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VIPV technology can allow electric cars to cover up to 55% of annual energy in Central Europe and up to 80% in the south of the continent, according to the SolarMoves study released by Fraunhofer ISE, with a direct impact on the electrical grid.
The proposal of the European project SolarMoves starts from a simple idea: integrate photovoltaic modules directly into the bodywork of cars, vans, trucks, and trailers. The technology is called Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaics, or VIPV.
Instead of relying solely on external recharges, vehicles would start producing part of the electricity on their own available surfaces, such as the roof, hood, and sides. The generation would occur at the point of consumption, during daily use.
Toyota Aygo X Hybrid arrives with a 1.5 hybrid engine of 116 hp and consumption of up to 27 km/l, more economical than many popular models sold in Brazil; the urban crossover showcases a compact, powerful, and economical Toyota that Brazilians do not find in European dealerships.
Toyota Yaris ATIV arrives in the automotive market cheaper, in direct conversion, than Nissan Versa, Honda City, and automatic versions of Onix Plus and HB20S in Brazil; the hybrid sedan has a 1.5 engine, e-CVT, 111 hp, and 29.4 km/l, while the Yaris was discontinued here and continues to be sold in Thailand.
Woman buys lifetime warranties for all parts of her 1964 car and keeps the car running for almost 50 years
Forget the Uno return: Fiat prefers the Argo and confirms a new generation hatch with a design inspired by the Grande Panda, 3.99 m in length, a wheelbase of 2.54 m, and a compact SUV proposal; the current model will continue as a cheap “Mille” in Brazil.
The study was commissioned by the European Commission and developed by a consortium formed by TNO, Fraunhofer ISE, Sono Motors, IM Efficiency, and Lightyear. The research measured how much this integration could relieve the electrical infrastructure.
To reach the estimates, the researchers evaluated 23 types of vehicles, from small urban models to heavy trucks. They also combined real driving profiles, meteorological data, and Meteosat satellite records.
In total, more than 1.3 million kilometers traveled by vehicles equipped with specific sensors were examined. This base allowed estimating solar production in different regions, uses, and transport categories.
The data indicate that electric cars with solar modules could supply a significant portion of the annual energy needed. In Central Europe, the coverage would reach 55%; in southern Europe, with higher solar radiation, it would reach 80%.
The gain does not mean completely eliminating conventional recharging but reducing the frequency and pressure on the grid. The logic is to take advantage of already existing areas on vehicles, without occupying new land for solar generation.
This point is central to the European discussion because the fleet of battery models tends to grow in the next decade. With more vehicles connected to the grid, any local generation can reduce demand peaks.
The most visible impact can occur in the logistics sector. Vans, trucks, and trailers have larger surfaces and consume energy in auxiliary systems, such as refrigeration, heating, and hydraulic mechanisms.
In the case of electric trucks, photovoltaic integration could increase daily range by up to 15%. For delivery and heavy transport operations, this gain can mean fewer stops and more efficient battery use.
In trailers with panels also on the sides, production in summer could be between 90 and 110 kWh per day. This energy would be enough to autonomously power hydraulic or refrigeration systems.
The study also points to utility in diesel commercial vehicles. In these cases, solar energy could power secondary equipment, such as air conditioning and heating, reducing fuel consumption in certain operations.
Researchers estimate that, in some scenarios, the investment to integrate solar panels into commercial vehicles could be amortized in less than two years. The timeframe reinforces the economic interest beyond the environmental benefit.
On a continental scale, the estimated potential is significant. If all new vehicles sold between 2024 and 2030 incorporated VIPV systems, the grid’s electrical demand could drop by 15.6 terawatt-hours by 2030.
However, widespread implementation still faces technical and regulatory obstacles. The consortium recommends including VIPV systems in the WLTP procedure, so that energy and environmental gains officially appear in European approvals.
Tax incentives and a specific regulatory framework in European renewable energy legislation were also proposed. Without these steps, the mass adoption of electric cars with solar panels tends to progress more slowly.
Journalist specializing in a wide variety of topics, such as cars, technology, politics, naval industry, geopolitics, renewable energy, and economics. Active since 2015, with prominent publications on major news portals. My background in Information Technology Management from Faculdade de Petrolina (Facape) adds a unique technical perspective to my analyses and reports. With over 10,000 articles published in renowned outlets, I always aim to provide detailed information and relevant insights for the reader.
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A new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory published in the journal iScience uses a new methodology to predict patterns for utility-scale wind and solar energy costs and concludes that they will progressively decline in the coming years.
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Projections of the future cost of wind and solar power generation can help inform investments and power sector planning. But accurately projecting the future cost of renewable generation is challenging. One commonly used method—learning curves—holds that for each doubling of deployment, costs fall by a certain percentage, known as the learning rate. The learning rate is derived from the historical relationship between cost and deployment and can be applied to deployment projections to estimate future costs.
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Past learning curve studies have often focused on the upfront installed cost of wind and solar. But installed cost is just one of a handful of inputs—including operating costs, financing cost, and annual energy production—that affect the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) generated, and each of these cost components can benefit from learning.
In a new study published in the journal iScience, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers Mark Bolinger, Ryan Wiser, and Eric O’Shaughnessy improve upon past learning curves for utility-scale wind and solar through a combination of approaches. First, drawing on Berkeley Lab’s extensive utility-scale wind and solar plant databases, they calculate plant-level LCOE estimates over time, and then use LCOE, rather than installed costs, to assess historical learning curves. Second, they normalize LCOE to control for, or remove, external influences that are unrelated to learning. Finally, they employ techniques to identify how learning has varied over time.
Figure 1 shows the raw and normalized LCOE history of both wind and solar. These curves represent annual averages of LCOE for the majority of wind and solar plants built in the United States through 2020.
Figure 1. Annual average raw and normalized LCOE (in U.S. dollars [$] per megawatt-hour [MWh]) of wind and solar power in the United States.
“One important thing that we bring to the table is extensive empirical cost and performance data for individual wind and solar plants,” Bolinger said. “This granularity not only enables us to estimate plant-level LCOE for most of the U.S. fleet, but also allows us to filter out certain external LCOE influences to better separate the learning signal from the noise.”
The normalized curves in Figure 1 control for variation in geography, exchange rates, finance costs, materials costs (steel for wind, steel and silicon for solar), and income tax rates—all of which fall outside of the control of the wind and solar industries, and make it harder to determine the influence of learning.
Figure 2 shows the learning curves and learning rates derived from the normalized LCOE history in Figure 1 (shown as dots in Figure 2). Wind’s full-period learning rate of 15% means that for each doubling of cumulative installed wind capacity worldwide, wind’s LCOE has declined by 15%. Solar’s full-period learning rate is higher, at 24%. The team’s regression model identified two significant learning change points for wind (around 2006 and 2010), and one for solar (around 2014), with both technologies exhibiting a period of accelerated learning of 40%–45% through 2020. But it is possible that wind’s accelerated learning rate from 2010–2020 is at least partly a correction to the period of rising LCOE witnessed from 2006–2010.
“These segmented regression results nevertheless suggest that learning need not slow as industries mature,” Wiser said.
Figure 2. LCOE-based learning curves for utility-scale wind and solar exhibit significant change points that separate periods of faster and slower learning. An asterisk indicates statistical significance (p<0.05); LR is the learning rate; and GW is gigawatts.
Figure 3 uses the full-period learning rates from Figure 2 (along with average deployment projections) to project LCOE into the future.
“We used the full-period learning rates to project LCOE because of uncertainty over how long the recent period of accelerated learning might persist,” O’Shaughnessy said. “We have already seen supply chain challenges and commodity price inflation pressuring wind and solar costs in 2021 and 2022.
Though the LCOE normalization process would likely remove some of the recent inflationary pressure, it is also possible that the model might identify 2021 or 2022 as the next change point, signaling a shift back to slower learning.
With its higher full-period learning rate of 24%, coupled with greater deployment projections, solar’s LCOE is expected to drop below wind’s LCOE within the next few years, though there is greater uncertainty surrounding solar’s LCOE projection given its shorter history.
Whatever the ultimate rate of decline ends up being, with positive learning rates and deployment of both technologies widely expected to continue, learning curves suggest that we can look forward to progressively lower-cost wind and solar energy in the coming years—which is good news for the transition to renewable energy in the near future.
The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office, Solar Energy Technologies Office, and Office of Strategic Analysis.
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Couple says 61 rooftop solar panels became their smartest money move after saving $44,400 in 10 years  Yahoo Finance
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TEHRAN – In a major step toward expanding renewable energy infrastructure, Iran has officially begun a nationwide project to install solar power systems in 12,000 schools. The initiative, with a total capacity of 60 megawatts, aims to reduce pressure on the national grid, promote clean energy, and enhance energy security in the education sector.
The head of the Small‑Scale Power Plants Development and Monitoring Group at the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization of Iran (SATBA), Robabeh Abdollahi, announced that each of the 12,000 schools will receive a 5‑kilowatt solar system, including solar panels, inverters and mounting structures. SATBA will supply the main equipment, which will then be delivered to the Organization for Development, Renovation and Equipping of Schools of Iran.
According to Abdollahi, implementation coordination at the provincial level will be carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, provincial governor’s offices and regional electricity distribution companies. Once target schools are selected, the required equipment will be transported to the respective provinces.
Mohsen Tarztalab, Deputy Minister of Energy and head of SATBA, reiterated that developing rooftop solar power plants is a key priority for the ministry. “Efforts are being made to facilitate the construction process of these power plants by providing financial facilities to applicants,” he said. He also noted that plans for domestic production of necessary equipment are on the agenda to accelerate the development of the sector.
Record‑breaking rooftop solar plant inaugurated in Khorasan Razavi
In a related development, Iran inaugurated its largest rooftop solar power plant last September in the Chenaran industrial town of Khorasan Razavi Province. The 4.5‑megawatt facility, built by Alis Company, covers 90,000 square meters and was completed in just six months.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Javad Khodaei, senior adviser to the provincial governor and deputy head of the renewable energy task force, said the project underscores the province’s leading role in Iran’s solar sector. “This project marks a new record in the scale and capacity of rooftop solar power plants in the country,” he stated, adding that Khorasan Razavi had previously hosted record‑setting rooftop facilities with capacities exceeding two megawatts.
Officials say solar energy, particularly in sunny provinces like Khorasan Razavi, is central to Iran’s strategy to diversify its power mix and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Tehran province schools lead the way
Meanwhile, in early November 2025, Majid Parsa, head of the Tehran Education Department, announced that 1,200 schools across Tehran province were set to be equipped with rooftop solar panel systems by the end of the past Iranian calendar year (20 March 2026). The initiative followed an agreement with the Tehran Governor’s Office to install five‑kilowatt systems on each participating school.
Parsa noted that the project would initially be implemented on a trial basis to assess performance, maintenance and grid integration. “The Education Department has already equipped five schools with pilot solar systems, which have shown promising results,” he said at the time. He added that solar‑powered schools could play a vital role in energy conservation, providing clean electricity for their own use and potentially supplying surplus power to the national grid.
Akbar Hasan Beklou, managing director of Tehran Province Electricity Distribution Company, earlier stated that the project aims to generate about six megawatts of solar power through these school installations, with the first phase expected to connect to the grid within three months.
First solar school opens in central Tehran with international support
The first school equipped with solar panels was inaugurated in Tehran’s District 12 in mid‑November 2025. During the opening ceremony, it was announced that any school wishing to install solar panels would receive 50 percent support from the district municipality.
The ceremony was attended by Abdolreza Golpayegani, Deputy Minister of Transport and Urban Development, South Korea’s Ambassador to Iran Kim Junpyo, Sadegh Pouraghdam (Advisor to the Minister of Transport and Urban Development and Secretary of the National Habitat Committee), and Mohammad Ayini, Mayor of District 12.
The solar school project was launched on the initiative of the Iran Urban Regeneration Company, with support from the National Habitat Committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran and in cooperation with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN‑Habitat) office, at the Rahian‑e Qods Technical School in the Sirous neighborhood.
At the ceremony, Golpayegani stated that the project is part of the implementation of the “National Urban Policy Document”. “The main objective of this project is to model and promote the use of renewable energy in worn‑out urban fabrics,” he said. “The implementation of this project puts Tehran on the path toward more sustainable and resilient cities.”
He explained that the Urban Regeneration Company operates to improve and renovate worn‑out urban areas in social, economic, cultural and educational fields, and that advancing this mission requires public participation and the cooperation of all relevant institutions.
Government targets 30,000 megawatts of solar capacity
Beyond school‑based projects, Iran is pursuing a much larger national goal. Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi has announced that the 14th government aims to realise 30,000 megawatts of solar power plants across the country.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of the 130‑megawatt Methanol Kaveh solar power plant in Saveh County, Aliabadi said: “The 14th government is pursuing this promise to be fulfilled by the end of its term, and we will see significant progress in the establishment of solar power plants.”
He noted that Iran already has a diverse range of power plants, including wind, geothermal, small hydro, large hydro, and solar. The country’s total power plant capacity currently exceeds 100,000 megawatts. “In the 14th government, we are witnessing significant development in connecting power plants to the national grid, and we are in a good position,” Aliabadi added.
The minister stated that by next June (the Iranian month of Khordad), 1,000 megawatts of new power plants will be connected to the national grid. He highlighted that one of the key features of solar power plants is that they can be constructed and commissioned in the shortest possible time, and the Ministry of Energy will provide full support.
Aliabadi emphasised the importance of cooperation from public savings and private sector investment in developing solar power plants. He also acknowledged damage inflicted by the enemy during the imposed war on the country’s electricity network, which took 4,200 megawatts of power plants offline and damaged some transmission lines. “That damage is being repaired,” he said, “and we expect the public’s cooperation in saving electricity.”
The minister added that the target for electricity generation in the country this year is set at 9,000 megawatts. “If the public reduces consumption, we will reach a better point. We want to shift consumption from a negative balance to a positive one in order to provide better services to the nation.”
With school‑based solar projects gaining momentum and ambitious national targets in place, Iran is positioning itself to become a regional leader in renewable energy, turning sunlight into a pillar of its future power supply.

All Content by Mehr News Agency is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Regulators in 27 U.S. states are shifting residential electricity pricing toward higher fixed monthly charges and lower usage-based rates, weakening the economics of rooftop solar and home battery systems. This redesign reduces incentives for distributed energy, compresses savings from peak-rate arbitrage, and reinforces reliance on costly centralized grid expansion, potentially raising long-term electricity costs for consumers.
Image: The Solar Company
From pv magazine USA
State utility regulators are executing a significant structural shift in residential rate design that directly reduces the financial viability of private clean energy investments. According to tracking data from the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center, regulators in 27 states have approved high fixed monthly charges or minimum bills for residential accounts.
By increasing mandatory base connection fees while simultaneously lowering the per-kilowatt-hour variable rates charged for actual electricity consumption, investor-owned utilities are altering the traditional economic equation for distributed energy. The policy shift does not merely impact solar-only customers; it systematically erodes the return on investment for consumers who pair solar with behind-the-meter battery storage, distorting the market signals required to build a more resilient and affordable electrical system.
The economic logic of residential energy storage relies on time-of-use rate arbitrage, or charging a battery with cheap daytime solar generation and discharging it to power the home during expensive evening peak hours. When a utility inflates its fixed monthly fee and flattens its variable rates, the price spread between daytime and nighttime electricity shrinks. This compressed margin dilutes the financial value of a battery system, extending the payback period for a technology that requires a significant upfront capital investment.
Furthermore, high fixed charges establish an inescapable billing floor. Even if a household achieves total energy self-sufficiency and pulls zero net power from the grid, the customer must still pay the mandatory base fee. This structural rate design removes a consumer’s control over their own monthly expenses, penalizing households that invest private capital into energy conservation, rooftop solar, and localized battery storage.
While utilities defend these charges as necessary mechanisms to ensure all customers contribute to physical grid maintenance, suppressing distributed energy generation ultimately drives up long-term electricity prices for the entire consumer base.
The traditional centralized utility model relies on transporting power over vast distances from utility-scale generation plants to high-demand population centers. This architecture requires continuous, multi-billion-dollar investments in transmission lines and substation upgrades to handle peak demand periods.
Analysis from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) indicates that expanding centralized infrastructure is a primary driver of rising retail electricity rates across the United States. When regional grids face capacity constraints, the cost of expanding high-voltage transmission lines is passed directly onto consumers through increased delivery charges, locking in higher systemic costs for decades. 
Distributed energy resources offer a direct alternative to these expensive capital expenditure cycles. By generating and storing electricity at the point of consumption, residential solar-plus-battery systems reduce the aggregate peak load on the distribution grid.
Localized mitigation delays or eliminates the need for utilities to construct costly transmission line expansions and substation overhauls. Clean energy advocacy groups, including Vote Solar, point out that incentivizing private distributed generation shifts the financial burden of infrastructure development away from public utility ratepayers and onto willing private investors.
When regulatory frameworks penalize private investment through high fixed charges, they discourage the exact decentralized deployment needed to alleviate grid congestion. The resulting reliance on a congested, centralized transmission system ensures that retail electricity prices remain high, leaving the consumer to pay for unnecessary and expensive infrastructure expansions. 
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Hundreds of new community-owned solar panels are set to be installed in the heart of Reading.
The project will see 609 panels fitted at the Reading Buses depot on Great Knolly’s Street and is part of a £207,000 scheme led by Reading Community Energy Society (RCES).
Tony Cowling, chair of RCES, said: “Community energy offers broad-ranging benefits.
“It reduces imported energy use and costs for both the host buildings and Reading as a whole, enables members to support local sustainability initiatives for a reasonable return, and supports wider sustainability initiatives locally.”
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Supported by Reading Borough Council, Reading Buses, and RCES, the collaborative project is part of ongoing decarbonisation efforts throughout the town.
Once complete, the depot will become the largest solar power site in Reading town centre.
The panels are expected to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of around 80 homes.
RCES gives residents the opportunity to invest in renewable energy by becoming shareholders in the scheme.
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Income from electricity sales to the National Grid and the depot will fund maintenance, dividends, community projects, and shareholder repayments.
The society has already provided more than £15,000 in grants to schools, youth groups, and other organisations for sustainability projects, including energy-saving schemes and educational workshops.
RCES has been installing community solar panels in Reading for over ten years.
The group currently operates 23 sites across the town, including council, university, and community buildings.
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The cost of installing solar panels or buying an electric vehicle is still out of reach for many Americans — more so now that federal tax credits have expired — but for those who made the switch, rising gas and energy prices are making their decision look smarter.
Lauren Bash, a climate content creator, is breathing a sigh of relief after her family decided to install solar panels on their California home last year — one of several improvements that helped them save significantly.
“I think our utility bill was like $900 for we get bills every 60 days. And so it went from $900 to $22,” Bash said.
RELATED STORY | EV chargers still scarce as states leave most federal money on the table
Bash took advantage of federal tax incentives under President Joe Biden to pay for renewable energy updates.
“We did it all, y’all. We did heat pump water heaters, heat pump mini splits, the EV charger. We didn’t do the EV. We had already had the EV and then the solar panels. So I think we got like a $9,700 tax credit last year,” Bash said.
Tax credits like the ones that helped Bash — which included 30% off the cost of residential solar installation — expired last year after the Trump administration ended them early.
Those who took advantage by installing solar panels or buying an electric vehicle are now seeing the benefit as gas and energy prices soar.
“As an EV owner myself, I will say right now it’s a really good feeling to drive past the gas station, right?” Jenni Newman, editor-in-chief of Cars.com, said.
RELATED STORY | Congress eyes federal EV fee that could offset savings from high gas prices

Energy costs were up nearly 18% from a year ago in April, and the price of gas has jumped more than 50% since the start of the war with Iran.
For Bash, who also owns an EV, saving money was not the primary motivation.
“So I think environmental was first, probably public health was second, and then the savings was kind of the reward,” Bash said.
That reward can add up. Solar homeowners can save between $37,000 and $154,000 on electricity bills over 25 years, according to EnergySage, an online marketplace for clean energy products.
But installing solar can be costly — often exceeding $20,000.
While EVs can provide drivers significant savings on gas, the average new EV costs more than $55,000 — about 10% more than the average new car overall — and auto insurance can run nearly 50% more for EV drivers.
“If you own your own home, if you pay high electricity prices, that’s when solar installations are really going to benefit you,” Dan O’Brien, senior analyst at Energy Innovation, said.
For people who may not have easy access to EV charging or who do not face steep electricity costs, the financial case may be less compelling — even with rising prices.
While federal tax credits for solar projects and EVs have expired, some states offer their own tax credits, so it is worth researching local options before making the switch.

