Author: solarenergy

Researchers from Swansea University found that perovskite solar cells can tolerate dusty manufacturing environments and perform almost as well as cells made in cleanrooms. The findings suggest that low-cost, scalable production may be possible without ultrasterile conditions, potentially accelerating the production of cells and modules. March 25, 2026 Lior Kahana A research team from Swansea University in the United Kingdom investigated how dusty manufacturing environments affect perovskite solar cells and found that devices exposed to dust perform similarly to devices produced in clean conditions, with only minor losses in some performance metrics. “Our findings are a major win for the…

A 350 MWh battery storage system in Europe delivers significantly less energy than expected due to cell imbalance, where the battery management system fails to detect the problem, tradable energy volumes are chronically overestimated and weekly balancing costs reach €110,000 ($127,745). This is one of the real failure scenarios that will be examined at the Battery Business & Development Forum on April 1. March 24, 2026 Michael Fuhs By ESS news A 350 MWh battery storage facility somewhere in Europe saw revenues fall short of expectations. Subsequent analysis showed that the situation could have been much worse. As with series-connected…

The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (Entso-E) has published its final root cause report on the April 28, 2025 blackout in Spain and Portugal, identifying faults in network management, generation and regulation and making 22 recommendations to strengthen the resilience of the European network. March 23, 2026 Pilar Sanchez Molina By pv magazine Spain A 440-page report published on Friday by an Entso-E expert group has identified systemic failures in voltage control, reactive energy management and regulatory frameworks as the root causes of the blackout that knocked out power to mainland Spain and Portugal on April 28,…

Silver prices have fallen more than 40% since early January, when they hit an all-time high of around $120/oz. March 24, 2026 Emiliano Bellini After hovering above $80 per ounce (oz) between February 19 and March 13, silver prices now appear to have stabilized around $70/oz. “For now, silver prices appear to have found a new bottom, supported by yesterday’s announcement of a pause in attacks on Iran,” said Philip Newman, director of independent research consultancy Metals Focus. pv magazine. As of mid-October 2025, silver was already on a strong upward trajectory, having broken historical levels around $50/oz. The rally…

GCL Optoelectronics has won a commercial tender for 1.2 MW perovskite/silicon tandem solar modules held by China’s Huaneng. The tender required mass-produced, IEC-certified modules with an efficiency of more than 26%, a 25-year performance guarantee and delivery by June 2026. March 24, 2026 Vincent Shaw GCL Optoelectronics, a unit of GCL Group, has secured a 1.2 MW commercial procurement project for perovskite tandem modules launched by Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute, a key research arm of China’s Huaneng Group, according to a tender document published on Huaneng Group’s e-commerce platform on March 18. GCL Optoelectronics was named the sole winning…

Researchers in China have shown that integrating energy tower heat pumps with evaporator-side boilers, air source heat pumps or solar systems can significantly improve winter heating efficiency and economic performance in commercial buildings. Of the four configurations tested, the evaporator-side boiler and solar-assisted systems delivered the highest performance and energy savings, providing a sustainable, low-carbon alternative to conventional heating. March 24, 2026 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from China’s Hunan Institute of Engineering, Chinese Environmental Engineering Company Hunan Diya Environmental Engineering and Electromechanical Technology Hunan Zunfeng Electromechanical Technology The new system was deployed at a hotel in Huaihua city, Hunan province, providing…

Researchers from the University of Ulm and the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena have built a molecular system that captures solar energy in a water-soluble redox copolymer, stores it for several days with a charging efficiency of more than 80% and releases it when necessary as hydrogen with a conversion efficiency of 72%. March 24, 2026 Pilar Sanchez Molina Image: Elvira Eberhardt, University of Ulm By pv magazine España A research team from the University of Ulm and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena has developed a molecular solar battery that stores photovoltaic energy and releases it on demand as hydrogen – even in…

Job postings on Tesla’s website outline its 100 GW ambition and follow reports that the company is in talks with Chinese companies to purchase equipment worth $2.9 billion for solar energy production. March 24, 2026 Patrick Jowett Tesla is moving forward with its plan to deploy 100 GW of solar energy production on US soil by the end of 2028. The ambition is outlined in job vacancies available on Tesla’s website. A listing for a staff production development engineer in solar energy manufacturing based in Fremont, California, says the company wants to fill the role to “select and develop new…

The French energy regulator plans to link PV support to storage, as negative energy prices rise and solar revenues decline. March 24, 2026 Gwénaëlle Deboutte By ESS news The French Commission de Régulation de l’Énergie (CRE) is proposing changes to the rules for supporting large-scale photovoltaic installations, with the aim of encouraging the development of projects that combine solar energy generation with energy storage. The national energy regulator said the proposed adjustments, which apply to installations above 100 kWp, are part of a broader effort to improve the efficiency of public spending and better align the renewable energy sector with…

Tokyo’s power grid, like all other transmission system operators in Japan, has faced economic constraints as growth in solar power production outpaces the flexibility of the country’s largest regional electricity market. March 24, 2026 Brian Public Tepco power grid instructed sustainable producers to reduce production on March 1, 2026, from 11:00 AM (JST) to 4:00 PM, citing high solar power generation, low weekend demand and zero available inter-regional export capacity. It was the first time the utility had ever ordered economic containment. “The start of curtailment in the Tepco area is of great significance because it shows that even in…