Solar Now

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On April 15, Atherton town leaders joined Peninsula Clean Energy at a ribbon cutting celebrating the installation of a new solar photovoltaic system at the Atherton Town Hall that will result in emission-free power and long-term energy cost savings.
The rooftop solar system — which is owned, operated and maintained by Peninsula Clean Energy — is projected to generate roughly 3.50 million kilowatt hours of electricity and save nearly $900,000 in energy costs over the next 20 years.
“Atherton’s Town Hall and Library are 100 percent electric buildings, which means Atherton town operations are largely emission-free. This rooftop solar system will reduce our energy costs substantially,” Atherton Mayor Stacy Miles Holland said. “I hope the Atherton Town Hall and Library will continue to serve as inspiration for other municipalities and residents — sustainable, all electric buildings can be functional, cost-effective and beautiful.”
“This solar installation is a win-win for Atherton,” Atherton Vice Mayor Rick DeGolia said. “It enables us to realize our ambitious sustainability goals of building a zero net energy Town Center with no natural gas connection, while providing significant long-term energy cost savings.”
Photo courtesy Town of Atherton
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LAFAYETTE, IN — Officials are one step closer to heavily restricting the development of solar farms in Tippecanoe County, after the Area Plan Commission voted Wednesday evening to advance a proposed ordinance change that left both anti-solar community members and pro-solar advocates unhappy.
Should county commissioners give the ordinance final approval at their meeting next week, no future solar farms in the county could be larger than 400 acres, and no more than 6,000 acres in the county total could go to solar development.
Developments would also be required to be at least 500 feet away from the property lines of homeowners, be composed of contiguous acreage and include noise- and glare-cancelling infrastructure.
Community members, many of whom are concerned about noise pollution and the destruction of farmland, said Wednesday they don’t believe the new restrictions on solar development go far enough. Pro-solar advocates, for their part, think the rules are too strict and will effectively kill any more solar development in the county.
What both sides can agree on, though, is that the ordinance advanced by the APC isn’t anywhere near where they would like it to be.
“The committee did put a lot of time into this, and that certainly is appreciated,” commissioner Tom Murtaugh told the crowd, which filled the committee’s meeting room from wall to wall as community members swarmed downtown to share their thoughts on the ordinance. “And I know for some, it’s not working out the way they expected.”
The late-evening vote came at the tail end of nearly an hour and a half of public comment, in which speakers railed against the ordinance, solar developers, the commissioners and even each other.
Neighbors, enraged by what they argued was an unwillingness of the commissioners to consider solar developments’ impact on local communities, passed out a 23-page packet to attendees outlining a host of changes they wanted to see to the ordinance. 
Some of those neighbors, wearing matching red clothing to show solidarity against the impending vote, stood in unison across the room and lambasted the exclusion of farmers from the decision-making process.
Activists, including community members and Purdue students, decried those opposed to solar developments as being “stubborn” and falling for the propaganda of “fossil fuel oligarchs.”
Out-of-state solar developers, themselves hoping to build in Tippecanoe County one day, pleaded with the commissioners to avoid enacting a “de facto ban” on renewable energy.
And even some members of the committee that drafted the ordinance last month said they believe it had been altered by county staff to overzealously end solar development.
“I want to say to the public, the ordinance that you have before you with these extreme provisions is not the ordinance we worked to develop,” said Jane Frankenberger, a Purdue professor who sat on the committee. “I talked to the APC staff yesterday to see if committee members could write a dissent, and if not, if our names could be removed.”
After commissioners last year implemented a yearlong moratorium on solar construction in the county, the APC assembled the “solar study group” in the hopes of nailing down exactly what the future ordinance should include. It included professors, industry experts, local residents and engineers.
But the committee’s original draft last month drew significant public pushback from neighbors, who said the initially proposed 200-foot property boundary and lack of a limit on size would interfere with neighborhoods.
The committee members themselves also seem to have struggled to reach an agreement internally on what the ordinance should actually say, largely leaving the nitty-gritty details up to the commissioners. 
“It became clear that we weren’t going to be able to achieve a full consensus on every single proposed change,” said APC Executive Director Ryan O’Gara.
In response, the APC rewrote large sections of the ordinance, Frankenberger said, imposing new acreage limits and stripping the ability of developers to build on select agriculture-zoned land.
That last change, in particular, would lock out 41% of the county’s currently available land from being used at all for solar farms. 
“The ordinance in front of you would put Tippecanoe County in the category of counties who will fall behind because they overrestricted renewable energy,” Frankenberger told the commissioners. “I have watched in amazement as a small but vocal group opposed to utility-scale solar has so effectively lobbied for the extreme and outlandish provisions in this draft ordinance.”
In response, some audience members shouted and jeered, demanding Frankenberger sit.
Advocates for solar development argued that the ordinance would effectively make it impossible for future developers to find a site for their planned solar farms. There are very few places in the county, they said, where development of contiguous, 400-acre sites could readily begin.
“As the ordinance is written now, it essentially puts a ban on solar,” said Anna Sorg, a Purdue student and member of a host of campus sustainability groups. “If the regulation is adopted as written, there will be little to no incentive for solar development in this county.”
But neighbors disagree, pointing to a host of sub-400 acre solar projects currently being developed across the state.
According to a fact sheet they passed out to the meeting’s attendees, more than 70 different such projects are in the works.
The required distance between property lines and solar farms — called a setback — is also reasonable, they argued.
“The average setback across all counties in Indiana is just under 450 feet,” said Joe Sobieralski, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University who sat on the APC’s study committee. “We got 500 feet. That’s not absurd, right? And if you look at the data on all the operational solar facilities in Indiana, most, the majority, almost 90%, are on 300 acres or less.”
Community members weren’t pleased. While some solar advocates called the new rules “draconian,” neighbors throughout the meeting insisted that restrictions be brought to even higher extremes beyond simple size limits.
But Mark Schuler, a senior manager for the company behind the Rainbow Tour Solar Project that was voted down by county officials last year after significant public pushback, said he couldn’t foresee any developers wanting to come to Tippecanoe County again with the new restrictions.
“No utility-scale developer can develop in your county with the original ordinance that was up there,” he said. “The new setbacks are deal killers for anybody coming to town.”
After the 1,700-acre Rainbow Trout project was halted in August, Geenex and RWE Energy, the companies behind Rainbow Trout Solar, filed a civil lawsuit to reverse the decision. 
In December, Circuit Court Judge Sean Persin ruled that a group of 11 neighbors who fought the proposed solar development will be allowed to intervene in the company’s lawsuit.
“If you’re going to give me something to help protect my property value, I’m going to listen,” farm owner John Ade said in response to Schuler. “But when you have no alternative, then we’re going to be back in court.”
Schuler also argued that new proposed limits on the setbacks of substations — units in solar farms that manage power supply — would be difficult to work with under the current regulations. 
Commissioners approved new rules that would require substations to be placed at least 1,000 feet away from property lines, after neighbors insisted that the noise caused by them would be too overwhelming.
For a future project he hopes to build, he said, the substation would be “much, much smaller” than other comparable substations and wouldn’t pose a noise issue.
“It won’t look anything like that giant monstrosity that you can put out there,” he said. “Ours is very small, less than two acres.”
The crowd erupted into laughter, throwing jeers at Schuler.
“Oh, only two acres?” someone sarcastically shouted.
Some of the other suggestions community members floated during the marathon of public comment included: restricting solar construction projects to 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. during weekdays, inserting language that would require ease-of-access routes for emergency vehicles, requiring solar developers to repair neighbors’ drainage systems and laying more stringent restrictions on the decommissioning of solar projects.
“I’m not here to speak ill of solar. I don’t think most of us in this room are enemies of solar power,” Joshua Brant, a Democrat who is running to represent District 23 in the Indiana Senate this year, told the commissioners. “But instead of having two different conversations, we should be working together toward a collaborative approach.”
As Brant spoke, suggesting instead that the county require solar panels be installed on newly built homes in the county, commissioners warned he was running over his allotted time to give public comment.
“All right, let me just skip to the chase,” he responded.
“Please!” someone in the audience yelled back.
Also at issue Wednesday was whether the APC had given enough of an input to the county’s farmers, whose land could largely be used for solar development should restrictions be relaxed.
Multiple speakers, including Tippecanoe County Farm Bureau President Donna Scanlon, pointed out that no farmers were appointed to the APC’s study committee when it was formed last year. 
On Monday, the members of the Farm Bureau drafted a letter to commissioners decrying what they called a violation of farmers’ property rights. They argued that solar development would unnecessarily diminish surrounding property value and destroy fertile topsoil in the county.
“It is fundamentally unsound to sacrifice irreplaceable, historically top-tier farmland for subpar use,” the letter read, “as well as to permit the degradation of our productive soils and wildlife habitats in the name of ‘green’ energy.”
Steve Shelby, a landowner from the western part of the county, told the commissioners he thinks the exclusion of farmers from the committee led to large blind spots in the ordinance.
“Seventy-five percent of the land in Tippecanoe County is farmland,” he said, turning to the crowd behind him. “But of all the experts on that committee, how many of them were farmers?”
APC commissioners did offer some concession to community demands, though, opting to add some stricter language to part of the ordinance and decrease the amount of sunlight a solar panel could reflect.
Most of the suggestions the anti-solar public made weren’t addressed as commissioners began to vote.
“We have gotten a lot of public input,” APC commissioner Gary Schroeder said. “As we make ordinances, they can’t be perfect the first time, and this is the second go around. … So I appreciate everybody’s input.”
Only three APC members voted against the ordinance, O’Gara said. It will go to the county commissioners on Monday.
Contact Seth Nelson at nelso615@purdue.edu.

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“Energy security shouldn’t be a luxury.”
Photo Credit: YouTube
For years, Tesla’s Powerwall has dominated the home battery backup market, but it carries a high upfront cost and requires a professional installation. 
That’s why startup Pila is offering an alternative solution for when the grid goes down.
As Pila cofounder Cole Ashman explained in a video on the company’s YouTube channel (@PilaEnergy), the Pila Mesh Battery system was designed to help homeowners and renters maintain backup power as the aging U.S. energy grid leads to more frequent outages.
“Energy security shouldn’t be a luxury,” Ashman said. “Power outages are getting worse. Storms are getting worse. Our aging power grid in the U.S. is being tested to its limits, and we need better solutions to meet people where they are at in those moments of need.” 
The Pila Mesh Battery is a briefcase-sized unit designed to plug into a standard outlet, with no complex installation or rewiring required. Compared to whole-home systems like the Tesla Powerwall, which can cost $15,000 or more, Pila’s batteries come at a fraction of the price.
While a single Pila Battery likely can’t act as a backup for your entire home, it does offer enough storage to keep critical appliances powered when the grid is down. With 2,400 watts of continuous power and 7,800 watts of peak power, a Mesh Battery can keep a fridge running for 32 hours or keep your Wi-Fi on for 132 hours. 
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“Seeing the impact in your community of what a failure of our energy system looks like and feels like set me on a path to want to do something about it,” Ashman said. 
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Plus, Pila’s first-of-its-kind Mesh system, which is key for making multiple batteries easy to install, also syncs with solar panels. When paired with solar, batteries are one of the best investments to reduce expensive utility bills and even go fully off-grid. 
If you’re looking for a home backup solution but aren’t ready to invest in a full-scale system, the Pila Mesh Battery could be a great option. Reservations are available for $99, with the full price at $1,200. Shipments are expected to begin by summer 2026.
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On April 8, Ambassador Yang Yang and Hon. Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips attended the Commissioning Ceremony of the Aurora Solar Farm and delivered remarks. 

Ambassador Yang stated that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and that a modern mine should create not only economic value, but also environmental value and social value. She emphasized that this project is another important achievement of China-Guyana cooperation in the field of new clean energy and traditional mining, demonstrating the shared vision and practical efforts of both nations to promote green and low-carbon development.
Prime Minister Phillips noted that the concept of green mining is aligned with Guyana’s 2030 Low Carbon Development Strategy. As the largest solar power plant in Guyana, this project has delivered positive results in reducing diesel dependence, improving energy efficiency, and creating local jobs, injecting new momentum into Guyana’s energy transition. He highlighted that the Guyanese side stands ready to continue deepening its long-term cooperation with China.

