Solar Now

GCL Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (GCL-ET), the energy technology solutions arm of GCL Group, and QIJI Energy, CATL’s heavy-duty truck battery-swapping subsidiary, have commissioned an integrated renewable energy demonstration station in Ningde, Fujian province. The station combines a 94 kW wind-solar generation system with 930 kWh of energy storage and supports five-minute battery swapping and MW-scale supercharging. It is expected to consume 120 MWh of renewable electricity annually and cut carbon emissions by about 72 tonnes.
According to the companies, the project represents China’s first deployment of perovskite tandem PV technology in a heavy-duty truck charging and battery-swapping load scenario. Connected to GCL-ET’s virtual power plant (VPP) platform, it uses AI algorithms to dynamically coordinate PV generation, energy storage, and charging and battery-swapping loads for grid response and electricity market participation.
In July, GCL ET signed a framework agreement with the Shaoguan municipal government in Guangdong Province to develop a large-scale green computing hub (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
The China Electricity Council (CEC) reported that enterprises within its statistical scope commissioned 87 new electrochemical energy storage stations in Q3 2026, adding 12.6 GW/39.36 GWh of capacity. New installations rose 172% YoY and 3% QoQ, with Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shandong ranking as the top five provinces and regions by additions.
By the end of the quarter, CEC’s statistics covered 2,363 operating electrochemical energy storage stations with a combined capacity of 143.53 GW/375.80 GWh.
In August, CEC forecast that solar power would surpass coal-fired power in installed capacity during the third quarter of 2026 (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
PV and lithium battery equipment manufacturer LEAD has delivered a full-line equipment solution to upgrade an existing TOPCon cell production line to back-contact (BC) technology for an undisclosed major PV customer. The solution uses an LPCVD + PE-Poly process compatible with existing TOPCon lines, enabling conversion into high-efficiency BC lines without constructing new factory buildings.
LEAD said the project reuses wet-process, high-temperature, film-deposition, screen-printing, and firing and automation equipment, requiring only additional laser and etching equipment. According to the company, this achieves a 75% equipment reuse rate and cuts capital expenditure by more than half compared with building a new BC line.
On the topic of TOPCon to BC line conversion, DAS Solar recently revealed that it plans to convert its 14 GW TOPCon cell production base in Xinzhou, Shanxi Province, to DBC technology (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
China’s Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs have extended the suspension of export controls covering lithium batteries, specified battery materials, and related manufacturing equipment and technologies from November 11, 2026, through January 10, 2027.
The measures apply to rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with a gravimetric energy density of at least 300 Wh/kg, as well as specified LFP cathode materials, ternary cathode material precursors, lithium-rich manganese-based cathode materials, graphite anode materials, and related manufacturing equipment and technologies.
Announced in October 2025, the controls were originally scheduled to take effect on November 8, 2025, but were suspended prior to implementation and have never entered into force. The latest notice states that the suspension will run until January 10, 2027, without specifying arrangements beyond that date.
The Jiangxi provincial government has issued its 15^th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for developing a new energy system. The province targets total power generation capacity of more than 110 GW by 2030, including over 55 GW of new energy capacity – with an aspirational target of 60 GW – making new energy the province’s largest source of installed power capacity.
The plan calls for adding more than 18 GW of wind, solar, and biomass capacity during 2026-2030 while maintaining a new energy utilization rate above 90%. By 2030, Jiangxi aims for new-type energy storage capacity to exceed 5 GW, pumped-storage capacity to reach 3.3 GW, VPPs to provide 3 GW of regulation capacity, and demand response capability to reach 2.9 GW, while raising generation- and storage-side regulation capability by more than 40%.
TaiyangNews 2024

source

PNE AG/ Key word(s): Quarterly / Interim Statement
PNE reports significant earnings growth in the first nine months of2026
12.11.2026 / 08:06 CET/CEST
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Corporate news
PNE reports significant earnings growth in the first nine months of2026
Cuxhaven, 12 November 2026 – PNE AG achieved significant operational progress in the first nine months of 2026, despite a market environment that continues to be very challenging. In Germany and international markets, the company sold wind energy and photovoltaic projects with a total capacity of approximately 361MW. At the same time, PNE secured permits for additional wind energy and photovoltaic projects with capacity amounting to around 965MW.
For the first nine months of2026, the Group reported a revenue of EUR 150.7million (previous year: EUR 142.2million) and a gross profit of EUR 134.8 million (previous year: EUR 111.1 million. Normalised EBITDA increased markedly year-on-year from EUR 26.6million to EUR 45.4million. Reported EBITDA rose from EUR 26.6million to EUR 43.9million. The operating result (EBIT) also improved substantially to EUR 15.0million, compared with EUR –2.9million in the previous year.
“We achieved a lot in operational and financial terms with a strong growth compared to the first nine months in 2025, performing in a market environment that continues to be challenging. With project sales and new permits we have again demonstrated the substance and potential within our project pipeline,” comments HeikoWuttke, CEO of PNEAG. “This gives us further grounds for optimism, also in view of the ongoing sales process, in which there are several interested parties.”
Project pipeline remains at high level
The PNE Group’s project pipeline remains at a high level. As of 30 September2026, the wind energy onshore pipeline comprised projects with around14.3 GW of capacity (31 December 2025: 14.6GW). Photovoltaic projects add around 6.9GWp (31December2025: 7.2GWp). Overall, around 11.9 GW of the project pipeline is attributable to the three core markets of Germany, France and Poland.
PNE also made important progress in project sales during the first nine months. In the third quarter, the company sold the “Kuhstedt III + IV” wind farm (20.6MW) and “Wulfsdorf A” wind farm (24.4MW) in Germany and the “Karolew” wind farm (153.0MW) in Poland. PNE had already sold three additional wind farms in Germany in the first half of the year, as well as a total of five wind energy and photovoltaic projects in Poland and France.
Own generation portfolio and services on positive trend
The PNE Group’s own generation portfolio had installed capacity of 484MW. In the first nine months, the plants generated around589GWh of green electricity, reflecting around twelve per cent year-on-year growth.
The services business is also being strategically expanded. In the future market for battery energy storage operations, the PNE Group has secured three mandates with a total capacity of 281MWh. In addition, the order volume handled by the PNE Group in operations management increased from around 3,103 MW as of 31 December 2025 to around 3,288 MW of wind energy capacity.
Guidance for the 2026 financial year
After adjusting its guidance in October, PNE now expects normalised consolidated EBITDA of between EUR 65million and EUR 80million for the 2026 financial year, thereby continuing to rank among the best results of the past ten years.
The statement for the third quarter of 2026 from PNEAG is available here:
https://www.pnegroup.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Finanzberichte/2026/261111_PNE_Quarterly_Statement_Q…
About the PNE Group
The internationally operating PNE Group is listed in the SDAX. For more than 30 years, it has been one of the most experienced project developers in the area of onshore and offshore wind farms. The focus is on the development of wind energy and photovoltaic projects worldwide as well as on power generation with its own wind farms. Its portfolio covers all project planning phases, from site investigation, permitting procedures and financing through to construction, operation and repowering. As a Clean Energy Solutions Provider, the PNE Group also offers services for the entire life cycle of wind farms and photovoltaic power plants, as well as battery storage solutions for more efficient use of renewable energies.
Contact:
PNE AG
Alexander Lennemann
Head of Corporate Communications
Tel: +49 47 21 7 18 – 453
E-mail: alexander.lennemann@pnegroup.com
12.11.2026 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News – a service of EQS Group.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.
2433396 12.11.2026 CET/CEST

Select market data provided by ICE Data Services. Select reference data provided by FactSet. Copyright © 2026 FactSet Research Systems Inc.Copyright © 2026, American Bankers Association. CUSIP Database provided by FactSet Research Systems Inc. All rights reserved. SEC filings and other documents provided by Quartr.© 2026 TradingView, Inc.

source

© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.
“Is this regular? Am I being unreasonable being uncomfortable.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A South Jersey homebuyer says they are facing another hurdle in an already troubled closing after receiving conflicting information about the property’s solar panels.
Parts coverage extending into 2041 appeared in both the appraisal and solar inspection reports, the buyer said — contradicting the sellers’ attorney’s statement that there was no warranty.
Whether they could sell the property’s solar renewable energy certificates, or SRECs, was among the questions the buyer brought to Reddit’s r/solar community. Since September 23, they had been seeking documentation confirming that the certificates would transfer to them, along with contractor details and warranties.
Little had arrived beyond a text from the selling agent repeating appraisal information, the buyer said. The sellers’ deadline to supply the documents was three days after a late-September request.
For the buyer, an inspection that reassured their attorney did not resolve concerns about missing paperwork. “Is this regular? Am I being unreasonable being uncomfortable?” the original poster asked.
Residential solar can lower electricity bills, and some $0-upfront solar leases may save households hundreds of dollars per month, depending on their circumstances. For readers evaluating those possibilities, EasyHome offers a free explorer tool to estimate potential savings and find vetted local installers.
Delays in the sellers’ own home purchase had held up the closing, according to the buyer, even though the sellers had insisted on a particular date. 
According to the original poster, the home’s roof was replaced after the solar array was installed. Commenters urged the buyer to investigate installation records and equipment details, including the inverter model, rather than relying solely on the inspection’s assessment of the system’s condition.
With energy prices through the roof, there’s never been a better time to go solar — and EasyHome can help you find the best prices from the best installers in your area.
EasyHome takes the guesswork and headaches out of energy upgrades by showing you estimated savings from a network of vetted local partners. To get started, just enter your ZIP and share a few details about your home — seeing your estimate is really that easy.
Still, one commenter said their system was operating without issues in its seventh year.
Monitoring access, inverter identification, and equipment warranty certificates were among the items commenters wanted included in a written package. They also called for the original installation contract and utility interconnection approval.
One commenter suggested that a year of utility bills could help the buyer review production and electricity exports. That commenter also recommended checking the property’s permit history.
Commenters wanted clarity on any lease or power purchase agreement, as well as whether the panels were financed or paid off.
Commenters suggested a credit or escrow holdback if the records remained unavailable. They also urged the buyer to establish whether the existing net-metering terms would carry over and to document the requirements for transferring SRECs.
For buyers assessing a home’s energy setup, EasyHome also offers battery-storage exploration options. Pairing solar with suitable battery storage can help households manage electricity costs and provide backup power during outages.
Questions about warranties, system access, and contract obligations have complicated other home purchases, too. These stories follow buyers checking the solar systems that come with their homes and homeowners navigating repairs after a solar company failed.
• A buyer considering a solar roof was urged to check who backs the warranty.
• A new homeowner inherited a solar system but learned monitoring access might not transfer.
• A homebuyer says their solar array produces a third of expected power, with installers unwilling to help.
• After their solar company failed, a homeowner received a free replacement inverter but faced installation complications.
• A California buyer entered escrow before discovering a 25-year solar PPA costing $240.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

source

Sungrow, a global provider of photovoltaic (PV) inverters and energy storage systems, has launched its next generation MGTL Series of three phase hybrid inverters in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The series covers a power range of 10 kW to 25 kW and combines solar and energy storage in one highly integrated solution. Sungrow says it helps households and businesses get more from their solar systems, strengthen energy resilience and simplify system deployment.
As African households and businesses invest in solar to reduce reliance on the grid and manage electricity costs, making full use of available PV generation is becoming more important. The MGTL Series uses Sungrow’s PID Zero® technology, an ESS PID solution designed to protect PV modules and support long term system performance. With PV input current of up to 20A per string, compatibility with high current PV modules and a wide MPPT voltage range, the inverter supports up to 250% PV oversizing. Installers can therefore pair it with larger PV arrays, increasing potential energy yield and making better use of limited rooftop space.
“As solar adoption continues to grow across Sub Saharan Africa, making the most of every available unit of solar generation is becoming increasingly important. The MGTL Series gives installers greater flexibility to design systems that can maximise PV generation and help customers get more value from their solar investment,” says Nigel Sun, President of Sungrow Sub Saharan Africa.
Sungrow MGTL Series (10/12/15/20/25kW) –
Scale Up, Power On. Image credit: Sungrow
Backup capability remains a key consideration for African homes and businesses buying an energy system. The MGTL Series switches between grid tied and off grid modes in zero milliseconds, so connected loads keep operating during a grid outage. It supports up to 200% three phase unbalanced output, a maximum charge and discharge current of 440A, and AC overload capacity of up to 2.0 times for 10 seconds. This allows the system to handle demanding residential and commercial loads while giving designers more flexibility in building hybrid solar and storage systems.
Sungrow has also designed the series to streamline installation and improve the user experience. Fanless operation keeps noise levels as low as 35 dB(A) on the MG10/12/15TL models, and selected models have a 4.3 inch touchscreen for local monitoring and adjustment. An integrated multi function port allows flexible connections with diesel generators and smart loads, while the bus bar terminal battery design supports quick, straightforward battery deployment. These features are particularly relevant for installers managing increasingly sophisticated solar and storage systems across residential and commercial applications.
“As hybrid solar and storage systems become more sophisticated, installers need solutions that are powerful without adding unnecessary complexity. The MGTL Series combines key functions into a highly integrated platform, helping to simplify installation while giving customers greater flexibility in how they manage their energy,” says Sun.
Safety and durability are central to the design. The series comes with standard AFCI 3.0R arc fault detection, covering cable runs of up to 200 metres with a 20A detection current, which helps keep rooftops safe over long distances and gives early warning of electrical fire risks. It also has a patented explosion proof design with dual pressure relief, an IP66 protection rating and C5 corrosion resistance for dependable operation in challenging environments.
The inverters connect with Sungrow’s MBL120 and MBL160 battery series as well as a growing range of third party battery solutions. Through the iSolarCloud platform, users and installers get real time system data and customisable energy management insights within a secure and open ecosystem.
With the MGTL Series, Sungrow says it is continuing to push residential energy innovation forward, delivering smarter, safer and more resilient systems for evolving needs.
For enquiries in Sub-Saharan Africa, contact Sungrow HERE 
Author: Bryan Groenendaal






Δ

October 7, 2026
October 12, 2026
October 18, 2026
October 30, 2026
November 4, 2026
October 3, 2026
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Returns Policy | Intellectual Property | Cookie Policy
© 2019 – 2026 GBA Digital Media Group. All Rights Reserved
Website Design | Website Maintenance

Subscribe to our weekly Top 5 Stories
"*" indicates required fields
Δ

source

You are logged in
Loading…
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one.
Your active subscription(s)
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
Products you’ve access to
Additional Subscription Benefits
Account Settings
Need help with your subscription?
November 13, 2026e-Paper
The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.
First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.
Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.
Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in!
Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers
THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers
Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there
Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary.
The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.
November 13, 2026e-Paper
Published – November 13, 2026 07:30 am IST – BENGALURU
A perovskite solar cell. | Photo Credit: Public domain
Perovskite solar cells are an exciting technology in the solar industry because they extract more power from a given area than silicon.
They get their name from the crystals they are made of, metal-halide perovskites. They absorb sunlight strongly, so require an active layer only a few hundred nanometres thick, which is three orders of magnitude thinner than silicon wafers.
Manufacturing perovskites also requires temperatures under 200°C while silicon cells are much less forgiving. So depending on other economic factors, the perovskites process may be less energy-intensive.
Published – November 13, 2026 07:30 am IST
solar / renewable energy / physics / electricity production and distribution
Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
BACK TO TOP
Terms & conditions  |  Institutional Subscriber
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

source

Friday, November 13, 2026 74° Today’s Paper
By Sebastien Selarque
Nov. 12, 2026
Sébastien Sélarque
STAR-ADVERTISER / 2024
Thousands of solar panels collect energy from the sun for grid use and battery storage at Kupono Solar Farm in Ewa Beach on June 13, 2024.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
From as low as $12.95 /mo.
In Hawaii, energy solutions should be community solutions that ensure resiliency and safety. As Hawaii weighs a proposal from Tokyo-based JERA Co. Inc. to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant and terminal on Oahu — a roughly $2 billion project — with questionable economic benefits, we have now endured yet another intense storm that makes us reflect.
Would LNG have kept the power on for the 250,900 residents who lost power as high winds and heavy rains impacted the island chain during Lala? Would LNG have kept the power on for the more than 130,000 residents without power in March during the Kona-low storms?
No. A new centralized fossil fuel burning power plant, like this proposed LNG project, would not have prevented downed power lines. However, solutions that don’t rely on those powerlines, like rooftop solar and battery storage, resiliency hubs and local microgrids can ensure that people have access to electricity when they most need it.
LNG is a fossil fuel that Hawaii would have to import from foreign countries. Investing billions in new LNG infrastructure risks locking Hawaii into decades of imported fuel dependence, global price swings, trade wars and global conflict, and continued greenhouse gas emissions. At a time when the state has committed to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2045, LNG is not a bridge to a clean future; it is a detour.
Utility-scale solar is now one of the lowest-cost sources of electricity that exists. When paired with battery storage, it can provide reliable, dispatchable power at rates that are increasingly competitive with fossil fuels. In Hawaii, several recently approved solar-plus-storage projects have already demonstrated lower costs than traditional oil-fired generation, while offering stable, predictable pricing over decades.
Distributed rooftop solar is already widespread on Oahu, with more than 1 in 3 single-family homes generating their own power. This existing network can be expanded efficiently, particularly when combined with battery systems that store excess energy for use during evening peak demand. The result is a more flexible and resilient grid.
Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It’s FREE!
Battery storage costs, once a major barrier, have fallen by more than 80% over the past decade. Grid-scale storage projects are now being deployed across Hawaii to shift abundant daytime solar into the evening, reducing reliance on fossil fuel peaker plants. This is not theoretical — it is already happening.
In contrast, LNG projects require long development timelines, complex permitting processes, and decades of cost recovery. By the time such infrastructure becomes operational, renewable technologies are likely to be even more affordable and efficient.
Hawaii currently imports most of its energy, sending billions of dollars to outside economies. Expanding solar and other renewables keeps more of that money within the local economy, supporting jobs, businesses and long-term economic resilience.
Clinging to LNG risks delaying the inevitable while saddling residents with unnecessary costs and continued exposure to global fuel markets. Solar, by contrast, offers price certainty, energy independence and alignment with Hawaii’s legally mandated goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045.
We have a choice. We can double down on imported fossil fuels through LNG, or we can accelerate the transition already underway — one built on solar, storage and local resilience. Hawaii has long positioned itself as a leader in clean energy, with both the resources and the policy framework to succeed.
Solar is not just an option — it is the smarter investment for Hawaii’s future.
Sébastien Sélarque is corrdinator of Local Power Hawaii, a new coalition of community leaders, business owners and organizations advocating that Hawaii — not outside corporations or fossil fuel interests — control the state’s energy future.
500 Ala Moana Blvd. #2-200
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 529-4747
Our Company
Subscribers
More