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Ameren Missouri’s solar facility in Callaway County will not be its last, as the largest electric provider in Missouri aims to increase the production capability and diversity of its electrical grid, in part to meet the demand of large load users like data centers.
Concerns circle around the efficiency of solar energy investment as opposed to nuclear power, as well as potential impacts to the electrical grid and environment caused by an influx of large load customers. Elected officials, state regulators and Ameren staff have cited stringent consumer protections laid out in Senate Bill 4, passed in 2024, and have insisted that new energy production is intended for the benefit of all Missourians, not just the largest customers.
The facility
Ameren plans to bring the new facility online by 2028, according to Dan Stroh, senior renewable development manager at Ameren Missouri. It will mark Ameren’s largest Missouri solar facility.
The facility will take up 1,160 acres of land in Reform, Missouri, and be located adjacent to Ameren’s nuclear energy facility already on the site. Ameren will need no easements or conveyances for the project, as it already owns the land. Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) Strategic Communications Director Sarah Fontaine said last week that Ameren owning the land already made the proposal significantly more attractive.
The facility will generate 250-megawatts of power when it comes online in 2028, or roughly enough to power 44,000 homes. Ameren says constructing the facility will create 300 construction jobs, while Stroh added that long-term jobs will also be created when the facility comes online.
State Rep. Jim Schulte, R-New Bloomfield, said the investment from Ameren, part of a push to build new facilities in the natural gas and solar sectors, will be key to economic development in the county he represents.
“Energy is the key to growth of anything, and if you can produce energy, you’re going to have economic growth from businesses and development,” Schulte, a member of the House Utilities Committee, said in a Wednesday interview. “It’s a key component, and as long as they can meet those demands, we will continue to grow.”
The PSC echoed that sentiment May 13 when it gave Ameren unanimous approval to build the facility.
“Generally, Missouri needs more generation,” Commission Chairwoman Kayla Hahn said at the May 13 meeting. “The need comes from the need to replace aging generation and the need to meet the emerging demand position Missouri as a competitor for economic development projects.”
Footing the bill
Concerns from the Office of the Public Counsel, a state office designed to serve as representation for the public in utility affairs, center around who will foot the bill for building the new facility. The cost to build the solar facility is not publicly available, with the only known cost being a transmission switch on-site that will cost around $17.2 million, according to previous reporting.
The office did not submit a complaint against the facility, but in a separate filing, laid out its belief that large-load consumers should pay for the infrastructure in its entirety. Ameren, in its 2025 Integrated Resource Plan annual update, noted that the growth of data centers is “fundamentally reshaping traditional load forecast approaches for many utilities across the U.S.”
The company also said it would prioritize building new generation facilities to keep the consumption of data centers separate from residential consumption, to ensure reliable service to large load consumers.
“Data centers have already raised the cost of service for electric utilities through socialized transmission costs, volatile wholesale markets, and increased costs for generation, transmission and distribution investments driven by unprecedented demand,” OPC Chief Economist Geoff Marke wrote in a March 23 memo to the PSC. “Not directly assigning and collecting costs from data centers for generation they alone need and want will raise electric bills in St. Louis and for the rest of Ameren Missouri’s service territory.”
“It has been less than one year since the Commission approved a 12.5 percent rate increase for Ameren Missouri. We fear that future cost recovery requests will make that number look small in the face of the more than $20 billion in planned capital expenditures (“CAPEX”) over the next five years per the Company’s most recently filed plant in service accounting (“PISA”) plan,” Marke added.
The office also noted the potential for increased rate hikes as energy providers grapple with increased transportation costs as diesel fuel prices flirt with record highs.
Schulte and Ameren have both pointed to Senate Bill 4, passed in 2024, which, among other regulatory changes, created tariffs to ensure that large-load users pay a representative share of the cost incurred to serve them.
“Missouri has one of the strictest laws in the nation, requiring data centers to pay the cost to serve and service them, while providing robust protections for all customers,” Schulte said. “There are no incentives, there are no discounts, the data centers are going to pay the freight on this thing. But the income tax, the revenue generated for the community, is going to really help.”
Data centers pay for 100 percent of the power they use, and for any new infrastructure required to ensure transmission of the massive amounts of electricity generation needed, according to a Wednesday news release from Gov. Mike Kehoe. However, costs to build new generation facilities can and are shared among all consumers through rate changes.
“We do not believe it is reasonable for existing customers to foot the bill for solar generation they do not need,” Marke wrote in OPC’s memo. “When Ameren requests to recover the costs of the Reform Solar project in rates, the OPC is hopeful the Commission will protect other customer classes from paying higher rates due to this project.”
Rob Dixon, vice president of regulatory and legislative affairs at Ameren, said Thursday the new facility is a shared benefit among all customers, as adding energy to the grid will drive down prices and increase energy flexibility and reliability.
“We’ll work with a potential large customer, and we’ll come up with an approach that continues to serve not just new customers, but all of our customers,” Dixon said. “If you think about these new large data centers, I mean, they’re like most of our customers who are looking for reliable and affordable power, so that’s really our most important responsibility.”
Who’s got the juice?
A week after Ameren got approval for its solar facility project, Kehoe and Google issued a joint press release announcing a $15 billion campus in New Florence, Missouri, that will include a data center about 20 miles, as the crow flies, away from Ameren’s solar facility.
In the press release, the governor’s office included information on a partnership between Ameren and Google to bring “more than 500 megawatts (MW) of additional capacity” onto the energy giant’s grid.
Ameren did not provide information to the News Tribune regarding how much energy the New Florence data center would draw from Ameren’s Nuclear or planned solar facility. Google did not respond to a Thursday morning email inquiring about energy consumption and sourcing by Friday afternoon.
Dixon said “some data centers are looking for clean energy sources,” though he added that the decision to build the solar facility was not based solely on meeting data center energy preferences. Some data center developers have shifted to a preference for renewable energy sources as concerns, like a 2026 report from the National Chapter of the NAACP, mount over increased emissions caused by meeting energy demands.
OPC was not convinced of the shared benefit and need for additional solar capacity, writing in its filing to the PSC: “This investment does not make sense unless you are building explicitly at the request and with the full financial support of a large data center who needs generation as quickly as possible and wants to pay a premium for less reliable but clean generation.”
The percentage of energy from the planned solar used by large load users, and the rate increase that Ameren will propose to recoup its investment, will be hashed out at a later rate case hearing, where Ameren and OPC representation will make their case to the PSC.
The Nuclear Option
The Missouri House Utilities Committee is nearly unanimous in its preference for nuclear energy, which cuts emissions while remaining more reliable than renewable sources, Schulte said.
Schulte told the News Tribune he’s received comments and concerns from constituents over the choice to build a solar facility as opposed to expanding the existing nuclear facility, as nuclear reactors generally take up smaller footprints and produce greater power generation.
Solar panels also degrade and solar facilities often have a shorter operating lifespan than their nuclear or natural gas counterparts, Schulte added. According to Solar Magazine, a publication focused on renewable energy issues, solar panels lose about 0.5 percent of maximum generation capability each year, with extreme cases causing annual degradation up to 1.4 percent. A 20-25 year life of service is the best case for most solar facilities, Schulte said, while the Callaway nuclear facility shows no signs of stopping since opening in 1984.
However, Schulte said, Ameren’s hands are tied, as energy providers in the state are statutorily required to meet renewable energy quotas.
“I think people need to understand that the people passed an initiative petition that forced utility companies into a certain percentage of renewable energy as part of the utility,” the Callaway County representative said. “So, Ameren is having to do this, whether it makes sense or not, they’re bound by law to do so much green energy, renewable energy growth in the form of solar or wind.”
Schulte added that there will still be room for a smaller nuclear reactor at the facility after the solar facility is built.
Ameren’s long-term plan includes a balanced energy make-up, with it hoping to generate a third of its energy from renewable generation, a third from fossil fuels and a third from nuclear generation by 2030, Stroh said.
“Our integrated resource plan points to the long-term planning that we have when we look far out in the future … supporting Ameren’s balanced energy mix for reliability and predictable operating,” the Ameren renewable energy specialist said.
Time is of the essence for energy generation, in the opinion of the Missouri PSC, and getting increased generation online is one of the commission’s biggest priorities, Fontaine said.
Schulte echoed that sentiment, saying that nuclear facilities often take a decade or more to plan, study and build, while solar facilities can be put up much more quickly.
“One of the things that we’re looking at right now is there’s a need for, you know, an increase that can happen fairly quickly,” Fontaine said last week. “I think they value all of the different types of generation, so I don’t know that it’s necessarily a priority. It’s just a matter of ‘What can we get online when we need it?'”
Looking forward
Data centers, and the building of increased energy output to meet their demands, aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, officials from each sector of the issue said.
Amazon plans to put up a data center in New Florence as well, marking two big tech giants putting down roots in the city of 635 people.
Schulte, PSC commissioners and Ameren said the state, its utility providers and regulators will have to continue balancing the issue of protecting consumers while investing in financial growth and capitalizing on an expanding industry.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there …. I heard a great comparison the other day from another rep. He said, ‘Think of this as the industrial revolution of the 21st century,'” Schulte said. “We’re facing a lot of the same negative publicity and scare tactics that were used back then, for a time that turned out to be the biggest economic boom and growth for middle-class people in America. I think the data center situation is going to be very similar.”
[email protected]

Matthew McFarland is the Energy and Agriculture reporter for the News Tribune. He mainly writes about the Missouri Public Service Commission, utility and energy providers and rural issues impacting Missouri farmers and ranchers. He is a Senior at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in print and digital journalism. He has previously covered news and sports at the Columbia Missourian, the Missouri Times and the Sandusky Register in Sandusky, Ohio. He can be reached by email: [email protected] or by phone: 660-570-1551.
Copyright © 2026, Central Missouri Newspapers
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This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Central Missouri Newspapers.
Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2026, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. All rights reserved.

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The California State Water Project Moves Closer to Carbon Neutrality with 105 MW Pastoria Solar Project Coming Online  constellationenergy.com
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Elon Musk has given up on solar power (on Earth)  Yahoo Finance
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‘Solar skeptic’ shut down by neighbor after real-world results  Yahoo
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APPOMATTOX, Va. (WDBJ) – Crews extinguished a brush fire near a solar farm Sunday, May 17, according to the Appomattox Volunteer Fire Department.
Firefighters responded to the Energix Renewable Solar Farm along U.S. Route 460 in the Evergreen area.
A Dominion Energy representative discovered the fire while investigating the source of a power outage in the area, according to firefighters.
Firefighters say they contained the blaze by suppressing the fire and establishing a fuel break to prevent further spread.
Preliminary findings indicated the fire originated from a downed power line connected to the solar facility, according to firefighters.
The Virginia Department of Forestry assisted with a forestry dozer.

Copyright 2026 WDBJ. All rights reserved.

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Indian startup SolarSquare, specializing in solar panel installations for private homes and residential complexes, is in the final stages of negotiations for a new investment round. According to TechCrunch, the company plans to raise between $55 million and $60 million. As a result, the startup’s market valuation is expected to reach between $450 million and $500 million. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports.
This figure indicates that the company’s capitalization has more than doubled over the last year and a half. According to reports, the Lightspeed fund will lead this deal through its dedicated growth fund. Previously, this fund has supported major projects such as Razorpay and Zepto. Existing investor Elevation Capital is also expected to participate in the new round.
Such investor interest is linked to the Indian government’s ambitious goals in the renewable energy sector. The country plans to reach 500 GW of alternative energy capacity by 2030. Currently, India ranks third in the world in solar energy production after China and the USA. Due to government subsidies, demand for solar panels in the private sector has surged.
Founded in Mumbai in 2015, SolarSquare positions itself as a full-cycle digital platform. The company independently handles the design, installation, and maintenance of solar systems. Today, the startup operates in 29 Indian cities and has provided clean energy to nearly 50,000 private households.
In recent years, the company’s management has focused on the high-revenue residential sector. Currently, annual revenue from this segment has exceeded 10 billion rupees (approximately $104 million). SolarSquare aims to increase its portfolio of installed residential solar panels to 200 MW this year.

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Has Elon Musk given up on Tesla’s Master Plans, on the electrified economy, on solar power as we know it? From the SpaceX IPO filing released this week, it sure seems like it.
A recap for those not enmeshed in the Musk-verse: Tesla has released four Master Plans over the years, and while details have varied, the through line has been electrification of the economy. Musk put it best in his first edition: “the overarching purpose of Tesla motors…is to help expedite the move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy.”
But recently, one of Musk’s companies, xAI, has embraced the mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy, using dozens of unregulated natural gas turbines to power its data centers with plans to buy $2.8 billion more, effectively cementing the fossil fuel’s role in the company’s AI operations.
It’s a curious turn for a businessman who built his empire on clean energy — and who has no qualms directing his companies to buy from one another. SpaceX spent $131 million on 1,279 Cybertrucks, and xAI has spent $697 million in the last two years on Tesla Megapacks, it’s grid-scale battery storage systems that the company will use to manage peak loads. But so far, xAI hasn’t bought a materially significant number of solar panels from Tesla.
Solar power isn’t missing in the SpaceX filing, it’s just all concentrated on space, which the company touts as the future of data center power. Terrestrial solar garners a few mentions — not as a power source for xAI data centers but instead to show how much better SpaceX thinks space-based solar will be.
It’s no secret that Musk and other Silicon Valley executives have become obsessed with space-based solar power. SpaceX says that space-based solar arrays can generate “more than five-times the energy” of terrestrial ones thanks to 24/7 illumination. As AI data centers have run into opposition here on Earth, CEOs like Musk have started mulling big server racks in space powered by that 24/7 sunshine. Hammer, meet nail.
Even if SpaceX is able to bring down the cost of boosting a data center into orbit, the economics are challenging at best. Power prices for Starlink satellites are multiples higher than what a terrestrial data center typically spends, and protecting chips from the rigors of space won’t be easy or cheap. It’s also not clear whether AI training can be distributed across multiple satellites, leaving a significant chunk of AI work earthbound. It’s not just one problem that SpaceX needs to solve, but many.
It’s likely that Musk considers xAI’s current data centers as stopgaps, that once SpaceX is able to loft gigawatts worth of servers into orbit — probably just a few years away, in his mind — he’ll scrap what’s here on the ground, natural gas turbines included and not have to think about NIMBYs anymore. The risk, of course, is that he’s wrong.
It’s not just NIMBYs that Musk is worried about, though. He’s clearly concerned that computing demands from AI will quickly outstrip what we can provide here on Earth. Sprinkled throughout the SEC filing are references to “terawatt-scale annual AI compute growth,” which will require power to match. That’s a stunning figure when you consider that all the world’s data centers use around 40 gigawatts today. 
This is Musk’s “first principles” thinking in action. At some point, he assumed the world will need an additional terawatt worth of compute every year, and he worked back from there. “We believe that third-party estimates on data center demand are constrained by the practical supply limitations that exist in a terrestrial context and the power shortage may be far greater than what research estimates suggest,” the company argues.
Possible? Sure, I suppose. But consider that humanity today uses about 35,000 terawatt-hours of energy annually, or about 4 terawatts on a continuous basis. Energy demand has risen lately, and for AI, it probably is in an phase of exponential growth, which could either continue or level off. We have no way of knowing at this point, but if there’s one thing Musk is good at, it’s spotting a trend at its inflection point and extrapolating wildly.
Here’s where Musk’s problems settle back down to Earth. I’m no rocket scientist, but I suspect that shipping solar panels on a flatbed truck uses less energy than sending them into orbit. Plus, space-ready solar panels will need to be manufactured at unprecedented scale. Not insurmountable problems, but also maybe a distraction. We’ve barely scratched solar’s potential here on Earth, for example.
The perfect doesn’t have to be the enemy of the good. There’s plenty of room to improve things here on Earth even while we chase after our dreams in the stars. 
Just three years ago, Musk and his colleagues at Tesla released the “Master Plan Part 3,” which thoughtfully outlined a “plan to eliminate fossil fuels.” A good starting point might be xAI’s data centers.
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Tim De Chant is a senior climate reporter at TechCrunch. He has written for a wide range of publications, including Wired magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Ars Technica, The Wire China, and NOVA Next, where he was founding editor.
De Chant is also a lecturer in MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing, and he was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT in 2018, during which time he studied climate technologies and explored new business models for journalism. He received his PhD in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California, Berkeley, and his BA degree in environmental studies, English, and biology from St. Olaf College.
You can contact or verify outreach from Tim by emailing tim.dechant@techcrunch.com.

