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The proposed scheme, near Selby, has faced objections from residents
Plans to build a battery energy storage system and 500MW solar farm across swathes of land near Selby could be changed following objections from people living nearby.
Light Valley Solar Limited wants to build on 2,520 acres (1,020 hectares) of land between the villages of Escrick, Monk Fryston, Hambleton, Chapel Haddlesey and South Milford.
The development has faced opposition, with conerns raised about the loss of agricultural land, the impact on the rural landscape and the potential harm to wildlife.
In response the firm has outlined nine proposed amendments, including removing solar panels from an area near homes, creating new wildlife habitats and altering construction access routes.
Opponents have also questioned the scale and location of the scheme, arguing that it would industrialise large areas of countryside and affect the character of nearby villages.
Among the changes to the scheme that have been proposed is the removal of solar panels from land south of Milford Lodge and Milford Lodge Cottage.
The land would instead become an area of grassland managed to provide habitat for ground-nesting birds.
The developer said the change followed discussions with North Yorkshire Council about bird habitat provision, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
In addition, the removal of panels would increase the distance between the development and Milford Lodge Cottage, following representations from residents.
The developer has also been in discussions with Sherburn Aero Club and says removing panels near a proposed emergency landing strip would improve safety for aircraft making emergency landings.
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Orb Energy marks two decades in India with approximately 450 MW of installed solar PV capacity and plans to exceed 1 GW by 2030.
October 17, 2026. By News Bureau
Orb Energy has completed 20 years of operations in India, reporting approximately 450 MW of installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity, more than 175,000 systems and 95,000 customers served across the country. The company aims to exceed 1 GW of installed solar capacity by 2030, with a focus on rooftop solar solutions and financing for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Founded in Bengaluru in 2006, Orb Energy initially focused on providing solar power to semi-urban and rural markets facing unreliable electricity supply. Over the years, the company expanded its operations into grid-connected rooftop solar, particularly for SMEs, as declining solar costs and the introduction of net-metering policies improved the viability of such installations.
According to JMK Research & Analytics, Orb Energy ranked among India’s top three rooftop solar companies in 2025. The company has also typically ranked among the country’s top five rooftop solar companies over the past six years, according to JMK Research & Analytics and CRISIL.
In 2017, Orb Energy established a solar panel manufacturing facility in Bengaluru. Its operations subsequently brought together manufacturing, system design, installation and after-sales service. The company also introduced an in-house solar financing facility to help SMEs adopt rooftop solar without collateral or an upfront down payment. Cumulative disbursements through this facility have reached nearly INR 350 crore.
The company has received institutional backing to support its operations and financing activities. In 2019, Shell acquired a 20 percent stake in Orb Energy. In 2022, the US International Development Finance Corporation extended a USD 20 million loan to support the company’s in-house credit facility for SMEs.
Commenting on the 20-years of operation, Damian Miller, CEO and Co-Founder of Orb Energy, said the company’s growth reflected the trust of its customers and the contributions of its employees and partners.
When Orb Energy began operations in 2006, solar panels cost around 40 times more than they do today, according to the company. At the time, solar power was largely used for off-grid applications, including remote electrification and backup power. The company initially developed a branch network to serve customers across South India, which at its peak comprised 170 branches in five states.
As grid-connected solar adoption increased, Orb Energy shifted its focus towards rooftop installations for SMEs. Its financing model was developed to address the upfront investment barriers faced by businesses seeking to adopt solar energy.
As it enters its third decade, the company plans to expand its installed solar capacity beyond 1 GW by 2030, continuing to focus on rooftop solar adoption among businesses.

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⚡ Quick Read
As large-scale solar installations expand across diverse geographical regions, the risk of lightning-induced damage remains a critical concern for developers and EPC contractors. While traditional Lightning Protection Systems (LPS) using Franklin rods are standard, they do not always prevent transient overvoltage during direct strikes on PV modules or mounting structures. A research team in Indonesia has recently proposed a novel grounding strategy to mitigate these risks by optimizing grounding-point locations and evaluating various configurations to improve surge dissipation.
The study utilized an equivalent electrical circuit model developed in ATPDraw 7.2 software, simulating an array of ten 200 W solar panels. The researchers modeled the electrical characteristics of frames, mounting structures, and electrodes under a simulated lightning strike with a peak amplitude of 50 kA and an impulse waveform of 1.2/50 μs. The simulation tested two primary configurations: direct grounding through PV module frames and grounding through mounting structures.
Key findings indicate that soil resistivity plays a major role in transient voltage distribution. As soil resistivity increased from 30 Ωm to 3,000 Ωm, peak voltages shifted from the injection point toward the grounding connection. Notably, the study revealed that introducing a second grounding point provided substantial benefits, reducing transient voltages by 47.5% to 54.8% for frame-grounded systems and 43.2% to 50.7% for mounting-based grounding. The researchers concluded that grounding through mounting structures generally yielded lower maximum voltages due to reduced electrical resistance.
For EPC contractors operating in India, where lightning activity is prevalent in many regions, these findings offer a practical pathway to enhance system resilience. By strategically placing grounding points closest to potential lightning injection points and adopting dual-grounding configurations, developers can significantly lower the risk of transient overvoltage. This approach not only protects the PV modules but also ensures that the overall system remains within the safety limits prescribed by IEEE Std 80. Incorporating these findings into the design phase can lead to more robust infrastructure, reducing long-term operational expenditure (OPEX) related to component replacement.
The industry is expected to evaluate these simulation results against real-world field data. As the India renewable energy sector continues to scale up, the adoption of advanced grounding techniques will become increasingly vital to protect multi-megawatt assets. Future project designs may integrate these findings to refine EPC standards, ensuring that large-scale solar farms are better equipped to withstand extreme weather events while maintaining grid stability.
Aditya Pathre is the Founder of MVApulse and covers India’s renewable energy sector, including solar, wind, battery energy storage systems (BESS), green hydrogen, transmission infrastructure, renewable energy policy and competitive bidding. His reporting focuses on project developments, market trends, government policies and energy transition across India.
India’s Power Sector Intelligence Portal
MVApulse is an independent publication covering India’s renewable energy sector including solar, wind, BESS, transmission, green hydrogen, EPC and power markets.
Copyright © 2026 MVApulse. Powered by Swadi Innovative Technologies Pvt Ltd.

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⚡ Quick Read
As the demand for land-efficient renewable energy solutions grows, the integration of agrivoltaic systems has become a focal point for researchers and developers. A recent study conducted by a team from Sweden and Italy has investigated the performance of semitransparent, magenta-colored cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film PV panels. Unlike conventional crystalline-silicon solar panels, which are opaque and block significant portions of the light spectrum, these magenta panels are engineered to transmit specific blue and red wavelengths that align with the absorption regions of plant chlorophyll pigments.
The field experiment took place at Kärrbo Prästgård in central Sweden during the 2024 growing season. The trial compared broccoli grown in an open-field control plot with crops cultivated beneath two distinct CdTe PV systems. These systems featured nominal transparency levels of 50% and 70%, resulting in average photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) transmittance values of 13.2% and 19.2%, respectively. Each system utilized 21 panels from Chinese manufacturer Advanced Solar Power, installed at a height of 1.5 meters with a 6-degree tilt.
The results indicated that broccoli grown under both PV systems achieved fresh head weights of 173.7 g (50% transparency) and 168.5 g (70% transparency), compared to 187.6 g in the open-field control. While the difference was not statistically significant, the researchers noted a 25-day delay in crop maturity for the agrivoltaic plots. Despite this, the researchers favored the 50% transparency configuration due to its higher PV cell density and comparable crop performance to the 70% variant.
For EPC contractors and solar developers, this research highlights the potential for wavelength-selective agrivoltaic systems to solve land-use conflicts. By customizing the light spectrum, developers can maintain agricultural productivity while simultaneously generating electricity. This technology offers a sophisticated alternative to traditional opaque panels, which often limit the types of crops that can be grown underneath. As India continues to scale its renewable energy capacity, such innovations could be critical for projects in regions where land availability is constrained by agricultural requirements.
The next phase for this technology involves scaling these experiments to larger commercial footprints to assess the economic viability of CdTe thin-film modules in diverse climates. As the India renewable energy sector continues to expand, integrating advanced agrivoltaic solutions will be essential for developers looking to optimize land value and secure community support for large-scale solar installations.
Aditya Pathre is the Founder of MVApulse and covers India’s renewable energy sector, including solar, wind, battery energy storage systems (BESS), green hydrogen, transmission infrastructure, renewable energy policy and competitive bidding. His reporting focuses on project developments, market trends, government policies and energy transition across India.
India’s Power Sector Intelligence Portal
MVApulse is an independent publication covering India’s renewable energy sector including solar, wind, BESS, transmission, green hydrogen, EPC and power markets.
Copyright © 2026 MVApulse. Powered by Swadi Innovative Technologies Pvt Ltd.

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Letter to the Editor (Shaw Local News Network)
I would rather see a farmer stay on his property and his home with a 20-year lease with a solar farm than go bankrupt. Then the bank sells it to a Mining Co. such as a gravel pit or a data center that would pull all of our resources.
Tina Uselding
McHenry

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⚡ Quick Read
The global solar energy landscape is undergoing a structural transition as the industry moves away from the unprecedented growth rates previously dominated by China. BloombergNEF (BNEF) has released its latest market outlook, projecting 584 GW of global solar installations for 2026. This figure marks a 10.8% decline from the 655 GW anticipated for 2025. The revised forecast reflects a more pronounced slowdown in the Chinese market than analysts initially anticipated, coupled with steady, organic growth in the rest of the world.
Data from BloombergNEF indicates that China, which deployed a staggering 383 GW of solar capacity in 2025, is expected to see a 29% decline to 271 GW in 2026. This contraction is attributed to market saturation and a strategic policy shift that is redirecting capital toward energy storage solutions rather than pure-play solar capacity expansion. In the first half of 2026, China installed approximately 71.8 GW, a sharp drop compared to the 212.2 GW recorded during the same period in 2025.
Conversely, markets outside of China are showing resilience. Global capacity outside of China is projected to reach 313 GW, slightly outperforming earlier expectations. Growth is particularly notable in emerging markets such as India, the Philippines, Nigeria, and Malaysia. In several of these regions, the expansion is driven almost exclusively by residential and commercial rooftop solar installations rather than utility-scale projects.
For EPC contractors and solar developers in India, these findings signal a shift in the investment climate. With utility-scale solar growth cooling in major global hubs, non-utility solar has emerged as the largest sector for renewable energy investment. Indian developers should note that the ‘chugging along’ growth in the Indian market is increasingly supported by decentralized solar applications. As global module supply chains adjust to China’s reduced domestic demand, Indian players may find more favorable pricing environments, though they must navigate the increasing complexity of integrating energy storage into project designs.
The industry is moving into a phase of maturity where ‘breakneck’ growth is being replaced by sustainable, diversified deployment. As the India renewable energy sector continues to scale, the focus will likely shift toward grid integration and the hybridization of solar with battery energy storage systems (BESS). Stakeholders should prepare for a market where residential and commercial segments provide a critical buffer against the volatility of large-scale utility tenders, ensuring long-term stability in the broader energy transition.
Aditya Pathre is the Founder of MVApulse and covers India’s renewable energy sector, including solar, wind, battery energy storage systems (BESS), green hydrogen, transmission infrastructure, renewable energy policy and competitive bidding. His reporting focuses on project developments, market trends, government policies and energy transition across India.
India’s Power Sector Intelligence Portal
MVApulse is an independent publication covering India’s renewable energy sector including solar, wind, BESS, transmission, green hydrogen, EPC and power markets.
Copyright © 2026 MVApulse. Powered by Swadi Innovative Technologies Pvt Ltd.

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With Southeast Asia’s largest electricity bills rising even higher, Filipinos invest in rooftop panels.
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Philippines solar power boom: Iran war spurs demand for renewable energy sources
Manila, Philippines – Keith Cantera and his family have been thinking about having their own solar power grid at home for years. But spending up to $5,000 for solar panels was nothing to scoff at, so they put the idea on the back burner.
It all changed this year when the United States-Israel war on Iran rattled global energy markets and sent electricity prices soaring. From paying a monthly bill of about $150 before the war began in late February, Cantera said his family went to forking out as much as $220.

Eight months later, they are having solar panels installed on their rooftop.
“The cost is about the same as paying our electric bills for three or four years based on the current rate,” Cantera said. “But in the fifth year, we’ll have recovered our investment, and electricity will essentially be free.”
Cantera is one of a growing number of Filipino homeowners turning to solar power in a country that had Southeast Asia’s highest electricity costs even before the war. They were comparable only to Singapore, where the average income is more than 10 times higher.
A report by the energy think tank Ember estimated that rooftop panels had nearly doubled in the Philippines since early 2025.
And in the first months of the war from March to May, the rush for solar power led to $407m in panel imports, according to government trade data from China, where most panels are manufactured. The Philippines became the biggest single overseas market for that period. Only the Netherlands bought more, but it redistributes them to the rest of Europe.

Lexus Grepo, CEO of the solar power supplier Solarmaxx, can attest to the boom.
“There is a 30-day wait because solar panel shipments can’t keep up,” Grepo said. “In March, we had 40 projects, which was almost triple our monthly clientele. Since then, we have been setting up 25 to 30 systems a month.”
Grepo does not expect demand to slow down even if tensions in the Middle East ease and shipping routes for energy supplies reopen.
“I think people now realise that the world is an unpredictable place, so they have to be ready for any eventuality. Filipinos now see that they don’t necessarily have to be at the mercy of the global energy market.”
The Philippines, one of the few countries in the region where electricity is not subsidised, relies on imported coal and gas for more than 70 percent of its power mix. The value of its currency, the peso, which has slid to a record low of more than 63 to the US dollar, is making these imports even costlier.
In late March, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declared a national energy emergency in response to the war ⁠and what he described as the “imminent danger” posed to the national energy supply. Still, electricity rates have continued to increase.

The shift to solar is also partly driven by anger at electric companies that have come under scrutiny for charging customers for so-called system losses, which include illegal connections.
Cantera said learning about having to pay for someone else’s electricity consumption was the last straw.
“Who would agree to paying for something that you did not use? It’s not like the money we spend for electricity just fell from heaven,” he added.
But while the soaring demand is real, the upfront cost of a solar power system is still too high for most Filipinos. The government in March launched a new initiative offering loans for residential rooftop installations, but these are available only to public sector workers.
What officials hope can bring power rates down for the majority of people are the dozens of renewable energy projects in the pipeline, including a 3,500-hectare (8,650-acre) solar farm north of the capital, Manila, that is projected to be the largest in the world. When fully operational, the project is expected to generate 850 megawatts of electricity for 2.4 million households.
But some consumers said such projects could take years to complete, leaving them with ballooning electricity bills unless they take action themselves.
“It’s just so unpredictable nowadays. You have the impending El Nino weather pattern. There’s still war, the continuing fuel price hikes and so much more,” Cantera said. “So why not utilise a natural resource?”

