Cargill is rarely the first name that comes to mind when people talk about wind turbines or solar panels. The company is better known for beef, sweeteners and animal feed, products made in large and power-hungry plants. Those plants are now the focus of a push to clean up the electricity that runs them. Cargill has announced two renewable power agreements in the central United States, covering a wind farm in South Dakota and a solar project in Oklahoma.
Both projects sit within the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a regional grid serving much of the central US. That matters because Cargill runs several large facilities in the region. The wind deal covers 87 megawatts (MW) from the Sweetland Wind project in South Dakota. The agreement runs for 12.6 years and is expected to generate about 392,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity a year. Cargill puts the annual saving at roughly 162,000 metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), a measure that converts different greenhouse gases into a single comparable figure. The solar half of the pairing is the 85 MW Choctaw Fields Solar project in Oklahoma, for which Cargill previously signed a long-term deal covering its full output. The project began commercial operations in August 2026. Cargill projects it will avoid about 1.3 million MT of CO2e over the life of the agreement, or around 86,000 MT a year. Taken together, the company expects the two projects to support about 3.3 million MT of emissions reductions across their contract terms. Both deals are virtual power purchase agreements, often called VPPAs. Under this structure the electricity is delivered to the regional grid rather than to Cargill’s own sites. The company instead receives the environmental attributes of that renewable generation. Such contracts are typically financial arrangements that settle against wholesale power prices, which gives developers the revenue certainty they need to secure project funding. The release does not disclose price terms or explain how the emissions savings were calculated. It is a distinction worth keeping in mind when reading the headline figures. Cargill’s explanation is as commercial as it is environmental. Its operations sit inside its customers’ supply chains, so the electricity used at a beef plant ends up in the carbon footprint of the products those customers buy. Christina Yagjian, Senior Director of Global Renewable Energy at Cargill, said the pressure is coming from that direction. “Our customers are looking for ways to reduce emissions from the products they source from us, and we’re partnering closely with them to support their goals,” she said.
“By expanding renewable electricity in the regions where we operate, we can connect our energy sourcing more directly to the products and ingredients we supply to our customers.” The projects feed into a target to cut absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25% by 2035 from a 2020 baseline. Scope 1 covers emissions released directly from a company’s own operations, while Scope 2 covers those from the electricity it buys. “Absolute” means total tonnage rather than emissions per unit of output, so growth in production cannot hide behind efficiency gains. Cargill says its renewable electricity portfolio now includes six VPPAs in North America and more than 100 projects across 30 countries. What the release does not say is how far the company has travelled towards its 25% goal. Nor does it state what share of Cargill’s electricity demand the two projects cover. Those gaps matter because power contracts alone cannot deliver the full reduction. Cargill also points to energy efficiency and onsite energy generation among its other approaches. For now, the announcement shows a food giant treating power procurement as a supply-chain issue. Whether the 2035 target is within reach will depend on disclosures yet to come. Energy Magazine connects the leading oil & gas, energy, utlitilies and renewable energy executives of the world's largest energy and energy tech enterprises. Our platform serves as a digital hub for connecting energy industry leaders, covering a wide range of services including media and advertising, events, research reports, webinars, podcasts, demand generation, information, and data services. With our comprehensive approach, we strive to provide timely and valuable insights into best practices, fostering innovation and collaboration within the energy community. Join us today to shape the future for generations to come.
0 Powered by : GreenCo, an African renewable energy trading company, has signed a 200 MWac power purchase agreement (PPA) with AXIAN Group for the Kudu solar photovoltaic project. The agreement, announced during the Energy Forum for Africa (EFFA) 2026 in Lusaka, represents GreenCo’s largest PPA to date. At the event, the company also presented Zambia’s Grid Resilience Programme, coordinated by GreenCo Power Services. Discussions covered regional electricity trading, open-access transmission and partnerships with mining companies. GreenCo also engaged with delegates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Its Founder and Group CEO, Ana Hajduka, received the Innovative Energy Finance Impact Award for pioneering Zambia’s debt-for-energy swap initiative. SOLARbytes brings you the latest news in solar world in bite size; essentially a gist of important solar news in few sentences. Subscribe to our Newsletter!
Bill Vitale discusses how solar energy enhances our communities and our planet, with Tony Veloz, Community Development Program Manager with the City of Reading. Tony, who recently installed an array of solar panels on his rood, describes the installation process and requirements of the property. Originally aired on BCTV: 10/6/26 For a full listing of BCTV’s live broadcast schedule, visit https://www.bctv.org/tv-schedule/. This program was produced at the BCTV studio in beautiful downtown Reading, PA. If you’re a member of the Berks County community and are interested in producing or submitting a program for air on BCTV, visit https://www.bctv.org/about-us/propose-a-program/. #BerksCounty #Pennsylvania #CommunityMedia
Patrick Hinton with NessCampbell Crane, left, guides a box of 31 solar panels gently down onto the roof of the Aviation Pavilion as Ian Scott with A&R Solar stands ready to help at the Museum of Flight on Wednesday. When completed, there will be 1,863 individual panels installed on the roof of the Pavilion, providing 1.08 megawatts of power that will power the museum’s West Campus. (Jennifer Buchanan / The Seattle Times) Patrick Hinton with NessCampbell Crane, left, guides a box of 31 solar panels gently down onto the roof of the Aviation Pavilion as Ian Scott with A&R Solar stands ready to help at the Museum of Flight on Wednesday. When completed, there will be 1,863 individual panels installed on the roof of the Pavilion, providing 1.08 megawatts of power that will power the museum’s West Campus. (Jennifer Buchanan / The Seattle Times) Seattle may not be known for sunny days, but the Museum of Flight is looking to soak up every sweet ray this city gets as the West Campus, which includes the Space Gallery and the Aviation Pavilion, soars toward going 100% solar. A towering crane hoisted 1,863 solar panels onto the roof of the museum’s Aviation Pavilion this week — a surface the size of more than two football fields. Each panel weighs about 60 pounds, said Jen Olson, marketing director at A&R Solar, which is installing the panels. It will take about two months for the new panels to be installed and hooked to the building’s power grid. Sunlight is sparse and short-lived around here in winter, but Olson said the solar panels will provide all of the West Campus’ energy, 1.08 megawatts, year-round through a process called metering. In the summer, when the sun rises early and hangs out until 10 p.m., the solar panels will produce so much energy that the museum won’t be able to use it all. “The system is overproducing what the buildings need at that point,” Olson said. That means the excess energy gets dispersed through the grid to power neighboring buildings. In return, the museum gets credits on its energy bill, which it can rely on when the days get shorter and the gloom sets in. The panels are manufactured in Washington by Silfab, a company that designs them specifically for the North American environment. The project will cost just over $4 million, but $1.2 million of that is funded by the Washington State Department of Commerce through the Climate Commitment Act, according to the museum. In addition to sustainable energy, the law supports pollution reduction, jobs and public health. Your comment has been submitted.
