Solar Now

Construction Review

Search Projects

Published on Oct 16, 2026
M Kubwa
Washington state utility Puget Sound Energy (PSE) has stated that it has launched the construction of a 130-MW solar park in Montana. The solar project is in proximity to its 248MW Beaver Creek wind farm in the northwestern US state.
Also, the launched Battle Butte Solar project will support PSE’s clean energy goals in compliance with Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA).
The solar project commissioning is targeted for mid-2028. It is located in the high plains near the Rapelje community in Stillwater County. Furthermore, the photovoltaic (PV) farm is expected to have an annual output that will be equal to the electricity consumption of around 20,000 homes.
Moreover, the plant will cover 1,400 acres of flat, open ranch land. Additionally, it will utilise existing transmission infrastructure near the Beaver Creek wind farm, which was brought online in the summer of 2025.

PSE foresees the construction phase of the Battle Butte project to open around 250 jobs. “Battle Butte solar represents a critical component of our clean energy strategy,” said Craig Pospisil, senior vice president at PSE, adding that the utility will build upon its positive relationships with the Stillwater County community.
Lastly, as of end-2025, PSE has already eliminated coal from its energy portfolio. The utility delivers electric and natural gas service to the Puget Sound region of Western Washington.
Project Name: Battle Butte Solar Project
Developer / Owner: Puget Sound Energy (PSE)
Location: Stillwater County, Montana (High plains near Rapelje; 15 miles north of Columbus)
Capacity: 130 MW
Estimated Generation: Equivalent to the annual power consumption of 20,000 homes
Land Footprint: 1,400 acres of flat, open private ranch land
Target Completion: Mid-2028
Grid Infrastructure: Co-located near PSE’s 248-MW Beaver Creek Wind Farm; utilizes existing Colstrip Transmission Line capacity
Economic Impact: 250 construction jobs; local tax revenue generation for Stillwater County
Regulatory Drivers: Supports Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA) goals
Source: constructionreviewonline.com All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Name

Email

Sectors:


Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment *
Name *
Email *
Website

Welcome to Construction Review a portal that serves the building and construction industry through our blog, e-newsletter, social media presence and print publication

source

This article is translated automatically.
Six months after its commissioning, the world’s largest photovoltaic system on a stadium roof is becoming one of the most visible symbols of renewable energy in international sport. On the roof of SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, the home ground of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, the project sets new standards for sustainable energy supply in professional football.
The record-breaking plant on the roof of one of Europe’s best-known football stadiums will generate more than 4 GWh of renewable electricity per year in the future. This corresponds to the amount of energy required to operate the stadium’s floodlight system for around 1,000 match days. At the same time, around 1,700 tons of CO₂ emissions are avoided annually.
The plant, which has been fully operational since December 2025, replaces an earlier system that could no longer meet the association’s increasing energy requirements. The modernisation is part of Borussia Dortmund’s comprehensive sustainability strategy and supports the goal of future-proofing stadium operations in the long term through large-scale clean energy generation.
“For us, this project was the next logical step on our way to greater sustainability,” says Florian Demnitz, Energy Manager at Borussia Dortmund. “We already had a solar system on the roof, but it was clear that we could achieve even more. We needed even more performance to ensure that the stadium’s energy needs could continue to be met for decades to come.”
The system was developed by Borussia Dortmund’s energy partner RWE. The focus was not only on maximising electricity generation from renewable energies, but also on maintaining the unmistakable appearance of SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. To ensure this important balance between performance and design, Borussia Dortmund and RWE chose JA (formerly JA Solar) as their technology partner.
The system consists of a total of 11,132 bifacial n-type modules of the type JA JAM54D41/LB with an output of up to 450 watts per module. Compared to conventional modules, they offer higher efficiency and lower power degradation over the entire service life. The double-glazed construction further increases durability and helps to ensure reliable operation over the planned service life of 30 years. The bifacial design makes use of sunlight on both the front and back of the modules, which further increases the energy yield.
A full black design was chosen for the facility, which blends harmoniously into the roof landscape of the stadium, retains the visual identity of SIGNAL IDUNA PARK and at the same time picks up on the black and yellow club colours of Borussia Dortmund. The modules are manufactured according to JA’s ITS Supply Chain Standard and thus meet defined requirements in terms of sustainability and complete traceability.
“We are proud to have been selected as a module supplier for such a groundbreaking project. For us, this is a testament to the quality and reliability of our technology,” says Alastair Mounsey, Vice President Europe at JA.
“The solar plant is already making an important contribution to Borussia Dortmund’s sustainability goals by providing clean, renewable electricity for match days and other events. In addition, the project impressively demonstrates how solar technology can be integrated into existing infrastructure on a large scale – from stadiums to entire cities. With millions of fans on site and in front of their screens worldwide, SIGNAL IDUNA PARK is now much more than a football stadium. It is also a strong example of how sport and renewable energy can work together on a global scale.”
“We are very satisfied with the performance of the solar system in the first months of its operation. The results are completely in line with our expectations,” adds Florian Demnitz. “The project is already having a noticeable impact on the energy supply and operational efficiency of SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. At the same time, we hope that it inspires other sports organizations to resolutely advance their own sustainability goals.”
On the occasion of the cooperation between Borussia Dortmund and JA, Karl-Heinz Riedle, former German national player and BVB legend, will visit the JA stand at Intersolar (Hall A2, Stand 380) at around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 23 June. Visitors will have the opportunity to take a souvenir photo and get an autograph from one of the most famous personalities in the club’s history.
The installation at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, which is officially recognised as the world’s largest solar system on a stadium roof, is one of the most visible symbols of renewable energies in international sport

In the future, the plant will generate more than 4 GWh of renewable electricity per year – enough energy to operate the stadium’s floodlight system for around 1,000 match days

JA’s modules have been selected to meet Borussia Dortmund’s high energy requirements and ensure reliable performance over the entire 30-year lifespan

The full black design ensures that the solar system blends harmoniously into the stadium’s roofscape and at the same time reflects Borussia Dortmund’s black and yellow brand identity

With millions of fans in the stadium and in front of their screens worldwide, SIGNAL IDUNA PARK is an impressive example of how sport and renewable energies can come together on a global scale
The AVENTOS Group has leased 16,500 square meters of logistics space in Leverkusen to Westmax Consulting KG. This marks the full occupancy of the BENTO Leverkusen site.
Quantum has successfully leased around 900 m² of office space in P1 in Berlin. The tenants are the management consultancy RITTERWALD and HYSTAKE Investment Partners, which are expected to move in in December 2026.
The AVENTOS Group has sold a data center in Nuremberg to AEW. Built in 2010 and covering approx. 2,592 square metres with a connected load of 6.4 MVA, the property is fully leased on a long-term basis to an international technology company.
TotalEnergies is bundling its integrated power business in Germany under "Integrated Power Germany". QUADRA energy Sales & Origination, Kyon Energy, VSB and the offshore wind business will be combined. Alexandre Duret-Proux will head the new unit.
Sign up for our newsletter and receive regular updates on the latest topics.

source

Pasco County Commissioners heard presentations for two forms of solar panel construction at the October 6th meeting. The board directed the leadership of the Facilities and Utilities departments to return at a later meeting to provide answers to questions that were not available and gather information on funding mechanisms.
Pasco County is considering installing Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) solar panels installed on floating structures in the Boyette Reservoir and the Land O’ Lakes reservoir, both located in East Pasco.
Utilities Director Joseph Amoah listed the benefits of the pontoon-supported structures, including a possible 70 percent reduction in evaporation of the reservoirs, reducing algae growth, and leading to better water quality. The downside is a high initial cost and regular maintenance expenditures. It would require a long-term investment to realize a return on investment.
The Land O’ Lakes system would cost approximately $1 million, and the Boyette system an estimated $3.3 million. Cisco Pavez, Utilities Senior Program Manager, explained that funding by Investment Tax Credit (ITC) would lower the costs to $700,000 and $2.3 million, respectively, after a 30 percent investment credit called DirectPay.
Cisco Pavez, Utilities Senior Program Manager, explained that DirectPay “allows tax-exempt and governmental entities to receive a direct cash refund from the IRS for clean energy investments. Under section 48E, the technology-neutral Clean Electricity Investment Credit offers a baseline refund of 30 percent of eligible project costs.”
Pavez added that a grant application has been submitted to the FDEP Alternative Water Supply Grant program.
Both locations planned for the FPVs are near power plants and would be used to generate power for these facilities. Chairman Jack Mariano requested an agreement with the power facilities outlining how savings would be passed on to their customers.
Commissioners instructed Amoah to gather information on replacement costs if damaged and insurance coverage.
At the West Pasco Government Center, the proposal is to construct solar-canopy parking on the East lot, topped with solar panels. These bays could additionally be fitted with EV (electric vehicle) charging equipment.
Beginning with 52 spaces to assess the benefits, two additional canopies will provide a total of 196 covered spaces. The first 52 stations would range from $218,400 to $301,600 without future EV capability and $282,000 to $458,000 if included.
Yearly operating expenses range from $5,500 to $9,100 and $6,500 to $12,700 with EV charging. Interim Facilities Management Director Nikki Allen cautioned that the figures are conceptual until a feasibility study is completed. If successful, the solar canopies could save the County $28-49K annually and would take 10-17 years to realize payback. Allen will also return to the board with an engineering report and additional funding sources.
The Hernando Sun is a locally owned weekly newspaper. The founders of the newspaper are Rocco and Julie Maglio. They saw the need for a newspaper when the Hernando Today newspaper closed their doors in 2014. Rocco is from Hernando, he went to school from Moton Elementary through Hernando High. Growing up in Hernando enhances his ability to provide background to ongoing issues. The Hernando Sun Printed their first issue in March 2015. They published monthly for a year before increasing to a weekly printing. The newspaper is delivered through the US mail, so it arrives with your mail.
Contact us: [email protected]
USPS PERIODICALS PERMIT AS REQUIRED FOR PUBLIC NOTICES PER SECTION 50.011(1)(e), F.S. STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP USPS PERIODICAL PERMIT NUMBER 16590 Periodicals Permit Authorization
Periodicals Permit Verification
We’d love your feedback.

source

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.

source

/C O R R E C T I O N – D3Energy/  StreetInsider
source

Organization representatives, Youthnet staff and community members celebrate Thursday the recently completed installation of an 83.3-kilowatt solar array at Youthnet’s Mount Vernon campus, which is seen in the background.

Organization representatives, Youthnet staff and community members celebrate Thursday the recently completed installation of an 83.3-kilowatt solar array at Youthnet’s Mount Vernon campus, which is seen in the background.
MOUNT VERNON — The nonprofit Youthnet celebrated Thursday a new 83.3-kilowatt solar array at its main campus in Mount Vernon.
A $172,088 Solar Enhanced Incentive award from Puget Sound Energy covered the full cost of the panels.
Youthnet provides support, particularly foster care resources, to youth and families throughout Western Washington.

Bellingham-based Western Solar installed the panels, a process completed at the end of September. Western Solar and Puget Sound Energy have partnered on several community solar array installations in Whatcom and Skagit counties.
“Today we are celebrating clean energy,” Rocio Castillo-Foel, community affairs manager at PSE said at the Thursday event.
Castillo-Foel said the project will help Youthnet run more efficiently and better support families throughout the region.
Puget Sound Energy launched the Solar Enhanced Incentive program in 2017, and in 2025 the program provided $3.3 million for 20 solar installations throughout the state.
“Not only are they providing customers with funding, but they’re actually reducing the revenue that they earn,” said Evan Bush, Western Solar’s vice president of commercial sales and operations.
Jon Rylaarsdam, Youthnet’s executive director, said the solar panels will likely save the organization about $1,800 a month, or $200,000 a year, in energy costs.
Youthnet was founded in 1969 with the mission to supply temporary housing for teenagers “that would bridge the gap between living at home and foster care or institutions,” according to its website.
It’s nearly 60-year legacy has included establishing group homes, alternative educational settings and individualized care programs.
The nonprofit supports youth and families in 15 Washington counties.
“This is just a small fraction of the people representing so many partnerships,” Rylaarsdam said of the organizational leaders present at Thursday’s celebration and ribbon cutting. “We don’t do it alone.”
According to a 2023 Puget Sound Energy Community Profile, Puget Sound Energy provides electricity to about 50,000 residences in Skagit County.
Puget Sound Energy encourages government agencies, community-based organizations, government agencies and tribal entities to apply for Solar Enhanced Incentive funding.
Applications are reviewed monthly. To learn more, visit https://www.pse.com/en/green-options/solar-energy-credit.
Josh Hernandez can be reached at jhernandez@skagitpublishing.com
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Your comment has been submitted.

Reported
There was a problem reporting this.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
Submit your event now.
Skagit Publishing Social Media Policy
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:

source

The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors continue to craft revisions to an ordinance that deals with data centers, solar farms, and battery storage. The intention of the supervisors is to protect Winnebago County residents, business, and industry while still creating opportunities for those new industries.
Supervisor Terry Durby has taken examples of ordinances from other Iowa counties and is asking the other supervisors, the County Attorney, and the County Engineer for input on a draft to send to the Winnebago County Zoning Board. That board would create a final draft for approval.
Durby used the data center ordinance from Greene County as a model for Winnebago County.
Durby also pointed to the solar farm issue need to be addressed. He admitted that this portion was modeled after a county in southern Iowa.
The ordinance which Durby reviewed gives a height restriction of 15 feet and must be anti-glare glass. Durby highlighted the other requirements which must be met.
Durby believes that the board will review the model ordinance and revise it to more accurately reflect the needs of Winnebago County.
Battery storage regulations were also discussed by Durby who said that the county is getting some guidance in this area.
The board will continue to gather information in the composition of the new ordinance.
 
