“Global nuclear capacity is set to climb 44% over the next decade after years of tepid growth, spurred by growing demand for electricity and aggressive efforts to build reactors in China and India.

The world may have as much as 535 gigawatts of installed nuclear power by 2036, up from 372 last year, according to a report Wednesday from BloombergNEF. China had 59 gigawatts of reactors under construction at the end of 2025 and is on track to reach a total of 102 by the end of the decade, a figure that would propel it past the US to become the world’s biggest nuclear nation.”

From Bloomberg.

“Last year the Trump administration set a goal to see three new microreactors achieve criticality, a technical milestone establishing that a reactor can sustain a chain reaction, by the nation’s 250th birthday. And just in time, four reactors did so.

It was a lofty goal, and seeing not just three but four companies meet it is certainly a positive sign for emerging nuclear technologies at a time when the world is facing increased need to increase electricity supply…

The speed with which these companies hit this milestone is impressive, especially in an industry known for massive projects that frequently blow past deadlines and stated budgets. (Valar, Antares, and Aalo were all founded in 2023, and Deployable started in 2025.) But reaching criticality and running a reactor that can produce electricity are two totally different things…

Now, with the completion of this program, the companies will need to continue their work to make power, which could involve some big technical challenges.”

From MIT Technology Review.

“A nuclear power plant on the East Coast [of England] will produce electricity for a further 20 years after a deal was reached between its owner EDF and the government.

Sizewell B, near Leiston, Suffolk, started operating in 1995 and was due to reach the end of its life in 2035, but will now continue operating until 2055.”

From BBC.

“The photovoltaic industry has demonstrated resilience and continued technological advancement despite significant market challenges, according to the 17th edition of the International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics (ITRPV), released this week at Intersolar Europe.

The comprehensive report, compiled by 38 leading international companies and research institutes spanning the entire crystalline silicon (c-Si) value chain, reveals an industry in transition—shifting toward more efficient technologies while maintaining its historical cost reduction trajectory…

A headline finding is that the PV industry’s learning rate has increased to 26% for the period from 1976 to 2025, up from 24.9% in the 15th edition. This metric, which measures the price reduction for every doubling of cumulative production, demonstrates the industry’s continued ability to drive down costs despite recent market volatility.

After experiencing dramatic price drops in 2023 and 2024, driven by overcapacity and intense competition, module prices stabilised and even increased slightly by the end of 2025, reaching approximately US$0.09 per watt-peak (Wp), up by around US$0.01 at the end of 2024…

One pressing challenge in cell manufacturing is the high silver consumption for metallisation…

One pressing challenge in cell manufacturing is the high silver consumption for metallisation. The ITRPV report reveals that the 706GW of modules shipped in 2025 consumed approximately 7,244 tons of silver—representing about 21.4% of the world’s total silver supply…

Silver consumption varies by cell technology. In 2025, TOPCon bifacial cells consumed approximately 10mg per watt at the cell level (averaging M10 and G12 formats), while SHJ cells used 12.0mg/W and TOPCon-based back contact (TBC) cells required 12.2mg/W. The higher consumption in n-type concepts stems from the use of silver for both front and rear side metallisation, compared to p-type PERC’s lower requirement of around 8.9mg/W…

The report highlighted that overall silver consumption in 2025 was significantly below 2024 levels, demonstrating that reduction efforts are working. The roadmap projects aggressive reduction targets, with TOPCon cells expected to decrease to 6.3mg/W and SHJ cells to just 4.3mg/W within the next decade. For M10 format cells, silver consumption is projected to drop from approximately 90mg per TOPCon cell in 2025 to around 60mg by 2036.”

From PV Tech.org.