The firm supplies rooftop, commercial and utility-scale segments and manufactures high-efficiency PV modules, including SHARK bifacial, TOPCon and HJT technologies, together with CAML battery energy storage systems and FUSION hybrid inverters. All products are made in India, and the manufacturing and quality systems are certified under ALMM, BIS, IEC and ISO standards. The company credits sustained investments in production capacity and product evolution for driving competitiveness. Loom Solar is targeting a manufacturing capacity of 1.2 GW for solar panels and 1 GW for inverters by 2026 while continuing to scale operations. The workforce exceeds 300 employees and the distribution network is supported by six regional warehouses across major cities, backed by 15,000 channel partners and 500 distributors that serve India and 11 international markets. Integrated facilities produce PV modules, inverters and storage systems to support project execution. Under Vision 2030 the company aims to install solar and energy storage systems in over 1 million (mn) homes, aligning plans with national initiatives such as the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana and the PM-KUSUM scheme to broaden adoption. To date, the firm has served over 0.1 million (mn) customers and has executed projects of up to 35 MW, reinforcing its presence in the distributed solar segment. Future growth is expected to be driven by continued focus on product innovation, execution efficiency and strengthened customer partnerships as India advances its clean energy transition. “Join industry leaders at RAHSTA Expo, India’s premier platform for roads, highways and traffic infrastructure. Register now to explore innovations, network with experts and shape the future of mobility.” Loom Solar, one of India’s fastest-growing solar manufacturers, has crossed Rs ten billion (bn) in annual turnover, marking a significant phase since its establishment in 2018. The company said the milestone reflects its focus on quality manufacturing, distribution expansion and innovation-led product development as it moved from a bootstrapped startup addressing rural energy access to a nationally recognised provider. The achievement underscores progress in India’s distributed solar market. The firm supplies rooftop, commercial and utility-scale segments and manufactures high-efficiency PV modules, including SHARK bifacial, TOPCon and HJT technologies, together with CAML battery energy storage systems and FUSION hybrid inverters. All products are made in India, and the manufacturing and quality systems are certified under ALMM, BIS, IEC and ISO standards. The company credits sustained investments in production capacity and product evolution for driving competitiveness. Loom Solar is targeting a manufacturing capacity of 1.2 GW for solar panels and 1 GW for inverters by 2026 while continuing to scale operations. The workforce exceeds 300 employees and the distribution network is supported by six regional warehouses across major cities, backed by 15,000 channel partners and 500 distributors that serve India and 11 international markets. Integrated facilities produce PV modules, inverters and storage systems to support project execution. Under Vision 2030 the company aims to install solar and energy storage systems in over 1 million (mn) homes, aligning plans with national initiatives such as the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana and the PM-KUSUM scheme to broaden adoption. To date, the firm has served over 0.1 million (mn) customers and has executed projects of up to 35 MW, reinforcing its presence in the distributed solar segment. Future growth is expected to be driven by continued focus on product innovation, execution efficiency and strengthened customer partnerships as India advances its clean energy transition. Omaxe has announced the launch of a dedicated hospitality business vertical with plans to develop 19 hotels across five states over the next four to five years as part of its strategy to strengthen recurring revenues and expand its integrated development ecosystem.The real estate developer proposes to invest approximately Rs 62 billion, subject to regulatory approvals and market conditions, to develop nearly 5 million sq ft of hospitality assets across high-growth urban centres, pilgrimage destinations and transit corridors.The proposed portfolio will be integrated with Omaxe’s existing townsh.. The third railway line between Tatanagar and Adityapur is expected to be commissioned by September as work on the corridor advances, according to railway sources. The project to add a fourth line on the busy route is progressing and has been allocated Rs 50.89 billion (bn) in funding. The allocation underscores the focus on increasing capacity and easing congestion on the corridor. Relevant timetables are being adjusted to integrate the new capacity into regular operations. Construction activity has involved track laying, formation work and signalling upgrades along strategic stretches, with m.. Indian Railways has approved a Rs 2.7 billion (Rs 2.7 bn) plan to install the Kavach train collision avoidance system on 631 route kilometres in the East Coast Railway zone. The Ministry of Railways said the work will form part of a wider Kavach deployment programme that relies on an LTE based communication backbone rather than a standalone installation. The approval marks the latest stage in the steady expansion of the indigenous safety technology across the national network. The decision aims to enhance safety and reliability on corridors serving Odisha and adjoining areas. The project will .. Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world. 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A fire at a primary school started in a solar panel on its roof, the Suffolk Fire and Rescue service said. It was called to Sidegate Lane Primary School in Ipswich on Wednesday afternoon after a "member of staff called to report a smell of smoke", and the building was evacuated. The fire service said: "A fire investigation is no longer required, as it has been confirmed beyond reasonable doubt that the cause was a solar panel on the roof." Solar panels were also found to be the cause of a fire at East Bergholt VC Primary School in August 2025. Crews from Ipswich Princes Street, Ipswich East, Needham Market and Haverhill were sent to the scene. The school is closed today, but this is believed to be due to high temperatures in the region. Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? Contact us below. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Vets say the bears from a former South Korean bile farm are ready to be moved to their forever home. Russell Warren, 38, is jailed for two years after breaking into a woman's home. Nasser, 20, reflects on his new life in Suffolk and refereeing a game at Portman Road. The team uses almost entirely all female builders to construct the home. Outreach workers offer essential supplies to cope with the heat and a temporary bed for the night. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
For many years, eBOS hardware has been almost an afterthought in PV system design. But as Shreeyashi Ojha writes, solar’s ‘hidden backbone’ is now becoming central to project cost optimisation as technologies and materials improve. For years, electrical balance of system (eBOS) has sat quietly in the background of utility-scale solar development. Modules, trackers and inverters have dominated the engineering conversation, procurement strategies and marketing narratives. Get Premium Subscription Yet as projects scale up, a different reality is emerging: eBOS is no longer a secondary consideration but a defining factor in how solar plants are built and operated for optimal levelised cost of electricity (LCOE). Across engineering, procurement and construction firms (EPCs), manufacturers, and supply chain analysts, a consistent theme is emerging. While eBOS represents only a relatively small share of upfront capital expenditure, its impact extends across construction timelines, labour requirements, system reliability, energy yield and long-term operational costs. Increasingly, it is also becoming a focal point for innovation, standardisation and consolidation as the industry searches for new efficiencies in an increasingly competitive market. According to a report titled ‘Electrical Balance of System (eBOS) Technology Outlook for Solar PV’ published by Wood Mackenzie, the global eBOS market represents a US$24 billion opportunity in 2026, underpinned by around 302GW of addressable utility-scale solar PV capacity. The Asia-Pacific region leads growth with approximately 200GW of new installations, while North America represents a US$3 billion market, driven by 38GW of capacity additions. Europe is also expected to add more than 190GW of PV capacity over the next decade, signalling sustained demand for advanced eBOS solutions across all major regions. At its core, eBOS encompasses all the electrical infrastructure that carries power from PV modules to the inverter. According to Sagar Chopra, senior analyst for supply chain, power and renewables at Wood Mackenzie, the simplest way to understand eBOS is to compare a solar plant to the human body. “The PV panels that catch sunlight are like the skin, converting sunlight into direct current (DC),” he explains. “The inverter that converts DC into alternating current (AC) for transmission to the grid is the brain, while eBOS acts as the nervous system and veins.” That “nervous system” — made up of wires, connectors, fuses and feeder cables — plays an increasingly important role as utility-scale projects continue to grow in size. Modern solar projects can contain thousands, or even millions, of PV modules, making it impractical to run individual cables from each panel directly to the inverter. Instead, eBOS architectures are designed to aggregate and transport power as efficiently as possible while minimising installation complexity and electrical losses. Grant Reasor, solar preconstruction manager at EPC firm Burns & McDonnell, adds: “EBOS is effectively everything that interconnects the main components of the system on the DC side. While specifying equipment and designing a system, everyone is focused on the modules, inverters and trackers, but the eBOS is significant because it interconnects those components and moves the power from the modules to the inverter.” He adds that despite its critical role in system performance, eBOS is often underestimated in early design decisions. “It is very critical, but it is often overlooked because companies are focused on the larger pieces of equipment at the beginning.” One of the most consistent observations across the industry is the mismatch between perceived cost importance and actual lifecycle impact. As solar enters its next phase of industrialisation, eBOS is moving out of the background and into the centre of project optimisation strategies. What was once viewed as a commodity component is now emerging as one of the sector’s most important levers for improving efficiency, reducing risk and lowering LCOE at scale. According to Kevin Boyce, eBOS specialist Shoals Technologies’ director of product line management, “eBOS is a very small portion of overall system cost, typically in the range of two to six cents per watt, depending on the solution. When you look at current projections for per-watt installed solar cost, you are still talking about less than 5%.” “However, it is an area where we see a lot of focus up front on cost. When you look at LCOE, you can see substantial swings depending on the eBOS solution you select at the outset.” Expanding on this, Ryan Schofield, vice president, eBOS, at Nextpower, explains: “Every electron generated has to move through the eBOS system. Any inefficiency — whether it’s thermal losses or connection issues—directly impacts output and longer-term operating expenses.” He adds that lifecycle costs are often underestimated during early design: “Small inefficiencies can add up over time. A slightly cheaper design upfront can end up costing more over the life of the project. This is particularly relevant in the context of 25 to 30-year asset lifetimes, where even marginal improvements in reliability or energy yield can translate into significant financial impact.” While cost per watt remains a key benchmark for developers, much of the current innovation in eBOS is being shaped by a more immediate constraint: construction labour and field execution. As utility-scale projects expand in scale and complexity, the focus is shifting away from component level optimisation towards system-wide efficiency, repeatability and buildability. Historically, the industry relied on conventional “homerun” DC wiring systems, where groups of 20-30 modules are connected into strings and routed back to combiner boxes before feeding into the inverter. While simple in concept, the approach is labour-intensive, dependent on skilled electricians and vulnerable to field installation errors. As projects expanded in scale, developers increasingly shifted toward trunk bus architectures, which eliminate combiner boxes by connecting PV strings directly onto large DC feeder cables. Reasor is explicit about this shift in priorities, highlighting that the “main goal is to reduce the man-hours in the field”. That objective, he explains, is increasingly being achieved through standardisation rather than isolated product-level improvements. “Optimisation isn’t always driving the lowest cost on paper. It’s consistency in the field and repeatability. Minimising the number of configurations, the number of part numbers.” Alongside this, the transition is now accelerating toward prefabricated, factory installed trunk bus systems, where cabling arrives on site pre-engineered and plug-and-play. For EPCs facing labour shortages, rising installation costs and compressed project timelines, these solutions are becoming increasingly attractive. In some cases, the shift can reduce installation and labour costs by an estimated 20%, while also improving quality control and construction speed. The implications are particularly significant at utility scale, where logistics coordination and labour management can be as critical as electrical design itself. At the same time, technical innovation is also being driven by changes at the module level. Boyce, notes that rising module efficiency is reshaping electrical design requirements across eBOS systems. “Probably the biggest change is that as panels become more efficient, we’re really ramping up the current. So more current through a wire means more heat through that wire, and that just reduces your margin for error,” he says. This, along with the increasing size of projects, is forcing developers to place greater emphasis on cable quality, thermal performance and reliability, while also pushing the industry towards more cost-efficient wiring architectures that incorporate aluminium conductors and combined string designs to reduce material usage and overall system costs. “We’re seeing longer solutions as quality becomes much more critical. We’re looking at more aluminium and copper combinations in wiring harnesses because the longer you run, the more wire you need, the more cost you incur, and more copper simply means more money. To make it more cost-effective, companies are switching to aluminium and combining