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EBRD lends USD 65m to HAU Energy for Egypt solar project with storage  Renewables Now
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Green gaming technology is reshaping how players think about power, turning energy generation into part of the gameplay itself. At TU Delft, researchers have created a portable console that blends solar harvesting and a kinetic crank system, allowing players to generate electricity while interacting with classic games like DOOM and Tetris.
Eco-friendly gaming introduces a new layer of engagement where movement directly powers performance, making energy use part of the experience rather than a limitation. Sustainable gaming tech also uses intermittent computing to handle brief power interruptions, preserving game state while reducing dependence on traditional batteries. This shift positions green technology as a practical and creative solution for reducing electronic waste in gaming hardware.
Green gaming technology from TU Delft combines two power sources: solar panels around the console screen and a hand-crank generator attached to the device. The solar cells continuously capture ambient light while the crank converts physical motion into usable electricity, making gameplay both interactive and self-powered.
Eco-friendly gaming also integrates power generation into mechanics, where actions like cranking influence gameplay in DOOM and Tetris. Sustainable gaming tech ensures energy is stored efficiently while maintaining responsiveness, creating a seamless loop between player input and device power needs.
Eco-friendly gaming devices use small solar panels embedded into handheld consoles to harvest ambient indoor and outdoor light. These panels continuously supply low-level power, helping extend gameplay sessions without relying on traditional charging methods.
Green gaming technology improves efficiency by combining solar input with real-time energy management systems. Sustainable gaming tech ensures that even limited energy is optimized for gameplay continuity, reducing reliance on lithium-based batteries.
Green gaming technology uses a kinetic crank system that converts hand rotation into electrical energy through a direct current motor. This allows players to physically generate power while playing, turning movement into a core part of the gaming loop.
Eco-friendly gaming integrates this crank into gameplay mechanics, where actions like firing in DOOM or slowing blocks in Tetris are tied to energy generation. Sustainable gaming tech enhances engagement by linking physical effort with in-game rewards and progression.
Read more: ‘Pokémon Winds and Waves’ Rumor Suggests New Pokémon, Type Coming to Gen 10 Game
Sustainable gaming tech testing with 60 participants showed strong engagement with energy-generating gameplay systems. Players reported that linking actions like cranking to game mechanics made the experience more interactive and memorable.
Eco-friendly gaming also influenced player behavior, with many adapting to energy limits and becoming more mindful of play sessions. Green gaming technology demonstrated that sustainability can enhance—not reduce—entertainment value when designed thoughtfully.
Green gaming technology is pushing the boundaries of how players interact with hardware by turning physical movement into a source of power. This creates exciting opportunities for eco-friendly gaming, but it also introduces real design limitations that engineers must solve. As sustainable gaming tech evolves, balancing usability, comfort, and efficiency becomes just as important as energy generation.
Eco-friendly gaming is moving toward hybrid systems that combine solar, kinetic, and intermittent computing. These innovations aim to create fully battery-free gaming devices that still deliver smooth and responsive experiences.
Green gaming technology will likely expand into new genres and hardware designs that align human movement with energy production. Sustainable gaming tech points toward a future where entertainment devices are both interactive and environmentally responsible.
Green gaming technology, eco-friendly gaming, and sustainable gaming tech are redefining how energy and entertainment work together. By combining solar harvesting, kinetic cranks, and intermittent computing, green technology creates gaming systems that are interactive, efficient, and environmentally conscious, shaping a future where play and power generation happen simultaneously.
Green gaming technology refers to systems that generate or conserve energy while gaming, often using solar panels or kinetic inputs. It allows consoles to run with reduced or no traditional battery dependence. These systems integrate sustainability directly into gameplay. The goal is to reduce electronic waste while enhancing interactivity. It represents a shift toward eco-friendly gaming hardware design.
Kinetic energy harvesting converts physical motion, such as cranking, into electrical power using a motor system. This energy is stored and used to run the game or trigger in-game actions. It turns player movement into part of the energy cycle. This makes gameplay more interactive and physically engaging. It is a key feature of sustainable gaming tech.
Solar panels capture ambient light and convert it into usable energy for gaming devices. This provides a continuous low-level power source that extends gameplay sessions. It reduces reliance on external charging and batteries. Solar integration is especially effective in portable consoles. It is a core element of green gaming technology.
Yes, eco-friendly gaming can change how players interact with games by linking actions to energy generation. Players may need to manage power while playing, adding strategy to gameplay. Studies show that users often find this more engaging and immersive. It encourages mindful play sessions and energy awareness. This enhances both entertainment and sustainability.
Read more: Smart Cities Technology Is Transforming the Way We Live in the Urban Future
ⓒ 2026 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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Space solar power is moving from science fiction toward engineering reality as researchers test whether satellites in orbit could one day beam clean electricity down to Earth’s grids. By collecting sunlight in space and turning that satellite energy into wireless power, these systems aim to avoid clouds, night, and many of the limits that affect solar farms on the ground.
Space-based solar power (SBSP) is the idea of placing large solar power satellites in orbit to collect sunlight and transmit energy to receivers on Earth. In space, panels avoid atmospheric losses and darkness, so the same area can capture much more energy than an equivalent array on the ground.
Typical designs convert harvested power into microwaves or laser light and beam it to special ground antennas called rectennas, which turn the signal back into usable electricity. The ambition is to provide continuous space solar power that behaves like a steady, low‑carbon source from the grid’s point of view.
Solar power satellites use large photovoltaic arrays, reflectors, or inflatable mirrors to capture sunlight in high or geostationary orbits.
Because there is no weather and only brief eclipses, panels can see sunlight nearly 24 hours a day, offering far higher availability than land-based solar. Some concepts use mirrors to concentrate light onto high‑efficiency cells, maximizing satellite energy output per kilogram launched.
The captured solar energy is first converted to DC electricity, then into radio-frequency microwaves or laser light using power electronics and transmitting antennas.
Microwave systems often rely on kilometer‑scale phased arrays that shape and steer the beam toward a rectenna with tight control. Laser-based proposals use carefully chosen wavelengths and intensities to maintain efficiency while staying within safety limits.
On Earth, rectenna fields, grids of antennas and diodes, absorb the incoming energy and convert it back into DC electricity.
This power can feed local grids, support solar output at night, or serve remote users with limited terrestrial infrastructure. In principle, a single large satellite could deliver power comparable to a conventional power plant.
Studies suggest a large solar power satellite could deliver on the order of 1 gigawatt (GW) of continuous power to the ground, similar to a big fossil or nuclear plant. One reference design uses a transmitting antenna about 1 km across, generating roughly 1.6 GW in space and around 1 GW after losses.
Because the system sees nearly continuous sunlight, the capacity factor could approach that of always‑on plants, far exceeding typical terrestrial solar arrays. A constellation of such satellites could, at least in theory, supply a significant share of global electricity demand if costs and engineering challenges can be overcome.
Supporters argue that space solar power addresses some of the hardest problems in expanding renewables. In orbit there are no clouds or storms, so satellite energy output remains stable and predictable. With no atmosphere to absorb or scatter light, more of the Sun’s energy reaches the panels per square meter than on Earth’s surface.
From a systems perspective, the ability to steer power beams to different rectenna sites means satellites could act as flexible interconnectors, sending clean energy to regions facing shortages, peaks in demand, or emergencies. Rectennas can be sited in deserts, offshore platforms, or other low‑impact locations, reducing land conflicts.
Wireless power transmission has been demonstrated at smaller scales for decades, and recent tests have shown controlled beaming over long distances on Earth and to moving platforms.
Concept studies indicate that beams can be kept at intensities similar to or below midday sunlight, so they do not burn or injure people, aircraft, or wildlife passing through.
Rectennas are designed to capture most of the power, while side lobes and stray energy are kept within safety regulations. Future systems would still need strict international standards, beam‑shaping controls, and automatic shutoff mechanisms to maintain public confidence in satellite energy beaming.
Read more: Floating Solar Farms: How Floatovoltaics Cool Panels, Reduce Evaporation, and Power Arid Regions
Space-based solar power offers several potential advantages:
The biggest obstacle for space solar power is cost: launching heavy hardware and assembling kilometer‑scale structures in orbit remains extremely expensive. No full‑scale operational SBSP plant exists yet, so many details, autonomous construction, long‑term reliability, and highly efficient beam steering, still need to be proven.
Large satellite constellations would also add to concerns about space debris and orbital congestion. Finally, legal and political questions arise over who controls beams that cross borders and how responsibilities are shared if outages or accidents occur.
Government agencies, researchers, and companies have revisited SBSP periodically since the 1970s, but recent advances in launch costs, robotics, and electronics have revived serious interest.
Many assessments now conclude the concept is technically feasible with current or near‑term technology, though not yet cost‑competitive with rapidly improving ground-based solar and wind.
Roadmaps often point to multi‑megawatt or small demonstration missions in the next couple of decades, followed by larger pilot plants if learning curves and mass production drive costs down.
In that scenario, space solar power would likely complement existing renewables, offering 24/7 satellite energy in places where land, resources, or grid connections are limited.
As energy systems decarbonize, space solar power presents a striking possibility: transforming satellite energy into a continuous, globally dispatchable clean resource.
If launch prices keep falling and wireless power technologies scale successfully, orbiting solar arrays could supplement ground solar, wind, and storage, especially in regions with difficult terrain or dense populations.
The technical and economic challenges remain substantial, yet ongoing experiments show that the core physics and engineering are sound enough to warrant serious exploration.
Over the coming decades, the world will see whether this ambitious approach becomes a practical part of the clean energy mix or stays a niche technology, but it is already expanding how planners and engineers think about harvesting sunlight beyond Earth’s surface.
Launching a large solar power satellite could cost tens of billions of dollars at today’s prices, depending on mass and launch cost per kilogram. Studies suggest that widespread use of reusable rockets and mass production might eventually cut that contribution to just a few cents per kilowatt‑hour of electricity.
Researchers are exploring constellations of smaller satellites that could beam modest amounts of energy to remote sensors or critical equipment in disasters. Simulations indicate such satellite grids might wirelessly deliver enough power to keep low‑power devices running in hard‑to‑reach locations.
China, the United States, and the United Kingdom are among the most active, funding studies and technology demonstrators for orbital solar arrays and power beaming. China, for example, has announced plans for a kilometer‑scale solar array in geostationary orbit and a gigawatt‑level space power station around mid‑century.
Conventional satellites use solar panels only to run their onboard systems, generating kilowatts of power at most. Space solar power concepts, by contrast, envision massive multi‑kilometer structures designed to export gigawatts of electricity back to Earth via wireless transmission.
Read more: Solar Storms & Satellite Damage Explained: Why Space Weather Threatens Satellites
ⓒ 2026 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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Nature Communications volume 17, Article number: 3394 (2026) Cite this article
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The commercialization of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells hinges on achieving high efficiency and stability while maintaining scalability. This study demonstrates an original approach for inducing the formation of a field effect junction within the perovskite active layer for efficient semi-transparent top modules to be integrated in four-terminal perovskite/silicon tandem panels. A synergy of MXene-based doping and surface gradient passivation enabled semi-transparent perovskite modules with efficiencies surpassing 16% on 60 cm² active area. These were integrated into a four terminal tandem panel (0.2 m²) with a power conversion efficiency of 19.45%, further enhanced by bifacial silicon heterojunction cells to reach a power generation density exceeding 23 mWcm⁻² under 30% ground albedo conditions. The tandem panel, installed in Crete, retained over 95% of its initial delivered power after three months, showcasing robust real-world stability. This work provides a significant step toward industrial adoption, presenting a scalable, high-efficiency solution for next-generation photovoltaics with minimal modifications to silicon production lines.
The need to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy has inspired the scientific community to innovate efficient and affordable photovoltaic (PV) technologies with low Levelized Cost of Electricity. A promising strategy involves integrating in tandem configuration emerging technologies such as perovskite solar cells (PSCs) (recently showing impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) above 27%) with established solutions like silicon (Si) PV, now close to its theoretical PCE limit of 29.56%^1,2. Small-area perovskite/Si cells have achieved efficiencies above 35%³, yet replicating this success in larger devices has been challenging. Thus, developing and analyzing large-area perovskite devices that align with standard silicon wafer dimensions is crucial for addressing commercialization challenges⁴. Indeed, numerous advancements in large-area tandem devices have been announced but scientific report and publications are few, indicating a competitive landscape for scaling these technologies.
Scaling up tandem architecture requires overcoming efficiency losses related to material processing, electrical interconnection, and stability. Among various tandem configurations⁵, four-terminal (4T) architectures offer significant advantages, including independent maximum power point (MPP) tracking for the top and bottom cells, minimal modifications to existing Si fabrication lines⁶, and compatibility with bifacial Si cells, which can capture reflected sunlight to enhance energy yield, although independent MPP trackers adds system-level cost^7,8. Moreover, developing high-efficiency, scalable, and stable 4T perovskite/Si tandem modules presents several critical challenges. Firstly, a certain loss in PCE is inevitable when the typical opaque metal electrode used in top PSCs is replaced by a semi-transparent top electrode. Among the best-efficient semi-transparent PSCs (ST-PSCs), Yu and coworkers⁹ succeeded to fabricate ST-PSCs with PCE of 20.25% by introducing AZO/SnO_x as a sputtering buffer layer in an inverted configuration. Additionally, the absence of the metal contact acting as a back-reflector reduces the light-harvesting efficiency of ST-PSCs¹⁰. Moreover, optimizing the perovskite composition for tandem configurations often compromises light harvesting efficiency and current generation^11,12. As a second challenge, the minimization of PCE losses when moving from small area ST-PSCs to semi-transparent perovskite solar modules (ST-PSMs) remains a key target for the practical realization of efficient tandem devices. Encouragingly, a 25.8% PCE has been reported for a large-area 4-terminal (4T) silicon/perovskite tandem module (2054 cm²) fabricated by LONGi Green Energy Technologies, where the top perovskite sub cells contribute 15.9% absolute to the overall efficiency¹³. Finally, addressing electrical connections, encapsulation, and lamination processes is crucial, as these have only been demonstrated with opaque devices¹⁴. Therefore, enhancing the PCE of ST-PSCs and ensuring their dimension scaling are pivotal for advancing perovskite/Si technology.
Commonly in 4T tandem devices perovskite absorber, wide-bandgap (WBG)¹⁵ formulations are employed, but the resulting PCE of the ST-PSCs is still hampered by a significant open-circuit voltage (V_OC) deficit. This issue is mainly caused by non-radiative recombination due to deep-level acceptor defects that can be strongly hampered by the use of ammonium salts¹⁶, such as phenylethyl ammonium iodide (PEAI) derivatives via anti-solvent additive engineering^17,18. Among them, owing to its elevated electro-positivity, para-fluorinated PEAI (4-FPEAI) demonstrated stronger interaction with critical defects (iodide-lead (I-Pb) and iodide-cation antisite defects) present in WBG perovskites, resulting in V_OC losses mitigation. Here, a surface gradient passivation (SGP) can be achieved when 4-FPEAI is introduced into the perovskite film during the anti-solvent step, resulting in a concentration gradient decreasing from the surface toward the perovskite bulk¹⁹. Moreover, 4-FPEAI confers a gradual p-type character to the film by favoring the energy level alignment across the PSC structure¹⁹. Indeed, tailoring the perovskite work function (WF) has emerged as a key strategy, alongside the design of homojunctions to modulate the absorber’s electronic structure ²⁰.
However, creating p-n homojunctions generally requires the deposition of two successive perovskite layers, increasing fabrication complexity. In our previous work, we demonstrated the use of two-dimensional (2D) materials, in particular MXenes, to dope the perovskite precursor solution, obtaining its WF tunability in a broad range without altering its optoelectronic properties ²¹.
Here, we propose a original approach to fabricate perovskite field-effect junctions arising from a modified interfacial electronic environment with a local n-type character at the buried perovskite layer, induced by chlorine-based MXene doping²¹, and a surface-localized p-type shift promoted by 4-FPEAI based SGP. This intentional spatial asymmetry induces dipole-driven band bending at the perovskite interfaces, enabling more efficient carrier extraction and reduced recombination. A 2D perovskite overlayer further strengthens the p-type character of 3D perovskite surface, thereby minimizing charge recombination at perovskite/hole transport layer interface. Notably, this strategy is fully scalable, enabling the fabrication of 4T large-area (44 × 44 cm²) perovskite/silicon tandem PV panels, incorporating bifacial Si technology and developing panel lamination protocols compatible with silicon industry standards.
Finally, the performance of tandem panels has been evaluated under real-world conditions in Crete, as laboratory results often differ from actual outdoor performance²², underscoring the importance of field testing. The results demonstrated durability, with the tandem panel retaining over 95% of its initial maximum power output, primarily showing a slow fill factor (FF) degradation of 1.27% per month, expressed as a relative decrease respect to the initial FF. Additionally, leveraging the bifacial nature of the silicon heterojunction (Si-HJT) bottom cell, the system efficiently harnessed ground-reflected light, further enhancing power generation density (PGD) up to 23.6 mWcm⁻². These findings highlight the real-world viability of the proposed technology, bridging the gap between laboratory efficiency and large-scale deployment in diverse environmental conditions.
Our reference n-i-p perovskite top cell (Fig. 1a) employs an electron transporting layer (ETL) based on graphene nanoflakes (G) to improve both charge transfer at the interface and cell stability^23,24. Additional strategies implemented to further enhance the performance of the ST-PSCs include: (i) tuning the perovskite energy band gap; (ii) replacing hazardous anti-solvent with environmentally friendly alternatives and (iii) utilizing tailored 2D materials to enhance the absorber’s optoelectronic properties. A detailed description of the fabrication process for the four structures of tested PSCs (Fig. 1) is reported in the experimental section.
Four tested mesoporous solar cell structures: The reference structure realized employing graphene (G) within the ETL and by using of chlorobenzene-CB (a) or greener ethyl acetate-EA in view of the large scale production process (b) as anti-solvent during the perovskite layer deposition; (c) optimized structure realized with graphene based ETL, EA as green solvent for perovskite and surface gradient passivation-SGP strategy based on 4-FPEAI passivation to deposit the perovskite layer; (d) complete 2D materials engineered structure using G-modified ETL, EA as green solvent for perovskite with SGP strategy based on 4-FPEAI passivation and chlorine-based MXenes (MX-Cl) as dopant for perovskite layer.
The proposed Cs_0.18FA_0.82Pb(I_0.8Br_0.2)₃ perovskite formulation features an energy gap (E_g) of 1.68 eV (see Supplementary Information (S.I.) Supplementary Fig. 1) which is particular crucial for the performance of perovskite/silicon tandem devices operating at temperature above T > 55 °C²⁵. This consideration is especially relevant in our case, given the installation conditions on Crete Island. To reduce the environmental impact and human health risk, ethyl acetate (EA) is selected as green anti-solvent replacing chlorobenzene (CB) for the perovskite production^26,27. The fabricated cells (Supplementary Fig. 2a) incorporating graphene nanoflakes and EA (G/EA) demonstrated comparable performance achieving a +2% increase of PCE compared to those utilizing CB (G/CB, as evidenced by Fig. 2 and Table 1). Furthermore, replacing CB with to EA, the perovskite post-deposition annealing time was reduced by half (30 min), effectively halving the energy required for perovskite absorber realization. SGP strategy¹⁹ of the perovskite absorber was implemented by dissolving an optimized amount of 2D perovskite precursor (4-FPEAI) within EA anti-solvent step during perovskite deposition. SGP permits (i) to passivate deep-level trap states in Br-enriched WBG perovskite films caused by faster crystallization rate during perovskite solution process²⁸ and (ii) to reduce the energy-level mismatch between the WBG perovskite layer and charge transporting layers¹⁹. The SGP-based small area (0.1 cm²) opaque devices (G/4-FPEAI) showed superior PCE of +8% (+5.8%) with respect to G/CB (G/EA) cells (Fig. 2d), mainly due to improved V_OC (+1.6% and +2% in G/EA and G/CB, respectively, Fig. 2a).
Electrical parameter statistics (12 samples) (a) open circuit voltage (V_OC); (b) short circuit current density (J_SC); (c) fill factor (FF); (d) power conversion efficiency (PCE), for the four investigated opaque PSC structures extracted by the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics acquired under 1 SUN irradiation. In each box plot, the square indicates the mean value, the horizontal line represents the median, the box corresponds to the standard deviation, and the whiskers extend to the minimum and maximum values. Individual symbols represent independent devices. Forward and reverse scan J–V curves for all four opaque device architectures are provided in the Supplementary Information- S.I. (Supplementary Fig. 7a–d). The minimized hysteresis in the G/MX/4-FPEAI device highlights the improved stability and reduced interfacial recombination enabled by the device engineering via field-effect junction strategy.
Finally, PCE up to 22.12% (+9.6% versus G/4-FPEAI best cell, Fig. 1d was obtained by doping perovskite/4-PEAI active layer with Ti₃C₂Cl₂ MXenes (MX-Cl) by carefully tuning the MXene dopant amount (Supplementary Fig. 2b). MX-Cl synthesis is reported in the experimental section while their morphological and chemical characterizations are reported in S.I. section S.I. 3 (Supplementary Figs. 3–6). The high performance of MX-Cl cells (G/MX/4-FPEAI) can be related to high V_OC (>1.19 V), significant enhancement in short circuit current density (J_SC) about +5% and +8% compared with G/4-FPEAI or G/EA respectively and minimized hysteresis in the I-V characteristics (Supplementary Fig. 7a–d) reflecting in a stabilization of the MPP under prolonged illumination (Supplementary Fig. 7e).
The MX-Cl role on perovskite films morphology was clarified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SGP has minimal impact on domain size and surface morphology (Supplementary Fig. 8), whereas MX-Cl doping, resulted in a noticeable increase in perovskite domains compared to the layer without MX-Cl addition (Fig. 3a, d). The presence of small domains around the enlarged ones in the MX-Cl-doped film indicated that MXene flakes locally influenced perovskite morphology (see Fig. 3b, e for the statistical analysis of domain’s dimensions).
a SEM image of a perovskite layer without MX-Cl addition and (d) MX-Cl doped perovskite film surface obtained by applying the SGP strategy during the anti-solvent step. The cross-section SEM images for the same samples are reported in (c) and (f) respectively. Scale bars: 1 µm (a, d) and 2 µm (c, f). In the colored part of (f) the incorporation of MX-Cl flakes is highlighted with a light-red color showing that MX flakes are sitting at the mTiO₂/perovskite interface, while they are not present in the case of pristine perovskite film in (c). The presence of small domains still appearing around the enlarged domains in the case of MX-Cl-doped film elucidated that the presence of MXene flakes induced a localized effect on the perovskite morphology, acting as a template for the perovskite crystals growing on top of them. b, e Statistical distribution of domain sizes extracted from SEM images for the corresponding films. The histograms are fitted with Gaussian functions, indicating the average domain size and size dispersion for the the perovskite modified with only 4-FPEAI film (b) and the treated with both 4-FPEAI and MXenes film (e). Domain size distribution reveals significant differences between the two films. In the sample containing only 4-FPEAI, the average domain size is 0.125 µm, with a standard deviation of 0.047 µm, while in the MX-Cl/4-FPEAI sample the mean increases to 0.286 µm, with a standard deviation of 0.070 µm. Furthermore, the maximum domain size rises from 0.242 µm (4-FPEAI) to 0.452 µm (MX-Cl/4-FPEAI), indicating a more pronounced domain growth. These results suggest that the incorporation of MXenes promotes more efficient crystal growth and greater grain coalescence, which is consistent with a reduction in grain boundary defect density and potentially improved charge transport within the film. g XRD patterns for the perovskite films with and without MX-Cl. h Normalized transient photoluminescence (TRPL) decay curves of the 4-FPEAI perovskite film and the film incorporating Cl-functionalized MXene. The decay profiles were fitted with a bi-exponential model. The MXene-treated film exhibits a significantly longer average carrier lifetime (τ_avg = 1.11 × 10⁻⁷ s) compared to the 4-FPEAI (τ_avg = 6.88 × 10⁻⁸ s), indicating reduced trap-assisted recombination and improved defect passivation.
This is confirmed by the cross-section SEM images acquired on complete devices stacks for G/MX/4-FPEAI (Fig. 3f) and G/4-FPEAI (Fig. 3c). As shown by Liu et al.²⁹, the strong coordination between Cl atoms and Pb²⁺ ions reduces metallic lead clusters (Pb⁰), which are known to induce deep defects and trap free charge carriers in the perovskite films, leading to non-radiative recombination.
X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis (Fig. 3g) reveals improved crystallinity in MX-Cl/4-FPEAI films, evidenced by stronger diffraction peaks for the (110), (220), and (310) lattice planes of cubic perovskite structure, reflecting in reduces lattice distortion, thereby lowering defect density and minimizing trap states. The introduction of MX-Cl improves perovskite crystallinity and promotes preferred orientation growth (section S.I. 5, Supplementary Table 1) due to the interaction between the Cl terminations and the Pb²⁺ ions forming adducts act as heterogeneous nucleation site for the perovskite film²⁹. Complementarily, TRPL analysis (Fig. 3h) shows a marked increase in average carrier lifetime in MXene-modified films, pointing to efficient trap-state passivation, likely due to both improved crystallinity and reduced interfacial defect density (see Supplementary Table 2 in the S.I. for full fitting parameters).
The impact of both MX-Cl and 4-FPEAI on the trap assisted recombination and on perovskite crystallinity was assessed by transient photovoltage (TPV), Photoluminescence (PL), V_OC vs Light intensity, XRD and UV–Vis measurements as reported in S.I. (section S.I. 5). TPV measurements (Supplementary Fig. 9a) reveal that G/MX/4-FPEAI significantly extends charge recombination lifetime versus G/EA and G/4-FPEAI. This indicates that, beyond creating a p-doping gradient from ETL to HTL, SGP also provides residual passivation, enhancing J_SC (Fig. 2b). Additionally, devices with MX-Cl exhibit higher External Quantum Efficiency (EQE) values across entire spectral range versus 4-FPEAI devices with enhance EQE-calculated J_SC (from 21.01 mA cm⁻² for 4-FPEAI to 22.3 mA cm^–² for G/MX/4-FPEAI), reflecting enhanced charge dynamics (Supplementary Fig. 9b) and absorbance (Supplementary Fig. 10a). Furthermore, MX-doping reduces defect state density by enlarging perovskite domains and mitigating grain boundary-induced trap states. Steady-state PL measurements (Supplementary Fig. 10b) confirm the impact of MX-Cl, showing a 75% increase in PL intensity and a slight red shift (from 758 to 763 nm) for MX-Cl/4-FPEAI films, assessing the reduced impact of the non-radiative recombination. Trap-assisted recombination at mTiO₂/perovskite interface was also studied via V_OC vs. incident light power (P_inc) measurements (Supplementary Fig. 9d) and dark-J–V analysis (Supplementary Fig. 10c). Adding MX-Cl in G/MX/4-FPEAI lowers the V_OC(P_inc) slope, reducing ETL/perovskite recombination at this interface, and boosting J_SC³⁰, while the decrease of both reverse leakage current and ideality factor in dark J–V curves is in line with the longer TRPL lifetimes and higher PL intensity.
The reduction of trap states in MX-Cl/4-FPEAI-modified perovskites can be attributed to the strong interaction between Cl terminations of MX-Cl and Pb²⁺ ions, which mitigates non-radiative recombination caused by uncoordinated lead sites. This interaction, stronger than that one between carbonyl-groups and Pb²⁺ as in case of Ti₃C₂T_x-based MXenes, makes its effect on crystallization and domain size here more pronounced, compared to our previous work²¹, yielding a more stable perovskite lattice.
From SEM images of Fig. 3f, clearly MX-Cl flakes are mainly distributed at bottom interface between perovskite/mTiO₂ layer. The presence of MX-Cl at the ETL/perovskite interface calls for a possible tuning of the buried perovskite interface WF ²¹.
Building on this, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) was employed to elucidate the progressive modulation of the perovskite energy levels depending on the different treatments. The measurements were carried out on ad-hoc fabricated samples (see section S.I. 6 in S.I.). Notably, the combination of MXene and 4-FPEAI induces a graded shift in WF and valence band maximum (VBM) position across the series, consistent with dipole-induced band bending localized at the perovskite interfaces. A full discussion and corresponding UPS spectra and energy level diagram reconstructed from the UPS data are provided in section S.I. 6 in S.I., Supplementary Fig. 11, while the extracted values of WF and VBM are summarized in Table 2, clearly highlighting the energetic alignment changes induced by each modification. To exclude charging or chemical artefacts, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) analyzes were performed, confirming that the observed WF and VBM shifts arise from genuine interfacial electronic modifications. (see Supplementary Fig. 12 for detailed discussion).
To confirm this effect, Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) measurements were carried out on the same samples, allowing us to extract WF values (Supplementary Table 3) and to distinguish the contributions of MXene doping and SGP (see Supplementary Fig. 13).
Density functional theory (DFT) simulations of the MX-Cl/perovskite/4-FPEAI system can elucidate the passivation capability of 4-FPEAI and the impact of MX-Cl on the electronic characteristics of perovskite. As a trade-off between accuracy and computability, single cation MAPbI₃ perovskite was considered, as discussed in section S.I. 7 in S.I. along with computational details about DFT simulations (see Supplementary Fig. 14). The structure of MX-Cl/perovskite/4-FPEAI (Fig. 4a), as obtained by structural optimization, shows that no covalent bonds are involved at perovskite/MXenes interface. However, the interaction results in a reduction of the WF versus undoped perovskite (−0.39 eV, Supplementary Table 4), as highlighted by the slope of the vacuum potential, indicated with red arrow in the figure. The WF reduction results from band bending induced by the surface dipole not from a shift of the Fermi level, here assumed to be in the middle of the perovskite gap. Moreover, the projected density of states (PDOS) analysis underlines perovskite E_g remains mostly unaffected, and MX-Cl additive introduces donor states near perovskite conduction band edge (Supplementary Fig. 15), confirming the locally induced perovskite n-character at the MX-Cl/perovskite interface. Notably, same qualitative outcomes result for MAPbBr₃ interacting with MX-Cl (Supplementary Table 4, and Supplementary Fig. 16). Conversely, the interaction of perovskite with 4-FPEAI results in the formation of covalent bonds between iodine atoms of the additive molecules and lead atoms on the perovskite surface, while the intercalation of 4-FPEA acts as a cation for the perovskite inorganic cage. The WF shift caused by 4-FPEAI (0.14 eV, Supplementary Table 4) is opposite to that of the MX-Cl additive, as shown by the opposite slopes of the vacuum level and red arrow directions. Finally, the PDOS analysis of perovskite/4-FPEAI interface (Supplementary Fig. 15) shows that the passivation of the states contributed by the Pb ions on the perovskite surface results in an up-shift of the conduction band edge of perovskite, giving a p-type behavior of the doped perovskite with respect to the pristine material.
a Atomic structure MX-Cl/MAPbI₃/4-FPEAI interface obtained after structural optimization. The corresponding plane-average electrostatic potential profile plotted along the direction perpendicular to the interface (solid orange line) highlights the different vacuum levels associated with MX-Cl/MAPbI₃ and MAPbI₃/4-FPEAI interface. The Fermi level is set to zero, so that the vacuum plateaus directly reflect the work functions of the two modified interfaces. b Simulated J–V curves for the three perovskite solar cell configurations considered: the reference device, the device incorporating 4-FPEAI (introducing a surface-localized p-type shift), and the device incorporating both MX-Cl and 4-FPEAI. In the latter case, MX-Cl induces a modified electronic environment at the buried interface (localized n-type character), manifested as enhanced electron accumulation and reduced recombination, while 4-FPEAI (p-type doping profile) modulates the electronic structure at the top surface. Together, these interfacial modifications improve carrier extraction across the perovskite layer. The two insets display the corresponding J_SC and V_OC values for the three simulated cases. The J–V curves are obtained by coupling a transfer-matrix method (TMM) for the optical response with Poisson/drift-diffusion (DD) calculations for the electrical properties (TMM/DD simulations).
Although enlarging the domain size leads to a slight increase in UV–Vis absorption (Supplementary Fig. 10a), it only partially explains the J_SC enhancement observed in G/MX/4-FPEAI devices. Indeed, the dipole induced by the MX-Cl addition at the mTiO₂/perovskite interface improves charge-transfer efficiency and consequently J_SC. Thus, the reduction of J–V curve hysteresis (Supplementary Fig. 7) through MX-Cl engineering is mainly attributed to the decrease of charge accumulation at the interface.
We made use of physical device simulations to account for the WF shift, grading and charge recombination changes solar induced by MXenes and 4-FPEAI in the cell electro-optical properties (Section S.I. 8 in S.I., Supplementary Table 5). Figure 4b shows the simulated J-V curves for the three PSC typologies: reference, 4-FPEAI and 4-FPEAI + MX-Cl. The reference curve nicely reproduces the experimental J_SC and V_OC, (insets Fig. 4b). In agreement with measurements, the 4-FPEAI additive boosts V_OC to 1.19 eV, and MX-Cl further increases it to 1.20 eV due to dipole-induced electron accumulation at the buried interface and reduced recombination. This also improves FF, evidenced in Fig. 4b from blue J–V characteristic versus the green and black ones. The field-effect junctions arising from spatially separated interfacial dipoles improve V_OC, especially with 4-FPEAI additive, enhancing hole extraction, as demonstrated by calculated hole density at the p-side perovskite interface (Supplementary Fig. 17).
The ST-PSCs for 4T tandem were obtained replacing the opaque top-electrode with an ultra-thin gold layer and a sputtered indium thin-oxide (ITO, Supplementary Fig. 18). By employing the same 2D material-engineering strategy, MXene doping and 4-FPEAI-based SGP, previously validated in opaque devices, the ST-PSCs used in the 4T tandem architecture demonstrated enhanced PCEs up to 18.3% (av. PCE = 17.63%) due to a higher V_OC (av. V_OC = 1.2 V) and J_SC (av. J_SC = 19.92 mA cm⁻²) compared to the G/EA (REF) sample (see Supplementary Table 6, and Supplementary Figs. 19–22a, 20 and 21 for a detailed analysis), confirming the effectiveness of 2D material-engineering approach even for ST structures^31,32. Moreover, the combination among the MX-Cl addition and the 4-FPEAI SGP strategy not only translated into superior device performance but also conferred superior robustness on the perovskite film against light-driven degradation, as demonstrated by prolonged light cycling test (Supplementary Fig. 22c) and combined heating + light soaking test (Supplementary Fig. 22d).
ST-PSCs were scaled up to module and to 4T PSK/Si panel detailed as follows. The module layout (Fig. 5a) consists of 24 series connected solar cells on a 9.5 × 9.5 cm² substrate area (cell width of 3.1 mm). Laser ablation parameters (P1-P2-P3 processes) have been optimized for maximizing the module active area by ensuring a geometrical FF > 96% (Supplementary Figs. 23 and 24) ^33,34.
a Layout of the semi-transparent 2D material-based PSMs. Each module is composed by 24 series-connected solar cells with an active area of 2.49 cm². The total active area is 60 cm² while the aperture area (comprising the interconnection areas) is about 63 cm². b Demonstrator 1 (DEM1) perovskite/Si tandem panel. Each building block is composed of four parallel-connected semi-transparent perovskite modules stacked above the M2 Si-HJT bifacial cell (provided by 3SUN). c, d Pictures of the front and back side of the laminated tandem DEM1.
