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Tongwei said it will bring in strategic investors for its wholly owned polysilicon production unit, Sichuan Yongxiang Co. The CNY 10 billion investment values Yongxiang at CNY 27 billion before the capital increase. The new investors will acquire up to 27.03% of Yongxiang, with the proceeds primarily aimed at debt repayment and working capital. Upon completing the transaction, Tongwei will retain a direct and indirect stake of at least 72.97%, keeping Yongxiang consolidated in its financial statements. As of the end of 2024, Yongxiang's annual polysilicon production capacity exceeded 900,000 metric tons, securing its position as the industry’s top supplier.

Risen has revised the timeline for two major investment projects, delaying their completion by nearly two years. The “5 GW n-type heterojunction (HJT) cell and 10 GW solar module project,” initially scheduled for March 2025, is now expected to be operational by December 2026. The project, with an investment of CNY 3.3 billion, will remain unchanged in scope. Similarly, the company’s “global high-rfficiency photovoltaic R&D center,” originally set for completion by year-end 2025, will now finish by December 2026. This project has an investment of CNY 500 million. Risen attributed the delay to a thorough evaluation of market conditions but reaffirmed its commitment to the long-term strategic value of the projects.

Golden Solar New Energy Technology has recorded a CNY 277.41 million loss for 2024. Its PV business generated CNY 79.76 million in revenue out of a total CNY 253.51 million, down from CNY 295.35 million the previous year. The company reaffirmed its plans to transition to high-efficiency heterojunction back-contact (HBC) technology and expand gigawatt-scale production through a joint venture.

Xinte Energy has reported a CNY 3.90 billion net loss for 2024, reversing a CNY 4.35 billion net profit from the prior year. Revenue fell 31.02% to CNY 21.21 billion. The company said it produced 198,800 metric tons of polysilicon and sold 199,200 metric tons.

TCL Zhonghuan said cumulative shipments of its 210 mm large-size silicon wafers surpassed 200 GW as of March 2025. The company introduced the 210 mm wafer on Aug. 16, 2019, and began mass production in January 2020. It shipped 100 GW by July 2023 – nearly four years after launch – but reached the 200 GW milestone in just 18 months.

UK boiler manufacturers must ensure at least 6% of their sales are from heat pumps or face financial penalties under a new government scheme launched April 1, 2025. The Clean Heat Market Mechanism (CHMM) places new obligations on affected companies, with civil penalties and potential criminal prosecution for failure to comply.

Originally scheduled to launch on April 1, 2024, CHMM implementation was delayed following lobbying from the boiler industry, with some manufacturers calling the new policy a “boiler tax”. The fines issued for failure to comply have also been reduced, from GBP 3,000 ($3,800) to GBP 500 for each gas boiler sold above the target.

In a statement, Jess Ralston, analyst at the Energy Climate Intelligence Unit said that the CHMM will see manufacturers “compete to sell more electric heat pumps to replace boilers, bringing the price down.” The think tank analyst added that the UK government could have launched the CHMM in 2024, “but the gas boiler manufacturers lobbied hard for a delay.”

“A great deal of fuss was made over sales targets that history now shows the industry would have hit anyway,” she said. “Some manufacturers added a self-imposed ‘boiler tax’, charging consumers an additional [GBP] 110 to the price of a boiler last year which the companies themselves, not the government, received. The question for the industry is have all of the manufacturers guaranteed that all buyers have now had the made-up boiler tax repaid?”

The scheme places obligations on companies manufacturing 20,000 gas boilers or more, or 1,000 oil boilers or more. It applies to businesses that manufacture or outsource the manufacturing of fossil fuel boilers or heat pumps, while also owning the right to use the brand name, trademark or other distinctive mark used to market fossil fuel boilers or heat pumps in the United Kingdom. The companies must ensure heat pumps sales are at least 6% of boiler sales and report installations to MCS, the CHMM's approved certification scheme.

Businesses close to but below the scheme’s minimum volume threshold also have obligations. They must register with the Clean Heat Market Mechanism and have reporting obligations, but they do not have heat pump sales targets. Companies and groups of companies manufacturing between 15,000 and 19,999 gas boilers or between 750 and 999 oil boilers are viewed as “near-threshold suppliers” under CHMM rules.

