Spain completes testing of Europe’s largest research vanadium BESS
Spain’s Fundación Ciudad de la Energía (Ciuden), a government energy research foundation, has completed operational testing of a 1 MW/8 MWh vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) system at its Cubillos del Sil technology center, which it says is the largest vanadium flow battery in Europe dedicated to applied research.
New solar window concept integrates polymer-dispersed liquid crystal to enable switchable transparency
Researchers in the United Kingdom have developed a smart window that combines switchable polymer-dispersed liquid crystal with integrated PV cells, offering controllable transparency and electricity generation. The system balances light, heat, and solar protection while maintaining high visual quality and stable performance, according to its creators.
Stricter rules for energy retailers as UK smart meter deployment slows
UK government plans new obligations for energy suppliers as smart meter deployment slows in Great Britain. Annual additions to smart electricity meter total have fallen each year since 2021. Binding annual milestones expected to come into force from 2027.
European residential heat pump sales increased in 2025
Analysis across 16 European countries finds an around 240,000 increase in the number of residential heat pump sales year-on-year. The European Heat Pump Association attributes the upward trend to governments stabilizing subsidy schemes.
Ghana plans to procure 200 MW of battery storage
Ghana’s Minister for Energy and Green Transition says the country will advertise competitive bidding processes to deploy 200 MW of battery storage across the country. Ghana’s current installed battery capacity stands at 10 MWh.
Brazil’s LRCAP battery auction demand estimated at nearly 3 GW
Brazil’s second Long-term Reserve Capacity Auction (LRCAP) of 2026 has contracted 501 MW of thermoelectric capacity, leaving an estimated 3 GW of remaining demand to be addressed in a forthcoming battery storage auction expected later this year.
German startup offers team of 22 specialized AI workers for PV plant O&M operations
Invertix has launched 22 specialized AI “workers” to automate O&M tasks for renewable energy assets, targeting inefficiencies in data handling, alarm management, and reporting. The startup says its system enables PV plant operators to scale portfolios more efficiently by reducing manual workloads, while keeping humans in the loop for critical decisions.
Türkiye’s solar capacity surpasses 25 GW
Alparslan Bayraktar, Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, says 2026 will be a record year for renewables in the country after total deployed solar reached 25,827 MW by the end of January.
When tiny magnets attack PV systems
In an interview with pv magazine, cybersecurity expert Mohammad Al Faruque explains how seemingly simple sensors in PV systems and other energy systems are surprisingly vulnerable to magnetic, electrical, and acoustic perturbations, which can remotely influence control systems without physical access. Protecting these sensors requires both strict physical security and the development of hardened, interference-resistant technology to safeguard critical infrastructure.
Indian industry body projects 346 GWh of BESS capacity by 2033
India’s cumulative installed battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity is projected to reach 346 GWh by 2033 from less than 1 GWh today, according to a white paper by the Indian Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) and Customized Energy Solutions (CES).