Four parallel-connected ST-PSMs covering one M2 Si-HJT bottom cell were employed to realize a first PSK/Si tandem panel demonstrator (DEM1) (Fig. 5, and Supplementary Fig. 25). The total active area of the four perovskite top modules was matched to the Si cell active area (240 cm²). The four ST-PSMs and the silicon cell were laminated together by employing an industrial laminator (S.I., section S.I. 12, Supplementary Fig. 26).
Figure 6 shows the picture of the fabricated 4T PSK/Silicon tandem together with the I–V characteristics for the best ST-PSM, obtained with optimized 2D material strategy, as well as the filtered Si-HJT single cell and the perovskite top ST panel. This confirms the scalability and effectiveness of the approach at module level (section S.I. 11 in S.I.).
a Front picture of a 2D material-engineered tandem demonstrator 1 (DEM1). b I–V curves acquired under forward (Forw) V_OC = 26.8 V, I_SC = 52.66 mA, P_MPP = 9.03E-1W, FF = 63.96%, PCE = 15.1% and reverse (Rev) V_OC = 26.98 V, I_SC = 52.7 mA, P_MPP = 9.66E-1 W, FF = 67.9%, PCE = 16.16% voltage scan under 1 Sun irradiation for the best performing ST-PSM based on 2D materials. c I–V curve for the Si-HJT M2 sized cells filtered by the perovskite top panel V_OC = 6.9E-1V, I_SC = 3.12 A, P_MPP = 1.6 W, FF = 74.3%, PCE = 7.78% (d) I–V curve for the ST perovskite top panel composed of four parallel connected 2D material-engineered ST-PSMs V_OC = 25.75 V, I_SC = 2.08E-1A, P_MPP = 3.12 W, FF = 58.24%, PCE = 13.1%.
The best efficient 2D material-engineered ST-PSM reached a PCE > 16%, surpassing the state of art for ST-PSCs used in record 4T large-area tandem cells¹³, while strongly limiting the PCE drop (<13%) usually observed in scaling the device size (see S.I. section S.I. 11 and Supplementary Table 7 for detailed discussion). Meanwhile, the 4T-DEM1 device reached a PCE of ~21%, underscoring the effectiveness of both the 2D materials and the tailored lamination procedure. To demonstrate the high reproducibility of the developed ST-PSM fabrication protocol, we produced 150 2D material-engineered ST-PSMs, with their PCE statistics shown in Fig. 7a. Ultimately, incorporating 2D materials yielded high-performing ST-PSMs, reduced performance variability, and enabled reproducible production of large area PSK/Si tandem panels, thereby advancing industrially oriented production of the perovskite/Si tandem technology ³⁵.
a PCE statistics over 150 2D material-engineered ST-PSMs; (b) Front and (c) back side of the large area tandem panel DEM2. The panel covers an area approximatively equal to 0.2 m²; (d) I–V characteristics for ST-perovskite top (circle symbol blue curve) panel V_OC = 26.39 V, I_SC = 7.62E-1 A, P_MPP = 11.51 W, FF = 59.24%, PCE = 12.49% and (e) I–V characteristics for Si-HJT bottom (diamond symbol red curve) V_OC = 2.69 V, I_SC = 3.042 A, P_MPP = 5.73 W, FF = 70.21%, PCE = 6.95%; (f) preliminary outdoor stability of the ST-perovskite top panel above 3 operating months (from August 2023 to November 2023); (g) picture of DEM2 mounted in the facilities of HMU in Crete Island in outdoor conditions.
As a final demonstrator, a 4T tandem panel (DEM2, Fig. 7b, c) was fabricated by connecting in parallel 16 ST-PSMs, while 4 bifacial Si-HJT cells from 3SUN company were series connected. Both were laminated in “one-step” process, creating a single tandem object electrically accessible via the 4 external terminals (S.I. section S.I. 12). The tandem panel (DEM2) was measured outdoor in Rome (41.85371; 12.63508) in a clear sky day (06/08/2023, Supplementary Fig. 27) and the IV-characteristics are reported in Fig. 7d, e for the perovskite top panel and Si-HJT bottom module, respectively. The top semi-transparent panel (ST-PSP) achieved a PCE ~ 12.5%, with negligible relative PCE reduction (−4.5%) compared to PCE of ST-PSP for DEM1 (+13.1%), despite quadrupling the number of parallel connected ST-PSMs. Thus, the lamination approach developed in this work (S.I., section S.I. 12 and 13) minimally impacts the perovskite panel (PSP) performance once the dimensions of the panel are scaled up. The filtered Si-HJT bottom panel measured at 1 SUN approached 7%, contributing to a final PCE of DEM2 reaching 19.45%. We should point out that, due to the manual stringing (electrical connection among adjacent cells), the bottom Si-HJT module has a reduced efficiency compared to those obtained on an automatized industrial line (S.I., section S.I. 13). DEM2 was finally installed in Crete Island and its performance was monitored in outdoor conditions by following the ISOS-O-2 protocol.
The tandem panel’s electrical characteristics were studied under varying irradiance and temperature (S.I., section S.I. 14). Outdoor measurements performed using a metallic mounting base were carried out with the module installed at a fixed inclination of 30° and a height of ~100 cm above ground (Fig. 7g). From the outdoor performance monitoring at open circuit conditions, the I-V curves for top ST-PSP were acquired during a 3-months period (from August to November 2023) and the main electrical parameters were normalized in STC (1000 W m⁻² irradiance and 25 °C temperature) considering both the temperature and irradiance dependency of the main electrical parameters (S.I., section S.I. 14). Notably, the ST-PSP constituting DEM2 retained over 95% of its initial P_MPP value (Fig. 7f) during outdoor exposure, while mainly its FF was showing a slow decreasing trend over time (−1.27%/month). No evident performance losses were observed for the Si-HJT bottom module. Despite degradation was not the focus of this study, the gradual decline in performance for ST-PSP can be ascribed to the well-known intrinsic degradation mechanisms affecting ST-PSM³⁶, since no evident lamination failure of the tandem panel was detected upon dismounting.
The bifaciality of the Si-HTJ bottom panel allowed us to estimate the final PGD of the 4T tandem perovskite/bifacial Si-HJT under varying reflective irradiance (albedo) from different ground materials (S.I., section S.I. 14). To date, the natural albedo of soil in solar installations ranges from 10% to 30%; the PGD for DEM2 was estimated to range from 21.15 mW cm⁻² to 23.66 mW cm⁻² (Table 3).
This study explores the optimization and scalability of 4T perovskite/silicon tandem devices. A field-effect junction within the perovskite layer by combining the SGP strategy with Cl-based MXene doping yielded to ST 60 cm² active area modules with top PCE > 16%, following integrated into a 0.2 m² 4T perovskite/silicon tandem panel. The as-developed all-in-one lamination process is compatible with the existing Si-HJT production lines, marking a significant step toward commercialization. Moreover, outdoor panel performance at STC (PCE of 19.45%) and in presence of 30% ground albedo conditions (PGD > 23 mW cm⁻²) showed remarkable stability during three operative months.
Crucially, this work introduces a perovskite field-effect junctions, enabled by the spatially resolved integration of Cl-terminated MXenes and 4-FPEAI, representing an advanced approach to interface and energy landscape engineering in perovskite photovoltaics.
Future efforts will focus on device cost reduction (i.e., Au/ITO transparent electrode replacement with graphene³⁷), refining production methods to enhance scalability and economic viability. Optimizations like 2T voltage-matched architecture could further reduce costs and improve spectral resilience. Post-operation diagnostic analysis of field-deployed modules could offer valuable insight into the intrinsic degradation pathways and stability limitations of the proposed device architecture. Overall, this study demonstrates significant progress toward efficient, scalable, and commercially viable tandem solar solutions, underscoring the transformative potential of integrating 2D materials into photovoltaic technology.
All the materials were used as received, unless specified otherwise. All the following materials, including titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TTIP), diisopropoxytitanium bis(acetylacetonate) (Ti(AcAc)₂), acetyl acetone (AcAc), ethyl acetate (EA), lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (Li-TFSI), ethanol (EtOH), isopropanol (IPA), acetone, dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), acetonitrile (ACN), tert-butylpyridine (tBP), chlorobenzene (CB), toluene (T), N-methyl-2–pyrrolidone (NMP) and graphite flakes were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. Mesoporous transparent titania paste (30 NR-D), formamidinium iodide (FAI) and methylammonium bromide (MABr) were purchased from GreatCell Solar. Lead(II) iodide (PbI₂), lead(II) bromide (PbBr₂) were purchased from TCI, while caesium iodide (CsI) from GmbH. Poly (triarylamine) (PTAA) Medium Mw: 20–75 kDa (SOL2426M) from Solaris Chem. The graphene flakes ink in EtOH (≥99.8%) (concentration of 0.9 mg mL⁻¹) was prepared by liquid phase exfoliation of graphite flakes (Sigma–Aldrich) in NMP and exchanged into EtOH (see our previous paper for further details)³⁸.
Ti₃C₂Cl₂ MXenes were synthesized by etching of Al layers from Ti₃AlC₂ MAX phase precursor using Lewis acid. In detail, Ti₃AlC₂ MAX phase powder was mixed with anhydrous salts of ZnCl₂, NaCl, and KCl in a molar ratio of 1: 3: 2: 2 under argon atmosphere. The mixture was placed in an alumina crucible covered with a lid and heated to 650 °C for 5 h. After synthesis, the mixture was washed with deionized (DI) water to dissolve and remove the residual salts, and then with HCl to remove elemental Zn formed by the reduction of Zn²⁺. Delamination of multilayer Ti₃C₂Cl₂ MXenes was carried out under Ar atmosphere by intercalation of LiCl salt dissolved in anhydrous polar organic solvents as described in detail in ref. ³⁹. The delaminated suspension was collected as a film by vacuum filtration followed by drying at 80 °C under vacuum.
The MAX phase precursor and resulted delaminated film were studied by XRD using a D8 Bruker diffractometer (Bruker, Massachusetts, USA) operating under the Bragg-Brentano geometry and equipped with Cu anode providing X-rays with a wavelength of 1.5406 Å. The morphology and chemical composition of the synthesized Ti₃C₂Cl₂ multilayer powder were investigated using a field-emission SEM (ZEISS Gemini 300, Carl Zeiss AG, Oberkochen, Germany) equipped with a Si(Li) detector (Oxford Instruments) for Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy. The combined photoemission/microscopy Omicron setup ESCA-STM was used to carry out XPS and UPS of Ti₃C₂Cl₂ MXenes. For the measurements, the delaminated suspension of Ti₃C₂Cl₂ was drop-casted on ITO substrates. XPS was performed using monochromatic Al-Kα radiation (1486.6 eV) and deconvolution of the high-resolution (HR) XPS spectra was performed in CasaXPS software. UPS measurements were performed using a He I source (21.22 eV). During the measurements, a bias of 9 V was applied between the sample and the analyzer.
SEM images were performed by using a TESCAN MIRA equipment. SEM images are acquired through an in-beam secondary electrons (in beam-SE) detector by using a Schottky field electron emitter providing an electron beam with an energy of 5 Kev and a probe current of 100pA.
The UV–Vis absorption spectra of the perovskite layer were recorded using UV–Vis 2550 spectrophotometer from Shimadzu. The spectra were collected using a scan rate of 480 nm min⁻¹ and a resolution of 1 nm. Steady state PL measurements were performed with a commercial apparatus (Arkeo—Cicci Research s.r.l.) composed of a 0.3 m focal length spectrograph with a photon counting unit. The substrates were excited by a green (532 nm) laser at 45° of incidence with a circular spot diameter of 1 mm. The optical coupling system is composed of a lens condenser and a long-pass filter. The PL spectra were elaborated by an in-house developed Matlab script. In detail, perovskite emission spectra were fitted by employing the best fitting between single, double, or triple exponential Gaussian line-shape by minimizing the root mean square error.
XRD measurements were collected with a Rigaku SmartLab SE 1D Type diffractometer working in Bragg−Brentano geometry equipped with a Cu Kα source and a D/teX Ultra250 detector. Current-Voltage (I–V) characteristics of masked and encapsulated devices were acquired in air by using a solar simulator (ABET Sun 2000, class A) calibrated at AM1.5 and 100 mW cm⁻² illumination with a certified reference Si Cell (RERA Solutions RR-1002). Incident power was measured with a Skye SKS 1110 sensor. The class was measured with a BLACK-Comet UV–vis spectrometer. Both reverse and forward I-V scans were performed by using a scan rate of 20 mV s⁻¹ and 100 mVs⁻¹ for masked small-area PSCs and unmasked large-area ST-PSMs, respectively.
Combined heating+light soaking stress test was performed using a class-B solar simulator (SolarConstant 1200, K.H. Steuernagel Lichttechnik GmbH, Germany). The system employs a xenon arc lamp coupled with an optical AM 1.5G filter to reproduce the standard solar spectrum over a broad spectral range (300–2500 nm). According to manufacturer specifications and IEC 60904-9 classification, the simulator exhibits class-B performance in spectral match, irradiance uniformity, and temporal stability. In particular, the spectral distribution in the near-infrared region shows the characteristic enhancement associated with xenon-based sources, consistent with the class-B spectral mismatch factor. The output irradiance is stabilized and set to 1000 W m⁻² at the sample plane under ambient laboratory conditions, and the lamp intensity is calibrated before each measurement session using a certified silicon reference cell.
The relatively broad IR output, combined with continuous illumination, results in a device operating temperature representative of realistic stress conditions, while remaining fully compliant with the IEC tolerances for photovoltaic testing.
Illumination intensity dependence of V_OC and dark I–V measurements were performed with a modular testing platform (Arkeo – Cicci Research s.r.l.) composed by a white LED array (4200 K) tunable up to 200 mW cm⁻² of optical power density and a high-speed source meter unit (600,00 samples s⁻¹) in a four-wire configuration. A spring contact-based sample holder was used to improve the repeatability of the experiments. TPV measurements were performed in a high perturbation configuration by acquiring the entire V_OC rise profile after switching the light intensity from 0 to 1 Sun. Incident Photon to current Conversion Efficiency (IPCE) spectra acquisitions were carried out by means of an Arkeo system (Cicci Research s.r.l.) with a 150 W xenon lamp and a double grating (300 to1400 nm). A Si photodiode was used for incident light calibration prior to the IPCE measurement. Photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were performed in a ThermoScientific ESCALAB QXi XPS apparatus in ultra-high vacuum conditions (10⁻¹⁰mbar base pressure). The valence band region of the samples was investigated by UPS using the 21.2 eV radiation of the HeI line and biasing the samples at −5 V, in order to determine both the work function and the position of the valence band edge⁴⁰. The electronic band structure of the perovskites was characterized by XPS using monochromatic 1486.8 eV photons of the Al Kα line and analyzed with the Thermo-Fischer Avantage Software. XPS measurements were performed on small devices (14 × 14 mm) applying the system charge compensation, while the work function was measured without charge compensation, by providing an additional contact to an edge of the device front surface.
A preliminary patterning step on the glass/FTO substrate (Pilkington, 8 Ω/□, 110  × 110 mm²) is carried out using a raster-scanning Nd:YVO₄ laser (pulsed at 80 kHz, average fluence 700 mJ cm⁻², λ = 350 nm) to electrically isolate adjacent cells on the same substrate. In the case of modules, this step (P1 process) is used to isolate the individual cells that compose the final device. For both cells and modules, after a deep cleaning sequence, consisting in a triple step of ultra sonic bath with cleaning liquid dissolved in deionized water, acetone and 2-propanol for 10 min each one, a patterned fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glasses 2.5 × 2.5 cm² (9.5 × 9.5 cm² for modules) are spray-pyrolised with a solution of acetylacetone (1 mL), titanium diisopropoxide (1.5 mL) and ethanol (22.5 mL) at 460 °C.
The subsequent step of small area (and large area) device fabrication consists in a thin mesoporous TiO₂ (mTiO₂) film (~130 nm) deposited by spin coating. The TiO₂ paste (Dyesol 30 NRD paste diluted in ethanol 1:6 in wt.) was spun at 3000 rpm for 20 s (2000 rpm for 20 s) and followed by the subsequent sintering at 480 °C for 30 min in air. The graphene doped solutions, cTiO₂ + G and mTiO₂+G, are obtained by doping with 1 vol% of graphene ink (from IIT) the pristine solution. Then the substrates were transferred into a N₂ glove box.
The perovskite films were deposited by combining a one-step deposition with the anti-solvent method. The perovskite layer was deposited in a N₂-filled glove box after cooling down the samples to room temperature. The perovskite solution was obtained by mixing FAI, PbI₂, PbBr₂ and CsI in a mixture of anhydrous DMF/DMSO (4:1 vol/vol) in a proper ratio to obtain Cs_0.18FA_0.82Pb(I_0.8Br_0.2)₃. After 30 min of stirring at room temperature, the perovskite (100 μl for small area devices, 1 ml for large area PSMs) was spin-coated onto the samples, using an anti-solvent method. When using CB as anti-solvent, a two-step program at 1000 rpm for 10 s and 5000 rpm for 30 s was used to deposit the perovskite precursor solution.
During the second step, 150 μl of CB was poured on the spinning substrate 7 s before the end of the program. Immediately after spin coating, the substrates were annealed at 100 °C for 1 h to form a perovskite crystal structure resulting in a compact perovskite layer with a thickness of 450 nm.
Alternatively, in the case of EA anti-solvent a two-step program at 1000 rpm for 10 s and 4000 rpm for 45 s (same ramp used in the case of ST-PSMs) was used for the deposition of the perovskite precursor solution. During the second step, 250 μl of EA (2.5 ml in the case of ST-PSMs) was poured on the spinning substrate 17 s before the end of the program. The deposited perovskite film was annealed at 100 °C for 30 min, in the case of both small area cells and modules. It is important to note that, given its lower boiling point and optimal polarity, ethyl acetate promotes faster crystallization and more efficient solvent removal during film formation, which enables shorter annealing times compared to chlorobenzene under identical thermal conditions ⁴¹.
For device structure G/4-FPEAI and G/MX/4-FPEAI the 4-FPEAI was dissolved in the EA anti-solvent in a concentration of 0.13 mg ml⁻¹ and shaken prior the use. Once 3D perovskite-absorber was ready, a 3.73 mg ml⁻¹ solution of 2-phenylethylammonium iodide (PEAI) in 2-propanol was prepared in glovebox and deposited by spin-coater atop the perovskite-absorber at 5000 rpm for 30 s (4000 rpm for 30 s for modules). For the incorporation of chlorine-terminated MXenes (MX-Cl) into the perovskite layer, a stock solution of MX-Cl is first prepared by dispersing the desired amount of material in anhydrous acetonitrile (ACN) using 1 h of sonication, followed by vigorous stirring to ensure a well-dispersed suspension. This solution is then added to the perovskite precursor to achieve a final MX-Cl concentration of 0.016 mg mL⁻¹. The resulting mixture is deposited onto the substrate using the same spin-coating and annealing parameters as the pristine perovskite formulation. To complete the 2D perovskite layer formation, the samples were annealed at 100 °C for 10 min. Subsequently, the device photo-electrode was covered by a PTAA (10 mg ml⁻¹) solution in toluene, doped with tBP 7 μl ml⁻¹ and Li-TFSI salt (170 mg ml⁻¹ in ACN) 10 μl ml⁻¹ and spin coated at 3700 rpm for 30 s (same spin parameters for modules).
At this stage, in the case of ST-PSMs, a second laser process (P2) was carried out to clean the FTO interconnection areas⁴². Finally, a high vacuum chamber (10⁻⁶ mbar) was used to thermally evaporate the 150 nm Au back electrode in case of opaque device or alternatively 3 nm gold buffer layer in case of semi-transparent (ST) devices. In this latter case, about 100 nm of ITO was deposited onto PTAA layers in a linear magnetron radio frequency (RF) sputtering system (Kenosistek).
Lastly, in the case of ST-PSMs, adjacent cell isolation from the counter-electrode (CE) side was achieved by a third laser ablation (P3 process). The detailed optimization of the P1, P2, P3 laser step together with the description and the optimization of ST-PSM layout are reported in S.I. section S.I. 10.
Regarding the bottom module, commercial c-Si HJT solar cells were provided by 3Sun company, embedding the silver metal grids on both sides. The cell was produced in standard industrial conditions and used without further modifications.
An ultra-clear 4 mm thick tempered glass was used to give robustness to full panel, keeping a good transmission rate. Atop the primary glass, a 100 µm ionomer foil as primary sealer was posed followed by the positioning of the ST-PSMs one next to the other (4 column × 4 lines in DEM2). The parallel electrical connection among the ST-PSMs composing the perovskite top panel was realized employing charge collector tapes from 3M + tabbing ribbons (see S.I. section S.I. 12-a for further details). As the following step, a 400 µm ionomer foil as insulator was positioned atop the backside (ITO side) of the ST-PSMs as an electrical insulator avoiding electrical shunt formation between the perovskite top panel and the silicon bottom module once laminated together. Then, the Si-HJT cells are positioned over the isomer foil and electrically connected by using 6 mm silver charge collector tapes. Subsequently, a 300 µm ionomer foil as primary sealer was deposited atop the device stack while an edge sealer was placed all around the ST-PSM area. (see S.I. section S.I. 12-b for further details). Finally, a 150 µm polymeric transparent foil was posed atop the tandem device stack as a back sheet (from 3 M, WVTR < 6 × 10⁻⁵g/m²/day, 90% transparency in the 400–1400 nm range) prior lamination procedure carried out by an industrial hot vacuum laminator (see SI section S.I. 12-c for further details).
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All the needed information to interpret the findings reported herein can be found within the manuscript and its Supplementary Files. Further experimental validation results and the source data used to generate the Figures and Supplementary Figs. are not publicly available for commercial confidentiality reasons but can be made available from the corresponding author upon request, subject to signing an NDA document. A copy of the latter can be obtained from the corresponding author upon request.
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The work has been partially supported by European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme Graphene Core3 under grant agreement number 881603. A.D.C., S.P., and A.A. acknowledge the support of the RdS project 2025-2027 (working agreement with ENEA). A.A. acknowledged financial support under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.1, Call for tender No. 104 published on 2.2.2022 by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU– Project Title ELDORADO – CUP – 2022K9PFSJ Grant Assignment Decree No. 957 adopted on 30/06/2023 by the Italian Ministry of Ministry of University and Research (MUR).
These authors contributed equally: Antonio Agresti, Sara Pescetelli.
CHOSE, Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Cells, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
Antonio Agresti, Sara Pescetelli, Alessia Di Vito, Peyman Amiri, Matthias Auf Der Maur, Francesco Di Giacomo & Aldo Di Carlo
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Heraklion, Greece
George Viskadouros & Emmanuel Kymakis
Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, LMGP, Grenoble, France
Anna Pazniak
Halocell Europe SRL- Viale Castro Pretorio 122, Rome, Italy
Enrico Leonardi & Luca Sorbello
Energy Technologies and Renewable Sources Department, ENEA, C.R. Casaccia, Roma, Italy
Francesca Menchini & Silvano Del Gobbo
3SUN – Enel Green Power (EGP) SpA, Catania, Italy
Giuseppe Bengasi, Carmelo Connelli & Marina Foti
BeDimensional S.p.A., Genova, Italy
Francesco Bonaccorso
Institute of Emerging Technologies, Hellenic Mediterranean University Research Center, Heraklion, Greece
Emmanuel Kymakis
Istituto di Struttura della Materia, CNR-ISM, Roma, Italy
Aldo Di Carlo
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AA, SP, and ADC conceived the work. S.P. and A.A. designed, realized and optimized 2D material-based perovskite solar cells and modules by performing the electrical characterizations. A.A and S.P. designed and optimized the tandem panel architecture. S.P., A.A, F.D.G. optimized and performed laser scribe ablation for perovskite module realization. A.P. and F.B. produced and characterized MXenes and Graphene, respectively. F.M. and S.D.G. performed and analyzed UPS and XPS measurements. G.V. and E.K. designed and built the solar farm infrastructure and performed outdoor electrical panel characterizations in situ. E.L. and L.S. laminated the panels. C.C., G.B., and M.F. provided the Si HJT cells. A.D.V., P.A., and M.A.D.M. performed theoretical studies. A.A., S.P., and A.D.C supervised the work. All authors contributed to the discussion of the results and to the writing of the manuscript.
Correspondence to Antonio Agresti, Sara Pescetelli or Aldo Di Carlo.
F.B. is a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of BeDimensional S.p.A., a company commercializing graphene-based materials, which supplied the graphene used in this study. L.S. and E.L. are employees of Halocell Europe SRL, a company focused on the commercialization of perovskite solar technologies. G.B., C.C., and M.F. are employees of 3SUN – Enel Green Power (EGP) S.p.A., a company active in the industrial production of silicon heterojunction solar cells. The authors declare no competing non-financial interests. A.A, S.P., G.V., A.P., A.D.V., P.A., M.A.D.M., F.M., S.D.G., F.D.G., E.K., A.D.C. declare no competing interests.
Nature Communications thanks the anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. A peer review file is available.
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Agresti, A., Pescetelli, S., Viskadouros, G. et al. MXene-driven nanoscale field-effect junction for advanced 4-terminal perovskite/silicon tandem solar panels. Nat Commun 17, 3394 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70002-4
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Received: 20 March 2025
Accepted: 16 February 2026
Published: 06 March 2026
Version of record: 09 April 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70002-4
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Renewable projects help diversify OPPD’s fast-growing energy portfolio and meet customer demand while strengthening the grid that serves everyone.
Danny Orwa’s restaurant was one of many businesses in Norfolk that benefited from doing business with crews in town to build the Pierce County Energy Center, a solar energy and battery storage project about 15 miles north of town.
Renewable projects help diversify OPPD’s fast-growing energy portfolio and meet customer demand while strengthening the grid that serves everyone.
Renewable projects help diversify OPPD’s fast-growing energy portfolio and meet customer demand while strengthening the grid that serves everyone.
Danny Orwa’s restaurant was one of many businesses in Norfolk that benefited from doing business with crews in town to build the Pierce County Energy Center, a solar energy and battery storage project about 15 miles north of town.
Danny Orwa sensed something was unusual when out-of-town workers kept showing up at his restaurant and coffee bar in downtown Norfolk.
For years, Orwa served mostly locals at his two businesses, The 411 Restaurant & Lounge and Fenders, a popular coffee and cocktail bar. Suddenly, new customers arrived. They were hungry, wanted coffee or a beer and had plenty of cash to spend.
“Every day, like clockwork, they’d come in,” Orwa said. “They dropped a lot of money and made friends with the staff. We got to know them, and they were pretty cool, very appreciative.”
Orwa soon learned that the visitors were out building the Pierce County Energy Center, a solar energy and battery storage project about 15 miles north of town. OPPD, Google and NextEra Energy have joined forces on the project, with plans to generate renewable and sustainable energy starting in 2027.
Boosting the economy
As construction nears an end, local business owners said the venture has provided a big economic boost for Northeast Nebraska. In a rural corner of the state dotted with small towns, the workers needed food, entertainment and a place to sleep.
Once complete, the 420-megawatt solar array and 170-megawatt, four-hour-duration battery storage system will serve both OPPD customers and Google.
At District Table & Tap in Norfolk, owner Andrew McCarthy noticed an uptick in work trucks parked downtown during the regular lunch hour. Downtown Norfolk offers a variety of businesses, including grocery stores, bars, coffee houses, a laundromat and entertainment venues eager to welcome the workers. Some workers rented nearby apartments.
“It’s great having people here from out of town,” McCarthy said. “We’ll take all the business we can get.”
A win-win
Supporters of the Pierce County project said it highlights the importance of new, sustainable energy development in eastern Nebraska. The projects help diversify OPPD’s fast-growing energy portfolio and meet customer demand while strengthening the grid that serves everyone.
“Since construction started on the project, you can’t help but notice the presence of energy trucks around Norfolk,” said Josh Moenning, former Norfolk mayor and director of the renewable energy group New Power Nebraska. “A lot of the workers are staying in hotels or rental properties and eating at restaurants. The economic impact locally has been very positive.”
Moenning said Norfolk saw a similar boom during other local wind projects a few years ago, when an estimated 400 to 600 workers arrived in the area. The city saw an uptick in sales tax revenue, and local construction companies and electricians were hired to assist with the work.
“We don’t always see big capital investments of this size,” Moenning said. “These projects bring a lot of workers and a big injection of cash into the community during the construction phase. It truly does make a difference.”
Small towns, big benefits
Other projects have yielded similar results in even smaller towns.
In 2018, the 320-megawatt Rattlesnake Wind Project in Dixon County drove an increase in sales at local convenience stores and building-supply businesses, said Kevin Connot, an economic development consultant from Walthill.
Connot said a fabrication business he owned at the time earned more than $60,000 for tarp covers made for the project’s construction company. For smaller companies, that much business makes a huge difference.
The town of Wayne saw “a very significant increase in economic activity” as well during construction of the Haystack Wind Farm in the early 2020s, said Cale Giese, renewable energy project development manager at OPPD who served as the city’s mayor and a pizza franchise owner.
Giese said the extra business at his Godfather’s Pizza franchise helped him buy a new $7,000 pizza prep table, and other local companies reported a jump in business.
“The counties that are welcoming these projects are seeing an economic boom,” Giese said.
Tax benefits
Nebraska’s nameplate capacity tax on renewable energy generation also yielded $13.6 million in revenue for counties in 2025, according to the Nebraska Department of Revenue. Wayne County and Antelope County each collected $2.7 million, an increase over previous years. The money supports counties, public schools, fire districts and other local taxing entities.
Back in Norfolk, Orwa said his restaurant also got visits from out-of-state project managers, company executives and consultants who wanted to try Nebraska’s world-famous beef. Many heard about his eatery from word-of-mouth referrals.
“It makes a big difference for us,” he said. “Without these projects around, every restaurant is drawing on the same pool of local customers. When we get out-of-towners, it spreads it all out.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s Tax Day on Wednesday, the deadline for most Americans to file taxes, and the Trump administration says millions of people have already used new breaks such as no tax on tips and overtime, exemptions for interest on certain car loans, deductions for some seniors, and Tr…
Listed below is the 24-hour rainfall in inches as of 7 a.m. Thursday in area communities.
Two Republican candidates are seeking the party’s nomination for Nebraska secretary of state in this year’s primary election on Tuesday, May 12.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Ranch is the best-selling salad dressing in America, and it has been since it took the crown from Italian near the close of the 20th century.
DENVER (AP) — Crashes involving about 70 vehicles snarled a section of a snowy Colorado highway and sent eight people to the hospital.
A Pilger couple have been cited following the execution of a search warrant on Wednesday that led to five different types of animals being removed from their property.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices surged last month as the Iran war drove up the cost of energy.
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Assessor Rolf Kleinhans advises property owners considering solar panel installation to plan ahead, as California’s property tax exclusion for active solar energy systems is scheduled to expire on Jan. 1, 2027, unless the state extends it.
The state’s Active Solar Energy System Exclusion allowed many homeowners to add solar energy systems without increasing their property tax assessment. After the sunset date, new solar installations may be treated as taxable new construction. Homeowners with existing solar systems will continue to receive the exclusion, even when the law sunsets.
The California State Board of Equalization explains that the property tax incentive for installing an active solar energy system is provided as a new construction exclusion. This means that installing a qualifying solar energy system does not increase or decrease the assessed value of an existing property for tax purposes.
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In practical terms, adding solar panels will not raise your property taxes. In most cases, once the local building department issues a permit and notifies the Assessor’s Office, the exclusion is automatically applied. No additional paperwork is typically required from the property owner.
Under California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 73(b)(2), an active solar energy system is defined as a system that collects, stores, or distributes solar energy. This generally includes solar panel systems designed to meet a property’s electricity needs.
However, not all solar-related systems qualify for the exclusion. The following are not eligible:
For additional information about the Active Solar Energy System Exclusion, please visit the California State Board of Equalization’s Active Solar Energy System Exclusion.
Visit us online at Nevada County Assessor’s Office, email us at assessor@nevadacountyca.gov, call 530-265-1232 or stop by our office at 950 Maidu Avenue in Nevada City.
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Update 4/16: Amazon has dropped the price even further on this Autel 4-cam Outdoor Wireless Solar Security Camera kit to a new $149 all-time low!
Through its official Amazon storefront, Autel is currently offering its 4-cam Outdoor Wireless Solar Security Camera kit at new $179.58 shipped. Dropping down from a more recent $349 full price (originally $399), since we spotted the first discounts back in December, we’ve seen the price go as low as $189 up until now. While this deal lasts, you’re getting a 49% markdown that cuts $169.42 off the tag, landing it at a new all-time low price. With the 2-cam package down at $139 from its $299 full price, it makes this 4-cam bundle all the better of a deal as you upgrade your home security.
Since the second half of 2025, Autel has been branching out from its EV charger series and diagnostic devices, and its maintaining a reputation as a more eco-friendly tech brand with these outdoor wireless security cameras. In a similar fashion to the popular Anker eufy solar cameras, these Autel models feature integrated solar panels that regularly top off their internal batteries throughout the day, so you don’t have to hardwire them into your grid or take them down for recharging. The brand claims easy installation “in just two minutes,” requiring no wiring or professional help, providing you with a more value-packed HD video feed to a monitor via the HDMI connection on the included hub.
Of course, you also get the option to connect them to the internet, too, delivering in-app smart controls and live viewings from your devices, not to mention voice controls via Alexa and Google Assistant. You’ll be getting four cameras in this package, with the option to add another four if you choose. They each provide 2K night vision, up to 4TB of local storage with no extra fees or subscriptions needed, smart detection features, and even security alarms that trigger onboard floodlights if they pick up any suspicious activity.
We also recently spotted the unique Baseus S1 Pro Wireless Outdoor Solar Security 2-Cam Kit with a 16GB hub down at a new $100 low right now, too, with these cameras featuring solar panels that can track and move with the sun for optimal solar charging.
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Solar Double Cable Entry Gland – IP68 Waterproof Cable Connector For RV & Boat Panels  ruhrkanal.news
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Future Energy, Renewable Energy, Technology, InCites use case, web of science use case, research analytics  Clarivate
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Laoag, Philippines Revamps Iconic Kalesa Rides with TESDA’s Solar Power and Carpentry Training for Sustainable Tourism Growth  Travel And Tour World
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Solar Power World
By Kelly Pickerel | April 16, 2026
Solar panel testing lab Kiwa PVEL has updated its Product Qualification Program (PQP). The revisions address growing concern areas for the global solar industry, including the rise of field failures related to spontaneous glass breakage, frame structural failures and increasingly severe hail events.
“Across the industry, we continue to see increasing instances of spontaneous glass breakage in the field,” said Tristan Erion-Lorico, VP of sales and marketing at Kiwa PVEL. “As manufacturers have pushed toward larger modules and thinner materials, these sudden breakage events have made it clear that more rigorous and statistically meaningful testing is needed. Our updated PQP now uses higher sample sizes and test‑to‑failure methodologies to better assess module durability.”
Kiwa PVEL has introduced test‑to‑failure (TTF) protocols for both static mechanical load (SML) and hail testing to the PQP. The new SML-TTF complements the PQP’s existing mechanical stress sequences (MSS) by quantifying the dominant failure mode and achievable maximum load for each module design submitted for PQP testing. It also expands the test sample quantity to five additional SML-TTF samples, on top of the two MSS samples.
Kiwa PVEL
The Hail‑TTF protocol replaces the previous hail stress sequence (HSS) in the PQP. The updated hail test increases the sample size to five modules and focuses on impact locations in the areas most prone to breakage, such as edges, corners, and junction box regions. Hail‑TTF greatly improves repeatability and comparability across manufacturers and glass suppliers, by escalating hail diameters until failure occurs, providing buyers with more quantifiable breakage thresholds.
Kiwa PVEL has also updated its PQP sample production witness process to more systematically verify critical frame and glass dimensions in factories, further reducing uncertainty related to material and assembly variability.
As n‑type technologies become dominant in the PV market, testing labs have encountered increased measurement uncertainty driven by metastability mechanisms. Kiwa PVEL’s team spent the past years quantifying these effects and identified three distinct forms of metastability that can distort post‑test performance measurements:
To counter these effects, the updated PQP introduces final stabilization steps, including short doses of full‑spectrum light soaking and UV‑light soaking, after UVID, field exposure, damp heat and PID testing. These steps ensure that post‑test flash measurements more accurately reflect true module behavior in the field.
Several other refinements further enhance the PQP’s relevance for modern day modules:
“Regularly iterating on the PQP makes it the most relevant test plan for today’s module technologies and failure modes,” said Kevin Gibson, Managing Director at Kiwa PVEL. “These updates allow module manufacturers to better showcase product reliability and performance on their current offerings. The new PQP also ensures that solar buyers receive meaningful, statistically robust and actionable data.”
News item from Kiwa PVEL
Kelly Pickerel has more than 15 years of experience reporting on the U.S. solar industry and is currently editor in chief of Solar Power World. Email Kelly.

