Author: solarenergy
Solar energy developer Lightsource bp has been granted planning permission for its 57MW Plas Power Solar and Energy Storage project in Wrexham, North East Wales.The company selected this location due to its proximity to an electrical grid connection point at the Legacy Substation.The land falls under the category of lower quality agricultural land. Once built, the project will allow agricultural use to continue with the opportunity to include environmental improvements and benefits for the local community, the developer said.It added that the area is designed to minimize disturbance to wildlife such as otters, salamanders and birds, while existing habitats will…
South African utility Eskom reached 365 consecutive days without loadshedding on May 15, its first uninterrupted year of electricity supply since September 2018. The company’s latest update says it continues to make steady progress in strengthening power system stability, with profits driven by continued improvements in plant performance, reliability and operational discipline. Loadshedding in South Africa first started in late 2007, but increased in the late 2010s and early 2020s. The country had ten months without loadshedding between March 2024 and January 2025. Chris Ahlfeldt, energy specialist at Blue Horizon Energy Consulting Services, explains pv magazine that lower demand, rising…
Shortly after her election in 2024, the British government classified data centers as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said AI could be used in a wide range of applications, including to speed up planning consultations. Prioritizing AI development will directly support the government’s mission to become a clean energy superpower.The CNI designation is also given to energy and water systems, and makes more government support possible. The data centers that enable AI to function require enormous amounts of energy. There are arguments that if data centers can be flexible in their demand, they can serve as a…
Türkiye’s cumulative solar capacity reached 26,769 MW by the end of April 2026, according to figures published by the country’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. The figure shows that 1.97 GW of solar power was installed in the first four months of this year, after cumulative capacity stood at 24,795 MW at the end of last year. The ministry’s latest update adds that Türkiye’s total installed electricity capacity exceeded 125 GW at the end of April. Solar energy is now the second largest source, overtaking natural gas, accounting for 21.3% of the total mix. The largest source of electricity…
By Martin McConnell June 1, 2026 This week on Projects Weekly, Illinois’ Will County Board has approved Earthrise Energy’s plans for a solar plant nearly the size of Chicago O’Hare International Airport. DESRI and Tierra Adentro have broken ground on a new project in northern New Mexico, and HASI and Ørsted have PPAs in place for projects across three southern states. EDF Power Solutions is in the news this week with solar agreements spanning from New York to Los Angeles. In New Jersey, PowerLutions has completed a rooftop installation for AvalonBay, and BrightNight announced the financial close of its latest…
British generator Drax has announced it will acquire Bluefield Solar Income Fund (BSIF) in an all-cash deal that values BSIF at £548 million. Through Drax Bidco, a vehicle specifically designed for such deals, the generator will acquire the entire issued share capital of BSIF. The fund’s shareholders will receive 92.574 pence per BSIF share, payable in mid-June.The deal will see Drax acquire BSIF’s portfolio of approximately 900 MW of operational and under construction solar and wind assets, along with the 2.9 GW development pipeline. According to a notice on the London Stock Exchange, BSIF was put up for sale in…
France connected 1,495 MW of new solar capacity in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from French statistics agency SDES. This figure is slightly lower than the 1,571 MW recorded in the same period of 2025. Installations above 500 kW accounted for 30% of this new capacity, but only 0.3% of new connections, while installations under 9 kW accounted for 74% of new connections, but only 7% of installed capacity. Additions from the first quarter of this year bring France’s total solar capacity to 33 GW, of which 32.1 GW is in mainland France. In the first quarter,…
In a presentation last week (May 28), managers of the Gresham House Energy Storage Fund (GRID) provided further details on a recently announced investment deal.The long-term strategy presented in a presentation at the capital markets day was fully covered Energy storage.news Premium.ROSTER announced funding for a 397 MW portfolio of 2-hour battery energy storage systems (BESS) just shy of two weeks ago. It was then revealed that Summit Transition Partners (STP), controlled by Japanese conglomerate and trading house Sumitomo Corporation with participation from TPK Holding, would act as investment partner.GRID is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is managed…
The Silicon Industry Department of the China Non-ferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMIA) reported on May 27 that polysilicon prices remained stable week over week. N-type charging polysilicon traded at CNY 34,000–36,000/ton ($4,730–$5,010/ton), with an average of CNY 35,300/ton ($4,910/ton). N-type granular silicon also traded at CNY 34,000-36,000/ton, with an average CNY 34,300/ton ($4,770/ton). The association said market activity weakened compared to the previous two weeks, with only three to four producers closing transactions and new orders falling. Market sentiment changed from cautious optimism to a wait-and-see attitude. On May 28, the association reported stable waffle prices for all major formats.…
The European Commission has approved Spain’s new capacity mechanism, which will mobilize up to €9 billion ($10.4 billion) over the period 2026-2036. The scheme will compensate electricity sources for remaining available during periods of system stress or scarcity, including generation, storage and demand-side response. The mechanism, which will start in May 2026, is expected to run for ten years with an estimated annual budget of around €900 million, depending on the results of future capacity auctions. The Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica de Spain (REE), will administer the scheme, which will reimburse the capacity required to meet the national “reliability…