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Solar power is one of the most promising and fastest-growing sources of clean, renewable energy on the planet — and it has had an interesting evolution. It has been available since the 1950s, and President Carter even installed solar water-heating panels in the White House as early as 1979. But utility-scale solar farms barely existed by the turn of the century. In fact, the first large-scale farm capable of supplying power to the grid didn’t go online until 2007. Since then, their numbers have grown so fast that by 2020 they were producing over half of all solar electricity in the United States. In May 2026, solar generated more electricity in the U.S. than coal for the first time ever. But as with any kind of large-scale development that moves at such a pace, it’s worth pausing to take a look at what we might be missing. Large solar farms come with a real set of consequences that might not always be the topic of dinner-table conversations. It’s important to note that we’re talking about the large, ground-mounted kind that covers hundreds of acres of land and not the panels on someone’s roof or other solar-powered gadgets that can come in handy for homeowners. They are two very different things, and the downsides of one are not necessarily the downsides of the other. We’re not aiming to make a case against solar power here, either. It is, after all, one of the best tools we have for generating clean energy at scale. What we are aiming for is to simply lay out what peer-reviewed research and official bodies actually say about the issues that come with these farms. Nothing is perfect, and solar farms are no exception. But understanding where the problems lie is the first step toward doing solar better. According to a 2024 report by the Economic Research Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, most of the land now occupied by large solar farms in rural America was previously used for farming. This has happened even in areas where there was little cropland to begin with. And that’s because solar farms need what farmland offers: flat land with plenty of sun. In other words, solar farms and regular farms compete for the same ground. A 2022 study by researchers Mark and Greta Bolinger, published in the IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, notes that the rapid buildout has raised concerns about land use. It also suggests many more utility-scale solar farms are on their way, given that they are considered central to cutting U.S. carbon emissions. However, the land taken up by these large solar farms (and wind farms) is still only a small slice when measured against the total amount of farmland in the U.S. In fact, it’s only around 0.05% out of roughly 897 million acres of farmland as of 2020, according to the USDA report. Furthermore, the Bolinger study found that between 2011 and 2019, solar farms became much more space-efficient, with somewhere between 43% and 52% more solar-panel capacity packed into each acre. This means that older figures that many still rely on make solar farms out to be far more land-hungry than they really are. It’s a fact of life that solar farms work best in dry, sunny places. It’s also a fact of life that these are the places with the least amount of water. While regular photovoltaic (PV) solar farms use very little water, concentrated solar power (CSP) plants can consume large amounts of it. Despite this, CSP plants are increasingly used because they can store heat and continue to generate energy long after the sun has gone down. But the process needs water to clean the mirrors used to concentrate the sunlight, while large amounts are also needed for cooling and steam cycling. Some CSP plants even use as much water as coal-fired power stations, a concern flagged in a 2025 review by a researcher at Al-Baha University in Saudi Arabia. Northwest China is a region that shows how serious the problem can become. The Chinese government is pushing huge solar projects into the country’s desert areas, where there is an abundance of sunshine and vast open land. But there is little water in these arid regions. A 2023 study in the scientific journal Resources, Conservation and Recycling found that solar power places around 23 times more pressure on water resources in the country’s dry provinces than it does in the wetter ones. It also found that most of the northwest area will not have enough water for future solar expansion unless it gets more supply. Droughts are expected to become more frequent and more severe. The study concludes that solar farms need to be planned around the water that is actually available, especially when using technologies like CSP. A preliminary research paper from 2025 investigated one of Poland’s oldest photovoltaic solar farms and found elevated levels of indium and antimony in the surrounding soil. Indium can stunt plant growth and interfere with plants’ ability to absorb essential nutrients, while antimony is toxic and can build up in plant tissue. Writing in the scientific journal Environmental Geochemistry and Health, researchers suggest the presence of these chemicals may be down to long-term use of the panels. They imply that as solar panels age, tiny cracks eventually leak micro amounts of metals from inside, which are then carried down by rainwater into the soil below. The study also noted, however, that the area researched is Upper Silesia, one of Poland’s most heavily mined and industrially developed regions. The far bigger contamination risk actually came from the region’s long history of mining and smelting, with cadmium, chromium, lead, and zinc all showing up in much higher levels. Tests also showed that, despite the elevated levels, concentrations of indium and antimony were only moderate. This suggests that the chemicals had either built up in the soil over time, given the plant’s age, or were already there long before the plant was built. Because of this, the researchers say their work should be considered preliminary, and they call for similar studies to be carried out in areas without the same industrial background before any firm conclusions are drawn. Solar PV panels are built to last. In fact, they have a lifespan of up to 30 years. Once they get to that ripe old age, their power output drops by roughly a fifth. That decline means farms need to replace them — but those old panels need to be disposed of carefully. While they are generally considered safe during their expected working life, panels that are being retired and disposed of can leach toxic metals like lead and cadmium. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says this varies from panel to panel. But a 2024 review published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal found that most published studies of old panels it examined concluded that crystalline silicon solar panels past their lifespan could qualify as hazardous waste. That means the scale of what is yet to come could be significant. By 2030, it’s thought there will be up to 8 million tons of discarded PV panels worldwide. By 2050, that number is expected to reach 60 to 78 million. Recycling them is an option. But because solar panels are not yet classified as federal universal waste in the U.S., disposal is currently a problem. Rules differ from state to state, and it’s clear something needs to be done sooner rather than later. Thankfully, after being petitioned, the EPA is currently working on consistent national rules for how to dispose of solar panels. Solar farms can pose a serious threat to animals, especially airborne wildlife like birds and bats. This danger is most present at CSP plants, where thousands of mirrors focus sunlight onto a single point. Temperatures in those beams can reach almost 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit, and anything flying too close runs the risk of incineration. Even birds that escape with only singed wings can face a slow death because they can no longer fly, cannot feed, and become an easy target for predators. A 2025 review by P.A. Fleming, published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, estimates around 17 million bird deaths caused by solar facilities around the world every year. CSP plants account for 5.6 times more bird deaths per megawatt and considerably more bat fatalities than PV farms. Among the CSP facilities where such incidents have commonly occurred is the Ivanpah plant in the Mojave Desert, where hundreds of birds are found dead or injured every year. However, panel and infrastructure collisions are also common at PV farms, especially when the panels reflect polarized light. To birds passing overhead, this can look like sunlight reflecting off water, so they may dive toward it at speed. That said, the review also states that fatality numbers among birds recorded at solar facilities are still much lower than those counted on highways and roads, regular buildings, and fossil power plants. The same review, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, shows that the threat posed to wildlife also includes trapping and displacement. The sheer size of these solar farms means they can break up natural habitats and create barriers on routes animals use for daily movement and migration. A farm’s perimeter fencing can also trap large birds that find their way inside and don’t have enough space to take off again. Waterbirds, such as ducks and cormorants, also need to build up speed to get airborne, so they are particularly vulnerable and often get stranded. Ground-dwelling birds face their own particular risks. At the Ivanpah CSP facility in the Mojave Desert, the Greater roadrunner shows up on mortality records at rates you wouldn’t expect from a bird that rarely flies. Then there are birds in flight that are drawn to light-reflecting panels. Even if they avoid a collision, the extra distance the detour adds to their migratory route can drain their energy reserves. But it’s not only overhead wildlife that is affected. During construction of a solar facility in Pahrump, Nevada, tortoises had to be removed from the site and relocated. It has also been noted that rattlesnakes and mammals like the kit fox and the black-tailed jackrabbit use fence openings at the same facility. It’s not all bad news for wildlife, though. Fleming’s review also notes that some species benefit from solar farms, with their panels and structures offering places to perch, roost, nest, and even forage. Indeed, this floating solar farm is doing a lot more than just generating electricity: It’s providing sheltered spaces and dedicated habitats for aquatic wildlife. Building a solar farm is a more disruptive process than you might think. One big problem is sediment flux — or dust, to you and me. The dust generated by solar farm construction can affect air quality and can be harmful to health — and not just to us, but to wildlife and farmland, too. It can even affect the solar farms themselves by settling on panels and reducing how much energy they produce, while it can also gradually degrade equipment. As it turns out, the amount of dust kicked up can be controlled by how you build the farm. A study published in May 2026 tracked how much dust was thrown up at two PV solar farm construction sites in the Mojave Desert. One farm was built the conventional way, stripping out plants and leveling the ground, otherwise known as “blade and grade,” while the other used a method called “overland travel,” where machinery moves across the site with minimal disturbance to soil and vegetation. Tracking lasted for almost two years, and results were recorded from the moment construction began to the point where the farms started generating power. What the researchers found was rather alarming. The conventional site was shown to generate about 100 times more dust than a patch of undisturbed land nearby. And while the overland-travel farm still produced more dust than the untouched land, it was significantly less than the conventional farm’s, at between just five and 10 times more. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2025 analyzed the sales of almost 9 million properties in the United States alongside data from several thousand large-scale solar facilities. The purpose was to find out what impact a nearby solar farm had on property values. The answer for anyone with a home built near one was not good. In fact, it showed that homes within three miles of a solar farm sold for 4.8% less on average than homes farther away. The closer to the site the property was, the less it went for. The hit dropped to no measurable effect beyond three miles. Interestingly, it made no difference if you could see the farm from the property. The study put this down to what is known as the “stigma effect.” This is when a price drop comes not from a physical problem but from how people perceive something. On the flip side, both agricultural and vacant land within two miles of a solar farm went up in value by 19.4%, which the study suggests is driven by demand from potential solar leases. The study also showed that when solar farms were built on land that was previously either contaminated or industrial, the effect on nearby home values was actually positive. Solar panels and their electronics generate electromagnetic fields, or EMFs. They can produce radio interference, which can be strong enough to cause aviation communication problems. In a 2024 review, researchers from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden found that putting panels next to an air traffic control system can reduce its communication range. In fact, in one simulation, the Swedish Defence Research Agency found the system could only reach half its usual range. Solar panels near airports can also bounce back radar signals, which could result in confusion for air traffic controllers and pilots who need precise locations of aircraft. Because of these risks, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends that airports thoroughly check for interference with radar and navigation equipment before installing any panels. Large installations have caused problems in the past, including a 17-megawatt solar plant in the U.S. that triggered interference with a nearby telephone system. Solar installations have also been found to interfere with amateur radio operators and digital radio, with interference detected across a frequency range from around 10 kHz to several MHz. However, the majority of incidents on record involve small rooftop systems, rather than large-scale solar farms. When construction starts on a solar farm, foundations are dug, cables are buried, and access roads are built. This can destroy what is under the ground, and sometimes, that can be an undiscovered archaeological site. This problem is exacerbated by rules in places like Denmark. There, solar park sites are not checked for buried remains in the same way other building projects are. Around one-fifth of a typical construction site in Denmark is checked before work begins, but when it comes to solar farms, the share is much smaller. Pernille Kruse of Museum Sønderjylland points out in a 2025 paper that archaeologists in Denmark are only allowed onto narrow strips of ground where the topsoil will actually be removed. She also notes that trucks have driven across ground that hasn’t been surveyed, which has breached the surface and destroyed buried remains. And she explains that certain buried remains, such as cremation burials, cannot be reconstructed once solar panel posts have been driven through them. Kruse notes that archaeologists across the border in Germany are experiencing similar problems, and UNESCO has raised similar concerns. The international heritage organization calls for proper checks to ensure anything of historical or archaeological importance is not buried under potential sites first, and, if anything is discovered, for construction to be moved elsewhere or for proper steps to be taken to protect it. Kruse adds that without these checks, solar farms could end up destroying important cultural remains. This article draws on peer-reviewed research and other authoritative sources, including studies published in leading scientific journals, reports from government bodies, and guidance from international organizations. The process began with two major peer-reviewed studies: a global satellite analysis of 116 solar farms and a comprehensive review of solar facility impacts on wildlife. These were used to identify the key issues, which were then researched further using credible and up-to-date sources. So, now you know some downsides to solar farms; perhaps you’ll be interested to find out how U.S. solar farms are doing a lot more than just generating energy.
