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Westwood Global Energy Group said in a new report that only 17% of the European Union's planned project pipeline will move forward without market intervention, warning that the gap between ambition and reality is widening. “The analysis points to a European pipeline under strain, as regulatory delays, elevated costs, and weak demand weigh heavily on progress, with 23 hydrogen projects totaling 29.2 GW (LHV) already stalled or canceled by the close of 2024,” said the London-based research firm. “The UK market presents a similar story, with Westwood estimating a potential delivery range of just 1% to 24% of its pipeline by 2030.” The European Union could achieve 70% of its planned project pipeline in the best-case scenario, but only if institutions fully develop and implement the proposed frameworks. This would enable the bloc to meet its 2030 production targets, according to the report.

Smartenergy said in an emailed statement that Spain’s Orange.bat project in Valencia received a favorable Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) decision, the final step before securing the Integrated Environmental Permit (IEP) and Priority Investment Project status. The approvals confirm the project's maturity as it enters its final development phase, with commissioning set for May 2028, said the Swiss developer.

Norwegian Hydrogen said it has made an investment decision for a 25 MW hydrogen plant in Norway to serve customers in southern Norway and parts of Sweden. The facility in Rjukan, Telemark, is set for completion by 2027. This project aligns with the company’s strategy, which includes existing green hydrogen production and multiple new projects under development across the Nordic region, said the company.

H2Apex Group said it has acquired Hamburg-based HH2E’s hydrogen project at the Lubmin site in Germany. The company, which operates two green hydrogen projects at the former nuclear power plant site on the Greifswald Bodden, plans to complete the green hydrogen production facility initially planned by HH2E. H2Apex acquired the land, infrastructure, and all necessary project connections, including electricity and water supply. The site also has direct access to multiple pipelines set for hydrogen conversion by 2027, allowing integration into Germany’s core hydrogen network.

Nowega has started filling the pipeline between Lingen and Bad Bentheim with hydrogen in Nordhorn, Germany. The southwest Lower Saxony section is the first part of Germany’s hydrogen core network and consists of 95% repurposed pipelines, said the Münster-based transmission system operator. In the first commissioning stage, the network section will be filled with 28,500 cubic meters of hydrogen and brought to a pressure of 3 bar. The system should be ready by mid-April. Once at full operating pressure, the company will begin its first transports, said Dennis Hoeveler, Nowega’s head of technology.

Bosch Aviation Technology has converted a conventional four-cylinder gasoline aircraft engine from Austrian manufacturer BRP-Rotax to run on hydrogen as part of an innovation project. Rather than designing a new engine, Bosch modified an existing model, anticipating strong demand for this approach due to time, cost, and regulatory advantages, said Christian Grim, general manager of Bosch General Aviation Technology. The Austrian company completed the 1.4 liter turbo engine modifications in four months. The engine now delivers a maximum of 115 kW – within 2% of the original gasoline-powered version. Future prototype developments could further boost output, said the company.

The government of Nigeria plans to ban solar panel imports to drive local production. Local media outlets have reported that the country’s Technology Minister Uche Nnaji revealed the plan during an interview last week.

Nnaji said the move will drive Nigeria’s clean energy transition, adding that the country has the capacity to meet its solar energy demands locally. In March, Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency signed an agreement for a 1.2 GW solar assembly plant, while announcing plans for another 1 GW plant.

The minister also said the expansion of local solar manufacturing will see homes and businesses transition to off-grid solutions. “We have lithium in abundance here in Nigeria, so Mr. President is already taking action,” Nnaji said. “We are adding value to our raw materials.”

The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, a Lagos-based economic consultancy, has released a statement advising against the policy proposal. CEO Muda Yusuf said Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise believes Nigeria is not well placed for a ban on solar panel imports.

“Currently, Nigeria has one of the worst energy accesses with a per capita electricity consumption of about 160 kWh, far below the Sub-Sahara Africa average of 350 kWh,” Yusuf explained. “The adoption of solar energy solutions is one of the most impactful government initiatives to tackle this problem and it has gained remarkable traction. A ban on the importation of solar panels in the face of glaringly inadequate domestic production capacity would worsen the country’s energy crisis.”

