Author: solarenergy

According to Anza’s Q1 2026 Quarterly Pricing & Domestic Content Report, the average price for solar panels in the United States was $0.28 per watt as the market adjusted to increased trade enforcement and new Foreign Entity of Concern compliance requirements. April 6, 2026 pv magazine By pv magazine USA The U.S. solar market entered 2026 navigating a landscape defined by regulatory shifts and the continued threat of supply chain disruptions. After a year of volatility in which average prices rose by as much as 14% between January and November 2025, prices remained at a higher base level in the…

The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) and the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) have signed an agreement to strengthen traceability and sustainability standards in solar energy supply chains. April 6, 2026 Gwénaëlle Deboutte By pv magazine France SSI and IRMA have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen responsible sourcing of minerals used in solar energy supply chains. The partnership aims to cover the entire value chain, from mining to PV module production, as renewable energy deployment accelerates. The collaboration aims to improve monitoring of the social and environmental impacts of solar energy technologies. As PV deployment expands, challenges related…

Hydrogels show promise in batteries as electrolytes, including lithium and sodium chemistries, because they are inherently safer. April 6, 2026 Tristan Rayner Image: Petra Klawikowski, Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 3.0 By ESS news Battery research in industry and academia continues to advance ideas in electrodes and electrolytes, covering materials, design, safety, efficacy and green credentials. In most cases, the use of potentially flammable organic electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries used in stationary storage is an ongoing safety risk that the industry is continually countering through often complex mitigation efforts, and expensive and destructive research. A new review article providing a systematic review…

A UNSW-led team found that annealing conditions significantly affect the voltage, strain and microstructure in copper-plated heterojunction solar cell contacts, with fast annealing conditions increasing the microvoltage in both copper and indium tin oxide. April 6, 2026 Lior Kahana A team of scientists led by Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW) has investigated how stress and strain evolve in copper (Cu)-plated contacts on heterojunction (HJT) solar cells under different incandescence conditions. Their work specifically investigated how annealing affects the material properties of Cu, indium tin oxide (ITO) and silicon (Si). “We applied multiple characterization methods to understand how annealing…

Neoen has announced two battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in France and Japan, expanding its footprint in both markets with installations totaling 348 MW and 896 MWh. April 6, 2026 Marie Beijer By pv magazine France Neoen has announced two new BESS projects in France and Japan, as part of the French-Japanese Economic Forum in Tokyo during an official visit by French President Emmanuel Macron. The company, a subsidiary of Canadian asset manager Brookfield, is developing its first large-scale installation in Japan while expanding its storage portfolio in France. The French project, located in Vernou-la-Celle-sur-Seine in the Seine-et-Marne department,…

The first bid period of Zambia’s new Carbon Feed In Premium program plans to develop 300 MW of solar energy in projects connected to on-site battery energy storage systems. The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is May 31. April 3, 2026 Patrick Jowett Image: Oskar Kadaksoo, Unsplash The Zambian government is inviting applications for its Carbon Feed In Premium Program (CFIP), a new results-based financing mechanism aimed at large-scale, grid-connected solar installations. The program, implemented by the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment and the Ministry of Energy, is open to both national and international independent energy producers, the…

In a new weekly update for pv magazineSolcast, a DNV company, reports that North America experienced a large solar gap last month, with southern regions such as northeastern Mexico, southeastern Texas and much of California experiencing insolation 20 to 25% above average, while Canada, the Great Lakes and the northeastern US experienced persistent cloud cover and below-normal solar conditions. This contrast was caused by high-pressure systems and a southwestern heat dome to the south versus a polar vortex that brought cold air and storms to the north. April 3, 2026 Solcast North America saw a pronounced gap in solar conditions…

Reports from the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Program (IEA-PVPS) show that Malaysia added more than 1.4 GW of solar energy by 2025, with more than 5.7 GW now deployed across multiple government schemes. April 3, 2026 Patrick Jowett According to figures from the International Energy Agency’s IEA-PVPS, Malaysia’s solar capacity stood at 5,777 MW at the end of 2025. The figure includes the solar energy used in the large-scale solar energy systems (LSS), the feed-in tariff (FiT) and the net energy metering systems (NEM). An IEA PVPS 2024 report estimated the country’s cumulative solar capacity at 4,329 MW…

TCL Zhonghuan has agreed to acquire the majority stakes of Chinese solar manufacturer DAS Solar, a producer of advanced n-type modules based on tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) and back-contact (BC) technologies. April 3, 2026 Vincent Shaw TCL Zhonghuan has signed a definitive agreement to acquire control of DAS Solar through a combination of share transfers, capital injection and delegation of voting rights, in one of the most closely watched solar industry consolidation deals of 2026. The Shenzhen-listed company, a unit of TCL Technology, said on March 30 that it had completed the transaction documents after securing a 90-day exclusive…

Sungrow says energy storage systems will overtake PV inverters as the largest business segment by 2025, as the company achieved double-digit revenue and profit growth. April 3, 2026 Vincent Shaw Image: Siyuan Hu, Unsplash Sunny said revenue reached CNY89.184 billion ($12.95 billion) in 2025, up 14.55% year-on-year, with net profit attributable to shareholders increasing 21.97% to CNY13.461 billion. Energy storage systems generated revenue of CNY 37.287 billion, up 49.39%, accounting for 41.8% of total revenue, while global storage deliveries reached 43 GWh. PV inverter revenues totaled CNY 31.136 billion, with global deliveries of 198 GW and an estimated market share…