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do not remove Rain. High 61F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Localized flooding is possible.. Cloudy with periods of rain, some heavy early. Isolated tornadoes possible. Low 58F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Updated: October 10, 2026 @ 12:36 pm The 100-bed mansion in Marlborough, Wiltshire, known as Tottenham House. (SWNS) (SWNS) (SWNS) (SWNS)
The 100-bed mansion in Marlborough, Wiltshire, known as Tottenham House. (SWNS) By Tom Bevan A billionaire has been given the green light to build a 40-acre solar farm on his land after winning a planning dispute with neighbors. Hedge fund owner Chris Rokos has been renovating a 100-bed mansion in Marlborough, Wiltshire, known as Tottenham House. His representatives also submitted plans to Wiltshire Council to turn 40 acres of his 4,500-acre Savernake Estate into a solar farm that were approved despite concerns from locals. The project “seeks to ensure Tottenham House and Estate’s long-term and sustainable future” by supplying the mansion and its outbuildings with “a sustainable form of power and water to enable its functional operation.” It had been described by one neighbor in objections as a “substantial visual and historical intrusion.” (SWNS) But Rokos can now move forward after Wiltshire Council approved key construction details for the project. Council planners have partially discharged a planning condition covering construction and environmental management, allowing work on the solar array itself to begin. The plans for the huge solar farm were initially met with criticism from both neighbors and the local parish council. And while some praise Rokos’ overall regeneration efforts, fears were also expressed that the huge number of panels would negatively impact the “area of outstanding natural beauty.” The proposed plot, situated on the northern boundary of the extensive plot, is currently used as pasture for dairy cows and for producing silage. The site adjoins a public footpath which runs between the hamlet of Durley and St Katharine’s Church and elementary school – though it is shielded from view by trees. Once operational, the ground-mounted panels are expected to generate around 794,600 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to meet a significant share of the estate’s energy needs. (SWNS) About 44 percent of the electricity produced will be used on site, with the remainder exported to the local grid. The scheme forms part of efforts to secure a more sustainable future for Tottenham House, one of Wiltshire’s most significant historic properties, which has undergone extensive restoration in recent years. Despite being located within the estate’s historic parkland, planners concluded the benefits of the project outweighed any harm to the heritage setting. The array will be screened by existing woodland and new planting designed to reduce its visibility, while the panels will be mounted on screw piles rather than permanent concrete foundations. This means the installation could be removed in the future if required. The land will also remain in agricultural use, with grazing able to continue around the panels. The solar project was originally approved as part of a wider package of works that also includes a large water storage lagoon, a new utility water connection and landscape improvements across the estate. While construction of the solar array can now proceed, further environmental management details will still need to be approved before work begins on other parts of the wider development, including the water lagoon and associated infrastructure. Several neighbors objected to the initial plans. (SWNS) Among them was nearby resident Richard Frics who said: “The restoration of Tottenham House is clearly a very desirable step in reversing the degradation of a Grade 1 Listed mansion, which was on the register of Heritage Assets at Risk. “The creation of a solar PV array has not previously been mooted and it is in respect of this element of the latest planning application that we wish to lodge our objection. “We understand that the ground mounted PV array will cover ‘a little over one hectare of ground’. “Not only will it be situated in an AONB but also a Grade 2* Registered Park and Garden next to a Capability Brown landscape. “In addition it will be in direct view of the Grade 2* listed stable block. The glare from a three-acre block of glass will massively change the outlook from this protected historic building. “The proposal will erode the special qualities of this Heritage Landscape. It will also set an undesirable precedent for future planning applications elsewhere in the country.” Another neighbor Mark Colquhoun added that he commended the overall restoration, which he described as “an exemplary project.” But he described the solar farm as a “substantial visual and historical intrusion.” He added: “To place modern energy infrastructure here undermines the character and legibility of this protected setting, contrary to national and local heritage policies.” The former owner of Tottenham House, the Earl of Cardigan David Brudenell-Bruce, sold the 4,500-acre Savernake Estate to a developer in 2014 for £11.25 million ($15.1 million) after it had been in the same family for 200 years. Tottenham House was part of the Savernake Estate, which dates back to the Norman Conquest when it was a royal hunting forest. Originally published on talker.news, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. 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Chile’s Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) has approved the environmental impact statement for the Sidon Solar photovoltaic project, which will include 158.17 MWdc of solar generation and 1,296 MWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity. Sidon Solar SpA, established by Trina Solar Systems (Chile) SpA in July 2023, will develop the project across the municipalities of Cabrero in the Biobío region and Pemuco in the Ñuble region. The approved configuration comprises 218,160 solar modules rated at 725 W, installed on 4,040 single-axis trackers. The panels will cover two areas totaling 185.44 hectares and will be supported by 18 transformer stations. The project’s DC capacity is lower than the 162.55 MWdc included in the configuration submitted for environmental assessment in 2025. That version specified 150 MWac of generation, which also appears as the project’s net capacity in a June 2025 project report from Chile’s Ministry of Energy. Sidon Solar will also include 324 Huawei Luna2000 battery units across a 30,967-square-meter site. The environmental approval sets total storage capacity at 1,296 MWh, with an injection capacity of 150 MW for five hours. The batteries will shift part of the solar generation for injection into Chile’s National Electricity System (SEN) after dark. Electricity will be evacuated from the project substation through a 220 kV transmission line to the Entre Ríos substation, which is already connected to the SEN. The 5.7 km line will have a single circuit and a nominal capacity of 170 MVA. Construction of the transmission infrastructure is expected to take 17 months. The project will occupy 275.31 hectares, including the solar plant and transmission line. The declared investment is $100 million, while the project is expected to operate for 33 years. Construction is scheduled to take 24 months and is expected to employ an average of 350 workers, with a peak workforce of 600. The operational phase is expected to require 12 workers for maintenance. Sidon Solar has also committed to promoting the hiring of workers from Cabrero and Pemuco through the municipalities’ employment offices. From pv magazine LatAm 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: editors@pv-magazine.com. Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked *
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Energies Media Floating solar power on a massive reservoir has expanded Singapore’s green footprint. The nation is actively pursuing its ambitious national climate goals, but faces severe land constraints. By deploying photovoltaics on water bodies, the nation boosts its clean energy generation while overcoming spatial limits. However, careful monitoring of the panels’ impact on the abundant aquatic wildlife is key to maintaining biodiversity. Can Singapore successfully balance rapid economic growth with environmental preservation? Climate change is accelerating, raising concerns and pressures worldwide. Atmospheric shifts are continuing at a rapid pace due to record-high greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. This is despite strict international climate regulations mandating widespread decarbonization. Island nations, such as Singapore, are especially struggling with the green energy transition. Singapore has historically heavily relied on imported fossil fuels to power its economy. Today, natural gas still accounts for 93 percent of its electricity generation, meeting over 60 terawatt-hours of annual demand. Despite this, the nation aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. However, securing a sustainable energy supply has proven difficult due to physical constraints. Land scarcity has become a major hurdle for Singapore’s renewable adoption. The nation has a very high population density. Available land use is usually prioritized for housing, commerce, industry, and essential transport. This leaves little to no room for large-scale clean energy facilities, necessitating innovative approaches. Worldwide, island nations are increasingly turning to solar generation. Among all renewable energy sources, solar is a viable domestic option, and for Singapore, it is the only one. The island’s tropical location ensures high solar irradiance year-round. Yet its spatial limitations make the deployment of standard ground-mounted photovoltaic farms nearly impossible. Rooftop installations help, but they do not meet large-scale electricity demands alone. Singapore’s overall power demand increased by 4 percent in 2024. That is why specialized energy concepts and solutions, such as floating photovoltaics, are rising in popularity. The nation’s National Water Agency, PUB, has taken a leading role in boosting the deployment of floating solar power. PUB Singapore oversees all the reservoirs and is actively transforming the water catchment areas into clean energy hubs. For example, the Tengeh Reservoir hosts 122,000 floating panels, which significantly reduce annual carbon emissions. However, there are potential ecological trade-offs tied to the floating technology. Maintaining reservoir ecological integrity is vital, and floating panels can disrupt this. The Tengeh Reservoir is home to a landmark 60-megawatt floating solar farm. PUB partnered with Sembcorp to develop the floating facility. The reservoir was chosen due to its massive surface area and low human disturbance. Before deployment, comprehensive environmental impact surveys were conducted from 2015 to 2018. This helped create customized floating structures that protect aquatic ecosystems and drinking water quality. Floats were manufactured with food-grade, UV-resistant polyethylene, which prevents chemical leaching. The panels feature wide openings to preserve sunlight penetration, thermal mixing, and air exchange. Water aerators were installed to preserve healthy oxygen levels for fish and microorganisms. The panels also have an anti-reflective coating that prevents blinding foraging species. The reservoirs’ smooth-coated otters, fish, and raptors continue to live alongside the floating infrastructure. In 2025, PUB began an expanded biodiversity survey to build a long-term ecological record. By using camera traps and continuous water testing, the company can ensure that wildlife safely coexists with the green installations. Positive long-term findings will help pave the way for floating solar deployment across other reservoirs. Real-time biodiversity sensors will also help with early detection of ecological shifts. Ultimately, developers must implement strategic monitoring and management measures to ensure that solar generation does not disrupt local biodiversity. Anke Maree is a writer with a clear and engaging editorial style. Her work focuses on making complex topics accessible, informative, and relevant for readers across different areas of interest. Anke Maree is a writer with a clear and engaging editorial style. Her work focuses on making complex topics accessible, informative, and relevant for readers across different areas of interest. Anke Maree is a writer with a clear and engaging editorial style. Her work focuses on making complex topics accessible, informative, and relevant for readers across different areas of interest.
