Materials Engineering Gaps Threaten Africa’s Renewable Energy Payoffs
Africa’s solar market is expanding rapidly, accounting for 50‑60% of global renewable growth despite representing only 2% of installed capacity. However, mid‑scale projects are falling short of financial expectations, delivering 5‑8% returns versus the modeled 8‑15% due to high temperatures and equipment degradation. Experts at the African Root Cause Analysis conference blame imported engineering standards and a severe shortage of local materials engineers, a gap that has deepened since 2009. They argue that risk intelligence must move upstream and be tailored to African conditions to unlock the continent’s renewable potential.
‘It’s a Tightrope’: Why Europe Faces a China Dilemma over Its Wind Power Drive
European wind firms gathered in Madrid amid a surge in demand for clean power, yet Chinese exhibitors were conspicuously absent. Policymakers are wrestling with a dilemma: prioritize "Made in Europe" production to protect jobs, or rely on cheaper Chinese components...
Copper Supply Squeeze Deepens, Threatening Auto and Tech Makers
New data from analysts and miners shows the global copper gap widening to a 10 million‑metric‑ton shortfall by 2040, with 2026 deficits already exceeding 400,000 tons. The squeeze is pushing prices toward $12,650 per ton and forcing automotive, electronics and renewable‑energy manufacturers...
Egypt Launches Green Aviation Strategy, Engages Advisors for SAF and Digital Overhaul
Egypt’s civil aviation ministry announced a comprehensive green aviation roadmap that adds 34 new aircraft, builds a solar‑powered Terminal 4, studies domestic SAF production and rolls out a digital passport system. Officials said external advisory support will be key to delivering...
ABB's New DC Fast Charger Goes Into Megawatt Territory
ABB E‑Mobility introduced the OM M‑Series power cabinet, a modular DC fast‑charging system capable of delivering up to 1.2 MW to a single electric vehicle or sharing that power across 24 cars. The cabinet achieves an industry‑leading power density of 625 kW...
Premier Energies Unveils ESG Roadmap Targeting 10 GW Capacity and Decarbonisation
Premier Energies Limited announced a Mission‑2028 ESG strategy that places decarbonisation, circular manufacturing and supply‑chain control at its core. The plan targets 10 GW of integrated solar capacity, a 95% reduction in water use at cell facilities and a 34% women...
ABS, PIL to Collaborate on Emissions Verification for Marine Fuels
The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Pacific International Lines (PIL) have signed a memorandum of understanding to provide third‑party verification of emissions from alternative marine fuels. ABS will audit PIL’s fuel consumption, transport activity and emissions data, enabling the...
European Rooftop Solar Orders Triple as Gas Prices Soar, Sales Hit $82 M in March
European rooftop solar installers reported orders tripling since the Iran‑related gas price spike. Solarhandel24’s net sales jumped to €70 million ($82 million) in March, while Enpal saw a 30% YoY rise to €130 million. The surge reflects households’ push for energy independence amid...
FEMA Approves $2 Million to Support Flood Mitigation in New York
FEMA announced nearly $2 million in funding for flood‑mitigation projects in New York, adding to a broader $250 million allocation for more than 100 projects nationwide. The money will support four initiatives: a $1 million risk‑assessment of 27 New York City Department of...
Opinion: Canada’s Hydro Power Problem Is All the Barriers Blocking It
Canada possesses at least 150,000 MW of untapped hydro potential—roughly double its current capacity—and hydro already provides over half of the nation’s electricity. Yet projects like the $25 billion Gull Island scheme are stalled by lengthy permitting processes and financing tools that...
VIDEO – Energy Storage Summit 2026: How Much LDES Does the UK Need, and at What Price?
At the Energy Storage Summit 2026 in London, a panel titled “Driving LDES Forward: The Perfect Time to Invest?” examined how much long‑duration energy storage (LDES) the UK requires, the suitability of the government’s cap‑and‑floor procurement model, and expected price...
China’s Energy Storage Battery Exports Hit 27.3GWh in Q1 2026
China’s energy‑storage battery exports reached 27.3 GWh in Q1 2026, representing 32.4% of total battery shipments and a 15% year‑on‑year increase. Combined power and storage battery exports climbed to 84.1 GWh, up 36.7% YoY, with March alone posting a 96.9% month‑on‑month jump to...
