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Neighborhood effects of rooftop solar support the energy transition  techxplore.com
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The country’s installed solar power capacity has increased more than fiftyfold, from 3 GW in 2014 to 162.15 GW as of 30 June
India commissioned 37 GW of new solar capacity in 2025, making it the world’s second-fastest growing solar energy market. This was reported by IANS, a partner of TV BRICS, citing data from the Government of India.
According to the report, India’s total non-fossil fuel power generation capacity has reached 283.46 GW, of which 274.68 GW comes from renewable energy sources. On 29 July 2025, renewable energy accounted for a record 51.5 per cent of the country’s electricity demand.
At present, India’s solar energy sector is primarily driven by large-scale ground-mounted solar power plants, with a combined installed capacity of 118.79 GW. A further 27.88 GW comes from grid-connected rooftop solar installations, while the remainder is generated by hybrid and off-grid solar systems.
Additional momentum for the development of solar energy in India came with the approval, on 31 July 2026, of the Prime Minister’s Scheme for Solarisation of Water Bodies (PM-SSY). The programme provides government support for floating solar power projects with a combined capacity of 5,000 MW, integrated with energy storage systems. A total of US$580 million will be allocated to the programme through the 2030–31 financial year.

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MANILA, Philippines — Aboitiz Power Corp. is poised to strengthen its solar capacity in Negros Occidental to 471 megawatt peak (MWp) with the activation of a new power asset targeted by 2028.
The group said its unit Aboitiz Renewables Inc. has begun work on the 239-MWp Luna Solar Power Plant in Barangay Luna, Cadiz City in late July.
READ: Aboitiz Renewables breaks ground on largest Visayas solar plant
It is the group’s biggest solar undertaking in the Visayas. This follows Aboitiz Power’s 173-MWp Calatrava Solar Power Plant and the 59-MWp SacaSun facility.
The solar farm will be equipped with a 65-MW battery energy storage system (BESS), marking the company’s first integrated renewable energy and storage system on Negros Island.
Industry players invest in BESS to complement variable renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, as the technology allows producers to store excess generated power and release it when demand peaks.
“Our solar journey began here in Negros Occidental with SacaSun, our very first solar plant in San Carlos City. As we break ground on Project Luna—which will surpass even Calatrava once in operation—returning to this island for our third and biggest project feels like coming home,” Aboitiz Renewables president Jimmy Villaroman said in a statement.
“Returning to this island is a deliberate choice as Negros Occidental has proven itself an ideal hub for renewable energy, not only because of its natural potential but because of the proactive local policies that allow clean energy projects to move forward with confidence,” he added.
At present, the group’s renewables portfolio includes 45 clean power facilities across the Philippines, including solar, hydro, geothermal and energy storage.
Aboitiz Power is set to further cement its position in the renewables game, with a development pipeline of more than 1,800 megawatts in solar, hydro and wind projects.
READ: Aboitiz Power ramps up expansion into RE
In the first six months of the year, the company recorded a core profit of P18 billion, a 41-percent increase from a year ago.
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The strong financial performance was attributed to higher energy prices and higher capacity from its hydro and solar segments. INQ
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This excludes wind and solar developers, and makes it harder for them because of their deadlines.
Photo Credit: iStock
A major tax change in Washington could eventually show up in family budgets through electricity prices, local clean-power projects, and the pace of new energy investment in nearby communities. 
The 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act moved away from a technology-neutral system for clean energy tax credits, changing how different zero-emissions technologies qualify for federal incentives.
The OBBBA broke down the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act in two significant ways: It now allows fuel cells to qualify for the Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit, even if they produce positive greenhouse gas emissions, and it created a two-tier deadline system that disadvantages wind and solar projects specifically. 
This is a significant policy reversal. Congress moved from an “any technology, same rules” approach to picking who is qualified based on technology type. 
This excludes wind and solar developers, and makes it harder for them because of their deadlines. For them, construction must have started before July 4 or be placed in service before Dec. 31, 2027, to qualify, Legis1, a legislative platform, reported. 
Other technology projects get a decade longer. 
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In December 2025, a group of plaintiffs sued the IRS, Treasury, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, arguing that the IRS guidance narrowing how developers could prove they’d met the deadline was arbitrary and unlawful. 
On June 6, a D.C. federal court did support the plaintiffs and said the IRS failed to justify why it implemented this policy reversal. 
The ruling didn’t change the July 4 deadline itself — only Congress can do that. It restored an easier way for developers to prove they’d met it. But it’s not a confident win: the government is likely to appeal, and if the ruling is reversed, that reversal could apply retroactively — leaving developers who relied on it exposed. 
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As solar arrays continue to pop up across rural Northeast communities, some local farmers have found ways to integrate the technology into their landscape.
The Adirondack Explorer’s Jaysa Dold reported on one farm’s effort to let alpacas graze between panels. She spoke with Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Aaron Shellow-Lavine about how this can give new life to Jennifer St. Pierre and Bert Barber’s land. But, not everyone is on board.
Click the play button to listen to the full conversation.
Read Jaysa Dold’s reporting here: Crown Point farm uses alpacas in a solar grazing twist
See the full interview transcript below.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT:
Editor’s note: This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
Dold: I think it was a really special introduction to the area. I myself am from rural South Jersey. I feel like people hear New Jersey and they think of New York City suburbs, but the area that I’m from is actually pretty pretty farmland adjacent.
But, this was still unlike anything that I had ever really experienced, like truly being you know in such a rural area, and Jennifer and Bert, they were a treat, there’s no better way to adapt to a new area and to learn about the area that you’re reporting on than to just get out there and talk to people and see the place, so it was a really wonderful opportunity to do that and I got to jump right in, which is what I was hoping to do when I came up here.
Shellow-Lavine: How did they end up becoming farmers? What was that journey like for them?
Dold: Jennifer’s family bought the farm when she was 16, back in, I believe the early 90s. Then in the late 90s, Jennifer took over the farm, and now her and her husband Bert run it, but they’re from the area. Bert grew up in the town, and I think Jennifer had mentioned that when he was little as a Boy Scout, he actually planted trees on the farm before it was the farm, and then ended up ended up running it decades later. So, kind of like a nice little circular moment for them
Shellow-Lavine: More of a recent addition to the farm is now this adjacent solar field, which is a whole can of worms. At least, currently in our part of upstate. Talk to me about you decision to get those to even agree to having that kind of solar farm adjacent to their very rural, animal friendly space, what was that conversation like?
Dold: Jennifer actually reached out to the solar company. She saw an ad on Facebook that the company had posted, and she had this plot of land that they weren’t really using for anything particular, the land itself that the solar panels are now on has kind of had this really interesting history.
Back in the 30s, it was the town dump at one point. It was used for logging. It was used when Jennifer’s parents owned the property. It was used as a recycling lot, so they would take metal scraps and take technology keyboards and things like that, and they would break them down for the copper and for the parts, and then sort it out, and then send them to different manufacturers.
So, the land was used for that for a while. Bert is a logger, so they used it for logging, but never really had one sole purpose. In recent years, Jennifer was using it as pasture for her alpacas for her sheep. So, she saw this ad on Facebook about an opportunity to put in solar, maybe have some financial benefits, and she thought her land would be a good fit because she, you know, wasn’t really profiting off of it, and it ended up working out.
She said that the land actually hasn’t really changed from her perspective because her animals still graze it. They still use it as pasture, so it wasn’t really much of a big change for her after the solar panels went in, other than you know the passive income and being able to produce clean energy for 200 homes in town.
Shellow-Lavine: That that kind of raises the point as far as you know that can be for some farmers a pretty difficult decision to commit to as energy needs are shifting and changing. But, it seems like it kind of just worked for these guys in particular.
Dold: I think it was a special situation for them. You talk to people in the North Country about solar panels, and it’s very divisive, and for understandable reasons. A lot of the time, especially when it comes to agriculture, we need places to grow our food, and that’s a serious issue.
I think there’s a real fear that solar is going to come in and take away this this land that’s being used for agricultural purposes. But what’s so great about Jennifer and Bert’s story, and I know you know the stories of other farmers in the region, is that the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. They can actually coexist, and I think that’s a really beautiful thing when one solution to one problem also kind of ends up being a solution to another.
Shellow-Lavine: What also jumped out to me that I’ve been wanting to ask you since this story and this conversation began percolating was, what kind of backlash one did the farmers receive? What were Jen and Bert seeing? And as a reporter, to put this piece out, what what were you getting if you were getting backlash or comments or whatever kind of feedback?
Dold: As far as Jennifer and Bert, Jennifer actually said that the only negative of the entire solar panel process was the backlash she received [on] Facebook. You know, people being nasty in the comments. I think she ended up turning off the comments on most of her Facebook posts that had to do with the solar panels. Just a pretty largely unpopular decision in the in the eyes of a lot of people.
As far as myself, I actually didn’t receive too much backlash. I was a little bit worried once I started getting into the weeds about how controversial this is and how strongly some people feel about it. There [were] a couple comments on the story itself, a couple comments on social media, just expressing concerns about solar panels, expressing concerns about toxins and runoff, and you know all of the all of the things people are worried about, but nothing that was directed at me or directed at the reporting, which which was refreshing. I think people were just using the space around the story to express concerns that they’ve had and that they’ve been expressing.
Shellow-Lavine: You know, it’s not easy being a farmer right now. It’s not something that that a lot of people, especially young people, are signing up for and and going out and being like, ‘you know what I want to do when I grow up? I’m gonna buy a farm and do it, and do the thing.’ So for them, for this kind of opportunity to present themselves, was it kind of a, I don’t want to say you know a rescue line, but a way to make it make more sense financially in the current moment that a lot of farmers across the country, not just in New York, are finding themselves in.
Dold: Yeah, absolutely. I think farming is not a passive source of income by any stretch, it’s probably the least passive form of income that there is, and I was doing some research.
I think the median farmer age is 56 somewhere in that range, and there’s like a quarter of, or half of all farmers are between 56 and 75, or something like that. So, it’s a real problem, and I think that this kind of presents some sort of solution to that, where you can have passive income almost, and you’re still utilizing your land, and you’re still utilizing your land for the same thing that you were using it for in the first place.
In the case of Jennifer and Bert, they’re still grazing their animals there, they’re still housing them there. I had the opportunity to speak with Josh Pierce, who is also involved in the solar grazing world. He has sheep that he rents out to farmers for the same purpose as the alpacas, and he said that a lot of the farmers he works with are elderly, they’re getting into their 70s, and the solar grazing is able to actually replace some of the income that they lost just by not being able to do the manual labor anymore. So, it’s not a complete solution to the problem, but I think that it’s something to consider, and it’s definitely interesting to see how these things interact with each other and how you know creative solutions can arise.

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Austin Haughton
Published: August 3, 2026
EPCOT’s solar-powered trash can rollout has reached the Italy and Japan pavilions in World Showcase, albeit with less flair than their American counterparts.
Several new solar-powered trash cans have been installed along the World Showcase promenade outside the Italy Pavilion.
The new units retain the standard brown color used by many trash cans around World Showcase. Each has a generic World Showcase compass medallion on the front rather than artwork created specifically for the Italy Pavilion.
The waste openings are concealed behind black panels labeled “TRASH” and “RECYCLE.” Foot pedals near the bottom allow guests to open the compartments without touching them with their hands.
Similar solar-powered cans have also arrived in the Japan Pavilion. Several pairs of trash and recycling bins, in addition to standalone trash cans, can be found throughout the pavilion.
Like the Italy Pavilion versions, the Japan cans are brown and decorated only with World Showcase medallions. They do not incorporate imagery, colors, or other design elements unique to Japan.
Solar panels are built into the rounded tops of the units. The collected energy powers compactors inside, allowing the cans to hold more waste before they need to be emptied. Small handles on the front provide Cast Members with access to the interior.
Disney began installing the new solar-powered trash and recycling cans around EPCOT in June. The rollout has gradually progressed through World Showcase, reaching locations including Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, France, Morocco, and Refreshment Outpost.
Unlike some customized versions introduced during the wider rollout, the new Italy and Japan cans do not feature pavilion-specific designs. This makes them noticeably different from the patriotic solar-powered cans recently installed throughout The American Adventure.
Those units have distinct white fronts, navy blue sides, gold accents, and patriotic shields bearing red and white stripes, stars, and the number “76.” The Italy and Japan cans instead use the same understated brown World Showcase appearance seen at several other pavilions.
Amid guest confusion on how to use the new trash cans, last week Disney felt it necessary to release an instructional video. During the rollout, we’ve spotted many guests having trouble with them, as we said in our first post about the new trash cans.
The cans also raise questions about accessibility. The foot pedal is great for hygiene and preventing the spread of disease, but many wheelchair users aren’t able to use it. And the trash cans are taller, meaning the flap is higher and could be difficult for some wheelchair users to pull.
Beyond wheelchair users, other guests with mobility issues may not be able to lift their foot to press the pedal or grip the flap/handle. Kids might also have trouble using the foot pedal and reaching the flap.
What do you think of the new solar-powered trash cans? Should Disney create unique designs for every World Showcase pavilion? Share your thoughts with us on social media.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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JinkoSolar has once again received the highest AAA bankability rating in PV Tech’s Q2 2026 Bankability Ratings Report for module manufacturers, reinforcing its standing as one of the most established names in the global solar industry.
The company said the result reflects its long term focus on technology innovation, robust global operations and product reliability. JinkoSolar has now maintained an A grade rating for 12 consecutive years since first taking part in the evaluation in 2014.
The company’s position is supported by its leadership in n type technology. JinkoSolar said it has set 33 world records for photovoltaic cell efficiency and module power output, while its latest n type TOPCon based perovskite tandem cell has achieved a conversion efficiency of more than 34.82%. It has also filed and been granted more than 5,700 patents globally, including more than 700 related to n type TOPCon technology.
Its Tiger Neo 3.0 module is a key part of that performance, with a maximum output of 670W, conversion efficiency above 24.8% and bifaciality of up to 90%. JinkoSolar said the module exceeds the Tier 1 efficiency standards in China’s newly released Energy Efficiency Limits and Efficiency Grades for Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Modules and Inverters, and was first to pass compliance verification by the China Photovoltaic Product Quality Inspection and Testing Center.
In a separate recognition, Jinko ESS, a leading global energy storage company and a subsidiary of JinkoSolar Co., Ltd., was named a Grade A energy storage integrator in Wood Mackenzie’s inaugural Global Battery Energy Storage System Integrator Competitiveness Ranking.
The report said global battery energy storage system additions surpassed 100GW for the first time in 2025, shifting market evaluation away from standalone product performance and toward full lifecycle delivery capabilities. It also noted that as project scale expands and operating lives lengthen, the industry is now judged more heavily on delivery certainty, vertical integration and financial resilience.
Following a comprehensive assessment, Jinko ESS was one of only 18 companies worldwide to receive the Grade A distinction. The company’s rating reflects its execution capabilities across different geographies and extreme climates, supported by a broad portfolio of utility scale and Commercial and Industrial solutions.
JinkoSolar said the two rankings underline market confidence in its long term development capabilities and project value. The company said it will continue to invest in high efficiency n type technology and strengthen its global delivery and service capabilities.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal

 






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Wood River Seeks Solar Projects For Fire Department, Rec Center  RiverBender.com
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Researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia have achieved a power conversion efficiency of 30.2% for a two-terminal (2T) monolithic perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell.
The result was confirmed by the PV Performance Lab at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
The research team, headed by Professor and John Hooke Chair of Nanoscience Anita Ho-Baillie, said the breakthrough reinforces the University of Sydney’s position as a leader in perovskite–silicon tandem solar cell research. “The achievement provides a good foundation for further area scaling of perovskite layer for improved electrical performance and stability,” she told pv magazine.
“A heterojunction silicon cell was used as the bottom junction,” she went on to say. “For the top junction, one of the key challenges in scaling to large areas is achieving uniform solution-processed films. To address this, the team engineered the hole-selective layer to enable uniform and reproducible deposition of the overlying perovskite layer across a large area. This tenfold increase in cell area builds on the team’s previous achievement of a 30%-efficient, 1 cm² perovskite–silicon tandem solar cell, independently certified by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 2024.”
According to Ho-Baillie, the University of Sydney solar research team is now among a small number of groups worldwide to have demonstrated larger-area perovskite–silicon tandem solar cells with efficiencies of 30% or higher. “To our knowledge, these groups include Longi, Auner, JA Solar, Trina Solar in collaboration with the National University of Singapore, a consortium comprising Soochow University, Monash University, Chint New Energy Technology, Wuxi EliTe Solar, Suzhou Maxwell, the University of Oxford, the Beijing Institute of Technology, and Suzhou Laboratory, as well as Suzhou Maxwell,” she also stated.
No further technical details about the new device were provided.
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Nautilus, TurningPoint open their second Delaware solar project  Bay to Bay News
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CM urges more factories to switch to green energy
Meeting environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards should be incentive enough for companies to adopt solar energy without relying on state grants, says Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
“It is the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) and they are complying with their ESG commitment themselves.
“Their customers also want to know that they are meeting ESG standards, so I think that is a good incentive in itself,” he said after launching phase two of a solar installation project at Renesas Semiconductor (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd in Bayan Lepas, Penang.
Chow said while the state government did not offer specific incentives or grants for solar panel installations, financial assistance was available.
“We have the SHIFT Enable Climate Mitigation Fund, a collaboration between Penang Green Council and Alliance Bank.
“Sometimes companies require funding and the fund enables small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to adopt ESG practices,” he said.
Launched in April, the fund helps manufacturers, particularly SMEs, in financing decarbonisation and ESG initiatives.
On the Renesas project, the semiconductor manufacturer completed its rooftop solar panel installation in Bayan Lepas earlier this year.
The company is mbarking on its second phase, involving the construction of solar panel canopies over about 200 parking bays.
Tenaga Nasional Bhd chief retail officer Datuk Kamal Arifin A. Rahman said the rooftop installation cost about RM2mil and was implemented under a zero-capex financing model through GSPARX Sdn Bhd.
This setup allows businesses to instal solar panels with zero upfront capital cost.
“The factory does not have to pay anything upfront.
“We fund the installation and recover the capital expenditure through the electricity savings generated.
“We expect to recover the investment in less than 10 years, after which the savings will benefit Renesas,” he said.
Kamal added that the project supported Malaysia’s broader renewable energy agenda.
“It supports the country’s net-zero commitment by 2050.
“We are also working towards having renewable energy contribute between 30% and 35% of the national energy mix by 2035,” he said.
Renesas internal manufacturing sites global head Ooi Heng Ee said the company would invest RM1bil in Malaysia over the next two years, creating about 200 high-value jobs in the semiconductor and artificial intelligence industries.
He added that the company was advancing its smart factory initiatives through automation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to improve productivity and sustainability.
Ooi said the rooftop solar panels completed earlier this year would reduce carbon emissions by about 3,264 tonnes annually.
He said the new solar carpark project would offset another 720 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year – equivalent to preserving more than 32,000 trees.
Chow described Renesas as an important player in Penang’s electrical and electronics industry, with its ongoing investments strengthening the state’s position as a high-value manufacturing hub.
He added that renewable energy currently accounted for about 6% of Penang’s energy mix under the Penang Energy Framework, with the state targeting 10% by 2030 before setting higher goals.
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Installation of community solar gardens is steadily increasing across Minnesota, from Zumbrota to Duluth. Rows of solar panels, known as solar arrays, are placed on rooftops or in large fields to generate electricity. The panels convert sunlight into electricity that is sent to the grid and distributed to utility customers.
Solar gardens are owned and operated by developers such as Cooperative Energy Futures and PureSky Energy. The electricity they generate is fed into the electrical grid for general use.
Xcel Energy currently has the most solar gardens across the state.
Subscribing to a solar garden works much like buying a share in a community-supported agriculture program, or CSA. But instead of receiving vegetables, subscribers receive a credit on their energy bill.
Eden Prairie resident Joanna Takes subscribed to PureSky Energy in 2022 after learning about the opportunity from a friend. She pays a monthly fee to PureSky Energy for her share of the solar energy produced. She then receives a credit on her Xcel Energy bill.
Takes calculated that during the first six months of 2026, she paid Xcel Energy a total of $222.14. Her lowest bill so far this year was $11.02 in May.
Subscription amounts vary each month depending on the amount of energy the garden produces. Over the past year, Takes said the most she paid PureSky Energy was $65.02 in October 2025, and the lowest amount was $10.70 in March. She paid a total of $399.06 for her subscription in 2025.
In 2025, she paid Xcel Energy a total of $140.41 for a home that is mostly electric with some gas appliances.
Janet Janzen, the marketing and communications manager for PureSky Energy, said the process to become a subscriber is straightforward.
Janzen said certain areas may have a waitlist, but PureSky typically has more openings during the summer. Subscribers can take their subscriptions with them if they move within the service area or cancel at no cost if they move outside it.
Of PureSky Energy’s 679 Minnesota subscribers, 649 are residential subscribers. Renters, homeowners and business owners are eligible as long as the electric bill is in their name.
In Eden Prairie, rooftop solar gardens were installed at Eden Prairie Community Center and Pax Christi Church in 2022. Subscriptions for these gardens, managed by Cooperative Energy Futures, sold out quickly.
Residents like Takes subscribe to solar gardens because community solar allows them to support clean energy without installing panels at home. Not all homes are ideal for solar panels, and some homeowners don’t want the added expense of installing roof panels.
People who rent, live in an apartment or have too much shade may not be able to install solar panels, but they can subscribe to a community solar garden to receive bill credits and support solar energy.
Editor’s note: Joanna Takes, whose experience with community solar is featured in this story, is the managing editor of Eden Prairie Local News.
Editor’s note: This story is the latest in an ongoing series called “Sustainability in Action.” The series spotlights sustainability efforts in Eden Prairie at various levels, from local government and businesses to community groups and residents. It includes a page dedicated to local, state and national sustainability resources. This series has received support from a grant from the Eden Prairie Community Foundation.
If you have an idea for this series, contact the editors.

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A zoning hearing regarding a proposed solar farm in Albrightsville drew a smaller-than-expected crowd at the Jim Thorpe Fire Company as Plainfield Solar LLC and Lynx Associates Ltd. presented a substantive validity challenge to the township’s zoning ordinance.
Vice Chairman of the board of supervisors Christian Bartulovich commented on the attendance.
“I’m both surprised and disappointed as I assumed we have equal weight to issues facing our community,” Bartulovich said, referencing the large turnout at recent hearings involving proposed data centers. “It’s part and parcel of the same problems that come to the rural communities.”
Attorney Shawn N. Gallagher, representing Plainfield Solar LLC, questioned Jesse Montgomery, CEO of Clean Shift Energy of North Carolina, which owns Plainfield Solar.
Montgomery testified that factors in selecting the site included the property’s suitability for development, proximity to electrical infrastructure and the ability to sell energy. The proposed project is located at 0 N. Meckesville Road, Albrightsville.
During questioning by township Solicitor Tom Nanovic, Gallagher acknowledged that the applicant did not have a copy of a lease agreement with the property owner, Queen of Peace Missionary Associates.
“We do not have the lease but have authority from Queen of Peace,” Gallagher said.
Nanovic also questioned testimony regarding the total acreage of the property and the amount that would be used for the project, saying the figures presented did not appear to align. Testimony also addressed the increased costs associated with locating a project farther from existing infrastructure.
According to Montgomery, the project would utilize 327 acres that were reportedly clear-cut in 2021. The site would contain approximately 113,000 solar panels measuring 8 feet tall and 7 feet wide.
Montgomery testified that construction would take approximately 12 months and that the facility would be monitored remotely 24 hours a day, seven days a week after completion, with no permanent on-site staffing.
He said an estimated six to 10 trucks would enter and exit the site daily during construction and that “120 jobs will be provided during peak building.”
Montgomery testified that the project represents a $45 million investment and would “bring tax revenue which will be discretionary.” Zoning Hearing Board Chairwoman Audrey Wargo asked about wetlands on the property.
“We designed the project to avoid impact to the wetlands on the site,” Montgomery said.
He testified that a third-party survey will be conducted. Testimony also indicated that two bass species were identified on the property and that mitigation measures would be required through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Additional discussion focused on vegetation management and buffering around the site.
According to the application, the challenge alleges that the township’s “zoning ordinance and map do not provide for its fair share of this use, the zoning ordinance is unconstitutionally exclusionary and that the applicant is entitled to site specific relief.”
The applicant will be required to prove those claims.
After several hours of testimony, the hearing was continued to 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 27 at the Penn Forest Township building.

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“Under SOMAH, at least 50% of the solar system has to benefit tenants.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A Northern California renter turned to Reddit with a concern many apartment residents can relate to. If a landlord installs solar panels, who actually benefits — and who pays for it?
According to the post, the tenant said Sunrun had added panels to the property, but they were uneasy about being pushed into the change.
They said their electricity use was already restrained. They got power through Pacific Gas and Electric, usually remained in Tier 1 usage, and did not rely heavily on air conditioning.
“Lately our bills have been as low as $50,” the original poster wrote, noting that some neighbors end up with much larger bills because they use heating and cooling more aggressively.
What concerned the renter was whether a building-wide solar arrangement could somehow make their costs reflect other tenants’ energy consumption.
In an update, they explained that the installation was part of California’s SOMAH program, short for Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing.
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In the comments, one person said the setup probably would not be a bad thing.
“Since it’s part of the SOMAH program, I’d ask the property manager how billing is calculated,” they wrote. “I wouldn’t expect your bill to be based on your neighbors’ usage, but it’s always good to confirm.”
Programs such as SOMAH are meant to make clean energy more accessible to people who often have few options for managing housing-related costs.
If the system works as intended, lower electricity bills can make everyday life more affordable while also reducing reliance on polluting energy sources that contribute to dirty air and rising global temperatures.
Renters in similar situations can ask whether their utility still bills each unit directly, if their apartment has a separate electric meter, and how solar credits are divided among tenants.
“Under SOMAH, at least 50% of the solar system has to benefit tenants,” one commenter noted.
Another user advised: “I would definitely check with your property manager on how it works, but maybe for a more reliable answer call the tenant hotline in the second link. It sounds like it should lower your bill — but definitely check.”
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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Bluebird Solar Secures 278 MW Solar Module Supply Order for SJVN Projects in Gujarat and Rajasthan  SolarQuarter
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TotalEnergies acquires 4GW renewables portfolio from Shell, sells 50% stake in 1.2GW portfolio to KKR  PV Tech
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Green hydrogen it promotes a new stage for energy development in Australia with the participation of Trina Solar, which was selected to supply the photovoltaic modules for the project Good Earth Green Hydrogen and Ammonia (GEGHA), located near Moree, the initiative will become New South Wales’ first green hydrogen and ammonia production facility, reinforcing the role of solar power in low-emission industrial applications.
The Chinese company will deliver modules Vertex S+ (NEG18R.28) of 510 W y 515 W for a solar power plant 27 MW, responsible for supplying renewable electricity to the project’s electrolysis system. This infrastructure will enable the production of green hydrogen and low-carbon ammonia using photovoltaic energy, laying the foundation for a more sustainable production model in the industrial sector.
The modules incorporate technology i-TOPCon type n and a thermally reinforced double-glazed design, developed to offer greater resistance to adverse weather conditions and reduce degradation over time. According to Trina Solar, these features promote stable energy performance throughout the installation’s lifespan and help lower the project’s operating costs.
The company explained that the technology i-TOPCon type n it reduces light-induced degradation, a factor that helps maintain constant electricity production and improves the long-term profitability of renewable energy projects.
Edison Zhou Trina Solar’s director for Australia and New Zealand, stated that initiatives like GEGHA reflect the growing role of the solar energy in the development of emerging industries linked to the production of green hydrogen and low-emission fertilizers.
By supplying high-performance Vertex S+ modules for the project’s solar plant, Trina Solar is helping to lay the foundations for renewable energy for the production of green hydrogen and low-carbon ammonia.
GEGHA is jointly developed by Hiringa Energy and Sundown Pastoral Company construction of the complex is already underway and its objective is to demonstrate the commercial viability of a decentralized model for hydrogen and fertilizer production that can be replicated in other regions of Australia.
When it becomes operational, scheduled for2027the facility will be able to produce up to 200 tons per year of green hydrogen and around 4,500 tons of low-carbon ammonia.
The project will also include a 15 MW hydrogen electrolyzer and will be located next to the Wathagar cotton gin, a joint venture of Sundown Pastoral Company. The fertilizer produced will initially be used for the production of Good Earth Cotton a cotton with a net-zero energy balance and certified traceability. The surplus will be available to other agricultural producers in the region.
Joe Cumming Hiringa Energy’s senior project manager, highlighted that the reliability of photovoltaic generation will be a decisive element in validating the model promoted by GEGHA.
GEGHA is designed as a commercial pilot project for the decentralized production of hydrogen and fertilizers that could be replicated across Australia. For a project seeking to demonstrate a long-term regional model, reliable solar power generation is essential.
Cumming added that the n-type double-glazed technology trina Solar’s experience in the Australian market was a key factor in the selection process for the photovoltaic modules that will power the project’s solar plant. With this initiative, Australia is advancing the development of infrastructure that integrates solar energy, green hydrogen, and low-emission fertilizers to support the decarbonization of industry and the agricultural sector.
Source: Renewables Now
Photo: Shutterstock
Sonnedix will supply 13 GWh of renewable electricity to Re Alloys through its first PPA in Poland from the Wdziekon Drugi park.
Axpo will optimize the 830 MWh BESS that Zelestra will build and operate in northeast Italy.
Repsol will supply renewable electricity to Grupo Bimbo through VPPA contracts to support the decarbonization of its European operations.
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The energy developer is backing off after a Heatmap report.
Clearway says it is backing off its plans to build a data center and gas power plant on federal land, days after Heatmap revealed the energy developer’s proposal.
Last week, I reported that Clearway asked the Trump administration’s Bureau of Land Management to swap a five year-old application for a solar farm’s permits with “a proposed data center and natural gas facility.” Clearway’s chief development officer John Woody had written in a letter to BLM dated April 3 that the swap was “the result of a shift in our internal development priorities” and intended “to better align with the goals of our Administration.” He also noted the plans were in “exploratory early stages.”
This news fit a trend. I obtained Clearway’s letter right after reporting on a different solar project on federal land that was being swapped for a data center. But it turns out, the company’s internal thinking continued to shift: on Friday, they reached out to me saying they are now nixing the data center and gas plant, after concluding it wasn’t the right call for their business.

