Upcoming FREE webinar on “Reliable Solar PV Structure Design and Innovation” organized by Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA), powered by Solarabic سولارابيك.
We will discuss the effect of the new large format modules on the current PV structure design, improvements, new materials, lessons learned from cases in the Middle East and many more!
Speakers include: Hans Jürgen Sauter, VP Middle East and Africa, Nextracker Inc. Dinesh Thakare, Head – Design & Engineering (RT), CleanMax Elena García Ortiz, Project Manager MEA, UL Solutions Finn Chow, Sales Manager APAC Marketing, Antaisolar Moderator: Ritesh Pothan, Director BD – APAC & AMEA, DroneBase
solar #solarpower #solarenergy #renewableenergy #renewable #energy #sustainable
Home → Science → News Standard solar panels miss half of all sunlight but these tiny gold balls could finally fix the problem. At any given moment, 89,000 terawatts of raw solar power is slamming into the Earth’s atmosphere. It is a mind-boggling amount of energy. But right now, our best technologies are essentially trying to catch a raging river with a leaky bucket. Solar radiation arrives in a mix of different light wavelengths: about 3 to 5 percent is ultraviolet, 40 to 45 percent is visible light, and a massive 50 to 55 percent is infrared. Standard photovoltaic cells — the traditional solar panels you see on rooftops — do a decent job converting visible light and a tiny slice of the near-infrared spectrum into electricity. But they let the vast majority of that heat-rich infrared energy slip right by. But for some scientists in Korea, this is not nearly enough. Engineers have tried to capture this lost energy using massive mirror arrays and solar-thermal collectors. These systems absorb both visible and infrared light reasonably well to generate heat. However, their efficiency hits a wall because the surface coatings they rely on rarely achieve near-total absorption. Even when scientists turn to highly engineered nanomaterials — like individual gold and silver nanoparticles — the results have been underwhelming. These nanoparticles primarily absorb only the visible wavelengths, leaving the vast, energy-rich infrared spectrum largely untouched. If we want to decarbonize the planet and build a more efficient grid, we cannot afford to waste half the sun’s energy. We need a material that eats the entire spectrum. Enter the “plasmonic supraball.” A team of researchers at the KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology in Seoul, South Korea, has engineered a brilliant workaround. Stay ahead with ZME Science and subscribe. Please check your inbox and confirm your subscription. Instead of using scattered, individual gold nanoparticles, the researchers figured out how to make thousands of these particles self-assemble into microscopic clusters suspended in liquid. They call these micrometer-scale clusters “supraballs.” Clustering these nanoparticles into a sphere fundamentally changes how the gold interacts with light. When sunlight hits these supraballs, the outer layer of gold nanoparticles traps the visible light and ultraviolet rays. Meanwhile, the dense core of the sphere acts like a trap for the longer, near-infrared waves. In physics terms, they are combining localized surface plasmon resonances on the outside with multipolar Mie-type magnetic resonances on the inside. In simpler terms: it is a roach motel for photons. Light checks in, but it does not check out. The light bounces around inside the supraball until it transforms entirely into heat. The performance metrics are genuinely staggering. Through computer simulations and real-world testing, the researchers proved that these supraball films can absorb around 89 to 90 percent of the wavelengths across the full solar spectrum. That is a massive leap compared to conventional gold nanoparticle films, which tap out at roughly 45 percent absorption. To see if this translates to usable energy, the team tested their creation on a commercial thermoelectric generator (TEG) — a device that turns heat directly into electricity. They simply dropped a liquid solution full of these supraballs onto the generator and let it dry. As the liquid evaporated, it left behind a dense, dark film. When exposed to simulated sunlight, the supraball-coated generator ran much hotter, producing roughly 2.4 times the electrical power output of a generator coated with standard nanoparticles. But power output is only half the story. The real game-changer here is how ridiculously easy this is to manufacture. Historically, building hyper-efficient solar absorbers required expensive vacuum chambers, highly trained personnel, and pristine clean rooms. It is a bottleneck that keeps a lot of great tech locked in the lab. The supraball liquid, on the other hand, can literally be dripped onto a surface and dried at room temperature. No intense heat or specialized vacuums are required. This means the coating can be applied cheaply to practically any existing thermal-based solar system, from commercial water heaters to advanced hybrid panels that harvest both light and heat. “Our plasmonic supraballs offer a simple route to harvesting the full solar spectrum,” says researcher Seungwoo Lee. “Ultimately, this coating technology could significantly lower the barrier for high-efficiency solar-thermal and photothermal systems in real-world energy applications.” This kind of plug-and-play upgrade is exactly what the renewable energy sector needs right now. We do not necessarily have to reinvent the grid overnight to make a massive impact. Sometimes, we just need a better bucket. The findings appeared in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Vikram Solar has signed the agreement to procure 2 GW of high-efficiency TOPCon and mono PERC solar cells from Jupiter International. Jupiter International PV module manufacturer Vikram Solar has entered into a strategic domestic cell procurement agreement with Jupiter International Ltd to source 2 GW of crystalline solar cells. Under the agreement, Vikram Solar will procure high-efficiency TOPCon and mono PERC solar cells from Jupiter International. The cells, aggregating 2 GW of capacity, comply with the requirements of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). The order is valued at around INR 2,000 crore. Vikram Solar currently has an annual module manufacturing capacity of 9.5 GW across its production facilities in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. 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. More articles from Uma Gupta Please be mindful of our community standards. Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked *
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RenewSys India has entered an agreement with ENGIE for the supply of 125 MWp of TOPCon solar PV modules. The module deliveries are scheduled between February 2026 and June 2026. (L-R) Amit Jain, managing director – India/South-east Asia, Renewables AMEA at Engie, and Avinash Hiranandani, VC and MD, RenewSys RenewSys India RenewSys India has entered an agreement with ENGIE for the supply of 125 MWp of TOPCon solar PV modules. The module deliveries are scheduled between February 2026 and June 2026. The modules will be deployed at ENGIE’s solar project in Bikaner, supporting the company’s expanding renewable energy portfolio in India. As part of the agreement, RenewSys will supply its 132X G12R TOPCon glass-to-glass solar modules, designed to deliver high efficiency and robust performance under high-temperature conditions. The company said these module feature a low temperature coefficient, resulting in reduced power loss at elevated temperatures and ensuring consistent electricity generation over the project’s operational life. “India’s solar sector continues to scale rapidly, making the quality and reliability of deployed technology more critical than ever,” said Avinash Hiranandani, vice chairman and managing director, RenewSys. “Our collaboration with ENGIE reflects a shared focus on long-term performance and technological excellence. By supplying advanced TOPCon modules manufactured in India, we are proud to contribute to the creation of resilient solar assets that support the nation’s clean energy ambitions.” RenewSys is an integrated manufacturer of solar PV modules (5.5 GW) and their key components, including encapsulants (9 GW) and backsheets (4 GW). It is currently installing a new high-efficiency cell line with a capacity of 2.5 GW. Headquartered at Mumbai, RenewSys is the renewable energy arm of the ENPEE Group.