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US-based PV manufacturer Suniva is to open a new solar cell manufacturing facility in South Carolina.
The 4.5GW facility in Laurens will join the company’s existing 1GW facility in Atlanta, giving Suniva one of the largest cell manufacturing footprints in the US.
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It marks the latest step in the company’s revival, following its 2017 bankruptcy and the return to cell production in 2024.
“Solar energy is the fastest and most economical way to grow our nation’s energy supply,” said Tony Etnyre, Suniva CEO. “Our expansion means that domestically produced renewable energy will do more than ever to secure America’s energy future.
Suniva will invest US$350 million in the new facility, which will cover 6,000 square metres and create over 550 new jobs, the company said.
The facility will produce monocrystalline silicon solar cells, which Suniva sells to module producers on a merchant basis. The company has forged a partnership with wafer producer Corning and module producer Heliene for a fully ‘made in America’ module.
Although module production capacity in the US has ballooned in recent years courtesy of the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), cell capacity has lagged behind.
Apart from Suniva’s existing cell capacity, companies such as Qcells and ES Foundry have taken the lead in developing new cell facilities, while start-up Talon PV plans to open a 4GW facility producing tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cells in Texas.
Moustafa Ramadan, head of PV Tech Market Research, said Suniva’s announcement marks a significant milestone in the ongoing effort to strengthen the US solar manufacturing ecosystem.
“As the nation works to address the disparity between cell and module production capacities, this new 4.5GW cell factory is poised to play a pivotal role in bridging the gap. Current projections indicate that by 2027, US cell capacity will reach just over 30GW, while module capacity is expected to surpass 70GW, highlighting the need for strategic investments in cell production to balance the value chain,” he said.
“Moreover, the growing emphasis on supply chain verification and traceability has become increasingly critical, especially as over 90% of the global module and cell supply to the US faces restrictions. Suniva’s initiative not only aligns with the push for domestic manufacturing but also underscores the importance of building a resilient, transparent supply chain.
“By focusing on expanding cell production, the US is taking a logical and necessary step toward fortifying its solar manufacturing base, ensuring greater self-reliance and compliance with evolving trade and regulatory standards,” Ramadan added.
Further detailed insights into the US solar supply chain are available in the latest edition of PV Tech Market Research’s ‘PV manufacturing and technology quarterly’ report. The Q1 edition of the definitive benchmarking resource for the PV technology value chain is out now and available here.

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Matrix starts Texas solar operations  reNews – Renewable Energy News
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A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 83F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..
Rain ending early. Remaining cloudy. Low 57F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Updated: April 16, 2026 @ 9:23 am
Tioga County Legislature members are seen at Tuesday’s meeting at the county office building.
A photo shows one of the ponds located within the 1,160 acres of Oakley Corners State Forest in Tioga County.

Tioga County Legislature members are seen at Tuesday’s meeting at the county office building.
A photo shows one of the ponds located within the 1,160 acres of Oakley Corners State Forest in Tioga County.
OWEGO — The Tioga County Legislature formally spoke out Tuesday against proposed state legislation that would allow solar farm projects on state forest land.
In unanimously passing the resolution, the Legislature called on Gov. Kathy Hochul, the state association of counties, and regional state legislators to oppose the bill.
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Photo: iStock
Published
April 14, 2026
Country
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Author
Vladimir Berbatović
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Published:
April 14, 2026
Country:
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Author
Vladimir Berbatović
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The projects planned by EPBiH are part of the broader Scaling Up Renewable Energy Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SURE), implemented with the support of the World Bank, according to a statement.
A ground-mounted solar power plant with a capacity of 8 MW (10.29 MWp) is to be built at the Kakanj thermal power plant, on a former ash and slag disposal site. The project also includes a battery energy storage system (BESS) with an operating power of 4 MW and a capacity of 8 MWh.
The solar power plant at Kakanj will have a capacity of 10.29 MWp and a BESS of 8 MWh
The Tuzla coal-fired power plant is planned to host a smaller ground-mounted solar power plant with energy storage, also on a former ash and slag dump. The PV plant would have a capacity of 660 kW (806 kWp), while the BESS would have an operating power of 1 MW and a capacity of 2 MWh.
Both solar facilities would generate electricity for the thermal power plants’ internal needs, reducing coal consumption for that purpose, according to the project documentation available for public review.
The project called Prosumers 5000+ is worth EUR 10 million
The project to finance rooftop solar installations for prosumers, titled Prosumers 5000+, is valued at EUR 10 million and is expected to cover around 2,200 households across the Federation of BiH. The total planned capacity of the installations is about 9 MW (11 MWp).
As for the rehabilitation of the 208.5 MW Salakovac hydropower plant on the Neretva River, planned works would restore and modernize critical turbine, generator, transformer, and auxiliary systems to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operation over the next decades, as well as compliance with modern environmental and social standards, according to the project documentation.
Public consultations will be held between April 27 and April 29, according to EPBiH’s statement.
EPBiH has also launched a tender for the design, procurement, installation, and commissioning of rooftop solar power plants at ten locations across Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a combined installed capacity of 935 kW.
These systems, installed on the rooftops of EPBiH facilities, would generate electricity for the company’s own consumption. The total value of the procurement is EUR 1.5 million, and the bid submission deadline is May 15, 2026.
The largest rooftop solar systems will be installed at thermal power plants Kakanj and Tuzla
The largest of these systems will be built at the Kakanj thermal power plant (240 kW and 150 kW) and the Tuzla thermal power plant (220 kW). The remaining installations will range from 25 kW to 60 kW and will be located at buildings of power distribution utilities in several cities, as well as the Jablanica hydropower plant.
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Bulgaria
16 April 2026 – Two units in the Chaira system in Bulgaria are functional again, while the government is planning ten pumped storage hydropower projects
Romania
16 April 2026 – SANY Group is apparently working in Romania on the the largest hybrid energy project in Europe, including a data center
Region/EU, Turkey
16 April 2026 – Business Development Executive of YESS Power Emre Jabban detailed the Turkish company’s current pipeline of over 1.5 GWh for Balkan Green Energy News alongside the challenges in conducting large-scale storage projects
Bulgaria
15 April 2026 – Vestas has received an order to supply eleven EnVentus V162-6.4 MW wind turbines for the Strazhitsa project in Bulgaria
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Desert Solar Innovation Tackling Heat And Dust To Maximize Efficiency  SolarQuarter
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A solar farm Big Lake Township, just south of Highway 10.

A solar farm Big Lake Township, just south of Highway 10.
BIG LAKE TOWNSHIP — The Minnesota Municipal Power Agency’s solar farm ambitions appear to have flown too close to the sun, as the Sherburne County Board denied its proposal following strong public opposition — leaving the utility with land it cannot use as planned.
The board denied MMPA’s request for a 40-year interim use permit and a Comprehensive Land Use Map amendment for a 3.5-megawatt, 30-acre solar project in Big Lake Township, approximately a quarter mile from the Elk River city limits.
The decision leaves MMPA — a wholesale power supplier to Elk River Municipal Utilities — with property it purchased for more than three times its appraised value, more than $600,000, for a project it had hoped to begin this spring or summer.
Neither Big Lake nor Big Lake Township would have received power from the proposed facility.
More than 60 residents packed the boardroom, raising concerns about compatibility with surrounding residential uses, wetlands and nearby property values.
Commissioners raised similar concerns March 24, including access to a neighboring property and wetland impacts.
At the April 7 meeting, county staff said access had been confirmed and the project met state wetland requirements following a 2025 review, receiving a “no loss” determination.
Staff said studies showed potential property value impacts ranging from 0% to -4%.
During the public hearing, Big Lake Township resident Mike Wirz presented a petition signed by 108 residents opposing the project, arguing it was incompatible with residential zoning and would harm neighboring properties.
Big Lake resident Bret Collier raised environmental concerns, claiming solar panels could leave behind debris and hazardous materials that would make the land unusable for future farming.
“There is no benefit to allowing a solar (farm) to be built on this land except for the people who build it, who will ultimately walk away and leave us with a mess,” Collier said.
Other residents echoed concerns about wetlands and long-term land use.
In its application, MMPA described the site as an “ideal location,” citing eight wetlands, a private ditch and a high water table — factors it said limit use for farming or development.
Tim Kelly, attorney for the applicant, said studies reviewed by county staff did not support significant property value impacts and emphasized the project’s compliance with state wetland rules.
“So, there is no factual basis for a concern about an impact to wetlands to (support) denying this project,” Kelly said.
Elk River City Council member J. Brian Calva voiced support for residents who opposed the project. Elk River Municipal Utilities Vice Chair Mary Stewart spoke in favor.
Commissioners cited nearby homes and potential property value impacts as key concerns.
“I think that is a legal basis for us to vote to deny this issue,” Commissioner Gregg Felber said.
Commissioner Andrew Hulse said future Elk River growth could reach the area.
Commissioner Gary Gray questioned MMPA’s decision to purchase the land before securing approvals, noting he had not seen a developer do so since he began overseeing solar permitting in 2015.
“I would expect more from a public utility to do their due diligence to find out what it is zoned,” Gray said.
County Administrator Bruce Messelt cautioned the board against citing that reasoning, noting state law allows land purchases prior to zoning approvals.
The board ultimately denied the request, citing concerns about wetlands, wildlife and neighboring properties.
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GreenHeat pushes solar as energy costs rise  Daily Tribune
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Representatives from both APsystems and CraftStrom say their products are already available in Maine, while EcoFlow plans to launch one product as the law takes effect and offer another after it obtains UL listing.
Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
With the signing of LD 1730 by Governor Janet Mills on April 6, 2026, Maine became the second state in the U.S. to enact rules to govern portable “plug-in solar” devices.
According to state law, non-emergency bills like LD 1730 take effect 90 days after the legislature adjourns for the session in which the bills were passed. This places the effective date for the law on or after July 15th.
When it takes effect, the law will allow a homeowner or renter to connect a single portable solar device with 420 watts or less of power output, or work with a certified electrician to connect a device of up to 1,200 watts output. The law contains a provision requiring devices to be listed or certified under the UL 3700 outline of investigation, but allows alternatives to that rule, including allowing devices “configured in accordance with the National Electrical Code” (NEC) adopted by the state’s Electricians’ Examining Board.
Despite the fact that the rules are not yet official, some companies that sell plug-in solar devices are already selling their products to Maine residents.
When reached for comment, representatives from APsystems and CraftStrom confirmed that their plug-in solar products are now available to Maine residents.
A statement provided to pv magazine USA by APsystems’ U.S. head of marketing Sydney Delvan reads:
The intent behind LD 1730 is to enable small, safe, plug-in solar systems for everyday consumers. Balcony solar opens the door for renters, multifamily residents, and homeowners who may not have traditionally been able to adopt solar. That’s a huge step forward for the industry and APsystems is excited to be a part of the continued momentum balcony solar has had this year.
Our EZ1 microinverter was designed with this use case in mind. It supports compact, plug-and-play solar configurations that align closely with the bill’s vision of accessible, behind-the-meter energy generation. We’re particularly thrilled to see policymakers embracing this category, as it reflects what we’re already seeing globally – a growing demand for simple, flexible solar solutions that meet people where they are.
Josh Levinson, APsystems vice president of sales, added the following: “APsystems is committed to offering safe, affordable, portable, DIY inverters like the EZ1 to residents of Maine. We are currently working with Equity Solar in Maine as well as other distribution partners. These partners are offering kits that include solar modules, racking, and EZ1’s. We will continue to innovate and release more products that make it easy for the residents of Maine to take advantage of owning their own power.”
CraftStrom, for its part, says it has designed its products to comply with the NEC as required by the law — specifically Code section 705.13, which outlines the requirements for power control systems to control the current flowing through circuits and busbars to which a load-side power source is interconnected.
In an interview that covered the company’s participation in several state plug-in solar lawmaking proceedings and its plans for obtaining listing for its products under UL 3700, CraftStrom co-founders and brothers Michael and Stephan Scherer told pv magazine USA about what it learned from operating in the German market, where more than 1 million balcony solar systems are registered. 
The Scherers explained that their product offering is unique because it includes a smart meter that must be installed inside a home’s electrical panel and a smart breaker that plugs into an outlet and physically disconnects the CraftStrom device from the home circuit in case of an overload. Together, these devices enable compliance with the NEC rules.
Not all companies with products available in the U.S. are selling in Maine; EcoFlow is waiting to sell its products until the law takes effect.
“We plan to have the EcoFlow STREAM microinverter available for sale in Maine as soon as the new law goes into effect,” said Ryan Oliver, head of communications in North America for EcoFlow, in a statement to pv magazine USA. “For STREAM Ultra, which includes a microinverter with built-in battery storage, we are currently in contact with UL for certification.”
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The TOI Science Desk stands as an inquisitive team of journalists, ceaselessly delving into the realms of discovery to curate a captivating collection of news, features, and articles from the vast and ever-evolving world of science for the readers of The Times of India. Consider us your scientific companion, delivering a daily dose of wonder and enlightenment. Whether it's the intricacies of genetic engineering, the marvels of space exploration, or the latest in artificial intelligence, the TOI Science Desk ensures you stay connected to the pulse of the scientific world. At the TOI Science Desk, we are not just reporters; we are storytellers of scientific narratives. We are committed to demystifying the intricacies of science, making it accessible and engaging for readers of all backgrounds. Join us as we craft knowledge with precision and passion, bringing you on a journey where the mysteries of the universe unfold with every word.Read More

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Solar Timber Residences  Trend Hunter
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In-depth analysis and commentary on today’s biggest news stories as only the BBC can deliver. BBC “Newshour” covers everything from the growth of democracy to the threat of terrorism with a fresh, clear perspective from across the globe.
The legislation aims to reduce strains on the grid while protecting ratepayers from predatory billing.
A meter shows energy produced by a photovoltaic system on the roof of a home in West Philadelphia. (Sophia Schmidt/WHYY)
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Pennsylvania Democratic lawmakers are pushing a package of bills that aim to reduce energy rates as people struggle to pay their bills.
The price of electricity has soared because of supply costs and increased demand from sources like data centers. The effects are evident in states like Pennsylvania, where utility shutoffs increased by 21% last year, leaving ratepayers in the dark.
Though freezing temperatures have contributed to high utility bills, rate hikes have also been driven by a supply-demand imbalance, increased power demand from data centers and slow construction of new energy generation.

Pennsylvania Democratic state representatives on Wednesday announced legislation that aims to alleviate the strain on the grid, while also trying to protect ratepayers from predatory billing.
“[People are] focused on the utility bills they can’t pay. They’re focused on how high their grocery bill is, even when they don’t buy extra things for their kids,” said state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Philadelphia.
“We are here today to make very, very clear that we can change things. That we have good, strong ideas about ways to help consumers, help people back home and help Pennsylvania families.”
Among the legislative proposals includes a bill that aims to protect ratepayers from rising costs because of the boom of artificial intelligence-focused data centers.
AI requires more power at a faster rate than typical internet activities, straining the power grid and leading to increased electricity rates for consumers. PJM Interconnection, which manages the region’s electrical grid, has pointed to the increase in data centers as a reason for increased demand leading to higher electricity bills.
The legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Robert Matzie, D-Beaver, would require the Pennsylvania Utility Commission to create regulations that ensure costs associated with data center development are not passed on to ratepayers.
“Our bill basically says, ‘If you’re gonna build a data center, we don’t want grandma’s bill to go up.’ Bottom line, plain and simple,” Matzie said.
The bill would require security deposits to avoid “stranded costs” related to investments in energy generation and infrastructure that hit nearby residents if a project doesn’t come to fruition.
Data center operators would also be required to contribute to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which provides financial assistance to low-income households struggling to pay their energy bills.
The legislation, which passed in the state House last month, awaits a vote on the Senate floor.
In a statement, a spokesman for energy company PECO said it agrees data centers should pay their fair share of building and maintaining the grid, and that those costs should not be shifted onto customers.
“HB 1834 provides statutory support for consumer protections that PECO has put in place to protect our customers against stranded costs related to data centers,” spokesperson Greg Smore said in an email.
However, PECO would not support a separate rate class for data centers, because it would have “unintended negative cost impacts for our customers.”
Your PECO bill could increase by $20 each month starting in 2027

The utility wants to raise its rates for electricity customers and suburban natural gas users. The CEO of PECO’s parent company, Exelon, made more than $15.6 million in 2025.
2 weeks ago
Other legislation aims to protect ratepayers from predatory billing and other practices that impact residents.
Pennsylvania law allows utilities to recover costs and earn returns on their system upgrades. However, an American Economic Liberties Project report found that utilities have earned returns above their financing costs, and that practice has driven rate increases.
Fiedler announced legislation yet to be introduced that she says would ensure rates of return that investor-owned utilities earn from infrastructure expansion are equal to the demonstrated cost of capital.
“This bill does not tell utility companies that they can’t make profits. It’s simply saying, ‘Please, let’s recognize how hard it is for regular working people in Pennsylvania, and make sure the profit that you are making is in line with returns you could expect elsewhere,’” she said.

