Here are the 1 MW to 10 MW finalists for the 2026 Solar Builder Project of the Year awards. The form is at the bottom of the page. You are allowed to vote once per day from now until Friday, Oct. 16 at midnight (ET). (FYI: Our voting widget will let you vote more than once a day, but we filter these out in the back-end. Sorry, ballot stuffers.) Winners will be announced and prominently featured in the Q4 issueof Solar Builder magazine and online in December. Thanks to Aurora Solar for sponsoring the 2026 Project of the Year Awards.
Christiana, Tennessee | 3.25 MWac The cattle ranch is an enduring icon of American agriculture. As utility-scale solar has expanded across rural America, agrivoltaics has offered a way to keep agricultural land in agricultural production even as it generates energy—creating new opportunities for aspiring farmers without access to land as well as multi-generational family farms. Yet despite years of progress, one technical barrier has limited the model’s commercial scalability: safely integrating commercial cattle production into utility-scale solar facilities without compromising the performance, reliability, or operational requirements of a modern tracking system—or the commercial viability of the energy produced. Standard tracker geometry, equipment clearances, and operating protocols were never designed with 1,500-pound animals in mind. As a result, cattle producers, who represent the largest segment of American livestock agriculture, have largely been excluded from grazing agrivoltaics, limiting the technology’s reach. Silicon Ranch’s Christiana Solar Farm proves that this limitation is not fundamental. It is an engineering challenge that can be overcome. The project is the first commercial deployment of CattleTracker, Silicon Ranch’s patented cattle-compatible agrivoltaics platform. Its design integrates reinforced tracker infrastructure, tracker-control software, and a grazing-mode engineered to accommodate cattle beneath operating solar arrays while supporting one of the largest electric co-operatives in the U.S. to keep rates stable with cost competitive energy. The result is a utility-scale solar facility that preserves the performance expectations of a modern tracking system while making cattle production compatible with utility-scale solar operations, dramatically expanding the productive use of the land. Achieving this outcome required far more than increasing panel height. The project reconciles livestock behavior, electrical safety, maintenance access, vegetation management, and tracker optimization into a single commercially deployable platform. Developer:Silicon Ranch Corporation | EPC/Installer:Pure Power Contractors | Modules:First Solar | Inverters:SMA America | Mounting/Racking: Nextpower Franklin, Massachusetts | 2.47 MWdc
Dell Technologies partnered with Terrasmart to bring on-site solar generation to its expanding manufacturing campus in Franklin, Massachusetts, where the company builds, integrates, tests, and ships thousands of high-end AI servers each week. To offset the energy demands of that growth, Terrasmart designed and delivered two solar systems simultaneously: a 1.60 MW DC surface-lot canopy providing shade and stormwater protection for vehicles, and a 0.87 MW DC ground-mount system built on Terrasmart’s GLIDE Wave fixed-tilt racking, which follows the site’s existing terrain using continuous rows of pre-assembled components for faster installation. The project overcame a series of mid-construction disruptions without losing time. After design and engineering completed, the original EPC withdrew from the project, and Terrasmart worked with Dell, Honeywell, and a newly appointed EPC to rebuild momentum and hold the original completion target. Once installation began in late summer 2025, crews discovered underground obstructions not caught in earlier surveys and a stormwater catch basin sitting too close to a planned foundation. Terrasmart’s in-house design and construction teams redesigned the foundation layout in real time, relocating nine 36-inch-diameter, 15-foot-deep drilled piers and shifting the canopy to clear the catch basin, all within a single afternoon and without slipping the schedule. Later in fabrication, Dell requested snow guards be added to the canopy structure. Quickly, Terrasmart had a retrofit design ready and had its fabricator pre-drill the beams offsite, avoiding any on-site delay. Despite the EPC transition, unforeseen subsurface conditions, and a mid-project design change, the project was completed on schedule and within the required 2025 construction window, ahead of the region’s winter weather. It also met prevailing wage and domestic content requirements. As a result, the combined 2.47 MW DC of on-site solar capacity is supporting the energy needs of Dell’s rapidly expanding AI server manufacturing operations and advancing the company’s clean energy goals. Developer:Dell | EPC: Honeywell | Installer:Terrasmart | Modules:Trina | Inverters:SolarEdge | Mounting/Racking: Terrasmart
City of Fairfield Wastewater Treatment Plant Solar Array
Fairfield, Ohio | 1.5 MWdc
In August, the City of Fairfield, Ohio, held the ribbon-cutting for a project that turns the city’s single largest power consumer into one of its smartest long-term investments. This new 1.5-megawatt DC solar array at its Wastewater Treatment Plant helps power the plant’s pumps and aeration blowers, which run around the clock, accounting for roughly 20% of the city’s total electricity use. Fairfield, Ohio’s new 1.5 MW solar array has saved the city tens of thousands of dollars in utility costs in its first three weeks of operation, helping stabilize water and sewer rates for residents long term. To offset that load, Fairfield partnered with developer Melink Solar to build a 6-acre solar field adjacent to the treatment plant, using 3,000 First Solar Series 7 modules (530 W each) mounted on a custom racking system engineered by Terrasmart, with fasteners supplied by A-Raymond. Serving as both racking engineer and manufacturer, Terrasmart conducted on-site pull testing to properly size and design the driven pile foundations. Although the terrain presented straightforward topography and slopes, the site required tailored engineering solutions due to 30-inch frost depths and a customer requirement for a 35-year corrosion design life, both of which shaped the final custom foundation specifications. Generating an estimated 2 GWh annually, the array offsets approximately 65% of the wastewater plant’s power draw and is projected to avoid roughly 31,360 tons of CO2 emissions. The $2.9 million project was made financially viable through a $1.1 million grant plus a 30% federal Investment Tax Credit boosted by a 10% domestic content bonus, achievable because the foundation, steel structure, combiner boxes, and modules were all sourced from U.S. suppliers. Developer/EPC: Melink Solar| Installer: Melink Solar and Terrasmart | Modules:First Solar | Inverters:Solectria | Mounting/Racking: Terrasmart
BlueWave’s Granville portfolio is transforming a historic Massachusetts farm into a model for the next generation of agrivoltaics, generating renewable energy while supporting approximately 1,000 apple and conifer trees on the same land. The three-site, 8.8 MWDC dual-use community solar development spans approximately 45 acres in Granville, Massachusetts. The portfolio was developed in partnership with the Roberts family, who have farmed locally since the 1700s. The portfolio will help revitalize and diversify foliage, creating new agricultural opportunities alongside community solar generation. Height, canopy, root systems, and long growth cycles often prevent tree crops from being incorporated into solar arrays due to potential design, installation, and operational complexities. As the trees mature, they can shade panels and affect energy production. At the same time, the array must provide sufficient space for pruning, harvesting, equipment access, and other ongoing farm activities. BlueWave addressed these challenges by designing the agricultural and energy uses together from the outset. The arrays incorporate offset panel edges, tailored spacing, and other accommodations intended to support the trees throughout their growth while maintaining solar performance. This approach treats input from the Roberts’ agricultural expertise as a core component of the project design, rather than an addition to the completed solar plan. As the portfolio operates, it will generate real-world insights into shading, crop health, equipment access, and coordinating between farming and energy production. These learnings can help developers, farmers, and regulators assess where tree-based agrivoltaics are viable and how future projects can accommodate crops with longer growth cycles. Developer/EPC:BlueWave | Installer:Elm Electric and Western Earthworks | Modules:Qcells from Hanwha | Inverters: Solectria Renewables | Mounting/Racking: Solar Flexrack trackers with APA foundations | Storage:Gotion Inc.
Hillsboro Solar Project – Eagle Zinc Superfund Redevelopment
Hillsboro, Illinois | 6.9 MW
For more than 90 years, the property now home to the Hillsboro Solar Project was an industrial site. From 1912 to 2003, companies operating there smelted and manufactured zinc-related products, leaving behind contaminated soil, waste and structures. EPA placed the 132-acre Eagle Zinc site on the National Priorities List in 2007. Nearly two decades later, the site remains on that list. But today, 33 acres of that formerly industrial property are being put back to productive use as a 6.9 MWdc community solar project. Transforming a Superfund site into a solar asset required far more than a conventional installation. Standard Solar and its partners had to develop the project within an active federal remediation framework, working with a property subject to institutional controls, continuing EPA oversight and a long history of heavy-metal contamination. EPA’s cleanup included demolition of contaminated structures and construction of a 10-acre containment cell for zinc processing waste and contaminated material. The solar project was designed to coexist with those environmental safeguards rather than compromise them. The result gives challenging land a new purpose while adding clean energy, economic value and ecological benefits to the community. More than 11,500 modules on single-axis trackers will generate approximately 11,550 MWh annually — enough electricity for about 1,250 homes — while avoiding nearly 10,000 metric tons of CO₂ each year. The city-owned property also creates an opportunity for long-term lease and tax revenue rather than remaining idle. Developer:AC Power | EPC/Installer:Pepper Program Management LLC | Modules:JA Solar | Inverters:Chint Power Systems | Mounting/Racking: Array Technologies
KIA Hail Canopies
West Point, Georgia | 10 MWdc
In March 2023, a severe hailstorm damaged more than 13,000 newly manufactured vehicles at Kia Georgia’s West Point assembly plant. The event created an urgent need to protect finished inventory and also presented an opportunity to think bigger. At the same time, Kia was advancing its transition toward 100% renewable energy across its manufacturing operations. The result is a project that turns climate risk into a long-term energy asset. Spanning 3.2 million square feet, the completed canopy protects approximately 15,000 vehicles while supporting 10 MW of behind-the-meter solar capacity, making it one of the Southeast’s largest installations of its kind. Rather than dedicate additional land to a conventional solar farm, the project puts an existing vehicle storage area to work twice: protecting inventory from hail, heat and ultraviolet exposure while generating renewable electricity at the point of use. The system combines fixed-tilt solar arrays with VPS’s protective fabric canopy. Bifacial modules are positioned above the reflective fabric to capture both direct sunlight and reflected light, increasing energy production. Specialized racking and fastening components support the modules along their long sides while leaving the rear glass unobstructed to maximize bifacial performance. The project’s Qcells modules were manufactured in Georgia, extending its benefits into the state’s clean-energy supply chain. Delivering a solar array at this scale over an active automotive logistics area required extensive coordination among structural, solar, electrical and manufacturing teams. Georgia Power oversaw the solar system’s engineering, procurement, construction and safe integration into Kia’s existing electrical infrastructure. The array was interconnected without requiring grid infrastructure upgrades, and all electricity produced is consumed on-site. Developer:Georgia Power | EPC/Installer:Radiance Solar | Modules: Qcells | Inverters: Chint Power Systems | Mounting/Racking: VPS
Oh Be Joyful Solar Array
Crested Butte, Colorado | 1.125 MWac
The Oh Be Joyful solar array in Crested Butte, Colorado is beautifully situated at edge of this historic mining town and at the foot of the Crested Butte itself. At 8,950 feet above sea level, it is believed to be the highest 1+MW utility-scale array in North America. The initiative for this project was borne from the town residents’ vision statement highlighting their sustainability goals. To bring that vision to life required unprecedented collaboration between the Town of Crested Butte (which provided the land), Gunnison County for permitting and the Wildland-Urban Interface approval, the local electrical co-op Gunnison County Electric Association (it was their first renewable energy project), Tri-State Electric the utility power provider and Outshine Energy, the project developer – as well as local entities including the irrigation ditch association and the local mountain bike association (to relocate the Baxter Gulch trailhead). The high alpine location presented exceptional environmental conditions and a very short building season which required tight timelines and coordination at every step along the way. The array location is adjacent to an avalanche zone requiring an avalanche runoff study which resulted in curving boundaries as well as buffer mounds. The local wind and snow loads required custom fixed-tilt racking from APA to raise the modules 4-5 feet above grade. APA worked with Heliene, the module manufacturer, to engineer additional rails and attachments to manage wind lift and snow loading. The 125 psf snow load also required us to use underground duct banks in place of a CAB system, and we used ground vaults as equipment pads providing flexibility with conduit and wiring, and with the coordination of moving pieces and tight schedules. Chint-CPS engineers worked with us to ensure that their inverters would operate at this elevation without compromising performance or warranty. The shale subsoil required 100% pre-drilling for some 2,500 ground screws – burning up two drill rigs in the process. One of the keys to the project’s viability was the federal tax credit which included domestic content standards and apprenticeship requirements. Heliene domestic cell modules were an essential component along with APA’s racking which included domestic steel ground screws made at their Ohio plant. APA provided an installation crew with a strong apprenticeship program meeting the lion’s share of the required hours. GCEA offset costs by establishing a program to sell RECs to participating subscribers in the community such as Mt. Crested Butte ski resort. Developer:Outshine Energy | EPC/Installer:Paradise Power Company (PPC Solar) | /Installer: PPC Solar and APA Racking | Modules:Heliene | Inverters: Chint Power Systems | Mounting/Racking: APA Racking
Sonoma State University Microgrid
Rohnert Park, California | 4.1 MW PV + 1.55 MW BESS
California’s dynamic climate demands equally dynamic action, and the California State University (CSU) system is rising to the challenge with a commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2045. Expanding on a decade-long partnership that already brought solar to a third of CSU campuses, TotalEnergies teamed up with Sonoma State University (SSU) to transform ordinary campus infrastructure into a beacon of resilience and sustainability. Rather than encroaching on greenfield land or being limited by traditional land-use constraints, this project repurposes underutilized asphalt parking areas. Featuring 4.1 MW of custom solar carports spanning five campus parking lots and an advanced battery energy storage system, this project represents one of the largest solar-plus-storage installations in Sonoma County, California. The carports blend modern aesthetics with functional energy infrastructure by generating local clean power while also shielding student and faculty vehicles from sun and rain. In a region heavily impacted by Northern California wildfires, floods, and power outages, the system is also designed with advanced microgrid-ready capabilities to ensure essential campus hubs—like the Student Recreation Center and Emergency Operations—stay fully operational for both students and the broader Sonoma County community. The system is expected to generate 7,933,297 kWh of clean electricity in its first year alone—equivalent to powering 1,200 homes or avoiding 2,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually. By deploying stored surplus solar energy when grid demand and rates peak, the system is projected to save SSU more than $5.2 million over the first five years alone. Even more compelling is the project’s financial circularity: utility savings achieved are redirected back into SSU’s Green Revolving Fund for future campus research and climate projects. Developer/EPC:TotalEnergies | Installer:Elite Electric | Modules:Canadian Solar | Inverters:Sungrow | Mounting/Racking: Teichert | Storage:Tesla
