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Against the backdrop of the AI-driven surge in power consumption, Google has quietly launched a new round of energy arms race. On the one hand, it is directly participating in the layout of long-duration energy storage projects; on the other hand, it uses energy storage power station pilots to achieve hourly-level matching of renewable energy through energy storage.
Foreign media “pv magazine” reported on September 18 that energy storage developer esVolta, energy tracking platform Quintrace, and clean energy trading platform LevelTen Energy announced a three-month pilot supported by Google.
This is the first publicly launched commercial project in the industry that realizes time shifting of existing green power. Enterprises do not need to add new green power installed capacity. Relying solely on energy storage dispatch, they can shift the existing green power attributes to the time periods when power is needed, fill the gap of clean power, and obtain the renewable energy use certificates for that period.
Specifically, the project mobilizes two energy storage power stations under esVolta in Texas, USA — the 240MW/480MWh Anole project and the 100MW/200MWh Burksol project, with a total capacity of 340MW/680MWh. The energy storage stations are charged at noon and discharged in the evening, transferring a total of 9.2GWh of photovoltaic charging power, which is verified hourly by Quintrace in accordance with the EnergyTag standard.
What Google wants to shift is not only electricity, but also the clean energy attributes behind it. In terms of operation, Google determines in advance the daily time periods with insufficient clean power supply; esVolta charges when there is surplus photovoltaic power during the day, and discharges and delivers fine-grained certificates with hourly timestamps during the gap periods; Quintrace verifies the charging and discharging hour by hour in accordance with the EnergyTag standard, deducts energy storage losses, and calculates the actual amount of compliant clean power delivered; LevelTen Energy is responsible for transaction account management to prevent double-counting of renewable energy attributes.
This process solves an old problem: traditional green certificates are summarized on a monthly or annual basis, and cannot answer “is the green power used at night from the same batch generated at noon”. The hourly fine-grained certificates enable accurate traceability of both clean power and its environmental attributes.
It is worth noting that Google did not conduct tolling of the batteries (i.e. buy out the dispatching right of energy storage assets), nor did it bear commercial or dispatching risks. esVolta retains full operational control of the assets, including the ability to respond to price signals or grid emergencies outside the agreed time periods.
Relevant companies stated that this is the first publicly detailed commercial structure: enterprise buyers sign special agreements, to time-shift the environmental attributes they already own through battery energy storage, instead of purchasing new generation capacity or directly tolling energy storage assets.
At present, Google’s own goal is to achieve 7×24-hour carbon-free energy for its data centers by 2030, but the current hourly matching rate is only about 65%. The SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard version 2.0 was released in June, requiring large power users with annual power consumption of at least 10GWh to calculate and report the hourly renewable energy matching rate, which will become a mandatory requirement for large companies when verification opens in February 2027. Under this pressure, Google needs to find a way to switch the accounting of clean energy attributes from “annual ledger” to “hourly ledger”.
This pilot is also another measure taken by Google to promote refined carbon accounting. In 2023, Google cooperated with Denmark’s Energinet and Better Energy to match production and consumption data on an hourly basis for the first time. Recently, researchers have also found that enterprises’ early procurement commitments to 24/7 carbon-free energy, even if only partial commitments, can help reduce the cost of long-duration energy storage technologies by providing early revenue and actual operational data. The energy storage-based time shifting model of esVolta in this pilot is precisely to cater to this trend.
“Xingjia Shuo Energy Storage” believes that on the surface, this pilot is a conventional operation of “charging at noon and discharging at night”, but what is really worth paying attention to is that it opens up a new value dimension for the energy storage industry — energy storage is no longer just about transferring electricity, but also can transfer the “time attribute” of green power.
First, realize the time shifting of green power and its environmental attributes.
Although Google is only in the pilot stage at present, it can be seen that as the industry’s requirements for the authenticity of green power continue to rise, achieving accurate hourly green power matching through energy storage may become the mainstream trend, and it is also expected to open up a new revenue channel for energy storage — the service fee for accurate hourly green power matching.
Of course, Google did not buy out the battery dispatching right in this pilot, and esVolta still retains the ability to respond to price signals and grid dispatching outside the agreed time periods. This means that this revenue from “selling time” is obtained additionally by using its regulation capability on the premise that the energy storage retains its original operational control right.
Second, domestic “verifiable” capability is the prerequisite for implementation.
At present, domestic green certificates in China are mainly issued on a monthly basis, which is difficult to meet the hourly accuracy requirement. However, policy support is already in place: the No. 688 document proposes an hourly matching mechanism for new energy generation and consumption, and Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Hunan and other regions have successively carried out pilots for hourly green power trading and traceability. Industry analysis suggests that energy storage enterprises should give priority to improving their underlying capabilities at this stage, such as obtaining 15-minute or hourly generation and consumption curves, tracing the source of charging and discharging, loss conversion, and attribute cancellation.
Third, the pilot does not mean mature revenue, and the cost account needs to be calculated clearly.
Even if the capabilities are fully improved, whether this business can make a profit still needs careful calculation. To earn this income, the power station has to bear a lot of costs, such as hourly metering and data governance, charging and discharging losses, opportunity cost of reserving SOC for specific time periods, certificate registration and compliance costs, and so on. If the spot price at night is high, the transaction income given up by reserving power in advance to fulfill the contract may be far higher than the certificate premium. The contract should not only specify “how much green power is shifted”, but also clarify clauses such as metering boundaries, loss algorithms, abnormal data processing and attribute cancellation.
Fourth, will international customers recognize domestic green certificates?
The SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard version 2.0 requires large enterprises with annual power consumption exceeding 10GWh to calculate and disclose the hourly green power matching rate, and the revision of the GHG Protocol is expected to be finalized by the end of 2028. However, even if China’s green certificates reach hourly accuracy, it is still uncertain whether they can be automatically recognized by systems such as the GHG Protocol. When deploying related businesses, domestic energy storage enterprises should simultaneously pay attention to the construction of an independent green power consumption certification system, promote international mutual recognition, and avoid being forced to passively follow foreign rules.
This article is from the WeChat official account “Xingjia Shuo Energy Storage”, author: Xingjia Shuo Energy Storage, published by 36Kr with authorization.
该文观点仅代表作者本人，36氪平台仅提供信息存储空间服务。
36kr Europe (eu.36kr.com) delivers global business and markets news, data, analysis, and video to the world, dedicated to building value and providing business service for companies’ global expansion.
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Researchers from Nanjing University in China have developed a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell featuring an inverted perovskite top cell based on a new polymer hole-transport layer (HTL) that combines improved wettability with high film uniformity. The combination is intended to promote uniform perovskite deposition and create a homogeneous hole-selective interface, while enabling device fabrication under ambient conditions.
The scientists said that although inverted p–i–n perovskite solar cells offer advantages such as low-temperature processing, improved stability and compatibility with silicon bottom cells in tandem devices, scaling the technology from small cells fabricated in an inert atmosphere to large-area devices produced under ambient conditions remains challenging.
One of the key requirements for scalable production is an HTL that supports uniform coating and crystallization of the perovskite absorber. Such a layer requires good wettability and morphological uniformity, as well as efficient hole transport and strong adhesion to the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) substrate. Conventional poly(triarylamine) (PTAA) offers good charge transport and film uniformity, but its hydrophobic surface makes reproducible perovskite coating difficult. Carbazole phosphonic acid (PACz)-based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), meanwhile, provide strong substrate binding but can suffer from poor film uniformity and a narrow processing window, particularly on textured silicon substrates.
To address these limitations, the research team developed PNCC, a copolymer combining triarylamine and PACz units. The material is designed to combine the charge-transport properties of PTAA-like polymers with the strong substrate-binding characteristics of PACz materials.
“In our work, we report a newly developed copolymer that enables high-performance perovskite solar cells,” corresponding author Shangshang Chen told pv magazine. “State-of-the-art p–i–n perovskite solar cells predominantly rely on two families of organic HTMs: SAMs and PTAA. Nevertheless, both materials suffer from intrinsic limitations: PTAA exhibits unsatisfactory wettability, while PACz-based SAMs lack sufficient film uniformity. Our newly designed PNCC copolymer addresses these inherent drawbacks simultaneously. Importantly, PNCC is compatible with both single-junction perovskite devices and perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells under ambient processing conditions.”
The researchers synthesized PNCC by copolymerizing PACz and triarylamine units at a molar ratio of 1:3, with the triarylamine units suppressing carbazole cyclization and improving charge transport. Further analysis showed that, compared with PTAA and Me-4PACz, PNCC provided a more uniform interface, with fewer voids at the buried PNCC/perovskite interface. Photoluminescence measurements also indicated reduced non-radiative recombination and longer carrier lifetimes. The researchers attributed these improvements to better film quality and defect passivation provided by PNCC’s phosphonic acid groups.
Based on this approach, the academics fabricated single-junction p–i–n perovskite solar cells via blade coating under ambient conditions.
The devices featured a planar architecture comprising a glass/indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate, the PNCC HTL, an approximately 800 nm perovskite absorber, a buckminsterfullerene (C60) electron-transport layer, a bathocuproine (BCP) buffer layer and a copper (Cu) contact. Both the PNCC and perovskite layers were blade-coated under ambient conditions.
Tested under standard illumination conditions, the champion device achieved a power conversion efficiency of 26.6%, an open-circuit voltage of 1.21 V, a short-circuit current density of 26.1 mA/cm² and a fill factor of 84.1%. An unidentified accredited third-party laboratory certified the device at 26.5% efficiency. By comparison, PTAA- and Me-4PACz-based reference cells achieved efficiencies of 23.5% and 24.1%, respectively.
In stability testing, the PNCC-based cell retained 99.8% of its initial efficiency after 1,200 hours of light soaking in air at around 40 C. It also retained 95.1% of its initial efficiency after 1,400 hours at 65 C and 92.8% after 1,200 hours at 85 C.
The researchers then applied PNCC as a standalone HTM in two-terminal perovskite-silicon tandem cells. The polymer formed conformal coatings on textured silicon without the aggregates observed with PTAA and Me-4PACz. The champion tandem device achieved a power conversion efficiency of 33.3%, with an independently certified efficiency of 33.0%. Across 18 tandem devices, the researchers reported an average efficiency of 32.0%.
The encapsulated tandem cell also retained 85% of its initial efficiency after 1,140 hours of one-sun illumination at 65 C in air.
The researchers said the results demonstrate the potential of ambient processing for producing stable, high-performance solar cells while providing a scalable pathway toward photovoltaic manufacturing.
The cell concept was presented in the study “Scalable ambient fabrication of single-junction and perovskite–silicon tandem solar cells,” published in Nature Sustainability.
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Butuan gears up for clean energy with solar farms, e-trikes  newsinfo.inquirer.net
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Waaree Energies Limited has received an order for the supply of 2 GW of solar modules from a leading solar developer. The order was received on September 21, 2026, and has been placed by a domestic entity.
The one-time order covers the supply of 2 GW of solar modules, with deliveries scheduled across FY 2026-27 and FY 2027-28.
The company stated that neither its promoter, promoter group nor group companies have any interest in the entity that awarded the order. The transaction also does not fall under related party transactions.
Recent orders
The latest order follows a Letter of Award received last month by Waaree Forever Energies Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Waaree Energies, from the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for developing a 700 MW solar and 700 MW/2,800 MWh energy storage solution (ESS) renewable energy power project in Solapur, Maharashtra.
Separately, Waaree Renewable Technologies Limited received a Letter of Award for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works for a 291 MWp ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) project integrated with a 280 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).
The featured photograph is for representation only.
Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL), a subsidiary of The Tata Power Company Limited, has commissioned the 100.8 MW Jewali Wind Project in the Dharashiv district of Maharashtra. The project has been connected to the grid and will supply electricity to Tata Power’s Mumbai distribution network, supporting the utility in meeting its Renewable Purchase Obligation…
Read More Tata Power Renewable commissions 100.8 MW Jewali wind project in Maharashtra
India has reached 50% of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources, five years before its 2030 target. Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi announced the milestone, calling it a major step in India’s clean energy leadership. This shift reflects over a decade of policy and technological momentum. Key government schemes have accelerated progress. The…
Read More India hits 50% non-fossil electricity capacity, five years ahead of target
Tata Motors Limited has partnered with Welspun Renewable Energy Private Limited (WREPL) to co-develop an 86 MW wind-solar hybrid renewable energy project that will supply clean power to the company’s commercial vehicle manufacturing plants in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka. The project will be developed through a co-investment model and a long-term Power Purchase…
Read More Tata Motors, Welspun Renewable to develop 86 MW hybrid RE project
  Odisha has secured investment proposals worth Rs 4,330 billion in the renewable energy sector during the ‘Utkarsh Odisha – Make in Odisha Conclave 2025.’ On the second day of the event, the Sectoral Session on ‘Renewable Energy for Viksit Odisha’ resulted in significant Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to strengthen the state’s clean energy infrastructure….
Read More Odisha signs MoUs with six firms for renewable energy projects
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released draft guidelines for series approval of solar photovoltaic (SPV) inverters. These are meant for testing in designated labs under the “Solar Systems, Devices and Components Goods Order, 2025.” Issued on 23 June 2025, the guidelines aim to help test labs and manufacturers define product families….
Read More MNRE releases draft guidelines for SPV inverter testing
BlackRock, Inc. has marginally reduced its shareholding in PTC India Limited through an open market transaction, according to a regulatory disclosure. In filings submitted to the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange on April 29, 2026, under the SEBI (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011, BlackRock, acting on behalf of its…
Read More BlackRock trims stake in PTC India via open market sale
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Renovatio Solar, the EPC division of Renovatio, specializing in photovoltaic and energy storage projects, has entered into a strategic partnership with CATL, the global leader in battery technology, for the construction of the Borzesti Energy Storage project, a 918-MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and the first project of this scale to be developed in Romania.
The project is being developed through the special purpose vehicle Borzesti Energy Storage (SPV), jointly owned by RNV Infrastructure and Greenvolt Power. Renovatio Solar will deliver the project under a full EPC contract, covering engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning, with an estimated execution period of 12 months.
The selection of Renovatio Solar as the full EPC contractor for a BESS project of this scale demonstrates that the Romanian market has developed the engineering, procurement and construction capabilities required to deliver a category of projects that has until now been rarely seen in the country. Above all, the project confirms the growing maturity of the local EPC sector in the field of battery energy storage.
Secondly, the project highlights Romania’s increasing attractiveness for international capital dedicated to BESS investments, alongside Greenvolt Power’s continued expansion in the Romanian energy storage market.
Finally, the strategic partnership with CATL, which holds approximately 38% of the global battery market, provides the project with direct access to a Tier 1 global supply chain, further strengthening Renovatio Solar’s position as an EPC integrator for large-scale projects and enhancing its competitiveness for future photovoltaic and energy storage developments.
“Borzesti Energy Storage is a landmark project that demonstrates the technical capabilities Renovatio Solar has built in the energy storage sector. As the integrated EPC contractor, we are committed to delivering the highest standards of performance and efficiency throughout every phase of the project—from engineering and construction to commissioning. Our partnership with CATL reflects Renovatio’s ability to secure world-class technologies and further strengthens our position as a leading EPC integrator for large-scale photovoltaic and battery energy storage projects across the European market,” said Horatiu Regneala, CEO of Renovatio Solar.
“Central and Eastern Europe, and Romania in particular, remain strategic markets for Greenvolt. Borzesti represents a natural expansion of the energy storage platform we are building across the region, particularly in Hungary and Poland. The project also reflects our conviction regarding the strategic role of energy storage in the energy transition—a business segment that has become one of the key pillars of our growth strategy, supported by a portfolio of 5 GW,” added João Manso Neto, CEO of Greenvolt Group.
The Borzesti Battery Energy Storage System will absorb excess electricity generated during midday hours, when solar production exceeds demand, and redistribute it during the evening peak, when electricity demand is highest and Romania increasingly relies on imports. By responding to grid frequency deviations in real time, the battery system can provide balancing services significantly faster than conventional technologies.
Over the medium term, the project will create the technical conditions necessary to integrate several hundred additional megawatts of renewable energy into the national grid without requiring proportional investments in transmission infrastructure, while also contributing to reducing Romania’s dependence on electricity imports.
The project’s impact on the electricity market is equally tangible. The system will effectively shift stored energy from periods of very low electricity prices—typically around midday—to evening peak hours, when market prices can be several times higher, helping reduce price volatility across the market.
The construction of the Borzesti Energy Storage project is already creating new jobs in the Moldavia region and includes the rehabilitation and expansion of local infrastructure.
 
About Renovatio Solar & Renovatio
Renovatio Solar is the EPC division of Renovatio, one of Romania’s leading renewable energy integrators, with more than 20 years of experience across the entire renewable energy value chain, including project development, EPC, power generation, energy trading, electricity supply and asset management. Renovatio Solar delivers integrated EPC solutions for industrial projects, utility-scale photovoltaic power plants and battery energy storage systems.
 
About CATL
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) is the world’s largest manufacturer of batteries for electric vehicles and battery energy storage systems, holding approximately 38% of the global battery market and maintaining a leading portfolio of large-scale energy transition projects worldwide.
 