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The Texas sun keeps rising, as Texas coal wanes.
For the first time ever, solar is set to generate more electricity than coal in the power market managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT. Nobody is building new coal power plants in the state, but developers are adding more solar there than anywhere else in the country. As a result of those diverging trajectories, the federal government expects ERCOT will receive 78 billion kilowatt-hours from solar in 2026 and just 60 from coal.
This trend does have seasonal variations. Last year, solar output beat coal on a monthly basis from March through August, and this year it is expected to do so from March through December, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration, or EIA, at the Department of Energy.
Nationally, the combination of wind and solar surpassed coal generation in 2024, as noted in an analysis by Ember, a think tank that conducts research on clean energy. In other words, the solar industry is further along in Texas than it is nationwide.
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The Texas solar surge undercuts the prevailing energy narratives coming out of the Trump administration, which has attempted to boost coal and gas as tools of ​“energy dominance,” while blocking or canceling American energy that comes from renewables. The Department of Energy, for instance, is keeping struggling coal plants on life support at great expense to taxpayers. Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior is blocking wind and solar developments that intersect with public lands.
Trump officials have argued that coal is more reliable than solar because it can generate power around the clock. But even with that advantage, coal plants in Texas can’t keep up with the total annual and monthly production from the rapidly growing solar fleet. This has not damaged grid reliability, because ERCOT meets evening demand with a diverse portfolio, including gas plants, nuclear, wind, and, increasingly, batteries, which store all that excess solar power for use when the sun stops shining.
Of course, Texas leaders did not set out to disprove the Trump administration’s energy claims. The maverick Lone Star State kept its electricity system out of the hands of federal regulators, and in the 1990s and early 2000s reformed it to promote free market competition instead of centralized planning by monopoly utilities. That market, coupled with lots of space and lax building regulations, has made an ideal environment for wind, solar, and batteries to flourish. Now, Texas is fortified with tens of gigawatts of new capacity with which to tackle heat waves and temper price spikes.
Deep-red Texas offers lessons for the liberal states that have committed to lofty climate goals yet failed to build much solar or batteries so far. They can’t immediately switch over to an ERCOT-style market, but they can take steps to speed up the time it takes to get permits and grid connection, dial back the level of deference to habitually conservative legacy utilities, and make sure that clean energy gets a fair shot in the race to serve surging energy needs. And it’s always a good time to reexamine old market rules that subtly privilege entrenched players at the expense of new entrants that would make cheaper and cleaner power.
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After more of the rapid-fire solar buildout, EIA expects ERCOT will produce 99 billion kilowatt-hours of solar power in 2027, up 27 percent from 2026. At that point, the upstart industry will have left its well-established coal competition in the dust.

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TOWN OF WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – A full house at Friday night’s town of Watertown board meeting. Many of them were there because of a planned solar project.
Developer Mike Lundy is requesting zoning approval for an agrivoltaic site along Summit Valley Drive. Essentially, it’d be a solar farm, with land maintained by grazing sheep. It’d help power buildings at the nearby Washington summit complex.
“We’re not trying to do something to be disruptive or offensive. We think this is a tremendous benefit to Washington Summit,” said Mike Lundy.
A number of residents, however, disagree with Lundy.
“I’m not thrilled with the idea at all,” said one resident.
“The beauty of this land is going to disappear if we allow these things to keep happening. When does it stop? When does it stop?” asked another resident.
Aesthetics and pollutants were a concern, and for some, it boiled down to money.
“I don’t know. I’m a little bit scared about what could happen to my property value,” said one resident.
“I bought my house for an investment, and I’ve really worked on keeping it nice. I don’t want to end up selling my house for a loss,” said another resident.
Not everyone was against the project, however.
“We really need ways of having alternative energy. No one wants it in our backyard, but this is my backyard, and I’m willing,” said David Rechlin.
Lundy claims the solar project would be effectively invisible. Friday night, he revised the zoning request to omit solar panels on the south side of the property and instead construct a berm, or manmade hill, populated with trees to conceal the panels.
“The berm would be 250 feet off the road with a landscaping berm in front of the solar. You’re not going to see this at all from the road,” said Lundy.
The board voted 4 to 1 in favor of Lundy’s zoning change.
Copyright 2026 WWNY. All rights reserved.

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Recycling of crystalline‑silicon photovoltaic modules in China: Policies, technologies and prospects  ScienceDirect.com
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Elon Musk has given up on solar power (on Earth)
Elon Muks's xAI has gone all in on natural gas, while SpaceX is obsessed with orbital data centers. What happened to the "solar-electric economy" he promised?
PUBLISHED: Sat, May 23, 2026, 1:06 PM UTC | UPDATED: Sun, May 24, 2026, 9:22 AM UTC
The man who built his empire promising a solar-electric future just placed a massive bet against it. Elon Musk's xAI has gone all-in on natural gas to power its AI ambitions, while SpaceX explores building data centers in orbit – anywhere, it seems, except tapping the solar infrastructure his own companies sell. The pivot marks a striking contradiction for the executive who spent decades evangelizing renewable energy through Tesla and SolarCity, raising questions about whether AI's insatiable power demands are forcing even climate advocates to compromise their principles.
Elon Musk built his reputation as Silicon Valley's climate crusader. For years, he positioned Tesla not just as an electric car company but as the vanguard of a renewable energy revolution. Solar roofs, Powerwall batteries, and emissions-free transportation would usher in what he called a "solar-electric economy." Now his newest venture is quietly abandoning that vision.
xAI, Musk's artificial intelligence startup launched to compete with OpenAI and Google's AI efforts, has reportedly committed to natural gas infrastructure to power its expanding data center operations. The decision, reported by TechCrunch, represents a fundamental break from the climate principles Musk has championed since acquiring SolarCity in 2016.
The timing couldn't be more awkward. Tesla continues selling solar panels and energy storage systems to homeowners and utilities, marketing them as the future of clean energy. Meanwhile, Musk's AI ambitions are driving him straight back to fossil fuels – the very energy source he's spent two decades trying to eliminate.
It's not just xAI. SpaceX has been exploring concepts for orbital data centers, according to industry sources familiar with the company's long-term planning. The idea would place compute infrastructure in space where solar energy is abundant and uninterrupted, avoiding Earth's day-night cycles and weather constraints. But it also sidesteps the harder question: why not use solar power on Earth, where Tesla already builds the technology?
The answer comes down to AI's brutal economics. Training large language models requires staggering amounts of electricity delivered 24/7 without interruption. Data centers running AI workloads can't afford the intermittency of solar and wind without massive battery installations that drive costs even higher. Natural gas plants offer reliable baseload power that can scale up rapidly – exactly what AI companies need as they race to build bigger models faster than competitors.
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Microsoft and Google face similar tensions. Both have pledged to reach carbon neutrality while simultaneously building data centers that consume more power than small countries. Microsoft recently signed deals to reopen the Three Mile Island nuclear plant. Google's emissions have jumped 48% since 2019, driven almost entirely by AI infrastructure.
But Musk's situation is different. He's not just any tech CEO making compromises – he's the executive who made climate action his personal brand. Tesla's mission statement still reads: "accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy." The company's energy division generated $6.4 billion in revenue last year selling solar and battery products.
Now xAI's data center strategy suggests that when forced to choose between AI ambitions and climate principles, Musk is picking AI. The natural gas commitment allows xAI to build out infrastructure faster and cheaper than renewable alternatives, helping it compete against better-funded rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic.
SpaceX's orbital data center concepts take the contradiction even further. If solar power works in space, why not invest in making it work economically on Earth? Tesla already manufactures the components. The company could theoretically build solar-powered data centers with enough battery storage to handle overnight operations. It would cost more upfront, but it would align with everything Musk claims to believe about energy's future.
Instead, SpaceX is exploring solutions that would require launching data center components on Starship rockets – an approach that burns enormous quantities of rocket fuel to access solar power in orbit rather than installing panels on Earth. The irony is hard to miss.
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Industry analysts see xAI's natural gas pivot as pragmatic but hypocritical. "Every AI company is grappling with power constraints," one energy consultant told TechCrunch. "But most of them didn't spend the last decade lecturing everyone about sustainable energy." The consultant requested anonymity to preserve business relationships.
The shift also highlights growing tensions in tech between stated climate values and actual business practices. As AI becomes more central to these companies' strategies, power demands are overwhelming their renewable energy commitments. Data center operators are scrambling to secure electricity from any source available, and fossil fuels remain the fastest, cheapest option in most markets.
For Musk, the xAI decision creates an uncomfortable narrative. Tesla shareholders have long tolerated his side projects because they ostensibly served the broader mission of sustainable technology. SpaceX would enable solar power from space. Neuralink would help humanity merge with AI. The Boring Company would reduce traffic and emissions.
But xAI running on natural gas doesn't fit that story. It's just another AI company choosing fossil fuels for convenience and cost, led by the person who supposedly cared more about climate than anyone else in tech.
Musk's xAI bet on natural gas reveals the uncomfortable truth behind AI's rapid expansion: even climate advocates are willing to compromise their principles when the technology demands it. Whether this represents temporary pragmatism or a permanent shift in priorities remains to be seen, but it's already undermining the credibility of someone who built multiple companies on the promise of sustainable energy. As AI continues consuming ever-larger shares of global electricity, the tech industry's climate commitments are being tested like never before – and so far, AI is winning.
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Colorado jumps on ‘balcony solar’ trend by advancing bill: ‘The technology is safe [and] cost-efficient’  Yahoo
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Top 10 Renewable Energy Companies Driving the Future of Solar, Wind, and Clean Power  Fortune Business Insights
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By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission will consider approving bids and purchase orders for renovation of the Ellis County Law Enforcement Center during its 8:30 a.m. meeting Tuesday.
The project is intended to prepare the building for the expansion of the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office after the Hays Police Department vacates part of the facility later this year.
Renovations are expected to begin this summer and be completed by mid-2027. Planned changes include converting the former police reception area into a training room, creating bonding rooms for inmates and adding a secure meeting room for High Plains Mental Health Center staff and children involved in incidents.
The basement will also undergo minor renovations to move the Ellis County 911 dispatch center into a larger room, which is currently used as a training room.
SEE RELATED STORY: City commission approves $5.9 million contract for Hays police/court facility
Tallgrass Solar Development permit discussion
Commissioners also will discuss the proposed Tallgrass Solar Development and related project documents, including a conditional-use permit and contribution agreement. No action will be taken.
The commission requested the documents be placed on the agenda for public discussion and input. Members of the public wishing to speak will be able to sign up before the meeting begins.
The proposed solar project from ibV Energy Partners would be west of Mount Pleasant and Yocemento Road.
SEE RELATED STORY: Solar developer shares maps, more on construction during Hays open house
SEE RELATED STORY: Solar developer answers Ellis County Commission questions
Other business
• Commission seeking potential land options in Ellis for a future combined EMS and fire station project
• Ellis County Landfill will propose a trial “Tire Amnesty Day” on June 13 to help reduce illegally dumped tires along county roads and ditches
• Ellis County Health Department will give an update on a Kansas Regional Chronic Disease Intelligence & Action Pilot Program Grant submission
• Consideration to waive waste fees for the Wild West Festival
You can view the full agenda here.
Copyright © 2026 Hays Post – Powered byEagle Radio

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By: Luis Reyes
Published: May 24, at 6:00am ET
Britain’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced on April 30, 2026, that he would launch a public consultation to fast-track floating solar farms on UK reservoirs and lakes. The Telegraph carried the story under the headline that Labour was planning to “blanket lakes with floating solar panels.” The number that did not make most headlines was the one in the report Miliband was endorsing. According to research commissioned by the energy investor Bluefield and modelled by CBI Economics, British inland water could host up to 58.6 gigawatts of floating solar capacity by 2050. The most ambitious scenario in that report would cover roughly 33,500 hectares of British water, an area about five times the surface of Loch Lomond.
Two months earlier, the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory had quietly published its own report on the same subject. The NREL title was less catchy than the Telegraph’s. It read “Floating Solar in Hydropower Reservoirs in the United States.” The numbers underneath were not small.
The NREL February 2026 assessment mapped the potential for floating photovoltaics on federally regulated reservoirs across the continental United States, covering the dams operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and reservoirs licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The headline finding, summarized in Inside Climate News a few weeks later, was that floating solar on the reservoirs behind federally owned dams could provide enough electricity to power roughly 100 million American homes a year if every developable surface were built out. That is a ceiling figure, not a forecast. It still tells you the shape of the resource.
The reservoirs that show up in that NREL inventory are not abstract. They are Lake Mead, Lake Powell, the Tennessee Valley Authority system, the Columbia River impoundments, and the smaller Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs across the Mountain West. They are sitting on more than 80 years of federal hydropower infrastructure that already has the grid connections, the substations, and the transmission rights-of-way that ground-mounted solar projects spend a decade fighting for in places like Will County, Illinois, or McDermitt, Nevada.
The grid is also exactly where the math is starting to move in the United States, and not in the direction the Bureau of Reclamation would prefer. On April 17, 2026, Reclamation announced that proposed drought response actions could cut Hoover Dam’s hydropower generating capacity by as much as 40 percent as early as this fall. That is roughly 830 megawatts of firm, dispatchable, federally owned electricity that is in the process of going off the regional grid, mostly because Lake Mead is running too low to spin the turbines properly. Lake Powell is in similar shape. Reclamation has acknowledged that hydropower at Glen Canyon Dam ceases if Lake Powell drops below 3,490 feet, and the agency has put a 10 percent probability on that happening by September 2026.
Land-based solar in the U.S. has a permitting problem and a politics problem. Both are well documented. The McDermitt Caldera lithium project in northern Nevada has spent five years in tribal and BLM litigation. The Will County, Illinois solar buildout has been slowed by rural opposition. Texas farmland is increasingly contested between row-crop production and gigawatt-scale photovoltaic leases. Most of the cheap, easy, uncontroversial land for utility-scale solar in the lower 48 was permitted and built between 2015 and 2023. What is left is hard.
The American floating solar resource is the photographic negative of that problem. The federal reservoirs are already federal. The grid interconnection at the dam is already there. The water cools the panels, which boosts efficiency by a few percentage points in summer, exactly when the grid needs the most power. The panels reduce evaporation on reservoirs that the Colorado River Basin can no longer afford to lose. The 2021 NREL cost study found floating solar runs about 20 percent more expensive to install than land-based, and the cooling efficiency gain offsets part of that delta. The economics are not perfect. They are also not the bottleneck. The bottleneck is permitting.
The British plan, in that sense, is interesting less as an energy story and more as a regulatory one. Miliband is not proposing a new technology. Floating solar is a mature category, with more than 2.6 gigawatts deployed globally as of last year, mostly in China, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Netherlands.
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What he is proposing is to remove the planning friction that has kept British FPV stuck at roughly 100 megawatts of operational capacity by the end of 2025, against a project pipeline of 1.5 gigawatts that has not yet cleared the consenting regime. The U.S. equivalent of that friction lives mostly inside FERC, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Army Corps. Each of those agencies has the legal authority to license floating solar on the dams they already operate. None has so far written the consenting regime that would let it happen at scale.
The closest U.S. analogue to what Miliband just proposed is happening on tribal land. The Gila River Indian Community in Arizona is currently developing floating solar on its own reservoir, with explicit support from federal infrastructure funding, after a 2023 bipartisan bill from Senator Angus King and Representatives Paul Tonko and Jared Huffman, called the POWER Our Reservoirs Act, ordered DOE and Reclamation to study exactly this question. The NREL February 2026 paper is part of that study program. The Gila River project is not the largest floating solar deployment in the United States, but it is the first on a federally regulated reservoir, and the people watching it most closely are the Bureau of Reclamation engineers who have just had to publish a 40 percent hydropower cut forecast for Hoover Dam.
If the Gila River pilot performs the way NREL’s model expects, the same engineering can be specified for Lake Mead, Lake Powell, the TVA reservoir system, and the Columbia River dams. Whether it will be specified, in volumes that mean anything against an 830 megawatt Hoover shortfall, depends almost entirely on whether the federal agencies decide to write the consenting regime. That is a procedural question, not a technical one. It is the same procedural question the British government has just decided to answer, in public, in the opposite direction.
The reason any of this matters for a Tesla owner in Phoenix or an F-150 Lightning owner in Las Vegas is that the grid those vehicles charge from is the same grid Hoover Dam has been feeding for almost a century. The Western Interconnection is losing hydropower at roughly the same rate it is gaining EV charging load. The arithmetic of replacement, between now and 2035, is the entire story of how cheap or expensive overnight residential charging gets in the Southwest. Floating solar on the federal reservoirs is one of the few options on the menu that does not require buying farmland, displacing a tribal claim, or building a new transmission corridor through a rural county that does not want one.
Britain just put a number on what that option looks like at national scale. The Energy Minister Michael Shanks, endorsing the Bluefield report, said it was time Britain “stopped letting our solar potential float on by.” Whether that line lands as ambition or as parody depends on which side of the rural-planning debate the reader sits. The phrase has the merit of being literally accurate.
The reservoirs are already federal. The grid is already there. What is missing is the paperwork on about four federal agency desks, and none of them has written it yet.
What do you think?
Dave McQuilling · Apr 28, 2026
Olivia Richman · May 17, 2026
Dave McQuilling · May 19, 2026
Dave McQuilling · Apr 26, 2026
Dave McQuilling · May 7, 2026
Olivia Richman · May 8, 2026
Luis Reyes · May 23, 2026
Dave McQuilling · May 23, 2026
Luis Reyes · May 23, 2026
Olivia Richman · May 23, 2026
Olivia Richman · May 23, 2026
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Selection of plant species suitable for hydroponic integration with photovoltaic panels in desert environments  ScienceDirect.com
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Albania is making significant progress in the energy sector, thanks to the steady growth of renewable sources and the implementation of a long-term strategy for the diversification of energy production.
According to the latest report on the electricity balance, during the first quarter of 2026, photovoltaic producers produced 254 GWh of energy, compared to 176 GWh in the same period of 2025, marking an increase of 44%. Currently, 10% of the country’s energy comes from photovoltaic sources, compared to the situation four years ago, when Albania depended almost entirely on hydropower.
Over Euro 2 billion have been invested in the energy sector by private initiatives, mainly in renewable projects. Currently, the country has over 700 MW of private photovoltaic capacities in operation, as well as about another 400 MW of self-producers distributed throughout the territory.
Albania has a project portfolio that is expected to bring new renewable generation capacities to over 1,500 MW, using photovoltaic and wind technologies.
In parallel, over 1,600 MW of energy storage capacities are being considered, using pumped storage and battery technologies, which are currently in the study and financial evaluation phase. These capacities aim to increase the flexibility and stability of the energy system.
In solar energy, Albania has moved from pilot projects to large-scale plants.
According to long-term projections, by 2030, photovoltaic capacities are expected to be 1,500 MW higher compared to 2020, while wind power capacities will increase by around 700 MW. Photovoltaic energy production is expected to reach around 2 million MWh, or 25% of current consumption, while wind energy will provide around 1.4 million MWh, representing 17.5% of consumption.
In total, by 2030, around 45% of domestic electricity consumption is expected to be covered by photovoltaic and wind technologies, consolidating the transition towards a sustainable energy system.
In parallel, the government has approved an important change in the way of compensation for households and businesses that produce energy from solar panels. The new decision of the Council of Ministers foresees the transition from the current “net metering” scheme to the “net billing” model, starting from January 1, 2027.
The main change is related to the way of calculating the energy produced and consumed. In the new model, the compensation will no longer be based on kilowatts, but on the financial value of the energy.
This change is considered part of the harmonization of Albanian legislation with European practices and an important step towards Albania’s integration into the European Union.
 
