Magazine Archive

France experienced a significant rise in negatively-price electricity hours in 2024, with the figure more than doubling to 359 hours, from 147 hours in 2023, according to data from grid operator RTE. The negative prices reflected the growing output of renewable energy, primarily solar power, during the day, and an electricity system struggling to adapt to the new reality. Hybrid and standalone batteries provide a promising solution to the declining value of solar energy while also helping to balance the grid, pv magazine France’s Gwénaëlle Deboutte reports.

Oversupply of lithium-ion battery precursor and active materials – and of lithium ferrous-phosphate (LFP) batteries, especially in China – has driven energy storage system costs down, fueling a record 330 GWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) shipments in 2024. Edward Rackley, head of the energy storage team at Business intelligence specialist CRU shares his analysis.

Poor profitability for daytime solar generation is driving a likely paradigm shift, argues Michael Salomon. The president of energy storage consultancy Clean Horizon says Europe needs more than market signals to keep investors interested in renewables and storage.

Researchers are gaining a clearer understanding of the impact of thermal cycling on perovskite solar cells. Antonio Abate, a researcher at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), provides insight into the impact of thermal stress, including defect formation and potential mitigation measures.

As grid operators struggle to secure enough flexibility to accommodate more renewable energy, Sweden has an eye on home heating as a potential solution. pv magazine caught up with Caroline Haglund Stignor, from the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Heat Pump Centre, to find out more.

You can build an entire energy infrastructure project and still wait years to flip the switch. In today’s market, it’s not the modules or permitting that cause the longest delays. Clean Energy Associates’ (CEA) Eddy Ji explains how high demand for transformers and other essential grid infrastructure equipment is slowing things down.

Climate change mitigation and energy security are driving European efforts to decarbonize transport, but the sector’s emissions and oil dependency are rising despite electric vehicle (EV) uptake. Carrie Hampel explores how Europe is aligning transport needs with energy capacity.

As Europe accelerates its energy transition, integrating more renewables requires enhanced battery energy storage solutions to ensure grid stability and maximize their value. Susan Taylor and Susanne von Aichberger, of S&P Global Commodity Insights, examine the state of play for European solar and storage in 2025.

Support schemes new and old, coupled with an ability to participate in grid-strengthening “ancillary service” markets, will drive Italian energy storage. Interest is growing but the complexity of integrating battery energy storage systems (BESS) into the grid should not be underestimated.

Taking apart the US Agency for International Development (USAID) could deprive African governments in dire need of solar energy expertise, over and above the loss of crucial grant funding schemes,
as Max Hall reports.