About Greenvolt Power
Greenvolt Power, part of the Greenvolt Group, a global leader in 100% renewable energy, operates in the utility-scale renewable energy segment, specializing in onshore wind, solar and battery energy storage. With extensive development expertise, the company also excels in financing, construction, operation and asset management of large-scale renewable energy projects. Present in 19 markets across Europe, North America and Asia, Greenvolt Power has a total portfolio of 12.8 GW, of which 5.1 GW are either at least ready-to-build or have already been sold. The company is also among the world’s leading developers of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), with a portfolio of 5 GW.
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Premier Energies has commissioned a 7 GW n-type TOPCon cell factory in Andhra Pradesh 
Its total solar cell production capacity expands to 10.6 GW, making it the largest Indian solar cell manufacturer, claims the company 
The factory is targeting average cell efficiency of around 25.8% after stabilization and ramp-up 
Indian solar PV manufacturer Premier Energies has commissioned what it describes as India’s largest solar cell manufacturing facility. The n-type TOPCon G12R factory has an annual production capacity of 7 GW.  
Located in Naidupeta, Andhra Pradesh, the facility spans 101 acres and was built at an investment of INR 3,293 crore. Chiranjeev Saluja, Managing Director of Premier Energies, said the Naidupeta factory was commissioned on time and within budget.  
With the new facility now operational, Premier Energies says its total solar cell manufacturing capacity has reached 10.6 GW, including its existing 3.6 GW capacity, making it India’s largest solar cell manufacturer. 
The company says the new fab is designed to produce close to 88,000 solar cells per hour and is equipped with advanced digital systems, artificial intelligence, predictive performance analysis, and precision manufacturing. It is also equipped with a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system to maximize water recycling and reuse, boosting the factory’s sustainable manufacturing credentials.
Once factory stabilization and ramp-up are complete, Premier Energies expects to target an average solar cell efficiency of approximately 25.8%.
The factory is also designed to be future-ready, accommodating potential upgrades to next-generation TOPCon+ technologies, including poly-finger metallization and advanced edge-isolation processes. 
With this expansion, the manufacturer is eyeing domestic and international demand for high-efficiency solar products. As of June 30, 2026, Premier Energies reported an order book worth INR 150 billion with a 100% domestic share, led by cells at 58%, followed by modules at 40%.
Premier Energies’ solar module production capacity had reached 11.1 GW as of June 2026. It is now planning to expand with 10 GW of ingot-wafer capacity, 18,000 MT of aluminum frames, and 12 GWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) capacity (see Premier Energies Q1 FY27 Profit Rises 53% YoY As Orders Grow).
“Together with our planned backward integration into ingots and wafers, this strengthens our strategy of building a fully integrated and globally competitive solar manufacturing platform while supporting India’s clean energy transition,” added Saluja. 
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According to their math, they would recover the cost of their system within about five or six years while continuing to benefit from the savings for as much as a decade or two longer.
Photo Credit: iStock
A California homeowner finally hit a breaking point after opening a $1,200 utility bill — and responded by installing a rooftop solar system with battery backup sized to power the house and two EVs.
While the homeowner anticipated massive savings on their energy bills for years to come, they turned to the internet to ask other solar converts what their real-world results had been. 
Writing on the r/solarenergy subreddit, the Marin County homeowner explained that their installation included 33 panels totaling roughly 15 kilowatts of generating capacity. They also added three Powerwalls with about 40.5 kilowatt-hours of usable storage. 
The homeowner explained that they used their solar panels to power not only their entire home but also their two EVs. 
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.
Considering annual home energy expenses and transportation fuel costs, the original poster estimated that their home solar and battery setup would save them between $8,000 and $12,000 every year.
Meanwhile, they shared that the total project cost about $65,000. If the OP’s estimates prove accurate, they would recover the cost of their system within about five or six years while continuing to benefit from savings for as much as a decade or two longer. 
As the OP showed, for households dealing with skyrocketing utility bills, going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy. For those looking to learn more, EnergySage makes it easy with free installation estimates and quote comparisons.
Some commenters chimed in about the big difference in solar installation costs throughout the U.S. One homeowner shared that the cost of a similar setup on the East Coast was $52,000 (but with only two Powerwall batteries), while another reported a $70,000 quote in New England for a 14-kilowatt system without batteries.
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Others advised the OP on how to take their solar savings even further, for example, by installing energy-efficient electric appliances and HVAC. 
One homeowner described their heat-pump water heater as “definitely a saver,” while others advised the OP to consider heat-pump HVAC, including mini-splits. 
A recurring theme in the discussion was best practices for obtaining solar bids and having a successful installation. Users recommended getting as many different bids as possible, comparing the price per watt, and making sure the system is sized for both household demand and EV charging.
While going solar might seem complicated, EnergySage simplifies the process with free tools that let homeowners get competitive bids from vetted local installers without handing over their contact info until they are ready.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
Additionally, with EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations.
To make things even easier, EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state, along with solar 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 peak-hour rates, and go off-grid. Homeowners can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
As one commenter wrote, “The best part of solar with batteries is not having to care anymore.  All anxiety about wasting electricity is gone.”
The following articles delve into other aspects of home solar, including solar tax credits, installation costs, battery economics, and rooftop panel upkeep.
• A homeowner learned up to $9,000 off a solar install could still come via tax credits.
• Energy expert Liam Madden warned lucrative incentives for rooftop solar could vanish under a utility-friendly proposal.
• EnergySage COO Charlie Hadlow broke down interconnected factors behind solar pricing, from labor to local permitting.
• Homeowners found rooftop cleaning and repairs can shape long-term savings after going solar.
• In the Philippines, researchers found that the trustworthiness of providers remains a major barrier to adoption.
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الحساب
الاقسام
Baku, September 21, AZERTAC
Under the ocean, things aren’t quite so bright, according to Science Alert. Much of the Sun’s rays bounce right off the ocean’s surface, and the ones that do penetrate the water are absorbed and scattered over much shorter distances than they are in air.
That’s why, the deeper you get, the darker it is. As such, 32 feet (10 meters) underwater is a pretty unexpected place to put solar panels, of all things. And yet, a team of scientists from Yunnan University in China has done just that.
Their submarine solar cells, mounted 10 meters (32 feet) below the surface of the South China Sea, were able to collect enough energy to charge lithium-ion batteries in just two hours.
“Very few studies have been reported on underwater solar cells, and all of them are focused on very shallow water depths of only two meters or less, a scenario far from catering for requirements of practical application,” says Wen-Hua Zhang, of Yunnan University.
“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.”
They estimate the solar cells could operate for around five and a half years and could soon be a viable way to power underwater sensors, cameras, and communications systems.
“Off-grid devices are deployed across varying water depths to support diverse underwater operations and scientific explorations,” the authors note.
“Underwater photovoltaics, in conjunction with other power generation approaches, can supply electricity to equipment such as stationary underwater sensors and detectors.”
To make the most of what little light does reach into the water, these solar cells are a little different from the photovoltaic cells that, as of 2025, account for around 9 percent of the world’s electricity.
They’re made of lead halide perovskite, a kind of semiconductor crystal. While creating the perovskite, the researchers mixed in a polymer called polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride, which helps trap even more electrons in the cell.
The resulting material has a wide band gap. This is an important feature because the band gap of a photovoltaic cell determines which wavelengths in the spectrum of solar light the material can absorb.
These underwater cells were specifically designed to capture the spectrum of light that reaches through 5 to 10 meters of seawater: mostly shorter, blue-green wavelengths (400 to 600 nm), since most of the reds are lost in shallower waters.
The team first honed their designs under simulated ocean conditions in a lab, reaching a power conversion efficiency of almost 35 percent, before taking them for a test run in the big blue.
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“Our existing processes still work. They just have to run in parallel.”
Photo Credit: iStock
Southwick, a western Massachusetts town, is putting together a unified local review system for smaller solar, wind, and battery projects.
The draft covers battery storage projects under 100 megawatt-hours as well as solar and wind developments smaller than 25 megawatts, according to MassLive. Towns across Massachusetts have until October 1 to establish a permitting route for clean energy projects in those size ranges.
Speaking to the Select Board, Board of Health Vice Chair Patricia Labieniec described the proposal, saying, “It’s concise. I don’t think it’s overwhelming. I think it’s right to the point.” 
She said the state’s requirements would limit the full review timeline to 12 months. The plan would keep Southwick’s current review bodies involved but spread duties across several boards and commissions, according to MassLive. 
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Select Board Chair Douglas Moglin said, “Our existing processes still work. They just have to run in parallel. So, you kind of need a bit of a roundtable to be able to coordinate things that don’t normally run in parallel, i.e., you’re going to have conservation and planning, for example, [having] to work a lot closer than they have in the past on certain things.”
For homeowners, going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy. If you’re considering rooftop panels, trying EnergySage can help you get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes.
Labieniec said the Board of Health viewed it through a healthcare lens, where a patient may be treated by several specialists who don’t always communicate closely with one another. Using the phrase “fragmented care,” she said the town wants to prevent that kind of breakdown when several departments are reviewing the same project.
Select Board member Russ Anderson said the coordination effort should work more like a shared construction schedule. “You have a chart that everyone is following. Everyone’s checking in with each other because one department relates it to the other,” he said.
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For Southwick, the next step is turning that draft framework into a working local process that keeps departments aligned while meeting the state deadline. The Select Board will include the draft as an agenda item at its next meeting.
For homeowners interested in their own clean energy upgrades, EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system on a state-by-state level, along with details on solar panel incentives in each state. Together, those tools 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. Homeowners who want to compare their options can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage systems, including competitive installation estimates.
Here are a few stories on new permitting rules, fast-tracked approvals, and major renewable energy project decisions.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
• In Minnesota, lawmakers reformed the state’s energy permitting process to cut clean-energy construction delays.
• In Connecticut and Virginia, advocates helped speed home solar permits to lower costs for residents.
• Federal officials moved to fast-track approvals for energy exploration on public lands for geothermal projects.
• In Massachusetts, regulators approved a battery site near seniors’ homes with 100 conditions.
• In Wisconsin, officials approved a massive energy project expected to power 200,000 homes.
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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A Chinese satellite carrying prototype heterojunction photovoltaic modules made by the manufacturer JA has been placed into orbit around Earth. According to PV Tech, the independently developed and packaged p-type heterojunction modules were launched on a Kuaizhou-11 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on 17 September and reached their intended orbit.
JA described the mission as the first in-orbit test of p-type heterojunction modules, a step that could prepare the way for larger-scale use in the future. Space-based photovoltaic applications have so far been dominated by gallium-arsenide technology, which is expensive but able to tolerate the demands of space, including radiation exposure and sharp temperature changes. As the space economy is expected to grow, cost efficiency is becoming a more important factor in selecting power-generation technology for satellites, which could open the field to crystalline silicon modules if their ability to withstand harsh space conditions can be shown.
JA said it would compare in-orbit performance data with results from ground-based simulations to evaluate the long-term reliability and degradation of p-type heterojunction technology in low-Earth orbit. If the validation targets are met, the company said the programme could help speed the adoption of mature crystalline-silicon technologies as an alternative to gallium arsenide in low-Earth-orbit applications and potentially reduce the cost of satellite power systems. It could also support the development of satellite internet, remote sensing, space communications, space-based computing and other low-Earth-orbit applications.
JA chief technology officer Dr Ouyang Zi said energy innovation has long driven human progress and that, as satellite deployment accelerates and the space economy expands, solar power is expected to play a growing role in future space infrastructure. He said developing more cost-competitive solar solutions for space is therefore an important strategic priority. He added that testing in orbit is intended to assess the reliability and degradation of crystalline silicon technology in low-Earth orbit and to explore more cost-competitive options for future space energy systems, noting that the technology will require long-term validation but is a direction worth pursuing.
JA said it would treat the mission as a starting point for strengthening its module research, development and manufacturing capabilities and for advancing scalable energy solutions for space exploration and commercial space applications. The company also stressed that space photovoltaics remains at an early stage of exploration and validation. It said large-scale commercialisation remains highly uncertain, that it currently has no orders related to space photovoltaics, and that the programme has no material impact on its current operating performance.
The United States has also signalled interest in developing new photovoltaic technologies for space applications, with the Department of Energy releasing 12 million US dollars earlier this month to fund research and development of advanced space-based solar photovoltaic projects.
A panel discussion on how space solar is driving photovoltaic innovation is scheduled for the PV CellTech USA conference in San Francisco on 13-14 October.
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It’s Climate Week in New York City, and that means — oh wait, hold please. An even bigger story is bubbling up through the Intertubes. With the 2026 midterm elections just weeks away, red state voters are telling pollsters they are fed up with the business-as-usual messaging of the Republican Party. Instead, they want someone to solve their bread-and-butter problems, particularly in regards to their fuel and utility bills. That puts the US solar industry squarely in the spotlight, particularly now that the forever war in Iran continues to spiral into, well, forever.
Even before US President Trump re-took office last year, state and local-level restrictions on solar development were growing. Trump’s re-election resulted in a fresh round of obstacles at the federal level, including the elimination of tax credits through the 2025 “OBBA” tax bill. Overall, the clean energy sector lost an estimated 470,000 jobs as large-scale projects were abandoned, including battery and EV factories among others.
Still, with the heavy breathing of data center stakeholders on everyone’s neck, the solar industry has continued to prove that it can deliver the kilowatts more quickly and economically than any other domestic energy resource. That helps explain why the manufacturing side of the industry continues to attract investors, even as obstacles persist on the developer and retail side.
The political push from data centers and other large-load users could also explain why Trump knuckled under last month and imposed import limits on an essential solar industry material, polysilicon. While some solar stakeholders protested the new restrictions, others celebrated a new window of opportunity for domestic manufacturers.
How else to explain why investors put up $835 million to ensure that the leading manufacturer Suniva can build out its monocrystalline solar cell operations in the US?  Suniva announced completion of the new raise on September 8, emphasizing that the financial support comes from “top-tier” partners, including long-term backer Lion Point Capital. Funds managed by Goldman Sachs Alternatives and I Squared Capital also played a role, alongside JBA Asset Management, which provided a a second lien credit facility. Electron Capital Partners, Orion Infrastructure Capital, and Rubric Capital Management, among others, rounded out the equity investors.
“The new capital will fund construction of Suniva’s second U.S. solar cell manufacturing facility and accelerate the Company’s rapid expansion to a total of 5.5 GW of American-made solar cell capacity,” Suniva explains.
“Suniva’s new 4.5 GW high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cell manufacturing facility, which is currently under development in Laurens County, South Carolina, will more than quadruple its capacity, with completion expected in late 2027 and full ramp expected in 2028,” the company elaborates, adding that almost 600 new manufacturing jobs are part of the plan.
Suniva also notes that the expansion is taking place in a de-risked evironment, citing the maturity of the domestic supply chain and long term offtake agreements with solar industry leaders.
For the record, South Carolina voted for Trump by a healthy margin of almost 18% in 2024. Trump is not on the ballot this year, but he has put himself front and center in the mid-term elections, and he is helping…well, not Republican candidates. In South Carolina, for example, internal polls show that the Democratic candidates for Governor and US Senator are within single digits of their Republican counterparts.
The startup ES Foundry is another firm banking on South Carolina to grow its business. Earlier today, on September 21, the company announced a $1.5 million, three-year agreement with the Initiative for New Manufacturing, an program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
ES expects the new partnership to support its long term plans. The company opened a 2-gigawatt solar cell factory in Greenwood, South Carolina in July, bringing its total output to 3 gigawatts and supporting more than 400 jobs, but it is not resting on its laurels. “With that capacity now in place, ES Foundry is looking beyond manufacturing scale alone to the technologies, workforce and operating practices that will determine whether U.S. solar manufacturing can compete over the long term,” ES explains.
ES expects the MIT connection to pay off in terms of AI integration as well as automation, cybersecurity, digital twins, and other hallmarks of advanced manufacturing systems.
South Carolina is not the only consistently red state to do a good job of attracting solar manufacturers. Texas is another good example. In addition, swing states are also pumping up the nation’s solar profile. In New Mexico, for example, on September 9 the US-based global solar tracking manufacturer ARRAY Technologies cut the ribbon on its new $50 million facility in Albuquerque. The new LEED-certified factory replaces ARRAY’s former facility on the same site, tripling its size while supporting 300 jobs.
Trackers are a sort of behind-the-scenes hardware element of the solar industry. They don’t attract much media notice compared to solar panels and solar arrays. However, they can make a critical difference in system efficiency, enabling solar panels to maintain an optimal angle as the sun moves throughout the day.
In addition to upsizing and adding more jobs, the new factory enables ARRAY to rely less on outside suppliers and deploy more in-house components, leading to benefits to customers including speedier delivery times, lower costs, supply chain quality, and flexibility. “This investment reflects our confidence in the future of ARRAY, our commitment to our customers and our continued belief in American solar manufacturing,” explained the company’s CEO, Kevin Hostetler, in a press statement.
“Several components manufactured at the facility qualify for the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit, which supports continued investment in U.S. manufacturing and helps domestically produced components remain cost competitive with imports,” ARRAY also notes, drawing attention to a key tax break that survived the chopper. The new factory also benefited from $2.5 million in state economic development funds, and an assist from municipal and county governments.
The New Mexico electorate chose Trump by a thin 6% margin in 2024. With the state’s current governor term-limited out of office, the Democrats are holding an edge. A poll supported by the Republican candidate Gregg Hull shows Democrat Deb Haaland just 1% ahead, but two independent polls put her at +6 and +17.
Bottom line: Trump’s policies are designed to hurt blue states the most, but red and swing states also have skin in the clean power game. Readers, tap into the discussion thread and let us know how things are shaping up in your state.
PSA: If you have questions about voting or registering to vote, you can find information and links to your local elections office at a reputable online portal like Vote.gov, among others. Do not be fooled by “votesafe.org,” which has been described as a data collection portal funded by Elon Musk’s America PAC.
Photo: Despite last year’s sharp U-turn in federal energy policy, the US solar industry is still attracting investors on the manufacturing side as demand for electricity soars (cropped, courtesy of ES Foundry).
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A new predictive control strategy could help building operators reduce energy costs and improve the use of renewable power without the high computing requirements associated with more complex optimisation systems.
The study, titled A predictive rule based control strategy for integrated building energy systems with photovoltaic, heat pump, thermal tank and electric vehicles, examines the operation of buildings equipped with photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, thermal storage tanks and electric vehicles.
Buildings account for about 30% of global energy consumption, making their energy management an important part of efforts to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Integrated building energy systems can increase renewable energy use, lower operating costs and provide greater flexibility to the electricity grid, but these benefits depend heavily on how the equipment is controlled.
Conventional rule based control is widely used because it is relatively simple and easy to implement. However, it generally relies on fixed operating rules and has limited ability to respond to future changes in electricity demand, solar generation, weather conditions and electricity tariffs.
Model predictive control can address this limitation by using forecasts to optimise equipment operation over a future period. Its drawback is the substantial computing power and complex online optimisation required, particularly when several devices and storage systems operate together.
The researchers developed a predictive rule based control strategy designed to combine the practical simplicity of conventional rule based control with the forecasting capability of model predictive control.
The strategy uses forecasts for weather, building demand and photovoltaic generation to determine the most suitable charging and discharging power, as well as target energy levels for the thermal tank and electric vehicles during different tariff periods. It then determines the actual operation of the heat pump, storage systems and other equipment based on real time system conditions and the overall energy balance.
Results
The results indicate that the proposed strategy delivered performance close to model predictive control while requiring only slightly more computing time than conventional rule based control.
During the one week simulation, the average computing time for each control action was 0.18 seconds for conventional rule based control, 0.27 seconds for the predictive rule based strategy and 239.81 seconds for model predictive control.
Total operating costs were CNY 3,446.93 under conventional rule based control. The predictive rule based strategy reduced this to CNY 2,176.37, while model predictive control achieved CNY 2,034.95.
The results show that the predictive strategy captured most of the cost saving available through model predictive control, while avoiding its significantly higher computational burden.
The strategy also reduced reliance on grid electricity during weekday peak periods. Grid purchases represented about 70% of total electric load under conventional rule based control, compared with approximately 20% under the predictive strategy and 12% under model predictive control.
Potential for practical deployment
According to the study, the results demonstrate that predictive rule based control can continuously adjust the operation of multiple storage devices according to changing conditions, rather than relying only on fixed operating modes, setpoints or thresholds.
This is particularly relevant for buildings with electric vehicles, whose availability and charging schedules can vary throughout the day. Coordinating electric vehicle charging with photovoltaic output, building demand, electricity prices and thermal storage could help reduce peak demand and improve the use of locally generated solar power.
The researchers conclude that the proposed strategy provides a lower complexity alternative for integrated building energy systems. Its combination of predictive capability, reduced computing requirements and relatively strong economic performance could support practical applications where full model predictive control is difficult or costly to implement.
The study provides a potential foundation for deploying more flexible energy management systems in commercial and residential buildings, including projects seeking to integrate distributed solar generation, efficient heating technologies, thermal storage and electric mobility.
Link to the full paper HERE 
Author: Bryan Groenendaal






