News

Observ’ER’s annual report shows that France’s small-scale solar market slowed sharply in 2025 after eight consecutive years of growth. Sales volumes for systems below 3kW fell 45.4% YoY to 153.25MW, while the 3kW to 9kW segment dropped 17.6% from 685MW to 564.1MW. Observ’ER attributed the decline mainly to regulatory changes introduced in 2025. Since March, 0-9kW systems have no longer been allowed to sell their full output to EDF OA and can only sell surplus electricity, while the surplus feed-in tariff fell from EUR 0.12/kWh to EUR 0.01/kWh. Self-consumption incentives were also reduced. SMM believes the rapid shift toward self-consumption has weakened short-term project economics for France’s residential PV market, making storage and higher self-consumption rates increasingly important for future demand recovery.

Lebanon’s Electricity Regulatory Authority has launched a tender for up to five grid-connected solar projects with a combined installed capacity of 350MW and 1GWh of battery energy storage. The location and exact capacity of each project have yet to be announced. Selected developers will be responsible for land acquisition or leasing, permitting, design, financing, construction, interconnection, testing, commissioning, and long-term operation and maintenance. The projects are expected to follow an independent power producer model, with expressions of interest due by Aug. 31. IRENA data show Lebanon’s cumulative solar capacity reached 1.505GW by the end of 2025, up from 1.081GW in 2024.

New-type energy storage projects, once included in the database, shall commence substantive construction within 6 months and achieve grid connection within 12 months. Projects adjusted out of the database and re-entered must have obtained an immovable property ownership certificate and commenced substantive construction, and shall achieve grid connection within 6 months. Any project in the database that fails to commence substantive construction within 6 months or fails to achieve grid connection within 12 months without applying for an extension shall be adjusted out of the database.

[SMM Analysis: Energy Storage Surge Boosts Electrolyte Demand, VC Industry Supply-Demand Tension Intensifies] The ESS sector’s growth certainty is prominent; a surge in installations across multiple scenarios in and outside China is driving up demand for ESS battery cells; demand for electrolyte and upstream lithium chemicals and additives is expanding in tandem; and the industry’s supply-demand pattern is being reshaped.

CATL released an investor relations activity record showing H1 power and energy storage battery sales up approximately 60% YoY, with energy storage batteries accounting for about one-quarter of total sales. The company stated the energy storage market will maintain rapid growth through next year, with capacity utilization basically saturated in H1. The 587Ah large energy storage cell has achieved scaled delivery, with energy storage systems accounting for nearly 70%. The company is optimistic about AIDC business prospects.

India's Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) has launched a global tender to select companies for establishing 10 GWh of Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) manufacturing capacity dedicated to grid-scale stationary energy storage applications. The project is part of India's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for ACC Battery Storage. Tender documents were released on 15 July 2026, with bid submissions closing on 13 October 2026. The 10 GWh capacity forms part of India's broader 50 GWh ACC manufacturing program, backed by a government incentive budget of ₹18,100 crore, aimed at strengthening domestic battery manufacturing and reducing reliance on imported battery technologies.

Germany’s Federal Network Agency has launched the first auction under the new Electricity Supply Security and Capacity Act, with bids for new dispatchable generation and long-duration energy storage due by Sept. 8. The first round covers 4.5GW of capacity, with successful bidders receiving capacity payments in exchange for keeping facilities available for 15 years. Battery storage is eligible only if it can discharge continuously for at least 10 hours, with a reduction factor of 0.58 for 10-hour systems and 0.85 for 20-hour systems. Batteries must also achieve 100% technical availability, at least 92% round-trip efficiency, and meet local-content requirements for key components such as cells and inverters. Results are expected on Nov. 3.

Korea Southern Power announced on July 20 that it held a completion ceremony on July 16 for the Jeju Andeok Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The Jeju BESS is a large-scale facility located in Seogwipo City, with an output of 23 MW and battery capacity of 92 MWh. After being selected for a Korea Power Exchange-led public project in November 2023, construction began in February last year, and the facility successfully started commercial operations in March this year.

[Solid-State Battery: China–Kazakhstan Perovskite PV and All-Solid-State Energy Storage Research Center Unveiled in Ordos] On July 6, 2026, the China–Kazakhstan Perovskite PV and All-Solid-State Energy Storage Research Center was officially inaugurated at the Ordos New Energy Research Institute. Jointly established by Beihang University, Nazarbayev University of Kazakhstan, and the Ordos New Energy Research Institute, the center will leverage Ordos’ industrial resources and Beihang’s research strengths to promote joint research and technology transfer in perovskite PV and all-solid-state energy storage, building an innovation platform for China–Kazakhstan new energy cooperation. SMM believes that the deployment of large-scale all-solid-state energy storage projects is still more than five years away.

[SMM Analysis: VC Supply-Demand Tight Balance to Persist in Short Term; HSC 60,000 mt Project Adjustment May Reshape Industry's Long-Term Competitive Landscape] On July 11, 2026, HSC New Energy Materials issued an announcement, making a major adjustment to the construction plan for the 60,000 mt vinylene carbonate (VC) project in Yunmeng, Hubei: The original phased construction plan for 30,000 mt in Phase I and 30,000 mt in Phase II was canceled and changed to a one-time overall construction of 60,000 mt VC capacity. The total project investment remains unchanged at 1.6 billion yuan, and the construction site, investment entity, and overall time to reach full production remain unchanged.

Sungrow and its regional distributor Solar Hive have signed a master framework agreement with Philippine renewable energy developer Berde Renewables to supply 200MW of PV inverters and 500MWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) over the next three years. The equipment will be deployed in commercial and industrial clean energy projects across the Philippines and Thailand.

[SMM Analysis] In H1, the overflow of global utility-scale energy storage long-term contracts intertwined with the growing pains of production line upgrades. This not only completely shattered the cyclical pattern of "retreat after rapid rise" in the energy storage market, but also directly triggered a structural shortage and a strong price recovery for 314Ah battery cells. Furthermore, driven by the looming cancellation of tax rebates at year-end, an even more intense wave of "export rush" is gaining momentum, potentially pushing the full-year battle between volume and price to its peak.