Author: solarenergy

Insure solar energy has launched SI-Commercial, a new warranty solution to protect commercial solar projects. The company has also expanded its Approved Supplier List (AVL) to include more global inverter manufacturers for the commercial market. SI-Commercial is designed for commercial solar energy systems up to 2 MWdirect current and provides long-term protection tailored to the realities of commercial project timelines, ownership structures and risk profiles. The warranty provides 30 years of panel coverage, 20 years of inverter coverage and includes parts and labor for covered repairs, supplementing the gaps left by standard manufacturer warranties. As part of the launch, Solar…

The WTO ruled that U.S. clean energy tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act violate international trade rules by giving preferential treatment to domestic products over Chinese goods. The decision specifically targets the ITC and PTC Domestic Content Bonus Credits. February 3, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Entrance to the WTO building in Geneva, Switzerland Image: Benoît Prieur, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that U.S. investment tax credits (ITCs) and production tax credits (PTCs) for domestic clean energy production under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) violate multiple articles of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade…

Analysis by energy consultancy Montel shows that Germany, France and the Netherlands all saw record levels of renewable curtailment last year, with solar build-outs in each market contributing to midday generation peaks and resulting price cannibalization. February 3, 2026 Patrick Jowett Germany, France And The Netherlands According to an analysis by the energy advisory service, a total of 3.9 TWh of renewable energy was reduced last year Montel Analytics. Montels European price-sensitive curtailment report includes commercial curtailment volumes in ten European markets. Germany, France and the Netherlands are responsible for more than 80% of the cuts in the ten countries…

The UK Government and independent advisor the Green Finance Institute (GFI) have launched the Green Home Finance Strategic Partnership.This partnership between the two institutions aims to accelerate the growth of the green home finance market in Britain, allowing consumers to upgrade their homes as and when they want.The launch of this new partnership comes just weeks after the Government published its Warm Homes Plan The aim is to generate £15 billion in public investment mainly to support the installation of solar energy, battery energy storage systems (BESS) and heat pumps.The new partnership will be co-chaired by Martin McCluskey, Minister for…

The UK Contracts for Difference (CfD) market is the “gold standard” for investment opportunities, according to Bob Psaradellis, CEO of Island Green Power.Speaking on a panel at the Solar Finance & Investment Summit, held in London, this afternoon, he discussed the importance of including a mix of CfD, purchase agreement and power purchase agreements (PPA) in an investment portfolio. Fellow panelist Kari Tikkanen, head of revenue at AUKERA Energy, noted that “not all CfDs are equal”, to which Psaradellis said the UK CfD scheme is the ideal balance between trading opportunities and guaranteed income for renewable energy investors.“We are only…

Risk assessment company VDE America has released guidance for project owners and developers in meeting the July 4, 2026 deadline to qualify for the end of clean energy tax credits. Credit: Alliant Energy The conclusions in the technical memorandum, “Navigating the Beginning of Construction Requirements for Solar Energy Projects,” represent VDE’s assessment based on its interpretation of published guidelines and expert insight into engineering, procurement and construction best practices. Under incentive changes to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), solar projects over 1.5 MW must now meet a stricter threshold to qualify for tax credits by performing qualified “physical…

The IP66-rated Aura 5000 system features bi-directional inverter functionality and AC power up to 2.5 kW. February 3, 2026 Lior Kahana Chinese inverter and battery manufacturer Growatt has announced a new AC-coupled energy storage system for household balconies. The system, called Aura 5000, features a 5 kWh battery capacity, bidirectional inverter functionality and AC power up to 2,500 W. “Aura 5000 offers broad inverter compatibility, allowing seamless integration with existing PV systems without rewiring,” the company said in a statement. “For systems using conventional inverters, Aura 5000 supports smart energy management through flexible AC coupling, significantly reducing the complexity of…

Spanish building-integrated PV (BIPV) manufacturer Onyx Solar is delivering a bespoke building-integrated PV system with nearly 1,800 solar glass ‘louvers’ designed to power Australian tech giant Atlassian’s new 39-storey headquarters in central Sydney with 100% renewable energy February 3, 2026 David Caroll By pv magazine Australia Onyx Solar has collaborated with Australian building products supplier Metz to deliver a bespoke 247 kWp BPIV solution for the Atlassian Central tower currently under construction next to Sydney Central Station. The 182-meter-tall Atlassian tower combines a hybrid solid wood structure surrounded by a steel exoskeleton that supports a PV-glazed facade with 1,794 crystalline…

The performance of single-component organic solar cells is highly dependent on the spacing units built into their molecular design. The mounting position of spacers on a dual cable polymer backbone has received much less attention than other structural parameters, even though it can influence how the material is arranged and functions in a device. To close this gap, researchers adopted a spacer isomerization engineering strategy and created two isomeric, double-cable conjugated polymers by changing where the spacer attaches to an indenone benzene ring. By shifting this bond position, they were able to precisely regulate molecular packing and film crystallinity, both…

NREL researchers found that UV exposure can cause significant, some of it non-repairable degradation in TOPCon solar cells, with strong cell-to-cell and intra-cell variability related to passivation and processing inconsistencies. While some UV-related losses recover quickly under light and are unlikely to affect field performance, the findings highlight gaps in current qualification testing and the need for better UV aging standards. February 3, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies (NREL) have quantified the performance loss due to ultraviolet (UV) light in TOPCon solar cells and found that cells with high UV-induced…