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Solar PV in September: Panel Prices Drop as Labs Set New Efficiency Records
The European PV module market is catching its breath after spring price hikes, while Chinese researchers are showing where cell technology is headed in the coming years. Today we take a look at panel prices and a new efficiency record for perovskite-silicon tandem cells.
01 · PV Prices
PV Panel Prices Head Down Again – A Correction After Spring Increases
The start of 2026 brought installers and investors an unpleasant surprise in the form of rising solar module prices. However, August data shows a clear reversal of that trend – prices fell in three of the four panel categories analyzed, with Full Black modules seeing the steepest drop, down 5.7% month-on-month [1].
Importantly, market analysts are tempering enthusiasm about the scale of this correction. The shift in pricing stems mainly from a change in the product mix available on the market – with cheaper models from China gaining an increasingly larger share – rather than from actual price cuts on the same specific devices [1]. In other words, average price statistics are improving largely because the range of offerings is changing, not necessarily because manufacturers are broadly cutting their margins. For installers planning equipment purchases in the coming months, this is a signal to track not just average market prices, but also specific offers and the origin of the modules.
02 · Tandem Cells
Efficiency Record: Chinese Tandem Cell Reaches 34%
While the market grapples with current price dynamics, research labs are working on technologies that could completely transform the economics of PV installations within a few years. A team of scientists from Soochow University and the LONGi Central R&D Institute has announced a new efficiency record for a perovskite-silicon tandem cell – 34%, with a certified value of 33.5% [2].
The key to the breakthrough was the use of zirconium dioxide nanoparticles, which reduce energy losses at the interface between the perovskite and silicon layers – one of the main challenges in this technology. The result is not only a record efficiency, but also a record open-circuit voltage of 2.014 V [2]. Just as important as the result itself is the cell's durability: after 2,000 hours of continuous illumination, it retained as much as 84% of its initial efficiency [2], showing that tandem technology is moving beyond a mere laboratory curiosity and increasingly aiming for commercialization. This is a significant direction for the entire industry – if results like these can be replicated at production scale, the standard silicon cells that today's market relies on could face serious competition in the coming years.
Summary
Summary
September reveals two faces of the PV industry: on one hand, the ongoing market game around module prices, and on the other, laboratory breakthroughs that are setting the direction for the next decade. Both perspectives – the one concerning today's purchasing decisions and the one looking toward tomorrow's technology – will be topics of discussion at Solar Energy Expo 2027 – the Trade Fair for the Renewable Energy Industry. Stay tuned for the next editions of our roundup, and be sure to save the date!
Invitation
Module prices are falling and labs are setting efficiency records – and that's just the beginning of the changes you'll see live at Solar Energy Expo 2027. Meet panel manufacturers, distributors, and scientists working on tandem technology, all in one place. Talk about pricing, supply, and technological innovations directly with industry experts. Save the date and stay up to date with the direction solar technology is heading.
Solar Energy Expo 2027Footnotes
[1] Gramwzielone.pl — https://www.gramwzielone.pl/energia-sloneczna/20377735/korekta-na-rynku-paneli-fotowoltaicznych-wracaja-spadki-cen[2] Interesting Engineering / Solar Now — https://now.solar/2026/09/20/breakthrough-perovskite-silicon-tandem-solar-cell-hits-34-efficiency-record-level-voltage-interesting-engineering/