Solar, Data Centres & Manufacturing: This Week in Energy Plug-in solar panels went on sale in Great Britain for the first time this week. The government changed the rules to allow the devices to be sold legally, opening the door for DIY retailers and high street chains to stock them. Argos was first chain of the gate on 27 August, while Amazon, Currys, B&Q and Screwfix are expected to begin selling them within the next few weeks. So, what is all the fuss with these new solar panels? Unlike conventional rooftop arrays, these systems are plugged straight into a standard wall socket, converting sunlight into electricity that flows directly into a household's circuit. They are already a familiar sight on balconies across some other European countries, like Germany and Spain, but this marks the first time that they will be available in the UK. Their arrival on British shores will give flat dwellers and renters without roof access a way into solar generation that has previously eluded them. SLB has agreed to acquire Kelvion, a German thermal management company that specialises in data centre cooling, in a deal worth approximately US$3.4bn. The Houston-based oilfield services giant will also assume around US$700m of Kelvion's debt, bringing the total value of the deal to US$4.1bn. That brings the total transaction value to around 11 times Kelvion's estimated 2026 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, or EBITDA. But why exactly is a company known for discovering, drilling and producing oil investing so heavily in the data centre sector? A new era has officially started at OMV Group, one of Europe's largest integrated energy companies. Emma Delaney stepped into her new role as Chairwoman of the Executive Board and CEO on 1 September, five months after her appointment was first announced. She has