Cooling PV panels with stagnant water layer
Researchers have developed a stagnant water layer cooling concept and tested it using seawater, tap water, and desalinated water. The panel temperature decreased by up to 8.2 °C, while power output increased by approximately 28%.
Austria opens final €8 million solar-plus-storage rebate round
Vienna’s third and final subsidy call offers €8 million ($9.2 million) in incentives and a 10% “Made in Europe” bonus for new or expanded solar-plus-storage systems.
Spain installs 7.2 GW of solar in 2024 amid rooftop slowdown
Spain added 7.2 GW of new solar capacity in 2024, bringing total installations to more than 40 GW, though rooftop deployment fell sharply, according to the national PV association.
Chemitek Solar launches cleaning solutions for agrivoltaics
Portugal-based Chemitek Solar is developing biodegradable cleaning and anti-soiling products for PV panels that share land use with agricultural production.
Key takeaways from Italy’s Solar Solutions
The first edition of Solar Solutions Torino drew 35 exhibitors and 930 visitors, underscoring growing regional engagement between academia and industry in Italy’s solar sector.
Scientists develop new floating box array for offshore PV
Researchers have tested a 9 x 11 floating box array for offshore photovoltaics in a large wave flume, under regular and irregular wave sequences. They have placed wireless gyroscopes on three of the boxes, representing the front, middle, and rear positions.
Iberdrola returns to Mexican solar with 535 MW in new PV projects
Iberdrola is developing two solar plants totaling 535 MW in Coahuila and Guanajuato, signaling renewed interest in Mexico’s energy market.
Solar fridges for the developing world
As climate change leads to more electricity blackouts and brownouts, the reliability of everyday refrigeration is at risk. A new IEC Standard, together with solar innovations in Africa and Asia, demonstrates how cooling can continue when power grids falter.
IEA lowers 2025-30 forecast for solar growth
The International Energy Agency (IEA) cut its 2025–30 renewables forecast by 5%, citing lower solar additions, though PV still represents nearly 80% of 4.6 TW expected growth.
Optimal sizing for AC multi-bus microgrids based on solar, storage
A French–Moroccan research group has developed a two-stage hierarchical techno-economic model to optimize AC multi-bus microgrids in remote areas. This microgrid configuration is more complex than that of standalone systems but offers several advantages in terms of cost efficiency and energy reliability.
