Author: solarenergy

Chinese manufacturers such as JinkoSolar and DMEGC Solar have launched low-carbon PV modules that meet the French threshold of 530 kgCO₂eq/kWp for residential systems eligible for a 5.5% value added tax (VAT), and more compliant products are expected. October 23, 2025 Gwénaëlle Deboutte By pv magazine France Asian solar panel manufacturers are quickly adapting to meet France’s stringent low-carbon requirements for residential systems that qualify for a 5.5% VAT rate. Several new compliant products have been announced and more are expected soon. French lawmakers had tried to give European manufacturers an edge by linking reduced VAT on residential solar energy…

Next2Sun built the photovoltaic system with 37,000 vertically mounted solar panels. It extends for 2.8 km along the airport’s Runway West. October 23, 2025 Sandra Enkhardt By pv magazine Germany The German Next2Sun has commissioned a vertical PV installation on the West Runway of Frankfurt Airport. The vertically mounted solar array extends over 2.8 km and includes approximately 37,000 modules. With an installed capacity of 17.4 megawatts, the system is expected to generate up to 17.4 million kWh of electricity annually. The solar energy produced will mainly support the terminal’s air conditioning and Frankfurt Airport’s growing electric fleet. “This project…

Weather technology company Climavision will bring accurate weather data to the Enverus platform that energy and commodities traders use every day. Enveruswhich provides critical commodity data and analytics for traders, will integrate Climavision’s Horizon AI Point model into its MarketView platform, providing traders with acute insights into local weather conditions impacting production and demand. Weather data at this level of granularity was previously inaccessible to the larger U.S. trading community. These new services are effective immediately. Weather is one of the most important drivers of the energy, fuel, agricultural and commodity markets. Previously, energy traders only had access to outdated…

RatedPower has introduced a 3D simulation feature to improve the accuracy of utility-scale solar design, enabling more accurate yield modeling that represents terrain variations and shading, validated against real production data. October 23, 2025 Valerie Thompson Spanish software company RatedPower, part of US Enverus, has added 3D Energy, a PV performance simulation tool that takes in oneattribute shadow effects to its web-based platform for utility-scale projects. The new 3D Energy feature reportedly offers more precise and accurate yield calculations take into account things like uneven terrain and shade. Are Module-by-module simulation supports the characteristics of newer electrical and mounting equipment,…

Irish Minister for Climate, Energy and Environment Darragh O’Brien said the project could be co-funded by the EU and completed by the mid-2030s. October 23, 2025 Blathnaid O’Dea Ireland’s Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien, has announced that Ireland and Spain are in discussions about the construction of an interconnector to connect the two countries’ electricity grids. After taking part in an event focused on Europe’s electricity grids in Luxembourg on Monday and Tuesday of this week, O’Brien took to social media platform to say he had met with his Spanish counterpart, Energy Secretary Joan Groizard, to…

Venture capital, public market and debt financing in the solar sector reached $17.3 billion in the first nine months of 2025, according to Mercom Capital Group. October 23, 2025 Ryan Kennedy By pv magazine USA Total corporate financing, including venture capital, public market and debt financing, fell 22% year-over-year through the first three quarters of 2025, according to a report from Mercom Capital Group. Through the first nine months of 2025, total corporate funding was $17.3 billion, down from the $22.3 billion raised in the first nine months of 2024. Venture capital funding reached $2.9 billion through 55 deals in…

Photosynthetic algae develop unique pigments to protect against sunlight and increase energy efficiency Green marine algae have developed a remarkable defense against the harmful effects of excess sunlight, according to a study by Osaka Metropolitan University and its international research partners. The research found that a pigment called siphonin acts as a protective shield, allowing algae to maintain efficient photosynthesis without risking damage from excessive light exposure. The research focused on the marine algae Codium fragile, which, like land plants, contains light-harvesting complexes equipped with chlorophyll to absorb sunlight. However, Codium fragile is distinguished by the addition of unique carotenoids,…

Electricity rates are climbing faster than ever before. Duke Energy Progress customers saw their rates jump by 10% on October 8th, 2025, and Duke Energy Carolinas customers are bracing for increases starting January 1st, 2026. Across the United States, the average price per kilowatt-hour has climbed to nearly 15 cents, with no signs of slowing down. The culprit? Unprecedented demand for electricity. Artificial intelligence, data centers, electric vehicles, and intense summers are pushing the power grid to its limits. Utility companies are scrambling to keep up, and homeowners are footing the bill through higher monthly costs. Understanding the Rising Cost…

The US-based developer of copper-indium-gallium-selenide thin-film PV products said its modules will be tested without modification by companies developing marine PV and power beaming applications. October 23, 2025 Valerie Thompson Ascent Solar Technologies, a US manufacturer of copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) thin-film PV products, announced that it has shipped modules for testing to an ocean technology company and a power beaming technology company active in defense and aerospace. The project partners have not been disclosed. “Ascent supplied its standard thin-film PV modules for these tests; no changes or modifications were made to the supplied modules,” said Paul Warly, CEO of Ascent Solar…

Irish renewable energy company Astatine has announced an investment of €800 million (£695 million) to roll out renewable energy generation and industry decarbonization solutions across Britain and continental Europe, in partnership with Aviva Investors.Under the program, the companies will develop a number of assets – including PV generation projects, battery energy storage systems (BESS), electric vehicle (EV) chargers and heat pumps – targeting the energy, heat and transport sectors, which the companies describe as “energy-intensive industries and hard-to-mitigate sectors”, across the continent.While the companies did not specify where these projects would be built, or how much money would be invested…