Author: solarenergy
France’s Certisolis approved four Voltec Solar panels and one Meyer Burger module with a carbon footprint of less than 530 kg CO₂/kWp, potentially qualifying them for the country’s 5.5% VAT rate. October 17, 2025 Gwénaëlle Deboutte Image: Bartosch-Salmanski, Voltec Solar By pv magazine France French testing and certification laboratory Certisolis has updated its list of simplified carbon assessments (SCAs) to include the first PV modules with a carbon footprint below 530 kg CO₂/kWp, a threshold that may qualify them for a reduced carbon footprint. VAT rate of 5.5%. Four panels from French manufacturer Voltec Solar meet the criterion. These include…
Inverters must be able to withstand the high levels of heat generated during operation, otherwise system performance and reliability can be compromised. Cody Schoener of Dow Performance Silicones states that using silicone-based materials for inverters can improve thermal management and fire protection, while providing thermal stability, environmental resistance, electrical insulation and support for operational efficiency. October 17, 2025 Cody Schneider From pv magazine 10/2025 In addition to their core function of converting AC to DC and optimizing the output of a PV or solar-plus-storage system, inverters must also be fire-resistant, support electrical safety and withstand outdoor conditions. Environmental resilience is…
This week, Women in Solar+ Europe gives the voice to Maribel Gonzalez, Commercial Director Company at the British Brighter Green Engineering. She says breaking traditional barriers required patience, trust and a focus on excellence. “Continuous learning became a personal compass; every challenge was an opportunity to adapt and grow,” she says. October 17, 2025 Women in Solar+ Europe The solar plus industries rely on innovation and problem solving, and both thrive when teams are diverse and inclusive. Gender diversity brings together diverse perspectives that improve creativity, decision-making, and overall performance. Having worked as a Spanish woman in the male-dominated solar…
The “Status of PV module recycling in IEA PVPS Task 12 CountriesThe report provides the most detailed global assessment to date of how different regions are preparing for what could become one of the renewable energy sector’s most pressing sustainability challenges. Europe is leading the way with a mandatory recycling framework Europe continues to set the global standard for PV waste management through the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. The directive requires all EU member states to either operate their own take-back and recycling programs or join producer compliance schemes, setting recovery targets of 85% and recycling rates…
Spain has revised its grid access rules to support energy storage, giving hybrid renewable energy plus storage projects equal distribution priority and full revenue rights for stored electricity. October 17, 2025 Pilar Sanchez Molina By ESS news Spain has formally recognized energy storage as a key technology for supporting grid flexibility and integrating renewable electricity. Hybrid renewable energy plus storage projects can now retain full revenue for stored electricity so they are not penalized for installing batteries. The update gives renewable energy plus storage sites the same redispatch priority as standalone renewable plants and requires operators to provide real-time telemetry…
By pv magazine USA Solar projects generally fall into two categories: they are large, ground-mounted, utility-scale projects connected to the electric grid, or they are smaller, distributed projects with a capacity typically of 20 MW or less. In California, and many other U.S. states, smaller, distributed projects, especially those behind the meter, are under attack by utilities and state lawmakers. scapegoat for high electricity rates. A 2024 paper by Mark Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, explains why we should support behind-the-meter solar installations nationwide. Distributed, small-scale solar projects are often classified as behind-the-meter (BTM) or…
Attorneys general from Colorado, California and 21 other states are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin for ending the $7 billion Solar for All program that lowers energy costs and pollution by bringing solar energy to more than 900,000 homes nationwide, including 20,000 homes in Colorado. Colorado and 23 other grant recipients also filed suit this week in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to recover damages for EPA’s wrongful violation of the grant agreements executed under this program. Congress created the Solar for All program in 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act,…
Energy China has signed three EPC contracts worth $2.7 billion for 5 GW of wind and solar projects in Saudi Arabia with partners including PIF and Aramco Power. October 17, 2025 Vincent Shaw China Energy Engineering Corporation (Energy China) announced that a consortium formed by its subsidiaries – China Energy International Construction Group, Guangdong Thermal Power Engineering and Northwest Electric Power Design Institute – had signed three engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for renewable energy projects in Saudi Arabia. The consortium worked with a project company jointly established by the Saudi International Company for Power and Water, the Public…
Lhyfe has opened its first hydrogen plant outside France in Germany, while the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub is planning a 100 MW electrolyzer at the former Moorburg coal site. October 17, 2025 Sergio Matalucci Lhyfe opened its first commercial production site in Germany, its fourth production site and the first outside France. “On a one-hectare plot of land in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Lhyfe has installed a factory that can produce up to 4 tons of renewable hydrogen per day (installed capacity of 10 MW). This hydrogen, produced via the electrolysis of water the use of renewable energy should be used to…
The solar PV scheme for medically vulnerable customers covers all homeowners who rely on electrically powered medical equipment, regardless of their energy supplier. It includes a 2kW solar PV system and around 470 homes have benefited so far. October 17, 2025 Blathnaid O’Dea SONY DSC Image: Jürgen Striewski, Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA-4.0 Ireland has extended the eligibility criteria for its solar PV scheme for medically vulnerable customers to include all homeowners registered with their energy supplier as dependent on electrically powered medical equipment, including dialysis machines and ventilators. Previously, the scheme only applied to those on ESB Networks’ Priority Services Register,…