The CHMM is expected to run for a four-year period with the UK government setting heat pump sales targets for each scheme year, through to March 31, 2029. From Oct. 1, 2025, a credit transfer window will open for scheme participants and credit holders. Manufacturers can earn and trade credits acquired from heat pump sales in order to hit targets.

The CHMM is the latest policy implemented by the UK government in a bid to hit ambitious heat pump installation targets. It also offers a GBP 7,500 grant to consumers installing a heat pump. The government wants to see heat pump installations hit 600,000 per year by 2028, up from the 58,000 installations recorded in 2024 by certification body MCS.

On Feb. 1, the United States announced a 25% tariff on Mexican goods and non-oil and gas imports from Canada. Canadian oil and gas was hit by a 10% rate, with the same applied to all Chinese imports.

Two days later, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had negotiated a one-month delay for the tariffs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a retaliatory 25% tariff on U.S. imports including agriculture, clothing, machinery, wood, paper, and beauty products, with the levies to be introduced over three weeks. A tariff on imported US energy was considered before a one-month stay on the United States’ Canada tariffs was also announced, on Feb. 3.

President Trump is introducing tariffs under the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930 and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA), the latter signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 during the Iran hostage crisis, enabling the president to introduce the charges during a national emergency.

During his first week in office, Trump ordered his proposed cabinet – before their appointments were confirmed – to comprehensively analyze U.S. trade policy by April 1, 2025, including trade agreements, global taxation, and international exchange rates.

The United States has a history of using tariffs in its trade strategy. Import tariffs were used to fund the government until 1862. On the campaign trail, Trump mulled the elimination of federal taxes to instead fund the government on tariff income, to be collected by a new “External Revenue Department.”

History lesson

The 2012, 2014, and 2022 tariffs affecting solar imports were based on the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930. That law, known as Smoot-Hawley, is widely viewed as the most protectionist in the history of U.S. protectionist acts. The act led to the highest tariffs in 100 years, of between 50% and 100% on around 900 products. It also began a global trade war.

President John F Kennedy signed the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to give the U.S. presidency stronger negotiating power with partner nations. The Trade Expansion Act granted the U.S. president unprecedented power to negotiate tariffs of up to 80%. The act may have been intended as a negotiating tool, but is often used as a cudgel.

The Section 201 Tariffs introduced in 2018, on solar cells and modules, among other imports, were based on the 1974 Trade Act. In theory, that legislation was designed to expand the participation of U.S. manufacturers in global markets and to reduce trade barriers. It also, crucially, gave the U.S. president broad, fast-tracking authority. Under it, the US president can provide temporary relief to an industry. Section 201 of the 1974 Trade Act theoretically sets a high bar for petitioners who want tariffs. Unfortunately, theory and practice often fail to intersect and once the door is open for interpretation based on personal bias and agenda, it is challenging to close it.

Trump declared a national energy emergency on Jan. 20, so the IEEPA, which allows the president to seize property, among other actions, became important to watch, as the administration is clearly testing its powers under the act.

Tariffs and solar

Tariffs are useful as tools to protect domestic industries, but not so much as instruments of economic torture. Regarding the solar industry, manufacturing is dominated by producers based in China who are willing to operate on thin margins. Without some protection to level the playing field against the prices they can offer, there is simply no game.

The Biden administration, while leaving earlier Trump tariffs in place, used such levies as a tool to address the dumping of solar products, the circumvention of international trade norms, and to respond to, or countervail such low prices for Chinese-made products.

At the start of the Biden administrations there was very little domestic solar manufacturing to protect. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the United States began 2025 with almost 50 GW of annual PV module assembly capacity and will have 15.5 GW of cell capacity once Hanwha Qcells’ plans are realized.

It is doubtful that the United States could have realized the successful ramping of significant new capacity with tariffs alone. When the Obama administration imposed tariffs, in 2012 and 2014, U.S. solar manufacturing did not expand. Production grew during the Biden administration because of the IRA and, potentially, because the administration maintained tariffs and added new ones. That observation is not an argument for or against tariffs, it’s an observation that as long as the solar value chain remains unbalanced, strategic use of tariffs might be warranted.

Weaponizing tariff policy never turns out well and risks trade wars. Prices for consumables and commodities will increase, trickling down to higher prices for end products.