ROBERTSON COUNTY, Texas (KBTX) – Robertson County will soon be home to what developers describe as the largest solar project ever built at an existing coal plant in North America. Construction began this summer on Big Rooter Power, a $1.7 billion energy project built alongside the current Twin Oaks Power Plant. Spanning nearly 10,000 acres, the project will feature a 1.2-gigawatt solar farm powered by 2 million panels. Plans also include a robust 1.6-gigawatt-hour battery storage facility, more than 20 miles of transmission lines, and enough high-tech infrastructure to support a potential future data center. Designed to feed entirely into the ERCOT grid, the facility’s combined solar and battery output will flow straight to the state’s power network. The Big Rooter Power project is split into two sections, the west and the east. The western half of the project is scheduled to go online in August 2028, with the east site finishing the following year. Once complete, the development will be more than 13 times the size of the city of Franklin. Panamint Capital, the project’s developer, said the project’s scale reflects rising energy demand in Texas. “You’re having like a major increase in demand with your load growth, and Texas is seeing that,” said Julia Olguin, Panamint Capital Chief Operating Officer. “It’s important that as developers that we’re out there building these solar generation facilities now in order for us to make sure that we keep the cost low,” Olguin said. Rather than shutting down the decades-old Twin Oaks coal plant, Panamint Capital is integrating a 1.2-gigawatt solar array directly alongside it. As Olguin explained, leaning on existing infrastructure avoids environmental disruption. “We already have a plant that’s been here for years, we have a mine that’s been here for years, so the difference in our philosophy and our vision is that we’re not going out and cutting down trees and destroying land that’s not been repurposed, this is all reclaimed land,” Olguin said. The 310-megawatt coal plant and new solar generation will operate in tandem for now, combining to output 1.5 gigawatts — enough to power at least 300,000 homes — while extensive on-site battery systems store and sustain that power hours after sunset. The site reserves 790 megawatts of capacity for a potential data center, though Panamint notes that this portion of the project is not a done deal yet. “I don’t want to say, yes, we are doing a data center because I don’t know the answer to that yet,” Olguin said. “It is part of our plan, and as we step through this process and as it gets closer, we would be more than happy to let the community know.” Panamint said studies are underway on how a data center would work on or near the site, which could open within five years. Plugging in new, clean energy into existing infrastructure speeds up construction, but the long-term lifespan of the coal plant remains uncertain. “I don’t have a direct answer for that because we are doing quite a bit of cost analysis right now and just kind of seeing where’s the best fit for us to move forward,” Olguin said. Panamint, however, ensures that current workers will not be left behind. “It is our goal to keep everybody employed and moving forward and having a future here,” Olguin said. Big Rooter Power will bring 800 temporary construction jobs, but long-term operation of the solar farm will require a skeleton crew. According to tax abatement documents KBTX obtained, the contract requires only four full-time jobs. Those four employees also do not have to be residents of Robertson County. “It’ll be about 5 to 10 people to manage the facility,” Olguin said. “They’re just really low maintenance.” For some neighbors, the project threatens the rural way of life they moved to Robertson County to find. Shane Bonnin and his wife bought 50 acres off FM 46 about three years ago. “We just fell in love with it; we fell in love with the people, the land… beautiful land,” Bonnin said. It was supposed to be their forever home. Instead, their wide-open horizon is about to become a sea of solar panels. “It’s going to be right there, looking at us,” Bonnin said. “It is a huge, huge project… and they are putting panels on every inch of land they can find.” The acreage behind the Bonnins’ property was previously mined for coal, but mining operations moved away years ago, and the land was reclaimed. “And just when they were moving down, and we were getting some peace and fixing to plant the trees back, and the wildlife was really coming back strong… That’s when we found out,” Bonnin said. A “for sale” sign now sits in front of the Bonnins’ home. Shane said potential buyers have backed out after learning about the project. “Everybody drives by and loves the house, and they say, ‘We love what y’all have done out there, we love it,’ but now that this project’s coming in, they’re like, ‘We are so sorry, you’re not going to be able to sell that place, nobody is going to buy it,’ and that’s unless I come down a third of what it’s worth and we just can’t do that,” Bonnin said. The Bonnins are not the only ones being impacted. A neighboring home’s front door will sit about 150 feet from where the first row of solar panels will be placed. “The dust is going to be so bad for them. I mean it’s just going to be horrible for them,” Bonnin said. Bonnin said county leaders did not adequately inform the community about where exactly the project would be located, and now they are paying the price. “There was very little transparency at all,” Bonnin said. Panamint Capital agreed to remove a nearby construction entrance and plant vegetation buffers but did not agree to buy the Bonnins’ home. With more potential projects on the horizon, Shane worries about rural Robertson County’s future. “People can do what they want on their land, but we don’t need to give them the incentives to come to do these types of projects because once you give one, it’s a floodgate. They all follow,” Bonnin said. Robertson County leaders agreed to a 10-year, 100% property tax break under Chapter 312 tax abatement rules on all new equipment built at the site. In exchange, Panamint agreed to annual payments in lieu of taxes, known as PILOT payments. The deal has sparked financial scrutiny over the projected revenue gap. County officials estimate that standard, unabated property taxes would have yielded between $25 million and $30 million over the 10-year span. By contrast, the contract guarantees the county just over $13 million. Even if operations scale up to full capacity—pushing the guaranteed figure closer to $17 million, plus an additional $2 million in land taxes for a $19 million total—the agreement still results in a $6 million to $11 million discount compared to standard taxation. And County Judge Joe David Scarpinato said the project was coming regardless of the deal. “They were coming no matter what we did, and that’s the reason why we didn’t get as many protections in place that we wanted… We got what we could get,” Scarpinato said. Scarpinato said the agreement provides 10 years of budget predictability and avoids potential tax court battles over appraisal value protests. “For these purposes we are not using it for an incentive; we are using it for, kind of, control,” Scarpinato said. Scarpinato said the deal was the best option available because Texas counties have no zoning authority. “Counties don’t have any control to regulate; this is the only regulatory tool we have for these projects. I don’t think it’s fair… And you’ve got several counties banding together sending resolutions in to our legislature, senators, anybody, ERCOT, asking for more control,” Scarpinato said. Scarpinato said locking in cash payments protects the county against the depreciation of solar equipment as coal revenue winds down. The contract requires four full-time jobs, basic road repairs and a $200,000 road deposit. The tax abatement agreement includes no protections for residents living near the project. Documents obtained by KBTX include a heavily redacted map of the project’s reinvestment zones, making it difficult to determine where exactly the facilities will be located. Scarpinato admitted that the county did not know the exact project boundaries upfront before approving the deal, and now some residents are facing visual impacts without protections in place. “We don’t take that lightly, and we understand why they are upset,” Scarpinato said. Now the county is relying on company promises to build vegetation buffers and landscaping. Scarpinato said relying on a verbal agreement was a mistake the county will not make again. “That’s some of the things we couldn’t get up front with them… they were dead set on what they wanted to do. We’re gonna dig our feet in and get some protections for the neighboring properties,” Scarpinato said. “They’ve been a good neighbor for 40 years… We were hoping they would step up and abide by what we asked… and we learned, no, you gotta get it in writing.” Scarpinato said the county held the legally required public meetings for the project, but acknowledged more could have been done to advertise those meetings to the community. “Everything that we needed to do was posted properly; it’s just… Maybe they wanted it posted on Facebook… I don’t know… But we are going to consider that as we move forward with any new projects… Getting the information out,” Scarpinato said. He said in the future, he plans to require developers to host town halls to handle community outreach themselves. “Getting the developer to take the brunt of the heat because you know some of these projects aren’t popular and … make them do their groundwork informing the public to help the county out,” Scarpinato said. A future data center, which could be built within five years, would draw more than double the power the Twin Oaks coal plant currently produces. “That’s why we want to get in front of it… So we can do what we can do to protect the county,” Scarpinato said. Scarpinato said Panamint did not disclose plans for a data center during tax negotiations, and the county is now preparing for that possibility. “It is a benefit to the tax base… But at the same time… where are they going to put it, what is it going to be next to? And hopefully we got the team in place with the consultant we’ve hired, we’ve got attorneys on board… that give us those protections going forward,” Scarpinato said. Some residents have raised questions and concerns about the wildlife being affected by the expansive solar farm. When KBTX asked Panamint about the environmental impact, we were told animals find a way to adapt to the industrial equipment. “You’re probably going to get a kick at how they like to relax underneath the solar panels,” Olguin said. Panamint Capital estimates Big Rooter West alone will generate 66 million dollars for Robertson County and local school districts over its full operating lifespan. Panamint said they will continue to work with landowners to address their needs, including vegetation buffers, road adjustments, and other project-related considerations. Copyright 2026 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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Explore SummitExplore-summit | sjosephson@summitdaily.com The Summit High School mountain bike team is having a banner year. After attaining its first Division 1 win in team history on Aug. 24, 2025, Summit has continued to go on a tear, securing top-10 finishes and being crowned team champions. Coming off its third-straight team win at the Cloud City Challenge in Leadville on Sept. 21, Summit traveled to Buena Vista for its final regular season race, the Chalk Creek Stampede, on Oct. 4. The team won the race, due in no small part to the efforts of the team’s freshmen. The team was also awarded the Division 1 Piedra Region overall trophy. The Tigers were slated to have 27 athletes compete at the Colorado High School Cycling League’s state competition starting on Oct. 18. — From the Oct. 8, 2025, edition of Summit Daily News Public Health Director Amy Wineland reported Summit County was experiencing a downward trend in COVID-19 cases during a joint Board of Health and Summit Board of County Commissioners meeting on Oct. 5, 2021. Though the community’s incidence rate continued to hover between 100 and 200 cases per 100,000 people, the community’s confirmed and probable cases were both decreasing along with the percent positivity rate. Wineland pointed out that while people should be optimistic about where the community’s numbers are heading, there could still be setbacks on the horizon as the cold weather brings people back indoors. She encouraged people to continue to mask up and stay home when sick. — From the Oct. 7, 2021, edition of Summit Daily News The opening of the Flight For Life Mahany Heroes Park in Frisco on Oct. 8, 2016, was the first time Patrick Mahany’s family got to see a plaque honoring the man who died July 3, 2015, when his Flight For Life helicopter crashed in the parking lot of the Summit Medical Center. Julie Kelble, the chair of the park committee, spoke and explained the many pieces of symbolism throughout the park. She read the names of the 15 people who were working on the day of the crash to get pilot Patrick Mahany and crew members Matt Bowe and Dave Repsher away from the resulting fire. In the park there are 15 aspen trees planted in their honor. — From the Oct. 9, 2016, edition of Summit Daily News The Summit County Sheriff’s office is looking for leads after a $3,500 four-panel solar array was taken from the Section House hut on Boreas Pass. Representatives from the Summit Huts Association, the nonprofit that owns the building and arrays, told authorities they hadn’t checked on the building for several weeks when they arrived Oct. 1, 2011 to find the array was missing. The array was located behind the buildings, and well out of sight from the road, and there was no sign of damage to the 8-foot pole it was mounted on. — From the Oct. 5, 2011, edition of Summit Daily News Summit Daily and its partners are working to digitize newspaper archives and make them available to the public. These digitized articles can be found at ColoradoHistoricNewspapers.org: • Summit Daily • Summit County Journal Donate to support the effort at SummitDaily.com/donate.