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The New South Wales (NSW) government has launched consultation on a proposal to introduce Australia’s first mandatory solar panel recycling scheme, aiming to ensure valuable solar panel materials are recovered, reused and recycled rather than being dumped.
Intended to divert thousands of tonnes of solar panel waste from landfill, the proposed product stewardship scheme would require solar manufacturers and importers supplying regulated PV panels into NSW to help fund collection, recycling and resource recovery across the state.
Government data shows NSW is home to more than 1.18 million rooftop solar systems and as they age, and as households increasingly upgrade to higher efficiency panels, waste volumes of PV panels are projected to increase sharply over the next two decades. About 14,000 tonnes of solar panel waste is generated in the state each year, and that figure is forecast to rise to 89,000 tonnes by 2045.
“Current disposal pathways are insufficient to safely and sustainably manage this growing waste stream,” the NSW Environment Protection Agency said in its consultation paper. “Most end-of-life PV panels continue to be landfilled, stockpiled or illegally dumped.”
NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said the proposed regulation is not simply about reducing waste, but is also about capturing valuable resources and creating new economic opportunities.
“NSW has embraced rooftop solar, and now we’re making sure those panels don’t become tomorrow’s landfill problem,” she said. “Solar panels contain valuable materials that can be recovered and put back to work.”
“A mandatory product stewardship scheme can help build a circular economy for solar panels, while supporting new recycling and manufacturing opportunities here in NSW.” 
Smart Energy Council (SEC) Chief Executive David McElrea said the proposed legislation provides a strong foundation for a circular economy but cautioned that state-level initiatives must be matched by a unified national framework led by the federal government.
“Ideally, states and territories won’t have to go it alone, because solar supply chains do not end at a border,” he said, adding that a patchwork of rules will be more inefficient and costly for consumers, business, industry and authorities.
“NSW is showing leadership, but unless transitioned into a Commonwealth scheme, over 70% of Australia’s decommissioned solar panels will remain uncaptured outside NSW,” he said.
“The federal government has to step up and deliver a national product stewardship framework to provide the scale, consistency, and certainty Australia needs.”
In addition to publishing the opening consultation on the draft regulation, the NSW government has released an issues paper seeking feedback on how the state can support the growth of solar panel recycling, remanufacturing and manufacturing industries.
Submissions on the draft regulation and issues paper are open until 16 November.
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Pekat Group Secures 470-Acre Kedah Land Lease For Solar And BESS Development  solarquarter.com
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Victoria’s State Electricity Commission (SEC) has commissioned a new rooftop solar system atop the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) at Albert Park with the 1.3 MW array now supplying about a quarter of the venue’s electricity needs.
The system, owned and operated by the SEC under an agreement with the State Sport Centres Trust, which manages and operates MSAC, is expected to generate more than 1 GWh of renewable electricity annually.
Under the arrangement, the SEC sells the electricity generated by the rooftop system directly to MSAC at a lower cost than electricity purchased from the grid. The deal is expected to save MSAC about $80,000 a year on its electricity costs.
SEC General Manager Customer Suzanne Retschko said the project provides MSAC with access to renewable energy without it having to fund the significant upfront cost of installing its own solar infrastructure.
“MSAC will receive around 24% of their energy at a lower cost, avoiding upfront costs and a range of network charges,” she said.
State Sport Centres Trust Chief Executive Officer Kate Roffey said the new solar array will power everything from the MSAC’s spa, sauna and wave pool to the scoreboards across its 10 indoor basketball courts.
“Installing solar is not only critical in helping keep our fees and charges affordable for the millions of Victorians who access our Victorian State Sport Centres every day of the year, it’s an important part of our commitment to the long-term sustainability of our venues,” she said.
“Our partnership with SEC has allowed us to invest in solar to power MSAC without having to outlay the large-scale up-front capital investment usually required.”
The State Sport Centres Trust is among the Victorian government customers supplied by the SEC, which retails 100% renewable electricity to more than 4,400 government sites and operations following its entry into the market a year ago..
“SEC is excited to work with more Victorian businesses to deliver behind-the-meter solar and battery projects to enable them to take better control of their energy consumption,” Retschko said.
SEC is planning to deliver 4.5 GW in new renewable energy generation and storage by 2035, with more than 1 GW of committed projects to date. This includes the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub, and the solar-battery hybrid SEC Renewable Energy Park.
It has also partnered with Aware Super and Melbourne-headquartered renewables investor Birdwood Energy to deliver the 400 MW / 1.86 GWh Baranduda battery project and will team with Italian battery developer Energy Dome to deploy a 10-hour duration compressed carbon dioxide battery energy storage system near Morwell in the Latrobe Valley.
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The ₹3,293-crore plant can produce about 88,000 solar cells per hour.

Premier Energies has commissioned a 7GW N-type TOPCon G12R solar cell plant in Naidupeta, Andhra Pradesh, raising its total solar cell capacity to 10.6GW.
The ₹3,293-crore facility spans 101 acres and can produce about 88,000 solar cells per hour.
The plant uses automated production, digital systems and artificial intelligence for process control and performance analysis. It is also equipped with a Zero Liquid Discharge system to recycle and reuse water.
The facility can be upgraded to next-generation TOPCon+ technologies. Once fully ramped up, it is expected to achieve average cell efficiency of about 25.8%, the company said.
The commissioning expands Premier Energies’ capacity to supply high-efficiency solar products to domestic and international markets.
The company also plans to expand backward integration into ingots and wafers.
“The timing of this 7 GW capacity addition is therefore significant: as the line stabilises and ramps up, it gives us the scale to serve that demand with greater supply reliability and operating efficiency,” said Chiranjeev Saluja, managing director at Premier Energies Limited. “Together with our planned backward integration into ingots and wafers, this strengthens our strategy of building a fully integrated and globally competitive solar manufacturing platform while supporting India’s clean energy transition.” 
 
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French startup Battwoo is developing stationary battery energy storage systems (BESS) using repurposed electric vehicle batteries. The company aims to extend battery lifetimes from 15 to 30 years by giving EV batteries a second life that would otherwise be sent for recycling, while providing an alternative to new batteries.
“Every year, thousands of electric vehicle batteries reach the end of their first life while still retaining 70% to 80% of their capacity,” Melchior Martinache, commercial director at Battwoo, told pv magazine France. “At the same time, the growth of photovoltaics raises a major challenge: how can we make the best use of solar electricity when it is not consumed immediately?”
The process involves sourcing batches of batteries from specialized partners and assessing their condition. Following an initial round of diagnostics and testing, conducted both in-house and by an accredited laboratory, batteries retaining more than 80% of their capacity are refurbished into stationary storage systems at a workshop in Madrid.
“This industrial capability allows Battwoo to ensure full battery traceability, oversee every stage of the requalification process, and maintain high standards of safety, quality and performance,” said Melchior Martinache, commercial director at Battwoo.
The batteries are sized according to the requirements of each project. “Is the customer looking to maximize self-consumption, shave peak demand to reduce costs, participate in grid flexibility mechanisms or engage in spot-market arbitrage? These parameters determine the required power output and number of daily cycles – and consequently the battery’s lifespan and return on investment,” Martinache said, adding that the batteries can handle up to four cycles per day.
Battwoo’s first installations are enabling the company to test its model on an industrial scale. In France’s Hauts-de-France region, for example, a padel club selected the company’s storage system for a 250 kW photovoltaic installation.
The 350 kWh storage system comprises 56 battery modules, equivalent to the capacity of five electric vehicles. It enables the club to store surplus solar power and discharge it in the evening to supply its illuminated courts.
Another project, in the agri-food sector, involves the Les Fruits de Saint-Aubin cooperative. The apple producer uses a 350 kWh stationary battery system coupled with an existing photovoltaic installation. The system helps optimize the electricity supply to the site’s cold-storage facilities and its continuously operating pre-sorting line, while increasing solar self-consumption.
Three other projects are currently under negotiation. “For now, we are still in a scale-up phase to ensure the reliability and safety of the solution. We have focused on projects below 500 kWh, but we will gradually be able to move up to 1 MWh and then to 2 MW or 3 MWh,” Martinache said.
Cost is one of Battwoo’s main selling points. According to the company, a refurbished 500 kWh battery system currently costs around 30% less than an equivalent system using new batteries. The price difference could make stationary storage more accessible to some photovoltaic system operators and industrial sites.
Battwoo also points to the potential environmental benefits of battery reuse. By extending battery service life by several decades, the company estimates that its approach can reduce the associated carbon footprint to one-quarter of that of a newly manufactured battery. Battwoo says the combination of lower costs and reduced environmental impact could appeal to companies seeking to increase solar self-consumption while incorporating sustainability considerations into their investment decisions.
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LAHORE:Punjab University (PU) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali inaugurated 100 KW Solar PV System at the university’s College of Earth & Environmental Sciences (CEES) to take significant step towards a greener and more sustainable future.
The state-of-the-art solar system is expected to generate clean and renewable electricity, significantly reduce dependence on grid power, achieve estimated annual savings of approximately Rs7 million in electricity costs and contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions.
The initiative reflects the university’s commitment to sustainable development, energy efficiency and the advancement of a greener campus. In this regard, an inaugural ceremony was held at CEES here on Monday which was attended by Pro Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mehmood Saleem, DG Prof Dr Rehan Sadiq Shaikh, Principal CEES Prof Dr Irfan Ahmad Shaikh, Secretary Solar Committee Dr Osama Majeed Butt, President ASA Dr Amjad Abbas Magsi, faculty members, officers and other distinguished guests.
On the occasion, Prof Dr Muhammad Ali congratulated the PU family on this important achievement and highlighted the growing need for initiatives that promote institutional self-sustainability and responsible resource management. He emphasised that sustainability should not be limited to meeting the university’s energy requirements through renewable sources, but should also encompass water conservation, efficient resource use and other environmentally responsible practices. He stressed that such integrated sustainability initiatives are essential to building a resilient, resource-efficient, and environmentally responsible university for future generations.

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AT JACKMAN AVENUE Junior Public School in downtown Toronto, solar panels line the roof, and LED monitors display the school’s daily solar output in the hallways.
The 32-kilowatt rooftop solar array is part of a larger initiative called Action Solar Schools, Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) effort to retrofit school buildings with green roofs, ceiling fans, and UV filters on windows, in addition to adding solar panels, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions along with heating and cooling costs. The upgrades are also designed to help teach students about energy and emissions saved.
The Toronto District School Board’s investment in solar infrastructure complements the science and technology curriculum, which includes hands-on lessons where students tour the solar installations at their schools and learn about how they help reduce emissions and energy costs. Photo by BlackRockSolar / Flickr.
Schools like Jackman act “as a live tiny generating station,” says Maurice Buonastella, the TDSB manager of energy and climate action. And Jackman is not alone.
Since 2010, the district has installed more than 148,000 solar panels atop 358 elementary, junior, and high schools around Ontario’s capital city. In total, these solar arrays offset about 8,800 tons of the district’s carbon emissions every year. Action Solar Schools now provides both the largest source of solar energy production from schools in Canada and the largest volume of panels to be spread across school roofs. In fact, it’s one of the largest school-based solar portfolios in North America, according to solar energy firm MAG Solar.
This investment in solar infrastructure complements the district’s science and technology curriculum, which includes material on alternatives to oil and gas. For example, in Grade 7, students are taught about climate change impacts and the benefits of switching to renewable energy sources. Hands-on lessons then allow students to tour the solar installations at their own schools and learn about how they help reduce emissions and energy costs.
And the cost savings are significant. The TDSB’s 2024-2025 Climate Action Report notes that just the quarter of the district’s schools that have undergone building upgrades save around US $964,000 in utility costs every year. Additionally, as part of Ontario’s Green Energy Act, the province has promised to buy all electricity that the schools’ solar systems generate for two decades. (This renewable energy feeds directly into the provincial electricity grid for general use in Ontario). Buonastella estimates that this contract has boosted the district’s revenue by around $128,500 annually.
Income from the program has helped establish the board’s Environmental Legacy Fund, which gives teachers money toward a training course in ecological education. The project is a win-win for the district’s budget and curriculum. And best of all: It allows Toronto’s public schools to practice what they teach.
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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) – Vigo County has been certified as a commercial solar and wind energy “ready community.”
Officials say the designation reflects the county’s adoption of standards consistent with state requirements.
They say it paves the way for development of commercial scale solar and wind projects.
The designation will also qualify the county for incentive and grant funding for a period of 10 years at the rate of $1 per megawatt hour of electricity generated.
The county says those funds will be used to improve and maintain local roads and bridges.
Copyright 2026 WTHI. All rights reserved.

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Scientists successfully test underwater solar cells 32 feet below the South China Sea  Azərtac
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U of T installs 299 new solar panels at OISE  thevarsity.ca
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Photovoltaic Wet Electronic Chemicals Market To Reach $4.73 Billion By 2030 Driven By Expanding Industry Demand  einnews.com
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Amazfit’s upcoming T-Rex Dual Solar has reportedly leaked with a solar-charging system unlike most current outdoor smartwatches. According to a now-deleted Spanish listing reportedly captured by Wearable Fans, the watch will feature photovoltaic panels on both sides, with a larger ceramic-glass panel integrated into the rear. This follows earlier leaks that indicated separate solar panels for the front display and the case back, while regulatory filings have linked the device to model A2570.
The reported specs include a 1.32-inch AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, alongside a titanium case, sapphire crystal and physical buttons. The smartwatch is also purportedly capable of operating between -30°C and 70°C and will include an LED flashlight with a boost mode. For outdoor activities, the leak claims support for six satellite systems, wrist-based maps, heart-rate and blood-oxygen monitoring, training metrics, and weather and barometric-pressure alerts.
Battery endurance is the highlight: the leak claims around 25 days of typical use, rising to 40 days in an outdoor mode with hourly GPS updates. With regular exposure to bright sunlight, however, the rear solar panel is reportedly capable of extending total endurance to as much as 180 days. While the dual-panel approach is technically intriguing, none of this has been confirmed by Amazfit, so this information should be treated as unconfirmed until a formal announcement. The closest competitor, Garmin’s Enduro 3, can reach up to 90 days under specified conditions.
Wearable Fans