source

Tiverton planners conditionally approved a small solar array on a Nanaquaket Road farm. They continued the Stonegate Estates subdivision to Dec. 1 amid a dispute over a strip of land off Mary Lane that a neighbor says she owns.
A three-lot subdivision off Mary Lane, with a home and an accessory unit on each lot, will return to the Planning Board on Dec. 1. Its access depends on a 40-foot strip that a neighbor says is hers, and a lawsuit over the strip is pending. A farm on Nanaquaket Road won conditional approval for a small solar array, with the fence requirement waived. The board also gave a positive review to a new house in the Stafford Pond watershed.
Tiverton, R.I. — The Tiverton Planning Board on Tuesday night granted conditional approval for a small ground-mounted solar array on a farm on Nanaquaket Road. It also pushed a contested three-lot subdivision off Mary Lane to its Dec. 1 meeting, according to the Tiverton Planning Board's published meeting recording.
The subdivision, Stonegate Estates, stalled over a single question: whether a 40-foot strip at the end of the Mary Lane cul-de-sac gives the new lots legal access to a public road. A neighbor says the strip is part of her property, and a lawsuit over it is pending, according to a statement read on her behalf.
The board opened by amending its agenda and voting to continue three items to Dec. 1. They were two development applications and the Stafford Farms application.
The board also voted to extend the "time clock" on one of those items to Dec. 31. A time clock is the deadline under state law for the board to act on an application. Members said the other two items already had clocks running to Dec. 30 and Dec. 31, so no change was needed.
The Stonegate Estates application covers about 11 acres on Bulgarmarsh Road, according to land-use expert Peter Friedrichs, who testified for the applicant. A single-family home on the property has been demolished. The plan calls for three lots, each with a single-family home and a detached accessory dwelling unit, a smaller second home on the same lot.
Engineer Jeffrey Hanson said access would come from a roughly 230-foot extension off Mary Lane ending in a new cul-de-sac. He said the cul-de-sac design was reviewed with the fire chief for the turning radius of the largest fire vehicle. Each lot would have its own septic system and public water. A stormwater facility would discharge to a large wetland in the southwest corner of the property, Hanson said.
Friedrichs walked through the five findings state law requires before a subdivision is approved. They are consistency with the comprehensive plan, zoning compliance, environmental impacts, buildable lots and street access. He said the project meets all five at the preliminary plan stage. He also said the applicant was asking for a waiver of the environmental review statement.
Attorney Dylan Conley, representing the applicant, told the board that the legal status of the access strip is not this board's question. He said the law asks only whether there is physical access. Conley said the 1980s-era Mary Lane subdivision plat marks the strip as an "area reserved for future road." He said the Town Council later accepted that plat. He cited a recent Superior Court decision in a Westerly case involving Habitat for Humanity and argued the strip functions as a paper street. A paper street can be abandoned only through a formal process, he argued, and no such step has ever been taken.
Several speakers on the board's side disagreed. One said state law defines access as "adequate and permanent." That speaker said access over land the applicant has not shown it owns or holds recorded rights to cannot be shown to be permanent.
Another speaker, offering what they called a legal opinion to the board, said the board lacks jurisdiction to decide that the strip is legal access. That speaker said there is no recorded easement and no title to the strip in the applicant's name. The speaker said the applicant could buy the strip, obtain an easement or seek a court ruling.
One board member said the tax assessor's map showed the land under the strip as part of the neighboring lot on Mary Lane. Rosemary Eva, a board member, said she sat on the board when the original Mary Lane subdivision came before it. She said she remembered a stormwater easement on the property and "There was no 40 foot on that."
During public comment, a speaker read a statement on behalf of the owner of the neighboring Mary Lane lot, who was present and said she agreed with it. The statement said the developer approached the owner in December 2022 and offered compensation for use of the land. The offers rose from $3,000 to a proposed total of $35,000, and then to $40,000 to buy the strip outright, the statement said. The owner declined each offer, according to the statement.
The statement said the owner was served with a civil suit over the land in January 2024 and that the case remains pending. It also said workers hired by the developer entered the property with machinery and removed trees, and that the owner filed a report with the Tiverton Police Department.
The owner told the board she pays taxes on the land, bought her property in November 2021 and wants to see a deed showing the strip was given to the town.
One member said they did not oppose the subdivision and did not want to turn it down. That member suggested holding off on action rather than deciding. The board's time clock on the application runs to Dec. 7, members said.
The board was also weighing a memo from its consulting engineer, Weston & Sampson, that one member said raises engineering issues still to be resolved. A speaker for the applicant offered to accept a condition requiring every Weston & Sampson concern to be addressed by final plan. The applicant's side said it wanted a full chance to rebut those concerns if any were used as grounds for denial.
Board members raised moving the matter to a Dec. 15 special meeting. That would require the applicant to extend the time clock, and the applicant's side said it had no authority to do so.
The board then voted by voice to continue the hearing to Dec. 1 to discuss the engineering and make a final decision. A speaker suggested the applicant's engineers meet with Weston & Sampson beforehand to narrow the issues.
The Nanaquaket Road property owner is proposing a 936-square-foot ground-mounted solar array on a 29-acre farm to power farm operations and the house. Ground-mounted arrays are mostly prohibited in town but allowed on properties in the state farm program, a speaker reviewing the application explained. The array would cover about 0.7% of the lot, sit roughly 500 feet from the road and stand just over 10 feet tall, the speaker said.
Board member Stuart Hardy said he supports the project. He listed requirements unique to farm solar arrays. Generation is capped at 125% of the farm's electricity needs, and Hardy said he had read this one would produce about 101%. The other requirements are a USDA-approved farm conservation plan, proof of farm tax status, a recorded operating and maintenance plan, and decommissioning information. The owner said she has a conservation plan, though members noted it was not in their packets.
Town Planner Christopher Spencer said the rules call for a 10-foot chain-link fence but that the board can waive it. He said he would rather not see one. The owner said she plans a low fence to keep her horses away from the array.
Tim Rich of Newport Solar testified that the wiring would run through buried conduit and that the equipment would be sealed. He said installation might not happen before the end of the year but could come within a month of approval.
On a motion by Eva, the board approved the preliminary plan by voice vote. The approval is conditioned on submission of the missing documents, a waiver of the fence requirement and proper titling of all plans. A speaker said the final plan will be handled administratively, so the owner does not need to return to the board.
The board voted 4-0 to accept an environmental review statement for a new house on a roughly five-acre Bulgarmarsh Road property in the Stafford Pond watershed. The vote amounts to a positive recommendation to the building official.
An engineer from Civil Engineering Concepts said the owners want to keep the existing house as an accessory unit, which still requires a zoning variance. He said impervious building coverage would rise from 2.3% to 4%. Roof runoff would go to an infiltration trench, he said, and former paddock areas would be seeded.
One board member called Stafford Pond the town's only drinking-water source apart from Fall River. That member said increases like this one, repeated around the pond, would add pollution, and urged the use of the state's low impact development manual. The member also pressed the applicant to seek a letter of applicability under the town's soil erosion ordinance. The engineer agreed to contact the building official about it ahead of time.
Spencer said the proposal "complies completely" with watershed rules, which cap impervious cover at 10%. Two residents asked about contamination testing in the area. One suggested new construction anywhere in town be tested for possible contamination spread.
The comprehensive plan is the town's long-range guide for land use. A speaker said a draft request for proposals to hire a consultant for the plan update is expected to go to the Town Council when the new council is sworn in in December.
One member, who said they were active in the 2018 plan, said the town is supposed to have a new plan by 2028. That member said they were "very disappointed" the work has not been a higher priority. Susan Anderson, speaking during public comment, read the 2018 plan's history: work began in late 2013, and the council adopted the plan on April 30, 2018. A member asked that the item stay on future agendas, and the chair agreed.
The board meets next on Dec. 1, when Stonegate Estates, Stafford Farms and the other continued items are expected to return. Members referred to a special meeting already planned for Dec. 15 for the Friendship Farms application.
This story was sourced from the complete transcript of the meeting and carefully summarized with an LLM. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, the possibility of transcription errors could lead to inaccuracies. How we report meeting stories →
Uprise RI provides free, independent coverage of the issues that matter to Rhode Islanders. Reporting like this takes time — your support keeps it free for everyone.
Rhode Island's Advocate. Independent local journalism covering RI politics, labor, consumer issues, and more.
Get the latest news delivered to your inbox.
© 2026 Uprise RI. All rights reserved.
Designed and hosted by Company 50, a Rhode Island developer.
This bill prohibits including accessory dwelling units in comprehensive permit housing applications specifically within the town of Tiverton.
This bill prohibits including accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in comprehensive affordable housing permits specifically in the town of Tiverton.
Follow Tiverton in the Evening Recap. Confirm your email, then review and save your preferences.
Tiverton is supposed to have a new comprehensive plan by 2028, but a consultant search discussed more than a year ago has not started. The last plan took about four and a half years, members and a resident said.

source

Early Black Friday deals worth buying, price-checked live.

EcoFlow has launched its STREAM Plug-in Solar Kit in the UK, offering households a way to generate their own electricity without committing to a traditional rooftop solar installation.
Starting at £599, the system combines solar panels with a compact microinverter that feeds electricity into the home through a compatible UK socket. EcoFlow claims it can generate up to 900kWh of electricity a year, potentially knocking £187 off annual energy bills.
The timing is significant. New UK regulations introduced on 27 August 2026 have opened the door to plug-in solar systems, giving renters, flat owners and households without suitable rooftops another way to make use of solar power.
Unlike conventional solar installations, which typically involve roof-mounted panels and dedicated electrical work, EcoFlow’s kit is designed for smaller spaces. The panels can be positioned in a garden, on a suitable balcony or even on an exterior wall, provided the location and installation meet the relevant requirements.
That flexibility could be particularly useful for renters who don’t want to invest in a permanent setup, although permission from a landlord or property owner may still be needed. It’s not quite a case of putting a panel anywhere there’s sunlight and plugging it in, either. EcoFlow says the system must be connected to a suitable socket and electrical circuit, following the applicable UK safety requirements.
Once installed, the kit converts sunlight into electricity that can help run everyday appliances, including fridges, televisions and Wi-Fi routers. The microinverter can start operating with just 3W of solar input, allowing it to make use of lower light levels during cloudy weather or at either end of the day. That’s a useful consideration in the UK, where relying on uninterrupted sunshine would be optimistic.
The hardware is built for outdoor use, with an IP67 dust and water resistance rating and an operating temperature range of -40°C to 65°C. EcoFlow also includes a 10-year warranty on the microinverter and 15 years on its 500W solar panel, while the companion app lets users monitor how much electricity they’re generating.
The system is listed on the Energy Networks Association’s Type Test Register under reference ECOFL/21606/V1/A1, although households still need to ensure their particular installation meets the relevant electrical requirements.
As for the promised savings, EcoFlow’s £187 figure comes from its own modelling rather than a guaranteed reduction. Actual results will depend on factors such as panel placement, sunlight, electricity tariffs and how much of the generated power a household uses.
The EcoFlow STREAM Plug-in Solar Kit is available now in the UK, with prices starting at £599 through the official EcoFlow website. At the company’s maximum estimated saving, recovering that initial cost would take a little over three years, although households generating less electricity could take considerably longer.
Diane is a News Writer for Trusted Reviews, covering daily goings on in the tech world. She holds a degree in creative writing and mainly crafts fictions with a passion for novel storytelling. Her work delves into different genres, now with writing reviews for gadgets and home appliances. Outside of work, Diane enjoys immersing herself in active lifestyle such as dancing and running.
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

source

Japan Forward
Sekisui Chemical's film-type perovskite solar cell (Courtesy of the company)
Competition between Japan and China to develop and mass-produce next-generation perovskite solar cells is intensifying. According to private research firm Fuji Keizai, the global market is expected to reach ¥3.69 trillion (approximately $23 billion) by 2040.
Perovskite solar cells are a next-generation technology that generates electricity using a thin layer of coated perovskite, a crystalline material capable of converting sunlight into electricity.
The technology was developed in Japan by Professor Tsutomu Miyasaka, who is considered a Nobel Prize contender.
China is taking the lead in mass production through government support and massive investment, while Japanese companies are struggling to compete on price.
Japan, however, is seeking to differentiate itself through distinctive technologies, including lightweight, flexible film-type cells, and solar panels integrated into buildings.
Japan’s film-type cells are attracting particular attention because they can be installed on surfaces unsuitable for conventional solar panels. However, reducing manufacturing costs remains a challenge, partly because moisture-protection materials are expensive. The country produces approximately 30% of the world’s iodine, a key raw material used in the technology.
Perovskite solar cells are also among the 17 strategic sectors being promoted by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government, which aims to achieve 20 gigawatts of installed capacity by 2040.
Meanwhile, Chinese companies such as GCL Group announced in 2025 that they had begun operating production facilities with capacities of up to 1 gigawatt.
However, announced production capacity does not necessarily translate into actual output. Yohei Kawai of Fuji Keizai, who monitors Chinese manufacturers, says some factories operate at annual utilization rates of just a few percent, with even the highest remaining below 20%. He notes that these facilities cannot yet be considered fully operational mass-production plants and that product quality varies.
Chinese manufacturers are focusing on tandem cells, which combine different solar technologies to improve efficiency. By allowing each layer to absorb different wavelengths of sunlight, these cells can generate more electricity. However, their greater weight compared with conventional silicon panels limits their potential installation sites.
Kawai says some Chinese companies claim they can manufacture these cells at just two to three times the cost of conventional silicon models. They aim to bring prices down by leveraging the mass-production capabilities and procurement expertise developed through their silicon solar businesses.
He is skeptical that Japan can compete directly on price, saying, “If Japan tries to compete head-on, it probably won’t win.”
Japanese manufacturers are instead targeting applications where flexibility and lightweight design offer a competitive advantage.
Sekisui Chemical launched its film-type solar cell, SOLAFIL, this year. Its lightweight design makes it suitable for factory rooftops with weight restrictions, as well as curved surfaces.
The company plans to establish a mass-production line in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, with an annual capacity of 100,000 kilowatts in fiscal 2027. It aims to generate more than ¥25 billion in sales and achieve operating profitability in fiscal 2028.
Panasonic Holdings also launched its first mass-produced power-generating glass building materials in September. The company has brought forward the start of full-scale mass production at its facility in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, by one year to April 2029. It hopes to incorporate the technology into windows, railings and other architectural features.
“We aim to make these products blend seamlessly into urban designs and enhance the value of buildings and streetscapes,” said Chief Technology Officer Tatsuo Ogawa.
Some experts believe Japanese manufacturers have an advantage in product quality. Ryo Tanaka, representative director of the Japan Perovskite Solar Cell Promotion Council, says early-generation Japanese models are considerably more reliable than their Chinese counterparts.
He also highlights the benefits of installing perovskite solar cells in areas where electricity is consumed, allowing power to be generated close to where it is needed and helping reduce pressure on transmission networks.
Perovskite solar cells are already being tested at locations where conventional panels have been difficult to install, including road noise barriers, railway facilities, public spaces and building rooftops.
West Nippon Expressway Company plans to begin installing film-type cells in mid-November on the roof of a parking area reserved for people with disabilities at the Katsuragawa Parking Area on the Meishin Expressway in Kyoto Prefecture.
A demonstration project is also underway on noise barriers along the Chita Peninsula Road in Aichi Prefecture. The electricity generated will be used for various applications, including systems designed to prevent vehicles from traveling in the wrong direction.
Other projects are exploring potential applications at railway stations and public facilities. At last year’s Osaka-Kansai Expo, Sekisui Chemical installed film-type cells on a bus stop roof, using the electricity generated to power nighttime lighting. 
JR West is also testing the technology in a plaza near Osaka Station to assess its potential for use at railway facilities.
Perovskite technology can also be integrated into buildings without compromising their appearance. In September, the Kamomeria sightseeing boat terminal in Kobe installed glass-type solar cells manufactured by Panasonic. The electricity generated is used to power lighting and air conditioning.
These projects demonstrate the technology’s potential to open up new locations for solar power generation. However, widespread adoption will depend on proving its durability under outdoor conditions and demonstrating that its benefits justify the installation costs.
(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: Hiroto Kuwajima, The Sankei Shimbun
You must be logged in to post a comment.

source

Renewables Now is a leading business news source for renewable energy professionals globally. Trust us for comprehensive coverage of major deals, projects and industry trends. We’ve done this since 2009.
Stay on top of sector news with with Renewables Now. Get access to extra articles and insights with our subscription plans and set up your own focused newsletters and alerts.

source

Categories
Original Shows
About
Inspiration
Creation
Innovation
Production
Nature Inspires Ideas
Hands Craft Beauty
Inventions, Breakthroughs, and Progress
Scaling Innovations to Serve Many
Categories
Original Shows
About
Four additional solar sites in Florida could eventually save customers millions over 30 years.
Duke Energy Florida announced plans to build four new solar energy sites, with the sites expected to be up and running by mid-2028.
Together, these sites will add 300 megawatts of clean energy to the electric grid. Florida is the third-fastest-growing state in the U.S., and electricity demand is climbing with the population. Duke Energy Florida already operates 25 solar sites that contribute 1,850 megawatts to the grid, with each site capable of powering about 15,000 homes.
The biggest draw for the state is the long-term cost savings. Because solar panels run on sunlight instead of natural gas or oil, each new site can save customers $250 million in displaced fuel costs over its roughly 30-year lifespan. Across all four projects, that adds up to an estimated $1 billion in customer savings, Duke Energy Florida stated.
Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act helps keep costs down, too. Duke Energy Florida currently transfers about $75 million in production tax credits to customers every year, which lowers monthly bills by $2.50 for every 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity used. The company explained that those savings will grow as more sites come online.
Advertisement
Each site also cuts fossil fuel usage every year, saving about 1.1 million cubic feet of natural gas, 12,000 barrels of fuel oil, and 9,000 tons of coal.
“At Duke Energy Florida, our job is to make smart, disciplined investments today that will benefit our customers tomorrow,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “These solar energy sites are just one example of how we’re planning for the future and strengthening our system to continue providing safe, reliable power, at the lowest possible price, for years to come.”
An obvious problem with solar power is clearly the sun eventually sets. Duke Energy Florida addressed this by pairing its solar sites with utility-scale batteries that store extra power when demand is low and release it when people need it most.
Over the next 10 years, the company plans to build over 1 gigawatt of battery storage, which brings even more tax credit savings to customers. They are also speeding up tax credits from their seventh battery site, the Powerline Battery Energy Storage System in Citrus County, to avoid a scheduled base rate hike and help lower bills in 2027.
Construction on the four new sites in Orange and Sumter counties will roll out in phases throughout 2027.
Create a free account and get the most out of Tomorrow’s World Today
Read Exclusive Stories
Bookmark & Save Articles For Later
Drop your email below and we’ll send our best stories straight to your inbox every day.
MMXXIII Tomorrows World Today ® | Terms | Privacy | Privacy Preferences | Developed by Flying Cork.

