With the increasing pressure to decarbonise the energy system while preserving arable land and biodiversity, agrivoltaics is quickly becoming a vital pathway towards sustainable development. A new report from the IEA PVPS Task 13 lays out a compelling vision for how solar energy and agriculture can not only coexist but thrive together.

In recent years, the world has experienced a significant surge in the number of data centres, resulting in a rise in energy demand, posing both challenges and opportunities for the global energy sector.

With module sizes increasing, labour shortages worsening and workplace safety risks escalating, automation is a necessity.

Around the world, more and more electric vehicles are hitting the road. Last year, more than 17 million battery-electric and hybrid vehicles were sold. Early forecasts suggest this year’s figure might reach 20 million. Nearly 20% of all cars sold today are electric.

A re-elected Albanese government will take the unprecedented step of buying or obtaining options over key critical minerals to protect Australia’s national interest and boost its economic resilience.

Australia’s solar sector is poised for significant growth in the next five years with a new report projecting utility-scale PV will exceed 50 GW total capacity by 2030, up from about 10 GW current operational capacity.

Western Australia-based Carnegie Clean Energy has inked an agreement that will see it explore the development of its wave power generation technology in waters off the coast of southcentral Alaska.

The Clean Energy Council has commenced the search for a new chief executive officer after current head Kane Thornton announced he would be stepping down after 10 years at the helm of the industry association.

New data released by the Australian Energy Market Operator details the growing reach of clean energy technologies with renewables, including grid-scale and rooftop solar providing 43% of the supply mix in the nation’s main grid during the first three months of the year.

The Taiwanese government has proposed new rules requiring PV installations on most new, expanded, or renovated buildings. The draft standards aim to boost renewable energy and decarbonisation by setting minimum solar capacity requirements, with potential exemptions for insufficient sunlight or technical issues.

The Queensland government has introduced laws into parliament marking a major proposed shift in how large-scale renewable energy projects will be assessed and approved across the state.

Australia’s rooftop solar market suffered a downturn in April with about 225 MW of new capacity registered across the country last month, down 10% compared to the previous month.

Malaysia’s first rooftop aggregation initiative for solar systems is now live. The program allows homeowners to lease or rent their rooftop for solar generation, with the electricity produced sold to commercial and domestic customers within a 5 km radius.

Panasonic has told its installation partners that it will no longer produce products for the residential solar and storage markets but will continue to offer warranty and installation support for existing and ongoing projects.

Victoria’s largest urban solar farm has been officially switched on at La Trobe University’s Melbourne campus, marking a major milestone in the university’s ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2029.

AGL’s 500 MW / 1,000 MWh Liddell battery energy storage system is taking shape with the recent installation of the first of more than of 1,500 battery units planned for the project site in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.

Tasmanian shipbuilder Incat has marked a significant milestone in global shipbuilding with the launch of the world’s largest 100% electric ship.

New research from the University of New South Wales have found that the Special Injected Metallisation (JSIM) technique developed by Chinese manufacturer Jolywood can considerably increase TOPCon solar cell efficiency. The scientists described precisely how laser-assisted firing enhances cell performance, reportedly filling critical gaps in industrial TOPCon cell optimisation.

Researchers in Iran developed a passive solar module cooling method using silicon carbide porous ceramic. When combined with phase change materials, the technique reportedly boosts panel performance by up to 7.4%.

Sydney-based Green Energy Systems and its innovative Solar Waves system are to be included for trial as part of Project Nexus, California’s first solar canal pilot project, currently underway in California’s Central Valley.

The battery unit of the Chinese PV manufacturer said its new large-scale battery has a lifecycle of more than 12,000 cycles. The system has a nominal capacity of 5 MWh and a roundtrip efficiency of up to 95%.

India manufacturer Credence Solar has unveiled the Hyper Nova N TOPCon module series available in power outputs from 580 W to 600 W with front-side power conversion efficiency of 22.45% to 23.25%, respectively.

Australian battery designer and manufacturer PowerPlus Energy has unveiled a new all-in-one energy storage solution featuring a single-phase 7 kW inverter and a 13.4 KWh stackable battery.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new product is the world’s largest wall-mounted hybrid inverter. The series includes three models, with AC outputs of 80 kW, 100 kW, or 125 kW.

Western Australia-headquartered ClearVue Technologies has signed its first commercial order for Africa with its solar energy-generating skylights to be integrated into a new World Bank building in Nigeria.

Eku Energy, jointly owned by Australian financial services group Macquarie, has seen it’s Japanese subsidiary successfully bid for a long-term power source auction two months after a similar long-term energy services agreement was awarded in Australia for its Griffith BESS.

A Queensland university has released findings from its first stage hydrogen production pilot plant that uses solar energy, battery storage and a microgrid to produce hydrogen from non-drinkable water, such as seawater.

Energy from three new community batteries to be built by Melbourne-based Yarra Energy Foundation will be managed by Victorian electricity company Diamond Energy’s virtual power plant.

For the past five consecutive years, tech and retail giant Amazon has been the world’s largest procurer of renewable energy, investing in projects and signing power purchase agreements all over the world. pv magazine spoke with representatives of the company about its ambitious energy plans.

The number of new clean energy and grid firming projects coming on line in the first quarter of 2025 has been the largest to date, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator’s National Electricity Market Scorecard March 2025.