Solar Now

A wave of new heterojunction (HJT) solar cell and module manufacturing announcements in the US is highlighting the rapid shift in PV technology as the country continues to increase its domestic solar manufacturing supply chain. With manufacturers increasingly looking beyond p-type PERC towards n-type technologies, the US cell manufacturing landscape is being reshaped by a combination of technology transitions, trade measures and the push for greater domestic content.
Against that backdrop, ES Foundry is taking a more cautious approach. The company is betting on established PERC technology as the foundation for its US cell manufacturing strategy today, while preparing to transition to a next-generation n-type technology as market conditions, intellectual property considerations and supply-chain availability become clearer.
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ES Foundry CEO Alex Zhu tells PV Tech Premium that the company’s strategy is centred on delivering commercially bankable US-made cells today, even as it prepares to transition from crystalline bifacial p-type passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) to a next-generation n-type technology.
The company recently completed a 2GW expansion of its solar cell manufacturing capacity in Greenwood, South Carolina, taking its total capacity to 3GW as it seeks to establish itself as one of the few large-scale crystalline silicon cell manufacturers producing and shipping product in the US.
Es Foundry began operations with its first 1GW of capacity in 2025. According to Zhu, the company expects to have the expanded capacity fully ramped by October.
For him, however, the significance of the expansion extends beyond the headline capacity figure. He argues that ES Foundry’s differentiation lies in having moved from announcements to actual production.
“In terms of actual production, we are the largest crystalline solar cell manufacturer in the US,” Zhu tells PV Tech Premium.
He contrasts this approach with what he describes as a US solar manufacturing landscape characterised by numerous large announcements, some of which have not translated into operating capacity.
That focus on delivering product is also central to ES Foundry’s technology strategy.
Last year, energy market analyst Clean Energy Associates (CEA) said PERC solar PV technology was “all but obsolete” in Europe, with n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon), heterojunction (HJT) and back contact (BC) technologies having almost entirely displaced it in “many international markets”, driven by China’s manufacturing scale, lower prices and higher efficiency.
Yet while much of the global industry has moved on, US cell manufacturer ES Foundry is taking a different approach, betting on PERC as the foundation of its domestic manufacturing strategy — for now.
Zhu acknowledges that PERC does not offer the same efficiency potential as newer cell technologies. But he argues that efficiency is only one part of the equation for a new US manufacturing operation.
“The reason we chose PERC is that it is very reliable and has a robust process window,” he notes.
For ES Foundry, that maturity provides two important advantages. The first is bankability. Financial institutions and customers are already familiar with PERC, while some newer technologies have a shorter track record in commercial manufacturing.
“The whole banking industry are familiar with PERC,” Zhu says. “Whereas some of the new technologies in US have not been fully tested.”
The second advantage is manufacturing. The US is rebuilding a solar manufacturing workforce after years in which much of the global cell production base migrated to Asia. Zhu says the shortage of experienced engineers, operators and technicians makes manufacturing a mature technology with a relatively forgiving process window particularly valuable.
“Using PERC as a starting point is very good for us to train the local labour force without cause a significant loss of efficiency or reliability.”
PERC is therefore the starting point rather than the destination. Zhu says ES Foundry will eventually move from p-type to n-type technology, but the company has not yet decided which specific n-type architecture it will adopt.
“We will move to n-type technology. However, we haven’t decided which n-type technology we will go with because this depends on multiple things like IP issues, the supply chain, and equipment availability.”
For ES Foundry, the choice of technology is also an IP decision. Recent TOPCon disputes involving First Solar, JinkoSolar, Trina Solar, Maxeon and Canadian Solar underline the litigation risks facing manufacturers adopting the technology in the US.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump introduced a 15% tariff on imports of polysilicon and its derivatives, alongside minimum import prices, under Section 232, with the measures set to take effect on 4 December 2026.
Experts, who recently spoke with PV Tech Premium, said the Section 232 measures could support established US manufacturers and upstream investment, but raise solar costs, weaken demand and potentially deter new capacity, a tension echoed by Zhu. He says the measures on polysilicon and related upstream materials will significantly increase ES Foundry’s wafer costs.
“Our current wafer cost is, for example, from 4 cents to 7 cents imported from overseas. And after that, our cost will increase to like 15 cents plus 2 cents tariffs. That’s a significant increase in our cost. And of course, that will eventually increase our price to ship to our customers. Anytime you increase the price, a customer will not like it, and your demand will reduce,” the CEO emphasises.
Having said that, Zhu says the higher cost of imported wafers could ultimately be offset by stronger demand for domestic-content modules as the price gap with imported products narrows.
For ES Foundry, therefore, Section 232 presents a balancing act: higher input costs on one side, but potentially stronger demand for its US-made cells on the other.
Zhu says domestic-content modules can benefit from an additional 10% investment tax credit, potentially reducing the overall cost of a solar project even where the domestic-content module itself carries a higher upfront price.
“Even a domestic content module by itself is more expensive, but when you’re calculating into the whole formula, the total project cost will reduce,” he says.
Zhu also points to the rapid growth of solar projects associated with AI data centres as another source of demand.
“We see so many more project developers selling their projects to support the growth of AI data centres. At the same time, those customers also require domestic content because that will reduce the overall costs.”
The opportunity extends beyond cells. As domestic-content requirements increase, Zhu expects module manufacturers and their suppliers to look increasingly at other components, including junction boxes, EVA, ribbons and frames, to maximise the domestic contribution of their products.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and evolving trade measures are therefore becoming important parts of the commercial landscape in which ES Foundry operates.
For ES Foundry, scaling US cell manufacturing goes beyond adding capacity: the company still faces gaps in both its upstream supply chain and local workforce.
The company currently sources Chinese and non-Chinese polysilicon, with wafers produced in Southeast Asia, while US-made P-type wafers are not yet part of its supply chain.
For now, however, the company is focused on ramping its cell operations rather than pursuing backward integration into wafer manufacturing or forward integration into modules.
The workforce presents another challenge. Zhu says ES Foundry is training locally but continues to see a significant skills gap, prompting partnerships with MIT’s Initiative for New Manufacturing and a local community college in Greenwood.
“We’re doing a lot of training to train our local force, but there’s a significant gap,” he says. The training programme is intended to accelerate the development of workers capable of supporting both the current factory and future manufacturing expansion.
In the near term, ES Foundry appears confident that demand will support its existing 3GW annual nameplate capacity, with off-take agreements extending through 2028.
Zhu acknowledges that higher interest rates and interconnection delays could weigh on US solar demand, but says customers can shift delayed projects elsewhere.
“Most of our customers have multiple projects on hand, so even if some are delayed, they can easily shift to other projects.”
For ES Foundry, the immediate priority is therefore clear: establish reliable cell production while building the supply chain and workforce needed for its next phase of growth.

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Egypt has approved the Nefer Minya project that will pair 1 GW of solar capacity with a 600 MWh battery system 
AIKO had previously announced its selection as the sole module supplier for the solar project 
The project is being developed by Infinity Power and Hassan Allam Utilities in Minya 
Egypt has approved the $750 million Nefer Minya project, a planned 1 GW solar power plant paired with a 600 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Minya Governorate. 
The Egyptian Cabinet has granted the solar-plus-storage project a Golden License that requires approval from the Council of Ministers, helping fast-track investment. 
Infinity Power and Hassan Allam Utilities are developing the project. The company’s website says the BESS component is planned to provide two hours of energy shifting to the Egyptian grid. The project’s environmental and social assessments have been completed, Infinity Power said. 
It is scheduled for completion by September 30, 2027. It will create jobs for around 2,500 engineers, technicians, and workers during the construction phase. According to the Egyptian Cabinet, the project is designed to support environmental sustainability, preserve natural resources, and reduce carbon emissions by 1 million tons annually. 
In June 2026, AIKO announced that it had been selected as the sole PV module supplier for the project, which Infinity Power says will have 1.2 GW installed capacity. AIKO said the 1.2 GW solar facility would use its all-back-contact (ABC) modules. Once operational, it will supply electricity to about 1.4 million homes. 
The project is backed by financing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). According to the bank, “The Project will support the Egyptian Government in achieving its renewable energy target and will be among the first batch of BESS projects in the country, developed under the 10 GW renewables target set under the Bank-led Energy Pillar of the NWFE initiative.” 
TaiyangNews 2024

