The average price of photovoltaic systems in Brazil rose by 7% between January and June 2026 for projects up to 300 kW, according to Greener’s “Distributed Energy Solutions” strategic study. Final system prices ranged from BRL 2.02 ($0.38)/W for 30 kW and 50 kW installations to BRL 3.62/W for 2 kW systems. The survey considers the final price of a PV system, including the equipment kit and integration services. Kit costs are based on price mapping and inquiries with distributors, while final system prices are collected from integrators across Brazil. The difference between the two represents the integration cost, which includes the integrator’s technical and operational margin. For 2 kW systems, the average price reached BRL 3.62/W in June, up from BRL 3.44/W in January. Based on total installed capacity, this corresponds to a system price of approximately BRL 7,200. Meanwhile, 30 kW and 50 kW systems recorded the lowest per-watt prices among the system sizes surveyed, at BRL 2.02/W. This corresponds to total system prices of approximately BRL 60,600 and BRL 101,000, respectively. Larger projects have a lower price per watt but require a higher overall investment. A 300 kW system, for example, had an average price of BRL 2.40/W, equivalent to around BRL 720,000. For a ground-mounted system of the same capacity, the average price reached approximately BRL 834,000. The increase in final system prices came amid a sharper rise in equipment costs. The average price of PV kits for 4 kW systems rose by 18.3% between January and June 2026, from BRL 1.42/W to BRL 1.68/W. The increase varied by system size. For 300 kW systems, the average kit price rose from BRL 1.02/W in January to BRL 1.04/W in June, an increase of 2.0%. For 50 kW systems, it climbed from BRL 1.14/W to BRL 1.24/W, up 8.8%. Greener’s historical data shows that current prices remain well below levels recorded during the earlier stages of Brazil’s distributed solar market. The average price of a 4 kW residential system fell from BRL 7.74/W in January 2017 to BRL 2.91/W in June 2026. For a 50 kW commercial system, the average price declined from BRL 6.06/W to BRL 2.02/W over the same period. The price trends come as Brazil’s distributed generation market lost momentum in the first half of 2026. New connections fell by 16% compared with the same period in 2025, from 488,000 to 411,000, while the number of new consumer units receiving credits dropped by 43%, from 951,000 to 541,000. At the same time, residential systems accounted for a growing share of new installations. The residential segment represented 65% of added capacity in the first half of 2026, up from 39% in 2019, while the commercial segment’s share fell to 19%. The concentration of sales in smaller systems underscores the importance of pricing for residential consumers. In a survey of system integrators, 80% identified residential systems of up to 12 kW as their best-selling category. Commercial systems ranging from 12 kW to 75 kW accounted for 16%, while systems above 75 kW represented 4%. Financing may also influence purchasing decisions. Only 33% of integrators’ sales involved financing in the first half of 2026, down eight percentage points from 2025 and the lowest share recorded during the period analyzed. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The new ESS News magazine is here! Download your free digital copy today. The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy. pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand. Monday, October 26, 2026 10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Giovedì, 1 ottobre 2026 14:30 – 15:30 CEST, Roma
India added 50.6 GW of solar module and 9.7 GW of cell manufacturing capacity in the first half (1H) of 2026, taking its cumulative solar module manufacturing capacity to 261.7 GW and cell manufacturing capacity to 36.6 GW as of June 2026, according to Mercom India’s recently released report, State of Solar PV Manufacturing in India 1H 2026. As of the report’s release, cumulative module capacity under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) List-I stood at 225.5 GW, against nearly 35.5 GW of cumulative cell capacity under ALMM List-II. “Domestic cell shortages have become the biggest near-term challenge for India’s solar market. Module capacity has expanded rapidly, but cell supply has not kept pace, tightening availability and pushing up prices for compliant modules and sharply slowing project activity. Many module manufacturers are struggling to maintain production because of limited domestic cell availability,” said Raj Prabhu, CEO at Mercom Capital Group. Prabhu said that the installed cell capacity overstates actual availability, as new lines take months to reach stable commercial production. ALMM List-II has intensified the pressure by increasing dependence on domestic cell supply before enough capacity was commercially available. TOPCon accounted for 80% of the total ALMM-listed module manufacturing capacity as of June 2026, followed by monocrystalline PERC/TOPCon at 11% and mono PERC at 4%. HJT accounted for 3%, while thin-film technology represented 2% of the total ALMM-listed capacity. “Until commercially available cell supply catches up with demand, the entire industry will remain under pressure, with manufacturers facing production constraints and developers facing commissioning delays,” added Prabhu. Gujarat remained the most favorable destination for solar module manufacturing, accounting for nearly 45% of the cumulative capacity as of June 2026. Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu followed with module production capacities of 26.1 GW and 23.4 GW. Gujarat also held the largest annual solar cell production capacity at 37%. Tamil Nadu and Telangana were other top states, with capacities of 4.3 GW and 4.2 GW, respectively. In 1H 2026, India’s imports of solar cells and modules increased 18% compared to 1H 2025. Cells accounted for 81% of total imports, while modules accounted for 19%. The U.S. remained India’s largest solar export destination in 1H 2026, accounting for 92% of total exports. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The new ESS News magazine is here! Download your free digital copy today. The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy. pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand. Monday, October 26, 2026 10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Giovedì, 1 ottobre 2026 14:30 – 15:30 CEST, Roma
Cultivate Power’s Bowes Solar array in Elgin will provide lower cost electric service to 580 low- and moderate-income households, three small businesses, two towns and a church. (Cultivate Power photo) A newly opened 22-acre solar farm in Elgin will benefit 580 low- and moderate-income households and other electric customers in the area. The ribbon-cutting on Cultivate Power’s sprawling Bowes solar farm was held Thursday. The distributed solar and storage project consists of two installations. Each will generate clean, locally sourced and non-carbon-based electricity that will be distributed over Commonwealth Edison wires. Aimed at saving customers 20 percent on energy charges, the project will also benefit several larger customers, including three small businesses, two towns and a church. Cultivate Power officials say that collectively subscribers will save $13.9 million on their ComEd bills during the next 40 years. Besides providing lower-cost electric service to some residents, the project will provide donations to several local interests. Cultivate Power says it is contributing $575,000 in financial support to Elgin Community College and Food for Greater Elgin, which is a member agency of the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Other beneficiaries include Friends of the Fox River, We Care Solar, the Evolve Foundation, and Sesenergi Eco Solutions’ workforce training programs. The Bowes project site will pay an estimated $2.1 million in property taxes over its 40-year lifetime, directly benefiting School District U-46 and other government units. In addition, construction of the facility employed more than 75 individuals, including 49 union laborers. There are two ways residential and commercial electric customers can access solar power – installed rooftop photovoltaic panels and distributed solar and storage projects combining small-scale solar panel arrays with battery systems. Such systems, built close to where customers are located, help to lower electric supply costs and ensure better electrical grid reliability. Elgin officials expressed satisfaction with the solar project. “In Elgin, we are very deliberate about our land use planning and ensuring that our growth fits the nature of the community,” said Marc Mylott, the city’s community development director. “Cultivate Power was willing and able to develop despite the site’s encumbrances, creating a productive use of the land that generates property taxes and local electricity with limited disturbance to the surrounding community.” Chicago-based Cultivate Power has been developing distributed solar and storage projects across Illinois since 2022, with 14 projects up and running, and 20 more under construction. Cultivate says it “operates on the belief that clean power generation can play a key role in cultivating healthy, economically robust communities.” Brian Matthay, Cultivate Power’s managing director and co-founder, said the Bowes Solar project is a “significant milestone” for his company. “With this step, we’re cementing our long-term commitment to Illinois and to the goals of (the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, and Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act) to expand clean energy access and drive local economic growth,” he said. There were numerous challenges Cultivate had to overcome in the planning and development of the Bowes project, including adjacent train tracks, high-voltage power lines, an irregular footprint and a corner wetland that had frustrated previous development efforts. The company adapted its design to work within constraints, including using high-density racking technology from Planted Solar to enable a higher megawatt density per acre. Dale Player, vice president of engineering and smart grid for ComEd, said efforts like the Bowes project “demonstrate how thoughtful engineering and strong collaboration can unlock new opportunities for clean energy, even on sites with unique development challenges.” “By connecting more locally generated energy to the grid, we’re helping expand customer access to affordable renewable energy while continuing to maintain the reliable service our communities depend on,” he said. “Our goal on every project is to ensure clean energy delivers tangible, local value beyond the grid benefits,” said Noah Hyte, Cultivate Power’s other managing director and co-founder. “Whether it’s lowering electricity bills for local families, supporting Elgin schools and nonprofits or creating local construction jobs, Bowes Solar reflects our deep commitment to strengthening the communities where we operate.” While CEJA and CRGA cover an array of goals and priorities, the bottom line is eliminating reliance on fossil fuels and natural gas. The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, passed in 2021, mandates a shift to 100-percent carbon-free energy by 2045, with the retirement of coal-fired generation units by 2030 and natural gas units by 2045. At the same time, it prioritizes “economic equity and workforce development.” The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, which was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Jan. 8, and took effect June 1, focuses on energy initiatives, including creating the Geothermal Homes and Businesses Incentive Program, and a Solar Bill of Rights for municipal and cooperative utility customers. Cultivate Power has been involved in renewable energy development and financing since 2008. More than 10,000 Illinois households are saving on their ComEd or Ameren electric bills by subscribing to solar projects developed by Cultivate Power.