source

Renewables Now is a leading business news source for renewable energy professionals globally. Trust us for comprehensive coverage of major deals, projects and industry trends. We’ve done this since 2009.
Stay on top of sector news with with Renewables Now. Get access to extra articles and insights with our subscription plans and set up your own focused newsletters and alerts.

source

0
By clicking the button, I accept the Terms of Use of the service and its Privacy Policy, as well as consent to the processing of personal data.
Don’t have an account? Signup
Powered by :
On 10 November, the company and German equipment maker Singulus Technologies announced a supply contract under which Singulus will deliver a complete turnkey production line for heterojunction (HJT) solar cells. The line is meant for SpaceX’s Starmind satellites and established at its Bastrop, Texas facility. The first line is due in the first half of 2027, and the partnership covers further lines.
What was actually disclosed
The contract value was not disclosed. Singulus said it entered a strategic partnership with SpaceX in March 2026, and that SpaceX provided significant funding that month and again in October through a secured loan, again without mentioning the amounts involved. SpaceX framed the aim as creating a “durable option for advanced solar cell manufacturing” to support more than 100 GW of equipment.  Tesla had announced plans to build a 100 GW cell making plant in the US earlier this year, titled Project Crystal Sun. 
Starmind is SpaceX’s AI satellite programme. The satellites are designed to capture solar energy in orbit and run computing there, with results sent to Earth through Starlink. Production and deployment of thousands of satellites is planned to begin as soon as late 2027.A captive cell line puts a key input under SpaceX’s own roof.
Why heterojunction
SpaceX has not published its reasoning, but trade reports offer one. PVTime, a Chinese industry outlet, argues that HJT supports ultra-thin wafers of 50-70 microns, which cut weight and resist radiation, at a fraction of the cost of conventional space cells. Earlier, there were reports that SpaceX had started a shift away from gallium arsenide cells towards scalable silicon and perovskite. 
The news comes in the same week that produced a second signal on technology direction. US module maker Heliene and perovskite firm Caelux said their hybrid tandem module, combining perovskite glass with n-type silicon cells, is in commercial-scale production in Minnesota at efficiencies of 27 percent or more, with first deliveries slated for 2027.
What it means for the solar industry
There are two perspectives here. First, vertical integration is spreading beyond solar companies. SpaceX follows Tesla, whose reported $10.1 billion Project Crystal Sun cell plant filing we covered in August. Large technology buyers are deciding that cell supply is too important to outsource.
Second, Singulus is selling supply-chain security. It describes itself as aiming to be a leading Western provider of next-generation cell technology. That matters because equipment for HJT lines has been heavily Chinese,like most solar manufacturing equipment today. A buyer willing to fund a Western vendor creates demand for non-Chinese equipment, which Indian manufacturers building out cells may eventually find useful.
The Indian connect
India’s cell build-out is large and recent. The last revision of the cell ALMM list took listed capacity to 45 GW. TOPCon is the dominant choice in the new Indian capacity we track.
None of this means TOPCon is a mistake. Space is a tiny market next to terrestrial solar, and satellites value weight and radiation tolerance, not rupees per watt. SpaceX’s choice is not evidence about ground-mounted economics. But the manufacturing risk we raised in our July cover story, technology obsolescence, is easier to see when the best-capitalised new buyer in the cell market skips the incumbent technology and when a 27 percent tandem module reaches production.
The practical lesson is optionality. Indian cell makers locking in multi-gigawatt TOPCon lines should ask vendors about upgrade paths as well. Equipment contracts signed now will still be depreciating when 2027 module technology arrives. 
We are India’s leading B2B media house, reporting full-time on solar energy, wind, battery storage, solar inverters, and electric vehicle (EV)
Quick Links
© 2025 Saur Energy. All Rights Reserved.

source

India’s renewable energy sector is entering a significant growth phase, creating fresh opportunities for businesses, investors and manufacturers. With electricity demand increasing and the focus on energy security becoming stronger, the country is expanding its clean energy capacity through solar, wind, hydropower, bio-energy and emerging technologies such as green hydrogen.
This transition is not just about generating electricity from cleaner sources. It is also opening up new avenues for industrial investment, domestic manufacturing, infrastructure development and employment. From solar panel production to battery storage and hydrogen technology, India’s changing energy landscape is creating opportunities across multiple industries.
The country’s total installed power capacity reached approximately 560 GW in October 2026, compared with 249 GW in 2014. Non-fossil fuel sources accounted for 308 GW as of July 2026, representing around 55% of total installed capacity. India now ranks third globally in renewable energy installed capacity.
Growing investment is supporting India’s ambition to develop a stronger and more self-reliant clean energy industry. The renewable energy sector attracted approximately $63.7 billion between July 2024 and June 2026, reflecting increasing interest in clean power infrastructure and technology.
The Bharat Renewable Energy Summit and Expo (BRESE) 2026, held in New Delhi from November 2 to 5, further highlighted the sector’s investment potential. The event brought together international policymakers, investors, manufacturers, technology providers and industry representatives.
More than 400 manufacturers, startups and research institutions participated in the exhibition, while 13 Indian states and Union Territories showcased their renewable energy capabilities and investment opportunities.
Discussions focused on clean energy financing, domestic manufacturing, energy storage, emerging technologies and workforce development. These areas will play an important role in strengthening India’s renewable energy supply chain and attracting private investment.
Solar power has become the largest component of India’s renewable energy capacity. Installed solar capacity reached approximately 175 GW by October 31, 2026, rising significantly from 2.8 GW in 2014.
India added more than 37 GW of solar capacity in 2025, becoming the world’s second-largest solar growth market during the year.
Government initiatives are also encouraging households and businesses to adopt rooftop solar systems. The PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, launched with an outlay of ₹75,021 crore, aims to benefit one crore households.
By November 2, 2026, around 65.26 lakh households had benefited from rooftop solar installations, while nearly 21 lakh households had received zero electricity bills by October.
For businesses, this expansion creates opportunities in solar equipment manufacturing, installation, maintenance and project development.
The Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana, approved with an allocation of ₹5,070 crore, is also expected to support 5,000 MW of floating solar projects with integrated energy storage. This can encourage investment in specialised solar technology and infrastructure.
Wind energy is another important contributor to India’s clean power expansion. The country had approximately 59.20 GW of installed wind capacity as of October 29, 2026, ranking fourth globally.
Annual additions reached a record 6.05 GW in FY 2025–26. Domestic manufacturing is also expanding, with wind turbine manufacturing capacity reaching approximately 24 GW in March 2026.
The growth of the sector is benefiting equipment manufacturers, engineering companies and infrastructure developers. Offshore wind projects are also creating opportunities for specialised technology and investment.
Bio-energy is developing alongside these sources. India’s bio-power capacity reached approximately 11.75 GW in October 2026, while the compressed biogas sector is attracting attention from businesses involved in agricultural waste management and clean fuel production.
The GOBARdhan National Circular Bioenergy Scheme, with an allocation of ₹23,731 crore, aims to expand domestic compressed biogas production. It offers opportunities for agricultural enterprises, waste management companies and technology providers while supporting a more circular use of natural resources.
Green hydrogen is emerging as a promising opportunity for India’s industrial and energy sectors. Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the government aims to develop annual production capacity of five million metric tonnes by 2030.
The mission has an approved outlay of ₹19,744 crore and is expected to encourage investment in production facilities, electrolysers, storage infrastructure and transportation systems.
Indian companies have already signed green hydrogen offtake commitments of 5.5 lakh metric tonnes per annum since 2023. Projects are expected to attract investments of approximately ₹90,000 crore.
The development of hydrogen-powered vehicles and India’s first indigenous hydrogen fuel cell-powered train also reflects the expanding scope of this technology.
At the same time, energy storage is becoming increasingly important as solar and wind generation expand. Battery manufacturing, storage systems and grid management technologies will be essential for ensuring a more reliable electricity supply.
Hydropower continues to provide reliable and flexible electricity, supporting grid stability as renewable capacity increases. India’s cumulative hydropower capacity reached 57.49 GW in October 2026.
The Small Hydro Power Development Scheme, approved with an allocation of ₹2,584.60 crore, aims to add approximately 1,500 MW of capacity by FY 2030–31, with particular support for hilly and northeastern regions.
Geothermal energy is also receiving greater attention. India’s estimated geothermal potential stands at around 10,600 MW, based on exploration across 381 hot springs.
The National Policy on Geothermal Energy provides a framework for research, technology partnerships and project development. Although the sector remains at an early stage, it could create opportunities in specialised engineering, research and clean energy infrastructure.
India’s clean energy expansion is creating opportunities throughout the business ecosystem. Large companies can invest in renewable energy generation and infrastructure, while MSMEs can participate in equipment manufacturing, component supply, installation, maintenance and technical services.
The growing demand for skilled workers is also expected to support employment in engineering, project management, research and energy operations.
However, sustaining this growth will require affordable financing, reliable transmission infrastructure, advanced storage technology and a stronger domestic manufacturing base. Businesses will also need to focus on technological innovation and operational efficiency to remain competitive.
India’s renewable energy transition is evolving into a major opportunity for economic growth and industrial development. Expanding solar and wind capacity, growing interest in bio-energy, and investments in green hydrogen and energy storage are creating new markets for businesses and investors.
The next phase will depend on how effectively India combines policy support, private investment, domestic manufacturing and technological innovation. As the country strengthens its clean energy infrastructure, renewable power will play an increasingly important role in building a competitive, energy-secure and sustainable economy.
Choosing the Right Sports Injury Rehabilitation Physiotherapy in Delhi and Ghaziabad
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to inaugurate two flagship conferences — NDE 2026 and AeroNDE
Thank you for visiting Business News This Week
Email Your Stories: neelakanthap@gmail.com
Contact: +91-9938772605
Copyright © 2025 – Business News This Week

source

Renewables Now is a leading business news source for renewable energy professionals globally. Trust us for comprehensive coverage of major deals, projects and industry trends. We’ve done this since 2009.
Stay on top of sector news with with Renewables Now. Get access to extra articles and insights with our subscription plans and set up your own focused newsletters and alerts.

source

FlexGen chosen as system integrator for Google-backed US solar-plus-storage project with MN8, Eos  Energy-Storage.News
source

Europe continues to stack the building blocks for a more robust space economy. 
Gama, a French startup developing ultra-light deployable solar arrays, announced a €15M seed round yesterday to boost Europe’s solar array supply chain.
The round included funds from a mix of European and US VCs, including Transition Ventures, Planet A, Draper Associates, and Manta Ray.
The tech: Gama was initially founded to develop solar-sail technology—which uses the Sun’s energy to propel spacecraft into deep space—but the company quickly transitioned into developing solar arrays to solve the ever-present supply-chain headache for other satellite operators.
Nearly every spacecraft in orbit relies on solar panels to power its payloads, but solar cells are built by a small number of providers and can often come with lead times as high as a year or more, according to CEO Andrew Nutter.
Additionally, as power needs increase, the size of the solar arrays required to run each satellite grows larger, causing them to become floppy—and less effective at gathering sunlight. While traditional solutions involve adding weight to increase rigidity, Gama’s solution uses software—uploaded into customer flight computers—to help point the solar arrays at the Sun, and to solve the floppy-disk problem without additional mass.
“Our approach is to make [solar arrays] as thin and light as possible, so you can have more surface area, and you reduce the cost and the mass. Then, as you get to bigger surface areas, transfer some of that complexity—and the requirements for stability—into the software side,” Nutter said.
Gama is targeting $10 per watt on its solar arrays, and will deliver its first demonstration Wing in the middle of next year.
Shining light: Gama’s fundraise represents one of the largest seed rounds for a European space startup in recent years. It’s a signal that European VCs are growing increasingly comfortable making big bets on the future of the region’s space ecosystem. But it’s also reflective of the demand Gama has seen—and expects to continue seeing—as Europe scales its footprint in orbit.
In September, Gama signed a partnership with US satellite builder Eclipse Space to supply deployable solar arrays for Eclipse’s satellite platforms. For future customers, Gama has its eye on the growing pool of satellite-bus manufacturers across the continent.  
“We needed funding because there was demand or volume, and so we needed the factory quite quickly,” Nutter said. “The vision is very simple: If we can consolidate the volume from multiple satellite-bus manufacturers, we can give the industry cheaper prices.”
The Autobahn is coming for in-space data traffic.
OwlO Cloud is planning to have at least 10 spacecraft—orbital cloud nodes (OCN)—operational by 2030.
Lyra Systems announced an agreement with the DoD aimed at helping early-stage technologies traverse unscathed across the Valley of Death.
PAVE Space announced plans to launch a demo mission of its IBEX spacecraft—a highly maneuverable platform for commercial and defense payloads. But PAVE isn’t the only startup building a security detail.
Spaceium’s goal is to launch gas stations into orbit. The first step? Making sure spacecraft builders have access to the pump.
Today, the company is opening up access to its OpenPort refueling tech, allowing any company to build and license the hardware for $1—a low price because Spaceium plans to make its money by selling fuel to spacecraft.
“We are not a port business,” Spaceium cofounder and CEO Ashi Dissanayake told Payload. “We are not here to sell a refueling interface and make money. We want to develop this whole space economy so that any spacecraft can get filled.”
You are now subscribed to our list.
Be sure to add us to your contacts, so we don’t end up in your spam folder!
In-depth research, exclusive data, and expert analysis on the business and policy of space. Get ahead of the competition.
You are now subscribed to our list.
Be sure to add us to your contacts, so we don’t end up in your spam folder!
Check your inbox for an email from [email protected]. Make sure to check your spam folder and add us to your Safe Senders list. Please allow up to 48 hours for the messages to come through. Still don’t see it? Send us a note

