Author: solarenergy
Illuminating the Path from Past to Present The story of solar energy weaves together humanity’s greatest achievements in architecture, engineering, and technological innovation, stretching across continents and millennia. As modern homeowners in North Carolina consider solar installations today, they’re joining a legacy that began with our earliest civilizations. From the first carefully oriented buildings in ancient Mesopotamia to today’s high-efficiency photovoltaic systems, humanity’s journey to harness the sun’s power represents one of our most enduring and significant technological achievements. The principles discovered by ancient solar engineers continue to influence modern installation practices in surprising ways. When our team at 8MSolar…
Construction is now underway in Lincoln County, Nevada, where Bechtel has been selected by Estuary Power to design and build a new 226 MWdirect current solar project. The Escape Solar project will consist of approximately 389,000 double-sided PV panels spread across 900 acres to produce clean energy for four major energy customers in the region, including MGM Resorts International, Overton Power District, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Las Vegas. “Bechtel is excited to join an incredible team that will deliver clean energy to Estuary customers in southern Nevada,” said Kelley Brown, Operations Manager of Bechtel’s Renewables & Clean Power division. “Our…
Saatvik Green Energy has signed a contract for the supply of 1 GW of n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar panels. January 9, 2025 Uma Gupta By pv magazine India Saatvik Green Energy has won a contract for the supply of 1 GW of PV modules. The manufacturer said it has signed a deal with a leading energy producer. It will supply TOPCon n-type solar panels from its manufacturing facility in Haryana, India. Saatvik Green produces 3.8 GW of solar panels annually and plans to expand capacity to 7.8 GW by December 2025. It also aims to commission a…
E-STORAGE, part of CSI Solar, the majority subsidiary of Canadian Solar, has signed contracts for both BESS projects, with construction expected to begin in 2027. Image: Canadian Solar. Renewable fund manager Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has progressed two battery energy storage system (BESS) developments in Scotland that will have a combined capacity of 1GW. Through its flagship fund CI IV, CIP has made a financial investment decision (FID) and notice to proceed with the construction of the 500MW/1000MWh Coalburn 2 BESS in South Lanarkshire, adjacent to the existing Coalburn 1 BESS, and the Devilla BESS of the same size in…
European researchers are developing miniaturized space propulsion technology that is free of propellants and based on electrodynamic compounds integrating perovskite-copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) tandem solar cells. It is intended to maneuver satellites in space or deorbit without relying on heavy propellants on board. January 9, 2025 Valerie Thompson A European consortium is developing miniaturized space propulsion devices that operate without propellants. They are based on electrodynamic cable technology that integrates perovskite-copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) tandem solar cells. A recently launched project known as ETCOMPACT, short for Compact and Propellant-less Electrodynamic Tether, aims to develop a ‘green’ propulsion system that can be used for de-orbiting…
Starting up robot labor RoboForce has announced that it has raised $10 million in early-stage funding and will debut its technology at the Intersolar conference in San Diego next month. The company is using the funding to come out of stealth and deploy its Robo-Labor to early customers this year, for whom robots can fill labor shortages in harsh outdoor conditions, complete the most dangerous tasks in hazardous work environments, and improve project efficiency and costs maximize. savings. With an accuracy of 1mm when performing fine motor skills such as picking, placing, pressing, twisting and connecting, the Robo-Labor features all-terrain…
Croatia plans to allocate €25 million to public sector solar power plants and heat pumps, in addition to a €10 million residential solar tender, as part of a €652 million renewable energy and decarbonisation package . January 8, 2025 Patrick Jowett Image: Chris Curry, Unsplash Croatia plans to launch two solar tenders in 2025, according to the country’s indicative annual figures publication plan for the year, which is now available on the website of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition (MZOZT). The plan includes a €10 million public appeal to install residential solar panels in the second quarter…
Germany installed 16.2 GW of solar energy in 2024, bringing its total PV capacity to 99.3 GW at the end of December 2024, according to the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur). January 8, 2025 Ralph Diermann Image: Charlie Wilde, Pixabay By pv magazine Germany According to the Bundesnetzagentur, Germany will have deployed 15.2 GW of new PV systems by 2024. The country added 14.28 GW in 2023, 7.19 GW in 2022, 5.26 GW in 2021, 3.94 GW in 2019, 2.96 GW in 2018 and 1.75 GW in 2017. As of December 2024, it was operating Germany has more than 4 million…
A new investigation into anti-dumping/countervailing duties (AD/CVD) could impact domestic production and deployment of lithium-ion energy storage and EV batteries in the United States. In December 2024, the American Active Anode Material Producers (AAAMP) filed petitions with the Dept. of Commerce and the US International Trade Commission to obtain AD/CVD on the import of battery anode materials from China. AAAMP says China’s dominance in active anode material (AAM) production has prevented the domestic market from setting up competitive operations. “Chinese industry’s use of unfair pricing is hurting American businesses and workers,” said Daniel Pickard, group leader of international trade and…
Indian float glass manufacturer Gold Plus Glass has commissioned a new PV glass factory with an installed production capacity of 109,500 tons per year. January 8, 2025 Uma Gupta By pv magazine India Gold Plus Glass Industry, India’s second largest float glass manufacturer, has announced the commissioning of its new production facility in the Indian state of Karnataka. It said it has expanded its float glass capacity and diversified its portfolio by entering the solar glass segment with the new facility. The Karnataka plant commenced commercial operations in June 2024, with a phase-wise installed float glass production capacity of 584,000…