The transformation of EL POLI by meii estudio gives La Unión’s municipal sports center in Murcia, Spain, a new architectural and energetic identity. The intervention at La Unión’s municipal sports center, locally known as EL POLI, is structured around two complementary elements that redefine a beloved local landmark, with a primary focus on both energy production and consumption.
A vivid lime-green entrance creates a clear and welcoming gateway to the complex, while a folded photovoltaic canopy rises above the stands, its geometry shaped by the sun. Together, these two interventions generate renewable energy, improve comfort, and establish a bold new presence within La Unión’s distinctive mining landscape.
The centrepiece of the project transforms a pure energy infrastructure into a striking architectural element. Designed by Murcia-based architectural practice meii estudio, to maximise solar energy production, its form is driven entirely by function: the optimal south-facing orientation and inclination of the photovoltaic panels, calculated precisely to the latitude of La Unión, generate a sequence of folded planes with a distinctive sawtooth profile.
Constructed using a robust three-dimensional steel structure and clad in blue metal sheeting, LA PÉRGOLA constantly shifts in appearance as natural light evolves. This creates a vibrant visual dialogue with the green ceramic entrance building while providing essential shade for the existing football stands.
Together, the lime-green entrance and the dynamic blue solar canopy succeed on multiple levels: they supply clean, renewable energy to the complex, improve user comfort, and forge a powerful new architectural identity for La Unión.
EL POLI is La Unión’s municipal sports center in Murcia, Spain lime-green ribbed ceramic tiles clad the entrance building’s ventilated facade the green ceramic facade contrasts with La Unión’s mining landscape
LA PÉRGOLA rises above the existing football stands as a photovoltaic canopy the canopy’s folded geometry is shaped by the optimal orientation of its solar panels blue metal sheeting gives LA PÉRGOLA its changing visual character a sequence of folded planes creates LA PÉRGOLA’s distinctive sawtooth profile
a three-dimensional steel structure supports the photovoltaic canopy LA PÉRGOLA provides shade for the existing football stands the project combines energy production with improvements to user comfort
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Reporter DW (Deutsche Welle) September 26, 2026 | 04:31 pm TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Traditionally, solar panel farms are quiet — save for the faint hum of the inverter. But on about one in 10 American solar farms, there’s a new sound reverberating through fields: baaaa. Letting sheep roam under solar panels is just one of many forms of a burgeoning strategy called agrivoltaics, where crops grow or livestock graze in tandem with renewable energy infrastructure. It’s not only of potential benefit for the animals, which get additional shade. The panels can also protect crops from the elements as well as divert water to them, creating cooler, damper conditions that even boost yields. And even the solar panels themselves tend to respond well to this co-existence — as the cooler they are, the more electricity they produce per watt of sunlight. “Having concrete or something underneath the solar panels — you’re going to have lower efficiency than having something like plants that are transpiring and cooling off on the land surface,” Carl Bernacchi, professor of plant biology and crop sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told DW. While the potential is enormous, especially as climate change puts more and more heat stress on agriculture, the practice is still in its infancy. In Europe, if agrivoltaics were implemented on just 1 percent of available agricultural land, the continent could exceed its solar energy targets for 2030. But uptake has been slow: agrivoltaics represents just 18.4 gigawatts of energy worldwide as of mid-2025, less than 1 percent of the world’s solar capacity. The idea for agrivoltaics dates back to 1981, when two German scientists published an article titled “Kartoffeln unter dem Kollektor” (or “Potatoes beneath the collector”). But the first pilot project didn’t begin until 2004 in Japan, a land-constrained country, where there’s particular concern over balancing solar deployment with the protection of farmland. There are three main types of agrivoltaics: horizontal, where panels look directly up at the sky, vertical, where they’re placed in large rows, perpendicular to the ground, and integrated, often installed atop greenhouses. Research suggests shade-tolerant crops stand to benefit. That includes berries, grapes and tomatoes — where the panels’ steel framing often doubles as trellises — as well as peaches and peppers. The panels can also prevent water from fully evaporating, creating a more humid microclimate that benefits the soil — though humidity is a double-edged sword, sometimes introducing plant disease. Sheep have also proven to be a particularly good match. Compared to cattle or goats, they’re generally easier to manage around solar infrastructure, less likely to damage equipment, and small enough to fit comfortably beneath panels. The practice has other sustainability upsides too: sheep manure fertilizes the soil, and sites require less herbicide. “If we look at the sheep industry, this has been a real paradigm shift for them, where instead of having to pay to lease land to graze their animals — now they’re actually getting paid to graze,” said Austin Kinzer, an agrivoltaics specialist at the American Farmland Trust conservation movement . “So it completely puts the economics on its head and is a huge opportunity for the sheep industry, which is really struggling in the U.S. pretty much since World War II.” Agrivoltaics sit at a rare intersection of climate mitigation (cutting emissions) and adaptation (adjusting to a warming planet). “It is both, which is pretty unique as far as climate solutions go,” Kinzer said. The practice offers one answer to where solar panels could go, helping to produce cheaper and more efficient energy, while also benefiting crops that might struggle due to rising temperatures or volatile weather. And research suggests that climate change will only make regions grow drier, “broadening areas where agrivoltaics can mitigate crop yield penalties (even boosting yield) and improve overall profitability,” write researchers in a journal article for Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). A dual-income stream can also offer farmers some insurance should temperature or weather knock out a season’s plantings. “Being able to have that alternate form of income, it’s massive for folks who are depending on weather to make their living that is becoming increasingly more extreme and varied,” Kinzer said. So why has adoption been so slow? “In theory, it’s a win-win scenario,” Bernacchi said. “But of course, with any technologies, there are always caveats and issues.” One reason is that agrivoltaics don’t work everywhere. In America’s arid West, where heat stress and less available water can threaten crops, yields stayed the same or even rose under panels. In the humid Midwest, on the other hand, panel shading limited photosynthesis and led to reduced yields in maize and soybeans. For cash crops, where there’s a very small margin for profit, even a minor reduction in yield is a no-go for many farmers. Then there’s the expense. For solar producers, every added inch to mount panels higher means more labor and steel costs. And farmers might need to find new equipment or change methods to adapt to a new system. “Farmers want to learn from other farmers,” said Kinzer, who works with farmers across the US to see how agrivoltaics are being adopted. “They want to hear from folks who are doing it. And so there’s a little bit of a chicken-and-the-egg problem for farmers: In most cases, they can’t just go across the street or into the next county over and see a project like this and talk to the farmers doing it.” Solar power’s land footprint has made it controversial in certain communities — some farming associations have protested converting farmland into acres of solar panels, arguing their members cease to be farmers and become energy producers instead. It’s a tension agrivoltaics helps to address. One survey found that more than 80 percent of Americans would be more likely to support solar development in their community if it allowed for the co-production of energy and agriculture — about 10 percent more than those that support solar development in general. “There’s this cultural conflict between the farmers who want to farm and the solar companies that want to produce electricity,” Bernacchi said. “And agrivoltaics really does bill itself as sort of a middle ground. 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Queens, New York, has implemented an innovative solar energy project featuring vertical bifacial panels on a green roof. This 100-kilowatt system is designed to generate about 120,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. The approach allows for sunlight and rain to nourish the vegetation underneath. Additionally, the vertical design helps maintain stormwater retention while generating renewable energy. The project exemplifies how cities can integrate solar solutions with green spaces effectively. (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online. (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.