 
 
 

Stay Connected with Mix 107.3 KIOW
Add Mix 107.3 KIOW as a preferred source on Google to see more local news, weather, and sports in your feed.
Add on Google
Follow us on Facebook for breaking news, severe weather alerts, sports, and more.
Humidity 44%
Dew Point 31°F
Wind NE at 5 mph
Gusts 9 mph
Pressure 30.29 in
Today's Precip 0.06 in
More Weather Details

source

© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.
“The VPP earns me back a couple of hundred each year.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A Los Angeles homeowner shopping for rooftop solar got a Tesla quote that topped $60,000 once roof work and an electrical-panel upgrade were added.
They took to Reddit’s r/TeslaSolar community to ask, “Is this a reasonable quote for Los Angeles?”
The homeowner laid out the details in the Reddit post, explaining that the updated estimate covered a 13.44-kilowatt system, $17,470 in roof work, and a $4,130 upgrade to the main electrical panel. 
The original poster, a customer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, asked whether the total was typical for Los Angeles and whether splitting the work among different contractors might lower the cost.
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers in your area.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
OP also questioned whether the potential $530.64 monthly payment would be worth it over the next 15 years. Some commenters clearly agreed, with one writing, “Seems high for a system with no battery backup.”
Replies largely debated whether tacking on battery storage to a proposed solar array makes sense under LADWP. One commenter said “you don’t need batteries with LADWP” because exported solar earns better credit there than with SCE, but another Angeleno called their Powerwall “Definitely worth having” after living through a 24-hour outage during fires. This same commenter added, “Plus the VPP earns me back a couple of hundred each year.”
Taken together, the comments highlighted a familiar decision for city homeowners: whether to prioritize lower utility bills or spend more for outage protection. Some people pointed to LADWP’s billing setup as a reason batteries may be unnecessary, while others argued backup storage still has value in Los Angeles because outages are part of life there.
One sensible way to evaluate a package like this is to price out the roofing, electrical, and solar portions separately instead of treating them as a single all-in proposal. 
FROM OUR PARTNER
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers that can help you save as much as $10k on installation.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best local options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
Still, going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy, but this post shows why comparing bids matters. Homeowners can try EnergySage to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes before signing a long-term loan. With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations.
Homeowners curious about backup battery options can also explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage, including competitive installation estimates.
For more background, EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state, along with details on solar panel incentives for each state.
These stories explore the same issues behind a pricey solar quote in Los Angeles, from what drives installation costs up to where homeowners can save. 
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
• EnergySage experts have helped homeowners slash solar prices by $9,000 through competitive bidding.
• Tesla and IronRidge are rolling out a lower-cost rooftop mounting system to simplify installations.
• Tesla’s newer inverter technology could save homeowners about $4,500 by reducing solar equipment costs.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

source

/C O R R E C T I O N – D3Energy/  AOL.com
source

The string of records from Australia’s renewable energy transition continue to tumble with rooftop solar output reaching a new all-time high of 17,488 MW in the National Electricity Market (NEM) at noon on Sunday.
Geoff Eldridge from Global Power Energy (GPE NEMLog) said the new peak is 495 MW higher than the previous record of 16,993 MW set just two weeks earlier and 2,388 MW, or 15.81% up on the 15,100 MW generated on 4 October 2025. 
At the time of the new rooftop solar generation peak, combined distributed PV and utility-scale solar share of NEM consumption reached a record 72.29%, up from the 70.80% achieved on 12 September 2026.
Eldridge said the latest rooftop solar output milestone is part of a “remarkable run” with four new records across three regions in just five days.
On Wednesday, 7 October Victoria recorded 4,191 MW of rooftop solar generation, surpassing its previous high of 4,036 MW set in January this year. During this peak interval, renewables contributed 65.9% of the state’s total generation.
On the same day, South Australia recorded a new rooftop solar peak of 2,070 MW, eclipsing the previous peak of 1,970 MW set two weeks earlier. At the time of the new high, renewables covered 96.3% of the state’s total electricity demand.
On Friday, 9 October New South Wales recorded a new rooftop solar generation peak of 6,346 MW, 241 MW higher than the previous record of 6,106 MW set nine days earlier.
Eldridge highlighted that the new peaks are instantaneous output records and not daily energy production records but pointed out that they do demonstrate the growing contribution of renewable energy across the NEM.
“They reinforce the expanding contribution of consumer energy resources and the changing daytime operating environment across the NEM,” he said.
The Australian Energy Market Operator said between 1 January and 30 September 2026, renewable energy has accounted for an average of 44% of all electricity generation across the NEM.  About 4 million Australian homes and small businesses have embraced rooftop solar, having installed an estimated 22 GW of rooftop PV capacity, and that enthusiasm is continuing to build with 2026 on track to be a record year of installations.

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
Thursday, November 5, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, October 29, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!

You have no items in your basket.

source

R.Power has completed construction of its 55MWp Lazuri solar project in Satu Mare County, north-western Romania, with energisation planned by the end of 2026.
The European independent power producer said the high-voltage project comprises 88,708 PV modules and six medium-voltage stations.
R.Power added that the facility is expected to generate around 70GWh annually once operational, equivalent to the electricity consumption of more than 44,000 households.
The Lazuri development is one of Romania’s largest solar farms by installed capacity and has secured a 15-year Contract for Difference (CfD) from the Romanian authorities.
The project was financed through a €44 million project finance facility signed by R.Power in June 2026 with ING Bank NV and UniCredit Bank SA.
The financing covers a portfolio of four PV projects in Romania with a combined capacity of approximately 75MWp.
Lazuri forms part of R.Power’s 1.5GW pipeline of solar, hybrid and energy storage projects in Romania.
R.Power country head for Romania Florin Federenciuc said: “Completing construction works at Lazuri is an important milestone for R.Power’s Romanian solar portfolio.”
“The project has moved efficiently from development through financing and construction, and we are now preparing for energisation and the start of operations.”
“Romania remains a key market in our CEE strategy, and we look forward to Lazuri contributing utility-scale clean energy to the grid.”
Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

source

Pick the engineering stories that matter and get them in your inbox.
Access expert insights, exclusive content, and a deeper dive into engineering and innovation all with fewer ads or a completely ad-free experience.
All Rights Reserved, IE Media, Inc.
Follow Us On
Access expert insights, exclusive content, and a deeper dive into engineering and innovation all with fewer ads or a completely ad-free experience.
All Rights Reserved, IE Media, Inc.
Solar cells normally absorb sunlight from a narrow range of directions but can emit light across a much wider range.
Solar cells could potentially generate more electricity by controlling not only how they absorb sunlight, but also the directions in which they emit light. Researchers at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Barcelona have experimentally demonstrated a method for reducing one source of energy loss in solar cells by narrowing the angular range over which they emit photons. 
The approach, published in Energy & Environmental Science, could offer a route to surpass the conventional theoretical efficiency limit for single-junction solar cells. The work focuses on a loss mechanism known as Boltzmann loss, which occurs because a material that absorbs light can also emit it.
A solar cell receives sunlight from a relatively narrow range of directions. The Sun occupies only a small area of the sky, meaning incoming sunlight reaches a solar cell within a narrow angular cone.
Photons generated inside the solar cell, however, can normally be emitted over a much wider range of directions. According to the ICFO researchers, this mismatch between the narrow incoming cone and broad emission cone reduces the amount of useful work that can ultimately be extracted from the device.
The researchers sought to reduce that loss by making the solar cell more selective about the directions in which it can emit light.
The team, led by ICFO and UPC Professor Jordi Martorell, included Dr. Francisco Bernal Texca, Chiara Cortese, Dr. Mariia Kramarenko and Dr. Quan Liu. They used an inverted organic solar cell based on the PM6:Y6 material blend and transformed it into an optical cavity.
The resulting structure inhibited photon emission at large angles, effectively narrowing the cell’s emission cone.
The researchers achieved the effect using a silver-based front electrode combined with a layered structure and a second silver electrode at the back of the cell.
The metal front electrode provides high reflectivity across a broad range of angles for emitted light. Together with the rear electrode and surrounding layers, it forms an optical cavity.
The cavity performs two functions at once: it suppresses light emission at wider angles while allowing incoming sunlight to enter efficiently from the direction it arrives. That allows the angular distribution of emitted light to more closely resemble the angular distribution of incoming sunlight.
Importantly, the researchers say the approach does not require additional fabrication complexity compared with many other strategies being explored to push photovoltaic efficiency beyond conventional limits.
The work addresses the well-known Shockley–Queisser limit, which describes the theoretical efficiency ceiling for a conventional single-junction solar cell under the assumptions of the model.
ICFO puts that limit at 33.16 percent. The researchers say that if the emission cone could be narrowed sufficiently to better match the absorption cone of sunlight, efficiencies approaching 43 percent could theoretically become possible.
That does not mean the researchers have produced a 43-percent-efficient solar cell. The study demonstrates the optical strategy for reducing the relevant loss mechanism in an organic photovoltaic device.
“Our study is a significant step forward in the solar energy conversion field as it opens a completely unexplored route to surpass the Shockley–Queisser limit,” said Dr. Francisco Bernal Texca, first author of the study.
The researchers also emphasize that the underlying principle is not restricted to organic photovoltaics. While the experiment was conducted using an organic solar cell, Martorell said the concept could, in principle, be applied across different photovoltaic technologies.
If the approach can be translated into higher-performing practical devices, controlling the direction of photon emission could become another tool for squeezing more electricity from the same amount of incoming sunlight.
Higher photovoltaic efficiency could also reduce the land and materials needed for a given amount of solar generation while lowering the cost per watt of electricity produced, according to the researchers.
Kaif Shaikh is a journalist and writer passionate about turning complex information into clear, impactful stories. His writing covers technology, sustainability, geopolitics, and occasionally fiction. A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, his work has appeared in the Times of India and beyond. After a near-fatal experience, Kaif began seeing both stories and silences differently. Outside work, he juggles far too many projects and passions, but always makes time to read, reflect, and hold onto the thread of wonder.
Premium
Follow

source

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.

source

LebTown
Lebanon County, PA news, events, and opinions.
From left, Union Township solicitor Paul Bametzreider, supervisors Stephen Lum, Kerry McCrary, and Gary Longenecker, and township manager Brent McFeaters at the Oct. 14 meeting. (Todd Lassa)
This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.
Union Township supervisors voted 3-0 Wednesday to grant conditional approval to SolAmerica Energy’s planned Newswanger Solar Farm at 107 Awol Road.
Approval was made conditional after township solicitor Paul Bametzreider’s recommendation because SolAmerica was not yet able to provide $1.1 million escrow for required stormwater improvements to the project.
“Until that escrow agreement is funded, and the bank is supposed to give us the escrow agreement in writing when it is funded, you cannot finally approve the plan,” Bametzreider told the board.
Union Township’s planning code allows conditional approval before the developer secures financing, Bametzreider said, “but they’re limited to 90 days before that conditional approval goes away.”
In addition to the $1.1 million in escrow for stormwater improvements, signed agreements and the recording fee remain outstanding.
SolAmerica Energy will need the full 90 days of the conditional approval period to secure escrow for the stormwater improvements, Alviez Chagan, senior project development manager for the Atlanta-based company, told supervisors.
You can help LebTown grow. If you rely on us for your Lebanon County news, now is the time to join as a member. Join the 1,000+ LebTown readers who support our work as members.

The developer plans a 2-megawatt solar farm to generate solar power sold to energy utilities, on 10 to 20 acres of farmland leased from the Newswanger family, Chagan told LebTown. He did not have the estimated total cost of the solar farm, but said the company expects to begin construction next year.
Get our free weekly email newsletter.
In a separate item, township manager Brent McFeaters said in his zoning officer’s report that Sudarshan Niroula approached him about two weeks earlier to discuss establishing a roadside stand and shed at 2629 State Route 72 to sell chickens. Customers would choose a chicken from the house or stand, where it would be defeathered before being handed to the customer, McFeaters said.
Niroula told McFeaters the business plans to have 100 to 200 chickens in stock and expects to sell about 50 per week, but to sustain such a business the business would need 500 to 600 chickens, including peeps, McFeaters said. The property is on eight acres in a residential neighborhood zoned as an agricultural district, he said.
“They can have up to a thousand chickens,” McFeaters said. “My concern is avian influenza, for one thing.”
Before Union Township can issue a zoning permit, Niroula’s chicken business would need a number of state and federal permits, including a permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“They kind of backed off when I mentioned the USDA permit,” McFeaters said.
In other business:
Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Be part of Lebanon County’s story.
Cancel anytime.
Monthly Subscription
🌟 Annual Subscription
Join the 1,100+ readers who support our work as members
Already a member? Log in here to hide these messages
Our community deserves strong local news. LebTown delivers in-depth coverage that helps you navigate daily life—from school board decisions to public safety to local business openings. Join our supporters with a monthly or annual membership, or make a one-time contribution. Cancel anytime.
Todd Lassa is a career journalist with experience at metro dailies, a business weekly, a Capitol Hill newsletter publisher, and three national car enthusiast magazines. Lassa also contributes to LNP/Lancaster Online and Autoweek and is founding editor of thehustings.news. He lives in Columbia with his… More by Todd Lassa
Kindly keep your comments on topic and respectful. We will remove comments that do not abide by these simple rules.
LebTown members get exclusive benefits such as featured comments. If you’re already a member, please log in to comment.
Already a member? Log in here to hide these messages
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Submit your own job listing here.
Submit your own classified ad here.
Sponsors

Brick Property Services

Cornwall Manor

Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority

Henise Tire Service

In The Net

Jono Hardware

Lebanon Area Fair

Lebanon Internal Medicine Associates

Lebanon Transit

Reliable Moving & Storage

SCHOTT North America

Steckbeck Engineering & Surveying, Inc.