strings.” Three distinct eBOS architectures are shaping clear trade-offs between cost, flexibility and performance across utility-scale solar. Conventional combiner box systems offer the lowest equipment cost but the highest labour intensity. Field-installed insulation piercing connectors (IPC) solutions sit in the middle, delivering around 13% equipment savings alongside greater layout flexibility. Factory-prefabricated trunk bus systems, meanwhile, prioritise installation speed and reliability, albeit with higher upfront costs. Ultimately, the balance between labour, flexibility and reliability is expected to determine system selection at project level. According to Wood Mackenzie, eBOS costs across all three architectures are forecast to decline by around 6% by 2034, narrowing the gap between system types. As the sector moves towards higher voltage 2kV DC designs, adoption of advanced trunk bus solutions is expected to accelerate. While prefabricated systems typically carry a 30% cost premium over conventional approaches, they can deliver up to 25% savings in installation costs, reinforcing the shift as labour pressures intensify. A growing share of eBOS optimisation is being driven by the relocation of installation complexity from the field into controlled manufacturing environments, as developers and EPCs seek to improve consistency and reduce on-site variability. Coel Schumacher, CEO of SolarBOS, the eBOS division of US-based GameChange Solar, says that factory environments enable greater control over build quality and repeatability, resulting in a more streamlined installation process in the field. “When you design the eBOS in a manufacturing facility, you can leverage better tools, larger equipment and a cleaner, more controlled environment. The product itself may be more complex, but it simplifies installation.” According to Wood Mackenzie’s Sagar Chopra, the labour impact is already measurable. “Installation and commissioning for a traditional system can be around 25% higher compared to prefabricated solutions,” he says. However, he notes that increased factory integration can introduce trade-offs in flexibility, particularly on more complex sites where design deviation is required. As a result, hybrid approaches combining prefabrication with field adaptability are becoming more common. EBOS design is also increasingly being shaped by operational performance, with reliability and uptime emerging as critical economic drivers at utility scale. Boyce highlights the scale of potential losses from even minor outages: “If around 2% of your strings are offline, you are effectively losing 2% of your power production.” This is driving a shift towards more consolidated electrical architectures, designed to improve visibility, accessibility and safety in the field. Reliability considerations are also shaping long-term system design, particularly as assets are expected to operate for 25-30 years. “To achieve that kind of lifespan, systems need to operate reliably. Reducing the number of connection points also reduces potential failure points,” Boyce adds. Furthermore, Reasor argues that eBOS decisions are increasingly shaped by constructability rather than electrical optimisation, as developers seek to reduce site complexity and improve execution certainty across large-scale projects. He explains that relocating DC disconnects and above-ground collection infrastructure closer to access roads, rather than positioning them within muddy or snow-covered array areas, helps streamline construction logistics and improve site accessibility during challenging weather conditions. In this context, the primary benefit is not always direct capital savings, but improvements in delivery schedule and field efficiency. The approach reflects a broader industry shift in which construction sequencing, accessibility and schedule certainty are increasingly weighed alongside traditional capex considerations in eBOS design choices. As eBOS architectures evolve, system design decisions are increasingly shaped by trade-offs between upfront cost, electrical losses and long-term performance, with priorities varying significantly by project strategy and developer appetite for optimisation. Reasor notes these trade-offs are highly project-specific: “Some clients prioritise minimising DC losses, while others are more comfortable accepting slightly higher losses in return for lower upfront capital cost.” He adds that even small design choices, such as cable sizing, can materially influence both cost and performance outcomes. “Decisions like choosing between different string cable can have a noticeable impact on both system cost and efficiency,” he explains. From a design perspective, Schumacher highlights that structural configuration can also unlock meaningful efficiency gains. “Certain configurations can reduce on-site wiring requirements by as much as 25%, which directly impacts material spend and associated electrical losses.” Despite these optimisation opportunities, industry consensus continues to favour long-term reliability and system uptime over marginal gains in electrical efficiency when assessing overall project value. As eBOS systems scale alongside multi-hundred-megawatt and gigawatt solar projects, the sector is increasingly confronting a fundamental challenge: verification at scale. While design sophistication and installation methods have advanced rapidly, ensuring consistent quality across hundreds of thousands of electrical connections is becoming one of the industry’s most complex operational hurdles. Schofield highlights the magnitude of this issue, pointing to the density of electrical interconnections in modern PV plants. “One of the key challenges with eBOS is the sheer number of connection points. Even in a mid-size project, you are dealing with hundreds of thousands of electrical connections, and verifying correct installation across all of them is a major undertaking.” Recent field evidence reinforces the limitations of conventional inspection approaches. A 2GW analysis of utility scale assets using Nextpower’s NX Ranger platform found that 79% of high-risk connector and fuse defects—including cracked housings, poor terminations, insulation degradation and partial disconnections—showed no thermal signature during inspection, exposing critical blind spots in traditional thermal-based diagnostics. This gap is driving the adoption of AI-enabled inspection, robotics and data-driven quality assurance and quality controls (QA/QC) workflows. “That’s where technologies like AI-driven inspection and robotics come in,” Schofield explains. “Ground-based robotic systems such as NX Ranger, equipped with thermal and optical imaging, can access areas beneath the array and capture high-resolution, geo-tagged data at component level. This enables scalable QA/QC audits prior to commissioning.” Beyond inspection, the commercial and structural dynamics of eBOS adoption also remain complex. Boyce, notes that decision-making incentives often diverge across stakeholders. “The upfront capex is going to be a little bit greater for materials than if you’re going and buying the wire and building that in the field,” he says. However, he adds that the value is not always captured by the same party making the initial investment. This misalignment, he explains, can influence technology selection at EPC level, where labour-driven cost advantages may take precedence over long-term operational efficiency. Schumacher notes that utility-scale PV systems have rapidly evolved from 600V architectures to 1,000V and now 1,500V, which currently dominates most projects, with each transition demanding coordinated innovation across manufacturers and suppliers. “We’re getting involved earlier in the project lifecycle now,” he notes. “That earlier engagement allows better coordination with tracking and racking systems, helping optimise wire routing, combiner placement and overall system design.” He adds that this integration is particularly relevant as the industry moves toward 2kV systems and more complex trunk bus architectures. “The 2,000-volt transition is a major driver right now,” he says, noting that product development is increasingly focused on higher-capacity trunk assemblies and improved wire management solutions. “As trackers move and cables are suspended, ensuring proper wire management becomes critical for reliability.” Taken together, these shifts underline a sector in which eBOS is no longer a passive, background component, but a central element of solar system design and optimisation. Increasingly, eBOS sits at the intersection of data, engineering integration and lifecycle performance, with its value extending well beyond upfront cost considerations. As Schumacher notes, progress will depend on coordinated industry effort rather than isolated innovation: “It’s going to be a combined effort, and eBOS is going to be part of the solution.”
Home – Military – Canada throws a solar panel into a frozen pond, and the foam detail may solve one of winter power’s hidden problems Canada has tested a floating solar system that kept producing electricity through freezing winter conditions, even as ice and snow created the kind of problems that usually make water-based solar projects harder to run. The small experimental plant, deployed on a stormwater pond in Ontario, used flexible solar panels attached to waterproof foam and an air-bubbler system under the surface to stop ice from locking the array in place. That may sound like a niche engineering trick, but it points to a bigger question for clean energy. What happens when solar panels are placed not on rooftops or fields, but on ponds, reservoirs, and other water surfaces in places where winter can be brutal? The Western University project suggests that, at least on a test scale, floating solar can survive that challenge while producing useful power and cutting water loss. The system was not huge. Researchers built a 7 kilowatt foam-backed floating photovoltaic installation on a pond in Ontario, using 40 semi-flexible monocrystalline modules divided into four smaller arrays. The pond itself measured about 15,900 square feet, and the panels covered only a small share of the water surface. That modest size is part of the point. Instead of jumping straight into a large commercial plant, the researchers tested whether the basic design could handle real cold-climate conditions. In practical terms, that means snow, freezing water, wind, and the slow grind of winter that anyone in Canada knows well. Unlike many floating solar systems that sit on larger plastic pontoons, these modules were bonded directly to polyethylene foam slabs. The panels floated about 0.4 inches above the water, keeping the design low and flat rather than tilted high into the wind. Floating solar is often attractive because it can generate electricity without taking up farmland or other valuable ground. But in cold regions, water is not just a convenient platform. It is also a moving, freezing, expanding surface that can damage equipment if the system is not designed carefully. The foam approach was meant to make the array simpler and closer to the water. That lower profile can reduce exposure to wind, which matters because floating platforms can face different stresses than panels bolted onto a roof or field rack. There is another wrinkle. Solar modules behave differently depending on temperature, wind, and nearby surfaces. The researchers found that standard solar temperature models did not fully match what happened in winter with a flat, foam-backed system, which means cold-climate floating solar may need its own playbook. The clever part was under the panels. The team used air lines connected to a pump on shore, creating bubbles that rose from below the pond surface. That movement helped bring slightly warmer deeper water upward, keeping open water around the array instead of letting ice trap it. According to the study summary, the air-bubbler maintained “ice-free open water” through the winter while using very little extra energy. The added consumption ranged from 1.9 kWh to 893 kWh, equal to 0.02% to 14.5% of the system’s total annual output. That range matters. If a system needs too much energy just to protect itself from winter, the benefit starts to fade. Here, the researchers found that the anti-ice system could work with what they described as negligible additional energy use, although larger tests will be needed before anyone treats it as a commercial answer. A regression model developed in the study indicated that the foam-based floating solar system generated 7.7 MWh per year. That was up to 2.7% more energy than the comparison photovoltaic models used in the research. Joshua M. Pearce, the corresponding author, told pv magazine the system showed a “pretty nice energy yield advantage.” That does not mean every pond should suddenly become a power plant. It does mean the cold-weather penalty for floating solar may be more manageable than many developers feared. For people thinking about the electric bill, this is the practical takeaway. A system that can keep working during the darkest, coldest part of the year has more value than one that becomes fragile when power demand rises and conditions get rough. The project was not only about electricity. By shading part of the pond, the panels also reduced evaporation. The study found that evaporation reduction scaled with pond coverage, and if 50% of the pond were covered, water savings could reach about 245,000 gallons per year. That is not an abstract benefit. In farming areas, reservoirs, irrigation ponds, and stormwater basins often sit under hot summer sun, losing water day after day. Floating solar can act like a partial lid while also producing power. Still, there are tradeoffs. Covering water changes light exposure and could affect local ecosystems depending on the site. That is why larger deployments would need environmental review, not just energy calculations. The study also looked at economics under a high off-grid electricity price scenario. In that case, the system showed a positive net present value of about $41,000 and a discounted payback period of 4.2 years. That sounds encouraging, but the context matters. Off-grid power can be much more expensive than grid electricity, especially in remote or specialized settings. A system that looks attractive there may not pencil out the same way for every municipal pond or utility project. At the end of the day, what this test really offers is not a finished business model. It offers proof that a cold-climate floating solar design can be built, monitored, and kept operating through ice and snow. The next step is scale. A 7 kilowatt pond experiment is useful, but commercial floating solar plants need to survive larger waves, stronger winds, thicker ice, maintenance demands, and years of seasonal punishment. The researchers argue that the platform is a “promising and adaptable” option for renewable power in cold regions. That is a careful claim, and it should stay careful for now. The idea has passed an important early test, but the harder exam will come on bigger water bodies and under real customer economics. If it works, the payoff could be simple. More solar power without using more land, less water lost to evaporation, and a way to keep panels useful even when winter does what winter does. The study was published inApplied Energy.