Over 1 million readers this year! Over 1 million readers this year! Cap City News Cheyenne, Wyoming Community News Stream. CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Belvoir Ranch has long been identified as a potential site of energy developments, and its owner, the City of Cheyenne, appears to be nearing a deal to make another possible. Prospective developer Hanwha Renewables has identified an area on the ranch for a potential solar development and wants to secure an agreement to get the project started. The Belvoir Ranch is an 18,800-acre property west of town that has slowly been built for recreation, energy development, water storage and more. It fits loosely between the Union Pacific Railroad and Interstate 80, with a portion of the area known as The Big Hole stretching down as far as the Wyoming–Colorado border. Since the city began planning out the ranch’s future in earnest in 2008, a large chunk of the property’s area has been dedicated to wind energy. A 2024 master plan update reaffirmed the city’s commitment to using large chunks of the land for energy, highlighting solar specifically as a potential use. Hanwha Renewables, the renewable energy branch of the massive Korean corporation Hanwha, has recently taken action to realize the city’s goals. The company is the same developer as the South Cheyenne Solar Project, a 150-megawatt solar project in south Laramie County that opened in 2024. Hanwha Renewables representatives have returned to the county, now with their eyes on Belvoir. One employee, associate development manager Tyler Nokelby, said the company is looking to develop a 140-megawatt generation facility and pair it with a 140-megawatt battery energy storage system. Its name is Project Wrangler. Nokelby came to Cheyenne from California on Sept. 24–25 to pitch the project to Laramie County residents and later the Cheyenne City Council itself, some members of which have spoken with Hanwha before as it scoped out the property. According to Nokelby, the project is shaping up to be a $300 million investment. As the project’s developer, Hanwha Renewables will take the reigns in the earliest stages of development. By the time the project nears construction, Hanwha Renewables will sell the asset to a company like Southern Power, which it did for the South Cheyenne Solar Project. The owner will then sell the power generated once the farm is built to an off-taker, Black Hills Energy, which will distribute the energy to commercial, industrial and residential consumers. Hanwha Renewables’ primary responsibilities include siting, structuring financial agreements to use the property, permitting and site planning. Nokelby said that the company takes those jobs seriously. Months of work go into wildlife and environmental stewardship, which he said the company stressed during South Cheyenne Solar’s development. “In 2024, we were awarded by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department with the 2023 Industrial Wildlife Stewardship Award and it was because we went above and beyond to reduce environmental impact and facilitate wildlife movement across the landscape,” Nokelby said. “Really what we did was we went far beyond the kind of recommended measures to make sure all sorts of different habitats were mitigated. Specifically pronghorn movement was something we were really concerned about.” As an example, Nokelby said that if the company contracts an environmental survey and discovers that an incredibly rare species of butterfly lived only in that area, Hanwha would take action to prevent harm to its habitat or would abandon the site. He said Project Wrangler would incorporate fencing to allow small animals to pass through, employ biologists to monitor construction and incorporate new panel types that can follow the contours of hills so that they don’t have to be graded. They have strict decommissioning procedures in place and are even hoping to use the roads that neighboring wind projects have already built to keep natural disturbances to a minimum. “We did not get into the sustainable energy industry to destroy the environment,” Nokelby said. “These projects are obviously very large and impactful. We do everything we can to mitigate those impacts.” The prospective site of the Wrangler Energy Park, made up of rolling hills and water-cut gullies, won’t make fulfilling those obligations very easy. While the development should only take up 1,200–1,400 acres of the ranch, the company is hoping to initially secure rights to a 3,300-acre parcel on the ranch’s far-east side to find areas where it can least disturb wildlife, soils and natural waterways, as well as avoid areas too hilly for its panels’ contour-matching design. The whole of the 3,300 acres won’t be used. “It’s not that the entire area is completely going to be covered and unusable, just maybe a portion of that. In the grand scheme of things, the ranch is 18,000 acres. This is about 3,300,” Nokelby said. “The solar panels are about 1,200 — less than 10%.” He also stressed that, even if the company did want to keep the remaining land, clauses included in the draft lease strictly prohibit uses not pertaining to solar energy, including data centers. The development should also avoid disturbing humans. The proposed site is far away from the publicly accessible portions of the ranch, which opened a trail system for biking and trail running in June, and utilizes land around wind turbines that are already there. Unlike those wind turbines, however, the solar project won’t be visible from Interstate 80. It would likely be visible if accessed by Otto Road. Hanwha said it’s first interested in a four-year option to lease, which grants it the exclusive right to development while it scopes the area out and conducts studies. Even if it chooses to move on from the area, the city would still rake in around $1 million from option fee payments. If Hanwha does like what it sees and is clear to develop, representatives would structure a long-term operating lease, which starts at 30 years and offers four five-year extension options. That would make the maximum life of the lease 50 years. In that time, just from lease revenue, the City of Cheyenne would generate between $30 million and $60 million, Nokelby said. “$30 million is probably worst-case scenario. We can’t make any promises right now; we’ll know a lot more as we progress,” Nokelby said. “Great for the city. If you average that out, that’s a little over a million a year, I think.” Despite being city-owned, the Belvoir Ranch is not in the City of Cheyenne, so Laramie County would be collecting the development’s property taxes. If the City Council decided to annex the area, however, that would mean even more revenue for the city. Project Wrangler will not spring up overnight. Like the South Cheyenne Solar Project, site planning alone can take years. Nokelby said that, upon the approval of an initial agreement, it would probably take around two or three years to get through site studies, environmental reviews, design and permitting. Groundbreaking would occur around the end of 2027 or in early 2028, and the site would be operational sometime in 2030. The City of Cheyenne would not have oversight over much of the process after it approves the lease. Permits would come through the state’s Department of Environmental Quality, while site planning approval would come from the Laramie County government. That means that, unless the city decides to annex the property in the future, the next few weeks will be the primary time for city councilors and Cheyenne residents to publicly speak on the project. Consideration of the lease, which will begin with the four-year option, will be first made Oct. 7. It will be immediately referred to the Finance Committee and will return to the council for a final vote in mid- to late October. Although the city would only enter the four-year option with Hanwha Renewables if the agreement is approved next month, updating it to enter the full 30-year operational lease would be handled administratively and would not require another public vote. More about the project from Nokelby or Hanwha Renewables representatives themselves are available in the video recording of the Cheyenne City Council’s Sept. 25 work session on YouTube. Community Reporter More by Garrett Grochowski
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Queens, New York, has implemented an innovative solar energy project featuring vertical bifacial panels on a green roof. This 100-kilowatt system is designed to generate about 120,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. The approach allows for sunlight and rain to nourish the vegetation underneath. Additionally, the vertical design helps maintain stormwater retention while generating renewable energy. The project exemplifies how cities can integrate solar solutions with green spaces effectively. (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online. (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.
India’s cumulative solar module manufacturing capacity reached 261.7 GW by June 2026, while cell capacity stood at 36.6 GW, says Mercom Gujarat accounted for nearly 45% of India’s module manufacturing capacity in June 2026 Solar cell and module imports rose 18% YoY in H1 2026, with cells making up 81% of imports India added 50.6 GW of solar PV module manufacturing capacity and 9.7 GW of cell capacity in H1 2026, as domestic solar manufacturing continued to expand. However, cell availability remained a constraint despite the growth in installed capacity, according to Mercom India Research. In its report titled State of Solar PV Manufacturing in India 1H 2026, Mercom counts cumulative module manufacturing capacity of the country having reached 261.7 GW by June 2026, while cell manufacturing capacity stood at 36.6 GW. However, the capacity listed under the government’s Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) was lower. While ALMM List-I module capacity reached 225.5 GW, ALMM List-II cell capacity stood at nearly 35.5 GW as of the report’s release, says Mercom. In terms of technology, TOPCon accounted for the largest share of ALMM-listed module manufacturing capacity as of June 2026, with an 80% share. Monocrystalline PERC/TOPCon accounted for 11%, followed by mono PERC at 4%. Heterojunction (HJT) represented 3%, while thin-film technology accounted for the remaining 2%, according to the report. The concentration of manufacturing capacity is also significant, as the report specifies that the top 10 manufacturers accounted for 60% of India’s module manufacturing capacity. Gujarat remained the largest location for module manufacturing, accounting for nearly 45% of capacity at the end of June 2026. Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu followed, with module manufacturing capacities of 26.1 GW and 23.4 GW, respectively. Gujarat also had the largest share of India’s annual solar cell production capacity at 37%. Tamil Nadu and Telangana followed with 4.3 GW and 4.2 GW, respectively. Mercom Capital Group CEO Raj Prabhu said domestic cell shortages had become a near-term challenge for India’s solar market. “Module capacity has expanded rapidly, but cell supply has not kept pace,” Prabhu said. He added that limited domestic cell availability was tightening supply and increasing prices for compliant modules. According to Prabhu, installed solar cell capacity does not necessarily represent commercially available supply because new manufacturing lines can take months to reach stable production. Additionally, the introduction of ALMM List-II has increased dependence on domestic cells before sufficient capacity became commercially available. The supply constraint is affecting manufacturers and project developers. Prabhu added, “Many module manufacturers are struggling to maintain production because of limited domestic cell availability.” On the other hand, developers are experiencing commissioning delays until commercially available cell supply catches up with demand. India’s imports of solar cells and modules increased 18% in H1 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Cells accounted for 81% of total imports, while modules made up the remaining 19%. On the export side, the US remained India’s largest destination during the period, accounting for 92% of total solar cell and module exports. The complete report can be purchased from Mercom’s website. TaiyangNews 2024
A fence surrounded by landscaping shields hundreds of low-profile, flat-mounted solar panels at Cultivate Power’s Bowes Road facility. Bowes Road is Elgin’s first solar farm, and it’s now fully operational. City and company officials gathered Thursday for a ribbon-cutting event for the 30-acre enterprise at Bowes and Nolan roads. “This is the first site we are both developing and operating. We’re really excited about the project,” said Kiera Gavin, director of development for Cultivate Power, based in Chicago. The solar development company has been active in the state for four years. It’s been involved in close to 30 projects, said Noah Hyte, co-founder and managing director. Bowes Road solar farm produces 11.2 megawatts of power to 500 commercial and residential customers. A solar farm captures sunlight, converts it to power and distributes the energy to the grid. Customers subscribe to the farm to get electricity, which can save 10% to 20% over standard electricity rates, according to Gatby, a company that helps residents and business owners find ways to save on energy costs. Bowes Road will provide “resilience to the local grid. If you have a big storm outage or other grid issues, this will continue to generate and provide power to the local area,” Hyte said. The project started in 2022, but Cultivate Power took over a few years later. It’s the same footprint as originally planned, but they were able to add more capacity, he said. “We were able to find the right approach,” Hyte said. “We found there were opportunities to directly engage and hear concerns and incorporate those in the design.” Mayor Dave Kaptain, who attended the ribbon-cutting, said neighbors seem happy with the results. There had been attempts to develop the property over the last two decades, including a residential subdivision. But a wetland area at the back of the site made it a challenging project. “This is a good use of the land,” Kaptain said. Elgin has been a leader in bringing solar to the community, with the city being among the first to have a community solar program, the mayor said. The program allows residents and small businesses to subscribe to local solar farms without the need for rooftop panels. The city’s Sustainability Commission also has initiatives to encourage solar power usage. “This is all starting to bear fruit,” Kaptain said. As more people embrace solar power, he believes its use will grow, especially as the cost of electricity goes up, he said. “Hopefully, Elgin will continue to be a leader,” Kaptain said. Hyte said the farm “provides more than power and grid resilience; it provides support to communities.” Its impact on the local community includes $575,000 in direct community investments, a fivefold increase in property tax revenues from the property and 75 construction jobs, company officials said. The city will collect $64,000 in property taxes in the farm’s first year of operations, compared to the $12,000 collected in 2025. Cultivate Power is also investing in the community through Elgin Community College, Food for Greater Elgin, Friends of the Fox River, Evolve Foundation and Sesenergy, which provides workforce training. It also has a STEM program for local schools, Gavin said. Teachers have already visited the site and learned about the curriculum available surrounding solar power, she said. “We are very focused on investing in local communities alongside the projects we develop,” Gavin said. Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.
