Author: solarenergy

Rajasthan Solar Park Development Co. Ltd. (RSDCL) has floated a tender inviting bids for the development of 2,450 MW of State Transmission Company (STU) connected solar PV capacity, combined with 1,600 MW/6,400 MWh of battery energy storage systems at the Pugal Solar Park in Bikaner district of Rajasthan. The projects are carried out on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis. January 16, 2026 Uma Gupta By pv magazine India Rajasthan Solar Park Development Co. Ltd. (RSDCL) has floated a tender inviting bids for the development of 2,450 MW State Transmission Company (STU) connected solar PV projects, combined with 1,600 MW/6,400 MWh battery…

Facebook parent company Meta has signed a long-term power purchase agreement for the Greyhound A Solar project being developed by Origis Energy in West Odessa, Texas. The 303 MWdirect current/240 MWAC The project is expected to be commercially operational by mid-2026. “We are pleased to partner with Origis Energy and deliver an additional 240 MWAC of solar energy to the local electricity grid. With this partnership, we continue to match 100% of our electricity consumption with clean energy to support our data center operations,” said Urvi Parekh, Director of Global Energy, Meta. The Greyhound A joins a larger energy infrastructure…

Scientists have analyzed the competition between solar photovoltaics and agriculture for land use in Spain by studying 134 different crops in 15 regions. Using a real options framework, they found that falling solar costs and high irradiance in southern Spain could make solar more profitable than agriculture by the mid-2040s, highlighting growing land use competition. January 16, 2026 Pilar Sanchez Molina By pv magazine Spain According to data from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture for 2024, photovoltaic parks cover an area equivalent to 0.2% of the country’s usable agricultural land and 0.12% of the total land area. In the same…

SunPower has signed a letter of intent for the acquisition of an all-stock transaction Cobalt energy systems of Mountain View, California, a $35 million company with 96 employees. “Cobalt is famous here for designing and installing solar systems for Silicon Valley moguls, often 100-panel (45 kW) systems with as many as 20 batteries,” said TJ Rodgers, CEO of SunPower. “Cobalt has a 23-year history, was the first SunPower Elite Dealer in the U.S. and has received multiple SunPower Excellence Awards for customer service. We started by deploying SunPower technology in premium homes and are now expanding to larger jobs at…

The renewable energy sectors are inherently industries that benefit from gender diversity and inclusion. Success depends on collaboration, creativity and solving complex problems across multiple disciplines. Teams with diverse perspectives are better equipped to generate innovative solutions, anticipate customer needs and manage the technical, commercial and regulatory challenges of major projects. In my experience, combining strong technical expertise with empathy and clear communication, qualities often enhanced by diverse teams, leads to stronger stakeholder relationships, better risk management and ultimately more successful and resilient project outcomes. Diversity and inclusion also contribute directly to the overall resilience and long-term success of the…

After an ordeal of almost two years, some answers have been found in the TOPCon intellectual patent lawsuit between Maxeon and Canadian Solar. In March 2024, Maxeon alleged that Canadian Solar had infringed three patents related to the production of TOPCon solar panels: patent nos. 8,222,516 (the ‘516 patent), 8,878,053 (the ‘053 patent), and 11,251,315 (the ‘315 patent). ‘516 patent: solar cell with front contact and shaped transmitter ‘053 patent: solar cell with front contact and shaped transmitter ‘315 patent: Solar cells with improved lifespan, passivation and/or efficiency The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruled…

The new IQ9N-3P microinverter uses gallium nitride technology to deliver 427 VA peak power and 97.5% efficiency for the 480 V three-phase commercial market. January 15, 2026 Ryan Kennedy By pv magazine USA Enphase Energy has launched production shipments of its products IQ9N-3P commercial microinverterThis marks the company’s first entry into gallium nitride energy conversion technology for the 480V three-phase market. The California-based energy technology provider began deliveries in the US in late December 2025. The IQ9N-3P is designed for three-phase 480Y/277 V mains configurations without the use of external transformers. By converting DC to AC at each panel, the…

The South African energy company is seeking candidates to provide design, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services, as well as operation and maintenance services for a solar PV plant at the Duvha power station with a minimum 17 MW AC capacity and a maximum evacuation capacity of 30 MW AC on a site with an environmentally authorized land of 35.2 hectares. January 16, 2026 Blathnaid O’Dea A coal-fired power station operated by Eskom in South Africa Image: Trav Wade, Unsplash Eskom Holdings SOC has issued a tender to provide design, engineering, procurement, construction, construction management, start-up, commissioning, performance testing, operator…

The performance of single-component organic solar cells is highly dependent on the spacing units built into their molecular design. The mounting position of spacers on a dual cable polymer backbone has received much less attention than other structural parameters, even though it can influence how the material is arranged and functions in a device. To close this gap, researchers adopted a spacer isomerization engineering strategy and created two isomeric, double-cable conjugated polymers by changing where the spacer attaches to an indenone benzene ring. By shifting this bond position, they were able to precisely regulate molecular packing and film crystallinity, both…

UNSW researchers found that some POE encapsulants can cause severe corrosion in TOPCon solar panels, causing up to 55% power loss under humid heat. Their research highlights that the reliability of the modules depends on the exact formulation of the encapsulant, and not just the polymer type. January 16, 2026 Lior Kahana A group of researchers from Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW) have investigated the impact of different encapsulants on the corrosion-induced degradation of n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules and have found that some POE encapsulants are more susceptible to causing corrosion than other types. “In…