Utility-scale solar has evolved to integrate AI, storage and advanced hardware solutions for smarter and profitable performance
Technologies like BC and HJT improve efficiency, shading resilience, and time-of-day energy output
Advanced inverters, tracking systems and hybrid solutions also contribute to the resilience and stability of such projects
Power plant and component designs are now based on site, investor, weather and trading needs, replacing the one-size-fits-all approach
Utility-scale solar PV refers to large ground-mounted installations that feed electricity generated directly into the grid; however, this asset class has evolved rapidly from this simplistic definition to sophisticated projects that employ cutting-edge technology.
Contemporary utility-scale solar PV projects often exceed hundreds of MWs and now GWs, employing high-efficiency bifacial modules, advanced inverters, trackers and smart integration technologies. As market demands and technologies evolve, system designs are undergoing shifts in terms of how these projects are developed and operated.
To discuss some such defining trends and solutions for the segment, TaiyangNews brought together experts from across the industry – developers, independent power producers (IPP), manufacturers and consultants – for the virtual conference on Solar Power Plant Developments 2025.
In his opening remarks, TaiyangNews Managing Director Michael Schmela reflected on the expected growth in utility-scale solar PV globally. Citing SolarPower Europe’s Global Market Outlook for Solar Power 2025-2029, Schmela said the forecast is for double-digit growth in the global solar market over the next 5 years with the utility-scale segment projected to surpass 500 GW by 2029. In 2025, this segment is expected to report 60% annual growth.
In his keynote address, Stefan Müller, COO and Co-Founder of leading independent power producer (IPP) Germany’s Enerparc, presented the latest PV power plant trends in development, EPC and asset management, in terms of both challenges and opportunities.
He listed the co-development of various technologies and an increase in corporate interest in solar energy as key trends for utility-scale solar. For corporate investors, the challenge of traceability is of paramount importance in order to meet their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) requirements, something that is a must for the EPC companies. Additionally, storage integration is also increasing technical grid requirements that they must actively manage.
Looking into the future, Müller believes utility-scale solar power plant operations will soon be fully digitized with artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) or other tools, which will bring cybersecurity to the fore. Yet, he believes human interface will forever be needed on the ground to manage biodiversity and community-level issues.
Chinese solar PV manufacturer LONGi’s Product and Solution Manager Meredith LV spoke about the benefits of next-generation back contact (BC) bifacial modules in large-scale utility projects.
She recounted that BC technology has rapidly evolved from being limited to niche areas due to its high costs, to now being used in large-scale applications. LONGi has devoted itself to this cell technology. In April 2024, it achieved 27.81% efficiency for its Hybrid Interdigitated Back Contact (HIBC) (see LONGi Records Highest Cell Efficiency For HIBC Technology).
Meredith highlighted the significant advancements achieved by the company through its Hybrid Passivated Back Contact 2.0 (HPBC 2.0) technology, incorporating innovations such as the TaiRay wafer, etching process, laser graphics, advanced passivation contacts, zero busbar (0BB), and I-shaped welding. She shared that all these breakthroughs have collectively reduced equipment costs by up to 60% while significantly improving field efficiency, positioning BC technology as a highly competitive solution for utility-scale solar power plants.
BC technology also helps lower the chances of module failure caused by shading, since, as Meredith explained, nearly 50% of module failures are caused by shading. The BC modules cause up to 70% less power loss compared to TOPCon, thanks to its built-in bypass diode technology. She showed a simulation according to which there was only an 8% reduction in module power generation efficiency after a single cell was shaded.
Verified and certified for reliability vis-à-vis TOPCon modules in third-party tests, LONGi says the company has established more than 30 demonstration projects around the globe to test its TaiRay wafer-based BC modules. These projects are demonstrating better temperature coefficient, higher power generation and lower shading losses compared to TOPCon. LONGi will use the BC route to explore tandem technology in the future.
Talking about vertical PV with heterojunction (HJT) as new PV plant designs for ‘future-proof income’ was Huasun’s Head of Business Development Europe, Christian Comes. The company operates 20 GW each of cell and module production capacity for HJT technology.