United Way of Lebanon County

WellSpan Health

Local news is disappearing across America, but not in Lebanon County. Help keep it that way by supporting LebTown’s independent reporting.
Make an impact. Cancel anytime.
Join the 1,100+ readers who support our work as members
Build the future of local news.
Local news is a public good—like roads, parks, or schools, it benefits everyone. LebTown keeps Lebanon County informed, connected, and ready to participate.
Join the 1,000+ LebTown readers who support our work as members. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here to hide these messages

Lebanon County’s most essential weekly read
Get our free newsletter every Thursday

Become a champion of local news and unlock additional benefits as a LebTown member, like exclusive members-only emails, featured comments, invitations to members-only events, and more.
Make an impact. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here to hide these messages

Link Copy link

source

New solar-cell design based on dots and wires  MIT Energy Initiative
source

© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.
Availability depends on the municipality or school district, not a national program.
Photo Credit: iStock
A few volunteer hours at a library, community center, or administrative office can mean lower property taxes for some older homeowners.
In parts of eight states, local “tax work-off” programs turn volunteer service into credits on residents’ property tax bills, according to Kiplinger.
Availability depends on the municipality or school district, not a national program.
The AARP indicates these arrangements can reduce annual costs for older Americans by as much as $1,500.
Most programs require the applicant to own and live in the home year-round as a primary residence. Many programs set eligibility at age 60, 62, or 65, though some also include veterans, surviving spouses, or people with disabilities.
Participants typically serve in public departments, including libraries, community centers, and administrative offices. 
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
Starting at $50
Starting at $99
Starting at $60
Starting at $80
States usually convert their hours at either the state minimum wage or a locally set rate, and apply the resulting credit to the homeowner’s property tax bill.
Kiplinger identified eight states where laws allow some form of work-off property tax relief: Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, Colorado, and Texas.
Rising housing costs are one reason this type of relief can matter for older adults. 
The National Institutes of Health estimates that about 168,000 adults over 65 face eviction or forced displacement each year.
That makes even modest credits significant, particularly in places where annual savings can reach four figures. Retirees on fixed incomes feel property tax increases sharply when local assessments outpace their household budgets.
The rules vary widely by state. 
In Massachusetts, the standard cap is $1,500 per fiscal year, although towns can approve an increase to $2,000. In Rhode Island, qualifying residents may receive up to $1,500 per year for municipal volunteer service.
In New York, some volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers can qualify for a property tax break of up to 10% where local tax jurisdictions allow it, while many Pennsylvania school districts cap benefits at about $550 to $1,000, with some reaching $1,200.
Anyone interested in using one of these programs should start with their local municipal or school district website, because the detailed rules are often set there. 
Even when a legal framework exists, local municipalities or school districts determine the cap, required hours, and participating departments.
Maine lets residents 60 and older earn up to whichever is greater: $1,000 or 100 times the state minimum wage. Washington’s version depends on participating local school districts and is open to residents 62 or older.
Homeowners in towns that don’t offer a tax work-off option may still have other ways to reduce their bills. 
Kiplinger listed exemptions, tax freezes, and circuit breaker programs as alternatives, and cited New Jersey, where qualifying households may be eligible for as much as $6,500 a year across three property tax programs.
Kiplinger, citing AmeriCorps Seniors, says one to two years of volunteering was associated with lower depression, anxiety, and loneliness. It also referenced an NIH survey linking at least 100 volunteer hours per year to lower mortality risk and fewer physical-function limitations.
The NIH survey Kiplinger reviewed linked about two hours of volunteering per week, or at least 100 hours a year, to better mobility and higher overall physical activity.
Other programs can help homeowners offset rising housing costs, including state insurance relief and government-backed rebates or tax credits for home upgrades.
• In Hawai’i, lawmakers approved a lifeline for thousands as insurance costs climbed.
• States are unlocking billions from the government for home renovation rebates and efficiency upgrades.
• In Virginia, homeowners can collect up to $550 for bill-cutting renovations through performance rebates.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

source

In December 2025, BloombergNEF projected a pullback in global solar installations, with China slowing and the rest of the world growing. Ten months later, China has slowed more than expected. The rest of the world has grown slightly faster.
BloombergNEF now projects 584 GW of solar installations in 2026. That is a 10.8% decline from 655 GW in 2025. In December, it forecast 649 GW. In the first quarter of 2025, it expected 753 GW. That earlier 2026 figure is 29% higher than today’s forecast.
When asked whether there have been any surprises in the solar industry in 2026 – any Pakistan’s for instance – BloombergNEF CleanTech Analyst Jenny Chase said, “Honestly, none so far, a big theme has been no major booms. I don’t think it has anything to do with Chinese politics or pricing.”
BloombergNEF estimates China installed 383 GW in 2025. It now expects 271 GW in 2026, a 29% decline. In the group’s 2025 Q4 projection, China had been forecast for 2026 was 341 GW.
In December, BloombergNEF CleanTech Analyst Jenny Chase said growth in China “cannot continue at its historical breakneck pace.” She now attributes the deeper slowdown to saturation. “We doubt that either batteries or EVs will halt this, they just slow it down a little,” Chase told pv magazine USA.
Last year China deployed 383 GW of solar capacity, of which Chase noted the “breakneck” pace. The nation-state is projected to decline a massive 29% to 271 GW deployed. Through the end of June 2026, China installed about 71.8 GW of PV, down from 212.2 GW in the same period of 2025, a even sharper decline of roughly 66%.
The decline came as part of a shift in policy and a  new five year plan taking attention off of capacity, and focusing on energy storage.
Outside of China, non-utility, and batteries
The world has slightly outperformed BloombergNEF’s projections. 2025’s deployment capacity of 272 GW was projected to grow to 308 GW – a 13% pop. Current projections put global capacity at 313 GW deployed, well within the end of 2025’s margin of error.
Growth is coming from markets like India, “chugging along”, the Philippines, Nigeria and Malaysia. Regarding both Nigeria and the Philippines, Chase pointed out that the growth in those markets was almost entirely residential and commercial based.
This aligns with a recent report, shown in the above BloombergNEF chart, that with the pullback in utility scale solar in China – non-utility solar is now the largest sector of global renewable energy investment.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
Thursday, October 29, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, November 5, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand.
pv magazine hosts its four-day virtual event on European solar and energy storage, exploring market opportunities, solar-plus-storage business cases, technical quality, and cybersecurity in the years ahead.
pv magazine Session returns to NetZero Milan as Knowledge Partner, organizing and moderating a two-hour conference on the evolving global solar supply chain.
Get your ticket at a discounted rate with pv magazine.
Join pv magazine for an expert session exploring quality, technology and the challenges of scaling India’s solar industry.
Lunes, 19 de octubre de 2026
16:00 – 17:00 CEST, Berlín, París, Madrid
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Monday, October 26, 2026
10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid

You have no items in your basket.

source

Headings
Geneva (Switzerland) (AFP) – Swiss pilot Raphael Domjan beat the altitude record for a solar-powered electric plane in a 2025 flight that took him soaring to 9,640 metres, the World Air Sports Federation (FAI) confirmed.
Issued on: 16/10/2026 – 18:47
The FAI governing body, holding its 120th general conference in Lausanne from Wednesday to Friday, validated the record attempt after verifying the flight data.
The SolarStratos plane made the landmark flight from Sion airport in southwest Switzerland on August 12 last year, taking advantage of warm air thermals to beat a 15-year-old record.
The previous certified altitude record for a solar plane was 9,235 metres (30,298 feet).
Domjan’s flight lasted five hours and nine minutes.
“After several months of verification and certification, FAI ratification now gives this achievement full international recognition,” the SolarStratos team said a statement.
“SolarStratos officially becomes the highest-flying crewed electric and solar-powered aircraft in history.”
On Wednesday, Domjan was given the FAI’s Louis Bleriot Medal — established in 1936 and named after the French aviation pioneer — in recognition of his world record flight.
“This distinction crowns more than 10 years of research, testing and commitment to pushing the boundaries of electric and solar-powered flight,” SolarStratos said.
“SolarStratos takes another step towards its ultimate goal: reaching the stratosphere aboard a crewed electric and solar-powered aircraft, without using a single drop of fossil fuel.”
Domjan is aiming to make the first manned solar-powered flight into the stratosphere, which at Switzerland’s latitude begins at around 10,000 to 12,000 metres, depending on climatic conditions.
The single propeller plane, registration HB-SXA, is made of carbon fibre to ensure lightness and strength.
SolarStratos is 9.6 metres long. Its 24.8 metre wingspan accommodates 22 square metres (237 square feet) of high-spec solar panels and allows for flying at low speeds.
The plane can take off at low speeds, from 50 kilometres (30 miles) per hour upwards. Its maximum speed is 140 kph, while its cruising speed is around 80 kph.
© 2026 AFP
Today's top stories
Most read
© 2026 Copyright France 24 – All rights reserved. France 24 is not responsible for the content of external websites. Audience ratings certified by ACPM. ACPM
The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.

source

Eight major Chinese polysilicon manufacturers, including Tongwei and GCL Technology, met behind closed doors in Hangzhou on Oct. 11 to discuss measures to curb below-cost sales and reduce output amid persistent overcapacity.
The meeting followed an industry self-discipline agreement signed in Shanghai on Aug. 6 by the same companies: Tongwei, GCL Technology, Daqo New Energy, Xinte Energy, Asia-Silicon, East Hope, Qinghai Lihao and Xinjiang Goens. Together, they account for more than 80% of China’s effective polysilicon production capacity.
Shanghai Securities News and Xinhua Finance, citing participating companies, reported that the Hangzhou meeting proposed a tax-inclusive minimum price of CNY 43,000 ($6,324) per metric ton for both conventional Siemens-process polysilicon and granular silicon.
The proposed threshold reflects production costs, including raw materials, electricity, depreciation and labor. Participants also reportedly discussed applying cost-based pricing principles to exports, procurement and tenders.
Local media reported separate proposed minimum prices of CNY 0.86/W for back-contact (BC) modules and CNY 0.79/W for TOPCon modules, although the companies have not confirmed these figures.
Participants also purportedly discussed adjusting production independently in response to market demand and encouraging reports of suspected below-cost sales. No binding output quotas, company-specific reduction targets or enforcement mechanisms have been disclosed.
Meanwhile, polysilicon futures remained well below the proposed price floor. On Oct. 15, the most-active contract, PS2611, closed at CNY 33,255 per metric ton on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange, down 4.58% on the day.
Weak downstream demand and rising inventories continued to pressure prices. The Silicon Industry Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMIA) estimated September polysilicon output at 120,400 metric tons and projected a decline to around 105,000 metric tons in October as producers reduced operating rates.
The Hangzhou meeting follows nearly two years of industry efforts to address the supply-demand imbalance. After sharp price declines and widespread manufacturing losses in 2024, leading producers pursued voluntary output cuts and consolidation plans in 2025. In December 2025, several manufacturers established a joint platform to facilitate the acquisition and retirement of excess capacity.
The initiative faced regulatory scrutiny in January 2026, when China’s State Administration for Market Regulation summoned leading producers over antitrust concerns and warned against coordinated agreements on capacity, output and prices.
The industry subsequently shifted its focus toward cost-accounting standards and voluntary commitments to avoid below-cost sales, leading to the August agreement and the latest discussions in Hangzhou.
The impact of these measures remains uncertain. Recent reports from TrendForce and the Silicon Industry Branch indicate that polysilicon inventories continue to rise in China, with weak downstream demand limiting the effectiveness of voluntary production cuts.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
Thursday, October 29, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, November 5, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand.
pv magazine hosts its four-day virtual event on European solar and energy storage, exploring market opportunities, solar-plus-storage business cases, technical quality, and cybersecurity in the years ahead.
pv magazine Session returns to NetZero Milan as Knowledge Partner, organizing and moderating a two-hour conference on the evolving global solar supply chain.
Get your ticket at a discounted rate with pv magazine.
Join pv magazine for an expert session exploring quality, technology and the challenges of scaling India’s solar industry.
Lunes, 19 de octubre de 2026
16:00 – 17:00 CEST, Berlín, París, Madrid
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Monday, October 26, 2026
10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid

You have no items in your basket.