A passenger rail project covering 642 miles of track in Colorado may become a reality within three to five years, according to a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal. Still, officials say residents shouldn’t don’t look for a link between Denver International Airport and Vail along Interstate 70 anytime soon. A comprehensive nine-month study evaluated the feasibility of passenger rail service in 18 corridors around the state and narrowed the group down to the highest performers. A steering committee recommended the following corridors be included in the core system:. Fort Collins to Denver, Colorado Springs to Denver, Steamboat Springs to Vail to Aspen, Grand Junction to Glenwood Springs, Vail to Leadville, and Denver to Winter Park to Steamboat Springs. Designers opted against a Vail-to-Denver corridor along l-70 because of the price tag — $ 1.2 billion. — From the Oct. 7, 1996, edition of Summit Daily News Thomas Tonge, the versatile correspondent of New York and London journals who specializes in mining, manufacturing and scenic write-ups, arrived in Breckenridge from Denver on Oct. 5, 1901. Tonge stays until Oct. 7 as he worked on a descriptive article about the placer mining properties in the area. He was reportedly well please with the present and prospective conditions of the territory, and his articles will likely be read with eager interest by all citizens and well-wishers of Breckenridge. — From the Oct. 12, 1901, edition of Summit County Journal
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Date: Suppose a solar developer takes an option on 200 acres at an eventual operating rent of $1,200 per acre. The landowner might expect $240,000 a year once the project starts generating electricity. But if the final project uses only 160 acres and rent applies only to those acres, the first annual payment would be $192,000. That example raises a question worth settling before any agreement is signed: Which acreage receives operating rent, and when does that rent start? The payment quoted by a developer is only one part of a long-term solar lease. Option periods, grid connections, annual increases, and land restoration obligations can shape solar land lease payments just as much as the headline rate. Table of Contents There is no reliable nationwide average based on completed private solar leases. Most public references describe regional estimates or offers, often from different years. The University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension reports that landowners in Wisconsin have discussed operating rent ranging from about $500 to more than $1,500 per acre annually. Those figures come from conversations with landowners, not a survey of executed leases. Penn State Extension reported typical Pennsylvania offers of $1,000 to $1,200 per acre annually in October 2021, within a wider range of $800 to $2,000. Access to electrical infrastructure, project size, and contracted power sales helped explain the variation. Purdue University’s March 2026 Ag Economy Barometer provides a newer snapshot. In that survey, 12% of farmers said they had discussed leasing their land for solar in the previous six months. About 21% of reported lease rates exceeded $1,500 per acre. The survey also found that 56% of respondents reported offers with an annual escalator clause, most commonly between 2% and 3%. These sources describe different markets and different kinds of evidence. A comparison of published solar land lease rates and offer data keeps the figures with their source dates instead of turning them into one national estimate. A developer may need several years to study the property, secure permits, arrange an electricity buyer, and determine whether the grid can accept the power. An option agreement can give the developer control over the land during that process. Option payments may be considerably lower than the operating rent stated in the proposed lease. If the project never gets built, the landowner may never receive the operating payments shown in the proposal. The agreement should specify what happens if permits are denied, interconnection costs are too high or the developer decides not to proceed. The acreage definition also matters. An option may cover the whole property while the final solar facility occupies only part of it. The contract should explain how the paid area is measured and what happens to unused acreage. Access roads, transmission corridors, and other easements can have separate terms. Consider an illustrative lease with 160 paid acres, a starting rent of $1,200 per acre, a 30-year operating term, and a 2% annual increase. First-year rent would be $192,000. By year 30, the annual payment would be about $341,000. Adding the payments over the full 30 years gives approximately $7.79 million in nominal operating rent. The same lease without an annual increase would produce $5.76 million over 30 years, a difference of roughly $2.03 million. These figures assume the project operates for all 30 years and makes every scheduled payment. They exclude option payments, construction payments, taxes, expenses, and changes in the purchasing power of money. A solar lease payment calculator can show how the totals change when the paid acreage, starting rent, option period, or escalator changes. A higher projected total is not necessarily a better offer. The timing of payments, the developer’s obligations, and the risks carried by the landowner still need to be compared. Grid access is often decisive. A parcel near a substation may be attractive, but the connection can still require upgrades or face delays in the interconnection queue. Developers also consider whether enough of the property can be built on after accounting for wetlands, setbacks, terrain, roads, and local restrictions. A large property with costly connection work may be less appealing than a smaller one with an easier route to the grid. The electricity project also has to make financial sense. Power-sale agreements and financing affect how much a developer can pay for land. Some projects allow farming or grazing alongside electricity generation. The U.S. Department of Energy calls this agrivoltaics, a category that includes growing crops, grazing animals, and maintaining pollinator habitat beneath or between solar arrays. Sheep can sometimes graze beneath conventional panels and help manage vegetation. Growing crops beneath panels often requires a different design, including taller structures or wider spacing. Those changes can affect construction costs and electricity output. Landowners should not assume they can continue agricultural work unless the lease explicitly permits it. Access, fencing, water, insurance and the right to receive grazing or crop income should be addressed in writing. A solar lease may remain in effect after the property changes ownership. It may also include renewal options that extend the commitment beyond the initial operating term. Before signing, landowners should know who pays property taxes, who repairs construction damage, what happens to drainage and soil, and how the developer must remove equipment when the project closes. Decommissioning security deserves particular attention because restoration can occur decades after signing. An attorney familiar with agricultural and energy leases can review those obligations alongside the payment terms. The useful comparison is the full agreement, not just the annual price per acre. Share post: Popular
Energies Media The Chinese are raising solar capacity by repurposing collapsed coal mining grounds. Worldwide, nations are pressured to accelerate renewable energy deployment to meet international and national climate regulations. For densely populated China with increasingly limited land, artificial flooded subsidence lakes are ideal sites. However, deploying floating infrastructure can create unforeseen ecological trade-offs, urging further monitoring. Will the latest research help developers to strike a balance and protect foundational aquatic ecosystems? China has become synonymous with green energy, securing its position as the top global renewable producer. This achievement is driven by the nation’s ambitious, yet contradictory climate targets. Its primary interim goal is to peak carbon emissions before 2030, then reach complete carbon neutrality by 2060. Solar power plays an essential role in decarbonizing the economy. China is the leading photovoltaic manufacturer in the world, with the highest total installed renewable capacity. Despite China’s clear decarbonization mission, its continued reliance on fossil fuels has been difficult to break. Nearly 57 percent of the nation’s electricity is still generated by coal and other fossil fuels. This is regardless of having over 1.28 trillion watts of photovoltaic power. The nation’s carbon-heavy footprint remains high, as coal plants provide reliable, dispatchable power during intermittent solar production. To break this dependence, rapid, large-scale deployment is necessary, but land scarcity presents a severe bottleneck. The development of utility-scale facilities with standard ground-mounted panels requires vast stretches of flat land. This creates direct conflict with agriculture and urban growth over land-use competition. Fortunately, land scarcity issues can now be addressed by deploying floating photovoltaic systems. In China, developers are particularly turning to flooded coal mining subsidence lakes as ideal deployment sites. Across the nation, underground mining has caused over 4.9 million acres of land to collapse. This hollowed land then fills with water, becoming artificial subsidence lakes. Deployment of floating solar panels on artificial water bodies offers distinct benefits. Ruined, uncultivable land is repurposed, avoiding land conflict. Additionally, the electrical infrastructure from former coal operations enables cost-effective grid connection. Furthermore, the water naturally cools the panels, boosting generation efficiency by up to 15 percent. Nonetheless, these floating structures can also present ecological trade-offs. A recent study focused on these impacts at a microscopic level. Floating solar arrays can cause unforeseen shifts in water ecology. Researchers from Anhui University of Science and Technology conducted the study evaluating floating photovoltaics on the subsidence lake in Huainan. The team monitored light levels, water column dynamics, and plankton community responses across varying coverage scenarios. The research placed special focus on physical disturbances during construction. Additionally, post-installation changes in solar radiation, nutrient levels, and water mixing were also evaluated. During construction, physical agitation and modified water column mixing triggered early hatching of resting zooplankton. Light penetration was reduced and thermal conditions changed. This created a surge in small rotifers, which dominated the zooplankton community. High-coverage panels caused more shading, suppressing algal biomass and photosynthetic activity. This favored shade-tolerant species and reduced cyanobacteria blooms. As a result, these high coverage levels significantly altered the foundational aquatic food web. The study’s findings indicate that floating solar arrays can change underlying water ecosystems, depending on coverage levels. Chinese developers should carefully refine their design guidelines to prevent potential disruptions. Leaving open-water corridors for light and air exchange will be key to ensuring vital preservation. Real-time water quality monitoring will also help with panel configuration adjustments. Ultimately, floating solar power is essential for boosting green capacity, but requires strategic spatial planning. The study’s findings can be reviewed with: Gao, Y., Zhou, Y., Song, Y., Duan, J., Kong, L., & Chen, X. (2026). Response of zooplankton and phytoplankton community structure to photovoltaic coverage scenarios: A case study of a coal mining subsidence area in Huainan. Algal Research, 104816. Anke Maree is a writer with a clear and engaging editorial style. Her work focuses on making complex topics accessible, informative, and relevant for readers across different areas of interest. Anke Maree is a writer with a clear and engaging editorial style. Her work focuses on making complex topics accessible, informative, and relevant for readers across different areas of interest. Anke Maree is a writer with a clear and engaging editorial style. Her work focuses on making complex topics accessible, informative, and relevant for readers across different areas of interest.
