solar in the absence of an overarching national strategy. The researchers told pv magazine that without clearer national direction, projects will cluster in areas with favorable conditions while stalling elsewhere.

Maintaining grid stability becomes more challenging as the share of intermittent renewables grows in the electricity generation mix, but system resilience is essential to continued solar deployment. Grid-forming inverters offer a solution, and their capabilities are increasingly being tested and relied upon in key energy markets globally.

Chinese solar manufacturers reported sharply mixed Q1 results amid ongoing polysilicon and module price pressure, with output increases, weak demand-driven margin compression, and continued net losses.

Through this million asset purchase, Inox Clean acquires 3 GW of operational TOPCon solar module manufacturing capacity in the United States, aligning with the “Make in America, For America” initiative.

Eight US solar manufacturers have filed an anti-circumvention complaint with the US Department of Commerce, alleging that solar cells and modules assembled in Ethiopia using Chinese-origin components are evading existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders on Chinese solar products.

A High Court in South Africa ordered the country’s Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy to deliver full documentation relating to three solar tenders awarded in 2021 and 2022 to local solar manufacturer ARTsolar, after the company questioned if the preferred bidders had followed local content requirements for PV modules set out in the tenders. ARTsolar told pv magazine its legal team is currently reviewing the documentation it has received.

U.S. researchers have developed an IR-CW laser-based method to remove backsheets from end-of-life silicon solar modules without damaging the glass or wafers, using controlled heating of the silicon–EVA interface through the front glass. The process enables clean mechanical delamination with preserved device performance and offers a lower-energy, lower-cost alternative to conventional thermal or chemical recycling methods.

Genex has announced plans to reconfigure the first stage of its 2.5 GW Bulli Creek multi-stage development in Australia from a 775 MW solar farm to 300 MW, adding a 425 MW / 1,700 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).

The massive renewable energy complex will include 8 GW of solar, 4 GW of wind, 2.04 GW/8.16 GWh of energy storage, and 2.64 GW of coal-fired power. The project is planned to be located in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and deliver clean electricity to the energy-intensive Jiangsu province.

Ratul Puri, chairman of Hindustan Power, tells pv magazine that India’s battery energy storage system (BESS) market is moving from aggressive tendering toward large-scale project execution, as the country increasingly prioritizes grid integration, transmission readiness and long-term supply resilience.

Low-cost solar PV enables to turn CO2 from an unwanted burden into a precious raw material and sequestered in materials with many applications. This effectively reframes carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration as a monetizable carbon dioxide removal option. Three recent studies on electricity-based carbon fiber, silicon carbide, and graphene aimed at enabling large-scale negative emissions by 2050.

Amendments to Armenia’s Energy Law permits the development of energy storage systems for the first time, subject to licensing. Systems smaller than 1 MW, or those above 1 MW designed for self-consumption, are exempt from licensing.