pv magazine Espa\u00f1a\u2019s Pilar Sanchez Molina examined the causes of the Iberian blackout in April, following a detailed investigation by European transmission\u00a0grid association\u00a0ENTSO-E. The final report into the incident is due in early 2026. But Spain has already begun introducing new regulations and backing battery deployments to ensure such a disaster can never be repeated.<\/p>\n
Deploying more energy storage should be a high priority, not just in Spain and Portugal, but globally in order to balance electricity grids. Writing in this month\u2019s edition, Luis Marquina, president of Spanish battery storage association Aepibal, argues that Spain\u2019s target of 12 GW of battery storage by 2030 is achievable with the right framework in place.<\/p>\n
It’s not only grids that need urgent attention from Europe’s policymakers. This edition also explores obstacles facing the few active European manufacturers as well as what\u2019s needed on a policy level to set the industry on its feet to take advantage of its make-or-break moment.<\/p>\n
While Europe deals with its affairs, China is addressing overcapacity in its PV supply chain. OPIS analyst Hanwei Wu has the latest data on the modest price increases in recent months, which he attributes to market sentiment arising simply from the expectation alone that the overcapacity problem will finally be tackled.<\/p>\n
And elsewhere in the world, renewable energy entrepreneur and Obama Scholar, Glory Oguegbu, spoke to Carrie Hampel about her work building local renewable energy capacity for underserved communities in Nigeria. \u201cPeople are infrastructure,\u201d she said, explaining how foreign developers wanting to break into Africa\u2019s lucrative sector can encourage community acceptance by facilitating open discussions, hiring locals, and working with communities to ensure they see tangible benefits from projects\u00a0\u00a0in their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n