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Education announced on the 29th the results of the 2026 basic research project National Research Lab selection, stating that the four selected labs will be funded from July 1.
Launched for the first time last year, National Research Lab (NRL) 2.0 is a comprehensive support program to foster hub laboratories for large-scale, convergent research. Its goal is to leverage excellent researchers and infrastructure in universities’ strong fields to lead innovative research.
Professor Kyu-Jin Cho of Seoul National University heads the “Human-Centered Physical AI Robotics Research Lab,” which aims to develop Human-centered Physical AI Robotics (H-PAIR) technologies that closely assist people by using AI that mimics human sensory and motor nervous systems. The lab is expected to contribute to ultra-personalized robot services, manufacturing innovation, and improving the quality of life for older adults.
Professor Nam-Gyu Park of Sungkyunkwan University, through the “Sungkyun Intelligent Energy Solutions National Research Lab,” will develop advanced energy technologies capable of stably supplying large-scale energy and responding to extreme load fluctuations, as well as industry-tailored intelligent integrated energy solutions. High-efficiency solar cells and energy storage technologies will be combined with AI and digital twins to support industrial electrification and power supply for AI data centers.
The “SMR2 Platform National Research Lab,” led by Professor Jae-Sun Lee of Changwon National University, aims to build an integrated platform for nuclear power plant–specialized core materials, structural integrity, energy conversion, system integration, and expansion technologies. Based on research on AI autonomous operation of nuclear power plants and verification of structural integrity in extreme environments, as well as defect removal, the lab is expected to accelerate the development of core SMR materials, system integration and expansion technologies, and hardware virtual verification technologies.
The “Theranostics Convergence National Research Lab,” headed by Professor Hak-Soo Choi of Chungnam National University, aims to elucidate the pathological mechanisms of intractable tumors, infectious diseases, and degenerative brain disorders at the molecular, cellular, and microenvironmental scales, and to reduce them to design parameters to establish fundamental technologies. Theranostics is a precision medicine concept that combines diagnosis and therapy to accurately detect diseases while simultaneously linking them to targeted treatment.
This year, the program was divided into Type 1, targeting institutions nationwide, and Type 2, targeting regional institutions, to expand participation opportunities for local universities. The government stated, “In the first year, 5 billion won, equivalent to six months of funding, will be provided,” adding, “The scale of support may change depending on the budget situation.”
Following the announcement of the selection results on the 29th, the government will finalize the selected institutions after a period for objections and will fully launch the project through agreements with the implementing organizations.
Lee Hae-sook, Director-General for Higher and Lifelong Education Policy at the Ministry of Education, said, “We expect National Research Labs to play a pivotal role in dramatically transforming universities’ R&D ecosystems and contributing to regional development, while simultaneously producing world-class research outcomes.”
For the 2025 National Research Labs, four institutes were selected and have been operating since last September: Korea University’s “Convergence Degradative Biology National Research Lab (Professor Song Hyun-kyu),” Yonsei University’s “Bio Centennial Convergence Research Lab (Professor Song Jae-hwan),” Ewha Womans University’s “Multiscale Materials and Systems Research Lab (Professor Moon Hoe-ri),” and POSTECH’s “Global Healthcare Biomedical Engineering Research Lab (Professor Lee Pyung-se).
Following “Globes” report that the Israel Electric Corp. (IEC) is set to retroactively charge the owners of rooftop solar panels a ‘systems charge,’ which they have not been taking for the past five years, the Public Electricity Authority halted the procedure and demanded an investigation.
Now, it has been decided that the IEC will only be able to charge for six months instead of two years as originally planned, so that rooftop solar panel owners will still be required to pay up to hundreds of shekels. The IEC will absorb a cost of NIS 22 million, and the rest of the cost will be passed on to the general public of electricity consumers. The Electricity Authority has reprimanded the IEC and considers the failure to be very serious, especially since it did not report it to the Authority until the publication by “Globes.”
Electricity produced from solar panels on roofs can be sold to the electricity grid or used for self-consumption at home instead of buying electricity from the grid. However, independently produced electricity does not come for free, and according to regulations, home electricity producers must pay the IEC “system management costs” of NIS 0.09.09 for every kWh consumed. This is to finance services that the IEC provides and allow ongoing consumption, such as balancing demand and maintaining the system’s correct frequency. Although the decision to collect the charge was made four years ago, the IEC did not actually collect the fee, since it was required to develop computer systems that would make this possible.
In January, as first published by “Globes,” the IEC planned to collect these payments retroactively. This was about NIS 65 million, which could have been collected in charges of up to thousands of shekels retroactively from the owners of the solar panels on roofs. However, following publication, the PublicElectricity Authority halted this plan and demanded that the IEC explain why it had not collected payments to which it was obligated for years.
According to the investigation conducted by the IEC, due to “human error” resulting from “regulatory, operational and IT burdens”, the IEC did not collect the payment for years.
The Public Electricity Authority said, “The IEC acted to implement the Electricity Authority’s decision regarding the systemic tariff with great delay”. Even worse, “The company was aware, according to the investigation, of the collection failure as early as January 2023, but did not report it to the Authority until the case was exposed in the media”, with the first publication being in Globes. This, the Authority views “with great seriousness”.
In other words, only after three years did the IEC understand the problem, but it did not address it for another two years. The IEC says, among other things, that it was under a great burden due to other regulatory changes, such as the gradual collection according to the roof’s production capacity (the more production capacity there is, the smaller the payment per kWh produced), and this required a lot of IT resources from the IEC.
The public will be forced to participate in covering the debt
And what will be done now with the debt of tens of millions that has accumulated? It will be divided between several sources: The IEC will be able to collect from the roof owners up to six months in arrears of payments, an amount that can reach hundreds of shekels. The rest of the amount will be divided between NIS 22 million that the IEC will absorb NIS 14 million that consumers will pay. In other words, all consumers will pay for the failure in question on their electricity bill.
According to the Public Electricity Authority, “This partial participation by the public is a necessary step in managing risks with an essential service provider.” For the period 2020-2023, for which the electricity company also did not collect anything, it will absorb the full cost.
The IEC said, “The company is examining all relevant aspects in the decision regarding the collection of system payments and then will make a decision accordingly.”
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on June 25, 2026.
How much of New York’s prime farmland is being used for solar farms? An analysis from the Solar Energy Industries Association has found that just 0.13% of the state’s U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified prime farmland is covered by solar projects. New York has roughly 13,000 square miles of USDA-designated prime farmland, meaning solar projects occupy only about 17.3 square miles of it, according to SEIA. Solar capacity, both small-scale and utility-scale, has increased rapidly in recent years. On June 3, New York hit its highest hourly solar generation with 5.6 gigawatts — about 29% of the state’s total demand. Those scale facilities, often seen covering open fields in rural upstate New York, can be visually striking — leading to resident concerns. And some agricultural advocates argue prime farmland should be avoided even when acreage impacts are small. Farmland is targeted for solar development because it’s typically flat, already cleared of vegetation and close to transmission lines. While solar energy faces scrutiny around conversion of farmland, the most prevalent threat nationwide is low-density residential growth. Between 2001 and 2016, more than 10.9 million acres of farmland and ranchland in the United States was developed or compromised; 6.8 million acres were converted to low-density residential, according to an analysis by the American Farmland Trust. — Steve Howe reports on suburban growth, development and environment for the Democrat and Chronicle. An RIT graduate, he has covered myriad topics over the years, including public safety, local government, national politics and economic development in New York and Utah.
Researchers from the Technical University of Denmark have developed a novel method for detecting low-energy front glass cracks in PV modules using daylight electroluminescence (EL) imaging. Low-energy fractures are cracks that initially produce localized damage without significant propagation but have the potential to expand over time. Because they are subtle, they often go unnoticed in large-scale inspections. “The novelty of this work is that we show that low-energy glass cracks in PV modules can be consistently detected using daylight electroluminescence (EL) imaging acquired in motion,” corresponding author Rodrigo del Prado Santamaría told pv magazine. “Traditionally, EL imaging is used to identify material defects in the solar cells themselves, while glass crack detection relies on visual inspections or infrared imaging. Our research shows that a single daylight EL inspection can provide information on both internal cell defects and glass cracks, which could make inspections more efficient and informative.” Del Prado Santamaría added that the method enables the detection of cracks that are not visible in conventional RGB images or infrared thermography. “Furthermore, sunlight and camera motion, which are normally considered challenges in EL imaging, actually become part of the solution. During daylight drone EL inspections, small movements between frames create subtle changes in how sunlight reflects from cracked glass surfaces. When the images are reconstructed, those variations make the cracks stand out much more clearly,” he explained. The method first forward-biases the PV module with a modulated current, causing it to emit an EL signal. An InGaAs short-wave infrared (SWIR) camera then records multiple daylight images while the camera is in slight motion. This movement causes cracked glass to reflect sunlight differently from frame to frame. Software then detects module corners, tracks and aligns the module across all frames, and applies fast Fourier transform (FFT) processing to extract the EL signal while reducing daylight noise. The reconstructed image reveals both conventional EL information, such as cell defects, and glass cracks, which become visible due to changing daylight reflections. The researchers evaluated the method in two ways. First, they conducted controlled laboratory-style daylight experiments using a 305 W glass-glass PV module with a pre-existing glass crack. Slight camera motion was manually introduced to simulate drone movement, while varying motion levels, imaging distances, and illumination conditions. Second, they validated the technique during a real drone inspection at the university’s PV plant, using a commercial drone equipped with an InGaAs camera to inspect operating PV modules under daylight conditions and compare results with conventional RGB imaging and infrared thermography. The team said the results confirm the viability of the proposed approach. They also systematically evaluated its performance and limitations, finding that with a 640 × 512-pixel InGaAs camera, the optimal imaging distance was 8–12 m, while crack detection reliability decreased at distances beyond 15 m. “We are currently exploring several directions for follow-up research,” concluded Del Prado Santamaría. “One question we would like to investigate is whether the same crack-detection mechanism can be achieved using short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging without the need for electrical modulation. Our results suggest that crack visibility is strongly linked to sunlight reflections and motion, so there may be alternative ways of exploiting the same effect. We are also interested in understanding how factors such as solar irradiance, viewing angle, and camera characteristics influence crack visibility. Ultimately, the goal is to develop drone-based inspection systems that can identify multiple types of defects simultaneously and improve the reliability and safety of large PV plants.” The method was presented in “A novel method for detecting low-energy front glass cracks in photovoltaic modules using daylight electroluminescence imaging,” published in Solar Energy.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The June issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Thursday, September 9, 2026 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid pv magazine USA hosts its third multi-day virtual event on advancing U.S. solar and energy storage markets, covering financing, supply chains, and distributed energy’s role in grid resilience. Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects. April 01 – August 31, 2026 A two-day conference in Austin, Texas, bringing together leaders in US solar manufacturing, equipment specification, and factory execution. Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy. Showcase your brand across all our platforms: from 13 websites in 7 languages to our magazines, daily newsletters, industry events and more. Reach your audience the right way!
