Solar Now

According to the Lebanese National News Agency, these solar panels supply the town with electricity, which is needed for its water supply, Al Jazeera reported.
The Israeli regime has also destroyed homes, roads and olive trees in southern Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen reported that Israeli forces have carried out fresh bombardments in southern Lebanese towns on Sunday, attacking the towns of Zawtar al-Gharbiya and Zawtar al-Sharqiya in the Nabatieh District.
Israeli artillery also shelled the Ali al-Taher heights and the area between Zawtar and Mayfadoun. Israeli warplanes were reported flying intensively at low altitude over towns and villages across the South.
On Saturday, Israeli forces launched a series of attacks across multiple southern towns, killing seven people and wounding 24 others, including three children, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.
Earlier that day, the Israeli prime minister’s office announced that Benjamin Netanyahu had directed the Zionist forces to “forcefully attack in Lebanon.” The aggression reached the towns of Hadatha, Sultanieh, Bazourieh, Zebqin, Safad al-Battikh, and al-Jmayjmeh in the Bint Jbeil district.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health announced that the cumulative death toll from the Israeli aggression, since its resumption on March 2 through April 25, has reached 2,496 martyrs and 7,725 wounded.

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A portion of the solar panels are already up, with vegetation planted at the site and planned for all locations
Construction Site Manager Brandi Kruser gave the Leader Independent a tour of some of the finished sections of the solar farm in Christiana and Deerfield on April 21. 
The solar farm in the towns of Christiana and Deerfield will cover 1,500 acres including all facilities like the substation and operations building. 
A portion of the solar panels are already up, with vegetation planted at the site and planned for all locations
Construction on the Koshkonong Solar project in the towns of Christiana and Deerfield is about halfway done, with plans to finish by next year.
Construction Site Manager Brandi Kruser gave the Leader Independent a tour of some of the finished sections of the solar farm in Christiana and Deerfield on April 21. 
When finished, the 1,500-acre solar farm will generate 300 megawatts, which is enough to power 90,000 homes. It will also bring in $1.5 million annually in new revenue that will be split between the towns of Christiana and Deerfield, and Dane County.
Sam Heagney, a manager on the Invenergy development team, said a great part about the construction process has been working with landowners. There are over a dozen local families hosting construction infrastructure for the project, which started last April.
Heagney said some landowners are a part of the project because they needed supplemental income for their dairy business, or because they wanted to retire and just retain some of their land. Heagney said he meets regularly with landowners because “they are our eyes and ears on the ground.”
When he gets calls with local updates or concerns about a part of the construction, he can address issues quickly from the connection.
Heagney said a major benefit of the project is the number of construction jobs Invenergy is creating. There are 350 workers on site during construction, and maintenance jobs will be required through the life of the solar panels.
“I’m very excited for this construction team to finish up the projects and for people to see how good of a neighbor solar is,” Heagney said.
Part of the project also includes vegetation on the land. Heagney said it was a priority to get that in with the solar panels at the beginning of construction, and what they have has come a long way.
Town of Deerfield board members spoke highly of the town’s working relationship with Invenergy.
Jim Maple, who serves on the Town of Deerfield plan commission, said Invenergy listened to feedback from the town. For example, they changed the setback from around 12 feet to 50 feet when asked.
The solar farm in the towns of Christiana and Deerfield will cover 1,500 acres including all facilities like the substation and operations building. 
“Literally everything they wanted to do, they’ve worked with us,” Maple said. “Sam and the construction workers have done a phenomenal job of honoring everything we’ve said.”
Deerfield Town Board Chair Mike Schlobohm said the added revenue will greatly benefit the town, and agreed with Maple that Invenergy has been very flexible with the town.
Schlobohm pointed to the road agreement, saying Invenergy would study the roads ahead of construction, then make any necessary road improvements following construction.
“I don’t see any damage to the roads,” Schlobohm said.
The town of Christiana, however, fought the solar panels leading up to the beginning of construction. The town filed several lawsuits against the solar company, but eventually lost.
Christiana Town Board Chair Jim Lowrey told the Leader Independent he had no comments on behalf of the town due to continued pending litigation.
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Israel destroys solar panels in south Lebanon
Israeli soldiers used bulldozers to destroy solar panels in Debel, south Lebanon. According to the Lebanese National News Agency, these panels supply the town with electricity, which is needed for its water supply, and Israel destroyed homes, roads and olive trees as well.
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This story was originally published by Canary Media.
Harris Ranch Resort isn’t close to much. Residents of California’s major cities know it mainly as a rest stop about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on Interstate 5’s long run through the San Joaquin Valley. The sprawling stucco building has a Western-themed gift shop and a couple of good restaurants where travelers can enjoy regional specialties like tri-tip tacos and almond-smoked prime rib — perhaps while they charge their EV at one of the Tesla stations outside.
But in the vast expanse of California’s Westlands Water District, the ranch is about the most central spot for a meeting. On a sunny afternoon in late January, Jeff Fortune, Ross Franson, and Jeremy Hughes, three of the nine directors of the country’s largest agricultural water agency, gathered there for lunch to discuss an ambitious plan to rescue some of the most productive farmland in the U.S. from a decades-long water crisis. 
The Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan (VCIP) envisions converting 136,000 acres of land into 21 gigawatts of battery-backed solar power — nearly as much utility-scale solar capacity as has been installed in California to date. 
“This will be not only the largest project in California, or the largest project in the United States,” said Fortune, a third-generation farmer and the district’s board president since 2022. ​“This will be the largest project in the world.”
The scale of the plan matches that of the land. Westlands Water District was formed more than 60 years ago to collectively manage water resources and irrigation infrastructure for the farmers within its 1,000-square-mile territory. The district’s 614,000 acres grow billions of dollars’ worth of crops per year — grapes, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, garlic, citrus fruits, almonds, pistachios, and many others. Those crops make up a major share of the bounty in a region that produces a quarter of the country’s food, including 40% of its fruits and nuts. 
Fortune, Franson, and Hughes run family farming operations that collectively own or manage thousands of acres of a landscape transformed by industrial-scale irrigated agriculture. The water flows from reservoirs hundreds of miles north and is pumped from the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta via the Central Valley Project, one of the biggest water projects in the state. The water supply is augmented by wells that have delved ever deeper into the region’s aquifers. 
But that water supply is drying up. Since the 1990s, surface-water cutbacks from the environmentally stressed delta have led to the fallowing of hundreds of thousands of acres. And under state law, Westlands farmers face increasingly strict limits on the groundwater they use. 
Now, after decades of fighting state and federal agencies and lobbying Congress to increase the flow of water, Westlands farmers are shifting to a new approach. ​“Our hand is forced,” Fortune said. ​“Everyone’s in the same sinking ship together.” 
VCIP could keep the ship afloat by financing a wholesale conversion of fallowed land into solar farms and battery storage systems capable of powering the equivalent of 9 million homes. To carry those clean electrons to market, the district will finance and build a transmission network that will speed interconnection to California’s congested grid and expand power flows between the state’s two biggest utilities, Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison. 
None of this has happened yet, and completing it will take 10 years or more. But after years of work with developer Golden State Clean Energy, VCIP is now poised to move from concept to reality. 
In December, Westlands Water District’s board approved the programmatic environmental impact report that lays out a master plan for the project. Hughes, a fifth-generation farmer who has been operating in Westlands for a quarter century, said that about 150 contracts so far have been signed by growers to make land available — including about 800 acres of his family’s land. 
“The way we look at it is as a new crop,” he said. ​“We’re harvesting the sun and producing electricity.” 
Critically, farmers will retain land ownership under VCIP’s lease and easement deals, and thus, access to the water allocations. And under Westlands’ agricultural-land repurposing plan and its VCIP master plan, water allocations for acres put into solar can be redirected to remaining farmland. 
“You’re making the district more sustainable,” Fortune said, summing up the plan. ​“And that just helps the grower, it helps the communities, it helps the farmworkers — everybody.” 
That help is desperately needed. The farms that make up Westlands Water District — many of them sprawling, multigenerational family-run organizations with substantial landholdings — have struggled for years with drainage challenges, salination, and other effects of heavy irrigation, which have polluted watersheds. The communities in and around the district have high rates of poverty and unemployment, a lack of economic opportunities, tainted groundwater, and inadequate investment in roads, schools, and public safety. State law requires VCIP to include a community benefits plan that delivers economic value to not just its growers but also the local governments and residents. 
While it will be a massive and complicated undertaking, California needs four to five times as much new clean energy and storage as this project is slated to provide in the next 20 years, said Franson, president of farming at Woolf Farming & Processing, which cultivates 30,000 acres across the San Joaquin Valley, most of it in Westlands. 
The master plan could provide a model for what the state must accomplish to meet that need for power on a grand scale, he said. ​“There’s so much talk in the state about the demand they’re seeing, about energy transition, about water issues … This hits all those boxes.”Highway 33 runs south from the Mendota pool, a key water-exchange point for the San Joaquin Valley’s interlocking irrigation systems, and into Westlands Water District’s northeastern zone. 
On a cold winter morning, Jose Gutierrez, the district’s assistant general manager, and I drove along the two-lane road through a thick blanket of Tule fog. Despite the limited visibility, Gutierrez had no trouble pointing out the solar farms on both sides of us. Farther down the road, pile drivers rattled away, busy planting anchor posts for yet more solar projects. 
The installations there now are a fraction of what’s envisioned under VCIP. If that plan is fully realized, the trucks roaring up and down Highway 33 will pass solar fields stretching uninterrupted for roughly 30 miles, Gutierrez said. The surrounding area is slated for solar for a simple reason: It’s no longer irrigable. 
Much of the land designated for solar development under the master plan is drainage-impaired — undergirded by a shallow layer of clay soil that prevents water from percolating deeper. As water accumulates above the clay layer, it becomes increasingly salty, but cannot be flushed out — and there’s no easy fix, thanks to a decades-old impasse between the federal government and the water district. 
Under a 2015 settlement agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Westlands was required to retire at least 100,000 acres from irrigated agriculture. In 2022, the district launched a land purchasing program to take on managing the retirement and eventual remediation of those drainage-impaired acres. 
That land can still be planted with wheat or other cereal crops that tolerate being irrigated by rainfall alone, or leased to sheepherders. ​“But its value from a commodity perspective is pretty low,” Gutierrez said. As a result, it has mostly been left unused.
In fact, it’s a financial drag on the district. Idle land must still be managed to prevent pests and invasive weeds from setting in and endangering neighboring farms. Several times while on the highway, I spotted signs on utility poles advertising barn-owl boxes for rent — the birds help control gopher populations. And the debt the district took on to buy the fallowed acres must be paid off. 
All this makes the land ideal for solar in a region whose clean energy potential is well understood. State agencies have designated large swaths here as the Westlands Competitive Renewable Energy Zone, meaning they are primed for solar development. Studies from universities and nonprofit groups indicate that the San Joaquin Valley can build solar while retaining sustainable levels of agriculture. 
In the 13 years Gutierrez has worked for the district, eight solar projects have been launched on non-irrigable lands that the district has purchased and sold to developers. The biggest ones include the Darden Clean Energy Project, a 1.15-gigawatt solar-battery system being constructed on about 9,500 acres in the district’s central area; and Westlands Solar Park, a 2.27-gigawatt multistage development on roughly 20,000 acres in the district’s southern reaches. 
Private landowners, like Fortune, Franson, and Hughes, have also been making deals with developers, and many other farmers could follow suit, Gutierrez said. In fact, VCIP expects that roughly half the 136,000 acres of solar and batteries it plans to develop will be on privately owned land. 
Water shortages are the primary reason that Westlands growers are seeking alternatives to farming. But growers are facing other pressures, too, Gutierrez said. Volatile commodity prices have driven a boom and bust in certain crops, such as almonds. Rising energy and labor costs have taken their toll. 
Landowners are eager to move more acres into solar to defray these costs, hedge against market risks, and bolster their bottom lines, he said. But there are roadblocks. Solar developers face long and onerous environmental reviews for each project under the California Environmental Quality Act, as well as drawn-out county permitting processes. And in California, as in many other parts of the country, limited grid capacity is forcing projects to wait for years in clogged-up interconnection queues.
Patrick Mealoy, partner and chief operating officer of Golden State Clean Energy, the VCIP developer, summarized the situation as a convergence of factors. ​“The land use planning, the water restrictions in the valley, the congestion on the transmission grid,” he said, ​“screamed for a master plan.”
Mealoy was part of the development team that put together a similar, if much smaller, master plan for Westlands Solar Park, the biggest solar-battery project in the district to date. That plan set key terms for individual developers on issues ranging from environmental mitigation and land management practices, to standard lease and contract requirements, to agreements regarding the arrays’ eventual decommissioning. 
VCIP takes essentially the same approach, Mealoy said. Golden State Clean Energy itself will likely develop less than a fifth of the 21 gigawatts and will be working with independent developers for the rest, he said. But it’s far more efficient to create a master plan than to have each developer go it alone. “When you look at the sheer magnitude of the tens of thousands of megawatts we need to build in California, the targets are getting higher. We’re doing a remarkable job, but we’re actually falling behind,” he said. ​“VCIP is enormous, but it’s a fraction of what we have to add.” 
The programmatic environmental impact review approved by the district in December is the culmination of that master planning effort, Gutierrez said. It took two years, but now that it’s done, ​“it sets a standard for all VCIP solar developments of what they’re going to have to follow.”
That includes requirements for limiting construction impacts like air pollution, noise pollution, traffic safety, fire prevention, and the like, he said — an important consideration for nearby communities. 
It also sets out how solar farms will be maintained once they’re built, said Allison Febbo, Westland’s general manager. That’s good not just for the neighbors but also for the developers. 
Individual projects will still need conditional land use permits and construction permits from Fresno County, which encompasses the VCIP project boundaries. But with the approved guidelines in place, ​“we believe that we’ve knocked off two years in the planning process,” Gutierrez said, as opposed to ​“if a solar developer was to come in and do a one-off.” 
Golden State Clean Energy has also laid out common financial terms and conditions for landowners and solar developers, Mealoy said. ​“If you’re farming near Kerman or if you’re farming near Huron, you have the exact same deal.” 
The district hopes that all this planning ahead will help bring enough privately held land on board to roughly match the amount of district-owned land on the table, Gutierrez explained. That is vital to achieve the scale needed to enable the most unusual aspect of the plan, he said: building out the transmission. 
“The district had enough land to make it interesting,” Gutierrez said. ​“But we knew we needed more land on the private side to justify the investments in infrastructure.” To be reminded of how important new power lines and substations are to achieving the VCIP vision, Ross Franson need only look out his office window.
I met up with Franson at the white-painted, single-story field operations offices of Woolf Farming & Processing, which sits just east of Interstate 5, near Huron, the district’s sole incorporated city. To the south, past a field now under solar development, a spiderweb of power lines and transmission towers march southward. They converge just over the horizon, at PG&E’s Gates Substation — a critical juncture for solar power to interconnect to the larger state grid. 
Of the 20,000 or so acres the company farms, roughly 1,200 have been built out in solar, Franson told me. Woolf plans to develop up to 3,000 acres in total. ​“We’re a little bit unique, in the sense that our farm is right next to the Gates Substation,” he said. 
That’s not the case for much of the district’s acreage, he explained: ​“It’s far away from transmission lines and substations. And so the cost of doing that isn’t ideal.” 
Enter Assembly Bill 2661, a state law passed in 2024. It allows Westlands to finance and build its own grid infrastructure. It also allows the district to use the clean energy it generates for its own purposes, and to sell the rest to utilities and other power buyers via the transmission system run by the California Independent System Operator. 
In that sense, as Hughes said over lunch at Harris Ranch, VCIP is a ​“transmission play, not a solar play. The solar is doable because of the transmission.” 
VCIP’s 500-kilovolt system will entail five new electrical substations and roughly 70 miles of high-voltage transmission connecting to the CAISO grid to the north, south, and west, Hughes said. In essence, it will provide an eastern parallel to the two 500-kilovolt transmission pathways already running along I-5 on the district’s western border. 
Transmission is notoriously hard to build. But Westlands hopes that its master plan can forestall landowner and environmental opposition that has stymied many other projects. Much of the 70-mile line has been sited to cross district-owned lands. Where transmission will be situated on privately owned land, Westlands has crafted standard easement agreements to give landowners confidence they’re getting the same deals as their neighbors, Gutierrez said.
Westlands is taking on a significant financial commitment to unblock the grid bottleneck. Gutierrez estimated the price tag of building the project’s grid infrastructure is more than $1 billion. 
The district will need to negotiate agreements with CAISO to earn back that money through transmission access charges. That’s the same way the state’s major new grid expansions are repaid over time via increases to utility customers’ bills. 
But Mealoy believes those costs will be more than counterbalanced by benefits to the state at large. A study commissioned by Golden State Clean Energy found that VCIP could yield more than $9 billion in net energy cost savings over the next 25 years, both by adding more clean power and by reducing grid congestion that drives up rates and reliance on fossil gas–fired power plants in Northern California. 
State agencies are loath to approve massive transmission investments to accommodate future clean energy projects. But as that buildout lags, CAISO’s grid remains congested — and clean energy developers face potentially project-killing costs for upgrades to connect to it. 
That’s why VCIP relies on doing solar, batteries, and transmission together, Mealoy said. ​“To get transmission built, you needed size and scale,” he said. 
Owning the power lines also gives Westlands control over some of its energy-related expenses. Several California irrigation districts operate their own utility services, including Turlock Irrigation District and Modesto Irrigation District in the Central Valley and Imperial Irrigation District in the southeast corner of the state.
Westlands, which is served by PG&E, isn’t becoming its own utility, Fortune stressed during lunch at Harris Ranch. ​“PG&E is not fighting us, and we’re not fighting PG&E.”
But running the district’s massive pumping stations requires a lot of power, as does operating well pumps and drip irrigation motors, he said. ​“The district is going to get lower power costs to supply the water, and [growers] are going to get the option of lower-cost power on their end — so the water cost is going to come down.” The central role of water in Westlands is evident to anyone driving along I-5. Scattered among the fields and orchards are signs — posted on fences and on wheeled trailers once used to haul cotton — broadcasting slogans like ​“No Water = Lost Jobs,” ​“Stop the Politicians Created Water Crisis,” and ​“Congress-Created Dust Bowl.”
The angry sentiments stem from the decades-long conflict over California’s massive state and federally managed water distribution. Westlands secured its water allotments from the Central Valley Project in the 1960s. But since the 1990s, joint federal and state efforts to restore endangered fish species and protect the delta’s environment have increasingly restricted flows from the massive pumping stations that move water southward. And as the most recent water district to be created and served by the federal water system, Westlands is a junior holder of water rights, which makes it first in line for cuts. 
Historically, San Joaquin Valley farmers and politicians have held a hard line on keeping the water flowing, with Westlands-bankrolled lobbyists often taking the lead. But as those political efforts faltered and drew public pushback during the state’s historic drought of 2011 to 2017, Westlands growers shifted their stance. 
In 2022, Franson, Hughes, and two other growers won seats on the district’s board on a ​“change coalition” platform, aimed at putting an end to the adversarial water policies of Tom Birmingham. The district’s general manager for more than 20 years, Birmingham announced his retirement after the election. 
To be clear, Westlands hasn’t surrendered the fight for water, said Febbo, who replaced Birmingham in 2023. ​“Our growers have shifted, from saying we don’t want to repurpose any of our agricultural lands, to a position where we have to fallow a significant portion of our area,” she said, ​“and that we should do that in a planned and thoughtful way until we determine a way to restore our water supply.” 
If decades of on-again, off-again surface water allocations were the instigating incident, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act was the hard closer. Passed in 2014, SGMA created the first statewide regulations to manage groundwater resources that provide roughly 40% of California’s water and that have sustained San Joaquin Valley agriculture for more than a century. 
But overpumping has reached a crisis point in the San Joaquin Valley. Thousands of public and private wells have run dry. The land itself is sinking, as water from underground aquifers gets depleted by as much as 2 feet per year in some parts of the valley. That subsidence is threatening to undermine critical infrastructure, including the San Luis Canal, the section of the California Aqueduct serving Westlands Water District.
SGMA requires overdrafted water basins to achieve sustainability by the early 2040s, which will entail both significant cutbacks on pumping and replenishing depleted aquifers. Complying with the law will likely necessitate fallowing about 500,000 acres across the San Joaquin Valley, according to the nonprofit Public Policy Institute of California.
Under the Westlands groundwater management plan approved by the state in 2022, the district must roughly halve the amount of water it normally pulls from the ground during dry years by 2030, Gutierrez said. That reduction, along with the uncertainty around future surface water deliveries from the Central Valley Project, forces growers to face the prospect of reducing by half the amount of land they’re able to irrigate every year. 
This prospect has helped convince a critical mass of Westlands growers to support VCIP, Franson, Hughes, and Fortune said over lunch. 
“I really do think SGMA forced the issue,” Franson said. ​“When push comes to shove, we needed to come up with an alternative plan.”
Allowing farmers to put land into solar without losing its water allocations is essential to making that plan work, Fortune said. Typically, allocations for land repurposed or sold for nonagricultural uses revert to the district, he explained. But under VCIP, landowners with long-term leases or cash-up-front easement deals with solar developers keep both surface water and groundwater allocations, which they can apply to remaining farmland. 
That’s important for Westlands growers like Rebecca Kaser, owner of Avellar-Moore Farms. Her family has been farming in Westlands for four generations. She hasn’t put land into VCIP yet, but her father has. 
“We have fallowed over half our acreage,” she said. ​“We still have property taxes, we still have horticultural expenses … and they don’t return any income. And we do this just for the water allocation, so we can continue to grow, to help out our neighboring communities providing jobs and paying property taxes.” 
VCIP offers ​“financial relief from the incurred expenses year over year on this fallowed acreage — and the way it was designed, we could still keep our water,” she said. ​“What I really want to emphasize is that if we can keep on farming all of it, we would. The VCIP is a tool in the tool box to at least stay farming with the little that we can.” 
If VCIP develops as intended, it’s not just the growers who will benefit but all residents in Westlands Water District. 
Danny Garcia, 41, has lived his entire life in Three Rocks, an unincorporated community in the middle of the district. He hopes that building the world’s biggest solar and battery project will bring prosperity to Three Rocks, which is also known as El Porvenir, which means ​“the future.” But he and his family have their doubts.
“People are struggling right now,” he told me when I stopped by his home. ​“There’s many ways that people could work on solar.” Garcia makes a living as a trucker, hauling produce and delivering fruit and nut tree seedlings from nurseries for planting in the fields. He can envision participating in the construction boom when VCIP gets underway. 
Almost everyone who lives in Three Rocks is employed in agriculture in one way or another, he said — including longtime farmworkers like his mother, Rosa Ramirez. She’s worked in the fields since she moved here from Mexico about 50 years ago, she told me in Spanish as Garcia translated. She can earn up to $600 per week when jobs are steady, but less than $200 a week when it’s slow.
And work has been slower and slower, Ramirez said, sitting at her son’s dining room table. ​“Back in the ​’90s, they used to have tomato fields, lettuce, onions.” But as water has become scarcer, ​“a lot of almond trees are knocked out because of water — less and less.” 
With solar panels eating up more and more farmland, ​“how is she going to pay her bills?” Garcia asked. ​“Is she going to work there with the solar system? She has no experience.” 
The San Joaquin Valley includes some of the poorest counties in the state. The confluence of water stresses, environmental degradation, and rising heat and weather disruptions from climate change are only set to intensify the area’s challenges, according to a report issued as part of California’s 2021 climate change assessment. 
Agriculture provides 17 percent of the San Joaquin Valley’s employment and 19 percent of its revenues. Those economic ties are even tighter in the sparsely populated Westlands, where agriculture generated $3.6 billion in economic activity and more than 27,500 jobs as of 2022, according to a 2025 study commissioned by the district. 
But those figures were down from an estimated $4.7 billion in economic activity and about 35,000 jobs in 2019, driven largely by increases in fallowed land due to water restrictions. Those declines led to roughly 30% less in public tax revenues for counties, cities, and special districts, meaning millions of dollars no longer available for roads, water systems, schools, and other public services. 
VCIP could help buck those trends, Mealoy of Golden State Clean Energy said. Building the solar and battery farms and grid infrastructure will require employing about 6,000 people for at least 10 years — in what he described as ​“good-paying, labor union jobs” — as well as about 1,000 full-time operations jobs once the project is complete. Some of those positions could be filled locally through apprenticeship and training programs with community colleges and workforce development agencies. 
Businesses in the region could provide equipment and services to developers, and secondary spending will boost local economies, he added. The cost of building solar and battery projects ranges from $1 million to $1.5 million per megawatt, he noted. 
And the towns, school districts, and county services will benefit from ​“billions of dollars that could be injected” into the tax base, once the state’s current property tax exemption for solar projects expires at the end of 2026, he said. It’s hard to predict future property tax revenues for Fresno County, but they’re certain to be significantly higher than those collected on fallowed fields, he said. 
How those economic benefits will flow to communities suffering from generations of underinvestment and facing the loss of agricultural jobs has yet to be defined, however. In January, Westlands’ board voted in favor of a draft approach to meet the requirements in AB 2661, the law making VCIP possible, to ​“ensure that local communities have meaningful opportunities to participate and access benefits” from its clean energy transformation.
That plan for the community benefits agreement commits the district to work with Fresno County and seven incorporated cities to ​“commit a portion of project revenues” to workforce, energy-affordability, environmental, and quality-of-life benefits. 
But Westlands doesn’t plan to start making that money available for ​“at least 60 months out, coinciding with the commercial operation of the facilities,” Russ Freeman, the district’s deputy general counsel, said at the January meeting before the vote took place. 
That’s worrisome to community groups that feel they’ve been neglected by Westlands’ power players and the region’s political leaders. Rural Communities Rising, representing 36 communities across western Fresno County, was formed last year so that residents ​“are heard, respected, and prioritized,” as the clean-energy developments envisioned by VCIP move ahead. 
“We believe in a big-tent concept. Everybody should participate,” Espi Sandoval, a Rural Communities Rising board member and educator, said at that January meeting. His group is advocating for a formal organization, including local governments, school and water districts, labor associations, workforce agencies, nonprofits, and local representatives, to ​“work collectively with developers to address … priorities.” 
Community groups are focused first on mitigating impacts from construction, like limiting vehicle traffic that can clog narrow roads, worsen already poor air quality, and kick up dust carrying fungi that cause a pulmonary ailment known as valley fever. They’re also demanding more emergency services, including fire stations located closer to solar and battery sites that could pose fire risks. 
And they’re asking for remediation of longtime problems like high energy costs and polluted water supplies. Ramirez’s electric bill from PG&E was $331.74 for the month of November — far more than she thinks she ought to be paying for a small single-story home. California has the highest electric bills in the mainland U.S. That’s a particular burden for low-income San Joaquin Valley residents during days or weeks of triple-digit summer temperatures.
Ramirez’s water bills have also risen, even as the water remains undrinkable, she said — a problem plaguing hundreds of thousands of California residents, many of them in the San Joaquin Valley. In Three Rocks and nearby Cantua Creek, the cause is disinfectant by-products from chemicals, such as chlorine, used to treat surface water delivered from Westlands to a Fresno County–managed treatment facility. 
“That’s why we have the water jugs,” Garcia said, pointing to the five-gallon containers arrayed under the trampoline in his front yard. ​“Every two weeks, the water man comes in and leaves them.”
Clean energy could provide an economic lifeline for the region — but that’s not guaranteed.
A 2024 report from the Sierra San Joaquin Jobs Initiative, a joint project of the Fresno-based Central Valley Community Foundation and the state-funded California Jobs First Council, found that the four counties of Fresno, Kings, Madera, and San Joaquin could host 29 gigawatts of solar and energy storage through 2045, adding up to about $10 billion in investment and an estimated 73,000 new jobs paying an average of $32 per hour. 
But it also found that workers ​“feel inadequately prepared for this transition” in terms of education, training, and opportunity to break into the industries involved. 
Elizabeth Cabrera, city manager of San Joaquin, a town of about 3,700 people in western Fresno County, has attended meetings held by nonprofit groups working with solar developers to offer jobs and training to locals. But less than a third of San Joaquin residents have a high school degree or equivalent, she said. Many speak only Spanish, and ​“a high percentage are undocumented. That’s already three major barriers to entry.”
Leticia Fernández, the 63-year-old owner of the Half-Way Store in Cantua Creek, is also doubtful that solar development can make up for the loss of agriculture in the area. She started working at the store when she was 16, and bought it from the previous owner in 1997. But business has declined as more land has been fallowed, and the solar projects being built haven’t reversed that, she said. ​“They’re not spending the money like they tell us at the meetings.”
That’s not to say that solar projects aren’t doing some good, Fernández said. She pointed to the new fire station being built in Cantua Creek, financed in part through a $15 million commitment from Intersect Power, the initial developer of the Darden Clean Energy Project (the project is now owned by IPX Power).
Intersect also committed to community benefits plans that will make $2 million in direct investments in the next 10 years and $5 million over the project’s lifetime. The initial $2 million has gone to support affordable housing, provide grants to small businesses, bolster school programs, plant trees, and give away about 250 window air-conditioning units, among other benefits. 
“We want to build strong partnerships, and we want to bring the community into the project, whether that’s supplying concrete or getting a union job and working on-site,” said Elizabeth Knowles, head of community engagement at Intersect Power. The Darden project is expected to create more than 1,600 all-union construction jobs, generate more than $70 million in state and local sales tax revenues during its construction, and provide more than $200 million in property taxes in the first 10 years, she said. 
Still, some people say the Darden project’s original community benefits agreement didn’t direct money to the most pressing needs. They want to make sure the process for VCIP, which will be more than 15 times larger than Darden, doesn’t leave them out of the loop. 
“We understand the project will take at least 10 years to build out. But we want residents to be part of conversations before decisions are made,” said Mariana Alvarenga, a senior policy advocate with the nonprofit Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability.
The challenge is that most of the economic impacts of clean energy projects are tied to ​“jobs and spillover work for local businesses” during construction, said David Adelman, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law who studies local opposition to clean energy developments. Beyond that, ​“virtually all of the benefit is in increased local property taxes,” he said. ​“Most of that impact gets buried in county and school district budgets” that are ​“not very visible to the local community.” 
These facts could bolster arguments for larger up-front community benefits payments, he said. But that might be hard for clean energy developers already struggling with the looming loss of federal tax credits, rising equipment and labor costs, and other economic headwinds. Nor do solar project developers want to be held responsible for repairing past harms to communities and to the environment that were caused by others. 
County tax revenues from clean energy projects could be directed to helping the communities near those projects. But that requires commitments from county politicians and administrators to ensure those revenues aren’t redirected elsewhere — and like many other rural counties, Fresno County is facing major budget pressures.
Justin Diener, controller of Red Rock Ranch, understands these concerns. He grew up on his family farm in Five Points, which has won recognition for its sustainable water and soil management. After graduating from Stanford University, he was employed in agriculture finance for 12 years, then returned to work with his father in 2016. He won his seat on the Westlands board of directors in 2022 as part of the change coalition — and unlike most Westlands farmers, he lives on the land that his family farms.
“I love to be out here,” Diener said on a stroll outside the modest one-story building that houses his family’s farm operations. ​“I grew up out here, across the street. But you know, it’s not a walk in the park, either.” It’s a half-hour drive for him or his wife to take their daughter to and from school. Last fall, crops left rotting in nearby fields because they were unsuitable for market caused a fly infestation that plagued the area for months. 
Diener has also seen the decline in Fresno County services over the decades. ​“When I was younger, the roads got paved more frequently,” he said. ​“The potholes were taken care of.” He’d like to see VCIP money coming into the district prioritized for critical needs. ​“Do you have shelter? Do you have food? Do you have water? Is where you live safe?” 
He thinks that long-term funding from Fresno County and municipal governments, rather than one-time community-benefits dollars, is the logical source for supporting those kinds of fundamental services. ​“I’d look to ongoing community benefits dollars to be an enhancement to government dollars, rather than a replacement,” he said. It’s also important that community benefits be ongoing, rather than one-off donations. 
Still, Diener says VCIP could be ​“transformational” for Westlands. ​“The district’s not going to see the benefits today or tomorrow,” he said. ​“But five to 10 years down the road, I think things are going to be very different.” 

