[SMM PV Flash] Australia Rooftop Solar Posts Strongest First Half Since 2021

October 12, China Southern Power Grid opened its eighth 2026 grid construction tender. It covers a third transformer at Guangdong’s 500 kV Kebei substation and, in Guizhou, bays for the second Xishui–Shixiang circuit and central ring-grid upgrades. Bid ceilings are RMB11.7817 million and RMB143.7485 million, respectively, financed entirely with internal funds. Guangdong construction is scheduled to start December 10, 2026. Both Guizhou works are scheduled to start December 30, with completion on December 10, 2027 and June 30, 2028, respectively. Bids close and open at 15:00 on November 4, 2026.

[SMM Analysis: Polysilicon Industry Meeting Held Again Over the Weekend! Production Cuts? Price Limits?] As for the upside in downstream module prices, in my personal opinion, the IRR returns of end-user projects are always the key factor. Weak electricity price returns, the disappearance of subsidies, and individual IRRs falling as low as or even lower than bank deposit interest rates remain the core pain points. End users are not pushing for lower prices without limits; rather, their own return hurdles are difficult to clear. Only by improving their returns through certain measures (such as reducing other costs, raising electricity prices, or other auxiliary income, etc.) can module and even upstream prices have upside. Otherwise, forced price hikes will either put the midstream under pressure or possibly sacrifice the already limited demand.

Doral Renewables is moving the three phases of its Mammoth Solar project in Pulaski County, Indiana, toward commercial operation. The project incorporates agrivoltaic applications by maintaining agricultural activities alongside solar infrastructure and includes demonstration areas developed in cooperation with Purdue University for crop trials, robotics and advanced monitoring systems. The project also uses selected US-manufactured equipment and local construction resources. The integration of large-scale solar generation with agriculture, research and smart monitoring reflects a broader trend toward improving land-use efficiency and creating additional value from utility-scale PV projects.