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Moline moves forward on city solar farm, expects to save on energy costs The Quad-City Times
source
Halifax
By Emma Amodio
Posted Jun 14, 2026 11:32:47 AM.
Last Updated Jun 14, 2026 11:35:51 AM.
The Smiths Cove Fire Department in Digby County is making the switch to solar energy, backed by a $94,043 grant from the province.
According to a release, solar energy will help save the department up to $600,000 over 30 to 35 years, the typical shelf life of solar panels. Solar panels are now anticipated to cover 97 per cent of the department’s energy needs.
The funding was announced on June 11, by Jill Balser, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and MLA for Digby-Annapolis, on behalf of Timothy Halman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
“Volunteer fire departments are at the heart of so many Nova Scotia communities,” said Minister Balser. “They show up for us on our hardest days, and people depend on them. This funding will help the Smiths Cove Fire Department lower their energy costs and their carbon emissions by switching to clean, reliable solar power. That means more of their resources can go toward the essential services they provide.”
The government’s Sustainable Communities Challenge fund helped supply this investment — it’s a grant program that helps Nova Scotians adapt to climate change and avoid its impacts.
The fire department works in Smiths Cove and the area surrounding in Digby County while also providing a place residents can take refuge during power outages and host events in the community.
Joshua Snyder, Chief of the Smiths Cove Fire Department said this investment will help the volunteer fire service focus on improving their operations and keeping the community safe.
The fourth round of applications for the fund opened on May 28, focused on projects that address drought and water shortages.
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Energy services company SUNation Energy and solar cell manufacturer Suniva announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement that will create an integrated platform aimed at strengthening solar manufacturing in the United States and expanding the presence of domestically produced energy solutions.
The deal envisions Suniva merging with a subsidiary owned by SUNation, with the resulting company operating under the Suniva brand while maintaining SUNation’s listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The transaction, which is still subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
Currently, the United States has a significant capacity to assemble solar modules; however, local production of solar cells remains limited, forcing much of the industry to rely on imported components.
In this context, the integration between the two companies aims to strengthen one of the most strategic segments of the photovoltaic supply chain. Suniva contributes its expertise as a US manufacturer of high-efficiency monocrystalline solar cells, while SUNation adds a robust network of installation, energy storage, and services for residential, commercial, and municipal customers.
Likewise, the combined company aims to capitalize on the growing demand for domestic content within the US energy market and respond to the needs of manufacturers and installers seeking to reduce their dependence on foreign suppliers.
One of the main assets of the operation is Suniva’s industrial infrastructure; the company currently operates a plant with a nominal capacity of approximately 1 gigawatt in Georgia and is developing an additional 4.5 gigawatt expansion in South Carolina.
When both facilities reach full operation, the total production capacity could exceed 5.5 gigawatts per year, making the company one of the most relevant players in the US solar ecosystem.
Suniva’s management believes that access to public capital markets will facilitate new investments aimed at expanding production and accelerating the development of industrial capabilities in the United States.
The business combination unites two fundamental segments of the solar market: Suniva contributes specialized manufacturing capabilities, while SUNation brings strengthened businesses in residential and commercial solar installation, battery storage, maintenance services, and comprehensive energy solutions.
Furthermore, SUNation’s presence in states with high electricity costs such as New York, Florida, and Hawaii provides a commercial base that could facilitate the adoption of equipment manufactured in the United States.
According to the companies, this vertical integration will improve supply chain control, increase operational efficiency, and generate new long-term growth opportunities.
The operation also comes at a time of growing interest in strengthening national industrial capacity in strategic sectors linked to the energy transition.
The companies argue that the new corporate structure will help expand the availability of locally manufactured solar components and support the country’s clean energy expansion goals.
Once the transaction is completed, current Suniva shareholders will control approximately 98.2% of the combined company, while SUNation shareholders will retain about 1.8%, subject to adjustments provided for in the definitive agreement.
Source: Ir.sunation
Photo: Shutterstock
Analyst and writer of news specialized in industrial technology, with a solid background in engineering. My work focuses on curating and synthesizing complex information, transforming technical advances and regulatory changes into journalistic reports.
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According to an analysis from Environment America and Frontier Group, permitting requirements can add a whopping $7,000 to the cost of a rooftop solar power system. $7,000?! That’s a crazy amount of extra money to add onto a solar power system just to get a permit.
The good news in New York is that lawmakers are pushing to do away with complicated, costly permitting requirements and actually automate the permitting process in a streamlined way. Those of you who have been reading CleanTechnica for several years probably know how they plan to do that — using SolarAPP+. We’ve written about it several times, including when I interviewed someone behind the early implementation.
As one might expect, SolarAPP+ makes solar (and battery energy storage) permitting quicker, cleaner, and easier through an app-based system. “SolarAPP+ (Automated Permit Processing) is making clean energy more affordable through the automation of residential solar and energy storage permitting,” the company currently summarizes it. “Developed by the government with the solar industry, this online platform delivers compliant and quick plan review for local governments and contractors.” There are now more than 350 jurisdictions using the app, more than 150,000 permits have been issued through it, and it is estimated to have saved 150,000+ staff hours.
Notably, this is not another get-rich-quick billionaire-wannabe scheme to make a founder and some venture capitalists a fortune. SolarAPP+ is managed by a nonprofit organization, SolarAPP Foundation, and its aim is simply saving people money and supporting the solar industry. As noted in the quote above, it was developed by the US government. It’s long been known that permitting is a disaster — or at least a major challenge — in the US for solar power, so people in service to the country tried to do something about it. The solution has been very useful, and now it may get deployed in New York on a large scale.
In particular, the New York legislation would make it a requirement for any municipalities with more than 5,000 residents to automate their solar permitting process. They would have until June 30, 2027, to implement a platform for this. Though, SolarAPP+ is already sitting right there easy to use.
The small city of Kingston, NY — which I actually happen to have some personal history with, funny enough — is on the verge of becoming the first jurisdiction in New York to start using SolarAPP+.
Solar power costs much more in the US than in comparable economies such as Australia and some European countries, and part of that is arcane, irrelevant, and overly complex permitting processes. A few days ago, I wrote about the CEO of a large solar power manufacturer highlighting this point as a key thing that needs to be improved in the US. It has become a bigger problem on the large-scale solar side of the industry under the Trump administration due to their unhealthy and expensive preference for fossil fuels, but it’s a problem in the small-scale solar industry due to local and state regulations across the country.
“Slow and complex permitting processes remain one of the largest non-hardware barriers to residential solar adoption. While module prices and other hardware costs have fallen over time, US residential solar costs remain elevated compared with peer markets. As hardware has come to account for a smaller share of total installed costs, policymakers and installers have increasingly focused on soft costs such as permitting, interconnection, customer acquisition, financing, and labor, making these barriers central to the cost discussion,” MaryElizabeth Q. Mooney of pv-magazine writes. “Permitting and other bureaucratic hurdles can often add significant amounts to the total cost of a typical residential rooftop solar system, according to a report from Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group. The study found that navigating complex permitting and inspection processes can add an estimated $6,000 to $7,000 to the cost of a typical residential solar system. The report also found that these barriers can delay projects and discourage customers from completing installations.”
Separately, previous research from NREL found that a significant 22% of projects that reached the point of submitting an application for permit, interconnection, or incentive — so, serious projects — never reached installation. That seems like far too high a percentage, and the counterproductive permitting processes in many places is the reason for that.
“Kingston is setting the pace for New York by embracing automated permitting for residential solar and showing that cutting red tape is one of the most powerful ways to deliver affordable, reliable energy to homeowners,” said Jonathan Cohen, policy director for the New York Solar Energy Industries Association. “By eliminating delays and reducing unnecessary costs, automated approvals make it easier for families to access the long-term savings that solar provides, while also streamlining workloads for local governments and improving efficiency for municipal staff.”
Indeed. It’s the smart way to go. Hopefully New York passes the legislation quickly and other states follow suit and keep growing SolarAPP+ adoption.
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Zach is tryin’ to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its editor-in-chief and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about electric vehicles and renewable energy at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao.
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The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors rejected a proposal to create a solar farm near Timberville at a meeting Wednesday evening.
Summit Ridge Energy, a solar developer based in Arlington, requested a special use permit to build a solar farm on land zoned for agriculture near the Legion Hills neighborhood, about a quarter-mile from Plains Elementary School.
The board of supervisors voted 4-0 to deny the request. Board chair Leila Longcor was absent.
Several Timberville residents came to oppose the request. Many were residents of the Legion Hills neighborhood and said they were concerned that stormwater runoff or other pollution could negatively impact the area’s soil, which is prime for agricultural use.
David Mewellski, who lives in Legion Hills, said the work required to build the solar farm would be slowed by the area’s rocky terrain. He also said that if the board approved the project, it would run counter to the county’s stated goal of supporting local agriculture.
“They’re not going to be able to just pound poles in the ground,” Mewellski said. “The property they’re planning on putting it on is on nothing but rock. This is going to be, literally, in my backyard.”
Jim Johnson, of Timberville, said solar projects also tend to use large quantities of municipal water.
“I’ve also seen some of these projects; what they don’t say upfront is that they require substantial amounts of municipal water, because they have to keep the system cool to keep it running properly.” Johnson said.
Don Driver, who owns a farm about 150 feet away from the proposed solar site, was worried about how the project could affect property values in the area.
“You hear a lot of folks talking about how nice it is to see the cattle, the corn fields and so forth,” Driver said. “Those are all values that are important to us. I began wondering, a little down the road from that, how do those values then turn into dollars?”
Driver cited a Virginia Tech study showing that homes and other real estate near solar projects often lose more value than at other sites, which could result in less revenue for the county.
Ben Gillespie, director of project development for Summit Ridge, said there would be no significant impact on property values in the area.
“We have a third-party analysis, a comprehensive tool,” Gillespie said. “They concluded that the proximity to solar farms does not negatively change the property values of properties close to the project.”
Contact Richard H. Hronik III at rhronik@dnronline.com, 540-208-3278, or on Twitter @rhronikDNR
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AKIPRESS.COM – President Sadyr Japarov attended the launch of a solar power plant in Issyk-Kul with a total design capacity of 1,900 MW on June 14…
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Home – Tech – Solar panels were blamed for wiping out fields, but birds and insects are now rewriting the story beneath them
For years, the fear around solar farms has been easy to picture. Rows of dark panels, wide open fields, hot metal under the sun, and barely a bird in sight.
New data from Spain is now pushing back against that image. In several solar plants studied in 2025, researchers found more bird species inside the facilities than in nearby agricultural control areas, suggesting that well-managed solar farms can sometimes become unexpected refuges for wildlife rather than empty industrial spaces.
That does not mean every solar project is automatically good for nature. The real lesson is more practical, and maybe more important: solar panels can help biodiversity when the land under and around them is managed with care, not treated like a lifeless power station.
The clearest figures come from work cited by Spain’s solar industry association UNEF and carried out in different photovoltaic plants by the independent environmental consultancy EMAT. In Minglanilla, researchers identified 32 bird species inside the solar plant, compared with 19 in the agricultural control area outside.
The pattern appeared elsewhere, too. In Revilla Vallejera, 39 species were recorded inside the facility and 34 outside, while in Trujillo, 31 species were found among the panels compared with 25 outside.
Those are not small details. For people used to seeing solar farms as a threat to the countryside, the numbers tell a more complicated story.
The key is what the solar farm is replacing. A photovoltaic site is not usually being compared with an old-growth forest or a wetland full of life. In many cases, the land was previously used for intensive agriculture, with repeated soil disturbance, heavy mowing, herbicides, pesticides, and little shelter for wildlife.
Once a solar farm is operating, that pattern can change. Hunting is often restricted, human traffic falls to occasional maintenance visits, and the soil is no longer worked in the same way. That quieter environment can give grasses, wildflowers, insects, small mammals, and birds room to return.
UNEF’s Martín Behar said the combination of no fertilizers, insecticides, or herbicides, along with natural vegetation management through directed grazing, is producing very positive results for biodiversity. In simple terms, the land gets a break.
The Spanish findings are especially interesting because the birds recorded were not only the usual species that adapt to almost anything. UNEF says observers documented species of ecological interest, including stone-curlews, little bustards, European rollers, little owls, kestrels, lesser kestrels, and red-necked nightjars.
There is also a food-chain effect at work. When vegetation grows, insects and rabbits can increase. When prey becomes more available, raptors such as eagles, vultures, kites, harriers, falcons, and owls may begin using the area, too.
It is a simple chain, but an important one. A field that once looked productive for crops can still be poor for wildlife, while a solar site with messy edges and living ground cover can become a small pocket of habitat.
Spain is not alone in seeing this potential. In the United Kingdom, research by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the University of Cambridge found that solar farms in the agricultural landscapes of East Anglia had more bird species and more individual birds than nearby arable farmland when measured acre for acre.
The best results came from solar farms managed for nature. Sites with mixed habitats, hedgerows, and more flowering plants had nearly three times as many birds as nearby arable land, according to the RSPB and Cambridge reporting on the study.
Scientists have started using the term “conservoltaics” for this idea, which combines solar energy production with active conservation. It sounds strange, but the point is down-to-earth: clean power and wildlife habitat do not always have to fight for the same acre.
There is also an agricultural side to the story. In Australia, Lightsource bp reported promising results from wool testing at its Wellington solar farm in New South Wales, where merino sheep grazing at a solar site were compared with sheep in a regular paddock.
The company said the arrangement did not hurt wool production, even where quality was already high. Some measurements even suggested improvement, although Lightsource bp also noted that longer-term data is needed before drawing firm conclusions.
Why might that happen? The panels create shade and a gentler microclimate, giving animals more options during hot days. Any farmer, or anyone who has looked for shade in a parking lot in July, can understand why that matters.
