Author: solarenergy
Analyzes in 16 European countries show that the number of sales of residential heat pumps is increasing by approximately 240,000 year-on-year. The European Heat Pump Association attributes the upward trend to governments stabilizing their subsidy schemes. March 23, 2026 Patrick Jowett The number of residential heat pumps sold in major European markets will increase by 2025, according to an analysis published by the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA). EHPA found that in 16 countries analyzed – Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom – residential heat pump…
Spain’s Fundación Ciudad de la Energía (Ciuden), a government energy research foundation, has completed operational testing of a 1 MW/8 MWh vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) system at its Cubillos del Sil technology center, which it claims is the largest vanadium flow battery in Europe dedicated to applied research. March 23, 2026 Pilar Sanchez Molina By pv magazine Spain Ciuden, a body under the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, has completed testing of a VRFB system at its technology development center in Cubillos del Sil, northwestern Spain. The 1 MW/8 MWh system includes a dedicated 100…
The UK government’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has published a strategy paper noting that renewables, housing and food production are “not competing demands”.In a foreword to the first official Land Use Framework for Englandpublished by Defra on March 18, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “We have enough land to build the homes needed to tackle the housing crisis, sustain domestic food production, restore nature at scale and build clean, domestic energy to deliver energy security.”The framework document, which Reynolds noted, is not a replacement for the planning system (which has been revamped in recent years to…
By pv magazine Germany German startup Invertix has developed a suite of 22 AI “workers” designed to independently manage operations and maintenance (O&M) functions for solar power plant operators. “Unlike general purpose agents like Open Claw,” CEO and co-founder Joseph Perrotta shared pv magazine“Invertix agents are highly specialized in the field of solar and renewable energy, understand inverter fault patterns, Modbus registers and act autonomously within operational limits. Critical decisions are escalated to people, similar to an experienced technician who works independently but provides advice on important issues.” Perrotta and co-founder Kaan Durmaz say their experience with large language models…
Brazil’s second Long-Term Reserve Capacity Auction (LRCAP) of 2026 has contracted 501 MW of thermoelectric capacity, leaving an estimated 3 GW of residual demand to be addressed in an upcoming battery storage auction expected later this year. March 23, 2026 Livia Neves By ESS news Brazil’s second LRCAP of 2026, held last week, contracted 501.3 MW of capacity from existing thermoelectric plants. Four diesel and fuel oil plants have been awarded contracts with deliveries starting in 2026 and 2027, while two biodiesel plants will start supplying power in 2030. The auction, held at the Chamber of Electric Energy Commercialization (CCEE)…
Australian company RELA has launched a UK offering, RELA Repay, after acquiring a portfolio of renewable energy leasing interests.RELA is an intermediary platform that enables landowners, especially those in rural areas, to monetize their properties through leasing agreements with renewable energy developers. According to the company, once completed, the portfolio acquisition will mean RELA will manage “one of the largest portfolios of renewable energy leases in Britain”.Both the acquisition and launch were supported by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management and debt financing of Macquarie Asset Management-managed funds. This should give landowners confidence in the company, RELA said, as it…
In an interview with pv magazineCybersecurity expert Mohammad Al Faruque explains how seemingly simple sensors in PV systems and other energy systems are surprisingly vulnerable to magnetic, electrical and acoustic disturbances, which can affect remote control systems without physical access. Protecting these sensors requires both strict physical security and the development of hardened, interference-resistant technology to protect critical infrastructure. March 23, 2026 Emiliano Bellini In recent years, researchers have increasingly focused on cyber-physical systems, where hardware and software interact in complex ways, and the vulnerabilities that can flow through multiple layers of these systems. A recent area of interest is…
Investors have submitted applications for 12.15 GW of standalone battery storage projects for merchants in Greece, far more than the 4.7 GW the country plans to approve. But with the struggle over financing and key policy details still unresolved, the path to construction remains unclear. March 20, 2026 Ilias Tsagas Image: dimitrisvetsikas1969, Pixabay By ESS news A year ago, Greece launched a new targeted battery storage program 4.7 GW of standalone utility-scale projects are given priority on grid connections and are operated on a commercial basis, without subsidy support. Of this capacity, 3.8 GW will be connected to the transmission…
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed a treaty this week executive order which directs her administration to secure 10 new GW of energy resources for Massachusetts by 2035, as well as 5 GW of new energy storage. Governor Healey’s directive requires agencies to pursue a range of energy sources and ensure sufficient supply to meet growing demand and lower bills. The executive order outlines guidelines for state agencies regarding solar, storage, wind, load management, gas, nuclear, and geothermal, resulting in an estimated $10 billion in savings for Massachusetts residents and businesses. “The American people are now paying the price as oil…
Data from EnergyBin and Buckstop shows that used solar panels made up just 1% of resale offers in 2025, as falling prices for new panels weaken the economics of reuse. March 20, 2026 Phoebe Skok By pv magazine USA Given that modules from the early 2010s solar wave are nearing the end of their expected lifespans, it’s no surprise that a wave of repowering has seemed imminent for some time. We’ve all heard the saying: new is always better, and it seems solar buyers agree. The tsunami of mass panel retirements hasn’t crashed yet. According to new data from secondary…