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay have fabricated a large-area inverted perovskite solar cell based on a mixed self-assembled monolayer (SAM) that improves perovskite film quality, enhances charge transport, reduces interfacial recombination losses, and increases device efficiency and stability. SAMs have emerged as key components in high-efficiency perovskite solar cells, particularly in inverted architectures, where they serve as ultrathin hole-selective contacts that improve charge extraction and reduce interfacial recombination losses. Previous research has shown that SAMs can also enhance device stability and mechanical reliability, while optimizing energy-level alignment between the perovskite absorber and the underlying electrode. More recently, scientists have developed co-assembled SAM strategies to improve surface coverage, suppress defects, and promote better perovskite crystallization. Further advances in SAM molecular engineering have enabled efficiencies approaching 27%, highlighting their potential for developing efficient, stable, and scalable perovskite solar cells. “We have developed a mixed-carbazole-based SAM strategy for wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells, targeting both surface wettability and suppression of non-radiative recombination at the buried interface. By combining different carbazole-based SAMs, we were able to tune the interfacial properties and promote improved perovskite film formation for the scalabilty of device,” corresponding author Dinesh Kabra told pv magazine. “The impact of the mixed-SAM interface on perovskite film formation and charge-carrier recombination was systematically investigated using morphological and optical characterization.” The scientists explained that scaling perovskite solar cells from laboratory-scale devices of around 0.1 cm² to larger areas remains a major challenge, particularly for inverted (p-i-n) architectures with wide-bandgap (WBG) absorbers. Although significant efficiency improvements have been achieved in small-area devices, increasing their size typically results in substantial performance losses. With this in mind, they developed a mixed SAM combining [4-(3,6-dimethyl-9H-carbazol-9-yl)butyl]phosphonic acid (Me-4PACz) and [4-(7H-dibenzo[c,g]carbazol-7-yl)butyl]phosphonic acid (4PADCB). While Me-4PACz provides favorable energy-level alignment, low interfacial defect density, and efficient hole extraction, 4PADCB improves wettability and promotes more uniform perovskite crystallization and larger grain formation. The team built the solar cell with a glass and indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate, a hole transport layer (HTL) based on the mixed SAM, a perovskite absorber, an aluminum oxide (AlOx) interlayer, a fullerene (C60) electron transport layer, a tin oxide (SnOx) buffer layer, and a silver (Ag) metal contact. The researchers said the mixed-SAM approach combines the favorable electrical properties of Me-4PACz with the improved film-forming characteristics of 4PADCB, resulting in better device performance and uniformity. In cells with an active area of 1.2 cm², the mixed-SAM configuration achieved a power conversion efficiency of 20.30% and a fill factor of 81.23%, compared with efficiencies of 18.17% and 19.30% for devices using Me-4PACz and 4PADCB alone, respectively. Surface and morphological analyses revealed improved wettability, more compact perovskite films, larger columnar grains, and fewer interfacial defects. Photoluminescence mapping and conductive atomic force microscopy also indicated more homogeneous optoelectronic properties and improved local charge transport. When the active area was increased to 5.2 cm², the mixed-SAM cell achieved a maximum efficiency of 18.88%, compared with 17.20% and 17.96% for devices based on Me-4PACz and 4PADCB alone, respectively. The larger mixed-SAM cells also maintained an average efficiency of 17.81%, compared with 18.96% for their smaller counterparts, with limited device-to-device variation. Further analysis showed that the efficiency losses associated with scaling were mainly attributable to increased series resistance at other interfaces and in the transparent conductive oxide electrode, rather than changes in intrinsic recombination characteristics. Under damp-heat testing at 85 C and 65% relative humidity, the cells took more than 680 hours to fall to 75% of their initial efficiency. According to the researchers, the results demonstrate that mixed-SAM interface engineering can improve efficiency, stability, and reproducibility while limiting performance losses in large-area inverted perovskite solar cells. “Importantly, the present study isolates interface- and area-dependent losses using a consistent spin-coating process; the solution-processable nature of the mixed-SAM strategy provides potential compatibility with scalable deposition techniques, such as blade coating, slot-die coating, and spray coating, which represent important pathways toward further scale-up and module-level fabrication,” the academics concluded. The device was described in “Mixed Carbazole Self-Assembled Monolayers Enable Scalable Large-Area (>5 cm2) Efficient Wide Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cells,” published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment Thursday, October 8, 2026 11:30 am – 12:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Monday, October 12, 2026 10:00 am – 11:00 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand. pv magazine hosts its four-day virtual event on European solar and energy storage, exploring market opportunities, solar-plus-storage business cases, technical quality, and cybersecurity in the years ahead. pv magazine Session returns to NetZero Milan as Knowledge Partner, organizing and moderating a two-hour conference on the evolving global solar supply chain. Get your ticket at a discounted rate with pv magazine. Join pv magazine for an expert session exploring quality, technology and the challenges of scaling India’s solar industry. Lunes, 19 de octubre de 2026 16:00 – 17:00 CEST, Berlín, París, Madrid Friday, October 23, 2026 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Monday, October 26, 2026 10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Here are the 101 kW to 1 MW finalists for the 2026 Solar Builder Project of the Year awards. The form is at the bottom of the page. You are allowed to vote once per day from now until Friday, Oct. 16 at midnight (ET). (FYI: Our voting widget will let you vote more than once a day, but we filter these out in the back-end. Sorry, ballot stuffers.) Winners will be announced and prominently featured in the Q4 issueof Solar Builder magazine and online in December. Thanks to Aurora Solar for sponsoring the 2026 Project of the Year Awards.
Ann Arbor Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) Bryant Neighborhood Pilot Program
Ann Arbor, Michigan | 360 kW PV + 920 kW BESS (and counting) Ann Arbor Sustainable Energy Utility (A2SEU) is the first city-owned utility in the U.S. to purchase and deploy residential solar and battery storage systems directly in customers’ homes in the Bryant neighborhood. As of 9/4/26 more than 80 homes in the Bryant Neighborhood are fully equipped and permitted and operational with solar + energy storage system. Each individual household has 4.5 kW PV and 11.5 kW BESS. The majority of residents in Bryant count as “energy-burdened,” meaning they spend a third of their income on utility bills. Participation in this pilot program is opt-in, and after a competitive RFP process weighing technical performance, service quality and price, A2SEU selected FranklinWH’s aPower S home battery, paired with REC Alpha Pure-RX solar panels installed by Michigan Solar Solutions, Homeland Solar and Oak Electric Service. Each home’s FranklinWH System runs solar-first, using rooftop generation to charge the battery before drawing from the grid, then automatically switches to battery backup during an outage. Texture’s software then aggregates the homes into a single coordinated resource A2SEU can call on, turning roughly 150 individually owned batteries into a utility-scale asset. This is the first city-owned residential deployment of its kind. “We measure success by how uneventful an outage feels to the family inside the house,” said Ronnie Pettersson, FranklinWH’s VP of product and application engineering. “Installers in Ann Arbor tell us our energy storage system was simple to put in, and homeowners say it has already powered them through a long grid outage that ruined a refrigerator full of food in the past. Those are the best compliments we can get.” Installations began the week of April 27, 2026. The pilot covers approximately 150 homes, with plans to expand to 1,000 homes in 2027 and scale further in subsequent years. It’s expected to save participating households up to $1,000 per year in electricity costs plus it provides backup power during outages. For Ann Arbor, it’s a working model for how a municipally owned utility can use distributed home energy resources to improve grid reliability and advance local climate goals at the same time. “Having the power actually produced in our community is really valuable for resiliency,” said Shoshannah Lenski, the utility’s executive director. Developer/EPC:City of Ann Arbor Sustainable Energy Utility | Installers:Michigan Solar Solutions, Homeland Solar, and Oak Electric Service | Modules:REC Alpha Pure-RX panel | Inverters:FranklinWH | Mounting/Racking: IronRidge and Pegasus | Storage: FranklinWH
Anythink Nature Library
Thorton, Colorado | 203.5 kW
A library dedicated to helping people connect with nature is now drawing on nature itself to help power its mission. Namaste Solar has completed a rooftop solar installation at Anythink Nature Library, Colorado’s first public nature library in Thorton. Operated by Rangeview Library District, the library opened Aug. 8. The 203.5-kilowatt system is expected to generate about half of the facility’s electricity. By helping lower the building’s ongoing energy expenses, the solar project helps preserve resources that advance the library’s mission of environmental education, community experiences and lifelong learning. Located on a 15-acre campus that is part of the 140-acre Aylor Open Lands, the library was designed with an integrated sustainability strategy that includes geothermal heating and cooling, water conservation measures and rooftop solar. Solar is a key part of that strategy, generating renewable electricity on-site to help earn energy and atmosphere credits as part of the building’s pursuit of LEED Gold certification. The project builds on a longstanding relationship between Namaste Solar and Anythink Libraries, including previous solar installations at the Bennett and Brighton library branches, where Namaste Solar also provides ongoing operations and maintenance services. Colorado-based Namaste Solar, an employee-owned cooperative and Certified B Corporation, designed and installed the rooftop system, with more than 20 solar professionals contributing. The project includes 370 solar panels and is expected to generate about 266,300 kilowatt hours of renewable electricity in its first year. That amount of clean energy is equivalent to powering a gasoline-powered passenger vehicle for about 543,497 miles, or roughly 22 trips around the Earth. Developer/EPC/Installer:Namaste Solar | Modules:JA Solar | Inverters:Chint Power Systems | Mounting/Racking: PanelClaw
Foodlink x GreenSpark Solar PV Project
Rochester, New York | 679 kW
The Foodlink x GreenSpark Solar PV Project is a shining example of how mission-driven organizations can leverage underutilized assets to drive both financial and social impact. By transforming Foodlink’s rooftop into a 679 kW clean energy generator, this project provides more than just electricity; it provides a replicable blueprint for sustainability in the non-profit sector. The core of this project’s innovation lies in its financial and technical integration. Utilizing a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model, GreenSpark Solar enabled Foodlink to host a large-scale system with zero upfront capital investment. This model transforms a fixed operating cost into a long-term asset, projected to save Foodlink approximately $200,000 over the next 25 years. These savings are not merely fiscal; they are direct investments into Foodlink’s mission of combating food insecurity, allowing for the expansion of programs that serve the Rochester and Finger Lakes region. The project required high-level technical precision, particularly regarding facility integrity. Working alongside Upstate Roofing and Carlisle SynTec Systems, the installation team employed specialized techniques that protected the facility’s infrastructure and, crucially, preserved and extended the existing roof warranty. This level of coordination ensured that the project enhanced, rather than compromised, the building’s long-term utility. Developer:Flo Solar | EPC/Installer:GreenSpark Solar | Modules: JA Solar | Inverters: Chint Power Systems | Mounting/Racking:Sollega
MANNA FoodBank
Mills River, North Carolina | 300 kWac
We were introduced to MANNA FoodBank nine months after floodwater from Hurricane Helene destroyed its former headquarters, and it was rebuilding operations in an old FedEx Warehouse. In the wake of the storm, the need for more sustainable, resilient operations became clear. To help address this need, MANNA hired Pisgah Energy to design and build a rooftop solar array at its new location. Originally designed with modules on both the office and warehouse roofs, we reorganized the array during engineering, at MANNA’s request, to place all modules above the unconditioned warehouse to help manage heat in that space. The array was split to power the two separate building electrical services, with one system offsetting the cold storage loads and the other offsetting the office loads. Both systems interconnect at the respective utility-owned transformers, upstream of existing onsite generators. To minimize operational disruptions, MANNA chose to have the solar array installed concurrently with the renovations at its new facility. While MANNA remodeled the office and added 16,500 square feet of cold storage, we built the solar array under a separate permit. Working under an individual solar permit ensures the installation will achieve Permission To Operate before renovations are complete, allowing MANNA to claim the 30% Direct Pay Incentive this year. Because MANNA’s work is vital to food-insecure families throughout Western NC and the Qualla Boundary, the facility has remained operational during the renovations and solar construction. The intricate dance of working around both daily operations and major renovations proved to be our biggest challenge. Overall, this project was relatively straightforward; what makes it stand out is how well it will serve MANNA and, in turn, support its hunger-relief mission. Enstall donated the IronRidge racking system through its corporate social responsibility arm, Enstall Empowers. MANNA also received a $200,000 BuildUS grant to support greater energy resiliency in rural Western NC. Between the donation, the grant, and Direct Pay, the food bank anticipates a 4.5-year payback on its investment. Ultimately, this 514.08kWdc array will generate over 643,000 kWh of solar energy annually, the equivalent of removing 94 gas-powered cars from the road every year it operates, ensuring cleaner air for the communities the food bank serves. In addition to reducing the nonprofit’s environmental impact, the array will create long-term operational savings that MANNA can reinvest in its core work of sourcing, storing, and distributing food. Developer/EPC:Pisgah Energy | Installers:Pine Energy, Jackson Electrical Contractors, Renewable Energy Integration Group | Modules:SEG | Inverters:SolarEdge | Mounting/Racking: IronRidge and S-5!