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China has proposed export prohibitions or restrictions on 12 solar PV technologies covering polysilicon, silicon wafers, TOPCon, back-contact, HJT and perovskite-silicon tandem cell manufacturing. It has also introduced temporary pre-export registration requirements from October 16, 2026, until the revised catalogue is formally implemented.
October 17, 2026. By Mrinmoy Dey

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TP Solar Limited, the solar manufacturing arm of The Tata Power Company Limited and a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL), produced 1 GW of solar modules and 0.9 GW of solar cells during the second quarter of FY27, covering July to September 2026. For the six months from April to September 2026, the company manufactured a total of 2 GW of solar modules and 1.8 GW of solar cells. The production figures reflect the ramp-up of manufacturing operations at its facility in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.
TP Solar operates a 4.3 GW solar cell and module manufacturing facility at the site, one of India’s largest single-location facilities of its kind. Tata Power, through TPREL, has invested nearly ₹4,300 crore in establishing the plant to strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities across the solar value chain.
The facility manufactures solar cells and modules using Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) and Monocrystalline Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (Mono PERC) technologies. Its products include modules compliant with Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) norms and models approved under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM). DCR modules are manufactured using cells produced at the facility.
The plant incorporates artificial intelligence and machine learning-based systems and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) to support manufacturing operations, material movement and production efficiency. These technologies are intended to improve process control and support higher levels of automation.
Nearly 80% of the facility’s workforce comprises women, making it a notable example of women’s participation in India’s solar manufacturing sector. The company said its workforce composition reflects its focus on inclusive employment alongside the development of domestic manufacturing capacity.
The facility supports Tata Power’s strategy to expand its presence across the renewable energy value chain and reduce reliance on imported solar components. Domestic production of cells and modules is also aligned with India’s efforts to strengthen local supply chains for renewable energy projects.
The Tata Power Company Limited is a vertically integrated power company and part of the Tata Group. Its total operational and under-construction capacity exceeds 26 GW, including approximately 17.7 GW of clean and green energy capacity and around 8.8 GW of thermal generation capacity.
Tata Power also operates across transmission and distribution, serving more than 13 million customers. Its businesses include over 7,800 circuit kilometres of transmission lines, including projects under development, and an electric vehicle charging network with more than 7,000 public charging points across 717 cities and towns.
The company has established 4.9 GW of integrated solar cell and module manufacturing capacity, signed 2.8 GW of pumped hydro storage projects and set a target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2045. TP Solar’s production performance supports its broader focus on domestic solar manufacturing and the expansion of India’s renewable energy infrastructure.
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The Better Business Bureau lists 352 customer complaints.
Photo Credit: iStock
After spending more than $129,000 on rooftop solar — almost $100,000 more than the state average — a Virginia resident says the deal has not produced the savings he expected.
Marcus Evins told 8News that the environmental benefits and lower utility costs made solar panels appealing, but after installing a 45-panel system on his Richmond home through a company called Top Tier Solar Solutions, the promised savings never materialized. Instead, his electric bills hit $400.
Records reviewed by 8News suggest other customers have raised similar concerns: the Virginia Attorney General complaint database shows 21 complaints involving Top Tier Solar Solutions, while the Better Business Bureau lists 352 customer complaints. 
“This is not at all been what I expected, and if I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I probably would not have gotten solar panels,” Evins told 8News. 
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers in your area.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
He also provided the station with documents showing that his solar provider estimated he’d save 80% to 90% every month, with his electric bill hovering around $40 or less. 
For homeowners, going solar can be one of the best ways to save money on home energy — but only if the installer, design, and financing terms hold up under scrutiny. 
While solar panels are legitimate tech, it’s important to do research by getting multiple quotes and looking up information on the companies, such as their Better Business Bureau reputation and any customer reviews online. 
One of the best places to use is the comparison shopping site EnergySage, which is like Expedia for solar panels, to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes without giving your contact information to anyone unless you decide to move forward.
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Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers that can help you save as much as $10k on installation.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best local options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
Evins said his family did not immediately panic when the bills stayed high. 
“We trusted the process, we gave it some months and in probably about four to six months we started asking questions,” he told 8News.
As the mismatch continued, Evins said he sent a demand letter to the installer and its financing company raising concerns about the companies’ communication, his understanding of the agreement, and the lack of savings. He said he was also told the system was operating correctly and that noticeable savings might take a year to appear.
Evins said he requested a technician’s diagnostic report explaining why his utility bills did not reflect the anticipated savings, but he was not given one.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
In a statement to 8News, the financing company, GoodLeap, which was not directly involved in the installation, said, “GoodLeap has stepped in to help thousands and thousands of homeowners where contractors have gone bankrupt and systems need to get to full installation, all done at no cost to the homeowner.” 
The lender added that 12 of Evins’ panels are not working and that it is coordinating repairs with the installer while discussing compensation.
If you’re considering a solar system for your home, the Better Business Bureau says that solar customers can protect their investments by understanding roof conditions, household energy use, and warranty terms. It also recommends getting competing estimates and exploring available incentives and financing options. 
With EnergySage‘s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state and details solar panel incentives for each state, helping homeowners get the best price on rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is also one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. Homeowners can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
Evins’ experience shows how quickly the math on rooftop solar can get murky. 
• A new homeowner was stunned when the bill hit $420 after installing solar.
• After hearing customer-service horror stories, one homeowner sought advice on avoiding solar scams before signing.
• Former EnergySage COO Charlie Hadlow broke down the mystery of solar costs for cautious homeowners.
• Rooftop systems can lose performance when owners overlook cleaning and repair basics after installation.
• In the Philippines, researchers identified the trustworthiness of providers as a major barrier to home solar.
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“This work presents the first functional validation of submerged solar cells.”
Photo Credit: iStock
Solar buildouts are reaching some unexpected frontiers: deep under ocean waters.
Off Weizhou Island on China’s southwestern coast, researchers generated electricity from sunlight at a depth of 10 meters — nearly 33 feet — helping to set a new benchmark for the technology.
Findings from the effort to test the efficacy of underwater solar panels were published in the journal Joule last month. 
As Euronews reported, the panel material used in the installation was nonstandard. Instead of the more typical silicon, the researchers used perovskites, described by Futurism as a calcium titanium oxide mineral.
Because blue and green wavelengths can penetrate the ocean’s surface, the cells were designed to capture that light.
“This work presents the first functional validation of submerged solar cells practically operating at a water depth of up to about 10 meters, greatly broadening their application scope,” study co-author Wen-Hua Zhang, a Yunnan University professor, said in a press release.
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Futurism pointed to how widely China is already deploying solar, citing panels “on the side of rainy mountains, on floating coastal platforms, and above bustling highways.” These examples highlight how aggressively developers are seeking new places to generate electricity.
Finding success with installing solar panels underwater opens up another possibility for crowded coastal regions, where land can be expensive and difficult to dedicate to large energy projects. If solar can work in more spaces, cities and companies could add clean power more flexibly, without competing as directly with housing, roads, or agriculture for land.
Expanding sources of local clean electricity could help reduce reliance on fuel-burning power plants. For households and businesses, this could mean a more diverse, resilient, economic energy supply, while nearby communities could also benefit from a reduction of the air pollution tied to conventional power generation.
These articles explore other ways solar may be moving into watery environments, from offshore waters to submerged settings:
• U.S. Navy researchers created a consistent self-polishing effect that could help underwater panels stay efficient.
• A Chinese energy company unveiled surface ocean solar platforms to generate power offshore.
• Researchers say floating solar near the equator could expand clean power for billions.
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So-called balcony solar setups are becoming legal across the US. Here's the latest.
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
October 17, 2026, 9:00 am ET

Plug-in solar systems are easy to set up and can save consumers money on their power bills, but they’re still illegal in many states. Utah was the first to legalize backyard and plug-in solar, but other states have since caught on, and more are working on their own pathway to legalization.
Also: My favorite travel chargers pack a few tricks – one even has its own screen
As we’ve covered before, these plug-in solar setups (also commonly called “backyard solar”) are plug-and-play systems consisting of one or more solar panels, an inverter, and a battery. The system connects to a home’s standard 120-volt outlet, automatically routing solar-generated electricity from the battery to the nearest running appliance.
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These systems are restricted because most US household electrical systems aren’t designed to receive electricity through a standard wall outlet. Electrical codes, utility regulations, and equipment certification requirements in the US make them difficult to install legally.
Ten states have already legalized backyard and plug-in solar systems, so residents there can already purchase and install systems like the EcoFlow Stream in their homes. Here’s the current status of the states that have already successfully passed legislation, legalizing such devices for consumer use.
Data sourced from Solar.com.
About two dozen states are still in the process of legalizing plug-in solar. Some bills have stalled until the next legislative session reconvenes in 2027, while others are going through committee hearings.
Balcony solar bills H.5175 and S3143 are advancing in Massachusetts, and the SUNNY Act is pending governor approval in New York. Bills in other states like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Washington, DC have reached committee hearings.
Also: I’ve been testing solar gadgets for a long time – they’re finally worth buying
Most states have stalled plug-in solar bills until the next legislative session in 2027, including Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
Unfortunately, plug-in solar bills have failed in Georgia, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming, so if you live in one of those states, these kinds of devices are technically illegal to operate. This doesn’t mean that it won’t eventually clear the legislative slate in these states, but lawmakers will need to file a new bill to reintroduce them after making necessary revisions.
Whether you can immediately set up your balcony solar panels or not after the systems are legalized in your state will depend on your home situation.
Also: Are online solar calculators accurate? I tested a 200W panel for 1 year to find out
Generally speaking, the bills in question focus on preventing utility companies from blocking plug-in solar projects. These bills can’t preempt bans on these systems by landlords or HOAs, though supplementary bills have been introduced in some states to include protections for HOAs and landlords.
Plug-in solar is illegal because the electrical systems in traditional American homes aren’t designed to receive power from a standard wall outlet. Rooftop solar systems are professionally installed and designed so the energy harvested by the panels flows through a circuit breaker and into your outlets. Plug-in solar, in turn, introduces electricity directly into an outlet, bypassing the electrical panel.
In a plug-in solar setup, nearby appliances draw energy supplied by the breaker and the solar inverter, but the wiring could carry more current than the breaker alone would allow before it trips. But it’s not solely about safety.
Also: I recommend you don’t run these appliances on your power station – even if you can
Installing your own solar panels means less reliance on local utilities. These companies are the biggest regulatory obstacle for plug-in or balcony solar setups. Their rules and regulations on solar energy are designed for rooftop panels, not plug-and-play systems, so legislation should push utility companies to change that.
There’s also the elephant in the room: utilities would make less money off their services if plug-in solar becomes widely popular. When consumers purchase less electricity, they contribute less to grid costs.