Spanish energy company Iberdrola has inaugurated the Fenix photovoltaic plant, a 243 MW facility located in the Sicilian provinces of Catania and Enna. With the commissioning of the project, Iberdrola surpasses the previous largest operating photovoltaic plant in Italy, a 170 MW project located in Viterbo in the Lazio region, which had set the national benchmark for utility-scale PV capacity until now. The Fenix plant is located in the municipalities of Centuripe, Paternò and Belpasso and has an annual generation capacity of around 400 GWh. The electricity produced is largely intended for the Italian market through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs). The facility comprises approximately 413,000 bifacial PV modules, as well as a 26 km medium-voltage network and 9 km of high-voltage lines. The project is built on land affected by desertification processes, according to Iberdrola. Mitigation and environmental compensation measures cover around 400 hectares and include sustainable rainwater management and the planting of around 60,000 native plants. The cleaning system is integrated with an environmental monitoring system for soil conditions and microclimate control. Construction of the plant began in March 2024 following an agreement with ib vogt. Around 500 workers were involved during the construction phase, corresponding to approximately 600,000 work hours. The project was financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB), with a guarantee from Italy’s export credit agency and financial insurance institution SACE.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The June issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Thursday, September 9, 2026 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid pv magazine USA hosts its third multi-day virtual event on advancing U.S. solar and energy storage markets, covering financing, supply chains, and distributed energy’s role in grid resilience. Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects. April 01 – August 31, 2026 A two-day conference in Austin, Texas, bringing together leaders in US solar manufacturing, equipment specification, and factory execution. Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy. Showcase your brand across all our platforms: from 13 websites in 7 languages to our magazines, daily newsletters, industry events and more. Reach your audience the right way!
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India is experiencing rapid economic growth, urbanization, and industrial expansion, all of which are driving a sharp increase in electricity demand. The country’s peak electricity demand has already crossed 250 GW, reaching 270.8 GW in May 2026. According to projections by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), electricity demand is expected to grow by around 6 percent annually until 2030, while per capita electricity consumption is likely to increase from approximately 1,500 kWh to nearly 2,000 kWh. While this growth reflects economic progress, it also presents significant environmental challenges. India’s energy-related carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions increased by approximately 5.3 percent in 2024, largely due to rising electricity consumption during prolonged heat waves and increased dependence on fossil fuels to meet growing power needs. If future energy demand continues to be met primarily through conventional sources such as coal, carbon emissions could rise substantially. Therefore, expanding renewable energy sources is essential for ensuring sustainable development and reducing environmental impacts. Solar Energy: A Key Driver of the Energy Transition Among all renewable energy sources, solar power has emerged as one of the most promising solutions for India’s clean energy future. Over the past decade, solar energy has witnessed remarkable growth, with nearly 150 GW of installed capacity today, accounting for around 26 percent of the country’s total power generation capacity. India possesses significant natural advantages for solar energy generation. With nearly 300 sunny days annually and an estimated solar potential of 10,830 gigawatts as per a new study by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the country has the capacity to generate a substantial share of its electricity from clean and renewable sources. This abundant resource can help reduce dependence on fossil fuels, strengthen energy security, and support long-term economic growth. Solar power is also environmentally sustainable because it generates electricity without direct greenhouse gas emissions. As India seeks to balance development with climate responsibility, solar energy offers a practical pathway to meet increasing electricity demand while minimizing carbon emissions. Building a Strong Solar Ecosystem The expansion of solar energy in India extends beyond large-scale power plants. Solar parks are contributing significantly to utility-scale electricity generation, while rooftop solar systems are enabling households, commercial establishments, and institutions to generate their own clean energy. This decentralized approach not only reduces pressure on the grid but also promotes greater public participation in the energy transition. Solar energy is also playing an important role in supporting the growth of electric mobility. As the electric vehicle (EV) market expands, solar-powered EV charging stations can help ensure that transportation electrification is accompanied by cleaner sources of electricity. This integration can further reduce emissions from both the power and transport sectors. In addition, battery energy storage systems are becoming increasingly important for maximizing the benefits of solar energy. Since solar power generation depends on sunlight availability, storage technologies help store excess electricity and supply it during periods of high demand or low generation, improving grid reliability and stability. Integrating Technology for a Smarter Grid The future success of India’s clean energy transition will depend on combining solar energy with advanced technologies. Artificial intelligence (AI), smart grids, and digital energy management systems can help optimize electricity generation, distribution, and consumption. AI-powered forecasting can improve predictions of solar power generation and electricity demand, allowing grid operators to make better decisions. Smart grids can efficiently manage power flows and reduce transmission losses, while energy management systems enable consumers and industries to use electricity more efficiently. Together, these technologies can enhance grid reliability and support the large-scale integration of renewable energy into the national power system. Supporting India’s Climate Goals Solar energy is central to India’s commitment to achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel power capacity by 2030. This target is critical for meeting future electricity demand while reducing dependence on carbon-intensive energy sources. Solar power will also play a major role in helping India achieve its long-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2070. Government initiatives such as PM Surya Ghar and PM-KUSUM are accelerating solar adoption across the country. These programs encourage rooftop solar installations and promote solar-powered solutions for farmers, helping expand access to clean energy while reducing emissions. Conclusion India’s growing energy demand requires solutions that are both reliable and environmentally sustainable. Solar energy offers a unique opportunity to address this challenge by providing clean, affordable, and scalable power. Supported by favorable natural conditions, technological innovation, energy storage, and government initiatives, solar power can become the backbone of India’s clean energy transition. As the country moves toward its 2030 and 2070 climate goals, solar energy will remain a crucial pillar in building a resilient, low-carbon, and energy-secure future. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The June issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Thursday, September 9, 2026 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects. April 01 – August 31, 2026
Ready to get up to 3 free quotes? Get up to 3 free quotes for solar, batteries, EV chargers or hot water heat pumps GET MY QUOTES Last week I went to Intersolar Europe in Munich, and the first thing to tell you is the scale (watch my video above to get a real feel for the exhibition). The show floor was eighteen halls big1. All Energy in Melbourne, our biggest solar conference, would be about a hall and a half of that. So roughly twelve times the size. It is absolutely massive. The second thing that stood out was the weather. It was 35ºC outside, about fifteen degrees above average for Munich in June. Everyone was hot, hot, hot, and the air conditioning was visibly struggling. Fifteen degrees above average is nuts. The Earth was making its point about global heating, and it made it in the week half the solar industry was in town. Solar panels have become a commodity. Everyone walks up to a stand assuming they’ll get something twenty-four to twenty-five percent efficient that turns light into electricity, and they’re right. The star was probably LONGi’s EcoLife range. The 505-watt panels you can actually buy now top the mass-production charts at about 25 percent module efficiency. LONGi was also waving around fresh lab records on the same stand: a 28.13 percent back-contact cell and a 26.4 percent module. Worth keeping the record kit and the shipping product separate in your head, but either way it’s incredible stuff2. There were plenty of big stands disagreeing about how to get there. AIKO and Tongwei were essentially arguing about whether top con or “bottom con” wins. AIKO reckons back contact, or bottom con if you like, is the way forward, with the best low-light performance and the best efficiency. Tongwei had a big stand making the case for TOPCon. Which one’s right for you? Doesn’t matter. They’re all excellent panels. Just buy a good one from a manufacturer that actually supports Australia and stop worrying about it. LONGi are making some big cell efficiency claims with their EcoLife range. When everyone’s selling efficient black rectangles, the question becomes how you get noticed. The answer this year was building-integrated PV, everywhere. Solar in the roof, the floor, the windows, fences, shades, even pool furniture. Flexible panels, coloured panels, every colour under the sun, different shapes and patterns. Some of it looked magnificent. The bottom line: if you want a solar panel in any shape, any colour, any pattern, with any amount of flex, you can get it now. Every major manufacturer on the SolarQuotes approved list told me Australia matters to them. Ulica Solar told me the reason they pulled out of Australia years ago was that we expected A-grade gear at B-grade prices. I spent a while wondering which retailers were demanding that. I’ve got a hunch it was some of the big ones flogging dirt-cheap systems back then, several of whom have since gone broke. Lithuanian firm SoliTek’s building-integrated solar roof. The other big standout was balcony solar. Lightweight panels you zip-tie to a balcony railing and plug straight into a standard power socket (GPO). They were absolutely everywhere. Legal in France and Germany, currently illegal in the UK, the US, and, of course, Australia. I bumped into Jordan from Artisan Electric, a UK installer and electrician with a popular YouTube channel, who told me the UK government is leaning on its standards body to make balcony solar legal. If that succeeds, it’s an example Australia could follow. Speaking of balconies, balcony batteries were everywhere too. Picture a mini version of a stackable home battery, about half the size, that sits on the floor, plugs into a GPO, plugs into your balcony solar, and feeds in behind the meter to trim your bill. Fantastic for renters, and exactly what Australia needs. If Germany allows it, and Germany has some of the strictest rules in the world for this stuff, I can’t see why we can’t. For proper hardwired home batteries, the whole industry has moved to all-in-one. Not just battery modules stacked on each other, but the hybrid inverter built into the same stack. And now they’re going a step further and integrating the gateway too, the switching and breakers that handle backup. The future of the hardwired home battery is one sleek stack against the wall. There’s huge competition, which is great to see. The architectures differ. Sigenergy puts a DC-to-DC converter in every module. SolarEdge runs everything on an 800-volt DC bus, which may make you nervous about every cable, but it gives a beautifully flat efficiency curve. So even when you’re pulling a small 300-watt load overnight, efficiency stays high, where something like the Sigenergy approach drops off at low overnight power. SolarEdge assured me their safety systems make those 800-volt cables safe as houses. They would say that. The other approach is Enphase, who run everything on a 230-volt AC bus. Microinverters on the back of each panel, low voltage, AC. About the safest way you can do it. I was really pleased to see Enphase has finally designed a stackable battery with decent energy density. The current third-gen Enphase battery is so small in capacity, so big physically and so expensive that I don’t think it’s viable. Honestly I’m surprised they released it. Enphase owners have been stuck for a good AC-coupled option, and the best bet right now is probably the FranklinWH. The new one is the IQ Battery G5, and it looks properly thought through. Enphase