About the author: Paula Mints is founder and chief analyst of solar-focused company SPV Market Research. She previously worked for Strategies Unlimited and Navigant, where she was director of energy practice until founding SPV Market Research in 2012. Her expertise includes global solar markets and applications; PV cell and module cost and price analysis; system and component analysis, including inverters, trackers and other balance-of-system equipment; and trend analysis.

The Italian energy agency, Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE), has allocated €323 million for the country’s second agrivoltaic tender using funds left over from the first round, finalized in December 2024. Developers have until June 30 to submit bids.

In March, Alessandro Migliorini, Italy director at Denmark-based European Energy, told pv magazine Italia that up to 80% of the projects selected in the first tender for agrivoltaics faced abandonment due to bureaucratic delays in obtaining permits. GSE awarded 1.5 GW of capacity in December after reviewing 643 bids totaling 1.7 GW.

The selected projects included 270 MW for European Energy, a 62 MW Repower array in Sicily, and a 73 MW Next Energy Capital installation in Campania. Other major recipients included Solarig with 122 MW, Photosol with 55 MW, and DCH Di Carlo Holding with more than 140 MW, ranking just behind European Energy.

Most of the projects came from agricultural companies. All eligible projects received incentives, as the tender did not reach its maximum quota. Discounts on ceiling prices ranged from 9.18% to 53%, with larger projects benefiting from economies of scale.

The ceiling price was set at €0.093/kWh for projects up to 300 kW and €0.085/kWh for larger installations.

Most projects are in southern Italy, with some located in Lazio and Emilia-Romagna in central and northern regions.

From ESS News

On March 28, CORNeX, a lithium battery maker headquartered in Hubei Province, unveiled its fourth-generation ​ lithium iron phosphate (LFP) energy storage cell with a capacity of 472 Ah.

Measuring ​74mm×220mm×225mm, the cell builds on the architecture of its predecessor, the ​314Ah “Long π” cell, preserving its proprietary material formulations and automated production processes. This continuity ensures ​high reliability, thermal stability, safety compliance, and manufacturing consistency, while achieving a quantum leap in performance, the manufacturer said.

The ​1,510.4 Wh nominal energy per cell marks a ​50% surge over the 314 Ah model, driven by a ​195 Wh/kg gravimetric energy density and ​420 Wh/L volumetric density, figures that edge tantalizingly close to the theoretical ceiling for LFP chemistry.

From ESS News

Europe continues to grow its energy storage fleet at pace, advancing its transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy system. According to a new report authored by LCP Delta and the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE), the continent reached a cumulative 89 GW by the end of 2024.

The latest edition of the report titled European Market Monitor on Energy Storage (EMMES) finds that 2024 has been a record year for energy storage deployment. Pumped-hydro storage (PHS) dominated the market, accounting for 53 GW of total capacity. Meanwhile, electrochemical storage reached 35 GW, with many installations in homes and businesses.

Italy, France, Germany and Spain hosted the largest PHS capacities.

After a sunny winter day, an electric vehicle and home battery may be fully charged. However, overnight, the storage capacity in the house decreases, forcing the operator to draw power from the grid despite unused solar energy. Many EV owners seek bidirectional charging, or vehicle-to-home (V2H), but it has not yet become standard.

Today, many EVs can connect to small appliances, such as a vacuum cleaner or camping stove, via a 230 V socket. Homeowners can also purchase a vehicle-to-load (V2L) adapter to recharge their home battery.

To address this, German startup Energy Island Power developed a connection kit that allows the solar inverter to serve as an input to the home grid, requiring synchronization with the grid. Without the kit, synchronization is not possible when connecting the vehicle via a plug.

In the proposed system, the vehicle or other 230V generator connects to the company’s Power Unit 3000. This unit rectifies and converts the current to create current-voltage (IV) characteristics similar to those of a PV system. The inverter then feeds the power into the home grid or storage system as either single-phase or three-phase alternating current. Inverters with emergency power capability can use the vehicle to bridge extended power outages.

If the inverter has a free direct current (DC) input, the Power Unit can be plugged in. If all inputs are occupied, a Connect Unit is added between them, connecting the solar string on one side and the Power Unit on the other. The system uses MC4 solar connectors and can provide up to 3,000 W of power.

