German solar PV generation has continued to grow in the first half of 2026, reaching a new all-time high of 43.2TWh. This is according to an analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, based on data from the energy-charts.info platform, which highlights a 10% year-on-year increase for solar PV generation in Germany. The European Union experienced a similar trend in the past decade, with solar PV generation rising by 254% since 2015, as shown in the chart below. Solar PV’s share of electricity generation in H1 2026 reached 18.2% in Germany, a 1.3 percentage point increase from the same period last year. During that period, total installed solar PV rose from 118GW to 124.9GW, with ground-mounted systems contributing the most to the growth of solar PV in H1 2026 with 3.5GW. Rooftop solar followed with 2.1GW of new capacity in H1 2026, and solar installations between 30-100kW accounted for 1.1GW of new installed capacity. Despite the continued growth of solar PV by 7GW in the first six months of the year, a joint analysis by Fraunhofer ISE and German think tank Agora Energiewende the changes currently under discussion as part of the EEG amendment could make “smaller rooftop PV systems, in particular, less economically viable under current conditions.” This could create incentives to design systems on a smaller scale or not to fully utilise available rooftop space. Residential solar systems had already been on the decline in the first quarter of 2026, and the German Solar Association (BSW-Solar) warned at the time that further subsidy cuts for PV systems could push installations even lower.   Increase in negative prices for solar PV and wind Moreover, the high levels of solar PV and wind power generation have led to an increased number of hours during which the day-ahead market price for electricity is negative. Solar curtailment reached nearly 3GWh in H1 2026, with the majority of the curtailed solar PV (58.2%) happening when day-ahead prices were negative. This reinforces the need for intraday energy storage and flexibility, according to Fraunhofer ISE. It added that there remains a significant “storage gap” that needs to be closed in order to allow for the shift in surplus electricity to hours of low generation. That is despite the fact that in H1 2026, there has been more large-scale battery storage systems commissioned that the entirety of 2025. At the end of June 2026, installed energy storage rose from 25.4GWh to 29.3GWh. The expansion of battery storage for intraday storage could reduce negative electricity prices on the power exchange during the day and price spikes in evening hours, explained Fraunhofer ISE. “The heat wave in June, which led to increased electricity demand for cooling while conventional power plants were operating at reduced capacity, resulted in particularly sharp price fluctuations during the evening hours,” wrote the German institution.

On June 30, Reuters reported that three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday that the U.S. government is drafting a comprehensive new set of regulations to completely ban the import of Chinese-made photovoltaic and energy storage inverters.   Inverters are core power electronic devices that convert direct current (DC) output from solar panels and energy storage batteries into alternating current (AC) suitable for residential and public power grids; they are known in the industry as the "brain" of new energy power plants.   Chinese manufacturers such as Huawei Digital Energy, Sungrow Power Supply, and Deye Power Technology collectively hold over 60% of the global market share for residential and large-scale power plant-level inverters.   Two senior government officials confirmed that interagency consultations led by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and the Department of Energy began in April 2026, with a core concern being a security vulnerability in the firmware of Chinese inverters that could allow remote network access.   U.S. officials claim that such devices could be exploited to massively paralyze the U.S. domestic power grid in a national emergency. This proposed new set of regulations plans to completely ban the import of energy inverters manufactured by companies listed on the "Foreign Entities Watch" list.   The list encompasses almost all major Chinese renewable energy equipment manufacturers. Unlike the existing subsidy restrictions under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which only limited projects from claiming federal subsidies, the new order will directly prevent the equipment from clearing customs, regardless of whether the project used government funds.   An informed source involved in drafting the provision stated that the initial draft only included very narrow temporary exemptions: a small amount of residential inventory already shipped to the US would not be affected; however, once the new rule takes effect, all brand-new equipment from Chinese factories will be prohibited from entering the country.   The policy is expected to be officially implemented in early 2027 after a public comment period. Industry associations representing US photovoltaic installers and renewable energy developers warn that the sudden ban will immediately drive up the prices of photovoltaic and energy storage equipment. Currently, Western inverter manufacturers' production capacity is completely insufficient to replace Chinese supplies on a large scale.   Industry organizations say that European suppliers and US startups will need at least two to three years to expand production to match current market demand. Since late 2025, Republican lawmakers have been pressuring the White House to enact stringent inverter restrictions. At that time, over 50 House members jointly wrote to the government, calling for comprehensive import controls on national securit...

