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.

From ESS News

Finnish cleantech startup TheStorage says that its thermal storage technology could reduce industrial energy costs by up to 70% and cut carbon emissions by as much as 90%. The system converts renewable electricity into heat, stores it in sand, and delivers it on-demand for industrial heating.

The concept emerged in Finland in 2023, with engineering work beginning in 2024. In January 2026, TheStorage installed its first industrial-scale pilot at a brewery, putting the technology to the test in a real-world setting. There, it produces fossil-free steam for the brewery’s production lines.

“Producing steam without fossil fuels is a major step toward carbon-neutral production,” says Vesa Peltola, Production Director of the brewery.

TheStorage’s technology captures electricity when it is abundant and inexpensive, converts it into high-temperature heat, and stores it in sand. This stored heat can later be used in industrial processes independently of real-time electricity availability.

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Sweden deployed less solar in 2025 than the year prior despite record growth in the large-scale segment. Solar association Svensk Solenergi predicts last year was likely the bottom of Sweden's installation curve.

Sweden commissioned 652 MW of new solar last year, according to estimates from Swedish solar association Svensk Solenergi. The figure is down on the 848 MW installed in 2024 and takes cumulative capacity to around 5.4 GW.

Residential installations totaled 239 MW in 2025, a 39% year-on-year decrease. Alex Jankell, head of politics at Svensk Solenergi, told pv magazine the household market has been impacted by the removal of a tax rebate scheme as of the start of this year. He added that lower energy prices in comparison to massive hikes in 2022, higher interest rates and inflation have also impacted the market segment.

Although the residential market contracted in 2025, installations smaller than 20 kW continue to represent more than half of Sweden’s solar market, with a little over 3 GW of total capacity. There are now just over 287,000 solar power plants of less than 20 kW in Sweden, equivalent to 90% of all grid-connected solar plants.

Commercial and industrial installations reached 215 MW in 2025, down 35% year-on-year, but utility-scale installations increased, deploying a record 198 MW for 46% more than in 2024.

The large-scale segment accounted for 30% of new solar power in 2025, compared to 7% in 2024. New installations were led by Sweden’s largest solar plant to date, the 100 MW Hultsfred solar farm, and the 64 MW Ax-el solar park. Last year also saw developer Svea Solar announce plans to build eight new solar parks in Sweden with a total capacity of approximately 500 MW.

Jankell said the market is experiencing a shift to more large-scale solar, often combined with large-scale battery installations, but added that challenges remain in high costs or long waiting times for grid connections. He recommended Sweden adopt proposed changes to permitting procedures to make them quicker and more predictable.

The residential battery market is also broadening, with preliminary figures from the Swedish Tax Agency showing around 75,000 private individuals received a green reduction for battery installations in 2025, a 34% increase on the previous year.

Jankell suggested that Sweden’s solar market could be supported further by abolishing energy tax for all electricity that is produced and consumed behind the same meter and implementing proper power-tariffs which reflectively reward the ability of solar and battery installations to help the grid. He also recommended proposed proper revenue frames for Swedish grid companies that reward flexibility, and not only grid expansion.

Jankell told pv magazine more solar is likely to be installed this year than in 2025. “Given the implementation of solar demands in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, new permitting processes on the way, and a general deflation of PV and battery prices, we predict that 2025 is the bottom of the installation curve,” he said.

Dutch utility Eneco is testing low-noise air-to-water heat pumps from startup Whspr in around 20 homes, aiming to ease installation constraints near property boundaries. The systems reportedly achieve coefficients of performance of up to 5 and show up to 80% noise reduction in laboratory testing.

Dutch utility Eneco has begun testing an”innovative” type of air-to-water heat pump with low sound levels in residential buildings.

The company said conventional heat pumps rely on outdoor units that emit a constant hum, requiring installations several metres from property boundaries under Dutch building regulations and often forcing placement in prominent locations on terraced houses. By contrast, the “silent” heat pumps under test can be installed just 30 cm from the boundary.

“The pilot will provide insight into both ease of installation and real-world performance,” Eneco said in a statement. “The results will be used to further optimize the system, with the aim of making it widely available by the end of the summer.” The company added that around 20 homes are currently equipped with the systems to assess noise levels without “compromising residents’ everyday heating comfort.”