The system’s intelligence comes from a control unit placed between the vehicle and power unit, allowing connection depending on the charge level of the home storage system. When the level drops below a specified threshold, the vehicle provides power until the storage system is replenished. The control unit comes in two versions.

The energy storage and retrieval process entails losses. Nils Varchmin of Energy Island Power estimates a 20% loss from the solar inverter to the vehicle and back. However, the solution is easy to install without modifications to the home system.

After extensive lab testing, the solution will launch in the second quarter and will be available for purchase on the company’s website. The cost-effectiveness of the connection kit will depend on the price announced for the end customer and the amount of electricity typically drawn from the vehicle.

Researchers from the University of Tokyo in Japan have conducted a six-year field experiment using an agrivoltaics system with lowland rice growing underneath. The on-farm trial was conducted in Chikusei, a city in Eastern Japan, between 2018 and 2023. Rice has been cultivated in the study field annually for over 50 years.

“Maintaining high crop productivity with reduced solar radiation is a major concern for intensive farming,” the group said, referring to the fact that the solar panels decrease the light reaching the crops. “Our objective was to characterize the microclimate, grain yield, and quality of rice cultivated in an agrivoltaic system in a temperate climate.”

The total area of the studied field was 1,416 m², and 27% of it was covered by monocrystalline PV panels, resulting in a total capacity of 57.96 kW. The modules were all elevated at 3.3 m above the ground, facing south with an azimuth angle of -7◦. The tilt angle was changed manually every month to receive optimal solar radiation.

The soil was a clay loam, with a pH (H2O) of 6.1, where two japonica rice cultivars were grown: Asahinoyume and Tochiginohoshi. The water level was maintained at 5–10 cm during cultivation, except during the mid-season drainage for one week in July and the last week before harvest.

A benchmark rice field, where lowland rice was also grown but without PV above, was also measured for comparison. Among the measured parameters were weather conditions, electricity production, grain quality, biomass, and rice yield. Per the measurements, the maximum air temperature was 0.8 C lower than in the control area, but the minimum air temperature did not differ.

On average, the results showed that the grain yield in the control was 8.5 t per hectare, while in the agrivoltaics field, it was 6.5 t per hectare, representing a 23% reduction. However, the decrease was not significant in two of the six measured years. “The rice productivity in the agrivoltaics system was significantly negatively associated with total rainfall during the growing season; that is, there was a high yield reduction in rainy years,” the scientists added.

However, when they calculated the gross return of both systems, accounting for both rice and electricity production values, the agrivoltaics system was found to have a return 14 times larger. More specifically, the average gross return was JPY 18.7 million ($124,615) per hectare per year in the agrivoltaics and JPY 1.3 million per hectare per year in the control area.

“Our results confirmed our research hypothesis that grain yield in the agrivoltaics system would be limited by the reduced biomass and the reduced panicle number: these are critical traits for rice productivity,” the academics concluded. “In addition to the decreased grain production, we found that the grain quality, and particularly the grain chalkiness and the head rice yield, deteriorated under partial shading in the agrivoltaics system.”

The research work was presented in “Impacts of agrivoltaic systems on microclimate, grain yield, and quality of lowland rice under a temperate climate,” published in Field Crops Research.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia have investigated how excess solar power from rooftop PV installations can be used for solar pre-cooling and pre-heating (SPCaH) in residential buildings.

“SPCaH helps reduce the later demand for air conditioning or heating, making our energy use more efficient,” the research lead author, Gloria Pignatta, told pv magazine. “Unlike many studies that rely on theoretical models, this research uses actual data from 450 Australian households. By doing so, it paints a realistic picture of how much energy can be saved and how much carbon emissions can be reduced in everyday life for what concerns the Australian context.”

The research group explained that SPCaH is based on the utilization of reverse cycle air-conditioning (AC) system to convert excess solar power surplus into thermal energy, which is then fed into a building's thermal mass, with this thermal mass being pre-cooled the cooling season and pre-heated in the heating system. “This approach reduces the cooling or heating demand in the late afternoon and early evening,” it emphasized.

The scientists categorized the construction materials in the analyzed buldings into three type by light, medium, and heavy weight. They then simulated the thermal performances of nine building types in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. They also developed an aggregated thermal dynamic model (ATDM) based on hourly indoor temperature, AC demand, solar radiation and outdoor temperature.

