Europe

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.

The PPA price for pure photovoltaic projects has fallen by 20% over the past year, making such contracts less competitive. However, clear structures for bankable hybrid PPAs are now beginning to take shape, says Pieter van der Meulen, Senior Account Manager at LevelTen Energy, in an interview with pv magazine.

Solex Energy Ltd has partnered with Germany’s ISC Konstanz to upgrade its upcoming TOPCon cell line and adopt next-generation rear-contact and c-Si tandem/perovskite solar technologies.  The manufacturer also unveiled its concept rear-contact solar module, which is set to enter commercial production by FY 2027.

Blueleaf Energy has secured $75 million financing facility from British International Investment (BII) to accelerate development of nearly 2 GW of utility-scale solar, wind, and energy storage capacity in India.

Germany has concluded a new renewables tender for innovative projects, securing 485 MW of capacity at final prices ranging from €0.0479 ($0.0557)/kWh to €0.0559/kWh

GlobalData projects Spain’s renewables to reach 218.1 GW by 2035, while solar will drive growth with 152.8 GW of capacity.

Switzerland’s Phenogy has launched a megawatt-hour-scale sodium ion energy storage system at a commercial site near Bremen Airport in northern Germany. With this project, the Swiss manufacturer is making its debut on the European energy storage scene, backed by ambitions to develop fully vertically integrated local manufacturing.

Statkraft has signed an agreement to sell approximately 1.5 GWp of its renewable energy portfolio in Rajasthan, comprising the recently commissioned 445 MWp Khidrat solar plant and around 1,000 MWp of solar and wind projects at various stages of development.

A forest fire in southern Spain that burned roughly 800 hectares of pasture, crops, and oak forests originated in an electrical box of a photovoltaic plant’s tracking system, according to the Civil Guard’s Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA).

Commenting on its report on Ireland and Great British renewable energy curtailment, Montel Energy’s Fintan Devenney described Great Britain’s solar curtailment as “negligible” during the first six months of 2025. Solar curtailment in Ireland has increased sevenfold since 2022, the report found.