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MNRE mandates domestic storage of inverter data for PM Surya Ghar projects
August 21, 2026
Follow Mercom India on WhatsApp for exclusive updates on clean energy news and insights
India added nearly 6 GW of solar open access capacity in the first half (1H) of the calendar year 2026, up 42% year-over-year (YoY) compared to 4 GW, according to Mercom India’s newly released Q2 2026 India Solar Open Access Market Report.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) directed inverter manufacturers supplying rooftop solar systems under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana to ensure that inverter-level data and associated monitoring and control servers are located exclusively within India.
The government recently told Parliament that over 5,400 power sector cases are pending before electricity sector regulators and the courts. Cases involving the Ministry of Power numbered 1,303, while 2,911 and 1,193 petitions are pending before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, respectively, bringing the total to 5,407 as of June 30, 2026.
The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission allowed Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company to implement the utility-led aggregation model for installing rooftop solar systems for 211,206 low-income households in Maharashtra.
The Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission (UERC) proposed reducing the tolerance to ±5% for solar and hybrid projects and to ±10% for wind projects, aligning with the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission’s revised deviations settlement tolerance bands.
UERC rejected a petition seeking reconsideration of the trading margins prescribed for solar and standalone battery storage projects. The Commission noted that the petitioner, UJVN, had not identified any error in its January 6, 2026, order and was raising an issue that had already been considered and decided.
For many industrial consumers with high power requirements, the lack of adequate rooftop space often restricts the benefits they can harness from on-site solar projects. With solar parks, such companies can set up larger projects off-site and use the generated power to reduce their electricity costs. Harmony Plastics and Plasti Weave Industries, part of the Mewar Polytex Group, have installed 2.5 MW and 3 MW solar projects, respectively, at the SafEarth UGVCL-1 solar park in Himatnagar, Gujarat.
NTPC Renewable Energy issued a tender to install wind turbine generators for an interstate transmission system -connected wind energy project with a nominal capacity of 600 MW, comprising 200 WTGs in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. Bids must be submitted by September 15, 2026. Bids will be opened on the same day.
NLC India invited bids to arrange 1,500 acres of land through outright purchase for solar projects in Tamil Nadu. The last date to submit bids is September 21, 2026. Bids will be opened on the same day.
Tata Power-D, the distribution arm of Tata Power Company, invited bids to procure 50MW/100MWh (1 cycle) of battery energy storage capacity for a 15-year period from a grid-connected inter-state project in Rajasthan. The last date to submit bids is September 15, 2026. Bids will be opened on the same day.
Independent power producer AMPIN Energy Transition achieved financial closure for a $195 million project finance facility for a power purchase agreement-backed 100 MW wind-solar project with battery energy storage systems in Andhra Pradesh.
Mahindra Susten, the clean-tech arm of the Mahindra Group, achieved financial closure for its 150.8 MW hybrid renewable energy project being developed under the group captive offtake arrangement in Maharashtra. The project secured financing of ₹8.75 billion (~$91.51 million) from Export Import Bank of India under its Sustainable Finance Program.
Renewable energy solutions provider Canadian Solar announced the resolution of the remaining U.S. patent litigation brought against it by Maxeon Solar Technology over TOPCon solar cell technology. A U.S. federal district court dismissed Maxeon’s patent infringement lawsuit against Canadian Solar with prejudice.
Mercom Staff
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Silver makes up roughly 0.5% of a solar cell’s mass, yet accounts for 47% of its recycling value, according to a May 2026 research paper on PV recycling in Science Bulletin – an imbalance that dictates much of how recyclers approach end-of-life panels.
SPR, whose North Carolina operation grew out of a two-decade-old electronics recycling company, has spent years developing its solar recycling process around those economic realities. With a key solar recycling certification deadline looming in January 2027, CEO Brett Henderson spoke with pv magazine about where SPR stands, how the company thinks about recovery rates, and what he is seeing in reuse markets.
pv magazine: Where does SPR’s North Carolina facility stand with regard to R2V3 Appendix G? Are you fully certified, mid-audit, or working toward a target date ahead of the January 2027 deadline?
Brett Henderson: SPR was formed out of a parent company that was an R2V3 and e-steward certified electronics recycler in business for about two decades … My concerns about that in the solar industry is solar modules are basically a singular line item … they’re more or less negative value to process because it’s mostly glass composition. So our concerns with the R2V3 on the solar side, even though we fully support it and have been abiding by it for about 16 years on the parent company side, is that the Appendix G still allows the recycling to be outsourced while someone carries that certification … the glass needs to be recovered cleanly, not commingled and recovered by that certified company in-house.
At the moment, we’re kind of to be determined on the R2V3 in our North Carolina facility … So our compliance team, by the direction of myself, is kind of basically we have up until 2027 to kind of decide if we want to, you know, get it to that appendix.
If SPR decides not to pursue Appendix G, what are the implications – for SPR and for the industry?
If it’s a standalone solar company and there’s no asset owners requiring it for an RFP or requiring it to be onboarded as a vendor, there isn’t really any pressure to a standalone solar company to get the Appendix G correct.
Our North Carolina facility, we’re building standalone solar building. That would be done before that deadline. So there won’t be any – having to go by the Appendix G since it’s a separate company isn’t something that’s going to happen … there is a good bit of them that are on this committee that’s been working in the background for 18 months to make this gold standard through the major trade association in the US. It seems the pulse of the committee as a whole is ‘let’s make a standard specific for this industry,’ not just an appendix to it.
Do you anticipate any impact on recycling volume if a meaningful share of the industry misses this deadline?
No, because again, we’re not manufacturing a product. We’re demanufacturing a product … None of the major US EPCs, O&Ms, utilities are requiring this standard. So if somebody does not hold this standard at the moment, it’s not going to affect throughput recycling in the US market, none of the above.
In a recent IEA-PVPS Task 12 report on recovery rates and process, the figures cited for SPR are 99% copper recovery and up to 98% silicon recovery. Are these numbers from independent third-party testing, or self-reported?
It’s a little bit of a hybrid of both. So IEA did not require us … to send samples off to them or to a third party lab for them to confirm. But when they were doing their research, their questionnaires, their interviews, understanding our processes, they highly recommended and wanted to see some third-party lab results … yes, we do have tests behind that, but the IAE specifically didn’t … have those samples sent off or any type of lab reporting on their end.
How does SPR mechanically separate silicon, glass, and other materials during processing?
What gets conflated a lot on the mechanical side is taking full solar panels, batch feeding them through a shredder and shredding them down … as a whole, and then trying to find ways to separate the different type of commodities within that. That type of mechanical processing is always going to lead to contaminated products.
What we have at SPR is mostly a mechanical process … what we’re doing is we are systematically removing each commodity … This is where we’ve already had $12 million of investment this year alone on some new glass technology … How do you take the layers, encapsulated glass and silicon and backsheet and cleanly separate them? Because if your glass is contaminated with plastics and silicon and silver and other metals, it’s not going to be able to be actually consumed at volume and at scale in different glass manufacturing.
Is SPR profitable on recycling alone, or are other revenue lines important?
We’re profitable recycling alone under the industry … with the asset owners paying some level of a recycling fee … That fee has came down tremendously since we started in 2018, like almost 80% at this point, and that’s mainly because we keep investing in two things. We keep investing in technology to get the cleanest separation … but also the major driving cost force in the industry, specifically in the US that’s such a large geographical footprint, is transportation.
What’s the biggest cost driver, and which costs do you expect to fall fastest as volume scales toward the end of the decade?
Definitely the cost driver in the US market is going to be transportation … So it’s quite important that we continuously build out our owned and operated distributed network of recycling facilities. The biggest opportunities for costing to come down even further is going to be more clean glass hitting the market in the United States and it being able to stay more regional … I think the biggest driver is just going to be in any industry, in any recycling industry, volume is king.
You mentioned solar reuse as a competing force in the industry. What’s happening there?
What’s going on at the moment globally is there’s quite a bit of greenwashing happening on this reuse side … what’s happening globally is aluminum is trading high enough now that you could take panels for free from acid owners, say they’re going to be reused, and a lot of panels are starting to get shipped overseas, whether that’s Southeast Asia, whether it’s the west coast of Africa. We probably get pinged maybe 10 to 15 times a week as one of the global solar recycling brands from companies that say that they want to buy reused solar panels. Here’s the issue with it.
The reuse market is nowhere near any level of scalability. And the reason for that … is there’s major regulations about connecting used panels back to the grid … In the US specifically, the UL rating is no longer valid once that panel becomes used … You can load about 500 to 550 of these modules on a container. A company could absorb the shipping costs … and have limited to no labor costs … and what’s happening is this is all under the guise of ‘hey these panels are going to be reused elsewhere.’
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The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
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A two-day conference in Austin, Texas, bringing together leaders in US solar manufacturing, equipment specification, and factory execution.
Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects.
April 01 – August 31, 2026
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JinkoSolar has officially launched its “Sunny 365” smart PV-storage system—a solution tailored for the manufacturing industry. The solution integrates high-efficiency photovoltaics, smart energy storage and AI-driven dispatch to help manufacturing businesses in sectors including textiles, cement, steel, home appliances, home textiles, apparel, electronics, hardware, machinery and construction vehicles—a complete energy system ranging from on-site generation and self-consumption of green electricity to precise demand management and emergency backup power, thereby reshaping the energy infrastructure of industrial production.
As photovoltaic and energy storage applications become increasingly widespread, more and more manufacturing companies are utilizing idle rooftop space to build their own dedicated  projects. However, they have long faced four major challenges: a lack of standardization in product selection, difficulties in matching PV and storage systems, high coordination costs and cumbersome post-installation O&M. Procuring modules, storage systems and other software and hardware separately, while integrating technical resources from multiple vendors, results in lengthy cycles and significant investment, keeping the barriers to implementing projects high for small and medium-sized manufacturers.
The “Sunny 365” smart PV-storage system series—specifically the manufacturing PV-storage solution—directly addresses these industry challenges by providing an integrated PV + energy storage + smart management solution, going beyond single-component PV or  storage configurations. Centered around the Tiger Neo 3.0 high-efficiency PV modules and the SunGiga G2 C&I liquid-cooled ESS, it integrates AI-powered intelligent dispatch algorithms with the JinkoCloud platform to provide the manufacturing sector with a scenario-based, standardized and replicable one-stop energy solution.
To address core challenges faced by manufacturing plants—such as high electricity costs, stringent requirements for continuous production and significant load fluctuations—the solution offers standardized capacity configuration models covering three major industries.
The plants are high-voltage dedicated transformer users operating at 10 kV or higher, with production loads significantly higher during daytime and on weekdays than at night or on holidays. “Roof-mounted PV + consumer-side energy storage” is one of the most economically viable scenarios, featuring a high proportion of self-consumed PV power, while energy storage enables peak-valley arbitrage, demand response and distribution capacity relief.
Key challenges in electricity consumption include the high proportion of electricity costs in manufacturing expenses, as well as the significant impact of peak-hour and super-peak electricity rates on production costs. Power rationing or load shedding disrupts continuous production and production line downtime losses may far exceed the electricity costs themselves; short-term load spikes potentially leading to insufficient transformer capacity, with capacity expansion involving long lead times and high investment costs.
High-Efficiency solar-to-storage products: Reducing costs and boosting efficiency in the manufacturing industry
1. Feihu 3 Modules:
As a high-efficiency module product, the Feihu 3 features core advantages specifically designed for manufacturing rooftops – high power output, ultra-high bifaciality, excellent temperature coefficient, extremely low linear degradation and exceptional low-irradiance performance on cloudy or rainy days, and at dawn and dusk.
2. SunGiga G2 ESS: Quadruple safety protection
The ESS positions robust safety as its core competitive advantage, comprising material-level thermal isolation, electrical-level armour, multi-sensor fusion for rapid fire suppression and full-stack early warning.
One-Stop Full Lifecycle Service
Adhering to the service philosophy of “One Partnership, Complete Peace of Mind,” Jinko provides one-stop solutions covering the entire project lifecycle, including One-Stop solution design, One-Stop warranty and One-Stop service.
1. Textile Manufacturing Model
Standardized PV and Energy Storage Installation Capacity Design:
PV Capacity: 15 MWp of rooftop and carport PV, assuming full coverage at 0.12–0.16 kWp/m² on rooftops; approximately 100,000–120,000 m² of usable rooftop area is required, with an annual electricity generation of 16.5 million kWh.
Energy Storage Capacity: 1.5 MW/3 MWh (can be configured to cover 15%–30% of peak load).
Control System: An EMS is configured to integrate PV, energy storage, main transformer loads, production schedules and time-of-use electricity rates to achieve demand response.
2. Cement Plant Model
Standardized PV and Energy Storage Capacity Design:
PV Capacity: 60 MWp (ground-mounted PV project, annual electricity generation of 66 million kWh)
Energy Storage Capacity: 10 MW/20 MWh
Control System: The EMS integrates PV, energy storage, main transformer loads, production schedules and time-of-use electricity rates to achieve demand response.
3. Steel Mill Model
Standardized PV and Energy Storage Capacity Design:
PV Capacity: 100 MWp (rooftop PV; PV capacity accounts for approximately 40%–60% of the load)
Energy Storage Capacity: 150 MW/300 MWh (Energy storage capacity accounts for approximately 60%–80% of the load; it exceeds the PV installed capacity and is used to smooth load fluctuations, perform peak shaving and valley filling and support the microgrid)
Control System: The EMS integrates PV, energy storage, main transformer loads, production schedules, and time-of-use electricity rates to achieve demand response.
The “Sunny 365” manufacturing solar-storage solution provides factory owners with end-to-end standardized services—from equipment selection and system configuration to intelligent O&M. As the use of green electricity becomes a cost-saving measure across all industries and a mandatory compliance requirement, industrial and commercial organisations must keep pace with innovations in the three key areas of photovoltaics, energy storage and AI applications. The Sunny 365 system offers a one-stop solution—a self-sustaining tool that generates sustainable returns over the long term. It provides long-duration, intelligent and stable power supply, while enabling peak-valley arbitrage with surplus electricity, helping manufacturers reduce costs, improve efficiency and achieve a green transition under the electricity market mechanism.

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Indonesia’s renewable energy ambitions require structural change  East Asia Forum
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Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has awarded 2,135 MW of ground-mounted solar PV capacity in its latest auction, which closed on 1 July 2026. (Bundesnetzagentur press release, 18/08/2026). The tender, which was launched for a target volume of 2.13 GW, was oversubscribed, attracting 401 bids for a combined 3.17 GW, of which 261 bids were successful. The prices of successful bids ranged from EUR4.38c/kWh to EUR4.97c/kWh, while the average award price reached EUR4.79c/kWh.
Bavaria secured the largest share of awarded capacity with 429 MW across 75 projects, followed by Baden-Württemberg (266 MW), Rhineland-Palatinate (239 MW), North Rhine-Westphalia (233 MW) and Lower Saxony (225 MW). The next auction for ground-mounted solar PV projects is scheduled to close on 1 December 2026.
In the previous auction round held in August 2025, German authorities allocated 2.3 GW, with awarded prices ranging from EUR4c/kWh to EUR6c/kWh (average price of EUR4.94c/kWh).
Germany’s solar installed capacity exceeded 106 GW in 2025, representing almost 40% of its total installed capacity (Enerdata’s Global Energy Research).
Discover our very detailed and regularly updated RES auctions database with worldwide coverage and a technical focus backed by academic research.
With our renewable energies auctions service you will be able to monitor auctions at a global level. Its (expanding) scope notably includes all major G20 countries and offers an especially fine tracking on Europe and South America.
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South Korea picks first 86 villages for solar co-ops that let residents share profits  Yahoo
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With about 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, Malta is ideally placed to harness the sun’s energy. But its scorching summers, salty sea air and occasional Saharan dust storms also make it one of Europe’s toughest environments for solar panels.
For Dr Brian Azzopardi, a renewable energy researcher from Malta, those challenging conditions present a unique opportunity. If solar panels can withstand the island’s climate, they should perform well almost anywhere in Europe. 
Azzopardi is the chair of the Foundation for Innovation and Research – Malta, an organisation he helped establish to bridge the gap between academic research and industry. 
For the past three years, he has been leading an EU-funded research initiative called PROMISE that looked at new ways to improve the monitoring, maintenance and reliability of photovoltaic (PV) systems in Malta, with potential lessons for the rest of Europe.
Over the past decade, government grants and community schemes have helped solar power spread rapidly across the island, which is home to about 580,000 residents: a number that swells each summer with tourists.
“Since around 2010, we’ve gone from almost zero solar power uptake to around 20-22%,” says Dr Azzopardi.
As solar power has expanded, however, a new challenge has emerged. Faults in PV systems often go unnoticed until electricity production has already fallen. By that point, the damage to the panels may already be significant.
To catch problems earlier, the researchers developed digital twins: digital replicas of real solar installations that allow different scenarios to be tested and potential faults to be identified before they affect the panels.
 
They also developed AI tools that scan incoming data around the clock, flagging faults automatically rather than waiting for somebody to notice a fall in performance.
The research also focused on developing the next generation of solar specialists. Malta’s rapidly growing solar sector still lacks enough technicians and researchers with the expertise needed to keep systems operating efficiently. 
By training people locally and sharing what they learn internationally, the team hopes Malta’s experience can benefit the rest of Europe.
To achieve this, the researchers combined high-tech monitoring across 10 Living Labs – real-world test sites – with new approaches to PV reliability, education and training, including international summer schools that attract students from around the world.
Solar uptake, warns Dr Azzopardi, is only half the story. “You see solar panels on rooftops, but whether they are working properly is still a question mark. Maintenance matters too.”
Most solar systems in Malta are small and privately owned, so their owners cannot rely on large maintenance contracts or sophisticated monitoring systems. Many assumed that once the panels were installed, little further attention would be needed.
“It’s true there are few moving parts, but maintenance is still needed. Bird droppings and environmental conditions such as shade from new buildings or damage to the panels can all affect performance,” he says.
The researchers installed commercially available sensors to measure electricity production, sunlight, wind and temperature.
The data fed into monitoring software capable of predicting when maintenance was likely to be needed, allowing repairs to be planned before faults caused significant losses in performance. Along the way, the team built valuable expertise that can now be applied in future research.
“Technically speaking, these systems are being tested in very harsh conditions in Malta,” says Dr Azzopardi. “If they survive here, they should survive anywhere in Europe.”
The Living Labs became even more valuable once their data started feeding directly into the training schools, giving students hands-on experience with real solar installations.
Participants visited the sites and worked alongside researchers using advanced diagnostic techniques such as electroluminescence testing, where electricity is fed back into a solar panel, causing the cells to emit faint infrared light invisible to the human eye. 
Specialised cameras then reveal tiny cracks and hidden defects that would otherwise remain undetected.
Students also developed practical inspection skills, learning how to assess panels visually and document faults using photographs and structured inspection checklists, a straightforward process that can still identify a surprising number of problems.
Teaching these diverse skills effectively, however, is no simple task, said Melodie de l’Epine, who leads research and innovation activities at the Becquerel Institute in France – a specialist PV research and consulting centre and a key member of the PROMISE team.
“Operations and maintenance for photovoltaics is a huge subject,” she says. To keep such a mixed group of trainees engaged, the team turned to games and role play.
 
