Author: solarenergy
Researchers in Italy simulated and optimized an agricultural-driven anaerobic digestion plant for biomethane production in eight scenarios, using vertically mounted panels with single-axis trackers in some cases and dual-axis trackers in others. December 8, 2025 Lior Kahana A group of scientists led by Italy’s Catholic University of the Sacred Heart has carried out a techno-economic optimization of an agricultural-driven anaerobic digestion (AD) plant for biomethane production. A multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) combined with a technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) ranking methodology was developed to simultaneously optimize economic performance and land use. “This study presents the…
The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) reports that the United States added 21.2 GW of solar capacity in the first nine months of 2025, accounting for the majority of the 28.2 GW of total energy capacity added to the grid. December 8, 2025 Ryan Kennedy Image: Pexels / Kelly CC SA 4.0 By pv magazine USA According to FERC, U.S. solar developers have added 21.2 GW of solar through September 2025. This is more than the 20 GW added through September 2024. Solar energy represents the majority of power capacity added to the grid until September 2025, which totaled…
A research team from Wuhan University of Technology led by Professor Tao Wang has developed a vacuum-assisted thermal annealing (VTA) process that addresses the associated challenges of efficiency and stability in organic solar cells. The method designs the internal structure of the photovoltaic active layer so that devices maintain strong performance over long operating times. The work focuses on controlling the arrangement of nanoscale donor and acceptor materials in the active film. The research team stated that “the VTA process accelerates solvent evaporation while promoting favorable molecular organization.” Under VTA, donor components accumulate toward the bottom of the film and…
Sicily has launched a significant financing window for companies to install photovoltaic systems and battery storage, with preliminary applications between December 15, 2025 and February 13, 2026. December 5, 2025 Massimiliano Tripodo The 5.4 MW Partanna project in Sicily. Meteocontrol reports that the installation, completed this year, is the first in Italy to combine thermodynamic and PV systems. It features monitoring of the three central inverters, zone monitoring for string current and a controller for the power plant. Image: weather control By pv magazine Italy The Italian island of Sicily has allocated 246 million euros to support the installation of…
The latest “Electricity monthlyA report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that solar energy grew 29.9% in September 2025 from a year earlier, supplying 9.7% of the country’s electricity production during the month, up from 7.6% in 2024. Wheatridge Solar, Wind and Battery Energy Center in Lexington, Oregon on May 16, 2022. Utility-scale solar grew by 35.8%, while that from small-scale systems increased by 11.2% in the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The combination of utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by almost a third (29.0%) and produced just over 9% (utility-scale:…
The development of solar energy in countries with a limited amount of free land is increasingly dependent on the exploitation of degraded and technologically disturbed areas. Former agricultural yards, depleted industrial sites, landfills and abandoned factories represent a significant land reserve, while at the same time posing risks to the environment and urban planning. Transforming such areas into locations for the installation of solar power plants (SPP) makes it possible to combine the objectives of energy transition, land reclamation and increasing the investment attractiveness of regions. Ukrainian practice in the construction of ground and solar power plants for its own…
Solar energy developer Energeia AS has been granted a license to build, own and operate a 46 MW agrivoltaic project in Norway, which will become the country’s largest solar power plant to date. December 5, 2025 Patrick Jowett Norwegian solar energy company Energeia AS has been awarded a concession agreement by the Norwegian Directorate of Water Resources and Energy for a 46 MW agrivoltaic project. Under the terms of the agreement, Energeia will build, own and operate the Seval Skog project for a period of 30 years. The project will be developed on 72 hectares of land owned by the…
Researchers in the United States found that shading from agrivoltaic systems reduces grain numbers in both sorghum and soybeans, but sorghum can partially compensate by increasing grain weight, while soybeans cannot. The study shows that sorghum and soybeans respond differently due to their physiology, and provides guidance for crop selection and management to minimize yield damage in the agricultural voltaic sector. December 4, 2025 Lior Kahana A research team from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the United States experimentally investigated how shade in agricultural voltaic systems affects sorghum and soybean yields, focusing on source-sink dynamics, the processes by which…
ABB has announced the completion of the acquisition of Gamesa Electric’s power electronics business in Spain from Siemens Gamesa, originally announced on December 18, 2024. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquired portfolio includes power conversion products such as wind converters for dual-fed induction generators (DFIG), industrial battery energy storage systems (BESS) and utility-scale solar inverters. The transaction brings with it approximately 400 employees, including key employees in Spain, India, China, the United States and Australia, and two converter factories in Madrid and Valencia. ABB has also entered into a supply and services agreement with Siemens Gamesa. The acquisition increases…
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has started accepting submissions for new road surface PV technologies, with field verification planned in pedestrian areas at roadside stations to test performance and electricity consumption prior to societal implementation. December 4, 2025 Brian Publicover The Japanese government has started promoting renewable energy generation on and along roads as part of the country’s plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. MLIT has issued a call for technologies to confirm the performance of road surface PV systems. Previous field tests in areas where roads and parking lots were simulated showed cracks likely…