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Websol Energy Systems zooms 143% from March low; here’s why  Business Standard
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By Canary Media
Canary Media
27 April 2026
President Donald Trump has dealt blow after blow to the Rural Energy for America Program, which has helped farmers save on their energy bills by going solar for nearly two decades. Now, REAP’s proponents see a chance to undo some of the damage.
Last year, within a matter of months, the Trump administration froze almost a billion dollars’ worth of promised REAP funds, and then unfroze them; never opened an expected application period for more funding; and announced strict limits on funding solar on farmland.
Then, on March 31 of this year, it halted REAP entirely. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the program, said REAP won’t be revived until regulations are in place reflecting Trump’s July 7 executive order targeting subsidies for ​“unreliable, foreign-controlled energy sources.”
The moves have been painful for farmers, especially as energy prices continue to soar nationwide. But farmers and clean energy advocates see a pathway to restore and protect the popular, bipartisan initiative going forward: the latest Farm Bill.
REAP was created by the 2008 Farm Bill, and since then the program has helped tens of thousands of farmers and rural business owners install solar panels, biodigesters, and wind turbines, and make other energy-efficiency upgrades, through grants and loan guarantees. More than three-quarters of REAP grants have gone to congressional districts represented by Republicans, an analysis by Canary Media found.
Yearslong negotiations around a new iteration of the massive Farm Bill appear to be gaining steam, with the House of Representatives scheduled to hold a hearing on the Farm Bill on Monday and expected to potentially vote on its version this week. The Senate still also needs to pass the bill. The last Farm Bill expired in 2023, but provisions have been extended as talks have dragged on.
As written, the House’s proposed bill would damage REAP further by enshrining Trump-administration restrictions in law. It currently includes provisions blocking USDA funds for ground-mounted solar covering 50 acres or more of farmland and for any projects that use solar equipment made by a ​“foreign entity of concern,” which would apply to most solar panels.
By undermining REAP, the administration is ​“hindering energy dominance and causing farmers and small-business owners to pay more,” said Lloyd Ritter, founder of the clean-energy policy consultancy Green Capitol, who helped launch REAP as a senior counsel for former Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa).
Instead, ​“the Farm Bill could make improvements to REAP by statute in order to correct misguided decisions by the department,” he said. ​“Democrats and Republicans could work together on a bipartisan basis to protect a hyper-nonpartisan and wildly successful program.”
Leaders of the American Farmland Trust, a nonprofit that advocates for conserving farmland and developing ​“smart solar,” have talked to lawmakers and administration officials about pushing for changes to the House Farm Bill that would ensure REAP and other USDA grant programs can still help farmers install solar. In a recent memo, the organization asked lawmakers to remove the restrictions on ground-mounted solar and on funding for panels with components from foreign entities of concern.
House Democrats have indeed filed an amendment that would strike the limits on funding for ground-mounted solar and foreign supply chains.
“This is one of the few sources of support for rural communities, electric co-ops, and farms and ranches to seek if they’re interested in generating an alternate type of energy,” said Samantha Levy, American Farmland Trust’s senior policy manager for conservation and energy. ​“We know the farm economy is in a really terrible position right now with input prices going up and commodity prices depressed. This is an important time to be finding all the different ways we can to support farmers and ranchers.”

The 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills mandated that REAP allocate a total of $50 million each year, with the chance for more discretionary funding, and offer grants reimbursing up to 25% of a project’s cost.
The Inflation Reduction Act, signed by President Joe Biden in 2022, boosted the program further: It promised over $2 billion to REAP through fiscal year 2027, and increased grants to cover up to 50% of costs for certain types of projects.
On Day 1 of his second term, Trump issued an executive order that halted payments under the IRA. Funding for REAP was caught up in that; financing promised to farmers was frozen, to the alarm of those who had already spent money on projects expecting to be reimbursed.
The freeze was lifted last March, but with a confusing message inviting recipients to voluntarily change their projects to align with administration goals.
In July, a scheduled window to apply for new funding was canceled. Then in August, the USDA announced it would ​“no longer fund taxpayer dollars for solar panels on productive farmland or allow solar panels manufactured by foreign adversaries to be used in USDA projects.”
“Our prime farmland should not be wasted and replaced with green new deal subsidized solar panels,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at the time.
The statement amplified a line of criticism toward solar on farmland that has been spreading across the Midwest and other parts of the country. Opponents argue that solar changes the character of agricultural communities and that it could endanger the U.S. food supply, though food security risks have been widely debunked.
Only a small fraction of agricultural land is being taken over by solar, compared with that lost to housing development. In fact, solar can help preserve farmland by providing a potential revenue stream and energy bill savings that enable farmers to stay afloat financially, according to the American Farmland Trust, farmers, and other experts.
Under Trump’s new restrictions, now at risk of being cemented into law with the Farm Bill, large ground-mounted solar arrays on farms would be banned from getting REAP loan guarantees and highly unlikely to get REAP grants.
The changes are especially frustrating for farmers who have spent many hours and considerable resources preparing REAP applications or plans that may have no future under the Trump administration, advocates say.
For example, farmers who submitted applications in 2024 but never got an answer from the government are out of luck. Any REAP applications that do not already have an award agreement in place will have to be resubmitted once the new regulations meant to comply with Trump’s executive order are in effect, according to the USDA.
“We’re hearing about major issues in many states — Iowa, West Virginia, Illinois, Kansas — where farmers and rural small-business owners have spent months, if not years of time, preparing for a cost-share grant,” Ritter said. ​“Now, the rug is being pulled out from under them.”
The delays created by this policy turmoil will likely prevent farmers from being able to combine REAP funding with federal tax credits for new solar projects. The Investment Tax Credit is available only for projects beginning construction by July 2026 or in service by December 2027.
Meanwhile, farmers are reeling from the effects of high fuel and fertilizer prices driven by the Iran war, as well as tariffs impeding their access to foreign markets.
“This could not land at a worse time for farmers,” said Jeffrey McManus, federal legislative advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council. ​“Farmers operate on razor-thin margins. They don’t have a lot of leeway.”
REAP’s supporters are not only pushing lawmakers to exclude Trump’s restrictive policies from the Farm Bill but also asking them to actively encourage solar and farmland to coexist. 
People like Bill Jordan can attest to the value of these ​“agrivoltaics” projects, in which solar arrays share space with crops or livestock.
His upstate New York–based Jordan Solar has developed about 130 REAP-funded projects for farmers over 17 years. He cites a 420-kilowatt array with 15-foot-high panels that his company is developing at a peach farm in Colorado as a prime example of solar coexisting with farming, and boosting a farmer’s bottom line.
“The messaging from the Trump administration is any solar on farmland is bad,” he said. ​“Farmers want to do both — reduce the cost of doing business and continue growing food. I don’t think most people are applying to the grant to get out of agriculture.”
American Farmland Trust is actively pushing lawmakers to incentivize agrivoltaics through rural development programs like REAP. Farmers with agrivoltaics have ​“sometimes been denied access [to USDA grants] because they farm an ​‘industrial site,’” according to the trust’s memo. The House’s Farm Bill includes a call for outreach, education, and technical assistance relating to renewable energy integrated with crop or livestock production.

As the Farm Bill moves forward, Jordan is hopeful that lawmakers will listen to REAP-supporting constituents from across the political spectrum, both to encourage more agrivoltaics and to stem the damage of Trump’s policies more broadly.
“REAP has been a tremendously popular program for energy independence for a wide swath of farmers around the country,” Jordan said. ​“There are probably a lot of farmers — like some customers of ours — who have communicated to their legislators, ​‘We like this program. We need to protect ourselves from the wide swings on power prices. This is a good step toward energy independence.’”

Thanks for reading this story. If you appreciate our independent, paywall-free reporting, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution in celebration of Canary Media turning 5! 
Kari Lydersen is a contributing reporter at Canary Media who covers Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
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Websol Energy System Limited posts 158 per cent rise in Q4FY26 profit on higher utilisation; FY26 revenue climbs 82 per cent with net cash position
The Indian equity markets are trading on a flat note on Tuesday, with the Nifty 50 marginally higher by 0.06 per cent. Select renewable energy counters, however, continued to witness strong buying momentum. Amid this, Websol Energy System was locked in the 5 per cent Upper Circuit at Rs 122.20 during the session. Notably, the stock has rallied nearly 138 per cent from its 52-week low, reflecting strong investor interest backed by robust earnings growth and healthy order visibility.
Websol Energy Q4FY26 Results: Quarterly Performance
Websol Energy reported a sharp improvement in its March quarter performance, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 401 crore in Q4FY26, compared to Rs 173 crore in Q4FY25, registering a growth of 132.1 per cent YoY. On a sequential basis, revenue also increased 53.8 per cent from Rs 261 crore reported in Q3FY26.
EBITDA stood at Rs 146 crore, compared to Rs 78 crore in the corresponding quarter last year, reflecting a growth of 86.4 per cent YoY.
Profit before Tax came in at Rs 125 crore, up 89.2 per cent YoY, while net profit after tax surged to Rs 125 crore from Rs 48 crore, marking a strong growth of 157.9 per cent YoY. PAT also jumped 91.6 per cent sequentially from Rs 65 crore in Q3FY26.
Websol Energy FY26 Annual Performance
For the full financial year FY26, the company reported revenue of Rs 1,049 crore, compared to Rs 575 crore in FY25, registering a growth of 82.4 per cent YoY. EBITDA stood at Rs 429 crore, up 69.6 per cent YoY from Rs 253 crore.
Net profit after tax came in at Rs 303 crore, compared to Rs 155 crore in the previous year, reflecting a strong growth of 95.8 per cent YoY.
Order Book and Capacity Expansion
Websol Energy continues to maintain strong forward revenue visibility, with its confirmed order book standing at Rs 1,161 crore as of March 31, 2026.
The company has also initiated the upgrade of one Mono PERC cell line to Topcon technology, which will increase its total cell manufacturing capacity to 1.35 GW post commissioning.
Management highlighted that Cell Line-2 has already ramped up successfully, with overall cell capacity utilisation remaining above 90 per cent, indicating strong demand traction and efficient capacity deployment.
Websol Energy Dividend
The Board of Directors has recommended a final dividend of Re 0.25 per equity share of face value Re 1 each for the financial year ended March 31, 2026. The proposed dividend is subject to shareholders’ approval at the upcoming Annual General Meeting and reflects the company’s continued focus on rewarding investors while maintaining a balanced capital allocation strategy.
About Websol Energy
Websol Energy System Limited is one of India’s leading manufacturers of high-efficiency Solar photovoltaic cells and modules. The company operates a fully modernised manufacturing facility at Falta Special Economic Zone in West Bengal with current solar cell capacity of 1,200 MW and module capacity of 550 MW.
With strong policy support for domestic solar manufacturing, rising renewable installations, and continued capacity expansion, the company remains well positioned to capitalise on India’s long-term solar growth opportunity.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not investment advice.
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The four-terminal tandem device relies on FAPbI₃ nanoparticles and a spectral splitting design, combining a 24.4% wide-bandgap top cell and a 21.5% narrow-bandgap bottom cell to reach 30.2% efficiency. The system improves light utilization by directing different wavelengths to optimized subcells.
The top solar cell used for the four-terminal tandem device
Image: University of Tokyo

Researchers at the University of Tokyo in Japan have fabricated an all-perovskite tandem solar cell using a novel a light-absorbing layer deposition technique using formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) nanoparticles.
FAPbI₃ is widely used in high-efficiency perovskite solar cells because its bandgap of around 1.48 eV, which is close to the ideal value for solar energy conversion. It enables strong light absorption and has helped achieve power conversion efficiencies above 25% in research devices. However, its main limitation is that the desired black α-phase is metastable and can transform into a non-functional yellow phase. This has serious consequences for solar cell performance because it directly changes the material from a light-absorbing semiconductor into a wide-bandgap, non-active phase.
To address this, researchers typically use mixed cations, additives, and interface engineering to stabilize the material and improve durability. The Japanese scientists used FAPbI3 nanoparticles that were synthesized beforehand by a hot injection method for perovskite film formation using a two-step method. FAPbI₃-based perovskite layers were fabricated using a solution spin-coating process on cleaned and UV–ozone-treated substrates under inert conditions. A precursor solution was prepared by dissolving PbI₂ and formamidinium iodide (FAI) in a mixed solvent of dimethylformamide-dimethyl sulfoxide (DMF/DMSO) and stirring it until fully homogeneous.
The solution was then spin-coated onto substrates, followed by controlled thermal annealing to induce crystallization of the perovskite film. This process converted the liquid precursor into a dense, crystalline FAPbI₃ thin film with the desired photoactive α-phase.
The four-terminal (4T) tandem device was built with wide-bandgap (WBG) top cell with an efficiency of 24.4% and a bottom narrow-bandgap (NBG) cell with an efficiency of 21.5% and an inverted structure. The two cells were integrated into a four-terminal spectral splitting architecture using dichroic mirrors that separate light at selected wavelengths. This optical design reportedly minimizes losses while enabling efficient utilization of the solar spectrum across both cells.
The top cell was built with a substrate made of glass and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), a hole transport layer (HTL) made of tin oxide (Sno2), the perovskite absorber, a Spiro-OMeTAD electron transport layer (ETL) and a gold (Au) metal contact. The bottom inverted device was fabricated with a glass and FTO sustrate, a Spiro-OMeTAD ETL, the perovskite absorber, a buckminsterfullerene (C₆₀) HTL, a bathocuproine (BCP) buffer layer, and a silver (Ag) metal contact.
Image: University of Tokyo

