Author: solarenergy

The Chinese manufacturer said its 2-terminal 34.76% efficient lab-scale perovskite-silicon tandem cell is based on heterojunction technology and developed through a collaboration of Solarlab Aiko Europe, Aiko’s headquarters and its R&D in Yuwi, China. December 23, 2025 Valerie Thompson Solarlab Aiko Europe, a Germany-based research unit of Chinese back-contact (BC) module manufacturer Aiko, presented an update on its perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell research based on two-terminal (2T) and three-terminal (3T) tandem configurations at the Become PV 2025 conference in Brussels, organized by the European Energy Research Alliance Joint Program Photovoltaic Solar Energy earlier this month. With a focus on record-breaking…

Japanese financial services company Tokyo Century today announced that it will co-invest in the operation of solar and onshore wind power plants in Great Britain.Through an agreement with asset management funds under Octopus Energy Group of Octopus Energy Group, Tokyo Century will acquire a 49% stake in the 67MW Breach solar power plant in England and a 49% stake in the 46MW onshore Crossdykes wind power plant in Scotland. The remaining interests are held by Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust plc (ORIT) and Octopus Renewables Infrastructure SCSp (ORI SCSp) respectively.ORIT acquired the Breach solar power plant in 2022with the site costing…

Glare from a nearby solar farm temporarily closed the runways at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, prompting Dutch authorities to order the removal of around 78,000 PV modules and the application of other anti-reflective films. The removed, almost new modules have now been taken over by BM Energy and are expected to be used again in projects where glare is not a problem. December 23, 2025 Emiliano Bellini At the beginning of March, the Polderbaan at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol was closed to incoming traffic during sunny conditions between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. due to glare caused by nearby solar panels. Although…

Scientists have simulated a solar-powered hydrogen production system consisting of 32,050 photovoltaic panels, a pumping system, a seawater reverse osmosis desalination unit, an electrolyzer and a hydrogen storage tank. Operating the system in Oman could potentially generate a levelized electricity cost of $0.05/kWh and a levelized hydrogen cost of $9.5/kg. December 23, 2025 Lior Kahana A research team from the University of Exeter in the UK has simulated an off-grid green hydrogen production system, powered by floating photovoltaic (FPV) technology and seawater reverse osmosis desalination (SWRO), designed to support green mobility in Oman. The system was believed to operate in…

Italian energy group Eni and solar manufacturer FuturaSun have launched SunXT, a new startup focused on the development and production of perovskite-silicon tandem solar panels, building on FuturaSun’s research expertise. December 22, 2025 Emiliano Bellini Italian energy company Eni and Italy-based solar panel manufacturer FuturaSun have revealed they are setting up a startup focused on the development and production of perovskite-silicon tandem solar panels. FuturaSun will have a 56.1% stake in the SunXT company, while Eni’s Eniverse unit will own 43.9%. “SunXT comes from the experience of Solertix, a deep-tech start-up founded by internationally renowned researchers, one of the first…

Moll Batterien has secured more than €22 million in public financing for a 1 GWh sodium-ion battery factory in Bavaria, part of an investment of around €103 million expected to come online in 2026. December 22, 2025 Sandra Enkhardt Image: StMWi/N. Engelhart By ESS news Moll Batterien GmbH has unveiled plans to build a sodium ion battery production facility in Lichtenfels, Germany, with an initial annual capacity of 1 GWh. The factory is expected to create 126 jobs and training places, and is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2026. The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs said it…

Preliminary data from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) for 2025 shows that monthly utility-scale solar energy generation increased from an average of 0.73 TWh in 2024 to 0.99 TWh in the first nine months of 2025. December 22, 2025 Blathnaid O’Dea Ireland’s €18.9 billion ($22.2 billion) investment package for 2026-2030 has been published by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) and the government. The plan – called Price Review 6 (PR6) – will continue to work with industry and developers to increase the supply of onshore wind and solar energy by 2030. According to the Sustainable…

Market pressures in the solar and storage sectors often favor low-cost solutions, but long-term success depends on balancing price, quality and reliability for assets designed to last for decades. Numerous examples, from low-quality silicon modules to hydrogen and redox power storage in homes, show how technically ambitious products can fail if cost, complexity or sustainability are misjudged. December 22, 2025 MARTIN SCHACHINGER, PVXCHANGE.com It is a well-known reality in the market: the best product does not always win. Often the cheapest option wins. No matter how advanced a development or how well thought out the concept, a product has little…

Researchers in China have investigated the long-term stability of horizontally connected salt caverns used for compressed air energy storage. They found that about 85% of existing salt caverns in their home country are suitable for this configuration. December 22, 2025 Lior Kahana A research group from China has investigated the long-term stability of using two-butted-well horizontal (TWH) located in low-grade, submerging salt layers for compressed air energy storage (CAES). “According to statistical data, about 85% of existing salt caverns in China are composed of TWH,” the research team explains. “As salt cavern energy storage reservoirs expand, high-quality caverns with favorable…

BYD says global installations of its BatteryBox residential energy storage systems have increased by 500,000 since June 2024, bringing the total worldwide to 1.5 million. December 22, 2025 Tristan Rayner By ESS news BYD Energy Storage said it has surpassed 1.5 million installed residential energy storage systems worldwide through its BatteryBox brand, a milestone the company first announced on December 18. It said the milestone reflected 10 years of efforts in the residential and small business energy storage market, and is one of the most widely adopted distributed energy storage solutions in the world. BYD did not break down which…