“In the real world, operations and maintenance isn’t something you do in isolation. You’re receiving data, analysing problems, discussing budgets with management, and co-ordinating with maintenance teams – so I thought, let’s make them play the role,” says de l’Epine. 
The researchers developed three board games, matching exercises and simulation challenges, including a Monopoly-style game in which students take on the role of a technician troubleshooting a solar installation. Each activity focuses on different skills, from diagnosing faults to managing maintenance budgets.
For younger audiences, they also created Dance of the Photon, a live performance in which dancers demonstrate how sunlight is converted into electricity inside a solar cell, bringing an invisible process vividly to life.
The lessons could prove valuable far beyond Malta. Small-scale installations account for about half of Europe’s total PV capacity, and many face exactly the same maintenance challenges.
Developing smarter technology is only part of the challenge. Ensuring there are enough people with the skills to install, monitor and maintain solar systems will be just as important if Europe is to make the most of its growing investment in renewable energy.
“We need a strong, well-trained workforce that knows how to carry out maintenance and ensure longer system lifetimes,” says de l’Epine. “This requires a lot of training, but also for individual owners to acknowledge that maintenance is something they need to invest in.”
The research has shown that improving solar power is about much more than installing new panels. For Malta, one of Europe’s sunniest countries, harsh conditions have become an unexpected advantage. 
By testing technologies in some of Europe’s most demanding environments, the researchers are helping to develop solutions that could keep solar panels performing reliably across the continent for years to come. 
Author: Helen Massy-Beresford. This article first appeared in Horizon magazine.
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From pv magazine Germany.
The debate over the design of Austria’s subsidy framework has intensified since the last funding round, which saw its budget exhausted in just 33 seconds. Thousands of applications for photovoltaic and battery storage investment grants were left unfunded. Ahead of the third and final funding call opening in October, the Austrian government plans to present a redesign of the framework, which is expected to take effect next year.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Economy and Energy fleshed out its plans for a comprehensive storage offensive. Moving forward, the primary focus of new solar funding will shift toward storage. Storage infrastructure will be given greater weight in the new grid infrastructure plan, and the permitting process for battery storage is slated for acceleration. Additionally, the ministry is planning a dedicated funding program for intelligent energy management systems (EMS) for both residential and commercial applications.
Core points of the planned reform
The ministry also detailed its vision for investment funding under the Renewable Energy Expansion Act (EAG) from 2027 onwards. The highly competitive “first come, first served” model will be scrapped.
“Funding applications should in future be able to be submitted after installation and invoicing – based on the principle of the craftsman bonus,” the ministry stated.
Crucially for the storage sector, broad funding for small, standard photovoltaic systems will be phased out. Instead, financial support will pivot to energy management systems and smart storage to drive up self-consumption and relieve grid congestion. Under the new rules, retrofitting existing solar arrays with battery storage and EMS will also become eligible for subsidies.
Specialized solar applications—such as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), agri-PV, solar carports, floating solar, and noise barrier installations—will remain eligible for support, alongside the preservation of the “Made in Europe” bonus.
“The challenge is not that we generate too little cheap domestic electricity in summer. We have to make it available when we need it. Used correctly, storage brings cheap solar power from midday into the more expensive evening hours,” explained Austria’s Minister of Economy, Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer.
The government’s primary goal is to shift excess solar generation into the evening peak, thereby minimizing the need to import expensive power.
“For this we need more properly deployed storage – from households and large battery storage systems to our pumped hydro storage,” Hattmannsdorfer added.
8 GW of storage capacity needed by 2030
A dedicated storage study commissioned by the Ministry of Economy indicates that up to 8 GW of market-oriented storage capacity by 2030 would be economically beneficial for the country. Depending on the scenario, this additional battery storage could help drive down wholesale power prices by up to €2 per megawatt-hour in 2030.
Current forecasts show Austria has around 3.2 GWh of installed battery storage—mostly in systems under 50 kWh capacity—alongside 6.2 GW of pumped hydro storage.
Beyond restructuring subsidies, the Ministry of Economy highlighted a need for regulatory action from E-Control. Much like its German counterpart, the Federal Network Agency, the Austrian regulator is currently drafting a new framework for grid fees and establishing criteria for system-serving storage.
“At the same time, the number and design of the criteria for system-serving storage envisaged in E-Control’s current draft must be reviewed again. The framework conditions must be practical and sufficiently broad so that the storage ramp-up is not slowed down by requirements that are too narrow to be met,” the ministry stated.
Industry demands action over words
The Federal Association Photovoltaic & Battery Austria (PV&B Austria) has broadly welcomed the shift in focus. The association has been lobbying for a realignment of the subsidy system and is in active dialogue with the ministry.
“We welcome the fact that the federal government is now explicitly recognizing the importance of storage for the energy system. However, it is crucial that the announced storage offensive now also translates into concrete measures,” said Vera Immitzer, Managing Director of PV&B Austria. The industry group stressed that clarity on next year’s funding mechanisms must be established quickly, emphasizing that access must be uncomplicated and available early.
However, the sector remains somewhat skeptical. Hattmannsdorfer has repeatedly promised a storage offensive since taking office but has yet to deliver on implementation. A storage study commissioned last year by PV&B Austria already underscored the critical need for flexibility in the Austrian grid. A follow-up analysis confirmed that battery storage is already capable of effectively shifting solar generation away from midday peaks to high-priced evening windows.
“We are happy to continue to be available to the ministry as a sparring partner. Now it is a matter of words being followed by deeds. The industry is ready – it is crucial that the announced storage offensive is now actually implemented,” Immitzer said.
She noted that merely tweaking PV funding will not be enough to drive the necessary capacity additions.
“It must also continue to be possible to discuss tax relief. E-Control is also called upon to create appropriate, practical framework conditions for electricity storage. And grid operators must also integrate electricity storage more strongly into their grid development plans in the future,” Immitzer added.
Meanwhile, local solar installation firm Hansesun criticized the PV funding plans as “completely inadequate,” arguing for a simple tax break for systems via a climate investment allowance. Hansesun’s Marketing Manager Andreas Müller argued that without such measures, customers will continue to lack certainty over whether their investments will actually receive funding.
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In need of capacity, the PJM’s surplus interconnection process has produced limited results while MISO and SPP were studying roughly 15 GW and 14 GW each in the first half this year.
After an earlier reform effort proved ineffective, the PJM Interconnection is taking a second swing at creating a pathway for bringing generation online by using surplus interconnection capacity at existing power facilities.
Surplus interconnection service, called SIS, allows a new generator or energy storage system to connect to the grid at a power facility’s existing interconnection point, using that asset’s excess capacity interconnection rights.
Surplus interconnection reviews can be significantly faster than standard interconnection studies, and using existing interconnection capacity can avoid costly network upgrades, according to Gavin Ahern, a co-founder of Surplus Interconnection, an advisory firm.
PJM reformed its Surplus Interconnection Service rules in early 2025, but little has come from that effort.
Since 2023, PJM has received eight SIS applications and approved two of them, according to a late November presentation, the most recent information about the status of surplus interconnection requests by the grid operator.
PJM doesn’t release information about surplus interconnection service requests beyond periodic updates to its Interconnection Process Subcommittee, Jeffrey Shields, a PJM spokesman, said in an email.
In contrast, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator was studying 14.8 GW of surplus interconnection requests as of June 30, followed by the Southwest Power Pool at 14.3 GW, Western utilities at 6 GW and Southeastern utilities at 1 GW, according to an analysis by Surplus Interconnection. PacifiCorp was reviewing 33 projects in five Western states totaling 5.2 GW as of Aug. 13, according to its surplus queue. And in the last 60 days, it has filed five surplus interconnection agreements for approval by the Federal Energy Regulastory Commission.
The majority of the pending surplus interconnection requests are for battery storage projects.
Forty-four surplus interconnection projects have come online in MISO and 22 have started operating in SPP’s footprint, according to the report. Since 2024, it took one year for the project in MISO to come online, on average, and projects in SPP took almost two years, according to the report.
“MISO and SPP built surplus interconnection processes that actually work operationally, for example allowing for parallel operation of an existing and surplus generator at the same point of interconnection, which is critical for surplus projects to pencil out,” Ahern said in the report.
Thermal and renewable energy generating facilities in PJM have surplus interconnection capacity that could support about 150 GW of solar, wind and storage, although the loss of federal tax credits has reduced that potential, according to a working paper by University of California, Berkeley, researchers released in August 2025.
PJM is taking steps to make its SIS process more usable. The effort comes after PJM failed to meet its reserve margin targets in its last two capacity auctions, with the shortfalls growing to about 6.8 GW for the 2028/29 delivery from 6.5 GW for its 2027/28 delivery year, which begins on June 1.
“When PJM is looking around trying to answer the question, ‘How are we going to fill this deficit?’ resources coming online using surplus interconnection should be one of the first things that they grab for,” Grant Glazer, senior manager for regulatory and market affairs for MN8 Energy, a renewable energy and storage developer, said in an interview.
Surplus interconnection offers the fastest way to add new capacity to the grid by allowing the use of existing capacity interconnection rights, or CIRs, he said. Facilities that access the grid via SIS don’t require interconnection upgrades or new interconnection rights, making them less expensive, Glazer noted.
However, PJM’s current rules don’t allow a workable way for surplus additions to access the CIRs associated with an existing generator, according to Glazer.
Under PJM’s rules, a battery system added to a solar farm, for example, has two options to participate in the market: as a co-located resource or a hybrid resource, he said. But the co-located model doesn’t allow the battery access to the CIRs that may be needed to participate in PJM’s capacity market and the hybrid model doesn’t work because the entire resource can only have one market participation ID.
Having a single ID makes it impossible to untangle which resource in the hybrid facility is participating in the energy and ancillary services markets, so it is impossible to settle existing offtake agreements for the existing resource, Glazer said.
To address the issue, PJM staff earlier this month floated the idea of allowing hybrid resources — which participate in the capacity market as a single resource — to participate in the energy and ancillary services markets as separate and independent resources, according to an “issue charge” that is under review. Any rule changes would be developed by PJM’s Market Implementation Committee.
The plan will provide a “workable” pathway for many potential projects, according to Glazer.
Advanced Energy United, a clean energy trade group, supports PJM’s effort.
“We think these fixes are relatively easy, and given how desperately PJM needs new resources, we’re optimistic that this is going to move forward quickly,” Jon Gordon, AEU senior director, said in an interview.
Looking ahead, there are more complicated reforms that could be taken up later around CIRs that would further facilitate surplus interconnection, he said.
MN8 has been looking across its portfolio to find projects that have capacity interconnection rights that are being underused, according to Glazer. Many projects in PJM, especially solar projects, have CIRs that cover 40% to 60% of their nameplate capacity, leaving spare interconnection capacity, he said.
Battery costs have fallen and there’s a surge in demand in PJM for capacity resources, driven by large loads, according to Glazer.
Further spurring the potential use of surplus interconnection, Indiana and Virginia passed laws this year directing utilities in their states to study the potential for surplus interconnection on their systems.
In addition, utilities may turn to surplus interconnection as a pathway for adding capacity at their power plants, whether it’s a solar farm or a thermal generator, according to Ahern.
“There’s definitely receptiveness to it because they’re getting requests from large loads to plug in, and/or they’re short capacity for their own systems needs already,” he said in an interview.
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FERC’s response to the proposals will likely “influence utility capital investment, data center development timelines and the allocation of reliability risks and costs,” ClearView Energy Partners said.
Utility associations supported the 2024 efficiency requirements for distribution transformers and oppose their repeal. The rule may threaten national security, DOE says.
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FERC’s response to the proposals will likely “influence utility capital investment, data center development timelines and the allocation of reliability risks and costs,” ClearView Energy Partners said.
Utility associations supported the 2024 efficiency requirements for distribution transformers and oppose their repeal. The rule may threaten national security, DOE says.
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The global solar PV manufacturing landscape is evolving rapidly, with technology roadmaps diverging across regions. While China advances beyond first-generation TOPCon into back-contact (BC) and hybrid architectures, hubs like India, Europe, and North America are balancing TOPCon expansion, HJT, and tandem concepts.
To help you navigate these shifts, TaiyangNews is hosting the Cell & Module Production Equipment & Processing Materials Conference, bringing together top equipment manufacturers, material suppliers, and PV makers.
At the conference, Archon Lai, Chief Marketing Officer at China S.C, will be speaking on the topic: Innovation for Next-Generation Solar Cell Manufacturing.
The virtual conference is scheduled from 09:30 to 13:00 CEST on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Register for free here.
BOE Energy’s 200 MW Pasture-PV-Storage + Sand Control Comprehensive Project in Inner Mongolia’s Xilingol League has been selected as a representative case in the ‘New Energy/PV Desertification Control’ category of the report Desertification Control and Land Restoration – Inspiring Solutions from Chinese Enterprises. The report was released on August 18, 2026, at a China Pavilion side event during the 17^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17).
The project adopts a ‘PV + energy storage + desertification control + livestock farming’ model. Elevated mounting structures allow PV generation above and grazing below, while shading and wind protection from the modules help improve the surface microenvironment.
BOE Energy is the energy development subsidiary of display manufacturing giant BOE.
Chinese energy developer Energy China (CEEC) has announced the results of its 2026 centralized procurement of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) energy storage systems (ESS) and battery cells, with a total procurement volume of approximately 30 GWh. The procurement covers four lots: 1C (1-hour), 0.5C (2-hour), and 0.25C (4-hour) ESS, as well as LFP battery cells.
A total of 36 companies won bids, including CATL, Sungrow, JA, and Risen Energy. However, as the announcement did not disclose the specific capacity of each lot, the winning unit prices for individual suppliers cannot be calculated.
Recently, CEEC released the preferred bidders for its 2026 centralized PV inverter procurement, with an estimated total capacity of 20 GW (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
PV and energy storage manufacturer Trinasolar, together with research teams from Fudan University and Southeast University, has published research in Nature on perovskite/perovskite/crystalline-silicon triple-junction solar cells. The study addresses non-radiative losses in wide-bandgap perovskites and suboptimal light management across the multilayer stack.
The researchers combined defect passivation of wide-bandgap perovskites with optical management to address key electrical and optical limitations in triple-junction devices. The devices achieved certified steady-state efficiencies of 32.22% for a 1.046 cm² aperture area and 26.97% for a 15.62 cm² aperture area. Trinasolar said both efficiencies are records for triple-junction cells, and the research provides a technical pathway for lightweight, high-efficiency, and stable multijunction tandem PV devices, including for space applications.
China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has announced the preferred bidders for its 2026-2027 centralized procurement of solar PV modules, with the tender expected to cover about 4.3 GW. The procurement includes both TOPCon and back-contact (BC) technologies, allowing bidders to select a route based on their available production capacity.
Six companies were named as preferred bidders, with quoted prices of RMB 0.71/W for Astronergy, RMB 0.695/W for JA, RMB 0.69/W for Yingli Solar, RMB 0.70/W for Tongwei, RMB 0.748/W for Huayao PV, and RMB 0.685/W for LONGi.
Leading PV encapsulant film manufacturer Hangzhou First reported operating revenue of RMB 6.988 billion for the first half of 2026, down 12.2% year-on-year, while adjusted net profit rose 62.57% to RMB 729.6 million. The company attributed the increase mainly to higher profits from its PV products, photosensitive dry film, and aluminum laminated film businesses.
Note that the reported adjusted net profit is lower than Hangzhou First’s forecast in July (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
PV encapsulant film sales volume fell 11.97% year-on-year to 1.2202 billion m² during the period. Hangzhou First said its encapsulant film business profitability recovered significantly as capacity held by loss-making producers continued to exit the market and smaller encapsulant manufacturers gradually withdrew, easing competition in the industry. Sales volumes of photosensitive dry film and aluminum laminated film increased 21.92% and 29.38%, respectively, to 109 million m² and 8.6145 million m².
TaiyangNews 2024

