Solar Now

Solar Power World
By Kelly Pickerel | October 14, 2026
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has found that the domestic solar panel manufacturing industry has been harmed by unfairly priced imports from India, Indonesia and Laos. The affirmative final determination by the ITC means that antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) will be placed on silicon solar cells and modules imported from the three countries.
The Dept. of Commerce issued its final tariff calculations in this AD/CVD investigation last month. Now with the ITC’s affirmative final decision, Commerce will issue its final orders on November 2, and then Customs and Border Protection will continue to collect these cash deposits on imports of subject solar cells and modules from India, Indonesia and Laos. Tariffs on these imports have been in place since the preliminary determinations were issued earlier this year. 
The Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade, a group of domestic solar manufacturers, petitioned the government in July 2025 for the AD/CVD investigation, alleging that solar panel manufacturers had relocated their operations to India, Indonesia and Laos to avoid existing tariffs placed on imports from other locations. Today’s ITC vote brings a conclusion to the 15-month investigation.
“Today’s vote confirms that U.S. solar manufacturers and workers have been harmed by dumped and subsidized imports from India, Indonesia and Laos. With these orders, fair competition is strengthened just as America needs more domestic energy production to power AI and data centers, secure its energy independence, and keep electricity reliable and affordable. U.S. manufacturers are ready to compete, and now they can,” said Tim Brightbill, co-chair of Wiley Rein’s International Trade Practice and lead counsel to the Alliance.
There are now AD/CVD orders placed on solar imports from a range of countries: China, Taiwan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Laos. Commerce is also considering tariffs on solar imports from Ethiopia and South Korea, and those investigations are ongoing.
Kelly Pickerel has more than 15 years of experience reporting on the U.S. solar industry and is currently editor in chief of Solar Power World.

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If you’re in need of a super portable power station that can power your mobile electronics for days instead of hours – and then charge itself – then check out this deal. For a limited time, Amazon is offering a Daran 288Wh 600W Power Station with 80W Solar Panel Kit for $186.98 after 50% off coupon code: “L6DDL5D6“. You don’t need to be an Amazon Prime member. The kit weighs less than 20 pounds and can provide you with renewable energy when the sun’s out.

50% Off the Daran 288Wh LiFePO4 Power Station and Solar Panel

The Daran power station isn’t a tiny pocket-sized power bank that you’d tote around every day and you can’t bring it on the airplane as a carry-on (the limit is 27,000mAh). However, at just 8.9 pounds, it’s lighter than most power stations and has enough juice to charge your laptop and mobile devices several times over with its generous 288Wh battery capacity.
It has a total of six charging ports, including two 120V AC outlets (600W sustained, 1200W surge), two USB-C ports (100W/30W), one USB-A port (18W), two DC5521 port (120W), and even a 12V DC charging port (aka cigarette lighter).

The power station uses LiFePO4 cells instead of lithium-ion cells you’d find in some other budget power stations and nearly all power banks. LiFePO4 cells have inherently safer chemistry, longer lifespan, and slower calendar aging than NCM cells. They are widely regarded as the best battery option for power stations.

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Something went wrong
A California Bay Area homeowner exploring rooftop solar received a costly warning before signing a contract: PG&E might replace a neighborhood transformer for free but still charge thousands for related engineering work.
The customer said the shared transformer was already at 96% capacity across 21 households and was told extra costs could range from $1,000 to $5,000.
In a Reddit post, the homeowner said the utility told them it would pay for a transformer replacement if it decided one was needed. At the same time, the utility said the customer could still be charged for engineering drawings and other installation-related work, and the poster wanted to know whether a new solar system would set off those expenses.
A commenter from the same region who had already gone through interconnection said, “The only way you will find out exactly what will happen is for your installer to fill in an Interconnect Application,” adding that the utility would then determine whether engineering work was needed.
That commenter said the utility presented two options: keep exports below the system’s nameplate capacity or pursue full export, which would mean a transformer upgrade and a new service line to the house.
They said the utility paid for the transformer, while they paid for a new power line costing “just under $2,000.” The commenter also said the process could take up to six months and that their service remained at 200 amps, with no main-panel change, before and after the upgrade.
Going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy, and interested homeowners can try EnergySage to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes.
The thread highlighted how hard it can be for homeowners to get a clear answer on possible upgrade costs before the utility completes a formal review.
The poster was trying to avoid agreeing to an installation without first knowing whether they could end up paying for work on a transformer shared by multiple homes.
Several commenters said the issue isn’t just whether solar cuts a home’s use of grid power. One commenter said the bigger limit can be backfeed, writing that the key concern is “peak EXPORT,” which is “probably around 12-1. They upgrade the transformer if it can’t handle total export.”
Another commenter said a solar project can trigger utility-side upgrades because of “peak kVA, uneven loading, phase imbalance, voltage rise/AVR regulation and other protections.”
One more said the utility didn’t charge them and described the process as a “crapshoot.”
Commenters said the process begins when the installer submits the interconnection application and the utility starts its engineering review.
Based on the discussion, that review is when homeowners find out whether they need a full upgrade, can accept a lower export limit instead, and whether the utility will pass any costs on to them.
With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. Homeowners can also use EnergySage’s solar map to see the average cost of a home solar panel system by state, along with details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, these resources can help homeowners get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. Batteries can also help homeowners keep more of their solar power on site instead of sending it back through a constrained local transformer. Homeowners interested in storage can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
For a fuller look at how utility rules can reshape the math on rooftop solar, these stories offer more examples.
• In California, utilities face multi-million-dollar fines amid a fight with solar homeowners.
• After buying a home, one owner’s first bill hit $420 despite rooftop solar.
• In Ohio, a homeowner learned that half the bill untouched was still possible after solar.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
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FIMER showcased its PVM-75/125-TL string inverter with a rated power output range of 75, 100, 110, and 125 kW at the show 
The company also showcased its cabinet-based PVX-241 C&I ESS, featuring a 140 kW PCS and a 241 kWh storage section  
Together, these products can convert an existing PV capacity to an AC-coupled PV-plus-storage system  
Italy-based PV inverter and energy storage system (ESS) maker FIMER showcased its latest commercial & industrial (C&I), utility, and residential product lineup at Solar & Storage Live UK 2026.  
The company displayed the PVM-75/125-TL string inverter and PVX-241 ESS for C&I consumers. The inverter features up to 12 built-in MPPTs, each rated at 32 A, and supports a maximum PV capacity range of 76.5 to 127.5 kW. It then inverts the DC power to AC in four maximum full-load (3-phase) categories: 75, 100, 110, and 125 kW. It has a maximum conversion efficiency of 98.8% and operates at temperatures between -25°C and +60°C, with derating starting at 30°C. 
Measuring 965 × 380 × 715 mm (W × D × H), the inverter also supports pairing with an existing string combiner box for a revamping project. It can be installed horizontally or vertically relative to the ground or roof level. For safety, this inverter includes DC and AC surge protection devices on its DC and AC sides, respectively, which protect the inverter from transient overvoltage in the event of lightning. The inverter also provides protection against DC reverse polarity and arc-fault current.  
In comparison, PVX-241 combines a storage section and a bidirectional converter or power conversion system (PCS) (instead of a standalone inverter) in a 1,150 × 1,800 × 2,100 mm cabinet. The storage section places four vertically stacked battery packs, each rated at 60.25 kWh and 314 Ah, for a total storage capacity of 241 kWh. This capacity corresponds to a full-load charging/discharging power (DC) of 107.52 kW. It features a liquid-cooling-based thermal regulation mechanism. The built-in PCS inverts the discharge power to up to 140.4 kW (3-phase, 415 V) at 150.3 A and vice versa when charging from the grid. The product datasheet specifies a lower maximum conversion efficiency of 91.3% at system level (PCS + battery) relative to the string inverter. 
This ESS can be paired with an existing PV array via the PVM-75/125-TL inverter through a common main distribution panel. This configuration creates an AC-coupled PV-plus storage system with the grid. 
In addition, FIMER showcased its 300 kW PVS-330-TL string inverter, 2 MVA PVS-990 central inverter, and 2.5 MVA PVS980 bidirectional converter for the utility applications. 
For residential applications, the company featured its FIMER Power Platform, including PowerUNO, PowerTRIO, and PowerX. 
TaiyangNews 2024

