French startup offers water heater control to boost PV self-consumption
French startup Ecojoko has introduced a contactor that controls electric water heaters to raise solar self-consumption, with field tests underway since the summer.
Cypriot startup unveils new device to reduce solar curtailment
Cyprus-based Enerthon has developed a smart zero-export control device that prevents PV export losses from curtailment by directing generation to self-consumption. Certification is expected soon.
Slovenia plans 140 MW floating solar plant
Slovenian energy company HSE is developing a 140 MW floating solar project, with work currently underway on spatial planning activities. The solar plant is set to become Slovenia’s largest solar project and Europe’s largest floating solar array to date.
Czechia amends electricity generation licence threshold
An amendment to Czechia’s Energy Act has increased the limit for mandatory electricity generation licences from 50 kW to 100 kW. The change applies to solar installations that produce electricity for direct consumption.
EcoFlow launches energy management system providing whole-home backup
Global energy company EcoFlow’s latest product, Gateway, is a wall mounted hardware system that can be installed indoors or outdoors and is compatible with third-party inverters and diesel generators as well as EcoFlow’s own extensive product suite.
EU PVSEC 2025: Key takeaways
As the last of more than 1,100 scientific presentations wrap up today at the Bilbao Exhibition Center, pv magazine shares a few takeaways from an event that puts the latest solar technologies under the spotlight, and creates important connections between scientists and the solar industry.
Inclusive leadership emerges as a key factor in accelerating the energy transition
This week, during EU PVSEC 2025, Women in Solar+ Europe (WiSEu), in collaboration with PVSEC, hosted the workshop “Leading with Inclusion: Exploring the Six Traits of Inclusive Leadership,” creating a dynamic forum for dialogue and co-creation. Drawing on Deloitte’s framework, six industry leaders and experts guided participants through the traits of commitment, courage, cognisance of bias, curiosity, cultural intelligence, and collaboration. What emerged was a collective recognition that inclusive leadership cannot be reduced to a single quality, but must be consciously nurtured through the interplay of all six traits.
China’s Datang launches testing facility for PV with 2,000 V system voltage
China Datang Corp. says its 2,000 V solar testing base in China’s Hainan province will validate high-voltage modules under tropical coastal conditions.
New model to optimize desert PV plant cleaning schedule
Scientists have used a CPLEX-based MIP model and tested it on a section of the 10 MW Masdar City Solar Photovoltaic Plant. In their simulation, they assume the use of two robotic cleaners to operate over a 90-day horizon. Total cleaning costs were estimated at $7,987.
Record heat, rain fail to prevent solar gains across Asia
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Japan, Thailand, South Korea, eastern China and Taiwan all recorded solar irradiance above seasonal norms in August, while Indonesia and Malaysia experienced declines.
