The TaiyangNews PV Price Index staged a partial turnaround in Calendar Week 33, with wafer and cell prices recording increases of 9.1% to 31.0% week-on-week (WoW).

The polysilicon segment was unchanged for the third consecutive week.

The wafer segment recorded sizable increases WoW, ranging from 9.1% to 12.5%.

The cell category saw its largest WoW increases in recent weeks, with prices rising by 22.0% to 31.0%. Note that China’s SAMR recently urged solar PV companies to strengthen price compliance and shift competition from price to quality (see Chinese Regulator Issues Guidance Against 'Predatory' PV Pricing).

Among modules, TOPCon bifacial 182 mm prices increased by 0.8%, while 210 mm 60-cell (630-655W) prices rose by 1.5% WoW.

The two solar glass variants have seen no price changes since CW17.

The TaiyangNews PV Price Index appears to have stabilized over the past 3 weeks, with the latest increases in wafers and cells suggesting a possible turnaround in these segments, coinciding with China’s efforts to curb unfair price competition.

Year-to-date (YtD), the polysilicon segment has lost more than a third of its value. Wafers and cells have significantly clawed back their earlier declines, with 2 cell types turning green this week. Solar glass prices are down between 7.5% and 14.8%. Among modules, only 1 module type remains in the red YtD.

The data refers to average product prices in China. The data was collected by Chinese market research firm Gessey PV Consulting.

Disclaimer: TaiyangNews does not guarantee reliability, accuracy or completeness of this price index’ content. TaiyangNews does not accept responsibility or liability for any errors in this work.

Chinese power conversion system (PCS) manufacturer Inovance Technology presented its energy storage portfolio at Intersolar Europe 2026. The company’s showcase covered string PCS products for commercial & industrial (C&I) and utility-scale applications, as well as centralized PCS units and transformer-integrated stations for large-scale projects.

For C&I and utility-scale energy storage systems, Inovance presented 400 kW and 432 kW string PCS products. The 432 kW model made its European debut at the exhibition. It supports storage durations of 2, 4, and 8 hours and is compatible with different battery-cell formats. The unit can be installed horizontally or vertically within an integrated energy storage system.

Based on silicon carbide (SiC) technology, the 432 kW PCS offers a maximum efficiency of 99.3%. According to Inovance, it can operate at full power without derating at ambient temperatures of up to 50°C. Its compartmentalized design provides front access to the control and protection components. The unit also features a fully enclosed liquid-cooling system, electrolyte-leak detection, explosion venting, and electrical-hydraulic isolation.

For utility-scale and grid applications, Inovance displayed 1.725 MW and 2.5 MW centralized PCS units. According to the company, the upgraded 2.5 MW model’s enclosed air-and-liquid cooling system improves heat dissipation efficiency by 20% and increases power density by 30%. It helps restart the system following a grid outage and regulate voltage to support grid stability.

Inovance’s utility-scale portfolio also includes transformer-integrated turnkey stations with capacities ranging from 3.45 MW to 12.5 MW. These packaged systems combine power conversion and transformer equipment for energy storage projects.

The International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA PVPS) has called for more application-specific approaches to designing and evaluating solar PV systems as solar deployment expands into buildings, water bodies, and agricultural land.

In its August 2026 Task 13 report, Optimisation of Photovoltaic Systems for Different Applications, IEA PVPS examines building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), floating photovoltaics (FPV), and agrivoltaics (AV). It says conventional PV design approaches, developed mainly for ground-mounted systems, are no longer sufficient for these applications.

Report writers explain that because integrated PV systems operate under different environmental conditions and perform multiple functions, their design must account for factors beyond electricity generation. Identified factors include durability, safety, environmental interactions, and stakeholder acceptance.

IEA PVPS said applying conventional assumptions can result in higher degradation, inaccurate energy-yield estimates and unsuitable component selection. Integrated systems can experience different thermal behavior, irradiance conditions, mechanical loads, and degradation pathways than ground-mounted PV.  

It offers the Flakkebjerg agrivoltaic test site in Denmark as a case study for application-specific challenges. The 998 kW system uses bifacial PERC modules on single-axis trackers. The report found that some crops, including rapeseed, grew taller than the trackers' 70-cm ground clearance at ±55° tilt angles in the 2025 growing season. This could damage crops and cause power losses through shading. The project is therefore examining adaptive tracking and backtracking strategies. 