Talking about the value of electricity, Comes explained that solar energy lowers electricity prices during midday by flooding the market with cheap power, sometimes even below the cost of production, as seen in places like California and Germany. He highlighted a shift in solar revenue models – from feed-in tariffs (FIT) and net metering to power purchase agreements (PPAs) and merchant models – where income now depends on when electricity is produced, driven by Time-of-Day (TOD) pricing. This is a big change in how solar businesses operate with an eye on profitability.
To ensure profitability from the outset, solar plant owners must focus on smart design and component choices. Comes recommends vertical solar plant layouts as one solution, with vertically arranged panels potentially improving efficiency and aligning generation with demand peaks.
In low-price midday markets, vertical PV delivers similar or higher income than trackers at lower CapEx and OpEx, according to Comes. Across all markets, vertical HJT matches fixed-tilt output but generates power at more valuable times of day.
Comes said that Huasun’s Kunlun bifacial modules are optimized for vertical PV installations with 95% module and 97% cell bifaciality. These panels can be frameless or with a thin frame with LCF and AR coating on both sides, and optimized junction box placement. With this vertical design, there is a lower risk of hotspots and hot cells, he explained. He claimed that Huasun’s Kunlun Vertical PV panels overperform all competition in vertical installation.
As hybrid renewable energy plants continue to scale and the demand for a smarter grid intensifies, Huawei’s Product Solution Architect, Thierry Pollet, highlighted the company’s grid-forming converters as a pivotal innovation.
Pollet discussed the solar PV capture ratios for some key markets in Europe that show a consistent decrease, owing mainly to projects being forced to sell power below cost during low or negative price periods, or due to technical limitations like grid constraints.
According to Pollet, solutions include better grid monitoring, using batteries and demand response for flexibility, co-locating solar and storage to shift generation, expanding the grid, and offering services like grid support to boost revenue.
This is where Huawei’s advanced converters step in, as he explained that these are designed to support the evolving electricity market by enabling a more intelligent, stable, and resilient grid infrastructure.
Talking about the company’s solar tracking solutions, Antaisolar’s Technical Support Director Frank Wang discussed the various benefits of trackers for utility scale solar PV systems.
He explained that Antaisolar’s advanced tracking systems include smart protection strategies via independent controllers and centralized communication units with environmental sensors to ascertain stowing positions for wind, hail, snow and flood.
While conventional tracking algorithms are focused only on direct irradiation, flat terrain and monofacial modules, Wang stressed that Antaisolar’s smart tracking algorithms consider direct, diffuse, and various weather conditions and take terrain variance under consideration.
Moreover, Antaisolar invests in preassembled components to help reduce installation time and labor costs, especially in high-cost regions. Its tracking systems use a superior coating of zinc-aluminum-magnesium that lends durability and corrosion resistance to the products, replacing the traditional use of pure zinc coating for key components such as torque tubes.
Wang presented the company’s Universal Joint Mechanism that’s aimed at resolving multi-angle connection in complex terrain conditions. It can adapt to uneven or sloped terrain with less land leveling, improving on-site alignment efficiency, and reducing material use and layout constraints.
Antaisolar is also set to reveal its next-generation lightweight, terrain-friendly tracker at SNEC 2025 in Shanghai.
Aakash Sharma from Sungrow’s Product Certification Team presented the company’s modular PV inverters and hybrid battery energy storage system (BESS) solutions while stressing that BESS is not something in the future anymore. Co-located PV and storage solutions are becoming more relevant to stakeholders in the utility-scale PV domain in the present times.
Sharma presented 2 products from Sungrow’s portfolio with grid-forming capabilities in keeping with the regulatory requirements in various markets.
Sungrow’s 1+X 2.0 Modular Inverter offers scalable power from 800kW to 9.6MW, fast 1-hour module swaps, and AI-driven diagnostics, according to Sharma. The other product, PowerTitan 2.0, is a 5 MWh liquid-cooled energy storage system that integrates AC and DC using advanced electrochemistry and grid support technologies.
While string inverters are preferred by companies for techno-commercial reasons, Sharma said central inverters are growing in demand for the flexibility they offer with fewer units and components to manage.
In an increasingly digitized world, asset owners are seeking digital and AI solutions for utility-scale solar assets, according to Becquerel Institute’s Head of AI, Mousa Sondoqah.
Despite the rapid digitalization of solar energy, utility-scale PV software platforms face several persistent challenges. Sondoqah listed these as fragmented ecosystem, data overload, challenging filtering and inconsistent interfaces.
