Egypt’s National Bank takes 20% stake in Scatec’s Obelisk project
National Bank of Egypt has acquired a 20% equity interest in Scatec ASA’s 1.1 GW Obelisk solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) project, reducing the Norwegian developer’s economic interest to 40% while leaving it in majority control through a layered ownership structure.
There are now more than 2 million UK solar installations
March 2026 saw a return to installation volumes not seen since 2012 as rooftop and large-scale deployment drove UK solar to a new milestone. Even greater monthly installation volumes are expected as further government support kicks in.
Firm solar and storage costs fall to $54/MWh, says IRENA
A new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) finds that round‑the‑clock solar and wind paired with battery storage deliver power at lower cost than new fossil fuel generation in high‑quality resource regions.
Sinovoltaics launches free tool for project-specific PV module test scopes
Dutch-German quality assurance firm Sinovoltaics has released a free browser-based tool that generates project-specific reliability testing strategies for utility-scale solar projects, sorting recommended lab tests by priority and producing downloadable scope reports.
Angola switches on Africa’s largest off-grid solar-plus-storage park
The off-grid solar project, encompassing 31.85 MW of solar connected to 75.26 MWh of battery energy storage, will supply energy to over 90,000 people in eastern Angola.
Fraunhofer ISE opens perovskite-silicon tandem scale-up lab
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has opened a dedicated lab in Freiburg, Germany, to scale perovskite-silicon tandem cell designs to large wafer formats using industry-standard processes.
Brazil revokes 3.57 GW of solar permits amid grid connection constraints
Brazil’s Aneel has revoked 3.57 GW of photovoltaic project authorizations across four resolutions, mainly at the request of developers citing insufficient grid evacuation capacity and rising curtailment.
Solex Energy plans 5 GW solar cell factory in India
The Indian manufacturer is investing around $420 million to expand its manufacturing footprint alongside efforts to advance high-efficiency PV technologies through its partnership with ISC Konstanz.
Trina launches rooftop solar module with lower-voltage design
The Chinese manufacturer has launched an “Australia specific” variant of its Vertex S+ modules featuring a power output of 515 W and a maximum efficiency of 24.65%. Its lower-voltage design reportedly enables more flexible string sizing, allowing installers to optimize system layouts across a range of inverter configurations.
EU solar and storage push could cut power system costs by nearly half
A scenario analysis by SolarPower Europe, modeled by Rystad Energy, finds that accelerating PV and battery storage deployment could save the European Union €223 billion ($260.7 billion) in gas imports between 2026 and 2030 and reduce wholesale electricity prices by 14% compared with 2025 levels.
