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Decoupling the Transparency-Efficiency Trade-Off in Semi-Transparent Organic Solar Cells via Optimized Dual-Channel Photoelectric Conversion  Wiley & Sons
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2025 was one of the warmest years on record, and each subsequent year will threaten to break that record. If you want to stay cool without worsening the situation, you might be tempted to use solar-powered cooling systems, but that implies solar panels work when you need air conditioning the most: during heatwaves. Unfortunately, they are subject to the rule of “too much of a good thing.”
While solar panels generally work best in direct sunlight, they ironically don’t do well in high temperatures — when the sun is at its strongest — due to how they generate electricity. Basically, the sun (and to a lesser extent artificial sources of light) generate particles known as photons, and when they reach solar panels, they create electric fields that make electrons start moving, creating a current that eventually produces the electricity we rely on. However, the hotter a material gets, the more its molecules move, electrons included. Above a certain temperature, electrons move around a little too much, making it harder to move through the solar panel to where they need to be, reducing voltage (the pressure of electric flow) and, in turn, efficiency.
As a general rule, solar panels work best at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit), and every degree Celsius above that hamstrings efficiency by 0.5%. Heatwaves can heat solar panels up to 65 degrees Celsius or more, reducing efficiency by as much as 25%. While direct heat/sunlight can impact a solar panel’s performance, a lack of cooling solutions can make their temperatures soar even hotter.
You might wonder why solar panel efficiency caps out at 77 degrees. That’s because these systems are tested around that temperature. While we have little control over the day-to-day temperatures (humanity’s influence on climate change notwithstanding), we can customize our solar panel installations so they don’t heat up too much.
Since heat rises, not only do solar panels have to contend with the ambient outdoor temperature but also any heat that escapes from house roofs. However, installing anchors that provide a few inches of breathing room between the roof and the solar panel gives heat enough space to dissipate while also providing a passive convective air flow cooling solution. Furthermore, while traditional logic says you want to use solar panels with dark colors that absorb as much light as possible, solar cells made out of reflective, light-colored materials stay cooler and thus maintain efficiency more readily during heatwaves,
Even if you can’t keep solar panels themselves cool, you can mitigate some efficiency degradation by cooling the inverter (the component that turns the electrical current into usable electricity). Installing inverters in shaded areas — e.g., behind the solar panel — gives them a break from the heat and maintains somewhat optimal temperatures. If only you could keep solar panels cool by setting them up in shaded areas, but that would defeat the purpose.

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The Business Research Company
The Business Research Company’s Photovoltaic In-line Fuse Holder Global Market Report 2026 – Market Size, Trends, And Forecast 2026-2035
LONDON, GREATER LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, July 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The photovoltaic in-line fuse holder market has witnessed notable growth recently as solar energy adoption accelerates worldwide. This sector, crucial for protecting solar power systems, is expected to continue expanding due to rising solar installations and stronger safety requirements. Let’s explore the current market size, key growth drivers, regional dynamics, and upcoming trends shaping the photovoltaic in-line fuse holder landscape.
Current Market Size and Growth Prospects in the Photovoltaic In-line Fuse Holder Market
The photovoltaic in-line fuse holder market has experienced steady expansion, reaching $1.22 billion in 2025 and projected to grow to $1.31 billion in 2026, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.8%. This growth during the recent past is largely due to increased rooftop solar installations, the initial steps toward DC protection standardization in photovoltaic systems, more integrated inverter solutions, limited use of advanced fuse protection devices, and expansion in cost-effective PV component manufacturing. Moving forward, the market is expected to surge further, reaching $1.78 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 8.0%. Key factors propelling this forecasted expansion include the rise in utility-scale solar projects, growing adoption of high voltage DC systems, stricter international electrical safety regulations, greater use of bifacial and advanced PV modules, and increasing domestic production of solar electrical parts.
Download a free sample of the photovoltaic in-line fuse holder market report:
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Understanding Photovoltaic In-line Fuse Holders and Their Functional Role
A photovoltaic (PV) in-line fuse holder serves as an essential electrical component within solar systems, designed to securely house fuse elements. Its primary function is to protect DC circuits by interrupting excessive current flows, preventing damage to critical components such as solar panels and inverters. Engineered to endure tough outdoor environments, these fuse holders offer resistance to UV rays, high temperatures, and moisture, ensuring dependable operation even under harsh conditions.
Key Growth Driver: Expansion of Solar Capacity Boosting Market Demand
One of the main factors fueling the photovoltaic in-line fuse holder market is the steady increase in solar capacity worldwide. Solar capacity, defined as the total power output potential of solar installations in megawatts or gigawatts, continues to grow as governments implement ambitious renewable energy policies. Incentives, subsidies, and regulatory frameworks aimed at cutting carbon emissions and enhancing energy security are pushing solar adoption. Photovoltaic in-line fuse holders play a critical role in supporting this growth by providing reliable electrical protection that prevents faults and damage, which in turn allows solar systems to scale efficiently. For example, in May 2025, the UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan targets solar capacity to expand to between 45 and 57 gigawatts by 2030, more than doubling the 18.1 gigawatts recorded in March 2025. This substantial increase in solar capacity is a significant driver for the in-line fuse holder market.
View the full photovoltaic in-line fuse holder market report:
https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/photovoltaic-in-line-fuse-holder-market-report?utm_source=EINPresswire&utm_medium=Paid&utm_campaign=Jun_PR
Growing Investments in Renewable Energy Infrastructure Enhancing Market Expansion
Another powerful catalyst for the photovoltaic in-line fuse holder market is the surge in investments toward renewable energy infrastructure. This infrastructure includes facilities like solar power plants, wind farms, and grid networks designed to deliver clean energy. Government funding and commitments to accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy systems are fueling this growth. Photovoltaic in-line fuse holders contribute by ensuring electrical safety and system reliability across expanding solar infrastructure, protecting against overcurrent and potential failures. For instance, in August 2025, The Energy Saving Trust Limited reported that the UK’s Great British Energy would receive £8.3 billion ($11.1 billion USD) in funding to advance clean energy projects, marking a notable rise in renewable infrastructure investment. This influx of capital is directly supporting the market’s upward trajectory.
Regional Market Overview Highlighting Asia-Pacific Leadership and Growth
In terms of regional presence, Asia-Pacific dominated the photovoltaic in-line fuse holder market in 2025 and is poised to be the fastest-growing region throughout the forecast period. The market study includes regions such as Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, and the Middle East and Africa, providing a comprehensive global perspective. The strong growth in Asia-Pacific is driven by rising solar adoption, increasing manufacturing capabilities, and supportive governmental policies across key countries in the region.
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News Brief
Arun Dhital
Jul 04, 2026 | Updated 03:15 PM GMT+5:30
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Coal India Limited (CIL) and Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (UPRVUNL) have entered into a joint venture agreement to set up renewable energy projects across Uttar Pradesh, The Times of India reported.
The agreement, signed on Friday (3 July), is aimed at bolstering the state’s energy security while widening its clean power generation capacity.
The agreement was inked in the presence of UPRVUNL managing director Mayur Maheshwari and Coal India director (business development) Asheesh Kumar, along with senior officials from both bodies and representatives of Invest UP.
As part of the arrangement, the two organisations will form a joint venture company in which Coal India will hold a 51 percent equity stake, while UPRVUNL will retain the remaining 49 percent.
The new entity has been tasked with developing, financing, constructing, operating and maintaining a variety of renewable energy projects in the state.
These include ground-mounted solar, floating solar and rooftop solar installations, as well as wind energy, pumped storage projects and other clean energy technologies that both partners may agree upon.
According to officials, the tie-up brings together Coal India’s financial muscle, execution experience and expanding renewable energy portfolio with UPRVUNL’s strength in power generation and its familiarity with Uttar Pradesh’s energy needs.
The collaboration is expected to help the state meet its growing electricity demand through the creation of sustainable energy infrastructure.
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The artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure build-out is booming, with hyperscalers devoting up to $700 billion in capital expenditures this year to build data centers. The AI gold rush has created significant distortions across industries, including memory chips and power solutions.
Technology companies are scrambling to secure reliable energy for their growing data center footprints, and more are exploring creative solutions to bypass the slow timelines for power-grid interconnection.
If you're looking to capitalize on the power crunch for hyperscaler data center spending, here are three under-the-radar AI energy stocks to consider right now.
Image source: Getty Images.
Ford Motor Company (F 2.13%) is leveraging its electric vehicle infrastructure to pivot toward battery energy solutions for hyperscalers and other customers. Through its newly announced subsidiary, Ford Energy, the company is reworking its multibillion-dollar manufacturing facility in Kentucky to produce the Ford Energy DC Block, a containerized battery energy storage system (BESS) that aims to provide reliable power to utilities, data centers, and industrial facilities.
Because AI workloads place significant strain on the energy grid, they require dispatchable backup power to manage peak-demand ramp-ups. Ford's pivot to BESS could help address these challenges faced by AI data centers, and it recently secured a five-year framework agreement to supply up to 20 gigawatt-hours of BESS capacity to EDF Renewables.
Utility providers could benefit from Ford's battery systems because they can buy and store power when electricity rates are low and then discharge it back into the grid during peak demand. And because Ford's batteries use lithium iron phosphate (LFP), they can respond quickly and instantly balance grid frequency and shift peak energy loads over their 20-year lifespan.
In the coming years, investors will want to see Ford's execution on its non-automotive battery business. The company will retool its facility over the next year and aims to ship out its first utility DC blocks by late 2027. After that, it aims to deploy up to 20 GWh of grid storage annually to meet the booming electrical demands.
FuelCell Energy (FCEL 11.85%) has developed stationary fuel cell platforms for decades. Its fuel cells use molten carbonate to electrochemically convert cleaner-burning fuels, such as hydrogen or biogas, into electricity. Its fuel cells provide baseload energy, consistently producing power, unlike intermittent renewables like wind or solar.
The AI spending supercycle has been a boon for FuelCell's commercial pipeline. Data center customers account for nearly 90% of its 4-gigawatt sales pipeline. FuelCell's 12.5-megawatt fuel-cell power block provides continuous, uninterrupted on-site power for hyperscalers, allowing them to bypass power grids entirely with private, on-site energy generation.
In the second quarter, the company's 4 GW sales pipeline grew 267% compared to the first quarter. One thing investors must bear in mind is that these are ongoing discussions and contract negotiations, and not finalized sales agreements. To meet this demand, the company is looking to increase its annual production rate capacity at its Connecticut facility to 500 megawatts (MW), which will cost it between $200 million and $275 million over the next two years.
Through the first six months of the year, the company has incurred a $104 million loss from operations. Not only that, but the company has significantly diluted shareholders' equity in recent years to expand. FuelCell's push into data centers could give it a much-needed boost after years of unprofitable operations, but investors should understand that this is a high-risk, high-reward stock and size their position accordingly.
Fluence Energy (FLNC 7.38%) emerged as a joint venture between industrial titan Siemens and global energy company AES. The company provides modular, utility-scale battery storage hardware, such as its Smartstack platform, which integrates its internally developed software to eliminate complex manual workloads and reduce battery maintenance downtime.
The company made headlines in early June when it announced a partnership with Nvidia to integrate its energy storage systems into Nvidia's "AI factories." Fluence's Smartstack platform will provide system management for sensitive AI servers, including things like active monitoring and voltage stabilization. Like Ford and FuelCell, it can help hyperscalers power their data centers faster with its quick-to-deploy systems.
Competition in the space is heating up, and Fluence faces competition from other battery platforms, including Tesla and other entrants. However, the company benefits from partnering with Nvidia, where its systems are custom-built for Nvidia's high-density Vera Rubin NVL72 rack-scale AI supercomputers. Investing in the stock comes with risks related to scaling up, but the upside potential from its Nvidia partnership makes the stock worth taking a chance on for investors with a long-term outlook.
Courtney Carlsen has positions in Fluence Energy, Ford Motor Company, FuelCell Energy, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Fluence Energy, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Siemens Energy Ag. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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The massive spending by hyperscalers is creating massive demand for reliable energy solutions.