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Global EV sales hit 20 million units in 2025, and the adjacent batteries and fuel cells industries saw equal growth, all trends shaped by composite technologies.
Strato-V project and NordSpace develop Type 5 composite pressure vessels while new U.K. government report and NLR report advances toward hydrogen-powered flight.
Lightning strike protection has traditionally been achieved via single sheets of metallic materials potentially compromised by paint while AFP provides a path toward tailored conductivity and connectivity plus multifunctionality.
The Chaparral aircraft flew uncrewed cargo missions across the Gulf Coast as part of the U.S. DOT and FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.
Complete materials portfolio is designed for faster production and extended battery range, and is qualified for immediate use by eVTOL manufacturers.
SNAPSHOT: The 1-meter-diameter Type 5 demonstrator, made from carbon fiber/LMPAEK was developed under an ESA-funded project targeting hydrogen and methane storage.
CAMX 2026: ZwickRoell’s new G1C Mode I testing setup pairs a ZwickiLine universal testing machine with automated crack-length measurement for ASTM D5528 double cantilever beam tests.
Anaglyph takes full ownership of the composite design tool co-developed with NPL, with version 3.4 out now and continued support for existing users.
The now-operational 300,000-square-foot Ciudad Juárez facility offers closer access to large-scale manufacturing capacity and technical support operations for the U.S., Mexico and Americas.
A one-way attritable UAV or USV should not carry the same material qualification and specification burden as a crewed, long-life aircraft or vessel.
SNAPSHOT: Francois Geuskens says the Approval in Principle validates the vision that led him to start Curve Works 10 years ago, replacing costly one-off tooling with adaptive mold, panel-based composite construction.
SNAPSHOT: Founded in 2025, the additive manufacturing company has installed CEAD robot printer, signed materials agreement with Airtech and fielded four composite unmanned surface vessels.
The newly installed Mikrosam Libra system processes a variety of composite materials on a single platform with swappable end effectors, closed-loop thermal control and full data acquisition built in, expanding capabilities for aerospace, industry and government partners.
Standard 3K twill and UD T700 plates at 1.5 and 3.0 millimeters thick, plus round, square and oval tube profiles are now supplied from stock to shorten lead times for customers.
The Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) is funding 18 teams to develop aircraft capable of operating persistently in the stratosphere including Structural Solar project integrating perovskite photovoltaics onto carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP).
The Derbyshire startup is seeking investment to fund the unit, using a steam-and-pressure process that separates hard-to-process composites derived from maritime and wind industries.
Hyke is recognized for its clean, quiet and more efficient public transportation solution as it pursues new partnerships and vessel deployment in Qatar and the wider Middle East.
KVE is adding nearly 1,800 square meters of production space for composite blades, wing structures and other components to support growing customer demand, marking 30 years in industry and 4 years under Daher's ownership.
The newly installed Mikrosam Libra system processes a variety of composite materials on a single platform with swappable end effectors, closed-loop thermal control and full data acquisition built in, expanding capabilities for aerospace, industry and government partners.
Standard 3K twill and UD T700 plates at 1.5 and 3.0 millimeters thick, plus round, square and oval tube profiles are now supplied from stock to shorten lead times for customers.
Process simulation platform is available to defense and aerospace composites fabricators who are using Renegade materials, helping to rapidly transition design to manufacturing.
Funding follows $20 million in U.S. government contracts and growing adoption of the composites additive system across aerospace, defense and advanced manufacturing.
The automakers are among the first users of Stratasys’ new large-format F870 additive manufacturing system, which prints carbon fiber-reinforced Nylon 12CF parts for shop floor tooling and fixtures.
CAMX 2026: Sharp & Tappin Technology’s Compcut ACS 300 saw, aimed at composite test specimen preparation, launches in the U.S. via partner Measured Solutions.
Global EV sales hit 20 million units in 2025, and the adjacent batteries and fuel cells industries saw equal growth, all trends shaped by composite technologies.
Lightning strike protection has traditionally been achieved via single sheets of metallic materials potentially compromised by paint while AFP provides a path toward tailored conductivity and connectivity plus multifunctionality.
With the space sector in a race for strategic dominance and the lunar economy coming into view, composite materials are accelerating into an era of high-rate production, advanced autonomous manufacturing and structural innovation that would have seemed like science fiction a generation ago.
Composites continue to drive energy innovations, from new materials and installations of recyclable wind blades to nuclear CMC and offshore oil pipelines.
The autoclave has long defined thermoset composites processing — snap-cure epoxy prepreg systems are built around the premise that it doesn't have to.
Market outlook highlights commercial, defense and bizjet upturn, shift to Asia/rise of India while supply chain struggles to meet rate, AAM begins pivot toward commercial routes plus trends in civil UAS, electric aircraft and the latest in composites developments.
Are you looking for new ways to reduce weight, improve recyclability and stay ahead of evolving circularity requirements without compromising performance?As sustainability and resource efficiency become increasingly important across industries, extruded PP foam composite solutions are emerging as a powerful enabler for the next generation of composite applications.Join experts from SPUR and Borouge International as they share the latest trends, challenges and opportunities shaping the future of composite structures. Discover how extruded PP foam core technology can help you develop lightweight, durable and recyclable sandwich structures for automotive, building and construction and industrial applications.During this webinar, you will gain valuable insights into design considerations, manufacturing approaches, emerging application developments and the future potential of extruded PP foam composite solutions. Learn how you can unlock new opportunities to meet performance, sustainability and circularity goals while preparing your products for tomorrow’s market demands.AgendaWelcome and IntroductionIndustry, Market & Application ChallengesMaterial routes to solve these ChallengesApplication fit and development RoutesConclusionQ&AClosing 
Building systems are evolving. Increasing performance requirements, stricter fire regulations and growing expectations around durability and sustainability are putting pressure on traditional material choices. At the same time, manufacturers are expected to deliver higher performance without increasing complexity or cost.In this webinar, we explore how composites can work alongside aluminum to address these challenges in a practical and effective way. The session is designed especially for teams who are curious about composites but may still have questions or hesitation: Where do composites really add value? Are they strong enough? What about fire performance, processing, durability, sustainability and cost? The session will focus on how composites can be used in targeted areas of aluminum system to improve performance where it matters most.Our experts will walk through the key differences between composites and aluminum in real applications, answering the kinds of questions designers, engineers and product teams often raise when considering a new material. Through concrete examples, from window and door systems to structural facade interfaces, you’ll see where composites can add measurable value and how hybrid solutions can simplify design while enhancing performance.We’ll also introduce a practical hybrid design approach: replacing selected components, not entire systems. This can help reduce part counts, improve installation efficiency and support more durable, high-performing solutions while making the transition to composites easier and more manageable.Join us to get practical answers to common questions about composites and learn how combining materials can help you improve your building systems, meet evolving requirements and create more competitive, future-ready solutions.AgendaUnderstand where composites add real value in building systemsLearn how composites and aluminum can work together to improve performance without redesigning entire systemsGet clarity on key performance questions, including thermal behavior, fire performance, durability, and sustainabilityDiscover a practical hybrid design approach that reduces complexity while enhancing system performanceGet practical examples on how to transition into composites effortlessly
Aerospace and defense manufacturers face the challenge of increasing throughput while maintaining structural performance and controlling costs as production demands rise. Fast-cure composite materials offer one way to shorten manufacturing cycles, but understanding performance and processing tradeoffs is essential before implementation. Join us as we examine the engineering considerations behind fast-cure composites, including cure kinetics, exotherm behavior and comparative performance data. We will also demonstrate how cure simulation provides additional insight during process development. Attendees will gain practical insight into evaluating fast-cure composite materials for high-rate aerospace and defense manufacturing. Agenda Manufacturing Opportunities: Finding the right balance between throughput, cost and structural performance in aerospace and defense composites Setting the Baseline: Reviewing established, qualified prepreg performance data and what “equivalent performance” really means when evaluating a faster-cure alternative The Data: Comparing mechanical performance, cure time, exotherm behavior and processing options for a proven prepreg system and a fast-cure alternative Cure Simulation: Live demo of a cure simulation tool that helps manufacturers predict cure behavior before starting production
Surface contamination and inadequate surface preparation remain leading causes of adhesion failures, product defects and costly recalls across industries, including automotive, aerospace, composites and medical device manufacturing. Yet many organizations continue to rely on subjective inspection methods rather than measurable surface quality data. This webinar explores how manufacturers can establish objective cleanliness standards, implement surface energy measurement techniques and monitor contamination throughout the product lifecycle to improve adhesion reliability, manufacturing quality and first-pass yield. Attendees will learn why developing a formal adhesion specification — and enforcing it consistently from initial process development through full-scale production and sustainment — is critical to reducing failures and improving manufacturing outcomes. The session will explore the latest ASTM standards supporting adhesion testing, surface cleanliness verification and quality assurance, while sharing real-world examples of companies that have successfully implemented adhesion monitoring programs to drive measurable improvements in reliability and yield. Participants will also have the opportunity to assess the maturity of their own surface energy management practices, benchmarking current processes against industry best practices. The webinar will conclude with a look at how Brighton Science's surface intelligence tools, including water contact angle (WCA) measurement and the Brighton Process Monitor, enable objective, repeatable surface energy analysis that supports faster troubleshooting, stronger first-pass yield and long-term quality control. This webinar is designed for manufacturing engineers, quality professionals, process development teams and operations leaders responsible for adhesion reliability, surface quality and manufacturing performance across the product lifecycle. Agenda   Why surface contamination and poor surface preparation cause adhesion failures, defects and product recalls Best practices for developing an adhesion specification and quality control strategy Understanding ASTM standards for adhesion testing and surface cleanliness verification Real-world case studies improving bonding reliability and manufacturing quality Assessing the maturity of your surface energy management and contamination control program Using water contact angle (WCA) measurement and process monitoring tools for surface energy analysis and quality assurance Strategies for improving first-pass yield, reducing defects and accelerating troubleshooting  
As modern warfare evolves towards increased speed, autonomy, and precision, the role of advanced composite materials has become more critical than ever. This webinar explores how high-performance carbon fibers and advanced composite materials enable breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, and space- based domains. Key topics include light-weighting for extended range and endurance, thermal performance, producibility, connectivity, and affordability.Drawing on recent applications in unmanned systems and higher operating temperature platforms, the discussion highlights how material selection and architecture directly influence mission effectiveness and survivability. Attendees will gain insight into emerging material technologies, manufacturing considerations, and qualification opportunities with defense applications.The session concludes with a forward-looking perspective on how composites will shape future battlefield dynamics, including increased autonomy, increased rate, and distributed systems all within rapid decision-making environments.AgendaOverview of the evolving battlefield and how advanced composite materials act as key enablersAdvancing affordable mass manufacturing for defense platforms through high-rate composite solutionsDatabase materials for accelerated, cost-effective part qualificationAdvanced material solutions engineered for structural performance, high-temperature environments, and radar transparency (low dielectric applications)
Despite the versatility of fluoropolymers in demanding, high-performance applications under harsh environments, many of them have been classified as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and are facing increasing regulatory scrutiny. However, polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) is outside all current regulatory definitions of PFAS due to the lack of full fluorination and the presence of hydrogen on each carbon in the backbone of the polymer. This positions PVF as a sustainable alternative to traditional fluoropolymers while retaining outstanding weatherability, durability and chemical resistance. In this talk, DuPont will review composite applications currently commonly utilizing PFAS materials and the status of PVF as a non-PFAS fluoropolymer within the regulatory landscape. DuPont will highlight PVF's exceptional surface protection and barrier properties, its compatibility with multiple composite manufacturing processes and its multifunctional use as a release film. Agenda Review of current PFAS regulations and in-scope materials Use cases for PFAS materials (films and coatings) in composite applications Non-PFAS options: range from non-fluorinated lower-performance materials to non-PFAS polyvinyl fluoride Overview: what PVF is, why it is non-PFAS and what its attributes are Real-world case studies
NDIA hosts 2026 Undersea Warfare Fall Conference on Sept. 21-23, 2026 in Groton, CT.
Taking place in conjunction with the American Society for Composites 41st Annual Technical Conference.
New this year, Top Shops Conference will expand to include CNC machining and industrial finishing. Modern Machine Shop Top Shops and Products Finishing Top Shops, Gardner Business Media’s two largest and longest running benchmarking and business improvement survey programs, will join forces to host concurrent Top Shops Conference programs. In addition to dedicated conference programming, Top Shops Conference attendees will benefit from access to several shared general sessions, keynotes, exhibit rooms and special networking events enabling these two critical manufacturing service groups – CNC machining and industrial finishing – to learn, exchange ideas and make valuable business connections.
New this year, Top Shops Conference will expand to include CNC machining and industrial finishing. Modern Machine Shop Top Shops and Products Finishing Top Shops, Gardner Business Media’s two largest and longest running benchmarking and business improvement survey programs, will join forces to host concurrent Top Shops Conference programs. In addition to dedicated conference programming, Top Shops Conference attendees will benefit from access to several shared general sessions, keynotes, exhibit rooms and special networking events enabling these two critical manufacturing service groups – CNC machining and industrial finishing – to learn, exchange ideas and make valuable business connections.
IBEX is a North American event for boatbuilders, manufacturers and suppliers looking to source innovative technology and new products. Every year it delivers a forum where the marine industry can do business, share ideas and accelerate new product development. 
ACMA hosts Thermoset Resin Formulators Assn 2026 Annual Mtg on Oct. 26-28, 2026 in Cleveland, OH.
Thousands of people visit our Supplier Guide every day to source equipment and materials. Get in front of them with a free company profile.
Jetcam’s latest white paper explores the critical aspects of nesting in composites manufacturing, and strategies to balance material efficiency and kitting speed.
Arris presents mechanical testing results of an Arris-designed natural fiber thermoplastic composite in comparison to similarly produced glass and carbon fiber-based materials.
Cevotec, a tank manufacturer, Roth Composite Machinery and Cikoni, have undertaken a comprehensive project to explore and demonstrate the impact of dome reinforcements using FPP technology for composite tanks.   
Initial demonstration in furniture shows properties two to nine times higher than plywood, OOA molding for uniquely shaped components.
The composite tubes white paper explores some of the considerations for specifying composite tubes, such as mechanical properties, maintenance requirements and more.
Foundational research discusses the current carbon fiber recycling landscape in Utah, and evaluates potential strategies and policies that could enhance this sustainable practice in the region.
Global EV sales hit 20 million units in 2025, and the adjacent batteries and fuel cells industries saw equal growth, all trends shaped by composite technologies.
The industry’s workforce gap is real, decades in the making and widely felt. Researchers, educators, trainers and advocates weigh in on who may be responsible for closing it, and how.
A collaboration led by Mitsubishi Chemical developed a composite devices to match thermal conductivity of an aluminum NTN satellite heat dissipation device while reducing weight by 47%.
A surge in production and new orders lifted the index to 55.9 in August, a fresh sign of momentum for composites fabricators.
Lightning strike protection has traditionally been achieved via single sheets of metallic materials potentially compromised by paint while AFP provides a path toward tailored conductivity and connectivity plus multifunctionality.
Direct stamping and infrared welding produce a 64-ply thermoplastic wing rib that's 22% lighter than aluminum, an innovation detailed further in this ThermoForged video short and CW’s Daher’s Shap'in TechCenter plant tour.
The hybrid RoRo ship, due for 2030 delivery, will rely on three automated OceanWings composite wingsails alongside conventional propulsion to transport European launch vehicle cargo.
The NCC-led program finds recycled wind blade glass fiber can match virgin fiber’s carbon footprint if recyclers cut emissions and recover more polymer during pyrolysis.
Seven bio-based, renewable, recycled or repurposed raw composite material types were used in this mass-market vehicle, reimagining EV capabilities.
The startup’s Woodflow technology places wood fibers only where needed, enabling complex geometries and a Woodflow-core slab product that promises concrete-level strength at lighter weight and up to 75% fewer trees than mass timber.
The 50-year-old, family-owned recycler will carry forward Vartega’s rCF platform, which includes 1,000/tons of annual production capacity, for thermoplastics industry and automotive programs.
In a project between LATI, Crossen Engineering and Bloc Blinds, a fiberglass-reinforced PA6 material enabled ≈70% GWP reduction, maintained mechanical performance and 1,000+ operating cycles.

The materials, manufacturing processes, market and energy trends driving use of carbon fiber composites in global hydrogen storage applications for fuel cell-powered trucks, buses, trains and passenger vehicles.
In this resource, CGTech offers vital information about the benefits, processes, and vendors behind automated composite manufacturing.

CW’s editors are tracking the latest trends and developments in tooling, from the basics to new developments. This collection, presented by Composites One, features four recent CW stories that detail a range of tooling technologies, processes and materials.
The composites industry is increasingly recognizing the imperative of sustainability in its operations. As demand for lightweight and durable materials rises across various sectors, such as automotive, aerospace, and construction, there is a growing awareness of the environmental impact associated with traditional composite manufacturing processes.

As defense and space missions push the boundaries of performance, the demand for advanced materials that can endure extreme environments and conditions continues to grow.
CompositesWorld’s CW Tech Days: Infrastructure event offers a series of expert presentations on composite materials, processes and applications that should and will be considered for use in the infrastructure and construction markets.
Explore the cutting-edge composites industry, as experts delve into the materials, tooling, and manufacturing hurdles of meeting the demands of the promising advanced air mobility (AAM) market. Join us at CW Tech Days to unlock the future of efficient composites fabrication operations.
Thermoplastics for Large Structures, experts explored the materials and processing technologies that are enabling the transition to large-part manufacturing.
Explore the technologies, materials, and strategies that can help composites manufacturers become more sustainable.
CompositesWorld’s Tech Days: Design, Simulation and Testing Technologies for Next-Gen Composite Structures is designed to provide a multi-perspective view of the state of the art in design, simulation, failure analysis, digital twins, virtual testing and virtual inspection.
Explore the technologies, materials and strategies used by composites manufacturers working in the evolving space market.
Explore the latest technologies and strategies involving bonding and welding, essential processes in the assembly and manufacturing of composite materials, providing reliable methods for joining components.
During this CW Tech Days event, sponsored by Composites One, experts will offer presentations to review and evaluate the composite materials, processes and applications that should and will be considered for use in the infrastructure and construction markets.
In these sessions, experts will discuss the emerging hydrogen economy and the opportunities for composites in this lucrative space.
A report on the demand for hydrogen as an energy source and the role composites might play in the transport and storage of hydrogen.
This collection features detail the current state of the industry and recent success stories across aerospace, automotive and rail applications.
This collection details the basics, challenges, and future of thermoplastic composites technology, with particular emphasis on their use for commercial aerospace primary structures.
This collection features recent CW stories that detail a range of tooling technologies, processes and materials.
The Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) is funding 18 teams to develop aircraft capable of operating persistently in the stratosphere including Structural Solar project integrating perovskite photovoltaics onto carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP).
Source | Getty Images with AI rendering of how solar cells could be applied to power high atmosphere unmanned aircraft.
The U.K.’s Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) has committed £70 million to 18 engineering teams developing aircraft for extended stratospheric operation.  The funding, announced under ARIA’s Enduring Atmospheric Platforms program and reported by The Engineer, targets aircraft able to continuously supply 300 watts of power to a communications payload for a full week while holding station above the U.K. Success would establish a new infrastructure layer between Earth and space, delivering connectivity to underserved regions in the U.K. and worldwide.
Part of the Structural Solar team, Limosaero is developing solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Source | Limosaero
One project, led by David G. Lidzey at the University of Sheffield (Sheffield, U.K.), uses carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) as a structural substrate for perovskite photovoltaics. The full team also includes members from AMRC Sheffield, solar-powered drone/UAV developer Limosaero (Cambridge, U.K.) and University of Loughborough.
The project, titled “Structural Solar: Integrating perovskite PV onto carbon fiber for high specific power,” is one of eight teams funded under Technical Area 1 (Enabling Technologies), which backs materials and power technologies intended to de-risk development of a full stratospheric platform. It aims to develop high-performance, spray-cast perovskite solar cells (PSCs) integrated onto CFRP substrates to power enduring
atmospheric platforms.
By using low-temperature, solution-processed materials, this approach targets a specific power of up to 10X photovoltaic efficiency per unit mass compared to conventional gallium arsenide (GaAs) technologies while offering disruptive cost reductions. The resulting PSC/CFRP composite panels will then be engineered to enable long-endurance, solar-powered flight by combining established manufacturing processes with innovative thin-film coatings preventing impacts from moisture infiltration.
The approach builds on Lidzey’s earlier published research combining perovskite photovoltaics with CFRP substrates. That work showed this approach produces materials with high mechanical strength that also generate electrical power. The goal is multifunctional structures that are lightweight yet provide energy-harvesting capacity in aerospace and automotive applications. Lidzey’s group has since demonstrated spray-coating perovskite cells directly onto CFRP, including curved surfaces, reaching efficiencies of about 14%.
For a high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS) aircraft, embedding power generation into a load-bearing carbon fiber composite skin removes the added mass of a separate photovoltaic layer — an advantage for the endurance target of the ARIA program.
ARIA is backing a range of approaches, says Rico Chandra, program director for Enduring Atmospheric Platforms at ARIA, “from fixed-wing solar aircraft to designs nobody predicted, including aircraft that fly on spinning wings instead of propellers.” Sixteen of the 18 funded teams are based in the U.K.; two more, based in Australia and the U.S., are relocating operations to the U.K. as a result of the award.
H2 economy is set back by Trump policies, tariffs and funding pivot to defense and AI, but composite tanks remain a key segment with sales in CNG/RNG, growth in New Space and potential for H2-electric aviation.
Fully automated, Industry 4.0 line for hydrogen pressure vessels advances efficiency and versatility in small footprint for next-gen, sustainable composites production.
A new approach for high volumes of small satellite structures uses low-CTE, low-cost CFRP cellular core, robust single-ply skins and modular panel systems to cut lead time, labor and cost for reflectors, solar arrays and more.
CompositesWorld is the source for reliable news and information on what’s happening in fiber-reinforced composites manufacturing. All original technical content on our sites and in our publications is created by Gardner Business Media staff and contributing writers. About Us 
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Patria announced the sale of Puerta de Oro to ISAGEN, the largest solar power park in Colombia  bnamericas.com
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Summerside solar farm fire is out after 2 weeks, city says  CBC
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Premier Energies commissions ₹3,293 cr solar cell facility in Andhra  business-standard.com
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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.
“I really don’t want to pay a company if I can just install it myself.”
Photo Credit: iStock
Even though the company that installed the system had shut down, one solar owner discovered the hardware warranty was still useful. SolarEdge agreed to replace a failed inverter at no charge.
But getting the new unit in hand did not mean the fix would be effortless. 
In a post on r/SolarDIY, the homeowner said SolarEdge diagnosed an internal inverter problem and shipped a free replacement.
With the panels no longer generating, the homeowner was left without labor support because the original installer had gone out of business. 
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.
For this homeowner, the appeal of a DIY solution was straightforward: “I really don’t want to pay a company if I can just install it myself.”
Commenters said the free inverter could eliminate the biggest parts cost, but they warned that commissioning, account permissions, and other setup steps would probably still be required before the system could produce power again. A commenter did point them to a DIY YouTube video of a creator facing the same situation.
A manufacturer’s equipment warranty and an installer’s labor warranty are often separate, meaning an installer going out of business does not necessarily mean a broken system cannot be repaired.
Another problem emerged in the discussion. The homeowner said they had never been given access to the SolarEdge app and suspected nobody had been monitoring the system. Without those login credentials, a solar system can underperform or stop working for extended periods before anyone realizes it.
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.
Going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy over time, though partnering with the right company makes a big difference. If you’re considering it, EnergySage can help you get free installation estimates and compare quotes from vetted installers.
Several commenters said the physical replacement could be manageable for someone comfortable with electrical work, but the software and account side could be the bigger hurdle. One commenter wrote they would “need to pair optimizers and such,” while another argued that “the commissioning can be the most time consuming.”
If the replacement is a newer design, the job may require extra parts or rewiring adjustments, adding labor costs even if the inverter itself is free.
If production drops and no one is tracking it, lost savings can quietly add up on your utility bill.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
Advice in the thread centered as much on account access as on the hardware itself. Commenters suggested checking whether the manufacturer could transfer or update the inverter on the account, and whether owner registration or basic training might unlock commissioning tools.
Taking a step back, EnergySage can also help people still shopping for solar in the first place. With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations.
Homeowners can also use EnergySage’s solar map, which 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 tools can help people get the best price for rooftop 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. Homeowners interested in backup power can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

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A federal judge in Rhode Island has ruled that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unlawfully terminated the US$7 billion Solar for All programme, which was designed to expand solar access and reduce electricity costs for low- and moderate-income households.
US District Judge Mary McElroy granted summary judgment to the plaintiffs and vacated the EPA’s termination of the programme. The court found that Congress intended the agency to continue administering grants that had already been obligated.
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“The court ruled the Trump Administration never should have terminated Solar for All because Congress intended it to continue, and EPA broke the law when it killed the programme and pocketed the money,” said Southern Environmental Law Center, senior attorney Nick Torrey.
“Electricity bills are skyrocketing, so low-cost solar projects — which guarantee big savings — are needed now more than ever. Today’s victory means EPA must stop sitting on the US$7 billion in funding for this programme and start getting it out into communities to provide hardworking American families much-needed relief.”
The Solar For All fund was established under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2024. The EPA had estimated that Solar for All would reach more than 900,000 households, while supporting an estimated 200,000 jobs and workforce training opportunities.
The EPA cancelled Solar for All in August 2025 following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act [subscription required]. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has also estimated that the One Big, Beautiful Bill could put 330,000 clean-energy jobs at risk, highlighting the potential employment impact of changes to federal clean-energy policy.
The ruling came amid broader changes to US solar policy under the Trump administration, including executive orders targeting key Inflation Reduction Act provisions.
The legal challenge was brought by labour unions, solar businesses, nonprofits and other groups, including Solar United Neighbors and the Rhode Island AFL-CIO. The plaintiffs argued that the EPA lacked authority to terminate grants that had already been awarded.
The EPA said it is reviewing the ruling and considering whether to appeal. The ruling restores the Solar for All programme, although further legal proceedings could affect its implementation.
The ruling follows a broader series of legal challenges to the Trump administration’s efforts to withdraw previously awarded clean-energy funding. A US court ruled in January 2026 that the Department of Energy’s cancellation of US$7.5 billion in clean-energy grants was unlawful.
The federal policy shift has also prompted states to take a greater role in supporting renewable energy deployment [subscription required].
Despite the changing policy environment, the US added 43.2GW of solar PV capacity in 2025, while community solar capacity surpassed 10GW despite a slowdown in annual additions in March 2026.
Meanwhile, in September 2026, the American Clean Power Association reported that US clean power added 17.1GW of utility-scale solar, battery storage and land-based wind capacity in Q2 2026, taking the project pipeline to a record 204.6GW.

