Author: solarenergy
Tongwei is collaborating with GS-Solar and Golden Solar to develop a large-scale manufacturing facility for hybrid heterojunction back-contact (HBC) solar cells that combine heterojunction passivation, tunneling oxide and polysilicon structures used in TOPCon designs, and the grid-free front-side architecture typical of back-contact technologies. March 30, 2026 Vincent Shaw Tongwei has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Gold Stone (Fujian) Energy Co Ltd (GS-Solar) and Golden Solar (Quanzhou) New Energy Technology Co Ltd developing a mass production facility for hybrid heterojunction back-contact (HBC) solar cells. The agreement was signed on March 18, 2026 at Golden Solar’s headquarters in Quanzhou. The partners…
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating an unnamed solar company after it breached the terms of a public tender for the co-financing of small solar power plants. The office says searches were carried out by Slovenian police this week, leading to the seizure of documents, electronic data and devices. March 27, 2026 Patrick Jowett The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana is leading an investigation into attempted fraud with EU public money for solar power plants. According to a statement published by EPPO, the investigation involves irregularities in a public tender for the co-financing of…
The solar energy sector and the broader renewable energy industry are at a unique intersection of rapid technological progress and societal transformation. As one of the fastest growing energy technologies in the world, solar energy covers a wide range of disciplines, from research and production to engineering, finance, policy, communications and end-of-life management. Because of this inherently diverse ecosystem, the sector naturally benefits from gender diversity and inclusion. Diverse perspectives strengthen problem solving, improve decision-making, and ultimately support innovation. From my perspective, the numbers already tell an encouraging story: solar is more inclusive than traditional energy sectors, with women representing…
Bluetti says its FridgePower system offers a plug-and-play battery solution designed to keep refrigerators and important home appliances running during power outages, without permanent installation. March 27, 2026 Tristan Rayner By ESS news In homes there have been mainly two types of large batteries. The first is a major residential energy option, often linked to solar: think many kilowatt hours of storage via a Tesla Powerwall, with increasing options for homeowners through modular and scalable designs. Yet these are basically installed in place, do not move anymore and have a high initial cost. Then there is portable power. Battery banks…
An industry analysis says agrivoltaic systems using trackers or vertical designs can outperform conventional solar energy in terms of both revenue and land use, questioning the conclusions of a recent German study. March 27, 2026 Jochen Hauff, Gründer von Think Resilience By pv magazine Deutschland According to a new analysis by Jochen Hauff, agricultural solar voltaics using tracking or vertical configurations can be financially viable and agriculturally beneficial when market revenues and land use efficiency are taken into account. The argument is a response to a study by Germany’s Thünen-Institut that labeled agri-PV as economically questionable due to additional costs…
An international research team has developed a multi-phase intrusion detection system that uses supervised and unsupervised AI techniques to detect and mitigate cyber threats in smart renewable energy networks. The system can reportedly achieve high accuracy, low false positives and real-time detection, outperforming traditional intrusion detection system models. March 27, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from Ulster University in the UK and IQRA National University in Pakistan have assessed the cyber vulnerabilities of Industry 4.0 technologies in smart renewable energy networks and proposed a range of AI-driven security measures to help mitigate these risks. Industry 4.0 applications rely on advanced digital…
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) says newly installed solar capacity reached 32.48 GW in the first two months of 2026, while the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMIA) says polysilicon prices fell as much as 7.95% in the past week. March 27, 2026 Vincent Shaw The Chinese NEA Newly installed solar capacity reached 32.48 GW in January and February 2026, a decline of 17.71% year-on-year. At the end of February, the country’s total installed power generation capacity stood at 3.95 TW, an increase of 15.9% year-on-year. Solar capacity reached 1.23 TW, an increase of 33.2%, while wind capacity reached 650…
Low Carbon Hub plans to add a battery energy storage system (BESS) to the existing solar power plant. The developer is offering shares in what is believed to be the UK’s first community-owned battery. March 27, 2026 Matthew Lynas By ESS news The UK’s largest community-owned solar farms are seeking investors for a 12 MWh BESS in a bid to boost revenues for the 19 MW facility. Low Carbon Hub claims that adding energy storage would make the Ray Valley Solar project the UK’s first community-owned battery. The developer has raised over £10m (£13.4m) in community investment since its inception…
Enphase Energy has launched an AI software platform in Australia and New Zealand that helps homeowners reduce energy costs, increase clean energy self-consumption and control key home appliances. March 27, 2026 Ev Foley By pv magazine Australia US based Enphase energy has been introduced IQ Energy Management AI software platform in Australia and New Zealand, and integrates it into the existing system. The solution integrates with Enphase Energy solar and IQ Battery systems to enable intelligent management of variable electricity rates and select third-party electric boilers and electric vehicle chargers. Managed through the Enphase app, the system can predict energy…
Researchers in Turkey optimized electrospray cooling for PV panels, achieving optimal power output with minimal water consumption and a compact, energy-efficient setup. Their research identified irradiation, flow rate, voltage and nozzle spacing as ideal parameters. March 27, 2026 Lior Kahana A research team from Turkey’s Artvin Çoruh University has investigated the optimal parameters for cooling PV panels with electrospray. This cooling technology, demonstrated by the same team in an earlier study, uses high voltage to convert liquid into fine, charged droplets that efficiently remove heat from a surface. That is, because the electric field breaks the liquid into ultrafine droplets,…