Still, there is a warning tucked inside the good news. Solar farms do not become wildlife sanctuaries just because panels are installed. A site that is cut short, stripped of varied plants, and managed as a simple fenced lawn will not deliver the same benefits.
The strongest results appear when developers keep vegetation cover, protect or plant hedgerows, use native plants along margins, create ecological corridors, and rely on sheep as natural lawn mowers where appropriate. That means designing the site as a living landscape, not just as an electricity machine.
UNEF’s Sustainability Excellence Seal points in that direction. Its certification includes standards related to environmental integration, biodiversity protection, circular economy, local social impact, and governance, with audits for projects and plants in operation.
The argument over solar farms is not going away. Communities still worry about views, land use, food production, local control, and the speed of renewable energy buildout. Those concerns deserve attention.
But the new evidence changes the frame. The question is no longer whether every solar farm destroys nature or saves it. The better question is how these projects are placed, designed, and managed once they arrive.
At the end of the day, solar panels are tools. Used carelessly, they can deepen land-use conflicts. Used wisely, they can produce electricity while giving birds, insects, sheep, and soil a little more breathing room.
The official statement was published on UNEF.
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Photovoltaic solar panels on residential roof.
Photovoltaic solar panels on residential roof.
Sign blocking entry to trail to Tarzan Swim Hole.
Taking a break at the Tarzan Swim Hole.
Tarzan Swim Hole.
Enjoying the Tarzan Swim Hole.
Land clearing that leads to erosion and siltation near the Ylig River and Tarzan Swim Hole.
Massive land clearing for solar panels near Tarzan Swim Hole.
Lotz
Lotz
Photovoltaic solar panels on residential roof.
Photovoltaic solar panels on residential roof.
Sign blocking entry to trail to Tarzan Swim Hole.
Taking a break at the Tarzan Swim Hole.
Tarzan Swim Hole.
Enjoying the Tarzan Swim Hole.
Land clearing that leads to erosion and siltation near the Ylig River and Tarzan Swim Hole.
Massive land clearing for solar panels near Tarzan Swim Hole.
Guam has recently experienced a rash of at least nine locations selected for photovoltaic solar plant facilities scattered about our island in surprising and odd locations.
These are only permitted under the Guam Zoning Code under a “Zone Change” or “Conditional Use,” which essentially means an exemption to the acceptable uses from the designated zoning for the locations.
One photovoltaic solar plant location of note is north of Cross Island Road, Route 17, just east of the Cotal Conservation Area, the location of the hiking trail to Tarzan Falls.
Drive by and be shocked as the area has been extensively cleared and certainly subject to erosion that will result in heavy siltation of the Ylig River. The public used hiking trail to the Tarzan Swimming Hole that crossed this land is now closed by the project. The application for conditional use failed to state this public hiking trail exists and of the existence of the Tarzan Swim Hole.
Apparently, this valid public use has just been ignored. Logically, failure to accurately state existing conditions in the application should invalidate the application and resulting approval.
Did any Government of Guam agency, including the Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Statistics and Plans, or the Yona mayor, express this concern about Tarzan Swim Hole and the trail closing?
Further, will this project impact and destroy the probable execution and burial site for three US Navy men, CMM L. L Krump, AGC L. W. Jones, and YN1 A. Yablonsky, by the Japanese on September 20, 1942?
Is the Guam State Historic Preservation Officer aware of this historic site and has he commented on any government approvals or permits required?
Then there is the former Guam International Country Club golf course in Dededo that received approvals to be converted to another photovoltaic solar plant and is opposed by the nearby community for impacts on water wells and their water recharge areas.
An overall concern, is why are our lands, that should be and could be better utilized for CHamoru residences and for agriculture, now being used for photovoltaic solar plant facilities?
Guam should have a program to place the solar panels on roof tops of building and residences, as illustrated by the accompanying photographs, and to construct vehicle parking shelters to protect the vehicles while placing solar panels on the shelter tops. This would serve two purposes on already developed land.
The old system still used to notify residents of pending Guam Land Use Commission hearings and meetings no longer functions as intended.
A while back notices were placed in the island’s newspaper that virtually everyone read first thing in the morning. This is no longer the case so the public notification requirement should change.
The Department of Land Management should and can easily post applications to the GLUC to seek public comments and have a database for emails to use to notify interested residents of these postings, but this is obviously not being done.
We need to have a community discussion on our solar contribution to power and their locations as compared to the current piecemeal government decisions that are not in the best interests of our community.
Dave Lotz, a U.S. Navy veteran, is a vocal advocate for protecting Guam’s unique heritage, knowledgeable and long-time hiking enthusiast and environmental advocate, and critic of inept government.
Lotz
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Ferrari has entered the all-electric vehicle market with the Luce, which debuted in early June and left a lot of people scratching their heads in confusion. Whatever you think of the Ferrari Luce, it’s a tech powerhouse, all the way down to famed Apple designer Jony Ive being involved.
With that in mind, it shouldn’t be surprising that Ferrari is pushing hard on some tech-forward thinking, and CarBuzz recently found a patent that showcases an interesting idea. While having a solar panel on the roof of a car to keep batteries topped up is an old idea, Ferrari’s patent takes it a step further to try and maximize the solar panel’s effectiveness.
The first time we saw a solar panel built into the design of a mainstream car, it was an option for the 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid in the form of solar cells built into its roof. While a solar-equipped roof is becoming more common, Ferrari’s idea for solar panels is a lot more sophisticated. The patent is based around a roll-up photovoltaic panel that can be retracted and extracted from a chamber inside the roof through a slot. The reason Ferrari gives for extending the panel is that it can create shade to help keep the passenger compartment cooler when parked, as well as charge a battery.
A new idea from Stellantis could literally blow up the performance on your future Dodge.
Not only can the extendable solar panel be drawn out to shade the front window, but the patent drawings show a solar panel being drawn up from a compartment under the rear window at an angle. Crucially, it appears that Ferrari wants to hide and not use the solar panels when the car is moving, using sensors and weather data to automate how the panels react when the car is parked outside.
According to Ferrari’s patent, the panel uses a U-shaped member and two support rods to extend the photovoltaic panel out from its roller. Compared with the idea of turning the roof of a car into a solar panel, this solution is complicated, and the photovoltaic panel can only convert sunlight into energy when the car is parked outside.
The internet didn’t respond well, and it seems neither did investors.
While the average Ferrari is unlikely to be parked outside in the sun often, the Luce is different, as it’s clearly designed to be a daily driver – although the car Ferrari shows in the drawings looks much sportier.
While this looks like a bit of a throwaway idea, it shows Ferrari is actively thinking about the future of electric and hybrid vehicles. Solar panels aren’t the most efficient way of charging a car, but they’re getting better each year. Hyundai claims its solar roof can charge 30% to 60% of the battery per day, which is substantial. In ideal conditions, that would cover the average journey to and from work, assuming the battery has a range of over 200 miles when fully charged.
Of course, the keywords there are “ideal conditions.” The effectiveness of solar power and charging are variable depending on weather conditions. But the real reason we suspect this won’t suddenly appear as a feature on Ferrari models is because adding weight (and complexity) to the roof of a car and affecting the center of gravity is antithetical to Ferrari’s pursuit of handling perfection and clean design.
Patent filings do not guarantee the use of such technology in future vehicles and are often used exclusively as a means of protecting intellectual property. Such a filing cannot be construed as confirmation of production intent.
Source: US Patent & Trademark Office
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According to the latest IndexBox report on the global CVD Source Gases market, the market enters 2026 with broader demand fundamentals, more disciplined procurement behavior, and a more regionally diversified supply architecture.
The global market for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) source gases is positioned for steady expansion over the next decade, driven by sustained advances in semiconductor fabrication, photovoltaic manufacturing, and specialty electronics. This market analysis provides a comprehensive assessment of industry structure, demand-supply dynamics, trade flows, price trends, and competitive landscape for the period 2026 through 2035. The study is grounded in primary and secondary research, with a focus on high-purity precursor gases such as silane, ammonia, nitrous oxide, tungsten hexafluoride, and organometallic compounds. Key findings indicate that semiconductor fabrication accounts for the largest share of CVD source gas consumption, with memory and logic device scaling to sub-10nm nodes requiring increasingly sophisticated precursor mixtures. Solar energy and advanced display manufacturing represent the fastest-growing end-use segments, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Supply remains concentrated among a handful of global specialty gas producers, although new entrants in China and Southeast Asia are beginning to reshape the competitive balance. Trade patterns are heavily influenced by the geographic concentration of fab capacity in Taiwan, South Korea, China, and the United States, making logistics and hazardous material handling critical operational factors. Price dynamics have shown moderate volatility over the past two years, reflecting fluctuations in raw material costs and cyclical semiconductor demand. The forecast horizon to 2035 anticipates an upward trend in consumption, albeit with periodic corrections tied to macroeconomic conditions and technology transitions. This report delivers a data-driven view of market size, segmentation, and growth trajectories, e
The baseline scenario for the CVD source gases market from 2026 to 2035 projects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.8%, with the market index reaching 172 by 2035 relative to a 2025 base of 100. This growth is underpinned by the secular expansion of global semiconductor capacity, particularly in leading-edge logic and memory nodes, where advanced deposition processes require higher volumes of ultra-high-purity precursors. The transition to 3D NAND, gate-all-around (GAA) transistors, and advanced packaging techniques is expected to increase the intensity of CVD gas consumption per wafer. Concurrently, the solar photovoltaic industry, especially in China and India, will drive demand for silane and ammonia used in thin-film and passivation layers. The display segment, while mature, will see incremental demand from OLED and microLED production. Supply-side dynamics are characterized by ongoing investments in new production facilities in Asia, with regional self-sufficiency goals in China and India reducing reliance on imports. However, the market faces headwinds from geopolitical tensions affecting trade flows, stringent environmental regulations on perfluorinated compounds, and periodic semiconductor inventory corrections. The baseline forecast assumes no major global recession, stable raw material availability, and continued technology node progression. Risks to the outlook include a sharper-than-expected slowdown in consumer electronics demand, trade disruptions, and faster adoption of alternative deposition technologies such as atomic layer deposition (ALD), which may partially substitute CVD in certain applications. Overall, the market is expected to grow steadily, with Asia-Pacific maintaining its dominant position and emerging regions gradually i
Semiconductor fabrication remains the largest consumer of CVD source gases, accounting for over half of global demand. The segment is driven by the relentless progression to smaller technology nodes—7nm, 5nm, and 3nm—where advanced deposition processes such as plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) and high-density plasma CVD (HDP-CVD) require precise mixtures of silane, ammonia, nitrous oxide, and tungsten hexafluoride. Memory manufacturers are increasing layer counts in 3D NAND, with some devices exceeding 300 layers, each requiring multiple CVD steps. Logic foundries are transitioning to gate-all-around (GAA) architectures, which demand new precursor chemistries. By 2035, the segment will benefit from the buildout of new fabs in the US, Europe, and Japan under chip sovereignty initiatives. Key demand indicators include fab capital expenditure, wafer starts, and technology node adoption rates. The shift to EUV lithography also increases the need for specialized CVD hardmask and anti-reflective coating gases. Supply chain security concerns are prompting fab operators to diversify gas suppliers and enter long-term contracts. Current trend: Dominant and growing with node scaling.
Major trends: Transition to GAA and 3D NAND with >300 layers driving precursor intensity, Increased use of tungsten hexafluoride for metal interconnects at advanced nodes, Rising demand for high-purity silane and ammonia in dielectric and passivation layers, and On-site gas generation and purification systems gaining traction for cost and reliability.
Representative participants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Micron Technology, Intel Corporation, and GlobalFoundries.
The electronics and optical systems segment encompasses flat panel displays, LEDs, and optical coatings. CVD source gases are essential for depositing thin-film transistors (TFTs) in LCD and OLED displays, as well as for anti-reflective and conductive layers in optical components. The shift to OLED and microLED technologies is increasing the demand for organometallic precursors and high-purity ammonia. Display manufacturers in China and South Korea are investing heavily in Gen 8.6 and Gen 10.5 fabs, which consume large volumes of silane and nitrous oxide. The segment also includes production of laser diodes, photodetectors, and optical waveguides, where CVD is used for epitaxial growth and dielectric layers. By 2035, the market will be supported by the proliferation of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices, which require advanced microdisplays. Demand indicators include display area shipments, OLED penetration rates, and capital expenditure on display fabs. The trend toward flexible and foldable displays is driving innovation in low-temperature CVD processes. Environmental regulations on display manufacturing emissions are pushing adoption of abatement systems and alternative gas chemistries. Current trend: Steady growth from display and optoelectronics.
Major trends: OLED and microLED display production scaling in China and Korea, Increasing use of CVD for AR/VR microdisplay waveguides, Low-temperature CVD processes for flexible substrates, and Shift to lead-free and halogen-free optical coatings.
Representative participants: Samsung Display, LG Display, BOE Technology Group, Corning Incorporated, ams-OSRAM AG, and Universal Display Corporation.
Industrial automation and instrumentation applications include microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), sensors, and analytical instruments that rely on CVD-deposited thin films. MEMS devices such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and pressure sensors use CVD for structural layers, passivation, and sacrificial layers. The segment also covers gas sensors, infrared detectors, and microfluidic devices. Demand is driven by the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT), automotive electronics, and industrial process control. By 2035, the proliferation of smart factories and autonomous vehicles will increase the need for MEMS-based sensors, supporting CVD gas consumption. Key demand indicators include MEMS market growth, automotive sensor content per vehicle, and industrial robot installations. The segment is characterized by smaller batch sizes and higher product mix compared to semiconductor fabs, requiring flexible gas delivery systems. Manufacturers are increasingly adopting multi-chamber CVD tools to improve throughput. The trend toward miniaturization and integration of multiple functions on a single chip is driving the need for more complex CVD processes. Supply chain constraints for specialty gases can impact production schedules, leading to inventory buffering by MEMS foundries. Current trend: Moderate growth from sensor and MEMS manufacturing.
