Markets

The energy company says it is investing a mid-three-digit million euro amount into construction of the 600 MW battery energy storage system (BESS).

Belgian smart energy firm Innovoltus is challenging a new rule from the Flanders energy agency in Belgium capping plug-in solar panels at 800 W per meter, arguing the region lacks authority to impose the limit. The move comes as the country begins sales of plug-in solar panels and home batteries ahead of an April 17 connection date.

Japanese researchers have engineered a 100 cm² perovskite solar cell module featuring a robust single-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) electrode to improve durability and enable dual-sided light absorption.

Quinbrook completes financing for Cleve Hill Solar Park in Kent, England. The solar and storage project will be the largest in the United Kingdom when it goes live later in 2025. The developer claims contract for difference, capacity market and power purchase agreements (PPAs) were critical to securing project financing.

Bangladesh is seeking to overhaul its net-metering policy to encourage rooftop PV deployment by allowing 100% power injection and expanding eligibility to all grid-connected users, including those with single-phase and prepaid meters.

In a major policy shift toward electricity market liberalization, China has introduced contract-for-difference (CfD) auctions for renewable plants and removed the energy storage mandate, which has driven up to 75% of national demand to date. S&P Global expects the move to reverberate through the global battery storage supply chain, further driving down prices already at historic lows.

Australia’s rooftop solar uptake continued to surge in 2024, with a new report revealing more than 300,000 PV systems with a combined capacity of almost 3 GW were installed on the roofs of homes and businesses across the nation in 2024.

Aiko Solar has won a 1 GW back-contact (BC) module bid in China Datang Group’s 22.5 GW tender, while CNNC Photovoltaic announced a 19.7% efficiency rating for a perovskite module and plans to launch a perovskite production line later this year.

Pairing solar plants with battery energy storage systems (BESS) will be the main strategic focus for the country’s upcoming renewable energy auction. Each project must have a minimum storage duration of four hours to ensure sufficient grid support and energy reliability.

AleaSoft Energy Forecasting says average electricity prices fell across Europe last week, but France, Germany and Italy all broke their records for solar production on a single day in March.