The heat pumps are supplied by Dutch startup Whspr. “Our 4 kW freestanding hybrid monoblock systems are designed for domestic space heating,” founder Hugo Huis in ’t Veld told pv magazine.

The unit measures 60 cm × 60 cm × 90 cm and weighs around 70 kg. “It is compact yet robust,” Huis in ’t Veld said, adding that initial measurements show efficiencies in line with the market, with coefficients of performance (COP) of between 4.5 and 5.0.

According to the manufacturer, the heat pump uses propane (R290) as its refrigerant and shows up to 80% noise reduction in laboratory testing.

Whspr also highlights ease of installation, stating that a single installer can fit and connect the unit, including the water side, in one day. A dedicated control and thermostat system has also been developed to reduce compatibility issues and simplify commissioning.

Further technical details have not yet been disclosed. “We are not at liberty to share designs at this stage, as patents are still pending,” Huis in ’t Veld said.

Eneco noted that pilot installations include both standard locations and more complex sites, such as rooftops and sheds at the end of gardens. The systems have also been installed in several rental homes owned by housing association Wooncompagnie. “Testing will continue until the end of April, after which the heat pumps will be further optimized,” the company said.

The new Tesla Solar Panel and mounting system pairs with the company’s inverter, Powerwall battery, EV charging and vehicles, creating an all-Tesla residential solar offering for the first time.

From pv magazine USA

In the residential solar sector, the industry has long sought the “holy grail” of vertical integration, creating a single point of contact for hardware, software, and energy management.

While Tesla has been a dominant player in storage with the Powerwall, a market leader with its inverter, and in electric vehicles, the company has historically relied on third-party solar panels.

With the launch of the Tesla Solar Panel (TSP-415 and TSP-420), the company is closing that loop. The company’s new modules, assembled at its Gigafactory in Buffalo, New York, represent a significant shift toward a proprietary, integrated ecosystem designed to solve the common rooftop challenges of shading, aesthetic clutter, and installation friction.

“This panel completes the full package of the residential energy ecosystem,” Colby Hastings, senior director, Tesla Energy, told pv magazine USA. “It is based on our long history of innovation and engineering when it comes to solar.”

Domestic manufacturing

Tesla said the new modules are assembled at its Buffalo, NY facility, the same site where it continues to produce Solar Roof components, which inspired the design of the panel. The factory is currently scaling to an initial capacity of over 300 MW per year.

This domestic assembly allows Tesla to leverage federal manufacturing incentives while securing a local supply chain for its growing network of installers.

Power zones

The most technically significant departure from industry norms in the TSP series is the implementation of 18 independent “Power Zones.” Standard residential modules typically utilize three bypass diodes, creating six distinct zones. In traditional architectures, a single shadow from a chimney or vent pipe can effectively “shut down” large swaths of a string’s production.

Tesla’s design essentially triples the granularity of the module. By dividing the electrical architecture into 18 zones, the panel behaves more like a digital screen with a higher pixel count; if one “pixel” is shaded, the remaining 17 continue to harvest energy at near-peak efficiency.

While high-density substring architectures have been explored in the utility space, Tesla’s specific 18-zone layout is unique to the residential market, engineered to deliver optimizer-like performance without the added cost and potential failure points of module-level power electronics (MLPE) on the roof.

Inverters, batteries, and mounts

The TSP modules are designed to pair specifically with the Tesla Solar Inverter and Powerwall 3. While Tesla offers these as a unified “Home Energy Ecosystem,” they are not strictly sold as a single, inseparable bundle. However, the hardware is optimized to work as a package; for instance, the panel’s 18-zone design is specifically tuned to perform with Tesla’s string inverter technology.

Tesla is not keeping this technology exclusive to its own crews. While Tesla’s direct installation business leads the rollout, the package is available to Tesla’s network of over 1,000 certified installers.

This “installer-first” approach is further evidenced by the new Tesla Panel Mount. The new rail-less mounting system, made of black anodized aluminum alloy, uses the module frame itself as the structural rail.

By eliminating traditional rails and visible clamps, Tesla said the system is 33% faster to install. The mount sits closer to the roof and is enhanced by aesthetic front and side skirts, maintaining the “minimalist” look Tesla consumers expect.