source

In December 2025, BloombergNEF projected a pullback in global solar installations, with China slowing and the rest of the world growing. Ten months later, China has slowed more than expected. The rest of the world has grown slightly faster.
BloombergNEF now projects 584 GW of solar installations in 2026. That is a 10.8% decline from 655 GW in 2025. In December, it forecast 649 GW. In the first quarter of 2025, it expected 753 GW. That earlier 2026 figure is 29% higher than today’s forecast.
When asked whether there have been any surprises in the solar industry in 2026 – any Pakistan’s for instance – BloombergNEF CleanTech Analyst Jenny Chase said, “Honestly, none so far, a big theme has been no major booms. I don’t think it has anything to do with Chinese politics or pricing.”
BloombergNEF estimates China installed 383 GW in 2025. It now expects 271 GW in 2026, a 29% decline. In the group’s 2025 Q4 projection, China had been forecast for 2026 was 341 GW.
In December, BloombergNEF CleanTech Analyst Jenny Chase said growth in China “cannot continue at its historical breakneck pace.” She now attributes the deeper slowdown to saturation. “We doubt that either batteries or EVs will halt this, they just slow it down a little,” Chase told pv magazine USA.
Last year China deployed 383 GW of solar capacity, of which Chase noted the “breakneck” pace. The nation-state is projected to decline a massive 29% to 271 GW deployed. Through the end of June 2026, China installed about 71.8 GW of PV, down from 212.2 GW in the same period of 2025, a even sharper decline of roughly 66%.
The decline came as part of a shift in policy and a  new five year plan taking attention off of capacity, and focusing on energy storage.
Outside of China, non-utility, and batteries
The world has slightly outperformed BloombergNEF’s projections. 2025’s deployment capacity of 272 GW was projected to grow to 308 GW – a 13% pop. Current projections put global capacity at 313 GW deployed, well within the end of 2025’s margin of error.
Growth is coming from markets like India, “chugging along”, the Philippines, Nigeria and Malaysia. Regarding both Nigeria and the Philippines, Chase pointed out that the growth in those markets was almost entirely residential and commercial based.
This aligns with a recent report, shown in the above BloombergNEF chart, that with the pullback in utility scale solar in China – non-utility solar is now the largest sector of global renewable energy investment.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
Thursday, October 29, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, November 5, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Join pv magazine for an expert session exploring quality, technology and the challenges of scaling India’s solar industry.
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!

You have no items in your basket.

source

With sustained policy support, India has rapidly grown its domestic supply of PV modules over the past few years. Now it is moving into the more challenging sectors of cell and wafer manufacturing. The second Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM-II) came into force on June 1, 2026. This key milestone in India’s supply …
Thursday, October 29, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, November 5, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand.
pv magazine hosts its four-day virtual event on European solar and energy storage, exploring market opportunities, solar-plus-storage business cases, technical quality, and cybersecurity in the years ahead.
pv magazine Session returns to NetZero Milan as Knowledge Partner, organizing and moderating a two-hour conference on the evolving global solar supply chain.
Get your ticket at a discounted rate with pv magazine.
Join pv magazine for an expert session exploring quality, technology and the challenges of scaling India’s solar industry.
Lunes, 19 de octubre de 2026
16:00 – 17:00 CEST, Berlín, París, Madrid
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Monday, October 26, 2026
10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid

You have no items in your basket.

source

Talkies
Discover our collection of on-line only podcasts!
🔻🔻🔻 KPFA TV 🔻🔻🔻

Advanced Search
Terra Verde
10.16.26 – 10:30am
By siteadmin
A new law allows California residents to use plug-in solar, or what’s better known as “balcony solar,” setups that can power home devices such as fridges, computers, and air conditioners for several hours. The idea of balcony solar is catching on fast — bills to legalize it have been introduced in more than half of US states, and 10 states, including California, have already adopted them.
Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and Terra Verde co-host Maureen Nandini Mitra talks with two veteran solar advocates — Bernadette Del Chiaro, the California head of the Environmental Working Group, which co-sponsored the state’s new bill, and Dave Rosenfeld, executive director of Solar Rights Alliance, a statewide network of solar power users that champions the right to generate solar energy without utility interference. They share how California residents can plug in and reap the benefits of this technology, and discuss the larger political landscape in which the push for balcony solar is playing out.
 
Address 1929 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Berkeley CA 94704 Phone 510.848.6767 Contact Us
No meetings listed for the next 3 weeks.
KPFA is also heard on KPFB 89.3 FM in Berkeley and KFCF 88.1 FM in Fresno.
FCC Applications.
KPFA FCC Public Files & KPFB FCC Public Files. Yearly EEO Reports.
Pacifica designated agent to receive notice of claimed infringements.
© 2026 KPFA & PACIFICA. All Rights Reserved.

source

China’s Solar Module Exports Reach 15.26 GW In August 2026 As Cell Shipments Surge 54%  SolarQuarter
source

Since late August 2026, silver prices have entered a rapid pullback. According to SMM data, the SMM #1 silver price fell from its stage high of 16,889 yuan/kg ($2,513/kg) on August 27 to 13,584 yuan/kg ($2,021/kg) on October 15, a cumulative drop of 19.6%, before edging back to 13,842 yuan/kg ($2,059/kg) on October 16. Over the same period, the solar cell cost curve shifted lower across the board: taking the M10 (183 mm) cell as an example, total cost per watt fell from 0.348 yuan/W to 0.310 yuan/W, a decline of about 10.8%.
Unlike in February 2026, when a sharp silver drop was matched by a synchronous fall in cell quotations, the latest cost relief has not translated into lower cell prices. SMM price data showed that G12R (210R) cell prices have held steady since September 18, with no adjustment for nearly a month; G12 (210 mm) cell prices rose rather than fell in mid-October; and M10 cells only drifted lower within a narrow band.
Silver Price Correction: Macroeconomic Headwinds Weigh on Precious Metals Valuations
The latest silver price correction was primarily triggered by developments in the overseas macroeconomic environment. The minutes of the US Federal Reserve's September policy meeting struck a relatively hawkish tone, while the US Dollar Index climbed above 102 and US Treasury yields reached multi-year highs, putting pressure on precious metals valuations.
COMEX silver futures fell below the USD 60/oz threshold on October 8, touching an intraday low of USD 58.96/oz. Domestic silver prices followed the downward trend. Between October 12 and 15, the SMM 1# Silver price declined by a cumulative 8.6%, marking the steepest phase of the latest correction.

Cost Transmission: Lower Silver Paste Prices Drive Down Total Cell Production Costs
According to SMM data, the average price of TOPCon front-side fine-line silver paste fell from 15,976.5 yuan/kg ($2,377/kg) on August 27 to 12,991 yuan/kg ($1,933/kg) on October 15, down 18.7%. The silver paste cost of G12R cells fell from 0.143 yuan/W to 0.116 yuan/W, down 18.9%. Notably, in the three weeks from September 28 to October 15, the total cost of G12R cells fell by a cumulative 0.013 yuan/W, while the silver paste cost fell by the same 0.013 yuan/W — meaning the improvement in cell costs came essentially from the single variable of silver prices.

Market Performance: Price Stability, Selective Increases and Marginal Declines Coexist
While the cost curve moved lower, cell prices showed three distinct trajectories. SMM price data showed that since September 18, the average G12R cell price has held at 0.31 yuan/W, anchored by upstream and downstream psychological price levels, with no adjustment for nearly a month. G12 cells were largely stable in September after pulling back from late-August highs, before the average price was raised to 0.2975 yuan/W on October 13, within a range of 0.295-0.3 yuan/W, up 1.5% from the start of the month. M10 cells edged down from 0.2995 yuan/W to 0.2955 yuan/W, a move of less than 2% during the window of steepest silver declines. None of the three formats followed costs lower in tandem.

Why Have Cell Prices Remained Resilient? Production Line Upgrades and Output Cuts Tighten Supply
The first pillar of price resilience came from the supply side. SMM data showed that China's solar cell output fell 15.2% year on year in September, staying below the July year-to-date high for a second consecutive month, while the industry operating rate fell to 53.5%, down 23.04 percentage points from a year earlier. The reduction mainly came from ongoing production line technology upgrades at some cell makers; the resulting temporary shutdowns squeezed effective market supply and left fewer spot cargoes in circulation than before.

Three Cell Formats, Three Market Dynamics: Weak but Stable 183, Export-Supported 210R and Tight 210N Inventories
The second pillar is that the three formats are driven by different demand logics — there is no single price direction in the market right now. Inventory movements are a key clue to this divergence. Inventories staged a rebound in September, but then fell again as some producers cut output for technology upgrades, pre-holiday stockpiling kicked in and export orders were delivered. As of October 12, industry inventory was down about 31.68% from its mid-September high.

By format, domestic demand for M10 cells has been shrinking steadily, and export order volumes are relatively limited; with neither buyers nor sellers showing much initiative, prices have moved within a narrow band. G12R cells are mainly supported by export orders, with cell makers prioritising existing supply for export markets — even when domestic module makers tried to press for lower prices on the back of cheaper silver, they struggled to secure meaningfully cheaper cargoes. G12 cells, meanwhile, have benefited from the release of utility-scale project demand and module makers' restocking in October; spot supply has tightened, pushing prices up rather than down.
Outlook
In the near term, falling silver prices help improve cell makers' costs, but are not yet enough to trigger across-the-board cell price cuts. For M10, limited demand upside means little room for prices to rise, but prices will largely move within a narrow band until supply recovers. For G12R, order support should hold until the export window closes; watch for changes in the export pace and any backflow of cargoes into the domestic market after early November. Whether G12 can sustain its strength depends on the continuity of utility-scale project deliveries and module makers' restocking. Overall, this round of "silver down, cells flat" does not signal a failure of cost-based pricing — it reflects a temporary shift of pricing power from the cost side to structural supply and demand.
Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.
Notice: By accessing this site you agree that you will not copy or reproduce any part of its contents (including, but not limited to, single prices, graphs or news content) in any form or for any purpose whatsoever without the prior written consent of the publisher.

source

NTPC Ltd, India’s largest power utility, and Africa50, a specialist investor in African infrastructure, have signed a Cooperation Agreement to identify, assess and develop power-generation projects and cross-border electricity trading opportunities across Africa. 
The partnership will draw on NTPC’s engineering and operational capabilities and Africa50’s project development and financing expertise to advance commercially viable power projects, attract investment and expand reliable electricity supply for households and businesses.  
NTPC will bring its extensive technical, engineering, project development, construction management and operations expertise to assess project feasibility, develop viable solutions and support the progression of identified opportunities towards implementation. Africa50 will complement these capabilities by leveraging its continental-scale pipeline and access to governments and regulators through its 34 African country shareholders to identify priority power projects, structure them for investment and support their progress across the project life cycles. 
“We look forward to working with Africa50 to develop commercially viable power projects in mutually agreed countries in Africa. Combining NTPC’s technical and operational experience with Africa50’s project development capabilities and relationships across the continent creates a strong foundation for supporting reliable power supply and regional electricity trade,” said Gurdeep Singh, Chairman and Managing Director of NTPC Ltd.  
Alain Ebobisse, Group Chief Executive Officer of Africa50, said: “Reliable and competitively priced power is central to Africa’s industrial and economic transformation. This partnership combines Africa50’s ability to develop, de-risk and deliver investable projects with NTPC’s proven technical expertise to translate public ambition into private investment in power generation.”
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
Thursday, October 29, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, November 5, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Join pv magazine for an expert session exploring quality, technology and the challenges of scaling India’s solar industry.
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!