Plenary Session Terminated after Tensions in Assembly Hall
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Opposition MPs Climbed through Windows to Enter Assembly Offices
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DP Accuses PM of Ignoring Albanians Living in Survival Conditions
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The market continues to value Sunrun (RUN) primarily as a cyclical residential solar installer which is exposed to interest rate and policy risks. However, the company has been taking steps to evolve into a distributed
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Plans for a solar farm across 35 hectares of land in Wakefield have been given the go-ahead despite objections.
The 86-acre development will see panels installed across five parcels of green belt land at Owlers Farm, between Ossett and Kirkhamgate.
Concerns were raised over the loss of agricultural and wildlife habitats as well as the impact on the rural characters of the area.
Documents submitted to the council on behalf of applicant IBE Flushdyke Ltd said it would be operational for 40 years and provide "a consistent and reliable supply of renewable energy to the local distribution network".
A planning statement said the scheme would provide enough renewable energy to power about 6,000 homes and reduce carbon emissions by 8,600 tonnes annually during its lifetime.
The report said: "After this period, all buildings and structures would be decommissioned and removed, restoring the site to agricultural use.
"All proposed landscaping and biodiversity enhancements would be retained as a long-term benefit."
In 2019, Wakefield Council declared a climate emergency and pledged to become a carbon neutral district by 2036.
The statement said the plan met the "very special circumstances" required to build on green belt land due to the wider public benefits it would provide, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
It said: "The solar farm would help combat climate change, generate secure, domestic, renewable energy, create a significant net gain in biodiversity, and provide a sustainable source of passive income for the agricultural unit whilst intensely farmed land can rest and retain its high quality for longer into the future."
A total of 16 objections were submitted to the council since the application was lodged last May.
One objector commented: "The installation of large-scale industrial infrastructure will irrevocably damage the character of the landscape."
Another resident said: "The land in question is productive agricultural land, essential for growing food and supporting local farming economies.
"With increasing global concern over food security, it is short-sighted to sacrifice viable farmland for energy infrastructure that could be better situated on brownfield sites."
No comments in support of the proposals were submitted to the council.
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Rico Gedel and Samuel Dodsworth had been on trial at Leeds Crown Court accused of his murder.
Guernsey's government announces renewable energy sources would be mandatory for all new builds.
A site meeting will be held before councillors vote on the plans from EDF Power Solutions.
The 80-acre solar farm could be built either side of the B4399 through Dinedor.
Homegrown biofertilisers are helping some South East farmers mitigate the impact of rising costs.
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Science and Technology
The trains of the Rennes metro will partially run on solar electricity starting in early 2027, in a project that is unprecedented in the history of French urban transport. The technical difference that makes the venture pioneering is not simply using solar panels, but injecting the electricity produced directly into the trains’ electrical circuits, without the energy passing through the public distribution network. David Clausse, General Director of the Departmental Energy Union 35, explained that having the necessary technical knowledge to ensure that the produced electrons do not disrupt the trains’ operation was the biggest challenge of the project.
The crowdfunding campaign was launched on May 18, 2026, and runs until the 30th. Citizens can invest between 100 and 10,000 euros, with a fixed return rate of 5% per year for five years. Construction of the solar plants begins in June, and the trains are expected to start running on solar energy between the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027. Rennes, with about 230,000 inhabitants, is the smallest city in the world to operate two metro lines, and now it may become the first to power its trains with the sun.
The project plans for the installation of two photovoltaic plants at the ends of the two metro lines in Rennes. The first will be in Chantepie, on the roof of the garage and workshop complex of Line A. The second will be installed in Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande, at the La Maltière terminal of Line B. In total, 6,000 square meters of solar panels will be distributed over the roofs of the garages and adjacent parking lots.
United States releases a $2 billion investment in quantum computing with IBM’s participation, strengthening strategic technological infrastructure and accelerating the development of advanced processors that can change the internet, digital security, and global financial markets.
A 3.2-million-year-old fossil found in Ethiopia forever changed our understanding of human evolution and showed that ancestors were already walking on two legs before having larger brains.
Extratropical cyclone brings storms to the South on Monday after a weekend with heavy rain, winds up to 100 km/h, and risk of hail, warns INMET forecast.
The sea advanced forcefully over the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, knocking down part of a containment wall, sweeping away wooden walkways in Atlântida Sul, and flooding streets in Cassino, damage caused by an extratropical cyclone in the ocean.
The energy generated will be channeled directly to the electrical circuits that power the trains, stations, and signaling systems. There will be no connection to the public electricity grid. Clausse explained that this disconnection is what makes the project unprecedented: in other cases of solar energy in transportation, the electricity is sold to the grid and then repurchased. In Rennes, the electrons go from the panel to the train motors without intermediaries.
The Chantepie plant is expected to generate more than 500 megawatt-hours per year, while the Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande plant will produce about 400 megawatt-hours. Together, the two installations will provide nearly 1 gigawatt-hour annually, enough to supply 7% of all the energy consumed by the trains on lines A and B of the Rennes metro.
The total cost of the project is 1.6 million euros. Part of the resources comes from European funds, and 500,000 euros were opened to crowdfunding. Valérie Faucheux, vice-president of the Rennes Metropolitan Area responsible for mobility and transport, stated that the logic is clear: producing locally allows for controlling expenses in a scenario of volatile energy prices. The goal is aligned with the Territorial Climate, Air, and Energy Plan, which aims to double the production of renewable energy in the territory.
The opening of crowdfunding to citizens is not just a resource-gathering strategy, it is a form of community engagement. The campaign allows anyone to invest between 100 and 10,000 euros in the project, with a guaranteed return of 5% per year for five years. Initially, priority was given to the metro users of Rennes, who can concretely participate in a local clean energy project.
The participatory financing model for transportation infrastructure is relatively new in France and reflects a European trend to democratize investment in renewable energy. For a citizen who invests 1,000 euros, for example, the return is 50 euros per year, totaling 250 euros in five years in addition to the invested capital. The amount is modest, but the symbolism is strong: passengers who finance the solar panels know that the trains they use daily run partly on the energy they helped to install.
Rennes was already notable for operating a fully automated, driverless metro system with Siemens’ VAL and NeoVal technology. Now, by adding direct solar energy to the trains, the city creates a model that can be replicated by any metro system that has garages or parking lots with roofs available for photovoltaic panels.
The limitation is evident: 7% of the energy is a small fraction of the total consumption. But the project demonstrates that the technology works and that the direct injection of solar energy into transportation circuits is feasible without compromising train operations. If the model is expanded with more panel surfaces or combined with battery storage, the solar share can grow significantly in metro systems around the world.
Would you invest money in solar panels to power the trains in your city? Do you think the Rennes model could work in Brazil, or is the reality of our metro systems very different? Tell us in the comments.

I cover construction, mining, Brazilian mines, oil, and major railway and civil engineering projects. I also write daily about interesting facts and insights from the Brazilian market.
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The Secret Service is investigating shots fired near the White House.
President Donald Trump announced that an Iran deal including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has been "largely negotiated."
by Robert Locklear
APPOMATTOX COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — A fire sparked by a downed power line connected to a solar farm in Appomattox County was extinguished by firefighters on Sunday, officials said.
According to the Appomattox Volunteer Fire Department, the call came in around 10:30 a.m. on May 18. AVFD said they were dispatched to the Energix Renewable Solar Farm along Route 460 for the report of a brush fire.
SEE ALSO: Downstream of Claytor, Leesville dams could see rapid water level changes starting Monday
"Upon arrival, crews found a Dominion Energy representative on scene who had discovered the fire while investigating the source of a power outage in the area," AVFD said. "Firefighters worked quickly to contain the blaze by suppressing active fire and establishing a fuel break to prevent further spread."
The fire department said their investigation revealed the fire was started from a downed power line connected to the solar farm.
AVFD said a forestry dozer from the Virginia Department of Forestry helped out the fire out alongside their own units.
2026 Sinclair, Inc.

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Europe Today
Euronews' flagship morning TV show with the news and insights that drive Europe, live from Brussels every morning at 08.00. Also available as a newsletter and podcast.
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The Ring is Euronews’ weekly political showdown, where Europe’s toughest debates meet their boldest voices. In each episode, two political heavyweights from across the EU face off to propose a diversity of opinions and spark conversations around the most important issues of EU affairs and the wider European political life.
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Bees are essential to our survival – but new research shows that less than half of the British public recognise them as sentient beings with the ability to have physical and emotional experiences – be they positive or negative. In reality, scientific evidence shows that bees exhibit self-awareness, social learning, play behaviour and the ability to solve complex problems.
On World Bee Day (20 May) a wildlife charity is calling on all of us to play our part in keeping bees alive and buzzing.
“Bees really are incredible insects – they do so much for us and have such a great level of understanding that people take for granted. Bees can perform incredibly complex tasks, have fascinating social lives, and are essential pollinators. It’s important to make sure we take care of them,” explains Rebecca Machin, wildlife expert at the UK’s RSPCA.
Bees are some of the most effective pollinators we have – not just helping plants to grow, but helping crops including broccoli, cabbages and apples to thrive.
In fact, bees pollinate about 75 per cent of leading crops globally and contribute to a third of the world’s food production. With recent fuel shortages threatening food shortages worldwide, helping the crops on our own doorsteps is essential- and easier than you might think.
Many bee populations in Europe are declining because of climate change and habitat loss.
Here’s what you can do to help.
Globally, bumblebee populations are diminishing.
A 2023 study in Nature projected that around 38 to 76 per cent of European bumblebee species currently classified as ‘Least Concern’ are projected to undergo losses of at least 30 per cent of ecologically suitable territory by 2061–2080. 2024 was also the worst year for bumblebees in the UK, according to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
There are a number of factors at play: land use change, intensive agriculture, invasive species, and infectious diseases affect pollinators like bumblebees.
Climate change also plays a role: intensifying extreme weather that can threaten bees’ habitats and disturb life cycles.
With more and more heatwaves every year, bees’ sources of water frequently dry up. Rain patterns are also a lot more unpredictable and extreme, seesawing between floods and drought. So leaving water out for bees to drink is an easy way to help them, and they only takes a few minutes to set up and maintain.
The RSPCA has full instructions on how to make a do-it-yourself bee drinking station. The added bonus is that you’ll be helping other wildlife who need water to drink, too.
In return for the nectar flowers provide, bees and other insects help them by spreading their pollen and helping them to reproduce – this is pollination.
The more flowers we plant, the more food there is for bees – and they’ll be healthier and more likely to survive illness or bad weather.
The RSPCA has full details on the best bee-friendly flowers to plant, when to plant them and other helpful advice.
A recent study, published in Global Change Biology, looked at how solar farms could help with bumblebee conservation in the UK.
Community solar farms are now widespread around Europe, offering citizens the opportunity to make small (or large) investments in local clean energy projects. Along with the warm fuzzy feeling of helping to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy, community energy offers other benefits. Some afford you a return on your investment, while others grant you cheaper energy for your house or business.
In the study, which reports to be the first to look at the role of solar farms in future biodiversity conservation, researchers wanted to see how bumblebees would fare with solar farms.
The researchers looked at 1,042 operational solar farms in Great Britain, creating a high-resolution model to simulate bumblebee foraging and population dynamics. This enabled them to predict bumblebee density in and around the UK’s solar farms, while also accounting for the effects of different future scenarios, like changed habitatcontext and configuration.
“The model predicts how bees use these landscapes based on foraging and nesting resources,” said Dr Hollie Blaydes, Senior Research Associate at Lancaster University and first author of the study. “This aspect of the work was particularly novel – it is unusual for modelling like this to be done in such detail.”
The modelling suggests that the number of bumblebees within solar farms could more than double if solar farms are managed for biodiversity. Wildflowers on the farms provided a rich source of food, especially compared with turf.
“Solar farms can be refuges for bumblebees in the present day and in the future and could play a part in mitigating habitat loss – if managed well,” says Blaydes. “But, solar farms alone will not be able to counteract the effects of all future land use changes on bumblebees and other biodiversity.”


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Illinois Times, the capital city's weekly source of news, politics, arts, entertainment, culture
Illinois Times, the capital city's weekly source of news, politics, arts, entertainment, culture