Major trends: Growth in MEMS for automotive and IoT applications, Integration of CVD with wafer-level packaging, Demand for high-uniformity films in sensor arrays, and Adoption of atomic layer deposition for ultra-thin sensor layers.
Representative participants: Robert Bosch GmbH, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, Honeywell International, Infineon Technologies, and Analog Devices.
The OEM integration and maintenance segment covers the supply of CVD source gases to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for tool qualification, testing, and customer support, as well as aftermarket consumables and replacement parts for installed CVD systems. This segment is directly linked to the installed base of CVD equipment from suppliers such as Applied Materials, Lam Research, and Tokyo Electron. As new fabs come online and existing tools undergo preventive maintenance, demand for calibration gases, purge gases, and process qualification gases remains steady. By 2035, the segment will benefit from the increasing complexity of CVD tools, which require more frequent maintenance and specialized gas mixtures for chamber cleaning and seasoning. Key demand indicators include CVD equipment shipments, fab utilization rates, and average tool age. The trend toward predictive maintenance using real-time gas monitoring is creating opportunities for integrated gas delivery and analytics solutions. OEMs are also developing new precursor delivery systems for emerging materials like ruthenium and molybdenum. The segment faces pressure from fab operators seeking to reduce consumable costs through bulk purchasing and on-site gas generation. However, the criticality of gas purity and consistency ensures a stable revenue stream for established suppliers. Current trend: Stable growth tied to equipment install base.
Major trends: Predictive maintenance and real-time gas monitoring systems, Development of new precursor delivery systems for advanced nodes, Increasing use of remote diagnostics and digital twins, and Consolidation of gas supply contracts with fab operators.
Representative participants: Applied Materials Inc, Lam Research Corporation, Tokyo Electron Limited, ASM International, Kokusai Electric Corporation, and SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions.
The renewable energy segment, primarily solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing, is the fastest-growing end-use for CVD source gases. Silane is the key precursor for depositing amorphous silicon and silicon nitride passivation layers in both crystalline silicon and thin-film solar cells. Ammonia and nitrous oxide are used in anti-reflective coatings and dielectric layers. The global push toward net-zero emissions and energy security is driving massive investments in solar manufacturing capacity, particularly in China, India, and the United States. By 2035, solar PV installations are expected to exceed 1 terawatt annually, requiring proportional increases in CVD gas consumption. Key demand indicators include solar cell production volumes, module efficiency improvements, and government renewable energy targets. The trend toward heterojunction (HJT) and tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cell architectures increases the number of CVD steps per cell, boosting gas intensity. Thin-film technologies like cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) also rely on CVD for certain layers. The segment is price-sensitive, with manufacturers seeking cost-effective gas supply solutions. Localization of gas production near solar manufacturing hubs is becoming a competitive advantage. Environmental concerns over silane handling and byproduct disposal are driving invest Current trend: Fastest-growing segment driven by solar PV expansion.
Major trends: Shift to HJT and TOPCon cell architectures increasing CVD steps, Massive capacity expansion in China and India, Localization of specialty gas production near solar fabs, and Development of silane recycling and abatement technologies.
Representative participants: LONGi Green Energy Technology, Tongwei Co. Ltd, JA Solar Technology, Trina Solar, First Solar Inc, and Canadian Solar Inc.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
Asia-Pacific holds the largest share, driven by semiconductor fabs in Taiwan, South Korea, and China, plus solar PV manufacturing in China. The region benefits from aggressive capacity expansion, government support, and a dense supply chain. Demand growth will be supported by new fab projects and solar capacity additions, though trade tensions and environmental regulations pose risks. Direction: Dominant and expanding.
North America is a mature market anchored by US semiconductor fabs and specialty gas production. The CHIPS Act is driving new fab construction in Arizona, Texas, and Ohio, boosting demand for CVD gases. The region also has a strong presence in solar PV and MEMS manufacturing. Growth is tempered by high production costs and environmental compliance. Direction: Stable with moderate growth.
Europe’s market is supported by automotive electronics, industrial automation, and specialty gas production in Germany, France, and the Netherlands. The European Chips Act aims to double semiconductor production share by 2030, driving CVD gas demand. The region also has a growing solar PV sector. Environmental regulations are stringent, encouraging adoption of abatement technologies. Direction: Steady with niche strengths.
Latin America’s market is small but growing, driven by solar PV manufacturing in Brazil and Mexico, and some semiconductor assembly operations. The region benefits from nearshoring trends and renewable energy investments. Infrastructure and logistics challenges limit faster growth, but government incentives for clean energy are creating opportunities for CVD gas suppliers. Direction: Emerging with gradual growth.
The Middle East & Africa region is a nascent market, with demand primarily from solar PV projects in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and South Africa. The region’s focus on diversifying economies and investing in renewable energy is driving small-scale CVD gas consumption. Limited local production and reliance on imports constrain growth, but long-term potential exists as solar capacity scales. Direction: Niche but expanding.
In the baseline scenario, IndexBox estimates a 5.8% compound annual growth rate for the global cvd source gases market over 2026-2035, bringing the market index to roughly 172 by 2035 (2025=100).
Note: indexed curves are used to compare medium-term scenario trajectories when full absolute volumes are not publicly disclosed.
For full methodological details and benchmark tables, see the latest IndexBox CVD Source Gases market report.
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the CVD Source Gases market in the World, including market size, structure, key trends, and forecast. The study highlights demand drivers, supply constraints, and competitive dynamics across the value chain.
The analysis is designed for manufacturers, distributors, investors, and advisors who require a consistent, data-driven view of market dynamics and a transparent analytical definition of the product scope.
This report covers the market for CVD source gases, which are high-purity chemical precursors used in chemical vapor deposition processes for the production of semiconductor devices, flat panel displays, and photovoltaic cells. The analysis includes gases such as silane, ammonia, nitrous oxide, and tungsten hexafluoride, along with related components and integrated systems.
The classification coverage encompasses the upstream inputs and critical components for CVD source gases, including raw material extraction and purification, as well as manufacturing, assembly, and quality control of gas delivery systems. It also covers distribution, integration, and channel partner activities, along with after-sales service, replacement, and lifecycle support for CVD gas systems.
World
The analysis is built on a multi-source framework that combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, and expert validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to ensure consistency across time series.
All data are normalized to a common product definition and mapped to a consistent set of codes. This ensures that comparisons across time are aligned and actionable.
Report Scope and Analytical Framing
Concise View of Market Direction
Market Size, Growth and Scenario Framing
Commercial and Technical Scope
How the Market Splits Into Decision-Relevant Buckets
Where Demand Comes From and How It Behaves
Supply Footprint, Trade and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
Where Growth and Supply Concentrate
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
Detailed View of the Most Important National Markets
How the Report Was Built
Leading supplier of tungsten hexafluoride and other CVD gases
Major global producer of CVD source gases through its Electronics division
Supplies silane, ammonia, and other CVD precursors
Now part of Merck's Electronics business; key for high-k and metal precursors
Strong in silane, disilane, and other CVD gases for semiconductor fabs
Produces CVD source gases including TEOS and metal organics
Supplies high-purity CVD precursors and delivery systems
Produces silane, phosphine, and other CVD source gases
Merged with Linde; significant CVD gas portfolio
Specializes in tungsten hexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride
Supplies CVD source gases like SiF4 and WF6
Distributes and manufactures CVD precursors for semiconductor industry
Offers silane, ammonia, and other CVD source gases
Korean specialist in high-k and metal precursors
Supplies CVD source gases for memory and logic fabs
Key supplier of hafnium and zirconium precursors
Produces silane and other CVD source gases
Supplies silane gas for CVD applications
Major producer of silane for semiconductor and solar CVD
Supplies CVD source gases including TEOS and metal organics
Chinese producer of CVD and ALD precursors
Supplies metal-organic CVD precursors for thin films
Specializes in CVD/ALD metal precursors for R&D and production
Produces custom CVD source gases and metal precursors
Specialist in CVD and ALD precursor chemicals
Chinese distributor and producer of CVD source gases
Supplies WF6 and other CVD fluorine-based gases
Regional supplier of CVD gases for Taiwanese fabs
Produces silane and other CVD source gases
Former supplier of high-purity CVD gases, now integrated
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Darrell Proctor
Technology giant Meta said it has expanded its partnership with major renewable energy developer RWE through a long-term corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) for the 298-MW Rabbit’s Foot Solar installation in North Texas. The companies on June 11 said it is the fourth PPA they’ve signed together since 2024.
The Rabbit’s Foot project in Bowie County, Texas, began onsite construction earlier this year. Meta on Thursday said once Rabbit’s Foot comes online, expected by year-end 2027, it will support Meta’s goal of matching its operations with 100% clean energy.
RWE and Meta have previously signed PPAs for projects totaling 574 MW of generation capacity, including the 274-MW Emily Solar project (formerly County Run Solar) in Illinois, the 100-MW Lafitte Solar project in Louisiana, and the 200-MW Waterloo Solar facility in Texas. The companies said that with Rabbit’s Foot Solar, they have now signed agreements totaling 872 MW over the past two years.
“Our partnership with Meta continues to grow as we work together to deliver reliable power that supports their energy commitments. This agreement for the Rabbit’s Foot Solar project demonstrates how collaboration can drive meaningful economic growth and community benefits,” said Ingmar Ritzenhofen, chief commercial officer for RWE Americas. “By investing in Bowie County, we’re not only creating approximately 200 local construction jobs, but also generating substantial long-term tax revenue that will help support schools, technical education programs, emergency services, and critical road maintenance and infrastructure improvements across the community.”
Amanda Yang, head of Clean and Renewable Energy for Meta, said, “Through our continued partnership with RWE, the Rabbit’s Foot Solar project will bring new generation to the Texas grid while creating local jobs and delivering lasting economic benefits to Bowie County. We’re proud to deepen our collaboration with RWE with our expanded portfolio.”
RWE is a leading power company in the U.S. with 13 GW of generation capacity in operation across 27 states. The company on Thursday said it plans to add 9 GW of net new capacity by 2031.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
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This image depicts what these solar panels could look like once built.
Editor
This image depicts what these solar panels could look like once built.
The Pine County Historical Society is working with All Energy Solar, a company based out of St. Paul, to install solar panels at the Pine County History Museum.
Approval
At the Askov City Council meeting, Pine County Historical Society President Roger Wallace and a representative of All Energy Solar, Danielle, explains to the council how these solar panels would benefit the museum.
“We are working with the Pine County Museum for a ground-mount solar array to be located on the west side of the main building, just south of the maintenance shed,” Danielle says to the council.
According to the plans, 194 solar panels, split into two arrays adjacent to each other, will be installed in what used to be the football field of the school. These panels will stand at nine and a half feet tall, pending approval with the utility company.
“The system is designed just to offset the site’s electrical load, so it’s used for just having a clean, green resource for electricity,” Danielle adds.
Wallace explains the historical society has a donation to go towards this project, and by doing the project at this time, they could get a 40% rebate. The total project amount would cost the museum around $350,000.
“Right now,” Wallace says. “Our electric bill at the museum runs about $30,000 a year. This should take care 90% of the bill.”
The panels will be facing the south but will be offset as to not block the train mural on that side of the building.
City Council member Elinor Auge, who covers planning and zoning, says she has been poring over the zoning ordinances and regulations for the City of Askov about solar panels. She even attended the Finlayson City Council meeting where she had posed the question to the Pine County Zoning director about these types of projects.
“I did ask if somebody wants to put up solar panels, do they need permits, and he said absolutely.”
Danielle agrees with Auge, saying if the city itself would have any permitting requirements, the museum and All Solar Energy will abide by them.
“Our zoning laws are very welcoming to solar, and it’s written in [the planning and zoning manuals] to do what we can do make solar as much as possible,” Auge adds.
Auge recommends having an inspector come from either the county or Sandstone to inspect the building, land, and project area. This recommendation is to ensure everything is done correctly and for this project to begin.
The council motions to approve the project and allow solar panels to be installed at the Pine County History Museum.
Benefits
All Energy Solar’s Director of Business Development Michael Thalhimer states on-site solar projects like the system for the Pine County History Museum are designed to primarily help properties consume less energy from the grid–and for a long time.
“By being less reliant on power provided by outside sources, not only will the museum enjoy generating clean energy to satisfy most of its electrical needs, but the reduced delivery of utility power will also save the museum significant operating costs.”
With a useful life of over 40 years, systems like these solar panels are set up to provide decades of operational value.
Pine County Historical Society’s Treasurer Paul Olesen says there’s been times the board wondered where they were going to get the money to pay the fuel bill. This would be a way to take the stress of the electrical bill away.
The Project
According to Wallace, the idea to utilize solar panels at the museum came from a grant search for non-profits. During that search, they contacted Mora’s historical society who told them about solar projects. “Paul, another board member, and I went to Osprey Wilds [in Sandstone] because they put up [solar panels]. They recommended this company [All Energy Solar]. That’s why we went with them.”
Wallace reached out to Thalhimer for a quote.
“We first connected with the museum back in July 2024,” explains Thalhimer. “Over a series of meeting with Roger and other members of the board in the year or so that followed, we ultimately settled on a plan for the current project in late 2025.”
Thalhimer adds the installation of the 194 solar panels will take place this summer of 2026.
Challenges
With a project of this size, challenges are inevitable. According to Thalhimer, one of the challenges this project has to overcome is going from concept to a construction plan that is ready for installation. “[That] can always introduce challenges, especially related to obtaining the necessary local permits and securing the utility’s approval to interconnect the system.”
