Author: solarenergy

Ember’s latest analysis shows that there are major bottlenecks in transmission and distribution networks across Europe, threatening the viability of both future utilities and small-scale residential solar in the most affected countries. April 1, 2026 Patrick Jowett There is a shortfall of around 120 GW between the planned expansion of renewable energy sources and available network capacity in most EU member states, according to a new report from energy analysts Ember. The “Crossed wires: Network capacity could block the EU’s energy securityAccording to the report, more than one in two EU countries face bottlenecks at the transmission level where large-scale…

The French authorities have announced that in the 2026 tender they will allocate 288 MW of PV for projects ranging from 100 kW to 500 kW in size, and 925 MW for PV systems above 500 kW. The tenders will include cybersecurity requirements as well as facilities to support European manufacturing. April 2, 2026 Gwénaëlle Deboutte By pv magazine France The French government this week published the calendar for wind and solar energy auctions in 2026. The tender for commercial and industrial photovoltaic systems from 100 kW to 500 kW is scheduled for July 2026, with a total capacity of…

When homeowners talk about solar panel efficiency, they’re often referring to two different things without realizing it. There’s the efficiency rating you see on a spec sheet, a fixed number that represents how well a panel converts sunlight into electricity under perfect laboratory conditions. Then there’s the real-world energy output, the actual kilowatt-hours your system produces day after day, which can vary based on how you maintain and operate your panels. Think of it like a car. The window sticker shows a fixed MPG rating tested in controlled conditions, but your mileage depends on how you maintain the vehicle, how…

A team from Nankai University and the Shanghai Institute of Space Power-Sources has developed a hydrofluorocarbon electrolyte that allows lithium metal cells to operate at temperatures as low as -70 C. April 2, 2026 Vincent Shaw By ESS news A research team led by Nankai University and the Shanghai Institute of Space Power-Sources has reported a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) electrolyte that enables lithium-metal batteries with an energy density of more than 700 Wh/kg, while maintaining operation at temperatures as low as -70 C. The findings were published in Nature on February 25 in an article titled “Hydrofluorocarbon electrolytes for energy-dense and…

The Dutch research institute has presented what it describes as the world’s first perovskite-based roof tile, which achieves efficiency of up to 13.8% when used as self-contained modules and 12.4% when installed on a curved surface. The flexible modules were produced using TNO’s experimental roll-to-roll platform, April 2, 2026 Emiliano Bellini The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) today unveiled a building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) tile based on perovskite solar cell technology. The new product is billed as the world’s first perovskite solar tiles. “This demonstrator is supported by the Province of North Brabant through the project ‘Solar Industry to…

Energy solutions company Rolls-Royce has started construction of a 43 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) in Falkirk, Scotland, under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract awarded by owner-operator Voltaria Helios Energy Storage. The facility will have a storage capacity of 86MWh and is expected to be connected to the grid in 2026, with commercial operations planned for 2027. This is Rolls-Royce’s first large-scale BESS project in the UK. In addition, the company will enter into a 15-year maintenance agreement for the system. The project will use battery technology supplied by Chinese battery OEM Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL).…

Lawmakers are trying to find solutions to the increasing economic weight of energy costs on utility customers. To address this, the Maine Legislature last year overhauled its Net Energy Billing (NEB) program for nonresidential participants, but in the process eliminated the state’s community solar market. Nautilus Solar built a community solar farm on a former sand quarry in North Berwick, Maine. Credit: Nautilus Solar “There’s not much the Legislature can do to change the price of natural gas when it’s being changed by wars abroad,” said Kate Daniel, Northeast regional director of the Coalition for Community Access to Solar Energy.…

Drax, a global renewable energy company, has announced the acquisition of UK flexibility energy optimizer Flexitricity.Flexitricity offers flexible energy asset owners route-to-market (RTM) and optimization services through its proprietary AI-based control platform. This allows owners to benefit from the wholesale markets for energy, balancing and ancillary services.According to the company’s announcement, Drax expects the Flexitricity platform to help the company develop a gigawatt-scale pipeline of battery energy storage system (BESS) infrastructure. The pipeline includes both physical assets and the ability to optimize third-party assets. This will be achieved through RTM, floor and toll structures. As it looks now, the Drax…

Corporate climate strategy has decisively shifted from a specialized sustainability function to a central pillar of enterprise risk management. Today, boards of directors and executive teams face intensifying pressure from investors, regulators, and customers to deliver defensible, science-aligned decarbonization plans. In this environment, vague sustainability marketing and weak carbon claims are no longer just ineffective—they are significant reputational and compliance liabilities. As you evaluate pathways to net zero, Nature Based Solutions are frequently presented as a crucial mechanism. But for executive decision-makers, navigating the noise around these solutions requires a clear, commercially grounded understanding of what they actually mean, how…

China-based solar manufacturer Longi is shifting from a multi-vendor system design to a unified solar and storage architecture built around in-house technologies. April 2, 2026 Vincent Shaw China’s Longi has unveiled ‘Longi One’, an integrated solar-plus-storage strategy that it says will replace conventional multi-vendor project architectures with a unified system design. The strategy, announced April 1 in Beijing, marks a shift from what the company described as fragmented, “assembled” systems to full integration. Longi said the approach combines its back-contact (BC) solar technology with its ‘5S’ storage technology into a single platform it calls a ‘Solar Generator’. The company summarized…