As a department of the City of Austin, Austin Energy uses an independent, online tool to provide automated (machine) translations on our websites. As with any machine translation, context and accuracy cannot be guaranteed. If you experience difficulty with our translated text or need assistance, please call 512-494-9400 or 3-1-1 to speak with a representative. Thank you. As a department of the City of Austin, Austin Energy uses an independent, online tool to provide automated (machine) translations on our websites. As with any machine translation, context and accuracy cannot be guaranteed. If you experience difficulty with our translated text or need assistance, please call 512-494-9400 or 3-1-1 to speak with a representative. Thank you. Beginning July 1, Austin Energy is increasing financial solar incentives to make clean, renewable energy even more affordable for homeowners, businesses and nonprofits. Austin Energy’s solar programs apply additional incentives on top of the utility’s Value of Solar bill credit for solar generation.
With higher residential rebates and boosted incentives for commercial solar projects, going solar will pay off faster — helping customers save money while advancing Austin’s ambitious clean energy goals. “These incentive updates are designed to accelerate local solar adoption, support the local solar industry and support Austin’s climate goals,” said Stuart Reilly, Austin Energy General Manager. “It’s the definition of a win-win when you can also help customers offset energy costs by generating clean electricity on-site.” Homeowners who install a solar photovoltaic system larger than 3 kilowatts will now see the rebate increase from $2,500 to $4,000 per project — a 60% increase. Commercial and nonprofit customer incentives are also increasing through both capacity-based and performance-based rebate programs. Nonprofit customers will see incentives increase by 66%, and commercial customers will see anywhere from a 25% to a 50% increase, depending on the size of their projects. Austin Energy’s solar programs have helped thousands of residential and commercial customers install solar systems that reduce electric bills, improve energy resilience and contribute to a cleaner energy future. For more information go to austinenergy.com/solar. 512-494-9400
Outside Austin call toll-free: 888-340-6465 VRS calls are accepted 512-322-9100
/ ←→ A technician installs a Base Power home battery system that will sell electricity to the power grid in Texas.Base Power As residential batteries have become more energy dense, cheaper, and smaller, more households are storing their excess solar power. Now, utilities and energy companies in dozens of countries are buying up those electrons, bundling them together, and using them to balance the grid. By Paul Hockenos•July 1, 2026 Home and commercial solar arrays provide nearly a fifth of Australia’s electricity generation, with panels atop one in every three homes. To extend those panels’ usefulness, owners are increasingly buying home batteries not only to store their power for later use, but to sell electrons to the grid at times of high demand. The arrangement enables grid operators to more effectively manage the mismatch between midday solar generation and real-time consumer demand, a process known as balancing. It also lowers market energy prices because utilities that draw on batteries can avoid building expensive new power plants and power lines. Australia laid the groundwork for this transformation last year by offering homeowners and small businesses a 30 percent discount on residential batteries, which resulted in 430,000 battery installations in less than a year, three times more than expected. A recent expansion of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program is expected to boost the number of installations to more than 2 million by 2030. If they agree to install a smart meter, battery owners can sell energy to the grid and put cash in their pockets: between $80 and $1,600 a year, depending on how the program is structured. In a dozen other countries, mostly in Europe and North America, grid operators are writing checks to homeowners for the right to lease their batteries. “We’re moving toward a world where homes don’t just consume energy — they store it, optimize it, and contribute back to the grid,” says Joe Frodsham of the Texas-based energy storage manufacturer Renon Power. A critical mass of home batteries scattered across a region and networked together through so-called virtual power plants, or VPPs, he says, marks “the shift from energy storage as backup to energy storage as an active grid asset.” Unlike a net metering system, which sends unused energy from rooftop solar panels directly into the grid in return for an energy credit, a VPP requires a storage system and software that tells the battery to send energy to the grid when it needs more power, like on a hot summer day. Compensation for tapping a homeowner’s battery is paid by either a local utility or a VPP program, of which there are now more than 500 in the U.S. and thousands in Europe. Subscribe to the E360 Newsletter for weekly updates delivered to your inbox. Sign Up. This rapid expansion of home batteries and advanced software that aggregates thousands of decentralized energy sources is “transforming not only the way electricity is generated, but also how it is traded, delivered, and consumed,” concludes a 2022 International Energy Agency report. These assets, the report said, “can provide valuable services to the grid when incentivized with appropriate technologies, policies, and regulations.” Currently, fewer than 10 percent of Australian homeowners who have solar arrays have signed contracts with energy providers. But experts believe the model has immense potential to expand, thanks to a global “battery revolution” that has, in a matter of years, seen battery prices plummet and their storage capacity shoot up even as their size has shrunk. Today, a 10 kilowatt-hour unit — which can simultaneously run a few household appliances and some lighting and electronics for 24 hours — can snugly fit under a staircase or into a garage corner. Between 2010 and 2020, battery density increased by more than 700 percent, and between 2010 and 2023, the price of lithium-ion batteries plunged from about $1,400 per kilowatt-hour to less than $140 per kilowatt-hour — one of the fastest cost declines of any energy technology in history. The Amber Electric smartphone app allows homeowners in Australia to manage their battery systems.Courtesy of New South Wales Climate and Energy Action Climate experts hope that grids can be cheaply and effectively balanced by hundreds of thousands of batteries distributed across cities, suburbs, and rural areas — some in electric vehicles, others on the walls of garages or cellars, and some in utility-scale storage parks, which still provide the lion’s share of solar-energy storage everywhere in the world. Ideally, aggregating the capacity of decentralized batteries — whether they are charged by solar panels or directly through the grid during off-peak hours — will replace dirty gas peaker plants. Large battery projects, says a May report from the energy think tank Ember, “are increasingly cost-competitive and faster to build than new gas power plants.” And their carbon footprint is about 87 percent smaller than an average-size gas peaker. Home batteries offer similar advantages. When home battery systems are programmed to charge during times of high renewable output and discharge during peak grid demand, studies show they can reduce average household emissions by 2.2 to 6.4 percent. A first among major nations, India is industrializing with solar. Read more. Last year, the amount of U.S. home battery capacity enlisted in virtual power plants grew by 153 percent. Programs in Puerto Rico and California that paid homeowners for their stored energy were a “key driver of the growth,” according to policy and research analyst Madeline Turner of San Diego-based Ohm Analytics. California’s VPP program, according to Canary Media, “has shown that its fleet of home batteries can be relied on much like a traditional power plant.” During a two-hour test last July, roughly 100,000 home batteries delivered about 539 megawatts of energy — more than the output of a large gas peaker plant. In the U.S., an installed 10 kilowatt-hour system costs roughly $8,000 to $13,000. A 30-percent federal clean energy credit ended in 2025, although customers can still benefit until 2027 from tax incentives by leasing a battery system from a commercial solar or battery company. California offers an additional baseline rebate of around $150 per kilowatt-hour. Residential storage markets function differently from country to country, and in the U.S. from state to state, as do their payment schemes. In Germany this spring, Octopus Energy’s PowerDrive bundle began providing customers with a smart meter and an EV charger that enables electricity to flow in two directions, allowing it to manage its customers’ EV charging in exchange for up to 10,000 free miles of driving, plus an annual bonus of up to $409 if the EV is plugged in, at home, for 300 or more hours. Octopus makes money selling the power stored in customers’ EVs when demand peaks and prices spike. The nation’s EV ownership rate is just under 3 percent, though, so the total impact of vehicle-to-grid technology is quite small. Since 2022, the U.K. has had a system that pays homeowners for reducing demand when the grid is stressed — whether by high demand or a lack of wind, which provides about 30 percent of the U.K.’s total electricity generation. Battery owners have the advantage of being able to rely on their batteries during these periods. In Puerto Rico, which has a particularly rickety power grid, some 70,000 home batteries are helping to reduce the risk of blackouts, according to the grid operator. Germany’s largest VPP is Statkraft, whose software links a multitude of decentralized energy resources including a few large fossil-fueled power plants, biogas and hydroelectric plants, thousands of solar and wind farms, and thousands more residential and commercial batteries. It markets its tidy bundles of energy on short-term European power exchanges. Home batteries have become the biggest source of battery capacity in Germany. Figures reflect the total battery capacity in January of each year. Source: Bundesnetzagentur.Yale Environment 360 / Made with Flourish With the growing demand for power, and long waits for grid connections, utilities are prepared to pay storage owners for the right to lease their batteries. But because the demand for and price of energy on a macro scale is different than the needs of a single household, most VPPs won’t optimize price fluctuations to benefit a household budget. Rather, they will optimize those fluctuations to benefit their own business model. A homeowner may prefer to charge their battery overnight, when the price of power drops, and discharge it in the late afternoon, when prices surge. But a VPP will charge and discharge the battery as needed to balance the grid — even if prices are unfavorable to the homeowner. The primary drawbacks of joining a VPP, says Toby Couture of E3 Analytics, a Berlin-based energy think tank, are the household’s loss of control over when and how much power a third party can call upon (though most plans allow battery owners to set a reserve level), uncertain financial returns, and some additional wear and tear on the battery from extra cycling. A 2025 study found that EVs enrolled in a VPP program degraded 9 to 14 percent faster over a 10-year period. Another drawback is the high purchase price of home batteries, although some countries and several U.S. states offer subsidies. As it boosts renewables, China still can’t break its coal addiction. Read more. Australia’s policies, which have reduced regulatory hurdles and challenges to integrating residential power, have made it the frontrunner in bidirectional storage, and similar policies in other countries could propel the clean energy transition forward. Where two-way battery storage makes financial sense to grid operators and battery owners, whether large or small, virtual power plants will likely expand in places where regulatory conditions allow, experts say. This is the logic of a battery revolution that is just beginning to transform our electricity markets. Paul Hockenos is a Berlin-based writer whose work has appeared in the The Nation, Foreign Policy, New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. He has authored several books on European affairs, most recently Berlin Calling: A Story of Anarchy, Music, the Wall and the Birth of the New Berlin. He was a fellow at the American Academy in Berlin. More about Paul Hockenos → Never miss an article. Subscribe to the E360 Newsletter → By Fred Pearce By Fred Pearce By Kate Morgan
Collaboration on breakthrough tech, and production pushing green transition forward Electrician James Moore, who installed solar panels on the roof of his Sydney home two years ago, said the green energy move has helped him halve his household power bills. When told that the equipment came from China, Moore was not surprised. “It’s efficient and effective, very suitable for sunny Australia,” he said. Moore’s words were fitting in more ways than one. The development of photovoltaic, or PV, technology, which converts sunlight into electricity and powers the growing use of solar energy in the country, can be traced to Australian research and innovation. Ned Ekins-Daukes, head of the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, said the university’s pioneering PV research helped nurture ties with Chinese industry and academics that continue to place them at the forefront of the field. “UNSW has this extraordinary story of where we invented some photovoltaic technologies a long way ahead of the market being ready to accept them. During that time, many students came from China to study at UNSW and took some of the ideas back to China,” the professor said. READ MORE: Chinese premier calls for expanding China-Australia trade for win-win cooperation Major contributions to the sector include work led by multiple-award-winning UNSW scientist Martin Green, who invented groundbreaking types of solar cells in the early 1980s. This helped fuel further research that has since accounted for more than 90 percent of worldwide silicon solar module production, according to the university. One of Green’s doctoral students, Shi Zhengrong, subsequently implemented a low-cost manufacturing transformation and went on to set up the first commercial solar cell producer of its kind in China. Serving as the Chinese company’s chief scientist, Green and other research team members helped facilitate the rapid growth of the sector. “What’s happened in China is that, because of the scale of the manufacturing that’s possible and the supply chain integration that’s been built up over the last 20 years, the costs of those technologies have dramatically reduced,” Ekins-Daukes said. In China, there has been continuous improvement in the technology, he said. “In Australia, we demonstrated the concept, we demonstrated that these solar cell technologies could work well. But in China, the engineers have worked hard to actually (apply) those technologies for manufacturing and critically bring robotic automation into the manufacturing of silicon solar panels,” he said. UNSW now works directly with major PV companies to help them improve the technology and its practical applications in Australia and beyond, Ekins-Daukes said. This “loop of innovation” between Australia and China will continue, he added. “China has huge manufacturing strengths, and the opportunity for Australia … having a lot of space and a lot of sunshine, is to collaborate and help deploy solar at an enormous scale for the benefit of the Australian economy, in a partnership,” Ekins-Daukes said. Complementary strengths The success of the China-Australia partnership in the solar energy sector offers a model of cooperation to tap into complementary strengths amid the global green transition. China is the main supplier of solar equipment to Australia, which also tops the world’s per capita uptake of rooftop solar, according to industry figures. There were nearly 255,000 new rooftop solar installations across Australia last year, bringing the number of households using the systems to 4.3 million, according to the Clean Energy Council, the sector’s peak body in Australia. In the second half of 2025, rooftop solar energy contributed 14.2 percent of the total electricity generated in Australia, nearly double the amount in 2020. In 2024-25, Australian households saved about A$3 billion ($2.18 billion), or A$125 per capita, on electricity costs by installing rooftop solar, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. China continues to lead the world in PV supply chains. Its top manufacturers account for most of the global production, and have helped bring down costs and offered “multiple benefits for clean energy transitions”, according to the International Energy Agency. Industry analysts have also pointed to a shift toward high-quality growth through the leveraging of technology and scale to maintain global competitiveness. With similar strengths in wind turbines and lithium batteries, China is cementing its leading role in renewable energy technologies that countries like Australia are increasingly keen to leverage as they face resource disruptions due to the Middle East conflict, while addressing other traditional fossil fuel challenges. The federal government’s “Future Made in Australia” initiative includes a renewable energy focus on a more resilient, low-carbon economy through increased investments in research and manufacturing. At the 64th Smart Energy Conference and Exhibition held in Sydney on May 6 and 7, Australia’s Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen highlighted the “era of clean power growth”, with “renewables overtaking coal in 2025 and record growth in solar meaning that renewable energy met the vast majority of new demand growth in 2025”. Countries like China have similarly reduced fossil fuels’ share of electricity generation significantly, helping push against climate change inaction, he said. The major two-day event covering fields ranging from solar and storage to transport and technology drew about 10,000 attendees, 120 main exhibitors and industry leader conferences covering the latest energy trends. In a keynote speech at the conference, mining giant Fortescue’s chairman, Andrew Forrest, called for more to be done to adopt green technologies and electrification in a pillar sector still heavily reliant on diesel. With most of Australia’s diesel imported, prices could go up significantly amid the supply risks from shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East, he said. “So, for diesel, it’s all bad news,” Forrest said. As part of its move away from fossil fuel dependence, Fortescue announced in April the acceleration of an integrated green energy grid rollout, including 1.2GW of solar capacity at the Pilbara area in Western Australia. At a conference session on the importance of the Australia-China smart energy partnership, John Grimes, chief executive of Australia’s Smart Energy Council, said the solar and other advanced technologies developed by the Sino-Australian cooperation mark a deep relationship. The council is a nonprofit with more than 1,000 members. “What I see in China … the engineers, the investors, the Australian connection is so strong. There is a massive opportunity for us to build on those firm and long-standing foundations,” said Grimes, adding that “every solar panel makes a difference” in the global energy crisis. “We’re working with Chinese industry to take the world’s lowest-cost, best technology and accelerate that … throughout the Asia-Pacific region.” Tim Buckley, founder and director of Climate Energy Finance, a think tank focusing on Australia’s green transition, told China Daily that it is “critical we work with China and learn from the best technology in the world”. “I’m amazed by the robotic advances,” he said. “Australia worries about our high cost of labor, you don’t have that problem in China because you’re building the world’s best robots, which means we can learn from China about robotics, engineering and supply chains, and partner together,” he said. “The more you build wind, solar, batteries and hydroelectricity toward energy efficiency, the less addicted to imported fossil fuels your country is. That’s a really important lesson for us.” Dorothy Zhou, director at Chinese PV company Sunpro Asia, told China Daily that the Australian market offers significant investment opportunities with its various sectors like agriculture and resources suitable for energy projects. “The energy transition for this market provides investment stability with clear demand, providing an upward trajectory,” she said. Zhu Sha, executive secretary-general of the Jiangsu Energy Storage Industry Association, told China Daily that Chinese companies are well-prepared to cater to overseas market demand, backed by advanced technologies, complete industrial chains and low-cost manufacturing advantages. Their pace of going global is accelerating and the way they expand overseas is also evolving, said Zhu, who led a delegation to the Australian conference. The association, based in the East China province, promotes green energy transition with its more than 1,000 member units, using expertise in fields such as research and manufacturing as well as green finance. “China’s new energy industry is now shifting from products and trade-driven expansion to one-stop service and systems solution exports,” Zhu said, adding that companies are also actively exploring markets in Southeast Asia, Africa and South America. The Australian market remains attractive because it can help open up broader areas of development, she said. “With Australia as a base, companies can also extend their industrial chains, or further expand into the European and US markets,” Zhu said. The next stage of development for Chinese energy storage products in Australia will focus on commercial and industrial use, grid-scale capabilities, and data center solutions, altogether presenting “both an opportunity and a challenge for Chinese companies”, she added. Australia-China research and development collaboration is already extending beyond its PV partnerships to other growth opportunities such as green hydrogen, fertilizer and steel. “There are a lot of areas we can work on, to keep building on the momentum,” Thomas Gao, senior manager at the Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer, New South Wales, told China Daily. “Many people play very important parts at different levels, taking us to where we are today. It’s a continual journey,” said Gao, whose organization helps bring academia, government and industry to drive the commercialization of research. To that effect, a UNSW booth at the Sydney conference showcased the latest developments in the field that also continued its rich Australia-China partnership. Professor Thorsten Trupke, a colleague of Ekins-Daukes at the university’s photovoltaic school, explained his work on a state-of-the-art photoluminescence imaging system that inspects industrial solar panels through drones. ALSO READ: Green energy transition offers opportunities “We can now take these luminescence images from aerial drones on a large scale in operating solar farms,” Trupke told China Daily. Solar panels are made to last for about 30 years without any major degradation, but they can sometimes encounter problems, as with any mass-manufactured product, he said. “We can detect those panels, and then necessary rectification can be done,” said Trupke, adding that Chinese companies support the project by providing specialized samples for testing. “The best drones in the world are from China and the ones we use are also from there. We are configuring these drones specifically for our needs,” he said. “Our school has collaborated with China for many years … this collaboration will probably expand into the future.”