Generally, Thalhimer states, once the project is past the stage of finalizing that design and those permissions, the main obstacle is working with mother nature. “We typically install ground mounted solar arrays like the museum’s systems between March/April and November here in Northern Minnesota.”
Since the installations are entirely outdoors, the installation crew must work around the conditions of nature, which are somewhat unpredictable.
Outcome
With the goal of the solar panels to be completed and working by the end of summer 2026, the museum aims to eliminate 90% of their electrical bill, which will ultimately put money back into the museum’s operation and improvements.
For more information on All Energy Solar, visit https://www.allenergysolar.com or by calling 1-800-620-3370.
For more information on the Pine County History Museum, visit https://pinecountyhistory.org or by calling (320) 838-1607.
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By: Luis Reyes
Published: Jun 14, at 12:00pm ET
Getting a new power line approved in the US is a multiyear slog of hearings, permitting, and the occasional lawsuit, all before a single steel tower goes up. China is running the opposite playbook, and the results are visible from orbit. Along the northern edge of the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia, solar panels are filling in a strip that planners want to run 250 miles end to end, part of a build the Chinese press has taken to calling a “solar great wall.” NASA’s Earth Observatory lined up two satellite frames of the same ground, one from December 2017 and one from December 2024, and the change between them barely needs a caption. Where there were bare dunes, there are now grids of panels wide enough to pick out from space.
The full plan, which Chinese officials expect to wrap around 2030, calls for a band roughly 250 miles long and 3 miles wide with a maximum capacity of 100 gigawatts. NASA frames that as enough to power Beijing. As of the most recent official count, late in 2024, about 5.4 gigawatts of it was actually installed. So the wall is real, the satellite evidence is real, and the gap between what is built and what has been promised is real too.
The images come from the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8 and its successor on Landsat 9, shot over the same band of dunes just south of the Yellow River, between the cities of Baotou and Bayannur. Side by side, December 2017 and December 2024, they show the footprint going from a few scattered blocks to a near-continuous mosaic. It is the rare infrastructure project where the construction timeline is legible from low Earth orbit.
One feature in the frames is hard to miss once you know to look for it. The 300-megawatt Junma Solar Power Station, built by State Power Investment Corporation and finished in 2019, was laid out in the shape of a galloping horse. It holds a Guinness World Record for the largest image ever made out of solar panels, and it pushes out roughly 2 billion kilowatt-hours a year, enough for the annual needs of 300,000 to 400,000 people. Junma means “fine horse” in Mandarin, which is the kind of detail that sounds like marketing until you see it from space and realize they actually built a horse the size of a small city.
The single biggest chunk of the wall is the Three Gorges Kubuqi base, near Ordos, developed by state-owned China Three Gorges together with Inner Mongolia’s Mengneng energy group. Ground broke at the end of 2022 on an 80 billion yuan ($11.6 billion) project, and the detail that complicates the “green wall” branding is the fuel mix. As Power magazine reported, the base was designed as a 16-gigawatt hybrid, with 8 gigawatts of solar, 4 gigawatts of wind, and 4 gigawatts of coal-fired generation, plus storage. The sun does the headline work. The coal is there to keep the grid steady when the sun is not cooperating.
Progress on the flagship has been steady rather than instant. The first gigawatt of solar came online at the end of 2023. By 2025, a second 1-gigawatt phase had been connected, which Na Guiting, a deputy president at the Three Gorges Mengneng joint venture, described to Xinhua as turning more than 4,200 hectares of dunes into panels. That puts about 2 gigawatts of the flagship in service today, with reporting from EnergiesMedia putting it on track to reach 7,000 megawatts during 2026 as additional phases switch on. When the whole base is finished, the developer expects it to send roughly 40 billion kilowatt-hours a year east to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, more than half of that from clean sources.
Power was never the only goal. Mounted a few feet off the ground and lined up in rows, the panels work as windbreaks. They slow the wind that pushes the dunes around, they cut evaporation by throwing shade on the sand, and that combination gives grass and crops a foothold where there was not one before. NASA points to published analysis of Landsat data showing solar projects have contributed to the greening of dry land elsewhere in China, so this is not a one-off claim from a press release.
On the ground, the people nearby put it in plainer terms. One local farmer, Han Rongkuan, told Xinhua that “these projects shield us from wind and sand,” and that his village had cultivated more than 600 hectares (about 1,500 acres) of high-standard farmland in a single year, land that can bring in roughly 900 yuan ($128) per mu if it is leased out. China has run a version of this before, on the Tibetan Plateau, where a solar complex turned near-total sand into working grassland and ended up needing thousands of sheep to keep it in check. That is a different desert and a different story, but the underlying move, generate power up top and restore the land underneath, is the same one being scaled across the Kubuqi.
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The scale gap is not subtle. As of mid-2024, China led the world in operating solar capacity with about 386,875 megawatts, roughly 51 percent of the global total, according to Global Energy Monitor’s tracker. The US sat second at 79,364 megawatts, around 11 percent. Between 2017 and 2023, China was adding solar at an average pace of nearly 40,000 megawatts a year. The US averaged about 8,137 megawatts over the same stretch. Those are not numbers that close on their own.
Building the panels is only half the job, though, and arguably the easy half. A gigawatt sitting in a remote stretch of Inner Mongolia does nothing for a city 800 miles away unless you can move it, which is why China has been stringing ultra-high-voltage lines from these bases toward the populated east and south. It is the same bottleneck that has US grid operators and Texas regulators arguing over transmission for years, just with a very different tolerance for how fast steel goes up. And because solar only works when the sun is out, the gigawatts need firming, which is its own engineering problem. China’s answer there runs from batteries to enormous pumped-storage “water batteries” that hold power behind a mountain and let gravity hand it back on demand.
There is also a stranger wrinkle to covering this much ground with dark panels. A field this size can nudge the local environment in ways that go beyond shade and windbreaks. German researchers modeling large arrays have found that a big enough installation could shift rainfall patterns over a desert, and they are now running field tests in the UAE to see whether the atmosphere behaves the way the simulations say. None of that is settled, and none of it is specific to the Kubuqi, but it is a reminder that a wall of panels this size is not a neutral object dropped on empty land.
The satellite images are the part of this story that needs no spin. Two frames, seven years apart, bare dunes turning into a grid you can resolve from orbit. The round numbers are softer. The 100-gigawatt figure is a 2030 target, the 5.4 gigawatts is what was counted as built more than a year ago, and the flagship that anchors the whole thing is a 2-gigawatt machine with a coal plant attached, climbing toward seven. “Enough to power Beijing” is a design spec, not a meter reading. What is already in the ground is a 250-mile test of whether you can generate serious power and hold back a desert with the same hardware, and the early frames suggest the answer is yes on both counts. Getting all those gigawatts to the cities that actually need them is the harder problem, and it is the one nobody bothers to photograph.
Don’t bite your tongue. Speak up.
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MANIKGANJ, Bangladesh — In a rice field in central Bangladesh, farm worker Dilip Kumar Biswas tends crops growing in the shade of solar panels, part of an experiment to see if one of the most densely populated countries can produce food and clean power on the same land.
The nation of 175 million relies on imports for about 95% of its energy needs, a dependence made worse by rising costs caused by the war in the Middle East. One of the ways it is looking to diversify its energy supply is through more renewable energy.
Solar is by far the biggest source of renewable energy in Bangladesh, but only accounts for about 4.5% of its total generating capacity.
The problem is that solar panels are either installed on rooftops or on the ground, but roof space is limited and ground systems take up land that could be used for farming or housing.
“For land-scarce Bangladesh, balancing the needs of food and energy is critical,” said Sohanur Rahman, executive coordinator of YouthNet Global, a climate justice campaign group.
Researchers are now looking at the emerging technology of “agrivoltaics” where crops and livestock share space with solar panels.
The Bangladeshi development organization BRAC and research organization the Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) this year launched a research project to mount solar panels above farmland in Manikganj, some 50 km west of the capital Dhaka. The project is funded by the H&M Foundation, a non-profit linked to the Swedish clothing brand H&M.
Unlike India and Pakistan, which have built large photovoltaic power parks in arid regions, Bangladesh has little non-agricultural land available for utility-scale solar.
Previous proposals for solar parks have been scrapped due to concerns over loss of land and livelihoods.
But at Manikganj, solar panels are mounted more than 2 meters above the ground, allowing varying amounts of sunlight to filter through to the crops below.
Researchers measure rainfall, wind speed and other microclimate data and will compare yields with nearby control plots to assess which panel height, spacing and crop combinations best balance food production and power generation.
Farm workers are paid about $7 a day, a normal wage for farm workers Bangladesh, to grow rice, coriander, pumpkins, bottle gourds and onions.
“The shade helps preserve soil moisture while also making it comfortable for workers during hot summer days,” said Biswas, one of the farm workers.
Shade-tolerant vegetables like ginger and turmeric have performed well in agrivoltaic pilots in Manikganj run by the German development agency GIZ as well as in Chuadanga in western Bangladesh by the Wave Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) working on poverty and climate challenges.
Rearing goats and poultry has also been tested in agrivoltaic experiments in Chuadanga.
But farmers in Bangladesh are more interested in growing rice, the country’s main staple, which requires a lot of sunshine, so the ongoing project is focusing on how to grow rice under solar panels, said BIGD assistant professor Rohini Kamal.
Flood-tolerant rice varieties are needed in low-lying lands like Manikganj that are submerged during the monsoon, while the solar mounting structures have to be robust enough to withstand the strong storms that sometimes hit these areas, he said.
The economic viability of agrivoltaic systems depends on a number of variables.
Although agrivoltaic systems usually cost more to install than conventional ground-mounted solar, a 2024 pilot study in Chuadanga estimated that revenue from both crops and electricity could shorten the payback period for the panels from five or six years, to about three years under favorable conditions.
Panels that are lower and closely spaced are cheaper to build, but cast more shade, while higher and more widely spaced structures cost more, but may be better suited to sun-loving crops such as rice, said Mehedi Hasan Bappy, an agronomist working on the Manikganj project.
The rice yield so far looks good, Bappy said, but more data from more crop cycles were needed.
Workers on the project are paid a daily wage, while the electricity generated is used to irrigate the nearby farmland.
Once connected to the national grid, the project could export its surplus electricity, but existing rules would need to change for farmers or operators to receive direct payments for power generated by solar panels on their land, Ms. Kamal said.
To ensure farming communities benefit from such projects, agreements should spell out the land lease terms, payment and profit-sharing policies, said Dipal Chandra Barua, the chairman of Bright Green Energy Foundation, a Bangladeshi NGO that installs small-scale renewable energy systems in rural communities.
For now, researchers are waiting to see whether the rice harvest can match the promise of the solar panels installed above the crops.
If the model works, Ms. Kamal said, the harder test may be scaling up agrivoltaics with arrangements that allow solar power companies, farmers, landowners and rural workers to share the benefits fairly. — Thomson Reuters Foundation
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Qcells took a significant step in expanding U.S. solar manufacturing by beginning solar cell production at its Cartersville, Georgia, facility. The facility will become the nation’s first and only vertically integrated solar factory, where all the major components of a solar panel, from ingots and wafers to the finished module, will be manufactured under one roof.
The company expects to reach full operating capacity during the third quarter of 2026. Once the expansion is complete, the facility will become the largest operating solar cell factory in U.S. history.
With the start of cell production, Qcells is advancing its strategy to build a national solar supply chain capable of reducing dependence on imported components.
According to Andy Park, global CEO of Qcells, the project will allow the main components of a solar panel to be manufactured in Georgia. The initiative aims to offer greater price stability, supply availability, and product traceability for developers, energy companies, and industrial customers.
Furthermore, vertical integration allows control of each stage of the production process, from the manufacture of ingots and wafers to the final assembly of solar modules.
Currently, the module assembly line in Cartersville is operating at full capacity and producing approximately 16,700 solar panels per day.
The company estimates that by the third quarter of 2026 the plant will produce 3.3 GW of ingots, wafers and solar cells annually, along with 3.5 GW of photovoltaic modules.
The installed capacity will also be complemented by the Dalton, Georgia plant, whose expansion increased module production to 5.1 GW annually. Together, both facilities will reach a capacity of 8.6 GW per year, equivalent to approximately 47,000 panels per day.
According to the company’s estimates, that production could supply enough energy for approximately 1.3 million US homes for a year.
Qcells’ investment in Georgia will also have a significant effect on skilled manufacturing employment.
The company expects the Cartersville and Dalton operations to generate approximately 4,000 jobs. Of that total, around 3,800 will be direct jobs in Bartow and Whitfield counties.
This growth strengthens Georgia’s image as one of the leading solar manufacturing centers in the United States and contributes to the development of industrial capabilities linked to the energy transition.
The modules manufactured in Cartersville will allow developers and asset owners to more easily access the incentives associated with domestic content contemplated in the Investment Tax Credit.
By producing the main components of each module in the United States, projects will be able to more clearly demonstrate compliance with the requirements demanded by federal programs.
Furthermore, domestic manufacturing reduces exposure to international logistical disruptions, tariff volatility, and equipment supply delays, factors that have affected the solar sector in recent years.
The Cartersville plant represents the first facility of its kind built in the United States in more than a decade. It will also house the largest ingot and wafer production plant developed to date in the country.
Thanks to this infrastructure, Qcells seeks to strengthen an integrated solar manufacturing platform capable of supplying residential, commercial, industrial and utility projects using locally produced components.
The company believes that the growing demand for solar equipment manufactured in the United States will continue to promote new investments in production capacity, strengthening the competitiveness of the national solar industry and expanding development opportunities for the country’s energy supply chain.
Source and photo: Us.qcells
Analyst and writer of news specialized in industrial technology, with a solid background in engineering. My work focuses on curating and synthesizing complex information, transforming technical advances and regulatory changes into journalistic reports.