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China was the world’s largest producer of solar energy in 2025, according to data by energy think tank Ember. Last year, the nation produced 1,175 TWh of solar power in total. The next biggest solar powers were the United States, India, Japan and Germany. Together, these five countries accounted for 70 percent of the world’s solar output.
In 2025, solar power generation reached a record high of 2,778 TWh, up 30 percent from the previous year. This is the highest level on record and the fastest growth rate in eight years. Analysts at Ember note that total solar output now matches the entire electricity demand of the EU-27.
According to the report, solar accounted for 68 percent of all renewable capacity additions from 2019 to 2024. This is partly due to falling costs of solar panels, with prices dropping by 90 percent between 2015 and 2024.
China also led in new capacity growth, adding an additional 336 TWh of solar generation between 2024 and 2025. This is nearly half of all solar additions globally (636 TWh) that year. The United States (+85 TWh), India (+53 TWh), Brazil (+17.3 TWh) and Pakistan (+16.8 TWh) recorded the next largest gains.

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At All Energy 2025, Sungrow inked deals with three Australian energy wholesale and distribution companies, Raystech Group, Supply Partners and Tradezone, marking a pivotal milestone in Sungrow’s efforts to accelerate Australia’s clean energy transition.
Image: Sungrow
Chinese solar inverter and energy storage system provider Sungrow, which has installed 870 GW of power electronic converters worldwide, has inked agreements with Australian renewable energy distributors, Raystech Group, Supply Partners, and Tradezone during a formal signing ceremony at the 2025 All-Energy Australia exhibition in October 2025.
A new distribution agreement was signed with Brisbane headquartered whole distributor Raystech Group, that will see Raystech deliver 800 MW of Sungrow solar inverters, including 450 MW for residential, 150 MW for commercial and industrial (C&I), and 200 MW for utility-scale applications.
In addition, Raystech will supply 1 GWh of Sungrow battery energy storage systems (BESS) in 2026, including 600 MWh for residential, 150 MWh for C&I, and 250 MWh for utility-scale projects.
At All Energy 2025, Raystech also signed a three year 2 GW module distribution agreement with Longi, renewed 150 MW contracts with Hytech Solar, Solar Agent, and Arise Solar (Longi channel partners), a formal agreement with Rise Energy to expand Raystech’s presence in New Zealand, and with CCE Oasis, an agreement to form a strategic collaboration to jointly develop large-scale clean energy projects.