Naples Airport
Naples, Florida | 116.1 kW
Naples, Florida is no stranger to extreme weather. Located along the Gulf Coast, the community has endured decades of tropical storms and hurricanes, making resilience a critical consideration for every new infrastructure project. For Naples Airport, a mission-critical aviation facility, installing rooftop solar wasn’t simply about generating clean energy—it was about ensuring the system could continue performing in one of the nation’s most demanding wind environments. The airport’s new 116.1 kW DC rooftop solar array was designed to maximize renewable energy production while meeting Florida’s stringent high-wind building requirements. Installed on a newly constructed standing seam metal roof, the system was engineered to withstand wind speeds of up to 165 mph, equivalent to Category 5 hurricane-force conditions. The project’s greatest technical challenge was balancing maximum PV coverage with uncompromised roof performance. Traditional solar attachments requiring roof penetrations can create long-term maintenance concerns, particularly in hurricane-prone coastal regions where water intrusion and uplift forces are significant risks. Instead, the project team selected S-5-S clamps, a non-penetrating attachment solution with Florida Product Approvals for High Velocity Hurricane Zones (HVHZ). Paired with the IronRidge Aire® 2 racking system, the clamps securely attach to the standing seams without penetrating the roof, preserving the building envelope, manufacturer warranties and long-term weatherproofing while meeting rigorous structural engineering requirements. Installation also demanded precise coordination across the airport’s active campus. Clamp placement, module spacing and load distribution were carefully engineered to align with the roof’s structural layout while delivering a clean, low-profile appearance appropriate for a highly visible public facility. Developer:Owen-Ames-Kimball | EPC/Installer:PayOli Energy | Modules:Jinko | Inverters: Chint Power Systems | Mounting/Racking: S-5!
Gujarat-based Solex Energy has secured two work orders worth a combined INR 194.14 crore for the supply of TOPCon bifacial glass-to-glass (G2G) solar PV modules to domestic entities in the power and electricity sector. Solex Green Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Solex Energy, secured a work order valued at INR 180.98 crore, while Solex Energy received a separate order worth INR 13.16 crore. Headquartered in Surat, Gujarat, Solex Energy operates an Industry 4.0-enabled automated solar module manufacturing facility in Tadkeshwar, Gujarat, with an annual production capacity of 4 GW. The company said its solar modules are certified to various Indian and international quality and performance standards, including IEC, CE, UL, CEC, BIS, EPD and Kiwa PVEL 2026. Its modules are also included in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM). This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment Friday, October 23, 2026 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Monday, October 12, 2026 10:00 am – 11:00 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Thursday, October 8, 2026 11:30 am – 12:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Join pv magazine for an expert session exploring quality, technology and the challenges of scaling India’s solar industry.
Solar Power World By Kelly Pickerel | HelioVolta today published its fourth annual “SolarGrade PV Health Report,” assessing quality and workmanship across 1,500+ solar assets in the United States that were inspected by HelioVolta’s field engineers. The report’s key findings include: This year’s report is built on the revamped HelioVolta Quality Standard (HQS), a proprietary rubric that starts every project at 1,000 points and deducts points based on the number, severity and remediation status of quality issues documented by HelioVolta. Scores translate to an A through F letter-grade that the report ties directly to lifetime energy costs. “Quality in solar is no longer a matter of opinion; it’s a number you can put in a contract,” commented David Penalva, co-founder and CEO of HelioVolta. “This year’s report proves that excellent workmanship is empirical, not subjective, and the projects from Onyx Renewables and Greenskies Clean Energy show exactly what quality looks like.” “Our modeling reveals that the gap between an A-rated and an F-rated PV system can raise the levelized cost of energy by more than 20%,” noted James Nagel, co-founder and CTO of HelioVolta. “That’s the difference between a profitable asset and one stranded by expiring tax credits. Asset owners who tolerate aggressive EPC cost-cutting can no longer operate profitable portfolios.” For the first time, the report also recognizes excellence through the inaugural HelioVolta Quality Standard Awards, honoring the two highest-scoring projects under 5 MW inspected in 2025: Credit: HelioVolta “Not all energy is delivered equal. Our customers need solar that is engineered, inspected, and validated to perform,” said Angie Daoud, COO of Onyx Renewables. “We build accountability into every step of how we develop, build, and care for our projects, and this independent award recognizes and confirms that this approach delivers.” “This recognition from HelioVolta is meaningful because it independently validates the standards we work to uphold across our portfolio,” said Vijay Singh, CEO of Greenskies Clean Energy. “As a long-term owner and operator, we know the quality of how a project is built directly supports how it performs over time. That focus on disciplined execution and lasting performance guides every project we deliver.” This year’s report also breaks down quality trends by PV system type. Canopy systems, which represent just 3% of all systems inspected by HelioVolta, have the lowest issue rates. HelioVolta has never found a critical issue in a canopy system, and just 59% contained major issues.
Kelly Pickerel has more than 15 years of experience reporting on the U.S. solar industry and is currently editor in chief of Solar Power World. Email Kelly.
Solex Energy Limited and its wholly owned subsidiary, Solex Green Energy Private Limited, have secured two work orders worth a combined Rs 194.14 crore, inclusive of applicable taxes, for the supply of advanced Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to domestic entities operating in the power and electricity sector. Solex Green Energy has received the larger order, valued at Rs 180.98 crore, for the supply of TOPCon Bifacial Glass-to-Glass (G2G) Solar PV Modules. Separately, Solex Energy has secured a Rs 13.16 crore order for the supply of TOPCon Bifacial Glass-to-Glass Solar PV Modules. Both orders are inclusive of applicable taxes. The orders add to the Solex Group’s order pipeline as the company scales its manufacturing capabilities and expands its presence across the solar value chain. The company said the wins reinforce its business momentum and position as a supplier of high-performance solar PV modules to India’s expanding renewable energy ecosystem. Manufacturing Solex manufactures solar modules at its facilities on the outskirts of Surat, Gujarat, using advanced manufacturing processes and quality systems focused on product reliability. Its modules are certified to international and domestic quality and performance standards, including the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Conformité Européenne (CE), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), California Energy Commission (CEC), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and Kiwa PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) 2026. The company’s modules are also listed under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM). With close to three decades of presence in the solar sector, Solex has developed partnerships across utility, commercial and industrial (C&I), and public sector installations in India and international markets. Expansion Under its Vision 2030 roadmap, Solex is targeting increased manufacturing scale, stronger quality and technology capabilities, greater export readiness and development of a skilled workforce for the renewable energy sector. The company has outlined an investment programme of approximately Rs 4,000 crore between FY27 and FY30 as it looks to expand beyond its established solar PV module business and build an integrated renewable energy platform. The planned investments will cover solar cells, solar modules and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), broadening its presence across the renewable energy value chain. The featured photograph is for representation only. The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) has mandated a 100% domestic content requirement (DCR) for 18 electric vehicle (EV) components across two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and e-buses. This requirement must be met for manufacturers to qualify for subsidies under the PM E-Drive programme. The phased manufacturing programme (PMP) eligibility criteria have been updated to ensure that original… Read More MHI mandates 100 per cent domestic content for key EV components The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) reviewed several thermal and hydroelectric power projects in its February-March meetings. These projects faced scrutiny over environmental compliance, land use, and regulatory approvals. Here is a detailed look at the key discussions and decisions: Expansion by Addition of 2 x… Read More EAC reviews multiple thermal and hydro projects India’s first private-sector test facility for upgrading depleted heavy water was recently inaugurated by Shri Rajesh V, Director (Technical), Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), and Shri K. T. Shenoy, Director, Chemical Engineering Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). Commissioned by TEMA India Ltd., the facility was developed under a technology transfer from BARC… Read More TEMA India commissions private test facility for heavy water upgradation India and Brazil held the inaugural meeting of their Joint Working Group (JWG) on renewable energy cooperation via video conference on February 3, 2026. The meeting marks the first formal step toward implementing the bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in July 2025. The meeting was co-chaired by Shri Abhay Bakre, Mission Director of India’s… Read More India, Brazil hold first joint working group meeting on renewable energy NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL), a subsidiary of NTPC Limited, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japan’s ENEOS Corporation to explore a potential agreement for supplying Green Methanol and Green Hydrogen derivative products. The MoU was exchanged on 10 October 2025 at World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. The partnership is linked to… Read More NTPC Green signs MoU with Japan’s ENEOS for green hydrogen and methanol supply Onix Renewable, Jindal India Renewable Energy, NTPC Renewable Energy, Kolar Solar Power (Rays Power Infra), ReNew Solar Power, and Adani Renewable Energy Holding Nine (Adani Green Energy Limited) have won NHPC Limited’s auction to develop 1,200 MW of interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected solar power projects, incorporating 600 MW/1,200 MWh energy storage systems (ESS). Onix, Jindal,… Read More NHPC announces 1.2 GW solar plus storage auction results Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked *
In Part 2 of the special Austin-debrief series of articles this week in pv magazine, I look today at the forecasted c-Si cell production by quarter in the United States through the end of 2027 and outline the most important metric to track for the U.S. solar cell industry now – the building of high-quality, performance-leading factories. Part1 addressed domestic U.S. module production forecasting, capturing themes covered at the recent Solar Manufacturing USA 2026 event in Austin, Texas on 22-23 September. The analysis outlined in this article is also adapted from the new Solar Manufacturing USA Quarterly report. Like most third-party commentary related to new c-Si module activity in the United States recently, there has been a preoccupation with adding up c-Si cell capacity announcements. However, there has also been way too much focus on the initial technology selection for the handful of c-Si cell fabs that have come to fruition in the United Staes in the past few years. This article explains why capacity-counting and an over-emphasis on technology selection for c-Si cell fabs in the United States today is missing the key issue – building out high-quality cell factories that should ultimately form the basis of a long-term and sustainable silicon-based ecosystem. Additionally, I show the forecasted c-Si cell production by quarter in the United States to the end of Q4 2027, taken from data included in the new Solar Manufacturing USA Quarterly report, with upside and downside scenarios. The United States is at the very start of a new wave of building c-Si cell factories, having watched from the sidelines as annual production volumes from Chinese companies routinely exceeded 500 GW annually since 2020. Therefore, placing too much emphasis on a few gigawatts of nameplate capacity today is misleading and missing the big picture – how the country can build-out the most important part of a silicon-based ecosystem, solar cell production. It is not about adding up capacity announcements or unfunded aspirations. Nor should it be taking the technology-selection of a small number of factories as indicative of any country-wide technology roadmap or strategy. Indeed, I would go one step further. It is not even about the production volumes in 2026 or 2027. The article yesterday essentially spelled out the silicon-based U.S. module manufacturing landscape for 2027 that is one of importing cells post-232 under MIP rules. The most important issue for silicon-based solar cell manufacturing in the United States in 2026, and over the next few years, is creating a high-quality, resilient and profitable solar cell base that forms the most important part of the domestic solar manufacturing landscape. Without this, the United States has no long-term domestic solar PV manufacturing value; nor does it have the basis to innovate effectively or bring in R&D expertise where it matters most for silicon solar manufacturing. Over the past 40 years, countries seeking to establish a solar cell manufacturing industry have largely benefitted from an existing or mandated industrial sector where production equipment and material suppliers were central to solar cell factory build outs. First in Japan, then the early days in Europe, through to the 2015-2023 phase in China; solar cell factories were created and developed largely using local equipment suppliers and domestic materials. This luxury is not available to new solar cell factories in the United States. Asian and European companies are having to fill this gap, with the exception of some of the players in the U.S. solar manufacturing space today that have a track-record of building solar cell factories across Southeast Asia and elsewhere globally over the past 20 years. This increases the challenge for silicon-based solar cell manufacturing in the United States today. Perhaps it is not surprising that volumes are still low and factory build-out and ramp-up are nowhere near the levels seen in China and China-based overseas cell investments over the past 15 years. Therefore, there is limited, if any, value in adding up capacity numbers today for solar cell activity in the United States. And simply highlighting any ‘capacity mismatch’ between cells and modules is equally uninformative. Yes, show the production volumes and forecast these. Track the capex. This is what forms the picture of the actual domestic market activity. But don’t jump to conclusions about capacity numbers. Nor so on technology. It is widely accepted that the technology choices for the first wave of silicon-based cell factories have been influenced by the threat of potential patent litigation. And many have chosen the ‘safe’ option (PERC) or a differentiated n-type variant (heterojunction), while others have cited IP protection being in place (for TOPCon) that should be sufficient to deter potential IP challenge. Remember, however, that things can change very quickly on IP. Any successful challenge to the current TOPCon narrative – or review of any original claims awarded – could remove the threat as quickly as it emerged in the first place. The silver lining for the U.S. silicon-based sector is that the last 20 years has taught us how flexible solar cell lines can be. PERC-to-TOPCon upgrades are simple, for example. And HJT and TOPCon lines can be installed with a view to tool commonality (although less simple than moving from PERC to TOPCon). Therefore, it really is best not to view the technology-selection of the first few cell factories as indicative of any country-wide tactic or positioning. It is far more instructive to examine if the cell factories are being ramped into high-volume mass production, cells are being produced with state-of-the-art equipment and performance-leading metrics (regardless of the technology type). Having, say, 20-30 GW of high-quality solar cell factories in the United States by the end of 2029 is way more important than the technology used in the first 2-3 GW. Hopefully technology will simply converge on what is best for the U.S. market at any given time – and technology itself will guide the cell manufacturing landscape rather than be a consequence of a fragmented landscape. The figure shown above forecasts actual silicon-based solar cell production by quarter to the end of Q4’27, with the historical quarterly volumes back to Q1 2025 included for reference. Numbers are starting from a very low base in 2025, but the signs over the past few quarters are encouraging. Forecasting to the end of 2027 is not easy, coming from such a low base and with strong capex allocated to new cell factories over the past 6-12 months. There is a strong chance that 2027 numbers could be closer to the upside forecast shown, but this would depend largely on existing lines running at high capacity-conversion rates and some of the expansions for 2027 coming online effectively faster than current forecasting suggests. The big changes in solar cell production are potentially from 2028 onwards, a topic that will be discussed in the closing feature of the Austin-debrief series of articles on Friday this week. To register your interest in the Solar Manufacturing USA Quarterly report, please send an email to: [email protected] This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment Friday, October 23, 2026 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Monday, October 12, 2026 10:00 am – 11:00 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Thursday, October 8, 2026 11:30 am – 12:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Monday, October 26, 2026 10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Thursday, October 7, 2026 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand.