Yusuf added that the ban would also worsen energy access and put the cost of solar beyond the average Nigerian. Instead, he called for ways to drive affordability, such as introducing fiscal and monetary incentives that support both investors and uptake.

He said that Nnaji’s announcement of a planned import ban is already generating concerns among Nigeria’s renewable energy investing community, households and multilateral organizations.

“It has significantly elevated the policy and political risk of investing in renewable energy solutions in Nigeria,” Yusuf added. “This should be avoided because of the adverse impact on investors’ confidence. Urgent clarification of the government’s position is needed to restore that confidence.”

Nigeria’s cumulative solar capacity stood at 144 MW at the end of 2024, up from 143 MW at the end of 2023, according to the latest figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Astronergy, the solar module unit of China’s Chint Group, has announced plans to build a solar cell factory in Turkey.

The company revealed the project at the “2030 Industrial and Technology Strategy and Large-Scale Industrial Investment Promotion Conference” at the Presidential Palace in Ankara. Lu Chuan, Astronergy’s chairman and president, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the event.

As part of Turkey’s High-Tech Incentive Program (HIT-30), Astronergy committed at least $500 million to develop an advanced tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) 4.0 solar cell production line and an R&D and innovation center. The facility will produce locally manufactured solar cells, with at least 80% of output designated for export.

Astronergy previously invested in a PV module factory in Turkey, which reached at least 850 MW of production capacity as of March 2025, a company spokesperson told pv magazine. The new solar cell production investment is expected to strengthen the company’s supply chain in the country.

Erdoğan welcomed the investment, calling it an important step toward Turkey’s green energy goals. Turkey’s Minister of Industry and Technology and other senior officials also attended the event, discussing investment specifics, technological cooperation, and future development with Astronergy executives.

During the meeting, Chuan highlighted Turkey’s strategic position as a bridge between European and Asian markets.

Turkey launched HIT-30 in July 2024 to attract $30 billion in foreign investment across high-tech sectors, including EVs, semiconductors, batteries, and renewables. With the new TOPCon solar cell plant, Astronergy will become Turkey’s only fully foreign-owned solar cell manufacturer.

Around 137,000 PV system owners in the Netherlands have joined Salderingsclaim.nl, a legal action seeking compensation from the government for potential losses tied to the planned 2027 closure of the net metering scheme. Dutch law firm DBE Advocaten is supporting the case.

DBE lawyer Oscar van Oorschot told pv magazine that scrapping the net metering scheme would severely disadvantage citizens, calling the government’s actions negligent or potentially unlawful. He added that compensation is necessary to offset the financial impact on households.

“At the moment, a large firm is working on substantiating the legal basis. The bottom line is that we currently have enough confidence in a case to possibly start one,” he said. “However, mass claims in the Netherlands take a very long time, often up to 5 years. So we will need to be patient and we do not expect the government to come to a settlement.“

The law firm said the government plans to compensate affected homeowners at a rate of €0.0025 ($0.0027)/kWh, which it considers insufficient.

“In many cases – for example in the summer – there will be return delivery costs due to overloading of the power grid. So when the sun shines you have to pay, and when the sun does not shine you also have to pay, namely the purchase of expensive electricity,” the firm said on its website. “There are 3 million households that are being disadvantaged and are being faced with enormous costs. In particular, households that have entered into a combination of solar panels with a hybrid heat pump.“

In 2021, Energy Storage NL and Netbeheer Nederland, the Dutch association of electricity and gas network operators, proposed phasing out the net-metering regime alongside a rebate program for storage systems.

They said this approach could accelerate the commercial viability of battery technologies in the Dutch market by 2024. Rapid solar capacity growth has strained the grid, they noted, with grid bottlenecks becoming a critical issue, particularly in the low-voltage network.

Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed a lithium-ion battery (LIB) for electric vehicles (EVs), with only 10 minutes of charge to full in temperatures as low as -10 C.

The new technology is licensed and is to be commercialized by Michigan’s Arbor Battery Innovations.

“This is fast charging without compromise,” said Dr. Andrew Davis, CEO of Arbor. “We’re not asking battery makers to change chemistries or reconfigure production. Arbor fits into the battery factories of today – and delivers the performance tomorrow demands.”

