Author: solarenergy

Wales’ battery breakthrough uses UK-made anode and cathode materials, as well as active materials available through local supply chains. Batri plans to scale up material production and cell construction capacity. December 18, 2025 Matthew Lynas Researchers in Wales have created a sodium-ion battery cell in the cylindrical 18650 format Image: Malcolm Koo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 By ESS news A research team from Batri and Swansea University has built a new cylindrical sodium ion cell using materials from Britain, believed to be the first of its kind. The 18650 format sodium ion cell combines chemical properties developed by British…

Capital Good Fund is expanding its activities Pennsylvania CLEAR statewide solar leasing program following an investment from Candide Group Afterglow Climate Justice Program. Founded in 2024, Pennsylvania BRIGHT arranges the leasing of solar projects for households earning less than $165,000 annually or in low-income, disadvantaged communities. Customers qualify regardless of credit score, and the lease agreements are designed to reduce monthly energy costs and handle long-term project maintenance. Credit: SnapNrack “Afterglow is proud to support the Pennsylvania BRIGHT housing program. Projects like Pennsylvania BRIGHT are critical to ensuring all communities can participate in a just climate transition,” said Neal Parikh,…

In 2025, solar power supplied a record 6.3% of Britain’s energy, following a 30% increase in generation.As confirmed by the industry’s trade body, Solar Energy UK, around 18,314 GWh of electricity was generated from solar energy this year, an increase on the 2024 total of 14,067 GWh.This growth was partly driven by record amounts of sunshine in Britain in 2025, which was confirmed this week by the Met Office as the number of hours of sunshine (1,622) since the record began in 1910. Southern and eastern England in particular, where there is a concentration of solar PV development, were ‘particularly…

Masdar, an Emirati state-owned renewable energy company, has commenced commercial operations for its 20MW/40MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Stockport.The project is the first to be completed under Masdar’s £1 billion commitment to invest in UK battery storage acquired British BESS developer Arlington Energy in 2022. The company started construction of the Stockport BESS in 2024.Masdar has committed to a 3GWh UK BESS pipeline as part of its wider commitment to Britain’s energy transition. Utility Octopus Energy’s energy management systems division, Kraken, will optimize Masdar’s UK pipeline.The developer said it will now develop two further BESS projects, in Cardiff…

Bulgaria’s second standalone energy storage purchase in 2025, worth almost BGN 229 million ($137.2 million), received strong interest and 30 project proposals have been included in a reserve list, the government said. December 17, 2025 Blathnaid O’Dea Renalfa’s storage project in Bulgaria Image: Renalfa By ESS news The Bulgarian Ministry of Energy will pump a total of BGN 228.9 million ($137.2 million) into 31 energy storage facilities following the completion of the National Renewable Energy Storage Infrastructure RESTORE 2 tender scheme – the second major energy storage subsidy scheme this year. The 31 projects will create more than 4 GWh…

A family-owned business in California has replaced grid electricity with on-site solar power, reducing energy costs and creating a live test site for floating photovoltaic research. December 18, 2025 Ryan Kennedy By pv magazine USA California winery Nelson Family Vineyards now powers 100% of its operations after Noria Energy installed solar panels on site. The 74-year-old family farm is now completely powered by clean energy, without taking any agricultural land out of production. To supplement the production of an existing solar panel on the roof, Noria Energy installed a floating solar panel on an irrigation pond. Together, the two solar…

Researchers from Chonnam National University in the Republic of Korea report that a nanometer-scale germanium oxide layer can address a long-standing bottleneck in tin monosulfide thin-film solar cells by improving the rear contact surface with the metal electrode. They focused on tin monosulfide, or SnS, a non-toxic and inexpensive absorbent that uses elements abundant in the Earth and avoids indium, gallium and tellurium, while theoretically providing favorable optical and electronic properties for harvesting sunlight. In practice, measured efficiencies have fallen short of theoretical predictions due to structural defects, parasitic reactions, and atomic diffusion at the interface where SnS meets the…

U.S. energy storage deployments surpassed full-year 2024 levels within nine months, led by utility-scale projects and continued residential construction growth, according to industry data. December 17, 2025 Ryan Kennedy By ESS news U.S. energy storage installations have surpassed total deployments through all of 2024, according to a quarterly report from Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association (ACP). In the third quarter of 2025, more than 5.3 GW of energy storage was installed nationally. Quarterly installations increased 31% year over year. The third quarter remains the record quarter for deployments, with deployments down 6% quarter-over-quarter. For three quarters, the…

US researchers say a deep learning framework provides the most detailed view yet of how utility-scale solar uses land, revealing unexpected efficiency differences and clearer pathways for agricultural voltaics and brownfield development. December 16, 2025 Ryan Kennedy Image: Tom Brewster, Wikimedia Commons By pv magazine USA An academic article published in Communication Earth & Environment has introduced a systematic methodology that uses deep learning and high-resolution aerial imagery quantify the land required for utility-scale solar projects in the US Western Interconnection. The study aims to resolve previous inconsistencies in land use estimates by analyzing 719 solar installations and providing crucial…

In 2020, the Conesville power plant discontinued activities in Coshocton County, Ohio. For 62 years, the 2 GW coal-fired power plant provided electricity to the area east of Columbus. The Conesville Power Plant employed 600 local residents at its peak and supported about 80 in its final days. Conesville Power Plant. Credit: Conesville Industrial Park Financial advisor and Central Ohio resident Robert Black wants to bring energy jobs back to Coshocton, but this time of a green nature. Black is chairman Ohio sunshinea new company that plans to open a silicon solar panel assembly plant with an annual production capacity…