The challenges also vary by application. BIPV systems, for instance, must operate as both power generators and building components. These require compliance with structural and fire-safety requirements along with addressing issues related to restricted ventilation and partial shading.  

A 368 kW BIPV façade project in Amsterdam uses 1,735 colored frameless glass-glass modules across a 3,013 m² building façade. The system has to meet architectural and building-envelope requirements while operating in a maritime environment with high humidity and strong winds. The project therefore illustrates how module design, aesthetics, durability, and electrical performance must be considered together in BIPV, as per the report.

On the other hand, FPV systems face humidity, corrosion, biofouling, wind, waves, and other mechanical stresses. 

Agrivoltaic systems need to balance solar generation with crop production and farming activities. 

The report therefore recommends a broader set of performance indicators. Depending on the application, these can include energy yield per available area, self-consumption, dual-use value, land productivity, environmental interactions, and stakeholder acceptance, alongside conventional measures such as performance ratio and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). 

“Integrated PV systems are multi-purpose infrastructure, requiring a broader performance framework than energy yield or LCOE alone,” stresses IEA PVPS. 

IEA PVPS also highlighted limitations in existing testing and modeling methods. The standardized IEC 61853 energy rating methodology remains useful for comparing PV module performance, but its conventional reference conditions do not fully capture the operating conditions of BIPV, FPV, and agrivoltaic systems. The report therefore calls for application-specific mounting conditions, thermal modeling and further adaptations to energy-rating methods. 

Dedicated, application-specific R&D benchmarking facilities can help bridge the gap between laboratory testing and real-world operating conditions. While there has been some progress in the BIPV domain in developing international test facilities for benchmarking and performance evaluation of BIPV, the same remains limited for FPV and AV. 

The report says that there is a clear need for application-specific testing, improved modeling, and long-term field data for all three integrated PV applications. 

“Integrated PV systems require design approaches that go beyond those developed for conventional ground-mounted PV systems, and should be understood as multifunctional infrastructure rather than stand-alone energy assets,” the report said. 

The complete report is available for free download on the IEA PVPS website. 

The company developed its Na-ion battery, PowerNest R5, to meet key residential ESS requirements, including modularity, scalability, and intelligent battery state-of-charge (SoC) balancing. In contrast, the company’s PowerLake I3 series battery offers deployment flexibility and scalability for C&I applications. 

The former product consists of a 4.5 kWh Na-ion battery unit with a maximum charging/discharging current of 55 A. After stacking 4 modular units, the cumulative storage capacity reaches 18 kWh, with a corresponding maximum current of 220 A (4 × 55 A). According to the company’s product datasheet, up to 4 stacks can be connected in parallel, with a scaled storage capacity of 72 kWh, matching residential consumers’ demands and inverter capacities. These have a built-in voltage optimizer that automatically maintains SoC balance between cells. 

The PowerLake I3 is equipped with a Na-ion battery unit with a higher storage capacity of up to 8.72 kWh. This system can be deployed both indoors and outdoors. For indoor use, these units can be stacked like an individual DC cluster. The cluster size can range from 43.6 kWh (connecting 5 units on top of each other) to 130.8 kWh by connecting 15 units, as shown in the image below.  

The system’s cumulative storage capacity can be expanded to up to 654 kWh by connecting 5 clusters in parallel. It allows a maximum charge or discharge current of 170 A. 

In outdoor installations, up to 130.8 kWh of storage capacity is squeezed into a 1,144 × 2,172 × 1,260 mm (W × H × D) cabinet. Up to 16 cabinets can be connected in parallel to expand the total storage capacity to 2.092 MWh within an operating voltage range of 180 to 980 V (DC). 

Both batteries have a guaranteed life of up to 8,000 cycles. 

Separately, the company recently introduced its rack-mounted PowerNest R2 and stackable PowerNest R3 sodium-ion batteries. These are currently in mass production and commercially available worldwide. 

As growing numbers of solar panels reach the end of their operating life, recovering their valuable materials remains a challenge. Silver is the highest-value material in a crystalline silicon solar cell, but separating it from the other materials can require chemical-intensive processes that generate hazardous waste.

Researchers at Australia’s University of Newcastle have developed an acid-free silver-recovery process based on froth flotation, a separation technique widely used in the mining industry. The team has advanced the process from small batch experiments to a continuous pilot trial (see Researchers Develop Acid-Free Method To Recover Silver From Solar Panels).

The first step is comminution, in which the panels are crushed and ground into fine particles. The material is then subjected to froth flotation using water, air, and small quantities of flotation reagents. The reagents enable the silver-bearing particles to attach to air bubbles and float to the surface, separating them from the other materials without using acid.