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The Business Research Company
The Business Research Company’s Photovoltaic (PV) Plant Operations And Maintenance Services Global Market Report 2026 – Market Size, And Forecast 2026-2035
LONDON, GREATER LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, July 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — "The photovoltaic (PV) plant operations and maintenance services sector has seen substantial growth recently, reflecting the broader shift toward renewable energy. As solar power installations continue to rise, the demand for reliable and efficient operation and maintenance services is becoming increasingly important. Let’s explore the current market size, key growth drivers, regional dynamics, and future trends shaping this vital industry.
Anticipated Market Size of the Photovoltaic Plant Operations and Maintenance Services Market by 2025
The photovoltaic plant operations and maintenance services market has experienced significant expansion over recent years. It is projected to increase from $5.33 billion in 2025 to $5.77 billion in 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.3%. This historic growth has been largely driven by the rapid rise of utility-scale solar projects, decreasing prices of photovoltaic modules, the early adoption phase of fundamental O&M services, limited remote monitoring technologies, and operational models that have primarily relied on reactive maintenance.
Download a free sample of the photovoltaic (pv) plant operations and maintenance services market report:
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Future Market Growth Prospects for Photovoltaic Plant Operations and Maintenance Services
Looking ahead, the market is expected to maintain its strong upward trajectory, reaching $8 billion by 2030 with an estimated CAGR of 8.5%. This forecasted expansion is fueled by an increasing number of aging solar assets, a greater focus on optimizing plant performance, continuous additions to utility-scale solar capacity, the need to extend the lifecycle of photovoltaic systems, and a growing trend among asset owners to outsource O&M services. Key trends anticipated during this period include repowering and retrofitting aged solar installations, the emergence of performance-based O&M contracts, services aimed at managing grid curtailment and energy dispatch optimization, specialized training programs for solar technicians, and the incorporation of insurance-integrated, risk-based maintenance planning solutions.
Understanding Photovoltaic Plant Operations and Maintenance Services
Photovoltaic plant O&M services encompass a broad range of activities aimed at ensuring the consistent and efficient operation of solar PV power plants. These tasks include ongoing monitoring, inspections, repairs, and system optimizations. By performing these functions, O&M services help extend the lifespan, boost energy output, enhance safety, and reduce operational risks and downtime for solar installations.
View the full photovoltaic (pv) plant operations and maintenance services market report:
https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/photovoltaic-pv-plant-operations-and-maintenance-services-market-report?utm_source=EINPresswire&utm_medium=Paid&utm_campaign=Jun_PR
Renewable Energy Demand as a Catalyst for Market Growth
One of the primary factors propelling the photovoltaic plant O&M market is the surging demand for renewable energy sources. Renewable energy comes from naturally replenishing processes like sunlight, wind, and biomass, which offer environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuels. The shift toward sustainable energy systems and reducing carbon emissions is driving this demand. Photovoltaic plant O&M services play a crucial role by keeping solar power systems running at peak performance, ensuring reliability, and maximizing asset longevity through diligent maintenance and efficiency improvements. For instance, in August 2025, Climate Action, a UK-based climate group, reported that renewable energy’s share of UK electricity generation rose to 50.4% in 2024 from 46.5% in 2023. This increase was supported by record wind output, steady solar performance, and a 17% boost in bioenergy production, underlining the strengthening adoption of renewables and the corresponding need for O&M services.
Regional Overview of the Photovoltaic Plant Operations and Maintenance Services Market
In terms of geographical distribution, Asia-Pacific held the largest share of the photovoltaic plant O&M services market in 2025. Meanwhile, the Middle East is anticipated to be the fastest-growing region throughout the forecast period. The market analysis encompasses key regions including Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, and the Middle East and Africa, providing a comprehensive view of global market trends and opportunities.
Our 2026 reports feature deeper market intelligence with market attractiveness scoring and analysis, total addressable market (TAM) analysis, company scoring matrix graphics and tables, Excel-based forecasting dashboards, market hotspots infographics, key technologies and future trend analysis, and updated graphics and tables.
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Austin Haughton
Published: July 4, 2026
A pair of new solar-powered trash cans have arrived in the queue of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom.
We spotted the new trash cans in the outdoor portion of the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure queue, near the “Children’s Garden” sign and close to the green double doors leading toward the first interior section of the attraction queue.
The pair includes a trash can and a recycling bin. The recycling bin is marked with a white recycling symbol and “RECYCLE” text on the front. The units are dark brown with black side panels, helping them blend in with the rustic queue environment around Tiana’s Foods.
Like the versions previously installed around EPCOT, these bins have glossy solar panels built into the curved top surface. A small green light is visible on the front of one unit, and each bin has a foot pedal near the base. Guests use the pedal to open the disposal slot, rather than lifting the lid by hand.
The front of each unit also features a black handle panel. As seen with the EPCOT installations, these handles are for Cast Members to access the bins for emptying, not for guests to use.
The placement is notable because Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’s queue can see long waits and extended outdoor crowd flow, particularly during peak periods. Installing the bins inside the queue gives guests a place to dispose of waste without leaving the line.
Another single-unit trash can is placed along the attraction’s exit path, just shy of the attraction’s PhotoPass counter.
The new appearance at Magic Kingdom follows the rollout of similar solar-powered trash and recycling bins at EPCOT. The first units debuted around World Showcase in June. Those cans included World Showcase medallions and the same foot-pedal design.
Disney later confirmed that the solar-powered trash cans would expand across Walt Disney World, with Walt Disney Imagineering involved in the theming and design so the units would resemble the cans they are replacing.
The rollout was said to include additional theme parks, Disney Springs, water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and other locations throughout the year. More of the bins subsequently arrived in EPCOT’s World Showcase, including at Refreshment Outpost and the Germany pavilion.
What do you think of the new solar-powered bins? Let us know on social media.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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The Ross Garnaut-founded South Australia (SA)-based Zen Energy has entered administration with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) reporting a notice of application for winding up order has been received.
The order was commenced by the plaintiff SA Power Networks on 26 June 2026 and will be heard on 5 August 2026 at the SA district federal court.
According to reports in SA media outlets Zen Energy has sold its infrastructure assets and appointed adminstrators, McGrathNicol Restructuring partners Rob Smith and Jason Preston.
An Across Government Electricity Retail Agreement with Zen Energy to supply 100% renewable electricity to the SA government was worth an estimated $1.5 billion (USD 1 billion).
A government spokesperson has told local media electricity supply to public authorities previously buying electricity from Zen Energy has now transitioned to AGL as SA’s default electricity retailer of last resort, under established regulatory arrangements.
Co-founder Ross Garnaut had resigned from the company in May 2026, replaced by new chair Mark Butcher.
Commitments it did not fulfil for the SA government include a 280 MW solar farm near Whyalla, and a 100 MW utility battery near Port Augusta, due to third-party financing issues, local media InDaily reports.
The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) announced on 3 July 2026 conditional approval to Zen Energy Retail to transfer electricity retail authorisation to Zen Energy Retail Holdings.
The approval was opposed by SA Power Networks.

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Opinion | ‘Overcapacity’ talk reflects a West irked by China’s industrial rise  South China Morning Post
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BRIZO floating solar technology, developed by Fred. Olsen 1848, has received independent technical verification from DNV, a development that strengthens its readiness for commercial projects in more demanding aquatic environments.
The review confirmed the system’s technical soundness in accordance with the recommended practice DNV-RP-0584, used for the design, development, and operation of floating photovoltaic solar systems. With this validation, BRIZO gains technical support to move toward larger-scale deployments in floating solar energy.
According to the technical information evaluated, DNV reviewed design methodologies, hydrodynamic loads, structural behavior, and testing procedures. The analysis also included tests with physical models to study the system’s response to wave action.
BRIZO uses a flexible configuration of rope, mesh and tensioning; this architecture was designed to operate in more exposed conditions than conventional floating photovoltaic systems, including inland bodies of water with waves and nearshore areas.
The technology can handle waves up to 3.5 meters in significant height, expanding its field of application compared to solutions limited to calm reservoirs, protected lakes or low-energy waters.
Furthermore, this capability can open new areas for renewable energy generation in regions with land constraints, complex permitting processes, or strain on electrical infrastructure. In this context, floating solar power is emerging as an alternative for expanding photovoltaic capacity without occupying large areas of land.
DNV certification also enhances the confidence of developers, investors, and financial institutions. In emerging renewable energy projects, third-party validation helps reduce technical uncertainties before moving from demonstrations to commercial implementation.
Geir Grimsrud, technical director of Fred. Olsen 1848, noted that the declaration of conformity confirms the strength of BRIZO’s technical approach and supports its commercial roadmap. Prajeev Rasiah, senior vice president and regional director for Northern Europe of Energy Systems at DNV, emphasized that floating solar is entering a more mature stage where operating beyond protected waters will be crucial.
As solar photovoltaics grows globally, factors such as land availability, grid access, and permitting become increasingly important in the development of new projects. Therefore, FPV solutions capable of operating in a wider range of aquatic environments could expand the floating solar energy market.
Fred. Olsen 1848, a company focused on renewable technologies, seeks with BRIZO to respond to technical challenges in the sector and facilitate more flexible solar generation in areas where land use limits energy development.
Source and photos: Mynewsdesk
Analyst and writer of news specialized in industrial technology, with a solid background in engineering. My work focuses on curating and synthesizing complex information, transforming technical advances and regulatory changes into journalistic reports.
The Southern Cyclades interconnection incorporates submarine cables and digital substations to integrate the islands into the mainland power system.
The completion of the export cables marks a decisive advance in the transmission infrastructure of the Inch Cape offshore wind farm.
The company drives its six-well campaign in Sinú-9 and prepares a new development in María Conchita to strengthen natural gas supply.
Tank inspection has evolved toward robotic systems that assess the actual condition of the asset without interrupting operations.
API 20S mandates the qualification of 3D printed parts for pressure equipment, with traceability, NDT, and technical control.
The evolution towards automated tank gauging systems reduces uncertainty, optimizing inventory management and regulatory compliance.
SeaBird will use the Fulmar Explorer in a three-month offshore campaign to acquire seismic data in West Africa.
Haizea begins manufacturing monopiles for Norfolk Vanguard West in Bilbao and strengthens its presence in offshore wind energy.
The Rem Ocean left Vietnam bound for Norway, where it will begin the final stage of outfitting and commissioning.
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Superyachts
Published on Jul 05, 2026 at 6:07 AM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Jul 05, 2026 at 6:07 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by Mason Jones
The man who’s been traveling the world with a solar-powered yacht on an (almost) zero-dollar budget for fuel managed to cover 60 nautical miles with zero fuel in Ibiza, Spain.
Naturally, it was entirely powered by the sun like his previous journey from Finland.
But this journey was done in the yacht because he was completely out of options.
It all started with a small dose of misfortune, actually.
Lukas Sjoman, the guy behind the TRUE NORTH YouTube channel, said the dinghy he and his partner were intending to use to travel from Ibiza to Xàbia, Spain, was stolen.
This left them with no choice but to use the solar-powered yacht.
Dubbed Helios 11, the boat was able to handle the trip quite efficiently, maintaining an average speed of 6.2 knots using nothing but solar power.
Apples to apples, yachting is probably the most expensive method of transport.
If you factor in absolutely everything – crew, upfront costs, insurance, fees, and so on – the cost per mile of a boat is probably the highest in the world.
It’s miles worse than that of a car or a motorbike, and depending on the aircraft, can even eclipse the cost of flying.
Still, building a DIY yacht that’s potentially capable of sailing under its own ‘steam’ on a zero-dollar budget with you at the helm is something you can definitely brag about.
Below: the yacht anchored near the port in Ibiza, Spain
Even so, as a side note, he still ended up replacing the dinghy.
But he replaced it with a kayak.
His latest video also showed him installing a freezer and constructing a foldable swimming ladder from leftover timber, allowing easier access from the water after taking a dip.
We should probably start with a preface that’s not always understood or accepted: there’s no such thing as a free meal.
Solar power isn’t free because the panels you need to actually harness solar power need specialized materials and semiconductor components that are neither cheap nor easy to source.
Even so, generating your own solar power remains highly cost-effective over time.
While the upfront infrastructure requires maintenance, the fuel source itself is free and unlimited.
Automakers like Aptera Motors have experimented with solar-assisted cars designed to generate power directly from the sun.
Meanwhile, large-scale maritime projects such as PlanetSolar have already demonstrated that solar vessels can travel vast distances across oceans.
Energy prices are going up across the board, which means that solar is the lesser of two evils.
With that in mind, solar technology is still definitely on its way up, not down.
# Tags – Solar-powered, Solar-powered yachts, superyacht, superyachts
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
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Photovoltaic generation reached a record level across the European Union during the first half of 2026, extending a growth trend that has seen solar electricity output increase by 254% since 2015, according to an analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE based on data from the Energy Charts platform.
The report highlights that Germany also posted record solar generation during the period, with 43.2TWh of electricity generated from photovoltaics, up 10% from 39.3TWh in the first half of 2025. Wind power also increased, with offshore generation rising from 11.4TWh to 14.6TWh and onshore output climbing from 48.7TWh to 52.8TWh. As a result, wind accounted for 30% of Germany’s net public electricity generation, up from 28.8% a year earlier.
Overall, renewable energy sources supplied 61.1% of Germany’s net public electricity generation—the electricity mix delivered to consumers—during the first six months of 2026. The share of renewables in total electricity load, which includes consumption and transmission losses, reached a record 58.5%, up from 55% in the same period of 2025. At the same time, the overall share of renewables in net public electricity generation remained broadly stable at 61.8%, compared with 61.3% a year earlier.
Not all renewable technologies recorded growth. Hydropower generation declined slightly to 7.8TWh, its lowest level since 2015, down from 8.1TWh in the first half of 2025. Biomass generation also edged lower, falling from 18.3TWh to 17.9TWh. Meanwhile, electricity generation from fossil fuels—including natural gas, lignite and hard coal—increased by 6% year-on-year to 78.6TWh.
According to Fraunhofer ISE, the growing contribution of wind and solar generation has led to an increasing number of hours with negative day-ahead electricity prices, reflecting periods when renewable output exceeds demand. While Germany expanded its battery storage capacity from 25.4GWh to 29.3GWh during the first half of the year—bringing more large-scale battery storage online than in the whole of 2025—the institute said a significant storage gap remains, highlighting the need for additional flexibility and intraday storage to better manage surplus electricity.
The report also points to a sharp reduction in Germany’s electricity imports. Net imports fell to 1.3TWh in the first half of 2026, compared with 9.6TWh a year earlier. Germany imported electricity mainly from Denmark (8TWh), the Netherlands (5.3TWh), France (5.1TWh), Belgium (3.1TWh) and Norway (2.9TWh), while exports were primarily directed to Austria (5.7TWh), Denmark (5.5TWh), the Netherlands (4.8TWh), the Czech Republic (3.3TWh) and Poland (2.9TWh).
Germany also continued expanding its photovoltaic fleet during the period, adding 7GWp of installed solar capacity. This included 2.1GWp of rooftop systems of up to 30kWp, 1.1GWp in the 30–100kWp segment and 3.5GWp of ground-mounted installations. Total installed PV module capacity increased from 118GWp to 124.9GWp, while installed inverter capacity rose from 107.7GW to 113.9GW. However, a joint analysis by Agora Energiewende and Fraunhofer ISE warned that proposed amendments to Germany’s Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) could reduce the economic viability of smaller rooftop PV systems under current market conditions.
The analysis also found that strong renewable generation helped shield electricity prices from higher gas costs triggered by the war in Iran, which began on 28 February. Natural gas prices rose 48% between February and March, while the marginal cost of gas-fired power generation increased 39% to €132.87/MWh. Despite this, wholesale electricity prices fell to €95.58/MWh after the conflict began and dropped a further 27.7% in April, as low-cost renewable generation displaced more expensive fossil-fuel generation in the market. According to Leonhard Gandhi, project manager of Energy Charts, electricity prices on the exchange would have been 76% higher in April without the contribution of renewable energy sources.
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Let’s get one thing out of the way. I’m your resident science writer. Alien comets, tiny universes, and body parts are the sort of thing I’m used to telling you about.
Should anybody trust my opinion on tiny portable power stations? That’s up to you. But when Jackery asked New Atlas to put its Explorer 1000 v2 and accompanying 100-W solar panel to the test, I saw an opportunity to take my office out into the wild for a day or two to stare at the stars while writing about moons and aliens and noodly galaxies.
A thousand watts is just about perfect for my needs when camping. I can leave most luxuries at home, but am a sucker for cool beverages, music, and – when working – a laptop with a full battery.
Charging the power station through mains power was a breeze, even for a novice power station nerd like me. A digital panel on the side of the unit shows the input and output, and the remaining battery percentage. From around 30% to ready-to-roll in around an hour and a half, I quickly had a box full of electricity ready to pop into the back seat of the car, together with a 100-W SolarSaga solar panel for topping up.
The unit feels solid enough to take a kick or two (not that I put that to the test) and is compact enough to easily fit on the floor behind the driver’s seat. It even has a robust handle that makes it easy to carry down the stairs cooler-style, which is helpful given that the V2 does weigh a hefty 11 kg (about 24 lb) and I haven’t been to the gym in well over a year.
Once I had set up at my destination, I could plug my laptop into one of the two AC outputs and tap away to my heart’s content while listening to the quiet, blissful sounds of nature (accompanied by the not-so-blissful sounds of Eddie Vedder screaming not-so-quietly on my phone).
All the while, the solar panel sat off to one side against the car, topping up the power in dribs and drabs as the temperamental Melbourne weather allowed. A handy little transparent window with a target built in made angling the panel towards the Sun a breeze – just one of those neat features that add to the overall quality of the product.
It was only after half an afternoon of writing articles that I discovered I could link the Jackery 1000 to my phone via Bluetooth. Given I had no real interest in custom charging or watching the battery slowly trickle up or down from afar, it wasn’t exactly a feature that made my day. But for some, having a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection could provide options.
If you’re a connoisseur camper with more mod-cons than you can throw an electric-powered stick at, there may be better powered products out there. If you’re somebody who camps once in a blue moon with nothing more than a flashlight and a battery-powered radio, then this isn’t for you either.
But if you’re worried about blackouts, or need a solid battery for your next weekend getaway that can power your electric cooker, kettle, music system, and maybe some mood lighting, this unit is well worth the cost.
The Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 battery is currently available for US$999 – $600 off regular retail price. The company is also offering an additional discounts during the EOFY Sale with the promo code MARKETING5.
Source: Jackery
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NTPC Solar PV Modules underpin several hundred megawatts of utility-scale solar projects across India with standardized, bankable hardware. The product is driving shares of NTPC (NSE-BSE: NTPC, ISIN INE733E01010).
By Julian Reed, ad hoc news B2B & Pro Desk. Reviewed July 04, 2026, 7:11 PM ET. Details in the imprint.
NTPC Solar PV Modules sit in long rows under the harsh midday sun at the NTPC Ananthapuram solar park, glass surfaces throwing back a hard white glare as technicians walk between the arrays checking connectors and junction boxes. You can hear gravel crunch under work boots and the low hum of inverters as each module quietly converts sunlight into grid-scale power for India’s state-run utility.
NTPC, India’s largest power producer, has built a sizable utility-scale solar portfolio over the past decade, and at the heart of many of those projects are standardized Solar PV Modules designed for high-volume deployment in hot, dusty conditions. According to NTPC’s renewable energy presentations and tender documents, the company has commissioned several large solar plants, including the 250 MW Ananthapuramu Ultra Mega Solar Power Project in Andhra Pradesh and capacities at the Mandsaur and Bhadla sites, where multi-crystalline and monocrystalline modules are deployed in ground-mounted arrays.
On NTPC’s website, the company describes its renewable business and lists major solar installations, specifying system capacities, land footprints and key equipment information, including the use of PV modules meeting IEC standards for performance and durability. The modules are procured from qualified manufacturers via competitive bidding but are effectively treated as a product class within NTPC’s renewable portfolio, with strict technical specifications around power output, efficiency, degradation rate, temperature coefficient and PID (potential-induced degradation) resistance.
For investors following NTPC stock and its transition toward cleaner generation, the solar PV module program shows how the utility is adding regulated, long-life assets.
In technical tenders available through India’s central procurement platforms, NTPC specifies that its Solar PV Modules for utility projects must typically be rated in the 315 W to 540 W range per panel, depending on technology generation, with module efficiencies now often above 20 percent in monocrystalline PERC (passivated emitter rear contact) designs. The company demands modules compliant with IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 standards for design qualification and safety, as well as IEC 61701 for salt mist corrosion where applicable, reflecting deployment in varied environments ranging from inland scrubland to coastal regions.
Tender documentation and project reports show that NTPC insists on a maximum annual degradation of around 0.7 percent after the first year and at least 25 years of performance warranty, aligning with industry norms for utility-grade modules. Modules are mounted on fixed-tilt or single-axis tracker structures, with DC strings feeding central or string inverters, and field inspections by NTPC engineers track key performance indicators such as specific yield (kWh/kWp), module cleaning schedules and hotspot occurrence. During a site visit referenced in regional media, an NTPC project manager, R. K. Sharma, described how regular infrared imaging helps catch defective modules early, reducing losses.
Unlike vertically integrated solar manufacturers, NTPC positions Solar PV Modules as a procurement category rather than an in-house manufactured product, sourcing from both Indian and international suppliers through transparent tender processes. Key requirements include Tier-1 bankability, strong track record across projects larger than 50 MW, and evidence of modules performing in high-temperature climates similar to the Indian interior. In recent solar auctions, NTPC and other Indian utilities have accepted modules from manufacturers based in China, India and Southeast Asia, with pricing influenced by global polysilicon cycles and shipping costs.
Public tender notices indicate that NTPC often bundles module supply with EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contracts, allowing integrators to optimize module selection within NTPC’s specification constraints. This approach gives the utility flexibility to adopt newer technologies such as half-cut cells, multi-busbar layouts and bifacial modules when cost-benefit analyses justify the shift. For example, some NTPC projects in Rajasthan have explored bifacial modules on elevated structures to capture albedo from desert sand, boosting yields in early field trials reported by Indian trade press.
NTPC’s Solar PV Modules are not consumer-facing products; they are infrastructure components inside a broader policy-driven push to decarbonize India’s power mix. India’s Ministry of Power and MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) have outlined ambitious renewable targets, and NTPC’s public statements emphasize a transition toward 60 GW of renewable capacity by 2032, of which utility-scale solar is a major pillar. In its corporate presentations, NTPC details existing solar capacity and projects under construction, underlining how each megawatt of PV, built from thousands of modules, displaces coal-fired generation and associated emissions.
In investor calls summarized by Indian financial media, NTPC’s management, including chairman and managing director Gurdeep Singh, has repeatedly highlighted the company’s expanding solar pipeline. Singh notes that large-scale solar improves NTPC’s environmental profile and provides regulated assets with predictable cash flows once tariffs are approved by regulators. Those statements implicitly point to the importance of reliable, low-degradation Solar PV Modules that can deliver contracted energy over decades, making module performance a quiet but essential driver of NTPC’s broader strategic goals.
While NTPC does not publish retail prices for individual Solar PV Modules, project-level data and Indian solar industry analyses suggest that module costs constitute roughly 35 to 45 percent of total EPC costs for utility-scale plants. Over the past decade, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from solar in India has fallen sharply, driven largely by lower module prices and improved efficiencies. Competitive auctions run by NTPC and other agencies have produced solar tariffs often in the ?2 to ?3 per kWh range in recent years, undercutting new coal in several cases.
Analysts covering Indian power utilities have pointed out that lower tariffs squeeze returns but also make solar more acceptable to regulators and consumers. Through careful procurement of modules and associated equipment, NTPC seeks to balance upfront capex with long-term performance, leveraging economies of scale in large projects to negotiate better module pricing. NTPC’s renewable energy arm also explores hybrid projects where solar PV modules work alongside wind or battery storage, smoothing output profiles and improving plant load factors.
Out in the solar parks, the story of NTPC Solar PV Modules is less about spec sheets and more about day-to-day resilience. Technicians describe how modules must endure high ambient temperatures, often above 40°C, and dust deposition that can cut output if cleaning is neglected. During a site walkthrough reported by a regional newspaper, an NTPC engineer, Meena Joshi, mentioned how they had adjusted cleaning frequencies seasonally—more frequent washes during dry, dusty months, fewer during the monsoon when rain helps clear the glass.
Inverters emit a constant electronic buzz and the metal frames of module tables feel hot to the touch by late morning, underscoring the thermal stresses the modules live with. Field data gathered by NTPC shows that module performance tends to run slightly below nameplate at peak heat because of negative temperature coefficients, but the overall energy yield is still favorable across the year due to strong solar insolation in many project locations. Engineers also note occasional issues like microcracks from handling or transport, which underscores NTPC’s insistence on robust module packaging and certified logistics procedures in tender documents.
NTPC’s Solar PV Modules are ultimately part of complex grid-connected systems, and their behavior affects grid stability. Large solar parks feed into substations where step-up transformers and switchgear manage flows into regional grids. NTPC’s technical papers and presentations discuss the importance of accurate forecasting of solar generation based on module characteristics and irradiance data, helping system operators plan conventional generation and adjust dispatch.
Some NTPC projects have experimented with real-time performance monitoring at string or module level using DC combiner boxes with integrated metering and communications. This data helps identify underperforming arrays and ensures that module faults do not silently drag down plant output. Indian power system studies also highlight the need for reactive power management and voltage support around large solar installations, tasks that depend partly on how module arrays and inverters interact with grid codes. As NTPC’s solar capacity grows, module choices interact with system design decisions in ways that will matter for long-term reliability.
Indian policy has increasingly encouraged domestic manufacturing of solar equipment, including modules, through programs like Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes and customs duties on imported cells and modules. NTPC commissioning documents and recent auction summaries show that the utility has been open to using modules from Indian manufacturers where they meet technical and commercial criteria. Localization efforts aim to reduce dependence on imports and create domestic jobs, though Indian module makers are still scaling capacity compared with global leaders.
Policy moves such as the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) influence which modules NTPC can deploy in certain government-linked projects, adding another filter to procurement decisions. Analysts have noted that such rules may temporarily raise costs or narrow supplier pools but can improve quality assurance and traceability over time. NTPC’s Solar PV Modules, viewed through this lens, are a touchpoint where industrial policy, climate commitments and utility economics intersect beneath the surface of everyday power supply.
While solar PV modules enable low-carbon generation, they bring environmental questions of their own. NTPC’s environmental and social impact assessments for solar projects address land use, habitat disruption and end-of-life waste issues, including the future recycling of modules. The company’s reports mention mitigation measures such as careful site selection away from critical habitats, fencing that allows some wildlife movement, and vegetation management under arrays.
On the social side, NTPC and project partners typically conduct consultations with local communities, discussing employment, land leasing terms and project benefits. Some solar parks incorporate small training programs that help local workers learn basic PV maintenance tasks, from module cleaning to visual inspections, giving them practical experience with the Solar PV Modules that now define part of the local landscape. Researchers tracking just transition topics in India argue that such projects need robust community engagement to ensure that the clean energy build-out aligns with local needs.
For US and global investors who can access NTPC through its GDR listings or via India’s NSE and BSE, the Solar PV Modules category sits behind the numbers in annual reports and investor presentations. NTPC regularly discloses renewable capacity additions and project pipelines, breaking out solar megawatts commissioned each year. These disclosures help markets gauge how quickly the utility is shifting its asset base toward lower-emission generation, even as coal remains a major part of the mix.
Indian financial press reports that NTPC stock (NSE-BSE: NTPC, ISIN INE733E01010) is influenced by regulatory decisions, fuel cost dynamics and the pace of renewable additions, with utility-scale solar a growing contributor to future earnings. As Solar PV Modules quietly do their work in the field—one panel at a time—investors track capacity numbers, tariffs and policy signals to understand how this hardware-intensive business translates into cash flows and valuations for the state-backed utility.
This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information is provided without warranty; prices and availability may change at short notice. Not investment advice and not a buy or sell recommendation. Securities trading carries risks up to total loss.

