Emiliano Bellini

Tunisia has authorized residential battery storage systems paired with hybrid inverters as record heat drives electricity demand and strains the national grid. The new framework enables PV system owners to use stored solar power during outages, with national utility STEG issuing technical requirements for safe deployment.

This week, Women in Solar+ Europe and the leadership ecosystem Solar+ Leaders Founder, Carmen Madrid, reflect on what the World Cup final can teach our sectors about collective leadership, emotional intelligence, character and accountability, and why these qualities are essential to delivering a successful energy transition.

The quality assurance provider reported India-based Waaree Renewable Technologies retained the top position in its Altmann-Z score-based quarterly ranking. Its analysts noted the number of companies with healthier scores remained stable at 14.

Researchers in Spain have developed a conditional diffusion-based model to improve the visibility of behind-the-meter PV systems using low-resolution smart meter data. The probabilistic approach enables accurate PV reconstruction with uncertainty estimates, helping distribution system operators better manage grid planning and flexibility.

The result was confirmed by the PV Performance Lab at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

Researchers in Egypt developed a solar-powered thermoelectric cooling unit for fish preservation, combining PV energy, Peltier modules, and automated temperature control to replace traditional ice-based methods. The prototype achieved efficient off-grid cooling at 5 C, with validated performance, low operating costs, and a rapid 0.15-year payback period.

Researchers in China developed a four-terminal perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cell using bis(2-pyridylmethyl) sulfide (2PyS) coordination engineering to improve wide-bandgap perovskite stability by suppressing defects, halide migration, and phase segregation.

An international study analyzed PV-related fires across the UK, Italy, Slovenia, and Sweden, showing that differences in reported fire rates are largely driven by national data collection methods and definitions. The researchers found that PV fires remain relatively rare, with data revealing that DC cables and connectors are the most common ignition sources.

Researchers in Italy found that agrivoltaic shading in Primitivo vineyards can reduce heat and water stress while improving vine physiology, growth, biodiversity, and yield under Mediterranean conditions. The study shows that photovoltaic integration can enhance vineyard resilience and maintain grape quality, although further long-term and multi-site research is needed to confirm its wider applicability.

Researchers in China found that copper electrodes in perovskite solar cells can suffer from edge corrosion during operation, reducing device performance. The team showed that adding a thin bismuth layer helps protect the copper electrode, limiting degradation and improving the long-term stability of the solar cells.