The Democratic lawmakers have proposed several other measures that aim to prevent independent electricity suppliers from taking advantage of ratepayers who opt to purchase their power on the retail market through PAPowerswitch.com. State Rep. Heather Boyd, D-Delaware, has introduced legislation that aims to protect these customers from hidden fees, unclear contract renewals that have variable rates and electricity plans they didn’t sign up for.
The legislation, which awaits committee consideration, would strengthen notice requirements before contracts expire, require customer choice when contracts end and eliminate “junk fees.”
“Too many people sign up for electric contracts, expecting one price, a term, and one set of rules, only to get hit later with confusing notices, surprise fees or automatic rollovers that cost more,” Boyd said.
“Your electric bill shouldn’t read like a trap. Pennsylvanians are already juggling higher costs at the grocery store, at the pharmacy, at the pump. So the last thing they need is a utility bill full of fine print, or gotchas.”
PECO’s spokesperson said the utility “strongly supports” Boyd’s legislation.
The lawmakers are also calling for banning so-called “weather normalization adjustments.” The legislation was introduced almost one year ago, but has yet to be considered in the House.
Weather normalization adjustments allow utilities in Pennsylvania to charge or credit bills based on extreme temperatures. Energy companies may include additional charges when the winter is warmer than normal, or apply credits if the summer is unusually cool. Ratepayers have spoken out against the practice, arguing they shouldn’t have to pay for the cost of climate change.
“Basically, our utility and energy companies are telling us that we really don’t care what you’re using. It’s what we feel like charging you,” said state Rep. Tarah Probst, D-Monroe, who is sponsoring the bill. “Although weather normalization adjustments are supposed to even out, they often result in higher than expected winter utility bills for Pennsylvanians.”
POWER Interfaith, a nonprofit which advocates for reduced energy costs, has argued for years that weather normalization adjustments unreasonably penalize residents for reduced energy usage.
The organization said they applaud efforts to protect ratepayers, and urge lawmakers to further address the impacts of climate change on residents.
“Across our congregations, we’re hearing a consistent story: energy bills are rising, and families are being pushed to the edge while they’re already struggling to afford groceries, rent and other basic needs. In too many cases, utility companies are seeing significant profit increases at the same time,” said Randy Libros, an organizer for POWER Interfaith’s climate justice team, in a statement.
“Any serious affordability effort has to both ease immediate financial strain and hold utility providers accountable, so families aren’t left carrying costs they didn’t create.”
While PECO does not currently have a weather normalization adjustment, the spokesperson said the utility believes the mechanism limits high customer bills during extreme cold and heat seasons and is concerned about its potential elimination.
What you can do about your rising electric bills in Pennsylvania

The National Consumer Law center said that about a quarter of all U.S. households sacrificed food and medicine to pay for their energy bills in 2024.
2 weeks ago
The Democrats are also calling for infrastructure upgrades to the grid. State Rep. Nathan Davidson, D-Dauphin, has introduced legislation proposing the build out of virtual power plants.
Virtual power plants aggregate technology such as home batteries, electric vehicle chargers and smart thermostats, that are then managed by software and operate in the same manner as a single power plant.
During the hottest and coldest days of the year, the grid relies on so-called “peaker plants,” which are power stations that can start up quickly to support the grid during peak demand and prevent blackouts.
Davidson argues virtual power plants could be an alternative to peaker plants, while lowering energy demand and reducing ratepayer costs. In Vermont, one virtual power plant is expected to save ratepayers $3 million.
It’s also a proposal PECO said it could stand behind.
“We cannot afford to wait years, or decades, for new generation to come online,” Davidson said. “Our constituents, and all Pennsylvanians, need action today.”
Meanwhile, state Rep. Fiedler is calling for software and hardware upgrades to the state’s existing transmission systems. Rather than building new transmission lines, Feidler’s legislation aims to ensure transmission systems are operating as efficiently as possible.
The legislation, which awaits a vote in the House, would not prevent utilities from building new transmission lines, but require them to first consider alternatives such as advanced conductors, grid-enhancing technologies or power-flow controls.
“These are things that we absolutely should be doing to increase capacity, efficiency and, of course, reliability of our existing grid,” Fiedler said. “A lot of people are really worried about prices going up, and also about the potential of blackouts and brownouts. We all want the lights to turn on when we flip the switch, and so do our constituents.”
In a statement, the Energy Association of Pennsylvania, which represents the state’s energy utilities, said it supports legislation that addresses energy affordability, especially for low-income households and small businesses.
However, the organization emphasized the need to address the driver of high customer bills, such as the cost of electricity and natural gas from generation companies, which are set in competitive markets. The organization said how the state implements legislation that assists low-income households and encourages alternative energy is crucial.
President and CEO Andy Tubbs pointed to efforts like net metering and retail electric competition as examples that could have unintentional consequences for customers.
“EAP strongly supports programs that protect low-income customers, but expanding these programs without addressing cost impacts can actually increase bills for working families who don’t qualify for assistance,” he said in a statement. “Getting affordability right requires policies that reduce costs rather than shifting them.”
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Pennsylvania residents have an extra month to apply for heating assistance

Households faced higher heating bills this winter, as natural gas prices rose faster than inflation over the past year.
4 days ago
Pennsylvania House advances bill to increase minimum wage to $15 by 2029

Democrats previously failed in their efforts to pass similar legislation in 2023, 2024 and last year.
3 weeks ago
Republican lawmakers from Pa., N.J., Va. and Md. weigh solutions to rising electricity bills

Republican lawmakers want to see faster permitting and an end to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
6 months ago
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South Korea has extended investment tax credits to solar module manufacturing facilities meeting carbon footprint thresholds, in the latest step in a policy trajectory that increasingly uses procurement and tax measures to support domestic manufacturers.
Image: Hyundai Energy Solutions
South Korea has expanded its tax support framework for low-carbon solar module manufacturing, clarifying that facilities producing PV modules with carbon emissions at or below 655 kg CO₂/kW are eligible for investment tax credits under revised enforcement rules that took effect April 1.
The Korea Photovoltaic Industry Association (KOPIA) told The Electric Times this week that the revision covers the full production ecosystem rather than individual processes, adding that it provides a basis for domestic companies with strong technological capabilities to compete on quality and carbon performance rather than price. The South Korean energy trade publication reported that the changes are intended to increase incentives for domestic manufacturers to adopt low-carbon production processes and secure high-efficiency technologies.
The revisions also expand eligibility to solar module design and manufacturing facilities meeting specified carbon thresholds. The revised rules specify eligible manufacturing equipment across the full solar value chain – polysilicon production facilities, silicon wafer manufacturing equipment, solar cell lines, and module production lines – rather than targeting single processes or specific products.
South Korea has applied carbon grading to public solar procurement since at least 2019, when the government first moved to preference low-carbon, high-efficiency modules in project tenders. The system classifies modules into three tiers by lifecycle CO₂ emissions per kilowatt of capacity, with the lowest-emission products receiving the highest grade and preferential treatment in Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) auctions. Chinese-origin modules typically fall into the lowest tier. The new tax credit rules extend the same carbon-threshold logic from procurement into the manufacturing investment framework.
Chinese solar cells accounted for 95% of South Korea’s market in 2024, up from 38% in 2019, according to South Korean media reports citing data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), leaving domestic manufacturers with a 4% share.
In October 2025, South Korea’s National Institute of Technology and Standards (KATS) introduced new national standards for photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) solar panels. The government-run agency said the new standards apply to modules that combine photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies in a single device, noting that separate standards for each technology already exist.
“This regulatory improvement system accelerates the development of certification standards for new products that cannot be certified under existing systems due to a lack of appropriate standards,” KATS said in a statement. “The move is also intended to help domestic manufacturers enter this emerging market.”
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Solar panels operate on a farm near homes, Jan. 14, in Lancaster, Ky.
Morgan Carroll, right, relaxes at home with her son, River, center, and husband, Hunter, left, March 10, in Shelby, Ohio.
Wayne Greier, left, talks with his son, Blake, 13, right, as they move farm equipment, March 10, in Canfield, Ohio.
A sign opposing a nearby solar development sits near a pasture, April 3, in Manchester, Ind.
Wayne Greier poses for a portrait, March 10, in Canfield, Ohio.
CANFIELD, Ohio — Through the window of his combine, Wayne Greier watches his teenage son Blake drive a tractor across an empty field. He’s towing a plow into position for another uncertain season of spring planting.
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Wayne Greier hoped to sign a deal with a utility to host solar on his acreage for some $540,000 in annual lease payments. But his community bl…
Solar panels operate on a farm near homes, Jan. 14, in Lancaster, Ky.
Morgan Carroll, right, relaxes at home with her son, River, center, and husband, Hunter, left, March 10, in Shelby, Ohio.
Wayne Greier, left, talks with his son, Blake, 13, right, as they move farm equipment, March 10, in Canfield, Ohio.
A sign opposing a nearby solar development sits near a pasture, April 3, in Manchester, Ind.
Wayne Greier poses for a portrait, March 10, in Canfield, Ohio.
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Perovskite photovoltaic technology specialist Oxford Photovoltaics has joined a UK-led project to integrate solar panels into electric vehicles to improve efficiency and range.
Named Smart Use of Integrated Technology for EV (SUITE), the project is part of the latest round of Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) supported initiatives receiving funding through the Department for Business and Trade’s DRIVE35 Collaborate programme, which is delivered in partnership with APC and Innovate UK.
The consortium brings together Nissan Technical Centre UK, specialist engineering companies and UK universities to accelerate solar innovation for EVs.
Oxford Photovoltaics (Oxford PV) will contribute its perovskite PV expertise, building on its research and industrialisation of perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar technology. Within the SUITE project, this expertise will be applied to vehicle integrated solar, where high performance, low weight, and design flexibility are necessary.
“We are excited to be working with such a strong consortium of automotive and technology partners on the SUITE project,” David Ward, Oxford PV CEO said in a statement. “Perovskite photovoltaics offer a step change in solar performance and open up new possibilities for vehicle integrated solutions. This collaboration allows us to bring our technology leadership to a new class of applications that can deliver real world benefits for electric mobility.”
Vehicle integrated solar can supplement energy generation during normal vehicle operation, supporting improved overall efficiency and helping to extend range. High-efficiency perovskitesolar cells are said to offer high power density in lightweight format, making them suited for EV integration where maximum power per area and weight are critical.
“By combining cutting edge PV technology with automotive grade design and manufacturing expertise, SUITE represents an important step towards commercially viable solar assisted electric vehicles,” said Ward. “We’re proud to contribute to a project that supports the UK’s net zero ambitions while advancing the performance and sustainability of future transport.”
The DRIVE35 Collaborate programme is a UK government-backed funding scheme that supports late-stage, collaborative research and development (R&D) projects in the automotive sector, with a particular emphasis on zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and the shift towards a net-zero automotive industry.
It sits within the wider DRIVE35 (Driving Research & Investment in Vehicle Electrification) framework, a £2.5bn commitment running to 2035 to strengthen the UK’s automotive supply chain and accelerate electrification.
 
I suspect that the risk factor in Czechia is underwritten by the UK government. Prototype nuclear power stations have a terrible record of over…
Nice to see a sensible energy conversion scheme being built. The concept of a thermal accumulator linked to a boiler is simple, well established…
Though stressing the importance of weight there is no mention of how approaching to this important issue. Is it going to include multifunctionality…

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Townships urge court to strike down rules limiting local control of solar, wind farms  MLive.com
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EIA for 100 MW DC solar project in Japan: Macquarie Asset Management-backed Blueleaf Energy Japan has launched an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for a 100 MW DC/50 MW AC solar project in Japan’s Hokkaido. It is planned to be located on the former site of the Ashibetsu Coal Mine. According to the summary document in Japanese, available on the company website, the project will deploy close to 154,000 crystalline silicon solar panels with a maximum power output of 650 W and measuring 2,382 x 1,134 mm in size. A storage component on-site is also under consideration. On completion, it is proposed to be grid-connected to the Hokkaido Electric Power Network via the Ashibetsu substation. On August 1, 2025, the company submitted a Primary Environmental Impact Consideration for the proposed project with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), along with a Consideration Document. 
VH Global’s hybrid project in NSW: London, UK-based investment firm VH Global Energy Infrastructure has announced the commissioning of a solar and energy storage hybrid system in Australia. The project was commissioned on time and on budget, it added. The asset situated in New South Wales (NSW) comprises a solar PV site of undisclosed capacity, with DC-coupled 2-hour 4.95MW battery energy storage system (BESS). VH Global plans to energize another hybrid asset in Q3 2025. On its completion, the total capacity of the Australian program will be 37MW/60MWh across 7 assets in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, stated the company. 
Western Power’s access offers for solar & storage: Electric utility Western Power of Australia has issued network connection offers to 759 MW of clean energy capacity. It has approved Access Offers for the 120 MW solar and 80 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) Waroona Renewable Energy Project of Frontier Energy’s Stage I solar farm and battery. Merredin BESS with 100 MW capacity, jointly developed by Nomad Energy and Atmos Renewables, is the other project to have received clearance. Western Power says in 2024-25, it has issued network access offers for 7 new generators. “Looking ahead Western Power’s pipeline of connection-ready projects as of June 2025 is 12.81 GW,” shared Western Power’s Executive Manager Energy Transition and Sustainability, Matt Cheney. 
4.99 MW floating solar plant in the Philippines: Carmen Copper Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corporation, has launched a 4.99 MW floating solar PV plant in the Philippines, calling it the country’s 1st such operational MW-scale PV project. Located on the Malubog Reservoir within its mine site in Toledo City of Cebu, the 3-hectare facility is equipped with 8,540 solar panels that can meet 10% of the demand from the mining operations of Atlas. It can be scaled up to 50 MW, and was built by the US’ Black & Veatch. It also comprises a prefabricated substation and a distribution line that connects to Carmen Copper’s 34.5 kV substation, reported Power Philippines. 
IFC backing for CleanMax in Thailand: The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced its maiden debt investment in the renewable energy sector of Thailand that’s focused exclusively on the commercial & industrial (C&I) sector. It has made an investment of THB 1,476 million ($45 million) in CleanMax Energy (Thailand) Company Limited. A subsidiary of Brookfield-backed Clean Max Enviro Energy Solutions Private Limited (CMES), CleanMax Energy will use the proceeds to develop 35 MW greenfield solar capacity and refinance 41 MW of operating solar projects. CleanMax Managing Director Kuldeep Jain said, “Through our partnership with IFC we will strive to build a sizeable portfolio, attract interest from commercial lenders, and seek to collectively contribute to developing renewable energy assets in Thailand.” The IFC expects the Thai C&I solar market to triple over the next decade.  
CaaS and rooftop solar: In Vietnam, SP Group has announced a partnership with Hoa Sen Group for the ‘1st’ industrial Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) offering in the country. Under the partnership, SP Group will install up to 1,900 refrigeration tonnes (RT) CaaS systems, alongside 17.6 MW rooftop solar capacity at the 2 largest steel sheet manufacturing facilities of steel producer Hoa Sen Group in Ho Chi Minh City’s Phy My and Nghe An provinces. While the CaaS systems will be fully operational by Q2 2026, the rooftop solar system is already online, according to a company statement reported by local media. “By offering integrated, innovative and cost-effective cooling and solar deployment models, we help customers like Hoa Sen decarbonise while maintaining operational performance. We look forward to scaling this model across Vietnam’s industrial sector,” said SP Group’s Managing Director for Sustainable Energy Solutions (Southeast Asia), Brandon Chia. 
DAS solar strengthens presence in Australia: Bunnings Warehouse, a leading retailer for home improvement and outdoor living in Australia, is launching Zelora, a zero-upfront rooftop solar and home battery subscription offer in Australia. The program is designed to offer Australian households a transition to renewable energy without initial installation costs. It has selected Chinese n-type solar module manufacturer DAS Solar as the module supplier for the program, following a competitive evaluation of several tier I solar brands. DAS Solar says this program expands its presence in Australia. 
TaiyangNews 2024

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Suniva is establishing a new solar cell manufacturing plant in South Carolina, according to a report from PV Tech. This facility in Laurens will have a capacity of 4.5GW and will operate alongside the company’s existing 1GW plant in Atlanta, significantly increasing its overall production footprint in the United States.
The move represents a continued resurgence for the manufacturer, which had previously filed for bankruptcy and later resumed cell production. The company’s chief executive stated that the expansion supports the growth of domestically produced renewable energy.
An investment of $350 million is planned for the new site, which will occupy 6,000 square meters and is expected to generate more than 550 jobs. The facility will manufacture monocrystalline silicon solar cells for sale to module producers. Suniva has also established collaborations with a wafer producer and a module maker to create a module entirely produced within the country.
While module manufacturing capacity in the US has grown substantially in recent years, cell production capacity has not kept pace. Other companies are also developing new cell manufacturing facilities, including a planned 4GW plant for a specific cell technology in Texas.
An industry analyst noted that Suniva’s announcement is a major development in efforts to build a stronger domestic solar manufacturing base. The new factory is seen as a key step in addressing the imbalance between cell and module production capacities. Current forecasts suggest that by 2027, US cell capacity will remain significantly lower than module capacity, underscoring the need for more cell production investment.
The analyst further highlighted that supply chain verification and transparency have become crucial, particularly given restrictions on a large portion of the global module and cell supply entering the US market. Expanding domestic cell production is viewed as a necessary measure to enhance self-reliance and meet trade and regulatory requirements.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
This report provides a comprehensive view of the solar cells and light-emitting diodes industry in the United States, tracking demand, supply, and trade flows across the national value chain. It explains how demand across key channels and end-use segments shapes consumption patterns, while also mapping the role of input availability, production efficiency, and regulatory standards on supply.
Beyond headline metrics, the study benchmarks prices, margins, and trade routes so you can see where value is created and how it moves between domestic suppliers and international partners. The analysis is designed to support strategic planning, market entry, portfolio prioritization, and risk management in the solar cells and light-emitting diodes landscape in the United States.
The report combines market sizing with trade intelligence and price analytics for the United States. It covers both historical performance and the forward outlook to 2035, allowing you to compare cycles, structural shifts, and policy impacts.
This report provides a consistent view of market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for the United States. The profile highlights demand structure and trade position, enabling benchmarking against regional and global peers.
The analysis is built on a multi-source framework that combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, and expert validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to ensure consistency across time series.
All data are normalized to a common product definition and mapped to a consistent set of codes. This ensures that comparisons across time are aligned and actionable.
The forecast horizon extends to 2035 and is based on a structured model that links solar cells and light-emitting diodes demand and supply to macroeconomic indicators, trade patterns, and sector-specific drivers. The model captures both cyclical and structural factors and reflects known policy and technology shifts in the United States.
Each projection is built from national historical patterns and the broader regional context, allowing the report to show where growth is concentrated and where risks are elevated.
Prices are analyzed in detail, including export and import unit values, regional spreads, and changes in trade costs. The report highlights how seasonality, freight rates, exchange rates, and supply disruptions influence pricing and margins.
Key producers, exporters, and distributors are profiled with a focus on their operational scale, geographic footprint, product mix, and market positioning. This helps identify competitive pressure points, partnership opportunities, and routes to differentiation.
This report is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, wholesalers, investors, and advisors who need a clear, data-driven picture of solar cells and light-emitting diodes dynamics in the United States.
The market size aggregates consumption and trade data, presented in both value and volume terms.
The projections combine historical trends with macroeconomic indicators, trade dynamics, and sector-specific drivers.
Yes, it includes export and import unit values, regional spreads, and a pricing outlook to 2035.
The report benchmarks market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for the United States.
Yes, it highlights demand hotspots, trade routes, pricing trends, and competitive context.
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 and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
How the Domestic Market Works
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
How the Report Was Built
Major US solar manufacturer
Residential & commercial solar
Former Cree LED business
Spin-off from SunPower
Specialty & high-power LEDs
LED technology & solutions
Advanced photonics
Residential solar panels
CIGS solar technology
US & Canadian manufacturing
North American manufacturing
US-made solar panels
US operations of Korean parent
3D architecture LEDs
High-quality lighting
High-brightness microdisplays
Disinfection & purification
US crystalline silicon solar
Next-generation tandem cells
Tandem cell technology
Manufacturing equipment
Turnkey production lines
Distributor & assembler
Residential & commercial
Former Philips business
Specialty & horticultural
Military & commercial
Aluminum nitride substrates
Materials for UV LEDs
US division of Kyocera
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A joint venture between Jupiter International and Ampin Energy Transition has commissioned a solar cell and module manufacturing plant in Odisha. According to a report from PV-Tech, the facility has a capacity of 1.3 gigawatts.
The joint venture was formed in 2023 and the project is part of a government incentive program. Output from the plant will mainly be used for Ampin Energy Transition’s own projects in India, with remaining production available to other developers in the domestic market.
Jupiter International, based in Kolkata, has significantly increased its manufacturing footprint. The company recently brought a one-gigawatt production line online in Himachal Pradesh, raising its total solar cell capacity to approximately two gigawatts.
This expansion was completed by a subsidiary and represents the company’s third manufacturing unit. The firm is also planning further development at the same site, involving a new production line for a more advanced solar cell technology.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
This report provides a comprehensive view of the solar cells and light-emitting diodes industry in India, tracking demand, supply, and trade flows across the national value chain. It explains how demand across key channels and end-use segments shapes consumption patterns, while also mapping the role of input availability, production efficiency, and regulatory standards on supply.
Beyond headline metrics, the study benchmarks prices, margins, and trade routes so you can see where value is created and how it moves between domestic suppliers and international partners. The analysis is designed to support strategic planning, market entry, portfolio prioritization, and risk management in the solar cells and light-emitting diodes landscape in India.
The report combines market sizing with trade intelligence and price analytics for India. It covers both historical performance and the forward outlook to 2035, allowing you to compare cycles, structural shifts, and policy impacts.
This report provides a consistent view of market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for India. The profile highlights demand structure and trade position, enabling benchmarking against regional and global peers.
The analysis is built on a multi-source framework that combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, and expert validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to ensure consistency across time series.
All data are normalized to a common product definition and mapped to a consistent set of codes. This ensures that comparisons across time are aligned and actionable.
The forecast horizon extends to 2035 and is based on a structured model that links solar cells and light-emitting diodes demand and supply to macroeconomic indicators, trade patterns, and sector-specific drivers. The model captures both cyclical and structural factors and reflects known policy and technology shifts in India.
Each projection is built from national historical patterns and the broader regional context, allowing the report to show where growth is concentrated and where risks are elevated.
Prices are analyzed in detail, including export and import unit values, regional spreads, and changes in trade costs. The report highlights how seasonality, freight rates, exchange rates, and supply disruptions influence pricing and margins.
Key producers, exporters, and distributors are profiled with a focus on their operational scale, geographic footprint, product mix, and market positioning. This helps identify competitive pressure points, partnership opportunities, and routes to differentiation.
This report is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, wholesalers, investors, and advisors who need a clear, data-driven picture of solar cells and light-emitting diodes dynamics in India.
The market size aggregates consumption and trade data, presented in both value and volume terms.
The projections combine historical trends with macroeconomic indicators, trade dynamics, and sector-specific drivers.
Yes, it includes export and import unit values, regional spreads, and a pricing outlook to 2035.
The report benchmarks market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for India.
Yes, it highlights demand hotspots, trade routes, pricing trends, and competitive context.
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 and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
How the Domestic Market Works
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
How the Report Was Built
Major integrated solar manufacturer
India's largest solar module manufacturer
Part of Adani Group, integrated manufacturing
Leading manufacturer, part of Tata Group
Major PV module and cell producer
Historical leader in solar manufacturing
Makes solar cells, modules, encapsulants
Module and cell manufacturer
Solar PV module manufacturer
Solar panel manufacturer and distributor
Manufactures solar modules and inverters
Solar panel manufacturer
Solar panel manufacturer
Solar panel manufacturer
Solar cell and module manufacturer
Major LED lighting products manufacturer
Leading electrical goods co, major LED player
Major manufacturer of LED lights and fixtures
Major player in LED lighting segment
LED lighting manufacturer
Manufactures LED displays and lighting
Indian subsidiary, major LED mfg in India
Manufactures LED lights and fixtures
Major Indian electrical brand, produces LEDs
LED lighting products manufacturer
Manufactures LED bulbs and lighting
Major player in consumer LED lighting
Leading LED lighting solutions provider
Manufactures LED lights under Finolex brand
Wires & cables major, also manufactures LEDs
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Amazon Signs 9 Renewable Energy Deals in Australia, Adds 430 MW to Power Data Centres  SolarQuarter
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Homeowners opposed to a 6,100-acre solar farm near Manhattan scored a legal win Wednesday with an order granting them ability to present evidence and cross-examine the developer, pushing back a Thursday vote on the project.
Will County Judge Victoria Breslan granted a temporary restraining order that effectively bans the Will County Board from voting until an attorney for the homeowners is given a chance to present evidence and cross-examine representatives from Earthrise Energy. The County Board was scheduled to vote on Earthrise’s Pride of the Prairie solar farm Thursday.
The decision stems from a lawsuit filed on behalf of 16 homeowners who live near the proposed solar farm that will cover areas of Green Garden, Manhattan and Wilton townships. Attorney Steven Becker argued his clients were denied the ability to present their own evidence and cross-examine witnesses from Earthrise Energy, the developer, during a two-day public hearing before the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
An official with Earthrise said they do not plan to appeal Breslan’s decision and said the company looks forward to answering Becker’s questions.
“We are confident in our application and this permit’s ultimate success which will deliver significant benefits to Will County, its residents, and the state of Illinois,” Earthrise said through an email.
During court proceedings Wednesday, attorneys for the county and Earthrise argued sufficient time was allowed for residents to express their concerns during the March 30 and 31 public hearings. They also noted that at the conclusion of the lengthy public comment, Earthrise responded to several of the questions residents posed.
Earthrise’s attorney, Ben Jacobi, also argued that he offered an opportunity to have Becker cross-examine witnesses on the second day of the public hearing but Becker was not present. Becker noted representatives of the state’s attorney’s office and the county’s Land Use Department informed him cross-examination would not be allowed.
Breslan ruled that Becker relied on the information from the county representatives and said the last-minute offer for cross-examination did not “provide a meaningful or realistic opportunity to exercise the right to cross examination.”
In her ruling, Breslan found that though the Planning and Zoning Commission allowed each public participant five minutes to speak, Becker appeared on behalf of multiple interested parties and limiting him to the same five-minute period did not provide a meaningful opportunity to be heard. That contributed to the denial of effective participation, she wrote.
She also found that while homeowners could challenge the County Board’s ultimate decision after the fact, any legal challenge would be based on an incomplete record because Becker was limited in what he could present.
“This court finds that such a deficiency cannot be cured after the fact,” she wrote.
Though Breslan approved a temporary restraining order, she also wrote the county is not required to hold a new public hearing. Rather, she said, the county can allow Becker and his clients an opportunity to present evidence and cross-examine witnesses.
Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Scott Pyles said Earthrise’s proposal will be sent back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a continued hearing. Pyles said a date has not yet been finalized, but public notice will be provided.
Residents have opposed the 600-megawatt solar farm saying it will adversely affect the agricultural landscape they sought out when they bought their homes and could negatively affect the environment.
While Earthrise may not get a vote on its Pride of the Prairie solar farm near Manhattan this week, the County Board is still expected to vote Thursday on Earthrise’s Plum Valley proposal for a 2,400-acre solar farm near Crete. That proposal was approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The board will also reconsider six smaller projects they’d already rejected. They’re doing so after the solar operators involved sued, and a judge ordered the county to issue the permits.
County Board Speaker Joe VanDuyne shared a memo with board members Tuesday saying their hands are completely tied in reconsidering the previous six denials.
He said the Will County state’s attorney’s office advised board members they could face contempt charges, punishable by fines or jail time, if they defy the court order and vote no when the projects are reconsidered, and that a no vote could result in fines or sanctions against the county that would be passed on to taxpayers.
Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter.
Copyright 2026 Chicago Tribune. All rights reserved. The use of any content on this website for the purpose of training artificial intelligence systems, algorithms, machine learning models, text and data mining, or similar use is strictly prohibited without explicit written consent.