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Chemical Mixture Erases Crystal Defects to Boost Perovskite Solar Cell Power
Perovskite solar cells have spent more than a decade tantalizing the photovoltaics community with a seductive promise: a semiconductor that can be printed like ink, layered on top of conventional silicon, and tuned to harvest sunlight with remarkable efficiency. Yet for all their promise, these manufactured crystals have been held back by a stubborn, invisible enemy. Deep inside their crystalline lattices, atomic-scale defects form during fabrication, trapping and dissipating the very energy the material is supposed to deliver. Now a team led by researchers at Princeton Engineering, the University of California-San Diego and Sungkyunkwan University in Korea reports a surprisingly elegant fix, and the results, published in the journal Science, suggest that the perovskite revolution may have just moved considerably closer to reality.
The new technique hinges on a counterintuitive insight about how perovskites crystallize. By adding a mixture of zinc bromide and methyl ammonium chloride early in the fabrication process, the researchers discovered they could dramatically reduce the number of defects that form in the crystal structure as the material solidifies. The consequences of that seemingly small intervention are striking. In defect-free perovskites produced this way, electrons retain the excess energy they absorb from sunlight roughly ten times longer than in untreated material. According to Dane deQuilettes, assistant professor at Princeton and a senior author on the paper, the improvement could translate into a one percent gain in power generation even for the most cutting-edge perovskite solar cells already in existence — a meaningful margin in a field where incremental gains are fiercely contested.
To understand why those microseconds matter, it helps to grasp what actually happens inside a working solar cell. When sunlight strikes a semiconductor, photons transfer their energy to electrons, lifting them into an excited state. The whole point of a photovoltaic device is to harvest that excess energy as electricity before the electrons relax back down and release it as heat. Defects in the crystal lattice act like traps along this pathway, snaring excited electrons and squandering their energy before it can be collected. The longer electrons can hold onto their excess energy — a property measured in microseconds in these experiments — the more opportunities there are to extract useful power. In deQuilettes’ measurements, electrons in the treated perovskites retained their energy for up to 300 microseconds, roughly a hundred thousand times longer than in many other semiconductors.
The discovery itself was born of serendipity. A few years ago, Jason Yoo, a first author on the paper who was then a researcher at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, noticed that his samples were behaving in ways he could not explain. He reached out to deQuilettes, whose laboratory specializes in developing tools to probe how electrons behave and interact inside perovskites. “He told me the samples were behaving like nothing he had seen before,” deQuilettes recalled. “He asked if I could help study them.” What deQuilettes found when he examined the samples amazed him: the extraordinary carrier lifetimes that would eventually form the basis of the Science paper.
The chemistry behind the breakthrough is as subtle as it is effective. The key, deQuilettes explained, is that the two added chemicals — zinc bromide and methyl ammonium chloride — must have a lower melting point when combined than either does alone, much as adding salt to ice lowers its freezing point. Such mixtures are known as eutectics, and the paper’s title, “Volatile eutectics to tailor crystallization for perovskite optoelectronics,” reflects this principle. By introducing a volatile eutectic during the early stages of fabrication, the researchers changed the way the perovskite crystal grows, steering it toward a more ordered lattice with fewer of the atomic-scale imperfections that plague conventionally processed films. “We opened up this new class of chemical mixtures that improve the performance of perovskites,” deQuilettes said.
The broader context makes the advance especially significant. Most solar cells installed around the world today are made of silicon, a material prized for its durability but constrained by its physics and its energy-intensive manufacturing. Perovskites, by contrast, can be prepared from liquid precursors and printed in sheets, like ink on newsprint, potentially making them cheaper and more sustainable to produce at scale. Increasingly, the two technologies are being combined rather than competing: a thin coat of perovskite layered over a silicon solar cell forms a tandem device that generates about 40 percent more power than a cell made from either material alone. The catch has always been that the printing and layering process tends to introduce those damaging atomic-level defects, blunting the perovskite layer’s contribution. Fewer defects mean a more efficient perovskite layer, which in turn means more efficient tandem modules rolling off future production lines.
The timing could hardly be more pointed. Global electricity demand is climbing rapidly, driven in no small part by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence and the datacenter infrastructure that underpins it. “The whole solar industry has been asking, what are the next set of technologies that are going to contribute to energy production?” deQuilettes noted. A one percent improvement in power conversion may sound modest, but in the economics of utility-scale solar — where installations span thousands of acres and margins are measured in fractions of a cent per kilowatt-hour — even single-digit percentage gains compound into substantial additional generating capacity. And because the improvement is achieved through chemistry during fabrication rather than through expensive post-processing, it is the kind of change that manufacturers could in principle adopt without redesigning their entire production workflow.
Perhaps the most intriguing implications reach beyond photovoltaics altogether. Because electrons in the treated perovskite persist in their excited state for hundreds of microseconds — an eternity by semiconductor standards — the material opens possibilities that conventional semiconductors simply cannot offer. “Energy is living in the material for so long, it broadens what’s actually possible with a semiconductor,” deQuilettes said. Long carrier lifetimes are coveted not only in solar cells but in a range of optoelectronic applications, from light-emitting devices to photodetectors and potentially quantum technologies, where the ability of a material to hold onto excitation energy determines what device architectures are feasible. The researchers emphasize that the discovery has raised more questions than it has answered. “It’s been really eye-opening,” deQuilettes added, suggesting that the eutectic approach may be only the first entry in what could become a broad family of defect-mitigating chemical mixtures.
The study was a genuinely international effort. In addition to deQuilettes at Princeton and Yoo and Bong Joo Kang at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, the author list spans Connor J. Dolan, Zhewen J.D. Deng, Jack R. Palmer, Kelly X. Vences and David P. Fenning at the University of California-San Diego; Seongsik Nam, Jinho Lee, Kyu Min Kang, Daesoo Kim, Jang Hee Cho, Donghyuk Chung and Seong Sik Shin at Sungkyunkwan University in Korea; Rushik Desai and Arun Mannodi-Kanakkithodi at Purdue University; Niranjana Mohan Kumar, Mariana I. Bertoni and Arkita Chakrabarti at Arizona State University; Yanqi Luo, Barry Lai, Zhonghou Cai, Martin V. Holt and Tao Zhou at Argonne National Laboratory; Andrew M. Kiss at Brookhaven National Laboratory; and In Sun Cho at Ajou University and Dong Hyun Kim and Jun Hong Noh at Korea University. That breadth of expertise — spanning synthesis, ultrafast spectroscopy, synchrotron characterization and computational modeling — reflects the multidisciplinary challenge of understanding and controlling defects at the atomic scale.
For a field that has weathered its share of hype and hard lessons, the new result offers something refreshingly concrete: a reproducible chemical strategy, published in a peer-reviewed journal, that measurably extends carrier lifetimes by an order of magnitude and points toward real gains in device performance. Perovskites have always been crystals of extraordinary promise; the challenge has been coaxing that promise out of an imperfect lattice. With volatile eutectics now shown to tailor crystallization in a way that suppresses defects at their source, researchers have a new tool — and a new class of chemistry to explore — in the long effort to build better solar technology, one crystal at a time.
Subject of Research: Defect mitigation in perovskite solar cells using volatile eutectic chemical additives during fabrication
Article Title: Building better solar tech, a crystal at a time
Article References: Building better solar tech, a crystal at a time. (n.d.). Original publication
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: Not provided
Keywords: perovskite, solar cells, crystal defects, eutectics, photovoltaics, tandem solar cells, semiconductors, carrier lifetime, zinc bromide, methyl ammonium chloride, Princeton University, Science journal
News Source: Denise Maddox. (October 16, 2026). Chemical Mixture Erases Crystal Defects to Boost Perovskite Solar Cell Power. Scienmag.
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“They paint the conduit to the roof color, you can barely see it.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A homeowner planning a 19-kilowatt rooftop solar system wanted everything to look just right after the installation was finished, but they said in Reddit’s r/TeslaSolar forum that they ran into a snag when Tesla informed them that attic conduit runs are “no longer offered.”   
Other Tesla customers, however, said that was not what happened on their homes, with several reporting attic conduit on installations of their own.
The issue surfaced from a homeowner who said they were moving ahead with a solar lease and had been told, “They are telling me, they do not offer hidden conduit anymore.” 
The homeowner said they were especially worried about aesthetics because their main electrical equipment sits on the front of the house, which they thought could make any exterior conduit look “terrible.” 
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers in your area.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
In the replies, other users’ experiences suggested the outcome of the installation could depend on the market, the crew, the home’s design, or the installer’s judgment. 
“Installed yesterday with attic run,” one Redditor shared. 
“It is also possible perhaps that your local area doesn’t offer it,” another speculated.
On its website, Tesla says that its designers “optimize solar panel locations for the highest production and arrange them for the most optimal aesthetic based on the useable roof space.” 
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While your solar goals will determine whether leasing or buying is right for you, going solar is undeniably one of the best ways to save money on home energy. Homeowners comparing installers can try EnergySage to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes.
Not everyone believed an exterior conduit would be a drawback. One homeowner with an outside run said, “They paint the conduit to the roof color, you can barely see it,” 
“Interior conduit runs are absolutely not a must,” another remarked. “For some houses it just doesn’t even make any sense.” 
Others noted that the concern could go beyond appearance, though. One described exterior conduits as “a soft spot for a leak” and pointed to the potential for clogging or “critter damage,” at least if unmonitored for long periods of time.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
Getting multiple quotes from reputable solar installers can help you understand your options — and weigh the pros and cons of different approaches — before you sign a contract. 
For homeowners still comparing installers, pricing, and equipment options, EnergySage is a great resource to connect with vetted providers. With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. 
EnergySage’s solar map also shows the average cost of a home solar panel system on a state-by-state level, along with details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, it can help homeowners get the best price for rooftop solar panels.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is also one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. Homeowners who want to compare battery options alongside panel quotes can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage systems, including competitive installation estimates.
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Sri Lanka experienced a nationwide power outage on Saturday due to instability in its electricity system, with authorities working to restore supplies, Anadolu Agency reported.
The National System Operator has asked owners of rooftop solar photovoltaic systems to disconnect their installations until further notice to support efforts to restore electricity.
Energy Minister Anura Karunathilake said a breakdown at the Upper Kotmale Power Station was suspected to have caused the outage.
Authorities reported power disruptions in several parts of the island as efforts to restore electricity supplies continued.
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Wind and solar power facilities in Tongxin, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,China, Oct 14, 2026. /VCG
Editor’s note: Xu Xiaohua is chairman of Anhui Huasun Energy Co., Ltd., vice chairman of the Finance Committee, co-chair of the Perovskite Committee of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, and chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Anhui New Energy Chamber of Commerce. The article reflects the author’s opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
Recently, relevant Chinese authorities have introduced specific measures governing export controls on photovoltaic (PV) cell manufacturing equipment and technology. In light of industry practice, several observations are worth sharing.
Controls aim to safeguard China’s competitive advantage in the global PV industry
Over more than two decades, China’s PV sector has built a fully integrated industrial chain spanning polysilicon, wafers, cells, modules, and core manufacturing equipment, securing a pivotal position in global markets. This hard-won advantage is the fruit of relentless effort, sustained investment, and continuous innovation by generations of PV pioneers. It also serves as a critical pillar for maintaining China’s manufacturing competitiveness in the global energy transition.
The global PV industry is at a critical juncture, defined by accelerating technology iteration and intensifying market competition. As the key vehicle for core process technology, PV manufacturing equipment embodies China’s accumulated mass-production experience and industrial scale-up expertise. Imposing necessary controls on cutting-edge core equipment that represents next-generation PV technology can help prevent the unwarranted transfer of critical technology and process know-how, safeguarding China’s global competitive edge and long-term development potential in the PV industry. This policy arrangement enables China to retain strategic initiative in global PV technology competition. In essence, it is a legitimate measure to safeguard national strategic interests and preserve the industry’s long-term competitiveness.
View of a photovoltaic power station on mountains, Rizhao City, Shandong Province, China, Oct 13, 2026. /VCG
Controls demonstrate a measured and rational governance philosophy
The policy follows a category-based, targeted management philosophy. Instead of resorting to simple, blanket restrictions across the board, it applies targeted regulatory controls to relevant equipment based on differences across technology generations. Equipment that has achieved commercial maturity and boasts ample market supply continues to enjoy space for normal international trade, whereas highly sensitive core equipment at the technological frontier is subject to cautious, prudent management.
This institutional framework reflects the principles of pragmatism, targeted policy implementation, and balanced oversight, maintaining a rational, measured stance: It respects industrial reality and focuses on critical segments and core equipment, while also leaving necessary room for mature application and large-scale deployment of related technologies. For PV cell manufacturers, this regulatory approach will not disrupt their routine overseas business expansion. Ultimately, enterprises’ international competitiveness hinges on their manufacturing processes, mass-production experience, and capacity for continuous innovation. By maintaining a relatively open approach to mature equipment, the policy underscores a commitment to balancing security and development. Furthermore, it reflects the wisdom, vision, and strategic responsibility of a major power actively participating in and regulating international trade.
A rooftop photovoltaic power generation base in Fangxian County, Hubei Province, China, Oct 13, 2026. /VCG
Policy implementation requires coordination across the entire industry chain
The implementation of export controls on PV equipment is inseparable from coordinated efforts by industry associations, government authorities, cell and module manufacturers, and equipment producers. Enterprises concerned must further strengthen compliance awareness and operate in strict accordance with relevant policy requirements. At the same time, they must also continue to scale up R&D investment and improve their capacity for independent innovation to leverage technological progress to underpin their international competitiveness.
Safeguarded by measured and rational controls, China’s PV sector is well-positioned to contribute even greater wisdom and industrial momentum to the global energy transition.