Ireland Promises to Prioritise Grid Package when It Takes over EU Presidency
Ireland will take over the rotating EU Council presidency in July 2026 and has pledged to make the European grids package a top priority. The package is designed to modernise transmission networks, boost cross‑border interconnections and accelerate storage, thereby delivering...
Japanese Scientists Build All-Perovskite Tandem Solar Cell with 30.2% Efficiency
Japanese researchers at the University of Tokyo have demonstrated an all‑perovskite four‑terminal tandem solar cell that reaches a 30.2% power conversion efficiency. The device pairs a 24.4% wide‑bandgap top cell with a 21.5% narrow‑bandgap bottom cell using a spectral‑splitting architecture...
A Targeting Light‐Management Strategy Affords Ultraviolet‐Stable and Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells
Researchers introduced a novel light‑management molecule, Rhodamine B‑acylhydrazine (RhBH), into inverted perovskite solar cells. The RhBH‑Pb2+ chelate down‑converts harmful ultraviolet photons into visible light while simultaneously passivating intrinsic defects. This dual action enabled a record non‑encapsulated power conversion efficiency of...
WindEurope 2026: Ireland Signs Energy Pacts
Ireland’s Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien, signed memorandums of understanding with Spain and the United Kingdom at WindEurope in Madrid. The Spain deal creates a framework to study a future electricity interconnector linking the two nations,...
'Spain Must Expand Pumped Storage'
The International Hydropower Association (IHA) issued a four‑point plan urging Spain to fast‑track pumped‑storage projects as renewable output soars. Spain’s wind and solar capacity has doubled since 2019, delivering 46% of electricity in H1 2025 while wholesale prices sit 32% below...
TotalEnergies Green Light for 1GW Kazak Wind Giant
TotalEnergies has approved a final investment decision for the 1 GW Mirny on‑shore wind and battery energy storage project in southeast Kazakhstan. The $1.2 bn development pairs 150 turbines with a 600 MWh battery system and is expected to generate 100 TWh of renewable...
Beware of Resource-Hungry Big Tech Taking a Foothold
Microsoft announced a A$25 b (≈US$16.5 bn) AI and data‑center investment in Australia, sparking debate over its economic payoff. Critics argue the plan adds pressure to a city already grappling with a construction‑worker shortage and a housing deficit. They warn that power‑...
Saudi Arabia Launches Qualification Process for 12 GWh of Battery Storage Projects
Saudi Power Procurement Company has opened the qualification stage for a second batch of battery energy storage projects, comprising six 500 MW/2 GWh facilities that together deliver 3 GW of power and 12 GWh of storage. The projects will be built, owned and operated...
Synthetic Methane’s Opening Window for Investors and Policy Makers
Synthetic methane, or e‑methane, is shifting from a technical curiosity to an investable asset because it can run through existing gas infrastructure without massive retrofits. The e‑NG Coalition tracks more than 150 projects worldwide, targeting roughly 1.3 million tonnes of production...
IQIP, EnBW and Vattenfall to Deploy EQ-Piling at Dreekant Project
IQIP, EnBW and Vattenfall are set to carry out the first full‑scale offshore monopile installation using EQ‑Piling technology at the 1 GW Dreekant wind farm in Germany. Developed by IQIP, EQ‑Piling is a noise‑mitigation system that also promises lower CO₂ emissions...
Two Ammonia-Fueled Ammonia Carriers to Sport Wärtsilä Systems in 2027
Wärtsilä Gas Solutions will equip two 51,350 m³ ammonia‑fueled carriers with cargo‑handling and fuel‑gas supply systems. The vessels, built at China’s Nantong CIMC Sinopacific yard for a Navigator Gas‑Amon Maritime joint venture, can run on dual‑fuel ammonia or LPG engines. Wärtsilä booked the...
Why Japan Should Help Pay for Indonesia’s Coal Exit
Indonesia, one of the world’s largest coal producers, faces a pivotal transition as it pledges net‑zero emissions and renewable expansion. The authors argue that a bilateral Japan‑Indonesia just‑transition fund, focused on coal‑dependent provinces such as West Java and East Kalimantan,...