Home → Environment → Renewable Energy A second light-absorbing layer could shake up the solar energy market— if they last. Solar manufacturers have wrung more electricity from essentially the same basic device: a wafer of silicon sitting beneath the sun. But silicon’s energy-harvesting potential has hit a ceiling. To make the next big leap, manufacturers are beginning to stack another solar cell on top. The resulting devices, known as tandem solar panels, could produce roughly 25 percent more electricity than many panels sold today. Several manufacturers say they are approaching large-scale commercialization that would make such solar panels economically viable, raising the prospect of solar farms that generate more power without swallowing more land — and rooftops that yield substantially more electricity without getting any bigger. “It is the next frontier,” Mike Carr, executive director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America Coalition, told The New York Times. The technology could also shake up a solar manufacturing industry overwhelmingly dominated by China. But any suggestion that American manufacturers have the field to themselves, despite claims of having a head start, comes with a major caveat: Chinese companies are also racing toward the same goal. And some currently hold the most impressive efficiency records. The appeal of tandems comes down to a limitation of ordinary solar cells. Silicon cannot efficiently harvest every part of sunlight’s spectrum. A second material — most often a class of compounds called perovskites — can sit above silicon and capture wavelengths that silicon handles less effectively. The lower cell collects much of what passes through. As the U.S. Department of Energy explains in its guide to perovskite solar technology, pairing materials that absorb different colors of light allows a tandem device to squeeze more electricity from the same patch of sunshine. What kept these devices from grabbing market share so far has been cost, but that may soon change. In July, Chinese solar giant LONGi announced that one of their perovskite-silicon tandem cell had reached a certified efficiency of 35.5 percent. The company has also reported 31.4 percent efficiency for a tandem module, a more commercially relevant device made from multiple cells. LONGi said the cell result had been independently certified by the European Solar Test Installation. By comparison, even the best conventional silicon cells convert roughly 27 percent of incoming sunlight into electricity, very close to the absolute theoretical limit of 29 percent efficiency. This is a ceiling that is impossible to be engineered away using just silicon. Some lower-energy photons pass through the silicon without being captured, while higher-energy photons carry more energy than silicon can use and lose much of that excess as heat. Stay ahead with ZME Science and subscribe. Please check your inbox and confirm your subscription. Tandem cells get around that bottleneck by giving different parts of sunlight to different materials. A perovskite layer on top can efficiently capture higher-energy light, while the silicon layer underneath collects most of the lower-energy light that passes through. Theoretically, 40 percent is possible to reach with tandem panels. The technology has already started to move towards consumers. In 2024, British-German company Oxford PV announced the firstcommercial shipment of perovskite-silicon tandem panels to a U.S. customer. Its panels were designed to deliver up to 20 percent more energy than standard silicon products. American and U.S.-based manufacturers now want to scale the idea much further. Qcells has tested tandem panels in laboratories and outdoor sites around the world, subjecting them to intense light, heat and impacts from simulated hail. In July 2026, the company announced that its technology had become the first tandem design to receive TÜV Rheinland certification confirming compliance with relevant UL and International Electrotechnical Commission standards. “The power industry is quite conservative in accepting new technologies,” Fabian Fertig, Qcells’ head of tandem research and development, told The New York Times. “We’ve been focused on stability. We have to convince banks that this new technology can deliver.” For buyers, however, efficiency is only one part of the equation. The hardest tests are yet to come. A utility does not order a certain solar panel because it set a laboratory record. Developers and lenders expect to make energy (and money) from their modules for 20 or 30 years while enduring heat, moisture, ultraviolet light, frost, wind and hail. And of course, they want the best price for generated kW possible. Perovskites have historically struggled with reliability, at least compared to the robustness of silicon panels. Researchers have made rapid progress, but the durability question has not disappeared. A 2026 study inNature Synthesis reported a tandem cell retaining 95 percent of its initial performance after 1,100 hours of continuous illumination. But that’s just six and a half weeks. Conventional silicon modules are typically expected to operate for 25 to 30 years, and modern performance warranties increasingly stretch to 30 years. Industry projections cited by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory put expected degradation for silicon modules at only around 0.4 percent per year over much of that period. For tandem panels to displace it at utility scale, manufacturers must convince developers and their lenders that the extra efficiency will still be there many years after installation. “There are all these questions around how long they actually last,” Chetan Krishna of the sustainability research organization RMI told The New York Times. “Are there degradation issues that we don’t know yet?” Then there is cost. Early tandem panels can be considerably more expensive than silicon modules entering one of the most brutally competitive manufacturing markets on Earth. Global factories can already make far more conventional solar modules than the world installs each year, helping drive prices to extraordinary lows. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that global module manufacturing capacity had grown to more than twice annual deployments by 2024. That scale overwhelmingly favors China. The IEA estimates that China accounts for roughly 85 percent of solar supply-chain production capacity, including about 95 percent of wafer capacity. So, tandem technology will not automatically loosen China’s grip. It may instead create a new technological battleground. Still, what it lacks in cost and durability may be offset by tandem’s reduced land requirements. A tandem panel that generates substantially more electricity from the same area reduces the land, mounting hardware and cabling needed for a given amount of power. As U.S. electricity demand rises, extracting another fifth or quarter of energy from the same sunny acre could become increasingly valuable. Scott Wharton, chief executive of California-based Tandem PV, sees the transition as inevitable. “There’s no debate in the industry that we will move to tandems,” he told The New York Times.
Your complete guide to the emerging economies of Southeast Europe. From latest news to bespoke research – the big picture at the tip of your fingers. SeeNews is your complete guide to the emerging economies of Southeast Europe. Latest news, market intelligence, industry analyses, on-demand research – the big picture at the tip of your fingers. Get ahead of the competition with SeeNews Premium Access. Unlimited news and objective analysis you can trust, company data and more. Subscribe now and start making agile business decisions.
Clear skies. Scattered frost possible. Low around 35F. NNW winds shifting to SSE at 10 to 15 mph.. Clear skies. Scattered frost possible. Low around 35F. NNW winds shifting to SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Updated: October 6, 2026 @ 4:10 pm Judge Maureen Leary was one of the administrative law judges who recommended denying a permit for the Shepherd’s Run solar farm. The site of the originally proposed Shepherd’s Run Solar Project in Copake.
Judge Maureen Leary was one of the administrative law judges who recommended denying a permit for the Shepherd’s Run solar farm. The site of the originally proposed Shepherd’s Run Solar Project in Copake. COPAKE — State judges recommended denying a permit for the construction of a 215-acre solar farm, known as Shepherd’s Run, in the town. The solar farm’s developer Hecate Energy did not prove it is following a state law designed to protect wetlands and a town law requiring flood impact mitigation at a 10-hour hearing in Copake on Sept. 14, two administrative law judges from the state Department of Public Service ruled Monday. Hecate must follow both the wetlands and flood impact laws if it wants a permit to build. While the judges were tasked with evaluating Hecate’s compliance with the two laws during the hearing, the state Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) will get the final say on whether the project goes forward and has until Oct. 19 to make that decision. The judges recommended the renewable energy office deny Hecate’s permit because they found the company “failed to demonstrate compliance” with both laws. After the renewable energy office’s executive director ordered a hearing in August on Hecate’s compliance with the two laws, a recommendation from the two administrative law judges was expected, but the hearing and the denial recommendation are unprecedented, attorney Benjamin Wisniewski, who represented Copake at the hearing and argued against the solar farm, said Tuesday. “The hearing itself was unexpected. Typically, ORES doesn’t hold hearings of this nature,” Wisniewski said. “But you could also say it is unusual, and really probably unprecedented, for there to ever be a recommended denial of a permit in front of ORES.” After an almost decade-long fight, the ruling was cause for cautious optimism, Copake Town Supervisor Richard Wolf said. “We see this as an interim victory only,” Wolf said. “The judges’ decision was very well reasoned and thought out, but the final say goes to the executive director (of ORES). We hope he denies the project with prejudice, so that Hecate is unable to get another crack at this.” Not only did Hecate fail to prove it was following the laws, it also worked to hinder the hearing process, the judges wrote in the ruling. Despite the judges’ Sept. 8 ruling that Copake was required gain full access to the project site to gather evidence before the hearing, Hecate denied town expert, biologist Johanna Duffy, access to the site until the day before the Sept. 14 hearing, did not give access to the full site, did not allow Duffy to bring equipment and blocked Duffy from one part of the site because it would impact cows. “Hecate’s actions during the adjudicatory phase were not in good faith,” the judges wrote. “Hecate imposed unreasonable conditions on the Town’s access.” Those conditions and Hecate’s refusal to provide timely and complete answers to Copake’s discovery requests means ORES’ executive director, Jason Zehr, will have less information at his disposal when making a final decision on the permit, the judges added. The judges were hardly more favorable to Hecate when they covered the substance of the wetland and flood mitigation issues. They found Hecate substantially understates the precipitation depth associated with 100-year rainfalls in its modeling of how a flood would impact the solar farm. Even with those understated numbers, Hecate’s own model shows flooding as high as 7 feet in some parts of the project site in the event of a 100-year flood. Hecate’s wetland data was collected in 2020, which Copake alleged made the data stale and inaccurate. During the hearing, Zoladz testified that ORES never required the office to update its data, but ORES Siting Specialist Tim DePriest testified it was Hecate’s responsibility to bring those changes to the renewable energy office’s attention. The judges agreed with Duffy, who argued that neither ORES nor Hecate fulfilled their responsibilities. “We agree with Town expert Duffy’s criticism that their testimony is simply one pointing the finger at the other,” the judges wrote of Zoladz’s and DePriest’s testimonies. A proposed solar array is completely within a class one wetland, a violation of ORES’s regulations, Hecate’s witness, biologist Justin Zoladz, conceded during the hearing. This led the judges to question in their ruling how Hecate and ORES staff members, who review renewable energy proposals separate from the office’s executive director, could accurately claim the project follows state wetland rules. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. HV360 headlines to your inbox! Get the Register Star and Daily Mail E-edition delivered directly to your inbox! Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks. We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Sorry, an error occurred.
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Solar Power World By Billy Ludt | D3Energy, a U.S. floating solar developer and EPC contractor, has deployed a floating solar photovoltaic system at Universal Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Florida. D3Energy completed a 1.4-MW floating solar project at Universal Epic Universe, a theme park in Orlando, Florida. Credit: D3Energy The 1.4-MW floating solar system was energized earlier this year and now operates as part of the new theme park’s broader renewable energy program. It is one of three on-site solar installations totaling 3.7 MW across the Epic Universe park. The overall solar program was managed by Qcells, with D3Energy responsible for the floating solar portion. “We’re proud to continue our relationship with Universal Orlando through a second floating solar project,” said Stetson Tchividjian, Managing Director of D3Energy. “Universal continues to lead the way in sustainability across the theme park industry, and it’s exciting to see floating solar integrated into one of the most innovative destinations in the world.” “We also appreciate Qcells’ leadership in managing the overall solar program and the opportunity to deliver the floating solar component alongside their team,” Tchividjian said. Epic Universe is the first theme park to achieve LEED Platinum certification under LEED for Communities: Plan and Design. The floating array generates power for the park’s electric bus fleet, with energy stored in batteries during the day and used to charge Universal’s electric buses at night. Epic Universe features attractions from entertainment properties like How to Train Your Dragon, Harry Potter and Nintendo. This marks D3Energy’s second floating solar project for Universal Orlando Resort, following a system completed at Universal’s main Orlando campus in 2021. Both projects use Ciel & Terre’s Hydrelio technology. News item D3Energy Billy Ludt is managing editor of Solar Power World and currently covers topics on mounting, inverters, installation and operations.
Tata Power Solaroof, the rooftop solar business of Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL), has surpassed 5.67 GWp of cumulative rooftop solar capacity across India, with 575,000 installations across the residential and commercial and industrial (C&I) segments, according to the company. In the July-September quarter (Q2 FY27), Tata Power Solaroof completed 88,397 rooftop solar installations, a 33% year-on-year (YoY) increase from 66,447 installations in Q2 FY26. The associated installed capacity reached 426 MWp, up 15% from 369 MWp in the same quarter a year earlier. During the first six months of FY27, Tata Power Solaroof added more than 168,530 rooftop solar installations, representing 50% YoY growth from 112,729 installations in H1 FY26. This represented 801 MWp of rooftop solar capacity, a 25% growth over the 639 MWp installed during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. Uttar Pradesh contributed the maximum number of installations during the six-month period, with 44,014 installations totaling around 172 MWp. Maharashtra followed with 22,165 installations and nearly 100 MWp, while Rajasthan recorded 21,275 installations totaling 99 MWp. Kerala added 15,477 installations, representing around 65 MWp. On a cumulative basis, Uttar Pradesh also contributed the maximum number of installations, with 116,254 systems totaling 528 MWp. This was followed by Maharashtra, which recorded 73,578 installations with an aggregate capacity of 1,041 MWp. Kerala added 69,734 installations, aggregating to more than 310 MWp, while Rajasthan contributed 44,798 installations with a cumulative capacity of 390 MWp. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment Friday, October 23, 2026 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Monday, October 12, 2026 10:00 am – 11:00 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Thursday, October 8, 2026 11:30 am – 12:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Join pv magazine for an expert session exploring quality, technology and the challenges of scaling India’s solar industry.