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The share of renewables in Australia’s main electricity grid has reached a new high with rooftop and utility-scale solar, wind and hydro combining to deliver 76.4% of electricity demand on Monday. Image: Solar Victoria Data from energy advisory company Global Power Energy (GPE) shows the share of renewables in Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) energy mix reached a record high of 76.4% at 12.05pm on Monday. GPE NEMLog energy analyst Geoff Eldridge said the new high for renewable energy share replaces the previous record of 75.9%, a mark established on 6 November 2024, but suggested the new record is itself likely to be broken before the year is done. “This is the first seasonal record of this key blue-ribbon indicator, one that will be followed closely over the coming months to see where it settles for another year,” he said. At the time of the new high, total demand across the NEM was 29,215 MW with renewables providing a combined 21,917 MW. Rooftop solar generation contributed 12,532 MW or 43.7% of demand, utility solar provided 4,549 MW (15.9%), wind 8,074 MW (30.6%), and hydro 616 MW (2.1%). The share of renewables could have been even higher but 4,879 MW of capacity was curtailed. Battery energy storage systems were soaking up 1,340 MW of capacity at the time. 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. More articles from David Carroll Please be mindful of our community standards. Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked *
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How PV modules are treated at the end of their life is an increasingly important issue, but some recycling practices leave a lot to be desired. Scott Azevedo from Intertek CEA explores how asking the right questions, paying closer attention to end-of-life treatment, and steering volume toward good recyclers can have positive long-term consequences for the solar industry. Not all recycling is created equal. Committed operators such as Solar Recovery Corp. in Australia have developed techniques to extract almost all materials from solar panels, but others continue to divert usable material to landfill. Photo: Solar Recovery Corporation
From pv magazine 2/26 There is a familiar pattern at the end of a PV module’s life. A project gets repowered, decommissioned, or damaged by a natural disaster. The operator hires a recycler. A truck arrives, stacks of modules get loaded, a bill of lading is signed and everyone breathes a small sigh of relief. In the project file, someone notes that the equipment went for recycling. In sustainability reports and investor slide decks, that often becomes “our modules are responsibly recycled at end of life.” What happens next matters. PV modules contain materials that carry real environmental and economic weight. Some, such as antimony and other trace elements, pose environmental risks if mishandled. Others, including silver, copper, and silicon, come from energy-intensive mining and processing. When modules do not enter genuine recycling streams, those materials are effectively lost. Most developers, asset owners and even many procurement teams rarely see where modules go when the truck leaves the site. Processing path A retired module can pass through several hands. A hauler moves pallets off site, an aggregator combines modules from many projects, a dismantler strips easy value like aluminum frames and junction boxes. Only sometimes do materials end up with a specialized processor to recover glass, metals, and other materials at scale. At each step, paperwork can still say “recycling,” even if most of the laminate ends up as mixed waste or landfill. There is an invoice and a reassuring certificate on the owner’s desk, but what happened to the module remains unclear. Third-party verification has therefore become more important for module recycling. Audits that examine mass balance, facility operations, environmental controls, and greenhouse gas accounting offer a way to validate outcomes beyond what a contract alone can show. Recovery reality It comes down to one question: how much of the module’s material returns to use? A crystalline-silicon module consists mainly of aluminum, glass, metals (including copper and silver), silicon cells, and polymer layers. In a genuine recycling process, after frames and junction boxes come off the module, glass is also separated, metals are recovered in measurable quantities, and even cell materials can be reclaimed with the right processes. A recycling-in-name-only process sees workers pull the frame, extract obvious scrap, and send the remaining laminate to be shredded and landfilled, or mixed into low-grade fill. These two outcomes can look almost identical on a contract or certificate but are dramatically different in terms of material recovery. The difference determines whether toxic materials get buried and whether high-value inputs ever make it back to manufacturing. Positive pressure is building. Producer-responsibility rules and e-waste directives in Europe already treat PV as something that must be managed at end of life. The landscape is patchier in North America, but state-level programs, hazardous-waste interpretations, and tighter landfill rules keep expanding. Capital providers are also digging deeper. Lenders, tax equity, and infrastructure funds increasingly want to know what happens at end of life. Rising scrutiny A one-page certificate rarely answers key questions such as how much glass was recovered or what happened to the laminates. To sort through recycler claims, it is helpful to think less like a buyer and more like an auditor. Three questions help bring clarity. Does the math add up? If a facility takes in a certain tonnage of modules, where does that go? How much leaves as separated glass, metals, and silicon, and how much as residual waste? Input-output tracking shows whether most of the module is recovered or discarded. Where does the material go? Separating materials only tells part of the story. Do those outputs go to downstream users who actually use them, or do they move further down a waste path? A short description of typical destinations is a useful starting point. Do they know their own numbers? Do they track volumes and recovery rates over time? Can they show how their process performs? Facilities focused on material recovery tend to know these numbers. Facilities dependent on gate fees and disposal often do not. It’s not about looking for perfection. It’s about looking for operators who understand their own processes, can quantify them, and show basic transparency. Project owners can treat end-of-life as part of the project, not an invisible last step. This could entail asking for a plain language process description. What happens when a pallet arrives? Which components come off? Which materials get separated? What happens to the rest? If a recycler doesn’t track things like share of module weight leaving as glass, metals and residual waste, that says something. Larger portfolio owners may be able to build expectations into contracts. Consider asking for simple reporting on volumes processed and approximate recovery rates, or for the option to visit a facility. Clearer expectations PV end of life is still in the early stages. Relatively few modules come off roofs and out of fields each year compared to the installed base, but that number grows with repowering, damage, and normal aging. Today’s systems will shape future outcomes. If recycling is treated as a black box, expect wide variation in practice. Asking clearer questions and steering volume toward operators who can show real recovery will narrow variation. Turning PV recycling into something that can be seen and measured puts the industry on firmer ground as end-of-life volumes grow – and as more people start asking where all those “recycled” modules really went. Authored by: Scott Azevedo Scott Azevedo is a supply chain and logistics executive with more than 25 years of experience in procurement, distribution, and operations, including 12 years in the US solar industry. He has held strategic leadership roles in residential solar installation, including positions at Vivint Solar and Sunrun. At Intertek CEA, Azevedo leads PV recycling and verification programs centered on operational performance, traceability, mass balance, and certification readiness 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. More articles from pv magazine Please be mindful of our community standards. Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked *
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Cloudy with snow showers mainly during the evening. Low 26F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%.. Cloudy with snow showers mainly during the evening. Low 26F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Updated: February 23, 2026 @ 8:44 pm Australian farmers are helping with the transition to green energy by combining solar panels more traditional sheep farming Australian farmer Tom Warren’s farm is a pioeer in agrivoltaics, grazing his sheep under more than 30,000 solar panels and earning a handy income Australian farmers say the shade offered by solar panels helps offer sheep shade and supply more constant feeds of grass, which in turn improves the quality of wool