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NTPC Solar PV Modules underpin several hundred megawatts of utility-scale solar projects across India with standardized, bankable hardware. The product is driving shares of NTPC (NSE-BSE: NTPC, ISIN INE733E01010). By Julian Reed, ad hoc news B2B & Pro Desk. Reviewed July 04, 2026, 7:11 PM ET. Details in the imprint. NTPC Solar PV Modules sit in long rows under the harsh midday sun at the NTPC Ananthapuram solar park, glass surfaces throwing back a hard white glare as technicians walk between the arrays checking connectors and junction boxes. You can hear gravel crunch under work boots and the low hum of inverters as each module quietly converts sunlight into grid-scale power for India’s state-run utility. NTPC, India’s largest power producer, has built a sizable utility-scale solar portfolio over the past decade, and at the heart of many of those projects are standardized Solar PV Modules designed for high-volume deployment in hot, dusty conditions. According to NTPC’s renewable energy presentations and tender documents, the company has commissioned several large solar plants, including the 250 MW Ananthapuramu Ultra Mega Solar Power Project in Andhra Pradesh and capacities at the Mandsaur and Bhadla sites, where multi-crystalline and monocrystalline modules are deployed in ground-mounted arrays. On NTPC’s website, the company describes its renewable business and lists major solar installations, specifying system capacities, land footprints and key equipment information, including the use of PV modules meeting IEC standards for performance and durability. The modules are procured from qualified manufacturers via competitive bidding but are effectively treated as a product class within NTPC’s renewable portfolio, with strict technical specifications around power output, efficiency, degradation rate, temperature coefficient and PID (potential-induced degradation) resistance. For investors following NTPC stock and its transition toward cleaner generation, the solar PV module program shows how the utility is adding regulated, long-life assets. In technical tenders available through India’s central procurement platforms, NTPC specifies that its Solar PV Modules for utility projects must typically be rated in the 315 W to 540 W range per panel, depending on technology generation, with module efficiencies now often above 20 percent in monocrystalline PERC (passivated emitter rear contact) designs. The company demands modules compliant with IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 standards for design qualification and safety, as well as IEC 61701 for salt mist corrosion where applicable, reflecting deployment in varied environments ranging from inland scrubland to coastal regions. Tender documentation and project reports show that NTPC insists on a maximum annual degradation of around 0.7 percent after the first year and at least 25 years of performance warranty, aligning with industry norms for utility-grade modules. Modules are mounted on fixed-tilt or single-axis tracker structures, with DC strings feeding central or string inverters, and field inspections by NTPC engineers track key performance indicators such as specific yield (kWh/kWp), module cleaning schedules and hotspot occurrence. During a site visit referenced in regional media, an NTPC project manager, R. K. Sharma, described how regular infrared imaging helps catch defective modules early, reducing losses. Unlike vertically integrated solar manufacturers, NTPC positions Solar PV Modules as a procurement category rather than an in-house manufactured product, sourcing from both Indian and international suppliers through transparent tender processes. Key requirements include Tier-1 bankability, strong track record across projects larger than 50 MW, and evidence of modules performing in high-temperature climates similar to the Indian interior. In recent solar auctions, NTPC and other Indian utilities have accepted modules from manufacturers based in China, India and Southeast Asia, with pricing influenced by global polysilicon cycles and shipping costs. Public tender notices indicate that NTPC often bundles module supply with EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contracts, allowing integrators to optimize module selection within NTPC’s specification constraints. This approach gives the utility flexibility to adopt newer technologies such as half-cut cells, multi-busbar layouts and bifacial modules when cost-benefit analyses justify the shift. For example, some NTPC projects in Rajasthan have explored bifacial modules on elevated structures to capture albedo from desert sand, boosting yields in early field trials reported by Indian trade press. NTPC’s Solar PV Modules are not consumer-facing products; they are infrastructure components inside a broader policy-driven push to decarbonize India’s power mix. India’s Ministry of Power and MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) have outlined ambitious renewable targets, and NTPC’s public statements emphasize a transition toward 60 GW of renewable capacity by 2032, of which utility-scale solar is a major pillar. In its corporate presentations, NTPC details existing solar capacity and projects under construction, underlining how each megawatt of PV, built from thousands of modules, displaces coal-fired generation and associated emissions. In investor calls summarized by Indian financial media, NTPC’s management, including chairman and managing director Gurdeep Singh, has repeatedly highlighted the company’s expanding solar pipeline. Singh notes that large-scale solar improves NTPC’s environmental profile and provides regulated assets with predictable cash flows once tariffs are approved by regulators. Those statements implicitly point to the importance of reliable, low-degradation Solar PV Modules that can deliver contracted energy over decades, making module performance a quiet but essential driver of NTPC’s broader strategic goals. While NTPC does not publish retail prices for individual Solar PV Modules, project-level data and Indian solar industry analyses suggest that module costs constitute roughly 35 to 45 percent of total EPC costs for utility-scale plants. Over the past decade, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from solar in India has fallen sharply, driven largely by lower module prices and improved efficiencies. Competitive auctions run by NTPC and other agencies have produced solar tariffs often in the ?2 to ?3 per kWh range in recent years, undercutting new coal in several cases. Analysts covering Indian power utilities have pointed out that lower tariffs squeeze returns but also make solar more acceptable to regulators and consumers. Through careful procurement of modules and associated equipment, NTPC seeks to balance upfront capex with long-term performance, leveraging economies of scale in large projects to negotiate better module pricing. NTPC’s renewable energy arm also explores hybrid projects where solar PV modules work alongside wind or battery storage, smoothing output profiles and improving plant load factors. Out in the solar parks, the story of NTPC Solar PV Modules is less about spec sheets and more about day-to-day resilience. Technicians describe how modules must endure high ambient temperatures, often above 40°C, and dust deposition that can cut output if cleaning is neglected. During a site walkthrough reported by a regional newspaper, an NTPC engineer, Meena Joshi, mentioned how they had adjusted cleaning frequencies seasonally—more frequent washes during dry, dusty months, fewer during the monsoon when rain helps clear the glass. Inverters emit a constant electronic buzz and the metal frames of module tables feel hot to the touch by late morning, underscoring the thermal stresses the modules live with. Field data gathered by NTPC shows that module performance tends to run slightly below nameplate at peak heat because of negative temperature coefficients, but the overall energy yield is still favorable across the year due to strong solar insolation in many project locations. Engineers also note occasional issues like microcracks from handling or transport, which underscores NTPC’s insistence on robust module packaging and certified logistics procedures in tender documents. NTPC’s Solar PV Modules are ultimately part of complex grid-connected systems, and their behavior affects grid stability. Large solar parks feed into substations where step-up transformers and switchgear manage flows into regional grids. NTPC’s technical papers and presentations discuss the importance of accurate forecasting of solar generation based on module characteristics and irradiance data, helping system operators plan conventional generation and adjust dispatch. Some NTPC projects have experimented with real-time performance monitoring at string or module level using DC combiner boxes with integrated metering and communications. This data helps identify underperforming arrays and ensures that module faults do not silently drag down plant output. Indian power system studies also highlight the need for reactive power management and voltage support around large solar installations, tasks that depend partly on how module arrays and inverters interact with grid codes. As NTPC’s solar capacity grows, module choices interact with system design decisions in ways that will matter for long-term reliability. Indian policy has increasingly encouraged domestic manufacturing of solar equipment, including modules, through programs like Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes and customs duties on imported cells and modules. NTPC commissioning documents and recent auction summaries show that the utility has been open to using modules from Indian manufacturers where they meet technical and commercial criteria. Localization efforts aim to reduce dependence on imports and create domestic jobs, though Indian module makers are still scaling capacity compared with global leaders. Policy moves such as the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) influence which modules NTPC can deploy in certain government-linked projects, adding another filter to procurement decisions. Analysts have noted that such rules may temporarily raise costs or narrow supplier pools but can improve quality assurance and traceability over time. NTPC’s Solar PV Modules, viewed through this lens, are a touchpoint where industrial policy, climate commitments and utility economics intersect beneath the surface of everyday power supply. While solar PV modules enable low-carbon generation, they bring environmental questions of their own. NTPC’s environmental and social impact assessments for solar projects address land use, habitat disruption and end-of-life waste issues, including the future recycling of modules. The company’s reports mention mitigation measures such as careful site selection away from critical habitats, fencing that allows some wildlife movement, and vegetation management under arrays. On the social side, NTPC and project partners typically conduct consultations with local communities, discussing employment, land leasing terms and project benefits. Some solar parks incorporate small training programs that help local workers learn basic PV maintenance tasks, from module cleaning to visual inspections, giving them practical experience with the Solar PV Modules that now define part of the local landscape. Researchers tracking just transition topics in India argue that such projects need robust community engagement to ensure that the clean energy build-out aligns with local needs. For US and global investors who can access NTPC through its GDR listings or via India’s NSE and BSE, the Solar PV Modules category sits behind the numbers in annual reports and investor presentations. NTPC regularly discloses renewable capacity additions and project pipelines, breaking out solar megawatts commissioned each year. These disclosures help markets gauge how quickly the utility is shifting its asset base toward lower-emission generation, even as coal remains a major part of the mix. Indian financial press reports that NTPC stock (NSE-BSE: NTPC, ISIN INE733E01010) is influenced by regulatory decisions, fuel cost dynamics and the pace of renewable additions, with utility-scale solar a growing contributor to future earnings. As Solar PV Modules quietly do their work in the field—one panel at a time—investors track capacity numbers, tariffs and policy signals to understand how this hardware-intensive business translates into cash flows and valuations for the state-backed utility. This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information is provided without warranty; prices and availability may change at short notice. Not investment advice and not a buy or sell recommendation. Securities trading carries risks up to total loss.
Officials in the Trump administration are reportedly drafting a ban on solar inverters from Chinese companies, according to a report by Reuters citing anonymous sources with knowledge of the plans. The proposed restrictions, which are being drafted by the Federal Communications Commission, would block the use of Chinese-manufactured inverters in energy projects within the United States, and could be published as early as this year. Sources said the measure is being developed in response to growing cybersecurity concerns, as policymakers seek to protect the nation’s critical power grid and renewable energy infrastructure from potential foreign interference. In response to requests for comment, the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C. told Reuters it “firmly opposes the overstretching of the concept of national security and its unjustified suppression of Chinese companies.” The embassy also called for “a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment” for Chinese businesses. The move comes after a similar ban was enacted in Europe on April 23. While the European Commission didn’t ban all inverters originating from specific countries, it did develop rules restricting the use of EU funds for projects involving inverters from “high-risk” suppliers, which effectively ended funding for products from Chinese companies. The European move was also met with harsh words from Chinese officials. A statement from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM read: “The EU’s designation of China as a ‘high-risk country’ will undermine mutual trust between China and the EU, disrupt bilateral economic and trade cooperation, destabilize industrial and supply chains both within the China–EU context and globally, and even carry the risk of decoupling and further supply chain disruption.” In an earlier action, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) added several prominent Chinese energy storage companies to its list of designated “Chinese military companies.” The list of companies includes CATL, BYD, JA Solar, Trina Solar, Three Gorges and Huawei. The additions mean the DOD will be banned from doing business with the named companies beginning in 2027. Experts say the cybersecurity concerns around equipment like inverters is not without merit, but add that bans won’t be the final word on shoring up security. In a recent op-ed for pv magazine Global, SolarDefend CEO Uri Sadot said that the focus of European lawmakers should be on creating “clear technical standards rooted in zero-trust principles and applied consistently across the sector.” Regardless of the EU ban or a future U.S. ban on Chinese inverters, existing solar installations across the world run on Chinese hardware, and even U.S.-based manufacturers use many Chinese components in building their products. In 2025, Reuters broke a story about hidden devices allegedly discovered inside Chinese inverters, with anonymous sources claiming that U.S. experts had found “rogue communication devices” not listed in product documents in some Chinese solar inverters. Early this year, authorities from the U.S. Department of Energy said they found no evidence of malicious or intentional differences in communications while inspecting a group of approximately 30 inverters following the initial reports. However, the DOE warned that supply chain threats persist, and the “complexity of inverter supply chains” could create opportunities for cybersecurity breaches and malicious components. Comments Please login to comment Thursday, July 16, 2026 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid The June issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Thursday, September 9, 2026 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid A two-day conference in Austin, Texas, bringing together leaders in US solar manufacturing, equipment specification, and factory execution. Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects. April 01 – August 31, 2026 pv magazine USA hosts its third multi-day virtual event on advancing U.S. solar and energy storage markets, covering financing, supply chains, and distributed energy’s role in grid resilience.
Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More Continue in Browser Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. Please enter a valid zipcode. Save PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A Tampa-based company is making sure the lights stay on even in the aftermath of a storm. Streetleaf is harnessing solar power to make it happen. Liam Ryan is the CEO of the company, having started as a small grassroots program just a few years ago. Now, in just a few years, his company has expanded from Tampa to other areas throughout the country. “These lights will stay safely lit, even when the power’s out. We’ve just seen the need throughout Pasco,” said Ryan. “We have 13,000 streetlights deployed, 5,000 of those are in Pasco County.” The lights are completely solar-powered and run on their own batteries. “They’re completely off-grid, which means they’re not connected to the utility grid. There’s no wires underneath the ground. They are 100% solar-powered. That solar panel powers the battery and that battery is what turns the light on at night,” said Ryan. The battery, Ryan said, is equipped with a multi-day backup. Meaning if there’s none to hardly any sunshine the lights will stay on for three to five days. During Hurricane Ian, the streetlights kept a neighborhood lit for 10 days while residents were without power. “What impressed us as we moved here in Angeline is they are automatic when you drive by under them,” said Zahra Tayarani, a resident in Angeline and a teacher at Angeline Country Day School. “So they turn on and they are always on.” Angeline is another neighborhood with Streetleaf’s streetlights. Tayarani said having a light source disconnected from the main power grid provides peace of mind. “It is really important for a community that knows that we are living in a safe area and that we know that if something happens during a hurricane, at least we have somewhere to kind of get shelter. That somebody can see us,” she said. A feeling of being seen during a time of vulnerability. And more communities will feel the same. “We’re actually in 21 other counties within the state of Florida and ten other states in the United States,” said Ryan. “We’re just seeing that need in other parts of the country as we grow and expand.” Pasadena Ridge in Dade City is installing more than 100 of these solar streetlights, bringing Pasco County’s total to more than 5,400 solar lights, which is a U.S. record.
0 Powered by : Equitix, UK-headquartered infrastructure investment manager focused on energy, has agreed to sell its minority stake in the Enersol solar portfolio in Spain. The stake will be sold to Velto Renewables, a pan-European independent power producer backed by La Caisse. Enersol includes nine operational solar photovoltaic assets in Andalucía. The portfolio has a combined installed capacity of 45 MW. The assets are supported by Spain’s long-term renewable energy framework. Equitix has held its interest in the portfolio since 2018. Velto has managed the assets since 2020, contributing to operational improvements. After the transaction, Velto’s operating renewable portfolio in Spain will reach around 500 MW. The transaction is expected to close in the coming weeks, subject to customary conditions. SOLARbytes brings you the latest news in solar world in bite size; essentially a gist of important solar news in few sentences. Subscribe to our Newsletter!
China-based Antaisolar is taking a major step beyond traditional ground and rooftop solar installations, diving deep into the agricultural photovoltaic market. The company officially launched its new Agri-PV Tracking System Solution at Intersolar Europe 2026, which took place in Munich, Germany, on June 25. The move signals a strategic pivot toward a high-potential segment where energy generation and farming coexist, reinforcing the company’s ambition to cover every possible solar application scenario. Global Technical Director Emmanuele Chiappori introduced the solution on June 23, pitching it as a way to create a “1+1>2” synergy between revenue from solar power sales and agricultural output. The core idea is simple but powerful: the shade provided by solar panels reduces soil evaporation, which supports water-conserving farming practices. This dual-use approach promises landowners two streams of economic returns from a single plot. Designed with flexibility in mind, the Agri-PV tracker offers adjustable ground clearance ranging from 1.3 meters to 5 meters. This range is engineered to accommodate everything from the growth cycles of various crops to the passage of large agricultural machinery. Stability was a key consideration in the design. The system uses a two-section pile foundation that significantly boosts pull-out resistance and load-bearing capacity. That means it is built to stay secure even when facing high winds or ground settlement issues. The system’s intelligence comes from the SmartTrail control system. It includes a dedicated “harvest mode” that allows farm machinery to move laterally without obstruction, solving one of the biggest logistical headaches in agri-PV projects. On top of that, a four-tier weather protection mechanism is in place to safeguard the installation against gales, snow, floods, and hail. Antaisolar also stressed that the new solution is fully compatible with its entire tracker portfolio, ensuring that it can be deployed widely and scaled up easily as projects grow. Service is a major part of the package. Beyond selling hardware, Antaisolar is offering end-to-end support. This includes custom engineering tailored to the specific needs of each project, on-site training for installation and commissioning, and rapid local support that spans from initial system selection all the way through to long-term operations and maintenance (O&M). The goal is to guarantee reliable project execution from start to finish. The Agri-PV launch wasn’t the only thing drawing attention at the company’s Intersolar booth. Antaisolar also showcased its 1P flagship tracker, the AT-Spark, which is equipped with the SmartTrail Intelligent Tracking Control System. The AT-Spark features an octagonal-tube and dual-bearing design that delivers 40 percent higher stiffness and 50 percent greater strength compared to conventional designs. The broader product lineup on display included the ALTRA rooftop mounting series, the ALTIMA ground-mount series, and the SolarAid design tool. Together, they painted a picture of a company taking a holistic approach to meeting diverse solar application needs. Antaisolar’s market standing backs up its technological ambitions. The company was ranked No. 7 in Wood Mackenzie’s 2026 global PV tracker TOP10 list and has been recognized as a Global A-Class tracker manufacturer. Under its mission to “Raise a Green World,” Antaisolar is positioning itself as a key player in the global push for a low-carbon energy transition, using a wide range of solar applications as its vehicle. Once added, BigGo Finance appears first in Google Search Top Stories, so you get the broadest, most up-to-the-minute, and most comprehensive global financial news first. Follow the three steps to link a messaging app like Telegram or LINE, and get schedule notifications pushed to you automatically The news and data on this website are for reference only and do not constitute investment advice or an offer to buy or sell. Information is sourced from exchanges and public sources, and may be delayed, interrupted, or updated. While we strive for accuracy, we do not guarantee timeliness, correctness, or completeness. Content may include external links for which we are not responsible. By using this site, you agree that we and our partners are not liable for any losses. Investment carries full responsibility; please carefully assess risks and consult professionals. If there are errors in the content, please contact us for correction.
Renewable America has completed 1.9 MWdc commercial solar projects with Pearl Crop, Inc., a nut processing company with multiple facilities in central California.
Pearl Crop turned to Renewable America to transform its operations through commercial solar. Its facilities have high energy demands, and Pearl Crop faced escalating energy costs. The company also has ambitious sustainability targets and recognized the need to power its operations with clean energy.
The agreement between Renewable America and Pearl Crop covers four different projects across locations in Ripon, Linden and Stockton, California. The largest site, Stockton, will use solar for 86% of its energy needs, providing Pearl Crop with an estimated $230,000 in annual utility cost savings.
“We’ve had a collaborative and beneficial partnership with Pearl Crop from agreement to completion, and it’s fulfilling to see three of the project sites running on solar power,” says Ardeshir Arian, president and CEO of Renewable America. “These projects foster energy autonomy in the local communities and contribute to our statewide carbon neutrality targets.”
Renewable America provided a turnkey solution, serving as both developer and EPC for the four-project portfolio. By optimizing the design and installation process, the team completed work before the rollout of Net Energy Metering 3.0 (NEM), securing valuable NEM 2.0 savings for Pearl Crop. Their process maximized financial benefits while minimizing upfront costs and reducing long-term operational expenses.
Specifically, Renewable America solved multiple unique challenges in the design and installation phases. Through roof inspections and evaluations, they ensured that the site roofs could support the additional weight of the solar panels without compromising structural integrity. They also ensured that the panels would avoid shading from nearby buildings, increasing the system’s efficiency. In the installation phase, the team prevented any potential roof leaks to protect the quality of the almonds and walnuts processed by the facility.
“Our Pearl Crop operations have high energy demands, and we’re on track for significant cost reductions from the transition to solar power,” says Pearl Crop CEO Ulash Turkan. “We appreciate Renewable America’s expertise, cost-effective solutions and partnership as we celebrate this major sustainability milestone and work toward a greener future.”
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0 Powered by : Asian Development Bank, multilateral development bank, has approved a $160 million ordinary capital resources loan on 30 June 2026 for Bhutan’s Solar Farm Expansion Project. The project will add at least 310 MW of solar generation capacity across three sites. Druk Green Power Corporation will develop the 120 MW Wobthang and 40 MW Pedseling solar farms in Bumthang. A 150 MW Dramthang solar farm in Lhuentse is expected through a joint venture between DGPC and Tata Power Renewable Energy. Bhutan Power Corporation will build 46 km of transmission infrastructure to connect the solar farms to Bhutan’s national grid. SOLARbytes brings you the latest news in solar world in bite size; essentially a gist of important solar news in few sentences. Subscribe to our Newsletter!
SELINSGROVE — Susquehanna University students are studying whether the school’s solar array is creating hidden habitat for spiders. The array has 12,000 panels and powers about 30% of the campus’ operational needs. Susquehanna says biology professor Matt Persons and two students have collected more than 1,000 spiders from the area so far. Students Andrew Pisano and Kaylee Rathbone are sampling plots during the day and at night. The spiders are then taken to a lab for identification. Persons says the panels may create useful microhabitats for spiders, pollinators, and other arthropods. He says the research could also add to Pennsylvania spider data, which has not had a major statewide survey since 1942. Written by WKOK Staff
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The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark: Q1 2020 is now available, documenting a decade of cost reductions in solar and battery storage installations across utility, commercial, and residential sectors. NREL’s cost benchmarking applies a bottom-up methodology that captures variation in system design and regional costs, helping to identify future research and development directions that could further reduce costs.
The cost of solar continues to decline across residential, commercial, and utility-scale PV systems, driven largely by increased module efficiency as well as lowered hardware and inverter costs.
The last decade has shown a sharp, though now steadying, decline in costs, driven largely by photovoltaic (PV) module efficiencies (now 19.5%, up from 19.2% in 2019) and hardware and inverter costs. Since 2010, there has been a 64%, 69%, and 82% reduction in the cost of residential, commercial-rooftop, and utility-scale PV systems, respectively. As in previous years, soft costs remain a large and persistent portion of installation costs, for both solar and storage systems, and especially for commercial and residential systems. “A significant portion of the cost declines over the past decade can be attributed to an 85% cost decline in module price. A decade ago, the module alone cost around $2.50 per watt, and now an entire utility-scale PV system costs around $1 per watt,” said NREL Senior Financial Analyst David Feldman. “With similar reductions in hardware costs for storage systems, PV and storage have become vastly more affordable energy resources across the nation.” This year’s benchmark report integrates PV-plus-storage costs, demonstrating that these also fell from the first quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020. The new benchmark includes varying hours of storage capacities, reflecting diverse customer preferences for resilience. Additionally, NREL has calculated the levelized cost of solar-plus-storage (LCOSS), which tracks the total cost of operating a PV-plus-storage plant on a per-megawatt-hour basis. LCOSS was used to establish a 2020 benchmark of PV-plus-storage systems and will be useful for identifying future goals in the same way that the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) has established PV price targets.
LCOSS for grid-coupled PV-plus-storage systems and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for PV standalone systems, by market segment, Q1 2020. The graph shows prices for each with and without the federal investment tax credit (ITC) for solar installations.
In 2010, SETO announced unsubsidized PV price targets for 2020. Per this year’s benchmarking, residential and commercial systems are 93% and 97% toward achieving the 2020 targets of 10 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and 8 cents/kWh, respectively. Utility systems, which met 2020 price targets three years early, are progressing towards SETO’s 2030 target for utility systems of 3 cents/kWh. In pursuit of 2030 targets, the benchmark report notes that business innovations, partnerships, and continued R&D will be necessary to lower costs further. Although soft costs—such as labor, interconnection with the electric grid, profits, and overheard—often dominate current system costs, improvements in one area often affect others, such as high-efficiency modules reducing labor and material costs by requiring less products installed. Future cost reductions could be attained from a combination of improvements. You can download the report, along with an accompanying slide deck, and a public version of the underlying data set. The report authors will also summarize key findings from the report via webinar on Feb. 24, 2021, at 12 p.m. ET/10 a.m. MT. Register for the webinar here. Learn more NREL solar system cost analysis. Last Updated April 28, 2026 The National Laboratory of the Rockies is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, operated under Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308.
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Off the coast of Rudong, Jiangsu, China has completed the world’s largest integrated solar-hydrogen-storage project. A 400 MW coastal solar farm, a 60 MW/120 MWh battery, and a green-hydrogen plant making 482 tons a year — all wired together, with a dedicated submarine cable feeding sunlight straight into the electrolyzer. This is the engineering breakdown of what was built, why it matters. ADVERTISEMENT
For as good as solar panels are at converting sunlight directly into usable electricity, especially for how cheap they’re becoming, they can still only gather around 20-30% of the energy that hits them. That’s fine if you have a large roof or a huge tract of land, but if you have limited space and need to do something like heat a home, there are better options available to capture more of that energy. [Greenhill Forge] has built five solar air heating panels to test this concept, and do it much more inexpensively than commercial options. These solar heaters use sunlight to heat a fluid, in this case air, and move that heated fluid to another space. Each panel is about two square meters, insulated on all sides except the top, and configured in a way that air can flow past something that the sun has heated. The first panel, a control, does not use a glazing to help trap this heat, but the rest all have a polycarbonate window to increase the greenhouse effect of the panels. The four remaining all experiment with the way air flows around a black corrugated steel sheet to gather more of the heat, with the fifth panel using a set of black screen instead. With the panels all set out in the sun, [Greenhill Forge] is using a set of thermocouples from a previous project to measure the efficiency of each panel. Surprisingly, he found that the panel using the layers of screen was the best at gathering energy, although he notes several times that these types of panels are extremely sensitive to changes in physical configuration, so this is not the most definitive test possible. However, at only around $100 per panel it’s quite a deal if the goal is a usable space heater that doesn’t use any fuel or grid electricity.