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A proposed 1,730-acre solar development south of New Berlin is drawing growing opposition from residents, local officials and business owners who fear the project could permanently alter the rural character of western Sangamon County, even as developers argue the project could provide clean energy, stable tax revenue and economic diversification for farmers. 
The project, which residents say largely involves land controlled by the Dowson family, has become one of the most contentious local issues in the New Berlin area in recent months. 
“It’s a big project,” said Sangamon County Board member Craig Hall, a Republican whose district includes New Berlin. “There are a lot of people who have concerns with it.” 
Hall said residents fear the project could depress nearby property values and discourage residential growth in an area where Springfield’s westward expansion already is reshaping rural communities.
“You have something adjacent to someone else’s property and it affects their quality of life or the value of property,” Hall said. “Is that good zoning? I don’t think it is.” 
The controversy comes as local officials wrestle with how much control county and municipal governments still have over renewable energy projects under Illinois law. Hall is backing a proposal expected to come before the Sangamon County Zoning Board of Appeals in June that would establish up to a 1.5-mile buffer around municipalities, giving villages and towns more authority to weigh in on developments near their borders. 
State law requires county boards to approve solar projects if the land is zoned agricultural, which is the case for the New Berlin-area parcels.
“The state of Illinois is wanting to have the only voice when it comes to these kind of projects,” Hall said. “At least we need to do a mile-and-a-half setback so local communities have a voice.” 
But Sangamon County Board Chair Andy Van Meter cautioned that county officials are still trying to determine whether such restrictions are even legally permissible.
“The honest answer is, I don’t know,” Van Meter said when asked whether villages should have veto authority over projects within 1.5 miles of their borders.
Van Meter said there are competing proposals being discussed, including granting municipalities veto authority or changing zoning classifications, but he said the implications of either approach remain unclear.
“I do not know if we even have the authority to do those,” Van Meter said. “Nor do I know the process for implementing either of those changes, nor do I know the consequence of implementing any of those changes.”
Van Meter said any sweeping zoning changes would require extensive legal review and public input.
“That’s the kind of major change that we would typically have a board committee study and make a recommendation working with the professional staff and compared to comparable counties,” he said.
Hall said he expects his proposal to be considered by a committee in June and perhaps be voted on by the County Board in July, although Van Meter questioned whether the proposed timeline for adopting such restrictions is realistic.
“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible to do that on the schedule outlined, but I would say we certainly want to be sure we know all the consequences of what we’re doing before we do it,” he said.
Van Meter also said property rights concerns weigh heavily on him as county officials debate possible restrictions.
“It concerns me quite a lot,” he said when asked whether landowners could unfairly lose the ability to use their property as intended. “That’s a major issue. We’ve got to think these things through before we make any changes.”
Meanwhile, developers say the New Berlin solar proposal itself remains in the early stages and has not yet formally entered the permitting process.
“We haven’t even started working on any permit application or anything like that. We’re very early stage. We’re just looking at land right now,” said Chris Nickell, chief operating officer of Highlander Renewables. His Springfield-based company is serving as a local development partner on the project, which would be operated by Houston-based ConnectGen, a subsidiary of Repsol, a Spanish company.
Nickell said maps circulating publicly showing roughly 1,730 acres under consideration are “still in flux” and that it remains uncertain whether the project ultimately will be built.
“In the development world, there are all kinds of economic and political climate issues and transmission issues,” he said. “This is too early stage of a project to put any kind of gamble on.”
Van Meter said he was unaware of the proposed New Berlin project until contacted about it by Illinois Times. 
Supporters of the project argue solar development provides environmental benefits while also strengthening local tax bases.
“Once the panel is built and installed, there are no moving parts and no combustion,” Nickell said. “The energy is produced cleanly and they have very low maintenance.”
Nickell also argued utility-scale solar keeps energy production local.
“Once a solar project goes up on land here in Illinois, that energy is produced here and used here,” he said. “It’s a very local product.”
Nickell compared solar energy production on farmland to the longstanding use of corn for ethanol production.
“A certain percentage of our corn goes to run our cars anyway,” he said. “As we get a slow shift to electric vehicles, installing solar panels on farmland does the same thing. It’s still producing a product that’s used to power cars. It’s just the electrons instead of ethanol.”
Nickell said solar developments can dramatically increase property tax revenue in rural areas.
“If you put wind or solar on it, all of a sudden the tax base soars,” he said. “As we all know in Illinois, the lion’s share of property taxes goes to support schools.”
Nickell also said some farmers view solar leases as a form of financial diversification.
“It’s a guaranteed revenue stream that’s not dependent on the weather,” he said. “I think a lot of farmers see the benefit to diversification.”
Still, opposition in New Berlin remains intense. New Berlin Mayor Mike Krall said residents packed a recent village board meeting to express concerns.
“When people come to the village board meeting like they did the last time – people you’ve never seen before at a village board meeting – that are so concerned about what’s going to happen, it’s alarming,” he said. “They came because they’re looking for help.” 
Krall noted New Berlin already faces geographic challenges expanding.
“We need to be able to expand in order to make the village grow,” he said. “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” 
Krall said the logical direction for the village’s future growth is southward, directly toward the proposed solar project area.
Residents have raised concerns that the development could wall off future residential construction near the village. Springfield attorney Joe Craven said New Berlin already has annexation agreements and utility extensions south of town, making the area a logical path for future growth. 
“Putting up a solar farm there prevents the natural expansion of those neighborhoods,” Craven said. 
Nickell acknowledged the project could limit development directly on the land where panels are installed, but said he believes concerns about stopping New Berlin’s growth are overstated.
“That particular village can grow in more than one direction,” Nickell said. “I suppose that does cause a little bit of a roadblock, but only in one direction.”
Business owners also worry the project could alter the scenic countryside that draws visitors to the area.
Doug Danenberger, who operates a winery near the proposed development, said the project could hurt tourism and diminish the rural atmosphere customers seek out.
“Who wants to come out and try to enjoy rural America while sipping on a glass of wine and look at close to 2,000 acres of solar panels?” Danenberger said. 
Danenberger also questioned claims that the project would create substantial long-term employment.
“All I hear is, ‘Look at all the jobs it’s going to create,’” he said. “It’s not going to create squat. The stuff just sits there.” 
The issue has also become part of the campaign for the District 7 seat on the Sangamon County Board to replace Hall, who is not seeking reelection.
Democratic candidate Tara Bergschneider, a New Berlin-area nurse seeking the seat, called the proposed development “very consequential” and “very short-sighted.” 
“People are upset,” Bergschneider said. “They’re talking about it, but they don’t really know what to do.” 
Bergschneider said she decided to run for office because she believes rural communities are losing control over major industrial projects reshaping the county.
“District 7 is huge geographically,” she said. “We are prime land in this county, and it’s got price tags on it.” 
She argued the solar project could limit future growth opportunities for the New Berlin school district.
“We’re having a problem with growing our school district and being able to afford things in our school district, and now we’re talking about industrializing all this land around us,” she said. 
Bergschneider also expressed concern that renewable-energy incentives increasingly benefit large corporations rather than local residents.
“These companies are coming in and industrializing our land for their renewable energy systems and truly leaving the community in the dark,” she said. 
Some opponents also have tied the solar proposal to broader concerns about data centers and industrial expansion in western Sangamon County. Several residents interviewed referenced rumors that a data center could eventually be developed within or near the proposed solar project area, though no formal proposal has been publicly confirmed.
The same landowner, Divernon-based Dowson Family Farms, owns the vast majority of the 4,000 acres in western Sangamon County and eastern Morgan County that make up the Double Black Diamond solar farm. The 4,000-acre project is the largest solar power development east of the Mississippi River. Dowson Family Farms is also the primary landowner for the CyrusOne data center slated to be developed across the road from the Double Black Diamond.
Nickell said his company has no involvement with any proposed data center project.
“We are not a data center company, and we don’t currently work with any data center company,” he said. “This is just a solar project.”
Nickell said he had no knowledge of any plans for a data center near the proposed site.
“I certainly have no knowledge of any such thing being a possibility,” he said.
The Dowson family declined to discuss the project with IT. A Madrid-based media representative for Repsol did not respond to a request for comment.
Bergschneider said residents remain uneasy because they believe large-scale infrastructure projects are moving faster than local communities can respond.
“People think somebody else is going to take care of it,” she said. “But it’s us. We are the people who have to show up together and work together.” 
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7 Comments
Dowsons also owned the land for the data center and the Black Diamond solar farm. Seem like some scummy folk, the Sangamon version of Blackrock.
Agreed.
Oh my gosh, what a scandal! Great job blowing the lid off of this one.
Fake Burger Addict at it again. What a dork!
Burger Addict didn’t write either of these Posts. It’s just some Dork arguing with Himself.
I hat e Dems
Like Biden and
Obama, and I will
Vote ‘Trump’
Every chance I get.
Please Make
Us Great Again
Silence the Woke.
Stick it to the Dems.
Yessir.
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A Cornwall Council meeting heard today that a contentious proposal for a solar farm across 19 fields in mid Cornwall is "overwhelming" and would "decimate" the area where there are already a number of solar farms.
French energy company EDF Renewables has applied to build a 49.9MW solar farm covering an area of approximately 82.5 hectares (almost 204 acres) on Penhale Farm at Trelion, St Stephen.
The solar farm, on the edge of clay country near St Austell, would be operational for 40 years.
A Cornwall Council strategic planning committee was advised to approve the application at its meeting today (Thursday, May 21) despite the local council member, St Stephen-in-Brannel Parish Council and over 100 people opposing it.
Rose Barnecut, of the Stop Trelion Solar campaign group which protested before the meeting, told councillors: "No one mentions that Penhale Farm is tenanted and these fourth generation tenants will be evicted if the application's approved. It's devastating for the family and will send a chill through hundreds of tenant farmers in Cornwall.
"This family-owned business turns over half a million pounds annually, all of which circulates in the local economy. Post-solar where will this money go? It will go in profits to France."
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She also mentioned that 65 per cent of the farm is Grade 3a 'best and most versatile' agricultural land. "There are nine existing solar farms and one waiting development in a 5km radius – 20 times the concentration of the rest of Cornwall."
Ms Barnecut added that the council's own landscape officer said that if approved the solar farm would "substantially alter the character of the area".
Mark Blake, who works in private water supplies and environmental drilling, raised concerns about the effect on 27 properties downstream from the application site, which have boreholes. He said a stream from the site has recently become contaminated by nitrates, which is making the private boreholes vulnerable.
Mr Blake added that any assessment on contamination run-off from the solar farm to neighbouring properties had not been carried out. He also raised concerns about the leaching effect of galvanised posts being driven into the site's acidic soil.
"Is it acceptable for the Trelion families to be used as guinea pigs in a 40-year experiment, and who will ultimately be held accountable for a public health disaster?" he added.
The Stop Trelion Solar protesters outside Lys Kernow / County Hall in Truro(Image: Lee Trewhela / CornwallLive)
Cllr Nigel Spragg, of St Stephen-in-Brannel Parish Council, told the meeting that policy protects the parish's distinct landscape and, as a result, the solar farm would cause "unacceptable harm to the rural landscape" and the surrounding infrastructure would be "industrial in scale and materially alter the character of the countryside".
The parish council believes there are more suitable development sites for solar in the area.
Cllr Helen Campbell represented Ladock Parish Council, which also objects on the grounds of cumulative impact, loss of high quality agricultural land, flood risk, environmental harm and "significant disruption the development would bring".
Musa Choudhary, of EDF Renewables, said the solar farm would reduce reliance on imported energy and would increase the country's resilience against volatile international energy markets.
He said the scheme had been refined following concerns raised throughout the application process. Landcape impacts have been reduced through amendments, the retention of existing hedgerows and additional planting.
Mr Choudhary added that solar farms currently only occupy 0.3 per cent of Cornwall's total land area. Agricultural land has not significant reduced and still comprises around 75 per cent of total land use.
He said the company's qualified hydrologists maintained that there would be no contamination from the site to private water supplies, adding that the community will receive a minimum of £20,000 per year during the life of the solar farm.
Cllr Elaine Kist, the Reform UK councillor for the area, was next to speak. She told the committee: "This is not just another renewable energy scheme – it will spread across 19 fields on a prominent ridge overlooking the heart of our parish."
She said the visual impact would be "overwhelming". "Campaigners estimate that its prominent position will make it visible from 80 per cent of the parish.
"We cannot keep treating this corner of Cornwall as a default dumping ground for energy projects simply because it is close to the Indian Queens sub-station."
Cllr John Martin, who visited the site the day before the meeting, said seeing it in person differed from the photographs shared in the presentation and he believed "that central part of Cornwall will be decimated by having a solar farm there".
Councillors were told by officers they could only turn down the application if it was found to have "significant harm to the environment". They were warned that the council has lost the last six appeals against solar farms due to government policy and its promotion of renewable energy sites.
Cllr Martyn Alvey repeated what he has said at previous meetings considering solar farm proposals: "This is a head and heart application. I don't think any of us support this application. Our hearts are saying it's wrong. However, we must be ruled by our heads.
"I am still struggling whether we can put in a defendable argument that significant harm to the environment will be caused that will satisfy a planning inspector."
Cllr James Ball added: "The cumulative effect of this is huge. We all know full well that we have to consider energy security and this would go a long way in supporting that, but I am really split on this application as my biggest concern with this is the water contamination."
He asked if that concern would satisfy the "significant harm to the environment" reason for refusal. He was told that there would need to be evidence to back it up and the council doesn't have that, but there would be conditions ensuring that the council could take steps if contamination was to happen, which an officer said was unlikely.
Cllr Parsons said he believed the water contamination risk was "nonsense" and he didn't believe the council had any grounds at all to refuse it on those concerns. However, he said he was "incredibly uncomfortable" with the application.
"We're being put in a position to support an application where the negatives are enormous. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable."
Committee chair Cllr Chris Batters warned about the financial penalties which may come if an appeal was lost. He pointed to the public gallery and said people "like them" would be contributing to any costs as Cornish taxpayers.
Cllr Andrew Long added that planning policy is being made by people in London who have no understanding of what it's like to live in rural areas. "You don't see many solar farms in Whitehall."
Cllr Ball said he agreed with 90 per cent of the comments against the proposal, but he felt the committee did not have a significant planning reason to refuse the solar farm. "We say it time and time again, our hands are a little bit tied within these sorts of applications." He proposed approval.
The motion to approve failed by three votes in favour and five against.
Following a long discussion on the acceptable grounds for refusal, members agreed to defer for a site visit by committee members and officers to view the possible cumulative impact on the area.
An EDF power solutions spokesperson said after the meeting: "We continue to believe the site is an excellent location for the size of solar farm proposed. This project could make an important contribution to our energy security, reducing carbon emissions and generating clean renewable energy."
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Vox will demand in Congress that the Government shield Andalusian olive groves from the expansion of solar panels  Demócrata
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In this US news roundup, OCI Energy, MN8 Energy, GridStor, and Grenergy advance battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in Texas, California, Colorado, and Georgia.
Developer-operator OCI Energy and utility CPS Energy have started construction on the 120MW/480MWh Alamo City BESS in Bexar County, Texas.
CPS and OCI, along with their project teams, marked the start of construction on 19 May with a ceremonial groundbreaking. The companies claim it will be one of the largest standalone BESS projects in the region. Elgin Power Solutions serves as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor.
OCI developed and financed the Alamo City BESS and will retain ownership under a long‑term storage capacity agreement (SCA) with CPS Energy, who will have operational control of the facility to serve the San Antonio, Texas region.
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Energy-Storage.news reported in September 2025 that OCI had closed construction financing for the project with Dutch multinational bank ING underwriting the package, which included a construction-to-term loan, a tax equity bridge loan, and letters of credit.
OCI entered into the 20-year SCA with CPS in 2024. When it was announced, the project was expected to enter commercial operation in the first half of 2026, OCI then updated that timeframe to Q3 2027. With its construction announcement, OCI notes the project is expected to enter commercial operation “in 2027.”
In May 2025, OCI Energy president, Sabah Bayatli, discussed with ESN Premium, the Alamo City’s 4-hour duration, which is not typically seen in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market, a region that often favours 1 to 2-hour duration projects.
“The end-user for long-duration energy storage (LDES) more generally is utilities. They need to balance their own load and they think about that on a long-term basis. I think CPS will eventually use this project to balance its load.”
He continued, “A merchant project would typically not do 4-hours as they do their modelling on price spreads and their financial model will see a 1-2 hour system as optimal. They make their decision based on economics, while utilities have a more long-term view.”
In that same month, OCI signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with South Korean battery manufacturer LG Energy Solutions’ US energy storage division, LG Energy Vertech, for the Alamo City project.
The MOU sees LG Energy Solution Vertech supplying OCI with the BESS and energy management technology.
US storage and solar developer-operator MN8 Energy has begun commercial operations of the 100MW/400MWh Pome BESS project, in Poway, California.
Announced 19 May, Pome is fully contracted to California community choice aggregator (CCA) Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) under a 10-year tolling agreement.
SCP will use the project to store, manage and dispatch electricity into the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) market.
Located on in an industrial area of San Diego County, MN8 claimed that over its first seven to 10 years of operation, Pome is expected to generate US$20 million in revenue for local governments and approximately US$28 million in new property tax contributions, funding schools and essential public services.
In late 2025, another CCA, Clean Power Alliance (CPA), moved closer to executing two separate agreements from its “Innovation Solicitation”. As part of that solicitation, Miami-headquartered startup Exowatt sought a letter of support from CPA for a demonstration-scale development utilising its P3 thermal BESS solution.
The project will be paired with an existing resource owned by MN8 and provide 10MW/80MWh of capacity over 20 years. MN8 will lead development and operations on the project, which is expected for 2029.
US-based developer and operator of grid-scale BESS, GridStor, has acquired the 199MW/796MWh Birdseye BESS project in Adams County, Colorado, from renewables developer Accelergen.
The project’s commercial operations date is planned for the end of 2028, with construction anticipated to begin as early as 2027. GridStor claimed that during construction, the project is expected to create an estimated 115 full-time jobs.
Notably, the acquisition of Birdseye marks the company’s fifth project acquisition within the last 18 months, and the company notes, its second in the Western US.
In March 2024, GridStor acquired the 220MW/440MWh Hidden Lakes Reliability project from Balanced Rock Power, a developer of utility-scale solar PV and BESS.
In September 2024, the company acquired the 100MW/400MWh White Tank BESS from Strata Clean Energy, in Arizona.
The company also acquired a 100MW/400MWh BESS project in Arizona from Capacity Power Group.
In early 2025 Gridstor acquired a 200MW/800MWh BESS in Oklahoma from Black Mountain Energy Storage.
Chris Taylor, CEO of GridStor, noted in announcing acquisition of Birdseye, “We are actively expanding our portfolio by acquiring high-quality projects. One of our core strengths is efficiently transitioning projects from the development phase to operational status.”
He continued, “We look forward to bringing more battery storage facilities online to support power system reliability for Western utilities.”
Independent power producer (IPP) Grenergy has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with utility Georgia Power for 100% of the output from the Beaver Creek hybrid project.
Announced 20 May, Beaver Creek, located in Baldwin County, Georgia, will feature 229MW of solar PV capacity paired with a 183MWh BESS. Commercial operation is expected to begin in Q3 of 2028, with the PPA taking effect in May 2029.
Georgia Power will operate the BESS. Grenergy claims the project will have a yearly output of approximately 400GWh.
Grenergy has an operational headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, and operate two standalone BESS projects in Texas, the 25MW Stadium and 25MW La Feria facilities.
The company stated that it is seeking to replicate the solar PV combined with BESS hybrid project model in the US, that it has established in Chile and is expanding in Europe.
Grenergy is very active in Chile. In March, it ordered 2,600Mwh of BESS equipment from Chinese manufacturer BYD for the Central Oasis solar-plus-storage project.
This followed the company raising US$355 million in senior non-recourse financing for three of the Central Oasis projects, totalling 398MW of solar PV and 1.4GWh of BESS.
Last month, Grenergy entered into a long-term toll with an ‘investment grade’ international utility for a solar PV co-located BESS of 680MWh in Spain. The toll covers the BESS portion of the project, which also includes 200MW of solar PV.

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Middle East tensions complicate Beijing’s push to curb China solar overcapacity  South China Morning Post
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Scattered thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 82F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
Cloudy. Low near 75F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
Updated: May 24, 2026 @ 5:02 am
Berkeley County Council is weighing whether to lift the county’s large-scale development moratorium for the Sandy Run Solar project, which would generate 198 megawatts of electricity if built. The solar farm, however, is fiercely opposed by residents in Cross, where it is proposed to be built.
Much of the land where the Sandy Run Solar project would be built is woodlands, with sprawling pine forests dominating much of the acreage.
Cross residents worry that the acreage not used for the solar farm will eventually house a data center or other industrial uses, citing the construction of this railroad line right through the property.
The proposed Sandy Run Solar project would cover 1,500 acres of woodlands and farmland, with another 6,000 acres being part of the planned development area.
Berkeley and Dorchester Metro Reporter