Northwestern and southern India and Pakistan saw above-average solar irradiance during the 2026 summer monsoon, while August tropical depressions reduced irradiance in eastern and central India, according to analysis using the Solcast API. Fortunately, the majority of India’s utility-scale PV capacity is in the regions with favourable conditions. After late-August flood damage in Nepal, India began exporting electricity there, supported in part by Indian PV generation. The monsoon arrived slowly in June and rainfall has been below average in the sunnier regions. Early June–September analysis, using forecasts out to the end of September, puts irradiance around 5% above the long-term average in those areas, whilst August saw up to 10% above average. The weaker monsoon is consistent with the strong El Niño that has developed throughout 2027. These effects are also influenced by a marginal positive Indian Ocean Dipole, an Indian Ocean temperature pattern that can counteract El Niño’s influence. Accumulated irradiance at Jodhpur, near Rajasthan’s PV-producing areas, is provisionally tracking as the second-highest year since 2007. Bahawalpur, near solar installations in Pakistan’s Punjab province, is tracking at the top of its comparison years since 2007. Eastern and central India followed a different course. Several tropical depressions, or low-pressure systems formed over the Bay of Bengal in August and moved northwest across land, carrying cloud and heavy rain. August irradiance in the affected areas was 20–30% below the monthly average. The provisional June–September estimate is around 10% below average across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, eastern Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Spot analysis of time-series data in impacted locations demonstrates the impact this has for local solar production, revealing the impacts of the onset of the monsoon. Seen below, Nagpur started above average after the late monsoon onset, but August rain pushed its seasonal total below average. Abikapur, in Chhattisgarh, is tracking toward its lowest accumulated summer-monsoon irradiance in the comparison record after an average start. Less PV capacity is deployed in these eastern areas than in India’s main solar-producing regions in the northwest. The sharp local irradiance decline therefore had a more limited bearing on national PV production potential than the August irradiance data alone might suggest. Late-August floods in Nepal and Tibet, attributed glacial collapse, damaged 12 hydropower plants, PV facilities and transmission lines. Nepal’s generating capacity fell by 10%. Normally an exporter of hydropower to India during the summer monsoon, Nepal instead began importing electricity from India after the damage. Indian PV generation supported those exports, alongside the favourable irradiance across India’s main solar-producing regions. Solcast produces these figures by tracking clouds and aerosols at 1-2km resolution globally, using satellite data and proprietary AI/ML algorithms. This data is used to drive irradiance models, enabling Solcast to calculate irradiance at high resolution, with typical bias of less than 2%, and also cloud-tracking forecasts. This data is used by more than 350 companies managing over 350 GW of solar assets globally. 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]. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The new ESS News magazine is here! Download your free digital copy today. The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy. pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand. Monday, October 26, 2026 10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Giovedì, 1 ottobre 2026 14:30 – 15:30 CEST, Roma
Reporter DW (Deutsche Welle) September 26, 2026 | 04:31 pm TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Traditionally, solar panel farms are quiet — save for the faint hum of the inverter. But on about one in 10 American solar farms, there’s a new sound reverberating through fields: baaaa. Letting sheep roam under solar panels is just one of many forms of a burgeoning strategy called agrivoltaics, where crops grow or livestock graze in tandem with renewable energy infrastructure. It’s not only of potential benefit for the animals, which get additional shade. The panels can also protect crops from the elements as well as divert water to them, creating cooler, damper conditions that even boost yields. And even the solar panels themselves tend to respond well to this co-existence — as the cooler they are, the more electricity they produce per watt of sunlight. “Having concrete or something underneath the solar panels — you’re going to have lower efficiency than having something like plants that are transpiring and cooling off on the land surface,” Carl Bernacchi, professor of plant biology and crop sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told DW. While the potential is enormous, especially as climate change puts more and more heat stress on agriculture, the practice is still in its infancy. In Europe, if agrivoltaics were implemented on just 1 percent of available agricultural land, the continent could exceed its solar energy targets for 2030. But uptake has been slow: agrivoltaics represents just 18.4 gigawatts of energy worldwide as of mid-2025, less than 1 percent of the world’s solar capacity. The idea for agrivoltaics dates back to 1981, when two German scientists published an article titled “Kartoffeln unter dem Kollektor” (or “Potatoes beneath the collector”). But the first pilot project didn’t begin until 2004 in Japan, a land-constrained country, where there’s particular concern over balancing solar deployment with the protection of farmland. There are three main types of agrivoltaics: horizontal, where panels look directly up at the sky, vertical, where they’re placed in large rows, perpendicular to the ground, and integrated, often installed atop greenhouses. Research suggests shade-tolerant crops stand to benefit. That includes berries, grapes and tomatoes — where the panels’ steel framing often doubles as trellises — as well as peaches and peppers. The panels can also prevent water from fully evaporating, creating a more humid microclimate that benefits the soil — though humidity is a double-edged sword, sometimes introducing plant disease. Sheep have also proven to be a particularly good match. Compared to cattle or goats, they’re generally easier to manage around solar infrastructure, less likely to damage equipment, and small enough to fit comfortably beneath panels. The practice has other sustainability upsides too: sheep manure fertilizes the soil, and sites require less herbicide. “If we look at the sheep industry, this has been a real paradigm shift for them, where instead of having to pay to lease land to graze their animals — now they’re actually getting paid to graze,” said Austin Kinzer, an agrivoltaics specialist at the American Farmland Trust conservation movement . “So it completely puts the economics on its head and is a huge opportunity for the sheep industry, which is really struggling in the U.S. pretty much since World War II.” Agrivoltaics sit at a rare intersection of climate mitigation (cutting emissions) and adaptation (adjusting to a warming planet). “It is both, which is pretty unique as far as climate solutions go,” Kinzer said. The practice offers one answer to where solar panels could go, helping to produce cheaper and more efficient energy, while also benefiting crops that might struggle due to rising temperatures or volatile weather. And research suggests that climate change will only make regions grow drier, “broadening areas where agrivoltaics can mitigate crop yield penalties (even boosting yield) and improve overall profitability,” write researchers in a journal article for Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). A dual-income stream can also offer farmers some insurance should temperature or weather knock out a season’s plantings. “Being able to have that alternate form of income, it’s massive for folks who are depending on weather to make their living that is becoming increasingly more extreme and varied,” Kinzer said. So why has adoption been so slow? “In theory, it’s a win-win scenario,” Bernacchi said. “But of course, with any technologies, there are always caveats and issues.” One reason is that agrivoltaics don’t work everywhere. In America’s arid West, where heat stress and less available water can threaten crops, yields stayed the same or even rose under panels. In the humid Midwest, on the other hand, panel shading limited photosynthesis and led to reduced yields in maize and soybeans. For cash crops, where there’s a very small margin for profit, even a minor reduction in yield is a no-go for many farmers. Then there’s the expense. For solar producers, every added inch to mount panels higher means more labor and steel costs. And farmers might need to find new equipment or change methods to adapt to a new system. “Farmers want to learn from other farmers,” said Kinzer, who works with farmers across the US to see how agrivoltaics are being adopted. “They want to hear from folks who are doing it. And so there’s a little bit of a chicken-and-the-egg problem for farmers: In most cases, they can’t just go across the street or into the next county over and see a project like this and talk to the farmers doing it.” Solar power’s land footprint has made it controversial in certain communities — some farming associations have protested converting farmland into acres of solar panels, arguing their members cease to be farmers and become energy producers instead. It’s a tension agrivoltaics helps to address. One survey found that more than 80 percent of Americans would be more likely to support solar development in their community if it allowed for the co-production of energy and agriculture — about 10 percent more than those that support solar development in general. “There’s this cultural conflict between the farmers who want to farm and the solar companies that want to produce electricity,” Bernacchi said. “And agrivoltaics really does bill itself as sort of a middle ground. 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0 Powered by : Sembcorp Floating Solar Singapore, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries, developed the Sembcorp Tengeh Floating Solar Farm at Tengeh Reservoir in Singapore. The Sembcorp Tengeh Floating Solar Farm covers about 45 hectares of Tengeh Reservoir and contains more than 122,000 solar panels across 10 floating islands. The installation has a generation capacity of 60 MWp and supplies electricity sufficient to power Singapore’s five local water-treatment plants. The solar farm covers about one-third of the reservoir, while two-thirds remains open. Gaps between the floating panels allow sunlight and airflow to reach the water, while aerators help maintain dissolved oxygen levels. The installation was preceded by extensive engineering and environmental studies examining its compatibility with Singapore’s water infrastructure and surrounding ecosystem. The project is estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 32,000 tons annually. Continuous monitoring of water quality is also part of the installation’s operation. SOLARbytes brings you the latest news in solar world in bite size; essentially a gist of important solar news in few sentences. Subscribe to our Newsletter!