The GreenH2Atlantic project received conditional environmental approval to develop a 100 MW green hydrogen plant in Sines.
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NACE MR0175 establishes material selection requirements to prevent H₂S-induced cracking in sour service environments. Its application is essential for protecting the integrity of pipelines, vessels, and critical equipment in the oil and gas industry.
The integration of Apparition will optimize seismic studies and improve the visualization of deep structures.
PXGEO and Equinor begin trials in Norway to validate subsea inspections using autonomous technology.
The new infrastructure expands gas supply and strengthens the development of Port Arthur LNG on the Gulf Coast.
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Piedmont Exedra (https://piedmontexedra.com/2026/06/a-1-megawatt-community-solar-project-flips-the-switch-in-east-oakland)
An Ava Commubity Electric solar farm that produces under one mega-watt located on top of a Prologis logistics building in East Oakland, Calif., on Friday, June 5, 2026. (Eric Urbach/Bay City News)
IN THE BACK of a nondescript office park in East Oakland, a gathering of logistics and energy specialists, along with state and local officials, heralded a victory for community solar years in the making.
A brand-new community solar farm, generating just under one mega-watt of power, came online on top of an East Oakland logistics hub, owned by the world’s largest logistics real estate company, Prologis.
In partnership with Ava Community Energy, a not-for-profit energy generation provider based in Alameda County, officials commemorated Friday the first of five community solar projects designed to help disadvantaged communities.
“This project and program is serving our low income historically marginalized community with lower cost renewable energy,” said Howard Chang, CEO of Ava Community Energy. “We hope that we can continue to accelerate our customers’ ability to electrify and do so affordably.”
To support and encourage the development of projects like this, California lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 327 in 2013, directing the California’s Public Utility Commission to roll out a Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff program, or DAC-GT, which will provide funds to develop utility-scale clean energy, with a 20% discount for income qualified applicants.
Chang noted that the four other projects — another in Oakland, one in San Leandro and two in Tracy — will provide power to over 3,000 customers and produce just over seven mega-watts of energy, addressing affordability in the process.
Lawmakers were eager to celebrate.
State Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, highlighted the importance of these partnerships, which allow Oaklanders and low-income communities across the state to “take charge” of how they get their power, furthering access to green energy.
State Sen. Jesse Arreguin, D-Oakland, who represents the East Bay from Rodeo to East Oakland, added that community-based energy was key to solving increasing energy costs for Californians, especially in historically underinvested areas.
“That’s money that’s being kept in the wallets of working families, all while building the infrastructure that California needs to achieve its climate goals and its energy independence,” said Arreguin. “Cleaner energy, lower utility bills, that’s really a win-win.”
Oakland’s Chief Resilience Officer Daniel Hamilton highlighted the importance of the green energy transition on health outcomes, noting that East Oakland ranks near the top of the state in pollution exposure and the same in asthma rates.
“If we can scale programs like this, we can truly put a dent in the climate crisis in ways that lift our communities,” Hamilton said.
As he highlighted Ava’s commitment to providing fully renewable power to its customers by 2030, San Leandro Mayor Juan Gonzalez said that he believed these types of public-private partnerships would be the engine that achieves that goal and deliver on climate and economic commitments.
While Gonzalez conceded there was work to be done to increase the affordability of solar power for average people, he stressed that he and other lawmakers are committed to working on the city and state level to drive costs down.
“Today I stand grateful, grateful that we are making that transition into turning local rooftops into [energy] generators,” Gonzalez said. “We are moving forward to deliver cleaner power, to deliver that equitably to our communities of greatest needs… this is just the beginning.”
The post A 1-megawatt community solar project ‘flips the switch’ in East Oakland appeared first on Local News Matters.
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By: USA Today Network//June 12, 2026//
By DUKE BEHNKE
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The rooftop solar array planned for the Appleton Public Library is about to double in size.
The 2026 Appleton budget allocated $350,000 for the solar array, which is a collection of solar panels that are wired together to generate electricity.
The city Finance Committee unanimously recommended on June 8 that another $350,000 be transferred to the project.
Both amounts would be drawn from a $2.5 million elective pay reimbursement that Appleton received through the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 for the installation of the library’s geothermal system for heating and cooling.
“We weren’t expecting quite that much, so that was really nice to see,” Parks and Recreation Director Tom Flick said of the federal money.
The $700,000 will pay for the installation of a 280-kilowatt solar system, estimated to cost $675,000, and for targeted energy-efficiency adjustments and upgrades at the library, estimated to cost $25,000.
Flick said Appleton expects to receive a $200,000 rebate on the solar array, lowering the net cost to $475,000.
The solar array and efficiency upgrades will reduce the library’s utility costs by an estimated $72,100 annually, resulting in payback period of 6.9 years.
The solar panels have an estimated life of 30 years.
If the city were to stay with a smaller $350,000 solar array, the savings would be $31,500 annually, and the payback period would be 7.8 years.
Appleton Project & Resiliency Manager Steven Schrage said the library’s solar system will include about 500 solar panels and will generate about 364,000 kilowatt-hours annually. That’s the equivalent of powering about 35 homes, he said.
The Common Council will consider the $350,000 transfer on June 17.
“While it does have an upfront cost, it’s going to allow us to have lower operational costs and does really have the benefit both financial as well as the environmental impact,” council member Brad Firkus said.
With council approval, Schrage said the installation could begin later this year, depending on the lead time for the solar panels.
“I would love to have it done by the end of the year, but that’s being really optimistic,” Schrage told The Post-Crescent.
A rooftop solar array was part of the planning for the new library, which opened in 2025, but it wasn’t included in the construction. Early on, officials had expected We Energies would fund, own and maintain the solar array as part of the company’s Solar Now program, but the program was at full capacity, and the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin voted not to expand it.
The new solar array will be owned by the city.
Flick said the library construction finished $300,000 to $400,000 over its $40.4 million budget. The money received through the Inflation Reduction Act will cover the overrun.
“The rest of the money was not allocated to go toward any specific project or improvement” other than the solar array, Flick said.
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Disney continues to install new solar-powered trash cans with foot pedals throughout World Showcase in EPCOT. The installation began around the entrance to World Showcase and has continued clockwise through the pavilions.
The new cans are now available at Refreshment Outpost and the Germany pavilion. The old cans have been removed from these spaces. These are all brown with the World Showcase medallion on the front.
The cans are mostly in pairs — trash and recycling — but we did see one trash can sitting by itself outside Volkskunst. They are designed to be more hygienic with a foot pedal at the bottom that opens the can, so guests don’t have to directly touch the potentially dirty lid.
The openings are smaller than the older cans, and we’ve seen some guests confused about how to open the cans. The black handles on the front are for Cast Members to empty the trash, not for guests to open the can.
The solar panels on top power a trash compactor inside. This means that the cans can hold more trash because everything gets compacted. They are not a flat surface, however, so using the cans as a table top are now much harder.
Disney confirmed the solar-powered cans will be installed throughout Walt Disney World and that Walt Disney Imagineering is helping design them.
What do you think of these new trash cans? Let us know on social media.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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Picture the last place on Earth a wild animal would ever choose to raise its young.
Endless rows of dark glass, steel posts, a tall security fence, and a wide stretch of bare, baking ground. A solar farm is built for one job only, to turn sunlight into electricity, and nobody designed it as a home for anything.
Yet when a small, desperate creature slipped in through a gap under that fence, something began to happen on that bare land that no one had planned for.
For years, solar farms were seen as a trade.
We gain clean energy, and in return we hand over a large patch of land that becomes, in most people’s minds, dead space. Glass and metal where open country used to be.
That image is exactly why land use has long been one of the biggest worries about going solar. Building enough panels to power a region takes room, and that room often overlaps with the wild places animals depend on.
So a fenced field of machinery seemed like the last place a vanishing animal would ever go. What actually happened there turned the whole idea on its head.
The San Joaquin kit fox is one of the smallest foxes in North America, a delicate, huge eared, nocturnal hunter found only in central California.
And it is in deep trouble. Over the decades, farming and sprawl have swallowed the vast majority of its habitat, leaving this federally endangered little canid with almost nowhere to go. It needs open ground, cover from predators, a steady supply of prey, and many dens to keep moving between.
As the wild land vanished, conservationists were left with an uncomfortable question. With its real home nearly gone, where was this fox supposed to live?
The unlikely answer was waiting behind a chain link fence in the Panoche Valley.
When a vast solar farm of around 500 hectares went up across the Panoche Valley, researchers fitted local kit foxes with GPS collars and watched closely to see what they would do.
What they found was not avoidance. It was adaptation. The foxes treated the facility as part of their range, and the land gave them something rare. The perimeter fence, built only to protect the panels, doubled as a shield against coyotes, their main predator. The ground beneath the rows quietly filled with the insects and rodents that thrive under the panels, and the panels cast cooling shade across the baking valley floor.
The pattern was telling. The foxes spent about half their daylight hours resting safely inside the fence, then slipped out at night to hunt kangaroo rats in the open. The solar farm had quietly become their bedroom, and the surrounding valley their pantry.
But the truly astonishing part was not where these foxes were sleeping. It was what they began to do beneath the panels.
They did not just shelter there. They raised families there.
Over a three year study by California State University researchers, kit foxes dug their dens right under the solar arrays and reared litters of pups beneath the panels. Most striking of all, the foxes living on the solar site survived and bred just as well as foxes on nearby wild reference land.
A piece of pure energy infrastructure, all glass and wire, had become a place where an endangered animal could not only hide, but thrive. The power plant had become a nursery. And that single fact quietly upends almost everything we thought we knew about how solar farms and wildlife get along.
For a long time the story of renewable energy and wildlife was told as a conflict, one side always losing so the other could win.
The kit fox tells a different story. With the right design, native planting and wildlife friendly fencing, a solar farm does not have to push nature out. It can quietly hand a second chance to a species that had almost run out of them.
There is an honest catch worth keeping. The foxes still had to roam farther for food, and over the three years they used the site a little less, especially after cattle broke the fencing and let coyotes back in. The refuge worked because the design worked, and it was only ever as strong as that fence. It is no true replacement for the wild valley that was lost.
But for one small fox with nowhere left to go, a field of glass and steel became exactly that. What looks from the road like a lifeless grid of machinery may, on the inside, be quietly raising the next generation of a creature we very nearly lost.
© 2026 by Ecoportal
© 2026 by Ecoportal
Scientists are always pushing the boundaries of solar cell efficiency – how much of the available sunshine gets turned into electricity – and a new approach to the technology has resulted in an astonishingly high 130 percent ‘quantum yield‘.
It’s important to note that this is a quantum-level energy return, so we’re not talking about a solar panel converting sunlight into electricity at a 130 percent rate. However, the breakthrough is an efficiency improvement in terms of how often a specific event occurs per photon absorbed by the system.
To break through the 100 percent barrier, the new approach splits the energy harvested from a single incoming light photon into two, which then powers two excited states (known as excitons) in the receiving material.
It’s a process known as singlet fission, and as the international team behind the research explains, it prevents excess energy from being lost as heat.
That loss is part of the reason that solar cells typically max out at around the 33 percent mark in terms of overall efficiency, a restriction known as the Shockley-Queisser limit.
“We have two main strategies to break through this limit,” says chemist Yoichi Sasaki, from Kyushu University in Japan.
“One is to convert lower-energy infrared photons into higher-energy visible photons. The other, what we explore here, is to use singlet fission to generate two excitons from a single exciton photon.”
The researchers used an organic molecule called tetracene to act as the splitting material here, through which singlet fission can work. Its properties make it suitable for splitting one high-energy packet into two lower-energy packets through electron excitation.
Singlet fission isn’t a completely new concept, though, and is only half of the story here. A major stumbling block in previous experiments had been giving singlet fission enough time to work before the energy was lost or transferred elsewhere.
This is where the metallic element molybdenum comes in, again chosen for its particular properties. By mixing it with tetracene, the team was able to catch the split excitons in the molybdenum compound.
At the tiniest quantum level, the molybdenum acts as what’s called a spin-flip emitter. First, it locks in energy, and then it uses a quantum spin-flip to turn the invisible states into light. That gave the team the breakthrough result: 1.3 molybdenum-based metal complexes excited per photon absorbed.
“The energy can be easily ‘stolen’ by a mechanism called Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) before multiplication occurs,” says Sasaki.
“We therefore needed an energy acceptor that selectively captures the multiplied triplet excitons after fission.”
It’s worth emphasizing again that these are early lab tests. The next steps are to convert the liquid solution used here into a solid form that can be fitted to a solar panel, reliably and effectively – which the researchers themselves admit will be quite a challenge.
There’s also the issue of the molybdenum complexes hanging onto the energy long enough for it to be useful, as well as capturing it in the first place. This “decay process” is something else the study addresses.
Related: New Solar Panels Can Heal Themselves From Damage in Space
However, those future practical concerns shouldn’t take away from the excitement of the research: It clearly sets out a path towards solar panels that can go above and beyond the efficiency limits of today, and there are multiple ways that this proof-of-concept can be tweaked and experimented with going forward.
With solar energy a vital part of reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and slowing down climate change, being able to substantially improve conversion rates on solar panels would potentially be transformative for the energy industry – especially when paired with new energy storage mechanisms.
“This work represents a significant step toward developing exciton/photon amplification materials by combining singlet fission materials with transition-metal complexes, advancing the application of singlet fission beyond conventional limitations,” write the researchers in their paper.
The research has been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
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The implementation of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) List-II for solar cells from June 1, 2026, has landed before the Karnataka High Court, with multiple renewable energy industry associations challenging the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) decision.
The petition, filed by the Karnataka Renewable Energy Systems Manufacturers Association (KRESMA), Kerala Renewable Energy Entrepreneurs and Promoters Association (KREEPA), and Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Developers Association (TNSEDA), does not seek the scrapping of ALMM itself. Instead, it questions whether India is ready for mandatory sourcing of solar cells exclusively from ALMM-listed manufacturers.
