India’s renewable energy industry is urging the government to use Union Budget 2026 to unlock stalled projects, lower financing costs, and accelerate domestic manufacturing across solar, storage, and grid infrastructure.

Renewable generation supplied more than half of Australia’s electricity in the fourth quarter of 2025, driving wholesale power prices down by nearly 50% and coinciding with record battery output, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). Coal-fired generation fell 4.6% year on year to a record quarterly low, while gas-fired output dropped 27% to its lowest level in 25 years.

This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Alba Sande, lawyer at Spanish law firm ASande Legal. She states that, despite progress, women remain underrepresented in the renewable energy industry. “As a woman and a mother, I have often encountered the unspoken assumption that professional ambition must take a backseat to family life, a bias rarely applied to men,” she says.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that in January most of East Asia experienced normal to above-average solar irradiance, with southeastern China seeing surges due to reduced clouds and low aerosol levels under lingering La Niña effects. In contrast, the Philippines faced below-average irradiance from early Tropical Storm Nokaen, while other regional cities like Seoul, Tokyo, and Taipei recorded modest gains.

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.

Investment in utility-scale solar in Australia dropped 35% in the second half of 2025 compared to the previous six months with BloombergNEF (BNEF) saying the growth of rooftop solar and a booming battery market are among the reasons for the precipitous decline.

Enphase Energy said it is cutting around 6% of its global workforce, affecting about 160 employees, as the company prepares for lower near-term demand following the expiration of the United States federal residential solar tax credit and moves to reduce costs through restructuring and automation.

When combined with SAJ’s high-efficiency MPPT algorithms, the system delivers a 4.5% boost in overall energy conversion efficiency. The manufacturer also plans to release a 1250 V version.

Czechia’s first international conference on solar and flexibility highlighted that the combination of solar with storage and flexibility sources is key to not just Czechia’s, but also Europe’s, secure and competitive electricity system.

After hitting an all-time high of $121.65/oz on Jan. 29, silver prices have tumbled to $79.44/oz, with analysts warning of a potential drop toward $50/oz.

Spain installed 1.14 GW of solar capacity for self-consumption in 2025, lifting cumulative capacity to 9.3 GW, as residential and commercial installations declined while industrial and off-grid segments showed greater resilience, according to data from the Spanish Photovoltaic Union.

Renewables and storage could reliably power data centers, but success requires active grids, coordinated planning, and the right mix of technologies. Hitachi Energy CTO, Gerhard Salge, tells pv magazine that holistic approaches ensure technical feasibility, economic viability, and energy system resilience.

Bulgaria installed over 1 GW of solar for the third consecutive year in 2025 and is forecast to add over 2 GW this year thanks to a large pipeline of utility-scale projects.

54% of respondents cited “energy availability and redundancy” as the single greatest obstacle to successful data center development between now and 2030.

Brazil curtailed about one-fifth of its solar and wind generation in 2025, wasting an estimated BRL 6.5 billion ($1.23 billion), as grid constraints and demand mismatches pushed the power system close to operational safety limits on 16 days, according to a report from Volt Robotics.

French researchers have developed a high-resolution computational framework to model microclimate effects of large floating solar PV systems, enabling accurate predictions of heat transfer, ambient temperatures, and water evaporation based on panel configuration and wind conditions. The model can inform thermal performance, environmental impacts, and optimize designs for utility-scale floating PV, as well as ground-mounted and agrivoltaic installations.

UNSW researchers identified a new damp-heat degradation mechanism in TOPCon modules with laser-fired contacts, driven primarily by rear-side recombination and open-circuit voltage loss rather than series-resistance increase. The study highlights that magnesium in white EVA encapsulants accelerates degradation, guiding improved encapsulant and backsheet selection for more reliable modules in humid environments.

Researchers in Iraq have developed biomimetic leaf vein–inspired fins for photovoltaic panels, with reticulate (RET) venation reducing panel temperature by 33.6 C and boosting efficiency by 18% using passive cooling. Their study combines 3D CFD simulations and electrical evaluations to optimize fin geometry, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional cooling methods.

Scientists have grown organic romaine lettuce under 13 different types of PV modules, in an unusual hot Canadian summer. Their analysis showed lettuce yields increased by over 400% compared to unshaded control plants.

Researchers at SUPSI found that six Swiss PV systems installed in the late 1980s and early 1990s show exceptionally low degradation rates of just 0.16% to 0.24% per year after more than 30 years of operation. The study shows that thermal stress, ventilation, and material design play a greater role in long-term module reliability than altitude or irradiance alone.

Polysilicon trading in China remained largely inactive, with production cuts accelerating and wafer prices falling week on week, while downstream cell prices continued to rise and module prices held steady, according to a trade group representing China’s nonferrous metals sector.

The new Tesla Solar Panel and mounting system pairs with the company’s inverter, Powerwall battery, EV charging and vehicles, creating an all-Tesla residential solar offering for the first time.

The UK-based perovskite solar PV specialist has announced a new metrology research project with Swansea University and a new development agreement with Renolit, a German plastic films, sheets and polymer solutions company.

Researchers in South Korea improved the performance of tin monosulfide (SnS) solar cells with a potassium fluoride-assisted post-treatment and a vapor transport deposition process. The treated solar cells had a power conversion efficiency of 4.10% and reduced recombination sites, compared to 3.42% for untreated devices.

Silver hit a new all-time high of $117.66/oz, climbing over 40% in the past month and 275% in the past year, driven by dollar weakness, geopolitical tensions, and gold’s strong momentum. Silver analyst Matthew Piggott tells pv magazine the metal may reach $130/oz within a couple of weeks.

Tesla and Chint Power rank first and second in a new long-duration energy storage leaderboard from Sightline Climate, while mechanical storage providers such as Italy’s Energy Dome feature prominently as post–final investment decision projects begin to reshape the competitive landscape.

Bhutan’s Druk Green Power Corporation and India’s Carbon Resources Private Limited have agreed to collaborate on new solar and hydropower projects in Bhutan with capacities between 100 MW and 250 MW.

CNESA says China’s non-pumped storage technologies hit 144.7 GW in 2025, with 66.43 GW added.

Repsol and Sunfire are advancing 200 MW of renewable hydrogen projects in Spain, while new collaborations and funding across Europe and India aim to accelerate electrolyzer development and hydrogen infrastructure.

The Finnish start-up says its sand battery technology is scalable from 20 to 500 MWh with charging power from 1 to 20 MW, depending on industrial needs.