The simulations showed that SPCaH helps reduce AC demand more during summer and winter compared to autumn and spring, with the highest level of maximum demand reduction being reported for a building in Brisbane.

“During spring and summer, the implementation of SPCaH enables buildings to achieve emission reductions of approximately 30% of total emissions for the respective seasons,” the academics emphasized. “However, in autumn, the impact of SPCaH on emission reduction is minimal across all locations and building types.”

Their findings can be found in the paper “Reducing greenhouse emissions from Australia’s housing stock through solar pre-cooling and pre-heating,” published in Energy and Buildings.

“By considering factors like the size of air conditioning systems and people’s comfort levels, the study provides a detailed look at how this energy-saving strategy works in different types of homes. This practical insight could help homeowners save money on energy bills while contributing to a cleaner, more stable electricity grid”, Pignatta concluded. “The approach cleverly matches the surplus solar energy with times when the power grid would otherwise waste renewable energy. By using this ‘leftover' energy, the method helps lower the need for fossil-fuel-based electricity, thereby cutting greenhouse gas emissions.”

In 2022, another research group led by Gloria Pignatta investigated how rooftop PV generation could be used to run air conditioners (AC) to pre-cool residential and commercial buildings. This work identified several factors that could help reduce a building’s energy costs.

PV Hardware (PVH), a Spanish manufacturer of solar trackers and structures for PV plants and part of the Gransolar group, has launched PVH Terra, a foundation system designed to address challenges posed by difficult terrain in large-scale solar installations.

The system optimizes the installation and performance of solar plants on expansive soils, frost-affected areas, or terrain with poor geotechnical properties. PVH claims the technology adapts to these adverse conditions while reducing costs and environmental impact.

The new system reportedly reduces driving depth by up to 70%, with its symmetrical design allowing precise placement and minimizing challenges from underground obstacles. PVH also notes that using perpendicular screws enhances installation efficiency on sloping or uneven terrain, broadening the potential for projects in previously unfeasible locations and, in some cases, reducing the need for concrete.

“This breakthrough marks a new milestone in the ability to develop solar projects on land that, until now, has posed significant technical and economic limitations,” said the company.

From ESS News

Tesla stock is down nearly 50% from its all-time high in December, shedding the post-US election result bump in value it had enjoyed.

Political tensions related to Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s actions as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have led to widespread protests, and even vandalism at Tesla car dealerships. An industry note from Phil Shen, managing director of Roth Capital Partners, suggests that those political tensions are leading to a decline in demand for Tesla’s residential solar products as well.

Roth said it sees downside risks for the Powerwall 3 home battery and Tesla inverter, based on discussions with its residential solar installer contacts. One installer told Roth they were, “expecting Tesla to fall to 20% of battery sales in [the] next six months. We are getting all types of nasty feedback if we even put pics of Powerwalls online. So we scrubbed all references and pics from all ads and online presence.”

Singapore-headquartered solar manufacturer Gstar Solar has received the first batch of solar equipment for its new 3 GW wafer manufacturing facility in Indonesia.

The shipment includes monocrystalline growth furnaces and control systems, which will support an annual output of 3 GW of monocrystalline silicon rods and 3 GW of silicon wafers. The facility is in the Greenland International Industrial Center (GIIC), 55 km southeast of Jakarta.

The monocrystalline growth furnaces included in the shipment employ the Czochralski (CZ) crystal growth method and are equipped with fully automated control systems.

The systems allow accurate management of temperature gradients, pulling speed, and rotation speed during the crystal growth process, to ensure the silicon crystals are grown with low dislocation densities and high consistency, meeting the industry’s quality standards.

The plant’s emphasis on digital and intelligent manufacturing will focus on producing monocrystalline silicon rods and large-size silicon wafers, such as 182 mm and 210 mm formats aiming to produce larger, thinner, and finer silicon wafers and higher-quality, more efficient products.

Gstar will deploy a total of 120 monocrystalline silicon growth furnaces and other advanced equipment in stages to the Indonesian facility and is expected to commence trial production in May 2025.

Gstar operates a 3 GW solar cell factory in Thailand and 7 GW aluminum frame and module factories in Laos, all fully operational. A module factory in the Philippines remains in the equipment installation and commissioning phase.

