Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corp. (Toshiba ESS) has started testing batteries and energy management solutions to stabilize electricity in remote Saudi Arabia through a hybrid wind-solar pilot project. The project will run until May 2028 to evaluate power- and energy-oriented batteries and optimize battery use.

Japan has allocated 75.3 MW of PV capacity in its latest procurement exercise. The lowest price in the auction was JPY 4.97 ($0.032) /kWh.

Researchers at Fraunhofer ISE have developed a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell using a TOPCon bottom cell with standard textured front surfaces. Their results show that TOPCon bottom cells can perform comparably to heterojunction cells in tandem devices in terms of shunt resistivity, supporting scalable, cost-effective industrial production.

JinkoSolar says it has increased the efficiency rating for its perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells from 34.22% to 34.76%, confirmed by China’s National PV Metric & Testing Center (NPVM).

The Chinese manufacturer said the tandem device was developed through a dual-buffer layer strategy that improves interfacial adhesion while preserving efficient charge extraction. The efficiency result was certified by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

In a new scientific paper, the Chinese solar manufacturer explained that the 27.81%-efficient hybrid interdigitated back-contact cell it unveiled in April is based on passivated tunneling contacts and dielectric passivation layers, while also incorporating both n-type and p-type contacts.

A US research team has developed all-solid-state sodium batteries that retain performance down to subzero temperatures. The systems utilize a special chloride-based solid-electrolyte-coated cathode.

Using the mask-and-plate copper metallization technique, scientists at the German research center fabricated a 1.21 cm² perovskite–silicon tandem solar cell featuring a heterojunction bottom device. The cell achieved an efficiency of 19.35%, reportedly the highest value reached to date for this cell type using galvanic front metallization.

At the Modules and Material Worksop in Konstanz, organized by solar manufacturing engineering company RCT Solutions and ICS Konstanz, experts from the European PV equipment production industry gathered to discuss the current and future trajectory of manufacturing costs, technology advancements and equipment and raw material capabilities. RCT Solutions CEO, Peter Fath, told pv magazine that a European 1 GW module assembly facility using the same supply chain as Chinese Tier 1 counterparts could reach module manufacturing costs of €0.11-0.12/W.

Researchers in Japan have adopted a new calcium-doping strategy to improve the stability and electrochemical properties of NFM, a cathode material used in sodium-ion batteries. The new technique enhances crystallinity and increases the interlayer spacing in NFM, resulting in higher performance compared to NFM treated with conventional processes.