“The main advantage of spectral split two-junction, four-terminal solar cells lies in their ability to reduce losses caused by spectral mismatch while achieving high efficiency,” corresponding author Satoshi Uchida told pv magazine. “This is accomplished by directing incident light to the most suitable subcell according to its wavelength. Furthermore, because of the four-terminal configuration, there is no constraint of current matching, allowing for flexible combinations of solar cells with a wide range of compositions. In addition, even if one subcell experiences a failure, the other can continue generating power, providing an advantage from a maintenance perspective.”
Tested under standard illumination conditions, the four-terminal cell was found to achieve a maximum power conversion efficiency of 30.2%. The best performance was obtained at a 775 nm split wavelength, where the WBG top cell contributes 24.1% and the NBG bottom cell 6.1%. This wavelength closely matches the absorption edge of the top cell, ensuring nearly full utilization of its spectral range. Beyond 775 nm, the top cell gains only a small increase in current, while the bottom cell loses significantly more photocurrent, reducing overall gains.
“Overall, our study demonstrates that carefully chosen spectral splitting wavelengths enable very high efficiencies in both four-terminal and two-terminal perovskite solar cell architectures,” said Uchida.
“As for practical deployment, conventional outdoor photovoltaic systems and integration with concentrator photovoltaics are considered particularly promising for our solar cell concept,” he went on to say. “On the other hand, the high cost of dichroic mirrors used for spectral splitting remains a challenge. For future practical implementation, it will be important not only to build on the findings of this study but also to explore simplified architectures, such as monolithic two-junction two-terminal devices and mechanically stacked two-junction four-terminal devices.”
The tandem device was presented in “All-Perovskite Four-Terminal Spectral Splitting Solar Cells of 30% PCE with FAPbI₃ Wide-Bandgap Perovskite Fabricated by Nanoparticle Technology,” published in ACS Omega. 
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Solar Panel Market: Accelerating Global Energy Transition with Clean and Renewable Power  openPR.com
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Solar power helps India offset load on fossil fuels as energy demands peak with scorching sun  Firstpost
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Powering AI, Strengthening the Grid: Innovation in Space Solar Energy and Long-Duration Storage  meta.com
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PLANS for a huge new solar power facility to be built near Airdrie have been given the green light.
North Lanarkshire Council chiefs granted planning permission for the former Dalmacoulter Landfill site to be transformed into a renewable energy hub.
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The proposals include the installation and operation of 1,750 photovoltaic panels organised into 10 arrays, each mounted on a solar panel table.
The site will also feature essential infrastructure such as mounting frames, a transformer kiosk and an on-site substation, as well as security fencing and CCTV
A report on the decision noted that the development is consistent with key environmental and renewable energy policies while successfully repurposing a brownfield site.
It also highlighted that existing tree cover in the surrounding area will effectively screen the panels from the landscape.
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Longi claims to have achieved the world’s highest efficiency for a silicon solar cell. The result was confirmed by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH).
Image: Longi
A few hours after Trina Solar revealed it achieved the world’s highest efficiency for silicon solar cells with 28.0%-efficient device TOPCon-compatible hybrid back-contact solar cell (THBC), Chinese module manufacturer Longi announced it achieved a higher efficiency of 28.13% with a hybrid nterdigitated-back-contact (HIBC) solar cell.
The result was independently confirmed by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH).
Longi also said that HIBC-based modules with an efficiency of 26.4% were certified by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). “These breakthroughs in technological capability have already translated into a leading edge in mass production,” the company said in a statement.
Longi outlined details of its HIBC solar cell architecture in a scientific paper published in November. The company said the device combines passivated tunneling contacts, dielectric passivation layers, and both n-type and p-type contacts.
The cell is built on a high-resistivity half-cut M10 wafer featuring edge passivation and optimized n-type contacts produced through a combined high- and low-temperature process. An indium tin oxide (ITO) layer improves lateral transport, while multilayer aluminum oxide (AlOx) and silicon nitride (SiNx) coatings reduce surface recombination.
The researchers also reduced phosphorus doping in the n-type polycrystalline silicon layer to limit dopant diffusion into the wafer. The company’s in situ passivated edge technology enables edge passivation during fabrication. In addition, deep-trenched metal fingers and selective ITO etching help prevent leakage between n-type and p-type contacts, while a thicker amorphous silicon layer improves junction coverage and sidewall encapsulation. To reduce contact resistivity without compromising passivation, the amorphous silicon layer is crystallized using a pulsed green nanosecond laser.
Longi said the technology could be scaled for heterojunction solar cell manufacturing, although additional improvements are still needed to reduce resistive losses in the p-type contact.
 
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Overview Energy and tech giant Meta have inked a first of its kind partnership to power Meta data centers with U.S.-built space solar energy through satellites.
The space solar satellites are scheduled for initial orbital demonstration in 2028 before their expected commercial power delivery date in 2030, the companies say. The agreement will put Meta at the forefront of data center energy infrastructure, officials say, as it also aims to strengthen renewable energy leadership for the U.S. at large.
All of this, Meta says, is in service of its quest to power data centers with renewable energy, which involves securing access to new avenues of power technology like space-based solar solutions.
“Space solar technology represents a transformative step forward by leveraging existing terrestrial infrastructure to deliver new, uninterrupted energy from orbit. We’re excited to partner with Overview Energy to pioneer innovative energy solutions to advance our AI ambitions and infrastructure,” says Nat Sahlstrom, Meta’s VP of energy and sustainability. “This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to innovation – leveraging cutting-edge technology to strengthen America’s energy leadership.”
Meta is one of the first major companies to look into space-based solar energy, officials say. As of April 27, the firm has signed an agreement for early access Overview’s space solar energy capacity, up to a maximum of 1 GW.

An overview of Overview’s solar satellites

Overview’s solar satellites function like energy reflectors, the company says, as they are able to collect continuous sunlight while in orbit, and them invisibly beam it down to solar projects on Earth.
“Space is becoming part of America’s energy infrastructure,” says Overview Energy CEO Marc Berte. “Our approach to space solar energy enables hyperscalers and technology providers to secure clean power with reliable siting, and speed to power. Together with Meta, we’re looking beyond traditional constraints on where and when power can be delivered to meet the growing demand for electricity.”
Overview says the new technology is engineered to meet standard U.S. regulatory, grid integration, and safety marks. The company’s advisory board included former Congressman and NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine and Joseph Kelliher, former FERC chairman and EVP of federal regulatory affairs at NextEra Energy, among other officials.


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US renewable energy developer Headwater Energy has acquired distributed energy operator Arena Renewables.
Arena’s portfolio covers both solar PV and battery energy storage systems (BESS), and the company claims to have a total development pipeline of 1GW. Headwater said that its acquisition would provide Arena “the investment capital needed” to build out its pipeline, and CEO Michal Cohen called the company’s work “an exceptional platform”.
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“With their capital and infrastructure behind us, we can move from development to placed-in-service assets faster, building with the same culture and values that have defined Arena from the start,” said Arena co-founder and CEO Matt Kozey.
The Arena portfolio will add to a 3.5GW development pipeline currently owned by Headwater. The company’s operational portfolio consists of 27 projects with a combined capacity of 206.2MW across five states, the largest of which is the 78.1MW Longbow Solar project in Texas, which started commercial operation in 2022.
The deal follows Arena’s sale of a 40MW solar portfolio in Illinois to fellow developer Summit Ridge Energy last May, at which time Arena said that its total pipeline sat at 800MW. The sale coincided with the publication of a report from Wood Mackenzie, which found that the share of third-party ownership (TPO) of non-residential projects in the US had increased from 69% to 72% between 2023 and 2024, highlighting the growing role of developers, such as Arena and Summit Ridge, in operating commercial solar assets.
Earlier this year, leading US tracker supplier GameChange Solar launched a distributed generation division to cater to the commercial and industrial (C&I) space in particular.

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Meta Taps Solar Energy to Power Data Centers  AI Business
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EBRD reviews $80mln loan for Scatec’s Dandara solar-plus-storage project in Egypt  ZAWYA
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28.13%, 26.4%! LONGi Sets New World Records for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell and Module Efficiency  SolarQuarter
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Grenergy has signed a 12-year tolling agreement for a Spanish hybrid project combining a 200 MW solar farm and a 680 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), marking what is likely the most significant deal of its kind in Europe for a co-located battery energy storage system.
The contract, covering the Escuderos hybrid project in Castilla-La Mancha, has been agreed with an unnamed international utility rated investment grade by Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s. It will run for 12 years and is set to take effect in July 2028.
Construction of the BESS is scheduled to begin in the second half of this year, with commissioning targeted for 2027. Under the tolling agreement, Grenergy will retain responsibility for operating the batteries and managing trading activities.
This marks Grenergy’s second tolling deal in Spain, following a 10-year agreement signed in February for its 150 MW/600 MWh standalone project in Oviedo – currently the largest of its kind in the country. That deal was also struck with an unnamed investment-grade international utility.
In terms of duration, Grenergy’s agreements rank among the most significant tolling deals in Europe to date. The main benchmark remains the 15-year contract between Drax Group and Zenobē for a 200 MW/800 MWh project at Coalburn in Scotland, which features a fixed fee structure without inflation indexation.
The new tolling agreement complements a daytime power purchase agreement signed with Galp in 2020, also with a 12-year term, covering the solar output of the Escuderos project.
With Escuderos, Grenergy aims to replicate in Spain the solar plus storage hybridization model developed in Chile through its Oasis de Atacama and Oasis Central platforms. Oasis de Atacama currently totals 2 GW of solar capacity and 11 GWh of storage, with completion expected in 2027 and an investment of €2 billion. Oasis Central is planned to deliver 1.1 GW of solar and 4 GWh of storage, with an estimated investment of €900 million.
“Escuderos marks the beginning of a new stage for Grenergy in Spain. It is our first major hybrid project in the country and more will follow. We see enormous potential in the Spanish market to continue developing a hybrid portfolio, building on the experience and track record we have already established in Chile with the Oasis platforms,” said David Ruiz de Andrés, CEO of Grenergy.
In parallel, Grenergy continues to advance Greenbox, its standalone battery platform in Europe, with a total pipeline exceeding 30 GWh. The company is progressing projects across its core markets: Poland (5 GWh), Romania (7 GWh), Germany (3 GWh), Italy (5.8 GWh), Spain (6 GWh) and the United Kingdom (4 GWh).
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Solar power is neat and electric vehicles are cool and heat pumps are more powerful than it seems like they should be, but these days the technology that’s really accelerating the energy transition is batteries.
Plus, we can play along at home! Try doing that with nuclear power.
We can buy batteries to serve as a generator that doesn’t stink or deafen you when power’s out, which lets us take better advantage of solar panels (if you’re lucky enough to have them) by shifting sun power after sunset. But you might be able to play even more.
A few of the utilities providing electricity in New Hampshire are paying customers to help them install home batteries as part of shifting the grid to “non-wires alternatives” — balancing supply and demand of electricity without building expensive poles, towers and wires. These programs are still tiny, far from the virtual power plant of 21st century dreams, but they’re a start.
Eversource is leading the pack, partly because it is by far the biggest electric utility in the state. If Eversource is your utility, it will pay you $240 per kilowatt-hour to buy a household battery from the Enphase company for a total of up to $3,000 ($10,000 for small businesses) as long as you let them draw some power from it.
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The program has various limits on the number of times per year it can be used, how much power much be left in the battery and when you can opt out because you want to keep a full charge.
The money comes from the New Hampshire Clean Energy Fund, which mostly comes from utility payments made if they don’t mean clean-energy requirements.
At the moment, Eversource has 71 units installed in this program with 24 under construction, totaling 1,070 kilowatts. On a peak summer afternoon or amid a winter polar vortex, New England power plants are often producing more than 20,000,000 kilowatts, so this is barely a drop in the bucket. It might still be worth the effort, however, because that will shave production from power plants during such peak moments. This “peak shaving” can save a surprising amount of money and is good for the rest of us because it might keep from turning on the most expensive, dirtiest, least-productive power plants.
Versions are available for commercial and industrial sites as well as municipal buildings.
Eversource is also opening Connected Solutions in New Hampshire. It has been running in its Massachusetts and Connecticut utilities for about 6 years. This doesn’t give an upfront payment but provides $225 for every kilowatt they draw, up to 60 times a summer. Making $1,000 or more a year is fairly typical for those who are enrolled and you can use any brand of battery you choose.
Liberty also has a battery support program, although they still call it a pilot so I’m not sure how accessible it is. As far as I can tell, Unitil and N.H. Electric Cooperative don’t have similar programs, although NHEC has rolled out a big battery of its own to help with peak shaving and balancing the grid.
Eversource has another way to get customers to help it shave peak load: smart thermostats, which reduce demand from individual homes rather than increase supply, but that’s a topic for another day.
I mentioned at the start that batteries have become an energy superstar. That isn’t an exaggeration but it might be a surprise, since they don’t generate electricity but only store and release it. Yet in the past few years as their price has fallen — for which we must thank China rather than ourselves, I’m afraid — batteries have allowed everybody to take dirt-cheap electricity from solar or wind and turn it into that most valuable of modern commodities: dispatchable power.
Global installations of batteries last year rose 40% because everybody’s building them as fast they can be connected to the grid. Go online and you’ll see huge battery farms being set up from Texas to Mongolia to Australia, not because of tree-hugging mandates but to save money. There are now so many in California that, at times this spring, batteries have produced almost as much electricity as is being used in all of New England.
It’s all part of the evolution of the energy grid. Isn’t it fun that we can be part of it?

