Author: solarenergy
On February 1, California’s batteries bridged the solar gap with seamless precision. After discharging all night until dawn, they spent the daylight hours charging, then resumed exporting energy until well after midnight, effectively allowing the state to run a full 24-hour cycle on solar power. February 18, 2026 John Fitzgerald Weaver By pv magazine USA Technically, all batteries can be used as long-life batteries, and they can operate for twenty-four hours, as long as the output power is limited in relation to the stored energy. However, if some batteries work overnight, it means a little more. On February 1, the…
Brazil has opened consultations on its PDE 2035 energy plan, which expects 107 GW of solar power by 2035 – including 78 GW of distributed generation – with battery storage of 7 GW, or 2% of the energy mix. February 16, 2026 Livia Neves By pv magazine Brazil Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy has opened public consultations on the Ten-Year Energy Expansion Plan (PDE) 2035 and the National Energy Plan (PNE) 2055, Brazil’s main long-term energy planning tools developed by Energy Research Company (EPE). Under the baseline scenario outlined in PDE 2035, installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity in Brazil is…
Earthlight Technologies has completed a 300 kW solar carport installation for Lynch Toyota in Manchester, Connecticut. The project was funded through C-PACE with support from Connecticut Green Bank. Lynch Toyota is a family-owned automotive dealership founded in 1970 by Michael B. Lynch Sr. The dealership offers a wide selection of new and used cars, trucks and SUVs, along with an auto body shop and full-service department. Every year since 2003, Lynch Toyota has received Toyota’s President’s Award, which recognizes excellent customer satisfaction and operational performance. “For us, covering our property with solar panels makes both financial and practical sense. We…
The US-based metrology equipment manufacturer has launched a non-contact photoluminescent imaging system to reveal defects and other non-uniformities in silicon, thin-film and III-V multi-junction PV devices. February 17, 2026 Valerie Thompson US-based inspection equipment manufacturer Brightspot Automation has launched Plus-Spot, a non-contact photoluminescence (PL) imaging tool to reveal defects such as cell cracks, thin-film shunts in panels and other non-uniformities. It is suitable for quality control in silicon, thin film and III-V multi-junction space cell manufacturing applications, supporting devices ranging in size from mini-modules to large-scale conventional panels. The new Plus-Spot tool supports off-line and in-line quality control processing, as…
EKO Instruments USA has one US-based pyranometer calibration service. The service brings a new level of accuracy, cost-effectiveness and turnaround speed to pyranometer calibration for large-scale, commercial and industrial solar applications. The service supports SCADA companies, O&M teams and developers, owners and operators of solar projects. Proper calibration allows pyranometers to accurately perform their key role throughout the entire solar energy life cycle, including planning phases, installation and ongoing monitoring and maintenance. EKO’s newly developed Indoor Calibration Facility (ICF-02) calibration system is the core of the service. The Indoor Calibration Facility is a turnkey, fully automated calibration system designed to…
The new compressor is described as the world’s most powerful one-piece compressed air energy storage (CAES) system, with a maximum discharge pressure of 10.1 MPa and an efficiency of 88.1%. February 17, 2026 Emiliano Bellini The Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has unveiled a new type of compressor for compressed air energy storage (CAES) applications. Described as the world’s most powerful single-unit CAES compressor, the system can reportedly achieve a maximum discharge pressure of 10.1 MPa and a rated power of 101 MW. It operates over a load range of 38.7% to 118.4% and…
Guatemala’s Generation Expansion Plan 5 (PEG-5) tender has attracted 51 bids for a total of almost 4.7 GW – more than triple the 1.4 GW sought – with around 2 GW of solar projects, including hybrids with storage, competing for long-term supply contracts starting between 2030 and 2033. February 17, 2026 Luis Ini By pv magazine LatAm Guatemala’s PEG-5 electricity tender has attracted 51 companies offering almost 4.7 GW of capacity – more than three times the requested 1,400 MW. About 2,000 MW of the proposals concern solar energy projects, including hybrid systems with storage. The Ministry of Energy and…
An international research team used high-resolution electroluminescence imaging to quantify type-C cracks in 100 PV modules after 11 years of operation, linking crack distribution to real-world power loss. Concentrated cracks in individual cells were found to cause disproportionately high losses, highlighting the importance of cell-level crack analysis for effective PV maintenance. February 17, 2026 Lior Kahana An international team of researchers has performed a quantitative assessment of the power loss of PV modules affected by type-C cracks using electroluminescence (EL) imaging. “This study uses high-resolution EL imaging and automatic crack segmentation to quantify type-C cracks in a sample of 100…
Spain installed 339 MWh of storage linked to self-PV consumption in 2025, an increase of 119% year-on-year, according to APPA Renovables. The country added 1,214 MW of new self-consumption capacity, bringing the total to 9.6 GW. February 17, 2026 Pilar Sanchez Molina By ESS news PV self-consumption in Spain has proven itself as a structural driver of the energy transition, even though the sector has experienced three consecutive years of contraction and is currently lagging behind the pace needed to achieve the objectives of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). This is evident from the fourth edition of…
The so-called basis risk associated with cross-border virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) was declared by Finergreen in March 2024, when many corporate buyers reportedly signed such agreements to hedge their pan-European electricity consumption and decarbonize their energy mix. For example, a business buyer can enter into a cross-border VPPA in Spain to cover its pan-European consumption, which could be spread across France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Romania, the Netherlands, Belgium and possibly Spain itself. At first glance, the main advantage of cross-border VPPAs lies in the ability to limit allocated resources by negotiating a single offtake agreement, rather than entering into…