In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, reports that prevailing pessimism in the global polysilicon market continues to intensify, with current conditions still favoring buyers to a certain extent, allowing them to retain a degree of leverage in negotiations.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Southern Brazil and the northern Andes were irradiance hotspots during March, posting anomalies as high as 30% above the climatological average. The increase came despite intense rainfall causing flooding in other parts of South America.

Martin Schachinger, founder of pvXchange.com, says the European PV market has remained unaffected by the disruptive effects of the Trump administration’s new tariff policy.

With module sizes increasing, labor shortages worsening and workplace safety risks escalating, automation is a necessity.

This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to María del Puy Ayerra, Head of Business Development Iberia at Spain’s Zelestra. She encountered isolated experiences that reflected subtle gender bias – particularly the assumption that women in leadership must adopt a “tough” character to survive in a male-dominated environment. “These stereotypes can be limiting and disheartening, especially for women who lead with empathy, collaboration, and strength of vision,” she states.

Four balancing PPAs will see ElectroRoute trade Low Carbon solar assets in UK electricity market. The agreements are set to run until 2028.

Corning says it will add 400 jobs and contribute domestically produced wafers to the US solar supply chain with an investment of $1.5 billion.

Some media outlets have speculated that Spain’s April 28 blackout may have been caused by a disconnected solar plant, but DNV grid analyst Andrea Mansoldo tells pv magazine that it was likely due to a combination of grid weakness and low-frequency oscillations.

OMV says it has successfully started its 10 MW green hydrogen plant at the Schwechat refinery near Vienna, while Austrian university TU Graz says it has inaugurated a hydrogen electrolysis test center at its Inffeldgasse Campus to develop and test hydrogen technologies.

Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT has developed a solar module cleaning system that uses structure-borne sound and targeted mechanical vibrations to dislodge dust. Researchers will present the technology at Intersolar Europe in Munich from May 7 to 9.

Swedish independent power producer Alight has completed a 64 MW solar project near Stockholm. The site in in Hallstavik is now the largest PV facility in the country.

Togo has begun construction on a 25 MW solar plant with 36 MWh of battery storage in the country’s north. China’s TBEA International Engineering is leading the project, which is scheduled for completion within 13 months.

US residential solar prices fell to a record low of $2.50 per watt in the second half of 2024, said EnergySage. The marketplace operator reported average pre-incentive quotes of $28,750 for rooftop systems.

Colombia is approaching 2 GW of cumulative installed PV capacity, with 1.34 GW currently operational and an additional 700 MW in testing, according to the country’s grid operator.

Bouygues Construction Australia (BCA) is trialing an autonomous piling system (APS) to build Engie’s 250 MW Goorambat East Solar Farm (GESF) in Victoria, Australia.

The Japanese company said its new vertical mounting system is ideal for farmland, regions with heavy snowfall, along factory fences, and in parking areas.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says Spain’s recent blackout was not triggered by excess renewables or a lack of nuclear power. He claims the government will reform the grid, seek an independent report from Brussels, and launch a national inquiry.

Spanish energy expert Antonio Delgado Rigal tells pv magazine that while the exact cause of yesterday’s nationwide blackout in Spain remains unclear, preliminary signs point to grid instability triggered by system failure.

A new product from German supplier FlexHome Energy could offer residents without a solar array, such as apartment dwellers, the chance to make electricity savings and strengthen the grid.

The Energrid NA7 incorporates ZTT’s self-developed 3S-integrated power conversion system (PCS) and supports 2000 V high-voltage DC input.

Chinese solar manufacturers have reported mixed first-quarter results. DMEGC recorded strong growth while peers such as HiUV, Risen, Autowell and Jolywood suffered sharp declines amid falling prices and oversupply.

China’s Almaden says it will build a solar glass plant in the United Arab Emirates with an annual capacity of 500,000 tons, in line with its plans to globally expand as domestic profits fall.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new product is the world’s largest wall-mounted hybrid inverter. The series includes three models, with AC outputs of 80 kW, 100 kW, or 125 kW.

Researchers at the German research institute have demonstrated that the so-called EpiWafers could be used directly for solar cell fabrication without needing a pre-gettering step. Their experiments provide a proof of principle* for epitaxially grown silicon wafers from German wafer manufacturer NexWafe GmbH.

The Indian solar manufacturer has launched its Hypersol series panel series with power output from 605 W to 630 W and efficiency between 22.38% and 23.30%.

Avaada Group has signed an agreement with the Maharashtra state government in India to build two pumped storage hydro projects with a combined capacity of 3.65 GW. The company plans to deploy the projects in phases to support grid stability and renewable integration.

The vast blackout that gripped the Iberian Peninsula on April 28 has echoes of a similar event in an Australian state in 2016. The solution in both cases appears to be the same.

Developer Atlas Renewable Energy has inaugurated the 800 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) plant in María Elena commune, in the Antofagasta region.

Analysis of feed-in tariff scenarios in Central and Eastern Europe finds that while high feed-in tariffs are linked to the adoption of residential solar, lower tariffs are more likely to encourage battery installations. The study proposes a moderately low range of tariffs as one compromise to support both technologies.

The Chilean Ministry of Energy reports that 954 MW of energy storage capacity was operational in March, with four additional sites undergoing testing. Twelve more are under construction, and 37 have submitted requests for environmental permits.