You have no items in your basket.

source

China’s Growing Dominance of Renewable Energy Industry Hard to Resist Despite Security Risks  The Japan News
source

© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.
Several replies stressed that a standard wall-outlet charge is still demanding.
Photo Credit: iStock
A portable power station owner said a routine recharge turned into a frightening close call after plugging a Pecron F5000LFP into an extension cord. 
Hours later, the charging cable had fused to the cord, with the plug’s plastic softened and hardened around it.
The Reddit post in r/Pecron described the problem as user error after the original poster updated it. The owner said they had “made an amateur mistake” by charging through an extension cord and later found the cable stuck to it. In the same warning, they wrote: “Don’t do what I did.”
The owner originally referenced a 3,600-watt figure as the cause of the melted cord. 
One commenter pointed out, “The Pecron f5000lfp will only draw 3600w when using the RV cord to charge. It caps out at 1800w maximum with the standard 5-15 ac cord that plugs into a wall outlet.”
In an update, they wrote that “3600W was an incorrect memory of what happened” and acknowledged that “No way a 15W or 20W breaker could supply 30A.” They ultimately said a cheap extension cord and the decision to use it were to blame.
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
Starting at $50
Starting at $99
Starting at $60
Starting at $80
Several replies stressed that a standard wall-outlet charge is still demanding. One commenter said that “even with the normal 5-15 cord at 1800w even the OEM Pecron cord gets slightly warm,” while another speculated that the setup may have involved “a 16 gauge 13 Amp extension cord best suited to lamps.”
One commenter reduced the outlet issue to a basic rule: “any device (microwave, iron, heater, whatever) can only pull up to 15A from a typical home outlet.” The same person added a separate safety reminder: “Extension cords must be extended (not coiled or rolled up) when in use.”
Cost savings also came up in the discussion as a use for the battery. 
One commenter said they charge overnight at 18 cents per kilowatt-hour instead of paying 45 or 60 cents later, adding that filling a 10-kilowatt-hour battery pack takes “near 12kWh of grid power.” Using those figures, a full overnight charge could save roughly $3.24 to $5.04 compared with buying the same amount of power at higher rates.
The clearest advice was to avoid light-duty extension cords when charging a large power station. A commenter said owners should “make absolutely sure you are using a 12awg or 10awg extension cord,” adding that “the longer the extension cord the thicker the gauge if wire it should be.”
Some commenters pointed to lowering the charge speed as another way to reduce risk while still taking advantage of off-peak rates. One noted that users can “slow down the charge rate percentage on the settings menu,” while another said they reduced their unit’s maximum rate to 1.5 kilowatts because they did not want to “have to remember that risk.”
The thread also included heavier-duty alternatives for people who still want faster charging. One commenter said, “I installed a new RV socket, 30 amp breaker and maybe half a meter of Romex (the pink stuff) in order to safely charge that beast.” 
The owner’s final update was blunt: “I agree it was a cheap extension cord and my use of it that caused the problem. On to bigger and better things once I get a replacement cable from Pecron.”
These stories look at similar charging-safety issues, including home setup mistakes and the limits of charging from a standard outlet. 
• An EV owner said outlets were melting after improper home-charger wiring choices.
• A Tesla owner sparked backlash after using a kitchen outlet to charge at home.
• U.S. apartment shoppers warned that free plugs are vanishing as EV access tightens.
• In Santa Clarita, drivers returned to destructive trend takes over local charging stations.
• In Portland, an overnight stop ended with a disappointing scene overnight at chargers.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

source

Luis Reyes
Oct 16, at 9:30am ET
Grass grows under solar panels whether anyone wants it to or not. And once it gets tall enough to shade the bottom edge of the glass, somebody has to deal with it. For years, that somebody was a guy on a mower, or a crew with string trimmers picking their way around a few thousand steel posts.
Lately, it’s sheep. The developer pays a shepherd, the mower stays in the barn, and everybody involved seems pretty happy with the arrangement.
Sounds easy enough, but you gotta hear the size of the job first. A team at Cornell spent three summers running its own teaching flock through a working 18-megawatt solar farm in Dryden, New York, at three different stocking rates, and counting the insects that showed up in each plot. The lightest grazing left 38% more wild bees, honeybees and ladybugs than a plot that was simply mowed. The heaviest grazing kept the grass down best of all and cut honeybee numbers by 45%. The paper came out in Environmental Research Letters on October 7, and Cornell wrote it up a week later.
You’d think a sheep is a sheep. It turns out the number of them matters as much as the fact that they’re there at all.
If you don’t farm, the phrase probably means nothing to you, so here’s the short version. A stocking rate is how many animals you put on a given piece of ground. The Cornell team ran theirs at two, four, and eight sheep per hectare, which, in American terms, works out to two, four, and eight sheep per 2.5 acres. Even the heavy end of that is only about three sheep per acre, which doesn’t sound like much until you watch what three sheep do to an acre over a summer.
Light grazing leaves a fair amount of the pasture standing, and standing pasture gets to flower. Heavy grazing takes the plants down before most of them get the chance. Bees, as you’d expect, go where the flowers are.
Well, that’s the plain-language read, anyway. I had to rely on Cornell’s summary and the abstract since the paper is behind a paywall. So I didn’t see the full methods. I’d maybe treat the mechanism as my interpretation rather than the authors’ stated finding.
At two sheep per 2.5 acres, the researchers counted 38% more beneficial insects than in the mowed control plot, and the honeybees alone were up 83%. Lady beetles were in the count too, which is what entomologists call ladybugs, and they earn the “beneficial” tag because they eat aphids for a living.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in new window)
At four sheep, the insect numbers landed about where the mowed plot did. The grass control was better than at two, though, so if you’re a developer who cares mostly about shading, four is arguably the sweet spot.
At eight sheep, the vegetation was as tidy as it got, and Cornell says the flock stayed healthy the whole time. The honeybees were the ones that lost out, down 45%.
One thing Cornell hasn’t said, at least not in the summary, is where those honeybees came from. But I got you there.
Honeybees are livestock in their own right, and in upstate New York there’s a decent chance somebody’s hives sit within flying distance of the arrays. Wild bees were in the mix too, but the 83% figure is honeybees specifically, so I’d want to know whether the count was measuring habitat or measuring a neighbor’s beekeeping before I built a policy on it.
This wasn’t a test plot with a dozen panels. The Cascadilla Community Solar Farm is rated at 18 megawatts, spread across three sites in Dryden, and sends more than 30 gigawatt-hours a year to the NYSEG grid, which Cornell says is enough for about 3,000 homes. Cornell put the panel count at roughly 79,000 on a 125-acre parcel the ag school had written off as nonproducing farmland. The renewable energy credits cover the equivalent of 20% of the Ithaca campus’s electricity.
The sheep belong to Cornell too. The university’s own Sheep Program has been grazing the farm’s 54-acre south arrays for some time now, with the five fenced arrays serving as the experimental blocks. So the animals in this study weren’t rented from a contractor for a season. They live there.
That’s one reason I’d put a bit more faith in these numbers than in a one-summer demo. Three years, one site, the same flock, and a mowed plot sitting right there for comparison is about as clean as a field trial of this kind gets. The flip side is that it’s one site, in one climate, with one grass mix, and nobody should assume a Texas solar farm in August behaves like Tompkins County in June.
Quite a lot, from the looks of things. Leana Zoller, the postdoc who led the insect paper, told Cornell that grazing and insect habitat are usually studied as separate questions, even though a developer has to decide on both in the same patch of ground. Steve Grodsky, the senior author, said the team picked stocking rates specifically because a sheep farmer already thinks in those terms.
One of the co-authors, Nikola Kochendoerfer, isn’t an academic by day. She grazes 700 ewes on solar sites in New York and Vermont, and her pitch to Cornell was blunt: with solar, “you get paid to graze as opposed to having to pay to graze.” She says she’s working with farms that are scaling up because of it.
Cornell’s business school put a number on that side of things in a second paper, published September 28 in Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. Vincent Slaugh, Linwei Xin and Shane Henderson built a spreadsheet model that tells a shepherd how many sheep to buy or sell to cover a given set of solar contracts without ending up short of mouths when the grass takes off. An Ithaca outfit called United Agrivoltaics already uses it to onboard new graziers.
Slaugh’s bigger bet is that solar contracts could grow the American sheep industry outright. Cornell points out that about half the lamb and mutton eaten in the US is imported, mostly from New Zealand and Australia, so there’s room. I’d call that plausible rather than proven. A model is a model, and 700 ewes on two states’ worth of solar farms is a business, not an industry.
Sheep under panels have been a recurring theme on this site, from Oregon lambs that gained the same weight on 38 percent less grass to 4,200 merino sheep hiding under 755,000 panels in Australia. This is the first one I’ve seen that asks how many sheep is too many, and the answer, at least for the bees, is somewhere between four and eight per 2.5 acres.
Zoller’s paper went live in Environmental Research Letters on October 7, 2026, with funding from the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the National Science Foundation.
Did we nail it or blow it?
Luis Reyes · Oct 15, 2026
Chema Bonilla Díaz · Oct 8, 2026
Luis Reyes · Sep 19, 2026
Chema Bonilla Díaz · Oct 5, 2026
Olivia Richman · Oct 1, 2026
Dave McQuilling · Oct 6, 2026
Luis Reyes · Oct 16, 2026
Luis Reyes · Oct 16, 2026
Luis Reyes · Oct 16, 2026
Luis Reyes · Oct 16, 2026
Olivia Richman · Oct 16, 2026
Autonotion is the English-language automotive editorial by Autonocion.com — car news, reviews, and industry analysis for American readers.
Other links
Company
Subscribe
Get the latest car news in your inbox:
By submitting your email you allow autonocion.com to send you news or promotions. More info

source

Renewable energy developer Swift Current Energy is suing First Solar in New York state court, alleging the manufacturer knowingly supplied defective solar modules and used deceptive testing to hide significant performance issues.
The complaint, filed in Sept. 2026, alleges that First Solar supplied over 2.4 million defective Series 6 Plus and Series 7 thin-film cadmium telluride modules across three major U.S. solar installations, including the 800 MWdc Double Black Diamond project in Illinois. 
The developer states it paid more than $360 million for the equipment, which it claims has consistently failed to meet promised power output metrics.
According to the complaint, the modules experienced increased degradation and significantly lower-than-expected output immediately upon installation in 2023 and 2024. Swift Current says it initially submitted formal warranty claims on Dec. 23, 2024, after discovering the widespread underperformance. 
First Solar formally responded on May 2, 2025, stating that the developer had not adequately described or provided evidence of the claimed defects, and noted that evaluating power output claims based on system-level performance data is invalid under the warranty terms.
The module maker requested that Swift Current coordinate with its technical support to conduct individual module power output measurements in a laboratory. Swift Current’s court filing called this proposed remedy “commercially impossible,” arguing it would require shipping more than 1.5 million modules back to First Solar at a cost exceeding the value of the claims.
In the complaint, Swift Current points to its inability to meet commitments to its commercial offtakers under power purchase agreements as a result of the power output loss. In addition, the developer says it has lost revenue from decreased compensation under capacity contracts it signed for two of the projects in question.
Defect allegations
Swift Current claims that First Solar identified two primary errors in its manufacturing process that led to lower power output in 1.6 million of the modules it purchased from the module maker.
The developer alleges First Solar knew about the defects at the time it shipped modules to its sites, but concealed them from the developer until October 2024. Importantly, one of the defects alleged in the complaint appears never to have been publicly acknowledged by the module maker.
The first type of these errors, which Swift Current calls “Edge Grind Defects” is related to a flaw in the manufacturing process for Series 7 modules first publicly disclosed by First Solar in an Oct. 2024 earnings call. 
In the call, First Solar CEO Mark Widmar provided details how the company identified the issue early in Series 7 production, in which materials that have been ground from the edge of module glass “calcify” onto the glass during the “dwell time” between the grinding step and a module washing step that occurs after.
At the time, First Solar said it had identified and taken actions to address the edge grind issues and was taking a warranty charge of $50 million in anticipation of providing service to buyers of affected modules.
The second, previously-undisclosed type of defect is referred to in the complaint as “Substrate Defects,” which Swift Current alleges arose from a change to the manufacturing process initiated by First Solar in 2021, which prevented the absorber layer for its Series 6 Plus and 7 modules from forming as designed. The complaint states these defects “impacted the annealing process, film quality, recombination rates, and ultimately, module power output.”
Swift Current says it was presented with an investigative report First Solar commissioned from Leidos Engineering, LLC to examine its Series 7 modules, which identifies the two defects being present in the modules. The complaint says the Leidos report found an average power loss of approximately 8 percent for modules tested after nearly one year of field deployment.
The complaint also goes further, alleging “metastability losses inherent in First Solar’s thin film cadmium telluride technology,” which can result in seasonal loss of power output during cold periods of the year. 
Swift Current alleges that First Solar artificially inflates its modules’ nameplate power ratings using a secret, proprietary “preconditioning” testing method that masks the metastability loss by testing module power output immediately after subjecting the panels to at least eight hours of extreme heat, voltage and irradiance.
The complaint says that while the edge grind and substrate defects were present in more than 1.6 million of the modules it received, all 2.4 million failed to perform as promised, with the alleged metastability issues solely at fault for lower-than expected production from the remaining modules. 
Swift Current is seeking damages and restitution due to the alleged defects. In addition, it has asked the New York court to apply penalties under a Massachusetts law regarding willful misconduct, because the Swift Current employees who evaluated the modules and negotiated the deal to purchase them are based at the company’s headquarters in Massachusetts and the commercial relationship between the two companies was managed there.
The case is active and ongoing, with the parties scheduled to appear before Justice Andrew Borrok of the New York county commercial division of the New York state supreme court on Nov. 16, 2026.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
Thursday, November 5, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, October 29, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand.
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Monday, October 26, 2026
10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid

You have no items in your basket.

source

NTPC REL Invites Bids For 2,100 MW Solar Bifacial Module Procurement In Rajasthan  SolarQuarter
source

