Manufacturing

Vikram Solar has signed the agreement to procure 2 GW of high-efficiency TOPCon and mono PERC solar cells from Jupiter International.

The TEXMiN Foundation, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, has signed an MoU with GIREDMET State Research and Design Institute of Rare Metal Industry, Russia, to collaborate on rare earth processing, critical minerals, advanced materials, and translational research across the mining value chain. The partnership will also focus on hydrometallurgical recycling technologies for lithium-ion batteries to recover valuable metals.

Under the terms of the deal, Germany’s NexWafe will supply its ultrathin solar wafers to Talon PV’s planned 4.8 GW TOPCon solar cell manufacturing plant in Texas. Initial qualification work will take place at a pilot production line at Fraunhofer ISE’s Photovoltaic Technology Evaluation Center.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

The Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has issued a tender for the supply of 870 MWp of solar PV modules manufactured using domestically produced cells.

Scientists in Hungary found that ground-mounted PV modules at an intermediate elevation of 1.1 m achieve the highest efficiency and power output due to improved airflow and reduced cell temperature. Their study also estimated a levelized cost of electricity of $0.0843/kWh and 577.78 kg CO₂ mitigation over 25 years, while noting results are specific to concrete surfaces.

The global capacity of utility-scale batteries increased more than 12-fold between 2020 and 2024 to 124 GW, while average battery costs fell 58% over the period, according to the Electricity 2026 report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Arun Unni, Executive Vice President and Business Head – New Energy & Head of Strategy at Thermax, speaks to pv magazine about the evolving green hydrogen market, electrolysis economics, and the company’s ambitions in this space through global technology tie-ups. He also discusses the emerging carbon credit trading system and new opportunities for Thermax in biomass, sustainable fuels, and round-the-clock renewable energy solutions.

The latest report from the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme says second-life PV modules have the potential to reduce waste and extend the value of solar assets, but their market today remains underdeveloped and requires advances in technical qualifications, scalable reuse infrastructure and supportive policy frameworks.

Nextpower plans to expand its steel frame manufacturing capacity in the southeastern United States to enable direct supply to Jinko Solar’s module manufacturing facility in Jacksonville, USA.