Utility-scale solar projects are larger, interconnections are slower, and engineering decisions must anticipate regulation and supply chains years in advance. At the CT Solar Platform in Snyder, Texas – a 1.6 GW AC single-site development – the first phase, CT Solar One (110 MW AC), has served as a test bed for integrating civil design, BOS optimization and domestic-content strategy. Levona Renewables led the development and engineering of the project, and CEO Fernando Queiroz shares key lessons.

This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Sabina Blitek, General Counsel at Netherlands’ R.Power Renewables. She says women in male-dominated industries, like energy and finance, can overcome bias by consistently demonstrating competence, believing in their own potential, and leading by example.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that February saw a sharp divide in Europe’s solar conditions. Northeastern regions experienced clear, cold weather with irradiance 20% above average, while western and southern Europe endured persistent storms and widespread irradiance deficits.

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.

As India’s renewable ecosystem matures, open access solar is set to become a cornerstone of corporate energy strategy – delivering both cost savings and sustainability gains. Policy clarity, stronger transmission infrastructure, and incentives for storage integration will be key to unlocking the next phase of growth.

Marstek has unveiled a plug-in storage system with a two-kilowatt-hour capacity. The device plugs into a standard household socket and is designed to store solar power from balcony systems or draw in cheap electricity from dynamic pricing tariffs.

The new series features single- and three-phase systems with scalable LFP battery integration. Designed for rapid whole-house backup and VPP applications, the new product delivers up to 89.6 % round-trip efficiency, according to the manufacturer.

RenewSys India has opened a 3 GW automated solar module facility in the Indian state of Maharashtra, expanding total module capacity to 5.6 GW.

Former DC Solar counsel Ari J. Lauer has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for his role in a $1 billion solar tax equity fraud scheme.

Newly-implemented rules governing Ukraine’s energy market introduce solar-plus-storage systems as a separate auction category, ease regulatory barriers governing standalone storage projects and establish processes for renewable energy facilities located in Ukraine’s occupied territories.

In 2025, back-contact solar modules from Aiko Solar and Longi accounted for more than 50% of the Swiss market, driven by strong demand for high-efficiency rooftop PV systems, according to a new report by Eturnity and the Bern University of Applied Sciences.

An international research team developed CyberSentry, a software framework using advanced deep learning and optimization techniques to enhance cybersecurity in SCADA systems for power plants and critical infrastructure. It combines feature selection, hybrid anomaly detection, and dynamic parameter tuning to detect diverse cyberattacks with 99.5% accuracy while minimizing false alarms.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new Star Shine I system is already available in Europe and can operate at speeds of 10–18 m/min, performing cleaning routes of up to 3 km round trip and 9 km in a single direction.

Austrian researchers conducted a techno-economic analysis of agrivoltaic systems and found that 5%–16% of the country’s cropland would be required to meet its solar electricity targets.

Sigenergy has launched a 166 kW IP66-rated inverter for C&I solar and storage offering nine MPPT trackers and flexible AC/DC connections. The launch coincided with the opening of its Nantong Smart Energy Center, a 136,000 m² facility for R&D, manufacturing, and global delivery.

The system enables measurements under controlled irradiance, spectrum, and temperature conditions. It can combine 0.4% spatial irradiance uniformity, 500 ms illumination pulses, and dynamic I-V acquisition to accurately test high-capacitance photovoltaic modules in a single pulse, according to Ciemat.

The LEEMONS project is researching nanostructured silicon that uses low-energy electron multiplication (LEEM) to allow one high-energy photon to generate multiple electrons, reducing energy losses in solar cells. By creating ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers inside crystalline silicon via ion implantation, the scientists aim to boost solar cell efficiency beyond the Shockley–Queisser limit while keeping compatibility with existing manufacturing methods.

Fire caused by an electrical fault from an overheated arcing cable hit the solar panels at Europa Point Stadium in Gibraltar. Firefighters contained and extinguished the blaze within 20 minutes.

U.S. researchers developed a framework showing that wider spacing between solar PV rows can make agrivoltaic systems economically viable for large-scale mechanized farming. Their simulations in Colorado demonstrated that optimized row spacing maintains crop production while improving combined agricultural and energy revenues.

Researchers in Japan have achieved a 12.28% efficiency in a copper gallium selenide solar cell, the highest reported for indium-free wide-bandgap chalcogenide absorbers in the 1.65–1.75 eV range. The device uses aluminum-engineered films with a back-surface field and optimized cadmium sulfide buffer layers to enhance voltage, reduce recombination, and improve overall performance.

A new global dataset of 119 energy-sector cyber incidents from 2022–2024 shows EU and BRICS countries, followed by the US, are most affected. Attacks targeted power, oil, gas, and nuclear infrastructure, driven by both financial and political motives, with diverse threat actors involved.

Solar manufacturer Swift Solar has acquired the heterojunction technology (HJT) intellectual property and manufacturing assets of Meyer Burger to establish domestic cell production.

GlobalData says Russia added an estimated 100 MW of solar last year, taking total installed solar to around 3.1 GW. The consultancy is forecasting annual additions of about 200 MW over the next ten years, taking the country’s cumulative solar capacity to 5.3 GW by 2035.

Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer FKIE institute developed PowerRange, a virtual simulation platform that helps power grid operators safely test cybersecurity measures and respond to realistic cyberattacks. The platform supports both traditional and renewable grids, offering immersive training across IT, OT, and control systems while highlighting the importance of coordination, communication, and practical defense strategies.

Eastman Auto & Power has started production at an 800 MW solar panel factory in the Indian state of Haryana.

Atome says it has secured a $420 million debt package for a $650 million low-carbon fertilizer project in Paraguay producing 260,000 metric tons (MT) per year, while Asahi Kasei says it has begun installing a 1 MW-class electrolyzer at Finland’s first commercial hydrogen refueling station.

Peak Energy says it will deploy the first sodium-ion battery in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) service area with RWE Americas in eastern Wisconsin, using passively cooled grid-scale storage that cuts auxiliary power use by 90% and lowers lifetime storage costs by $70/kWh.

PowerHive, Vikram Solar’s energy storage subsidiary, has launched the VION lithium battery range for homes, e-rickshaws, and distributed energy projects, marking the company’s entry into electric mobility and residential backup storage.

The three phase energy storage system encompasses the inverter, battery and energy management into a single system, suited for residential customers and scalable to the small-scale commercial and industrial market.

Heat pumps are increasingly used for domestic hot water in Europe due to their efficiency and compatibility with solar power, but their lower operating temperatures can create conditions where Legionella pneumophila may grow if systems are poorly designed. Proper hydraulic design, temperature control, and periodic thermal disinfection ensure both high efficiency and safe, hygienic operation.