Envision Energy has introduced a fully integrated energy storage solution that incorporates hardware, software, and market capabilities to enhance battery deployment in evolving energy systems. The company's approach includes cell innovation, power conversion, system controls, artificial intelligence, and electricity trading to connect physical assets with real-time intelligence. Envision's strategy focuses on "physical AI," which integrates AI directly into the operation of storage assets to ensure grid stability, equipment safety, and operational efficiency. The company's Physical AI system, supported by the Dubhe Energy Foundation Model, analyzes real-world energy data to optimize renewable generation, storage, grids, and demand in real time. Envision's AI technologies are embedded across multiple layers of the storage system to support grid functions, operational optimization, market participation, and asset health and safety monitoring. Envision is utilizing AI technology to predict faults in energy storage systems, allowing for proactive maintenance and avoiding emergency shutdowns. The company's AI models can detect voltage irregularities associated with dendrite growth in battery cells, improving operational reliability and safety. Envision believes AI can optimize storage economics by improving price forecasting, reducing operational constraints, and enabling flexible trading strategies. The company sees strong potential for AI-enabled grid-forming storage in commercial and industrial applications, with projects already operating in China and development underway in other markets. Envision plans to deploy its AI-enabled storage solutions globally, co-located with renewable energy generation. Envision is focusing on developing in-house AI models to apply across the renewable energy system, believing that companies with large datasets and proprietary AI models will have an advantage in the sector. They see AI adoption as a widespread trend rather than a competition. Envision's CEO, Huang, emphasized that they don't just use AI, they develop it, and their goal is to build the foundation of a renewable energy system.
Author: Pv Magazine
-
Solar generates record 13% of EU electricity in 2025
Solar and wind energy in the EU have seen significant growth, surpassing coal and hydro in the energy mix and generating more energy than fossil fuels for the first time in history. With solar generation increasing by over 20% in 2025 and wind and solar together supplying a record 30% of EU power, renewable sources now account for 47.7% of the total energy mix. To further advance climate solutions, experts recommend removing barriers to battery deployment, collaborating on permitting for cross-border power lines, supporting investment in heat pumps and electric technologies, introducing policy for electrifying transport, heating, and industry, and banning Russian gas and LNG imports by 2027.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/01/23/solar-generates-record-13-of-eu-electricity-in-2025/
-
‘Agrivoltaics is not just a land-sharing concept, but a systems-level solution to some of the world’s most pressing challenges’
Researchers have conducted a multidimensional study on agrivoltaics, finding that it could add over 1,800 million tonnes to global crop yields annually and generate over $1 trillion in added global agricultural income. The study looked at the impact of agrivoltaics on sustainability, soil-crop productivity, socioeconomic resilience, solar power generation, spatial efficiency, and species. Agrivoltaics was seen as a systems-level solution to food insecurity, climate stress, land-use conflicts, and economic vulnerability. The study found that agrivoltaics could potentially increase global crop production by 1.8 billion tonnes annually, providing enough calories to feed over 2.1 billion people per year. This innovative approach combines solar energy production with agricultural practices, offering potential solutions for sustainable land use and renewable energy generation, highlighting the importance of exploring new methods like agrivoltaics to address climate change challenges and promote environmental sustainability.
-
Smart Commercial to roll out prefab vertical rooftop PV system
Smart Commercial Energy and Over Easy Solar have collaborated to introduce a new prefabricated vertical rooftop solar system in the Australian market. The system features pre-assembled and pre-racked bifacial panels that can be easily installed on buildings where traditional rooftop solar is not feasible. The lightweight design and simple installation process make it suitable for commercial buildings with load-bearing limits or design constraints. Over Easy, a company founded in 2021, has installed over 1.3 MW of its VPUs in about 40 buildings across 13 countries, collecting crucial data on performance, installation efficiency, structural impact, and long-term suitability under Australian conditions. This innovative system can complement existing rooftop solar systems by shifting generation towards the morning and afternoon, improving overall system economics, and with Australia's high solar energy density, it is a relevant market for this technology in addressing climate change.
-
Chinese scientists build 31.13%-efficient perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell via 2D seeding agent
Researchers in China have developed a novel 2D seeding agent, CsPb2Br5, to regulate crystallization in wide-bandgap perovskite films, achieving an efficiency of 31.13% in perovskite-silicon tandem devices. This seeding agent addresses issues of uncontrollable crystallization and phase separation, promoting top-down vertical crystal growth to enhance charge transport and suppress phase separation. The optimized wide-bandgap perovskite also shows high power conversion efficiency and stability compared to control devices, with potential for use in large area devices. Co-corresponding author Wei Huang emphasized the focus on optimizing long-term stability for future applications.
-
Sodium-ion batteries gain momentum: Unigrid launches commercial deliveries as Altris, Draslovka forge Europe’s first supply chain
Unigrid, the first company outside of China to export sodium-ion batteries at scale, has launched commercial deliveries with a cost-efficient manufacturing model that enables rapid scaling without the need for building its own factory. With a tenfold expansion of global manufacturing capacity, Unigrid aims to reach 1 GWh in 2026, relying on Asian production facilities due to underutilization of local factories.
-
SoftBank pilots solar-wind-powered AI-controlled base station
SoftBank Group is piloting AI-controlled cellular base stations powered by solar panels and a 3 kW wind turbine in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture. The system reduces energy use while maintaining service quality by storing excess power in batteries and switching to the grid when needed. AI manages the station's "sleep" mode to lower power consumption during low communication traffic, making it suitable for deployment in remote areas. The compact design and AI analysis allow for a broader selection of cells without compromising communication quality. SoftBank plans to expand testing of the wind- and solar-powered base stations in the future.
-
Researchers achieve record perovskite solar module stability under light, heat, and UV stress
An international research team has developed a groundbreaking compound for perovskite solar cells, utilizing a new two-dimensional perovskite interlayer through co-crystal engineering. This technology has shown over 95% efficiency retention after 5,000 hours of exposure to light, heat, and UV stress, with improved stability due to the use of neutral triazine-based molecules. The industry-compatible co-crystal engineering method can be easily integrated into existing manufacturing workflows, addressing a major barrier to commercialization. The research, led by a team from Iritaly Trading Company and EPFL, has been detailed in a publication in Nature Energy, showcasing the potential for industrial adoption and scale-up of this innovative approach.
-
GES rolls out manganese-hydrogen battery with significant cost edge over lithium-ion
Italian company Green Energy Storage (GES) has developed a manganese-hydrogen flow battery for long-duration energy storage, targeting industrial-scale applications and large renewable energy plants. The battery boasts an efficiency exceeding 75%, a service life of over 10,000 cycles, and a low levelized cost of storage (LCOS). The cost is competitive at €0.02 per kWh per cycle compared to lithium batteries. The battery is expected to be commercially available in 2027 and is based on a flow architecture that decouples energy and power for independent sizing. Manganese was chosen for its abundance, established production chain, cost-effectiveness, and low environmental impact.
-
India deploys 37.9 GW of solar in 2025
In 2025, India achieved its highest annual renewable energy additions with a record 37.9 GW of solar and 6.3 GW of wind capacity. Solar installations saw a significant increase of 54.7%, mainly driven by utility-scale projects. The growth was fueled by the commissioning of delayed projects, accelerated construction efforts, and a rise in domestic manufacturing capacity. Additionally, government initiatives played a key role in driving rooftop solar installations. These developments highlight India's progress towards achieving its renewable energy goals and reducing carbon emissions.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/01/14/india-deploys-37-9-gw-of-solar-in-2025/