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Luis Reyes
Sep 21, at 12:30pm ET
Solar developers and farmers have spent the better part of a decade fighting over the same acres. You’ve probably seen the script: a company wants to lease a field for panels, the neighbors point out that you can’t eat electricity, and the county board meeting runs long. A project outside Berlin just skipped the whole argument. Instead of choosing between the field and the panels, the builders stood 74,064 solar panels 11.5 feet in the air and kept the farm running underneath.
The plant sits in Selchow, pressed up against the southern runway of Berlin Brandenburg Airport, and it’s been on the grid since September 8. It’s rated at about 48 megawatts and covers roughly 173 acres of a 188-acre site owned by Berliner Stadtgüter, Berlin’s publicly owned farmland company. According to pv magazine Deutschland, the companies behind it call it the largest agrivoltaic plant in Germany paired with actual crop farming. Germany has bigger agrivoltaic sites on paper, like Vattenfall’s 76-megawatt plant in Tützpatz, but that one mixes its solar with livestock.
If you haven’t run into the term, agrivoltaics is basically the practice of running agriculture and solar on the same land instead of making them compete for it. We’ve covered the smaller American version of the idea, like the 3,276 panels shading a Colorado berry farm through a drought. Selchow takes the same concept, multiplies the panel count by more than twenty, and aims it at real row-crop farming instead of grazing.
Mostly by giving the machinery room. The module rows run north to south, spaced 36 feet apart, and 29.5 feet of that stays clear as working width for tractors and combines. The panels sit on single-axis trackers that follow the sun and tilt up to 60 degrees, which the project partners say brings in 25 to 30 percent more electricity than fixed mounting, mostly in the mornings and evenings.
Here’s where it gets interesting for the guy actually driving the tractor: when he needs extra clearance for a job, he can swing the rows out of his way himself instead of calling an operator and waiting. It’s his call, not the utility’s. Handing that switch to the farmer is a pretty smart piece of design, frankly.
The modules are bifacial, meaning they catch light on both faces, including whatever bounces up off the ground. And the strip of dirt directly under the tables isn’t wasted either. It’s reserved for wildflower strips grown from regionally sourced seed, set aside as habitat for insects and small animals.
The land itself had been farmed conventionally until now. The man taking it over is Sven Geelhaar, an organic farmer whose Landgut Geelhaar operation in Chorin runs about 740 acres, and who leased the ground under the panels. It’s supposed to stay at least 90 percent organic. Geelhaar told the German farm weekly Bauernzeitung that April brought no rain to this field, and the soil under the modules held onto its moisture anyway. That’s one farmer’s read on one dry month, but keeping water in the dirt is essentially the whole agronomic pitch for panels over a field, so it’s an encouraging early sign.
So what actually grows under there?
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The first planting is a cover crop, which isn’t glamorous, but it gets the soil ready. From 2027, according to the German energy outlet Cleanthinking, the rotation calls for grain sorghum, alfalfa and forage grasses, possibly with poppy or rapeseed mixed in. One crop is banned outright, and that’s corn. The reason is the runway.
Tall crops pull in birds, which show up for the cover and the leftover grain. A flock working a field that touches an active runway is exactly how you get bird strikes, and a jet engine that swallows a bird can fail badly enough that airports don’t treat the subject as a nuisance. So the tallest, most bird-friendly crop in a German rotation stays off this particular field. I’d guess that clause took about five minutes to write and zero people argued with it.
Birds still get their share of the deal, just farther from the jets. Niederlausitz Aktuell reports that Berliner Stadtgüter set up 42 acres outside the site, near the villages of Ragow and Deutsch Wusterhausen, as compensation ground for breeding birds, mainly skylarks. Those acres come out of a 914-acre land pool the company keeps for exactly this. The plant is also one of six sites in a German research program running from 2025 to 2027, which tracks vegetation, birds, insects, reptiles and small mammals around the panels, plus the microclimate underneath them. The Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, TU Dresden and Germany’s federal conservation agency are doing the counting.
Here’s the number I can’t give you: the price tag. The companies haven’t published what the plant cost or who’s buying the power, and when Niederlausitz Aktuell put both questions to the landowner, they got forwarded to the developer, and that’s where they still sat as of the outlet’s September 11 update.
We do know who owns it, and how it got financed. The plant belongs to klimaVest, a retail investment fund run by Commerz Real, and Elysium Solar’s chief operating officer, Richard Härtel, has said the project only penciled out without Germany’s renewable subsidy scheme because the fund carries it directly. Elysium developed the site, Goldbeck Solar built it in 11 months of construction, and a 110-kilovolt power line happens to run along the edge of the field, which spared everyone years of waiting on a grid connection.
For scale, we’ve written about the solar panels covering a former Soviet training ground in Germany, which is the kind of land big solar usually ends up on. Cropland this good next to a capital city doesn’t usually get offered to solar, and the term on this one runs 30 years. As far as I can tell, everything that’s been published about the plant so far is in German, which seems like an odd gap for a project this size.
Geelhaar’s first planting under the panels is that cover crop. The rotation of grain sorghum, alfalfa and forage grasses starts in 2027, with poppy and rapeseed listed as possibilities. Corn didn’t make the list.
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Islanders can now check how well suited their roof is to solar panels using a new, free online map produced for the States of Guernsey by mapping company Digimap.
The map is colour-coded to show how much light rooftops receive across the island throughout the year, with dark red areas showing higher potential to generate electricity through solar panels and dark blue showing lower potential.
It does not account for shadowing from trees or neighbouring properties, though a more detailed, paid-for version is available from Digimap for those designing or installing renewable energy systems. Both versions cover rooftop solar generation only, not ground-based systems.
The tool was developed after renewable energy provider Little Green raised the idea with the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure, to give islanders an independent check on what their roof could deliver.
‘Orientation is one of the biggest factors in how much a solar system actually produces,’ said Little Green commercial director Simon de la Rue. ‘This map gives them an independent, objective check, so any quote can be held to it.’
Digimap used the States’ Digital Surface Model and building data to work out the slope and aspect of every roof on the island.
The map supports Guernsey’s Electricity Strategy, agreed by the States in 2023, which set out plans to boost interconnection alongside locally-generated renewable energy such as solar power. Guernsey had more than 4MW of solar PV installed by the end of 2025, and is aiming for 10MW by 2028.
‘As we get about 30-35% more sunshine than the UK average, this free tool makes us well placed to understand how we can better take advantage of the energy we can harness from the sun,’ said E&I president Deputy Adrian Gabriel.
‘While we’d always encourage islanders to contact trusted professionals before embarking on installing solar panels, this is a really helpful tool to get an initial idea on whether the potential for solar is there for householders.’
The free map can be accessed at Rooftop Solar Panel Suitability.
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Summerside deems solar farm fire to be out as response moves into recovery phase  CBC
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The continuing growth of solar power brought New England to a new electricity milestone today: 500 “duck curve” days.
A duck curve happens anytime electricity demand is lower at midday than overnight. This can happen on sunny days when behind-the-meter photovoltaics (BTM PV) reduce demand on the bulk power system operated by ISO New England.
“We’re seeing more behind-the-meter solar every year, and we expect that trend to continue,” said Mike Knowland, ISO-NE’s manager of Forecast & Scheduling. “The 500th duck curve could have come earlier, but there were a lot of cloudy days this year.”
ISO New England observed the region’s first duck curve on April 21, 2018. There wasn’t another one until the following spring. But the frequency of duck curve days has increased each year as the region’s BTM PV capacity has grown.
It took nearly five years for the region to accumulate its first 100 duck curve days. But it only took about 13 months to add 100 more. The pace has been increasing ever since, to the point where there were only 221 days between the 400th and 500th duck curves.
The 500th, which happened on Sept. 21, was the 107th duck curve of 2026.
New England has seen at least 100 duck curve days within each calendar year after 2023. And each year’s 100th has arrived earlier than the last. In 2024, the 100th duck curve was on Nov. 30. The next one landed on Sept. 13, 2025. This year’s 100th was on Sept. 6.
Early on, duck curves were most prevalent on spring weekends and holidays. That’s because solar panels tend to be most productive in the spring, and electricity demand tends to be lower outside the workweek and when temperatures are mild. Today, the most pronounced duck curves continue to happen on spring weekends. But the phenomenon can happen in any season and on any day of the week — provided that the sun is shining and that harsher temperatures aren’t driving an uptick in electricity demand from air conditioning or heating.
The region’s deepest duck curve to date happened last year. System demand reached a record low of 5,318 megawatts (MW) around 2 p.m. on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025. Without contributions from BTM PV, the ISO estimates, demand at that time would have been more than twice as high — higher than the actual peak, which didn’t happen until after sunset.
Sunday, March 29, 2026, saw the greatest difference between the overnight and midday lows. Demand dropped to 11,667 MW around 3 a.m. It climbed back up as most New Englanders woke up and began their day. But then it dropped to 7,261 MW around 1 p.m. That’s a difference of 4,406 MW.
BTM PV had its greatest estimated output to date around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at 7,068 MW.
As for getting its ducks in a row, New England’s record for consecutive duck curve days is nine. This has happened twice: March 7-15 and April 17-25, 2025.
Even on days without duck curves, BTM PV provides the region with a considerable amount of energy. The ISO estimates these resources generated 9,926 GWh of electricity in 2025. For comparison, New Englanders consumed 117,744 GWh from the grid that year.
Duck curves are a consequence of the continuing growth of BTM PV, which is made up of solar power systems that do not provide real-time generation data to the ISO’s control room. Examples include residential rooftop solar panels as well as larger-scale solar farms. Most of the solar resources in New England fall into this category.
On sunny days, BTM PV resources supply consumers with a significant amount of electricity. Without BTM PV, consumers would instead get their electricity from resources directly connected to the bulk power system. These include traditional generators like nuclear and natural-gas-fired power plants as well as hydropower and other renewables like grid-connected wind and solar.
Because the ISO does not receive real-time data from BTM PV resources, it must instead estimate how much electricity they produce and when they’re producing it. These estimates are created using a statistical sampling of actual production and advanced software.
Accurate estimates are essential to keeping electricity supply and demand in balance. At times when BTM PV is highly productive, the ISO maintains balance by dispatching other energy resources to reduce output. By the same token, the ISO must direct other resources to ramp up production when BTM PV production decreases, which happens around dusk and whenever clouds roll in.
The difference between demand for bulk electricity and estimated demand without BTM PV is illustrated daily in the System Load Graph on ISO Express. Graphs like these are where the duck curve gets its name. When demand drops at midday, then climbs up again in the evening, the curving line resembles the profile of a waterfowl.
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ES Foundry, a US-based solar cell manufacturer, is joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Initiative for New Manufacturing and putting $1.5 million into it over three years. The commitment follows a 2 GW expansion finished in July. That took the company’s Greenwood plant in South Carolina to 3 GW of annual cell capacity and more than 400 manufacturing jobs. With the scale in place, the research turns to factory AI, automated systems, cybersecurity, digital twins and workforce development. Solar cells remain a gap in the domestic supply chain, with US module capacity leaning on imported cells. Alex Zhu, chief executive of ES Foundry, said running at commercial scale every day shows where technology, automation and workforce development can help.
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BY SETH BORENSTEIN and JENNIFER McDERMOTT
NEW YORK (AP) — As scientists calculated that Earth is getting sicker, global leaders on Monday kicked off a week of talks about how to fix it and fast, pointing to hope from a renewable energy boom.
A different boom, in artificial intelligence and the power-and-water-hungry data centers behind it, could both worsen and solve some of these issues, a paradox world and business leaders will struggle with this week.
Every year as top government officials attend the United Nations General Assembly and business executives flock to New York Climate Week sessions, global warming generates lots of talk but little action.
This time two new forces — the rise of AI and data centers, as well as higher fossil fuel prices from wars in Iran and Ukraine — should change the discussion, experts and activists said. That’s on top of climate-driven disasters recently reaching new levels of destruction in Asia.
“Patient Earth is not well,” said Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. “We are not only putting the stability, the resilience, and the life support systems on Earth at risk, we are very close to pushing ourselves across thresholds that can lead to irreversible, unmanageable outcomes.”
A new report released Monday by the institute’s Planetary Boundaries Science Lab found that the world has breached seven of nine science-determined planetary boundaries for a healthy globe.
United Kingdom Secretary of State Edward Miliband said that transitioning to cleaner and renewable energy is now a “national security imperative.”
The climate breakdown “must be an issue for foreign ministers and prime ministers. As well as energy and climate ministers. The security community, not just the activist community. The generals, not just the green campaigners,” he said.
Climate change is “driving up food prices and wider inflation” and fossil fuel dependence is hitting billions of people around the world at the fuel pump, said U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell on Monday.
Rising prices have sparked protests in Asia and Africa, which were hit first and hardest by energy shortages due to the Iran war. In the U.S., consumer confidence is plunging and gas prices have reached record highs.
The Iran war energy shock has cost U.S. consumers more than $100 billion in higher fuel prices, Stiell said.
There are two parallel climate stories playing out at the moment, explained Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa. The first story is extremely hopeful, with renewable energy booming, technology improving and the economics of clean energy making more and more sense. The second story is terrifying, with climate impacts accelerating faster than political and financial systems can respond, Adow said.
“New York needs to bring those two stories together,” he said.
The environmental footprint of AI and data centers is “very much a hot topic,” said Helen Clarkson, CEO of the nonprofit Climate Group, which organizes New York Climate Week.
Attendees have so far expressed both hopes and fears for the future of AI and its role in combating climate change, she said.
“ Energy-guzzling artificial intelligence is driving up planet-heating pollution from coal, oil and gas while ratcheting up energy costs for households and businesses,” said Stiell with the U.N. “AI leaders are now on thin ice when it comes to license to operate, and sinking deep underwater when it comes to public support.”
On the other hand, Eva Riesenhuber, the head of sustainability at the German automation company Siemens, and Evelyn Wang, vice president for energy and climate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said AI is too important to humanity and will help tackle climate change.
Data centers adding to climate and water problems “is not forever,” according to Wang, who told The Associated Press that data centers are five years away from being water neutral and about a decade away from no longer adding to planet-warming emissions.
Acknowledging these concerns, Riesenhuber said “we are racing to mitigate this as fast as possible because we are hooked on the intelligence, and we do need the intelligence to design the future that this planet needs.”
There will be several AI-related protests throughout New York Climate Week.
Turkey, which is running UN climate negotiations this November, recently announced a new pledge for nations to join to manage the powering and deployment of AI, though no further details were offered.
The AI issue may mean construction in people’s backyards, which reaches those who are less worried about climate change, according to Jennifer Morgan, an analyst at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, who said that AI is becoming more vilified in climate talks than the fossil fuel industry.
The world can still meet its 2023 goal of tripling renewable power capacity by the end of the decade, but it must move much faster, according to a new report released Monday.
Despite record growth in renewables last year, the world must build more renewable power capacity from 2026 to 2030 than in all previous years combined, stated the report by the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Global Renewables Alliance and Turkey.
The amount of renewable power added globally peaked at 693 gigawatts in 2025, about half the installed power in the U.S., IRENA found. At the same time, there was a sharp rebound of fossil fuels when compared to 2024 driven by China adding coal power.
“The journey so far on renewables is remarkable,” Rockström said.
Unfortunately, Rockström said, renewables are meeting a growing demand for electricity but not “bending the curve” to reduce oil, coal or gas use — which is necessary to cut carbon pollution and meet climate targets.
Paradoxically, military action waged by U.S. President Donald Trump in Venezuela and Iran and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Ukraine — both big fossil fuel advocates — have caused oil and gas shortages that have driven up prices, spurring countries to switch to renewables faster, he explained.
Associated Press reporter Anton L. Delgado in New York contributed to this report.
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Copyright 2026 Boston Herald. All rights reserved. The use of any content on this website for the purpose of training artificial intelligence systems, algorithms, machine learning models, text and data mining, or similar use is strictly prohibited without explicit written consent.

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Accelerating solar deployment and electrification offers Australia’s most effective defence against volatile global energy markets, according to a new Climate Council report released.
This comes as petrol prices surge nearly 50% and the current US-Iran conflict costs motorists more than AU$1 billion (US$710 million) in March alone.
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The community-funded not-for-profit’s analysis reveals that strategic investment in renewable energy, battery storage, and electrification can provide structural protection against international energy shocks.
The report comes as petrol prices have reached 253.4 cents per litre and diesel has climbed above AU$3 per litre, with modelling by Griffith University estimating the conflict could add an extra 5% to existing inflation.
“This is the second major global fuel shock in just four years,” the report states, highlighting how Australia’s dependence on importing more than 90% of its refined fuels creates immediate vulnerability – a vulnerability that renewable energy deployment directly addresses.
Approximately 400,000 Australian homes with rooftop solar paired with battery systems are achieving power bill reductions of up to 90% while insulating themselves from fossil fuel price volatility.
The Climate Council notes that these solar-plus-storage households represent a growing segment that has effectively decoupled from fossil fuel markets.
The Australian government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program has been key to this uptake, supporting adoption alongside Australia’s world-leading rooftop solar deployment of over 3.6 million installations.
As such, the Climate Council urges the government to maintain strong support for the home battery scheme in the May budget.
Climate Council analysis shows that by the end of February 2026, renewable energy paired with large-scale battery storage had offset 30 petajoules of gas use in Australia’s main electricity grid. In just four months leading up to the report’s release, renewables combined with storage reduced gas consumption by 8.1 petajoules.
During the recent summer period, solar and wind generation paired with battery storage contributed to a 30% reduction in wholesale electricity prices compared to the prior year.
In addition, the Climate Council notes that the coupling of renewables, battery storage systems, and electric vehicles (EVs) could also boost energy security and protect households.
With 1.3 million electric or hybrid vehicles now on Australian roads, the country is avoiding almost 15 million litres of petrol and diesel weekly – a saving that has tripled in three years.
During March’s fuel price spike, EV and hybrid owners avoided approximately AU$50 million in additional fuel costs.
EV sales surged in March 2026, with battery-electric vehicles capturing 14.6% of the market. The integration of EVs with rooftop solar creates a powerful combination, allowing households to charge vehicles during peak solar generation and maximise self-consumption of renewable energy.
Australia’s mining industry receives almost half of the AU$13 billion annual Fuel Tax Credit scheme.
The Climate Council recommends capping rebates for large mining corporations at AU$50 million, redirecting excess amounts to support zero-emissions machinery powered by renewable energy.
The report firmly rejects fossil fuel expansion as a solution, noting Australia has depleted 90% of its conventional crude oil reserves and exports 80% of its gas production despite domestic price increases.
The Climate Council’s budget submission calls for strengthening the Household Energy Upgrades Fund with zero-interest finance for solar and battery installations, and for implementing a gas exports tax to fund accelerated renewable energy.
You can read the full article on Energy-Storage.news.