Current EV batteries store and release power through the movement of lithium ions between electrodes via a liquid electrolyte; however, in cold temperatures, this movement is slowed, affecting the charge. To solve this, automakers have increased the thickness of the electrodes they use in battery cells. However, that came with a drawback, resulting in a slower charging time.

To solve that issue, previous literature has suggested the creation of highly ordered laser-patterned electrodes (HOLEs) consisting of arrays of vertical channels. Those can serve as linear pathways for rapid ionic transport into the bulk electrode, significantly speeding up room temperature charging. However, it has failed doing so under cold environment, due to Li plating, an unwanted deposition of metallic lithium on the anode surface.

“Li plating becomes an increasingly important source of capacity loss and cell degradation,” said the research team. “Thermodynamically, Li plating can occur when the potential of the negative electrode drops below 0 V vs. Li/Li+, although a kinetic barrier for Li nucleation also exists. Furthermore, the spatial inhomogeneity in local current density, both through the electrode thickness  and within the x-y plane, plays an important role in the onset of Li plating.”

Neil Dasgupta, a U-M associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering and the corresponding author of the study, compares this behavior to that of butter. “You can get a knife through it whether it’s warm or cold, but it’s a lot harder when it’s cold,” he said. “If you try to fast charge through that layer, lithium metal will build up on the anode like a traffic jam.”

To prevent the surface layer from forming, the researchers coated the battery with a 20-nanometer-thick glassy material. The coating, a single-ion conducting glassy solid electrolyte (Li₃BO₃-Li₂CO₃) known as LBCO, was applied to industrially relevant pouch cells (3.2 mAh/cm²) using atomic layer deposition (ALD). The team compared four battery types: control, HOLE alone, LBCO alone, and an LBCO-HOLE hybrid.

“Electrodes that incorporated the synergistic LBCO-HOLE treatment condition achieved >92% and >97% capacity retention over 100 cycles of 4C (15 minutes) and 6C (10 minutes) charge rates, respectively, at a temperature of -10 C,” said the scientists. “In contrast, the capacity of uncoated control and HOLE anodes dropped sharply below 50% after the initial fast-charging cycles at -10 C as a result of severe Li plating.”

The analysis found that uncoated graphite cells retained less than 20% of their accessible capacity (state of charge, or SoC swing) after 20 cycles. In contrast, LBCO-HOLE cells maintained around 70% SoC after 15 minutes at a 4C rate and about 55% after 10 minutes at a 6C rate. The researchers concluded that this improved rate capability by more than 400% at 4C and over 500% at 6C.

It presented the novel battery in “Enabling 6C fast charging of Li-ion batteries at sub-zero temperatures via interface engineering and 3D architectures,” published in Joule.

Researchers from China have proposed a novel solar self-insulating composite exterior wall panel for applications in buildings.

The system integrates a solar collector panel, PV panel, and insulation board into a single unit to provide hot air indoors. It is the fourth generation of this mechanism developed by the same group, which has improved now with the complete enclosure of the system and the addition of a PV panel.

“This study encloses the solar collector panels with glass and replaces the lower exposed collector panels with PV panels. This design reduces the heat dissipation and provides electricity for the fan of the solar wall system,” the group said. “The unit composite exterior wall panel is designed with modularity to accommodate different facade window and column sizes, maximizing facade area utilization.”

The first layer of the novel design is an internal plaster, followed by an autoclaved aerated concrete panel 150 mm thick. It follows with a 30 mm layer of stone wool board insulation and an air gap of 80 mm. After that, a thermal solar collector with an inclination of 36° is installed. It consists of a steel or aluminum plate coated with a high heat-transfer-rate absorptive coating, perforated with many small holes.

The researchers explained that grid electricity was used to pump hot air into the rooms that needed it, with PV panels being incorporated for the first time. A small area of the modules is utilized to power the fan that extracts the heated air. Air inlets, sized according to the room’s heating requirements and air exchange rate, are located on both sides of the PV panels. These inlets rely on dust filters to ensure that the outdoor air passing through the solar collector panels is purified.