Duke Energy’s Proactive Grid Upgrades Under Fire From Electric Co-Ops
Duke Energy is proactively upgrading poles and wires in North Carolina to clear space for up to 3.7 GW of new solar, spreading the $57 million cost across all ratepayers rather than charging developers fully. Electric cooperatives, which purchase wholesale power from...
India Needs Two Time Zones to Electrify Its Future, Reduce Energy Stress
India’s single‑time‑zone policy forces the east and west to operate on identical clocks, creating simultaneous peaks in electricity demand as factories, EV chargers and air‑conditioners come online. Analysts argue that adopting two time zones—GMT +6 for the eastern states and GMT +5...
How BIPV Façades Behave Under Enclosure Fire Conditions
A research team led by the University of Science and Technology of China built a stainless‑steel compartment to evaluate how building‑integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) façades behave in enclosure fires. The study tested three PV module types—CdTe thin‑film, double‑glazed crystalline silicon and...
China Wafer Declines Narrow as Demand-Side Regulation Lifts Market Sentiment
China's photovoltaic wafer prices saw their steepest weekly declines narrow, with n-type M10 and G12 wafers falling only 0.71% and 0.59% respectively. Despite the modest pull‑back, trading volumes remain weak as solar‑cell manufacturers operate at reduced capacity, dampening downstream demand....
The GWEC 2026 Report Highlights Opportunities for Composites in the Wind Energy Sector
The Global Wind Energy Council’s Global Wind Report 2026 projects a pivotal 2025, with 165 GW of new installations pushing total worldwide capacity beyond 1,299 GW. The report frames wind power as a core infrastructure element, accelerated by fossil‑fuel supply tensions and...
Daikin Unveils ‘Plumb-and-Play’ Residential Heat Pump
Daikin has introduced the Altherma 3 H HT, a pre‑engineered air‑to‑water heat pump that can replace traditional boilers with a plug‑and‑play setup. The unit operates down to –28 °C using R‑32 refrigerant and can deliver water up to 70 °C, making it compatible with existing...
DTU Uses Lithoz Ceramic 3D Printing to Build Gyroid Fuel Cells
Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) have used Lithoz’s ceramic 3D‑printing platform to fabricate monolithic solid‑oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with gyroid lattice structures made from 8 mol % yttria‑stabilized zirconia. The gyroid architecture delivers a power‑to‑weight ratio of roughly 1 W g⁻¹,...
Jim Hart, CEO BCS Consultancy: Data Centre Truths 2026
In this episode, Jim Hart, co‑founder and CEO of BCS Consultancy, breaks down the findings of the Data Centre Truths 2026 report, highlighting the sector’s shift from pure data‑centre projects to broader infrastructure development. He stresses a looming talent gap—projected...
NUST Student Targets Mining’s Grid Pains With Oil-Free Smart Transformer
National University of Science and Technology student Weston Mabota unveiled an oil‑free smart hybrid transformer designed for Zimbabwean mines. The prototype replaces mineral‑oil insulation with forced‑air cooling and a power‑electronic shunt, enabling bidirectional power flow from on‑site solar and electric...
Bangladesh Launches Tenders for 77.6 MW of Solar
Bangladesh’s Power Development Board (BPDB) has issued tenders for three grid‑connected solar projects totaling 77.6 MW across Chittagong, Rangamati and Dinajpur. The plants will be built on a turnkey basis, financed by BPDB and the Power Sector Development Fund, with completion...
Bunnings Extends Zero Up-Front Home Solar and Battery Deal to Three New States
Bunnings is extending its zero‑up‑front home solar and battery subscription, Zelora, to Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. The service, developed with Intellihub, offers four battery‑only or battery‑plus‑solar packages that are installed for free and paid via monthly fees ranging from...
Put a (Roof) Coat On—It Is Hot Out There
EnKoat, a startup backed by Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) and Galvanize Real Estate, applied its dual‑function IntelliKoat roof coating to a 60,000‑sq‑ft warehouse in Pedricktown, New Jersey. The coating acts as a thermal barrier and weather shield, aiming to lower interior...
