solar modules

Germany's Fraunhofer ISE and the University of Freiburg have combined sputtering and slot-die coating to produce organic PV modules with 43.2 percent average transparency, addressing one of the field's longest-standing scale-up problems.

The company's Solrif in-roof and standard on-roof modules have both been certified to HW4, the top hail resistance classification recognised by Switzerland's Association of Cantonal Fire Insurers.

PV Guided Tours: Lightweight modules that offer a solution for load-restricted roofs. Or special technologies that enable durable and flexible solar modules without glass. Is this magic? Let’s find out.

Full Black overtook the field to become the priciest module segment, while TOPCon bifacial kept easing. The PV PMI slipped to 65, its softest reading in months and a notch below the historical average, according to sun.store data.

Researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy have developed a carborane-based electron transport material that raises perovskite cell efficiency by up to 2.4 percentage points, addressing a longstanding stability weakness in the process.

Winaico launches a black module at 24.5 percent efficiency. Enwitec's Brain Home controls wallbox, heat pump and storage. Conduct expands its Roofsupport range, and Intilion introduces modular large-scale storage for industry.

A leading figure in European materials research for renewables, Prof Dr Ilija Nasov has spent decades shaping solar technology. He shares his personal route through EU research programmes with PV Europe.

A high-performance 500 W module joins Winaico's back-contact line-up, rated at 24.5 percent efficiency and backed by a 30-year warranty.

US start-up Source Energy and the German research institute Fraunhofer ISE have developed shingled-matrix silicon modules for satellites, aiming for under five dollars per watt and six-month delivery, cheaper and faster than standard III-V cells.

Solitek shows new rugged solar modules. Valentin adds 3D building models for planning with a mouse click. A robust firefighter switch for PV systems, and Solar-Planit's new start page and project management round off this week's picks.

Baywa r.e. Solar Trade has overhauled the start page of its web-based PV planning tool, adding Kanban boards, custom project statuses and expanded management features for specialist contractors.

Now available in fire-red sheet steel, the FWS-PV firefighter switch gives arriving crews a clearly marked control point to shut down a live PV installation without delay.

A new interface enables PV*Sol premium to import LiDAR-based 3D models of German buildings automatically, pulling in every structure within a 100 metre radius of the target location.

On a steep Swiss mountainside, elevated steel frames must keep panels clear of snow and carry them through decades of wind and UV – a job Solitek's Alpine modules are built for.

The module giant's 2026 Shanghai launch stacked eight innovations spanning cells, modules, hardware and software, lifting standard module output above 690 watts, and possibly the whole sector past its ruinous price war.

CEO Talk: The utility business in Europe is growing and increasingly challenging. Solar fields now come with large batteries, and suppliers must meet standards for grid compliance, safety and security. How is the business changing and what strategy will ultimately succeed? Leon Zhang, President of LONGi Europe, shares his view.

Having worked with Belgium's Innoptus Solar Team at the 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, LONGi adds the Netherlands' Delft Solar Team for the American Solar Challenge, running from 25 July to 1 August.

Professor Martin Green of the University of New South Wales is a leading figure in solar research, holding numerous patents and efficiency records dating back to 1974. Now Chief Scientific Officer at Euronergy, he is focused on developing glass-free, lightweight modules that are exceptionally thin and easy to install.

The two companies have signed an MoU covering BIPV deployment at DHL sites in Europe, joint solar-plus-storage development and expanded logistics support for LONGi's growing battery storage portfolio.

Certified by ESTI in July 2026, the result is the latest in a rapid sequence of gains from LONGi's Central Research Institute, which has added more than 1.5 percentage points since mid-2024.

PV Guided Tours: With 690 W and an efficiency of 25.6%, AIKO Energy once again sets new benchmarks with its fourth-generation modules. In the video, we explore the technical details and outline future developments.

The Fraunhofer ISE team in Freiburg has developed a technique using structured coatings and cutouts to create detailed, durable patterns on modules, opening new scope for architecture and design in PV.

The EU wants to strengthen domestic solar manufacturing through legislation allowing member states to link project funding to non-price criteria such as carbon footprint. A new DIW Berlin study warns that the resulting patchwork of national rules is driving up costs and weakening European competitiveness.

Sun.store data show solar module prices climbing across the European market in May, with the PV Purchasing Managers' Index jumping to 70 – its strongest reading since the start of the year.

The back-contact specialist has met five or more of the ten benchmarks in energy research firm Wood Mackenzie's global 2026 manufacturer assessment, qualifying for Grade A classification.