Author: solarenergy
The NC Center for Clean Energy Technology (NCCETC) today released the annual update to its solar decommissioning tracking report, entitled “The 50 States of Solar Decommissioning: Snapshot in 2025.” The report provides an overview of state policies for solar decommissioning by 2025, and covers legislative updates on decommissioning planning, financial security and recycling for solar and co-located battery storage systems. “As the decommissioning of solar projects has become a major focus for state lawmakers, local officials, project developers and communities, the rapid buildout of battery storage systems, both on-site and stand-alone, has also brought increasing attention to the decommissioning of…
Plans to establish Australia’s first commercial-scale solar block and wafer manufacturing plant near Townsville in north Queensland are progressing, with developer Stellar PV providing the first glimpse of the proposed 2GW facility. January 14, 2026 David Caroll By pv magazine Australia Australian company Stellar PV has released renderings of a 2 GW polysilicon rod drawing and wafering facility planned for North Queensland as it continues the feasibility and engineering design phase of the project. The factory, to be built in the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct, about 40 kilometers south of Townsville, would produce high-purity monocrystalline silicon rods and wafers – essential…
On a major battery project, RTE and Neoen are testing an inverter retrofit, which is a first for grid-forming services on the French transmission network. January 14, 2026 Marija Maisch By ESS news Renewable energy developer and operator Neoen has signed a contract with French transmission system operator RTE to improve the stability of the French electricity grid. The 92 MW/183 MWh Breizh Big Battery, currently under construction, will provide grid-building services as part of a trial conducted with Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE) to retrofit inverters. The grid-forming technology has passed the experimental phase and is now deployed to…
UK-based battery intelligence platform Elysia, owned by Fortescue, will expand its services through the acquisition of US onsite control company Zitara.Zitara will be integrated into Elysia’s battery intelligence portfolio, with a focus on the battery energy storage systems (BESS) market. Exclusively spoken against Solar energy portalElysia President Tim Engstrom described the move as “truly connecting battery intelligence with battery action, from cloud to site.” “The way we see it, the missing link in many of the battery intelligence stacks you see in the market today is that the insights stay in the cloud.” Elysia, a branch of Australia-based green technology,…
According to a statement from Solar Energy Scotland, solar installations and energy poverty in Scotland have worsened since the end of the country’s interest-free loans for residential solar. The government’s decision to end the loan scheme in 2023 was a “major mistake”, according to Josh King, chairman of Solar Energy Scotland, which has seen Scottish PV installations decline significantly as a percentage of total UK installations. Solar Energy Scotland is a regional part of the British trade association Solar Energy UK. “The profit [from the loans] were high impact, low cost, widely distributed across social groups and also across the…
French company Dal’Alu has developed a high-capacity aluminum gutter designed to efficiently collect and channel rainwater from large roofs and solar panels. The on-site profiling, modular components and durable construction are said to ensure rapid installation, long-term performance and compliance with current construction standards. January 14, 2026 François Puthod By pv magazine France The rapid growth of rooftop photovoltaic installations is dramatically changing rainwater management. By waterproofing and channeling surfaces, solar panels accelerate water drainage and increase its intensity. This creates a need for specialized drainage systems with high capacity and strong mechanical resistance. With this in mind, French aluminum…
The International Renewable Energy Agency’s annual employment survey shows that solar energy accounted for more than 43% of global renewable energy sector jobs by 2024. January 14, 2026 Patrick Jowett Global solar employment reached 7.24 million in 2024, up from 7.11 million in 2023, according to analysis by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). IRENAs Annual review of renewable energy and jobsdeveloped in partnership with the International Labor Organization (ILO), highlights that solar energy accounts for the lion’s share of renewable energy jobs worldwide. The entire sustainable energy sector directly and indirectly employed 16.6 million people in 2024, an increase…
Scientists have reported a new way to make perovskite solar cells both highly efficient and significantly more stable, directly addressing one of the key obstacles to large-scale deployment of this emerging photovoltaic technology. Perovskite semiconductors are being widely promoted as candidates for the next generation of solar energy because they can be processed at low temperatures into thin, lightweight and potentially flexible devices that could be cheaper to manufacture than conventional silicon panels. However, leading perovskite formulations tend to degrade under sustained heat or illumination, causing rapid efficiency losses and limiting their practical lifespan in real-world conditions. A team led…
The facility will produce solar wafers for the US market. January 14, 2026 Emiliano Bellini South Korean polysilicon manufacturer OCI Holdings has started production operations at its wafer plant in Vietnam. “We can confirm that we have started wafer production operations in Vietnam,” a company spokesperson said pv magazine in response to Vietnamese media reports. “That said, we are currently in the very early ramp-up phase following the recent closing of the transaction. While production has begun, we are not yet in the shipping or delivery phase. Activities are being stabilized and we expect to gradually ramp up to full…
An Australian court has fined a solar installation company $9,000 after it pleaded guilty to the unsafe installation of residential energy storage systems at five properties, including one that caused a small house fire. January 14, 2026 David Caroll By pv magazine Australia Melbourne-registered solar installer Greenova Pty Ltd has been fined without conviction by the Seymour Magistrates Court after admitting unsafe installation of battery energy storage systems at five Victorian properties between December 2023 and July 2024. Greenova pleaded guilty to three charges under the Electricity Safety Act 1998 for failing to comply with electrical installation requirements and failing…