source

Computer Vision Framework Accurately Maps Urban Rooftop Solar Potential in Pakistan
A research team has demonstrated an automated computer vision pipeline combining the YOLOv8 object detection model and Meta AI’s Segment Anything Model to identify urban rooftops and calculate photovoltaic potential from high-resolution satellite imagery. Published in Energy Reports, the investigation focuses on bridging the gap between coarse bounding-box detectors and computationally heavy segmentation networks when surveying dense built environments. By deploying high-resolution GeoEye-1 satellite images across Karachi and Lahore, Pakistan, the sequential pipeline isolates structural footprints and traces rooftop boundaries without task-specific fine-tuning for segmentation. The integrated architecture recorded a mean average precision of 94.1 percent at a 0.5 intersection-over-union threshold for detection, alongside an 89.3 percent intersection-over-union score for instance segmentation. These benchmarks show that coupling single-stage neural detectors with vision foundation models offers an accurate, scalable mechanism for evaluating rooftop solar capacity across South Asian urban landscapes where dense informal settlements and heterogeneous construction materials complicate remote sensing surveys.
The research addresses renewable energy planning requirements in Pakistan, where rapid urbanisation, escalating electricity costs, and acute manifestations of climate change have made transitioning to decentralized clean energy a national priority. Citing baseline resource evaluations by Hussain and colleagues, the authors note that urban Pakistan holds an estimated technical rooftop solar potential between 1.5 and 2.0 terawatts, corresponding to 1500 to 2000 gigawatts of installed capacity. This projection assumes a total urban rooftop surface area of approximately 3500 to 4500 square kilometres, of which roughly 60 to 70 percent is deemed technically feasible after accounting for structural considerations, obstructions, and shading losses. Taking an average annual global horizontal irradiance of 5.3 kilowatt-hours per square metre per day across major Pakistani cities, assuming standard monocrystalline panel efficiency of 18 percent, and applying a system performance ratio of 0.75 for system losses, the annual energy yield reaches approximately 260 to 290 kilowatt-hours per square metre when aggregated over available rooftop surfaces.
Accurately determining available rooftop area remains the most uncertain input parameter when modeling urban photovoltaic potential, as conventional site assessments rely on manual physical surveys that are time-consuming, expensive, and vulnerable to human error. While automated aerial and satellite image processing has progressed, existing machine learning workflows present distinct operational trade-offs. Standard object detection models, including earlier YOLO variants such as YOLOv5, rapidly predict rectangular bounding boxes; however, bounding boxes encompass surrounding streets, vegetation, and adjacent infrastructure, substantially overestimating usable surface area. Conversely, dedicated segmentation networks like U-Net and Mask R-CNN generate precise pixel-level boundaries but impose significant computational burdens. Mask R-CNN requires a complex two-stage region proposal network, whereas U-Net demands dense pixel-level manual annotations that cannot easily scale to city-wide satellite analysis. Furthermore, earlier segmentation benchmarks were developed primarily on Western datasets with pitched roofs, showing marked performance drops on the flat-roofed, high-density urban fabric typical of South Asian cities.
To overcome these limitations, the researchers compiled high-resolution satellite imagery from two regional collections: the Karachi Rooftop Solar Potential Dataset and the Lahore Satellite Imagery Dataset. Captured by the GeoEye-1 satellite operating at an orbital altitude of 681 kilometres with a 1950-millimetre focal length sensor, the imagery provides a ground sample distance of roughly 0.3 to 0.5 metres per pixel in panchromatic mode. This spatial fidelity permits fine-grained visual discrimination of structural roof edges and diverse architectural typologies, including flat, sloped, residential, commercial, and industrial structures. Ground truth annotations were established through manually drawn rectangular bounding boxes for detection and polygon masks for instance segmentation. The combined image corpus was partitioned into training, validation, and testing sets using a 70:15:15 ratio. To improve model generalization and mitigate overfitting, training data were expanded using data augmentation techniques including random rotations, horizontal flipping, brightness adjustments, scaling, and random cropping.
For the detection stage, the authors selected YOLOv8x, citing its architectural advantages over prior detector generations. Operating with an anchor-free detection head, YOLOv8 eliminates manually tuned anchor boxes, boosting convergence speeds and detection accuracy for irregularly shaped buildings. The backbone incorporates Cross-Stage Partial with two convolutions modules to enhance gradient flow and feature reuse, alongside a Spatial Pyramid Pooling Fast layer that pools features into fixed dimensions. A decoupled head separates classification from bounding box regression, utilizing Complete Intersection over Union and Distribution Focal Loss functions alongside binary cross-entropy. The YOLOv8 network was trained over 300 epochs with an input dimension of 640 by 640 pixels, a batch size of 16, and the AdamW optimizer with an initial learning rate of 0.001 and cosine scheduling. Training was performed on an NVIDIA RTX 4090 GPU with 24 gigabytes of memory, using early stopping to retain model weights with optimal validation mean average precision.
The operational pipeline executes a structured seven-step sequence that routes candidate rooftops from satellite input to capacity modeling. In the initial steps, raw GeoEye-1 satellite images are resized to 640 by 640 pixels, normalized, and processed by the trained YOLOv8 model to generate localized bounding boxes with associated confidence scores. Detections falling below a confidence threshold of 0.5 are discarded to filter out false positives. In the fourth step, the remaining bounding box coordinates serve as discrete spatial prompts passed to the Segment Anything Model, which predicts a pixel-wise binary segmentation mask isolating the roof surface from surrounding context. Following mask generation, morphological post-processing removes small artifact masks occupying an area under 100 pixels, while overlapping masks from adjacent detections are unified through union operations. The resulting segmented masks delineate usable rooftop boundaries, stripping away extraneous imagery features such as adjacent streets, open ground, or tree canopies.
Once refined binary masks are produced, the pipeline computes actual physical rooftop areas by converting pixel counts using the satellite sensor’s ground sample distance. The mathematical formulation calculates planar rooftop area by multiplying the total pixel count by the square of the ground pixel resolution, applying a conversion factor of 10.7639 when converting square metres into square feet. Because nadir-view satellite imagery captures projected horizontal dimensions, this calculation accurately reflects the planar footprint of flat urban rooftops that dominate Pakistani metropolitan areas. From this usable area, the system estimates potential photovoltaic installation capacity by factoring in the physical dimensions of standard monocrystalline solar panels and reserving necessary clearance intervals required for maintenance and access. Concurrently, filtering logic accounts for major structural exclusions, allowing energy planners to derive aggregate power generation estimates using regional annual solar irradiance profiles and standard system derating factors.
Empirical evaluation on the isolated test dataset confirmed robust quantitative performance across both stages of the integrated framework. In the detection phase, YOLOv8 achieved a precision of 92.8 percent, a recall of 90.7 percent, and an overall F1-score of 91.7 percent. When evaluated across mean average precision metrics, the model reached 94.1 percent at mAP@0.5 and 81.5 percent across mAP@0.5:0.95 thresholds, demonstrating high localization accuracy across varying rooftop scales. The model also successfully identified 3697 out of 3700 ground-truth rooftop instances during testing, achieving a 99.5 percent instance detection rate within a 50 percent bounding box overlap. In the subsequent segmentation phase, the prompt-guided Segment Anything Model achieved an average Intersection over Union of 89.3 percent, a Dice coefficient of 93.7 percent, and an overall pixel accuracy of 95.1 percent. Qualitative evaluations by domain experts verified that the resulting masks reliably delineate physical roof boundaries while separating usable surface areas from surrounding non-rooftop elements.
The authors benchmarked the performance of the proposed YOLOv8-SAM architecture against established rooftop detection baselines, specifically evaluating U-Net, Mask R-CNN, and the DeepRoof framework on the same regional test imagery. The comparative analysis demonstrated clear empirical gains for the proposed approach across all standard evaluation criteria. The baseline U-Net architecture recorded a precision of 85.2 percent, a recall of 83.4 percent, and a mAP@0.5 score of 86.7 percent. Mask R-CNN achieved higher performance, yielding an 89.1 percent precision, an 87.9 percent recall, and a 90.3 percent mAP@0.5. DeepRoof delivered competitive detection metrics with 90.2 percent precision, 88.5 percent recall, and 91.4 percent mAP@0.5. The proposed YOLOv8-SAM framework outperformed all three baseline methods, registering 92.8 percent precision, 90.7 percent recall, and 94.1 percent mAP@0.5. The researchers attribute this superior performance to YOLOv8’s anchor-free detection head and feature reuse capabilities, combined with SAM’s prompt-driven visual segmentation.
Despite the high precision recorded across Karachi and Lahore, the authors outline several explicit methodological constraints that govern how these findings can be applied. The models were trained and tested exclusively on satellite imagery of urban Pakistani environments dominated by flat concrete roofs; consequently, the pipeline cannot be directly transferred to regions with pitched roofs or differing construction materials without dedicated domain adaptation. Furthermore, calculating surface area via planar nadir projections underrepresents the actual usable area on inclined surfaces where trigonometric cosine adjustments for roof slope would be required. The basic geometric filtering framework also does not currently model dynamic shadows caused by adjacent high-rise buildings, vegetation, or rooftop obstacles such as water tanks and HVAC units. To address these limitations, future research will explore integrating digital elevation models, LiDAR point clouds, and automated irradiance modeling tools such as PVGIS or NASA POWER to account for local microclimates and detailed shading effects.
Subject of Research: Automated rooftop solar potential mapping using computer vision and satellite imagery
Article Title: AI-enabled rooftop solar mapping and optimization: A computer vision approach for photovoltaic systems
Article References: Daniyal, S. M., Abro, A. A., Abbasi, M. M., Algarni, A. D., Ahmad, S., & Ateya, A. A. (2026). AI-enabled rooftop solar mapping and optimization: A computer vision approach for photovoltaic systems. Energy Reports, 16, Article 109893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2026.109893
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1016/j.egyr.2026.109893
Keywords: rooftop solar mapping, photovoltaic potential, YOLOv8, Segment Anything Model, computer vision, satellite imagery, GeoEye-1, urban solar energy, Karachi, Lahore, Pakistan, instance segmentation, object detection, solar irradiance, monocrystalline panels, deep learning, remote sensing, energy planning
News Source: Blake Davidson. (November 12, 2026). Computer Vision Framework Accurately Maps Urban Rooftop Solar Potential in Pakistan. Scienmag.
We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.
Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Email Address
Subscribe
Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.
Login to your account below


Remember Me

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.


Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

source

Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
resilience
By Katie Singer, originally published by Katie Singer on Substack
November 13, 2026
If a developer wants to install a utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) facility or battery energy storage (BESS) near you, consider yourself blessed. You get to shake up your assumptions about “green,” “clean,” and “renewable” energy. You get to practice humility while explaining technologies’ not-so-sunny sides so that neighbors and legislators who believe that “renewables” cannot possibly have problems…actually hear you.
You get to learn a new chant: “Show me the professional engineer’s report certifying that this project’s hazards are mitigated”—when, honestly, you’d much rather clean a closet.
For starters, admit that in your zeal to prioritize health and safety, you’ve made mistakes. Recognize that we are all powerless over “green” industries, and that our lives have become unmanageable. Salute yourself for exploring your part in society’s predicament.
Step 2: Learn how electricity stays reliable and affordable. Get to know your county’s land use codes. Research solar PVs’ and BESS’s shadow sides—from their cradles-to-graves.
Step 3: Remember your goal: your county permits the facility only if protective health and safety conditions are met.
The vast majority of energy is consumed, toxins are emitted and human rights are violated while manufacturing a product.
Would your county require the developer to prove that its raw materials were sourced only from companies that can verify worker and environmental protections?
To pursue a safe solar facility in your county, find out where the power it generates will go, if the facility will connect to the grid, if it will need new power lines, transformers and substations—and if so, this equipment’s environmental impact.
From installation to “decommissioning” (dealing with end-of-life waste), require the developer to carry liability insurance for the project—not to self-insure. (If a self-insured developer files for bankruptcy, your county will pay to dispose of the project’s hazardous waste.)
Get written answers to questions such as: How much water will the developer use during construction? Where will it come from? Where will wastewater go? To protect groundwater, will used construction water need treatment?
Require the developer to keep all soil on site. Clarify in writing that only 400 acres (say) of land can be disturbed at a time to prevent stormwater runoff. (A big rain after a clear-cut would result in disaster.) After clearing an area (i.e., of shrubs or trees), the developer must plant grass within X number to hold soil and prevent sediment runoff. The developer must set up stormwater basins.
Your county staff, planning commissioners and board of supervisors will have to evaluate the project against the county’s ordinance about stormwater runoff and sediment in waterways or land use issues specific to your area’s topography.
Since panels’ glare can blind pilots flying overhead, and the FAA has rules about the distance between a solar PV field and an airport, do a ForgeSolar “solar glare” analysis. Ask the court to pause the project until a licensed professional engineer completes a solar glare report.
Panels hold chemicals, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs). In a hailstorm, panels can crack—and leach chemicals. Would your county require monthly soil testing at specified locations to ensure no chemicals leach into the soil? If they do leach, specify what the developer will do to remedy the soil.
Solar panels are electrical equipment. All electrical equipment poses fire hazards. To reduce the risk of fire, your county should specify how long grass (or other vegetation) can grow before the developer must cut it.
If a fire occurs during the day, the solar panels will not stop collecting sunlight and converting it into electricity: you cannot de-energize solar panels. Firefighters cannot spray burning panels with water because water conducts electricity, and water will not put out a solar panel fire. It can only cool it. At a public hearing in Spotsylvania, Virginia, the county’s fire chief said he would not try to extinguish a solar PV fire. He would just hose down everything near it. What is your county fire chief’s plan?
Batteries are made with lithium. Mining and processing lithium ravages ecosystems. Read about Max Wilbert and Will Falk’s efforts to stop lithium mining at Thacker Pass, Nevada. FYI—Max grew up believing that solar PVs, wind turbines and e-vehicles would help sustain our society.
Batteries provide high energy storage. One BESS battery can be the size of a small trailer. With a short and a discharge, you can end up with arcing, extremely dangerous, toxic, even runaway fires. Because of batteries’ toxic chemicals, when a BESS catches fire, nearby residents should not leave their homes, open windows, or run ventilation systems for 24 hours or more. Roads and businesses will close. BESS fires have become common—if little-known. Here’s an example at Moss Landing, California. Here’s a database of BESS failures.
Your county should require the developer to provide a professional engineer’s “sealed” report that all fire hazards have been evaluated and mitigated; and that this BESS will not catch fire like the one at Moss Landing or others listed in the database.
To keep cool, batteries require a cooling system. How much water will this BESS use? Where will its water come from? Where will its wastewater go? To protect groundwater, will it need treatment?
If your county officials permit a BESS with lithium-ion batteries, ensure in advance of a fire that your local government has:
When the equipment ages and the facility is no longer efficient enough to be profitable, either all panels will be replaced and all wires (and batteries, if there’s a BESS) will be upgraded—or the developer will abandon the project. Solar panels and batteries do not biodegrade: they’re hazardous waste.
Sending panels and batteries to a recycling center is actually very expensive. Get the developer to post a bond with the county so that it won’t be burdened with decommissioning costs if the developer files bankruptcy.
Remember your goal: county commissioners will permit the developer’s project only if it agrees to your conditions. This will require:
If your county has in-house experts to evaluate a solar facility’s chemical run-off, fire hazards, and economics, etc., ask them to provide reports. If your county does not have such experts, then it can require the developer to provide funding so that the county can hire expert consultants chosen by the county to evaluate the facility.
Katie Singer writes about technology’s impacts on nature on Substack. Her books include An Electronic Silent Spring and Honoring our Cycles.
Tags: community energy projects, Technology
By Ben Shread-Hewitt, Eurasia Review
Local officials warn the peatlands may already be degrading — and unlike most environmental damage, peatland loss is irreversible.
November 11, 2026
By Shannon Gibson, The Conversation
As world leaders meet at COP31, Nov. 9-20, here are five tactics powerful attendees use to delay, weaken, or redirect climate action while appearing committed.
November 10, 2026
By Joe Brewer, Earth Regenerators
The next few years (and decades) will be extremely challenging. We need a Dandelion Strategy capable of dealing with this complex reality.
November 5, 2026
Visit the Resilience Community Forum today to join conversations on topics you care about. Share ideas and resources, make connections, and help create momentum on important issues.

Resilience is a program of Post Carbon Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the world transition away from fossil fuels and build sustainable, resilient communities.
Reposting Policy | Privacy Policy

source

Renewables Now is a leading business news source for renewable energy professionals globally. Trust us for comprehensive coverage of major deals, projects and industry trends. We’ve done this since 2009.
Stay on top of sector news with with Renewables Now. Get access to extra articles and insights with our subscription plans and set up your own focused newsletters and alerts.