“Since our initial filing, we’ve evaluated how to make the best use of this public land in a way that serves its intended purpose: the public interest. As a clean energy developer and operator, our focus in Nevada remains solar and battery storage,” Clearway said in a statement it provided to me from an unnamed spokesperson. “We are in the process of amending our application to reflect the state’s growing demand for low-cost, reliable energy.”
In addition, Clearway on Monday sent a letter to BLM formally alerting the agency it has no plans to build the data center, which it also provided to me.
When I first broke news of Clearway’s plans, I said it was an apparent aberration – they oversaw relatively few fossil projects and had never worked in data centers. I chalked this pivot up to yet another energy developer changing its tune with the winds of national politics. Now that the company is apparently sticking to its guns, I’m mostly just left wondering what happened here – and relieved some still remain committed to zero-emissions power in the booming business of electrons.
Jael Holzman
Jael is a senior reporter at Heatmap. Previously, she was an energy and climate policy reporter for Axios and covered energy transition resources for E&E News. She lives in Washington, D.C.
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The deal, shared exclusively with Heatmap, is the startup’s third in the oil-importing country.
Hydrogen fuel comes in myriad forms. There’s green hydrogen, which is extracted from water molecules using zero-carbon electricity. There’s blue hydrogen, derived from methane and scrubbed clean by carbon capture. And then there’s white hydrogen. Otherwise known as natural or geologic hydrogen, this type of hydrogen comes directly from naturally occurring deposits in the earth, can accumulate in considerable quantities and concentrations, and is highly energy-efficient to extract compared to manufacturing pathways such as electrolyzers and steam methane reforming.
It’s a seductive promise, but finding deposits with enough hydrogen to make the economics of exploration work is difficult. That’s where Koloma comes in. The startup uses a bespoke subsurface data set, which its founders developed over 20-plus years, to flag the areas most likely to hold sufficient hydrogen, after which they can extract it for power and derivative fuels.
On Thursday, the startup announced its latest exploration deal, its third in the Philippines, which will give it exclusive rights to a roughly 817-square-mile area in western Zambales Province on the island of Luzon. Altogether, the company now has rights to explore more than 1,600 square miles of the island.

The Philippines until recently imported 98% of its oil from the Middle East. Since the onset of the U.S. and Israel-led war in Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the country’s responses have included declaring an energy emergency, imposing a four-day workweek, tripling solar panel imports from China, and even planning to dust off the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, which has sat idle since 1986.
The country also sits between three active tectonic plates, which means it has a lot of young iron-rich rock formations exposed to water — exactly the conditions that continuously produce natural hydrogen.
“The Philippines is like the poster child of that,” Pete Johnson, Koloma’s CEO, told me. “The geology is very, very good.” Accordingly, the prospect of a plentiful, easy-to-tap domestic energy source has gotten Philippine policymakers excited. The government collects data on natural leaks of hydrogen from the ground to help companies like Koloma narrow their search.
In theory, once a viable deposit is discovered, extraction is straightforward. “If you drill a hole into that pressurized reservoir, the gas is going to flow by itself. It’s just like poking a hole in a balloon,” Johnson told me. Where electrolyzers need around 55 megawatt-hours of energy to produce a ton of hydrogen and gas-powered reformers need around 40 megawatt-hours, natural hydrogen extraction would take 3 megawatt-hours maximum, according to the CEO. And unlike some methods to artificially stimulate the formation of hydrogen deposits, which my colleague Katie Brigham wrote about last week, tapping into natural wells doesn’t require injecting high-pressure fluids, which keeps the structural integrity of the subsurface intact.

Koloma has no hard agreement with the Philippine government to earmark any of the hydrogen it may produce there for domestic consumption, Johnson told me. But given the difficulty of transporting the lightweight gas and the projected growth of the Philippine economy, he expects the country would be the overwhelming beneficiary of Koloma’s activities there.
Once it’s extracted, Koloma could sell the hydrogen as a primary resource (major population and industrial centers like Manila are close to exploration sites) or as a feedstock for products like ammonia and sustainable aviation fuel, which local manufacturers could then export. There may also be opportunities to sequester captured CO2, which easily bonds with the types of rock often found in natural hydrogen deposits and can in turn make the rock more reactive for hydrogen generation.
Hydrogen has figured heavily in the decarbonization and energy security plans of import-dependent East and Southeast Asian economies for a long time. As Katie explained earlier this year, it’s also a centerpiece of China’s latest five-year plan. Japan, meanwhile, has been a leader since the industry’s inception, rolling out the world’s first hydrogen strategy in 2017. The Philippines’ partnership with Koloma is a bet that there are enough hydrogen balloons under its land to put its energy plans on the same trajectory.
The latest forecast from BloombergNEF raises its estimate for AI electricity demand by 83%.
Energy analysts at BloombergNEF predicted last year that U.S. data center electricity demand would reach 106 gigawatts within the next decade. In its latest outlook, released Tuesday, the group increased its forecast by 83%, to 194 gigawatts — enough to light up 150 million homes, or roughly every single household in the country today.
Even that may be a conservative estimate. If data center developers were to max out the total number of the high-powered chips used to train and operate AI models forecast to be delivered by 2035, electricity demand would reach 229 gigawatts.
Over 100 gigawatts of that demand has entered the development pipeline since the beginning of this year, the result of both rising demand for artificial intelligence and shortened construction timelines for data centers. Some developers have oriented their site selection around energy availability, redeveloping brownfield energy generation sites for quick access to electricity and developing relationships with utilities. Others have eschewed grid interconnection entirely and instead relied behind-the-meter power generation.

As Mark Daly, head of technology and innovation at BNEF and a co-author of the report, pointed out to me, a growing share of the project pipeline comes from first-time developers. He and his colleagues project that non-hyperscaler data center capacity will nearly quintuple over the next decade, as hyperscaler capacity almost triples. That could ultimately create pipeline risks, however, as small-scale developers lack the capabilities of more experienced developers to optimize around pre-construction bottlenecks and navigate rapidly growing local opposition. Although local opposition to data centers has become prevalent, historic trends and predictions on how quickly developers are able to navigate hostile environments are built on the proficiency of experienced developers. Because first-time developers may face more challenges, Daly told me that data center projects overall “would see an increase in the number of delays.”
All of this, of course, comes with a big asterisk. The data center sector is rapidly evolving, and therefore highly uncertain. Among leading market research firms, BNEF said, there is a 100-gigawatt spread between the lowest and highest predicted electricity demand from data centers in 2030. Driving this spread are differences in assumptions about the average development timeline for a data center project. Daly told me that BNEF’s “project-based estimate is middle-of-the-road to bearish compared to other outlooks,” but also acknowledged that the fickle nature of local opposition on development timelines may place more constraints on future data center development than currently modeled.
No matter which prediction turns out to be most accurate, hourly U.S. electricity demand will come under intensifying pressure. BNEF predicts that average hourly U.S. electricity demand from AI workloads will grow five-fold over next nine years, reaching 120 gigawatts by 2035. That will put data centers at 12% of total electricity consumption on average by 2030, and 20% in 2035, up from 5% in 2025, according to figures from the International Energy Agency. This will put particular strain on electricity prices in markets like the Mid-Atlantic’s PJM, where data centers already comprise nearly a third of electricity consumption, and Texas’ ERCOT, where data centers currently consume a fifth of the market’s electricity.

Even the most conservative bet on future data center electricity demand is a scenario we’re not prepared for. If the Electric Power Research Institute’s prediction that just 56 gigawatts of new data center capacity will be up and running by 2030 — the lowest estimate BNEF cited — that would still consume the equivalent of Sweden’s total energy supply. Absent investments from utilities into grid resilience and intensive permitting reform to speed up renewable energy siting and development, PJM and ERCOT customers will not be the only ones feeling a serious squeeze in their wallets when their monthly utility bills arrive.
“Microsoft, you can’t hide, we can see your dirty side!”
Protestors interrupted one of the final sessions of PNW Climate Week — a conference that brings together climate leaders across Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia — objecting to Microsoft’s rising carbon emissions from data centers and partnerships with oil and gas companies. The company’s Chief Sustainability Officer Melanie Nakagawa was having a one on one conversation with GeekWire climate reporter Lisa Stiffler at Seattle’s City Hall when protestors carrying signs reading “Microsoft’s AI pollutes” and other slogans began shouting from the audience.
I was there, having just moderated the prior panel on how to finance Washington’s clean energy ambitions. Early on there were some rumblings in the crowd from up front. “Climate leaders don’t build gas pipelines in Moses Lake,” was the first objection I heard clearly. It came shortly after Nakagawa kicked off the conversation by highlighting Microsoft’s partnership with sustainable aviation fuel startup Twelve, which recently opened its first commercial-scale SAF plant in Moses Lake, Washington. The tech giant has supported the project through a strategic investment from its Climate Innovation Fund, as well as an offtake agreement for the fuel that will help offset its emissions from employee travel.

Whether Microsoft is building a gas pipeline in this particular community I haven’t been able to determine, though it seems irrelevant to Twelve’s SAF facility, which doesn’t rely on natural gas. But it is true that Microsoft is one of the largest power consumers in Grant County, Washington, home to Moses Lake, where a natural gas pipeline operator is looking to expand its network to accommodate data center load growth.
Another audience interruption was more pointed. “How does signing a 20-year deal with Chevron help you reach your clean energy goals?,” one protestor asked, referring to Microsoft's recently announced power purchase agreement with Chevron for nearly 2.7 gigawatts of natural gas-fired power to supply a West Texas data center. The project represents one of the largest gas-powered artificial intelligence developments in the U.S., and Stiffler acknowledged that she had been planning to ask about it, herself.
Nakagawa answered the question. at least in part, saying “that project with Chevron is initially using natural gas and it’s a natural gas contract,” before emphasizing that the company has built “over 4.5 gigawatts of clean energy already today,” and remains committed to balancing speed-to-power with its clean energy goals. She added that, “with this deal in particular, we’re looking at a range of tools in our toolbox to ensure that we can continue to grow our power, but also do so in a way that is responsible and sustainable.” She stopped short, however, of making any commitments to transitioning the project to renewable energy over time.
The session became more chaotic from there. Another protestor stood up, shouting that “Microsoft is enabling genocide in Palestine.” Other activists joined in, while still other audience members shouted back. As Nakagawa recovered and resumed answering a question from Stiffler about Microsoft’s recent decision to pause its carbon removal purchases after years of dominating the nascent industry, protestors throughout the crowd began a chant of “Microsoft, you can’t hide, we can see your dirty side.” Security eventually shepherded many of them out.

Stiffler continued speaking with Nakawaga about the company’s clean energy efforts, touching on many of the protestors’ concerns as she asked about community opposition to data centers, the role of large corporations in the clean energy transition, and whether Microsoft can realistically achieve its goal of becoming carbon negative by 2030.
Nakawaga emphasized that the company must, “first and foremost, listen to where the communities are and what they are calling for.” Regarding the concerns she hears most often, she explained that “first has been transparency. Second has been around resource uses and what are we doing about those resource uses. We’re hearing about jobs and employment and investments in education, investments in housing.”
If this session was any indication, those concerns won’t go away anytime soon.

