Author: solarenergy

A two-year field study at a 100 MW photovoltaic plant in semi-arid Inner Mongolia combined ground-based sensors, radiation measurements and UAV thermal imaging to quantify how large-scale PV installations change local air temperature, surface temperature and energy balance compared to nearby non-PV areas. The results show consistent site-scale warming of 0.8 C. April 27, 2026 Lior Kahana A research team from China conducted a two-year field study to assess how large-scale photovoltaic (PV) farms affect local climate conditions, focusing on air temperature, surface temperature and surface radiation balance. The observation campaign took place from 2022 to 2024 in a 100…

With support from Toshiba, Bulgarian utility NEK is working to restart its 864 MW Chaira pumped storage power plant, the largest of its kind in Southeastern Europe. The facility has been offline since March 2022 due to a turbine failure. April 28, 2026 Emiliano Bellini The Chaira hydroelectric power station Image: Edal Anton Lefterov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Bulgarian state-owned company Natsionalna Elektricheska Kompania EAD (NEK EAD) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Toshiba International Europe Ltd., the British subsidiary of Japan’s Toshiba Corp., to restart operations of the Chaira pumped storage hydropower plant. The facility is the…

Researchers in Canada found that semi-transparent PV modules made from 69% transparent crystalline silicon can improve yields in tomato greenhouses by up to 38%, while maintaining healthy plant growth through favorable partial shade. Their simulations also showed that combining rooftop agrivoltaic energy with heat pumps can completely eliminate fossil fuel heating. April 28, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from Western University in Canada investigated different types of semi-transparent photovoltaic (STPV) modules with different levels of transparency in tomato greenhouses in an attempt to identify the best panel configuration. “Experimentally, we tested a number of semi-transparent PV configurations for greenhouses growing Red…

CATL completed a roughly $5 billion share sale in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Chinese inverter and battery maker Sungrow is making a second attempt at an IPO after its initial bid, launched in October 2025, expired. April 28, 2026 Marija Maisch By ESS news The world’s largest battery maker CATL completed a stock placement in Hong Kong on Tuesday, raising about $5 billion in a deal that marks the stock market’s largest stock offering so far this year. CATL sold 62.385 million new foreign capital shares (H shares) for HK$628.20 each, raising HK$39.2 billion ($5 billion), according to a…

Aurora’s new hub, called Flexplorer, integrates into the company’s existing intelligence platform, EOS. The new tool found that UK battery assets more than doubled their revenues (+126%) between February and March 2026, due to the conflict in the Middle East and the price impact on fossil fuels. According to Aurora, Flexplorer highlighted how BESS quickly transitioned from providing system stability services to wholesale electricity trading during the price spike, underscoring their growing role in capturing value during periods of volatility.Victor Yip, senior research associate at Aurora Energy Research, said: “What this highlights is the structural advantage that batteries have in…

According to data collected by solar buyer Black Bear Energy, the U.S. real estate sector has surpassed 1 GW of installed on-site solar capacity. The 2025 Solar Rankings for Real Estate shows 1,086 GW installed in 2,157 projects owned by more than 65 owners and managers. The Solar Leaderboard collects data on U.S.-based projects facilitated by Black Bear Energy, along with information voluntarily submitted by property owners and managers and supplemented by third-party sources. The dataset reflects the most comprehensive information available to Black Bear Energy at the time of publication, covering a wide range of project-level data and sources.…

A Vietnamese research team has developed a low-cost passive cooling system for PV modules based on hydrogel-coated paper that combines water flow and interfacial evaporation to reduce operating temperatures. Outdoor tests showed temperature reductions of up to 14 C and efficiency gains of up to 16.8%, achieving stable operation using both freshwater and natural seawater. April 28, 2026 Lior Kahana A research group in Vietnam has proposed a new passive cooling technique for PV modules that relies on hydrogel-coated paper as a cooling medium. The approach enables convective heat transfer through flowing water, while removing latent heat via interfacial evaporation.…

French utility EDF is working with energy storage developer BW ESS on the first phase of the Hams Hall battery energy storage system (BESS) in North Warwickshire.Through its PowerShift platform, EDF will optimize the 350 MW/1,243 MWh BESS plant, under a ten-year floor agreement. This allows the battery to provide flexibility to the electricity grid by balancing supply and demand, supporting grid stability and promoting the integration of new renewable energy generation.The project is currently under construction and is expected to be commercially operational in the fourth quarter of 2026, with a second phase expected to add 50MW/210MWh of capacity…

New federal data shows that solar and batteries will make up nearly 80% of all new utility-scale energy additions planned for the U.S. electric grid this year. April 28, 2026 Ryan Kennedy By pv magazine USA The US power grid is on track for a record year, with developers planning to add 86 GW of new utility-scale capacity in 2026, according to the latest data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Clean energy technologies are expected to dominate the expansion, with solar and battery storage accounting for the vast majority of planned additions. According to the April 2026 Electric…

Beijing has introduced a stricter national carbon assessment system that formally holds provincial governments accountable for emissions reduction and energy transition targets. April 28, 2026 Vincent Shaw China has released a new national framework for assessing progress toward its carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, formalizing what was previously policy direction into a structured accountability system for provincial governments. The “Comprehensive Evaluation and Assessment Measures for Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality” was approved at a meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee on February 26, 2026, jointly issued by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of…