claim 1.9 times the energy density of the third-gen battery in a slim, stackable design. It’s AC-coupled and scales from 5 to 30 kWh in modular 5 kWh blocks, with every module carrying its own grid-forming microinverter. It runs single phase or three phase, uses something they call PowerMatch to squeeze more usable energy and efficiency out of the pack, and is built to drop onto most existing Enphase solar and battery setups. Fifteen-year warranty. Europe gets it in Q1 2027, Enphase tell me Australia is in line for early next year too, and they’re promising it’ll be substantially cheaper than the current unit. Apologies, I didn’t come away with decent photos of it, but you’ll see the G5, and every other battery I talk about in this post, up close in our second Munich video, out next week. So if you’ve got Enphase on your roof, or you want it, you can finally stay in the ecosystem with a decent battery stack. SolarEdge had some interesting gear about to launch. Same 800-volt DC philosophy, but they’ve gone stackable like everyone else, and they’re making just one stackable inverter model: twenty kilowatts, which you software-lock down to whatever output you need (most likely because DNSP rules cap you well under twenty). One model size means one fixed production line configuration, which keeps costs down. And the battery stack looks genuinely nice, a big step up from the clumsy ten-kilowatt-hour boxes on sale in Australia now. For the record, the all-in-one systems I saw came from FoxESS, Solis, GoodWe, Sigenergy, SolarEdge, EcoFlow, Anker and Sungrow. The notable holdouts still doing discrete inverters: Fronius and iStore. A one-way AC EV charger is, as our in-house installer Anthony Bennett likes to say, “a glorified extension cord”. Nearly every manufacturer was badging its latest charger “bidirectional ready” and pointing the finger at the cars, which don’t do proper AC bidirectional charging yet. But you’d be mad to buy an EV charger from a brand that didn’t also supply your battery and hybrid inverter. The good news is every decent battery manufacturer now makes its own charger. Sungrow’s only arrived last year, and I’m amazed it took the industry this long. Keep your inverter, battery and charger in one ecosystem and the whole lot coordinates through one app. That’s how it should be done. My favourite stand was Enphase. It was very modest compared to the giant Chinese manufacturer stands and tucked away at the far end of the show. But I was happy to find it – mostly because I was so happy about that battery. It looks easy to install, and paired with either their uni or bidirectional charger it finally makes the whole Enphase system stack up for Australians. Which suits me nicely, because I’ve got thirty-five Enphase microinverters on my roof. Tune in next week for a second, in-depth video on the new battery tech at the show. 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I’m a Chartered Electrical Engineer, Solar and Energy Efficiency nut, dad, and the founder of SolarQuotes.com.au. I started SolarQuotes in 2009 and the SolarQuotes blog in 2013 with the belief that it’s more important to be truthful and objective than popular. My last “real job” was working for the CSIRO in their renewable energy division. Since 2009, I’ve helped over 800,000 Aussies get quotes for solar from installers I trust. Read my full bio. Hopefully Enphase can get their pricing with the G5 right. They’re currently charging $1,440 per kWh for the 5P per the Solar Quotes Battery Comparison table which is almost 5x the cheapest FoxESS options and double the Tesla Powerwall 3. Anything above $7.5k for 10kWh will just lead them to becoming more and more irrelevant. Great video to watch, a tough gig in Munich, Finn pulled it off in fine style. I like the solar umbrella as well! 600watts isn’t to be sneezed at in comparison to the balcony solar. That would be quite handy here as well as the balcony solar! It could plug straight into something like a portable battery pack like a bluetti or similar for a camping trip or run your entertainment area as well! Now Now Finn, the bean counters will tell you your 35 enphase microinverters on your roof are sunk costs and shouldn’t be part of your future planning 🙂 Please keep the SolarQuotes blog constructive and useful with these 5 rules: 1. Real names are preferred – you should be happy to put your name to your comments. 2. Put down your weapons. 3. Assume positive intention. 4. If you are in the solar industry – try to get to the truth, not the sale. 5. Please stay on topic.
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Sponsor says the measure will come up again in fall veto session. (CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS) – A bill to make solar power more accessible to renters and others who face barriers to the alternative energy source stalled in the Illinois Senate, but it’s likely to return in the fall veto session because lawmakers like the idea of helping residents with their electric bills.
Plug-in solar, also known as balcony solar, allows people to install small solar panel systems that can be plugged into normal wall outlets for personal use. Instead of a rooftop, the panels could be set up on a balcony, in a yard, or on a porch or patio. “I think lawmakers really see this as an opportunity to give folks a way to have more control over their power bills. I think also, frankly, people just think this is cool,” Kavi Chintam, campaign manager for Illinois at Vote Solar, told Capitol News Illinois. Rooftop solar has been increasingly adopted in Illinois, with more than 130,000 households choosing to install panels as of 2025. Chintam said plug-in solar is a great opportunity to expand access to the technology. “The rooftop solar industry in Illinois has been so successful and has actively helped people lower their energy bills,” she said. “The group that is left out of that, of course, are renters and folks that don’t have access to their roofs.” The biggest roadblocks to passing the bill in Illinois were concerns about safety, and further negotiations will revolve around specific language regarding that issue.
Lawmakers wanted to observe how other states handled the issue first, Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, said in an interview. She sponsored the Senate version of the bill, which stalled in April. Utah was the first state to adopt the technology, and Ventura said Illinois legislators were relying on that bill as a model for Illinois’ version. Now that eight other states have passed bills to allow plug-in solar, she said Illinois has a better framework to work with. “Everyone loves the concept,” Ventura told Capitol News Illinois. “That’s the good news about this, is that nobody is opposing the concept. It really comes down to making sure the safety is there for everyone, and we want to make sure the language addresses everyone’s safety concerns.” The safety question boils down to two main areas: safety for people who work on the electric lines and safety for residents. Ventura said a big concern for utilities and labor unions was making sure the energy generated by small plug-in solar systems can’t travel back to the grid during a power outage — a phenomenon called backfeeding. The danger would come from a lineworker touching a line they believe is depowered.
In the original bill language, there was a carveout for low-wattage plug-in solar systems, between 400-1,200W, that would have allowed people to connect certified systems with little oversight. Advocates for the bill argued that low-wattage systems didn’t need to meet national code requirements or have special permissions because they generate less energy than many home appliances use. “The smaller systems are able to just immediately be plugged in by people without needing landlord permission or any changes to wiring, because these are so small,” Chintam said. “They would still need to be certified and would still need to have safety precautions like preventing backfeeding and having an automatic shut off.” Without the carveout, Chintam said, residents would likely have to wait for national rules to change and they wouldn’t be able to benefit from their safety-certified solar systems until 2029 at the earliest. The carveout was a sticking point for lawmakers, labor and utilities. More than 30 other states have considered plug-in solar bills, and the carveout language was treated differently in each one.
“So we decided to hold our bill to see how those other states’ come about,” Ventura said. “We are now researching what language moved, what language didn’t move, and trying to create model legislation that we will file or amend in veto session.” UL Solutions, a branch of a larger historical organization that tests and certifies the safety of new products, established a framework for testing, standardizing and certifying plug-in solar systems for safety. Those standards were new this spring and are still being developed, so lawmakers didn’t know at the time how they would apply to the language Illinois used. As for the safety of the systems within the home, advocates point out that plug-in solar uses the same technology rooftop solar does, but on a smaller scale. They also gesture toward countries like Germany, where plug-in solar panels are abundant and people haven’t reported problems. The systems are widespread in Europe, with 25 countries having legalized them. The European electric system and how much voltage its outlets are designed to handle is slightly different from America’s, so there’s a minor conversion to make. “This is where the example of what has happened in Europe is very relevant,” Nathan Phelps, the managing director of Vote Solar Regulatory Advocacy Hub, told Capitol News Illinois. “So at their level of 800W that can be plugged in, they have, last I checked, no examples of safety issues at that level. And so doing that conversion to the US, that’s 392W (that can be plugged in).”
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, an organization in the Southeast that promotes clean energy, released a report last week examining the safety of plug-in solar compared to commonly used diesel-powered generators, and found that plug-in solar systems perform better. “Safety concerns have come up in various states and more or less the states that have passed the plug-in solar bills have determined that the safety concern is not significant enough in order to prohibit plug-in solar,” Phelps said. Ventura said plug-in solar will likely be revisited in the fall because lawmakers are excited about expanding solar to more people. “The chair was willing to hear the bill, even in the end, when there was a little bit of disagreement on whether we have a carveout or not,” she said. “The chair was still willing to hear the bill, and he was surprised that I was saying ‘let’s wait.’” All of the stakeholders have been to the table to discuss the broad strokes of the bill, so the only remaining conversations will deal with specifics.
“We’re excited that other states have passed this legislation and given us the road map to getting it passed here in Illinois,” she said.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Police said two adults were shot and are both in critical condition. The investigation is ongoing. Water, electricity, noise minimal, says advocate, who adds, “We call balls and strikers.” Numbers go up and down, but ICADV leader says the effects are “enduring and widespread.” The semi struck a concrete barrier and caught fire. Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – As outdoor temperatures climb, it’s important to stay […]
Residents are voicing concerns over a proposed solar farm that maps show could surround a portion of the Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail. WATCH: Clinton County residents concerned about proposed solar farm near historic trail Last month, developer RWE submitted an application with the Michigan Public Service Commission for approval. The goal is to start construction on the roughly 1,600-acre site next summer. Theresa Owen, a Clinton County resident, says the project conflicts with the area’s agricultural identity. “We’re trying to get businesses in here to deal with ag-tech, not have 1,500 acres of industrial glass and metal,” Owen said. Jim Lawless, a Bingham Township resident, says he understands the value of solar development but questions the location. “I can appreciate the solar developments, but there’s a place for them. And this is not the place, this is a developing community,” Lawless said. One of residents’ biggest concerns is the potential impact to the historic trail. The project’s site map shows it would surround portions of the corridor. “Those residents would be walking through an industrial park and no longer a nature trail,” Lawless said. During a January public meeting, officials said the project is designed to minimize impact, including affecting about 9.6 acres of forest. RWE did not respond in time to a request for comment. Residents say they want more details up front about what the trail area would look like if the project is approved. “It needs to be protected for the people, as they are the true owners of it,” Lawless said. According to RWE, the solar farm’s life is 35 to 40 years, and would be taken down following that lifespan, restoring all impacted land to its previous condition. Want more FOX 47 News? Here’s how you download our Roku app
Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.. Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Updated: June 28, 2026 @ 11:08 pm Aaliya Fauble is being recognized for designing and installing a solar panel system on the Wexford Sheriff’s Office radar trailer.