source

Category
History
Date
11.13.26
Producer
99PI
ROMAN MARS: It’s June 1979, a pleasantly warm, but by no means hot, summer’s day in the nation’s capital. And Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, is standing on the roof of the West Wing of the White House in a crisp navy suit, surrounded by a scrum of reporters. Behind him are four rows of giant black glass boards glinting in the D.C. sunshine. 
Solar panels. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: Carter was an engineer. He had spent his military career running nuclear reactors on Navy submarines. 
ROMAN MARS: This is journalist turned environmental activist, Bill McKibben. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: He had a serious understanding of technology and thought a lot about energy. 
ROMAN MARS: He had to. In the wake of two devastating oil shocks, oil prices were sky high. And for America, which was consuming about a third of the world’s oil supply at the time, this was a big problem. 
JIMMY CARTER: Today, in directly harnessing the power of the sun, we are taking the energy that God gave us, the most renewable energy that we will ever see, and using it to replace our dwindling supplies of fossil fuels… 
ROMAN MARS: Solar panels, Carter said, could be the solution. 
JIMMY CARTER: There is no longer any question that solar energy is both feasible and also cost-effective… 
ROMAN MARS: After all, this was our own technology. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: Solar power had been invented in the U.S., the first modern solar cell, 1954, at Bell Labs in New Jersey. And there’d been a fair number of hippies kind of pioneering solar power in the ’70s. 
ROMAN MARS: But Jimmy Carter’s panels weren’t the kind you’d be familiar with now. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: These were not photovoltaic panels… 
ROMAN MARS: The kind used to generate electricity. This technology was a little more rudimentary. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: These are solar hot water panels, pretty simple technology, that just runs water through a window pane with a black background and heats it up. 
ROMAN MARS: But they worked.
BILL MCKIBBEN: They’re incredibly effective at providing hot water. They work great. This was what the future was going to look like.
ROMAN MARS: And Carter says all this in a speech on the White House roof that day. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: And he says…
JIMMY CARTER: A generation from now, this solar heater…
BILL MCKIBBEN: “This solar panel can either be a curiosity…”
JIMMY CARTER: A museum piece… 
BILL MCKIBBEN: “An example of a road not taken…” 
JIMMY CARTER: Or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest adventures… 
BILL MCKIBBEN: “Or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest adventures…” 
JIMMY CARTER: Ever undertaken by the American people…
BILL MCKIBBEN: “Ever undertaken by the American people.”
ROMAN MARS: But the panels didn’t even last a generation. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: [CHUCKLES] No, he was literally right that they were, within 20 years, a museum piece. 
ROMAN MARS: That speech would turn out to be incredibly prophetic. Those 32 solar panels would become all but one of the things he said they might: a curiosity, a museum piece, and one of our nation’s most potent and enduring symbols of a road not taken. They were not, at least not yet, a part of a great adventure. Our question in this episode, and it’s kind of a big one, is why? 
This is A History of the United States in 100 Objects. I’m Roman Mars. Today, how a president showed the American people a powerful new technology promising abundant cheap energy and freedom from foreign entanglements and why Americans shrugged. 
When you think solar panels, you probably think renewables, green energy, a part of the fight against man-made climate change. But that wasn’t what Carter saw in them. Not really. When Carter became president in 1977, the country had been facing a serious problem for a number of years. 
CBS NEWS: Good evening. What we’re all worrying about this winter are three main things, getting around, keeping warm, and staying healthy. We don’t know how short we’re going to be on gasoline for the car or fuel for the furnace. All we know is we’re going to be short and we’ll have to get by on less… 
BILL MCKIBBEN: You have to understand that the America Carter inherited had been built on cheap, abundant oil. Beginning in the 1950s with the build out of the federal highway system and the almost unbelievable rate of growth of the American suburb, America turned into a voracious consumer of oil, which made us very vulnerable when the first oil shock came with the first OPEC embargo. 
ROMAN MARS: OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, a coalition of oil-producing nations, including Iran, Venezuela, and the United Arab Emirates, which, acting together, controlled the global supply of oil. OPECs oil embargo in 1973 was a form of retaliation against U.S. foreign policy. And the price of a barrel of crude oil quadrupled as a result. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: We were being held hostage, as people said over and over again. 
ROMAN MARS: Bill remembers seeing the effects firsthand. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: I was very, very young–in my teens–a newspaper reporter in those days. And one of my first jobs was covering these lines of motorists waiting outside gas stations in my small town. 
AP NEWS: You can buy plenty of gas at this power test station on Northern Boulevard in Queens if you don’t mind waiting in line… And waiting… And waiting… And waiting…
BILL MCKIBBEN: One of my jobs was keeping track of the very scant hours that the gas stations were open so we could publish them every day. 
ROMAN MARS: Things got so bad, at the start of 1974, President Nixon signed a law lowering the national highway speed limit to 55 miles an hour in an attempt to save gas. He even briefly considered making it illegal to take pleasure drives on Sundays. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: This was a deep shock to the American system. The thing on which America ran was suddenly in short supply. 
ROMAN MARS: And that’s why it felt so pressing to the incoming Carter administration to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. By 1977, the United States was between oil shocks. There was another one coming in 1979. But there was another problem: shortages of natural gas, compounded by a fiercely cold winter that same year. So, in February 1977, our new president addressed the American people in a TV broadcast. 
JIMMY CARTER: Good evening. Tomorrow will be two weeks since I became president. I’ve spent a lot of time deciding how I can be a good president. This talk, which the broadcast networks have agreed to bring to you, is one of several steps that I will take to keep in close touch with the people of our country, to let you know informally about our plans for the coming months…
ROMAN MARS: Jimmy Carter wasn’t sitting behind the resolute desk. This was a fireside chat, literally FDR style, with the President seated comfortably in a soft chair next to a crackling hearth, wearing a beige cardigan. He looked like someone’s grandpa. I mean, he was someone’s grandpa. And he kind of told Americans to just quit fooling around. 
JIMMY CARTER: All of us must learn to waste less energy… 
ROMAN MARS: It was time to get serious. 
JIMMY CARTER: I realize that many of you have not believed that we really have an energy problem, but this winter has made all of us realize that we have to act. We must face the fact that the energy shortage is permanent. There is no way we can solve it quickly…
ROMAN MARS: Carter says what America needs is a new approach to energy, a whole new policy program. But of course, that’s no simple task. It’s going to take him a while to figure it out. So in the meantime, he needs America–that is all of us–to just ease up a little. And he has some very clear ideas about how to do it. 
JIMMY CARTER: Simply by keeping our thermostats, for instance, at 65 degrees in the daytime and 55 degrees at night, we could save half the current shortage of natural gas…
ROMAN MARS: And maybe, if it’s a little chilly, you know, throw on a cardigan. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: It’s actually quite amazing to go back and listen to it. 
JIMMY CARTER: There’s no way that I or anyone else in the government can solve our energy problems if you are not willing to help…
BILL MCKIBBEN: He’s treating Americans as entirely mature human beings and saying, “Look, we’re using way too much of this stuff, and it’s in service of things that we don’t really need. You know, we’re filling our lives with stuff instead of living full lives.”
ROMAN MARS: And he’s basically saying, “I’m going to come up with an energy policy here, it’s coming. But in the meantime, put on a sweater, keep your thermostat 65 during the daytime, 55 at night.” It’s really, like, a strange moment. And I don’t think people have ever witnessed a political leader acting like this. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: There were plenty of people who admired and liked what Carter was doing. But there were also lots of people who mocked it on the grounds that there was something un-American about doing with less, making yourself a little smaller. 
ROMAN MARS: This is Bill’s theory–one of them at least–that over the years America had become a place where people consumed with abandon, a place of great appetite and little restraint, and that this had become part of the American ideal, part of our way of life. And in such a place, people did not necessarily appreciate being told to make do with less. And so maybe Jimmy Carter’s energy policy had an image problem before it was even created. Anyway, eventually, two years after that fireside chat, in 1979, President Carter was back with the details. And he climbed up on the roof of the White House to put solar power at the heart of his plan. 
JIMMY CARTER: As president, I am determined that America will move toward the solar age with effectiveness and determination, with excitement, high spirits, and with confidence…
BILL MCKIBBEN: In his budget that he was preparing for the next year, America would have been producing 20% of its electricity from renewable energy by the year 2000. 
ROMAN MARS: This was Carter’s goal. 
JIMMY CARTER: If we use our technological imagination, if we can work together to harness the light of the sun, the power of the wind, the strength of rushing streams, then we will succeed…
ROMAN MARS: If we can work together. But right from the start, that was a big if. It required Americans to agree on what they wanted. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: This was a very, very live debate at that time in American history. One of Carter’s pollsters came to him in the late ’70s and said, “I’ve done a poll on what Americans think about economic growth and about a third don’t want any more economic growth for ecological reasons. About a third want full speed ahead. And about a third don’t know.” And his pollster said to him, “That’s an unstable arrangement. We’re going to flip one way or the other in the years ahead.”
ROMAN MARS: This is worth unpacking. Carter’s pollsters told him that America was divided in three groups: one, people who wanted to put the environment ahead of economic expansion, two, people who wanted economic expansion at all costs, and three, people who didn’t know what they wanted. It seems Carter’s pitch might not have worked for any of those groups. He did not argue for solar power on environmental grounds nor was he really arguing for economic expansion. And the third who didn’t know what they wanted? Maybe they needed someone to push them decisively one way or the other. And as it happens, there was somebody waiting in the wings, preparing to do exactly that. 
ROMAN MARS: You know, in 1979, the solar panels get installed. The next year is an election year. It’s Carter versus Reagan. 
JIMMY CARTER: For those who’ve abandoned hope, we’ll restore hope and we’ll welcome them into a great national crusade to make America great again… 
ROMAN MARS: Now we know that that’s a landslide. At the time, it was a fight. 
JIMMY CARTER: Governor Reagan, again, typically is against such a proposal. 
MODERATOR: Governor? 
RONALD REAGAN: There you go again… 
ROMAN MARS: You know, Carter was in the lead for quite a long time. 
CNN: Ronald Wilson Reagan will become the 40th president of the United States. He’ll be sworn into office in ceremonies on the steps of the Capitol on January 20, 1981… 
BILL MCKIBBEN: I’d basically been on the road covering the presidential campaign for months. 
ROMAN MARS: Bill was a student, a teenager, writing for the Harvard Crimson. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: The Crimson was an odd operation for a college paper. It took itself very seriously. I’d interviewed Reagan. 
ROMAN MARS: Wow. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: And on election night, I was writing the 100-inch story, but I was very depressed by the results. People kept handing me bottles of beer. By the time I was done, truthfully, this was in some ways the first and, I think, really the last time in my life that I was epically, epically drunk. The story’s quite good. But by the time I was finished, I took myself home to my dorm and slept for the next 36 hours or so. And when I woke up, somewhat still hungover, I had the sense, though I was 19 at the time, that this was going to be the election that was going to matter enormously for the course of the world in my lifetime. 
RONALD REAGAN: It is no program simply to say “use less energy.” Of course, waste must be eliminated and efficiency promoted. But for the government simply to tell the people to conserve, that’s not an energy policy. At best, it means we’ll run out of energy a little more slowly. But a day will come when the lights will dim and the wheels of industry will turn more slowly and finally stop. As president, I will not endorse any course which has this as its principal objective…
BILL MCKIBBEN: Reagan’s policy was drill, drill, drill. And with the election of Ronald Reagan, we flipped decisively in the direction of more, drilling everywhere we could and trying to come up with as much oil as we could. And it was successful. Let’s be clear. It turned out America had lots of oil once you started just letting anyone drill anywhere they wanted. And the price came down. 
ROMAN MARS: It was a direct rebuttal to Carter’s approach. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: Carter was still very much in the wake of FDR and the New Deal and with the idea that we were going to work together to solve our problems. And what Reagan was about was the exact opposite idea, the exaltation of the individual. 
ROMAN MARS: And that any threat to the individual, any sacrifice to the individual, is antithetical to this new Americanism. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: To the idea of America. 
ROMAN MARS: You have this quote I really liked that this is a time period where we no longer viewed America as a group project. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: Yeah, I think that’s really at the heart of the difference between Carter and what came after. 
ROMAN MARS: And you have to remember, Bill says that Carter’s term was viewed by subsequent presidents as a kind of warning. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: It’s a little hard for us to remember that now because his post-presidency was so successful that, by the time he died, everyone was writing encomiums and hagiographies of the man. But really in American political culture for the decades that followed, he was the thing to avoid, someone who asked too much of Americans. Carter’s vision of the world was perceived as an incredible failure. And he was perceived as an incredible failure. 
ROMAN MARS: In 1984, Ronald Reagan was re-elected resoundingly. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: The most important thing he did was immediately scotch funding for new solar research. Indeed, the nascent solar industry in America went into a huge nosedive with thousands of people laid off.
ROMAN MARS: And then one day, Jimmy Carter’s 32 panels disappeared. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: It’s not like they had a press conference and made an announcement. They just were… One day they weren’t there anymore on the roof of the White House. 
ROMAN MARS: And when they came down, this was not noted by very many people, right? 
BILL MCKIBBEN: No. It was no longer even something we were really thinking about, I don’t think. The White House insiders who were quoted at the time were just like, “Solar power is a joke. Forget this.”
ROMAN MARS: And we did. Jimmy Carter’s promised great adventure was over before it got going, with his solar panels gathering dust someplace. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: They became relics. Reagan had literally turned them into the museum piece that Carter predicted, signposts to a path that we had decided not to take. 
[AD BREAK]
ROMAN MARS: Jimmy Carter’s solo panels were a symbol of a road not traveled. But the road we did take, that was something which young Bill McKibben found himself trying to understand on his own journey from journalist to campaigner.
BILL MCKIBBEN: I wasn’t yet an activist. I was very much a journalist. And I wrote a long piece for the New Yorker about where everything in my apartment at the corner of Bleecker and Broadway came from. And so I went to Brazil because Con Ed was getting oil from there and up into the Arctic because there was some hydro power coming down and on and on. And it left me with a new understanding of the world as a physical place. You know, I’d grown up in the suburbs, which are kind of a device for hiding the physical operation of the world. You know, where does water come from? Who knows? 
ROMAN MARS: [CHUCKLING] The tap.
BILL MCKIBBEN: The tap, right. 
ROMAN MARS: In spending a year of finding out where everything in his apartment had come from, Bill was beginning to think a lot more deeply about humanity’s impact on the world. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: So I started reading the emerging early science in the mid 1980s around climate change with a lot more attention than I would have because I’d come to understand that the world was a more fragile place than I had guessed. 
ROMAN MARS: And Bill wasn’t the only one. Carter had sold solar as the answer to an energy crisis. The words “climate,” “green,” or “environment” didn’t feature in his White House rooftop speech once. But by now, the issue of climate change was starting to get a foothold in the public consciousness. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: Jim Hansen testified, in 1988, before Congress what was going to happen. 
ROMAN MARS: James Hansen was the director of a NASA Climate Research Institute. In 1988, he used a term in front of a Senate committee, which many people heard for the first time that day. 
JAMES HANSEN: The evidence that the Earth is warming by an amount which is too large to be a chance fluctuation represents a very strong case, in my opinion, that the greenhouse effect has been detected and it is changing our climate now…
ROMAN MARS: Hanson said he was 99% certain that climate change was real. The next year, at the age of 28, Bill published The End of Nature, the first book on climate change written for a general audience. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: And I kept writing about it for a decade or so because I’m a writer. And writers–journalists–are firm believers in the idea that winning the argument is the important thing and that if you win the argument, eventually the powers that be will do the right thing. 
It took me 10 or 15 years to recognize that we’d won the argument. The oil industry in the 1980s had been conducting their own in-depth research on climate change. I mean Exxon was the biggest company in the world then. It had a great staff of scientists, and their scientists were telling their executives exactly what Jim Hansen and NASA was telling Congress. In fact, their predictions for the temperature in 2020 were incredibly spot-on. And it’s also clear that the executives believed them. I mean, Exxon literally started building its drilling rigs higher to compensate for the rise in sea level that they knew was in the offing. 
ROMAN MARS: Really, the science was settled an awfully long time ago. James Hansen’s Senate testimony was so long ago, 38 years, that a senator is smoking a cigarette on the floor of the chamber as he listens to the NASA scientist explain that mankind was changing the Earth’s climate. The oil companies themselves knew it, but they didn’t want the rest of us to cotton on. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: I always have wondered if, on the night that Jim Hansen had testified to Congress, the CEO of Exxon had gone on the news and just said, “You know what? Our scientists are telling us the same thing.” No one would have said, “Well, Exxon’s being alarmist about this.” Everyone would just have said, “We’ve got to get down to work.” Instead, the entire industry joined together in building this architecture of deceit and denial and disinformation that kept us locked in an utterly sterile debate about whether or not global warming was real, a debate, remember, that both sides know the answer to at the beginning. 
ROMAN MARS: Bill realized that the reason he and his fellow journalists were losing the fight wasn’t because they didn’t have the evidence to win. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: We were just losing the fight because the fight was what fights are normally about, which was money and power, and the fossil fuel industry had so much money and power that they were able to lose the scientific argument but just keep their business model rolling along. 
ROMAN MARS: So while it may be true that Carter dented the image of solar by attaching himself and his unpopularity to it, it’s also true that a big hit to renewable energy came from the fossil fuel industry trying to protect the status quo. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: So that was the point at which I started to become an activist. 
ROMAN MARS: And Bill the activist started to take action. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: So, we’d started this thing called 350.org in 2009 or so–me and seven college students at Middlebury College, where I still teach. And our plan was to organize the world to fight climate change. So our first big day of action was in 2009. We organized 5,100 simultaneous protests in 181 countries. It was the most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history. And it was quite remarkable to look at, but we weren’t completely clear sort of how to follow it up. 
ROMAN MARS: But then Bill had an idea. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: Get people around the world, especially world leaders, to put solar panels on the roof of their palaces. 
ROMAN MARS: And it was a small leap from that thought to a bigger one. What about those panels Jimmy Carter put up and Ronald Reagan pulled down? What about those solar panels? Imagine the symbolism if our new president, Barack Obama, put them right back up on the White House roof again. This wasn’t quite as crazy as it sounds because Bill had a pretty good idea where the panels were. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: They ended up in a government warehouse where a young environmental studies professor, from a little college in Maine called Unity College, tracked them down and said, “Can I have these?” And I guess they just said, “Sure, take them. We’ve got no use for them.” So they took them and installed them on the roof of the dining hall. And there they worked for many many years, providing the hot water that showered the young people who came to this college to study the environment. 
ROMAN MARS: By 2010, many of the panels had been retired by Unity College. They donated one to the Jimmy Carter Library and another to the Smithsonian. But Bill had come across a third somewhere much further afield. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: I saw one in the personal museum of the Chinese mogul who had become the biggest solar hot water entrepreneur in the world and who had a vast complex, a couple of hours from Beijing, called the Sun-Moon Mansion. And he had one of Carter’s solar panels. And he paid it great homage as, you know, the equivalent of having the moon lander from the Apollo mission or something. 
ROMAN MARS: Many of the rest just sat in storage at Unity College, once again, gathering dust. And Bill wondered if he could get his hands on one. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: So, I called up the president of the college, a guy named Mitch Thomashow. And he said, “Yeah! Take a few! And while you’re doing it, take a few of our students with you.” And so we started driving to Washington. 
ROMAN MARS: Just Bill, a bunch of students, and some 1970s solar panels in a crazy plan to persuade the Obama administration to reinstall them. 
DEMOCRACY NOW!: On Tuesday, a group of students took one of the panels, packed it onto a biodiesel van, and set out on a trip to Washington… 
SOLAR RALLY: We gotta put solar on the White House! We gotta put solar on the White House…
BILL MCKIBBEN: We were quite energized with the idea that we were returning these to the young Obama administration and that they would put them back on the roof. And so we’d stop each night, first in Boston, then in New York, and then in Baltimore or Washington, and have a rally. And part of the rally was we would pour some water in the solar panel pointed at the sun and wait 15 minutes until you could see the steam. There was hot water, you know, pouring out. 
ROMAN MARS: The panels still worked as well as they did the day they went up in 1979. And now, they were coming home. 
ROMAN MARS: So what was your plan when you got to Washington with these things? 
BILL MCKIBBEN: The plan was to hand them over. So we showed up in Washington. And they ushered us into this ornate room in the Executive Office Building where these two Obama administration officials just engaged in the most crazy filibuster for, like, 90 minutes. They just sort of talked about a list of all the environmentally sound things that the Obama administration was doing. Then these three young women who had come along with the solar panels from Maine–they were politely but forthrightly interrupting occasionally to say, “Yes, that’s great, but wouldn’t this be a terrific symbol to have back? And why wouldn’t you?” And these people would not answer that question. 
ROMAN MARS: At this point in the story, I have to admit I have some sympathy for the Obama officials. If Bill turned up– I love Bill. I love everything Bill does. I think he’s a national hero. If Bill turned up at my house with a decades-old solar panel demanding that I put them on my roof, I might have dispensed with a polite filibuster and just said, “No, thanks,” which is what, at the end of the day, they said. And to Bill, the reason was clear enough. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: They didn’t want them because they were associated with Jimmy Carter. And in 2010, Jimmy Carter was still regarded by people like Barack Obama as a signal of failure, as someone who hadn’t been a good politician, hadn’t read the public mood, hadn’t managed to get reelected, you know? And so they viewed this as an association with failure, and they didn’t want it. 
ROMAN MARS: What specifically do you think Obama was nervous about being associated with? Was it just environmentalism? Was it just the Carter-ness of it all?
BILL MCKIBBEN: I think it was the Carter-ness of it all. And they were not that interested in renewable energy as a policy. “Renewable energy worked 30 years ago on the building that you’re sitting in. The solar panel still works. Here it is. Why don’t you put it back up? That’d be great.” And they didn’t really want to hear that. 
ROMAN MARS: Bill’s road trip was a failure, kind of. 
ROMAN MARS: When did the Obama administration begin to develop its opinion about solar? 
BILL MCKIBBEN: Second-term Obama, they get a little more interested in this stuff and they give some federal incentives for solar development. 
BARACK OBAMA: The promise of clean energy isn’t just an article of faith, not anymore… 
BILL MCKIBBEN: People will remember the tax credit that famously went to Solyndra, which then went bankrupt. But they did other things like that. It wasn’t on that huge a scale. 
ROMAN MARS: But they did put solar panels on the roof eventually.
BILL MCKIBBEN: And they did put solar panels in the second term up on the roof of the White House. So, you know, what was that? 30 years or more later, we returned solar panels to the roof of the White House, where I think they still remain even now. 
ROMAN MARS: Just to be clear, these were not Jimmy Carter’s old panels. These were new ones. But still, the symbolism is there. A president embracing solar, starting with their own rooftop. So, what had changed? 
BILL MCKIBBEN: You know, we’ve now entered a different world. Finally, 25 years after Jimmy Carter wanted it to happen, we’re reaching the point where solar power is becoming the clear, obvious, common sense, straightforward way to power the world. 
ROMAN MARS: Solar power is now the emergent force in energy generation across the world. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: It can’t stop climate change at this point. We’ve waited too long. But it can shave tenths of a degree off how hot the planet eventually gets. And every tenth of a decree that we raise the temperature moves a hundred million human beings out of a relatively safe climate zone into a relatively dangerous one. Around the planet, 95% of new electric generation last year came from sun and wind. It’s now accelerating even faster in the wake of our misadventure in Iran because, around the world, leaders are quickly realizing that though sunlight travels 93 million miles to reach the Earth. None of those miles go through the straight of Hormuz. And it’s the fastest energy transition of this kind we’ve ever seen. So it’s increasingly a no-brainer in every way. 
ROMAN MARS: Bill may say it’s a no-brainer, but in the United States, we still seem to yo-yo, falling in and out of love with the idea of harnessing the sun, as one administration replaces another. Obama’s administration really leaned into solar power in its second term and introduced legislation designed to encourage it. But then…
DONALD TRUMP: We will drill, baby, drill…
ROMAN MARS: Donald Trump’s administration cut back on clean power initiatives in favor of encouraging fossil fuels. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: Now, the United States is the one country on planet Earth that’s desperately trying to discourage solar power. Our federal government has removed all the incentives for it. It has essentially banned it from any federal lands anywhere. The country that invented this stuff and the country where, under Jimmy Carter, it had its first real surge is now the only country on Earth that’s doing everything it can to shut them down. 
ROMAN MARS: And what’s even more amazing about this is, like, you talked about the time of uphill battle where the economics it was fighting against, but now the economics is not fighting against it anymore.
BILL MCKIBBEN: Solar power is the cheapest form of energy on Earth. It’s almost unbelievable how quickly the price of this has come down. Every time we double the number of solar panels on the Earth, which at the moment is every couple of years, the price falls another 25% just because coal and gas and oil are something that you have to go find. And hence it gets harder to find them. At the moment, if you want to get oil, you have to get good at going miles under the surface of the ocean because all the Beverly Hillbillies stuff is long since used up. But the sun shines thousands of times more energy at us than we could ever hope to use. 
ROMAN MARS: While America hasn’t embraced solar, others definitely have. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: You go look at a country like Pakistan, which has suffered terribly from climate change. But the thing that’s driving them at this point to put up solar panels is that their electricity supply is unreliable and expensive. So because they have a border with China, millions upon millions of individual Pakistanis have just gone and bought solar panels and then gone on YouTube and figured out how to hook them together. And they’ve built the equivalent of something like half the country’s national electric grid in the course of eight months. It’s hard for Americans to understand this because we’re the one place that isn’t doing it. 
JIMMY CARTER: In the year 2000, the solar water heater behind me, which is being dedicated today, will still be here, supplying cheap, efficient energy… 
ROMAN MARS: On the White House roof in 1979, Carter had outlined the possible futures for his 32 solar panels. 
JIMMY CARTER: A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity… 
ROMAN MARS: The kind kept by a Chinese collector. 
JIMMY CARTER: A museum piece… 
ROMAN MARS: Something the Smithsonian puts behind glass. 
JIMMY CARTER: An example of a road not taken… 
ROMAN MARS: The United States is still nowhere near the target Jimmy Carter set, to produce 20% of its power from renewable energy by 2000. In 2025, renewable energy represented less than 10% of America’s total energy generation. 
JIMMY CARTER: Or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest adventures ever undertaken by the American people…
BILL MCKIBBEN: Political discourse tends to be about ideas and numbers and ideologies and so on. It’s only occasionally that tangible objects–material things–assume that kind of importance.
ROMAN MARS: Jimmy Carter’s solar panels are important because they remind us that his great adventure did not happen. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: America could still embark on an exciting adventure around all this. We remain a huge and important country. And with the right nurturing from the government, it could be a huge part of the future. 
But we’re not going to lead it at this point. It’s not that we’re entirely shut out of this adventure, but we do not any longer get to be its protagonists. 
ROMAN MARS: Bill McKibben, thank you so much for talking with me and telling me the story of the solar panels. I had a fun time. 
BILL MCKIBBEN: I had a really fun time thinking back on those days. 
ROMAN MARS: Bill McKibben is a journalist, environmental activist, and founder of 350.org. If you enjoyed this discussion and want to know more about the history of solar energy, you should check out Bill’s excellent book, Here Comes the Sun, which is an exploration of how solar energy can still change the road we’ve taken. 
A History of the United States in 100 Objects is a production of 99% Invisible and BBC Studios. It’s hosted and curated by me, Roman Mars. This episode was produced by Isaac Fisher. Our other producers are Priscilla Alabi, Brenna Daldorph, and Ellie Lightfoot. 
This episode was edited by Richard Knight. The series was edited by Annie Brown and Courtney Harrell. Mixing by Charlie Brandon-King. Fact-checking by Amy Bracken. Our theme song is by Swan Real. 
From 99% Invisible, our Executive producer is Kathy Tu. From BBC Studios, our Executive Producers are Annie Brown and Courtney Harrell. Our Production coordinator is Shan Pill-ay and production manager is Mabel Finnegan-Wright. Artwork by Stefan Lawrence. 
99% Invisible is part of the SiriusXM podcast family, headquartered in beautiful… uptown… Oakland, California. And BBC Studios is headquartered in beautiful… White City… West London.
Hey, you wanna know something fun? This episode actually started as a listener suggestion. If you have a suggestion for an object you want us to consider, email us at [email protected].
This episode is hosted and curated by Roman Mars, and produced by Isaac Fisher. Series producers are Priscilla Alabi, Brenna Daldorph, and Ellie Lightfoot. This series was edited by Annie Brown and Courtney Harrell. Mixing by Charlie Brandon-King. Fact-checking by Amy Bracken. Theme song by Swan Real. Executive producers are Annie Brown, Courtney Harrell, and Kathy Tu. Production coordinator is Shan Palay. Production manager is Mabel Finnegan Wright. Artwork by Stefan Lawrence.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment *
Name *
Email *
Website


