Author: solarenergy

The patent infringement case involved an unspecified TOPCon solar cell technology. January 15, 2026 Emiliano Bellini The headquarters of the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia, United States Image: Coolcaesar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Chinese-Canadian solar panel manufacturer Canadian Solar has announced a “decisive victory” in its patent litigation proceedings against Singapore-based competitor Maxeon. According to Canadian Solar, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) ruled in its favor, declaring that “all of Maxeon’s claims against Canadian Solar alleging infringement of patents at issue in federal court…

The Italian company said the manganese-hydrogen battery it has developed is an advanced solution for long-term energy storage. The technology allows energy to be stored for many hours or even days, overcoming the structural limitations of lithium-ion batteries. January 15, 2026 Sergio Matalucci By pv magazine Italy And ESS news Taly’s Green Energy Storage (GES) has unveiled a new manganese-hydrogen flow battery aimed at industrial-scale applications, power grids and large renewable power plants. The company reports an efficiency of more than 75%, a lifespan of more than 10,000 cycles and a levelized cost of storage (LCOS) that is “significantly lower…

By Brad Kramer January 14, 2026 Duke Energy’s coal-fired power plant in Allen is now home to a pair of battery energy storage systems (BESS) that will serve customers in North and South Carolina. The utility brought its first system online in November, a 50 MW, four-hour facility located on Lake Wylie in Gaston County, NC, which cost approximately $100 million and was completed on budget and ahead of schedule. The final tests will be completed this month. Construction of a second BESS, a 167 MW, four-hour system – Duke’s largest – will begin in May on 10 acres where…

Josh Helke started rock climbing at the age of five. Throughout his life in a sport that relies on steady, purposeful movement, he has also built a business based on these principles. Helke started the company Organic climbing in his garage in Laramie, Wyoming, in the early 2000s, sewing together crash pads used to cushion climbers as they fall from a cliff face. Organic Climbing is known for producing brightly colored chalk bags and crash pads used for rock climbing. Organic climbing Today, Organic Climbing and its sister brand Nittany Mountain Works operate from a factory in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, employing…

Southwest Research Institute conducted a series of large-scale fire tests to investigate how flames spread under photovoltaic panel installations on flat commercial and industrial roofs. The program is intended to give fire safety organizations the data they need to refine standards and improve mitigation strategies for rooftop solar systems. Engineers built full-scale test decks designed to replicate typical low-slope roofing used on large buildings, then mounted photovoltaic solar panels on these structures. They subjected the leading edge of the deck to flames and crosswinds to study how fires can start and spread under and around the panel arrays, while also…

Once considered isolated incidents, spontaneous glass breaks in solar panels are becoming increasingly common, highlighting the limitations of some manufacturing choices and the need for stricter quality control. January 15, 2026 Alexia Chappond and Gauthier Dambrine, Skyray With the rapid growth of solar photovoltaics, module reliability has become a central issue for the industry. Among the quality problems that have emerged recently, spontaneous glass breakage has received increasing attention. Glass breakages, long considered isolated incidents, are now becoming increasingly common, revealing the limitations of certain industrial choices and the need for increased vigilance. The rise of solar energy is accompanied…

SSE Energy Markets has signed two 15-year route-to-market power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Low Carbon, securing 52MW of solar capacity for projects in North West Wales and South East England. The agreements cover the Feldon Vale and Long Meadow solar power stations, which are expected to commence commercial operations in 2026.The combined solar capacity is expected to generate approximately 76 GWh annually. The government insured both projects Contracts for the difference (CfD) through previous allocation rounds, providing long-term revenue security for the developments.Under the agreements, SSE Energy Markets will provide comprehensive route-to-market and optimization services at a fixed price, managing…

Basquevolt and Bcare have successfully developed and integrated the first solid-state cells into a module for stationary applications, within the Iberdrola-led ASTRA-CC project (2023-2025). January 15, 2026 Pilar Sanchez Molina By pv magazine Spain And ESS news Basquevolt, the Basque solid-state battery initiative whose shareholders are the Basque government, Iberdrola, CIE Automotive, Enagás, EIT InnoEnergy, CDTI (via Innvierte) and CIC energiGUNE, announced this week a “game-changing milestone in storage” in collaboration with Bcare, a Basque technology and research center specialized in batteries and storage systems. In a statement, the companies said that for the first time they have developed and…

World of solar energy today announces a new case study feature: Solar energy in the world Impact projects. In every regular issue of World of solar energywe present a solar PV project that goes beyond the inherent benefit of putting clean renewable electrons on the grid. When deployed carefully, solar energy projects can have lasting positive impacts beyond the technology’s designed capabilities. Co-locating agricultural activities such as animal grazing, growing crops or raising honey bees on a ground-based solar project site can make that land healthier in the process. Building an organization on the roof of a nonprofit with small…

As electricity grids become smart, sensors are becoming increasingly relevant for capturing data and providing information about the status and performance of the electricity grid. But sensor performance must also be assessed and measured – and IEC standards and conformity assessment systems play an important role in helping grid and utility operators do this. A multitude of sensors for different tasks A wide variety of sensors can be used in the electricity grid. The IEC 61724-1 Standard, which monitors the performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, specifies how to collect accurate and reliable data from various system components, including environmental…