During the trial, the researchers processed around 22 kg of solar-cell material obtained from approximately 460 kg of end-of-life panels, equivalent to about 23 residential modules. They recovered nearly all the silver and concentrated it into a product representing just 1.25% of the original cell material. The silver concentration in this product was more than 80 times higher than in the initial feedstock.

The trial builds on the team’s earlier small-scale batch research, which demonstrated silver recovery of more than 97% within a few minutes.

Associate Professor Mahshid Firouzi, Deputy Director of the University of Newcastle’s Centre for Critical Minerals and Urban Mining (CRITIUM), explained the significance of the latest trial. “Our earlier small-scale batch research proved flotation could recover silver from solar panels,” said Firouzi. “This latest work demonstrates that the process can operate continuously at a much larger scale with nearly 100% silver recovery, bringing us closer to commercial implementation.”

The team’s preliminary economic assessment suggests that the flotation-based process could be 3 to 5 times less expensive than conventional acid-leaching methods. According to the university, recycling currently costs approximately AUD 10 to AUD 15 per panel in Australia, compared with only a few dollars for landfill disposal. The researchers believe revenue from recovered silver could help narrow this cost difference.

ReNew Energy Global reported higher profit and revenue in Q1 FY2027 (ended June 30, 2026), supported by growth in its renewable energy portfolio and stronger sales from its solar manufacturing business. The company is also exploring an acquisition offer from a consortium led by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) and ReNew Energy Founder, Chairman and CEO Sumant Sinha. 

ReNew’s net profit rose 16% year-on-year (YoY) to INR 5,953 million in Q1 FY27. Total income also rose 16% to INR 47,864 million, while adjusted EBITDA rose about 12% to INR 30,392 million. 

Total income for the quarter comprised INR 16,777 million from the manufacturing business, which also contributed INR 5,651 million to adjusted EBITDA. External sales of solar modules and cells earned a net profit of INR 3,914 million for the quarter, up from INR 3,562 million in Q1 FY26. 

ReNew said its commissioned capacity increased by 17% YoY to about 13.1 GW as of June 30, 2026, including 100 MW/250 MWh of battery energy storage. It subsequently commissioned another 466 MW of solar capacity, taking its operating capacity to about 13.5 GW, net of a 100 MW asset sale. 

During the reporting quarter, ReNew commissioned 596 MW of solar and 20 MW of wind capacity. Its total portfolio at the end of the reporting quarter was about 20.5 GW, including 1.7 GW/6.2 GWh of battery storage. 

It also manufactures solar cells and modules with an operational capacity of 2.5 GW and 6.4 GW, respectively. By December 2026, it plans to add another 4 GW of cell manufacturing capacity, expanding its overall cell capacity to 6.5 GW. 

In Q1 FY27, it produced 513 MW of cells and 852 MW of modules. While cell production increased during the period, the company said it had to scale back module production (Q1 FY26: 924 MW; Q4 FY26: 1.13 GW) in line with demand and in anticipation of the ALMM List-II imposition (see India Brings ALMM List-II For Solar Cells Into Force). 

ReNew is advancing plans to achieve 6.5 GW of in-house wafer production capacity, funded through internal accruals and fundraising. It is expected to be completed in early FY28 (see ReNew Energy Plans INR 4,200 Crore Solar Manufacturing Unit).    

The company continues to maintain its FY27 guidance, expecting to complete 1.6 GW to 2.4 GW of construction by March 31, 2027. It has also retained adjusted EBITDA guidance of INR 103 billion to INR 109 billion. 

Separately, ReNew has entered into a transaction agreement with a consortium comprising Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) and the company's Founder, Chairman and CEO, Sumant Sinha, for a proposed acquisition of the company. Under the proposed scheme, non-consortium shareholders can receive $7.02 per share or, subject to conditions, remain shareholders through a rollover arrangement. 

Previously, Masdar was also part of the buying consortium, but it withdrew in December 2025 (see Masdar Pulls Out Of Proposed ReNew Energy Global Acquisition). 

One of the leaders in manufacturing commercial heterojunction (HJT) technology, with over 12 GW of global cumulative shipments, Risen Energy presented its HJT technology roadmap at the TaiyangNews Global PV System Technology Trends H1/2026. During the presentation, Po-Chuan Yang, Dean of the Global PV Research Institute at Risen, outlined the company’s latest developments in reducing silver consumption and wafer thickness, along with pathways to improve cell and module efficiencies.