Aaliya Fauble is being recognized for designing and installing a solar panel system on the Wexford Sheriff’s Office radar trailer. CADILLAC — Aaliya Fauble, a student at Wexford-Missaukee Career Technical Center and Cadillac Innovation High School, is being recognized for completing a hands-on project that will help improve the efficiency and sustainability of the Wexford Sheriff’s Office radar trailer. As part of her coursework and technical training, Aaliya designed and installed a solar panel system on the department’s radar trailer, helping provide reliable renewable power for the trailer’s operations while reducing the need for external charging and maintenance. The project gave her an opportunity to apply real-world skills in electrical systems, renewable energy, troubleshooting, and project planning while directly benefiting the community. The work also highlights the strong training provided through CTC’s Computers, Networking, and Electronics Technology program, which equips students with hands-on technical experience in electronics, wiring, diagnostics and emerging technologies. Programs like this help prepare students for careers in skilled trades, information technology, electronics and public service support roles. “We are incredibly proud of Aaliya and the work she accomplished through this project,” said Deputy Wiers. “This is a great example of how career and technical education prepares students with practical skills while also creating meaningful partnerships within our community.” The radar trailer is used by the Sheriff’s Office to promote traffic safety and encourage drivers to reduce speed in school zones, neighborhoods and other high-traffic areas. The addition of solar power will help keep the trailer operational for longer periods and more efficiently. The collaboration highlights the value of partnerships between local agencies and career technical education programs, giving students valuable workforce experience while supporting community needs. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Breaking News from the Cadillac News Entertainment from Cadillac News Local News from Cadillac News National News from Cadillac News Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today! Obituaries from Cadillac News Sports from Cadillac News Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. Flood Recovery: Help & Resources Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm You’ll get access to the #1 Source of local news, sports and advertising information when and where you want it. Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks. We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription
Chinese solar module manufacturer Longi has launched today a new back contact (BC) panel at the Smarter E trade show in Munich, Germany. “This new product incorporates a redesigned cell architecture compared with the previous generation, utilizing an advanced stacking technology that maximizes the module’s active surface area by eliminating gaps between cells,” the company’s product manager, Miki Risita, told pv magazine. “The approach is comparable to shingled-cell designs but significantly reduces mechanical stress between cells, enhancing long-term reliability. In addition, the module features concealed busbars, further increasing the active area available for power generation and contributing to higher overall efficiency.” The Hi-MO 9 Prime series relies on the company’s hybrid passivated back contact (HPBC) cell technology and the Selective Temperature Alloy Connection (STAC) technology, which the company said minimizes localized thermal stress during manufacturing and significantly improves long-term, cell-level stability. “Its sustainable, lead-free material design also enhances resistance against electrode corrosion, while the specialized BC cell interconnection structure helps disperse current concentration to reduce hotspot-related risks,” Risita added. . It is offered with power ratings ranging from 650 W to 680 W and reaches a maximum module efficiency of up to 25.17% in its highest-power configuration. The modules are built with 132 half-cut back-contact cells, measure 2,382 mm × 1,134 mm × 30 mm and weigh 33.5 kg. The dual-glass panels are designed for a maximum system voltage of 1,500 V and are suitable for utility-scale and commercial PV installations. The product features a temperature coefficient of -0.26%/C and is rated for front-side snow and wind loads of up to 5,400 Pa and rear-side loads of 2,400 Pa. The module is also certified to withstand hail impacts from 25 mm ice balls travelling at 23 m/s. “Beyond delivering higher baseline power, the Hi-MO 9 Prime delivers superior partial shading tolerance to protect those revenue streams. Its highly parallel BC cell structure helps drastically reduce electrical losses caused by localized shading from row-to-row obstructions, dust, fallen leaves, or other temporary objects,” the manufacturer said in a statement released. “When a single cell is shaded, the Hi-MO 9 Prime can reduce power loss by more than 70% compared with conventional non-BC modules. This supports far more stable, predictable energy generation in high-GCR configurations and complex, real-world operating environments.” “Commercial production is scheduled to begin later this year,” Risita stated. “The company has already secured initial orders for delivery toward the end of 2026, with production volumes expected to ramp up at the start of the first quarter of 2027.” Comments Please login to comment The June issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Thursday, July 9, 2026 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects. April 01 – August 31, 2026
Free-On-Board China TOPCon cells declined for a fourth consecutive week pressured by high inventories, weaker upstream wafer prices and manufacturers’ push to increase sales amid soft end-user demand. According to the OPIS Global Solar Markets Report released on June 23, FOB China TOPCon M10 cell prices fell 2.44% to $0.0440/W. FOB China 210R cell prices averaged $0.0450/W, down 2.17%. Trade sources said inventory pressure in the cell segment has intensified in recent weeks, with upstream production expected to increase in the second half of 2026 even as module demand remained weak. Polysilicon production is expected to increase during China’s wet season, when lower hydropower costs typically support higher operating rates. Without a meaningful recovery in module demand, market sources said the additional supply could further increase inventories across the wafer and cell segments. Wafer production is expected to rise by around 10% month on month in June, from approximately 50 GW in May, potentially intensifying inventory pressure, according to industry sources. The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, or CNMIA, said two major wafer producers are operating at 50-52%, integrated producers at 54-60%, and other producers at 54-70%. Despite lower polysilicon and wafer prices, end-user demand has yet to improve, while cautious downstream buyers have little incentive to restock, CNMIA added. Lower cell prices have also tracked declining production costs, following recent weakness in silver paste, polysilicon and wafer prices, market sources told OPIS. Some market participants said improving geopolitical conditions in the Middle East have eased pressure on precious metal prices, including silver, after silver hit a record high in January 2026. Silver prices have fallen by nearly 15% over the past month and close to 10% over the past six months, though they remain more than 80% higher year on year. A cell manufacturer source said silver prices are expected to stabilize or edge lower if geopolitical sentiment continues to improve, helping reduce cell production costs. The source added that manufacturers had struggled to pass on higher silver costs when prices were elevated because buyers were unwilling to accept corresponding increases in cell prices. Downstream module pricing signals remained mixed. FOB China TOPCon modules weakened for a fourth consecutive week amid softer spot indications, as thin demand kept buyers on the sidelines while they waited for clearer direction on module prices and container freight rates. However, a Chinese tier-1 manufacturer said Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) European module prices appeared to be firming, partly because higher freight rates and the drawdown of rebate-eligible inventory were raising replacement costs. China removed export tax rebates for solar PV products from April 1. Export buyers had built substantial inventories since the second half of 2025 even before the policy was formally announced. Some market sources said these stockpiles could continue to suppress purchasing activity in the second half of 2026. As rebate-eligible inventory in destination warehouses is gradually drawn, industry sources said that buyers are expected to feel the impact of higher replacement costs more directly. Higher logistics costs are adding another layer of price support. Market analysts said the high container freight rates have also raised import costs, potentially weighing on demand or prompting buyers to delay procurement. Although ongoing US-Iran peace negotiations have improved market sentiment and could ease shipping disruptions in the Middle East, sources said uncertainty over the geopolitical situation and its impact on container shipping remains. OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides energy prices, news, data, and analysis on gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, LPG/NGL, coal, metals, and chemicals, as well as renewable fuels and environmental commodities. It acquired pricing data assets from Singapore Solar Exchange in 2022 and now publishes the OPIS APAC Solar Weekly Report. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The June issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Thursday, July 9, 2026 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects. April 01 – August 31, 2026
Home – Construction – A self-sufficient home is being built in the middle of the desert: earthen walls, rainwater, and 100% solar power to raise children without relying on the power grid Jonathan and Ashley Longnecker did not just move to the Arizona desert looking for a quieter life. Along with their four children, they are building one from the ground up, using earth walls, off-grid solar systems, water planning, and a kind of patience most modern households rarely get to test. Their project, known online as Tiny Shiny Home, has become part family story and part practical experiment. In a time when housing costs, utility bills, and climate pressure are forcing many Americans to rethink what a home should be, the Longneckers are asking a simple but difficult question. What happens when a house is built around less consumption instead of more? The Longneckers describe themselves as a family of six that loves living off-grid, and their story did not begin with a desert homestead. Before settling in southeastern Arizona, they sold their house, traveled full-time, and renovated a 31-foot 1972 Airstream Sovereign Land Yacht for off-grid living. After five years on the road, they bought 11 acres of undeveloped land in southeastern Arizona and began building an off-grid homestead. On their website, they put the mission in plain language, saying they want to “simplify our lives” and give their children “experiences instead of disposable things.” That sounds inspiring. But in practical terms, it means a lot of dusty work, heavy lifting, trial and error, and decisions most homeowners never have to make because water, power, and building materials usually arrive through systems someone else already built. At the center of the project is a roundhouse made with hyperadobe, a natural building method that uses long mesh tubes filled with compacted soil. Tiny Shiny Home says hyperadobe bags use polyethylene raschel knit material, come in rolls, do not require barbed wire between layers, and are especially useful for vertical walls with attached roofs. The appeal is easy to understand. Instead of relying mostly on lumber shipped from far away, a hyperadobe wall can use native soil, water, and hand labor. It is not effortless, though. Tiny Shiny Home calls earthbag building “a TON of manual labor,” which may be the most honest warning in the whole project. The method also fits the desert in a very specific way. Thick earthen walls can hold and slowly release heat, and Tiny Shiny Home says its 16-inch hyperadobe walls can take about 12 hours to transfer warmth through the structure. That kind of thermal mass matters when days are hot, nights cool down, and everyone still wants the inside of the house to feel livable. Once the hyperadobe walls were finished, the family moved into what they called the most complicated part of the build so far. The roof work includes a custom bond beam, a metal roofing structure, and paneling, according to the official project update. The process is not just a nice video sequence. It involves a rebar cage, custom curved forms, pouring the bond beam, removing the forms, securing hurricane straps, transporting bar joists, fabricating recycled steel pieces, setting roof trusses, and starting C-purlins. Why does that matter? Because off-grid living still has to obey gravity, weather, wind, and basic engineering. The dream may be simple, but the structure has to be serious. A house in the desert can avoid the electric grid, but it cannot avoid energy needs. Lights, tools, refrigeration, internet, water pumping, cooling, and daily family life all require power, and that is where the Longneckers’ solar setup becomes more than a green accessory. Tiny Shiny Home says its off-grid solar system has averaged about 13 kilowatt-hours of production per day and 10 kilowatt-hours of consumption, with summer use rising closer to more than 35 kilowatt-hours when air conditioning and a mini-split were running. That is the unglamorous side of self-sufficiency. Solar panels are not just a symbol on the roof. They are the difference between a working homestead and a romantic campsite where the batteries run out before dinner. In Arizona, rainwater catchment sounds almost backwards at first. Tiny Shiny Home acknowledged the challenge directly, noting that the area gets about 12 inches of average rainfall a year, much of it in a short seasonal window. That is why the project treats water as infrastructure, not decoration. Their long-term focus includes rainwater catchment, while earlier systems relied on storage tanks, hauling water, pressurized pump setups, and step-by-step improvements as the homestead grew. Anyone who has watched a summer water bill climb can understand the appeal. But the desert version is tougher. Every roof surface, storage tank, pump, pipe, and filter has to be thought through before the faucet feels ordinary. Tiny Shiny Home is also a media project. The family documents the process online, sharing videos, guides, tours, and paid resources for people interested in off-grid living, hyperadobe construction, solar power, composting, permaculture, and rainwater catchment. That public approach gives the project a wider meaning. It is not just a private home being built in a remote place. It is a visible example of how families, builders, and curious homeowners are testing alternatives at a time when conventional housing can feel expensive, fragile, and disconnected from the land around it. Still, the lesson is not that everyone should run to the desert and start filling earthbags. The more useful takeaway is smaller and more realistic. Homes can be designed around local materials, lower consumption, repairable systems, and family labor, but those choices come with tradeoffs. The Longneckers’ project stands out because it does not make self-sufficiency look automatic. It shows the work behind the words. There are forms to build, bags to tamp, water systems to fix, solar equipment to understand, and plenty of moments when the clean dream probably feels like a pile of dirt and a long to-do list. That may be the most valuable part of the story. Off-grid living is often sold as escape, but here it looks more like responsibility. Less consumption does not mean less complexity. It means choosing which complexity you want to live with. For now, the family’s hyperadobe roundhouse remains a work in progress, but the larger idea is already clear. In the Arizona desert, one family is turning soil, sun, and scarce rain into a home that challenges the way many Americans think about comfort, cost, and independence. The official project update was published onTiny Shiny Home.