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Sono Motors GmbH has filed for insolvency for the second time. The company announced today (August 3) that it ceased operations as of July 31.
The Munich-based start-up was founded in 2016 to develop and commercialise the solar-powered electric vehicle Sion. However, the project failed, and Sono Motors filed for insolvency in May 2023, subsequently attempting to restructure through protective shield proceedings. Since 2024, the company had focused entirely on its B2B solar business, which developed and offered photovoltaic solutions for the automotive industry.
Sono Motors said that, “despite intensive and promising discussions with investors”, it had been unable to secure viable financing. The restructuring became necessary after the company’s main investor, Sono Group N.V., announced in March 2026 that it was withdrawing from Sono Motors’ photovoltaic division with immediate effect.
As part of the insolvency proceedings, the company is seeking a buyer for its Sono Motors brand and its associated B2B business, which provides photovoltaic applications for vehicle manufacturers and fleets.
The assets being offered for sale include all intellectual property, hardware components and technical documentation. According to Sono Motors, the offering covers its vehicle-specific solar integration technology developed for the Sion model, power electronics such as solar charge controllers for vehicles, and Solar Data Services.
“The fact that we ultimately failed to secure financing is a major disappointment, particularly after we continued intensive discussions with investors until the very end,” said CEO Denis Azhar.
“Our focus is now on finding buyers who will continue developing our market-ready products, recognise the technological potential of Sono Solar, acquire all or parts of the business, and scale it further.”
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Cosmic PV Power Limited has received the Consent to Establish (CTE) from Madhya Pradesh’s pollution control authorities for its proposed 1.10 GW solar cell manufacturing facility in Narmadapuram. The approval clears the way for construction of the project, which the company expects to commission in FY 2027-28.
The Surat-based solar module manufacturer will develop the facility on 60 acres of land leased for 99 years. The plant will manufacture solar cells using N-Type TOPCon technology and marks the company’s entry into domestic solar cell production as it expands beyond module manufacturing.
Commenting on the development, Jenish Ghael, Chairman, Cosmic PV Power Limited, said, “The CTE approval for Narmadapuram is a milestone we have worked towards for a long time. Backward integration into cells is not an option anymore for serious module manufacturers — it is the only way to stay relevant once ALMM List-II takes full effect. This plant is our answer to that shift, and we are building it to be ready for the next stage of growth for the firm and the market.”
Expansion strategy
The investment comes after the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) implemented the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) List-II requirement for domestically manufactured solar cells from June 1, 2026. Under the mandate, government-backed, net-metered and open-access projects must use solar cells sourced only from domestic manufacturers approved under ALMM List-II.
According to the company, the policy has highlighted the gap between India’s module and cell manufacturing capacities. While the country has around 193-210 GW of module manufacturing capacity, domestic solar cell manufacturing capacity stood at about 30-31 GW as of mid-2026. The gap is more pronounced in N-Type TOPCon technology, where nearly 172 GW of approved module manufacturing capacity is supported by only around 10 GW of domestic TOPCon cell capacity.
The Narmadapuram project forms part of Cosmic PV’s broader backward integration strategy. The company has previously outlined plans to establish a 4 GW TOPCon solar cell manufacturing facility in Madhya Pradesh, with the proposed 1.10 GW plant representing the first phase of that expansion.
Manufacturing footprint
Founded in 2020 by Jenish Ghael and Shravan Gupta, Cosmic PV Power initially started with 125 MW of manufacturing capacity. The company now operates two fully automated manufacturing facilities in Surat with a combined solar PV module manufacturing capacity of 3 GW, producing Mono PERC, bifacial and N-Type TOPCon modules.
In addition to manufacturing modules under its own brand, the company also undertakes original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and original design manufacturer (ODM) production for around 15 domestic solar companies.
Earlier in 2026, Cosmic commissioned an additional 1.6 GW TOPCon G12R module manufacturing line at its Surat facility. The company has also raised funding from investors, including Chanakya Opportunities Fund.
Shravan Gupta, Managing Director, Cosmic PV Power Limited, said, “We did not start out planning to be a cell manufacturer, but the market has told us clearly that module makers who stay dependent on imported cells will be left behind. Narmadapuram gives us control over a critical part of our supply chain, and it sets up the next stage of our journey, which includes storage. Our goal is to be a complete clean energy manufacturing company, not just a module supplier.”
The company plans to begin commercial operations at the Narmadapuram facility in FY 2027-28 as it expands towards vertically integrated manufacturing across solar cells, modules and, eventually, energy storage.
The featured photograph is for representation only.
The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has requested that the Ministry of Finance extend tax incentives and green policy benefits to the nuclear power sector, aiming to align it with renewable energy support frameworks. The proposal has been submitted as part of the ongoing budget preparation exercise, according to people familiar with the development. The…
Read More DAE seeks tax relief and green status for nuclear power at par with renewables
Kalpataru Limited has reported its strongest operational performance for FY2025-26, supported by record pre-sales, higher collections and improved sales realizations across key projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The company recorded its highest-ever annual pre-sales of Rs 5,280 crore during FY2025-26, registering a 17% increase from Rs 4,531 crore in the previous fiscal year….
Read More Kalpataru reports record FY2025-26 pre-sales and collections
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Naturgy have finalized a €1 billion ($1.05 billion) loan to advance renewable energy projects in Spain.  The first tranche of €400 million ($422 million) was signed in Madrid, marking a key milestone in Spain’s energy transition. The funding will support the development of new solar and onshore wind power…
Read More EIB and Naturgy secure €1bn loan for Spain’s renewable energy expansion
Hitachi Energy India Limited has announced an investment of around Rs 2,000 crore to establish a new large power transformer (LPT) manufacturing facility at Karjan in Vadodara, Gujarat. The investment, first indicated during the company’s FY26 fourth quarter results announcement in May 2026, is aimed at expanding domestic manufacturing capacity for grid equipment under the…
Read More Hitachi Energy India to invest Rs 2,000 crore in Gujarat transformer plant
Pace Digitek Limited’s subsidiary, Lineage Power Private Limited (LPPL), has completed one year of commercial Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) manufacturing at its Bidadi facility. During the period, LPPL manufactured more than 260 utility-scale BESS containers, representing over 1.25 GWh of integrated BESS capacity. According to the company, this represents one of the largest utility-scale…
Read More Pace Digitek completes one year of BESS manufacturing at Bidadi
Vayona Energy has signed its first turbine supply agreement in India with Oyster Renewable Energy for a 64.8 MW wind power project in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh. The contract follows the company’s acquisition from Siemens Gamesa and marks its entry into the Indian market. Under the agreement, Vayona Energy will supply 18 SG 3.6-145 wind…
Read More Vayona Energy secures 64.8 MW wind turbine order in Andhra Pradesh
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Bluebird Solar has secured an order to supply 278 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to Bridge & Roof Company (India) Limited for two Solar Energy projects of SJVN in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Under the contract, the company will supply 600 Wp M10R N-Type TOPCon Dual Glass Bifacial Solar PV Modules for the 133 MW Khavda solar project in Gujarat and the 145 MW Nawa solar project in Rajasthan.
Commenting on the development, Rohit Tikku, Chief Executive Officer, Bluebird Solar, said, “We are delighted to secure this prestigious order from Bridge & Roof Company Ltd. for the SJVN project. This achievement reflects our unwavering commitment to quality, technological innovation, and reliable project execution. As India continues to accelerate its renewable energy transition, Bluebird Solar remains committed to delivering high-performance solar PV modules that enable large-scale clean energy generation while supporting the Government of India’s vision for energy security and sustainability.”
Akshay Mittal, Director, Bluebird Solar, said, “This order is another significant milestone in Bluebird Solar’s growth journey and demonstrates the trust that India’s leading infrastructure and renewable energy organizations place in our manufacturing capabilities. We will continue investing in advanced technologies and expanding our integrated manufacturing ecosystem to support India’s ambition of becoming a global renewable energy manufacturing hub.”
The order follows another major contract secured by the company in July, when NTPC Renewable Energy Limited (NTPC REL) awarded Bluebird Solar a contract to supply 439.35 MW of solar PV modules for a utility-scale solar project in Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Manufacturing plans
Bluebird Solar operates a 2.5 GW fully automated solar PV module manufacturing facility in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The company said automated production systems, precision manufacturing processes and quality assurance systems support the facility. Its corporate headquarters is located in New Delhi, from where it serves utility-scale, commercial, industrial and residential markets across India.
The company is also planning to expand its manufacturing footprint by establishing 2.5 GW of solar cell manufacturing capacity along with wafer and ingot manufacturing facilities. In addition, it intends to enter the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) segment as part of its strategy to build an integrated clean energy manufacturing ecosystem.
According to the company, these investments are aimed at strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities, improving supply chain resilience and supporting the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, while contributing to the country’s target of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity.
The featured photograph is for representation only.
Bondada Engineering Limited has commissioned 69.51 MWp of solar power capacity for multiple clients during January 2026. The projects were completed across locations in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The newly operational capacity was delivered for Paradigm IT, MAHAGENCO, and NLC India Limited. Sites include Hingoli, Achalpur, Bhusawal, and Vajiapur in Maharashtra, and Neyveli in Tamil…
Read More Bondada Engineering commissions 69.51 MWp solar projects
JSL Super Steel, a subsidiary of Jindal Stainless Limited (JSL), has signed a power purchase agreement with Sunsure Energy. The agreement is for the supply of 11 MWp solar power at its plant in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The solar power will be sourced from Sunsure’s 49 MWp open access solar project located in Augasi, Banda…
Read More JSL Super Steel signs PPA with Sunsure Energy for 11 MWp solar power
PFC Consulting Limited (PFCCL) transferred Mundra I Transmission Limited, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to  Adani Energy Solutions Limited (AESL) for development of the Transmission System for supply of power to Green Hydrogen/Ammonia manufacturing potential in Mundra area of Gujarat (3 GW) Under Phase-I Part B1 on March 20, 2025. PFCCL had invited Request for…
Read More Adani Energy acquires Mundra I Transmission Project
Koraam, the agricultural solar solutions vertical powered by Kosol Energie Pvt. Ltd., has received its fourth order from Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) for deployment of solar water pumping systems under the Magel Tyala Saur Krushi Pump Yojana (MTSKPY). The latest Letter of Empanelment covers the installation of 2,933 solar water pumps across…
Read More Kosol Energie’s Koraam secures fourth MSEDCL solar pump order under PM-KUSUM
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) has secured a loan facility worth approximately $172 million from the State Bank of India (SBI) Tokyo. The loan includes a greenshoe option of around $66.2 million through external commercial borrowings. Structured as a five-year unsecured facility with a bullet repayment at maturity, the loan is expected to…
Read More IREDA secures $172 million loan from SBI Tokyo
Taiwan has slashed its 2025 budget for Taiwan Power (Taipower) by T$100 billion ($3.1 billion), sparking fears of electricity price hikes that could affect industries, including global semiconductor manufacturers, Bloomberg reported. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), led by President Lai Ching-te, lost its parliamentary majority in 2024, allowing the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s…
Read More Taiwan cuts Taipower subsidy, raising electricity cost concerns
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The Eindhoven University of Technology Solar Team has officially unveiled Stella Juva, the world’s first solar-powered ambulance, demonstrating a new role for photovoltaic technology in emergency healthcare. Powered by AIKO’s high-efficiency ABC (All Back Contact) solar cells, the vehicle is designed to provide reliable medical services in remote regions where access to electricity, fuel and transportation infrastructure is limited.
Rather than depending on transporting patients to hospitals, Stella Juva is designed to bring essential medical care directly to patients, functioning as a self-sufficient mobile medical unit in areas where healthcare infrastructure is limited or unavailable.
The vehicle can travel up to 715 km under favourable solar conditions and reaches a top speed of 120 km/h. Electricity generated by the rooftop photovoltaic system powers both the vehicle and onboard medical equipment—including defibrillators and portable X-ray systems—while an integrated battery system ensures continuous operation during the night and periods of low solar irradiance.
Extending Photovoltaics Beyond Power Generation
While solar mobility has attracted increasing attention in recent years, Stella Juva represents a broader shift in how photovoltaic technology can be deployed.
Rather than focusing solely on transportation, the project explores how distributed solar generation can support critical public services where reliable electricity directly affects healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
Developed by the Eindhoven Solar Team—winner of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge Cruiser Class and creator of the solar-powered vehicles Stella Vita and Stella Terra—the project reflects a move from demonstrating the limits of solar mobility to addressing practical humanitarian challenges.
According to the team, the concept was inspired by the reality that millions of people worldwide continue to live in regions where conventional ambulances cannot reliably operate because of poor road infrastructure, limited fuel availability or unstable electricity supplies.
Why ABC Technology
Vehicle-integrated photovoltaics present unique engineering challenges. With limited roof area available, every percentage point of module efficiency directly influences the amount of usable energy that can be generated.
The Eindhoven Solar Team selected AIKO’s ABC technology for its combination of high conversion efficiency, long-term reliability and stable performance under demanding environmental conditions.
According to David Komdeur, Photovoltaic Engineer of the Eindhoven Solar Team, maximizing energy generation from a constrained installation area was one of the project’s key design considerations.
In addition to its high energy density, AIKO’s ABC cells incorporate copper interconnection technology, which helps reduce the risk of micro-cracks caused by continuous vibration during off-road operation. Combined with low degradation characteristics and favourable temperature performance, the technology enables stable electricity generation across a wide range of operating environments, supporting uninterrupted power for mission-critical medical equipment.
Student-Led Innovation
Stella Juva was developed by a multidisciplinary team of 23 university students, most of them in their early twenties, who dedicated nearly a full year to designing and building the vehicle.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Project Lead Mathijs van Gerven reflected on the motivation behind the project.
“We live in a world with unreliable energy grids, skyrocketing fuel prices, a healthcare system that is not completely up to standard, and a rapidly changing climate,” he said.
“All of these challenges call for action. That’s why, in September 2025, a group of 23 students started with a blank sheet of paper. Eleven months later, we are standing here today.”
The prototype will now enter a programme of field demonstrations and operational testing to evaluate its performance in real-world medical scenarios.
Expanding the Role of Solar in Public Services
For AIKO, the collaboration highlights the growing role of high-efficiency photovoltaic technologies in emerging application scenarios beyond conventional rooftop and utility-scale installations.
As the industry continues to explore new use cases for distributed solar generation, projects such as Stella Juva demonstrate how photovoltaic technology can contribute not only to decarbonisation, but also to improving the resilience and accessibility of essential public services.
The company said it will continue working with partners worldwide to explore innovative applications for ABC technology across mobility, public infrastructure and other energy-intensive sectors.

