JP Casey, PV Tech Power Magazine Journalist Profile

Articles

ES Foundry signs 150MW cell supply deal for US community solar

1 week ago | pv-tech.org | JP Casey

South Carolina-based cell manufacturer ES Foundry has signed a 150MW cell supply deal with what it calls a “leading national community solar developer” in the US. The agreement, which will last for three years, will see ES Foundry supply cells to an unnamed module manufacturer, which will use them in modules to be delivered to the community solar developer.
Catalyze secures US$85 million in financing for 75MW of distributed solar capacity

1 week ago | pv-tech.org | JP Casey

San Francisco Bay Area, USA PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector.
Chinese, Indian and US companies lead solar EPC rankings

1 week ago | pv-tech.org | JP Casey

Chinese, Indian and American companies have strengthened their positions atop the solar industry’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) rankings, due to the size and quantity of the projects present in these countries. This is according to the latest EPC rankings table published today by PV database Wiki-Solar.
UK grid connection reform to unlock 65GW of utility-scale solar

1 week ago | pv-tech.org | Molly Green |George Heynes |JP Casey

UK energy regulator Ofgem has approved plans to remove so-called ‘zombie projects’ from the country’s grid connection queue, and streamline the connection process for renewable power projects that are most needed, which could trigger an increase in proposals for new PV projects in the UK. The long-anticipated grid connection reforms were first put forward by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) with the aim of reducing the number of projects awaiting connection to the UK electricity grid.
Europe contracts 1.6GW of renewable energy capacity in March

1 week ago | pv-tech.org | JP Casey

Europe completed power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 1.6GW of renewable energy capacity in March, more than double the capacity contracted in the previous month. This is according to Swiss consultancy Pexapark’s latest monthly ‘PPA Times’ report, covering the European PPA market in March. Agreements for solar projects dominated the month’s dealmaking, with 17 deals signed, for 1.4GW of capacity, for solar projects. This compares to four deals signed for 19MW of capacity for wind projects.
Global off-grid solar investment falls 30% year-on-year to U$300 million

1 week ago | pv-tech.org | JP Casey

The world invested just over US$300 million into the off-grid solar sector in 2024, a 30% year-on-year decline in total funding and a 70% fall in start-up capital. These are some of the key figures from the latest report from the Global Association for the off-grid solar energy industry (GOGLA), published yesterday.
IEA: World reaches 2.2TW of cumulative installed solar capacity

1 week ago | pv-tech.org | JP Casey

The world reached 2.2TW of cumulative installed solar capacity in 2024, with China alone accounting for 1TW of total operating capacity. This is a headline conclusion from the latest report from the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS), published this week. The report breaks down global capacity installations and technology trends over the past 12 months and highlights the rapid growth in PV installations in markets around the world.
Summit Ridge Energy and Apollo invest US$400 million in US commercial solar joint venture

1 week ago | pv-tech.org | JP Casey

US commercial solar developer Summit Ridge Energy (SRE) and investor Apollo have invested US$400 million into a new joint venture to jointly own and operate a portfolio of commercial solar assets in the state of Illinois. While details on the new initiative are sparse, the project will build on growing interest in the Illinois solar sector, which saw over 500MW of new capacity added in 2024.
LONGi updates Hi-MO 9 modules, hits 24.8% conversion efficiency

1 week ago | pv-tech.org | JP Casey

Leading Chinese solar manufacturer LONGi has launched the latest version of its Hi-MO 9 module, which now boasts a conversion efficiency of 24.8% and an output of 670W. Both metrics are improvements on the previous generation of the Hi-MO 9, which has an efficiency of 24.43% and an output of 660W.
Bert Thin Films tests copper paste on TOPCon solar cell with 24% conversion efficiency

1 week ago | pv-tech.org | JP Casey

Kentucky-based Bert Thin Films has used a proprietary copper paste on a tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) M10 solar PV cell with a conversion efficiency of 24%. The paste, dubbed ‘CuBert,’ aims to replace silver paste typically used in solar cells, in order to cut the cost of producing such cells by reducing reliance on silver, an expensive material. This is particularly significant at present, as the growth of the renewable energy industry has pushed global silver demand to new heights.