David Brooks can be reached at dbrooks@cmonitor.com. Sign up for his Granite Geek weekly email newsletter at granitegeek.org. More by David Brooks
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Kernel Holding SA has secured a $45-million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for an energy storage-supported solar farm with a capacity of 106 megawatts in southern Ukraine.
To be connected to the national grid, the facility will produce 141 gigawatt hours a year and avoid about 82,500 metric tons per annum of carbon dioxide emissions, Kernel, a Luxembourg-registered agribusiness operating in Ukraine, said in a press release.
The Ukraine Investment Framework (UIF), part of the European Union's Ukraine Facility, is guaranteeing the funding from the EU-backed EBRD. The Ukraine Facility aims to mobilize up to EUR 50 billion ($58.72 billion) – EUR 33 billion in loans and EUR 17 billion in grants – from 2024 to 2027, according to the European Council, which gave the final approval for the facility February 28, 2024. The UIF targets up to EUR 40 billion of investments for recovery, reconstruction and modernization, according to the implementing agency, the European Commission.
"Ukraine currently faces a significant shortage of generation capacity, as large-scale facilities remain vulnerable to attacks", Kernel chief executive Yevgen Osypov said in an online statement. "Our response is to expand distributed generation, particularly solar and wind energy, as well as energy storage solutions".
Kernel aims to install up to 600 MW of renewables capacity, with expected investments of around $400 million.
It expects the EBRD-backed solar plus battery storage project to cost about $86 million. Kernel said it was in talks with other international lenders.
The EBRD said separately the project "will add significant new decentralized generation capacity in one of Ukraine's most energy-deficient regions, helping to stabilize the electricity system, reduce the frequency of outages and support economic activity".
"Alongside its energy security impact, the investment will also contribute to improving the livelihoods of more than 10,000 Kernel employees, many of whom are demobilized veterans", the London-based bank added. "Kernel will work with the EBRD to implement workplace accessibility measures for staff affected by war-related injuries and disabilities, as well as to expand training opportunities for young people by establishing modern engineering and energy laboratories at vocational education institutions".
"The EBRD is Ukraine’s largest institutional investor, having substantially increased its investment in the country since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022", the bank said. "Since the start of the war, the Bank has deployed billions of euros to support the real economy, with a focus on energy security, private-sector resilience and critical infrastructure".
Kernel said the loan is its first from the EBRD during the Russia-Ukraine war, which the Kremlin launched February 2022.
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Solar giant Longi Green Energy Technology Co announced two major technological breakthroughs, setting new world records for the conversion efficiency of both its crystalline silicon solar cells and modules.
The company’s self-developed Hybrid Interdigitated-Back-Contact (HIBC) solar cell achieved a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 28.13 percent, according to an authoritative certification by the Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH) in Germany.
The milestone marks another significant stride toward the theoretical efficiency limit of crystalline silicon solar cells, surpassing the company’s previous record of 28.04 percent set in January 2026.
Longi also announced that its solar module — based on HIBC cell technology — reached an efficiency of 26.4 percent. Certified by the United States-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NLR, formerly NREL), the achievement breaks the company’s prior module efficiency ceiling of 26 percent, it said.
Technological advancements by Chinese PV firms like Longi are crucial for driving down the levelized cost of electricity derived from solar power, making it an even more competitive and attractive energy source globally.
The company remains committed to developing groundbreaking technology and relentlessly driving improvements in converting solar energy to electricity in order to produce green, renewable, and cost-effective photovoltaic energy, it said.
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Nearly 11,000 electricity consumers in western Odisha reported “zero electricity bills” in March 2026 after installing rooftop solar systems.
The shift has been enabled under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, which promotes clean and affordable energy solutions for households.
Officials confirmed that 10,885 households recorded zero bills during the month, highlighting the growing success of decentralised solar power adoption in the region.
According to TP Western Odisha Distribution Ltd (TPWODL), a total of 18,830 consumers had installed rooftop solar systems by March 2026.
The expansion has been driven by the company’s 1-kW Utility Led Aggregation (ULA) model, which simplifies installation and reduces upfront costs for consumers. The initiative reflects a broader transition toward self-reliant and sustainable energy usage.
Data shows that around 60% of consumers with rooftop solar installations are now receiving zero electricity bills. The remaining 40% have reduced their monthly expenses by over 80%.
In March alone, 1,428 additional households joined the zero-bill category, demonstrating the immediate financial benefits of solar energy adoption.
Under the scheme, financial assistance significantly lowers the cost of installation:
Additionally, under TPWODL’s special 1 kW ULA model, eligible consumers can install rooftop solar systems by paying as little as ₹1,875 upfront.
The company provides a five-year warranty on equipment and a 25-year performance warranty on solar panels, ensuring long-term reliability.
All systems are integrated with smart meters, allowing accurate tracking of energy generation and consumption. This ensures seamless coordination between household usage and solar power production.
The rising adoption of rooftop solar systems in Odisha signals a significant move toward clean energy and reduced dependence on conventional power sources. The initiative not only lowers electricity costs but also contributes to environmental sustainability.

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Enviromena has signed an £825 million senior portfolio financing package to accelerate the delivery of a 1GW solar pipeline across the UK. The agreement marks one of the largest recent financing packages in the British renewable energy market and strengthens the company’s position as a major independent power producer.
The package begins with an initial £525 million commitment from a syndicate of leading banks. Those backing the transaction include BBVA, Intesa Sanpaolo, Lloyds, NatWest and Societe Generale.
The financing gives Enviromena access to substantial capital at a time when solar demand in Britain continues to rise. With energy security and long-term electricity costs remaining key concerns, large-scale solar developments are becoming increasingly valuable assets.
A notable feature of the deal is its expandable design. Alongside the initial £525 million, the package includes a £300 million uncommitted accordion facility. This means additional funding can be added as projects move forward and the company’s portfolio grows.
That flexible structure allows Enviromena to match funding with construction milestones rather than locking in unnecessary capital from the outset. It also gives the business room to move quickly when new projects are ready to break ground.
For developers managing multiple sites at different stages, this type of financing can be especially useful. It supports steady growth while reducing delays that often come from securing separate funding rounds for each project.
Enviromena was founded in 2007 by Sami Khoreibi in the MENA region. Since then, the business has expanded into the UK and Europe, building a broader clean energy platform focused on solar generation and battery storage.
Today, the company says it has delivered more than 120 solar plants. Its activities span project development, construction, ownership and long-term operations. Enviromena also reports a development pipeline exceeding 3GW, showing ambitions well beyond the current 1GW UK build programme.
This wider strategy reflects the changing nature of renewable energy businesses. Companies are no longer only builders of projects; many now develop, own and operate assets over decades to capture long-term value.
Chief executive Chris March described the financing as a “landmark transaction” for the company. The scale of the package suggests lenders also see strong confidence in Enviromena’s pipeline and execution ability.
The company already has operating assets in Britain, including the 71MW Medebridge Solar Farm. That site drew attention in 2025 after securing a 10-year power purchase agreement with University of Manchester, highlighting growing demand from institutions seeking clean electricity supply.
Advisers on the financing included Perella Weinberg as exclusive financial adviser, Travers Smith as borrower counsel, and Eversheds Sutherland as lender counsel.
With fresh capital secured, Enviromena is now positioned to play a larger role in Britain’s transition toward low-carbon power.

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Huaneng has commissioned the 5.43 GW Xiaowan Hydropower–Solar Hybrid Project in Yunnan, combining 4.2 GW of hydropower and 1.23 GW of solar under a coordinated “hydro–solar intelligent control” system integrating 16 PV plants.
The Xiaowan Dam
Image: China Huaneng Group
Chinese state-owned energy company Huaneng Group has commissioned today the Huaneng Xiaowan Hydropower–Solar Hybrid Project in Yunnan province, in southwestern China.
The facility is operated by the company’s subsidiary Huaneng Lancang River Hydropower Co., Ltd. at the Xiaowan Hydropower Station. It has a total installed capacity of 5.43 GW, including 4.2 GW of hydropower and 1.23 GW of solar power.
Huaneng said project introduces an innovative “hydro–solar intelligent coordination” control technology that integrates electricity from 16 solar power plants through a single collection station and then transmits the combined output alongside hydropower generation from the Xiaowan Hydropower Station.
“By leveraging the reservoir’s large energy storage capacity and the hydropower plant’s millisecond-level response capability, the system enables coordinated hydro–solar operation and integrated storage and transmission,” the company said in a statement.
The project has reportedly overcome key technical challenges in hydro–solar coordinated stability control. Based on a fully domestically controlled system for the hydropower plant, it has also achieved full localization of core equipment, including photovoltaic station monitoring systems, protection devices, and static synchronous compensators (STATCOMs), Huaneng said.
The Xiaowan Dam is a 292-meter-high double-curvature arch dam on the Lancang River in Yunnan. It was completed in 2010 and is one of the tallest of its kind in the world. Its installed capacity comes from from six 700 MW Francis turbines.
With a massive reservoir capacity of about 15 billion m³, the dam plays a key regulatory role in the cascade system, enabling multi-year water storage, flood control, sediment retention, and stable downstream flow management. Functioning as a giant natural battery, it is also essential for coordinating hydropower output with large-scale renewables generation in the whole Yunnan province.
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Meta Is Trying to Harvest the Sun. Here’s the Plan.  Barron’s
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The Fair Oaks project is made up of a 75.4MWp solar PV array and a 49.9MW/99.8MWh BESS, and was developed by Ridge Clean Energy Ltd.
April 27, 2026
L&G NTR Clean Power (Europe) Fund has announced the acquisition of Fair Oaks Renewable Energy Park, a ready-to-build solar and BES project in Nottinghamshire, England. 
The Fair Oaks project is made up of a 75.4MWp solar PV array and a 49.9MW/99.8MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), and was developed by Ridge Clean Energy Ltd. Through the transaction, the Fund will collaborate with Ridge to deliver the project. 
The news comes as NESO announces more Gate 2 connection offers, following delays to the body’s initial timeline. 
Launched in 2025 as an Article 9 fund under the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), the Fund is a joint initiative between asset manager Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) and European renewable energy business NTR.  
The transaction with Fair Oaks was completed by NTR on behalf of the Fund, marking a new relationship between NTR and Ridge. Fair Oaks already has a grid connection offer and planning consent, as well as a secured Contract for Difference, allowing construction to most likely begin in 2026. The anticipated commercial operations date is earmarked for early 2028. 
Related:SmartestEnergy and AGR sign CfD-backed PPAs for four solar and storage projects
Michael Barrie, Head of Real Estate and Infrastructure – Private Markets at L&G, commented: “As the Fund’s second investment in the UK, following existing offshore wind exposure, Fair Oaks adds to its diversified presence in the European market.” 
NTR’s announcement stresses the importance of the project’s local impact, citing both a “community-led approach” to the site’s development and a goal of reducing stress on the grid. 
Anthony Doherty, Chief Investment Officer of NTR, said: “Fair Oaks is particularly attractive as a hybrid solar and BESS asset that can play a critical role in both stabilising the grid and accelerating the transition to reliable, clean energy.” 
Ridge Clean Energy Ltd’s CEO, Marjorie Neasham Glasgow, echoed Doherty’s statement, adding: “Ridge is proud to work with NTR to deliver the next phase of Fair Oaks, which will create meaningful local benefits and help landowners make the most of their resources.” 
Glasgow continued: “This approach aligns with Ridge’s perspective that we are best-placed to achieve the government’s 2030 goals if we deliver long-term value to the local area, and we look forward to working together.”
L&G NTR acquired a large Irish solar and storage portfolio last year. 
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Over the last two months, nations have scrambled to shore up oil supplies as the Iran war prevented oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
This, according to some global analysts, would lead to a downturn for clean technology exports from China, the world’s top producer of solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles. They predicted the rush to secure fuel for cars and trucks combined with China’s manufacturing oversupply, collapsing prices and trade barriers would trigger a sharp fall in cleantech exports and a slowdown in global deployment.
New data from energy thinktank Ember shows the exact opposite has happened. China’s solar exports doubled in a single month, rising to a new record of 68 gigawatts in March. Fifty countries broke records for imports of Chinese solar panels. Demand was particularly high in countries hardest hit by the oil crunch, such as India and the Philippines. Exports of batteries and EVs also jumped 38% in a month.
Nations aren’t just focused on oil. They’re securing more reliable energy supplies to avoid the next disruption.
The pain from soaring oil and gas prices is being felt most acutely in developing nations. It should be no surprise many of these countries are moving fastest to seek alternatives.
Demand for solar in many African nations has risen rapidly since 2024. But in March, demand across the continent rose 176% month on month to reach 10 GW, while demand in Asia rose to 39 GW.
The top importers were India (11.3 GW) and Indonesia (6.2 GW), two nations long reliant on coal.
Some of this demand will fall back, as China’s changes to tax rebates this month will add 9% to the cost of solar panels. But this doesn’t take away from the bigger picture.
In only a few years, China has come to dominate the mass production of almost all clean technologies across solar (80%), wind (70%), battery cells (80%), battery systems (80%), EVs (70%) and hydrogen electrolysers (58%). In newer industries such as heavy electric trucks, market share is over 90%.
This success has come with the problem of overcapacity. Firms can produce much more solar than the world is buying. Authorities are flagging the need for industry consolidation.
For other cleantech producers, China’s record exports look threatening. But from a climate perspective, overcapacity isn’t so much a bug as a feature.
This is because of Wright’s Law – the rule that for every doubling of cumulative production, the cost per unit falls by a predictable percentage. When production is concentrated in high-volume hubs as in China, this law translates to rapid cost declines globally. The effect is even stronger because China is installing solar at world-beating rates.
Record solar exports aren’t a blip. Growth has been consistently strong since 2023. There’s no sign of a long-term slump in demand for cheap solar and clean tech.
As the International Energy Agency points out, this year’s oil crisis is likely to accelerate the rush for clean tech.
In coming months, shipments of solar panels will be unloaded from China’s cargo ships and added to power grids or as standalone energy sources everywhere from South America to West Africa. Once online, cheap daytime solar will reduce demand for pricier power from coal and gas plants.
This is exactly what happened in Pakistan, where an unreliable grid drove enormous solar uptake in recent years – and less demand for gas.
Solar panels usually displace coal and gas, given thermal power plants tend to burn these fossil fuels. But EVs directly displace oil.
This is why it’s significant that exports of EVs and batteries are now much more valuable to China than solar panels.

