As the solar industry pushes for higher output and leaner manufacturing, pushing performance limits requires more than cutting costs. True market success depends on ensuring that next-generation designs can endure decades of field operations without unexpected degradation.
The TaiyangNews Reliable PV Module Design Online Conference, taking place on Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 09:30 to 13:00 CEST, will bring together leading module manufacturers, material and component suppliers, testing organizations, and other industry experts to discuss the latest module products and design concepts, material choices, quality considerations, and reliability challenges, from cells, glass, encapsulants, backsheets, and interconnection technologies to complete module architectures.
Ralph Gottschalg, Head of the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP, will deliver the keynote at the conference. His presentation is titled Beyond the Broken Pane: What Glass Breakage Can Teach the PV Industry.
Register for free here.
Solar cell manufacturer Jietai Solar (JTPV) has secured silver-level certification under both the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) ESG standard and its supply-chain traceability standard for its manufacturing bases in Chuzhou and Huai’an, China. TÜV Rheinland conducted on-site assessments of high-efficiency n-type solar cell production. The two facilities have a combined annual capacity of more than 40 GW.
Under SSI rules, from January 1, 2027, at least 80% of the PV modules supplied by SSI members to the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK must contain products from facilities certified to both SSI standards. The requirement will rise to 100% in 2028.
According to an InfoLink Consulting report released in August, JTPV was ranked 4th among the leading cell suppliers globally (see InfoLink Consulting: Top 5 Cell Suppliers Ship 92 GW In H1 2026).
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and six other government departments released the 15th Five-Year Plan for the advanced battery industry, targeting an innovation-led, safe, efficient, intelligent, and low-carbon industrial system. The plan calls for faster development of lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and flow batteries, with the industry expected to grow steadily by 2030. It also targets initial large-scale deployment of all-solid-state batteries, cycle lives of up to 15,000 cycles for long-life lithium batteries, and product defect rates at leading companies reaching the parts-per-billion level.
For energy storage, the plan supports advanced batteries on the generation and grid sides, as well as in industrial parks and data centers. It also promotes high-safety, large-capacity, grid-forming, ultra-long-life storage batteries, along with integrated source-grid-load-storage systems, virtual power plants, and coordination between energy systems and computing power. The plan also calls for energy management systems that optimize the coordinated operation of solar, wind, energy storage, and power grids.
Perovskite PV manufacturer GCL Perovskite has supplied customized modules for a 500-meter photovoltaic (PV) noise barrier at the Douzhuang service area on the Shanghai-Chengdu Expressway. The completed installation comprises 224 single-junction perovskite modules rated at 270 W each, providing 60.48 kWp of generation capacity. It also includes two inverters and an integrated energy storage charging unit connected to the service area’s PV carport system.
The barrier combines a 0.4 m curved sound-absorbing section, a 1.1 m PV section, and a 2.9 m high sound-absorbing section. It achieves a noise reduction coefficient of at least 0.70 while integrating roadside power generation, on-site electricity consumption, and energy storage for peak shaving into a microgrid-based power supply system.
Last month, GCL Perovskite reported that it had completed an end-to-end production run on its GW-scale perovskite module manufacturing line (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
Tianjin’s Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology has launched a trial hourly green power trading scheme, introducing a mechanism for renewable energy projects that receive no subsidies and are not covered by the renewable energy price mechanism. The scheme will remain in effect through December 31, 2027.
Electricity will be traded hourly, with volumes submitted across 24 daily time slots. Annual, monthly, and intra-month transactions will be conducted through bilateral negotiations, while the energy price must remain within ±20% of Tianjin’s local coal-fired power benchmark price. Energy and environmental attributes will be settled separately. The volume eligible for environmental-value settlement will be based on the lowest of the contracted volume, actual grid-delivered power, and electricity consumption for each hour. Deviations will be subject to two-way compensation under the applicable environmental-value compensation standard.
Power developer Longyuan Power has launched its first 2026 framework tender for PV modules, with estimated procurement of 6 GWp across seven lots. The tender covers 1 GWp for offshore projects and 5 GWp for onshore projects. All lots require n-type monocrystalline bifacial dual-glass modules.
The 1 GWp offshore high-efficiency lot requires front-side conversion efficiency of at least 24.0%. The onshore high-efficiency lots cover 3.5 GWp under the same requirement. The remaining 1.5 GWp, split between two onshore medium-efficiency lots, must achieve front-side conversion efficiency of at least 23.2%. The framework agreement will remain valid for one year from the date the award notice is issued.
Late last month, Longyuan Power announced that its 11 GW Badain Jaran Desert renewable energy project in Gansu has received internal project approval from its parent company, CHN Energy (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