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Tesla’s Solar Ambitions at Risk as China Eyes Export Limits  Supply Chain Digital Magazine
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Energy retailer and technology company Amber Electric has secured $10 million in new funding to continue scaling its residential solar and battery automation tech into overseas markets.
Amber founders and co-CEOs Dan Adams and Chris Thompson
Image: Amber Electric
Melbourne-headquartered Amber Electric is looking to further expand its home battery and electric vehicle (EV) automation technology into global markets after landing $10 million (USD 6.62 million) in international funding.
Amber’s platform gives customers access to real-time electricity prices and the technology needed to automate and optimise their solar and battery assets.
The company said by giving households direct access to the wholesale energy market, it enables them to use, store and sell electricity at the most valuable times, turning solar, batteries and EVs into assets that deliver maximum value.
“Customers capture the full value of their household batteries and EVs in the energy market while accelerating the renewable transition,” it said.
Amber said it serves more than 40% of the growing domestic solar and battery automation market and the new capital will accelerate the licensing of its platform to utilities internationally, enabling more households in new markets to benefit from automation.
The new funding, featuring equal investment from United Kingdom energy supplier E.ON Next and Australia-based climate investor Virescent Ventures, comes after Amber banked a separate $45 million round earlier this year.
Amber co-Chief Executive Officer Chris Thompson said the new backing highlights the growing global demand for the company’s Australian-built platform.
“Having both E.ON and Virescent invest in Amber shows the strength of support for our technology at home and abroad,” he said.
“From one of Europe’s largest utilities to a leading Australian climate technology investor, this backing demonstrates that our model resonates globally. It also reflects the growing recognition that households can take an active role in the energy market, reducing costs and supporting a more flexible system.”
E.ON is already piloting Amber’s technology with up to 1,000 UK homes under its “Next Solar Max” trial, combining a dynamic tariff with automated solar and battery optimisation.
Chris Norbury, Chief Executive of E.ON UK, said by opening up direct access to the energy market it will allow households to capture the full value of their solar and batteries while supporting a smarter, more flexible grid.
“Giving people the technology to access dynamic pricing and to optimise the energy generated by their solar panels or stored in their home batteries means you can not only lower energy bills in the short term but also turn everyday households into a driving force of the energy transition,” he said.
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, New York (WWNY) – There’s news that more solar projects, covering thousands of acres, could be on the horizon for Jefferson County, and it has officials concerned.
“We’re talking about probably one of the biggest developments in probably the history of Jefferson County,” said Ryan Piche, county administrator.
Piche said there are 16 proposed solar projects in the county. Five of those projects are large-scale solar farms, and would cover around 1,000 acres each, likely using good farmland.
The county is doing what it can to give local municipalities a say in these solar discussions.
For the last two years, the county’s planning and community development department has been gathering data for municipalities, arming them with arguments against projects in their backyards if local officials feel they aren’t a good fit and could negatively affect the area’s character and economy.
“Communities that don’t have that have seen their regulations struck down as arbitrary and capricious. So our job at the county level is to give our communities as much tools and data to make those kinds of strategies around actual data points,” said Hartley Bonisteel Schweitzer, director of the county’s planning and community development.
County officials say they aren’t against solar projects or the state’s clean energy initiative, but worry that local opinion doesn’t always count.
If the state wants the project to meet its goals, a solar farm can get the green light from Albany, bypassing local officials.
“The state has taken away local government’s authority to assess and tax these parcels. The state has created its own assessment model, which shall be applied to solar projects,” Piche said.
Piche said it’s unlikely all of these projects will go forward, but odds are several will. The county’s goal is to get the state to work with and listen to local municipalities.
Copyright 2026 WWNY. All rights reserved.

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Thursday, April 16, 2026
The owner of a major portfolio of utility sale solar projects says it remains hopeful that a sales agreement can be secured this year, although it has indicated it may need to throw in some battery storage to boost their earnings profile.
The Greek-based energy and industrial giant Metlen, formerly known as Mytilineos – has had the “for sale” sign out for its portfolio of operating Australian solar farms, and its development pipeline, since it retained Macquarie as an advisor in mid 2024. But is yet to secure a buyer.
In a call with analysts following its latest earnings report late last week, Metlen insisted that it expects to conclude the sale of the portfolio, along with its assets in Spain, in 2026.
CEO Christos Gavalas was asked by an analyst about the company’s asset rotation policy in countries such as Australia, Chile and Spain, and noted its efforts to add battery storage to its solar sites in Chile.
“Chile has been landmark for us. It has been hybridized,” Gavalas said. “We put batteries next to the solar, which is the answer to what the solar issue globally is and the zero pricing.
“This is the way forward, and this is the reason why we are so believers in that way for the green energy transition enabling, which is going to go through batteries and storage.
“Yes, Australia and Spain will follow. We do expect both of them to be sold this year, probably through the hybrid way, increasing the margins, increasing the PPAs, increasing the profitability, and providing an answer to that structural problem.”
Metlen has a portfolio of 527 megawatts (MW) of operating assets in Australia, the most it has in any country, plus around 183 MW of “ready to build” projects and another 345 MW of projects in late stage development.
Despite being the largest portfolio, Metlen revealed little more about the Australian assets in its annual report, other than to note that it recognised a gain of €36.2 million in the last year from the fair value movement of virtual Power Purchase Agreement contracts, primarily located in Australia.
“The fair value of PPAs is determined using discounted cash flow models, which estimate the present value of expected future cash flows over the contractual term of each PPA,” it noted.
Last year, it announced the refinancing of a portfolio of seven solar farms located across New South Wales and Queensland, including Corowa (40 MW), Junee (40 MW), Wagga (64 MW), Wyalong (75 MW), Moura (110 MW), and Kingaroy (53 MW), as well as the then soon to be completed 150 MW Munna Creek solar farm.
Solar farms have struggled on the earnings front because of the dilution of wholesale electricity prices in the middle of the day, and because many are forced to be curtailed when prices go negative.
There are now few, if any, standalone solar projects still being built in Australia, and solar-battery hybrids – where solar farms and big batteries are built behind the same connection point to store excess solar for more lucrative evening peaks – have now become the preferred project model.
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Giles Parkinson is founder and editor-in-chief of Renew Economy, and founder and editor of its EV-focused sister site The Driven. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast. Giles has been a journalist for more than 40 years and is a former deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. You can find him on LinkedIn and on Twitter.
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By Finn Peacock, Chartered Electrical Engineer, Fact Checked By Ronald Brakels
Last Updated: 11th Mar 2026
The federal battery rebate is changing on May 1, 2026. The rebate per kilowatt-hour (kWh) will fall nearly 20% and it will also become a tiered system, with only the first 14kWh of usable battery storage receiving the full rebate. Storage from 15-28kWh will receive a reduced amount, and from 29-50kWh will get very little.
It will be difficult to get batteries installed before May 1, but if you’re trying to lock in the best value before the cuts, but still need to brush up on battery basics, this no-nonsense guide has you covered.
I will walk you through solar battery prices, paybacks and brands in Australia so you can decide whether a battery is worth it for you. Then, I’ll show you how to pick the right home battery and get it installed by a reputable sparky, ensuring you make a savvy investment rather than a costly mistake.
Here’s a table of all the major home batteries on the Australian market. As you can see, there’s a lot of choice. The solar battery brands below are arranged according to how frequently they’re searched for on Google, with the most popular appearing first. Scroll left to right to see them all, then scroll past the table to learn more… 
Sungrow SBR HV 16 kWh
SigenStor Single-Phase (16 kWh)
Fox-ESS EQ 13.98 kWh
AlphaESS Smile-M5 (10 kWh)
BYD Battery Box Premium HVM 16.6
SolarEdge Home Battery
Neovolt 10 kWh
Growatt APX HV 10.0
Goodwe ESA 16 kWh
ESY Sunhome HM6-10
Anker SOLIX X1 15 kWh
iStore Smart Battery (10 kWh)
Fronius Reserva 12.6
Pylontech Force H3X Hybrid (10 kWh)
SOFAR PowerAll (10 kWh)
SolaX TSYS-HS51 10.2 kWh
FranklinWH aPower X-01-AU (13.6 kWh)
PowerPlus Energy Whispr 12.7
Yes, here.
Yes, here
Claims to have a plan to manage the risks, but details have not been provided.
Yes, here.
Yes, here.
Yes, here.
Yes, here.
Failed to respond
Yes, here.
Yes, here
Yes, here
Yes, here
Yes, here
Yes, here.
Yes, here
Yes, here.
Yes, here (covered under Shell’s).
No response from manufacturer.

One product per row, with no images
(Easy to browse)
One product per column, with product images
See the glossary for an explanation of each row on the table.
Every year, I ask hundreds of Australian battery installers to vote on the best home batteries based on what they’d install on their own homes. For the best home batteries in 2025, Tesla and Sungrow tied for first place, marking a big shift – Tesla had dominated the top spot since 2021. Sigenergy made an impressive debut in second place, and BYD slipped to third after being the runner-up last year. However, it might be the last year for BYD, since Fronius has released its own Reserva battery.
Now you know which batteries installers prefer, but what brands do the Australian people like? Find out on our top 10 best solar battery brands according to Australian reviewers.
A reasonably sized battery of around 12-15kWh, of a brand we recommend, starts at around $6,000 before installation. You can check pre-installation prices using our solar battery price grid. This can be used to rearrange brands from our comparison table above according to price, rating, popularity, and name.
The prices include the current Federal Battery Rebate. This cuts the cost of installed batteries by around 25% and is available throughout Australia. WA also has a state rebate that can give additional savings.
Besides rebates, the main factors affecting price are:
On top of the hardware cost, batteries must be installed professionally. DIY electrical work is not allowed in Australia because the results can be shocking.
A typical battery installation normally adds around $3,000 or more to a quote. A complicated battery installation (longer cable run, bollards for a garage, fire rated backing, etc.) can increase installation costs to $4,000 or more.
Many batteries also require a hybrid inverter. These usually start at around $2,000 but a hybrid inverter can be shared by the solar panels and a battery. So if you get solar and a battery at the same time, it can save the cost of buying a normal solar inverter. 
If you’re in WA, the WA battery rebate can make these prices even lower.
Wondering if a battery is worth it? Check out the full battery cost analysis.
Cheap deals on giant 30-50 kWh batteries are everywhere now, thanks to the federal rebate. The sting in the tail is that many of them are paired with a tiny 5 kW inverter. That small inverter throttles how fast the battery can charge from solar and how much power it can supply at once. In the real world, that means you can be sitting on a massive battery, but still dragging plenty from the grid whenever the house or EV needs a decent burst of power.
If you’re looking at a “big battery, small inverter” quote, don’t just check the storage size (kWh) – make sure the inverter power (kW) matches how you actually use energy at home, especially for air conditioning, hot water heating and EV charging. Read our in-house installer Anthony’s full breakdown of this “big battery with a small inverter” trap.
Not sure if you need to replace your existing solar system to add a battery? The flowchart below will help you quickly figure out if your current setup can work with the federal battery rebate — or if you might need some upgrades.
With a solar battery setting you back thousands of dollars, the next question is – how quickly will those dollars return to your pocket?
Battery payback can vary from ‘no-brainer’ to ‘not bloody worth it’ depending on a range of factors, with one of the most important being location. They’re more likely to pay for themselves in SA, WA, QLD, and NSW. It’s difficult to make a battery pay in VIC and extremely difficult in TAS. But because batteries can provide backup power in blackouts, you may consider one worthwhile even if it doesn’t fully pay for itself through electricity bill savings.
Other considerations are:
Be wary of aggressive sales tactics. Always do your research before making a decision. Don’t buy from door-knockers or unsolicited mailings.
If you already have solar and want to know if adding a battery is worth it financially, my ‘add-a-battery calculator‘ is your go-to. Using your smart meter data, it’ll work out how much spare solar you have for charging and how much energy you use overnight to give you an accurate battery payback period.
But if you’d rather skip the number-crunching, I’ll walk you through some ballpark payback figures.
For example, if you pay $11,000 to have a Sungrow SBR HV battery with 16kWh of storage installed, here are the savings and payback periods a household in NSW could expect to see in a best-case situation, as well as a more realistic outcome for a typical household¹.
In the more realistic situation with a time-of-use tariff, the savings will be roughly similar in NSW, SE QLD, SA and WA.  In the ACT and VIC, savings will be roughly one-third less.  In Tasmania, the savings will only be around one-third as much as in NSW, making it the state with the lowest financial return from installing a battery.  
The results show how battery households are normally much better off on a time-of-use tariff than a flat tariff.

Changes in guidelines now allow for more flexible solar setups, making it easier to install a large solar system at the same time as a battery. The larger your solar system, the better your battery payback will generally be.
In simple terms, a flat rate tariff means you’re charged the same price for electricity, no matter what time of day it is – usually around $0.35 for each unit of electricity (or kWh).
With a solar battery, you can store solar energy during the day and use it at night. Each unit of stored solar energy you use saves you the cost of buying that unit from the grid. However, keep in mind that using your stored energy means you’re also missing out on the money you’d earn by sending that energy back to the grid – a.k.a. the feed-in tariff.
A flat rate tariff charges one rate all day, every day.
So, if you pay $0.35 for grid electricity and your FiT is $0.07, you save $0.28 per kWh of battery energy used at night. Many people – and some dodgy sales folk – forget to subtract the foregone feed-in-tariff when calculating their savings.
Time-of-use (ToU) tariffs have two or more rates, the most expensive being in the late afternoon and evening when electricity can be as high as $0.75 per kWh. Most of your battery savings will come from avoiding the peak price period.
Some ToU tariffs charge as little as $0.08 for daytime electricity, so you can top up your battery cheaply, even if there is not enough solar power available.
With some ToU tariffs, late-night rates can be around 20 cents cheaper than in the morning. On these plans, you can top up your battery overnight to ride through the morning peak.
This particular ToU plan is Synergy’s Midday Saver, available in WA.
Some compellingly cheap time-of-use tariffs are only available to owners of specific brands. For example, Energy Locals’ Tesla Energy Plan is for Powerwall owners only.
One electricity retailer (Amber) exposes you to wholesale electricity pricing that varies every fifteen minutes. The price can go over $18 per kWh – which is terrible if you need to use grid electricity – but great for selling back to the grid.
On the flip side, prices can go so low they go negative, which means you get penalised for exporting energy and paid to use energy (a great time to charge a battery). It’s a high-stakes game for serious players only. But if you want to play it, I know people who have made over $2,000 in one year using Amber tariffs.
This is what your average hourly rate could be on a wholesale-exposed plan such as Amber Electric.
Now you know how batteries save you money, we can answer the $10,000 question…
On a flat tariff – not so much.
As you can see in the table above – a 14.5 year payback with a Powerwall on a flat tariff is typical. In my experience, that’s too long for most, although you can improve your payback by getting a rebate, joining a VPP, optimising your tariff or buying a cheaper battery (but don’t go too cheap).
But on a time-of-use tariff, it’s much better.
If you are on a time-of-use tariff and can get a 6-7 year payback, home energy storage starts to look like a good investment – especially if you value any of these bonus reasons for investing in a battery:
I’ve written a detailed answer to ‘Are Solar Batteries Worth It?‘, which considers where you live, what tariff you are on, and what local VPPs are available to you.
Battery rebates make batteries cheaper, improving payback.
National Battery Rebates?
An Australia-wide federal battery rebate aims to lower home battery costs by around 30%. The overwhelming popularity of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program threatened to deplete the allocated funding early. That is why the rebate has been adjusted, with restrictions on bigger-than-necessary batteries. In a nutshell:
The rebate value drops faster: it now steps down twice a year (not yearly) starting 1 Jan 2026.
In May, the scheme changes again. Not only the value drops, but big batteries get less support: the rebate becomes tiered, so larger capacities attract a much lower $/kWh subsidy (especially the 30–50 kWh “package deal” sizes).
Caps still apply: systems can be 5–100 kWh nominal, but the rebate only applies to the first 50 kWh usable.
Bottom line: normal household-sized batteries lose some value, but oversized batteries lose a lot more once the May 2026 tiers kick in.