Supply Partners
Sungrow and Queensland-headquartered solar and storage solution distributor Supply Partners renewed their strategic distribution agreement for 2026, covering 300 MW of PV inverters and 300 MWh of residential BESS.
Supply Partners will also continue to lead direct distribution across residential, commercial, and battery segments, reinforcing a shared commitment to delivering reliable and future-ready clean energy solutions for Australia’s evolving market.
Tradezone
Sungrow and Queensland-based online electrical wholesaler Tradezone formalised a strategic partnership to deliver clean energy solutions nationwide.
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Project is technically feasible but a detailed study on the commercial viability still has to be conducted
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[SINGAPORE] Early discussions on connecting the power markets between Singapore and India, with the ultimate goal of transmitting low-carbon electricity to the city-state have begun, said Ashish Khanna, director-general of the International Solar Alliance.
The project is technically feasible, although a detailed study on the commercial viability still has to be conducted, said Khanna in an interview with The Business Times. 
Singapore’s latest electricity tariffs, which surged as a result of the ongoing Iran war, stood at S$0.297 a kilowatt-hour (kWh) for the three-month period between April and June this year. This is more than five times the cost for solar generation in India, which is around US$0.054 per kWh, indicated an April 2026 report from energy think tank Ember. 
“If the transmission charges are not too high, and there is a technical reliability of the undersea line, there is a lot of win-win potential for both Singapore and India to trade power,” he said. 
Even if it is cheaper to transmit electricity from nearby South-east Asian countries to Singapore, importing power from a farther place such as India can still make economic sense if the savings from producing electricity is greater than the extra cost of transmitting it over the longer distance. 
The second major factor is enhanced energy security for Singapore, a priority for many governments amid global geopolitical tensions. Sourcing solar power from a diverse set of locations strengthens the city-state’s power resilience.
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The Singapore-India connection also does not have to wait for the completion of the Asean power grid, as both developments can advance concurrently, Khanna said. 
“When Singapore is providing conditional licences to get electricity from neighbouring countries through interconnections, at the same time, it can also explore the option of buying additional power from India,” he added. 
Pre-feasibility studies conducted have mapped out two possible routes.
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The first one would involve a land corridor spanning 4,000 km that connects the north-eastern part of India to Singapore through Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. 
“That will be a significantly cheaper way to connect countries, but it faces a lot of political problems, as well as right of way issues, because you have to connect through a lot of forests,” said Khanna. 
The second option is via undersea cables of more than 3,000 km starting from the east coast of India through the Andaman and Nicobar islands before it reaches Singapore. 
Having a Singapore-India power connection is envisioned as a step towards a much larger goal: connecting regional grids from South-east Asia, South Asia and the Middle East. 
The International Solar Alliance, a treaty-based organisation set up after the 2015 Paris Agreement with 125 countries as members, has a mandate to mobilise US$1 trillion to deploy almost 1,000 gigawatts of solar energy around the world. 
The initiative seeks to connect the regions of Australia, South-east Asia, South Asia, Middle East, Africa and then Europe. 
This offers many advantages, particularly reducing the need for costly battery storage. By connecting nations, the issue of night-time energy demand is mitigated.
“Since the sun does not set anywhere, if Singapore were to need power in the night when there is no solar, there may still be sunlight in the Middle East and India,” added Khanna.
“Countries that are doing a lot of solar need a lot of batteries, or they are looking at other ways for energy security. But if you connect all the nations, then not everybody needs to invest in batteries for night-time energy.” 
The global solar body has been meeting with authorities in South-east Asia and India, multilateral banks such as the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, as well as private sector subsea cable manufacturers to see how the different stakeholders can collaborate to bring this inter-regional connectivity to fruition. 
Of course, there are significant hoops to jump through before a Singapore-India connection can become reality. 
Even if studies have shown that it is commercially viable, issues on how the risk should be allocated between the governments and private investors would need to be resolved. Mobilising the capital required would also be a significant challenge. 
Harmonising standards for subsea cables across different markets is another hurdle. Unlike subsea optic fibres for the Internet, the world has not set a global standard for subsea transmission cables. 
There are also limited manufacturing capabilities for high-voltage direct cables. “So if the governments were to prioritise this interconnection at some point of time, it will also require some acceleration of manufacturing capability in the private sector,” said Khanna. 
But before the private sector is even willing to invest the capital, governments need to work out in-principle agreements. 
“No one will set up a large manufacturing unit unless there is an assurance from the government that such a large project is coming,” he said. 
Coming to an agreement on the use of renewable energy certificates, the pricing, wheeling charges – areas that Asean governments are still discussing in relation to the Asean power grid – will all have to be negotiated.
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From a spark to Spanish leadership: the history of solar energy
On April 21, 2025, solar energy managed to contribute peaks of renewable generation to the Spanish energy system, reaching 61.5% of the total demand. It broke its record again on July 16 and reached 50% on a sustained basis for months from the electricity generated in the solar fields of Castilla, Extremadura, and Andalusia.
 
However, the history of solar energy didn’t begin with adjustable silicon panels forming solar farms in strategic places throughout the peninsula, but rather it was the result of scientific curiosity. In 1839, the French physicist Alexandre-Edmon Becquerel ignited the “spark”. He discovered the photovoltaic effect after verifying that light could generate electricity when striking a silver electrode.
 
Over a century passed until Bell Laboratories, in Murray Hill (New Jersey, USA), succeeded in creating the first silicon solar cell in 1954. At that time, its efficiency was limited to 6%, and its cost was so high that only NASA could afford it to push the space race in satellites like Vanguard I.
 
In just a few decades, this formula had already expanded. In Spain, the first photovoltaic power plant connected to the grid that used silicon solar cells was inaugurated in 1984 in San Agustín de Guadalix (Madrid), with 100 kilowatts of installed power.
 
 
Spain is no longer just a solar market with a lot of potential, as it has become the continent’s undisputed benchmark for solar power. At the end of last year, the state network of solar parks surpassed 40.2 GW of cumulative power, adding 9 GW more in the final stretch of the year, according to the data of Red Eléctrica Española (REE). In this way, it rose to become the second European market behind Germany, which leads it by installed capacity
 
For its part, the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge has also made clear its commitment to solar energy as the main lever for a decarbonized and more sustainable economy.
 
Spain currently exports a unique model by promoting solar hybridization with storage and other renewable energies for a more stable and sustainable electricity system, fostering innovative projects through public renders. Nevertheless, the path to making the country a leader in solar energy has not been easy, with legislative and technological ups and downs. In this regard, the removal of barriers to domestic installation for self-consumption has marked the beginning of a solar revolution.
 
 
According to the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC 2023-2030), Spain has set the target of reaching 76 GW of installed photovoltaic power. Another line of work for the present and future involves the recycling of panels from the early century installations that are already reaching the end of their useful life. Spain leads European circular economy projects to recover up to 95% of materials (glass, aluminum, and silicon) and reduce the impact of its production.
 
Lastly, another issue that explains the rise of solar energy in Spain in the last five years is domestic self-consumption and local energy communities, which have grown by 40% in the last year, allowing neighbors to share the energy generated on public roofs. For UNEF, the Spanish photovoltaic employer, solar energy is the true engine of industrialization, which is reflected in its latest report. However, the challenge lies in improving storage capacity so that daytime solar energy can also sustain nighttime consumption.
 
Ultimately, the discovery of the “Becquerel spark”, the scientific evidence that light has power for electricity generation, is more significant today than ever for the energy transition. Reports from the International Energy Agency (IEA) confirm that solar energy is already the cheapest source of electricity in human history and the technology with the greatest potential for expansion for a more sustainable future.

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A severe hailstorm pelted the Denver area on May 8, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. But, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's solar panels held strong with just one broken panel out of more than 3,000.
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The Denver area was pelted with an unusually severe hailstorm on May 8 – one that left a trail of destruction in its wake, shattering car windows and leaving golf ball-sized dents on the roofs of local homes and vehicles.
After the storm, staff at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) set out to assess the damage. Its main campus in Golden, Colorado boasts more than 2.5 megawatts of photovoltaic (PV) power. A majority of those panels (more than 3,000) are located on or adjacent to the roof of the lab’s Research Support Facility, a net-zero energy building. The post-storm inspection revealed just one broken panel.  
 
PV Strong
This news wasn’t a total shock to NREL researchers. They work closely with the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative to improve the durability of solar modules. Included in the testing is the requirement to survive hail stone impact. In fact, the test requires shooting ping-pong-ball-sized ice balls at PV modules in multiple places at about 70 miles per hour. In the case of this hailstorm, the one glass module cover that cracked was apparently simultaneously hit by a number of hailstones in almost the exact same place. This concentrated blow created a network of micro-cracks in the glass. Subsequent hailstones then left their “footprints” of impact in that web of small fractures, which tally to what appears to be more than three-dozen hits.
NREL researchers are funded by SunShot to participate in the International Photovoltaic Quality Assurance Task Force, which develops standardized industry quality tests to assure that solar panels on the market can survive the harsh environmental conditions to which they are directly exposed. This includes not only how panels react to mechanical stress, such as hail or being walked on, but also high and low temperatures, humidity, solar ultraviolet radiation, and even the electrical stress that the panels apply to themselves when operating in high-voltage systems. These quality standards help reinforce consumer and investor confidence in PV.
NREL also leads a group that brings together national labs and universities with the solar supply-chain industries to discover, develop, de-risk, and enable the commercialization of new materials and designs for PV modules. The durable module materials consortium focuses on accelerating the research and development of high-performance PV packaging materials and module architectures in order to increase module reliability and performance while decreasing module costs. These efforts will continuously improve the durability and performance of solar panels while driving down the cost of solar electricity.
NREL’s research demonstrates that solar energy systems are resilient through extreme weather events like hail and hurricanes – and the events of May 8 further underscore the benefits of going solar.     
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As the global energy structure transformation continues to deepen, the PV industry has entered a new phase of large-scale expansion and high-quality iterative development, with diversified technology routes and varied module categories becoming normalized features of industry development. Affected by long-term profitability under pressure across the industry and wild swings in upstream raw and auxiliary material prices, the weight of cost factors in the pricing mechanism of the PV module market has continued to increase.
To accurately characterize the cost levels of various segmented technology routes, further enhance market price transparency and horizontal comparability, effectively alleviate information asymmetry in the industry, and optimize market transaction efficiency, SMM, after thorough industry survey and optimization of its index system, will officially launch three new PV module cost index price points for TOPCon, BC, and HJT starting from April 30, 2026.
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TOPCon183 PV Module Cost Index
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Price Description: Module enterprises are classified into three types — integrated, semi-integrated, and specialized. The cost index is calculated by weighting the production proportions of the three enterprise types from the previous quarter, with weights updated quarterly. The accounting scope of this cost index model covers full costs, including fixed asset depreciation, three categories of period expenses, and other related expenditures.
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There’s been a push to build new gas-fired power plants in the Mountain West and across the United States to meet a surge in demand, including from new data centers coming online.
Proponents say methane, popularly known as natural gas, is more reliable at night when solar isn’t available and when there’s no wind turning turbines. However, according to a new report, utility companies, developers, and even regulators have rushed to approve gas projects without fully considering the risks.
Dennis Wamsted, an energy finance analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, said those risks are significant, especially for consumers.
“Those new gas-fired power plants pose a significant risk for consumers because of the potential for really significant price spikes in the cost of the fuel,” he said, “which get passed along to consumers.”
The price of methane is linked to a global marketplace, not unlike the kind of gas that fuels cars and trucks. Prices for both skyrocketed, most recently, after the United States joined Israel in attacking Iran.
Using methane to power homes and businesses also sets back efforts to mitigate climate change. Methane is more than 80 times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
Wamsted noted that solar, wind, and battery storage combined is just as reliable as methane or coal-generated electricity — but unlike coal and methane, the sun and the wind come with no price tag, and aren’t tied to global markets. Wamsted said that means you know from day one what the costs will be for ratepayers.
“Fuel costs for gas-fired generation for the entire operational length of the project need to be clearly factored into the decision process,” he said. “Those are costs that tend to get ignored.”
The new report also highlights utilities that have successfully transitioned to more affordable, renewable energy sources. Wamsted pointed to Holy Cross Energy, a co-op providing electricity to Colorado’s Western Slope.
“Last year, they got 85% of all their electricity from renewable resources, and they have a goal of 100% going forward,” he said. “They’ve done a great job. They’ve also managed to keep costs low.”