Here are 10 key things to know about the case:
The petitioners have explicitly stated that they are not opposed to the ALMM framework. Their challenge is limited to the implementation of ALMM List-II for solar cells from June 1, 2026, arguing that domestic supply is not yet sufficient.
The associations have asked the court to direct MNRE to defer enforcement of ALMM List-II until domestic manufacturing capacity can adequately meet national demand for solar cells.
According to the petition, India currently has around 30.5 GW of ALMM-listed solar cell manufacturing capacity against an annual demand estimated at 45-50 GW. The petition argues that this mismatch makes immediate enforcement impractical.
The petition claims that while overall listed capacity appears significant, commercially available TOPCon cell capacity—the technology increasingly preferred for utility-scale projects—is concentrated among only a few manufacturers and remains insufficient for market demand.
Petitioners argue that imported solar cells currently available at around ₹5.36 per watt are being replaced by domestic ALMM-listed cells priced at around ₹12 per watt, potentially increasing project costs significantly.
A major argument in the petition is that MNRE repeatedly deferred ALMM List-II implementation between 2019 and 2025, citing insufficient domestic manufacturing capacity. The associations contend that the ministry’s own previous assessments acknowledged supply constraints.
The petition specifically challenges MNRE’s May 25, 2026 Office Memorandum, which rejected a blanket extension and instead offered project-specific relief through a case-by-case evaluation process.
The associations argue that the extension mechanism lacks transparency because applications are to be reviewed by an Expert Committee whose composition, evaluation criteria and decision-making framework have not been publicly disclosed.
The petition points to a Finance Ministry memorandum that treated the West Asia geopolitical situation as a force majeure event and allowed extensions of certain contractual obligations. Petitioners argue that similar flexibility should have been considered for ALMM compliance timelines.
The case comes at a critical point for India’s solar manufacturing industry. While large integrated manufacturers have broadly welcomed the rollout of ALMM List-II, developers, EPC contractors and several module manufacturers argue that the transition is occurring before sufficient domestic cell capacity has been established. The court’s eventual decision could influence how India balances localization goals with project execution realities during the next phase of solar sector growth.
The petition is among the most comprehensive legal challenges yet mounted against the implementation timeline of ALMM List-II and is likely to be closely watched by developers, manufacturers and policymakers alike as India pushes toward greater self-reliance in solar manufacturing.
Ramesh Shivanna, Director of Sadbhavana Ventures from Bengaluru told Saur Energy that the case was primarily filed on the ground that the industry is now reeling under the deficit of domestic solar cells which neither matches quality and price of imported solar cells. “We are demanding a deferrement of the order. The ongoing higher prices of DCR cells have made the issue complex.”
Till now no hearing before the HC has been undertaken but the associations are hopeful of an intervention from the judiciary in this case.
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The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors rejected a proposal to create a solar farm near Timberville at a meeting Wednesday evening.
Summit Ridge Energy, a solar developer based in Arlington, requested a special use permit to build a solar farm on land zoned for agriculture near the Legion Hills neighborhood, about a quarter-mile from Plains Elementary School.
The board of supervisors voted 4-0 to deny the request. Board chair Leila Longcor was absent.
Several Timberville residents came to oppose the request. Many were residents of the Legion Hills neighborhood and said they were concerned that stormwater runoff or other pollution could negatively impact the area’s soil, which is prime for agricultural use.
David Mewellski, who lives in Legion Hills, said the work required to build the solar farm would be slowed by the area’s rocky terrain. He also said that if the board approved the project, it would run counter to the county’s stated goal of supporting local agriculture.
“They’re not going to be able to just pound poles in the ground,” Mewellski said. “The property they’re planning on putting it on is on nothing but rock. This is going to be, literally, in my backyard.”
Jim Johnson, of Timberville, said solar projects also tend to use large quantities of municipal water.
“I’ve also seen some of these projects; what they don’t say upfront is that they require substantial amounts of municipal water, because they have to keep the system cool to keep it running properly.” Johnson said.
Don Driver, who owns a farm about 150 feet away from the proposed solar site, was worried about how the project could affect property values in the area.
“You hear a lot of folks talking about how nice it is to see the cattle, the corn fields and so forth,” Driver said. “Those are all values that are important to us. I began wondering, a little down the road from that, how do those values then turn into dollars?”
Driver cited a Virginia Tech study showing that homes and other real estate near solar projects often lose more value than at other sites, which could result in less revenue for the county.
Ben Gillespie, director of project development for Summit Ridge, said there would be no significant impact on property values in the area.
“We have a third-party analysis, a comprehensive tool,” Gillespie said. “They concluded that the proximity to solar farms does not negatively change the property values of properties close to the project.”
The request came before the board shortly after the opening of a controversial battery facility near Craney Island Road.
Vice Chair Matt Dale was critical of Summit Ridge, asking the applicant’s representatives whether they planned to use new state regulations to convert the solar site into a battery facility.
After the meeting, Dale also questioned the motives of Dewey Ritchie, supervisor for District One, which includes Timberville and the site for the proposed solar farm.
Dale said Ritchie had been a strong supporter of agriculture in the past, but now was attending openings for solar and battery facilities.
“I was happy that Mr. Ritchie decided to motion to deny this,” Dale said. “However, I didn’t think that was going to happen, because he has voted in favor of all 466 acres worth of large solar facilities in the county. This morning, he spoke at the ribbon-cutting for the largest battery storage facility on the east coast, which is 24 acres worth of batteries.”
Dale criticized Ritchie for supporting utility-scale energy storage and solar power projects while not supporting additional funding for Rockingham County Fire and Rescue, which he said could struggle to contain a fire at a facility like the one on Craney Island Road.
“Our firefighters have neither the tools, training, nor resources to contain such an emergency on a parcel that size,” Dale said. “Mr. Ritchie is highly against using additional resources to fund anything, as evidenced by his disposition during our budgeting process and tax rate hearing. My question is: why are you in favor of large-scale utility solar and large battery installations while allegedly being in favor of our farming communities and public safety? That doesn’t add up.”
Ritchie could not be reached for comment.
Contact Richard H. Hronik III at rhronik@dnronline.com, 540-208-3278, or on Twitter @rhronikDNR
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A YouTuber and his wife recently ended a pregnancy after a Down syndrome diagnosis, kicking off intense ethical debates on social media. Does terminating a Down syndrome fetus constitute eugenics?
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Pioneer Yachts will make a very quiet entry into the marine industry next month.
The new German shipyard, founded by engineer and entrepreneur Mike Frank earlier this year, has announced that the first unit of its new solar-electric catamaran is entering the final stages of construction. The inaugural PY60, christened Pioneer One, is set to hit the water in July, with a full debut scheduled for the Cannes Yachting Festival in September.
Frank established Pioneer with the goal of creating a reliable solar-electric yacht for continuous use at sea. Rather than convert a traditional motor yacht to electric propulsion, the team developed a unique catamaran centered on efficiency, autonomy, and simplicity. The practical platform was designed around energy generation and storage, with the propulsion system a clear focus, rather than an afterthought.
Designed by two Italian firms—Cossutti & Ganz for the exterior, Micheletti + Partners for the interior—but engineered and built in Germany, the 60-footer balances form and function. It combines advanced German tech with elegant Italian style for an upscale emissions-free cruising experience.
The yacht features an expansive solar roof that generates clean, green energy from the sun. That power is stored within the onboard battery banks and used to run the electric propulsion system or the hotel load. Pioneer says the “48-volt electrical backbone” is designed to support long-term operation at sea. The multihull can run purely on electricity for “typical cruising distances,” though the yard didn’t give an exact range. Diesel generators can, of course, kick in if more grunt is needed.
The hull and superstructure were engineered specifically to support the propulsion system, with designs that reduce energy consumption while improving performance and comfort. The PY60 can smoothly and quietly sail to a top speed of 11 knots and a cruising speed of 7.5 knots. Simplified onboard systems and intuitive controls mean the owner can handle the yacht, too, reducing the need for a professional crew.
As for the interior, the multihull features what Pioneer says is the largest cockpit door in its class, which creates a seamless connection between the aft deck and salon. The expansive, single-level living area is decked out with large panoramic windows that invite light in and provide views out.
Pioneer One will double as a flagship and a demonstrator. Frank plans to use the yacht personally, with his own experiences shaping future models. “Pioneer One will be more than a showcase yacht; it will become our operational reference platform,” Frank said in a statement. “By using the yacht ourselves and monitoring its performance under real conditions, we can continue refining the concept and ensure that future boats are shaped by practical experience.”
Pioneer One will be on show at Cannes from September 8 to 13.
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Rachel Cormack is a digital editor at Robb Report. She cut her teeth writing for HuffPost, Concrete Playground, and several other online publications in Australia, before moving to New York at the…
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Avaada Group is set to begin operations at its state-of-the-art solar cell manufacturing facility in Nagpur, marking a significant milestone in India’s journey toward self-reliance in renewable energy manufacturing. The upcoming facility, developed by Avaada Electro, will become the country’s largest solar cell manufacturing plant, further strengthening India’s domestic solar supply chain and clean energy ambitions.
Largest Solar Cell Production Capacity in India
The facility will have a solar cell manufacturing capacity capable of supporting the generation of 6,000 MW of solar power. This scale makes it the largest solar cell production unit currently being established in India. The project forms a key component of Avaada’s broader strategy to create a fully integrated solar manufacturing ecosystem and reduce the industry’s dependence on imports.
Building a Fully Integrated Solar Manufacturing Hub
The Nagpur complex already houses a solar module manufacturing facility with a capacity of 7,000 MW. Going forward, Avaada plans to progressively expand the site by adding polysilicon, ingot, wafer and cell manufacturing capabilities over the next year. As a result, the company aims to establish a complete value chain—from ingot production to finished solar modules—by December 2026. This integrated approach will not only enhance manufacturing efficiency but also strengthen supply chain resilience for India’s rapidly growing solar sector.
Expanding Localisation Through Solar Glass Manufacturing
In addition to expanding upstream manufacturing capabilities, Avaada is planning to set up a dedicated solar glass manufacturing unit in Nagpur. The move will further localise critical components used in solar module production, helping the company reduce import dependence while supporting the government’s “Make in India” and clean energy initiatives.
Investment Fuels Growth
The integrated solar manufacturing project represents a total planned investment of approximately ₹13,000 crore. Of this, nearly ₹5,000 crore has already been invested in developing the manufacturing infrastructure and associated facilities. As reported by projectstoday.ai, the substantial investment underscores Avaada’s commitment to creating a world-class renewable energy manufacturing platform in India. By combining large-scale manufacturing, supply chain integration and advanced solar technologies, the company aims to play a pivotal role in India’s transition toward a sustainable and energy-secure future.
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MUSCAT, JUNE 13
Chinese investors unveiled ambitious plans to establish a major solar manufacturing complex and a regional cybersecurity hub in Oman, underscoring growing international confidence in the Sultanate of Oman's industrial, digital and clean-energy ambitions under Oman Vision 2040.
The announcements were made during the Oman Future Fund (FFO) investment showcase on Tuesday, where officials from Orion Solar and XCyber outlined projects that are expected to strengthen Oman’s position in renewable energy manufacturing and digital resilience while creating high-value employment opportunities.
Speaking at the event, Mark Jiang Pengjing, Deputy General Manager of Orion Solar, said the company had chosen Oman as the location for one of its most significant overseas investments because of the country’s clear vision, commitment to sustainability and favourable investment environment.
“In a world full of opportunities, we have chosen Oman because we firmly believe it will be one of the greatest success stories of the next decade,” Pengjing said.
The Orion Solar project, one of the largest industrial investments announced by the Fund, involves the establishment of an integrated solar cell and module manufacturing facility in Sohar Freezone.
According to project details presented during the event, the venture will involve an investment of approximately RO 220 million and produce 6 gigawatts of solar cells and 3 gigawatts of solar panels annually.
“This is far more than an ordinary factory. It will serve as a powerhouse of clean-energy innovation and one of the largest and most advanced facilities of its kind across the globe,” Pengjing said.
He added that the project would create thousands of jobs, support technology transfer and generate more than RO 20 million annually in local procurement spending.
“We are not only manufacturing high-quality products, we are building industry capabilities, empowering future opportunities and shaping a new era of the renewable energy industry right here in Oman,” he noted.
The company also pledged to collaborate closely with local universities, research institutions and industries to develop skills, knowledge and expertise in renewable energy technologies.
Meanwhile, cybersecurity firm XCyber announced plans to strengthen Oman’s digital security ecosystem through investments in sovereign cybersecurity capabilities, local talent development and advanced AI-powered security solutions.
Fan Zhang, Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of XCyber, described Oman as an ideal location for the company’s regional expansion, citing the country’s rapid economic transformation and commitment to digital development.
“As a company backed by OIA, we are committed to building a world-class security hub right here,” Zhang said.
XCyber, the international arm of China’s QAX cybersecurity group, recently joined the Oman Investment Authority ecosystem through a partnership with EW Partners and the Future Fund Oman.
The company outlined a three-pronged strategy focused on establishing national-level cybersecurity monitoring capabilities, developing localised cybersecurity products and strengthening Oman-based cybersecurity services.
“Our collaboration with OIA will focus on building national-level cybersecurity and monitoring capability, developing localised cybersecurity products and strengthening localised cybersecurity service capabilities,” Zhang said.
She revealed plans to establish local security operations centres, digital forensic laboratories and emergency response capabilities to help Oman manage cyber threats independently while protecting critical infrastructure.
“We are not just operating here in Oman; we are supporting Oman, serving Oman and growing with Oman,” Zhang added.
