Author: solarenergy

Malaysia’s energy sector is poised for demand growth, with industrial expansion, digitalization and especially data center development. As Malaysia has become a hotspot for new data centers in Southeast Asia, physical bottlenecks are starting to emerge. On February 24, 2026, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government has restricted developments in non-AI data centers over the past year and a half to two years, citing concerns over security of power and water supply. Therefore, providing reliable delivery to data centers requires more than just incremental generation additions. It requires coordinated investments across the system, such as sufficient switchable capacity…

VDE America has enhanced its proprietary hail risk model with newly analyzed wind speed data, improving the accuracy of hail damage predictions for solar power generation facilities. Recent analysis of meteorological data by VDE shows that winds during hailstorms could be stronger than previously thought, with wind speeds in some locations more than doubling previous estimates. VDE came to this conclusion after carefully filtering weather data to focus on events in which hailstorms passed directly over weather stations in the contiguous United States. Stronger winds cause hailstones to hit the panels more directly and with greater force, increasing the risk…

The chance to reform a net metering system that has hampered the implementation of rooftop solar projects in California was thwarted yesterday. Credit: SnapNrack The California Court of Appeals upheld the current net metering program, Net Energy Metering 3.0 (NEM 3.0), after a months-long review. Various solar industry and environmental groups has filed a lawsuit v. California Public Utilities Commission regarding NEM 3.0 in 2023, and the California Supreme Court took up the lawsuit in April 2024. The California Supreme Court ruled in August 2025 that the Court of Appeals must review and review NEM 3.0. But now the program…

Volkswagen has connected its first 20 MW/40 MWh stationary storage system in Salzgitter, Germany, marking the start of its plan to integrate battery production, storage and energy trading within one corporate structure. March 10, 2026 Jochen Siemer Image: Volkswagen Group Charging By ESS news Volkswagen has entered the stationary battery storage market with the grid connection of its “Elli PowerCenter” in Salzgitter, Germany, according to Elli, the group’s charging subsidiary. After several months of construction, the EV charging provider has commissioned a 20 MW/40 MWh system and said it plans to expand the project, although specific figures and timelines were…

An Algerian research team has developed a smart water spray cooling system for PV panels that activates only when the temperature exceeds a certain threshold, increasing efficiency and minimizing water consumption in desert conditions. The system increased power and reduced module temperatures, providing comparable efficiency to continuous cooling, but with much lower water consumption, pump operation and costs. March 10, 2026 Lior Kahana A research team from Algeria’s Kasdi Merbah University has developed a new smart water spray cooling system for PV panels. “The novelty of this research lies in the design of a smart water spray cooling system based…

Choosing a solar installer in North Carolina is not a small decision. You are making a long-term investment in your home and your energy independence. The company you pick will shape that experience from the first conversation to the last kilowatt-hour your system ever produces. Two names that often come up for homeowners in the Triangle and across NC are 8MSolar and Yes Solar Solutions. Both are local, both have real track records, and both are worth a serious look. So how do you choose? This article gives you a comparison of both companies across the factors that matter: expertise,…

India-based Involtics has launched its GTSI series of single-phase hybrid inverters in 3 kW, 3.6 kW, 5 kW and 6 kW sizes for residential solar systems. March 10, 2026 Uma Gupta By pv magazine India India-based Involtics has launched its GTSI series of single-phase hybrid inverters for residential solar applications. The range of inverters is available in 3 kW, 3.6 kW, 5 kW and 6 kW versions and works with solar panels, batteries (lead-acid and lithium-ion) and the electricity grid to provide continuous power for domestic consumers. The inverters convert the DC electricity generated by solar panels into AC power…

Hizenergy has introduced a four-product range of commercial and industrial (C&I) energy storage products, including a 300 kW low-voltage PCS, designed for direct connection to 400 V commercial distribution networks. March 10, 2026 Vincent Shaw By ESS news Hizenergy (Huazhi Energy) has unveiled a new C&I energy storage product matrix centered on four products: a 300 kW (AC) 400 V energy storage converter (PCS), a 460 kW PCS, a 300 kW/627 kWh two-hour storage system, and a 300 kW/1,172 kWh four-hour storage system. The company said it is positioning the launch as a response to a more market-driven C&I storage…

Canadian researchers proposed a laminate-free solar panel using polycarbonate instead of EVA and glass. The new encapsulation technique reportedly enables easy disassembly, reuse of solar cells and local open source production. March 10, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from the University of Western Ontario in Canada have proposed using polycarbonate (PC) as an encapsulant for solar panel assembly to replace ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), which is difficult to remove during recycling without damaging fragile, high-performance solar cells. “It is the first demonstration of a laminate-free, polycarbonate-encapsulated solar panel design,” says the study’s corresponding author, Joshua M. Pearcetold pv magazine. “The design…

Renewable energy recorded the highest share of electricity in the month of February, with a share of 48.1%.According to the latest data from state transmission system operator (TSO) EirGrid, renewable energy generation also increased by nine percentage points compared to the previous month, when January recorded 39% of electricity from renewable sources.Wind generation accounted for the majority of the share with 41.1% or 1,245 GWh of wind generation, while solar generation increased from 0.8% in January to 1.2% in February, as shown in the chart below.The remainder of February’s electricity generation came from gas, at 37.7%, and from imports via…