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Some builder-installed panels may satisfy basic requirements without covering real household demand.
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Climbing monthly electric bills pushed one Southern California homeowner to look for ways to get more out of solar.
The homeowner said their electric bill is back to $350 to $400, and that in previous months they received a credit on their bills. However, it seems those days are gone.
They said the home was built in 2021, but the solar system that came with it no longer meets the household’s needs. “The system installed is undersized – only 10 panels. No battery backup,” they wrote.
In a Reddit post, the homeowner said they have a single-story California house of about 2,000 square feet and confirmed with SoCal Edison, their electric provider, that the property is on NEM 2.0. 
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To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
They also said they received bill credits in December 2025 and January 2026, but their bills were back up to roughly $350 to $400.
They considered several paths to alleviate the high cost. One was to wait in hopes that technology improves and prices fall, finance a different system with a loan, sign a 25-year power purchase agreement with a 3.5% annual escalator, or add only a limited number of panels so they wouldn’t be moved to NEM 3.0.
Replies largely centered on protecting the value of NEM 2.0 and avoiding problems when the house is eventually sold. 
One commenter said that “the nem 2.0 piece is actually huge here and changes the math a fair bit,” while also warning that a long PPA may not make sense for someone planning to sell in 15 to 20 years.
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To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best local options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
The conversation also pointed to an issue with some builder-installed solar: the panels may satisfy basic requirements without covering real household demand. One commenter told the homeowner that builders often “just slapped on the minimum to check a box.”
For homeowners dealing with high energy bills, going solar remains one of the best ways to save money on home energy. EnergySage can help by offering free solar installation estimates and a way to compare quotes side by side.
One commenter put it into perspective: “Nobody wants to inherit a 25 year contract with a 3.5% escalator and it’ll scare off buyers or force you to buy it out at an inflated price when you list.”
Commenters said the safest move may be to keep any solar addition fairly modest. One commenter suggested adding about four to six panels to cover the shortfall while staying below the NEM 2.0 threshold, and another recommended a battery-based approach, writing, “Use the battery when the rates are highest.”
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
Shopping tools can also help reduce the chances of overpaying for an upgrade. With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state, along with solar panel incentives for each state. Together, those resources can help homeowners get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. For a homeowner trying to get more value from daytime generation instead of letting it go to waste, storage can be especially valuable. Homeowners can also explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
One commenter shared his coworker’s setup: “He has two Tesla power walls and enough panels to power his AC and charge his and her Teslas for their commutes,” he continued, “he’s made as much as $30 in one day.”
These stories look at how homeowners are navigating rising power bills and shifting solar rules. They cover batteries, net metering, local California programs, and savings trends that can shape rooftop solar payoffs.
• In California, PG&E customers found the battery changes everything when NEM 3.0 credits plunge.
• As bills rise, one California city made rooftop solar into relief for low-income homeowners.
• In Ohio, one homeowner learned net metering may leave half the electric bill untouched.
• U.S. homeowners pushed back when critics claimed solar is worth the investment only with incentives.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
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“One night it was raining very heavily and I started to see these (damp) spots being created.”
Photo Credit: iStock
Homeowners in one Edinburgh neighborhood say a council-backed retrofit project intended to make older buildings safer and more energy-efficient instead left them dealing with leaks, damaged interiors, and bills topping £20,000 ($26,500).
For residents who initially backed the upgrades, the aftermath has turned a housing- and climate-focused effort into an expensive test of trust.
A project in Lochend meant to modernize older tenements and bring them closer to current efficiency and building standards is now drawing complaints from residents, who told STV News the work went badly wrong.
After the work, homeowner Aga Barys said water coming through the roof affected several flats on her floor, leaving her to bring in builders to repair the damage.
“The cost after fixing everything was over £7,000 [$9,300],” she said.
She added that owning her flat leaves her responsible for more than £20,000 ($26,500) in retrofit charges, including a council management fee. Residents said the upheaval and the size of the bill have damaged confidence in work they had supported.
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“There is something systematically wrong with how they are doing the retrofits. We support this work and were really glad this kind of project was rolling out after so many years of neglect,” Barys stated.
The case highlights a familiar source of conflict in mixed-tenure buildings, where private owners and council tenants can run into disputes over both disruption and costs.
When several households share roofs and common areas, retrofitting older properties can be both complicated and costly. The council said the affected tenement blocks were built in the 1920s and require essential repairs and upgrades.
Another owner, Rita Cicellini, said her home still does not appear to be fully finished.
“What they needed to do the roof, they basically exposed it. One night it was raining very heavily and I started to see these (damp) spots being created. It doesn’t feel like the work is finished. It looks like they came with a chainsaw,” she explained.
Problems like these can make communities more wary of future housing upgrades.
Backed by tenants’ union Living Rent, residents said similar projects should not be expanded elsewhere without stronger oversight and better protections for the people living through the work.
Follow-up work has already begun. STV News reported that contractors paid for repairs to Barys’ property and are expected to return to Cicellini’s home to carry out additional work.
The council said it has support measures in place for owners facing large bills. Councilor Tim Pogson, housing, homelessness and fair work convener, said private owners can spread payments over 15 years and may also qualify for Scottish Government grant funding toward some of the work, depending on their personal circumstances.
Pogson also said the council has “a team of dedicated case officers available to support and answer questions from owners” and remains committed to “safe, warm, and well-maintained homes” through its city-wide housing improvement program.
The central question is whether those assurances will translate into better delivery next time.
As Barys put it, “We don’t ask for a free service. We want to pay our fair share, not live in the conditions that we have been suffering in for over a year.”
Similar tensions show up in other housing and home-upgrade disputes, from mold after a leak repair to contractor damage and HOA battles over rooftop panels.
• A renter said a bathroom leak repair left black mold worsening inside the apartment.
• In one neighborhood, contractors destroyed a lawn during work and deepened homeowner frustration.
• Across many HOAs, solar panels for homes still face neighborhood restrictions.
• One new homeowner found an HOA blocked solar plans despite promises of savings.
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PrepayPower raised electricity prices by 8.8% and gas prices by 10.6% in June.
Photo Credit: iStock
PrepayPower is holding electricity and gas rates steady for around 200,000 customers, with no increases due before at least March 2027.
After a year of rising energy costs, that kind of price certainty could make it easier for households to budget and avoid unexpected jumps in top-up costs.
According to RTÉ, the freeze covers about 180,000 electricity accounts and 60,000 gas accounts at PrepayPower, Ireland’s largest pay-as-you-go energy supplier.
Because customers with both services appear in each category, the total number of households affected is about 200,000.
For those customers, the company says it will not raise prices again until at least March 2027. Pay-as-you-go households often feel price changes immediately when topping up, particularly during winter, when heating and electricity use usually rise.
The move also follows a similar price freeze introduced by PrepayPower, its sister company Yuno Energy, and Electric Ireland.
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The announcement does not lower bills outright, but it does reduce the risk of another increase in the middle of winter.
Most major energy providers have increased prices, and PrepayPower itself raised electricity prices by 8.8% and gas prices by 10.6% in June, RTÉ reported.
RTÉ also cited Central Statistics Office figures showing that in September, prices for energy products — including electricity, gas, and other fuels — were up 15.3% in the year to September.
The freeze does not reverse earlier increases, but it does reduce the likelihood that bills will rise again during one of the most expensive times of year for home energy use.
Alongside the freeze announcement, Ireland’s Commission for Regulation of Utilities has brought in stronger winter protections for customers.
Under the CRU’s updated rules, repayment plans must match what customers can realistically afford, any upfront payment must be optional rather than mandatory, and people in debt must be given at least 18 months to repay.
The regulator also says suppliers should first try to resolve problems through their own support systems before directing struggling customers to outside groups such as MABS or SVP.
Existing winter safeguards are staying in place as well: no more than 15% of a prepayment meter top-up can be used to recover legacy debt, suppliers must still tell prepay customers in debt about alternative payment options, and the €200 ($224) fee for switching from a gas pay-as-you-go meter to a credit meter will remain suspended.
In explaining the decision, PrepayPower said the freeze is happening “despite rising wholesale energy costs and concerns over European gas supplies at a time when most customers are fearing energy price increases”.
These stories examine how regulators and energy companies elsewhere are handling household energy costs. They cover a U.K. price-cap increase, billing strategies in Great Britain, solar programs, and other ways customers can trim electricity expenses.
• In the U.K., a regulator-set price cap is pushing household gas and electricity bills higher.
• In the U.K., solar panels installed cost-free are helping homeowners cut long-term energy bills.
• Across the U.S., comparing home electricity options is helping households avoid costly utility deals.
• Dominion Energy customers can shift use during peak times to reduce electric bills.
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“Sounds like both your agent and selling agent are taking advantage of you.”
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In California, a buyer in escrow discovered the property’s solar agreement was not settled after all. Instead of an already-paid system, they were told the seller wanted to pass along a 25-year contract, which they feared would leave them with higher costs over time. 
In Reddit’s r/solar, the buyer said the seller wanted to transfer a “power purchase agreement,” or PPA, to them. Previously, their agent had told them that it was already paid off.
“I don’t know anything about solar and need help/advice,” they implored. The buyer added that the PPA, which started in 2023, would cost about $240 per month. As a concession for not paying off the system, the sellers offered a $15,000 credit.   
Several commenters pushed back on the idea that the transfer was unavoidable. 
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers in your area.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
One wrote, “Oh, the escrow can CERTAINLY ‘go through’ …seller needs to pay it off. Sounds like both your agent and selling agent are taking advantage of you.” Others said the buyer should insist on a payoff or be willing to walk away from the 2013 resale home.
A third asked, “So you don’t want cheaper power?” 
Going solar can be one of the best ways to save money on home energy if you compare the terms carefully. As EnergySage notes, with a PPA, the “difference between what you’d pay the utility and what you pay the PPA provider is your savings.” If you’re considering solar, EnergySage lets homeowners get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes.
For many commenters, the bigger concern with the PPA was what the payment could become over the life of the deal. One explained that with a 3% escalator, today’s $240 monthly charge could climb to more than $400 before the term is over.
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The thread also highlighted considerations beyond the electric bill, including the possibility of reroofing and the solar company’s role in removing and reinstalling the panels. Some noted that a future sale could get tangled if the transfer paperwork isn’t handled properly.
“If this house has shingles, and the lease /ppa has an escalator, this will likely end up costing you over $100K by the time the lease is paid off,” one person warned. 
Whether a PPA is right for you depends on your goals, and not every PPA is the same. In this case, Reddit users recommended asking for written information about assignment terms, fees, escalation rates and timing, and any buyout or prepayment provisions.
For anyone shopping for solar from scratch, EnergySage is a great resource to understand your options. With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. EnergySage’s solar map shows average system costs by state and details solar panel incentives for each state; together, these tools help homeowners get the best price on rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save on energy costs, and go off-grid. It can also make solar more useful when production doesn’t fully match household demand. Homeowners can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
Solar deals can get especially messy during a home sale, and these stories cover issues buyers and homeowners may run into. 
• In California, buyers considering a prepaid solar lease were told the power could come liability-free.
• In Pennsylvania, a homeowner fielding a sales pitch asked who owns the panels before signing.
• EnergySage’s former COO broke down the mystery of solar costs and the terms that drive them.
• In Ohio, a homeowner learned net metering may leave half the bill untouched.
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The law comes as rooftop solar grows in Texas, with households looking for ways to cut electricity costs.
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Residential solar companies and individual salespeople in Texas now face registration requirements as the state steps in to police rooftop solar sales.
With that shift, regulators can monitor the industry, investigate consumer complaints, and penalize businesses that break the rules.
The Residential Solar Retailer Regulatory Act requires residential solar businesses and salespeople to register with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and it authorizes TDLR to handle complaints and pursue enforcement against companies that violate the statute, KXAN reported.
State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, championed the law after hearing from Texans across the state who raised concerns about solar sales practices. It was intended to address complaints from Texans who said they were misled about expected savings and available incentives before signing long-term contracts.
The law comes as rooftop solar grows in Texas, with households looking for ways to cut electricity costs. The new rules are meant to add guardrails to a fast-growing part of the energy market.
As more Texans adopted rooftop solar, reports of troubling sales experiences also increased. KXAN investigators reported on complaints connected to solar panel deals.
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Some of those complaints involved promises of lower utility bills that customers later said never materialized. Others focused on financing terms and incentives that consumers said they didn’t fully understand when they signed the contracts.
The scrutiny hasn’t been limited to the legislature. As KXAN reported, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a San Antonio-based solar company, alleging it misled customers about warranties and financing and used deceptive sales tactics.
According to Paxton’s office, customers were left with systems that didn’t work properly. For families who entered lengthy contracts expecting savings, that can mean years of unexpected costs tied to equipment that doesn’t work as promised.
TDLR now oversees this, and it has become the main state regulator for residential solar retailers and salespeople. For homeowners who think a company used deceptive tactics or failed to follow the law, that creates a more defined agency to contact.
Homeowners still have five days to back out of a solar deal, which gives them time to review contract terms after a sales presentation. Zaffirini has also urged consumers, as KXAN reported, to review contracts carefully, ask questions, and not sign anything they don’t fully understand.
TDLR has delayed enforcement of contract disclosure requirements and the development of education brochures until November to give retailers more time to adjust, KXAN reported.
People who continue to run into problems can file complaints directly with TDLR, whose enforcement powers now include investigations and fines. Zaffirini has also said she plans to monitor how the law works in practice and, as KXAN reported, return to the issue in the 2027 legislative session if more changes are needed.
Zaffirini said to KXAN, “Texans deserve honest and transparent transactions, not deceptive sales tactics.”
Here’s more context on the consumer and homeowner issues tied to rooftop solar in Texas and beyond. The stories cover aggressive sales encounters, Texas property-rights fights, and HOA disputes over solar installations.
• New homeowners said a utility-linked ‘free solar’ rep turned aggressive after seeing their bill.
• In Texas, residents warned a new property law could sharply limit rooftop solar and wind choices.
• In Austin, a homeowner argued they can’t stop you from adding rooftop solar despite HOA pressure.
• One homeowner was stunned when an HOA violation notice arrived two years after solar installation.
• Homeowners weighing solar said a firm HOA policy still left them worried about lawsuits.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
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“More than 50 critical facilities” are expected to benefit.
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About 4 miles of power lines in Katy, Texas, will be moved underground, and CenterPoint Energy says the work will involve planned outages before eventually shortening storm-related interruptions for roughly 5,600 customers.
CenterPoint is carrying out the project as part of its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative.
As Community Impact reported, the Public Utility Commission approved the Katy project, which is expected to take about eight months once construction starts.
Aaron Coronis, CenterPoint Energy’s service area manager, said the new circuit is intended to better withstand storms. He said it should also reduce outages and add capacity to meet Katy’s future electricity demand.
Coronis said “more than 50 critical facilities” are expected to benefit, including Katy City Hall, Fire Station No. 1, Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital, and several assisted living centers.
Once the underground line is in operation, CenterPoint says roughly 5,600 customers should see shorter outage times.
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Residents and businesses are also being warned to expect some temporary disruption during construction, including planned power interruptions that CenterPoint said could last several hours.
To account for possible complications, Coronis said affected entities will be given outage estimates with extra time built in.
Coronis said the city will not use its funds for the project; instead, CenterPoint will spread the cost across all ratepayers, not just Katy residents.
Community Impact had not received a total project cost.
CenterPoint said it is trying to reduce disruption by keeping residents informed throughout the project. Coronis said the utility will contact people “before, during and after this work” by letter, email, door hangers, texts, and Nextdoor posts, according to Community Impact.
The company said its implementation plan aims to limit road closures and minimize traffic impacts.
CenterPoint said crews will restore each work site before moving on, and that process will be coordinated with the city.
Residents should also expect crews on-site Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Katy’s project is part of an effort to strengthen electric systems as utilities in Texas and beyond respond to mounting outage risks, as this related coverage examines.
• In northern Michigan, a utility will bury all new power lines after weeks-long ice storm outages.
• New data showed Houston led the U.S. in May outages, with some areas far above average.
• As outages worsen, Generac is pushing home backup battery and solar systems for households.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
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Melbourne-based Allume Energy’s SolShare system, that allows residents in multi-unit buildings to share the energy generated from a single rooftop solar array across individually electricity meters, has scooped the pool at Australia’s Good Design awards.
The SolShare system received the 2026 Australian Good Design Award of the Year, the Australian Good Design Award for Sustainability, and was also named the joint winner of Best in Discipline Award for Product Design at the awards ceremony in Sydney on Friday night.
Designed and manufactured in Melbourne, Allume’s SolShare platform allows the energy produced by a single solar system to be distributed between separately metered dwellings according to their instantaneous energy needs. The system’s algorithm ensures solar energy consumption is maximised on site before any energy is fed back to the grid. 
The Good Design Award jury described SolShare as “true design excellence,” adding it was impressed by “the intelligent real-time demand allocation system and the product’s demonstrated impact in making renewable energy accessible to communities historically excluded from rooftop solar benefits.”
“Apartment residents share a roof but have had no practical way to share its solar,” the jury said. “SolShare changes that, connecting a single rooftop system to up to 15 apartments and directing power in real time to where it is needed most, without new meters, retailers or building overhauls.”
The win follows this year’s launch of SolShare 2, a redesign of Allume’s original technology released in 2019 that increases SolShare’s energy capacity by 36% and makes it possible for apartment residents to share an optimised battery as well as rooftop solar.
Allume Chief Product Officer Stella Knorr said the system has transformed a previously inaccessible population segment – apartment residents – into a cornerstone of the clean energy transition.
“Closing the solar divide between freestanding home and apartment residents has been our goal from day one, so it’s fantastic to see the team’s work and the impact this home-grown Aussie innovation is now having worldwide recognised in this way,” she said. “Our design approach is a big part of what’s allowed us to reach thousands more apartment residents and renters to date, and we’re expecting a significant ramp-up in the number of apartment residents SolShare is helping to save in the years to come.”
Allume said the ‘behind the meter’ system has delivered the benefits of solar to more than 13,000 apartments across Australia and the United Kingdom, contributing an estimated 28 GWh of clean energy to date.
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Great to see an Australian innovation making solar more accessible to apartment residents! 👏 Sharing rooftop solar and battery storage across multiple households is a smart step towards a more sustainable future. At Volts Electrics, we’re equally passionate about helping Australians make better use of clean energy. Congratulations to Allume Energy on this well-deserved recognition!
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Qcells announced plans to launch new versions of its residential solar panel series featuring U.S.-made aluminum frames by the end of 2026. 
The updated residential product offerings, which include the company’s Q.Tron AC and Q.Peak Duo AC lines, will incorporate aluminum frames extruded, anodized, and fabricated at supplier Aluko Group’s integrated facility in Halls, Tennessee. The initiative is aimed at helping residential installers and third-party ownership TPO providers qualify for the Investment Tax Credit ITC domestic content bonus adder. 
Under the Treasury Department’s domestic content guidance, solar hardware must meet specific domestic manufacturing thresholds to qualify for the 10% tax credit bonus. Qcells noted that keeping all three core stages of frame manufacturing, including extrusion, anodization, and fabrication, within the United States provides greater clarity for installers and financing partners when evaluating compliance. 
The domestic frame offering comes as the statutory domestic content threshold for clean energy projects begins stepping up toward 55% for projects commencing construction in 2027. 
“Through this partnership to produce modules with domestic frames, we are furthering our commitment to U.S. manufacturing, supporting clean, affordable energy and giving our customers the certainty they need to qualify projects for the domestic content bonus,” said Il Hyeong No, head of Qcells North America’s residential business. 
Supply chain localized in Tennessee 
Aluko Group’s manufacturing plant in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, is expected to reach full commercial production by the end of 2026. Once operational, the plant will have a planned annual capacity to manufacture enough frames to support 4 GW of solar modules. 
Aluko plans to invest more than $107 million into the facility over five years, creating 285 full-time jobs. The company operates what it describes as the only facility in the U.S. performing all three major frame production steps under one roof. 
“By carrying out extrusion, anodizing, and fabrication here in the United States, we are delivering a product that offers transparency and confidence at every step of the process,” said Jinwoo Park, president of Aluko Group. 
The move expands Qcells’ broader domestic manufacturing push across its vertically integrated operations in Dalton and Cartersville, Georgia, where the company operates large-scale module and component assembly operations.
Want to learn more about the scaling of U.S. solar supply chains and domestic content rules? Join us for pv magazine USA Week to attend the session Scaling Solar Production in the U.S. This panel addresses the real-world execution of policy-driven announcements, scaling domestic production, and navigating complex domestic content thresholds. 
The session will feature Qcells Global Chief Technology Officer Danielle W. Merfeld alongside fellow expert panelists Finlay Colville, Founder of Terawatt PV Research; Jim Wood, CEO of SEG Solar; and Zennia Villanueva, Vice President of Quality at RETC, part of the VDE Group. Register for pv magazine USA Week today to reserve your spot.
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⚡ Quick Read
NTPC (Mauritius) Energy, a subsidiary of India’s state-owned power giant, has officially invited bids for an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) package to develop a floating solar project. The initiative is set to be located at the Tamarind Falls Reservoir in Mauritius, reflecting the growing trend of utilizing water bodies for renewable energy generation to conserve land resources.
The project scope involves the design, supply, installation, and commissioning of a floating solar photovoltaic (PV) plant integrated with a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). By coupling solar generation with BESS, the project aims to provide more stable and dispatchable power to the local grid. The tender documentation specifies that the final date for the submission of bids is December 7, 2026. This project represents a strategic move by NTPC to leverage its domestic experience in large-scale solar and storage deployments in international markets.
For Indian EPC contractors, this tender offers a high-profile opportunity to showcase technical capabilities in the specialized field of floating solar. The integration of BESS adds a layer of complexity that favors companies with experience in hybrid renewable energy systems. Developers and contractors looking to expand their footprint in the Indian Ocean region should view this as a gateway to further infrastructure projects in Mauritius, which is actively seeking to diversify its energy mix away from fossil fuels.
Prospective bidders must now prepare their technical and financial proposals in accordance with the tender guidelines. Given the technical requirements of floating solar—which involves mooring systems, specialized buoyant structures, and water-resistant electrical components—the selection process will likely prioritize firms with proven track records in similar environments. As the India renewable energy sector continues to mature, such international ventures by major players like NTPC underscore the country’s growing role as a global hub for renewable energy engineering and project management expertise.
The following table summarizes the key parameters for the NTPC (Mauritius) Energy floating solar and BESS tender.
Aditya Pathre is the Founder of MVApulse and covers India’s renewable energy sector, including solar, wind, battery energy storage systems (BESS), green hydrogen, transmission infrastructure, renewable energy policy and competitive bidding. His reporting focuses on project developments, market trends, government policies and energy transition across India.
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AI Model Diagnoses Solar Panel Faults Even When Data Goes Missing
Solar power is exploding across the global grid, but the panels that harvest sunlight are quietly fragile machines. They bake in heat, get hammered by sand and rain, and slowly age under decades of ultraviolet stress. When a single small fault goes unnoticed, it can snowball into a compound failure that cripples an entire array. Now, a team of researchers in Beijing has unveiled an artificial intelligence system that can diagnose these faults with remarkable precision — even when the sensor data it relies on is riddled with holes. The work, published in Frontiers in Electronics, reports diagnostic accuracies of 98.73 percent for single faults and 97.46 percent for compound faults, and it still holds 96.12 percent accuracy when the measurements are corrupted by 30 dB of noise.
The problem the researchers tackled is one that plagues every real-world photovoltaic installation: missing data. Photovoltaic power plants continuously monitor voltage, current, power, temperature, and irradiance, feeding this stream into fault-detection algorithms. But communication blockages, sensor malfunctions, asynchronous triggering between devices, unstable sunlight, temperature drift, hidden component defects, and simple wiring errors can all interrupt the flow. When data gaps appear, most existing fault diagnosis methods simply fail to account for them — a blind spot that can turn a healthy array into a mystery box.
Di Liu, Xiaojuan Zhu, and Changyu Du of Beijing Fibrlink Communications built their solution as a pipeline of four cooperating technologies: Tucker decomposition, the sparrow search algorithm, the Informer network, and a novel multi-scale convolutional model they call MSCNet. The first job belongs to Tucker decomposition, a tensor-based mathematical technique that treats the high-dimensional photovoltaic data — power, voltage, current, irradiance, and timestamps — as a structured spatial object rather than a flat table. By transforming the data into a Hankel tensor through a standard delay transformation known as Hankification, the method exploits the inherent temporal structure of the measurements to reconstruct the missing values.
The tensor completion model is solved using alternating least squares, a procedure that iteratively refines the core tensor and its factor matrices until the reconstruction converges. Once the completed Hankel tensor is obtained, the data pass through a delayed inverse transformation using the Moore–Penrose pseudo-inverse, delivering a filled-in dataset that preserves the original temporal patterns. In randomized missing-data experiments, where the team removed between 5 and 50 percent of the current measurements in 5 percent steps, their method achieved a relative squared error of just 3.51 percent at the brutal 50 percent missing rate — outperforming cubic spline interpolation, K-nearest neighbors, support vector machines, and low-rank matrix filling by margins of 1.28 to 3.74 percentage points.
Continuous data loss, the kind that occurs when remote devices lose communication or sensors fail outright, proved even more challenging. At a 30 percent continuous missing ratio, the Tucker-based method delivered a relative squared error of 5.27 percent, while KNN, low-rank matrix, and SVM-based alternatives hovered between 7.98 and 10.28 percent. The team’s algorithm beat the comparison methods at every missing percentage tested, confirming that the tensor approach is not a one-trick trick but a robust foundation for the diagnostic pipeline that follows.
With the data restored, the Informer network takes over. Informer is a Transformer variant purpose-built for long time-series feature extraction, and it outperforms the standard Transformer architecture in this domain thanks to a probabilistic sparse self-attention mechanism. Rather than forcing every query to attend to every key in the sequence, Informer lets each focus only on the first n queries with the highest relevance, dramatically reducing computational cost while capturing the global patterns that matter. The encoder converts the input into dense vectors of fixed dimensions and extracts features in order, generating a mapping that preserves the long-range dependencies in photovoltaic operation data.
But global patterns alone are not enough. Fault signals in photovoltaic arrays are often subtle, localized, and multi-scale — a short circuit in one string, a shadow across a few modules, an aging cell drifting out of spec. To capture these granular features, the team embedded MSCNet into the Informer encoder. MSCNet operates through two parallel branches: one performs global max pooling and global average pooling, then passes the results through a fully connected layer and a sigmoid gating mechanism to recalibrate the weights of each feature channel. The other branch expands the number of channels and solves the gradient vanishing problem through convolution, batch normalization, and ReLU activation, then extracts multi-scale features using depthwise separable convolutions. Because depthwise convolutions ignore relationships between channels, a channel shuffling operation recombines the outputs, and the two branches merge through a fully connected layer to produce the final enhanced representation.
The third component, the sparrow search algorithm, optimizes the global parameters of the combined Informer-MSCNet model. Inspired by the foraging and anti-predatory behavior of actual sparrows, the algorithm divides its population into discoverers, joiners, and vigilantes. Discoverers find food and lead the group, joiners follow them, and vigilantes monitor the surroundings for danger. When a warning value exceeds a safety threshold, the sparrows move to a safe area, and the algorithm iteratively updates positions until the optimal configuration emerges. This swarm intelligence approach accelerates convergence of the deep learning model, which would otherwise require extensive manual tuning of its many parameters.
To test the system, the researchers built a real photovoltaic simulation platform in a city in northern China, comprising eight PV modules connected in a four-series-by-two-parallel configuration, along with resistor boxes, electricity meters, temperature sensors, and an irradiance meter. Data were collected at 15-minute intervals, producing a dataset of 4,320 by 5 sampling points with ambient temperatures between 25.47 and 34.69 degrees Celsius and irradiance between 527.25 and 765.14 watts per square meter. They simulated four single fault types — open circuit, line short circuit, abnormal aging, and partial shadow — and four compound fault types combining two simultaneous failures. After filling the missing data with their Tucker-based method and diagnosing with the full pipeline, the model achieved 98.73 percent accuracy on single faults, beating Informer, Transformer, TCN, SVM, and CNN by 3.05 to 15.07 percentage points.
Under noise, the advantages became even clearer. When 30 dB of noise was added to the compound fault scenario, the proposed model maintained 96.12 percent accuracy, improving on Informer, Transformer, TCN, SVM, and CNN by 4.61, 5.9, 11.51, 13.96, and 17.88 percentage points respectively. The recall rate of 96.76 percent similarly outpaced all comparison algorithms. Ablation experiments confirmed that MSCNet is the critical ingredient: when the team removed it and ran a TCN-Informer-SSA variant, accuracy on open-circuit faults dropped 16 percentage points, and the variant fell below 90 percent on several fault types that the full model handles with ease. The researchers conclude that their Tucker decomposition-SSA-Informer-MSCNet pipeline offers a practical, noise-robust foundation for smart grid construction — a system that can keep watch over the world’s solar farms even when the sensors go dark.
Subject of Research: A high-precision fault diagnosis method for photovoltaic arrays considering the effect of missing data
Article Title: A high-precision fault diagnosis method for photovoltaic arrays considering the effect of missing data
Article References: Liu, D., Zhu, X., & Du, C. (2025). A high-precision fault diagnosis method for photovoltaic arrays considering the effect of missing data. Frontiers in Electronics, 6, Article 1656864. https://doi.org/10.3389/felec.2025.1656864
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.3389/felec.2025.1656864
Keywords: high-precision, fault, diagnosis, method, photovoltaic, arrays, considering, effect, missing, data, scientific research
News Source: Faith Mcneil. (October 17, 2026). AI Model Diagnoses Solar Panel Faults Even When Data Goes Missing. Scienmag.
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Qcells has unveiled intentions to introduce updated iterations of its home solar panel lineup equipped with aluminum frames produced domestically before 2026 concludes. The refreshed products, encompassing the Q.Tron AC and Q.Peak Duo AC ranges, will feature frames that undergo extrusion, anodization and fabrication at the Halls, Tennessee integrated plant belonging to supplier Aluko Group.
This effort seeks to assist residential installers and third-party ownership providers in securing eligibility for the Investment Tax Credit domestic content bonus adder. Per Treasury Department domestic content rules, solar equipment must satisfy particular domestic manufacturing benchmarks to receive the 10% tax credit bonus. Qcells observed that retaining all three core frame manufacturing phases within the United States offers installers and financing partners enhanced clarity when assessing compliance.
The domestic frame offering arrives as the statutory domestic content threshold for clean energy projects starts escalating toward 55% for projects beginning construction in 2027.
Il Hyeong No, who leads Qcells North America’s residential business, stated that the partnership to produce modules with domestic frames advances the company’s dedication to U.S. manufacturing, backs clean and affordable energy and provides customers with the certainty required to qualify projects for the domestic content bonus.
Aluko Group’s manufacturing facility in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, is anticipated to achieve full commercial production before the end of 2026. When operational, the plant is designed to have yearly capacity for manufacturing sufficient frames to support 4 GW of solar modules.
Aluko intends to invest over $107 million in the facility across five years, generating 285 full-time positions. The company characterizes its plant as the sole U.S. facility conducting all three major frame production steps beneath a single roof.
Jinwoo Park, president of Aluko Group, stated that performing extrusion, anodizing and fabrication within the United States yields a product delivering transparency and confidence throughout every stage of the process.
The initiative extends Qcells’ wider domestic manufacturing drive throughout its vertically integrated operations in Dalton and Cartersville, Georgia, where the company runs large-scale module and component assembly operations.
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Solar Panels market in the United States, covering market size, growth trajectory, demand structure, supply capability, trade flows, pricing, competitive landscape, and forecast to 2035.
The study is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, exporters, investors, procurement teams, advisors, and strategy teams that need a consistent, data-driven view of market dynamics and a transparent analytical definition of the product scope.
This report covers photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, which are devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity. It encompasses the global market for finished modules, including all major product technologies and form factors designed for a wide range of end-use applications.
The report combines the standard market-statistics backbone with strategic chapters that are useful for commercial planning, sourcing decisions, market entry, competitor monitoring, and portfolio prioritization.
The market is segmented into decision-relevant buckets so that demand drivers, pricing logic, supply constraints, and competitive positions can be compared across the same analytical frame.
The market data is classified and analyzed according to international trade codes, primarily under the Harmonized System (HS) headings for photovoltaic cells and electric generating sets. This ensures consistent tracking of trade flows for assembled solar modules and relevant apparatus across global markets.
Coverage focuses on United States and includes demand, supply capability where present, trade flows, pricing, competition, and outlook.
The report combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, product-level evidence, and analyst validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to keep market sizing, trade flows, pricing, and forecasts comparable across countries and time periods.
All indicators are mapped to a consistent product definition and reviewed against the segmentation framework used in the Table of Contents.
Report Scope and Analytical Framing
Concise View of Market Direction
Market Size, Growth and Scenario Framing
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From left to right: Susan Cotner, Greg Galluccio, Kimberly Ireland, Dr. Richard Perez, Jill Henck, and Nicole Bouchez, at a Crandall Library electric grid panel. 
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The law contends that large-scale battery energy storage systems present “unique and substantial risks to public health, safety, and welfare.”
Salem’s town board previously enacted a moratorium that prohibited considering BESS applications. But a new local law would ban the facilities…
The law contends that BESS present “unique and substantial risks to public health, safety, and welfare.”
A quick look at the issue and what these systems actually do.
A site on Route 149 and Ridge Road was discussed, but that area is not zoned for such a site, so no battery storage site is currently planned …
Lake George enacts a six-month moratorium on battery energy storage systems to gain a better understanding on the issue while weighing the pro…
From left to right: Susan Cotner, Greg Galluccio, Kimberly Ireland, Dr. Richard Perez, Jill Henck, and Nicole Bouchez, at a Crandall Library electric grid panel. 
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Solar panels at a community solar farm in Chicago Heights. Erin Hooley/ Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service/ Getty