Australian farmers are helping with the transition to green energy by combining solar panels more traditional sheep farming Australian farmer Tom Warren’s farm is a pioeer in agrivoltaics, grazing his sheep under more than 30,000 solar panels and earning a handy income Australian farmers say the shade offered by solar panels helps offer sheep shade and supply more constant feeds of grass, which in turn improves the quality of wool Australian farmer Tom Warren’s solar panels look like any other — until you spot the dozens of sheep grazing and napping, helping the country transition to green energy and earning him a decent income while doing it. More than 30,000 solar panels are deployed across approximately 50 hectares at Warren’s farm on the outskirts of Dubbo, around 400 kilometres (250 miles) west of Sydney. The farmer and landowner has been working with renewables firm Neoen for more than a decade and said he was initially worried the panels would restrict his sheep’s grazing. It quickly became clear those fears were unfounded. “Normally they would seek out trees and camp under the trees, but you can see that the sheep are seeking out the shade of the panels,” he told AFP at the farm in Dubbo. “So, it’s a much better environment for them as well.” The farm produces about 20 megawatts of power, he said — a “substantial amount” of the energy needs of the local area. While he can’t disclose how much he earns from the panels, he said he’s taking in much more than he would from just farming. “The solar farm income is greater than I would ever get off agriculture in this area — regardless of whether I have sheep running under the panels or not,” he said. The panels have had another surprising side effect: because the grass is shielded from the elements, it’s of more consistent quality. That, in turn, has improved the wool produced by the sheep. “The wool is actually better and cleaner,” Warren said. “All over, we’ve had about a 15 percent increase in the gross revenue coming from the sheep running under the solar farm.” Fellow farmer Tony Inder, based around 50 kilometres south in the town of Wellington, agrees. His flock is much larger — 6,000 sheep grazing on two plots of land covering 4,000 hectares. “If you want to grow wool, you just need one constant diet and then the wool will grow evenly,” he said. “Under the panels, because it’s constant shade and it’s constant green, we’re supplying a more constant feed, which in turn gives it a better quality wool.” Unlike Warren, Inder doesn’t own the land where the solar panels are installed, but the landowners let him use it for free. In exchange, “they don’t have to mow as often”, to ensure the panels function properly, but also, and more importantly, to comply with bushfire prevention regulations. Sheep, and in particular wool, were a mainstay of the Australian economy for much of the past 150 years, feeding into the notion by the 1950s that Australia “rode on the sheep’s back”. The Dubbo farm, however, was a pioneer in the field of agrivoltaics and many others are following its example. “All of our solar farms in New South Wales now have sheep grazing on them,” said Emily Walker, the company’s director for the state. “The industry is moving very quickly into a world where it’s not really possible anymore to decouple the historical-agricultural land use from the solar.” Australia remains heavily dependent on its fossil fuel economy for growth despite heavy investment in the renewable sector. Canberra has pledged to slash planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70 percent from 2005 levels over the next decade. It has also poured billions into solar power, wind turbines and green manufacturing and pledged to make Australia a renewable energy superpower. Karin Stark, director of the consulting firm Farm Renewables, told AFP that more funding to incentivise this combined use of farmland was needed. She said the benefits were clear. “As more farmers are starting to adopt renewable or host large-scale renewable on their land and continuing to farm… the more visible it is in the community,” she said. “Farmers can see that you can continue to farm and be productive.” str-oho/pbt Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks. We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription
We obviously can’t go off carbon, because reasons, amirite? AI. China will never go along. India will never go along. Africa can’t afford to go along. Nukes are obviously the answer. Never mind that it is all happening, faster than we ever dreamed, and still accelerating, while all of the lies continue to crumble and they have to think up new ones. 🎩Edward Song In other good gnus, Solar Energy growth accelerates in Africa:
Africa was the world’s fastest-growing solar market in 2025, defying a global slowdown and reshaping where the momentum in renewable energy is concentrated, according to an industry report released in late last month. The report by the Africa Solar Industry Association says the continent’s solar installed capacity expanded 17% in 2025, boosted by imports of Chinese-made solar panels. Global solar power capacity rose 23% in 2025 to 618 GW, slowing from a 44% increase in 2024. “Chinese companies are the main drivers in Africa’s green transition,” said Cynthia Angweya-Muhati, acting CEO of the Kenya Renewable Energy Association. “They are aggressively investing in and building robust supply chains in Africa green energy ecosystem.”…
🎩 2thanks Michigan has filed a “groundbreaking”lawsuit against four major fossil fuelcompanies and the top U.S. oil lobbying group for its role in fueling both the climate crisis and rising energy costs, saying they acted as a “cartel.”
Impressive that over the last day, nearly 70% of our electricity in the UK has come from renewables, reducing our reliance on imports of gas and nuclear material and reducing our production of carbon dioxide. Credit to @katemorley for the wonderful graphs at https://grid.iamkate.com
“A lot of Canadians don’t understand that #China is electrifying its economy. Not just transportation, EVERYTHING. And surprise, surprise: the rest of #Asia is copying China & China is selling its cheap technology, its #WindTurbines, #SolarPanels, #batteries, its #EVs & so on to those countries.”
🇳🇴 Norway sold only seven new petrol-powered cars in January, a tiny number compared with over 2K #EVs registered that month, showing how far the country has shifted away from #fossil-fuel cars 🚗⚡️. Even hybrid and diesel sales were much higher than petrol, underlining an overall shift to battery cars
Yeah, we have a row of these at the Meijer in Champaign IL too, just down from the row of Tesla chargers. I have seen ten or a dozen cars charging at once there. One more Electrify America stop at Meijer. This one in Bloomingdale, Illinois. Just a Lightning and Hyundai when I arrived. A second Lightning and a Kia soon joined us! #EV #ElectricVehicles #EVRoadTrip #FordLightning #DrivingOnSunshine
Sea turtles are nesting earlier than usual as waters warm. A sign of changing times & nature’s resilience. Let’s protect these creatures & their habitats. #Wildlife #ClimateChange
Recommended read: Gas flaring has risen in the Niger Delta since oil and gas major Shell sold its assets in the Nigerian “oil hub”, a @climatechangenews.com investigation found. ✍️ @jsandlerclarke.bsky.social Vivian Chime @mcivillini.bsky.social
New research reveals dangerous heat is becoming a permanent reality for parts of Africa, driven by rapid changes to the land. 🌡️ theconversation.com/heat-with-no… #Climate
Nuclear power is falling behind wind and solar, but the industry appears to be trying to take over from carbon denial. I have never seen so many of these stories on Bluesky. Michael Liebreich, LinkedIn Full year 2025, it looks like nuclear power just about kept its nose ahead of wind and solar. But in H2 2025, while wind didn’t quite overtake nuclear, solar did. In 2026 nuclear will drop to third place in the production of clean electricity.
#NoNewNukes There is no such thing as an Advanced Nuclear Reactor. They are all vastly more expensive than renewable energy, & they all come in way late & far over budget. There are advanced schemes for getting corrupt politicians to steal from the public on behalf of the nuclear power industry.
Throwing good money after bad only works when it is Other People’s Money, IOW A scam to steal from the public. The huge financial black hole faced by the Liberals and National Party in Australia. World’s most expensive nuclear power plant blows out again, by €2.5 billion and 12 months reneweconomy.com.au/worlds-most-…
“The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has issued a licence to Denison Mines Corp to prepare a site and construct a uranium mine and mill at its Wheeler River project in Saskatchewan. The project is the first uranium mine in Canada to use the in-situ recovery mining method.” #Nuclear #News […]
[image or embed] The catch in Ontario’s plan is that there is no such thing as a licensed, operating SMR anywhere in the world. Only engineering prototypes, which give no clue to real-world costs. As usual, this is a bogus plan to steal from the public, both during construction and during operation, because nukes always cost more than renewables. Small modular reactors, big dreams: Ontario’s nuclear pitch: thenarwhal.ca/ontario-darl…
Petition for Judicial Review of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and nuclear industry.
beyondnuclear.org/arizona-vote…
[image or embed] I can’t embed this. It comes back “Post not found”. That kind of makes sense, because SMRs can’t be found, other than engineering prototypes.