Solar produces cheap, abundant power. Batteries allow it to be used later. These technologies are useful first to clean up electricity generation and boost energy security.
But these two technologies can unlock much more. They can make it possible to electrify polluting sectors long considered “hard to abate”.
Electric options for heavy industry are multiplying. Electric arc furnaces are now replacing coal‑fired blast furnaces in steelmaking. High‑temperature electric heat pumps and electric boilers are replacing gas in some chemical and food‑processing plants, while heavy duty battery‑electric haul trucks are being trialled in mining and construction.
These technologies are still at an early stage. They’re often more expensive up-front. But the selling point is the fact they are cheaper to run – as long as electricity is fairly cheap.
This is exactly the outcome solar and battery combinations deliver.
Last month, Australia imported nearly 1 GW of solar from China – a new monthly record.
This quiet surge happened even as leaders debated over whether to drill for more oil in Queensland or expand domestic fuel reserves.
The facts on the ground favour clean tech. Per capita, sun-drenched Australia has the most rooftop solar in the world. Battery storage is growing very fast. The main power grid is now at 50% renewables. Uptake of EVs is surging after a slow start.
The next big thing will be clean tech for heavy industry and mining. Some mine sites already get most of their power from renewables, while electrified fleets are developing.
China’s export boom shows cleantech is becoming the new engine of the global energy system. The scramble for oil is a stopgap measure.

Higher oil prices will only spur on the search for alternatives – just as they did during the first oil shocks over 50 years ago.
This time, though, the oil shock has hit in the midst of the fastest energy transition in human history.
Adjunct Professor, The University of Western Australia
Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University
Peter Newman received funding from the federal government to attend IPCC meetings as a lead author on transport and cities.
Ray Wills does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.


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California’s largest agricultural water district wants to turn a growing water crisis into an economic pivot.
The Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan aims to repurpose tens of thousands of acres of water‑starved farmland in California’s San Joaquin Valley into a massive solar‑and‑battery network, producing power for the state’s grid, lowering energy costs for farmers, and creating a new economic lifeline as groundwater rules force fields to fallow.
“This is not only the largest project in California, or the United States,” said Jeff Fortune, president of the Westlands Water District board. “This will be the largest project in the world.”
If built out, the network could add roughly 21 gigawatts of solar and battery capacity across about 136,000 acres of repurposed farmland — an energy buildout on par with all the large‑scale solar California has on the grid today, district documents show
Westlands delivers federally and state-supplied water to farms across a 1,000‑square‑mile stretch of western Fresno and Kings counties — one of the most productive agricultural regions in the country. But decades of water shortages and new state groundwater limits are forcing growers to rethink how that land can be used.
For years, Westlands growers relied on surface water deliveries from the Central Valley Project and deep groundwater pumping. Both are now heavily constrained.
Under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, aquifers in the San Joaquin Valley must reach sustainability by the early 2040s — sharply limiting how much water farmers can pump. District officials say that could force growers to fallow hundreds of thousands of acres.
“Our hand is forced,” Fortune said. “Everyone’s in the same sinking ship together.”
Much of the land targeted for solar development is already difficult or impossible to farm because of drainage problems and soil salinity. Instead of leaving those acres idle, the district is pitching solar as a replacement crop.
“The way we look at it is as a new crop,” said Jeremy Hughes, a Westlands board member and fifth‑generation farmer. “We’re harvesting the sun and producing electricity.”
Westlands is not becoming a utility. Instead, a state law passed in 2024 allows the district to generate electricity, build transmission, and sell power through California’s grid operator.
Under the plan:
Running pumps and moving water is energy‑intensive, Hughes said, and reducing those costs could help keep farming viable.
“The district is going to get lower power costs to supply the water,” Fortune said. “And growers are going to get the option of lower‑cost power on their end.”
Westlands would also finance and build new high‑voltage transmission lines to move electricity to market, easing congestion between Northern and Southern California.
“In that sense,” Hughes said, “this is a transmission play, not a solar play. The solar is doable because of the transmission.”
California needs far more clean electricity, even as water shortages are pulling land out of agricultural production.
Supporters say the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan tackles both problems at once: helping farmers survive strict groundwater rules while delivering large amounts of clean power to the state.
“This hits all those boxes,” said Ross Franson, president of farming at Woolf Farming & Processing, which already hosts solar projects on its land. “Energy transition, water issues, power demand — it’s all coming together here.”
But for communities built around farm labor, the shift raises concerns.
With irrigation shrinking and solar replacing crops, longtime farmworker Rosa Ramirez worries about disappearing jobs. “Back in the ’90s, they used to have tomato fields, lettuce, onions,” she said in Spanish. “Now there’s less and less.”
Her son, Danny Garcia, asked a question local leaders say they still can’t fully answer: “Is she going to work there with the solar system? She has no experience.”
The land proposed for solar development — about 136,000 acres — is vast.
That’s:
At that scale, Westlands says it can justify building its own transmission system: roughly 70 miles of high‑voltage power lines and five substations that connect to California’s statewide grid.
State law requires the project to include a community benefits plan, aimed at delivering jobs, investment, and environmental improvements to nearby towns — many of which face high unemployment, unsafe drinking water, and some of the state’s highest electricity bills.
“We believe everybody should participate,” said Espi Sandoval of Rural Communities Rising, a coalition of western Fresno County communities. “Residents want to be part of conversations before decisions are made.”
But some local leaders worry benefits will come too late.
Westlands officials have said community funding tied to solar revenues would likely begin years after construction starts, once projects are operating — a timeline that concerns residents already struggling with rising bills and fewer farm jobs.
None of the solar farms or transmission lines has been built yet. The project is expected to roll out over the next decade or more, with individual solar developments advancing under a districtwide environmental framework approved in late 2024.
Major questions remain unresolved, including:
For Westlands growers, the plan is less about leaving agriculture than adapting to its limits.
“If we could keep farming all of it, we would,” said Rebecca Kaser, whose family has farmed in the district for generations. “This is a tool in the toolbox to at least stay farming with the little that we can.”
This story was originally published at the USA TODAY Network’s Visalia Times-Delta. To read the unabridged story, go here.