The 5-minute business brief. Join 50k + readers Home – News – Solar Panels’ 25% Upgrade Only Pays Where Space Is Expensive Tandem panels are being priced as a multiple of an ordinary panel. Which ordinary panel decides whether the technology works at all. Tandem solar panels pull roughly 25% more electricity out of the same patch of sunlight, and Qcells, First Solar and Tandem PV all say they are close to selling them. The catch sits in a single line of The New York Times report on the race: by some estimates, tandem panels cost three to three and a half times as much as a conventional panel. Run that through the cost sheet of an American solar farm and the break-even lands at about 1.8 times. The gap between those two numbers is the whole story. The coverage frames tandem as a technology race, with the United States finally holding a lead over China. That frame skips the question every buyer asks first. Extra efficiency is only worth what it saves you, and what it saves is space: land, racking, cables, crews. So the value of a tandem panel depends on how expensive a square meter is where it gets installed, and on whose cost structure the panel was built. Here is what the arithmetic says about who wins that race, and why the answer is not the one in the headline. US manufacturers told the Times they are on the edge of commercializing tandem panels, which stack a second light-absorbing layer on top of the usual silicon so the device can capture more of the spectrum. The added energy, roughly a quarter more than most panels on the market today, would let developers produce the same power on less land or less roof. Qcells, the US arm of South Korea’s Hanwha, became the first company to obtain both UL and IEC 61215 certification for a perovskite-silicon tandem in July, with TÜV Rheinland verifying modules built on its pilot line in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany. Tandem PV of Fremont, California, says a year of field testing shows degradation under 1% a year. First Solar says it has put more than $2 billion into thin-film research, the material other manufacturers would likely need to master for tandem layers. The pitch leans on national stakes. Mike Carr of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America Coalition told the Times Chinese tandem technology is no better than the American version and possibly behind it. China supplies about 80% of the solar panel market directly or through components, and AES chief executive Andrés Gluski put the scale bluntly: China “could probably supply the world twice over.” The obstacles are just as clear. Tandem is expensive, power producers will not buy until they believe the panels age as well as silicon, and Wayne Li of the Electric Power Research Institute told the Times that manufacturers are reluctant to share their test data. Tandem is not new physics. Scientists built early versions decades ago. The hard part has been survival: perovskite top layers have historically broken down under heat, humidity and ultraviolet light, which is why Qcells has spent the past two years firing ice balls at panels and baking them in test chambers rather than shipping them. The “first to market” claim also needs a footnote. Oxford PV, a University of Oxford spin-off, shipped what it called the world’s first commercial perovskite tandem panels to an unnamed US utility-scale customer in September 2024. Those 72-cell modules ran at 24.5% efficiency and came off a pilot line in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany. The scoreboard on efficiency does not support the claim that China trails, either. LONGi announced a 35.5% crystalline silicon-perovskite cell in July 2026, certified by the European Solar Test Installation, and reports certified tandem modules at 31.4% and 29.4%. Trinasolar built an 808-watt tandem module in March 2025 and says it held 481 tandem patent applications at the time, which it ranked first in the world. Then there is the American cost base. The Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie put utility-scale system prices at $0.95 per watt for fixed-tilt and $1.06 for single-axis tracking in Q2 2026, with utility modules averaging $0.33 per watt. China’s benchmark export price for TOPCon modules was about $0.108 per watt in late August, per OPIS. An American developer pays roughly three times the world price for the same commodity panel. That threefold gap is the hidden variable in every tandem headline. Each US player is taking a different route to the same product. Qcells is the silicon route. Its tandem puts a perovskite layer on top of its own Q.ANTUM silicon cell. That makes the US story depend on Cartersville, Georgia, where Hanwha has invested $2.5 billion in an ingot-to-module campus. Silicon cell production there began in June, with the 3.5 GW cell line expected at full output in the third quarter. The road was not smooth: in November 2025, Qcells furloughed 1,000 workers after US Customs detained imported cells under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, and normal production resumed only in March. First Solar is the non-silicon route. In February it signed a non-exclusive license to Oxford PV’s perovskite patents for US manufacturing, a deal that explicitly excludes crystalline silicon. That exclusion tells you the plan: perovskite paired with First Solar’s own thin film, with no silicon wafer anywhere in the stack. Tandem PV is the venture route. It raised $50 million in March 2025 in a round led by Eclipse, with Constellation Energy participating, bringing its total to $83 million, and its chief executive Scott Wharton told the Times tandem will dominate the industry by the mid-2030s. None of those plans answers the question the cost sheet asks. So here it is in one picture. The math is short. A tandem panel delivers 1.25 times the power of a conventional panel of the same size, so a panel that costs three times as much costs 2.4 times as much per watt. On a $0.33 American panel, that is $0.79 per watt. What does the extra efficiency buy back? Everything on a solar farm that scales with area. On a $1.06 tracking project, $0.73 per watt, or 69% of the cost, is not the module. Assume, generously, that all of it shrinks with the land a project occupies. A panel with 25% more output needs 20% less of everything per watt, which saves about $0.15. Break-even is $0.33 plus $0.15: roughly $0.48 per watt, or 1.8 times the price of a conventional panel. Use a narrower assumption, where only racking hardware and installation labor shrink with area (42% of installed cost in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s global breakdown), and break-even falls to about 1.6 times. Either way, a tandem priced at three times a US panel overshoots break-even by roughly two thirds. Now redo it against China’s panel. Three times $0.108, divided by 1.25, is about $0.26 per watt. That is cheaper per watt than the conventional panel American developers buy today. So a threefold price is either a deal-killer or a bargain, depending on whose panel it multiplies. The Times did not say. Efficiency is a substitute for square meters, so price it in square meters. A more efficient panel does not make cheaper electrons on its own. It makes fewer racks, shorter cable runs and smaller land leases. That means its value rises with the cost of everything around the panel. Rooftops, where the area is fixed and installation labor is expensive, and land-constrained utility sites are the first buyers, not cheap desert acreage. Any founder selling a “more performance per unit” product should ask the same question: performance per unit is worth exactly what the unit’s surroundings cost. The prize and the cost advantage live in different countries. IRENA put the average installed cost of a US solar project at $1,058 per kW in 2024, against $591 in China. Redo the break-even with Chinese numbers (2024 project costs and today’s module price, so read direction rather than decimals) and a tandem panel can cost about $0.20 per watt, or roughly 2.4 times a Chinese panel. A Chinese-built tandem at three times the local price needs a cost cut of about 21% to break even at home. An American-built tandem at three times the US price needs about 40%. The US market pays the most for efficiency. China is closer to delivering it profitably. What decides who serves American demand is trade policy: an August 6 proclamation added a 15% tariff and indicative minimum import prices on the solar chain, including $0.38 per watt for modules, according to SEIA. Where a product is made has already become the product itself for American battery plants selling into storage, and solar is heading the same way. The patent holder may out-earn the factories. Oxford PV shipped first, then turned its head start into licenses. Trinasolar holds an exclusive license to its perovskite patents for China, with the right to sublicense. First Solar holds a non-exclusive one for the US. In a technology that every major manufacturer expects to adopt, a portfolio that sits on both sides of the trade wall collects a toll from whoever wins. Being first to ship was the credential. Licensing is the business. The biggest risk to tandem economics is not price. It is time. Conventional panels come with warranties that assume very slow aging: First Solar warrants 0.3% a year for its Series 7, and n-type silicon panels typically promise around 0.4%. Tandem PV’s sub-1% figure is reassuring for a new chemistry and expensive for a buyer. Take the ceiling of that claim at face value over 30 years and a tandem panel averages about 85.5% of its starting output, against about 94.2% for a 0.4% panel. The 25% energy advantage shrinks to roughly 13% over the life of the project, and the break-even multiple falls from about 1.8 to roughly 1.4. That is the gap Qcells’ Fabian Fertig means when he says the company has to convince banks. The bottom cell is a second risk. A perovskite-on-silicon tandem still needs a silicon cell underneath, and the United States had only about 3.2 GW of cell capacity against 70 GW of module assembly at the end of March 2026, per SEIA figures. Cartersville helps, but it is one site, and last winter showed how a customs hold on imported cells can idle a factory for four months. Panels assembled from someone else’s cells are the same gap that Tesla’s Buffalo panel line still has to close. Third, the learning curve. Solar has gotten cheap by running the same production steps billions of times. LONGi and Trinasolar already operate the largest silicon lines on earth and are adding tandem layers to them. If cost follows volume, the efficiency lead matters less than the volume lead, and the volume sits in China. It is the same pattern that left the US routing around China’s battery processing instead of out-building it. Fourth, demand. SEIA reports that the Q2 surge in utility-scale installations came from developers racing safe-harbored projects into service before the Section 48E and 45Y tax credit window closes, and the Times notes federal permitting for new solar farms has become harder. A premium product launching into a market where the subsidy runway is shortening has less room to charge for novelty. The demand side is not gone, though: solar and batteries made up 70% of capacity added to US grids in the first half of 2026, per Wood Mackenzie. Here is the strongest case against this article’s own arithmetic. The three-times estimate is an early-production number, and early numbers fall fast. If tandem layers add a modest step to an existing silicon line, as LONGi and Qcells are designing them to, the premium could compress well below 1.8 times within a few product cycles. Meanwhile land near transmission and data centers is getting pricier, which raises the value of every watt per square meter. Both trends move break-even in tandem’s favor. What is a tandem solar panel? A panel with two light-absorbing layers instead of one. The top layer, usually perovskite, captures high-energy light, and the bottom layer, usually silicon, captures what passes through. Together they convert more of the spectrum into electricity than either can alone. Is the US actually ahead of China on tandem? On certification, Qcells has a real first with its UL and IEC approvals. On cell efficiency, LONGi holds the record at 35.5%. On commercial shipments, a UK company with a German factory got there first. “Ahead” depends on which race you pick. Will tandem raise solar’s capacity factor from 24% to 31%? Executives told the Times tandem could exceed 31%, against a 24% average for US solar farms per the EIA. Be careful with that comparison. Capacity factor divides output by a plant’s rated size, and a more efficient panel raises its rating along with its output. Scaling 24% by the extra 25% to 29% of output gets you right to 30% to 31%, which suggests the number describes more energy per acre, not a plant that runs more of the time. Energy quoted in one unit and bought in another is a familiar trap, and it is the same one that decides which long-duration batteries clear. Tandem will not make solar work at night. Who buys tandem panels first? Buyers paying the most for space. Rooftop owners, land-constrained developers, and any project where racking, labor and land dominate the budget. EPRI says some energy companies have already bought early units so they are not left behind. Does First Solar win either way? It has the only large-scale US thin-film business, a $2 billion research bet and an Oxford PV license that leaves the silicon route to others. If tandem ends up perovskite on thin film, First Solar starts with a head start. If it ends up perovskite on silicon, it does not. The tandem story is being sold as a physics race, and physics races make good headlines. But the physics is mostly settled. Every serious manufacturer, in every country, is building some version of the same two-layer panel. The open question is economic, and it fits in one ratio: can a tandem panel get to about 1.8 times the price of an ordinary panel before the market stops paying a premium for the privilege of using less land? That reframes who is actually competing. The United States has the most valuable market for efficiency in the world, because its land, labor and steel make every square meter expensive and its trade walls keep cheap panels out. China has the cheapest path to the product, because it already builds the bottom cell at a scale nobody else touches. The American opportunity is real, but it is a demand-side advantage protected by policy, not a technology lead. The company that turned an early lead into a durable business so far is the one that shipped a small batch first and then licensed its patents to both sides of the wall. Watch one number. It is not efficiency records, which China keeps setting. It is the first published price of a bankable tandem module with a 30-year warranty, sold in the United States. When that price lands under twice the cost of the panel next to it, the race is over, and the winner will be whoever made the most of them.
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Business Model Examples and Types Using the Business Model Canvas for Detailed Analysis
An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Funding Opportunities On February 4, 2011, the Department of Energy launched the SunShot Initiative to reduce the total costs of solar energy by 75 percent, making it cost competitive at large scale with other forms of energy without subsidies by the end of the decade. This cost reduction corresponds to utility-scale solar costing approximately $1 per watt or $0.06 per kilowatt-hour, making solar energy a possibility for millions of Americans. A year into the SunShot Initiative, the Energy Department published the SunShot Vision Study, which provides an in-depth assessment of the potential for solar technologies to meet a significant share of electricity demand in the United States during the next several decades. With a focus on photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP), the study examines the potential pathways, barriers, and implications of achieving price reduction targets and resulting market penetration levels. Learn more and download the study. To mark the halfway point of the SunShot Initiative in 2016, the Energy Department published On the Path to SunShot, a series of eight reports that examine the lessons learned during SunShot’s first five years and the challenges and opportunities the industry faces in lead-up to 2020. At this point, the solar market had experienced unprecedented growth with more than one million solar energy systems operating across the country. The series of reports, produced through a collaborative effort by researchers at four national laboratories, identifies the key research, development, and market opportunities that can help ensure solar energy technologies are widely affordable and available to more American homes and businesses. Learn more and download the reports. On September 12, 2017, the Energy Department announced that the SunShot Initiative successfully met the utility-scale solar cost target of $0.06 per kilowatt hour three years earlier than expected. Prior to this announcement, the SunShot Initiative set new goals for the upcoming decade. The SunShot 2030 goal of utility-scale solar at $0.03 per kilowatt hour would enable solar energy to contribute to greater energy affordability by making it among the least expensive options for new power generation and lower than the cost of most fossil fuel-powered generators. Learn more about the 2030 SunShot goals. As the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) continues to work toward the SunShot 2020 residential and commercial goals and sets its sights toward the SunShot 2030 goals, the focus will be on supporting early-stage research and development that enables lower costs and that improves the flexibility and performance of solar technologies, allowing solar to contribute to a more reliable, resilient, and secure U.S. electric grid. Learn more about SETO’s current goals. Committed to Restoring America’s Energy Dominance. Follow Us
Africa’s solar market is surging, and your brand, services and products need to be part of the conversation Have you set your 2027 marketing and advertising budget? According to EMBER, Africa is on track for a record year of solar installations in 2026, with deployments projected to rise 45% year on year, driven largely by distributed solar. Momentum is expected to continue into 2027 as distributed solar markets expand rapidly across the continent. Now is the time to keep your products, expertise and brand front of mind with Africa’s solar PV leaders, buyers, developers, installers and decision makers. Green Building Africa (GBA) is the leading B2B digital news platform serving the energy and related infrastructure sectors across the African continent. The platform has a strong and growing audience that includes more than 150 000 social media followers, over 300 000 regular visitors and more than 1.5 million monthly page views. Readership consists primarily of industry professionals and key decision makers, including solar PV energy traders and aggregators, BESS specialists, green hydrogen developers, IPPs, EPCs, and solar installers. Premier Content Media Packages Our Premier Content Media Package gives you sustained, high impact visibility throughout the year, including: Do not let competitors own the narrative while Africa’s solar opportunity accelerates. Consider our 6 and 12-month Premier Content Package options and secure year round visibility for your brand. Special launch offer (valid until 31 December 2026) These packages allow you to avoid the cost of using a local public relations or advertising agency while still accessing campaign strategy, professional content creation and targeted distribution across Green Building Africa’s digital platforms and social channels. Enquiries: [email protected] Author: Bryan Groenendaal
Photo: nonnie192/Depositphotos Some of the greatest innovations in the field of clean energy are coming from solar power. Now, a team of researchers from Yunnan University in China have taken it to a new level—below sea level, in fact. While the idea is not entirely new, the scientists have made it work at 33 feet deep, breaking a record in photovoltaic research and widening the possibilities for this natural resource. In a new study published in Joule, the researchers shared their findings on perovskite-based solar cells, which is a type of semiconductor crystal. This allowed them to tweak the panels to capture the blue and green wavelengths of sunlight that make it through the ocean surface. The team also mixed in a polymer called polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride, which captures even more electrons, and added a water-repelling layer to delay water-induced degradation of the equipment. With this, the solar cells could operate for up to five and a half years. “Very few studies have been reported on underwater solar cells, and all of them are focused on very shallow water depths of only 2 meters or less, a scenario far from catering for requirements of practical application,” professor Wen-Hua Zhang told Science Alert. “This work presents the first functional validation of submerged solar cells practically operating at a water depth of up to about 10 meters, greatly broadening their application scope.” First, they tested their solar cells in a lab simulating illumination at 10 meters under the sea. There, they reached a power conversion efficiency—that is, how much sunlight reaching a panel is converted into usable energy—of almost 35%, matching the latest breakthroughs, with the perk of theirs taking place underwater. The mark also surpasses the Shockley-Queisser limit, a theory that caps photovoltaic efficiency at 33%. The researchers then took the cells to the ocean, submerging them off the coast of Weizhou Island in the South China Sea with remotely operated robots, where they tested them at three different depths for two hours. At 2 meters (6.5 feet), the cells harnessed 1,416 milliwatt-hours (mWh) of electricity; at 6 meters (19.6 feet), they got 752 mWh; and at 10 meters (32.8 feet), they collected 324 mWh—enough to power a small LED light for a few hours. While a commercial application of these underwater solar cells won’t come any time soon, it could definitely become a reliable source of energy for a variety of academic and technology resources, including anything from a camera providing a livestream to smart sensor networks. The study authors say, “This work paves the way for the practical deployment of perovskite photovoltaics in underwater environments, offering a promising route toward self-sustained marine energy systems and autonomous underwater devices.” Japan Is Making History by Harnessing Solar Power From Space Solar Energy Becomes a Larger Power Source Than Coal in the U.S. for the First Time Indigenous “Solar Cooks” Swap Gas-Fired Ovens for Sunshine-Powered Stoves in Mexico Aerodynamic Solar Panel Powered Camper Holds up to Four People Receive our Weekly Newsletter. We’re also on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flipboard. Want to advertise with us? Visit My Modern Met Media. Visit Our Store
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Aug. 10 (UPI) — Cuba expanded incentives for importing renewable energy equipment, as China delivered another 5,000 photovoltaic systems to the island — part of the country’s efforts to increase solar power generation amid a prolonged electricity crisis.