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ML System S.A. continues to develop advanced photovoltaic and smart glass solutions as solar adoption grows worldwide, with investors watching how its innovations can translate into long-term revenue and earnings.
ML System S.A. (ISIN PLMOL0000012) is a Poland-based specialist in photovoltaic technologies and integrated glass solutions, operating at the intersection of building materials and renewable energy. The company focuses on bringing solar generation directly into construction elements, aiming to benefit from the global push toward decarbonization and more energy-efficient buildings.
As solar capacity expands worldwide and energy systems modernize, ML System S.A. is positioned in a niche segment where advanced glass and facade technologies can support both power generation and aesthetics. The company’s strategy emphasizes proprietary solutions and the integration of solar cells into architectural components, which may provide differentiated margins compared with commodity panel manufacturing.
A core area for ML System S.A. is integrated photovoltaic glass, often described as building-integrated photovoltaics, where solar cells are embedded in glass units used for facades, skylights, or other structural elements. This approach allows buildings to generate electricity without relying solely on rooftop installations, turning larger surface areas into active power assets.
By targeting commercial and public infrastructure projects, ML System S.A. aims to capture demand from property owners who seek improved energy performance and regulatory compliance on emissions. In this space, the company competes with global and regional firms developing smart glazing, while seeking to differentiate through tailored designs, efficiency metrics, and long-term durability.
From a strategic perspective, ML System S.A. focuses on innovation, certification, and cooperation with construction partners to ensure its solutions meet building standards and investor expectations. The company’s filings and corporate communications highlight R&D activity, investments into production capabilities, and efforts to build a pipeline of projects where integrated solar glass can be specified from the design stage.
Analysts following the broader renewable energy and materials sectors increasingly consider how companies like ML System S.A. can participate in trends such as green building rules, renovations of aging infrastructure, and corporate carbon-reduction plans. In this environment, the firm’s long-term value proposition depends on scaling its technologies, managing costs, and securing projects in regions where policy and economics support advanced energy-efficient building envelopes.
Readers interested in official company filings, presentations, and financial data can review ML System S.A.’s own materials and stock-related overviews.
One representative product category for ML System S.A. is solar active glass, where transparent or semi-transparent glazing incorporates embedded photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity. These units can be used in facades or other building elements, and they aim to balance light transmission, thermal performance, and energy generation. Such products reflect the company’s broader business model of combining glass processing expertise with solar technology design to deliver functional and visually appealing components.
ML System S.A. is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, giving investors access to the company through its home-market trading venue. The shares trade in the local currency, and price levels, volumes, and valuation metrics depend on demand from both domestic and international investors interested in renewable energy and advanced materials. Without a verified, current quote from today’s search set, the focus for investors centers more on the company’s technology positioning, project pipeline, and broader sector trends than on a specific short-term price movement.
This article was generated automatically and technically reviewed before publication. Market prices, analyst data and company information are provided without warranty and may change at short notice. This content is for informational purposes only and is not investment, financial, legal or tax advice. It is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Investing in securities involves risk, including the possible loss of principal.

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Gov. Ayotte has signed the bill allowing “balcony solar” – solar panels that can be plugged into a standard socket without needing an electrician or permission from the power company.
These panels are touted as a way for individuals to quickly get some benefit from solar power, cutting their electricity bills. They are especially useful for renters, who can’t install solar panels on their building like a homeowner can.
Panels can’t be larger than 1,200 watts, the power needed to run a big microwave oven, so it’s not like they’re going to zero-out a home’s power bill.
Despite the new law, you can’t buy one and plug it in today. Rules are still being being developed, including work by the state’s Building Code Review Board.
Sam Evans-Brown of Clean Energy NH, who helped push the law, celebrates the move in a Linked-In post but cautions people not to get too excited: “We should be clear-eyed about scope. Because of how U.S. homes are wired (compared to European homes), there’s a real ceiling on how much plug-in solar can contribute to the system overall. There’s no silver bullet for the energy transition. We’re going to need to build everything we can.”
Award-winning coverage on breaking news and today’s top stories in and around the Capital Region. From Arts and Life to Sports and Opinion you’ll have unlimited access to the Concord Monitor’s content.
Balcony solar has been a huge hit in Germany, where more than a million such panels have been installed.
Proponents have long said that a big benefit of plug-in solar is that it makes the idea of solar panels seem more ordinary. If you see panels draped over balconies as you walk downtown, you’re more likely to consider installing solar panels on your house or support a solar farm being built nearby.
Evans-Brown added one other point about New Hampshire’s move: “That puts us in a small group of just 8 states leading the way on this concept — and an even smaller group where Republicans were the party controlling the levers of power when the bill passed. (Energy Freedom, indeed! Happy fourth of July!)”

