In its analysis, Ember examined grid capacity across 20 EU countries and found the major gap was at the transmission level, with a possible shortfall of 104 GW that would affect utility-scale solar projects.
India has installed 9.56GW of rooftop solar capacity under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY), according to government data presented in Parliament.
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has begun an investigation into tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar products in the US, following a complaint by US thin-film module manufacturer First Solar.
PV Tech spoke with Maximo on the use of robotic solar installation solution at AES' Bellefield utility-scale project and upcoming trends in PV robotics.
New system-level modelling from the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) has revealed that achieving ultra-low-cost solar targets could create a 2,000GW-scale solar PV market in Australia.
Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL), through its various step-down subsidiaries, has operationalised a total of 951 MW of renewable projects across Baiya, Rajasthan and Khavda, Gujarat. The commissioned capacities are 251 MW at Baiya and [...]
The rapid expansion of solar energy across utility-scale plants, industrial rooftops, and captive power systems has reshaped the dynamics of power generation and grid integration. At the heart of every efficient solar power plant lies a critical link between power generation and transmission – the Inverter Duty Transformer (IDT). Designed to handle the unique electrical […]
As the nation races toward its ambitious target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, the renewable energy revolution has moved from the margins to the mainstream, fundamentally reshaping commercial strategies, regulatory frameworks, and operational paradigms across the entire value chain. For energy regulators, power producers, distribution companies, and industry professionals, understanding this […]
Ending 2025 on a high note, UNRWA and the Government of Japan marked the successful completion of a solar power installation project at the Siblin Training Centre (STC) in southern Lebanon, bringing clean electricity to education, health, and water facilities to thousands of Palestine Refugee families across the country. Speaking at the launch of the […]
Uniper and NKT have signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for electricity from Uniper’s newly developed photovoltaic (PV) asset in Wilhelmshaven. The agreement represents a meaningful step for both companies as they strengthen their sustainability commitments and increase the use of regionally sourced renewable energy. The solar park Voslapper Groden, located on the ash […]
Spain installed 1.14 GW of solar capacity for self-consumption in 2025, lifting cumulative capacity to 9.3 GW, as residential and commercial installations declined while industrial and off-grid segments showed greater resilience, according to data from the Spanish Photovoltaic Union.
Solar self-consumption capacity in Spain reached a cumulative 9.3 GW in 2025, according to data from the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF).
Spain added 1,139 MW of new self-consumption capacity during the year, representing a 3.7% slowdown compared with 2024. UNEF said the deceleration signals a phase of market stabilization following several years of rapid growth.
The residential segment accounted for 229 MW across 36,330 new installations, a year-on-year decline of 17%. UNEF attributed the contraction to the phase-out of tax incentives linked to energy-efficient home renovations and lower compensation for surplus electricity exported to the grid under deregulated market contracts.
UNEF said falling surplus compensation prices are reducing the attractiveness of oversized systems designed primarily for grid injection. As a result, demand is shifting toward installations optimized for instantaneous self-consumption. The association is calling for revisions to the simplified regulated compensation mechanism to enable broader settlement of surplus energy and improve economic signals for small-scale systems.
The commercial segment installed 176 MW in 2025, down 15% from the previous year. Collective self-consumption remains limited despite its potential to optimize shared generation and demand. Industry representatives said pending regulatory updates are needed to enable aggregated management models, dynamic energy allocation, and an expansion of eligible self-consumption areas.
Industrial self-consumption installations totaled 679 MW, marking a slight increase compared with 2024. UNEF said growth in this segment is being driven by larger medium-voltage systems aimed at reducing electricity costs and partially covering electrified thermal demand. Project viability increasingly depends on tariff structures with a higher variable component and more streamlined permitting for medium-sized installations.
Off-grid installations reached 55 MW in 2025, reflecting growing uptake of hybrid solar-plus-storage systems in rural areas and locations without grid access. Battery integration in grid-connected installations also continued to rise, improving controllability of generation and supporting system flexibility.
UNEF said Spain will need to deploy an average of around 2 GW of self-consumption capacity per year to meet the 19 GW target set out in the country’s National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan. Achieving that level will require regulatory stability, administrative simplification, and more effective integration of distributed energy storage.
