BlackRock’s climate infrastructure business has increased its stake in Brite Energy Partners. The KRW 100 billion ($72 million) investment will help to scale the South Korean independent power producer’s solar portfolio and expand its energy storage and EV charging operations.

A team of researchers in Germany has fabricated a non-fullerene acceptor-based organic photovoltaic cell featuring a bilayer solution-processed hole transporting layer. It recorded a power conversion efficiency of 17.1% and maintained 93% of its initial efficiency after 1,800 hours under continuous solar cell operation at 60 C.

Philippine renewables developer Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. and San Miguel Global Light and Power Corp., a unit of San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp., will jointly develop a 153.5 MW solar plant in the Philippines.

Abu Dhabi-based Masdar has raised $1 billion through a new bond issuance. It says the investment will fund equity commitments on new greenfield projects, several of which are in developing economies.

A research group has examined the potential for PV on building walls and rooftops across Norway. It says that up to 36% of the feasible solar energy, or approximately 31 GW, could be integrated into the national power system to match generation and consumption patterns.

Czechia’s Solární Asociace says that the country installed 484 MW of solar in the first half of this year, nearly matching the 487 MW added in the same first six months of 2023. It notes that the residential PV market has cooled, but the corporate segment has grown.

Malaysia’s ILB Group Bhd is acquiring Armani Sinar and its solar assets for MYR 98 million ($21 million) in cash. This deal will increase its PV capacity from 13 MW to 30 MW.

The tool has been billed as the world’s first independent daily spot market price assessment for solar panels. S&P Global says it has been launched to aid transparency in technology pricing as solar modules become increasingly commoditized.

South Africa has commissioned its largest wheeling project, with SOLA Group supplying more than 200 MW of solar power to Tronox Mineral Sands via the Eskom network.

Corporate funding in the solar sector reached $16.6 billion in the first half of this year, according to Mercom Capital Group. It says most funding came via debt financing, as venture capital and public market financing fell.