Author: solarenergy

By pv magazine Australia Australia is now the world’s third largest market by capacity for large-scale battery energy storage, with 14 GW/37 GWh of battery energy storage capacity at or near financial close, reflecting expected capacity over the next two years. The pipeline of battery projects increased by 45 GW in twelve months, from 109 GW in August 2024 to 154 GW a year later. Australia is also the first country to exceed 1 GWh of utility battery capacity per million inhabitants, putting it in a league of its own, far ahead of China and the United States, which each…

Switzerland-based analytics firm Pexapark registered 19 power purchase agreements (PPA) in Europe in September, as PPA prices fell month-on-month in most major European markets. October 21, 2025 Patrick Jowett A total of 17 power purchase agreements (PPA) were publicly announced in Europe in September, according to the latest analysis from Swiss renewable energy research firm Pexapark. The deals amount to 630 MW of contracted capacity, with Italy and Spain being the most active markets of the month, accounting for 200 MW and 132 MW respectively. The largest PPA by capacity in September was an on-site PPA of 140 MW secured…

In this contributed article, Callum Goodwin, senior ecologist at Biodiverse Consulting, discusses the impact of solar energy on biodiversity and calls for a coherent national approach to planning guidance and data collection to ensure that solar power plants deliver measurable biodiversity benefits.This month, renewable energy became the world’s leading source of electricity, a major milestone in the fight against climate change. This is the culmination of decades of investment in clean energy technologies and marks the beginning of a bigger challenge: scaling these technologies responsibly and ensuring that our transition to net zero is also positive for nature.As part of…

By SB staff October 21, 2025 The Awards for Solar Builder Project of the Year 2025 are being expanded this year with a new category – Canadian Project of the Year – and voting is now open! The form is at the bottom of the page. You can vote once per day from now until Friday, October 31 at midnight ET (creepy!). For your information: our voting widget shall lets you vote more than once per day, but we filter these out in the backend. Sorry, voters. The winners will be announced and profiled in the December edition of Solar…

Rondo Energy’s 100 MWh heat battery, powered by 20 MW of on-site solar energy, can store industrial heat or use cheap electricity from the grid generated during sunny and windy hours, the company said. October 21, 2025 William Driscoll By pv magazine USA Rondo Energy has announced that a 100 MWh thermal battery it installed in California, powered solely by 20 MW of on-site, off-grid solar energy, is operating automatically daily. The thermal battery will continuously supply high-pressure heat and steam to a Holmes Western oil plant and is the first large-scale commercial project of its kind, the company said.…

UK solar and storage developer Island Green Power (IGP) has made progress on its Lime Down Solar project after the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) accepted its application for a development consent (DCO).The Nationally Important Infrastructure Project (NSIP), located in Wiltshire, is moving into the pre-investigation phase, which could last up to three months. The solar plus storage project includes a 500 MW export connection, a 250 MW import connection and a 1 GWh battery energy storage system (BESS).IGP, which is 100% owned by Australian investor Macquarie Group, submitted the Lime Down Solar Park to PINS on September 19, 2025, with exploration…

The actual cost of powering a 1,500 square foot home with solar energy If you’re staring at rising energy bills, you’re not alone. Homeowners in Colorado Springs are asking the same question: How much does it really cost to install solar panels on a 1,500-square-foot home? The short answer is that the price depends on your energy consumption, the type of panels you choose and the incentives available. This guide explains everything in plain language, so you can see what solar energy costs, how many panels you are likely to need and what savings you can expect. What we cover…

The world is at a crossroads. Climate change demands urgent action, and the energy sector stands at the center of the solution. As fossil fuels continue to contribute to rising global temperatures, the search for clean energy sources has never been more critical. Two technologies consistently emerge in these discussions: nuclear energy and solar power. Both promise to reduce carbon emissions, but they take different approaches to generating electricity. For homeowners, businesses, and communities across North Carolina, understanding these energy sources matters. While nuclear energy operates at the utility scale, powering entire regions, solar energy offers something nuclear cannot—the ability…

Developers have until November 3 to respond to Ofgem’s ‘minded’ position to approve a Progression Commitment Fee (PCF) as part of the reformed grid connection process.The plans that Ofgem wants to approve will see projects that accept a Gate 2 offer but fail to meet Queue Management Milestone 1, namely initiating planning permission, pay the PCF. Treated as a cancellation fee, the PCF would start at £2,500/MW and increase by £2,500/MW for every six months that a project does not progress, up to a maximum of £10,000/MW. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has proposed an amendment to the Connection…

Mercedes-Benz unveiled its first car prototype with a silicon-free, 20% efficient nanoparticle solar coating that powers the car even when it is off and uses modules thinner than a human hair. October 21, 2025 Pilar Sanchez Molina Mercedes-Benz Vision Iconic Image: Mercedes-Benz German carmaker Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the Vision Iconic prototype, the first car with its “solar paintphotovoltaic solution, during Shanghai Fashion Week in China. The company said the coating consists of innovative modules just 5 micrometers thick that can be applied to the car body “as a wafer-thin paste” or to other substrates. The protective layer is described as…