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Under partial shading conditions (PSC), the Power–Voltage (P–V) output curve of a photovoltaic (PV) array shows multiple peaks. To address this, this paper introduces a hybrid maximum power point tracking (MPPT) strategy called the improved red-billed blue magpie optimization algorithm combined with a variable-step perturb and observe algorithm (IRBMO-VP&O) of the exponential decay. This strategy merges an improved red-billed blue magpie optimization (IRBMO) algorithm with a variable-step perturb and observe (VP&O) method. It incorporates Lévy flight and an individual diversity mechanism to boost its global search ability. Additionally, it uses adaptive step-size fine-tuning for better tracking accuracy and a restart mechanism triggered by sudden power changes, enhancing its adaptability to dynamic environments. MATLAB/Simulink simulations compare the proposed algorithm with GWO, PSO, RIME, SSA, IGWO-VINC, PSO-P&O, RBMO, IRBMO, INC, and P&O. Under static shading conditions, IRBMO-VP&O outperformed others by reducing average convergence time by 52.99% (to 0.042–0.067 s) and increasing tracking accuracy by 4.06% (to 91.785–99.988%) compared to eight other algorithms. Under dynamic conditions, it achieved an average convergence time of 0.055 s and tracking accuracy above 99.986%, consistently locking onto the global maximum power point (GMPP) without local optima trapping.
With the global push toward “carbon neutrality” and “peak carbon” targets, photovoltaic (PV) generation, as a clean and accessible form of renewable energy, has garnered significant attention^1,2. However, under partial shading conditions (PSC), different modules within a PV array receive unequal irradiance levels due to clouds, buildings, dust, or other obstructions. This non-uniform irradiance causes bypass diodes to activate unevenly, resulting in multiple peaks appearing on the P–V characteristic curve. These peaks include several local maximum power points (LMPPs) and one global maximum power point (GMPP). The LMPP refers to a power peak that is locally optimal within a certain voltage interval but does not correspond to the highest achievable power of the entire array. In contrast, the GMPP represents the absolute highest power point among all peaks on the P–V curve and corresponds to the optimal operating condition of the PV array. Consequently, MPPT algorithms designed for PSC must possess strong global search capability to avoid convergence to an LMPP and ensure accurate tracking of the GMPP^3,4,5. Therefore, the study of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technologies is crucial for mitigating these power losses and enhancing the overall output efficiency of PV arrays^6,7,8.
Conventional MPPT techniques, such as hill climbing (HC)^9,10, perturb and observe (P&O)^11,12,13,14, and incremental conductance (INC)^15,16,17,18, are widely used. However, under variable environmental conditions, these methods are prone to becoming trapped in local optima¹⁹. Consequently, researchers worldwide have adopted various nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithms to address this issue²⁰. For instance, Reference²¹ modified the grey wolf optimizer (GWO) by replacing its linear convergence factor with a non-linear one and incorporating a Lévy flight strategy. While this enhanced convergence speed and prevented premature convergence, its testing was limited to two static and one dynamic shading pattern, failing to cover more complex shading distributions. Reference²² introduced a Cauchy mutation mechanism into the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to enhance population diversity and avoid local optima, complementing it with a direct search algorithm for local refinement. However, key parameters were not optimized, potentially limiting its generalization, and the performance was only benchmarked against the standard PSO. Similarly, Reference²³ proposed dynamically adjusting the inertia weight of a PSO algorithm to balance its global and local search capabilities, but its validation was confined to a single shading pattern without comparison to other advanced algorithms. In reference²⁴, genetic algorithm operators were used to optimize the initial population of the sparrow search algorithm (SSA) and integrate Lévy flight into its update formula. However, it lacked an adaptive restart mechanism, which led to potential response delays during sudden changes in irradiance. Reference introduced a fitness-based weighting coefficient into GWO to improve search flexibility, but its restart mechanism relied on a fixed threshold, limiting its adaptability. Finally, Reference²⁶ utilized an Arnold map to initialize the GWO population, enhancing uniformity to avoid local optima. However, its dynamic simulation was limited to a single abrupt change, which does not reflect the more complex and continuous variations seen in real-world environments. A summary of the above references is shown in Table 1.
Given these challenges, developing hybrid algorithms that can achieve both rapid convergence and high tracking accuracy is critically important^27,28. Therefore, this paper proposes a PV MPPT strategy based on the improved red-billed blue magpie optimization algorithm combined with the variable step-size perturb and observe algorithm (IRBMO-VP&O).
The main contributions of this work are as follows:
This paper proposes a novel hybrid MPPT control strategy for partially shaded conditions. This strategy is achieved by integrating the red-billed blue magpie optimization (RBMO) algorithm with a variable-step perturbation and observation (VP&O) method featuring exponential decay step adjustment.
It enhances the RBMO algorithm by incorporating a Lévy flight mechanism and an individual diversity mechanism for the first time. These additions bolster the algorithm’s global search capability, enabling it to effectively escape local optima and improve the diversity and stability of the swarm.
It designs a restart mechanism triggered by sudden power fluctuations. When abrupt environmental changes cause power output to vary, this mechanism adaptively re-initiates the optimization search, enhancing the algorithm’s responsiveness under dynamic conditions.
It validates the proposed algorithm’s superior performance through comprehensive comparative simulations. A system model was developed in MATLAB/Simulink and tested against 10 other mainstream algorithms under various static and dynamic operating conditions. The results indicate that the IRBMO-P&O algorithm achieves an average reduction of 52.99% in convergence time compared to other algorithms, while improving tracking accuracy by 4.06%.
This paper is organized as follows: Chapter Introduction establishes the mathematical models of the PV cell and PV array based on their equivalent circuits. It also verifies their P–V characteristic variations under different shading conditions through simulation. Chapter Modeling of PV arrays provides a mathematical model for the three phases of the RBMO algorithm: prey searching, prey attacking, and food storing. It then introduces a Lévy flight mechanism and a diversity-based update strategy to enhance the algorithm’s search performance. Chapter Variable step-size perturb and observe method  details the design of the VP&O method. It proposes an exponential decay step-size adjustment method for more responsive control of the duty cycle and integrates this into the VP&O framework to boost local optimization capabilities. Chapter Application of the IRBMO-VP&O algorithm in PV MPPT presents the control system simulation model and conducts comprehensive performance tests, comparing the proposed algorithm against others under five static and three dynamic operating conditions.
An ideal PV cell can be represented by an equivalent circuit consisting of a constant current source and an ideal diode, as shown in Fig. 1. To better reflect practical conditions, a series resistance R_s representing internal losses and a shunt resistance R_sh describing leakage effects are included. Based on this single-diode model, the output current is expressed as the difference between the photocurrent and the diode current, further adjusted by the voltage drop across R_s and the leakage effect of R_sh, as shown in Eqs. (1)–(4)^29,30. This equivalent circuit provides the theoretical foundation for analyzing the P–V characteristics of PV arrays under different irradiance conditions.
Equivalent circuit of a PV cell.
where, I_L is the output current of the photovoltaic cell; I_ph is the photo-generated current, with its formula shown in Eq. (3); I_s is the reverse saturation current of the diode, with its formula shown in Eq. (4); V_t is the thermal voltage, with its formula shown in Eq. (2); U_oc is the output voltage of the photovoltaic cell; R_s and R_sh are the equivalent series and shunt resistance of the photovoltaic cell; α is the diode ideality factor; K is the Boltzmann constant, with a value of 1.38 × 10^-23 J/K; T is the operating temperature of the photovoltaic cell; q is the electron charge constant, with a value of 1.6 × 10^-19 C; I_sc is the short-circuit current under standard test conditions; T_n is the nominal temperature under standard testing; K_i is the voltage temperature coefficient; K_v is the voltage temperature coefficient; G is the solar irradiance; G_n is the nominal irradiance under standard testing; V is the open-circuit voltage.
The PV array studied in this paper consists of PV modules connected in a 5 × 8 series-parallel configuration. The simulation model of the PV array, developed in MATLAB/Simulink, is shown in Fig. 2. The operating temperature is set to 25 °C, and the maximum irradiance is 1000 W/m². The specific parameters of the selected PV module are as follows: open-circuit voltage of 36.3 V, short-circuit current of 7.84 A, voltage at maximum power point of 29 V, and current at maximum power point of 7.35 A. Figure 3 displays the P–V characteristic curves of the array under the various irradiance conditions detailed in Table 2.
Simulation model of the PV array.
P–V characteristic curves of the PV array.
As shown by the P–V curves in Fig. 3, the GMPP for the five operating conditions correspond to power outputs of 8517.80 W, 6790.35 W, 5062.99 W, 4606.71 W, and 3094.89 W, respectively.
The RBMO is a metaheuristic algorithm based on swarm intelligence, proposed by Shengwei Fu et al. in 2024³¹. It is inspired by the hunting process of the red-billed blue magpie, which is modeled in three distinct phases: prey searching, prey attacking, and food storing. These three phases are mathematically modeled below.
In nature, red-billed blue magpies improve their search efficiency by hunting collaboratively in small groups (2–5 individuals) or larger flocks (10 + individuals). They adapt their search strategy-which includes ground hopping, walking, and probing trees-based on environmental conditions. This behavior is modeled mathematically.
Equation (5) represents the exploration strategy for small groups, while Eq. (6) models the strategy for larger flocks.
where, t represents the current iteration number; Xⁱ(t + 1) represents the i-th new search position; p represents the number of red-billed blue magpies hunting in small groups of 2 to 5, randomly selected from all search individuals; X^m represents the randomly selected m-th individual; Xⁱ(t) represents the i-th individual; X^rs(t) represents a randomly selected search in the current iteration; q represents the number of searches when exploring food as a flock, in the range [10, n]; Rand is a random number between [0, 1]; Levy(dim) is the Lévy flight function, as shown in formulas (7) and (8).
where, u and v are random variables from a normal distribution; β is a constant of 1.5.
The prey attacking phase models the magpies’ proficient and cooperative hunting tactics. The strategy varies by group size. Small groups typically target smaller prey, a behavior modeled by Eq. (9). In contrast, larger flocks can collaboratively hunt bigger prey, which is mathematically represented by Eq. (10).
where, X^food(t) represents the position of the food; Randn represents a random number used to generate a standard normal distribution; CF is the adaptive convergence factor, with its formula shown in Eq. (11).
This phase models the magpies’ behavior of storing surplus food in hidden locations to create a reserve. In the algorithm, this translates to preserving the best-found solutions, which helps guide individuals toward the global optimum. This food-storing mechanism is mathematically modeled by Eq. (12), which functions as a greedy selection strategy.
where, fitnessⁱ_old and fitnessⁱ_new respectively represent the fitness values of the i-th red-billed blue magpie before and after the position update.
The conventional P&O method operates by first measuring the PV array’s real-time voltage and current to calculate its instantaneous output power, as shown in Eq. (13). It then determines the change in power (dP) and voltage (dV) between consecutive time steps, as defined in Eq. (14). Based on the sign of the ratio dP/dV, the duty cycle of the converter is dynamically adjusted to track the maximum power point (MPP).
where V_t represents the current time’s photovoltaic array output voltage; V_t-1 represents the previous time’s photovoltaic array output voltage; P_t represents the current time’s photovoltaic array output power; P_t-1 represents the previous time’s photovoltaic array output power.
To enhance performance, this paper proposes a VP&O method that utilizes an exponential decay function to adjust the step size, as defined in Eqs. (15) and (16).
where, D_min and D_max are the set minimum and maximum values of the duty cycle; δ is a constant.
In the proposed MPPT control system, when the PV array operates under partial shading conditions, the IRBMO-VP&O algorithm initiates a global search using the IRBMO component to rapidly converge to the region of the GMPP. Once the switching condition in Eq. (17) is satisfied, the algorithm transitions to the VP&O method for a fine-tuned local search to enhance tracking precision. If a significant environmental change occurs that satisfies the restart condition in Eq. (18), the algorithm reinitiates a new optimization cycle. The complete workflow of the IRBMO-VP&O algorithm is illustrated in the flowchart in Fig. 4. The process begins with a global search using the enhanced IRBMO algorithm (incorporating Lévy flight and a diversity mechanism). After satisfying the switching criterion, it transitions to the VP&O algorithm for precise local tracking. The adaptive restart mechanism, triggered by sudden power fluctuations from external disturbances, ensures efficient and stable tracking of the GMPP under complex and dynamic irradiance conditions.
where, t is the current iteration number and T_max is the maximum number of iterations.
Flowchart of the IRBMO-VP&O algorithm.
To validate the effectiveness of the proposed IRBMO-VP&O algorithm, a PV system simulation model was developed in MATLAB/Simulink, as depicted in Fig. 5. This model comprises an algorithm control module, the PV array, a PWM generation module, and a DC-DC Boost converter (Its parameter settings are: inductance (L) = 85 mH, capacitance (C1/C2) = 500 µF/20 µF, and resistance = 20 Ω). The specific parameters of the IRBMO-VP&O algorithm are shown in Table 3.
PV system simulation model.
In this section, simulations were conducted under static shading conditions to compare the performance of nine algorithms: GWO, PSO, RIME, SSA, IGWO-VINC, PSO-P&O, RBMO, IRBMO, and the proposed IRBMO-VP&O. The simulation results for condition I, condition II, condition III, condition IV, and condition V are presented in Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, respectively.
Static simulation results for condition I.
Static simulation results for condition II.
Static simulation results for condition III.
Static simulation results for condition IV.
Static simulation results for condition V.
For a quantitative performance analysis, data were extracted from the simulation results shown in Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Convergence time is defined as the time required for the tracked power to reach and remain within 5% of the true maximum power. The convergence time, maximum tracked power, and tracking accuracy for each algorithm across the five conditions are summarized in Table 4. The data reveal that the IRBMO-VP&O algorithm consistently demonstrates superior performance, achieving both faster convergence (e.g., 0.042s in condition III) and higher tracking accuracy (e.g., 99.985% in condition IV).
Table 4 presents the convergence time and tracking accuracy data of nine algorithms under five static shading conditions, demonstrating the significant comprehensive superiority of the proposed IRBMO-VP&O algorithm. In terms of convergence speed, IRBMO-VP&O achieves the fastest performance across all conditions, with convergence times ranging from 0.042 to 0.067 s (average 0.054 s), which is 64.7% shorter than the average of the eight benchmark algorithms (0.153 s). Notably, it reaches 0.042 s in Condition III, 25.0% faster than IRBMO (0.056 s) and 43.2% faster than RBMO (0.074 s); under the most complex Condition V, it achieves 0.061 s, 74.8% faster than PSO-P&O (0.242 s). Regarding tracking accuracy, IRBMO-VP&O consistently maintains above 99.98% (99.982~99.988%) in Conditions I~IV, with an average accuracy of 98.345%, representing a 4.06% point improvement over the average of the eight benchmark algorithms (94.285%). Most notably, in Condition IV, where RBMO and IRBMO both fall into local optima (only 3793.37 W and 3843.70 W), IRBMO-VP&O successfully tracks 4,606.02 W (99.985% accuracy), achieving a power gain of over 800 W (approximately 21%). In Condition V, its accuracy of 91.785% outperforms IRBMO by 6.81% points and RBMO by 7.13% points. These data fully validate the exceptional performance of IRBMO-VP&O through the synergistic effect of enhanced global search and precise local refinement, effectively avoiding local optima and significantly improving the power generation efficiency of PV systems. To provide a clear visual comparison, the data from Table 4 are plotted in Fig. 11. These charts intuitively illustrate the significant advantages of the IRBMO-VP&O algorithm in both tracking accuracy and convergence speed.
Comparison charts of static simulation data
The MPPT performance of four algorithms-P&O, INC, RBMO, and IRBMO-VP&O was evaluated under dynamic conditions, with the response curves shown in Fig. 12. The simulation models scenarios with sudden changes in irradiance. The results show that the IRBMO-VP&O algorithm has a much faster dynamic response, enabling it to rapidly re-lock onto the new GMPP after an irradiance change. In contrast, the conventional P&O and INC algorithms exhibited significant tracking lag or became trapped in local optima due to their fixed step sizes and lack of global search capabilities.
Dynamic simulation results.
For a quantitative analysis, performance metrics were extracted from the results in Fig. 12, with convergence time defined as the time taken to reach and stay within 5% of the true GMPP. The convergence time, maximum tracked power, and tracking accuracy for the four algorithms under three distinct dynamic scenarios are summarized in Table 5. As shown, the IRBMO-VP&O algorithm consistently achieves fast convergence and high tracking accuracy, validating its superior performance.
The data in Table 5 highlights the exceptional performance of the IRBMO-VP&O algorithm in dynamic environments. Its average convergence time was only 0.055 s, with a tracking accuracy consistently maintained above 99.986%. This significantly outperforms the benchmark algorithms: the P&O algorithm was fast but inaccurate and prone to getting trapped; the INC algorithm suffered from significant lag and also became trapped; and the standalone RBMO algorithm exhibited wide fluctuations in accuracy (ranging from 92.322fig. 1
to 97.283%). These results confirm the advantages of IRBMO-VP&O’s hybrid approach, which combines global search with adaptive step-sizing to effectively handle complex operating conditions like sudden irradiance changes. The comparison charts in Fig. 13 provide a clear visual representation of the superior tracking accuracy and convergence speed of IRBMO-VP&O relative to the other three algorithms.
Comparison charts of dynamic simulation data.
This paper proposes a hybrid MPPT control strategy named IRBMO-VP&O, which synergistically combines an improved red-billed blue magpie optimization (IRBMO) algorithm with a variable-step perturb and observe (VP&O) method based on exponential decay. The strategy is specifically designed to tackle the multi-peak tracking challenges inherent in photovoltaic systems under partial shading conditions. The principal methodological and practical contributions of this work are summarized as follows:
The integration of Lévy flight and an individual diversity mechanism significantly enhances the global exploration capability of the IRBMO algorithm. This improvement effectively prevents premature convergence to local optima—a common limitation in conventional metaheuristic and P&O methods when dealing with multi-peak P–V characteristics.
A novel variable-step mechanism employing an exponential decay function allows the VP&O algorithm to adaptively refine the tracking step size near the maximum power point. This design reduces steady-state oscillation and improves tracking precision. Coupled with a power-change-triggered restart mechanism, the algorithm demonstrates strong adaptability and robustness under rapidly changing environmental conditions.
The hybrid structure leverages the complementary strengths of global search (via IRBMO) and localized refinement (via VP&O), facilitating both rapid convergence and high tracking accuracy. This offers a viable and efficient solution for real-world PV systems operating under complex and fluctuating irradiance conditions.
Future work will focus on the hardware implementation of the proposed IRBMO-VP&O algorithm and its application in grid-connected control strategies for photovoltaic-energy storage systems.
It should be noted that although this study primarily evaluates dynamic performance under irradiance variations, the proposed IRBMO-VP&O algorithm is fundamentally designed to track the maximum power point by directly optimizing the P–V characteristic curve of the PV array. Since temperature variation and load disturbance also manifest as changes in the P–V profile, the proposed hybrid structure with global search capability and adaptive restart mechanism is theoretically capable of responding to simultaneous multi-parameter variations. Comprehensive multi-factor coupled disturbance validation will be considered in future work.
The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data have not been made public yet, as the data in this article still needs to be used for further research.
Description
Photovoltaic
Maximum power point tracking
Partial shading conditions
Global maximum power point
Local maximum power point
Hill climbing
Perturb and observe
Incremental conductance
Grey wolf optimizer
Particle swarm optimization
Sparrow search algorithm
Improved red-billed blue magpie optimization algorithm combined with the variable step-size perturb and observe algorithm
Red-billed blue magpie optimization
Variable step-size perturb and observe
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This work was supported by the following projects:1. Chuzhou University Industry–University–Research Cooperation Project (HX2023183).2. Chuzhou University Undergraduate Innovation Training Program (2025CXXL069).
This research was supported by the Industry-University-Research Cooperation Project of Chuzhou University (HX2023183) and the College Students’ Innovation Training Program of Chuzhou University (2025CXXL069).
School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou, 239000, China
Xiang’ao Wang
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Wang, X. A photovoltaic maximum power point tracking strategy based on the IRBMO-VP&O algorithm. Sci Rep 16, 12910 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43400-3
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Received: 14 August 2025
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Published: 10 March 2026
Version of record: 21 April 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43400-3
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As the world adds solar and wind energy capacity at an unprecedented scale, we are increasingly faced with an energy variability crisis. Solar panels only produce energy when the sun is shining, and wind turbines when the wind is blowing. Unfortunately, energy demand curves are often directly at odds with these production trends. This creates a major dilemma for the energy grid, as well as for energy markets. And market volatility, including record-breaking negative energy prices in places where renewables have been deployed at a massive scale, can scare off investors, thereby threatening the future of clean energy adoption when it’s never been more urgently needed.
The obvious solution to this problem is the massive expansion of grid-scale energy storage and the development of cost-effective and scalable long-term energy storage solutions. Scientists around the world are currently hard at work doing just this – but many researchers are also looking into new and novel forms of clean energy production that can produce around-the-clock, avoiding the variability issue altogether. 
Some of these solutions are so out-of-the-box and innovative that they sound ripped from the pages of science fiction, from “reverse solar panels” that create energy at night after capturing heat during the day, “anti-solar panels” that can create light from darkness, and sending solar panels to space, where the sun never sets. 
But those all sound relatively plausible compared to new findings out of China. Just last month, a team of researchers based in Yunnan published a study revealing that it has made a new form of solar energy system that can create energy even in darkness. And, craziest of all, it’s made of wood. “Our work presents a scalable and environmentally friendly wood-based platform for advanced solar thermal energy harvesting,” the researchers wrote in their paper, published in the scientific journal Advanced Energy Materials. 
Raw wood reflects sunlight and absorbs water, qualities which can be harnessed to create a kind of solar cell. Balsa wood, in particular, has the potential to work in a solar energy system due to its natural formation. The research team found that, thanks to its natural structure full of aligned microtubes, balsa wood is excellent for guiding heat and holding onto materials like a ‘natural scaffold.’ 
However, the wood is not useful for energy applications in its natural state. In essence, the method works by “rebuilding wood from the inside out,” as explained by Interesting Engineering. First, the natural lignin, which gives the wood its color and rigidity, must be removed to make the material extra porous, essentially turning the wood into a sponge. Then, all those internal channels are coated with black phosphorene, “a material that absorbs sunlight across ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths and converts it into heat.” Finally, those channels are filled with stearic acid, which melts and stores energy when heated. 
This, among other methodological details, is what makes the material useful as a component of a solar energy system. When sunlight hits the material, it heats up and melts the acid inside, which is then released gradually, meaning that the material continues to produce energy in the form of heat long after the source of sunlight is gone. “As a proof of concept, stable solar–thermal–electric conversion is demonstrated with an output voltage of up to 0.65 V under one-sun irradiation,” the paper went on to detail. 
“This work suggests a simple way to build a highly efficient solar system,” reports Interesting Engineering. “If successful, it could be adapted to other nanomaterials and biomass structures, giving rise to a new generation of solar power systems capable of capturing, storing, and managing energy on their own.”
By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com
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America clamp down on solar panel imports, Indonesia faces 143% tariff  IDNFinancials
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05-112 | SOLAR LABEL – SOLAR PV SYSTEM EQUIPPED NEC 2017 690.56(C) | PV  primetimes.id
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India is steadily shaping up to be a 50 GW annual market, while its nameplate annual manufacturing capacity is well over 144 GW today. Needless to say, a large part of this progress is driven by a favorable regulatory environment that has created not only demand but also the boundary conditions for domestic supply to grow quickly. 
Looking ahead, India needs to ascertain the strategic guardrails it needs to achieve solar PV manufacturing autonomy. This was the subject of deliberation at the policy panel at TaiyangNews Solar Technology Conference India 2026 (STC.I 2026), held in New Delhi on February 5 and 6.  
Moderated by TaiyangNews Managing Director Michael Schmela, along with National Solar Energy Federation of India’s (NSEFI) Assistant Director for Strategy, Manufacturing & PR, Shubhang Parekh, the panel examined India’s strategy to achieve solar PV manufacturing autonomy.  
Panelists comprised:  
Jai Prakash, Deputy Director General at the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE),  an autonomous institute under India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), NISE serves as the apex national R&D and capacity-building institution for solar energy, providing technical support to government programs, conducting research and testing, and supporting implementation of national solar policies. 
Sandeep Garg, CEO of Landsmill Group, an Indian renewable energy and manufacturing enterprise that is establishing a 5 GW solar module assembly line using TOPCon technology in Madhya Pradesh, one of the larger capacities proposed in the Indian manufacturing landscape. 
Rishabh Jain, Fellow at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), one of Asia’s leading policy think tanks focused on energy, climate, and sustainable development, offering analysis and policy recommendations on clean energy transitions, industrial competitiveness, and the economics of solar manufacturing.  
Here’s the edited summary of the panel discussion:  
Michael Schmela: What does solar autonomy and strategic resilience really mean from your perspective? 
Rishabh Jain: When I talk about autonomy in the solar sector, I look at how concentrated global supply chains have become. A decade ago, Europe was a leader in technology and equipment manufacturing, but manufacturing shifted because of strong anchor demand in China. Manufacturing does not just move automatically; it follows demand. 
In India, while we are increasing installations, I do not see deployment yet at a level that alone can sustain the 250 GW manufacturing capacity that is being discussed for 2030. Earlier, exports – especially to the US – played a big role. Around 98% of India’s solar module exports went to the US in 2025, and that supported domestic manufacturers. 
Going forward, I believe autonomy must be supported by consistent domestic deployment of large projects. Manufacturing will only survive if there is steady demand. Along with that, we need R&D, skills, and equipment capability, but demand remains the biggest driver. 
Sandeep Garg: Talking about overcapacity concerns, I do not see overcapacity as a negative. In my previous experience, I have seen that overcapacity can actually lead to better solutions. 
However, I believe one key challenge is grid absorption. Transmission capacity and distribution systems are not fully ready to absorb all the solar power we generate. If solar generation cannot be integrated properly into the grid, then deployment alone will not solve the issue. 
For me, solar autonomy means not just producing more panels but ensuring that we can absorb and use the energy efficiently. The recent push for pumped hydro storage, for example, is a good step because it allows us to store and utilize solar power more effectively. 
Jai Prakash: From the Ministry’s perspective, autonomy is linked to our national climate commitments. We have a target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, with around 292 GW expected from solar. By 2047, we are looking at more than 2,000 GW. 
To ensure we meet these targets without supply disruptions, the government introduced policies like the PLI scheme and ALMM. We deliberately designed higher incentives for vertically integrated plants and local value addition to strengthen domestic manufacturing. 
Solar cell capacity has increased from around 1 GW in 2015 to nearly 28 GW today. However, if we look at full domestic value chains, we still cannot produce more than about 17 or 18 GW of modules using fully domestic materials. So, autonomy is progressing, but we still need to strengthen upstream areas like wafers and polysilicon. 
Michael Schmela: How should India balance supply chain risks, geopolitical tensions, and the need for rapid expansion? 
Sandeep Garg: Risk is part of any business. We have seen geopolitical relationships fluctuate, but we have managed those risks. I believe India is competent enough to handle supply disruptions. 
Yes, risk may come with additional costs, but with policy support from the government and adaptability from manufacturers, I believe we can manage that cost. Both policy push and industry capability exist today, which gives me confidence. 
Rishabh Jain: After COVID, the government clearly shifted toward increasing domestic value addition through customs duties, ALMM, DCR projects, and PLI schemes. 
However, one challenge is the technology transition. Solar technology is evolving quickly. If someone sets up a plant in 2026, they want the latest technology. But deciding when to invest is difficult because technology keeps changing. Financiers also question whether manufacturers are locking into the right technology. 
Another challenge is building capabilities in areas where we have never manufactured before, such as wafers or advanced equipment. We need equipment immediately and at competitive costs, which limits our options. 
In my view, we should focus strategically, build R&D capability, and strengthen ecosystem components like silver paste and other materials. It is a short- to long-term process, and patience is important. 
Jai Prakash: I see technology transition as one of the biggest risks. We have moved from PERC to TOPCon, HJT, IBC, and possibly tandem technologies in the future. Manufacturers need to adapt quickly, but tools are mostly imported, and skilled manpower is limited. 
While module manufacturing scaled quickly to 143 GW, cell manufacturing is more complex and takes time. PLI was announced in 2022, and we are in 2026 now, with some upstream components still requiring extensions. 
To address this, we need dedicated R&D clusters and closer collaboration between manufacturers and research institutions. We also need trained manpower. At NISE, we have launched hands-on training programs to prepare graduates for production line work. 
Shubhang Parekh: How does the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) affect India’s ability to diversify its solar supply chain? 
Sandeep Garg: Technology development largely occurred in Europe, while manufacturing shifted to China mainly because of costs. I see the FTA as creating a partnership where technology can migrate to India and be produced at a lower cost. 
This could lead to a strong collaboration between European technology providers and Indian manufacturers. For example, recycling could be an area where European technology, combined with Indian cost competitiveness, creates value. 
I believe this agreement is a positive development and can support machinery imports and joint manufacturing solutions. 
Rishabh Jain: The FTA discussions have been ongoing for many years. In terms of tariffs, the changes may not be dramatic. However, I see the agreement as politically significant. It signals alignment between India and Europe in a changing global context. 
What may matter more is increased human-to-human engagement, industry delegations, and institutional collaboration. This can lead to the co-development of technology and stronger partnerships. Clean energy is an area where both regions are fully aligned. Over time, this alignment can lead to stronger collaboration in solar and related sectors. 
Jai Prakash: On the technology side, we should not restart from scratch. We should adopt the latest available technologies while also working jointly with European institutions on future innovations. I believe a tri-party collaboration model involving Indian research institutes, European research institutes, and the industry would be effective. This would allow local support combined with global expertise. 
Michael Schmela: What long-term principles, which act as strategic guardrails, should policymakers and industry leaders follow?  
Sandeep Garg: I have seen a clear shift in policy stability over the last 3 to 4 years. Earlier, policies were sometimes reactive, but now they are more predictable and announced well in advance. 
Policy consistency is essential for investment. Government support in the form of PLI and grants has also improved. These 3 pillars – policy stability, market integration, and financial support – have significantly changed the solar landscape in India. 
Rishabh Jain: While protective policies like ALMM and customs duties are important, the ultimate focus should be competitiveness. We cannot try to do everything at once and spread ourselves too thin. 
We need to prioritize strategic areas and gradually build ecosystem strength. Support mechanisms cannot continue forever, so the industry must prepare to compete globally. I agree with Sandeep that policy certainty is crucial. If deadlines are frequently extended, investor confidence may weaken. We need to ensure that commitments are followed through. 
Michael Schmela: How do you think India will be viewed globally by 2030? 
Sandeep Garg: I believe India will be seen as a resilient and competitive international solar manufacturer. As integration across the value chain increases, we will strengthen our global presence. 
Jai Prakash: By 2030, I expect India to be largely self-sufficient in most segments. I do not see long-term dependence on heavy protection if we continue progressing as planned. 
Shubhang Parekh: From an industry body perspective, I believe we will still require some policy support, especially in upstream areas like ingot and polysilicon. However, we will be dealing with more advanced challenges rather than basic capacity gaps. 
Rishabh Jain: In the near term, some protection may continue. But over time, I expect India to evolve into a more open and competitive player in the global solar market. 
Michael Schmela & Shubhang Parekh: Thank you, all. 
TaiyangNews 2024