Indonesia is projected to add 350 GW to 550 GW of solar power capacity by 2050, with Gstar’s facility playing a pivotal role in this expansion, offering essential materials for photovoltaic cell production and job creation.

The US solar module market recorded a 4% price increase in December 2024, rising by $0.01/W to $0.26/W, the first uptick since summer. Prices have stabilized at that level, Anza said in its “Q1 2025 Solar Module Pricing Insights” report.

Anza said the December-to-January price increase reflected market recalibration in response to tariff impacts. By February, buyers appeared to have a clearer understanding of where potential US tariffs might focus, allowing prices to settle.

Globally, module pricing in China has seen a slight increase. While modules manufactured in China do not enter the US market directly, these price shifts may have downstream effects on global supply chains.

Module pricing continues to evolve based on technology type. The most notable shift has been in heterojunction (HJT) modules, which have declined in price from $0.38/W in July to $0.34/W in February – nearly a 10% drop, including a 2.9% decrease since November.

Anza notes that HJT manufacturers appear to be testing price elasticity while promoting the technology’s higher efficiency, lower temperature coefficients and improved cold-weather performance — features they hope will justify a premium.

Meanwhile, tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) module prices have held around $0.26/W since November. Although the technology previously commanded a premium due to its performance, recent patent litigation among Tier-1 suppliers has clouded the outlook. Anza reports that although concerns over retroactive fines and disrupted supply have emerged, most buyers view the risk as low and continue to value TOPCon’s performance.

However little, the litigation pressures and political uncertainty are nudging some buyers toward less efficient — but more affordable – mono passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) modules. These modules have seen a 4.2% price increase since November, reaching $0.25/W. Anza said that its market share has grown as buyers hedge against supply risks and seek pricing stability.

Section 201 import tariffs are now fully baked into the market, according to Anza.

Modules using cells from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam — countries affected by the policy — saw a 7.7% price increase from November into December. While those prices have since eased slightly, they remain elevated. In contrast, modules using non-Southeast Asian cells fell 0.8% during the same period, reflecting more competitive pricing.

Anza compiled its data from 35 module vendors, representing 95% of the market for its report.

Researchers from Riga Technical University and Czech Technical University in Prague have explored the economic feasibility of rooftop solar systems in multi-apartment buildings across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The research paper “Estimation of LCOE for PV electricity production in the Baltic States – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia until 2050,” available in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition, used stochastic modeling and Monte Carlo simulations to calculate the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for the rooftop solar sector across the region.

The LCOE forecasts incorporated capital expenditures (Capex), operating expenses (Opex), discount rates and energy yield projections, with a sensitivity analysis highlighting Capex as the dominant factor influencing LCOE outcomes. The researchers say the Capex influence underscores the importance of analyzing both the costs of the system itself and the installation expenses.

The researchers calculated the median LCOE at a 6% discount rate of €0.08 ($0.087)/kWh in Latvia and Lithuania and €0.09/kWh in Estonia. The LCOE across all regions ranged from €0.05/kWh to €0.12/kWh at a 6% discount rate. The researchers say these results show rooftop systems are economically viable in each of the countries.

The paper's conclusion highlights extreme scenarios that show significant fluctuations in LCOE, from negative values up to €0.63/kWh at an 8% discount rate in Estonia. The researchers go on to emphasize that a negative LCOE for solar is not possible in reality and add that extreme cases are highly unlikely to occur.

The Baltic region's solar potential totals around 40 GW and is projected to draw €150 billion in investment opportunities by 2050, the research paper adds. To date, the deployment of rooftop solar across the Baltics has been driven by government incentives including subsidies and net metering, bolstered by EU funding.

The researchers say the Baltics have seen a significant surge in solar energy in recent years as the region works to reduce its longstanding energy dependence on Russia. In February this year, the three countries disconnected from the BRELL electricity supply loop with Belarus and Russia, before connecting to the European continental electricity system, which the researchers explain has helped to increase energy security and reduce dependence on Russian energy resources.

However, the academics go on to add that gaps in collective self-consumption frameworks and energy community policies in the Baltics persist. A comparative analysis with other EU regions highlights that stronger policy interventions are needed to accelerate solar adoption in multi-apartment buildings.

“By addressing regulatory, economic, and technical barriers, policymakers can create an enabling environment for decentralized energy production,” they concluded.

Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has released the provisional results of the Renoval program under the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), preliminarily allocating €297.3 million to 34 projects for manufacturing equipment and components essential to Spain’s renewable energy sector.

Eleven projects focus on producing and assembling electrolyzers and other components for green hydrogen. Another eleven involve wind energy structures and equipment. Seven are solar photovoltaic projects, four cover battery equipment and components for electrical storage, and one focuses on heat pump manufacturing. All adhere to the “do no significant harm” (DNSH) principle for environmental impact.

Sunwafe SL, based in Gijón, northern Spain, secured around €200 million for a solar ingot and wafer factory.

The provisionally selected projects will be located across 12 autonomous communities. The Basque Country has the most projects with six, followed by Castilla-La Mancha with five. Andalusia and Galicia each have four, while Castilla y León has three. The Canary Islands, Catalonia, Navarre, the Valencian Community, and Asturias each have two. Extremadura and Madrid each have one.

Ariema Enerxía, one of the successful bidders, will build a 200 MW electrolyzer factory in Huelva, the company said in a statement to pv magazine.

Other selected bidders include Matteco in Valencia, which focuses on green hydrogen. ABC Compressors in Gipuzkoa, ARaymond Spain (Tecniacero) in Barcelona, and Zerinthia Battery in Alcázar de San Juan, Ciudad Real, also secured funding. Intarcon in Córdoba, H2Site in Bizkaia, and Escelco in León will receive support, along with Navantia in A Coruña and BlueSolar in Puertollano.

Industrias de Tecnologías Aplicadas de Refrigeración y Conservación in Córdoba, Quantum Hydrogen in Cádiz, and Evolventia in A Coruña are among the approved projects. Bihar Batteries in Gipuzkoa will manufacture sodium-ion batteries. Zigor in Córdoba, Gamesa in Burgos, Golendus in Badajoz, and EAVE in the Canary Islands also made the list.

The program is financed through Spain’s recovery and resilience plan under the REPowerEU component, introduced in October 2023.

Japan’s NEDO has launched a new solar development strategy, outlining a roadmap for large-scale solar deployment to help the country reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

The “NEDO PV Challenges 2025” strategy focuses on five key technical initiatives to advance solar technology and expand its adoption. The initiatives focus on developing next-generation solar cells, advancing solar power systems for broader adoption, and addressing diverse market needs. They also aim to ensure long-term power stability and establish a circular economy-driven recycling system.

NEDO said it will also kick off its Solar Power Expansion and Technology Development Project in fiscal 2025 to support decarbonization efforts. This project will accelerate the transition to sustainable solar energy, as outlined in Japan’s 7th Basic Energy Plan, which was approved in February. The plan aims for renewables to account for 40% to 50% of Japan’s energy mix by 2040, with solar power contributing 23% to 29% of the total.

The organization said the new strategy builds on previous roadmaps such as PV2030 (2004), PV2030+ (2009), PV Challenges (2014), and PV Challenges 2020 (2020). It aims to address four key challenges identified for scaling up solar deployment: land constraints for large-scale installations, diverse market demands, long-term operational stability, and managing end-of-life modules through recycling.

NEDO’s technical initiatives will focus on developing next-generation solar cells, including high-efficiency technologies such as perovskite, tandem, and III-V compound cells to remain competitive globally.

The organization said it will also work on creating cost-effective PV modules and installation methods, with a focus on flexible solar cells. It plans to support innovations like vehicle-integrated solar and aesthetic building designs to meet a range of market requirements.

Additionally, it will enhance operation and maintenance (O&M) technologies, solar forecasting, and safety guidelines to ensure long-term stability for emerging solar technologies. It said it aims to improve processes for separating and recycling PV modules, advancing a circular economy for resource conservation.

NEDO plans to open public calls for projects under the Solar Power Expansion and Technology Development Project in mid-April.

Japanese energy supplier Akasaka Heating & Cooling Supply has revealed plans to use green hydrogen to produce heat and electricity for the Akasaka 5-chome district heating system in Minato-ku, central Tokyo.

“This new development marks the first such initiative for a district heating and cooling company in central Tokyo,” the company added. “By harnessing green hydrogen to generate electricity with fuel cells and switching some fuels from city gas, Akanetsu aims to help reduce CO2 emissions in the production of cooling and heat.”

