Author: solarenergy
By Martin McConnell May 1, 2026 Solar energy owner and operator Silicon Ranch has launched its CattleTracker technology platform, advertised as the first “commercially viable rotational grazing technology designed to integrate livestock farming with utility-scale solar energy.” Touted as a huge step forward in the agricultural market, the technology officially went live at the Christiana Solar Ranch in Tennessee in late April. The technology aims to produce both renewable energy and regenerative grazing results that are good for the animal, the land and for solar energy generation. “CattleTracker was born at the intersection of American energy, American manufacturing and American…
Most homeowners spend weeks researching solar panels. They compare efficiency ratings, read about monocrystalline vs. polycrystalline, and request quotes from three or four companies. They dig into tax credits, check net metering policies, and spend a Saturday afternoon watching YouTube videos about panel warranties. What they rarely think about is what happens five, ten, or twenty years after the installation is done, which is where the risk lives. Across North Carolina, towns and counties have discovered a frustrating truth: the solar company that installed their system is no longer responding. Systems are underperforming. Panels need service. And the original installer?…
The two companies announced a 60 GWh supply agreement on Monday, marking a crucial step in the commercialization of sodium-ion battery technology. April 28, 2026 Marija Maisch By ESS news Battery manufacturing heavyweight CATL has secured the world’s largest order for sodium-ion batteries from Chinese systems integrator HyperStrong. On April 27, the two companies announced a three-year partnership with a total order volume of 60 GWh. “This collaboration means that CATL has successfully overcome challenges across the entire mass production chain of sodium-ion batteries and achieved large-scale supply capabilities. As the largest sodium-ion battery order to date globally, this marks…
This week, Women in Solar+ Europe highlights the insights shared by industry leaders during the panel ‘Impact Leadership in Solar & Storage: securing the energy transition through people, purpose and systems thinking’, hosted by the leadership ecosystem Solar+ Leaders at Solar & Storage Live London. Bringing together voices from across the value chain, it explored how leadership is evolving in response to growing system complexity, skills gaps and the need for better alignment within the sector. May 1, 2026 Women in Solar+ Europe At Solar & Storage Live London this week, the Solar+ Leaders panel “Impact Leadership in Solar &…
The March 2026 Energy Sector Construction and Investment Projects Report, issued by the Chilean Ministry of Energy, lists 38 storage systems under construction, for 4,597 MW and 18,780 MWh. April 30, 2026 Luis Ini By ESS news Chile had more than 38,193 MW of installed capacity in operation in March, 51% of which came from non-conventional renewable energy sources, according to the Ministry of Energy’s March Energy Sector Construction and Investment Projects Report. The report also identifies 138 energy projects under construction, including power plants, transmission facilities and storage infrastructure, representing a combined investment of $11.7 billion. In energy storage,…
Liberty Global portfolio companies Egg Power and Virgin Media O2 have agreed a ten-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the 49.9 MW Grange Solar Farm in Suffolk.The solar power plant, which is scheduled to be operational in 2027, will provide approximately 5% of Virgin Media O2’s total energy supply. It is the second PPA the telecommunications company has signed as part of its commitment to only use renewable energy in locations where it controls the bill, following the signing of a PPA to source energy from a wind power plant owned by The Renewables Infrastructure Group in 2025.Egg Power, a…
Salt River Project and NextEra Energy Resources have signed a power purchase agreement for 3,000 MW of solar and 1,000 MW of battery storage to be built in Arizona through 2027. May 1, 2026 Ryan Kennedy Image: Salt River Project By pv magazine USA Salt River Project has announced a massive power purchase agreement with NextEra Energy Resources to develop 3 GW of new solar and 1 GW of battery energy storage in Arizona. The tender serves as part of the utility’s strategy to phase out coal production by 2032. This capacity is expected to supply 675,000 households with electricity…
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched a call for hydrogen financing for African projects, while the European Commission has registered 265 supply opportunities under its hydrogen mechanism. May 1, 2026 Sergio Matalucci RCT Hydrogen’s 5MW electrolysis stacks Image: RCT Hydrogen The African Development BankThe Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa has launched a call for proposals under its Green Hydrogen Programme, aimed at private developers of green hydrogen and derivative projects across Africa. The program, supported by initial funding from the German government, will provide pre-investment financing of up to $20 million for three to five selected projects. The support…
Charalambos Konstantinou, associate professor and principal investigator of the SENTRY Lab at KAUST in Saudi Arabia, has spent years simulating attacks on solar inverters and developing methods to detect them. His lab’s work is one layer below the monitoring system compromises that have made headlines: the firmware itself, the code that determines how much power an inverter injects into the grid and at what phase. “The message is that this firmware-level detection on solar inverters is technically feasible,” Konstantinou said pv magazine. “What’s missing isn’t the science. It’s just a connecting tissue between the inverters and the operators.” The threat…
TotalEnergies and Philippines-based developer Nextnorth have started construction of a 440 MWp solar power plant in Isabela province after reaching financial close on $300 million in international bank financing. May 1, 2026 Brian Public International lenders have backed TotalEnergies and Nextnorth’s 440 MWp solar project in the Philippines, providing $300 million in financing for the plant now under construction. The project, located in the city of Ilagan, Isabela province, is 65% owned by TotalEnergies and 35% by Nextnorth. TotalEnergies said the plant will be operational by the end of 2027 and is expected to produce 13.5 TWh over 20 years.…