Since 2017, Vietnam’s solar market has grown rapidly under strong policy support, especially feed-in tariff incentives. This drove fast capacity expansion but also exposed grid constraints as development outpaced transmission infrastructure. As subsidies gradually phased out, market logic shifted from policy-driven growth to energy security and system stability.

The National Energy Administration recently held a national monthly dispatching meeting on renewable energy power development and construction, disclosing that as of the end of April, the cumulative grid-connected capacity of wind and solar power reached 1.911 billion kW (including 1.25 billion kW of PV and 661 million kW of wind power), and wind and solar power generation accounted for 24.1% of total societal electricity consumption. The meeting outlined seven key tasks, including increasing the grid connection and accommodation of new energy, promoting the implementation of direct green electricity supply policies, and accelerating the construction of large-scale wind and solar power bases.

Colombia’s system operator XM has completed its latest Firm Energy Obligations auction, awarding 4.07GW of new net effective capacity for the period from Dec. 1, 2029 to Nov. 30, 2030. Solar accounted for 1.55GW, alongside 246MW of wind and 2.28GW of thermal capacity. A total of 77 out of 85 participating plants secured allocations, including 29 solar projects. Although solar represented nearly 38% of newly awarded capacity, it accounted for only 7.7% of total firm energy allocated, reflecting Colombia’s reliability charge mechanism, which favors technologies with higher dispatch firmness. SMM believes solar is gaining a stronger role in Colombia’s capacity market, but storage, hybridization and improved dispatchability will be key to strengthening project revenue stability.

Record industrial demand, supply deficits, and new U.S. policy changes now place silver at the center of modern manufacturing.

Romania’s Environmental Fund Administration may not run the Casa Verde rooftop solar grant program this year, after the scheme was also suspended last year. The program previously covered up to 90% of household PV system costs, but local reports suggest it may be transformed into a battery storage grant scheme for prosumers, of which Romania now has more than 250,000. RPIA said a proposed EUR 76 million budget in 2026 is expected to support hybrid PV-plus-storage systems for residential and C&I users, mainly targeting existing PV prosumers. SMM believes Romania’s policy focus is shifting from pure solar capacity expansion toward higher self-consumption, grid flexibility and distributed system resilience, with storage becoming a key driver for continued rooftop PV growth.

Mendoza province has inaugurated the 360MW El Quemado Solar Park in Las Heras, making it the largest photovoltaic plant in Argentina, surpassing the 315MW Cauchari complex. The USD 220 million project was originally developed by provincial utility Emesa and later acquired and built by YPF Luz, with the first 100MW unit entering commercial operation last December. The plant covers around 620 hectares and includes more than 511,000 bifacial modules, 5,800 trackers and 1,170 inverters, with an estimated capacity factor of 31.4%. With El Quemado online, Mendoza’s installed solar capacity now exceeds 700MW, while its project pipeline is expected to surpass 1GW.

Brazil added 4.4GW of solar capacity in the first quarter of 2026, including 2.3GW from utility-scale projects and 2.2GW from distributed generation. In March, the country planned to connect 25 utility-scale solar plants totaling around 1.1GW, although new centralized connections are expected to slow toward the end of the year. If the first-quarter connection pace continues, Brazil could add 8.7GW of distributed solar and 4.7GW of utility-scale solar in 2026, bringing total annual additions to around 13.4GW, above ABsolar’s earlier forecast of about 10GW. SMM believes grid connection constraints, regulatory changes and rising curtailment pressure will remain key challenges, while storage, energy efficiency upgrades and migration to the free energy market could help sustain sector growth.

India installed 15.3GW of solar capacity in the first quarter of 2026, up 143% year on year and marking its highest quarterly addition on record. Utility projects accounted for 12.6GW, or 82% of total additions. Based on SMM research, the strong growth was mainly driven by project rush ahead of the June ALMM-II implementation, faster rollout of PM-KUSUM rural and agricultural solar projects, and concentrated grid connection before the phased reduction of ISTS transmission charge waivers.

Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) energized the 136 MW Itimpi II solar plant in Kitwe, currently the largest operational solar asset in Zambia. The $125.8 million project was independently funded through CEC’s $200 million Green Bond, showcasing the strength of local capital markets in financing mega-projects without sovereign debt. Constructed over 14 months, the site created over 2,500 jobs and contracted 15 local firms. With this commissioning, CEC's solar capacity reaches 230 MW, moving toward its goal of 500 MW by 2027 to address power deficits in the mining and industrial sectors.

The Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) and Sunshare Energy signed a $246 million agreement to add 250 MW in the second phase of the Nambala solar plant, bringing the project's total investment to $300 million. Government reforms have significantly streamlined approval timelines, fostering an investor-friendly environment for large-scale projects like Globeleq’s 250 MW solar-plus-storage site. These developments support Zambia’s national target of deploying 1 GW of solar. Current data from AFSIA identifies 977.2 MW of operational solar capacity across the country to date.