Risen says it has achieved mass production status for its 760 W high-power module in 2026, with a targeted commercialization date of 2027. Currently, TaiyangNews TOP SOLAR MODULES features Risen's commercialized HJT module with 740 W power. Other milestones for the company in 2026 include launching an ultra-thin p-type HJT cell and introducing an energy storage system (ESS).

The higher-power HJT module also saves water, electricity, and carbon, with only 300 kg/kW CO₂ emissions as compared with other mainstream technologies. Working together with the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Risen further aims to reduce emissions in its HJT manufacturing. Additionally, the company focuses on reducing production costs by lowering material consumption.

One key material that can significantly impact HJT manufacturing costs is silver. In the silver consumption roadmap, Yang highlighted that the company’s HJT technology currently uses only 15% silver in its paste compared to 60% in 2023. Together with Swiss-based research institute CSEM, Risen is also developing a solution to further reduce silver and even move toward silver-free metallization. The silver-lean approach uses a low-silver seed layer comprising less than 10% silver, followed by a pure copper paste metallization. For the silver-free approach, a copper seed grid is plated onto the cell. In a period where the supply of silver is drastically reduced, Yang also claimed indium reduction by 50%, while maintaining reference cell efficiency. Risen is also consistently reducing wafer thickness and claims to have optimized its process to manufacture cells from wafers as thin as 70 µm.

Some of these developments are already incorporated in its latest Hyperion Pro modules that can deliver a maximum power of 745 W and 24% efficiency. These modules use 110 µm G12-based multi-cut cells with a zero busbar (0BB) design and zero-gap cell interconnection. With a 15-year product warranty, the module has 90.3% power retention at the end of 30 years.

For space applications, Risen is developing HJT cells based on p-type wafers, which have higher radiation-hardness tolerance. Yang said that these cells are made on 50 µm 210 × 105 mm wafers and can deliver 21% efficiency initially, under AM0 illumination conditions. Modules made from these cells for application in low-Earth orbit (LEO) are marketed as RisenFlex Nova.

• The company also promoted its utility-scale BESS for millisecond-level frequency response and participation in the VPP market 

• Its cloud-based energy management platform features cloud-edge coordinated energy dispatch capability 

ZTE Corporation, an integrated information and communication technology solutions provider, highlighted its in-house developed intelligent energy management, communication, and cloud-based computing technologies at Intersolar Europe 2026. 

On the energy management side, the company showcased its power conversion system (PCS) that works as a bidirectional converter between storage and the grid, while the battery management system (BMS) continuously monitors and controls real-time battery voltage, current, power, and temperature. 

The company also offers an energy management system (EMS) with embedded AI algorithms that analyzes PV forecasting, dynamic tariff rates, users’ load patterns, and regional regulations. These analyses help the EMS accurately predict peak-demand overshooting and low-demand valleys, enabling peak-shaving and valley-filling functions. It also helps catch sweet spots in dynamic spot electricity tariff rates to schedule battery charging/discharging and participate in energy arbitrage. 

In addition to user-side applications, it can support grid ancillary services, like millisecond-level frequency response, black start, and participation in virtual power plant (VPP) programs. The efficiency of these complex operations depends on the real-time computing capabilities of the accumulated data, especially for large battery energy storage system (BESS) with huge amounts of data. To support this, the company offers a cloud platform that communicates remotely with storage systems via Wi-Fi or other communication modes. The platform collects real-time data and computes it using application-specific algorithms. Based on the conclusion, it can dispatch stored energy in coordination with individual BESS's built-in EMS, known as cloud-edge coordination. Unlike the individual level, this remote computing system offers centralized monitoring, control, and real-time data visualization on a mobile device or computer.  

In addition to highlighting the functions and capabilities of its latest communication and energy management systems, the company showcased a commercial & industrial (C&I) energy storage system (ESS) with up to 261 kWh of capacity, suitable for user-side peak shaving, valley filling, and demand response. It also promoted its utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) for millisecond-level grid frequency regulation and said it is ready to participate in a VPP aggregation platform. However, the company did not share much about this BESS in its press release. 

Japan-headquartered, Nasdaq-listed solar manufacturer TOYO Co., Ltd. reported higher revenue and profit for H1 2026, supported by increased solar cell deliveries and the start of module production at its Texas facility. The company is now navigating uncertainty created by the Section 232 framework. 