Oxford PV, a perovskite photovoltaic specialist, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Research (Fraunhofer ISE) in Germany have jointly unveiled a new module prototype that combines Oxford PV's perovskite-silicon tandem cells with Fraunhofer's shingled matrix interconnect technology.   The new product will be officially showcased at the upcoming Intersolar Europe trade fair in Munich. The two organizations stated that both prototype modules achieve a full-area conversion efficiency of 25.6%.   Stefan Glunz, head of the photovoltaic division at Fraunhofer ISE, explained that in the new design, Oxford PV's tandem cells are cut into tile-like shapes, interconnected using conductive adhesive, and then encapsulated. The entire tandem module employs a double-glass structure with edge sealing to protect the moisture-sensitive perovskite cells.   "We are delighted to be able to integrate two high-tech solutions from Europe into this photovoltaic module," Glunz added.   Ed Crossland, Chief Technology Officer of Oxford PV, emphasized the complementarity of the two technologies. "Our tandem technology is highly compatible with shingled interconnect technology," he said. "Because perovskite-silicon solar cells have a lower current density, the cells can be cut into wider strips, thus improving production efficiency." He further explained that tandem cells have higher open-circuit voltage and conversion efficiency compared to traditional silicon cells; the current is shared by two layers of sub-cells, resulting in a lower overall operating current. Lower current density effectively reduces internal resistance losses within the module.   "Meanwhile, the matrix shingled interconnect uses conductive adhesive, a low-temperature process that eliminates the need for copper busbars throughout," Crossland added. Reducing the use of copper components lowers manufacturing costs and alleviates internal structural stress within the module.   The new design has been applied to two prototype modules: a 491W residential rooftop solar system with an area of ​​1.92㎡; and a 546W bifacial high-power solar panel with an area of ​​2.13㎡. Both modules achieved a conversion efficiency of 25.6% across their entire area.   Crosland stated that the structural design of this prototype module is fully compatible with mass production.   "Oxford PV's HyPERcell cell technology is compatible with multiple interconnect methods. Our current offerings have an efficiency of 25% and a lifespan of ten years, but with continuous improvements in cell and module manufacturing technologies, regardless of module design, we expect to achieve an efficiency of 27% and a lifespan of twenty years by 2027. This year we will launch a product with an efficiency of 26%," he said.   Tannel modules, combining perovskite and silicon-based photovoltaic technologies, are widely regarded as the next major leap forward in the solar technology roadmap. Adding a per...

Solar module prices continued to rise across Europe in May, while buyer confidence recovered to its highest level since the start of the year, according to the latest market report from solar trading platform sun.store. The company’s latest PV Index found that the PV Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) increased to 70 in May from 66 in April, indicating stronger purchasing intentions among solar buyers following a brief slowdown last month. The rebound came as module prices continued their upward trajectory across most technology categories, extending a trend that has persisted throughout 2026. According to the report, tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) bifacial solar modules reached an average price of €0.125/Wp (US$0.14/Wp) in May, up 7% month-on-month, while TOPCon monofacial modules remained unchanged at €0.122/Wp. Sun.store said that the increase in bifacial module pricing was partly driven by a shift towards larger-format modules exceeding 500W. Additionally, premium residential modules witnessed further gains. Full black modules rose 3% month-on-month to €0.128/Wp, while back contact modules increased 4% to €0.134/Wp, making them the highest-priced category tracked by the index. The report suggests that demand for higher-efficiency and premium residential products remains resilient despite rising equipment costs. Based on sales volume through the platform, Trina Solar overtook JA Solar to become the best-selling module supplier in May. LONGi, Jinko Solar and Canadian Solar rounded out the top five manufacturers. While module prices continued to increase, inverter pricing remained largely stable for a third consecutive month. Hybrid inverter prices for systems between 1kW and 15kW were unchanged at €95.34/kW, while larger hybrid systems declined 3% to €79.60/kW. String inverter pricing also showed limited movement, with systems between 1kW and 15kW remaining flat at €44.02/kW and larger systems increasing slightly by 2% to €27.68/kW.   Deye, Huawei lead inverter rankings as prices hold steady In the inverter rankings, Deye maintained its leading position in the hybrid inverter segment ahead of Huawei and GoodWe. In the string inverter category, Huawei reclaimed the top position from Sungrow after briefly losing the lead in April. The report’s PMI survey, based on responses from 1,101 Sun.store users, found that 49% of respondents planned to increase purchases over the coming months, while only 10% expected to reduce procurement activity. The share of buyers planning to cut purchases was the lowest recorded during the reporting period. According to the last report, the PMI fell from 68 to 66 despite continued price increases across most module categories. At the time, sun.store attributed the decline to a moderation in demand growth following what it described as an exceptionally strong first quarter. With both pricing and buyer sentiment moving higher in May, the report sugge...

