Author: solarenergy

Oil and gas giant Shell has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with UK public charging network Ubitricity to supply the company with electricity generated at its Iddenhsall solar project, currently under development in Cheshire.The Iddenshall solar farm was initially developed by Anesco, with a capacity of 17.6 MW, and Shell first announced plans to acquire the project in 2022. as part of a broader initiative to acquire 100 MW of solar capacity from the developer. The deal with ubitricity will last ten years and will help meet the power demand of Britain’s 14,600 public charging points. The charging network…

The energy sector is undergoing a significant shift from globalization to localization, particularly in the areas of renewable energy, energy storage, electric vehicle charging and grid infrastructure. While technologies can be developed globally, their successful implementation increasingly depends on understanding local market conditions, regulatory frameworks and customer needs. The energy sector is not completely abandoning globalization; global finance, knowledge sharing and technology transfer remain crucial. In this context, diversity, regardless of gender, culture and professional background, is not just a social objective, but a practical necessity. Diverse teams are better equipped to navigate complex local environments, anticipate challenges and deliver…

Developers of NSIPs are concerned about the potential for a change of government in the coming years, according to speakers at the Clean Power 2030 Summit in London earlier this week.Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband has granted Development Consent Orders (DCOs) to 29 large-scale renewable energy projects since becoming Energy Minister in 2024 – not without controversy and opposition. Solar projects with a capacity of more than 100 MW qualify as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) and are approved by DESNZ over the heads of local government.But changing political circumstances mean that the approval…

Grid operators in the United States are facing an unprecedented dual challenge: rising electricity demand from data centers and frequent extreme weather events. These grid stresses are forcing a structural shift in the U.S. energy market, and decentralized generation capacity, aggregated under virtual power plants (VPPs), is starting to go mainstream. As demand for electricity increases in the United States, the pace of grid infrastructure expansion is proving too slow and capital-intensive to meet this moment alone. Instead, a regulatory and technology shift is transforming millions of distributed energy resources (DERs) into utility-quality infrastructure. VPPs are transitioning from small-scale pilot…

By Martin McConnell July 2, 2026 Supplier of power conversion systems SPOC energy and the University of Alabama have worked together to deploy a DC microgrid system at the school Alabama Mobility and Strength (AMP) Center. The megawatt-scale microgrid, which SPOC officials are calling the “next generation,” aims to strengthen the school’s research efforts in energy innovation and electrification. The containerized energy system will serve as a test and development unit for other megawatt-scale microgrids in the US, and function as an energy storage and power distribution asset. Moreover, the microgrid is AI-ready, say SPOC representatives. The installation reflects the…

Following a successful, record-breaking auction of the latest Contracts for Difference (CfD) in Allocation round 7 (AR7), the industry is already looking forward to the next one later this year and gathered earlier this week at the Clean Energy Summit 2030 to discuss this and what can be improved compared to the previous CfD.Panelist Shane Power, director of investments at renewable energy asset manager NTR, highlighted how the UK’s auctions are crucial to getting projects built and the “huge gap between the levels you can secure from a revenue contract perspective, both in terms of absolute pricing and term” for…

UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has granted development consent for a 320 MW solar power plant.The Peartree Hill Solar Farm is a Nationally Important Infrastructure Project (NSIP) because its capacity is over 100 MW. It is being developed by RWE and will be built in the East Riding of Yorkshire.In addition to the 320MW solar PV installation, the site will have a co-located battery energy storage system (BESS). RWE has not yet announced the size of the BESS, but has secured a 448 MW export connection.RWE submitted the project to the Planning Inspectorate in February 2025 and the application was…

The Massachusetts Senate passed it an account yesterday which the authors refer to as “an act to save people money, restore the climate and grow the economy.” One way lawmakers plan to do this is by reforming and streamlining residential solar permitting processes statewide. The state’s energy omnibus bill passed the House of Representatives in March (H5151) and has undergone amendments in the Senate (S3143). The “Commonwealth smart solar permitting platform” would handle permitting for solar projects digitally with the aim of reducing time-consuming manual reassessments and costs associated with the process. Document submissions, permit checklists, related fees and project…

New Jersey lawmakers unanimously passed legislation to expand access to “plug-in solar” systems for everyone, including renters and apartment dwellers. The Garden State Plug-In Solar Act (S2368/A4836) removes outdated restrictions that have blocked plug-in solar in the past, giving households a practical way to save on energy bills and participate in the clean energy transition. Plug-in solar in Illinois. Credit: Vote Solar Plug-in solar panels, which fit on a balcony, patio or veranda, offer households a cheap, accessible option to reduce electricity costs and reduce dependence on expensive electricity. The technology is widely popular. A April FDU poll found that…

Irish clean energy developer Lumcloon Energy is partnering with Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) to develop a supercapacitor energy storage system (SCESS) in County Offaly, Ireland.The partnership, called Project Daejeon, will install a demonstration-scale SCESS at the Rhode Green Energy Park, the site of a former ESB peat-fired power station that closed in 2003. It is the first such project in Ireland and one of the first in Europe, mainly using supercapacitor technology operational in China. Startup headquartered in Estonia Skeleton Technologies has two European production plants where it produces several products based on its supercapacitor and battery storage technologies,…