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Swedish renewables developer OX2 has officially begun construction on the Muswellbrook 100 MW / 200 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in the Hunter Valley, some 250 kilometres north-west of Sydney.
The site is a hybrid and includes a 135 MW solar farm that will connect to the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). 
Located at the site of a former coal mine that shut down in 2022, the project located near the coal mining town of Muswellbrook and called the Muswellbrook BESS, will supply enough electricity to power about 52,000 homes, helping strengthen grid reliability for the Hunter-Central Coast REZ.
The project is being delivered by OX2 and co-developed with Idemitsu Australia, the owner of the former coal mine and the site’s retaining owner. It reached financial close in May 2026 and is expected to support around 200 construction jobs.
“Today’s sod turning marks the beginning of construction on a project that demonstrates how Australia’s energy transformation can deliver lasting benefits for regional communities,” said OX2 Australia vice president Stephen Symons. 
“By repurposing a former coal mine site into a renewables hub, we’re investing in infrastructure that will provide reliable energy, create local jobs, strengthen regional supply chains and support the Hunter’s future prosperity.”
Construction costs are estimated to be $302 million for the Muswellbrook solar farm and BESS. It is one of nine developments signed under long-term Amazon Australia power purchase agreements (PPAs), as part of the tech giant’s 430 MW, $2.8 billion renewable energy buy-up. 
Through a Community Benefit Sharing Program agreed with Muswellbrook Shire Council, OX2 will contribute $115,000 each year to support local projects. 
EnergyCo has commissioned Ausgrid to upgrade REZ‑designated distribution infrastructure to unlock 1 GW of network capacity by 2028, enabling OX2 to connect as soon as construction is complete. 
“It’s pleasing to see that the additional network capacity we are building in the Hunter-Central Coast REZ is already unlocking new renewable energy and storage projects, delivering economic benefits to the Hunter region,” said EnergyCo chief executive Hannah McCaughey. 
The Muswellbrook BESS is expected to be operational in 2028.
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The site could offer cheaper power, safer outdoor space, and new opportunities for work, training, and green manufacturing.
Photo Credit: iStock
Local advocates say the former New York Post printing complex on the South Bronx waterfront could serve a very different purpose in the future.
Instead of remaining vacant, its roof could host a community-owned solar project designed to lower electricity costs, create jobs, and expand access to cleaner energy in a neighborhood long affected by pollution, the Bronx Times reported.
One idea newly introduced by South Bronx Unite centers on the roof of the more than 350,000-square-foot property. Rooftop solar would anchor a broader redevelopment effort shaped by the community.
South Bronx Unite presented the concept at one of its regular community meetings, where MIT research fellows also took part.
The gathering also marked the launch of the group’s Energy Justice campaign, and organizers connected the proposal to familiar neighborhood concerns such as high electric bills and health effects tied to nearby fossil fuel infrastructure.
News Corp started operating at the plant in 2001, then moved its printing work to College Point in 2021. Advocates say the waterfront site has been mostly unused since then, creating an opening to consider uses that benefit residents instead of bringing more truck traffic and pollution.
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The proposal was also discussed at the meeting by Dr. Diana Hernandez, an associate professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
“Places like the Bronx are very much impacted by issues like energy insecurity. And yet, there are solutions,” Hernandez said.
The site is controlled by the Galesi Group through a 99-year lease from Empire State Development Corporation, and part of the property was leased to FreshDirect in 2011.
South Bronx Unite says FreshDirect got $127.8 million in state tax breaks to keep the company from leaving New York. The organization, which has long pushed back against projects it says worsen local air quality, wants planning to start before another truck-heavy operation moves in.
Organizers say the question is about more than just land use. In a neighborhood that has faced environmental burdens for years, cleaner energy could help lower utility costs while also reducing reliance on polluting power sources.
Residents also suggested ideas such as green space, urban farming, flood protections, walking trails, and better transit access.
The site could offer cheaper power, safer outdoor space, and new opportunities for work, training, and green manufacturing.
South Bronx Unite has begun a pre-feasibility solar assessment with Working Power. That group helped secure Sunset Park Solar, the city’s first community-owned solar project, and organizers are also seeking pro bono legal help because of the property’s complicated ownership and lease structure.
Numbers shared at the meeting indicate the roof could generate about $3.1 million in operating income over 25 years. Under the proposal, around 100 households could get a 20% reduction on electricity bills, saving an average of $142 per year.
Organizers said the system could produce roughly twice the energy of the Sunset Park Solar Project.
They also said that because the project would be community co-owned, money beyond those direct savings could be directed back into the neighborhood through a community-governed process.
South Bronx Unite has not set a firm timeline, but estimates the full vision could take up to seven years. The group plans to start a working group later this month and continue it through at least mid-2027.
“There is a nationwide struggle for the liberation of these lands,” said community organizer Kaila Paulino. “We don’t have an answer, but that’s why we want to have this conversation.”
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From ESS News
China-based storage system manufacturer Ecoflow has been teasing an update to its Stream series of products and has now launched the products in the UK, following an earlier launch in Europe, with the Stream 5000 and Stream AC 5000 now available for pre-order.
Previous Stream models such as the Stream Ultra remain on sale, but the expanded portfolio in the UK now includes 5 kWh batteries with both the Stream 5000 and Stream AC 5000, along with a 5 kWh expansion battery option as well. When paired with solar generation or expansion batteries, the Stream 5000 can deliver up to 3 kW of output power according to EcoFlow.
The EcoFlow Stream 5000 has a maximum charging power of 4 kW, maximum discharging power of 3 kW. The main unit battery for this modular system has charging and discharging power of 2.5 kW. EcoFlow Stream 5000 is rated for a 3 kW AC charging input. EcoFlow Stream 5000 are equipped with four maximum power point trackers (MPPT) and take a PV input power of 5 kW (across four 1.25 kW inputs) at a maximum PV input voltage of 60 V.
For AC output, this varies between off-grid and grid tied, with off grid rated at 3 kW and grid-tied AC output listed as 800 W/3 kW on the product specification sheet. The Stream 5000 has a net weight of 45.4 kg, dimensions 295 mm x 489 mm x 298 mm, and carries a 10-year warranty.
EcoFlow Stream AC 5000 has nearly identical specifications but the main difference is that it doesn’t offer an inverter for charging from solar PV. It has a maximum charging power of 3 kW rather than 4 kW, and a slightly lower weight at 44.6 kg.
The EcoFlow Stream 5000 and EcoFlow Stream AC 5000 each offer a lifespan of 10,000 cycles.
All products in the EcoFlow 5000 range are equipped with low-temperature charging activation at below 10 C, have an IP65 ingress protection rating and a maximum 30 dB noise specification, according to the manufacturer.
Other novel features
EcoFlow highlighted that the new Stream 5000 series offers is able to work with its last generation of Stream products to host an expanded capacity of up to 90 kWh.
It also offers a “local” mode, for operation without cloud control. The company also noted two pressure relief valves in the latest models; the safety mechanisms designed to manage off-gassing that occurs during thermal runaway.
Pricing and availability of the EcoFlow Stream 5000 and Stream 5000 AC UK
Introductory or early-bird pricing for the EcoFlow Stream 5000 is £1599, while the Stream AC 5000 is £1499. Early bird pricing is available until October 7.
On the EcoFlow UK website, an offer describes paying £9.90 to lock in a launch offer to save £100.
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SunShare, a US-based community solar developer, has completed and energized its first two New Mexico community solar gardens with CSolPower. The 6 MW DC Juniper Sol garden in Santa Fe reached commercial operation recently and started producing renewable energy. Juniper Sol agri-pv occupies 31 acres and its generation capacity is equivalent to powering nearly 2,000 homes while avoiding 261 million pounds of CO2. The pv-garden will incorporate agrivoltaic practices, including native, pollinator-friendly habitats under and around the solar panels. Half of Juniper Sol subscribers are income-qualified, while 2,000 families will save on electricity costs for the next 25 years. Rockhound Sol, a 4.5 MW DC solar farm in Deming, was energized alongside Juniper Sol project. Alongside the Juniper Sol installation, SunShare has committed more than $7 million in donations to three community organizations in New Mexico.
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Indian solar manufacturer Websol Energy System has started upgrading one of its existing monocrystalline PERC cell lines to TOPCon technology, with the project expected to be completed by March 2027.
The company is converting a 600 MW mono PERC line into a 750 MW TOPCon line at its existing facility. The upgrade will increase Websol’s total cell manufacturing capacity from 1.2 GW to approximately 1.35 GW. Once completed, TOPCon will account for around 55% of the company’s cell capacity.
The upgraded line is expected to achieve a cell efficiency of around 25%.
Websol is also targeting further reductions in silver consumption as it transitions to TOPCon technology. TOPCon cells, which currently dominate global crystalline silicon production, consume more silver than earlier technologies such as PERC, making them particularly sensitive to price volatility.
The company said it reduced silver consumption by 20% in the 2025-26 financial year and is targeting a further 10% reduction. Over the longer term, Websol is evaluating alternative metallization pathways to reduce its reliance on silver.
The company is also planning a 4 GW integrated cell and module manufacturing facility, to be developed in phases to mitigate the risk of technology changes as the solar industry evolves.
The company plans to locate the expansion close to its existing operations in West Bengal, to benefit from easy access to an established supply base and skilled workforce and potentially shorten the time required to bring new capacity online.
“Recent direction of the state [West Bengal] towards greater industrialization, including the proposed new industrial policy, simpler access to industrial land and a stronger focus on attracting manufacturing investment is encouraging for companies like ours, which already have an operating base here.  So, we look at West Bengal not merely as the location of our existing plant but as a natural place to consider for the capacity we build next,” stated the company.
Websol has partnered with Linton Crystal Technologies for equipment and technology support for its planned greenfield ingot and wafer manufacturing facility.

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ATOME is preparing a feasibility study for a proposed 300 MW solar project in Villeta
Progress on the project depends on ATOME Paraguay moving forward with a PPA
It says the project could support the development of an industrial park centered on solar power and battery storage
ATOME PLC, a UK-listed developer of green fertilizer and renewable energy projects, says it has secured financial and technical support to study a proposed 300 MW solar PV project in Paraguay.
The support, secured from a multilateral development bank’s dollar fund, will be used to develop a feasibility study for the project, planned near ATOME’s green fertilizer plant in Villeta. The company said it has access to substantial land in the area for solar development.
The feasibility study will proceed if ATOME Paraguay moves forward with the relevant Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). ATOME said the project could support the development of an industrial park centered on solar power and battery storage.
It expects the proposed facility to support new industries and trades linked to its green fertilizer operations.
Paraguay’s renewable electricity supply is supported by the 14 GW Itaipu hydroelectric dam, which is co-owned by Paraguay and Brazil. The company said the broader Mercosur region (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) has limited domestic fertilizer production and imports about 30 million tons of fertilizer annually, equivalent to about 95% of its demand. Hence, it sees Paraguay as the prime location for a decentralized production facility to supply the larger region.
Paraguay also has renewable energy ambitions, targeting a 60% share of renewable energy in its total energy consumption by 2030. However, solar PV accounted for only 3 MW of the total 8.85 GW installed renewable energy capacity at the end of 2025, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.  
TaiyangNews 2024

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The solar photovoltaic system at the Duff House Pump Station in Manchester is expected to result in over $14 million in savings on electricity costs.
Agriculture Minister Floyd Green noted that the investment will also support farmers, especially amid drought conditions, ensuring food security.
He was speaking at the official commissioning ceremony for the system on Thursday.
The system, implemented by the National Irrigation Commission Limited, will supply water to farmers through climate-smart, reliable irrigation infrastructure.
Mr. Green said about 450 farmers will benefit.
 
 
The Minister noted that systems operated by the NIC consume a lot of energy.
The solar system will reduce the NIC’s dependence on power from the Jamaica Public Service.
 