Opacity Italian delegation departs for Cuba. X/@CGCuba_Milan.
September 25, 2026 Hour: 12:15 pm 🔗 Comparte este artículo
On Thursday, an Italian solidarity caravan in Cuba reported raising US$426,700 for the installation of solar panels at health, cultural, and food production centers in Havana and several eastern provinces. RELATED: Italian Organizations Sign Unity Pact in Defense of Cuba The initiative was spearheaded by organizations such as the Italian Cultural and Recreational Association (ARCI), the Italian National Confederation of Labor, and the Italy-Cuba National Friendship Association, along with social and labor groups. The funds will bring photovoltaic energy to institutions in Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Granma, and Havana, amid the country’s ongoing energy crisis. According to the organizers, the projects will directly and indirectly benefit some 800,000 people, especially in sectors related to health. Solar panels have become a key alternative for numerous Cuban institutions due to fuel shortages. The delegation will remain in Cuba until September 30 and also plans to deliver medicines, school supplies, and other resources to community organizations. Meanwhile, representatives of the “Energy for Life. Let’s Light Up Cuba” movement were received at the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), where they met with local authorities and organizations.
ARCI President Walter Massa affirmed that the campaign will continue and noted that participants will share their experiences regarding the economic and energy situation facing the island with Italy. During a meeting with the delegation, President Miguel Diaz-Canel highlighted the historic ties of friendship between Cuba and Italy and expressed his gratitude for the support provided by Italian civil society organizations. The president noted that the benefits of the campaign can already be seen in health centers, cultural facilities, and production entities. The visit includes members of the European Parliament, national parliamentarians, and representatives of Italian associations. The delegation advocated for continued solidarity and cooperation between the two nations and expressed its intention to promote new support initiatives related to energy, health, and community development.
#FromTheSouth News Bits | The Union Cuba-Petroleo oilfields completed extracting 2.5 million barrels of oil equivalent, despite the country's difficulties in securing its energy supply. pic.twitter.com/jrek25SDo4 teleSUR: JP Source: EFE
IN THIS ARTICLE Havana Italian Cultural and Recreational Association italy
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The average price of photovoltaic systems in Brazil rose by 7% between January and June 2026 for projects up to 300 kW, according to Greener’s “Distributed Energy Solutions” strategic study. Final system prices ranged from BRL 2.02 ($0.38)/W for 30 kW and 50 kW installations to BRL 3.62/W for 2 kW systems. The survey considers the final price of a PV system, including the equipment kit and integration services. Kit costs are based on price mapping and inquiries with distributors, while final system prices are collected from integrators across Brazil. The difference between the two represents the integration cost, which includes the integrator’s technical and operational margin. For 2 kW systems, the average price reached BRL 3.62/W in June, up from BRL 3.44/W in January. Based on total installed capacity, this corresponds to a system price of approximately BRL 7,200. Meanwhile, 30 kW and 50 kW systems recorded the lowest per-watt prices among the system sizes surveyed, at BRL 2.02/W. This corresponds to total system prices of approximately BRL 60,600 and BRL 101,000, respectively. Larger projects have a lower price per watt but require a higher overall investment. A 300 kW system, for example, had an average price of BRL 2.40/W, equivalent to around BRL 720,000. For a ground-mounted system of the same capacity, the average price reached approximately BRL 834,000. The increase in final system prices came amid a sharper rise in equipment costs. The average price of PV kits for 4 kW systems rose by 18.3% between January and June 2026, from BRL 1.42/W to BRL 1.68/W. The increase varied by system size. For 300 kW systems, the average kit price rose from BRL 1.02/W in January to BRL 1.04/W in June, an increase of 2.0%. For 50 kW systems, it climbed from BRL 1.14/W to BRL 1.24/W, up 8.8%. Greener’s historical data shows that current prices remain well below levels recorded during the earlier stages of Brazil’s distributed solar market. The average price of a 4 kW residential system fell from BRL 7.74/W in January 2017 to BRL 2.91/W in June 2026. For a 50 kW commercial system, the average price declined from BRL 6.06/W to BRL 2.02/W over the same period. The price trends come as Brazil’s distributed generation market lost momentum in the first half of 2026. New connections fell by 16% compared with the same period in 2025, from 488,000 to 411,000, while the number of new consumer units receiving credits dropped by 43%, from 951,000 to 541,000. At the same time, residential systems accounted for a growing share of new installations. The residential segment represented 65% of added capacity in the first half of 2026, up from 39% in 2019, while the commercial segment’s share fell to 19%. The concentration of sales in smaller systems underscores the importance of pricing for residential consumers. In a survey of system integrators, 80% identified residential systems of up to 12 kW as their best-selling category. Commercial systems ranging from 12 kW to 75 kW accounted for 16%, while systems above 75 kW represented 4%. Financing may also influence purchasing decisions. Only 33% of integrators’ sales involved financing in the first half of 2026, down eight percentage points from 2025 and the lowest share recorded during the period analyzed. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The new ESS News magazine is here! Download your free digital copy today. The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy. pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand. Monday, October 26, 2026 10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Giovedì, 1 ottobre 2026 14:30 – 15:30 CEST, Roma
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the community solar project on Monegan Road last Wednesday. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot) Whitefish CIty Manager Dana Meeker and Stacey Schnebel, president of the board of trustees of Flathead Electric Cooperative cut the ribbon at the new community solar project on Monegan Road. (Julie Engle/Whitefish PIlot) The sun understood the assignment and shone brightly over Monegan Road on Sept. 16 as Flathead Electric Cooperative, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the city of Whitefish and several citizens celebrated the completion of a new solar project. “This is an exciting day for us because it reflects the kind of community-driven project that this board wants to support — one shaped by local ideas, strong partnerships and meaningful benefits for our members,” said Stacey Schnebel, Flathead Electric Cooperative board president. The solar array, built on city land near the wastewater treatment plant, consists of 448 solar panels, each generating about 700 kWh per year. The project is expected to generate enough power for 21 average homes. An on-site battery system stores energy for peak demand. People may purchase a panel’s power generation for $700 per panel, which will reduce their power bill by about $43 per year per panel. The solar array in Whitefish is the third community solar project Flathead Electric Co-op has built. The first was built in 2015 off Whitefish Stage Road and the second, in 2018, in Kalispell. “This project came online earlier this year and also marks an important first for the cooperative,” Schnebel said. “This is our first community solar project that is paired with a utility-scale battery [that] allows us to store electricity and release it when it can provide better value to our electrical system, including during those periods of higher demand.” The energy generated by approximately 80 of the panels will offset the bills of low-income families in the area, thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation and a $5,000 donation from YeTI Photovoltaic, Inc. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided a $463,307 Rural Energy for America Program grant, known as a REAP grant. “Partnerships are really how we get things done in Whitefish,” Whitefish Public Works Director Craig Workman said. Whitefish worked with Climate Smart Glacier Country in 2018 to develop the Climate Action Plan, which has central themes like using energy more efficiently, conserving water, and producing more of the things we need locally,” he said, adding that creating a community solar project was an objective of the plan. “We wanted to help create a facility that could produce energy that is shared among many households and allow property owners to obtain solar power without having to bear the expense and the land burden to install the equipment on their own property,” Workman said. “This expands access to solar power for residents, business owners, commercial property and institutional property owners.” • • • Reporter Julie Engler can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. Whitefish City Manager Dana Meeker and Stacey Schnebel, president of the board of trustees of Flathead Electric Cooperative, cut the ribbon at the new community solar project on Monegan Road. (Julie Engle/Whitefish Pilot)
