Wednesday, 8 July 2026

Oxford PV recorded a power conversion efficiency of 25.6% on a perovskite-silicon tandem solar module that uses a shingled design from Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE), according to pv magazine.

The work pairs Oxford PV's perovskite-silicon tandem cells with Fraunhofer ISE's Matrix Shingle module technology for the first time, pv magazine reported.

Two tandem glass-glass modules came out of the collaboration, according to pv magazine: a rooftop module rated at 491 W across 1.92 m², and a bifacial module rated at 546 W across 2.13 m².

Stefan Glunz, head of photovoltaics at Fraunhofer ISE, said the team cut the Oxford PV cells into shingles, laid them out in a matrix structure, joined them electrically with conductive adhesive, and encapsulated them.

Oxford PV showed its first perovskite-silicon tandem solar module, at 26.9% efficiency, in June 2024, pv magazine reported.

According to pv magazine, the company started developing its perovskite tandem modules in 2014 and says it aims to push the technology past 30% efficiency.

HTEC opened what it says is Canada's first 700 bar commercial heavy-duty clean hydrogen refueling station, sited on Tsawwassen First Nation industrial lands at the Chevron Commercial Cardlock in Tsawwassen, British Columbia.

The station will enable an initial deployment of 12 Class 7 and 8 fuel cell electric trucks, according to HTEC, funded through the B.C. Hydrogen Truck Pilot Project and the B.C. Hydrogen Ports Project.

Harbour Link Container Services and Triple Eight Transport will be the first to lease and operate two Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks using the station, HTEC said.

The Tsawwassen site adds heavy-duty refueling capability to HTEC's Metro Vancouver Hydrogen Transportation Hub, which also includes a 1.8-tonne-per-day clean hydrogen production facility in Burnaby and a light-duty hydrogen refueling network.

HTEC said the station was supported by financing from the Canada Infrastructure Bank and funding from Natural Resources Canada and the Government of British Columbia through its low-carbon fuel program and the Innovative Clean Energy Fund.

Solcast expects a developing El Niño to strengthen through 2026 and shift solar irradiance patterns across several major generating regions, according to pv magazine. Warming in the central Pacific is already registering in the data used to track the pattern's strength.

The Niño 3.4 index has climbed past 0.8 C, a reading that points to warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific, according to pv magazine. That figure is the marker Solcast uses to judge how far the pattern has advanced.

During earlier strong El Niño episodes, the sharpest regional irradiance moves between July and September reached roughly 10%, according to pv magazine. Where those moves landed varied widely between regions.

Much of India logged irradiance up to 10% above other years across past strong events, climbing to about 15% above normal in Rajasthan, according to pv magazine. That state hosts some of the world's largest solar plants.

Western and southern South America recorded the clearest declines, with irradiance running around 10% below other years during strong El Niño events, according to pv magazine.

Solcast provides the irradiance data behind these estimates to more than 350 companies managing over 300 GW of solar assets, according to pv magazine.

Europe's solar module market is pulling back from the extreme oversupply of 2023 and 2024, according to Bart Wansink, CEO of Search4Solar, in comments to pv magazine.

Distributors that often carried 6 to 12 months of module inventory now hold noticeably tighter stock, pv magazine reported. Wansink said the next six months should bring relative pricing stability, with the possibility of modest upward pressure rather than further sharp declines.

The shift is already changing buyer behaviour. Several large procurement organisations have started securing volumes earlier, particularly for utility-scale projects scheduled for delivery in late 2026 and 2027, according to pv magazine.

On technology, TOPCon modules have become the dominant choice in most European tenders, replacing PERC as the default for commercial and utility-scale projects, pv magazine reported.

Polysilicon prices in China dropped for a third consecutive week, the Silicon Industry Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMIA) reported on June 18.

N-type recharging polysilicon averaged CNY 33,400 (USD 4,594) per metric ton, down 1.47% week-on-week, according to the association. N-type granular silicon averaged CNY 33,000 (USD 4,539) per metric ton, a 1.49% decline.