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Home > News > $95.4 million boost to keep Australia at the forefront of next-generation solar
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has committed an additional $95.4 million in funding to the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP), securing Australia’s global leadership in solar PV research and innovation.  
Led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW), ACAP is a world-leading centre bringing together a national consortium of research institutions, including the Australian National University, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO Energy and CSIRO Manufacturing), the University of Melbourne, Monash University, the University of Queensland, and the University of Sydney. 
The funding will extend ACAP’s existing research program out to 2033, building on more than a decade of collaboration between Australia’s leading solar researchers and industry partners to accelerate breakthroughs in high efficiency solar cells and modules. 
Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Hon Chris Bowen MP said, “Australia helped lead the world in solar and we want to keep leading the world in the next wave of solar innovation. 
“This funding backs our best researchers and helps turn Australian ideas into real-world technologies that can strengthen our clean energy system and create economic opportunity. 
“Building more of this expertise here at home makes Australia stronger, more secure and better placed for the future.” 
Through ACAP, Australia has delivered a series of globally-recognised advances in solar technology, including major improvements in the efficiency, durability and cost of solar, and the development of next‑generation tandem solar cells. 
ARENA CEO, Darren Miller said the further investment would ensure Australia remains at the forefront of global solar innovation. 
“Australia has some of the best solar researchers in the world and ACAP has been instrumental in turning that expertise into globally recognised breakthroughs,” Mr Miller said. 
“If Australia is to achieve ultra low-cost solar, we need to keep pushing the limits of cell efficiency. ACAP’s work is doing exactly that, helping deliver high-performance solar cell and module technologies that will reduce costs at scale.  
“This work underpins ARENA’s strategy to make solar the backbone of Australia’s net zero energy system and is a critical enabler for decarbonising industries like green metals, transport, fuel production and data centres.” 
The program also plays a critical role in building Australia’s clean energy workforce, supporting researchers, engineers and PhD students while strengthening collaboration across the solar innovation ecosystem. 
ACAP Executive Director, Professor Renate Egan described how improvements in solar technology over the last decade builds on foundational research, industry development and collaboration. 
“Australia is uniquely placed, globally, in its research leadership and its connection to industry,” Professor Egan said.  
“This significant investment provides a long-term research horizon and positions Australia to build on its success in developing the technologies and talent needed to deliver on next-generation solar technologies that will power a low-carbon future Australia.” 
Read more about ARENA’s Ultra Low-Cost Solar priorities. 
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Solar farms designed for wildlife are harboring nearly three times more birds than the conventional crops they replaced, challenging long-held assumptions about renewable energy and nature.
By Ainura Kalau
Published September 22, 2026 · How we edit
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Thirty-five birds on one side, twelve on the other, and both counts came from walking the exact same distance under the exact same rules.
That split is the headline result of a peer-reviewed study in the journal Bird Study, and it runs against the instinct most of us carry about solar farms without ever really checking it. My own assumption was that a field of panels sits somewhere between neutral and bad for wildlife, a flat expanse of glass and steel standing in for a flat expanse of wheat or sugar beet.
What a team of ecologists actually found in England’s East Anglian Fens was a solar farm holding close to three times the birds of the cropland nearby, but only when someone had bothered to manage it that way.
The study was led by Dr. Joshua Copping, a conservation scientist at the RSPB, working with Dr. Catherine Waite of the University of Cambridge and several coauthors. Between April and June 2023, the team walked 200-meter transect sections across six solar farms scattered between Cambridge, Peterborough, and Lakenheath, recording every bird seen or heard within 100 meters on either side, which works out to a four-hectare strip per section. They walked the identical kind of route through nearby arable cropland, typically within a mile of each solar site, and did every route twice, once early in the breeding season and once late. Model-fitted results put the wildlife-managed solar sites at 35.1 birds per transect section on average, against 11.9 on the cropland. Round those two numbers and you land on the same 35 and 12 named at the top of this piece.
Across the whole project the team logged 830 individual birds from 44 species over roughly 38 kilometers of walked transects, a large enough sample that the gap between solar and cropland is hard to write off as noise. Worth saying plainly: this was an observational comparison across six existing sites, not a controlled experiment. The paper itself notes that earlier, smaller studies on solar farms and birds have produced mixed results elsewhere, some finding fewer birds inside solar sites and some finding more, depending on what kind of land the panels replaced.
The advantage wasn’t automatic for every solar farm in the study, and that’s the part worth sitting with. The researchers split their solar sites into two groups by management style. What they called mixed habitat solar meant the grass around the panels was cut or grazed only occasionally, letting the sward grow tall and wildflowers take hold, with hedgerows or boundary trees left standing at the edges instead of stripped out. Species richness followed the same pattern as the raw bird counts: these sites averaged 13.5 species per transect section, against 5.5 on cropland and 5.3 on the other kind of solar farm in the study. Wood pigeon turned out to be the single most common bird recorded across the whole project, but the more interesting signal sat with birds that are already running low.
Why single out corn bunting and yellowhammer specifically? Both sit on the UK’s Red List of birds of conservation concern, yellowhammer down 61 percent since 1967 and corn bunting down 83 percent over roughly the same stretch. The paper didn’t run a separate statistical test on every individual species, but it did model the whole group of Red- and Amber-listed birds together, and that group came out significantly higher on the wildlife-managed solar farms: 19.4 birds per transect section, against 7.8 on cropland and 9.6 on the other solar sites, a gap the researchers report as statistically solid rather than a fluke of small sample sizes. Corn bunting and yellowhammer both belong to that group, and both are named in the RSPB’s own account of the results as birds that turned up in the greatest numbers on the sites managed with a genuine mix of habitats.
This is where the compare-and-contrast gets sharper than a simple solar-versus-cropland split. The study’s other solar category, simple habitat solar, sat on the same kind of infrastructure as the first. Same panels, same basic footprint, same region. The difference was maintenance: grass cut or grazed short all summer, no hedgerows, no boundary trees, nothing allowed to grow past ankle height. Those sites averaged 17 birds per transect section, roughly half of what the wildlife-managed solar farms produced and barely above the 11.9 recorded on ordinary cropland.
“Our study shows that if you manage solar energy production in a certain way, not only are you providing clean energy but benefitting biodiversity,” said Waite, in a statement released by the university. That’s the whole argument in one line, from someone who actually ran the numbers. A solar farm isn’t automatically good or bad for the birds around it. What happens to the grass in between the rows decides most of the outcome.
Video recommendation: A related dynamic plays out beneath the grass itself. Roots and fungi form a living network scientists describe as distributed intelligence, sensing and responding without any central control. The Vessel channel has covered this in a video titled The Brain Beneath Our Feet.

