Author: solarenergy
In a week marked by the largest sodium-ion battery order to date, widely seen as a turning point for the commercialization of the technology at scale, one of Europe’s emerging players, Spain’s Bihar Batteries, is strengthening the prospects for European-made sodium-ion batteries. April 29, 2026 Pilar Sanchez Molina By ESS news Sodium-ion battery technology has never been more relevant. With prices for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells rising and production of heavyweights such as CAT And Imagine By launching dedicated energy storage products, Sodium Ion is well positioned to enter the next phase of commercialization. In addition, battery manufacturer CATL…
The divestiture, which is already partially secured through escrow, reflects pressure from regulators due to changes in US FEOC policy. Boviet Solar is also continuing negotiations to sell a separate US cell project. April 29, 2026 Vincent Shaw Boway Alloy, the parent company of Vietnam-based PV manufacturer Boviet Solar, has announced plans to sell Boviet Solar Technology (North Carolina) LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Boviet USA LLC, to Inox Solar Americas LLC, a unit of Indian solar manufacturer Inox Solar. The transaction is expected to close for a total consideration of up to $254 million. It includes 100% of…
By ESS news A year after the power outage of April 28, 2025, technical analyzes and responses from regulators have reshaped the concept of security of supply in the Spanish electricity system, which has been undergoing rapid transformation since 2018 due to the high penetration of renewable energy sources. Rather than being an isolated incident, expert reports – including those from the commission appointed by the Spanish government, Red Eléctrica and ENTSO-E – conclude that the blackout resulted from a combination of operational and structural factors that exposed vulnerabilities in a system increasingly dominated by renewable technologies. The event began…
Indian scientists developed a cadmium-free CIS thin-film solar cell using indium oxide as the electron transport layer and achieved a simulated efficiency of 29.79% with SCAPS-1D modeling. Through sensitivity analysis, they demonstrated that low defect density, optimized absorber thickness, and effective thermal management are critical for minimizing recombination losses and enabling high-performance, scalable devices. April 29, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from India’s Nirma University have designed a cadmium-free thin-film solar cell with a copper-indium selenide (CIS) absorber and an indium oxide (In₂O₃) electron transport layer (ETL). They noted that although CIS thin films are promising solar absorbers due to their…
Cox has acquired Iberdrola México for $4 billion, adding 2,600 MW of capacity and becoming Mexico’s largest private energy supplier with a 12 GW renewable project pipeline. April 28, 2026 Luis Ini By pv magazine Mexico Cox has completed the acquisition of Iberdrola México for $4 billion, a deal first announced in July 2025. The transaction adds 2,600 MW of operational installed capacity to the group, making Cox the largest private electricity supplier in Mexico and expanding its renewable energy portfolio to approximately 12,000 MW. It also strengthens the company’s presence in Mexico, where it has been active for more…
Independent power producer (IPP) Enviromena has secured an £825 million financing package to support the rollout of a 1GW solar PV portfolio in the UK.The facility is structured as a flexible platform financing with an initial commitment of £525 million and £300 million of uncommitted accordion financing that will allow it to expand as projects progress from late development phase through construction and commercial operation, Britain-based IPP said.The financing package has been endorsed by several national and international lenders, including BBVA, Intesa Sanpaolo (IMI CIB), Lloyds, NatWest and Société Générale.The UK IPP currently operates almost 400 MW of renewable energy…
BPDB has launched a tender for 495 MW of grid-connected solar projects across 10 locations in Bangladesh, with capacities ranging from 25 to 100 MW and requiring full private investment. The tender structure, which poses land acquisition and financing risks for developers, has raised concerns among investors about the bankability and limited attractiveness of projects. April 28, 2026 Syful Islam The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has launched an initiative tender to build 495 MW of grid-connected solar energy capacity at 10 locations in Bangladesh. The proposed solar power plants will have a capacity ranging from 25 MW to 100…
A two-year field study at a 100 MW photovoltaic plant in semi-arid Inner Mongolia combined ground-based sensors, radiation measurements and UAV thermal imaging to quantify how large-scale PV installations change local air temperature, surface temperature and energy balance compared to nearby non-PV areas. The results show consistent site-scale warming of 0.8 C. April 27, 2026 Lior Kahana A research team from China conducted a two-year field study to assess how large-scale photovoltaic (PV) farms affect local climate conditions, focusing on air temperature, surface temperature and surface radiation balance. The observation campaign took place from 2022 to 2024 in a 100…
With support from Toshiba, Bulgarian utility NEK is working to restart its 864 MW Chaira pumped storage power plant, the largest of its kind in Southeastern Europe. The facility has been offline since March 2022 due to a turbine failure. April 28, 2026 Emiliano Bellini The Chaira hydroelectric power station Image: Edal Anton Lefterov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Bulgarian state-owned company Natsionalna Elektricheska Kompania EAD (NEK EAD) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Toshiba International Europe Ltd., the British subsidiary of Japan’s Toshiba Corp., to restart operations of the Chaira pumped storage hydropower plant. The facility is the…
Researchers in Canada found that semi-transparent PV modules made from 69% transparent crystalline silicon can improve yields in tomato greenhouses by up to 38%, while maintaining healthy plant growth through favorable partial shade. Their simulations also showed that combining rooftop agrivoltaic energy with heat pumps can completely eliminate fossil fuel heating. April 28, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from Western University in Canada investigated different types of semi-transparent photovoltaic (STPV) modules with different levels of transparency in tomato greenhouses in an attempt to identify the best panel configuration. “Experimentally, we tested a number of semi-transparent PV configurations for greenhouses growing Red…