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This article is translated automatically.
VSB is implementing a ground-mounted photovoltaic system with 8 megawatt peak on the premises of thyssenkrupp Rasselstein GmbH. VSB Integrated Energy Solutions, the VSB Group’s subsidiary specializing in energy solutions for trade and industry, is responsible for the implementation. The long-term on-site PPA includes financing, planning, construction and operation.
Around 12,000 solar modules are being built on two previously undeveloped areas with a total of 5.2 hectares. After planned completion in mid-2027, the plant is expected to generate around 8 gigawatt hours of renewable electricity annually. This will be used entirely on site and will cover part of thyssenkrupp Rasselstein’s needs in the future. The on-site PPA will initially run for 20 years.
Construction is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2026. CO₂-reduced bluemint® Steel from thyssenkrupp Steel with the ZM EcoProtect® Solar coating is used for the steel substructure.
VSB Integrated Energy Solutions bears the investment costs and is responsible for the construction and operation of the plant. For thyssenkrupp Rasselstein, this means renewable electricity directly from the factory premises, less grid consumption and more predictable energy costs. At the same time, the project supports thyssenkrupp Steel’s green electricity and decarbonization strategy.
“With the project in Andernach, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein is demonstrating the potential of renewable energies directly at the industrial site. As an implementation partner, we take care of planning, financing, construction and operation and create a reliable solution with long-term planning security,” explains Frederic Wagner, Managing Director of VSB Integrated Energy Solutions GmbH.
Dr. Thorsten Krenke, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and member of the Executive Board of thyssenkrupp Rasselstein GmbH, adds: “Our goal was to cover part of our green electricity needs locally. The result is the construction of an on-site PV system that shows that this is also possible in a grown industrial environment.”
The model enables companies to purchase renewable electricity directly on site without tying up their own capital for the plant – with long-term calculable conditions. Depending on the design, grid fees, levies and other cost components may also fall.
The project for thyssenkrupp Rasselstein joins the PPA projects that VSB has already implemented for commercial and industrial customers – including Carrefour, Hutchinson, Lhyfe, Mercedes-Benz, METRO and Sealed Air.
Colliers has brokered the lease of around 18,400 m² of logistics space for the Waldteich commercial and industrial project in Oberhausen. A leading Asian e-commerce company will move to Im Waldteich 10 in October; DGNB gold is being sought.
GlobalData forecasts strong growth for the global market for high-voltage switchgear until 2030, led by Asia-Pacific. The drivers are grid expansion, digitalization and SF6-free technologies. EMEA remains number two, America is growing solidly; OEMs are scaling capacity.
The Nordex Group has received orders from UKA for around 700 MW in Germany. Nordex will supply a total of 100 N175/6.X and N163/6.X wind turbines and will take on multi-year service and maintenance contracts.
On 03.09.2026, FGW e.V. published the final document of the Working Group on Component-Based Unit Certification. It describes a procedure with early component validation and an integrated, cost-efficient measurement and validation process for generation units and storage systems.
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China Proposes Export Curbs On 12 Solar Technologies, Raising Concerns For India’s Manufacturing Ambitions  SolarQuarter
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The 200-kW rooftop solar system is expected to deliver annual electricity savings of ₹2.5 million
October 19, 2026
Follow Mercom India on WhatsApp for exclusive updates on clean energy news and insights
Rising electricity costs are pushing industrial consumers to adopt rooftop solar systems to cut operating expenses and reduce dependence on grid power.
Manufacturing facilities with available rooftop space can use solar energy to meet a part of their electricity requirements and achieve long-term savings.
Bengal Pipe, a PVC pipe manufacturer in Amta, Howrah, West Bengal, has installed a 200-kW rooftop solar system at its manufacturing facility.
The system, installed by Fender Energy, can generate up to 25,500 units of electricity per month, with estimated annual electricity cost savings of ₹2.5 million (~$26,379).
The project was commissioned last year. The installation process, from procurement to completion, took approximately 30 days.
The rooftop solar system comprises RenewSys 590 Wp TOPCon bifacial solar modules and two Solis inverters, each rated at 100 kW.
The project has generated a cumulative 306.8 MWh of electricity.
Although the project was commissioned in August 2025, delays in the net metering approval process meant the installer installed the net meter only in September 2026.
During this period, the company operated the rooftop solar system with a zero-export device to prevent surplus solar electricity from entering the grid.
According to Fender Energy, the installation and commissioning were completed without any major difficulties. However, the company encountered a maintenance-related challenge after the system became operational.
The PVC pipe manufacturing process releases sticky substances through the factory’s ventilation system, which settle on the solar modules.
These substances can accumulate on the module surfaces, affecting performance and reducing electricity generation.
To address this issue, Bengal Pipe’s maintenance team regularly cleans the solar modules to prevent deposits from accumulating and minimize their impact on electricity generation.
According to Mercom’s Q2 and 1H 2026 India Rooftop Solar Market Report, India added 6.6 GW of rooftop solar capacity in the first half (1H) of calendar year 2026, up 131% from the 2.8 GW installed in 1H 2025.
Residential installations accounted for 84% of total additions. Industrial installations accounted for 10%, followed by commercial installations at 5%, and government installations at 1%.
Mercom India hosts a multi-city Clean Energy Meet series to bring renewable energy developers, vendors, and C&I energy consumers to the same platform, helping them share insights on rooftop solar, open access, and other modes of clean energy procurement. The next event in the series will be held in Pune, Maharashtra, in November 2026.
Rakesh Ranjan
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© 2026 by Mercom Capital Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.
Researchers are still trying to pin down the health implications.
Photo Credit: YouTube
That “credit card a week” claim about plastic consumption is catchy, but the math behind it may be far less solid than many people realize. 
In a video analysis for EcoBits (@EcoBitsOfficial), content creator Justin Pack argues that while people are still ingesting microplastics, the amount is likely nowhere near that often-repeated estimate.
In Pack’s YouTube investigation, he reviewed studies that have found plastic particles in water, seafood, meats, fruits and vegetables, salt, milk, and beer. 
Researchers generally define microplastics as particles up to about 5 millimeters, while nanoplastics are smaller than roughly 1 micrometer, and those tiniest particles are the hardest to measure consistently.
Pack highlighted a 2024 study that analyzed 111 samples from 16 protein products sold in the United States, including steak, pork chops, chicken breast, shrimp, tofu, chicken nuggets, and fish sticks. In that study, researchers reported microplastics in 88% of the individual samples and in every protein category they examined.
Using food consumption data from nearly 2,000 U.S. adults, the researchers estimated yearly intake from 13 protein products at about 11,000 microplastic particles on average, with a median of roughly 4,300, Pack said. 
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He argues that converting counts like those into a credit card comparison depends on particle size and weight assumptions that newer analyses do not support.
Exposure can begin long before food reaches the table. Pack said farm soil may already contain plastic from degraded mulch, irrigation equipment, litter, sewage sludge, and compost. He noted experiments that traced nanoplastics through crops including tomatoes.
The kitchen can add more. Pack cited an experiment in which some plastic containers, after three minutes in the microwave, released millions of microplastics and billions of nanoplastics from each 0.16 square inch (1 square centimeter), and he said plastic cutting boards can shed fragments as repeated knife use wears down their surfaces.
Beverages can change the totals significantly. Pack cited a 2019 estimate that drinking the recommended daily amount of water entirely from bottled water could add about 90,000 detectable microplastic particles per year to 4,000 from tap water. 
Researchers are still trying to pin down the health implications. Pack noted that micro- and nanoplastics have been found all over the body, and he pointed to an observational study in which patients whose arterial plaques contained plastic were about 4.5 times more likely to experience a heart attack, stroke, or death over about three years.
For the most avoidable sources of exposure, Pack recommends focusing on household habits like avoiding heating food in plastic, using glass or ceramic when possible, skipping pouring boiling liquids into plastic containers, and swapping plastic cutting boards for wooden ones.
He also advises washing produce, choosing tap water when safe, and favoring foods with fewer processing and packaging steps. 
Even so, Pack emphasized that this is not something consumers can solve simply by shopping differently. He pointed to broader fixes such as reducing unnecessary plastic production, keeping plastic out of compost and sewage sludge, filtering microfibers from wastewater, and redesigning food-processing equipment and packaging.
“You can’t completely eliminate microplastics from your diet, but you could reduce some of the most avoidable sources,” Pack suggested.
Here’s a closer look at where microplastics come from and why estimates of human exposure keep changing. 
• Scientists are still debating how worried we should be as plastics reach blood and organs.
• Researchers estimate plastic packaging sheds roughly 1,000 tons of microplastics into food and drinks yearly.
• Swapping bottled water for tap water may lower blood pressure in days by reducing plastic exposure.
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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

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Judge upholds Webster approval of Xerox solar farm | Exclusive  Democrat and Chronicle
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Beijing has proposed banning exports of the technology used to make next-generation solar cells, a move that could complicate United States technology guru Elon Musk’s plan to expand into space solar power.
The ban, which covers production technology for perovskite and tandem solar cell modules, is part of a proposal by China’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology to control exports of 40 technologies in artificial intelligence, biomedicine and solar manufacturing. Fourteen would face outright bans, while 26 would require licenses. Products made with the controlled technologies could still be exported. The public can comment until November 15.
Musk said on a Tesla earnings call in late January that the company would work toward producing 100 gigawatts of solar cells a year in the US. Media reports said part of that capacity would power SpaceX satellites.
Perovskite cells, often stacked on silicon in tandem designs, are efficient, light and flexible. On Earth, they degrade quickly when exposed to moisture and oxygen, but space has almost none of either. The cells can also heal themselves after radiation damage, making them a leading option for satellites.
Besides perovskite and tandem cell module production technology, the 14 technologies proposed for a ban include AI-driven malicious code generation and mutation, and proprietary cell and gene therapy process platforms. Those requiring a license include AI-assisted vulnerability discovery and engineering technology for polysilicon lines with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons or more.
The 40 technologies span three fields:
“In recent years, AI, biomedical and solar technologies have been increasingly applied in sensitive fields, and all major economies have imposed export controls to varying degrees. China has drawn on common international practice and imposed necessary controls in accordance with the law,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce.
“The aim is to guard against the risks of technology getting out of control and spreading improperly, while safeguarding normal international technology exchanges and cooperation. This will help ensure that science and technology remain a force for good that is safe, controllable and beneficial to humanity,” he said.
The spokesperson described the revision as a routine update to China’s catalog of technologies prohibited or restricted from export, which the two ministries have adjusted periodically since 2001. He added that it does not target any specific country, region or entity.
He said most AI and biotech activity would not be affected, adding that offering AI models to overseas users through application programming interfaces (APIs), apps, websites, software-as-a-service (SaaS) or lightweight on-device versions would not count as an export.
Downloading an open-source Chinese model to run on computers outside China would not be affected, but a Chinese firm would need a license to install a controlled model on an overseas client’s servers.
The proposal follows a September 21 agreement in New York between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to notify each other of AI incidents that could threaten national security, with Bessent citing non-state actors in cyberattacks and bioweapons as examples.
Musk announced the 100-gigawatt plan on a Tesla earnings call in late January, saying the company would cover the entire supply chain from raw materials to finished solar panels. Days later, he sent a team to visit Chinese solar firms involved in equipment, silicon wafers, cell modules and perovskite technology. GCL Group confirmed the visit, while JinkoSolar said it had signed no agreements.
In early February, SpaceX acquired Musk’s AI firm xAI. The trillionaire said space would become the cheapest place to generate AI computing within two to three years, using satellites with near-constant solar power. On February 8, Musk wrote on X that SpaceX’s overriding priority was a Moon city, possibly achievable in under 10 years.
In March, Reuters reported that Tesla was in talks to buy about US$2.9 billion of Chinese solar manufacturing equipment, some of it needing Chinese export approval.
Citing an industry expert, the 21st Century Business Herald, a state-owned newspaper, said on October 17 that China would allow foreign firms to buy its perovskite cells, but not the related manufacturing equipment.
“Space photovoltaics is the core energy source for strategic industries such as commercial spaceflight, space stations, space computing and deep-space exploration. It serves both civilian and defense needs and bears on the security of China’s space energy strategy,” Zhao Lei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Electrical Engineering and director of its solar cell technology research department, told the newspaper.
“Western countries have long imposed a technology blockade on China in traditional multi-junction III-V compound space solar cells (costly gallium arsenide-based satellite cells), tightly controlling exports of high-performance epitaxy equipment to hold back our space solar development through an equipment gap,” he said. “The situation has now changed.”
The restrictions date back to 1989, when the US imposed an arms embargo on China after the Tiananmen crackdown. The embargo barred exports of defense items and space technology to China, including III-V space solar cells controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
Zhao said that while China has been shut out of III-V cell technology, it leads in the two cheaper routes, crystalline silicon cells and perovskite cells, including tandem designs, and has the world’s most complete solar supply chain, making space solar one of the few high-end sectors where it is strong from end to end.
He said export controls would let China keep selling its products abroad while stopping foreign firms from using its best production equipment to quickly build their own factories and win orders from Chinese suppliers.
In other words, Musk could still use perovskite cells in his satellites, but he would need to buy them from China instead of producing them in the US.
Chinese firms held 96% of global polysilicon capacity and 91.3% of solar cell capacity at the end of 2025, according to the newspaper.
Perovskite solar cells were first developed in Japan in 2009, but Chinese firms have led the push to mass-produce them. Microquanta Semiconductor began producing perovskite modules in 2023 and GCL Group is building a 2-gigawatt line. LONGi Green Energy Technology set a 35.5% efficiency record for tandem cells in July.
Meanwhile, across the strait, Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin told Bloomberg in an October 12 interview that the island would add AI servers and cutting-edge semiconductors to its controlled-export list, aligning with US export-control requirements.
Once the rules take effect, unlicensed shipments to China would become a criminal offense under Taiwan’s Foreign Trade Act.
“Going forward, some of our measures on controlled items will correspond to American ones,” Kung said, citing Taiwan’s commitments under the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade it signed with the United States this year.
He declined to say when the new measures would take effect. He added that Taiwan plans to raise billions of dollars for US industrial parks to support a local supply chain for Nvidia and other AI hardware makers.
Read: US-China open hotline to rein in runaway AI
Follow Jeff Pao on X at @jeffpao3