Product specs

The modules are competitive with the current Tier 1 market, pushing into the 20% efficiency bracket while maintaining a robust mechanical profile, said the company.

 The new Tesla Solar Panels are now available nationwide. 

Solar roof 

For those wondering about the Tesla Solar Roof, the company maintains that the glass tile product remains a core part of its “premium” offering for customers needing a full roof replacement.

The cascading cell technology used in the new TSP modules, which overlaps cells to eliminate visible silver busbars, was originally designed in its Solar Roof product. Tesla is essentially taking the aesthetic and electrical innovations of its luxury roof product and integrating it into a traditional module form factor.

Virtual power plant

Tesla also highlighted the ability for virtual power plant (VPP) participation to increase value for its customers. VPPs coordinate the dispatch of energy stored in Powerwalls, acting as a distributed energy network. 

“We’re working more closely with utilities than ever to ensure that these assets participate in virtual power plants and support the grid and opening up new value streams, both for utilities and consumers that have these assets at home,” said Hastings. “We announced recently that we have a million Powerwalls deployed worldwide and 25% of those are enrolled in a virtual power plant program of some kind.”

Market strategy

The timing of this launch comes at a volatile moment for U.S. solar. With the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act (OBBBA), the industry is navigating the early expiration of the 25D residential credit at the end of 2025 and the sunsetting of the 48E commercial credit.

Tesla’s move now is an opportunistic play for standardization and soft-cost reduction. By controlling the entire stack, Tesla can drive down customer acquisition and labor costs, which currently represent the largest portion of a system’s price tag.

“Utility rates across the country are going up, electricity is becoming increasingly unaffordable for homeowners,” said Hastings. “We’re still very bullish on the future of distributed energy here in the United States.”

The South Korean giant said its new EHS All-in-One provides air heating and cooling, floor heating, and hot water from a single outdoor unit. It can supply hot water up to 65 C in below-zero weather.

South Korean tech giant Samsung has launched a new all-in-one heat pump for residential and commercial use.

Dubbed EHS All-in-One, the system provides air heating and cooling, floor heating, and hot water from a single outdoor unit. It is initially released for the European market, with a Korean rollout expected within a year.

“It delivers stable performance across diverse weather conditions. It can supply hot water up to 65 C even in below-zero weather and is designed to operate heating even in severe cold down to -25 C,” the company said in a statement. “The system also uses the R32 refrigerant, which has a substantially lower impact on global warming compared with the older R410A refrigerant.”

The product is an upgrade to the EHS Mono R290 monobloc heat pump that the company released in 2023. The company has enlarged the propeller fan and used a high-capacity motor in the novel model, reducing the number of fans from two to one. That results in a design with a height of about 850 mm, approximately 40% lower than before.

“The system also introduces a new Heat Recovery feature, which does not release waste heat from the cooling process to the outside but recycles it. Using this feature can boost the energy efficiency of water heating by more than twice under certain conditions,” Samsung added. “It also includes an ‘AI Saving Mode’ that can reduce energy consumption by up to 17%.”

The Dutch start-up, founded by former Tesla leaders, is taking a novel approach to sodium-ion battery technology, optimizing it for integration with solar power plants. Its technology is set to be deployed for the first time in a Dutch solar-plus-storage project later this year.

From ESS News

Amsterdam-based Moonwatt has developed a new type of battery storage system based on sodium-ion NFPP chemistry, purpose-built for seamless solar hybridization. The system integrates battery enclosures with hybrid string inverters, enabling efficient DC-coupled solar-plus-storage integration.

The company gained attention in March 2025 when it raised $8.3 million in seed funding to accelerate growth. Moonwatt operates as an energy storage system integrator, designing, developing, and supplying string battery enclosures, hybrid string inverters, and battery management and site control systems, while sourcing sodium-ion cells globally.

“Initially, we’re sourcing them from Asia, but we aim to add American and European cell sourcing options as soon as they become available and create value for our customers,” Valentin Rota, co-founder and CCO of Moonwatt, said in an earlier interview with ESS News.

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Juniper Green Energy has fully commissioned a 100 MWh merchant battery energy storage system in western India, marking the nation’s first operational project of its kind.