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More from The Sun
ALDI’S bargain portable solar panels are hitting shelves this weekend – and are half the price of Amazon’s.
The product will be in store this Sunday for just £29.99.
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Aldi’s newest flexible 40W solar charger allow customers to stay charged up while out and about, for a bargain price.
The design is lightweight and foldable, making it perfect for camping an hiking.
It boasts four high-efficiency solar panels and 3 USB ports to charge your devices from.
The product is also water and dust resistant, making it durable for most outdoor activities.
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The £29.99 charger is a bargain price compared to the £59.99 Amazon equivalent.
While the rival edition is slightly larger and carries 60W, it is also heavier and double the cost.
This comes not long after a number of bargain retailers announced the launch of new budget-friendly solar panels.
This includes Lidl and Amazon, who are hoping to offer them for less that £400, helping houses to save money on energy bills.
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This compares to the £5,000 to £8,000 cost of normal solar panels.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) estimates an average UK home could save £70 to £100 a year on their energy bills, from these new products.
From a friendly tarantula to a cat with no tail – your pet queries answered
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A major rooftop solar installation has been completed at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, according to a report by Solar Power World.
Advanced Green Technologies finished the 2.2-MWDC project, which is among the largest rooftop solar arrays in Florida. The system more than doubles the convention center’s previous solar energy production while using the same rooftop footprint. The company removed an earlier solar installation on the building’s roof and constructed a new array in that identical area.
The installation supports the Orange County Convention Center’s LEED Gold certification and its broader sustainability strategy. It powers the venue’s daily operations. The convention center hosts roughly 2.4 million visitors each year.
Advanced Roofing handled the commercial roofing portion of the project, requiring coordination to work on a fully occupied and active building. The rooftop solar array was installed across multiple roof zones and uses Hanwha Q CELLS modules along with SolarEdge inverters equipped with power optimizers.
As part of an infrastructure upgrade, the convention center replaced its aging rooftop and the original solar panels. Instead of discarding thousands of still-operational modules, 5,800 panels were redistributed with assistance from the nonprofit IDEAS For Us to more than 120 residents, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.
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BEIJING, April 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As the world grapples with achieving sustainable economic growth, China is successfully using technology to boost people’s livelihoods while also preserving the environment.
In this episode of the Art of Governance, CGTN’s Liu Xin is joined by Shanghai Daily’s Andy Boreham on a visit to the world’s largest solar plant in China’s Qinghai Province. Here, they discover how this unique project is not only putting money in local people’s pockets but also contributing to the area’s sustainable development.
Located in the windswept plains of the Talatan Gobi Desert, columns of solar panels stretch as far as the eye can see. But, look a little closer, and you will see thousands of sheep roaming and grazing freely amongst the metallic pillars and photovoltaic panels.
As with all great ideas, this one was born out of necessity. Desertification was threatening the livelihoods of local herdsmen as they were continuously forced to supplement their livestock’s feed amid declining fertile pastures. Cao Jun, an engineer at the Hainan Branch of Huanghe Corporation, explains that local herdsmen are granted free access to the site, with their sheep able to graze on the fresh grass sprouting up beneath the solar columns.
This vast solar jungle boasts a power generation capacity of 8,430 megawatts. Meanwhile, the water runoff from cleaning the panels creates fertile land for grass to grow and the sheep to graze naturally once again. This project ensures regular income for the herders and an abundance of food for their flock, all the while delivering clean energy to the nation’s energy grid.

Dimitri De Boer, Chief Representative for China at ClientEarth, believes this system is “perfect” as it sustains local livelihoods while also improving the area’s land quality. “There is no trade-off. It’s win-win for everybody,” he said.
Though the solar plant in Qinghai is monumental in scale, it is just one small example of the many innovative ways China is utilizing technology to advance economic development while protecting and caring for the environment.
“In China, you’re seeing how high-quality economic growth is firmly intertwined with sustainability,” De Boer added. “It’s tremendous to see how technological innovation and economic growth, and also sustainability, can really go hand in hand.”
Green development is a key part of the Chinese path to modernization. According to the 15th Five-Year Plan, China will advance the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality by coordinating actions to cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, expand green capacity and promote growth.
China’s green development has not only helped to expand the greening of areas of its own land but also benefited the world at large. China supplies about 70% of the world’s wind power equipment and 80% of photovoltaic components, helping drive down the global cost of wind and solar power generation by more than 60% and 80% respectively.

As the 15th Five-Year Plan period begins, China will continue to pursue green development, work with all countries to preserve what gives our planet life, jointly address global climate challenges, protect the green Earth, and secure a cleaner and more beautiful world.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8ecc2381-a090-4523-9cfd-6ea31fa01f65

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XI’AN, China, April 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Taiyang News, a globally authoritative photovoltaic media outlet, officially released its April 2026 edition of the "TOP SOLAR MODULES LISTING". LONGi’s EcoLife series modules (LR7-54HJD-510M), built on HIBC technology, have firmly claimed the top spot with a mass production efficiency of 25%. This milestone marks international recognition of LONGi’s innovation strength in the back-contact (BC) technology pathway and ushers in a new "25%+" era for PV module efficiency.


Since 2022, Taiyang News has published its monthly "TOP SOLAR MODULES Listing," now widely recognized as an authoritative efficiency ranking in the global PV industry. The ranking imposes stringent inclusion criteria: only products that have achieved large-scale mass production, have complete technical data, and deliver conversion efficiency of ≥21.5% are considered. Moreover, all data must come from commercial products already delivered to end customers. With "real and deliverable" as its baseline, the ranking holds high industry reference value and credibility, serving as a barometer for global PV module efficiency levels. LONGi’s top position proves that its HIBC products have reached the world’s highest efficiency in real mass production.
Behind this achievement lies LONGi’s persistent efforts in BC technology. HIBC (High-temperature/Low-temperature Hybrid Interdigitated Back-Contact) cell technology is a major innovation along LONGi’s BC roadmap. It combines the high passivation performance of heterojunction (HJT) technology with the superior light utilization of the back-contact structure, achieving the world’s first mass production of such modules. In April 2025, the ISFH (Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin) certified LONGi’s HIBC cell efficiency at 27.81%, setting a new world record for this technology and approaching the theoretical limit of single-crystalline silicon cells.
Li Zhenguo, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of LONGi, commented: "This is another peak that LONGi has reached in technological innovation, as well as another major breakthrough in our BC technology journey. We have taken PV module efficiency to a significantly higher level, fully demonstrating the high scalability of BC technology and the substantial room for further efficiency gains."
The EcoLife series modules, designed specifically for residential applications, deliver a maximum power output of up to 510W. The EcoLife series modules increase the cell-to-module area ratio from 93.2% to 95.1%, thereby significantly enhancing light absorption. To address shading issues, the modules feature a unique quasi-bypass diode structure that enables current routing. Under shading, power loss is reduced by more than 70% compared to TOPCon products, making them highly resistant to soiling and shadows. With a leading power density of 250W/m², the modules effectively solve the challenge of generating more power on limited roof areas, substantially reducing household electricity costs.
Martin Green, known as the "Father of PV" and a professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia, has praised the technology: "On the ‘Solar Cell Efficiency Tables’ list, LONGi’s HIBC technology dominates, taking the number one spot. This is also attributable to LONGi’s persistent efforts on the BC technology track."
To date, LONGi’s HIBC and BC series modules have gained extensive market validation worldwide. In January 2026, the LONGi EcoLife won the German Excellence Award 2026 in the "Energy & Environment" category. The jury’s citation read: "LONGi EcoLife: Higher Power Generation, Higher Safety – Modules for an Uncertain Climate Future," specifically acknowledging the product’s technical leadership and application value. In February, LONGi renewed a three-year framework agreement with Energy 3000, a well-known European energy solutions provider, to continuously supply a total of 2GW of high-efficiency PV modules, focusing on HPBC 2.0 and LONGi EcoLife modules based on HIBC technology.
At present, HIBC cell technology has already achieved large-scale mass production. LONGi has built a complete BC technology matrix ranging from HPBC 2.0 to HIBC. Moving forward, LONGi will continue to drive technological innovation, further boost module efficiency and power density through its BC technology platform, deepen global market applications of high-efficiency products such as HIBC, and strive to deliver more valuable clean energy solutions to customers worldwide, contributing to the global energy transition and the realization of carbon neutrality goals.
 

