Sodium-ion battery cell cost could drop to $40/kWh, says IRENA
A report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) notes that while it is still uncertain whether sodium-ion batteries will become a disruptive alternative to lithium-ion technology, they could offer significant cost-saving opportunities in applications such as electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage.
Community-based energy trading system for home solar-plus-storage
A research team led by Washington State University has developed a cloud-based system for trading and sharing energy from solar panels and batteries within a neighbourhood. The concept displayed potential energy cost savings of around 12% over a five-day test period.
PV-powered transportation system for 15-minute cities
A Canadian research team has developed a framework for local urban agriculture production, with the produce harvested distributed by electric vehicles powered by sidewalk-integrated photovoltaics. The PV-powered transportation system was calculated to have a payback time of 2.8 years.
IRENA says $554 billion invested in solar technologies in 2024
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) says solar is the only renewable energy technology where current investment levels are approaching the annual average needed through to 2030 to align with its 1.5 C pathway.
MIT researchers develop polymer film that could prevent solar panel corrosion
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say their polymer coating could be used to protect photovoltaic modules, due to its impermeability to gases. The team has demonstrated that a 60-nanometer-thick film can extend the lifetime of a perovskite crystal by several weeks.
IEA warns global solar growth may plateau through 2035
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said global solar capacity additions are projected to average 540 GW a year through 2035, as outlined in its World Energy Outlook 2025 report.
mPower Technology opens automated solar module line for space
mPower Technology Inc. has switched on an automated production line for its silicon solar panels designed for space missions. The site currently has an annual capacity of 1 MW, set to double by the middle of 2026.
Work underway on ‘river’ heat pump complex in Massachusetts
The U.S’ largest district energy provider has started building a 35 MW heat pump complex in Massachusetts that will replace a natural gas boiler. The system will harness heat from the Charles River to produce carbon-free steam.
Global solar module, inverter market to reach $115.8 billion by 2030
GlobalData analysts predict growth in the world’s solar module and inverter markets through to the end of the decade will be driven by the Asia Pacific region.
Nearly half of solar capacity will be co-located with storage by 2060, says DNV
DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook 2025 report also predicts that distributed generation solar should begin outpacing utility-scale installations in some parts of the world by 2060. It adds that the levelized cost of electricity for solar is beginning to plateau and is expected to slow to an annual drop below 1% by the 2050s.