Peer reviewed analysis from world leading experts University of Tokyo
Japan’s Seventh Strategic Energy Plan sets ambitious targets of 40–50 per cent renewables and 20 per cent nuclear by 2040, but slow reactor restarts, constrained renewable development sites and overwhelming dependence on Chinese solar panels mean the country’s decarbonisation trajectory remains deeply uncertain. The decarbonisation of thermal power generation through ammonia co-firing and hydrogen substitution offers the most realistic plan B should Japan’s primary energy transition pathways fall short of expectations. Japan is the world’s fifth-largest energy consumer, yet it remains heavily dependent on overseas sources for its energy supply. A stable energy supply has long been regarded as a matter of critical national importance, and the government has pursued a policy of reducing its dependence on oil and diversifying its energy portfolio since the 1973 oil crisis. As concerns over global climate change intensified from the 1990s, carbon dioxide emissions emerged as a key policy consideration, leading to a growing reliance on nuclear power and natural gas. Consequently, Japan’s oil dependency, which had accounted for nearly 80 per cent of primary energy supply in 1973, declined to approximately 40 per cent by 2010. During the same period, the country’s energy self-sufficiency ratio also improved from approximately 9 to 20 per cent. This trajectory changed dramatically following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami triggered a loss of power at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, resulting in a meltdown and substantial radioactive releases. All 54 nuclear reactors were progressively shut down and subjected to comprehensive safety reviews, while public confidence in nuclear energy fell drastically. Nuclear power, which had supplied approximately 25 per cent of Japan’s electricity generation mix, fell to virtually zero by 2014. To compensate for the resulting supply shortfall, ageing thermal power plants were brought back into operation. Japan also sought simultaneously to ensure energy security and achieve decarbonisation by expanding renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. The introduction of the Feed-in Tariff scheme in 2012, which guaranteed long-term and fixed-price purchases for renewable energy by electric utilities companies, stimulated rapid growth in renewable energy deployment, particularly solar photovoltaics. By 2020, the share of renewables in Japan’s electricity generation mix had more than doubled to over 20 per cent. But this growth has slowed considerably and thermal power generation continues to account for 67.5 per cent of Japan’s domestic electricity supply. In 2020, then prime minister Yoshihide Suga announced Japan’s aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. As an interim milestone, the 2025 Seventh Strategic Energy Plan reaffirmed the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 46 per cent relative to 2013 levels by 2030 — a target set earlier in 2021. The critical question is how Japan can bridge the gap between this ambitious target and the reality that thermal power generation still accounts for almost 70 per cent of electricity production. To address this challenge, the government revised its nuclear policy in 2024 from ‘reducing dependence’ to ‘maximum utilisation’. Still, the pace of reactor restarts has remained slow — only 11 reactors out of 33 have resumed operation. At the same time, Japan is not well endowed with renewable energy resources — solar irradiance levels are well below those of major solar markets such as California. The country’s mountainous terrain also means that many of the most favourable development sites have already been exploited. In some cases, aggressive development of solar sites has generated local opposition, leading to renewable energy facilities being viewed by some communities as undesirable infrastructure. Reflecting these constraints, Japan’s Seventh Strategic Energy Plan adopts a relatively modest target of approximately 20 per cent nuclear generation by 2040 while relying heavily on substantial expansion of renewables, particularly photovoltaic power generation, to achieve its overall objectives. It sets the target share for renewable energies at 40–50 per cent by 2040, meaning photovoltaic installations need to be expanded to more than 200 gigawatts nationwide — 2.5 times more than 2024 levels. Whether such an ambitious strategy can be realised remains an open question. In 2011, the Japanese Ministry of Environment estimated that the maximum potential of non-residential photovoltaic generation is 150 gigawatts nationwide. Since then, efforts have been made to expand solar capacity, but many stakeholders still view the 200 gigawatts target as challenging. Given the persistent public scepticism about nuclear safety, progress in nuclear expansion must be accompanied by transparent communication, demonstrated safety performance and sustained efforts to build public trust. Nuclear energy development also requires exceptionally long lead times, often spanning two to three decades, making a bold expansion strategy unrealistic. The government’s shift from a 20–22 per cent nuclear target for 2030 to around 20 per cent for 2040 reflects its recognition that rapid expansion is unlikely. Renewable energy also faces mounting challenges. In addition to the depletion of suitable development sites, rising labour costs, raw material prices and equipment costs have increased project expenses, reducing investment attractiveness. The near depletion of domestic solar panel manufacturing has resulted in overwhelming dependence on imported products from China, raising concerns regarding economic security and supply chain resilience. To achieve its decarbonisation and energy security targets, alongside promoting renewable energy and nuclear power, Japan must establish a robust Plan B should these approaches fail to deliver as expected. An alternative plan lies in the decarbonisation of thermal power generation. In coal-fired power plants, carbon emissions can be reduced through the co-firing with ammonia in existing boilers. Substituting hydrogen for natural gas could also enable electricity generation without direct carbon dioxide emissions during combustion. The technologies required for these approaches have already been developed and demonstrated. Though widespread adoption remains limited due to the high cost of low-carbon fuels, these technologies represent one of the most promising pathways for achieving large-scale decarbonisation of thermal power generation and are likely to become more important. The Japanese government has so far decided to provide subsidies to nine hydrogen/ammonia projects to accelerate the use of such low-carbon fuels. Japan is among the few countries that possess both extensive experience in energy transition and a broad portfolio of advanced energy technologies, including nuclear power and renewable energy systems. Successfully navigating this transition would not only establish a new national normal for Japan but also position the country to accelerate energy transitions around the world. Michio Hashimoto is Professor at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo. This article appears in the most recent edition of East Asia Forum Quarterly, ‘Japan’s normalisation’, Vol 18, No 3.
