South Korean government developing agrivoltaic legislation
South Korea has announced plans to introduce legislation by 2026 to expand the deployment of agrivoltaics, enabling broader use of solar panels on agricultural land.
New Zealand introduces building consent exemption for rooftop solar
The New Zealand government has brought into force that a building consent is not required to install rooftop solar panels on any building, though conditions apply and installations must comply with the country’s building code.
China expands highway solar as provinces race to decarbonise transport
China is rapidly installing PV along highways, combining slopes, tunnels, and service areas to generate renewable electricity and cut transport-sector emissions.
Nearly half of solar capacity will be co-located with storage by 2060: DNV report
Norwegian risk managment company 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.
Victorian manufacturer launches solar microgrid system in US
Victoria-based microgrid manufacturer PHNXX has broken into the United States market, teaming with microgrid system and software manufacturer Paired Power to launch a portable solar-powered stand-alone power system that can be installed and generating electricity within a single day.
Thirty-five countries now operate GW-scale annual PV markets
The latest report from the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Program highlights that 2024 was another record year for solar installations globally but large overcapacities of solar cell, module and wafer manufacturing continued.
Australia leads international zero-carbon silicon recovery research
Australian researchers are collaborating with organisations in India, Indonesia and the United States to develop a zero-carbon, automated end-of-life solar panel recycling process using robots to recover ultra-pure silicon.
Rooftop solar waste tsunami could come 10 years early if users chase savings
In a novel study to further solar waste forecasting in Australia, the economic decisions of rooftop solar owners have been shown to fast forward waste and recovery needs 10 years earlier than a system’s warranty.
High-rise buildings could soon use gravity energy storage, say researchers
Researchers in Canada have proposed using gravity-based energy storage in high-rise buildings, in combination with photovoltaic facades, small wind turbines, and lithium-ion batteries. Their modeling indicated that this hybrid system could achieve a levelized cost of energy ranging from $0.051/kWh to $0.111/kWh.
TW Solar introduces full-black module for Australian rooftop market
China-headquartered PV cell and module manufacturer TW Solar has introduced into the Australian market a “full black” n-type solar panel featuring an output of 470 W and a power conversion efficiency of 23.5%.