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According to the latest IndexBox report on the global Fluoropolymer Film market, the market enters 2026 with broader demand fundamentals, more disciplined procurement behavior, and a more regionally diversified supply architecture.
The global fluoropolymer film market is entering a period of sustained expansion, with demand projected to accelerate through 2035 as high-performance materials become indispensable in electronics miniaturization, renewable energy infrastructure, and advanced chemical processing. Fluoropolymer films—including PTFE, FEP, PVDF, PFA, ETFE, and PCTFE variants—offer a unique combination of thermal stability, chemical inertness, low friction, and superior dielectric properties that make them critical in applications ranging from semiconductor fabrication to solar panel backsheets. The market is transitioning from a purely industrial, specification-driven supply chain toward a more diversified landscape where sustainability credentials, lightweighting, and reliability under extreme conditions drive procurement decisions. By 2035, the market index is expected to reach 158 (2025=100), reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.2% over the forecast period. This growth is supported by robust demand from the electrical and electronics sector, where fluoropolymer films enable higher power densities and miniaturized components, and from the renewable energy segment, where PVDF and ETFE films are essential for durable photovoltaic backsheets and encapsulants. However, the market faces headwinds from volatile fluorochemical feedstock prices, stringent environmental regulations on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and competition from alternative high-performance polymers in certain applications. The analysis covers all major polymer types, end-use sectors, and regional markets, providing a comprehensive view of the forces shaping the fluoropolymer film industry through 2035.
The baseline scenario for the fluoropolymer film market from 2026 to 2035 assumes steady global economic growth, continued industrialization in Asia-Pacific, and accelerating adoption of electric vehicles and renewable energy systems. Under this scenario, global consumption of fluoropolymer films is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.2%, reaching a market index of 158 by 2035 relative to 2025. Volume growth will be led by Asia-Pacific, which already accounts for over 45% of global demand, driven by electronics manufacturing in China, South Korea, and Taiwan, as well as expanding solar panel production. North America and Europe will see moderate but value-accretive growth, with demand shifting toward premium grades for aerospace, medical, and semiconductor applications. The market is expected to benefit from ongoing miniaturization trends in consumer electronics and automotive electronics, where thinner, more reliable insulation films are required. In the chemical processing industry, replacement cycles and stricter corrosion resistance standards will sustain demand for PTFE and PFA linings. The solar energy sector will remain a key growth engine, with PVDF and ETFE films gaining share as bifacial and lightweight panel designs proliferate. On the supply side, capacity expansions by major fluoropolymer producers in China and the United States are expected to ease tightness in certain grades, though PFAS regulatory developments in Europe and North America could constrain production of some long-chain fluoropolymers. Price trends will be influenced by fluorspar and fluorine gas costs, as well as energy prices, but overall, the market is expected to maintain a healthy balance between supply and demand through the forecast period.
The electrical and electronics sector remains the largest consumer of fluoropolymer films, accounting for approximately 32% of global demand. These films are essential for wire and cable insulation, flexible printed circuit boards, and dielectric layers in capacitors and transformers. The trend toward miniaturization in consumer electronics and the rollout of 5G and future 6G networks require materials that can withstand higher frequencies and temperatures while maintaining signal integrity. PTFE and FEP films are preferred for their low dielectric constant and dissipation factor, while PVDF films are used in piezoelectric sensors and actuators. Through 2035, demand will be driven by increasing electronic content in vehicles, growth in data centers, and the proliferation of IoT devices. Key demand-side indicators include global semiconductor capital expenditure, smartphone and PC shipment volumes, and telecom infrastructure investment. The shift toward thinner, more flexible devices will push film thickness below 25 microns, requiring advanced extrusion and surface treatment capabilities. Current trend: Growing steadily with miniaturization and 5G/6G infrastructure.
Major trends: Adoption of ultra-thin PTFE films (under 12 microns) for high-density interconnect PCBs, Integration of fluoropolymer films in 5G antenna systems for low-loss signal transmission, Growing use of PVDF films in flexible sensors and energy harvesting devices, and Development of halogen-free flame retardant fluoropolymer blends for wire insulation.
Representative participants: Chemours Company, Daikin Industries Ltd, 3M Company, Rogers Corporation, and Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics.
The renewable energy segment, primarily solar photovoltaic backsheets, accounts for 22% of fluoropolymer film demand and is the fastest-growing end-use sector. PVDF and ETFE films are widely used as outer layers in backsheet constructions due to their exceptional UV resistance, weatherability, and moisture barrier properties. As solar module manufacturers seek to extend product warranties to 30 years and improve efficiency, fluoropolymer films are increasingly specified over alternatives like PET or polyamide. The shift toward bifacial modules, which capture light from both sides, is driving demand for transparent ETFE frontsheets. Through 2035, global solar PV installations are expected to exceed 500 GW annually, with Asia-Pacific leading capacity additions. Demand-side indicators include government renewable energy targets, solar module production volumes, and average module efficiency improvements. The trend toward lightweight, flexible solar panels for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) will further boost ETFE film consumption. Current trend: Rapid growth driven by global solar capacity additions and bifacial module adoption.
Major trends: Rising adoption of transparent ETFE films for bifacial and building-integrated PV modules, Development of co-extruded multilayer backsheets combining PVDF with other polymers for cost optimization, Increasing demand for white PVDF backsheets to enhance module efficiency through light reflection, and Shift toward thinner backsheet films (under 250 microns) to reduce material costs and weight.
Representative participants: Arkema S.A, Daikin Industries Ltd, Solvay S.A, 3M Company, and Honeywell International Inc.
The chemical processing and industrial linings sector represents 20% of fluoropolymer film demand, with PTFE and PFA films being the dominant materials. These films are used as liners for tanks, pipes, valves, and vessels in industries handling corrosive chemicals, acids, and solvents. The demand is driven by the need to extend equipment life, reduce maintenance costs, and comply with increasingly stringent environmental and safety regulations regarding chemical containment. Through 2035, replacement cycles in aging chemical plants, particularly in North America and Europe, will sustain demand. In emerging markets, new chemical capacity additions in China, India, and the Middle East will drive incremental consumption. Key demand-side indicators include global chemical production indices, capital expenditure in the chemical sector, and regulatory updates on emission controls. The trend toward higher operating temperatures and pressures in chemical processes is pushing demand for PFA films, which offer superior thermal and chemical resistance compared to PTFE. Current trend: Stable growth supported by replacement demand and stricter corrosion regulations.
Major trends: Increasing specification of PFA films for high-purity semiconductor chemical delivery systems, Development of anti-static and conductive fluoropolymer films for explosive environments, Growing use of ETFE films in architectural and industrial cladding for corrosion protection, and Adoption of laser-weldable fluoropolymer films for seamless lining installations.
Representative participants: Chemours Company, Solvay S.A, AGC Inc, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, and Fluorocarbon Ltd.
The aerospace and defense sector accounts for 14% of fluoropolymer film demand, with ETFE and PCTFE films being the primary types used. These films are employed in wire and cable insulation, interior panels, fuel system components, and radome covers due to their lightweight, flame retardancy, and resistance to extreme temperatures and chemicals. The sector’s growth is tied to commercial aircraft production rates, which are recovering post-pandemic, and increasing defense budgets globally. Through 2035, the push for fuel efficiency and reduced emissions will drive demand for lighter materials, with ETFE films replacing heavier traditional insulation in some applications. Key demand-side indicators include aircraft delivery forecasts, aerospace OEM backlogs, and military procurement programs. The trend toward more electric aircraft, with higher voltage systems, will require advanced insulation films capable of withstanding partial discharge and corona effects. PCTFE films are also used in cryogenic insulation for space launch vehicles and satellite systems. Current trend: Moderate growth driven by aircraft production rates and lightweighting initiatives.
Major trends: Adoption of ETFE films for lightweight wire harnesses in next-generation narrowbody aircraft, Development of low-smoke, zero-halogen fluoropolymer films for cabin interiors, Increasing use of PCTFE films in cryogenic fuel tanks for hydrogen-powered aircraft, and Integration of fluoropolymer films in conformal antennas and stealth coatings.
Representative participants: W. L. Gore & Associates, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, 3M Company, Rogers Corporation, and Polyflon Technology Ltd.
The medical and pharmaceutical packaging sector represents 12% of fluoropolymer film demand, with PTFE, FEP, and PFA films being the most common. These films are used for blister packaging, pouches, tubing, and liners for drug delivery systems, as well as for implantable devices and surgical instruments. The demand is driven by the growth of biologic drugs, which require high-barrier, inert packaging to maintain stability, and the increasing use of pre-filled syringes and auto-injectors. Through 2035, the aging global population and expansion of healthcare access in emerging markets will boost pharmaceutical consumption. Key demand-side indicators include pharmaceutical R&D spending, biologics approval rates, and medical device market growth. The trend toward personalized medicine and advanced drug delivery systems will require custom film formulations with precise permeability and surface properties. Fluoropolymer films are also used in sterile packaging for surgical kits, where they provide a reliable barrier against moisture and microbes while allowing for ethylene oxide or gamma sterilization. Current trend: Steady growth driven by biologics, drug delivery devices, and sterilization requirements.
Major trends: Development of ultra-clear FEP films for visual inspection of pharmaceutical packaging, Increasing use of PTFE films in implantable drug-eluting devices and catheters, Adoption of PFA films for high-purity bioprocess bags and single-use systems, and Growth in demand for laser-markable fluoropolymer films for traceability and anti-counterfeiting.
Representative participants: Chemours Company, Daikin Industries Ltd, 3M Company, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, and Chukoh Chemical Industries Ltd.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
Asia-Pacific leads global fluoropolymer film consumption at 46% share, driven by electronics manufacturing in China, South Korea, and Taiwan, and solar panel production in China. Rapid industrialization, urbanization, and government support for renewable energy and electric vehicles will sustain growth through 2035. China alone accounts for over half of regional demand. Direction: Dominant and fastest-growing region.
North America holds 22% of the market, with demand concentrated in aerospace, medical, and semiconductor applications. The region benefits from a strong presence of key fluoropolymer producers and a focus on high-performance grades. Growth will be moderate but supported by reshoring of electronics and chemical manufacturing. Direction: Mature but value-accretive market.
Europe accounts for 18% of demand, with strong end-use in chemical processing, automotive, and medical packaging. PFAS regulatory developments pose risks to production, but demand for high-quality, specialty films in aerospace and renewable energy will support moderate growth. Germany, France, and Italy are key markets. Direction: Stable with regulatory headwinds.
Latin America represents 8% of the market, driven by oil and gas, chemical processing, and growing solar energy installations in Brazil and Mexico. Economic volatility and infrastructure gaps limit faster adoption, but increasing foreign investment in renewable energy and industrial projects will boost demand through 2035. Direction: Emerging with moderate growth.
The Middle East and Africa hold 6% of the market, with demand centered on oil and gas chemical processing and solar energy projects in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and South Africa. Desalination and petrochemical expansion will drive demand for corrosion-resistant linings, while solar initiatives support PVDF film consumption. Direction: Small but growing, driven by oil & gas and solar.
In the baseline scenario, IndexBox estimates a 5.2% compound annual growth rate for the global fluoropolymer film market over 2026-2035, bringing the market index to roughly 158 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 Fluoropolymer Film market report.
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Fluoropolymer Film market in the World, including market size, structure, key trends, and forecast. The study highlights demand drivers, supply constraints, and competitive dynamics across the value chain.
The analysis is designed for manufacturers, distributors, investors, and advisors who require a consistent, data-driven view of market dynamics and a transparent analytical definition of the product scope.
This report covers fluoropolymer films, which are high-performance plastic films derived from polymers containing fluorine atoms, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), and polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE). These films are characterized by exceptional chemical resistance, thermal stability, low friction, and excellent dielectric properties, serving critical functions across advanced industrial and technological applications.
The market is analyzed under the Harmonized System (HS) codes for plastics and articles thereof, specifically within Chapter 39. Coverage focuses on codes for plates, sheets, film, foil, and strip made of plastics, which encompass the primary forms of fluoropolymer film in international trade. The classification captures both unsupported film and film that has undergone further processing.
World
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.
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, Trade and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
Where Growth and Supply Concentrate
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
Detailed View of the Most Important National Markets
How the Report Was Built
Major producer of fluoropolymer resins and films
Major fluoropolymer producer (Polyflon)
Formerly Asahi Glass, produces Fluon films
Major processor and fabricator
Diverse industrial film products
Specialist fluoropolymer film manufacturer
Specialist in engineered coated fabrics
Specialist film converter and coater
Specialist materials for electronics
Specialist in high-temp films
Part of EnPro Industries
Specialist in ePTFE membranes
Processor and distributor
Diversified film producer
Diversified materials company
Specialty polymer producer
Integrated fluoropolymer producer
Major Russian fluoropolymer producer
Specialist manufacturer
Integrated fluorochemical producer
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The IDF has launched an investigation into a video in which Israeli soldiers are seen destroying solar panels in a village in Lebanon, Israeli media reported on Saturday night.
The destruction took place in the village of Debel, the same village in which an IDF soldier was photographed smashing a statue of Jesus last week.
A source in the village told Israeli public broadcaster KAN News that the area had previously belonged to Colonel Akel al-Hashim, a deputy commander of the South Lebanon Army, before his assassination by the IDF in the year 2000.
KAN also reported that the solar panels were civilian infrastructure, being used by hundreds of residents of the village who had not been evacuated from their homes, with the IDF's permission.
“The actions seen in the video are not in line with the IDF‘s values and the conduct expected of its soldiers,” the IDF told KAN. “The incident is under investigation. Based on its findings, command measures will be taken accordingly.”
The soldier who smashed the statue of Jesus was removed from combat duty and given 30 days of military detention, the IDF announced on Tuesday, following the conclusion of its investigation into the incident.
The soldier who photographed the act was given the same punishment.
Six other soldiers who were present at the scene and “did not act to stop the incident or report it” have been summoned for “clarification discussions” to be held later, the IDF added, after which additional measures will be determined.
Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this report.
Copyright ©2026 Jpost Inc. All rights reserved
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South Australia-headquartered Zen Energy, the renewable energy player backed by high-profile economist and energy expert Ross Garnaut, is up for sale with its renewable generation and customer supply portfolio destined to change hands.
Zen confirmed it has appointed Brisbane-headquartered consultancy Rennie Advisory to run the sale process and said a number of Australian and international parties have already confirmed their interest.
“All parties have signed mutual confidentiality agreements and completed an expression of interest to participate in the transaction and material relating to that process are subject to this confidentiality,” the company said in a statement.
“We are mid-process and the precise nature of how we can partner with interested parties will be determined in the coming months.”
Zen, which was established in 2004, develops and contracts renewable energy generation and storage assets and sells the firmed energy to commercial and industrial businesses under power purchase agreements (PPAs).
The company’s portfolio includes more than 800 MW of contracted battery energy storage and about 2 TWh of long-term solar and wind PPAs.
It also has exclusive access to more than 950 MW of additional battery energy storage and 310 MW of solar through its joint venture (JV) with Taiwan-headquartered equity partner HD Renewable Energy Co (HDRE).
Announced in early 2025, the Zebre JV is developing multiple big battery and solar farm projects across three Australian states. The pipeline includes the Solar River project, a 256 MW / 650 MWh battery and 210 MW solar farm proposed for northeast South Australia, and the Hookey Creek 200 MW battery and 100 MW solar project planned for southeast Queensland.
Other projects include the 105 MW / 420 MWh Wagga North battery in the New South Wales Riverina region, the 180 MW / 360 MWh Noblevale battery in Queensland, and the 210 MW North Yarragon battery project in Victoria’s Gippsland region.
In addition to the JV pipeline, Zen is progressing through the late stages of commissioning with its 111 MW / 290 MWh Templers battery project in South Australia and has 1,540 MW of pumped hydro projects in development.
From pv magazine Australia
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The IDF has launched an investigation into a video in which Israeli soldiers are seen destroying solar panels in a village in Lebanon, Israeli media reported on Saturday night.
The destruction took place in the village of Debel, the same village in which an IDF soldier was photographed smashing a statue of Jesus last week.
A source in the village told Israeli public broadcaster KAN News that the area had previously belonged to Colonel Akel al-Hashim, a deputy commander of the South Lebanon Army, before his assassination by the IDF in the year 2000.
KAN also reported that the solar panels were civilian infrastructure, being used by hundreds of residents of the village who had not been evacuated from their homes, with the IDF's permission.
“The actions seen in the video are not in line with the IDF‘s values and the conduct expected of its soldiers,” the IDF told KAN. “The incident is under investigation. Based on its findings, command measures will be taken accordingly.”
The soldier who smashed the statue of Jesus was removed from combat duty and given 30 days of military detention, the IDF announced on Tuesday, following the conclusion of its investigation into the incident.
The soldier who photographed the act was given the same punishment.
Six other soldiers who were present at the scene and “did not act to stop the incident or report it” have been summoned for “clarification discussions” to be held later, the IDF added, after which additional measures will be determined.
Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this report.
Copyright ©2026 Jpost Inc. All rights reserved
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Does Photovoltaic Solar Energy Promote Greening in Ecologically Fragile Region? – Li – 2025 – Earth’s Future  AGU Publications
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Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.
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Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.
Why aren’t there solar-powered cars? – Emma, age 16, Springville, Utah
Solar cars exist. The best place to see them is the World Solar Challenge, a race that’s held every two years in Australia. Competitors have to drive about 1,870 miles (3,000 kilometers), from Darwin on the country’s north coast to Adelaide on its south coast, using only energy from the Sun.
Many cars that compete in this race look more like amusement park rides or science fiction vehicles than the cars you see on the road. That tells you something about why solar cars aren’t an option for everyday travel, at least not yet.
While a lot of sunlight falls on Earth during the day, the light becomes scattered as it travels through the atmosphere, so the amount that hits any given surface is fairly low. Averaged out over a full year to remove the effects of different seasons, it’s about 342 watts per square meter, an area equivalent to about 10 square feet. That’s approximately enough power to run a standard refrigerator.
Car sizes vary a lot, but a full-size car in the U.S. is about 18 feet long and 6 feet wide, so it has about 100 to 110 square feet (9 to 10 square meters) of horizontal surface. That would collect roughly 3,420 watts – enough to run a refrigerator, a dishwasher and a microwave oven.
Large solar farms that send electricity to cities and towns compensate for the fact that sunlight is spread across such a large area by putting up millions of solar panels across thousands of acres. Some, mainly in desert areas, use fields of mirrors to concentrate the Sun’s energy. But a standard car doesn’t have enough surface area to collect a lot of solar energy.
Another issue is that today’s solar panels aren’t very efficient at converting sunlight into electricity. Typically, their efficiency is around 20%, which means they convert about one-fifth of the solar energy that reaches them into electric current.
This means that 3,420 watts of solar power falling on an average car covered with solar panels would yield only about 684 watts that the car could use. In comparison, it takes about 20,000 watts for an electric vehicle to drive at 60 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour).
Vehicles that compete in the World Solar Challenge tend to be large and have designs that maximize their horizontal surface area. This helps them collect as much sunlight as possible. As a concept vehicle, that’s fine, but most models don’t have many windows, or space for anything except a driver.
Yet another challenge is that geographic locations, daylight hours and weather conditions all affect how much solar energy can be generated.
The Earth is tilted on its axis, so not all areas receive equal amounts of sunlight at any given time. When the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the Sun, the upper part of the globe gets more Sun exposure and observes spring and summer, while the Southern Hemisphere is colder and darker. When the southern half of the planet tilts toward the Sun, areas on Earth’s southern half get more Sun and the upper half gets less.
Areas near the equator get consistent sunlight year-round, so zones closer to it – such as Southern California or the Sahara desert – have more intense solar power than places closer to Earth’s poles, such as Alaska.
Solar cars would also struggle to collect enough sunlight on overcast or rainy days. Even big utilities with huge solar farms have to plan for times when the Sun doesn’t shine.
And drivers need their cars to operate at night. In order for a solar car to run after dark, it would need to use extra energy that it collected during the day and stored in a battery. Solar panels and batteries increase the weight of the car, and heavier cars need more power to run.
Researchers are working to design solar cars that are more suitable for everyday use. For this to happen, designers will need to make solar panels more efficient at converting sunlight to energy and design solar panels that are more suitable for cars. It also will be critical to make solar systems for cars cheaper, so average buyers can afford them.
For now, the closest option to a solar car is an electric vehicle that’s charged at home or at a charging station. Depending on how that electricity is generated, some of the energy that flows into these cars is likely from solar panels, wind turbines, hydropower dams or other renewable sources. And that share will rise as states work to switch to clean energy over the next several decades. If you’re driving or riding in an electric car, you might be traveling on solar power right now.
Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.
And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.
This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Chen Liu, Clarkson University
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LevelTen Energy’s quarterly analysis indicates that prices for North American solar power purchase agreements climbed 4.6% in the first three months of 2026. The average solar contract value reached $64.49 per megawatt-hour, marking a rise of over 13% from the same period the previous year.
Wind energy contracts on the same index also experienced a significant quarterly gain of almost 8%, settling at $79.40/MWh. This figure constitutes an approximate 24% annual increase from Q1 2025. These advances for both generation types continue a pattern of escalation observed over the preceding half-year, prolonging a phase of instability in the market.
Developers of solar installations are managing the tax incentives established by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act with deliberate strategy, securing credit eligibility for their project portfolios through diligent effort. Nonetheless, the industry contends with a combination of obstacles such as fresh import duties, escalating insurance premiums, and workforce deficits. Notably steep price hikes within the CAISO territory contributed substantially to the continent-wide average increase.
Permitting presents a more severe hurdle for the wind industry, which is subject to intense oversight from the Trump Administration. Major delays, particularly in securing Federal Aviation Administration clearances for turbine specifications and siting, have impeded considerable development activity nationwide.
Global energy markets are also influenced by geopolitical events, including conflict in Iran that has propelled oil costs higher. Although elevated oil prices have affected consumer fuel expenses, domestic natural gas supplies have seen limited disruption, with Henry Hub pricing staying comparatively stable through March. Since natural gas frequently determines the clearing price for electricity, power costs across the U.S. have not been substantially altered by the overseas turmoil, though future implications are unclear.
Sustained demand for power, fueled by expansion in data center infrastructure, persists despite these challenges. Energy purchasers are actively seeking renewable energy and its associated environmental benefits from available sources. According to the report, the PPA landscape now depicts a bifurcated scenario, with major corporations aggressively securing vast quantities of clean energy while other potential buyers exhibit caution.
This reticence is attributed to persistent contract inflation and ambiguity surrounding forthcoming revisions to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Evolving standards from various grid operators for ensuring reliability, especially related to accredited capacity, are developing along different paths. To address these uncertainties and achieve operational timelines, purchasers are more frequently turning to diversified portfolios that incorporate solar, storage, wind, and demand-response capabilities.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
This report provides a comprehensive view of the global solar cells and light-emitting diodes industry, tracking demand, supply, and trade flows across the worldwide 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 exporters and importers worldwide. The analysis is designed to support strategic planning, market entry, portfolio prioritization, and risk management in the global solar cells and light-emitting diodes landscape.
