The EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators ('ACER') launched a public consultation, open until May 8, to assess the bloc's power purchase agreement ('PPA') market. 'ACER' seeks data on regulatory and financial conditions, including public guarantees, trading platforms, and tax incentives. The goal is to identify market barriers, inform its annual report, and guide future regulatory measures to improve market accessibility. This comes as the European 'PPA' market navigates complex dynamics; Finergreen noted a 35% drop in 2025 signings, whereas Pexapark reported February 2026 saw the highest monthly volume of new deals since early 2024.

According to consultancy 'Greener', Brazil imported 17.9 GWp of PV modules in 2025, a 24% decline from 2024, with 79% destined for the distributed generation segment. The drop reflects an inventory buildup as distributed additions slowed to 8.8 GW. Despite a fragmented market of 115 brands, the top 10 suppliers—led by JA Solar, Longi, Astronergy, and Risen—accounted for 59% of imports. Import costs have surged to 44% of the product's 'CIF' value due to higher import duties (up from 9% to 25%) and rising freight costs. Looking ahead, the market faces further pricing impacts from the end of Chinese export tax incentives, though some utility-scale projects may benefit from reinstated duty quotas.

[Weekly Operating Rates in the Aluminum Processing Industry: China's Aluminum Processing Sector Sees Modest Growth Amid Peak Season Demand] This week, the weekly operating rate of leading downstream aluminum processing enterprises in China edged up 1 percentage point WoW to 62.9%.

Current manufacturer expectations for this month and April remain cautious, with some companies having already lowered their April production forecasts.

Solid-state batteries were a hot topic at the 2026 Two Sessions, where delegates noted that the industry is at a critical inflection point, moving from “samples” to “products.”

Brazil's 439 MW Bom Jardim solar complex in Ceará has begun testing four of its 10 plants. Backed by a BRL 2.13 billion ($407 million) investment and qualifying for REIDI tax incentives, the 706-unit project targets full commercial operation by December 2027. Generated power will be routed via an 8 km transmission line to the 230 kV Icó Substation, with the development expected to create over 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.