Author: solarenergy
Chinese manufacturers now dominate Europe’s residential storage sector, taking more than 80% of installations, while European companies are losing ground amid falling prices and weak policy support. October 29, 2025 Anna Darmani, Isabel Nieto Tous By ESS news Europe continues to lead the global residential energy storage segment, accounting for seven of the ten largest global residential storage markets by 2025. This year, however, the European residential storage market is experiencing a 9% decline in installations for the second consecutive year. There are two main reasons for this shrinkage. On the one hand, there is the decline in energy prices…
Chile’s Colbún has started a green solar-powered hydrogen unit at its Nehuenco thermoelectric complex, replacing fossil-based hydrogen used to cool generators. October 30, 2025 Luis Ini By pv magazine LatAm Chile’s Colbún has inaugurated the country’s first industrial green hydrogen plant at a power generation facility located in the Nehuenco thermoelectric complex in Quillota, Valparaíso region. The $1.6 million project operates independently of the national grid and uses PV energy to produce hydrogen for the generators’ cooling system, replacing gray hydrogen derived from fossil fuels. The facility, announced in 2023, will include a 100 kW solar panel, battery storage, an…
Manila Electric Company (Meralco), through its subsidiary MGen Renewable Energy Inc, has increased its stake in SP New Energy Corporation (SPNEC) following the transfer of 10.8 billion exchangeable shares in a deal worth PHP 13.76 billion ($233.5 million). The company is working on the world’s largest solar-plus-storage project currently under development. October 30, 2025 Patrick Jowett Image: Lainecedillo, Wikimedia Commons Electricity distribution company Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has increased its stake in SP New Energy Corporation (SPNEC), the largest solar energy provider in the Philippines. According to a transaction notice, 10.8 billion exchangeable shares have been transferred from SPNEC to…
Under the terms of the agreement, Drax will pay £157.2 million in phased installments between 2025 and 2028, depending on construction milestones and Apatura’s delivery of the project. The acquisition of the first two projects is expected to be completed in 2025, while the third will be completed in the first quarter of 2026. According to the company, the 260 MW, two-hour (520 MWh) BESS portfolio includes two sites in Scotland and one in Northern England, with construction planned for 2026 and the first site to be online in 2027. “This acquisition marks our first investment in short-term storage as…
Britain is in the midst of an unprecedented energy debt crisis, with millions of households in arrears totaling more than £4 billion, according to a new report from the Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee.This figure has tripled in the past five years, underscoring the impact of the ongoing energy price crisis on consumer finances. In response, the Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee has called on Ofgem to use £4 billion in windfalls from energy network companies to fund a comprehensive energy debt relief programme, as part of a series of recommendations in the first part of…
A BESS installation of AES. The Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill on Oct. 29 that would help build 3 GW of utility-scale battery storage in the state, according to WIZARD. By encouraging new storage expansions and VPP programs, the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act aims to help the volatile grid better meet the skyrocketing demand of new data centers and increasing electrification. The bill would also impose new requirements on utilities to adopt time-of-use policies to encourage homeowners to reduce demand on the electric grid during peak times through the use of solar + storage, according…
The country’s National Institute of Technology and Standards said the new standards apply to modules that combine photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies in a single device, noting that separate standards for each technology already exist. October 30, 2025 Emiliano Bellini Rooftop PVT systems in Germany Image: Andreas Siegemund, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 South Korea’s National Institute of Technology and Standards (KATS) has introduced new national standards for photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) solar panels. The government-run agency said the new standards apply to modules that combine photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies in a single device, noting that separate standards for each technology…
Earlier this year, Danish investor AIP Management acquired a 49% stake in a 2.4 GWh UK battery energy storage system (BESS) portfolio from UK-headquartered BW ESS.The portfolio includes three projects, including the operational Bramley project and the under-construction Hams Hill and Berkswell projects, which were completed at the end of September. At that time, Solar energy portal revealed the transaction was worth more than £650 millionand was a significant development for AIP’s storage investments, marking the first investment in a UK storage project and the first investment in a standalone storage project, as opposed to projects located next to solar…
Spain’s grid operator has approved 24 renewable energy plants to provide dynamic voltage regulation services from January, making them a priority under a new operational program. October 30, 2025 Pilar Sanchez Molina Image: Haberdoedas, Unsplash By pv magazine Spain Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE) said this week that it has authorized 24 renewable energy facilities to provide dynamic voltage regulation services under Operational Program 7.4 (OP 7.4). The approval follows a request submitted by REE in 2020 and a June decision by the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) to grant authorization through an urgent resolution.…
EG4’s production facility in Texas. New data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) shows that the entire solar supply chain has been redesigned and that U.S. manufacturing capacity has grown in every segment of the solar and storage supply chain. With news of Corning’s new ingot and wafer facility coming online in the third quarter, the United States now has the capacity to produce every major part of the solar supply chain. However, this progress could all be in jeopardy if the Trump administration continues its attacks on solar energy. According to SEIA Solar & Storage Supply Chain DashboardSince…