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Funding Opportunities
Register for the PV End-of-Life Action Plan Update webinar on October 21 at 2 p.m. ET
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Materials, Operation, and Recycling of Photovoltaics (MORE PV) funding program supports research and development projects to create innovative and practical approaches to increase the reuse and recycling of solar energy technologies. 
DOE announced this funding opportunity on July 21, 2023. SETO selected four projects to receive $15.7 million in funding, which were announced on September 12, 2024. 
Projects will address challenges associated with the rapid deployment of PV systems in the United States, including the increasing demands on PV materials, system operation and maintenance, and recycling. This work will support technology improvements to reduce these challenges with a holistic view of all stages of the PV lifecycle—from the material needs and installation to operation and end of life. 
The research activities will strengthen a circular economy for solar energy systems in the United States, aligning with the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals to build a clean and equitable energy economy. This funding program also supports DOE’s Photovoltaics End-of-Life Action Plan which aims to halve the cost of recycling by 2030 and reduce the environmental impact of solar energy modules at end-of-life.
– Award and cost share amounts are subject to change pending negotiations – 
Project Name: ArgoPV: Orchestrating the Complete Photovoltaic Lifecycle Using Generative Artificial Intelligence and Spatiotemporal Graphs
Location: Cleveland, OH
DOE Award Amount: $4 million
Awardee Cost Share: $150,000
Principal Investigator: Roger French
Project Description: This project is developing ArgoPV, a generative artificial-intelligence–powered tool that can be used for photovoltaic (PV) design and operation decision support to minimize energy use, costs, and environmental impacts. To enable this tool, the project will build a holistic framework using PV performance and weather data throughout the system’s lifecycle (PV materials, design, installation, performance, and end-of-life) and advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence analytics to enable prediction of future performance. The team is partnering with the University of Central Florida and Sandia National Laboratories.
Project Name: Raising the Bar: Data-Driven Standards to Increase and Incentivize PV Resiliency 
Location: Sacramento, CA
DOE Award Amount: $2.4 million
Awardee Cost Share: $600,000
Principal Investigator: Adam Shinn
Project Description: The study of solar resilience during extreme weather events, like hail and hurricanes, has historically been limited by the lack of data. Leveraging physical loss data from solar assets and insurance claims, kWh Analytics is building a risk assessment model to identify the leading characteristics that make PV systems resilient against loss. Through a partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Det Norske Veritas Group (DNV), and STANCE: Renewable Risk Partners, this analysis will provide standards and actionable insights to improve resilience for PV system owners and operators and to incentivize efficient solar deployment at scale for lenders. 
Project Name: Contactless Multi-Curve Tracer for Enhanced Photovoltaic System Installation, Operations, Maintenance and Performance
Location: Charlotte, NC
DOE Award Amount: $1.3 million
Awardee Cost Share: $66,000
Principal Investigator: Jaewon Oh
Project Description: This project,in partnership with Portland State University, Pordis LLC, SOLV Energy, Arizona State University, and Duke Energy, is developing a commercially viable contactless multi-current-voltage (I-V) curve tracer. This tool will measure the current and voltage output of photovoltaic (PV) modules at multiple points without disconnecting and reconnecting the system to evaluate performance during its operation. This technology could make assessing PV system performance and diagnosing problems safer and faster for U.S. PV installers and operations and maintenance professionals.
Project Title: Breaking Barriers to Enable Solar Technology Circularity (BBEST Circularity)
Location: Palo Alto, CA
DOE Award Amount: $8 million
Awardee Cost Share: $2 million
Principal Investigator: Cara Libby
Project Description: This partnership of about 30 organizations, including academic and industrial stakeholders, aims to improve the circularity and lifecycle impact of photovoltaic (PV) systems through technology solutions, strategic partnerships, and community benefits. These include enabling near-field or in-field PV system repair, evaluating end-market technology solutions, reviewing policies that incentivize or mandate PV recycling, analyzing PV module composition and toxicity, developing end-of-life best practices, and publishing an end-of-life database to support long-term planning. The partnership will also establish working groups to guide research and analysis, support standards development, inform policy discussions, and disseminate results.
Learn more about SETO’s photovoltaics research, funding programs, and open funding opportunities.
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Utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage will add more than 80 gigawatts (GW) of new generating capacity in the US by February 28, 2027, while total fossil fuel and nuclear power capacity will fall by almost 5 GW, according to data just released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), which was reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign.
As of March 1, 2026, renewable energy’s share of total US utility-scale (>1 megawatt (MW)) generating capacity was 33.4%. EIA projects this to grow to 36.6% by February 28, 2027. Solar will add 42,628.6 MW, expanding its share from 12.7% to 15.5%, while wind will grow by 14,507.4 MW, increasing from 13.1% to 13.6%. This includes 4,155.0 MW of new offshore wind capacity. The mix of other renewables (i.e., hydropower, biomass, and geothermal) will add 316.7 MW.  
The combined capacity growth of all renewable energy sources for the 12-month period (57,452.7 MW) is almost 75% greater than that added during the previous 12 months (32,988.9 MW).
Meanwhile, EIA projects no new nuclear generating capacity and a net decline of 4,903.2 MW in fossil fuel capacity.
EIA doesn’t provide a forecast for new capacity additions by small-scale solar (e.g., rooftop solar). However, it reports that as of the end of February, small-scale solar capacity totaled 60.197.9 MW, with over 10% (6,068.9 MW) of that capacity coming online in the last year.
If small-scale solar adds a comparable amount by March 1, 2027 (e.g., 6,000 MW), it will bring renewable energy’s share of installed capacity up to 39.7%. Solar power’s share alone (19.7%) will be almost one-fifth of total US capacity.  
By comparison, natural gas’ share of generating capacity will drop from 40.0% to 38.3%.
For the forecast period, EIA expects utility-scale battery energy storage to surge from 44,630.7 MW to 67,549.6 MW – an increase of 51.4%.
Thus, the combination of renewable energy sources (including estimated small-scale solar) and battery energy storage will provide approximately 86,370 MW of new clean capacity.
Unsurprisingly, the rapid expansion of renewables’ generating capacity has been accompanied by comparable growth in generation.
During January and February, electrical output by the mix of renewables increased by 10.8% and provided 26.0% of total generation – up from 23.6% during the same two-month period in 2025. Renewable energy growth was triple that of all energy sources combined (3.6%).
The growth was led by surges of 23.2% in utility-scale solar and a 22.9% in hydropower, plus 11.4% growth in estimated small-scale solar. Electrical production by wind and geothermal also grew by 1.4% and 1.5%, respectively.
Once again, the electricity generated by the mix of solar and wind was greater than that from either coal or nuclear power.
“Notwithstanding all of the policy obstacles thrown up by the Trump Administration during the last year, renewables raced ahead in 2025,” said the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director, Ken Bossong. “Now they are poised to really press the pedal to the metal in 2026 and beyond.”
Read more: FERC: Renewables made up 88% of new US power generating capacity in 2025
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Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor on Electrek and an editor on DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont. She has previously worked for Fast Company, the Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and others. Message Michelle on Twitter or at michelle@9to5mac.com. Check out her personal blog.
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‘Built for our neighbors’: New solar farm goes live in Maryville, feeding power into local grid  WATE 6 On Your Side
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Artificial intelligence came through at a crunch time for SESA-PR President PJ Wilson. The veteran solar advocate makes the case in an interview for solar and storage policy advocates to make good use of AI resources.
Image: Ricardo Arduengo
Facing a tight deadline to recommend whether the Puerto Rico Solar and Energy Storage Association should intervene in an integrated resource plan (IRP) proceeding, SESA-PR President PJ Wilson needed a way to quickly sift through 173 regulatory filings to find those aspects of the draft IRP related to distributed solar and storage.
Although he found that OpenAI’s application ChatGPT could not perform this task, when he asked it which AI program could do the job, it surprisingly suggested Claude Cowork, from competitor firm Anthropic.
Sure enough, Claude Cowork churned through the 173 filings in minutes, producing a complete summary of the draft IRP, including details of a proposed non-emergency virtual power plant that would aggregate distributed batteries, Wilson said.
Puerto Rico already has an emergency VPP that was activated many times last summer, Wilson said, avoiding neighborhood blackouts in emergencies by drawing power held in reserve from distributed batteries.
A non-emergency VPP could support the grid routinely, dispatching perhaps 50% of battery capacity daily, with a different compensation structure. That was a proposal that SESA-PR would not oppose and might favor, Wilson said.
The draft IRP also included an assumption about the annualized cost per kilowatt of battery capacity, and an outdated projection of distributed solar capacity through 2046.
Wilson took the information to SESA-PR’s board and gained approval to intervene in the IRP process.
The next step was deciding whether to engage in what Wilson calls a “full” intervention, which would take “significant” financial resources. So he used the Claude Cowork report as a fundraising document, asking members for which of the IRP issues they wanted to fund SESA-PR’s engagement.
Based on this experience, Wilson made the case for greater use of AI by policy staff in the solar and storage industry.
Without Claude Cowork, Wilson said that if he had time, he could have read the 173 filings himself, highlighting phrases in different colors. Or if he had sufficient funds, he could have hired a law firm or other provider to analyze the report, at a high cost per hour and with the need to disregard a number of filings, to control the cost.
But without those resources, he found he could rely on Claude Cowork. To verify the quality of Claude Cowork’s output, Wilson specified that the application should cite a source document and page number for each statement in its analysis. He spot-checked the results and found that they were accurate.
Using AI again for SESA-PR’s motion to intervene in the IRP proceeding, Wilson directed Claude Cowork to produce the first draft, modeled on the group’s previous motion to intervene. An attorney reviewed the draft before it was filed.
Another key capability of Claude for IRP proceedings, Wilson said, is that it can review the output of a utility’s least-cost capacity expansion modeling and suggest how the result would likely change if a “couple variables” in the analysis “were moved.” Claude can give enough information that an intervenor could call for the utility to rerun its analysis, “‘because we think the outcome will be in this ballpark,’” he said. “That can give the regulators a signal.”
Wilson is now completing a project to take YouTube recordings of regulatory hearings and automatically transcribe and summarize them, including a function that checks the spelling of speakers’ names and organizations. 
Wilson said his “AI or die” statement for solar advocates is that “I’m pretty sure the fossil fuel advocates are already using these tools. As we’re advocating for what we believe is the most important thing compared to others, I don’t think there’s any choice but to fully embrace AI.”
SESA-PR is one of 22 state-level affiliates of the national solar trade group SEIA.
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Meta Platforms Inc. is looking to power artificial intelligence data centers with solar energy collected in space, taking a novel approach to meeting its insatiable demand for electricity.
The company said Monday that it clinched a deal for up to 1 gigawatt of space solar energy from Overview Energy, a startup seeking to collect sunlight in satellites orbiting Earth and convert it into electricity to support the grid. A gigawatt is roughly equivalent to the power generated by a nuclear reactor.
Overview Energy’s vision for a space-based power plant that beams energy back to Earth is still hypothetical. The startup is continuing to develop and test its underlying technology, with plans to conduct an initial orbital demonstration in 2028.
Meta declined to comment on the financial terms of the agreement, which would provide preferential access to Overview Energy’s future capacity. The companies said they expect commercial power delivery in 2030.
Meta isn’t the only one looking to space to meet its data center needs. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and others have discussed putting the computing facilities themselves in orbit.
For Meta, the move is part of a massive AI spending spree. The company is allocating hundreds of billions of dollars to secure the energy, infrastructure and computing capacity needed to support its artificial intelligence plans.
It hopes that Overview Energy will offer it access to clean, “uninterrupted energy,” Nat Sahlstrom, Meta’s vice president of energy and sustainability, said in a statement.
Meta’s AI ambitions have relied heavily on natural gas, which it has viewed as a more consistent and reliable form of energy than some cleaner sources.
The company is supporting the development of 10 new gas-fired plants for its biggest AI data center campus, which it is building in rural Louisiana.
Overview Energy, based in northern Virginia, is capitalizing on the idea that the sun never sets in space.
If its efforts to collect continuous energy and beam it back to receivers on Earth are successful, it could provide a clean energy solution that avoids some of the limitations of terrestrial solar panels. Their performance varies based on weather, time of day and the season.
Griffin writes for Bloomberg.
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‘Built for our neighbors’: New solar farm goes live in Maryville, feeding power into local grid  AOL.com
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The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has launched a new land-based renewable energy solicitation to procure renewable energy certificates through a competitive process, supporting the development of onshore wind, solar, and hydroelectric projects. 
The competitive solicitation, titled RESRFP26-1, is designed to procure renewable energy certificates from eligible mature projects, including land-based wind, hydroelectric and solar energy projects.  
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It targets mid-to-late-stage developments that are ready to begin construction, with a particular focus on projects positioned to benefit from expiring federal clean energy tax credits. It is open to eligible renewable energy developers advancing mature large-scale projects. 
“By supporting additional land-based renewable energy projects at a time when we are facing significant federal headwinds, we continue to grow an already substantial renewables pipeline – furthering New York’s energy independence and keeping our focus on energy affordability,” said Doreen Harris, CEO, NYSERDA. 
The process will be conducted in two steps, beginning with eligibility screening followed by submission of non-price and price bid components. The solicitation incorporates design features from previous procurements, including provisions on component cost indexing, labour standards, stakeholder engagement, disadvantaged community commitments and agricultural land preservation. NYSERDA has also streamlined bid requirements to accelerate contracting timelines. 
Projects must submit eligibility documentation by 19 May 2026, followed by non-price bid components due on 25 June and price proposals due on 30 July. Conditional award notifications are expected in September 2026, with final contract announcements to follow upon execution. 
According to NYSERDA, New York’s current large-scale renewable energy pipeline includes 61 projects across solar, land-based wind, hydroelectric and offshore wind, expected to deliver more than 9GW of clean power. The authority said the projects supported under this solicitation are expected to drive billions in clean energy investment and create thousands of jobs across the state’s clean energy economy. 
New York advanced its clean energy strategy through a series of policy and planning milestones aimed at scaling both solar and storage capacity. 
The New York State Senate passed the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act, setting a target of 20GW of distributed energy capacity by 2035. In parallel, the New York State Energy Planning Board published a draft state energy plan in July 2025, outlining a 15-year outlook to 2040 with goals of 35GW of solar PV and 9.4GW of battery energy storage systems (BESS) by 2040. 
The state also exceeded its previous ambition, reaching 6GW of distributed solar a year ahead of its 2025 target. 
In September 2025, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) issued its ninth request for proposals (RfP) for new renewable energy capacity, announced by Governor Kathy Hochul, to further accelerate the deployment of clean energy projects across the state. 

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By Joe Wilkins
Published Apr 27, 2026 7:01 PM EDT
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Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech
The ongoing war on Iran may have drastically reduced the amount of oil passing from West Asia to the rest of the world, but there is a bright side, literally: surging solar panel sales.
According to Yale Environment 360, China has reached a record high for solar panel exports as suppliers scramble for oil alternatives. In March, one month into the US-Iran war that began on February 28, the People’s Republic doubled the number of solar panels it was exporting, distributing 68 gigawatts of photovoltaic cells and silicon wafers.
That’s an astonishing spike across one month — for context, the US has only an estimated 70 gigawatts of new solar generating capacity scheduled to come online across all of 2026 and 2027. According to data from the think-tank Ember Energy, China exported more solar capacity in March alone than the entire nation of Spain installed in the previous decade.
Per Ember, the banner month traces back to increased demand in Asia and Africa in particular. Across all of Africa, Chinese solar imports grew by 176 percent from February to March, while Chinese exports to the rest of Asia reached 39 gigawatts worth of capacity. In all, 55 countries set all-time records for Chinese solar purchases.
It’s also an astonishing self-own for US president Donald Trump, an avowed foe of both renewables and China — but whose foray into Iran is now offering an historic boost to both.
While the long-term impacts of accelerating the world’s solar infrastructure seems obvious enough, the record-breaking numbers come with important implications for the Chinese solar industry. As a number of hawkish analysts have argued, the PRC’s solar sector seems to be experiencing a crisis of overproduction, resulting in over 40 solar corporations exiting the market over the past few years.
Going forward, one of the big questions will be whether the insatiable demand spurred by the US-Iran war can meaningfully dent China’s overcapacity of solar infrastructure output. Regardless, it’s clear China made the right bet in investing in fossil fuel-alternatives as peace talks between the US and Iran drag on, with no end in sight.
More on solar energy: Scientists Set New Record for Solar Cell Efficiency
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On sale in Aldi stores nationwide, the device features four fold-out solar panels
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The sun is shining, you’ve secured your Glastonbury Festival tickets and summer getaways are officially on the horizon. Arriving just in time for the warmer weather, Aldi has launched a new £30 portable solar panel, and it’s already selling out.
Solar panels are more popular than ever, and Aldi’s foldable solar panel charger costs far less than the best solar chargers we’ve tested at The Independent. Boasting four fold-out solar panels, you can charge several devices on the go thanks to its three USB-C ports. But the summer gadget is already flying off the shelves, with some local branches already selling out.
Retailers like Lidl, Iceland, Currys and Amazon are gearing up to sell £400 plug-in solar panels as part of a government push to bring cheaper home energy tech to the UK. Therefore it’ll soon be easier than ever to invest in renewables, without having to shell out for an entire solar panel roof. On sale now, Aldi’s portable solar panel is a specialbuy, so it won’t be restocked. Here’s everything you need to know
Read more: We’ve found the best solar panels in the UK
Designed for camping, hiking and all your outdoor adventures, Aldi’s £29.99 portable solar charger will help you out when you’re nowhere near a plug point. It has a foldable design, so it’s easy to pack away.
It features four solar panels, which can be spread out to capture more sunlight. There are also three handy USB-C ports, meaning you can charge multiple devices at the same time.
While we haven’t tested Aldi’s portable solar charger for ourselves, the supermarket chain says it has a 40W maximum output in strong sunlight, but you might get slower speeds if it’s a cloudier day.
Unlike a traditional power bank, solar chargers don’t store energy, but generate it on the go. Aldi’s portable solar charger landed in stores over the weekend as part of its specialbuys range. You don’t have long to snap it up. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
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The iSkim Ultra utilizes a 24 W monocrystalline solar array and a 10,000 mAh battery to provide 24/7 surface cleaning through an autonomous dual-path navigation system.
Image: Beatbot
Beatbot has introduced the iSkim Ultra to the residential pool market, a device that aims to reduce filtration load by capturing surface debris before it sinks.
The unit is powered by a top-mounted 24 W solar panel that supports continuous operation, supplemented by a 10,000 mAh battery for overnight cleaning cycles. For environments with limited sunlight, the system includes a 24 W magnetic wireless charging dock.
The hardware is built around a seven-motor drive system and 20 sensors, including tri-ultrasonic sensors and a six-axis IMU, allowing the unit to navigate pool shapes and avoid obstacles. The cleaning mechanism features a 265 mm front roller brush that feeds a 9-liter debris basket. Beatbot states the basket can hold between 400 and 800 leaves depending on their size.
Beyond physical debris removal, the device integrates a pump system that dispenses a natural clarifying agent to manage oils and fine particles. This feature is controlled via a mobile app, which also handles manual steering and software updates. The iSkim Ultra is priced at $1,499 and is designed to handle daily surface maintenance without manual effort.
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A judicial review could be sought into the government's decision to approve proposals for the UK's largest solar farm.
The legal action is being considered by Lincolnshire County Council and North Kesteven District Council after the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero approved Springwell Solar Farm on 8 April, with ministers saying it would help "bring down bills for good".
Developer EDF said it would cover an area the size of 1,700 football pitches – 1,280 hectares – and incorporate a battery storage facility, providing power for 180,000 homes.
The government said it could not comment on the possibility of a judicial review because it was "a live planning case".
The development, on land near villages between Lincoln and Sleaford, was approved following a public inquiry by the Planning Inspectorate.
But campaigners had raised concerns about the loss of farmland, the impact on the landscape and the safety of the lithium-ion batteries.
The county council said both authorities objected during the planning process because the proposals "did not properly assess" the impacts on rural communities, the landscape and agricultural land.
"Having carefully reviewed the examining authority's report and secretary of state's decision letter, the councils are concerned that the proper process was not followed and are now seeking to challenge the decision legally," a spokesperson said.
County council leader Sean Matthews said: "Following legal advice and a careful consideration of the potential costs and impact, we believe we may have grounds to challenge this decision."
North Kesteven District Council leader Richard Wright said the government's decision-making process was "flawed".
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the judicial review would be jointly funded between the two councils and could cost up to £500,000 if they were to lose.
The move is being backed by the Conservative MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, Dr Caroline Johnson, who said: "I am here because my constituents are very clear that they do not wish to have large scale ground-mounted solar farms blighting our countryside and impacting our food security."
Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, and watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
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The developer says the plant will not affect local people but some nearby residents are worried.
The annual North Kesteven Walking Festival will comprise more than 70 walks for people of all ages.
The bank holiday event in Lincoln will feature Viking warriors, a Roman market and a Norman kitchen.
Residents are campaigning to prevent the site on fields near the rural village of Burnett.
University of Lincoln says dental care access is in crisis, particularly in rural and coastal areas.
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Meta has taken a bold step toward securing future energy needs by signing a deal to access solar power beamed from space, marking a significant evolution in how major tech companies approach sustainability and infrastructure.

