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solar modules

Solar cells and solar modules are the workhorses of the solar system, they decide on performance and electricity yield. Here we show new products and trends in module technology.

Nancy Yell explains why less weight means more possibilities

Sunman Energy – lightweight modules deliver up to 520 watts

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PV on Tour – Sunman Energy presents its ultra-lightweight, semi-flexible solar modules, designed for lightweight roofs and balcony PV systems, and achieving up to 520 watts. Managing Director Nancy Yell lays out the advantages of the technology.

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Suntech Expands High-Efficiency Module Portfolio with Quarter-Cut Technology

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As solar markets place increasing focus on long-term performance, reliability and project bankability, demand is growing for technologies that combine high efficiency with independently verified quality.

An eye on aesthetics, with limited impact on performance

Germany – colour films mark a step change in PV aesthetics

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The Fraunhofer ISE team in Freiburg has developed a technique using structured coatings and cutouts to create detailed, durable patterns on modules, opening new scope for architecture and design in PV.

Leon Zhang, President for Europe, talks about Longi's strategy in challenging markets.

Longi – a road map to ongoing innovation

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CEO Talk: Module technology is evolving rapidly, even amid intense price competition. All the while, customers demand more power from their systems. Back contact cells represent the current pinnacle of development, but there’s more to be achieved. Where is the industry headed? We take a closer look.

Don’t try this at home – the testing underway at the University of Stuttgart.

Euronergy – pushing lightweight modules to their limits

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PV on Tour: Euronergy’s new lightweight PV modules have cleared key fire safety tests for building approval. Frank Hochmuth of Euronergy and Malte Sulkiewicz of Osnatech explain what sets the panels apart.

Prof Dr Ilija Nasov heads the Macedonian Solar Association and the Plasma R&D Centre in Skopje

25 years in solar innovation: coatings, PVT and what came next

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A leading figure in European materials research for renewables, Prof Dr Ilija Nasov has spent decades shaping solar technology. He shares his personal route through EU research programmes with PV Europe.

Nothing to see on the front side, which is precisely the point

No tracks, no fuss – Sonnenkraft debuts back-contact PV

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The Austrian manufacturer's latest product removes conductor tracks from the front of the cell, freeing the surface for light absorption and broadening the design options for facades.

Laser focused on the wafer and on a tighter cost per watt

Lithuania – SoliTek brings fully automated line to full capacity

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The upgraded Vilnius facility produces residential modules up to 455 W and C&I modules up to 510 W in the G12R format, with semi-tempered glass aimed at the German overhead glazing market.

The old energy economy looks on as the new one slips quietly past

Belgium – Longi cells hit the road ahead of US race

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A 200-kilometre urban road test of the Innoptus Solar Team's Infinite Apollo served as final validation for Longi's high-efficiency technology before the American Solar Challenge in July.

The cleanroom choreography of scaling tandem cells beyond the lab

Germany – Fraunhofer's Pero-Si-SCALE gets perovskite tandems wafer-ready

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Built around a hybrid vacuum and wet-chemical process, the Pero-Si-SCALE laboratory of the Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg gives industry partners a shared platform to test perovskite-silicon designs at full wafer size.

Bleeding-edge solar cell manufacturing underway at AIKO

AIKO crosses 25% efficiency at production scale

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The Zhejiang-based manufacturer's All Back Contact modules again lead the April 2026 TaiyangNews monthly update on commercially available high-efficiency solar modules, fending off mounting competition from rival technologies.

The all-black Vision 5.5, one of three variants on offer

Solarwatt pushes TOPCon output to 470 watts

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Power density on the new bifacial Vision 5.5 series rises to 235 watts per square metre, with three frame and cell-background variants in the line-up.

Standard in looks, bifacial in build, up to 670 watts output

Ja Solar expands DeepBlue 5.0 series with new modules

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At Intersolar Europe in Munich, the tier-1 manufacturer is broadening its DeepBlue 5.0 range with new bifacial and monofacial n-type modules for commercial installations and utility-scale projects.

An ESG initiative aims to improve traceability and sustainability of critical minerals in solar modules

SSI, IRMA partner on responsible mineral sourcing

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The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) and the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation on responsible mineral sourcing, transparency and the protection of workers’ rights throughout solar supply chains.

A façade that works for a living – the modules up close at Zwhatt's high-rise H1

Façade PV – scaling new heights on skyline projects

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For multi-family and taller buildings, PV façades extend rooftop systems where roof space falls short. Vertical surfaces add generation area, with design and planning decisive in dense urban developments.

LONGi headquarters, now with another pair of efficiency milestones to its name

LONGi logs two new records as back-contact advances

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One platform, two milestones: a 28.13 percent cell measured in Hamelin and a 26.4 percent module logged in Colorado extend the Chinese manufacturer's long-term back-contact technology route.

Martin Green (left) has spent five decades advancing solar module technology.

Solar Investors Guide – Martin Green on glass-free modules

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Professor Martin Green of the University of New South Wales is a leading figure in solar research, holding numerous patents and efficiency records dating back to 1974. Now Chief Scientific Officer at Euronergy, he is focused on developing glass-free, lightweight modules that are exceptionally thin and easy to install.

SilicoNPV 2026 brings the global PV community to Ankara

SilicoNPV 2026 in Ankara to spotlight silicon PV advances

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From 13 to 17 April 2026, Ankara will host a conference on crystalline silicon photovoltaics, covering TOPCon, heterojunction and tandem concepts while bringing together researchers and industry professionals.

A hint of mad science, with measurable outcomes

Germany – Fraunhofer ISE plating cuts silver use in TOPCon cells

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A new metallisation approach reduces silver demand in TOPCon cells by a factor of ten, with implications for manufacturing costs and material sourcing.