The association attributed the drop to continued inventory pressure and the restart and ramp-up of output by some producers in June. Those factors reinforced expectations of rising supply and prompted some manufacturers to cut prices to reduce stock levels.

The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published updated technical guidance for assessing and controlling operational noise from onshore wind turbines on June 19, 2026, replacing the 1996 ETSU-R-97 document, according to the department.

The department said the new guidance should be used by developers of onshore wind planning applications and by planning authorities across the UK, and that the previous ETSU-R-97 guidance should no longer be applied.

The consultation behind the update ran for 8 weeks and received 79 valid stakeholder responses, according to the department. It ran from July 4 to August 29, 2025.

The consultation sought views on decibel-level noise limits and on guidance covering amplitude modulation, according to the department. It also addressed technical updates including sections on financially involved receptors and on cumulative impacts.

The review process traces to 2023, when an independent technical scoping review considered whether the 1996 ETSU-R-97 guidance could be refreshed, according to the department.

Skyborn Renewables will supply Amazon 600 MW of electricity from its planned Gennaker offshore wind farm in the German Baltic Sea under a power purchase agreement, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported. The outlet described the contract as the largest single corporate renewable power deal signed in Germany to date.

The contracted volume equals roughly 61% of Gennaker's planned capacity, which reaches up to 976.5 MW, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Skyborn obtained the construction permit in December 2025, per Offshore Engineer OEDigital. Financial close is set for summer 2026, when construction is due to start, with commercial operations targeted for late 2028.

The contract lifts Amazon's carbon-free energy holdings in Germany to 12 projects totalling more than 1.3 GW of combined capacity, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported.

Germany is aiming for 30 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030, and Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported the project is expected to add to that target while raising domestic renewable output.

Egypt could cut as much as $400 million a year from its LNG import bill by drawing power from Scatec ASA's Obelisk solar and battery project, Chief Executive Officer Terje Pilskog said.

Pilskog tied that figure to an LNG price near $20 per million British thermal units, the level against which Scatec measured Obelisk's displaced imports.

The plant carries a price tag of roughly $600 million and is on track to rank as Africa's largest hybrid solar-and-battery installation once it enters service in the middle of this year. Its output flows to the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company.

Capacity splits between 1.1 gigawatts of solar generation and 200 megawatt-hours of storage.

The pricing benchmark behind the savings math has moved. Benchmark European gas topped $20 per million British thermal units during the opening weeks of the Iran war, then retreated to roughly $14 per million British thermal units.

Obelisk is not Scatec's only deal at that scale in the country. The developer sealed a power-purchase agreement last year with Egypt Aluminium covering a project matching Obelisk's solar and storage capacity.

Red Eléctrica's Renewable Energy Control Centre (Cecre) has integrated more than 1,346 TWh of wind and solar generation since it began operations in 2006, according to Red Eléctrica. The company said that volume is roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of the Spanish Peninsula over the past five years.

Cecre now monitors more than 4,500 wind and solar facilities, up from fewer than 450 in its early years, according to Red Eléctrica. Over two decades, 76,002 MW of wind and solar capacity have been installed in the Iberian Peninsula.

The combined share of wind and solar in the peninsular electricity mix rose from 8.4% in 2005 to 42.8% in 2025, Red Eléctrica said. So far in 2026, up to 31 May, renewables have accounted for 62.3% of the peninsular mix.

The automatic power reduction system (SRAP) holds more than 65 GW of enabled capacity, over one third of it photovoltaic, and has enabled the integration of more than 6.5 TWh since its commissioning, according to Red Eléctrica.

Concha Sánchez, General Director of System Operation, said Spain is now the second-largest producer of wind and solar power in the EU.

The federal government pledged CAD 17.2 million toward four remote renewable energy projects in Nunavut, according to Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).

The biggest allocation, close to CAD 8.5 million, went to Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation to build a clean energy system at the new Aqsarniit Hotel and Conference Centre. That money will build and test a microgrid pairing solar power with air-source heat pumps in Arctic conditions.

A separate CAD 4.8 million from NRCan and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) also flows to Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation for a solar, wind and battery microgrid. The funds cover feasibility and front-end engineering design (FEED) work in Sanirajak, Kinngait and Qausuittuq, aiming to cut future diesel use by more than 50%.

