Author: solarenergy

After years of relative quiet, the Tesla factory in Buffalo, New York, has been repurposed for its original purpose: making solar panels. The 1.2 million ft2 facility got an almost Investment of 1 billion dollars from upstate New York, and local organizations have questioned Tesla’s employment figures since day 1. Originally built for Silevo in early 2010, the Buffalo factory ended up in SolarCity’s fold in 2014 after the solar installer acquired the panel manufacturer. Then Tesla bought SolarCity and took over the factory. Tesla first partnered with Panasonic to make solar cells at the factory, but Panasonic left in…

China’s polysilicon trading remained largely dormant, with production cuts accelerating and wafer prices falling week on week, while downstream cell prices continued to rise and module prices held steady, according to a trade group representing China’s non-ferrous metals sector. January 30, 2026 Vincent Shaw The China Non-ferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMA) said polysilicon trade remained largely stalled with only limited exploratory orders completed. One leading producer has halted operations, while two others have implemented production cuts. January production is expected to decline by around 15% month-on-month, largely in line with waffle production schedules, with February production forecast at 82,000 to…

Cubenergy has launched FlexCombo 2.0, a scalable battery energy storage system for utility, commercial and industrial applications, offering up to 16 MWh of capacity with LFP batteries. The modular design, advanced BMS and cloud-based operation enable easy installation, seamless expansion and efficient network integration. January 30, 2026 Lior Kahana Cubenergya Chinese manufacturer of battery energy storage systems (BESS), has introduced a new energy block designed for utility, commercial and industrial (C&I) applications. The product, called FlexCombo 2.0, uses the company’s 835 kWh FlexCombo D2 batteries. It is available in three configurations: 10, 12 or 12 batteries, with a total capacity…

Jarenlang hebben zonne-energieontwikkelaars in New Hampshire en hun klanten te maken gehad met de ene regelgevende wegversperring na de andere, waardoor het veel moeilijker is om zonne-energieprojecten op het elektriciteitsnet aan te sluiten dan in aangrenzende staten. New Hampshire is de laatste in het noordoosten wat betreft de inzet van zonne-energie, vooral vanwege de verouderde technologie interconnectieprocedures. Deze regels bepalen hoe projecten voor schone energie op het elektriciteitsnet worden aangesloten en beïnvloeden waar ze kunnen worden ingezet. ReVision Energy installeerde een zonnepaneel bovenop Sullivan Construction in Bedford, New Hampshire, het eerste LEED Platinum-kantoorgebouw van de staat. Ontwikkelaars hebben uit de…

Organic semiconductors are thin, flexible materials that already underlie many consumer displays, and researchers now report a strategy that allows these materials to both efficiently emit light and harvest energy in the same device. Their work focuses on multifunctional organic components that can act as both organic light-emitting diodes and organic photovoltaic elements without sacrificing performance in either role. In conventional designs, light emission and energy generation place conflicting demands on excitons, which are bonded pairs of electrons and positively charged holes. Efficient electroluminescence requires excitons to recombine robustly to produce photons, while efficient photovoltaics requires excitons to quickly dissociate…

Wuxi DK Electronic Materials is pursuing two patent infringement cases against domestic competitors, seeking injunctions, destruction of equipment and combined damages of CNY400 million ($57.5 million). January 30, 2026 Vincent Shaw Wuxi DK Electronic Materials has filed two patent infringement lawsuits in the Jiangsu High People’s Court against Jiangsu Riyu Photovoltaic New Materials and Suzhou Jinyin New Materials Technology, seeking CNY200 million in damages and related legal fees in both cases. The company said both files have been formally accepted and registered by the court, although no hearing dates have yet been scheduled. The lawsuits concern two Chinese invention patents,…

Repsol and Sunfire are advancing 200 MW of sustainable hydrogen projects in Spain, while new collaborations and financing across Europe and India aim to accelerate the development of electrolysers and hydrogen infrastructure. January 30, 2026 Sergio Matalucci Repsol has approved its second 100 MW electrolyzer at the Petronor industrial complex in Bilbao. “The electrolyzer will have the capacity to produce up to 15,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually, which will be used mainly at the company’s Petronor refinery outside Bilbao in northern Spain,” said the Spanish oil and gas company, adding that the new renewable hydrogen production plant will require…

The Finnish start-up says its sand battery technology is scalable from 20 to 500 MWh with a charging capacity of 1 to 20 MW, depending on industrial needs. January 30, 2026 Marija Maisch By ESS news Finnish cleantech startup TheStorage says its thermal storage technology could reduce industrial energy costs by as much as 70% and reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 90%. The system converts sustainable electricity into heat, stores it in sand and supplies it on demand for industrial heating. The concept originated in Finland in 2023 and engineering work started in 2024. In January 2026, TheStorage…

Octopus Energy Group, Britain’s largest energy supplier, has announced a new joint venture (JV) with Chinese company PCG Power.The joint venture, called Bitong Energy, focuses on the Chinese spot energy market, where energy is bought and sold in real time. PCG Power is an investor and provider of solutions in the commercial and industrial (C&I) renewable energy sector. Octopus will provide trading and optimization technology to the JV.Bitong Energy aims to trade up to 140 TWh of renewable energy annually by 2030, generating annual profits of around £50 million. It aims to reach a valuation of more than £500 million…

Scientists have grown organic romaine lettuce under thirteen different types of PV modules, in an unusually hot Canadian summer. Their analysis showed that lettuce yield increased by more than 400% compared to unshaded control plants. January 30, 2026 Lior Kahana A research group from Canada’s Western University has investigated the performance of organic romaine lettuce, a heat-sensitive crop, under a wide range of agrivoltaic conditions. The test was conducted in London, Ontario, in the summer of 2025, during 18 days of temperatures above 30 C. “Our study investigates how agrivoltaic systems can be adapted to optimize crop growth, especially under…