In 2018 Canadians 🇨🇦 were first introduced to a strategic plan coordinated by the federal government and several provinces to develop small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) across the country.
And he wants to build Nuclear Power Stations in Scotland so he can INCREASE the intensity of England’s theft of our resources. NEVER VOTE FOR AN ENGLISH UNIONIST PARTY MASQUERADING AS “BRITISH “. “British” means “English”.
🎩 Jessiestaf, Bhu, Killer300 More than a dozen health and environmental justice non-profits have sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its revocation of the legal determination that underpins US federal climate regulations. Filed in Washington DC circuit court, the lawsuit challenges the EPA’s rollback of the “endangerment finding”, which states that the buildup of heat-trapping pollution in the atmosphere endangers public health and welfare and has allowed the EPA to limit those emissions from vehicles, power plants and other industrial sources since 2009. The rollback was widely seen as a major setback to US efforts to combat the climate crisis. ⚡️ Putin Tried to Freeze Ukraine. Instead, He Sparked an Energy Revolution. Paul Hockenos, Mother Jones, February 22, 2026. Russia is bombing fossil-fueled power plants, so the country is building solar and wind. NYT [paywalled]: As Trump Obliterates Climate Efforts, States Try to Fill the Gap Across the country, Democratic-led states are accelerating their initiatives to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Their role just became much more important. Foodrise: CAP at the Crossroads – Reforming EU CAP subsidies to support healthy sustainable diets Animal-sourced foods are estimated to cause a staggering 81-86% of the total greenhouse gas emissions from EU food production, yet only supply an estimated 32% of calories and 64% of protein consumed in the EU. This new report reveals that a hugely unfair share of EU CAP subsidies, worth billions of euros of EU taxpayers’ money, are directed to propping up high-emissions meat and dairy production, and to promote meat and dairy products.
🇺🇸🇭🇺💥 U.S. solidifies nuclear influence in Central Europe! Secretary Rubio and Hungarian PM Orbán sign agreement, setting the stage for “decades of cooperation” in civilian nuclear energy. Massive international implications! Source
US metals company Comstock and its subsidiary Comstock Metals have received certification from California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to recycle universal waste and process PV modules at their California facility. The companies were added to California’s list of authorised universal waste recyclers. According to Comstock, a growing volume of decommissioned solar panels across California, Arizona and Nevada is driving increased demand for recycling capacity. Get Premium Subscription The California facility offers utilities, developers, engineering and construction firms (EPCs), installers and asset owners a local solution for end-of-life PV management. Using advanced recovery processes, the plant extracts materials including aluminium, silver, copper and gallium for reintroduction into the supply chain. Fortunato Villamagna, president of Comstock Metals, said the facility supports efforts to “close the loop” on solar by preventing retired panels from ending up in landfills. Located in California’s Central Valley, the site acts as a collection and pre-processing hub, with materials shipped to Comstock’s Nevada plant for final recovery. The facilities are positioned to address rising volumes of solar waste in California, the largest solar market in the US, with over 54GW of operational solar PV, according to data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Additionally, Comstock is completing permit applications and preparing submission plans for its Nevada plant, with final site selection expected later this month. In January 2026, Comstock secured all required permits to develop its planned solar PV module recycling facility in Nevada, receiving a Written Determination Permit from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Sustainable Materials Management on 9 January. Comstock Metals had signed a lease for the Silver Springs site in 2024 and said the project remained on track for commissioning in the first quarter of 2026. At full capacity, the facility is expected to process up to 3 million end-of-life solar modules per year, equivalent to around 100,000 tonnes of material.
BusinessDay Oladehinde Oladipo February 24, 2026 The humble backyard fence in China may never look the same again, as solar module prices collapse to around $0.10 per watt in some markets, roughly half what they cost just two years ago, according to findings by BusinessDay. Data gathered showed that developers, farmers, and homeowners in China are discovering that solar panels are no longer just rooftop equipment. They are becoming a building material in their own right. Across China, where the price collapse has been most acute, solar panels are already appearing as perimeter fencing, retaining walls, and building facades. The economics that once made such installations absurd are quietly reversing. “When modules were expensive, you needed every panel in the optimal position to justify the investment,” one renewable energy analyst noted. “That logic no longer holds.”
The China factor The driver behind the transformation is unmistakably Chinese industrial scale. Beijing’s aggressive expansion of solar manufacturing capacity, spanning polysilicon refining, wafer cutting, cell production, and module assembly, has flooded global markets with supply that has chronically outpaced demand. The result has been a sustained, steep price war that has reshaped the global energy landscape. Read also: African Development Bank solar push powers Nigerian universities off the grid Between 2022 and 2024, international module prices fell by close to 50 percent, pushing wholesale rates to levels that would have seemed implausible a decade ago. In 2010, panels commonly traded above $1 per watt. By 2017, prices had eased to around $0.40 per watt. Today, that benchmark has been shattered, with some markets seeing spot prices near $0.10 per watt. The effect has been to demote the solar panel from the most expensive component of an installation to one of its cheaper elements, a reversal that fundamentally changes project economics.
The concept of building-integrated photovoltaics is not new. Architects and engineers have experimented with solar facades for years. What is new is that plummeting panel costs have made these applications commercially viable outside of prestige or demonstration projects. A vertical solar panel captures less sunlight than one angled toward the sun on a pitched roof. But the total cost calculation increasingly favours the fence or wall. Rooftop installations carry hidden expenses: working at height, safety compliance, potential structural reinforcement, and more complex logistics all inflate labour costs. A ground-level or fence-mounted installation is faster, safer, and cheaper to erect. The trade-off, somewhat lower annual generation in exchange for meaningfully lower installation cost, is a bargain that growing numbers of project developers are willing to accept. Technology has also improved in step with falling prices. Modern residential panels routinely deliver outputs of 500 to 600 watts, with efficiencies exceeding 20 percent across many models. A decade ago, such specifications were the preserve of premium, high-cost products.
Implications for emerging markets For markets such as South Africa, where energy costs remain high and grid reliability is uncertain, the commoditisation of solar modules carries significant implications. Agricultural operations with long perimeter fences, industrial facilities, and suburban households could all find solar fencing an increasingly compelling proposition, provided grid-connection and regulatory frameworks keep pace with falling hardware costs. Grid integration remains a genuine constraint. Even as equipment becomes cheaper, the ability to feed surplus power into local networks or store it cost-effectively shapes the real-world returns from non-conventional installations. A new phase What the solar industry is witnessing amounts to a quiet but consequential shift. Solar energy is graduating from a specialised technology into something closer to a commodity construction input, an evolution that carries echoes of how steel, glass, and concrete before it changed the built environment.
The fence around a smallholding or the boundary wall of a warehouse may soon be doing double duty: defining a perimeter and quietly generating electricity. In the new economics of solar, even the most ordinary surface is becoming a candidate for the energy transition.