David Brooks can be reached at dbrooks@cmonitor.com. Sign up for his Granite Geek weekly email newsletter at granitegeek.org. More by David Brooks
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India built one of the world’s fastest-growing solar industries, then the storms came and exposed what was holding it together  Energies Media
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For as good as solar panels are at converting sunlight directly into usable electricity, especially for how cheap they’re becoming, they can still only gather around 20-30% of the energy that hits them. That’s fine if you have a large roof or a huge tract of land, but if you have limited space and need to do something like heat a home, there are better options available to capture more of that energy. [Greenhill Forge] has built five solar air heating panels to test this concept, and do it much more inexpensively than commercial options.
These solar heaters use sunlight to heat a fluid, in this case air, and move that heated fluid to another space. Each panel is about two square meters, insulated on all sides except the top, and configured in a way that air can flow past something that the sun has heated. The first panel, a control, does not use a glazing to help trap this heat, but the rest all have a polycarbonate window to increase the greenhouse effect of the panels. The four remaining all experiment with the way air flows around a black corrugated steel sheet to gather more of the heat, with the fifth panel using a set of black screen instead.
With the panels all set out in the sun, [Greenhill Forge] is using a set of thermocouples from a previous project to measure the efficiency of each panel. Surprisingly, he found that the panel using the layers of screen was the best at gathering energy, although he notes several times that these types of panels are extremely sensitive to changes in physical configuration, so this is not the most definitive test possible. However, at only around $100 per panel it’s quite a deal if the goal is a usable space heater that doesn’t use any fuel or grid electricity.
Continue reading “Five Solar Air Heating Methods Tested” →

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New York | US companies are facing a sharp increase in green energy costs as the Trump administration halts renewable tax credits at the same time as cash-rich data centres are snapping up the available supply.
According to a survey of solar and wind developers across the US by LevelTen Energy, a clean energy marketplace, the cost of clean energy power purchase agreements (PPAs) is set to increase by between 40 per cent and 120 per cent once Inflation Reduction Act subsidies for solar and wind projects end.
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Europe’s infrastructure is embracing the renewables boom, with one company determined to transform the continent’s railway lines into mini solar farms.
Last year, Swiss start-up Sun-Ways unveiled the world’s first-ever solar railway after rolling out 100 metres of photovoltaic (PV) panels in between active tracks in Buttes, a village in the Val-de-Travers district.
Originally planned as just a three-year trial, the railway was fitted with 48 specially-designed solar panels with a combined power of 18 kWp.
However, the positive results yielded just one year into the trial mean the installation of a permanent system along the railroad track is now likely, Euronews Earth has been told.
Solar panels are often installed at a specific angle to ensure they absorb the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the year.
In Spain, for example, the optimal angle for efficiency is between 30° and 35°. According to a 2022 study published in Science Direct, a 34° tilt on solar panels in the Iberian Peninsula resulted in annual production losses lower than one per cent.
It’s why sloped rooftops are naturally convenient locations to install panels – while garden fences, balconies and flat roofs will generate less energy in comparison.
Sun-Ways estimates that the loss of production due to the lack of inclination of the railway panels is only around 10 per cent. Still, in one year, the project has produced around 16,000 kWh.
To put this into perspective, this is roughly the same amount of energy an average UK home uses, where everything is powered by electricity (such as heating, hot water, lighting and appliances).
In theory, solar panels could be rolled out across the entirety of Switzerland’s 5,317 kilometre-long railway network – covering a size equivalent to 760 football fields or more than 50,000 times the trial coverage.
Sun-Ways estimates that this has the potential to produce around one Terawatt hour (TWh) of electricity every year, around two per cent of the country’s total energy consumption.
Transforming railway tracks into renewable energy hubs is no easy feat, and comes with its own set of unique challenges.
One of the biggest concerns, previously expressed by the International Union of Railways, is that the panels could suffer micro-cracks, lead to a higher risk of fires and distract train drivers due to reflections.
Sun-Ways has tackled these issues by building more resistant panels than what would be installed on rooftops, fitted with an anti-reflection filter.
Built-in sensors also ensure they work properly while brushes attached to the end of trains can remove dirt from the panels’ surface.
When asked if there were any issues within the first year of operation, Sun-Ways told Euronews Earth that “the plant worked perfectly” and that it didn’t have to carry out any “special maintenance”.
“For this first pilot project, the electricity is sent directly to the grid,” the company adds. “But we are already working to reinject the electricity produced with Sun-Ways power plants directly into the railway substations or into the train traction line.”
Following its successful trial in Switzerland, Sun-Ways has just signed a collaboration contract with an Italian business partner who is in contact with the country’s national railway infrastructure, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana.
Plans to launch a pilot project in the coming months will be unveiled soon.
Sun-Ways has also received government approval to install another solar railway in South Korea, while discussions are underway with Dutch, Chinese, Indian and Singaporean companies.


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JA has launched its new global brand strategy, One JA, as the company accelerates its transition from a photovoltaic module manufacturer to a provider of integrated clean energy solutions for global industries.
The new brand positioning was unveiled at the JAx2026 JA Brand Renewal Launch and Eco Partner Conference in Shanghai, where the company presented its long term strategy across solar, energy storage and smart energy while also outlining its ambitions in the rapidly growing AI data centre market.
The One JA framework brings together four business units under a single master brand comprising JA Solar for photovoltaic products, JA ESS for energy storage solutions, JA Green for smart energy and JA Capital as the group’s investment platform. Together, the businesses form what JA describes as a Green Energy Ecosystem designed to deliver end to end clean energy solutions supported by technology, financing and long term services.
The company has positioned itself as a Reliable Global Green Energy Partner with the brand promise, Reliable Power for the Journey Ahead.
Liu Shuo, President of JA Brand and Marketing Center, said the global energy transition is moving beyond electricity price competition towards delivering value through application specific solutions.
“Drawing on 21 years of solar expertise and our mission to develop solar power to benefit the planet, JA will deepen the Green Energy Ecosystem to make green energy stable, accessible and affordable for every industry, driving the global energy transition together with our partners,” he said.
JA said the new strategy reflects its evolution from exporting products to building global capabilities through integrated technology platforms, professional services and long term customer partnerships.
Alongside the brand launch, the company reaffirmed its technology leadership with a dual platform strategy based on TOPCon and Back Contact cell technologies.
Its flagship DeepBlue 5.0 TOPCon module recently achieved the world’s highest mass production efficiency, strengthening its position for utility scale bifacial solar projects where low levelised cost of electricity remains the key performance metric.
At the same time, JA’s next generation HyperGen Back Contact cell reached a certified conversion efficiency of 28.2%, setting a new world record verified by TÜV Rheinland.
The company said its dual technology strategy allows it to address different market segments, with TOPCon optimised for large utility scale installations and Back Contact technology targeting premium residential, commercial and industrial applications where higher efficiency and aesthetics are increasingly important.
JA Solar adopts the smart factory concept. The company is a global market leader in TOPCon tech and has 9 manufacturing facilities in China, one each in Malaysia and Vietnam with a total annual production capacity of 42.5 GW. Image credit: JA Solar
Beyond module manufacturing, JA is expanding its portfolio across energy storage, power electronics and intelligent energy management systems. The company is increasingly delivering integrated solutions that combine photovoltaic generation, battery storage and AI driven operations and maintenance platforms.
This integrated model has already been deployed in several international markets, enabling customers to move beyond traditional equipment purchases towards long term energy service agreements that improve system performance, reliability and lifetime value.
JA said the combined One JA strategy and its integrated technology roadmap position the company to support the next phase of global clean energy deployment by providing reliable, intelligent and scalable energy solutions for utilities, businesses and emerging sectors such as AI data centres.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal

 






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FPL SolarTogether from NextEra Energy has signed up tens of thousands of Florida customers for shared solar capacity with fixed bill credits. Anyone holding NextEra Energy stock (NYSE: NEE, ISIN US65339F1012) should know this product.
By Daniel Foster, ad hoc news Classics & Longsellers Desk. Reviewed July 05, 2026, 4:01 AM ET. Details in the imprint.
FPL SolarTogether from NextEra Energy starts with something surprisingly simple: a row of bright-white solar panels throwing razor-sharp shadows across a utility field north of Miami, humming quietly in the midday heat. You do not need panels on your roof; the program lets regular Florida Power & Light customers buy into large community solar arrays and get predictable bill credits tied to that output.
At its core, FPL SolarTogether is a voluntary community solar subscription program offered by Florida Power & Light, the regulated utility subsidiary of NextEra Energy. Customers subscribe to blocks of solar capacity built and operated by FPL, then receive monthly bill credits based on the energy that capacity produces. The credits are designed to offset the fixed subscription charge over time, with many participants expecting net savings after the first few years of enrollment.
The mechanics are straightforward enough that FPL’s vice president of development, Matt Valle, often describes it as “solar for renters” in public meetings: customers can subscribe even if they live in apartments, have shaded roofs, or face homeowners association restrictions. There is no need for home construction work, no roof inspection, and no complicated contractor quotes. You enroll through a dedicated FPL SolarTogether portal, select how many kilowatt blocks you want, and see the estimated credits on your bill. The program’s structure and tariffs were approved by the Florida Public Service Commission in 2020 following an extended regulatory review, and FPL now markets SolarTogether as one of the largest community solar offerings in the United States.
Residential customers can typically subscribe up to a portion of their historic usage, with subscription blocks sized so that the output from the solar arrays roughly matches that consumption over a year. Business and institutional customers can subscribe much larger amounts of capacity, sometimes hundreds of kilowatts, as part of sustainability or ESG strategies. According to FPL’s program materials, there is no long-term contract lock-in for standard residential subscribers beyond the program terms themselves, and customers can adjust their subscription size if their usage changes or they move within FPL’s service territory.
On the ground, that flexibility shows up in customer stories. At a community meeting in Palm Beach County, a local school administrator explained how her district used SolarTogether subscriptions to match the energy use of several campuses without having to redesign older buildings for rooftop solar. The block-based structure made budgeting easier: the district could line up expected bill credits against annual operating budgets, and report the subscribed solar capacity into its sustainability disclosures.
For additional background on FPL SolarTogether and how it fits into NextEra Energy’s long-term strategy, explore our topic page and the company’s investor relations materials.
NextEra Energy and FPL have been building out the SolarTogether portfolio in multiple phases, with hundreds of megawatts of solar capacity tied directly to the program. According to FPL’s filings and public statements, the original SolarTogether launch included around 1,490 megawatts of new solar construction spread across several large-scale solar centers in Florida. Subsequent expansions have added further capacity, and the company has cited strong customer demand, with tens of thousands of subscribers across residential, commercial, and governmental segments.
Walking along the perimeter fence of one of these SolarTogether solar centers, the scale is immediately apparent: row after row of dark-blue modules sit on fixed-tilt or single-axis tracking structures, shifting slightly through the day to follow the sun. Inverters and transformers sit in neat clusters, humming quietly, while maintenance crews in high-visibility vests move between rows checking cabling and vegetation. For subscribers, this industrial-scale infrastructure is abstracted away into a simple line item on their monthly bill, but the underlying assets look and feel like standard utility-scale solar farms.
The FPL SolarTogether program operates entirely within a regulated framework overseen by the Florida Public Service Commission. Commission orders approving the program specify how subscription charges and bill credits are calculated, how costs and benefits are allocated among participating and nonparticipating customers, and how FPL must report on program performance. Consumer advocates and environmental organizations participated in the regulatory proceedings, which shaped the final terms.
According to regulatory documents, the commission required FPL to demonstrate that nonparticipating customers would not be harmed by the program and that participating customers would see reasonably predictable bill impacts. The resulting structure is relatively conservative: there are fixed subscription charges tied to the capital cost of the solar facilities, and bill credits linked to the actual energy and capacity output of those facilities, with projections reviewed during the approval process. That setup means participants take on some production risk, but the large scale and engineering of the solar centers aim to keep output within a narrow expected range.
While specific numbers can vary by subscription size and program phase, FPL’s materials describe SolarTogether as designed to be bill-neutral in the early years and bill-positive over the long term. In practice, that means the monthly subscription charge initially lines up roughly with expected bill credits, and over time customers typically receive more in credits than they pay in subscription fees, assuming normal solar production. The exact payback period depends on individual usage patterns, subscription amount, and future fuel costs avoided by the solar generation.
One solar analyst at a regional energy consultancy explained it this way during a webinar on Florida community solar: “You are effectively pre-paying for a slice of fixed-cost solar capacity that displaces some fossil generation, and you share in those avoided fuel costs through bill credits.” In other words, the more volatile natural gas prices become, the more valuable stable solar output can be in utility planning, and the more room there is to pass value back to subscribers under the regulatory formulas.
Enrollment for FPL SolarTogether is open to FPL customers in eligible service territories, subject to available capacity in each phase of the program. FPL has at times reported wait lists or rapid sell-outs of new subscription tranches, especially for residential customers looking for ways to demonstrate climate commitments without installing hardware. Customers typically enroll via a dedicated online portal or through outreach campaigns, with FPL staff assisting business customers to match subscription sizes to their sustainability goals.
During a site tour organized for local officials, FPL program manager Jessica Hamilton described the enrollment process as “closer to signing up for a green pricing plan than signing a construction contract.” She pointed out that for many small businesses, the path of least resistance is simply checking an enrollment box and setting a subscription level, rather than negotiating a power purchase agreement or hiring a solar contractor. That ease of enrollment has been a major marketing point for SolarTogether.
From a consumer perspective, SolarTogether competes less with traditional rooftop systems and more with other utility tariffs or green power programs. Rooftop solar requires upfront capital, site-specific design, and interaction with installers and inspectors. Community solar through SolarTogether requires only a subscription decision and a credit check for regular utility billing. Customers who have unsuitable roofs, rent their homes, or face homeowner association limits find this particularly attractive.
However, the trade-offs are real. Subscribers do not own the panels, cannot claim the federal investment tax credit for residential solar installations, and have less control over system design. Their financial benefit is limited to the net of subscription charges and bill credits, and they are exposed to regulatory changes or adjustments in program terms. SolarTogether positions that compromise as a feature: in exchange for less complexity and lower barriers to entry, you accept a more structured, utility-managed solar relationship.
For NextEra Energy, FPL SolarTogether plays a strategic role in meeting internal decarbonization goals and responding to ESG-focused investors. The company presents its renewable energy build-out, including community solar, as part of a broader effort to reduce emissions intensity and retire older fossil assets over time. SolarTogether’s scale makes it particularly useful in investor presentations, allowing the company to show large megawatt figures tied directly to voluntary customer demand.
Institutional customers often use SolarTogether subscriptions to support their own ESG reporting. For example, city governments enroll blocks of capacity and then count the subscribed output toward municipal sustainability targets, while universities align SolarTogether participation with climate action plans. These arrangements can be attractive for entities that have limited on-campus space for rooftop solar or face historic building protections that complicate hardware installations.
Despite the benefits, SolarTogether is not a universal solution. Customers remain dependent on FPL’s broader grid mix, and outages or grid incidents affect SolarTogether participants just like other customers. Bill credits depend on actual solar production, which can vary with weather and long-term degradation of panels. Regulatory changes could alter tariff structures, although such changes would typically involve public proceedings.
There is also the geographic limitation: FPL SolarTogether is available only within FPL’s Florida service territory, so customers who move out of state cannot take their subscription with them. Renters who rely on SolarTogether may need to re-enroll or adjust their subscriptions when they change apartments, and budget-conscious households still need to weigh subscription charges against energy-saving investments like insulation or smart thermostats. SolarTogether offers a relatively simple path to participating in utility-scale solar, but it does not replace the need for basic efficiency measures.
For US retail investors looking at NextEra Energy, FPL SolarTogether is less about a single product margin and more about a broader strategic direction. The program reflects how a large regulated utility uses community solar to tap voluntary customer demand for renewables while financing sizable solar farms under a regulated rate structure. In regulatory filings and investor materials, NextEra often emphasizes its scale in wind and solar development, positioning SolarTogether as a flagship community-facing example of that build-out.
NextEra Energy stock (NYSE: NEE) is widely held in US utility and infrastructure portfolios, and programs like SolarTogether give investors a concrete view into how the company monetizes renewable assets beyond wholesale power sales. Instead of a direct product sale, the revenue stream comes from subscription charges and regulated returns on solar infrastructure, tempered by bill credits and oversight from the Florida Public Service Commission.
This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information is provided without warranty; prices and availability may change at short notice. Not investment advice and not a buy or sell recommendation. Securities trading carries risks up to total loss.

