Author: solarenergy

The Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate has designated a planned polysilicon factory in the country as of strategic importance under the Net Zero Industry Act. April 24, 2026 Patrick Jowett The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate has named a planned renewable energy polysilicon factory in the Netherlands as a strategic project under the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA). The planned facility, which is being developed by Dutch startup Resilicon, is intended to produce high-purity polysilicon for solar energy supply chains. Last October, Resilicon said the basic engineering phase of the plant, which will be built in…

Commercial and industrial (C&I) renewable energy developer Greenvolt Next will build a 1.7 MW solar carport at Cork Airport, in the Republic of Ireland, which will be the largest solar carport in the country.The project will consist of 3,696 solar panels and five inverters and will enter commercial operation in two phases: the first by summer this year and the second by August 2027. Greenvolt Next will design, build and commission the project, which is expected to meet a fifth of the airport’s electricity demand.“This new solar carport will strengthen Cork Airport’s sustainability credentials and is an important part of…

The Ministry of Commerce has released its provisional anti-dumping duties (AD) in an investigation into imports of solar cells from India, Indonesia and Laos. The preliminary AD margins are 123.04% for all Indian producers, 35.17% for all Indonesian producers and 22.46% for all Lao producers. Combined with the preliminary countervailing duty (CVD) determinations, India has the highest AD/CVD rates among the three countries. The Alliance for American Solar Energy Manufacturing and Tradea group of domestic solar energy manufacturers, petitioned the government in July 2025 for an AD/CVD investigation, alleging that solar panel makers had shifted their operations to India, Indonesia…

The four-terminal tandem device is based on FAPbI₃ nanoparticles and a spectral splitting design, combining an upper cell with a wide band gap of 24.4% and a lower cell with a narrow band gap of 21.5% to achieve an efficiency of 30.2%. The system improves light utilization by sending different wavelengths to optimized subcells. April 24, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers at the University of Tokyo in Japan have used a novel to create a tandem solar cell made entirely of perovskite a light-absorbing layer deposition technique using formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) nanoparticles. FAPbI3 is widely used in high efficiency perovskite…

Indian solar manufacturer Saatvik Green Energy has acquired an 80% stake in Jaipur-based Melcon Transformers and Electricals, expanding into power transmission equipment. This move strengthens the company’s position in a segment closely linked to India’s growing renewable energy sector. April 24, 2026 Uma Gupta By pv magazine India Saatvik Green Energy, an Indian solar manufacturer and EPC supplier, has acquired an 80% equity stake in Melcon Transformers and Electricals, a transformer manufacturer based in Jaipur. The share purchase agreement was signed on April 23, 2026. Founded in 2005, Melcon designs and produces transformers for energy transmission and distribution. The product…

Daikin has launched the Altherma 3 H HT, a turnkey air-to-water heat pump that uses the refrigerant R-32, operates down to -28 C and delivers a supply water temperature of up to 70 C for direct boiler replacement in existing radiator systems. The system reportedly achieves a coefficient of performance of 4.86. April 24, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Japanese heating system manufacturer Daikin this week launched a pre-engineered residential air-to-water heat pump that installers can reportedly connect to existing plumbing with minimal customization. “The Daikin Aletherma 3 H HT offers a remarkably versatile, 3-in-1 ‘plumb-and-play’ solution, capable of providing heating, cooling…

The Enwex Germany Solar (GSM) contract, which starts on April 23, brings exchange-approved solar radiation hedging to a market that has largely operated over-the-counter (OTC) until now. A development that, according to Munich Re’s weather derivatives team, could broaden participation and formalize risk management. April 22, 2026 Brian Publicover The world’s first exchange-endorsed solar futures contract will launch on the Abaxx Exchange on April 23, as solar power generation increasingly influences spot prices and revenues in European energy markets. The Enwex Germany Solar (GSM) contract was developed by German energy exchange Enwex and will be listed on the Singapore-based Abaxx…

China’s solar industry has launched its first TOPCon-focused patent pool, led by Trina Solar, JA Solar and JinkoSolar, to streamline licensing, reduce disputes and strengthen IP coordination at home and abroad. April 23, 2026 Vincent Shaw China’s photovoltaic industry has formally launched its first patent pool, a move that could reshape how intellectual property is licensed and enforced across the country’s solar energy manufacturing value chain. The platform was unveiled in Beijing on April 21 at an event led by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), with organizational support from…

The EU is moving ahead with a plan to restrict financing of PV projects using inverters from high-risk suppliers, citing cybersecurity concerns and issuing new guidelines to phase them out. Some projects linked to the EU network will be subject to a transition period, while others will have to exclude such suppliers by 2027. April 23, 2026 Emiliano Bellini The EU has moved forward with a plan to stop financing PV projects built with inverters supplied by high-risk suppliers. The move was initially reported by the German news channel The Mirrorstating that the measure will take effect immediately. “We are…

American scientists have developed a method to predict solar radiation at any location using a single high-resolution hemisphere image captured on site. By extracting information about the sky, sun and surrounding scenes from visual cues, this approach enables accurate long-term energy forecasts without relying on detailed 3D city models. April 23, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers at Columbia University in the United States have developed a new technique to measure solar radiation at any location using a single rectangular image. The method uses a single hemispherical image taken at the panel location to infer scene geometry, sky visibility and lighting conditions,…