On May 25th, international oil prices plummeted, while precious metals surged. Spot gold broke through $4570/ounce, rising over 1% intraday. Spot silver touched $78/ounce, rising over 4%. Since 2026, the silver market has experienced a rollercoaster ride: after surging to historical highs at the beginning of the year, it has sharply corrected and is currently maintaining a wide range of high-level fluctuations. As the largest industrial demand sector for silver, photovoltaics is seeing increased silver consumption per unit due to rising penetration rates of high-efficiency cells (TOPCon/HJT/BC). The soaring silver price has become a core pressure on the cost of solar panels.   Silver prices are under pressure due to high-level fluctuations. At the beginning of the year, silver continued its upward trend from 2025, strongly rising due to the triple positive factors of expectations of a Fed rate cut, Middle East geopolitical conflicts, and the essential demand for photovoltaics. In late January, London silver broke through $100/ounce, reaching a nominal historical high of $121/ounce on February 28th. Domestically, the main Shanghai silver futures contract surged in tandem, reaching over 22,000 yuan/kg in mid-April, a quarterly increase of over 60%. In late May, silver prices entered a trading range of $70-85/ounce (London silver) and 17,000-20,000 yuan/kg (Shanghai silver). Institutions predict a "mild decline with wide fluctuations" in the second half of the year: on the one hand, the peak season for global photovoltaic installations in Q3-Q4 will support industrial demand, and a silver supply-demand gap will persist (approximately 60 million ounces in 2026); on the other hand, the accelerated implementation of "de-silvering" technologies, high prices suppressing jewelry demand, coupled with uncertainty surrounding Federal Reserve policies, have weakened silver price rebounds, and prices may fall back to around $70/ounce by the end of the year.   N-type penetration drives up unit silver consumption; photovoltaics becomes the largest industrial demand for silver. Photovoltaics has become the largest industrial demand sector for silver. In 2025, photovoltaic silver consumption accounted for 35% of global industrial silver consumption. Although the "de-silvering" trend accelerated in 2026, the expansion of installed capacity still drove demand to remain high. Comparing the silver consumption of mainstream battery technologies, the penetration rate of N-type high-efficiency batteries, represented by TOPCon/HJT, is rapidly increasing, reaching 70% by the end of 2026, directly driving up the unit silver consumption: Previously, PERC had a silver consumption of 8.5-9.5 mg/W per watt, with a single cell consuming approximately 70 mg of silver; the technology was mature and had the lowest silver consumption. Specifically, TOPCon (N-type, currently the mainstream high-efficiency battery): using a double-sided silver paste process, has a silver con...

  New solar PV installations in China have reached 50.9GW between January and April 2026, according to data from the Chinese National Energy Administration (NEA).   The figures indicate that new PV capacity additions tumbled markedly over the period, while wind power maintained steady growth. Installation figures for the first four months of 2026 represent a 51% drop compared to the 104.93GW registered in the same period of 2025.   Ongoing adjustments continue to drive structural improvements across the country’s power installation mix.   Sharp drop in new PV capacity, April monthly slump most striking   Monthly breakdowns reveal an even steeper downward trajectory. New PV installations stood at merely 9.52GW in April 2026, plummeting 79% year-on-year versus 45.28GW a year earlier. The slowdown carries forward the weak growth momentum seen in the first quarter.   In contrast to the PV installation slump, wind power capacity posted steady growth. China added 21.26GW of new wind capacity from January to April 2026, rising 7% from 19.96GW in the same period last year.   As of the end of April 2026, China’s total installed power generation capacity reached 3,990GW, growing 14.2% year-on-year. The proportion of new energy capacity kept climbing. Solar installed capacity hit 1,250GW, a 26.2% year-on-year rise, and wind power capacity stood at 660GW, up 22.0% year-on-year.   Industry analysts attribute the sharp drop in new PV installations in the first four months to a periodic adjustment after the sector’s robust growth in 2025. The downturn is driven by falling PV module prices, prevalent wait-and-see sentiment and constrained power grid consumption. By contrast, wind power registers solid development thanks to mature technologies and stable power pricing policies.