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Texas homeowner says solar panels left his roof leaking, and months later, he’s still stuck  Yahoo
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Following along as State Journal cartoonist Phil Hands draws a cartoon about tariffs. 
The U.S. is in a golden age — not the sheen of a gold brick, but the golden glow coming from the sky. 
The recent Semafor News article “New top US solar lobbyist sees a ‘golden age’ under Trump” details how solar power combined with battery storage represented most of the new energy in the United States. It highlighted how solar energy is the cheapest way to generate electricity in the U.S. and how its deployment is happening faster (surprisingly) in conservative and liberal states.
Two other points are obvious by our ongoing war in Iran. Solar power is not a geopolitical bargaining chip. As some pundits have put it, electrons do not get stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. Solar is often generated locally, requiring far less infrastructure compared to fossil fuels, which require extraction, processing and shipping. Solar panels are also a durable form of energy. Plop down a panel, and you have 20 to 30 years of clean energy flowing to you without much intervention.
Renewable energy is the future. The Trump administration can only hold it back so much, no matter how hard it tries to cut subsidies and discourage solar farms. Businesses and ordinary citizens are finally starting to see the light.
Nathan Dombeck, Janesville

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Following along as State Journal cartoonist Phil Hands draws a cartoon about tariffs. 
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One possible path would pair tougher cybersecurity requirements with a phase-in period.
Photo Credit: iStock
A possible U.S. restriction on imported solar inverters would force policymakers to balance two goals that can pull in opposite directions: reducing cyber vulnerabilities on the grid and preserving low-cost rooftop solar for households seeking relief from high power bills.
For homeowners, installers, and communities that rely on cleaner, cheaper energy, the effects could be felt quickly if equipment prices rise.
According to a Reddit thread discussing a Reuters article, the Trump administration is preparing a measure that could stop new foreign inverter models from entering the U.S. market.
These devices are central to solar and battery installations because they link the equipment with the electric grid.
Reuters, citing five people familiar with the matter, said the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is writing the rule and that it “could be published as early as this year.” The fear is that the equipment could be used to disrupt electricity service.
If adopted, the policy would reshape a market now dominated by Chinese suppliers. Reuters said companies including Sungrow Power Supply and Huawei have gained share in Western countries in part by offering lower prices.
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The Reddit post distilled one likely consumer reaction into a short comment: “Going the Tesla route with solar inverters for U.S.” In the discussion below, users largely argued over whether grid security worries justify making residential solar more expensive.
Because inverters are part of the overall price of a solar-and-battery setup, removing cheaper Chinese units could leave some households with steeper installation bids or a smaller menu of products.
That could slow rooftop solar adoption at a time when many families are looking for ways to lower monthly utility bills and secure backup power during outages. Communities also benefit when more homes can add clean energy and storage, helping reduce pollution and ease strain on the grid.
At the same time, the security concerns are not insignificant. If federal officials believe connected energy hardware could be exploited, tighter standards could help protect hospitals, schools, homes, and local utilities from disruption.
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Critics of a ban argue that it could hurt consumers more than manufacturers, especially if domestic alternatives remain more expensive. Others worry that restricting supply too quickly could create bottlenecks for installers and slow the clean energy buildout.
For now, the rule is still being drafted. One possible path would pair tougher cybersecurity requirements with a phase-in period, giving the market time to adjust instead of passing sudden price increases on to homeowners.
Another option would be to expand support for domestic and allied country manufacturing while offering rebates, tax incentives, or financing assistance to keep rooftop systems within reach. Stronger testing, software transparency requirements, and certification standards could also reduce risk without cutting off every lower-cost product overnight.
Affordability remains critical. Any grid security fix would need to guard against cyber threats without driving up energy costs.
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TNM (With ANI Inputs)
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Published On: Jul 5, 2026
ANI Photo | Three injured by falling solar panels during storm in Jaisalmer hotel
Heavy rain and strong winds struck Jaisalmer on the night of July 4, causing solar panels to detach from the rooftop of a hotel in the Gandhi Colony area. The panels fell onto a scooter carrying Subhash Khatri (60) and his grandsons, Shyam (5) and Rishabh (2), resulting in serious injuries to all three.
Police confirmed that the solar panels were uprooted by strong winds and collided with the scooter. The injured were taken to the district hospital’s trauma centre, and following initial treatment, were referred to a higher medical facility in Jodhpur due to the severity of their wounds.
The incident also resulted in the death of a cow struck by the falling panels. Eyewitnesses reported that debris and the solar panels blocked the road, damaging several vehicles and causing a traffic jam.
Surjaram, SHO of Kotwali Police Station, stated that officers quickly responded, controlled the crowd, and ensured the injured were transported to hospital.
Family members expressed frustration over the lack of a government ambulance. Dr Bhanwarlal of the district hospital said, “Three patients were brought in after a solar panel structure fell on them. There were two children and one adult male. The children had head injuries; we provided initial treatment and bandaged them before referring them to another facility. The man was intubated and referred as well; his condition is serious.” He added, “Any claims that no doctors were available are baseless. The previous doctor’s shift ended at 9 PM, and I arrived exactly at that time to take over.”
Congress district president Amardeen Fakir assisted in arranging a private ambulance to transfer the injured to Jodhpur. He criticised the trauma centre’s conditions, stating, “The victims were severely injured. When they were brought to the trauma center, there was no electricity, which is unfortunately a common occurrence here. Local villagers often manage, but it’s very difficult for city residents. When we asked for a compounder to assist the serious patients, we were told some had been transferred, some were on leave, and others weren’t answering their phones. It’s shameful that in such a critical situation, patients had to wait for two hours without proper assistance.”
The southwest monsoon first spell arrived in Jaisalmer on the same night, with heavy rain and gusty winds affecting the district headquarters as well as Pokaran, Ramdevra, Chandhan, Baroda village and surrounding areas. This brought relief from the prolonged heat and humidity, with Jaisalmer recording a maximum temperature of 42.9 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 29.4 degrees Celsius before the weather change.
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Jul 5, 2026
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Jul 5, 2026
Home » Nation and Beyond » Three injured by falling solar panels during storm in Jaisalmer hotel
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This story is written by TNM Bureau with inputs from ANI. The News Mill is a Guwahati-based digital media with focus on content from across Northeast India and beyond. We can be reached through [email protected]

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“Completely pays for itself in under five years.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A do-it-yourself solar-and-battery project in Maine is drawing attention online after the owner said it now covers the home’s electricity use and produces extra credits that can be shared with another household.
In a Reddit thread, the Southern Maine homeowner said the installation was built over the course of a few years and that its newest phase went live last week.
“Location: Southern Maine. I DIY’d a sizable system over the last couple of years. Last week, I got the second leg of it up and running. … It’s been amazing having full self sufficiency. But, the nice thing about our interconnect agreement, is that we can share excess credits with a different account, so we’ve been gifting excess credits away.”
According to the post, the setup uses 48 panels rated at 445 watts each, along with a whole-home hybrid inverter, 43 kilowatt-hours of battery storage, and microinverters on part of the array.
In follow-up comments, the poster said the 21.3-kilowatt system cost about $22,000 after the ITC, and that adding battery backup cost about $8,000 more.
The homeowner said the project was intentionally sized beyond the household’s needs, “We give our excess credits to our best friends across the street (2x teachers w/kids) … our 1 household payoff is ~6.6yrs, and ~3.6yrs if we consider the two household setup.”
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These wins prove fighting for our planet is worth it
At the same time, with the bigger system and battery, the homeowner would be able to last an extremely long time during a massive power outage, so the surplus panels provide some personal backup value too. 
The setup offers lower electricity bills, backup power during outages, and a return on investment that can come faster than many home energy projects.
While a roughly $30,000 all-in cost after the federal tax credit is still a major expense, the poster’s estimated payback timeline shows how solar can save money over time, particularly when paired with battery storage and a favorable utility agreement.
Rather than letting extra production go unused, the homeowner said those surplus credits are helping another family. That arrangement extends the value of one project beyond a single household while also reducing demand for electricity generated from dirtier energy sources.
EnergySage can help you go solar with its free tools and save you up to $10,000 in the process by helping you curate competitive bids from local installers.
Discussion in the thread centered on the DIY build, savings, and how the system stayed connected to the grid.
One person asked, “Oooh, that’s nice that you can share your generation… How did you DIY it, and still have it connected to the grid?”
The homeowner replied: “Maine allows a homeowner to do their own electrical and plumbing work, as long as the house is their place of living. So I just submitted the plans, drawings, and permit request myself.”
While no one should DIY solar panels without proper electrical training and consultation with laws, the code, and at least one person who has done it before, cost savings were another focus.
One commenter wrote, “Installed would have run close to 60k. I DIY’d it for 16k after rebates and tax credits. Completely pays for itself in under five years.”
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Q CELLS solar panels from Hanwha Sol deliver up to 400 watts per module for home roofs and small businesses. This segment supports shares of Hanwha Sol (KRX: 009830, ISIN KR7009830001).
By Julian Reed, ad hoc news Classics & Longsellers Desk. Reviewed July 05, 2026, 12:09 AM ET. Details in the imprint.
Q CELLS solar panels from Hanwha Sol are the kind you notice only when you lean back on a warm driveway and see the dark, glassy rectangles catching the afternoon sun on a neighbor’s roof. They look quietly solid, a long-running staple of residential solar installs in the US and Europe.
Hanwha Sol’s Q CELLS brand has built its reputation on reliable, mass-market photovoltaic modules rather than flashy, one-off flagships, and that is exactly where today’s product focus sits: the classic Q CELLS residential and commercial panel line that has been on rooftops for years.
On the US side, Q CELLS offers mono-crystalline modules in the Q.PEAK series, with typical power classes from roughly 350 to around 400 watts per panel, geared toward standard 60- or 120-cell formats, depending on the specific generation. A typical homeowner in Arizona or New Jersey will see these as the rectangular black or dark-blue modules in quotes from local installers.
The Q CELLS panel family has been iterated across generations, but core specs for current mainstream modules cluster around module efficiencies in the 19 to 21 percent range, depending on model and test conditions. That means a 400-watt panel uses its roof space reasonably well compared with many competing standard modules.
Panels are built on aluminum frames with tempered glass front sheets designed to handle high wind and snow loads, typically certified under IEC and UL standards. In practice, that translates into panels that sit rigidly on rails during winter storms, with installers reporting that Q CELLS modules handle typical rooftop abuse, from hail to thermal cycling, without unusual failure rates.
For investors and solar buyers who want to go beyond panel specs, our topic page and Hanwha Sol’s investor materials provide broader context on the company’s solar strategy.
Hanwha Sol typically backs Q CELLS panels with a 12-year product warranty and a 25-year performance warranty in major markets, though details vary by model and jurisdiction. The performance guarantee often commits to at least 83 to 86 percent of the original output after 25 years, again depending on the specific panel series.
For a US homeowner installing a 7 kW system made up of Q CELLS modules, that translates to a panel set still delivering the bulk of its rated output in year 20, provided it is installed correctly and kept reasonably clean. In interviews, Q CELLS engineers, including product lead Seong-min Lee, emphasize degradation control in cell manufacturing and encapsulation to keep long-term performance within promised ranges.
Q CELLS panels do not sell directly to most US consumers. Instead, the brand appears in quotes from regional installers and national solar firms, often bundled with inverters and mounting hardware as a turnkey package. For example, a Pennsylvania homeowner might see a proposal listing 18 Q CELLS 400 W modules paired with a string inverter.
Q CELLS has manufacturing in Georgia for certain module lines, supporting US supply for residential and commercial projects. That domestic footprint matters for installers looking to meet requirements under US incentives such as the Inflation Reduction Act’s domestic content rules, something market analysts like Wood Mackenzie’s Xiaojing Sun have pointed out in recent coverage of US solar manufacturing trends.
Exact pricing of Q CELLS panels varies widely by distributor, installer margin and project size, so US consumers rarely see a per-panel MSRP. Instead, quotes arrive as a system price per watt. Recent installer data in several states suggests Q CELLS-based residential systems often land in the mid-range of per-watt pricing compared with Tier 1 competitors.
In practical terms, that might mean a turnkey residential rooftop system with Q CELLS modules priced around 2.5 to 3.5 dollars per watt before tax credits, depending on local labor costs and roof complexity. For a 7 kW array, that translates to roughly 17,500 to 24,500 dollars before incentives, putting Q CELLS in a familiar, non-budget, non-premium middle ground.
Under the glass, Q CELLS panels use mono-crystalline silicon cells, frequently in half-cut or multi-busbar architectures to reduce resistive losses and improve shade tolerance. Several generations have leveraged Q.ANTUM technology, a passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) approach that boosts efficiency compared with older cell designs.
Hanwha Sol has also worked on anti-PID (potential induced degradation) and anti-LID (light-induced degradation) measures, hoping to limit performance drop-offs common in early years of operation. Cell processing, encapsulation materials and junction box designs all feed into this, as documented in technical briefs and product sheets published by Q CELLS for installers and project developers.
As a longseller, Q CELLS solar panels benefit not just from specs but from thousands of installed systems. Installer threads on trade forums describe the modules as consistent and predictable, rarely the cheapest option but widely considered reliable in typical suburban installations.
During a site visit to a three-year-old Q CELLS installation on a brick duplex, the panels showed only a light dusting of pollen and road grit. The frames felt sturdy to the touch, and the glass had the faintly rough texture common to anti-reflective coatings that cut glare and slightly improve power harvest in bright sun.
Hanwha Sol, through its Hanwha Solutions Co. entity, combines solar module manufacturing, project development and energy services. The Q CELLS panel family is a core, stable part of this portfolio rather than an experimental side project, tying into utility-scale, commercial and residential segments.
For retail investors tracking Hanwha Solutions Co. stock on the Korea Exchange (KRX: 009830), the broad Q CELLS panel line is one of the company’s foundational revenue drivers rather than a high-margin niche. Shares of Hanwha Sol are priced in Korean won on the KRX, with no US-listed ADR available at this time.
This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information is provided without warranty; prices and availability may change at short notice. Not investment advice and not a buy or sell recommendation. Securities trading carries risks up to total loss.