Trash Traps Capture Litter Before It Can Wash Into Waterways
University of Florida students and volunteers in Cedar Key, Florida, clean ten mesh trash traps installed in storm drains to stop litter from entering local waterways. The effort, called Operation TRAP, systematically sorts and logs debris, finding cigarette butts and...
Fortescue Tips Another $1B Into Pilbara Green Energy Infrastructure
Fortescue Metals Group’s board approved an additional US$680 million (A$954 million) to expand its Pilbara Green Energy Project, fast‑tracking a 200 MW renewable power hub in Western Australia. The investment will broaden the infrastructure to supply electricity to third‑party customers, not just Fortescue’s...
Fortescue Tips Another $1B Into Pilbara Green Energy Infrastructure
Fortescue Metals Group’s board approved an additional US$680 million (approximately A$954 million) to accelerate the 200 MW Pilbara Green Energy Project in Western Australia. The funding will expand solar and battery infrastructure that will supply renewable power to Fortescue’s mines and third‑party customers...
Most Home Batteries Were Never Designed for a Home, and That’s a Potential Problem
Australia leads global rooftop solar adoption, with one‑in‑three homes equipped. Rising energy costs and government incentives, such as the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, are spurring demand for residential battery storage. However, many available systems originate from commercial applications, overlooking space,...
Wärtsilä Lands $790 MW Off‑grid Power Order for Texas Data‑center Hub
Wärtsilä Energy won a 790 MW off‑grid power contract for a Texas data‑center under construction, deploying 42 50SG natural‑gas engines. The plant, scheduled for delivery in 2028 and operation by late 2029, expands Wärtsilä’s U.S. data‑center footprint and underscores the push...
Grid-Forming Inverters Feature in 74% of Australia’s 33.2GW NEM Battery Storage Pipeline
Around 74% of battery projects in Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) now feature grid‑forming inverters, a technology that can independently control voltage and frequency. The NEM battery storage pipeline surged to 33.2 GW in Q1 2026, a 62% increase from the previous...
Sightline Climate Reports $90 Bn of Investable Dry Powder for Climate Tech in 2026
Sightline Climate released its 2026 Climate Dry Powder & New Funds Report, revealing $90 bn of investable capital for climate‑focused ventures. The data underscores a record 2025 for fund closings and points to a concentrated group of limited partners driving the...
Solar-Battery Project Seals First Local Benefits Deal Under State’s Rigorous New Planning Regime
Res Australia’s Queensland arm, Central Queensland Power, signed the state’s first solar community benefits agreement (CBA) for the 450 MW Wooderson project, unlocking its development application under Queensland’s new planning regime. The deal obligates the developer to contribute roughly $560 per...
Clean Tech Cuts Fossil Demand Beyond India's Coal Use
In 2025 alone, solar, wind, EVs and heat pumps erased 800m tons of coal demand, more than the entire coal use of India. It also wiped out 260 billion cubic meters of gas, nearly half the global LNG market Clean tech...
Batteries Increasingly Paired with Fossil Fuel Power
Batteries aren't just being used to power the clean energy revolution. They're also increasingly being paired with fossil fuels https://t.co/ljCr00WgLa
Deepening ISA and SEforALL Partnership for Global Solar Access
Great catching up with @Ashish_Khanna, @isolaralliance Director General. Together with @FemiAkinyelure & @LeeAbiola, we explored how to deepen collaboration, building on the strong complementarity between ISA’s global #solar mandate and @SEforALLorg's #SDG7 & #energyaccess work. https://t.co/fpDbNt1jEw
Startup Simplifies Solar Sign‑Up Like Phone Plans
U.S. startup aims to make signing up for solar as easy as signing up for cell phone service #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/0gRf85CNrZ
Wealthy Exploit Solar Subsidies, Burden the Poor
Big Green Lies: Are the rich using solar to steal from the poor? #energysky -- via Renew Economy: https://t.co/6EYw2L26dH https://t.co/7hqDkAKRf9
Guangdong Power Prices Near Double Amid LNG Shortage
Power prices in China's industrial hub have almost doubled due in part due to a natural gas supply crunch 🇨🇳⚡ Spot rates in Guangdong climbed to ~680 yuan/MWh — a three-year high. The region is getting 40% less LNG due to...