After designing this system, the team simulated it using the Fluent software. They simulated nine hours on both sunny winter and sunny summer days and measured the air outlet temperatures. Furthermore, an experimental design was also constructed and installed in an open area in Qingdao, China, for measurements on December 4th, 7th, and 8th, 2024.

“The PV panel power supply system utilizes a 12 V fan with rpm of 4,500 and a maximum air volume of about 35.963 m3/h, powered by a 720 mm X 540 mm monocrystalline 60 W 18 V PV panel, a 12 V controller, and two 12 AH batteries,” the academics explained. “The solar collector panel consists of steel plates (2 mm) with several heat exchange holes ranging from 0.5 mm to 3 mm and an opening rate of 0.1%-10%.”

The simulations showed that, during sunny winter days, the average temperature rise at the outlet was 41.33 C, which is 20.1 C higher than the partially exposed configuration and 22.55 C higher than the fully exposed configuration. In summer, the average temperature rise on a sunny day is 54.33 C, an increase of 21.77 C, compared to the partially exposed configuration.

However, the average temperature rise on the experimental setup was 41.23 C, 40.93 C, and 40.88 C for the three test days, respectively, while the simulated average temperature rise was 41.33 C. “The experimental and simulated data exhibit strong agreement in their overall trends,” the academics noted.

“The unit composite exterior wall panel achieves significant energy savings. The calculated building heating load and heating coal consumption indicate an energy saving rate of 65.47%. The static payback period is 1.1 years,” they concluded. “The retrofitted composite exterior wall panels can be designed as modular units of various sizes for application in prefabricated buildings. These panels are compatible with various structural systems, including steel structures, reinforced concrete frames, and wood structures.”

The system was described in “Optimized design and thermal performance study of solar heating composite exterior wall panels,” published in Frontiers of Architectural Research. Academics from China’s Shandong University of Science and Technology and Shandong Jianzhu University have conducted the study.

The large earthquake that struck central Myanmar in late March has disrupted the global solar supply chain, JinkoSolar said.

A spokesperson for the Chinese module manufacturer told pv magazine the 7.7-magnitude quake had a major impact on western China, the country’s main wafer-producing region, which accounts for about 50% of total capacity.

Major wafer manufacturers have suspended production due to equipment failures, JinkoSolar added, with repairs expected to take several weeks or even months.

Yunnan province and Yibin prefecture in Sichuan province sustained the worst damage, with reports of furnace shutdowns and explosions that could delay production for an extended period.

A wafer shortage is expected. JinkoSolar noted that wafer prices had already risen nearly 6.7% before the quake as the peak solar installation season spurred stockpiling.

“Market analysts highlight that the disruptions from the earthquake could hinder the ongoing efforts to resume wafer production,” said JinkoSolar. “This could further tighten supply [and] will likely drive prices higher in the short term.”

The supply chain has also suffered from infrastructure losses. The collapse of the Ava Bridge in Myanmar, which connects Mandalay to the China-Myanmar border, has disrupted the transport of PV materials, including silver paste and glass. PV modules shipped from China’s Zhejiang province to Myanmar are now being rerouted through alternative ports, a shift expected to raise transport costs by about 15%.

Road damage in Yunnan and Sichuan has further extended inter-provincial transport times by 20% to 30%.

JinkoSolar said power line failures and logistics disruptions have also slowed production in parts of Inner Mongolia, with recovery expected within a week.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said India added a record 25 GW of renewable energy capacity in fiscal 2024-25, a 35% increase over the previous year’s 18.57 GW.

Solar power led the growth, with capacity additions rising 38% from 15 GW in fiscal 2024 to nearly 21 GW in fiscal 2025. India also surpassed 100 GW of installed solar capacity this year.

As the country pushes for self-reliance in solar manufacturing, module production capacity nearly doubled from 38 GW in March 2024 to 74 GW in March 2025, while PV cell manufacturing capacity tripled from 9 GW to 25 GW. India’s first ingot-wafer manufacturing facility, with 2 GW of capacity, also began production in fiscal 2025.

