Author Archives: Ritesh Pothan

Secure Solar Futures, a commercial solar contractor, will build a 313-kW solar power system at Preston Park Elementary School in Roanoke, Virginia. Construction of the system is expected to start later this year at no cost to the Roanoke Schools … Continue reading →

Residential solar is finding a new place to call home: the backyard. Outer Spaces, a new company founded by the entrepreneurs behind outdoor living brand Outer, is introducing a solar-powered pavilion that combines photovoltaic generation, battery storage and usable outdoor … Continue reading →

Martin Solar‘s newly manufactured Dual-Channel Solar Rail (DCSR) was recently installed on a 70-kWDC solar project, marking its first real-world application. “Management of PV wires and AC trunk cables is one of the most important aspects of rooftop PV installation. … Continue reading →

Roll-A-Rack, a developer of patented, on-site-manufactured solar racking systems, will introduce SunChord, its new multi-purpose ground-mounted system, at RE+ 2026 in Las Vegas. SunChord is a low-profile solar racking designed to use less land than conventional fixed-tilt racking or trackers. … Continue reading →

The Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Connecticut Green Bank and their partners recently marked the completion of solar installations serving DVA’s main campus and skilled nursing facility in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. The projects will deliver renewable electricity and reduce … Continue reading →

Heliene, a solar modules manufacturer, and Caelux Corporation, a perovskite solar technology company, are starting commercial production of their Hybrid-Tandem solar module. This module combines perovskite glass from Caelux and silicon N-type cells from Heliene, placing two energy generating sources … Continue reading →

A new Colorado nonprofit is looking to bring distributed solar to households that have traditionally been left out of the residential solar market. Solar Access Colorado, which bills itself as the state’s first organization dedicated to plug-in and balcony solar … Continue reading →

By James Mast, Managing Partner, Rubix Battery AI and data center growth, extreme weather, and baseload retirement are straining the US electric grid. For homeowners and businesses, reliable access to electricity is increasingly important. That need is driving solar battery … Continue reading →

Was today’s modern solar industry inspired by off-grid California-living, marijuana-growing, Grateful Dead-loving hippies? That’s the main question explored in “Solar Roots: The Pioneers of PV,” a new documentary that recently premiered in Grass Valley, California. The entertaining documentary traces the … Continue reading →

Hundreds of solar and storage companies have co-signed a letter addressed to Congress in support of the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA) (S. 5653). “You can’t lower energy costs if you can’t build the energy projects, … Continue reading →

Employee-owned solar and energy storage developer ECA Power, Luminace, ComEd, construction partner Miller Bros., and local community leaders celebrated the energization of the 7.4-MWDC Rockford Community Energy Initiative (RCEI), a community solar project in Cherry Valley, Illinois. “The Illinois General … Continue reading →

Solar Power World is proud to today unveil this year’s winning products in the media brand’s annual Top Products competition. The 2026 Top Products contest celebrates the most innovative and significant solar and storage products available to the U.S. market. … Continue reading →

Faropoint, an industrial real estate manager, has started construction on a 1.6-MW community solar installation on the roof of its building in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. The installation is the first of 16 planned Faropoint community solar projects in the … Continue reading →

Watthub Renewables and Sunrock Distributed Generation completed a 322-kW solar photovoltaic system at Irvine Heritage Medical Plaza, the three-story Class A medical office building in Irvine, California. Solar modules were installed to carports covering approximately 108 parking spots, turning bare … Continue reading →

EDP Renewables North America broke ground on Cypress Knee Solar, a 250-MW solar energy project in Chicot County, Arkansas. The project is supported by a long-term power purchase agreement with Facebook parent company Meta. Cypress Knee Solar is expected to … Continue reading →

Renewable energy developer PowerBank has completed the 3.26-MW Camillus community solar project in Camillus, New York, and has received permission to operate. Solar Advocate Development, LLC, the project’s owner and EPC, built the array on a capped landfill, which it … Continue reading →

Lightstar Renewables, a community solar solar developer specializing in agrivoltaics and battery energy storage, and the Paxton City Council are collaborating on a 4.95-MWAC community solar project on approximately 35 acres of privately owned land in Paxton, Illinois. The Baltimore … Continue reading →

A building that started as a one-room schoolhouse has through the decades expanded to become a lifeline for a New Mexico community far from any city infrastructure, and a recent solar installation has brought new resilience to this place.   … Continue reading →

SEG Solar, a global solar manufacturer, has signed a land agreement for a planned $950 million, 4-GW heterojunction (HJT) solar cell plant at the Tomball Industrial Campus in the greater Houston area. The facility is expected to create more than … Continue reading →

DTE Energy’s 132-MW Fish Creek Solar Park near Sheridan, Michigan, is now operational. The $268 million development was fully funded by customers who voluntarily participate in DTE’s MIGreenPower program. The solar park can generate enough energy to power approximately 30,000 … Continue reading →

Access to plug-in solar is becoming increasingly available across North America. As more consumers explore technologies such as balcony solar and plug-in photovoltaic (PIPV) systems, these emerging solutions have the potential to make renewable energy more accessible and support broader … Continue reading →

CPP Wind Engineering, a global wind engineering consultancy for solar, is launching a wind certification program for utility-scale solar projects, which the organization believes is the first of its kind in the industry. The new program aims to improve the … Continue reading →

Autonomous technology developer Mach is launching a platform for adapting commercial lawn mowers for autonomous deployment on solar project sites. This technology factory integrates with major commercial mowers. “Utility-scale solar sites present one of the most demanding operational environments in … Continue reading →

First Solar will today inaugurate the first phase of its new manufacturing facility in Gaffney, South Carolina. The $330 million facility onshores final production processes for the company’s Series 6 Plus modules. The Gaffney plant currently employs approximately 500 people, … Continue reading →

SolSmart, a national program that helps local governments remove barriers to solar energy adoption, today marks its tenth anniversary. Since 2016, SolSmart has helped over 600 local governments and regional organizations cut red tape, increase energy choice for residents and … Continue reading →

Distributed Energy Infrastructure (DEI), an EPC firm for solar and battery storage, has completed the 3.37-MWDC Sapphire Solar project in Jefferson County, New York. Shallow bedrock and a high water table presented site challenges that required the team to adapt … Continue reading →

California, the state with the most installed solar capacity in the country, has spent years trying, but still doesn’t have a community solar program. That means residential solar and storage systems are often still only accessible by the affluent, and … Continue reading →

Community solar management service Neighborhood Sun has acquired Meadow Energy, a community solar aggregator with a substantial project portfolio in New York. The acquisition doubles Neighborhood Sun total project portfolio from approximately 300 MWDC to more than 600 MWDC, and … Continue reading →

Construction automation company Xpanner has unveiled the X1 Piling R6, a fully automated pile driving system for utility-scale solar and battery energy storage (BESS) sites. X1 pairs Xpanner’s automation stack with the Everstar R6 crawler base machine. Operators upload the … Continue reading →

A national bill proposing the legalization of plug-in solar was proposed in the House of Representatives on Oct. 19. Since late 2025, legislative bodies have been passing bills permitting the consumer-level use of these portable solar generation devices within particular … Continue reading →

A new community solar garden in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is now producing power for low-moderate income (LMI) residents. The 704-kW system sits on the city-owned Eastside Maintenance Facility and serves 100 LMI subscribers, with 25 spots remaining. The Minnesota Renewable Energy … Continue reading →

Solar panel efficiency measures the percentage of sunlight a panel converts into electricity. Most residential panels in 2026 operate between 20–23% efficiency under standard test conditions (STC). The higher the efficiency, the more power per square foot — which matters … Continue reading →

As energy affordability emerges as a defining issue heading into the midterm elections, new analysis from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) shows how solar and energy storage are lowering electricity costs in both red and blue states. Growth in … Continue reading →

NeoVolta, an energy storage technology company, is launching a third-party-ownership (TPO) financing platform funded by tax equity partners and designed to deploy solar and battery energy storage for both residential and commercial customers. It will launch with an initial focus … Continue reading →

Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, has activated a rooftop solar installation spanning approximately 3.5 acres atop the resort’s convention center. Featuring 4,696 solar panels, the array is designed to supply up to 20% of the … Continue reading →

Generate Capital and TurningPoint Energy celebrated the ribbon-cutting of a new 3.5-MWac community solar project in Sandwich, Illinois, marking another community solar project in Kendall County developed through Illinois’ Adjustable Block Program, now known as Illinois Shines. The project is … Continue reading →

PV Hardware USA (PVH), a solar tracking and foundation solutions provider, is expanding its original Houston manufacturing facility, increasing the company’s domestic production capacity to meet growing demand for solar tracking systems. The expansion will add approximately 34,200 sq ft … Continue reading →

The solar industry has been through a lot over the past 25 years: major advancements, setbacks and plenty of ups and downs. But what needs to change next isn’t the tech. The next chapter of solar depends on how we … Continue reading →

The Mesa Grande Band of Diegueño Mission Indians, in partnership with the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF), has completed installing solar and battery storage systems at three Tribal facilities on the Mesa Grande Reservation in San Diego County, California. The … Continue reading →

A group of solar and storage industry members called the Storage and Clean Energy Coalition has filed testimony in opposition to the possible merging of utilities Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy. “There is no doubt that the proposed merger poses … Continue reading →

Madison Energy Infrastructure and Verogy have completed a 7.2-MW solar system for Beaver Water District (BWD) in Northwest Arkansas. The project is expected to generate approximately 12,300 MWh annually, meeting 15 to 20% of BWD’s electricity needs. “This solar installation … Continue reading →

Construction began this month on a 2-MW solar array at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, that is expected to produce almost all of the organization’s annual electricity needs. The planned solar array will be built on a south-facing hillside … Continue reading →

A portfolio of community solar projects being sited across Illinois and Maryland will result in about 126 MWDC of shared renewable energy in those states. There are 18 project sites in Illinois, accounting for 115 MW, and two in Maryland … Continue reading →

JinkoSolar has unveiled Tiger Neo 5.0, an all-black residential solar module built on its all-new TAC technology — a combination of TOPCon and HJT. The first version to reach the market, an all-black 48-cell module, delivers a maximum power output … Continue reading →

Duke Energy Florida recently completed construction on the 74.9-MW Bailey Mill Solar Center, a solar site located near Monticello in Jefferson County. “The launch of Bailey Mill is another step toward lowering long-term energy costs for our customers,” said Melissa … Continue reading →

Qcells announced it will offer new versions of its residential solar panels that feature aluminum frames extruded, anodized and fabricated in Tennessee. Qcells will offer domestic-frame options for its Q.TRON AC and Q.PEAK DUO AC panels in the United States. … Continue reading →

Temperatures on a typical Las Vegas afternoon can reach 115°F, which is already near the operating limit for a lot of home solar inverters. An unventilated attic, or a west-facing stucco wall in full sun, exceeds that temperature range. When … Continue reading →

Pisgah Energy has finished a third solar project for Vanguard Furniture, continuing a multi-year partnership between the North Carolina-based businesses. Building on two earlier solar investments in Conover, North Carolina, Pisgah has completed a 848-kW rooftop system at Vanguard’s manufacturing … Continue reading →

The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) today released its Q3 2026 edition of “The 50 States of Solar” report. The quarterly series provides insights on state regulatory and legislative discussions and actions on distributed solar policy, with a focus … Continue reading →

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has found that the domestic solar panel manufacturing industry has been harmed by unfairly priced imports from India, Indonesia and Laos. The affirmative final determination by the ITC means that antidumping and countervailing duties … Continue reading →