Thursday, 16 July 2026

Trinasolar plans to deliver between 1.4 GWh and 1.6 GWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Italy in 2026, according to ESS News.

The company expects to supply about 2 GW of solar modules in Italy over the same period, ESS News reported. Trinasolar estimates its share at between 15% and 20% in both Italy's BESS and solar module markets.

Italy ranks as Trinasolar's second-largest BESS market after the United Kingdom, and its third-largest solar module market after Spain and Germany, according to Gonzalo de la Viña.

De la Viña said manufacturing costs in Europe remain 30% to 50% higher than in China. He named France and Spain as the leading candidates for a future Trinasolar BESS factory in Europe.

Trinasolar holds a small stake in the 5 GW HoloSolis solar manufacturing project in France, which aims to begin production in the third quarter of 2028. The BESS delivery range for Italy this year runs to 1.6 GWh, ESS News reported.

American Electric Power (AEP) Co's Texas subsidiary has closed on a loan worth up to $3.26 billion, drawn from the Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) Program run by the US Department of Energy (DOE), according to Rigzone.

The money will back roughly 100 transmission projects in Texas, according to Rigzone. That work covers rebuilding and reconductoring existing lines and building new infrastructure that stretches about 2,800 miles.

DOE and AEP estimate the financing is expected to deliver $685 million in electricity cost savings over 30 years, reaching more than one million households and businesses in the state, according to Rigzone.

Separately, AEP said its Texas unit has signed letters of agreement covering up to 41 gigawatts of potential load additions through 2030, according to Rigzone.

The latest financing adds to a $1.6-billion loan guarantee that AEP had already obtained under the same program, according to Rigzone.

DOE counted the Texas deal as its third concurrent conditional commitment and financial close, and the third utility financing to reach completion through the EDF Program, according to Rigzone.

Southern Co's Alabama Power and Georgia Power together locked in up to $26.54 billion in EDF loans earlier in 2026, according to Rigzone.

Eaton and FranklinWH announced a partnership to expand the availability of home energy systems for the North American public, according to Solar Builder. The tie-up combines Eaton's AbleEdge smart breakers with the FranklinWH System.

Solar Builder reported that the AbleEdge smart breaker will support virtual power plant (VPP) capabilities for eligible customers. The integration allows for load management during peak hours and extended backup power duration during a grid outage.

Eaton smart breakers can be added to FranklinWH's Meter Adapter Controller, supporting both retrofit and new construction projects, according to Solar Builder.

Paul Ryan serves as VP and general manager of energy transition at Eaton. Gary Lam is CEO and Co-Founder of FranklinWH.

SolarEdge Technologies Inc. has opened national order availability in the United States for its Nexis residential solar and storage platform, according to Solar Builder. The company had previously launched Nexis in Germany, where it generated what the firm described as record order volumes.

The Nexis inverter delivers up to 13 kW on-grid and 14.5 kW off-grid, according to Solar Builder. Its battery scales from 5 kWh to 80 kWh.

SolarEdge said the system is manufactured solely in the United States, a design choice aimed at helping contractors and their projects meet domestic requirements including FEOC restrictions. SolarEdge officials said Nexis plans to use up to 40% less wall space in the average American home.

"SolarEdge Nexis has been our most anticipated residential product launch," said Nick Alex, SolarEdge's VP of residential sales in North America, per Solar Builder. Alex said the platform brings together years of innovation and customer feedback into a single system designed to make solar-plus-storage more powerful, more intuitive and easier to deploy.

SolarEdge will host a Nexis Takeover Day livestream event from noon to 2 p.m. on July 15.

Pace Digitek's subsidiary Lineage Power manufactured more than 260 utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) containers in its first year of commercial operation, according to ESS News.

The manufacturing facility sits in Bidadi, in the Indian state of Karnataka.

Pace Digitek said the output marks one of the largest utility-scale cell-to-BESS manufacturing achievements by an Indian company in a single year.

A consortium of Sumitomo Electric and Van Oord has landed a long-term framework agreement with SSEN Transmission covering high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea transmission work across the north of Scotland, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Early design and engineering for the proposed 525 kV Shetland 2 HVDC link falls within the scope of the deal, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported.

That link, connecting Shetland with mainland Scotland, ranks among the first projects set to move forward under the framework, the same report said.

According to Offshore Engineer OEDigital, the developers intend the connection to add network capacity, harden system resilience and help fold renewable electricity into the wider UK energy system.

SolarEdge says its new Nexis home battery system can be installed in under 30 minutes, according to Electrek. The launch in the United States follows the platform's debut in Germany.

Nexis battery capacity starts at 5 kWh and can scale up to 80 kWh, Electrek reported. The system's inverter delivers up to 13 kW while connected to the grid and up to 14.5 kW during outages.