Under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for high-efficiency solar modules, investments totaled $4.8 billion, creating around 11,650 direct jobs. The subsidy scheme for residential rooftop solar, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, has also expanded significantly.

“India may have already become or will soon become the third-largest renewable energy capacity holder in the world,” said Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Shri Prahlad Joshi. “This milestone is a testament to Prime Minister Modi’s vision for a sustainable and self-reliant energy future.”

Italian startup Horizonfirm srl and a group of scientists from the University of Palermo are developing a V-shaped PV array for applications in agrivoltaic projects.

The system features two bifacial modules arranged in a V-configuration with single-axis tracking, dynamically adjusting tilt angles to optimize sunlight capture while minimizing shading on crops like vineyards.

“While technically feasible with conventional monofacial panels, the V-shaped system was specifically designed to maximize the performance of high-bifaciality PV modules,” the research's corresponding author, Valerio Lo Brano, told pv magazine. “The system's unique geometry is optimized to capture both direct and reflected radiation on both sides of the panels, which is impossible with monofacial technology.”

“Using monofacial panels would significantly compromise system yield, which is fundamental to the V-configuration's value proposition,” he also explained. “The design will achieve its maximum performance potential when 100% bifaciality modules become commercially available, as this would fully leverage the system's ability to capture reflected light. The system has been dimensioned for the most common panel size currently on the market with a bifaciality factor of at least 80%, ensuring compatibility with standard bifacial modules from leading manufacturers.”

In the paper “Modeling and analysis of V-shaped bifacial PV systems for agrivoltaic applications: A Python-based approach for energy optimization,” published in Applied Energy, the researchers said that one of the major contributions of their work is the creation via the PVlib software of a custom Python-based algorithm specifically tailored to the proposed V-shaped configuration. This tool can model the system energy performance, accounting for mutual shading, multiple reflections, and ground albedo.

“It is the first-of-its-kind Python algorithm,” Lo Brano emphasized. “It also simulates multiple reflections and dynamic tilt adjustments, two features that are absent in commercial tools.”

In the proposed system configuration, PV panel slopes can have a tilt angle of 50° and 90°, with the apex line of the V-shaped cone being positioned 3 m above the ground. The modules' azimuth angle must be properly determined by the project developer, as the system cannot be used with azimuthal trackers.

Simulations in Palermo, Italy, showed the system generates 2089.3 kWh/year per panel pair, which is 5.2% less than conventional setups but with 24% land savings. The scientists also found that the system drastically reduces land occupancy by 24%.

“When scaled to a one-hectare vineyard, the system achieved an annual energy production of 551.6 MWh, nearly double the 286.5 MWh generated by a fixed-tilt row-to-row configuration,” they added, noting that the system is adaptable to diverse agrivoltaic scenarios and crops like grapes, olives, or leafy greens that thrive under partial shade, with the system’s adjustable tilt minimizing shading during critical growth periods.

The University of Palermo and Horizonfirm are currently implementing a 949 kW pilot project with the proposed system configuration.

“The project is scheduled for grid connection by the end of the year and is being developed in partnership with Trina Solar for module supply and Huawei Technologies for smart inverters,” Horizonfirm partner and director, Christian Chiaruzzi, told pv magazine. “The Huawei systems will manage the tracking algorithm through an independent PLC controller. Additionally, we currently have three projects in progress that utilize fixed subvertical inclination structures.”

Horizonfirm has recently patented the PV system design. “The patent idea stems from the growing adoption of bifacial photovoltaic modules,” Chiaruzzi stated. “It's important to note that bifacial modules currently do not have a higher cost per kW compared to monofacial alternatives. Therefore, the increased initial investment would be exclusively related to the structural components of the V-system, including the tracking mechanism.”

The United States is now the third-largest solar module manufacturer in the world, and more growth is on the way.

Clean Energy Associates (CEA) projects that the United States will reach 13 GW of solar cell manufacturing production and 65 GW of module manufacturing by the end of 2025.

The cell target is particularly impressive, as Suniva and ES Foundry are the only two plants currently producing cells in the United States.

The expansion of US solar manufacturing capability has been driven by trade barriers and domestic incentives. For developers, these policies have made domestically produced PV modules attractive both in terms of security of supply and by virtue of attractive subsidies.