Δ
© 99% Invisible
Privacy Policy & Terms of Service
Cookie settings
Your donations are vital to keeping us independent and strong!
Contributions are used for:
Hey there beautiful nerd!
Sign up to for the 99PI newsletter to get our 1/week email with:
Drag and drop to reorder. Your playlist is stored within your cookies, clearing your browser data may remove your playlist.

source

Beneath Denver’s solar panels, a spice nicknamed “red gold” is yielding a promising harvest that could help Colorado farmers earn more with less water.
At Colorado State University Spur, horticulture graduate student Reece Bailey is investigating whether saffron could become a profitable addition to the state’s farms. His experiments in the campus’s urban gardens and green roof research areas are testing how the crop handles Colorado’s climate, how much water it needs, and whether growing it beneath solar panels improves production.
The appeal starts with its extraordinary value. A pound of saffron typically costs between $600 and $5,000, with some varieties reaching $10,000. Vanilla, the second most expensive spice, sells for roughly $90 to $225 a pound. Those prices caught Bailey’s attention, but the research must establish whether the potential earnings justify the work.
Colorado may seem an unlikely home for a spice closely associated with the Middle East. Yet Iran, which produces roughly 85% of the world’s saffron, has mountainous, semiarid conditions that resemble parts of the state. Bailey sees that overlap as a reason to investigate whether “red gold” could find a foothold on Colorado’s high plains.
The crop also offers an unusual combination of low water demand and late production. Saffron typically blooms in November, potentially bringing farmers income after other harvests have ended. Under suitable conditions, Bailey said, it could provide that additional crop without requiring extra irrigation.
“One thing that’s always been interesting to me is new ideas and novel ways of integrating crops into our environments,” said Bailey, who grew up in Aurora and has worked on Spur’s green roof for three years.
The world’s most expensive spice comes from a remarkably small harvest: the three slender red stigmas inside each purple saffron flower. Collecting enough to produce a pound of dried spice requires roughly 75,000 flowers.
That harvest is painstaking. Flowers open for only a few hours each morning, and workers carefully extract the stigmas, often with tweezers. The amount of hand labor helps explain both saffron’s price and the challenge of turning it into a profitable crop.
“It’s certainly not the easiest crop to grow or the easiest crop to work with, but the investment can be well worth it,” Bailey said.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture has committed $80,000 through its Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to investigate that possibility, particularly as a source of supplemental income late in the season and during dry years.
“For a lot of farmers, the price for their goods isn’t keeping up with the price of inputs, so what we’re really trying to do is find new crops that will work with Colorado’s climate and for our producers’ bottom line,” said Sam Hahn, the department’s next generation and specialty crops program manager. “Saffron has a high labor input, but it could really be a boon for our farmers.”
Successfully growing the flowers would answer only part of the business question. Farmers would still need to assess startup costs, bulb suppliers, equipment, labor availability, and buyers. A valuable spice does not automatically translate into a profitable harvest.
Its labor demands could nevertheless create another benefit. Hahn said the November bloom might provide agricultural jobs during a period when many farmworkers are typically unemployed, while helping farms adapt to a changing climate.
“It’s so important that we experiment with these high-value crops to see if it can supplement the market in our state and keep us competitive,” Hahn said.
Some of the most promising results are emerging 75 feet (23 meters) above the ground. Bailey’s plots occupy the roofs of two CSU Spur buildings, with Denver’s skyline and the Rocky Mountains in view. One grows among native Colorado plants, including sunflowers. Another sits beneath solar panels in an agrivoltaic system, where the same space supports crops and electricity production.
“I’m always curious about how different plants evolve and how they adapt to green roofs, and lately, I’ve come to realize that saffron is almost the ideal plant for these environments,” said Jennifer Bousselot, Bailey’s faculty adviser and an associate professor of horticulture and landscape architecture at CSU.
Spur’s rooftop gardens have carefully selected soil characteristics and are designed to use water efficiently. Saffron also tolerates some shade, and Bailey’s research so far has found that yields nearly double beneath the partial shade of solar arrays.
“This could provide cash flow value for farmers who want to use solar as an energy source, or who happen to be in an urban agriculture setting,” Bailey said.
Water use offers another reason to keep testing. Bailey said saffron requires roughly half as much water as corn and could potentially survive on rainfall alone, making it an appealing candidate for a region where irrigation water is under pressure.
“This crop is incredibly drought resistant,” Bailey said.
The experiments extend beyond Spur’s rooftops to CSU’s Foothills Campus and Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms, at the base of the mountains south of Denver. At Chatfield Farms, Lauren Hazlett, one of the head growers working at the solar array, has welcomed the sight of flowers appearing as other plants fade.
“I never thought I’d ever be able to see saffron growing, especially in Colorado—it’s something I always associated with the other side of the world,” she said.
Bousselot and Bailey have also sent bulbs to farmers in Paonia, Pueblo, and Montrose. Their reports will help show how saffron performs in working farm operations and whether its potential benefits carry beyond the research plots.
There is already a long history of finding uses for the spice. Alexander the Great, king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, reportedly bathed in saffron to help heal battle wounds. Doctors once prescribed it for bubonic plague, and Cleopatra used its fragrance to attract potential suitors. Today, it flavors dishes such as paella and risotto and is increasingly sought after in perfumes.
Modern research is also exploring its medicinal properties. Some studies suggest saffron may support mental health and help alleviate depression, while others have investigated its possible anti-inflammatory effects. Those research areas could add to its commercial appeal, although Colorado’s trials are focused on whether farmers can grow and sell it successfully.
“Up until now, we haven’t really been able to study saffron in Colorado at a deeper level, but the demand is there, and I only think we’ll be talking about it more and more,” Bailey said.
Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.
Follow us on Google and Google News.



Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Subscribe for the Latest in Science & Tech!
Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

source

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Hounsfield and Town of Watertown residents will have a chance to speak face to face with representatives from the company behind the Greens Corners solar project.
A public information session with company representatives is set for Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Sackets Harbor Ballroom.
The proposed solar farm would take up roughly 800 acres. It has drawn scrutiny from residents in the area. Some worry about the potential effect on local wildlife. Others think it will be unsightly.
“To know that this solar project is moving into the area and every time we drive down the road and to our home we’re just going to be inundated with these solar arrays with the constant hum in the background of generators running. That’s not what we signed up for,” said Trisha Lapell.
Other residents the news team spoke with said they remain somewhat optimistic they can find a way to stop the project, but there is no clear path to do so.
The town has largely been left out of the approval and permitting process for the project. Projects generating more than 25 megawatts fall under the state Office of Renewable Energy Siting, or ORES, instead of local governments. That means the town does not have a say.
Copyright 2026 WWNY. All rights reserved.

source

JinkoSolar Secures Contract for 325 MW Solar Project in Kyrgyzstan, to Deploy Tiger Neo 3.0 Modules  SolarQuarter
source

Oklahoma Farm Report

Cattlemen’s Column: Beyond the Headlines
USDA Reports Leave Grain Markets Moving Sideways as Oklahoma Growers Weigh Wheat and ARC/PLC Decisions
Nov 12
Oklahoma Farm Report intern Haden Snelson spoke with state Rep. Mike Dobrinski at the Oklahoma Solar Summit in Stillwater on Friday about the opportunities and challenges facing agricultural producers as solar development continues to expand across the state.
Dobrinski, R-Okeene, represents House District 59 in northwest Oklahoma. He discussed the potential benefits of combining solar energy production with traditional agricultural practices, an approach known as agrivoltaics.
“I think that solar is very much needed,” Dobrinski said. “We have embraced renewables in Oklahoma for the last 25 years with wind and solar.”
However, he noted that solar development presents different challenges than wind energy, particularly when it comes to the amount of land required for large-scale projects.
Unlike wind turbines, which allow much of the surrounding acreage to remain in agricultural production, conventional solar installations can occupy significant portions of productive farmland.
Dobrinski said agrivoltaics could provide a solution by allowing producers to continue grazing livestock or growing certain crops beneath and around solar panels.
“That is a win-win for everyone,” Dobrinski said, particularly for producers struggling financially to maintain their operations.
He pointed to declining profitability in wheat production and recurring drought conditions in western Oklahoma as reasons producers are searching for alternative sources of income.
“In my particular district, we’re experiencing drought for the third time in five years,” Dobrinski said, adding that Oklahoma’s abundance of sunshine will likely continue attracting solar developers.
Beyond agricultural opportunities, Dobrinski said Oklahoma lawmakers have explored establishing a regulatory framework for renewable energy projects similar to the permitting structure used by the oil and gas industry.
“Obviously, landowner rights are first and foremost,” Dobrinski said, explaining that Oklahoma’s limited regulation has contributed to the state’s attractiveness for renewable energy development.
Although he has not observed significant abuses within the industry, Dobrinski believes additional oversight could improve transparency and public confidence.
“I think everyone would feel more comfortable if we had a structure in place of minimal regulation,” he said.
One concern involves nondisclosure agreements, or NDAs, sometimes used during negotiations surrounding major development projects.
Dobrinski introduced House Bill 2999 during the 2026 legislative session, which sought to prevent public officials from being required to sign nondisclosure agreements involving certain projects with significant local impacts.
The legislation passed the Oklahoma House but did not advance through the Senate.
Dobrinski said he remains uncertain whether lawmakers will revisit the issue, noting that some developers may voluntarily move away from those agreements.
Despite concerns about land use and regulation, Dobrinski highlighted the economic benefits large solar developments can bring to rural communities, particularly through property tax revenue.
He pointed to the Skeleton Creek project in Garfield County, which he described as an investment exceeding $500 million, as an example of the potential economic impact.
Dobrinski said developments of that scale could provide substantial benefits to local school districts and county governments.
However, he also expressed concern about Oklahoma’s five-year ad valorem tax exemption for qualifying manufacturing facilities.
Dobrinski served as the House author of Senate Bill 237, which would have ended eligibility for the exemption for solar generation facilities and battery energy storage systems beginning in 2028. Although the bill passed both chambers, it was pocket-vetoed by Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Dobrinski said eliminating the exemption remains an important priority because of the potential tax revenue available to support public schools, health care, transportation and other community needs.
Looking ahead, Dobrinski believes solar developers may need to reconsider traditional installation designs to better accommodate agricultural operations.
He suggested raising solar panels higher off the ground to allow livestock to graze underneath while ensuring the structures can withstand Oklahoma’s severe weather.
He also stressed the importance of decommissioning and land reclamation requirements to protect property owners and communities if projects eventually cease operating.
For Dobrinski, the growing interest in agrivoltaics represents an opportunity for Oklahoma to explore ways renewable energy and agriculture can coexist.
“I’m just glad to be here, to have an opportunity to learn about the industry and the way it’s developing,” Dobrinski said, adding that he was encouraged by the excitement among producers attending the summit.

OKAgCredit248x160

GreatPlainsLogoFeb2025Update240

TulsaFarmShowSquareGraphic240

Web

okc-west_logo-new-llc240-canvas

NAT_Logo_BlackRed160

oca

okfb

KIS Logo240b

pkEquipment

AMFeeds

OklaBeefCouncil

© 2026 Oklahoma Farm Report.
Made with by Graphene Themes.
RON Radio Affiliates…
Contact Us…
Program Links…
WebReady powered by WireReady

source

BYD’s Futuristic EV Charger Can Run On Sunshine And Batteries  InsideEVs
source

The Ring
The Ring is Euronews’ weekly political showdown, where Europe’s toughest debates meet their boldest voices. In each episode, two political heavyweights from across the EU face off to propose a diversity of opinions and spark conversations around the most important issues of EU affairs and the wider European political life.
EU.XL
Go beyond the headlines with Euronews EU.XL — a deep dive into the EU’s key policies and decisions through videos, explainers, polls, and a chatbot answering your questions anytime and in your language
Europe Today
Euronews' flagship morning TV show with the news and insights that drive Europe, live from Brussels every morning at 08.00. Also available as a newsletter and podcast.
No Comment
No agenda, no argument, no bias, No Comment. Get the story without commentary.
Top News Stories Today
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
Europe could save 40 per cent on electricity costs thanks to solar and batteries – but only if the complimentary technologies are deployed correctly.
Solar has rapidly become a leader in clean energy, helping the world transition away from polluting fossil fuels and cushioning households from volatile oil and gas price spikes.
According to the Solar Power Europe association, harnessing sunlight for energy has saved the EU €43.7 billion in avoided gas imports since the beginning of the 2026 US-led war on Iran.
But solar’s rapid expansion has shone a light on the urgent need for battery energy storage systems, to help prevent clean energy from being wasted when generation outstrips demand.
A new report launched during the UN COP31 climate summit has revealed just how much this combination can shape total electricity costs in Europe.
The report, from the Schneider Electric Research Institute (SERI), modelled 40,500 scenarios across different combinations of solar, battery and grid costs to identify whether the rise of distributed energy resources (DERs) will ultimately raise or lower electricity costs overall.
DERs are small-scale, decentralised energy technologies like rooftop solar, battery storage systems, EVs and smart appliances.
It found that, when DER deployment is coordinated with electrification, the overall cost of running the electricity system could be cut by as much as 40 per cent by the 2030s as these technologies scale up.
These savings could translate into an additional 0.8 per cent of GDP to the global economy by 2030.
Electrification (replacing technologies that burn fossil fuels with electric alternatives) has become a flashpoint discussion at COP31, following Türkiye’s 35-by-35 pledge.
The co-host nation wants to raise the global share of energy demand met by electricity to 35 per cent, up from around 23 per cent today, by 2035 – as announced back in June.
A new study published yesterday (12 November), found that an electrified world would waste 61 per cent less energy while delivering the same services. This is partly because much of the energy produced by burning fossil fuels escapes as waste heat, making it far less efficient.
But critics say, unless sourcing electricity from clean power is specified in the final text, the pledge could allow governments to count expanded gas-fired generation as progress towards electrification targets – a move they warn would “seriously undermine climate goals”.
But adding more batteries to Europe’s grid could help the continent electrify by taking advantage of surplus solar power.
In fact, the report found that battery deployment was one of the most significant variables affecting total system costs by reducing pressure during peak periods.
Get the balance wrong, and SERI warns that a mismatch of battery durations across asset types can push total system costs to as much as 35 per cent above the current benchmark.
As Laurent Bataille, SERI’s EVP of Europe Operations, says: “Solar is the fuel, the battery is the power plant.
“Ultimately, batteries are making solar much more interesting. But the whole system only becomes cheaper if these work in harmony with one another. That also means building the electricity demand to use them, not just focusing on adding supply.”
Bataille argues that the priority now must be “accelerating electrified demand” and enabling more flexible energy use to “flatten the load curve and free up capacity”.