A Ministry of Finance and Prices resolution signed Wednesday replaces regulations approved in February and consolidates into a single document tax benefits for individuals and companies that adopt renewable energy technologies.
The resolution eliminates tariffs on imports of photovoltaic solar systems and their main components. The benefit also covers solar water heaters, photovoltaic pumps, small wind turbines, biodigesters, solar lighting and air conditioning systems powered by renewable energy sources.
The measure seeks to make these technologies more accessible to the state sector, private companies and individuals as Cuba tries to increase renewable power generation and ease pressure on its deteriorating electrical system.
The electricity crisis continues to affect much of the island. The Electric Union said Monday that blackouts persisted throughout Sunday and into early Monday.
For Monday’s peak demand period, the company projected that only 1,100 megawatts would be available against demand of 3,300 megawatts, enough to cover approximately one-third of the country’s needs.
The blackouts are also affecting other basic services. The state-run Aqueduct and Sewerage Co. said in July that about 225,000 people were having difficulty receiving water, largely because power outages prevented pumping systems from operating.
The Chinese government delivered a second donation of 5,000 photovoltaic systems Friday for rural areas and essential services in the country’s 169 municipalities, Granma reported.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel thanked China for the assistance Sunday and said it adds to Cuba’s efforts to “change its energy mix.”
“We deeply appreciate this gesture by the Chinese people and government, which adds to the efforts Cuba is making to change its energy mix, amid the genocidal blockade,” Díaz-Canel wrote on X. “We continue alongside our brothers in building the Community with a Shared Future.”
Agradecemos profundamente este gesto del pueblo y Gobierno chino, que se suma a los esfuerzos que está haciendo #Cuba para cambiar su matriz energética, en medio del #BloqueoGenocida.
Seguimos junto a nuestros hermanos en la construcción de la Comunidad de Futuro Compartido. https://t.co/EzH7u0EZwe— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) August 9, 2026
Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva said the equipment will benefit rural areas, healthcare centers, day care centers and bank branches, El Economista reported.
China had already donated another 5,000 photovoltaic systems whose installation began before the latest delivery. The Electric Union said in March that 2,671 of those systems were intended for essential services and another 2,329 for isolated homes.
The expansion of solar energy goes beyond those donations. At least 41 medium-sized solar parks and 18 smaller ones were built over the past two years, according to RenewAtlas data cited by La Tercera.
The government also announced plans to build 92 medium-sized solar parks by 2028.
The new projects could provide about 1,000 megawatts when operating at full capacity, compared with typical peak demand of about 3,200 megawatts. The Cuban government says solar power currently covers about 10% of the country’s electricity needs, up from 3% at the beginning of 2025.
China has become the main supplier of equipment for that expansion. It shipped $117 million worth of solar equipment to Cuba in 2025, up from $3 million in 2023, according to customs data compiled by Ember and cited by El Periódico de la Energía.
However, the solar expansion has yet to resolve the electricity crisis. Cuba relies on aging thermoelectric power plants that suffer frequent breakdowns and faces fuel shortages, while insufficient storage capacity limits the use of electricity generated by solar parks after sunlight is no longer available.
Aug. 10 (UPI) — Cuba expanded incentives for importing renewable energy equipment, as China delivered another 5,000 photovoltaic systems to the island — part of the country’s efforts to increase solar power generation amid a prolonged electricity crisis. A Ministry of Finance and Prices resolution signed Wednesday replaces regulations approved in February and consolidates into a single document tax benefits for individuals and companies that adopt renewable energy technologies.
The resolution eliminates tariffs on imports of photovoltaic solar systems and their main components. The benefit also covers solar water heaters, photovoltaic pumps, small wind turbines, biodigesters, solar lighting and air conditioning systems powered by renewable energy sources. The measure seeks to make these technologies more accessible to the state sector, private companies and individuals as Cuba tries to increase renewable power generation and ease pressure on its deteriorating electrical system. The electricity crisis continues to affect much of the island. The Electric Union said Monday that blackouts persisted throughout Sunday and into early Monday.
For Monday’s peak demand period, the company projected that only 1,100 megawatts would be available against demand of 3,300 megawatts, enough to cover approximately one-third of the country’s needs. The blackouts are also affecting other basic services. The state-run Aqueduct and Sewerage Co. said in July that about 225,000 people were having difficulty receiving water, largely because power outages prevented pumping systems from operating. The Chinese government delivered a second donation of 5,000 photovoltaic systems Friday for rural areas and essential services in the country’s 169 municipalities, Granma reported. President Miguel Díaz-Canel thanked China for the assistance Sunday and said it adds to Cuba’s efforts to “change its energy mix.” “We deeply appreciate this gesture by the Chinese people and government, which adds to the efforts Cuba is making to change its energy mix, amid the genocidal blockade,” Díaz-Canel wrote on X. “We continue alongside our brothers in building the Community with a Shared Future.”
Agradecemos profundamente este gesto del pueblo y Gobierno chino, que se suma a los esfuerzos que está haciendo #Cuba para cambiar su matriz energética, en medio del #BloqueoGenocida.
Seguimos junto a nuestros hermanos en la construcción de la Comunidad de Futuro Compartido. https://t.co/EzH7u0EZwe— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) August 9, 2026
Agradecemos profundamente este gesto del pueblo y Gobierno chino, que se suma a los esfuerzos que está haciendo #Cuba para cambiar su matriz energética, en medio del #BloqueoGenocida. Seguimos junto a nuestros hermanos en la construcción de la Comunidad de Futuro Compartido. https://t.co/EzH7u0EZwe— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) August 9, 2026 Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva said the equipment will benefit rural areas, healthcare centers, day care centers and bank branches, El Economista reported. China had already donated another 5,000 photovoltaic systems whose installation began before the latest delivery. The Electric Union said in March that 2,671 of those systems were intended for essential services and another 2,329 for isolated homes. The expansion of solar energy goes beyond those donations. At least 41 medium-sized solar parks and 18 smaller ones were built over the past two years, according to RenewAtlas data cited by La Tercera. The government also announced plans to build 92 medium-sized solar parks by 2028. The new projects could provide about 1,000 megawatts when operating at full capacity, compared with typical peak demand of about 3,200 megawatts. The Cuban government says solar power currently covers about 10% of the country’s electricity needs, up from 3% at the beginning of 2025. China has become the main supplier of equipment for that expansion. It shipped $117 million worth of solar equipment to Cuba in 2025, up from $3 million in 2023, according to customs data compiled by Ember and cited by El Periódico de la Energía. However, the solar expansion has yet to resolve the electricity crisis. Cuba relies on aging thermoelectric power plants that suffer frequent breakdowns and faces fuel shortages, while insufficient storage capacity limits the use of electricity generated by solar parks after sunlight is no longer available.
Voice of the Commercial & Industrial Energy User Photo of a plug-in solar panel system, commonly referred to as balcony solar. An energy trend is gaining momentum in the U.S. across the commercial real estate and multi-family housing sectors. The spotlight is on “balcony solar,” exploring whether this plug-in direction offers a safe, viable path to affordable renewable energy. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed the Plug and Play Solar Act (Senate Bill 868). The legislation aims to help Californians invest in renewable energy, minus the large rooftop solar panels. Clearing the way toward installing “balcony solar” expands access to millions of apartment renters and lower-income homeowners looking to reduce high energy bills in lower-income circles. “Electricity costs have reached ridiculous levels here in California, and now that the Plug and Play Solar Act is law, Californians have a much-needed tool to provide relief,” said California Sen. Scott Wiener, in a statement. California is now the 10th state to legalize balcony solar in just two years, and its size effectively doubles the size of the balcony solar U.S. market. California joins states like Utah, which trailblazed the path forward as the first state to enact a clear framework for plug-in solar in 2025. Utah’s House Bill 340 ditched an interconnection requirement for panels with low power capacity and that are certified by a national testing facility. Traditional rooftop solar requires high up-front costs, including professional installation, permitting and utility interconnection agreements. As a result, costs to install rooftop solar can exceed $10,000 for the average homeowner. Plug-in solar is a compact system designed for any outdoor space that receives sunlight, which a user can essentially install on their own at a fraction of the cost (from $300 to $2,200), according to Plug-in Solar Guide. These photovoltaic systems typically range from 400 to 1,200 watts (1.2 kW) and connect directly to a standard ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet. The plug and play systems are intended to offset a user’s electricity consumption and ultimately lower their utility bill. The Environmental Working Group, an American nonprofit non-partisan organization, reported that a single 400-watt balcony solar system can cover about 14% of the average apartment’s electricity usage, resulting in savings of about $250 annually. For California, electricity rates have nearly doubled over the past decade, with the nation’s second-highest energy prices behind Hawaii, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Countries like Europe have already widely adopted balcony solar to unlock residential and small commercial renewables into the plug-in solar market. German federal network agency Bundesnetzagentur reports plug-in solar system installations surpassed 700,000 as of October 2024. Today, government registry data lists over 1.5 million systems installed in Germany, with over 4 million unregistered setups reported. However, in the U.S., regulatory barriers have limited this technology due to potential safety standards and strict utility interconnection requirements. According to UL Solutions, some of the potential negatives around plug-in solar focus on whether alternative kWs can be a safety issue. Examples of this include a phenomenon called “breaker masking” when a solar kit feeds alternative kW into a shared wall outlet. It can result in the total current running through the household wires exceeding the rated safety threshold without tripping an electrical breaker. Although plug-in solar is simple to use and install, this potential risk occurs when systems become overloaded and can potentially allow flow back into lines. “There’s a way for it to work, but we want it to work safely,” Joseph Bablo, manager of principal engineering, energy and industrial automation at UL Solutions, told MIT Technology Review in an interview. Developers are working to ensure these systems can meet UL 3700 safety standards, which help mitigate potential risks. As of May, not a single plug-in solar system on the market had achieved full certification from UL Solutions, a global leader in applied safety science. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are actively working toward advancing potential acceptance of plug-in solar. Lawmakers in both states are seeking measures to balance consumer affordability with grid safety, structuring regulatory frameworks that incorporate hardware certification to satisfy energy market standards.
