Author: solarenergy
The UK Government has today introduced new rules to implement the Future Homes Standard (FHS), which requires all new homes in Britain to be built with on-site renewable generation.The government expects that this will mainly be solar PV on roofs. The mandate to update England’s building regulations also includes improved insulation and heat pump installations.If confirmed last summerThe FHS will state that if developers cannot meet requirements to install rooftop solar PV coverage equal to 40% of a building’s floor area, a “reasonable amount” of coverage is still required. It was expected that the standard would come into effect in…
The US energy storage market reached a record 18.9 GW of battery energy storage system (BESS) installations in 2025, up 52% from 2024, according to the latest report.US energy storage monitor’ report released today by the American Clean Power Association (ACP) and sector analyst Wooden Mackenzie. A solar and storage project in Arizona, currently in the process of adding BESS. Credit: McCarthy Building Companies In the fourth quarter of 2025 alone, 5.8 GW was installed. Utility-scale installations accounted for 4.9 GW of that total, up 31% from the previous year. New operations were spread across 13 different states, showing market…
In an interview with pv magazineJay Johnson, the CTO of US cybersecurity company DERSec, explains that PV systems face cybersecurity risks that extend far beyond inverters, as evidenced by a December attack on Polish solar power plants, where wiper malware targeted substation equipment rather than the inverters themselves. Vulnerabilities often lie in backhaul communication channels such as APIs and mobile apps, making layered defenses, network segmentation and vigilant monitoring essential to protect distributed energy resources. March 24, 2026 Emiliano Bellini While solar inverters are widely believed to be the main target of cyber attacks, the threat landscape for solar PV…
Register now and secure your spot. Learn more about utility-scale storage at the Battery Business & Development Forum, co-hosted by pv magazine, on March 31 in Frankfurt. After the first successful and fully booked BBDF last July the event takes place for the second time in Frankfurt on March 31 and April 1, 2026. On the first day, discussions will cover topics such as how to attract equity and debt capitalwho takes on what risks, and how the grid connection situation is expected to develop. The second day will include the virtual BESS laba discussion about it co-location business modelsand…
Developer SSE Renewables has achieved commercial operations on the 150MW/300MWh Ferrybridge Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in West Yorkshire.The project was built on the site of the former Ferrybridge 2GW coal-fired power station, which was decommissioned in 2016.The recently commissioned BESS project is designed to store electricity and return it to the grid when demand is greatest, SSE said. The company added that by adding fast energy storage, the project will help balance supply and demand and support the efficiency and reliable operation of the UK electricity grid.Construction of the Ferrybridge project started in August 2023 and 136 battery…
Elon Musk, the CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, raised some eyebrows at this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, when he predicted “that space will be space and that this will be true in two to three years, three years at the latest.” pv magazine reported on Musk’s vision on January 26, 2026 on our global website www.pv-magazine.com, and exactly one week later SpaceX announced it was acquiring xAI “to form the most ambitious, vertically integrated innovation engine on (and beyond) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world’s premier platform for real-time…
Researchers from the German institute found that some commonly used PV cleaners can damage anti-reflective glass coatings, significantly reducing the efficiency of solar panels. Their tests showed that while some cleaning products are safe, others cause visible and permanent degradation of the coating. This highlights the need for careful selection of cleaning products to avoid long-term performance loss. March 23, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from Germany’s Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics (CSP) have evaluated the impact of various PV cleaning products on module glass surfaces and found that certain commercially available cleaners for photovoltaic modules can significantly damage anti-reflective glass…
The development and construction of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Massachusetts has become more feasible with the expansion legal protections and the implementation of new safety regulations. Energy storage has been called a ‘Swiss army knife’ because it enables a wide range of applications, including peak shaving, grid stabilization and distributed generation grid integration. Despite its versatility and increasing energy demand, BESS development has faced significant barriers. Local safety concerns and inconsistent municipal permitting procedures have often delayed or discouraged projects. Even with these challenges, energy storage remains essential to the Commonwealth’s clean energy transition, with the Clean Energy…
LMU researchers have developed a dual molecular strengthening strategy for perovskite solar cells that strengthens grain boundaries, improving both durability and performance. March 23, 2026 Emiliano Bellini A research team led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU) in Germany has developed a metal halide-perovskite solar cell that can withstand the high temperatures typical of low Earth orbit (LEO) while offering strong energy conversion efficiency. The scientists specifically examined the effects of accelerated thermal cycling between -80 C and 80 C. They found that the boosted cells retained approximately 84% of their initial efficiency after 16 extreme cycles, while unmodified cells suffered significantly…
Researchers in the United Kingdom have developed a smart window that combines switchable polymer-dispersed liquid crystals with integrated PV cells, providing controllable transparency and electricity generation. According to the makers, the system combines light, heat and sun protection while maintaining high visual quality and stable performance. March 23, 2026 Lior Kahana Researchers from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom have developed a new type of smart window that integrates PV modules with polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC). PDLC is a smart film composed of droplets of liquid crystals in a polymer matrix that switches from opaque to transparent when…