The European Commission has approved a €500 million state aid scheme for Luxembourg to support the manufacturing of clean technologies, including solar, wind, and batteries. Operating under the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework ('CISAF'), the initiative will provide direct grants to local companies until December 2030. This marks the first 'CISAF' scheme for a small Member State. The funding aims to expand local capacity, boosting efforts by companies like 'Solarcells', which recently began producing Luxembourg's first domestic solar panels. This follows similar 'CISAF' approvals for Greece (€400 million) and Germany (€3 billion) to accelerate Europe's net-zero transition.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office ('EPPO') is investigating attempted fraud involving EU funds for small solar plants in Slovenia. An unnamed company allegedly broke tender rules by ordering equipment before applying for a €215,265 grant, which was consequently blocked. Investigators found the firm previously secured over €955,275 for four supermarket rooftop projects by falsely claiming a third party supplied the solar panels, instead of providing them itself. Following this, Slovenian police raided properties in Celje to seize evidence. This echoes a similar January 2025 'EPPO' probe into two other Slovenian solar firms. Despite these issues, Slovenia's cumulative solar capacity reached 1.57 GW last year after adding 146.5 MW.

On March 24, construction officially commenced on the 100kt-per-year deep-processing project for aluminum veneer panels in Tianlin County at the Guiqian (Tianlin) Economic Industrial Park. The project is invested in and developed by Guangxi Zhuoyuan Aluminum Technology Co., Ltd., with a total investment of 1 billion yuan, and is a comprehensive production site for construction-grade aluminum integrating R&D and manufacturing. The project will be built in two phases: Phase I covers about 36 mu and is expected to produce 50kt of aluminum coil annually; after commencing operations, it is expected to generate annual output value of 1.2 billion yuan.

On 9 January, China’s Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration released a new export tax rebate policy. From 1 April 2026, China’s export tax rebates of up to 13% for solar battery panels will be rolled back, while the rebate rate for battery products will be reduced from 9% to 6%. The complete phase-out of tax rebates for the above-listed products is scheduled for 1 January 2027. This policy aims to negate price distortions emerged in overseas battery markets, which have long affected the profit margins of domestic manufacturers.

Precious metals are having a moment. Gold and silver surged to record highs in January, benefiting from an alignment of macroeconomic factors, evolving supply-demand dynamics, and renewed industrial demand.

Silver is having one of its most extraordinary years in modern market history.

According to SMM, as of February 27, 2026, the days of inventories for domestic aluminum rod plants were recorded at 12.7 days, an increase of 8.6 days from before the holiday.In the first week after the holiday, the weekly operating rate of the domestic aluminum wire and cable industry rebounded to 57%, up 4 percentage points MoM, significantly higher than the pre-holiday low of 53%.

The Iraqi Customs Authority slashed tariffs on solar systems—including PV panels, inverters, cables, and lithium batteries—from 33% to 5%. This move aligns with the Central Bank's recent IQD 6 billion ($4.6 million) loan initiative to boost clean energy uptake. Despite high solar irradiance, Iraq's cumulative capacity was just 42 MW at the end of 2024, a lag officials attribute to 'weak awareness'. However, progress is expected through upcoming utility-scale developments, including the 300 MW Karbala plant and TotalEnergies' planned 1 GW project.

[SMM Analysis: An Overview of the Resumption of Work for Aluminum Plate/Sheet, Strip and Foil Enterprises After the 2026 Chinese New Year] Looking ahead, as the industry moves past the holiday impact following the Lantern Festival, coupled with the approaching peak season of "Golden March and Silver April" and the "rush to export" window brought about by adjustments in battery export tax rebate policies, the operating rate of the industry is expected to steadily rebound in late March.

U.S. Company Files 337 Investigation Petition Against TOPCon Solar Products February 28, Ministry of Commerce Announcement On February 24, 2026, U.S.-based First Solar, Inc. filed a petition with the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930. The petition alleges that: Certain TOPCon solar cells, modules, panels, components thereof, and downstream products containing these items;