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Sponsored By ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT OLIVIA — Despite setbacks, brothers Larry Rauenhorst and Rolly Rauenhorst are continuing to pursue their claim against Renville-Sibley Cooperative Power Association in a dispute over the state’s net metering law. Larry Rauenhorst filed a civil lawsuit asking the court to order the power cooperative to compensate them at the average retail rate for the electricity produced by a 37-kilowatt capacity solar system they installed on farmland he owns south of Olivia. ADVERTISEMENT The brothers installed 10 towers, each 12 feet tall, at dispersed locations in a cornfield. They hold a total of 80 solar panels. Larry Rauenhorst also filed a petition with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission asking it to reconsider the case brought to it on Aug. 25. He asked the PUC to order the cooperative to pay the retail rate under the net metering law. The commission voted not to consider the case, deciding it involved a rate dispute and not the practices of the cooperative. The commission said it does not have authority over the rates set by cooperatives. The dismissal was one of two setbacks for the brothers. The second was a mediation session with the cooperative that failed to reach an agreement, according to Rolly Rauenhorst. The brothers are working with the University of Minnesota to demonstrate whether agrivoltaics — co-locating agriculture production with solar energy generation — can be economically feasible. The electricity produced on the cropland would be used to power an on-site charging station for an electric tractor and equipment used in farming the land. Power not used by the farming operation would be provided to the grid through the Renville-Sibley Cooperative Power Association system at the location. The brothers argue that the state’s net metering law requires the cooperative to compensate them at the average retail rate for electricity. The state’s net metering law requires utilities to pay the retail rate for qualified power facilities of under 40 kilowatts, according to the Rauenhorsts. ADVERTISEMENT The cooperative argues that it is not obligated to pay the retail rate because it does not believe the system installed in a farm field meets the spirit of the net metering law. It does not serve a house, farm or business and does not offset power that would otherwise be purchased by the brothers. The small cooperative, with 1,564 members, also argues that paying the retail rate represents a significant cost burden to its members. The cooperative has offered to compensate the Rauenhorsts at the average avoided cost for the electricity, which is significantly less than the retail rate. Of the decision to pursue the rulings: “It’s too important not to,” Rolly Rauenhorst said. According to him, the economics of the system do not work if the cooperative pays only the average avoided cost for electricity provided to the grid. He said the system they installed is not currently connected to the cooperative’s network and is not producing electricity. The lawsuit asks for $9,000 in compensation for the electricity the system would have produced during 2025. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT
A growing number of states are authorizing the use of inexpensive plug-in solar panels people can hang on balconies and back fences. Fire escapes, too. Can installing solar panels really be a DIY project? Outside Pensacola, Florida, Eric Henley got his up and running in an afternoon and is now saving about $50 a month on his electric bill. “I had the lowest electric bill in May that I have had since I moved here over three years ago,” Henley says. Call it “plug-in” or “balcony” solar. Made up of just a few, easily connected panels, these small systems — usually capable of powering a TV, a fridge and a few other appliances but not a whole home — don’t require professional installers. They don’t require building permits or utility interconnection agreements either — the kind of things that can make getting rooftop solar a time-consuming and expensive endeavor in the U.S. Plug-in panels turn sunshine into electricity using the same photovoltaic process that rooftop panels do. But because they’re less powerful than larger rooftop systems, rather than routing the electricity through a breaker box, with a plug-in system, you send the electricity through a regular outlet. And because electric lines inside American homes can safely incorporate the amount of electricity a plug-in system can produce, they won’t blow your breakers or fuses. Across the country, these small solar power systems are gaining popularity fast. Plug-in solar is now officially authorized in eight states. Twenty-six more have legislation waiting on governors’ desks or bills working their way through state houses. (Technically, plug-in solar is not illegal anywhere in the U.S.) Utah was the first state to authorize plug-in solar in March 2025, with near-unanimous, bipartisan support. (Six legislators abstained.) What could bring Republicans and Democrats together at this time in history? “Utility bills keep going up and the production cost of solar keeps going down,” explains Cora Stryker of the plug-in solar advocacy group Bright Saver. “The technology is one of those win-wins we keep talking about in relation to solar power,” says Ted Kelly, who leads the clean energy program at the global nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund. “Plug-in solar is a relatively easy lift that can save people money and reduce climate and air pollution, all at the same time.” Plug-in solar got its start in Germany in 2010, as a result of high electricity prices and popular interest in clean energy. About a decade later, installations in the country, now numbering an estimated 4 million, really took off thanks to the plummeting cost of solar panels, even higher electricity prices resulting from the war in Ukraine, and concern about global warming, explains Lucas Meissner, a research associate at Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin, a technical university. As these systems have gained in popularity, prices for the equipment in Europe have fallen significantly, from about $600 for a 400-watt panel in 2022 to $285 today, making the payback period between 1-3 years. It’s a price drop advocates anticipate will happen in the U.S. as the market for plug-in solar expands. Another plug-in solar advantage, especially for renters: The panels, often affixed only with zip ties, can easily pack up and go with their owners should they move. These days, balcony solar’s popularity in Germany is also helping keep electricity prices down by replacing the need for some new power plants. The approximately 1.5 million owners who’ve gone to the trouble of registering their systems on a government website, Meissner says, produce about as much daytime energy as an entire nuclear power facility. Word about balcony solar’s success spread to the U.S. in the earlier part of this decade. Stryker heard about it from the writings of Bill McKibben, the well-known climate advocate. “And like everyone else, I was, like, ‘Wow, what a cool thing! Why don’t we have it here?’” she says. Her group, which got its start in January 2025, aims to be both “the AARP and the Costco of clean energy,” she says. In addition to working on state policy, it recently started selling 180-watt and 360-watt systems at cost (plus a $29 membership fee) to residents of 47 states. Already, the movement’s success with lawmakers is pretty unprecedented. “Usually, you introduce a bill in a state legislature and it takes at least a year for legislators to even get used to the idea,” says EDF’s Kelly. “These easy wins for plug-in solar are huge.”
0 Powered by : Premier Energies, an India-based integrated solar cell and module manufacturer, has received orders that are worth INR 4,001 crore (~ $412.97 million) during the July-September quarter. Those orders require the company to supply 2.308 GW of solar cells and modules, and they also require it to execute EPC projects. They have been placed by power producers, by module manufacturers and by EPC companies, whereas the orders of the retail market segment have been kept out of the total. Premier Energies has stated that the order inflow is supporting its growth while its manufacturing capabilities are being expanded. The module manufacturing capacity of the company has nearly doubled to 11.1 GW as a result of that expansion. The solar cell manufacturing capacity has likewise increased from 3.6 GW to 10.6 GW. That increase has followed the commissioning of a 7 GW TOPCon solar cell facility at Naidupeta in Andhra Pradesh in September. SOLARbytes brings you the latest news in solar world in bite size; essentially a gist of important solar news in few sentences. Subscribe to our Newsletter!
0 Powered by : Solex Energy, an India-based solar PV module manufacturer, has secured two work orders together with its wholly owned subsidiary, Solex Green Energy. The orders are worth INR 194.14 crore (~ $20.05 million) in all, and each of them calls for the supply of TOPCon bifacial glass to glass modules. Solex Green Energy has received the larger order, which is valued at INR 180.98 crore (~ $18.69 million). That order is to be executed by January 2027, as Solex Energy has stated in its filing with the stock exchanges. The parent company has received the smaller order, and that order is worth INR 13.16 crore (~ $1.36 million). Solex has said that the two orders will add to the order pipeline of the group, which is scaling up its module manufacturing. That manufacturing is carried out at Tadkeshwar near Surat, where the company operates a plant with a production capacity of 4 GW. SOLARbytes brings you the latest news in solar world in bite size; essentially a gist of important solar news in few sentences. Subscribe to our Newsletter!
With utility bill spikes making inflation appear like it's going up at a snail's pace, sticking a bunch of solar panels on the roofs of electric vehicles (EVs) seems logical. However, solar energy and EVs aren't really "friendly" with one another. Just charging an EV with solar panels requires you to track down a backup energy source in order to provide a steady stream of juice — and that's for a stationary car. So, why isn't there a solar-powered car? It's a combo of limitations in current solar energy tech and car size. Talking about real-world scenarios (one where you'd actually drive the car), the main problem with installing solar roofs on EVs is that the surface of the roof is relatively small, typically around 10 to 25 square feet. In the best conditions, which is the middle of the day, the sun is capable of delivering approximately 92 Watts per square foot. It depends on the size of the roof and panel efficiency, but this setup will convert only about 20% to 25% of the power, meaning that you'd get maybe a couple of hundred watts. Considering that a run-of-the-mill EV is able to cover three to four miles per kilowatt-hour, solar panels would maybe give you an extra mile of range from an hour of charging — absolutely not enough for regular travel. Read more: 5 Disadvantages Of Switching To Home Solar Power While solar-powered EVs may seem far from feasible, they could be arriving faster than you'd expect. In fact, there is a solar-powered BMW EV prototype that may produce enough energy for regular driving. Designed by students from the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research, the car is practically a solar panel on wheels that can collect 5.7 kWh per day. That's enough to cover about 12 miles, which expends approximately 1.6 kWh. Another advancement on this front is Fuyao Group's solar car sunroof that is designed to charge an EV as it drives. It's not just a solar panel strapped to the top, but rather glass panels embedded with solar cells. The maximum output of 720 watts is too weak to get the car from point A to point B on its own. Nonetheless, it can power onboard electronics, which may give you an extra few miles on the highway. Solar-powered EVs are not totally uncharted territory. Just these two advancements represent a step in the right direction towards a fully functioning electric car running on solar power. Until then, we can only cross our fingers and hope that this potentially revolutionary vehicle looks like a car worth driving instead of something designed in Roblox. Enjoyed this article? Sign up to BGR's free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source or follow us on Google for the latest in tech and entertainment, plus tips and advice you'll actually use. Read the original article on BGR. Donald Trump agreed to buy diesel from Vladimir Putin after Volodymyr Zelensky ignored his requests to stop bombing Russian oil refineries, sources have said. John Healey has ruled out a “warehouse tax” raid ahead of the Budget, The Telegraph understands. Wednesday could see severe gales across the Western Isles of Scotland, the Met Office said. Exclusive: German media group Axel Springer said to be planning between 50 and 100 editorial redundancies Ellie Chowns says vote for ‘Zionism is racism’ policy by 0.4% of members shows party processes are not working Stuart Machin urged John Healey to undo the ‘disastrous’ decisions made in Labour’s previous two Budgets Brad Pitt made a rare public appearance with his girlfriend Ines de Ramon at the awards held at the Natural History Museum The controversial ‘Zionism is racism’ motion was passed by members at the Green conference last weekend Police have arrested the leader of India’s “Cockroach” student protest movement before a march in New Delhi. A bid is being made for a judicial review of the Secretary of State’s decision which was announced on Friday night. As archaeologists find treasure trove along new floodplain, conservationists say another Nova Kakhovka would be ecocide Learners must now spend at least six months getting driving experience before they can take a practical test Donald Trump wants Americans to vote as if he were on the ballot in November’s midterm elections. Ellie Chowns also said there had been a ‘lack of leadership’ from Zack Polanski on the ‘Zionism is racism’ motion at the party’s conference. The bottles included some of Italy's most sought-after wines, including Solaia, Tignanello and Guado al Tasso Students say they are desperate to get back to class but conditions are so bad that the protests must continue Former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay was awarded the prize this year Samantha Natalie Phythian’s body was found after police were called to a van fire They are a delicacy famed for their unique taste and the difficulty of finding them, with specially trained dogs often required to sniff them out. The force anticipate between 7,000 and 10,000 demonstrators will attend the pro-Palestine march.