From ESS News

Juniper Green Energy has commissioned India’s first merchant battery energy storage system, completing a 100 MWh project at Bikaner, Rajasthan, through its subsidiary Juniper Green Cosmic. Of the total capacity, 60 MWh was commissioned in December 2025, with the remaining 40 MWh brought online on Jan. 23, 2026.

The battery energy storage system (BESS) has completed trial operations and received approval from the Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre, enabling the start of commercial operations for the full project on Jan. 23.

With commissioning complete, the facility is among the largest operating BESS projects in India and is positioned to generate merchant revenues through peak arbitrage, grid balancing services, and participation in ancillary markets.

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Conceived for stationary energy storage, the proposed sodium-ion battery configuration relies on an P2-type cathode material and an hard carbon anode material that reportedly ensure full-cell performance. Electrochemical testing revealed initial capacities of 200 mAh/g for the cathode and 360 mAh/g for the anode with capacity retentions of 42% and 67.4% after 100 cycles.

An international research team has designed a sodium-ion battery (SIB) storage system based on a P2-type cathode material known as Na0.67Mn0.33Ni0.33Fe0.33O2 and an anode relying on a hard carbon material fabricated from lavender flowers.

The proposed system configuration is intended for low-cost fabrication while ensuring scalability and environmental sustainability, as the two electrode materials are described as “widely accessible” precursors.

“Plant diversity and production capacity are important factors affecting the commercialization of SIBs, as plant-derived hard carbons s are both sustainable and economical,” the researchers explained. “Hard carbon derived from plants preserves the microstructures of the plant tissues, thereby enhancing the penetration of the electrolyte and sodium diffusivity.

The scientists estimated global lavender production at approximately 1,000–1,500 tons annually. However, only a small fraction of this production can be used for electrode materials, as only the flower residue is suitable for conversion into hard carbon.

They also noted that the hard carbon anode and P2-type cathode in the full cell have insufficient sodium reservoirs, leading to poor electrochemical performance. “The present work addresses this gap by evaluating the full-cell performance of P2-Na_0.67Mn_0.9Ni_0.1O₂ coupled with lavender flower waste-derived hard carbon under different presodiation approaches,” they further explained.

The scientists used X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy to characterized the SIB system's cathode and anode and found the cathode has an hexagonal P63/mmc structure, while the anode showed characteristic broad peaks of amorphous carbon.

SEM and TEM revealed, in particular, micrometer-sized cathode grains and a porous hard carbon surface, with EDS and XPS indicated the material has good structural stability. Further analysis also demonstrated that nickel (Ni) incorporation improved the cathode’s structural, electronic, and electrochemical performance.

Moreover, electrochemical testing revealed initial capacities of 200 mAh/g for the cathode and 360 mAh/g for the anode with capacity retentions of 42% and 67.4% after 100 cycles. Overall, Ni doping was found to improve the cathode’s conductivity and stability, and the anode demonstrated good sodium storage performance, supporting strong half-cell and potential full-cell performance, according to the researchers.

“This comprehensive study highlights the potential for developing SIBs with low-cost and sustainable electrode materials,” they concluded. “The optimization of presodiation strategies offers an opportunity for advanced commercial and scalable SIB technologies.”

The system was described in the study “Cost-effective sodium-ion batteries using a Na_0.67Mn_0.9Ni_0.1O₂ cathode and lavender-flower-waste-derived hard carbon with a comparative presodiation approach,” published in the Journal of Power Sources. The research team comprised scientists from Turkey's Inonu University, Istanbul Technical University, Malatya Turgut Ozal University and Aksaray University, as well as from Korea Institute of Science and Technology and Pakistan's Quaid-i-Azam University, among others. 

Ikea is expanding its energy offerings in Germany with a dynamic electricity tariff in partnership with Svea Solar, changing every 15 minutes based on day-ahead market prices and available even to customers without its PV systems, storage solutions, or heat pumps.

From pv magazine Germany

Ikea is expanding its energy footprint in Germany. After offering PV systems, balcony solar panels, storage solutions, wallboxes, and heat pumps, the retailer now provides a dynamic electricity tariff. Prices fluctuate every 15 minutes according to activity on the day-ahead electricity market.