??? I’m kinda confused, why wouldn’t you rather use a solar water heater and then use radiators to get the heat out? Air is terrible at carrying any significant amount of heat. I might be missing something. But it’s definitely not the fact that it’s an experimental DIY system. Air is easier to pump around, and doesn’t freeze in the winter. air isnt really easier to pump around than liquids are. And there are plenty of fluids that do not freeze at the temperatures of earth winters. I think it is. Air is everywhere, so you don’t have to mind small leaks and your pump doesn’t need to be perfectly sealed or have very fine tolerances to keep pressure. yeah the not freezing in the winter is huge. having to add antifreeze to my solar hot water system is the biggest pain about it. since the antifreeze makes the water non-potable it also has to be kept separate from any useful water you are trying to heat — and that requires a heat exchanger. to simplify things, i am considering a system that automatically shuts off and drains when air temperature drops to 35 degrees, but you really can’t have your microcontroller flake out on you in a system like that Also, if you have an efficient insulated collector, it can also boil the water into steam and build up pressure until something breaks. If your ventilation fan stops, the collector might get hot but nothing dramatic will happen. Warping if it gets too hot. Me, in the Uk, wondering why on earth you’d want to heat your house when it’s 35C… I’d keep the separate system with antifreeze. My grandma had solar water heating and it was very effective even in the winter, dropped her gas usage significantly. He says it in the video, you can use the air directly for drying grain, or for air heating with out adding complexity of heat exchangers. If you want hot air this is easier and more effecient. He is working on a similar video for solar water heating, he also has a crew videos about making super efficient wood fueled water heaters This is cool, well rather warm, but the solar heaters he built are only useful when the sun is up, and useless at night when temperatures drop. I really like the idea of parabolic solar troughs with heat transfer fluid storage. That way you have stored heat to use when you really need it. There are also evacuated tube solar water heaters. They take a lot less space and work fairly well even in cloudy winters. I have them on my roof and they make our water heating bill zero. Always put a sediment filter though in their inlet thought, it’s a pain to clean individual tube otherwise. It’s not very difficult to pile up a stack of bricks and blow the hot air through that first. At night, you simply bypass the collector and keep getting hot air from the pile of bricks. Exactly this. You’re not real smart are you. I live in Hawaii where everybody has solar water heaters. We have this because every type of fuel is super expensive here. Electricity super expensive fuel oils and gases have to be shipped in so they’re super expensive. Your water heater tank stays hot for a very long time. You obviously don’t really know what you’re talking about. So maybe think about the things we may not know before we speak about them. If we haven’t tested them or experience them, we maybe not. Should speak about them. If you need hot water, you would obviously heat water. If you need hot air, you would obviously heat air. Heating water to heat air, or heating air to heat water, would obviously add unnecessary complications unless there’s a proper reason to do that. Alright: 22% efficiency* for the PV panels vs. 70-80% efficiency* for solar thermal panels sounds good. But it’s leaving out the whole chain beyond it. Heat transfer losses may amount to way more than your electrical losses if your heat source isn’t exactly where you need the heat. And if you have a need for heat in the warmer months you can use a heat pump which runs at about 500% that season of the year which will almost certainly get you more yield than the solar thermal approach. I get that this is cheap, simple, DIY and all. But the framing is missing the whole system aspect and quite frankly sounds quite ridiculous. Long gone are the days when one would just build the thing for fun and tinker with it (which I think this video should’ve been). Now, (and I get it) in order to soothe the YouTube algorithmic overlords, everything has to be framed in such a ridiculous way. The panels are all neat. But if your system delivers depends on all components and how they interact. I guess for your Jalapeño greenhouse this is great and that’s what the framing should’ve been. *) And for the “efficiency” bit: That’s conversion efficiency from free sunlight. So it’s more of a yield than an efficiency in the classical sense. How about replacing the black corrugated sheet with a solar panel, making a system that collects thermal and ev energy? And exactly this. Solar panels like to be cool. If the temperature goes up to 50-60 C the panel becomes less efficient and degrades faster. Example: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Effect-of-Temperature-on-Photovoltaic-Cell-Fesharaki-Dehghani/4eb139ee8e2cc5d722b14ced834f35a8183b1188 go big or go home? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_Dunes_Solar_Energy_Project ‘filed for bankruptcy twice’ that figures. Started construction in 2011 and by 2026 had their lunch eaten by cheap solar panels and cheap batteries. Maybe we shouldn’t go big, maybe we should go medium sized and numerous to minimise risk. I wonder if you could get the benefits of the peak heat provided by the bug screen transpire one but also make it less sensitive to cloud passover by adding the sheet metal for some thermal mass. Instead of painting the insulation black as he did with the bug screen one, lay a piece of the painted sheet metal down and put the vent through it as with the front pass one. Basically adding the two layers of bug screen for the transpire effect on top of the front pass design. I just saw “Huge tracts of land” and stared snickering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPX-mW4l1rU I wonder if that was an intentional reference? Can the heat in summer be used to heat something else (soil ?) to be used for winter ? no. your asking waaay too much. Storing heat for months is beyond reason. It has been done, and it works well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_Landing_Solar_Community Couldnt work that well given that “In 2024, a decommissioning process for the Drake Landing Solar Community began, where the majority of the 52 homes were converted to natural gas-fired furnaces” Please be kind and respectful to help make the comments section excellent. (Comment Policy) This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Renewables avoided an estimated $480 billion in fossil fuel costs and 8.4 gigatonnes of carbon emissions in 2025, according to a new IRENA report Global renewable capacity additions exceeded 690 GW in 2025, led by solar PV and wind IRENA expects renewable power costs to continue declining through 2035, although at a slower pace Renewable energy remained the lowest-cost source of new electricity in most markets in 2025, with its cost advantage over fossil fuels continuing to widen, according to the latest cost report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Installed renewable capacity also helped avoid an estimated $480 billion in fossil fuel costs and 8.4 gigatonnes of CO₂ emissions in 2025, according to IRENA’s Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2025 report. Existing renewable generation in Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines also helped avoid about $5.7 billion in coal and gas purchases during the year. China accounted for $177 billion, or nearly half of the global fossil fuel cost savings, reflecting the scale of its renewable energy fleet. The US avoided $35 billion in fossil fuel costs; Brazil, $32 billion; India and Germany, $18 billion each; and Japan, $15 billion. “The geographic distribution of economic benefits closely mirrors the global distribution of renewable energy capacity,” it underlines. Across 20 major economies, representing about 4/5ths of global renewable electricity generation, renewable power avoided an estimated $377 billion in fossil fuel purchases in 2025. IRENA said renewables acted as a ‘geopolitical shock absorber’ by reducing exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets. The report found that more than 90% of utility-scale renewable capacity commissioned in 2025 generated electricity at a lower cost than the cheapest newly built fossil fuel alternative. Meanwhile, the gap between renewable energy costs and fossil fuels continued to widen. Solar PV’s global weighted average levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) remained unchanged at $44/MWh, while onshore wind declined 4% to $33/MWh and offshore wind fell 3% to $78/MWh. Since 2010, the cost of solar PV has fallen by 89%, onshore wind by 71%, offshore wind by 63%, and concentrating solar (CSP) by 72%. The LCOE of new gas-fired generation approached $100/MWh in higher gas-price markets such as Italy, Germany, and Japan. The report links the financial benefits to higher fuel prices following the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz in early 2026. “The decline in renewable energy costs is delivering a powerful economic dividend,” said IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera. “This energy crisis (owing to closure of the Strait of Hormuz in early 2026) has shown yet again: expanding renewable capacity is a strategic investment in resilience and competitiveness.” According to IRENA, global renewable capacity additions exceeded 690 GW in 2025, around 1/5th higher than in 2024. Solar PV accounted for more than 500 GW of new installations, while wind contributed about 160 GW. Asia remained the largest deployment region, with China accounting for nearly 2/3rds of new solar capacity and around 3/4ths of new wind additions. IRENA highlights the role of falling battery storage costs in improving the economics of hybrid renewable energy systems. The firm LCOE of high-reliability solar-plus-battery systems fell from more than $100/MWh in 2020 to below $85/MWh in 2025, with further declines of around 30% by 2030 and 40% by 2035 projected. The installed cost of 4-hour utility-scale batteries also dropped nearly 30% in 2025 to around $140/kWh, while about 25% of new utility-scale solar capacity commissioned during the year was paired with battery storage. IRENA expects renewable energy costs to continue declining through 2035, although at a slower pace than in the previous decade. The complete IRENA report is available for free download on its website. TaiyangNews 2024
SMEDAN Launches MSME Capacity Program to Boost Business Clusters in Kano Niger Allocates 500 Hectares for Solar Farm, Industrial Park to Boost Jobs and Manufacturing Nigeria Expands Rural Electricity Access with 23 New Mini-Grids to Boost Businesses Over 10,000 Youths Gather at GiNN 5.0 As Organisers Commit ₦30m to Support Entrepreneurs Rising Yam Prices Squeeze Consumers and Traders in Enugu Markets Call for Applications: Nestlé Internships and Apprenticeships 2026 | Paid Global Opportunities Call For Applications: FG Power Force Program 2026 (Free Technical Training & Employment Opportunity for 5,000 Nigerian Youths) Call For Applications: Transforming African MedTech Conference (TAMC) 2026 for Medical Device Hardware Technology Across Africa Call For Applications: Digital Skills Development Programme for Young Girls, Women, and Persons with Disabilities (Cohort II) Call for Applications: NDE Renewed Hope Employment Initiative (RHEI) Phase 3 to Train Over 21,000 Nigerians SMEDAN Launches MSME Capacity Program to Boost Business Clusters in Kano Niger Allocates 500 Hectares for Solar Farm, Industrial Park to Boost Jobs and Manufacturing Over 10,000 Youths Gather at GiNN 5.0 As Organisers Commit ₦30m to Support Entrepreneurs Rising Yam Prices Squeeze Consumers and Traders in Enugu Markets Nigerian Govt Launches ‘Power Force’ to Train 5,000 Youths for Smart Meter Rollout Google Projects $90.6bn Economic Boost, 315,000 Jobs Across Africa Taraba State Partners US Tech Firm, Shortlists 12 Experts to Build Digital Registry for Local Businesses WhatsApp Dumps Use of Phone Number, Introduces Username Open Startup Launches The Science Road for African Science and Deep Tech Ventures Nigeria’s FMCG Sector Hits $25bn, Technology Seen Driving Next Growth Phase NDE Seeks Delta Partnership to Expand Jobs, Support Entrepreneurs and Resettle Trained Beneficiaries CBN Data Shows Government Borrowing Surges 76% as Businesses Face Tight Credit Nigeria Cannot Fund Development Through External Resources Alone, FG Says FG Draws Down $1.5Bn as First Tranche of FAB $5Bn Loan Deal Long Queues, Safety Fears, Others Threaten Nigeria’s CNG Shift Published on By Niger State has allocated 500 hectares of land to Abuja Steel Mills Limited, a subsidiary of African Industries Group (AIG), for the development of a solar farm and the AIG Industrial Park in a move expected to boost industrialization, attract investment and create jobs.
The land was officially handed over during a groundbreaking ceremony at Sabon Wuse in Tafa Local Government Area. The state government described the project as a major milestone in its efforts to position Niger State as a preferred destination for local and foreign investments. According to the state government, the project will leverage Niger State’s vast land resources, the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline and the state’s four hydropower dams—Kainji, Jebba, Zungeru and Shiroro—to support industrial growth and expand manufacturing activities. The government also called on host communities to support the project, noting that it has the potential to attract additional industries, stimulate economic activities and create employment opportunities across the state.
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African Industries Group described the land allocation as a landmark investment that goes beyond expanding industrial operations. The company said the project is designed to drive economic development, empower local communities and generate long-term employment opportunities. The company also disclosed that the proposed solar facility could become the largest solar power installation in sub-Saharan Africa, strengthening Nigeria’s position in steel manufacturing and renewable energy development. The Federal Government welcomed the investment, describing it as a strategic partnership that will leave a lasting economic impact through increased private sector investment, industrial expansion and job creation. Government officials noted that strengthening the power sector remains a priority to support manufacturing, improve productivity and enhance Nigeria’s industrial competitiveness.
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The project is also expected to reduce the country’s dependence on imported steel products while increasing local production capacity and supporting broader economic growth. Stakeholders further emphasised that stronger collaboration between government and the private sector is essential for unlocking Nigeria’s industrial potential, attracting investment and creating sustainable employment opportunities.
SMEDAN Launches MSME Capacity Program to Boost Business Clusters in Kano Nigeria Expands Rural Electricity Access with 23 New Mini-Grids to Boost Businesses SMEDAN Launches MSME Capacity Program to Boost Business Clusters in Kano Nigeria Expands Rural Electricity Access with 23 New Mini-Grids to Boost Businesses Over 10,000 Youths Gather at GiNN 5.0 As Organisers Commit ₦30m to Support Entrepreneurs Nigerian Govt Launches ‘Power Force’ to Train 5,000 Youths for Smart Meter Rollout AquaRice 360 Pitch Competition Empowers 3,500 Nigerian Youths to Build Agribusinesses USSEC Trains 1,200 Nigerian Agribusiness Professionals to Strengthen Animal Protein Supply Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked *
Published on By The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has launched a capacity development program for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating within business clusters in Kano State as part of efforts to improve productivity, competitiveness and business sustainability.
The initiative, implemented under SMEDAN’s Enterprise Cluster Development (ECD) Programme, is designed to strengthen enterprise clusters by equipping business owners with practical skills, modern production techniques and improved business management practices. Speaking at the inauguration of the programme, the agency said participants will receive technical support aimed at enhancing product quality, increasing operational efficiency and expanding access to both domestic and international markets. SMEDAN explained that the programme aligns with globally recognised industrial development principles promoted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with a strong focus on driving inclusive economic growth, reducing poverty and creating employment opportunities, particularly for women and young people.
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The agency also disclosed that the Enterprise Cluster Development Programme is being implemented in Delta State, expressing confidence that the initiative will deliver significant economic benefits for participating businesses and their communities. According to SMEDAN, the programme is expected to improve business profitability, strengthen the visibility and competitiveness of enterprise clusters, and increase the contribution of MSMEs to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through industrialization, innovation and economic diversification.
The initiative forms part of ongoing efforts to build resilient MSMEs by improving their capacity to compete, scale operations and contribute more effectively to national economic development.
Published on By More than 10,000 young people converged at the University of Lagos Sports Centre for the fifth edition of the Gen Z Involvement in a New Nigeria (GiNN 5.0), an event organizers described as the largest gathering of Gen Z in Africa.
The programme brought together participants from different parts of Nigeria to engage in conversations on leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity, civic participation and nation-building. According to the organisers, GiNN has evolved beyond an annual event into a growing youth movement focused on empowering young people to drive positive change and contribute to national development. The event featured discussions led by prominent figures from the business, media, politics and enterprise sectors, who shared insights on leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship and opportunities for young Nigerians.
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One of the major highlights of the programme was the presentation of the GiNN Young Excellence Awards, which recognised outstanding young Nigerians for their achievements in entrepreneurship, innovation, entertainment, social impact and professional excellence. Organisers also announced more than ₦30 million in seed funding to support promising young entrepreneurs through the GiNN Innovation Hub. The funding is expected to help young founders develop innovative ideas, grow their businesses and create employment opportunities.
The initiative reflects the increasing focus on empowering young entrepreneurs with the financial support, mentorship and resources needed to build sustainable businesses and contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth.
Published on By A market survey across major markets in Enugu State has revealed a steady increase in yam prices, raising concerns among traders and consumers over the growing cost of one of Nigeria’s staple foods.
Visits to markets in Enugu on Friday showed that the price of medium-sized old yams has risen to between ₦3,000 and ₦5,000, up from ₦2,000 to ₦3,500 recorded in May. Large yams are now selling for between ₦6,000 and ₦10,000, depending on their size and quality, compared with ₦5,000 to ₦7,000 just a few months ago. Water yams have also experienced significant price increases, with current prices ranging from ₦2,000 to ₦6,000, up from ₦1,000 to ₦4,000 in May. Traders attributed the rising prices to a combination of higher transportation costs, seasonal supply shortages, and rising production expenses for farmers.
