/daily ·15 AUG 2026 ·SATURDAY ·2 MIN READ ·6 STORIES

Scale, tangibly

Perovskite goes pilot, Saudi hydrogen goes live, and a nuclear startup splits its first atoms.

01 / The Day

SATURDAY 15 AUG 2026, ranked

Longi plans 100 MW perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell pilot line

Longi, the world's largest solar cell manufacturer, announced plans for a 100 MW production pilot of perovskite-silicon tandem cells — a technology that stacks two photovoltaic layers to exceed the single-junction efficiency ceiling.

Why it mattersWhen Longi commits to a pilot at this scale, the technology is being assessed for industrial viability, not curiosity. A 100 MW line from this company is a meaningful inflection point for tandem commercialisation timelines.

01 pv-magazine.com↗

Saudi Arabia's 2.2 GW Neom green hydrogen project begins commissioning

The Neom green hydrogen facility in Saudi Arabia — designed at 2.2 GW of electrolyser capacity — has entered commissioning, beginning the transition from construction to production at what would be the world's largest green hydrogen plant.

Why it mattersGreen hydrogen projects have been subject to years of announced-but-not-built scepticism. Neom reaching commissioning converts at least one flagship project from aspiration to operating asset.

02 pv-magazine.com↗

Noon Energy signs 1 GW multi-day storage deal for US AI data centres

Noon Energy, a long-duration energy storage startup, signed a 1 GW deployment agreement to supply US AI data centres — a product tier that four-hour lithium-ion batteries cannot address at competitive cost.

Why it mattersAI infrastructure creates load profiles that standard battery storage cannot firm cost-effectively. Long-duration storage entering the AI supply chain is a structural shift, not a scaling of the existing market.

03 energy-storage.news↗

Oklo nuclear startup achieves first fission in test reactor

Oklo's Aurora compact fast-fission reactor reached criticality — atoms actually splitting — marking the first new US fission reactor to achieve this milestone in over a decade. The design uses high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel.

Why it mattersAdvanced nuclear programmes have been largely composed of permitting filings and fundraising rounds. Physical fission is a qualitatively different kind of milestone from either.

04 canarymedia.com↗

Arevon's 1,200 MWh California grid battery enters commercial operations

Arevon Energy's 1,200 MWh grid-scale battery energy storage system in California has reached commercial operations, adding to the state that already leads the US in deployed storage capacity.

Why it mattersCalifornia's grid increasingly runs near 100% renewables during daylight hours. Projects at this scale determine whether that achievement translates to reliable power after sunset.

05 energy-storage.news↗

Vikram Solar opens 6 GW solar module factory in India

Vikram Solar inaugurated a 6 GW annual-capacity solar PV module manufacturing facility in Gangaikondan, Tamil Nadu — the latest large-scale domestic plant to come online as India builds its solar supply chain.

Why it mattersIndia's solar manufacturing expansion matters for global supply chain diversification away from China. A 6 GW factory opening is a real production capacity addition, not an announcement of one.

06 pv-magazine.com↗

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Past days

The Daily Archive

/SAT 15 AUGScale, tangibly /FRI 14 AUGThe Quarter the Consumer Took Over /THU 13 AUGScotland gets a big battery, China gets the biggest /WED 12 AUGThe grid doubles, the river runs hot, and Amazon builds America's biggest gas plant /TUE 11 AUGMaking It Here /MON 10 AUGA gigawatt-hour in Rajasthan, a Joby milestone, and the cheddar test /SUN 09 AUG12.8 GWh in China, solar tariff shock, and RWE's billion-dollar exit /FRI 07 AUGUS hits polysilicon; Ørsted stacks 500 MWh in Texas /THU 06 AUGGrid delays, grid storage, and grid-scale bets /WED 05 AUGHome batteries scale up, microreactors raise $1B, and China ends the solar price war /MON 03 AUGFusion gets its billion; perovskite breaks 28%/SUN 02 AUGSurplus signals /SAT 01 AUGThe Heat Is the Story /FRI 31 JULCalifornia hits 51% monthly solar; China sets record targets /THU 30 JULThe Billion-Dollar Build Edition /WED 29 JULWednesday, 29 July — Sodium-ion arrives; Australia breaks records /TUE 28 JULMalaysia orders the grid; Australia scales the cell /MON 27 JULA Solar Farm Becomes a Data Centre, Wisconsin Campaigns Against Solar, and LONGi Breaks the Tandem Efficiency Record /SUN 26 JULThe Build-Out Accelerates /SAT 25 JULUS battery storage breaks Q1 record; China tightens polysilicon /FRI 24 JULShock and Shine