Author: solarenergy

British perovskite solar company Oxford PV has signed a licensing agreement with US cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film module manufacturer First Solar.The non-exclusive patent license gives First Solar access to Oxford PV’s existing and currently pending technology patents in the US. The company said the license covers “the potential manufacturing and distribution” of perovskite products in the US and excludes crystalline silicon semiconductors.Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar, said the license would allow the company to “continue to pursue viable routes for the production and commercialization of thin-film perovskite products,” and that it “reflects the confidence we have in our R&D…

Germany’s large-scale battery industry is urging regulators and grid operators to accelerate the approval of utility-scale connections as applications exceed available grid capacity. February 26, 2026 Sandra Enkhardt By ESS news The German “Large-Scale Battery Storage Cooperation Forum” was founded in August 2025 under the umbrella of the Research Center for Energy Economics (FfE or “Forschungsstelle für Energiewirtschaft”). This was caused by the many uncertainties and challenges facing the storage industry at the time: a real boom in grid connection requests for large-scale battery systems led stubbornly to severely limited grid connection capacity and overburdened grid operators. To structure the…

Swedish researchers developed two new single-axis solar tracking strategies that dynamically adjust the panel’s tilt based on the crop’s light needs, balancing photosynthesis and energy production. One strategy prioritizes integral daily light targets before moving to energy capture, while the other uses the light response curve to optimize photosynthesis, delivering improved dual-use efficiency compared to conventional tracking methods. February 26, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from Sweden’s Mälardalen University have proposed two new single-axis solar energy tracking strategies aimed at improving crop yield in agricultural voltaic projects. “We have embedded crop light demand directly into the tracker control, enabling dynamic prioritization…

Renewable energy produced more than a quarter of U.S. electricity in 2025 and was responsible for more than a third of newly installed generating capacity, according to a review of U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data by the SUN DAY Campaign. SUN DAY expects solar, wind and battery energy storage systems to add 60% more electricity to the grid this year than in 2025. A solar installer stands next to an assembled row of single-axis solar trackers. SOLV Energy These findings come from EIA’s latest “Electricity monthlyreports with data through the end of 2025. Utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic deployment…

The New South Wales government in southeastern Australia has granted priority status to two large-scale pumped hydro projects, which provide long-term energy storage (LDES) to strengthen the reliability of the electricity grid. February 25, 2026 David Caroll By pv magazine Australia The New South Wales government earlier this month granted priority planning status to two pumped hydro projects, with a total capacity of 1.8 GW, with the aim of accelerating the assessment of proposals to strengthen the reliability of the electricity grid and support the transition to renewable electricity. Zen Energy’s AUD 3.5 billion ($2.47 billion) Western Sydney pumped hydroelectric…

By pv magazine USA First Solar reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results on Tuesday, highlighting annual net sales of $5.2 billion and providing guidance for 2026. The US solar manufacturer simultaneously announced a patent licensing agreement with Oxford PV to advance the development of perovskite solar technology. Importantly, expectations for 2026 were lower than analysts expected, leading to the price of First Solar’s NASDAQ-listed shares falling more than 12% in extended trading. During the company’s earnings call, CEO Mark Widmar discussed the reasons for the lower expectations, which he said were partly due to the company’s strategic underutilization…

The Chinese manufacturer said its Aster TB250/TB500 system is compatible with both 40 0V and 800 V PV systems. Parallel connection enables scaling up to 3 MW / 8.46 MWh. February 25, 2026 Lior Kahana The Aster TB250/TB500 system Image: AlphaESS By ESS news Chinese storage manufacturer AlphaESS has announced a new battery energy storage system (BESS) aimed at the European commercial and industrial (C&I) sector. The new storage system, called Aster TB250/TB500, is compatible with both 400V and 800V PV systems. “This enables seamless integration into various electrical infrastructures without the need for additional transformers in many scenarios,” the…

In August 2025, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released new guidance regarding safely accommodating solar projects for the investment tax credit (ITC). Safe Harboring allows companies to make a good faith effort to start a solar energy project to secure applicable tax credits that year. Credit: McCarthy Building Companies While utility-scale solar projects could once take advantage of the “5% safe harbor” rule, which only required the project developer to cover 5% of the project cost by a certain date, the federal government changed this to a “physical work test.” For projects larger than 1.5 MW,…

The US Department of Commerce has issued preliminary findings that solar producers in India, Indonesia and Laos have benefited from government subsidies, paving the way for countervailing duties of up to 143.30%. February 25, 2026 Emiliano Bellini A port in India Image: Narendra Modi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 The US Department of Commerce has announced preliminary positive determinations in its countervailing duty (CVD) investigation into crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules imported from India, Indonesia and Laos. U.S. authorities said the investigation found that solar power producers in the three countries have benefited from government subsidies that distort competition…

The German Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology IEE (Fraunhofer IEE) says in a new position paper that large-scale battery storage systems in medium-voltage grids must be technically prepared for future grid-forming operation, with the aim of bridging the gap between current regulations and potential system stability requirements. February 25, 2026 Marian Willuhn By pv magazine Germany The German Fraunhofer IEE has published a new position paper calling for early technical preparation of distribution networks for network-forming functions. Under the term ‘grid-forming readiness’, the authors outline a concept in which large-scale battery storage systems connected to medium-voltage…