Author: solarenergy

German researchers say shared use models and digital brokerage could increase the use and profitability of EV charging stations in supermarkets by up to 255%. October 16, 2025 Marian Willuhn By pv magazine Germany Supermarket parking lots are becoming important locations for charging infrastructure in urban areas. A recent study by the Reiner Lemoine Institute found that supermarket charging stations could reduce demand for public charging points in Berlin by up to 17%, provided they are used more efficiently – an area where large gaps remain. By 2045, around 1.4 million electric cars and light commercial vehicles are expected to…

Japanese researchers have proposed a method for future vehicle-integrated photovoltaic route planning. It integrates environmental shadow effects based on satellite and geographic information system data. October 16, 2025 Valerie Thompson A research team from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan has proposed a method to estimate shadow effects on vehicles equipped with integrated geographic information system (GIS) models and solar PV satellite data. The estimates for the study area in Fukushima city, Japan, were found to be consistent with real-world vehicle-integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) measurements. “While previous studies often rely on data from local weather…

Juliet Mason, partner at law firm TLT LLP explains how the National Energy System Operator’s (NESO) Sector Digitalisation Plan could see data form the backbone of the government’s Solar Roadmap.Britain’s clean energy ambitions depend not just on turbines and panels, but on something much less tangible: data.Energy data infrastructure is now recognized as the central nervous system of a carbon-free electricity grid. Without this, the goal of achieving a completely clean energy system by 2030 simply cannot succeed.The recently published NESO Sector Digitalization Plan 2025 places where reality is central. It describes how Britain can move from a patchwork of…

Researchers in India have developed an algorithm for swapping quadrants in PV arrays, allowing new quadrants to be created with both shaded and unshaded modules. The method was tested in ten shading scenarios with different irradiance levels and showed ‘superior’ performance compared to conventional approaches. October 16, 2025 Lior Kahana Researchers from India’s M. Kumarasamy College of Engineering have developed a new reconfiguration technique to improve the performance of partially shaded solar photovoltaic systems. The approach, known as the quadrant swap reconfiguration algorithm, creates new quadrants composed of shaded or unshaded modules to optimize power generation. “The output power of…

China’s Skycorp Solar Group will issue 12 million Class B shares to buy a 24% stake in Nanjing Cesun Power and proceed with a planned share consolidation pending board approval. October 15, 2025 Patrick Jowett Chinese PV product supplier Skycorp Solar Group plans to acquire a 24% stake in Nanjing Cesun Power for approximately $8.7 million. Under the terms of the agreement, Ningbo-based Skycorp will pay for the acquisition by issuing 12 million B common shares to the seller of the shares, Skyline Tech Ltd. The newly issued shares are subject to a five-year lock-up period, meaning Skyline Tech owns…

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) of the Philippines has approved the MTerra Solar Project to develop its own dedicated transmission facilities and connect to the Luzon grid. The first phase, which includes 2.5 GW of solar energy and 3.3 MWh of battery storage, is expected to be completed in 2026. October 15, 2025 Patrick Jowett ERC, the energy regulator of the Philippineshas approved an application from the world’s largest solar-plus-battery project under construction to develop and own its own transmission network. The MTerra Solar Project, under development by Terra Solar Philippines Inc. (TSPI), a wholly owned subsidiary of SP New…

France’s proposed 2026 budget would double the flat-rate grid tax for solar power plants over 100 kW commissioned before 2021, drawing resistance from investors and PV industry groups. October 15, 2025 Gwénaëlle Deboutte By pv magazine France France’s 2026 draft budget includes a proposal to double the flat-rate tax on network companies (IFER) applied to PV installations commissioned before January 2021. The measure would increase the tax from €8.51 ($9.89)/kW to €16.05/kW for systems of 100 kW or larger, excluding self-consumption projects. The government said the increase is intended to offset the higher costs of public support for renewable energy,…

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Tuesday to commemorate the completion of the Highway 20 Community Solar Farm in Kane County, Illinois. The PV project will power nearly 600 low-income households, a local park district and a commercial business. Credit: Nautilus Solar The project, located on Highway 20, features 12,000 solar panels spread over 26 hectares, with a capacity of just under 5 MW. The project was supported by the Illinois Shines program with an $8.7 million renewable energy credit contract. “Illinois has one of the most ambitious clean energy efforts in the entire country, and we are building our future…

The Avermieden grid connection, which allows Novar to act as its own distribution grid operator, will soon connect the first phase of a solar project that should become the largest solar park in the Netherlands. October 15, 2025 Patrick Jowett The Dutch green energy company Novar has created its own grid connection for a solar park in the Netherlands. The Avermieden grid connection, located in the province of Groningen in the Northern Netherlands, is a closed distribution system (CDS) that functions as a private network. Sander Daniëls, head of Realization at Novar and project director of Avermeiden, explains pv magazine…

Scientists in the UK have developed a new web-inspired concept for floating PV farms, modeled after spider webs. The system would be particularly suitable for spiral and radial configurations, but also for deployment between offshore wind farms. October 15, 2025 Lior Kahana A group of researchers from Scotland’s University of Strathclyde have proposed a new web concept of floating PV farms (FPV). The technical feasibility of the design was analyzed using the Morison model, a method commonly used to assess wave loads in the design of oil platforms and other offshore structures. Various FPV configurations were investigated to evaluate the…