However, the PV sector is set to see increased levels of automation. By 2030, solar PV component manufacturing will see 70% to 95% of automation levels due to the highly controlled environment, with a similar scale for asset management and training. Construction is projected to be the least automated part of the value chain, with 40% to 60% automation by the end of this decade.
Looking ahead, Sondoqah sees Gen AI transforming PV software by enabling autonomous, conversational workflows. AI agents will replace traditional UIs, allowing for more intuitive, intent-driven interactions. Users will act as orchestrators, defining objectives while AI executes tasks, enhancing future solar operations and innovation.
Cybrid Technologies’ Deputy CTO, Hisanari Onouchi, listed the various advantages of the company’s UV conversion film Raybo and its relevance for utility-scale solar, especially with the increasing adoption of TOPCon modules.
The Raybo film is proven to offer >98% conversion efficiency, >99% UV cut, and >30 years durability, according to Onouchi. This effectively suppresses UVD in TOPCon modules installed in the field, preventing degradation without initial power loss, thereby ensuring long-term energy yield and stability. For a 100 MW plant, the use of Raybo film can ensure a >40 GWh return over 30 years, he added.
The Principal Consultant at AFRY, Ignacio Cobo Berberana, advocated for solar and storage-based hybrid utility-scale power plants as enabling system flexibility. By combining renewables or adding storage, hybrids create a baseload-like generation profile while mitigating variability.
He said this ensures stronger, more reliable output, avoiding self-curtailment. This makes them an attractive proposition for PPAs and other revenue streams that require steady energy delivery. Hybrids increase renewable integration while reducing curtailment and lowering system costs and power prices, he added.
Cobo Berberana admits that hybrid solar projects face regulatory and permitting hurdles, with current remuneration schemes like CfDs not adequately incentivizing such systems. While policy adjustments are feasible now, integrating battery storage remains a gradual process driven by market and technology maturity.
Pointing to the rising frequency and severity of extreme weather events and their impact on PV power plants, Jolywood’s Head of Overseas Technical Support, Wenyi Gong, presented the company’s windproof modules. These compete against conventional PV modules that Gong believes are not fit for all scenarios, especially to face extreme weather, owing to their significantly reduced frame load and tear strength that compromise the module's mechanical load capacity.
Jolywood’s Windproof Modules, shared Gong, are designed specifically to withstand high winds in extreme weather events such as snowstorms, hailstorms and hurricanes. These incorporate J-TOPCon high efficiency cells, a Double-beam Structure, a Backbone Steel Frame and a Transparent Mesh Backsheet.
She claimed that the Backbone Steel Frame used in these modules is 3x stronger than conventional aluminum frames. Under the same deformation level, BACKBONE steel frame demonstrates 85% higher front load and 75% higher rear load. This frame has passed the 60 m/s wind tunnel test, equivalent to withstanding a category 17 Typhoon, she added.
Fireside chat
In an insightful discussion on successfully developing and operating utility-scale solar PV plants with TaiyangNews Managing Director Michael Schmela, Enerparc COO & Co-Founder Stefan Müller pointed to the growing trend towards high customization in system designs. Instead of the one-size-fits-all, developers and manufacturers nowadays factor in local weather conditions and specific requirements of investors in the plan. This, stressed Müller, shows the adaptability and evolution of the solar industry.
At the same time, the selection of solar modules is not the primary point for a project’s success since this component represents only 25% of the total cost. Now selecting and integrating non-module components such as transformers, batteries, cables and interconnections, which account for up to 75% of the CapEx, are important too.
Müller also highlighted the trend of energy traders dictating system design, instead of engineers or asset owners, because it is eventually about the value of energy produced and sold. This shapes how systems are configured to maximize the commercial performance of an asset.
In the near future, he cites AI, automation and battery integration as playing the pivotal role in the next generation of utility-scale solar power plants.
TaiyangNews ran a live blog during the event, which can be reviewed here. The presentations shared by the speakers at the event are available on TaiyangNews YouTube Channel.
On June 24 and 26, 2025, TaiyangNews will host its annual event, titled PV System Technology Trends—SNEC & Intersolar Product Review. As the title suggests, the virtual conference will take an in-depth look at the latest solar product innovations presented at these 2 events this year. Registrations to the conference are free, here.