This story was originally published by Canary Media and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
A community solar project built for New Orleans’ oldest historically Black Catholic order of nuns. An all-electric affordable housing complex in Salt Lake City. A program offering low-income Maryland households inexpensive loans for rooftop solar and energy efficiency.
These are just some of the recent projects financed in the US by green banks, entities that use public funds to boost lending for clean energy and climate-adaptation efforts in tough-to-finance sectors. And they’ve done it even as the Trump administration’s clawbacks of federal climate funding force them to scale down their Biden-era plans.
“We’ve continued to move capital in very challenging times,” said Dan Adler, executive director of the U.S. Green Bank 50, a coalition of 56 green banks and other organizations. To fill in the gaps, they’ve sought out financing partners ranging from commercial banks and credit unions to corporate and philanthropic funders. ​“We’re making a virtue out of a necessity,” he said.
The Green Bank 50 laid out what its members have been able to accomplish over the last two years in its inaugural impact report, released in September, which collected data from 48 green banks nationwide. Over the course of 2024 and 2025, those organizations put about $1.4 billion of their own capital, along with $11 billion in additional private capital, into more than 40,000 projects.
The goal is to find projects private-sector lenders consider too risky, ​“but if you do it with green banks a few times, then private capital can take over.”
The report includes summaries from about 70 case studies of the work that’s been helped along by financing from green banks. Some are large-scale projects, like the $10 million community solar array being built on land owned by the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans, which has committed to providing up to 350 low-income households with reduced utility bills using the solar power it will generate. Loans for that project came from the nonprofit Inclusive Prosperity Capital, the United Church of Christ Cornerstone Fund, and Pelican Community Capital, which is a Louisiana community development lender affiliated with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.
Inclusive Prosperity Capital is among the many green banks that has had to make do without promised grants from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. It won $249 million from the program, which was created by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and provided $20 billion in green bank grants and another $7 billion in Solar for All grants. The Trump administration terminated both programs last year.
“We had projects with financial commitments, training courses for developers and lenders, a predevelopment mentorship program, staff hired and trained, and more,” Inclusive Prosperity Capital CEO Kerry O’Neill said. ​“We hope recent court decisions will result in our return to this important work.”
In August, a federal judge ruled the administration’s freeze of the $20 billion to be unlawful, and this month, two separate federal judges have ruled the Solar for All termination illegal. But the administration has yet to release the funds, and is expected to appeal to the US Supreme Court.
The loss of federal funds has severely curtailed the scale of work planned by the Green Bank 50 partners. Climate United Fund, a partnership that was awarded $7 billion but had its funds frozen, has been unable to follow through on plans to finance U.S.-built electric trucks, energy-efficiency and clean energy upgrades, and loans to Native American–led clean energy projects.
The 48 green banks surveyed in the impact report have about $6.8 billion in their funding pipelines. But Adler conceded that the loss of federal funds has put some worthy projects out of reach. ​“When money is coming down from the sky at basically 0 percent [interest], you can do very interesting projects—and we’re prepared to do that again,” he said.
“But now we have to focus on tight discipline with private capital as our key partner,” he said. ​“You can’t do the higher-risk projects, so you work on what’s addressable.” The goal, he said, is to find projects that are still considered too risky or unproven for private-sector lenders, ​“but if you do it with green banks a few times, then private capital can take over.”
Solar and Energy Loan Fund, a Florida-based green bank, has financed nearly $80 million in home energy-efficiency, solar, and storm-hardening projects.
That’s in fact the founding principle of the green bank movement, he noted. Some of the first green banks formed in Connecticut and New York state in the 2010s have become significant drivers of private-sector lending for building energy efficiency and electrification, solar for schools and municipalities, and other categories of investment important to meeting state and local climate policies.
The technologies behind the projects that green banks finance aren’t risky in and of themselves, Adler said. But the classes of customers that green banks work with—such as affordable housing providers and solar developers working in low-income communities—can be. ​“Whether they’ve been redlined out of the traditional capital markets, or the deals are not as big as traditional lenders are motivated to engage in, we’re taking on the credit risks and the deal structure and size risks,” he explained.
Green banks have continued to find ways to reduce those risks. One method is bundling funds from multiple lenders, which reduces an individual lender’s risk. That’s how Inclusive Prosperity Capital and its partners financed the community solar project for the Sisters of the Holy Family.
It’s also how the New York City Energy Efficiency Corp., a 16-year-old green bank, supported a 396-unit, all-electric affordable housing project in Salt Lake City. The green bank worked with Utah nonprofit SustainEnergyFinance to set up a $4.5 predevelopment loan—a form of financing that can be hard to underwrite for first-time projects—so that the project’s developer could move into the next phases of construction.
Green banks are also sharing technical resources to help each other lower financing costs, Adler said. He cited the Solar and Energy Loan Fund, a Florida-based green bank that has financed nearly $80 million in home energy-efficiency, solar, and storm-hardening projects. That organization has developed a platform, now being used by 13 other green banks and similar lenders across the country, that standardizes much of the underwriting and loan-processing expertise it’s built up over the past decade, said David Graber, the green bank’s chief of staff.
“We provide the back office and the capital. Partners bring the local trust and the projects,” Graber explained. The Solar and Energy Loan Fund estimates that each lending partner on the platform avoids hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in costs it would otherwise incur running a full lending operation on its own.
Montgomery County Green Bank in Maryland has blended financial technology support and layered financing to make home renewable-energy and energy-efficiency improvements more affordable. In March 2026, the organization launched a $4 million initiative that offers households low-interest loans for rooftop solar, heat pumps, and other projects.
Qualifying homeowners can access solar loans with a subsidized interest rate of 2.99 percent for the first 15 years, with a higher rate applying afterward, said Rokas Beresniovas, the green bank’s head of partnerships and business development.
As utility bills rise, mobilizing investment for these kinds of efforts is more important than ever, Adler said. But as the Green Bank 50 report highlights, many green banks operate on budgets of less than $2 million per year.
“We could do a lot more,” he said. ​“But we’re looking at what we’re able to finance.”
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“The only time you might get close is when you get the edge of cloud effects.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A solar owner thought a new 17.6-kilowatt setup might be falling short after seeing its peak output stall at around 12 kilowatts.
A key part of the r/TeslaSolar subreddit’s explanation was the roof layout. 
 In a thread on Reddit, the original poster described their setup and asked: “Why doesn’t peak production reach close to 17.6kW? If I’m lucky it hits 12.x, but that’s like a 36% loss at peak…”
Questions like this are common after a system goes in, especially when the monitoring app number doesn’t seem to line up. People replying said the 17.6-kW figure is the array’s nameplate size, not a promise that the system will reach that output at one specific instant on an actual home. 
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers in your area.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
Because most panels are grouped on the west roof plane and only four modules are on the east side, the setup emphasizes later-day generation. With that in mind, a reported high near 12.x kW is not as unusual.
“You will never hit 17.6,” a user replied. “The only time you might get close is when you get the edge of cloud effects.”
If you enter with realistic expectations, going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy. Homeowners comparing designs can try EnergySage to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes.
With three Powerwall 3 units in the mix for this homeowner, the goal isn’t just to hit the biggest possible number in the app for a brief moment. When an array leans heavily west, it can keep producing later in the day, which may align well with evening household use and battery charging.
FROM OUR PARTNER
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers that can help you save as much as $10k on installation.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best local options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
That is why commenters kept returning to the distinction between kilowatts and energy produced over time. The original poster was watching an instantaneous peak near 12.x kW, while the 17.6-kW figure refers to the full array’s rated size.
In other words, a roof plan with most panels facing west can still be functioning as intended.
For someone trying to evaluate a similar situation, a good starting point is to verify whether the number in the proposal is a nameplate rating and then look at how the roof layout is distributed. Doing that can help separate a normal production pattern from a genuine equipment issue.
A user assessed: “You need to upsize when you can’t have optimal panel placement to make up for it. ~12kW w/ west facing panels on a 17kW system isn’t bad.”
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
If you are still shopping, EnergySage can help the average person save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations.
EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system on a state-by-state level, as well as details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, those resources can help homeowners get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives. 
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. This is especially relevant in a configuration like this. Homeowners who want to compare battery options and pricing can explore EnergySage for information on home battery storage, including competitive installation estimates.
A solar system’s real-world performance does not always match the number printed on the contract. 
• One Tesla owner saw a strange negative power bill after a confusing utility statement arrived.
• Elsewhere, a homeowner watching rooftop panels saw output surge past 1,050 watts on an 880-watt setup.
• Another homeowner found that cleaning the panels carefully sharply improved production without changing the system.
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Work has been completed on the 74.9 MW Bailey Mill Solar Center, which Duke Energy Florida, a United States-based electric utility, has built near Monticello in Jefferson County. Its 163,000 panels can produce enough electricity at peak output to power about 15,000 homes in Florida, US. Duke Energy Florida expects that output to save its customers $250 million in fuel costs over the life of the site. The saving will reach them directly, as the price that the utility pays for fuel is passed through to their bills. Bailey Mill is one of five solar sites that the utility has completed since 2025, and 11 more are planned before the end of 2028.
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Plans to build a battery energy storage system and 500MW solar farm across swathes of land near Selby could be changed following objections from people living nearby.
Light Valley Solar Limited wants to build on 2,520 acres (1,020 hectares) of land between the villages of Escrick, Monk Fryston, Hambleton, Chapel Haddlesey and South Milford.
The development has faced opposition, with conerns raised about the loss of agricultural land, the impact on the rural landscape and the potential harm to wildlife.
In response the firm has outlined nine proposed amendments, including removing solar panels from an area near homes, creating new wildlife habitats and altering construction access routes.
Opponents have also questioned the scale and location of the scheme, arguing that it would industrialise large areas of countryside and affect the character of nearby villages.
Among the changes to the scheme that have been proposed is the removal of solar panels from land south of Milford Lodge and Milford Lodge Cottage.
The land would instead become an area of grassland managed to provide habitat for ground-nesting birds.
The developer said the change followed discussions with North Yorkshire Council about bird habitat provision, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
In addition, the removal of panels would increase the distance between the development and Milford Lodge Cottage, following representations from residents.
The developer has also been in discussions with Sherburn Aero Club and says removing panels near a proposed emergency landing strip would improve safety for aircraft making emergency landings.
Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The scale of the site is leaving some villagers "shocked and scared".
The developers, Evolution Power Limited, say the two sites could attract £25bn of investment.
Visitors can speak to Dorset homeowners and see their green energy installations.
Developer Low Carbon says the 2,400 acre West Oxfordshire Energy Plant would produce 500MW.
Conservative MPs Stuart Andrew and Sarah Bool oppose the construction of Green Hill Solar Farm.
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“That’s actually a pretty good deal with the right player.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A San Diego homeowner who said they could afford to pay cash for rooftop solar turned to the r/solar subreddit after an installer appeared to push a lease instead.
The homeowner also said household electricity demand is expected to grow because they plan to add both an electric vehicle and a hot tub.
Posting in a Reddit thread, the homeowner said the installer recommended a lease and claimed tax credits had expired, even though the homeowner said paying upfront was financially feasible.
According to the post, the home uses about 1,300 kilowatt-hours during its highest-use months.
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers in your area.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
Because the household expects to add an EV and a hot tub, current consumption may not fully capture the size of the system it will eventually need.
Responses in the thread urged caution about the pitch. Some commenters brought up prepaid-lease depreciation structures, while others warned that kickbacks can be part of the sales channel.
“Prepaid lease and paying cash allows for an investor to use the accelerated depreciation, and the tax credit value which they typically pay in to effectively reduce your out of pocket,” a user wrote. “That’s actually a pretty good deal with the right player.”
Going solar is one of the best ways to save money on energy bills, just as the original poster’s instincts dictated. Using EnergySage to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes can make it easier to see whether a sales pitch matches the numbers.
FROM OUR PARTNER
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers that can help you save as much as $10k on installation.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best local options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
They also said they may not stay in the home beyond seven years. That kind of timeline can make contract terms especially important, because someone who may move sooner could value flexibility differently than a homeowner planning to stay for decades.
With peak-month usage already near 1,300 kWh and additional demand likely from an EV and hot tub, a proposal should focus on where the home’s energy use is headed, not just where it is now.
One practical step is to collect multiple bids using the same assumptions of around 1,300 kWh in high-use months, an EV and hot tub, and the possibility of moving within seven years.
Comparing those proposals can make it easier to spot when a salesperson may be tailoring the recommendation around sales-channel incentives instead of the household’s actual needs.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
“Prepaid lease,” a user advised. “You’re going to want that 25 year warranty on the batteries given how much they degrade over time.”
With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. For context, EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state, along with details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, those resources can help homeowners get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives. That makes it a useful check against a single company’s pitch.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save on energy costs, and go off-grid. Homeowners who want to pair storage with panels can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
Other customers have shared similar confusion around solar tax credits and lease-driven sales pitches. 
• A homeowner learned they could still claim thousands off a rooftop solar bill.
• A homebuyer discovered a 20-year solar lease can complicate finances long after closing.
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Small solar upgrades in California could threaten older net-metering deals  Yahoo
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As the UK opens its doors to plug-in solar, TSUN is bringing its experience — and a complete product ecosystem — to British households.
October 16, 2026
Sponsored by TSUN
The UK's residential solar market is entering a new phase. With plug-in solar now permitted and battery storage becoming increasingly important, the next wave of growth will be defined not just by product availability, but by how well manufacturers can deliver complete, flexible solutions that work for different homes and installation scenarios.
TSUN has been active in the European plug-in solar market for several years, building experience in Germany and other markets where balcony solar has become an established category. Now, as the UK opens its doors to plug-in solar, the company is bringing that experience — and a complete product ecosystem — to British households.
In this interview, Ellen Xue, Sales VP at TSUN, spoke to Solar Power Portal at Solar and Storage Live in Birmingham. She explains how TSUN is responding to the UK's plug-in solar opportunity, what its European experience brings to the market, how its DC-coupled storage solution addresses the evolving regulatory framework, and why the company's focus extends beyond microinverter efficiency to safety, simpler installation and smarter energy management.
Related:Solfit, ATMOCE partner for UK newbuild renewable technologies
Solar Power Portal: The UK has recently opened the door to plug-in solar. How is TSUN responding to this new market opportunity?
Ellen Xue: We see the opening of the UK plug-in solar market as an important new opportunity for residential solar.
TSUN has been active in the European plug-in solar market for many years. Rather than supplying only a microinverter, we have developed our complete ESK — Easy Solar Kit — solution.
For the UK market, relevant products have completed G98 compliance and are listed with ENA. We also offer different configurations for different homes and installation scenarios, including Pop-Up, Universal and Air Vertical solutions.
Our goal is to bring the experience we have built in Europe to the UK and make home solar safer, simpler and more flexible.
Storage is also becoming important for plug-in solar. While the UK framework for plug-in battery storage is still developing, what solution can TSUN provide?
This is a very important question. Solar and storage naturally work together, while the regulatory framework for plug-in battery storage in the UK is still developing.
One solution TSUN provides is our DCU — DC-coupled storage solution.
Solar energy is managed on the DC side and can first be stored in the battery. The stored energy is then supplied to the microinverter, which connects the system to the home and the grid.
The energy flow is very simple:
Related:GreenSketch launches AI-powered solar platform in UK claiming £946 average annual savings for homeowners
PV → DCU / Battery → Microinverter → Home & Grid
In this architecture, the battery remains on the DC side, while the microinverter remains the grid-connected device. It provides a flexible technical approach to combining plug-in solar with energy storage.
TSUN has been active in the European balcony solar market for several years. What experience does that bring to the UK?
Plug-in solar is not a new category for TSUN.
We have built years of experience in the European balcony solar market, particularly in Germany. Through that experience, we learned that consumers need more than just a microinverter. They need a complete solution that is safe, easy to install and suitable for different types of homes.
That is why we developed ESK as a complete product family, with different mounting solutions such as Pop-Up and Universal, as well as different module configurations including standard modules and Air Vertical solutions.
So we are not simply bringing one product to the UK. We are bringing an ecosystem and years of European plug-in solar experience.
As a company with microinverter technology at its core, what makes TSUN's microinverter solutions particularly relevant to the UK market?
The first advantage is safety and module-level energy management.
Related:E.ON joins Amber Electric funding round to expand flexible energy services in UK
Compared with a traditional string architecture, each module can operate independently, reducing high-voltage DC exposure across the rooftop while enabling module-level monitoring and optimisation.
We have also focused heavily on simplifying installation. One example is our daisy-chain architecture, which simplifies the AC connection between microinverters. In a market like the UK, where installation labour can be expensive, reducing cabling, installation time and connection points can make a meaningful difference.
For export limitation, we can also provide a wired RS485 solution in addition to wireless communication options, helping improve communication stability and reliability.
For larger residential and small commercial applications, our portfolio also includes single-phase microinverters up to 3 kW, while selected smaller systems can communicate directly without requiring an additional external DTU.
So our focus is not only efficiency. It is about safety, simpler installation, reliable control and smarter energy management.
What about UK homeowners who already have solar installed? How can they add storage without replacing their existing PV system?
This is another important market for us.
For homes that already have PV installed, we offer our MAU AC-coupled energy storage portfolio.
One important advantage of AC coupling is that homeowners can add battery storage without necessarily replacing their existing PV inverter, making it particularly suitable for the UK's existing residential solar market.
