In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, provides a June–August 2026 outlook indicating mostly neutral to positive solar irradiance globally, with stronger gains in regions like Australasia, South Asia, West Africa, and Central America—patterns consistent with a developing El Niño. Negative anomalies are limited and mostly early-season, while Europe and the U.S. show modest or mixed signals, with improvements or neutrality dominating as the season progresses.

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.

UK-based consultancy Ricardo, part of the WSP Group, explains how solar PV has compounded at 17% annually since 2016, defining the EU’s clean-energy trajectory. However, straightforward merchant returns are disappearing, and battery storage and grid expertise are now essential.

In 2025, solar and wind dominated global energy growth, delivering around six times more new capacity than all other power sources combined and supplying nearly all new electricity demand. With rapid expansion led by countries like Australia and several European nations, solar and wind are now the fastest-growing and central drivers of the global energy transition.

Q4 2025 in South Australia saw grid-connected loads with spot price exposure actually being paid to use electricity about half the time (46%) – and that electricity was overwhelmingly (80%) supplied by renewables. This demonstrates a shift from managing demand to quietly needing it. Particularly in regions like South Australia, there is growing demand for demand.

DK Electronic Materials (DKEM) plans to raise up to CNY 3.0 billion (USD 413 million) via a private placement to fund PV paste, metal powder expansion, R&D, and debt repayment. The company is advancing high-copper PV paste toward volume production for TOPCon 3.0 cells.

Enviromena announces a £825 million ($1.1 billion) senior portfolio financing package, providing immediate capital to support the buildout of a 1 GW pipeline. The credit facility was underwritten by a group of institutional investors.

The program comprises six projects with a cumulative power output of 3 GW, each designed to provide four hours of storage duration.

Daikin has launched the Altherma 3 H HT, a pre-engineered air-to-water heat pump using R-32 refrigerant, operating down to −28 C and delivering up to 70 C leaving water temperature for direct boiler replacement in existing radiator systems. The system reportedly achieves a coefficient of performance of 4.86.

Indian solar manufacturer Saatvik Green Energy has acquired an 80% stake in Jaipur-based Melcon Transformers and Electricals, expanding into power transmission equipment. The move strengthens its position in a segment closely tied to India’s growing renewable energy sector.

Bangladesh’s BPDB has tendered 77.6 MW of solar capacity across three projects in Chittagong, Rangamati, and Dinajpur. The plants will be developed on a turnkey basis with funding from BPDB and the Power Sector Development Fund.

The EU is moving forward with a plan to restrict funding for PV projects using inverters from high-risk suppliers, citing cybersecurity concerns and issuing new guidance to phase them out. A transition period applies for certain projects linked to the EU grid, while others must exclude such suppliers by 2027.

The system integrates a battery, hybrid inverter, and home energy management system into a single device. It supports the integration of additional appliances, including heat pumps via SG-Ready interfaces. A connection to Tesla’s proprietary wallbox is also planned.

Dutch startup BlueHeart Energy is testing its thermoacoustic heat pump engine in residential settings, with a limited European launch expected in spring 2027, followed by gradual scaling. The system uses sound waves instead of refrigerants, aiming for quiet, flexible, low-maintenance heating suited especially for retrofits and renewable integration.

LCP Delta has conducted a study analyzing the potential contribution of long-duration battery storage to security of supply within capacity tenders in Germany, including an economic comparison with gas-fired power plants and the resulting costs to the public. However, the authors explicitly note that they are not advocating for a complete phase-out of new gas-fired power plants.

U.S. scientists have developed a method to forecast solar irradiance at any location using a single high-resolution hemispherical image captured on-site. By extracting sky, sun, and surrounding scene information from visual cues, the approach enables accurate long-term energy prediction without relying on detailed 3D city models.

Zendure is upping its to target the whole-home residential space, expanding on its plug-in balcony storage roots.

Norwegian researchers have developed a multi-pyranometer method to more accurately estimate global tilted irradiance (GTI) in the Arctic by separating beam, diffuse, and reflected solar components. Validated in the world’s northermost settlement, the approach was found to outperform conventional models in high-latitude conditions and improve PV system design for extreme environments.

Enercity has begun constructing a 30 MW wastewater-based heat pump in Hanover as part of its shift away from coal-based district heating, replacing capacity from the Stöcken coal plant alongside biomass, power-to-heat, and waste-heat systems.

The 204 MW Zwartowo solar power plant is the first large-scale solar project authorized to provide balancing services in Poland.

Solx’s Aurora hybrid module with Caelux’s perovskite glass aims to compete on performance beyond federal tax sunsets.

In the latest article of a new series on solar manufacturing facilities around the world, pv magazine presents Belga Solar’s solar manufacturing facility in Wallonia, Belgium.

A new report from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) estimates that building façades could offer up to 36 GW of technical solar PV potential, representing a significant but largely untapped resource. However, high costs, regulatory complexity, and lower performance compared to rooftop systems limit widespread adoption, currently making façade PV a niche solution for specific building types.

Researchers in China have developed an evaluation framework to better assess fine-line silver pastes for TOPCon and LECO solar cells. The approach links laboratory characterization directly with production-line performance, addressing the limitations of conventional evaluation methods.

Researchers in the United States reviewed claims about PFAS in solar panels and found that while fluoropolymers may be used in limited components like backsheets or coatings, there is no confirmed evidence of PFAS leaching from commercially deployed modules. The study highlights widespread confusion between different PFAS types and emphasizes the need for clearer communication and transparency around fluoropolymer use in PV technologies.

The Maun solar project will encompass 500 MW of solar tied to 500 MWh of battery storage in northeastern Botswana, making it one of the largest projects of its kind in southern Africa. A 30-year power purchase agreement is in place between project developers Okavango Solar, wholly-owned by Oman’s NAQAA Sustainable Energy LLC, and Botswana Power Corporation.

Globeleq has started construction on 250 MW solar farm connected to 150 MW/600 MWh of battery storage in Zambia’s Lusaka Province.

SolarEdge has a new commercial focused battery system, with the new model scaling up to as high as 1 MW / 4 MWh depending on the inverter choice.

Swimsol says the 2.4 MW floating PV array will supply the resort island of Cheval Blanc Randheli, reducing diesel consumption and saving about $1.5 million in fuel costs. The company’s engineering team told pv magazine how the system will operate.

Ocean 2 brings a more versatile large-scale and expandable, modular home storage solution, capable of handling both small and large solar PV input.