Author: solarenergy
The International Finance Corporation is providing an A-loan to Malaysian polysilicon producer OCI TerraSus that will partially finance the development of a semiconductor-grade polysilicon manufacturing facility in Sarawak, Borneo. March 30, 2026 Patrick Jowett The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is lending up to $125 million for a semiconductor-grade polysilicon manufacturing facility in Malaysia. The loan is provided to OCI TerraSus Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of Korean polysilicon producer OCIfor its polysilicon plant under development through a joint venture with Japanese chemical company Tokuyama Corporation. Construction of the facility, located in the Samalaju Industrial Park in Sarawak, Borneo, started last July.…
Multi-year field trials in Italy show that agrivoltaic systems can support healthy potato yields without major losses. Strategic sun protection and dynamic light management during critical growth phases proved to be the key to maintaining productivity. March 30, 2026 Lior Kahana A research team led by Italy’s Catholic University of the Sacred Heart has completed a four-year field experiment on potato cultivation under agrivoltaic (APV) systems. The study analyzed how potato yields and traits respond to different shade patterns. “The potato crop, despite its global importance, is relatively underrepresented in agrivoltaic research, with only a handful of studies available,” the…
IPP Matrix Renewables is working with energy company EDF to optimize its 500MW/1,000MWh Eccles BESS in Scotland. EDF will provide route-to-market (RTM) services and optimization for the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project once it becomes operational. Commercial operations are expected to commence in summer 2027 and will be Matrix’s first standalone BESS in the UK, headquartered in Madrid. Matrix has acquired Eccles and another Scotland BESS of identical size, named Kilmarnock, in April 2025. It then has appointed Tesla as a BESS and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) supplier. for the Eccles project in December. Matrix said it is…
Bosa Energy in Hubei, China, has launched sodium ion cells for stationary energy storage, with a volumetric energy density of 206 Wh/L March 30, 2026 Tristan Rayner By ESS news Hubei-based Bosa Energy has announced the launch of 175Ah sodium-ion cells, and while it’s not one of the battery giants on the market, it’s a further sign that sodium-ion is developing to complement lithium-ion based battery solutions. Bosa Energy operates four manufacturing bases covering approximately 500,000 m2 in China, and the company says its new sodium-ion battery cell is “identical in size to the 314 Ah cell,” requiring no modifications…
Tongwei is collaborating with GS-Solar and Golden Solar to develop a large-scale manufacturing facility for hybrid heterojunction back-contact (HBC) solar cells that combine heterojunction passivation, tunneling oxide and polysilicon structures used in TOPCon designs, and the grid-free front-side architecture typical of back-contact technologies. March 30, 2026 Vincent Shaw Tongwei has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Gold Stone (Fujian) Energy Co Ltd (GS-Solar) and Golden Solar (Quanzhou) New Energy Technology Co Ltd developing a mass production facility for hybrid heterojunction back-contact (HBC) solar cells. The agreement was signed on March 18, 2026 at Golden Solar’s headquarters in Quanzhou. The partners…
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating an unnamed solar company after it breached the terms of a public tender for the co-financing of small solar power plants. The office says searches were carried out by Slovenian police this week, leading to the seizure of documents, electronic data and devices. March 27, 2026 Patrick Jowett The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana is leading an investigation into attempted fraud with EU public money for solar power plants. According to a statement published by EPPO, the investigation involves irregularities in a public tender for the co-financing of…
The solar energy sector and the broader renewable energy industry are at a unique intersection of rapid technological progress and societal transformation. As one of the fastest growing energy technologies in the world, solar energy covers a wide range of disciplines, from research and production to engineering, finance, policy, communications and end-of-life management. Because of this inherently diverse ecosystem, the sector naturally benefits from gender diversity and inclusion. Diverse perspectives strengthen problem solving, improve decision-making, and ultimately support innovation. From my perspective, the numbers already tell an encouraging story: solar is more inclusive than traditional energy sectors, with women representing…
Bluetti says its FridgePower system offers a plug-and-play battery solution designed to keep refrigerators and important home appliances running during power outages, without permanent installation. March 27, 2026 Tristan Rayner By ESS news In homes there have been mainly two types of large batteries. The first is a major residential energy option, often linked to solar: think many kilowatt hours of storage via a Tesla Powerwall, with increasing options for homeowners through modular and scalable designs. Yet these are basically installed in place, do not move anymore and have a high initial cost. Then there is portable power. Battery banks…
An industry analysis says agrivoltaic systems using trackers or vertical designs can outperform conventional solar energy in terms of both revenue and land use, questioning the conclusions of a recent German study. March 27, 2026 Jochen Hauff, Gründer von Think Resilience By pv magazine Deutschland According to a new analysis by Jochen Hauff, agricultural solar voltaics using tracking or vertical configurations can be financially viable and agriculturally beneficial when market revenues and land use efficiency are taken into account. The argument is a response to a study by Germany’s Thünen-Institut that labeled agri-PV as economically questionable due to additional costs…
An international research team has developed a multi-phase intrusion detection system that uses supervised and unsupervised AI techniques to detect and mitigate cyber threats in smart renewable energy networks. The system can reportedly achieve high accuracy, low false positives and real-time detection, outperforming traditional intrusion detection system models. March 27, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from Ulster University in the UK and IQRA National University in Pakistan have assessed the cyber vulnerabilities of Industry 4.0 technologies in smart renewable energy networks and proposed a range of AI-driven security measures to help mitigate these risks. Industry 4.0 applications rely on advanced digital…