Polysilicon prices steady amid global trade policy uncertainties
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.
US electricity generation rises, led by solar
In 2024, the US power grid’s electricity generation increased by more than 109 TWh through the end of July, marking 4.5% growth. This surge was led by a 52 TWh increase in methane generation, while solar power contributed an additional 36 TWh.
First Solar opens 3.5 GW solar factory in Alabama
First Solar has opened a $1.1 billion, 3.5 GW solar manufacturing facility in Lawrence County, Alabama.
SMA Solar launches restructuring plan to save up to €200 million
German inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology AG has launched a restructuring plan aiming to save up to €200 million ($223 million) for financial stabilization and market repositioning.
Vietnam to launch new net-metering scheme for rooftop solar
The Vietnamese government says it will start a new net-metering scheme for rooftop PV installations next week, limiting the sale of excess electricity to the grid to 20%.
New method to identify optimal floating PV sites
Researchers in Spain have created a novel method to select within a set of water bodies those where the investment in floating PV could be most beneficial. They combined geographic information systems, multi-criteria analysis, and intelligent optimization. The new approach reportedly results up to 8.4% better LCOE compared to conventional methods.
Solar-plus-storage dominates future US power grid
A new report from the US Department of Energy’s (DoE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows a major expansion of solar-plus-storage facilities in the US power plant market.
The significance of state-of-charge
Everoze Partner Nithin Rajavelu considers the crucial importance of properly measuring and managing battery state-of-charge (SoC) for the efficiency, longevity, and safety of battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, especially in lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) devices, which are widely used for large-scale storage.
Pexapark says European developers signed 13 PPAs for 460.4 MW in August
Swiss consulting firm Pexapark says European developers signed 13 power purchase agreements (PPAs) totaling 460.4 MW in August, down 62% month on month in terms of capacity. It represents the lowest monthly PPA volume since August 2023.
Lower solar, wind output drive European electricity prices up
AleaSoft Energy Forecasting says most major European markets recorded higher electricity prices last week due to lower solar and wind production and despite a drop in gas and CO2 prices.