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PM orders solar rollout at major government buildings  New Age BD
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Solar energy just had its best-ever month in the UK — as the first plug-in solar kits prepare to go on sale within weeks  TechRadar
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Few topics have reshaped European construction over the past decade as sharply as the fire performance of building façades. High-profile fires such as Grenfell Tower in London and, more recently, the Campanar tower in Valencia have pushed the reaction to fire of external wall materials (and the certificates that vouch for them) to the centre of the conversation. For high-rise buildings in particular, the direct consequences have been clear: careful selection of envelope materials and system design, more demanding classifications, and an ongoing revision of standards and testing methods in Europe.
Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) arrives directly into this tightening environment. BIPV manufacturers are increasingly aiming for the highest reaction-to-fire classes. Recently, controversy has emerged as certain products (in several cases reaching the European market from other regions) are marketed with a “Class A” fire reaction classification, the “non-combustible” grade many countries now demand on high-rise façades. In the European context, referring to “Class A” without stating the reference standard used to achieve it creates confusion, because “non-combustible” performance under the European reaction-to-fire classification EN 13501-1 is genuinely challenging for a BIPV system, and there are well-founded doubts about its feasibility given the polymer content every module contains.
In Europe, the reaction to fire of construction products is classified under EN 13501-1, which sorts products into Euroclasses from A1 (no contribution to fire) through intermediate grades down to F (no performance determined, or easily ignited). The classification draws on a family of tests, and the relevant route to the “Class A” demands the non-combustibility test (EN ISO 1182), the determination of gross calorific value in a bomb calorimeter (EN ISO 1716), and the single burning item test (EN 13823, universally known as the SBI test). Lower classes rely on a different test route, the small-flame ignitability test (EN ISO 11925-2), which is not part of the A2 route and is set aside here. In essence, each test measures a different aspect of how a product responds to heat and flame.
Confusion often begins when classifications from different standardisation frameworks are mixed. China’s GB 8624 classification uses closely related methods and even reports an “A (A2)” grade, while North American practice relies on entirely different references such as ASTM E84 or the UL series, also referring to Class A for top performers. A rating earned under one system does not automatically translate into another, and a certificate that quotes several frameworks side by side can give an impression of consensus that the underlying tests do not support. Indeed, a Class A under ASTM E84 does not directly translate into a A2-s1,d0 classification under EN 13501-1.
A quick point of scope: this discussion concerns reaction to fire on façades. The external fire performance of roofs is governed by a separate framework (EN 13501-5), which is not part of the Class A controversy and is left aside here.
In Europe, fire reaction specifications are set by national building codes in each country, which usually tie the minimum reaction-to-fire class to the building’s height and use. For low-rise buildings the requirement is often modest, but for high-rise façades many country building codes demand A2 or better. That threshold is precisely what opens or closes the door to a given product and the reason why a “Class A” label carries real commercial weight.
A BIPV module is a layered composite product typically composed of a front tempered glass, at least two polymer encapsulant layers embedding the solar cells, and a rear glass (replaced in certain cases by a polymer backsheet), plus a junction box and cabling that allow the system connection into strings. EN 13501-1 handles such products by looking at their components. The route to an A2 classification, simplified in the flow chart below, combines two demands that must both be satisfied.
First, the module must pass the SBI test (EN 13823), which exposes the product to a burner flame and limits how fast fire can grow (FIGRA), how much heat it releases in the first ten minutes (THR), and how far flame spreads. Second, because a module is a non-homogeneous product, each of its substantial components must clear a non-combustibility hurdle, demonstrated either through the non-combustibility test (EN ISO 1182) or through the calorific-value test (EN ISO 1716) depending on whether they are substantial or non-substantial material in the tested BIPV module configuration. Either route is acceptable, but the threshold has to be met by every substantial component, and it is this second demand that BIPV modules struggles to meet.
The reason is the encapsulant. Whichever way it is classified under EN 13501-1, the polymers that bond a module together (EVA, PVB or polyolefin alternatives) fail the test that applies to them. As a substantial layer, the encapsulant must pass the non-combustibility test, EN ISO 1182, where a polymer specimen ignites and sustains flaming, failing the pass criteria. As a thin, non-substantial layer (< 1 mm and < 1 kg/m²), it is judged instead on calorific value under EN ISO 1716, against a PCS limit of 4.0 MJ/m² for the encapsulant layer and 3.0 MJ/kg for the glass-glass sandwich. PV encapsulants release on the order of 40 MJ/kg, and even a single standard film carries far more energy per square metre than that limit allows: the two EVA layers of a typical module, around 0.9 mm in total, amount to roughly 34 MJ/m², some eight times the limit. That is not a marginal exceedance but an order- of-magnitude gap intrinsic to the material. The large mass of inert glass dilutes the figure when heat is averaged per kilogram of the whole product, which is why a full-product number can look deceptively low; but the calorific contribution of the polymer layer itself, measured per unit of surface, stays far above the threshold whatever the glass configuration. Either route, in other words, leads to the same place.
In principle, one could try to meet the surface limit by using less encapsulant. But the numbers make this a dead end: meeting 4.0 MJ/m² would require reducing the total polymer to roughly a tenth of a millimetre, around a tenth of what a working BIPV module carries in the best case. At that thickness the encapsulant can no longer do its job: it cannot embed the cells, absorb thermal stress, seal against moisture or electrically insulate the circuit. The only way to pass the calorific criterion would be to remove so much encapsulant that the laminate would cease to function as a safe and reliable photovoltaic module. In practice, a conventional laminated-glass module cannot reach an A2 classification without sacrificing its function as a photovoltaic device.
This is not particular to PV. Standard architectural laminated glass, bonded with PVB or EVA, is normally classified B-s1,d0, and the reason is the same: the interlayer’s calorific value always exceeds the A2 limit. The published literature on laminated glass reaches this same conclusion. A handful of laminated-glass products do carry an A2 classification, but only by replacing the ordinary interlayer with a fire-engineered one, such as gel-filled layers designed to suppress the organic contribution. The application of such materials into BIPV modules is far from being straightforward. The specifications of BIPV module’s encapsulant are more demanding than those of a passive architectural laminated glass: it must stay optically transparent, block UV, resist heat and moisture, and electrically insulate solar cells, all at once. An encapsulant that satisfies all of those requirements and also passes the A2 tests is yet to be demonstrated by the BIPV industry. A BIPV product built as laminated glass should, at best, classify like its conventional architectural equivalent because it adds combustible material the plain glass does not have: the cells, the cabling, the junction box. A claim that the BIPV module does better than that, and reaches the non-combustible band, runs against the grain of both its own bill of materials and what the glass industry already knows.
As part of our technical due-diligence work for manufacturers and specifiers, Becquerel Institute has reviewed a number of A2-s1,d0 certificates for BIPV modules and found practical reasons for caution. In one, the test object is described in one place as the complete module and elsewhere as a single layer, leaving it unclear how the test was conducted. In others, the classification was obtained under a non-European framework but presented in a way that reads as an EN 13501-1 result. And in general, the reports do not show the combustible component (i.e. the encapsulant) suggesting that it was never assessed on its own; the non-combustibility evidence they contain is consistent with a pass on the glass only. As presented, an A2 or “Class A” claim under EN 13501-1 on the finished module cannot be verified from them, however reputable the laboratory named on the letterhead.
Reaction-to-fire classification characterises how a product responds to heat and flame, but does not capture how a complete, installed façade behaves in a fire event. In intermediate-scale tests such as the SBI, questions such as how fire spreads through the wall, and how fast or in what way it propagates through the system, remain unanswered. This matters especially for photovoltaic glass, which tends to fracture and fragment in a fire: an SBI classification cannot reveal the glass breakage and falling debris that occur in real conditions, and that can compromise evacuation and open new paths for the fire to spread.
Large-scale system tests are the best approach to demonstrate the performance of a façade system in a fire event. Methods such as BS 8414, NFPA 285, the Nordic SP FIRE 105 and France’s LEPIR2 expose a complete, installed assembly (BIPV modules, framing, cavities, fixings, barriers and joints) to a severe fire load, and characterise the system in a more representative and realistic set-up. Some BIPV glass façade systems have already passed such tests, demonstrating that a PV envelope can meet the same full-scale fire benchmarks used for leading conventional cladding. Independent research points the same way: recent large-scale evaluations, identify cavity fire spread, glass breakage, burning encapsulant and falling debris as the real hazards. All of them are system-level phenomena invisible to a material test.
The EN 13501-1 fire reaction classification and a large-scale system rating such as those from BS 8414 or NFPA 285 are not points on a single scale. They answer different questions: one about a product’s reaction to fire, the other about a complete assembly’s resistance to fire spread.
In recent years, the topic of fire safety of BIPV systems has gained attention within the research community. European projects BIPVBOOST, SEAMLESS-PV, MASS-IPV or INCREASE, among others, have led research activities with a focus on fire safety. These R&D projects have contributed to a better understanding of risks, the development of new testing procedures adapted to the specificities of such multifunctional construction products, and have also brought the debate to ongoing standardisation forums at IEC and ISO level.
IEA PVPS Task 15 has a dedicated activity on fire safety of BIPV systems. An international group of experts has recently reviewed fire-safety provisions for BIPV façades across a range of countries. The preliminary conclusions suggest that BIPV is today assessed largely within façade frameworks built for conventional materials. No country yet offers complete, repeatable test methods specific to BIPV.
Concerning testing methodologies, the analysis suggests that the SBI test is not well adapted to BIPV cladding, because its specimen size is smaller than a typical BIPV module and it lacks protocols for the definition of the placement of junction boxes and cables, the combustible components located in the cavity behind a façade. As of today, some countries restrict façade PV to glass-glass modules and disqualifies glass-backsheet designs, while others are turning to intermediate- or large-scale propagation tests as an alternative compliance route.
The international group of experts identifies harmonisation as a key element to bring clarity to this complex topic: aligning test methods, classification systems and performance criteria at European level and across IEA member countries. Over the medium term, that also means confronting a deeper particularity: a PV module is an electrically active element that stays energised whenever the sun shines, a reality that current passive-cladding tests do not reflect and that R&D is only beginning to address.
BIPV has a central role to play in the architecture and energy systems of the coming decades, and it can be deployed safely. But as its adoption grows across many markets, that growth has to rest on fair and clear communication about safety. A reaction-to-fire class quoted without the reference standard that applies where the product will actually be installed, or stretched from a favourable specimen to the finished module, is not a harmless marketing shortcut. It can place a product on a building that the applicable code would otherwise have excluded.
The current “Class A” confusion carries several costs. It puts the reputation of the whole BIPV industry at stake: one misclassified system on a building where it does not belong, exposed by an inspection or an incident, can damage the confidence the technology has only started to earn in the construction sector. It creates a real safety risk, placing a product on a façade the applicable code would otherwise have excluded. And it distorts competition, penalising honesty: faced with two datasheets, a specifier will tend to choose an A2 rating over a B-s1,d0 one, even when the A2 is unsubstantiated and the Bs1,d0 is the true, verified ceiling.
It is in the interest of the BIPV industry, authorities and end-users alike to take a comprehensive look at the real fire performance of the products entering the market to protect fair competition and the safe deployment of a promising technology.
Becquerel Institute supports BIPV manufacturers, prescribers, building owners and investors who need an independent, expert view on BIPV technologies, performance, market development, country requirements and regulations, competitiveness or feasibility. If you are interested in knowing more about the benefits of BIPV technologies, get in touch with Jose Maria Vega de Seoane, Managing Director at Becquerel Institute Spain.
Author: Jose Maria Vega de Seoane.
Becquerel Institute is a strategic consulting company and applied research institute specialising in solar photovoltaics and energy transition. Founded in Brussels in 2014, with regional offices in France, Italy and Spain, it provides strategic advice across all segments of the PV value chain and is a recognised partner in European and international research programmes.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
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The modules will be supplied to a 133 MW facility in Gujarat and a 145 MW project in Rajasthan
August 3, 2026
Follow Mercom India on WhatsApp for exclusive updates on clean energy news and insights
Bluebird Solar has secured a 278 MW solar module supply order from Bridge & Roof Company for two renewable energy projects of SJVN.
The projects comprise a 133 MW solar facility in Khavda, Gujarat, and a 145 MW project in Nawa, Rajasthan.
As part of the contract, Bluebird will supply high efficiency 600 Wp M10R N-Type TOPCon dual glass bifacial modules for the two projects.
The Delhi-based company operates a 2.5 GW solar module manufacturing facility at Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
Bluebird plans to establish a 2.5 GW solar cell manufacturing capacity, along with wafer and ingot manufacturing facilities. The company also plans to expand into battery energy storage systems.
In July, Bluebird bagged an order from NTPC Renewable Energy to supply 439.35 MWp of solar modules for the public sector enterprise’s solar projects in Lalitpur district in Uttar Pradesh.
India added around 119 GW of solar module manufacturing capacity and over 9 GW of solar cell manufacturing capacity in 2025, according to the State of Solar PV Manufacturing in India 2026 report by Mercom India. As of December 2025, the country’s cumulative module manufacturing capacity stood at around 210 GW and cell manufacturing capacity at about 27 GW.
The rapid expansion in India’s module manufacturing capacity has been driven by residential rooftop targets, the growth of large utility-scale project pipelines, the implementation of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) framework, and government initiatives such as the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana and PM KUSUM.
India’s solar module capacity under the ALMM-I list rose to over 200 GW and cell capacity to over 31 GW in July. With the ALMM mandates, the government aims to create a self-reliant solar manufacturing ecosystem. It also plans to introduce the ALMM-III mandate for ingots and wafers from June 2028.
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Colorado approves balcony solar, but approved units aren’t widely available yet  cpr.org
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Building with bankability in mind: why quality assurance is now core to solar PV development  PV Tech
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The so-called “Godzilla” El Niño weather event of 2026 is expected to impart changes to global solar irradiance patterns that will significantly increase deviations from average regional cloud coverage. The effects of these periodic climate phenomena, spawned by higher surface water temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean, are enough to significantly alter the expected output and thus economic performance of solar power facilities worldwide.
Experts expect regional irradiance gains in India, eastern Australia, and parts of Africa and Central America. Parts of South America and East Asia are forecast to have reduced irradiance levels.
El Niño events have greater or lesser intensity in each occurrence, which, although nominally periodic, come with intervals of between two and seven years. The 2026 event is shaping up to be more intense than usual, hence the Godzilla monicker. If this all sounds highly variable and difficult to register for accounting purposes, that’s because it is.
At the same time, considerations of the impact of El Niño solar irradiance patterns on PV plants have lagged somewhat behind other more publicly visible effects, such as linkages to the North Atlantic hurricane season, winter flooding and even wildfires. Marcel Suri, CEO of Slovakia-based solar weather and climate data analysis company Solargis, told pv magazine USA that a combination of the increasing severity of El Niño events and changes in the economics of utility-scale solar projects have made it more important for stakeholders to factor them in.
“El Niño is well known publicly because its magnitude has global impacts on weather, creating extreme effects such as heat waves in Europe and the U.S., and may have also have created drought conditions contributing to the fires in northern Canada and elsewhere,” Suri said.
Reporting in pv magazine USA, Australia-based solar analytics firm Solcast says the 2026 event is expected to intensify and peak in the second half of the year. In past years with strong events, as this one is shaping up to be, changes in irradiance levels were about 10% off the average. The Rajasthan state of India, a major solar development region and home to some of the world’s largest solar plants, can expect 15% higher irradiance levels, Solcast said. Meanwhile Chile and eastern China can expect reduced solar production.
If dramatic weather is generally newsworthy, incorporating El Niño into solar project planning, financing and operations is a development less than a decade old. According to Suri, this is due to improving state-of-the-art modeling algorithms and the need for more exacting understanding of the economics of irradiance.
The latter is true, he asserts, because the steady fade of government-sourced incentives is making solar developers and owner-operators much more cognizant of the environmental factors affecting the bottom line. He says the industry needs to absorb more high-resolution data and more granular, more physically based approaches to the design of grids, new powerplants and markets to sustain them. What sorts of algorithms do smart trackers need because of extreme weather events? When is it desirable to use bifacial technology? How much battery storage is needed and when is it best to charge or discharge it?
“As little as five years ago, nobody was considering any of that; you just build a project, you calculate the power generation modified by some incentive and that was it,” Suri said. “Today, nobody is going to guarantee that your project will be able to sell during summer noontime because the grid will be congested. The industry is transforming from using simpler tools, simple approaches to something that is more complex and requires much more granular data, looking deeper into history so that you can understand the trends.”
The importance of El Niño is not because its effects have been unknown or unobserved; it has been a named phenomenon since the 16^th century, although the linkages to Pacific water temperatures date only to the mid-20^th. Rather, as the economic margins of solar plant financing and operations narrow, understanding the patterns of its effects become critical.
“Historically, the PV industry was using relatively simple data like average values, and this was good enough in times where we did not suffer so much from climate change,” Suri said. “Also, financial models were very simple: You would get paid more or less for anything that you delivered to the grid. Many developers and operators of solar power plants now face difficulties because they may not have included such extreme events in their technical calculations and in their financial models.”
Fortunately, companies like Solargis are developing tools that not only analyze meteorological input from satellites and other sources but that refine solar radiation models optimized for calculation of financial parameters of new projects, routine performance monitoring or forecasting to be able to generate and sell electricity more effectively. If a Godzilla El Niño is arising out of the Pacific, it pays to know about its footprint in your region ahead of time.
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Solar Farm Market Size | CAGR of 11.1%  Market.us
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Utility-scale solar and energy storage developer Avantus announced the closing of a $1.05 billion corporate credit facility.
The transaction represents a major expansion of the company’s capital structure, more than doubling its previous $522 million credit line secured in July 2024. The upsized capacity will directly support Avantus’ transition into an independent power producer (IPP) and fund the execution of its 24 GW development portfolio across core markets in California and the Desert Southwest.
The company’s pipeline consists of 13 GW of solar PV integrated with 44 GWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity.
The financing package was backed by a syndicate of existing and new institutional lenders. SMBC acted as Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent, and Lead Arranger. Returning Lead Arrangers included ING Capital LLC, HSBC, KKR, and Truist Securities, Inc.
Six new financial institutions joined the syndicate as Lead Arrangers:
Placement agents for the transaction were KKR Capital Markets and EIG Capital Markets. Kirkland & Ellis LLP advised Avantus as legal counsel, while Milbank LLP represented the lender consortium.
“This upsized facility provides Avantus with the flexibility to advance our pipeline of high-quality solar and storage assets, moving projects swiftly from development into construction and operations,” said Omar Karar, executive vice president of capital markets and M&A at Avantus.
The credit expansion follows a period of accelerated project delivery for the San Diego-based developer. Last month, Avantus brought online Aratina 1, a 200 MW solar and 500 MWh storage facility in Kern County, California.
The developer also recently closed more than $525 million in construction debt for the adjacent Aratina 2 project and secured a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the Rexford 2 project in Tulare County, California, which will feature 200 MW of solar paired with 800 MWh of battery storage.
Avantus stated it remains on track to bring 788 MW into commercial operation while maintaining 800 MW under active construction by the end of 2026. Backed by institutional investment from KKR and EIG, the company estimates its full development pipeline will ultimately produce enough dispatchable clean power to supply over 10 million homes