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Pepco has approved ConnectDER’s meter collar products for solar, battery storage and electric vehicle charging installations across its service territory in Washington, D.C., according to a report by Billy Ludt. The approval extends ConnectDER’s reach to a national footprint of 54 utilities serving nearly 40 million households, with additional utility expansion underway.
ConnectDER’s adapters connect directly to the existing meter socket on the exterior of a home. By creating a safe connection point at the meter, the devices remove the need for main panel upgrades, service upsizing, circuit relocations or added backup load panels and system controllers, which the company says can raise labor costs and extend project timelines.
Ivo Steklac, ConnectDER’s president and chief executive, said demand for residential solar, battery backup and electric vehicles in the District continues to grow, while older electrical infrastructure poses a physical obstacle that slows installations. He said approval of the adapters for exterior meter-socket installation means installers can avoid re-engineering entire panels and home wiring, allowing them to deliver clean energy resilience more efficiently while saving homeowners thousands of dollars in total costs and days of labor. Steklac added that this translates into greater installation capacity and fewer barriers, which he described as important for the District’s electrification goals.
The District’s clean energy market is driven by its Clean Energy DC mandates, which include a renewable portfolio standard with a dedicated 15% local solar carve-out. Its urban building stock, largely historic row homes with aging electrical infrastructure, often has 100-ampere electrical panels that require main service upgrades costing thousands of dollars before solar, battery storage or EV charging equipment can be interconnected.
Robin Dutta, executive director of the Chesapeake Solar and Storage Association, said the approval by Pepco DC is a significant win for District residents and installation companies, following dedicated work by several association members to pass enabling regulations. Dutta said the change makes solar and battery storage more accessible for everyday homeowners.
ConnectDER’s IslandDER MSA is designed specifically for whole-home backup and battery storage. It integrates a Microgrid Interconnect Device, current transformers, voltage sensing and real-time grid disconnect capability into a single compact device mounted outside at the meter. IslandDER is installed without reconfiguring panels or rerouting household circuits.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Solar Panels 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 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, which are devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity. It encompasses the global market for finished modules, including all major product technologies and form factors designed for a wide range of end-use applications.
The market data is classified and analyzed according to international trade codes, primarily under the Harmonized System (HS) headings for photovoltaic cells and electric generating sets. This ensures consistent tracking of trade flows for assembled solar modules and relevant apparatus across global markets.
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
World's largest solar wafer manufacturer
Consistently top module shipper globally
Major producer of cells and modules
Pioneer in module technology and Vertex series
Vertically integrated, strong in project pipeline
Largest US-based manufacturer, unique technology
Major investment in US manufacturing
Significant producer with heterojunction focus
World's largest solar cell producer
Maxeon manufactures SunPower's legacy technology
Pioneer in heterojunction technology
Part of GCL Group, large-scale manufacturer
Vertically integrated under Chint Group
Significant global shipments
Major Indian manufacturer with global presence
Part of Adani Group, large integrated capacity
Exited solar business in 2022 but legacy remains
Historic leader, now smaller scale
Largest US residential solar company
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Manufacturing in China and Indonesia, combined with dedicated local support in India, strengthens partnerships with module manufacturers
GREATER NOIDA, India, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — YINGFA will showcase its TOPCon multi-cut and XBC solar cells at Renewable Energy India Expo 2026, taking place October 22–24 at India Expo Mart. At Hall 14, Booth C33, the company will present cell technologies designed to help module manufacturers achieve higher efficiency and greater design flexibility, supported by production facilities in China and Indonesia and dedicated local customer support in India.
Cell Innovation for Module Design

YINGFA’s TOPCon 3.0 solar cells deliver a measured cell efficiency of 27.3% and are available in full-cell, half-cut, third-cut and quarter-cut formats to accommodate different module designs. Visitors can view physical samples and discuss cell selection, product configurations and manufacturing compatibility with the YINGFA team.
YINGFA’s XBC 2.0 solar cells deliver efficiencies of up to 28.4%, combining a pure black appearance with a front surface free of metal gridlines. These characteristics make them suitable for module designs where both performance and aesthetics matter.
Both efficiency figures apply to individual solar cells. Actual finished-module performance will vary depending on module design, materials and manufacturing processes.
Global Manufacturing, Local Support
With manufacturing operations in China and Indonesia, including PT. Bintan Cellular Indonesia (BCI), YINGFA combines international production capacity with dedicated customer support in India.
Its India-based team provides customers with access to sales, technical and customer service specialists, helping address product requirements, quality considerations and after-sales needs. By combining manufacturing capabilities across Asia with local market expertise, YINGFA aims to strengthen long-term partnerships with Indian module manufacturers.
At REI 2026, YINGFA invites customers and industry partners to visit Hall 14, Booth C33 to learn more about its solar cell portfolio, discuss next-generation module designs and explore potential areas of collaboration.
About YINGFA
YINGFA is a solar cell manufacturer with operations in China and Indonesia, serving customers in international markets. Its portfolio includes TOPCon and XBC solar cells in multiple formats. With a commitment to “We Only Make Better Solar Cells,” YINGFA focuses on cell innovation, manufacturing quality and customer service.
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“This project shows what’s possible when a community looks at land it already owns in a new way.”
Photo Credit: Encore Renewable Energy
Derry, New Hampshire, has turned a retired landfill into an energy source. A 2.25-megawatt solar project at the site is now operating, and Encore Renewable Energy says it could cut taxpayer-funded electricity costs by about $4 million over the next 25 years.
Built on a closed, capped municipal landfill, the installation is already generating power, Solar Power World Online reported. Encore Renewable Energy developed the project.
“Landfills like this one are often untapped resources in the clean energy transition,” said Chad Farrell, founder and president of Encore Renewable Energy.
The push for the project began with the all-volunteer Derry NetZero Task Force, which spent six years working on the plan, measuring energy use in 40 town and school buildings and building support for the needed state legislative action. 
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Derry’s solar field traces back as much to a local political goal as to an engineering one. Jeff Moulton, chair of the Derry NetZero Task Force, said the effort was backed by the Derry Town Council under the leadership of Josh Bourdon. “The Derry Town Council set forth an aggressive goal of being net zero by 2025 but with a caveat of saving money for the residents of Derry.”
Moulton said, “I am pleased to have led a dedicated group of volunteers who were able to put together a design and project that will provide 100% of the town’s electricity needs for the next 25 years, while saving the town $5-10 million over the life of the project.”
Farrell said the project gives a site with limited post-closure options a productive new purpose while delivering “cost savings and increased energy security for local Eversource NH ratepayers.”
The Town of Derry selected Encore in 2021 after a competitive bidding process involving seven firms.
Farrell said, “Rather than continuing to sit idle, this property will now be generating power for the local community, offering both cost savings and increased energy security for local Eversource NH ratepayers. This project shows what’s possible when a community looks at land it already owns in a new way.”
For homeowners who want Derry-style savings, EnergySage’s solar map shows average system costs by state and solar panel incentives, helping people get the best price for rooftop panels and access available incentives. With EnergySage‘s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. 
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. Homeowners can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
Derry isn’t the only place putting hard-to-use land to work for solar while aiming to lower electricity costs.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
• In Mansfield, Ohio, officials greenlit solar farms on old landfills while seeking local power buyers.
• In Rivesville, West Virginia, companies are turning a coal ash landfill into a solar farm.
• At Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, a solar expansion could save island households $550,000 on power.
• New Hampshire signed plug-in solar into law, blocking utilities from demanding fees or approval.
• In Illinois, park districts are getting solar projects at no cost to taxpayers.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
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New solar panels on the roof of Harpswell Community School could start generating electricity this year.
Shawn Johansen, director of facilities for Maine School Administrative District 75, said that after contractors receive a few remaining pieces and paperwork is finalized by Central Maine Power, the array will generate about 110,000 kilowatt-hours of energy each year.
The electricity will be sold back to CMP rather than going to the building, but the generation will slightly exceed the school’s current usage. A 2026 report by the architecture and engineering firm Harriman said the building used approximately 87,000 kilowatt-hours in the 2024-25 school year.
ReVision Energy is installing the array. The company also installed solar panels on Mt. Ararat High School when it was rebuilt in 2021. ReVision proposed the array on Harpswell Community School. It is also working with the district to install an array on Bowdoin Central School.
The array is being paid for by a third-party investor, Massachusetts-based Blue Haven Solar. The school district has a 25-year lease for the array and will receive energy credits from CMP, effectively lowering the school’s electricity bill.
The investor, who will get tax credits for their investment, also will pay for the array’s maintenance.
Johansen said the arrangement means there are no additional costs to taxpayers. The agreement does include an option for the district to buy the array after seven years.
Johansen said the district will save a small sum of money, likely about $1,800 in the first year, with the credits from the array. He said adding solar energy is primarily a way to reduce the district’s carbon footprint.
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Boron Nitride Hybrid Network Cools Solar Panels While Keeping Films Tough
Solar panels lose power every time they heat up, and the polymer films that seal them are a big part of the problem. Ethylene–vinyl acetate copolymer, known across the photovoltaic industry as EVA, has been the workhorse encapsulant for decades because it is cheap, transparent, and easy to laminate. But EVA is a thermal insulator, so heat generated inside a module lingers and slowly degrades both the cells and the film itself. A team of Chinese materials scientists now reports a way out of this long-standing trade-off, engineering an EVA composite that conducts heat more than twelve times better than the pristine polymer while still stretching, insulating, and shielding like a commercial encapsulant should.
The study, published open access in Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials by Fanghua Luo of Northeast Petroleum University and colleagues, including Huaiyuan Wang of Tianjin University, describes a three-tier design strategy that tackles the problem at the molecular, filler, and interface levels simultaneously. The result is a composite film with a through-plane thermal conductivity of 2.96 watts per meter-kelvin, a 1245 percent enhancement over pure EVA, achieved at a filler loading of 110 parts per hundred resin. That combination of high loading and preserved mechanical performance is what has historically eluded researchers in this field.
The first tier of the strategy involves crosslinking the EVA matrix itself. Crosslinking ties the polymer chains together into a network, which raises the material’s structural integrity and helps it withstand the temperatures and mechanical stresses of lamination and long-term outdoor service. The researchers denote this crosslinked matrix as cEVA. Without this step, simply stuffing thermally conductive filler into EVA tends to produce a brittle film that cracks during module fabrication, defeating the purpose of the upgrade.
The second tier is the filler architecture, and it is where the design gets clever. Rather than using a single morphology of boron nitride, the team built what they call a sheet-sphere hybrid network, abbreviated f-BN, from two complementary building blocks: hexagonal boron nitride microplatelets and spherical boron nitride microspheres. Hexagonal boron nitride, sometimes nicknamed white graphene, is an electrical insulator with excellent intrinsic thermal conductivity, making it the filler of choice for encapsulants where any electrical leakage would be catastrophic. The platelets provide extended, high-conductivity surfaces, while the spheres pack into the gaps between them, improving contact and reducing the thermal resistance at filler-to-filler junctions. Together they form a more continuous percolating heat pathway than either morphology could achieve alone, allowing heat to flow through the thickness of the film, the direction that matters most for pulling heat out of a solar cell.
The third tier addresses the Achilles heel of all polymer composites: the interface. Heat and mechanical stress both struggle to cross the boundary between an inorganic filler and an organic polymer, because the two materials are chemically incompatible. The researchers solved this with what they term dual-anchored interfacial engineering. They grafted 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, a coupling agent known as KH550, onto both sides of the interface. On the EVA side, the silane was attached through radical coupling, and on the boron nitride surfaces it was attached through hydroxylation reactions. The result is an interface stitched together by both covalent bonds, which are strong and permanent, and hydrogen bonds, which are reversible and can dissipate energy. This dual anchoring means phonons, the carriers of heat, encounter less scattering at the interface, while mechanical loads are transferred efficiently between matrix and filler instead of tearing the composite apart.
The numbers tell the story of why this matters. At 110 phr of filler, the composite film retained a tensile strength of 8.99 megapascals and an elongation at break of 89.75 percent. Those are remarkable figures for a material carrying more than half its weight in ceramic filler, and they reflect the effectiveness of the covalent-plus-hydrogen-bond interface in preventing the embrittlement that usually accompanies high filler loadings. Just as important for a photovoltaic encapsulant, the film maintained a volume resistivity exceeding 10 to the 14th power ohm-centimeters, confirming that the boron nitride network did not create any conductive pathways that could compromise the electrical isolation of the module.
Perhaps the most surprising performance boost comes from a property that has nothing to do with conduction. The composite film exhibited a solar reflectance of 91.09 percent and an infrared emissivity of 96.17 percent. In plain terms, the film bounces most incoming sunlight that is not converted to electricity back out of the module, and then radiates the absorbed heat away efficiently in the infrared band. When these radiative effects are combined with the enhanced thermal conductivity, the researchers measured a photovoltaic module temperature reduction of 5.34 degrees Celsius compared with modules using conventional encapsulation. That may sound modest, but in photovoltaics every degree counts: silicon cells typically lose relative efficiency as they heat, and sustained high temperatures accelerate the chemical degradation pathways that shorten module lifetimes. A passive cooling effect that requires no fans, pumps, or extra components is therefore highly attractive for module manufacturers.
The broader significance of the work lies in the design framework rather than any single number. Many research groups have pursued thermally conductive encapsulants, and many have achieved impressive conductivity figures by loading polymers with boron nitride, graphene, or alumina. The recurring failure mode has been the property conflict: pushing conductivity higher usually means more filler, which means stiffer, more brittle films with worse processability and sometimes degraded insulation. The three-tier strategy of matrix crosslinking, hybrid filler architecture, and dual-anchored interfaces offers a template for resolving that conflict systematically. Because each tier addresses a distinct bottleneck, the approach should transfer to other polymer systems that need the same trio of heat dissipation, mechanical strength, and electrical insulation, from power electronics packaging to electric vehicle battery components.
There are, of course, steps between a laboratory demonstration and a production line. The filler loading of 110 phr is high, and the cost of spherical boron nitride microspheres exceeds that of commodity encapsulant ingredients, so economics will shape adoption. Long-term durability testing, including damp-heat aging, ultraviolet exposure, and thermal cycling under real module conditions, will be needed to confirm that the dual-anchored interface survives decades outdoors. The published study is also an accepted-manuscript version released early under open access, so some details may be refined in the final record. Still, the core demonstration stands: a 1245 percent conductivity gain with mechanical properties and insulation intact, plus a measurable module-level cooling benefit.
For an industry racing to squeeze more output and longer lifetimes out of every panel, the message is encouraging. The materials that surround a solar cell are no longer passive spectators; engineered correctly, the humble encapsulant can become an active thermal manager. By treating the interface, the filler network, and the polymer matrix as one integrated system, the Daqing and Tianjin team has shown that the properties photovoltaic manufacturers were told they must trade off against each other can, with sufficient molecular craftsmanship, be delivered together in a single film.
Subject of Research: Thermally conductive and mechanically robust EVA/boron nitride composite encapsulants for photovoltaic modules
Article Title: Dual-anchored interfacial and sheet-sphere hybrid network engineering for thermally conductive, mechanically robust EVA/BN photovoltaic encapsulants
Article References: Luo, F., Ma, X., Tao, L., Cui, Y., Wang, Y., & Wang, H. (2026). Dual-anchored interfacial and sheet-sphere hybrid network engineering for thermally conductive, mechanically robust EVA/BN photovoltaic encapsulants. Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42114-026-02087-w
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1007/s42114-026-02087-w
Keywords: EVA encapsulant, boron nitride, thermal conductivity, photovoltaic modules, polymer composites, interfacial engineering, sheet-sphere hybrid filler, crosslinked matrix, solar reflectance, volume resistivity, heat dissipation, mechanical properties
News Source: Denise Maddox. (October 19, 2026). Boron Nitride Hybrid Network Cools Solar Panels While Keeping Films Tough. Scienmag.
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The contract aims to help meet demand for reliable and dispatchable clean energy during evening and night peak periods.
ACME Solar, through its subsidiary ACME Greentech Twenty, has entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to deliver 300MW/1.2GW-hours (GWh) of assured peak power supply.
The agreement falls under the SECI’s FDRE-IX tranche and is set at a tariff of $0.063 (Rs6) per unit, with the supply scheduled to commence from 6 April 2028.
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The contract aims to help meet demand for reliable and dispatchable clean energy during evening and night peak periods as India increases its reliance on renewable energy sources.
According to ACME Solar, the firm and dispatchable renewable energy (FDRE) project will provide 4MW-hours (MWh) per megawatt of capacity each day for any four hours during non-solar hours, maintaining a minimum monthly availability of 90%.
The company will use a combination of solar generation and battery energy storage system (BESS) technologies to meet the supply requirements.
ACME Solar’s night-time connectivity infrastructure will also form part of the project.
Following the signing of this PPA, ACME Solar’s under-construction contracted portfolio is now 4.31GW out of a total under-construction capacity of 5.38GW.
The project, awarded by the SECI, has a tenure of 25 years from the scheduled commencement date.
The contract is domestic in nature and stipulates the use of an assured peak power model for the 300MW of capacity.
Earlier this month, ACME Solar brought online additional battery storage capacity totalling 107.36MW/437.49MWh across two projects in Rajasthan.
The commissioning was completed on 30 September, with both projects achieving commercial operation status as of 2 October.
The company reported commissioning of the first phase of BESS capacity for the FDRE project at Neemri village in Chittorgarh district, Rajasthan, connected to the Neemuch substation.
This facility is expected to reach its full capacity within the current financial year and has a 25-year PPA with a national renewable energy implementing agency.
Another phase at Kelan village, Bikaner district, saw an additional 53.63MW/214.52MWh connected to the Bikaner III substation, also under a 25-year agreement.
ACME Solar holds a contracted renewable portfolio of 8.37GW and an operational solar and storage capacity of approximately 3GW and 4.96GWh, respectively.
In August 2026, ACME Solar secured long-term financing totalling Rs15.71bn from the India Infrastructure Finance Company for the development of a 300MW assured peak power project in Rajasthan, India.
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Maintaining and expanding workforce central for US PV manufacturers at PV CellTech USA  PV Tech
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Orb Energy marks 20 years of solar power innovation in India  Manufacturing Today India
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NTPC Ltd has signed a 25-year PPA with US-based 247Solar for a hybrid power project at Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan. The approximately 1 MW project will combine a 400 kW modular 247Solar Plant with several hundred kilowatts of solar PV capacity, marking the first commercial deployment of 247Solar’s solar thermal technology.
The project is backed by the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corp. Ltd, which has approved preliminary studies, site surveys, and structural tests.

