Munich’s award organisers have unveiled the shortlist for The Smarter E Award 2026, with finalists announced across five categories. Solar Promotion has framed this year’s edition firmly against the geopolitical backdrop, from the war in Iran to the lingering effects of the wider energy crisis, presenting renewables as both climate policy and a hedge against fossil fuel exposure. Winners will be named on the eve of The Smarter E Europe in Munich on 22 June, and the ceremony is free to attend. The exhibition runs from 23–25 June at Messe München.
Sweden's Solar Energy Award spotlights scale and innovation
In the category of Photovoltaics, the shortlist reflects several of the industry’s current priorities: modules that are more resilient and sustainable, higher-power and higher-voltage inverter design, and tools that make planning and building solar projects faster and more precise. It also points to a broader widening of PV applications, from green roofs to utility-scale construction and site-integrated biodiversity measures.
Photovoltaics finalists include:
- Atmoce (Germany): MI series 2-in-1 microinverter, designed to maximise energy yield and profitability
- Goldbeck Solar (Germany): HeliomatiX, a system for automating the construction of utility-scale PV plants
- Huawei Technologies (China): the 506 kW Smart String Inverter, SUN2000-506KTL, highlighting the move towards higher nominal power in string inverter design
- IED Electronics Solutions (Spain): TRUE WIND, a tracker-integrated technology for measuring wind pressure
- LONGi Green Energy Technology (China): Hi-MO 9 Ice-Shield, a freestanding module designed to withstand extreme weather events
- MycoNest (Hungary): a modular habitat system made from mycelium that can be integrated into freestanding PV installations
- PVFARM (United States): PVFarm, a web-based platform for planning and optimising utility-scale PV installations
- SolarEdge Technologies (Israel): SolarEdge Inverter 3ph, a three-phase hybrid inverter for residential systems
- SOLYCO Solar (Germany): SOLYCO SOLon35, a vertical PV system for green roofs designed to minimise shading
- SOLYCO Solar (Germany): SOLYCO TECC-Connect, a cell interconnection wire that avoids the use of silver, lead and bismuth
Together, the shortlisted entries point to a PV sector developing harder-wearing modules, cleaner materials, more capable power electronics and sharper tools for designing and delivering projects at scale. (TF)
You can view the full list of finalists at The smarter E.
