Author: solarenergy

By Martin McConnell January 27, 2026 Lighting manufacturer Street magazine and home builder Lennar Huizen have reached a national supplier agreement to provide solar street lighting in Lennar-built communities across the US The partnership, announced on January 22, is a “major milestone” for Streetleaf, the company says. The agreement will accelerate the company’s mission to provide sustainable alternatives to many traditional on-grid lighting services for American communities. “It is an honor to partner with Lennar to light up its communities, especially as demand for sustainable yet cost-effective solutions continues to grow,” said Liam Ryan, CEO of Streetleaf. “We strive to…

A new association will reinvigorate a viable community solar and storage program in California. Californians for local, affordable solar and storage (CLASS) will work to expand access to local, affordable clean energy, lower electric bills for families and small businesses, and create new income opportunities for farmers and landowners across the state. Founding members of the new association include Chaberton Energy, Dimension Energy, ECA Solar, Fieldworks Power, Nexamp, Renewable America, Renewable Properties and White Pine Renewables. While California has historically been at the forefront of distributed energy projects, significant investments in community solar have left the state for more favorable…

Doral renewable energy sourcesThe Great Bend Solar project became commercially operational on January 6. The project was largely completed in December 2025. Large solar powered bend. Doral renewable energy sources Located in Meigs County, the 48 MW project was built in the Great Bend of the Ohio River, near the state line with West Virginia. Doral Renewables commissioned PCL Construction to build the project in April 2024. “We are very pleased to be able to commercially operate this facility,” said Amit Nadkarni, SVP of project and asset management at Doral. “As demand for electricity continues to rise, this facility will…

Hongyuan Green Energy says it has produced an initial batch of 40µm monocrystalline silicon wafers supporting full-size and half-cut formats, with cutting completed using the company’s in-house wafer equipment. January 27, 2026 Vincent Shaw Hongyuan Green Energy said it has produced an initial batch of 40µm ultra-thin monocrystalline silicon wafers at its smart wafer manufacturing base in Baotou, China, which it describes as a production-oriented step in wafer thinning rather than a record-breaking demonstration. The company dates the milestone as January 23, 2026. In an official disclosure, Hongyuan said the wafers are compatible with both full-wafer and half-cut processing and…

RheEnergise has reached full capacity at its first High-Density Hydro energy storage project near Plymouth, Devon. The 500 kW demonstrator marks a breakthrough for long-duration energy storage technology that can operate on hills rather than requiring mountainous terrain.The system uses a fluid that is 2.5 times denser than water, allowing smaller installations with the same energy output as traditional hydro pump systems. The breakthrough opens up thousands of potential sites in Britain that were previously unsuitable for hydropower storage.The Cornwood project, built at Sibelco’s kaolin mine, received £8.25 million in government funding through the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio programme. RheEnergise…

Researchers in Hong Kong have developed a hybrid energy heat pump that seamlessly combines absorption and compression cycles using crystallization-free ionic liquids, improving efficiency and reliability under different solar conditions. Simulations in multiple Chinese cities show that the system can significantly reduce electricity consumption and cooling costs, making it promising for sustainable building cooling and future commercial scale-up. January 27, 2026 Lior Kahana A research team from the City University of Hong Kong has designed a new hybrid energy heat pump (HEHP) system that enables a gradual transition from an absorption cycle to a compression cycle. In addition, the new…

UK independent power producer (IPP) Voltwise Power has raised £153.9 million (US$211.4 million) in funding to support its acquisition of a 460MW battery energy storage system (BESS), which was completed last year.The deal, which closed in June 2025, saw the IPP acquire a BESS portfolio from UK energy infrastructure company Smart Metering Systems (SMS), which at the time was spread across seven 320 MW/250 MWh operating assets and a further four 140 MW/280 MWh assets under development.However, the deal also included the acquisition of SMS’s entire battery business, and Voltwise said the portfolio includes “a number of development assets” in…

Medium-voltage power stations are often more flexible, cost-effective and easier to integrate into local grids than high-voltage power stations, making them ideal for distributed solar projects or regions without easy access to high-voltage transmission infrastructure. High-voltage power plants are more suitable for utility-scale generation for long-distance transmission, but are more sensitive to transmission losses and require significant upfront planning and investment. In addition, high-voltage installations require stricter safety measures, more complex protection systems and specialized personnel. With these benefits in mind, a team of researchers from Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE are currently planning to build what they describe as the world’s…

Pilot project for long-term energy storage (LDES) uses fluid with a low viscosity and a higher density than water. RheEnergise is looking for future projects in the range of 10 MW to 100 MW, with a storage capacity of six to twenty hours. January 27, 2026 Matthew Lynas RheEnergise’s High-Density Hydro project has secured investment from the UK government’s GBP 1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio fund Image: RheEnergise By ESS news A British startup has commissioned a pilot energy storage project designed to allow smaller, flexible hydropower plants to be built in hills rather than mountains. RheEnergise received a…

pv magazine has spoken with silver analysts from Bloomberg and StoneX in recent weeks about the dizzying growth of the silver price. They both agree that when prices rise too quickly, investor behavior can quickly change. Meanwhile, the price of the precious metal reached another record high today, at $110 per ounce. January 27, 2026 Lior Kahana and Emiliano Bellini The price of silver has risen dramatically in recent months and today surpassed an all-time high of $110 per ounce (oz). However, according to two leading analysts, this upward trend could reverse sharply in the coming days or weeks. “I…