NTPC and 247Solar selected Bhadla Solar Park as the location for its abundant sunshine, and for its easy interconnection for offtake.
247Solar Plants combine concentrated solar power, thermal energy storage and a proprietary turbine to generate electricity around the clock.
As India races to meet surging electricity demand, utilities have recently built coal capacity alongside solar and wind power to cover the gap left by photovoltaic panels when the sun sets and during bad weather. NTPC will test whether 247Solar’s system can close that gap and reduce the utility’s reliance on coal. With the success of this project, its backers expect the utility to look at expanding the technology more broadly across India.
“This new version of solar thermal solves the problem of intermittent solar and wind power, and avoids spending more on outdated, costly, and dirty coal plants,” said Bruce Anderson, founder and CEO of 247Solar. 
“India’s rapid growth plainly requires more clean, reliable and affordable energy,” Anderson added. “Our system can help meet that demand. I’m thrilled that after several years of deep due diligence, NTPC is working with us to bring this promising technology into wider use.”
247Solar’s technology removes the drawbacks of previous Concentrated Solar Power technology. It still captures the sun’s heat with mirrors focused on towers, but the system is simplified, modular, and scalable, and it simultaneously provides heat up to 1000^oC (over 1800^oF) for industrial processes.
The system stores heat for up to 20 hours in inexpensive ceramic pellets, using hot air to generate electricity around the clock with unique turbines that operate without combustion under normal conditions. If the stored heat runs low overnight or during extended cloudy weather, the same turbines can also run on liquid or gaseous fuels, including natural gas, green hydrogen, or diesel, so the plant can keep producing power without interruption.
247Solar Plant’s key benefits compared with traditional CSP technology include lower cost, speed to power, simplicity of design and operation, high reliability, grid independence, and cost-effective baseload power, according to 247Solar.
The demonstration marks an early step toward round-the-clock clean power for industry and residents in India. Success will position Rajasthan as a proving ground for the technology and give NTPC a new tool as it works to meet the country’s growing power demand while reducing reliance on coal, cutting costs and carbon emissions simultaneously. 
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Qcells announced plans to launch new versions of its residential solar panel series featuring U.S.-made aluminum frames by the end of 2026. 
The updated residential product offerings, which include the company’s Q.Tron AC and Q.Peak Duo AC lines, will incorporate aluminum frames extruded, anodized, and fabricated at supplier Aluko Group’s integrated facility in Halls, Tennessee. The initiative is aimed at helping residential installers and third-party ownership TPO providers qualify for the Investment Tax Credit ITC domestic content bonus adder. 
Under the Treasury Department’s domestic content guidance, solar hardware must meet specific domestic manufacturing thresholds to qualify for the 10% tax credit bonus. Qcells noted that keeping all three core stages of frame manufacturing, including extrusion, anodization, and fabrication, within the United States provides greater clarity for installers and financing partners when evaluating compliance. 
The domestic frame offering comes as the statutory domestic content threshold for clean energy projects begins stepping up toward 55% for projects commencing construction in 2027. 
“Through this partnership to produce modules with domestic frames, we are furthering our commitment to U.S. manufacturing, supporting clean, affordable energy and giving our customers the certainty they need to qualify projects for the domestic content bonus,” said Il Hyeong No, head of Qcells North America’s residential business. 
Supply chain localized in Tennessee 
Aluko Group’s manufacturing plant in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, is expected to reach full commercial production by the end of 2026. Once operational, the plant will have a planned annual capacity to manufacture enough frames to support 4 GW of solar modules. 
Aluko plans to invest more than $107 million into the facility over five years, creating 285 full-time jobs. The company operates what it describes as the only facility in the U.S. performing all three major frame production steps under one roof. 
“By carrying out extrusion, anodizing, and fabrication here in the United States, we are delivering a product that offers transparency and confidence at every step of the process,” said Jinwoo Park, president of Aluko Group. 
The move expands Qcells’ broader domestic manufacturing push across its vertically integrated operations in Dalton and Cartersville, Georgia, where the company operates large-scale module and component assembly operations.
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India has been scaling renewable energy at one of the fastest rates in the world over the past decade. Solar capacity has more than doubled in recent years, crossing 150 GW, while the country is targeting 300 GW by 2030. As of August 2026, India had an installed renewable energy capacity of 295.55 GW, including 168.04 GW of solar and 58.52 GW of wind.
But the next concern is not simply generating more electricity. The nation needs the right power, at the right time and in the right place. As renewable generation increases, the focus will largely shift to how effectively this power can be integrated, managed and delivered. The ability to maintain stable, reliable and high-quality power will increasingly determine how far India can take its renewable energy ambition.
Generation is only the starting point
Renewable energy has transformed India’s power landscape, but solar and wind do not generate electricity at the same pace all the time. Solar output changes with daylight and cloud cover, while wind depends on weather conditions. As their share increases, issues such as voltage fluctuations, harmonics, frequency changes and overall system strength become more central.
The challenge is already visible in the form of renewable curtailment. India had to curtail 8,133 GWh of solar power from April to June 2026 because of transmission limitations and grid-security regulations, although demand for peak power hit a record 270 GW. This showed that generating more renewable electricity was only half the battle. The grid must also be capable of absorbing and moving that power when it is produced.
The real measure of progress, therefore, should not be how much renewable capacity India installs, but how much of that capacity can be delivered when and where it is needed.
Power quality will become a bigger priority
As renewable energy grows, the way electricity behaves and is managed is also changing. Solar and battery systems rely heavily on power electronics, unlike traditional power sources. As their share increases, issues such as voltage fluctuations, harmonics, frequency changes and overall system strength become largely significant.
These are not abstract technical concerns. Poor power quality can affect industrial equipment, sensitive electronics, data centres and other high-demand applications. As the economy becomes electrified and digital, consumers will expect not just access to electricity, but a stable and predictable supply.
The government is already preparing for this transition through improved renewable forecasting and real-time monitoring, automatic generation control, and support technologies like Static Synchronous Compensators (STATCOMs) and synchronous condensers. As renewable capacity expands, these capabilities will be as crucial as bringing on new generation.
Storage needs to do more than just store energy
Energy storage will be central to this transition, but it is more than just storing excess solar energy for later use in the evening. Batteries can help regulate fluctuations, assist with frequency and voltage management, and react rapidly when power needs a change. Pumped storage can deliver longer duration flexibility to complement battery systems.
The need for this flexibility is becoming clearer as electricity demand rises in the evening. India met an all-time high peak electricity demand of 256.1 GW in April 2026 without any shortage, with solar contributing 21.5% of generation at the time of peak demand. This highlights the need to extend renewable power beyond solar hours. The National Electricity Plan projects 47.24 GW or 236 GWh of BESS and 26.69 GW or 175 GWh of pumped storage by 2031-32.
The focus, therefore, should not just be on how much storage the country adds, but on how effectively it can support a more flexible and trustworthy power system.
The grid needs to become more responsive
Further, renewable growth will require closer coordination between generation, transmission, storage and demand. Better forecasting can help system operators anticipate changes in renewable output. Dynamic reactive power support, advanced monitoring, and STATCOMs and synchronous condensers can strengthen grid performance.
The growth of transmission will be just as necessary. In this year, almost 21 GW of renewable capacity has been operating through temporary grid connections, with transmission restrictions already emerging as a substantial source of curtailment.
This creates a clear case for combining physical infrastructure with digital and technological solutions. Transmission expansion cannot always move at the same pace as renewable deployment, making technologies that improve flexibility, forecasting, storage and real-time management significant.
Reliability will define the clean energy transition
India has already demonstrated that renewable capacity can be added at scale. The next test is whether this capacity can translate into reliable, flexible and high-quality electricity. Power quality therefore needs to be treated as an essential part of the renewable energy transition, rather than a downstream technical issue. The future grid will need to handle changing renewable output, respond quickly to shifts in demand and keep power stable under changing conditions.
The country’s renewable opportunity is no longer only about producing more clean electricity. It is about making that electricity more usable, dependable, and responsive to the needs of a growing economy. As renewable penetration rises, this ability will increasingly determine the real value of the capacity being added.
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The Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners approved a land use lease for the 120 MW Mirasol Solar Project on 1,140 acres of state trust land in Pueblo County, making it the largest solar installation in agency history. 
The project anchors a broader push by Colorado Governor Jared Polis’ administration to deploy renewable energy infrastructure across state-owned parcels. Revenue generated from the project’s lease agreement flows directly to Colorado’s Public School Fund. The state’s public school endowment recently surpassed $2 billion in total assets as the Land Board marks its 150th year.
Developed by Mirasol Energy Center, LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, the project is located on 1,140 acres approximately five miles south of Avondale in Pueblo County. County land-use filings authorize a facility size of up to 200 MW of photovoltaic solar generation alongside 200 MW of battery energy storage, interconnecting to the Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo / Xcel Energy) grid via a new 230 kV transmission line hookup at the existing Mirasol Switchyard.
Following local permit extensions and state land lease approvals, the project is scheduled to enter commercial operation in late 2028. 
State officials structured the lease to combine commercial solar generation with utility-scale battery energy storage systems. Land Board administrators noted that the project helps the agency advance toward its administrative target of hosting 750 MW of clean energy capacity across its statewide portfolio.
“Surpassing $2 billion in the State Land Board’s 150th year is a powerful example of history with purpose,” said State Land Board Director Nicole Rosmarino. “The value generated from these lands does not end with a single lease or a single generation. It becomes part of an enduring trust that will continue supporting Colorado students well into the future.”
The approval aligns with constitutional mandates requiring the Land Board to generate consistent financial returns for K-12 public education while applying statutory conservation stipulations across leased acreage. Project development timelines and interconnection schedules will proceed following local county permit filings.
According to Solar Energy Industries Association market reports, Colorado hosts 5.77 GWdc of installed solar capacity alongside 2.3 GWh of energy storage. The state market accounts for $11.1 billion in total solar investment, 170,281 individual installations, and supports 8,071 solar jobs across 379 local companies.
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Exports of solar cells and panels from China in September 2026 declined by 6.4% compared with September last year. During the month, the country shipped 1.21 million metric tons of such equipment abroad, OilPrice reports, citing customs data provided by Reuters.
Compared with August, export volumes increased. At the same time, overseas shipments of Chinese solar equipment have fallen by 9.5% since the beginning of the year.
Exports of solar cells and panels began to decline in May after Beijing abolished the export VAT rebate for photovoltaic products, including solar cells and panels, from April 1. According to the publication, the tax policy change increased export costs and made Chinese photovoltaic products more expensive on the international market.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
China also intends to abolish the export VAT rebate for battery products from January 1, 2027.
At the same time, Chinese authorities are proposing a new trade policy that could restrict exports of certain solar technologies. In particular, this concerns technologies for producing high-efficiency products based on perovskite, tandem solar cells, polysilicon, silicon wafers, and crystalline silicon cells.
The proposed changes are part of a broader initiative to restrict exports of up to 40 technologies in artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and solar energy. China’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology have launched a month-long public consultation on adjusting the list of technologies subject to export bans or restrictions.
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Solar panels on the roof of a business in Yangon / GCL Solar
Contractors warn that a new regime mandate requiring installation of solar power systems in all high-rises and commercial buildings will send construction costs soaring in Myanmar. The directive further squeezes construction companies already pinched by a shortage of materials, import restrictions, and severe currency volatility.
The Yangon City Development Committee’s Engineering Department issued the order on October 1 as part of a nationwide push for solar amid deepening power blackouts.
From November 1, all commercial projects and high-rise buildings must install solar panels sufficient to power elevators and emergency lighting. For commercial buildings, solar systems must be integrated with power supplied by the Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation (YESC).
The order applies to existing projects, buildings under construction, and those awaiting Building Completion Certificates required for habitation.
“We have been handed the order at a time when prices of solar panels and related equipment are rising daily,” complained a Mandalay‑based builder. “Steel and cement prices are already soaring, so this adds yet another burden.”
Meanwhile, industry insiders warn of a scarcity of skilled technicians capable of installing large solar systems, creating technical and financial hurdles. “Household systems won’t power elevators, which require commercial‑grade solar systems,” the manager of a solar dealership explained. “Installation takes at least two months and costs around 100 million kyat.”
Solar imports to feed surging demand created by the new mandate are controlled by Aung Pyae Sone, son of regime chief Min Aung Hlaing.
Aung Pyae Sone swiftly cornered the lucrative market after his father’s regime waived tax on solar imports in April 2023 under the pretext of boosting the energy grid. His Venus Essential company also holds licenses to supply solar equipment for projects in Naypyitaw and planned 40-megawatt solar power plants in Taungdwingyi, Salin, Pakokku, Pauk, Chauk and Kyunchaung.
The solar mandate comes as regime energy rationing intensifies with more frequent rolling blackouts this year.
“They cut electricity during extreme heat, then order solar systems to be installed,” said a former political prisoner from Mandalay. “But only one company — belonging to the coup leader son — is allowed to import and sell the equipment nationwide. This is not aimed at solving the power crisis, but exploiting authority for personal profit.”
On October 5, the Electricity and Energy Ministry introduced rolling four-hour blackouts under the pretext of surging demand during the El Niño heatwave. Since then, households in Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw have faced daily outages.
The power crisis has driven prices of solar panels and related equipment to record highs. In early August, a 500‑watt panel cost around 650,000 kyat. By mid‑October, the price had surged past one million kyat, putting solar systems beyond the reach of ordinary families.
…
Yangon’s Kings Rich Fashion to close citing a lack of orders from global brands, exacerbating the plight of garment workers…
The arrest of ‘kickback king’ Lt-Gen Moe Myint Tun, once seen as a possible successor to Min Aung Hlaing, comes…
SDG Group’s aid, education and labor initiatives may be paving the way for a $900-million oil venture that could supply…
Min Aung Hlaing is an opportunistic businessman in military uniform and his children are more mercenary than the offspring of…
The military regime has also lost control of all border trade in neighboring northern Shan State.
Regime cronies Thein Win Zaw and Mu Mu Shein are set to follow former lieutenant general Moe Myint Tun as…
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Solar is currently the cheapest source of electricity in the UK, yet fewer than 10% of households across the country currently have solar panels.
That is a huge missed opportunity not only for Britons struggling with the cost of energy but for the UK Government, whose ambitious net zero goals depend on nationwide decarbonisation.
Fuse Energy, Europe’s fastest growing energy company, has a solution that could put solar power in the hands of millions more UK citizens.
The London-based firm has today announced that Jules, a first-of-its-kind plug-in solar and battery storage system, is now available for pre-order in the UK.
The launch of Jules comes less than two months after the UK passed legislation in August allowing plug-in solar panels to be sold in the country for the first time.
Demand for the plug-in kits has been impressive since then with Octopus Energy, the UK’s premier energy provider, selling out of its stock multiple times.
The appeal of these systems is the democratising effect it has on solar energy.
Traditional solar arrays don’t, after all, work for everybody, including renters, flat dwellers or people with insufficient roof space.
That is to say nothing of the affordability of roof-mounted solar systems. According to Fuse, these systems often cost between £7,000 (US$9,300) and £8,000 (US$10,600) which is out of reach for many Britons.
Plug-in systems, on the other hand, are far less expensive. Single panel systems are available for as little as £330 (US$440) while dual panel kits can be found for around £450 (US$600).
The installation is simple, requiring only a garden, a wall or a balcony rather than a rooftop rig.
So, what makes Fuse’s new offering distinct?
Jules connects up to four 500W panels to a standard socket, which gives a combined output of 2,000W – the government mandated output limit for plug-in arrays.
The key difference between Jules and the other plug-in solar systems on the UK market today is its battery storage element.
Jules adds a 2.5kWh battery, so surplus power can be stored when it is cheap and used later when it is not.
Fuse’s own battery management software decides when to store power and when to use it.
It draws on solar forecasts, household usage and live prices, and the company says machine learning helps trim bills further still.
The software builds on the real-time system Fuse already uses to bill customers against half-hourly wholesale prices.
On cloudy days, Jules can also charge from the grid when electricity is at its cheapest, meaning it is always working in the owner’s favour.
Fuse’s announcement of the Jules system comes at a good time for UK customers. 
For the past few years, UK households have had to deal with sky-high energy prices as a result of three consecutive crises: the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and the Strait of Hormuz crisis.
To help Britons cope with the rising cost of power, the government introduced an energy price cap, though that cap rose by 4% at the start of October, taking the average annual household energy bill to around £1,723 (US$2,290).
Having access to cheap solar power will therefore come as a relief to many UK households struggling with utility bills.
Widening access to solar energy is something Fuse’s Co-Founder and CEO, Alan Chang, is passionate about.
“Solar has been a club for homeowners with the right roof and eight grand to spare,” he says. 
“That’s backwards. It’s the cheapest power in Britain, and the only things stopping most households using it are cost and complexity.”
“Jules removes both and starts cutting bills from day one. We will keep reinvesting everything we make until low-cost, abundant power is the default for everyone.”
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Four proposed solar, wind, and battery energy storage projects that would add a combined 12.66 GW of new generation capacity to the grid have been successful in the South Australian government’s competitive tender process for land released under the state’s renewable energy framework.
The successful proposals have now secured the right to apply for a renewable energy feasibility licence in the Whyalla West release area, part of more than 11,000 square kilometres of land opened by the state government earlier this year for the potential development of large-scale renewables projects.
The successful projects include a 4.7 GW wind and solar proposal from South Australia-based Altra Energy, a 360 MW solar proposal from French developer Neoen, and a 1.6 GW wind project proposed by Heron Energy. Australian developer Windlab has proposed the largest project, combining up to 6 GW of solar and wind energy generation. The project’s first stage is expected to comprise up to 1 GW of wind generation and battery energy storage.
South Australian Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the scale of the proposed developments represents one of the largest renewable energy opportunities released in the state, adding the projects could underpin the next era of green industrial growth in the Upper Spencer Gulf region.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for Whyalla and the Upper Spencer Gulf, with almost 13 GW of proposed renewable energy generation that could help shape the region’s industrial future,” he said.
“For generations, Whyalla has been one of South Australia’s great industrial centres. We want to build on that strength, attracting new investment and creating opportunities for the next generation of industry.”
Koutsantonis acknowledged that all four projects are at an early stage, and that there is significant work ahead, but said their success in the tender process is an important step towards unlocking the region’s renewable energy potential.
The successful companies can now apply for renewable energy feasibility licences. These would allow developers to undertake detailed technical, commercial and environmental investigations. Any construction and operation would require a separate renewable energy infrastructure licence.
Windlab Chief Development Officer Nathan Blundell said the region’s renewable resources and established industrial sector make it especially compelling for development.
“Whyalla West combines exceptional renewable energy resources, significant development scale and proximity to established and emerging industrial demand,” he said.
Altra Energy Director Andrew Newman said there is an opportunity to power the next generation of industry in the region, which has been heavily impacted by the recent closure of the Whyalla Steelworks.
“The Upper Spencer Gulf has always been a place with a strong industrial history, and this is a chance to power the next generation of that industry,” he said. “We’re already working with major energy users on how this energy will be used.” 
The announcement of the successful tender applicants, comes after the state government earlier this month announced the pipeline of large-scale renewable energy and storage projects under construction or with development approval in South Australia has rocketed in value to more than $32 billion, with almost $7 billion worth of projects already up and running,
South Australia is targeting 100% net renewables by the end of 2027 although Koutsantonis recently hinted the state might not achieve its goal.
“I think we are going to get to 100%. I am confident we can meet that target, but the question for us is going to be is when in 2027 we hit that target” he said during a press conference marking the start of construction on Tilt Renewables’ 288 MW Palmer wind farm 70 kilometres east of Adelaide.
“If we overshoot it a bit, it gets into a little bit of 2028, fine. But the ambition is what’s important. The ambition is what drives the government’s agenda here.”
Government data shows renewables, primarily solar and wind, accounted for 77.1% of the South Australia’s net electricity generation in the 2025 calendar year.
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pv magazine Session returns to NetZero Milan as Knowledge Partner, organizing and moderating a two-hour conference on the evolving global solar supply chain.
Get your ticket at a discounted rate with pv magazine.
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In Texas, a DIY solar owner had to prove roof wind load, as others say permitting ‘doubled’ costs  Yahoo
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The business of solar grazing, using animals to manage vegetation at solar sites, has taken off in along with the growth of solar in the U.S. According to Stacie Peterson, executive director of the American Solar Grazing Association (ASGA), solar grazing became a business in 2018. This was one year before the U.S. achieved two million solar installations.
The United States Solar Grazing 2024 Census was the first to attempt to capture the full scope and scale of U.S. solar grazing. Conducted by ASGA in conjunction with U.S. Department of Energy National Lab of the Rockies (NREL), the census found that over 113,000 sheep grazed through fields of solar panels on 129,000 acres of land. The 2025 census has not yet been released, but Peterson told pv magazine USA that she believes the numbers have greatly increased.
The ASGA Solar Grazing Map is a resource for solar grazers and solar site operators and developers to connect with each other and build partnerships. Credit: American Solar Grazing Association
What solar grazers bring to solar sites is expertise in agriculture, land stewardship, vegetation management, soil health knowledge and forage and weed knowledge, according to Peterson. Graziers provide additional benefits to solar developers or owners including their connections within the local community and their deep understanding of the land.
Having a regular physical presence at the site is another plus, which Rebekah Pierce, solar grazer and owner of New York-based J&R Pierce Family Farms said has great value to O&M teams. “It’s hard to quantify on paper what being on site means to the O&M team, but we’re there every other day. If we see an issue that needs to be addressed like a loose wire or a hole in a fence, we let them know and that issue is addressed.”
While most solar grazing is done with sheep, J&R Pierce Family Farm raises cows as well as sheep. Pierce proposed a cattle-grazing pilot to Nexamp, a solar developer that grazed livestock at 89 sites this past season across five states for a total of almost 2,000 acres, according to Keith Hevenor, communications manager.
“We began our grazing program in 2019 with just one site and have been expanding significantly each year since,” Hevenor said. “We are looking forward to even more progress next year and love that our grazing partners are able to continue an agricultural application on these solar farms while providing a necessary service for us in a safer and more sustainable way.”
The cow pilot began last summer on two of Nexamp’s solar sites in Fort Covington, New York. Five cattle, including one bull, grazed among the solar modules mounted on trackers, and it was a success with the cows showing “no unusual behavior,” according to Pierce. She said that sheep remain the most flexible option for solar sites, especially those that were not designed for grazing larger animals. Pierce noted, however, that grazing cattle is worth consideration, especially when looking at market potential and the fact that Americans consume far more beef than lamb.
J&R Pierce Family Farm grazed cattle on two of Nexamp’s solar projects in New York state. Credit: J&R Pierce Family Farm
The arrangement between the solar grazer and the developer are different depending on region and for different graziers, Peterson said. In addition to signing an agreement that works for both parties, Pierce stressed that communication is key, so it’s important to have a connection with the right person in the company, especially in light of the fact that solar projects are commonly acquired and new people take the helm.
Many times, enhancing communication requires dispelling misconceptions. Pierce said that in most cases, livestock are less risky than mechanical mowers and other farm equipment. She said sheep don’t chew on wires and damage things, they don’t kick up rocks, they’re not creating fire risk. These misconceptions, she said, just aren’t true and the benefits are many.
A main challenge for both parties is in educating one another about priorities and how they can work together successfully.
“The more corporate world of solar companies can be quite the dichotomy from the one of farmers/ranchers, and vice versa,” said Matt Kovarik of Maine-based Black Earth Grazing. “Once we both do a little work of educating each other on our systems, the partnership can serve both interests and work out quite successfully.”
ReVision Energy, a renewable energy contracting company based in New England, has partnered since 2024 with Black Earth Grazing on a dual-management solar grazing program. It’s been so successful that the farmers changed the name from Black Earth Forest Farm to Black Earth Grazing. They started with 40 ewes and now manage a flock of several hundred. They’re currently responsible for 11 of ReVision’s community solar sites, and the flock keeps growing as more solar sites become available.
The many benefits of solar grazing for solar companies include vegetation management that requires fewer fossil fuels than mechanical methods, a human presence on site and a connection to local graziers who provide products to the community pay taxes, support local services and more.
“We are there to provide vegetation management, but we are a bit more invested in the land and its productivity than a mowing crew would be, as we are deriving benefits from a healthy well-managed pasture that feeds our sheep,” said .
For the grazier, the benefits include the pay they receive for performing land stewardship and vegetation management and access to a greater land area that enables them to expand the size of their operations.
Solar grazing offers a cost-effective solution to land stewardship and vegetation management, with many other tangible benefits as a bonus. For solar developers interested in solar grazing, ASGA offers a one-day workshop for site operations and management teams, developers, asset managers and sustainability teams. Participants receive a Level 1 Solar Grazing Management Certification.
Register for pv magazine USA week to learn more about solar grazing October 22 in a keynote fireside chat with Silicon Ranch, one of the leading solar grazing installers in the U.S.

