Author: solarenergy
An international study shows that successful agrivoltaic projects require farm-specific, holistic co-design that integrates PV layout with agricultural mechanization from the earliest planning stages. Without proper coordination between machines, crops and PV systems, agricultural voltaic systems risk major land loss, lower field efficiency and higher operating costs, undermining farm profitability. February 6, 2026 Emiliano Bellini An international research team has investigated how mechanized agriculture can be combined with agrivoltaic energy and discovered that the key to success is a holistic, farm-specific co-design process. “Our research focuses on the integration of agricultural mechanization into the design of agricultural voltaic systems,” said…
German researchers have developed a sodium-ion battery technology that uses lignin-based hard carbon as a negative electrode. The prototype 1 Ah battery cell showed no significant degradation after 100 charge and discharge cycles. February 5, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) and Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena have fabricated a prototype sodium-ion battery that uses lignin, a complex organic polymer found in the cell walls of plants, as an electrode material. Lignin is an abundant byproduct of the wood and pulp industry. After processing, it exhibits good electrical conductivity and the redox-active groups can reversibly…
Southeastern Conservative Sustainable Energy Advocacy Organization Energy right has found that Virginia voters largely support solar energy development in the state. Energy Right last month conducted a survey of 861 likely voters on the topic of energy affordability and solutions to stabilize those prices, including solar energy. Terrain-tracking solar trackers await commissioning at the Bartonsville Energy Facility, a 170 MW solar farm near Winchester, Virginia. Nevados In nearly every survey category, 50% or more of respondents said they would support solar energy development, especially if it would benefit local agriculture, economy, infrastructure and energy prices, and if it used American-made…
The company’s new ASTRO N7 Pro PV modules achieve a 2% higher cumulative energy yield over the project life cycle compared to previous generation conventional modules, said Astronergy Head of Global Product Management Baohua He. February 5, 2026 Why has Astronergy switched to a quarter-cut cell design for its new ASTRO N7 Pro PV modules? Baohua He: Against the backdrop of the photovoltaic industry’s continued drive for increased power and LCOE, multi-cut technology is an important avenue to improve module performance. By subdividing the circuit into shorter and more independent branches, quarter-cut cell technology reduces resistance losses while limiting the…
Sungrow says it plans to invest €230 million ($274 million) in its first European factory in Wałbrzych, Poland, to produce inverters and battery energy storage systems (BESS). February 5, 2026 Marian Willuhn By ESS news Chinese BESS manufacturer Sungrow has revealed it is building its first production facility in Europe. The factory, which will produce inverters and BESS, is under construction in Wałbrzych in southwestern Poland and will cover an area of 65,400 square meters. The company said the investment is approximately €230 million. The factory is expected to be completed within the next twelve months. “This new factory is…
Xilia Group has introduced composite frames for solar panels made of glass fiber reinforced polyurethane. The company says the frames reduce weight, are corrosion resistant and eliminate the need for grounding. February 5, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Hong Kong-based startup Xilia Group has launched a composite solar panel frame that reportedly reduces weight by about 25% and reduces initial costs by up to 30% compared to conventional aluminum frames. “The PV market is under enormous pressure, and the industry’s usual dependence on aluminum is exacerbating this situation,” says René Moerman, founder of Xilia. pv magazine. “By continuing to use traditional aluminum…
The U.S. federal government, which is challenging a U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) ruling requiring Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to retroactively collect tariffs on imported solar panels for two years, filed a motion last week to dismiss the appeal. The U.S. Court of Appeals granted the dismissal today. This leaves only trade associations, panel companies and American developers to appeal the ruling. Defendants still listed on the appeal include the American Clean Power Association, Solar Energy Industries Association, Boviet Solar, BYD, Canadian Solar, JA Solar, JinkoSolar, Risen Solar, Trina Solar, Invenergry and NextEra Energy. Now that the government…
A new study shows that perfectly symmetric materials can generate strong photocurrents when their surfaces are designed to accommodate special electronic states, overcoming a long-standing limitation in photovoltaic design. The work points to new strategies for both solar energy conversion and ultrafast spintronic technologies by exploiting the physics of surfaces rather than relying solely on the properties of bulk crystals. Conventional solar cells use interfaces such as p-n junctions to separate photo-generated charges and produce usable power. Another mechanism, known as the bulk photovoltaic effect, can create direct current in a homogeneous material without such bonds, but traditionally requires a…
Swiss startup Sun-Ways is testing removable solar panels installed on an operational railway line through a pilot project with French railway company SNCF in Switzerland. February 5, 2026 Gwénaëlle Deboutte By pv magazine France Sun-Ways, a Swiss startup developing PV systems for railways, has signed a cooperation agreement with SNCF, making the French railway company a partner in a pilot project in Buttes, in the canton of Neuchâtel. The company describes the installation as the first removable solar energy system to be deployed on an active railway line. The project has been operational since April 24, 2025. The pilot project…
Beijing’s new rule allows standalone storage to be charged fixed costs for availability, and not for the energy supplied. February 5, 2026 Vincent Shaw By ESS news China’s top economic planner and energy regulator have moved to formalize a ‘capacity price’ for standalone energy storage on the power grid, expanding a mechanism originally designed for coal-fired power plants and giving investors a clearer route to recoup fixed costs. In a joint notification dated January 30, 2026, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) said that qualified, self-employed new type of storage projects that support…