Articles written by Blathnaid O’Dea

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Technology & Products
Racking it up to experience Demand for solar rooftop racking systems in Europe has either slowed or changed over the past year, depending on who you ask. Either way, the mood is cautious among European mounting and racking system providers, likely due to a downturn in the commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop solar market, as businesses have less cash available for solar installations.
Blathnaid O’Dea
Oct 29, 2026
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Technology & Products
Floating renewables to power data centers Mocean Energy wants to begin commercial deployments of offshore data centers from 2030. Cameron McNatt, CEO of the Scotland-based startup, explains that its system is modular. Each unit is connected via low-Earth orbit satellite communications and generates between 500 kW and 1 MW without a grid connection. The floating data centers will be combined with Mocean’s existing offshore power system, which includes floating solar and batteries and has completed 18 months of full-scale offshore testing.
Blathnaid O’Dea
Oct 27, 2026
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Markets & Policy
Socket to the sun Ten states in the United States have passed laws permitting plug-in solar, with more to follow imminently. Low-income households, renters and temporary workers under pressure from high electricity bills are welcoming plug-in solar as a low-cost, portable and convenient solution. Precise business models have yet to emerge and there are technical and regulatory teething problems to address, as industry figures tell pv magazine.
Blathnaid O’Dea
Oct 05, 2026
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Markets & Policy
Middle market momentum The rollback of policies favoring renewable energy deployment in the United States is contributing to an energy affordability crisis in many communities, according to Jon Powers, president of Clean Capital, a US independent power producer (IPP) active in the distributed generation segment. He spoke with pv magazine to warn fellow industry veterans that now is the time to ramp up solar deployment advocacy as elections loom and energy prices become a bipartisan issue.
Blathnaid O’Dea
Oct 03, 2026
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Applications & Installations
Ireland energizes first SRESS solar farm, opening new revenue opportunities for farmers and landowners “This is the beginning of a wave of small-scale energy projects being developed by farmers and communities,” Ken O’Byrne, of Flogas Energy told pv magazine. Flogas has a 15-year PPA with the 650 kW Meadhill Solar farm’s developer, Cork farmer Sean Keating.
Blathnaid O’Dea
Oct 01, 2026
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Markets & Policy
Ireland introduces €600 residential battery grant, expands PV support Irish householders will be able to avail of a €600 battery grant as part of a package of renewable energy supports effective from October 6. Grants of up to €9,000 for lower-income householders to install solar and batteries will also be included as well as support for businesses.
Blathnaid O’Dea
Sep 30, 2026
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Technology & Products
Grew Solar, Caelux to produce perovskite-silicon tandem modules in India Grew Solar and Caelux are targeting efficiencies of 29% and up for their 4 GW Indian perovskite-silicon tandem line, with commercial production tipped to begin in 2028.
Blathnaid O’Dea
Sep 18, 2026
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Research & Development
Global progress on 100% renewables Christian Breyer and Mark Z. Jacobson, two prominent scientists tracking the global rollout of renewable energy systems provide an update on solar’s role in the equation. Frustratingly, political and regulatory blocks continue threatening to derail progress but the economic, environmental and grid flexibility benefits that the combination of solar and storage can provide are unmatched by legacy fossil fuels. As part of pv magazine’s Renewables 24/7 special feature this month, these two top experts shared their views on the state of the energy transition with pv magazine’s Blathnaid O’Dea.
Blathnaid O’Dea
Sep 17, 2026
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Markets & Policy
How competitive is BESS for data centers, really? Volta Foundation’s July 2026 report ‘Where Batteries Can Win in Data Center Applications’ shows the two areas where battery energy storage systems (BESS) are winning, four where it is competing and two areas where it’s losing out to other technologies in the data center market.
Blathnaid O’Dea
Sep 12, 2026