Author: solarenergy

LevelTen Energy says solar and wind power purchase agreement (PPA) prices in Europe continued to decline in the fourth quarter of 2025, with the most competitive percentiles in Spain below €30 ($35.65)/MWh, reflecting strong downward pressure. February 9, 2026 Pilar Sanchez Molina The European solar PPA market continues to see contract prices fall, according to a new report from LevelTen Energy. Q4 2025 confirms the downward trend in solar PPAs, with a further quarterly decline of 1% in the LevelTen continental index and a year-on-year decline of almost 8% in the P25. The imbalance between the rapid expansion of renewable…

New guidance for planning grid-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects has been issued by the National Fire Chief Council (NFCC), the professional voice of the UK Fire and Rescue Service. The new framework replaces the guidelines first published in 2023. It aims to support fire and rescue services across the country by informing them of BESS projects, enabling effective operational pre-planning and ensuring that its requirements are ‘proportionate to the danger and risk present on site’. The aim is to do this ‘without unduly burdening the developer of the BESS installation’, and to promote a consistent approach across the…

New research from Italy has shown that agrivoltaic systems can reduce potato yields by up to 15% compared to completely light cultivation. However, early season moderate shade was found to slow soil moisture depletion, increase biomass accumulation, and improve water use efficiency. February 9, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from the University of Florence in Italy have analyzed the impact of an agrivoltaic installation on potato production using a modeling framework that combines PV energy production, high-resolution shadow mapping, process-based biomass growth and economic analysis. “In this paper, we did not conduct a dedicated field measurement campaign with pyranometers or under-row…

Hithium has released the results of a large-scale fire safety test of its 6.25 MWh “∞Power” battery energy storage system, with an open-door configuration overseen by UL Solutions to assess the risk of thermal overflow in 1175 Ah cells under maximum oxygen conditions. February 9, 2026 Tristan Rayner By ESS news Hithium has announced the completion of a large-scale fire safety test on its ∞Power 6.25 MWh long-term energy storage system (LDES). The testing focused on the company’s 1175 Ah “kiloamp-hour” (kAh) battery cells and was reportedly conducted under the supervision of UL Solutions, US authorities with jurisdiction and fire…

Freedom powerthe new short name of residential and commercial solar installation company Freedom Solar Power, has agreed to sell the service rights of its national commercial solar portfolio to Otovo. Otovo will provide the limited warranties on 400 Freedom-installed commercial systems (approximately 70 MW). Additionally, Otovo will have the ability to provide repair and maintenance services to Freedom Power’s commercial portfolio and its residential customers in Colorado. A Freedom Power installation. “Otovo is expanding into the commercial solar repair industry as we continue to grow our footprint and service offerings,” said William J. (John) Berger, CEO of Otovo. “This is…

The factory is located in the Sohar Freezone in Oman and, once at full capacity, will be able to support the production of up to 40 GW of solar panels per year. February 9, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Omani solar manufacturing company United Solar Holding has started production at its polysilicon plant in Oman, with a planned annual capacity of 100,000 tons. The announcement was made by China-based Shuangliang Hydrogen in a post on LinkedIn. The company said it has supplied four green energy intelligent hydrogen production systems to the plant. “All equipment supplied was successfully started up for the first…

New South Wales has awarded long-term energy services agreements to six battery energy storage projects totaling 1.17 GW and almost 12 GWh, increasing the state’s contracted storage capacity to 30 GWh. February 9, 2026 Ev Foley By pv magazine Australia The New South Wales Roadmap Tender Round 6 for Long Term Energy Storage (LDES) has awarded Long Term Energy Service Agreements (LTESAs) to six new battery energy storage projects representing a capacity of 1.17 GW/11.98 GWh. By increasing the state’s contracted storage capacity to 30 GWh, the latest procurement round meets the NSW Roadmap’s minimum statutory target of delivering 2…

A solar energy generation technology once considered limited in its potential is poised for significant growth in the United States. That’s the conclusion of a team of scientists who analyzed the prospects for cadmium telluride solar photovoltaics in research published in the peer-reviewed journal Joule. Physicists from the University of Toledo, including Dr. Michael Heben, a distinguished university professor and McMaster chair and director of the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, collaborated with partners from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Colorado State University, Sivananthan Labs and First…

Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has allocated 1.2 GW of renewable energy plus storage capacity, providing 4.8 GWh of daily peak supply, at a lowest tariff of INR 6.27 ($0.069)/kWh. February 6, 2026 Uma Gupta By pv magazine India SECI has completed the auction for 1.2 GW of renewable energy capacity, combined with energy storage systems, designed to deliver 4.8 GWh of assured peak power every day, equivalent to 1,200 MW for four hours. The lowest tariff discovered in the tender was INR 6.27/kWh. Adyant Enersol, part of Datta Infra, has secured 100 MW at INR 6.27/kWh. Serentica Renewables…

Facebook parent company Meta has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with the renewable energy company Zelestra for the full output of the 176 MWdirect current Skull Creek Solar Plant in Texas. This is the seventh PPA that Meta has signed with Zelestra, amounting to 1.2 GWdirect current of potential solar capacity once the projects are completed. The Jasper County Solar Project in Indiana. Zelestra Meta’s power needs are increasing as the company builds artificial intelligence data centers. In addition to matching the power needs of data centers with renewable energy, Meta is also investing in nuclear power to…