How much further can today’s solar cell technologies advance, and what comes next?
The TaiyangNews High-Efficiency Solar Technologies Online Conference, spread across three consecutive weeks in November 2026, will bring exclusive insights into where high-efficiency cell technology is heading next – from gigawatt-scale factories on the ground to new applications for PV in space.
While past editions focused on individual cell technologies, this year’s edition stands out by introducing a more fundamental parameter: where the contacts sit on the cell. The conference will also take a step further to look beyond Earth – space PV, which has attracted enormous attention recently, driven by the rapid growth of satellite constellations and the need for lower-cost solar power in orbit.
Tomorrow, on Day 1 of the conference, Enzo Li, Sr. PV Solution Manager at JinkoSolar, will provide an overview of the company’s Tiger Neo 5.0 modules.
Registration is free and can be done here.
Battery maker CALB has produced its first 588 Ah energy storage cells at Phase I of its manufacturing base in Zaozhuang, Shandong province. The first phase represents an investment of approximately RMB 5.5 billion for a planned annual capacity of 25 GWh. Consisting of three phases, the Zaozhuang base is planned to reach 100 GWh overall.
According to CALB, the 588 Ah cell uses a large-capacity winding platform and has a cycle life of more than 15,000 cycles and a design life of 25 years. The company says its large-format winding platform for 588 Ah and 650 Ah cells can reduce overall energy storage system (ESS) costs by approximately 15%.
CALB ranked among the top 5 energy storage cell shipments in H1 2026 according to InfoLink Consulting (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) has connected the first 25 MW solar-thermal unit at its solar PV, energy storage, and concentrated solar power (CSP) demonstration project in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet. The company describes it as the world's highest grid-connected solar-thermal power station and the first in Tibet. Located at an elevation of about 4,300 m, the RMB 2.4 billion project comprises 100 MW of solar PV and 50 MW of solar-thermal capacity. The PV portion is already fully grid-connected.
The solar-thermal system includes 14 hours of molten-salt storage and combines off-grid PV, electric molten-salt heating, and asynchronous lithium-battery interconnection to support overnight power generation and heating. CGN plans to connect the second 25 MW unit within the year. Once fully operational, the project is expected to generate about 270 GWh annually.
Recently, another Chinese company, CGDG, put its 100 MW molten-salt tower CSP project into trial operation (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
Hebei Maritime Safety Administration, the provincial development and reform and transport authorities, and seven other departments have jointly issued an action plan for 2026-2030. It sets out 20 tasks across five areas, including low-carbon shipping, green ports and upgrades to port-adjacent industries. The plan calls for offshore wind, PV, and port clean-energy projects along the coasts of Qinhuangdao, Tangshan, and Cangzhou.
Hebei plans to advance 1.8 GW of offshore PV projects in Qinhuangdao and 2 GW of offshore PV co-located with wind power, taking the combined planned capacity to 3.8 GW. The province will also explore combining offshore wind and solar with marine ranching, computing infrastructure, seawater desalination, hydrogen production, and offshore oil fields. The Shanhaiguan Phase I, Hebei Construction Investment Tangshan, and Tangshan Shunhuan offshore wind projects will be developed in phases. Direct green electricity supply from offshore wind projects to coastal steel and chemical plants is also under consideration.
A consortium led by Wuhan Tianyuan Group Co., Ltd. has signed an integrated equipment supply and installation contract worth RMB 3.64 billion for the 1,000 MW/4,000 MWh Lingwu Huaxin centralized shared energy storage project in Ningxia. The consortium also includes Ningxia Communication Construction Co., Ltd. and Inner Mongolia Yinhe Electric Power Installation Engineering Co., Ltd.
Located in Baitugang Township, Lingwu City, the project will include a 330 kV step-up substation, 4 km of transmission lines, and 13 towers, connecting it to the Lingzhou 750 kV substation. Construction is scheduled to run from November 2026 to April 2027.