 
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The Government says the necessary steps are being taken to facilitate a smooth rollout of…
Education Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon has announced plans to amend the HEART/NSTA Trust legislation…
While the Bank of Jamaica’s (BOJ) priority remains focused on low and stable inflation, there…
IRIE FM began test transmissions in July 1990 with a heavy bass line and rocking Reggae rhythms. The station officially went on air on August 1, 1990. Reggae in the morning, Reggae in the evening, Reggae in the night was the cry. Critics said it was impossible to sustain a 24-hour Reggae music station. In fact, so strong was the impact, it proved that this format was something the Jamaican public yearned for. The little station that could got all media houses in Jamaica to stand up and take note. The nay-sayers did not count on the strength of 40 years worth of rich, pulsating Jamaican music.
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Queensland biofuel groups seek national ethanol and biodiesel mandate
US renewable fuel credit generation rises nearly 7% in first seven months of 2026
Bangchak expands used cooking oil network to support SAF production in Thailand
Egypt approves 1-GW solar project with 600-MWh battery storage
US renewable fuel credit generation rises nearly 7% in first seven months of 2026
US fuel ethanol production falls nearly 3% in week ended August 14
Guatemala’s E10 rollout opens new market for US ethanol
Ethanol blending can support farmers, industry and economy: West Bengal minister
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Finland opens first large-scale liquefied biogas plant
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The Egyptian government has granted a golden licence to Nefer Minya Renewable Energy to develop a 1-GW solar power plant with a 600-MWh battery energy storage system in Minya Governorate.
The project is being developed by a joint venture between Infinity Power Holding and HAU Energy and is expected to require an investment of about $750 million, according to a statement from the Egyptian Cabinet, Renewables Now reported.
The developer is seeking $170 million in financing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), with a decision expected by September 9.
The project is expected to employ about 2,500 engineers, technicians and workers during construction. It is also expected to generate additional employment once the plant becomes operational.
The solar and battery project will be built on a 20-square-kilometre site west of the Nile in the West Minya area. Construction is scheduled to be completed by September 30, 2027.
Egypt’s golden licence is intended to speed up major investment projects by bringing key approvals, including construction permits and land allocation, under a single authorisation.
The government has been granting the licence to a growing number of projects as it seeks to accelerate renewable energy development and increase the share of renewables in the country’s power mix to 45% by 2028.
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Bulgaria’s battery energy storage capacity increased by 1 GW in a single month to 5.4 GW, according to Bulgarian business publication Capital.bg. The news report cites ENTSO-E data as of August 17, 2026, showing a nearly 23% month-on-month (MoM) increase in operating capacity. It expanded from 4.4 GW on July 10, 2026. The rapid expansion reflects the country’s accelerating deployment of battery storage alongside its growing renewable energy capacity. The reported 5.4 GW storage capacity refers to an estimated 16.2 GW electricity storage capacity. According to the report, batteries now account for 22.8% of the country’s 23.75 GW of installed capacity and nearly 69% of all solar and wind capacity combined. It attributes the increase to deadlines under the Recovery Plan and RESTORE 1 and 2 programs that support standalone projects. These facilities had to be built by July 31, 2026, followed by regulatory tests and a full charge-discharge cycle by the end of August.  
Australian energy infrastructure company APA Group has taken a final investment decision (FID) to construct, own and operate the 72 MW Sybella Creek Solar Farm and a 52 MW/104 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Mount Isa, Queensland. It will invest AUD 259 million in the project that’s backed by a long-term Energy Supply Agreement with Ernest Henry Mining, a wholly owned subsidiary of Evolution Mining. The latter operates the Ernest Henry copper-gold mine in Queensland. The agreement runs until mid-2046. APA said the solar farm and battery will complement its existing Diamantina Power Facility, with gas-fired generation providing firming capacity. The combined system is expected to improve energy reliability and resilience for Ernest Henry’s operations and other customers in the North West Power System. The project will begin construction in late 2026, with completion planned by mid-2028. 
US-based battery energy storage developer and operator, Key Capture Energy (KCE) has closed a $300 million letter of credit (LC) facility with Standard Chartered to support its battery energy storage development pipeline across the country. The facility will initially focus on projects in the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) and Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) markets. It is intended to support projects through development, construction, and operation. KCE currently operates 623 MW of utility-scale battery storage and claims a development pipeline exceeding 8 GW. 
US energy storage company Noon Energy and Sabanci Renewables have agreed to co-develop up to 1 GW/100 GWh of ultra-long-duration energy storage projects in the US to provide round-the-clock (RTC) renewable power for AI infrastructure. The projects will combine Noon Energy’s reversible electrofuels battery systems, designed for more than 100 hours of storage, with Sabanci Renewables’ utility-scale renewable energy portfolio. The projects could be structured through power purchase or capacity offtake agreements, with commercial deployment potentially starting as early as 2027. Sabanci Renewables is targeting a 3 GW US renewable portfolio over the next five years. It currently operates and is constructing four utility-scale solar projects totaling 790 MW DC in the ERCOT market. 
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has released a straw proposal for approximately 150 MW of distributed energy storage under Phase 2, Block 1 of the Garden State Energy Storage Program. The proposal focuses on expanding behind-the-meter (BTM) residential battery storage, with participating customers eligible for performance-based incentives over a proposed 10-year period. Through this proposal, the agency says it aims to integrate more clean energy resources, lower costs, and complement its Virtual Power Plant (VPP) and grid modernization efforts. The proposal is part of New Jersey’s efforts to meet its 2 GW energy storage goal for 2030.  
EDP, through its subsidiary EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA), and the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) have completed the 92 MW/368 MWh Sandrini Energy Storage project in Kern County, California. The BESS is co-located with the 300 MW Sandrini Solar project and can provide electricity equivalent to the needs of more than 22,000 California homes. The project has an energy storage service agreement with RCEA covering 100% of the battery capacity. It is intended to improve grid reliability and help shift renewable electricity to periods of higher demand. RCEA is purchasing 100 MW from the co-located Sandrini Solar project. 
TaiyangNews 2024

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Energies Media
The Mojave Desert outside Las Vegas looks barren to most passing eyes. But tucked beneath the scrub and sand lives the threecorner milkvetch — a rare flowering plant that sprawls low across the ground, waiting for desert rains to bloom. Scientists counted just 12 of them on one patch of land before construction crews arrived to build a solar farm.
Solar development typically means the end of exactly this kind of fragile ecosystem. Companies routinely blade and grade sites — scraping away vegetation and flattening the soil, destroying the seed banks that native plants depend on to survive.
What happened next at the Gemini Solar Project wasn’t supposed to be possible.
By 2024, that count of 12 threecorner milkvetch plants had jumped to 93. The seed bank had survived construction entirely intact — and the plants weren’t just surviving. Compared with specimens at a nearby undisturbed plot, the Gemini plants grew wider, taller, and produced more flowers and fruits. Something about the solar farm was actively helping them thrive.
Researchers believe the explanation lies in shade. Solar panels slow soil evaporation, keeping more moisture in the ground — and in a desert ecosystem where water limits nearly everything, that shift matters enormously. “There’s seedlings of so many other species coming up as well,” said Tiffany Pereira, an ecologist at the Desert Research Institute and lead author of the study. “The fact that the seed bank survived is phenomenal.”
The stakes are real. The threecorner milkvetch is currently under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act — and a solar farm, of all things, may be offering it a lifeline.
The standard approach to solar construction is called blade-and-grade: vegetation is cut, soil is leveled, and the seed bank beneath is effectively destroyed. It’s efficient for builders but catastrophic for native ecosystems. Without root structures holding soil together, erosion moves in fast, according to the Desert Research Institute.
Bare soil is an open invitation. Invasive species are opportunistic and aggressive, crowding out the native plants that indigenous pollinators — like bumblebees — depend on. The result is a landscape that looks green from a distance but functions poorly as habitat.
Ecovoltaics is the alternative. Instead of clearing a site, developers build with native species in mind from the start, seeding the soil with native grasses and wildflowers rather than stripping it bare. “Some of those seed mixes do quite well at solar facilities, and they attract pollinators, birds, and other wildlife as a result,” said Lee Walston, an ecologist at Argonne National Laboratory. On former agricultural fields, the approach can actually restore soil and plant communities toward something closer to their natural state — especially in prairie ecosystems that evolved alongside repeated disturbance.
The Nevada results aren’t an isolated case. Walston led a five-year study of two solar installations built on converted cropland in Minnesota, and the numbers are striking. Unique flowering plant species increased sevenfold. Insect pollinators tripled in abundance. Native bee populations alone grew by a factor of 20.
A follow-on study across a dozen solar sites found grassland birds flocking to these areas, drawn by the surge in insect life. Bats followed for the same reason, and researchers observed birds nesting among the panels, using the structures as shelter from predators. “We’ve seen positive outcomes sort of across the board,” Walston said. The logic holds: more insects mean more food for birds and bats, and once the plant base recovers, the rest of the food web tends to follow.
Not every solar farm produces these results automatically. Design choices matter — sometimes enormously.
Panel height is one of the most critical variables. Taller supports allow larger plant species to reach their full growth potential beneath and between the arrays, but higher supports cost more to build, creating real tension with project economics. Developers must weigh habitat goals against construction budgets. Shade tolerance also varies by species — at the Gemini site, Pereira found only one threecorner milkvetch growing directly under a panel. The rest were thriving in sunlit gaps between rows, not in the shade itself, but benefiting from the moisture that nearby shade helped preserve.
Some facilities use conservation grazing — sheep and goats — to manage invasive weeds and reduce fire risk from accumulated dead plant material. It sounds disruptive, but it mimics natural disturbance cycles that historically involved deer, bison, and wildfires. Walston and his colleagues are working directly with developers to identify the best seed mixes and management strategies for whatever panel height a given project can accommodate.
A parallel approach called agrivoltaics is expanding the conversation further. Instead of native plants beneath the panels, some researchers are experimenting with food crops — and early results are promising.
Panels create a microclimate that buffers crops from temperature extremes in both summer and winter. Growing under panels uses roughly one-third less water compared with open-field cultivation, a meaningful advantage as drought pressure intensifies across agricultural regions. Researchers are now working to identify which high-value crops perform best under panels — on rooftops and at ground level — to make the economics viable for farmers. The broader vision is ambitious: solar farms that generate clean energy, restore native biodiversity, and contribute to the food supply, all on the same footprint of land.
For decades, the trade-off between energy development and ecological preservation has felt fixed — build the infrastructure, lose the habitat. The research coming out of Nevada and Minnesota suggests that trade-off isn’t as inevitable as it seemed.
“Rather than a moonscape of invasive species and dust blowing into cities, why not strive for something better?” Pereira said. The 93 threecorner milkvetch plants now flowering beneath the Nevada sun are a small but concrete answer to that question. They raise a larger one: how many other landscapes, written off as sacrifice zones for infrastructure, might respond the same way if we simply chose not to scrape them bare?
Carlos is an engineer with strong expertise in technical and industrial topics. He previously worked at international companies such as Siemens and is multilingual.
Carlos is an engineer with strong expertise in technical and industrial topics. He previously worked at international companies such as Siemens and is multilingual.
Carlos is an engineer with strong expertise in technical and industrial topics. He previously worked at international companies such as Siemens and is multilingual.

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Energies Media
Zenith Energy just picked up a 10 MWp photovoltaic development project in the Province of Foggia, Puglia—and with that, its total Italian solar pipeline hit approximately 203 MWp. That clears the company’s 200 MWp end-of-2026 target, and it did so before the year was out.
The milestone was announced in August 2026. Management’s response was immediate: raise the goal to 240 MWp by year-end.
The Foggia project is relatively contained—about 30 acres in a region that gets some of the highest solar irradiation in all of Italy. That’s not a coincidence. It’s exactly the kind of location a company wants when building a development-stage portfolio aimed at ready-to-build status and, eventually, full construction and operation.
The financial terms are modest by design. Total consideration is $111,000, payable only once all required permits are secured and ready-to-build status is achieved. That structure keeps upfront exposure low while leaving room to adjust—which matters considerably in development-stage solar, where permitting timelines rarely follow a straight line.
With this addition, Zenith’s total solar development pipeline stands at approximately 203 MWp, clearing the 200 MWp end-of-2026 target the company had set for itself. Hitting it early gave management the room to push the ambition higher.
The accelerated growth isn’t a fluke. Zenith has been building its pipeline incrementally, adding well-located, development-stage assets across Italy rather than chasing one big transaction. This methodical approach involves adding projects, moving them through permitting, and progressing toward construction and monetization.
Puglia has become central to that strategy. The Foggia deal deepens Zenith’s footprint in the region, where construction is already underway across all three solar plants in its 7 MWp Under Construction Portfolio, with commissioning and grid connection targeted before the end of 2026.
Hitting 200 MWp early gave the team confidence to reset expectations. CEO Andrea Cattaneo announced a new target of 240 MWp of solar development projects by year-end—and said the company will work “determinedly to achieve and, if possible, exceed” that figure.
Raising a target you’ve already beaten ahead of schedule signals the acquisition pipeline is still running hot.
A bigger pipeline means more to manage. Zenith now has to move a larger set of development-stage assets through permitting, grid connection, ready-to-build status, and eventually construction—a multi-stage process with plenty of moving parts.
On the monetization side, there’s already a concrete signal. A Memorandum of Understanding announced on July 15, 2026, covers the proposed sale of Zenith’s approximately 50 MWp South Piedmont portfolio for $13.9 million—a real-world example of how development-stage assets can generate returns as they mature through the project lifecycle.
Cattaneo called the MoU “a clear illustration of the potential value that can be created as projects advance through the development cycle.” That said, an MoU isn’t a binding sale agreement.
The transaction still needs to be negotiated and completed before it counts. Zenith says it’ll keep evaluating new solar development opportunities across Italy, running two priorities in parallel: grow the portfolio’s headline size and push existing assets closer to RTB status and beyond.
The timing isn’t bad. On June 8, 2026, the European Commission approved a $26.6 billion Italian state aid scheme to support renewable electricity production, offering long-term price contracts for eligible projects. Zenith notes that assets in its portfolio could qualify.
Long-term price contracts reduce revenue uncertainty, which improves project economics and makes assets more attractive to buyers and financiers alike. For a company with an explicit monetization strategy, that kind of policy tailwind is genuinely useful—not incidental.
Puglia adds another layer of advantage. Its solar irradiation levels rank among the highest in Italy, strengthening the energy yield assumptions that underpin project valuations and permitting applications. In development-stage solar, site quality isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s foundational. The Foggia deal, small as it is on its own, fits that logic precisely.
Zenith describes its broader goal as building a “scalable solar platform” that generates value across development, construction, operation, and asset sales.
Zenith Energy acquired a 10 MWp photovoltaic development project in Foggia, Puglia, for $111,000—payable only upon reaching ready-to-build status. The deal brings the company’s total Italian solar pipeline to approximately 203 MWp, clearing its 200 MWp end-of-2026 target ahead of schedule. The company responded by raising its acquisition target to 240 MWp by year-end.
Construction is underway on three Puglia solar plants, with commissioning targeted before the end of 2026. A separate MoU covers the proposed $13.9 million sale of the South Piedmont Portfolio, signaling Zenith’s intent to monetize assets as they mature. The European Commission’s approval of a $26.6 billion Italian renewable energy support scheme adds a favorable policy backdrop for projects across the pipeline.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.