SolarEdge says Nexis uses up to 40% less wall space than comparable systems, according to Electrek.

Tate Abdon, director of installations at Senga Energy, described the platform in comments reported by Electrek. "It's honestly like building with Legos," Abdon said.

AEP Texas has secured a federal loan worth as much as $3.26 billion to back nearly 100 transmission projects, Power Magazine reported.

The money underwrites roughly 2,800 miles of line work, spanning rebuilds, reconductoring, and fresh construction.

The agency's Office of Energy Dominance Financing confirmed the deal had closed on July 8, according to Power Magazine.

ComEd announced the energization of two new 345 kV transmission substations on its grid, according to CleanTechnica. The substations enable the interconnection of up to 550 MW of wind generation.

The two substations are located in LaSalle and Woodford Counties, CleanTechnica reported. The added capacity is intended to connect utility-scale wind farms while improving reliability for surrounding communities.

Complaints related to home batteries rose 107% in the first quarter of 2026 against the same period in 2025, according to RenewEconomy.

RenewEconomy reports that more than 400,000 batteries have been installed since the federal home battery rebates became available.

The consumer watchdog warns that the benefits of home batteries and solar panels could be blunted if complaints go neglected, according to RenewEconomy.

Red Eléctrica has completed construction of the new 66 kV San Isidro substation in Granadilla de Abona, in southern Tenerife, according to the company. The subsidiary of Redeia is responsible for the operation and transmission of electricity in Spain.

The project represents an investment of EUR 6.8 million, Red Eléctrica said. It is included in the list of initiatives eligible for European Union NextGenerationEU funding under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

The substation uses gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) technology, which allows it to be integrated compactly within a building, according to the company. Red Eléctrica said the approach reduces both the land footprint and the visual impact.

The scope of work includes an approximately 200-metre double-circuit 66 kV transmission line. The line provides incoming and outgoing connections for the substation from the existing 66 kV Granadilla-Arona line, according to Red Eléctrica.

The facility has four bays dedicated to the Arona and Granadilla lines and other functions, the company said.

BYD Energy Storage has been contracted to supply 11.275 GWh of battery storage for Masdar's Round the Clock (RTC) project in Abu Dhabi, according to Electrek.

The RTC project pairs a 5.2 GW solar array with a 19 GWh battery system, which Electrek describes as the world's largest combined solar-plus-storage plant.

BYD's portion covers a single battery station rated at 1,644 MW / 11,275 MWh and uses the company's Haohan storage system, according to BYD. The remaining 7.5 GWh of the project's storage was signed by Sungrow in an earlier phase, according to Electrek.

When Masdar unveiled the RTC project in early 2025, it named CATL as its preferred battery supplier, according to Electrek.

The Haohan system uses BYD's 2,710 Ah Blade Battery, which the company says has more than 300% higher capacity than legacy grid-storage cells. BYD says the system is rated IP66 for dust and sand and built to operate from -30°C to 55°C.

BYD recently landed a 12.5 GWh grid-storage contract in Saudi Arabia, according to Electrek.

Sungrow has been contracted to provide 125 MWh of battery energy storage across two grid-supporting sites in Bavaria, Germany, according to ESS News.

At Wutzldorf, the manufacturer is building a 25 MWh battery rated for five hours of discharge, tied into the Bayernwerk distribution network, ESS News reported. That site was structured under Section 11a of Germany's Energy Industry Act (EnWG), and operations are due to begin within weeks, according to the outlet.

The second and larger site sits at Winterschneidbach, where a 100 MWh grid-supporting battery is planned, ESS News reported. Sungrow said equipment deliveries there are set for November.

The Winterschneidbach unit is also configured for five-hour discharge and runs as a pilot project, according to ESS News.

Giga Storage will start construction on its 700 MW/2.8 GWh Green Turtle battery project in Belgium in September, with commissioning expected in 2028, according to ESS News.

The construction timeline followed the financial close for the project, which ESS News reported was announced on 10 July and completed on 9 July by Giga Storage alongside a consortium of 10 international banks.

The banks will provide €450 million in foreign equity, according to ESS News, with the remaining funding brought in as equity by InfraVia Capital Partners, the French majority owner of Giga Storage.

The banking consortium comprises Rabobank, Santander, SMBC, Triodos Investment Management, ING, ABN AMRO, a.s.r., Belfius, and HCOB, according to ESS News.

Green Turtle will connect to a 380 kV high-voltage grid via a high-voltage station configured for the project by Belgian grid operator Elia, ESS News reported. After commissioning, Elia will use the storage capacity to help balance the national grid.

Giga Storage is also working towards financial completion of the 350 MW/1.4 GWh Project Albatross battery in Lower Saxony, Germany, according to ESS News. Across its markets, the company aims to have 2 GW of operational storage capacity by 2030.