Author: solarenergy

China’s antitrust regulator has halted an industry-led effort to reduce polysilicon capacity and coordinate prices, ordering a full rectification of actions that contributed to rising market prices. Futures fell sharply after the intervention. January 9, 2026 Vincent Shaw China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) convened a closed-door meeting in Beijing on January 6 with the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) and key participants involved in a $7 billion plan to reduce polysilicon overcapacity, sources told pv magazine. The plan involved China’s six largest polysilicon producers – Tongwei, GCL, Daqo, The six companies together have a capacity of almost 2.5…

The 500 MW/1 GWh Jiayuguan NingSheng project combines lithium batteries and supercapacitors to support power grid stability and the integration of renewable energy sources. January 9, 2026 Vincent Shaw By ESS news China’s largest supercapacitor-based hybrid energy storage system has been successfully connected to the power grid in northwest China, marking a milestone for hybrid energy storage systems based on supercapacitors and lithium. The Jiayuguan NingSheng 500 MW/1,000 MWh independent energy storage project, invested by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), completed commissioning and achieved grid connection in the early hours of December 30, 2025, according to official disclosures. The project…

According to the latest report from Aurora Energy Research, Europe needs €600 billion in investments by the end of this decade, rising to €1.5 trillion by mid-century, to support the continent’s renewable energy expansion. January 9, 2026 Patrick Jowett According to analysis by Aurora Energy Research, more than 1 TW of renewable capacity is currently waiting for grid connection across Europe. The global energy markets analytics provider says permit periods in some European markets are reaching up to ten years, adding to the growing pipeline. Of the 1 TW of projects awaiting approval, Italy accounts for around 370 GW. The…

The UK government has launched a call for evidence on companies’ power purchase agreements (CPPAs), as it takes steps to support businesses with high demand for electricity.The call for evidence asks how the market for CPPAs in the UK can be developed and improved for industry. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) are jointly seeking views on the experiences of current and potential market participants, and on approaches that would strengthen the market.Industrial energy prices in Britain are the highest in the world. In its call for evidence, the…

A Husqvarna researcher developed a fast, interpretable PV hotspot detection method using IR thermography and Lab* color space features instead of heavy neural networks, achieving up to 95.2% accuracy with shallow classifiers. The lightweight system works in real time on drones or edge devices and could save 17,620 kWh and 8.9 tons of CO₂ annually by improving fault detection in solar panels. January 9, 2026 Lior Kahana A researcher at the Husqvarna Group, a Swedish manufacturer of outdoor power products, has developed a new, lightweight and interpretable framework for a real-time PV fault detection method. The technique uses infrared (IR)…

New UNSW research has found that around 20% of solar panels in large PV installations are deteriorating much faster than expected. They recommend holistic strategies such as robust materials, advanced designs and proactive monitoring to decouple degradation pathways and prevent cascading failures. January 9, 2026 Emiliano Bellini A group of researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) studied the ‘long tail’ phenomenon in large-scale photovoltaic installations and found that about 20% of solar modules used in the field deteriorate much faster than expected. The “long tail” occurs when a significant number of modules in the same facility underperform…

In a new weekly update for pv magazineOPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a brief overview of the major price trends in the global PV industry. January 9, 2026 OPIS N-type wafer prices increased across the board this week compared to the previous assessment on December 16, 2025. FOB China prices for n-type M10 wafers rose 13.92% to $0.180 per unit (pc), while G12 wafers rose 10.82%, to $0.215/pc, according to the OPIS Solar Weekly Report released on January 6. According to market participants, manufacturers’ declared prices for n-type wafers in the Chinese domestic market have increased above CNY 1.4…

Following a record year for energy storage procurement in 2025, projects awarded since mid-2023 are expected to enter service in 2026, reflecting a typical development time of 18 to 24 months. January 7, 2026 Uma Gupta By pv magazine India India’s energy storage system industry is expected to move from tender to implementation by 2026, according to a new report from the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA). As of December 31, 2025, a total of 224 GWh of energy storage capacity had been tendered, of which 92 GWh was in battery energy storage systems and 132 GWh in pumped hydro…

Treaty Oak Clean Energy, a U.S. independent energy producer, has completed financing and begun construction on two solar projects in Louisiana: the Beekman Solar Project in Morehouse Parish and the Hollis Creek Solar Project in Sabine Parish. Together, these projects will add 385 MW of new renewable capacity to the state. “Closing financing for these two projects during a challenging economic year for renewable energy projects underscores our strong business model and commitment to making states like Louisiana energy independent,” said Chris Elrod, CEO of Treaty Oak. “I am incredibly proud of our teams and grateful to our financing partners,…

A startup led by scientists from the University of Cambridge and the former chairman of Oxford PV is trying to commercialize flow battery electrolytes with greater energy density than vanadium-based batteries. Kodiaq Technologies claims that its electrolytes can be used as a drop-in solution for redox flow batteries. January 8, 2026 Matthew Lynas Image: Jean-Luc Benazet, Unsplash By ESS news Kodiaq Technologies is developing organic electrolytes for redox flow batteries that it claims can achieve 300% of the energy density of vanadium-based alternatives. The UK-based startup has developed an organic electrolyte that can currently store energy up to 50 Wh…