The offer is in partnership with the German subsidiary of Swedish PV installer Svea Solar. Ikea acts solely as an intermediary, while Svea Solar is the contractual partner. Customers can subscribe to the tariff without owning any solar or storage systems. Germany is the first market worldwide where Ikea is introducing this tariff.

Called Svea Strom, the tariff supplies electricity exclusively from TÜV-certified renewable sources. An app displays expected electricity prices for the following day. Ikea has not detailed the calculation method for the energy charge but confirmed there is no price cap. A test inquiry with Svea Solar indicated a two-cent-per-kilowatt-hour procurement fee on top of the market price. Network charges, taxes, levies, and surcharges also apply.

The monthly basic fee is €6.99 ($8.21) or €5.95 for Ikea Family and Ikea Business Network members. Members signing up by Feb. 1, 2026, receive a six-month fee waiver. After six months of loyalty, Ikea provides a €25 shopping voucher. The tariff is immediately available and can be canceled monthly.

Eligible households receive a free smart meter if electricity consumption exceeds 6,000 kWh per year or if a heat pump or wallbox is installed according to Section 14a of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG).

Ikea projects households with battery storage could save around €300 per year, with potential savings up to €500 if a PV system, wallbox, or heat pump is installed.

“We want to make sustainable energy affordable and accessible for the many people, regardless of housing situation, income, or technical expertise,” said Jacqueline Polak, expert for sustainable energy solutions at Ikea Germany. “Our goal is to create more transparency, flexibility, independence, and social participation in the energy market. Sustainable energy should not be a privilege, but the new normal.”

A report from McKinsey and Company says the relative ease of building out solar projects means the U.S and Europe are likely to meet their end-of-decade deployment targets, despite current pipeline gaps of around 205 GW and 181 GW.

The US and Europe are likely to meet their 2030 solar targets despite current project pipelines being smaller than their end-of-decade targets, according to a report from global management consulting firm McKinsey and Company.

McKinsey’s “Tracking the energy transition: where are we now?” report analyzes the pathway of solar, wind and battery energy storage system (BESS) technologies towards the 2030 deployment targets set by China, the United States and the EU-27, Norway, Switzerland and the UK in Europe.

It says the US is currently around 254 GW away from its 2030 target while Europe is around 275 GW away. In contrast, China has already more than doubled its 2030 target.

Despite the US and Europe currently lacking enough announced capacity to meet their 2030s targets, by around 205 GW and 181 GW respectively, McKinsey's analysis says they are still likely to find this additional capacity and reach their end-of-decade thresholds thanks to the ease of building out solar.

“While it is easier to track project build-out for other clean energy technologies, data visibility for solar is more limited due to individual household use and ease of build-out,” McKinsey’s report explains. “For example, a consumer can install household solar in two months. This means that the announced capacity may be underestimated in this analysis.”

Diego Hernandez Diaz, a partner at McKinsey, told pv magazine that while core markets will continue their build out, further demand growth will also occur in less saturated core markets such as Poland. “The advantage of some of these elements is that the more nascent markets can have a better economic trade off and can be built in an economically pragmatic way,” he explained.

The report does acknowledge that this growth trajectory is not guaranteed, citing supply chain risks, tariffs, shifting policy focus and growing political uncertainty as factors that can slow down progress. Hernandez Diaz added there will likely be an effect from shifting regulation across the board.

“Perhaps more importantly, however, is that beyond any regulation, what we continue to see is that if the underlying economics work, then deployment accelerates,” he stated. “All major geographies covered in the report have the underlying fundamentals to support accretive deployment of further renewable energy sources.”

The report also notes that the battery energy storage system (BESS) pipeline is growing rapidly across China, the US and Europe, but remains behind what is needed to meet 2030 targets. McKinsey estimates around an additional 123 GW is required in China, 154 GW in the US and 221 GW in Europe.

The analysts says BESS remains the dominant question mark but can be sited, permitted, constructed, and interconnected far faster than technologies such as nuclear or gas with carbon, capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) contributing to its rapid growth in recent years.

The report attributes the rapid acceleration of BESS installation to a positive business case for both large-scale operators and households when paired with solar. “Load balancing is also becoming a popular source of revenue for battery operators,” the report adds. “Planning and integrating BESS with renewable rollout is critical if 2030 net-zero targets are to be met.”