I’m not an ecologist, and nothing about breeding bird survey methodology is my actual territory. But I keep coming back to a line I use often, in work and at home: how you do anything is how you do everything. This study is, in its own understated way, that idea applied to infrastructure instead of people. The panels weren’t the variable that mattered most. Two solar farms sitting on nearly identical hardware produced very different outcomes for corn bunting and yellowhammer, and the difference traced back to whether a maintenance crew let the grass grow and left the hedgerow standing, or mowed it flat on a schedule.
Copping put the stakes plainly in comments released alongside the study: “Species such as Corn Bunting, Linnet and Yellowhammer have seen their populations dwindle and finding ways to help them is critical for their long-term survival.” Those are the same two species named at the top of this piece, and Copping isn’t reaching for a random example. Corn bunting and yellowhammer are two of the clearest test cases anywhere in British farmland for whether a change in land management can actually move the needle.
None of this argues that solar farms are automatically good for birds wherever they’re built, and the researchers are careful to say so themselves, noting that siting still matters and that solar development should stay away from land that’s already valuable for wildlife, regardless of how any developer plans to manage the grass. The all-or-nothing question, whether solar farms are good or bad for birds, turns out to be the wrong one to ask. The real question sits in the strip of ground between the rows, and whether anyone treated it like it mattered. Thirty-five birds and twelve birds walked the same 200 meters into this study under identical rules, counted by researchers who never had to touch a single panel to explain the gap. What decided it was the grass.
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According to the latest IndexBox report on the global Ballast Systems for Flat Roof Mounting market, the market enters 2026 with broader demand fundamentals, more disciplined procurement behavior, and a more regionally diversified supply architecture.
The World Ballast Systems for Flat Roof Mounting market is entering a phase of sustained expansion, with forecast growth of 7–9% CAGR between 2026 and 2035. This trajectory is anchored in the accelerating deployment of commercial and industrial rooftop solar photovoltaic systems, where non-penetrating ballasted mounting has become the preferred solution for preserving roof warranties and avoiding membrane damage. Ballast systems now represent an estimated 28–34% of all flat roof mounting structures sold globally, with higher penetration in regions characterized by strict roof-warranty requirements and low-to-moderate wind zones.
The market is also being reshaped by material innovation: lightweight composite polymer blocks and recycled rubber-concrete mixes are gaining share, reducing shipping costs and roof loading, and capturing an estimated 15–20% of new installations in North America and Europe by 2026. Pre-assembled, modular ballast tray systems that integrate clamping and cable management are delivering installation time savings of 30–50% compared with traditional component-by-component assembly.
Geographically, demand is broadening beyond mature markets into the Middle East, India, and parts of Southeast Asia, where large flat-roofed commercial and light-industrial buildings are being retrofitted with solar capacity at a pace that could double the addressable market in those regions by 2030. This report provides a data-driven view of market size, segmentation, supply chain dynamics, pricing, and competitive landscape, offering a transparent analytical definition of the product scope and forecast to 2035.
The baseline scenario for the World Ballast Systems for Flat Roof Mounting market anticipates a compound annual growth rate of 7–9% from 2026 to 2035, culminating in a market index of 195 (2025=100). This outlook assumes continued policy support for renewable energy, steady declines in solar PV module costs, and a gradual easing of supply chain pressures that have affected steel and aluminum inputs. The commercial and industrial rooftop solar segment remains the primary engine of demand, as warehouse operators, retail chains, and manufacturing facilities seek to reduce energy costs and meet sustainability targets.
Non-penetrating ballast systems are increasingly specified in projects where roof warranties are critical, and their share of total flat roof mounting installations is expected to rise from 28–34% in 2026 to over 40% by 2035. Lightweight ballast materials will play a pivotal role, mitigating structural load concerns that currently limit adoption in older buildings. The market will also benefit from modular, pre-assembled designs that cut installation labor and time, making solar more attractive for large-scale rollouts. Regionally, Asia-Pacific will lead in volume growth, while North America and Europe remain strong in value terms due to premium product mix.
Latin America and the Middle East & Africa offer emerging opportunities, though currency volatility and financing constraints may temper growth. Overall, the market is poised for robust expansion, with demand driven by the imperative to decarbonize commercial real estate and the practical advantages of ballasted mounting.
Industrial automation and instrumentation applications for ballast systems on flat roofs are primarily associated with powering remote sensors, monitoring equipment, and small-scale control systems. In this segment, ballast-mounted solar panels provide reliable off-grid power for instrumentation in manufacturing plants, warehouses, and logistics centers. The demand is currently steady, with growth linked to the expansion of industrial IoT and predictive maintenance systems that require continuous power. Through 2035, as factories become smarter and more connected, the need for autonomous power sources on flat roofs will increase.
However, the share of total ballast system demand attributed to this segment is expected to remain relatively stable, as larger-scale solar installations for onsite generation dominate. Key demand-side indicators include industrial capital expenditure, adoption rates of wireless sensors, and the number of remote monitoring points. The trend toward lightweight, low-profile ballast solutions is particularly relevant here, as these systems must often be installed on existing roofs without structural upgrades. Current trend: Moderate growth, driven by factory automation and IoT sensor deployment on flat roofs..
Major trends: Growing adoption of wireless IoT sensors in industrial settings, Increasing focus on predictive maintenance and remote monitoring, Shift toward modular, plug-and-play power solutions, Rising need for reliable off-grid power in remote industrial locations, and Integration of solar with energy storage for critical instrumentation.
Representative participants: Unirac, IronRidge, Pegasus Solar, Sunmodo, and S-5!.
Electronics and optical systems, including telecommunications equipment, data centers, and optical network nodes, often require reliable power for remote or backup operations. Ballast systems for flat roof mounting are used to secure solar panels that power these systems, particularly in urban areas where rooftop space is available. The demand is driven by the expansion of 5G networks, edge computing, and fiber optic infrastructure, which necessitate distributed power solutions. Through 2035, the proliferation of small cells and remote radio heads will create additional demand for compact, non-penetrating solar mounting. However, the segment faces competition from alternative power sources such as grid connections and batteries.
Key indicators include telecom capital expenditure, data center growth, and the number of off-grid optical installations. The trend toward higher energy efficiency in electronics may slightly dampen power requirements per unit, but overall volume growth is expected to continue. Current trend: Steady growth, supported by demand for backup power and off-grid operation of optical networks..
Major trends: Expansion of 5G and edge computing infrastructure, Increasing deployment of remote optical network nodes, Growing need for backup power in data centers, Shift toward renewable-powered telecom towers, and Miniaturization of electronics reducing power demand per device.
Representative participants: EcoFasten Solar, Quick Mount PV, Schletter Group, K2 Systems, and Mounting Systems GmbH.
Semiconductor and precision manufacturing facilities require highly reliable power and often have large flat roofs suitable for solar installations. Ballast systems are used to mount solar panels without penetrating the roof, preserving cleanroom integrity and roof warranties. The demand in this segment is driven by corporate sustainability goals and the need to reduce operational costs. Through 2035, as semiconductor production expands globally, the adoption of onsite solar is expected to increase, albeit at a moderate pace due to the critical nature of power quality. Key indicators include semiconductor industry capital expenditure, cleanroom construction, and corporate renewable energy targets.
The trend toward larger wafer sizes and advanced nodes may increase energy intensity, further incentivizing solar adoption. However, the segment’s share of total ballast system demand will remain limited by the relatively small number of facilities compared to commercial buildings. Current trend: Moderate growth, as fabs and precision manufacturers adopt onsite solar for sustainability..
Major trends: Rising corporate commitments to renewable energy, Expansion of semiconductor fabrication capacity worldwide, Increasing energy costs driving onsite generation, Focus on non-penetrating solutions to protect cleanroom environments, and Adoption of integrated energy management systems.
Representative participants: RBI Solar, Aerocompact, Schletter Group, Unirac, and IronRidge.
OEM integration and maintenance encompasses the aftermarket for ballast systems, including replacement parts, consumables, and upgrades. As the installed base of ballasted solar systems grows, demand for replacement components such as rubber pads, leveling shims, and connectors increases. This segment also includes original equipment manufacturers that integrate ballast systems into their solar offerings. The demand is driven by the need to maintain system performance and extend asset life. Through 2035, the aftermarket will expand steadily, supported by the aging of early installations and the need for repairs after extreme weather events.
Key indicators include the installed capacity of ballasted solar, average system lifespan, and maintenance expenditure. The trend toward modular designs facilitates easier replacement and upgrades, benefiting this segment. However, the share of total demand may be slightly diluted by the rapid growth of new installations. Current trend: Growing demand for replacement parts and integrated systems as installed base expands..
Major trends: Rising installed base driving aftermarket demand, Increasing focus on lifecycle management and repowering, Growth in extreme weather events necessitating repairs, Modular designs simplifying replacement and upgrades, and OEMs offering integrated ballast solutions with longer warranties.
Representative participants: Quick Mount PV, EcoFasten Solar, Pegasus Solar, Sunmodo, and S-5!.
Commercial and industrial rooftop solar is the largest and fastest-growing end-use sector for ballast systems. Warehouses, retail stores, manufacturing plants, and logistics centers are increasingly installing solar PV on their flat roofs to reduce energy costs and meet sustainability targets. Ballast systems are preferred because they avoid roof penetrations, preserving warranties and reducing leak risks. The demand is driven by declining solar costs, rising electricity prices, and corporate renewable energy commitments. Through 2035, this segment is expected to expand significantly, particularly in regions with high solar irradiation and supportive policies.
Key indicators include commercial construction activity, electricity rates, and corporate sustainability reporting. The trend toward larger, more efficient solar modules and lightweight ballast materials will further accelerate adoption. This sector will continue to dominate the market, accounting for the largest share of ballast system demand. Current trend: Strong growth, driven by corporate sustainability and favorable economics..
Major trends: Corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) for rooftop solar, Government incentives and tax credits for commercial solar, Advancements in lightweight ballast materials, Integration of solar with energy storage and EV charging, and Growing focus on ESG and carbon neutrality.
Representative participants: Unirac, IronRidge, Schletter Group, K2 Systems, Mounting Systems GmbH, and Aerocompact.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
Asia-Pacific dominates the market, driven by rapid commercial solar deployment in China, India, and Southeast Asia. Large flat-roofed industrial buildings and supportive policies underpin demand. Lightweight ballast solutions are gaining traction to address structural concerns. Direction: Strong growth.
North America remains a key market, with the U.S. leading due to favorable tax incentives and corporate sustainability goals. Strict roof warranty requirements favor non-penetrating ballast systems. Lightweight composite materials are increasingly adopted. Direction: Moderate growth.
Europe shows steady growth, supported by ambitious renewable energy targets and high electricity prices. Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain are major markets. Roof warranty and structural load considerations drive demand for lightweight and modular ballast solutions. Direction: Steady growth.
Latin America offers emerging opportunities, particularly in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. Growth is driven by declining solar costs and increasing energy demand. However, economic volatility and financing constraints may temper the pace of adoption. Direction: Emerging growth.
The Middle East & Africa region presents promising growth, with high solar irradiation and large flat-roofed commercial buildings. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa are key markets. Demand is supported by government initiatives and falling technology costs. Direction: Promising growth.
In the baseline scenario, IndexBox estimates a 8.0% compound annual growth rate for the global ballast systems for flat roof mounting market over 2026-2035, bringing the market index to roughly 195 by 2035 (2025=100).
Note: indexed curves are used to compare medium-term scenario trajectories when full absolute volumes are not publicly disclosed.
For full methodological details and benchmark tables, see the latest IndexBox Ballast Systems for Flat Roof Mounting market report.
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Ballast Systems for Flat Roof Mounting market in the world, 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 the market for ballast systems designed for flat roof mounting of solar panels and other equipment. It includes systems that use weighted blocks or trays to secure structures without penetrating the roof membrane, encompassing both pre-engineered and custom solutions.
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 classification coverage encompasses ballast systems for flat roof mounting under relevant product categories, including complete systems, components, integrated solutions, and consumables. It spans upstream inputs, manufacturing, distribution, and after-sales service, covering applications in industrial automation, electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, and OEM integration.
Coverage includes global totals, major demand markets, production and sourcing hubs, leading exporters and importers, and country profiles for the top national markets.
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
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
Offers ballasted flat roof mounting solutions for solar and green roofs.
Provides integrated ballasted mounting for flat roofs.
Known for EPDM and TPO ballasted roof systems.
Supplies ballasted flat roof solutions for commercial buildings.
Offers ballasted flat roof mounting for solar and green roofs.
Specializes in ballasted flat roof solar racking.
Provides ballasted flat roof mounting solutions for PV.
Offers ballasted flat roof mounting for solar panels.
Known for ballasted flat roof solutions like SmartClick.
Provides ballasted flat roof mounting for commercial solar.
Offers ballasted flat roof mounting for residential and commercial.
Provides ballasted flat roof solutions for solar.
Manufactures ballasted flat roof mounting systems for PV.
Offers ballasted flat roof mounting for solar.
Specializes in ballasted flat roof solutions for commercial roofs.
Provides ballasted flat roof mounting for solar.
Offers ballasted flat roof solutions for residential and commercial.
Provides ballasted flat roof mounting for solar.
Specializes in ballasted flat roof solar racking.
Offers ballasted flat roof mounting solutions.
Provides ballasted flat roof mounting for BIPV.
Known for lightweight ballasted flat roof solutions.
Supplies ballasted flat roof mounting for large-scale projects.
Distributes ballasted flat roof mounting systems.
Offers ballasted flat roof solutions via Diamond Edge brand.
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It’s Climate Week in New York City, and that means — oh wait, hold please. An even bigger story is bubbling up through the Intertubes. With the 2026 midterm elections just weeks away, red state voters are telling pollsters they are fed up with the business-as-usual messaging of the Republican Party. Instead, they want someone to solve their bread-and-butter problems, particularly in regards to their fuel and utility bills. That puts the US solar industry squarely in the spotlight, particularly now that the forever war in Iran continues to spiral into, well, forever.
Even before US President Trump re-took office last year, state and local-level restrictions on solar development were growing. Trump’s re-election resulted in a fresh round of obstacles at the federal level, including the elimination of tax credits through the 2025 “OBBA” tax bill. Overall, the clean energy sector lost an estimated 470,000 jobs as large-scale projects were abandoned, including battery and EV factories among others.
Still, with the heavy breathing of data center stakeholders on everyone’s neck, the solar industry has continued to prove that it can deliver the kilowatts more quickly and economically than any other domestic energy resource. That helps explain why the manufacturing side of the industry continues to attract investors, even as obstacles persist on the developer and retail side.
The political push from data centers and other large-load users could also explain why Trump knuckled under last month and imposed import limits on an essential solar industry material, polysilicon. While some solar stakeholders protested the new restrictions, others celebrated a new window of opportunity for domestic manufacturers.
How else to explain why investors put up $835 million to ensure that the leading manufacturer Suniva can build out its monocrystalline solar cell operations in the US?  Suniva announced completion of the new raise on September 8, emphasizing that the financial support comes from “top-tier” partners, including long-term backer Lion Point Capital. Funds managed by Goldman Sachs Alternatives and I Squared Capital also played a role, alongside JBA Asset Management, which provided a a second lien credit facility. Electron Capital Partners, Orion Infrastructure Capital, and Rubric Capital Management, among others, rounded out the equity investors.
“The new capital will fund construction of Suniva’s second U.S. solar cell manufacturing facility and accelerate the Company’s rapid expansion to a total of 5.5 GW of American-made solar cell capacity,” Suniva explains.
“Suniva’s new 4.5 GW high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cell manufacturing facility, which is currently under development in Laurens County, South Carolina, will more than quadruple its capacity, with completion expected in late 2027 and full ramp expected in 2028,” the company elaborates, adding that almost 600 new manufacturing jobs are part of the plan.
Suniva also notes that the expansion is taking place in a de-risked evironment, citing the maturity of the domestic supply chain and long term offtake agreements with solar industry leaders.
For the record, South Carolina voted for Trump by a healthy margin of almost 18% in 2024. Trump is not on the ballot this year, but he has put himself front and center in the mid-term elections, and he is helping…well, not Republican candidates. In South Carolina, for example, internal polls show that the Democratic candidates for Governor and US Senator are within single digits of their Republican counterparts.
The startup ES Foundry is another firm banking on South Carolina to grow its business. Earlier today, on September 21, the company announced a $1.5 million, three-year agreement with the Initiative for New Manufacturing, an program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
ES expects the new partnership to support its long term plans. The company opened a 2-gigawatt solar cell factory in Greenwood, South Carolina in July, bringing its total output to 3 gigawatts and supporting more than 400 jobs, but it is not resting on its laurels. “With that capacity now in place, ES Foundry is looking beyond manufacturing scale alone to the technologies, workforce and operating practices that will determine whether U.S. solar manufacturing can compete over the long term,” ES explains.
ES expects the MIT connection to pay off in terms of AI integration as well as automation, cybersecurity, digital twins, and other hallmarks of advanced manufacturing systems.
South Carolina is not the only consistently red state to do a good job of attracting solar manufacturers. Texas is another good example. In addition, swing states are also pumping up the nation’s solar profile. In New Mexico, for example, on September 9 the US-based global solar tracking manufacturer ARRAY Technologies cut the ribbon on its new $50 million facility in Albuquerque. The new LEED-certified factory replaces ARRAY’s former facility on the same site, tripling its size while supporting 300 jobs.
Trackers are a sort of behind-the-scenes hardware element of the solar industry. They don’t attract much media notice compared to solar panels and solar arrays. However, they can make a critical difference in system efficiency, enabling solar panels to maintain an optimal angle as the sun moves throughout the day.
In addition to upsizing and adding more jobs, the new factory enables ARRAY to rely less on outside suppliers and deploy more in-house components, leading to benefits to customers including speedier delivery times, lower costs, supply chain quality, and flexibility. “This investment reflects our confidence in the future of ARRAY, our commitment to our customers and our continued belief in American solar manufacturing,” explained the company’s CEO, Kevin Hostetler, in a press statement.
“Several components manufactured at the facility qualify for the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit, which supports continued investment in U.S. manufacturing and helps domestically produced components remain cost competitive with imports,” ARRAY also notes, drawing attention to a key tax break that survived the chopper. The new factory also benefited from $2.5 million in state economic development funds, and an assist from municipal and county governments.
The New Mexico electorate chose Trump by a thin 6% margin in 2024. With the state’s current governor term-limited out of office, the Democrats are holding an edge. A poll supported by the Republican candidate Gregg Hull shows Democrat Deb Haaland just 1% ahead, but two independent polls put her at +6 and +17.
Bottom line: Trump’s policies are designed to hurt blue states the most, but red and swing states also have skin in the clean power game. Readers, tap into the discussion thread and let us know how things are shaping up in your state.
PSA: If you have questions about voting or registering to vote, you can find information and links to your local elections office at a reputable online portal like Vote.gov, among others. Do not be fooled by “votesafe.org,” which has been described as a data collection portal funded by Elon Musk’s America PAC.
Photo: Despite last year’s sharp U-turn in federal energy policy, the US solar industry is still attracting investors on the manufacturing side as demand for electricity soars (cropped, courtesy of ES Foundry).
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India’s solar boom faces a new test as rising costs squeeze returns  business-standard.com
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She spent 30 years in banking. Now she farms cucumbers between solar panels in Big Lake.  CBS News
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Global EV sales hit 20 million units in 2025, and the adjacent batteries and fuel cells industries saw equal growth, all trends shaped by composite technologies.
Strato-V project and NordSpace develop Type 5 composite pressure vessels while new U.K. government report and NLR report advances toward hydrogen-powered flight.
Lightning strike protection has traditionally been achieved via single sheets of metallic materials potentially compromised by paint while AFP provides a path toward tailored conductivity and connectivity plus multifunctionality.
The Chaparral aircraft flew uncrewed cargo missions across the Gulf Coast as part of the U.S. DOT and FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.
Complete materials portfolio is designed for faster production and extended battery range, and is qualified for immediate use by eVTOL manufacturers.
SNAPSHOT: The 1-meter-diameter Type 5 demonstrator, made from carbon fiber/LMPAEK was developed under an ESA-funded project targeting hydrogen and methane storage.
CAMX 2026: ZwickRoell’s new G1C Mode I testing setup pairs a ZwickiLine universal testing machine with automated crack-length measurement for ASTM D5528 double cantilever beam tests.
Anaglyph takes full ownership of the composite design tool co-developed with NPL, with version 3.4 out now and continued support for existing users.
The now-operational 300,000-square-foot Ciudad Juárez facility offers closer access to large-scale manufacturing capacity and technical support operations for the U.S., Mexico and Americas.
A one-way attritable UAV or USV should not carry the same material qualification and specification burden as a crewed, long-life aircraft or vessel.
SNAPSHOT: Francois Geuskens says the Approval in Principle validates the vision that led him to start Curve Works 10 years ago, replacing costly one-off tooling with adaptive mold, panel-based composite construction.
SNAPSHOT: Founded in 2025, the additive manufacturing company has installed CEAD robot printer, signed materials agreement with Airtech and fielded four composite unmanned surface vessels.
The newly installed Mikrosam Libra system processes a variety of composite materials on a single platform with swappable end effectors, closed-loop thermal control and full data acquisition built in, expanding capabilities for aerospace, industry and government partners.
Standard 3K twill and UD T700 plates at 1.5 and 3.0 millimeters thick, plus round, square and oval tube profiles are now supplied from stock to shorten lead times for customers.
The Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) is funding 18 teams to develop aircraft capable of operating persistently in the stratosphere including Structural Solar project integrating perovskite photovoltaics onto carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP).
The Derbyshire startup is seeking investment to fund the unit, using a steam-and-pressure process that separates hard-to-process composites derived from maritime and wind industries.
Hyke is recognized for its clean, quiet and more efficient public transportation solution as it pursues new partnerships and vessel deployment in Qatar and the wider Middle East.
KVE is adding nearly 1,800 square meters of production space for composite blades, wing structures and other components to support growing customer demand, marking 30 years in industry and 4 years under Daher's ownership.
The newly installed Mikrosam Libra system processes a variety of composite materials on a single platform with swappable end effectors, closed-loop thermal control and full data acquisition built in, expanding capabilities for aerospace, industry and government partners.
Standard 3K twill and UD T700 plates at 1.5 and 3.0 millimeters thick, plus round, square and oval tube profiles are now supplied from stock to shorten lead times for customers.
Process simulation platform is available to defense and aerospace composites fabricators who are using Renegade materials, helping to rapidly transition design to manufacturing.
Funding follows $20 million in U.S. government contracts and growing adoption of the composites additive system across aerospace, defense and advanced manufacturing.
The automakers are among the first users of Stratasys’ new large-format F870 additive manufacturing system, which prints carbon fiber-reinforced Nylon 12CF parts for shop floor tooling and fixtures.
CAMX 2026: Sharp & Tappin Technology’s Compcut ACS 300 saw, aimed at composite test specimen preparation, launches in the U.S. via partner Measured Solutions.
Global EV sales hit 20 million units in 2025, and the adjacent batteries and fuel cells industries saw equal growth, all trends shaped by composite technologies.
Lightning strike protection has traditionally been achieved via single sheets of metallic materials potentially compromised by paint while AFP provides a path toward tailored conductivity and connectivity plus multifunctionality.
With the space sector in a race for strategic dominance and the lunar economy coming into view, composite materials are accelerating into an era of high-rate production, advanced autonomous manufacturing and structural innovation that would have seemed like science fiction a generation ago.
Composites continue to drive energy innovations, from new materials and installations of recyclable wind blades to nuclear CMC and offshore oil pipelines.
The autoclave has long defined thermoset composites processing — snap-cure epoxy prepreg systems are built around the premise that it doesn't have to.
Market outlook highlights commercial, defense and bizjet upturn, shift to Asia/rise of India while supply chain struggles to meet rate, AAM begins pivot toward commercial routes plus trends in civil UAS, electric aircraft and the latest in composites developments.
Are you looking for new ways to reduce weight, improve recyclability and stay ahead of evolving circularity requirements without compromising performance?As sustainability and resource efficiency become increasingly important across industries, extruded PP foam composite solutions are emerging as a powerful enabler for the next generation of composite applications.Join experts from SPUR and Borouge International as they share the latest trends, challenges and opportunities shaping the future of composite structures. Discover how extruded PP foam core technology can help you develop lightweight, durable and recyclable sandwich structures for automotive, building and construction and industrial applications.During this webinar, you will gain valuable insights into design considerations, manufacturing approaches, emerging application developments and the future potential of extruded PP foam composite solutions. Learn how you can unlock new opportunities to meet performance, sustainability and circularity goals while preparing your products for tomorrow’s market demands.AgendaWelcome and IntroductionIndustry, Market & Application ChallengesMaterial routes to solve these ChallengesApplication fit and development RoutesConclusionQ&AClosing 
Building systems are evolving. Increasing performance requirements, stricter fire regulations and growing expectations around durability and sustainability are putting pressure on traditional material choices. At the same time, manufacturers are expected to deliver higher performance without increasing complexity or cost.In this webinar, we explore how composites can work alongside aluminum to address these challenges in a practical and effective way. The session is designed especially for teams who are curious about composites but may still have questions or hesitation: Where do composites really add value? Are they strong enough? What about fire performance, processing, durability, sustainability and cost? The session will focus on how composites can be used in targeted areas of aluminum system to improve performance where it matters most.Our experts will walk through the key differences between composites and aluminum in real applications, answering the kinds of questions designers, engineers and product teams often raise when considering a new material. Through concrete examples, from window and door systems to structural facade interfaces, you’ll see where composites can add measurable value and how hybrid solutions can simplify design while enhancing performance.We’ll also introduce a practical hybrid design approach: replacing selected components, not entire systems. This can help reduce part counts, improve installation efficiency and support more durable, high-performing solutions while making the transition to composites easier and more manageable.Join us to get practical answers to common questions about composites and learn how combining materials can help you improve your building systems, meet evolving requirements and create more competitive, future-ready solutions.AgendaUnderstand where composites add real value in building systemsLearn how composites and aluminum can work together to improve performance without redesigning entire systemsGet clarity on key performance questions, including thermal behavior, fire performance, durability, and sustainabilityDiscover a practical hybrid design approach that reduces complexity while enhancing system performanceGet practical examples on how to transition into composites effortlessly
Aerospace and defense manufacturers face the challenge of increasing throughput while maintaining structural performance and controlling costs as production demands rise. Fast-cure composite materials offer one way to shorten manufacturing cycles, but understanding performance and processing tradeoffs is essential before implementation. Join us as we examine the engineering considerations behind fast-cure composites, including cure kinetics, exotherm behavior and comparative performance data. We will also demonstrate how cure simulation provides additional insight during process development. Attendees will gain practical insight into evaluating fast-cure composite materials for high-rate aerospace and defense manufacturing. Agenda Manufacturing Opportunities: Finding the right balance between throughput, cost and structural performance in aerospace and defense composites Setting the Baseline: Reviewing established, qualified prepreg performance data and what “equivalent performance” really means when evaluating a faster-cure alternative The Data: Comparing mechanical performance, cure time, exotherm behavior and processing options for a proven prepreg system and a fast-cure alternative Cure Simulation: Live demo of a cure simulation tool that helps manufacturers predict cure behavior before starting production
Surface contamination and inadequate surface preparation remain leading causes of adhesion failures, product defects and costly recalls across industries, including automotive, aerospace, composites and medical device manufacturing. Yet many organizations continue to rely on subjective inspection methods rather than measurable surface quality data. This webinar explores how manufacturers can establish objective cleanliness standards, implement surface energy measurement techniques and monitor contamination throughout the product lifecycle to improve adhesion reliability, manufacturing quality and first-pass yield. Attendees will learn why developing a formal adhesion specification — and enforcing it consistently from initial process development through full-scale production and sustainment — is critical to reducing failures and improving manufacturing outcomes. The session will explore the latest ASTM standards supporting adhesion testing, surface cleanliness verification and quality assurance, while sharing real-world examples of companies that have successfully implemented adhesion monitoring programs to drive measurable improvements in reliability and yield. Participants will also have the opportunity to assess the maturity of their own surface energy management practices, benchmarking current processes against industry best practices. The webinar will conclude with a look at how Brighton Science's surface intelligence tools, including water contact angle (WCA) measurement and the Brighton Process Monitor, enable objective, repeatable surface energy analysis that supports faster troubleshooting, stronger first-pass yield and long-term quality control. This webinar is designed for manufacturing engineers, quality professionals, process development teams and operations leaders responsible for adhesion reliability, surface quality and manufacturing performance across the product lifecycle. Agenda   Why surface contamination and poor surface preparation cause adhesion failures, defects and product recalls Best practices for developing an adhesion specification and quality control strategy Understanding ASTM standards for adhesion testing and surface cleanliness verification Real-world case studies improving bonding reliability and manufacturing quality Assessing the maturity of your surface energy management and contamination control program Using water contact angle (WCA) measurement and process monitoring tools for surface energy analysis and quality assurance Strategies for improving first-pass yield, reducing defects and accelerating troubleshooting  
As modern warfare evolves towards increased speed, autonomy, and precision, the role of advanced composite materials has become more critical than ever. This webinar explores how high-performance carbon fibers and advanced composite materials enable breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, and space- based domains. Key topics include light-weighting for extended range and endurance, thermal performance, producibility, connectivity, and affordability.Drawing on recent applications in unmanned systems and higher operating temperature platforms, the discussion highlights how material selection and architecture directly influence mission effectiveness and survivability. Attendees will gain insight into emerging material technologies, manufacturing considerations, and qualification opportunities with defense applications.The session concludes with a forward-looking perspective on how composites will shape future battlefield dynamics, including increased autonomy, increased rate, and distributed systems all within rapid decision-making environments.AgendaOverview of the evolving battlefield and how advanced composite materials act as key enablersAdvancing affordable mass manufacturing for defense platforms through high-rate composite solutionsDatabase materials for accelerated, cost-effective part qualificationAdvanced material solutions engineered for structural performance, high-temperature environments, and radar transparency (low dielectric applications)
Despite the versatility of fluoropolymers in demanding, high-performance applications under harsh environments, many of them have been classified as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and are facing increasing regulatory scrutiny. However, polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) is outside all current regulatory definitions of PFAS due to the lack of full fluorination and the presence of hydrogen on each carbon in the backbone of the polymer. This positions PVF as a sustainable alternative to traditional fluoropolymers while retaining outstanding weatherability, durability and chemical resistance. In this talk, DuPont will review composite applications currently commonly utilizing PFAS materials and the status of PVF as a non-PFAS fluoropolymer within the regulatory landscape. DuPont will highlight PVF's exceptional surface protection and barrier properties, its compatibility with multiple composite manufacturing processes and its multifunctional use as a release film. Agenda Review of current PFAS regulations and in-scope materials Use cases for PFAS materials (films and coatings) in composite applications Non-PFAS options: range from non-fluorinated lower-performance materials to non-PFAS polyvinyl fluoride Overview: what PVF is, why it is non-PFAS and what its attributes are Real-world case studies
NDIA hosts 2026 Undersea Warfare Fall Conference on Sept. 21-23, 2026 in Groton, CT.
Taking place in conjunction with the American Society for Composites 41st Annual Technical Conference.
New this year, Top Shops Conference will expand to include CNC machining and industrial finishing. Modern Machine Shop Top Shops and Products Finishing Top Shops, Gardner Business Media’s two largest and longest running benchmarking and business improvement survey programs, will join forces to host concurrent Top Shops Conference programs. In addition to dedicated conference programming, Top Shops Conference attendees will benefit from access to several shared general sessions, keynotes, exhibit rooms and special networking events enabling these two critical manufacturing service groups – CNC machining and industrial finishing – to learn, exchange ideas and make valuable business connections.
New this year, Top Shops Conference will expand to include CNC machining and industrial finishing. Modern Machine Shop Top Shops and Products Finishing Top Shops, Gardner Business Media’s two largest and longest running benchmarking and business improvement survey programs, will join forces to host concurrent Top Shops Conference programs. In addition to dedicated conference programming, Top Shops Conference attendees will benefit from access to several shared general sessions, keynotes, exhibit rooms and special networking events enabling these two critical manufacturing service groups – CNC machining and industrial finishing – to learn, exchange ideas and make valuable business connections.
IBEX is a North American event for boatbuilders, manufacturers and suppliers looking to source innovative technology and new products. Every year it delivers a forum where the marine industry can do business, share ideas and accelerate new product development. 
ACMA hosts Thermoset Resin Formulators Assn 2026 Annual Mtg on Oct. 26-28, 2026 in Cleveland, OH.
Thousands of people visit our Supplier Guide every day to source equipment and materials. Get in front of them with a free company profile.
Jetcam’s latest white paper explores the critical aspects of nesting in composites manufacturing, and strategies to balance material efficiency and kitting speed.
Arris presents mechanical testing results of an Arris-designed natural fiber thermoplastic composite in comparison to similarly produced glass and carbon fiber-based materials.
Cevotec, a tank manufacturer, Roth Composite Machinery and Cikoni, have undertaken a comprehensive project to explore and demonstrate the impact of dome reinforcements using FPP technology for composite tanks.   
Initial demonstration in furniture shows properties two to nine times higher than plywood, OOA molding for uniquely shaped components.
The composite tubes white paper explores some of the considerations for specifying composite tubes, such as mechanical properties, maintenance requirements and more.
Foundational research discusses the current carbon fiber recycling landscape in Utah, and evaluates potential strategies and policies that could enhance this sustainable practice in the region.
Global EV sales hit 20 million units in 2025, and the adjacent batteries and fuel cells industries saw equal growth, all trends shaped by composite technologies.
The industry’s workforce gap is real, decades in the making and widely felt. Researchers, educators, trainers and advocates weigh in on who may be responsible for closing it, and how.
A collaboration led by Mitsubishi Chemical developed a composite devices to match thermal conductivity of an aluminum NTN satellite heat dissipation device while reducing weight by 47%.
A surge in production and new orders lifted the index to 55.9 in August, a fresh sign of momentum for composites fabricators.
Lightning strike protection has traditionally been achieved via single sheets of metallic materials potentially compromised by paint while AFP provides a path toward tailored conductivity and connectivity plus multifunctionality.
Direct stamping and infrared welding produce a 64-ply thermoplastic wing rib that's 22% lighter than aluminum, an innovation detailed further in this ThermoForged video short and CW’s Daher’s Shap'in TechCenter plant tour.
The hybrid RoRo ship, due for 2030 delivery, will rely on three automated OceanWings composite wingsails alongside conventional propulsion to transport European launch vehicle cargo.
The NCC-led program finds recycled wind blade glass fiber can match virgin fiber’s carbon footprint if recyclers cut emissions and recover more polymer during pyrolysis.
Seven bio-based, renewable, recycled or repurposed raw composite material types were used in this mass-market vehicle, reimagining EV capabilities.
The startup’s Woodflow technology places wood fibers only where needed, enabling complex geometries and a Woodflow-core slab product that promises concrete-level strength at lighter weight and up to 75% fewer trees than mass timber.
The 50-year-old, family-owned recycler will carry forward Vartega’s rCF platform, which includes 1,000/tons of annual production capacity, for thermoplastics industry and automotive programs.
In a project between LATI, Crossen Engineering and Bloc Blinds, a fiberglass-reinforced PA6 material enabled ≈70% GWP reduction, maintained mechanical performance and 1,000+ operating cycles.