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Collin Rugg News brings you the latest updates from the US and around the world, fast.
Rooftop photovoltaic arrays rely almost entirely on rigid silicon wafers, but a profound shift is unfolding beneath the glass: alternative crystal coatings called perovskites are now matching conventional silicon performance, with laboratory prototypes reaching conversion rates above 25 percent. The central issue deciding whether this hardware replaces standard domestic panels comes down to operational life. Silicon maintains steady power generation across twenty-five years of British rain, frost, and summer heat, while standard perovskite compounds degrade rapidly when exposed to moisture and ambient warmth.
Understanding the balance between perovskite solar cell efficiency vs silicon determines whether your next domestic installation will stick with legacy wafers or adopt cutting-edge hybrid layers.
Commercial silicon modules fitted across homes and commercial roofs across the UK typically convert roughly 20 to 22 percent of incoming sunlight into usable domestic electricity. Single-junction silicon faces a strict physical ceiling, making incremental gains increasingly expensive to engineer.
Perovskites take a different route. Instead of demanding energy-heavy furnaces running at extreme temperatures to melt and purify quartz, perovskite crystals form via low-temperature solution processing. They can be coated, printed, or sprayed onto surfaces at a fraction of the thermal energy cost. When tuned correctly, their crystalline lattice absorbs different wavelengths of the solar spectrum than silicon does.
A solar cell is a stack of dissimilar materials, and every junction between the absorber and its transport layers can either help or hinder the flow of electrons and holes.
By pairing both materials into tandem cells, where a perovskite layer sits directly on top of a base silicon wafer, the combined structure captures broad spectrum light that either layer would waste on its own. This tandem design represents the actual commercial target for next-generation domestic installations.
If thin-film perovskite delivers comparable or superior conversion rates with cheaper fabrication routes, why does silicon remain the undisputed standard on British housing? The challenge lies in long-term chemical durability.
Silicon is mechanically brittle, yet chemically robust. Once sealed against air, a traditional panel reliably endures decades of British weather cycles. In contrast, untamed perovskite suffers from delicate surface chemistry:
Addressing these degradation mechanisms has occupied global material laboratories seeking to deliver commercial-grade hardware.
A major review published in the Journal of Materials Science, led by Zhiyan Sun and a research team at Liaoning Petrochemical College, outlines a molecular solution to the stability bottleneck: designer room-temperature salts known as ionic liquids.
Because these salts consist of paired organic cations and modular anions, their structures can be tuned to interact with specific weak spots in the crystal lattice. Research catalogs multiple operational breakthroughs achieved via these additives:
Shifting high-efficiency formulations from university benches to working power generation involves intricate global manufacturing lines. Commercial development faces international trade realignments, particularly around manufacturing expertise. China has initiated regulatory consultations covering export controls on critical solar equipment, specifically targeting thin-wafer manufacturing, fluidized-bed polysilicon processes, and perovskite-silicon tandem engineering.
For domestic solar adopters, traditional silicon remains the proven, warrantied solution for installations completed today. Yet as molecular additives like ionic liquids solve the moisture barrier, the emergence of tandem modules promises significantly higher household yields from the exact same roof dimensions.
💡 When reviewing quotes for a rooftop installation, silicon remains the reliable, bankable choice for long-term power generation.
🔍 Keep a close watch on tandem panel developments over coming cycles, especially if you have limited roof space requiring maximum energy density.
📌 Always ask your installer whether the proposed modules use traditional mono-silicon or next-generation cell architecture before signing a contract.
👇 Have you looked into upgrading your solar array recently? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below.
View all posts by Сollin Rugg
Collin Rugg is a political commentator, journalist, and the driving force behind Collin Rugg News. Known for his unfiltered approach to journalism, Collin covers breaking US news, political events, and global affairs. His mission is to cut through the mainstream media noise and deliver straight facts to millions of readers.
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“You should not be operating outside the law to make green electricity.”
Photo Credit: iStock
One DIY solar owner in Texas said local officials required proof that “my roof was okay for the wind load” before a home system could move forward.
That anecdote summed up a Reddit discussion on the r/SolarDIY subreddit in which homeowners were asked about the hardest part of DIY solar.
In a Reddit post, a user who said they were a college senior doing an entrepreneurship capstone on energy interconnectedness asked homeowners, “What has been the most frustrating or difficult part of setting up or managing your system?”
Across the thread, permitting stood out as the complaint people raised most often.
With energy prices through the roof, there’s never been a better time to go solar — and EasyHome can help you find the best prices from the best installers in your area.
EasyHome takes the guesswork and headaches out of energy upgrades by showing you estimated savings from a network of vetted local partners. To get started, just enter your ZIP and share a few details about your home — seeing your estimate is really that easy.
The highest-rated reply focused on that issue: “Permitting. My state simply would not have allowed me to build my own design if I wasn’t a licensed professional engineer. The number of hurdles that [I] cleared was crazy.”
A different commenter also put permitting at the top of the list, calling it “number 1 by a long shot” and saying it “would have at least doubled my costs and made it unviable.”
Going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy, and homeowners don’t have to go at it alone. Those who want a professionally installed system can try EnergySage to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes without those installers getting their contact information unless they choose to move forward.
One of the clearest examples came from Texas, where a commenter said the local permitting office required calculations showing their roof could handle the wind and described that demand as “pretty ridiculous.”
The same commenter said California’s permitting book helped them navigate the process, adding that the state is “a little ahead of everybody else” because it has “an entire book for permitting.”
In at least one case, those constraints affected the design itself. A commenter wrote, “I’m going with an offgrid system. The power company can’t complain about a transfer switch.” The same person added that the power company “pay[s] s*** for excess production anyway.”
For some homeowners, the challenge was less about panels or batteries and more about getting solar equipment legally approved for connection to a house or the grid.
One commenter used California’s permitting book as a reference point. Homeowners who do not want to build a system entirely from scratch can also compare professional installation options.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
Those options do not eliminate local permitting requirements, but they may help homeowners approach the process with more confidence rather than feeling cornered into expensive delays or off-grid workarounds.
One commenter summed up the frustration on the thread: “You should not be operating outside the law to make green electricity.”
With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. 
EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system on a state-by-state level, as well as details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, these resources can help homeowners get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. Readers considering solar-plus-storage can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
There is a lot of misinformation around solar. Fortunately, there are insightful experts who can provide good advice. There are also emerging avenues around the more frustrating aspects of DIY solar.
• Homeowners pushed back after a roofer gave questionable advice on solar panels during roof planning.
• EnergySage’s former COO broke down interconnected factors shaping solar costs for homeowners pricing installations.
• Colorado officials promoted plug-in solar panels as a way around rooftop barriers and red tape.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
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JinkoSolar launches all-black Tiger Neo 5.0 residential solar module with 510W output, 25.52% efficiency  PV Tech
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The consensus response fit a broader backlash against AI-generated imagery in everyday life.
Photo Credit: Reddit
A free community kickball game turned into a small flashpoint over AI after an organizer complained that a friend would not attend because the event flyer used AI-generated art.
On Reddit’s r/mildlyinfuriating, many commenters rejected the idea that the only alternative was paying a designer, arguing that organizers already have plenty of free, non-AI tools available.
The debate played out in Reddit comments after the original poster claimed a friend wouldn’t attend a free kickball event over the flyer.
“Would he rather every event cost money so we can pay someone … $30 to make one?” the original poster asked.
“I did not make this flyer,” the poster clarified in an edit.
Instead of seeing AI and paid design work as the only options, commenters pointed to basic free tools.
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“You can design a flyer in Canva for free,” one commenter countered.
“It takes about 10 minutes to design a free poster on canva or similar things,” another observed.
“It’s not that hard to put together a flyer in Canva or another free service without using AI and it still be free,” another commenter reiterated.
“You do realize that people have been making flyers for free without the use of AI for decades, right? Like, most flyers you see on the street weren’t made by either AI or graphic designers — just people using basic programs on their computer,” a user wrote.
For some, the objection was about more than just the image itself. 
“Friend probably assumes the event will be poorly organized and hastily run,” one said, suggesting that the low-effort flyer could influence expectations about the event.
The original poster kept framing the issue as one of fairness and access. 
That came through in their post, in questions like “Should I even host a free event unless I have the money to pay designers?” and “Should we only wait for wealthy do to free community events so they can pay for everything to be hand done?”
Commenters saw that as a false choice, arguing that an event can be inviting without polished branding or a design budget. 
“Nobody was paying people $30 to make fliers lolllll yall just make s*** up,” a commenter said. 
“Send me a flyer written by crayon and I’d attend,” another joked.
The consensus response fit a broader backlash against AI-generated imagery in everyday life. 
For many people in the thread, using AI for a local event came across as careless because low-cost, handmade alternatives are already easy to use. 
“I’m not against free but an Ai flyer does not make it appealing,” a user replied, undercutting the original poster’s claim that the sole alternative was costly custom work.
At least one commenter took the criticism beyond design preferences and raised environmental concerns about AI infrastructure, questioning what kinds of tools communities choose to normalize.
Even in criticizing the flyer, commenters offered free ways to make event promotion feel more personal. 
Canva was mentioned repeatedly, and other suggestions were even simpler. 
“Go outside with your phone camera and take some photos of a ball,” a user proposed. 
Another pointed to older, familiar software like “Microsoft Word/Powerpoint” as more than adequate for a neighborhood flyer.
One commenter even posted a replacement image of a kickball. 
“Lmao the poster is so bad. Here you go OP. Just put this as the top image and then details below,” they instructed.
That response showed how quickly people can find alternatives that don’t rely on AI.
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ACME Solar, through its subsidiary ACME Greentech Twenty Pvt Ltd, has signed a power procurement agreement (PPA) with Solar Energy Corp. of India Ltd. (SECI) for 300 MW/1,200 MWh of assured peak power supply from interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected renewable energy projects. The developer secured the capacity under SECI’s FDRE-IX tranche at a tariff of INR 6/kWh.
Through this FDRE project, ACME Solar will supply 4 MWh per MW of contracted capacity for any four hours daily during the non-Solar hours, while maintaining a minimum availability of 90% on monthly basis. The project would integrate a combination of solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) technologies to meet the contracted obligations and would utilize the night-time connectivity already available with the company.
The agreement supports demand for dispatchable renewable power during evening and nighttime peak periods. Following the PPA signing, ACME Solar’s under-construction portfolio with signed PPAs stands at 4,310 MW, out of a total under-construction contracted capacity of 5,380 MW.
ACME Solar Holdings is an integrated renewable energy player with a diversified contracted portfolio of 8,370 MW spanning solar, BESS, FDRE, hybrid and wind  solutions and an operational capacity of 3,123  MW and 4.96 GWh of BESS capacity.
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Indian renewable energy independent power producer ACME Solar, through its subsidiary ACME Greentech Twenty Pvt Ltd, has signed a power procurement agreement (PPA) with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for 300 MW/1,200 MWh of assured peak power supply from interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected renewable energy projects.
The developer secured the capacity under SECI’s firm and dispatchable renewable energy (FDRE) IX tranche, a tender that launched in June this year, at a tariff of INR 6 ($0.063)/kWh.
The FDRE project will see ACME Solar supply 4 MWh/MW of contracted capacity for any four hours daily during non-solar hours while maintaining a minimum availability of 90% on a monthly basis.
The project is set to integrate a combination of solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) technologies in order to meet the contracted obligations. It will also utilise the night-time connectivity already available within the company.
Following the PPA signing, ACME Solar’s under-construction portfolio with signed PPAs now stands at 4,310 MW, compared to a total under-construction contracted capacity of 5,380 MW.
The company’s diversified contracted portfolio of 8,370 MW spans solar, BESS, FDRE, hybrid and wind solutions. Its operational capacity reaches 3,123 MW, alongside 4.96 GWh of BESS capacity.
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Poorly secured plug-in solar panels won't survive a winter storm. Here's what to check and adjust now – before it's too late.
Senior Contributing Editor
Senior Contributing Editor
October 19, 2026, 11:36 am ET