The projects reflect the Future Fund Oman's strategy of attracting foreign direct investment into strategic sectors while promoting technology transfer, industrial localisation and job creation. Together, the solar and cybersecurity ventures demonstrate how Oman is leveraging international partnerships to accelerate its transition towards a diversified, knowledge-based economy centred on clean energy, advanced manufacturing and digital innovation.
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Solarize Lexington, a city program that helps homeowners install discounted solar panels on their roof is expanding to five other counties.
That includes Clark, Scott, Bourbon, Jessamine and Woodford, all within the wider Lexington-Fayette County Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Solarize Lexington originally launched in 2023 to help homeowners lower their energy costs and help them make the switch to renewables.
“We in the city have a goal of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. That’s something that’s community wide and it takes all of us doing whatever we can toward that,” said Jada Walker Griggs, Lexington’s senior sustainability program manager.
It’s the third year of the program after a pause in 2025, brought about by a delay with the memorandum of understanding with the Kentucky Solar Energy Society. Instead, interested homeowners were referred to the solar program in Boyle County.
The program is back Lexington this year and is offering a discount rate of 20% on parts and installation. Those interested can fill out an online survey to see if their home’s roof can accommodate solar.
Lexington says it’s partnering with Solar Energy Solutions as its only solar installer, and is also warning homeowners about potential solar scams.
“We will not call you or show up at your door unless you have filled out the program interest form, which is online,” Griggs said.
Solarize Lexington is open to homeowners, as well as nonprofits, small businesses and places of worship. The deadline to apply is Oct. 2 and all contracts must be completed by Oct. 16. Installation must be complete by the end of the year.
The online survey can be found here.
6
Photo from Renogy.com
Renogy expands its solar lineup with advanced N-type bifacial panels designed to improve energy yield, efficiency, and long-term solar performance.
ONTARIO, CA, UNITED STATES, June 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — As the solar industry continues its transition toward higher-efficiency technologies, bifacial solar panels are gaining increasing attention across residential, commercial, and off-grid energy markets.
Originally developed and widely deployed in utility-scale solar farms, bifacial technology was designed to maximize energy yield by capturing sunlight from both the front and rear sides of solar modules. However, its application in smaller-scale and mobile energy systems has only emerged more recently as manufacturing processes have matured and costs have declined.
Renogy was among the early pioneers to explore the application of bifacial solar technology in the off-grid energy sector. In 2023, the company introduced bifacial solar panels into off-grid and mobile power applications as a market exploration initiative, moving beyond the traditional utility-scale use case.
The response from the market was highly positive. Early adoption was particularly strong in marine applications, where 100W and 200W compact bifacial modules gained traction due to their flexible installation configurations and ability to maximize rear-side light capture from reflective water surfaces.
In parallel, RV and overlanding users—many of whom rely on long-term off-grid camping and stationary parking scenarios—began adopting bifacial panels to enhance energy independence. These users often install solar panels on vehicle rooftops with adjustable mounting brackets, allowing them to optimize tilt angles when parked to maximize solar exposure and overall energy generation.
According to Renogy’s engineering team at its manufacturing facility, early field data played a critical role in validating this adoption trend.
“When we first introduced bifacial panels for off-grid use in 2023, we were primarily testing whether real-world environments like RV rooftops and marine decks could actually benefit from rear-side energy capture,” said a Renogy factory technical engineer. “The feedback was immediate—especially from marine users and long-stay RV campers. Installation flexibility and reflected light conditions made a measurable difference in daily energy output.”
Over the past three years, continuous market feedback, combined with advancements in solar cell efficiency and manufacturing maturity, has significantly improved the performance and cost structure of bifacial technology. As a result, Renogy has expanded its investment in research and production capacity, leading to the development of a new generation of N-Type bifacial solar panels.
Compared with the previous generation, the latest series, offered in 100W, 200W, 320W, and 400W variants, delivers improved conversion efficiency and a more competitive cost-performance ratio, making bifacial technology more accessible to a broader range of off-grid and mobile energy users.
This evolution reflects not only technological advancement but also the growing demand from real-world users seeking reliable, high-efficiency solar solutions for demanding environments.
The launch of Renogy’s next-generation N-Type bifacial solar panel series represents the company’s continued commitment to translating field experience into product innovation, supporting applications across RV, marine, residential, and off-grid energy systems.
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Folk-pop favorite Noah Kahan is no stranger to writing and singing about his hometown of Strafford, Vermont.
Whether he’s crooning about small town delights on “Dan,” or wistfully writing about seasonal depression on “Stick Season,” the artist evokes plenty of Northeastern imagery in his songs.
His newest album, “The Great Divide” features a song called “Haircut,” about how he imagines people responding to his return home after his many career successes on the road.
In the second verse of “Haircut,” Kahan sings from the perspective of his Strafford neighbors:
“For two hundred years, we laid bricks in the dirt, put solar in the copper mines,” he warbles.
While plenty of fans were happy to just sing along to the fiddle-ridden tune, others became curious: What is this solar power project Kahan speaks of?
Eagle-eyed fans — and Genius contributors — believe he is referencing the Elizabeth Mine in Strafford, a mine that was opened after the discovery of ore in 1793, yielding 100 million pounds of ore throughout Vermont’s rich mining history.
However, the economic boon of such mining also had grave environmental and health impacts, as workers in the late 1800s had to roast the copper ore to make it easier to smelt, burning off iron and sulphur fumes.
“Workers tended a number of heaps on the roast beds, working among heavy sulphur fumes,” a historical report from the city of Strafford explained. “The sulphurous gases killed the vegetation in the surrounding environment, a fairly common occurrence in such mining districts until better methods were developed to capture the fumes or eliminate the need for roasting.”
Although mining practices improved over time, the Elizabeth Mine still posed great risk to miners and the surrounding environment, and it was finally closed in 1958, following longstanding public health concerns.
But it still had an impact on generations of Vermonters.
By the early 2000s, reporting from The Nature Conservancy explained, “the local river was already suffering.”
“A five-mile stretch of the Ompompanoosuc had more than 10,000 times the acceptable amount of copper. Fish counts were low, and the layer of sediment at the bottom of the river that is usually host to tiny bugs and other organisms was showing little life,” The Nature Conservancy reported. “One family had elevated levels of heavy metals in their drinking well, posing a threat to their health.”
So, a half-century after the mine was closed, in 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency spent about two decades and over $100 million in federal money on the cleanup process to stabilize the mine’s dam and clear toxic waste from waterways.
It was a historic restoration.
“In 2014, because of the EPA cleanup efforts, the State of Vermont delisted several nearby waterbodies from the Clean Water Act’s ‘Impaired Waters List’ based on the return of a healthy benthic and fish community,” the city of Strafford explains on its website.
“The cleanup also replaced eight acres of toxic wetlands with 15 acres of healthy wetlands and reduced the iron load to receiving bodies of water from 800 pounds per day to one-tenth of a pound per day.”
But perhaps the biggest climate victory was the transformation of the mining site into a solar field.
Local farmer John Freitag told The Nature Conservancy that it was another Strafford resident, Dori Wolfe, known to be a staunch solar advocate, who pushed to make it happen.
“Dori said that what we really needed to do was cover the Elizabeth Mine with solar panels,” Freitag said. “The Elizabeth Mine gave Strafford so much of its character. Adding solar panels would honor the mine’s history.”
And Dori was right.
“A solar project could be good for Vermont and good for Strafford,” Freitag said. “Vermont has renewable energy requirements, but the sites that are easy to develop are on farm fields. If this mine were used for solar, it would preserve farms and forests. And we could use the tax revenue from the project to improve the schools, help lower property taxes or fix up the roads. Roads can get pretty bad around here.”
After convincing local leaders and hesitant neighbors, the project was approved, and 20,000 solar panels were installed across the 45-acre site formerly home to the Elizabeth Mine in 2021.
Now, it generates enough power for every home for Strafford’s 1,100 residents — and then some.
“This 20,000-panel solar field generates an average of 8.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, enough to power 1,333 typical Vermont homes,” the city writes on its website, “and offsets the generation of 7,136 tons of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas.”
Now, Freitag is proud of his town’s power — and it seems Kahan is, too.
“It’s not always perfect, but communities can work with federal officials and have something positive come out of it,” Freitag told The Nature Conservancy in 2024.
“The Elizabeth Mine is an excellent model for putting solar in the right place, and it’s applicable to many other mines. Now my hope is that we can help other community leaders do the same.”
With a Billboard No. 1 debut for “The Great Divide” in April — and all 21 songs from the album charting on the Hot 100 — hopefully, this Strafford Easter egg can inspire a surge of support for renewable energy, too.
You may also like: L.L. Bean donates $100k to Noah Kahan's Busyhead Project: 'It's going to make a huge difference'
Header images courtesy of Universal Music Group and the City of Strafford
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“We should be capitalizing on every opportunity that we have available to us.”
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Massachusetts still does not have a single operating charger from a federal program for highway EV charging, even though the state received about $64 million to build them along major highways.
For drivers hoping for easier long-distance travel — and for communities that stand to benefit from cleaner air and lower transportation costs — the holdup is a major missed opportunity.
The Biden administration’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program was meant to create a dependable charging network along highways across the United States. But CommonWealth Beacon reported that Massachusetts has not yet brought any of its NEVI-funded chargers online.
As early as 2022, the state projected that its roughly $64 million award could pay for 92 charging ports.
Massachusetts chose three vendors two years ago to scout locations and construct stations. So far, though, only Applegreen and Global Partners have completed contracts, while the status of the third company, Weston & Sampson, remains unclear, CommonWealth Beacon reported.
MassDOT says the vendors with signed contracts have spent nearly $4 million so far on preparatory work — including engineering, permitting, and procurement — rather than completed charging sites.
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According to CommonWealth Beacon, Applegreen has secured charging equipment for Greenfield and Newburyport and hopes to start construction in late July, while Global Partners has been authorized to order equipment and is finishing plans for Lancaster, Wrentham, and Raynham.
Public charging availability is one of the biggest factors shaping whether drivers feel comfortable switching from gas-powered vehicles to EVs. Without reliable chargers on major roads, many people may worry about getting stranded, particularly on long trips or if they do not have access to home charging.
Broader EV adoption can help households spend less on fuel and maintenance while reducing the tailpipe pollution that contributes to unhealthy air in nearby communities.
When a state that broadly supports EVs falls behind on charging infrastructure, it can slow progress toward cleaner transportation, lower driving costs, and better public health.
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The situation also raises questions about whether communities are receiving the benefits they were promised from major federal climate and infrastructure investments. If funding remains unused, residents are left waiting longer for jobs, cleaner travel options, and a functioning charging network.
The slow pace has frustrated advocates for transit and clean energy.
Jim Aloisi, a former Massachusetts transportation secretary, said, “The slowness of adoption here is mystifying,” adding that the failure to roll out NEVI shows “the disconnect” in the state’s EV strategy.
Eric Bourassa, a member of the state’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordinating Council, said he is “not privy to the details of what’s holding it up,” but that “everyone would agree that the pace of NEVI deployment in Massachusetts has been disappointing.”
Anna Vanderspek of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance put it even more directly: “We should be capitalizing on every opportunity that we have available to us. MassDOT should explain why it’s taken so long and what timetable we can expect now.”
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Paul Irby, senior project development manager for Dimension Energy of Atlanta, goes over details of a commercial solar project in Jerseyville.
JERSEYVILLE — City Council has unanimously passed three ordinances to annex a tract of land along Illinois Route 16 for a commercial solar project.
The property owners will sell the land for the solar farm to Dimension Energy of Atlanta.
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Based on a presentation this week, the commercial solar project is expected to generate $531,028 in tax revenue for the city over three decades.
The company plans to use 20 acres of the 25-acre parcel, and the solar energy produced is expected to power 800 homes.
The annexation agreement also includes a $650,000 contribution from the developers to the city.
After the council approved the minutes from its last meeting on May 26 and the bills as presented for June 9, Mayor Kevin Stork opened a public hearing on the solar project.
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Attorney Nick Standiford of Schain Banks Kenny & Schwartz. law firm in Chicago spoke first, walking council members through the steps previously taken to get the solar project off the ground. He introduced Chad Bartels of Edwardsville, one of the property owners who will sell the land for the solar farm to Dimension Energy of Atlanta; the agent for the company is Cogency Global of Springfield.
“His grandparents owned the property, and he’s one of the landowners who signed the petition for annexation,” Standiford said of Bartels.
Bartels, 54, said his grandfather bought the property sometime in the 1930s. He said he would be pleased to see the land, currently being farmed, used to produce electricity.
“This would be something to put it to good use, and if it doesn’t work out, it’s an easy thing to clean up and do something else,” he said.
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Standiford noted his firm used some of Jerseyville’s previous annexation agreements as a template for the deal with Dimension Energy.
“We basically used what the city had already done, and we modified it for a solar farm,” Standiford said. “The key to this one, the big difference, is we’re only wanting to be annexed to the city if we go forward with the purchase of this property.”
Standiford also noted the city will need to issue a special-use permit for the solar facility.
“I think this project is good for drainage,” he said. “These solar farms are good for strengthening the grid and helping enhance electricity in the area, and to make it so that there are not going to be as many blackouts in the future, things like that. And it’s good for Jerseyville.”
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Paul Irby, senior project development manager for Dimension Energy, gave a slide presentation showing the location and layout of the proposed installation. He said the company would use about 20 acres of the 25-acre parcel.
Irby said the solar farm will be capable of generating 3.75 megawatts of AC electricity — enough to supply the power needs of 800 homes — when completed, and that output will be supplied to the grid.
Irby emphasized Dimension Energy will not only be the developer of the project but also intends to be the long-term operator of the facility.
