The global solar module industry is expected to regain a sustainable balance in the next six months, Yana Hryshko, head of Solar Supply Chain Research for Wood Mackenzie, told pv magazine. She explains why solar module prices may increase soon, suggesting that Tier 1 modules prices could reach USD 0.14/W to USD 0.15/W ($0.22/W to $0.24/W) by the end of this year, and discusses how consolidation is materialising within the global PV industry.

Radovan Kopecek, an expert on back-contacted (BC) solar cell and module technologies, spoke with pv magazine about BC manufacturing costs, efficiency and technical challenges. He believes that global BC solar module manufacturing capacity could reach 1 TW by 2030, potentially making BC products the industry’s mainstream technology. Kopecek added that 2028 will be a crucial year for its development, as most of the critical patents associated with this module tech will expire.

Deye said its new single-phase off-grid inverters have an AC output power ranging from 3.6 kW to 6 kW. The systems feature a maximum efficiency of 97.6% and a European efficiency rate of 96.5%.

JinkoSolar has sued Longi for patent infringement in Australia, its third legal action against the company this year, following filings in China and Japan. The lawsuit, filed in the Federal Court of Australia, claims that Longi used an unspecified solar cell technology.

The Austrian manufacturer said its new Argeno inverter features an efficiency of 99.1%, a European efficiency of 98.7%, and a rated AC power output of 125 kW.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales have used a 1 µm copper plating layer on the front silver grid of a TOPCon solar cell to create a protective barrier that reportedly reduces corrosion susceptibility. The cell showed significantly lower contaminant-induced degradation that unprotected reference devices.

Wood Mackenzie says that JinkoSolar has taken first place on its list of solar panel manufacturers. The report confirms the dominance of the TOPCon technology but also notes that heterojunction and back contact panel manufacturers are increasing their production share.

GoodWe says its ES Uniq Series hybrid inverters suit on-grid and off-grid applications, offering a maximum efficiency of 97.6% and a European efficiency of 96.2%.

The Chinese inverter manufacturer said its new inverters have an MPPT current of up to 54 A and support more than a 150% DC/AC ratio. The new products also feature a maximum efficiency of 98.8% and a European efficiency rate of 98.3%.

Sungrow has launched a new inverter for commercial and industrial applications that it says achieves 98.8% efficiency and 98.2% European efficiency.