CEA said the solar factory boom is “real but fragile. While domestic cell and module capacity continues to expand, developers and manufacturers remain cautious amid policy uncertainty and enforcement risks tied to Inflation Reduction Act tax credits.”

ES Foundry held a ribbon cutting event in January for its 1 GW solar cell manufacturing plant in South Carolina, which it said will expand to 3 GW by Q3 2025.

CEA said an additional roughly 10 GW of cell capacity is under construction or in a late stage with likely operational dates in 2026, with potential for more “stealth” cell plants in development for module suppliers planning in-house cell procurement.

In addition to the 65 GW module assembly total, CEA said 7 GW of additional factory capacity remains under construction or in a late planning stage. Another 5 GW of plans in negotiation are “at risk,” said CEA, given “foreign entity of concern” rules targeting Chinese-owned factories.

CEA said suppliers are still planning to generate about 84 GW of additional module factories and 90 GW of cell capacity. However, many plans are not progressing quickly.

“Policy uncertainty under a new administration remains a risk for new factories, which are banking on either manufacturing incentives to support competitive cost levels or developer incentives to support adequate demand levels for new factories,” said CEA.

Cell producers are currently incentivized through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) by a tax credit of $0.04/W. There is an additional domestic content bonus tied to a 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC), plus a further 10% if certain quotas of U.S.-made components are incorporated into a solar project.

Cuts to the ITC “would significantly alter the whole investment in the industry. There are so many options that are on the table, it’s difficult to predict. Of course, we will want to keep the 45X or keep the domestic content,” said Zhu.

Fortescue Metals Group has submitted a proposal to the Australian Environment Protection Authority for approval of its proposed 644 MW Turner River solar hub (TRSH) to power its iron ore mining operation near Port Hedland, Western Australia.

The Fortescue subsidiary Pilbara Energy Generation (PEG) proposed the TRSH for a site 120 km south of Port Hedland in Western Australia’s Karawara Native Title determination area. The proposal comprises solar panel installation, a substation and 220 kV transmission line spurs, supporting infrastructure, plus roads and corridors for overhead electrical reticulation.

Electricity generated by the proposed solar project will be exported to the Fortescue integrated electricity network by connecting into the Pilbara Energy Connect (PEC) North Star Junction substation being constructed as part of the Pilbara Transmission Project (PTP).

Phase one of the PEC was completed in 2024 and included a 100 MW solar farm at North Star Junction, 140 km of transmission lines and substations, anticipating by 2030 that Fortescue will deploy 2 GW to 3 GW of renewable energy generation and battery storage to eliminate fossil fuels for its iron ore operations.

The Environment Protection Authority has opened the TRSH proposal on its website for consultation until April 3, 2025.

In 2022, Fortescue Metals Group committed AUD 6.2 billion ($3.9 billion) to eliminate fossil fuels for it’s Australia iron ore operations by 2030, to reduce its 2.4 million tons of emissions by rejecting carbon offsets and aiming for a Real Zero strategy.

US-based heating specialist Copeland announced it invested an undisclosed sum in Dutch thermo-acoustic heat pump developer Blueheart Energy.

According to Copeland, BlueHeart’s thermo-acoustic-based heating technology is ideal for complementing current compressor technologies with a compact design and quiet operation, especially in the residential business.

“We’re pleased to announce our strategic investment in BlueHeart, whose innovative thermo-acoustic heat pump technology complements our best-in-class scroll compressor portfolio,” said Copeland CEO, Ross B. Shuster. “This investment will assist BlueHeart in taking their novel technology to commercial readiness and reinforces Copeland's dedication to driving the global energy transition and delivering efficient, sustainable heating solutions worldwide.”

Blueheat unveiled some details on its heat pump technology in 2022. At the time, it said the system consists a 6 kW heat pump that works on acoustic waves and is able to produce both heat and cold air.

“The thermo-acoustic technology is suitable both for residential and industrial applications,” a spokesperson from TNO told pv magazine. “However, the Blue Heart Energy solution focuses exclusively on domestic applications.”