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Renewable Energy in India: Growth Story, Policy Push & What’s Next  NewsGram
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Saffron grown under solar panels doubled yields and penciled out at $60,000 in five-year test  Yahoo
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Storage can help stabilize the grid during extreme weather or periods of heavy use.
Photo Credit: iStock
Rising electricity use from data centers and other digital facilities is shaping plans for a new energy development in Grant County, Washington. The proposed Appledale Energy Center would combine large-scale solar generation with battery storage to help meet that growing demand.
Targeted for full operation in 2028, Hawthorne Renewable Energy’s proposal calls for 300 megawatts of solar and a 300-megawatt battery energy storage system with four hours of storage. The combined project is intended to serve both the local grid and large electricity users, including data centers.
According to Renewable Energy World, Hawthorne brought in global engineering consulting firm RINA during the project’s early development. Jonás Rodríguez, Head of Renewables North America at RINA, said the company’s work spanned design optimization, preliminary layout planning, energy-yield modeling, parcel analysis, geotechnical review, and support for transformer inspections.
That process produced an initial optimized layout estimated at about 400 megawatt-peak of direct-current capacity after RINA reviewed the site’s terrain, setbacks, easements, permitting constraints, and county slope requirements.
The project is projected to produce more than 650 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to serve more than 50,000 Washington households.
Transmission access and site conditions have made Grant County an appealing place for energy development. Those advantages are also driving higher power demand as data centers and other digital operations seek reliable electricity supplies.
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Solar panels generate electricity when the sun is shining, but a four-hour battery system can store excess power and release it later during evening peaks, periods of grid strain, or unexpected disruptions.
For residents and businesses, that flexibility can improve reliability and help utilities avoid more expensive emergency measures. Storage can help stabilize the grid during extreme weather or periods of heavy use.
It can also help cities and companies manage power more efficiently, reducing the risk of outages and potentially lowering costs tied to expensive peak-time electricity.
Appledale also reflects a broader shift in clean energy development, in which output alone is no longer the sole benchmark. Projects are increasingly evaluated by how dependable, financeable, and grid-friendly their electricity supply is.
Before construction starts, RINA’s job has been to reduce uncertainty around the project, Renewable Energy World reported. Using GIS tools and solar design software, the firm identified buildable areas, avoided constrained land, and developed an early plan for panel blocks, roads, inverter and transformer stations, a battery area, and a substation near the interconnection point.
The firm also completed what it described as a bankable energy-yield assessment, using site solar data, topography, shading, system losses, and expected bifacial gain to estimate output and uncertainty. Those figures can help investors and developers judge whether the project is likely to perform as planned.
In addition, RINA examined nearby parcels to determine whether acquiring adjacent land could increase capacity or add flexibility for development. It also reviewed geotechnical plans and supported transformer due diligence and factory inspections intended to identify issues that could affect performance, budget, or schedule.
If the project moves forward as planned, Appledale could illustrate how pairing solar with storage can help fast-growing regions keep up with rising demand while building a grid that is more flexible, dependable, and better prepared for a more electrified economy.
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The IREDA has sanctioned a debt facility of $118.6m (Rs11.35bn) for the project.
Hindustan Power has completed financial closure for a 435MW-peak (MWp)/300MW solar power project in the Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh (UP), India.
The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) has sanctioned a debt facility of Rs11.35bn for the project.
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Construction of the solar plant is already under way, in line with the planned development schedule.
The project is structured to provide green electricity to Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA).
Hindustan Power secured the project through a competitive tender process in 2025.
The project ranks among the largest solar initiatives currently being developed in UP.
It is expected to help meet the state’s growing demand for electricity generated from renewable sources.
Hindustan Power chairman Ratul Puri said: “The 435MWp solar project in Uttar Pradesh marks an important milestone in our renewable energy expansion.
“Uttar Pradesh is experiencing growing energy demand alongside an increasing focus on renewable energy, and projects of this scale will play an important role in strengthening the state’s clean energy capacity.
“We are pleased to contribute to this journey through a project of this scale and remain focused on its timely execution. The project reflects our long-term commitment to developing large-scale renewable energy infrastructure that can support India’s evolving energy needs.
“As the country accelerates its energy transition, our focus remains on building reliable, efficient and sustainable generation capacity while contributing to long-term energy security.”
Hindustan Power said that the development forms part of the company’s wider strategy to expand in renewable and transitional energy generation.
The company has been increasing its focus on large-scale infrastructure projects as part of its commitment to supporting India’s rising energy requirements and the broader energy transition.
Hindustan Power is an integrated power generation company based in India, operating across both renewable and transitional energy sectors.
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For a larger 6-kilowatt system, the report said the loss could reach £200 (~$272).
Photo Credit: iStock
For some U.K. households, neglecting to clean solar panels could mean giving up more savings than expected, with estimates suggesting yearly losses can reach about £150 (roughly $204).
As NationalWorld reported, panels are more likely to lose efficiency in spots with frequent bird activity, overhanging trees, or heavy dust exposure, since that buildup can gradually reduce how much electricity a system generates.
According to a new analysis by Recharge Renewable, a standard 4-kilowatt home solar system can lose up to 10% of its output.
The solar company added that, using July 2026’s Ofgem cap price of 26.11p per kilowatt-hour, those losses can add up to nearly £100 (~$136) a year for many homes, with heavier soiling pushing the total closer to £150, per NationalWorld. For a larger 6-kW system, the report said the loss could reach £200 (~$272).
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Recharge Renewable noted some buildup can be especially stubborn, like leaves caught along a panel’s lower edge. 
NationalWorld added that the homes most vulnerable are those with panels under trees, on low-pitch roofs where rain drains poorly, in areas with regular bird traffic, or in places exposed to dust.
Despite these pitfalls, going solar is still one of the best ways to cut household energy bills over time. If you’re considering rooftop panels, EnergySage offers free tools to get quick solar installation estimates and compare quotes.
NationalWorld noted that the issue may become more relevant soon, with plug-in solar systems due in U.K. shops on August 27.
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Because a typical home cleaning costs about £4 to £15 for each panel, or roughly £80 to £150 for an entire system, paying for a professional clean every year may not make sense for many owners. 
Whether it is worth the cost depends heavily on how dirty the panels actually are. Energy Saving Trust guidance dictates that panels usually require little upkeep, so for homes in wetter, lower-risk areas, a fixed cleaning schedule could simply become an unnecessary expense, NationalWorld suggested.
Owners should first look for visible dirt and a noticeable decline in energy output. If panels are reachable from the ground, NationalWorld’s advice is to use plain water and a soft brush on a telescopic pole, or a little mild washing-up liquid, then rinse well and clean only when the panels are cool.
Experts also reportedly warn against pressure washers, abrasive pads, harsh chemicals, and metal tools, since those can damage coatings or frame seals and may void a warranty. Roof-mounted systems are generally best left to professionals.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
For people weighing solar more broadly, EnergySage’s free services can add real value before you buy. With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. 
Tools such as EnergySage’s solar map show the average cost of a home solar panel system on a state-by-state level, along with solar incentives available in each state, helping readers get the best price for rooftop panels and access savings.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is also one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. Readers can explore EnergySage for free information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
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According to the latest IndexBox report on the global Safety Handrail Guard System market, the market enters 2026 with broader demand fundamentals, more disciplined procurement behavior, and a more regionally diversified supply architecture.
The global Safety Handrail Guard System market is entering a period of sustained expansion, with demand projected to rise at a compound annual growth rate of 4.6% from 2026 to 2035. This growth is underpinned by tightening occupational safety regulations across major industrial economies and the rapid scale-up of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, which now account for an estimated 30–40% of new system deployments. Aluminum and steel edge-protection rails remain the dominant product form, representing roughly 70–80% of total volume, while integrated systems—combining rails, brackets, and fall-arrest add-ons—are the fastest-growing sub-segment. The market is characterized by pronounced import reliance in regions lacking domestic aluminum extrusion or steel rolling capacity, with cross-border trade covering 40–60% of demand outside key manufacturing hubs such as China, Germany, and the United States. Premium specifications, including anti-corrosion coatings, tool-less assembly, and building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) compatibility, are gaining traction, pushing average unit prices up by 8–12% relative to standard grades since 2022. Procurement cycles are shortening as framework agreements with safety-equipment distributors reduce lead times from 8–12 weeks to 4–6 weeks for contracted volume orders. However, input cost volatility for primary aluminum and galvanized steel—materials that account for 50–65% of system cost—continues to pressure margins, while fragmented certification standards (IBC, EN 13374, AS 1657) raise compliance costs and limit cross-border access for smaller suppliers. Skilled installation labor shortages in mature markets are lengthening project timelines, potentially slowing replacement cycles. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of
The baseline scenario for the Safety Handrail Guard System market points to steady, above-GDP growth through 2035, with the market index rising from 100 in 2025 to approximately 156 by 2035. This trajectory reflects a compound annual growth rate of 4.6%, supported by structural demand from renewable energy infrastructure, industrial automation upgrades, and persistent regulatory pressure for workplace fall protection. The solar PV segment is the primary growth engine, as rooftop and ground-mount arrays require durable edge-protection systems for installation and maintenance access. Global solar capacity additions are expected to grow by 6–8% annually, directly translating into demand for handrail guard systems. In parallel, the semiconductor and precision manufacturing sectors are investing in cleanroom-compatible guard systems with integrated sensors and interlocks, driving value growth even as volume growth moderates. The industrial automation segment remains the largest consumer, accounting for roughly 35% of demand, with replacement cycles of 8–12 years creating a steady base load. OEM integration and maintenance contracts are becoming more prevalent, as end-users seek lifecycle support to reduce total cost of ownership. On the supply side, aluminum extrusion capacity is expanding in Asia-Pacific, particularly in China and India, which is expected to ease import dependence in neighboring markets. However, the market faces headwinds from raw material price volatility, with aluminum and steel prices fluctuating by 15–20% annually, and from certification fragmentation that complicates cross-border sales. Labor shortages in installation services are a growing constraint, particularly in North America and Europe, potentially extending project timelines and raising costs.
This segment remains the largest consumer of Safety Handrail Guard Systems, driven by the need to protect workers on elevated platforms, conveyor lines, and robotic cells. As industrial automation expands, particularly in automotive, food processing, and logistics, the demand for modular guard systems that can be easily reconfigured is rising. The trend toward smart factories with integrated sensors and interlocks is pushing demand for premium systems that can interface with control systems. Through 2035, replacement cycles of 8–12 years will sustain a stable base load, while new installations in emerging markets add incremental growth. Key demand-side indicators include manufacturing output, capital expenditure on automation, and workplace injury rates. The segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.2%, slightly below the market average, as automation reduces the number of workers exposed to hazards, but increases the complexity of guarding requirements. Current trend: Steady growth driven by factory modernization and safety compliance.
Major trends: Integration of IoT sensors for real-time monitoring of guard integrity, Modular designs enabling quick reconfiguration for changing production lines, Adoption of lightweight aluminum systems to reduce installation effort, and Growing preference for turnkey solutions from system integrators.
Representative participants: Kee Safety, SafeRack, BlueWater Manufacturing, Garlock Safety Systems, and Werner Co.
In electronics and optical systems manufacturing, Safety Handrail Guard Systems are required for protecting workers on elevated platforms in cleanrooms and around sensitive equipment. The demand is driven by the expansion of electronics manufacturing in Asia-Pacific and the need for anti-static and non-particulating materials. As production processes become more automated, the need for physical guards around robotic cells and conveyor systems remains critical. The segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.8%, supported by investments in semiconductor fabs and display manufacturing. Key indicators include electronics production indices, cleanroom construction activity, and adoption of Industry 4.0 practices. The trend toward miniaturization and precision handling increases the value of integrated guard systems with interlocks that prevent access during operation. However, the relatively small size of this segment limits its overall impact on market growth. Current trend: Moderate growth with increasing demand for cleanroom-compatible systems.
Major trends: Use of anti-static and low-outgassing materials for cleanroom compatibility, Integration with access control systems for restricted areas, Rising demand for compact guard systems for tight spaces, and Adoption of transparent polycarbonate panels for visibility.
Representative participants: Kee Safety, SafeRack, Flexible Lifeline Systems, and Hailo Professional.
The semiconductor and precision manufacturing segment is experiencing the fastest growth, driven by the global expansion of semiconductor fabrication facilities and the increasing complexity of precision manufacturing processes. Safety Handrail Guard Systems in this segment must meet stringent cleanliness and vibration standards, often requiring custom-engineered solutions. The demand is supported by government incentives for semiconductor manufacturing in the US, Europe, and Asia, leading to multi-billion-dollar fab projects. These facilities require extensive edge-protection systems for elevated walkways, equipment platforms, and maintenance access points. The segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% through 2035, outpacing the market average. Key demand indicators include semiconductor capital expenditure, fab construction starts, and adoption of advanced packaging technologies. The trend toward automation and remote monitoring reduces the number of workers on the floor, but those who remain require higher levels of protection, driving demand for integrated systems with interlocks and sensors. Current trend: Fastest-growing segment, driven by fab expansion and advanced safety requirements.
Major trends: Custom-engineered systems for cleanroom and vibration-sensitive environments, Integration with building management systems for safety monitoring, Use of corrosion-resistant materials for chemical exposure environments, and Growing demand for modular systems that can be expanded as fabs scale.
Representative participants: Kee Safety, BlueWater Manufacturing, Flexible Lifeline Systems, Garlock Safety Systems, and Tower Safety.
OEM integration and maintenance is a growing segment where Safety Handrail Guard Systems are supplied as part of original equipment, such as conveyor systems, packaging machinery, and material handling equipment. This segment benefits from the trend toward turnkey solutions, where equipment manufacturers include safety guarding as standard features to ensure compliance and reduce liability. The demand is driven by the need for seamless integration with machine controls and the growing emphasis on CE marking and other safety certifications. Through 2035, the segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.9%, supported by the expansion of equipment manufacturing in Asia and the replacement of aging machinery in mature markets. Key indicators include machinery production indices, industrial equipment orders, and regulatory enforcement of machinery safety directives. The after-sales maintenance and replacement part business provides a recurring revenue stream, with consumables such as brackets and fasteners contributing to steady demand. Current trend: Rising share as manufacturers bundle guard systems with equipment.
Major trends: Bundling of guard systems with equipment as standard safety features, Growth of after-sales service contracts for lifecycle support, Adoption of standardized interfaces for quick installation and replacement, and Increasing use of 3D printing for custom brackets and components.
Representative participants: Kee Safety, SafeRack, Werner Co, KRAUSE-Werk, and Zarges GmbH.
The solar PV mounting infrastructure segment is the most dynamic, with Safety Handrail Guard Systems increasingly specified for rooftop and ground-mount solar arrays to protect workers during installation and maintenance. This segment has grown from a niche to a significant demand driver, accounting for an estimated 30–40% of new installations in recent years. The growth is fueled by global renewable energy targets, with solar capacity expected to double by 2035. Handrail systems for solar applications must be lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and compatible with various mounting structures, including BIPV. The segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.2%, the highest among all end-use sectors. Key demand indicators include solar PV installation rates, government renewable energy subsidies, and the adoption of building-integrated photovoltaics. The trend toward larger solar farms and rooftop installations on commercial buildings increases the need for robust edge-protection systems. However, the segment is also exposed to policy changes and fluctuations in solar panel prices, which can affect project economics and timing. Current trend: Rapid growth as solar installations expand globally.
Major trends: Development of specialized rail systems for solar panel arrays, Integration with BIPV systems for seamless aesthetics, Use of aluminum alloys for lightweight and corrosion resistance, and Growing demand for tool-less assembly to reduce installation time.
Representative participants: Kee Safety, BlueWater Manufacturing, Flexible Lifeline Systems, Safety Rail Company, and Hailo Professional.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
Asia-Pacific dominates the market, driven by rapid industrialization, expanding solar PV installations, and growing safety awareness. China remains the largest producer and consumer, while India and Southeast Asia are emerging as high-growth markets. The region benefits from low-cost manufacturing and increasing regulatory enforcement, with a CAGR projected at 5.2% through 2035. Direction: up.
North America is a mature market with steady demand from industrial automation and solar PV retrofits. The US leads, supported by OSHA regulations and infrastructure spending. Growth is moderate at 3.8% CAGR, with a focus on premium integrated systems and replacement demand. Labor shortages in installation are a key constraint. Direction: stable.
Europe maintains a significant share, driven by strict EN 13374 standards and a strong renewable energy push. Germany, France, and the UK are key markets, with demand for high-quality, corrosion-resistant systems. The region faces slower growth at 3.5% CAGR due to market saturation, but BIPV integration offers new opportunities. Direction: stable.
Latin America is a growing market, supported by infrastructure development and solar energy projects in Brazil, Mexico, and Chile. Import reliance is high, creating opportunities for exporters. Growth is projected at 5.5% CAGR, driven by improving safety regulations and foreign investment in renewable energy. Direction: up.
The Middle East & Africa region is emerging, with investments in construction and solar power in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Safety standards are evolving, and demand is growing from industrial and energy sectors. CAGR is expected at 6.0%, albeit from a low base, with significant import dependence. Direction: up.
In the baseline scenario, IndexBox estimates a 4.6% compound annual growth rate for the global safety handrail guard system market over 2026-2035, bringing the market index to roughly 156 by 2035 (2025=100).
Note: indexed curves are used to compare medium-term scenario trajectories when full absolute volumes are not publicly disclosed.
For full methodological details and benchmark tables, see the latest IndexBox Safety Handrail Guard System market report.
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Safety Handrail Guard System market in the world, covering market size, growth trajectory, demand structure, supply capability, trade flows, pricing, competitive landscape, and forecast to 2035.
The study is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, exporters, investors, procurement teams, advisors, and strategy teams that need a consistent, data-driven view of market dynamics and a transparent analytical definition of the product scope.
This report covers the global market for Safety Handrail Guard Systems, including complete integrated systems, modular components, and consumable replacement parts used across industrial automation, electronics, semiconductor, and precision manufacturing sectors.
The report combines the standard market-statistics backbone with strategic chapters that are useful for commercial planning, sourcing decisions, market entry, competitor monitoring, and portfolio prioritization.
The market is segmented into decision-relevant buckets so that demand drivers, pricing logic, supply constraints, and competitive positions can be compared across the same analytical frame.
The classification coverage encompasses the entire value chain of Safety Handrail Guard Systems, from upstream inputs and critical components through manufacturing, assembly, quality control, distribution, integration, and after-sales service, including replacement and lifecycle support.
Coverage includes global totals, major demand markets, production and sourcing hubs, leading exporters and importers, and country profiles for the top national markets.
The report combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, product-level evidence, and analyst validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to keep market sizing, trade flows, pricing, and forecasts comparable across countries and time periods.
All indicators are mapped to a consistent product definition and reviewed against the segmentation framework used in the Table of Contents.
Report Scope and Analytical Framing
Concise View of Market Direction
Market Size, Growth and Scenario Framing
Commercial and Technical Scope
How the Market Splits Into Decision-Relevant Buckets
Where Demand Comes From and How It Behaves
Supply Footprint, Trade and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
Where Growth and Supply Concentrate
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
Detailed View of the Most Important National Markets
How the Report Was Built
Diversified safety products leader
Broad industrial safety portfolio
Specialist in fall protection
Industrial safety solutions
Focus on OSHA-compliant guardrails
Part of EnPro Industries
Industrial safety equipment
Specialist in corrosion-resistant rails
Regional fabricator
Innovative impact-resistant systems
Leading loading dock safety
Industrial access solutions
Custom mezzanine safety
Diversified motion control
Industrial fasteners
Specialty hardware supplier
Focus on temporary guardrails
Service-oriented provider
Consulting and fabrication
Niche safety products
Modular pipe fittings
Specialist in slip-on fittings
Brand of Hollaender
Architectural handrails
Metal fabrication
European leader in fittings
Design-oriented safety rails
Lightweight corrosion-resistant
Temporary safety solutions
Custom steel fabrication
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Saatvik Green Energy share price rose more than 4 percent in the opening trade on August 21 after the company received order for supply of Solar PV modules.
At 09:30a, Saatvik Green Energy was quoting at Rs 418.65, up Rs 18.20, or 4.54 percent, on the BSE.
The material subsidiary Saatvik Solar Industries has received an order aggregating to Rs 190 crore from renowned independent power producer/EPC player for the supply of solar photovoltaic modules.
Catch all the market action on our live blog
Recently, the said subsidiary signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL), Government of Odisha, for setting up a 3.6 GW Solar Cell Manufacturing Facility at Gopalpur in Ganjam district, Odisha.
In the previous trading session, the share closed at Rs 400.45, up Rs 0.75, or 0.19 percent.
The share touched a 52-week high of Rs 580.00 and a 52-week low of Rs 329.70 on 15 October, 2025 and 09 March, 2026, respectively.
Currently, the stock is trading 30.96 percent below its 52-week high and 21.46 percent above its 52-week low.
The market capitalisation of the company stands at Rs 5,089.92 crore.
Select market data provided by ICE Data Services. Select reference data provided by FactSet. Copyright © 2026 FactSet Research Systems Inc.Copyright © 2026, American Bankers Association. CUSIP Database provided by FactSet Research Systems Inc. All rights reserved. SEC filings and other documents provided by Quartr.© 2026 TradingView, Inc.