Komlavi Adissem is a metro reporter covering Berkeley and Dorchester counties. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri, where he covered city, county, and state government for the Columbia Missourian. Find him on Twitter (X) and Bluesky @KAdissem!
Berkeley County Council is weighing whether to lift the county’s large-scale development moratorium for the Sandy Run Solar project, which would generate 198 megawatts of electricity if built. The solar farm, however, is fiercely opposed by residents in Cross, where it is proposed to be built.
CROSS — A German energy company is looking to turn 1,500 acres of forest and farmland in northwestern Berkeley County into a large solar farm. Residents in the surrounding area, however, believe the costs of the project outweigh the benefits it could provide.
RWE Solar Development has asked Berkeley County Council to lift a large-scale development moratorium in order to proceed with the zoning process for a planned solar farm, Sandy Run Solar.
In a request submitted to County Council, the company says it will build solar arrays, or panels, across 1,500 acres as part of a 7,500-acre planned development. The panels are projected to produce 198 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 37,500 homes. The project is designed to tie into Santee Cooper’s system and ease an anticipated energy shortfall in years ahead.
If the project makes it through the design and permitting process, RWE’s lease on the land will last 35 to 45 years. The plans state that once the lease expires or the solar facility reaches the end of its operational life, the company will decommission and recycle the panels or otherwise dispose of them.
The remaining 6,000 acres of land in the planned development would remain under management of the landowner, Alabama-based Tall Corn Forestry, LLC.
RWE Solar says the project would have minimal impact on roads and public services once it’s operating and is projected to bring in more than $45 million in revenue for the county and its school district, and also would provide learning opportunities for students. Blueberries are planned to be grown beneath the solar panels.
But some Cross residents aren’t sold on the project. All three candidates running for Councilman Caldwell Pinckney Jr.’s seat — as well as the longtime councilman himself — oppose the project, saying it will have no meaningful benefit for their rural community or the county at large.
RWE cites Santee Cooper’s projected energy shortfall by 2029 as a reason why the solar farm is needed, noting that meeting the increased demand involves expanding solar capacity by 2,200 megawatts. Sandy Run Solar would account for just 9 percent of that new capacity.
Santee Cooper, which is state-owned, already has transmission lines adjacent to where the solar fields would be built. John Lamontagne, a spokesperson for RWE, said in an email to The Post and Courier that the company is in “close coordination with Santee Cooper” as RWE seeks to develop the project.
He added that the project will be submitted to Santee Cooper’s recent request for proposals for new solar projects that will come online by the end of 2030.
The proposed Sandy Run Solar project would cover 1,500 acres of woodlands and farmland, with another 6,000 acres being part of the planned development area.
If built, Sandy Run Solar would join the coal-powered Cross Generating Station in fueling Santee Cooper’s system. Taylor Allred, the state energy and climate program director for the Coastal Conservation League, said Sandy Run Solar could help lead to decommissioning of the coal plant, something he said has been held at bay due to increasing energy demands, primarily from data centers.
Allred said the Coastal Conservation League supports the project because it will “help to relieve upward pressure on electric rates while also helping to avoid harmful pollution from fossil fuel power plants.”
He added that the project would complement the battery storage facility in nearby Pinopolis, which is currently charged by the Jeffries Generating Station at Lake Moultrie.
Allred called Sandy Run Solar “the most responsibly developed solar project we’ve seen in our state so far.”
“We’re confident that the project will not result in any detrimental impacts to the environment or surrounding communities,” Allred said. “The project site is in a remote area. and only 1,500 acres in the central portion of a 7,500-acre timber tract are being utilized for solar panels. And the remaining portion of that tract will screen the project from public view and provide valuable wildlife habitat.”
He added that the facility would have “wildlife-permeable fencing” to lessen its impact on local animals.
Wildlife impacts are among several concerns raised by residents. Robert Barrett, who owns land near the 7,500-acre tract, said woodlands in the area are invaluable for a wide range of animals, including buzzards, deer, turtles, foxes, ducks and turkeys.
The tract that would encompass the solar farm is surrounded by homes, wetlands, peach orchards and other farmland. Barrett said he worries the solar project could displace wildlife into the surrounding community and negatively impact homes and farms.
He suggested that if county officials were “patient,” a better use could come along for the land.
“Somebody could come along and divide this up into 10-acre ranches, 10-acre mini farms,” he said. “They could plant 500 acres of peach trees in here, or maybe a pecan orchard. There’s any number of things that this land is good for other than solar panels.”
Barrett is just one of many locals who oppose the project. About 50 residents attended a meet-the-candidates event at the Cross General Store on May 21, and not one expressed support for the solar farm.
Shantae Jenkins, who grew up in Cross and regularly visits family and friends in the community, said the site of the solar farm sits a few hundred feet from the land where she grew up. She questioned why it needed to be built in Cross when the community is vehemently opposed to it.
“Those who are for it do not live here,” she said. “If that’s the case, put it in Mount Pleasant, put it in Seabrook Island, put it in Kiawah. Why come disturb this community?”
She added that any adverse effects to the land or noise from the project’s inverters and transformers would be Cross’s burden to bear.
Many residents also expressed concerns about a data center or other industrial uses being put on the land around the solar farm within the 7,500-acre development tract, with some pointing to recent construction of a railroad line that cuts straight through the property.
Cross residents worry that the acreage not used for the solar farm will eventually house a data center or other industrial uses, citing the construction of this railroad line right through the property.
The candidates running for Pinckney’s District 7 seat — which includes Cross — cited a variety of reasons they oppose the project.
Republican Matt Hoover said he came to his conclusion after listening to community input and doing research. His opponent in the primary, Michael Parker, has led community efforts to oppose the project, creating an online petition that had more than 700 signatures as of May 22.
Democrat Ralph Prioleau Jr., who will be on the ballot in November, suggested that Cross residents should use their connections and relationships with people in other council districts to put pressure on the council members who vote to approve the request to lift the moratorium.
Councilman Pinckney told The Post and Courier that the project “has no benefit for the county.”
“The only benefit is, of course, for the investors,” he said.
Lamontagne, RWE’s spokesperson, noted that the project would create up to 100 construction jobs during the roughly year-long building period, although the facility will employ only four to eight people long-term once it is operating.
Pinckney pointed out the county’s recent push to bolster its greenbelt program, funded by a voter-approved one-cent sales tax, saying the solar farm is the antithesis of the county’s work to preserve more land. County Supervisor Johnny Cribb had similar thoughts when the request went before Council’s Land Use Committee on May 11, noting that other counties would benefit more than Berkeley County from the tax revenue generated by the solar farm.
“The other thing … is these projects also almost always come back and ask for tax breaks and tax incentives,” he said. “So, tonight I’m listening to votes going the way of lifting the moratorium for a solar project, and that project probably undoubtedly is going to come right back to us and ask for a tax break. Let me tell you, that stretches me to the point of breaking.”
County Council is set to vote on whether to lift the moratorium at a May 26 meeting. Cribb noted previously that if the vote came out as a tie, he would use his tie-breaking vote to block RWE’s request.
Pinckney said he thinks a “light bulb’s gonna come on” and his fellow council members will vote to block the project from moving forward. He said he’s not worried at this point about more industrial being put onto the 7,500 acres, though he said he is concerned about a data center coming into the area.
Much of the land where the Sandy Run Solar project would be built is woodlands, with sprawling pine forests dominating much of the acreage.
“We’re not protecting the citizens by allowing such a dump to come into our county, and we’re not providing quality of life for them,” he said.
If the moratorium is lifted, however, the fight is far from over. The solar farm’s planned development would still have to go through a zoning process, which includes a vote from the county’s Planning Commission as well as a couple more votes from County Council. The state’s Public Service Commission would also have to sign off on the project, said Allred of the Coastal Conservation League.
Additionally, the county’s rules on lifting the large-scale development moratorium prevent substantial changes to planned developments — including increased density — between the moratorium being lifted and the rezoning process, meaning Cross is safe from industrial uses around the solar farm, at least for now.
Berkeley and Dorchester Metro Reporter

Komlavi Adissem is a metro reporter covering Berkeley and Dorchester counties. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri, where he covered city, county, and state government for the Columbia Missourian. Find him on Twitter (X) and Bluesky @KAdissem!
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New Clark City is being positioned as a major hub for artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced manufacturing, backed by an extensive infrastructure rollout covering energy, logistics, fuel systems, and telecommunications.
Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President and CEO Joshua Bingcang said the planned AI-native industrial hub under the US-led Pax Silica initiative will require a fully integrated ecosystem capable of supporting energy-intensive industries.
In an interview on Bilyonaryo News Channel’s (BNC) “Business 360,” Bingcang said the agency is pushing forward with plans for a 500-megawatt solar farm, dedicated power connections, fuel pipelines, and expanded telecom infrastructure to meet future demand.
He confirmed that BCDA is preparing to announce a foreign-funded 500-MW solar project, which will serve as the first embedded power facility within New Clark City.
“This will give assurance and confidence to locators that there’s available power nearby,” Bingcang said.
While emphasizing that solar energy alone cannot serve as baseload supply, he added that the agency is also pursuing additional embedded power projects and a dedicated grid connection in coordination with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.
Beyond energy, BCDA is also expanding logistics infrastructure around Clark International Airport, including a newly launched FedEx sorting facility expected to be completed within two years.
Bingcang said the broader ecosystem is designed to ensure fast global movement of AI-driven technologies and innovation.
The agency is likewise coordinating with US partners on a dedicated fuel pipeline to Clark Airport and with the Asian Development Bank for telecommunications upgrades.
“All the elements that are required by the US partners, we are already in an advanced stage of preparation or even construction,” Bingcang said.
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Energy-security concerns are slowing Beijing’s efforts to cut solar capacity, intensifying a price war that is causing financial losses for manufacturers, according to analysts. The source, a report by the South China Morning Post, indicates that tensions in the Middle East and rising energy prices have made the Chinese government less inclined to enforce measures aimed at reducing so-called involution or consolidating supply in the solar industry.
Evan Li, head of Asia energy transition research at HSBC, noted that anti-involution or supply consolidation may not be a top government priority. Li added that the conflict in Iran is expected to lead to more competitive and lower pricing for solar energy for the time being, as policymakers focus on controlling inflation and ensuring energy security.
Chinese policymakers pledged last year to address involution—defined as destructive competition and excessive duplication of investment—by promoting consolidation among solar manufacturers struggling with chronic overcapacity. However, in practice, some local governments and banks have continued to support loss-making manufacturers to avoid bankruptcies and job losses.
Analysts said that the Iran conflict and increasing energy prices have made Beijing even less willing to require companies to make aggressive capacity cuts that could reduce supply. China remains the dominant force in the solar industry, controlling approximately 90 percent of the global supply chain.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
This report provides a comprehensive view of the solar cells and light-emitting diodes industry in China, tracking demand, supply, and trade flows across the national value chain. It explains how demand across key channels and end-use segments shapes consumption patterns, while also mapping the role of input availability, production efficiency, and regulatory standards on supply.
Beyond headline metrics, the study benchmarks prices, margins, and trade routes so you can see where value is created and how it moves between domestic suppliers and international partners. The analysis is designed to support strategic planning, market entry, portfolio prioritization, and risk management in the solar cells and light-emitting diodes landscape in China.
The report combines market sizing with trade intelligence and price analytics for China. It covers both historical performance and the forward outlook to 2035, allowing you to compare cycles, structural shifts, and policy impacts.
This report provides a consistent view of market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for China. The profile highlights demand structure and trade position, enabling benchmarking against regional and global peers.
The analysis is built on a multi-source framework that combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, and expert validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to ensure consistency across time series.
All data are normalized to a common product definition and mapped to a consistent set of codes. This ensures that comparisons across time are aligned and actionable.
The forecast horizon extends to 2035 and is based on a structured model that links solar cells and light-emitting diodes demand and supply to macroeconomic indicators, trade patterns, and sector-specific drivers. The model captures both cyclical and structural factors and reflects known policy and technology shifts in China.
Each projection is built from national historical patterns and the broader regional context, allowing the report to show where growth is concentrated and where risks are elevated.
Prices are analyzed in detail, including export and import unit values, regional spreads, and changes in trade costs. The report highlights how seasonality, freight rates, exchange rates, and supply disruptions influence pricing and margins.
Key producers, exporters, and distributors are profiled with a focus on their operational scale, geographic footprint, product mix, and market positioning. This helps identify competitive pressure points, partnership opportunities, and routes to differentiation.
This report is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, wholesalers, investors, and advisors who need a clear, data-driven picture of solar cells and light-emitting diodes dynamics in China.
The market size aggregates consumption and trade data, presented in both value and volume terms.
The projections combine historical trends with macroeconomic indicators, trade dynamics, and sector-specific drivers.
Yes, it includes export and import unit values, regional spreads, and a pricing outlook to 2035.
The report benchmarks market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for China.
Yes, it highlights demand hotspots, trade routes, pricing trends, and competitive context.
Report Scope and Analytical Framing
Concise View of Market Direction
Market Size, Growth and Scenario Framing
Commercial and Technical Scope
How the Market Splits Into Decision-Relevant Buckets
Where Demand Comes From and How It Behaves
Supply Footprint and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
How the Domestic Market Works
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
How the Report Was Built
World's largest monocrystalline silicon producer
Major PV manufacturer, high-efficiency cells
One of world's largest solar module producers
Leading PV module and cell manufacturer
Major LED chip and compound semiconductor producer
Global HQ in Canada, major ops in China
Major PV product manufacturer
Solar cell and module division
HJT solar cell specialist
Solar cell manufacturer
Major polysilicon and solar cell producer
Solar cell and module manufacturer
Solar cell and module producer
LED packaging and components
LED chip manufacturer
LED packaging and lighting solutions
LED packaging and components
Solar cell and module manufacturer
Solar cell producer
Crystal growth equipment and materials
Integrated circuits and LED chips
LED packaging and lighting
LED packaging and components
LED packaging and smart lighting
LED packaging and display products
LED chip technology company
LED packaging
PV manufacturing equipment
LED driver ICs and chips
LED packaging and components
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“UTTER CHAOS” was how a local campaign leader described the latest announcement from Lightsource bp about the proposed Maen Hir solar project on Anglesey / Ynys Môn.
Sarah Pye, leader of Grwp Cadw Tir Môn and a member of CPRW, which has campaigned against the Lightsource bp proposal, said: “We received an email this week from the Planning Inspectorate saying the application had been withdrawn, which seemed like a time to celebrate, but reading on I saw that they intend to reapply.
“I really don’t know what is going on with the project.”
The project started almost five years ago with the intention of building a 240 MW solar farm around Llyn Alaw, the drinking water reservoir for the north of Anglesey. As the scheme was originally under 350 MW, it was progressed as a Development of National Significance, with the decision to be made by Welsh Ministers.
After holding public consultations, the project was re-launched as a 360 MW solar and battery project, bringing it into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project process, with the decision to be made by the Secretary of State, Ed Miliband.
Sarah said: “There was a statutory pre-application consultation in 2024, but since then there has been no news until we see it has been withdrawn.”
The email from the Planning Inspectorate links to a letter from Lightsource bp, which stated: “We have taken the decision to withdraw the project from the Planning Inspectorate’s preapplication advice stage for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
“This is a precautionary measure whilst we continue to undertake further due diligence for the proposed development and consider alternative consenting regimes.”
“Withdrawing from the pre-application stage allows us to ensure that we have thoroughly assessed all aspects of the scheme and incorporated the findings of our environmental work before progressing further through the planning process.”
It also stated: “We intend to publish a comprehensive update on the project later in 2026, which will outline the next steps for Maen Hir.”
Sarah added: “I asked CPRW if they knew what was going on and they told me that the application to connect to the grid was actually for 430 MW.
“If that was built in two phases, then there could be a legal question as to whether it was one project under the UK process or two projects under the Welsh process. They are probably trying to avoid a legal challenge later.”
The proposed solar farm would be built in four large blocks of farmland totalling around 3,000 acres near Rhosgoch and Llanerchymedd. This includes fields where the endangered Greenland White-fronted Geese spend the winter, one of only two places in Wales they visit.
Around a third of the land is classed as Best and Most Versatile agricultural land, which under Welsh planning policy should not be developed. Protection is much weaker under UK policy. However, the nearby Alaw Môn Solar project, covering nearly 700 acres, the majority of which is classed as Best and Most Versatile land, was approved by the previous Welsh Minister.
New First Minister of Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth MS and Llinos Medi MP have both campaigned against the Maen Hir development, citing the loss of agricultural jobs and the impact on local communities.
CPRW says the situation highlights the growing confusion and concern around large-scale solar development on Ynys Môn and across rural Wales.
Jonty Colchester, CPRW Chairman, said: “This latest development raises serious questions about how major solar schemes are being brought forward, how communities are expected to respond, and which planning regime should apply.
“Local people have already spent years trying to understand and respond to this proposal. They now face more uncertainty, with the prospect of the scheme returning in another form later this year.
“CPRW supports renewable energy, but it must be delivered in the right places, at the right scale, and with proper regard for food-producing land, wildlife, landscapes, local communities and democratic accountability.”

