Powering the AI revolution
Developers from the renewable energy and data center markets are working to find common ground to meet surging energy demand fueled by the artificial intelligence boom.
Digging into China’s solar capacity numbers
Amid a record amount of new solar capacity added in China in 2024, the share held by small-scale, “distributed” arrays fell to 38%, from 58% in 2022. Grid constraints, policy changes, and pricing adjustments have impacted home and business solar arrays, as Vincent Shaw reports, from Shanghai.
Siberian high, late La Niña onset drive sunny start to 2025 in East Asia
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, says much of East Asia enjoyed a sunnier-than-usual start to the year due to a persistent Siberian high and delayed La Niña onset. However, a fully developed La Niña brought heavy cloud cover and flooding to other parts of the region, especially Indonesia.
Solar-plus-storage for extreme low temperatures
Scientists in the United States have created a testing platform for energy harvesting in solar-plus-storage systems under extreme temperatures ranging from -180 C to 300 C.
Record year for UK solar as renewables generate most electricity
Renewables accounted for majority of annual UK electricity generation for the first time in 2024, with solar enjoying record highs despite fewer sun hours Gains for PV reflect increased deployed capacity, which hit 18 GW in February 2025 according to the latest government figures.
Borussia Dortmund plans 4.2 MW PV system at soccer stadium
Borussia Dortmund, a German soccer team, is partnering with JA Solar and RWE to install a 4.2 MW solar system with battery storage at its stadium, supplying 4 MWh for on-site consumption. A smaller PV installation is already in operation on the stadium roof.
Austria installs 2.2 GW of PV in 2024
Austria installed 2.2 GW of new PV capacity in 2024, bringing its cumulative total to 8.3 GW by the end of the year, according to industry group PV Austria.
California solar on canals initiative moves forward
The California Solar Canal Initiative (CSCI) aims to use research from the University of California, Merced, to find communities willing to generate power with solar-covered canals.
Portugal adds 1.77 GW of solar in 2024
Portugal set a record for solar deployment in 2024, installing 1.77 GW and surpassing the previous year’s total. The country’s cumulative installed PV capacity now stands at 5.66 GW, as it works toward a revised 20.8 GW target by 2030.
Solar adds record 452 GW to global renewables capacity in 2024
Global renewables capacity grew by a record 585 GW in 2024, with solar accounting for 452 GW, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Solar and wind together made up 96.6% of the increase.
