Author: solarenergy

The battery world needs alternative chemistry to overcome the weaknesses with lithium-ion. Sodium ion is a big hope, and in the field of portable energy, Bluetti’s new product shows promise and limitations. February 13, 2026 Tristan Rayner By ESS news Portable power station manufacturers have been making mature products for several years. Innovations around lithium products have reached maturity and new ideas using other chemicals are emerging. Popular Chinese battery maker Bluetti has switched to sodium-ion power for its Pioneer Na portable power station, and ESS News had time with the device in cold weather to test it out. The…

High-strength silicon wafers offer superior efficiency potential, but are highly susceptible to edge recombination and mechanical damage, limiting their commercial use compared to more robust standard wafers. Researchers from Longi and Sun Yat-sen University have shown that integrating in-situ edge passivation unlocks this potential, significantly increasing the fill factor and efficiency of back-contact solar cells. February 13, 2026 Emiliano Bellini The PV industry has so far largely failed to use high-resistance, light-doped wafers in commercial solar cell production, even though they have fewer recombination sites, improving electrical performance. These wafers are actually more brittle and prone to cracking during handling,…

Pioneering research led by Northumbria University shows how the global solar industry can expand production of photovoltaic technology while further reducing its carbon footprint. As solar deployment accelerates to meet climate targets and rising electricity demand, the work addresses the challenge of ensuring this growth is both scalable and sustainable, rather than simply shifting environmental burdens elsewhere in the energy system. The research, published in Nature Communications, examines the full life cycle of photovoltaic silicon technology, from raw material extraction to the production of state-of-the-art solar panels that are expected to dominate the market until 2035. Researchers from Northumbria University…

The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMIA) says prices for wafers, cells and modules remain stable, while industry operating rates are lower among leading and integrated manufacturers. February 13, 2026 Vincent Shaw The CNMIA mentioned wafer prices remained stable, with n-type G10L at CNY 1.20 ($0.17), G12R at CNY 1.26 and G12 at CNY 1.45 per piece. Cell and module prices also remained stable at CNY 0.41/W to CNY 0.45/W and CNY 0.71/W to CNY 0.75/W, respectively. Industry business figures fell slightly, with leading manufacturers at 45% to 46%, integrated manufacturers at 50% to 60% and others at 50% to…

Risen Energy says its new 131kW/261kWh commercial storage unit uses silicon carbide and full liquid cooling to improve efficiency, maintain production in hot conditions and speed installation. February 13, 2026 Vincent Shaw By ESS news Risen Energy has launched a 131 kW/261 kWh commercial and industrial (C&I) battery energy storage “all-in-one” unit with a full liquid cooling architecture and a silicon carbide (SiC) power conversion stage, positioning the product as a more efficient upgrade for behind-the-meter applications. According to information released by the company, the new unit increases the rated power of PCS from 125 kW to 131 kW to…

Scotland-based energy storage company Gravitricity quietly went bankrupt in October last year.Gravitricity’s file history shows that through a Microsoft Teams (online) meeting on October 1, it was decided that the company would go into voluntary liquidation, after which Callum Carmichael and Graham Smith of FRP Advisory Trading were appointed liquidators. It had £7,913.82 worth of assets available to creditors.Following the liquidation, the company’s intellectual properties, including the Gravitricity brand and its patents, will be offered for sale through financial services provider Hilco, with a deadline for the offer is February 25, 2026.One of the creditors mentioned in Gravitricity’s statement of…

Japanese researchers used supercomputer simulations to reveal how sodium ions form clusters and move within hard carbon anodes, identifying nanopore sizes and transition regions that control diffusion and assess performance in sodium ion batteries. Their findings provide design guidelines for optimizing hard carbon anodes to improve energy density, cycling, and commercialization prospects. February 13, 2026 Lior Kahana Scientists at Japan’s Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) have used supercomputer simulations to unravel the physics of hard carbon (HC) anodes in sodium-ion batteries (NIBs). HC is a key component in state-of-the-art NIBs, which have received attention in recent years due to…

The latest German tender for a large-scale PV project closed with an average final price of €0.0500 ($0.0593)/kWh. The tender procedure was largely oversubscribed. February 13, 2026 Sandra Enkhardt Image: Deutsche Bahn AG/Volker Emersleben By pv magazine Germany Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has allocated 2,328 MW of PV capacity in the country’s latest tender for utility-scale solar energy. It divided the capacity among 226 bids. The new allocations exceed the capacity that the Bundesnetzagentur initially wanted to distribute. The tender was oversubscribed, with 634 project proposals for a total amount of 5.23 GW. The average price came to €0.0500…

Belectric has signed a contract to act as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for a 210MW solar PV portfolio in the UK.The portfolio will consist of four projects, owned by Severn Trent Green Power (STGP), which are expected to be built in Shropshire, Warwickshire, North Yorkshire and Yorkshire. Belectric, a subsidiary of European energy company Elevion Group, expects to start construction work on the portfolio next month and plans to start commercial operation of the projects between August 2027 and January 2028.Belectric noted that some of the project sites “present specific technical challenges, including the presence of gas pipelines…

Researchers in Saudi Arabia ran a year-long simulation of fixed-tilt PV panels at different azimuth angles, finding that south-facing panels (180°) maximize energy production, while eastward shifts of up to 45° cause minimal losses. February 13, 2026 Lior Kahana Researchers from Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Saudi Arabia conducted a one-year simulation study of a fixed-tilt PV system at different azimuth angles to determine the optimal configuration for solar energy production under local conditions. “We aimed to systematically quantify the optimal annual energy production for azimuth angles of 180°, 150°, 135° and 120° for a fixed-tilt system in Dammam,…