Renewables

A research team led by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics in China have used tetramethylammonium chloride in the fabrication of perovskite solar cells and modules, demonstrating that it improved both stability and efficiency results. The group’s 10 cm × 8 cm modules achieved certified 21.60% power conversion efficiency. The novel interfacial modification enabled the use of scalable blade coating to deposit both transport layers and the perovskite layer.

Neoen’s 300 MW Cestas solar park, commissioned in 2015, remains France’s biggest PV plant and the only one in the country that contributes to grid stability, even at night.

Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) says Germany could deploy up to 500 GW of agrivoltaic capacity, based on a nationwide assessment of all agricultural land types and site suitability criteria.

Researchers in Türkiye have conducted an experimental study on the ideal tilt angles for PV systems deployed on canals. Their analysis showed that an 8◦ tilt angle consistently demonstrates greater performance.

Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory grew tomatoes under translucent solar panels, which could play a promising role in agrivoltaics.

In grids increasingly dominated by renewables, grid-forming technology is emerging as critical tool for maintaining stability and ensuring reliable power system operation. In this interview with ESS News, Rui Sun, Sungrow’s Deputy General Manager-Grid Technology Center, explains how grid-forming works, why it matters, and where the technology is already proving its value. He elaborates on technical challenges, regulatory gaps, and why grid-forming could soon become the new industry standard.

The Italian authorities have opened a tender to support the deployment of about 50 MW of floating PV capacity.

On June 26, the construction of the world’s largest power generation-side energy storage project in Ulan Chab, Inner Mongolia, officially began. This 1 GW/6 GWh project, using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology, aims to enhance grid stability and support China’s renewable energy transition.

Researchers in Hungary have developed a model to calculate the optimal PV and battery storage balance to support the European grid in the next few years. They found that the cost-optimal range is at 530–880 GW of PV, combined with battery storage equivalent to 2.5–7.5% of the total intermittent capacity.

A giant solar-plus-vanadium flow battery project in Xinjiang has completed construction, marking a milestone in China’s pursuit of long-duration, utility-scale energy storage.