World

A Japanese joint-pilot will test grid-scale BESS with a range of local and remote attack vectors, with cybersecurity monitoring to watch for indications of anomalies.

German engineering firm BEC Energie Consult has developed a substructure for low-mounted agrivoltaics designed to provide cost-efficient installation while supporting crop growth and livestock management, with the potential to enhance economic viability.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

Analysis from GlobalData finds the UAE’s cumulative solar capacity increased from 5.7 GW to around 6.7 GW last year. The country’s annual solar deployments are forecast to increase in the coming years, with 20 GW of installed solar expected by the end of the decade.

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are increasingly used in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) applications for data centers and to speed grid connections, offering services beyond what gas turbines can provide, including emerging approaches such as bring your own capacity (BYOC) and flexible grid connections (FGC).

Researchers analyzed 16 years of data from over 1 million PV systems in Germany and found annual degradation is just 0.52–0.61%, roughly half prior estimates. Environmental factors like heat, frost, and air pollution affect performance, while smaller systems degrade less than larger ones, boosting long-term reliability and profitability.

Marstek has unveiled a plug-in storage system with a two-kilowatt-hour capacity. The device plugs into a standard household socket and is designed to store solar power from balcony systems or draw in cheap electricity from dynamic pricing tariffs.

Australia has become one of the world’s most attractive destinations for hyperscale data centers, ranking among the top five to 10 markets globally by capacity. Drivers include large land availability in Renewable Energy Zones, renewable penetration exceeding 40% across the National Electricity Market (NEM), geopolitical stability, Five Eyes membership, and proximity to Asia-Pacific demand hubs.

TNO has launched Perovion Technologies to industrialize lightweight, flexible perovskite solar cells, targeting niche applications where conventional panels are unsuitable. The company plans to build the first roll-to-roll perovskite solar cell manufacturing facility in the Netherlands by 2030.

U.S. researchers developed a framework showing that wider spacing between solar PV rows can make agrivoltaic systems economically viable for large-scale mechanized farming. Their simulations in Colorado demonstrated that optimized row spacing maintains crop production while improving combined agricultural and energy revenues.