Saturday, October 17, 2026
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency says it remains confident Australia can expand its onshore solar module manufacturing capacity enough to meet the aspirational target of 1 gigawatt a year, as it seeks to foster competition for the nation’s sole panel maker, Tindo Solar.
Arena this week launched round three of its $850 million Solar Sunshot funding scheme, putting another $250 million up for grabs in the form of production subsidies and grants.
And while the focus for this round has shifted from cells and modules to supporting innovative, cost-cutting construction methods, Arena’s general manager of solar investment Dan Sturrock says the agency has not given up on the dream of Australian made solar.
Currently, Adelaide-based Tindo Solar is Australia’s only PV module maker – a title it has held since it was founded in 2011. Tindo won $34.5 million in Sunshot funding in 2025, to scale up production from 20 megawatts (MW) a year to 180 MW and to test the water for a future giga-scale plant.
A second module manufacturing contender – a company headed up by one of the legends of Australian solar research and development, Zhengrong Shi – in December last year won more than $150 million in Sunshot funding to build a commercial-scale PV panel manufacturing plant in New South Wales.
The Hunter Valley Solar Foundry, which also received $20 million from the state government, proposes to become a 500 MW per annum manufacturing facility that will produce Sunman’s lightweight solar panels, and provide production capability to other manufacturers.
“We see competition as good… [and] there’s room in the market for multiple producers,” Sturrock told Renew Economy’s Solar Insiders podcast on Thursday.
“We do have one more project in the pipeline that’s not yet announced, so … watch this space for potentially a third project. But we were always hoping to get to a gigawatt and we still hope that we might achieve that.”
Tindo in 2024 set out its own ambition to build a solar panel “gigafactory” in Australia, a feat it claimed at the time that it could pull off with just $90-100 million and within two years, with the right federal government support.
When Tindo got its SunShot money, in August of last year, federal energy minister Chris Bowen, whose home rooftop solar system uses Tindo panels, said the grant would give Tindo the opportunity to cater for around 10 per cent of Australia’s domestic demand.
But progress is slow and the competition from cheap and abundant Chinese panels is fierce. Sturrock says Arena is always trying to balance accountability – making sure projects are delivering what they have proposed to – while also providing flexibility to allow for evolving pathways and plans.
“We are the custodian of taxpayer dollars, and we take that quite seriously, very seriously. But there is that balancing act of, you want to work really closely with those companies to achieve success and sometimes acknowledging that you’re not going to achieve every one of the … success factors that you set out to achieve.
“So you’ve got to be balancing up, you know, what’s really important and how you continue to manage that funding commitment over time as the market changes, competition changes [and] regulations change.”
SunDrive – a solar cell innovator spun out of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) – in 2024 applied for round one Sunshot funding in partnership with Chinese PV giant Trina, with a proposal to set up a module manufacturing plant in Western Sydney, with an initial production capacity of 1.2 gigawatts (GW).
The bid was not successful, although SunDrive – whose technology uses copper for solar cell metallisation, instead of silver, making cells cheaper to produce – has had strong support from Arena through other programs, including a $25.3 million grant through the Advancing Renewables Program.
“We’ve supported [SunDrive] with their core technology development… [and] that’s been going for about a year now and they’re continuing to bring their novel copper-based metallisation technology into the market and looking to sell that at a commercial scale over the next six months,” said Sturrock.
“So we’re, we’re still supporting them with that core technology pathway and we hope to see some real commercial traction in the next 12 months with SunDrive. But I think they’ve stepped away from the module manufacturing ambition, is my understanding.”
Meanwhile, Sturrock says Tindo is in the process of ramping up its production at the new facility in Adelaide and the Hunter Valley Solar Foundry is working towards starting construction next year.
“That [will] be the new competitor producing modules at scale competing with Tindo,” he tells Solar Insiders.
To join more than 29,000 others and get the latest clean energy news delivered straight to your inbox, for free, click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.
To support independent media, and combat AI slop, you can click here to make a one off donation or become a regular supporter of Renew Economy.

Sophie is editor of Renew Economy and editor of its sister site, One Step Off The Grid . She is the co-host of the Solar Insiders Podcast. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.
Related Topics
© Copyright RenewEconomy 2026. All rights reserved.

Learn more

source

BougeRV Highlights Portable Refrigeration and Solar Power Solutions for Winter Camping  EIN News
source

Friday, October 16, 2026 78° Today’s Paper
By Tom Graham, Tanya Yamanaka Aynessazian and Henry Curtis
Today • Updated 8:52 p.m.
Tanya Yamanaka Aynessazian
Henry Curtis
Tom Graham
PATRICK JUNKER / NEW YORK TIMES
A balcony solar panel soaks up the sun at a home in Dusseldorf, Germany, on July 10, 2024.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
From as low as $12.95 /mo.
Hawaiian Electric’s customers are paying more for electricity because of higher fuel costs, and now Hawaiian Electric is asking the state Public Utilities Commission for a further increase. Although Hawaii’s climate allows us to use less electricity than elsewhere in the country, that good fortune is more than offset by having to pay the highest electricity rates in the nation — more than twice the national average.
In the face of those high electricity rates, some households have mitigated costs by installing solar panels on their roofs. But most of the half-million Hawaii residents who live in condominiums and apartments are unable to install solar panels and generate their own electricity.
That could change. Other states are showing the way by approving balcony solar legislation, giving residents without access to a suitable roof a simple way to harness the sun.
Balcony solar could also provide energy security. When the grid goes down after a hurricane or other event, a balcony solar device paired with a battery and equipment that isolates the home from the grid could continue providing electricity. The system could keep a refrigerator, lights, internet and other essential equipment running.
California and New York recently passed balcony solar bills by overwhelming margins. California’s bill was just signed into law, so it joins New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont in approving balcony solar.
The concept is straightforward. Lightweight solar panels are mounted on a lanai railing or other sunny location. The device plugs into a wall outlet, allowing the electricity produced by the panels to flow into the home’s electrical system, reducing the amount that needs to be purchased from the utility.
Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It’s FREE!
Legislation is necessary because even a small balcony solar device can send electricity to the grid. Under current state law, a customer who generates and sends electricity onto the grid generally must enter into an interconnection agreement with the utility. That makes sense for large rooftop systems but is impractical and unnecessary for small plug-in devices.
Hawaii should establish a clear legal framework for balcony solar, eliminating unnecessary interconnection requirements while establishing rigorous safety standards.
Balcony solar devices are relatively inexpensive. In Utah, which passed the nation’s first balcony solar law, a 1,200-watt system can be purchased for about $3,300. Smaller systems are also available. Given Hawaii’s high electricity rates, a plug-in device could pay for itself within a few years.
Several balcony solar bills were considered during Hawaii’s 2026 legislative session. Senate Bill 2902 passed the Senate but failed to pass the House over uncertainties about safety. We and other advocates are working with legislators to address those concerns and develop a bill that will allow the sun to shine on balcony solar in Hawaii.
Safety should be paramount. One straightforward safeguard would be to require compliance with UL 3700, a national safety standard developed specifically for balcony solar devices. Other practical safeguards include requiring that a device immediately deenergize during a power outage, which would protect utility workers, and limiting a dwelling’s total balcony-solar capacity to 1,200 watts to minimize the risk of overloading the home’s circuitry.
Hawaii has invested heavily in rooftop solar, but hundreds of thousands of residents have been unable to participate because they don’t own a suitable roof. The sun doesn’t care whether someone lives in a single-family home, condominium, or apartment. Our energy policies shouldn’t either.
In 2027, the Hawaii Legislature should pass a carefully designed, safety-first balcony solar bill. It would give Hawaii residents a practical way to generate clean energy, lower their electricity bills, and strengthen their energy security.
Tom Graham is with Carbon Cashback Hawaii, which advocates for policies that reduce carbon emissions; Hawaii island resident Tanya Yamanaka Aynessazian is principal of the Chamber of Sustainable Commerce; Henry Curtis is executive director of Life of the Land.
500 Ala Moana Blvd. #2-200
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 529-4747
Our Company
Subscribers
More

source

Uruguay says the $5.7 billion agreement with Solaria is the largest investment in the country’s history 
The project will combine 500 MW of data center capacity with 350 MW of solar power generation in its first phase 
State-owned utility UTE will procure solar electricity under a 40-year PPA and provide land for the solar plants 
Uruguay has announced a $5.7 billion investment agreement with Spanish renewable energy company Solaria Energía y Medio Ambiente to develop a solar-powered data center campus with up to 500 MW of capacity. The government described it as the largest investment in the country’s history. 
Under the agreement reached, Solaria will develop and operate the free trade zone. It will provide land, infrastructure, and services to major data center operators. Solaria will also deploy up to 350 MW of solar PV capacity to power the campus.  
Phase I of the project will include 200 MW of data center capacity and 350 MW of solar power generation. Phase II will add another 300 MW of data center capacity, with the possibility of expanding solar generation. The facilities will be spread across the departments of Canelones, San José, and Florida. 
Solar power generation will be concentrated in Florida, while the data centers will be located in Canelones in Phase I and San José in Phase II. The project will also create more than 3,000 jobs under Phase I to be completed in 2029 or 2030.
Uruguay’s utility, the National Administration of Power Plants and Electrical Transmissions (UTE), will provide land for the solar PV plants and procure the energy produced under a 40-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Solaria. 
Additionally, Solaria will develop the necessary electrical installations to connect the campus to a 500 kV transmission grid. 
For Solaria, the agreement will strengthen its Powered Land model under which it offers land with guaranteed grid connection to data center developers. It generates revenue from site development and supplying renewable electricity. The model falls under Solaria’s infrastructure business, where sales rose 355% in H1 2026 (see Solaria Energia’s Profit Rises 52% To €125M In H1 2026). 
Uruguay’s Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Fernanda Cardona, described the project as a national initiative, citing its scale, potential to create high-quality jobs, and ability to attract foreign investment. 
Currently, state-owned telecommunications company Antel operates a data center in Pando, which it is relocating to Canelones. Google is also developing a data center at Parque de las Ciencias in Canelones. 
“This will generate a value chain, jobs, and knowledge for our entire population, and will reaffirm Uruguay as a digital hub, combining renewable energy with network capabilities, human talent, and the digital economy,” said Cardona. 
Uruguay targets to add 500 MW to 600 MW of new solar PV capacity by 2030. As per the International Renewable Energy Agency, the country had 339 MW installed solar PV capacity at the end of 2025.
TaiyangNews 2024

source

The Autumn issue of 2026 is available now! The new issue begins with a regional report on Asia Pacific, looking at the region’s transition from building capacity to building systems. The issue also explores topics such as offshore wind foundations, solar maintenance, training the new workforce, inspection & maintenance, and more! With insights from experts such as Everllence, BW Ideol, EM&I, Watson Farley & Williams, and many more, make sure to check out this issue now.
Follow us on social media for the latest industry news and updates.
Copyright © 2026 Palladian Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | Tel: +44 (0)1252 718 999 | Email: enquiries@energyglobal.com
R.Power has completed construction works on site at its high-voltage 55 MWp (DC) Lazuri photovoltaic project in Romania.
R.Power has completed construction works on site at its high-voltage 55 MWp (DC) Lazuri photovoltaic (PV) project in Romania.
Lazuri is a high-voltage project located in Satu Mare County, North-Western Romania. The site consists of 88 708 PV modules and six medium-voltage stations and, once operational, is expected to generate around 70 GWh/y, equivalent to the consumption of more than 44 000 households. At 55 MWp, it is one of the largest solar farms in Romania by installed capacity. Energisation is planned by the end of 2026.
Lazuri has been awarded a 15-year Contract for Difference (CfD) by the Romanian authorities, underpinning its long-term revenues. It was financed as part of the €44 million project finance facility R.Power signed in June 2026 with ING Bank NV and UniCredit Bank SA, on a club deal basis, for a portfolio of four PV projects in Romania totalling approximately 75 MWp.
The project forms part of R.Power’s growing solar, hybrid and energy storage pipeline in Romania, which amounts to 1.5 GW and supports the country’s decarbonisation and energy independence goals.
“Completing construction works at Lazuri is an important milestone for R.Power’s Romanian solar portfolio,” said Florin Federenciuc, R.Power Country Head for Romania. “The project has moved efficiently from development through financing and construction, and we are now preparing for energisation and the start of operations. Romania remains a key market in our CEE strategy, and we look forward to Lazuri contributing utility scale clean energy to the grid.”
 