Dipo Oladehinde is a skilled energy analyst with experience across Nigeria’s energy sector alongside relevant know-how about Nigeria’s macro economy. He provides a blend of market intelligence, financial analysis, industry insight, micro and macro-level analysis of a wide range of local and international issues as well as informed technical rudiments for policy-making and private directions.
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Dipo Oladehinde is a skilled energy analyst with experience across Nigeria’s energy sector alongside relevant know-how about Nigeria’s macro economy. He provides a blend of market intelligence, financial analysis, industry insight, micro and macro-level analysis of a wide range of local and international issues as well as informed technical rudiments for policy-making and private directions. Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Australian Solar Enterprises has submitted plans for a new large-scale solar and battery project in Queensland for federal environmental approval, saying the 400 MW solar farm will utilise a ground-mounted racking system that eliminates the need for concrete foundations and permanent footings. Image: Jurchen Technology Renewables developer Australian Solar Enterprises (ASE) has lodged plans for its Tumuruu solar and battery energy storage project for assessment under the federal government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. The EPBC process aims to protect nationally threatened species and ecological communities. Projects must satisfy the necessary criteria before being granted development permission. The proposed Tumuruu renewable energy facility, to be built on a 673-hectare site just north of the town of Blackbutt in Queensland’s South Burnett region, includes a 400 MW solar farm supported by a 2,000 MWh battery energy storage system featuring grid-forming inverters. The facility would connect to the electricity grid via two existing 275 kV high-voltage transmission lines that cross the project site. The land is currently being used to graze cattle and Brisbane-headquartered ASE said agricultural activities are expected to resume on site following construction of the solar farm. The developer said the PV power plant, that secured local council approval in 2024, will cover just 286 hectares of the site and be developed using a ground-mounted, fixed-pitch racking system that ensures minimal disturbance and supports fast installation. ASE said it is looking at the PEG racking solution developed by German manufacturer Jurchen Technology but noted the final mounting system will be confirmed during the detailed engineering phase, to “allow flexibility for evolving PV technologies and final geotechnical conditions.” “We are proposing a low-profile, high density solar solution that will limit visual impact and conserve agricultural land whilst delivering benefits to the community,” ASE said. Jurchen’s PEG system comprises a top plate, ground plate and steel rod that is approximately 1.0 m in height. The solar panels are seated on the frame and secured in place. The lightweight system is self-stabilising, negating the need for concrete footings and ensuring minimal ground disturbance. ASE said the simplified installation approach also “reduces construction complexity and requires fewer materials, which will reduce supply, logistics and installation time by up to 40% compared to conventional alternatives.” The developer is also seeking to simplify the installation process for the battery energy storage system and inverters, looking at using an engineered screw-pile footing system developed by Queensland-based BMSA Footing Solutions. BMSA’s StumpRite system uses steel screw-piles installed into the ground to form a stable, load-bearing platform, “typically requiring limited excavation and reducing construction impacts compared to full concrete slab foundations.” 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. More articles from David Carroll Please be mindful of our community standards. Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked *
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February 24, 2026. By News Bureau Que:Over the last decade, how has Aster E Technologies evolved in terms of technology offerings and market focus across semiconductors, solar PV, and lithium battery manufacturing? Ans: Over the past decade, Aster E Technologies has evolved into a strategic enabler of advanced manufacturing ecosystems rather than just a solutions provider. Our journey mirrors the evolution of the industries we serve – solar PV, semiconductors, and lithium batteries – each becoming more technology-intensive, compliance-driven, and quality-focused.
In solar PV, we have progressed from supporting conventional module testing to enabling next-generation technologies such as TOPCon, HJT, BC, and emerging perovskite platforms. At the same time, we have expanded our capabilities in precision metrology, reliability testing, and turnkey lab execution, ensuring alignment with global IEC standards.
Our vision has always been to stay ahead of technology curves – supporting customers not only for today’s manufacturing needs, but also for what the industry is building toward tomorrow. Que:Which business vertical contributes the most to your growth, and how do you see this mix changing in the coming years? Ans: Currently, solar PV solutions remain our strongest growth driver, particularly turnkey PV labs, module reliability testing, and advanced inspection systems. This growth is fueled by India’s rapid capacity expansion and the increasing emphasis on quality, certification, and bankability.
However, we expect this mix to evolve significantly over the next few years. Lithium battery testing and semiconductor lab infrastructure are emerging as high-growth verticals, driven by EV adoption, energy storage demand, and government-backed semiconductor initiatives. Going forward, our growth will be more balanced across solar, batteries, and semiconductors, positioning Aster as a diversified advanced manufacturing solutions provider. Que:How do your solutions support efficiency improvement and yield optimisation for solar cell and module producers? Ans: Our solutions are designed to address efficiency and yield at every critical stage of production. By integrating high-accuracy metrology, reliability testing, EL/IV inspection, and environmental stress testing, we help manufacturers identify defects early, reduce rework, and prevent field failures.
We work closely with producers to implement testing strategies aligned with IEC standards and evolving cell architectures, ensuring consistent output, reduced degradation, and long-term performance stability. Ultimately, our goal is to help customers maximise yield, minimise risk, and improve overall manufacturing economics. Que:Could you shed some light on your key technology or OEM partnerships globally? Ans: Global collaboration is central to Aster’s strategy. We partner with leading international OEMs and technology innovators to bring best-in-class solutions to the Indian market. Key partnerships include:
• Zealwe Tech (China) – Turnkey PV lab and reliability testing solutions • BrightSpot Automation (USA) – Advanced inspection and measurement systems • Avalon ST (Switzerland) – High-precision LED solar simulators and metrology
These collaborations allow us to offer globally proven technologies while providing strong local integration, service, and application support in India. Que:What are your expansion plans in terms of new geographies, manufacturing hubs, or customer segments in India? Ans: Our expansion strategy is closely aligned with India’s manufacturing roadmap. We are strengthening our presence across key solar and battery manufacturing hubs, while also expanding into emerging regions where new capacities are being announced.
In addition, we are investing in local engineering, application support, and service teams, enabling faster execution and deeper customer engagement. We also see growing opportunities with research institutions, certification labs, and government-supported facilities, which will form an important part of our customer base going forward. Que:With India pushing for domestic semiconductor labs, solar manufacturing capacity, and battery giga-factories, how are you preparing to scale your operations and workforce? Ans: We view this phase as a defining moment for India’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem – and for Aster. To support this scale-up, we are investing in people, processes, and partnerships.
This includes expanding our technical workforce, strengthening training programs, enhancing project management capabilities, and deepening OEM collaboration. We are also standardising our turnkey execution frameworks to ensure speed, quality, and scalability across large projects.