Browse today's tags

source

Oswal Pumps Reports Q2 FY27 Revenue Growth As 1.2 GW TopCon Solar Cell Plant Plans Advance  SolarQuarter
source

CHUNYIP WONG/iStock via Getty Images
Since my last Buy rating in August 2026, First Solar, Inc. (FSLR) has unfortunately remained volatile, with the stock breaching the prior support levels of $200s to retest the $170s at the time of writing
This article was written by
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

The analysis is provided exclusively for informational purposes and should not be considered professional investment advice. Before investing, please conduct personal in-depth research and utmost due diligence, as there are many risks associated with the trade, including capital loss.
Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

source

SHANGHAI, Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On November 6, a cooperation ceremony for Malaysia's Fifth Large-Scale Solar (LSS5+) investment project, supported by Standard Chartered Bank and China Construction Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, was held at the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE).

Malaysia's LSS5+ Solar Photovoltaic Project Successfully Signed

The project is a key initiative under Malaysia's Fifth Large-Scale Solar Programme, which forms part of the country's National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR). It directly supports Malaysia's ambition to achieve a 70% share of renewable energy in its installed power generation capacity and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Upon completion, the project will provide a stable, clean and efficient local power supply, helping upgrade Malaysia's energy infrastructure and supporting its economic and social development. It is expected to become a benchmark for cross-border investment cooperation between China and Malaysia in the green energy sector.

source

A new California law is set to make portable solar panels, known as balcony or "plug-and-play" solar, easier to use in the state, providing renters and homeowners with a convenient way to lower utility bills.
Bernadette Del Chiarro, Senior Vice President of the Environmental Working Group, explained the technology behind these compact panels. She's among the solar experts who helped pass the new law. She brought a demonstration panel to the set of California Tonight, which measured about 2 feet by 3 feet.
"This is a solar photovoltaic panel just like you see on roofs," Del Chiarro said. "It's the exact same technology. The only difference is it comes with a very small, what's called an inverter, which can convert it from the type of electricity this creates to the kind you use in your home."
The setup is simple, requiring only three steps: placing the panel in sunlight, connecting it to the inverter, and plugging it into a wall outlet.
"It immediately sends electricity, solar electricity, back through your home," Del Chiarro said. "And it powers whatever appliances are on—your refrigerator, your modem, your lights. And by doing that, you lower your utility bill because you're buying less from your utility."
These panels are designed to be portable, making them ideal for renters or homeowners without access to a roof.
"They are literally considered portable solar panels. That is what they're designed to be," said Del Chiarro. "You can put them in any sunny spot. That could be a balcony. It can be a deck… It could just be leaned against the backyard fence, any place where you have a small patch of sunlight and a nearby outlet."
The portability also allows users to move the panels as the sun shifts throughout the day.
One panel generates 180 watts of electricity, which is less than the 400 watts typically produced by rooftop panels. That's enough power to cover the electricity for something like an insert window air conditioner.
"It will take a bite out of your utility bill," said Del Chiarro.
The solar panels are considered fire safe, with requirements for state standards. Consumers should only buy units that are certified to recognized standards
A major barrier to adoption has been the requirement for utility permission, which includes an interconnection agreement fee.
"In fact, the utility's interconnection agreement that you need to sign and get their permission, it cost $150 just to submit for the paperwork. So it was completely prohibitive of this market," Del Chiarro said.
The new law, SB-868, eliminates the need for utility approval, allowing consumers to purchase these panels directly from retailers like Home Depot, IKEA, and Lowe's.
"You're going to be able to buy these off the shelf, set them up in less than an hour, plug them in, and you don't need to get the permission from anybody," Del Chiarro said.
SB-868 takes effect January 1st.
The panels are currently priced at around $500, but as the market expands, that's expected to drop.
"This panel here will save you around $100 a year," Del Chiarro said. "So it would take a while for it to pay for itself, but they're warrantied and they will last around 20 years. Hopefully we'll get these prices down and they'll save you money even faster."
This story was featured as part of our new California Tonight show. It airs Monday-Friday at 7:30 p.m. Watch on KCRA and KSBW.
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.

source

Launches Dedicated Brand 'SOLU' Unveils 25 Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Products Colors and Patterns Customized to Building Design Targets Housing Market Through Existing Client Network
Hyundai L&C, a building materials maker under the Hyundai Department Store (069960) group, is entering the solar building materials market. With demand for eco-friendly construction materials rising as the government tightens its zero-energy building certification standards, the company aims to secure a new growth driver by creating synergy with its existing window and engineered stone businesses.
Hyundai L&C said on Nov. 12 that it has launched SOLU, a brand dedicated to solar building materials, and begun sales. Its first product line, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), combines power generation with exterior cladding installed on building facades. The system generates electricity using the building's outer walls, eliminating the need for separate space to mount solar panels.
SOLU comprises 25 products in total: 20 single-color options including gray, beige and green, and five design versions that replicate textures such as marble, granite and wood. Colors and patterns can be customized to suit a building's characteristics, and panels can be made to order in sizes ranging from 0.1 meters by 0.1 meters to 3 meters by 2 meters.
The color versions use a ceramic nano-deposition technology that applies a thin ceramic film to improve generation efficiency. According to Hyundai L&C, the color products convert 20% of sunlight into electricity, 4 percentage points higher than the 16% of conventional glass-type BIPV. For the encapsulant that shields the solar materials from moisture and impact, the company uses polyvinyl butyral (PVB), the same material found in automotive laminated glass and safety glass for high-rise buildings, to strengthen durability.
Hyundai L&C also plans to run a "total solar solution" service covering product supply, installation and after-sales care. Under the approach, the company recommends solar products needed for zero-energy building certification based on a structure's size and design, then takes responsibility for installation as well.
The company will first target the housing market, drawing on the network of builders and redevelopment and reconstruction association members it has built through its window and engineered stone businesses. It then plans to expand its customer base to offices, commercial facilities and public institutions. The product lineup will also broaden from BIPV to rooftop solar panels, solar noise barriers for roads and rooftop solar waterproofing sheets.
"Zero-energy building standards have been tightened for private apartment complexes as well, but there are limits to meeting those standards with rooftop solar panels alone," said Yang Jin-young, head of Hyundai L&C's BIPV task force. "Based on the installation expertise we have accumulated in premium building materials such as windows and engineered stone, we will aggressively pursue the solar building materials market."
"We are continuously expanding our product portfolio in line with government policy and architectural trends," said Lee Dong-seob, executive director and head of Hyundai L&C's window business division. "By adding solar cladding to our existing building materials business, we will grow into a global building materials company covering the full range of construction materials."
Original reporting by Ryu Seok for Seoul Economic Daily.
AI-translated from Korean. Quotes from foreign sources are based on Korean-language reports and may not reflect exact original wording.
Watch · Seoul Economic Daily
◆ SIGNAL English Edition
Korean capital markets, translated. Subscribers see deals before the wires.
Free to browse · 50% intro rate
An independent data project
Your chart, luck cycles, today’s flow, wealth, career, and ideal match — from one date of birth.
Saju · sedaily.ai
An English ontology of the Korean market — how companies, the media, the government and the National Assembly move each other in a loop. Korea's named controlling persons and designated business groups are a mechanism, not a risk to be priced blind.
A live, cap-weighted view of every KOSPI and KOSDAQ sector, with same-day Korean reporting distilled by company — built for foreign investors, correspondents and analysts who need to scan Korea before the next session.
SIGNAL English Edition is live — Korea's deal desk reporting in English. M&A, IPOs, private equity and fund flows, covered daily for global institutional investors. Browse free; subscriber-only scoops at the 50% intro rate.
Copyright ⓒ Sedaily, All right reserved

source

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Cathaoirleach Councillor Barry Saul
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has made the switch to solar energy and aims to “lead by example” for a cleaner, greener future.
The successful completion of a new solar photovoltaic (PV) installation on the roof of Dún Laoghaire’s County Hall marks another step forward in their commitment to climate action, a spokesperson has said. The new 100 kW solar PV system has been delivered as part of the council's ongoing programme of decarbonisation and energy efficiency improvements across its facilities and public buildings.
By generating clean, renewable electricity on-site, this installation will reduce the build’s dependence on grid-supplied energy, lower operational costs and contribute to climate action targets. Cathaoirleach Councillor Barry Saul said the solar installation “will have long-lasting environmental and economic benefits”.
“By harnessing renewable energy and reducing emissions from our own operations, the council is leading by example and showing how collective action can help build a cleaner, greener and more sustainable Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown,” he said.
The new solar array will harness solar energy to power day-to-day operations, reducing carbon emissions and improving the environmental performance of the building. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown states the project demonstrates how local authorities can lead by example in transitioning to cleaner energy sources while delivering long-term value for the public.
New solar PV at County Hall, Dún Laoghaire
"This project is a great example of how the council is embedding climate action into the day-to-day operation of our services and buildings. The new solar installation will help reduce our environmental impact while also delivering significant energy savings over the years ahead,” Chief Executive Frank Curran said.
“As we continue to invest in energy efficiency and renewable technologies across the county, we are demonstrating our commitment to creating a more sustainable future for our communities and future generations."
The solar installation is expected to generate approximately 89,000 kWh of clean electricity each year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of around 20 average Irish homes. In environmental terms, the system is projected to reduce County Hall's carbon emissions by approximately 40 tonnes of CO₂ each year.
To maximise the benefits of the investment, a real-time monitoring dashboard has also been installed. This system allows the Facilities Management team to track energy generation, system performance and environmental savings on an ongoing basis, ensuring the installation operates efficiently while providing valuable data on energy and carbon reductions.
This is just one aspect of a wider programme of energy efficiency and sustainability upgrades across council facilities.
This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
Want to see more of the stories you love from Dublin Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives top stories and must-read content straight away. To add us as a preferred source, simply click here.
Choose Dublin Live as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.

source

Inspection Report Tracks Solar Battery, PV Trends  Mirage News
source

SolarEdge Slides 5% as Rising Yields Weigh on Solar Stocks; Sunrun Drops 4%, Enphase Falls 3%  Yahoo Finance
source

Karnataka Power Corporation has invited bids to develop 1,000 MW of ground-mounted solar capacity integrated with 1,000 MW/2,000 MWh of co-located battery energy storage systems (BESS) across Karnataka under a BOO model.
November 12, 2026. By Mrinmoy Dey

Solis’ Honey Raza Explains the Shift Towards Solar-Plus-Storage Solutions in India

Credence Solar’s Jinto Joseph Explains the Company’s Manufacturing Growth Strategy

Mohammed Saif Zaveri, JRST Technology, Explains Journey Towards Domestic Ingot Manufacturing

Amit Barve, RAYZON Solar, Says Tandem Technology Will Shape Future of Solar Manufacturing

UTEX New Energy’s Vision: Rashmi Mangesh Pathak on Manufacturing, BESS and India’s RE Future

source

0
By clicking the button, I accept the Terms of Use of the service and its Privacy Policy, as well as consent to the processing of personal data.
Don’t have an account? Signup
Powered by :
First Solar has signed a non-exclusive patent licensing agreement with CubicPV, gaining access to the company’s issued and pending US patents covering perovskite solar technology. The agreement allows First Solar to continue developing perovskite-based photovoltaic (PV) devices for the US utility-scale, commercial and industrial, and residential markets. First Solar has an existing 3.3 GW capacity plant in India as well.
The licence covers the domestic sale and distribution of products developed using the technology. Financial details and other terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
The agreement comes as solar manufacturers explore perovskite materials for next-generation PV cells, particularly tandem configurations that combine perovskite with conventional silicon to improve solar conversion efficiency.
First Solar is developing perovskite-based PV modules at its research and development facility in Perrysburg, Ohio. Its existing development line produces small-format modules and has been used to assess initial efficiency, stability and manufacturability.
The company is also investing in a larger pilot line in Ohio, which will produce modules equivalent in dimensions to its Series 6 modules. The facility is expected to become operational in the first half of 2027.
First Solar has invested more than $2 billion in thin-film research and development, including its perovskite programme. However, the company has not disclosed a commercial production timeline for its perovskite modules.
Perovskite materials have attracted interest for their potential to improve solar cell efficiency, particularly when combined with silicon in tandem configurations.
In these cells, the perovskite layer absorbs higher-energy portions of sunlight, while the underlying silicon layer captures lower-energy light. This allows the two materials to utilise a broader portion of the solar spectrum than conventional single-junction silicon cells.
However, commercial deployment remains dependent on addressing challenges related to long-term stability, moisture and heat resistance, manufacturing consistency and production costs.
The licensing agreement also highlights the role of intellectual property in the development of emerging solar technologies. CubicPV has spent more than a decade developing perovskite technology and building its patent portfolio.
We are India’s leading B2B media house, reporting full-time on solar energy, wind, battery storage, solar inverters, and electric vehicle (EV)
Quick Links
© 2025 Saur Energy. All Rights Reserved.

source

Anaheim is committing to a nearly billion-dollar clean-energy purchase that will power roughly 75,000 homes for two decades, a decision the City Council made Tuesday night along with appointing a new city manager.
The council approved a 20-year agreement with Heartland Solar 1 LLC to buy power from a 150-megawatt solar and 138.5-megawatt battery facility in Fresno County. The fixed-price contract will cost about $47 million a year and roughly $955 million over its term.
Janet Lonaker, acting general manager of Anaheim Public Utilities, told the council the project is “a major step” toward meeting the state’s mandate to produce 60% of power through renewable resources by 2030 and have a fully carbon-free energy portfolio by 2045. 
The facility will occupy 2,362 acres of former farmland about 30 miles southwest of Fresno and is expected to begin construction in March 2027 and start operating by summer 2028.
APU Assistant General Manager Brian Beelner said ratepayers would not see an immediate change to their bills because the project slots into the budget of a Utah power plant coming offline in June 2027. 
“The specific benefit of this project is that those (electricity storage) batteries will be dispatched exactly when those customers need it the most.” Beelner said. “When they’re coming home from work, when they’re turning on their stoves, when they are plugging their phones in, when they’re plugging their cars in, that’s when this battery will dispatch. So it adds extra resiliency into the grid that sometimes has been lacking in California.” 
Council Member Ryan Balius asked whether the carbon-free energy would be cheaper than a natural gas-fired plant. 
Beelner acknowledged “a gas plant would probably be cheaper” absent California’s renewable regulations, though he noted the negative externalities of fossil fuel would have to be recovered elsewhere. 
Balius voiced frustration that the city faces “almost a billion dollars in long term obligation that we’re just supposed to figure out how to pay” without state funding and while navigating environmental restrictions that drive up costs.
The contract includes performance guarantees, including no payment for the battery if it falls below 90% capacity for three consecutive months and liquidated damages of $350,000 per megawatt if the project is late. The council voted 7-0 to approve the agreement, which is funded through the Anaheim Public Utilities enterprise fund rather than the city’s general fund.
Earlier in the meeting with another unanimous vote, the council approved an employment agreement appointing current Oceanside City Manager Jonathan Borrego as Anaheim’s top administrator at an annual salary of $409,000. Borrego is set to start his tenure in Anaheim on Dec. 28 following his final day with Oceanside on Dec. 18. 
Human Resources Director Linda Andal said Borrego was selected through a nationwide search that drew about 160 candidates and that he previously served Anaheim for 29 years. 
Borrego brings nearly 40 years of municipal government leadership and planning experience, including 29 years with Anaheim, according to a city statement announcing his appointment.
He has served as Oceanside’s city manager since 2022, becoming the first Latino to hold the position in the San Diego County city’s 138-year history. Borrego joined Oceanside in 2017 as director of development services and later served as deputy city manager. He was named interim city manager in early 2022 before being appointed to the permanent position.
Of his 38 years in local government, all but nine have been spent in Anaheim. He began his career there in 1988 as an entry-level planner in the Planning and Building Department and eventually became Planning Division manager.
During his earlier stint in Anaheim, Borrego helped lead zoning and planning updates for Beach Boulevard, the Platinum Triangle and Anaheim Canyon. He also oversaw a 2007 update of the city’s general plan, which provides a long-term framework for land use and development.
“Returning to Anaheim would be an honor,” Borrego said in a statement. “I owe so much to this city. ‘The Anaheim Way’ philosophy of going above and beyond for those we serve was instilled in me during my nearly three decades there. It is a spirit of service I carry forward to this day.”
Borrego said he would prioritize “a steady transition, continuity of city services, budget management and effective leadership for residents, businesses and visitors.”
His employment agreement calls for an annual salary of $409,000, along with benefits provided to other executive managers, officials reported. The maximum salary for the city manager position is $467,056.
Anaheim is the largest city in Orange County, and Borrego will oversee an annual budget of $2.6 billion, including a $573.7 million general fund supporting public safety, community services and other operations.
The city manager also oversees 14 departments and about 2,000 employees serving nearly 350,000 residents, 20,000 businesses and an estimated 26 million annual visitors, officials said.
Borrego will become Anaheim’s 14th city manager since the position was established in 1919.
He succeeds Jim Vanderpool, who retired in February after serving in the role since 2020. Borrego will take over from Interim City Manager Greg Garcia, who is expected to return to his previous position as assistant city manager.
Borrego was born and raised in Santa Paula in Ventura County. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from California State University, Long Beach, according to the city. He has lived in Anaheim with his wife and family since the early 1990s and raised four children there. He is an Anaheim Ducks fan and enjoys hiking and live music.
In another action during the council meeting, members voted 6-1 to establish July 31, 2027, as the termination date for a long-running development agreement with PT Metro LLC for the A-Town project unless an amendment is adopted by then. 
Planning and Building Director Heather Allen said the developer had not completed a milestone requiring 462 additional residential units, with 132 still outstanding. 
Mayor Ashleigh Aitken opposed the extension, saying the council keeps granting extensions without affordable housing progress. 
“If I was a betting woman, we’ll be back here in July 2027 with zero movement on this project,” she said. “If we are going to be serious about our affordable housing … we need to stop allowing developers to extend these agreements way out into the future and not have them keep up with any of the indicators, as parks get more expensive, fire and police get more expensive.”
Councilwoman Natalie Meeks supported it, calling a grocery store development tied to the agreement “critical for the Platinum Triangle”. She said the council should enable city staff “to give it that one last push before we would have to restructure a whole deal that might not provide those services to this community.”
The AI platform Civilio assisted this report.

