QatarEnergy selects Samsung C&T for 2 GW solar project
South Korea’s Samsung C&T Engineering & Construction Group is set to build Qatar’s largest solar project to date. The first gigawatt of the 2 GW project is expected to be online by the end of 2028.
Germany adds 1.95 GW of new solar in August
Germany installed 1.95 GW of solar in August, bringing total additions to 10.8 GW in the first eight months of 2025.
Floating PV system with ring-like floater geometry
Scientists in China have investigated the hydrodynamic performance of a novel modular floating photovoltaic system. They did so using a novel hybrid approach, which integrates viscous-flow effects from computational fluid dynamics into a potential-flow solver. They analyzed the new system with varying numbers of panels, either in a single chain or a parallel configuration.
Saudi Arabia launches 3.1 GW solar tender
Saudi Power Procurement Co. (SPPC) has announced a request for qualification (RFQ) for 3.1 GW of solar capacity across four projects in the seventh round of Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy tender program.
German solar PPA deals drop 87% as developers turn to battery hybrids
With German solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) down 87%, a panel of experts argued that hybrid solar-plus-storage projects are now the only bankable path forward.
Malaysian utility plans solar expansion
Sarawak Energy Berhard is working on both expanding its solar capacity and conducting feasibility studies for pumped storage hydropower projects at three locations in the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
Italy’s first Fer X solar auction draws bids for 10.1 GW
Italy’s first solar auction under the transitional Fer X incentive scheme will be finalized in mid-December. Projects over 1 MW will have to be built with modules, cells and inverters that are not manufactured in China.
Hydrogen can mitigate curtailment in floating PV-pumped hydro energy storage systems
Scientists at Italy’s University of Cagliari explored the integration of a water electrolyzer with a floating PV-pumped hydro energy storage system. They found that under high curtailment conditions, hydrogen production helped to stabilize system efficiency and lower the levelized cost of electricity when compared to a system without the electrolyzer.
Brazil solar curtailment hits 20% as renewables strain grid infrastructure
Renewables curtailment in Brazil in the first half of 2025 is straining investment and highlighting grid and transmission limits, with analysts calling for clearer pricing and storage solutions.
Solar-to-X enables industrial defossilization turning power to molecules or materials
The industry sector is most challenging to defossilize, due to high energy and feedstock demand, large and continuously running production plants, hard-to-abate process emissions, and infrastructural challenges. In public discourse, hydrogen is discussed prominently for industry, but its role may be overestimated. Solar PV as the least cost source of electricity may bring the electrification of industry to the next level.
