Author: solarenergy

The French energy regulator has reduced feed-in tariffs (FITs) for PV systems up to 100 kW for the period April to July 2026, with lower tariffs for all segments and lower compensation for excess electricity. March 25, 2026 Gwénaëlle Deboutte By pv magazine France The French Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE) has published new FIT tariffs and surplus compensation tariffs for PV systems up to 100 kW, effective from April 1 to July 1, 2026, confirming a continued decline in tariff levels. The rate for systems between 9 kW and 36 kW has dropped to €0.805 ($0.93)/kWh, while installations…

Crusoe and Redwood Energy are scaling a microgrid in Sparks, Nevada, using recycled electric vehicle batteries and solar power to provide additional modular data centers. March 25, 2026 Tristan Rayner By ESS news Crusoe and Redwood Energy announced this week that the pair is expanding their specialized data center project at Redwood’s battery recycling campus in Sparks, Nevada. Data center developer Crusoe – which also announced a major deal for 12 GWh of energy from iron-air energy storage maker Form Energy – has multiple approaches to building out computing power. The expansion with Redwood will continue the modular approach, and…

Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica and regulator CNMC have launched real-time voltage regulation services, allowing renewable energy installations to provide dynamic grid support under a new regulatory framework. March 25, 2026 Pilar Sanchez Molina By pv magazine España Red Eléctrica has launched real-time, setpoint-based voltage regulation services, allowing renewable energy installations to provide dynamic grid support, according to data published on the Esios platform. The rollout follows the approval of Operational Plan 7.4 by the National Commission for Markets and Competition, which opened the door for renewable producers to participate in voltage regulation services in October. The system went live…

The scientists explained that small and medium-sized businesses are essential for the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), which enables remote monitoring and connects utilities to customers while supporting a PV-powered green energy transition on rooftops. However, its widespread adoption poses significant cybersecurity risks, including inaccurate billing, energy theft, service disruptions and privacy breaches, making robust security measures essential. They estimate that there are currently more than 209 million SMs deployed across Europe and say that while these devices provide features such as outage detection, theft detection and power quality monitoring, they also raise concerns about privacy, data interception and system vulnerability.…

The UK energy price ceiling will rise to £1,972.53 in July as conflict in the Middle East is likely to have a lingering impact on energy, according to the latest forecasts from Cornwall Insight. The standard price cap will rise by £332 compared to the next April cap (£1,641), Cornwall Insight predicts, an increase of more than 20%. On March 4, Cornwall Insight began predicting a rise in the price ceiling for July due to “strong increases in wholesale gas prices due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.” The March 4 announcement said “while the jump is cause…

A Japanese consortium is piloting agrivoltaic technology using film-type perovskite solar cells over rice fields to study energy generation alongside crop production. The three-year project will assess impacts on rice yields, land use and emissions, while testing the performance and commercial viability of the technology. March 25, 2026 Patrick Jowett A consortium of Japanese partners is working on a pilot project involving the installation of an agrivoltaic installation of film-type perovskite solar cells above rice fields. The five collaboration partners, Sekisui Solar Film, Terra Inc, Himawari Green Energy, Chiba University and Chiba Bank, have entered into a memorandum of understanding…

A new study from the German Mechanical Engineering Association (VDMA) shows that global capital expenditure on PV manufacturing equipment will grow to more than 2.5 times current levels by 2035, with European suppliers maintaining their competitiveness for the time being despite structural challenges. March 25, 2026 Jochen Siemer By pv magazine Deutschland Global capital expenditure on PV production equipment reached approximately $16.6 billion in 2025 and is expected to rise to $43.8 billion by 2035, according to a study commissioned by VDMA and conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems and ISC Konstanz. This represents an increase to…

The recently published UK NFCC Guidelines for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are “by far the most comprehensive revision we have seen in the UK market to date”.This is what Mishaal SyedNaveed, product manager for fire safety at system integrator Wärtsilä Energy Storage, says in conversation with Solar energy portal following the publication of the UK National Fire Chief Council (NFCC) fire safety standards for BESS.The new framework, published in Februaryreplaces the guidelines first issued in 2023.Revisions have been made following industry engagement and internal processes; The guidelines aim to support fire and rescue services across the country by raising…

Australia’s National Science Agency says AI-powered robots could reshape solar maintenance in large-scale PV projects after successfully testing the cutting-edge technology. March 25, 2026 David Caroll By pv magazine Australia The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) has repurposed robots originally designed for mining to carry out maintenance inspections on large-scale solar farms in Australia. The CSIRO said the autonomous robots, which use cameras and sensors to create a digital map of a solar farm and artificial intelligence software to identify maintenance issues, have been successfully tested on utility-scale projects in Queensland and New South Wales. Researchers at the…

Researchers from Swansea University found that perovskite solar cells can tolerate dusty manufacturing environments and perform almost as well as cells made in cleanrooms. The findings suggest that low-cost, scalable production may be possible without ultrasterile conditions, potentially accelerating the production of cells and modules. March 25, 2026 Lior Kahana A research team from Swansea University in the United Kingdom investigated how dusty manufacturing environments affect perovskite solar cells and found that devices exposed to dust perform similarly to devices produced in clean conditions, with only minor losses in some performance metrics. “Our findings are a major win for the…