Our focus is not just on growth, but on building a future-ready organisation that can support India’s ambitions in solar, semiconductors, and energy storage over the long term. Lithium Battery Testing and Semiconductor Labs Infra to Drive Next Phase of Growth: Dibakar Roy Sunil Wankhede Says Low-Carbon Materials from Alleima India Can Support India’s Climate Goals Zenergize's Navneet Daga Explains How Company Achieved 80% Localisation in DC Fast Charging Fast-Responding Gas Engines & Batteries Key to Balancing Renewable Power: Venkatesh R, Wärtsilä Can LNG & EVs Successfully Coexist in India’s Freight Ecosystem? Tells UGEL's MD Maqsood Shaikh
Insider Spotlight The system includes 22 solar panels, an inverter, battery units, breakers and related electrical materials valued at around P300,000. Why it matters Frequent power interruptions, especially during the rainy season, have long disrupted classes and school activities for the school’s 70 learners. The new installation is expected to ensure continuity of lessons and administrative work even during heavy rains and storms. The backstory Through former school principal Emerson Hadsan, the school sought assistance from SNAP-Benguet to address recurring outages affecting daily operations. In response, the company’s electrical and facilities teams volunteered to install the system and committed to providing maintenance support to keep the panels operating optimally. The solar panels were supplied by affiliate SNAP-Magat, which earlier piloted a floating solar project as part of preparations for a proposed commercial solar facility. What they’re saying During the turnover ceremony, Principal Emilyn Esnara expressed her appreciation for the support, “With this facility donated by SNAP, our teachers will be able to continuously prepare learning activities and conduct classes for the children, even during heavy rains and storms,” she said. Ambukalo Barangay Chair Rey Tello noted that Ambuklao Elementary School is the first recipient of the solar power project in Bokod, adding that the initiative is expected to help reduce the barangay’s electricity expenses. The big picture The project underscores SNAP’s broader push to support host communities while promoting sustainable and renewable energy solutions. It also aligns with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly goals focused on quality education and affordable and clean energy. SNAP operates major hydroelectric facilities in Benguet and along the Isabela-Ifugao border, as well as a battery energy storage facility in Isabela. It is a joint venture between Scatec and Aboitiz Renewables Inc., the renewable energy arm of Aboitiz Power Corp. —Vanessa Hidalgo | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
Partly cloudy. High 39F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Cloudy. Low near 30F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Updated: February 24, 2026 @ 12:37 pm Rockingham County Supervisor Sallie Wolfe-Garrison speaks during an opening celebration for the Silver Lake Nature Trail at Silver Lake Mill in June of 2025.
Rockingham County Supervisor Sallie Wolfe-Garrison speaks during an opening celebration for the Silver Lake Nature Trail at Silver Lake Mill in June of 2025. At the meeting of the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 11, permitting for a solar farm in the industrial area of Kratzer Road was considered. All who testified spoke in favor of the project. With only one supervisor explaining her vote, and none addressing any of the comments offered by the public during the hearing, the board unanimously voted against the solar farm. Why? The development in question would not be on prime farmland. It was to be in an area designated by the Rockingham Comprehensive Plan as industrial. It would have been built near other industrial-use properties, thus consolidating industrial use. Because it is solar, there would be no harmful pollution. It would not have had any negative health effect on the people who live in the area. Not only is Virginia currently a net importer of electricity, much of it from fossil-fuels, which are detrimental to the health and beauty of Shenandoah Valley and the health of our residents while data centers are increasing the need for energy in Virginia. As a result, regardless of zip code, we ratepayers will inevitably see our electric bills rise. By providing up to 5 megawatts of clean electricity, this project would have eased the shortage. Every little bit counts. A solar farm can be built far more quickly than another unhealthy coal or gas-generated plant and would not pollute the area like fossil-fuels do. At this location, construction of the solar farm would have required no trees to be cut. In fact, it would have included a tree sanctuary. No wetland would have been degraded and no water would have been impacted. The company requesting the permit is CEP Solar, a Virginia-based company committed to long-term economic and environmental benefit. Given all these positives, how is it reasonable the board flatly denied the permit? After complimenting the company on its excellent preparation and presentation, Supervisor Wolfe-Garrison, in whose district the solar farm would have been, introduced the motion to deny the permit. She said the priority of the board was to create jobs, and that the County Comprehensive Plan calls for manufacturing in that area. Supervisor Wolfe-Garrison’s remarks and the unanimous denial of the board was a stunning response to public support. Yes, jobs are important, but so is electricity. It is necessary to run the businesses that manufacture and produce goods in our area. It is necessary for the businesses that employ people in our area. It is necessary for the homes of people who live and work and want to live and work in our area. Supervisor Wolfe-Garrison’s remarks and the unanimous denial of the Board was a stunning response to public support. Yes, jobs are important, but so is electricity. It is necessary to run the businesses that manufacture and produce goods in our area. It is necessary for the businesses that employ people in our area. It is necessary for the homes of people who live and work and want to live and work in our area. How is a utility-scale solar farm not industrial? It manufactures electricity that supports jobs, which would seem to address Supervisor Wolfe-Garrison’s concerns. The board’s rejection of a utility-scale solar farm in an industrial-use area was disappointing. We need more energy — clean energy – for homes, for businesses that employ and create jobs, and for ratepayers facing ever-increasing energy bills. It should have been. Janet I. Trettner Keezleton 1 BD upstairs Apt w/office/nursery, in town Luray, water incl., avail. 3/1, $800 S.D. + $800/mo., (540) 422-5433 Prepare for power outages today with a Generac Home Standby Generator. Act now to receive a FREE 7-Year warranty with… DIVORCE-Uncontested, $475+$86 court cost. WILLS-$295.00. No court appearance. Estimated completion time twenty-one da… Portable Oxygen Concentrator May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design an… Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks. We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
Wooderson Solar Development Co has secured federal environmental approval for a 450MW solar PV power plant with 3,600MWh of co-located battery energy storage in Queensland, Australia. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act decision, issued by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), classified the Wooderson Solar PV power plant as “not a controlled action,” clearing a key regulatory hurdle for the project’s development. Located approximately 40km southwest of Gladstone and 20km west of Calliope within the Gladstone Regional Council area, the project emerges from a joint venture between established renewable energy developers RES Australia and Energy Estate through their Central Queensland Power Development Co partnership. The development spans a project area of 5,618 hectares distributed across 14 individual land parcels and local road corridors, with the actual infrastructure footprint concentrated within a disturbance area of approximately 1,849 hectares. Get Premium Subscription The battery energy storage component will provide up to 3,600MWh of storage in a DC-coupled configuration. As Neha Sinha, product manager for energy storage systems at Wärtsilä Energy Storage, told ESN Premium last year, DC-coupled solar-plus-storage projects are becoming increasingly common in Australia due to several advantages over traditional AC-coupled systems, including improved efficiency, reduced equipment costs and enhanced flexibility in energy dispatch. Solar PV modules will be deployed on both fixed racks and single-axis tracking systems, enabling optimised energy capture across daily and seasonal variations in solar irradiance. Power conversion systems integrate inverters and transformers within collector boxes distributed across the solar array, while the battery energy storage system incorporates containerised units with DC-DC converters and auxiliary transformers designed for utility-scale grid integration. Construction activities are scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2028 following a pre-construction phase encompassing geotechnical investigations, cultural heritage surveys and ecological pre-clearance assessments. Construction will take approximately 37 months, with operations expected to begin in the first quarter of 2031, following commissioning and reliability testing. Once complete, the project will have an operational lifespan of 35 years. The Wooderson approval joins an expanding pipeline of large-scale solar and storage projects undergoing federal environmental assessment across Australia. FRV recently submitted its 200MW solar-plus-storage development to the EPBC Act, while Tonic Group secured rapid EPBC Act approval for a 440MWh solar-plus-storage site in Western Australia. Meanwhile, BW ESS recently proposed a 1.6GWh battery energy storage facility for the Hunter Valley, while Western Australia’s Collie region has attracted its third utility-scale battery storage project proposal. It should also be noted that the EPBC Act is currently undergoing an overhaul, which promises streamlined approvals, as industry voices expressed mixed support for proposed changes to environmental assessment processes. The Energy Storage Summit Australia 2026 will be returning to Sydney on 18-19 March. It features keynote speeches and panel discussions on topics such as the Capacity Investment Scheme, long-duration energy storage, and BESS revenue streams. ESN Premium subscribers receive an exclusive discount on ticket prices. To secure your tickets and learn more about the event, please visit the official website.
