Author: solarenergy
France’s certification body says it has revoked eligibility for a lower solar VAT rate for four Chinese-made modules after discovering traceability errors that changed their carbon footprint calculations. December 16, 2025 Gwénaëlle Deboutte By pv magazine France Four solar panels from Chinese cell and module manufacturer DMEGC have been removed from France’s list of products eligible for the reduced 5.5% VAT rate after an error was discovered in the traceability of components, French certification body Certisolis said. The reduced rate only applies to modules that meet a carbon footprint threshold of less than 530 kg of carbon dioxide per kilowatt…
The Chinese manufacturer has launched a new series of three-phase hybrid inverters ranging from 80 kW to 100 kW. The new products feature eight MPPTs with an input current of up to 42 A. December 16, 2025 Lior Kahana Chinese inverter and energy storage manufacturer GoodWe has launched three new three-phase hybrid inverter models for commercial and industrial (C&I) applications. The new inverters are part of the company’s ET series and have an output power of 80 kW, 99.99 kW and 100 kW respectively, and a maximum PV input of 160 kW, 200 kW and 200 kW respectively. The 80…
In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Edo Bay with four coal-powered warships and turned their guns on Japan. The ships belched black smoke, rattled the coastline and terrified a nation that had never seen an industrial war up close. Perry called it diplomacy. The Japanese called them the Kurofune – the black ships. They worked. Japan opened its ports not because it agreed, but because it was forced to confront an overwhelming, dirty power. America likes to tell itself that story as a triumph. But almost two centuries later, we sail a new series of black ships – and…
The city government of Salem, New Jersey, has a request for proposals (RFP) for the redevelopment of the municipal landfill. The 41-acre site was the city’s landfill beginning in 1988 and was capped and closed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in 2005. Salem, New Jersey’s municipal landfill. City of Salem “The City of Salem views the landfill as one of its most important redevelopment opportunities,” said Salem Mayor Jody Veler. “The site has long been underutilized and has the potential to be transformed into a valuable community asset, one that supports job creation, generates new income and…
France-based startup Carbon plans to partner with Chinese manufacturer Longi and adopt back-contact (BC) solar technology as it reviews its roadmap for a gigawatt-scale solar panel factory. December 16, 2025 Gwénaëlle Deboutte By pv magazine France Carbon is reviewing plans for its proposed solar panel gigafactory in France, moving from an independent n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) strategy to partnering with Chinese manufacturer Longi and adopting BC technology, the company said. pv magazine France. “It is unthinkable to launch a gigafactory in just a few years without relying on players who have already designed and operated these types of…
The automotive giant will leverage its factories in Kentucky and Michigan, along with its know-how in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology, to provide solutions for the energy infrastructure and growing data center market. The company plans to start delivering battery energy storage systems (BESS) in 2027. December 16, 2025 Marija Maisch By ESS news Ford is repurposing underutilized electric vehicle battery capacity and focusing on “higher return opportunities” in the energy storage sector. The auto giant said Monday it will invest about $2 billion over the next two years to scale up the new business. Initial production is expected to…
The 200 square meter facility targets an annual production capacity of 2 GW of solar cells and 2 GW of solar panels. 100% of the production of solar cells will be intended for export. December 16, 2025 Blathnaid O’Dea Egypt has broken ground for an Atum Solar integrated manufacturing complex worth EGP 10.5 billion ($210 million) in Sokhna in Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE). The 200 m2 facility will consist of three facilities and targets an annual production capacity of 2 GW of solar cells and 2 GW of solar panels. 100% of solar cell production will be for…
UNSW and Jolywood studied the thermal stability of laser-assisted TOPCon solar cells during module fabrication and high-temperature stress, identifying hydrogen-related defect dynamics as the key factor behind degradation and recovery. They found that lamination causes temporary efficiency losses that self-recover under light exposure, while optimized LAF can restore deteriorated contacts, providing practical guidance for reliable module production and testing. December 16, 2025 Emiliano Bellini A group of researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia and Chinese module manufacturer Jolywood conducted a comprehensive assessment of how laser-assisted baking (LAF) processes affect the behavior of TOPCon cells under…
By Charles W. Thurston December 16, 2025 For the first time ever, Solar builder recognizes a Canadian Project of the Year Award as part of its annual celebration of innovative solar energy installations. Developer/EPC/Installer: Ready Solar Inc. | Modules: Long | Inverters: AP systems | Assembly/racking: S-5! And Kinetic stretch The massive Estrada residential solar system in Vancouver, BC, built by Ready solar energyhas won Solar builder’s first Canada Project of the Year Award. The 25 kW solar system should produce about 26,000 kWh per year, virtually eliminating the $4,500 annual energy bill for owners, said Sukhpaul Parmar, the owner…
NRG Energythrough its retail electricity supplier Reliant, will accept new and existing ones Sun run customers to the virtual power plant (VPP) in Texas. Credit: Carhartt/Sunrun Sunrun and NRG Energy have entered into a multi-year partnership to accelerate the adoption of distributed energy, including home battery storage, providing dispatchable capacity to meet the state’s rising energy demand. “This partnership is an important step in achieving our goal of creating a 1 GW virtual power plant by 2035,” said Brad Bentley, EVP of NRG Energy and president of NRG Consumer. “Texas is growing rapidly and our electricity supply must keep pace.…