Building-integrated concentrating photovoltaics for vertical applications
An Indian-British research team has developed a building-integrated linear concentrating PV facade by sandwiching an asymmetric compound parabolic concentrator, PERC cells, and encapsulation layers between two sheets of glass. The system was tested under both indoor and outdoor conditions and its payback period was found to be of up to 11 years.
Key takeaways from Solar & Storage Live UK
Solar & Storage Live UK 2025 took place over three days from September 23 to 25 at the NEC venue in the outskirts of Birmingham, the UK’s second largest city. pv magazine spoke to hundreds of industry players keen to optimize existing solar and storage capacity and be at the forefront of the nationwide rooftop PV expansion.
Lack of information, financing among barriers to UK’s heat pump adoption
A questionnaire and focus group study of households in the UK city of Bristol found residents have a lack of access to technical and ‘common sense’ information on the transition to heat pumps. Able-to-pay residents became more willing to invest as they learned about the technology.
Solar, wave-powered uncrewed vehicle for marine monitoring
UK-based Autonaut offers wave-propelled and solar PV-powered drones capable of data collection at sea for several months at a time.
Aermec launches propane heat pumps for commercial, industrial buildings
The new heat pump systems use propane as the refrigerant and can provide hot water at a temperature of up to 75 C, according to the UK-based manufacturer.
UK study finds space-based solar could supply 80% of Europe’s renewable energy needs
A paper by King’s College London scientists suggests that space-based solar panels (SBSP) could cut Europe’s land-based renewable energy needs by up to 80%, including reducing battery energy storage usage by more than 70%. The authors are now in contact with leading companies such as Space Solar.
Eelpower Energy secures funds for up to 1 GWh of UK battery storage
Eelpower Ltd. joins consortium of public and private sector investors to launch new battery energy storage system (BESS) developer – Eelpower Energy. The developer is targeting final investment decisions on up to 1 GWh of capacity by the end of 2025.
Researchers use guanidinium thiocyanate to raise perovskite cell efficiency
Researchers have used guanidinium thiocyanate as a chaotropic agent to modulate the crystal growth rate during perovskite crystallization. They compared different concentrations of the guanidinium thiocyanate. Champion device efficiency was 22.34%.
Strongest year on record for UK solar generation as deployment accelerates
Generation data for the first half of 2025 shows a record start for solar, while new government capacity data points to accelerating deployment and larger installations.
University of Manchester signs PPA for new 71 MW UK solar project
The corporate power purchase agreement is billed as the largest signed by a UK educational institution. Agreement provides fixed-rate revenue for developer Enviromena. EDF is the utility responsible for balancing and shaping generation.
