World

The latest report from the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) highlights that 2024 was another record year for solar installations but large overcapacities of solar cell, module and wafer manufacturing continued.

Chinese manufacturers such as JinkoSolar and DMEGC Solar have launched low-carbon PV modules that comply with France’s 530 kgCO₂eq/kWp threshold for residential systems eligible for a 5.5% value-added tax (VAT) rate, with more compliant products expected.

A comprehensive new report from IEA PVPS Task 12 reveals how countries around the world are managing the growing volumes of end-of-life solar modules, implementing regulations and scaling recycling infrastructure to handle the expected increment in PV waste over the coming decades.

With lithium being an imported raw material, recycling and repurposing of lithium batteries once they have completed their lifecycle is paramount. In line with this, Indian startups have come up with several ingenious business models for second-life applications that repurpose EV or lithium-ion batteries for stationary storage.

Canadian researchers investigated how the transparency of cadmium telluride and crystalline silicon solar panels affects lettuce growth in agrivoltaic systems. They found that 69%–transparent silicon panels increased lettuce yield by 3.6%, whereas cadmium telluride panels led to a reduction in yield.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank have launched a $12.5 billion initiative to finance regional power interconnection in Southeast Asia under the ASEAN Power Grid program.

Countries reliant on imported minerals and components are rethinking energy strategies in solar, batteries, and green hydrogen. Securing upstream and midstream processes is no longer optional but essential for flexibility. India’s integrated approach across mining, processing, and manufacturing positions the country as a challenging player on the world stage.

DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook 2025 report also predicts that distributed generation solar should begin outpacing utility-scale installations in some parts of the world by 2060. It adds that the levelized cost of electricity for solar is beginning to plateau and is expected to slow to an annual drop below 1% by the 2050s.

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.

Researchers in China have developed a dust monitoring technique that relies solely on the existing hardware resources of inverters, without requiring extra sensors or meteorological data. Tests on real rooftop PV arrays demonstrated an accuracy exceeding 96%.”