State/Territory Rebates?
The federal battery rebate to be compatible with state and territory rebates. Currently, WA is the only state that offers a rebate.
Subsidised Battery Loans
Find out more about how these rebates and loans work on our in-depth Battery Rebates page.
VPP Rebates
Local government subsidies aren’t the only way to get a cheaper battery. Some virtual power plants give you an upfront discount on a new battery:
The downside is you lose control of your battery, and it is is worked harder – which can shorten its lifespan.
Nerd Fact: A Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is a collection of internet-connected residential batteries controlled by an energy company. This army of batteries charge and discharge in unison to support the grid.
Pro-tip: My Virtual Power Plant comparison table details every VPP available in the country.
I’ve been talking a lot about costs and returns, but let’s not lose sight of another massive perk – resilience. In an age of wild weather and unpredictable blackouts, a solar battery can be your home’s safety net, keeping the lights on when the grid throws in the towel.
You’ll be surprised to learn that not all batteries come with backup, and not all backup is equal. Here’s what you need to know if blackout protection is important to you…
Pro-Tip: The New South Wales Government has an additional VPP incentive of $55 per kWh of battery storage up to 10 kWh. This VPP incentive is what remains of the NSW battery rebate that got scrapped.
Finn’s house during a blackout
Most solar batteries available in Australia promise to keep you powered up during a blackout. But not all are created equal. Here are the must-know features that could make or break your blackout resilience:
An experienced installer is your best mate in navigating these intricacies. And remember, if you’re eyeing a budget battery, scrutinising these features is even more crucial.
Pro-tip: Some cheaper battery systems can interrupt the grid power to your essential circuits if the inverter hardware fails. Always install a $100 battery bypass switch to override it and keep the lights on if there’s a problem.
Buying a battery system to back up an entire Australian home costs big dollars. I recommend saving thousands by choosing a handful of essential circuits and backing those up. For example:
By zeroing in on these essentials, you’ll get the most bang for your buck and still keep things civilised when the grid goes down.
Wondering why Lithium-ion is the go-to for solar batteries? Let’s delve into that next.
Almost all grid-connected solar batteries in Australia are lithium-ion because they:
✅ store more energy by weight and volume
✅ are higher power by weight and volume (can charge and discharge faster)
✅ are more efficient – typically only losing 10% of energy when charged and then discharged
✅ are maintenance-free
✅ last longer than older lead-acid battery technology
✅ don’t require excessive amounts of space, fitting easily into most homes

The biggest disadvantage of Lithium-ion batteries is:
❌ in the unlikely event they catch fire, they burn like hell
Unless you want to go mega niche, you can choose from 3 types of solar batteries (all sub-types of lithium-ion):
High capacity.
High power.
Less capacity loss in the first year.
Catch fire more easily
Catch fire less easily.
~30% cheaper³.
Life = ~15% longer than NMC⁴.
Lower capacity than NMC.
Lose more capacity in the first year.
Claimed to last twice as long as NMC or LFP.
It is claimed to be one of the safest lithium chemistries, but at least one is reported to have caught fire in NSW
Lowest capacity⁵.
Most expensive.
Niche manufacturer.
Insider-tip: The Powerwall 2 is an NMC battery, but the Tesla Powerwall 3 has LFP battery cells and an integrated 11.3kW solar inverter – making it a true all-in-one battery system (see below).
Your solar battery’s aesthetics will depend on whether it is:
An all-in-one solar battery system contains almost everything you need in one big box:
In the marketing materials, you’ll see them with zero wires attached. Reality is not as neat:
In reality, you need isolating switches, power, comms cables, warning stickers and – if in a garage – a bollard. Install: JCW Electrical
A separate battery and battery inverter won’t look as tidy as a well-installed all-in-one, but a good installer can keep everything neat:
A separate Battery (bottom) and hybrid solar/battery inverter (top). Note the use of ducting and hard conduit to keep it neat. The grey box is a small switchboard for backup circuits and breakers.
The Powerwall 3 is almost all-in-one. It has a built-in solar inverter, so you can plug up to 20 kW of solar panels into it. However, it still needs the same Gateway box as the Powerwall 2 to handle backup and monitoring. Powerwall 3 is a good choice if you are buying your battery and solar array at the same time.
A Tesla Powerwall 3 safely installed in a South Australian garage. Install Credit: Goliath Solar and Electrical
Modular batteries are stackable or connectable units that you can add to over time as your energy needs grow. Unlike monolithic systems like the Powerwall 3, which come in one fixed size, modular batteries are designed to be lightweight, compact, and easier to install.
These batteries don’t just perform well – they look good too. Most resemble sleek building blocks that can stack vertically or connect horizontally, depending on the design. Popular modular battery brands include BYD and Sungrow.
This Sungrow SBR HV modular battery, undergoing installation, currently has a stack of four 3.2kWh battery modules.
Australia has strict standards for how and where batteries are installed – specifically Australian Standard AS5139. You don’t need to understand the electrical details, that’s the sparky’s job – but you do need to know how it affects where you can put it.
For example, places you can’t put a battery include:
And you definitely can’t put one in your dining room, like some battery brochures would have you believe:
Don’t do this. Image: Soltaro battery brochure
Australia’s a big country, and where you live can factor into which battery is best for you…
The closer you live to Melbourne or Hobart, the lower your annual solar production, so you’ll need a larger solar system to reliably charge a battery all year.
At the other extreme, heat is the #1 thing that will shorten your battery’s life. So keep it cool if you live in a particularly sunburnt part of Australia, and check its ambient temperature range in the battery comparison table at the top of this page before buying.
‘Solar sponge’ electricity plans, which can boost battery payback, and allow you to charge cheaply from the grid on low solar days are currently only available in WA, SA and QLD. But they’re likely to appear in other states soon.
Certain government battery rebates, interest-free loans, or Virtual Power Plants are area-specific.
Some local DNSPs (Distributed Network Service Providers), like Essential Energy, still make it hard to add a battery inverter if you already have a solar inverter. A good local installer will be all over these rules.
Installing a solar battery isn’t just a matter of connecting a few wires and it usually takes two people one day. It’s a precise job that requires planning, compliance with Australian standards, and a licensed electrician. Whether you’re upgrading your current solar setup or going hybrid, the goal is to keep your home running smoothly – even during a grid outage.
The battery is mounted securely (on the wall or floor) and connected to an inverter – either your existing hybrid one or a new battery inverter. The key is seamless integration with your solar panels and grid for maximum safety and performance.
Want to see how it’s done? Watch the video below for a behind-the-scenes look at a professional installation, from setup to final handover.
My solar & battery calculator estimates the savings and payback of solar and batteries for your situation. Crucially, it separates out the solar and the battery savings, so you can decide if home energy storage is worth the extra dollars.
If you already own a solar panel system but want to calculate the potential savings of adding a battery, you can use my “Add a battery” calculator.
Read expert solar battery reviews and browse customer reviews for most battery brands sold in Australia.
Installing a hybrid inverter to control both your solar panels and your solar battery can save you money because you only need one expensive (~$2000) inverter. Here is a table comparing all hybrid inverters we know of available in Australia. If you choose one of these for your solar installation, adding batteries can be cheaper and easier in the future.
Understanding Batteries 101: This is a more in-depth guide aimed at technical understanding of home batteries, delving into how they work and comparing different technologies like lead-acid and lithium-ion. It also explains the difference between power and energy in the context of batteries and discusses integrating a battery with a solar system using AC or DC coupling.
Buying Batteries 101: If you are serious about buying a solar battery – you should read this guide (or watch the video) so you can go toe to toe with any salesperson and get the right battery system at the right price.
Owning Batteries 101: Once your solar battery is installed, here’s what you need to know for a decade or two of cheap, secure power.
If you are on a single-rate tariff, you want enough capacity to get you from sunset to sunrise. If you are on a Time-Of-Use tariff, you must get through the evening peak – typically 4 pm – 10 pm. You can usually see your hourly usage through your electricity retailer’s online portal.
Remember that most battery owners keep a 20% ‘reserve margin’ on top of that in case of a blackout. So a 10 kWh battery would have 2 kWh reserved for blackouts and 8 kWh for powering your home.
Some prefer to maximise the financial return from their batteries by not setting a reserve. There will usually be some energy in the battery when a blackout occurs, but it runs the risk you’ll wind up sitting in the dark.
Smaller batteries cost more per kWh of usable storage. This means you may be better off getting a larger one despite your low electricity usage.
Here’s an even more detailed answer: How many solar batteries do you need?
If you have access to a grid connection, do not go off-grid. Grid-connected solar and battery systems start at around $6,000. Dependable off-grid systems for typical Australian homes start at around $60,000 and require regular checks, careful energy management, and generator backup.
The size of home batteries depends on their energy capacity and their ‘specific energy’, which measures how much capacity they can squeeze into a given volume. If space is an issue, Tesla and Sungrow make space-efficient batteries, whereas the Enphase solution is bloody huge. More details on battery dimensions here.
A study in the journal Energies says in moderate climates (20–32°C) with daily use, lithium batteries should last 14–16 years. In climates up to 40°C, expect 12–14 years. Warranties range from less than two years (if you read the small print on some cheap batteries) to 15 years for some NMC and LFP batteries and 20 years for more expensive LTO chemistry. More details on how long batteries last here.
Those who join the Tesla Energy Plan VPP and stick with it will have their Powerwall 2 warranty extended by 5 years. This suggests Tesla expects their home batteries to last at least 15 years.
Every year, I survey our network of ~600 installers and ask them. In 2025, Tesla and Sungrow tied for the best battery, followed by Sigenergy and BYD.
Yes. Home battery recycling is an emerging industry – because there are not many at the end of their life yet – but the technology exists to recycle over 90% of a home battery. When yours finally dies, contact your installer or the manufacturer for details.
Yes. Although extremely unlikely, I’m not gonna lie. If a lithium-ion solar battery catches fire, it will burn ferociously and can release nasty gases, which may include phosphorus pentafluoride, phosphoryl fluoride and hydrofluoric acid vapours.
You do not want to breathe these in – so evacuate the area and contact emergency services. Remain upwind and notify those downwind. No one should go near a smoking or burning home battery without full protective equipment, including Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA).
I’ve written a whole page on home battery safety if you are concerned.
NO! A battery will only lose money if your feed-in tariff exceeds your usage tariff — provided the solar system is a reasonable size. If it’s only small, you can be better off with a large new solar system and a battery.
Yes. They usually go on your home insurance, not your contents insurance, because they are hardwired into your home. Just call your insurer and let them know you’ve added a home battery.
No. You can happily use a single-phase battery on one phase of a three-phase home, but there are some 3-phase battery details you should know.
A ‘battery-ready’ solar system is a grid-connected solar power system designed for easy future integration of batteries.
It depends entirely on the size of your house, how you condition the spaces, how you heat water, and how many residents. The best way to know is measure your existing overnight consumption either with a solar consumption meter, monitoring like CatchPower or data from your utility smart meter.
Sizing a battery to cover your average demand from around 3 pm to 9 am is the normal approach, but you must also ensure there is enough solar yield to power the daytime loads and enough surplus to fill the battery.
It’s especially critical to consider winter. When heating loads are high and solar generation is low you’ll want a lot more panels on the roof.
A battery under 10 kWh can suit households with low overnight electricity consumption or those who want the fastest payback period possible. But for most households, I recommend over 10 kWh because – so long as you have enough solar – it will minimise your grid electricity consumption and allow you to live through most blackouts with ease.
A solar battery is any battery designed to store energy from solar panels. That includes everything from small off-grid setups to large commercial and utility-scale systems. A home battery is simply a type of solar battery made for residential use. So, while all home batteries are solar batteries, not all solar batteries are home batteries. On SolarQuotes, when we talk about solar batteries, we’re almost always talking about home batteries: the kind you can install at your place to store excess solar and use it later.
Price: Our best retail price estimate includes GST. For the required hardware only.
Battery Type: Either LFP, NMC or LTO. See here for an explanation of the differences.
All-in-one-unit: See here for a pictorial explanation of the difference between an all-in-one, a separate battery and inverter and a Powerwall.
Nominal Storage: How many kWh a battery can store in theory. In practice, most won’t let you use all their energy capacity in order to prolong their lifespan.
Usable Storage Capacity: How many kWh you can store in a battery in practice.
Power (kW): The speed at which a battery can charge and discharge. Check yours doesn’t limit this in backup mode.
Round Trip Efficiency: When you put a kWh in, how much do you get back out? Typically 90%.
Ambient temperature range: What air temperature is the battery rated for? If it gets too cold or too hot, performance can take a hit, or the warranty can be reduced, or both.
Off-grid capable: Does the manufacturer warrant the battery for off-grid?
IP Rating: How well sealed from the elements is the battery? Can it go outside?
Compatible Hybrid Inverters: A hybrid inverter is required for some battery systems – these are compatible ones. A hybrid inverter can also manage your solar panels – potentially saving a couple of thousand bucks.
Warranty: the headline warranty – before caveats. Sometimes this is shortened depending on how hard you work the battery.
Battery capacity remaining at end of warranty:This is how much of the original capacity you can pull from the battery under warranty. For example, a 10kWh battery that warrants 70% capacity at the end of 10 years would give you 7kWh.
Warranty length (1 cycle per day): How long is the warranty if you fully discharge the battery every day? Those on a flat tariff rarely cycle theirs more than once per day.
Warranty length (1.5 cycles per day): If you fully discharge the battery 1.5 times every day, how long is the warranty? This is typical for time-of-use tariffs where you charge during the day to get through the evening peak, and then again at night to get through the morning peak.
Cost Per Warranted kWh: 1 Cycle Per Day: If the battery cycles once per day, this is how much each warranted kilowatt-hour of stored electricity will cost. It exposes good and bad warranties.
Modern Slavery/Forced Labour: Does the manufacturer have policies addressing modern slavery/forced labour risks.
If you’re ready to buy a solar battery, I can help you get quotes for quality home energy storage systems from pre-vetted installers quickly and easily:

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Light rain this morning. Breaks of sun this afternoon. High 77F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
A stray thunderstorm is possible throughout the evening. Some clouds. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.
Updated: April 16, 2026 @ 4:13 am

Questions, concerns and approvals were voiced Tuesday night, April 14, during a public hearing concerning SB Energy’s special use permit application for the Shawnee Energy Project. Approximately 65 people filled the large courtroom of the Massac County Courthouse. Located on the border with Johnson County, the Massac County portion of the project will feature a 150 megawatt solar farm on 650 fenced-in acres. Further comments about the project are being accepted through Thursday, April 23, and can be submitted in writing only to the Massac County Clerk on the Massac County Clerk Facebook page. Via state statute, the Massac County Commission has 30 days to review the application before voting on it. The article concerning Tuesday’s hearing will be published in the April 23 edition of the Metropolis Planet.
Voices heard during solar hearing
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All-in-one system for balcony solar & PV systems launches with discount  Notebookcheck
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Citicore Energizes 125MWp Solar Project in Pangasinan, Boosting Philippines’ Clean Energy Capacity  SolarQuarter
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This Stoughton Utilities map shows local solar connections.

This Stoughton Utilities map shows local solar connections.
Stoughton Utilities is marking Earth Day 2026 by highlighting two milestones that put the community on the national map for clean energy: Stoughton ranked sixth in the nation for 2024 green power participation rate and ninth for green pricing sales rate, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies, and local solar connections exceeded 200 projects in 2025.
According to a company news release, as Stoughton’s locally owned, not-for-profit electric utility, Stoughton Utilities works with customers and the City of Stoughton to expand renewable energy options, improve energy efficiency, and support conservation – helping residents and businesses lower their environmental impact while keeping service reliable and affordable.
Stoughton Utilities has supported customers interested in adding solar to their homes and businesses for over a decade. In 2008, the utility installed a 6.8-kilowatt photovoltaic system on its administration building – an early local investment in modern solar technology.
Today, the city and surrounding townships served by Stoughton Utilities include more than 208 customer-sited solar projects interconnected with the distribution system, a total that exceeded 200 projects in 2025 and has more than doubled over the last five years. Customers can view the locations of these projects by visiting stoughtonutilities.com/solar.
Choose Renewable
For customers who cannot install solar panels where they live or work, Stoughton Utilities’ Choose Renewable program – launched in 2003 – offers a simple way to support clean energy. Participants can add a few dollars to their monthly bill to ensure some or all of their electricity use comes from renewable resources such as wind, solar and biogas. One 300 kilowatt-hour block costs $2 per month; most households can offset all of their monthly usage with two to three blocks.
To lead by example, Stoughton Utilities and the City of Stoughton each purchase enough Choose Renewable blocks to ensure that 100% of the electricity used for their operations is from renewable sources.
Stoughton has consistently ranked among the top 10 communities nationwide for green power program participation and sales, driven by local adoption of Choose Renewable. Most recently, Stoughton ranked sixth in the nation for its green power participation rate (6%) and ninth for its green pricing sales rate (5.5%), according to NLR. The rankings, measured as of December 2024, were released on February 3, 2026.
Stoughton Utilities is also working to increase renewable energy use through its wholesale power supply. WPPI Energy’s membership has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 45% since 2005. In 2024, nearly 25% of the power purchased by WPPI Energy on behalf of member communities came from renewable sources including wind, solar and biogas.
Beyond renewable generation, Stoughton Utilities promotes practical steps the community can take to save energy and water. The utility regularly connects residents with programs such as Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy, which offers incentives for qualifying energy-efficiency upgrades, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program, which encourages water conservation. With Earth Day approaching, customers are encouraged to explore these options and identify upgrades that can reduce both utility bills and environmental impact.
Stoughton Utilities also offers customer incentives to help make efficiency upgrades more affordable, including incentives for ENERGY STAR® appliances, EV chargers, smart thermostats, and home energy assessments. Learn more, view current eligibility requirements, and find application details at stoughtonutilities.com/incentives.
Stoughton Utilities has been recognized as a Smart Energy Provider by the American Public Power Association for demonstrating a commitment to and proficiency in energy efficiency, distributed generation, and environmental initiatives that support the goal of providing safe, reliable, low-cost, and sustainable electric service. The utility was also recognized as a Dane County Climate Champion in 2023 for their promotion of renewable and energy efficiency programs and initiatives.
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By the People, for the People
News
Institutional investor reduces position in solar cell manufacturer
Apr. 15, 2026 at 9:50am
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to a recent SEC filing. The fund now owns 242,496 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock, valued at $63.3 million.
First Solar is a leading U.S. solar technology company, and institutional investors’ trading activity in its stock can signal broader market trends and sentiment around the renewable energy sector.
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group sold 7,956 shares of First Solar stock during the fourth quarter. The fund now owns a 0.23% stake in the company. Several other institutional investors have also recently adjusted their positions in First Solar, with some increasing and others decreasing their holdings.
A major Japanese financial services group that manages over $1 trillion in assets globally.
A U.S. solar technology company that manufactures thin-film photovoltaic modules and provides solar energy solutions.
Institutional investors’ trading activity in solar stocks like First Solar can provide insights into the overall health and direction of the renewable energy industry.
Apr. 16, 2026
Apr. 17, 2026
Apr. 17, 2026
We keep track of fun holidays and special moments on the cultural calendar — giving you exciting activities, deals, local events, brand promotions, and other exciting ways to celebrate.

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Intertek buys Mitsui Chemicals’ solar testing laboratory in India  London South East
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Amazon Australia has announced nine new power purchase agreements, that include three utility-scale solar and battery hybrids, four distributed solar-battery projects, and a new battery at the Mokoan Solar Farm, committing stable revenues to 430 MW of renewable energy.
Image: Amazon
Amazon Australia has signed nine power purchase agreements (PPAs) that include three utility-scale solar and battery hybrids, four distributed solar-battery projects, and the new battery at Mokoan Solar Farm, committing stable revenues to 430 MW of renewable energy.
Danish renewables developer European Energy had previously signed a PPA with Amazon for the Mokoan solar farm in June 2025, when the tech giant had also pledged $20 billion (USD 14.3 billion) to 2029 to expand Australian cloud computing,
Three of the nine new projects are located across New South Wales (NSW) and include the Sweden-headquartered developer OX2’s 135 MW Muswellbrook solar farm and 135 MW / 270 MWh battery storage.
Also in NSW, PPAs are signed with the Spain-based developer X-ELIO’s 90 MW Forest Glen solar farm and 25 MW / 25 MWh  battery energy storage system (BESS), and Sydney-based Anza Power’s 4.95 MW Stanbridge solar farm with 20 MWh battery storage.
Along with three wind farms in Victoria, two Anza-owned 4.95 MW solar farms and 20 MWh BESS have new Amazon Australia PPAs at Barnawartha North and Mooroopna, as does the 40 MW / 80 MWh BESS being added to Denmark-headquartered clean energy company European Energy Australia’s 58 MW Mokoan solar farm.
Once operational, the 20 renewable energy projects will provide almost 1 GW (990 MW) of new renewable energy capacity, which is enough to power the equivalent of more than 500,000 Australian households annually.
The company said it has invested an estimated $2.8 billion in renewable energy projects across Australia since 2020, making it the largest corporate purchaser of carbon-free energy in Australia for 2025, according to BloombergNEF data.
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: editors@pv-magazine.com.
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