Author: solarenergy
Trina Solar has completed the sale of its 5 GW US solar module factory to T1 Energy, exiting direct manufacturing while retaining a minority stake. December 24, 2025 Vincent Shaw Trina Solar has completed the sale of its 5 GW solar module manufacturing facility in the United States to T1 Energy, completing a transaction first approved by the company’s board of directors in November 2024. The Shanghai-listed manufacturer said in a December 23 filing that all asset transfer and share exchange steps have now been completed. Following the transaction, Trina will own 45.9 million shares in T1 Energy, equivalent to…
Trina Solar says new certified results in perovskite crystalline silicon tandem cells and modules demonstrate progress toward next-generation industrial-scale PV. December 24, 2025 Vincent Shaw Trina Solar said its researchers have achieved new certified benchmarks in perovskite-crystalline silicon tandem solar cell efficiency and module power, which the company described as world records for industrial-sized devices. The company said an industrial-scale tandem solar cell with a half-cut format of 210 mm achieved a certified energy conversion efficiency of 32.6%, while a standard-sized tandem module integrating the cells delivered a peak power of 865 W. Both results have been independently verified by…
Scientists in China have built and tested a device that uses redox couples combined with a single three-junction amorphous-silicon photoelectrode. When tested under a xenon lamp simulating a single sun, the device achieved an average solar energy to electricity conversion efficiency of 4.2%. December 24, 2025 Lior Kahana A research team from China’s Nanjing Tech University (NanjingTech) has developed and built a new anthraquinone-based solar redox flow battery (SRFB) device. The system consists of redox couples known as 2,6-DBEAQ and K4[Fe(CN)6]combined with a single three-junction amorphous silicon photoelectrode. SRFBs are systems that combine a solar cell with a redox flow…
Spanish renewable energy platform Matrix Renewables has appointed Tesla for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) for its 500MW/1GWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Scotland.Tesla has signed a Full EPC agreement for the design, construction and commissioning of the 2-hour BESS, based in Eccles, Scotland. Matrix has met all planning conditions for the project and is now in the ready-to-build (RTB) phase.The Eccles BESS will be Matrix’s first self-contained storage project in the UK. It acquired the site, along with another in Kilmarnock, Scotland, in April this year, through a partnership with Green BESS Developments UK, part of Czech…
A team of researchers based in Sweden have developed a snow loss model to estimate snow-induced PV power losses on an hourly basis. The proposed approach is based solely on data from remote sensing sources such as aerial imagery, LIDAR and satellite data. December 24, 2025 Valerie Thompson A research team led by Becquerel Sweden has developed a generalizable snow loss model to estimate snow-induced PV power losses on an hourly basis. It is based on PV system data derived exclusively from remote sensing sources, such as aerial photographs, light detection and ranging (LIDAR), and satellite-derived radiation and weather data.…
Recycled electric vehicle batteries have been used for the energy storage component of a solar and battery project that now powers carmaker Nissan Australia’s aluminum casting plant in Victoria. December 24, 2025 David Caroll By pv magazine Australia Nissan Australia has completed the installation of a 100 kW rooftop solar array and a ‘first of its kind’ 120 kWh battery energy storage system using legacy electric vehicle (EV) batteries to power part of its Melbourne manufacturing facility and supply two new EV chargers installed as part of the project. The Nissan Node project, carried out in collaboration with the Melbourne-based…
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and German development bank KfW have signed an €87 million ($102.5 million) financing package for a 134 MW solar project in North Macedonia, the largest developing country. December 23, 2025 Patrick Jowett Elektrani na Severna Makedonija (ESM), the state-owned electricity generation company North Macedoniahas secured an €87 million ($102.5 million) financing package for a 134 MW solar project. The Bitola 3 solar power plant will be developed on the site of a depleted coal mine in Bitola, southwestern North Macedonia. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) provides a government-guaranteed loan of…
By Brad Kramer December 22, 2025 Congress is considering a permit reform bill that could create more challenges for developing solar projects. The US House of Representatives has passed the bill Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act. by a vote of 221 to 196 on December 18. The bill now goes to the Senate for approval. The SPEED Act was originally introduced on July 25 by U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) as a bipartisan effort to help accelerate large-scale infrastructure projects. The permitting reform law proposed significant…
Neoen Australia has started construction of its third major battery in less than 90 days, accelerating Australia’s energy transition with 20 GW of solar, wind, gas, batteries and hydropower plants now in operation or under construction. December 23, 2025 David Caroll By pv magazine Australia The Australian arm of France-based developer Neoen has announced the start of construction on the 226 MW/866 MWh Goyder North battery energy storage project in South Australia. The project is expected to feature Tesla’s new ones Mega block technology, marking the world’s first implementation of the grid-scale battery architecture unveiled earlier this year. The Megablock…
Researchers in Norway investigated the melting behavior of silicon notch agglomerates under different atmospheres and temperatures to improve the recycling of silicon from solar energy. They found that vacuum melting improves deoxidation and produces a homogeneous, oxide-free melt, while agglomerate size has little effect on melting behavior. December 23, 2025 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have studied the melting behavior of silicon notch powder under different regimes and conditions, with the aim of bringing the refining and recycling of the material closer to commercial and technical implementation. Silicon kerf is the silicon material…