UK rooftop solar installations surge, new battery storage record set
Latest MCS data for small-scale renewables reveal a strong month for solar installations up to 50 kW, double-digit growth for battery energy storage installations and a milestone reached despite a muted month for heat pump installations.
Australian team boosts zinc-iodine battery performance with dry process
Australian researchers have developed a new dry electrode fabrication strategy for aqueous zinc-iodine batteries. They say it delivers cathodes with more than double the performance of iodine and lithium-ion batteries.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Snapshots from SNEC 2025
Solar manufacturers signed an estimated 15 GW of module sales and supply deals at SNEC 2025 PV Expo in Shanghai last week. Major contracts included JinkoSolar’s 1.75 GW order for Saudi Arabia’s SPPC project and JA Solar’s 2 GW agreement to support solar manufacturing in India.
Swiss developer breaks ground on 1.6 GWh redox flow storage project
The redox flow project has enormous storage capacity, expected to be finished in mid-2028.
At least 18 GW of batteries await Brazil’s planned auction
While Brazil is making progress in customer-side, “behind-the-meter” and off-grid battery solutions – with more than 700 MWh – it still lacks guidelines for a planned gigawatt-scale national auction. Markus Vlasits, president of the Brazilian Association of Energy Storage Solutions (ABSAE), tells pv magazine about the nation’s utility-scale battery bottleneck.
UAE integrates solar into district cooling plants
An inauguration ceremony has taken place for the installation of solar panels at two district cooling plants in Abu Dhabi belonging to the UAE’s Ministry of Defence.
The Hydrogen Stream: UK researching hydrogen storage nodes
Ofgem has awarded GBP 500,000 ($677,000) to a consortium led by National Gas and Gravitricity to develop a lined shaft system for storing up to 100 tons of green hydrogen underground. The six-month project aims to assess feasibility ahead of a potential demonstration in 2026.
Italian startup releases 9.8 kWh sodium battery for residential applications
Italy-based Heiwit has developed a 200 Ah sodium-ion battery with a lifespan of 6,000 cycles. The device reportedly offers thermal stability and rapid charging speed.
India launches 2 GW solar, 4 GWh storage tender
Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has launched a tender for 2 GW of solar generation capacity paired with 4 GWh of energy storage, requiring bidders to install a minimum of 500 kW/2 MWh storage per megawatt of solar awarded.
Ecological impact of ground-mounted PV depends on previous land use
Researchers in the Netherlands have identified all major solar power plants in the Dutch Province of Gelderland and have analyzed all of their spatial measures in an effort to assess their impact on landscape. They have specifically focused on land use competition, biodiversity, and landscape experience.
