Author: solarenergy
By Martin McConnell March 2, 2026 This week on Projects Weekly, the path is just about clear for the largest solar and storage project in the U.S., with Westlands Water certifying the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan’s environmental review. Just east of the Golden State, SOLON Corporation and Onyx Renewables have completed four new projects in Mesa, Arizona, bringing their total to 3.7 MW in the Mesa community. Recurrent Energy has sold its 200 MWh BESS project to Texas-based Hunt Energy Network, and near the East Coast, MN8 Energy has inked a deal to support Meta’s American data center operations with…
First Solar has a Sec. 337 investigation request filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on a series of crystalline silicon panel competitors for alleged infringement of First Solar’s TOPCon patents. One sec. 337 of the Tariff Act infringement states that the infringement of certain patents creates unfair competition in the import trade. Canadian Solar TOPCon module First Solar filed the investigation request last week against Axitec, Canadian Solar, JA Solar, Jinko Solar, Mundra (Adani), Philadelphia Solar, Qcells, Runergy, Trina Solar (including T1 Energy) and VSUN (Toyo). First Solar, a manufacturer of cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar panels, has…
Researchers from the Miguel Hernández University of Elche in Spain have designed an air-to-water heat pump system that can shift hot water (DHW) production to central daylight hours, maximizing the use of PV power generation. The novelty of the system lies in the use of two condensers instead of a single unit. The researchers explained that a conventional compact domestic hot water heat pump includes a compressor, evaporator, expansion valve and a condenser around the bottom of the storage tank, which heats the entire volume of water by natural convection. The proposed dual condenser configuration adds a second condenser at…
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence say U.S. battery installations will reach a record 57.6 GWh in 2025, up 30% year-over-year, as the industry enters a new phase of large-scale sustainable deployment. March 2, 2026 Ryan Kennedy Image: Wikimedia Commons, Qurren By ESS news According to the inauguration, the US energy storage industry has entered a “new phase of sustainable deployment at scale”. Energy storage market outlook Q1 2026 released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. The report confirms that 2025 was the biggest year on record for battery additions, with…
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will put sodium batteries at the heart of its work on the EU industrial strategy and calls for swift action. pv magazine has compiled a list of manufacturers developing this technology in Europe. March 2, 2026 Pilar Sánchez Molina and Matthew Lynas Sodium-ion batteries are becoming a major focus for the European Union (EU), and the next EU budget should provide funding for the sector, according to European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) President Séamus Boland. “Sodium batteries, and batteries in general, are crucial to the EU’s competitive advantage, and it is urgent…
Carlyle-backed owner-operator Revera Energy has reached financial close of its 200MW/400MWh Windyhill BESS in Scotland, bringing in energy trader Danske Commodities to optimize it and GE Vernova to supply the batteries. The announcements came just days after we discussed the evolution of floors and toll rates with an executive from Danske Commodities at the Energy Storage Summit 2026. Revera and the trading firm have signed a ten-year optimization agreement for the Windyhill battery energy storage system (BESS), based just outside Glasgow, Scotland. It is a revenue floor that covers 100% of the project capacity. The operator has issued a Notice-to-Proceed…
The UK National Energy System Operator (NESO) has not awarded any contracts for battery storage projects in the Stability Market Round 2, despite the recent Stability Pathfinder proving the technology’s capabilities in networking and system stability. In the second round of the stability market, all entries for battery energy storage systems (BESS) failed the technical assessment stage, while synchronous condensers and open cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) took up 7.3 gross value added of contracts, according to market intelligence and analysis firm Modo Energy. Some of the failed batteries are already operational with active NESO Stability Pathfinder contracts, Modo Energy analyst…
French grid operator RTE says that almost 3 TWh of renewable energy will be curtailed by 2025 due to higher solar energy production and more frequent market periods with negative prices. March 2, 2026 Gwénaëlle Deboutte By pv magazine France New data from Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE), the French transmission system operator, shows that renewable energy curtailed during periods of negative prices almost doubled compared to 2024, to almost 3 TWh. The increase reflects increasing integration challenges as solar and wind capacity increases. Rising renewable energy production and more hours of zero or negative wholesale prices forced operators to…
Solar engineer and ABC Solar founder Brad Bartz will deliver a keynote-style lecture titled “The Palos Verdes Landslide: Who Turned the Power Back On?” during an upcoming community event at AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles on March 14, 2026. The presentation combines scientific storytelling with real-world engineering experience, exploring how fundamental physics principles translate into resilient energy solutions. Bartz, who founded ABC Solar more than 25 years ago, is known for emphasizing the practical use of solar and battery technologies under challenging conditions. His upcoming lecture starts with a surprising starting point: quantum mechanics. “Solar energy starts with…
Silver prices have resumed their climb, reaching $95 per ounce this morning. Silver analyst Philip Newman explains pv magazine that escalating tensions in the Middle East are expected to continue to drive investment demand for safe havens such as gold and silver. March 2, 2026 Emiliano Bellini After reaching an all-time high of $121.62 per ounce on January 29 and stabilizing between $70 and $90 per ounce over the past two weeks, silver prices have started to rise again, reaching $95.80 per ounce this morning. “Escalating tensions in the Middle East are expected to continue to drive investment demand for…