German company Tegrona has introduced Tegrona Lite, free software for planning the layout of photovoltaic systems directly on a photograph of a roof. The tool is aimed at installers and project planners who need to estimate during an initial site visit how many modules can be installed on a roof without using CAD tools or taking on-site measurements. The software accepts drone photographs, images taken from the ground, and roof plans. Using the image, the user outlines the roof surface with three or four points and defines exclusion zones for obstacles such as chimneys, dormers, skylights and ventilation ducts. One of Tegrona Lite’s technical features is perspective correction for photographs taken from the ground. In such images, eaves and ridgelines may appear distorted, while rows of roof tiles converge toward vanishing points. The software uses the tiles themselves as a geometric reference. Because rows and columns of tiles are parallel on the roof, their lines can be used to identify vanishing points and calculate the transformation required to rectify the image. The procedure also allows users to work with trapezoidal or triangular roof surfaces, for which a correction based solely on four corners would not accurately reproduce the surface geometry. Once the image has been rectified, the eave appears horizontal and the module rows can be aligned with it. Tegrona Lite uses the known dimensions of the roofing material to convert the image into a scaled representation. The user selects the type of roof tile, and the software identifies and counts the tiles visible in the image to calculate the relationship between pixels and actual dimensions. The application includes tile profiles such as Frankfurter Pfanne and Hohlfalzziegel and allows users to enter other tile types based on their coverage dimensions. A single known measurement, such as the dimensions of a roof window, can also be used to establish the scale. Once the geometry and scale have been defined, the algorithm distributes modules across the roof surface according to the specified module dimensions and power rating. Modules can be placed in portrait or landscape orientation, or the two orientations can be combined when this makes better use of the available space. On roof surfaces that narrow toward the ridge, rows can be shifted laterally and modules rotated to make use of remaining spaces. Users can also specify minimum distances from roof edges and create exclusion zones around obstacles. With each modification, the program updates the module count, total installed capacity, occupied area, and the number of mid and end clamps required. The resulting layout can be exported as a technical sheet in PDF or PNG format, showing the module arrangement overlaid on the original photograph. All calculations are performed locally on the user’s device. In the web version, processing takes place within the browser, and photographs are not uploaded to a server. According to Tegrona, this approach also avoids transferring geolocation metadata that may be embedded in photographs taken by drones. Tegrona Lite does not include energy yield simulations, shading analysis, string design or structural checks. These functions are outside the scope of the tool and require dedicated PV design software. The tool does not require registration or an internet connection for processing. Desktop applications are available for macOS 14 and later and Windows 10 and later, while the web version runs on a range of operating systems and devices. The web version is available in 11 languages, including Spanish. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The new ESS News magazine is here! Download your free digital copy today. The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy. pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand. Monday, October 26, 2026 10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Giovedì, 1 ottobre 2026 14:30 – 15:30 CEST, Roma
Enforced by the U.S. Department of Commerce, a 15% Section 232 tariff on imports of polysilicon products takes effect on December 4, leaving developers with a narrowing window to secure lower-cost supply. Anza, a solar and energy storage data and analytics company, recommends that developers prioritize inventory already in the U.S. and evaluate which additional shipments can clear customs before the December 4 deadline. Developers should also lock in domestic-content supply, including considering whether blending domestic and imported products could reduce overall CapEx. At the same time, they should review how contracts allocate exposure to retroactive tariffs and stockpiling risks and, where possible, seek written commitments from suppliers to absorb those risks. The 15% tariff that goes into effect in about ten weeks will raise prices on polysilicon as well as on solar ingots, wafers, cells and modules. Anza reports that the median price for imported modules was $0.27/W before the August 7 proclamation and is now $0.38/W for delivery after December 4, among suppliers that have repriced, an increase of more than 40%. The tariff is the result of the Secretary of Commerce finding in a Section 232 investigation that the quantities and circumstances of polysilicon imports threaten harm to U.S. national security. [Read Trump signs Section 232 tariffs, placing minimum import price on polysilicon imports] The challenge for developers is to move quickly to secure lower costs before the minimum pricing takes effect, Anza says, adding that the options are to secure modules already in the U.S., accelerate imports or shift procurement strategies to preserve project economics. Anza reports that as of September 9, 55% of active suppliers on its platform had Section 232-inclusive pricing, covering 65% of modules on the platform. While Anza has access to lower-cost pre-deadline supply, although “the window is shrinking.” On quotes where Anza can compare the same SKU and contract terms, pricing has increased by about 15%. Fortunately, the future holds promise for U.S. manufacturing across the U.S. supply chain. The Solar Energy Industries Association reports that the U.S. currently has 75.3 GW of module manufacturing capacity, which it says is enough to supply current market demand. Moving further up the supply chain shows less current capacity, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) forecasts a jump in ingot and cell manufacturing in the next year and for polysilicon and wafer by 2028. Developers who are in the procurement process now are entering the “most critical procurement window,” Aaron Hall, president of Anza said in a statement, adding that developers can’t wait until December 4 to make a procurement decision as modules need time to ship and clear U.S. Customers before the deadline. “Developers need to understand what is available now, at what price and on what terms, and move quickly on the strategy that makes the most sense for their project,” said Hall. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The new ESS News magazine is here! Download your free digital copy today. The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy. pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand. Monday, October 26, 2026 10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Giovedì, 1 ottobre 2026 14:30 – 15:30 CEST, Roma
Chinese solar cell prices have declined for a third consecutive week since peaking in late August, with lower wafer and polysilicon prices also easing upstream costs, a trend that could influence India’s module pricing and its ongoing shift towards domestic ingot-wafer-cell manufacturing. September 25, 2026. By Mrinmoy Dey Mahindra Susten’s MD Avinash Rao Says India Needs Balanced Energy Mix for Reliable Transition Solar Industry Must Adapt to Integrated Manufacturing Ecosystem: ISMA’s Amit Manohar India on Way to Become RE Superpower over the Next Decade: SunBridge Group Chairman Deep-Tech Startups Must Bridge Commercialisation Gap, Says Shell India’s Debasis Goswami Renewable Procurement Must Become More Flexible, Scalable, Says Dhananjay Kumar, ENGIE
Floating solar developer D3Energy has energized a 6 MW floating photovoltaic (FPV) array in the Village of Monroeville, Ohio. The system stands as the largest floating solar installation in the state and one of the largest operating FPV projects in the Midwest. Sited directly on the Huron County village’s drinking water reservoir, the project utilizes Ciel & Terre Hydrelio floating structures to mount the PV modules over water. By floating the array, the municipal system preserves more than 30 acres of surrounding land that traditional ground-mounted solar would have required, while helping reduce reservoir evaporation and control seasonal algae growth. Under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), the Village of Monroeville will buy electricity from project owner Gardner Capital to feed directly into the village’s local distribution grid. Generating over 7,500 MWh annually, enough to power roughly 700 homes, the project more than doubles Monroeville’s clean power capacity. Ohio-based contractor Appalachian Renewable Power (ARP Solar) handled on-the-ground engineering and construction. The Monroeville installation marks D3Energy’s third completed FPV project in Ohio, joining the 1.5 MW Del-Co Water array in Delaware and a 2 MW system deployed on the City of Lima’s Twin Lakes Reservoir. Combined, the three installations bring Ohio’s total operational floating solar capacity to nearly 10 MW, making it a regional leader in utilizing municipal water infrastructure for dual-use clean energy generation. “None of this happens without Monroeville’s forward-thinking leadership,” said Stetson Tchividjian, Managing Director of D3Energy. “Monroeville has long been a leader in the energy space, and with this project, they’ll be utilizing more green energy than many larger counties and cities across the country. They’re setting a bold example of how a rural community can make a meaningful impact in advancing clean energy.” The deployment fits into a broader national surge in floating photovoltaics as developers seek creative siting options to overcome land acquisition challenges. Research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows that U.S. reservoirs have ample capacity for FPV generation, with federally controlled bodies of water alone capable of hosting between 861 GW and 1,042 GW of potential floating solar capacity. According to NREL, tapping this technical potential could deliver roughly half the solar generation required to fully decarbonize the U.S. power grid by 2050. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Monday, October 26, 2026 10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Thursday, October 7, 2026 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand.
