Author: solarenergy

Clearway Energy Group announced that it has signed a 20-year PPA and 260-year energy storage agreement with Grant County Public Utility District No. 2 for the Royal Slope Energy Center, a 260 MW solar energy storage facility in Grant County, Washington. “This partnership with Grant PUD reflects our shared vision to provide near-term reliability and power to regions experiencing significant load growth from data centers and industrial demand,” said Valerie Wooley, senior VP of origination at Clearway. “Royal Slope is a long-term investment in Washington’s energy independence and economic vitality.” Grant PUDs Integrated Resources Plan 2024 has identified near-term energy…

Energía Provincial Sociedad del Estado (EPSE) says production at its new vertically integrated solar plant in San Juan, Argentina, will start soon once key equipment arrives from China. November 5, 2025 Luis Ini By pv magazine LatAm State-owned EPSE continues its plan to establish a vertically integrated solar cell and module manufacturing facility in Argentina’s Pocito department, San Juan province. The arrival of an industrial laminating machine marks an important milestone for the long-delayed project. The equipment is essential for the production line at the state-owned company’s factory, which will manufacture modules using locally produced quartz. The facility will integrate…

British researchers believe that smart, centrally controlled air heat pumps can reduce peak electricity demand. The technology not only keeps homes comfortable, but also increases the flexibility of the electricity grid and reduces emissions. November 5, 2025 Lior Kahana A group of researchers from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and British energy company Good Energy have investigated how remote control of air source heat pumps (ASHPs) could increase suppliers’ energy flexibility through peak shaving strategies. The research found that ASHPs can deliver significant average power reduction during periods of high demand. The field trial involved 30 test…

Portugal’s first heat-as-a-service agreement combines a 7 MW solar power plant and a 100 MWh thermal battery to provide continuous, emission-free steam for industrial use, according to Rondo Energy and Energias de Portugal (EDP). November 4, 2025 Pilar Sanchez Molina By pv magazine Spain Central de Cervejas e Bebidas, the brewery and malting plant of the Heineken Group in Portugal, has signed an agreement with American manufacturer Rondo Energy and Portuguese utility EDP to install a 100 MWh thermal battery at its Lisbon plant. The companies said the system will be one of the largest thermal batteries in the global…

Researchers from Fraunhofer ISE tested different types of heat pumps in existing buildings across Germany for four years, finding that the systems achieved seasonal performance factors between 2.6 and 5.4. The team also showed that PV-powered heat pumps can increase self-consumption, especially when combined with battery storage. November 4, 2025 Emiliano Bellini Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) this week presented the results of a four-year study into the performance of various heat pump systems installed in existing residential buildings across the country. In total, the institute’s researchers analyzed 77 commercially available heat pumps operating in one-…

Belgian grid operator Fluvius says complaints about inverters have fallen by more than half since 2023, while solar panel connections rose 8.5% year on year in record sunshine. November 4, 2025 Patrick Jowett Belgian grid operator Fluvius said the number of complaints it receives about solar inverter defects has fallen by more than half since 2023. In 2023, the operator received more than 5,000 complaints about the failure of grid inverters when the electricity grid became overloaded. Inverter shutdowns are most likely when high levels of home solar generation, due to abundant sunshine, are combined with low consumption. This is…

Prysmian recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the company’s $63.8 million expansion project, which added 100,000 square feet and 80 new jobs to its existing factory in Du Quoin, Illinois. The ceremony also commemorated the facility’s 60th anniversary. Credit: Prysmian Prysmian’s produces cabling used for renewable energy projects and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure. The expansion also helped modernize existing infrastructure and implement an energy management system within the facility. The expansion project also includes a new solar farm, which will generate approximately 50% of the energy needed to produce the product at the Du Quoin factory. “This investment in our…

Japanese TOPCon specialist Toyo will become the official solar cell supplier of French solar panel manufacturer Voltec Solar, after signing a strategic partnership that marks Toyo’s first entry into the European market. November 4, 2025 Patrick Jowett Tokyo-based solar energy company Toyo has entered into a strategic partnership with French solar panel manufacturer Voltec Solar. Under the terms of the agreement, Toyo, which specializes in the production of TOPCon solar cells, will become the official solar cell supplier of Voltec Solar. This step marks the entry of the Japanese company into the European market. A statement published by Toyo said…

Battery storage has secured almost all new build capacity at the latest capacity market auctions in Belgium, cementing its central role in the country’s energy supply plans until 2030. November 4, 2025 Marija Maisch Image: Patrick Robert Doyle, Unsplash By ESS news Battery storage continues dominate the new capacity contracted in the Belgian capacity market auctions. In return, CRM payments play a key role in supporting these projects by providing guaranteed revenue, which helps increase bank financing. On the last day of October, grid operator Elia published the results of the three CRM auctions, which are being held simultaneously for…

In response to a question about how an AI satellite constellation could provide precise and equitable adjustments to solar energy across Earth’s hemispheres — taking into account seasonal variations and potential geopolitical conflicts over control — Musk said: “Yes. Small adjustments would be enough to prevent global warming or cooling. The Earth has snowballed many times in the past.” The same user who asked the question added that “making small adjustments to balance warming and cooling makes perfect sense; Earth’s ancient ice ages already demonstrate this. But managing such an intervention would require a global AI protocol; otherwise geopolitical tensions…