Czechia’s first international conference on solar and flexibility highlighted that the combination of solar with storage and flexibility sources is key to not just Czechia’s, but also Europe’s, secure and competitive electricity system.
Solar Flex Prague, jointly organised by SolarPower Europe, Solární Asociace and Asociace AKU-BAT CZ, welcomed visitors to a snowy Czech capital on Thursday (29 January), bringing together stakeholders from across Europe to discuss how flexibility solutions and storage can be further deployed.
The conference began with a speech from SolarPower Europe CEO, Walburga Hemetsberger, who said that while electrification is a lifeline for Europe, there is dwindling confidence in the energy transition among some politicians, some leading businesses and key players in the defence sector.
“The way out of the doubts is to really bank big time on flexibility, on storage and on electrification. This will show very concrete benefits very quickly, make politicians understand and really feel the benefits,” Hemetsberger told attendees, before adding that the combination of solar with storage and flexibility sources can lower energy system costs by €30 billion by 2030, while strengthening Europe’s security by removing dependency on foreign players.
Paula Dorado represented the European Commission via video call and told attendees work on an electrification action plan is underway, scheduled for adoption this year. The plan is expected to address barriers and provide a way forward on electrification for different sectors including companies, households and industrial processes, Dorado said.
Throughout the day, speakers were in agreement that storage and flexibility now play an integral role in Czechia’s electricity system. Panellists pointed out that solar-plus-storage projects can be implemented in a matter of months, offering companies the ability to save money or open new revenue streams. Other speakers stressed the idea that renewable sources are uncontrollable is now outdated, explaining that modern solar-plus-storage systems are not only manageable, offering the ability to respond to market prices and the needs of both transmission and distribution system operators, but are shifting from grid-following to grid-forming technologies and contribute to the stability of the electricity system.
Czechia appears ahead of the curve when it comes to deploying co-located storage with smaller-scale solar, with figures published by Czechia’s largest electricity distributor, ČEZ Distribuce, last September sharing 86% of solar plants connected during the first half of 2025 were equipped with energy storage. In contrast, the country’s large-scale solar market sits at a pivotal moment following the implementation of a legal framework for large-scale development and operation last year. During an afternoon session on opportunities and challenges related to storage and the grid, Rene Nedela from Czechia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade said up to 180 GW of BESS applications have been registered, although some are without any project readiness.
Several speakers advised Czechia to look to other countries further down the line of large-scale battery deployment, and in particular its neighbour Germany, whose favourable market environment for batteries has helped attract investors and move flexibility efforts forwards.
Attendees also said flexible solar-plus-storage projects could help to solve any power shortages that arise from the gradual shutdown of coal-fired power plants in Czechia. The Czech government has committed to phasing out coal-fired electricity generation by 2033 and the country’s last deep black coal mine shut down last month.
During the afternoon session, Alexandr Cerny from Czechia’s Energy Regulatory Office introduced proposed changes to Czechia’s energy tariffs, expected to come into force from the start of next year. The changes will restructure current tariff categories, particularly at the higher voltage levels, and are in part designed to reward flexibility in both consumption and generation, holding the potential to help ramp up the deployment of batteries while better integrating renewables to the grid.
Solar Flex Prague was SolarPower Europe’s second conference on flexibility following the inaugural Solar Flex Croatia held last March. A second edition of Solar Flex Croatia will take place in Zagreb on March 17 this year and Hemetsberger told pv magazine work is currently underway preparing the first Solar Flex Italy for later this year.
54% of respondents cited “energy availability and redundancy” as the single greatest obstacle to successful data center development between now and 2030.
aw firm Foley & Lardner LLP released today its 2026 Data Center Development Report, focusing on the growth and challenges in the data center boom that aims to sustain the growth in AI and LLM usage.
A major focus was on energy, with 54% of respondents citing “energy availability and redundancy” as the single greatest obstacle to successful data center development between now and 2030.
Want to learn more about matching renewables with data center demand?
The event will spotlight how solar and energy storage solutions are driving sustainable and reliable infrastructure, with a particular focus on powering the country’s rapidly growing data center sector.