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China is poised to launch Chang'e-7, its most technologically complex lunar mission to date, in its search for frozen stores of water in permanently shadowed craters near the moon's south pole.
The uncrewed mission, named after a mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, will feature the deployment of a robotic lander, rover, and "hopping" probe to one of the coldest places in the solar system.
It will represent a major step towards Beijing's long-term goal of building a permanent human presence on the moon, with plans underway for acrewed lunar landing before 2030 and the setting up of a joint research station with Russia by 2035.
Next week, the Chang'e-7 spacecraft will lift off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan atop a Long March 5 rocket with payloads that also include an array of scientific instruments such as water analysers, cameras and radars.
Once in orbit around the moon, the spacecraft will first examine potential landing sites at the south pole before a touchdown attempt.
One candidate location is near the rim of the Shackleton crater, a permanently shadowed depression. The jagged rim of the crater, however, is almost continually illuminated by sunlight.
China has not publicly disclosed a timeline for the Chang'e-7 mission, but space watchers estimate a landing attempt around November.
After touchdown, the rover and hopper will start surveying the surface.
The mission's duration remains unknown.
Craters near the moon's south pole have not seen sunlight in billions of years. As such, scientists think they could act as deep freezers capable of preserving ancient water and volatile organic compounds.
Temperatures can drop to as low as minus 203 degrees Celsius (minus 334 Fahrenheit) in some of these shadowed terrain, according to NASA.
Finding accessible water is crucial for future lunar bases as it could provide drinking water, oxygen for astronauts, and even serve as raw rocket propellant, reducing the need for costly resupply missions from Earth.
Unlike most areas of the moon, where one lunar night is as long as 14 Earth days, the high peaks and crater rims near the south pole receive near-constant sunlight and would serve as an ideal location for a lunar outpost with a relatively stable thermal climate and continuous supply of solar power.
The United States, India and Russia have also set their targets on the moon's south pole. Only India landed nearby with its Chandrayaan-3 in 2023.
Over the coming years, NASA's VIPER rover, the European Space Agency's PROSPECT drilling package, and the Japan-India LUPEX rover are expected to arrive at the moon's south pole, as the race to find water sources intensifies.
One challenge for traditional wheeled rovers is the steepness of crater rims. To descend to the pitch-black floor of a crater, Chang'e-7 will deploy a novel hopping probe.
The hopper, equipped with a water molecule analyzer, will use its small thrusters to fly into shadowed craters. It will then land on six articulated legs, before hopping back to sunlit rims to recharge.
Technical details about the hopper's weight, engine performance, or flight range remain unknown.
China's state news agency Xinhua has reported that the vehicle is expected to conduct at least three hops during the mission.
The data collected by Chang'e-7 and its successor Chang'e-8, planned for around 2029, will be crucial in China's plan for a crewed landing by 2030 as the two missions are meant to lay the groundwork for a permanently inhabited research station.
China's ambition to put humans on the moon and build an outpost near the south pole coincides with NASA's Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the moon by 2028 and eventually establish a sustained human presence there.
In April, NASA's Artemis II mission completed a 10-day crewed lunar flyby. The four astronauts travelled farther into space than any humans in history, reaching a record distance of 252,756 miles from Earth before safely returning home.
Reuters
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
 
 
 

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JA Solar Technology Co., Ltd., a China-based PV module manufacturer, has supplied modules for a 5.3 MW rooftop PV system in Auckland. The installation for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare is described as New Zealand’s largest rooftop PV system. JA supplied and installed 8,273 DeepBlue series modules and served as the exclusive module supplier for the installation. Sunergise is serving as the EPC contractor of the facility and is responsible for project execution. Collectively, the installed modules are anticipated to produce a 6,600 MWh of electricity in average, annually. The rooftop installation is also estimated to reduce carbon emissions by 486 tons each year.
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The Australian government has extended a capital gains tax (CGT) concession for foreign investors in wind, solar and battery storage assets by a further decade, pushing the deadline from 2030 to 30 June 2040.
It comes after pressure from the Greens and crossbench MPs during debate on the enabling legislation in federal Parliament.
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The amendment softens a broader package of CGT reforms Treasurer Jim Chalmers first proposed in the 2024-25 budget, aimed at clarifying and broadening the range of Australian assets, including renewable energy infrastructure, telecommunications, rail, ports and airports, on which foreign residents are liable for capital gains tax when they sell.
Legislation formalising those changes was introduced to Parliament in early July 2026, offering a 50% discount on the new CGT liability for renewable energy assets through to 2030 as a transition measure.
The amendment passed this week extends that 50% discount period to 2040, specifically for the renewables sector.
The extension follows a rockier path for the underlying reform. When Chalmers first outlined the broadened CGT regime in April 2026, draft legislation proposed making the changes retrospective to December 2006, a move that would have overridden two Federal Court rulings favouring mining company Newmont and Malaysian conglomerate YTL Power on the tax treatment of past Australian asset sales.
The Clean Energy Investor Group (CEIG), which represents developers and investors holding roughly 18GW of renewable energy capacity across the National Electricity Market (NEM), argued in its submission to Treasury that the reforms risked chilling the greenfield investment needed to replace retiring thermal generation.
The group warned that failing to grandfather existing assets not yet sold could deter the low-cost capital the government’s own energy transition targets depend on.
The group also argued for a regime that would tax domestic and foreign investors at equivalent rates rather than treating renewables assets differently from other sectors.
The version of the bill that reached Parliament in July had already dropped the retrospective backdating and introduced the initial four-year, 50% discount period through to 2030, a partial concession to industry concerns.
This week’s amendment extends that concession window by a further decade, giving foreign investors in Australian renewables a longer runway before the full CGT liability applies.
For a renewables investment market that has relied heavily on foreign capital to fund utility-scale wind, solar and battery storage projects, the extended timeline reduces near-term uncertainty around exit values for assets sold after 2030, a factor that had featured prominently in industry warnings about the original proposal.

