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.
Construction starts on first big battery to directly connect to TenneT Netherlands network
Dutch energy storage firm Return has started construction on the 100 MW/200 MWh battery energy storage system in Waddinxveen, which will be the first project of the size to connect to the TenneT Netherlands high-voltage network in 2026. Vattenfall will manage and optimize half of the system’s capacity under an eight-year contract.
Japan launches subsidy program to cut costs of renewable heat systems
The Japanese government says it has opened applications for a subsidy initiative aimed at cutting costs for renewable heat and industrial waste heat systems. The program supports equipment upgrades that lower emissions and improve energy efficiency.
Negative electricity prices return to Europe
AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s latest analysis finds most major European electricity markets recorded negative prices during the third week of April, particularly over the Easter weekend. The Portuguese and Spanish markets saw zero or negative prices across each day last week.
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.
Spain’s Cegasa presents its first utility-scale battery
The Spanish manufacturer will exhibit the E/Xpand HV battery at the upcoming Smarter E show in Munich next month. It will showcase racks for commercial and industrial (C&I) and large-scale systems of up to 5 MWh.
GoodWe unveils new solar carport
GoodWe BIPV has identified new applications for its Vela residential solar carport. The modular unit is gaining traction in rural and small commercial settings in Australia as an alternative to ground-mounted and rooftop PV systems.
Tariff uncertainty grips US battery development
The Trump administration’s China tariffs have piled atop existing and developing trade barriers on battery energy storage systems, components, and materials – destabilizing the US energy storage industry. While existing inventories will allow project development to move forward in the short term, uncertainty extends across the supply chain, including to prospective manufacturers.
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.
Aisin Corporation starts perovskite solar PV outdoor trial
The Japanese automotive components and systems manufacturer began testing its proprietary organic perovskite solar modules in what will be a 30 kW outdoor field trial at one of its facilities in Anjo.
