Author: solarenergy
Swedish solar and independent power producer (IPP) Alight has secured £34 million in funding from Scandinavian financier SEB Group to develop behind-the-meter (BtM) commercial and industrial (C&I) solar PV projects in the UK.The portfolio will consist of more than 50 MW of capacity, and Alight expects to commission the projects by the end of 2027. The company said it had entered into power purchase agreements (PPAs) with “blue chip commercial and industrial companies”, but did not name any of the companies involved in the offtake agreements.This is not the first agreement between Alight and SEB. In March 2025, the latter…
The trade body for the UK solar industry, Solar Energy UK (SEUK), expects solar strike prices in the upcoming Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation round to be £63-68 per megawatt hour.The results of allocation round 7a (AR7a) will soon be published by the cabinet. According to indicative timelines issued by the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC), the operator of the CfD programme, results are expected by February 9, although the timing has been pushed back slightly.Solar Energy UK said the results are “excitedly awaited”. According to her, from several announced changes to the way AR7 works compared to previous yearsthe…
The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity has published a report on instability detection technologies to help countries with a high share of renewable energy maintain electricity grid reliability. The study highlights key tools, research priorities and the need for collaboration with stakeholders to advance real-time monitoring and data-driven decision-making. February 6, 2026 Emiliano Bellini The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (Entso-E) has released a report describing energy system instability detection technologies that countries with a high share of renewable energy can use to improve the stability and reliability of the electricity grid. While the…
Hoshine, Risen Energy, Jolywood and Irico have all issued forecasts for net losses in 2025, as rising raw material costs and weak industrial silicon prices pressure margins across the sector. February 6, 2026 Vincent Shaw and Valerie Thompson Hoshine silicon industry predicts a full-year 2025 net loss attributable to shareholders of CNY3.3 billion to CNY2.8 billion ($454 million to $385 million), with profits falling sharply year over year. The company said the industrial silicon market saw a significant contraction in demand due to adjustments in photovoltaic energy supply and demand, causing prices to fall and weighing heavily on its PV-related…
Research at one of the largest solar facilities in the Mojave Desert indicates that a rare annual plant is not only surviving, but thriving under a construction approach designed to preserve desert soils and seed banks. Researchers monitoring the Gemini Solar Project northeast of Las Vegas documented a sharp increase in the number and size of triangle milk vetch installations two years after the panel’s installation compared to pre-construction conditions. The work, led by ecologist Tiffany Pereira of the Desert Research Institute (DRI), is detailed in a study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution in late November 2025. The…
An international study shows that successful agrivoltaic projects require farm-specific, holistic co-design that integrates PV layout with agricultural mechanization from the earliest planning stages. Without proper coordination between machines, crops and PV systems, agricultural voltaic systems risk major land loss, lower field efficiency and higher operating costs, undermining farm profitability. February 6, 2026 Emiliano Bellini An international research team has investigated how mechanized agriculture can be combined with agrivoltaic energy and discovered that the key to success is a holistic, farm-specific co-design process. “Our research focuses on the integration of agricultural mechanization into the design of agricultural voltaic systems,” said…
German researchers have developed a sodium-ion battery technology that uses lignin-based hard carbon as a negative electrode. The prototype 1 Ah battery cell showed no significant degradation after 100 charge and discharge cycles. February 5, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) and Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena have fabricated a prototype sodium-ion battery that uses lignin, a complex organic polymer found in the cell walls of plants, as an electrode material. Lignin is an abundant byproduct of the wood and pulp industry. After processing, it exhibits good electrical conductivity and the redox-active groups can reversibly…
Southeastern Conservative Sustainable Energy Advocacy Organization Energy right has found that Virginia voters largely support solar energy development in the state. Energy Right last month conducted a survey of 861 likely voters on the topic of energy affordability and solutions to stabilize those prices, including solar energy. Terrain-tracking solar trackers await commissioning at the Bartonsville Energy Facility, a 170 MW solar farm near Winchester, Virginia. Nevados In nearly every survey category, 50% or more of respondents said they would support solar energy development, especially if it would benefit local agriculture, economy, infrastructure and energy prices, and if it used American-made…
The company’s new ASTRO N7 Pro PV modules achieve a 2% higher cumulative energy yield over the project life cycle compared to previous generation conventional modules, said Astronergy Head of Global Product Management Baohua He. February 5, 2026 Why has Astronergy switched to a quarter-cut cell design for its new ASTRO N7 Pro PV modules? Baohua He: Against the backdrop of the photovoltaic industry’s continued drive for increased power and LCOE, multi-cut technology is an important avenue to improve module performance. By subdividing the circuit into shorter and more independent branches, quarter-cut cell technology reduces resistance losses while limiting the…
Sungrow says it plans to invest €230 million ($274 million) in its first European factory in Wałbrzych, Poland, to produce inverters and battery energy storage systems (BESS). February 5, 2026 Marian Willuhn By ESS news Chinese BESS manufacturer Sungrow has revealed it is building its first production facility in Europe. The factory, which will produce inverters and BESS, is under construction in Wałbrzych in southwestern Poland and will cover an area of 65,400 square meters. The company said the investment is approximately €230 million. The factory is expected to be completed within the next twelve months. “This new factory is…