Even before adding solar panels, your roof can help you keep cool and lower your energy bills Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com With an historic El Niño under way in the Pacific, Australia could face record temperatures this summer. For those in hot homes, reflective roof coatings can be a cost-effective way to beat the heat. The upstairs bedrooms and office in Nic Jacobson’s two storey home in inner-suburban Adelaide used to get unbearably hot, even when his large air-conditioning system was running flat out. “The insulation was not great, so I did some work upgrading that,” says Jacobson, an engineer who has worked in renewable energy for two decades. But after his changes, Jacobson could still feel intense heat radiating through the flat metal roof and blue board and plaster stud walls. “The western wall in particular copped a lot of sun; because it was the second storey there was no shading from trees or adjacent buildings,” he says. After Jacobson painted the roof and wall with a heat-reflective coating, the change was immediate. “It definitely lowered the heat penetrating the house upstairs,” he says. Although he can’t quantify the savings, he reckons he cut his air conditioning bill significantly. “I’m very happy with the decision I made,” he says. “I think it’s a good product and look for opportunities to recommend it.” Most Australian house roofs are either metal or tiled, though many apartments have concrete roofs. The majority are medium to dark in colour, according to CSIRO’s Australian Housing Data, even though lighter shades generally reflect more heat. Shane Strudwick says Australia has a massive blind spot when it comes to the role roof surfaces and dark colours play in heating homes. Strudwick distributes Super Therm, the coating Jacobson applied to his home, which is more commonly used on commercial and industrial properties. A water-based ceramic paint developed by Nasa for the space shuttle, Super Therm repels infrared radiation, preventing roofs from heating up and transferring heat inside the house. In a basic trial on a 22C day in Adelaide, Strudwick coated some concrete roof tiles and left others untreated. By 1pm, he says, the surface temperature of the original tiles had hit 60C, while those with a single coat of Super Therm were just 26C. He says the cost of coating a roof will generally pay for itself in lower energy bills in three to five years, though he cautions that payback times vary depending on the original surface and previous household energy use. A cost-benefit analysis by researchers at the University of New South Wales concluded that the cost of coating an otherwise functional roof is recovered not just through energy savings, but also by prolonging the life of the roof itself (which also reduces waste going to landfill). Leading cool roof researcher Prof Sebastian Pfautsch says people who’ve unwittingly bought homes with dark roofs find themselves “in a real schemozzle” when summer hits, especially if their roof is covered in cement tiles rather than metal. “Cement has a much greater thermal mass, so it takes much longer to cool down,” explains Pfautsch, who is based at Western Sydney University. Pfautsch says retrofitting a roof with a reflective coating should be a first step, ahead of other options such as installing solar panels or better insulation. Solar panels can help cool a roof by converting radiant energy into electricity. Yet photovoltaic systems become less efficient if they get too hot, so installing panels on a dark, heat-absorbent roof is a false economy. “The first and most cost-effective thing to do is coat it,” says Pfautsch. “After that, put solar on. Once you have a light-coloured roof your solar panels work more effectively.” Combining panels with plants can create the triple win of a “bio-solar” roof – saving energy through insulation, boosting solar power output and increasing biodiversity. But planting a garden on top of your home can be challenging and expensive. In most cases, recoating a roof is cheaper and simpler. “There are many ways to retrofit a house to keep it cool and save energy but applying a coat of paint on the roof is one of the most efficient and low cost”, says Prof Chiara Neto, a physical chemist at the University of Sydney. “It could save up to 40% of your energy bill, especially if you have an older building with poor insulation and a dark roof.” Neto developed a film that reflects 96% of heat from the sun and also collects water. In 2022, Neto and her former PhD student founded a startup called Dewpoint to commercialise their invention. It hopes to retail the coating in Australia at a price competitive with existing premium paints. The product is undergoing trials in the Middle East, Asia and Australia. “People want to see it in action in a real building and measure energy efficiency over time,” Neto says. “The paint is designed to let go of droplets so they roll off the roof readily and can be easily collected before they evaporate,” she explains. And because the roof stays cooler for longer, it’s more efficient at condensing moisture from the atmosphere. Plus, it’s self-cleaning, which maintains its reflective properties. Pfautsch says Super Therm is one product already on the market that is worth considering. “I have no shares and I’m not a sales agent for them,” he stresses. But some products don’t deliver what they promise, he warns, noting that Dulux paid a $400,000 penalty in 2016 for making unfounded claims about the temperature-reducing properties of two paints. A heat-reflecting roof will generally be light-coloured but doesn’t have to be white, Pfautsch says, so it’s possible to avoid an excessively bright roof that reflects glare into nearby buildings. Neto notes that heat-reflective roof coatings mostly have a positive impact on nearby residents. “If all roofs were treated, that could reduce the air temperature in a suburb by two or three degrees,” she says. “By preventing surfaces from getting hot, removing heat and passively cooling the surface, neighbouring buildings will benefit.” If you’re suffering under a hot roof, Pfautsch encourages you to do yourself, your neighbours and the planet a favour. “It’s an ethical question of how you want to live in your community and make your contribution,” he says. This article was amended on 26 September 2026. An earlier version incorrectly spelt Nic Jacobson’s surname.
A development application has been granted to developer Bess Arctic c/o Spain-headquartered Gransolar Development Australia (GDA) by the New South Wales (NSW) government for the $118 million (USD 82.7 million) Deniliquin East battery energy storage system (BESS). The BESS will utilise approximately 80 containerised lithium-ion battery modules with 100 MW / 200 MWh nominal battery capacity and 120 MW / 240 MWh of total cell capacity. The project was found to provide a range of energy, economic and employment benefits to the local community, which include 52 construction and two operational jobs, and $600,000 in community benefits for the approximately 9,000 permanent residents in the Edward River Council. Located about seven kilometres southeast of Deniliquin, 712 kilometres southwest of Sydney, the project received 71 public submissions objecting, including from nine interest groups, one in support and one comment. Community concerns centred on fire risks and hazards, the merits of renewable energy and land use compatibility, which the developer addressed through further project refinements, such as readiness to comply with Fire Rescue NSW recommendations. Six public submissions raised concerns that adequate consultation was not conducted, however Gransolar referred to the Undertaking Engagement Guidelines for State Significant Projects, outlining community consultation was conducted with government stakeholders, relevant agencies such as Transgrid, Aboriginal stakeholders including the Deniliquin Local Aboriginal Land Council, and adjacent neighbours and surrounding community, via a newsletter, community survey, local newspaper notices, pop-up community information sessions, the project website and freely available contact information. Assessors found the project would result in a negligible loss of agricultural land, noting the BESS footprint of 3.53 hectares accounts for less than 0.0004% of agricultural land in the Edward River local government area (LGA). Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027 and the project operational until 2060. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
The use of land for solar farms is coming under scrutiny, with calls for it to serve more than one purpose. Energy Fiji Limited is exploring options that could allow crops or livestock to be kept beneath raised solar panels. EFL CEO Fatiaki Gibson said the company was already exploring agro-PV technology in Ovalau. The solar panels are raised higher from the ground, allowing farming or livestock activities to continue underneath. “The designs we intend to put into the solar farms basically it’ll be in the panel area because it covers such a vast area.” The issue was raised by Committee Member Premila Kumar, who says EFL needs to consider multiple uses for land rather than using it only for energy generation. Gibson explained that agro-PV is more expensive because of the raised foundations and structure. He says the added cost could eventually be reflected in the feed-in tariff paid to EFL. Most independent power producers, according to Gibson are currently proposing conventional ground-mounted solar farms. He says EFL will consider agro-PV as another option. The discussion also covered the risk of cyclones damaging solar farms and battery storage facilities. Gibson states that solar farm designs will be built to withstand Category Five cyclones. He says battery systems will be housed in container-type structures, while the panels will be designed to withstand harsh weather conditions. He adds that EFL is also requiring Tier One manufacturers and international standards for equipment used in its solar developments. The team appeared before the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs to present its 2025 Annual Report.
The transformation of EL POLI by meii estudio gives La Unión’s municipal sports center in Murcia, Spain, a new architectural and energetic identity. The intervention at La Unión’s municipal sports center, locally known as EL POLI, is structured around two complementary elements that redefine a beloved local landmark, with a primary focus on both energy production and consumption.
A vivid lime-green entrance creates a clear and welcoming gateway to the complex, while a folded photovoltaic canopy rises above the stands, its geometry shaped by the sun. Together, these two interventions generate renewable energy, improve comfort, and establish a bold new presence within La Unión’s distinctive mining landscape.
The centrepiece of the project transforms a pure energy infrastructure into a striking architectural element. Designed by Murcia-based architectural practice meii estudio, to maximise solar energy production, its form is driven entirely by function: the optimal south-facing orientation and inclination of the photovoltaic panels, calculated precisely to the latitude of La Unión, generate a sequence of folded planes with a distinctive sawtooth profile.
Constructed using a robust three-dimensional steel structure and clad in blue metal sheeting, LA PÉRGOLA constantly shifts in appearance as natural light evolves. This creates a vibrant visual dialogue with the green ceramic entrance building while providing essential shade for the existing football stands.
