Author: solarenergy

SolarEdge has a new commercial-oriented battery system, with the new model capable of scaling up to 1 MW / 4 MWh depending on inverter choice. April 22, 2026 Marija Maisch By ESS news SolarEdge is expanding its commercial and industrial batteries with a new 197 kWh battery, the CSS-OD 197, with inverter power of 50 kW or 100 kW. Jacques van der Bijl, director of C&I products in Europe for SolarEdge, explains ESS news that “we are currently represented and installing batteries in most relevant regions in Europe, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland and France.” Previously, the company…

Ireland recorded more than 10,000 solar applications from January to March 2026 as part of its home energy upgrade programme, a 65% increase on the same period last year. April 22, 2026 Blathnaid O’Dea The figures show that residential solar is steadily gaining popularity in Ireland, as PV panel applications lead the government’s residential energy upgrade programme. Applications for Ireland’s Home Energy Upgrade Program have increased by 96% so far in 2026, according to new data from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The state agency responsible for administering the scheme revealed that it processed more than 29,000 applications…

Enercity has started construction of a 30 MW wastewater-based heat pump in Hannover as part of its shift away from coal-based district heating, replacing the capacity of the Stöcken coal-fired power plant alongside biomass, power-to-heat and waste heat systems. April 22, 2026 Ralph Diermann By pv magazine Germany Hanover-based utility Enercity AG has started construction on a major heat pump project as it moves away from coal-based district heating. The company, which is currently still heavily dependent on the Stöcken coal-fired power plant for heat supply, has already shut down the first of its production units, while the second will…

Researchers in China have developed an evaluation framework to better assess fine silver pastes for TOPCon and LECO solar cells. The approach directly links laboratory characterization to production line performance, addressing the limitations of conventional evaluation methods. April 22, 2026 Emiliano Bellini While manufacturing processes such as conventional TOPCon and laser-enhanced contact optimization (LECO) continue to push cell efficiency above 26%, the demands placed on front-side metallization pastes are becoming increasingly complex. Fine line silver pastes must now reconcile competing demands in rheology, etching chemistry, and sintering behavior, often with technology-specific limitations that are difficult to capture using conventional evaluation…

In this article, Susan Wells, EV and solar director at domestic smart energy supplier Hive, explores how solar deployment will scale up in the coming years, in relation to the policy support available in Britain.The take-up of solar energy is increasing across Britain as more households and businesses seek to harness the benefits of clean, homegrown energy. In 2025 alone, installed capacity increased by 13.6%, from 19.0 GW to 21.6 GW.These advances reinforce the growing role of solar in the UK energy system, reducing bills, strengthening energy security and supporting long-term decarbonisation. But the bigger question now is whether Britain…

Solx and Caelux said they will supply 3 GW of Solx Aurora modules, which combine domestic Suniva silicon cells with a top layer of Caelux “Active Glass” to achieve 28% efficiency, with commercial volumes available in the US market in 2027. April 22, 2026 Ben Zientara By pv magazine USA Solx, a solar panel manufacturer based in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, and Caelux, a manufacturer of perovskite-coated glass, have announced a five-year strategic partnership for the production of perovskite-silicon tandem modules. Through the partnership, the Solx facility in Puerto Rico will supply 3 GW of the company’s Aurora modules that use…

A report from LevelTen Energy shows that North American solar PPA prices increased 4.6% in the first quarter of 2026 as developers navigate a complex regulatory and geopolitical environment. April 21, 2026 Ryan Kennedy By pv magazine USA Market average solar energy PPA Awards rose to $64.49/MWh during the first quarter, representing a year-over-year increase of more than 13%. Wind prices on the same index rose almost 8% during the quarter to reach $79.40/MWh, an increase of almost 24% compared to the first quarter of 2025. quarterly reporting from LevelTen Energy. The upward trend for both technologies follows two previous…

Cloud and SaaS platforms are now central to PV installation operations, but their centralization creates a high-impact cybersecurity risk, where a single compromise could expose or disrupt entire installation fleets. Attackers exploit weaknesses such as stolen credentials, insecure APIs, multi-tenant flaws, and platform vulnerabilities, implementing strong identity checks, secure APIs, and continuous monitoring of critical defenses. April 20, 2026 Emiliano Bellini and Marian Willuhn As PV installations become increasingly digitalized, cloud platforms and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions have become central to their operations. These platforms collect performance data, enable remote monitoring, manage asset fleets and increasingly support control functions for distributed…

Bangladesh has introduced a new regulatory framework to develop utility-scale solar projects on land owned by government agencies, with the Bangladesh Power Development Board acting as the contracting authority. April 21, 2026 Syful Islam The government of Bangladesh has introduced a public-private partnership (PPP) framework for the development of solar projects on land owned by government agencies, with the aim of boosting green power generation amid ongoing energy shocks. The Power Division last week unveiled the policy framework titled “Guidelines for Development of Renewable Energy Projects Using Land Owned by Government Agencies under PPP Modality”. Under the new model, public…

According to the latest report from the International Energy Agency, last year’s increase of 600 TWh in solar energy was the largest ever increase from any source in a single year, excluding periods of post-crisis recovery. April 21, 2026 Patrick Jowett Solar energy generated an additional 600 TWh of electricity in 2025, bringing total generation to around 2,800 TWh, according to the latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). From the agency Global energy overview 2026 says that total solar energy generation in 2025 was more than double that of 2022, bringing solar energy’s share of total global electricity…