CNX Software – Embedded Systems News Reviews, tutorials and the latest news about embedded systems, IoT, open-source hardware, SBC's, microcontrollers, processors, and more DESLOC V150 Plus is a smart lock with an integrated perovskite solar panel, which can generate power under low-light conditions, eliminating or at least reducing the need for manual battery charging. The V150 Plus is a two-part system consisting of exterior and interior units connected via wires through the door. The exterior unit includes the perovskite solar panel, two cameras with a 3D facial recognition system, and an AI-assisted fingerprint sensor, while the interior unit houses a 10,000mAh removable battery, a Battery Management System (BMS), and a lock motor. The BMS manages battery charging and power distribution. The rechargeable battery is rated to provide up to 8 months of backup operation when solar charging is unavailable, which is a little longer than the Lockzo AL501 3-in-1 smart door lock we reviewed earlier. DESLOC V150 Plus specifications:
Efficiency comparison chart showing the claimed performance of the V150 Plus perovskite solar panel versus conventional silicon solar panels under sunny, cloudy, and rainy lighting conditions.
The company has not disclosed the processor used in the V150 Plus, but they mention that the solar panel starts charging at 300 lux, while the BMS monitors battery status and controls charging and power management. The facial recognition system combines dual cameras, a 24GHz radar for presence detection, infrared illumination for low-light operation, and liveness detection to help prevent spoofing attempts. According to DESLOC, the system can unlock the door in about 0.7 seconds. Additionally, the company mentions that the fingerprint recognition algorithm adapts to changes in fingerprint patterns over time to improve recognition accuracy.
The DESLOC mobile app shows battery status, lock controls, access management, event history, and device configuration options
The DESLOC app allows users to manage the lock, configure access permissions, view battery status, and monitor the solar charging status. It also supports OTA updates, factory resets, and specific app modes, including Vacation (when you are away from home), Rest (Do Not Disturb or privacy mode), and Special Care (which allows administrators to set up profiles for children, elderly family members, or caregivers). The DESLOC V150 Plus smart lock solar panel is available on Kickstarter, with pledge tiers starting at $199 for a single lock. Other tiers include a $229 option for a single unit and multi-unit bundles. An optional WK01 keypad is available as a $35 add-on.
The package includes the exterior and interior lock units, deadbolt assembly, mounting hardware, door sensor, mechanical keys, and a removable lithium-ion battery
According to the Kickstarter campaign, shipments are expected to begin in August 2026. In the box, you will get everything you need for a standard installation on most North American doors. This includes the exterior lock (housing the solar panel and sensors), the interior lock, mounting hardware, strike plates, a deadbolt, a magnetic door sensor, mechanical keys, and a spare 10,000 mAh Li-ion battery.
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress. We also use affiliate links in articles to earn commissions if you make a purchase after clicking on those links.
FREEBURG — Freeburg residents are being urged to attend a public meeting to discuss concerns involving a solar farm project near the borough’s water supply. The Freeburg Municipal Authority and Borough Council will hold the meeting at 7pm at the Freeburg Community Center. Officials say they want at least one person from each household to attend. Brookfield Renewable received approval for two solar projects in Washington Township. Borough officials say concerns include stormwater runoff, possible contamination near wells and the water treatment facility, and long-term effects as materials age. Written by Mark Lawrence Program Director at Newsradio 1070 WKOK People with disabilities can contact Kevin Herr at 570-286-5838 extension 230 for help accessing the WKOK Online Public File.
29 June 2026 One year after its launch in Buttes, in the canton of Neuchâtel, the world’s first removable solar power plant installed between railway tracks, developed by start-up Sun-Ways, reports positive results and is drawing interest from France, Italy and Asia. Sun-Ways, the start-up behind the world’s first removable solar power plant installed between railway tracks, has reported positive results one year after the launch of its pilot project in Buttes, in the canton of Neuchâtel. According to founder Joseph Scuderi, the installation has met its objectives in both railway safety and electricity production, with more than 11,000 trains having passed over the panels without affecting their stability. Installed in April 2025 on a 100-meter stretch of track, the photovoltaic cells are placed between the rails on the sleepers and can be removed for maintenance. Since May 2025, despite a month-long shutdown for snow and technical works, the plant has produced more than 16,000 kilowatt-hours, roughly the annual consumption of three to four households. Sun-Ways estimates that Switzerland’s railway network, around 5,320 kilometers excluding tunnels and poorly lit sections, could generate up to one billion kilowatt-hours of solar energy per year, equivalent to about 2 percent of the country’s electricity use. The project, supported by Innosuisse, has drawn international interest. The French national railway company SNCF signed a technical cooperation agreement with Sun-Ways in February, and the start-up is in contact with Italy’s Rete Ferroviaria Italiana over a possible pilot, as well as with partners in South Korea and Indonesia. TransN, the public transport operator of the canton of Neuchâtel that runs the Buttes section, has reported no conflicts with infrastructure, maintenance or train traffic, while Sun-Ways hopes to shorten the three-year pilot set by the Federal Office of Transport and obtain final approval. 22 June 2026 26 May 2026 18 May 2026
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Renewables Now is a leading business news source for renewable energy professionals globally. Trust us for comprehensive coverage of major deals, projects and industry trends. We’ve done this since 2009. Stay on top of sector news with with Renewables Now. Get access to extra articles and insights with our subscription plans and set up your own focused newsletters and alerts.
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Projects aim to combine clean power generation with aquaculture VinEnergo and SunAsia executives sign a deal for solar panels to be installed over aquaculture farms in the Philippines, on June 17 in Manila. (Vingroup) HO CHI MINH CITY — Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup is investing in solar projects in the Philippines pairing power generation and fish farming, with panels installed on stilts above water.
0 Powered by : Renewable Energy Developer Terra-Gen, which is based in the USA, has been given approval for developing an energy project with renewable energy at scale in Kern County, California. This energy project would consist of a 1.4 GW solar generation capacity and a battery energy storage system of 1,000 MW / 8,000 MWh (8 hours). Located near Mojave, the development will span about 7,700 acres. First Solar photovoltaic modules will be used for the solar installation. The project also includes collector substations, a switchyard, transmission facilities and an operations center. It is expected to generate about $44 million in annual property tax revenue during its first full year of operation. SOLARbytes brings you the latest news in solar world in bite size; essentially a gist of important solar news in few sentences. Subscribe to our Newsletter!
Dr Ahmed Abdelbagi The first part of this series provided an overview of renewable energy sources and their growing global significance, with particular emphasis on the six renewable energy resources available in Sudan. Of these, only photovoltaic (PV) solar energy—commonly referred to simply as solar energy—is currently being utilised. The remaining three parts examine Sudan’s solar energy sector, provide an overview of Malaysia’s renewable energy investment model, and assess how elements of that model could be adapted to support investment in Sudan. An Overview of Electricity Coverage in Sudan In March 2026, the Regional Bureau for Arab States of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) published a study entitled “Solar Energy Value Chains in Sudan.” The report notes that Sudan’s electricity sector suffered from structural weaknesses even before the outbreak of the war. The Electricity Act of 2001 established the Sudan Electricity Holding Company, which assumed responsibility for the sector through three separate entities responsible for electricity generation, transmission and distribution. Despite considerable efforts, progress remained limited due to operational inefficiencies, inadequate electricity coverage—particularly in rural areas—and insufficient data on the sector itself. According to the study, the lack of reliable data makes it difficult to determine the precise extent of grid coverage. Based on available estimates, electricity access ranges between 45 and 60 per cent of the population. The sector has also been constrained by electricity tariffs that fail to cover production costs, the depreciation of the Sudanese pound against foreign currencies, and heavy dependence on imported equipment and inputs. Although the Investment Promotion Act was enacted in 2013, macroeconomic instability discouraged private investment in the electricity sector. Furthermore, the removal of fuel subsidies in 2020 contributed to soaring inflation, which reached approximately 400 per cent by September 2021, without adequate social protection measures for vulnerable groups. The electricity sector deteriorated even further during more than three years of war. Sudan’s economy contracted by over 40 per cent, while damage to the national electricity network is estimated at around US$3 billion, according to the UNDP’s March 2026 report. Solar Energy: The Fastest Available Solution Given the current circumstances and the urgent need to address Sudan’s worsening electricity crisis, solar energy represents the quickest and most practical solution for several reasons. Solar systems can be installed and commissioned rapidly, operate independently of the national grid, and can be deployed in decentralised units to meet the needs of public services, residential areas and rural communities alike. In this regard, the UNDP Resident Representative in Khartoum observed: “Solar energy has become essential infrastructure in Sudan. It enables farmers to irrigate their fields, helps clinics keep vaccines refrigerated, and allows small businesses to remain operational even during wartime. Yet this clean and reliable energy source depends on small enterprises that themselves operate under extremely difficult conditions. Without targeted support for both suppliers and consumers, the sector will never achieve its full potential.” This underscores the urgent need for the Sudanese state to adopt photovoltaic solar energy as one of its principal short-term solutions to the electricity crisis. Sudan’s Solar Energy Sector Before the outbreak of the war, Sudan had launched five solar energy projects that formed the foundations of a broader strategy to capitalise on the country’s location within the global solar belt. With more than 300 days of sunshine annually and solar radiation levels ranging from 5.5 to 7.5 kWh per square metre per day, Sudan possesses exceptional natural conditions for generating clean energy and easing pressure on the national electricity grid. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Sudan ranked fifth among Arab countries in installed clean electricity capacity by the end of 2022. The country’s current solar power projects have a combined capacity of approximately 200 megawatts. Regional distribution includes: Khartoum – 7.1% Darfur – 6.0% Kordofan – 4.9% Eastern Sudan – 3.1% Central Sudan – 2.7% Major solar projects include: MAS Industrial Solar Plant in Atbara Dongola Solar Plant (20 MW) Kenana Sugar Company’s Solar Plant (40 MW) El Fasher Solar Plant (5 MW) Shendi and Al-Metemma Solar Irrigation Project (459 kW) Over the past five years, UNDP has installed nearly 300 solar-powered water systems for irrigation and domestic use throughout Sudan. These systems have increased agricultural productivity, reduced dependence on diesel fuel, and lowered operating costs by as much as 70 per cent. The programme has also converted 110 healthcare facilities and three women’s centres to solar power. Overall, UNDP’s solar energy initiatives have improved healthcare, livelihoods and skills development for approximately 800,000 people. However, since the outbreak of the war in 2023, the pace of expansion has slowed considerably. Projects located near conflict zones have either been suspended or significantly delayed, while implementation has continued only partially in more distant states, facing serious logistical challenges related to maintenance and prolonged power disruptions, according to the UNDP study. The Need for a New Investment Framework Against this backdrop, Sudan urgently needs to encourage investment in solar photovoltaic energy by introducing attractive investment incentives and establishing a robust legal framework to protect investors. Sudan could adopt a number of internationally recognised investment models, including: Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) These models could be adapted to suit Sudan’s unique economic and institutional circumstances. To illustrate the potential of such approaches, the next part of this series will provide a concise overview of Malaysia’s successful photovoltaic solar investment model and examine how key elements of that experience could be applied within the Sudanese context. To be continued… Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=15366 From Sudanhorizon.com: JEM Refutes Allegations on Selling Citizens’ Damaged Vehicles Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council: UAE Forces to Leave Yemen… Sudan Faces Tanzania this Evening in Mauritania Prime Minister Directs Restoration of Electricity to Central Market Sudan Participates in the Meetings of the Governing Council of the… Welcome, Login to your account. Recover your password. A password will be e-mailed to you.
