A Terrasmart Innovation Engineer looks at ways of overcoming weather challenges particular to the installing solar in Midwest states.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that European solar generation displayed a sharp north-south divide in November. Southern Europe benefited from a stabilizing high-pressure system that deflected much of the Atlantic’s moisture-laden air masses northward.

The International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA PVPS) is starting a new Task 20: Energy Hubs for Green Hydrogen. This joint effort with the IEA Wind and Hydrogen Technology Collaboration Programmes (TCPs) seeks to advance the integration of wind, solar, and hydrogen technologies into hybrid energy systems that produce green hydrogen efficiently and sustainably. Running from 2025 to 2028, Task 20 will address the practical, technical, environmental, and societal challenges associated with hybrid energy hubs, providing actionable insights for their implementation on a global scale.

In a new article for pv magazine, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) explains why the renewable energy industry should finally embrace equity, diversity, and inclusion (DEI). “At a micro level, networks like Women in Solar Europe are critical to creating the environments of belonging, psychological safety, and support that individuals need to thrive and contribute to the energy transition,” says Carmen Madrid, founder of the WiSEu Network.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

PowerChina is building three hybrid solar microgrids in Suriname, combining solar panels, energy storage, and diesel backup to power 25 remote villages across the country.

France added an additional 3.5 GW of solar during the first three quarters of this year, compared to 2.3 GW during the same period of 2023. The country’s total installed solar capacity now stands at 23.7 GW, including 22.9 GW in mainland France.

A new report by the United States Studies Centre (USSC), a joint venture of the American Australian Association and University of Sydney, encourages Australia to deeply engage in global solar supply chains and reduce its reliance on China.

Thai researchers developed three organic phase-change material (PCM) mixtures with nanoparticles to cool PV modules and improve efficiency. They used lauric acid blended with aluminum oxide, copper oxide, and magnesium oxide in an optimal 94:6 weight ratio, boosting module efficiency by up to 14.11%.

Husk Power says Prism, its new containerized “minigrid-in-a-box” solution, allows it to deploy minigrids at a rate of one per day with the same resources.

New research from China shows that using rigid connectors instead of polyester ropes in floating photovoltaic arrays may help reduce the relative motion of floats and simplify the layout of the connection system.

France’s TotalEnergies and Omani energy company OQ Alternative Energy have signed agreements to develop 100 MW of solar and two 100 MW wind projects. Construction will begin in early 2025.

Empower New Energy, a Norwegian solar investment platform, has signed a $50 million agreement with Egyptian independent power producer Engazaat to fund a renewable energy project portfolio in Egypt.

Renewables developer OX2 has secured a €73 million ($76.8 million) financing package from bank Nord/LB for a 100 MW solar farm currently under development in southwestern Poland.

OCK Group, a telecom services provider, says that it plans to invest MYR 350 million ($79.1 million) in a 116 MW solar facility.

Juniper Green Energy has signed an agreement to buy 1 GW of First Solar’s Series 7 FT1 cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film PV modules. The modules will power projects in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.

Battery prices continue to tumble on the back of lower metal costs and increased scale, squeezing margins for manufacturers. Further price declines are expected over the next decade.

A European research group has adapted a soiling model for use across the continent, analyzing scenarios with complete and partial rain cleaning to calculate energy losses and increases in the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), marking Europe’s first techno-economic PV soiling assessment.

Researchers in the Netherlands have analyzed the performance of PV façades during the period 2018-2023 and have found that these system may generate more economic value than conventional rooftop PV systems. Their analysis was based on financial, technical and environmental metrics

Researchers from Egypt and the UK developed a new floating PV system concept that utilizes compressed air for energy storage. The system has a roundtrip efficiency of 34.1% and an exergy efficiency of 41%.

GCL Perovskite says it has obtained nearly CNY 500 million ($68 million) of funding from several Chinese investors to make perovskite-silicon modules.

Delta has unveiled the M225HV and M350HV inverters for large-scale solar projects. The M225HV handles 230 kW DC input and 225 kW output with eight maximum power point trackers (MPPT), while the M350HV supports 360 kW DC input and 350 kW output with 12 MPPT.

US startup DartSolar says its new roof rack attachment for electric vehicles adds up to 20 miles (32 km) of additional range per day.

EPC Solaire has released a new mounting system for ribbed sheet metal roofs. The French manufacturer says the new system is an ideal solution for installing rooftop PV arrays on flat roofs under renovation, preserving existing elements without structural changes.

PV Hardware USA has developed a solar tracker algorithm to improve energy collection in overcast conditions. The algorithm could improve output by up to 20% on some days compared to traditional sun-tracking methods.

The startup is targeting commercial demonstration projects in 2025 and large-scale U.S. manufacturing by early 2027.

Italian researchers say hydrogen storage offers more supply-side flexibility than battery storage, while a German consortium has developed a global hydrogen potential atlas for sustainable production and trade.

China’s Bslbatt has introduced the MicroBox 800, a modular energy storage solution designed specifically for balcony photovoltaic (PV) systems. The system has a storage capacity of 2 kWh and features an 800 W bidirectional inverter.

The latest financial stability ranking keeps Tesla, Mustang Battery, Kung Long Batteries, Hyundai Electric and Eaton, in the top five spots in a report that includes 55 manufacturers.

The UK government announced a new business model for hydrogen, based on dispatchable power agreements available to carbon capture technologies.