Author: solarenergy
Spanish researchers found that combining agrivoltaic energy with regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) can reduce tomato irrigation water use by about 50%, while improving land use efficiency through simultaneous crop and solar energy production. April 30, 2026 Lior Kahana A research group from Spain has used regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) under agrivoltaic systems to grow tomatoes in both Madrid and Seville. RDI is a technique used to reduce irrigation water use by deliberately watering plants during less sensitive growth stages, while monitoring leaf water potential to prevent excessive stress and maintain yields. “This innovative combination aims to reduce the evaporation needs…
Independent energy producer (IPP) Matrix Renewables has closed £245 million in project financing to support a 500MW/1,000MWh two-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) in Scotland. The non-recourse project financing will support the construction of the BESS in Eccles-Leitholm, southern Scotland, which commenced in November 2025. Commercial activities are expected in the third quarter of 2027. Matrix Renewables has looked for optimization and route-to-market services for the project of energy company EDF and has Tesla enabled as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the BESS. MUFG Bank, the London branch of CIBC and NatWest underwrote the financing. Nicolás Navas,…
RCT Hydrogen has started operations at a new electrolyzer production facility in Saarbrücken, Germany, with a planned annual production capacity of 250 MW and an initial 5 MW system planned for installation in 2026. April 29, 2026 Lior Kahana German-Chinese green hydrogen company RCT Hydrogen has started operations in a new production facility in SaarbrückenGermany. The factory is part of a joint venture with Brücka German manufacturer of forged and ring-rolled products for industrial applications. The facility is expected to produce electrolysis systems with a combined annual capacity of 250 MW. “We see that companies need concrete solutions to address…
From the magazine When lithium prices started to rise in late 2025, headlines warned of runaway battery inflation, threatened project pipelines and a storage market on the brink. Then something unexpected happened. Despite lithium carbonate prices rising more than 102% in six months and lithium ferrous phosphate cell costs rising 15% to 30%, total investment in BESS projects in the United States, Germany and China increased less than 15%. Even if battery cell price increases are fully passed through the supply chain, they are barely registered at the system level. This disconnect reveals a deeper truth about the current cost…
A UNSW-led research team proposed two low-power ride-through strategies for standalone PV electrolysis systems to maintain stability during sudden fluctuations in solar energy without using battery storage. April 29, 2026 Lior Kahana A research team led by Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney has proposed two new low-power ride-through (LPRT) project configurations for stand-alone PV electrolysis systems (PVEC). LPRT is a control option for electrical equipment that allows it to remain connected and continue to operate, with reduced power, during brief mains disturbances, such as voltage drops, frequency deviations or partial power loss. When used in PV-powered electrolyzers,…
Independent energy producer IPP) Sonnedix has started work on a 40MW solar PV project in Devon. The Gammaton site is Sonnedix’s first large-scale solar project in the UK and was one of five of the company’s projects awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) agreement in the government’s AR5 and AR6 allocation rounds. Sonnedix said the project is “strategically located” near the Alverdiscott power station, providing access to existing network infrastructure and the “potential for future co-location opportunities”. Gammaton is designed to allow sheep and cattle to graze “around and through” the solar panels, Sonnedix said, and is expected to generate…
According to the announcement, the agreement between FIMER and AMP is intended to support the rollout of AMP’s Battery Box energy storage solution.The AMP product is connected to the local electricity network and manages the timing differences between electricity consumption and intermittent energy generation.From July 2026, FIMER will supply AMP with 400 units of PVX-215 at appropriate locations, with an expected completion date by the end of the year. FIMER notes in its announcement that its PVX-107/215-HV technology is a modular energy storage system with capacities ranging from 107 to 215 kWh.Because the ESS is suitable for C&I projects and…
Rosi has raised more than €20 million in a Series B funding round to scale up its photovoltaic module recycling operations and build a new 10,000 tonne per year factory in Teruel, Spain. The company uses pyrolysis-based technology to recover high-purity materials, including silver, silicon, copper, aluminum and glass, from discarded solar panels. April 29, 2026 Pilar Sanchez Molina By pv magazine Spain Rosi, a French cleantech company specializing in the recycling of waste PV modules, has secured over €20 million in financing to accelerate its next phase of growth. The financing will support the commissioning of a new plant…
According to EirGrid data, the amount of electricity generated by solar PV in Ireland peaked at more than 1GW several times in the past week. For comparison, March 2025 had a peak of 750 MW and May 2025 had a peak of 755 MW.The 1GW record was set around noon on April 20, reaching 1,021 MW at 12:19 p.m. On April 24 at 12:08 PM it peaked at 1,087 MW, and on April 25 it reached 1,122 MW at 2:14 PM.According to EirGrid, a growing trend of records has been set in recent months as well as in the summer…
From the magazine Solar steel does not become unusable when rust occurs. Designers build in a material thickness margin that is above the minimum required to withstand the expected loads. But when corrosion affects electrical connections, it can shift from a reliability issue to a safety issue. Corrosion concentrates at interfaces such as bolted joints, welds and cut edges, where moisture, dirt and movement can erode protective coatings. Fasteners are a common pain point. Rust can eat away at bolts, making routine maintenance labor-intensive cutting and replacing. It can also affect the connection itself when small changes in tolerances and…