Weekly Review

PV Market News This Week:

1. All solar cell efficiencies at a glance – updated

The international research group led by Professor Martin Green from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia has published Version 66 of the “Solar Cell Efficiency Tables” in Progress in Photovoltaics.

The scientists said they have added 21 new results to the new tables since December.

The tables include the record efficiency of 27.81% achieved by Chinese manufacturer Longi for its hybrid interdigitated back contact (HIBC) crystalline silicon solar cell and a 14.1%-efficient kesterite (CZTSSe) solar cell built by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Another two interesting results are the 26.9% efficiency achieved by Soochow University and UNSW for a halide perovskite solar cell and the 23.7%-efficient mini perovskite solar module developed by Chinese specialist Microquanta.

Furthermore, the tables comprise the 27.3% efficiency recently achieved by Longi for a heterojunction back contact (BC) solar cell and a 24.1%-efficient PERC cell fabricated by Trina Solar. JinkoSolar is also present in the list with a 26.7%-efficient TOPCon cell and a 27.1%-efficient all-TOPCon interdigitated back contact (TBC) PV device.

2. Germany’s FC St. Pauli to install rainbow-colored stadium PV array

German soccer team FC St. Pauli will install a rainbow-colored PV system on its stadium roof. Hamburg-based green energy supplier Lichtblick has revealed that it will install the system during the summer break.

Workers will mount 1,080 solar modules with a capacity of 316 kW on the stadium roof, laminated in rainbow colors. A Lichtblick spokesperson told pv magazine that the coloring process uses “Morphocolor technology.”

Megasol Energie is supplying the modules. The Swiss PV manufacturer coats the inside of its solar modules to create targeted light refraction. The company said the process results in a vibrant color scheme with minimal power loss. Most of the light still reaches the solar cell, while only a specific portion is reflected.

The system will cover 1,800 square meters and generate approximately 285,000 kWh of solar power per year. Lichtblick is financing, installing, and operating the rooftop PV system, the spokesperson said. FC St. Pauli will not bear any investment costs. Under a PV contracting and power supply agreement (onsite PPA), the football club will purchase the solar power generated from Lichtblick.

The Millerntor Stadium consumes about 2,000,000 kWh of electricity per year, according to the Lichtblick spokesperson. The PV system will supply up to 280,000 kWh.

Simulations show the stadium will consume 90% of the generated solar power directly. Lichtblick will feed the remaining 10% into the power grid through direct marketing. The football club has a supply contract with Lichtblick for the additional electricity it requires beyond what the rooftop system provides.

Project participants said this is the first rainbow-colored photovoltaic system in the world. Through the project, the football club and the Hamburg green energy provider aim to send a visible signal for the energy transition and for an open society.

3. Swiss developer breaks ground on 800 MW/1.6 GWh redox flow storage project

Flexbase Group has begun building what could become one of Europe’s largest flow battery storage installations, breaking ground on an 800 MW/1.6 GWh redox flow system in Laufenburg, Switzerland. The project combines utility-scale storage with an AI data center and district heating network in an ambitious multi-use development.

The Swiss developer started building the technology center earlier this month after securing regulatory approval, with commercial operations scheduled for summer 2028. The facility will span 20,000 square meters at Laufenburg’s grid interconnection hub, located at the junction of Swiss, German and French transmission networks with 41 cross-border lines.

Raphael Schmid, CMO of Flexbase, declined to name the supplier of the battery storage system when asked by pv magazine. The company also withheld exact investment figures. However, the Badische Zeitung reported the project could reach a value in the billions.

4. Zambia completes 100 MW solar farm

State-owned power company Zesco has completed the 100 MW Chisamba solar farm in southern Zambia.

The project, billed as the largest grid-connected solar facility in Zambia and the biggest of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa, is now ready to be commissioned. According to a statement from the company, plans are now underway to develop a second 100 MW phase at the site.

It was developed by Zesco’s subsidiary Kariba North Bank Extension Power Corp. (Knepc), with Power China working as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

Zesco and Knbepc each provided $30 million in equity for the $100 million project, while Stanbic Bank Zambia led a loan to cover the remaining 70%.

Zambia’s cumulative solar capacity had reached 196 MW by the end of 2024, up from 134 MW at the end of 2023, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

5. EU introduces secondary legislation for Net-Zero Industry Act

The European Commission has issued secondary legislation under the Net-Zero Industry Act to help Europe produce at least 40% of its annual deployment needs for strategic technologies, including PV modules, batteries, and heat pumps.

“These rules clarify which manufacturing projects can benefit from specific provisions in the Act, such as on permitting, strategic project status and on non-price criteria,” the commission said in a statement. “Today's act clarifies the scope of NZIA through listing specific components for which the NZIA requirements will apply.”

The commission explained that non-price criteria for renewable energy auctions in EU member states will include responsible business conduct, cybersecurity, and sustainability and resilience contributions. These rules take effect at the end of 2025 and must apply to at least 30% of auction volumes, roughly 6 GW per year per country.

The provisions also list eligible net-zero technology products, identify third-country dependencies for certain technologies, and define net-zero manufacturing projects eligible for “strategic project” status.

6. Solar set to become South Korea’s most cost-competitive energy source

Solar is set to become the most cost competitive energy source in South Korea by 2030 to 2035, according to researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The findings indicate that renewable energy technologies, and in particular solar and offshore wind, are expected to experience continued cost declines. By the mid 2030s, renewable costs are projected to have declined by 28% to 41% relative to 2023 levels. The researchers says the main factor for this drop in costs will be a decrease in the upfront expenses required to build the infrastructure and its associated costs, including grid connection expenses.

In contrast, the LCOE for nuclear is projected to increase by 15% over the same time period. Coal is expected to decrease slightly, while natural gas is projected to decrease by 46%.

Large-scale solar, classified as over 20 MW in the research, is projected to be the most cost-competitive energy source by 2030, with projected LCOE between $47/MWh and $48/MWh.

When social costs of conventional power sources are included, such as accident risk costs for nuclear power plants and carbon costs for coal and natural gas, the researchers found solar of all sizes is projected to become the most cost-competitive option from the early 2030s.

7. Philippines plans third microgrid auction

The Department of Energy (DOE) of the Philippines has announced plans for a third microgrid auction.

The competitive selection process will feature at least 71 lots covering 167 unserved and underserved areas, with microgrid system providers invited to bid for electrification in each lot. The auction schedule is expected to be announced by the end of next month.

The country’s first microgrid auction took place in November 2023, with contracts awarded in April 2024. The second auction followed during the second half of last year.

The DOE says that during the third auction, providers awarded a microgrid service area will automatically qualify for an Energy Project of National Significance, allowing necessary permits and licenses to be fast tracked.

Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara said the third auction round “marks a pivotal step in our push for total electrification.”

The Philippines had 2.97 GW of cumulative installed solar capacity by the end of 2024, up from 1.8 GW in 2023, according to the latest data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).