Introduction
Week 41 brings a modestly softer European module market, stronger emphasis on inverter certification and cybersecurity, and another week of large-scale battery projects and supplier restructuring. InfoLink reported gradual price weakening in Europe as lower-efficiency inventory moved into export markets while demand remained subdued. In power electronics, European manufacturing capacity is expanding even as utilisation falls, and new regulatory proposals put supplier-level cyber risk higher on procurement agendas. Storage activity remains substantial, from a newly operational solar-plus-storage park in Bulgaria to major CATL and Wärtsilä developments, but the evidence still does not support one Europe-wide hardware-price direction.
1. Solar Modules
Market direction: ↓ Falling
InfoLink Consulting’s assessment for orders delivered and signed from 24 to 30 September found stable global module averages but a softer European market. The average TOPCon module price outside China remained USD 0.114/W, while European prices had gradually weakened as China’s energy-efficiency policy encouraged lower-efficiency inventory to move into export channels and European demand remained weak. Polysilicon and wafer prices were broadly stable, and n-type cell averages in China were also flat.
OPIS separately reported that the global non-China polysilicon benchmark remained unchanged at USD 19.312/kg. In China, the mono-grade benchmark rose 3.74% week on week, but buyers continued to resist higher offers and inventories remained above 500,000 metric tons. For European buyers, the practical signal is limited downward pressure at module level rather than a synchronized fall across the whole value chain.
Brand Spotlight — JA Solar
First Solar filed a US patent-infringement lawsuit against JA Solar and several subsidiaries on 1 October, alleging unauthorized use of a patent covering methods used to manufacture TOPCon crystalline-silicon cells. JA Solar had not yet provided a response in the retrieved PV Tech report. The claim is an allegation, not a legal finding, and the action is US-focused.
The procurement relevance is risk management around a widely used technology. European EPCs should not assume immediate product disruption, but they should document the exact module, manufacturing entity, delivery route and contractual allocation of intellectual-property risk. Tender terms should cover substitution, delays and warranty continuity if a dispute affects a specific production route.
Browse available JA Solar products.
Brand Spotlight — First Solar
First Solar’s filing is the latest step in a wider TOPCon enforcement programme. PV Tech reported that the company’s patent portfolio includes issued rights in multiple jurisdictions, including the European Union, with validity extending to 2030 and beyond. The current lawsuit itself was filed in the United States and does not establish infringement in Europe.
For procurement teams, the development reinforces the need to treat intellectual-property exposure as part of supplier qualification. First Solar’s cadmium-telluride modules follow a different technology route from conventional TOPCon products, so comparisons should also cover project design, energy yield, recycling arrangements, delivery geography and bankable warranty support rather than only nameplate efficiency or price.
2. Inverters
Market direction: → Stable / unclear
No dependable Europe-wide inverter transaction-price benchmark was published during the week. Market evidence instead points to a structural split between growing capacity and lower utilisation. PV Tech Research forecasts European inverter manufacturing capacity to rise from 60 GW in 2021 to more than 120 GW in 2027, while production reaches about 70 GW and factory utilisation falls to 57%. Imports are still expected to supply more than half of European demand.
Regulation is also moving. Proposed amendments to the EU Cybersecurity Act 2 would shift the assessment of high-risk inverter suppliers from a country-based approach toward individual company evaluations. The proposal is not yet law and specific suppliers or restrictions have not been determined. Buyers should nevertheless strengthen cyber due diligence, update policies, remote-access controls and software responsibility in tender documents.
Brand Spotlight — SMA Solar Technology
SMA’s Sunny Central UP-S became the first battery inverter platform certified under version 2.1 of the VDE FNN guideline for supplying grid-stabilising inertia in Germany. The certification creates a route into Germany’s new instantaneous-reserve market, where transmission operators can award multi-year contracts for qualifying grid-forming assets.
This is relevant to utility-scale storage and hybrid projects because power-conversion equipment is increasingly selected for grid services as well as energy conversion. Buyers should still verify that the exact project configuration, controls, grid study, plant controller, availability commitment and commissioning scope meet the applicable market and connection requirements. A platform certification does not automatically qualify every project.
Brand Spotlight — FoxESS
FoxESS unveiled the Power Beast commercial-and-industrial storage system, pairing a 125 kW H3 Plus hybrid inverter with stackable LFP battery modules. The manufacturer says a single inverter can support configurations from 28 kWh to nearly 1 MWh, while larger on-grid systems can be paralleled. The reported inverter efficiency is 98.5% and the system uses a battery-voltage range of 180 V to 950 V.