The company is increasingly focused on long-term energy resilience as its artificial intelligence operations expand. Data centers require vast amounts of electricity, and Meta is now exploring unconventional solutions to ensure consistent, carbon-free power. This agreement reflects a broader strategy to diversify beyond terrestrial renewable sources like wind and ground-based solar.
The concept relies on satellites positioned in orbit that capture sunlight without atmospheric interference. These satellites convert solar energy into infrared or microwave signals and transmit it to Earth. Ground stations then convert the signals back into usable electricity. This system promises higher efficiency compared to traditional solar panels, limited by weather and daylight cycles.
READ: Meta to surpass Google in digital ad revenue by 2027 (April 14, 2026)

One of the biggest advantages of space-based solar power is its ability to operate continuously. Unlike traditional solar systems, which stop generating electricity after sunset, orbital systems can harvest sunlight around the clock. This eliminates the need for large-scale battery storage and addresses one of renewable energy’s biggest limitations.
To make this vision viable, companies will need to deploy hundreds or even thousands of satellites. These systems must integrate with large receiving stations on Earth, forming a complex energy network. Meta’s long-term ambitions suggest a massive scaling effort, aligning with its goal to support expanding AI workloads and digital services.
READ: Meta builds AI Mark Zuckerberg for employee access (April 13, 2026)
The technology remains in its early stages. Initial demonstrations are expected within the next few years, with broader deployment targeted by the end of the decade. However, significant hurdles remain, including high costs, regulatory approvals, and the technical challenge of transmitting energy safely and efficiently across long distances.
Meta’s move underscores a growing intersection between energy innovation and artificial intelligence. As AI systems demand more computing power, reliable and sustainable energy sources will become critical. Space-based solar could play a transformative role, not just for Meta but for the entire tech industry, by redefining how energy is generated and delivered in a data-driven world. In pursuing this ambitious approach, Meta positions itself at the forefront of next-generation energy solutions, signaling that the future of clean power may extend far beyond Earth.

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Aluminum Extrusion in Solar PV: Market to Reach $9.5 Billion as  openPR.com
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April 27, 2026
By AYURELLA HORN-MULLER of Grist and MELINA WALLING, JOSHUA A. BICKEL and M.K. WILDEMAN of The Associated Press
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is a collaboration between Grist and The Associated Press.
Over the past few years, Kentucky sheep farmer Daniel Bell has been expanding his flock, and that meant he needed to build a new barn. His land is far from the power lines he would need to heat it, so he figured rooftop solar would be ideal.

To help pay for it, he wanted to apply for a renewable-energy grant through the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP — only to find that the Trump administration had effectively halted grants through the program. Bell said that made it impossible to proceed with the idea on his land.
“For me, it’s just been about freedom. Freedom to lower bills, freedom to control my own assets,” he said.
Many farmers work on the thinnest margins, fighting to stay profitable. Some, looking to cut costs on electricity, turn to the federal government for a little extra cash to help them install solar panels on top of barns, grain elevators, or offices. Others turn to commercial renewable energy leases as both an alternative income stream and a way to put fallow land to work.
Within the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, two federal programs critical to the growth of solar energy production — REAP and the clean energy tax credit — have been rolled back. To document how those policy changes are affecting farmers, The Associated Press and Grist analyzed data on both commercial-scale solar projects and small-scale rural energy development across the country. They found that, so far this fiscal year, the Department of Agriculture hasn’t awarded a dollar in rural energy grants or loan guarantees. Reporters contacted roughly a quarter of the nearly 300 developers that have proposed projects on agricultural land in the last two years and found that they are either preparing their businesses to do future projects without federal support or have already lost millions in investment because of the administration’s new tax credit policies.

Bell, for his part, decided to go a different route: Instead of building on his own property, he has asked to build two new temporary barns on land owned by a commercial solar operation where he is paid to graze his sheep beneath solar panels to keep the grass down. If the business approves his request, the barns could draw cheaper power from their operation. But not every farmer has that opportunity.
The effects of these policy shifts are uneven. Some solar projects are stalled because of permitting hang-ups. Some are right on schedule. And some are moving faster than anticipated, as developers race to break ground before tax credits expire. But, taken together, the findings reveal how the collapse of federal support for solar has spread across American agriculture from major corporations to family farms.

The abandoned solar projects

The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed by President George W. Bush, enacted a 30% investment tax credit for large-scale clean energy projects, boosting the solar industry. The tax credit was extended for eight years under President Barack Obama and later extended under Trump in 2020.
When President Joe Biden signed the 2022 landmark climate bill, the tax credit was extended again through 2032 or when specific emissions targets were reached. Last July, when Congress passed Trump’s tax bill, the timeline for the clean energy tax credits were again reset — in reverse. Now commercial solar projects must be under construction by July 2026 or placed in service by the end of 2027 to remain eligible for the credit.
At least 126 solar projects proposed since the beginning of 2024 are awaiting regulatory approval, according to a Grist and AP analysis of the latest information developers supplied to the Energy Information Administration. Each is near or on agricultural land, with at least one-fifth of the surrounding area used for grazing fields or crops, and would together supply about 20 gigawatts of electricity if built. That’s enough renewable energy to power about 4.5 million homes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
The new timeline, though, has prompted some developers to abandon projects after concluding they couldn’t move fast enough to meet the new tax credit cutoff.
Bogdan Micu, CEO of the German solar developer Alpin Sun, said it had to abandon projects representing about $6 million in investments in about 1,000 megawatts in the U.S. Northeast.
“Well. We lost our projects,” Micu said. The company simply couldn’t speed up its projects to meet the deadlines, he said.

A longstanding renewable energy program is gutted

Through REAP, the USDA issues grants and loans to farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses interested in renewable energy — like installing solar to lower utility costs. According to Richa Patel, a policy specialist at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, REAP has funded more than 19,000 grants totaling more than $1.8 billion since its inception nearly two decades ago, and backed tens of thousands of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects across the country. The program was supercharged by funding from the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and up until then, when some congressional Republicans began to question the grant structure of the program, was largely supported by both parties. But for many of the farmers whose awards or applications were affected as Trump took office again, the past year has made farm country’s already-dire economic landscape even more difficult to weather.
Elisa Lane, a flower and fruit farmer in Hampstead, Maryland, will never forget the anxiety she felt in February 2025 when she heard the Trump administration had frozen the $30,576 REAP grant she’d been awarded in 2024 to install solar panels — with no explanation.

“Man, was that so stressful,” said Lane, who spent months worried she’d be “on the hook” for the amount that she’d already contracted a solar company to install. It was supposed to alleviate the stress of her energy bills, which she says ran around $500 a month before getting solar.
In March 2025, the agency announced it would release already-awarded grants and loans — but there appeared to be some fine print. The USDA invited recipients to voluntarily revise their proposals to align with Trump’s executive order by “eliminating Biden-era DEIA and climate mandates embedded in previous proposals.”
Although she was anxiously waiting on the funds, Lane decided not to revise her proposal after a local USDA representative advised her to do that. (The representative assured her she would receive the payment, according to emails seen by Grist and the AP.) Later that spring, she heard from the USDA that the payment would be released and she could move forward with construction. So she did, putting up the full $70,000 it cost to install the panels. By August, they were up and running on her land. By September, she received her reimbursement check covering about half the project fee from USDA — more than half a year after the funding was first frozen.
In the span of roughly seven months, the USDA froze the program’s grant funding, invited grantees to reapply without climate and DEI language, imposed sweeping new restrictions on solar on farmland, and closed future application cycles.
“It was so disruptive,” she said. “I just want to have a farm and be able to focus on my business.”
Now, she’s doing just that. The panels, to Lane, represent a long-term investment into bringing down her farm’s enormous energy bill.
Although things eventually worked out for Lane and other recent REAP grantees, the Grist and AP analysis of USDA Rural Development data found the program has not committed a single dollar in renewable energy development since September. Even though the agency said it anticipated it would do so last October, USDA never reopened REAP’s grant application cycle. Its loan guarantee program — geared toward larger farm and rural business projects — has remained open, though the analysis found that the agency has awarded no new agreements this fiscal year.
Then, on March 31, the USDA announced a suspension of all REAP grant awards so the agency may update regulations within the program to comply with an executive order issued by Trump last July. The agency noted that it “will not be making further grant awards until the new regulations are in effect,” but added that REAP guaranteed loans “will continue to be awarded in this time.”
In response to a request for comment, a USDA spokesperson said the “suspension of REAP grant awards is temporary” but did not provide further details on how long grants will be paused. Asked why the USDA has not yet issued any loans this fiscal year through the program, the spokesperson said the agency “continues to administer REAP in accordance with current guidance” and is “prioritizing program integrity and alignment with Administration direction as it conducts its review.”
Robert Bonnie, who was undersecretary for farm production and conservation at the USDA under the Biden administration, said any loss in the program’s funding will be felt throughout rural America. Part of the USDA’s role over the long term, he said, has been to channel investment into rural parts of the country while making rural prosperity part of the climate agenda.

“In places like Iowa and Texas, renewables matter, not just for additional power, and lower power bills, and clean energy, but also matters for farmers’ pocketbooks,” said Bonnie. “Anything you do to pull back on that is hugely problematic.”

