The United States and the European Union have announced a Framework Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade, aiming to resolve trade imbalances and strengthen their economic relationship. The agreement is described as a first step toward improving market access and expanding trade and investment opportunities. In a separate development, President Donald Trump criticized renewable energy policies, calling wind and solar power 'a scam' and expressing opposition to their expansion in the U.S. Johnson & Johnson announced a $2 billion investment in a new manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, with plans to expand U.S. manufacturing capacity. Additionally, Chinese regulators have restricted sales of Nvidia’s H20 AI processor in response to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s comments about China’s access to American technology. A speech by Fed Governor Christopher Waller at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium highlighted the potential of stablecoins to support international dollar usage and improve retail and cross-border payments, noting their growing utility beyond crypto trading.

As of June 2025, AIKO leads the back-contact (BC) solar module efficiency category with a record 24.4% efficiency, maintaining its top position since March 2023. LONGi secures second place with a 24.2% efficiency HPBC module, achieving this after two improvements in H1 2025. Maxeon holds third place with a 24.1% BC module, following a period where it shared the second spot with LONGi earlier in 2025. All top three commercial modules are based on BC technology, highlighting the dominance of this architecture in high-efficiency solar cells. The overall top efficiency improved by 1.4% from January 2023 to June 2025, with a 0.4% increase in the most recent 18 months. In 2024, the top efficiency rose by 0.2%, and by May 2024, BC technology exclusively dominated the top three positions.

The global rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) market is projected to reach USD 109.2 billion by 2034, growing from USD 61.0 billion in 2024 at a CAGR of 6.0% from 2025 to 2034. The Asia Pacific region leads with USD 21.2 billion in market value, driven by supportive policies, abundant solar resources, and rising electricity demand. Key market segments include residential (49.6%), grid-connected systems (69.2%), and terrace-mounted systems (78.3%). Crystalline silicon technology dominates with an 83.9% global share. Major players such as LONGi, SunPower, Trina Solar, and Indosolar are advancing rooftop-specific technologies and business models. Government initiatives in India, the UK, and the U.S., along with institutional funding and policy support, are accelerating adoption across residential, commercial, and off-grid applications. The market is expanding due to declining panel costs, energy insecurity, and the global push for renewable energy and climate goals.

Solar module manufacturer Maxeon reported a significant decline in module shipments, dropping to 153.2MW in the first half of 2025—just 15% of the 1,581MW sold in the first half of 2023—and revenue to $39 million, down from $371.7 million in the same period the previous year. The company attributes this decline to a prolonged dispute with US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) over compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which has prevented shipments to the US since July 2024. Maxeon claims the detentions are unsubstantiated and has filed a legal complaint with the US Court of International Trade. The company has cut operating expenses from $110.3 million to $54 million and capital expenditures from $36.9 million to $1.3 million, focusing exclusively on US operations and commissioning a 2GW module assembly plant in New Mexico. The broader context includes CBP detaining solar products from South Korea by Hanwha Solutions and a rise in border detentions of electronics valued at $15.6 million in June 2025.

Solar module manufacturer Maxeon reported a significant decline in module shipments, dropping to 153.2MW in the first half of 2025—just 15% of the 1,581MW sold in the first half of 2023—and revenue to $39 million, down from $371.7 million in the same period the previous year. The company attributes this decline primarily to a prolonged dispute with US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) over compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which has prevented shipments to the US since July 2024. Maxeon claims the detentions are unsubstantiated and has filed a complaint with the US Court of International Trade. The company has cut operating expenses from $110.3 million to $54 million and capital expenditures from $36.9 million to $1.3 million, focusing exclusively on US operations and the commissioning of a 2GW module assembly plant in New Mexico. The dispute follows similar CBP actions against Hanwha Solutions’ solar cells from South Korea, with a record $15.6 million in electronics-related detentions in June 2025.