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A shower is possible early. Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Low 63F. Winds light and variable..
A shower is possible early. Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.
Updated: August 3, 2026 @ 6:44 pm
Solar panels reflect off the sun’s rays along Turkey Knob Road west of Mount Jackson.

Solar panels reflect off the sun’s rays along Turkey Knob Road west of Mount Jackson.
MOUNT JACKSON — Energix has accepted Mount Jackson’s counteroffer for $1.375 million in voluntary payments tied to a five-year extension of the company’s delayed Turkey Knob solar project.
The Town Council will hold an Aug. 11 public hearing on extending the project’s special-use permits through 2031. The financial terms remain subject to council approval and completion of a written agreement that had not been signed as of council’s meting on Thursday.
“Now for this one, I have good news,” Town Manager Olivia Hilton said during the council’s recent work session.
The agreement calls for Energix to pay $275,000 upon approval of the extension, $350,000 upon approval of the site plan, $425,000 when construction begins and $325,000 when the project reaches commercial operation.
The town would receive the first $275,000 even if the remaining project is never built, Hilton said.
“So they accepted that?” council member Todd Holtzman asked.
“Yes,” Hilton said.
“Very nice,” Holtzman said.
“I think this is a lot better than we would have had,” council member Madison Estep Heltzel said.
“This is exciting,” Hilton said.
The $1.375 million would replace a $50,000 lump-sum payment included in the original agreement.
The voluntary payments would come in addition to annual revenue-share payments authorized under state law. Hilton estimated the unbuilt 75-megawatt expansion would generate more than $100,000 annually once it begins operating.
“We couldn’t negotiate the state code revenue share,” Hilton said. “The only thing we could negotiate was lump sum.”
Energix proposed in April to pay $10,000 annually during the five-year extension, $250,000 when a building permit was issued and $750,000 when the project connected to the electrical grid.
Hilton said the company later responded to the town’s counteroffer with terms worth less than Energix’s earlier proposal.
Council member Rod Shepherd questioned why Energix had returned with less money than it previously offered.
“I know,” Hilton said. “When I wrote that, I was like, ‘Am I doing my math right?’”
“Honest to God,” Shepherd said. “Who are these people?”
Energix told council members in April that its software had mistaken a Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative line for Dominion Energy transmission infrastructure.
The mistake requires the company to restart the PJM Interconnection process, pushing anticipated commercial operation to 2031 or 2032.
About 450 acres and 75 megawatts remain unbuilt. An existing 15-megawatt portion began generating electricity in 2021.
Hilton said the initial payment was not included in the town’s fiscal 2027 budget.
She said the money could help advance road and entrance improvements at Lions Park, where work has begun on an entrance from state Route 263.
“There’s plenty of ways we could spend $275,000,” Hilton said.
Community center property
The council also discussed whether to proceed with the town’s proposed purchase of approximately four acres behind the Shenandoah County Community Center.
Hilton said staff recommends abandoning the acquisition and considering support for the center separately.
“Staff recommendation is to drop the project, support the community center separately,” Hilton said.
The property was appraised at approximately $370,000 and would have been sold to the town for $50,000.
The roughly $320,000 difference could have counted toward the town’s match for a $450,000 federal grant, leaving the town to provide about $130,000 toward a project valued at approximately $900,000.
The property had been considered for a multipurpose field, trails, parking and lighting, along with a possible aquatic facility.
Holtzman, who helped lead the center’s restoration, proposed pairing the sale with $250,000 in town support over 10 years, paid in annual installments of $25,000.
Hilton said much of the grant project would have paid for infrastructure that made less sense without a realistic funding source for an aquatic facility.
“I do think, ultimately, the project was probably too big for the space in the sense of what we were going to get for what money we were going to put in,” Hilton said.
Holtzman said abandoning the acquisition would weaken the possibility of building a pool behind the community center.
“If we don’t buy the property, then how’s the pool going to happen in the future?” Holtzman said. “You’ve foregone a $900,000 investment that gets most of the infrastructure done, with the exception of the building.”
He said a private organization would be unlikely to finance and build the facility without government participation.
“It’s a miracle that the community center got done,” Holtzman said. “It was well done and delivered to the community.”
Hilton said dropping the current project would not prevent the town and community center from working together later.
“I don’t feel that the aquatic center has to be off the table if that’s the space for it down the road,” Hilton said. “I just feel that the council shouldn’t be kind of held hostage to it for hopes that may never come to fruition.”
The council took no formal action.
Laundromat complaints
Earlier in the work session, Mike Ashley asked for time to address complaints about Ashley’s Laundromat and the neighboring car wash on Main Street.
Residents have complained about broken machines, standing water, trash, tall grass and machines taking money without providing service.
Ashley said many complaints were false or exaggerated. He said household garbage is routinely dumped at the car wash and people have damaged or stolen equipment.
“I can take trash up in the morning, go to New Market, come back, and it’s full again,” Ashley said.
Hilton said the town may enforce litter and property-maintenance rules. The treasurer may suspend a business license for up to 30 days for good cause, while a longer suspension or revocation would require council action and a public hearing.
Town code also requires complaints involving money lost in coin-operated machines to be resolved before a business license is issued, she said.
Hilton said six of the laundromat’s 14 washers were operating when she met with Ashley. Ashley said two more had since been repaired.
Hilton said the town had issued several tall-grass violations. Council members asked Ashley to maintain the properties more consistently rather than waiting for notices.
Ashley asked for more frequent police checks, saying officers walking through the businesses would deter vandalism, dumping and drug use.
Hilton said police would increase checks, the town would arrange commercial trash service at the car wash and staff would work with Ashley to review customer complaints through his camera system.
Ashley said cameras had reduced problems at the car wash, including people changing oil or dumping material into the drains.
“You get people that are stupid,” Ashley said. “They come in there and want to change their oil or something.”
Council member Kyle Kennedy objected to Ashley’s descriptions of customers.
“From a council standpoint and from a citizen standpoint, it feels a little disrespectful to come in and say the caliber of people you’re dealing with and to call them stupid,” Kennedy said.
Ashley apologized.
Kennedy said he visited the laundromat twice over three weeks and found the same puddle of water, broken machines and trash.
“It was the same trash, though,” Kennedy said. “Exact same trash.”
Kennedy said a shoe was sitting in water behind the washing machines during both visits.
“Happens a lot,” Ashley said.
“The same shoe for two weeks,” Kennedy said.
— Contact Ryan Fitzmaurice at rfitzmaurice@nvdaily.com
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SMATSA has issued a public call for initial feasibility studies for the construction of photovoltaic plants at four locations in Serbia, which have been assessed as economically and technically viable.
Taking into account the expansion of green energy in recent years and the trend of using renewable energy sources among air navigation service providers, both regionally and across Europe, SMATSA is considering the possibility of launching the use of renewables by installing solar panels, the company said.
Two ground-mounted and two rooftop locations
The goal of the four feasibility studies is to analyze and assess the economic and technical viability of constructing solar power plants at each location, to provide a reliable basis for the project’s further execution.
The locations are: SMATSA Training Centre Belgrade (STC Belgrade), Kraljevo Air Traffic Control (AKL Kraljevo), Belgrade Terminal Area Radar (TAR Belgrade), and Belgrade Air Traffic Control Technical Centre (TCKL Belgrade).
Deadlines for studies are end of November 2026 and end of November 2027
SMATSA requires studies for two locations to be completed by November 30 of this year, while the deadline for the remaining two locations is one year later.
The final schedule for completion and the locations in annual terms will be defined later, depending on the company’s current needs, according to the public call.
STC Belgrade has a roof surface area of 2,000 square meters, and solar panels could also be installed on the parking canopy. The roof could also be used at the TCKL Belgrade facility, covering an area of 1,200 square meters.
AKL Kraljevo has 45,804 square meters surrounding the tower available for the installation of PV panels, while TAR Belgrade offers an additional 10,477 square meters around the radar.
The feasibility studies should suggest solar power plant capacity, determine the optimal technical solution, estimate the investment value, conduct an economic analysis with an estimated payback period, and provide guidelines for the placement of the generated electricity into the grid.
Bidders must possess specialized software for modeling, simulating, and economically analyzing photovoltaic systems and power plants, such as PVSyst or an equivalent, the call reads.
The studies will serve as the basis for future secondary feasibility studies, which will be used for the design and installation of solar power plants at locations where viability has been confirmed by the initial studies.
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Covering the operations of the oil and gas industry
TotalEnergies agreed to acquire Shell’s European portfolio of onshore renewable energy projects, including five solar parks and the Pottendijk combined wind and solar park in Emmen, in the Netherlands.
TotalEnergies SE has agreed to acquire Shell’s 4-Gw onshore renewables portfolio in Europe.
The portfolio includes 500 Mw of solar and wind assets in operation or under construction, primarily in Italy and the Netherlands, as well as a 3.5-Gw pipeline of solar, wind, and battery storage projects in Italy, the UK, and Spain, the company said Aug. 3.
In the Netherlands, the assets include 254.2 Mw of installed peak capacity across the Moerdijk, Heerenveen-Zuid, and Emmen (GZI Next) solar parks; the Sas van Gent-Zuid and Koegorspolder solar parks in Terneuzen; and the Pottendijk combined solar and wind park in Emmen.
TotalEnergies will assume full ownership of the portfolio upon closing. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed by yearend 2026.
“This agreement reflects Shell’s continued focus on actively managing and further strengthening its electricity portfolio, in line with the strategy outlined during Capital Markets Day 2025,” said Machteld de Haan, president, downstream, renewables and energy solutions, Shell.
De Haan said Shell is prioritizing investment in areas where it has competitive advantages, including asset-backed power trading and customer-focused energy solutions.
Shell said it will continue to buy and sell onshore solar and wind power in Europe and will retain interests in projects including Holland Hydrogen 1, Northern Lights CCS in Norway, LNG, and carbon capture and storage activities.
In another deal, TotalEnergies agreed to farm out a 50% interest in a largely developed 1.2-Gw onshore solar and wind portfolio in Europe to KKR.
The company said the transaction is consistent with its strategy of selling 50% interests in renewable assets once they have been developed.
The portfolio includes assets in Germany, Spain, France, and Poland. Electricity generated by the assets has already been sold to third parties or will be marketed by TotalEnergies.
TotalEnergies will retain a 50% interest in the portfolio and continue as operator following closing, which is expected later in 2026, subject to customary conditions.
The company said the farmout complements its power generation activities in those markets and supports deployment of its Integrated Power strategy in Europe. TotalEnergies’ European renewables portfolio comprises nearly 10 Gw of gross installed capacity or capacity under construction and 27 Gw under development.
“The acquisition of Shell’s onshore renewables assets in Europe strengthens our power generation positions in selected key deregulated markets across Europe and supports the implementation of our integrated strategy across the electricity value chain,” said Stéphane Michel, president, gas, renewables and power, TotalEnergies.
Michel said the acquisition complements the flexible generation capacity of TTEP, TotalEnergies’ joint venture with EPH, particularly in Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK.
Mikaila Adams has 20 years of experience as an editor, most of which has been centered on the oil and gas industry. She enjoyed 12 years focused on the business/finance side of the industry as an editor for Oil & Gas Journal’s sister publication, Oil & Gas Financial Journal (OGFJ). After OGFJ ceased publication in 2017, she joined Oil & Gas Journal and was later named Managing Editor – News. Her role has expanded into content strategy. She holds a degree from Texas Tech University.