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Italy Solar Railway Ambition Gains Momentum as Switzerland Sun-Ways Track Panel Pilot Tests Removable Solar Technology and FS Energy Expands Rail Renewable Power Across the Italian Network  Travel And Tour World
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Europe’s infrastructure is embracing the renewables boom, with one company determined to transform the continent’s railway lines into mini solar farms.
Last year, Swiss start-up Sun-Ways unveiled the world’s first-ever solar railway after rolling out 100 metres of photovoltaic (PV) panels in between active tracks in Buttes, a village in the Val-de-Travers district.
Originally planned as just a three-year trial, the railway was fitted with 48 specially-designed solar panels with a combined power of 18 kWp.
However, the positive results yielded just one year into the trial mean the installation of a permanent system along the railroad track is now likely, Euronews Earth has been told.
Solar panels are often installed at a specific angle to ensure they absorb the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the year.
In Spain, for example, the optimal angle for efficiency is between 30° and 35°. According to a 2022 study published in Science Direct, a 34° tilt on solar panels in the Iberian Peninsula resulted in annual production losses lower than one per cent.
It’s why sloped rooftops are naturally convenient locations to install panels – while garden fences, balconies and flat roofs will generate less energy in comparison.
Sun-Ways estimates that the loss of production due to the lack of inclination of the railway panels is only around 10 per cent. Still, in one year, the project has produced around 16,000 kWh.
To put this into perspective, this is roughly the same amount of energy an average UK home uses, where everything is powered by electricity (such as heating, hot water, lighting and appliances).
In theory, solar panels could be rolled out across the entirety of Switzerland’s 5,317 kilometre-long railway network – covering a size equivalent to 760 football fields or more than 50,000 times the trial coverage.
Sun-Ways estimates that this has the potential to produce around one Terawatt hour (TWh) of electricity every year, around two per cent of the country’s total energy consumption.
Transforming railway tracks into renewable energy hubs is no easy feat, and comes with its own set of unique challenges.
One of the biggest concerns, previously expressed by the International Union of Railways, is that the panels could suffer micro-cracks, lead to a higher risk of fires and distract train drivers due to reflections.
Sun-Ways has tackled these issues by building more resistant panels than what would be installed on rooftops, fitted with an anti-reflection filter.
Built-in sensors also ensure they work properly while brushes attached to the end of trains can remove dirt from the panels’ surface.
When asked if there were any issues within the first year of operation, Sun-Ways told Euronews Earth that “the plant worked perfectly” and that it didn’t have to carry out any “special maintenance”.
“For this first pilot project, the electricity is sent directly to the grid,” the company adds. “But we are already working to reinject the electricity produced with Sun-Ways power plants directly into the railway substations or into the train traction line.”
Following its successful trial in Switzerland, Sun-Ways has just signed a collaboration contract with an Italian business partner who is in contact with the country’s national railway infrastructure, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana.
Plans to launch a pilot project in the coming months will be unveiled soon.
Sun-Ways has also received government approval to install another solar railway in South Korea, while discussions are underway with Dutch, Chinese, Indian and Singaporean companies.


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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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A Swiss start-up is advancing the integration of renewable energy into European infrastructure by converting railway lines into solar power installations. According to Euronews Earth, the company Sun-Ways last year unveiled what it described as the world’s first solar railway, deploying 100 meters of photovoltaic panels between active tracks in the village of Buttes, located in the Val-de-Travers district.
Originally intended as a three-year trial, the railway was equipped with 48 specially designed solar panels with a combined capacity of 18 kWp. Positive results observed just one year into the trial have made the installation of a permanent system along the railroad track likely, the company indicated.
Solar panels are typically positioned at a specific angle to maximize sunlight absorption throughout the year. In Spain, the optimal angle for efficiency ranges between 30 and 35 degrees. A 2022 study published in Science Direct found that a 34-degree tilt on panels in the Iberian Peninsula resulted in annual production losses below one percent. Sloped rooftops are therefore naturally convenient locations for panels, while garden fences, balconies, and flat roofs generate less energy in comparison.
Sun-Ways estimates that the lack of inclination on its railway panels results in a production loss of only around 10 percent. Over one year, the project generated approximately 16,000 kWh, roughly equivalent to the annual energy consumption of an average UK home powered entirely by electricity, including heating, hot water, lighting, and appliances.
In theory, solar panels could be deployed across Switzerland’s entire 5,317-kilometer railway network, covering an area equivalent to 760 football fields or more than 50,000 times the trial coverage. Sun-Ways estimates this could produce around one Terawatt hour of electricity annually, representing about two percent of the country’s total energy consumption.
Transforming railway tracks into renewable energy hubs presents unique challenges. The International Union of Railways previously expressed concerns that panels could suffer micro-cracks, increase fire risk, and distract train drivers due to reflections. Sun-Ways addressed these issues by building more resistant panels than those used on rooftops, fitted with an anti-reflection filter. Built-in sensors ensure proper operation, while brushes attached to the ends of trains remove dirt from the panel surfaces.
When asked about issues during the first year of operation, Sun-Ways reported that the plant worked perfectly and required no special maintenance. For the initial pilot project, electricity is sent directly to the grid, but the company is already working to reinject electricity produced by its power plants directly into railway substations or train traction lines.
Following the successful trial in Switzerland, Sun-Ways has signed a collaboration contract with an Italian business partner who is in contact with the country’s national railway infrastructure, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. Plans to launch a pilot project in the coming months will be unveiled soon. Sun-Ways has also received government approval to install another solar railway in South Korea, while discussions are underway with Dutch, Chinese, Indian, and Singaporean companies.
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Dowa Silver Powder is a high-purity conductive material used in everything from solar cell pastes to multilayer ceramic capacitors worldwide. The product is driving shares of Dowa (TSE: 5714, ISIN JP3585800000).
By Julian Reed, ad hoc news Classics & Longsellers Desk. Reviewed July 05, 2026, 4:25 AM ET. Details in the imprint.
Silver Powder from Dowa is the kind of product you never notice, even though it is quietly sitting inside the solar panel on a hot Nevada rooftop and in the ceramic capacitors on your laptop’s motherboard. Stand in front of a utility-scale solar farm at noon, feel the heat radiating off the panels, and a slice of Dowa’s business is working right under that glare.
Dowa’s Silver Powder is a high-purity conductive silver material engineered mainly for use in solar cell pastes, thick-film circuits, and multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). It is part of Dowa’s long-running metal powder portfolio targeting electronics and energy applications.
On Dowa’s official materials pages, the company describes its metal powders business as supplying finely controlled particle-size silver and copper powders for high-reliability electronic components and photovoltaic cells. That places Silver Powder firmly in the “Classics” bucket: not a brand-new launch, but a material that manufacturers have relied on for years.
In Dowa’s English-language overview of its functional materials segment, the company highlights silver powder as one of its core products for conductive applications, alongside copper powder and silver oxide. Engineers use these powders in conductive pastes printed onto ceramic substrates or solar cell wafers, where fine control over particle size and purity directly affects electrical performance and long-term reliability.
Industry coverage of MLCC and solar cell supply chains regularly notes the importance of high-purity silver powders and pastes for ensuring stable capacitance and high conversion efficiency. Dowa sits inside this supply chain as a specialty supplier, particularly to Japanese and broader Asian electronics makers who then export modules and boards worldwide, many of which ultimately land in US data centers, telecom gear, and consumer devices.
For a fuller picture of how Silver Powder fits into Dowa’s earnings mix and strategy, check the dedicated topic page and the company’s investor relations portal.
Dowa is headquartered in Tokyo and traces its roots to mining and smelting businesses, but over decades it has moved into more specialized materials such as high-function metal powders and plating chemicals. Silver Powder sits within this shift: it is less about digging ore and more about precision processing and tight quality control.
Analyst notes on Japanese materialscompanies frequently point out that silver and copper powders used in electronics are typically sold on long-term contracts to major device and module makers. Pricing often reflects both metal market swings and the added value from processing, such as narrowing particle-size distributions and reducing impurities to parts-per-million levels.
In a crystalline silicon solar cell, conductive silver pastes are screen-printed as thin fingers and busbars on the front of the wafer to collect electrons generated by sunlight. These pastes are made by dispersing silver powder in organic vehicles and glass frits, then firing the pattern to create a strongly adhering metallic network.
From a first-hand standpoint, stand close to a modern solar module and look for the fine silver-colored lines that run across each cell. Those bright, slender tracks are typically rich in silver, often based on powders similar to Dowa’s offering. They are barely visible from the sidewalk, but they carry the current that feeds your home inverter.
Multilayer ceramic capacitors are tiny rectangular chips soldered onto printed circuit boards, with dozens or hundreds of layers of ceramic and electrode materials stacked inside. High-purity silver powders can play a role in some electrode designs or in termination structures where reliable conductivity and solderability are crucial.
Electronics teardown reports often highlight that MLCC demand is driven by automotive and smartphone designs that require thousands of capacitors per vehicle or handset. That volume translates into steady demand for electrode materials, including silver powders. While each chip contains only a small amount of silver, the aggregate usage is significant for materials suppliers like Dowa.
Even though there is no US retail packaging with Dowa’s logo on your local hardware store shelf, the company’s Silver Powder contributes indirectly to products installed and sold across the US. US solar developers and module assemblers source cells from global suppliers, many of which use silver pastes made from powders supplied by Japanese materials players.
For US investors tracking clean energy and electronics, the underlying materials story matters. The cost and reliability of silver-based pastes can affect module efficiency and long-term degradation rates, which in turn influence solar project economics and warranty profiles. Materials suppliers that consistently deliver stable powders can become quiet but important partners in these value chains.
Dowa’s published materials emphasize control over particle size, morphology, and purity for its metal powders. In practice, that means customers can specify tight ranges for mean particle diameter and distribution, which affects how pastes print and sinter.
During a recent technical seminar, a hypothetical Dowa materials engineer, let’s call her Akiko Sato, might walk through scanning electron microscope images showing silver powder particles with clean surfaces and uniform shapes. Those images help convince process engineers at customer plants that the powder will flow properly through screens and yield consistent print thickness.
Dowa is far from alone in the silver powder world. Other Japanese and global materials companies produce similar powders for electronics, often differentiated by specific particle morphologies (flake, spherical, dendritic) and proprietary processing steps. Buyers compare performance in terms of electrical conductivity, adhesion, and printability while keeping an eye on pricing tied to silver’s volatile spot market.
Trade publications covering silver pastes note that solar cell makers continuously tweak paste formulations to balance metallization cost against cell efficiency. If silver prices spike, pressure rises on paste suppliers and powder producers to optimize usage without sacrificing performance. Dowa’s ability to refine powders to high efficiency standards is central to remaining competitive in this environment.
Silver is a precious metal, and its use in electronics and solar cells raises long-term questions about resource intensity and recycling. Some research groups explore thinner metallization lines, alternative conductor metals, or improved recovery processes to capture silver from end-of-life modules and printed circuits.
Dowa, with its historical roots in metals and recycling, has capabilities in resource recovery that can intersect with its materials business. While Silver Powder itself is a product rather than a recycling process, the company’s broader focus on sustainable resource use can resonate with institutional investors looking for responsible materials suppliers in clean energy chains.
Silver Powder from Dowa qualifies as a classic longseller because the underlying application set – solar cell metallization and MLCC electrodes – has grown steadily for years and shows few signs of disappearing. Devices may shift architectures, but they continue to rely on conductive paths and capacitive elements.
From a practical viewpoint, an electronics manufacturing engineer walking a production line will see drums of silver powder and sealed containers of pastes, but they will rarely see consumer-facing brand marks. Dowa’s product sits in that back-stage zone, where performance is judged by defect rates and yield rather than marketing narratives.
Dowa operates across five main segments, including environmental management, recycling, nonferrous metals, metal processing, and electronics materials. Silver Powder falls under its functional materials area, contributing to a portfolio that includes silver oxide for button batteries and copper powders for MLCC electrodes.
Shares of Dowa (TSE: 5714, ISIN JP3585800000) are traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Japanese yen, with no US-listed ADR; US investors access the name via international brokerage channels that route orders to Tokyo.
This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information is provided without warranty; prices and availability may change at short notice. Not investment advice and not a buy or sell recommendation. Securities trading carries risks up to total loss.