During H1 2026, TOYO generated $261.0 million in revenue, up 87.6% from $139.1 million a year earlier, attributing the increase to higher solar cell and module shipments. It delivered 2.61 GW of solar cells and 191.5 MW of modules during the period. This includes a 153.9% increase in sales to end customers in the US, representing $210.5 million or close to 80.7% of H1 revenue. 

For the initial six months of 2026, TOYO’s net income rose to $45.8 million from $2.5 million in H1 2025. Gross profit of $84.7 million improved by 267% year-on-year (YoY) while gross margin rose to 32.5% from 16.6%. TOYO attributes the improvement to expanded production capacity and improved production efficiency. 

To the H1 2026 revenue, Q2 contributed $118.2 million, up 35% YoY, including solar module sales of $31.7 million from its newly operational solar module facility in Texas. Net income for the reporting quarter increased to $17.4 million from $6.2 million. Gross profit rose by 102.2% YoY to $37 million, while gross margin improved to 31.3% from 20.9%. 

TOYO's earnings presentation shows that module shipments accelerated in Q2 2026 to 135.8 MW, up from 55.7 MW in Q1 2026, while solar cell shipments were 1.16 GW and 1.45 GW in the respective periods. 

TOYO is expanding its manufacturing footprint in Humble, Texas. This integrated manufacturing campus will house 2 GW solar module and 1.5 GW heterojunction (HJT) initial solar cell capacity. While a 1 GW module line is already operational on site, the other 1 GW line is targeted for completion by September 2026. The HJT line, with an investment of $357 million, is targeted for completion by Q1 2028 (see TOYO Announces 1.5 GW US HJT Solar Cell Factory). 

The US DOC has initiated a circumvention inquiry into solar cells and modules from Ethiopia following a petition submitted by members of the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade (AASMT). This impacts the company since TOYO also operates 4 GW solar cell production capacity in Ethiopia, along with another 2 GW in Vietnam.  

TOYO claims its US solar supply chain is 100% non-Chinese as it sources 70% of polysilicon for its Ethiopia production from a US producer, while 30% comes from OCI in Malaysia. It targets a 100% US polysilicon supply for its Ethiopia location by Q4 2026.  

“Our Ethiopia facility is a substantial manufacturing platform. It employs approximately 1,800 people and performs the full wafer to cell production process. We believe these facts position TOYO well while recognizing that Commerce's review remains ongoing,” stated company management on its earnings call. 

It is also developing a US-based bill of materials (BOM) as it currently sources ingots and wafers from non-FEOC suppliers in Southeast Asia. 

The company said the Section 232 policy environment could affect its second-half performance. Notably, the US has announced a 15% tariff on imported polysilicon derivatives while creating an incentive framework for companies to set up polysilicon manufacturing facilities in the US (see US Announces 15% Tariff On Imported Polysilicon Under Section 232). 

“We do expect an impact on our second-half results, though the magnitude is not yet certain,” CEO Takahiko Onozuka said. He added that TOYO is discussing a Section 232 framework with the US Department of Commerce that could help address the impact.  

TOYO’s Chief Strategy Officer Rhone Resch added, “We believe TOYO's module operations, planned HJT capacity, use of American polysilicon, and broader non-FEOC supply chain align closely with the Trump Administration's onshoring goals. While near-term implementation details remain uncertain, we view the policy direction as supportive of TOYO's long-term position in the U.S. market.” 

The picture is vastly different outside China. While most new manufacturing projects in India, the world’s fastest growing and now second largest solar manufacturing hub, are based on first-generation TOPCon cell technology, Europe and North America are exploring a broader portfolio of technologies, including selective interest in heterojunction (HJT) and next-gen tandem cell concepts. As a result, equipment suppliers are increasingly required to address diverse manufacturing requirements rather than a single technology roadmap. As part of this, equipment vendors are developing flexible and scalable tool platforms that enable manufacturers to transition from TOPCon to BC with minimal changes, while simultaneously preparing production solutions for tandem technologies.

At the module level, manufacturing innovations are increasingly focused on multi-cut cell configurations and zero-busbar (0BB) interconnection.

There are also developments in area metallization pastes and encapsulation materials – the 2 key process consumables that play a critical role in improving cell and module manufacturing efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing module reliability.

Reflecting these developments, the TaiyangNews Cell & Module Production Equipment & Processing Materials Conference will bring together leading equipment manufacturers, material suppliers, and PV makers to discuss the latest advances across the cell and module manufacturing value chain.