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Data centers are cropping up all over the place, and they’re consuming water and electricity at an alarming rate. Locals are learning what it’s actually like to live near a data center — for one thing, these facilities are causing electricity bills to go up for homeowners living nearby. Surely, there must be a way to power these AI data centers without affecting the local community, right? Well, Europe’s solar panels are having an unexpected effect on energy prices this year: They’re generating so much surplus energy that solar producers are giving it away at a negative price, although consumers aren’t the ones who see the benefits. So, how come tech companies aren’t building solar data centers that run on the abundant power of the Sun?
The truth is that it could take as many as 3 million solar panels to power a single AI data center. Nvidia has made it clear that we’re in the “gigawatt data center age,” while a single 100-megawatt solar farm may comprise over 300,000 solar panels. The idea of a solar data center is fine in theory, but simply mounting an array of panels on a data center roof would be like adding a drop of water to the ocean compared to the amount of power the facility consumes overall.
It’s worth noting that many data centers are using solar power to some degree. According to survey results reported by Sunhub, 38% of tech companies plan to install photovoltaic arrays at their facilities. There are also widespread corporate goals of cutting down emissions and becoming carbon-neutral, even if the rapid development of data centers runs counter to that. One significant obstacle, however, is real estate.
Data centers are moving into rural areas and taking up precious space from the community. Some people are even being displaced from their homes. Consider that a solar data center would require a vast solar farm spanning 1,500 acres, at the very least, to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of solar panels it would need. In a time when everyday people are already resentful toward data centers, this would be salt in the wound.
However, a fully solar-powered data center could become a reality if we find a way to improve battery storage infrastructure. Currently, surplus energy generated by solar panels often goes to waste if it’s not put to immediate use. Facilities that run entirely on solar power cannot operate 24/7 because it’s not feasible to store energy overnight. The good news is that there are private companies building batteries for storing renewable energy. And if they succeed on a large scale, it would be one of the biggest battery innovations that could change the world.

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California-based Tandem PV has announced the acquisition of nexTC Corporation, a developer of advanced thin-film metal oxide coating processes based in Corvallis, Oregon. 
The acquisition will see nexTC founder and CEO Cory Perkins, Ph.D. joining TandemPV as it integrates the nexTC technology into its 40 MW commercial demonstration production line, on which it is producing large-format tandem solar panels for customer validation and market trials.
“We’ve worked with Cory for years and know firsthand the value of his expertise in oxide thin films, which are critical to building durable, high-performing perovskite modules,” said Tandem PV CEO Scott Wharton in a statement. “Bringing Cory’s expertise and nexTC’s technology into Tandem gives us greater control over a core part of the manufacturing process and allows us to optimize it directly on our production line as we scale.”
The role of transparent oxide coatings
In TandemPV’s perovskite-silicon tandem solar panels, ultrathin coating layers are used to manage charge transport while allowing sunlight to pass through the top perovskite glass layer to the conventional silicon cell beneath. The company says these layers are vital to overall module efficiency, durability and manufacturability.
nexTC was founded in 2018 as a spinout from an Oregon State University research center. While at the University, Perkins’ published research generally focused on finding ways to create high-quality metal oxide thin films using liquid solutions (rather than vacuum deposition).
Both nexTC and Tandem PV were founding industry members of the United States Manufacturing of Advanced Perovskites (US-MAP) Consortium, a public-private partnership between major research institutions, private industry members and the National Lab of the Rockies.
The consortium brings together domestic companies — including other perovskite developers like Swift Solar, Cubic PV and Caelux — to cooperate on precompetitive technical obstacles and guide research efforts.
Tandem PV’s growth trajectory
The nexTC acquisition represents another step in Tandem PV’s efforts to commercialize tandem solar technology, which combines a perovskite-bearing top glass layer over a traditional silicon solar module bottom layer.
To date, the company says it has raised $100 million in capital from investors including Eclipse, Constellation Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy. The company also recently expanded its leadership team by adding former U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to its board of directors.
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“Rather than treating a solar panel as waste, we’re treating it as a source of valuable materials that can be recovered and put back into the supply chain.”
Photo Credit: iStock
Solar panels are widely seen as a marker of the shift to cleaner energy and a cleaner environment. On the flip side, the growth of solar power also means a large wave of retired equipment is coming as millions of older modules reach the end of their useful lives. 
The question of what to do with all those old panels is at the core of a new perspective paper from NYU Tandon School of Engineering researchers.
A press release on the paper notes that without stronger recycling systems, discarded photovoltaic modules could amount to more than 88 million tons of waste by 2050.
The researchers noted today’s recycling efforts mostly recover the easier-to-remove parts of panels, including aluminum frames, glass, and copper wiring. 
Pulling out higher-value materials such as silver, indium, gallium, tellurium, and lead is usually much more technically difficult and expensive. In response, researchers are looking at hydrometallurgy, a liquid-based way of separating specific metals without relying on extreme heat. 
“It’s a much more selective approach,” post-doctoral researcher Sara Hamilton explained in the release. “Rather than treating a solar panel as waste, we’re treating it as a source of valuable materials that can be recovered and put back into the supply chain.”
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If old solar panels are sent to landfills or recycled inefficiently, the result would be a new environmental burden and the loss of materials that took significant mining and energy to produce.
One reason is that many recycling systems still depend on pyrometallurgy, in which materials are separated by melting them at very high temperatures. That method can be effective, but it also consumes substantial energy and can make it harder to cleanly isolate individual metals for reuse, the researchers said.
The problem appears across major solar technologies. Conventional crystalline silicon panels make up about 95% of the global market, and recovering their valuable silver often requires acids such as nitric acid, which are effective but also corrosive, hazardous to handle, and difficult to recycle.
Thin-film solar cells face much the same issue, because recovering their critical metals also usually depends on harsh chemical treatments.
Researchers argue that solar panels should be designed with recycling in mind from the start rather than treated as a disposal problem later on. That approach could make material recovery easier and reduce the environmental cost of the clean energy transition.
Perovskite solar cells are one example that looks especially encouraging. The emerging technology has already drawn attention for lower manufacturing costs and high laboratory efficiencies. 
Perovskites are built from layers connected by relatively weak chemical interactions. Those properties seem to make recycling much simpler. 
The NYU researchers pointed to studies showing that lead, one of the key ingredients in perovskites, can be recovered with hot water. As the water cools, the lead crystallizes into a compound that can be used to make new perovskite solar cells.
That could help bring the technology to a more sustainable conclusion.
“Solar panels are the clean energy infrastructure of the future,” researcher Juanita Hidalgo declared in the press release. “But to make solar truly sustainable, we also need to think about what happens after these technologies reach the end of their lifetime.”
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The site could be returned to farming after the project’s estimated 30-year lifespan.
Photo Credit: iStock
A large solar proposal in central Indiana, Copper Box Solar, is getting another chance after local opposition helped stall it earlier this year, reviving a debate over farmland, energy demand, and the future of local power in Montgomery County.
Copper Box Solar is again seeking a zoning change covering roughly 1,800 acres in Montgomery County, setting off another fight over farmland, energy demand, and the future of local power, according to the Journal Review.
The company has filed a revised rezoning petition for 19 parcels in Madison and Union townships after previously receiving an unfavorable recommendation from the Montgomery County Advisory Plan Commission. 
A public hearing on the updated request is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Aug. 11 at the county government center in Crawfordsville, the Journal Review reported.
County commissioners never voted on the earlier rezoning proposal because it was withdrawn after the plan commission’s 6-2 vote in March against the project, which followed more than three hours of public comment.
Julie Vitek, vice president of communications for Engie North America, said the updated filing reflects both policy changes and community feedback.
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“In just a few months, a number of things changed to bring about opportunities for the benefit of all of Montgomery County,” Vitek said.
Project materials, as described by the Journal Review, said about 890 acres would be used for fenced solar arrays and electrical equipment, while the rest would go to setbacks, buffers, access roads, and vegetative cover.
The company has said the project may generate up to 200 megawatts of electricity — enough to power about 33,000 homes — while involving roughly a $300 million investment and creating about 250 temporary construction jobs.
The fight reflects a broader question many communities are facing: how to meet rising electricity demand without driving up costs or relying as heavily on polluting energy sources.
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Vitek said legislation signed by Gov. Mike Braun on March 12 restored a tax depreciation floor for clean energy projects in Indiana. 
The company says that change would push Copper Box Solar’s projected tax contributions to Montgomery County to more than double the earlier estimate, potentially delivering a larger revenue boost for local governments and schools.
Supporters have also argued that utility-scale solar can help improve air quality, support pollinator habitat through native plantings, and give farmers another income stream through land leases.
Opponents raised concerns that are common in rural solar fights, including loss of productive farmland, possible effects on drainage and nearby property values, wildlife impacts, and whether emergency crews are prepared for a fire or other incident at a commercial solar site.
Engie says it revised the proposal in response to what it heard from residents.
“We have submitted an updated application which incorporates the updated economic development benefits and refinements that we know were particularly important to neighboring landowners,” Vitek said.
She added that the revisions include “an updated site layout, enhanced screening and further sound mitigation.” The company has also previously said the site could be returned to farming after the project’s estimated 30-year lifespan.
People who cannot attend the Aug. 11 hearing may send written comments to county administrator Tom Klein before the meeting, according to the Journal Review. 
Afterward, the plan commission will vote on a recommendation, and county commissioners will make the final call.
For homeowners inspired by the growth of solar but looking at rooftop options instead of utility-scale projects, EnergySage has free tools to maximize savings and incentives and find you the best solar options for your home.
Vitek said the recent changes created “opportunities for the benefit of all of Montgomery County.”
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Sono Motors GmbH has filed for insolvency for the second time. The company announced today (August 3) that it ceased operations as of July 31.
The Munich-based start-up was founded in 2016 to develop and commercialise the solar-powered electric vehicle Sion. However, the project failed, and Sono Motors filed for insolvency in May 2023, subsequently attempting to restructure through protective shield proceedings. Since 2024, the company had focused entirely on its B2B solar business, which developed and offered photovoltaic solutions for the automotive industry.
Sono Motors said that, “despite intensive and promising discussions with investors”, it had been unable to secure viable financing. The restructuring became necessary after the company’s main investor, Sono Group N.V., announced in March 2026 that it was withdrawing from Sono Motors’ photovoltaic division with immediate effect.
As part of the insolvency proceedings, the company is seeking a buyer for its Sono Motors brand and its associated B2B business, which provides photovoltaic applications for vehicle manufacturers and fleets.
The assets being offered for sale include all intellectual property, hardware components and technical documentation. According to Sono Motors, the offering covers its vehicle-specific solar integration technology developed for the Sion model, power electronics such as solar charge controllers for vehicles, and Solar Data Services.
“The fact that we ultimately failed to secure financing is a major disappointment, particularly after we continued intensive discussions with investors until the very end,” said CEO Denis Azhar.
“Our focus is now on finding buyers who will continue developing our market-ready products, recognise the technological potential of Sono Solar, acquire all or parts of the business, and scale it further.”
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“One plug-in panel can potentially generate hundreds of dollars of yearly savings for New York households.”
Photo Credit: iStock
New York City officials want the state to make solar more accessible to apartment dwellers by allowing small panels to plug into standard outlets without advance utility permission.
Roughly 30 elected leaders have asked Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the Solar Up Now New York Act, arguing that it would remove one of the biggest roadblocks facing plug-in solar systems.
In a letter to Hochul, City Comptroller Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and 27 New York City Council members, including Speaker Julie Menin, said the bill could help apartment residents produce renewable power and lower their electricity costs, amNewYork reported.
Brooklyn Assembly Member Emily Gallagher and Manhattan state Sen. Liz Krueger are backing the measure. It cleared both chambers of the state Legislature on May 28, including a 59-1 vote in the Senate.
If Hochul approves it, the bill would apply to plug-in photovoltaic systems that produce no more than 1,200 watts of continuous output.
The proposal would stop utilities from requiring prior approval, charging fees tied to the devices, or demanding controls beyond those already built into the systems. Customers would instead have to notify the utility within 30 days of installation.
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The officials wrote in their letter, “One plug-in panel can potentially generate hundreds of dollars of yearly savings for New York households.”
To push for Hochul’s signature, supporters were also expected to rally at City Hall Park, where they planned to use a solar panel to power a blender while giving out milkshakes.
The proposal aims to widen access to solar power.
A large share of New Yorkers live in apartments and do not have private roofs or yards where conventional solar arrays can be installed. For those households, plug-in panels could offer a smaller and less expensive way to use solar energy, according to amNewYork.
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These systems typically would not power an entire apartment. They could, however, reduce how much electricity a home draws from the grid, which might cut utility bills; the amount saved would depend on panel size, sun exposure, and household electricity use.
The bill also builds in safety requirements. Covered systems would need certification from an accredited lab, compliance with fire and building codes, and protections against dangerous backfeeding during outages.
Even with those changes, some barriers would remain. The bill would reduce utility-related hurdles, but landlords, co-op boards, and condo associations could still refuse to allow the systems.
Ann Korchak, board president of Small Property Owners of New York, raised safety and installation concerns, asking: “Are tenants going to hire licensed electricians?”
Supporters say the legislation would be an opening move, not the final one.
Gallagher said Hochul’s office has not identified any specific problems to her and that she hopes to know more by the fall, amNewYork reported. She also said she would “definitely” support future legislation giving renters clearer rights to install the systems.
Advocates are already considering stronger protections. New Jersey recently passed a balcony-solar law that broadly prevents landlords and co-op, condo, and homeowners associations from imposing blanket bans while still allowing reasonable restrictions. New York’s bill does not extend that far.
Supporters also contend that putting the measure into law could help build a wider U.S. market for certified plug-in solar systems.
Priya Mulgaonkar, campaign director at the Green Co-op Council, said, “Our priority is to get this law on the books to remove the red tape, so that hopefully we can help kind of create the market for more plug-in panels and technology.”
Even if Hochul signs the bill, residents would still have to follow building rules, use certified equipment, and make sure installations comply with code and manufacturer instructions.
Gallagher described the bill as “step one,” adding that “there will be more steps to follow after that.”
Mulgaonkar said, “We just need the governor to do her part.”
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In China, a tandem solar cell hits 29.71% efficiency and shores up perovskite stability  Yahoo Tech
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Home – Energy – Solar panels do more than cut your electric bill: the lesser-known perks that could quietly cool your home, too
Most homeowners picture rooftop solar as a machine for shrinking the electric bill. Research now suggests those panels can do something more immediate in hot weather, shading the roof, limiting heat entering a building, and producing power during the same sunny hours when cooling demand climbs.
That makes solar less of a single-purpose purchase and more of a home resilience upgrade, particularly when facing hotter European summers. It may also add a modest price premium when a home is sold, although the size of that benefit depends heavily on the property and local market.
The latest EU numbers need a careful read. Eurostat reported that renewable sources generated 45.5% of the bloc’s electricity in the first quarter of 2026, while solar supplied 17.3% of that renewable output.
Put together, those figures mean solar accounted for roughly 7.9% of all EU electricity during the quarter, not more than 17% of the total mix. The distinction matters, but so does the direction of travel, with solar becoming a larger part of the power system just as more frequent and intense heat waves raise demand for cooling.
A rooftop solar array intercepts sunlight before it strikes the roofing material below. The panels absorb and convert part of that energy, while the gap beneath a properly mounted array lets moving air carry away some of the remaining heat.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego found that the ceiling below solar panels was about 5°F cooler during the day than the ceiling below an exposed roof.
They also measured about 38% less heat reaching the roof, although the experiment covered one building over three April days, so the exact number is not a promise for every home. “Talk about positive side-effects,” environmental engineering professor Jan Kleissl said when the findings were released.
A 2024 Nature Cities study modeled what might have happened if all London buildings had full rooftop solar coverage during the unusually hot summer of 2018. The researchers estimated an average citywide temperature reduction of about 0.5°F and calculated that 96 heat-related deaths, or 12% of the estimated total, might have been avoided.
That is a striking result, but it is a modeled full-coverage scenario rather than a forecast for one house. The same study found reflective cool roofs would have delivered a larger reduction, about 1.4°F, which suggests solar should sit alongside insulation, shading, and other heat-control measures rather than replace them.
Does rooftop solar always cool the air around a city? Not necessarily. A separate Nature Cities model for Kolkata found that very broad deployment could raise daytime air temperatures by as much as 2.7°F while lowering nighttime temperatures by up to 1.1°.
The two studies examined different climates, urban forms, and weather conditions. In practical terms, a panel can shade the building beneath it even when its wider effect on neighborhood air depends on local airflow, roof materials, panel spacing, and the surrounding city.
The timing is useful. During a June 2026 heat wave, energy think tank Ember calculated that a typical British rooftop system generated the equivalent of more than five hours of electricity for a 3-kilowatt whole-home air conditioning system each day.
Calling those hours “free” is a little too neat, since the panels have an upfront cost and the home may be using the same electricity for appliances, cooking, or vehicle charging.
There is also a timing gap because solar output peaks around midday while air conditioning use tends to be weighted later, which is where batteries, pre-cooling, and smart energy use can make a real difference.
Solar can also change how buyers view a property. A 2021 Solar Energy UK report matched more than five million property transactions with installation data, including nearly 60,000 homes with photovoltaic systems, and estimated a price premium of roughly 0.9% to 2% for a typical home.
Still, that finding came from the British housing market and should not be pasted onto every city or country. The report itself says results vary with location, house type, system size, orientation, and financing, while higher estimates reported elsewhere should be treated as market-specific rather than guaranteed.
The least tangible benefit may be psychological. Climate psychology specialist Linda Aspey told Euronews that taking practical action and gaining some energy independence can help certain people channel difficult feelings about climate change into something constructive.
That is not the same as clinical treatment. Solar panels will not cure anxiety, but producing some of your own power may give certain households a greater sense of control and connection to a wider community working on cleaner energy.
The cooling benefit is strongest when panels are mounted with enough space for air to circulate, and the overall financial return depends on how much electricity the household can use when the sun is shining. A good installer should therefore discuss roof condition, panel layout, expected production, household demand, warranties, and whether storage makes sense before anyone signs a contract.
At the end of the day, solar’s main job remains making electricity. Its lesser-known benefits can be meaningful, but they are conditional, which is why panels work best as one part of a broader plan for a cooler, cheaper, and more resilient home. 
The official data release was published on the Eurostat.

