Markets

Once viewed as a brake on production, flexible electricity use is reshaping European industry's relationship with the grid. Michael Villa of smartEn sets out the opportunities, hurdles and the role of AI.

Premium module segments hit new highs in June as back contact and full black extended their runs, while buyer sentiment stayed firmly expansionary despite a slight easing in the PV PMI to 67, according to data from sun.store.

Around 81 percent of residents in municipalities surveyed can apply for property tax rebates, according to a new report from Fundación Renovables and UNEF.

RWE and PPC have finished building 930 MWp of solar capacity in Western Macedonia, part of a joint venture that also has 567 MWp under construction for 2027.

The renewable energy association OIEH estimates the country will need around 2.4 GW of new solar capacity over the next four years just to cover current summer import requirements, as hydropower's seasonal decline deepens.

The deal, announced at Intersolar Europe, brings more than 20 GW of deployed projects and a presence across 58 countries, with the combined business expected to generate around €300 million in annual revenue.

After a punishing downturn, Europe's solar market is finding its footing. European Solar’s Gerard Scheper argues the deeper change lies in the industrial and political reset now taking shape around it.

IRENA's tracking report finds Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the bulk of the shortfall, with over 560 million people without power, against a backdrop of sharply slowing global electrification progress.

A Brussels coalition of regional governments, manufacturers and trade unions is calling for tougher local-content rules in the EU's planned Industrial Accelerator Act.

SolarPower Europe's latest outlook shows growth slowing to 12 percent last year, with installations forecast to fall 8 percent to 612 GW in 2026 before climbing again from 2027.

Europe's solar fleet has absorbed much of the gas import burden that would otherwise have followed the outbreak of fighting in the Middle East, new SolarPower Europe research finds.

As a new gas-price shock hits Europe, electricity prices in Spain have stayed remarkably stable, according to an analysis by the Ember think tank, thanks to the sustained build-out of wind and solar.

The Federation has adopted its first support scheme for residential solar self-consumption, offering grants of up to 7,000 KM and full financing for socially vulnerable households from 2026 to 2030.

The Chinese group used this year's Munich show to showcase an integrated product line spanning cells, modules, storage systems and grid infrastructure, backed by a run of new partnership agreements across Eastern Europe.

METLEN's integrated utility chief explains how the group fuses generation, storage, trading and supply into one platform, underpinning decarbonisation, customer affordability and industrial resilience across more than 40 markets.

The recent price spike in solar modules and batteries is not a new normal but a market catching its breath, says Gerard Scheper, CEO of European Solar.

A 48% expansion in 2025 pushed Europe's operational battery fleet past the milestone, with large-scale systems accounting for more than half of new installations for the first time, SolarPower Europe's European Battery Market Outlook finds.

Launched at Intersolar Europe, the LONGi ONE portfolio pairs the manufacturer's BC solar technology with storage systems built for utility-scale, commercial and off-grid deployment, backed by a growing European service network.

Annual investment in the sector is forecast to more than double by 2035, with cumulative spending over the next decade estimated at 250 to 300 billion US dollars.

Solar-as-service provider Alight has commissioned a 1.4 MW solar carport at Lear's site in Valls, Spain, alongside new rooftop installations at two manufacturing plants in Poland, bringing the partnership to six European sites.

The agri-PV specialist took Fields2Sun Max to Munich as midday price cannibalism continues to erode the economics of conventional ground-mounted solar across Europe.

A new Fraunhofer ISE study launched at The smarter E Europe finds Germany's energy transition technically and economically sound, as storage boom data reveals the gap between potential and delivery.

Marking a decade since its launch, the EUPD Research and smarter E Europe initiative recognised suppliers across the DACH region and four new markets at a ceremony in Munich on 25 June.

The smarter E Europe closed with a Fraunhofer-backed argument that an all-renewable grid is technically achievable and cheaper over time than the fossil-fuel alternative.

The Chinese manufacturer covers capacities from 6 kWh to 6 MWh, with new products including semi-solid cells and a commercial and industrial all-in-one system on show in Munich.