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Researchers from Germany and Namibia have developed a porous silicon dioxide (SiO₂) coating for photovoltaic (PV) cover glass that combines anti-reflective properties with passive radiative cooling. The coating is designed to increase light transmission while improving the thermal performance of solar modules.
“The novelty of this work is that we demonstrate a porous silica coating that can simultaneously reduce optical reflection and enhance mid-infrared thermal emission from PV cover glass,” corresponding author Gan Huang told pv magazine. “In this way, the coating addresses two important loss mechanisms in PV modules: front-surface reflection and heat accumulation.”
The researchers said the next step is to integrate the coating with complete PV modules and evaluate its impact on electrical output and operating temperature under outdoor conditions.
“Our next step is to integrate these coatings with PV modules and test their effect on electrical output and operating temperature under outdoor conditions,” Huang said. “We are also interested in developing scalable large-area coating methods suitable for industrial PV cover glass, as well as studying long-term durability and possible anti-soiling effects.”
For the initial experiments, the researchers applied a sol-gel coating to low-iron soda-lime glass substrates. They prepared separate acid- and base-catalyzed silica sols using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), ethanol and water, with hydrochloric acid and ammonium hydroxide used as catalysts, respectively.
Pluronic F127 was added to the acid-catalyzed sol as a pore-forming template. The researchers tested three F127 concentrations: 0.25 g, 0.40 g and 0.60 g.
The resulting porous structure was intended to reduce optical reflection while increasing thermal emission in the mid-infrared range, enabling the coating to address both optical and thermal losses at the front surface of PV modules.
After aging, the two sols were combined and left for 24 hours, after which approximately 0.5 mL of the resulting mixture was deposited onto each glass substrate by spin coating at 500 rpm for 20 seconds, then at 1,500 rpm for 20 seconds. The process was repeated up to three times, with five minutes of drying between coatings, before the samples were sintered at 450 C for one hour to remove the organic template and stabilize the porous silica layer.
The materials and optical properties of the coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and spectrophotometry.
“A thin porous silica coating can increase solar transmittance, which is beneficial for PV power generation, while additional coating thickness can further enhance thermal emissivity for cooling,” explained Huang. “However, too much coating thickness can reduce transmittance due to scattering. This shows that the coating thickness and microstructure need to be carefully optimized for PV applications.”
The strongest overall balance was achieved with a two-layer coating containing 0.40 g of Pluronic F127, which delivered 91.0% solar transmittance and 90% mid-infrared emissivity, compared with 89.8% transmittance and 87% emissivity for bare glass. A single-layer coating reached similarly high transmittance, at 90.9% to 91.0%, while thicker coatings pushed emissivity as high as 96%, around 10% higher than bare glass, but at the cost of lower solar transmission.
For PV applications, a roughly 1.2-percentage-point gain in transmittance was observed. “Assuming that the photocurrent scales approximately linearly with transmitted solar irradiance, a PV module with an efficiency of 20% could show an absolute efficiency increase of approximately 0.25%, reaching ~20.25%, from this optical gain alone,” the group highlighted.
The coating was presented in “Porous Silica Coatings for Radiative Cooling and Anti-Reflection for Enhancing Solar Photovoltaics Performance,” published in Optical Materials. Researchers from Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Namibia have contributed to the study.
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Sungrow and MNC Solar Power Deploy 244 kW Multi-Building Solar System at Australian Aged Care Facility  SolarQuarter
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Swedish renewables developer OX2 has officially begun construction on its 100 MW / 200 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Australia, in the Hunter Valley, some 250 kilometers from Sydney.
The site is a hybrid and includes a 135 MW solar farm that will connect to the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). 
Located at the site of a former coal mine that shut down in 2022, the project located near the town of Muswellbrook and called the Muswellbrook BESS, will supply enough electricity to power about 52,000 homes, helping strengthen grid reliability for the Hunter-Central Coast REZ.
The project is being delivered by OX2 and co-developed with Idemitsu Australia, the owner of the former coal mine and retaining owner of the site. It reached financial close in May 2026 and is expected to support around 200 construction jobs.
“Today’s sod turning marks the beginning of construction on a project that demonstrates how Australia’s energy transformation can deliver lasting benefits for regional communities,” said OX2 Australia vice president Stephen Symons. 
“By repurposing a former coal mine site into a renewables hub, we’re investing in infrastructure that will provide reliable energy, create local jobs, strengthen regional supply chains and support the Hunter’s future prosperity.”
Construction costs are estimated to be $302 million (USD 215 million) for the Muswellbrook solar farm and BESS. It is one of nine developments signed under long-term Amazon Australia power purchase agreements (PPAs), as part of the tech giant’s 430 MW, $2.8 billion renewable energy buy-up. 
Through a Community Benefit Sharing Program agreed with Muswellbrook Shire Council, OX2 will contribute $115,000 each year to support local projects. 
EnergyCo has commissioned Ausgrid to upgrade REZ‑designated distribution infrastructure to unlock 1 GW of network capacity by 2028, enabling OX2 to connect as soon as construction is complete. 
“It’s pleasing to see that the additional network capacity we are building in the Hunter-Central Coast REZ is already unlocking new renewable energy and storage projects, delivering economic benefits to the Hunter region,” said EnergyCo chief executive Hannah McCaughey. 
The Muswellbrook BESS is expected to be operational in 2028.
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OX2 starts Muswellbrook construction  reNEWS
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The Portuguese government has approved the Sectoral Programme for Renewable Energy Acceleration Areas, identifying areas across more than 170 municipalities in mainland Portugal to facilitate the deployment of solar PV and wind projects and speed up permitting procedures.
The Portuguese government has approved the Sectoral Programme for Renewable Energy Acceleration Areas (PSZAER), an initiative that establishes a so-called “Green Map” with more than 800 areas considered suitable for the development of solar photovoltaic and onshore wind projects.
The measure, approved by the Council of Ministers, covers areas located across more than 170 municipalities in mainland Portugal and aims to anticipate part of the territorial assessment required for the development of new renewable energy capacity.
Until now, the suitability of an area for renewable energy installations was primarily assessed during the evaluation of each individual project. Under the new programme, Portugal will identify in advance the areas with the most suitable conditions for these installations.
According to the government, the objective is to shorten permitting procedures, provide greater predictability for investors and accelerate the commissioning of new renewable electricity generation capacity.
The areas included in the Green Map were defined following a territorial analysis, a public consultation process and a strategic environmental assessment.
The selection took into account both renewable energy generation potential and compatibility with environmental, agricultural, landscape, heritage and land-use planning criteria. The process also considers factors such as proximity to and integration capacity of electricity grids.
However, the inclusion of an area in the Green Map does not automatically grant approval for projects developed within it.
Each installation will continue to be subject to the relevant assessment procedures, although projects located within the previously identified areas may benefit from faster permitting processes because part of the assessment of territorial suitability has already been carried out.
The PSZAER aims to combine the simplification of administrative procedures with the protection of environmental, landscape, heritage and territorial values.
In its Council of Ministers statement, the government said the programme is intended to contribute to the energy transition, energy security and energy independence, as well as to Portugal’s national decarbonisation and climate neutrality targets.
Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro highlighted the need to increase domestic energy production when presenting the measure.
“Portugal effectively needs to have more domestic energy, more green energy, more energy produced here,” the minister said.
The government considers that greater predictability in permitting processes could also improve conditions for attracting investment in renewable energy generation and reducing the country’s dependence on imported energy.
The instrument was submitted to public consultation on 17 June 2026, involving citizens, municipalities, environmental organisations and project developers.
The Green Map is linked to the Renewable Energy Acceleration Areas established under European renewable energy legislation and forms part of measures included in Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).
During that phase, Minister for Environment and Energy Maria da Graça Carvalho explained that the instrument was designed to provide simpler rules and greater predictability, while strengthening the participation of local communities.
With the approval of the PSZAER, Portugal is moving from the identification and consultation phase to formally establishing the territorial framework through which it intends to accelerate the deployment of new solar PV and onshore wind projects.
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India Bets on Battery Storage Boom to Reduce Solar Power Losses  Bloomberg.com
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India bets on battery storage boom to reduce solar power losses  Moneycontrol.com
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ATOME provided an update on ATOME POWER, its renewable power and battery storage solutions division, has entered into an agreement with a multilateral development bank’s dollar fund. Under this agreement, the fund agreed to provide financial and technical support to develop a feasibility study for a projected 300 MW solar PV project. This project is located near the Villeta green fertiliser plant in Villeta, Paraguay, where the company has access to land for solar development. Subject to ATOME Paraguay progressing with the relevant Power Purchase Agreement, ATOME Power will proceed with the feasibility study to assess creating an industrial park centered on solar and battery storage. 
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Silver makes up roughly 0.5% of a solar cell’s mass, yet accounts for 47% of its recycling value, according to a May 2026 research paper on PV recycling in Science Bulletin – an imbalance that dictates much of how recyclers approach end-of-life panels.
SPR, whose North Carolina operation grew out of a two-decade-old electronics recycling company, has spent years developing its solar recycling process around those economic realities. With a key solar recycling certification deadline looming in January 2027, CEO Brett Henderson spoke with pv magazine about where SPR stands, how the company thinks about recovery rates, and what he is seeing in reuse markets.
pv magazine: Where does SPR’s North Carolina facility stand with regard to R2V3 Appendix G? Are you fully certified, mid-audit, or working toward a target date ahead of the January 2027 deadline?
Brett Henderson: SPR was formed out of a parent company that was an R2V3 and e-steward certified electronics recycler in business for about two decades … My concerns about that in the solar industry is solar modules are basically a singular line item … they’re more or less negative value to process because it’s mostly glass composition. So our concerns with the R2V3 on the solar side, even though we fully support it and have been abiding by it for about 16 years on the parent company side, is that the Appendix G still allows the recycling to be outsourced while someone carries that certification … the glass needs to be recovered cleanly, not commingled and recovered by that certified company in-house.
At the moment, we’re kind of to be determined on the R2V3 in our North Carolina facility … So our compliance team, by the direction of myself, is kind of basically we have up until 2027 to kind of decide if we want to, you know, get it to that appendix.
If SPR decides not to pursue Appendix G, what are the implications – for SPR and for the industry?
If it’s a standalone solar company and there’s no asset owners requiring it for an RFP or requiring it to be onboarded as a vendor, there isn’t really any pressure to a standalone solar company to get the Appendix G correct.
Our North Carolina facility, we’re building standalone solar building. That would be done before that deadline. So there won’t be any – having to go by the Appendix G since it’s a separate company isn’t something that’s going to happen … there is a good bit of them that are on this committee that’s been working in the background for 18 months to make this gold standard through the major trade association in the US. It seems the pulse of the committee as a whole is ‘let’s make a standard specific for this industry,’ not just an appendix to it.
Do you anticipate any impact on recycling volume if a meaningful share of the industry misses this deadline?
No, because again, we’re not manufacturing a product. We’re demanufacturing a product … None of the major US EPCs, O&Ms, utilities are requiring this standard. So if somebody does not hold this standard at the moment, it’s not going to affect throughput recycling in the US market, none of the above.
In a recent IEA-PVPS Task 12 report on recovery rates and process, the figures cited for SPR are 99% copper recovery and up to 98% silicon recovery. Are these numbers from independent third-party testing, or self-reported?
It’s a little bit of a hybrid of both. So IEA did not require us … to send samples off to them or to a third party lab for them to confirm. But when they were doing their research, their questionnaires, their interviews, understanding our processes, they highly recommended and wanted to see some third-party lab results … yes, we do have tests behind that, but the IAE specifically didn’t … have those samples sent off or any type of lab reporting on their end.
How does SPR mechanically separate silicon, glass, and other materials during processing?
What gets conflated a lot on the mechanical side is taking full solar panels, batch feeding them through a shredder and shredding them down … as a whole, and then trying to find ways to separate the different type of commodities within that. That type of mechanical processing is always going to lead to contaminated products.
What we have at SPR is mostly a mechanical process … what we’re doing is we are systematically removing each commodity … This is where we’ve already had $12 million of investment this year alone on some new glass technology … How do you take the layers, encapsulated glass and silicon and backsheet and cleanly separate them? Because if your glass is contaminated with plastics and silicon and silver and other metals, it’s not going to be able to be actually consumed at volume and at scale in different glass manufacturing.
Is SPR profitable on recycling alone, or are other revenue lines important?
We’re profitable recycling alone under the industry … with the asset owners paying some level of a recycling fee … That fee has came down tremendously since we started in 2018, like almost 80% at this point, and that’s mainly because we keep investing in two things. We keep investing in technology to get the cleanest separation … but also the major driving cost force in the industry, specifically in the US that’s such a large geographical footprint, is transportation.
What’s the biggest cost driver, and which costs do you expect to fall fastest as volume scales toward the end of the decade?
Definitely the cost driver in the US market is going to be transportation … So it’s quite important that we continuously build out our owned and operated distributed network of recycling facilities. The biggest opportunities for costing to come down even further is going to be more clean glass hitting the market in the United States and it being able to stay more regional … I think the biggest driver is just going to be in any industry, in any recycling industry, volume is king.
You mentioned solar reuse as a competing force in the industry. What’s happening there?
What’s going on at the moment globally is there’s quite a bit of greenwashing happening on this reuse side … what’s happening globally is aluminum is trading high enough now that you could take panels for free from acid owners, say they’re going to be reused, and a lot of panels are starting to get shipped overseas, whether that’s Southeast Asia, whether it’s the west coast of Africa. We probably get pinged maybe 10 to 15 times a week as one of the global solar recycling brands from companies that say that they want to buy reused solar panels. Here’s the issue with it.
The reuse market is nowhere near any level of scalability. And the reason for that … is there’s major regulations about connecting used panels back to the grid … In the US specifically, the UL rating is no longer valid once that panel becomes used … You can load about 500 to 550 of these modules on a container. A company could absorb the shipping costs … and have limited to no labor costs … and what’s happening is this is all under the guise of ‘hey these panels are going to be reused elsewhere.’
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The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects.
April 01 – August 31, 2026
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A research group in India has developed a novel photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) hydrogen-generation system that integrates air-bubble injection to improve system performance. The researchers also sought to isolate the effect of air-bubble injection on PVT cooling, allowing them to assess its contribution independently of the hydrogen-generation process. The system was experimentally tested on the rooftop of a building in Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu, in southern India, under real-world outdoor conditions. The results provide insights into the potential of air-bubble injection as a cooling technique for PVT systems while simultaneously supporting hydrogen production.
“Numerous researchers have used several cooling methods, including air cooling, liquid cooling, and phase change materials, but failed to explore the impact of air bubbles on the performance of PV system efficiency and hydrogen yield rate,’” said the research team. “This study’s findings will be advantageous for both developed and emerging nations, taking into account environmental pollution and energy requirements.”
The novel PVT-water system with air-bubble injection was compared with three other configurations: conventional PV, PVT-air, and PVT-water. The conventional PV system operated without a thermal collector, while the PVT-air and PVT-water systems used air and water, respectively, to remove heat from the rear of the module. In the novel configuration, air bubbles were injected into the circulating water at mass flow rates of 0.006, 0.008, and 0.011 kg/s to enhance heat transfer.
All four experimental setups used a 20 W, 36-cell polycrystalline PV module with a surface area of 0.303 m² and a conversion efficiency of 16.5%. A spiral-flow thermal collector with an area of 0.213 m² was attached to the rear of the module. The system also included a 10-liter horizontal cylindrical water tank with a radius of 100 mm and a height of 350 mm, as well as a Hoffman electrolyzer equipped with platinum electrodes.
The outdoor experiments were conducted over seven consecutive summer days, with measurements taken daily from 08:00 to 16:00. The researchers monitored solar irradiance, ambient temperature, wind speed, PV module surface temperature, coolant inlet and outlet temperatures, air and water flow rates, electrical output, and hydrogen production. Seven-day average values were then used for the analysis.
The PVT-water-air system was tested at air-injection mass flow rates of 0.006, 0.008, and 0.011 kg/s and compared with the conventional PV, PVT-air, and PVT-water configurations. The systems were also tested under a constant irradiance of 600 W/m² and an ambient temperature of 26 C.
The researchers reported that the PVT configurations, particularly those using water as a coolant, substantially improved thermal efficiency. The PVT-water system with air injection at 0.011 kg/s achieved a peak thermal efficiency of around 45.5%, compared with about 30% for the PVT-air system.
The air-injected PVT-water configuration also delivered the highest electrical efficiency. At an air-injection rate of 0.011 kg/s, it reached a maximum electrical efficiency of around 11.1%, compared with 8.1% for the conventional PV system.
According to the results, the PVT-water system with air injection achieved the highest hydrogen production rate, reaching approximately 15.5 ml/min at an air-injection rate of 0.011 kg/s. This compares with a maximum of 8.3 ml/min for the conventional PV system.
The same configuration achieved a maximum electrolyzer efficiency of approximately 15.5%, compared with 8.3% for the conventional PV system.
The researchers said further work is needed to determine the optimal air-injection rate under different operating conditions and for different system configurations. They also called for the development of advanced control algorithms for integrated PVT-electrolyzer systems to optimize energy management and hydrogen production.
The research results were presented in “Experimental study on the influence of air bubble injection on the performance of photovoltaic – Thermal solar collector based hydrogen production system,” published in Case Studies in Thermal Engineering. Researchers from India’s K.S.Rangasamy College of Technology and SRM Institute of Science and Technology have participated in the study.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
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The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects.
April 01 – August 31, 2026
A two-day conference in Austin, Texas, bringing together leaders in US solar manufacturing, equipment specification, and factory execution.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy.
Thursday, August 27, 2026
5:30 am – 6:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
pv magazine USA hosts its third multi-day virtual event on advancing U.S. solar and energy storage markets, covering financing, supply chains, and distributed energy’s role in grid resilience.
Thursday, October 7, 2026
11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid

You have no items in your basket.

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Invenergy and Grant PUD Break Ground on 120 MW Quincy Solar Energy Center in Washington  SolarQuarter
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