Important commercial details remain unconfirmed: FoxESS did not disclose launch markets, pricing, delivery dates, system-level certifications, warranty terms or the cell supplier. European installers should therefore treat the announcement as a product-development signal and require written evidence of country availability, grid approval, fire documentation, battery compatibility, commissioning support and warranty handling before specification.
3. Batteries & BESS
Market direction: → Stable / unclear
The week’s evidence shows continued deployment but no consistent Europe-wide hardware-price movement. Renalfa IPP and Eurowind began commercial operations at a 242 MWp solar-plus-storage park in Bulgaria, with two co-located BESS installations totaling 311 MW/773 MWh. In Sweden, Alight acquired a 2 GW portfolio of 40 solar projects with battery options at most sites, illustrating how storage is increasingly embedded in development pipelines.
Cybersecurity is becoming a procurement constraint as well as a technical one. Energy Storage Europe warned that uneven implementation and regulatory gaps across EU member states are increasing cost and slowing deployment without consistently addressing grid-level risks. Equipment, controls, remote connectivity and long-term update obligations should therefore be assessed together.
Brand Spotlight — CATL
CATL signed an agreement with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners to supply a 313 MW/1,639.45 MWh BESS for the La Alegría solar project in Mexico. The planned configuration provides about 5.24 hours of storage and uses CATL’s TENER platform. It is materially larger than the storage configuration previously included in the project’s environmental documentation, so buyers should distinguish the newly announced supply agreement from earlier approvals.
The project is outside Europe and does not establish European pricing or availability. Its procurement relevance is the move toward longer-duration, gigawatt-hour-scale systems and the importance of integrating battery supply with project execution and service. European tenders should confirm cell provenance, container specification, PCS scope, safety certification, degradation guarantees, augmentation, commissioning and local service responsibility.
Brand Spotlight — Wärtsilä Energy
Wärtsilä transferred its energy-storage business into Valo, a 50/50 joint venture with German engineering company RCT Solutions, which launched on 1 October. Valo starts with more than 20 GWh across more than 130 projects worldwide. Wärtsilä expects the venture to remain loss-making in 2026 before moving toward positive results near the end of 2027.
For buyers, the change is commercially relevant because ownership, guarantees, software responsibility and service delivery can matter throughout a BESS contract. Existing Wärtsilä project guarantees are expected to support ongoing projects, but new tenders should identify the precise contracting entity, warranty provider, balance-sheet support, controls platform, spare-parts route and long-term service obligations.
4. Search4Solar Market View
Module buyers should refresh delivered-price benchmarks. The European signal is modestly softer, but upstream inputs are not moving in one direction and global TOPCon averages remained stable. Compare equivalent technology, efficiency class, origin, traceability, logistics, payment terms and warranty route. Patent developments make contractual substitution and intellectual-property clauses more important for TOPCon procurement.
For inverters, price is only one part of bankability. European capacity is growing while utilisation falls, and policy is putting more weight on supplier-specific cybersecurity. Project teams should compare grid-forming capability, architecture, certifications, software governance, remote access, update commitments, commissioning and local service alongside €/kW.
For BESS, the strongest weekly signal is continued scale and integration rather than a price trend. Long-duration supply agreements, hybrid-project pipelines and new corporate structures all increase the need for clear risk allocation. Procurement teams should assess the battery, PCS, controls, grid connection, cyber responsibilities, degradation model, augmentation plan and service contract as one system.
Sources Used
- InfoLink Consulting — Upstream and midstream prices hold steady, while European module prices weaken — 30 September 2026.
- pv magazine / OPIS — Global polysilicon prices hold steady as China price gains meet buyer resistance — 2 October 2026.
- PV Tech — First Solar files TOPCon patent infringement lawsuit against JA and Corning subsidiary — 2 October 2026.
- pv magazine — EU inverter restrictions could shift from countries to individual high-risk suppliers — 28 September 2026.
- PV Tech — European inverter manufacturing forecast to increase in 2027 as utilisation rate drops — 1 October 2026.
- Energy-Storage.News — SMA battery inverter first to win grid-forming certification for German inertia market — 29 September 2026.
- pv magazine / ESS News — Fox ESS launches modular C&I battery system scalable to 96 MWh — 30 September 2026.
- Energy-Storage.News — Urgent need for cybersecurity overhaul as BESS deployment accelerates — 28 September 2026.
- PV Tech — Renalfa IPP, Eurowind inaugurate 242 MW solar-plus-storage project in Bulgaria — 2 October 2026.
- PV Tech — Alight acquires 2 GW Swedish solar and storage pipeline — 2 October 2026.
- ESS News — CATL to supply 313 MW/1.64 GWh BESS in Mexico — 30 September 2026.
- ESS News — Wärtsilä and RCT Solutions launch storage integrator Valo — 1 October 2026.