In terms of the right energy mix for data centers, 55% of respondents agreeing that the ideal energy mix to meet the growing power demand of data centers is largely renewables (41%), followed by natural gas (17%), nuclear (16%), and BESS (14%).
Nearly half (48%) of industry participants named advances in energy efficiency (which often includes storage optimization) as the greatest opportunity for development through the end of the decade, and nearly three in four respondents (74%) said advanced energy storage systems like batteries, hybrid solutions, and microgrids are the best way to ensure energy resilience.
Only 14% of developers are actually pursuing modular and small modular nuclear reactors as a viable energy opportunity.
Intriguingly, 63% anticipate a “strategic correction” in the market by 2030, driven by the intense competition for power, with one unnamed banking executive in the report saying, “Once power runs out in 2027 or 2028, that’s where we think deal flow will start to slow down.”
105 U.S.-based respondents were qualified to participate in the survey, including those who had direct experience in data center development, energy procurement, technology delivery, or operations within the past 24 months.
Daniel Farris, partner and co-lead of Foley’s data center and digital infrastructure team: “There is a Gold Rush mentality right now around securing power. That’s a big part of why people feel there’s a bubble,” said “There’s going to a period in the next two to three years where power at necessary levels is going to be really hard to come by.”
Rachel Conrad, senior counsel and co-lead of Foley’s data center and digital infrastructure team: “Over the next five to 10 years, power providers will need to either grow capacity or increase efficiency to meet the demand fueled by data centers.”
Brazil curtailed about one-fifth of its solar and wind generation in 2025, wasting an estimated BRL 6.5 billion ($1.23 billion), as grid constraints and demand mismatches pushed the power system close to operational safety limits on 16 days, according to a report from Volt Robotics.
Brazil failed to use roughly 20% of the solar and wind electricity it generated in 2025, resulting in an estimated loss of BRL 6.5 billion, according to Volt Robotics’ Annual Curtailment Report.
Volt Robotics said the scale of curtailment reflects an unprecedented period of renewable oversupply combined with operational constraints in Brazil’s national electricity system.
Average generation cuts reached 4,021 MW over the year, equivalent to the monthly output of a large hydroelectric plant. On at least 16 days in 2025, system operation approached the lower technical safety limit, a sharp increase from 2024, when only one comparable event was recorded.
Volt Robotics said the 2025 events were driven by excess electricity supply rather than scarcity, marking a structural shift in system risk dynamics.
Curtailment intensified between August and October, when historically high levels of generation coincided with transmission constraints and weaker demand. The report attributes the peak losses to a combination of operational limitations, grid congestion, and insufficient flexibility to absorb surplus power.
Sunday mornings emerged as the most frequent stress point for the grid. Volt Robotics said reduced economic activity during weekends lowers electricity demand, while solar output peaks and is often reinforced by strong wind generation. This recurring mismatch leads to network overloads, forced generation cuts, and system operation near the lower safety threshold.
The report also highlights the risk of system instability caused by excess renewable generation. During the 16 critical days, Brazil’s National System Operator classified conditions as severe and implemented emergency measures, supported by the National Electric Energy Agency, including extraordinary generation curtailments.
Volt Robotics warned that without structural adjustments, surplus clean energy itself can become a source of operational risk.
The economic impact extends beyond immediate revenue losses. Frequent curtailment increases perceived investment risk, raises financing costs, and weakens Brazil’s appeal for new renewable energy projects, the report said. Both regulated and free-market projects were affected, with exposure to contractual penalties and the Settlement Price of Differences.
Regionally, Minas Gerais, Ceará, and Rio Grande do Norte recorded the highest levels of curtailed energy, forming what Volt Robotics described as Brazil’s “curtailment triangle.” Southern states experienced significantly lower losses.
Volt Robotics said the situation reflects a structural mismatch between rapid renewable capacity expansion, rising distributed generation, transmission bottlenecks, and tariff structures that do not adequately signal when electricity consumption is most valuable.
The report recommends the introduction of more dynamic time-of-use tariffs, stronger demand-side participation, and regulatory reforms to reduce curtailment and maintain the stability of Brazil’s electricity system.
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