Author: solarenergy

After passing through the Illinois State Legislature late last year, Governor JB Pritzker today signed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act. As energy-intensive data centers expand and capacity prices continue to rise, Illinois expects significantly increasing electric bills for communities across the state. The CRGA Act addresses these challenges by strengthening the state’s renewable portfolio standard and ensuring the state stays on track to achieve its clean energy goals. By encouraging new storage structures and VPP programs, Illinois communities will be better protected from rising energy costs and a stressed energy grid. Solar Powers Illinois – a partnership…

By Brad Kramer January 8, 2026 Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed a new law aimed at lowering energy bills and securing the state’s long-term energy future. The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), SB 25includes measures to expand energy storage capacity and create a “Solar Bill of Rights” in Illinois. Building on the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) and the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), CRGA is addressing rising electricity costs caused by private grid operators, expanding cost-effective energy sources and continuing to grow Illinois’ renewable energy economy across the state. “In Illinois, we are pursuing every…

JinkoSolar has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with XtalPi, an ‘AI for Science’ platform company, to pursue high-throughput R&D in the field of perovskite-crystalline-silicon tandem solar cells using an AI platform and quantum physics-based models. January 8, 2026 Vincent Shaw Chinese PV module manufacturer JinkoSolar has entered into a strategic partnership with XtalPi, an ‘AI for Science’ platform company, to promote high-throughput research and development of perovskite-crystalline-silicon tandem solar cells through the use of an AI platform in combination with quantum physics-based models. Under the terms of the deal, the companies plan to form a joint venture and develop what…

France’s energy regulator says wider use of flexible grid connections is becoming essential as solar and battery projects compete for limited grid capacity, with queues for storage connections now totaling 2.8 GW. January 8, 2026 Marie Beijer Image: Roman Soto, Pixabay By ESS news France’s energy regulator, the Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE), said meeting the country’s energy transition goals will require building flexibility into renewable energy projects from the start, according to its 2025 report on smart grids. The biennial report assesses the digitalization and operational readiness of the French energy system and identifies network constraints that could…

Spain-based Izpitek has developed an 86 kW building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system for tunnel entrances and exits that provides power for lighting, demonstrating how solar energy can be adapted to complex architectural environments. January 8, 2026 Pilar Sanchez Molina By pv magazine Spain Izpitek Solar, a Spanish startup specialized in the development of integrated PV solutions, has developed and implemented a unique solar project on the La Avanzada highway near Leioa, Biscay, in northeastern Spain. The project is located at the entrances to the tunnels, a result of the underground works of the highway that previously divided the city in two.…

O&M service provider for residential solar Otovo has entered into an agreement to acquire Solar Service Professionals (SSP), a solar energy service provider based in California. The acquisition of SSP, expected to close in early January, marks Otovo’s entry into America’s largest residential solar and storage market, California. Founded in 2017, SSP has built a specialist solar services business with an installed customer base of 38,000. SSP will be integrated into Otovo’s growing service operations. Otovo will work to convert its existing California base of SSP customers to its subscription service, with the expectation that this initiative will be accretive…

The Chinese developer of perovskite solar technology said the result is currently being tested by an unspecified third-party authoritative laboratory in China. This achievement is part of the company’s efforts to bring its perovskite cell technology closer to commercial production. January 8, 2026 Patrick Jowett China’s Hefei BOE Solar Technology Co. Ltd, part of the Chinese technology company BOE Technology Group Co. Ltd., has provided an update on the progress of the perovskites. According to the submit available on the Chinese stock exchange, investors recently visited Hefei BOE Solar, which focuses on the research and development of perovskite solar cells.…

Origin Energy has announced that the 460MW/1,770MWh first phase of its Eraring battery energy storage project being developed on the New South Wales central coast has come on stream and is now importing and exporting electricity to the National Electricity Market (NEM). “I am pleased to share that Origin’s first large-scale battery in Eraring has become commercially operational,” Greg Jarvis, Origin’s head of energy supply and operations, said in a Linkedin post. after. “This milestone is the result of a tremendous amount of work from our teams and contractor partners Wärtsilä, Enerven, Jacobs, Lumea and Transgrid to build the asset…

EDF will use the Jumptech software platform to deploy and scale its residential solar installation program in Britain.The platform from Cambridge-based software provider Jumptech, which operates in the UK and US, will centralize research, documentation, planning and installation controls to support EDF’s domestic clean technology offering. Using the software, EDF’s operations team can manage subcontractors, monitor progress and maintain regulatory compliance for large numbers of installations. Martin Aylward, head of zero carbon homes at EDF, said the Jumptech platform is the central application in the company’s solar technology.Jumptech’s platform manages EV charger, solar, battery and heat pump installations and is…

Sustainable energy manager NextEnergy Capital has published its view on the government’s consultation on the application of retroactive changes to the schemes for renewable energy obligations (RO) and feed-in tariffs (FiTs).NextEnergy Capital, on behalf of NextEnergy Solar Fund, the listed investor, said that changing the way inflation is applied to RO and FiTs would increase consumer costs and threaten long-term renewable energy investment.What changes are being considered?In December 2025, the UK Government consulted on moving the indexation of payments under both schemes from the Consumer Price Index (RPI) in favor of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). It would roll back…