We offer different solutions for different home sizes and energy needs — from 2.5 kW / 5 kWh and 3.6 kW / 7.68 kWh systems, to modular and stackable solutions for higher power and capacity requirements.
Combined with a smart meter and energy management system, MAU can also work with dynamic electricity tariffs, charging when electricity prices are lower and using stored energy when prices are higher.
Whether a homeowner is installing solar for the first time or already has PV on the roof, our goal is to provide an appropriate solar and storage solution.
What is TSUN's ambition for the UK market?
From plug-in solar to microinverters and energy storage, our goal is to make home energy simpler, safer and more flexible for UK households.
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For them, the main goal was holding onto the older rates.
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A California homeowner on PG&E’s NEM 2 plan says their energy use has outgrown their solar setup, but the path to adding roughly 1 kilowatt without sacrificing older net-metering terms is anything but clear. The question carries high stakes for customers on grandfathered plans, who may be weighing the benefits of more power against the risk of redoing permits and paperwork.
Posting in a Reddit thread in r/solar, the homeowner said they had seen references suggesting that customers grandfathered into NEM 1 or NEM 2 may be able to add up to 1 kilowatt of production and stay on those plans. They couldn’t find a clear explanation from PG&E about permits, approvals, or the rest of the process.
They said rising demand at home was behind the question. “My electricity needs have changed, and I would love to be able to produce more energy while keeping my NEM2,” the original poster wrote. They also said, “What I am getting is that you basically have to go through the whole process again, new permits and new certificate of operation.” They added that their annual true-up was “under 1K.”
One reply came from a household who decided a bigger upgrade made sense for its situation: “We added 4 more panels and a battery. It was worth it for us but we have electrified our house, gone to an all ev household as well since we got our original panels in 2018.” 
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Going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy, and homeowners considering an expansion or a new project can try EnergySage to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes.
Other people in the discussion suggested cheaper ways to add generation, such as non-export additions or 1,200-watt balcony solar systems. For them, the main goal was holding onto the older rates, as one commenter put it: “NEM 1 and 2 are more valuable.”
A household’s electricity demand can change quickly, even when a solar array once seemed large enough. In the example from the homeowner who added panels, the need for more power came after bigger lifestyle changes, including whole-home electrification and a switch to EVs.
The thread also included people planning for what comes next. One commenter said a non-export expansion might eventually make room for future heating and hot-water upgrades with heat pumps, assuming more panels could go on a street-facing roof.
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Another commenter was interested in something separate from a standard rooftop expansion: a 1,200W ground array plugged into a balcony solar outlet and used alongside an existing 5.74 Enphase system, which they described as “easier/cheaper than expanding the rooftop.”
Another reply argued that, if rules allow both approaches, pairing balcony solar with an added 1-kW permitted upgrade “should be able to save more than $1k per year” for households that need more electricity but want to stay on older terms.
Because requirements may differ for a small production bump, a non-export setup, or a larger expansion, PG&E customers may want to confirm exactly which project type they’re pursuing before buying equipment. In this case, the original poster wanted a legal way to add output without losing NEM 2.
For homeowners starting from scratch or comparing expansion bids, EnergySage also offers free tools that let users curate competitive bids from local installers without sharing contact information unless they choose to move forward. EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state, along with state-specific solar panel incentives, and these resources can help homeowners get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
Price comparisons can change a project’s economics. With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. For owners weighing whether a few extra panels are worth it, that kind of comparison can make it easier to see whether an expansion pencils out.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is also one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. Homeowners who want to pair extra panels with backup power can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
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The utility estimates the state’s refusal to pay is costing about $475,000 each year.
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Harrisburg residents and businesses could face stormwater rate increases of at least 50% if Pennsylvania continues refusing to pay fees on state-owned properties.
That risk is part of a court fight between the utility and the state, with CRW arguing that costs tied to the Capitol Complex and other publicly owned properties are being pushed onto Harrisburg customers instead.
According to WGAL, Capital Region Water has asked Commonwealth Court to determine that Pennsylvania must pay stormwater fees on Harrisburg state-owned properties. The utility estimates the state’s refusal to pay is costing about $475,000 each year.
A key issue is runoff from state-owned sites, including water that drains off roofs, parking lots, and other hard surfaces. CRW says water enters the same Harrisburg stormwater system used by homes and private businesses, adding pressure to already strained infrastructure.
“This is about fairness to our customers,” CRW Board Chairman Marc Kurowski said. “Those costs do not disappear simply because the property owner is the state, and our residents and businesses should not be forced to pick up the state’s tab for essential services.”
The utility’s position is that when a large property owner uses the system without paying, the expense doesn’t disappear — it either shifts to other users or leaves less money for needed system repairs.
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Capital Region Water manages Harrisburg’s wastewater and stormwater system, and much of that infrastructure is more than 100 years old. During heavy rain or snowmelt, that aging network can overflow, causing flooding and releasing untreated sewage and stormwater into the river.
CRW says stormwater fees fund upkeep for pipes, pump stations, and treatment facilities, and support projects intended to reduce runoff and protect local waterways. If that revenue disappears, some system improvements could be delayed.
The utility also says the issue could spread beyond the state, because other government and tax-exempt property owners are pursuing exemptions from stormwater charges after a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision.
If those owners stop paying, the utility said it could lose about $2.5 million annually — nearly 37% of its stormwater revenue. CRW says that kind of shortfall would put more pressure on family and business bills in Harrisburg while making an aging public system harder to maintain.
CRW’s response is the lawsuit. Through the Commonwealth Court case, the authority is seeking a ruling that state-owned properties must pay for the stormwater services they use.
CRW says a win could preserve revenue needed for routine operations and longer-term infrastructure work. That money supports maintenance on essential equipment and runoff-reduction efforts designed to limit pollution and overflow in local waterways.
The outcome may also influence other exempt property owners weighing similar arguments after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision. If the court sides with CRW, the utility argues it could help keep more of the system’s costs from being shifted to paying customers in Harrisburg.
If that support is lost, CRW has warned, residents and businesses may end up covering the gap through steep rate hikes.
As the case moves through Commonwealth Court, CRW Chief Executive Officer Charlotte Katzenmoyer summed up what Harrisburg customers stand to lose, saying, “Every property that contributes stormwater to CRW’s system creates a cost that must be paid by someone.”
Fights over aging water systems often end with residents and businesses footing more of the cost. Recent coverage from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, and Texas looks at rate hikes, disputed charges, and off-grid workarounds.
• In western Pennsylvania, rising utility costs pushed some residents toward rainwater tanks and van life.
• In Hopewell and Prince George, Virginia American sought nearly 30% water bill increases despite public backlash.
• In Illinois, a mayor warned some households already pay three times more amid a $142 million hike.
• In Cumberland, Maryland, officials moved ahead with water and sewer bill hikes over resident objections.
• In Potosi, Texas, residents challenged a $4,500 meter demand tied to water service.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
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Judge sides with solar project in fight over Zeeland Township farm  WOODTV.com
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Tunisia’s 100% renewable electricity future: solar PV, hydropower and pumped hydro storage pathways to 2050
Tunisia could run its entire electricity grid on renewable energy by 2050, according to a new techno-economic study that models the country’s path to 100% renewable electricity using solar photovoltaics, hydropower and pumped hydro energy storage. The research, published in Frontiers in Energy Research, presents the first comprehensive national-scale least-cost optimization for Tunisia and shows that proven technologies, not futuristic ones, could meet the country’s growing power needs while cutting its heavy reliance on imported natural gas.
The stakes are considerable. Although Tunisia enjoys abundant sunshine, with average horizontal irradiance of 4.5 to 5.5 kilowatt-hours per square metre per day across most regions, its electricity system remains structurally dependent on fossil fuels. Natural gas-fired plants dominate generation, exposing the economy to volatile fuel prices and supply risks. Per capita electricity consumption is remarkably low at just 0.5 megawatt-hours per resident per year, a figure that highlights both the modest electrification achieved so far and the enormous growth potential as transport, industry, cooking and heating shift toward electricity in the decades ahead.
The research team, led by Hedi Trabelsi and Rym Belgaroui with colleagues at King Faisal University and the Laboratory of Economic and Management in Sfax, built a high-resolution model of Tunisia’s electrical future extending to 2050. The framework divides the country into nodes aligned with its governorates, maps transformation sites using QGIS software, and simulates the hourly balance between power supply and demand over a ten-year period from 2013 to 2022. Solar photovoltaics and hydropower are modeled as primary energy sources, while pumped hydro energy storage and, in some scenarios, transboundary electricity imports from Algeria and Libya provide system equilibrium.
At the heart of the methodology lies a nonlinear least-cost optimization solved with the Differential Evolution algorithm, a population-based stochastic technique well suited to complex, high-dimensional energy system problems. The optimizer minimizes the total levelized cost of electricity while satisfying hourly demand across the entire simulation horizon. Decision variables include installed photovoltaic capacity, pumped storage power and energy capacity, and cross-border transmission capacity. Hydropower capacity is treated as a fixed input under two development trajectories: a Reference Hydro scenario reflecting Tunisia’s current portfolio of small dam-connected installations, and an Ambitious Hydro scenario incorporating potential projects identified in national water and energy planning studies.
Solar resource data came from Solcast, providing hourly irradiance measurements from 2013 to 2022 across twenty-three representative locations. The researchers converted these into photovoltaic production profiles using the System Advisor Model developed by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, applying the PVWatts performance model to simulate conventional fixed-tilt systems. Pumped hydro storage potential was assessed using global greenfield evaluations that identify suitable off-river sites based on topography, elevation differences and reservoir configuration, categorized into cost classes reflecting construction expenses per unit of energy stored.
The scenario framework spans twelve least-cost pathways combining three electricity demand levels of 2, 5 and 9 megawatt-hours per capita per year by 2050, two hydropower trajectories, and import conditions. The results are striking. Under low demand with reference hydropower, hydroelectric generation satisfies most annual consumption with only minor solar and storage additions for diurnal balancing. Under the ambitious hydro scenario, hydropower output of roughly 169 terawatt-hours per year nearly eliminates the need for photovoltaics and pumped storage, producing surplus energy that could even support seasonal electricity exports.
As demand rises, however, solar photovoltaics becomes the system’s dominant energy source. Under the high-demand reference hydro case without imports, the model calls for approximately 344 gigawatts of photovoltaic capacity and 90 gigawatts of pumped storage with total storage capacity of roughly 2,445 gigawatt-hours. These figures represent maximum capacities under land, grid and investment constraints. When electricity imports are permitted, photovoltaic capacity drops to about 235 gigawatts and pumped storage to 53 gigawatts. Under the ambitious hydro scenario with imports, the same demand can be met with just 134 gigawatts of photovoltaics and 37 gigawatts of pumped storage, demonstrating how regional commerce and hydropower expansion together minimize infrastructure requirements.
The economics are equally revealing. Levelized cost of electricity ranges from about 164 to 264 Tunisian dinars per megawatt-hour across the twelve scenarios, with import-enabled configurations consistently cheaper than domestic-only systems. In the medium-demand reference hydro case, allowing imports reduces photovoltaic and pumped storage capacity requirements by roughly 21% and 41% respectively. Sensitivity analysis shows the levelized cost is most sensitive to solar photovoltaic investment costs and the discount rate. When the discount rate rises from 2% to 10%, system cost escalates by nearly 38%, underscoring that financing conditions matter as much as technology costs for capital-intensive systems dominated by photovoltaics and pumped storage.
The study’s implications extend well beyond Tunisia’s borders. The Global PHES Atlas has identified more than 2,800 eligible off-river pumped storage sites worldwide with combined potential storage capacity of almost 50,000 gigawatt-hours, vastly exceeding the model’s upper-bound storage need. Off-river development also reduces the social and environmental impacts associated with conventional reservoir systems. The researchers argue that strategic imports through moderate interconnection capacity of roughly 10.5 to 12 gigawatts could ease the strain on domestic storage capacity by 40% to 80%, consistent with findings from least-cost optimization studies in Bolivia, Malaysia and Southeast Asia where external connectivity lowers storage requirements by 50% to 80% without sacrificing reliability.
The findings align with Tunisia’s long-term net-zero strategy, its Nationally Determined Contribution and national development plans emphasizing renewable diversification, transmission expansion and concessional financing. They also support Sustainable Development Goal 7 on clean and affordable energy and Goal 13 on climate action. The authors caution that the results represent scenario-based planning pathways rather than deterministic forecasts, and that future research should incorporate wind power, battery storage, green hydrogen, sector coupling and climate-dependent hydrological variability. Nevertheless, the message is clear: with supportive regulation, affordable financing and integrated land-use planning, Tunisia’s abundant solar resource and emerging hydropower potential could deliver a resilient, fully renewable electricity system by mid-century, offering a template for other emerging economies with low per capita consumption and rich renewable endowments.
Subject of Research: Advancing 100% renewable electricity in Tunisia: techno-economic pathways for integrating solar PV, hydropower, and pumped hydro energy storage
Article Title: Advancing 100% renewable electricity in Tunisia: techno-economic pathways for integrating solar PV, hydropower, and pumped hydro energy storage
Article References: Trabelsi, H., Belgaroui, R., Hadj Kacem, H., & Boujelbene, Y. (2026). Advancing 100% renewable electricity in Tunisia: techno-economic pathways for integrating solar PV, hydropower, and pumped hydro energy storage. Frontiers in Energy Research, 14, Article 1921710. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2026.1921710
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.3389/fenrg.2026.1921710
Keywords: Advancing, renewable, electricity, Tunisia, techno-economic, pathways, integrating, solar, hydropower, pumped, hydro, energy
News Source: Faith Mcneil. (October 16, 2026). Tunisia’s 100% renewable electricity future: solar PV, hydropower and pumped hydro storage pathways to 2050. Scienmag.
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China has proposed new export controls covering 12 solar PV manufacturing technologies 
The draft distinguishes between technologies proposed for export prohibition and those subject to export restrictions 
A temporary registration requirement applies to specified technology exports while the proposed changes undergo consultation 
Overseas solar manufacturers could face tighter access to some Chinese manufacturing technologies under a new proposal by China to prohibit or restrict exports of 12 solar PV technologies.  
The proposed measures cover technologies used across three stages of the solar PV supply chain: polysilicon production, silicon wafer manufacturing and solar cell manufacturing. 
The proposed controls span polysilicon, silicon wafer and solar cell production, while a separate technology export registration requirement took effect on October 16, 2026. 
China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and Ministry of Science and Technology announced the proposed changes on October 16, 2026, as part of a broader revision of the Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited or Restricted from Export in China. 
The proposal is now open for public consultation and covers 40 technologies across solar PV, artificial intelligence (AI), and biomedicine. Submissions can be made until November 15, 2026. 
In 2023, the Chinese government sought to revise the catalog, saying it needed to strengthen management of technology imports and exports. At the time, it considered restricting exports of solar wafer technology (see China To Curb Export Of Solar PV Technology Equipment?). 
Since then, it has expanded the scope, adding 12 solar PV technologies proposed to be prohibited from export. This includes manufacturing processes and core production equipment for making polysilicon, silicon wafers, perovskite solar cells, and perovskite-silicon tandem cells and modules. 
It divides the technologies into categories proposed for export prohibition and those proposed for restricted exports. 
China says the proposed controls on 12 solar PV technologies aim to protect national security, support the sharing of green technologies and strengthen oversight of technology exports. 
Cold hydrogenation fluidized-bed technology for trichlorosilane production lines with an annual capacity of at least 250,000 metric tons (MT), and silane fluidized-bed processes for production lines of at least 20,000 tons per year, including associated equipment manufacturing technology. 
Technology for manufacturing silicon wafers with a thickness of 70 µm or less, including equipment manufacturing technology. 
Specified perovskite and perovskite-silicon tandem cell and module manufacturing technologies, including tandem cells with efficiencies of at least 30%, large-area single-junction perovskite modules (with at least 1 m²) with efficiencies of at least 18%, and large-area tandem modules with efficiencies of at least 28%. 
Engineering technology for polysilicon production lines with an annual capacity of at least 30,000 tons, and reduction furnace processes with a capacity of at least 800 tons per furnace, including associated equipment manufacturing technology. 
Selected ingot-pulling, silicon rod machining, and advanced wafer manufacturing technologies, including processes for producing wafers 130 µm or less. 
Specified high-efficiency TOPCon and xBC cell manufacturing technologies, including selected deposition, atomic layer deposition (ALD), boron diffusion. and copper-plating processes, along with associated equipment. 
Selected technologies for transparent conductive film deposition, silicon thin-film deposition, low-silver copper-based metallization, and copper-plated electrodes, including associated equipment. This high-efficiency technology is applicable to space applications.  
Export treatment depends on whether the technology or equipment falls within the definitions and technical criteria in the draft catalog. 
Although the proposed catalog changes remain under consultation, China has introduced temporary registration requirements for exports of the technologies listed in the announcement. 
From October 16, 2026, companies exporting the specified technologies must register the relevant information with MOFCOM before the export takes place. The requirement also applies to technology exports that have already begun but not yet completed. 
The registration provisions cover transfers of technology ownership, including intellectual property (IP) rights; licenses allowing overseas entities to use technology held in China; and changes that place ownership or effective control of the technology with an overseas entity.  
Exporters must provide information about the parties involved, the destination country or region, the technology being transferred, its intended use and the estimated export value. 
According to the ministry, the temporary arrangement is intended to help authorities assess technology exports while they consider the proposed catalog changes. It is separate from the final prohibition or licensing requirements that may apply once the revised catalog takes effect. 
MOFCOM explained that the revision of its catalog is part of its routine regulatory process under existing laws. The revision reflects the growing use of technologies, including solar PV, in sensitive areas. It added that major economies have implemented export controls to varying degrees. 
China said the measures aim to prevent the uncontrolled spread or misuse of technology while allowing normal international technological exchanges and cooperation. It also clarified that the revision is not directed at any specific country, region, or entity. 
Needless to say, these measures, once adopted, will strengthen China’s position as the world’s solar PV factory and are intended to extend to advanced, next-generation PV technologies.  
China currently accounts for more than 80% of global polysilicon, wafer, cell, and module manufacturing capacity. In an August 2023 report, Wood Mackenzie stated that the country would continue to dominate the sector for the next three years (see Cannot Eliminate Dependence On China For Wafers & Cells). 
With China now proposing tighter controls on exports of selected manufacturing technologies, it appears this period of dependence could extend well beyond the original forecast. 
TaiyangNews 2024