For a lot of people, this will be their first winter with their plug-in or balcony solar system (for simplicity and brevity, I’ll use the term “plug-in solar” from this point on). They’ve had a summer of the panels busily harvesting power and pushing it to their hungry devices, saving them a few dollars.
Also: I installed a $17 solar panel onto a security camera, and it’s paying off
But the darker months are approaching. Shorter days, more clouds, a feebler sun when it is out, and fewer dollars saved.
More from ZDNET
Winter is coming, and from all accounts, it looks like it might be a warmer, wetter one thanks to the very strong El Niño pattern forming. With that in mind, there’s no time like the present to get your solar setup ready for what’s ahead.
I want to begin by dispelling the myth that plug-in solar offers a great way to weather power outages.
It’s not. In fact, the microinverter, the gadget at the heart of plug-in solar systems, is designed to shut down when the grid goes down as a safety feature.
No grid, no plug-in solar.
Also: How I boosted my portable solar panels’ power by up to 30% – 11 expert-approved tips
If you want to get around this, you’ll need to add a battery to the system. This changes your plug-in system into a home battery system, which is a different, and usually more expensive, animal.
Yes, plug-in solar systems are designed to be up year-round. All the panels, cabling, and fittings are built to survive the sort of thing you’d expect your home to weather.
But the thing with plug-in solar kits is they’ve been designed with DIY installation in mind.
Also: I’ve tested solar gadgets for a long time – they’re finally worth buying
That’s great and all, but this is where readers split into two: those who don’t know how awful people can be at DIY and those who know (cue the Traumatized Mr. Incredible meme).
I’ve seen the sort of installation the average person carries out. Broken fittings, solar panels zip-tied to railings, trailing cables, and everything flapping in the breeze are all far too common.
If you have any doubts relating to the quality of your installation or any nagging feeling that you cut corners and left ghosts that are going to come back to haunt you, and you live somewhere where you can expect heavy rain, winds, or snow/hail, you might be better off getting a professional to take a look or, if you don’t want to spend the money, taking the system down and packing it away for the winter.
I don’t say this lightly, but a panel breaking loose and flying off down the street is not only going to be costly and bring your plug-in solar fun to an end but also going to make you very unpopular with your neighbors.
Even if you decide to keep your panels up, I’d give serious thought to bringing them in for a storm, especially if the setup has quick-release clamps and it’s only going to take minutes.
OK, so you’re confident you’ve competently installed your plug-in solar gear. Good. Now go check it!
Also: Will plug-in solar plus batteries solve your power problem? I did the math
Why? Because things can change over time, and it is good practice to check up on things every so often. I’ve fitted plenty of stuff, and done it properly, only to go back to it later to find some issue. Maybe a nut or screw has worked its way loose, or a cable is abrading against something, or maybe something has broken because “they don’t make things like they used to!”
It happens. Deal with it now before it has to handle being battered by a storm or crushed by snow. Here’s a quick checklist I use:
By that, I mean the angle of your panels. This only applies if you have an adjustable system, but a lot of panel mounting systems allow you to change the angle.
The best angle depends on your latitude, and the general rule of thumb for winter months (roughly November to February), since the sun is lower in the sky, is to set the tilt of your panels to your latitude plus about 15° from horizontal.
Also: I tried a solar-powered AirTag alternative that lasts 2 years – and looks like my Apple Watch
What this means is if you’re in a southern location (like Miami, Houston, Jacksonville, or Phoenix), your angle should be around 40 to 48°, and for northern cities (such as Minneapolis, Seattle, or Bismarck), the angle will be about 60 to 63°.
This steeper angle also helps shed snow.
Don’t feel you need to obsess over the angle down to the degree, as output losses are pretty small for errors up to 5°. But I do suggest you use the level app on your phone instead of trying to eyeball the angle, because no matter how good you think you are, eyeballing can be off by 10° or more.
Remember to readjust for the summer months (May to August) by setting the tilt to your latitude minus 15°. And if you want to get super precise, you could set the tilt angle during the shoulder seasons between summer and winter to roughly your latitude.
Shading is by far the biggest hidden winter loss. And if you put your panels up in summer, the shadow landscape around you might have changed considerably.
That tree, that house in the distance, trees, or those balcony railings might now be casting a shadow on your panels. However, that deciduous tree you thought would be problematic when looking at it in summer might now be bare and less of a problem.
Also: Plug-in solar is legal in these 10 states now – how it could save you money
Some people might take this opportunity to reposition or relocate their panels for optimal solar harvesting; others will just leave them where they are because the few bucks’ worth of power they’ll collect over winter isn’t worth the hassle; and still others — especially those who live in stormy areas — might choose to put their panels away for the season.
There are some pretty good shadow map tools online that can help you get a lay of the land.