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According to the latest IndexBox report on the global Quantum Dot Solar Cells market, the market enters 2026 with broader demand fundamentals, more disciplined procurement behavior, and a more regionally diversified supply architecture.
The global market for Quantum Dot Solar Cells (QDSCs) is entering a pivotal transition from laboratory-scale research to early commercial deployment, driven by the fundamental pursuit of photovoltaic conversion efficiencies that surpass the theoretical limits of conventional silicon and thin-film technologies. Unlike mainstream solar modules, QDSCs leverage semiconductor nanocrystals whose bandgap can be tuned by particle size, enabling absorption across a broader solar spectrum and facilitating integration into tandem architectures. This unique property positions QDSCs not as a direct volume-for-volume substitute for silicon in utility-scale fields, but as a performance-enabling technology for high-value applications where efficiency, form factor, and spectral tuning outweigh current cost premiums. The supply chain remains critically dependent on the synthesis of high-purity, stable quantum dot materials, particularly lead sulfide (PbS) and cadmium selenide (CdSe), with emerging heavy-metal-free variants gaining traction amid regulatory pressure. Integration into final energy systems presents dual challenges: developing robust encapsulation to ensure long-term environmental stability and engineering compatible power electronics that optimize the unique electrical output of QDSCs. Project economics for early deployments are driven less by Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) and more by performance-enabled value, such as enabling new product designs in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), achieving energy autonomy in space-constrained environments, or generating more power in low-light conditions. The competitive landscape is fragmented between specialized nanomaterials startups, vertically integrated device developers, and incumbent energy corporations exploring the te
The baseline scenario for the Quantum Dot Solar Cells market through 2035 envisions a gradual but accelerating commercialization trajectory, underpinned by sustained R&D investment, pilot manufacturing scale-up, and targeted deployment in niche high-value segments. Under this scenario, the market is expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 28% from 2026 to 2035, with the market index reaching 850 by 2035 (2025=100). This growth is not driven by a sudden displacement of incumbent silicon photovoltaics but by the emergence of new application domains where QDSCs offer distinct advantages. The primary growth vector is the integration of quantum dot layers into tandem solar cells, where a QD top cell captures high-energy photons while a silicon or perovskite bottom cell captures lower-energy photons, potentially pushing commercial module efficiencies beyond 30%. Pilot production lines for such tandem architectures are expected to come online in the late 2020s, with initial volumes targeting the BIPV and consumer electronics segments. A secondary vector is the development of flexible, lightweight QDSC modules for off-grid, portable, and aerospace applications, where weight and form factor are critical. The baseline scenario assumes that key technical hurdles—specifically, long-term stability against oxidation and photodegradation, and the development of scalable, reproducible synthesis methods—will be substantially resolved by 2030, enabling cost reductions through learning-curve effects. Regulatory developments, particularly the EU’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directives and similar frameworks in Asia, will shape the competitive dynamics between heavy-metal-based and heavy-metal-free QD materials. The scenario also assumes tha
The BIPV segment is the most promising near-term market for QDSCs, driven by the unique ability of quantum dots to be tuned for specific colors and transparency levels while maintaining reasonable power conversion efficiency. Unlike opaque silicon panels, QDSC films can be integrated into glass facades, skylights, and windows without compromising architectural aesthetics. Demand is currently concentrated in premium commercial and institutional buildings in Europe and North America, where green building certifications such as LEED and BREEAM incentivize on-site renewable generation. Through 2035, the segment is expected to grow as QDSC manufacturing scales and costs decline, making semi-transparent photovoltaic windows economically viable for mid-range office buildings and residential high-rises. Key demand-side indicators include the volume of new commercial floor space under green certification, the price premium for BIPV over standard glazing, and the efficiency of semi-transparent QDSC modules (targeting >10% for visible light transmission above 30%). The trend is supported by regulatory drivers such as the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and California’s Title 24 building standards, which increasingly require on-site renewable energy generation in new construction. Current trend: Increasing adoption of energy-generating building materials in green building codes and net-zero energy mandates..
Major trends: Development of large-area QDSC modules with uniform color and transparency for architectural glazing, Integration of QDSC films with smart glass technologies for dynamic light and energy management, Partnerships between QDSC startups and major glass manufacturers (e.g., Saint-Gobain, NSG Group) for pilot production lines, and Emergence of building codes that mandate minimum on-site energy generation, creating a captive market for BIPV products.
Representative participants: Nanosys Inc, UbiQD Inc, BlueDot Photonics, Saint-Gobain S.A, AGC Inc, and Pilkington (NSG Group).
The consumer electronics segment represents a high-value, low-volume market where QDSCs can be integrated into devices such as smartwatches, fitness trackers, wireless earbuds, and IoT sensors. The key value proposition is not high power output but the ability to harvest indoor ambient light—both from LED and fluorescent sources—to trickle-charge batteries or replace them entirely in low-power devices. QDSCs are particularly suited for this application because their absorption spectrum can be tuned to match the emission peaks of common indoor lighting, achieving higher efficiency under low-light conditions than amorphous silicon or dye-sensitized cells. Demand is currently driven by the proliferation of IoT devices, with billions of wireless sensors expected to be deployed by 2030. Through 2035, the segment will grow as QDSC efficiency under indoor light improves (targeting >20% at 500 lux) and as manufacturing processes become compatible with flexible substrates for wearable integration. Key demand-side indicators include the global shipment of IoT devices, the average power consumption of wireless sensors, and the adoption of energy harvesting in product design specifications by major OEMs. The trend is supported by the miniaturization of electronics and the push for sustainable, battery-free devices in smart home and industrial automation applications. Current trend: Integration of energy harvesting into portable and wearable devices to extend battery life or enable self-powered operat.
Major trends: Development of flexible, thin-film QDSC modules that can be laminated onto device casings or displays, Tuning of QD absorption spectra to match specific indoor light sources (LED, fluorescent, halogen) for maximum efficiency, Integration of QDSC energy harvesters with low-power Bluetooth and LoRaWAN communication modules, and Collaboration between QDSC startups and consumer electronics OEMs for co-design and pilot integration.
Representative participants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, LG Electronics Inc, Sony Group Corporation, Nanosys Inc, UbiQD Inc, and BlueDot Photonics.
The off-grid and portable power segment targets applications where traditional silicon panels are too heavy, rigid, or fragile, such as military field equipment, expeditionary camping gear, remote environmental sensors, and disaster relief power kits. QDSCs offer a compelling alternative due to their potential for lightweight, flexible form factors and their ability to operate effectively in low-light and diffuse light conditions, including under cloud cover or forest canopy. Demand is currently driven by defense and aerospace agencies seeking to reduce the weight of soldier-borne power systems and extend mission duration. Through 2035, the segment will expand as QDSC modules achieve higher power-to-weight ratios and as manufacturing costs decline, making them accessible to the consumer camping and outdoor recreation market. Key demand-side indicators include defense spending on portable power systems, the growth of the global camping and outdoor gear market, and the deployment of remote IoT sensors for agriculture and environmental monitoring. The trend is supported by the increasing frequency of natural disasters, which drives demand for portable emergency power, and by the miniaturization of electronic devices that reduces the power threshold required for useful energy harvesting. Current trend: Growing demand for lightweight, flexible, and durable power sources for remote sensing, camping, and emergency response..
Major trends: Development of rollable or foldable QDSC modules that can be packed into small volumes for backpacking and military use, Integration of QDSC panels with lightweight battery storage systems for 24/7 off-grid power, Military-funded research into high-efficiency, ruggedized QDSC modules for soldier power and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) charging, and Partnerships between QDSC manufacturers and outdoor equipment brands (e.g., Goal Zero, BioLite) for co-branded products.
Representative participants: QD Solar Inc, UbiQD Inc, Nanosys Inc, Goal Zero (acquired by Generac), BioLite Inc, and Saft (TotalEnergies).
The aerospace and defense segment represents a high-value, performance-critical market where QDSCs can offer advantages over traditional multi-junction III-V solar cells in terms of weight, flexibility, and radiation tolerance. Quantum dots are inherently more resistant to radiation damage than bulk semiconductors because their small size limits the formation of defect clusters, making them attractive for long-duration space missions and low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite constellations. Additionally, the ability to tune the bandgap allows for optimization of the solar cell absorption spectrum for the specific light conditions in space (AM0 spectrum). Demand is currently driven by the rapid expansion of LEO satellite constellations for communications and Earth observation, as well as by military interest in high-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS) and long-endurance UAVs. Through 2035, the segment will grow as QDSC technology matures and qualifies for space-grade certification, potentially displacing some incumbent III-V cells in cost-sensitive satellite applications. Key demand-side indicators include the number of satellite launches per year, the average power requirement per satellite, and defense R&D budgets for advanced power systems. The trend is supported by the commercialization of space and the increasing need for persistent surveillance and communication platforms. Current trend: Adoption of high-efficiency, radiation-tolerant solar cells for satellites, UAVs, and high-altitude platforms..
Major trends: Development of QDSC modules with >30% efficiency under AM0 spectrum for space applications, Radiation testing and qualification of QDSC devices for long-duration LEO and geostationary orbit missions, Integration of flexible QDSC sheets into UAV wings and fuselage skins for aerodynamic power generation, and Collaboration between QDSC startups and defense primes (e.g., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman) for prototype development.
Representative participants: QD Solar Inc, BlueDot Photonics, Nanosys Inc, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, and Airbus Defence and Space.
This segment encompasses the upstream supply of quantum dot materials, inks, and precursor chemicals to research laboratories, pilot production facilities, and early-stage manufacturing lines. It is a critical enabler for all other end-use sectors, as the quality, reproducibility, and cost of quantum dot synthesis directly determine the performance and commercial viability of downstream QDSC products. Demand is currently driven by academic and corporate R&D efforts to improve quantum dot stability, quantum yield, and scalability, as well as by the establishment of pilot production lines for tandem solar cells and BIPV modules. Through 2035, the segment will grow as commercial production scales, requiring larger volumes of high-purity quantum dot inks with tight specifications. Key demand-side indicators include global R&D spending on advanced photovoltaics, the number of pilot production lines for QDSCs, and the price per gram of high-quality quantum dots. The trend is supported by government-funded research programs (e.g., US Department of Energy SunShot Initiative, EU Horizon Europe) and by the strategic interest of chemical and materials companies in diversifying into energy-related nanomaterials. The segment is also influenced by regulatory developments regarding heavy-metal content, which may shift demand toward heavy-metal-free quantum dot compositions such as indium phos Current trend: Supply of quantum dot inks and precursor materials to research institutions and pilot production lines..
Major trends: Scale-up of quantum dot synthesis from gram-scale to kilogram-scale with consistent quality and high quantum yield (>90%), Development of heavy-metal-free quantum dot compositions (e.g., InP, CuInS2, perovskite QDs) to comply with RoHS and similar regulations, Standardization of quantum dot ink formulations for different deposition methods (spin-coating, slot-die, inkjet printing), and Strategic partnerships between QD material suppliers and solar cell manufacturers for exclusive supply agreements.
Representative participants: Quantum Materials Corp. (QMC), Nanosys Inc, UbiQD Inc, Merck KGaA, Sigma-Aldrich (MilliporeSigma), and American Elements.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
Asia-Pacific leads in quantum dot research output and holds the largest share of electronics manufacturing, providing a natural integration pathway for QDSCs into consumer devices and BIPV. China, Japan, and South Korea are key hubs, with government-funded programs and corporate R&D from Samsung and LG. The region is expected to maintain its lead through 2035, driven by scale-up of pilot lines and demand from the electronics sector. Direction: Dominant in R&D and pilot production, with strong government support and electronics manufacturing base..
North America benefits from a vibrant startup ecosystem, significant venture capital investment, and demand from defense and aerospace applications. The US Department of Energy and NASA fund advanced PV research, while military interest in portable power drives early adoption. The region is expected to see accelerated commercialization post-2030 as stability challenges are resolved. Direction: Strong innovation ecosystem with venture capital funding and defense/aerospace demand..
Europe’s market is shaped by stringent environmental regulations (RoHS, REACH) that favor heavy-metal-free QD compositions and by green building mandates that drive BIPV adoption. Germany, France, and the UK are key markets, with strong research institutions and pilot projects. The region is expected to lead in BIPV integration but may lag in volume manufacturing due to higher production costs. Direction: Regulatory-driven demand for BIPV and focus on heavy-metal-free materials..
Latin America represents a small but growing market, primarily for off-grid and portable power applications in remote areas and mining operations. Brazil and Chile show interest in advanced solar technologies, but adoption is constrained by limited R&D infrastructure and higher sensitivity to upfront costs. Growth will depend on cost reductions and demonstration projects. Direction: Emerging interest in off-grid solar for remote communities and mining operations..
The Middle East and Africa region has limited near-term demand for QDSCs, with focus on off-grid power for rural electrification and remote monitoring in the oil and gas sector. High solar irradiance favors conventional silicon, but QDSCs may find niche applications in portable power for defense and humanitarian aid. Growth is expected to remain slow through 2035. Direction: Niche applications in off-grid power and oil/gas remote monitoring..
In the baseline scenario, IndexBox estimates a 12.0% compound annual growth rate for the global quantum dot solar cells market over 2026-2035, bringing the market index to roughly 420 by 2035 (2025=100).
Note: indexed curves are used to compare medium-term scenario trajectories when full absolute volumes are not publicly disclosed.
For full methodological details and benchmark tables, see the latest IndexBox Quantum Dot Solar Cells market report.
This report is an independent strategic market study that provides a structured, commercially grounded analysis of the global market for Quantum Dot Solar Cells. It is designed for battery and storage manufacturers, power-electronics suppliers, system integrators, EPC partners, developers, utilities, investors, and strategic entrants that need a clear view of deployment demand, technology positioning, manufacturing exposure, safety and qualification burden, project economics, and competitive structure.
The analytical framework is designed to work both for a single specialized storage or conversion component and for a broader advanced solar photovoltaic technology, where market structure is shaped by chemistry, duration, project economics, system integration, safety requirements, route-to-market, and grid-interface logic rather than by one narrow customs heading alone. It defines Quantum Dot Solar Cells as Third-generation photovoltaic cells utilizing semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots) to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity, offering potential for higher efficiency, tunable absorption, and lower-cost manufacturing and examines the market through deployment use cases, buyer environments, upstream input dependencies, conversion and integration stages, qualification and safety requirements, pricing architecture, commercial channels, and country capability differences. Historical analysis typically covers 2012 to 2025, with forward-looking scenarios through 2035.
This report is designed to answer the questions that matter most to decision-makers evaluating an energy-storage, battery, renewable-integration, or power-conversion market.
At its core, this report explains how the market for Quantum Dot Solar Cells actually functions. It identifies where demand originates, how supply is organized, which technological and regulatory barriers influence adoption, and how value is distributed across the value chain. Rather than describing the market only in broad terms, the study breaks it into analytically meaningful layers: product scope, segmentation, end uses, customer types, production economics, outsourcing structure, country roles, and company archetypes.
The report is particularly useful in markets where buyers are highly specialized, suppliers differ significantly in technical depth and regulatory readiness, and the commercial landscape cannot be understood only through top-line market size figures. In this context, the study is designed not only to estimate the size of the market, but to explain why the market has that size, what drives its growth, which subsegments are the most attractive, and what it takes to compete successfully within it.
The report is based on an independent analytical methodology that combines deep secondary research, structured evidence review, market reconstruction, and multi-level triangulation. The methodology is designed to support products for which there is no single clean official dataset capturing the full market in a directly usable form.
The study typically uses the following evidence hierarchy:
The analytical framework is built around several linked layers.
First, a scope model defines what is included in the market and what is excluded, ensuring that adjacent products, downstream finished goods, unrelated instruments, or broader chemical categories do not distort the market boundary.
Second, a demand model reconstructs the market from the perspective of consuming sectors, workflow stages, and applications. Depending on the product, this may include Niche high-value BIPV facades/windows, Integrated PV for IoT/sensor networks, Lightweight flexible power for portable/military use, and Research platforms for ultra-high-efficiency tandem cells across Advanced Materials & Electronics, Specialized Defense/Aerospace, Architectural Building Materials, and Academic & Government Research Labs and QD Synthesis & Ligand Engineering, Ink Formulation & Stability Testing, Deposition & Layer-by-Layer Assembly, Device Encapsulation & Lifetime Validation, and Performance Certification (NREL, etc.). Demand is then allocated across end users, development stages, and geographic markets.
Third, a supply model evaluates how the market is served. This includes High-purity Lead/Precursors (Pb, S, Se), Organic Ligands & Solvents, Conductive Substrates (ITO, FTO), and Encapsulation Barriers (flexible/rigid), manufacturing technologies such as Colloidal Quantum Dot Synthesis, Ligand Exchange & Surface Passivation, Layer-by-Layer Solution Deposition (spin-coat, spray, slot-die), Tandem Cell Stacking & Interlayer Engineering, and Accelerated Lifetime Testing (IEC/UL protocols), quality control requirements, outsourcing, contract manufacturing, integration, and project-delivery participation, distribution structure, and supply-chain concentration risks.
Fourth, a country capability model maps where the market is consumed, where production is materially feasible, where manufacturing capability is limited or emerging, and which countries function primarily as innovation hubs, supply nodes, demand centers, or import-reliant markets.
Fifth, a pricing and economics layer evaluates price corridors, cost drivers, complexity premiums, outsourcing logic, margin structure, and switching barriers. This is especially relevant in markets where product grade, purity, customization, regulatory burden, or service model materially influence economics.
Finally, a competitive intelligence layer profiles the leading company types active in the market and explains how strategic roles differ across upstream material suppliers, component and controls providers, OEMs, storage-system integrators, EPC partners, project developers, and distribution or service channels.
This report covers the market for Quantum Dot Solar Cells in its commercially relevant and technologically meaningful form. The scope typically includes the product itself, its major product configurations or variants, the critical technologies used to produce or deliver it, the core input categories required for manufacturing, and the services directly associated with its commercial supply, quality control, or integration into end-user workflows.
Included within scope are the product forms, use cases, inputs, and services that are necessary to understand the actual addressable market around Quantum Dot Solar Cells. This usually includes:
Excluded from scope are categories that may be technologically adjacent but do not belong to the core economic market being measured. These usually include:
The exact inclusion and exclusion logic is always a critical part of the study, because the quality of the market estimate depends directly on disciplined scope boundaries.
The report provides global coverage. It evaluates the world market as a whole and then breaks it down by region and country, with particular focus on the geographies that matter most for deployment demand, battery-material processing, cell and component manufacturing, power-conversion capability, renewable integration, and project delivery.
The geographic analysis is designed not simply to rank countries by nominal market size, but to classify them by role in the market. Depending on the product, countries may function as:
This study is designed for strategic, commercial, operations, project-delivery, and investment users, including:
In many energy-transition, storage, power-conversion, and project-driven markets, official trade and production statistics are not sufficient on their own to describe the true market. Product boundaries may cut across multiple tariff codes, several product categories may be bundled into the same official classification, and a meaningful share of activity may take place through customized services, captive supply, platform relationships, or technically specialized channels that are not directly visible in standard statistical datasets.
For this reason, the report is designed as a modeled strategic market study. It uses official and public evidence wherever it is reliable and scope-compatible, but it does not force the market into a purely statistical framework when doing so would reduce analytical quality. Instead, it reconstructs the market through the logic of demand, supply, technology, country roles, and company behavior.
This makes the report particularly well suited to products that are innovation-intensive, technically differentiated, capacity-constrained, platform-dependent, or commercially structured around specialized buyer-supplier relationships rather than standardized commodity trade.
The report typically includes:
The result is a structured, publication-grade market intelligence document that combines quantitative modeling with commercial, technical, and strategic interpretation.
Energy-Storage Market Structure and Company Archetypes
The Key National Markets and Their Strategic Roles
Major QD material supplier, active in solar R&D
High-volume QD manufacturer for solar and displays
Heavy QD investment, research includes photovoltaics
Active in QD technology development, including solar
Spin-off from Sorbonne, focuses on solar applications
Develops QD luminescent solar concentrators
Produces QD inks for printed electronics & solar cells
Materials supplier, involved in solar research partnerships
Supplies QDs for photovoltaics and optoelectronics
Supplies QDs to research institutions for solar projects
Spin-off from University of Toronto, developing tandem cells
Invests in QD material production for various applications
Research focus on next-gen PV including QD layers
Conducts R&D in nanomaterials for energy applications
Develops materials for optoelectronics, including PV
Focus on nanomaterials for energy and sensing
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Bhavin Misra and his son, Rumi, attach a solar panel while assembling a plug-in solar kit at their home in Houston.
David J. Phillip
Easy-to-install solar panels that plug into a regular outlet are getting attention just as Americans are worried about rising energy costs. That’s because these plug-in or balcony solar panels start shaving off part of a homeowner’s or renter’s utility bill right away.
“A year ago, nobody was talking about this,” says Cora Stryker, co-founder of Bright Saver, a California nonprofit group that advocates for plug-in solar. The panels are already popular in Germany, where more than 1.2 million of the small plug-in systems are registered with the German government.
For the panels to become more widely available in the U.S., state lawmakers are proposing bills that eliminate complicated utility connection agreements, which are required for larger rooftop solar installations and, most utilities say, should apply to plug-in solar too. Those agreements, along with permitting and other installation costs, can double the price of solar panels.
Utah enacted the first law, last May, supporting plug-in solar, and now some 30 pieces of similar legislation have been introduced around the United States. But the drive toward plug-in solar is facing pushback from electric utilities. They are raising safety concerns and prompting legislators to delay votes on the bills. So far, utilities have won over lawmakers in five states and convinced them to delay votes on plug-in solar bills.
“The safety of our linemen and others that work on that system is a reason that we oppose House Bill 1304,” said Emily Pateuk, a lobbyist with Georgia Electric Membership Corp., which represents cooperative utilities. After her comments at a legislative hearing in Georgia last month, the committee chairman declined to hold a vote on the bill until safety questions could be addressed.
Similar bills have been delayed in Arizona, New Mexico, Washington and Wyoming.
Plug-in solar advocates say that safety concerns about the new technology have been addressed and that utilities are really just worried about losing business, because every kilowatt-hour generated by a plug-in solar panel is one less the utility sells to a customer.
“They don’t want anyone messing with their business model,” Stryker says. “Kicking up dust regarding safety concerns is definitely a strategy that is being used by people who don’t want this for their own self-interested reasons.”
NPR asked utilities mentioned in this story, as well as their trade groups, to comment on Stryker’s “kicking up dust” allegation, but they did not respond beyond saying that safety and reliability are their primary concerns with plug-in solar.
Stryker also cites climate change as a reason for her solar advocacy. Most electricity in the U.S. is still generated by climate-warming fossil fuels, but solar panels generate power without emitting greenhouse gases.
While the new portable solar panels don’t usually deliver enough electricity to power an entire house, they do offer a new source of competition to utilities.
There are safety risks with any electrical appliance, and it’s true that plug-in solar panels present some unique problems. But safety experts also say those issues can be managed.
Craig Keenan installs a plug-in solar panel on his back steps last August in Baltimore.
KT Kanazawich
Traditional solar panel systems, which can cost more than $20,000, are bolted to a homeowner’s roof. As a result, they’re usually not a safety concern for the public because they’re not easily accessible. Plug-in panels cost much less and generate enough electricity to power a refrigerator or microwave.
They can sit on a balcony, hang out a window or be set up in a backyard. They collect energy from the sun and then feed electricity into a home through a regular outlet, displacing electricity that otherwise would come in from the grid. That makes them easier to install but also more easily accessible to people who aren’t used to being around appliances that generate electricity, where the plug can present more of a shock hazard.
“When you think about an appliance — your toaster, for example — when you unplug it, the appliance is entirely disconnected from the electrical supply,” says Ken Boyce, vice president of engineering at UL Solutions (formerly Underwriters Laboratories), which tests products according to safety standards. Plug-in solar generates electricity rather than consumes it. So Boyce says the blades on the end of the plug could shock someone.
That’s among the safety issues that UL Solutions considered when it launched a testing and certification program for plug-in solar systems in January. Manufacturers have to come up with designs that resolve the issues before UL Solutions certifies a product that gets the familiar “UL” label.
Another issue — the primary concern that utilities have raised with lawmakers — is that during an outage, a panel could continue generating electricity and send the power through a home’s wiring and back out to the grid, where it could endanger a lineworker.
“There are ways, from a technological standpoint, to mitigate those potential hazards for utility workers,” Boyce says. That’s also one of the issues UL Solutions will consider as it tests plug-in solar products for its certification. The Utah law and the other proposals based on it require such certification. But as utilities talk with lawmakers around the country, they continue to highlight concern for lineworkers as a reason to delay new legislation.
“This bill does present a lot of safety concerns to the utilities,” Nathan Nicholas, an attorney representing utility company Rocky Mountain Power, told Wyoming lawmakers at a February hearing. Most utilities argue plug-in solar should be subject to the same connection agreements that are required for bigger rooftop solar projects. Nicholas said without that, Rocky Mountain Power wouldn’t know where these devices are located or whether they’ve received UL Solutions certification.
“It takes the safety out of the hands of the utility and puts it on the consumer,” Nicholas said. At the Wyoming hearing, plug-in solar supporters explained that the systems stop generating power when the grid is down. Still, lawmakers let the legislation die without taking a vote on it.
German utilities expressed many of the same concerns nearly a decade ago when plug-in solar started to become popular in Germany. But with more than a million systems installed, no safety incidents have been reported for customers who used the panels as instructed, according to a research paper funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
In Germany, smaller plug-in panels cost just a few hundred dollars, and customers can recover that in saved energy bills within seven years. The panels should continue to produce power for up to 30 years.
Solar energy panels hang from a residential apartment balcony in Erfurt, Germany. More than 1.2 million small plug-in solar systems are registered with the German government.
Sean Gallup
Stryker says plug-in solar took off in Germany once renters were allowed to install the systems, and she sees the potential for a similar trajectory in the United States. But first, she says, Utah-style legislation is needed in more states; such legislation would exempt plug-in solar from the complicated connection agreements with utilities that are required for rooftop solar.
Virginia likely will become the second state to pass a law encouraging plug-in solar. Both chambers in Virginia’s legislature passed a bill, and Gov. Abigail Spanberger is expected to sign it.
“We think that as soon as we have legislative change in a handful of states — five or more — we are going to see mass adoption of balcony solar,” Stryker says, “because people need a way to reduce their electricity consumption — to lower their bills.”
And since the bills require UL Solutions certification, manufacturers will have to get their products through that process. Some already have started to do that.
“We are working with manufacturers. Obviously, in the interests of confidentiality, we can’t really talk about which companies those are,” Boyce says. But he says certifications are likely to come in months, not years.
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Kits offering 800 watts of power can provide one-third of a household’s energy needs, say proponents
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Albertans are ready for portable, plug-in, so-called balcony solar generation, say local environmental activists.
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But they say that while the use of the units is gaining traction elsewhere in the world, Albertans and Canadians are being left behind due to murky regulatory hurdles based partly on safety.
“There’s more than one million installations right now in Germany,” said Dr. Joe Vipond, co-chair of the Calgary Climate Hub.
“With a different regulatory outlook, people might be doing this right now. It’s a win-win and there’s almost no downside.”
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The micro solar panels would entail do-it-yourself installations on porches or balconies on structures such as condo buildings, or even single-family homes.
Generated solar energy passes through a microconverter located on a deck or balcony, leading to a standard household electrical socket.
The systems’ game-changing advantage is the use of that electrical socket, which bypasses the need for more complicated, professionally done installation and hookup required with rooftop solar units.
“It’s much more accessible for people and that’s a good thing,” said Prof. Sara Hastings-Simon, an energy scientist at the University of Calgary.
“It really opens up the technology to a broader set of people, and makes sure people aren’t left behind in the energy transition.”
Kits offering 800 watts of power, selling for about $1,500 each, can provide one-third of a household’s energy needs, say proponents, and be easily transportable in case of a change of address. Advocates also say batteries for power storage are becoming available.
But that simplicity brings its own complexity, by interacting with existing conventionally delivered electricity, said Phil McKay, senior director of member programs with the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CREA).
“It’s the interactions with the household power system — you have limits on the circuits, on how many things you can have,” he said.
“The grid has to wrestle with power going both ways, but the amount generated (by balcony panels) is so low, it’s like a mosquito in a hurricane.”
Even so, system overload could result in fire or electrical shock, say experts, who also cite concerns about the hazards posed by falling or windblown components. Proponents say those risks already exist with other balcony items.
But along with European jurisdictions, Utah has managed to reconcile those issues to allow the use of the technology, and other U.S. states are following suit.
Certification for that use in Canada is lagging, said McKay, with the next update of the country’s electrical code not coming until 2030 — a constraint that might need to be shortened.
“The real pinch point is that (these devices) are available now, they’re accessible in the States and it won’t be long before they’re accessible across the border,” he said.
“(That timeline) will have to truncate if we don’t want to have guerrilla solar activity.”
He said lobbying by his organization and others, such as the Calgary Climate Hub, is leading to movement on the part of regulators.
The CSA Group, which oversees certification, said the issue is in flux, though its official status hasn’t changed.
“Plug‑in or ‘balcony’ solar systems have historically not been permitted under the Canadian Electrical Code or the National Electrical Code, and therefore have not been eligible for certification as complete systems in Canada,” Dana Parmenter, its commercial vice-president, said in an email.
But last December, certification provider UL Solutions’ work supplied an “interim international pathway” and an “outline of investigation” to establish safety and performance requirements for plug-in photovoltaic technology, he said.
“CSA Group is working toward incorporating this outline into its service offerings,” added Parmenter.
But he said acceptance and installation of those systems is dependent on provincial regulations and local authorities’ jurisdiction.
According to the Alberta government, there are no provincial barriers in the way of plug-in solar, as long as the devices are installed on users’ property.
But Affordability and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf’s office said those installations could still be subject to constraints.
“For residents who are renting, we strongly encourage they have a discussion with their property manager or landlord before undertaking significant changes to their residence,” they said in an email.
While legislation in Germany and Utah clears permitting hurdles and liability issues for utilities, landlords and manufacturers, the province’s comments on balcony solar don’t yet provide those assurances, said Vipond.
“Therefore, I don’t think people will move forward with solar until they are done,” he said.
But the demand for the systems probably exists, said McKay.
“There’d be significant pent-up demand. We do know there are a lot of people without access to traditional solar who want it,” he said, adding that’s fed by current energy uncertainty created by the war in Iran.
“But it’s hard to know for sure until it’s allowed.”
City-owned utility Enmax noted that under provincial regulations, micro electrical generators can produce power but can’t exceed what they consume themselves, adding such systems “must be reviewed by Enmax and meet safety, technical and regulatory requirements, as well as City of Calgary and building or condo bylaws.
“While interest is growing, we haven’t received formal applications for balcony solar, and some products on the market don’t currently meet safety standards.”
Canada is seen as a relative laggard in adopting some renewable energy sources, with nine per cent of its electricity generation coming from wind or solar, compared with 19 per cent in the U.S.
BKaufmann@postmedia.com
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Top 10: Solar Panel Manufacturers  Energy Digital
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The world is growing more power-hungry all the time, with more and larger devices, appliances, and vehicles hooking into the grid. It’s a big part of what makes it difficult to adopt renewable power sources like solar panels on a large scale, especially compared to the monumental power output of a single next-generation nuclear reactor. Both solar panels and nuclear reactors may generate electricity, but it would take over 8.5 million solar panels receiving light around the clock to generate the same kind of output that a nuclear reactor is capable of.
While a nuclear power plant requires a hefty infrastructure investment to get up and running, a solar panel plant, despite being a renewable energy source, isn’t exactly free to build. Building the enormous number of panels necessary to match a reactor’s output, to say nothing of developing safe ways to store excess power and hook it into local electrical grids, unfortunately means that going fully solar simply isn’t feasible yet, at least in the same way that passive nuclear power is. That said, countries and governments have been experimenting with ways to compartmentalize and incentivize solar panel installations, such as placing them over parking lots, which could help make up the difference eventually.
Any kind of large-scale power source is measured by the capacity of the energy it can generate. That capacity isn’t just a raw readout of power coming and going, it’s what determines how much electrical stress individuals on the grid could place on it before it overloads. Part of what’s so attractive about nuclear reactors is that, amongst all power source types, they have one of the highest capacity ratings. The average nuclear reactor boasts around 900 megawatts of power, though larger nuclear plants could output as much as 1,600 megawatts.
By contrast, a single solar panel typically generates around 400 to 460 watts of power, assuming optimal sunlight conditions. For reference, it takes 1 million watts to make a single megawatt, which means 400 watts is about 0.0004 megawatts. Assuming constant power generation, for solar panels to generate a comparable degree of energy to a single nuclear reactor, you would need approximately 4 million of them. However, there’s an additional factor here: operating efficiency. Nuclear power has a 93% efficiency, with its output staying mostly stable. Solar panels, on the other hand, only have a 24% efficiency, which drops their overall output from 400 watts to 96 watts. In other words, you would need around 8.7 million solar panels to match the 837 megawatt output (93% of 900) of a nuclear reactor.
Again, this assumes optimal sunlight conditions, and considering how far 8.7 million solar panels would stretch, assuming you’d get that much sunlight consistently seems a bit unlikely. This is also the reason why it takes privately-purchased solar panels so long to cover their own costs.
The obvious problem with trying to adopt solar panels on a large scale is one of space. Nuclear plants aren’t exactly small, but even the largest nuclear plant in the U.S. can be contained within a facility measuring around one square mile. By contrast, a dedicated solar plant would need over 14 square miles to match that power output. Only certain parts of the world have the kind of flat, sun-exposed terrain necessary to make that work in the first place, and whether or not it’s available in bulk is another matter entirely.
That said, some countries have found clever ways to increase the presence of solar panels, if not get them up to nuclear-comparable numbers. France, for example, passed a law back in 2023 mandating that car parking lots measuring over 1,500 square meters (~16,145 square feet) must be at least 50% covered in solar panels. It’s a smart way to make use of the heat island effect that often plagues parking lots, and while it would take a lot of parking lots to match a nuclear reactor, it’s a good start that most developed countries could also make use of.

