Higher demand, gas prices drive up European electricity prices
Average weekly electricity prices surpassed €130 ($135.12)/MWh in most major European markets during the third week of January as electricity demand and gas prices rose and wind energy production fell, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting.
Solar-driven brine management system for hydrogen, chlorine production
Researchers have developed a novel energy system comprising PVT panels, reverse osmosis, reverse electrodialysis, and proton exchange membranes. The proposed setup can purportedly produce 18.78 kg/day of hydrogen and 120.6 m³/day of freshwater.
Moldova launches tender for 75 MW of battery storage
The procurement aims to improve the reliability of Moldova’s grid, facilitate energy trade with neighboring Romania and Ukraine, and support the integration of locally produced renewable energy.
Solar gains across Australia defy seasonal cloud forecast
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Australia’s summer has been much sunnier than expected so far, with localized weather events only bringing brief disruptions.
European consortium reuses second life PV panels, EV batteries in agrivoltaics, plug-in solar, low-budget projects
A European team is developing technologies and processes to show how end of life PV panels and electric vehicle (EV) batteries can be used in three distributed energy market segments: agrivoltaics, plug-in PV for households, and low-budget solutions. It will also demonstrate efficient recycling processes for critical raw materials recovered from panels and batteries that cannot be reused.
Spain’s rooftop PV installations hit 1.18 GW in 2024
UNEF, Spain’s PV association, says developers installed 674 MW of industrial PV in 2024, alongside 207 MW in the commercial sector and 275 MW of residential solar installations.
Improving solar cell performance with narrower contact fingers
Fraunhofer ISE researchers have developed a new metallization process that can produce ultra-fine line contacts for solar cells. The proposed technique is based on the so-called LIDE technology and can reportedly help increase overall PV device efficiency.
Huadian, PowerChina switch on 1 GW of solar on salt-alkali tidal flats
Huadian Group and PowerChina have activated a 1 GW solar project on salt-alkali tidal flats in China’s Shandong province, paired with 200 MW/400 MWh of storage. The facility features PV modules installed above brine pools.
Waaree’s 1.6 GW solar factory in Texas starts commercial production
Waaree Solar Americas has started commercial production at its 1.6 GW solar module factory in Brookshire, Texas. It plans to expand the facility’s capacity to 3 GW by fiscal 2026 and 5 GW by fiscal 2027.
US state-level solar policy moving away from traditional net metering
The NC Clean Energy Technology Center’s (NCCETC) 2024 annual review and fourth-quarter edition of “The 50 States of Solar” finds that most states enacted distributed solar policy measures in 2024. The majority of actions focused on net metering policies, residential fixed charge increases, and community solar programs.