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According to traders, these factors have continued to reduce the availability of yams across Enugu and other parts of the South-East. Some traders also linked the price increase to insecurity affecting agricultural production and food distribution. They said many farmers have reduced farming activities due to fears over insecurity, while traders from the South-East are increasingly reluctant to travel to northern Nigeria, where a significant portion of the yams sold in the region is sourced.
Consumers say the rising prices are already changing household spending habits. Some buyers said they now purchase fewer yams than before because they have become increasingly expensive, forcing many households to rely more on alternative staples such as garri, sweet potatoes, and rice.
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Others expressed optimism that prices could become more stable as the peak yam harvest season begins. They also called for improved security, increased agricultural production, and better transportation infrastructure to help stabilise food prices and improve affordability for Nigerian households. The continued rise in yam prices highlights the broader challenges facing Nigeria’s food supply chain, including insecurity, high logistics costs, and production constraints, all of which continue to affect farmers, traders, consumers, and food-related MSMEs.
A warehouse belonging to Atmosfera, one of Ukraine’s leading solar energy companies, was hit by Russian missiles last week. The strike on Atmosfera’s central warehouse occurred as part of a wider Russian missile attack on Kyiv late in the evening of June 25. There were no casualties at the warehouse, as no members of staff were on site at the time of the incident. The company told pv magazine the resulting fire damaged a significant portion of the company’s photovoltaic equipment, with a full assessment of the damage still ongoing. A substantial share of the inventory was successfully saved, the company added, after Atmosfera’s warehouse director arrived at the site within minutes of the attack and managed to move stock, forklifts and company vehicles before firefighters reached the warehouse to tackle the blaze. Atmosfera provides solar, battery storage and integrated energy solutions for businesses, municipalities and households and operates the largest network of solar installers in Ukraine. The company says it immediately activated its crisis response procedures following the strike, which involved mobilizing regional warehouses, coordinating replacement deliveries with international manufacturers and informing customers of potential delays. “We understood that our customers needed transparency more than promises,” Oleksandr Klepalov, Atmosfera CEO, told pv magazine. “From the very first hours after the attack, our priority was to continue fulfilling our commitments and minimize disruption for our partners and customers.” The company said its crisis response was made possible by long-standing relationships built across the solar industry, with international suppliers offering accelerated deliveries and flexible payment terms, as well as strong support from its customer base. “Many of our dealers have worked with us for years,” Klepalov explained. “They know there may be short delays in deliveries, yet they continue placing new orders because they trust that we will fulfil our commitments. That trust has become one of our most valuable assets.” Klepalov said the incident demonstrated that reputation and long-term partnerships are just as valuable as physical infrastructure during wartime. “This experience reminded us that resilience is never built during a crisis. It is built over years through responsible decisions, transparency and keeping your promises,” he added. “Trust is accumulated long before it is tested. And when that test finally comes, partners don’t ask whether they should help. They simply ask how.” While restoring Atmosfera’s operations remains an immediate priority, Klepalov said the company’s broader objective, of continuing to support the growth of Ukraine’s renewable energy sector despite the ongoing war, remains unchanged. “Energy resilience is no longer an abstract concept in Ukraine,” he told pv magazine. “We build it every day together with our customers, installers, manufacturers and financial partners. Every project completed despite the war is another step toward a stronger, more decentralized and more sustainable energy future. Russia can destroy buildings and equipment, but it cannot destroy the determination of Ukrainian businesses or the partnerships that keep our industry moving forward.” Russian missile attacks have repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure, including solar plants, since the beginning of the invasion, often forcing impacted regions to rely on backup power. pv magazine recently spoke with Lena Sukholdolska, Atmosfera’s Head of Communications, about the growing demand for distributed solar and storage solutions in Ukraine in a market increasingly focused on resilience. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment Thursday, July 16, 2026 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Tuesday, July 14, 2026 6:00 am – 7:00 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid The June issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Thursday, September 9, 2026 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid pv magazine USA hosts its third multi-day virtual event on advancing U.S. solar and energy storage markets, covering financing, supply chains, and distributed energy’s role in grid resilience. Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects. April 01 – August 31, 2026 A two-day conference in Austin, Texas, bringing together leaders in US solar manufacturing, equipment specification, and factory execution. 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Read The Portugal News with fewer ads for 1.99€ per month or 19.99€ per year. Read today’s Portuguese stories delivered to your email. A groundbreaking Swiss project is transforming unused railway infrastructure into clean energy generators – without disrupting train services. By TPN, in Europe, Sustainability , World · 04 Jul 2026, 09:10 · 0 Comments Railway lines have traditionally been designed for one purpose: transporting people and goods. But what if the same infrastructure could also generate electricity? A Swiss startup believes it has found a practical way to do exactly that by installing removable solar panels directly between railway tracks, turning thousands of kilometres of existing railways into potential renewable energy sources. If successful, the idea could help countries expand solar production without using valuable farmland or building new solar parks. Unlike conventional solar farms, the concept makes use of land that already exists. Specially designed photovoltaic panels are fitted in the space between the rails, an area that typically receives uninterrupted sunlight throughout the day but serves no other purpose. The system has been engineered so the panels can be quickly removed whenever railway maintenance is required, allowing engineers access to the tracks without major disruption. Developers say installation can also be carried out using dedicated machinery capable of fitting large sections of panels in a relatively short period. While a single stretch of railway might only produce modest amounts of power, the potential becomes significant when viewed on a national scale. Many European countries operate thousands of kilometres of railway lines, creating an enormous network of unused surfaces that could contribute to renewable electricity generation. The energy produced could be fed into the public grid or potentially used to power nearby railway infrastructure, stations or signalling systems, reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The idea sounds simple, but railway environments present unique engineering challenges. Solar panels must withstand constant vibration from passing trains, extreme weather conditions, dirt, dust, brake residue and regular maintenance operations. Engineers also need to ensure the panels do not interfere with signalling equipment, create glare for train drivers or compromise railway safety. These are precisely the questions the pilot project aims to answer before any wider rollout. Across Europe, governments are increasingly looking for places to install renewable energy without affecting agriculture or natural landscapes. Solar canopies over car parks, floating solar farms on reservoirs and photovoltaic panels along motorways have all emerged in recent years. Railway corridors may become the next frontier. By making productive use of infrastructure that already exists, countries could expand renewable generation without significantly changing the surrounding landscape. If the technology proves reliable and cost-effective, the concept could be replicated across railway networks in countries including Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. With Europe continuing its transition towards cleaner energy, innovative projects like this demonstrate that future power generation may not always require building new infrastructure—sometimes it’s simply about rethinking the infrastructure we already have. Whether solar railways become commonplace remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the tracks carrying tomorrow’s trains could also help power tomorrow’s homes. 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One of the biggest criticisms of utility-scale solar is that it competes with agriculture for land. As countries race to add more renewable energy, that debate has become increasingly relevant in the Philippines, where arable land is both limited and economically important. Agrivoltaics offers a different approach. Instead of converting farmland into solar farms, the concept allows both to coexist. Solar panels generate electricity while crops continue to grow underneath or between the arrays, allowing a single piece of land to produce both food and clean energy. The Philippines is beginning to put that concept into practice. The country’s largest commercial example is a Batangas project developed by Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation. The nearly 200-megawatt facility combines utility-scale solar generation with crop production and battery energy storage, making it one of the first projects in Southeast Asia to move agrivoltaics beyond the pilot stage and into commercial operation. Years before breaking ground in Batangas, Citicore began testing whether farming could continue inside operating solar facilities. At its solar sites in Tarlac, the company launched small “agro-solar” trials to answer a practical question: can farmers continue producing crops without affecting electricity generation? The trials focused on shade-tolerant, high-value crops, including turmeric, grown beneath photovoltaic panels. Researchers observed not only crop performance but also changes in soil conditions, moisture retention, and ground temperature created by the partial shade from the panels. The objective was to determine whether crop yields could remain commercially viable, whether the modified microclimate could benefit plant growth, and whether farming activities could coexist with routine operation and maintenance of a solar power plant. The results were encouraging enough to influence later developments. Lessons from the Tarlac trials helped shape panel spacing, mounting height and crop selection for larger agrivoltaic projects, including the Batangas facility. That progression reflects a shift taking place with farmers across the region. While agrivoltaics has attracted growing attention worldwide, commercial projects in Southeast Asia remain relatively rare. Most initiatives are still limited to research farms or demonstration sites. The Philippines is among the first countries in the region to deploy the concept at utility scale, providing valuable operational data that other developers can study. The timing is significant. The Philippines has set ambitious renewable energy targets, but securing land for large solar developments has become increasingly difficult. Agrivoltaics offers a way to reduce conflicts over land use while allowing rural communities to continue farming. There are still questions to answer. Long-term crop productivity, water requirements, maintenance costs, and project economics will ultimately determine how widely the model can be adopted. Different crops will respond differently to shading, and designs will need to be tailored to local conditions. Even so, agrivoltaics is no longer just a research concept in the Philippines. It is now operating at commercial scale, offering an early glimpse of how future solar projects could generate electricity without taking farmland out of production. That may prove to be one of the most important innovations in the country’s renewable energy transition. CleanTechnica’s Comment Policy Raymond Gregory Tribdino, or Tribs, is an automotive and tech journalist for over two decades, a former car industry executive, and professor with deep roots in the EV space. He was an early contributor to EVWorld.com (1997-1999), was the motoring and technology editor for Malaya Business Insight (www.malaya.com.ph) and now serves as Science and Technology Editor for The Manila Times (www.manilatimes.net), along with co-hosting “TechSabado” and “Today is Tuesday.” He’s passionate about electrification, even electrifying his own motocross bike. Contact him at tribs.tribdino@gmail.com Raymond Tribdino has 475 posts and counting. See all posts by Raymond Tribdino
US President Donald Trump’s brain, such as it is, has been hard at work in the service of the fossil fuel industry, with some temporary successes to his credit. However, the signs of ultimate failure are already written into the inevitable march of new energy technologies. The latest sign is the balcony solar movement, which has seemingly popped up out of nowhere to offer electricity ratepayers — home owners and renters alike — a more affordable, accessible way to reduce their utility bills, by generating their own clean power at home. “Balcony” solar is shorthand for plug-in solar panels that don’t need the kind of specialized racking systems and other equipment required by conventional rooftop solar systems. They literally plug into an ordinary household outlet. They can be hung from balconies, of course, or propped up in a yard, patio, driveway, or other area where sunlight is available. When the sun is shining, the current from the solar panel feeds into the household system, replacing grid-supplied electricity. Balcony solar systems can also be integrated with home storage systems to keep the clean kilowatts flowing after the sun goes down. Unlike conventional rooftop systems, balcony solar is also easily portable and transportable. When people move, they can take their solar energy along with them. The technology itself is not particularly new. However, adoption has been slow to pick up in the US, partly due to cumbersome utility permitting requirements and fees. Homeowner associations can also restrict or inhibit the use of balcony solar systems, and tenants in rental properties are especially likely to encounter roadblocks. In addition, safety and risk certification professionals need to develop standards specific to plug-in solar panels. Removing those obstacles is the aim of new balcony solar legislation in the US, inspired by the success of enabling legislation in Germany. Utah was first out of the box last year, with Maine, Virginia, Maryland, and Colorado jumping on the plug-in bandwagon as of the beginning of May this year according to the legislation tracker Plug In USA. Lawmakers in about 30 other states are also considering similar legislation. At the end of May, the New York State legislature passed a plug-in solar bill that is awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature. The going has not been particularly easy elsewhere, though. A bill in Illinois stalled out earlier this year, for example. However, statehouse observers expect lawmakers to take another crack at it this fall. In June the news organization Capitol News Illinois cited a representative from the organization Vote Solar, Kavi Chintam, who surmised that “lawmakers really see this as an opportunity to give folks a way to have more control over their power bills.” I think also, frankly, people just think this is cool,” Chintam added. California is also among the other states pushing forward, but it looks like New Jersey may beat them to the punch. Last month the state legislature passed the Garden State Plug-In Solar Act (S2368/A4836), needing only the signature of solar-friendly Governor Mikie Sherrill to pass into law. “The technology is widely popular. An April FDU poll found nearly 80 percent of New Jerseyans support plug-in solar,” enthused the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club in a celebratory press statement on July 1. S2368/A4836 illustrates how targeted legislation can push the balcony movement forward. As with other legislation, the New Jersey bill expends many words to describe the application of electrical safety codes and standards covering portable, plug-in solar devices of up to 1,200 watts. It further stipulates that the devices are primarily intended to offset part of a ratepayer’s electricity consumption. Accordingly, devices covered under the legislation cannot send electricity back to the distribution grid in case of a power outage. The no-distribution grid angle also enables the new legislation to eliminate any interconnection agreements previously required by utilities or other entities, as long as the maximum output of the device does not top 1,200 watts. Utilities also cannot impose approval requirements, charge any fees, or install any additional controls on balcony solar. The new legislation is particularly impactful for rental households. It prohibits landlords from preventing their tenants from installing plug-in solar panels on their leased property, including balconies and patios, though the bill does provide for “reasonable restrictions” regarding size and placement. Similarly, homeowner associations, condo boards, coop boards and other housing entities cannot prevent ratepayers from partaking in the balcony solar trend, again with some restrictions allowed. Covering additional bases, the bill also prevents local governments from imposing blanket restrictions on balcony solar. “No municipality shall require a permit, application, fee, license, or other approval for the placement or use of a portable solar generation device,” the bill adds for good measure. In other recent balcony solar news, on July 3 the Concord Monitor reported that New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte has signed the state’s new balcony solar legislation into law. “They are especially useful for renters, who can’t install solar panels on their building like a homeowner can,” noted reporter David Brooks. “Proponents have long said that a big benefit of plug-in solar is that it makes the idea of solar panels seem more ordinary. If you see panels draped over balconies as you walk downtown, you’re more likely to consider installing solar panels on your house or support a solar farm being built nearby,” Brooks added, which is a good point. Before you run out and get yourself some balcony solar, a caveat is in order. The necessary safety standards for a do-it-yourself system are still forthcoming, which generally means that a licensed electrician is required for the time being. Regardless, seeking the advice of a professional is probably a good idea for older properties where electrical systems have not been upgraded in many years. In the meantime, keep an eye on the US certification firm UL solutions, which has introduced a regimen that will enable the vision of a truly plug-and-play system to become a reality. In January, the company announced the launch of a dedicated line for balcony solar. “The new program is an evaluation based on UL 3700, the Outline of Investigation for Interactive Plug-In Photovoltaic Equipment and Systems. It defines construction, performance and labeling criteria tailored to plug-in solar systems, also referred to as balcony solar, offering manufacturers a reliable foundation for designing products that consistently meet safety and performance requirements,” UL explained. As for the state of Trump’s brain, any one of his multiple daily social media posts confirms, over and over again, that the ship has sailed. If you have any thoughts about that, drop a note in the discussion thread. Photo: The balcony solar movement is spreading across the US, offering ratepayers relief from high electricity costs with a more affordable, accessible way to generate their own solar power at home (cropped, courtesy of BrightSaver). CleanTechnica’s Comment Policy Tina has been covering advanced energy technology, military sustainability, emerging materials, biofuels, ESG and related policy and political matters for CleanTechnica since 2009. Follow her @tinamcasey on LinkedIn, Mastodon or Bluesky. Tina Casey has 4231 posts and counting. See all posts by Tina Casey