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The long-fought Coyote Creek solar project in eastern Sacramento County is moving forward again, but smaller. A settlement in an environmental lawsuit will shrink the solar farm’s footprint by about 20%, preserving roughly 3,300 mature blue oak trees on the Barton Ranch property near Folsom.
The deal resolves a California Environmental Quality Act lawsuit against developer Sacramento Valley Energy Center, as reported by the Sacramento Bee. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors had approved the original 1,412-acre layout on the 2,704-acre Barton Ranch property in November 2025, but conservation groups pushed back hard over the project’s toll on the oak woodland that defines the area’s foothill landscape.
Heather Fargo, president of the Environmental Council of Sacramento, told the Bee her group’s goal was never to kill the project outright. “We would like to see the solar energy produced, so we weren’t trying to reduce the number of panels,” Fargo said. “We were trying to reduce the amount of impact.” The settlement also establishes a conservation easement on Barton Ranch, a mechanism meant to permanently protect the preserved oak acreage from future development.
The scale of what was at stake became clear through environmental documentation reviewed by the California Native Plant Society, which found the original 1,412-acre layout would have required destroying approximately 3,493 native blue oak trees, some estimated to be as old as 850 years. The California Native Plant Society was one of several groups opposing the project, alongside the Environmental Council of Sacramento and the Sierra Club, according to the Bee’s reporting.
Attorneys from Nossaman, representing Sacramento Valley Energy Center, denied many of the lawsuit’s allegations back in April, per the Bee. Representatives for the developer did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the settlement.
When supervisors approved the use permit in a 5-0 vote on November 18, 2025, they cited an estimated $76 million in property tax revenue over 20 years along with regional carbon reduction goals, according to PBS KVIE. Before downsizing, the project was designed as a 200-megawatt photovoltaic solar farm paired with a 100-megawatt, four-hour battery storage system capable of banking 400 megawatt-hours, per project filings in the state’s CEQAnet database. The design also called for an agrivoltaic approach, with the land remaining in agriculture and seasonal sheep grazing woven into the solar arrays, according to the River Valley Times.
Sacramento Valley Energy Center’s push through regulatory channels continued even after the project lost its anchor customer. In January, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District canceled its power purchase agreement for Coyote Creek, citing supply chain constraints, rising costs, schedule delays, environmental concerns, and the pending litigation — a decision Hoodline covered at the time. Before that cancellation, Coyote Creek was expected to supply power to SMUD.
SMUD’s own numbers underscore why that supply mattered: the utility delivered roughly 62% carbon-free power to Sacramento County customers in 2024, a figure heavily shaped by annual hydroelectric output that fluctuates with rainfall. The developer, Sacramento Valley Energy Center, is a subsidiary of D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, which already operates SMUD’s Rancho Seco Solar II and Sloughhouse Agrivoltaic Solar projects elsewhere in the county, the River Valley Times reported.
Project plans also call for a 1.3-mile generation-tie transmission line running west from Barton Ranch to connect with SMUD’s existing 230-kilovolt powerline inside the Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area, state-owned parkland that the line would cross to reach the grid.
With the lawsuit now settled and the footprint reduced, the smaller Coyote Creek project can move toward construction. But the developer still faces a basic unresolved question hanging over the site: finding a new electricity buyer to replace the one that walked away in January.
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The latest Clean Energy Regulator (CER) data shows investment in solar is setting a new annual record with final investment decisions (FID) for the September quarter sitting at 1 GW, following 2 GW in Q2, adding to the year’s already tallied 3.5 GW, and is approximately 30% above the previous annual solar FID record.
2.1 GW of total large-scale renewable capacity reached FID in the September quarter, which is an equal highest quarterly result, and brings total renewable FID to October 2026 to 5 GW.
That is higher than the previous full-year record of 4.9 GW and brings large-scale FID totals to almost 17 GW since 2022. 
Rooftop solar added 90,042 installations and 894 MW of capacity in the September quarter, which is 35% higher than in Q3 2025, and year-to-date rooftop solar capacity is 45% higher than at the same point in October 2025.
Rooftop solar installations in Q3 were 39% higher than Q3 2025, and has so far added 2.8 GW in 2026, which almost matches the whole of 2025, with three months to go.
Q2 2026 was the biggest rooftop solar capacity quarter on record at 1 GW, and over 13 GW of small-scale solar has been installed since 2022.
Approved capacity under the Cheaper Home Batteries Program (CHBP) reached 15.3 GWh by the end of September, up 1.9 GWh in Q3, and up from less than 2 GWh at the same time in 2025, with total home battery capacity in Australia now more than 5 times greater than when the scheme began on 1 July 2025.  
Cheaper Home Batteries approved capacity has more than tripled during 2026, growing from 5 GWh at the end of 2025 to 15.3 GWh at the end of Q3. With total home battery capacity, including that installed before the scheme, around 19 GWh, it is more than 5 times greater than when the scheme began. 
New South Wales (NSW) has 5.6 GWh of approved home battery capacity, followed by Victoria and Queensland at about 3.2 GWh each.
The data shows about half of approved battery installations are retrofits to existing solar, while about half are going in with new or upgraded rooftop solar.
Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said more renewable energy reaching final investment decision is “what progress looks like”.
“Renewable investment has already broken the annual record with three months still to go. And it isn’t just investment; last month renewable energy generated more electricity in the national grid than fossil fuels,” Bowen said.
“Investors, as well as Australian households and small businesses, are backing Australian renewable energy because they see a government with a clear policy that is working and we’ll continue to get on with the job.”
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Kariako Solar PV mini-grid powering several government, public buildings  Guyana Chronicle
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Two solar farm developers seek renewal of expired IW permits  Smithfield Times
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Romanian Environment Ministry brings its rooftop solar panels back online  Romania Insider
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The deal remains subject to approval by the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) and customary closing regulatory conditions.
Awarded under the Department of Energy’s second Green Energy Auction Program (GEAP 2), the utility-scale facility represents a major addition to the Philippines' clean energy pipeline. 
Upon commercial operation, the plant is expected to generate enough clean electricity to supply about 650,000 Filipino households annually while reducing carbon emissions by roughly 570,000 tons each year.
Strong global financing
The equity transaction follows a major milestone in July 2026, when the project achieved financial close after securing $310 million in senior debt financing from a syndicate of eight international commercial banks. The substantial loan package underscores strong global lender confidence in large-scale Philippine renewable infrastructure assets.
Vena Group chief executive officer Nitin Apte highlighted the strategic importance of bringing institutional backing to the project. 
"The Philippines is an important market for Vena Energy, and this project demonstrates the scale of renewable energy infrastructure that can be delivered by bringing together strong development capabilities and long-term institutional capital," Apte said.
Vena Group chief investment officer Simone Grasso noted that the partnership model allows Vena Energy to maintain long-term operational control while freeing up capital to rotate into future growth pipelines across the region.
Accelerating the green transition
The investment directly supports the Philippine government's efforts to increase the share of clean energy in its generation mix and diminish its dependence on coal-fired power generation.
Norfund CEO Erik Sandersen emphasized that the facility aligns directly with the fund's Climate Investment Fund mandate to curtail emissions in emerging economies. "The project is expected to avoid more than half a million tons of CO₂ every year. We are very happy to partner with Vena Energy and Impact Fund Denmark to contribute to the renewable energy transition in the Philippines," Sandersen stated.
Impact Fund Denmark CEO Lars Bo Bertram added that expanding clean capacity is critical to sustaining regional economic progress cleanly. 
"To ensure that economic growth does not lead to even higher emissions, significant investment in renewable energy is needed. This project demonstrates how economic growth and the green transition can go hand in hand," Bertram concluded. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma

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Alex Greer strategically utilized a program that links farmers with solar developers to enhance his sheep business. By securing grazing contracts across 38 acres in Asheboro and Rowan counties, he faced hurdles like controlling vegetation and installing predator-proof fencing. Interestingly, studies indicate that sheep grazing can bolster soil health and remain financially viable compared to mechanical mowing over time. Greer’s journey exemplifies the promising intersection of solar farming and agriculture.

Representative AI image of sheep grazing beneath solar panels, showing how solar farms can provide valuable pastureland for farmers and support sustainable sheep farming. Image Credits: ChatGPT.

Alex Greer strategically utilised a program that links farmers with solar developers to enhance his sheep business. Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons.

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A research team in Spain has experimentally investigated the integration of low-height photovoltaic systems into vineyards.
They explained that low-height agrivoltaic systems could offer several advantages over conventional elevated installations, particularly in vineyards where maintaining existing cultivation practices is essential. By positioning PV modules closer to the ground and integrating them between vine rows, these systems can reduce structural material requirements, installation costs and visual impact. They could also minimize interference with vineyard machinery and routine agricultural operations while limiting shading during critical stages of grape development.
The researchers installed and tested three agrivoltaic systems at commercial vineyards in southeastern Spain, assessing their agricultural performance during the 2024 harvest season and monitoring electricity generation over 14 months.
“This study presents the first field-scale validation of the vertical agrivoltaic design proposed by our group,” the researchers said. “The systems were designed with the primary aim of preserving the agronomic integrity of the vineyard, avoiding critical shading during sensitive periods, and maintaining the operational routines of viticulture. Energy production was considered secondary and constrained by agronomic and structural design.”
The researchers conducted the study at three commercial vineyards in southeastern Spain. At Bodegas San Isidro, they installed a 2.34 kW vertical bifacial PV system in rows oriented at −63°, using monocrystalline silicon modules measuring 0.6 m × 1.1 m. At Bodegas Carchelo, they deployed Venetian blind-style monofacial configurations with a combined capacity of 1.56 kWp in rows oriented at −8°, using modules measuring 0.3 m × 1.1 m. At Bodegas Evine, they installed a 2.4 kW vertical monofacial system in rows oriented at +8°, using modules measuring 0.6 m × 1.1 m.
During the 2024 harvest, the scientists compared grape performance in areas influenced by the PV modules with that of control areas without modules. For each replicate, they randomly selected 350 berries and assessed grape yield, sugar concentration, titratable acidity, pH, total anthocyanin content and total polyphenol index.
The team also monitored electricity generation at the inverter level over 14 months. It estimated annual electricity production per hectare and assessed land-use efficiency using the land equivalent ratio (LER), taking an optimized ground-mounted PV system as the reference.
“We demonstrate that meaningful energy production can be achieved under a cultivation-first design logic, resulting in LER consistently above unity with 1.16–1.53, thus confirming real land-use efficiency gains,” the researchers said.
They also identified opportunities to increase PV installation density in low-trained vineyards, potentially achieving capacities comparable to conventional ground-mounted PV systems without requiring additional land or interfering with agricultural activities. Under this scenario, the LER could reach 1.95.
The vertical bifacial system at Bodegas San Isidro achieved the highest estimated annual electricity production, at 555,905 kWh/ha, followed by the vertical monofacial system at Bodegas Evine, at 383,764 kWh/ha, and the Venetian blind-style system at Bodegas Carchelo, at 304,716 kWh/ha.
The researchers also proposed a structural design requiring between 141 kg and 161 kg of steel per kWp of installed capacity while maintaining adequate mechanical performance. They said the figures were at the lower end of reported steel requirements for agrivoltaic installations.
The findings are presented in the study “Low-height vertical photovoltaic integration in vineyards with negligible agronomic impact,” published in Renewable Energy Focus. The research team included scientists from Spain’s Polytechnic University of Cartagena and the Murcian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research and Development (Imida).

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Standard Solar has purchased two Washington solar developments from OneEnergy Renewables, the two firms’ inaugural collaboration within the state.
The installations, Palouse Junction in Connell and Cunningham in Othello, will contribute a total of 15.79 MW in new ground-mounted solar capacity across eastern Washington.
These purchases underscore Standard Solar‘s ongoing expansion within distributed generation and community-scale solar sectors, while underscoring the significant part rural utilities play in the shift toward clean energy. Franklin Public Utility District and Big Bend Electric Cooperative, the power purchasers for these installations, illustrate how municipal utilities are adopting renewables to reinforce their electricity supply, aid long-range energy planning and provide locally produced clean power to their ratepayers.
Eric Partyka, Director of Business Development at Standard Solar, described rural utilities as vital collaborators in broadening clean energy access. He noted that these installations exemplify how municipal utilities can channel renewable energy advantages straight to the populations they serve, adding that Standard Solar takes pride in extending its footprint in Washington and in collaborating with OneEnergy Renewables on efforts that foster sensible, community-oriented clean energy expansion.
Situated in Connell, Washington, the 12.1-MW Palouse Junction installation is projected to generate roughly 22,339 MWh of electricity during its inaugural year. Franklin Public Utility District will act as the power purchaser. Completion is anticipated in the first quarter of 2027.
The 3.69 MW Cunningham installation, based in Othello, Washington, is projected to generate roughly 6,917 MWh of electricity during its inaugural year. Big Bend Electric Cooperative will act as the power purchaser. Completion is likewise anticipated in the first quarter of 2027.
OneEnergy Renewables serves as the developer and the engineering, procurement and construction supplier for both installations.
Erin Lynch, Senior Manager of Development at OneEnergy Renewables, expressed enthusiasm about joining forces with Standard Solar on these Washington efforts and about helping supply dependable, locally produced renewable energy to rural utility ratepayers. Lynch remarked that Palouse Junction and Cunningham demonstrate the worth of considerate solar development that matches municipal utility requirements and bolsters Washington’s wider clean energy trajectory.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
Report Scope and Analytical Framing
Concise View of Market Direction
Market Size, Growth and Scenario Framing
Commercial and Technical Scope
How the Market Splits Into Decision-Relevant Buckets
Where Demand Comes From and How It Behaves
Supply Footprint, Trade and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
Where Growth and Supply Concentrate
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
Detailed View of the Most Important National Markets
How the Report Was Built
Largest solar manufacturer globally
Leading monocrystalline silicon producer
Major module and cell producer
High-efficiency cell and module maker
Global manufacturer and project developer
Major player in US and EU markets
Integrated PV product manufacturer
Leading thin-film CdTe manufacturer
World's largest solar cell producer
ABC cell technology leader
Major LED component and display maker
Pioneer and major supplier of LED chips
Historically leading innovator in LED technology
Leading European optoelectronics supplier
High-power LED and automotive lighting
One of world's largest LED chip producers
Major LED packaging and component supplier
Leading Taiwanese LED chip manufacturer
Innovator in WICOP and SunLike technologies
LED components for automotive and IT
IBC cell technology leader
Solar project developer and manufacturer
Integrated PV manufacturer
Historically significant in both fields
Rapidly growing cell and module producer
Solar manufacturing arm of Chint Group
Module manufacturer with US focus
Leading Indian solar manufacturer
LED packaging and lighting solutions
Major LED packaging company
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