A record surge in solar generation met 75% of global electricity demand growth in 2025, according to the latest Global Electricity Review 2026 from energy think tank Ember. According to the report, renewables accounted for 33.8% of global power generation in 2025, surpassing one-third for the first time and overtaking coal in a milestone moment for the energy transition. The structural shift in the global power energy mix contributed to a small decline in fossil fuel generation of 38TWh. Solar generation rose by 636TWh in 2025, marking the largest increase of any power source on record outside coal’s post-pandemic rebound in 2021. The scale of growth was equivalent to twice the annual electricity demand of the UK. Solar’s upward trajectory has continued to accelerate, with generation increases rising from 331TWh in 2023 to 479TWh in 2024, before reaching a record level in 2025. Global solar generation reached 2,778TWh in 2025, overtaking wind for the first time and cementing its position as the fastest-growing electricity source globally. The expansion in generation was supported by another record year for installations, with 647GW of solar capacity added globally in 2025, an 11% year-on-year increase. According to Ember, this sustained pace of deployment reflects long-term cost reductions, with solar panel prices falling by 90% between 2015 and 2024. Larger economies have also leaned heavily on solar-led clean power growth. China recorded the largest increase in electricity demand over the period, rising by an average of 513TWh annually, with 76% of this growth met by clean sources, led by solar. In the US, clean power supplied 88% of new demand, with solar forming a key component of that expansion. In India, which saw the second-largest increase in demand at 101TWh per year, clean energy met 48% of additional demand, a significant rise from 24% in the previous decade.   China and India lead the way A key driver of the global shift was the significant simultaneous decline in fossil generation in China and India. China’s fossil generation fell by 56TWh, while India recorded a decline of 52TWh. The two countries accounted for 42% of global fossil fuel generation in 2025. In China, the fall came despite strong electricity demand growth of 503TWh, as clean generation expanded more rapidly, increasing by 15% to 561TWh. Solar was the primary contributor in the country, rising by 40% to 336TWh. Solar alone met two-thirds of the country’s demand growth. China continued to dominate global capacity deployment, installing 378GWdc of solar in 2025, equivalent to 58% of global additions. In India, a surge in renewable generation coincided with relatively modest demand growth of 49TWh, the third-lowest increase in the past decade. Renewable output rose by a record 24% to 98TWh, driven by strong gains in solar and wind. However, milder weather conditions reduced electricity demand by an estimated 32TWh compared to 2024.   Emer...

Policymakers should accelerate the deployment of renewables to capitalise on the low costs of these technologies and insulate national grids from power price fluctuations caused by global energy disruptions.   These are the main recommendations from the latest policy advisory document from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). ‘From Energy Crisis to Energy Security: Actions for Policy Makers’ uses the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as an example of how geopolitical and global supply chain disruptions can impact fossil fuel power prices and the economies that are reliant on these technologies.   For instance, IRENA estimates that new solar PV and wind additions across the EU has reduced the demand for fossil fuels from areas in the Middle East that have been impacted by the conflict, saving the bloc €58 billion (US$67.8 billion) in additional fuel costs that would have had to be paid to import fossil fuels amid the conflict.   This echoes a similar conclusion drawn by trade body SolarPower Europe earlier this month, which found that Europe’s domestic solar capacity has saved EU countries over US$127.5 million a day since the start of the war by minimising the demand for fossil fuels.   The strategic case for renewables The IRENA document makes a number of policy recommendations to facilitate further renewable energy deployment with this economic background in mind, split over short- (up to six months), medium- (up to one year) and long-term (up to three years) timeframes.   The short-term recommendations include deploying distributed renewable energy projects alongside solar-plus-storage projects for off-grid use, as these systems are much faster to deploy than utility-scale projects or traditional grid expansion work, and introducing “grants, subsidies or tax rebates” to make renewable energy a more compelling investment option.   Heard earlier this year from SolarPower Europe about financial mechanisms, such as government auctions, and the role they have to play in making solar an attractive investment case for would-be financiers.   IRENA’s medium-term recommendations include fast-tracking current renewable energy and grid infrastructure projects, alongside incentivising battery energy storage system (BESS) deployments to improve overall grid resilience. The long-term recommendations include developing supportive policy frameworks to encourage renewable energy deployments in the long-term and supporting domestic and regional energy supply chains to minimise reliance on volatile global power prices.   “The current crisis clearly demonstrates the strategic case for renewables as a national security imperative”, said IRENA director-general Francesco La Camera. “There is an opportunity to prioritise actions that enhance long-term energy stability.   “Governments must urgently consider targeted interventions to steer invest...