Priya covers solar cell technology, module manufacturing, and the ALMM regulatory landscape. Previously an analyst at a leading solar consultancy, she breaks down technology shifts for utility-scale developers.
Areas of expertise
Solar cell tech (TOPCon, HJT, BC)Module manufacturingALMM policy
Saudi Arabia's renewable energy capacity reached approximately 8 GW operational in Q1 2026, against the Vision 2030 target of 130 GW by 2030. Major projects under construction include Sudair (1.5 GW solar), Shuaibah (600 MW), and the first NEOM green hydrogen (4 GW renewable) commissioning. Massive capacity gap requires 25 GW/year average through 2030. This deep-dive covers the renewable pipeline, NEOM project status, world's lowest solar tariffs, Saudi domestic content rules, and what global developers should know.
Intersolar Europe 2026 runs June 17–19 in Munich as part of The Smarter E Europe — expecting 110,000+ visitors and 3,000+ exhibitors across solar, storage, e-mobility, and smart grids. Key threads: EU module manufacturing ramp, perovskite tandem commercialization, residential BESS+heat pump bundles, and CBAM-driven supply chain shifts.
China's cumulative installed renewable capacity crossed 1,400 GW by Q1 2026 — solar 750 GW, wind 500 GW, hydro 425 GW, plus operational BESS exceeding 80 GW. China manufactures 80%+ of global solar modules and 70%+ of EV batteries. Domestic 2030 renewable target: 3,500 GW combined. This deep-dive covers installed capacity, supply chain dominance, the 14th Five-Year Plan trajectory, offshore wind expansion, and what it means for the rest of the world.
Brazil's cumulative installed solar PV capacity crossed 50 GW in Q1 2026, making it the world's third-largest solar market after China and India. Distributed solar (residential + commercial rooftop) dominates with 65% share — a unique market structure driven by net-metering economics. 2026 challenges include tariff policy uncertainty and grid congestion in the Northeast. This deep-dive covers the market structure, net-metering reform, utility-scale acceleration, key developers, and the opportunity for global suppliers.
EU WEEE Directive amendments now mandate 85% material recovery from solar modules. India's draft e-waste rules expected H2 2026 will create a domestic recycling obligation. Glass-aluminum recovery is commercially viable; silver and silicon recovery economics remain marginal — driving R&D in dedicated PV recycling technology.
India agrivoltaics pilot projects have scaled to over 250 MW across Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan in 2026. Vertical bifacial installations and elevated single-axis trackers dominate. Power+crop yields are positive across rice, wheat, and horticulture pilots, though land-use approvals remain complex.
Solar carport installations at Indian commercial properties — IT parks, malls, hospitals — crossed 180 MW cumulative by Q1 2026. EV charging integration and ToD tariff arbitrage drive the economics. Mall and tech park installations dominate; airport-scale projects emerging in tier-1 cities.
Combined ALMM-listed module capacity in India crossed 100 GW in Q1 2026, driven by Waaree, Adani Solar, Vikram, and Goldi commissioning new 5 GW+ lines. Cell capacity still lags at 60 GW, leaving a 40 GW cell-to-module gap that imports continue to fill.
Robotic cleaning systems for utility-scale solar have reached 8 GW under contract globally by Q1 2026. Water-free dry cleaning robots dominate in MENA and Rajasthan; water-based systems remain common where soiling and water both abundant. Per-MW operating cost has dropped 40% over three years.
Bifacial module share in Indian SECI utility-scale tender awards crossed 78% in Q1 2026, up from 62% in Q1 2025. Falling per-watt price premiums (now under ₹0.5/W) and improved tracker compatibility have shifted developer math decisively toward bifacial.
Soiling-induced generation losses in MENA and Rajasthan desert solar installations average 4–8% annually without cleaning intervention. Worst-case dust storm events can cause 25–35% short-term generation drops. Operators have converged on weekly to bi-weekly cleaning frequency with robotic systems.