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Renewables Now is a leading business news source for renewable energy professionals globally. Trust us for comprehensive coverage of major deals, projects and industry trends. We’ve done this since 2009. Stay on top of sector news with with Renewables Now. Get access to extra articles and insights with our subscription plans and set up your own focused newsletters and alerts.
0 Powered by : Genneia, an Argentina-based renewable energy company, has inaugurated the 129 MW San Juan Sur Solar Park, its fourth solar facility in Argentina’s San Juan province, with an investment of $110 million. The project features approximately 250,000 bifacial solar panels and is expected to generate electricity equivalent to the consumption of 90,000 households while avoiding 160,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually. With this addition, Genneia’s installed renewable capacity in San Juan has reached 350 MW, supporting mining and industrial electricity demand. The company has invested over $2 billion in renewable energy projects during the past decade, increasing its operational capacity to more than 1.7 GW across nine Argentine provinces. SOLARbytes brings you the latest news in solar world in bite size; essentially a gist of important solar news in few sentences. Subscribe to our Newsletter!
Generally cloudy. High 72F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.. Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low 63F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Updated: October 10, 2026 @ 4:45 am
Shenzhen, China – October 10, 2026 – At the recently concluded Solar Manufacturing USA 2026 conference, Dr. Kamel represented LAPLACE Renewable Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as LAPLACE) to deliver a keynote presentation addressing topics for domestic photovoltaic manufacturing across North America, covering flexible multi technology equipment portfolios and AI powered closed loop manufacturing control. The presentation focused on the need to connect process technology with factory engineering, automation, supply-chain preparation, and operations from the earliest stages of a project. LAPLACE described this integrated approach as essential to helping manufacturers establish reliable production capacity and achieve a smoother ramp-up. (Source: pv magazine) Technology Breadth for Every Roadmap LAPLACE offers comprehensive equipment and process solutions to support customers’ diversified technical roadmaps. The company’s portfolio covers TOPCon , back‑contact and pilot‑ready support for perovskite‑silicon tandem cells. From volume‑manufacturing platforms to next‑generation R&D pilot lines, LAPLACE empowers customers to follow their preferred pathways with flexible architecture well‑positioned to accommodate future technology upgrades. LAPLACE AI: Turning Data into Manufacturing Advantage LAPLACE leverages AI‑enabled closed‑loop process control to convert on‑site factory and metrology data into tangible manufacturing advantages. Through the full loop of measurement, analysis, optimization and execution with local‑data security guaranteed, its AI system detects process drift, predicts equipment anomalies, auto‑tunes recipes and drives continuous cross‑tool learning. This technology delivers higher process capability, boosted equipment uptime, shortened ramp‑up time and reduced engineering workload, helping customers achieve sustained production performance improvement. The presentation also highlighted LAPLACE’s expanding U.S. capabilities in project engineering and on-site operations and maintenance. Combined with the company’s TOPCon and back-contact technology portfolio, LAPLACE supports customers through factory design, installation, ramp-up, and long-term production. LAPLACE continues to develop localized capabilities to support solar manufacturers as they build and scale production in the United States. About LAPLACE LAPLACE Renewable Energy Technology Co., Ltd., established in 2016, is a global leader in renewable energy innovation. Founded by a team of experts with extensive experience in solar cell research, development, and manufacturing, LAPLACE specializes in core components, advanced equipment, and solutions for the photovoltaic and semiconductor industries. For more information, please contact: LAPLACE Renewable Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Media Contact Company Name: LAPLACE Renewable Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Contact Person: Miss Sarah Sun Email:
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Austria opened its third and final funding round of the year for photovoltaic systems and battery storage on Thursday afternoon. Demand was even higher than in the previous round, according to an announcement issued Friday by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism. Preliminary figures show that around 43,300 application tickets were issued within 10 minutes of the opening of the Renewable Energy Expansion Act (EAG) funding portal, operated by funding agency OeMAG. By comparison, the second funding round in the summer attracted 24,900 tickets in its first 10 minutes. The ministry said it had anticipated strong demand based on previous funding rounds. The experience has also prompted the government to reconsider its approach to PV subsidies. Earlier this week, the ministry presented initial proposals for a revised funding scheme following extensive consultations with representatives of the electrical engineering industry, electrical retailers and industry association PV&B Austria. “We need to move away from a race against the clock and toward a subsidy system that allows individuals and businesses to plan effectively,” said Elisabeth Zehetner, Austria’s state secretary for energy. Under the proposed scheme, applicants would be able to submit funding requests together with their final invoices after completing their projects, starting in 2027. Applications would be accepted year-round, replacing the current system of three annual funding windows in which applicants compete to secure funding on a first-come, first-served basis. The ministry also plans to replace conventional investment grants with a battery storage bonus. The new scheme would prioritize battery storage systems installed alongside new or existing PV arrays, provided they are connected to a smart energy management system. Such systems would be mandatory to qualify for funding. The ministry is still finalizing the details, including the storage bonus amount and technical eligibility requirements. It said the necessary legislative amendments are being prepared. The changes would require a two-thirds majority in parliament, meaning the governing parties would need support from the opposition. Austria introduced its current system of multiple annual funding rounds in 2021. Although the scheme has supported PV deployment, the ministry said it no longer meets market requirements. It also pointed to organized efforts to improve applicants’ chances of securing funding, including dedicated training sessions and online courses. “It is absurd that specific training courses and organized voucher campaigns are being set up just to access a subsidy,” Zehetner said. “This illustrates the grotesque extremes to which this subsidy logic has led. That is precisely why we are changing the rules of the game: subsidies must facilitate investment rather than turning into a race to see who can click the fastest.” The proposed overhaul aims to give households and installers greater planning certainty while simplifying the application process. The government also wants the scheme to support European manufacturing. “A ‘Made in Europe’ inverter will be mandatory for storage systems installed alongside new PV systems. An additional ‘Made in Europe’ bonus for storage systems retrofitted to existing PV systems will remain available,” the ministry said. The proposed changes could also benefit applicants who missed out on funding this year. According to the ministry, PV systems equipped with smart battery storage that are invoiced or commissioned on or after Nov. 1, 2026, would be eligible to apply for funding under the new scheme in 2027. Herbert Paierl, CEO of PV&B Austria, welcomed the increased emphasis on battery storage but called for greater flexibility in the proposed European-content requirements. “We welcome the fact that battery storage is becoming a greater focus of subsidy schemes,” Paierl said. “Regarding the ‘Made in Europe’ requirement, we see room for a broader and more practical approach. The foundation has been laid. Now, the details must be shaped in a way that ensures planning certainty for businesses, allowing them to know well in advance what framework conditions will apply in 2027.” 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 The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Monday, October 12, 2026 10:00 am – 11:00 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid 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
Austrian company Sunbooster has secured a European patent for its vertical photovoltaic solution designed for integration into fences. The technology is now protected in 18 European Union member states, and the company aims to expand its presence in the French market. Sunbooster’s solution consists of 18.6 cm-high bifacial PV strips that slide into existing fence panels, replacing conventional privacy slats. Each strip has a rated output of 62 W for a 2-meter length or 79 W for a 2.5-meter length, with a reported conversion efficiency of 22.8%. The vertical orientation is designed to shift a portion of electricity generation toward the morning and late afternoon hours. “We are expanding our presence, particularly in France, where we have already completed our first installation,” Yann Schremmer, Sunbooster’s France manager, told pv magazine. The company has installed a 20-meter section of solar fencing in Aix-en-Provence, with a total capacity of 3.7 kW. The system was supplied by a metalworking company and integrated into the fence of a customer seeking both privacy and electricity generation. The 2-meter strip is priced at €619 ($692.9( for residential customers, while the 2.5-meter version costs €719. “We have deliberately set very attractive prices for professionals, allowing them to achieve high margins,” said Schremmer. The company plans to focus on building a distribution network comprising PV distributors, major retailers, and fence manufacturers. The bifacial PV strips use p-type monocrystalline solar cells cut into quarters. Designed for rigid double-wire mesh fences (6/5/6 mm or 8/6/8 mm), the strips are inserted into the mesh and connected using MC4 connectors located on the bottom strip. According to the manufacturer, the strips have an IP67 protection rating and an operating temperature range of −20 C to 60 C. The maximum system voltage is 50.16 V for the 2-meter version and 63.84 V for the 2.5-meter version. 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 The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Monday, October 12, 2026 10:00 am – 11:00 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid 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
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