🎉 Fun Facts

• Wind turbine blades are getting enormous: the UK's Mill Rig Wind Farm in South Lanarkshire just received 80-metre blades — the longest ever installed at a UK onshore wind farm. The 6 turbines will power more than 45,000 homes annually. (reNews)
• Solar and storage are on track to halve Europe's power system operating costs by 2030 — a saving of €55 billion, according to a new SolarPower Europe report. (SolarPower Europe)
• The US electric grid is heading for a record 86 GW of new utility-scale capacity added in 2026, with solar and BESS driving the majority of additions. (pv magazine)

💻 Technology & Innovation

• Batteries: the rules are changing — pv magazine published a notable analysis arguing that batteries are no longer a single commodity but are becoming the "transversal energy infrastructure" of the next industrial cycle. Different use cases (charging speed, energy density, cost/scalability) are creating diverging market dynamics. (pv magazine)
• EU bans high-risk inverters — now including BESS — The EU's existing funding ban on high-risk inverters (including Chinese suppliers) has been extended to battery energy storage systems. This impacts billions in European Investment Bank funding for renewable + storage projects. (pv magazine)
• Turbine prices surging — A new Rystad Energy report flags a 40–45% increase in wind turbine prices since 2020 as supply tightens, creating headwinds for new project economics. (reNews)
• Vestas Q1 2026 — Vestas reported a bumper first quarter, with profits and earnings surging. A strong signal of sector health for the leading turbine OEM. (Windpower Monthly)
• Enercon wind + BESS system — Enercon unveiled a new solution combining wind power with battery storage and hybrid controllers, repositioning itself as an "active provider of solutions" beyond turbine manufacturing. (Windpower Monthly)
• Dhooing: new entrant in French solar — A new startup called Dhooing entered the French solar market with an ambition to disrupt the current model. Founded by six partners, it aims to shake up how solar projects are developed in France. (GreenUnivers)
• SolarPower Europe + Rystad Energy — SolarPower Europe named Rystad Energy as its Prime Market Research Partner, with the first joint report published at the SolarPower Summit 2026 in Brussels. (SolarPower Europe)
• Swiss C&I solar enters balancing market — Switzerland opened its balancing energy market to commercial and industrial solar assets, enabling participation without additional hardware via remote integration. (pv magazine)
• EDF demand flexibility trial — EDF (France) is set to trial dynamic time-of-use tariffs with 6,600 households, testing whether variable electricity pricing can shift consumption away from peak demand periods. (GreenUnivers)

🤝 Mergers & Acquisitions

• CIP acquires Ørsted's European onshore business — Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners completed the acquisition of Ørsted's European onshore renewable energy business and rebranded it as Perigus Energy. This is a significant transaction reshaping the onshore wind landscape across Europe. (Windpower Monthly)
• Enel doubles down on wind — Enel unveiled a new 2026–2028 strategic plan significantly boosting renewables investment in Europe and the US, with wind explicitly prioritised. (Windpower Monthly)

🏗️ Portfolio & Asset Transactions

• Solar Q1 2026 funding boom — Global corporate funding in solar reached $11.1 billion in Q1 2026 — a 131% year-on-year increase. Debt financing hit a decade high at $8.9bn. Strong policy clarity and demand cited as key drivers. (pv magazine / reNews)
• UK AR8 CfD budget set — The UK government set an initial £200 million budget for the Clean Industry Bonus (CIB) within its upcoming AR8 CfD auction round, as part of its "shop local" scheme to incentivise domestic supply chain use. (reNews)