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 Australia’s rooftop solar market continues to feel the benefits of the home battery boom, with new data showing that more new PV capacity has been installed in 2026, to-date, than was installed for the whole of 2025. But the latest report from SunWiz shows this is not the only way in which Cheaper Home Batteries is exerting an influence on rooftop PV uptake – it’s also helping to dictate solar system size. When the federal rebate launched, households responded by installing much larger than usual rooftop solar systems – or supersizing their existing arrays – to match the supersized up to 50 kilowatt-hour (kWh) batteries they were getting at a hefty discount. Now that the battery rebate has been dialled down and pared back, and is incentivising customers to install batteries closer to between 20-25 kWh, the average size of rooftop solar systems being installed through the SRES is falling, too. According to SunWiz, the national average rooftop solar system was 9.98 kW in September, up from August’s 9.86 kW and well clear of the twelve-month low of 9.35 kW in May – the month the battery rebate changes were introduced. But the September average sits well below April’s peak of 11.75 kW and December’s high of 12.07 kW, says SunWiz managing director Warwick Johnston, with the past three months holding just under the 10 kW mark. The 10-15 kW bracket “remains the clear backbone of the market,” says Johnston, adding a total of 105.94 megawatts (MW) in September, more than double the next-largest band, 6-8 kW on 53.04 MW, with 15-20 kW at 43.41 MW. Across the board, 311.8 MW of new rooftop solar capacity was installed in September, says SunWiz, recovering from August’s dip to roughly 290 MW and marking the second-strongest month since April’s ~505 MW high. The January-September tally is the highest on record and is running 43 per cent ahead of the same point, this time last year. On home batteries, SunWiz says installations came in at just under 1 gigawatt-hour (GWh) for September, reaching an estimated 966.5 megawatt-hours (MWh) up 12.5% on August and the strongest month since April’s 3,262 MWh peak, again before the rebate was changed. Following the aftermath of the pre-May boom, the battery market has stabilised near to 1GW/month. The average battery size continues to grow, with 45% of the market now exceeding 30kWh. “Following the aftermath of the pre-May boom, the battery market has stabilised near to 1GWh/month,” Johnston says. And while the rooftop solar system size is averaging down, the average battery size is edging back up a bit from the April trough, with 45 per cent of the market now exceeding 30 kWh, the latest monthly report says. To join more than 29,000 others and get the latest clean energy news delivered straight to your inbox, for free, click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.
Home – Technology – Robots built by the Israeli company Ecoppia roll along desert solar panels every night and brush off the dust without a drop of water, saving about 2.6 billion gallons so far, according to the company Picture a huge solar farm in the desert at night. No sun, no workers, just long rows of dark panels. And then, one by one, small machines start rolling along the glass, brushing off the dust that piled up during the day. These are cleaning robots built by the Israeli company Ecoppia, and they do the job without a single drop of water. According to the company’s own figures, they have already saved around 2.6 billion gallons of water, which is a big deal in places where every gallon counts. Solar panels only work well when sunlight reaches the cells inside. When dust, sand or pollen builds up on the glass, less light gets through and the panel produces less power. Engineers call this problem “soiling.” How much does it matter? Annual energy losses from soiling range from about 7% in parts of the United States to as much as 50% in the Middle East, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (recently renamed the National Laboratory of the Rockies). In the desert, where the sun is strongest, the dust is also at its worst. That’s the irony of desert solar. The best places to catch sunlight are also the dirtiest. The usual fix is to wash the panels. But in the lab’s own words, a single cleaning of a 10-megawatt solar farm costs about $5,000, and the dust keeps coming back. Water is the other problem. Cleaning solar panels uses roughly 10 billion gallons of water a year worldwide, “enough to supply drinking water for up to 2 million people,” according to MIT researchers. In dry regions, that’s a heavy price to pay for clean glass. And timing makes it worse. Dust that sits too long can become much harder to remove. Scientists at the lab have studied a process called cementation. Solar panels cool down at night and attract morning dew, and that moisture helps glue dust particles to the surface. “Once it goes through the cementation process, it can become much more difficult to remove to where even a strong rain won’t remove it,” Lin Simpson, a researcher who has worked on soiling, explained in a 2021 article from the lab. It’s a bit like a dirty car windshield after a foggy night, only spread across an entire solar farm. That’s where the idea of cleaning a little bit every night, instead of a big wash once in a while, starts to make sense. Ecoppia, founded in 2013, designs fully autonomous robots that run along each row of panels every night. Instead of water, they use microfiber to sweep dust off the glass, so they never get in the way of daytime power production. They also power themselves. Each robot recharges from solar energy during the day, and a cloud-based system with machine learning keeps track of the whole fleet and flags maintenance before a breakdown happens. There are different models for fixed panels and for single-axis trackers (panels that turn to follow the sun during the day). In practical terms, that means no water trucks, no cleaning crews on the night shift and no guesswork about when the next wash is due. On its website, Ecoppia lists more than 35 large-scale sites, over 5,000 megawatts of deployments, more than 10.5 million autonomous cleaning sessions and about 3.9 billion panels cleaned. Its water-saving tally sits at roughly 9.8 billion liters, or about 2.6 billion gallons. Recent reports in several countries have cited a smaller number, around 1.8 billion gallons. Either way, these are company figures, not independent measurements, so they are best read as estimates rather than audited totals. The robots are already on the ground in several countries. One example is a solar facility in California run by AES. According to a 2021 press release, the site brought in Ecoppia’s water-free robots for its trackers. Robots are not the only idea on the table. In 2022, a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology led by mechanical engineering professor Kripa Varanasi tested a waterless method that uses static electricity to push dust off the panels, recovering up to 95% of lost power in the lab. “A mundane problem like dust can actually put a serious dent in the whole thing,” Varanasi said at the time. For the most part, the energy industry seems to agree, and different solutions will likely fit different climates and budgets. Solar power keeps growing, and many of the sunniest spots on the planet are also short on water. If every panel needed regular washing, clean energy would end up competing with farms and towns for a scarce resource. Waterless cleaning helps break that link. And for anyone who pays an electric bill, cleaner panels simply mean more power from the same equipment, without the extra cost of hauling in water. The official figures have been published by Ecoppia. Photo: Ecoppia
Poor solar PV project quality can increase the levelised cost of energy of a PV system by more than 20%, according to a report by HelioVolta. This is one of the highlights from the fourth annual SolarGrade PV Health Report by the independent provider of field inspections and technical services for solar PV and energy storage projects, which assessed quality and workmanship across more than 1,500 solar assets in the US and Puerto Rico with a combined 8GW of PV assets. Get Premium Subscription Projects inspected in the report were graded based on the company’s HelioVolta Quality Standard with a maximum of 1,000 points that gets reduced based on the number, severity and status of issues documented by HelioVolta, while points deducted are set on a percentile basis that varies by project size. This means that projects that were graded an F (with 599 points or less) had the highest financial impact and could incur an LCOE increase of 21%. Projects with more than 100 points lost and graded B would be affected by a 7% increase in LCOE. The majority of inspected projects (87%) had major issues requiring urgent corrective action, while nearly one in ten (8%) had critical issues requiring immediate de-energisation. Across the different types of systems analysed in the report – rooftop, ground-mount, tracker and canopy – tracker systems registered the highest percentage of critical issues with 18%, while rooftop and ground-mounted ones had 8% and 4%, respectively. HelioVolta added that critical issues in tracker systems are largely due to failures in connector and wire management. “Our modelling reveals that the gap between an A-rated and an F-rated PV system can raise the levelised cost of energy by more than 20%,” said James Nagel, co-founder and CTO of HelioVolta. “That’s the difference between a profitable asset and one stranded by expiring tax credits. Asset owners who tolerate aggressive EPC cost-cutting can no longer operate profitable portfolios.” One of the key takeaways from the report is the importance of quality, with a solar project’s financial performance over its lifetime tied to it. When a system is built with “extensive, systemic defects, production suffers and maintenance costs skyrocket.” The lowest-quality systems underperform by an estimated 6% over their lifetimes and require up to three times more unplanned maintenance than the highest-quality systems. The quality concerns highlighted in HelioVolta’s report are in line with concerns raised earlier this year during PV ModuleTech USA (subscription required) by several speakers regarding module quality issues in the US. David Penalva, co-founder and CEO of HelioVolta, added: “Quality in solar is no longer a matter of opinion; it’s a number you can put in a contract.” Moreover, this year’s edition of the report also breaks down quality trends by PV system type, with canopy systems – which represent only 3% of all systems inspected by HelioVolta – having the lowest issue rates. No canopy system had a critical issue, though 59% contained major issues.
Nifty 50 Products Distribution Products Services Platform Tools & Calculators Stocks F&O Mutual Funds ETFs Research Pricing Resources Authored By HDFC SKY | Published at: Oct 6, 2026 12:12 PM IST Bondada Engineering has secured a ₹1,153.93 crore EPC order for a 270 MWp ground-mounted solar project across Maharashtra, with shares rising about 2.65%. By signing up I certify terms, conditions & privacy policy According to the company’s exchange filing, the order covers the development and implementation of the solar PV project. The contract is domestic in nature and carries an execution period of six months from the date of receipt of the order. The total order value is ₹1,153,92,99,970, inclusive of taxes. The company said the contract strengthens its renewable energy order pipeline and adds scale to its solar EPC operations. The Bondada Engineering share price stood at ₹277.00 as of 11:37 AM IST on October 6, 2026, according to the market data. The stock was up ₹7.15, or about 2.65%, from the previous close of ₹269.85. Shares had moved above ₹280 earlier in the session before easing towards ₹277. The Bondada Engineering share price gained as the company disclosed the ₹1,153.93 crore solar EPC order. The latest contract involves a 270 MWp ground-mounted solar PV project and covers EPC execution. Bondada Engineering is required to complete the work within six months from receiving the order. The project adds to the company’s activities in renewable energy, where it is pursuing opportunities across solar EPC, battery energy storage systems and other infrastructure segments. The company said the new order further strengthens its renewable energy order pipeline and reinforces its capabilities in executing large-scale solar EPC projects. The ₹1,153.93 crore contract represents a sizeable addition to Bondada Engineering’s renewable energy business. The company has been expanding beyond its traditional operations by increasing its focus on large-scale solar EPC projects and energy storage opportunities. The latest project also adds geographical scale to its solar business, with the 270 MWp capacity spread across various locations in Maharashtra. The filing states that the promoter or promoter group has an interest in the entity connected with the order and that the transaction falls within related-party transactions. The company has disclosed the award under Regulation 30 of the SEBI Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements Regulations, 2015. Bondada Engineering said its renewable energy strategy includes solar EPC, renewable energy projects and battery energy storage systems. The company is also looking at other emerging infrastructure opportunities as it works to diversify its project portfolio. With the latest award, the company adds a large domestic solar EPC assignment to its pipeline, with execution expected over a relatively short six-month period. The ₹1,153.93 crore EPC order marks a major addition to Bondada Engineering’s renewable energy pipeline and covers a 270 MWp solar project in Maharashtra. The six-month execution schedule gives the company a sizeable near-term project assignment, while the Bondada Engineering share price was up about 2.65% at ₹277 as of 11:37 AM IST on October 6, 2026. Source: At HDFC SKY*, we take utmost care and due diligence in curating and presenting news and market-related content. However, inadvertent errors or omissions may occasionally occur. If you have any concerns, questions, or wish to point out any discrepancies in our content, please feel free to write to us at content@hdfcsec.com. Please Note: The information shared is intended solely for informational purposes and does not make any investment recommendations. 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（Singapore, 06.10.2026）Singapore has sent locally developed next-generation solar cells and artificial intelligence technology into orbit, as researchers look to test whether the technologies can withstand the harsh conditions of space and eventually support more capable satellites. The technologies are being carried aboard CRIMSON-1, the 14th satellite launched by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The satellite was launched on 1 October aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as part of the Transporter-18 rideshare mission. According to NTU, the mission will test lightweight perovskite solar cells developed in Singapore and an edge AI computing system capable of processing satellite images directly in orbit. The experiments could provide researchers with valuable real-world data on two technologies that may become increasingly important as satellites take on more complex tasks and demand more computing power. CRIMSON-1 is also among the first projects supported by the National Space Agency of Singapore under the Space Access Programme, part of the country’s wider Space Technology Development Programme. Singapore has set aside S$210 million for the programme since 2022 to support research and development in space technologies and strengthen national capabilities. One of the main experiments aboard CRIMSON-1 involves perovskite solar cells, a new generation of photovoltaic technology that can potentially produce electricity using much thinner and lighter materials than conventional solar panels. Weight is particularly important in the space industry because every additional kilogram sent into orbit adds to launch requirements and costs. Lightweight solar technology could therefore offer advantages for future satellites and other spacecraft if it can generate power reliably over long periods. The cells carried by CRIMSON-1 were developed by NTU researchers and Singfilm Solar, a deep-tech spin-off from the National University of Singapore (NUS). NTU has been conducting research into perovskite solar cells for more than a decade. Its scientists have worked on improving the technology’s efficiency, stability and scalability, including developing larger modules that could eventually be suitable for commercial applications. Performance in a laboratory, however, does not necessarily mean that a technology is ready for space. Solar cells used on spacecraft must first survive the vibration and physical stresses of a rocket launch before operating in an environment that exposes equipment to extreme temperature changes, radiation and other demanding conditions. CRIMSON-1 will allow researchers to examine the physical durability and efficiency of the perovskite cells after launch and measure how much electricity they can produce while travelling in Low Earth Orbit. The mission is also the first time Singfilm Solar’s technology has been sent into space. NUS Assistant Professor Hou Yi, founder of Singfilm Solar, said the mission involves a flexible perovskite solar module built on ultrathin glass and represents the first deployment of a Singapore-made solar module in orbit. Data collected from the experiment could help researchers further develop lightweight solar power systems for future satellites and potentially explore their use in more energy-intensive space infrastructure, including space-based AI data centres. National Space Agency of Singapore Chief Executive Ngiam Le Na said the thin and lightweight nature of perovskite solar cells could give them an advantage over conventional solar panels in space applications, where reducing weight is especially valuable. She added that missions such as CRIMSON-1 give Singapore-developed technologies an opportunity to establish “flight heritage” — evidence that a system has successfully operated in space — which can be important before technologies are adopted commercially. CRIMSON-1 is not only testing how satellites generate electricity. Researchers are also examining whether more of the data collected in space can be processed before it reaches Earth. Satellites can generate large volumes of images and other information, but transmitting all of that raw data to ground stations requires time and limited communications bandwidth. Edge AI computing could change that by allowing a satellite to analyse information on board and determine what is useful before sending selected data back to Earth. During the CRIMSON-1 mission, AI-based image-processing tasks will be carried out directly in orbit. Researchers will monitor the computing system to determine how it handles issues such as heat and electricity consumption when operating under heavier workloads. If the approach proves effective, future satellites could potentially identify important information more quickly while reducing the amount of unnecessary raw data transmitted through satellite communication links. Such capabilities could become increasingly useful as satellite imagery is applied to areas including disaster response, environmental monitoring and climate research. NTU’s Earth Observatory of Singapore, for example, already uses satellite data for applications ranging from rapid mapping of earthquakes and floods to monitoring climate change and land subsidence. NTU is also studying how AI can be used on the ground to manage satellite operations. Earlier in 2026, the university announced a collaboration with Japanese technology company Fusic Co., Ltd. to explore AI-enabled systems for tasks including mission scheduling, allocating ground stations, managing routine operations and detecting technical problems earlier. The two areas of research could eventually work together, with AI helping spacecraft process information autonomously in orbit while separate systems assist human teams managing increasingly complex satellite networks from Earth. CRIMSON-1 builds on three decades of satellite research at NTU’s Satellite Research Centre. Since X-SAT, Singapore’s first locally built satellite, was launched in 2011, the university has developed spacecraft ranging from small CubeSats to larger satellites. Its previous satellite, VELOX-AM, was launched in July 2023 and completed its mission before deorbiting in August 2026. NTU Deputy President and Provost Professor Christian Wolfrum said CRIMSON-1 brings together the university’s research in satellite engineering, advanced materials and artificial intelligence, while collaboration with local industry partners allows each mission to contribute to the development of Singapore’s wider space sector. For CRIMSON-1, the immediate goal is more practical: find out how technologies developed on the ground perform once they leave it. The results could help determine whether lightweight perovskite solar cells and onboard AI processing can move beyond experimental missions and play a larger role in the next generation of satellites.