Sakku Investments Corporation drew CAD 2.5 million from NRCan for a solar and battery installation designed to run both linked to the local microgrid and in islanded mode.

Qulliq Energy Corporation received over CAD 1.3 million from NRCan to speed up renewable work across the 25 diesel-dependent communities in Nunavut.

The money sits within NRCan's Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities (CERRC) program, which has put CAD 453 million into more than 230 renewable projects nationwide, 82 of them in the North. Those projects will add more than 67 MW to remote grids by 2027, trimming fuel use by roughly 28 million litres and cutting over 75,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year, per NRCan.

Since 2016, the CIRNAC Northern REACHE program has committed close to CAD 142 million across 289 clean energy projects in the North.

The Government of Canada announced CAD 21.6 million in federal funding for clean energy projects in Sayisi Dene First Nation in Tadoule Lake, northern Manitoba, according to Natural Resources Canada.

The funding was announced by Minister Rebecca Chartrand on behalf of Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson.

The project is the first phase of a First Nation-led initiative to develop Manitoba's first integrated renewable energy microgrid, according to Natural Resources Canada. It combines bifacial solar PV and battery storage with a microgrid controller.

Once commissioned in fall 2026, the microgrid is expected to reduce emissions by an estimated 500 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and lower power costs for the community over time, according to Natural Resources Canada.

The funding flows through Natural Resources Canada's Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities program, which has invested CAD 453 million to reduce reliance on diesel and other fossil fuels in Indigenous, rural and remote communities.

The program has supported over 230 renewable energy projects across Canada, including 82 projects in the North, according to Natural Resources Canada. These projects are collectively adding more than 67 MW of clean energy to remote grids by 2027.

Program projects are reducing fuel use by approximately 28 million litres annually and avoiding over 75,000 tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions each year, according to Natural Resources Canada.

A residential back contact solar module from TCL Sunpower reached the market at the Smarter E trade show in Munich, Germany, pv magazine reported. The manufacturer is based in China.

Buyers can choose from five power tiers, pv magazine reported, spanning 485 W at the low end and 505 W at the top, with conversion efficiencies that fall between 23.8% and 24.7%. The flagship SPR-BE54-HD505 posts a short-circuit current of 15.58 A alongside an open-circuit voltage of 40.88 V.

TCL Sunpower claims the design yields roughly 10 W to 15 W more output than advanced TOPCon modules in home installations. The company also says energy yield can climb by up to 9%, an advantage it ties specifically to partially shaded or low-light conditions.

The module carries a temperature coefficient of 0.26%, according to Karin Alberto-Burkhardt, Director of Product Management at TCL Sunpower, who said the figure limits performance loss in hot conditions.

Warranty coverage runs 40 years across product, performance, and service terms, pv magazine reported. Certification testing clears front-side snow loads reaching 5,400 Pa and wind loads reaching 2,400 Pa.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed SB 340/HB 508, which writes a legal definition of "agrivoltaics" into Virginia's law code, according to Solar Builder. The state now defines agrivoltaics as the intentional co-location of agricultural production and solar energy generation.

Solar Builder reported that the measure is one of 12 energy bills backed by the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) that have been signed into law.

Virginia currently ranks ninth in the Solar Energy Industries Association's Solar State by State rankings, according to Solar Builder.

PEC senior energy and climate advisor Ashish Kapoor said Virginia has 39,000 farms. If ten percent of them installed a 1 MW agrivoltaics project, the combined output could equal the power of four nuclear power plants, Kapoor said.

Plug Power has started an initiative called Project Quantum Leap to refine its hydrogen ecosystem across the Southeastern United States, according to Hydrogen Fuel News.

The project centers on facilities in Tennessee, Georgia, and Louisiana that work together to produce around 40 tons of liquid hydrogen daily, Hydrogen Fuel News reported.

The outlet said Plug Power's electrolyzer division posted quarterly revenue growth of more than 343% year-over-year, surpassing USD 40 million.