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Fuse Energy’s new plug-in solar kit promises to save you £180 a year in electricity bills — but it’s not legal yet  TechRadar
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Columbian Lawyers address solar industry fraud  Brooklyn Eagle
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Qcells unveils two US-produced residential PV panels  PV Tech
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Swift Current sues First Solar over alleged module defects  PV Tech
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New Zealand’s solar journey has reached a new milestone with the Kōwhai Park solar farm at Christchurch on the South Island now operational, adding 150 MW of renewable generation capacity to the country’s electricity system.
Developed through New Zealand generator and retailer Contact Energy and Lightsource bp’s joint venture (JV) partnership, the Kōwhai Park solar farm features more than 300,000 panels spread across a 230-hectare site adjacent to and leased from Christchurch Airport.
The 150 MW facility, owned and operated by the JV partners, is expected to generate 275 GWh of renewable energy a year. Long‑term power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the output have been signed with both Christchurch Airport and New Zealand dairy processor Synlait.
Contact Chief Executive Officer Mike Fuge said the $222 million (NZD 273 million) Kōwhai Park project demonstrates the opportunity renewable energy presents for New Zealand. 
“We have huge aspirations for what renewable energy can deliver for this country,” he said. “Building new generation at scale gives businesses the confidence to electrify and strengthens our security of supply. That means a more resilient energy system, with more home-grown generation.”
Lightsource bp Asia-Pacific Chief Operating Officer Adam Pegg said the Kōwhai Park project forms part of the JV partners’ broader efforts to accelerate utility-scale solar deployment across New Zealand. 
“We see significant opportunity for large-scale renewables to support New Zealand’s growing electricity needs, industrial electrification and long-term energy security,” he said. “Kōwhai Park demonstrates the scale of what can be achieved, and we look forward to building on that momentum.”
Kōwhai Park is the first solar project to be completed by the Contact and Lightsource bp JV that was launched in 2022. Other projects in the JV’s development pipeline include a 175 MW solar farm north of Auckland, and a 160 MW solar farm in Taranaki, adjacent to Contact’s Stratford power station.
The launch of the Kōwhai Park solar farm adds to New Zealand’s growing solar portfolio.
A recent report released by the country’s Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) shows New Zealand’s solar capacity increased by 52% during 2025, reached 830 MW by the end of the year, up from 545 MW at the end of 2024.
The country’s cumulative solar capacity now stands in excess of 1 GW with the 150 MW Tauhei Solar Farm and 38 MW Omeheu Solar Farm also switched on this year.
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Centre considers incentives for elevated solar panels above farms  The Indian Express
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Evolve Green Energies, the flagship company of Chennai-based Evolve Energy Group, announced on Saturday, 17 October 2026, a plan to build 3 GW of owned renewable energy assets by 2030.
The plan extends the group beyond solar manufacturing, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), and operations and maintenance (O&M). The group intends to own and operate solar projects as an independent power producer, with contracted electricity revenue over an expected asset life of 25 years. Rajesh V. Shah, Founder, Chairman, and Managing Director of Evolve Energy Group, said, “Every megawatt we commission is a 25-year annuity. We manufacture it, build it, own it, and run it.”
Karan Singh, CEO of the group’s Asset Division, said about 130 MW is expected to become operational this financial year, and that part of that capacity already supplies industrial customers.
Financing is the next step. Ravinder Pareek, Group Head of Finance, said the group is raising structured debt for a pipeline of more than 300 MW of projects under development. The wider plan will draw on project debt, strategic equity, and a future public listing, according to the release. The release names Tata Capital, IREDA, Aseem Infrastructure Finance, and YES Bank as existing financing relationships.
ALSO READ: 5,000 Megawatt Solar Park to Come Up Near Ahmedabad
The company estimates the planned portfolio will generate well over 4 billion units of electricity a year and more than 100 billion units over its lifetime. It also estimates the portfolio could avoid about 3 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year.