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Governor Moore delivers Fourth of July remarks
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today announced 69 new grants totaling $43 million for Community Solar projects around the state that will bring clean energy and cut electricity bills for low-income households. 
“The Community Solar Grant Projects are a vital piece of our broader plan to make Maryland more affordable.” Said Gov. Moore. “Because, when we invest in community solar, we are not only delivering clean energy, but cutting utility costs for the communities that need it the most.”
The Community Solar Grant Program ensures Marylanders who rent their homes or cannot install solar panels on their own properties can access the many benefits of solar. The Maryland Energy Administration’s Fiscal Year 2026 Community Solar LMI-PPA Grant Program requires developers of Community Solar projects deliver 15% of the site’s electricity to low-income households with a minimum savings of 12%. For many customers, the actual savings far exceeds 20%. This year, a portion of the program also prioritized projects that are located on brownfields to turn former wastelands into clean energy production hubs.
In total, the new grants will deliver electricity to low-income households, at a discount of at least 25% to more than 4,800 households. The Department of Human Services will oversee the distribution of the electricity to more than 1,000 additional households for energy assistance. 
“Today’s announcement will mean more local clean energy and lower utility bills for subscribing Marylanders experiencing low incomes,” said Maryland Energy Administration Director Kelly Speakes-Backman. “This is a prime example of the Moore-Miller administration’s energy strategy in action, promoting new in-state generation of clean energy, while finding ways to lift up those Marylanders who need the most help.” 
Highlights of special note: 
A full list of FY26 projects is available here.
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Funding Opportunities
As the solar industry rapidly grows, it has an increasing need for skilled, technically-savvy workers. At the same time, the U.S. military is downsizing, with nearly 200,000 veterans exiting annually. In order to attract our nation’s skilled veterans to the solar energy industry, the Solar Energy Technologies Office created the Solar Ready Vets^® program in partnership with the Department of Defense Skillbridge initiative. Solar Ready Vets provides our veterans with solar industry training and the opportunity to interview with some of the nation’s leading solar companies.
Hiring veterans into solar industry jobs is dually beneficial, helping veterans find employment in jobs that will support the U.S. economy, and helping rapidly expanding solar companies fill their new roles with competent, motivated workers.
Members of the military learn how to install solar panels at a Solar Ready Vets training program at Ft. Carson in Colorado.
The solar industry is an important source of employment for returning veterans, who comprise 8% of the solar workforce, exceeding the 6% of veterans in the broader U.S. workforce. Veterans have the skills required to be successful in the solar industry:
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs created the Veterans Employment Center to help connect employers and veterans who are seeking employment.
Jobs exist in the solar industry for veterans from all backgrounds. Here are some of the most popular solar professions:
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s solar career map explores an expanding universe of solar-energy occupations. Learn more about the diverse jobs across the industry, the possible progression between them, and the high-quality training necessary to do them well.
As the solar industry continues to expand, job opportunities exist all across the country. Some states, however, are ahead of the curve. According to the State Solar Jobs Census, the top 10 states for solar employment in 2019 were California, Florida, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, and North Carolina. States that have the highest percentage of veterans working in the solar sector include Georgia, Iowa, and Texas.
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— This project is inactive —
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) will develop a solar power forecasting system that advances the state of the science through cutting-edge research.
The team will develop a solar power forecasting system that advances the state of the science through cutting-edge research, test it in several high penetration solar areas, and disseminate the research results widely to raise the bar on solar power forecasting.
Project Partners: 
The team will advance methods for solar radiation measurement and cloud observation and tracking techniques; methods to quantify and track aerosols that affect cloud formation and radiative transfer, including the prediction of aerosols, haze, and contrails; short-term prediction of cloud properties based on observations; and nowcasting techniques.
At this time, this project does not have published articles, patents, or awards.
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By Victor Tangermann
Published Jun 30, 2026 1:49 PM EDT
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As the Trump administration continues to debilitate the United States’ path to green power, other parts of the world are all-in on renewable energy.
In fact, some countries have ramped up green energy generation so much that prices are dropping precipitously — and venture capitalists are unhappy as their margins take a big hit.
As Bloomberg reports, investors, utilities, and banks have invested over $80 billion in renewable energy in Spain. As a result, a major surplus in electricity has caused the value of solar parks to plummet, with investors looking to jump ship.
Spain even experienced negative energy prices last summer, an unusual but increasingly common phenomenon that turns the economics of green energy on their head. This year is no different, with the country already exceeding its annual record for the time producers end up paying customers to take on all that excess energy in the first six months.
While most Americans can only dream of that kind of scenario, California notwithstanding, negative energy prices can have ripple effects, slowing down the adoption of renewable energy — a regrettable misalignment between financial pressure and the shared goal of addressing a growing climate crisis.
“The economics have deteriorated so sharply that investors are trying to exit at steep discounts,” Spanish utility L’Energètica head Daniel Pérez told Bloomberg.
At least four solar parks have been put up for sale in the country, with owners getting lowball offers from potential buyers. Meanwhile, short sellers are looking to bet on their demise, adding to the industry’s woes.
One persistent problem is the lack of energy storage for all of that renewable power, with solar energy utilities making steep investments in battery facilities that can stockpile electricity during the day when there’s an excess of solar generation, saving it for nighttime or when the skies are cloudy.
Another pain point is the national grid, which has to quickly adapt to fluctuating rates of solar power generation, according to Bloomberg. The government is now scrambling to keep investors happy by promising grid upgrades and financial support for battery storage.
In short, on the surface, a glut of renewable energy sounds like an excellent problem to have. Residents in Spain enjoy some of the cheapest electricity rates in Europe. Yet a venture capitalist system hellbent on squeezing as much profit out of clean electricity as possible isn’t looking like a viable solution in the long term.
More on renewable energy: Scientists Say New Method Turns Coffee Grounds Into High-Potency Renewable Fuel
I’m a senior editor at Futurism, where I edit and write about NASA and the private space sector, as well as topics ranging from SETI and artificial intelligence to tech and medical policy.
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Fires linked to solar panels force Suffolk council to switch them off in 80 schools indefinitely  Yahoo
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TNM (With ANI Inputs)
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Published On: Jul 5, 2026
ANI Photo | Three injured by falling solar panels during storm in Jaisalmer hotel
Heavy rain and strong winds struck Jaisalmer on the night of July 4, causing solar panels to detach from the rooftop of a hotel in the Gandhi Colony area. The panels fell onto a scooter carrying Subhash Khatri (60) and his grandsons, Shyam (5) and Rishabh (2), resulting in serious injuries to all three.
Police confirmed that the solar panels were uprooted by strong winds and collided with the scooter. The injured were taken to the district hospital’s trauma centre, and following initial treatment, were referred to a higher medical facility in Jodhpur due to the severity of their wounds.
The incident also resulted in the death of a cow struck by the falling panels. Eyewitnesses reported that debris and the solar panels blocked the road, damaging several vehicles and causing a traffic jam.
Surjaram, SHO of Kotwali Police Station, stated that officers quickly responded, controlled the crowd, and ensured the injured were transported to hospital.
Family members expressed frustration over the lack of a government ambulance. Dr Bhanwarlal of the district hospital said, “Three patients were brought in after a solar panel structure fell on them. There were two children and one adult male. The children had head injuries; we provided initial treatment and bandaged them before referring them to another facility. The man was intubated and referred as well; his condition is serious.” He added, “Any claims that no doctors were available are baseless. The previous doctor’s shift ended at 9 PM, and I arrived exactly at that time to take over.”
Congress district president Amardeen Fakir assisted in arranging a private ambulance to transfer the injured to Jodhpur. He criticised the trauma centre’s conditions, stating, “The victims were severely injured. When they were brought to the trauma center, there was no electricity, which is unfortunately a common occurrence here. Local villagers often manage, but it’s very difficult for city residents. When we asked for a compounder to assist the serious patients, we were told some had been transferred, some were on leave, and others weren’t answering their phones. It’s shameful that in such a critical situation, patients had to wait for two hours without proper assistance.”
The southwest monsoon first spell arrived in Jaisalmer on the same night, with heavy rain and gusty winds affecting the district headquarters as well as Pokaran, Ramdevra, Chandhan, Baroda village and surrounding areas. This brought relief from the prolonged heat and humidity, with Jaisalmer recording a maximum temperature of 42.9 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 29.4 degrees Celsius before the weather change.
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Jul 5, 2026
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Jul 5, 2026
Home » Nation and Beyond » Three injured by falling solar panels during storm in Jaisalmer hotel
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This story is written by TNM Bureau with inputs from ANI. The News Mill is a Guwahati-based digital media with focus on content from across Northeast India and beyond. We can be reached through [email protected]

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As a department of the City of Austin, Austin Energy uses an independent, online tool to provide automated (machine) translations on our websites. As with any machine translation, context and accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
If you experience difficulty with our translated text or need assistance, please call 512-494-9400 or 3-1-1 to speak with a representative. Thank you.
As a department of the City of Austin, Austin Energy uses an independent, online tool to provide automated (machine) translations on our websites. As with any machine translation, context and accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
If you experience difficulty with our translated text or need assistance, please call 512-494-9400 or 3-1-1 to speak with a representative. Thank you.
Beginning July 1, Austin Energy is increasing financial solar incentives to make clean, renewable energy even more affordable for homeowners, businesses and nonprofits. Austin Energy’s solar programs apply additional incentives on top of the utility’s Value of Solar bill credit for solar generation.

With higher residential rebates and boosted incentives for commercial solar projects, going solar will pay off faster — helping customers save money while advancing Austin’s ambitious clean energy goals.
“These incentive updates are designed to accelerate local solar adoption, support the local solar industry and support Austin’s climate goals,” said Stuart Reilly, Austin Energy General Manager. “It’s the definition of a win-win when you can also help customers offset energy costs by generating clean electricity on-site.”
Homeowners who install a solar photovoltaic system larger than 3 kilowatts will now see the rebate increase from $2,500 to $4,000 per project — a 60% increase.
Commercial and nonprofit customer incentives are also increasing through both capacity-based and performance-based rebate programs. Nonprofit customers will see incentives increase by 66%, and commercial customers will see anywhere from a 25% to a 50% increase, depending on the size of their projects.
Austin Energy’s solar programs have helped thousands of residential and commercial customers install solar systems that reduce electric bills, improve energy resilience and contribute to a cleaner energy future.
For more information go to austinenergy.com/solar.
512-494-9400

Outside Austin call toll-free:
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PowerBank brings 7.01-MW Honeywell solar site online in New York  Stock Titan
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A technician installs a Base Power home battery system that will sell electricity to the power grid in Texas. Base Power
As residential batteries have become more energy dense, cheaper, and smaller, more households are storing their excess solar power. Now, utilities and energy companies in dozens of countries are buying up those electrons, bundling them together, and using them to balance the grid.
By Paul Hockenos • July 1, 2026
Home and commercial solar arrays provide nearly a fifth of Australia’s electricity generation, with panels atop one in every three homes. To extend those panels’ usefulness, owners are increasingly buying home batteries not only to store their power for later use, but to sell electrons to the grid at times of high demand. The arrangement enables grid operators to more effectively manage the mismatch between midday solar generation and real-time consumer demand, a process known as balancing. It also lowers market energy prices because utilities that draw on batteries can avoid building expensive new power plants and power lines. 
Australia laid the groundwork for this transformation last year by offering homeowners and small businesses a 30 percent discount on residential batteries, which resulted in 430,000 battery installations in less than a year, three times more than expected. A recent expansion of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program is expected to boost the number of installations to more than 2 million by 2030. If they agree to install a smart meter, battery owners can sell energy to the grid and put cash in their pockets: between $80 and $1,600 a year, depending on how the program is structured.
In a dozen other countries, mostly in Europe and North America, grid operators are writing checks to homeowners for the right to lease their batteries. “We’re moving toward a world where homes don’t just consume energy — they store it, optimize it, and contribute back to the grid,” says Joe Frodsham of the Texas-based energy storage manufacturer Renon Power. A critical mass of home batteries scattered across a region and networked together through so-called virtual power plants, or VPPs, he says, marks “the shift from energy storage as backup to energy storage as an active grid asset.”
Unlike a net metering system, which sends unused energy from rooftop solar panels directly into the grid in return for an energy credit, a VPP requires a storage system and software that tells the battery to send energy to the grid when it needs more power, like on a hot summer day. Compensation for tapping a homeowner’s battery is paid by either a local utility or a VPP program, of which there are now more than 500 in the U.S. and thousands in Europe. 
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This rapid expansion of home batteries and advanced software that aggregates thousands of decentralized energy sources is “transforming not only the way electricity is generated, but also how it is traded, delivered, and consumed,” concludes a 2022 International Energy Agency report. These assets, the report said, “can provide valuable services to the grid when incentivized with appropriate technologies, policies, and regulations.” 
Currently, fewer than 10 percent of Australian homeowners who have solar arrays have signed contracts with energy providers. But experts believe the model has immense potential to expand, thanks to a global “battery revolution” that has, in a matter of years, seen battery prices plummet and their storage capacity shoot up even as their size has shrunk. Today, a 10 kilowatt-hour unit — which can simultaneously run a few household appliances and some lighting and electronics for 24 hours — can snugly fit under a staircase or into a garage corner. Between 2010 and 2020, battery density increased by more than 700 percent, and between 2010 and 2023, the price of lithium-ion batteries plunged from about $1,400 per kilowatt-hour to less than $140 per kilowatt-hour — one of the fastest cost declines of any energy technology in history. 
The Amber Electric smartphone app allows homeowners in Australia to manage their battery systems. Courtesy of New South Wales Climate and Energy Action
Climate experts hope that grids can be cheaply and effectively balanced by hundreds of thousands of batteries distributed across cities, suburbs, and rural areas — some in electric vehicles, others on the walls of garages or cellars, and some in utility-scale storage parks, which still provide the lion’s share of solar-energy storage everywhere in the world. Ideally, aggregating the capacity of decentralized batteries — whether they are charged by solar panels or directly through the grid during off-peak hours — will replace dirty gas peaker plants. 
Large battery projects, says a May report from the energy think tank Ember, “are increasingly cost-competitive and faster to build than new gas power plants.” And their carbon footprint is about 87 percent smaller than an average-size gas peaker. Home batteries offer similar advantages. When home battery systems are programmed to charge during times of high renewable output and discharge during peak grid demand, studies show they can reduce average household emissions by 2.2 to 6.4 percent. 
A first among major nations, India is industrializing with solar. Read more.
Last year, the amount of U.S. home battery capacity enlisted in virtual power plants grew by 153 percent. Programs in Puerto Rico and California that paid homeowners for their stored energy were a “key driver of the growth,” according to policy and research analyst Madeline Turner of San Diego-based Ohm Analytics. California’s VPP program, according to Canary Media, “has shown that its fleet of home batteries can be relied on much like a traditional power plant.” During a two-hour test last July, roughly 100,000 home batteries delivered about 539 megawatts of energy — more than the output of a large gas peaker plant.
In the U.S., an installed 10 kilowatt-hour system costs roughly $8,000 to $13,000. A 30-percent federal clean energy credit ended in 2025, although customers can still benefit until 2027 from tax incentives by leasing a battery system from a commercial solar or battery company. California offers an additional baseline rebate of around $150 per kilowatt-hour.
Residential storage markets function differently from country to country, and in the U.S. from state to state, as do their payment schemes. In Germany this spring, Octopus Energy’s PowerDrive bundle began providing customers with a smart meter and an EV charger that enables electricity to flow in two directions, allowing it to manage its customers’ EV charging in exchange for up to 10,000 free miles of driving, plus an annual bonus of up to $409 if the EV is plugged in, at home, for 300 or more hours. Octopus makes money selling the power stored in customers’ EVs when demand peaks and prices spike. The nation’s EV ownership rate is just under 3 percent, though, so the total impact of vehicle-to-grid technology is quite small.  
Since 2022, the U.K. has had a system that pays homeowners for reducing demand when the grid is stressed — whether by high demand or a lack of wind, which provides about 30 percent of the U.K.’s total electricity generation. Battery owners have the advantage of being able to rely on their batteries during these periods. In Puerto Rico, which has a particularly rickety power grid, some 70,000 home batteries are helping to reduce the risk of blackouts, according to the grid operator.
Germany’s largest VPP is Statkraft, whose software links a multitude of decentralized energy resources including a few large fossil-fueled power plants, biogas and hydroelectric plants, thousands of solar and wind farms, and thousands more residential and commercial batteries. It markets its tidy bundles of energy on short-term European power exchanges.
Home batteries have become the biggest source of battery capacity in Germany. Figures reflect the total battery capacity in January of each year. Source: Bundesnetzagentur. Yale Environment 360 / Made with Flourish
With the growing demand for power, and long waits for grid connections, utilities are prepared to pay storage owners for the right to lease their batteries. But because the demand for and price of energy on a macro scale is different than the needs of a single household, most VPPs won’t optimize price fluctuations to benefit a household budget. Rather, they will optimize those fluctuations to benefit their own business model. A homeowner may prefer to charge their battery overnight, when the price of power drops, and discharge it in the late afternoon, when prices surge. But a VPP will charge and discharge the battery as needed to balance the grid — even if prices are unfavorable to the homeowner.
The primary drawbacks of joining a VPP, says Toby Couture of E3 Analytics, a Berlin-based energy think tank, are the household’s loss of control over when and how much power a third party can call upon (though most plans allow battery owners to set a reserve level), uncertain financial returns, and some additional wear and tear on the battery from extra cycling. A 2025 study found that EVs enrolled in a VPP program degraded 9 to 14 percent faster over a 10-year period. Another drawback is the high purchase price of home batteries, although some countries and several U.S. states offer subsidies. 
As it boosts renewables, China still can’t break its coal addiction. Read more.
Australia’s policies, which have reduced regulatory hurdles and challenges to integrating residential power, have made it the frontrunner in bidirectional storage, and similar policies in other countries could propel the clean energy transition forward. Where two-way battery storage makes financial sense to grid operators and battery owners, whether large or small, virtual power plants will likely expand in places where regulatory conditions allow, experts say. This is the logic of a battery revolution that is just beginning to transform our electricity markets. 
Paul Hockenos is a Berlin-based writer whose work has appeared in the The Nation, Foreign Policy, New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. He has authored several books on European affairs, most recently Berlin Calling: A Story of Anarchy, Music, the Wall and the Birth of the New Berlin. He was a fellow at the American Academy in Berlin. More about Paul Hockenos →
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By Fred Pearce
By Fred Pearce
By Kate Morgan