 
The Autumn issue of 2026 is available now! The new issue begins with a regional report on Asia Pacific, looking at the region’s transition from building capacity to building systems. The issue also explores topics such as offshore wind foundations, solar maintenance, training the new workforce, inspection & maintenance, and more! With insights from experts such as Everllence, BW Ideol, EM&I, Watson Farley & Williams, and many more, make sure to check out this issue now.
Written by
Editor

source

China’s Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom) and Ministry of Science and Technology have proposed prohibiting exports of selected high-efficiency perovskite and tandem solar manufacturing technologies, alongside new restrictions on advanced polysilicon, wafer and crystalline-silicon cell production know-how.
The proposals, published on Oct. 16 under Joint Announcement No. 48 of 2026, would add 12 photovoltaic technologies to China’s Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited or Restricted from Export. They are part of a broader consultation covering 40 technologies across sectors including solar energy, artificial intelligence and biomedicine. The public consultation runs until Nov. 15.
The proposed export bans cover production processes and related equipment manufacturing technologies for perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells based on wafers measuring at least 182 mm and achieving conversion efficiencies of 30% or higher. They also include slot-die coating processes for perovskites with coating widths of at least 1.1 meters.
Additional thresholds apply to large-area modules, including single-junction perovskite modules measuring at least 1 square meter with conversion efficiencies of 18% or higher, and perovskite tandem modules of the same minimum area with efficiencies of at least 28%. The proposed controls target manufacturing technologies meeting these specifications rather than exports of finished modules.
Other technologies proposed for prohibition include cold-hydrogenation fluidized-bed processes for trichlorosilane production with annual single-line capacities of at least 250,000 metric tons, and silane-based fluidized-bed processes with annual capacities of at least 20,000 metric tons. The draft also covers processes for manufacturing silicon wafers no thicker than 70 micrometers and certain edge-passivation technologies for thin crystalline-silicon cells, along with related equipment manufacturing know-how.
The proposed restricted-export category includes polysilicon plant engineering technologies for production lines with annual capacities of at least 30,000 metric tons, as well as advanced crystal-pulling and wafer-cutting processes.
It also covers specified high-performance manufacturing processes for tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon), back-contact (BC) and heterojunction (HJT) solar cells, including deposition, passivation, diffusion and metallization technologies. The HJT provisions include certain p-type technologies evaluated under air mass zero (AM0) illumination conditions relevant to space applications.
Under China’s technology import and export regulations, prohibited technologies cannot be exported, while restricted technologies can be transferred overseas only with government approval and the necessary licenses.
The proposed export bans and licensing requirements have not yet taken effect. However, a separate interim registration requirement took effect on Oct. 16, when the announcement was issued.
Companies must register planned exports of the listed technologies, including qualifying key equipment, through the Mofcom’s online system before transfer. The requirement covers intellectual property transfers, overseas technology licensing, changes in ownership or control involving foreign entities, and transactions that are underway but have not yet been completed.
The Mofcom said the proposals address national security concerns as photovoltaic technologies increasingly find applications in aerospace, defense and other sensitive sectors. The ministry said technologies that fall below the specified thresholds, as well as finished products manufactured using controlled technologies, are outside the proposed scope. It added that the measures do not target any particular country, region or company.
If adopted, the controls could reinforce China’s position in advanced PV manufacturing by limiting overseas access to some of its most sophisticated production technologies.
Although exports of finished solar cells and modules would not be directly affected, transfers of controlled manufacturing know-how through technology licensing, overseas production-line installation and commissioning, equipment exports and on-site technical support could be prohibited or subject to government approval.
In the near term, the measures could delay overseas PV manufacturing projects, increase compliance costs and limit the deployment of advanced Chinese production technologies abroad. Over the longer term, the restrictions could strengthen China’s influence over the international diffusion of next-generation PV manufacturing technologies, potentially slowing efforts by overseas manufacturers to close the technological gap.
However, tighter controls could also complicate Chinese manufacturers’ international expansion plans and heighten trade tensions or prompt retaliatory measures.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
Thursday, October 29, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, November 5, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand.
pv magazine hosts its four-day virtual event on European solar and energy storage, exploring market opportunities, solar-plus-storage business cases, technical quality, and cybersecurity in the years ahead.
pv magazine Session returns to NetZero Milan as Knowledge Partner, organizing and moderating a two-hour conference on the evolving global solar supply chain.
Get your ticket at a discounted rate with pv magazine.
Join pv magazine for an expert session exploring quality, technology and the challenges of scaling India’s solar industry.
Lunes, 19 de octubre de 2026
16:00 – 17:00 CEST, Berlín, París, Madrid
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Monday, October 26, 2026
10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid

You have no items in your basket.

source

Norfund, Impact Fund Denmark acquire 49% stake in Vena solar project in the Philippines  PV Tech
source

NTPC Partners with 247Solar For 1 MW Solar Thermal Hybrid Project At Rajasthan’s Bhadla Solar Park  SolarQuarter
source

New Zealand solar developer Sunergise has partnered with the Cook Islands Investment Corporation (CIIC) to establish a framework for installing rooftop solar systems on public buildings across the main island of Rarotonga.
Located approximately 5,000 kilometres northeast of Sydney in the South Pacific Ocean, Rarotonga has a population of approximately 11,000 people who are reliant on diesel generators as a primary power source, and like many Pacific islands is sensitive to global shipping delays, fuel price fluctuations and regional supply pressures.
Formalising a rooftop licence agreement is the first step for the solar systems to be progressively installed across existing public assets to generate renewable energy and aid in reducing the island’s dependence on imported fuels.
Beyond clean energy generation, the installations will support the Cook Islands’ sustainability and renewable energy objectives, which include transitioning all 12 inhabited islands from diesel-fuelled generators to clean solar and battery hybrid systems.
Sunergise will also collaborate on educational opportunities it already delivers elsewhere in the Pacific, to inspire the next generation in renewable energy and STEM.
As suitable sites are identified and assessed, the programme will progress in consultation with stakeholders, ensuring installations are practical, safe and aligned with operational requirements.

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
Thursday, November 5, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, October 29, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!

You have no items in your basket.

source

Two Massachusetts cranberry bogs that had stopped making financial sense to farm are growing berries again – with solar panels overhead helping pay the bills.
The Black Cat project in Plymouth and the Ring Road project in Kingston combine cranberry farming, community solar, and battery storage. Distributed Energy Infrastructure (DEI), which built the projects, says income from leasing the land for solar has made it viable to cultivate the long-idle bogs again.
It’s a particularly challenging form of agrivoltaics because cranberry bogs have soft, peaty soil and established vines that need to survive construction. You can’t just roll in with heavy equipment and start installing panels.
So the solar had to fit the farming. In a September article in North American Clean Energy, DEI cofounder and executive vice president Prateek Tare described panels raised 10 feet above the ground, leaving room for farm machinery underneath. Rows have more than 18 feet of clear space between them, and solar panel angles let sunlight reach the cranberry bogs.
Farmer Iain Ward helped work out those details, along with how construction could proceed without damaging the bogs. Even the protective mats needed changing: Black ones absorbed too much heat, so crews used white ones instead.
That care added time. Tare said construction took around eight months – roughly twice as long as a comparable conventional solar project.
“The DEI team was phenomenal at understanding and adapting solar construction so that energy production could coexist without damage to the perennial cropping system,” Ward said.
Greenbacker Renewables owns both sites. Black Cat pairs 1 megawatt (MW) of solar with 2.7 megawatt-hours (MWh) of battery storage, while Ring Road has 4.4 MW of solar and a 13.5 MWh battery.
The money reaches both sides of the farming arrangement, too. The landowner receives solar land lease income, and Ward is paid to manage the bogs, in addition to his earnings from selling the berries.
DEI’s October announcement celebrates what it calls the first-ever agrivoltaic cranberry harvests, which Tare’s earlier account dates to fall 2025.
Agrivoltaics is really catching on. I hope it gets more farmers to install a lot of solar and then….they start building and selling more electric farm equipment to replace diesel powered equipment! That would be real useful right now!
The announcement doesn’t say how many cranberries were picked or how yields compare with growing them without panels. Those numbers might help other farmers decide whether solar could help keep their own bogs in business.
Read more: Tesla’s next big clean energy source is rising in the Arizona desert
If you’ve ever considered going solar, make it easy by finding a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing by checking out EnergySage. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online, and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.
Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor on Electrek and an editor on DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont. She has previously worked for Fast Company, the Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and others. Message Michelle on Twitter or at michelle@9to5mac.com. Check out her personal blog.
Light, durable, quick: I’ll never go back.
Because I don’t want to wait for the best of British TV.

source

© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.
For American buyers, near-term costs may hinge more on trade actions.
Photo Credit: iStock
Solar factory buildouts are heading well beyond what the market is expected to absorb.
The gap is especially large in 2026, when global installations are projected at 638 GW and module manufacturing capacity at 1,908 GW, PV Magazine reported.
For American customers, though, that imbalance doesn’t automatically mean lower prices — tariffs, trade disputes, and supply chain rules add costs and uncertainty.
One key takeaway from Intertek CEA’s PV Supply Technology and Policy Report is that overcapacity stretches across nearly the entire solar supply chain.
In 2026, polysilicon capacity alone is forecast to reach roughly 2,034 GW, leaving overall supply more than 1.2 terawatts above expected global installation demand.
That doesn’t make the U.S. market any simpler.
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
Starting at $50
Starting at $99
Starting at $60
Starting at $80
The report’s outlook keeps annual U.S. solar installations essentially flat through 2030 while domestic buyers contend with policy and regulatory uncertainty.
Globally, much of the 2026 slowdown traces back to China. 
After grid subsidies ended and with no immediate replacement-demand catalyst, China’s monthly installation figures fell sharply versus 2025: 56% in March, 79% in April, and 91% in May.
India, meanwhile, is moving in the opposite direction. 
Developers there rushed projects into service before the June 1, 2026, start of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers List II domestic cell mandate.
For American buyers, near-term costs may hinge more on trade actions than on how much equipment factories can turn out.
Preliminary Solar 4 findings put total duty rates above 100% for cells and modules imported from India, Indonesia, and Laos, with preliminary countervailing duties taking effect on July 12.
New anti-circumvention cases focused on exports from Ethiopia and South Korea could retroactively expose active supply chains to duties, and U.S. procurement teams also face possible forced labor Section 301 tariffs of 10.0% to 12.5% across 59 countries.
China added another layer of complexity on April 7 when the State Council released its first broad supply chain security regulation, signed by Premier Li Qiang.
The rule allows officials to respond to foreign trade barriers by restricting exports of everything from inputs and production tools to end products.
Solar remains one of the clearest ways to lower home energy bills and reduce pollution from fossil fuel-powered electricity.
But even in a world flooded with panels, trade friction can keep systems expensive or delay projects that depend on imported parts.
To distinguish themselves, manufacturers are leaning on technology.
With TOPCon still dominant, manufacturers are moving away from half-cut and triple-cut layouts toward quad-cut cells for G12, or 8.3-inch (210 millimeters), wafers.
The report says dividing a cell into four sections reduces internal electrical loss to one-sixteenth of a full cell, though it can increase micro-crack risk and requires more welding points, raising manufacturing costs.
High-power perovskite tandem modules appeared at trade events, though the timing of commercial mass production remains uncertain. At the 2026 Shanghai SNEC Expo, battery storage displays surpassed PV exhibits for the first time in the event’s history.
For households, careful shopping may matter more than ever while U.S. installations stay flat through 2030. If you’re considering solar, EnergySage curates competitive bids from local installers without them getting your contact information unless you decide to move forward.
If trade disputes intensify, China could invoke its April 7 supply chain security rule to curb exports of PV equipment or raw materials to India, potentially disrupting the non-China supply chains many American importers rely on.
For a clearer picture of that disconnect, these stories are a good place to start. They look at China’s manufacturing surge, new American factory deals, and policy pressures shaping panel supply and pricing.
• Heliene and Suniva locked in a multimillion-dollar domestic supply deal to expand American-made panels.
• First Solar’s Ohio manufacturing footprint is bringing prosperity to communities while scaling U.S. capacity.
• American solar manufacturers say policy disruptions are turning planning into a fear-inducing exercise.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

source

Cookie Information
We use cookies and external services to improve our online services. You can choose to accept all or customise your settings.
Customise Cookie Settings
These are essential for the website to function properly.
These help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting anonymous information.
Accepting these allows us to embed content from services like YouTube.
Energy, climate change and the environment
Solar photovoltaics (PVs) are a key technology for Europe’s clean energy transition, offering deployable renewable energy at low costs, as well as independence from foreign fossil fuels. However, the sector still faces critical challenges when it comes to sustainability, resilience and strategic autonomy.
In line with the 2022 EU Solar Energy Strategy, which aims to install almost 600 GW of solar PV capacity by 2030, installed solar capacity has grown exponentially in recent years. Inevitably, this growth will be mirrored in solar sector waste, with megatonnes of end-of-life solar panel waste already expected by 2030. The issue is that Europe is almost entirely dependent on third countries for solar PVs – from raw materials to modules. This puts control over key characteristics affecting end-of-life management such as hazardous material content, recyclability and repairability out of the hands of European industry.
In this challenging landscape, circularity presents an opportunity for sustainably managing growing volumes of solar PV waste. By facilitating recovery from critical raw material-containing solar PV waste and driving European industrial capacity, it also presents a unique opportunity for securing European resilience and greater strategic autonomy in a sector which is crucial to the clean transition. While the imperative is clear, questions remain as to how to develop a competitive solar PV industrial ecosystem that supports circularity in the EU while also aligning with renewable energy deployment objectives.
This event draws on lessons learned from the implementation of the EU-funded SOPHIA project to discuss the challenges and the necessary conditions for scaling up circularity in the EU solar sector. The event will map the regulatory landscape; address needs for digital product passports (DPPs) and improved traceability; and explore EU waste, product and industrial policy levers. The event will bring together stakeholders from across policy, industry and multiple EU projects to exchange views on how policies can close the loop on the solar PV industry to support the EU’s decarbonisation, resilience and strategic autonomy ambitions.
This event is organised by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and Recycling Europe.
Followed by a networking cocktail

