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...
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...
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...
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,...
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,...
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...
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...
Fossil Fuel Subsidies, High Costs Slow Energy Transition in Rural Indonesia
Indonesia’s Village Energy Transition Readiness Index shows solar adoption among households fell 26% between 2021 and 2024, while solar‑powered street lighting rose 20%. The decline is linked to high upfront costs, weak incentives and persistent fossil‑fuel subsidies. Regional gaps persist,...
Fox ESS Ranks No. 1 Globally in Residential Energy Storage
Fox ESS was ranked No. 1 worldwide for residential energy‑storage shipments in 2025, according to S&P Global’s Market Tracker. The company’s global market share jumped 50 % year‑over‑year, putting it ahead in Germany and the UK. Headcount doubled to over 5,000 employees, with...
ARENA Backs Lithium Refining Manufacturing Trial in Western Australia
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is committing up to AUD 38.1 million (about US$25 million) to fund a low‑emissions lithium‑phosphate demonstration plant in Western Australia. Led by PLS Group, the pilot will use Calix Limited’s electric‑kiln technology to cut calcination emissions by...
How Corporate Energy Buyers Are Reshaping the U.S. Grid: CEBA CEO Rich Powell on Data Centers, Nuclear, and Permitting Reform
Corporate energy buyers, organized through the Corporate Energy Buyers Association (CEBA), have locked in 143.8 GW of clean‑energy contracts since 2014—roughly the capacity of the Texas grid. The surge is powered primarily by data‑center and AI demand, which helped drive a...
Duke Energy’s Robinson Nuclear Plant Gets NRC Approval to Operate Until 2050
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a subsequent license renewal for Duke Energy’s Robinson Nuclear Plant, extending its operating life to 2050. The 759 MW facility, which powers roughly 570,000 homes, will continue providing carbon‑free electricity for another 20 years. The renewal...
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10 Budget-Friendly Outdoor Solar Lights to Upgrade Your Backyard This Season
Real Simple’s April 23 article spotlights ten affordable outdoor solar lighting options, each priced under $40 and featuring high customer ratings. The roundup includes Urago’s 10‑pack path lights, Gigalumi’s 16‑pack deck lights, Addlon’s 54‑foot string lights, and several firefly‑style and...
Rethinking Load Growth: New Partnerships Between Power Developers and Midstream Natural Gas Companies
The article highlights a six‑fold surge in U.S. peak‑load forecasts, driven by data‑center expansion and industrial electrification, and proposes capturing waste energy from natural‑gas pipelines using turbo‑expander generators. Over 3,500 pressure‑regulating facilities could be retrofitted with modular, low‑cost pressure‑to‑power systems,...
Octopus Energy and Lunar Energy Launch Fixed-Rate Energy Storage Program in Texas
Octopus Energy and Lunar Energy have launched a fixed‑price electricity plan in Texas that bundles a 30‑kWh home battery with a 8¢/kWh electricity rate for three years. The offering requires no upfront payment, charging a $45 monthly subscription for the...
NextEra Energy Adds Record 4 GW of Renewables and Storage Backlog in Q1
NextEra Energy posted Q1 2026 GAAP net income of $2.182 billion, up sharply from $833 million a year earlier, while adjusted earnings rose to $2.275 billion. Its subsidiary, NextEra Energy Resources, set a record by adding 4 GW of renewable and storage projects to...
Data Centers Drive Record Surge in GE Vernova Power Equipment Orders as Turbine Slots Tighten Through 2030
Data centers generated $2.4 bn of GE Vernova electrification orders in Q1 2026, outpacing the entire 2025 year. Total electrification orders doubled year‑over‑year to $7.1 bn, while gas turbine contracts grew to 100 GW, with 20% linked to data‑center load. The company’s 2030 turbine...
WA Commerce Webinar: Cool Classrooms on a Budget: How Federal Energy Tax Credits Can Help
Washington’s Commerce Department will host a May 11 webinar on using federal energy tax credits to fund ground‑source heat pump HVAC upgrades in schools. Seattle Public Schools and contractor McKinstry will share implementation insights. The state’s Clean Energy Tax Credit Assistance...
Pros of Retrofitting Old Commercial Fixtures With LEDs
Retrofitting existing commercial light fixtures with LED components lets owners upgrade lighting without full replacement, delivering major energy and maintenance savings. A 400‑watt metal‑halide can be swapped for a 150‑watt LED, cutting consumption 60‑75% and reducing cooling loads. LED kits...
Air Force ANPI Picks Put Radiant, Antares, Westinghouse on Track for First On‑Base Microreactors by 2028
The Air Force’s Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations (ANPI) program has named Radiant Industries, Antares Nuclear and Westinghouse Government Services to build contractor‑owned microreactors at Buckley Space Force Base, Malmstrom Air Force Base and Joint Base San Antonio, with initial...
‘Use It or Lose It’: Solar Advocates Say IRS Is Still Writing Checks for Tax Credits
Solar advocates warn Pennsylvania businesses, nonprofits and municipalities that the 30% federal production tax credit from the Inflation Reduction Act remains available, but only for projects that start construction by July 4 and become operational by Dec 31 2027. The Keystone Research Center...