Canadian Solar CSIQ rose 1.3% pre-market Tuesday after saying its e-STORAGE unit signed an agreement to supply a 100 MW/200 MWh battery energy storage system for OX2's Muswellbrook solar farm and battery project in New South Wales, Australia. The company said the system will be built on e-STORAGE's SolBank 3.0 battery containers, paired with power conversion systems, plant controls, and the company's EQ-S Energy Management System; the arrangement includes a 20-year long-term service agreement. The project is located on land at a former coal mine within the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone; once operational, the system will support a long-term hybrid power purchase agreement OX2 signed for the project. Shipments are scheduled to begin in Q3 2027, with commercial operation targeted for Q3 2028.
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The statement said Ember expects 36 of Africa’s 54 countries to set installation records this year. Africa is expected to install a record 17 gigawatts (GW) of solar power in 2026, with Nigeria projected to account for 1.7GW, according to an analysis by energy think tank Ember. In a statement on Monday, it said installations rose by about 45 per cent year on year, after gains of 51 per cent in 2025 and 25 per cent in 2024. It stated that Ember expects 36 of Africa’s 54 countries to set installation records this year. The report identified six countries as gigawatt-scale solar markets based on its estimates: South Africa, with 3.3GW; Egypt, with 2GW; Nigeria, with 1.7GW; the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 1.7GW; Algeria, with 1.4GW; and Morocco, with 1GW. “Year-on-year growth above 100 percent is estimated in 19 countries, including 544 percent in the DRC, 282 percent in Zimbabwe, 176 percent in Egypt and 117 percent in Zambia,” the statement read. Ember said customs data and installer surveys were currently providing a better picture of Africa’s solar expansion than some national capacity registers because much of the growth was coming from distributed solar systems. The report also cited progress under Mission 300, a World Bank Group and African Development Bank initiative aimed at expanding electricity access across Africa. In June 2026, the institutions said more than 50 million people across 40 countries had been connected to electricity under the initiative since July 2023. However, the pace of new connections remains below what is required to achieve universal electricity access by 2030. The International Energy Agency has estimated that Africa needs about $15 billion annually to achieve universal electricity access, compared with less than $2.5 billion committed for new connections in sub-Saharan Africa in 2023. Kowatek Solar said the Ember figures reflected a shift in Nigeria’s energy demand from reliance on emergency generators towards purpose-built solar and battery-storage systems. We have recently deactivated our website’s comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
The MSF acknowledged that it cannot respond to the crisis alone.
PAFTRAC said access to finance remains a key challenge for African countries.
The INEC chairman said Ekiti State has 1,055,708 registered voters, while Bayelsa State has 1,200,691.
Mr Nkwocha said said the VP delegation would tour key establishments dedicated to boosting nutrition delivery across the country.
The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is robbing children of their loved ones, with some succumbing to the deadly disease themselves.
The defendant pleaded guilty to the two-count charge preferred against him.
Gujarat Inject has secured an INR 4.86 crore domestic order for the supply of 3,600 solar PV modules from Zentaraa Infra Projects. October 06, 2026. By News Bureau Gujarat Inject (Kerala) has recently secured a domestic purchase order valued at approximately INR 4.86 crore (exclusive of GST) from Zentaraa Infra Projects for the supply of 3,600 Solar PV Modules, scheduled for execution in October 2026. Earlier, the company signed an Investment Sale Agreement with Soleos Energy on June 27, 2025 to develop solar power projects. It recognised INR 2,076.45 lacs as Capital Work in Progress (CWIP) toward its Solar Power Generation Project, its first CWIP addition in two years. The company is strategically transitioning toward clean energy, underpinned by strong financial growth and new commercial orders. To formalise this expansion, shareholders approved an amendment to the company’s Object Clause on September 30, 2025. The updated charter equips the Company to engage in the generation, transmission, trading, and supply of electricity derived from renewable and conventional sources, as well as ventures into Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Management stated that the amendment provides ‘greater flexibility to explore and undertake new business opportunities’ as the company repositions itself for the green energy transition. During FY 2025–26, the company delivered solid operational and financial performance alongside its clean energy initiatives. Total revenue nearly doubled to INR 3,632.04 lacs from INR 1,904.58 lacs in the previous year, while Profit After Tax (PAT) increased to INR 181.41 lacs from INR 101.72 lacs. The company continued its trading operations, recording purchases of stock-in-trade worth INR 3,362.37 lacs. It maintained an agile, asset-light trading model without holding finished goods inventory. While advancing its solar asset development, no operational revenue was recognised from the solar generation project in FY 2025–26, as operational cash flows and revenue entitlements accrue upon the discharge of consideration payable to the seller. Independent statutory auditors highlighted the CWIP capitalisation and its eventual transition to Property, Plant and Equipment (PPE) as a Key Audit Matter (KAM), reflecting the scale and materiality of the project. India’s Domestic Solar Cell Base to Mature by 2028–29: Ishver Dholakiya, Goldi Solar EVERTA’s Manasvi Sharma Says Uptime, Utilisation Matter More Than Charger Deployment Numbers India’s Grid Needs to Become More Intelligent and Responsive: AVEVA India Needs Grid-Forming Inverters to Integrate More Solar, Wind Mahindra Susten’s MD Avinash Rao Says India Needs Balanced Energy Mix for Reliable Transition
Solex Energy’s subsidiary has bagged a major ₹180.98 cr domestic order to supply high-efficiency TOPCon solar modules. Coming on the heels of the parent company's recent ₹13.16 cr contract, the dual order wins provide a substantial short-term pipeline, with execution planned over the next few months. Market snapshot: Solex Energy Limited’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Solex Green Energy Private Limited, has secured a domestic work order worth ₹180.98 cr (rounded to ₹181 cr) for supplying TOPCon Bifacial Glass-to-Glass solar PV modules. The order, scheduled for completion by January 2027, adds significant revenue visibility for the company in the second half of fiscal year 2027. Additionally, reports of a combined ₹194 cr order represents the cumulative valuation of this win along with a separate ₹13.16 cr parent order secured on October 5, 2026. These dual wins highlight Solex Energy's capacity to secure sizeable domestic manufacturing contracts. By utilizing its Industry 4.0 enabled manufacturing facilities in Surat, Solex is capturing high-value TOPCon equipment supply deals. This rapid accumulation of orders reinforces its positive business direction. However, the critical metric to monitor over the next two quarters will be operating margins and cash conversion efficiency, as fast-tracked delivery timelines will demand heavy working capital support. The solar equipment manufacturing sector in India is witnessing a significant transition toward high-efficiency bifacial modules. Solex's consistent wins signal that domestic manufacturers are benefiting from government policies like the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) mandate, which encourages local sourcing for utility-scale solar projects. Market Bias: Bullish The dual domestic order wins of ₹180.98 cr and ₹13.16 cr provide a clear short-term revenue pipeline of ₹194.14 cr. This supports immediate capacity utilization of Solex's newly expanded 4 GW plant in Gujarat and suggests robust sequential growth going into the third quarter of fiscal year 2027. Overweight: Renewable Energy, Solar PV Equipment Manufacturing Trigger Factors: Time Horizon: Near-term (0-3 months) India's solar PV manufacturing capacity is scaling rapidly to meet the target of 500 GW of non-fossil energy by 2030. High-efficiency TOPCon technology has emerged as the dominant format, replacing older Mono PERC cells due to its superior power conversion efficiency and performance in challenging environmental conditions. During its late September 2026 AGM, Solex Energy announced that consolidated revenue for FY26 expanded by 143.9% to reach ₹1,621.1 cr, with EBITDA of ₹186.7 cr and PAT of ₹98.3 cr. Outstanding order book visibility had crossed ₹3,400 cr. This builds directly upon earlier order momentum, which included a ₹74.77 cr contract in September 2026 and a massive ₹628.37 cr international order in July 2026. With rapid order inflows and a massive 4 GW manufacturing footprint, Solex Energy is well-positioned to capitalize on India's green energy transition. Ensuring timely execution of its short-term order pipeline will be the ultimate test of its operating efficiency. High Performance Trading with SAHI. Disclaimer: This news section may include AI-generated or AI-assisted news, summaries, drafts, or insights. All content is subject to human review before publication. While we aim for accuracy, readers should independently verify information before relying on it. 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Categories Original Shows About Inspiration Creation Innovation Production Nature Inspires Ideas Hands Craft Beauty Inventions, Breakthroughs, and Progress Scaling Innovations to Serve Many Categories Original Shows About By 2027, solar power will provide Ford Motor Company with 100% carbon-free electricity for vehicle manufacturing. A vehicle manufacturing production line uses a lot of electricity. The demand for sustainable electricity options to replace current energy production is rising. One of Michigan’s biggest manufacturers will soon get power from a large solar farm in south-central Michigan. DTE Energy finished construction on the 100-megawatt Cold Creek Solar Farm near the historic city of Coldwater. This huge solar farm will supply Ford Motor Company with 100% carbon-free electricity. Ford agreed to purchase up to 650 megawatts of renewable energy through DTE’s CleanVision MIGreenPower program. By the end of 2027, Ford aims for every Ford vehicle assembled in Michigan to run on the equivalent of 100% carbon-free electricity. That means local manufacturing plants will soon rely entirely on clean power to build their cars and trucks. Advertisement “Cold Creek Solar Park is now delivering on the promise we made when we broke ground on this project — clean, reliable energy for our Michigan operations and for the communities where we build our vehicles,” said Amir Mirshahi, director of Energy Infrastructure & Engineering at Ford. “Projects like this strengthen the resiliency of the grid that our plants, our employees, and our neighbors all depend on. Investments like Cold Creek are about more than meeting our own sustainability goals — they’re about being a good neighbor and a strong partner to the communities that support us.” Cold Creek is part of a much larger clean energy push across the state. DTE currently operates 20 wind parks and 36 solar parks in Michigan, generating enough electricity to power nearly 1 million homes. The MIGreenPower program lets both households and large businesses match their everyday electricity use to local, Michigan-made renewable energy. Beyond supplying clean energy to the grid, projects like Cold Creek bring in tax revenue for host communities and create local jobs. “Cold Creek Solar Park represents more than a new renewable energy project. It reflects what’s possible when customers and energy providers work together to accelerate Michigan’s clean energy future,” said Matt Paul, president and chief operating officer, DTE Electric. “Through MIGreenPower, we’re helping companies like Ford achieve their sustainability goals while building the renewable energy infrastructure that will power generations to come.” The new solar park helps Michigan work toward its goal of 60% renewable energy by 2035, while pushing DTE closer to its own target of net-zero carbon emissions. Create a free account and get the most out of Tomorrow’s World Today Read Exclusive Stories Bookmark & Save Articles For Later Drop your email below and we’ll send our best stories straight to your inbox every day. MMXXIIITomorrows World Today ®|Terms|Privacy|Privacy Preferences| Developed by Flying Cork.
Türkiye's combined electricity generation from solar and wind sources reached a record 9.9 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in August, the highest level on record, according to the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry. Solar power generation stood at 5.16 billion kWh in August, while wind generation reached 4.74 billion kWh, the ministry said Tuesday.
Solar accounted for 14.1% of total electricity generation during the month, while wind's share was 12.9%. Combined, the two sources generated a record 9.9 billion kWh. Türkiye generated 36.71 billion kWh of electricity in August, with hydropower maintaining its position as the largest source.
Hydropower accounted for 24.7% of total generation, producing 9.08 billion kWh during the month. Renewable sources accounted for 56.4% of total generation, at 20.7 billion kWh, while domestic sources accounted for 69.7%, or 25.58 billion kWh. Daily electricity generation also reached its highest level of the year so far in August. The daily record was set on Aug. 13, when generation reached 1,241,291 megawatt-hours. During the January-August period, hydropower generation reached 75.2 billion kWh, wind generation 30.4 billion kWh and solar generation 29.8 billion kWh, marking the highest levels recorded for the corresponding period since 2000.
Domestic sources accounted for 73.2% of electricity generation during the period, producing 181.8 billion kWh. Both the volume and share were the highest for the corresponding period since 2000. Renewable sources accounted for 60.3% of generation, at 149.8 billion kWh, also representing the highest volume and share for the corresponding period since 2000. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Türkiye aimed to build a strong energy infrastructure through long-term investments in renewable energy. “Our long-term investments in renewable energy infrastructure continue to translate into record generation figures,” Bayraktar said. “Our goal is not only to meet today's energy demand, but to build a strong, sustainable and innovative infrastructure that is completely free from external dependence,” he said. Bayraktar added that Türkiye would continue integrating its substantial solar and wind potential into the grid using advanced technologies as it pursues its goal of achieving full energy independence.
September 5, 2026
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