 
DG RTD
La Hormiga Verde
Founder & CEO, WIBLO
Biosphere Solar
Associate Researcher, CEPS
Trinasolar
Materials R&D Engineer, Biosphere Solar (Panel
House Manager and Events Coordinator
Register for the next CEPS events.
This in-person event is free and open to the public but registration is mandatory.
Russia, Ukraine and European security,EU budget and public investment,Economic and monetary affairs,Foreign and security policy
Participation in this event is exclusive to CEPS members. If you are part of a member organisation and wish to participate, please contact [email protected]
This event is accessible by invitation only. If you are interested in joining please contact [email protected]
AI, digitalisation and innovation
This in-person event is free and open to the public but registration is mandatory.
Finance
Registration is free of charge for ECMI/ECRI/CEPS members, EU/national institutions, academia, and press. Other participants may be admitted for a fee of EUR 300.
This event is accessible by invitation only. If you are interested in joining please fill out the form found when clicking on the registration button.
AI, digitalisation and innovation
This in-person event is free and open to the public but registration is mandatory.
Follow and Subscribe
© 2026 CEPS
All Rights Reserved
Crafted by
© 2026 UNITED THEMES™
Centre for European Policy Studies
Place du Congrès 1, 1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 (0) 2 229 39 11
Fax: +32 (0) 2 894 49 39
Crafted by ©2026 UNITED THEMES™
Next Back Submit Close

source

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has issued a final affirmative injury determination in its Solar IV investigation targeting crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules, imported from India, Indonesia, and Laos. 
The decision clears the final legal hurdle for federal trade protection, finding that dumped and subsidized imports from the three Asian nations cause material injury to domestic solar manufacturers. As a direct result of the ruling, the U.S. Department of Commerce will issue official antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders, establishing high tariff barriers and permanent cash deposit requirements across all three import corridors. 
The upcoming duty orders will impose combined tariff rates as high as 249% for India, 268% for Indonesia, and 219% for Laos. These case-specific remedies, governed by the Tariff Act of 1930, will stack directly on top of existing executive tariffs and Section 232 minimum import price floors rather than replacing them. 
Finalized duty rates 
The USITC vote locks in the final margins established by Commerce last month. For Indian suppliers, Commerce set final dumping margins at 123.04% for all producers alongside a countervailing subsidy rate of 126.09%. Indonesian exporters face final dumping margins set at 94.36% for all producers, with countervailing duty rates ranging between 73.2% and 173.7% depending on the specific supplier. For imports originating in Laos, Commerce established final dumping margins at 65.43% for all exporters, accompanied by countervailing subsidy rates ranging between 82.03% and 153.67%. 
The trade cases were originally brought by the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade, a coalition represented by lead petitioners First Solar, Hanwha Qcells USA, and Mission Solar Energy. The litigation follows earlier Solar III duty orders targeting Southeast Asian manufacturing hubs in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. 
Next steps 
Following the USITC’s final injury determination, Commerce is scheduled to issue its official AD and CVD orders in early November 2026. Upon publication, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be instructed to require final duty cash deposits on all incoming entries of cells and modules from India, Indonesia, and Laos. 
The Commission’s full public report, Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, from India, Indonesia, and Laos (Inv. Nos. 701-TA-772-774 and 731-TA-1756-1758, USITC Publication 5804) detailing its factual findings and legal analysis, will be published on the USITC website by November 23, 2026.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
Thursday, November 5, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, October 29, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand.
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Monday, October 26, 2026
10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid

You have no items in your basket.

source

China proposed export controls on 40 technologies in artificial intelligence, biomedicine and solar manufacturing on Friday, including outright bans on 14.
The Commerce Ministry and Ministry of Science and Technology published the draft changes for public comment on Oct. 16. The remaining 26 technologies would require export licenses.
The proposal would tighten oversight of technology transfers underpinning Chinese companies’ overseas expansion, while preserving exemptions and streamlined approvals for much international AI collaboration.
Unlock exclusive discounts with a Caixin group subscription — ideal for teams and organizations.
Subscribe to both Caixin Global and Bloomberg – for the price of one.
China Steps Up Enforcement of Critical Mineral Export Controls
China Bans Exports of Dual-Use Items to 10 U.S. Entities
We ‘ve added you to our subscriber list.
Participation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 5th Eastern Economic Forum Discussed in Moscow
Get exposure for your startup at RISE 2020
CreditEase’s Tang Ning: China’s Wealth Management Market is Undergoing Five Major Shifts
Meet 5 of the best startups selected to represent China at the largest technology event in Asia
Products & Services
About Us
Terms of Use
Media Partners
Copyright © 2021 Caixin Global Limited. All Rights Reserved.
OR

source

US policy, workforce challenges and space-based solar lead PV CellTech USA discussions  PV Tech
source

Pick the engineering stories that matter and get them in your inbox.
Access expert insights, exclusive content, and a deeper dive into engineering and innovation all with fewer ads or a completely ad-free experience.
All Rights Reserved, IE Media, Inc.
Follow Us On
Access expert insights, exclusive content, and a deeper dive into engineering and innovation all with fewer ads or a completely ad-free experience.
All Rights Reserved, IE Media, Inc.
The process could make large-scale production both eco-friendly and cost-effective.
A new, greener, lower-toxicity method could help manufacture flexible perovskite solar panels at an industrial scale using a roll-to-roll printing.
The University of Surrey has proposed this safer method for producing high-efficiency perovskite solar modules. It uses a low-toxicity, bio-derived solvent formulation that operates at room temperature and reduces the use of hazardous industrial chemicals. 
The process uses continuous printing techniques similar to newspaper printing, which could make large-scale production both eco-friendly and cost-effective. 
“The potential impact of our innovation extends beyond simply replacing a hazardous solvent. A process based on easy-to-use, non-toxic solvents and simpler coating steps reduces the need for solvent handling, waste treatment and the safety infrastructure that goes with them,” said Professor Ravi Silva, Distinguished Professor, Director – Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) and Head of NanoElectronics Center. 
Lightweight, flexible perovskite solar cells have long promised to replace silicon panels. But hazardous production processes have hindered their commercial potential. Typically, creating printable perovskite inks requires large quantities of toxic solvents, including dimethylformamide and acetonitrile.
These chemicals endanger factory workers and create severe environmental burdens. Surprisingly, just a single gigawatt-scale manufacturing line can consume over 90,000 liters of toxic solvent.
Now, that chemical barrier is crumbling. The researchers discarded the hazardous legacy chemicals. And formulated a “Significantly Reduced-Toxicity” (SRT) ink system built on bio-derived ingredients. 
The team created a quick-drying formulation using a combination of ethanol and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, a eco-friendly solvent derived from agricultural and forestry waste. This bio-derived mixture eliminates the need for anti-solvent processing steps. Skipping those harsh steps saves energy and conserves raw materials during manufacturing.
Going green did not mean sacrificing performance.
Using a roll-to-roll compatible bar-coating method, the team printed solar mini-modules with an active area of 11.5 square centimeters. 
Coated at room temperature and dried with a quick gas jet, these flexible panels reached power conversion efficiencies over 18.2 percent while maintaining rock-solid stability under continuous illumination.
The mini-modules feature an inverted architecture with bar-coated, self-assembled monolayers as hole-transport layers. This structure cuts the need for additional interlayers. 
According to the study, the team used a laser-based P1-to-P4 scribing process to monolithically link individual solar cells for industrial module patterning. The scientific paper further added that the development tested the eco-friendly solvent using a gas-blown bar-coating method. But the team also made sure it works with standard slot-die coating machines used in factories.
As a result, the process could be integrated into high-throughput factory floors in the future. It would ensure that the eco-friendly manufacturing technique is ready for large-scale industrial deployment.
“We want to help make clean energy available across the world, and if we can support decarbonization at scale in the same step, that is a double win for society,” Silva added. 
Integrating green chemistry into high-speed printing techniques makes the large-scale production of flexible solar cells a practical near-term reality. Flexible perovskites could soon power everything from portable consumer electronics and building-integrated windows to ultra-lightweight solar arrays launched into space. 
The study findings were published in the journal Nano Energy.

Mrigakshi is a science journalist who enjoys writing about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations. Her work has been featured in well-known publications including Nature India, Supercluster, The Weather Channel and Astronomy magazine. If you have pitches in mind, please do not hesitate to email her.
Premium
Follow

source

Decentralised Energy Solutions Transforming Chad’s Electricity Access  SolarQuarter
source

We use cookies to improve your experience and for marketing. Read our cookie policy Manage cookies
Search across reports, market insights, and blog stories.
Qcells has unveiled plans to introduce updated models of its home solar modules equipped with aluminum frames that undergo extrusion, anodizing and fabrication processes in Tennessee.
The company will make domestic-frame choices available for its Q.TRON AC and Q.PEAK DUO AC panels across the United States. These frames are intended to assist in satisfying minimum domestic content thresholds for specific third-party owned solar installations.
Il Hyeong No, who heads Qcells North Americas Residential Business, stated that the firm remains dedicated to backing American-produced clean energy goods and the domestic supply chain supporting them. He noted that through this collaboration to manufacture modules using domestically made frames, the company is advancing its dedication to U.S. manufacturing, promoting clean and reasonably priced energy, and providing customers with the assurance required to secure the domestic content bonus for their projects.
The frames come from a partnership with ALUKO Group, which handles extrusion, anodizing and fabrication at its production site in Halls, Tennessee. That facility is anticipated to reach full production by the close of 2026, with an intended yearly capacity sufficient to supply frames for 4 GW of solar panels. ALUKO intends to generate 285 new full-time positions and put over $107 million into Tennessee over a five-year period.
Jinwoo Park, President of ALUKO Group, expressed pride in assisting Qcells with strengthening the U.S. solar manufacturing supply chain. He explained that by conducting extrusion, anodizing and fabrication within the United States, the company provides a product delivering clarity and assurance throughout every stage of the process, and that this partnership demonstrates what can be achieved when manufacturers commit across the entire domestic supply chain.
This news item originated from Qcells and was reported by Kelly Pickerel on October 16, 2026.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
Report Scope and Analytical Framing
Concise View of Market Direction
Market Size, Growth and Scenario Framing
Commercial and Technical Scope
How the Market Splits Into Decision-Relevant Buckets
Where Demand Comes From and How It Behaves
Supply Footprint and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
How the Domestic Market Works
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
How the Report Was Built
Major US solar manufacturer
Residential & commercial solar
Former Cree LED business
Spin-off from SunPower
Specialty & high-power LEDs
LED technology & solutions
Advanced photonics
Residential solar panels
CIGS solar technology
US & Canadian manufacturing
North American manufacturing
US-made solar panels
US operations of Korean parent
3D architecture LEDs
High-quality lighting
High-brightness microdisplays
Disinfection & purification
US crystalline silicon solar
Next-generation tandem cells
Tandem cell technology
Manufacturing equipment
Turnkey production lines
Distributor & assembler
Residential & commercial
Former Philips business
Specialty & horticultural
Military & commercial
Aluminum nitride substrates
Materials for UV LEDs
US division of Kyocera
Tell us where to send the sample and whether you want this report customized.
Thank you. Our team will review your request and reply to your business email.
Our team will review your request and route it to support@indexbox.io.
IndexBox, Inc.
2093 Philadelphia Pike #1441
Claymont, DE 19703, USA
Contact us
© 2026 IndexBox, Inc
Instant access. No credit card needed.
Online access to 2M+ reports, dashboards, and tables. Trusted by Fortune 500 teams.
Free Data: Solar Cells and Light-Emitting Diodes — United States
Instant access. No credit card needed.

source

Global solar PV installations are forecast to decline for the first time in 2026 to 584 GW, forecasts BloombergNEF 
China is expected to play a major role in the market slowdown this year, before the pace accelerates next year onward 
It expects battery storage growth over the next five years, but sees challenges in integrating variable renewable generation 
Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BloombergNEF) forecasts global solar PV installations to reach 584 GW DC in 2026, marking the first annual decline in PV deployment. Installations are expected to recover to 618 GW DC in 2027.  
The 2026 forecast represents a 10.8% year-on-year (YoY) decline from the 655 GW DC BloombergNEF estimated for 2025 (see Solar To Become World’s Largest Power Source By 2032). 
At a China Photovoltaic Industry Association seminar in the first quarter of 2025, analyst Youru Tan presented a forecast of 753 GW DC for 2026. Later, in December 2025, BloombergNEF lowered the projection to 649 GW DC of solar installations (see BloombergNEF Raises 2025 Solar Installation Forecast To Around 700 GW DC).  
China, the world’s largest solar market, is expected to drive the decline in global installations. BloombergNEF previously projected 310 GW DC of additions in China in 2026. This compares with a record 315 GW AC of solar capacity installed in 2025, according to the country’s National Energy Administration. The figures are measured on different bases (see China Sets New Annual Solar PV Installation Record In 2025). 
SolarPower Europe’s Global Solar Market Outlook 2026–2030 estimated that global solar PV installations reached a record 664 GW in 2025. Under its Medium Scenario, installations are forecast to decline by 8% to 612 GW in 2026, primarily due to an expected 24% drop in China following changes to the country’s solar market policies (see Global Solar PV Installs Hit 664 GW In 2025; 8% Drop Ahead). 
In a Substack thread, BloombergNEF clean power analyst Jenny Chase described 2026 as ‘the end of the beginning of the age of cheap solar’, noting that it is likely to be the first year of declining PV deployment. She said module prices in normal markets remain at around $0.11–$0.12/W, only slightly above the record low of $0.09/W in 2025, before China canceled its export tax rebate (see China To Remove Solar Export Tax Rebates From April 1, 2026). 
Chase attributed the slowdown partly to solar saturation in major markets, where abundant generation during sunny hours depresses electricity prices. Adding more solar capacity can exacerbate this effect because generation peaks at the same time. In markets with more room to grow, grid access and permitting remain key constraints, according to Chase. 
She expects battery storage deployment to accelerate over the next five years, which should help integrate solar generation and shift electricity supply to periods of higher demand. However, storage alone cannot address all the challenges posed by variable renewable generation, making complementary sources such as wind and longer-duration storage important.
TaiyangNews 2024

source

Boosting Zambia’s Renewable Energy with Sineng’s Inverters  SolarQuarter
source