Author: solarenergy

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched a call for hydrogen financing for African projects, while the European Commission has registered 265 supply opportunities under its hydrogen mechanism. May 1, 2026 Sergio Matalucci RCT Hydrogen’s 5MW electrolysis stacks Image: RCT Hydrogen The African Development BankThe Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa has launched a call for proposals under its Green Hydrogen Programme, aimed at private developers of green hydrogen and derivative projects across Africa. The program, supported by initial funding from the German government, will provide pre-investment financing of up to $20 million for three to five selected projects. The support…

Charalambos Konstantinou, associate professor and principal investigator of the SENTRY Lab at KAUST in Saudi Arabia, has spent years simulating attacks on solar inverters and developing methods to detect them. His lab’s work is one layer below the monitoring system compromises that have made headlines: the firmware itself, the code that determines how much power an inverter injects into the grid and at what phase. “The message is that this firmware-level detection on solar inverters is technically feasible,” Konstantinou said pv magazine. “What’s missing isn’t the science. It’s just a connecting tissue between the inverters and the operators.” The threat…

TotalEnergies and Philippines-based developer Nextnorth have started construction of a 440 MWp solar power plant in Isabela province after reaching financial close on $300 million in international bank financing. May 1, 2026 Brian Public International lenders have backed TotalEnergies and Nextnorth’s 440 MWp solar project in the Philippines, providing $300 million in financing for the plant now under construction. The project, located in the city of Ilagan, Isabela province, is 65% owned by TotalEnergies and 35% by Nextnorth. TotalEnergies said the plant will be operational by the end of 2027 and is expected to produce 13.5 TWh over 20 years.…

Renewable energy developer Greenfield has secured planning permission for a 400MW battery energy storage system (BESS) in Thornton, East Yorkshire.The project will have a direct grid connection and the developer claims that the project will be able to meet the power needs of 640,000 homes for two hours on a full charge. Greenfield developed the project together with UK independent agricultural and environmental consultancy ADAS, highlighting the environmental benefits of the project, including a 56.28% gain in habitat units at the project site.“At 400 MW and with a direct transmission link, this is exactly the type of project needed to…

Longi says revenue and losses fell year over year in 2025, while Trina Solar reports deeper losses and full-year margin pressure across its core module business. May 1, 2026 Vincent Shaw Longi green energy has reported 2025 revenues of CNY70.347 billion ($10.3 billion), down 14.82% year-on-year, with a net loss attributable to shareholders of CNY6.420 billion, down from the previous year. Gross margin was 0.81% and net margin -9.13%, indicating that operations are close to break-even. The company shipped 111.56 GW of monocrystalline wafers and 86.58 GW of modules, while external cell sales reached 4.31 GW. Operating cash flow turned…

National Grid will extend its Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) technology to 585km of existing transmission routes, which is expected to save consumers up to £50 million in mitigation costs over the next five years.The DLR system involves the deployment of sensors that continuously monitor the function of electricity transmission lines, to calculate a dynamic line rating, from which the system takes its name. This rating includes variables such as the wire specifications and weather conditions to generate a figure representing a wire’s maximum safe rating, which is often lower and much more accurate than conventional assumptions made without the use…

Taihan Cable & Solution says it has won a contract to supply and install 154 kV submarine cables connecting island PV arrays and floating solar sites to South Korea’s power grid, in its first fully integrated project with its marine installation subsidiary. May 1, 2026 Brian Public Image: Martin Bennie, Unsplash Taihan Cable & Solution, a South Korea-based power cable manufacturer, has won a contract from Top Solar Group to supply 154 kV submarine cables and associated materials for a grid connection project in South Jeolla Province, on the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula. The cables will connect two…

Researchers from the University of Queensland have developed a scalable, lead-free manufacturing process for perovskite solar cells that achieves record indoor light efficiency while avoiding toxic materials and enabling flexible applications for consumer electronics. May 1, 2026 Ev Foley By pv magazine Australia Researchers from the University of Queensland have developed a safe and scalable vapor-based manufacturing process for manufacturing high-quality lead-free perovskite material with fewer performance-limiting defects. Indoor perovskite solar cells operate under low-intensity artificial lighting, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and fluorescent lamps, but most rely on lead-based hazardous materials. The new manufacturing method eliminates the need for…

Researchers from Qatar found that bifacial 2P horizontal, single-axis tracking PV systems in desert conditions produced up to 13.5% more electricity than fixed-tilt systems during long-term field tests in Qatar. The research also showed strong seasonal and technology-dependent performance, with the benefits of trackers varying depending on irradiation and weather conditions. May 1, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Qatar compared the performance of bifacial, two-in-portrait (2P) horizontal PV systems with horizontal single-axis trackers (HSAT) with fixed-tilt systems under desert conditions in the Middle East and found that the bifacial arrays can generate up to…

The escalation of conflict in the Middle East is once again exposing the fragility of global energy systems, where disruptions in key transit routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, responsible for nearly 20% of global oil and gas trade, are driving volatility in oil and LNG markets. For Europe, which remains structurally dependent on imported gas and LNG, this translates directly into renewed exposure to price shocks and supply uncertainty especially in more dependant European markets. These developments reinforce a broader structural shift already underway: energy security is becoming a central driver of investment decisions, particularly within the commercial…