Akasaka Heating & Cooling Supply will source green hydrogen from an undisclosed location in Japan and transport it by truck to its underground facility in Tokyo. The hydrogen will be stored in 1,350 normal cubic meter (Nm3) hydrogen storage alloy tanks.

The company said the alloy tanks safely and compactly store hydrogen by adsorbing it onto a special alloy, reducing its gas volume to one-thousandth of its original size. Unlike conventional liquefied hydrogen tanks and high-pressure containers, hydrogen adsorbed on storage alloys is handled at a low pressure of less than 1 megapascal (MPa). The use of non-hazardous alloys that do not ignite near fire ensures the system is safe for installation inside buildings.

Akanetsu said it will integrate the hydrogen with Panasonic fuel cell systems, set for installation by October 2025 and operational by January 2026. Each system will have a 5 kW capacity and generate electricity for in-plant use, supplying power to LED lights, air conditioning, and emergency outlets.

The remaining hydrogen will be blended 50:50 with natural gas 13A and used in two hydrogen-mixing combustion boilers, each with a converted steam volume of 2,000 kilograms per hour (kg/h). The boilers will supply heating to a group of buildings in the district.

From ESS News

Chinese manufacturer Austa has released a new series of high-voltage, three-phase, all-in-one storage systems for residential use.

The AU5-15KETH product line features an inverter with an output range of 5,000 W to 15,000 W and storage capacities ranging from 10 kWh to 30 kWh, depending on the model.

“The system supports over 100% single-phase loads, ideal for aging grids or high-demand scenarios,” the company said in a statement. “It has an over 10 ms UPS-level transition for seamless backup power for sensitive devices during outages. It is also rated for less than 2% harmonic distortion, complying with IEEE 519 standards, which protects appliances and avoids grid penalty risks.”

From ESS News

The SolarPower Summit in Brussels last week brought together the European solar and energy storage industry with policymakers and the increasing frequency of zero or negative price events in electricity markets was a major talking point. A combination of increased flexibility of electricity networks along with a rapid ramping of battery storage installations have emerged as the solution.

Analysis from Rystad Energy, presented on the second day of the Summit, laid bare the extent of the challenge posed by the increasing frequency of negative pricing in various European electricity markets. And with German solar installations continuing apace, the development is particularly evident.

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TCL Technology Group Corp announced today the launch of its new TCL SunPower Global energy business unit.

The move follows the acquisition of a majority stake in Singapore-based solar module manufacturer Maxeon, which holds the patent related to Sunpower's interdigitated back-contact (IBC) and other solar module technologies, by TCL's unit TCL-TZE.

The new unit, however, will operate independently from Maxeon. “Maxeon stays as an independent company listed at Nasdaq, focusing on the residential, commercial and UPP markets in the United States,” a spokesperson from the company told pv magazine.

“The new TCL SunPower Global will continue to design and engineer industry-leading solar products and solutions, leveraging TCL Group supply chain, global manufacturing capabilities and scale for the manufacturing,” the spokesperson went on to say. “For the new products, we will be assessing TCL's global manufacturing capabilities and ecosystem and evaluating where production makes most sense from an economic and supply chain standpoint, based on the local policies, customer needs and market regulations.”

More details on the future of each of Maxeon's factories were not disclosed.

“By combining TCL's expertise in consumer electronics, manufacturing capabilities, and supply chain strength with SunPower's 40 years of experience in pioneering solar technology innovation, the new TCL SunPower Global business unit is poised to revolutionize the definition of a comprehensive energy solutions provider for both homeowners, businesses, and UPP customers,” said TCL's general manager, Steven Zhang.

TCL SunPower Global will rely on the SunPower installer network, especially in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. SunPower Corporation announced bankruptcy in the United States in August 2024. “TCL SunPower Global has no ties to this company and is completely independent,” the spokesperson stressed.

“We acknowledge that the solar industry is in a dynamic phase, adapting to the needs of a quickly shifting global landscape. Given this, we're confident that our new, more agile, business structure, leveraging the highly regarded SunPower brand, positions us at the cutting edge of the industry,” said TCL Vice President Sales, Vincent Maurice.

TCL is also active in the PV manufacturing industry in China through its solar wafer unit TCL Zhonghuan.