Gross margin improved from negative 55% to negative 13%, a shift Hydrogen Fuel News attributed partly to efficiencies gained under Project Quantum Leap.

Plug Power management says it is on track to reach positive EBITDA by the end of the year, according to Hydrogen Fuel News.

China Energy Investment Corp.'s subsidiary Guohua Investment has completed a project pairing a 400 MW solar photovoltaic plant, a 60 MW/120 MWh battery storage system, and an on-site electrolysis unit, according to Hydrogen Fuel News.

The site sits on reclaimed tidal flats near Yangkou Port in the Yudong area of Rudong County, Nantong, Jiangsu.

Hydrogen Fuel News reported that the electrolyzer has a design capacity of 1,500 Nm3/h, producing about 482 tons of hydrogen per year. The PV plant is expected to generate about 468 GWh of electricity each year.

The project includes a hydrogen refueling station rated at 500 kg per day, intended for local industrial users or testing fleets in the port area, according to Hydrogen Fuel News.

Grid connection runs through a 220 kV shore substation plus a direct link to the electrolyzer.

The solar panels cover about 2.9 km2 of reshaped land, with another 4.3 km2 set aside for wetland restoration, according to Hydrogen Fuel News.

SAF+ International Group has launched a EUR 700 million e-SAF initiative at Port-La Nouvelle, blending renewable electricity, green hydrogen, and industrially captured CO2, according to Hydrogen Fuel News.

SAF+ has secured a long-term land agreement with port operator SEMOP, Hydrogen Fuel News reported. The project will source captured CO2 from ocean sources through a partnership with Captura, combining it with hydrogen to produce the fuel.

SAF+ projects the e-SAF will meet jet fuel specifications with up to 80% lower lifecycle CO2 emissions compared with traditional fossil kerosene, according to the same report. If successful, the plant could offset around 200,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents each year.

The project lands against a firm regulatory backdrop. The EU ReFuelEU Aviation regulation stipulates a minimum 6% sustainable aviation fuel blend by 2030, rising to 70% by mid-century, Hydrogen Fuel News reported. France's France 2030 plan has set aside about EUR 100 million for SAF initiatives.

rPlus Energies has started commercial operations at the Green River Energy Center in Utah's Emery County, according to Solar Builder. The developer held a ribbon cutting and an on-site ceremony on June 22.

The 400 MW facility is the largest solar and storage installation within PacifiCorp's six-state service territory and pairs generation with a 1.6 GWh battery project, according to Solar Builder. The site holds nearly 1 million solar panels and 484 battery units.

rPlus officials say the project will generate more than USD 55 million in property taxes for local schools and public service organizations. At the commissioning ceremony, project partners announced a USD 45,000 donation to the nearby Ferron Fire Department, according to Solar Builder.

The Green River Energy Center received Project Finance International's 'Renewables Deal of the Year' award for the Americas, according to Solar Builder.

DeepOcean has completed the installation and testing of all inter-array cables at the Nordseecluster A offshore wind farm in Germany, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Cable-laying began in January 2026, with 48 inter-array cables installed between January and April, OEDigital reported. DeepOcean deployed four vessels for the campaign, including the chartered Olympic Ares and M/S Volantis and two walk-to-work vessels.

Subsea trenching and burial were carried out by the M/S Volantis using DeepOcean's UT-1 jet trenching system, according to OEDigital.

Nordseecluster A is the first phase of the 1.6 GW Nordseecluster project. It will comprise 44 Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines totaling 660 MW once fully commissioned in early 2027, OEDigital reported.

The wind farm is jointly owned by RWE and Norges Bank Investment Management.

Türkiye added nearly 2 GW of new solar capacity in the first four months of 2026, according to pv magazine.

Full-year additions are projected to reach between 4 GW and 6 GW, supported by strong private-sector demand and the scalability of commercial and industrial solar projects, according to pv magazine.

Recent Turkish regulatory changes place stronger emphasis on local manufacturing content, particularly for solar modules produced with domestically manufactured cells, said Günder Chairman Mehmet İzzet Özaydın.

Tight credit conditions are limiting access to financing for some commercial solar projects, Özaydın said.