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Agrivoltaics is appealing because it seems to solve two land-use problems at once. Put solar panels and farming on the same land, and the conflict between food and electricity appears to soften. The farm keeps producing, the panels produce power, and the project can be described as more sophisticated than either conventional solar or conventional agriculture. That is the attractive public story, but it is not enough for a serious decision. The better test is whether the solar structure performs farm work. Shade is valuable when it relieves a real agricultural constraint, protects a crop, supports livestock, preserves water, improves quality, replaces infrastructure or creates farmer revenue without making farming a stage prop. Shade is costly when it mainly exists because the electricity project needed a land-use narrative. Agrivoltaics becomes useful when the farm function is explicit enough to survive comparison with simpler alternatives. That distinction matters because agrivoltaics is often discussed as if it were a single pathway. It is not. Sheep grazing under ordinary solar arrays, semi-transparent structures above berries, photovoltaic protection over vineyards, vertical bifacial rows between crops and tall steel above broadacre fields are materially different systems. They differ in capital cost, crop risk, machinery access, electricity yield, water effects, farm management and the likelihood that a farmer would repeat the design after living with it for several seasons. The strongest cases start where the solar structure either stays cheap or does something the farm already needs. Grazing beneath ordinary arrays is the cleanest scaling case because the panels do not have to become agricultural architecture. Sheep can fit beneath many standard systems, vegetation management has value, mowing and fuel use can fall, and graziers can earn income where contracts are designed sensibly. It is less photogenic than a vineyard under dynamic glass, but it has the virtue of asking less from both the technology and the spreadsheet. Higher-value protected crops are interesting for the opposite reason. Orchards, vineyards, berries, hops and some horticultural systems already live with sunburn, hail, rain damage, trellising, shade cloth, irrigation, crop-quality risk and protection infrastructure. If photovoltaic structures replace or supplement something the farm already buys, the economics become more plausible. In those cases the electricity is not merely an add-on to the field; it is part of a farm-protection system that also produces power. Hot and water-stressed horticulture has a third logic. Full sun is not always beneficial when heat, radiation and atmospheric dryness are already limiting production. Partial shade can sometimes reduce plant stress, alter evapotranspiration and preserve marketable output, especially where irrigation, cooling, pumping or packing loads give the farm a useful daytime electricity demand. The mechanism is not that panels make crops better in some generic sense. The mechanism is that, in the wrong climate at the wrong hour, full sun can become too much sun. The caution zone is tall overhead structures above broadacre annual crops. These systems are technically feasible, and demonstration projects have shown that machinery access and electricity production can be combined. The problem is the business case. Commodity crops often have lower value per hectare, many need high light, and large machinery pushes structures higher and more expensive. Climate stress may improve the argument in some regions, but it does not make steel cheap or convert every field crop into a protected horticultural system. The common denominator error is Land Equivalent Ratio, or LER. LER can be a useful way to measure combined land productivity because it asks how much land would be needed to produce the same crop and electricity separately. However, it does not answer the crop-yield question by itself. A project can show a strong combined land-use result while still reducing crop output materially. That may be acceptable where the electricity gain, water effect, crop protection value and farm economics are clear, but those ledgers need to stay visible. The comparator also needs discipline. Agrivoltaics should not be compared only with a diesel-dependent farm without solar. The realistic comparator is an electrifying farm with access to roofs, sheds, yards, ordinary ground-mounted PV, grid electricity, batteries where they already make sense and existing crop-protection infrastructure. If the same electricity can be produced more cheaply from a barn roof or a normal field-edge solar array, the agrivoltaic system only earns credit for the extra agricultural value it creates. Farm electrification makes the question more important, not easier. Pumps, irrigation controls, refrigeration, packhouses, drones, light vehicles and eventually more equipment charging all increase the value of electricity on farms. That strengthens the case for farm solar in general and may strengthen the case for agrivoltaics in selected settings. It does not automatically pay for raising solar above crops. The electricity value, agricultural service and any battery buffering all have to be costed separately, or a weak project can be made to look strong by blending the accounts. This is where much of the public enthusiasm needs to mature. Agrivoltaics does not need another decade proving that plants and panels can be near each other. That question has been answered. The useful evidence now is crop-specific, climate-specific and configuration-specific: measured crop output, crop quality, water use, electricity production, structure cost, operating cost, farmer economics and repeat adoption after real operating experience. A small trial can be interesting without becoming policy for an entire crop category. The weak cases have a common pattern. The agricultural evidence is thin, the electricity value is doing most of the economic work, and the farming story is being asked to carry more credibility than the operating data supports. Ornamental planting around a power project, one-year drought results treated as normal performance, evaporation reductions converted into assumed water savings, announcements presented as outcomes, and token crop rows beneath panels all point to the same problem: the farmer’s authority, revenue and durable reason to keep farming that way have not been demonstrated. The useful conclusion is bounded but positive. Agrivoltaics deserves to scale where the structure provides farm value that simpler solar cannot provide as well. Grazing under ordinary solar is already the practical end of the market. Protected crops and hot horticulture are moving forward where shade, protection and quality have real economic meaning. Tall overhead broadacre systems remain niche unless the farm service is unusually strong. That is a better story than the inflated one. Agrivoltaics is not a universal answer to land-use conflict and it is not a magic crop-yield technology. It is a set of configurations, some of which are becoming clearer as practical farm-and-power systems. The best projects will be the ones farmers want to repeat because the panels do more than cast shade. This is a brief summary of a TFIE Strategy Briefing pathway review. Read the full analysis: Agrivoltaics Works Where Shade Does Farm Work. CleanTechnica’s Comment Policy Michael Barnard is Chief Strategist at TFIE Strategy and publisher of Michael Barnard’s TFIE Strategy Briefing at briefing.tfie.io. He works with investors, infrastructure strategists, NGOs, startups, policymakers, and public-interest organizations on reality-based decarbonization strategy, investment-thesis testing, technology diligence, 2030-2050 transition roadmaps, reports, keynotes, and strategic reality checks. His work tests energy, industry, transportation, infrastructure, and climate-tech pathways against physics, economics, operating evidence, denominators, comparators, and time. Michael’s analysis spans grids, storage, electrification, hydrogen, maritime and aviation fuels, critical minerals, China’s clean-tech scale, industrial decarbonization, geothermal, nuclear and SMR claims, and odd technoeconomic questions such as seabed mining and sulfur supply. Across those topics, his focus is consistent: separating real transition progress from pilots, subsidies, announcements, orderbooks, and narrative momentum. At Michael Barnard’s TFIE Strategy Briefing, free posts carry the public argument, while paid subscribers get the professional layer: Transition Pathway Scorecards, evidence notes, denominator checks, update triggers, reports, and decision-grade context for people working around the energy transition. Michael Barnard has 1431 posts and counting. See all posts by Michael Barnard
Solar power has become one of the defining technologies of the global energy transition. As countries race to install more photovoltaic (PV) systems, attention has focused on generating clean electricity and reducing carbon emissions. Yet another question is beginning to emerge: what happens when today’s solar panels reach the end of their lives? Most solar panels are designed to operate for around 25 to 30 years. The earliest large-scale installations are now approaching retirement, meaning millions of panels will soon require replacement. While solar energy is often viewed as one of the cleanest sources of electricity, managing end-of-life panels is becoming one of the industry’s next major sustainability challenges. Globally, the volume of discarded solar panels is expected to rise sharply over the coming decades. Estimates suggest annual solar panel waste could exceed one million tonnes by 2035 and surpass ten million tonnes by 2050 as first-generation installations are decommissioned. For Oman, the issue may still seem distant, but planning today could help avoid environmental challenges while creating new economic opportunities tomorrow. The Sultanate is rapidly expanding its renewable energy portfolio through large-scale solar developments and distributed installations. As more panels are deployed, so too will the need for systems that can recover valuable materials once they reach the end of their operational lives. Fortunately, solar panels are far from ordinary waste. Glass typically accounts for around three-quarters of a panel’s weight and can often be recovered. Aluminium frames are readily recyclable, while silicon, silver, copper and other valuable materials can also be extracted using specialised recycling processes. Some commercial recycling technologies are capable of recovering the vast majority of these materials for use in new products. Recovering these resources offers more than environmental benefits. Recycling reduces the need for virgin raw materials, lowers manufacturing emissions and helps strengthen supply chains for clean energy technologies. As global demand for minerals used in renewable energy continues to grow, recycled materials are expected to become increasingly valuable. Around the world, governments are beginning to prepare. The European Union already requires producers to ensure photovoltaic panels are collected and recycled under electronic waste legislation. Other countries, including Japan, India and Australia, are developing similar frameworks as installations continue to expand. For Oman, the conversation presents an opportunity to think beyond electricity generation. Rather than viewing retired panels as waste, they could become the foundation of a new circular economy industry supporting the country’s sustainability ambitions. Such an industry could complement Oman’s growing manufacturing and renewable energy sectors. Facilities capable of dismantling, sorting and recovering materials from photovoltaic modules could create skilled employment while supplying valuable raw materials back into regional manufacturing supply chains. There is also growing interest in extending the life of solar equipment before recycling becomes necessary. Panels that no longer produce electricity at peak efficiency may still perform well enough for less demanding applications, including off-grid systems, agricultural operations or community projects. Reusing functioning panels before recycling them can further reduce waste while making renewable energy more affordable. As Oman pursues Vision 2040 and expands investment in clean energy, incorporating end-of-life planning into future solar projects could help ensure the sector remains sustainable throughout its entire lifecycle. Procurement policies, recycling requirements and producer responsibility schemes are among the measures increasingly being considered internationally. The renewable energy transition is often measured by the number of solar panels installed, but true sustainability extends beyond installation. It also considers how technologies are maintained, reused and ultimately recycled. For Oman, solar energy represents an important pillar of the country’s future energy mix. Planning now for the eventual retirement of today’s panels could position the Sultanate not only as a leader in renewable energy deployment, but also in the responsible management of renewable energy technologies. The next chapter of the solar revolution may not simply be about generating more clean electricity. It may also be about ensuring that the technologies powering a low-carbon future do not become tomorrow’s environmental challenge. Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. While some people are lucky enough to have massive garages that can hold hundreds of tools, many of us have to make do with our relatively small spaces. Because of this, it’s common to hold out on buying tools, even those that we need, because we don’t have space for them. Although there are now ways to rent tools through providers like Lowe’s, Home Depot, or Menards, it’s not the best option. For example, it’s not ideal if you have a long-term, recurring need for it at your job or at home. Thankfully, many tool manufacturers like Ryobi have been listening and rolling out even more compact options with folding designs. In many ways, Ryobi is already known for being space-saving, since it uses battery systems you can swap across its various power tools. With its 18V ONE+ battery system alone, you can skip owning multiple batteries for over 300 tools. These days, Ryobi takes it a step even further by introducing tools that can also fold across tool categories like lighting, knives, and solar panels. In fact, there are even tools and gadgets you can fit in your pockets or bags, whether it’s a tiny handbag or a large backpack. So, if you’re wondering how much more compact they can get, here are some popular foldable Ryobi tools for on-the-go use that might be worth a second look. There are plenty of reasons why a knife would come in handy, especially if you regularly order packages. You can use it to open boxes, cut string, or break down cardboard before recycling. It can also be useful when you’re camping or find yourself in an emergency. As of June 2026, Ryobi offers three folding knives all under $19: a multi-function, a spring-assisted, and a tactical. The cheapest among the three, the multi-function folding knife (RFKMF1), has a 3.25-inch straight-edge blade. Priced at $16.29, it also includes a PH2 driving bit, a package opener, and a bottle opener. On Home Depot, it has an average rating of 4.5 stars from more than 140 reviewers. Alternatively, there’s the compact folding tactical knife (RFK25T), which retails for $17.79. With the shortest blade length of 2.25 inches, the straight-edge blade has both a glass breaker and a strap cutter. It has earned an average rating of 4.5 stars from 148 Home Depot buyers. Lastly, there’s the $18.97 spring-assisted folding knife (RFK35A1), which is designed for one-handed opening. While it has the same 3.25-inch blade length as the multi-function model, it also comes partially serrated and includes a blade lock switch and a removable pocket clip. It shares the same 4.5-star average rating from 100+ Home Depot customers as the other two models, but fared a little better on Amazon, where 50 people gave it around 4.7 stars. If you already have a Ryobi power source or power station, you might also want to invest in a foldable solar panel as well. Not only is it a good way to save money on electricity, but it can also be useful when camping in remote locations or during sudden blackouts during the day. While its larger 60-watt foldable solar panels might be too large for many backpacks, both its 14-watt and 21-watt models should still fit. Between the two, the $99 21-watt foldable solar panel (RYi20SP) is a little more powerful, comes with an extra panel, and has generally better feedback. While it is heavier at 1.5 lbs, Ryobi claims it can cut phone charging time to just under two hours. It’s also the same size as the 14-watt model when folded. On the official Ryobi website, there aren’t many reviews yet, but it has an average rating of 4.9 stars from 8 people. Although it does have a slightly lower rating of 3.9 stars from 40+ Home Depot customers. Alternatively, if you’re willing to risk fewer reviews, there’s also the 14-watt foldable solar panel (RYi14SP). Weighing just a pound, it measures 18.75 inches by 12.25 inches when spread out, but folds neatly into a 12.25-inch by 6.5-inch envelope. Retailing for just under $80, Ryobi claims it can charge your phone in about 2 hours and 20 minutes. If you’re already invested in the Ryobi ONE+ battery system, you’ll be happy to know you can power one of the brand’s most popular foldable lighting products with it: the $96.92 18V ONE+ Hybrid LED Panel Light (PCL631B). Because it’s foldable, you can adjust the panels to your preferred angle for greater light coverage. Capable of generating 3,000 lumens, it has three light settings: low (1,000 lumens), medium (1,800 lumens), and high (3,000 lumens). Ryobi says the side panels can be rotated up to 360 degrees, while the front panels can be rotated up to 150 degrees. Unlike other panel lights, it offers two ways to power the unit: an extension cord or an 18V ONE+ Battery. Apart from a pass-through handle, it also has a built-in tripod mounting system, which makes it ideal for dark job sites where you need more height. In general, it’s one of the most popular items on this list with an average rating of 4.9 stars from 270+ reviewers on the Ryobi website, as well as from more than 480 people on Home Depot. However, if you only need something slimmer, there’s also the $69 18V ONE+ LED Workbench Light (PCL667B), which has a 16-hour runtime. While it is less bright at 1,700 lumens, it’s more versatile in terms of being able to control the settings for the top and bottom panels, plus it comes with folding metal hooks for hanging. When it comes to wall plugs, Ryobi isn’t the first brand that you may think of, but it does have a well-designed, folding option worth looking into. Priced at just under $20, the Ryobi 30W USB Wall Charger features folding prongs, making it a great space-saving solution for people who want to slide it into their little bags. On Home Depot, it has an impressive 4.8-star rating from more than 60 mostly satisfied customers. The Ryobi Wall Charger has two kinds of USB ports: an 18W fast-charging USB-A port and a 30W fast-charging USB-C PD port. You can also charge two things at the same time. However, what truly makes the Ryobi wall charger unique is that it’s also designed to charge Ryobi’s under-$80 18V ONE+ 150W Battery Power Source and Charger. With this, you can use your 18V ONE+ battery to charge other devices on the go, though you’ll need to shell out $129 for a kit with a 2Ah battery. Depending on the devices you want to charge, Ryobi also offers USB-A and USB-C cables. Available in 4-foot and 10-foot lengths, Ryobi’s USB cables are priced between $13.98 to $23.97. For older iPhone or iPad users, there are also models that support Lightning cables. Alternatively, you can consider a multi-use USB-C cable with features like high data transfer speeds or simultaneous video output and charging. Among the many Ryobi tools that can do multiple jobs, the 14-in-1 Multi-tool (RHCMT01) can be a great investment at its $14.56 price point (with a lifetime warranty). Measuring 2.125 inches by 0.6875 inches by 4.125 inches, it can definitely fit in most people’s pockets or even small purses. It has many of the typical features you find in other multi-tools, such as screwdrivers (Phillips and slotted), as well as a knife, saw, and awl. Apart from this, it includes specialized tools like needle-nose pliers, pipe grips, and wire cutters. Lastly, it includes everyday functions anyone can use, like scissors, a nail cleaner, a can opener, and a 2-sided file. Made from a combination of stainless steel and aluminum, it’s durable and lightweight. If you want to avoid it snagging on stuff in your bag, it comes with a pouch, too. While it doesn’t have many reviews on the Ryobi website yet, the early feedback has been quite promising, with 5 users giving it 4.8 stars. On the other hand, more than 240 Home Depot users have rated it a generally positive 4 stars on average. That said, we’ve mentioned before that multi-tools from big-name tool companies pale in comparison to specialized brands. So, if you’re not married to the idea of getting one from Ryobi, you might want to test out options from Leatherman, Victorinox, or Roxon. To compile this list of foldable tools, we reviewed Ryobi’s product lineup, excluding those that have been officially discontinued. We looked into the various categories to give you a holistic view of the offerings in their portfolio, plus item sizes ranging from pocket-friendly to those that need a slightly larger space, like backpacks. To fit different budgets, we included items priced between $14 and $99 when they’re not on sale. We also considered people who are already invested in the different Ryobi batteries, so you can get more use out of your existing system. Next, we selected products that have been rated 4 stars on average by at least 50 users on the official Ryobi website. When it wasn’t possible to get this quantity from a single platform, we referenced reviews from other online retail platforms, such as Home Depot and Amazon. Since there is more to a product than being foldable, we also noted the common pros and cons of its performance as mentioned by users. While it didn’t affect their placement, we also noted similar items in the Ryobi portfolio that may offer unique features better suited to your specific needs. Finally, we also highlighted Ryobi accessories that are necessary for their overall operating cost, such as cables and battery packs.