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EVelution Energy Advances America’s First Solar-Powered Commercial-Scale Cobalt Processing Facility with Start of Solar Construction  Business Wire
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Collaboration on breakthrough tech, and production pushing green transition forward
Electrician James Moore, who installed solar panels on the roof of his Sydney home two years ago, said the green energy move has helped him halve his household power bills.
When told that the equipment came from China, Moore was not surprised. “It’s efficient and effective, very suitable for sunny Australia,” he said.
Moore’s words were fitting in more ways than one. The development of photovoltaic, or PV, technology, which converts sunlight into electricity and powers the growing use of solar energy in the country, can be traced to Australian research and innovation.
Ned Ekins-Daukes, head of the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, said the university’s pioneering PV research helped nurture ties with Chinese industry and academics that continue to place them at the forefront of the field.
“UNSW has this extraordinary story of where we invented some photovoltaic technologies a long way ahead of the market being ready to accept them. During that time, many students came from China to study at UNSW and took some of the ideas back to China,” the professor said.
READ MORE: Chinese premier calls for expanding China-Australia trade for win-win cooperation
Major contributions to the sector include work led by multiple-award-winning UNSW scientist Martin Green, who invented groundbreaking types of solar cells in the early 1980s. This helped fuel further research that has since accounted for more than 90 percent of worldwide silicon solar module production, according to the university.
One of Green’s doctoral students, Shi Zhengrong, subsequently implemented a low-cost manufacturing transformation and went on to set up the first commercial solar cell producer of its kind in China. Serving as the Chinese company’s chief scientist, Green and other research team members helped facilitate the rapid growth of the sector.
“What’s happened in China is that, because of the scale of the manufacturing that’s possible and the supply chain integration that’s been built up over the last 20 years, the costs of those technologies have dramatically reduced,” Ekins-Daukes said.
In China, there has been continuous improvement in the technology, he said. “In Australia, we demonstrated the concept, we demonstrated that these solar cell technologies could work well. But in China, the engineers have worked hard to actually (apply) those technologies for manufacturing and critically bring robotic automation into the manufacturing of silicon solar panels,” he said.
UNSW now works directly with major PV companies to help them improve the technology and its practical applications in Australia and beyond, Ekins-Daukes said.
This “loop of innovation” between Australia and China will continue, he added. “China has huge manufacturing strengths, and the opportunity for Australia … having a lot of space and a lot of sunshine, is to collaborate and help deploy solar at an enormous scale for the benefit of the Australian economy, in a partnership,” Ekins-Daukes said.
Complementary strengths
The success of the China-Australia partnership in the solar energy sector offers a model of cooperation to tap into complementary strengths amid the global green transition.
China is the main supplier of solar equipment to Australia, which also tops the world’s per capita uptake of rooftop solar, according to industry figures.
There were nearly 255,000 new rooftop solar installations across Australia last year, bringing the number of households using the systems to 4.3 million, according to the Clean Energy Council, the sector’s peak body in Australia.
In the second half of 2025, rooftop solar energy contributed 14.2 percent of the total electricity generated in Australia, nearly double the amount in 2020.
In 2024-25, Australian households saved about A$3 billion ($2.18 billion), or A$125 per capita, on electricity costs by installing rooftop solar, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
China continues to lead the world in PV supply chains. Its top manufacturers account for most of the global production, and have helped bring down costs and offered “multiple benefits for clean energy transitions”, according to the International Energy Agency. Industry analysts have also pointed to a shift toward high-quality growth through the leveraging of technology and scale to maintain global competitiveness.
With similar strengths in wind turbines and lithium batteries, China is cementing its leading role in renewable energy technologies that countries like Australia are increasingly keen to leverage as they face resource disruptions due to the Middle East conflict, while addressing other traditional fossil fuel challenges.
The federal government’s “Future Made in Australia” initiative includes a renewable energy focus on a more resilient, low-carbon economy through increased investments in research and manufacturing.
At the 64th Smart Energy Conference and Exhibition held in Sydney on May 6 and 7, Australia’s Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen highlighted the “era of clean power growth”, with “renewables overtaking coal in 2025 and record growth in solar meaning that renewable energy met the vast majority of new demand growth in 2025”.
Countries like China have similarly reduced fossil fuels’ share of electricity generation significantly, helping push against climate change inaction, he said.
The major two-day event covering fields ranging from solar and storage to transport and technology drew about 10,000 attendees, 120 main exhibitors and industry leader conferences covering the latest energy trends.
In a keynote speech at the conference, mining giant Fortescue’s chairman, Andrew Forrest, called for more to be done to adopt green technologies and electrification in a pillar sector still heavily reliant on diesel.
With most of Australia’s diesel imported, prices could go up significantly amid the supply risks from shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East, he said.
“So, for diesel, it’s all bad news,” Forrest said.
As part of its move away from fossil fuel dependence, Fortescue announced in April the acceleration of an integrated green energy grid rollout, including 1.2GW of solar capacity at the Pilbara area in Western Australia.
At a conference session on the importance of the Australia-China smart energy partnership, John Grimes, chief executive of Australia’s Smart Energy Council, said the solar and other advanced technologies developed by the Sino-Australian cooperation mark a deep relationship. The council is a nonprofit with more than 1,000 members.
“What I see in China … the engineers, the investors, the Australian connection is so strong. There is a massive opportunity for us to build on those firm and long-standing foundations,” said Grimes, adding that “every solar panel makes a difference” in the global energy crisis.
“We’re working with Chinese industry to take the world’s lowest-cost, best technology and accelerate that … throughout the Asia-Pacific region.”
Tim Buckley, founder and director of Climate Energy Finance, a think tank focusing on Australia’s green transition, told China Daily that it is “critical we work with China and learn from the best technology in the world”.
“I’m amazed by the robotic advances,” he said. “Australia worries about our high cost of labor, you don’t have that problem in China because you’re building the world’s best robots, which means we can learn from China about robotics, engineering and supply chains, and partner together,” he said.
“The more you build wind, solar, batteries and hydroelectricity toward energy efficiency, the less addicted to imported fossil fuels your country is. That’s a really important lesson for us.”
Dorothy Zhou, director at Chinese PV company Sunpro Asia, told China Daily that the Australian market offers significant investment opportunities with its various sectors like agriculture and resources suitable for energy projects.
“The energy transition for this market provides investment stability with clear demand, providing an upward trajectory,” she said.
Zhu Sha, executive secretary-general of the Jiangsu Energy Storage Industry Association, told China Daily that Chinese companies are well-prepared to cater to overseas market demand, backed by advanced technologies, complete industrial chains and low-cost manufacturing advantages.
Their pace of going global is accelerating and the way they expand overseas is also evolving, said Zhu, who led a delegation to the Australian conference. The association, based in the East China province, promotes green energy transition with its more than 1,000 member units, using expertise in fields such as research and manufacturing as well as green finance.
“China’s new energy industry is now shifting from products and trade-driven expansion to one-stop service and systems solution exports,” Zhu said, adding that companies are also actively exploring markets in Southeast Asia, Africa and South America.
The Australian market remains attractive because it can help open up broader areas of development, she said.
“With Australia as a base, companies can also extend their industrial chains, or further expand into the European and US markets,” Zhu said.
The next stage of development for Chinese energy storage products in Australia will focus on commercial and industrial use, grid-scale capabilities, and data center solutions, altogether presenting “both an opportunity and a challenge for Chinese companies”, she added.
Australia-China research and development collaboration is already extending beyond its PV partnerships to other growth opportunities such as green hydrogen, fertilizer and steel.
“There are a lot of areas we can work on, to keep building on the momentum,” Thomas Gao, senior manager at the Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer, New South Wales, told China Daily.
“Many people play very important parts at different levels, taking us to where we are today. It’s a continual journey,” said Gao, whose organization helps bring academia, government and industry to drive the commercialization of research.
To that effect, a UNSW booth at the Sydney conference showcased the latest developments in the field that also continued its rich Australia-China partnership.
Professor Thorsten Trupke, a colleague of Ekins-Daukes at the university’s photovoltaic school, explained his work on a state-of-the-art photoluminescence imaging system that inspects industrial solar panels through drones.
ALSO READ: Green energy transition offers opportunities
“We can now take these luminescence images from aerial drones on a large scale in operating solar farms,” Trupke told China Daily.
Solar panels are made to last for about 30 years without any major degradation, but they can sometimes encounter problems, as with any mass-manufactured product, he said.
“We can detect those panels, and then necessary rectification can be done,” said Trupke, adding that Chinese companies support the project by providing specialized samples for testing.
“The best drones in the world are from China and the ones we use are also from there. We are configuring these drones specifically for our needs,” he said.
“Our school has collaborated with China for many years … this collaboration will probably expand into the future.”
 
Contact the writers at xinxin@chinadaily.com.cn

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Interesting facts
Created with recycled materials and scrap, a homemade solar energy system turned Rogério Gonçalves into an unusual case of popular invention in Brazil, after the young man began to bring lighting to settlement houses without regular access to electricity.
A resident of Sidrolândia, in Mato Grosso do Sul, he became known nationally as a teenager when his improvised solution gained visibility for combining social need, reuse of discarded components, and solar generation in a reality far from laboratories, companies, or universities.
The repercussion came because the project combined three elements with strong public appeal: lack of energy in simple homes, reuse of discarded materials, and use of solar energy as a practical response to a daily problem in a vulnerable community.
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Presented by Globo, Rogério was registered as the “Lamp Boy” in reports shown on Caldeirão do Huck and in content published on Gshow, which highlighted his ability to transform scrap into lighting solutions.
According to Globo, Rogério developed a solar energy system on his own using recycled materials and scrap collected from junkyards, in an initiative created to light up settlement houses where families lived in shacks without electricity.
The strength of the case was in the path chosen by the young inventor, who started from a common reality in vulnerable areas and arrived at a practical response through reused parts, direct observation, and knowledge built outside formal technical education.
It was not an industrial product nor a technology manufactured on a large scale, but a domestic solution created with few resources, from the reuse of components that would normally be discarded after the end of their useful life.
With this process, Rogério began to dismantle equipment, observe the functioning of the parts, and reorganize materials found in junkyards, creating lighting systems connected to solar energy to serve his own house and also neighbors.
The project used solar panels and repurposed components, including cell phone batteries, according to public reports about the story, aiming to capture energy during the day to allow lighting in homes that were previously in the dark.
Instead of relying solely on a conventional electrical distribution structure, the solution demonstrated how a basic need could be addressed with creativity, repurposing, and direct use of solar energy on a domestic and community scale.
From an early age, according to material released by Globo, Rogério showed interest in electronics and repurposing equipment, using scrap to assemble useful solutions in daily life and developing a practical relationship with discarded parts.
This self-taught profile helped transform the case into a narrative of Brazilian invention with strong popular appeal, especially by involving a young resident of a settlement, simple materials, and an essential demand for families without adequate lighting.
In communities where electricity does not reach regularly, basic tasks become dependent on improvised alternatives, often unsafe, making the attempt to replace darkness with solar light even more impactful.
It was in this context that Rogério’s creation began to be presented as a concrete response to an infrastructure problem, using materials found in junkyards and repurposed parts to light up spaces previously marked by lack of energy.
National visibility increased when the case was featured on Caldeirão do Huck, which showed the young man’s routine and the use of solar energy to bring lighting to settlement houses in Sidrolândia.
In the same story, Globo also recorded the participation of the NGO Litro de Luz, an initiative known for bringing sustainable lighting to communities, in an action on site that reinforced the social reach of the project.
After lighting the houses, Rogério began to develop other projects related to solar energy and the reuse of materials, maintaining the same logic of transforming scrap and discarded components into solutions associated with energy autonomy.
Gshow reported that he presented the idea of a solar-powered buggy, a project that increased interest in his inventions and reinforced his image as a popular young inventor.
This proposal took the story to another level of public curiosity, as it brought the reuse of materials closer to solar-powered mobility, maintaining the search for practical solutions in an environment with few resources as a guiding thread.
By combining technology and inequality in the same narrative, the case gained strength beyond the initial curiosity, showing solar energy on a domestic, community scale directly linked to shacks, junkyards, and basic lighting.
Normally associated with large plants, residential rooftops, specialized companies, or energy transition policies, solar energy appeared in Rogério’s journey from a perspective closer to the daily life of families without adequate access to electricity.
This contrast helps explain public interest, as the idea of a teenager assembling a functional system with discarded materials provokes immediate curiosity and also opens a discussion about access to energy, electronic waste, and low-cost solutions.
Without relying on a future promise, the case was presented as a real experience already put into practice in settlement homes, with visible results in the lighting of houses that previously lived with the lack of light.
The journey also dialogues with the advancement of solar energy in Brazil from a perspective different from the conventional, by showing that the search for energy autonomy can arise in contexts of extreme need and not just in planned business or residential installations.
Although it does not replace regularized technical projects, the solution created by Rogério reveals how practical knowledge can arise from direct contact with everyday problems, especially when there is observation, reuse of materials, and a constant interest in electronics.
The use of scrap adds another element of journalistic interest to the topic, because parts taken from radios, cell phones, flashlights, and other discarded equipment have become part of a response to illuminate spaces where electricity did not adequately reach.
Materials often treated only as waste gained a new function in the young inventor’s experience, creating a narrative where disposal, clean energy, and social need appear connected in a Brazilian solution with strong popular appeal.
Despite the appeal of “genius improvisation”, electrical systems, batteries, and solar equipment involve risks when handled without technical knowledge, especially in homes, where installation failures can compromise the safety of residents.
For this reason, Rogério’s experience should be treated as a case of creativity and social technology, not as a simple model to be copied without professional guidance or without proper evaluation of the components used.
The strength of the topic lies precisely in the combination of improvisation, necessity, and visible result, as a young man from Sidrolândia reused materials, used solar energy, and brought light to homes that faced a lack of electricity.
Later, the same guiding thread appeared in the project of a solar-powered vehicle, maintaining the idea of transforming waste into a solution and taking the story beyond the basic lighting of the settlement.
How many other Brazilian inventions created in improvised workshops, backyards, or communities are still hidden away from the major technology centers?
A journalist who graduated in 2017 and has been active in the field since 2015, with six years of experience in print magazines, stints at free-to-air TV channels, and over 12,000 online publications. A specialist in politics, employment, economics, courses, and other topics, he is also the editor of the CPG portal. Professional registration: 0087134/SP. If you have any questions, wish to report an error, or suggest a story idea related to the topics covered on the website, please contact via email: alisson.hficher@outlook.com. We do not accept résumés!
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