Utility Scale PV

Dutch tulip nursery Rainbow Colors has completed the installation of a 1 MW solid oxide electrolyzer for on-site hydrogen production, while GlobalData says global low-carbon hydrogen capacity could reach up to 65.3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by 2030, driven largely by green hydrogen expansion in the Americas.

Egyptian Electricity Transmission Co. (EETC) has launched an international tender for a 500 MW solar project in Egypt’s West Nile region. The deadline to submit prequalification documents is May 11.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that January 2026 saw Europe’s coldest month since 2010, with Eastern Europe and Scandinavia enjoying above-average solar irradiance under stable, dry air, while the UK, Spain, and Portugal faced record cloudiness and rainfall that sharply reduced PV output.

U.S. researchers are testing regenerative agrivoltaics at a farm in Southern California, combining solar panels with soil-restoring practices like composting, cover cropping, and no-till farming to enhance crop yields, soil health, and water-use efficiency. The pilot evaluates technical, ecological, and economic viability while exploring how this land-sharing approach can optimize food and energy production, reduce irrigation needs, and inform larger-scale deployment and policy frameworks.

South Africa’s cumulative solar capacity likely exceeded 10 GW by the end of last year, according to analysis from the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association.

An Australian research team has developed a five-step, rule-based method that detects and classifies underperformance in PV systems using only AC-side inverter data. Validated across more than 1,000 systems, the approach offers a low-cost, low-intervention solution for improving reliability, fault response, and PV system performance.

Intertek CEA has acquired German PV inspection specialist Aerial PV Inspection GmbH (AePVI) to expand high-speed drone and ground-based quality assurance for utility-scale solar assets across Europe.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $350 million loan to Gulf Renewable Energy to build 194 MW of solar capacity, including two battery-integrated projects, in central Thailand.

Japanese petroleum company Idemitsu Kosan has announced its 2 MW agricultural solar power plant, installed 3.8 meters above a rice paddy, has begun operating. The project features a community-based model that returns a portion of the profits from power generation to the farmers.

Turboden, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, has energized what it calls the world’s largest steam-producing heat pump, delivering 12 MWth of superheated steam using low-grade waste heat and CO₂-free electricity with a coefficient of performance 10% above its guaranteed value of 2.