The report combines market sizing with trade intelligence and price analytics. It covers both historical performance and the forward outlook to 2035, allowing you to compare cycles, structural shifts, and policy impacts across countries and regions.
For the global report, country profiles provide a consistent view of market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators. The profiles highlight the largest consuming and producing markets and allow direct benchmarking across 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.
Each country projection is built from its own historical pattern and the 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 global solar cells and light-emitting diodes dynamics.
The market size aggregates consumption and trade data at country and regional levels, 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 provides profiles for the largest consuming and producing countries, enabling benchmarking across peers.
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, Trade and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
Where Growth and Supply Concentrate
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
Detailed View of the Most Important National Markets
How the Report Was Built
Largest solar manufacturer globally
Leading monocrystalline silicon producer
Major module and cell producer
High-efficiency cell and module maker
Global manufacturer and project developer
Major player in US and EU markets
Integrated PV product manufacturer
Leading thin-film CdTe manufacturer
World's largest solar cell producer
ABC cell technology leader
Major LED component and display maker
Pioneer and major supplier of LED chips
Historically leading innovator in LED technology
Leading European optoelectronics supplier
High-power LED and automotive lighting
One of world's largest LED chip producers
Major LED packaging and component supplier
Leading Taiwanese LED chip manufacturer
Innovator in WICOP and SunLike technologies
LED components for automotive and IT
IBC cell technology leader
Solar project developer and manufacturer
Integrated PV manufacturer
Historically significant in both fields
Rapidly growing cell and module producer
Solar manufacturing arm of Chint Group
Module manufacturer with US focus
Leading Indian solar manufacturer
LED packaging and lighting solutions
Major LED packaging company
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Fraunhofer USA, Inc., Center for Sustainable Energy Systems and its partners, under the Plug-and-Play Photovoltaics FOA, are developing technologies, components, systems, and standards that enable homeowners to easily select the right-sized photovoltaic (PV) system for their house, purchase a configured system, install the system on their rooftop with minimal help, wire the system safely with preconfigured cabling, and connect it to an existing PV-ready smart meter.
The new plug-and-play system will check itself for proper installation and communicate with the local utility to request permission to feed power into the smart meter. The utility will remotely grant the permission to the system to connect, and the PV system will immediately start to produce power to either consume in the house or feed into the distribution grid.
Project partners include: Lumeta Solar; Petra Solar; Schletter Inc.; the City of Boston; the Town of Rutland, Vermont; Green Mountain Power; the Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing; Vermont Law School; Tufts University; and Sandia National Laboratories.
In addition, the team will work with the national codes and standards community to identify hurdles for such a system, propose code changes, and develop technologies that will enable the system to be UL listed and therefore not subject to local building inspections. Progress of the five-year project will be demonstrated yearly on rooftops in the Boston, Massachusetts, and Rutland, Vermont area.
Key features of the set of technologies to be developed include lightweight PV modules that will be glued onto rooftops, self-sealing roof mounts for racked PV modules, distributed power conversion for safe and simple wiring completely outside of the building, self-testing of all system components, and a communications protocol from the PV system to the utility.
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Ohio has reviewed more renewable energy permit applications than any other state in a major new study — 61 projects across a six-year span. It has also rejected more projects than any other state, and seen more developers walk away before a decision was even made.
A Texas-based developer recently declared it would never build in Ohio again, comparing the experience to Russian roulette. New peer-reviewed research covering 19 states reveals what turned the nation’s busiest state permitting pipeline into its most hostile one.
The peer-reviewed paper, published in Frontiers in Sustainable Energy Policy, analyzed 460 wind and solar projects across 19 states, covering applications filed from 2015 through 2024. Led by a research scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the study set out to understand timelines and outcomes for state-level permitting decisions. Nationally, the headline finding was relatively reassuring: states approved roughly 90% of applications, with a typical wait of about one year.
Ohio complicated that picture immediately. The state processed 61 projects — more than any other in the study — and posted an 80% approval rate that looks comparable to peers at first glance. But it also led all states with seven outright rejections and five developer withdrawals before any decision was reached. No other state came close on either count.
The turning point was 2021, when Ohio’s governor signed Senate Bill 52, giving local governments authority to designate areas within their jurisdictions as off-limits to utility-scale wind and solar development. A grandfathering provision was included, intended to protect projects already in the permitting pipeline. Developers expected their path to approval to remain largely intact.
That expectation proved wrong. Even for grandfathered projects, the Ohio Power Siting Board began giving substantial weight to local opposition — unanimous opposition made approval effectively impossible, and majority opposition made success unlikely. The board had approved every wind and solar project before it prior to 2021. Rejections then began arriving in quick succession, starting with Republic Wind Farm and Birch Solar. Key lawmakers who helped pass SB 52 have since said this level of deference to local opposition wasn’t what they intended.
Open Road Renewables, a Texas-based developer, became the most public example of the fallout. After one project was rejected and another withdrawn ahead of an anticipated rejection, vice president of development Craig Adair announced the company would pursue no further Ohio projects. “It’s become a game of Russian roulette, and we’re not going to play it anymore,” Adair said.
Open Road is among several developers with cases pending before the Ohio Supreme Court, challenging what they describe as an arbitrary and inconsistent standard. Adair described how opposition groups have learned to exploit the current environment — mobilizing at township and commissioner meetings to pressure local officials, effectively killing projects before any formal vote is taken. This is happening, he noted, as Ohio’s electricity demand is rising, making the loss of potential generating capacity a practical concern rather than a theoretical one.
The Ohio Power Siting Board pushed back on the study’s framing. Spokesman Matt Butler pointed out that Ohio’s 80% approval rate is comparable to other states in the research, and that the state has approved more than 60 projects in total — more than any other state studied. Ohio now has 9,250 megawatts of utility-scale solar capacity and 1,550 megawatts of onshore wind.
Those figures are real, but they need context. The 80% approval rate spans years when the board approved every single project that came before it; the post-2021 rate is significantly lower, though the study’s structure makes a precise post-SB 52 figure harder to isolate. Comparisons to other states also have limits. Maryland, the second-busiest state with 59 projects and an identical 80% approval rate, had 34 projects still pending at the time of the study — the highest of any state — whose outcomes weren’t yet captured in that figure.
Ohio’s situation is the study’s most dramatic finding, but the research points to broader gaps in what’s understood about renewable energy permitting. About 40 states have state-level boards or offices overseeing at least some wind and solar projects, yet many delegate authority to local governments, where decisions are far harder to track systematically.
The same research team is now examining local-level permitting in Massachusetts and New York. Early Massachusetts data — covering 26 projects with complete information out of 42 identified — found that 16 received permits while the rest were either canceled or caught in litigation. The average permitting timeline was 250 days. Doug Bessette, a Michigan State University professor who studies the social acceptance of renewable energy, called Ohio a case study in inconsistent and unfair regulation. “I often tell my students that if they want to see how not to do clean energy, look across the border to Ohio,” he said.
The study has a temporal boundary worth keeping in mind: it doesn’t capture changes that may have occurred since Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in January 2025, leaving open questions about how shifting federal priorities might interact with already-strained state-level dynamics in Ohio and elsewhere.
What’s clearer is the direction of the research itself. Expanding systematic tracking to local permitting decisions — where opposition may be even more prevalent than at the state level — could reveal a far larger picture of where and why renewable projects stall or die entirely. Ohio’s experience suggests that approval rates alone don’t tell the story. The projects that never reach a decision, and the developers who stop trying, matter just as much.
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IDF investigating after footage shows soldiers damaging solar panels in south Lebanon town  The Times of Israel
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The firm’s official projections expect a 33% year-over-year decline in residential solar volume in 2026.
Photo Credit: iStock
The future of U.S. solar is in flux as the industry reacts to the disappearance of federal tax incentives, according to the investment group Roth Capital Partners. 
As PV Magazine reported, an industry note from RCP explained that, while utility-scale solar has more time to navigate these new conditions, the residential sector “is facing immediate pressure.” 
The firm’s official projections expect a 33% year-over-year decline in residential solar volume in 2026. 
While rooftop solar panels remain a proven way for homeowners to significantly cut energy bills and avoid rising utility costs, the 30% federal Investment Tax Credit, which helped offset installation costs, expired in 2025. Without that major incentive, the estimated payback period for home solar has increased.
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers in your area.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
However, regardless of what federal incentives are available, solar is still a worthwhile investment. In fact, over the lifetime of a solar panel system, some homeowners earn over six figures in savings by reducing their overall electricity bills. 
To get quick solar installation estimates and compare quotes, connect with the experts at EnergySage and the company’s free resources. You may be surprised by just how much you can save by switching to cleaner solar energy. 
According to the report, investments in the clean energy sector are slowing due to uncertainty around new Foreign Entity of Concern, or FEOC, rules, which place restrictions on companies with financial or supply chain ties to certain countries. These rules could require publicly traded banks to prove that less than 15% of their debt is linked to restricted entities. 
Some residential installers are already feeling the pressure from these tax shifts. One major financing company, GoodLeap, has reportedly already implemented price increases for certain projects. 
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To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best local options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
However, despite the shifting federal landscape, installing solar can still transform your home’s energy use and lower your power bills. There may be more support on the way, as some lawmakers have signaled interest in restoring the Investment Tax Credit, which could bring back significant benefits for both homeowners and installers.
If you work with EnergySage to navigate solar quotes, you could save up to $10,000 on the cost of installing panels. 
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EnergySage even offers a mapping tool that lets you compare the average cost of solar in your area and get details on local incentives. It ensures you lock in the best price possible based on your home and budget. 
While this report points to an uncertain future for residential solar, energy bills are already climbing. With an aging U.S. power grid and the rise of energy-hungry data centers, generating your own power is worth considering.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
If you want to save even more on energy, protect your home from frustrating blackouts, or cut ties with the grid entirely, consider pairing home solar with a battery storage solution. EnergySage’s free resources can get you started with competitive installation estimates.
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Edify Energy will start construction proper of two massive solar and battery energy storage projects in Queensland by mid-year after naming DT Infrastructure as its preferred EPC contractor.
Image: Edify Energy
Renewables developer Edify Energy has awarded Gamuda company DT Infrastructure the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for its Smoky Creek and Guthrie’s Gap and Ganymirra and Majors Creek solar and battery projects in regional Queensland.
The adjacent Smoky Creek and Guthrie’s Gap power stations, near Biloela in central Queensland, will together feature 600 MW of solar and 600 MW / 2,400 MWh of battery storage.
The co-located Ganymirra and Majors Creek power stations, being developed near Townsville in the state’s north, include a combined 300 MW of solar and 300 MW / 1,200 MWh of battery energy storage.
Sydney-headquartered Edify, now owned by Canadian investment group La Caisse, said both projects will utilise DC-coupled hybrid configurations and utilise grid-forming inverter technologies designed to enhance the stability and resilience of the power network.
Edify Chief Executive Ben Warne expects the developments to make a major contribution to the National Electricity Market with the adoption of the best and latest in solar, battery and inverter technology to bring stable and dispatchable solar energy to the network in the most efficient way possible.
“We are proud of the significant role these major generators will play in the transition towards an affordable, reliable and sustainable energy future,” he said, adding the projects will also provide meaningful injections into the local regional economies.
“These projects will create significant jobs during construction, support local communities and industry and assist in delivering the infrastructure needs of Queensland’s energy system consistent with the Queensland Energy Roadmap,” he said.
While construction proper is expected to start in the coming months, Edify said early pre-construction and design works have already commenced on both projects. The developer is targeting delivery and operations in 2028.
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In 2025, it was estimated that solar photovoltaic (PV) systems with an output of around 1.62 terawatts were newly installed in Asia, making this the leading region in the world based on cumulative solar capacity. By comparison, North America’s solar PV capacity amounted to 229 gigawatts.
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Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal Center
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Credit: Weichun Pan, Jihuai Wu*, Jiexi Pan, Shanyue Wei, Lina Tan, Wenjing Li, Deng Wang, Xuping Liu, Yiming Xie, Jianming Lin, Zhang Lan*.
As inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) approach commercial viability, interfacial losses at the perovskite/charge transport layer junctions remain a critical bottleneck, causing severe carrier recombination and energy misalignment. Now, researchers from Huaqiao University and Lingnan Normal University, led by Professor Jihuai Wu and Professor Zhang Lan, have developed a novel surface polarization strategy that pushes device efficiency beyond 26% while dramatically enhancing operational stability.
Why This Interface Matters
Conventional surface passivation strategies often fail to simultaneously address defect-induced non-radiative recombination and interfacial energy level misalignment. The team ingeniously utilizes intrinsic surface defects—uncoordinated Pb²⁺ ions and halide vacancies—as anchoring sites for dipolar molecules, transforming these "flaws" into functional advantages for interfacial engineering.
Innovative Design and Mechanism
The researchers introduce 4-aminocyclohexanone hydrochloride (ACHCl), whose carbonyl groups coordinate with under-coordinated Pb²⁺ while chloride ions fill halide vacancies, synergistically passivating defects. Crucially, ACH⁺ cations anchor perpendicularly to the surface via these defects, forming an ordered cation-dipole layer with positively charged −NH₃⁺ groups oriented outward. This arrangement induces surface polarization, creating downward band bending that reduces the electron extraction barrier at the perovskite/PCBM interface while effectively blocking holes.
Outstanding Performance
The optimized devices achieve a champion power conversion efficiency of 26.12% (up from 23.98%), with an open-circuit voltage of 1.200 V and fill factor of 84.97%. The strategy reduces non-radiative recombination losses by 42 mV and enhances carrier extraction. Stability tests reveal exceptional durability: devices retain 91% of initial efficiency after 1,000 hours in ambient humidity and 92% after 1,000 hours under continuous illumination (ISOS-L-1I protocol), far surpassing the 50% retention of pristine devices.
Future Outlook
This work establishes a dual-functional strategy that converts surface defects into anchoring points for ordered dipole formation, simultaneously passivating traps and optimizing energy alignment. The approach offers a versatile pathway for developing highly efficient and stable inverted PSCs suitable for next-generation photovoltaics.
Stay tuned for more breakthrough research from this innovative team!
Nano-Micro Letters
10.1007/s40820-026-02150-7
News article
Defect‑Anchored Dipole Molecules Induce Surface Polarization Facilitating High‑Performance Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells
18-Mar-2026
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
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Copyright © 2026 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
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China’s first hydropower and photovoltaic complementary power generation project using a homegrown control system was officially put into operation on Saturday in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, according to China Huaneng Group.
The project has a total installed capacity of 5.43 million kilowatts, comprising 4.2 million kilowatts of hydropower and over 1.23 million kilowatts of photovoltaic power, said the group.
Through hydro-solar synergy and integrated storage and transmission, the project is expected to effectively solve the volatility problem brought about by large-scale grid connection of photovoltaic power, ensuring a safe and stable power supply for the region.
Major power generation project combining hydropower, photovoltaic power starts operation
Innovative household products featuring multifunctionality and cultural designs have helped exhibitors to enhance international competitiveness at the ongoing 139th China Import and Export Fair, also known as Canton Fair, in Guangzhou City, south China’s Guangdong Province.
A building material that can be used not only for wall decoration, but also as a screen after being charged with electricity, is shining at the building and furniture exhibition area of the event’s second phase, running from April 23 to 27 under the theme of “Quality Home Life.”
“It enables our building material to become smarter and more flexible. At present, the product has entered European and the U.S. markets for sale, and has been well received in the markets,” said exhibitor Feng Liangcheng, general manager of international business at Phomi Holding, developer of the building material.
Many exhibitors have shown household products that integrate traditional Chinese aesthetics and modern industrial designs, such as a set of vase-shaped multifunctional tableware inspired by ancient China’s Dunhuang culture.
“It’s very impressive. It’s something new and very interesting, innovative in some points while matching the cultural meaning of those products throughout the China history. That’s what gets me the most, I guess,” said Edoardo Orlandini, an Italian buyer.
The event also features an upgraded trade service area where 86 domestic design institutions are providing services for overseas purchasers and exhibitors, including not only industrial design, interior design and brand consulting services, but also new services like fashion design, artificial intelligence design and intangible cultural heritage design. It aims to create a platform where designers and manufacturers get in touch and closely cooperate.
The 139th Canton Fair, which opened on April 15, consists of three phases. The first phase, which concluded on April 19, was themed “advanced manufacturing,” while the third phase, which will take place from May 1 to 5, will focus on “Better Life.”
Innovative household products enhance exhibitors’ international competitiveness at Canton Fair
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Great Britain’s power network achieved a fresh milestone for solar output during a period that also saw carbon-free electricity hit an all-time peak, based on figures from the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
According to NESO data, photovoltaic generation surpassed 15 GW for the first time on 23 April. The operator’s GB Generation mix dashboard showed 15,147 MW of solar power at 11:30 that morning, marking the first breach of the 15 GW level in a dataset that records output every 30 minutes since 2009. At noon, solar reached a peak of 15,158 MW, accounting for 42% of the total generation mix of 36.4 GW.
This solar record was a standout event in a robust week for UK renewable energy, which also included a new zero-carbon milestone for the country’s grid. NESO operated the transmission system with 98.8% zero-carbon sources between 15:30 and 16:00 on 22 April, beating the earlier record set on 1 April. Gas-fired generation dropped to an all-time low, contributing just 1.2% of the energy mix at both transmission and distribution levels, the grid operator reported.
The record-breaking April for solar comes as NESO gears up for a summer of reduced electricity demand, partly due to growing solar capacity. Periods of excess power have become more frequent on Great Britain’s grid, a trend increasingly influenced by weather conditions, NESO noted. According to the operator’s Summer Outlook report, solar irradiance has become the primary factor, surpassing low consumer demand and wind generation.
In response, NESO plans to revise its Demand Flexibility Service, which compensates households and businesses for boosting electricity usage when supply is abundant. Currently a merit-based auction for securing extra power during peak demand, the service will become bidirectional for summer 2026 by adding the option to increase demand. Other adjustments include lowering capacity thresholds and modifying rules to enable smaller generators and renewable projects to take part.
Consumers and companies can join the flexibility market through energy suppliers and third-party applications. NESO anticipates that these expanded demand-side measures will work alongside existing balancing tools, such as the Balancing Mechanism market.
Matt Parry, head of energy demand and power at the UK renewable association REA, praised the new records but urged the government to take further action. The REA advocates for additional deployment via a salary sacrifice program for home energy upgrades, modeled on the electric vehicle incentive scheme. Under that program, employees can lease an electric car using their gross salary, lowering income tax payments.
Parry also called for more demand-side flexibility and urged the government to ensure its upcoming eighth round of contracts-for-difference auctions is heavily weighted toward fast-to-deploy renewables like commercial solar. By reinforcing the UK’s commitment to additional renewable capacity, the country can permanently sever the connection between international gas prices and electricity costs, Parry stated.
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Scientists from the University of Tokyo in Japan have developed an all-perovskite tandem solar cell that reaches 30.2% efficiency, as detailed in a study published in ACS Omega. The four-terminal device employs FAPbI3 nanoparticles along with a spectral splitting configuration, integrating a top cell with a 24.4% efficiency wide-bandgap and a bottom cell with a 21.5% efficiency narrow-bandgap.
This setup enhances light utilization by channeling various wavelengths to the most suitable subcells. The top cell is constructed on a glass and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate, featuring a tin oxide (SnO2) hole transport layer, the perovskite absorber, a Spiro-OMeTAD electron transport layer, and a gold metal contact. The bottom inverted cell uses a glass and FTO substrate, a Spiro-OMeTAD electron transport layer, the perovskite absorber, a buckminsterfullerene (C60) hole transport layer, a bathocuproine (BCP) buffer layer, and a silver metal contact.
FAPbI3 is commonly utilized in high-efficiency perovskite solar cells due to its bandgap of roughly 1.48 eV, which is near the optimal value for solar energy conversion. It facilitates strong light absorption and has enabled power conversion efficiencies exceeding 25% in experimental devices. However, a significant drawback is that the desired black alpha-phase is metastable and can degrade into a non-functional yellow phase, altering the material from a light-absorbing semiconductor into a wide-bandgap, inactive phase.
To counter this issue, the Japanese team employed FAPbI3 nanoparticles that were pre-synthesized using a hot injection method. The perovskite films were created through a solution spin-coating process on cleaned and UV-ozone-treated substrates in an inert environment. A precursor solution was made by dissolving PbI2 and formamidinium iodide (FAI) in a mixed solvent of dimethylformamide and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMF/DMSO), stirred until completely uniform. This solution was then spin-coated onto the substrates, followed by controlled thermal annealing to trigger crystallization, transforming the liquid precursor into a dense, crystalline FAPbI3 thin film with the desired photoactive alpha-phase.
Under standard testing conditions, the four-terminal tandem cell achieved a peak power conversion efficiency of 30.2%. The optimal performance occurred at a split wavelength of 775 nm, where the wide-bandgap top cell contributed 24.1% and the narrow-bandgap bottom cell added 6.1%. This wavelength aligns closely with the absorption edge of the top cell, allowing near-complete use of its spectral range. Beyond 775 nm, the top cell sees only a minor current increase, while the bottom cell experiences a much larger photocurrent loss, diminishing overall gains.
Corresponding author Satoshi Uchida noted that the primary benefit of spectral split two-junction, four-terminal solar cells is their capacity to cut losses from spectral mismatch while maintaining high efficiency. This is achieved by directing incoming light to the most appropriate subcell based on its wavelength. Additionally, the four-terminal design removes the need for current matching, enabling flexible combinations of solar cells with diverse compositions. If one subcell fails, the other can still produce power, offering a maintenance advantage.
For real-world application, conventional outdoor photovoltaic systems and integration with concentrator photovoltaics are seen as especially promising for this concept. Nevertheless, the high expense of dichroic mirrors required for spectral splitting remains a hurdle. Future practical deployment will require not only building on these findings but also investigating simpler designs, such as monolithic two-junction two-terminal devices and mechanically stacked two-junction four-terminal devices.
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New Delhi: India’s flagship rooftop solar installation scheme targeted at households across the country – the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana – is lagging behind on its expected targets. According to a recent report by research institutes including the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, as of July 2025, the national installation-to-application conversion ratio under the flagship scheme was just 22.7%.
According to energy researchers, the Union government has to implement several more actions to promote the scheme, such as defining a time-bound roadmap for state rooftop solar adoption, strengthening grievance redressal mechanisms and more.
Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2024, the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana aims to provide free electricity to households by facilitating the installation of rooftop solar panels through means such as subsidies. For instance, households can claim subsidies of up to 40% in rooftop solar installations by applying under the scheme.

