Author: solarenergy

Researchers from South Korea have improved dust detection from solar panels using SMOTE and stable diffusion (SD) augmentation, where SD increases detection accuracy from 76.5% to 98.9% while maintaining spatial realism. March 4, 2026 Lior Kahana A research group from South Korea Jeju National University addressed the imbalance of the datasets in photovoltaic modules by applying two complementary augmentation strategies. Specifically, they applied a synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) at the feature level and stable diffusion (SD) augmentation at the image level. A dataset imbalance occurs when one class in a dataset contains many more examples than the other, causing…

Researchers in Türkiye have developed a passive dirt-resistant coating for PV panels using oleic acid-modified aluminum oxide nanoparticles applied via a spray coating. Laboratory and field tests showed that the coating reduced dust build-up and initially increased daily energy production, although performance declined under long-term environmental stress. March 5, 2026 Lior Kahana A research team from Konya Technical University in Türkiye has unveiled a passive anti-pollution solution for solar panels. The approach is based on a thin film of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) nanoparticles, modified with oleic acid, which is applied directly to the glass surface of photovoltaic modules using a…

By Martin McConnell March 5, 2026 Renewable energy company Zelestra has broken ground on two projects in Texas known as Echols Grove and Cedar Range. With a total of 441 MWdc, the projects are Zelestra’s largest in the US Zelestra supervises the construction of both projects itself instead of outsourcing them McCarthy Construction Companies will act as the lead EPC contractor for both jobs. The company says construction started early this year in January and both sites should be online by the end of 2027. Once online, the projects will also count towards the company’s energy partnership with tech titan…

Researchers from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have reported a new interface engineering strategy that significantly increases the efficiency and stability of three-dimensional perovskite solar cells. Working with international partners, the team formed a thin two-dimensional perovskite phase at the buried interface of the perovskite absorber, a location that has been difficult to selectively target with previous approaches. The work, published in Nature Energy on February 6, shows that the method improves the crystallization quality of the perovskite films and reduces defect concentrations at buried interfaces by more than 90…

French solar manufacturer Heliup has raised €16 million to scale up production of lightweight solar panels designed for commercial and industrial roofs with low load-bearing capacity. March 5, 2026 Gwénaëlle Deboutte By pv magazine France Heliup, a French industrial deep-tech company, has raised €16 million to accelerate the large-scale deployment of its lightweight PV technology. The company produces lightweight solar panels designed for existing roofs with low load-bearing capacity and wants to tap into a large, still underutilized market. The financing round was led by Supernova Invest, with participation from new investors MAIF Impact, Lita Gestion and C2AD. Existing investors…

EirGrid has warned of a “potentially challenging situation” for the country’s electricity system between 2026 and 2028, as rising demand threatens to exceed available generation capacity. In its latest All-Island Resource Adequacy Assessment, the operator analyzed the balance between electricity supply and demand in Ireland over the next ten years. The report shows that between 2026 and 2028, both basic and secure assessments will fall outside Ireland’s three-hour reliability standard, indicating that additional capacity will be needed to maintain the adequacy of the system. Conditions improve towards the end of the decade. From 2029, the basic assessment will return within…

The 1 MW test facility is located in Xuwei New Area, Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province. It is designed to generate long-term field data on large-area perovskite modules in coastal conditions. March 5, 2026 Vincent Shaw A 1 MWp perovskite PV field test plant in Xuwei New Area, Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China, was connected to the grid and became fully operational in late February 2026. The project, formally named the Xuwei New Area Novel Perovskite Distributed PV Demonstration Power Station, was developed and owned by Jiangsu Fangyang New Energy Investment Co., Ltd.the investment platform for sustainable energy Fangyang Group. The facility is…

The number of UK schools installing rooftop solar with funding from Great British Energy (GBE) has reached 100.The government energy company focuses on schools and colleges in deprived areas, particularly in the North East, West Midlands and the North West. Every region of England now has at least ten schools benefiting from the scheme.This is a major expansion of the scheme, with only 23 installations completed by November 2025. Company CEO Dan McGrail said: “Reaching 100 schools is a key milestone in our mission to reduce energy bills and means more money can be spent on education.”GBE will continue to…

Arevon Energy, a renewable energy developer, commenced operations at the 430 MWDC Kelso Solar Project in Scott County, Missouri. Arevon Energy broke ground on the 430 MWDC Kelso Solar Project in May 2025. Arevon developed, built and will own and operate the Kelso Solar Project. The two-phase installation, Arevon’s first large-scale project in Missouri, increased the state’s solar capacity by nearly 50% and generates enough energy to power more than 62,000 homes annually. During construction, the project employed more than 450 staff and is estimated to pay out more than $62 million in property taxes over its life, supporting schools,…

Estimates indicate that Japan added between 5.8 GW and 6 GW of solar power last year, likely pushing the country past 100 GW of cumulative solar capacity. Last year’s installations were led by the commercial and industrial markets, while the residential sector also saw increased demand. March 5, 2026 Patrick Jowett Japan added between 5.8 and 6 GW of solar energy last year, according to estimates from Tokyo-based solar consultancy RTS Corp. The estimate indicates that Japan’s cumulative solar capacity could now easily exceed the 100 GW threshold. According to data available on the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems…