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María Pérez lost power for about three months after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September 2017. Her home in Salinas, on the island’s southern coast, sits near a river. As the hurricane knocked out the island’s grid and sent rainwaters surging down from the mountains, Perez’s house flooded with a swirling mix of muddy water and animal feces, rising 3 feet high and warping the hallways. For the next three months, she went without power as she cleaned out the home and began the long process of rebuilding. 
Five years later, when Pérez got word that Hurricane Fiona was expected to make landfall, she was prepared. This time, she and her family boarded up the doors and windows, sealed every opening with silicone, and evacuated to her daughter’s home, which lost power as the storm hit the island.

Pérez has a heart condition that makes heat dangerous for her. She relies on air conditioning to stay cool, especially during the long summer months when temperatures can top 90 degrees Fahrenheit and the air is thick with humidity. With no power after Fiona, her health was once again at risk.
The experiences cemented something in her: She needed electricity she could count on, independent of a grid that not only collapsed during storms but also carries the highest rate of outages in the country.
So when she learned more than a year after Fiona that the U.S. federal government would make solar panels and battery storage available to low-income Puerto Ricans and people with medical conditions, she jumped at the chance. Over the next couple of years, she gathered documents proving she owned her home, submitted financial records showing she and her husband lived on $900 a month in Social Security payments, and hosted multiple visits from solar company representatives who measured the property, inspected the electrical setup, and assessed the feasibility of installation. She cleared every hurdle.
Then in January, the Trump administration announced it was terminating the program’s funding. Overnight, the prospect of a dozen solar panels and a battery system to safeguard her health — a future she had spent more than a year working toward — vanished.
“My turn was next,” Pérez told Grist. “It’s done in shifts, and I was next. Why did this happen?”
Pérez was one of up to 40,000 low-income or medically vulnerable Puerto Ricans who were expected to receive solar panels and battery systems through the Energy Resilience Fund, a $1 billion program established by Congress in 2022. President Donald Trump and his administration — with the help of the Puerto Rican governor — have chipped away at the effort since reentering office, initially pausing funding before permanently rescinding the payments over the course of the year. Just 6,000 solar and battery systems were installed before the money disappeared. 
The Department of Energy has since redirected more than a third of the intended solar funding to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or PREPA, a government-owned utility with a checkered reputation on the island. The utility has for decades been plagued by chronic corruption and serial mismanagement, and for the last roughly nine years, it has been navigating bankruptcy proceedings, one of the longest utility bankruptcies in the country. PREPA also has a poor track record in effectively carrying out major improvement initiatives. After Hurricane Maria made landfall, Congress allocated more than $17 billion to modernize the island’s grid. But more than a decade later, PREPA has completed just 16 projects, spending less than $100 million of those funds. (Spokespeople for PREPA did not respond to a request for comment.)
The Energy Department earmarked its latest infusion of cash for “key emergency activities designed to address critical vulnerabilities across generation, transmission, and distribution systems.” It also arranged for the grant to be “noncompetitive” — meaning it didn’t solicit bids before reallocating the solar funding to the utility.  
“Why would you cancel something that is working as intended and being executed, to give it to someone that has a bad history?” said one former Energy Department official, referencing PREPA. “Why are we risking these funds?”
Puerto Rico’s grid has long been fragile and unreliable. The island depends largely on imported oil, gas, and coal for generating electricity. Although its population centers are clustered in the north around San Juan, most of the power plants are located on its southern coast. A network of transmission and distribution lines crisscrosses through mountainous terrain to move electricity across the island.
When Hurricane Maria made landfall as a Category 4 storm, this network collapsed. High-speed winds twisted and flattened transmission towers. Substations flooded. Power lines snapped or toppled over, leading to the longest blackout in the country’s history. Every Puerto Rican on the island lost power. In fact, some residents in remote parts of the island went without it for nearly a year.
Most of the roughly 3,000 people who died as a result of Maria were not felled by the hurricane itself, but by the collapse of the grid and health care infrastructure. Diabetics who needed insulin didn’t have a way to refrigerate their medicine. Dialysis patients couldn’t get the routine treatment they needed. And those who depended on oxygen machines and ventilators lost access. 
Estimates for repairing the island’s power lines topped $100 billion. Congress stepped in to provide funding, earmarking more than $15 billion to PREPA to rebuild its grid. The funding came at an opportune time for the utility. Just two months prior to Maria, saddled with $9 billion in bond debt and no clear path to paying it off, PREPA had filed for bankruptcy. With the infusion of federal cash, the utility now seemed to have the resources to both right its financial ship and rebuild a stronger grid in Maria’s wake.
Four years later, that optimistic outcome was longer on the horizon. Outages continued to be common, the cost of electricity on the island was double the national average, and communities faced long lead times to restore service after storms and flooding. These problems continued even after PREPA contracted out the job of generating electricity to Genera, a subsidiary of the natural gas company New Fortress Energy, and the job of moving that power across the island to Luma Energy. Privatizing these efforts was pitched as a solution to the island’s grid woes, but in practice, neither company substantially improved reliability or affordability for Puerto Ricans. In response, a cadre of nonprofits, private solar companies, and wealthy Puerto Ricans began installing rooftop solar and battery systems. Within a year of Hurricane Maria, more than 10,000 new solar and battery systems were installed by private parties — nearly double the uptake in all the years prior combined. By early 2022, some 42,000 rooftop solar systems were enrolled in the island’s net-metering program.
When Hurricane Fiona hit, it put those solar systems to the test. By and large, those who had installed panels kept their lights on after the storm. Sunnova Energy, one of the major solar installers on the island, reported that 97 percent of its 30,000 customers had access to power in the days after the storm. That included fishermen who required electricity to refrigerate their catch, hospitals and fire stations that had set up solar for backup power, residents in remote parts of the island, and those who relied on power to operate medical equipment or refrigerate prescriptions.
The lessons from Fiona spurred lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to once again act. This time, with clear evidence of the resilience of a distributed energy system, new funding was specifically set aside for solar and battery systems for low-income Puerto Ricans and those who depended on electrical medical equipment. Led by the late Representative Raúl Grijalva, Congress eventually allocated $1 billion as part of an appropriations package “to carry out activities to improve the resilience of the Puerto Rican electric grid.” Jenniffer González-Colón, the governor of Puerto Rico, was then the resident commissioner for Puerto Rico, the island’s one non-voting member in the U.S. House of Representatives, and championed the effort alongside other congressional members. 
The task of interpreting the language in the appropriations package and disbursing the new funds fell to the Energy Department, which was helmed at the time by Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat appointed by then-President Joe Biden. Although Congress had said the money could be spent to assist low-income households with purchasing solar and battery systems, it did not mandate that this be the only use. To clarify, Energy Department officials began discussions with the lawmakers who had championed the funding and made clear the money was intended to be used for distributed solar systems, according to people involved in those conversations, who requested anonymity for fear of jeopardizing their current employment.
As the agency was weighing important questions about the implementation of the program, Grijalva and other lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary Granholm in April 2023, emphasizing the role solar and battery systems had played in keeping lights on during Hurricane Fiona. “Residential solar and storage systems are critical lifelines when Puerto Rico’s power grid fails during natural disasters,” the letter said. It encouraged the department to consider “solar power and storage for individual households” and to “prioritize low-income people with disabilities.”
Congress’ intent was not to duplicate existing federal efforts to repair the grid and strengthen the island’s energy systems, which were already funded to the tune of $20 billion thanks to the aid made available post-Maria. Instead, it wanted the agency to use the new $1 billion to “ensure that the most vulnerable households have access to localized power and backup battery storage,” said one of the Energy Department officials who attended the meetings with Grijalva and other lawmakers, including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ritchie Torres, and Nydia Velázquez. 
The goal was to ensure that “if something else happens, another storm, another long-term outage happens while the long-term reconstruction is taking place, we don’t see what happened after Maria,” they added.
The Energy Department immediately began designing programs to distribute the funds, identify local partners, and issue awards. It set up three main initiatives: About $490 million was directed to Sunnova Energy and Generac to install solar and battery systems for low-income households, especially residents reliant on powered medical devices or those living in areas prone to outages. Another $48 million was awarded to four nonprofits — Barrio Eléctrico, Environmental Defense Fund, Let’s Share the Sun Foundation, and Solar United Neighbors — to deploy up to 2,000 residential solar and storage systems for low-income Puerto Ricans with health issues. Another $365 million was awarded to solar companies and nonprofit groups to install solar and battery systems at community health care facilities and community centers. It took the better part of 2023 and 2024 to establish all three programs and begin disbursing funds.
Just as some of the funding began flowing, Trump won his second term as president, vowing to undo Biden’s climate programs. Within a year, all three Puerto Rican solar initiatives were gone. 
Governor González-Colón’s position had shifted by then, too. In a separate press release the same day announcing the reallocation of funds to PREPA, she said that the Trump administration had prioritized the energy needs of Puerto Rico, and that the island could not rely “on piecemeal approaches with limited results.” (A spokesperson for the governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.)
The final nail in the coffin came in January when the Department of Energy announced in an email that it was cancelling $350 million in grants to set up systems for low-income households. “The electric system of Puerto Rico cannot afford to operate with more distributed solar,” the agency said. The funds haven’t officially been redirected to PREPA, but former DOE officials said the money will likely also end up in the utility’s coffers. 
A spokesperson for the Energy Department shared a link to a webpage with answers to frequently asked questions about the fund. The page, which was created six days after Grist first inquired about the funds, states that the department’s goal is to provide reliable power “for the greatest number of Puerto Ricans and provide a quicker end to the energy emergency.” By repairing existing fossil fuel power plants and modernizing the grid, “all 3.2 million residents, including low-income and medically vulnerable households, experience more reliable power,” the website notes. 
The page also states that it did not make the decision to cancel the solar programs lightly and said continuing to fund rooftop solar would “exacerbate reliability issues with the distribution grid and only cover a very small segment of the population.” 
While high levels of distributed solar can create grid management challenges, there’s little evidence that the uptick in rooftop solar installations has worsened the island’s grid reliability.  
When Wanda Ríos first learned about the $1 billion program, she knew it would benefit her neighbors in Salinas — and specifically the La Margarita community, where a majority of the residents are elderly and face significant health challenges. More than 80 percent of the homes in La Margarita, like that of María Pérez’s, are in a FEMA-designated floodplain. Every time the water levels rose, the power went out. At the time, just five houses out of around 300 in the neighborhood had battery and solar systems. 
“Because we have the river, everything gets shut down,” she said. “And that’s why it was important that everybody produce their own energy in their own house.”
Ríos, who is a community organizer and leads the AbeynoCoop, an energy cooperative that has been trying to improve access to solar and battery systems in Salinas, began work securing federal funds in 2023. She got in touch with David Ortiz, a senior program director for Puerto Rico at Solar United Neighbors, a solar advocacy group. Together with other partners, they applied for a $6 million grant from the Energy Department’s pool. The funding would be sufficient to install about 150 solar systems in Salinas.
By the winter of 2023, they learned the agency was awarding them the grant, but the work that followed to finalize it was immense. Ortiz, Rios, and their partners in the work had to identify community members who needed the systems and develop budgets estimating the cost of work. That meant knocking on doors and convincing residents that the systems could help them, and that they should take the time to collect the various financial and medical documents needed to qualify. It took more than a year to get everyone on board. 
But over the course of last year, the program came to a standstill. Ortiz needed a final green light or sign-off on a new budget and updated program costs, but he couldn’t get the agency to set up a meeting — let alone begin installing panels. 
“In our case, and in another grantee’s case, we both hadn’t started installing because we had been waiting for a very long time to try to get the meeting for definitization to happen,” said Ortiz, referring to one of the last steps in the project approval process. 
Then, out of the blue, a letter arrived in January informing Solar United Neighbors that their grant was being terminated. The news was devastating. Ríos had to announce the termination on Facebook. “People were pretty sad,” she said. “We were wasting their time for two years.”
Ríos had turned away from other opportunities to pursue grants, she said, because federal rules prevented her from applying to different sources of funding for the same project. The residents who signed up with Solar United Neighbors, too, hadn’t known they should be looking into other options to secure their energy systems. 
“They probably have another opportunity to get a system, but they didn’t because they trust me, they trust Abeyno Coop,” Ríos said. 
Solar United Neighbors is being represented by Lawyers for Good Government, a nonprofit advocating for organizations that have lost federal funding over the past year under the Trump administration, and Earthjustice, an environmental group. For her part, Pérez isn’t giving up. She’s determined to finance the system herself with the help of grants from nonprofits and other private entities. She has been calling solar companies to estimate what it might cost and working with Ríos’ cooperative to find alternatives. 
“I’ll find a way, because I’ve always been a salesperson,” she said. 
Benton Graham contributed reporting to this story. 

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The Colorado House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize plug-in solar systems for renters and multifamily residents, establishing a regulatory framework for portable arrays that connect directly to standard home outlets.
Image: Pexels / Kindel Media
The Colorado House of Representatives passed HB26-1007 by a 48-16 vote, moving the state closer to enabling “plug-and-play” solar technology.
The legislation establishes a formal regulatory framework for small-scale photovoltaic systems that can be integrated into existing home wiring via a standard electrical outlet. By categorizing these units as personal property rather than permanent fixtures, the bill prevents homeowners’ associations and local governments from banning their use on balconies, patios, or porches.
The bill defines plug-in solar as a distributed energy resource typically consisting of one to four panels and an internal inverter. To ensure grid safety and prevent hazardous islanding, all devices must meet the UL 3700 product safety standard.
The legislation also encourages the use of meter collars, devices installed between a meter socket and a utility meter, to provide immediate interconnection without the need for costly electrical panel upgrades. Meter collars eliminate the need for professional electrical work, which traditionally accounts for a significant portion of solar installation “soft costs”.
The policy opens a low-capital entry point for renters and residents of multifamily housing who lack the legal authority or structural space for traditional arrays. Representative Lesley Smith, D-Boulder, noted that the bill removes unnecessary barriers to make solar a reality for more residents.
If signed into law, Colorado would join Utah as a leader in deploying this technology, which has already seen widespread adoption in Europe. In Germany alone, approximately 4 million households have already installed similar plug-in solar systems.
“Traditional rooftop solar panels aren’t an option for most renters, and this makes it easier for Coloradans to lower their utility bills by generating their own clean, reliable energy,” Smith said. Representative Rebekah Stewart, D-Lakewood, added that the bill outlines necessary safety standards so more residents can take advantage of renewable energy at an affordable price point.
The broader context for this legislation involves a state-wide effort to reduce the “energy burden” on low-income households. Concurrent with HB26-1007, the landmark Senate Bill 26-107, or the Clean Energy for All Families Act, seeks to address the needs of over 300,000 Colorado households that spend more than 10% of their monthly income on utility bills. That bill proposes $100 million in annual funding to accelerate rooftop solar and weatherization services specifically for disproportionately impacted communities.
Following its 48-16 passage in the House, HB26-1007 now moves to the Senate for further deliberation and a final vote.
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French oil and gas major TotalEnergies has signed a US$2.2 billion joint venture (JV) with the Emirati state-run renewable energy developer Masdar to jointly develop renewables across Asia.
The 50-50 partnership will see the two firms merge their solar PV, battery energy storage and onshore wind development activities across nine Asian countries. Once finalised, the JV will be Masdar and TotalEnergies’ sole development vehicle for onshore renewables in Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Uzbekistan.
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The firms bring a combined 3GW of operational assets and a further 6GW of development pipeline in the relevant countries, all of which they said is earmarked to be operational by 2030.
The new company will be headquartered at the Abu Dhabi Global Market, a financial centre in the UAE.
Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and chairman of Masdar, said: “The UAE has established itself as a global energy leader by delivering at scale, investing with conviction, and building partnerships that endure. Asia will be the main driver of global electricity demand growth this decade, and this collaboration with TotalEnergies will accelerate our progress across the continent.” Al Jaber also runs the national oil firm ADNOC.
This partnership brings together two of the biggest players in the renewables and fossil fuels industries, with massive financial backing. Masdar has significant development portfolios across Central Asia and the Middle East, having secured notable financial backing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for 300MW of solar PV and energy storage capacity in Uzbekistan in January, and for a 760MW Azerbaijan PV portfolio in 2024.
TotalEnergies also has significant investments in the region’s renewable energy infrastructure, alongside massive and long-running involvement in oil and gas extraction.
In 2023, it was the largest solar PV developer by cumulative capacity.  However, analysis from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) said that a 2025 partnership with fossil fuel utility Energetický a průmyslový holding (EPH) risks increasing the company’s dependence on fossil fuels by massively expanding its investments in natural gas production.
Recently, the Trump administration announced it would pay TotalEnergies almost US$1 billion to abandon plans for offshore wind farms in the US.

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Neoen to Build France’s Largest Battery Amid Strained Power Grid  Bloomberg.com
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Platts extends solar PV price assessments in India  S&P Global
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Italian photovoltaic manufacturer Solbian has released a new solar kit designed for installation on boat davits, according to a report from pv magazine. The product, named SunBoard, is presented as a method for generating renewable energy on vessels by utilizing surfaces that are frequently unoccupied.
The kit represents the company’s initial rigid-frame module, constructed to offer a stable platform for davit mounting. It is affixed to the upper davit and stanchions with ropes connected to perimeter eyelets. An aluminum rod with sliding clips on the module’s lower edge permits the panel to be angled between zero and ninety degrees.
Two versions are available: the SunBoard Kit S and the SunBoard Kit M. Both employ high-efficiency SunPower Maxeon back-contact solar cells. The Kit S provides 80 W of power with a conversion efficiency of 24.0 percent, while the larger Kit M provides 108 W at 24.4 percent efficiency. The two kits share the same physical dimensions, though the Kit M has a greater weight.
Electrical specifications differ between the models, with distinct maximum power voltages and currents. The panels are rated for operation across a wide temperature range and carry a specific temperature coefficient. Each panel includes eyelets for attachment and dual junction boxes compatible with standard connectors, with versions configured for different sides of a vessel. Optional accessories are available.
The system supports a high maximum voltage and reverse current rating and comes with a five-year warranty. The manufacturer states the kit is built to resist specific wind speeds, facilitating installation on unused boat surfaces.
This report provides a comprehensive view of the solar cells and light-emitting diodes industry in Italy, tracking demand, supply, and trade flows across the national value chain. It explains how demand across key channels and end-use segments shapes consumption patterns, while also mapping the role of input availability, production efficiency, and regulatory standards on supply.
Beyond headline metrics, the study benchmarks prices, margins, and trade routes so you can see where value is created and how it moves between domestic suppliers and international partners. The analysis is designed to support strategic planning, market entry, portfolio prioritization, and risk management in the solar cells and light-emitting diodes landscape in Italy.
The report combines market sizing with trade intelligence and price analytics for Italy. It covers both historical performance and the forward outlook to 2035, allowing you to compare cycles, structural shifts, and policy impacts.
This report provides a consistent view of market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for Italy. The profile highlights demand structure and trade position, enabling benchmarking against regional and global peers.
The analysis is built on a multi-source framework that combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, and expert validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to ensure consistency across time series.
All data are normalized to a common product definition and mapped to a consistent set of codes. This ensures that comparisons across time are aligned and actionable.
The forecast horizon extends to 2035 and is based on a structured model that links solar cells and light-emitting diodes demand and supply to macroeconomic indicators, trade patterns, and sector-specific drivers. The model captures both cyclical and structural factors and reflects known policy and technology shifts in Italy.
Each projection is built from national historical patterns and the broader regional context, allowing the report to show where growth is concentrated and where risks are elevated.
Prices are analyzed in detail, including export and import unit values, regional spreads, and changes in trade costs. The report highlights how seasonality, freight rates, exchange rates, and supply disruptions influence pricing and margins.
Key producers, exporters, and distributors are profiled with a focus on their operational scale, geographic footprint, product mix, and market positioning. This helps identify competitive pressure points, partnership opportunities, and routes to differentiation.
This report is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, wholesalers, investors, and advisors who need a clear, data-driven picture of solar cells and light-emitting diodes dynamics in Italy.
The market size aggregates consumption and trade data, presented in both value and volume terms.
The projections combine historical trends with macroeconomic indicators, trade dynamics, and sector-specific drivers.
Yes, it includes export and import unit values, regional spreads, and a pricing outlook to 2035.
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New research from the University of New South Wales shows that PV module degradation varies widely with system design and location, driven by UV exposure, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric conditions. Tropical and desert regions face the highest stress, highlighting the need for climate-specific testing and system design.
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Utraviolet (UV) radiation has been long recognized as a key driver of PV module degradation. This factor, however, is significantly underestimated in current testing standards, particularly for modern system designs and high-irradiance regions.
With this in mind, a group of researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia has developed a high-precision global UV irradiance model on tilted surfaces, capturing the impact of system design, climate, and atmospheric conditions.
“Our new model demonstrates that identical module technologies degrade differently depending on deployment location, highlighting the need for climate-specific reliability assessment,” corresponding author Bram Hoex told pv magazine. “It also offers a pathway to move beyond generic accelerated testing toward regionally relevant degradation modeling and qualification protocols.”
The researchers highlighted that global UV irradiance can range from below 30 W/m² in high-latitude regions to over 80 W/m² in deserts and dry climates. In some locations, the UV dose specified in the IEC 61215 standard, which is just 15 kWh/m², can be reached in less than two months. By contrast, real-world exposure over a module’s lifetime is orders of magnitude higher.
“Current testing thresholds are simply too low to replicate long-term field conditions,” the authors noted, adding that even enhanced protocols fall short of simulating 25–30 years of operation.
One of the most striking findings of the study relates to system design. The researchers compared fixed-tilt installations with single-axis tracking (SAT) systems and found that trackers receive significantly more UV radiation due to their orientation toward the sun throughout the day.

In high-irradiance regions, such as deserts, single-axis tracking (SAT) systems can be exposed to up to 1.5 times more UV radiation than fixed-tilt systems, leading to degradation rates that are nearly twice as high. This results in annual UV-driven degradation rates of up to 0.35% per year for SAT systems, compared with approximately 0.25% per year for fixed-tilt installations.
Over the course of a typical project lifetime, this difference can accumulate to several percentage points of additional power loss, directly impacting the economics and long-term performance of the PV system.
The study also showed that identical PV modules can degrade at markedly different rates depending on their installation location. The key factors driving this variability include UV irradiance, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric conditions such as ozone levels, aerosols, and cloud cover. Among the most challenging environments are tropical and desert regions, where high UV exposure combines with intense thermal and environmental stress, accelerating module degradation.
“Current standards significantly underestimate real-world UV exposure, in some cases by orders of magnitude relative to lifetime conditions,” Hoex stressed. “UV exposure varies significantly with location and system configuration, with tracking systems experiencing up to around two times higher degradation rates in high-irradiance regions. In arid and tropical climates, UV-induced degradation can reach about 0.25–0.35%/year, contributing substantially to long-term performance loss.”
The novel high-precision model to estimate UV radiation in PV systems was presented in the paper “Closing the UV-Induced Photodegradation Gap Through Global Scale Modeling of Fixed Tilt and Tracking Photovoltaic Systems,” pubished in the IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics.
“This work forms part of our group’s broader effort to connect fundamental degradation mechanisms with system-level impacts in the field, combining targeted accelerated testing—such as UV, damp heat, and contamination—with physics-based and data-driven modeling at the system scale to quantify how both established and emerging failure modes translate into real-world energy yield losses across diverse climates and system designs,” Hoex concluded.
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Madagascar-based developer Axian Energy has reached financial close on what it is billing as West Africa’s largest solar-plus-storage project.
The NEA Kolda project in Senegal will combine 60MWp of solar PV with a 72MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).
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Axian began work on the project last year using its own funds, but has now reached financial close on a €72 million (US$82.9 million) financing deal first announced last year with the Emerging Africa and Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF), the Dutch development bank FMA and DEG, the German development finance institution.
Axian said the Kolda project would form a key pillar in Senegal’s goal to increase the share of renewables in its electricity mix to 40% by 2030.
The power produced from the installation will be sold to utility Senelec under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). Axian said the integration of battery storage will enhance grid resilience during peak demand periods and support the increasing penetration of renewable energy into the national mix.
Commissioning of the project is scheduled for the end of November 2026.
Axian operates across Africa, with projects in Mali, Rwanda and Madagascar, among others. The company said it has 355MW of renewables capacity already installed and a further 77MW under development.

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In the 18 months since 932 solar panels were installed on the roof of Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep in Waukegan, the school has reduced its electricity costs by more than $100,000.
Cristo Rey President Preston Kendall said the school has saved $94,000 a year since the panels were placed on the roof and became operational in September 2024. A one-time big box retail store, the building has expansive roof space and a far bigger parking lot than it needs.
Kendall said the purpose of the solar array goes beyond economic benefits. There is a screen in the school lobby that shows not only money saved, but the beneficial impact on the environment.
“We have quite a lot of roof space, and we’ve been dreaming about how we can reduce our carbon footprint and become good stewards of the environment for the Waukegan community,” he said.
Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep’s embrace of solar energy took time to negotiate and currently enables it to use money once spent on electricity to further its educational mission of helping teens from under-resourced families get a college education.
Currently supplying 40% of the school’s electric needs, Kendall said it is spending $94,000 a year less than it did with ComEd, which still provides the balance of the school’s electricity.
While Cristo Rey is the beneficiary of the electricity generated by the sun, the array is operated by DeWan Solar, which funded the project built by Verde Solutions. The school pays DeWan just under 2 cents per kilowatt hour and more than 13 cents per kilowatt hour for the balance to ComEd.
“The panels generate 500,000 kilowatts a year,” Kendall said. “It is recorded on a (separate) meter in our building. We have a different meter for ComEd.”
Though the financial savings enable Cristo Rey to redirect the money to educating high school students, Kendall said the benefits do more. Less carbon dioxide is being released into the air around Waukegan, he said.
“We’re setting an example for the school and greater Waukegan community on the benefits of clean energy,” Kendall said. “Part of our mission is helping Waukegan have a brighter and cleaner future than it had in its past,” he added, referring to the city’s five Superfund sites resulting from its industrial past.
Jonathon Sadowski is a representative of Solar Powers Illinois, which deals with clean energy projects around the state. He is familiar with the Cristo Rey project and said the amount of carbon dioxide kept out of the atmosphere is the equivalent of 2,600 gas-powered automobiles taken off the road over 25 years, or 28.4 million miles of travel.
Christopher Gersch, the founder and CEO of Verde Solutions, which installed the solar panels, said his company has done similar work, both locally and nationwide. There is an economic cost to coal or oil fuel, but not solar.
“More communities should be taking advantage of the only free fuel we get every day — the sun — especially as electricity costs keep climbing,” Gersch said in an email.
Bringing the solar array from an idea percolating around Cristo Rey to reality took time. Kendall said the roof space was there, but funding was necessary. The school received a grant from the Dewan Foundation, of which Dewan Solar is a part. Verde did the installation, and it went live in September 2024.
When the cost of the grant and construction is recouped in seven years from the time of completion, Kendall said the school has an option to purchase the array.
Kendall said the school’s expansive parking lot could potentially provide a location for more solar panels. Carports are also a possibility.
Copyright 2026 Chicago Tribune. All rights reserved. The use of any content on this website for the purpose of training artificial intelligence systems, algorithms, machine learning models, text and data mining, or similar use is strictly prohibited without explicit written consent.

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India’s renewable energy expansion is colliding with grid constraints, highlighting the urgent need to modernise transmission and distribution infrastructure as deployment accelerates. Although India is well on its way to reach 500GW of renewable capacity by 2030, grid constraints are emerging as a major bottleneck for the sector. 
Speaking to PV Tech Premium, Vinay Rustagi, chief business officer at Premier Energies, says of all renewable energy technologies that: “installations are expected to continue growing at 5-10% annually, which underscores the urgency of ensuring that grid infrastructure keeps pace.” 
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“There is currently a crunch in grid capacity available, particularly on the national grid. Many projects that were to be connected at the national grid level are getting delayed.” 
A recent Ember report illustrates the challenge: as non-fossil fuel sources reached around 50% of installed capacity last year, 2.3TWh of solar was curtailed between May and December due to weak daytime demand, forecasting errors and limited coal fleet flexibility, with nearly 0.9TWh lost in October alone. 
Furthermore, state-level disparities add further complexity. The third edition of the Indian States’ Electricity Transition (SET) report by Ember and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) highlights that while certain states such as Karnataka, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh lead in decarbonisation, market readiness and ecosystem performance, other regions lag due to differences in infrastructure, fiscal capacity and institutional maturity. 
Together, these findings emphasise that grid constraints—both technical and structural—are emerging as the defining challenge for India’s transition, and targeted interventions will be critical to sustaining the country’s renewable growth trajectory towards 2030. 
Transmission infrastructure remains one of the most significant near-term challenges in India. 
“The issue is very simple,” Rustagi says. “All these new projects or capacity that is coming up need to be connected to the grid, and the capacity of the grid is finite. The grid is extremely expensive, so capacity must be added at the same time as new renewable projects are created, and that is where the issue lies.” 
The issue is structural. Renewable capacity can only be deployed at scale if it is matched by grid expansion, yet transmission projects are capital-intensive and time-consuming. 
“The problem is that expanding grid capacity is heavily capital-intensive, and it also requires a lot of time. These large transmission projects cover thousands of kilometres, require right of way and in many cases go over very challenging terrains,” Rustagi explains. 
“It is not surprising that many of these projects get delayed. They also need government approvals, as they often pass through sensitive habitats such as forests, industrial areas and densely populated regions.” 
This combination of logistical, regulatory and environmental constraints has led to delays, with grid expansion struggling to keep pace with renewable deployment, even beyond India. Rustagi highlights that transmission bottlenecks are a global issue, affecting markets across the US, Europe and Africa. 
“This issue of limited transmission capacity and the long timelines required to address it is a global challenge,” he says. “In the Western world, timelines are around five years or more, whereas in India, projects are typically completed in three to four years.” 
However, even with relatively faster execution, India faces additional pressures as it balances infrastructure expansion with social considerations. 
“This issue has become slightly more challenging in recent times because, alongside the push to expand transmission capacity, there is also a greater emphasis on protecting the rights of farmers and communities located beneath these lines,” Rustagi adds.  
“As a result, approval requirements have become more stringent. For example, compensation for farmers and private landowners has increased, leading to higher project costs and extended timelines.” 
Despite these hurdles, he views the current constraints as temporary. “Many of these projects are expected to be completed by 2028, which will open the door to substantial expansion.” 
As centralised grid infrastructure struggles to keep pace, decentralised energy systems are playing a growing role in absorbing capacity. 
“Decentralised ownership models are already helping to absorb the volume of capacity coming into India,” Rustagi says, pointing to rooftop solar as a key example. 
Rooftop installations have surged from around 3GW annually until 2024 to approximately 8GW in 2025, with expectations of 12-15GW this year. 
“What this is doing is enabling more solar capacity without necessitating expansion at the grid evacuation level,” he explains. 
In parallel, policy reforms are enabling peer-to-peer (P2P) power trading and encouraging projects to connect at the state grid level, where capacity remains available. 
“In addition, instead of focusing solely on the national grid, there are increasing efforts to promote connections at the state grid level, where there is still significant available capacity depending on location. As a result, more state grid-connected projects are expected to come online over the next few years.” 
The rapid evolution of India’s solar manufacturing sector is driving consolidation. Rustagi expects smaller manufacturers to struggle as capital intensity and technological requirements increase. 
“This is becoming a sector which requires significant capital expenditure and ongoing investment in new technologies,” he says. “The manufacturing business is likely to become more consolidated, with a clearer emergence of tier one, tier two and tier three players. 
“Tier one players, for example, would be companies with more than 10GW of capacity and fully backward-integrated operations. The immediate impact will therefore be on the manufacturing value chain, with many smaller players being squeezed out.” 
With an estimated 120-150 module manufacturers currently operating in India, the market is likely to consolidate into tiered players, with large, fully integrated companies emerging as dominant suppliers.  
While the shift is primarily upstream, it has implications for the broader ecosystem, particularly in improving supply chain reliability, price stability and project execution timelines—factors that are critical for grid project connectivity. 
For downstream developers and installers, however, this shift is largely positive. A domestic supply chain is expected to stabilise pricing and improve availability. 
“With a fully domestic supply chain, prices should stabilise, availability should become more predictable, and the technology landscape should become clearer going forward. As a result, access to modules and pricing will improve in terms of predictability, which is ultimately positive for these players,” Rustagi adds. 
While transmission remains a bottleneck, significant progress is being made at the distribution level. Government-led reforms—including smart metering and financial incentives for rooftop solar—and stricter financial discipline for distribution companies (DISCOMs) are beginning to yield results. 
“DISCOMs have also been given incentives,” Rustagi says. “For instance, in the rooftop solar scheme and the strong growth seen in that segment, distribution companies are financially incentivised to support installations. Every time a rooftop solar system is installed, the DISCOM receives a small financial incentive.” 
After years of heavy losses, India’s distribution sector has reportedly returned to profitability at an aggregate level, reflecting the impact of policy interventions and capital injections.  
Under the 15^th Finance Commission framework, states must limit fiscal deficit to 3% of gross state domestic product, with an additional 0.5% allowance tied to power sector reforms. However, in FY2025 the combined fiscal deficit of states stood at 3.2%, with 11 states exceeding the limit, reflecting DISCOMs’ mounting losses. 
Additionally, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has set technical standards for grid connectivity, while the Indian Electricity Grid Code (IEGC) mandates frequency control for renewable plants. Transmission expansion, aligned with renewable capacity, is being supported through the Green Energy Corridor scheme, enabling 44GW of intra-state evacuation, with further upgrades under the 2023-2032 National Electricity Plan.
Moreover, Rustagi emphasises that advanced technologies, such as static synchronous compensators (STATCOMs), static VAR compensators (SVCs), synchronous condensers and automatic generation control (AGC) are being deployed, alongside regional energy management centres and automatic weather stations to manage variability. 
The proposed Draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, could further accelerate this transformation by opening up distribution to competition. Rustagi calls it “a major initiative to reform and open up the entire distribution business.” 
India is also investing heavily in storage and market mechanisms to enhance grid flexibility. “With the rapid growth in solar and wind, there is an acute need for more storage capacity to balance the grid,” Rustagi says, pointing to nearly 100GWh of storage auctions spanning pumped hydro and battery systems. 
Looking ahead, Rustagi expects India’s energy system to become more balanced between centralised and decentralised models. “Historically, the sector has been heavily weighted towards national grid-connected, large-scale projects,” he says. “That balance is now shifting. Rather than moving from centralised to decentralised systems, the two are beginning to develop more evenly, with both playing an important role in the sector’s growth.” 
Utility-scale solar will continue to depend on national grid expansion, particularly in resource-rich regions, but distributed renewables are set to play an increasingly important role in capacity addition. 
Despite current constraints, Rustagi remains optimistic about India’s long-term trajectory. “When the 500GW target was announced, nobody took it seriously,” he says. “But this time we are actually expecting for the target to be exceeded.” 
With strong fundamentals, a maturing domestic supply chain and ongoing grid investments, India appears well positioned to meet its ambitious renewable energy goals. 
“If we keep adding capacity at current levels with slight increases year on year, we will be able to easily meet the 500GW target,” Rustagi concludes.

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According to the company’s announcement, Drax anticipates that Flexitricity’s platform will help the company to develop a gigawatt-scale pipeline of battery energy storage system (BESS) infrastructure.
April 2, 2026
Drax, an international renewable energy company, has announced its acquisition of UK flexibility energy assets optimiser Flexitricity.
Flexitricity provides flexible energy asset owners with route to market (RTM) and optimisation services through its AI-enabled proprietary controls platform. This allows owners to benefit from wholesale energy, balancing, and ancillary services markets.
According to the company’s announcement, Drax anticipates that Flexitricity’s platform will help the company to develop a gigawatt-scale pipeline of battery energy storage system (BESS) infrastructure. The pipeline will include both physical assets and the ability to optimise third-party assets. 
This will be achieved through RTM, floor, and tolling structures. As it stands, the Drax Energy Solutions Business provides RTM for around 2,000 integrated third-party renewable energy assets.
Drax Group chief commercial officer, Paul Sheffield, said:
Related:Rolls-Royce begins construction on 43MW BESS project in Scotland
“As we continue to develop our gigawatt-scale pipeline of BESS opportunities, alongside our other flexible generation assets, we can enhance our system support, further strengthen security of supply and deliver 24/7 renewable power to our customers.”
Flexitricity offers grid-scale assets front-of and behind-the-meter solutions, and demand response services to over 900MW operational assets. This primarily includes BESS, gas peakers, renewables, and demand-side response.
“The completion of the acquisition provides Drax with AI-enabled optimisation capabilities that will enhance how we manage and monetise flexible generation and storage assets,” Sheffield added.
The purchase of Flexitricity was initially reported in January of this year, with the announcement noting that the optimiser had been sold by Quinbrook – a global investment manager. 
At the time, UK government approval was required for the full acquisition to complete, as well as an assessment from energy regulator Ofgem.
Under Quinbrook’s tenure, Flexitricity’s renewable assets portfolio doubled from 540MW to almost 1.3GW distributed capacity. Quinbrook initially bought Flexitricity for £15.2 million (US$20 million) and has sold it for £42 million (US$55 million).
On the acquisition, Sheffield concluded that the company would continue to explore investments in flexible and renewable energy, thereby expanding the business and creating value.
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Molly joined the team in 2024 and has led coverage on the UK sites. Now shifting to a more global view, Molly is interested in how legislation shapes market dynamics, covering the intersection of policy design, investment patterns, and energy transition pathways. 
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India emerges as third-largest renewable energy market in 2025: IRENA  Business Standard
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US solar manufacturer T1 Energy produced 2.79GW of solar modules in 2025, in line with its guidance of 2.6-3GW for the year.
In the fourth quarter of 2025 alone, the company produced 1.17GW of module capacity at its Dallas assembly plant, which accounted for more than two-thirds (40%) of its total annual production, and generated record net sales of US$358.5 million, up from US$210 million in Q3 2025.
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As the company’s net sales increased from the previous quarter, T1 Energy reduced its net loss attributable to common stockholders in Q4 2025 to US$190 million, nearly half of the US$367 million registered in Q4 2024.
For the full fiscal year 2025, the manufacturer reported a net loss attributable to stockholders of US$380.8 million, down from the US$450.2 million reported in 2024. As of December 31, 2025, T1 had cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of US$270.8 million, of which US$182.5 million was unrestricted cash.
Dan Barcelo, chairman and CEO at T1 Energy, said that during the last three months of 2025, the company also expanded its commercial partnerships with a long-term supply agreement with independent power producer (IPP) Treaty Oak Clean Energy.
The three-year contract will see T1 Energy supply at least 900MW of solar modules with US-made solar cells from its solar cell processing plant in Austin, at which the company began construction in mid-December 2025.
“We executed a series of transactions to preserve eligibility for Section 45X tax credits—culminating in our first successful sale of Section 45X tax credits to a US financial institution. Entering 2026, we’re building on this momentum as we execute our plan to build a vertically integrated US polysilicon solar supply chain and seek to position T1 Energy as a leading US energy producer and cash‑flow powerhouse,” added Barcelo.
The first sale of Section 45X tax credits that Barcelo highlighted was achieved in late December last year and was valued at US$160 million, at a price of US$0.91 per dollar of production tax credits generated
In the same week, T1 completed a series of transactions with Chinese manufacturer Trina Solar—from which they acquired the Dallas module assembly plant in 2024—and other parties to ensure T1’s eligibility to secure Section 45X tax credits in 2026 and its compliance with Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) regulation, which prohibits companies from benefitting from tax credits if they use components from companies based in or owned by countries deemed to be a threat to US security.
“The transactions included debt repayment, removal of Trina’s right to appoint a covered officer, a new intellectual property licensing agreement with Evervolt Green Energy Holding and the purchase of solar cells from a supplier that provided certifications of its non-FEOC status,” said T1 Energy of the deals.
Moreover, the company said the construction of its Austin, Texas, cell processing plant—dubbed G2_Austin—remains on schedule. The start of production for phase one is still scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026 and would deliver an annual nameplate production of 2.1GW once fully operational. Before that, the manufacturer expects to reach financial close of G2_Austin during Q2 2026.
The company advanced on potential pathways in private and public markets in Q4 2025 to fund the remaining capital spending on the solar cell manufacturing plant. It estimated the remaining capital spending for phase one of the cell plant to be around US$350 million.
As construction of the Texas cell plant continues this year, T1 Energy said it secured solar cell supply for 2026 from an undisclosed international supplier that has certified its non-FEOC status.
For its 2026 outlook forecast, the manufacturer expects to produce between 3.1GW and 4.2GW of modules in 2026 using cells sourced from “an expanding global vendor network”. So far, the company has 3GW of module production contracted for 2026, but has highlighted that several factors could “materially” impact its 2026 sales.
Among the factors, T1 Energy mentioned the long-awaited ruling on the Section 232 polysilicon investigation (Premium access), the potential to source third-party cells above the high-end of T1’s targeted range and customers’ safe harbouring activity as developers work within the new regulatory framework.

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The NEN – North Edinburgh News
The community media resource for north Edinburgh
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We’re delighted to share that LifeCare has successfully secured funding and installed a solar photovoltaic (PV) system at our much-loved community Hub in Stockbridge.
This exciting project, funded by the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), will allow us to generate clean, renewable energy on-site, helping to significantly reduce our energy costs and carbon footprint.
With over 47,000 visits to the Hub each year, this investment will have a lasting impact, not only on our building, but on the thousands of people who rely on our services.
Lowering our energy bills will allow us to reinvest more into what matters most: supporting local older people – including those living with dementia and those experiencing loneliness and social isolation – while continuing to deliver a wide range of accessible activities that bring people of all ages from within the local community together.
The funding has also enabled us to install battery storage, meaning we can store and use more of the energy we generate, further improving efficiency and resilience against rising energy costs.
Claire Montgomery, Communications and Fundraising Manager at LifeCare Edinburgh said: “We’re incredibly grateful to CARES for making this project possible, and to Culbertson Renewables Ltd for the fantastic work they did fitting the panels at The LifeCare Centre.
“This funding is not only helping us reduce our environmental impact, but it also means we can direct more resources into supporting older people across our community. It’s a win for both sustainability, and the people we’re here to support.”
This exciting project marks a key step in our commitment to sustainability and to supporting Scotland’s journey to net zero, demonstrating how community organisations can lead the way in tackling climate change while continuing to deliver vital frontline services.
We look forward to sharing the impact of this project and using this opportunity to raise awareness of renewable energy across our community.
Edinburgh reporter and photographer View all posts by davepickering
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Engineers stacked solar panels into a tower to save space and realized flat designs may be wasting millions  energiesmedia.com
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India has installed 9.56GW of rooftop solar capacity under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY), according to government data presented in parliament. 
Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Shripad Yesso Naik told the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s parliament, that as of 20 March 2026, more than 2.62 million rooftop solar systems had been deployed nationwide since the scheme launched in 2024, benefiting approximately 3.24 million households. 
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PMSGMBY is a flagship central sector scheme launched by the Indian government in February 2024, aimed at installing rooftop solar systems in ten million households across the nation.  
The scheme is expected to generate 1,000 billion units of renewable electricity. Furthermore, the government estimates that up to 1.7 million jobs could be created as deployment accelerates. 
Since the scheme’s launch in 2024, challenges including high upfront costs despite subsidies, maintenance requirements, limited awareness – particularly in rural areas – net metering and regulatory hurdles, quality concerns and bureaucratic barriers in application processes have persisted. 
In response, the government has taken key regulatory steps to encourage rooftop solar adoption including subsidy applications, approvals and disbursals that are now managed via a national portal, enabling direct transfer of funds to residential consumers.  
The application has also been simplified, with technical feasibility requirements waived and automatic load enhancement permitted up to 10kW. Net metering agreements have been integrated into the application process to further reduce delays. 
To improve financing access, collateral-free loans are being offered through nationalised banks at concessional rates, currently set at repo rate plus 50 basis points (around 5.75% per annum), with tenures of up to 10 years. The policy framework has also expanded to include renewable energy service company (RESCO) and utility-led aggregation (ULA) models, while vendor registration processes have been simplified to ensure a larger pool of qualified installers. 
Alongside regulatory and financial measures, the government is investing in ecosystem development. Capacity-building and training programmes are being rolled out to create a skilled workforce, supported by nationwide awareness campaigns across print, television and radio. Progress is being closely monitored through regular engagements with states and DISCOMs, including periodic regional review meetings. 
According to the MNRE, as of February 2026, rooftop solar installations are led by Gujarat at 6.67GW, followed by Maharashtra with 5.22GW and Rajasthan at 2.07GW. At the other end of the spectrum, Meghalaya has just 0.21MW installed, Nagaland 1MW, and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep 1.6MW.  

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With Stella Juva, the team extends its vision into the field of sustainable healthcare.
AIKO has announced a new collaboration with Solar Team Eindhoven, bringing its high-efficiency ABC (All Back Contact) solar cells to power Stella Juva, the world’s first solar-powered ambulance designed to operate entirely on solar energy while supporting onboard medical equipment.
Developed by students from Eindhoven University of Technology, Stella Juva aims to enable healthcare delivery in remote or infrastructure-limited regions.
Expected to hit the road in July 2026, the project represents a significant step in redefining the role of solar-powered mobility, from transport solutions to mobile energy systems supporting essential services.
The Stella Juva project focuses on integrating advanced solar technology directly into a functional emergency vehicle. AIKO’s ABC solar cells are central to this effort, providing the energy required to operate both the vehicle and its onboard medical equipment.
“Stella Juva pushes the boundaries of what solar technology can achieve in real world applications,” said David Komdeur, Photovoltaics Engineer at Solar Team Eindhoven.
“We chose AIKO as our partner because of its industry leading efficiency and proven reliability, both critical for a vehicle that must operate independently under varying conditions,” he continued.
Komdeur further shed light on how the ABC cells are designed.
The ABC cells use a full back contact design without front side metallization, which maximizes light absorption. In addition, the silver free metallization lowers the risk of microcracks and contributes to long term durability,” he said.
“A low temperature coefficient, combined with strong resistance to degradation, helps maintain stable performance across a wide range of environments,” Komdeur continued.
The project highlights how solar energy can be used not only for transportation but also as a mobile power source capable of supporting essential services such as medical equipment in areas where infrastructure may be limited or unavailable.
Solar Team Eindhoven brings a strong track record of innovation to the project. The team has won the World Solar Challenge Cruiser Class four consecutive times and has consistently introduced breakthrough concepts in solar mobility.
Previous milestones include Stella Vita, a solar-powered camper designed for long-distance travel, and Stella Terra, the world’s first off-road solar vehicle capable of operating in extreme environments. With Stella Juva, the team extends its vision into the field of sustainable healthcare.
The project reflects the team’s ongoing focus on expanding the applications of solar-powered vehicles beyond experimental prototypes toward practical and functional use cases.
The partnership marks a further expansion of AIKO’s engagement with leading solar mobility teams, moving beyond competition platforms toward real-world applications of zero-carbon mobility and sustainable living.
By integrating ABC technology into a functional emergency vehicle, the collaboration demonstrates how advanced photovoltaic innovation can contribute to both clean transportation and critical societal needs.
For AIKO, this reflects a broader commitment to enabling high-efficiency solar technology in emerging application scenarios, supporting projects that integrate energy generation directly into mobility and infrastructure, and exploring how photovoltaic innovation can deliver value beyond traditional installations.
Atharva is a full-time content writer with a post-graduate degree in media & amp; entertainment and a graduate degree in electronics & telecommunications. He has written in the sports and technology domains respectively. In his leisure time, Atharva loves learning about digital marketing and watching soccer matches. His main goal behind joining Interesting Engineering is to learn more about how the recent technological advancements are helping human beings on both societal and individual levels in their daily lives.
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Ceigall India Limited (CIL), a subsidiary of Ceigall Green Energy MP Limited, has executed 15 Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company Limited. In a press release, Ceigall India said it secured an order for a total awarded solar capacity of 130 MW under the Surya Mitra Krishi Feeder Yojana.
As per the agreement, Ceigall Green Energy MP Limited will implement, operate, maintain, and supply power from solar photovoltaic generating stations for a period of 25 years at a quoted tariff of Rs 2.85 per unit. The Surya Mitra Krishi Feeder Yojana is a key government initiative aimed at providing reliable daytime power to the agricultural sector through dedicated solar feeders, while advancing India’s clean energy goals. The project carries an estimated EPC cost of ₹572 crore (including GST) and includes a 12-month execution period, followed by a 25-year operational term.
With a healthy mix of HAM, EPC, and now renewable energy projects, Ceigall continues to strengthen its position as an integrated infrastructure developer. The company’s strategic foray into solar energy aligns with India’s broader push towards sustainable infrastructure and energy security, while complementing its core expertise in large-scale project execution.
Commenting on the announcement, Ramneek Sehgal, Chairman and Managing Director of Ceigall India Limited, said: “Completing the execution of all 15 PPAs marks a significant step in strengthening Ceigall’s presence in India’s renewable energy sector. The Surya Mitra Krishi Feeder Yojana is a major initiative supporting clean and reliable energy, and we are pleased to contribute to its implementation. This achievement reflects our commitment to developing sustainable, high-quality solar assets that support India’s long-term energy transition.”
Previously, Ceigall won a financial bid issued by Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited for developing solar PV-based power plants, along with Dilip Buildcon Limited. Dilip Buildcon Limited received a Letter of Award (LoA) from MPUVNL for a 1,363.55 MW AC project under the non-DCR category. The project involves the establishment of grid-connected solar PV-based power plants under the feeder solarisation component of PM-KUSUM (Surya Mitra Krishi Solarisation).
Dilip Buildcon Limited will secure an EPC business opportunity valued at approximately ₹4,900 crore (excluding GST), to be executed over the next 18 months. Accordingly, the EPC value for Dilip Buildcon Limited (excluding GST) is estimated at around ₹4,900 crore.
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Solarium Green Energy has received a Letter of Award (LOA) to develop a 50 MW (AC) solar PV project on a turnkey basis in Maharashtra, India.
A solar project executed by Solarium
Solarium
Solarium Green Energy has received a Letter of Award (LOA) to develop a 50 MW (AC) solar PV project on a turnkey basis in Maharashtra, India.
The project has been awarded by Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Ltd.
Under the contract, Solarium Green Energy will undertake end-to-end engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the solar PV plant, along with three years of operation and maintenance (O&M) services.
The total order value stands at approximately INR 188.525 crore, excluding GST.
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CFIP’s first window will be screened by a steering committee, with selected projects set to undergo NACA Fund due diligence.
Zambia has opened a call for proposals for solar photovoltaic (PV) projects with a combined capacity of up to 300MW, as part of the Carbon Feed-In Premium (CFIP) programme.
The Ministry of Green Economy and Environment and the Ministry of Energy jointly announced the tender, which targets solar PV projects equipped with battery storage, Renewables Now reported.
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The authorities are inviting applications from local and international independent power producers, national utility ZESCO and its subsidiaries, and other eligible stakeholders.
The current window focuses exclusively on solar PV with storage and forms the initial technology phase of the CFIP mechanism.
Project developers have up to two months to prepare and submit their proposals, with the deadline for applications set at 31 May 2026.
The ministries will apply the CFIP eligibility criteria, set out in Annex 1 of the programme documents, to assess submissions.
Each project must have a planned installed capacity between 30MWac and 100MWac and include an on-site battery energy storage system (BESS) with a minimum duration of 30 minutes.
At least half of the electricity generated must be sold to ZESCO or its subsidiaries under the conditions of the call.
A CFIP Steering Committee will evaluate project submissions against the programme’s eligibility requirements and core principles.
Projects that pass this initial screening will move to a further stage of analysis and consideration to confirm compliance with all CFIP conditions and requirements.
All shortlisted projects must also complete the NACA Fund due diligence process.
Projects that successfully pass due diligence will receive an offer of a standardised CFIP renewable energy project contract from ZANACO, which acts as CFIP Fund Manager.
This contract will set out the CFIP price and payment terms for transfers from ZANACO to the renewable energy project proponent.
In April 2025, Zambia resumed work on the Zambia–Tanzania Interconnector Project, which connected its power grid to East Africa and formed part of a wider regional power market.
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Renewable energy developer Tonic Group has obtained federal environmental clearance for a 75MW solar-plus-storage development in Western Australia within four weeks of submission.
The project includes plans for a 75MW solar PV power plant paired with a 55MW/440MWh 8-hour duration battery energy storage system (BESS). It was submitted to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act in early January 2026.
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The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) determined on 29 January that the Binningup Solar Facility would not constitute a controlled action under the EPBC Act, allowing the project to proceed without requiring a comprehensive environmental assessment.
The decision enables Tonic Group to commence clearing activities across a 12.46-hectare disturbance footprint within the 88.38-hectare project site.
Located approximately 130km south of Perth within the Shire of Harvey, the project sits within the Kemerton Strategic Industrial Area Structure Plan, a state priority development zone established for strategic and heavy industries in south-west Western Australia.
Tonic Group’s environmental assessment identified impacts to 1.14 hectares of low to moderate quality foraging habitat for three endangered black cockatoo species and 0.56 hectares of critically endangered western ringtail possum habitat.
As previously reported, the company has committed to retaining 5.40 hectares as an avoidance area, preserving 2.63 hectares of suitable black cockatoo foraging habitat and 2.56 hectares of western ringtail possum habitat.
The facility design includes infrastructure beyond energy generation and storage, incorporating ten EV charging bays and office facilities spanning two 12-by-6-metre buildings.
Environmental surveys conducted in 2025 confirmed the project area contained predominantly cleared and degraded land, with 70.52 hectares classified as cleared paddock and only 7.08 hectares of native vegetation remaining.
The degraded condition of existing vegetation contributed to the federal government’s determination that the project would not significantly impact matters of national environmental significance.
The federal approval enables Tonic Group to advance detailed design and construction planning for the hybrid solar-battery facility, contributing 440MWh of energy storage capacity to Australia’s expanding pipeline of grid-scale battery storage deployments.
It should also be noted that the EPBC Act is currently undergoing an overhaul, which promises streamlined approvals, as industry voices expressed mixed support for proposed changes to environmental assessment processes.
This article first appeared on our sister site Energy-Storage.news.
The Energy Storage Summit Australia 2026 will be returning to Sydney on 18-19 March. It features keynote speeches and panel discussions on topics such as the Capacity Investment Scheme, long-duration energy storage, and BESS revenue streams. ESN Premium subscribers receive an exclusive discount on ticket prices. 
To secure your tickets and learn more about the event, please visit the official website.

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Calculations have revealed a planned major solar farm would generate more CO₂ than it would save, a steering group claims.
Analysis of the proposed 800MW Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park by the Norwell Solar Farm Steering Group has concluded that the development would “make climate change worse” and be responsible for 1.8 to 2.6 million tons of CO₂ more than it would save by replacing gas generated electricity — based on the materials used and activity during construction, operation, and decommissioning of the site.
The upper end of this is estimated to be equivalent to ten years of emissions from 72,000 average petrol cars, with the aspect “most damaging to the environment” said to be the planned 880MWh Battery Energy Storage System.
Developer Elements Green, which is seeking to build the 1.5 million solar panel facility in a ring spanning approximately six miles around the villages of Bathley, Caunton and Norwell, has countered these claims — stating they represented a worst-case scenario and the solar farm would “still deliver a significant net reduction in carbon emissions over its full lifetime”.
The plans, which are considered a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, are currently with the Planning Inspectorate for examination — and both the developer and steering group’s figures have been submitted for consideration in this process.
Paul Williams, technical chairman of Norwell Solar Farm Steering Group, explained that the groups’ calculations were based on modelling by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for the higher figure, and the lower based on modelling produced by the group.
“Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects require the Secretary of State to be certain the applicant has done as much as possible to reduce greenhouse gas during construction and decommissioning,” he said.
“This is associated with the materials used and activity carried out during the process, and there is guidance on this — outlining things such as the CO₂ for a ton of stainless steel — published by the Government, and also a study by the University of Bath. There’s no specific guidance for solar photovoltaic panels, but scientific papers have provided estimates.”
Elements Green first published its figures in January 2025, which have since been revised after “mathematical and factual errors, incorrect data, misleading statements, missing materials and unsustainable assumptions” were found by the steering group — who’s detailed analysis independent of a main campaign group is believed to be a first in England and Wales.
While many aspects of the calculations and submissions are now agreed on between the developer and steering group, some “big ticket” items remain contested, Paul explained, with the group in particular challenging Elements Green’s assertion the solar park could power 400,000 homes. The steering group put it nearer to 248,000, a claim it says is based on Government figures.
A spokesman for Elements Green said: “The assessment is made on a worst-case basis, applying the precautionary principle — where there is any doubt, the most conservative assumption is taken. Despite this, the assessment concludes that the Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park will deliver a net saving of over 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide across its full lifecycle, compared to the expected situation if it did not go ahead.
“As the UK’s national electricity system continues to decarbonise, each new low carbon generation project naturally results in smaller carbon savings when compared with an increasingly cleaner baseline. Despite this, the project will still deliver a significant net reduction in carbon emissions over its full lifetime.”
The developer added that the comparison of the new solar farm versus existing infrastructure are also not “on a like-for-like basis”, as the solar calculation takes into account the construction and decomissioning of the facility, while only operation is considered for existing infrastructure.
The Joint Parish Action Group — a committee made of parish councillors and residents from 12 of the affected parishes — has supported the steering group’s calculations, and has objected to the proposed development on multiple grounds, including the loss of high-quality farmland, flood risk, construction routes, site selection, and the scale of the scheme.
Both groups also note “considerable concern locally” about the cumulative effect of the numerous solar farm proposals for the area.
The Planning Inspectorate accepted Elements Green’s proposals in August 2025, and following examination a final decision will be made by the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.

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Indian solar firm strengthens global standing with integrated expansion strategy, advanced technologies and Mission 2028 roadmap.
April 02, 2026. By News Bureau
Premier Energies, an integrated solar manufacturer in India, has been ranked among the top 15 global PV manufacturers in the inaugural Terawatt PV 100, released by Terawatt PV Research. The ranking evaluates production volumes, financial strength and corporate transparency across the global solar PV ecosystem.
Premier Energies is also the second-highest ranked Indian manufacturer, part of the 21 India-headquartered firms in the global top 100, highlighting India’s growing influence in solar manufacturing.
The company’s rapid growth is fueled by its Mission 2028 roadmap, aiming for over 10 GW of integrated capacity and expanding upstream into ingot and wafer production. Its backward integration strategy strengthens competitiveness through lower costs, resilient supply chains and operational efficiency.
On the technology front, Premier Energies is advancing N-type TOPCon cells and Zero Busbar (0BB) modules for higher power output, reduced silver usage and enhanced durability. The newly commissioned Seetharampur facility adds 5.6 GW of automated module capacity, with AI-driven quality control and traceable, efficient processes.
Since going public, Premier Energies has strengthened governance, transparency and investor engagement. Inclusion in the Terawatt PV 100 underscores its global relevance and reinforces India’s role in shaping the future of solar energy.

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Cosmic PV Power Limited has filed for a ₹640 crore Initial Public Offering (IPO) to fund ambitious expansion plans in India's fast-growing solar energy sector. The IPO includes ₹540 crore in new shares and a ₹100 crore offer for sale by existing shareholders. The raised funds will finance a new manufacturing plant in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh. This facility is set to significantly boost the company's current 3 GW solar PV module capacity across its two Surat, Gujarat plants. The expansion aims to capture a larger share of a market expected to add about 42.5 GW of new solar capacity in 2026.
Cosmic PV Power's current 3 GW capacity places it among many domestic solar module makers. The planned facility could more than double this capacity, nearing 6 GW after expansion. This comes as India's domestic solar module manufacturing capacity is expected to exceed 160 GW by early 2026, far more than the estimated 40-45 GW annual demand. This means intense competition, with giants like Waaree Energies (12.5 GW capacity) and others such as Adani Solar and Tata Power Solar already operating at large scales. Cosmic PV Power has grown rapidly, with revenue increasing by an average of 125.8% annually from FY23-FY25. However, it must still compete for market share against larger players with established operations and supply chains. Being on the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's (MNRE) Approved List of Module Manufacturers (ALMM) for 1.30 GW capacity is a key advantage for government projects, though this list is also growing quickly.
Government initiatives like the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and programs such as PM-KUSUM and PM Surya Ghar are driving India's solar market growth and domestic manufacturing. These policies have created a supportive environment for solar PV makers. However, this success, especially from the PLI scheme, has also led to a surge in domestic manufacturing capacity, raising concerns about oversupply, price swings, and reliance on imported raw materials. New rules requiring domestically produced cells under ALCM norms highlight the evolving regulatory landscape manufacturers must navigate. The sector's future growth and profits will depend on these policies continuing and companies managing changing input costs.
Despite the sector's growth story, Cosmic PV Power's IPO faces significant risks. With manufacturing capacity far exceeding demand, intense price competition and lower profit margins are likely. Companies with integrated operations, from raw materials to finished modules, may have a natural advantage over those focused only on modules. Global supply chain issues and fluctuating raw material prices also remain challenges, affecting costs and profits. Established solar companies like Waaree Energies trade at P/E ratios around 26-27, with market caps in the tens of thousands of crores. Cosmic PV Power's IPO valuation is yet to be set, but it will likely be compared against these larger, more established companies. Its ambitious expansion requires significant capital spending and carries execution risks, needing efficient use of IPO funds. The company also relies on contract manufacturing for a substantial part of its output, which is a key factor in securing its market position.
Cosmic PV Power's IPO is a strategic move to leverage India's solar boom and expand its manufacturing. Supported by legal advisors CMS INDUSLAW and book runners Systematix Corporate Services and Valmiki Leela Capital, the company aims to build on its recent rapid growth. Its success will depend on scaling production efficiently, managing costs in a competitive market, securing contracts, and navigating government policies and market shifts. Investors will watch if Cosmic PV Power can achieve sustainable profitability amidst the challenges of overcapacity and intense competition in India's growing solar manufacturing sector.

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Ceigall Green Energy MP Ltd has executed secured power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Madhya Pradesh Power Management Co. Ltd for a total awarded solar capacity of 130 MW under the Surya Mitra Krishi Feeder Yojana.
Image: Dennis Schroeder/ NREL
Ceigall India Ltd today announced that its arm Ceigall Green Energy MP Ltd has executed 15 power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Madhya Pradesh Power Management Co. Ltd (MPPMCL) for a total awarded solar capacity of 130 MW under the Surya Mitra Krishi Feeder Yojana.
As per the agreement, Ceigall Green Energy MP Limited will implement, operate, maintain, and supply power from solar PV generating stations for a period of 25 years at a quoted tariff of INR 2.85 per kWh.
The project carries an estimated EPC cost of INR 572 crore (including GST). The project completion period is 12 months.
The Surya Mitra Krishi Feeder Yojana is a government initiative aimed at providing reliable daytime power to the agricultural sector through dedicated solar feeders, while advancing India’s clean energy goals.
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Thursday, April 2, 2026
A nearly one gigawatt solar project with a more than 1.5 gigawatt-hour battery energy storage system has been given the green light by the independent planning regulator after being sent for reassessment by more than 50 public objections to the project.
The New South Wales Independent Planning Commission (IPC) said on Friday that it has approved Spark Renewable’s Dinawan solar and battery project, an 800 megawatt (MW) solar farm with a 356 MW /1,574 megawatt hour (MWh) battery proposed for construction in the state’s south-west.
The project was referred to the IPC in January, alongside Edify Energy’s Burroway 100 MW solar and battery project and two stand-alone big batteries near Albury and Deniliquin, as required under state planning laws if a project receives more than 50 submissions.
It’s an increasingly controversial quirk of the state’s planning laws, given the strong trend where most of the objections to any one wind, solar, battery or hybrid project are submitted from far-flung locations, rather than by concerned locals.
In the case of the Dinawan solar-battery, part of a major energy hub that will also include a wind farm, just three submissions came from parties based within 5 kms of the project, another 11 within 100 kms, and 66 from more than 100 kms away, including 12 from interstate.
Three special interest groups objected, including a Queensland-based group called Climate and Energy Realists, which insists “there is no climate emergency” and wants energy subsidies cancelled. But it supports nuclear, which requires significant subsidies or direct government investment to be built.
None of the major agencies, including the local council, opposed the Dinawan project, and Spark made some adjustments after consultation with those authorities.
The Dinawan project is located between Coleambally and Jerilderie in the state’s south-west, in a region with two existing solar farms (Coleambally and Darlington Point) and a number of proposed solar farms, big batteries, and wind projects, including the country’s biggest at Yanco Delta.
As part of its assessment of the project, the IPC’s two-member panel met with key stakeholders, conducted a site inspection and locality tour, received 43 written submissions (just two of these from within 5km of the project), and heard from 13 community members at stakeholder meetings.
In its Statement of Reasons for Decision, the IPC found that the project would assist in “improving grid stability and energy security” and aligns with state government commitments to transition to renewable energy.
The commission says it considered concerns raised relating to cumulative impacts, traffic and roads, noise, contamination, social impacts, emergency planning, local infrastructure and insurances – and has imposed conditions of consent to minimise adverse impacts.
The conditions include the preparation and implementation of a traffic management plan, a commitment to comply with set construction hours and noise management protocols, preparation of a fire safety study and emergency plan, and preparation of an accommodation and employment strategy.
Among the concerns the commission says it heard from community members was the potential for solar panels to cause contamination as a result of leaking heavy metals and chemicals into the environment.
The commission said it acknowledges these concerns, but notes that it “accepts the advice of the department” as outlined in the state’s Large-scale Solar Energy Guidelines, Frequently Asked Questions.
This says that in order for the metals in solar panels to release contaminants into the environment, the “solar panels would need to be ground to a fine dust.”
Spark Renewables has not yet formally responded to the IPC decision, but in a news update in March welcomed the NSW government announcement that the Dinawan wind and solar projects would both receive dedicated support through the state’s Investment Delivery Authority (IDA) to help move the projects from proposal to delivery. 
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Sophie is editor of Renew Economy and editor of its sister site, One Step Off The Grid . She is the co-host of the Solar Insiders Podcast. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.
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gridX’s G100-2-compliant local (home) energy management gateway, the ‘gridBox’, which allows both import and export across residential use cases and import for commercial electrical vehicle (EV) charging.
G100 is an engineering standard set by the Energy Networks Association that sets limitations on how much electricity photovoltaic (PV) systems, EVs and other distributed energy resources may export from or import into the UK’s low-voltage grid to ensure its stability.
A smart home energy management system (HEMS) connects PV systems, home batteries, heat pumps, wallboxes and smart meters from different OEMs into a single, interoperable system and intelligently manages a household’s generation, storage and consumption. gridX’s G100-compliant HEMS allows households to increase their self-consumption rate and lower costs by optimising their electricity usage based on dynamic tariffs, while also adhering to import and export limitations. G100 compliance is also the basis for a household to actively participate in energy flexibility services, which enable the aggregation of residential flexibility for trading. Such programs allow households and energy retailers to earn money but they must operate within the limitations set by G100.
Lower costs and compliance at charging parks despite increasing demand
G100-compliant energy management is also crucial at charging parks for EVs. Unlike in the residential sector, the gridBox is currently only approved for G100-compliant grid import and thus unidirectional charging. gridX’s energy management system (EMS) allows CPOs to dynamically manage loads and thus install more charge points on existing infrastructure, automatically charge EVs during low price periods and shave demand peaks to minimise grid fees. The solution also enables the integration of storage and PV systems so that consumption can exceed physical grid constraints. On top of these use cases, G100 compliance allows CPOs to minimise their operating costs, while guaranteeing that EV chargers never exceed the G100 cap.
To be able to offer additional forms of flexibility and bidirectional charging in the future, gridX is also working on obtaining an export permit for the gateway.
Marcel Müller, Vice President of Technology, says, “Removing complexity is the key to a successful energy transition. Meanwhile, more and more regulatory requirements like G100 are introduced in the energy and e-mobility sectors. The rollout of our agile energy management system in the UK, which not only ensures compliance of multiple asset types from various OEMs but also enables additional flexibility value streams to unlock new revenue streams for connectivity and flexibility of decentralised energy resources.”
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Apr 2, 2026
Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online
Believe it or not, Google Streetview drove pass the Turning Sun Solar Facity in September, 2025, when road construction was taking place. This is the southeast corner, looking northwest. The project will extend 1.5 miles, three quarters of land, to the west, and two quarters, or one mile, to the north, from this corner. A total of four quarters are being used. Google Earth
 
ESTEVAN – Construction has started on the 100 megawatt solar facility 10 kilometres southwest of Estevan and six kilometres southwest of Boundary Dam Power Station.
Once complete, the Turning Sun Solar Facility will be the largest grid-scale solar farm in this province by a wide margin. Currently, there are only three grid-scale solar facilities in Saskatchewan, each just 10 megawatts. However, another similar scale project known as Southern Springs Energy Facility is in the works to be built just south of the Poplar River Power Station at Coronach. That 100 megawatt project is being developed by Potentia Renewables.
According to the Estevan project’s website, “Turning Sun Solar, formerly Iyuhána Solar, is a partnership with GSI Management Inc. (GSI) and Ocean Man First Nation (OMFN). The Project has been awarded an exclusive Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with SaskPower, to construct and operate the Project for 25 years.”
Greenwood Sustainable Infrastructure project co-ordinator Kyra Windrim provided an update on the project to the Estevan Chamber of Commerce on April 1 at the Days Inn.
“it’s already started. It’s happening,” Windrim said.
Mobilization started in March, and construction officially started April 1, according to Windrim. It’ll take a few months to get the perimeter fencing up, which is the opening phase of the project.
There will be approximately 150 workers at peak. Once operational, which expected in December of 2027, ongoing staff will be two to three workers.
 
The size of the fully-permitted project shrunk in the physical space it occupies, compared to what was originally envisioned. SaskPower had purchased several quarters of land, but in the end only four were needed. The footprint will be in the shape of a L on its side, with three quarters of land going west-east, and then the fourth going north. The racks will be mounted on driven piles with minimal disturbance of the land, except as necessary for road and facilities.
Roadwork was completed last year to improve the quality of the grid road running along the south side of the project. Previously, it was not much better than a dirt road.
The facility’s substation will be on the southwest corner of the project. It will be tied into the SaskPower Grid by way of the new Tableland switchyard, currently under construction a few kilometres to the west. That switchyard will also be the terminus of the intertie under construction between SaskPower and the Southwest Power Pool, which stretches from North Dakota across parts of 14 states to the Texas Panhandle.
The location is notable in that it is immediately adjacent to 18 quarters of land SaskPower owns for future coal development, known as the “west pit.” When the solar project was envisioned and the project was coming together, the future of coal-fired power generation was essentially non-existent, as federal coal regulations mandated the end of conventional coal-fired power generation by Dec. 31, 2029. The surprise announcement by Minister of Crown Investments Corporation and Minister Responsible for SaskPower Jeremy Harrison on June 18, 2025, changed all of that.
Conceivably, if there’s coal on the south side of the road, there’s likely coal on the north side of the road. But the solar farm will now occupy four quarters of land, for at least 25 years, limiting any potential northward expansion of the west pit, should it ever be opened up for actual coal production.
 
According to the RM of Estevan, approximately one quarter of land is used by the coal mine each year, based on current consumption.
Turning Solar is anticipated to have a 25 year lifespan, after which time the company is expected to decommission the site as an obligation and requirement.
The solar panels will be aligned north-and-south, and pivot to track the sun’s movements through the sky. That function will also allow the panels to shed snow. And a GSI representative at an open house last year explained that if severe weather, particularly hail, is expected, the panels can be oriented vertically to minimize any potential damage. That’s a major consideration, as fixed position solar panels have no such defense against hail, and as a result some solar farms elsewhere have sustained major damage from large hail events.
The engineer, procurement and contractor for the project is Barton Marlow. “They’ve been leading the initiative behind hiring and any efforts for procuring, procuring long lead items and equipment,” Windrim said.
It’s taken a long time to get here, with 15 of 18 project milestones now complete.
Windrim explained that GSI will be providing four annual scholarships of $5,000 each for each year the project is in operation. Two will go to the University of Regina, and two will go to Southeast College. For each school, one of those scholarships is designated for a person of Indigenous background. GSI has been working closely with Southeast College, which will see four of its electrical students intern on the project construction.
GSI has already contributed $60,000 to the college’s “Centre of Sustainable Innovation.”
They’ve also had two masters students working on ecological research with respect to the project and impacts on wildlife.
One concern that had been raised to Pipeline Online a few months ago was the origin of the steel going into the project. Apparently several prospective local suppliers had offered bids with steel sourced from the Regina steel mill. Very late in the game, Chinese steel was chosen instead. Windrim confirmed it was, indeed, Chinese steel going into this project.
 
 
Pipeline Online Podcast, Ep. 32: Ron Wallace & Tammy Nemeth, on “decarbonizing” Canada’s oil & gas

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Spark Renewables Secures NSW Approval for 800 MW Dinawan Solar Farm with 1,574 MWh Storage  SolarQuarter
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News

Kasikorn Research Centre estimates that Thailand’s solar industry is facing mounting cost pressure after China scrapped value-added tax (VAT) export rebates for photovoltaic (PV) products, including solar panels, from April 1, 2026.
In addition, China has cut the tax rebate rate for battery products from 9% to 6% for the rest of 2026, before removing it entirely in 2027. This will raise export costs for Chinese manufacturers and is likely to push up prices in global markets.
Kasikorn Research Centre expects Thailand’s import prices for solar equipment to rise by 9–15% in 2026, directly affecting investment projects, particularly new projects and those still under development, through higher capital expenditure (CAPEX) and longer payback periods.
A key factor is China’s role as the dominant player in the global solar supply chain, accounting for more than 80% of manufacturing capacity. As a result, changes in China’s tax policy have a significant impact on pricing trends in global markets, even though production bases have become more diversified in recent years.
For Thailand, dependence on solar equipment imports from China remains high at 47–51% of total import value, equivalent to about THB16.3 billion. This includes THB15 billion worth of photovoltaic (PV) products, including solar panels, accounting for 51.4%, and THB1.3 billion worth of battery products, accounting for 47%. This means policy changes in China are passed directly through to Thai costs.
Overall, the picture reflects that China’s tax policy adjustment will not only affect manufacturers but also send shockwaves across the global clean energy supply chain, including Thailand, which is accelerating investment in renewable energy and may face higher costs and adjustments to investment plans in the next phase.
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Enviromena starts 90MWp Shropshire solar build  Renewables News
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A crewed mission to the Moon is set to launch, powered by a European-built solar array system. The mission will be the first of its kind in over five decades.
The spacecraft for the mission will rely on a European Service Module, which supplies propulsion, power, thermal control, and life support. This module incorporates four solar wings, each measuring seven meters in length. During launch, protective fairing panels will shield these arrays from extreme conditions.
Once in orbit, an automated process will deploy the wings. Each wing is constructed from three hinged panels made of carbon fibre. The panels are equipped with photovoltaic cells. In total, the system uses 15,000 gallium arsenide photovoltaic cells across the four arrays, producing a specified power output.
The solar wings are designed to rotate to maintain alignment with the sun. The installation of the arrays was finished last year, a process that took more than a week to complete.
This report provides a comprehensive view of the solar cells and light-emitting diodes industry in Italy, tracking demand, supply, and trade flows across the national value chain. It explains how demand across key channels and end-use segments shapes consumption patterns, while also mapping the role of input availability, production efficiency, and regulatory standards on supply.
Beyond headline metrics, the study benchmarks prices, margins, and trade routes so you can see where value is created and how it moves between domestic suppliers and international partners. The analysis is designed to support strategic planning, market entry, portfolio prioritization, and risk management in the solar cells and light-emitting diodes landscape in Italy.
The report combines market sizing with trade intelligence and price analytics for Italy. It covers both historical performance and the forward outlook to 2035, allowing you to compare cycles, structural shifts, and policy impacts.
This report provides a consistent view of market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for Italy. The profile highlights demand structure and trade position, enabling benchmarking against regional and global peers.
The analysis is built on a multi-source framework that combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, and expert validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to ensure consistency across time series.
All data are normalized to a common product definition and mapped to a consistent set of codes. This ensures that comparisons across time are aligned and actionable.
The forecast horizon extends to 2035 and is based on a structured model that links solar cells and light-emitting diodes demand and supply to macroeconomic indicators, trade patterns, and sector-specific drivers. The model captures both cyclical and structural factors and reflects known policy and technology shifts in Italy.
Each projection is built from national historical patterns and the broader regional context, allowing the report to show where growth is concentrated and where risks are elevated.
Prices are analyzed in detail, including export and import unit values, regional spreads, and changes in trade costs. The report highlights how seasonality, freight rates, exchange rates, and supply disruptions influence pricing and margins.
Key producers, exporters, and distributors are profiled with a focus on their operational scale, geographic footprint, product mix, and market positioning. This helps identify competitive pressure points, partnership opportunities, and routes to differentiation.
This report is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, wholesalers, investors, and advisors who need a clear, data-driven picture of solar cells and light-emitting diodes dynamics in Italy.
The market size aggregates consumption and trade data, presented in both value and volume terms.
The projections combine historical trends with macroeconomic indicators, trade dynamics, and sector-specific drivers.
Yes, it includes export and import unit values, regional spreads, and a pricing outlook to 2035.
The report benchmarks market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for Italy.
Yes, it highlights demand hotspots, trade routes, pricing trends, and competitive context.
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Dutch research institute TNO has developed what it said is the world’s first solar roof tile based on perovskite technology.
TNO researchers, in partnership with thin-film PV specialist ASAT, applied a perovskite PV module on foil to a curved composite roof tile, achieving a 12.4% conversion efficiency when combined.
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The scientists said the tile’s curved shape had only a minimal impact on the performance of the individual modules, which stood at 13.8% before being applied to the tile.
Ilke Dogan, senior scientist at TNO, said: “To the best of my knowledge, this is the world’s first electrically functioning solar roof tile concept based on flexible perovskite solar cells.”
TNO said the combination of flexible perovskite technology with a building material marked a step forward in integrating solar energy into the built environment more effectively.
The organisation also said the materials and processes used in the trial were ready for industrial application, operating under normal conditions and suitable for large-scale roll-to-roll production of flexible solar foils.
“This research line enables both customised solutions and large‑scale application of flexible solar foils. TNO has completed the full development pathway: from small test cells in the laboratory, to flexible modules measuring 10 by 10 centimetres, and ultimately to a perovskite solar roof tile that can be directly applied in practice,” TNO said in a statement.
Dogan added: “This allows roofs and infrastructure to generate sustainable electricity without compromising on design or aesthetics. This makes it an important step in the further development of solar energy in the built environment.”
Karl Kiel, founder of ASAT, said: “This demonstrator of perovskite solar PV integrated into our roof tiles shows that a commercial introduction is on the short-term horizon.”
TNO said its next step would be to continue improving the technology’s lifetime, reliability, and scalability, laying the foundations for the transition of flexible perovskite solar modules into commercial applications.
Last month TNO established a spin-out company, Perovion Technologies, to lead the commercialisation of flexible perovskite technologies.

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US solar manufacturer T1 Energy produced 2.79GW of solar modules in 2025, in line with its guidance of 2.6-3GW for the year.
In the fourth quarter of 2025 alone, the company produced 1.17GW of module capacity at its Dallas assembly plant, which accounted for more than two-thirds (40%) of its total annual production, and generated record net sales of US$358.5 million, up from US$210 million in Q3 2025.
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As the company’s net sales increased from the previous quarter, T1 Energy reduced its net loss attributable to common stockholders in Q4 2025 to US$190 million, nearly half of the US$367 million registered in Q4 2024.
For the full fiscal year 2025, the manufacturer reported a net loss attributable to stockholders of US$380.8 million, down from the US$450.2 million reported in 2024. As of December 31, 2025, T1 had cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of US$270.8 million, of which US$182.5 million was unrestricted cash.
Dan Barcelo, chairman and CEO at T1 Energy, said that during the last three months of 2025, the company also expanded its commercial partnerships with a long-term supply agreement with independent power producer (IPP) Treaty Oak Clean Energy.
The three-year contract will see T1 Energy supply at least 900MW of solar modules with US-made solar cells from its solar cell processing plant in Austin, at which the company began construction in mid-December 2025.
“We executed a series of transactions to preserve eligibility for Section 45X tax credits—culminating in our first successful sale of Section 45X tax credits to a US financial institution. Entering 2026, we’re building on this momentum as we execute our plan to build a vertically integrated US polysilicon solar supply chain and seek to position T1 Energy as a leading US energy producer and cash‑flow powerhouse,” added Barcelo.
The first sale of Section 45X tax credits that Barcelo highlighted was achieved in late December last year and was valued at US$160 million, at a price of US$0.91 per dollar of production tax credits generated
In the same week, T1 completed a series of transactions with Chinese manufacturer Trina Solar—from which they acquired the Dallas module assembly plant in 2024—and other parties to ensure T1’s eligibility to secure Section 45X tax credits in 2026 and its compliance with Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) regulation, which prohibits companies from benefitting from tax credits if they use components from companies based in or owned by countries deemed to be a threat to US security.
“The transactions included debt repayment, removal of Trina’s right to appoint a covered officer, a new intellectual property licensing agreement with Evervolt Green Energy Holding and the purchase of solar cells from a supplier that provided certifications of its non-FEOC status,” said T1 Energy of the deals.
Moreover, the company said the construction of its Austin, Texas, cell processing plant—dubbed G2_Austin—remains on schedule. The start of production for phase one is still scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026 and would deliver an annual nameplate production of 2.1GW once fully operational. Before that, the manufacturer expects to reach financial close of G2_Austin during Q2 2026.
The company advanced on potential pathways in private and public markets in Q4 2025 to fund the remaining capital spending on the solar cell manufacturing plant. It estimated the remaining capital spending for phase one of the cell plant to be around US$350 million.
As construction of the Texas cell plant continues this year, T1 Energy said it secured solar cell supply for 2026 from an undisclosed international supplier that has certified its non-FEOC status.
For its 2026 outlook forecast, the manufacturer expects to produce between 3.1GW and 4.2GW of modules in 2026 using cells sourced from “an expanding global vendor network”. So far, the company has 3GW of module production contracted for 2026, but has highlighted that several factors could “materially” impact its 2026 sales.
Among the factors, T1 Energy mentioned the long-awaited ruling on the Section 232 polysilicon investigation (Premium access), the potential to source third-party cells above the high-end of T1’s targeted range and customers’ safe harbouring activity as developers work within the new regulatory framework.

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As Australia’s renewable energy sector matures, the coupling of solar and storage is emerging as the dominant paradigm for large-scale projects. George Heynes reports on the transition from standalone solar to hybrid configurations.
Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) stands at a pivotal juncture as utility-scale solar developments undergo a fundamental transformation. The convergence of technological advancement, policy innovation and market dynamics is reshaping how developers approach large-scale renewable energy projects, with hybrid solar-plus-storage configurations emerging as the dominant paradigm for new developments.
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The shift represents more than a technological evolution; it signals a maturation of Australia’s renewable energy sector as it grapples with grid constraints, volatile pricing and the imperative to replace retiring coal-fired generation.
With over 50GW of solar PV already installed across the continent, the industry is entering a new phase where storage integration, sophisticated revenue optimisation and strategic policy frameworks will determine the success of future deployments.
The transition from standalone solar to hybrid configurations reflects a confluence of technical and economic pressures that have fundamentally altered project economics across the NEM. Grid constraints have emerged as a primary catalyst, forcing developers to reconsider traditional approaches to utility-scale development.
“We’re seeing many large-scale solar projects in the NEM transitioning to hybrid solar-plus-storage configurations due to grid constraints,” explains Sahand Karimi, CEO of OptiGrid, an Australian battery optimisation and trading intelligence platform.
“Each of the drivers outlined contributes to a preference towards hybrid developments to varying degrees; taken together, they can materially improve a project’s business case. These drivers include reducing curtailment, having a wider variety of route-to-market solutions, supportive policy environment and lower costs.”
Co-location offers multiple technical advantages that extend beyond simple grid integration. Neha Sinha, product manager for energy storage systems at Wärtsilä, emphasises the efficiency gains achievable through DC-coupled configurations: “The primary benefit of a DC-coupled solution is your round trip efficiency (RTE) benefit,” Sinha says.
“Your efficiency losses that come with converting from the solar field through an inverter to the batteries back through an inverter are significantly reduced if you can directly couple the solar to the battery storage.”
These efficiency improvements translate directly into enhanced project economics. Curtailment reduction represents perhaps the most immediate benefit, as developers can capture otherwise-lost generation during periods of grid congestion or negative pricing.
“In Australia in particular, with the negative pricing that we’ve seen out of solar plants, there are a lot of solar plants that aren’t co-located with storage, and don’t have anything that they can do with the excess solar that they’re producing at those negative prices,” Sinha notes.
Dramatic cost reductions in battery storage technology have further strengthened the economic case for hybridisation. As Karimi highlights, “Battery storage costs have reduced substantially in the past 12-18 months, reducing the cost burden of adding storage to the design.
“Hybridisation also enables shared infrastructure, particularly in DC-coupled designs, costs and improving overall project economics.”
The integration of battery storage fundamentally transforms the revenue potential for utility-scale solar developers, opening access to multiple income streams that were previously unavailable to standalone solar projects. This diversification represents a paradigm shift in how developers approach project financing and risk management.
Traditional solar projects in the NEM have historically required a majority of contracted revenue to achieve financial close, typically leaving only 20% of the project exposed to merchant risk.
The addition of storage changes this dynamic entirely, enabling developers to maintain larger merchant positions while accessing premium revenue streams.
“Adding battery storage opens up a plethora of additional revenue streams,” Karimi explains, outlining the expanded commercial opportunities available to hybrid projects.
These include hybrid power purchase agreements (PPAs), where buyers receive operational control of the combined asset, firmed or ‘shaped’ PPAs that deliver power according to specified profiles and virtual tolling agreements (VTA) that provide buyers with access to virtual battery capacity.
The sophistication of these revenue streams reflects the evolving maturity of the Australian energy market. Cap contracts protect buyers against spot price volatility above agreed-upon thresholds. At the same time, network support services provide additional income from distribution and transmission operators that are increasingly reliant on battery resources for grid stability.
However, this revenue diversification comes with increased complexity and risk. “While there is a much larger variety of options for hybrid projects, many come with increased risk,” Karimi warns. “Failing to manage a VTA or a cap contract effectively will not just see lower returns—it can create large losses due to the exposure to spot prices they create.”
The technical complexity of optimising hybrid operations requires sophisticated control systems and market forecasting capabilities. “Operating a battery energy storage system (BESS) is fundamentally different to operating solar and wind assets,” Karimi notes.
“A BESS is energy-limited, typically storing one to four hours of energy, and it must purchase its ‘fuel’ from the market. Because of this, returns are susceptible to both the accuracy of market forecasts and the quality of the trading optimisation.”
The scale of Australia’s utility-scale solar opportunity remains substantial despite market maturation. David Dixon, senior vice president and head of Australia renewables & power research at Rystad Energy,
forecasts steady growth across the NEM.
“The market size for utility solar deployment across the NEM is expected to be approximately 2-3GWdc per year to 2030,” he says.
The geographic distribution of hybrid developments across the NEM reflects a complex interplay of technical, economic and regulatory factors that vary significantly between regions. Understanding these regional dynamics is crucial for developers seeking to optimise project locations and maximise revenue potential.
New South Wales (NSW) has emerged as particularly attractive for hybrid developments, driven by the anticipated retirement of large coal-fired power stations and resulting price volatility. “NSW is one of the more attractive regions for batteries and hybrids as large coal plants are expected to close within the next few years,” Karimi observes.
The technical characteristics that make locations suitable for hybrid development extend beyond simple resource availability. Sites with higher levels of technical curtailment, where the addition of battery storage could materially influence the situation, represent prime opportunities.
Similarly, locations with poor marginal loss factors for solar generation can benefit significantly from the time-shifting capabilities of co-located storage.
Marginal loss factors are a mechanism used in electricity markets to account for energy lost as heat during the transmission of electricity through the power network.
They are a ratio that adjusts a generator’s revenue based on the network losses between its location and a regional reference node, influencing generator revenue and serving as an economic signal for efficient market operation.
A higher marginal loss factor rewards generators for being in a location that reduces losses, while a lower marginal loss factor penalises them.
“Locations with poor marginal loss factors for solar can make hybrid business cases more attractive as the time shifting of the plant generation improves the loss factor,” Karimi explains.
This technical consideration underscores the complex analysis necessary to identify optimal development sites in the current market environment.
Government policy initiatives have played a crucial role in accelerating hybrid development across the NEM, providing both financial incentives and regulatory certainty that enable developers to commit to more complex project configurations.
The Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) represents perhaps the most significant policy intervention, offering long-term revenue support specifically designed to encourage the dispatchable generation of renewable energy.
The CIS provides long-term revenue certainty through 15-year two-way contracts that guarantee revenue floors while sharing upside performance – with both payments capped to protect taxpayer interests.
Its target was expanded to 40GW in July 2025 and now targets 26GW of renewable energy generation and 14GW of dispatchable storage through competitive tenders, offering dispatchable Capacity Investment Scheme Agreements (CISAs) for storage/ hybrid projects and generation CISAs for renewables. Hybrid solar-plus-storage projects can access either contract type based on specific requirements.
The re-election of the Australian Labor government in May 2025 provided crucial policy continuity for the CIS programme. “The re-election of the Australian Labor government in May 2025 provided certainty that the CIS policy would continue in its current form,” Karimi notes.
However, the effectiveness of these policies in driving deployment remains mixed. Dixon adds that the CIS faces additional implementation challenges.
“The CIS will struggle to give lenders confidence to finance many solar projects, as many proponents have bid too low and thus the banks aren’t willing to lend to these projects,” Dixon explains.
He emphasises that “by far the most critical milestone is getting an economic PPA from a utility (Stanwell or AGL) or industrial player (e.g. Rio Tinto) that the banks can lend against.”
The Solar Sunshot initiative represents another significant policy intervention, though industry expectations for the programme’s scale remain ambitious.
Brett Hallam, associate professor and research director for Advanced Hydrogenation at the University of NSW (UNSW), acknowledges both the programme’s importance and its limitations: “The amount we were hoping for as a package is much more than what the Sunshot initiative has been to date. But at least it’s a start, and it showed their intention to commit to establishing the industry here.”
The evolution of Australia’s distributed energy resources provides crucial context for understanding utility-scale developments within the broader energy transition. The country’s leadership in residential solar adoption and battery storage deployment creates both opportunities and challenges for large-scale renewable energy projects.
Nigel Morris, chief strategy officer at the Smart Energy Council, emphasises Australia’s unique position in global renewable energy deployment: “We are the canary in the coal mine for the rest of the world, we have some of the most sophisticated and advanced distributed, clean and distributed energy resources in the form of residential rooftops and now storage in the world.”
The scale of distributed deployment is remarkable, with some postcodes achieving 70% solar penetration rates, Morris notes. This distributed capacity increasingly operates under sophisticated control systems that enable centralised management and market participation through virtual power plants (VPPs).
“We are now building what I would argue is one of the largest and most sophisticated, fully controlled, not fully controlled, but able to be controlled … resources of solar and batteries in the world,” Morris explains.
The regulatory framework has evolved to accommodate this distributed complexity, albeit with challenges. “The regulatory regime, firstly, has adapted. Adapted badly and slowly and in defiance of solar for most of my career,” Morris acknowledges.
However, recent improvements in dynamic control mechanisms and emergency backstop systems demonstrate a growing sophistication in regulatory management of distributed resources.
The rapid evolution of hybrid technology platforms reflects both market demand and technological maturation across multiple components of integrated solar-plus-storage systems. DC-coupled configurations represent the current frontier of technical development, offering efficiency advantages that translate directly into improved project economics.
The complexity of DC-DC converter technology has historically limited widespread adoption, but recent advances have made utility-scale deployment increasingly viable.
“DC to DC converters are just an added cost to your system and can be quite challenging to work with. And the development of that technology over the years has kind of worked in favour of where we are today in the market,” Sinha explains.
The technical challenges of voltage management between solar and battery systems require sophisticated control capabilities. “The DC to DC converter itself is the biggest functionality, which is the voltage metering. The reason you need it is that there are voltage differences between your solar module and your battery. So, you need this kind of buck boost capability to be able to manage the differences between the two units,” Sinha details.
Grid interaction capabilities remain essentially unchanged between AC and DC-coupled configurations, as the inverter continues to manage grid communication and support services. “You don’t see a significantly different interaction with the grid, because you still have the inverter standing between your battery system and the grid,” Sinha notes. This consistency simplifies grid integration while maximising the efficiency benefits of DC coupling.
The evolution toward hybrid-by-design represents a fundamental shift in project development approaches. “As we see more and more solar plants being deployed, as we see curtailment issues, as we see decommissioning a coal plant in favour of these systems, it’s becoming increasingly clear that you need to be co-located with batteries to maximise the potential of your system,” Sinha observes.
The commercial environment for utility-scale solar development has undergone a fundamental shift from the long-term, low-risk contracting models that previously dominated the sector. Developers must now navigate shorter contract tenures, increased merchant exposure and more sophisticated risk management requirements.
“In the NEM, you used to be able to get a 15- to 25-year solar PPA at an attractive price and with most of the market risks transferred to the buyer. That isn’t the environment now, and we are doubtful to return to it anytime soon,” Karimi explains. This shift requires developers to develop new capabilities in market analysis, revenue optimisation and risk management.
The new commercial paradigm demands comfort with shorter contract tenures and greater merchant exposure. “It’s not unusual now to see two to five-year contracts, and most offtakers strongly prefer not to sign anything over ten years,” Karimi notes. This trend toward shorter contracting periods reflects both buyer risk aversion and the rapid pace of technological and market evolution.
Success in this environment requires a sophisticated understanding of merchant revenue potential and associated risks. “Understanding the return potential for merchant storage/hybrid assets, the contracting options available to you, and the associated risks” becomes essential for developer success, according to Karimi.
The complexity of modern energy markets necessitates strategic partnerships with specialised service providers. “The NEM is the most volatile and rapidly evolving electricity market in the world. While there are significant opportunities, capturing those opportunities requires a profound understanding of the physical and financial market dynamics,” Karimi emphasises.
For developers considering storage additions to existing solar pipeline projects, the advice is clear: “Unless you are confident in your ability to negotiate a PPA at a strike price that meets your commercial targets and has sufficient negative price period settlement protections built in, I would strongly recommend exploring how the addition of storage to your pipeline projects could influence the business case,” Karimi advises.
Australia’s utility-scale solar sector is at a transformative moment, as hybrid configurations become the dominant development model across the NEM. The convergence of technical advancement, policy support and commercial necessity has created an environment where storage integration is increasingly essential for project viability.
The success of future developments will depend on developers’ ability to navigate increased complexity while capturing the enhanced revenue opportunities that hybrid configurations provide. As Sinha emphasises: “When you are thinking about any project that involves storage, the key metric that you should be looking at is useable energy and how much energy you can get out of your system.”
The policy environment, while supportive, faces potential disruption from changing political priorities. The industry’s continued growth will require sustained government commitment to programmes like the CIS and Solar Sunshot initiative, alongside regulatory frameworks that accommodate increasing system complexity.
As Australia continues its renewable energy transition, the utility-scale solar sector’s evolution towards hybrid configurations represents both a technical achievement and a commercial necessity.
The developers who successfully navigate this transformation will play a crucial role in delivering the dispatchable renewable energy generation required to replace retiring coal-fired power stations while maintaining grid reliability and affordability.
The hybrid future is not merely an option for Australian solar developers – it has become an imperative for success in an increasingly sophisticated and competitive energy market. Those who embrace this complexity while leveraging the expertise of specialised partners will be best positioned to capitalise on the opportunities ahead.

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Westby Area Middle School students and Principal Mike Weninger discuss how they’ll hang lights inside the Bekkum Bubbles on the Westby library patio, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.
A worker with Olson Solar Energy of Onalaska installs panels on the Bekkum Memorial Library’s roof March 19.
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New solar panels have been installed at Bekkum Memorial Library in Westby. The former panels were removed last summer when the south-side roof had be redone.

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A worker with Olson Solar Energy of Onalaska installs panels on the Bekkum Memorial Library’s roof March 19.
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New solar panels have been installed at Bekkum Memorial Library in Westby. The former panels were removed last summer when the south-side roof had be redone.
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Enviromena starts building 90 MWp of solar farms in England  Renewables Now
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Gov. Ned Lamont criticized the loss of farmland and other open space for the construction of Connecticut’s largest solar array on Tuesday. But he stopped short of expressing support for a moratorium on further solar development in towns at the epicenter of the state’s solar industry.
Lamont’s visit to East Windsor — home to the 120-megawatt Gravel Pit Solar project and several smaller arrays — was arranged by local critics of the developments. They say their community has been inundated with solar panels, which have taken over farms, made noise and caused other quality-of-life problems that alter the town’s rural character.
Last month, the Connecticut Siting Council signed off on a 30-megawatt expansion that would add an additional 150 acres to Gravel Pit’s footprint in East Windsor. The town has already pledged to appeal the ruling.
“I love clean renewable power that’s also affordable, but I also love open space, protecting open space,” Lamont said after being driven on a tour around the sprawling facility. “I don’t think we have that balance right, right now.”
The tour highlighted a tricky political question facing Lamont and other Democrats who are supportive of the state’s long-term climate goals: how to build clean, renewable sources of electricity without angering the people living alongside those projects.
Residents in East Windsor and surrounding river valley towns, such as Enfield and Ellington, say they’ve already done their part playing host to large solar arrays. Together, the six-town region produces nearly a third of the state’s grid-scale solar output.
“Too much of a good thing can become very bad,” said state Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor. “We’re seeing that something that started with a good concept is overwhelming our community.”
Anwar and the principal organizer of the tour, state Rep. Jaime Foster, D-Ellington, have sponsored House Bill 5551, which would allow officials in any town that’s home to or abutting a solar facility larger than 100 megawatts to veto new projects within their borders. (Under those parameters, the bill would only apply to East Windsor and neighboring towns.)
Asked after his tour whether he would support such a policy, Lamont hedged.
“I’d like to do something broader than that, so we’re not just taking care of one or two towns. But what I can do statewide is to make sure that this doesn’t happen again, and make sure that any of these things that aren’t yet developed we can preserve,” Lamont said.
The governor also expressed dismay at the name the developers chose for Gravel Pit Solar, which came from an old quarry on which a portion of the array was built. “I saw a beautiful open space, beautiful fields, and this ought to be the last place you want to develop,” Lamont said.
A spokesperson for Gravel Pit’s owner, DESRI Holdings, declined to comment on Lamont’s visit.
Decisions on where to place large solar arrays and other power projects fall to the Connecticut Siting Council, which was formed in the 1970s take over a process that had previously been subject to the use of eminent domain by utility companies.
State law allows the Siting Council to consider a variety of factors in its decisions, including a project’s impact on agriculture, forests and scenic areas, as well as its potential impact on air and water quality. Other local concerns, such as the effect on property values or municipal tax tolls, are not part of the council’s evaluation criteria.
Melanie Bachman, executive director of the Siting Council, said in an email that none of the land used by Gravel Pit Solar had been set aside for protection under Connecticut’s open space and farmland preservation programs. In addition, she noted that the developers had pledged to allow sheep grazing and beekeeping on parts of the property, while also donating 70 acres of land to East Windsor for conservation.
Bachman declined to comment specifically on the governor’s remarks on the project.
In 2023, Lamont vetoed legislation that would have allowed municipalities to appoint a nonvoting member to weigh in on projects before the Siting Council. In his veto message, the governor explained that the bill could give opponents within a town access to sensitive information about applicants, while also eroding the council’s authority to approve “climate-positive projects,” such as transmission lines and solar facilities.
Still, lawmakers have put forward a similar bill this session to give towns a greater role in Siting Council decisions.
Lamont declined to say Tuesday whether he would veto that legislation, Senate Bill 144, if it reaches his desk. Supporters say they’ve added language requiring nonvoting members to abide by the council’s confidentiality rules, in order to ease some of the governor’s concerns.
Foster and her allies have proposed several ways to alter the structure of the Siting Council to give towns a greater voice, while still preserving its ability to preempt local control. Those ideas include having a permanent member with experience in municipal government, or seat for a representative of the regional council of governments in the area where a project is proposed.
“I have long held the assumption that the current membership of the Siting Council… have a sort of myopic view on what holds weight in their consideration, and I think that’s pretty clearly demonstrated in their approvals,” Foster said. “To diversify the membership and perspective on the board would be helpful.”
In testimony submitted to lawmakers last month, Bachman argued that the Siting Council has already undergone legislative changes in recent years to alter the makeup of its members and provide for greater input by local officials.
She warned that further changes, such as those proposed in H.B. 5551 and S.B. 144, would threaten the independence of the council to act on behalf of all Connecticut residents, as well as the environment.
In East Windsor, however, residents expressed frustration with the Siting Council’s repeated approvals of new solar projects. At one stop along his tour Tuesday, Lamont was met with a large, hand-painted sign affixed to a trailer urging him to “stop solar saturation.”
The sign was the work of Amanda Berube, who lives across the street from a smaller solar array owned by NextEra that has faced persistent complaints from neighbors who say it emits a loud buzzing noise during the day. In addition, the array experienced a brush fire last year that was attributed to nearby utility equipment.
Berube and her neighbors are also alarmed over the latest proposal from Gravel Pit’s owners to develop another, 100-megawatt array known as Saltbox Solar on farmland within East Windsor and Ellington.
While the developers have yet to submit Saltbox Solar to the Siting Council for approval, online plans show it would leave Berube’s subdivision surrounded by solar panels on three sides.
“It would just be devastating to our neighborhood, it would be devastating to the neighborhood in Ellington,” and to local dairy farmers who use the land to grow corn to feed their cows, she said. “So I just really hope that something can be done, that the legislation can pass, so that we can finally put an end to this.”
John Moritz is a reporter for the Connecticut Mirror. Copyright 2026 @ CT Mirror (ctmirror.org). 
Copyright 2026 Hartford Courant. All rights reserved. The use of any content on this website for the purpose of training artificial intelligence systems, algorithms, machine learning models, text and data mining, or similar use is strictly prohibited without explicit written consent.

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China ends tax rebates for solar exports  Dialogue Earth
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Danish independent power producer (IPP) European Energy has inaugurated the 108MW Lancaster Solar Farm in northern Victoria.
The IPP has signed what it called a “long-term” power purchase agreement (PPA) with technology giant Apple to sell power generated at the project, but did not provide further details on the length of the deal.
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As part of the deal, the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation to cooperate on future renewable energy projects across land belonging to the Yorta Yorta group in Victoria.
The project inauguration, and the signing of the MoU with the Yorta Yorta people, coincided with the Danish royal couple’s state visit to Australia; Danish King Frederik X, Danish Queen Mary and Australian Minister of Energy Chris Bowen were present for the MoU signing. European Energy said this MoU would result in initiatives to support “workforce participation, Indigenous business engagement and initiatives aligned with the self-determined priorities of the Yorta Yorta people”.
“This agreement recognises the Yorta Yorta people as Traditional Owners and sets out how we will work together to protect culture, respect Country and ensure our people share in the benefits of renewable energy development,” said chair of the Yorta Yorta National Aboriginal Corporation, Trent Nelson.
The news follows European Energy securing approval for a 1.1GW solar project in Queensland, as the company looks to expand its Australian presence. The company currently has a development pipeline of 10GW of solar, wind and battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Australia, and is at the late stage of development for both the 131MW Winton North solar project in Victoria and the 31MW Mulwala solar facility in New South Wales.

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Crisis Management


研究成果 Research Results

Researchers successfully capture singlet-fission–amplified excitons with a molybdenum-based emitter, achieving 130% quantum yield and opening a path beyond solar cell efficiency limits.
Fukuoka, Japan—In the fight against climate change, solar power is a promising alternative to fossil fuels. Every second, Earth receives an enormous amount of energy from the Sun. Yet solar cells capture only a fraction of it, constrained by a “physical ceiling” that seemed impossible to break.
In a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on March 25, a research team led by Kyushu University in Japan, in collaboration with Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz in Germany, used a molybdenum-based metal complex called “spin-flip” emitter to harvest multiplied energy from singlet fission (SF)—a “dream technology” for light conversion. This technology pushes energy conversion efficiency to about 130%, surpassing the 100% barrier and opening new possibilities for higher-performance solar cells.
To picture how a solar cell generates electricity, imagine a relay race among tiny particles. Photons from sunlight strike a semiconductor and pass their energy to electrons, activating them and driving an electric current.
But the “runners” in sunlight vary in ability. Lower-energy infrared photons cannot excite electrons, while higher-energy ones, like blue light, lose their excess as heat. As a result, solar cells can use only about one-third of the sunlight. This ceiling, known as the Shockley–Queisser limit, has long challenged scientists.
“We have two main strategies to break through this limit,” says Yoichi Sasaki, Associate Professor at Kyushu University’s Faculty of Engineering. “One is to convert lower-energy infrared photons into higher energy visible photons. The other, what we explore here, is to use SF to generate two excitons from a single exciton photon.”
Normally, one photon can generate at most one spin-singlet exciton after electronic excitation. SF can split this high-energy singlet exciton into two lower-energy spin-triplet excitons, theoretically doubling the energy. While some organic semiconductors like tetracene exhibit this process, capturing the SF-born excitons remains challenging.
“The energy can be easily ‘stolen’ by a mechanism called Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) before multiplication occurs,” Sasaki explains. “We therefore needed an energy acceptor that selectively captures the multiplied triplet excitons after fission.”
The team turned to metal complexes—molecules whose structures can be flexibly designed—and discovered that a molybdenum-based “spin-flip” emitter serves as an ideal harvester. In such molecules, an electron flips its spin during absorption or emission of near-infrared light, enabling the system to accept the triplet energy produced in SF. By carefully tuning the energy levels, the researchers suppressed the wasteful FRET process, allowing the multiplied excitons from SF to be selectively extracted.
“We could not have reached this point without the Heinze group from JGU Mainz,” Sasaki says. Adrian Sauer, a graduate student from the group visiting Kyushu University on exchange and the paper’s second author, brought the team’s attention to a material long studied there, leading to the collaboration.
By pairing this complex with tetracene-based materials in solution, the team successfully harvested energy, achieving quantum yields of around 130%, meaning roughly 1.3 molybdenum-based metal complexes were excited per photon absorbed. This exceeds the conventional 100% limit, indicating that the system generated and harvested more energy carriers than photons received.
This work establishes a new design strategy for exciton amplification, though the team notes that current experiments remain at the proof-of-concept stage. Looking ahead, they plan to bring the two types of materials together in the solid state, aiming for efficient energy transfer and eventual integration into working solar cells.
Meanwhile, they hope the study will inspire further exploration at the intersection of singlet fission and metal complexes, with potential applications ranging from solar cells and LEDs to next-generation quantum technologies.
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For more information about this research, see “Exploring Spin-State Selective Harvesting Pathways from Singlet Fission Dimers to a Near-Infrared Emissive Spin-Flip Emitter,” Percy Gonzalo Sifuentes-Samanamud, Adrian Sauer, Aki Masaoka, Yuta Sawada, Yuya Watanabe, Ilias Papadopoulos, Katja Heinze, Yoichi Sasaki, Nobuo Kimizuka, Journal of the American Chemical Society, https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c20500
Research-related inquiries
Yoichi Sasaki, Associate Professor
Faculty of Engineering
Contact information can also be found in the full release.
九州大学Kyushu University
744 Motooka Nishi-ku Fukuoka 819-0395
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LONGi has launched LONGi ONE, an integrated solar-plus-storage product strategy for grid-scale, and commercial and industrial projects, which will be supported by a growing network of 30 new service centres opening in key locations globally by 2028.
Image: LONGi Solar
Chinese clean energy manufacturer LONGi has launched LONGi ONE, an integrated solar-plus-storage system strategy that combines BC solar technology with 5S storage technology to create a one-stop-stop solar generator service, to be made available through its growing network of 30 service centres the company intends opening globally by 2028.
The LONGi ONE strategy shifts from assembled systems to a native integration and scenario-based empowerment, a company statement said.
The concept means that one LONGi product family would cover all project scenarios from GWh-scale power plants, that could use OneBank 2.0 and OneMatrix 2.0, to commercial and industrial (C&I) applications using Hi-MO ONE.
Artificial intelligence (AI) in the system, would steer an ‘intelligent decision-making engine’ to actively manage the value of green electricity.
The strategy ultimately makes LONGi a one-stop-shop across the lifecycle of a project.

LONGi ONE Products
For utility-scale projects, OneBank 2.0 offers a fully integrated AC/DC storage solution featuring advanced safety design.
Its proprietary iCCS technology enables millisecond-scale (ms) fault detection and isolation, reducing system-level failure rates by 60% and cutting pre-commissioning time by over 30%.
OneMatrix 2.0 provides a flexible, modular approach for plant-level deployment, supporting multiple duration scenarios (2h/4h/8h) while reducing deployment time by 20-30% and lowering lifecycle costs.
For C&I users, Hi-MO One—paired with the EnergyOne platform—delivers 24.8% module efficiency and up to 90.3% system efficiency.
With response times under 20 ms and AI-driven energy management, it enables intelligent operation and optimised returns.
2830 Plan
LONGi has also launched its 2830 Plan, which aims to establish 30 localised service centres across key global markets by 2028, providing end-to-end lifecycle services and ensuring fast and localised support.
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Tunisia includes 50MW Beni Mhira solar project in 2026 energy plan  ZAWYA
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) supports innovative research focused on overcoming the current technological and commercial barriers for cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar modules. Below is a summary of how a CdTe solar module is made, recent advances in cell design, and the associated benefits. Learn how solar PV works.
CdTe is a material made from the combination of two elements: Cadmium (Cd) and Tellurium (Te). It plays a critical role of light absorption—hence why a CdTe solar cell is named after it. However, a cell needs more than just the CdTe material to function.
CdTe is a material made from the combination of two elements: Cadmium (Cd) and Tellurium (Te). It plays a critical role of light absorption—hence why a CdTe solar cell is named after it. However, a cell needs more than just the CdTe material to function.
In this “thin-film”  technology, a thin layer of CdTe absorbs light, which excites charged particles called electrons; when the electrons move, they create an electric current. CdTe cells are referred to as thin-film because they are more absorptive than other types of photovoltaics (e.g. silicon solar cells) and therefore require thinner layers to absorb the same amount of light.
In a solar cell, the CdTe absorber is attached to other materials, which allows electric current to flow through the absorber layer into the metal contacts and be collected as sustainable electricity. In modern cells, cadmium selenium tellurium (CdSeTe) is often used in conjunction with CdTe to improve light absorption. Learn more about how solar cells work.
CdTe solar cells are the second most common photovoltaic (PV) technology after crystalline silicon, representing 21% of the U.S. market and 4% of the global market in 2022. In the last 15 years, CdTe deployment has increased from the megawatt scale to the gigawatt scale as modules have more than doubled in efficiency.
The manufacturing process for cadmium telluride modules can be split into 4 main steps:
Cadmium and tellurium are byproducts of mining operations for zinc and copper, respectively. The waste from these mining processes have so far produced more than enough Cd and Te, so no extra mining is needed. The raw materials are refined to create pure Cd and Te.
CdTe vapor is deposited onto a coated conductive glass sheet. Several rounds of laser scribing and material deposition and treatment result in the final cell structure.
The completed cell is turned into a module by adding electrical contacts to enable wiring to other modules, edge sealant and a layer of encapsulant for weather-proofing, and a final glass backsheet.
The module is fit into a frame, attached to other modules, and deployed to start producing clean electricity.
SETO supports research across all aspects of CdTe technology. Research topics include maximizing the efficiency of CdTe using fundamental science, improving the design of full modules, and assessing the supply chain. SETO investments have helped commercialize CdTe technology. Projects are also developing next-generation cells that combine CdTe with other established PV materials, such as silicon. SETO released the Cadmium Telluride PV Perspective Paper in January 2025, outlining the state of CdTe PV technology and SETO’s priorities to reduce costs, address materials availability, and support the scale-up of CdTe within the domestic utility-scale PV market.
The CdTe Accelerator Consortium is currently SETO’s largest initiative to accelerate CdTe development. Coordinated by NREL, this $20 million collaboration includes five companies and universities working to create a technology roadmap and perform technical research with the goal of increasing CdTe cell efficiencies to 24% by 2025 and 26% by 2030.
Additionally, several of SETO’s funding programs support CdTe technologiesThis was an empty link: ::
Learn more about SETO’s PV research and how PV technologies work.
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Solar equipment is getting more expensive despite a foreseen drop in demand, why?  Profit by Pakistan Today
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PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) – Jasper County residents learned more Tuesday about the second proposed solar farm in the community,
The farm, known as Shubuta Creek, is set to span over 1,700 acres on County Road 41 near Pachuta.
The company behind the project is Grenergy, U.S.A.
“We’re making sure that we check all the boxes and do everything we need to make sure that this project is not only safely implemented, but also safe for the community as well,” Grenergy Public Policy Manager Arthur Fisher said.
Fisher shared that the farm will be used to provide wholesale solar energy to utility companies like Mississippi Power.
“The decision will be on Mississippi Power on how they go about distributing that power, but the most important thing will be helping Mississippi support as much infrastructure as possible,” Fisher said.
Before the meeting, residents raised concerns over the farm’s potential impact on the local environment.
Fisher said measures are in place to minimize that impact, on top of the necessary permits required.
“They [Grenergy] go through a series of studies with both the development company, the power company, as well and a bunch of regulations that we have to follow,” Fisher said.
Another concern brought up was the condition construction could leave the roadways in.
Grenergy is currently in an agreement with the county to fix any damage left behind.
“To just make sure that there’s enough roadway to be able to have this construction go into play as this timeline happens and ensure people are able to travel safely to and from their homes as well,” Fisher said.
Leaders predict the farm will generate around $60 million in tax revenue for the county over its expected 40-year lifespan.
The project is now awaiting approval from the Mississippi Public Service Commission.
“We’ll analyze that, process that, ask some more questions, and then we’ll take it before the whole commission and vote on it,” Southern District Commissioner Wayne Carr said.
Carr said he still has questions about who will oversee the project on a local level.
” We really don’t have that inspector capacity, and that’s something we’re trying to address at the commission, talking to the different parts of government,” Carr said.
If approved, construction for the project could start by the end of this year.
Fisher said Grenergy expects the farm to be operating by April 2029.
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North Angle Solar Farm in rural Cambridgeshire was supposed to provide a green alternative to oil and gas and bring in millions to the county council to fund local services. But after years of delays, the £34m project is so far making less money than it was hoped and now an internal report, obtained by the BBC, lays bare some of the failures behind the scheme.
Take a long, windy walk through the Fens it is difficult to miss North Angle Solar Farm amidst the flat lands, nestled between the east Cambridgeshire settlements of Soham and Wicken.
Through an unlocked gate, David Woricker, the chair of Soham Town Council, walks into the community orchard built by Cambridgeshire County Council alongside the solar farm, examining the current state of the trees.
He is concerned the trees "aren't being cared for properly and therefore aren't going to survive and thrive".
"What we don't want to see is an attempt at planting some trees and then letting that fall away and it becoming wasteland when it could be a massive asset for both the communities of Soham and Wicken," Woricker says.
A few hundred metres away down a newly-built path that stops short is North Angle Solar Farm, spread across 188 acres (76 hectares) and reportedly the largest solar farm in the county, it aims to provide electricity for 12,000 homes.
It was built by the county council after it had success with a smaller-scale Triangle Solar Farm in Soham.
With budgets ever tightening, the authority hoped North Angle would generate a revenue of £62m over 30 years, starting from the 2021-22 financial year.
The farm has been operating since November 2024, and a spokesperson for the Liberal Democrat-run council said: "This income contributes to our overall budget, supporting the delivery of essential local services including adult social care."
Woricker, a former Green Party candidate who runs the nearby South Angle Farm but was speaking to the BBC in his capacity as chair of the town council, said the council was told the money generated would go towards services and reducing council tax bills.
But the BBC has now obtained an internal county council report that gives an insight into the problems at North Angle Solar Farm.
The project received planning permission in 2020 and it was estimated to take between six and nine months to build.
Construction began in September 2021 and the project was finished in November 2024, Cambridgeshire County Council said.
It was not the only major energy project the authority was embarking upon around this time – another was a heat network scheme trying to help the rural oil-dependent village of Swaffham Prior eight miles (12.8km) from Soham become more green.
The report detailed a desire for a private underground cable to connect the two projects together, providing energy from North Angle Solar Farm to the heat network.
But the review said: "There is no evidence that the decision to develop a private cable was subject to a full risk assessment, nor challenged by an appropriate level of management."
It called this "a significant governance failure" and added the cable contributed to the costs of building the solar farm rise from £24.4m to £34.1m.
The BBC understands the council had to pay each landowner between North Angle and Swaffham Prior to put in the cable.
Other concerns highlighted in the report included that there was no project risk register – which is designed to track possible issues – until December 2022, "after delays and risks had been realised, so there was a failure to manage and monitor risks in line with the internal policy, before they could be realised".
The review also said there was "no evidence to suggest that best practice to avoid overstating benefits and understating costs (optimism bias) was followed".
To the contrary, it said the case for the solar farm should have increased costs and delayed or decreased benefits.
The council has made £2.1m from the project so far, which according to its own documents is less than it thought it would.
The national grid was built to deliver power generated by coal and gas plants near the country's major cities and towns, and it does not always have sufficient capacity in the cables that carry electricity around the country to get the new renewable electricity generated from rural areas.
These solar farms do get compensation payments, known as curtailment, but recent county council papers said there was a £1.41m "income loss" in 2025-26 from North Angle Solar Farm.
"This is mainly due to curtailment from the electricity network operator being much more significant than anticipated, as the network doesn't have the capacity to absorb all the generation during peak hours," the papers said.
The council said it had not revised it forecast about how much money the project would make "as it is too early in the life of the project to do so".
Mark Goldsack, a Conservative councillor for Soham North and Isleham on Cambridgeshire County Council, believed the project "was a good idea".
"However, as highlighted in the report, governance and ownership of the project, like the impact of construction traffic on local residents, was poorly controlled.
"Procrastination is a sin but turning a blind eye and leaving officers to hold the fort is weak leadership resulting in the reported poor bias of optimism to the positive outcomes and seriously lacking governance."
A spokesperson for the council said: "It's important to emphasise that this project is a 30-year investment, and the site has only been operating for just over a year.
"Like all renewable energy schemes, performance will vary over time, but we continue to monitor output closely and work proactively with UK Power Networks (UKPN) and our operations and maintenance contractor to optimise performance.
"UKPN uses flexible grid connections to help manage the electricity network, avoiding oversupply at times of low demand. This means that at certain points in the year UKPN can temporarily limit how much power is exported to the grid. This is a common and established part of how distributed renewable energy generators are managed nationally, and does not change the long-term, 30-year business case for the solar farm."
The council said the project's community path "has been delivered" and would be formally opened this summer and that any trees that die in the community orchard would be replaced.
But what of future projects like this?
The county council was granted planning permission for a smaller-scale solar farm to the south of Peterborough in January 2021, but added "the timing for the delivery of this is not yet confirmed".
Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Developers say the plans meet current fire regulations and the unit will have a 35-year life span.
Morning regional TV services will come from the BBC London studio.
St Mary's Street and Southoe Road in Farcet will close as council takes advantage of the school break.
Tom Highland, from Highland Group, says some petrol station staff are being abused by customers.
It will run services that have been provided by two community health trusts.
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