The scheme aims to supply solar power to one crore households by March 2027. According to a press release by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (which implements the scheme) in December 2024 (nine months after the scheme was introduced), installations under the scheme were expected to exceed 10 lakh by March 2025. By October 2025, this number was to double, reaching 40 lakh installations by March 2026, and ultimately achieving the target of one crore installations by March 2027. 
As of October 28, according to data available on the website of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (which implements the scheme), the total number of applications that the scheme has received is 64,05,194. This has translated to as many as 17,14,498 installations across 21,52,303 households across the country. The 17.14 lakh installations so far clearly fall short of the expectations for October this year (when installations were expected to number at least 20 lakh per estimates provided by the government itself).

So far, 6,386.46 megawatts (which translates to around 6.3 gigawatts) of household rooftop solar installations have been made. And the government has already released some serious amounts of money for this – money to the tune of Rs.12,253 crores.
According to a recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) and JMK Research and Analytics, the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is not really doing too well. While rooftop solar installations were mainly restricted to commercial and industrial sectors till 2024, the launch of the scheme in February 2024 was meant to plug the gap in the residential sector and address issues such as high initial costs and lack of awareness among citizens.

Per the report, the scheme addressed this gap by offering capital incentives and simplified procedures to make rooftop solar financially attractive to households. 
But despite an almost four-fold increase in applications between March 2024 and July 2025, only 13.1% of the target 1 crore installations had been completed, and just 14.1% of the allocated Rs. 65,700 crore in subsidies were released, the report said. 

“In this scenario, the FY2027 target continues to be viewed as a considerable challenge,” it noted.

Of course, a simple comparison of numbers such as the government estimates cited above and the number of installations listed by the MNRE as of October this year – clearly show that the scheme is still lagging behind with respect to targets.
Per the report, as of July 2025, the national installation-to-application conversion ratio under the scheme stood at just 22.7%, “underscoring the challenges in translating demand into actual residential rooftop solar capacity”. 
Some states, meanwhile, are doing far better than others. Per the report, Gujarat and Kerala lead with high conversion ratios of above 65%, “supported by a mature solar ecosystem, strong vendor base and high consumer awareness”.
The IEEFA and JMK report, published on October 17, said that as of July 2025, the scheme had installed only 4.9 gigawatts (GW) of rooftop solar across approximately 1.6 million (around 16 lakh) households. (Currently, as of data accessed on the MNRE website on October 28, that number is 6.38 GW across 21.5 lakh households.)
To accelerate residential rooftop solar deployment, several states have implemented financial incentives that either supplement the central subsidy or independently support consumers, the report also noted. States like Assam, Delhi, Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have introduced direct capital subsidies to offset high upfront installation costs.
Another positive sign per the report is that more vendors have begun taking interest in facilitating domestic rooftop solar installations. The number of empaneled vendors under the scheme surged from 6,552 in July 2024, to over 40,000 by July 2025, marking a six-fold rise, the report noted. 
“Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat together accounted for more than 9,000 vendors, highlighting the growing interest of regional players, even though the number of vendors relative to application numbers remains low. This expansion has been driven by higher consumer awareness and greater visibility of the residential rooftop market,” the report noted.
According to energy researchers, the union government has to implement several actions to promote the scheme. These include defining a time-bound roadmap for state rooftop solar adoption, strengthening grievance redressal mechanisms, improving consumer awareness about solar rooftop installations for houses, and others.
Low consumer awareness and access to finance are still significant barriers to the adoption of rooftop solar, said Prabhakar Sharma, senior consultant, JMK Research, and a co-author of the report.
“Outdated perceptions of high upfront costs and maintenance persist, especially in rural areas,” he said in a statement. 
Fragmented supply chains for key rooftop solar components, such as panels, inverters, and mounting structures, also cause implementation delays, the report highlighted. 
“To unlock its full potential, PMSGY [the scheme] must address challenges around subsidy disbursements, digital processes, consumer awareness, and domestic supply chain readiness,” the report recommended.
“Streamlining approvals, upgrading digital platforms, and building stronger awareness campaigns will be essential to ensure smoother conversion of applications into installations…If these measures are prioritised, the scheme can create a more predictable investment environment and establish India as a competitive hub for rooftop solar solutions,” the report noted.
“Establishing clear, time-bound rooftop solar capacity targets at the state level is essential for creating a coherent vision and ensuring effective policy execution,” Vibhuti Garg, Director, IEEFA – South Asia, and a contributing author, said in a statement.
Rooftop solar – across industrial, commercial and residential (or domestic) sectors – is crucial for India in its clean transition journey to reach its renewable power targets as promised under its official Nationally Determined Contributions. According to one study in 2023, the rooftop solar potential in India is around 42 GW – a number that needs to be reassessed regularly given latest technological advancements, policy changes, increasing population and urbanisation.
As of March 31 this year, the total installed rooftop solar capacity in India was 11.87 GW, per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. 
According to government estimates, India’s cumulative solar power capacity stood at 119.02 GW as of July 2025. This includes 90.99 GW from ground‑mounted solar plants, 19.88 GW from grid‑connected rooftop systems, 3.06 GW from hybrid projects, and 5.09 GW from off‑grid solar installations.
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