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The UN Climate Change Conference COP31 will take place in Türkiye in November 2026. A flagship target is to raise the share of final energy demand met by electricity from 20% today to 35% by 2035.
Rising electricity demand signals rising affluence in developing countries, and progress towards “electrification of everything” via solar and wind. Dramatically cheaper, cleaner and more reliable domestic energy is a result.
Most industrial economies (including USA, China, the European Union, Japan and Australia) have annual per capita electricity consumption in the range 6-12 MWh compared with the global average of 4 MWh. For Latin America, India and ASEAN the figure is 1-3 MWh.
In an affluent advanced economy, about 20 MWh of clean electricity per person per year is required for decarbonisation of land transport, heating and cooling in buildings, water heating, and industrial process heat. This is relatively straightforward using off-the-shelf technology.
Another 5-25 MWh per person per year is required for decarbonisation of the chemical industry, which includes metals, plastics, cement, precursor chemicals, and synthetic shipping & aviation fuels. This needs substantial technology development over the next decade.
The “final energy” mentioned in the COP31 target refers to energy products delivered to the consumer, including vehicle fuel, natural gas and electricity. This is a silly measure of energy because it conflates chemical energy with electrical energy. The electricity used in a heat pump or electric vehicle is 3-5 times smaller than fossil fuel energy delivering the same service.
COP31 is led jointly by Türkiye and Australia. Australia has a good electrification story to tell.
Australia is the global No.1 for per capita solar generation, and No.8 for wind. The government target for 2030 is 82% of electricity from renewables (mostly solar and wind), up from 50% today.
The state of South Australia is tracking towards 100% net supply of electricity from solar and wind in 2028. South Australia has become an attractive destination for companies wishing to manufacture using clean energy.
More than 40% of Australian dwellings have rooftop solar (global No.1 per capita), tracking towards 50% by 2030. The average size of new systems is 10 kW with turnkey cost of $10,000. This low cost arises from very smooth government approvals, an experienced workforce, and absence of tariffs.
About 7% of Australian dwellings have home batteries, which is expected to triple by 2030, making Australia the global No.1 per capita. The typical size of new home batteries is 25 kWh. Home battery uptake is driven by government support, which is gradually reducing as it does its job of kick-starting the industry.
A revolution in domestic energy is underway. Home batteries coupled with rooftop solar, heat pumps and an EV allows families to enjoy abundant, clean, reliable and permanently cheap domestic energy: below $800 per year for electricity (and zero natural gas and vehicle fuel bills).
Completion of the 350 GWh Snowy 2.0 system around 2029 will deliver 13 kWh of long duration rechargeable pumped hydro energy storage per person (global No.1).
EV uptake is rising rapidly, driven by the war on Iran. It’s currently at one quarter of new car sales (similar to the global average), although well behind the global leader Norway at 98%.
The rise of solar and batteries is having a remarkable effect on wholesale electricity prices. The graph shows inflation-adjusted average wholesale spot market prices in Australia’s national electricity market since 2012 (blue bars) and the renewable energy fraction of generation (red line). Expensive fossil gas is being pushed out of the market for both ancillary services and peak period power – gas dropped from 13% of generation a decade ago to 3% today.
Authors: Prof. Ricardo Rüther (UFSC) [email protected], Prof. Andrew Blakers (ANU) [email protected]
ISES, the International Solar Energy Society is a UN-accredited membership NGO founded in 1954 working towards a world with 100% renewable energy for all, used efficiently and wisely.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine.
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Morocco has opened a qualification round for at least 350 MW of solar PV capacity  
Six installations, under the NOOR PV Multisites program, will have individual capacities ranging from 40 MW to 170 MW 
Masen will accept applications from eligible companies until November 30, 2026 
Morocco has opened a call for the deployment of at least 350 MW solar PV capacity spread across six installations under the NOOR PV Multisites program.   
The request for qualification (RFQ) round is open to EPC and O&M companies for ground-mounted solar installations to be located in five regions, namely Casablanca-Settat, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Marrakech-Safi, Souss-Massa and Guelmim-Oued Noun.  
Eligible projects will need to range within 40 MW to 170 MW installed capacity. Together, the projects will have a combined capacity of 350 MW. As per local media reports, the multisite program is aimed at expanding solar PV capacity geographically, harnessing the country’s solar potential and contributing to the national electricity system.  
The Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen) will accept submissions latest by November 30, 2026. Details for the RFQ are available on its website for the tender with reference number RFQ/15/2026/MASEN.  
According to the Imal Initiative for Climate and Development, Morocco aims to more than triple its renewable energy capacity to over 15 GW by 2030, with renewables accounting for 52% of its electricity mix. The country also plans to phase out coal by 2040, expand energy storage, strengthen its electricity grid, and enhance regional interconnections. 
At the end of 2025, Morocco’s total installed renewable energy capacity had reached 4.85 GW, including 546 MW of solar PV, as per the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).  
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Spain-based engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor GES – Global Energy Services has secured four solar contracts worth €225 million across Aragon and Valencia. The agreements cover 12 solar PV plants with a combined capacity of 583.41 MWp. The first Zaragoza cluster comprises two plants totalling 93.52 MWp, expected to supply approximately 47,000 households from the second half of 2027. A separate 132.92 MWp Zaragoza project includes provisions for future battery energy storage system (BESS) integration. Two additional clusters comprise nine plants totalling 356.97 MWp, including 159.47 MWp in Aragon and 197.5 MWp in Valencia. Three contracts were awarded by new clients, while the fourth came from an existing customer. GES expects its Spanish solar construction revenue to exceed €200 million in 2026.
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® Kapital Bank finances an energy efficiency project: solar panels are being installed  AZƏRTAC
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