Spain’s nationwide blackout leaves millions in the dark, cause still unclear
Spanish energy expert Antonio Delgado Rigal tells pv magazine that while the exact cause of yesterday’s nationwide blackout in Spain remains unclear, preliminary signs point to grid instability triggered by system failure.
India installs 7.8 GW of solar in Q1
India installed 7.8 GW of solar capacity in the first quarter of 2025, marking its second-highest quarterly total in the past 13 quarters, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
Low residential solar feed-in tariffs can encourage battery deployment
Analysis of feed-in tariff scenarios in Central and Eastern Europe finds that while high feed-in tariffs are linked to the adoption of residential solar, lower tariffs are more likely to encourage battery installations. The study proposes a moderately low range of tariffs as one compromise to support both technologies.
IBC Solar launches mounting systems for rooftop, facade PV systems
Germany’s IBC Solar has developed two new mounting systems for rooftop and facade PV installations: the WallFix system, made of aluminum and stainless steel, and the AeroFix G3.1, designed for modules up to 3 square meters.
Balcony solar gains US foothold with plug-and-play systems
Bright Saver, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, aims to bring the European balcony solar trend to US homes with low-cost, plug-in systems that require no interconnection approvals or permits in some jurisdictions.
Viessmann launches new residential air-to-water heat pumps
The Germany manufacturer said its new heat pump systems use propane (R290) as the refrigerant and are able to provide a maximum flow temperature of 70 C. Their coefficient of performance ranges from 4.7 to 5.1.
Solar gains across Brazil and Caribbean despite above average rain
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Southern Brazil and the northern Andes were irradiance hotspots during March, posting anomalies as high as 30% above the climatological average. The increase came despite intense rainfall causing flooding in other parts of South America.
Austria launches €60 million rebate program for rooftop PV in 2025
Austria has opened applications for its €60 million ($68.3 million) rooftop PV rebate program for 2025, with a second-round “Made in Europe” bonus offering 20% more funding for projects using European-made components, says OeMAG.
US solar industry to add 502 GW (DC) of capacity in next decade
Wood Mackenzie warns that policy uncertainty could significantly alter its projections for US solar industry growth. The research firm says the US solar industry will add 502 GW (DC) of capacity over the next decade, with annual installations surpassing 40 GWdc through 2035.
Solar-air-ground CO2 heat pump system for renewables maximization
Researchers in Italy have designed a novel carbon dioxide heat pump that can work with photovoltaic-thermal energy, a finned coil heat exchanger and a U-tube borehole heat exchanger. Their experiment has shown that the simultaneous use of at least two energy sources always results in improved system performance even with limited heat transfer areas.