He described Dimension’s plans to meet the city’s requirements for screening vegetation to reduce the solar farm's visibility to neighbors and passing motorists. The plans call for using evergreens and conifers on three sides of the tract to provide the vegetative screen.
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A pollinator-friendly seed mix using native species of grasses and wildflowers will be planted under the solar panels themselves, Irby said.
“With these native species, they have much deeper root systems than soybeans and corn, so they provide a lot more in terms of soil stability,” he said. “So as stormwater comes in, it’s better absorbed.”
Irby also detailed the Agricultural Impact Limitation Agreement the developers have signed with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, which the state requires to preserve the integrity of any agricultural land affected by the construction and deconstruction of a commercial solar energy facility.
The Dimension Energy representative pointed out that the project won’t require municipal services such as water and sewer.
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Irby also displayed a slide showing the estimated tax revenues the city of Jerseyville could expect to receive from the tract over the next 30 years: $64,702 with no changes to the land use, whereas the same property with the commercial solar project would be expected to generate $531,028 in tax revenues for the city over three decades.
Standiford pointed out the estimate uses extrapolated data based on recent trends in property tax rate increases for the property.
The annexation agreement also includes a $650,000 contribution from the developers to the city, Irby said.
“We’re beefing up the benefits that we’re going to bring locally,” he said. “So, the big headline is this $650,000 contribution. Having done a couple of these, I will say it’s the biggest one we’ve ever done.”
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Following the public hearing, council voted unanimously to approve three ordinances: authorizing the annexation agreement, rezoning the property to M-2 manufacturing, and granting a special-use permit.
Before the meeting, Stork said a number of people turned out earlier for Planning and Zoning Committee meetings about the project, so he hadn’t expected any opposition at the City Council meeting. No one spoke against the plan at this week's meeting.
“As of June 1, the state really limits what we can do as a town, how we can limit the growth,” Stork said in his office ahead of the meeting. “So, the state sort of took some of our power away. This was a project that came in the midst of that change. We felt like, at this point, we can control a little more about the project. We can control the setbacks, we can control the greenery, we can set some expectations, whereas later on down the road, we won’t have a lot of that control.”
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The city then wouldn’t be able to set any restrictions more stringent than state rules, he said.
Steve Whitworth is a reporter with The Telegraph who brings 40 years of experience in news reporting, writing, editing and public relations. He previously worked at The Telegraph in a variety of reporting and editing roles from 1996 to 2013. After a 10-year stint with a St. Louis public relations firm, he has returned to news, his first love.
Whitworth has lived in Glen Carbon, Illinois, for nearly 30 years. His hobbies include swimming laps, birdwatching, attending concerts and spending time with his 12-year-old Maltese-Pomeranian mix, Daisy.
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Controversial plans for a huge solar farm on land in Doncaster and Rotherham have taken a step forward.
A formal application has been made by Whitestone Net Zero for a solar farm covering areas near Conisbrough, Ulley and Harthill with Woodall.
It was originally projected to cover 3,500 acres (5.5sq miles) but Whitestone said it had made "significant changes to the project design" following two rounds of consultation.
Doncaster and Rotherham councils have both objected and Rother Valley MP Jake Richards said he would fight the application "tooth and nail" on behalf his constituents.
The Planning Inspectorate has until 8 July to decide on the application, which could be accepted for examination, not accepted, or withdrawn by the applicant.
There is no opportunity to make comments on the application at this stage.
If it is accepted, it will progress to the pre-examination stage as part of a lengthy planning process.
Labour MP Richards said: "The vast majority of my constituents are not against renewable energy but the sheer scale of this project will be a scar across the gorgeous countryside that we all enjoy in South Yorkshire.
"A lot of communities are really worried about these plans.
"What has essentially started now is the formal process.
"During those first two rounds of consultation, I always objected to the proposal but I was also trying to work with the developer to make sure the proposal was as good as it could be.
"However, we've reached a new stage now because this is the formal application and the clock is ticking for a decision in the next 18 months or so.
"My attitude has hardened as the plans I've seen are nowhere near appropriate for the area and I'll be fighting it tooth and nail from now on."
Whitestone said the area it was looking to develop was now 37% smaller than the original proposals.
It said: "We presented our initial proposals in autumn 2024 during the first consultation.
"This original masterplan presented all of the land that we were considering to include in the project and those areas that could be used for solar panels and other infrastructure, known as the developable area.
"In response to feedback from that consultation, we reduced these areas by a quarter to create offsets around homes, villages and public rights of way.
"After the second consultation in autumn 2025, we responded to feedback and further reduced these areas around homes, villages and environmentally sensitive locations."
Whitestone said new energy projects could only connect into the National Grid at locations where there was available capacity, such as Brinsworth.
Once it had secured the grid connection agreement, it looked for land nearby that would be suitable for solar.
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No matter how you feel about it, there’s no denying that solar gives a home free electricity from the sun.
Photo Credit: EnergySage
When Devin Ross electrified his San Diego home, his power bill climbed to as much as $700 a month. After he installed solar panels and a battery, that bill dropped to nearly $0.
For Ross, though, the decision was not just about saving money. After watching his parents struggle to get service from a solar company that later went out of business, he wanted an installer he could trust.
To find a trustworthy local expert, he connected with EnergySage, a marketplace built to help homeowners make informed decisions about clean energy upgrades, such as solar panels.
Ross’s solar project went live in November 2025 at his single-family home. He purchased a $33,000 system from GC Electric Solar that included REC Group 440-watt panels and a Tesla Powerwall 3 battery, covering around 90% to 100% of his electricity use.
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers in your area.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
Prior to his solar installation, Ross’ utility bills had risen as he leaned further into home electrification. Ross drives a Tesla Model 3, had added a heat pump for heating and cooling, and was shifting more of his household energy use to electric options. Rather than cutting back, he decided solar was the next step.
After collecting quotes on his own, Ross said the process felt clunky and time-consuming. He eventually turned to EnergySage to compare multiple pre-screened installers at once and narrowed his search to GC Electric Solar, which stood out for its price and strong local reviews.
If you’re curious about a solar upgrade, EnergySage can help you compare quotes and find the best panels for your home and budget.
After installing solar, Ross saw his monthly electricity bills drop from roughly $700 to nearly zero. The upgrade could save him thousands per year while continuing to power his EV charging, heating, and cooling needs.
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Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers that can help you save as much as $10k on installation.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best local options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
Service can be as important as sticker price. Ross said his parents went months without solar power after their installer went under, and follow-up support was difficult to find. That experience pushed him to prioritize a company with community roots and a reputation for responsiveness.
Ross looked beyond the upfront price, checking reviews, asking about ongoing service, and seeing whether an installer had experience in his city or county. Luckily, EnergySage’s free tools make it easy to find a company worth partnering with.
“You could go to Yelp, but that’s geared towards a lot of different things — EnergySage is focused on solar,” Ross said. “It makes the process that much easier.”
For homeowners considering solar, Ross’ experience underscores the value of comparing quotes before making a decision. EnergySage can help simplify the process by connecting you with vetted installers and allowing you to compare competitive bids in one place.
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Homeowners who consult with EnergySage experts can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations.
EnergySage also offers a state-by-state mapping tool that shows average solar costs and available incentives, helping you find the best deal and maximize potential savings.
If you’re looking for even greater energy independence, pairing solar with battery storage can provide backup power during outages and help reduce electricity costs. EnergySage also offers free tools to compare home battery options and installation estimates.
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.
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By: Luis Reyes
Published: Jun 13, at 12:00pm ET
Making green hydrogen has always been a two-machine job. You put up solar panels to turn sunlight into electricity, then you feed that electricity into an electrolyzer that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. Both machines cost serious money, both need maintenance, and the second one usually wants a grid connection, which quietly undercuts the whole “energy independence” sales pitch. Then a four-person spin-off from Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology showed up at Hannover Messe this spring and said you can fire the middleman.
The startup is called Photreon, and its product is a photoreactor panel that takes in sunlight and water and gives back hydrogen directly. No electrolyzer, no electricity consumed anywhere in the process, no grid. The team brought a working 1-square-meter prototype (about 11 square feet) to the KIT booth at the fair, which ran April 20 to 24, and KIT announced it has filed a patent application for the panel’s internal geometry. If you have ever wondered why nobody just builds a panel that makes fuel instead of electricity, the short answer is that plenty of people have tried. The longer answer is what makes this one worth your five minutes.
The trick is a process called photocatalysis, and it is genuinely different from what happens on your neighbor’s roof. A photovoltaic panel absorbs light and converts it into electric current. Photreon’s panel absorbs light with specially engineered light-sensitive materials that kick electrons into an excited state, and those charged-up electrons drive a chemical reaction on the spot: water molecules get split into hydrogen and oxygen right there in the panel. The energy never takes the form of electricity at any point. Sunlight becomes chemical fuel in a single step.
According to co-founder Paul Kant, a researcher at KIT’s Institute for Micro Process Engineering, the design skips the detour through electrolysis entirely and produces chemical energy straight from sun and water. The part KIT actually filed the patent application on is the reactor’s internal geometry, which Kant says was engineered so that three jobs happen at once inside the panel: light gets guided onto the active material, the water-splitting reaction runs, and the gases produced get pulled out efficiently. That last job matters more than it sounds. A panel that makes hydrogen but can’t collect it cleanly is a science fair project, and the field has produced plenty of those.
Maren Cordts, the other co-founder out of the same KIT institute, frames the payoff in system terms: one panel replaces both the photovoltaic array and the electrolyzer, which cuts cost and complexity in one move. Considering that electrolyzers lean on expensive catalyst metals like iridium and platinum, an entire research industry exists just to shave the precious metals out of them, so deleting the machine altogether is a fairly direct way to win that argument.
Here is the thing Photreon’s pitch lives or dies on, so let’s not bury it. Photocatalysis has historically been terrible at converting sunlight into hydrogen. Not slightly worse than the two-step route. Terrible. A landmark Nature paper from 2021 put real-world photocatalytic water splitting at solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies of only around 1%, while lab setups pairing solar cells with electrolyzers have hit 30%. The same paper documented Japan’s famous 100-square-meter outdoor array of photocatalytic panel reactors, which ran for a year and peaked at 0.76% conversion efficiency. That demo also flagged a safety headache this field carries around: the raw output is a mixed stream of hydrogen and oxygen that has to be handled and separated without incident, which is part of what Photreon says its extraction geometry is built to manage.
The best published number anywhere is 9.2%, achieved in a 2023 study using an indium gallium nitride catalyst, concentrated solar light, and carefully tuned reaction temperatures. Impressive work, but concentrated light and lab conditions are not a rooftop in the real world, and the same team measured about 7% on tap water and seawater. Researchers commonly cite 10% solar-to-hydrogen as the threshold where the technology starts to make commercial sense. The field’s everyday reality has been a single digit, and usually the low end of a single digit.
So why would anyone build a company on a technology with those numbers? Because Photreon isn’t selling efficiency. It’s selling cheap. The panel is designed around standard mass-production processes and low-cost materials, and the whole thing is modular, so the same unit works as a handful of panels on a factory roof or as thousands of them wired together into what KIT calls solar hydrogen farms. The economic logic is closer to flooring a desert with inexpensive panels than to squeezing every photon for maximum yield. If each square meter is cheap enough to stamp out like drywall, a mediocre conversion rate stops being a dealbreaker and starts being a land-use question.
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The customers Photreon is naming tell you exactly where it thinks that math works first. Mid-sized companies in specialty chemicals, food production, and metalworking that want to cover their own hydrogen demand on-site instead of trucking it in. Large solar projects in regions with abundant sunshine. And places that have neither a power grid nor a hydrogen pipeline within reach, where the alternative isn’t a cheaper electrolyzer, it’s nothing at all. “Our technology opens up new possibilities for local production,” Cordts said in KIT’s announcement. That on-site framing is also the honest one, because the demand side of this market is very real and very underfed: governments on three continents have written fuel mandates that quietly assume someone will produce enormous amounts of green hydrogen that, so far, nobody is producing.
You should still file every forward-looking claim here under “plans.” There is no price per kilogram, no production capacity, no announced pilot customer. What exists today, verifiably, is one working square meter and a patent application.
Photreon’s announcement reads like a breakthrough if it’s the first photocatalysis story you’ve seen. It isn’t the first. Israel’s QD-SOL has been working the same direct sunlight-to-hydrogen idea with nanoparticle catalysts and said in September 2025 it had connected multiple photocatalytic panels into a single continuously producing array, its step from one panel toward many. SunHydrogen, a publicly traded outfit based in Iowa, brought on the University of Tokyo professors behind that Japanese 100-square-meter demonstration as consultants back in 2023 to help engineer its own panels. Everyone in this field is chasing the same prize, which is hydrogen production simple enough to skip the electrolyzer industry entirely, and everyone is stuck behind the same single-digit efficiency wall. Whoever combines a tolerable conversion rate with genuinely cheap manufacturing first wins, and right now nobody has. The catalyst research feeding this race moves fast, and occasionally a result lands that rewrites the assumptions, so the wall may not hold forever.
What separates Photreon’s entry is the pedigree and the framing. KIT is one of Europe’s heavyweight engineering institutions, the reactor geometry is specific enough to file a patent application on, and the founders are openly positioning the product around manufacturability instead of record-chasing. In a field that has spent two decades publishing efficiency papers, a pitch built on “ours will be cheap to stamp out” is at least a different kind of bet.
A 1-square-meter panel is not a factory. It’s a very promising window. The distance between the two is where most of these projects go quiet, and Photreon now has to cross it with a technology whose core physics has humbled better-funded teams for twenty years. The reason to keep this one on your radar anyway: every other path to green hydrogen requires two machines and a grid, and this one requires a panel, water, and a sunny day. If the cost numbers ever back up the simplicity, the electrolyzer business has a problem.
Did we nail it or blow it?
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