How to enable bankability for large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects was the main topic of the opening panel discussion at the Energy Storage Summit 2026, which kicked off today (24 February) in London, UK. The two-day event is put on by our publisher Solar Media, part of Informa Markets, and is in its 11th year, and after a series of keynotes and presentations, panellists took to the stage for the ‘Shaping Bankable Storage: Market-Tested Insights’ discussion. “Volatility makes it very hard to underwrite investment case for projects in line with private equity and private investment requirements,” Semih Öztreves, chief commercial officer BESS of UK owner-operator Zenobē. Roughly 80% of UK capacity is underwritten with some kind of toll or floor, he said. “No project above 100MW is fully merchant, in the context of the UK at least.” Get Premium Subscription The firm is one of the UK’s pioneers in large-scale projects, with its Blackhillock project in Scotland the first to provide stability services to the National Energy System Operator (NESO) and this week signing an industry-first 15-year toll for a 4-hour BESS, also in Scotland. “It’s probably one of the longest tolls signed in the market,” Öztreves said. “And I don’t think it will be a one-off.” In Italy, there is currently a ‘perfect storm’ of schemes that in theory provide revenue certainty that help bankability, like the MACSE and Capacity Market auctions, but in reality actually make long-term revenue forecasting less clear. That is because their rules can change and distort the market, according to Eliano Russo, CEO Italy for renewables and storage independent power producer (IPP) Zelestra. “To fully exploit things like MACSE and the CM, you need to remove all the uncertainties and not have auction parameters changed last-minute,” he said. Headquartered in Spain, it has been notable for driving new types of offtake deals involving BESS, including in Chile, Spain and Italy, which Russo discussed with ESN Premium recently. The number of banks that have financed BESS projects has gone from something like around 10 to something like 60, said Erik Strømsø, CEO of BW ESS, the BESS investor-operator platform of shipping and oil & gas firm BW Group. It has built up large portfolios in the UK, Sweden and Australia and is also expanding into Italy, Germany and Spain. In a conversation with Energy-Storage.news earlier in the day, Strømsø discussed the imbalance in the demand and supply of tolls in the BESS industry, and said it was a fairly natural step in the evolution of a new market, and would change over time. That imbalance means the power lies with the toll providers, particularly if the toll is needed to get a project to final investment decision (FID). Elaborating on this topic, Ruben Valiente, managing director of Switzerland-headquartered BESS manufacturer Maxxen, said: “The tolls are being applied at such a discount, I think it’s disadvantaging the sponsors. Money is being left on the table for them.” Panellists agreed that BESS tolls are largely bespoke and still are not standardising, though there is an element of new ceilings, features, lengths or sizes agreed which then informs the next deal signed, making new structures possible. A question from the audience then asked the panel how warranties play into the topic of bankability. Zelestra took part in MACSE but was not awarded a contract, which had terms of 15 years. Russo said that the firm discussed with its suppliers and the price of extending warranties’ capacity guarantees beyond the 10-year standard was ‘very high’, in some cases potentially jeopardising project economics. Valiente and Strømsø both said that, although this was obviously key, it made choosing a supplier and project configuration even more important. “Above all we need to make warranties simple,” Valiente added, pointing out that really warranty lifetimes are on cycles and not time. Henry Xu, head of UK energy storage for China-headquartered inverter and BESS manufacturer Sungrow, added that as a supplier the nature of tolls didn’t particularly affect it’s strategy. In January, we published an article rounding up the views of numerous other event speakers on the topic of financing large-scale BESS in Europe in the lead-up to the Summit event. That piece was also included in a printed publication, The Energy Storage Report 2026, which has been distributed at this week’s event.
1 advisories in effect for 2 regions in the area See the complete list WEATHER ALERT 1 advisories in effect for 2 regions in the area 3 minutes ago Man accused of scamming Miami Shores woman out of home, finances 4 minutes ago Miami food store manager accused of stealing $300K in lottery scratch-off tickets 16 minutes ago Hollywood PD: Driver arrested after preparing for ‘intersection takeover,’ striking curb outside City Hall 39 minutes ago Man accused of hosting cock-fighting events at Miami-Dade property 15 minutes ago Miami police: ‘Paranoid’ man gets into patrol car asking for help after crack cocaine relapse ends in crash Chris Gothner, Digital Journalist Published: Tags: Miami-Dade County, Crime MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested an Amazon delivery driver they said was stealing items meant for customers. Andy Manuel Garcia Machado, 29, of southwest Miami-Dade, was taken into custody on a grand theft charge Monday at the Amazon warehouse at 13320 SW 132nd Ave., near Miami Executive Airport. According to an MDSO arrest report, a loss prevention employee called authorities to report that since Garcia Machado’s hire on Nov. 19, “she has noticed multiple high-value items being reported as missing” by Garcia Machado, totaling $1,757. “These items include a PlayStation console, solar panel, Bluetooth speaker, watch, air purifier and a Snickers bar,” a deputy wrote. Deputies said on Monday, the loss prevention employee “confronted (him) about the items which he reported as missing, at which point, he confessed to her that he had reported them as missing and taken the items for himself instead of delivering them to customers of Amazon.” According to the report, Garcia Machado admitted to the deputy “that he had purposefully marked the items as delivered, subsequently taking them home and selling them privately to make money.” As of Tuesday morning, Garcia Machado was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $2,500 bond. Additionally, the Cuban national has been placed on an immigration hold. Local 10 News has contacted Amazon seeking comment. Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved. Chris Gothner joined the Local 10 News team in 2022 as a Digital Journalist.