The materials, manufacturing processes, market and energy trends driving use of carbon fiber composites in global hydrogen storage applications for fuel cell-powered trucks, buses, trains and passenger vehicles.
In this resource, CGTech offers vital information about the benefits, processes, and vendors behind automated composite manufacturing.

CW’s editors are tracking the latest trends and developments in tooling, from the basics to new developments. This collection, presented by Composites One, features four recent CW stories that detail a range of tooling technologies, processes and materials.
The composites industry is increasingly recognizing the imperative of sustainability in its operations. As demand for lightweight and durable materials rises across various sectors, such as automotive, aerospace, and construction, there is a growing awareness of the environmental impact associated with traditional composite manufacturing processes.

As defense and space missions push the boundaries of performance, the demand for advanced materials that can endure extreme environments and conditions continues to grow.
CompositesWorld’s CW Tech Days: Infrastructure event offers a series of expert presentations on composite materials, processes and applications that should and will be considered for use in the infrastructure and construction markets.
Explore the cutting-edge composites industry, as experts delve into the materials, tooling, and manufacturing hurdles of meeting the demands of the promising advanced air mobility (AAM) market. Join us at CW Tech Days to unlock the future of efficient composites fabrication operations.
Thermoplastics for Large Structures, experts explored the materials and processing technologies that are enabling the transition to large-part manufacturing.
Explore the technologies, materials, and strategies that can help composites manufacturers become more sustainable.
CompositesWorld’s Tech Days: Design, Simulation and Testing Technologies for Next-Gen Composite Structures is designed to provide a multi-perspective view of the state of the art in design, simulation, failure analysis, digital twins, virtual testing and virtual inspection.
Explore the technologies, materials and strategies used by composites manufacturers working in the evolving space market.
Explore the latest technologies and strategies involving bonding and welding, essential processes in the assembly and manufacturing of composite materials, providing reliable methods for joining components.
During this CW Tech Days event, sponsored by Composites One, experts will offer presentations to review and evaluate the composite materials, processes and applications that should and will be considered for use in the infrastructure and construction markets.
In these sessions, experts will discuss the emerging hydrogen economy and the opportunities for composites in this lucrative space.
A report on the demand for hydrogen as an energy source and the role composites might play in the transport and storage of hydrogen.
This collection features detail the current state of the industry and recent success stories across aerospace, automotive and rail applications.
This collection details the basics, challenges, and future of thermoplastic composites technology, with particular emphasis on their use for commercial aerospace primary structures.
This collection features recent CW stories that detail a range of tooling technologies, processes and materials.
The Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) is funding 18 teams to develop aircraft capable of operating persistently in the stratosphere including Structural Solar project integrating perovskite photovoltaics onto carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP).
Source | Getty Images with AI rendering of how solar cells could be applied to power high atmosphere unmanned aircraft.
The U.K.’s Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) has committed £70 million to 18 engineering teams developing aircraft for extended stratospheric operation.  The funding, announced under ARIA’s Enduring Atmospheric Platforms program and reported by The Engineer, targets aircraft able to continuously supply 300 watts of power to a communications payload for a full week while holding station above the U.K. Success would establish a new infrastructure layer between Earth and space, delivering connectivity to underserved regions in the U.K. and worldwide.
Part of the Structural Solar team, Limosaero is developing solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Source | Limosaero
One project, led by David G. Lidzey at the University of Sheffield (Sheffield, U.K.), uses carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) as a structural substrate for perovskite photovoltaics. The full team also includes members from AMRC Sheffield, solar-powered drone/UAV developer Limosaero (Cambridge, U.K.) and University of Loughborough.
The project, titled “Structural Solar: Integrating perovskite PV onto carbon fiber for high specific power,” is one of eight teams funded under Technical Area 1 (Enabling Technologies), which backs materials and power technologies intended to de-risk development of a full stratospheric platform. It aims to develop high-performance, spray-cast perovskite solar cells (PSCs) integrated onto CFRP substrates to power enduring
atmospheric platforms.
By using low-temperature, solution-processed materials, this approach targets a specific power of up to 10X photovoltaic efficiency per unit mass compared to conventional gallium arsenide (GaAs) technologies while offering disruptive cost reductions. The resulting PSC/CFRP composite panels will then be engineered to enable long-endurance, solar-powered flight by combining established manufacturing processes with innovative thin-film coatings preventing impacts from moisture infiltration.
The approach builds on Lidzey’s earlier published research combining perovskite photovoltaics with CFRP substrates. That work showed this approach produces materials with high mechanical strength that also generate electrical power. The goal is multifunctional structures that are lightweight yet provide energy-harvesting capacity in aerospace and automotive applications. Lidzey’s group has since demonstrated spray-coating perovskite cells directly onto CFRP, including curved surfaces, reaching efficiencies of about 14%.
For a high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS) aircraft, embedding power generation into a load-bearing carbon fiber composite skin removes the added mass of a separate photovoltaic layer — an advantage for the endurance target of the ARIA program.
ARIA is backing a range of approaches, says Rico Chandra, program director for Enduring Atmospheric Platforms at ARIA, “from fixed-wing solar aircraft to designs nobody predicted, including aircraft that fly on spinning wings instead of propellers.” Sixteen of the 18 funded teams are based in the U.K.; two more, based in Australia and the U.S., are relocating operations to the U.K. as a result of the award.
H2 economy is set back by Trump policies, tariffs and funding pivot to defense and AI, but composite tanks remain a key segment with sales in CNG/RNG, growth in New Space and potential for H2-electric aviation.
Fully automated, Industry 4.0 line for hydrogen pressure vessels advances efficiency and versatility in small footprint for next-gen, sustainable composites production.
A new approach for high volumes of small satellite structures uses low-CTE, low-cost CFRP cellular core, robust single-ply skins and modular panel systems to cut lead time, labor and cost for reflectors, solar arrays and more.
CompositesWorld is the source for reliable news and information on what’s happening in fiber-reinforced composites manufacturing. All original technical content on our sites and in our publications is created by Gardner Business Media staff and contributing writers. About Us 
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RFAs: Solar for Apartment Residents Grant Program (Australia)  fundsforngos.org
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Australian renewable energy developer Potentia Energy has completed its 98MW Quorn Park Solar Hybrid project in New South Wales, Australia, combining solar PV with a 20MW/40MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).
The project, located around 10km northwest of Parkes, represents an investment of AU$ 190 million (US$ 136.5 million), according to the firm.
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The company said that Quorn Park is the first hybrid project in Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) to receive approval for a single hybrid generator performance standard (GPS). The facility is expected to generate around 250,000MWh of electricity annually.
Permitted in 2020, construction began in late 2024. Potentia delivered the project alongside engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor Beon Energy Solutions, with inverter manufacturer SMA Australia, module manufacturer LONGi, BYD and solar PV equipment provider Nextpower also involved.
Australian electricity retailer Zen Energy has signed a 10-year power purchase agreement (PPA) covering most of the project’s generation. In March 2026, Potentia completed the installation of nearly 161,000 solar modules at the project following six months of construction.
Potentia Energy, a joint venture between Italian clean energy developer Enel Green Power and Japan-headquartered Inpex Corporation, operates over 800MW of renewable energy assets across Australia.
Earlier this year, the developer secured AU$830 million (US$557 million) in portfolio financing from seven banks to support its renewable energy operations and project development in Australia.
The financing covered more than 600MW across six wind, solar and hybrid BESS assets. The syndicate comprised financial institutions Bank of China, BNP Paribas, HSBC, Mizuho Bank, Société Générale, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Westpac Banking Corporation.

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Solar manufacturer ES Foundry has joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM), committing $1.5 million over three years to the initiative.
The partnership aims to strengthen the U.S.’s manufacturing workforce in the solar and energy storage sector, ES Foundry officials. Additionally, the collaboration will bolster the company’s recent research into AI-driven efficiencies and advanced operating models “in an effort to ensure U.S. manufacturing remains globally competitive.”
“We have made a significant investment in bringing solar cell manufacturing back to the United States. This commitment to MIT’s Initiative for New Manufacturing is an investment in making that manufacturing stronger,” says ES Foundry CEO Alex Zhu. “We are operating at commercial scale every day, which gives us a very practical view of where technology, automation and workforce development can make a difference.
“Working with MIT gives us an opportunity to research solutions to manufacturing challenges and develop new ideas and approaches.”
Alongside strengthening the workforce, the partnership aims to close a glaring gap in the American solar supply chain: solar cells themselves. ES Foundry’s manufacturing facility, combined with the knowledge and workforce assistance of MIT’s new program, hopes to bridge the gap.

Building on the new building

In July 2026, ES Foundry completed a new expansion of its Greenwood, South Carolina manufacturing facility, adding 2 GW onto its annual capacity. In total, the expansion now supports more than 400 manufacturing jobs and brings the company’s total solar cell manufacturing capacity to over 3 GW per year.
“Manufacturing challenges become very real when you are running a factory 24 hours a day,” says Lionel Moss, general manager of operations for ES Foundry. “You are constantly looking at how to improve yield, productivity, equipment performance, processes and workforce capabilities. We have a lot to learn from the work happening at MIT, but we also have experiences from Greenwood that can contribute to that work. That exchange is what makes this collaboration valuable.”
The relationship between ES Foundry and MIT is designed to work bidirectionally, the company says. ES Foundry will draw on the bright young minds of MIT’s next generation, and the school will bring the experience of a national-level manufacturer to MIT’s initiative in return.
The company’s work within MIT’s INM program “builds on the company’s broader effort to establish a durable domestic solar cell manufacturing base,” representatives say. With production capacity booming for the firm throughout the U.S., the focus now is on making sure the country has the ability to continue improving its solar manufacturing processes.
“ES Foundry brings a valuable perspective to the Initiative for New Manufacturing,” says John Hart, Class of 1922 Professor, head of the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering, and faculty co-director of the Initiative for New Manufacturing. “We’re excited to collaborate and we welcome ES Foundry to the INM community.”


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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.
“The fire department requires both an interconnected heat detector and sprinklers.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A Tesla Powerwall buyer went online looking for a simple answer after a site survey recommended installing the Tesla Powerwalls outside, but the homeowner believed them to be better inside.
The discussion highlights a common issue for homeowners investing in backup power, as installer preferences do not always align with what local code actually allows.
In a discussion on Reddit’s r/TeslaSolar, the original poster said: “He stated he wanted to put the PW’s outside, I thought inside would offer better protection. Can you guys recommend the best place to store them?”
Commenters repeatedly pointed to local code and enforcement as the real deciding factor, rather than any universal Tesla rule.
One user said Tesla may still push exterior placement on its own jobs, writing: “If Tesla is doing the work, they have an internal policy to only install outside.”
Another commenter said Tesla eventually acknowledged “their AHJ rules for my area were incorrect and fixed them internally.”
Battery storage can protect a home during outages, save money on energy, and support off-grid use when necessary. A battery can store solar power or cheaper off-peak electricity for later use, helping homeowners avoid expensive peak rates while keeping essential appliances running during blackouts. 
You can check out EnergySage’s free tools for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates. Plus, EnergySage has teamed up with Qmerit to guarantee you get the best price. If you’re not ready for a big investment, Pila’s plug-and-play batteries cost a fraction of a whole home backup system. 
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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 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.
Solar panels can save you more than $50k over their 25-year lifespan, and EnergySage can help you save as much as $10k on installation. Which begs the question — isn’t that worth an email or two?
“Inside or outside” is not just a matter of convenience. It can affect equipment exposure, garage space, permitting timelines, and peace of mind. Some homeowners prefer indoor placement because batteries and associated electronics may be better protected from heat, weather, and debris.
Garage installations may also come with extra requirements from the local authority having jurisdiction, which is often a city building department or fire official.
In the thread, one commenter said: “My city requires both heat detectors and sprinklers in the garage.”
Another described a broader list of conditions: “The city just asks for solid core, self closing door leading into the house, can’t be within X amount of feet of that door, and vehicle impact protection if required. The fire department requires both an interconnected heat detector and sprinklers.”
Homeowners considering a Powerwall or similar system can protect themselves by asking for the exact code basis behind any installer recommendation. If a company says indoor installation is prohibited, it is reasonable to ask whether that rule comes from local code, fire department guidance, or internal company policy and to seek a copy to fully understand the ins and outs.
It may also help to speak directly with the local permitting office or inspector before approving a final design. Some buyers have found a disconnect between what sales or survey staff say and what officials will actually allow.
These articles look at Tesla Powerwall alternatives, installation growth, rebates, battery earnings, and financing.
• A master electrician says the best next-gen alternatives to Tesla batteries changed his mind.
• California homeowners could make up to $1,500 a year by sharing battery power.
• Some homeowners can now get home backup batteries without paying upfront installation costs.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
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Market Research Analyst specializing in industry intelligence, market trends, competitive analysis, and data-driven insights. Skilled in transforming complex market data into actionable strategies, identifying growth opportunities, and delivering impactful business research across global markets.
Australia Solar Panel Recycling Market
The Australia solar panel recycling market grew from USD 4.01 Billion in 2025 to USD 4.64 Billion in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 11.60 Billion by 2034, expanding at a CAGR of 12.15% during 2026-2034. Rising end-of-life PV panel volumes nationwide, coupled with regulatory mandates including Victoria’s landfill ban, and growing circular economy initiatives and industry partnerships, are the primary growth catalysts. The Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) estimates that the cumulative volume of decommissioned solar panels in Australia could reach 1 million tons by 2035.
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The Australia solar panel recycling market encompasses mechanical, thermal, and laser processing for crystalline silicon and thin film panels, recovering materials including glass, aluminum, silicon, and metals.
These recycling services are valued for their role in diverting end-of-life solar panels from landfill, recovering valuable materials, and supporting circular economy principles.
The ecosystem includes collection providers, recycling processors (Sircel, PV Industries, PanPacificRecycling), research institutions (UNSW), government regulators, and manufacturer partnerships.
Major segments identified in the market include process (mechanical, thermal, laser), type (crystalline silicon, thin film), material (metal, glass, aluminum, silicon), shelf life (normal loss, early loss), and region.
The market is benefiting from rising end-of-life PV panel volumes, regulatory mandates including Victoria’s landfill ban, and circular economy initiatives.
In April 2026, Australia launched its first dedicated solar panel recycling research hub to develop scalable solutions for recovering valuable materials.
Competitive Rivalry: Moderate, with leading recyclers (Sircel, PV Industries, PanPacificRecycling) competing on processing capacity, technology, and facility network. Business implication: Companies must differentiate through technology, scale, and partnerships.
Supplier Power (End-of-Life Panels): Low. The growing volume of decommissioned panels ensures a steady supply, giving recyclers some negotiation power. Business implication: Recyclers should focus on efficient collection and processing.
Buyer Power (Material Off-takers): Moderate. Manufacturers of glass, aluminum, and silicon have some leverage, but growing demand for recycled materials and limited supply moderates this power. Business implication: Recyclers should focus on material quality and long-term partnerships.
Threat of Substitutes: Low. While landfilling is an alternative, regulatory bans and environmental concerns support recycling. Business implication: The industry should emphasize environmental and regulatory compliance benefits.
Threat of New Entrants: Moderate. Higher barriers for advanced recycling facilities (capital, technology, regulatory compliance), but lower barriers for smaller, specialized processors. Business implication: Established players should build defensible positions through technology, scale, and partnerships.
The Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP), led by UNSW Sydney, estimates that the cumulative volume of decommissioned solar panels in Australia could reach 1 million tons by 2035, further driving sustained recycling infrastructure investment. This growing volume of decommissioned panels, driven by Australia’s high solar adoption rate, creates a pressing need for recycling capacity and infrastructure development.
Australia has progressively strengthened solar panel waste regulations, with Victoria implementing a landfill ban on solar panels in July 2019, while South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) introduced restrictions on e-waste disposal. Western Australia commenced e-waste regulation measures in July 2024. These regulatory mandates create a compliance-driven demand for recycling services, forcing waste generators to seek alternatives to landfill.
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