Author: solarenergy

Pennsylvania Solar CenterThe GET Solar program will develop nearly 70 projects in the state over the next four years with support from Capital asset fund. These new projects will be built at no upfront cost for small businesses, nonprofits and municipalities, while still qualifying for the 48E investment tax credit. “The PA Solar Center is so proud and grateful to partner with the Capital Good Fund in this revolutionary approach to lowering energy bills across Pennsylvania,” said Sharon Pillar, founder and executive director of the PA Solar Center. “Our nonprofit’s GET Solar program has provided trusted, unbiased guidance to hundreds…

The South Korean government’s recent decision to limit how local authorities apply minimum distancing rules for solar projects will remove a major permitting barrier as the country targets 100 GW of renewable capacity by 2030, according to Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC). South Korea’s National Assembly amended the national renewable energy framework in February to limit setback rules to areas explicitly designated by law, including historic, cultural, ecological or landscape conservation zones, or in cases defined by a presidential decree. Local setback rules for solar energy projects have long been a barrier to solar deployment in South Korea, largely because…

Argentina’s Energy Secretariat has opened a national and international tender for battery energy storage systems (BESS) at grid-constrained nodes outside the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, targeting approximately $700 million in investments. March 3, 2026 Luis Ini Image: Government of Argentina By ESS news Argentina’s Energy Secretariat has launched a competitive tender to purchase 700 MW of BESS at strategic nodes across the country, excluding the Buenos Aires metropolitan area. The program is designed to strengthen the reliability of the electric grid and reduce outages during peak demand. The initiative covers the Northwest, Northeast, Central, Litoral and Cuyo regions, as well…

Daikin has introduced two new propane heat pump lines for industrial and district heating applications, combining monobloc units from 20 kW to 85 kW with modular systems scalable up to 2 MW. March 3, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Japanese heating systems manufacturer Daikin has launched two new propane (R-290) heat pump product lines for industrial building and district heating applications. “The new R-290 range has been fully designed and tested at the new Daikin Applied Europe Research and Development Center in Italy, which was inaugurated in 2025,” the company said in a statement. “The new platform integrates EWA/YK-CZ monobloc units from…

The Virginia General Assembly has officially passed legislation that would significantly expand the Commonwealth’s shared solar programs, creating new opportunities to reduce electric bills and increase reliability. These bills passed with bipartisan support and will now go before Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger for action. The legislation includes SB 254 And HB807sponsored by Senator Scott Surovell and Representative Rip Sullivan, which applies to Dominion Energy’s service area, as well as SB 255 And HB809also sponsored by Senator Surovell and Del. Sullivan, tackling Appalachian Power Company (APCo) territory. Together, the bills build on the success of Virginia’s existing shared solar programs by…

The Natec Home has a nominal capacity of 7.68 kWh and a power of 3.8 kW and allows parallel connection of up to 15 units. The reference price is set at €3,990. March 3, 2026 Pilar Sanchez Molina By ESS news Austrian company Accupower, headquartered in Graz, has developed Natec Home, a storage system based on sodium ion technology, designed for integration into residential photovoltaic installations, electrical backup applications and small and medium configurations in industrial environments. According to the company, this is the first household storage system to use this technology and was developed and designed entirely in Austria.…

Despite being riddled with impurities and defects, solution-processed lead halide perovskites continue to defy expectations as highly efficient solar cell materials, with performance now approaching that of industry-standard silicon-based devices. A new experimental study from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) provides a comprehensive physical explanation for this efficiency puzzle and points the way to more effective next-generation photovoltaic technologies. Over the past fifteen years, lead halide perovskites have risen from relative obscurity to become leading candidates for low-cost, high-performance solar cells. Originally cataloged in the 1970s for their hybrid organic-inorganic crystal structures and then largely forgotten, these…

The deal is the latest major announcement in a hot energy and utility mergers and acquisitions market in the U.S., as companies jostle for position in anticipation of an AI-driven demand spike. March 3, 2026 Matthew Lynas The 60 MW, 240 MWh Kūihelani solar-plus-storage facility developed by AES in Hawaii. Image: AES Hawaii AES company is being sold for $10.7 billion in cash in a deal that could see the world’s largest commercial and industrial clean energy supplier become privately owned. Blackrock-owned Global Infrastructure Partners is leading the consortium acquiring AES’ global operations, including U.S. electric utilities in Indiana and…

Investment manager Downing has acquired a 42.5 MW turnkey (RTB) solar power plant in Cornwall that is expected to be completed and connected to the grid in the fourth quarter of 2027.The Higher Witheven solar power station has a Gate 2 Phase 1 grid connection offer (enabling a connection date of 2027) and will be connected to the Alverdiscott 400 kV substation. The site has a Contract for Difference (CfD) from Allocation Round 7 (AR7). Downing purchased the solar power plant in Launceston, Cornwall, from Windel & Canadian Solar. It is Downing’s fifth site purchase in the past three months.The…

SERIS researchers developed a 16 cm² perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell with a double-sided TOPCon bottom cell, which improves passivation, reduces recombination and increases the voltage and filling factor. March 3, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) in Singapore have fabricated a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell based on a bottom TOPCon device that relies on double-sided (DS) thin polysilicon (poly-Si) layers. In standard single-sided TOPCon (SS-TOPCon) solar cells, charge carrier selectivity is achieved using a heavily boron-doped surface layer on the front and a back stack made of a thin layer of silicon oxide…