Racing to beat the tax-credit deadline

For RIC Energy North America, a renewable energy developer based in New York City, the changes to the solar tax credits triggered an all-out sprint to advance every project in its pipeline, said CEO Jon Rappe. The company has about 150 solar projects in its North American portfolio with the bulk of those developments on fallow land, hayfields and former farmland.
“Now, some companies are probably going to go out and continue to sign sites, and take some risks, in case there’s an extension of tax credits or something like that,” Rappe said. “But the next generation of projects is not going to happen unless there’s some change at the federal level.”
One of RIC Energy’s projects is to develop 15 acres (6 hectares) of solar on Tim Covert’s land in the primarily agricultural town of Sheridan, New York. The community solar project, where small-scale arrays would allow low-income residents to subscribe to get monthly credits on their utility bill, offers a new source of steady revenue for Covert, a former dairy farmer who was treated for cancer in the last year and struggled to work as a result.
“I’m 100% cancer-free, but with the treatments, there’s some side effects that take a little while to get rid of,” he said, which includes brain fog, muscle soreness and depleted energy. “So it would be great if they did have it done by fall, and I started getting money.”
Under the agreement, the bigger payout, which Covert says equals roughly a quarter of his income as an electrical contractor, won’t start until the project is completed and online — and Covert isn’t sure when that will happen amid the shifting federal landscape. At the moment, he’s getting a small stipend simply for leasing his land. He’s been told construction could start as soon as the end of May, though “it seems to be changing a lot.” RIC Energy, for its part, told Grist and the AP that the construction is slated to begin late summer to early fall.
“I don’t think they’re going to stop now, because they have quite a bit of time and money invested in this thing already,” he said. “So I don’t see them pulling the plug.”
Even amid the shifting policies, some clean-energy developers say they are winning out. Solar energy is still one of the cheapest forms of energy, and energy is in higher demand than ever, partly due to artificial intelligence data center construction. What’s more, tax equity sometimes made financing projects more complicated, so in some ways losing the tax credit also broke down a barrier to getting things done, said Nick Cohen, president and CEO of Doral LLC, a large-scale solar energy and battery storage developer with about 450 megawatts in operation and about 16,000 more planned or in construction.
It’s “a very exciting time if you’re a large enough developer that was in the right place at the right time doing large projects,” he said.
“All the new rules really favor the big guys like us.”
___
This story has been corrected to show that new commercial solar projects can be eligible for a tax credit if they are under construction by July 2026 or in service by the end of 2027, not necessarily both.
___
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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Thousands of farmers and small rural businesses remain in limbo as USDA demands grant rewrites favoring fossil fuels over renewables. Ames Alexander/Floodlight, Mario Alejandro Ariza/Floodlight, Joe Engleman/Barn Raiser…
June 19, 2025 Judith Ruiz-Branch – Public News Service A joint effort is helping Wisconsin farmers protect water quality in their communities by learning more about how to prevent manure and fertilizer spills and…
Many farmers who spent big on solar are finally getting reimbursed. But another climate program for agriculture is headed for the morgue. Ames Alexander/Floodlight June 1, 2025 Farmers who were left in limbo after the U…
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April 27, 2026
If you’ve followed my video bird feeder testing, you know I’ve tried plenty—Bird Buddy, Birdfy, you name it. Each has had something to love and something to groan about. But after spending time with the Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 4K AI Camera with Solar Panel (available at Amazon) , I’ll say something I haven’t before: this is the best smart bird feeder I’ve tested, full stop. It outperforms the competition in every category. Build quality is better than Bird Buddy’s, and bird identification accuracy is better than Birdfy’s. This doesn’t mean it’s perfect because nothing is, but if you’re serious about bird watching from your backyard (and your phone), this feeder is worth a look.
Products are chosen independently by our editors. Purchases made through our links may earn us a commission.
About the Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 4K AI Camera with Solar Panel
What we like
What we don’t like
Should you buy the Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 4K AI Camera with Solar Panel?
Related content
Durable build quality
Excellent AI identification
Built-in solar panels
4K HD camera quality
Notification overload
No hanging mechanism for mounting
The Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 is a solar-powered, AI-enabled smart bird feeder with a built-in ultra high-definition (4K) video camera. It automatically—and accurately—identifies bird species using artificial intelligence through the companion smartphone app and keeps a record of which species have visited over time.
Unlike some competitors, the solar panel is built into the feeder’s roof rather than set aside as a separate unit. The feeder features two compartments for birdseed, each with its own sliding mechanism, a roof that locks to secure the contents, and several mounting options.
I’ve set up enough feeders to know that “easy setup” is often marketing speak for “you’ll only want to throw it across the room once.” You could be too far from the router. Perhaps the feeder is incompatible with 5 GHz. Or maybe the pole mount opening is too tight for the pole. These are all common issues I’ve dealt with in the past.
The Kiwibit 2 is the real deal. Remove it from the box, screw on the mount and perch, download the app, and follow the step-by-step instructions. It took me all of 10 minutes to do. Here’s a tip: Set it up inside, near your router. You’ll be glad when it connects to Wi-Fi on the first try, not the fifth.
One great thing about the Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 is the solar-powered roof, which deters other animals from chewing on a wire.
I’ve repeatedly run into this problem with solar-powered bird feeders: The cable connecting the separate solar panel to the feeder is irresistible to squirrels, raccoons, and basically any other backyard troublemaker with teeth. Why? Who knows. But I’ve seen it happen with the previous Kiwibit model. I’ve seen it happen with other brands. The dangling cable is a serious design flaw that, when chewed through, renders the solar charger feature useless in short order.
On the Kiwibit 2, the solar panels are built into the feeder’s roof. There is no cable, no dangling wire, and therefore no snack for the local wildlife. It’s an elegant solution to a frustrating problem, and I’m glad to see more brands moving in this direction.
The Kiwbit Bird Feeder 2 has separate chambers to allow variety in feeding your bird friends.
I love the drawer slides at the bottom of each seed chamber. Being able to open or close each independently gives you much more flexibility. Want to try one type of seed in one and another in the second? Go for it. (I used black oil sunflower seeds and a shelled mix coated in hot pepper oil.) Need to close one off while it dries after rain? Easy. It’s the kind of detail that shows the designers actually use this thing.
The roof, too, earns points for security. You have to press a button to open it, and it doesn’t stay propped open on its own. If a squirrel or raccoon somehow manages to pry it up, the roof slams back down and locks as soon as it’s unsupported. I will say that the same feature makes filling the feeder a bit of an exercise in patience. You’ll want a third hand. But I’ll take a mildly inconvenient refill over a raided seed chamber any day.
The Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 has 4K-quality video that you can view right from your phone.
The jump in video and photo quality from the previous Kiwibit model is immediately obvious. The image is clearer, brighter, and sharper—and the field of view is noticeably wider, so you’re catching more of the action around the feeder. If you want to capture frame-worthy photos of your backyard visitors (and with a feeder this good, you will be), the camera’s quality won’t disappoint.
The app accompanying the Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 is easy to use and features a calendar view.
A smart bird feeder is only as good as its app, and Kiwibit’s is well-designed, clean, and intuitive. You can see which birds visited on any day and at what time in a simple calendar view.
Birds are also organized by species, so you can track visit frequency over time, molting, and migration patterns. You can also watch momma birds teaching their babies where to find food. Honestly, it can be addictive.
Got a friend who also loves birds but doesn’t have a backyard? Kiwibit allows you to share access to your feeder with them through the app.
The Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 offers pole mount, wall mount, and tree strap steups.
Unfortunately, this one stings a little. During the in-app setup process, the Kiwibit app shows a metal hanger as one of the mounting options. This is the same style of hanger that comes with the Bird Buddy feeder. The Kiwibit feeder itself has the necessary holes near the roof to accommodate the hanger, but when you open the box? No hanger.
The box offers pole mount, wall mount, and tree strap, but the hanger is not included as an option. I had been genuinely excited because, in my experience, hanging a feeder is the single best way to keep nuisance animals from accessing it. I ended up using the pole mount with a squirrel baffle of my own, and squirrels still managed to get into the feeder.
Showing customers a mounting option during setup and then not including it is, at minimum, confusing. I’d love to see Kiwibit either add the hanger to the box or, at the very least, offer it for sale separately. It does neither at the moment.
Over four days, I received 552 notifications on my phone. Let that sink in. Five hundred and fifty-two. The vast majority of them were alerting to squirrels, not the cardinal, chickadee, or downy woodpecker I was hoping to see. I love this feeder, but I do not love getting pinged every 30 seconds about a gray squirrel doing what gray squirrels do.
The fix here seems simple enough to me: Give users the ability to selectively turn off notifications by species or animal type. Let me keep bird alerts on while muting the nuisance animal alerts. That would go a very long way.
Before you buy, it’s worth noting that, out of the box, the free subscription tier offers 4K video and photo resolution (ultra high-definition), livestreaming, motion detection, and device sharing. However, some of the most compelling features, including AI bird species identification (automatic recognition of birds using artificial intelligence), the Bird Wiki, auto keyshot capture, and up to 60 days of cloud storage, require a Kiwibit Plus subscription at $4.49 per month (a recurring paid service). Free users also get only one day of rolling cloud history and recordings capped at 20 seconds.
Subscriptions are fairly standard in smart feeders, and $4.49 a month isn’t breaking the bank. Still, consider this in the total cost, especially since AI species ID is a key feature. For local storage, the feeder supports a microSD card (not included).
If you’re a serious birder or even a hobbyist, I recommend splurging on the subscription. It makes a big difference. But if cost matters or you just like seeing notifications and then not going back to them, the low-cost, one-time microSD card will store enough bird pics to satisfy your whimsy.
The Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 is a great choice for bird lovers who are looking for camera quality, ease of use, and more.
Having tested multiple Bird Buddy and Birdfy models, the previous Kiwibit, and several others, I can confidently say that the Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 4K AI Camera with Solar Panel (available at Amazon) is the best smart bird feeder I’ve come across. The 4K camera is exceptional, the solar panel integration is smart and durable, the seed chamber design shows genuine thoughtfulness, and the app makes it easy to actually enjoy the data it collects.
The missing hanger is a genuine frustration—especially since the app suggests one—and the notification system needs a settings overhaul before it drives anyone to silence their phone entirely. Factor in a subscription if you want the full AI experience. But these are fixable problems, and the core product is excellent.
If you’re in the market for a smart bird feeder and want the best available right now, this is it.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.
Leigh Harrington
Executive Editor

Leigh Harrington has 25 years experience as a writer and editor for myriad print and digital publications.
At Reviewed, Harrington manages Reviewed’s overall content, including areas of focus like home improvement, cleaning, gardening, cooking, smart home, organization, and parenting. She focuses on developing and editing consumer ed content, product reviews and buying guides, but she also writes, too.
Harrington is also an experienced travel writer, and has authored books including Fodor’s Boston, 100 Things to Do in Boston Before You Die, and Colorful Cities Boston, an adult coloring book. She was a respected, longtime regional editorial director at Where travel guide, and has written for other publications including the US News & World Report, USA Today, Boston Herald, Newport Life, Exhale magazine, Huffington Post, and many more. www.leighharrington.com
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Meta wants to get solar power from space  WGN Radio 720
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The post said “Harrisburg” gave its approval to the project calling it a “minimal change in land use.”
The fact that it was fictional was not disclosed unless you clicked on comments.
Judging from those comments, more than a few people were sucked in by the made-up project.
Because the post did not mention what the REAL policies of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources are, here’s a quick refresher.
DCNR spokesperson Wesley Robinson pointed PA Environment Digest to DCNR’s Solar Energy webpage for the real story.
“Grid-scale solar installations are not permitted on DCNR lands, nor on lands that have received DCNR grant funds.”
Solar Guidelines For Property Owners
The department does support advancing grid-scale solar on other properties while minimizing negative environmental impacts through informed planning and decision-making processes. 
DCNR has developed guidance for landowners, developers, planners, and local officials for the siting and construction of grid-scale solar projects.
The guidance outlines 10 considerations for siting best practices and eight for sustainable design. These include:
— Prioritize the conservation and protection of mature forests, recreational lands, plant and wildlife habitat, and vital ecosystems
— Prioritize siting on already disturbed lands
— Co-locate near existing energy infrastructure
— Avoid and minimize erosion and sedimentation
— Actively protect and restore wildlife habitat to include and support native species
— Include decommissioning that restores the land to the same condition as it was before
Solar Energy In State Parks & Forests
DCNR is building solar panels to power buildings, facilities, and even whole state parks and forest areas when possible. 
The agency looks for the best places to put solar panels. Some factors are:
— Facilities already being renovated or built
— Solar energy can meet the power needs
— Sunlight is available
— Site conditions are good
— Across state parks and forests, there are now 38 solar panel systems with a total capacity of 4,548 kW DC. 
100% Renewable By 2030
By 2030, DCNR plans to get 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy. Some will come from solar power produced on DCNR park and forest land. 
The department also participates in the Project to Utilize Light and Solar Energy (PA PULSE) initiative. The rest is from other renewable sources.
Visit DCNR’s Solar Energy for the real story.
Visit Explore PA Trails and Get Outdoors PA for recreation areas near you.
Visit the PA Parks & Forests Foundation’s Events webpage and DCNR’s Calendar of Events for activities happening near you.
  For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website.  Click Here to sign up for the Resource newsletter.
[Posted: April 27, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

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This market report is based on data and analysis from Infolink Consulting.
Cautious sentiment continues to dominate the global solar PV value chain, with limited signs of a sustained recovery in demand despite some stabilisation in upstream pricing.
In the polysilicon segment, buyers have largely delayed new contract negotiations amid persistent market uncertainty. Transaction activity remains focused on fulfilling existing orders, while procurement is being carried out in small batches as manufacturers work through elevated inventories and attempt to manage costs. Although granular polysilicon prices have edged higher in negotiations, only limited deals have been concluded, underscoring the ongoing imbalance between supply and demand.
Market discussions around anti price war measures and potential cost floors have re emerged, though concrete outcomes remain unclear. Average polysilicon prices are expected to rise modestly to RMB 33 to 35 per kg, with limited upside potential due to weak demand expectations for April and May.
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Current price ranges indicate recycled mono grade polysilicon at RMB 35 to 36 per kg, with offers reaching RMB 37 per kg but no confirmed transactions. Mono grade mixed lots are trading at RMB 32 to 34 per kg, while granular polysilicon is priced between RMB 34 and 36 per kg, with negotiations ongoing at RMB 37 per kg. Outside China, average polysilicon prices remain stable at around US$ 18 per kg.
The wafer segment has shown early signs of stabilisation following an uptick in upstream polysilicon pricing and market speculation around potential industry coordination. Manufacturers have responded by raising quotes, with 183N wafers now at RMB 0.92 per piece, 210RN at RMB 1.02 per piece, and 210N at RMB 1.22 per piece.
However, actual transaction prices have yet to fully reflect these increases, with continued buyer resistance and negotiations at lower levels. Inventory build up ahead of recent price hikes has further dampened procurement activity, resulting in subdued trading volumes. While larger format wafers are seeing relatively stronger price support, overall momentum for a sustained rebound remains limited.
In the cell segment, price declines have begun to moderate. N type cell prices in China have stabilised, with 183N and 210N both averaging RMB 0.33 per W, while 210RN has edged down slightly to RMB 0.335 per W. As wafer prices rise, expectations for higher cell prices are emerging, particularly for 210N products.
If planned production cuts materialise between late April and early May, and cost support remains stable, cell prices are expected to stabilise with a potential upward bias. In export markets, prices have remained largely unchanged, with both P type and N type cells holding at around US$ 0.049 per W.
Module pricing continues to face headwinds, particularly in China. In the ground mounted segment, manufacturers have attempted modest price increases, but limited order volumes have constrained actual transaction gains. Prices are currently in the range of RMB 0.68 to 0.75 per W.
In contrast, the distributed generation segment has seen early signs of price softening, as competitive pressures force manufacturers to lower quotes. Transaction prices are currently between RMB 0.76 and 0.80 per W.
Internationally, module prices remain relatively stable at around US$ 0.11 to 0.12 per W. In the Middle East, logistical disruptions linked to regional instability are limiting price movement, while European prices are holding at US$ 0.12 to 0.125 per W on an FOB basis.
A notable divergence has emerged between ground mounted and distributed segments, with pricing trends moving in opposite directions. Distributed market prices in China have adjusted downward more rapidly, while ground mounted project pricing continues to reflect earlier contracts and slower renegotiation cycles.
Overall, solar PV manufacturers are increasingly shifting their pricing strategies. Rather than prioritising margins, companies are focusing on securing orders and maintaining production stability. This has led to more flexible pricing approaches and a gradual softening of previously firm pricing positions.
Despite short term price stability, the broader market remains constrained by weak end market demand and limited new order activity. As cost support continues to soften and demand recovery remains uncertain, downside risks are increasing. Market indicators suggest that a potential turning point may emerge in the latter part of April, with price pressures likely to persist in the near term.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal

 






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Data centres have emerged as the primary driver of electricity demand growth in Australia, with utility Origin Energy reporting that the sector propelled a 4% increase in sales volumes during the March 2026 quarter compared to the same period last year.
Detailed in the company’s quarterly report, electricity sales reached 9.4TWh in the quarter, with business volumes climbing 7% year-on-year to 0.4TWh.
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Chief executive Frank Calabria said Origin had continued to grow its share of Australia’s data centre market.
“We’re well-positioned to support further growth in demand from this sector through grid connections, long-term renewable energy contracts, and on-site solar and batteries. Our generation fleet maintained good reliability, and we’ve secured most of the coal supply for Eraring for FY27,” Calabria said.
The results showcase the rapid transformation of Australia’s electricity demand profile as data centre operators establish facilities to serve cloud computing and artificial intelligence workloads.
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) projects that data centre electricity consumption could reach approximately 6% of National Electricity Market (NEM) demand by 2030, up from around 2% currently, with further growth anticipated under higher-uptake scenarios.
The growth of data centre demand in Australia and how the solar PV and battery energy storage industries are poised to capture the opportunity will be explored in our next PV Tech Power journal.
The integration of renewable energy generation, such as solar PV, and battery storage systems into data centre infrastructure also creates opportunities for these assets to participate in wholesale electricity markets during periods when capacity is not required for facility operations.
This could potentially improve investment economics while providing grid flexibility services.
However, readers of PV Tech will be aware that concerns are mounting in Australia around data centre developers not contributing adequately to grid infrastructure costs, with industry voices warning that social backlash is inevitable if facilities are perceived as freeloading on Australia’s clean energy transition.
To help address this, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has started developing regulatory frameworks to accommodate what it terms “inverted baseloads”, defined as large, constant electricity consumers like data centres. 
As reported last month, draft access standards released by the AEMC propose different requirements based on facility size thresholds at 30MW and 100MW, reflecting the challenge of integrating substantial new baseload demand into a grid increasingly reliant on variable renewable energy.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that global electricity demand from data centres will more than double by 2030 to exceed 945TWh annually, driven substantially by AI-optimised facilities where demand is expected to more than quadruple over the same period.
Origin’s strategy to capture data centre demand includes deploying battery energy storage systems (BESS) that can serve multiple functions for these facilities.
The company began generating revenue in January 2026 from the first stage of its Eraring battery storage project, a 460MW/1,770MWh system with approximately 3.8 hours of discharge capability located at the site of Australia’s largest coal-fired power station.
A second stage is expected online in early 2027, bringing total capacity to 700MW/3,160MWh.
Battery storage is increasingly recognised as essential infrastructure for data centre operations, addressing three primary use cases according to Fluence chief growth officer Jeff Monday, who spoke exclusively to ESN Premium at the Energy Storage Summit Australia 2026 last month.
These include accelerating grid connection timelines by reducing firm power commitments, providing more efficient backup power to replace diesel generators, and smoothing power loads between facilities and the grid or on-site generation.
Monday predicted that once standardised battery storage blueprints are finalised with hyperscale customers in the US, deployment in Australia will experience rapid acceleration.
Origin’s broader quarterly results showed gas volumes declined 32% year-on-year, primarily due to lower trading volumes and reduced gas demand for power generation, driven by increased rooftop solar output and growing battery storage deployment.
The company has secured 75-85% of the anticipated coal consumption for its coal-fired Eraring Power Station for the 2027 financial year. Origin extended Eraring’s operational life to April 2029 in January 2026, citing the need to support a secure power supply as renewable energy, storage, and transmission projects are delivered.
The company is targeting up to 5GW of renewables and energy storage by 2030, including committed development of 1.7GW of owned and tolled battery storage capacity, representing approximately AU$1.7 billion (US$1.22 billion) in storage investment as it transitions from coal-dependent generation.

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India’s power sector has entered a new phase of resilience, with solar energy emerging as a strong force in meeting record electricity demand. Prompted by intense summer consumption, the country successfully addressed an all-time high peak demand of 256 gigawatts (GW), highlighting the growing role of renewable energy in stabilising the Indian energy mix.
Accounting for around 22 per cent of total generation, solar industries contributed nearly 57 GW at the peak load recorded in the afternoon of April 24, which stood at 256.1 GW. Earlier that day, solar energy output surged even higher, reaching almost 81 GW and making up approximately one-third of the total electricity generation. 
Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 across the value chain
This sharp rise throws light on the rapid scale-up of both utility-scale solar projects as well as rooftop installations across the country. Comparing year-on-year, a rise can be noted in renewable energy’s share of the contribution to meeting India’s peak power demand. In 2023, it stood at 10.9 per cent, which climbed to 15.1 per cent in 2024 and to 15.4 per cent in 2025.
The latest peak surpassed the previous high recorded just a day earlier, indicating a stable demand pressure amid rising temperatures. While, as of April 25, coal continues to anchor baseload supply, contributing 171.8 GW to the grid, the steadily increasing share of non-fossil fuel energy and renewable energy sources like solar with 60.5 GW, hydro with 11.2 GW, wind with 4.6 GW, and nuclear with 6.3 GW, is reshaping India’s energy mix.
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Policy and operations continue to reinforce the solar industry
The policy framework has also been aligned with this transition. In his recent Mann Ki Baat address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the strategic importance of renewable energy, referring to solar and wind energies as central to India’s long-term energy security amid global uncertainties.
Additionally, at the operational level, the government is also focusing on storage solutions with increased importance. Officials have noted that the expansion of battery energy storage systems is expected to further strengthen the solar industry’s role, especially in meeting peak demand in the evening.
With peak demand projected to climb further in the upcoming months, the integration of renewable energy, led by solar energy, is likely to remain critical in ensuring grid stability while advancing India’s clean energy ambitions.
Must read: Key industry individuals share their thoughts on the trending topics

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Rights activists noted that solar projects are highly important for increasing agricultural production, ensuring food security, and modernising agriculture.

S Dilip Roy and Mostafa Shabuj

The Daily Star

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Bangladesh’s farmers face rising diesel costs and shortages, threatening irrigation and crops. Solar-powered pumps offer a reliable, cost-saving alternative, boosting yields and resilience, but expansion remains slow despite strong potential benefits. PHOTO: THE DAILY STAR
April 28, 2026
DHAKA – Times are bad for Bangladesh’s farmers. Right when they needed a steady diesel supply to irrigate vast swathes of cropland — Boro paddies, seasonal vegetables, maize — the world entered what the head of the International Energy Agency called “the biggest energy security threat in history.”
The fuel is in short supply. The government has just hiked its price by 15 percent. Many farmers are now fearing losses of both crops and investment. But not Afzal Hossain from Fulpukuria village in Gobindaganj of Gaibandha, who cultivated Boro paddy on six bighas this season and gets his water from a solar-powered pump.
“I am not really worried about irrigation,” he said.
“My neighbours who rely on diesel or electric pumps are suffering due to the fuel crisis and load-shedding.”
Bangladesh requires over 40 lakh tonnes of diesel a year, with a large chunk of it going towards the running of more than 12 lakh irrigation pumps, according to data from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and government agencies. Besides, there are more than 430,000 electric pumps that provide minor irrigation.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), the country currently has 754 diesel-powered deep tube wells, 1,039,337 shallow tube wells, and 184,384 low-lift pumps in operation.
While this reliance could be a devastating blow for many farmers, those using solar-powered pumps are enjoying immunity from the whole crisis.
In Rangpur Division, across five districts, 509,095 hectares of Boro paddy have been planted this year. Around 35 percent to 40 percent of cultivable land in the region depends entirely on diesel-powered shallow machines. The recent price hike has pushed service providers to raise charges for irrigation, harvesting, and maize threshing.
According to Hussain Mohammad Altaf, executive engineer at Rangpur office of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), 596 solar-powered irrigation machines were active during the last irrigation season in the division.
“If each generates an average of 10 kilowatts, total output comes to 5.9 megawatts, enough to run 80,000 to 85,000 fans daily,” he said. Over a four-month irrigation season, those machines save approximately 75 lakh litres of diesel.
In Lalmonirhat, Atiar Rahman manages a solar-powered deep tube-well run by the BADC at Doani village of Hatibandha upazila, supplying water to around 15 bighas of maize and vegetable land.
“Even if diesel is unavailable or its price rises, farmers no longer have to worry,” he said, “because this irrigation machine runs on solar power.”
He added that the panels sit idle for eight months after the irrigation season ends, and that connecting surplus electricity to the national grid through net metering could benefit farmers, institutions, and the government alike.
Further into the char lands of Kurigram, farmer Meher Jamal of Char Paschim Bajra at Ulipur upazila said vast areas surrounded by the Teesta River once sat uncultivated because irrigation was out, but it meant increased costs and labour.
“For the last few years, many char lands are now being cultivated regularly because of irrigation facilities through solar power,” he said. “Land that once remained unused is now producing crops.”
Sudhan Chandra Sen, a farmer from Madhupur village at Kaunia upazila of Rangpur, said the difference is simple.
“There is no worry about fuel. Electricity comes from solar power, and we get water. Crops are better, and costs are lower.”
He noted that while electricity is less reliable, as it often comes and goes, delaying irrigation, solar power is sustainable and consistent.
“Water is always available.”
In Bogura, Abdul Hamid from Kachua village at Shibganj upazila cultivated Boro on five and a half bighas. He said solar-powered pumps have reduced both his costs and stress.
“I planted Boro paddy after harvesting potatoes. So far, I haven’t had to worry about irrigation or the cost. I can pay the irrigation fees after harvesting the crop.”
Abu Hasan, another farmer from the same village, said crops under solar pumps yield better because the water supply is uninterrupted.
“I face no water shortages. I have to pay Tk 1,500 per bigha for irrigation after the harvest.”
Beyond individual farms and government initiatives, private operators have built businesses around solar irrigation. Abu Jafar Sujan, regional manager of Salek Solar Power Limited, said his company runs 122 solar pumps across Bogura, Gaibandha, Meherpur, and Panchagarh districts.
“Each pump has a lifting capacity of 5 to 20 horsepower. Smaller pumps cover 30 to 40 bighas, while the larger ones irrigate up to 120 bighas of Boro land, he added.
Abu Bakkar Siddique, who looks after a 20-horsepower irrigation pump owned by Salek Solar in Kachua, said 100 bighas of Boro land were irrigated under this pump this year.
Nationally, the state-run renewable project financer Infrastructure Development Company Limited (Idcol) has funded the installation of approximately 1,523 solar pumps through six companies, covering around 15,000 hectares.
“There are 152 such pumps in Bogura, Sirajganj, Gaibandha, and Naogaon. However, some remain inactive due to various complexities and a lack of technical spare parts,” an official of the organisation said on condition of anonymity.
“We plan to install 10,000 solar pumps across the country by 2030.”
The ADB, in a December 2023 report on scaling up solar irrigation pumps in Bangladesh, said irrigation costs in Bangladesh account for 43 percent of total agricultural costs.
It estimated that replacing diesel pumps with solar could displace consumption of 10 lakh tonnes of diesel annually, avoiding 30 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year.
But installation has slowed sharply. After peaking at 12.88 MWp in 2019, new installations had fallen to just 4.65 kWp by 2025, according to the state-owned Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda), responsible for increasing renewable energy production.
Rangpur BADC’s Altaf confirmed that no new solar irrigation projects have been launched in Rangpur division since 2022, and some existing pumps remain inactive due to technical problems and missing spare parts.
Mizanur Rahman, chief engineer (operation) of Northern Electricity Supply Company PLC (Nesco) in Rangpur, believes that if diesel-dependent irrigation can be quickly transformed into solar-powered irrigation, it would save foreign currency and reduce carbon emissions.
For climate-vulnerable Bangladesh, this could be an effective path toward sustainable agriculture, he added.
“Most solar-powered irrigation machines are located in areas under the Rural Electrification Board. Therefore, implementation would be possible if the relevant authorities take initiatives to introduce net metering at those installations.”
Rights activists noted that solar projects are highly important for increasing agricultural production, ensuring food security, and modernising agriculture.
“Government and private initiatives should further expand solar-powered irrigation projects to improve the fortunes of marginal farmers,” said Shafiqul Islam, president of the Lalmonirhat district unit of Nodi Bachao Teesta Bachao Sangram Parishad.
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