Together, the lime-green entrance and the dynamic blue solar canopy succeed on multiple levels: they supply clean, renewable energy to the complex, improve user comfort, and forge a powerful new architectural identity for La Unión.
EL POLI is La Unión’s municipal sports center in Murcia, Spain lime-green ribbed ceramic tiles clad the entrance building’s ventilated facade the green ceramic facade contrasts with La Unión’s mining landscape
LA PÉRGOLA rises above the existing football stands as a photovoltaic canopy the canopy’s folded geometry is shaped by the optimal orientation of its solar panels blue metal sheeting gives LA PÉRGOLA its changing visual character a sequence of folded planes creates LA PÉRGOLA’s distinctive sawtooth profile
a three-dimensional steel structure supports the photovoltaic canopy LA PÉRGOLA provides shade for the existing football stands the project combines energy production with improvements to user comfort
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Feature selection-based irradiance forecast for efficient operation of a stand-alone PV system
view more Feature selection-based irradiance forecast for efficient operation of a stand-alone PV system Credit: Green Energy and Intelligent Transportation Researchers have developed a feature selection-based solar irradiance forecasting method to improve the operation of stand-alone photovoltaic systems. The approach uses a bidirectional long short-term memory hybrid network to forecast solar irradiance and then applies the forecasted data to estimate the optimum tilt angle of photovoltaic panels, helping increase PV output power. Solar irradiance forecasting is important because photovoltaic power output depends directly on the amount of solar energy reaching a panel. In stand-alone PV systems, accurate forecasts can help operators understand the likely availability of solar energy and make better decisions about system configuration and operation. When forecasting is poor, PV systems may operate less efficiently, especially in settings where grid support is limited or unavailable. The tilt angle of a PV module is another key factor in energy production. A panel that is not oriented effectively may receive less solar irradiance than it could under a better angle, reducing power output even when the solar resource is available. Determining the optimum tilt angle, or OTA, can therefore be an important step for improving PV system performance. The new study connects these two tasks by using forecasted solar irradiance data to determine the optimum tilt angle. According to the article, the researchers first use a bidirectional long short-term memory, or Bi-LSTM, hybrid network to forecast solar irradiance. Bi-LSTM models are useful for time-series forecasting because they can learn sequential patterns in both forward and backward directions, helping capture relationships in meteorological and irradiance data. A feature selection step is used to identify input parameters that improve the accuracy of solar irradiance forecasting. This is important because not all available input variables contribute equally to prediction quality. Selecting more informative features can reduce unnecessary complexity and help the forecasting model focus on the factors most relevant to solar irradiance behavior. After forecasting solar irradiance, the study estimates the optimum tilt angle of the PV module by applying the forecasted data to the ASHRAE solar irradiance model. ASHRAE refers to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. By combining a machine-learning forecast with a physical irradiance model, the method aims to connect data-driven prediction with practical PV panel orientation decisions. The researchers compared the performance of the Bi-LSTM hybrid network with observed solar irradiance data and with existing forecasting models reported in the literature. They also evaluated the impact of optimum tilt angle by comparing solar irradiance received on tilted and horizontal surfaces. This comparison helps show whether improved forecasting and tilt-angle selection translate into better physical energy capture, rather than only better numerical prediction. The work was experimentally implemented using a PV module setup at Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. According to the article, the optimum tilt angle obtained by the proposed method produced higher PV output power than other tilt-angle approaches reported in the literature. The study also states that the proposed methodology achieved higher PV output power in both simulation and experimentation. Further validation will still be needed across different climates, seasons, PV module types, mounting constraints, and stand-alone system architectures. Even so, the study offers a strong indication that feature-selected irradiance forecasting can support more efficient PV operation when paired with optimum tilt-angle estimation. For stand-alone photovoltaic systems, such methods could help improve power output and make solar energy use more reliable in off-grid and distributed energy applications. Green Energy and Intelligent Transportation 10.1016/j.geits.2025.100308 Experimental study Not applicable Feature selection-based irradiance forecast for efficient operation of a stand-alone PV system 12-Jan-2026 Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system. Media Contact Ning Xu Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd xuning1907@foxmail.com
Díaz-Canel announced this Wednesday the intention to “make Havana’s water pumping independent” with solar energy. By: EFE/14ymedio HAVANA TIMES – A new shipment of 5,000 solar photovoltaic panels donated by the Chinese Government arrived in Cuba, destined for a project to electrify public facilities and homes in remote regions of the Island. China’s ambassador to Cuba, Hua Xin, announced on social media the arrival of the donation, which came from his country and was transported in 200 containers. “China is supporting Cuba’s energy transition and supporting its efforts to improve the living conditions of the people with concrete actions,” the Chinese diplomat said in a video accompanying the announcement. Havana and Beijing maintain close political and economic relations in which the Asian country stands out as one of the Island’s main allies, although the statements have gone no further than mere verbal support and occasional donations such as the current one. In a message on social media, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez thanked “the Communist Party, Government and people of China for their solidarity and sincere material assistance, at a time when the U.S. Government is intensifying its blockade against Cuba and maintaining an energy siege that causes considerable harm to the population.” This is the third donation of 5,000 photovoltaic panels sent by China in recent months, following the one received in November 2025 for homes that were left isolated in the easternmost part of the Island after the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Last August, a similar shipment arrived and was assigned to health services and emergency medical institutions, daycare centers, funeral homes, state facilities for children without family protection, and bank branches, among other facilities, according to information provided at the time by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment. The Ministry of Energy and Mines reported in March on a plan to install solar systems at vital facilities in all of the country’s municipalities, as well as in isolated homes, including those that have never had access to electricity. This Wednesday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said in his new radio program, Criterio Compartido [Shared Views], that, to date, 1,418 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic capacity have been installed in the country, distributed among 144 solar parks, and he cited a target of more than 1,500 MW by the end of the year. Regarding renewable sources, he said that they currently account for 21.4% of the country’s electricity generation. He also detailed that these have been installed in 99% of polyclinics, 47% of hospitals, 89% of nursing homes and grandparents’ homes, 99% of maternity homes, 98% of funeral homes, and 16% of state homes for children without family protection. He also indicated that 72% of banks, 97% of radio stations, and 25% of radio base stations have photovoltaic systems. The intention is also to achieve, in the first months of next year, “the independence of Havana’s water pumping from the National Electric System.” The biggest problems are still the lack of batteries to store the energy generated, as well as the impossibility of using the total amount to help compensate for the shortage of thermal generation. Most of the thermoelectric power plants, responsible for 40% of generation, were built in the 1960s and 1970s, and every day around half of the 16 generating units installed are not operational because of breakdowns or lack of maintenance. Under these circumstances, the country’s energy situation is “critical” and “extremely tense,” and has reached record levels in recent months with eight total disconnections of the National Electric System so far in 2026. The Cuban Government’s main strategy for emerging from this crisis has been solar energy, mainly with Chinese support, and it has launched a program to build 92 solar parks with companies from that country to reach a total installed capacity of about 2,000 megawatts (MW). But the scale of the crisis is such that the deficit continues to increase despite the expansion of solar energy. For this Thursday, an impact of 2,133 MW is forecast during the peak hour, after reaching 2,170 MW yesterday. Electricity production from the photovoltaic solar parks this Wednesday was 3,343 MWh, with 520 MW as the maximum power delivered, which moderated the deficit during the morning hours, when it was 1,660 MW. The lack of fuel for distributed generation and breakdowns at the thermoelectric plants, which reduce this contribution by 467 MW, are at the root of the precarious situation. Unit 8 of Mariel, Antonio Guiteras, Unit 6 of Nuevitas, Unit 2 of Felton, and Unit 6 of Rente are out of service. Due to maintenance, Units 3 of Santa Cruz del Norte, 5 of Nuevitas, and 5 of Rente are also not contributing. Translated by Regina Anavy for Translating Cuba. Read more from Cuba here on Havana Times.
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German renewables developer Energiequelle has sold its French subsidiary to French independent power producer H2air. The sale includes both the employees of the French subsidiary as well as the existing project pipeline, which comprises nearly 500MW of solar PV and wind projects. It also includes 60MW of operational projects and projects already in the pre-construction phase that will be taken over by H2air. Get Premium Subscription The French subsidiary has been part of Energiequelle since 2010 and during that time developed and commissioned over 27 solar PV and wind parks with a combined capacity of 266MW. According to Energiequelle, the sale of its French subsidiary is part of a strategic realignment amid challenging market conditions in the renewables sector. The most notable recent example of this is German solar developer Enerparc filing for insolvency earlier this month. Analysts who spoke with PV Tech Premium recently highlighted that the Enerparc insolvency signalled the beginning of a broader consolidation phase in European solar (subscription required) with an increase in mergers and acquisitions. “This acquisition fully supports H2air’s strategy to further strengthen its position in renewable energy, particularly in the wind energy sector, in France,” said Roy Mahfouz, Founder and President of H2air.
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