Artificial intelligence can accelerate the planning, construction, and operation of photovoltaic systems, as shown at the recent Solar Quality Summit in Barcelona, Spain. But its effectiveness depends on data quality, as poor data, unclear responsibilities, and weak documentation can become major cost drivers. Image: Joan Gosa, SolarPower Europe “Are you ready for artificial intelligence?” With this question, David Moser, head of the Becquerel Institute Italy, opened the recent Solar Quality Summit in Barcelona. The two-day conference, attended by 250 representatives from project development, operations, financing, and monitoring, focused on AI more intensively than ever before. Organized by SolarPower Europe and Intersolar Europe, the event made AI the central theme of almost every session, highlighting its role in faster business model evaluation, accelerated planning, improved forecasts, and more meticulous construction quality verification. At the start, organizers showed a video of participants describing how they already integrate AI into daily work. The examples focused on productivity tools, analogous to the shift from letters to email. Users can work faster and make decisions from a broader data foundation, while those who ignore AI risk falling behind. A key challenge: software solutions developed at great expense to differentiate companies could be replicated quickly by competitors using AI at a fraction of the cost, making some risk-taking potentially wasted investment. The most repeated phrase at the summit was “Garbage in, garbage out.” As decisions become more data-driven, poor data quality can quickly become costly. AI not only makes mistakes – which all participants acknowledged – but can reproduce them quickly and at scale. “You can’t leave your brain at the door,” one participant noted. The takeaway: AI results must be validated; without human accountability, AI does not eliminate risk. In a panel on AI in quality management and operations, participants discussed its application in photovoltaic projects. The audience associated AI with automation, prediction, and data analysis, but benefits depend on structured, high-quality data. Sensors alone are not enough; responsibility is equally critical. An audience poll illustrated this: five days before handover of a ground-mounted PV system, a defect is discovered that may cause problems in three to five years. Should construction be stopped, formally reported, ignored, or informally passed to O&M? Most participants considered stopping construction unlikely. One panelist wryly noted he had never seen such a scenario handled that way. Passing responsibility formally to operations management seemed more plausible. Time and budget pressures, along with fragmented responsibilities, often allow defects to slip through. AI could help reduce these issues. Systematic recording of construction and quality data – including location, evidence, severity, and status – makes unnoticed problems harder to ignore. Drone images compared against digital twins can reveal deviations early. Yet reality remains challenging: checklists are often filled with desired values rather than actual measurements to save time, multimeter readings are sent via WhatsApp instead of properly documented, and daily reports are compiled weekly, resulting in lost detail. Humans, not just AI, make mistakes. Most participants agreed AI has potential to create industry value, though measuring it is not straightforward. In the discussed applications, AI prevents losses rather than generating revenue, making prevented errors hard to quantify. It can reduce rework, increase standardization, and shift corrections to the planning phase, where costs are lower. One panelist described AI as a tool to detect lapses in discipline early, helping avoid long-term costs rather than guaranteeing quality. Cybersecurity concerns Cybersecurity was the summit’s second major topic. Recent incidents, such as the suspected Russian hack of power facilities in Poland, shaped the discussion. As photovoltaic systems become more interconnected—spanning inverters, SCADA, park controllers, and cloud monitoring – the attack surface grows. New European regulations – NIS2, the Cybersecurity Act, the Cyber Resilience Act, and the Network Code on Cybersecurity – require compliance, yet are highly technical and inconsistent across countries. Deep cybersecurity expertise remains scarce. Two points were emphasized: cybersecurity is ongoing, not a one-off checklist. Patching, updates, monitoring, and incident response are continuous tasks. Geopolitics adds risk: networks involve manufacturers, software, and cloud infrastructure with varying vulnerabilities. Simply avoiding hardware from a certain manufacturer or country does not guarantee safety; in the Poland incident, hackers accessed European and Japanese controllers with weak passwords and missing updates. Still, excessive strategic dependencies should be avoided, and early integration of cybersecurity checks is essential. The Solar Quality Summit showed that the industry is entering a new phase. AI can accelerate processes, prioritize risks, and detect errors earlier—but it also magnifies weaknesses if data, documentation, and accountability are not clearly defined. As the summit’s unofficial motto put it: “Garbage in, garbage out.” 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. More articles from Marian Willuhn Please be mindful of our community standards. Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked *
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India's PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana has installed rooftop solar on over 3 million households since February 2024, marking a significant milestone. While celebrated as a driver of clean energy savings and sustainability, the scheme faces considerable headwinds. Potential challenges include hesitancy from financial institutions, resistance from electricity distribution companies concerned about revenue, and complexities in scaling deployment beyond initial adoption phases. The program's long-term success hinges on navigating these systemic issues to meet its ambitious one-crore household target by 2026-27. THE SEAMLESS LINK The reported installation of rooftop solar systems across 3 million households under the PM Surya Ghar scheme represents a substantial stride in India's renewable energy ambitions. This achievement, however, masks deeper operational complexities and potential sustainability concerns as the program gears up for its next phase of expansion, aiming for one crore installations by 2026-27. Crossing the 3 million household mark since the scheme's launch in February 2024 underscores rapid initial uptake, a testament to the government's promotional efforts and direct subsidies [17]. The scheme targets the generation of 1,000 billion units of renewable electricity and a reduction of 720 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over 25 years [from prompt]. However, this accelerated pace may not be sustainable without addressing critical bottlenecks. Reports indicate that while applications are high, the actual installation rate faces friction from financing limitations and uneven state-level implementation [7]. Banks exhibit reluctance to finance small-scale rooftop projects due to perceived credit risks and a lack of experience with decentralized solar lending models, constraining access for many households [2, 7, 16]. India's renewable energy market is experiencing robust growth, with solar power leading the charge. The country has become the world's third-largest solar energy market, demonstrating strong investor confidence and significant capacity additions. Projections indicate continued expansion, with solar energy accounting for a substantial portion of the nation's renewable energy mix [4, 9, 12, 13]. Despite this positive sector outlook, rooftop solar (RTS) has historically lagged behind utility-scale projects, often falling short of government targets [19, 24]. The current PM Surya Ghar scheme, while well-funded, aims to overcome these past challenges through simplified digital processes, collateral-free loans, and removal of technical feasibility requirements [11]. However, previous ambitious RTS targets, such as the 40 GW goal for 2022, were not met, highlighting the persistent implementation difficulties [19, 24]. This historical context suggests that achieving the one-crore household target requires more than just policy directives; it demands seamless execution across all stakeholders. The success of the PM Surya Ghar scheme faces inherent structural tensions and competitive risks. A primary concern is the impact on electricity distribution companies (Discoms). While RTS offers household savings, it can erode Discom revenues, particularly from high-consumption, higher-income customers who are most likely to adopt solar. This revenue loss can disrupt the recovery of fixed costs and undermine the cross-subsidies that support lower-income consumers [5, 7, 19]. Discoms themselves have shown resistance, viewing distributed solar as a threat to their financial stability rather than an opportunity for grid modernization [2, 5, 7]. Furthermore, installer reliability and quality assurance remain persistent issues in the rooftop solar industry, potentially leading to system underperformance or premature failures, eroding consumer trust [14]. Without robust mechanisms to ensure quality and to balance the financial interests of both consumers and Discoms, the rapid, scaled deployment envisioned by the scheme may falter. Past performance of similar government programs indicates that while initial adoption can be strong, long-term sustainability is contingent on resolving these complex interdependencies. The Indian government's commitment to renewable energy is evident in the increased budgetary allocations for schemes like PM Surya Ghar and a broader push towards a sustainable energy future [17]. Analysts maintain a positive outlook for the broader solar sector, with many companies receiving 'Buy' ratings and attractive price targets, suggesting confidence in the industry's growth trajectory [26, 30, 31]. However, achieving the ambitious one-crore household target by 2026-27 will depend critically on overcoming financing challenges, securing active cooperation from state utilities, and addressing lingering quality and consumer trust issues. The trajectory of adoption in the coming years will be a key indicator of the scheme's ultimate success in transforming India's energy landscape.
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