PV Tech Power Magazine

Matrix completed construction on the site in November. Image: Matrix Renewables. US independent power producer (IPP) Matrix Renewables has begun commercial operations at the 210MW Stillhouse solar PV project in Bell County, Texas. With the start of commercial operations, Matrix said it has successfully secured Investment Tax Credit (ITC) funding and the conversion of the project’s construction financing—secured in 2024—to long-term debt.

The company was the second largest residential solar installer in 2025 according to Wood Mackenzie, with a 6.1% market share. Image: Freedom Forever. US residential solar installer Freedom Forever has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid a broad set of litigation claims. The company announced the bankruptcy earlier this week in the US bankruptcy court for the district of Delaware.

JinkoSolar’s module shipments, revenue and profitability all fell in 2025. Image: JinkoSolar. Leading module manufacturer JinkoSolar’s fourth quarter and full-year 2025 results have revealed declines in annual module shipments and revenues, as well as a sharp drop in profitability.

Community solar capacity in the US has passed 10GW and offers strong prospects for future growth. Image: Catalyze. The US community solar sector passed 10GWdc of cumulative capacity in late 2025, according to a report by analysts Wood Mackenzie and the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA). Despite seeing a 25% year-on-year contraction in 2025 from 2024, community solar in the US is expected to return to an upward trajectory in 2026, with 12% growth forecast for this year.

Solar buyers are increasingly prioritising security and regulatory compliance in procurement over unit cost alone, the SolarPLUS Europe conference heard yesterday. Image: PV Tech European solar procurement is shifting away from cost concerns towards other risks, according to speakers at the SolarPLUS Europe conference in Milan yesterday.

Rumours of a meeting in China to discuss polysilicon price controls through output cuts were debunked by leading industry players. Image: LONGi. On 13 April, rumours widely circulated in the Chinese polysilicon market that several PV companies had held a “closed-door meeting” in Chengdu in early April to discuss mandatory polysilicon production cuts, the phasing out of obsolete capacity and coordinating supply chain price support.

Axel Thiemann, CEO of IPP Sonnedix, said that his firm has learned to “embrace volatility on all different levels”. Image: PV Tech European renewables developers need to embrace volatility and change in the face of ongoing global shifts, according to speakers at the SolarPLUS Europe conference in Milan, Italy this morning.

Suniva is adding to its US cell production footprint with a new 4.5GW facility in South Carolina. Image: Suniva. US-based PV manufacturer Suniva is to open a new solar cell manufacturing facility in South Carolina. The 4.5GW facility in Laurens will join the company’s existing 1GW facility in Atlanta, giving Suniva one of the largest cell manufacturing footprints in the US.

R.Power Renewables said the project began construction earlier this year and is expected to connect to the Polish grid in Q2 2027. Image: R.Power. Polish independent power producer (IPP) R.Power Renewables has secured project financing to support an 80MW solar PV project in Poland. The company announced the financing for the Lasocice project in Western Poland earlier this week in a social media post.

Botswana and Oma are cooperating on solar, wind and storage projects. Image: Scatec. Oman-based renewables firm Naqaa Sustainable Energy has been named as the lead developer of a 500MW PV plant in Botswana. Local media, citing Botswana’s Ministry of Minerals and Energy, have reported that the Omani firm will design, finance, build, and operate what would be, by some distance, the southern African country’s largest PV power plant.