This website uses cookies to provide you with the best browsing experience. Find out more or adjust your settings.
By clicking “I Accept” or using our site, you are consenting to the use of cookies unless you disable them.
Accessibility Tools
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Essential Cookies should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.
Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.
You can find more information about our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

source

Nearly 2GW of PV on offer in Saudi Arabia’s renewables latest tender  PV Tech
source

Eight international lenders have signed letters of support for Acwa’s 2 GW solar portfolio in Türkiye 
The projects comprise the Sivas and Taşeli solar PV developments with 1 GW capacity each 
Acwa says this marks progress towards securing financing for these assets 
Saudi Arabia-based Acwa says it has secured support from eight international lenders for its planned 2 GW solar PV portfolio in Türkiye, bringing the projects a step closer to financing. 
The letters of support cover the company’s proposed 1 GW Sivas and 1 GW Taşeli solar projects. Both these assets represent a combined investment of €1.6 billion, according to the company. 
The lenders include the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), DEG, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Société Générale, and Standard Chartered. 
This means that the lenders’ backing is an important step towards securing the funding needed to develop the two projects, ACWA Power said. 
Both projects are expected to become operational in 2029. The Sivas plant will be located in Sivas Province, while the Taşeli project is planned for Karaman Province. 
Once online, the two facilities are expected to generate enough electricity to supply more than 1.3 million households. 
The company will develop, finance, construct, and operate both plants. It has also agreed on key terms for power purchase agreements with state-owned electricity producer Elektrik Üretim Anonim Şirketi (EÜAŞ). 
The projects are part of the first phase of a broader 5 GW renewable energy program agreed between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. ACWA Power signed key investment terms with Türkiye’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources in February 2026 (see Türkiye’s Solar Capacity Exceeds 25 GW; Reaches 20.9% Of Power Mix). 
Back in 2025, Acwa raised €10 billion to fund its renewable energy projects globally (see ACWA Power Signs $10 Billion Global Financing Agreements For RE).  
TaiyangNews 2024

source

Calendar Week 45 was another down week for the TaiyangNews PV Price Index, with declines in two product categories.
The polysilicon segment has remained unchanged since its sharp uptick in CW36.
The n-type 182 mm wafer declined 6.9% week-on-week (WoW), while the 210 mm and 210R variants are down 1.7% and 1.9%, respectively.
Cell prices were flat WoW.
Prices for the 210 mm HJT and 210R BC modules were down 2.5% and 1.3%, respectively, while China Project Prices for ≥585W and ≥650W modules declined by an identical 0.7% WoW.
The two solar glass variants have remained unchanged since CW17.
The polysilicon and glass segments continue to remain unchanged. Barring one product, month-on-month figures have turned negative for the other three segments, albeit by low single digits. The module category remains positive year-to-date.
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

source

Testing challenges, BESS and changing procurement landscape lead PV ModuleTech Europe 2026 discussions  PV Tech
source

Global Solar Council to unveil 300 million solar rooftop declaration at COP31  PV Tech
source

Renewables Now is a leading business news source for renewable energy professionals globally. Trust us for comprehensive coverage of major deals, projects and industry trends. We’ve done this since 2009.
Stay on top of sector news with with Renewables Now. Get access to extra articles and insights with our subscription plans and set up your own focused newsletters and alerts.

source

In its first foray in the US energy market, Sydney-headquartered growth investor Wollemi Capital and Retail Employees Superannation Trust (Rest) fund have acquired a majority stake in US-headquartered owner and operator of distributed solar assets Redball Energy.
Washington-based Redball owns and operates approximately 4,500 rooftop solar systems on homes and businesses in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions, which include Maine, New Hampshire and New York.
It does not sell or install panels directly to homeowners but provides project financing, streamlined payments and asset owership.
The investment supports Redball’s next phase of growth to expand its installer partner network, continue its selective expansion in its current markets and broaden its offering to include battery storage.
Wollemi Capital US Co-Head Natalie Volpe said Wollemi Capital US Co-Head Natalie Volpe said Redball was a natural fit with Wollemi’s strategic focus on backing real asset portfolios that are proven, distributed and scalable.
“The Redball team has built an impressive business through a disciplined, partnership-led approach, and the opportunity for distributed energy in the US is significant as electricity demand rises,” Volpe said.
“We’re excited to partner with Redball and bring our experience backing distributed solar and storage platforms to the US market.”
Redball Co-Founder John Marciano said the company seeks overlooked opportunities in the energy transition and back the teams bringing clean energy projects to market at scale.
“In Wollemi [we’ve] found a partner who shares that vision and will help take Redball to the next level, as America’s need for affordable energy and resilient, distributed infrastructure continues to grow.”
On 2 November 2026, Rest announced it had expanded its total commitment to $250 million (USD 170 million) for Wollemi Energy Group-owned Sydney-based energy and battery storage platform MPower.
It follows a $220 million commitment to Wollemi in 2025. At that time Rest Private Markets General Manager Marina Pasika said the commitment to Wollemi, and MPower, would generate long-term returns for members given Wollemi’s approach to advancing decarbonisation.
“Many of our members have decades until retirement, including around one million under 30, so we look for investment opportunities that can support members throughout their lives, while benefitting from the major economic and societal shifts expected to shape the future,” Pasika said.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
Friday, November 13, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 am CET, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Monday, November 23, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid

You have no items in your basket.

source

Turkey also signed financing agreements to boost renewable energy capacity with Saudi Arabia and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
My Alerts is a service for subscribers. Please login or subscribe in order to use My Alerts.
Recharge is the world’s leading business intelligence source for the renewable energy industries. We provide award-winning international coverage of breaking news, in-depth features and analysis across the wind and solar sectors. Learn about key energy issues as they happen and get industry insight from our experts.
Ole Petter Pedersen
Recharge is part of DN Media Group. To read more about DN Media Group, click here

source

Recipients of a federal solar grant initiative may still receive their promised funding after the Trump administration halted the $7 billion program, which was created under the Biden administration to help low-income households afford solar energy. 
Solar for All, a competitive grant program run by the Environmental Protection Agency, was cut in August 2025 under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Massachusetts was promised $156 million for solar panel accessibility and funding.
“The days of wasteful Biden-era boondoggles are over, and the Trump EPA is committed to being an exceptional steward of taxpayer dollars,” an EPA spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily Free Press.
Awarded money was estimated to lower more than 29,000 Massachusetts low-income households’ energy bills by 20%, according to the Massachusetts Solar for All Coalition.
“The Solar for All program was poised to lower energy bills for nearly 30,000 Massachusetts households and create thousands of jobs before the Trump Administration unlawfully cancelled the program,” wrote Maria Hardiman, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, in a statement to The Daily Free Press.
Federal district court judges in Rhode Island and Washington, D.C. in September ruled in separate cases against the 2025 congressional cuts to SFA funding. The EPA has until Nov. 17 to appeal a court ruling determining the cuts were unlawful.
The EPA is considering appealing the courts’ decisions, wrote an EPA spokesperson. If appealed, funds will be delayed further. 
The spokesperson wrote the Solar for All program had poor quality assurance measures for 83% of solar panel recipients. They wrote the Biden administration prematurely promised $7 billion before the program’s development, according to a January 2026 EPA Inspector General audit.
“The Biden EPA’s Solar for All perfectly encapsulates the previous administration’s spending habits: throwing money out the door with minimal oversight or regard for efficacy,” the EPA spokesperson wrote. 
James Crowley, attorney for the Rhode Island Conservation Law Foundation wrote in a statement to The Daily Free Press that the state will continue to defend affordable clean energy. 
“Clean, affordable power like solar shouldn’t be a closed-door luxury,” Crowley wrote. “Solar for All was built to open that door, and EPA tried to slam it shut. The court’s ruling pushes it back open.” 
Lauren Bowen, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, who is representing the plaintiffs challenging the EPA’s cancellation, said that while appeals may keep funds on hold, she expects the promised funds to be efficiently distributed if the case is not appealed. 
“Those benefits should start flowing very quickly to all the potential program participants,” Bowen said.
The court cases relied on whether the federal government already legally committed the funding to recipients or if Congress could withdraw the funds,  Bowen said. 
Bowen said that while some funds were unobligated, which gives Congress legal permission to withdraw them, many payments already had been contracted and signed for when they were withheld. 
“[Recipients] are left waiting for energy bill relief that Solar for All would provide, and meanwhile, EPA has these $7 billion in obligated funds sitting in their bank account,” Bowen said.
Nate Hausman, a former Solar for All Project Director before joining the Clean Energy States Alliance, had personal reservations surrounding the EPA’s sudden illegal withdrawal. Hausman said he lost his job after the cut to the program. 
“We had designed our program, we had partners hired, we had open pipelines,” Hausman said. “It was quite a shock to have built that and then for funds to disappear on a person.”
Amanda Sen, project director at the Clean Energy States Alliance, said alternative energy projects would help to relieve the ongoing affordability crisis. The volatile price of gas attributed to conflicts in the Middle East has put a strain on Massachusetts prices, which reached a seasonal record of $4.41 per gallon in September. 
“The price of the sun doesn’t fluctuate, and we’re seeing this energy affordability crisis right now,” Sen said. “If we build a network of solar and battery storage and clean energy, then our country will not be as vulnerable to those fluctuations.”
Your donation will support the student journalists of Boston University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.
Cancel reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment *
Name *
Email *

source

Connecticut regulators have required utilities Eversource and United Illuminating to offer scheduled flexible interconnection for solar and storage projects on their most constrained distribution circuits by next May, and progress to dynamic flexible interconnection statewide by late 2030.
The order is a victory for the Connecticut Solar & Storage Association that was years in the making.
Mike Trahan, the group’s executive director, said the decision addresses “three big threats to project viability: time-to-interconnection, project-level capital expenditure, and revenue loss from over-curtailment.”
In regulatory proceedings, the trade group had “pushed back at the notion that solar developers must wait two to four years for utilities to deploy DERMS before shovel-ready jobs could flexibly interconnect.” The acronym DERMS refers to distributed energy resource management systems that can control a project’s exports.
The group told state regulators that a two- to four-year timeline “put private capital, site control leases, and federal investment tax credits at risk,” Trahan said, adding that regulators “agreed” in their decision.
Scheduled flexible interconnection, an approach pioneered in California, allows electricity export in amounts that vary based on the forecasted minimum hosting capacity within defined time windows.
Starting in May 2028, utilities must offer dynamic flexible interconnection at the most constrained substations, and offer it statewide by late 2030. Under this approach, exports are subject to dynamic limits that the utility can adjust automatically based on real-time system conditions.
To implement dynamic flexible interconnection, both an Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) and grid-scale DERMS are required, the regulatory order says.
The two utilities must also establish provisions for converting from scheduled to dynamic flexible interconnection, and from flexible to firm interconnection.
Curtailment
The Connecticut Solar & Storage Association had argued that flexible developers who are “the first to commit a project need protection from curtailment creep that can happen as more solar or storage projects connect to the same substation.”
The group obtained that protection in the decision as well, Trahan said.
The regulatory order establishes “vintages” of projects, with each vintage to have a target for maximum curtailment. Projects enrolling in the first vintage will have a target of no more than 5% annual MWh curtailment. The order says the target “is intended as a basis for establishing the vintage and is not a guarantee or hard limit on the actual curtailment experienced by an individual project.”
The Connecticut Solar & Storage Association has long pursued flexible interconnection, starting with its work to launch a state-sponsored interconnection working group five years ago.
Consumer savings
Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Commissioner David Arconti said in a social media post that the decision will enable faster interconnection, better utility utilization, and potential savings for utility customers.
The Brattle Group has projected that achieving flexible interconnection nationwide would yield $39 billion in savings through 2050.
The order was published as a November 4 final decision in PURA docket 25-01-27.
At least seven other states require utilities to offer some form of flexible interconnection, or are considering doing so.
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
Tuesday, November 24, 2026
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm CET, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!

You have no items in your basket.

source

Firm cautions that unsolicited proposals to purchase remaining solar farm lease payments may not reflect the asset’s full market value
SHERIDAN, Wyo., November 12, 2026 (Newswire.com) – Solar Lease Buyout, a national consulting firm that represents landowners in solar farm lease matters, is advising property owners who host commercial or utility-scale solar installations to obtain an independent review before accepting an unsolicited solar lease buyout offer.
A solar lease buyout allows a landowner to sell the remaining rental payments from an existing commercial solar farm lease in exchange for an immediate lump-sum payment, while retaining ownership of the land. The solar project continues to operate under the existing lease; what changes is who receives the rent. The firm says this transaction can be a useful financial tool for retirement planning, debt reduction, estate simplification, or reinvestment, but only when the price reflects what the income stream is actually worth.
Solar Lease Buyout reports that investment firms and lease acquisition companies regularly approach landowners with offers to purchase those payment streams. Because the buyer profits from the difference between the purchase price and the lease’s market value, the firm urges landowners not to treat the first proposal as a final number.
“An unsolicited offer can look generous in isolation, especially when it is presented with a short deadline,” said David Espinosa, founder and CEO of Solar Lease Buyout. “The landowner is selling a decades-long income stream. Before anyone signs, they should understand how the remaining term, the escalation clause, the developer’s credit, and the site’s position in the regional energy market affect value.”
The firm reviews existing leases at no cost or commission to the landowner and can represent sellers in negotiations with qualified buyers. Depending on a client’s goals and tax situation, options may include a full buyout, a partial buyout that leaves some payments in place, or a structured settlement that combines an upfront sum with restructured ongoing payments. The firm recommends that landowners consult their own tax advisors, noting that buyout proceeds may be treated differently from ordinary rental income.
Solar Lease Buyout emphasizes that this work is distinct from a residential rooftop solar panel buyout, in which a homeowner purchases panels from a leasing company. The firm works only with landowners who hold commercial or utility-scale solar farm leases.
Landowners who have received a buyout offer, or who want to understand the value of an existing lease, can request a free, no-obligation consultation through Solar Lease Buyout.
About Solar Lease Buyout
Solar Lease Buyout is a national consulting firm specializing in solar farm land lease representation for landowners. Founded in 2004 and led by founder and CEO David Espinosa, the firm has represented property owners in transactions nationwide, working exclusively on behalf of landowners – never developers. Learn more at https://solarleasebuyout.com/.
Media Contact
David Espinosa
Solar Lease Buyout
30 N Gould Street, Suite R
Sheridan, WY 82801
866-420-8248
david@solarleasebuyout.com
https://solarleasebuyout.com/
SOURCE: Solar Lease Buyout
Source: Solar Lease Buyout

source

Friday, November 13, 2026
Broccoli grown under semi-transparent solar panels tinted magenta takes 30 per cent longer to grow than those in full sunlight, but they get just as big, a study has found. 
The research out of Europe, where a backlash against solar “fields of iron” is making dual-land use a political imperative, found that one hectare of integrated solar and horticulture could produce the same combined amount of broccoli and electricity as 1.18 hectares of just broccoli or just solar energy generation.
“Despite substantial reductions in incident light, the investigated systems support fresh biomass production and most macronutrient concentrations comparable to full-sun conditions, while increasing the photosynthetic efficiency and radiation use efficiency,” the study in CellPress journal found. 
“Overall, these findings provide proof-of-concept evidence for the potential of wavelength-selective PV technologies to support combined food and electricity production.”
The results could have been even better had they used modern silicon-PV cells rather than the old-school cadmium-telluride modules that were available when the research team needed them, the study suggested.
Solar developers have resisted making utility scale solar truly dual use to date. Standardised designs and equipment that don’t need to be adjusted to withstand animals or be lifted higher off the ground to account for cropping machines is cheaper to do.
But in Europe, land constraints and political activism mean crops and farming under solar are becoming a necessity, to the point that German company Schletter is already signing sales for cow- and horticulture-friendly systems that stand metres off the ground.
In Denmark, the rapid growth of solar from just 4 per cent of the grid to 13 per cent is now a political movement, inflamed by imagery such as photos of a solar farm surrounding a town called Hjolderup in Jutland (below).
But it wasn’t all positive news from the Swedish and Italian research team, led by Mälardalen University’s Silvia Ma Lu.
The solar broccoli took an extra 25 days to reach their full size and the study noted a marked drop in micronutrients, even if macronutrient levels stayed the same. 
It put these down to the combined effect of reduced light, the changes in light spectrum that was allowed through to the crop, and the microclimate created under the panels. 
The cadmium-telluride solar panels were structured so the ‘transparency’ came from gaps between the modules inside the panel that let through light.
One set let through 50 per cent of the light, the other 70 per cent of the light available, and had a built-in magenta filter to change the wavelengths which made it to the broccoli. 
Plants do not require the full spectrum of sunlight for growth, preferring blue and red light for photosynthesis. 
Sunlight that is too intense sunlight can actually cause plant cells to become over-excited and dissipate the energy as heat, or if it happens too often can damage the plant itself. 
Technologies that would have been ideal for this project include organic PVs (OPVs), dye-sensitized solar cells, perovskites, or even the same design but using silicon-based photovoltaic cells, the study said. 
The concept of transparent solar panels is making its way into commercial applications. 
Australian horticulture solar company Storm Safe Solutions is talking to a panel maker with a plan to let red light wavelengths through, but says those conversations remain secret. 
Cofounder Rosie Oldfield says they have a prospective client in the South Australian winegrowing industry who is keen to use solar shading to protect grapes from Australia’s intense sun. 
Charles Sturt University is testing a design like the Europeans which puts gaps between the opaque modules to allow light through. 
The site, an organic research farm called Kärrbo Prästgård in Sweden, produced broccoli that were better at using the radiation allowed through the grid of modules. 
But the power output was equally important. 
The study focused on the panels that let through 50 per cent of light, saying this had an estimated installed capacity of 1.1 kilowatt peak (kWp) and generated an estimated 447.6 kilowatt-hour (kWh) of power over the June to October trial period – a power conversion efficiency of 7.2 per cent.
Put together, the site under the 50 per cent transparent system produced slightly less broccoli and slightly less power than the same site in broad sunlight or full solar panels, but together they produced more than the sum of their parts.
The average broccoli yield under the 50 per cent system produced 0.54 tonnes of dry mass per hectare, compared with 0.66 tonnes in the open-field.
Spreading that solar system over a hectare would generate about 224.7 megawatt-hours (MWh) over the same cultivation period, compared with 325.2 MWh produced by a no-gaps solar system.
That results in a land equivalent ratio – how much the land could produce when growing crops and producing solar compared to just doing one or the other – of 1.18. 
“This value highlights that if the wavelength-selective PV system does not significantly reduce crop yield, the added electricity generation… still provides considerable value to the agri-photovoltaic system as a whole,” Ma Lu and her co-authors wrote.
If you would like to join more than 29,000 others and get the latest clean energy news delivered straight to your inbox, for free, please click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.
Rachel Williamson is a science and business journalist, who focuses on climate change-related health and environmental issues.
Related Topics
© Copyright RenewEconomy 2026. All rights reserved.

Learn more

source