Author: solarenergy
Italian authorities will offer 30 MW of floating PV capacity during the June 8 FER2 auction, reducing the quota after weak participation in the first round. April 20, 2026 Massimiliano Tripodo Enel’s floating PV test facility in Catania, Italy Image: pv magazine By pv magazine Italy The Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) plans to allocate a quota of 30 MW for floating photovoltaic systems on inland waterways in the latest round of the FER2 renewable energy tender mechanism. The auction round will take place on June 8. Under this auction regime, incentives are given to innovative renewable…
Researchers in Italy analyzed the performance of air-to-water heat pumps in Alpine regions, focusing on how start-up and defrost cycles affect efficiency under current and future climate conditions. Their simulations show that while warmer temperatures reduce defrost losses somewhat and improve efficiency modestly, start-up losses remain significant and continue to limit overall performance gains. April 20, 2026 Lior Kahana Scientists from Italy’s University of Trento have investigated the impact of start-up and defrost cycles on a PV-coupled air-to-water heat pump (AWHP) in the Alps, climate change hotspots characterized by rapid warming and complex topography. “The novelty of this study lies…
The new inverter is designed around standardized 5 MW and 5.5 MW PV subarrays with the aim of reducing system balance costs. It has a maximum efficiency of 99.0% and a high-voltage architecture up to 1,600 Vdc and 1,000 Vac. April 20, 2026 Vincent Shaw Chinese power transformer manufacturer TBEA has unveiled a 500 kW string inverter for utility-scale solar bases and integrated solar-plus-storage projects. The company said the TS500KTL-HV-C1 inverter is designed around standardized 5 MW and 5.5 MW PV subarrays and aims to reduce Balance-of-System (BOS) costs while improving network support capabilities. The new inverter uses a high-voltage…
Canadian utility Hydro-Quebec has announced the long list of bidders for its 300 MW solar tender. A total of 60 bids were submitted with a cumulative capacity of 481 MW. April 17, 2026 Patrick Jowett Image: Dad Hotel, Unsplash Canadian provincial utility Hydro-Quebec has announced that its 300 MW solar tender has been oversubscribed after receiving bids for 60 projects with a combined capacity of 481 MW. The utility’s solar tender has been launched last Maywhich offers long-term electricity contracts for new solar projects with a maximum installed capacity of 25 MW that can be connected to the integrated network…
New figures from grid operator Enedis show that France added 1,418 MW of new PV capacity in the first quarter of 2026, roughly equivalent to the first quarter of 2025, despite a broader sector slowdown due to regulatory changes and postponed tenders. April 17, 2026 Gwénaëlle Deboutte Image: Mustang Joe, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 By pv magazine France According to data from French grid operator Enedis, 1,418 MW of new photovoltaic capacity was connected to the country’s distribution network in the first quarter of 2026. This is largely in line with the 1,407 MW recorded in the first quarter of…
The country reached a cumulative installed PV capacity of 44.9 GW at the end of March, according to recent figures from Italian PV association Italia Solar. April 17, 2026 Sergio Matalucci By pv magazine Italy Italy installed 1,439 MW of new PV systems in the first quarter of this year, according to new figures from Italian PV association Italia Solare. As of March 31, 2,216,994 photovoltaic systems were connected in Italy, with a total installed capacity of 44,952 MW. “In the first quarter, after a slowdown in January, especially for systems above one megawatt, installations recovered between February and March,…
The expansion will bring the company’s total domestic cell capacity to 5.5 GW, strengthening its position as the largest commercial solar cell manufacturer in the United States. April 15, 2026 Ryan Kennedy By pv magazine USA Suniva has announced plans to invest $350 million in a new manufacturing facility in Laurens, South Carolina. The project is expected to start in the second quarter of 2027 and have an annual production capacity of 4.5 GW. Combined with production from the existing headquarters and factory in Norcross, Georgia, the expansion will bring Suniva’s total annual capacity to more than 5.5 GW. The…
The country’s seventh green energy auction will acquire rooftop, ground-mounted and floating solar projects in the Philippines, with a larger allocation in Mindanao. The Ministry of Energy plans to announce the reference terms for the auction in the second quarter of this year. April 17, 2026 Patrick Jowett The Philippines’ Department of Energy has confirmed that the seventh round of its Green Energy Auction (GEA) will kick off this year. An update from the department says it is targeting the publication of the terms of reference, which will provide potential developers with guidelines for participation, in the second quarter of…
South Korean media report that Malaysia’s OCI TerraSus, a subsidiary of Seoul-based chemical company OCI Holdings, is in talks with SpaceX for a multi-year polysilicon supply contract. April 16, 2026 Patrick Jowett Image: Steve Jurvetson/WikiMedia Commons Several South Korean media outlets have reported that Malaysia’s OCI TerraSus, a subsidiary of South Korean polysilicon maker OCI Holdings, is in talks with SpaceX for a multi-year polysilicon supply contract, citing industry sources. A spokesperson for OCI Holdings said this pv magazine the company is “unable to comment or provide further details at this stage” on rumors surrounding the polysilicon supply deal. The…
A research team in Germany developed a dynamic model of spray cooling for floating PV systems that links thermal behavior, electrical performance and active cooling, and validated it against a 750 kW installation. Simulations in four climates have shown that spray cooling reduces module temperatures by up to 42% and improves energy yield by up to 3.8%, with the benefits highly dependent on local conditions. April 17, 2026 Lior Kahana Researchers from Germany’s FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences have developed a new dynamic model for spray cooling for floating PV systems (FPV). “This work takes a system-level perspective on…