Europe

Finland’s large-scale solar capacity more than doubled in 2025, buoyed by the commissioning of the country’s first solar projects larger than 50 MW. Another record year for ground-mounted solar is expected this year but a forthcoming Land Use Act risks threatening future projects.

Spain installed 1.14 GW of solar capacity for self-consumption in 2025, lifting cumulative capacity to 9.3 GW, as residential and commercial installations declined while industrial and off-grid segments showed greater resilience, according to data from the Spanish Photovoltaic Union.

Czechia’s first international conference on solar and flexibility highlighted that the combination of solar with storage and flexibility sources is key to not just Czechia’s, but also Europe’s, secure and competitive electricity system.

With conventional renewable PPA momentum slowing, Europe’s flexibility market soared in 2025, driven by a surge in fixed-offtake agreements and BESS optimization structures. At the same time, co-located storage gained unprecedented traction, signaling a shift toward more integrated and flexible energy solutions.

French researchers have developed a high-resolution computational framework to model microclimate effects of large floating solar PV systems, enabling accurate predictions of heat transfer, ambient temperatures, and water evaporation based on panel configuration and wind conditions. The model can inform thermal performance, environmental impacts, and optimize designs for utility-scale floating PV, as well as ground-mounted and agrivoltaic installations.

Bulgaria installed over 1 GW of solar for the third consecutive year in 2025 and is forecast to add over 2 GW this year thanks to a large pipeline of utility-scale projects.

Researchers in Iraq have developed biomimetic leaf vein–inspired fins for photovoltaic panels, with reticulate (RET) venation reducing panel temperature by 33.6 C and boosting efficiency by 18% using passive cooling. Their study combines 3D CFD simulations and electrical evaluations to optimize fin geometry, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional cooling methods.

Repsol and Sunfire are advancing 200 MW of renewable hydrogen projects in Spain, while new collaborations and funding across Europe and India aim to accelerate electrolyzer development and hydrogen infrastructure.

The Finnish start-up says its sand battery technology is scalable from 20 to 500 MWh with charging power from 1 to 20 MW, depending on industrial needs.

This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Alba Sande, lawyer at Spanish law firm ASande Legal. She states that, despite progress, women remain underrepresented in the renewable energy industry. “As a woman and a mother, I have often encountered the unspoken assumption that professional ambition must take a backseat to family life, a bias rarely applied to men,” she says.