Once again, El Niño is poised to affect the rains in India. According to the IMD (India Meteorological Department), rainfall is projected to be only 90% of the LPA (Long Period Average). If so, India will witness its first below-normal rains in three years. The IMD data revealed that the nation received barely 42.6 mm of rainfall between 04 June and 18 June, compared with the normal 72.2 mm, resulting in a 41% shortfall. El Niño’s Impact on Power Demand Extreme weather patterns triggered by El Niño are clearly impacting the demand for electricity and its pan-India supply dynamics. Cooling demand has reached unprecedented levels due to record temperatures, straining the overall power infrastructure by causing a massive surge in daytime cooling demand and farmers’ irrigation needs. This has increased the requirement for reliable but affordable energy. Recurring weather disruptions and erratic rainfall patterns that hinder conventional power generation sources have exacerbated the situation, exposing vulnerabilities in the domestic energy ecosystem. Some readers may be aware that El Niño is a natural climate pattern in which sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean become warmer than average. El Niño and other extreme weather patterns directly affect energy security by increasing cooling demand during the day. With water-dependent traditional power plants stretched, solar energy emerges as an essential demand-driven solution. Unlike coal and other legacy energy sources, which are constrained by resource availability during climate stress, solar generation is optimal during peak daytime demand. This trait makes solar a key element of the country’s energy security strategy. The Link Between Weather and Power Supplies Some elaboration is required on how weather-related events can affect the conventional electricity supply, thereby disrupting the normal power demand scenario. For example, hydroelectric power is affected when erratic rainfall reduces reservoir levels, directly disrupting the generation capacity of hydroelectric projects. The extra demand for power can also create capacity constraints for thermal production. When power demand surges during heatwaves, bottlenecks increase, limiting fossil fuel-based plants’ ability to generate electricity. Operating thermal plants at maximum capacity for prolonged periods can induce extreme thermal and mechanical stress. Machines then become most susceptible to forced outages or sudden failures. Since coal-fired power plants have minimum load limits, wear and tear can be irreversible if they are forced to ramp up or down. Furthermore, for boilers and cooling, thermal plants require large volumes of water. Scorching summer temperatures can cause droughts and severe heatwaves, drastically reducing reservoir water levels. As a result, the power generation capacity of thermal plants is restricted. Solar Power: Advantages and Constraints Fortunately, solar does not face these challenges, as it naturally aligns with peak power demand during daylight hours. Consequently, it is best suited to providing a reliable energy buffer during periods when thermal or conventional hydropower plants face capacity or resource constraints. Building a robust domestic solar manufacturing ecosystem is imperative. The post-pandemic era has highlighted how supply chain disruptions can be exacerbated by geopolitical flashpoints and trade uncertainties, heightening the strategic risk of key supplies being choked off. Why Domestic Manufacturing is Imperative Accordingly, the best way to safeguard India’s energy security and long-term supply chain flexibility is by building domestic manufacturing capabilities in the solar sector. Fortunately, the Centre has already implemented several enabling policies to promote solar manufacturing. These measures focus on offering financial incentives, ensuring trade protection and imposing stringent quality control norms. The main aim is to curb import dependence and save forex by building an end-to-end supply chain ecosystem in India. Among others, the measures include the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), the Basic Customs Duty (BCD) programme and the Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) scheme. PLI is a multi-billion-dollar programme that incentivises manufacturers to build vertically integrated, highly efficient solar PV (photovoltaic) manufacturing units. Financial incentives are provided depending on the sales and efficiency of modules produced in India. In the case of ALMM, this mandate is enforced by the MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy), under which subsidised, government-backed, open-access projects can source solar modules only from approved India-based manufacturers. Bright Outlook for Solar in India These measures have helped India become the second-largest solar growth market in 2025, exceeding the US in yearly solar capacity additions. By surpassing 155 GW of installed solar capacity, India has achieved 50% of its 2030 non-fossil fuel capacity target, fulfilling its NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) ahead of schedule. In the coming years, India will continue to consolidate its position as a leader in the global renewable energy landscape, with solar leading the charge. In the El Niño era, solar could be a good means of mitigating its impact. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected]. Comments Please login to comment Thursday, July 16, 2026 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Tuesday, July 14, 2026 6:00 am – 7:00 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid The June issue of pv magazine Global is out now! Available in print and digital – get your copy today! Thursday, September 9, 2026 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects. April 01 – August 31, 2026
By: Luis Reyes Published: Jul 4, at 8:00am ET Green hydrogen has spent the last decade sounding great on PowerPoint and dying on spreadsheets. The pitch is simple: split water with renewable electricity and get a clean fuel for steel, ammonia, shipping and everything else a battery can’t handle. The problem is the plumbing. Chaining a solar farm to inverters, a substation and a separate electrolyzer bleeds energy at every handoff, and the finished molecule ends up too expensive to compete with the fossil version. A team in Freiburg, Germany just tried something almost embarrassingly direct. They wired the solar cells straight into the electrolyzer. No inverters, no power electronics, no middle step. Fraunhofer ISE went public with the results on Monday, and the headline number is a record. The demonstrator converted up to 31.3 percent of incoming solar energy into hydrogen, measured by the fuel’s higher heating value, under real outdoor sun. Nobody has done better in the open air. The hardware is two mature technologies bolted into each other. A Fresnel lens array concentrates direct sunlight onto III-V multi-junction solar cells, which Fraunhofer describes as the most efficient solar cells anyone makes. A dual-axis tracker keeps the focused beam parked on the cells all day. These are the same cells that power satellites, where you don’t get to swap the battery when the sun goes down. Expensive per square inch, sure. But when a lens is doing the light-gathering, you barely need any of them. Under concentration, the cells put out an open-circuit voltage above 4 volts, according to Dr. Juan Francisco Martínez Sánchez, the project manager at Fraunhofer ISE. That output feeds two proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis cells wired in series, connected directly to the anode and cathode. Dr. Tom Smolinka, who runs the institute’s Membrane Electrolysis Department, says the whole trick was tuning the electrical characteristics of the two sides into a perfect match. Get it wrong and one component chokes the other. Get it right and electricity flows from cell to electrolyzer with no conversion stage skimming a few percent off the top. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in new window) The demonstrator itself is tiny. The lens area measures 64 square centimeters, roughly the footprint of a dessert plate, quietly out-producing every open-air solar hydrogen rig ever tested, per unit of sunlight. Here’s the scale of the jump. According to the researchers, earlier systems built on dual- and triple-junction concentrator cells topped out at 19.8 percent solar-to-hydrogen efficiency outdoors, and around 30 percent under controlled indoor lab light. Fraunhofer took the indoor lab number and beat it outside, in actual weather. The field campaign ran in Freiburg across 13 summer days, per the team’s paper in Communications Engineering, so this wasn’t one lucky cloudless afternoon. Freiburg isn’t even the only German operation gunning for this. A Karlsruhe spin-off recently showed a panel that deletes the electrolyzer entirely, turning sunlight and water straight into hydrogen and betting on cheap over efficient. Fraunhofer went the opposite way: keep both machines, then fuse them into one. Every extra percentage point of sunlight that becomes hydrogen means less land, fewer lenses, less balance-of-system hardware and less capital tied up per kilogram of fuel. In an industry priced by the kilogram, that’s the entire fight. And the industry needs the help. A study in Nature Energy tracked 190 announced green hydrogen projects and found only 7 percent of the capacity promised for 2023 actually got built on schedule. Most of those projects died on cost curves, not on chemistry. The competition keeps getting cheaper, too. Drillers are already pumping naturally occurring hydrogen out of the ground at prices electrolysis can’t currently touch, and giant engines burning pure hydrogen are feeding Spain’s grid right now. Demand for the molecule is real. The question is who makes it cheapest. The natural home for Fraunhofer’s approach is sunny industrial geography. Concentrator photovoltaics needs direct sunlight rather than the diffuse light flat silicon panels tolerate, which points at Andalusia, north Africa, the Gulf and the American Southwest. Nobody in Freiburg is pretending 64 square centimeters powers a refinery. Dr. Frank Dimroth, head of the III-V Photovoltaics and Concentrator Technology Department at Fraunhofer ISE, described the system to pv magazine as “a proof of concept which is TRL3.” On the nine-level technology readiness scale, TRL 3 is the stage where the physics works and the pilot funding doesn’t exist yet. Dimroth told the same outlet the group currently has no money for a pilot system, and that building one would be the logical next step. The commercialization vehicle already has a name. “We are seeking investors for our planned spin-off, Clearsun Energy,” Dimroth said in the institute’s announcement. Clearsun Energy is being set up to commercialize Fraunhofer’s concentrating photovoltaics broadly, with the solar hydrogen module as a possible future-generation product rather than the day-one pitch. The unglamorous list of unknowns is long. Scaling means modules that don’t warp, trackers that don’t jam, and cell stacks that survive a decade of thermal cycling under concentrated sunlight. Concentrator PV has been solar’s next big thing for twenty years, and the field is littered with companies that hit brilliant numbers on a test bench and never shipped a bankable product. But 31.3 percent under real sky is the kind of number that gets phone calls returned. And if Clearsun finds its money, a small German lab will have handed the industry something it can actually use: proof that the shortest path between a photon and a hydrogen molecule is a straight line. Did we nail it or blow it? Luis Reyes · Jun 13, 2026 Luis Reyes · Jun 6, 2026 Luis Reyes · Jun 21, 2026 Olivia Richman · Jun 15, 2026 Luis Reyes · Jun 15, 2026 Luis Reyes · Jun 4, 2026 Luis Reyes · Jul 4, 2026 Olivia Richman · Jul 3, 2026 Olivia Richman · Jul 3, 2026 Luis Reyes · Jul 3, 2026 Luis Reyes · Jul 3, 2026 Autonotion is the English-language automotive editorial by Autonocion.com — car news, reviews, and industry analysis for American readers. Other links Company Subscribe Get the latest car news in your inbox: By submitting your email you allow autonocion.com to send you news or promotions. More info
0 Powered by : The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), an Abu Dhabi-based intergovernmental renewable energy agency, has placed India among the world’s lowest-cost major solar power markets in its 2025 report. The report showed that India’s utility-scale PV LCOE stood at $35 per MWh, lower than China’s $36 per MWh and Brazil’s $37 per MWh. The global weighted average stood at $44 per MWh, as the worldwide average cost of solar power remained unchanged in 2025. IRENA said lower equipment and installation costs were being offset by higher financing costs and slightly reduced capacity factors. Since 2010, PV costs have fallen by 89%, while onshore and offshore wind costs have declined by 71% and 63%, respectively. Four-hour utility-scale battery costs dropped by nearly 30% to about $140 per kWh in 2025, as per the report. Global renewable additions exceeded 690 GW, with solar contributing more than 500 GW and wind adding around 160 GW. SOLARbytes brings you the latest news in solar world in bite size; essentially a gist of important solar news in few sentences. Subscribe to our Newsletter!