An EU ban on public funding for solar and battery inverters from “high-risk vendors” in China is stirring discontent over the measure’s cost, efficacy and impact on Europe’s climate targets.
Sicona Battery Technologies has landed a $45 million (USD 31 million) grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to build and operate its first commercial-scale silicon-carbon battery anode material production facility in the New South Wales (NSW) Illawarra region. The company, which has its headquarters and pilot plant based in Wollongong, is commercialising its SiCx silicon-carbon battery anode material that has been flagged as a possible gamechanger for lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries that dominate the electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage market. When blended with standard graphite in lithium-ion batteries, Sicona said SiCx can deliver a 20%-plus increase in energy density over conventional graphite-only li-ion cells and reduce charge times by more than 40%. The company also said the technology is compatible with existing lithium-ion battery production lines, providing a clearer pathway to commercial-scale supply with global battery and original equipment manufacturers. The ARENA grant, delivered through the Australian government’s Battery Breakthrough Initiative, will enable Sicona to develop a new manufacturing facility capable of producing up to 230 tonnes of the SiCx material a year in the first phase. Sicona founder and Chief Executive Officer Christiaan Jordaan said the backing is a major endorsement of the company’s technology as it moves from development into commercial scale-up. “Battery-powered industries need higher performance at lower cost,” he said. “Our silicon-carbon anode technology is designed to deliver faster charging, greater energy density and a scalable pathway into existing lithium-ion battery supply chains.” “While EVs remain a major opportunity, some of the fastest-growing demand is coming from AI data centres, robotics, drones and power tools. These applications need high energy and power density today, and SiCx is designed to help meet that demand.” Jordaan said the Wollongong facility will allow Sicona to validate its process at commercial scale, deliver SiCx to customers, and accelerate its entry to multiple markets. “It also shows Australia can do more than export unprocessed critical minerals,” he said. “We can manufacture advanced materials, create skilled jobs, and compete in the high-value battery supply chains that will power the global energy transition.” Sicona will now work with steel manufacturer BlueScope to assess the potential development of the new manufacturing facility within BlueScope’s Port Kembla precinct. In the first stage, the facility is expected to be capable of producing up to 230 tonnes of SiCx a year. Sicona is then planning to scale up to 6,500 tonnes the material a year with longer-term expansion potential to 26,500 tonnes per annum. ARENA Chief Executive Darren Miller said Sicona is developing the kind of next-generation battery technology that can help Australia move further up the global battery supply chain. “Sicona’s technology has the potential to deliver faster charging, longer driving range and lower-cost batteries,” he said. “The technology has undergone independent testing and is already being evaluated by global battery and electric vehicle manufacturers, highlighting its strong commercial potential.” Miller said the project also supports “the development of domestic capability in advanced battery materials, reducing reliance on imported components and strengthening Australia’s position in the global battery supply chain.” The ARENA grant comes after Sicona last year signed a $15 million licensing and strategic partnership with Indian chemical conglomerate Himadri. Comments Please login to comment The June issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Thursday, July 9, 2026 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Thursday, June 18, 2026 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Wednesday, June 10, 2026 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Tuesday, June 9, 2026 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Thursday, June 11, 2026 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Monday, June 1, 2026 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Madrid, Paris Tuesday, June 16, 2026 6 am – 7:00 am CEST, Berlin Friday, June 12, 2026 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid The new pv magazine Global May issue is now available! Mountains to climb Available in print and digital formats. Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects. April 01 – August 31, 2026 Energy-hungry data centers open new doors for solar and storage. Available in print and digital formats.
The US CBP has found that Waaree evaded US solar import duties by mislabeling the origin of certain Chinese-made products as Indian-made The investigation, launched under the EAPA process in 2025, concluded that duties were not properly declared or paid on covered solar imports The ruling comes amid a new anti-circumvention petition involving imports from South Korea The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a final determination finding that Waaree Energies Ltd. and its US subsidiary, Waaree Solar Americas Inc., evaded US antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) on certain solar imports by falsely declaring Chinese-origin products as being made in India. The investigation began in June 2025 under the Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA) after the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee (AASMT) filed a complaint alleging that Waaree had misrepresented the country of origin of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) cells and modules imported into the US. CBP imposed interim measures in September 2025 after finding reasonable suspicion of evasion (see Waaree On CBP Radar For Possible Evasion Of Duties). In its final affirmative determination, CBP concluded that Waaree imported products covered by the Solar I trade orders, including products subject to anti-circumvention rulings, as well as CSPV products covered by the Vietnam and Malaysia AD/CVD orders, without declaring them correctly or paying the required duties. Solar I refers to the trade case initially filed in 2012, which is reviewed periodically by the US Department of Commerce (DOC) and the US International Trade Commission (ITC). According to the trade committee, Waaree shipped more than 5.4 million kilograms of CSPV modules to the US in 2024 while declaring them as Indian-made. It also alleged that India’s imports of Chinese solar cells rose by more than 600% between 2022 and 2024, whereas Waaree did not have domestic CSPV cell manufacturing capacity until late 2024. Tim Brightbill, Lead Attorney for the AASMT, welcomed the decision, saying CBP had conducted a rigorous review and upheld US trade remedy laws. “In particular, Customs’ determination found that “Waaree’s four year history of reporting the wrong country of origin is . . . an act that is material and false. American solar manufacturers deserve a level playing field; this determination is an important step toward ensuring they have one,” added Brightbill. He noted that solar imports from India remain subject to the ongoing Solar IV AD/CVD investigations. Meanwhile, Waaree Energies Limited issued a statement saying that following a detailed investigation, the CBP confirmed it did not export solar modules made with Chinese-origin cells to the US and that the agency’s determination was limited to a narrow set of certain historical import entries. “Importantly, the determination is not a final adjudication. Under applicable U.S. law, Waaree has the right to seek a de novo administrative review and thereafter, judicial review before the U.S. Court of International Trade. The Company is currently evaluating all available legal remedies with its U.S. trade counsel,” stated Waaree. Yet Another AD/CVD Petition The decision comes as US trade enforcement on solar imports continues to expand. Separately, a coalition of US-based solar manufacturers, which calls itself American Manufacturers for Energy Resilience (AMER), has petitioned the US DOC to investigate whether solar cells produced in South Korea are being used to circumvent tariffs on Chinese products, including by Hanwha Qcells. AMER is a joint venture of Canadian Solar, SEG Solar, and Heliene that operates factories in the US. The petition, as reported by Reuters, alleges that certain manufacturers shifted cell production from China to South Korea to avoid existing trade duties, seeking an anti-circumvention probe. Hanwha operates 2 solar factories in Georgia’s Cartersville and Dalton, where it plans to establish a vertically integrated solar supply chain. Recently, the company started cell manufacturing at the Cartersville fab (see Qcells Launches US Solar Cell Manufacturing At Georgia). Interestingly, Qcells is part of the AASMT that has been responsible for several solar AD/CVD petitions in the US. Hanwha Qcells has reportedly denied the allegations, stating it has consistently supported strong US trade enforcement and invested heavily in domestic solar manufacturing. TaiyangNews 2024
Waaree Energies shares fell nearly 5% after a US Customs ruling triggered concerns over reputational impact despite the company’s clarification. JM Financial retained its ‘Add’ rating, saying downside may remain limited, though tariff outcomes, appeals and potential spillover effects remain key factors to monitor.
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SAEL Industries Ltd has started construction of its integrated solar manufacturing facility in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, India. The project is being developed through its wholly owned subsidiary, SAEL Solar P6 Pvt Ltd (SSP6PL). The foundation stone-laying ceremony was held in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Spanning 200 acres (around 80,000 mw) in Sector 8 of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) in Gautam Buddha Nagar, the facility is being developed as an integrated 5 GW solar cell and 5 GW solar module manufacturing unit. Upon completion, the facility will manufacture TOPCon solar cells and modules. “This is not merely an investment in infrastructure; it is India’s investment in its own energy self-reliance. Today, Uttar Pradesh is one of India’s fastest-growing states, marching confidently towards its $1 trillion economy goal, and we are proud to be part of that journey. We are deeply grateful to the Government of Uttar Pradesh, YEIDA, and all stakeholders for making this vision a reality,” said Sukhbir Singh, co-founder and director of SAEL Industries Ltd. “The Jewar project reflects SAEL’s confidence in India’s renewable energy future and in Uttar Pradesh’s emergence as a premier manufacturing destination. As demand for domestically manufactured solar products continues to grow, this facility will strengthen the resilience of India’s solar supply chain while creating significant economic value for the region,” added the company’s CEO, Laxit Awla. This facility is expected to create 5,000 direct and 15,000 indirect jobs and contribute significantly to regional economic development through industrial activity, ancillary industries, and infrastructure growth. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The June issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Thursday, July 9, 2026 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid pv magazine USA hosts its third multi-day virtual event on advancing U.S. solar and energy storage markets, covering financing, supply chains, and distributed energy’s role in grid resilience. Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects. April 01 – August 31, 2026 A two-day conference in Austin, Texas, bringing together leaders in US solar manufacturing, equipment specification, and factory execution. Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy. Showcase your brand across all our platforms: from 13 websites in 7 languages to our magazines, daily newsletters, industry events and more. Reach your audience the right way!
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