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Tempo.co
May 24, 2026 | 10:09 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – A letter from state electricity company PLN, filled I Made Sandika Dwiantara with excitement. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Surya Energi Indotama had been invited to attend a meeting titled “Preparation for the Accelerated Energy Transition Program for 100 Gigawatt (GW) Solar Power Plants (PLTS)” at PLN headquarters on Jalan Trunojoyo, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
At the gathering, PLN asked manufacturers to prepare data on production capacity for solar photovoltaics, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and inverters, along with plans for factory development or future capacity expansion. Made, who also serves as Chair of the Indonesian Solar Module Manufacturers Association, conveyed the domestic industry’s readiness to support the 100 GW solar megaproject. “Thank God, PLN received our input very positively,” Made told Tempo on Thursday, May 14.
Made’s relief was not without reason. Since emerging in July 2025, the giant solar electricity project envisioned by President Prabowo had fueled optimism among entrepreneurs in Indonesia’s growing solar-energy sector. The industry had previously been hampered by rooftop solar power quotas and United States import tariff policies on solar panels.
Yet to this day, no regulation or policy document has been issued to underpin the megaproject, which is expected to be “handed over” to the Red-and-White Village Cooperatives. PLN’s 2025-2034 Electricity Supply Business Plan accommodates only an additional 69.5 GW of capacity—76 percent of it from new and renewable energy, including 17.1 GW from solar power plants.
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El Paso woman fights $100K charge for solar panels she did not ask for  KTSM 9 News
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Posted by Paul McArdleSunday 24^th May 2026  1:41 PM   Topic: 2026-05-21, 2026-05-22, 2026-05-23, 2026-05-24
One of our team members posted a snapshot of the ‘Unit Dashboard’ widget in ez2view on an internal Slack channel yesterday, looking at the WELNSF1 unit with real time data, pointing out what appeared to be some form of glitch in SCADA data through the day.
Now with the benefit of ‘next day public’ data we can see a fuller picture – in this snapshot looking back 4 days from the 13:20 dispatch interval (NEM time) on Sunday 24th May 2026:

Briefly, I have highlighted three time periods that particularly jump out immediately:
 
Yesterday (Saturday 23rd May 2026) we saw an 8-hour period (from 12:05 to 22:00 …yep, long after the sun’s gone down) where the SCADA reading for FinalMW appears to be stuck at 208MW.
… we’ll call this suspect glitch #1A
I’ve focused the table on the right at the 21:00 dispatch interval (NEM time) which is the first one during which the Availability of the unit drops to 0MW.
1)  Now, I’ve not checked exactly when sunset would have been on that site, but let’s assume it’s somewhere around 17:00
2)  So that means that the UIGF for the plant (which was coming from AEMO’s ASEFS system through the period) was also stuck at 208MW.
… we’ll call this suspect glitch #1B
 
The day beforehand (Friday 22nd May 2026) we see a morning period:
1)  that begins at 09:15 (NEM time):
(a)  when the UIGF for the plant jumps from a low 11MW to 121MW (whilst LOCL and ELAV are both still low)
(b)  and runs through until 11:05 when a rebid is submitted with rebid reason ‘Availability adj due to plant related issues SL’ at which point the MaxAvail is dropped to 15MW to drop the AvailGen from the unit feeding into NEMDE
2)  During this period (i.e. 09:05 to 11:00) the output from the unit trends through at ~10MW … which means a consistent Dispatch Error over that period of approximately +100MW
3)  So it seems that, by chance, we’ve bumped into one of the contributors of the ‘… sustained period of Frequency Sag through Friday morning 22nd May 2026’!
 
 
Back on Thursday 21st May 2026, we’ve also noted a period through the day of consistent under-performance relative to Target.
Paul McArdle Sun 21^st December 2025 
Another short article about (what looks to be) another period of VRE-induced frequency weakness, this one on Sunday afternoon 21st December 2025.
Paul McArdle Wed 30^th October 2019 
Our second Case Study in a recent series, aimed to help us explore ways to continue the pushing the development of ez2view forward, but also shared with readers here on WattClarity. This time about Daydream Solar Farm on Tuesday 3rd September 2019.
Paul McArdle Mon 1^st December 2025 
This late afternoon weakness in system frequency (on Sunday 30th November 2025) seems noteworthy.
Paul McArdle Thu 25^th May 2023 
AEMO has confirmed our earlier hunch of a Scheduling Error in the immediate aftermath of the Liddell unit retirements.
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The young man's project could mean greater autonomy for the country's electric vehicles and the workers who use them, amid the constant blackouts that the island suffers.
Cuba is facing a historic energy crisis, marked by severe fuel shortages and daily power outages that bring the country to a standstill. Under these conditions, working in the transportation sector has become nearly impossible.
Yet 21-year-old Yadán Pablo Espinosa has found a solution. The young Cuban has created a homemade system that installs solar panels on electric tricycles, helping preserve the livelihoods of many drivers who depend on these vehicles to earn a living and support their families.
The Cuban government had promoted the use of electric tricycles as an alternative to fuel shortages. However, with constant blackouts leaving entire areas without electricity, charging their batteries became just as difficult. That was when the young entrepreneur saw an opportunity to harness the Caribbean sun and provide drivers with the energy independence they urgently needed.
Together with his father, three brothers, and a friend, Espinosa set up a small family workshop without receiving any government assistance. There, they custom-build iron support frames that are mounted onto the roofs of the tricycles. On top of these structures, they install solar panels ranging from 550 to 650 watts.
The invention doubles as a roof, shielding drivers from the sun and rain while continuously generating electricity. As the tricycle moves, the energy captured by the panel feeds directly into the motor, reducing the strain on the battery. The biggest advantage comes when the vehicle stops at a traffic light, pauses to deliver goods, or the driver takes a break. During those moments, all of the solar energy is redirected to recharge the battery completely free of charge and without relying on an electrical outlet.
So far, the workshop has built and installed solar systems on 15 tricycles, and word of mouth continues to grow the waiting list. For workers across the island who use these vehicles to transport food, packages, or passengers, the innovation represents a major breakthrough.
It allows them to keep working during blackouts and other disruptions. Previously, fear of running out of battery power forced drivers to turn down longer trips or end their workdays early, costing them income their families depended on to make ends meet.
Customers such as Joanis Castro, who works in goods delivery, say the improvement is noticeable from the very first trip. With the solar panel installed, the vehicle performs far better, and the battery easily lasts through long hours of work under the hot sun. In a country struggling through one of the worst energy crises in its history, the ingenuity of this 21-year-old inventor has finally given many Cubans a renewed sense of hope.
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The Development of a Smart Monitoring System for Solar PV Plants by Employing AES-encrypted LoRa Wireless Sensor Networks  Stellenbosch University
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