The TaiyangNews PV Price Index recorded declines across 4 categories in Calendar Week 26. In the polysilicon category, n-type silicon declined 0.9%, while the other variants were flat week-on-week (WoW). The n-type 210 mm wafer declined 0.8% WoW while the other 2 wafer types maintained their prices. Prices for all 3 cell variants declined by mid-single digits WoW, ranging from 5.3% to 6.9%. All TOPCon bifacial modules, as well as China project prices, declined by 0.7% to 2.7% WoW. The 2 solar glass variants have remained stable since their declines of 5.1% (3.2 mm) and 10.2% (2.0 mm) in CW17. The TaiyangNews PV Price Index continues to face downward pressure across categories. Year-to-date, polysilicon and wafer products have declined by at least 23.9%, while cells and solar glass are down by between 7.5% and 27.6%. Modules remain the only segment still in positive territory in CY2026, although gains have now narrowed to the single digits. The data refers to average product prices in China. The data was collected by Chinese market research firm Gessey PV Consulting. Disclaimer: TaiyangNews does not guarantee reliability, accuracy or completeness of this price index’ content. TaiyangNews does not accept responsibility or liability for any errors in this work. TaiyangNews 2024
In a swampy stretch of northeastern Louisiana, large robots have taken over some of the grueling, repetitive work at a solar construction site spanning more than a mile. The 72-ton machines are retrofitted with software and hardware from Built Robotics and can work upward of 12 hours a day, picking up and driving 200-pound steel beams into the ground. Noah Ready-Campbell, the company’s cofounder and CEO, told Business Insider they are laying the foundation for the solar power infrastructure tied to Meta’s massive Hyperion AI data center in Richland Parish. “The pressure is on to build out the grid at a pace we’ve never seen before,” Ready-Campbell said. The Louisiana project is a glimpse of the future of construction unfolding in the present, with fewer workers handling dangerous, repetitive tasks by hand, and more autonomous machines taking them on to quickly build out new infrastructure. Founded in 2016 and based in San Francisco, Built Robotics develops what Ready-Campbell called a “physical AI upgrade” for heavy equipment. The startup installs a mix of sensors, cameras, GPS, and software on machines from major manufacturers, including Caterpillar, enabling them to operate autonomously within defined work zones. Built has completed over 40 deployments, primarily in utility-scale solar and data centers. The modified machinery can handle tasks such as pile driving, trenching, and pre-drilling — monotonous work that can come before installing solar panels or paving roads. Take a smarter break in your day – and see how far you get. Built Robotics’ latest commercial milestone is a $75 million contract with Blattner Energy, a major renewable energy construction company. With Blattner, Built Robotics has been deployed across seven projects, and the latest deal will expand its nationwide deployments. One of Built’s current projects includes a solar power site that Ready-Campbell said will help power Meta’s Hyperion data center. The computing facility, which spans 3,650 acres, is expected to require roughly 2 gigawatts of power during the initial operating stage. Built is not a direct contractor for Meta. A Meta spokesperson did not return a request for comment. About 10 robots are working on a solar project in bayou country, handling more than half of the pile-driving scope and driving nearly 1,000 piles, or steel beams, a day, Ready-Campbell said. The work can be physically demanding when done conventionally. A typical steel beam can be 14 feet long and weigh 200 pounds each. Ready-Campbell said workers may slide the beams off heavy equipment by hand or lift them just enough to rig a sling underneath before a pile-driving machine hoists them into place. “This guy’s effectively having to deadlift half the weight of this beam,” Ready-Campbell said. “It’s really hard on your body.” Built’s robots remove the workers from that process. No human is handling the beams, Ready-Campbell said. The Louisiana site has also become a test of where robots can work when conditions are unsafe for people. Ready-Campbell described the location as a low, wet area, where workers can find themselves knee-deep in mud.The construction crews decided to put Built machinery in the swampiest parts of the project “because the robots don’t care.” The autonomous machinery can work in the heat, darkness, and during a “lightning stand-down,” Ready-Campbell said, when crews pause work because of lightning risk. Human supervisors can monitor the machines from a safe location, such as a trailer. The equipment does not operate fully independently of people. Ready-Campbell described the human’s role akin to a “robot foreman” — someone who manages and maintains the fleet, keeps the machines supplied with fuel and steel piles, and thinks ahead to keep production moving. Built’s system also stops if a potential person is detected in the work zone. “We have an AI model that we run on the robots,” Ready-Campbell said, “and we have it tuned deliberately to be, I would say, on the conservative side. So if it sees anything that it thinks might be a human, it’ll just stop the robot.” With 10 robots at the Louisiana site, Ready-Campbell said a project with a conventional crew would require about 3 to 4 times as many crew members to complete the same amount of work. The CEO stressed that Built’s pitch is not that construction work disappears. Instead, he said scarce workers will be shifted away from dangerous, repetitive work, while contractors can take on more projects. It’s a viewpoint that robotics companies tackling other verticals, such as warehousing and manufacturing, have shared — an upskilling of the existing workforce while robots fill the labor gap. The Associated Builders and Contractors estimated in January that the construction industry will need to attract 349,000 net new workers in 2026 to meet demand. A survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America last year found that construction workforce shortages are the leading cause of project delays, as recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts affect nearly one-third of firms. “I’ve been on projects where I’ve seen ICE come and pick people up,” Ready-Campbell said. “The labor shortage is a huge, huge problem.” The AI boom has simultaneously put new pressure on the power grid as tech companies race to build out massive data centers. Ready-Campbell said developers are now looking for power “behind the meter,” or through dedicated energy infrastructure, because they can’t get enough electricity from the grid. Demand is only part of the reason solar has become a natural beachhead for Built. Solar work is repetitive, large-scale, and the sites are often in remote locations. Solar is also a relatively new technology, Ready-Campbell said, meaning developers are better positioned for adoption. “Since it’s a relatively newer type of construction, the people who are decision makers there are also a little more open-minded,” Ready-Campbell said. Built Robotics has also tackled oil and gas, heavy highway construction, and residential and commercial building projects. Ready-Campbell said his startup’s work is part of a longer arc in construction, where new tools have gradually made back-breaking labor less punishing. “A hundred years ago, if you needed to dig a trench, you’re probably going to do it with a pick and shovel and a bunch of guys and a wheelbarrow,” he said. “Nobody really wants to go back to that.” Jump to Every time publishes a story, you’ll get an alert straight to your inbox! Look out for an alert in your inbox the next time publishes a story! Every time a new story is published, you’ll get an alert straight to your inbox! Look out for an alert in your inbox the next time a new story is published!
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June 17, 2026 Listen to this story (9 minutes) The North Carolina Court of Appeals has ruled for a second time in favor of Pender County in a dispute over a proposed 2,300-acre solar farm. The decision released Wednesday arrived more than a year after the court agreed to revisit a decision handed down on the final day of 2024. The court’s initial ruling also favored the county, which had rejected a special use permit for the solar farm project. “The record shows that Petitioner failed to meet the mandatory standards to establish a prima facie entitlement to the requested SUP,” Judge Michael Stading wrote in the latest decision. “Therefore, the Board properly denied the SUP. Thus, the superior court ultimately did not err in affirming the Board’s decision. And after careful review of the record, Petitioner’s due process argument is overruled.” Judge Thomas Murry joined Stading’s opinion. Judge Donna Stroud concurred “in result only,” meaning she agreed with the decision without endorsing Stading’s legal analysis. The court delivered an unpublished opinion. That type of opinion has limited value as a precedent for future cases. A January 2025 order blocked the Appeals Court’s initial decision favoring the county over the solar farm developer. A three-judge panel handed down the original decision on Dec. 31, 2024, the last day in office for appointed Judge Carolyn Thompson. The Democrat Thompson lost a November election to keep her seat for another eight years. Murry, a Republican, defeated Thompson with 51% of the. Murry joined Stading and Stroud on the panel addressing a motion to reconsider the case Coastal Pine Solar v. Pender County. “It is hereby ordered that the opinion filed in this case on 31 December 2024 be withdrawn. The Clerk of the Court of Appeals is hereby directed not to certify said opinion. This cause is retained by this Court for disposition by the panel to which it is assigned,” according to the January 2025 order. The original unpublished Appeals Court opinion determined that plaintiff Coastal Pine Solar had failed to prove that it complied with local ordinance requirements. To secure a special-use permit for the solar operation, Coastal Pine Solar required “production of competent, substantial, and material evidence demonstrating compliance” with Pender’s unified development ordinance, Stading wrote in his original opinion. “Though Petitioner presented expert testimony, the Board found this testimony inadequate due to the witnesses’ lack of personal knowledge of the specific site conditions,” Stading added. “Considering all of Petitioner’s evidence — its experts, their testimony and submissions — it remains insufficient to establish a prima facie case of conformity,” the majority opinion explained. “For instance, UDO § 3.12.2(B)(6) requires detailed evidence of ‘[e]xisting topography and all proposed changes’ along with ‘calculations to show total acreage of area to be graded or disturbed.’” “The record contains no competent, site-specific engineering or technical data fulfilling these criteria,” Stading wrote. “While Petitioner’s appraiser mentioned topography, his report addressed only the potential effect on adjoining property values rather than providing the mandated calculations of acreage disturbance. Petitioner identifies no other record evidence — and our review reveals no other record evidence — establishing the essential, technical details required by the UDO.” “Petitioner cannot demonstrate that it satisfied the underlying zoning standards without showing these foundational prerequisites. In other words, failing to produce the information required under section 3.12.2(B) means Petitioner did not carry its initial burden of production. Consequently, Petitioner’s assertion that ‘conformity is not really in dispute’ is unsupported,” the opinion added. The Appeals Court also cited a lack of evidence that the solar farm demonstrated “adequacy of utilities, access roads, drainage, sanitation, and other necessary facilities.” “Although Petitioner repeatedly asserted that it would comply with ‘all statutory and local requirements,’ it offered no specific, competent evidence explaining how these requirements would be met,” Stading wrote. “Rather than presenting definitive drainage plans, engineering reports, or other concrete documentation, Petitioner merely stated that it ‘will’ ensure compliance at some future point. Such conclusory statements fall short of the evidentiary standard imposed by the UDO.” “[T]he Board’s denial of Petitioner’s SUP rested on competent, material, and substantial evidence, reflecting that Petitioner failed to establish a prima facie entitlement under the UDO. As a result, the decision was neither arbitrary nor capricious, and the trial court properly affirmed the Board,” Stading explained. Thompson joined Stading’s original opinion. Stroud supported the case’s result without endorsing Stading’s arguments. The original three-judge appellate panel heard oral arguments in October 2024. Coastal Pine Solar asked the court to reverse a trial judge’s decision in the case. The trial court sided with Pender County commissioners, who rejected the solar operation in 2022. The solar company met its burden to secure a county permit, lawyer Thomas Terrell argued. “An applicant who has met the burden of production automatically wins … if no contrary evidence is offered,” Terrell said. “And in this case, we don’t have any contrary evidence.” Coastal Pine Solar also believes Pender County “really stepped outside of what its role is” in assessing the company’s permit application, Terrell argued. “What is not proper is for the county to become its own advocate — at any level, at any stage — where the county is looking for a certain outcome, which is clearly what was happening here,” he said. “They have to be an impartial decision-maker,” he added. “Not the case — What happened here, we had the county was an aggressive prosecutor.” John Cooke, arguing for Pender County, pointed to evidence supporting county commissioners’ decision. “We have all this evidence from neighbors — adjoining property owners familiar with the property,” Cooke said. “It floods. It’s already flooding, and it’s going to make it worse. And the applicant has offered nothing to improve it or address it.” “This is a massive speculative, inchoate venture and nothing more,” Cooke added. “Neighbor after neighbor said this doesn’t fit,” he argued. The North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation is siding with Pender County in the legal fight. The Farm Bureau filed paperwork in April 2024 to submit a friend-of-the-court brief in the case. “Farm Bureau’s members know which tracts have the best soils for growing certain crops and how their farms absorb and drain water,” according to a motion from Farm Bureau lawyers. “Farm Bureau’s members are also keenly aware that North Carolina is losing farmland to development at an alarming rate and they frequently engage with their local leaders to help preserve the farmland on which they are so dependent.” “Farm Bureau’s interest in this case is focused on Coastal Pine Solar, LLC’s (‘Coastal’) argument that the Superior Court erred below in concluding that Pender County’s denial of Coastal’s special use permit application was ‘supported by competent, material and substantial evidence that is contrary to Coastal Pines Solar LLC’s evidence,’” the motion continued. “To be clear, Farm Bureau does not oppose the siting and operation of solar facilities per se. However, it is concerned that adopting Coastal’s reasoning to reverse the Superior Court, would hinder the ability of farmers and landowners to effectively engage with county leaders when they are considering whether to issue special use permits for development.” “The Record shows the farmers and landowners who spoke against Coastal’s proposed development possessed considerable knowledge about the farmland and weather in Pender County and how the development will change the way water flows off the property and into nearby waters,” Farm Bureau lawyers wrote. The proposed farm was larger than any North Carolina solar farm identified by the company’s expert. It was “nearly twenty (20) times larger than the largest solar farm found in this Court’s precedents, raising a serious policy question unencountered by this Court,” Pender County lawyers added. North Carolina’s second-highest court has agreed to publish its recent decision in a case involving local Outer Banks business restrictions. Publication gives the decision greater weight as a precedent for future cases in state court. The North Carolina Court of Appeals recently revived an entrepreneur’s lawsuit against a Kill Devil Hills ordinance that limits her economic rights. The North Carolina Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving a dispute over Montreat’s approval of a new lodge. The North Carolina Court of Appeals will allow a lawsuit to move forward challenging Kill Devil Hills’ restrictions against “itinerant vendors.” Copyright 2026 John Locke Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
Share Susquehanna University solar array powers 30% of the campus’ operational needs. Now students are trying to determine how the 12,000 panels might be supporting the microhabitats that have grown beneath […] Susquehanna University solar array powers 30% of the campus’ operational needs. Now students are trying to determine how the 12,000 panels might be supporting the microhabitats that have grown beneath and around them — specifically for spiders. So far, Matt Persons, Charles B. Degenstein professor of biology at Susquehanna University, and two of his students — Andrew Pisano ’27, an ecology major from Malvern, Pennsylvania, and Kaylee Rathbone ’27, a biomedical sciences major from Mannington Township, New Jersey — have collected more than 1,000 spiders from the array. They do so in a very uniform way, Pisano said, during the day and at night. “We’re in each plot, which is about 8 meters by 5 meters, for about an hour and we sample as much as we can either by hand or using fine mesh sweep nets,” Pisano explained. The spiders are placed into vials and then sent to Persons’ lab for official identification. Only about half of the known spider species build webs, and the structure of the solar array gives those spiders the perfect framework to build their homes, Persons said. “We’re trying to understand how these habitats are different than a traditional agricultural field, which is usually what [a solar array] replaces, versus a forest environment versus a golden rod habitat, so we are doing some comparisons to see what’s there,” he said. “Here we have an area of land that isn’t sprayed and can act as a nursery for a lot of arthropods that can then disperse out to surrounding agricultural systems. Nobody’s done research on this to test it, but it’s likely that there are higher populations of pollinators and spiders in these systems.” The project is Rathbone’s first research experience. “It really gives me an opportunity to explore what doing research here is like and use the scientific process to discover what does work and what doesn’t work,” she said. “We’ve had quite a few meetings already this summer to reevaluate our processes and it’s been a valuable learning experience.” Solar installations have increased in Pennsylvania over the past several years, according to the Pennsylvania Utility Commission, including arrays placed on land once used for agricultural purposes, “but those two things aren’t necessarily exclusive of one another,” Persons said. “With thoughtful design and management, these sites can support a surprising diversity of microhabitats,” he said, “creating a patchwork of conditions that can benefit a range of plant and animal species.” Persons and his students are also using their research as an opportunity to identify various spider species that call Pennsylvania home, a study that’s never really been undertaken. “There are over 4,000 species of spiders in the United States, but we don’t really know how many there are in Pennsylvania,” Persons said. “The last survey that was done in the state was in 1942, so we’re hoping to add to the data currently held by the State Museum of Pennsylvania.” Share Keep Reading Jacob Henretta ’27 is putting his ecology major to work in the field of engineering… For decades, Susquehanna University’s Derek Straub has studied what is suspended in fog — the… Twenty Susquehanna University students recently presented faculty-mentored research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research…
Beginning July 1, Austin Energy is increasing financial solar incentives to make clean, renewable energy even more affordable for homeowners, businesses and nonprofits. Austin Energy’s solar programs apply additional incentives on top of the utility’s Value of Solar bill credit for solar generation. 
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