Tier 1 TOPCon bifacial module pricing for India delivery sits at $0.094/W in May 2026 — a 7% drop quarter-on-quarter. Polysilicon at $5.80/kg and cell pricing at $0.029/W have stabilised. Indian developers signing Q4 commissioning contracts should target $0.090/W or lower. This deep-dive breaks down the full price stack, regional variations, what drives module costs, and a procurement playbook for developers.
After three years of M10 vs G12 wafer-size competition, the industry has settled into stable coexistence in 2026. M10 (182mm) dominates residential and commercial applications at 56% share; G12 (210mm) leads utility-scale at 38%. Module-level standardisation has largely stabilised.
Field studies show modern Tier 1 PERC and TOPCon modules degrading at 0.40–0.55% per year — well within manufacturer warranties of 0.55% but worse than marketing claims of 0.30%. HJT shows slightly lower degradation. Bifacial modules show similar rates to mono-facial of the same cell technology.
Southeast Asia's floating photovoltaic pipeline crossed 5 GW in 2026, led by Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Reservoir and hydropower dam co-location accounts for 72% of the pipeline. Per-watt capex premium versus ground-mount has compressed to 12% from 25% in 2022.
Single-axis trackers dominate 91% of utility-scale solar installations globally. Dual-axis trackers, despite a 10–15% generation uplift, struggle to justify their 60% capex premium. Only specific high-DNI, high-tariff geographies — primarily off-grid microgrid applications — make dual-axis economics work.
Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells have crossed 34% laboratory efficiency in 2026, with first commercial module shipments from Oxford PV and LONGi expected H2 2026. Production scale remains pilot-level. Long-term stability — historically the blocker — has improved materially in 2024–2026 thanks to encapsulation advances.
TOPCon owns 78% of new module shipments in 2026, PERC has collapsed to under 10% of new capacity (legacy lines only), and HJT holds 11% with the strongest efficiency floor. PERC is now firmly a sunset technology. The real 2026 question is TOPCon's defence against HJT's narrowing capex gap. This complete comparison covers how each cell works, efficiency, cost, degradation, and which to choose for your project.
Best-in-class crystalline silicon cell efficiency records hit 27.3% in Q1 2026 (NREL-certified), up from 26.8% one year earlier. Critically, mass-production efficiency for TOPCon and HJT now sits within 1.5 percentage points of laboratory records — the smallest gap in solar history. This deep-dive covers the records by technology, why the lab-to-production gap is closing, the Shockley-Queisser limit, and what perovskite tandems will change.
Global solar glass production capacity reached an effective 4,200 tonnes per day in 2026, matching peak quarterly demand for the first time since the 2021 supply crunch. Chinese producers dominate (Xinyi Solar, Flat Glass Group, CSG). Solar glass pricing has stabilised at $2.30/m² for 2.0mm bifacial-grade after the 2022–2024 volatility.
MNRE's expected ALMM List of Approved Cells (first edition Q3 2026) combined with PLI scheme Phase 2 awards (announced Q1 2026) is reshaping Indian cell manufacturing. Reliance, Adani, Avaada Electro, Premier Energies, and Waaree are scaling commercial cell production. Domestic cell capacity should cross 100 GW by end-2027.
Solar cell manufacturers globally have retrofitted approximately 18 GW of PERC cell lines to TOPCon capability in 2025–2026. Conversion economics work when residual PERC line life is 5+ years and ALMM/IRA market access matters. Per-GW conversion capex ranges from $25–45 million depending on existing line vintage and required equipment changes.
Polyolefin elastomer (POE) encapsulant has captured roughly 35% of premium solar module production in 2026, displacing ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) for TOPCon, HJT, and bifacial modules. POE's superior PID resistance and lower moisture permeability justify the 30–40% cost premium for performance-critical applications.
Heterojunction (HJT) cell line capex has dropped from $130 million per GW in 2022 to $95 million per GW in early 2026, narrowing the gap with TOPCon ($85 million per GW). Silver-to-copper paste transition and indium-free TCO are the primary cost drivers. The cost crossover with TOPCon could arrive by 2027.