The Malaysian government has kicked off a 2 GW solar tender featuring four packages of rooftop, ground-mount, and floating solar, with permitted generation capacities ranging from 1 MW to 500 MW.

Legislation that would require EU member states to integrate solar installations into future building works, and retroactively install PV on buildings, is one step closer to becoming law, after being approved by members of the European Parliament.

The Generating Authority of Thailand has announced that a 24 MW floating hydro-solar hybrid project has commenced commercial operations in the country’s northeast. The installation is part of wider plans to develop 16 floating solar projects with a combined capacity of 2,725 MW.

Energy Vault has connected its 25 MW/100 MWh EVx gravity-energy storage system (GESS) in China. Once provincial and state approvals are obtained to start operating, it will become the world’s first commercial, utility-scale, non-pumped hydro GESS. Meanwhile, its partners China Tianying (CNTY) and Atlas Renewable Energy have begun construction on three grid-scale GESS in China.

Sunova Solar’s new cell manufacturing facility produces 182 mm, 199 mm and 210 mm TOPCon cells. At full capacity, the facility is expected to produce approximately 36,000 high-efficiency modules per day.

Wood Mackenzie says the levelized cost of electricity in the Asia-Pacific region hit an all-time low in 2023, as utility-scale PV beat coal to become the cheapest power source. It predicts a further drop in costs for new-build solar projects, driven by falling module prices and oversupply from China.

The Indonesian government has ended net metering for rooftop solar installations. The Jakarta-based Institute for Essential Services Reform says this could make it harder for the country to meet its solar deployment targets, as PV installations will become more expensive for households and small businesses.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad, a Kuala Lumpur-based utility, says it plans to install floating solar farms at its hydropower facilities. It’s targeting 2.5 GW of capacity to support Malaysia’s National Energy Transition Roadmap.

The Philippines Board of Investments (BOI) has granted a green lane certificate to a 65 MW ground-mount solar power plant, set to become operational in September 2026.

BloombergNEF says in a new report that corporations publicly announced 46 GW of solar and wind power purchase agreements (PPAs) in 2023, up 12% year on year. It says the increase was driven by a surge of activity in Europe.