The device measures 55 cm x 55 cm x 55 cm. It can be used in combination with rooftop solar generation and can reportedly reach higher temperatures than existing heat pumps, without the need for refrigerants. It works with two pistons that oscillate at a frequency of 100 Hz in a closed pressure vessel filled with 50 bar helium.

The system creates an acoustic wave that is able to displace heat from a lower temperature to a higher temperature. This process takes place in four phases: expansion, displacement, compression, and return displacement.

Spacelis, a startup company based in Ankara, Turkey, is developing lightweight, rollable space-grade perovskite-organic tandem solar technology for aerospace, field communications, and unmanned systems applications.

“Spacelis’ proprietary technology enables up to 50% weight reduction compared to conventional space-grade solar modules made of organic and organic-inorganic hybrid semiconducting materials, with lower manufacturing and launch costs,” Guler Kocak, Spacelis founder and CEO, told pv magazine, adding that such panels are “highly adaptable” for space applications, and can be “rolled, folded, or bent without compromising efficiency.”

The perovskite-organic tandem devices in development aim for a 10 kW/kg power-to-weight ratio, ultraviolet (UV) resistance over 350 nm, and a weight of 60-75 g/m² for the full module, including encapsulation.

The design includes a high-barrier encapsulation technology and innovative polymer substrate to provide self-cleaning, dust-repellent surfaces, according to Kocak.

“The company was officially founded in 2023 in Turkey,” said Kocak. The venture’s technology builds on her PhD work at Flinders University  in Australia, which was inspired by research about the high efficiencies and long lifetimes of non-fullerene acceptor-based OPV. “My PhD research explored these non-fullerene OPV materials, recognizing their viability as materials to be studied for scalable commercial product candidates, especially in combination with perovskite solar cells.”

The company is currently finalizing prototypes, along with concurrent R&D projects, to enable the fabrication of space-grade prototypes next year, aiming for in-orbit testing in 2027.

The primary markets are Europe, Turkey, and the United States in space and defense industries. For example, providing portable energy solutions for aerospace, field communications, and unmanned systems.

“Spacelis is preparing for venture capital funding, with an immediate focus on raising $1 million for prototype development this year, and $4 million for go-to-market (GTM) strategy, targeting investors in next-generation photovoltaics, aerospace, defense, and deep tech sectors,” said Kocak.

To date, the company has secured funding from the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) and a grant from the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) incubator in 2024. It also participated in startup accelerator programs in the U.K. and U.S. belonging to Seraphim Space, a U.K. early-stage investor.

In Milan last year, Kocak presented, “Next Generation Ultra-Lightweight Flexible Space Solar Cell Design,” at the 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2024).

Nature’s Generator announced the release of its MyGrid 10k, a home battery energy storage system and inverter.

The product includes a 10.5 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery and an inverter with 10 kW continuous output power. The battery is rated at 51.2 V, 205 Ah and has an expected 6,000-cycle life cycle. The battery supports both off-grid and grid-connected configurations.

“MyGrid 10K is plug & play, relocatable, compatible with existing solar installations, perfect for both homeowners and tenants,” said Lawernce Zhou, chief executive officer, Nature’s Generator.

The inverter supports 120 V and 240 V split phase or 120 V / 208 V for 2 or 3 phases and has a 60 Hz output frequency.

For output ports, the system has four NEMA 5-20R outlets, one NEMA TT-30R outlet, one NEMA L14-30R one and NEMA 14-50R outlet. The system also has two solar input ports, one wind input port, a 120 Vac input port and a 208 Vac or 240Vac input port.

Nature’s Generator said the MyGrid 10K can support up to 12 kWh of solar capacity. The company also offers an automatic transfer switch for fast integration with a home electrical panel.

The generator unit weighs 152 pounds and the LFP battery weighs 213 pounds. It is rated for storage and discharge at 14 degrees F to 113 degrees F. The company said the unit is intended for backup power and has a controller that prevents backfeeding of electricity to the grid.

The system retails at $5,999.99. Nature’s Generator partners with retailers like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sam’s Club, Cabela’s, Tractor Supply, HD Supply, Menards, Amazon and many independent dealers and retailers in North America and around the world.

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.