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The Becquerel Prize Committee has announced Dr. Delfina Muñoz as the 2026 award recipient  
The award recognizes her work on crystalline silicon photovoltaic technologies and related research 
The prize will be presented during the opening session of the 43rd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition 
Dr. Delfina Muñoz has been named the recipient of the 2026 Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel Prize for her contributions to crystalline silicon PV, the Becquerel Prize Committee announced.  
According to the committee, the award recognizes her work spanning over nearly two decades in the development of high-efficiency and reliable industrial crystalline silicon PV technologies, from research to industrial application. 
Currently, Muñoz is a Research Director and Strategic Project Manager at CEA INES. She has led national, European, and industry-backed collaborative projects. 
Her research, according to the committee, has focused on interfaces in PV devices, with work aimed at improving conversion efficiency and long-term reliability. 
Muñoz’s published work includes peer-reviewed research, 16 patents and the co-edited book N-Type Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaics: Technology, Applications and Economics. 
She also serves as Co-Chair of the ETIP PV Steering Committee and Technology Working Group and is a board member of the European Solar Manufacturing Council. 
The committee said she also has several PhD students and supported initiatives to promote women in science. 
“On behalf of the Becquerel Prize Committee, we cordially congratulate Dr. Delfina Muñoz and thank her for her outstanding commitment to photovoltaics,” said Prof. Dr. Stefan Glunz, Chair of the Becquerel Committee. 
The award ceremony is scheduled to take place during the opening session of the 43rd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition. 
Dr. Veronica Bermudez Benito will deliver the laudation. In a LinkedIn post, Bermudez Benito applauded Muñoz and called her an outstanding scientist, visionary, and deeply committed to advancing photovoltaics. 
Muñoz is now the fourth woman recipient of the award following Mechtild Roth in 2008, Ulrike Jahn in 2021, and Walburga Hemetsberger in 2025 (see Walburga Hemetsberger Wins 2025 Becquerel Prize For Solar Advocacy). 
TaiyangNews 2024

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Solar panels promise clean power, but over 80 million tons of waste could follow by 2050  yahoo.com
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High tension in India as banks, utilities resist solar shift  scmp.com
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Building an off-grid mobile office is a massive challenge. Living on the road sounds easy. It is not. If your batteries die in the middle of nowhere, production completely stops.
I am building out my custom camper van to serve as a mobile editing studio and home base. To power heavy video editing laptops, drones, and camera gear, I need a serious electrical setup.
The build is officially moving into the hardest phase. Wiring time.
Before mounting anything permanently on the roof, I laid out four solar panels on the van floor. This lets me visualize the exact footprint before drilling holes into the metal roof.
I am mounting these panels onto a custom roof rack. Next to them, I am installing a dedicated roof ventilation fan to keep air moving inside the cabin during warm editing sessions.
Mapping out the roof layout early prevents major mistakes. Measure twice. Cut once.
The core components for the off-grid power rig just unboxed.
2000W Inverter: Converts direct battery power into standard wall-outlet AC power for camera chargers and MacBooks.
Solar Charge Controller: Manages the incoming energy flow from the roof solar panels straight to the battery bank.
Roof Vent Fan: Pulls hot air out of the van to regulate internal temperatures during high-draw charging.
Every component has to be positioned carefully inside the subfloor and wall framing before running heavy copper wire across the ceiling. The build is finally coming together, and the real technical work is just getting started.
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A team of 23 Dutch university students has built a solar-powered “ambulance” designed to bring healthcare to places where fuel, electricity, and passable roads are all scarce.
Solar Team Eindhoven, a student group at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, has unveiled Stella Juva, which it calls the world’s first solar-powered ambulance. But this isn’t an ambulance in the usual lights-and-sirens emergency sense – it brings medical care to patients rather than transporting them to a hospital.
Healthcare workers can use Stella Juva to perform blood tests, screen patients for tuberculosis and malaria, administer vaccines, and carry out pregnancy ultrasounds. That could allow common conditions to be diagnosed and treated earlier in remote communities where getting to a hospital can take hours – if it’s possible at all.
“Access to care shouldn’t depend on whether there’s access to electricity or fuel,” said Femke Maurits, partnerships manager for Amref Health Africa in the Netherlands, which advised the students on the project.
Stella Juva’s integrated rooftop solar panels generate electricity for both driving and powering its onboard medical equipment. The team estimates the EV will be able to travel up to 715 kilometers (444 miles) on a sunny day, meaning it won’t need to rely on charging stations while working in areas with limited infrastructure. However, Stella Juva has yet to prove that range under real-world conditions.
The roof uses AIKO’s All Back Contact (ABC) solar cells, which place the electrical contacts on the rear of the cell to increase light absorption, while silver-free metallization reduces the risk of microcracks. The cells are also designed to maintain their output in high temperatures – an important feature for a vehicle designed for hot regions.
Stella Juva’s battery is protected by PPG CoraChar SE 4000, an epoxy coating designed to slow the spread of heat and fire if a battery cell enters thermal runaway. PPG also provided a $46,250 (€40,000) grant toward the vehicle’s development.
Solar Team Eindhoven has plenty of experience building unconventional solar vehicles. Its previous projects include Stella Vita, a solar-powered camper, and Stella Terra, an off-road solar EV that completed a 620-mile test drive through Morocco and the Sahara in 2023.
The next test will matter more than the unveiling. The students will take Stella Juva to Kenya in August and drive it hundreds of kilometers using solar power. At two remote field locations, healthcare workers will simulate medical scenarios, including treating patients with tuberculosis, to see how well the mobile clinic and its equipment perform outside the university workshop.
Read more: A new Zipcar pilot pairs shared EVs with off-grid solar charging
If you’ve ever considered going solar, make it easy by finding a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing by checking out EnergySage. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online, and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor on Electrek and an editor on DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont. She has previously worked for Fast Company, the Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and others. Message Michelle on Twitter or at michelle@9to5mac.com. Check out her personal blog.
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