Patents to add AI to power grids are surging, says IEA
New patents to integrate artificial intelligence into global grids have grown sixfold over the past few years, with China driving overall innovation momentum. The European Patent Office, co-authors of the report, called for Europe to renew its efforts.
PV panel, battery production up to 45% more expensive in EU than in China, IEA finds
Despite the ongoing implementation of industrial strategies in other countries, the value of China’s exports will exceed $340 billion by 2035, according to the International Energy Agency.
Solar module manufacturing capacity could exceed 1.5 TW by 2035, says IEA
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) latest report, which maps out the future evolution of clean energy manufacturing, says the combined global market for PV, wind turbines, electric cars, batteries, electrolyzers, and heat pumps will rise from $700 billion in 2023 to more than $2 trillion by 2035.
Can just-transition cash fire African renewables?
African governments are being encouraged to leave fossil fuels untapped in return for Just Energy Transition Plan (JETP) finance. Can these new financing plans from Western governments achieve their ambitious aims?
Global PV investment to surpass $500 billion in 2024
The International Energy Agency projects that solar will attract more investment than all other electricity generation sources combined. Global energy spending is set to surpass $3 trillion for the first time this year.
Data center power loads threaten corporate net-zero goals
The world’s reliance on the internet, the shift to cloud computing, and the emergence of AI all fuel demand for more and more data centers. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that by 2026, data centers will consume more than 800 TWh annually, more than double their consumption in 2022. Tristan Rayner takes a look at the role that renewable generation plays in powering a digital world.
AGC uses recycled glass from PV panels for float glass production
The Japanese glass, material, and chemical manufacturer announced a successful test using recycled cover glass from solar panels in the manufacturing of float glass, with technology suppled by Tokuyama Corporation.
Germany has urgent need to expand solar module recycling capacities, IEA-PVPS says
Feedback from stakeholders involved in Germany’s end-of-life PV modules treatment chain found more needs to be done around the transparency of PV module waste volume, the take-back and collection process and module recycling, as the country prepares for significantly larger volumes by the end of the decade.
IRENA says world needs 1.1 TW of renewables per year
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) released a new report on the sidelines of the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue this week describing the actions needed so the world complies with targets set at the recent COP29 conference in the United Arab Emirates. IRENA President Francesco La Camera says renewables are the only energy sources with the speed and scale to achieve the ambitious targets set in Dubai.
Weekend Read. COP: A solar flop?
Tripling clean energy generation capacity to 11 TW by 2030 was a leading pledge from the United Nations’ (UN) climate change conference in Dubai. With few details about infrastructure and energy storage and no clear PV targets, however, it is hard to judge the effectiveness of the 28th global Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting. Angela Skujins considers possible impacts for the solar industry.
